Reborn After A Death March

"So we meet at last, my hero. I am Menea Lumork, the princess of a small kingdom to the east of the Shiga Kingdom,"

The girl was lovely, with light-pink hair that cascaded to her waist in gentle waves and emerald-green eyes. It is good that Arisa isn't here because she looks at Satou like a maiden in love. The princess was barely five feet tall, with youthful features, but worse of all… she was already a C cup but one step away from reaching a D. I swear I am cursed in that regard both in this world and back in Japan. The escort knight standing behind the princess was the only person to accompany her.

"I would like to enlist your help to save my homeland from its hardships. If the Saga Empire wills it…."

She must have mistaken Satou for Hayato, the hero of the Saga Empire, because of his black hair and Japanese features. At least the princess didn't get us mixed up. But how did such a mistake lead her to track Satou down? Not many people know of our temporary residence at the count's mansion. Most people seem to think we are staying with the dukes in the castle.

"Your Highness, I'm afraid you are mistaken. I am not the hero of the Saga Empire,"

"…Huh?"

The princess's adoring smile changed abruptly to an expression of genuine surprise when Satou finally told her.

"However, it is an honour to meet you. I am Satou Pendragon, an honorary hereditary knight of the Muno Barony,"

"Are you not the Savior Chef Satou of whom Mistress Karina spoke?"

It looks like Karina is just as bad as Tolma when it comes to spreading rumours. I wonder who else has heard of Satou's new title.

"I am hardly worthy of any such title. That aside, how did you mistake me for the hero of the Saga Empire? Kura is the only hero here,"

"So you are married to a hero,"

"What?"

Before I could introduce myself, a second false rumorer came about. People have said it before, and I thought it would be a good shield against marriage proposals. Still, it isn't something either Satou or I have spoken about. I feel like I should correct her.

"Oh, we are not married,"

"Mistress Karina would be happy to hear that,"

Princess Menea muttered with a soft smile under her breath, and she wasn't wrong. Karina, along with Arisa and Zena back in Seiryuu City and probably more, would be happy to hear that. But with that misunderstanding cleared up, we took a seat, and the princess explained how she mistook Satou for the hero of the Saga Empire.

"Well, you see…."

In short, the story that Princess Menea reluctantly told went like this. There had been a lot of people gathered around the hero at the duke's castle, so she couldn't even get near him, much less ask for his help. She heard he would see Satou, so she came to find him. Then, seeing Satou's black hair, dark eyes, and Japanese facial features, Princess Menea mistook Satou for the Saga Empire hero himself.

I wondered why the hero would be coming to see Satou, but we didn't have time to figure that out. There was a knock as soon as the question entered my mind. The house butler, Mr Sebaf, peered inside.

"Sir Satou?"

Behind him was the very same man we had been wondering about moments before. Needing no further explanation from the old butler, Satou invited the hero inside. The hero entered the room, clad in his blue armour. He cut a pretty handsome figure with his sporty haircut, thick eyebrows, and manly smile. He certainly looks a lot better than he did back at the arena.

"Please come in,"

"Hey, thanks,"

""

""

Hayato introduced himself in Japanese, and Satou responded in kind. Meanwhile, I did my best to look like I didn't understand what they were saying. Behind the hero were two of his followers. The magic knight Rin and Meriest Saga, the twenty-first princess of the Saga Empire. We met at the duke's castle, and she was cold to me at first but turned out to be just as weak to alcohol as Rin. I had to deal with the two of them as Hayato was swarmed by noble women. It was no easy job, and it made the night feel like it lasted for years.

""

""

We probably would be safe to tell Hayato the truth. He seems like a good person, but I am in too deep with my lies about my past now to let something like that slip. Satou, meanwhile, was worried about how drawing the attention of the Saga Empire. Considering the emperor himself has already met me, I think it is a little too late to worry about something like that myself.

By the way, Satou decided to speak Japanese to him now because he said it seemed easier than pretending not to understand, only to give himself away later. It might have been easier for me to say a similar lie, but I can always claim I only understand a few words of Japanese if I make a mistake.

