Volume 26 - CH 51

No, not yet.

I've completed the Seven Trials, but the strength of Emperor Gilan I've experienced is still far beyond us.

Besides, I hadn't used the items I got from the Seven Trials yet.

1 The 『Cow Leather Bag』 given to me by the Centaur Tribe, and the golden semen that I filled it with.

2 The 『Ariadne's Thread』, which I obtained after defeating the Minotaur.

3 The 『Fluffy Hair』 that accompanies the big lion (Tama) and is attached to Tama whenever he jumps on it.

4 The 『Old Collar』, a treasure carefully buried by Cerberus, the watchdog of Hell who loves sweets.

5 The 『Eggs』 laid by the snake woman, Typhon, who lives in the Swamp of Death

6 The 『Fire Dust』 from the lava mallet used by Kirks, the giant of the Flame Cave.

7 The 『Murasame』, the sword I obtained by cutting off the Gordian knot

The sword can be used as a weapon, but I'm not sure what the collar, egg, etc. are for.

「All right, Alec, take out all the treasures you have so far.」

She held out her right hand as if to say that it was natural for me to give the treasure to Letty, so I slapped her hand.

「Hey! You can't use that material item as it is.」

「Houh, so it's a material for alchemy.」

「What did you think it was for?」

「No, that's okay. Go ahead and make it.」

「Got it. Aahh geez, but this artifact's sword is unbreakable, so I can't use it as material. I'll use the other six.」

We decided to go back to the castle in Vernia, as there was a problem with the facilities in this city.

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「Ohhh, Your Majesty, you're safe.」

Lancelot greeted me.

「Is the castle still the same?」

「Yes. The rumors of His Majesty's death caused some unrest, but we were able to cover it up by saying he was on an adventure.」

The king is an adventurer by training, so it's a credible story. Well, the fact is, I was on an adventure.

「I'll be out again soon.」

「I would like to accompany you.」

「No, I need you to stay here. I don't want castle is gone if you're accompany me.」

「Very well, then, I will defend this castle and my country and await your return.」

「Alec!」「Alec-san!」

The cat-eared adventurer and the blonde-haired loli came running up to me, but it seems that Camilla and Mary also made it to the castle safely.

「Camilla, thank you for fulfilling my quest.」

「Whaat, I'm a B-rank player, so this is easy for me. More importantly, I can't believe you're really a king.」

「Alec, I wonder what Meena would say about you adding another girl again.」

Serina guesses and says, but it's Meena, so she's probably says "As expected of Master!" , and she's would be proud of me

「Alright then, Letty, let's get started on the alchemy right away.」

「Yes, I have a strong feeling that I'll be able to create something amazing, so you can count on this genius mage!」

「I hope you don't make any weird mistakes.」

「Hey! Don't pressure me before I do it. Ahh--, I've got a bad feeling about this!」

She's so mentally weak.

「Letty, don't worry about what an ordinary person who isn't a mage says, you're a genius, aren't you?」

I'll flatter her with my 【Talking】 skills.

「Yes! That's right, I'm a genius who graduated from Austin Royal Academy of Magic with the seventh rank! I can do it! I can do it!」

「So simple.」

「Darling is very good handling Letty. Then, Letty, let me know if there's anything I can do for you.」

「Yes, I'll start by boiling some water in a pot in my workshop. You can help me, Nene-chan.」

「Okay, Sensei!」

Letty and the others will take care of the alchemy. It shouldn't take much manpower.

And the rest ......

「Serina, buy up all the ability-boosting jewels you can find and collect them.」

「I see. You want to raise the status, right?」

「Ahh, that's right. I'll also raise the basic ability values to the limit. There's nothing left to do.」

「Got it!」

I've done all I can do.

The next step is the final battle.

The preparations went without a hitch, and tomorrow we'll be leaving for the Gilan Empire. That night, I couldn't sleep very well and was sitting on the roof of the castle looking at the stars.

The girl who was supposed to be next to me at a time like this was not here.

I didn't realize it until Meena disappeared, but it seems she's already become so close to me that she's almost a part of me.

「Hmph, that's not like me.」

「There you are, Alec.」

Shaking her long red hair, Serina called out to me.

「Serina, huh?」

「Can't sleep?」

「No. I just thought I'd get a little night air.」

I'm the leader of the clan 『Black Cat of the Wind』. Even if I'm worried about facing Emperor Gilan, I can't let it show.

Everyone is probably worried about whether we can win or not right now, so I have to play the role of a reliable leader.

That will increase our chances of winning.

「So. That's fine. But do you think we can win?」

「There's no point in worrying about whether we can win or not. We're going to win. Think about what you can do to make that happen.」

「Yeah. I get it.」

If you start looking for reasons why you can't win, you'll find so many that you'll lose your energy.

I don't even know if my level has caught up.

I might be killed again.

Still, I've done all I can do.

I couldn't betray Meena, who was certainly to believe in my coming.

「Fuhh, that certainly doesn't sound like you.」

Survival has always been my top priority.

But in order to live a free life, this is a battle that I can't avoid.

I must win and get Meena back.

To do so, I will risk everything.

I swore victory to the stars in the night sky.