In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 21 Page 2
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I’d finally put together the catalog. I printed it off with [Drawing], then bound it into a book thanks to the workshop. People could select what they wanted, mark it off on a postcard, and then forward it to Brunhild.
The list was separated into three sections named A, B, and C. Honestly, the only thing that divided the sections was the price, but I didn’t really worry too hard about that, since I was making most of the gifts myself anyway.
I didn’t want any reselling of the goods going on, so I also made sure to uniquely identify each item with a serial code. That said, I didn’t expect any of my guests to actually do that.
It was now a week away from the wedding, and we’d just about finished the preparations. I was hanging around Brunhild like normal, while my fiancees had returned to their respective homes before the wedding.
Elze and Linze had gone back to their aunt and uncle’s farm in Refreese. Yae went back to her father’s dojo in Oedo, and Yumina had returned to Belfast Castle. Sue had headed off to the Ortlinde Estate, while Lu and Hilde respectively returned to the royal courts of Regulus and Lestia. Sakura had moved over to Xenoahs with her mother, where they’d be staying with Spica. That was the house she’d grown up in, after all... I had a feeling her father would batter the door down once he realized she was there, though.
Leen had gone back home to Mismede, though obviously she wasn’t visiting her parents. Paula had accompanied her, of course.
I hoped that the girls enjoyed the last week of their single lives along with their families. Though honestly, it bothered me a bit. Once everyone left... the place felt all too quiet. Loneliness started creeping in around breakfast time.
Takeru and Moroha got up early to train, while Kousuke got up early to plow the fields. Karina went out in the early hours for her daily hunt, and neither Karen nor Suika had gotten out of bed. The gods in my immediate vicinity just did whatever they wanted, like always.
Sousuke was at the breakfast table... but he never spoke a word. He was playing Morning Mood by Edvard Grieg, but he didn’t talk to me or anything. Frankly, I was just amazed by how well he could eat his breakfast while playing the violin. Out of all the gods, only Granny Tokie made sure to spend time with me every day. Most days she just sat outside on the balcony, knitting away at the fabric of reality. Though sometimes she got up to speak with the maids or take a walk into the castle town. She acted like everyone’s grandmother at that point. It amazed me that she got along with everyone she met. I wondered if it was her divinity coming into play.
After I finished breakfast, I found myself getting a touch bored. I’d been given a break from my administrative duties. My vacation started one week before the wedding and ended right after the honeymoon, so I had nothing to do at all.
“Kohaku... I’m bored.”
“Better bored than in trouble, no?”
She raised a fair point. I slumped down on the couch, lifted Kohaku up, and started petting her on the head. I kind of felt like an old man. The image of an old man sitting alongside his cat as the sunset flashed through my mind.
Frankly, it felt a little concerning. Surely I wasn’t that old yet! I decided that the best course of action was to leave the castle and get some fresh air.
Holding Kohaku in my arms, I activated [Teleport]. The two of us immediately found ourselves behind Brunhild’s guild building. It was a very popular place that typically bustled with adventurers trying to prove their worth.
The adventurers hadn’t quite noticed my sudden appearance, so I slipped on a hood and entered the building.
The place looked as lively as ever. Unlike Belfast and Regulus, there weren’t many magical beasts in Brunhild’s territory. And so, most of the adventurers visited to go dungeon diving on the islands Brunhild was connected to.
Unfortunately, just dungeon diving alone wasn’t a great way of increasing one’s rank. Completing quests and helping out the guild was the fastest way to climb upward. If you did enough, you could get up to the veteran blue rank in no time at all. Dungeon diving, on the other hand, wasn’t really quest-related. It was just killing monsters and looking for loot. Since it wasn’t a formal guild task, it didn’t really help you rise up within their system.
