Ch.176The Party NPC Running Without NPCs (1)

“They didn’t even know they were being corrupted, those idiots were all taken care of by Neogul-man… I mean, Ira’s brother, so don’t worry!”

“…Your power control, *cough*!! Has, has become quite skillful. Is that also a result of your trials?”

“Well, something like that.”

“You’re overdoing it. You should have just talked from the second-floor window…”

After finishing off the male beastmen with groin kicks and the females with gut punches, we left the cleanup to the beast warriors and went back into the building.

Green Stone, now leaning on Chikuyo’s shoulder and lying back on the hospital bed, looked even paler than before—no, he had turned almost blue.

“Haha… Whether I talked from the window or didn’t get up at all, I know my condition better than anyone.”

“Is it that bad?”

“…Not long now.”

It wasn’t about the shoulder wound; the magical corruption had progressed too deeply. Everyone understood what he meant without asking further.

He had mentioned earlier that he had become a host-level.

“E-Elder! We’ll quickly go and bring a high-ranking priest!!”

“That’s right!! Please hang on just a little longer!! You’re the only high elder we elves can trust now!!!”

“I’ll go out and prepare. Aigram, was it? That’s the closest place, right?!”

The three female elves who had accepted my suggestion earlier… I mean, the female elves had followed us up and started making a fuss.

Hmm, Aigram…

“Going there would be pointless.”

“What?!”

“W-what do you… Oh, but earlier you said to go out and bring someone…”

“*Cough*… That’s right.”

Green Stone quietly closed his eyes and exhaled painfully after understanding my words. Miho, who belatedly understood, let out a small sigh and continued our conversation.

“When I had a problem before and went there for help, I was told that Aigram doesn’t have good relations with a country called the ‘Holy Theocracy,’ so to meet a high-ranking priest, I’d have to go all the way to Neity.”

“Miho needed help from a high-ranking priest? What’s that about?”

“Ah, sis… that’s, that’s for later…”

“Right, we’ll talk about that later. If we’re looking for a high-ranking priest, going from here to Neity would be the most reliable option. But…”

For the elves to run from here to Neity, and then bring back a high-ranking priest?

It would take about two months one-way even if Miho, Green Stone, and I ran at full speed. If the priest’s level was low, they’d need to use a carriage, and even if we reduced the journey to two months, the return trip would take at least six months.

Whether Green Stone could hold out until then…

“It’s impossible… Unfortunately, the magical corruption in my body has decreased, but it’s still trying to eat away at my mind.”

“In what way exactly?”

“…I’m hearing voices telling me to kill you and the other elves.”

That’s why his ears hurt and he woke up, he said. Green Stone truly looked like he could die at any moment.

Sigh. Then, what if I carried Green Stone and ran to Neity…

“That won’t work. Green Stone’s shoulder wound hasn’t even healed yet. He might die from exhaustion on the way.”

Elder Perna, who had opened the door and entered the room, said “Oh my, I’m so tired” and got into Miho’s bed, lying down. Miho, with a bewildered expression, moved slightly to the side and even covered her with a blanket.

Sigh. Damn. So there’s really no way… Ah!!!

“I have a solution!!”

“Huh?”

“W-what is it?!”

“We’ll do anything!! For the Elder!!! Even if we have to f*** monsters…!!”

“No, no. That won’t be necessary?!”

After calming down the suddenly excited female elves, I took out a pouch from my coat that I had taken off earlier.

Yes, this is it!

“The distance from here to Ponia is clearly a month by carriage according to the map. If fast elves run, couldn’t they make the round trip in as little as two weeks?”

“W-what is that?”

“Holy water. I received it as a quest from the Adventurer’s Guild in Ponia. It’s something only high-ranking priests can use.”

“Ah!! I see!! So we need to bring a high-ranking priest from Jack’s hometown of Ponia here!!!”

Miho clapped her hands happily, and the elves’ eyes began to shine. Yes, I don’t need to go myself since I have a lot to do in Siltra, and the distance is closer. Moreover, if the priest comes in person, my quest will be completed in one go!