"" He glances at me briefly. ""

""

""

The hero brought his face way too close to Satou's. I'm sure Arisa wouldn't be able to stop herself from making a Hayato X Satou kind of joke if she were here. It was a more intense reaction than any of us expected. Princess Menea and the rest of our company also looked surprised and confused.

"Oh!"

"Whaaa?"

"No pushing, sir,"

"Mrrr,"

It looks like a bit of mischief brought our situation to an end. The door burst open before things got too intense between Satou and Hayato. The gang of younger kids came tumbling inside, falling into a heap, one on top of the other. It doesn't look like anyone was hurt, at least.

"Retreat?"

"Tama, wait! Sir!"

Tama was the first to flee, quickly followed by Pochi, leaving the others in the dust to pick themselves up. Those two have become so much faster since we first met.

""

Hayato seemed surprised at the appearance of the pair. Rin and the others were startled, too. They had seen Pearl at the stadium, but I think cat and dog-eared beastfolk are probably rarely seen beastfolk outside of the sanctuary in the Saga Empire. I didn't think I had seen anyone else like Pochi and Tama until I spotted those two members of Hayato.

"Slow down for a change, you two!"

Arisa, a reincarnated Japanese person and the de facto leader of the younger group, yelled at the pair as they narrowly avoided being trampled. She was probably the person that suggested eavesdropping in the first place to them. Arisa usually wore a blond wig to hide her purple hair, but today it is nowhere to be seen.

"Violet hair like Lady Yuriko's…?"

Princess Menea gasps, staring at Arisa. For some reason, I feel like I have heard the name Yuriko before.

"Arisa,"

Beneath Arisa at the bottom of the pile, our party's very own elf girl Mia gave a single word of protest.

"Oops, sorry, Mia," Arisa apologized, standing up.

"I will assist Mia, I declare,"

"Mm, thanks,"

As always, Nana is quick to appear whenever a child is endangered. Picking Mia up and holding her head close to that massive rack. How is it possible for Nana to have those? She is less than a year old, while this is my second life, and mine have barely grown. Life is ruthless at times.

"I apologize, master. I should have been watching them more carefully,"

Liza makes her appearance not long after. Pochi and Tama were secured under each of Liza's arms like stuffed animals. However, the hero wasn't listening to the group's apologies.

""

"Yes. I'm afraid I simply couldn't control myself in my haste to see you… my late parents would surely scold me for such behaviour," Arisa was acting pretty weird. It's not like her to be so graceful and ladylike. "It has been much too long, Sir Hero. How fortunate that we meet again."

""

Relinquishing his hold on Satou, Hayato rushed over to Arisa and knelt at her eye level. He seemed very emotional about their reunion, yet he made no move to lay a finger on her.

"Sir Hero, our comrades seem perplexed. Perhaps we ought to speak in the language of the Shiga Kingdom or the Saga Empire?"

"Yeah, you're right,"

Shigan and Sagan were similar languages. I could understand the latter without a skill. But seeing as I unlocked the Saga language skill, I levelled it up. We moved our conversation over to the seats, and Princess Menea was lost and helpless as she watched her chance of speaking to Hayato slip away. She shouldn't look so sad since she is bound to have a chance to ask Hayato whatever she wants to ask at some point.

"Still, I'm so glad to see that you're safe. After the Yowork Kingdom was invaded, I was certain…."

"Hayato," Princess Meriest quickly cut off Hayato before he could say too much.

"A great deal has happened since then, but now I am enjoying a peaceful life with my travelling companions under Sir Satou's protection," Arisa assures him.

"Are you sure you're really happy?"

The hero frowned as he looked at her. He'd probably noticed Satou's Slave among her titles.

"Yes, very much so,"

"I see…"

Arisa rests her head on Satou's shoulder to prove her point.

"Very well. Satou! I'm counting on you to take care of Princess Arisa. However, never forget the spirit of 'Yes, Lolita! No touching!' Little girls are meant to be admired but never touched! If you ever lay a hand on Princess Arisa, rest assured that my sword Arondight will not be silent."

"I am a former princess now," Arisa insisted, but he seemed intent on calling her by the same title.

"But of course. I would never attempt to lay a finger on a child. Also, my name is Satou, pronounced 'Sa-two,' not Satou,"

"You're scarcely an adult yourself, you know," Rin commented.