The real incentive to go looting in the dungeons was the rare items and monsters you could find down there. If you brought back some good stuff, you could make some serious cash. Sure, you could take the ‘collect X resources’ quests from the guild, but then you’d be a bit limited in your search. You’d also suffer penalties if you failed the quest or didn’t do it in time. That was why it was often considered better from a financial standpoint to just cut the guild out and sell the materials on the market yourself. And the guild itself had a counter for buying those materials, so they still won in the end.
Regardless, Brunhild’s guild was more geared toward lower-ranked fortune-seekers than high-ranked quest-takers. It was a place for people who wanted an adventure without necessarily caring about their ranking.
Due to how busy it got, there were three separate reception desks in the building. I’d been here many times, so I headed to the desk I typically used.
“Welcome to the Brunhild branch of the adventurer’s guild. How can I help—? Oh!”
Misha, the catwoman receptionist, formed a slightly awkward smile when she noticed Kohaku at my feet and realized who I was. It wasn’t all that welcoming, for some reason.
“Sorry to bother you. Is Relisha in?”
“Oh, the guildmaster’s upstairs. Please wait a moment. I’ll check if she’s occupied.”
Misha suddenly stood up and shuffled up the stairs by the counter. I felt a bit bad. I should’ve just called ahead. After a short while, Misha came scampering back down.
“Thanks for waiting. Please go ahead.”
“Thanks... Sorry again for getting in your way.”
I bowed my head to Misha and continued up the stairs. After I got to the top, I made my way down the hallway on the second floor until I reached Relisha’s room.
“Good to see you, Your Highness.”
Relisha, the guildmaster, motioned for me to sit on the couch facing her. She was an elf, so she was a natural beauty... but something about her was seriously intimidating.
“Thanks for the invitation to your wedding, by the way. I’ll certainly be able to attend on behalf of the guild. Did you have any business here today, though?”
“Oh, well... Uhhh...”
I could only murmur a bit in response. It was hard for me to take up Relisha’s time, since I knew she always had a lot on her plate.
“Well, I was wondering about the academy. Have there been any issues?”
“Nope, all’s fine there. Most newbies take the two-week course, then pass their exams with no problems. The really promising newcomers get sorted into higher ranks come the end, so we’ve got a steady supply of people clearing the low and mid-level quests.”
“What about high-level quests? Who’s handling those?”
“Ende and Norn, along with Nia and her Red Cat friends. They’ve been handling strong dungeon monsters quite a lot lately.”
Huh... I had no idea they’d gotten so tough.
“Ende’s a silver-rank, so he’s getting by fine with the quests. Norn and Nia are red-rank as well.”
“Wait, what?! Ende’s at silver already?!”
“That’s right. He recently took care of a group of minotaurs that appeared near the dungeon entrance.”
I had no idea... I’d typically left dungeon affairs to the guild, so I hadn’t bothered checking up on individual rankings. Still, that was interesting. Given that Ende could fight Behemoths in his Dragoon, I had a feeling he’d rise to gold sooner or later.
Norn and Nia were at red-rank, too. That was probably good, to be honest. They’d be able to take care of issues that might have otherwise fallen to me.
I chatted with Relisha for a while longer before leaving the guild.
Hmm... Wh
ere to next?
I wandered around until I found myself at the school grounds.
Fiana and Sakura were back in Xenoahs, so I dropped in to see if they needed a hand anywhere.
When I got there, I saw something that I found a little hard to believe. The kids were playing in the yard, some on the slide and others in the jungle gym. But that wasn’t the issue. The sight I couldn’t quite process was the cheery, glasses-wearing girl and her purple Gollem companion who were entertaining the kids.
“Oh, Tou! Long time no see.”
“Beep.”
“What, uh...? What are you guys doing here?”
It was Luna Trieste and her Gollem, Viola. I’d already messed with her by using a curse, so she should’ve been free to live normally.
“Hm? I’m a teacher.”
“You’re a what?!”
Luna’s words made primal dread well up in me from the pits of my stomach. Her? A teacher?!
“Hm, are you okay? Did you come to see the children?”
How’d this happen?
