Ch.39The World Changed by an NPC. (4)

Three days since arriving in Aigram.

I was supposed to be crushed by the fear of almost failing to protect Ira and the guilt of committing murder, holding her tight in our inn room without taking a single step outside.

But that’s bullshit.

[-Occupation: Mountain Keeper NPC- Level: 372 Name: Jack. Age: 17.]

[Strength: 147+?]

[Dexterity: 189+?]

[Intelligence: 6+?]

[Luck: 4+??]

[HP: 305,355+???]

[MP: 0+0]

[Skill: Mountain Manager]

[Mountain Manager Effect: All stats slightly increase in the mountain you manage. (Currently in an area with no mountain under management.)]

[Mountains under management: -Ponia- -Ottoman Empire-]

[Title: View details.]

[Titles: Mountain Keeper who killed the Celestial Horse. Mining Mountain Keeper. Mountain Keeper favored by Mime Golem. Ultra-acidic Slime Killer. Beloved by Golems. Tsundere Mountain Keeper. Mountain Keeper who enslaved the blonde swordswoman inside the wall. Is your local mountain awesome? Sister-complex Mountain Keeper.]

[new!: Mountain Keeper who picked the Queen’s flower. Training Mountain Keeper. Masochist Collector. Fate-changing Mountain Keeper. Sugar Daddy Mountain Keeper. Mountain Keeper who hates demons, One who harbors killing intent. One who sent away the gay.]

———-

[-Occupation: Village Girl: Level 2 Name: Ira. Age: 10.]

[Strength: 2]

[Dexterity: 1]

[Intelligence: 25]

[Luck: 0]

[HP: 25+500]

[MP: 30]

[Skill: ???]

————-

[-Occupation: Given Swordswoman- Level: 182 Name: Ray Sol. Age: 18.]

[Strength: 149]

[Dexterity: 188]

[Intelligence: 24]

[Luck: 34]

[HP: 2,100]

[MP: 135]

[Skills: Can’t Stand Injustice. Swift Sword.]

—————-

[Slamaim Golem: Level 77]

[Strength: 176]

[Dexterity: 138]

[Luck: 0+??]

[Intelligence: 42]

[HP: 110,000]

[MP: 170]

[Skills: Mimicry, Absorption.]

——————

[-Occupation: Raid Boss (Ottoman Empire’s Slave)- Level: 450 Name: Ragni Bluemoon: Age: 18.]

[Strength: 10+?????]

[Dexterity: 10+?????]

[Intelligence: 330+??????]

[Luck: 200+????]

[HP: 210,000]

[MP: 100,000]

[Skill: Wisdom of the Blue Ruler.]

[Skill: Ruler’s Aura.]

[Skill: Imperial Quality.]

[Skill: One Who Stands Above.]

[Skill: Heaven-sent Talent.]

———-

I memorized our party’s specs. Except for my titles—what kind of ridiculous titles are these?

When did I pick the Queen’s flower? Speak properly, will you? To a lifelong virgin like me, seriously.

And “One who sent away the gay”? Couldn’t they just give me something like “Slaughterer” instead? This is such bullshit. These titles are garbage. Someday I’ll find whoever assigns these and beat them up.

I killed those beasts in human form, but somehow my mind remained intact. That’s fortunate, I suppose.

Maybe the shock of discovering that demon worshippers were gay was so great that it lessened the impact of committing murder.

I just hope I’m not a sociopath.

Anyway, I was preparing for the future, even entertaining the dangerous thought of telling Ragni about her skills and going all out.

And then.

“I found out who sold our location. A merchant group called ‘Golden Rule.’ They’re a mid-sized outfit that’s been tied to demon worshippers since ancient times. The ones who suffered heavy losses this time were blackmailed into passing information for an attack on the merchant caravan. Aigram authorities are absolutely thrilled. Death penalty confirmed for everyone. It’s hilarious watching those men crying and whining about being victims themselves.”

[I’ve gathered all monster information in this area. The lowest level is 8, and even the highest level monsters don’t exceed 30. It’s an excellent environment for Miss Ira’s leveling. I can defeat the field boss one-on-one.]

“Jack! I found a blacksmith who can make light armor and weapons suitable for Ira! They’re all masters of magical enchantment!! The designs are pretty too, so they’ll definitely suit her well!!”

“…Hmm, good.”

“Mm! Good!!”

As Ira and I nod together, striking commander poses at the table, both of us smile wryly, and Gorg nods along with us.

No matter how I think about it, that day was an absolute shit show.

Demon worshippers usually only appear in groups like that when attacking a city alongside demons, but somehow they jumped out before the story even began and ambushed us.

Of course, they weren’t targeting us specifically, but nearly dying before even starting the tutorial in a city we fled to before the tutorial was truly disgusting.

So.

“Operation Protect Ira begins.”

“It begins!!”

As Ira raises her hand high and smiles brightly while repeating my words, I can see the faces of the two women softening.

“Hehe. That’s right.”

“Yes!! Leave it to me!! Ira’s clothes are my responsibility!!”

[Shall we start with leveling? Or equipment first?]

“Let’s go. First, let’s get Ira some clothes.”

First, Ira’s equipment.

*

“Hmm, for such a small girl, regular armor won’t do. We need to make it from magically enchanted fabric. Otherwise, she won’t be able to walk—no, she won’t even be able to stand because of the weight.”

“How much will it cost?”

“Hmm, you want to protect the child, right? Heavy defensive enchantments, wearable like everyday clothes, and durability to last a long time. Plus, since she’s young, we should add cleanliness magic too… About this much?”

