Chapter 08 – Power Leveling
Part 1
Whoa, what’s this bunch of paper?
Are you kidding me? Are you trying to make me angry? Is this what you call an incident report?
This was the case where Dolce, the son of the Count, was killed. How could you convict Canaan on such a flimsy record? Who’s Witness A? Where is he now? Why was the feudal lord’s son going out alone? Where was his guard? Was dereliction of duty even brought up!?
This is ― well, isn’t this like saying please kidnap and kill him as soon as possible?
This is an obvious setup. There can be no doubt that someone with a decent amount of power or influence is involved in this case.
“Canaan, what kind of job did you have before you were convicted?”
“I served as an apprentice magician for the Count Abbas household.”
“How much authority does that position have?”
“I don’t have any. My authority was just slightly above that of a guest, and as an apprentice, I was mainly tasked with repairing and reinforcing the walls.”
In Canaan’s case, where she was engaged in the construction of the city walls without any authority, committing such a crime just wasn’t possible. It would be different if she had a friend or someone else manipulating it, but there didn’t seem to be any sign of that. I was just an ordinary high school student who didn’t know anything about investigations, but I sure wanted to know why Canaan was convicted from this information alone.
“…If you’re in doubt, punish her anyway, huh?”
I had come to a world with an even lower level of civilization than I previously thought. I suppose they knew they were actually abducting us before they dumped me in the Great Borf Forest.
Those who have power, those who are corrupt, those who hate without cause… that’s fine, since those bastards have gotten me so pissed off, the hammer of judgment will be brought down upon them not by God, but by me!
“Master…?”
“What?”
“You’re making a scary face.”
Was I showing my emotions there?
“Sorry, I was just thinking a bit.”
“Were you, now…”
I came to a decision. Let’s strengthen Canaan. I’d give her enough power to stand on her own, and I’d find the truth about Dolce’s death.
“Canaan, is there a dungeon near this town?”
“Huh? Uh, yes, there is.”
“How strong are the monsters there?”
“Umm, there are three dungeons, and the closest one is Yellow-rank. The next is―”
I cut her off. “Wait a minute, what’s Yellow rank?”
“Huh? …Right. Yellow-rank dungeons are medium-sized dungeons with a dungeon boss that’s around level 40.”
Ah, if I’m not mistaken, Black Mist once mentioned the colors for dungeon clear bonus gacha. Yellow, if I recall, is the second dungeon from the bottom, right?
“Canaan, tell me about dungeons in a way that even an amateur like me could understand.”
“Certainly.”
From what Canaan explained, the difficulty of the dungeon is indicated by the color, and as Black Mist once said, the difficulty is also identified according to the gacha’s color.
At the moment, there were three dungeons near the town of Algria. The yellow one (medium size) was about level 40, the blue one (large scale) was about level 50, and the third was unexplored, so its color was unknown.
There had been confirmed sightings of monsters around level 50 in the third one, but naturally, since it was unexplored, it was expected to be a silver-rank dungeon, above blue and below gold.
By the way, silver rank was around level 80, and gold was around level 100.
“Even gold is level 100, huh?”
“Yes.”
“Well then, that’s not enough…”
“Yes? Gold is at the level where new ones are only captured once in a few centuries, you know?”
A level difference of at least 100 is required for limit breaking. Since Canaan’s Level is 23 right now, we’ll need a level 123 monster just for the first stage limit break. If possible, I’d want a place inhabited by level 223 monsters for a 200-level difference, to meet the condition for a third stage limit break. In the end… that’s the only place. Should we just go to the Great Borf Forest?
The problem was, if we went to the Great Borf Forest and it turned out Canaan was the real killer, that would be an awkward situation, but… should I just give it a try?
“Canaan, never tell anyone what you’re about to see. Got it?”
“Got it!”
I activated the skill [Summoning Undead], which had gone unused until now. My impression of a summoned undead is something like the Sword Reaper, so that should be fine.
It should be a skeletal monster with a black cloak, bearing the characteristics of a grim reaper, and flickering skeleton limbs should be identifiable beneath the cloak. In its hand, it should possess a staff with a big, black, ominous jewel attached to it, and its ability would be specialized in stealth.
With that, something like black fog started to gather together as one mass. Fatigue struck me, with the sensation of a large amount of mana vanishing from within me. I didn’t expect it to need so much mana.
This was definitely much more mana than when I created the [Clean] and [Grant Skill] skills with [Equivalent Exchange].
After a while, the shape of the black fog began to coalesce. Honestly, I thought it would be a classic summoning with a shining magic circle, but it’s just black fog, huh? How plain. The appearance was… yeah, it was pretty close to the Sword Reaper.
“Your command, my lord?”
I don’t really like being called my lord in such a low voice. I’d be happy if a cute girl addressed me like that, but ideally it would be a girl like Canaan… Huh? Have I ever been in a happy situation like that?
I looked towards Canaan.
She had fainted while standing, with her eyes wide open while looking at the monster in front of her…
I gently picked her up in a princess carry and put her onto the bed. My hand happened to hit Canaan’s chest for a moment ― it wasn’t on purpose, I didn’t specifically go for it! But man… she sure was growing up well.
Black Mist laughed. (You can do whatever you want now, you know?)
(Geez, are you a sword or a dirty old man?)
(What? Fondling big boobs is part of a man’s ideal romance, isn’t it?)
(Sure, whatever, but that wouldn’t even be romance! I’m not rotten enough to fondle an unconscious girl’s breasts!)
