Ch.322Promise, Deal, Emergency

After finishing my business with the unicorn, I escaped the ruins using the magic circle and arrived outside the cave. I explained everything that had happened to my companions who were waiting with excited faces—including Iris, who had been waiting in the carriage since we entered the ruins.

“So this golden fruit…”

“It’s the unicorn’s elixir that can restore Iris to her elven body.”

“Aah…!”

Iris burst into tears while holding the shimmering golden apple in her hands. Phyllis, with tears welling up in her eyes, gently patted her sister’s shoulder.

“…I had actually half given up… I’d heard that once you become a Dark Elf, you can never return to being an Elf again… *sob*…”

Come to think of it, I remember hearing something similar when we interrogated Calliope. Whether it was based on actual facts or just a form of taunting, I can’t tell now, but what matters to us is that we’ve finally found a solution.

However, not everyone could simply rejoice at this outcome.

“Sorry to interrupt your celebration, but you haven’t forgotten the agreement between our two parties regarding this expedition, have you?”

“Ah…”

The “agreement” Becky mentioned was, needless to say, about the distribution of spoils. We had promised to divide all items obtained from the ruins 50:50, with the discovering party having first pick.

And the only item we’d acquired from this expedition—aside from the Stone Golem’s magic stone and materials—was this Ambrosia.

“Wait a minute! This was given directly to Will by the unicorn! No one else was qualified to receive it!”

“That’s true. It’s only given to pure… pfft, virgins… pffhaha!”

“…You can just laugh.”

“HAHAHAHAHA~~~!!”

Anna burst into laughter, unable to hold back at the fact that I, a man, was the only one chosen by the unicorn. Thanks to her outburst, the tense atmosphere that had been building between the two parties eased slightly.

“I wasn’t exactly going to ask you to cut that golden fruit in half. Those kinds of medicinal ingredients need to be consumed whole by one person to be effective anyway.”

“So the Four Sisters’ demand is that we keep the Ambrosia intact, but pay compensation equivalent to half its value?”

“Quick on the uptake. As expected of a high-ranking mage.”

Kate said with a wink. Certainly… such terms weren’t unreasonable.

Regardless of my crucial contribution to obtaining the Ambrosia, our promise to divide the spoils 50:50 remained valid.

“The issue is how to determine the value of this Ambrosia.”

“Indeed. There’s probably no precedent for appraising such a rare medicine anywhere.”

“…Wait? If it’s only given to virgins, couldn’t we take Iris in and get another one?”

Mina’s comment momentarily widened everyone’s eyes, but to cut to the chase, that method wasn’t viable. The magic circle leading to the ruins inside the cave had lost its light and become deactivated.

“Damn, that would’ve been perfect.”

“N-now we can’t even submit a proper investigation report to the Pioneer Bureau…”

“Considering the purpose of protecting the unicorn, this might actually be for the best. More importantly, about the compensation for the Ambrosia… I’d like to be introduced to the gunsmith who crafted your weapons.”

Becky said, pointing at the rifle Phyllis was holding.

“All your guns are impressive, but I was particularly amazed by Phyllis’s rifle. The power, bullet velocity, and especially that innovative reloading mechanism… whoever made this gun must be beyond a mere genius.”

Becky earnestly praised our guns and their creator. I could see Mina’s lips twitching, trying to curl into a smile.

“H-heh~ So, you want to commission the same guns from that gunsmith?”

“That’s something I’d have to discuss with the gunsmith. Ideally, I’d like to improve performance without changing our current weapon system, but if that’s not possible, I’d at least like to replace Kate’s rifle.”

“…What do you think about that, genius gunsmith Miss Minarette?”

As I patted Mina’s shoulder while saying this, the Four Sisters’ expressions changed in real-time. They clearly hadn’t expected that Mina was the creator of these exceptional weapons.

“Hmph~ Since you put it that way, I guess I have no choice. For Iris’s sake, I might as well show off my skills~”

“R-really…!”

“But! My guns use special metals, so I’ll need to charge for materials and minimum labor costs. It won’t be as cheap as you might think!”

“Of course. I don’t intend to skimp on something I’m entrusting my life to.”

“Good, good! That’s the right attitude. Let’s start proper consultations when we get back to the city.”

And so, the negotiations regarding the Ambrosia concluded in a way that satisfied both parties.

Thanks to the expedition ending earlier than expected, we had quite a bit of time left before sunset, but it was still a bit awkward to start our return journey right away.

We decided to return to the planned site of the 8th Western City tomorrow morning. The Four Sisters said they would just maintain their guns and retire early.

Meanwhile, our party started an emergency meeting inside the camping carriage regarding Iris. The agenda was, needless to say, about Iris consuming the Ambrosia.

“…So you want to postpone taking the Ambrosia for now?”

“Yes. I still need my Dark Elf body to help with your adventures, and as I mentioned before, there are things I want to accomplish before returning to my elven form.”

Despite now having the means to return to her elven body immediately, Iris maintained her previous stance of remaining a Dark Elf for the time being.

The reasons were that only Dark Elves could operate the Purifier, and her goal of uncovering the secrets hidden in the World Tree system.

Iris had realized that just as Dark Elves were mentally controlled by Demon Lord Royce Reich, Elves were similarly controlled by the World Tree.

If she ate the Ambrosia and returned to her elven form, she would likely fall under that influence again. Her wish was to remain free from both forms of bondage while investigating the World Tree’s secrets.

“If that’s what Iris wants, we don’t have much to say… but is the Willow Sanctuary okay?”

“I already wrote in my last letter asking for detailed updates on Elder Shraine’s health condition. Well… judging by the lack of urgent messages, things seem fine.”

“If an urgent reply comes, will you return to the Willow Sanctuary?”

“…Yes. No matter what, as the Elder’s successor, I can’t abandon the sanctuary in a time of crisis to continue traveling.”

“I just hope it doesn’t come to that,” she concluded, placing the Ambrosia she had been holding into the Box of Stopped Time.

The next time the Ambrosia would be taken out would be when Iris decided to return to her elven form. Until then, protecting Iris was all of our responsibility.

“OK, so we’ve settled Iris’s matter… but there’s one more important issue left.”

“Huh? Is there something else we need to discuss?”

The ancient ruins investigation was complete.

Iris’s situation had been resolved.

What else could be left?

While everyone tilted their heads in confusion, I decided to share the concern I’d been holding back.

“…Bath…”

“Hm?”

“…T-toilet…”

Yes.

Several hours into investigating the ancient ruins.

I had been desperately ignoring the fact that my body had become female.

The longer hair, the changed physique, the subtly different body balance.

The slightly smaller hands making gun handling feel a bit awkward.

And the gradually increasing urge to urinate that had been building since we started discussing the Ambrosia.

The problem was that while I could ignore the former issues, physiological needs don’t simply disappear when ignored.

“I don’t know how women… go to the bathroom…”

Though I vaguely knew in theory, I lacked the courage to put it into practice and had been postponing it. I was too embarrassed to ask the women in the party for help, so I had planned to wait until the potion’s effects wore off and I returned to being a man.

But now I realize how foolish that was.

If I don’t resolve this issue, I won’t make it through the night—this dam will collapse within the next 10 minutes.

“…Someone please help me…”

To preserve at least some dignity as an adult, I decided to set aside my pride as a man.