I was so shocked that I immediately sought out the two teachers who’d been put in charge while Fiana was away. They were a human woman named Miette and an elf man named Leisale. Fiana had hired them to keep an eye on the kids and help her in class.
According to them, Luna had wandered over one day and started to play with the kids. Apparently, the kids took such a shine to her that they wanted her to help out in the classrooms, so Fiana ended up hiring her as an assistant. And from there, she eventually became a teacher in her own right.
I had heard from Kousaka that the school was hiring staff, since it was state-run and all... but I didn’t realize it was her of all people.
“But why are you working here?”
“Kids are sweet, aren’t they? They’re so pure with their feelings. An adult might say thank you, but if a child thanks you, then it’s always from the bottom of their hearts. Whenever one of these kids thanks me, I get a lovely tingle of joy shooting through me... Ehehe... Ehehehehe... It feels... so good... I might have finally found my life’s calling.”
Luna grinned madly, a look of pure ecstasy on her face. The curse I’d placed on her made her feel pleasure whenever she was appreciated, but apparently she’d learned to exploit that system for a hit of the good stuff whenever she felt like it...
“Are you sure she’s a good fit for this job? Isn’t she a bad influence?”
“Ahaha... She’s a little quirky, but she seems to have a good work ethic. Plus, Viola helps a lot with heavy lifting,” Leisale, the elf, smiled softly as he spoke. Luna probably knew that if the gratitude wasn’t genuine, she wouldn’t get her hit of pleasure, so at the very least she was working hard.
“Ms. Lunaaaaaa... Let’s play!”
“Hey, Viowa... Let’s pway. Ms. Luna, c’mon...”
“Let’s make a sandcastle, yay!”
The kids started toddling over, surrounding Luna and Viola in seconds. They really seemed to like her... I guess they were oblivious to her perversions.
“Okay, kids! Let’s build the bestest sandcastle ever!”
“Yay! Thanks, Ms. Luna!”
“Thank you!”
“Mfh!” Luna turned away from the children, hiding her pleasure-stricken face. She looked disgusting, frankly... Well, at least she had the good sense not to show the kids.
“A-Ah... A-Anyway! Let’s get to the sandbox!”
“Yeah! You too, Viola!”
“Beep.”
The kids dragged Luna and Viola over to the sandbox... Luna was practically bow-legged as she walked. I wasn’t sure how to feel about the whole situation.
“We always teach the kids to say thanks. It’s an important life lesson.”
“...Yeah, I guess... Though I wonder if that’s a good thing in her case...”
I personally felt like thank you, sorry, and I love you were the three most difficult phrases to get right in terms of timing. If you put off saying any of those things, then you wouldn’t get far in life.
I had a feeling teaching the kids to be open with their gratitude was a good thing, but Luna deriving so much pleasure from it was also a little... weird.
Either way, so long as Luna stayed true to her need for pleasure, I was sure she’d do a fine job teaching the kids. I couldn’t believe she was the same frenzied mistress that was feared throughout the Reverse World. For better or worse, she was a reformed person now... probably.
Looks like they don’t need much help here. Better head somewhere else.
It was about time for lunch, so I decided to head to the Silver Moon. I hadn’t been there in a while. When I got there, the dining room was packed, which wasn’t a surprise. The food was as delicious as it was cheap.
“My liege, one of our knights is over there.”
“Hm?”
Kohaku made me glance over at a nearby table, and I saw Lanz eating there. It made sense, given his feelings for Micah. He wasn’t wearing armor, so he was probably off-duty. The seat opposite him was empty, so I decided to take it.
“Mm? Ah... Y-Your High—”
“Shh! Don’t mind me, I just came here for some food.”
Lanz almost gave my identity away, but I managed to stop him in time.
“Welcome! How might I take your ord— Ah?”
“Shh!”
Micah appeared, and I had to stop her from exclaiming as well. I was a little surprised by her sudden appearance. I’d have expected her to be back in the kitchen.
“I’m on waitress duty because Dad’s helping me out. He’s been staying here in preparation for the wedding, so I’m having him work in the kitchen to pay his keep.”
“You’re charging your dad?”
“Of course! Business is business. Even if he’s my dad, he’s a customer first.”
...Damn. Sure, he gets a free stay, but is it really free if he has to work for it? I feel bad for the guy.
“It’s not just Dad, either. There’s a small group from Reflet working for their keep. Barral and Simon are among them.”
There’s still a week until the wedding. Are their stores back in Reflet gonna be okay if they leave them unattended for that long?
“So, what do you want?”
“Oh, I’ll just have today’s special. Same for Kohaku.”
“Gotcha.”
Micah set down a jug of water before walking back to the kitchen. I gulped down the water, keeping a close eye on Lanz as he watched Micah walking away.
“...Still haven’t told her how you feel, huh?”
“Wh-Wh-What?! Huh?!”
Lanz froze up, then started shoveling food into his mouth. It was pretty funny to see him get so flustered. Lestian men were pretty earnest and pure-hearted... Well, not that perverted former king, really. But most of them.
“It’s pretty easy to tell, man. Why not just confess already?”
“Well, Ms. Karen told me to go about it properly...”
That made sense, but he still needed to act. The issue was that he didn’t know her very well. It was one thing to just sit in the inn at lunch, but he needed to make an effort with her. Though I couldn’t really talk, since I wasn’t all that assertive myself.
“I’m sure her father, Dolan, knows about my feelings... Sometimes I can feel him glaring at me...”
Leave him alone, old man... Wait, hold on... In war, if you want to take out the general... it’s best to target the horse he’s riding.
“Lanz, do you play shogi?”
“Ah, yes. I often play it with the other knights in our quarters. It’s quite good for tactical training! Why do you ask?”
“We’re going to take out the horse.”
“...What?”
A grin formed on my face as my plan started coming together.
Lunch had passed, and the dining hall was now sparsely populated. Lanz and I remained at our table, playing shogi together.
After a couple of games, I realized that he was quite a talented player. In
fact, he was clearly beyond my skill level. It got to the point where I had to start cheating.
《My liege... Move that piece...》
《Got it...》
Kohaku telepathically communicated instructions to me. She was looking at a shogi tips app on my phone, which I could glance at through our shared vision.
That app was actually how Lanz had gotten so good, apparently. He played against the AI a lot.
“Hmm...” Lanz, who didn’t know I was cheating, pondered his next move. The app was pretty high-level, so I knew it’d be enough to stump him.
I glanced over to the kitchen and noticed that Dolan was watching us. Like a moth to a flame, he gradually made his way to the side of the table and began to spectate.
All according to plan.
“That’s check!”
“...Damn, you got me...”
Lanz managed to win despite my cheating. He was pretty damn impressive, all things considered.
“Hmph... You got better all of a sudden, Your Highness...”
“Oh, uh... I was just testing you at first, that’s all. Going easy on you as a warm-up!”
Lanz almost caught me, but I managed to talk him out of the situation. Honestly, I wasn’t very good at shogi, but I was trying to lure a certain old man out, so that was fine.
“You’re pretty good, Lanz. Quite the up-and-comer for our knight order. Hey, Dolan. Wanna play him?”
“Huh? What?!”
Lanz looked to his side, noticed Dolan was there, and suddenly stiffened up in shock. He must have been so focused on the game that he’d failed to register his surroundings.
“Interestin’... Been a while since I’ve seen someone who can play like that. You good to spend some time playin’ me, lad?”
“Oh, uh... Y-Yes sir! It’s my day off!”
“Alrighty then. Let’s go a round or two.”
I gave up my seat to Dolan, and Kohaku came out from under the table with my phone in her mouth.
Micah was in the middle of wiping down some tables, so I walked over to her.
“...Dad’s indulging in his habits again, huh? I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tempt him like that, you know?”
“He’s just having a little fun. By the way, Micah... what do you think of Lanz?”