(Hmph, you say that, but you’re still interested, aren’t you?)
(Well, I mean… of course I’m interested, but I’m a gentleman.)
She chuckled again. (There’s no mistake, you’re a weirdo after all, right?)
(Don’t say that!)
I ignored Black Mist and looked toward the Sword Reaper-like monster. “Well now, there is something I want you to do.”
“I’m aware of the details.”
Huh? Did my thoughts leak out? No, he seems to share my memories, and automatically understands what I want. Why, you ask? Eh… I just feel that way for some reason.
“However, I have one request.”
“What’s that? Go ahead and tell me.”
“If my lord were to give me a name, I would be overjoyed.”
A name, huh? Well, let’s check his status.
Race : Lich Destroyer
Level 150
Skills :
[Life Detection]
[Presence Concealment]
[Transparent]
[Soul Absorption]
[Summon Familiar]
[Absolute Ice Magic]
[Physical Attack Nullification]
[Magic Resistance]
Attributes :
HP [D]
MP [B]
STR [D]
INT [B]
AGI [B]
DEX [C]
LUK [D]
[MP (B)], [INT (B)] and [AGI (B)] huh? Well, his level is 150, that would be expected.
…Wait, he talked normally, didn’t he? I was having a normal conversation with him, wasn’t I? That’s so much better than not being able to communicate. Now, about his name… his wicked appearance reminds me of Kiss of Death. It’s decided, his name will be Beese from Kiss of Death. [TLN: I don’t know this reference, and I can’t find anything about it, either. ベーゼ = Beeze/Beese.]
“Your name is Beese.”
Jeez, my mana… this is taking even more mana than when I summoned him. This is bad, spending mana like this might become a habit.
“Ooh, such high quality magical power… How rich it is!” Beese exhaled with satisfaction. Does he feel like he’s woken up or something like that?
Since he was a skeleton, there was no facial expression for me to interpret, but I got a feeling from him, a sense that he was extremely pleased. Come to think of it, what’s the red glow inside his eye sockets? Can I touch it?
“Well then, let’s investigate.”
Interrupting my weird musings, a strange fog-like mist gathered around Beese, before dispersing and disappearing. Wait, I never heard about this. Just naming him increased his level by a hundred? Well, it’s good that his attributes also increased.
While waiting for Canaan to wake up, I checked the materials I kept in [Material Storage].
I was going to create some equipment for Canaan. First of all, something to replace her dress ― but it was a shiny leotard-like garment made from a Dark Bat membrane with [Equivalent Exchange].
Let’s be clear! It is my preference! I wanted a beautiful girl like Canaan to wear this, that’s why I created it like that! However, I also want you to understand that Dark Bats are a level 160 monster, and its membrane is light and strong, and makes a very high-spec leotard that muffles noise!
Of course, I can’t let her go outside in just a leotard. She only needs to show off that leotard to me, I won’t let her show it to anyone else!
For that reason, I also created a cloak. This cloak was made from spirit cloth, a material dropped from a ghost-type monster called a Venom Whisper. Venom Whispers were level 180 monsters that used poison, as the name suggests.
Creating a cloak with spirit cloth meant it also had excellent poison resistance, and it had the further effect of eliminating one’s own presence, similar to ghost-type monsters.
Last was her weapon. I thought a staff would be good, since she was a magician, so I took out some Elder Treant branches and a ruby. The Elder Treant branches were obtained from a Level 210 Elder Treant.
I didn’t remember much about this monster since all I did was cut it in two with Black Mist on the way to civilization after my special swordsmanship training was completed, but the materials were properly contained in [Material Storage].
As for the ruby, it was nestled in the forehead of a cat monster called a Ruby Cat, which I also met on the way to human civilization, same as the Treant. Ruby Cats were monsters that use [Fire Magic] and were strong against fire, so I couldn’t burn it to death with [Ignition].
I remember it being a quick and unexpectedly strong monster. Anyway, I created the staff using those two materials.
Devilish Bodysuit ⇒ This is a high-spec preferential equipment that has the effects of adjusting body temperature, increasing magic power (large), resisting magic attacks, and muffling (large). Pervert!
Anti-Toxic Cloak ⇒ High-spec equipment that has the effects of poison resistance, presence concealment, and physical attack resistance. You’re only interested in what’s inside!
Red Sage’s Staff ⇒ Increases fire magic (extreme). A sage’s equipment, with a fire magic absorption effect. You are now a sage!
Why can’t it just give a normal explanation? I still haven’t figured that out.
Part 2
“M-master… about the monster before…?”
“I summoned that monster; his name is Beese.
“S-summoned, you say…”
Since I was finished making Canaan’s new equipment, I made some more equipment while waiting for her to wake up. Meanwhile, I thought a little about how Beese’s appearance was too intimidating for her right now.
“Just think of Beese as my summon and you’ll be fine.”
“I understand!”
“Right, then ― I need to discuss something with you.”
Canaan tilted her head cutely. “What did you want to talk about?”
Come to think of it, I’m spending time in the same room as a pretty girl like Canaan, huh? And every night, she sleeps in the bed next to mine. When I really think about it, isn’t that a situation ripe with potential?
Damn it, I’d never realized any of that! I’m so stupid!
“U-umm, master?”
Oops, my thoughts seem to have fallen into the gutter.
“Do you want to be strong?”
Canaan showing a puzzled expression.
“I’m asking if you want the power to protect your body and yourself from injustice.”
“…Yes! I want it!”
“In order to become stronger, can you endure a level of pain that would make you want to die?”
