Manowa Chapter 167

「I'm really sorry!」

Kazane was doing a dogeza. Abbreviated DGZ in English. The powerful dogeza learned from Jinrai. And a black spot was spreading under her. It probably wasn't from drool; it was likely due to tears.

Yes, Kazane was crying from the bottom of her heart. She was crying as she thought about what she would do if the precious friend her younger brother had been able to make said he was breaking that friends.h.i.+p.

「No, it has already happened, so it can't be helped.」

Ori continued「So it's fine」with an apologetic expression in front of that Kazane. She was their lifesaver. He thought what happened to the Baby Core was a shame, but of course Ori was not the kind of man to denounce his benefactor. Naoki also tried to persuade his sister by saying「See, Ori says it's fine,」but Kazane's dogeza didn't stop.

And separated from the dogeza area, all but those three people were in the deeper Baby Core room picking up the fragments of the Baby Core. Those could still be used as materials.

「But it's completely smashed to pieces.」

Bax said in amazement as he looked at the fragments. Lyle, Naira, and the others in that place made troubled smiles.

「Naoki said that technique can kill a devil with one blow, and it can also blow off the lower half of a Crystal Dragon.」

Ortova made a doubtful expression after Lyle spoke.

「It can also destroy an Astral body? Ah, that's right. Those dragon claws.」

And he convinced himself.

「That reminds me, there was the Crystal Dragon extermination. We were also summoned.」

「We refused since we had this request.」

Agui nodded with agreement after Naira's words.

「It seems there are about 100 rank A and B adventurers in Dongol City right now. It feels like Earth Dragons are going to be hunted to extinction.」

Emily added to continue the conversation, but behind her Sera muttered「I wasn't summoned,」which ended it.

Sera was also a rank B adventurer, but the main force of her『Black Duck Party』was 10 rank C adventurers. Therefore, her not being summoned wasn't a problem with her individual skill. Sera was aware of that and intended to make a trivial self-deprecating joke, but it conversely became a「Sorry for bringing it up」atmosphere. Unable to endure it any more, she called out to Yuzu beside her.

「A, anyway, that Stone Minotaur was amazing, wasn't it? Even though I knew Kazane was making it move, I was still scared.」

「...Eh? Did you say something?」

Yuzu hadn't listened to Sera's words, so she blinked in surprise and asked her to repeat herself.

「It's nothing, I just said Kazane's Stone Minotaur was amazing. It's a Golem, isn't it?」

「Ah, yeah. That's right. Probably.」

Yuzu falteringly replied.

「Yuzu, since some time ago you haven't really been talking. Are you okay? Did the painkilling technique stop working or something?」

Naira asked, worried about Yuzu's strange reaction.

「No, nothing like that. I got treatment from Agui-san some time ago, and I can't move my leg yet, but I'm fine.」

「I guess it's fine then.」

Yuzu was currently sitting on an earth chair she made herself from the wall.

She felt like her emotions were unstable, so even though she wasn't talking, she stuck close to everyone else.

It was evening by the time O-ring, the White Party, and Sera finished gathering all the Baby Core fragments and the the materials from the one eyed giant Cyclops, so they decided to stay there overnight.

After negotiations, the Water Orb obtained from the Monster House belonged to Kazane's party, and the eye from the Cyclops was owned by Ori's party. Kazane said「This too」and tried to give them the Water Orb, but Ori's self-respect didn't allow it. Ori felt like Kazane and the others had helped them way too much for that, since they saved Ori from the Cyclops, recovered Alz's remains, and defeated the Stone Minotaurs, which also helped Yuzu (Ori believed she might have been found as it was). Rather, Ori said he didn't know how they could return the debt, so Kazane finally stopped her dogeza.

By the way, Sera sighed「Honestly, I wasn't useful at all, was I」while holding a rucksack filled with the Baby Core fragments she had collected herself and Stone Minotaur Corestone fragments.  As a matter of fact, even that much could be considered a huge success, so she was thinking about reserving a tavern and drinking with her『Black Duck Party』companions later.

She was filled with the desire to reunite with her companions right away to chase away the inferiority complex that had arisen some time ago

Then Kazane and the others took a bath.

