183 - - The Secret

"Well, Eir is a nuisance, isn't he? When he comes at that speed, I sometimes have a fright when I ask him to escort me. I was relieved this time. I was surprised to see Homura-san using magic, but your guards are also strong.

Yes, I was surprised at the strength of Luba, let alone Peter. No, wait a minute, what do they think my profession is?

"I am ......."

"Hey, you."

"Hmm?"

I tried to correct him, but Sakon spoke to me.

"Is that sword for decoration?"

"Sakon-san, Homura-san is a cook. ......"

"No, it's not that. I've never been a ...... guard before. I was afraid I might cut someone and couldn't get out.

My reply to Sakon and Hop's intervention coincided. I knew he was a cook, not a wizard.

"Hmph!　You hurt Amane-sama, you'll get away with it. Come here!

Is that the event where newbies get tangled up with the adventurers' guild? Calling them to the back of the gym. With Hop in a hurry, I follow Sakon. I don't want to get tangled up with him again on the way, so I decide to go out with him now.

I was thinking something like this....

"Be aware of your tanden!　Just take it slow at first, but be precise with the sword!"

I was instructed.

I have acquired the skill [Momiji Nishiki] by meeting the required status and receiving <>'s instruction.

.......

You're a good man, Sakon. I'm sorry I was so annoyed and thought I'd turn the tables on you. Momiji Nishiki] is a sword/katana skill that damages the enemy and also gives a certain amount of time to allies, including yourself. It heals continuously. The recovery is very small, but it seems to work on an alliance scale. If several people use it, it will heal quite a lot?　

And one of those <<8 swords>. The name sounds strong, I might not have been able to fight back, let me reflect on that.

There are more players who use big swords that can do more damage than those who use swords, but if Japanese swords become available, the number of sword users will increase. The reason why there are so many players who use big swords is because they look impressive and cool, and also because there are many players who share the same roles in a party. I hear that there are more and more twin-sword users who are more interested in speed.

"...... sword and sword is different, but the plot is not bad. I'm not sure if you've had enough actual combat.　Or you can go to ......."

Sakon puts away his sword as he announces the acquisition of skills. He is thinking about something while looking at us.

"You said you were afraid of cutting people, didn't you?　Killing with magic and killing with a sword are the same for them. Separate the two."

"No,"

I was about to continue with the conversation when Clan said, "I'm just afraid that I'm going to cut my friend, but I can cut my enemy.

Peter: It may be too late, but until we find out who the trio are, please pretend to be wizards.

Homura: Hmm?

Peter: At least don't open it all the way. Ruba agrees. I'll escort you seriously instead.

Homura: Hai!

Peter: Ruba seems to have a story to tell.

Homura: By the way, Sakon was inadvertently a nice guy.

Peter: Awww!

It seems that we will be on the lookout for the trio until their identities are revealed. I mean, why are you talking to Luba and not me!　...... Yes, because I was talking to Hop and Ukon. I wonder if they have reached a consensus to be suspicious and wary of Fuso's trio while pretending to talk about blacksmithing. Could it be that Eir fell down from above?

"Mhm, Amane-sama wants to see you."

Sakon runs away without paying attention to us who spoke to him. If it weren't for this: ....... No, you think I haven't noticed (・・・・・・・) and you're watching to see if I take the bait you've thrown out?

Homura: I'm starting to think this bellyaching is getting tedious.

Peter: Wait till you find out who Amane is, because I feel like we're very much the same.

Homura: Peter's Kind: ......

Are you an assassin?　

Peter: I hope you are a ninja type.

Homura: Yeah, it's Japanese, so it's possible.

It's a hassle, but let's cooperate with Peter in his choice of profession. Finding out who he is may or may not be a flag of acquisition. In any case, I walk after Sakon and return to the others, thinking that I will move mainly with Peter.