“Yes, I’ll endure it!”
Canaan’s eyes were burning with determination. If she was that willing, this wouldn’t be a problem. Let’s go do the first-ever real-world power leveling.
“First of all, eat these.”
I pushed the pile of records aside on the desk and laid out some chunks of grilled meat from [Material Storage]. Each piece had a skill to give her.
See, Canaan’s job is Magician, but the only magic she could use at the moment was fire magic. As for her equipment, it could indeed boost [Fire Magic] considerably, but using only [Fire Magic] would hinder her versatility. For that reason, I made her learn [Wind Magic] and [Plant Magic], along with [Iron Wall] to let her call upon a brief moment of invincibility.
“Come on, eat them!”
“Yes!”
When Canaan ate the pieces respectively granting [Wind Magic] and [Plant Magic], she was surprised. Perhaps she’d gotten the same notification I had, telling her she’d learned new skills.
However, there was no change in her expression when she ate the [Iron Wall] grilled meat. On the contrary, she seemed confused.
Name: Canaan
Job: Magician
Level 23
Skills:
[Fire Magic]
[Mana Control]
[Mana Boost]
[Wind Magic (NEW)]
[Plant Magic (NEW)]
Attributes:
HP [G]
MP [C]
STR [G]
INT [C]
AGI [E]
DEX [D]
LUK [E]
I looked at her status to see what the issue was, but the third skill, [Iron Wall], wasn’t showing up after she ate the meat for it. Why was that? I had no idea. I didn’t have a single clue why she didn’t get it. In my case, the Skills 2 section appeared, but there was no sign of it when I looked at her status. I don’t know anymore.
Maybe Canaan can’t learn [Iron Wall] because she’s a magician? Speculating, I asked her to eat a piece of meat with [Monstrous Strength] in it. The result was as expected: unfortunately, she couldn’t learn [Monstrous Strength].
I was about to take her equipment out of [Material Storage] when I heard a knock on the door. I nodded and Canaan opened the door to find the feudal lord’s daughter, Alterias, standing there.
I invited Alterias to enter.
“How do you do, Mr. Sumeragi?”
A beautiful girl with fox ears bowed beautifully, her tail gently swaying from side to side. I really want to feel that tail, it looks so soft and fluffy…
“Ah. I’m well, young lady ― how about you?”
“I’d prefer you didn’t call me young lady. Please call me Allie instead.”
“Really? Okay then, Allie. So, what happened today?”
Allie’s tail wagged happily. “I came to invite you to have a cup of tea, how about it?”
I think most men would submit to any request if you pointed such a cute and pleasant smile at them. In fact, the destructive power of that smile might be even stronger because Allie herself isn’t intentionally being coercive.
I’m still unfamiliar with this world’s scheduling customs, but I guess it’s tea time, huh? I didn’t wear a watch in Japan because I could see the time on my smartphone, but my smartphone didn’t come with me when I was summoned into this world. It should have been in my clothes pocket, but my pocket was empty at the time.
I went to Sidele’s General Store in the morning and came right back, and I’d been struggling with that pile of records, so I was moderately thirsty. That’s why I accepted Allie’s invitation.
The tea party wasn’t to be held in the room, but in the mansion’s courtyard, so we went there instead. Since it was winter, I didn’t really want to have tea in the courtyard, where the cold wind could blow, but when I got there, for some reason there was no wind at all, and it was actually pleasantly warm.
Allie chuckled. “This is because of a magic item that’s always adjusted to keep this place warm like in the spring.”
Seriously, it’s amazing that magic items like that exist.
The tea was brought over. A maid wearing a plain apron over a long skirt that wouldn’t be seen in Akiba* lined up the tea cups and pastry dishes without a sound. I wonder if I can make Canaan wear an Akiba-maid’s costume… No, no, if I do that, I’ll totally be a pervert! But maybe it’s worth it… Yeah, these are dangerous thoughts.
“Does it suit your taste?”
Allie lifted the saucer with her left hand, enjoying the scent, and then took the cup with her right hand and sipped from it gracefully.
Oooh, I want to be that cup… wait, what!? I don’t think like that!
It was my turn now, but…
“Did you dislike black tea?”
As I stared at the cup, Allie looked at me with a cautious expression.
What should I say… is it better to say the truth outright, or obscure it?
I lifted the cup and took a sip of the tea. The refreshing aroma wafted into my nose. This tea had a refined aroma that cleared one’s head and refreshed the palate. I’d think it was very delicious, if not for the poison.
Well, technically there’s no poison in the tea. The poison is actually applied to the edge of my cup, and isn’t on Allie. I think this is another way I’ve become distant from my humanity. Even without a poison-resistance skill, most poisons won’t work on me, and if I was somehow poisoned, I could detoxify it with any piece of food cooked with [Ultimate Cooking].
(You’re not gonna mention the poison?)
(Is Allie the culprit or the maid? If it’s Allie, it seems like the Count would be involved, but if it’s the maid behind her, wouldn’t it be interesting to find out who’s pulling her strings?)
(How can you tell?)
(I hope I can be sure of it.)
The maid changed her expression slightly, since I was still lively after drinking the black tea. It was only a small change that one would normally miss, but my eyes wouldn’t be fooled. In short, this maid knew about the poison.
On the other hand, Allie was just enjoying the delicious black tea without a care in the world. Her level of poker face would have to be absurdly high if she were the criminal. When the tea party was over and I returned to my room, I called Beese.
“You called, Milord?”
