Chapter 286

After enjoying the flower garden, Tatsuro and his party, having assessed the capabilities of Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, returned to town via air travel.

It had been a while since the entire group gathered for some fun outdoors, just among themselves, so everyone was in high spirits as they headed to their lodging.

However, just before the stairs near their lodging, they encountered a madman hosting a quaint tea party all alone.

Needless to say, it was none other than Aarenfrit himself.

"Well, well, it seems I was left behind all alone today. How lonely, Sensei," he said.

"We had some personal matters to take care of today. So, Aarenfrit, what are you doing in a place like this?"

"It seems you're only free to entertain me at night, so I was pondering what to do."

"Frankly, I don’t think this is the place for that… So, did you come up with any good ideas?"

"No, not at all. But after much thought, I reached a single conclusion, Sensei."

Setting his elegantly crossed legs back down and placing his teacup on the small round table, Aarenfrit fixed Tatsuro with a stare, as if demanding to be heard.

Realizing that ignoring him would only prolong the situation, Tatsuro reluctantly asked, despite not really wanting to know.

"What did you come up with, A-a-ren-frit?"

"If you’re that eager to know, I suppose I have no choice. It’s your request, after all, Sensei. Allow me to enlighten you!"

Ignoring Tatsuro’s blatantly monotone question, Aarenfrit proceeded as if it suited him perfectly.

"The truth is, I’ve decided to leave this town the day after tomorrow. Our agreement was to travel together until you left this town, but I’m sorry for deciding this on my own."

"I see, I see! That’s great—er, I mean, I’ll miss you, Aarenfrit-kun!"

"…You seem rather pleased about it, Sensei. And after all those passionate nightly discussions we had!"

"Ah, yeah, yeah. The talks were certainly interesting, and it’s a shame I won’t hear them anymore."

"Exactly! I had fun too, Sensei. It’s quite reluctant to part. But I’ve found a new seed for amusement. If I don’t act soon, it might wither before it can sprout. So, I’d like our agreement to end after tomorrow, if that’s alright."

"That was your request to begin with. If you’re fine with it, I have no objections."

The tales of Curse Magic that Aarenfrit shared were indeed entertaining, and Tatsuro had gained plenty of useful information for organizing Leah’s life once they returned to their world.

In that sense, Tatsuro did feel a tinge of regret.

However, this man was, to put it bluntly, Ai’s natural enemy, their compatibility being the worst. If Aarenfrit got serious, he could easily pose a dangerous threat.

Keeping such a potentially harmful presence nearby meant Tatsuro could never fully let his guard down.

So, while he felt a bit guilty, Tatsuro couldn’t help but feel a weight lift off his shoulders.

"I plan to leave through the North Gate around noon the day after tomorrow. You’re welcome to see me off."

"The North Gate? Oh, right, both gates in this town are always open, aren’t they?"

"This town gets a lot of outside visitors, after all. Other towns don’t usually open their second gate unless necessary. So, feel free to come see me off!"

"…Hmph. Yeah, yeah, if I feel like it."

Tatsuro replied curtly, but deep down, he intended to at least see Aarenfrit off, though he didn’t let it show.

As passersby began to mistake Tatsuro’s group for being part of the madman’s antics, they agreed to meet again at night, left Aarenfrit behind, and returned to their lodging.

Once everyone entered the room where Tatsuro and Ai were staying, the human members ordered a ton of food to satisfy their hunger.

Seated around a table crowded with dishes, they enjoyed their meal while discussing their future plans.

"Now that the production of Magic Brain is mostly settled, we should probably decide where to head next."

"Yeah. If returning is the priority, maybe another dungeon?"

"Nearby monsters don’t yield much profit, so for SP grinding, dungeons are the way to go."

"Speaking of dungeons near this town, I think there’s a Level 5 one. But… I wouldn’t recommend it."

"Really? A Level 5 dungeon sounds like it’d have a good balance of quality and quantity, with manageable monsters—perfect for grinding, no?"

Tatsuro and his party had no desire to return to a Level 10 dungeon. It was just too grueling, practically traumatic. Even with the title effect of High-Difficulty Labyrinth Conqueror, it didn’t make things easy.

