Unknown POV
I take a deep breath. In and out. The collar bites into my neck with each breath, and a current surges through it whenever I try to loosen it. The sound I let out makes me sound more like a beast than a person after what those bastards had done to me.
"Get out,"
A rough, gruff voice demands as sunlight floods my cell, making me wince. It's not one of those Yowork bastards, but that doesn't make much difference when they are working with them and have the voice of a traitor. My nails lengthen, but the thought of cutting whoever this guy is to ribbons makes my collar activate. I black out for a moment, and the next thing I know is a boot kicking against the still human flesh of my stomach.
"I said get out!"
Another kick hits me, but I don't feel pain. I stopped feeling that a long time ago. Whatever that traitor poured into my body took everything from me. Everything, everything apart from the anger of his betrayal and the craving for blood that has taken over.
"Are we sure this beast will work?"
"The great king assures me that it will?"
A fancy voice joins the rough one. They are both wearing masks, but I can recognise the voice of a noble from all the times my father dragged me to their fancy parties before everything fell apart. This fancy voice is all too common among nobles. pleasant at first, but plotting something behind each word.
"Then I will take his word for it," The fancy voice says. "I will prepare payment once the job is complete."
"But the great king insists on payment up…"
"I have already bowed to enough of his demands." Several knights in shiny armour appear at the sound of the fancy man's raised voice, but he waves them away. "I have donated golems meant for my army to his, I have given him the screws my forces needed, and all I got so far is an army of slaves, and the only real troops he gave me so far are more interested in women and school than fulfilling their end of the deal. So, unless your great king starts taking my requests seriously, I won't pay for anything up front anymore. You will get paid once this monster kills the hero."
"Hehe, do you really want to make an enemy of a hero?" A weasel joined. Wearing a cloak that hid their body perfectly, but I know the scent of those trouble makers when I smell it. "They are strong people who can do the impossible. Picking a fight with one is not something you can do lightly."
"I know," the fancy one clenched their fists. "But if they are travelling on that ship, they will protect my father. Hero or not. I can't let anyone interfere with my plan."
<0>
Kura's POV
"Weeeee!"
"Higher! Higher!"
"Hahaha!"
There is nothing more magical than the laughter of children. They laugh, giggle, flip and spin as they fly through the air. I watch and guide them, using magic to keep them flying and chasing one another. It's been too long since I've got to play with the kids.
"It's not fair, I complain." Nana was sitting off to the side. "Hero Kura, please reconsider."
"It's too dangerous,"
It's not that I can't make Nana fly like the kids, but with her size and weight, it could lead to the kids being injured if she crashes into them.
"I built that bed for you to nap with them later," I continued. "Just wait a bit longer."
That bed was something Nana had wanted for a long time. With upsetting her by visiting Crow on the island and with how well she did during Zena's training and her friends', I finally gave in and had one made for her.
"Yes, Hero Kura," Nana said, never taking her eyes off the smiling children floating above her. "I will wait, I assure you."
It has only been a few days since my island visit, and today we are taking a break from training before we go into the maze tomorrow for a few days. Even if Zena's squad was initially unwilling to wait. Even now, on their day off, they are working at gathering supplies rather than resting. I'm surprised that I haven't heard of anyone working themselves to death with how hard the people of this world push themselves.
One good thing came out of it, though. Through her friends' scheming, Satou and Zena ended up on another shopping date, with Satou even taking Zena to a fancy restaurant for nobles. Zena's in for a hard time getting her feelings through to someone so dense, but I wish her luck.
But that thought brought something to mind. That stupid kingdom law. When I get promoted at the end of the year, I'll have to find a husband. An unmarried head of an upper noble family without a legitimate heir has to have a child within a year. So, whether it's a proper husband or whatever the male version of a mistress is, I'll need to get myself a husband and start making a baby.
Or at least get a husband. I managed to talk my way out of the baby-making part by pointing out that getting pregnant would interfere with my duty as a hero. I don't think I can talk my way out of marriage, though. Not with the amount of letters I am getting for marriage meetings. Not to mention, I heard rumours of people already plotting schemes to get me engaged to their heirs.
"Is something wrong, Kura?"
I felt a hand on my shoulder and found Sara had managed to sneak up on me. I glance at the kids and feel relieved that I didn't drop anyone while I was distracted, but they seemed to be worried too, as they floated perfectly still in the air. I quickly apologised and let them down, promising to play again later.
"It's nothing," I sighed after they were gone. "Just a future problem I will be forced to face."
I really don't see any way to avoid this mess, no matter how hard I look.
"Is it about tomorrow's training?"
"No," I shake my head. That is something I can handle. "It's about the non-stop marriage meeting waiting for me in the capital."