“Yeah, investigate the maid who was with Allie.”
“As you wish, Milord.”
Canaan was pale as she watched Beese’s foggy form vanish. She shouldn’t have blacked out this time.
“Now, Canaan, we got distracted earlier, but I wanted to give you some equipment.”
“This is…”
“This equipment is exclusively for you. We’re going to increase your level, so wear it.”
Canaan wouldn’t have known about this kind of leotard ― no, wait, it’s called the Devilish Bodysuit. She picked it up with a meek face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Do I really have to wear… this?”
“You don’t like it?”
“N-no! If Master tells me to wear it, I’ll wear it gladly!”
She took off her dress on the spot. I’m watching, you know!
“Ah, by the way, take your underwear off as well when you wear that bodysuit.”
“Oh, uh, yes!”
She was trying to put the devilish bodysuit on overtop of her underwear, so I pointed out that detail properly. I’m firmly watching everything, so what? I’m already dripping with a nosebleed, so what?
“M-master… your nose is bleeding.”
“O-oh, it’s fine!”
But to force me to bleed! Canaan’s nudity has more destructive power than the Emperor Dragon’s breath!
That full-bodied figure!
Do you envy me, huh? Do you? I won’t let you! It’s mine!
(Are you finally going to vigorously hug her today? Hmm? Do a bit of the old in-out with her? You are, aren’t you?)
(This is why I call you a dirty old man!)
Canaan in a devilish bodysuit is exactly like a devilish woman. Her high-leg fishnet tights are wiping out my entire sense of reason. Those proportions are outstandingly dangerous.
“Master, is this all right?”
She turned around on the spot and showed me her whole body. Now, it’s not too big, and it’s tightened up, but her ass, while not muscular, seems like it’ll shake like jelly… Oh, man, it’s magnificent!
Part 3
The equipment Canaan wore was the same black color as my equipment. However, the staff in her hand looked very expensive and luxurious thanks to the big ruby attached to the end. Moreover, the deep crimson ruby matched Canaan’s fiery red hair, which made for a very suitable look.
“Hmm, It’s nice that it matches Canaan’s beautiful red hair, but this staff seems to stand out too much.”
“B-beauti…ful…” Canaan murmured, blushing.
Hmm, why’s Canaan acting so bashful all of a sudden? Well, anyway, let’s just use [Camouflage] on her staff. With that, I made her staff look like a normal wooden staff. I was about to leave the mansion after that, but the Count invited me to have lunch with him.
It wouldn’t have been rude to refuse, but I accepted the invitation anyway and went to the dining hall.
“Sumeragi-dono, I apologize for being so sudden.”
“No, it’s okay.”
“Thank you very much for accompanying me before, Sumeragi-sama.”
“Well, it’s no problem. The tea was delicious anyway.”
“Oh ho, you had tea with Allie?”
The Count’s eyes twinkled, then he cleared his throat and said, “It was just tea, right?”
“Father, what are you talking about?”
“Yeah, it was just tea.”
“Well then, that’s good…”
What was good? Is this guy an idiot parent or something?
It was actually fun to eat while having a conversation, but this time as well, poison was applied only on my dish.
Well, so what? I can sense it anyway, but a normal person would have died a long time ago. And again, the one who served the dishes was the same maid as when we had a tea party. She had dog-like wolf ears and her face was very well-formed, but it didn’t matter if she was beautiful or not; there could be no mistake that she was trying to kill me.
Her face was ghastly pale the whole time she served us. Was she also one of Dolce’s accomplices? I couldn’t say for sure, but I wouldn’t know until I looked into it.
After lunch, Canaan and I finally left the mansion, and also left the town. Three pursuers followed us after we left.
“Um, where are we going, Master?”
“We’re going to the Great Borf Forest.”
“Huh?”
Canaan stood frozen. I approached her and put the Hermit’s Coat on her before picking her up in a princess carry. She let out a yelp of surprise, and then… I ran!
She let out quite a long scream. Honestly, I think I can break the sound barrier if I wanted, just on foot, but I’m sure Canaan wouldn’t be able to endure it. Therefore, I compensated the wind pressure with [Wind Magic] and accelerated gradually. I didn’t know my maximum speed at the moment, but I felt I wasn’t quite breaking the sound barrier.
We arrived at the entrance of the Great Borf Forest in no time. I wished I had movement skills for times like this, but I thought that might be too much. Canaan clung to my neck the whole time I was running, but now that I’d stopped, she let go. Obviously I couldn’t ignore the feeling of her boob pressing against me.
“Alright, let’s go.”
I wanted that sensation to continue, actually, but I put her down and went inside the forest.
“Wha — uh, wait up!”
After a while, a monster appeared and charged at us. It was a level 80 Ogre, not what I was looking for. With a shout, I cut it in two with Black Mist. Canaan also shouted incoherently, in utter disbelief. You’re so noisy! That will just bring in more small-fry monsters!
“Canaan, be quiet!”
“But, but, you know that was an Ogre, right!? Just one can destroy whole villages or deal a lot of damage to a town! What did you just do, Master?”
“What are you talking about? In this Great Borf Forest, that monster is a small-fry among small-fry. You’ll have to defeat something at least twice that Ogre’s level.”
“Yes? I can’t do that!?”
“Don’t you want to be strong? Was it just a lie when you swore to endure this training even if you wanted to die?”
She gasped, and I turned to look her right in the eye. “You can still turn back now. Is that what you want?”
“…No, I’ll keep going!”