Level 7 dungeons were also off the table for now. While the monster quality was decent, the gimmicks that couldn’t be brute-forced were a bit of a hassle.

But Level 5? That was a difficulty suited for seasoned adventurers, practically a walk in the park for Tatsuro’s group, who were likely beyond even top-tier adventurers.

It seemed like the perfect place to casually earn SP while treating it like a picnic.

Yet, despite such an ideal spot, Leah looked reluctant and advised against going.

Of course, there was a good reason for that.

"Well, you see… the Level 5 dungeon near here has another name… um…"

"What’s wrong, Leah? Why’s it so hard to say?"

"It’s just… during a meal—and especially for a girl—it’s a bit tough to say…"

Clearly hesitant, Leah cleared her throat and steeled herself.

"Um… it’s called the ‘Poo Dungeon’… Except for a few peculiar adventurers, no one goes near it unless absolutely necessary. It’s the absolute worst dungeon."

"The moment I heard that, I completely lost any desire to go."

"Same here… I can guess why it’s called that, but still…"

"Exactly as you’d imagine, Big Sis.

Every floor is littered with cesspools, and the traps are all related to that. Plus, there are tons of monsters that are basically that personified. Once you go in, your nose goes haywire, and the stench sticks to you for over a week."

"Absolutely not!!"

"I hate anything dirty!!"

"Peewee!!"

"Neigh!!"

The stench wasn’t as big an issue for magical entities like Cardina, but filth was another matter. Everyone unanimously refused to go.

"Don’t worry, it’s a unanimous veto, myself included. I’d rather Ai not go anywhere near a place like that."

"Me neither, Tatsuro!! We’re absolutely not going!"

No one wants to see their lover covered in filth.

Tatsuro and Ai hugged each other tightly, vowing never to bring up the topic again.

"Alright, that was a terrible topic to bring up during a meal, so let’s change the subject quick. There aren’t any dungeons around here! —So, any other places you’d like to visit?"

"Now that air travel’s easier, how about going to another country?"

"Another country? Sounds good. I’d like to go too."

"Neigh, Neigh, Neigh!"

"She says she can take us anywhere!" Athena translated.

"That’s reassuring. True, we don’t have to stick to this country. Let’s check out another one."

"Yay!"

"Peewee!"

"Neigh!"

"I’m in!"

"Sounds good!"

"I’m all for it!"

"Unanimous again. Motion to visit another country: passed."

Tatsuro playfully mimicked a judge, lightly tapping the table with his fist like a gavel.

Now it was time to narrow down which country to visit—but as people not native to this world, Tatsuro’s group couldn’t even come up with candidates.

"So, Leah, any good suggestions?"

"I’d love to say something, but I only know about this country and some rough details about the neighboring ones."

"I see. Hmm… By the way, the Fairy Blaze Crystal we got from the Pixies at Flame Mountain—was it used in my staff?"

"Huh? Yes, it was."

Leah blinked in surprise at the sudden, unrelated question as Tatsuro seemed to check something on his Map Function.

After closing his eyes and thinking for a moment, Tatsuro seemed to reach a decision.

"Alright, here’s a proposal. How about we head to Casapisti, beyond the neighboring country of Libelhight, past Heldamdo?"

"Wait, isn’t that the country the Pixies told us to visit if we had time? The one with that huge mountain called… Baumkuchen or Mont Blanc or something?"

"That’s the one. We’ve used some of the favor we owe them, and we’re down to less than 400 SP for Spacetime Magic. Since we don’t have any specific destinations in mind, why not visit the tallest mountain in this world while we’re at it?"

"Banramonte in Casapisti, huh? It’s got Wind Mountain, so the monsters there are likely higher quality than here."

"That’d be two birds with one stone. If the scenery’s nice, maybe three."

"Plus, there might be rare stuff like that Giant Fire Salamander."

They’d looked into the Giant Fire Salamander that appeared in this town. Apparently, unique environments tend to produce variant species.

Places like Flame Mountain or Wind Mountain, with their distinct conditions, were likely to have mutated monsters due to their environmental quirks.

Variants are about 70% likely to be stronger than their base species.

Stronger monsters mean a higher chance of having more skills.

With such expectations, Tatsuro nodded at Athena’s words.

"Probably no Level 10 dungeon boss-tier monsters, and the odds of something that strong aren’t high. But if there are rare monsters, I’d love to hunt them. So, what do you all think?"

Cardina and Jeanne nodded enthusiastically, while Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi blinked to signal their agreement.

"Then it’s settled. Our next destination is Banramonte Mountain in Casapisti, one country over."

"Alright! Let’s gather some info on Casapisti then.

Leah doesn’t know much about it either."

"Yeah. But tomorrow’s our last day with Aarenfrit, so we’ll start the day after. Leah, you coming with us?"

"No, I’d like to finish installing Magic Brain into Big Sis’s gear before we leave town. I’ve got the hang of it, so it should be done quickly."

"Got it. Nana, can we count on you for guard duty?"

"Of course!"

Nana replied energetically, and Tatsuro patted her head, making her cheeks soften with delight.

Cardina and the others looked on enviously, so Tatsuro and Ai spread their arms and patted Leah’s head too.

"Um, you don’t have to pat my head—"

"You don’t have to hold back, Big Sis! Here, pat pat!"

"It’s not about holding back—ugh."

Leah tried to resist, but Ai’s head-patting skills, honed to perfection thanks to Cardina and the others, were irresistible. Even Leah gave in, narrowing her eyes in contentment.

After enjoying some bonding, they returned to their meal, storing the untouched dishes in the Infinite Item Field for later.

"Oh, speaking of what Athena mentioned about the Giant Fire Salamander, I just remembered something. Can you take a look at this?"

"Hm? What’s that?"

Tatsuro pulled out an orange-red crystal orb the size of a fist from the Infinite Item Field.

"While organizing the Infinite Item Field, I found this inside the Giant Fire Salamander."

"That’s… an egg from the Giant Fire Salamander. It’s rare, so it’d fetch a good price if sold to a tamer."

"So it is an egg. But I’m not selling it. I’m adding it to my egg collection. Objections are welcome."

"Oh, you’re open to objections?"

"Well, yeah, I didn’t get it on my own. If everyone wants to sell it, we can, or if there’s another use for it, I’m open to that too."

"We’re not exactly hurting for money, so keeping it as a rare collectible sound fine."

"I’m okay with it too."

"I don’t mind either, Big Bro."

"Peewee!"

"Neigh!"

"Gau~!"

Cardina, Jeanne, and even Athena, who had shifted to Child Form to play, nodded in agreement.

"…Alright. Thanks, everyone! The subtle color differences between types really fuel my collecting itch."

Scratching his head, Tatsuro stored the egg back in the Infinite Item Field, prompting a question from Ai.

"By the way, do monster eggs just hatch on their own if you leave them?"

"Oh, right. I hadn’t thought about hatching them, so I just stored them with time stopped."

"Monster eggs hatch when you intentionally infuse them with enough magic power to form the creature inside. So, unless you pour in magic, they won’t hatch even if left on a shelf. But they can degrade over time, so keeping them in a time-stopped state is best."

"Got it. I’ll just take them out to admire when I feel like it."

"Yeah, that’s the best way to keep them as a collection."

The conversation veered off a bit, but Tatsuro realized the time for his nightly talk with Aarenfrit was approaching.

"We’ve got a rough plan, so as much as I hate to, I’m off to talk with Aarenfrit."

"Peewee!"

"Neigh!"

"Gau~ Gau!"

Cardina the chick, Jeanne the baby rhino, and Athena the tiger cub, who were comfortably being petted on Tatsuro’s lap, snuggled closer in protest.

In short, they wanted more playtime.

Tatsuro wanted to indulge them, but with only two nights left of their nightly talks, he needed to squeeze out as much Curse Magic knowledge as possible before parting ways.

"Let’s play more tomorrow. For now, stay with Ai."

"That’s right, come here!"

"Peewee!"

"Neigh!"

"Gau~!"

Ai, who was already doting on Nana and Leah, called over Cardina and the others, turning things into a playful chaos.

Warmed by the cozy scene, Tatsuro kissed Ai on the cheek before leisurely heading to the first-floor lobby where Aarenfrit was likely waiting.