Level Eater

Tatsuro, who had spent a long night since then, woke up, and it was already around noon. Realizing this as he looked at his pocket watch, Tatsuro felt relieved that he had prepaid for two nights' worth of accommodation fees. He placed the pocket watch down and turned to the girl sleeping next to him.

"As cute as ever," he murmured.

With drool dribbling from the corner of his mouth, Tatsuro gazed fondly at the girl sleeping peacefully, looking like a healthy elementary school student. He gently embraced her and used a bit of [Life Magic] to wake her up.

"Good morning, Ai." (Tatsuro)

"Mmm…" (Ai)

While wiping her mouth with a damp handkerchief using [Water Magic], Tatsuro exchanged a belated morning greeting.

Since it was past breakfast time, he had already ordered lunch using the same method as the previous day. Today's dish was different, but it featured fish and vegetables as the main components.

After changing into his everyday clothes, Tatsuro relaxed on the sofa while waiting for the food to arrive.

"Sigh, I worked hard until yesterday, so it's okay to be lazy today, right?" (Tatsuro)

"Yeah, no matter how young we are, staying up all night is tough." (Tatsuro)

As they lazed about, they heard a knock on the door.

Yesterday, Ai had gone to get the food, so today, Tatsuro held her back as she tried to leave, and he went to pick up the meal himself.

Placing it on the table in front of the sofa, the delicious aroma made their stomachs growl.

"Let's eat." (Tatsuro)

"Thank you for the food." (Ai)

They clasped their hands together and started eating with their own chopsticks.

"It's a buffet today. Nom nom." (Ai)

"I know today's meal is delicious, but please don't talk with food in your mouth." (Tatsuro)

"Mufa, you're treating me like a kid." (Ai)

"Well, that's because you act like one…" (Tatsuro)

When they were alone like this, it was fine, but in front of others, he wished she would be more proper. As her boyfriend, he felt the need to address it.

After enjoying their meal with these small remarks, they returned the dishes to a box near the entrance of the floor.

Then, for about an hour, they did absolutely nothing but laze around on the sofa, recovering from the mental fatigue they had accumulated during their tumultuous days.

"Phew. I feel like I can give it my all from tomorrow." (Tatsuro)

"Yeah, me too." (Ai)

Tatsuro sat up, glancing at Ai, who lounged like a hibernating bear. With some free time now, he decided to experiment with something he had been curious about for a while. It was more like a playful experiment, so he thought it was a good way to pass the time and gain a little satisfaction.

"Hey, are you up to something?" (Ai)

"Yeah, there's something I want to try." (Tatsuro)

Tatsuro had been pondering how to use his dragon power since it was still in a minimal state. That's when he came up with the idea of dragon-magic fusion, using the concept of mixing Ki and Mana.

According to dictionaries and books he had read during his downtime in the carriage, creatures related to dragons had neither Ki nor Mana. They converted dragon power into their respective powers for combat. Therefore, he wondered if he could generate magical energy infused with dragon power, similar to how Ki-Mana fusion worked.

The advantage of this would not only be enhancing magic but also potentially creating magical beings. The magical energy produced would directly influence these creatures. So, he thought that by generating mixed light and dark magic, which had reached level seven, with dragon-infused magical energy, he could possibly enhance Cardina and Jeanne, even if only slightly.

However, giving a spontaneously created body to the experiment was considered cruel, so Tatsuro spent the day experimenting and refining the process.

"Oh, by the way, don't we have to visit the Adventurer's Guild once a day?" (Tatsuro)

"It's not compulsory, but since they helped us out, it's only fair we show our appreciation properly, right?" (Ai)

"That's right." (Tatsuro)

Impressed by her sensible words, Tatsuro affectionately stroked Ai's head while she lay on her back right beside him. Her happy response to the gesture was endearing, and after giving her a quick kiss, he refocused.

The first challenge was to attempt dragon-magic fusion for real.