This is a kind of safe zone. After passing through the ail habitat, the atmosphere of the forest changes to a brighter one, mixed with stones that sometimes show the flat surface of the forest, indicating that it has been touched by human hands. At the center of this area was a water source surrounded by a collapsed stone wall. However, the water overflowing from there, after forming a narrow stream for a while, soaked into the ground and disappeared, not reaching the forest where Eir lives. It must have become subterranean water that surfaced on the surface of the earth again at some point.

"Hmmm... I wonder if the carvings on this stone wall were meant to ward off demons and let them pass through the water...?"

When Peter brushes away the moss on the stone wall of the water source, an intricate pattern is revealed.

"Maybe the stones were special. This water is quite cold.

At the moment, when I appraise it, it shows [rotting stone].

The result of the cloak appraisal: "What belongs to the earth will return to the earth.

Hand armor appraisal result [......mm]

< say this, but I think it was the most honest appraisal result so far.

"It looks like the remnants of an old stronghold. Country or temple: ....... There are old legends of a lost temple of God in the area. It may have been a prosperous place in the past. It's a little worn out and only a small area remains, but it's good enough for a night's sleep."

The Temple of Verus, yes!　I will give the hint to Peter since he has already been there.

It is somewhat cold by the water source, so camp a little further away under the trees. Since we will be spending the night, we will use the same solid fuel and firewood that Galahad and the others used. We put a net on top of the solid fuels to barbecue.

Split the shelled prawn in half from the back, remove the guts, season with salt and pepper. Place the shells on the net and grill them, brushing them with a mixture of parsley, garlic, oregano, chili pepper and olive oil. Skewers of mullets with herbs rubbed on them, leeks and mullets with spring onions. Bread, vegetable soup.

Beer, please.

"Yes, yes."

Beer for Peter, whiskey for Luba.

"Sounds good, I'll pay you, and I'll give you the ingredients, if you can use them, to mix it up."

"I'd love to."

Ukon and Hop came by.

"Me too ......."

"Amane-sama!"

Naturally, the other two come.

"Fine, but can we eat?"

The image of a period drama is that they don't eat meat. Well, I had a feeling that he would come, so I decided to go with chicken. --Chicken is meat, too, but when people think of meat, they think of cows and pigs.

"As long as it's not four-legged, I'm fine."

"We ask that you avoid anything with a strong odor."

"Amane-sama!"

Garlic rejected?　

Sakon, while preaching, moves the fire made by Fuso's group and carries the firewood to us. We put out solid fuel and more nets since there are more people in the group. The garlic is removed from the oil for the prawns, and the hinges of the navaigai shells are cut off and placed in the net. Onions are wrapped in foil and dropped into the fire - I asked Ochazuke to make the foil for me.

"How long have you and Amane been friends?"

"You call Amane-sama ......!"

"Yes, we've been together since we were very young.

Smiling, Amane replies.

"I see. ......"

"You need to change your attitude!"

"That's enough, Sakon. It seems we have nothing to do with that faction."

He stops Sakon, who is about to raise his hands in the air. I guess he meant to say he's done.

But, Ukon!

"They know I'm the boss, too."

"Hey ......!"

Amane and Sakon's gazes pierced into mine as Ukon's gaze shifted to me.

"No, well, it seems that Ukon is the one who is in control of the action. Amane is poisoning ......, and I thought Sakon didn't know about it."

At first I thought he was just a noisy rabble-rouser, but apparently he is not. The earlier question confirmed that he knew that Ukon was of higher status than him. Amane was too much more careless than Sakon.

"Me, because of me?

Amane is frozen with a look of great shock on her face.

"At first I thought you had switched your name as well, but apparently not?"

"Hmm, I'm Ukon. Sakon is my baby brother.

"Ukon-sama ......"

"I was just a right-hand man until I got home."

Ukon tells Sakon, who has changed his attitude, with his eyes downcast. He seems to be a free man, but he seems to have "for a while" at the beginning of his name. I wonder if there is a reason why he has a man's name.

"I'm sorry, but could you stay with <> a little longer?　I just have a few things I want to get off my chest before I go back to Fuso."

"I'm sorry to drag you into this, but neither I nor Amane will fall behind the enemy. If the enemy appears, you can take Mr. Hopp and run away as quickly as you can. At that time, if possible, Ukon too. ......"