◎ Blue Rifon Fort, Heart Orb Room, Specially Installed Baths

「Why is there suddenly a bath?」

「It's fine, never mind that, let's immediately get in.」

Ori's mind was full of question marks, but Naoki simply pushed him towards the men's bath. The other male members also went inside with confused faces.

And in the women's bath,

「Using Golem hands and Childstone power to deftly adjust the water...」

Yuzu's broken leg had finally been healed by Agui's recovery magic, and she spoke with a tired voice.

Yuzu was wounded, but the magic suppressed inflammation and there was no concern about internal hemorrhage, so she was currently immersed in the bath. Magic banzai.

And the water temperature was also set to warm. Water from the Water Orb was stored in two water tanks, and the hot water tank was heated by Naoki's fire sword, so they could adjust the water as they wished.

This was the latest work in Kazane's Large Public Bath series, another work separate from the Cottage. Since she obtained the water source called Water Orb, Kazane was finally able to take a bath anytime and anywhere. According to her,

「It has a hot spring feeling.」

Entering an ordinary bath was insufficient. The girl's desire was like an endless river.

This was a secondary story, but the impressions were: Naira was Boinnng, Sera was Boing, Emily was Choing, Kazane and Yuzu were Choin. What are those impressions? Unknown.

「Wow, it's like a mirror.」

Emily admired. It was a mirror surface manufactured by a combination of Coating and Crystallization. And that increasingly gave Yuza a headache.

There was Golem exterior processing magic, but it was basically a kind of enchantment magic. Actually, Golem magic itself was also a kind of enchantment magic, but Golem magic was learned from a Grimoire Field (that's what the places were called in this world. Kazane learned her Fly magic from such a Field) in the Tuure Kingdom and Golem remodeling was a different kind of magic, so there weren't many people who could do it. At least, Yuzu couldn't use it.

「Umm... Kazane-san.」

Then Yuzu resolved herself and asked Kazane.

「What is it, Yuzu-san?」

Kazane called her Yuzu-san. She looked very young, but Yuzu was an elf and was 25 years old, older than her. She had a childish personality because the mind was influenced by the body's age, but she was more of an Onee-san than Kazane.

And Kazane felt friendly towards Yuzu because she was a fellow member of the cutting board club. No, cutting boards were standard equipment for elves; there were just a few out of the standard people like Louise. As a human who still had room for growth (Kazane was at the age where she could convince herself of that), Kazane felt tender feelings for Yuzu each time she saw the cutting board that had no future. So Kazane had a warm smile for Yuzu as she posed her question.

「So Kazane-san is a Golem user?」

「? As you can see, right?」

Kazane asked back, confused. Kazane knew that she could handle Golems better than 『normal』due to the Window, but since there had been no one to compare with, she mostly wasn't able to understand how abnormal she was. The puzzled stare Yuzu received in response further increased her headache.

「Umm, Kazane-san isn't from the Tuure Kingdom, isn't that right?」

Yuzu had heard Kazane was Naoki's older sister. And Naoki wasn't from the Tuure Kingdom. Kazane naturally nodded after those words.

「So then, where did you learn that Golem operating technique?」

「Um, secret.」

As one would expect, she couldn't easily talk about her Skill acquiring ability, even to Naoki's acquaintances. Then Yuzu said「Is that so?」and backed down.

「It might be something different than what the Tuure Kingdom has? I don't really know, though.」

「You might be right. Honestly, the level is too different from the Golem operating technique level I know of. I know you use Magic Power increasing support items, but the magic control ability is too strange. It's abnormal.」

「You don't have to go that far.」

Kazane had a troubled expression, but Yuzu continued talking to Kazane with an excited face.

「Umm. Is it fine, Kazane-san? There's another thing as well. That Tatsuyos.h.i.+-kun is a Puppet, isn't it?」

「Yeah. It's a type of Puppet.」

It was certainly a Puppet. Although the control system was like a Golem user, not a Puppeteer. The original Puppeteer Puppets were capable of higher-speed battling.

「The Muscle Clay used in it is a top secret item in my home country Tuure. Essentially, having it publicly used isn't a good thing.」

「Is that so?」

Kazane didn't know that. As someone who wasn't from Tuure, there was no way for Kazane to know it was top secret in the first place.

「That's right. I don't know where you obtained that Puppet, and sorry if I'm saying too much, but I think it would be best to hand it over to the Tuure Kingdom. If you don't, it will absolutely become a dispute.」

Truthfully, Yuzu was saying that because she was worried about Kazane.