"Oh," For a moment, something flashes through Sara's eyes that sends a shiver down my spine. "I see. Do you plan to accept any of them?"
"I have to at least get engaged," I let out another sigh. It really does sound like my time in the capital will be painful. "I can get around the heir law, but I doubt I will be allowed not to take a husband with how many families are already trying to arrange to meet with me."
"…"
Sara opens her mouth only to quickly close it again. It isn't a secret that both her grandfather and father have been sending her letters once they heard she would be in the labyrinth city for a while. Most of those letters are about me, and they are trying to match me with one of their unwed family members.
"I doubt I can avoid it without making enemies," I continued.
If it were just me, I could have left the country, but Mia lives near the kingdom, and Sara has family inside it. Not to mention, everyone at the Echigoya Company could be targeted if I make the wrong decision. The king knows a few of them have knowledge that could get those girls killed, and I don't want anyone to have an excuse to dig around and uncover it.
"Not to mention the amount of trouble it will cause other people if I put it off for too long," I kicked a small pebble. "I'm sure I can find someone agreeable with the number of people sending me offers."
"But what about all the demands for money and your company?"
"Not everyone is like that,"
"What about people looking for power?"
"Isn't that normal for nobles?" I shook my head. "Most noble marriages are for increasing a family's power, wealth, and position… sometimes all three."
"Then what about…"
"I can't avoid this," I cut her off. She will probably carry on like this all day if I let her. "It's something I will have to face."
<0>
"Pochi, Tama, come here for a minute."
I returned to the manor just in time for lunch and caught Satou giving Pochi and Tama something as he was on his way out for a lunch-and-shopping date with Zena. It was their new power-limited bracelets, which look no different from their last ones, but I'm sure they are a big improvement.
"And for Arisa and the others…"
"You made them already?"
Oh? Has he made something else? I watched as Satou brought out more bracelets, all with almost missable gems hidden within.
"Put it on with the flat side of the gems against your wrist."
"This is a pretty dull red for gemstones… Oh, wait, they're cores. But I can see some kind of circuits carved into them when I hold it up to the light—are the cores Magic Items, too?"
"That's right. They're separate from the bracelet itself. Try pressing the inner stone and adding some magic."
"Oooh? I'm kinda glowing," Arisa looked down at herself in surprise. The faint glow only lasted a moment. "…Whoa, it's giving me Physical Protection!"
"It only works on the person wearing it, and it's only about as strong as if you used it with a scroll, but yeah."
"Still, it'll protect me from scratches and bug bites, so it might be handy for when I'm playing with the kids in the bushes and weeds and such."
Arisa has really become one with the kids at the orphanage.
"What a cute bracelet."
"Matchiiing?"
"Pochi's matches, too, sir!"
Lulu put on her bracelet, while Pochi and Tama quickly posed to show off their matching power-limiter bracelets.
"Mine produces a transparent spear when I charge it with magic."
"Grrr, Liza's is a ring? I want a ring, too!"
"It just seemed like it'd be easier to use that way in her case."
Arisa never changes when it comes to Satou.
"Shield."
"Yours is star-shaped, huh, Mia? Mine's shaped like a heart!"
Mia's and Arisa's were the only ones who had shields that were a different shape.
"Master Satou, I want a baby-chick shape, I declare."
"All right, all right. I'll try to modify it for you tonight."
Nana pressed her chest against Satou as she made her demands, and he looked like her was struggling to say no. I guess Satou never changes either when it comes to oversized assists.
"Aw, maaan?"
"Pochi wants a meat shape, sir."
"Tama, toooo?"
Apart from Liza, everyone had shields, but mine was different, too. It was just a skin-tight glove with five very thin gemstones, no thicker than a sheet of paper. It doesn't give me protection like the others do, but instead, when I pour mana into it, five daggers like lights appear above my hand. When I wave my hand around, the blades follow it with a whip-like motion. If I stop pouring mana into it, the blade can be shot out. I just wish Satou had told me that before I accidentally put five holes through the wall.
"I'm sorry,"
Even though it wasn't my fault, Lulu made me get to my knees and listen to her lecture. Satou, meanwhile, got to leave and is probably enjoying his date.
"Pochi, Tama! Let's go exploring!" Karina burst into the room without knocking, bringing an end to my unjust punishment. "Did you all get new equipment?"
Of course, Pochi and Tama were quick to agree. They hunted maze ants until yesterday; now they're after maze beetles. Apparently, it was because Karina wasn't falling under the effect of level-up sickness anymore. Tama and Pochi reported that they spent their morning levelling up, followed by practising mock battles in less crowded areas in the afternoon. As a result, she should be accumulating substantial combat experience.
"Let's go!"
"Go! Go! Sir!"
"Let's gooooo!"