The sophisticated-looking man held up three fingers toward me. 3,000 can?

“300,000. You’re asking for high-level protective gear, aren’t you? I’m giving you a discount because the child is cute. Normally, only high nobles could afford such equipment.”

“300,000, I understand. When will it be ready?”

“Oh, you’re generous! Well then, since we took measurements today, I can have it ready in two days.”

I’m not being generous. I just have no intention of skimping on anything for Ira.

“Yes. Then, in two days. As for weapons…”

“Does this child have magical power?”

“Yes. It’s small but definitely there.”

“Good. Then I’ll give her a staff that consumes magic and can use an attack once a day. This normally costs 20,000 can, but nobody buys it because its power is weak.”

“What kind of magic can it use?”

“Fire magic. Fireball. It’s barely powerful enough to take down a goblin with a direct hit to the face. It’s on the house. How about it?”

“Yes. That will do. Thank you.”

“Alright, I’ll hand everything over when you pay in two days.”

“Yes. I appreciate it.”

We left the armory. Next is…

“Let’s go to the merchant group. From what I just saw, you need quite a bit of money, right? They said they’d give us a substantial reward and compensation for this incident.”

“Let’s do that. To the merchant group, then.”

Next is the merchant group that Ragni had arranged discussions with.

*

“Welcome, our saviors!!!”

“””Welcome!!!”””

Not just the merchant group members but even the coachmen came out to welcome us, but I calmly entered the building with Ira in my arms. I’m not in the mood to be excited right now.

“The guild master in the Empire was furious when he heard about this incident! Our merchant group plans to increase both the quality and number of escorts to completely cut ties with black magicians and demon worshippers. And Aigram has taken 100% responsibility for this incident. Thanks to that, we’ve gained something too, and the guild master has prepared this much as compensation and reward for this incident.”

One finger?

“…100,000?”

“…Come on, you’re joking, right?”

“Our master has no sense of money. But just one? That’s a bit stingy, isn’t it?”

Thanks to Ragni, they’ve rooted out demon worshippers—followers of Envy—who had been deeply embedded in Aigram.

I don’t know how much one sheet is worth, but she seems to think the compensation is less than what she did. However, the merchant’s face shows a smile in response to her sharp words.

“Hehehe, I knew you’d say that! The guild master said that mere financial support wouldn’t be enough since you’ve made enemies of the demon worshippers, so he ordered me to give you this—the only one we have in this branch.”

“…My goodness, please convey my sincere thanks to the guild master~”

Huh? Who’s that? The voice changed?

“…What is this?”

Ragni seems to recognize it immediately, but when I tilt my head in confusion, the branch manager opens his mouth with an upturned smile.

“The Jewel of Protection! Attacks below a certain power won’t affect the bearer of this jewel. Just between us, this… is something usually only used by royalty.”

[Jewel of Protection: Perfectly blocks attacks below 30. Reduces damage from stronger attacks by 30%. [May this ward off all malice directed at you. -For the one I truly love-]]

What is this item? It wasn’t even in the game.

Damage 30 seems too weak, but a 30% damage reduction? That’s an insanely overpowered item that would drive tanks crazy. Did something like this even exist?

I quickly grabbed it and put it inside Ira’s pendant, and Ragni stared blankly before bursting out with a “Pfft!!”

Well, whatever. This is part of the plan to ensure Ira’s safety. You can have the money.

We exchanged sincere thanks with the merchant group members and left. But how much is one sheet worth anyway?

“Ha, you really don’t know? One sheet. 1 million can.”

“1, 1 million?!!”

“…H-hundred… I… I only made 150,000 in two days… and that was with Jack…”

“I told you. I don’t have the ability to prepare that kind of money in two days. How could I build connections and establish relationships to receive money in just two days? I’d need at least a few months.”

“……”

But you covered the carriage fare in two days…?

Ray’s face completely transformed into that of a loser, and Ragni looked at her amusedly before continuing.

“Besides, even 1 million is laughable. Do you know how much that jewel in the pendant is worth?”

“…H-how much is this thing worth?”

“Actually, I’ve never used one myself. I’ve only seen my father and mother wearing them when they go out. I don’t know the exact price, but our family has passed them down for generations. Understand?”

“…N-no. How much profit did this merchant caravan make? This seems like a loss for them…”

“It’s an expression of their desire to exchange information with me in the future. Plus, they want to maintain a relationship with you, who defeated all the demon worshippers. If this merchant caravan had been overturned, about 60 million can would have evaporated, right? Not to mention the compensation and trust costs from Aigram.”

I realized anew that Ragni is truly an overpowered queen.

Perhaps what’s now hanging around Ira’s neck is worth a national budget. Well, this is fine. Next, about the money…

“Ha! Don’t worry about the money. I don’t plan to take it all for myself. I’m your slave anyway. If you ask for it, I’ll give it to you. Besides, you defeated them all, so why should I take all the reward?”

“No, but you gathered information about the demon worshippers, and thanks to that, Aigram found their pawns. I can’t just…”

“It’s nothing. Proving my usefulness is necessary for me too. Oh, I’ll deposit Ray’s share at the guild, okay?”

“…H-how much is my share…”

“Well, Jack prevented the attack that day, and I gathered the information. Ray was the escort. Since I’m a slave and my share goes to my master, how about an 8:2 split?”

“I-I get 2… 20, 200,000 can? B-but I only stabbed shoulders and necks?!!”

“Ira.”

“Yes?”

“Tell me anything you want to eat.”

“Yes!! Skewers!!”

That’s right, let’s experiment to see if your blood turns into meat oil after feeding you skewers.