"I prepared tea, sir,"

The housemaids entered, along with the last member of our group, Lulu.

"Damn, she's something else…"

"Hayato, don't be rude,"

It's a shame that only Satou and I know Hayato meant that as a complement. Lulu is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, but she is considered ugly in this world. Princess Meriest swiftly scolded Hayato while Lulu hid her face behind the tray.

"N… no, it's all right…." Lulu weakly mumbled.

"Lulu, Sir Hero was trying to say you're beautiful,"

"Master, th… thank you,"

"Satou's right. Even I've never seen anyone as beautiful as you before, you know,"

Flustered by the hero's words, Lulu bowed quickly and ran out of the room. She will probably be fine, but I hope she believes Hayato was truly complimenting her. Once she is out of sight, Hayato starts looking between Satou and me.

"Is she a relative of one of you?"

"Unfortunately, she isn't," I shake my head.

Lulu is the ideal sister. Kind, caring and willing to put her foot down when the time calls for it. Plus, she's cute. Arisa really lucked out by having a sister like her.

"No, she's Arisa's half-sister," Satou informs him.

"Princess Arisa's? Really?"

"Yes, that's right. In fact, Sister Lulu's great-grandfather was a hero of the Saga Empire."

The hero muttered something like "If she were five years younger…," but I pretended not to hear it. Once our initial introductions were completed, Princess Menea stood up, and all eyes turned to her.

"So we meet at last, my hero. I am Menea Lumork, the princess of a small kingdom east of the Shiga Kingdom. I would like to…."

"The Lumork Kingdom, you say?"

"Oh, that's right… I've heard that pink hair is a unique characteristic of their royal family,"

"The Lumork Kingdom, huh…?"

As the princess attempted to make her plea, she was interrupted by Meriest and Ringrande. For some reason, the hero's voice sounded grave as well. I feel like I am missing something. I don't remember hearing anything about the Lumork Kingdom.

"Her country used unsanctioned Summoning Magic to abduct some Japanese people,"

"Is that like the Hero Summoning of the Saga Empire?"

"Please do not make such an insulting comparison. Our heroes are summoned with the blessing of Goddess Parion and endowed with incredible power, while their unblessed summoning drags in ordinary riffraff without any enhancement at all,"

"Is that all the…? I mean, I sincerely apologize for insulting your kingdom in my ignorance."

Satou really stepped on a land mine with that comment. Princess Meriest's eyebrows arched at his careless words, so he wisely quickly changed his tune. I made a mental note not to slander the hero summoning of her nation.

"I apologize to you, Sir Hero… nay, Sir Hayato Masaki of Nippon,"

While Meriest's anger was redirected at Satou, Princess Menea prostrated herself before Hayato. It reminded me of the Japanese dogeza style of bowing.

"Y… Your Highness!" Princess Menea's escort exclaimed in surprise at her actions.

"Our transgressions against the people of Nippon are unforgivable. You should be bowing with me," The escort didn't look convinced, but he took to his knees as well. "A weaselfolk magic user who had studied Hero Summoning led us to our actions, but that does not change the fact that we summoned eight people from Nippon without any means of sending them home, nor that most of them lost their lives."

I'm starting to see why people are angry at them now. After hearing that story, I'm starting to feel a little upset with the Lumork Kingdom. Just how many people did they send to their deaths? But why was a weaselfolk person involved? I heard they were schemers, and I hate to judge a race by that, but I can't help but feel like there was more to this than meets the eye.

"However, the previous king, my grandfather, who ordered the summonings, was put to death by my father, the king. The weaselfolk magic user and my aunt who carried out the summonings have also paid for their crimes with their lives,"

Princess Menea kept her head down as she continued. This world really is too violent. I can't believe how normal it sounds when I hear a son execute his father.

"No one is left in our kingdom with any desire to summon people from Nippon. So please…."

"Lend you our strength?" Princess Meriest interrupted coldly.

"Y… yes. I would entreat you to banish an evil dragon for the sake of our people,"

"An evil dragon?" Ringrande repeated doubtfully. "This is the first I'm hearing of any such thing in the Lumork Kingdom."