With Karina leading the charge, Pochi and Tama followed her out the door, leaving her maid having to run to keep up. I hope she doesn't do anything too reckless.
On another note, now that Lulu is distracted, I can…
"Where do you think you are going?" I couldn't even stand before she turned back towards me. "You need to fix the wall before you do anything else."
I really need to stop making Lulu mad; she is really scary.
<0>
Three with one shot. I had ended up going into the labyrinth after finishing repairs under Lulu's terrifying watch. That glove Satou made for me works perfectly on low-level monsters and even some mid-tier ones, as long as they don't have thick scales or some defensive skill. It should work perfectly for crowd control against swarms of low-level opponents.
"The shield is starting to crack, I report. Nana was also having trouble with her new gear as we started facing stronger opponents.
Still, her shield must be pretty strong, considering it only cracked and didn't break when a horned ant the size of a bear charged at her. But that might be because of Nana's skill with shields, as she not only stopped the charge but knocked the monster back, allowing Mia to pierce its belly with a spell as Pearl, Sara, and I took care of the smaller ants.
"Mine broke," Pearl said after finishing off a dying monster.
Yeah, it was more down to Nana's skill since it was one of the smaller monsters that broke Pearl's shield.
I wipe the blood from my sword while double-checking that there aren't any more monsters. It looks like we cleared out another area, but a few months are hiding in the cracks above us. They are not much of a threat, but their spores could weaken us, so I quickly take care of them.
"We should take a quick break before moving on," I called out as the moths fell. "The next area is a bit of a walk." There were closer areas, but if we hunt too much in those places, we would inconvenience the explorers who make a living from hunting there. "Did anyone find anything?"
Mia and Sara were the first to start looking for any treasure chests, but Pearl and Nana were quick to join them while I was dealing with the moths. We are in a small room, so it only took a few minutes to search the area.
We haven't found anything so far in the last few areas, and this time was no different, so we sat by a small pond and had a quick snack. It wasn't anything fancy, just some tasty bread Lulu baked that morning, but it was enough to keep us going.
I can feel everyone looking at me as we eat. I know what they want to ask, but they stay silent. My answer will always be the same since I don't have many options that wouldn't put others in danger. And none of their ideas will do me any good.
"How many more areas will we be able to get through?" It was Pearl who finally broke the silence.
"Two more if nothing unexpected happens," I replied.
It was easy for us to move around since I could teleport us wherever we wanted. We could also clear the area faster than anyone other than Satou.
Some of the areas we cleared were for the training trip, where we dealt with some poison monsters and plants. But since we had some free time after clearing those areas, we decided to do some more for fun.
"So, where to next?"
<0>
"…Developing a hunting ground?"
I was eating dinner but not tasting it when I looked up and heard Karina. I'm not sure if one of her maids came up with the idea or she didn't realise what she was doing, but it is hard not to notice her… paticalure charm when she was wearing only a bathrobe. Under Arisa's strict supervision, this bathrobe thoroughly covered her chest, but while Karina being Karina, it was still hard to miss. Satou clearly noticed what she was showing off as he invited her on the training trip. But as usual, he kept a calm look on his face even as Arisa kicked him under the table.
"Yes, we'll be helping Zena and her squad train while we create a new hunting ground in a spot near Area Eleven."
"…Zena gets all your attention."
"Mew?"
"What's wrong, sir?"
Pochi and Tama were quick to notice Karina pout as she muttered jealously under her breath.
"I shan't be joining you on this hunting ground expedition!"
"You're not interested?"
"Well, I wouldn't say I'm not interested, but…"
"Come on, let's fight togetherrrr?"
"Yeah, sir! A new hunting ground means new meat, sir!"
Tama and Pochi pleaded with Karina to join us while patting her chest.
"Fine, I… I mean, I still refuse!"
"You're really not going? Master and Lulu are going, too, so dinner won't be quite as good when they're not around, you know." Arisa's smile was strained as she felt the same as I did, watching those oversized things…
"I—I said I'm not going, and that's final!"
"All right. I can't force…" As soon as Satou started to give up, Karina's gaze whipped toward him. Her expression was that of an abandoned puppy. "… you, but I would also like to check the performance of the equipment I gave you, so could I ask you to reconsider one more time and join us?"
"O-oh, very well. If you absolutely insist, Satou, then I suppose I can come along!"
"Oh, sure, you suppose," Arisa muttered, rolling her eyes.
At least everything ended well. But the next day, Karina still looked jealous as we left. Pina was the only one of her maids staying behind as we left. Arisa stayed at the orphanage because the kids didn't want their magic lessons postponed, and Sara, Lulu, Nana, and Mia accompanied her. We had a large group to begin with, so it would be fine to lose a few people like this. As we parted ways, they said they would come to visit on the last day with some provisions.