“Alright. Don’t worry, I’ll always protect you.”
“Yes!”
I tried to let Canaan enter the darkness with [Dark Magic] to avoid monsters as we proceeded deep inside of the forest, but she couldn’t enter it. It would seem that I was the only one who could go in.
So I just ran through the forest while carrying Canaan, like before. It’s not because of her boobs pressing up against me, you know!
After a little while, we found a good monster. A level 230 Elder Treant, and it was just right for letting Canaan break through the third-stage limit break. It should be alright if I just weaken it and let Canaan make the finishing blow.
I put her down and drew Black Mist from its sheath before leaping at the Elder Treant and cutting it horizontally. Its body split in half, the sides falling in opposite directions.
“…Oops. I thought I was holding back already, but I guess I still killed it instantly.”
(Hey, Black Mist, what should I do to hold back my power?)
I noticed I still couldn’t control it, even now.
(…Didn’t you ever think about that…? Well, if you were a [Swordsman], it would have been possible to learn the [Moderation] skill, but as a [Chef], you can’t…)
(Is there such a skill?)
(There is, so why don’t you just create it, Tsukuru?)
As suggested by Black Mist, I decided to create the skill [Moderation]. But this was in the middle of the Great Borf Forest. Creating a skill is all well and good, but not if I faint. However, I realized that if I kept thinking like that, I’d never be able to do Canaan’s power leveling.
I think… it’ll be fine. Probably.
You have learned the skill [Moderation]
I got the skill [Moderation] without feeling tired at all. The cost of that skill must not have been very high. When I think about it, it was becoming clear that there was a considerable difference in the magical power consumption of skills I created.
Well anyway, thanks for not fainting this time.
I cleared my mind, and searched for another Elder Treant, and found one about a kilometer away, so we headed there.
“Canaan, get ready to shoot your most powerful [Fire Magic] on my signal.”
“Yes!”
Canaan started to chant something. I just realized I’ve never chanted before. Is it common to chant, by any chance? Let’s ask Canaan after her power leveling is ended.
The moment I drew out Black Mist, the Elder Treant came into view. I activated the skill [Moderation] and swung Black Mist sideways, and it felt somehow different this time. If the previous strike was a firecracker, this one was like a dud where only the fuse burned up.
The Elder Treant hadn’t died yet thanks to [Moderation], and it was shooting branches at me like whips. I moved sideways (relatively) slowly and gave the signal to Canaan.
“Canaan, shoot!”
“Yes! Go, Fire Javelin!”
The Elder Treant, still distracted by me, took a direct hit from her Fire Javelin, and caught on fire, releasing smoke as it fell over with a strange voice like a scream. It was definitely weak to fire, and it was already weakened from my own attack.
“Wh — I… killed it?”
The next moment, Canaan’s body suddenly twitched. Perhaps a large number of level-up notifications are filling up her field of view. Well, with this, the first boundary of Canaan’s power-leveling is finished.
Thanks to the Elder Treant subjugation, her level cap should have been removed. After that, if she defeats monsters one after another, and experiences harsh battles of life and death, she’ll surely become stronger.
Is it okay to check her status now?
Name: Canaan
Job: Magician
Level 92
Skill:
[Fire Magic]
[Mana Control II (NEW)]
[Mana Boost II (NEW)]
[Wind Magic]
[Plant Magic]
[Mana Perception (NEW)]
[Earth Magic (NEW)]
[Lightning Magic (NEW)]
[Ice Magic (NEW)]
Ability:
HP [E]
MP [C]
STR [E]
INT [D]
AGI [D]
DEX [C]
LUK [D]
Unexpectedly, her level didn’t increase by too much. In my case, it was more than a hundred at once, but was that because there was a bigger level difference between me and the Musk Leopard?
No, maybe the reason she didn’t level up as much this time is because I was helping her. Anyway, with her fighting spirit, I think she’ll be gaining a lot more levels soon.
“Master… I’ve become level 92…”
“It’s good that leveled up. From now on, you’ll have to defeat the monsters on your own.”
“Yes, I’ll do my best!”
“And I wanted to ask you something before you try the magic you learned.”
“What’s that?”
“Does magic require chanting?”
“Huh? Uh, I think it’s normal to chant, but… Master, could it be that you…?”
“Yeah, I’ve never chanted.”
“Wait, before that, you can use magic?”
“I’m a [Chef], but I’m also good at fighting. My main weapon is a sword, but I can also use some magic. And [Summoning Undead] is a kind of magic, right?”
“Y-yeah, now that you mention it, you definitely summoned something…”
Canaan, confronted with this information, looked surprised. Come to think of it, I never really mentioned anything about that. Would she be even more surprised if I said I was from a different world? Of course she would, right?
Part 4
A scream rang out in the forest.
“I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m deeeeaaaad!!”
Canaan was being chased by a herd of boagnons. I’d like to tell her to shoot her magic rather than just running away, but I won’t intervene. If I help her now, I won’t be able to cultivate her fighting instincts. Let’s push her to do her best, for her own sake.
“Heeeey! Masteeeerrrrrrr! Are you a demoooooon?!” [ED: oni]
I literally, physically ignored Canaan as she ran towards me. If she wanted to resent me, she was free to do so. Engrave those feelings in your flesh and blood! That said, the concept of a “demon” exists in this world too, huh?
“Master…” Canaan screamed while gasping for breath and glaring daggers at me. She didn’t say a single word of resentment after she returned from annihilating the herd of boagnons, but her eyes were full of criticism, approaching the level of a grudge.