"The black dragon appeared about half a year ago, as I am told. It lived in a forest at the crossroads of the main road connecting the royal capital to the neighbouring kingdoms, and it began devouring the people living in the nearby villages and travelling on the road," Princess Menea explained.

"I've heard of dragons killing soldiers who attempt to defeat them or thieves who sneak into their nests to try to steal their scales or eggs, but…."

"I have never once heard of a dragon that harms common people directly, not even in fairy tales,"

The hero's party didn't seem convinced even after hearing the details. According to Count Seiryuu, a black dragon once attacked Seiryuu City, but he said that dragon only ate livestock and left without attacking any humans, or so I'd heard. That attack was roughly a year or two ago… I can't remember when he said it happened, but I saw the ruins of a defence tower being repaired after attempting to repel said dragon.

"Meri, what did the Deception-Piercing Artifact reveal?"

"I can't believe it, but…she's telling the truth,"

Princess Meriest was now wearing some kind of monocle-like object. Judging by their conversation, it was probably a lie-detecting magic tool. I will have to be careful of that, or she could expose me.

"Did the Lumork Kingdom dispatch their troops to deal with the dragon?" Satou asked.

"Yes, of course. An army of the kingdom's knights and mercenaries from neighbouring kingdoms attempted to drive the dragon away, but they were unsuccessful,"

Dragons must be as tough as I hear if one could defeat a force of that size. If worse comes to worst, I could always deal with it. I don't want to socialize more, so it is my perfect mission.

"A dragon, huh? Not a bad match, if you ask me." The hero was grinning ferociously, his fist slapping onto his palm.

"Wait a minute, Hayato. Don't be so reckless!"

"If it's a stray lesser dragon from the habitat between the Weaselman Empire and the small kingdoms to the east, that'd be one thing. But if it's a full-grown dragon from the Black Dragon Mountains, we mustn't get involved,"

"She's right, Hayato. They say a dragon's fangs can pierce anything,"

"Exactly. Dragon fangs are the ultimate blade… they spell destruction even for a demon lord. Remember, your so-called Invincible Shield isn't a guarantee!"

Rin and Princess Meriest advised against the task, but the hero kept grinning.

"I'm a hero, you know! What kind of hero would just leave people to suffer at the hands of an evil dragon?! Even if I can't beat a dragon, I should at least be able to chase it off. Otherwise, how am I ever going to beat a demon lord?" The hero looked at Rinand Princess Meriest in turn with fire in his eyes and voice. The women blushed. It looked to me like they both had feelings for him. "Besides, I've got you guys. Together, we could drive away even a full-grown dragon from the Black Dragon Mountains!"

"Wonderful, Sir Hero," Arisa exclaimed when he looked her way.

"All right, Princess Menea. We'll take on your request. Satou, you're coming with us," He slaps Satou on the shoulder. "I want to judge for myself whether you're fit to be Princess Arisa's guardian."

"P… pardon me, Sir Hero. Mas… that is, Sir Satou has business in the old capital…." Arisa quickly cut in.

She was probably worried about him. Or don't want him to leave her alone. Probably both. But why would he want Satou? Satou may be stronger than everyone in this room combined, but as far as Hayato know, Satou is just an average guy with extraordinary cooking abilities.

"If it's no trouble to you, Sir Hero, it would be my pleasure to accompany you and learn from your ways," Quelling Arisa's protests, Satou accepted the hero's proposal.

"Now, that's what I like to hear!" The hero thumped his chest proudly. "Don't worry, Princess Arisa! He'll be safe with me. Kura, you're coming too."

"Sure,"

"Are all heroes as crazy as those two?" Princess Menea's escort shocked his head.

I don't think we are that crazy. If we have the strength to help, then why shouldn't we? Still, I can't deny the fact I have indeed done a lot of crazy stuff since coming to this world.

"S… Sir Hero! Please let me accompany you, too,"

"Y… Your Highness?!"

Princess Menea's guardian knight exclaimed in alarm once again. I have to give it to the princess. She is one brave young lady. Despite the fear in her eyes and the trembling in her body, Princess Menea doesn't look like she will take no for an answer.

"You too? Sorry, but we've only got three empty seats. If Satou and Kura's coming, that just leaves one more spot," The hero objected coldly.

