We safely returned to the town. We headed straight to the communal bath. Yazzak, having suddenly left the town, seemed to have work piled up. Stroman caught him and dragged him to the garrison.
The bathhouse was only for the state military personnel. Although Kimishima and I were part of the Federation army, we were allowed to use it without any issues.
Other adventurers didn’t seem to care about the bath as much as we did. They said they’d just dive into the river.
Kimishima and Sakuragi, being women, seemed more conscious of their own scent. They seemed a bit reluctant to get too close, but once we cleaned up in the bath, we felt much closer.
“There’s something called life magic, but there’s nothing like purification.”
“Is there such purification magic? Is it water magic?”
“How about wind magic from Sensei?”
“No, my wind magic isn’t that great.”
“By the way, Sensei, your magic is non-elemental, right?”
“Yeah, that’s what they say.”
“Mainui-san also uses non-elemental magic, manipulating sound waves, I hear.”
“Sound waves? That sounds impressive.”
“Mainui-san’s spear splits into two forks, right? It acts like a tuning fork, amplifying her magic.”
“I see. So that’s what that spear’s for…”
Now that it was mentioned, the two-pronged spear did resemble a tuning fork. I hadn’t seen her use that magic in combat, so I was quite curious.
My intensive training with Regres was over, but Spellsess and Mainui’s special training for the students was still ongoing. They were committed to helping us reach the 7th step on the Ladder.
The Ladder Steps in this world were different from the level systems in our world’s games. With only ten steps, each step brought significant improvement. Most people advanced quickly at first, but after the 8th step, progress slowed considerably. Many opted for a life of adventure or work over the risky battles required to advance further.
Regres, just like before, spent a night drinking with Spellsess and then tried to leave the next day with a simple “See you again.”
“Wait, Reg-san!”
I hurriedly called out to Regres, who was about to depart on Jenuin-chan’s back.
“What’s up?”
“Uh, thank you for everything.”
“Don’t worry about it. I had fun.”
“But you really helped me.”
“Also, make sure you clarify your relationship with Yuzuki.”
“What?!”
Suddenly mentioning Kimishima’s name left me at a loss for words. Beside me, Kimishima happily replied, “Don’t worry!” and hugged my arm tightly. I stood there frozen, desperately trying to smile.
“Where are you heading next?”
“Well… I heard a child with a Tengen appeared, so I might check it out.”
“The Tengen? Domoto?”
“Yes, Domoto Kyohei. He seems interesting.”
“Please give my regards to Domoto if you meet him!”
“Sure, but don’t count on it.”
“Even so, if it’s you, Reg-san…”
When I responded, Regres scratched his head, looking slightly troubled, and glanced at us.
“I’m not that reliable, but I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you!”
With that, Regres urged Jenuin-chan forward. Mera, perched on Kimishima’s shoulder, chirped, and Jenuin-chan’s large tail wagged in response. On the way back from Dicks Village, Mera had taken a liking to sitting on Jenuin-chan’s head, perhaps a sign of newfound friendship.
Regres waved once and then disappeared from sight.
Brian and the others had already left the city, heading to their respective destinations. Brian’s group of three had been tasked with escorting returning merchants. According to Spellsess, spreading my information through such adventurers would reduce the number of challengers aiming to replace the top-ranking Celestials.
Especially since Brian was ranked quite high in the 100s and the wipe out of the Disaster Clan, this would be significant.
I didn’t want unnecessary battles. If things moved in that direction, it would be ideal.
◇◇◇
About a month later, Vito’s inn was repaired.
The four of us moved in together. Since we had bags, there was no need to transport anything. For a while, Nishina and I focused on DIY projects, making chairs and tables.
As part of our work for the state army, we had to periodically cull the monsters around the city and along the roads. While I was involved in this with the state soldiers, Kimishima, Sakuragi, and Nishina were still undergoing intense training with Spellsess and Mainui.
Vito, initially quite tense about our presence, gradually relaxed and started talking more. I was relieved to see her showing more childlike expressions. I was also teaching her how to cook breakfast, aiming for her to manage the inn properly.
Initially, I thought Kimishima and Sakuragi, being women, would teach Vito how to cook, but assuming high school girls could cook turned out to be a mistake. As someone with experience living alone, I took on the task of teaching simple recipes.
Chiron and Panon, the brothers, crafted a new spear for Kimishima, which was more like a naginata. Switching from her short spear to a naginata, Kimishima seemed unstoppable. There were famous naginata styles like those of Shizuka Gozen or Tomoe Gozen, but I couldn’t tell if Kimishima’s fighting style aligned with them.
As our daily lives settled, I began to pursue my own interests.
I gathered Vito and the farmers’ children to teach basic arithmetic. While literacy could be acquired by consuming the “Apple of Wisdom,” many adults still didn’t know how to calculate. Even though transactions were completed by scanning a divine card, it was essential to know math to avoid being cheated.
Parents of the farming children didn’t mind as long as the children helped with farm work.
I wasn’t sure what knowledge was necessary in this world. I asked Spellsess to give lectures on life magic, which proved much more useful than my lessons. Since life magic was typically passed down from parents, those with different attributes often missed out and couldn’t use magic.
In that sense, it was good to have asked for his help.
“Shigeto, you taught history, right?”
“Yes, in the previous world.”
“Yes, in the previous world.”
“Then why not study the history of this world?”
“Like at a school?”
“There are bookstores in the city. You could find history books there.”
“That makes sense… I only know this town. I’d like to see what the big cities in this world are like. It sounds like a good idea.”
“You’re part of the Federation Army. You’ll need to report to the headquarters eventually.”
“That sounds great!”
“Be patient. Once these kids reach the 7th step, I’ll have to return too. We can go together then.”
“Understood.”
Although we had established a base in this town, I was indeed curious about other large cities. Nishina and Sakuragi had teleported to the Spelt Capital’s temple, so they had seen the big city. They even rode in a magic car. I couldn’t wait to see those things.
My thoughts drifted to the unseen parts of this new world.