"Well, let's give it a try." (Tatsuro)

"Go for it!" (Ai)

With Ai's half-hearted encouragement, Tatsuro worked diligently, sometimes taking breaks that involved cuddling. After three hours of effort, he managed to generate dragon-magic fusion with certainty, given enough time.

"Now the preparations are complete." (Tatsuro)

"Shall we do it right away?" (Ai)

"No, before that, let's grab a bite to eat and then head to the Adventurer's Guild. I want to be composed when we do it." (Tatsuro)

"That makes sense." (Ai)

They had a meal before heading to the Adventurer's Guild. While it was relatively easy to reach, it didn't have an elevator to go directly to the top. Therefore, they spent some time descending in a lift and visited the front desk to extend their stay.

The personnel had changed since yesterday, so Tatsuro spoke with a different person. When he inquired about extending their stay with no specific end date, he learned that they could pay for twelve days upfront, and if they left within eleven days, they would receive a refund.

By the way, if they were to stay longer, it seemed they could pay in twelve-day increments to renew their stay. Thus, they paid an amount, including yesterday's accommodation fee, for twelve days in advance. With this, their accommodation became Lyadas' base of operations.

"All right. We have secured a temporary place to stay and sleep. Shall we go to the Adventurer's Guild now?" (Tatsuro)

"Yes, and we can shop tomorrow, right?" (Ai)

"Exactly. Once we leave here, we'll be living outside for a while, so let's take it easy for now." (Tatsuro)

With that, they slowly set off on foot along the moving road. They retraced their steps, and when they were just 200 meters from the town's gate, they spotted their destination and left the moving road.

Having seen it on their way to the current inn yesterday, they were already aware that the Adventurer's Guild was one of the few stone buildings in the town.

"You know, no matter where you go, it has that unmistakable Adventurer's Guild feel." (Tatsuro)

"Indeed. But being in the city, it's pretty massive." (Ai)

Looking up, it seemed like they had taken what they saw in Obsul and simply made it larger.

They paused momentarily to take in the sight, but when they saw people behind them, they hurriedly entered to avoid obstructing traffic.

Inside, the interior closely resembled the one in Obsul, and Tatsuro, feeling a sense of nostalgia, approached the stout woman at the closest reception desk.

"Um, we have this, but has anyone come to inquire about it?" (Tatsuro)

"Hmm?"

As he presented his identification, the woman examined it closely. Up close, she was huge, easily surpassing two meters in height.

Tatsuro, slightly surprised by her size, stepped back slightly, keeping his identification where it was. He immediately thought it was not polite to do so and moved his body forward, but the woman didn't seem to notice. She continued to scrutinize the identification and compared it to some documents she retrieved from beneath the reception counter.

"Mr. Tatsuro Hasami, I see. So, that means the lady with you is Ms. Ai Yashiki?"

"That's right. Here's the identification." (Tatsuro)

"…Yes, indeed. So, the person who came to inquire about you is currently in the reception room."

"It's quite a coincidence that they're here. Were they waiting for us?" (Tatsuro)

"No, it appears they've been in a meeting with the guild master on a different matter since you discussed your situation."

Tatsuro had briefly suspected that they had been under surveillance, but it didn't seem like that was the case, so he felt relieved for now.

"Even though they're in a meeting, do you know what they want from us?" (Tatsuro)

"I cannot say, but if there is any need while I'm here, please feel free to come by," she said.

"…And may I ask who they are?" (Tatsuro)

"Yes, it's Mr. Joel Wickham, who is the mayor of this town."

The fact that he was the mayor of this town meant he held a position just below the lord of Lyadas, effectively making him the second most important figure in this territory after the lord's family.

"This is quite a significant figure" (Tatsuro)

"I hope we don't get dragged into something troublesome" (Ai)

Shocked by the fact that such an influential person had personally traveled to meet them, they were guided by a woman who introduced herself as Katezina Rysak into the room where the mayor was waiting.

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