This is killing three birds with one stone!

“I see. Ponia! According to the literature, there were a few elves who had exchanges with humans from Ponia, though they were very rare!”

“Y-yes. Rather than Aigram, which already has poor relations, or Neity, whose location we don’t even know, Ponia, whose location we know and with which we’ve had some exchange…”

Huh? What? Suddenly they’re saying there was exchange with Ponia? I’ve lived in the mountains of Ponia for years and never met an elf, not even a beastman?

I tilted my head in confusion as the female elves started discussing among themselves that Ponia might be a good option. Green Stone, seemingly sensing my confusion, cleared his throat and spoke.

“The exchange with Ponia was about a thousand years ago. And even then, it was with a rural village where only a very small number of humans lived.”

“Isn’t a thousand years ago quite recent? I’m 1,392 years old now.”

“Oh, so there was exchange when we were 400 years old? That’s super recent then!!”

“…A thousand years is enough time for human ideology, culture, and nations to change…”

The current king and people of that country know virtually nothing about elves, he continued, grabbing his forehead as if his head really hurt.

However, the female elves tilted their heads as if they didn’t understand Green Stone’s words, and that action made me flinch a little too.

…A thousand years ago is recent? The time perception of long-lived races is really messed up. But still.

“No! It is recent. So prepare immediately and depart. I’ll write a letter, so go find a priest and bring them back!”

“Yes!! Human sir!!”

“Ah! Yes!! Then I’ll prepare for the journey right away!!”

Miho, Chikuyo, and Green Stone, who had closed his eyes and opened them again, all looked at me in surprise. Everyone’s gaze was on me, but after sending the female elves off to prepare, I spoke.

“What’s the point of telling them about the difference in time perception between humans and themselves, and making them scared? It’s better for them to confidently think there was exchange, go with confidence, ask boldly, find someone, and return boldly.”

“But then, wouldn’t it be better if you went…”

“I’m sorry, but I have business in the elf village.”

Sorry, but I have two pouches. One is holy water, and the other is…

“Spirit water. I need to meet the body of the Spirit King that should be here. Green Stone, is there an elf who could guide me to where the spirit water is?”

“…Huh, when did you form such a connection…”

Green Stone let out a small sigh when he saw the fragment of the Spirit King that I took out.

“Salt Non. That friend probably knows the way. You should meet him later.”

“Yes. Thank you. Then…”

I got up from my seat and approached Chikuyo and Miho. And then.

*Pat pat*

“Eh?!”

“Eep?!”

“Both of you. What I said earlier wasn’t a joke, so please think about it seriously. Once the priest comes and Green Stone is healed, and as soon as Miho’s hand is better, we’ll leave Siltra. And Chikuyo.”

“Y-yes?!”

“I might be mistaken, so please talk with Miho and answer me. I’ll tell you in advance that I already have two women in mind.”

After gently patting their heads, I put on my coat and headed straight outside.

I would accept not only Miho but also her sister. Previously, I would have thought I was truly crazy, but…

‘…At this point, after seeing my ancestor flirting with demons of the Seven Deadly Sins and beasts in the world of trials, what use is my common sense from my previous life?’

And he surely seduced the Saint too.

Even if I say I’ll take Rei, who’s called a celestial person and a bird-human, and Ragni, who’s a princess of a country, I think I’m still making a much more human choice compared to my ancestor.

A sister combo? Both beastfolk? Whatever.

They’re not actual beasts, and most importantly, they’re beautiful. Plus, their “Perfect Wife” skills and their devotion to me are just adorable. I already decided to take two women, so adding two more isn’t a problem.

‘…And one is already a golem anyway.’

Two women I’ve decided to take, plus one golem on standby. And then the sister combo.

Five women… Will my waist hold up?

‘Surely my level and specs aren’t rising so absurdly because of this, right?’

If that’s the case, that would be a problem in its own way…?

I shook my head to clear my slightly dizzying thoughts and headed straight to another ward where Salt Non was.

Well. Being born a man and having many beautiful women around isn’t exactly an unpleasant feeling, that’s for sure.