I ignored her expression. “Well done. Here, eat this.”
All of her external wounds were cured after the first slice of grilled meat, and her body returned to a healthy state by the second slice.
“You should have recovered enough from those two slices, right?”
“M-master!?”
I was talking to myself inadvertently, and ended up confusing Canaan.
“I’ve had many harrowing experiences, including whole bone fractures to the point I couldn’t even move, you know. You can still go, right?”
She cried out in fear. I might have broken her. Joking aside, she’s reached level 150. After her limit break, she did power level several times, and when she reached level 150, I threw her into a herd of boagnons, leading up to this moment.
The firepower of a magician at this level has become insane. From above, this forest would now look as if crop circles have been burned into it. I assume Canaan’s [Fire Magic] has reached a level that could overwhelm even a national military.
Extinguishing the fire on the trees with [Spring Water] is pretty difficult.
If she fought calmly, she’d be able to kill all of those boagnons in an instant, but Canaan doesn’t seem to have much experience with combat, and it was such a sad sight to see her run away from them while taking potshots rather than standing firm.
So let’s make her fight them again!
“No way no way no way no way no way no way no way!”
“If you remember what you did earlier, you can kill them all instantly, you know!”
The boagnons found her because of her loud voice, so she got chased around again. If she likes playing chase that much, next time I’ll have her play with the Hyena Wolves.
“Hey, it’ll get dark if you don’t wipe them out quickly, you know.”
“You’re really a demon, masterrrrrrrrrrr…”
The boagnons surrounded her, and soon the sound of battle rang out from that general direction. Do your best, Canaan! I’ll always be rooting for you!
Canaan shrieked when a boagnon threw a stone at her. As a magician, she’s usually weak to hits like that, but she managed to endure it somehow, perhaps because of her excellent equipment. It would be nice if she could shoot magic calmly even under those circumstances, but… unfortunately, she fainted.
It can’t be helped, so I cut in and started swinging Black Mist around. The boagnons flooding toward Canaan immediately ran away at the sight of me.
“That’s it for today… she doesn’t seem to have the will to fight anymore.”
She doesn’t have strong enough survival instincts. It’s one thing to think about it, but the reality of the Great Borf Forest is that strong survival instincts and willpower are mandatory. It’s actually okay to run away, but there’s no point if you aren’t actually capable of escaping.
I figured that out after experiencing it so many times, but Canaan hasn’t yet. Even now, in human society, you can be overwhelmed by a strong person. But those who aren’t sensitive to danger, or can’t manage a crisis, will be haunted by it, their will painfully destroyed.
That’s why I’ll force Canaan to persist through this hell.
Before evening, I backtracked close to Algria town with Canaan in my arms. She was blacked out, but not seriously injured, so I thought it was a good time for her to wake up.
“Hey, get up.”
“Uhh… A little longer…”
If she wasn’t so filthy, she might have had a cute sleeping face. In reality, she looked miserable, her face covered with dust, tears, and snot. It was a tragedy for such a beautiful face. Right, since I’m a good person, I applied the [Clean] skill to Canaan.
And then I let go of her, so she fell according to the laws of gravity, landing butt-first on the ground. She let out a sound unsuitable for a woman of such beauty.
“Oww… Huh, Master?”
“You’re finally awake. We’re back at Algria.”
She stood up while rubbing her sore butt, and we entered Algria. When we returned to the mansion, Beese appeared in front of me. Canaan paled, still apparently afraid of Beese, but an improvement from before when she simply fainted.
“Did you find anything?”
“I found this.”
He held out a sealed letter that he found… somewhere. I say it was a sealed letter, but actually it was already open, so I took it out and looked through it. Written there were instructions to dispose of the real culprits after killing the feudal lord’s son, Dolce, and to find the opportunity for Dokum, the “leader”, to become Baron.
It’s nice to think of how the culprits are no longer in this world.
“Where did you find this?”
“I found it in the mansion of a man named Dokum.”
I did tell him to search Dokum’s house in addition to the maid, but it turns out Dokum really was guilty, as expected.
“Good, you’ve skillfully found such important evidence.”
“I can slip through walls, so finding hidden rooms or safes is easy, after all.”
“I see, well done. But, who’s this Erich… Canaan, do you know anyone named Erich Hussel?”
She still had a pale face, and let out a short gasp. I might have startled her.
“Ah, I think it’s Count Erich Hussel.”
“What’s his relationship with Count Abbas?”
“I don’t know too much about the upper class… But if I’m not mistaken, Rotten-sama’s wife was a blood relative of Count Hussel.”
“What is Rotten’s standing in this mansion?”
“Rotten-sama is the head of the Count Abbas branch family, and should eventually take charge of the Knights.”
“Is it correct to consider the head of the branch family to be a blood relative of Count Abbas?”
“Yes, now that Dolce-sama has passed away… I wonder if there’s a possibility of him being the next head after Alterias-sama…”
Hmmm. That well-behaved Rotten, huh?
“But the Count has Allie, right? Is it impossible for Allie’s husband to take charge as the head of the family?”
“It is possible, in fact, in which case it’s highly likely that Rotten-sama’s son will become Alterias-sama’s husband…”
In other words, the death of Dolce, the only obstacle, wouldn’t hurt Rotten, no matter what angle one views it at.
However, Rotten’s name is not mentioned anywhere in this letter, and I wonder if it was really written by Count Hussel. I instructed Beese to investigate Count Hussel, and collect a confirmed sample of his handwriting if possible.