The Puppeteers and Puppets that had disappeared were now deified existences in the Tuure Kingdom. The slight amount of remaining Muscle Clay was considered a national treasure. Thinking of it that way, that was easy for Yuzu to say. It was something treated with reverence in Tuure being freely wielded by someone. However, Kazane couldn't agree with that. Because

「Umm. But I made this Tatsuyos.h.i.+-kun myself, and the Muscle Clay wasn't found, it was made. Also by me.」

Kazane said. She didn't mean that she directly made them herself, since Master made both of them, but they were created with Kazane's idea and by her request. In addition, the Muscle Clay she actually had『found』from the Dragon Boat was still in the Mysterious Warehouse.

「Uhh, there's no way you can!... ah, um, you can do that?」

Yuzu was about to reflexively deny it, but she reconsidered and asked.

「Yeah. I heard ma.s.s production has started Mins.h.i.+ana and Tsuvara.」

She had learned that from Yuuko-nee's email. Yuuko-nee had been telling her the state of progress in detail.

「You sold Golem user secrets to a foreign country!?!」

Yuzu shouted when she heard that.

「No, I'm not from Tuure, you know?」

「But you're Golem user, aren't you? So that means you're a comrade, right?」

Apparently Golem user = comrade in Yuzu's mind. That thinking was also due to Tuure's owners.h.i.+p of Golem magic. Fellow Golem users had a strong tendency to feel feelings of fellows.h.i.+p when they encountered each other outside the country. Of course. Kazane didn't know about those circ.u.mstances, and they were unrelated to her.

「You might say that, but Yuzu is the first other Golem user I've met.」

She didn't have any other words to reply to the agitated Yuzu.

(Come to think of it, I was told Golem technology was monopolized by the Tuure Kingdom)

She got this kind of reaction from the gentle-seeming Yuzu. Thinking about what would happen if it was exposed was scary. However, Kazane being a Golem and Puppet user was well known. Muscle Clay was already a national project.

(It's too late, isn't it)

So Kazane quickly abandoned thinking about it. First of all, she would contact Yuuko-nee. She wondered what her response would be.

Name: Yuihama Kazane

Occupation: Magic Swordswoman

t.i.tle: Ogre Killer, Dragon Slayer, High Beast Summoner

Equipment: Staff 『White Blaze』, Two Handed Sword『Black Fang』, Adhesion Sword『Gum』, Spell Dagger, Dragonscale Breastplate, Drake Gauntlets, Silver Sheep Clothes, Sylphyn Skirt, Plasma Pants, Dragon Ogre Greaves, Indestructible Cloak, Mysterious Pouch, Crimson Saint Coffin, Heroic Spirit Summoning Ring, Circlet of Wisdom, Aim Bracelet, Magic Acc.u.mulator, White Magic Acc.u.mulator

Level : 31

Health: 114

Magic Power: 205+420

Strength: 55+10

Agility: 48+4

Endurance: 31

Wisdom : 62

Dexterity : 39

Spell : 『Fly』 『Torch』 『Fire』 『Heal』『Firestorm』『Healer Ray』『High Heal』

Skill : 『Warrior's Memory』『Night Vision』『Crus.h.i.+ng Blow』『Dog's Sense of Smell』『Golem Maker: Lv3』『Rush』『Fire Principle: Third Chapter』『Healing Principle: Fourth Chapter』『Air Jump: Lv2』『Killing Leg: Lv3』『Fear Voice』『Invisible』『Tiger Eye』『Wall Walking』『Intuition』『Cheat Death』『Nimble』『Charge』『Material s.h.i.+eld』『Information Link』『Optical Camouflage』『Dash』『Bloodsucking Blade』『Dragonization「Dragon」』『Regenerate』『Soul Breaking Blade』『Stealthy Placement』『Thunder Chariot』『St.u.r.dier Teeth「Dragon」』『Crystallization「Dragon」』『Fabricated Coercion』『Stone Minotaur』『Mega Beam』『s.p.a.ce Expansion』

Kazane:「Skill tags have been added.」

Yumika:「The Skills that can be used during Dragonization are written with 「Dragon」」

Kazane:「That's right. Well, people like Ao-san who are normally dragons can probably use other Skills as well, but he's already no longer human.」