"Sakon, I'm the one who suggested it."

The Fuso group seems to have a serious situation. I don't appreciate political disputes.

"I've asked Hop to go along with you without asking anything. If you don't ask, we'll just be travelers who happen to be together.

Ukon says, shifting his gaze from me to Peter and Luba, as if to confirm our agreement.

"I want to ask you something in exchange for your company."

Unexpectedly, Luba opens his mouth.

"What is it?"

"Is the political conflict of seven or eighty years ago still going on in Huso?"

The North and the West. That was the case when the west family was falsely accused and the legitimate son of the north family was purged. The others are quiet now."

Luba looks relieved at Ukon's words. In the moment before he heard the name of the western family, he imagined a trap of hokke (a kind of open fish), and he wanted to eat a Japanese breakfast.

"There is something going on, isn't there?　I don't think you're from Fuso, though."

"I apologize for any trouble I may have caused you, but I'll see what I can do. If it involves the West, I may be able to help you.

Sakon offers. Ruba's cautious attitude toward these three men may have been due to his fear that they might have been dragged down by political disputes in the past.

I want to return this to my family.

With that, Luba produces a dagger.

"...... The three kotobashira are the crests of the three branches of the Nishi family. Have you met Master Hibari?

No, his son. He was my friend.

"How can you tell just from the crest?"

Peter says.

"The only member of the West Family whose whereabouts are unknown due to the recent political strife is Lady Hibari. --She is the sister of my grandmother, Tsubame.

Sakon pulls a kozuka from his own sword and holds it out. The sheaths of Japanese swords have kogai (hairpin) and kougai (hairpin) attached to them, and it seems that this is also the case with fuso. Oh, no, I remembered an unnecessary line from a historical novel: "The pouch used to cover the hilt of the sword when traveling or in bad weather is sometimes used for something else, so buy a good one".

"The original."

On the handle of the small handle offered to me were five kotobashira arranged in a circle like flower petals.

"Take it."

Luba holds out his sword.

"No, you give it to my grandmother. Has your son come back yet?

"Yes, five years ago, I drove the Green Dragon from my homeland. When I first met him, he came out of the blue to a man's workshop and forced him to repair a sword. You look like you've been doing some early-morning sword fighting. I realized we had known each other for quite a long time.

Luba looks nostalgic, perhaps remembering the old days. He still looks more like a swordsman than a blacksmith, though I know his usual devotion to blacksmithing.

Sakon pours the sake without saying a word to Luba, and Luba accepts it and drinks it down, looking at the empty bowl and talking about his friend. Apparently, not being able to fight with his friend has long been a regret of Ruba's.

Peter: Was this an event for Luba?

Homura: I thought Ruba was training to be a blacksmith in Huso, but it seems it was an event.

Peter: I've been left behind!

Homura: Sorry about that!

Peter: By the way, what's that in your pocket?

Homura: Mistyph protected at Mount Paltin

Peter: One of the white ones.

Homura: Sigh!

A black one is peeking out from its bosom, perhaps attracted by the smell of soy sauce drizzled on a Navai clam. Unlike White, Black seems to have been nourished from ordinary food since he was pulled into the material world (this world). Anyway, the dragons that are wooing Paltin should be on the list to be killed when we meet them both.

Although he seemed depressed when he talked about the circumstances of his death, Ruba's subsequent talk about his friend was mainly about cheerful memories of the days when they played fools together. He seems to have gotten over the death of his friend.

The night goes by as we listen to Luba's story, and when we each fall asleep, Peter and I take turns to log out for a rest.

Oh, Amane had been doing "my fault ......" all the time, but I just didn't go through with it, and she was with Ukon the whole time. Eventually, Ukon calmed her down.

"Kyah!　Ukon-sama!

"Oh, are you peeping at me?"

......In the morning, when I came to wash my face, they were bathing at the water source. No, wait, this is my fault!

□ □ □ □ □ □

...increase...

Skills

[Momiji Nishiki].

□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □