Chapter 314

The investigation couldn’t begin immediately, so Tatsuro and the others decided to take lodging and hold a detailed meeting.

However, the inns in the Lower-Class Citizen District only had shared sleeping rooms, and going to the General Citizen District would mean sending Nana or Athena back.

Feeling it was too much hassle, Tatsuro and the others left the town, found a suitable spot, and took out their My Home from the Infinite Item Field.

After activating a Concealment item, they released a bird-shaped wooden doll imbued with Dispel Magic, stationed a human-shaped wooden doll with Fire Magic and a horse-shaped wooden doll with Light Magic—capable of firing a Laser Cutter while in a mounted state—in front of the house.

With these simple defenses in place, Tatsuro and the others sat around the living room table to discuss the request.

“First, I have a proposal. By tomorrow, I’d like to make enough Dragon Tools—simple magical devices that automatically absorb Dragon Force and deploy it around the body—for everyone. That way, even if we lose consciousness in an unexpected situation, the Dragon Force will automatically protect us, preventing infection from the Mysterious Illness.”

“Amazing! That’s a great idea! It’s such a pain to think about fighting and protecting ourselves at the same time!”

“It’s not just about convenience. Having something that works automatically without conscious effort is a huge help. It’s like insurance for critical moments.”

“Then we’ll go with making them.”

“Yeah, I’m counting on you.”

Nana, volunteering as the secretary, wrote on the paper in front of her: “Leah will make Dragon Tools.”

“So, once those are done, are we heading out to hunt right away?”

“Hmm, that’s not a bad idea, but first, Cardina and I will analyze. Then, Leah’s All-Seeing Eye and my Spirit Eye will do their analysis. After that, we’ll analyze the Shubelg Fungus. If it seems doable, we’ll take it down and collect it as a sample that can operate within the range of the Mysterious Illness. That’s the ideal flow. Since we know almost nothing this time, I want to be as cautious as possible.”

“That makes sense. But our Endeniente is supposed to adapt to any environment, right? Doesn’t that mean we two might be fine against this Mysterious Illness?”

“Yeah, I’ve thought about that. But if, by some chance, even that title can’t handle it, it’d be the worst-case scenario. Unless we’re absolutely certain it’s safe, we can’t risk testing it. So please, don’t even think about trying it.”

Tatsuro’s eyes conveyed his worry as he tightly gripped Ai’s hand, who was sitting beside him. Ai, blushing slightly, said, “Okay, I understand,” and squeezed his hand back firmly.

“Is there anything else we should do?”

“Peewee—wee—wee—peewee!”

“Neigh—Neigh. Neigh.”

“That’s true.”

“Huh? What did Cardina and Jeanne just say?”

“Big Sis Cardina said if we want to be thorough, we should go after Leah’s magical tools are complete. And Big Sis Jeanne said, in that case, we should also make Mom’s gloves.”

“Thanks for the translation, Athena. Hmm, Leah and Ai’s stuff, huh? Can I ask how far along those are?”

“Of course! In fact, thanks for asking, big brother. My tools and big sister’s gloves are about two or three days from completion. We’ve been working on them during travel time, so we’ve made good progress.”

“Really?! Hey, then let’s wait a bit! If it’s like a month, we might get in trouble, but a few days is within prep time, right?”

Ai’s gloves refer to equipment using a Magic Brain for Body Arts skills. Ai can’t use the Lion’s Mantle on her own, but with the Magic Brain’s assistance, she can.

This would significantly enhance her Body Arts, so she was secretly excited about it, looking at Tatsuro with sparkling eyes.

Tatsuro, shouting, “Too cute!” hugged her and patted her head. Ai, saying, “What are you doing?!” verbally protested but hugged him back tightly.

“Uh, so what’s the plan, big brother, big sister?”

“Whoops, sorry. I got carried away…”

“Sorry about that!”

Since it seemed like they might dive into full-on lovey-dovey time if left alone, Leah pushed the conversation forward.

Tatsuro clasped his hands in a “namu namu” gesture, while Ai winked with her right eye and made a “sorry” pose with her right hand.

“Ahem, what was it? —Oh, right, Ai and Leah’s new equipment. Man, Ai’s just too cute, I forgot.”

“Well, that can’t be helped!”

“Yeah, yeah, enough of that. Just decide what to do, big brother.”

“Right. Cardina and Jeanne have a point. But if we make those and the Dragon Tools that deploy Dragon Force, how long would it take, estimating generously?”

“Hmm… I’d say five days at the longest.”

“That’s fast. Then, Leah, I’ll leave that to you. In the meantime, we’ll be free, so let’s gather information and meet with the Adventurer’s Guild staff around the forest so we can move out as soon as we’re ready. How’s that sound?”