“Master, really… Dokum-sama…”
After Beese is gone, Canaan let out those words bit by bit.
“Well, it’s a common story for a fool to be enticed to draw a bow against his own master, baited with potential rewards of nobility and power.”
“Rotten-sama…”
“I don’t know if he’s really involved in this assassination plan, that’s why I need to find out more.”
Canaan was thinking about something with a dark expression. She must have been thinking about Dokum, who was backed by Count Hussel, and it was possible for Rotten to also be behind this. The opponent was someone with authority, and her own former boss. Circumstances like these only make me more distrustful of humans.
Canaan fell asleep early, perhaps because of her fatigue from the special training. I watched her sleeping face and patted her cheeks. I plan to ask Dokum why he put Canaan through this.
Now I need to examine background information. I left the room using Hermit’s Coat, and went around the Knights’ rooms to see if any of them were talking about Rotten. This Hermit’s Coat was really convenient since no one would notice me even if I stood right in front of them.
However, from the way the knights discussed Rotten, he was a good man, and matched my impression of him. I searched around that day until midnight, but I didn’t hear any knights talking ill about Rotten, much less anything about him being involved in the murder of Dolce.
Name: Canaan
Job: Magician
Level 158
Skills:
[Fire Magic]
[Mana Control III (NEW)]
[Mana Boost III (NEW)]
[Wind Magic]
[Plant Magic]
[Mana Perception]
[Earth Magic]
[Lightning Magic]
[Ice Magic]
[Light Magic (NEW)]
Attributes:
HP [C]
MP [A]
STR [D]
INT [B]
AGI [C]
DEX [B]
LUK [C]
Part 5
I remember there were skills Canaan couldn’t learn even when she ate the grilled meat yesterday, so this time I’m going to give her a skill with [Skill Grant], and try to apply it to her while she’s still sleeping.
I tried to give her the same [Iron Wall] skill as the grilled meat yesterday. I activated [Skill Grant] successfully, but the following message appeared:
The target does not have the nature to learn the skill [Iron Wall].
I think I understand the mechanic now. For a person to learn skills also requires them to have an appropriate nature for it. Since Canaan is a [Magician], I can kind of understand that she doesn’t have the nature to learn [Iron Wall] since it’s likely to be related to HP or a durability system. Or perhaps, the current Canaan might not be able to learn [Iron Wall] because her HP is still at C.
But what about me, then? There were certainly skills I couldn’t learn personally, but I could still learn both magic and muscle brain skills. Special skills were one thing, but I didn’t understand why Canaan couldn’t learn [Iron Wall] when I, a mere [Chef], could.
I just couldn’t understand it, but there was nothing I could do about it. There would come a time when I would understand it, or maybe that time would never come. I was not a smart man, so it was a waste of time to keep worrying about it.
So, let’s make the rice balls to sell to Sidele. Yesterday, I was collecting information until midnight, so I went to bed before making the rice balls. I took out the meat, salt, rice, and water from the Ellyn River out of [Material Storage] for the ingredients and activated [Ultimate Cooking].
I needed a lot of ingredients since there were 100 pieces to make, but with [Ultimate Cooking], they could all be processed at once. 20x HP rice balls, 20x MP rice balls, 20x STR rice balls, 10x INT rice balls, 20x AGI rice balls, and 10x DEX rice balls.
I haven’t cooked with a kitchen knife or frying pan lately. Even if I had those, I still couldn’t use them without a stove or oven. I might be able to borrow the mansion’s kitchen, but I think it’s better not to, since that might get poisoned as well. If I can’t go back to my original world, I’ll just build a house in this world someday, and install my favorite cookware.
Since I’d made a hundred rice balls, it was time to wake Canaan.
“Hey, wake up.”
“Give me ten more minutes…” she mumbled, before her breaths returned to a sleeping pace. I tried shaking her shoulder, but it had no effect. So yeah, it couldn’t be helped, it really couldn’t, but I picked up Canaan in my arms and dropped her gently on the floor. She grunted on impact.
It seemed as if Canaan had a new favorite way of waking up. As she looked at me with tears in her eyes while rubbing her ass, I couldn’t help thinking how cute she was. Yes, she was adorable.
“It’s almost time for our meeting with Sidele. Go change your clothes quickly and have breakfast.”
“Ah, yes, right away!”
Canaan’s meal, consisting of eggs sunny-side-up, crispy bacon, bread, and milk that looked like cow’s milk, was eaten in the blink of an eye. I prepared a three-course breakfast for that gluttonous girl, but it was gone in no time. As expected. Is there a big eating competition somewhere? Canaan could probably win, right?
“Master, I’ve finished eating!”
Canaan gave me a big smile, with bread crumbs still stuck around her mouth. It’s cute, but for some reason it’s also disappointing.
Sidele greeted me politely. “I’ve been waiting for you, Sumeragi-sama.”
“Sorry for being late.”
“No, you’re still on time.”
Canaan looked a little uncomfortable next to me. I handed him a hundred rice balls, and got half the selling price as payment. Honestly, I was pretty rich already. I got 10 million Gold as a reward for helping Allie, 5 million Gold for investigating Dolce’s murder, and from today onwards, 1 million Gold every day for thirty days. That was a lot of cash going into my pockets.
“Alright then, I’m going to sell it to the Adventurer’s Guild immediately! Please, be ready with more tomorrow as well, Sumeragi-sama.”
“Yeah, I will.”