"I'll come alone, then! I'm sure I will not be in danger if you're by my side, Sir Hero,"

"Hey!"

"Why, you…"

Princess Menea pressed herself against the hero's chest. Rin and Princess Meriest were not thrilled about this development.

"Cut it out, will you?"

The hero casually pulled away from the lovely girl's embrace. There was no trace of embarrassment or lust in his demeanour. If only Satou could act that way around prominent-chested women. Hayato seemed virtuous, but it was probably because Hayato was interested only in little girls.

"Princess! That simply will not do. Sir Hero, I do not require a seat. Please allow me to accompany Her Highness,"

He probably knew he wasn't going to change Princess Menea's mind. The escort knight instead made up his mind to come along. Shortly after, Arisa requested to be brought along, but the hero and Satou quickly refused. Not one to waste time, Hayato declared that we would leave the old capital later the very same day. While the hero went to call his ship, Satou and I explained the situation to my party, leaving Arisa and Liza in charge.

"So I'll contact the people on this list to cancel, shall I?"

"Thanks, Arisa,"

It's not like it is a bad thing, in my opinion, to cancel a bunch of meetings. A few of the people I meet are nice, and I enjoy their company, but… most of them want me to marry into their family or expect me to give them a large loan. Just because I earned a hefty reward for my fight in the arena, suddenly, everyone wants me to part with my money.

"My sure Nana doesn't kidnap or adopt anyone,"

"Understood master,"

Pearl is quick to comply. I don't have to worry about her, but Nana is different. I swear she would have adopted every orphan in the old capital by now if we hadn't stopped her. It's not that I don't want to help those children, but how can we look after so many? I will have to visit Sara to gain her aid in this matter.

The hero said we should be back within two or three days, but to be safe, we had Arisa cancel all our plans before the duke's grandson's wedding. It took longer than I thought. Just as we were done, the hero's ship awaited us outside the house when we had finished our arrangements.

"Cat ears?"

"This lady has dog ears, sir!"

"Tsk-tsk-tsk, not quite," The woman wagged a finger.

"That's right. Rusus is of the tigerfolk tribe, and I am wolffolk,"

Tama and Pochi were excited to see fellow beastfolk in the form of the tigerfolk Rusus and the wolffolk Fifi, two members of the Hayato's party. Both of them were in their twenties. Wearing their mysterious leatherlike armour, their proportions were unluckily as impressive as Nana's. These are just more reminders of my weakness.

"It's unusual to see beastfolk outside the Saga Empire,"

"These children are human-born, you see," Liza was tense as she replied to Rusus's observation.

"Hmm. So they were born to humanfolk parents, like an atavision, right?"

"Ooh, Fifi, you're so smart!"

Rusus exclaimed, and Fifi rubbed the back of her head bashfully at the praise. But I think she meant to say atavism, not atavision.

"Let's go, you two! Princess Arisa, I'm borrowing this guy for a while,"

"Of course, Sir Hero. Best of luck to you,"

Arisa put on her brightest smile, and Hayato's face melted in admiration. Waving to the beastfolk girls, Rusus and Fifi sprinted up the ramp.

"Let's get going, Hayato. Kura, you too. Get on board,"

Delivering a swift kick to the hero's behind as he fawned over Arisa, Rin grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the silver ship. We gave everyone one last wave before entering the ship. While we were gone, the vanguard will be training with Mr Kajiro. Arisa would study Space Magic, Mia would practice with the instrument she received from a songstress in the city, and Lulu would work on baking sponge cake. It's a shame I will miss Pearl receiving her reward for her victory in the tournament tomorrow. I'm glad she understood why I wouldn't be there.

My first impression of Hayato's ship when I stepped on board was that it looked exactly like the spaceship you would see in an old science fiction movie. Through the gear-shaped glass windows, which didn't serve any discernible purpose, I could see lines of light running through magic circuits in geometric patterns, creating a mysterious waveform. There were countless buttons and toggle switches at the control station on the bridge. I could feel a faint vibration from the floor while a low pulsing beat and a high-pitched engine whine sounded from the rear part of the hull.

"Is this him? The kid Rin said had a promising future?"