Everyone nodded at Tatsuro’s proposal, so they decided to proceed accordingly.

However, since there was nothing for the non-technical members to do today, they disbanded here.

Leah and Nana headed to the Makeshift Workshop, while Cardina, Jeanne, and Athena used Child Form and sprawled out lazily on the living room sofa.

Smiling at them, Tatsuro and Ai said they were going for a walk and left the house.

Outside, the horse and human wooden dolls had defeated two magical beasts, which were lying a short distance from the entrance.

Tatsuro stored the corpses in the Infinite Item Field, then, carrying Ai in a Princess Carry, spread his Tsukuyomi wings.

With Amaterasu controlling the wind, they embarked on a sky date.

Their current location was about five kilometers from the town, in an area with scattered trees and haphazardly growing grass.

They had cleared a space for their My Home. As they gazed at the untouched nature below, Tatsuro and Ai talked in the sky.

“An evolved form of the Imomushi, huh? I can’t wait to see it.”

“It’s the first otherworldly creature we encountered. We’ve seen it plenty of times since then—and speaking of which, there’s one over there.”

“Where?—Oh, you’re right. Imomushi really are everywhere, huh?”

Since Dispel Magic indicated they weren’t tasty at all, they looked away from the Imomushi wriggling through the grass without attacking.

“To think those will become what’s called an insectoid dragon species. It’s hard to imagine.”

“And multiple of them, right? If there are several that strong, maybe we can earn the rest of our SP.”

“But, well, they’re still just evolved Imomushi. I’m not letting my guard down, but let’s not get our hopes up too high. That way, if there are a lot, it’ll be even more exciting.”

“Yeah, you’re right. And depending on the situation, we might have to kill them before using Level Eater.”

“Exactly.”

They paused the conversation there, and Tatsuro kissed Ai, whom he was holding in a Princess Carry.

“Mm. Also, about the big brother of the Pixies not coming back…”

“Yeah…”

Though everyone knew but avoided saying it, Ai felt no need to hold back with Tatsuro and brought it up.

“Banramonte is within the range of the Mysterious Illness. If he was there, there’s a high chance he’s already dead.”

“Yeah… If he were alive, he’d have escaped and come back by now.”

If they managed to eliminate the Mysterious Illness and found a body, they decided to at least bring the remains back to the Pixies.

“Alright! That’s enough of the gloomy talk!”

“Yeah! Let’s keep dating until it gets dark!”

As if shaking off the darkness in their hearts, they soared through the sky, enjoying their date by flying around nearby.

Finally, they flew high up, gazing at the distant Banramonte Mountain. The mountain was incredibly tall, piercing through the clouds, and wide, like a massive wall.

As the sunset bathed it, the mountain turned a vivid red, captivating their eyes.

“That’s a huge mountain.”

“Yeah, back when we were in Japan, we wouldn’t even have thought about climbing a mountain like that. I’d love to see the view from the top with you, Ai.”

Tatsuro hugged Ai tightly, and she looked up at him with moist eyes.

“Yeah. So let’s finish this request quickly and have our next date at the top of that mountain♪”

“It’s a promise.”

“Yeah, a promise—mm.”

High in the sky, Tatsuro flapped his water wings, and Ai tilted her face upward. Against the backdrop of the red-dyed distant mountain, they shared yet another kiss that day.

“Well, as reluctant as I am…”

“Yeah, let’s head back, my darling♪”

“—Tch. Y-Yeah, let’s go.”

The direct gaze and cute smile with “my darling♪” hit Tatsuro hard, making his face flush.

Ai patted his head, saying, “You’re blushing, so cute!” But Tatsuro wasn’t about to let her have the upper hand.

“Damn it! Just you wait tonight! I’ll make you the cute one this time!”

“Hehe, bring it on! I’m fired up tonight, so I’ll have you wrapped around my finger instead!”

“Oh? You’re on. This’ll be fun tonight.”

Tatsuro’s confident smirk put Ai on the defensive.

Lately, in their nightly activities, Tatsuro had been dominating, so Ai, refusing to be outdone, put on a brave front.

“Hmph! I’ll show you all the techniques I’ve honed! B-But, be gentle, okay?”

“Of course. Would I ever treat the most important person in the world roughly?”

“The most important person in the world? Oh, come on!”

“But I’m not losing there. It’s my home ground, after all!”

“What kind of place are you calling your home ground?! You ero-rome!!”

“Hahaha! That’s the greatest title to me!”

“Idiot!!”

“Hahahaha!!”

They bantered loudly in the sky, and their sky date came to an end.

By the way, that night, Ai managed to eke out one victory, but the rest was Tatsuro’s complete domination…