He seemed busy, and disappeared into the inside of the store. Just like last time we went to Sidele’s store, there were people stalking us. Three of them, of lower quality than the stalker sent by the Count.
They had the same stealth ability as the ones who donated money to me before, so they were probably sent by Dokum. I wasn’t concerned after I took a glance from the corner of my eye; they were just the same stalker.
Let’s just take a walk through Algria town today.
“Canaan, I’d like you to show me around the town. You can go anywhere, just show me some variety.”
“Understood!”
The first thing Canaan guided me to was a weapon shop. When I asked why, she said the owner had treated her well before. As proof, the owner of the weapon shop lamented that Canaan had become a slave, but was pleased that she was doing well.
Next was the armor shop next door, because it was right there already. After that, we headed to a shop that sold magic items and other shops that sold potions.
“Hey, Canaan.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“I’m not an adventurer or a mercenary, so can you show me other shops and any interesting places in town?”
“My apologies!”
“You don’t have to apologize. I’m the one who left it up to you, after all.”
“…right.”
“Oh yeah, can you take me to a clothing store next?”
“Yes, got it!”
We walked around town with that goal in mind.
In Earth’s middle ages, manure was left all over town, and it must have been quite unsanitary, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. There were sometimes traces of animal dung pulled by wagons, but it was removed immediately. That’s good, since manure is also a source of plagues.
When I entered the side street guided by Canaan, there was movement from the stalker. It looked like they were going to attack us.
“Canaan, hold on for a second.”
“Yes?”
Since Canaan’s presence detection skill was [Mana Presence], she apparently couldn’t feel the hostility from those people.
“There are those with hostility towards us coming around the corner soon. I’ll leave them to you, but don’t kill them.”
“Uh, me?”
“Shouldn’t it be easy at your level?”
“Oh, you’re right…”
Neutralizing that small-fry after her limit break yesterday would be a trivial task. Let’s see how she handles it.
Three men appeared around the corner. All of them were beastmen and looked rough. When they saw me and Canaan, they approached us, laughing wickedly.
“I have no grudge against you, but I need you to die here!”
A cat-type man pulled a dagger out of his bosom and tried to stab me, but before he could, Canaan activated [Plant Magic] and restrained him. She didn’t have much time, so she started chanting after I said I’d leave it to her. However, if she’s still chanting, that still isn’t good enough.
If she can’t activate magic without chanting, she won’t be able to respond instantaneously. I don’t know if she can break or nullify chants, but she has to learn it, since I can’t always protect her, she can’t be held back by this limitation forever.
“Hey!” The cat-type beastman clicked his tongue and shouted at Canaan. Since that one was detained, the two behind him moved up. The dog-type beastman seemed to be their leader, and he gave instructions to a raccoon like beastman, who began chanting to activate his magic.
When they began chanting, the leader approached from the side of the detained cat beastman, pointing the sword in his hand at Canaan. She swiftly knocked his sword aside with her staff, and the dog beastman staggered greatly from the impact.
The dog beastman opened his eyes and was astonished by the force of the blow from a magician. However, Canaan’s staff catches his flank as a result, knocking him away into the side of the building, where he fainted.
Canaan was surprised by her level of strength being enough to blow away an adult beastman, and gave the enemy an opportunity to attack. The restrained cat beastman threw his dagger at Canaan, and it hit her right in the chest.
The restrained cat beastman grinned and started to laugh, before giving way to a look of surprise.
“Did… did it… miss?”
Canaan seems to think the dagger should have pierced her chest, but attacks from these three people aren’t powerful enough to penetrate the equipment I created.
“Let’s finish this quickly,” I complained. It shouldn’t take long, given her current ability.
“Yes!”
Canaan shot a lump of fist-sized soil into the cat beastman’s stomach, and he fainted, his eyes rolling back in his head. At the same time, the raccoon-like beastman shots a wind blade toward us.
Since Canaan had just used magic, there was no way to prevent the wind blade with her own magic, so she moved in front of me and made a defensive posture, taking the wind blade head-on.
“I did it!”
The raccoon beastman assumed at first that he’d taken us down, and pumped his fist in victory. Of course, it goes without saying that Canaan actually wasn’t hurt at all. She then shot a fireball at the raccoon beastman who just started chanting more magic.
The fireball ignited his tail, and he tried to put it out in a panic, but Canaan approached in that opening and smacked him in the head with her staff, knocking him out. To be frank, I want her to be even smarter about things, since I know she has the ability to do so.
Again, when it comes to chanting, it’s just a hindrance. The time spent chanting can leave a big opening in battle. She needs more special training in the future, hellish special training. For the time being, I took their pouches and money, and left them to the officials since it was troublesome.
(Why don’t you kill them?)
(They’re not worth killing. Besides, they couldn’t even touch me, so what would be the point in lowering myself to their level?)
Canaan was downhearted after receiving my criticism of her combat style. To improve her mood, I asked her to take me the rest of the way to the clothing store and show me around.
“Shopkeeper, please find her something good.”
“Alright.”
I asked the shopkeeper to pick out some clothes for Canaan. I’m not boasting, but I’ve never given clothes to a woman, so I’d rather choose something like a bodysuit.
“Master, to get clothes for a slave like me…”
“If you’re by my side, I’ll want you dressed properly. You know that, right?”
“Yes!”
Canaan repeatedly tried on clothes brought over by the shopkeeper, over and over, like a doll. From that selection, I bought only the clothes that looked good on her. I didn’t care about the price, but the clothes here were apparently pretty expensive, so the final number surprised me.
Bound Pleasures 
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