Satou is undoubtedly lucky. As we were gazing around the ship in curiosity, three lovely girls approached him. A lady I would later come to know as Weeyari, with the bamboo elf–shaped ears of the long-eared folk, brought her face close to Satou's. She looks more like an elf than Mia.

"Yeah. He looks kinda like Hayato but more on the delicate side,"

"I dunno what Rin was talking about. There's not a single callus on his hand,"

The first to speak up after Weeyari was Rusus. Fifi followed up by grabbing Satou's hand and appraising it. Satou and I didn't have any calluses. It is probably because of my healing power and Satou's lack of training. I only see him train when he learns a new skill or wants to try something out.

"So he's all bark and no bite, huh?"

"Boooring. He's just some well-to-do noble boy who happens to have a high level,"

Losing interest in Satou, Rusus and Fifi turn their attention to me.

"I'm sorry about them. Rin spoke very highly of you, so their expectations were probably blown out of proportion,"

"Oh, no, it's quite all right,"

I could hear Weeyari apologize for her friends' rudeness, but they weren't wrong that Satou had reached his high level with minimal effort. But I couldn't pay much attention to them as Rusus and Fifi grabbed my hands next. They weren't as gentle as I would have liked, but all their poking and prodding weren't that painful.

"Hmm…."

"It doesn't make sense…."

"Your hands are so soft but strong at the same time,"

"Yeah, her fingers don't move when I press them,"

I don't know what to say. I'm not doing it on purpose, but my maxed-out strength must be to blame for that. I just leave them be for now. Princess Meriest, who'd been talking with the priestess Loleiya in the front seats, turned toward us.

"We're heading out! Everyone, get to your seats!"

"""Roger!"""

The three young women chorused briskly in reply, taking their respective seats.

"Satou, you can take the support seat behind the captain's chair. Kuro, there's one in the back for you,"

Princess Menea appears to sit next to Satou while her escort knight stands beside her. Hayato takes the captain's chair while Weeyari sits beside him.

"Jules Verne, take off,"

"Jules Verne, take off,"

Since Weeyari echoed Hayato's order, I take it that she is the helmsman. After a brief floating sensation, we saw the view outside the portholes rapidly zoom away.

"Dimensional submersion!"

"Jules Verne, engaging dimensional submersion," Weeyari pulled a large lever in the cockpit labelled SUBMERSION. A sound wave like something from a synthesizer echoed through the ship, and the view beyond the portholes turned dark grey. "Dimensional submersion complete. Shifting to automatic controls."

"Go ahead," Hayoto nodded. "Whew. Loleiya, could you make some coffee?"

"Sir Hero, you have coffee on this ship?"

"Yeah. You want some, too?"

"Yes, please!"

If I had known Satou was a big fan of coffee, I would have brought him some. That same store I brought the tea for Pearl from also sold coffee from the Saga Empire. I'll make sure to take him there when we return.

"Satou, you may have heard this in the legends, but coffee is very bitter. It's not delicious in the slightest, you know," Rin shrugged as everyone from the cockpit joined us in the back.

I'm not really a fan of coffee. When I was in college, my roommate spiked one of my cups, and I haven't been able to drink coffee since then. I don't know what she put in there, but it made my mouth burn like hell, and I couldn't taste anything for a week. So it wouldn't surprise you when Hayato offered me a cup, I turned it down.

After a while, the priestess Loleiya returned with a coffee cup for Satou. But despite the smell of coffee or the sight of his beloved drink, Satou's eyes are drawn to the bouncing chest of the priestess. At least he was smart enough not to get caught by anyone but me. Still, I am surprised he would let his eyes wonder with how much love he is showing that black cup of coffee. The way he closes his eyes and savours the moment he takes the cup, you would think he wouldn't have been watching those lumps of fat in the first place.

"Mr Satou, wouldn't you like some cream or sugar? It's much too bitter for a first-time drinker,"

"Not at all. It's absolutely delicious. Are coffee beans cultivated in the Saga Empire?"

"Yes. The blend you're drinking now is a special product of the Kilimanjaro Marquisate in the west of the Saga Empire. Bluman County and Mocha Viscounty are also known for their coffee beans,"

Why do I feel that Satou will disappear in the middle of the night and return the following day with his inventory full of coffee beans? But as only Satou and Hayato are the only ones drinking coffee, I wonder if it is popular in this world. Loleiya makes me and everyone else a cup of black tea. The baked goods Satou provided went perfectly with the drink.