Yeah, yeah. Think positively!

*

Turning back time to right after Jack left Neity.

“Tomorrow is Ira’s entrance ceremony.”

“I know.”

[I am aware.]

On the night when Ira was asleep, a blue-haired woman sat at the center of the table, facing gold and gray-haired women, taking on the commander posture that Jack had once mentioned, and setting a serious tone.

“I think you both already know this, but I’ll say it in advance. The reason we passed his test was because he didn’t consider us as ‘enemies.'”

“…I know that too.”

[Yes. I am aware of that.]

The night before, we knew that Jack wasn’t serious at all when he told us to attack him.

From the beginning, he held back even against Gore, the toughest among us, and when he counterattacked Rei, he only deflected her sword.

By the time it was my turn, he didn’t even make a fist. Of course, even though we were at this level, he said it was sufficient, but…

“Then, the level Jack wants us to reach is probably not just this. You already know that too, right?”

[Yes.]

“Yes! That’s why I plan to train harder with swordsmanship…”

“No, that’s not enough!”

I cut off Rei’s words strongly and then continued to the two of them.

I explained what I had predicted and organized about Jack’s actions so far, his and Ira’s rapid growth, and especially the situation where Rei’s growth seemed to have stalled again.

“…So, m-monsters. You’re saying we get stronger by killing monsters, especially ones much stronger than ourselves?”

“That’s right. You struggled quite a bit against goblins and war wolves in the dungeon you went to with Jack that day. But within a few hours, it became easier to deal with them. And considering that Ira, who was once the weakest among us, has somehow become as mobile and strong as me, I think hunting monsters is the key to our becoming stronger.”

“B-but. If that’s the case, then all adventurers should be incredibly strong like Jack…”

“No. I’ve researched that too. The average number of monsters an adventurer kills in their lifetime is only around 200. Moreover…”

[They would have been monsters similar to or weaker than their own level, right?]

Gore was a bit surprised by Ragni’s words but decided to support her. She knew they would find out eventually, but Ragni was already approaching the concept of experience points and levels.

Given her observational skills and intelligence, it might even be considered slow that she’s only now reaching this understanding…

“That’s right. And Gore, you and Jack knew this all along, didn’t you?”

[…How long have you known?]

“I suspected it when we arrived in Aigram a year ago, and I was convinced when I saw Ira getting stronger on the way to Neity. And after you recently got stronger following your fight with the resonator where Jack planted the Spirit King’s fragment, I was waiting for the right timing to bring it up.”

[…And the right timing was now, when the master is absent?]

“Jack seemed to not want us to know about this fact.”

I don’t want to do things my husband would dislike.

Saying that, Ragni looked at Gore with a seductive smile, and Gore realized how late her master’s plan to use her as an excuse had been.

This is beyond the level of talking about my skills or whatever.

[…So, why are you bringing this up now in this situation?]

“It’s simple. From now on, let’s take turns escorting and educating Ira, and hunting monsters in dungeons.”

“…Dungeon. Are you talking about the dungeon with the collapsed entrance that Gore mentioned earlier today?”

The dungeon where the resonator died after using [Gigantification] to throw the master to Neity, causing the entrance to collapse.

The dungeon that Jack had designated as a training ground to activate Ragni’s skills. Ragni’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Gore, and Gore nodded. However.

[The idea is good, but there’s one problem.]

“Hmm?”

“Yes?”

A fact that they would absolutely never know because it truly couldn’t be “seen,” even though they were almost at the edge of the truth. Since things had been revealed this far, Gore thought it would be foolish to hide anything more and spoke the truth.

[Rei can grow stronger by gaining “levels” in the dungeon, but Ragni, you can’t. Among us, you’re the closest to the master’s level, but no matter how many monsters you kill there, you won’t get stronger.]

[-Occupation: Raid Boss (Slave of the Ottoman Empire)- Level: 450 Name: Ragni Bluemoon: 19 years old.]

While hiding only the fact that Ragni’s occupation had changed from princess to slave, Gore explained everything about the status window to the two women.