"My, how delicious,"

"Agreed. They melt in your mouth for an elegant sweetness,"

Princess Meriest and Loleiya praised the baked goods with big smiles on their faces.

"It's impressive that you could preserve the freshly baked flavour like this…." Satou might have slipped up. Meriest seemed a little suspicious about the freshness of his snacks. While I am sure, he can talk his way out of this one. "You must know quite a talented magic-tool craftsman."

It took me a moment to understand what she was saying, but then I realized she must have assumed Satou used a heat-insulating tool.

"Mmmm! What are these?"

"They're cookies, right?"

"See? I told you Satou was an amazing chef!" Rin bragged to Rusus and Fifi as if she'd made them herself.

"It's true. They're nice and crunchy,"

I thought Weeyari was the typical silent warrior type, but here she was. Popping cookies into her mouth one after another, eating them as fast as Pochi and Tama eat meat. She must have really liked them. I almost laugh when I see her cheeks puffing out.

"So this is the work of a chef from a large kingdom… Even our royal chefs could not produce such flavours,"

Princess Menea seemed to be taking the whole thing personally for some reason. Satou offered some to her escort knight, but he refused because he was working. During the rest of our in-flight teatime, Princess Meriest, Rin, and the others taught Satou about the magic and magic tools of the Saga Empire, among other things. I would have liked to join them, but….

"Come on, push!"

"We won't lose!"

I was drawn into a contest of strength. It started as just a simple arm wrestling contest, but somehow, it turned into Rusus and Fifi working together. Still, they can't make my arm move an inch. I could have beaten them already or let them win, but I figured they would want a rematch, so I am letting them tire themselves out.

When we were about six hours away from arrival, we decided to get some sleep to prepare for our fight with the dragon. Us girls went to separate sleeping quarters while Hayato, the escort knight, and Satou slept in the reclining seats on the bridge. It wasn't a bad room, but it was a bit cramped with everyone here. It didn't help that Fifi rolled in her sleep, so her tail kept smacking me in the face as she wagged it in her sleep.

Back in the old capital, everyone else is probably already fast asleep. I hope we didn't cause any problems for them by suddenly cancelling all our plans with the nobles. I imagine a few would complain, but I doubt there would be any trouble when they hear why.

<0>

The following day, we drank some more tea and ate space food–like rations for breakfast. I miss the tasty breakfasts I had been having up until now. The rations didn't taste bad, but they didn't taste good either. The tea was the only thing that had any flavour.

"We should be arriving soon, yes?"

"That was fast,"

It had been only twelve hours since we departed. We could have arrived even faster, but we took a slower pace to arrive at dawn.

"We're reentering normal space. All hands to your seats,"

At the hero's command, everyone went to their chairs. I fastened my seat belt but couldn't see anyone else doing the same. Apart from Satou, Weeyari were the only people to buckle up.

"Reenter normal space,"

"Reentering normal space, sir,"

Natural colour returned to the dull grey scenery outside. Suddenly, my "Sense Danger" skill alerted me.

"Watch out!"

"Hard to starboard!"

Rusus and Satou shouted at the same time. Just as the hull began to tilt to the right, something slammed into us, sending shock waves through the ship. Princess Menea was sent flying out of her seat, but Satou caught her and pulled the princess onto his lap. I thought she would be angry, but she seemed more afraid of being thrown to the ground and clung to Satou's neck instead. Satou is enjoying the closeness way too much.

"Hang on to something, everyone!"

"Whoa, what's going on?!"

"Forget it, Fifi, just grab the railing!"

Hayato's shouts and the women's shrieks echoed as the silver ship was shaken like a leaf. The more combat-oriented women had managed to hang on to their seats, but the support-type pair didn't have a strong-enough grip. Princess Meriest and a strangely unruffled Priestess Loleiya flew from the front seats. It looked like they would hit the wall, but Satou caught them midair.

How does he do it? No matter what situation he is in, Satou always gets lucky? Somehow Satou caught both of them firmly by their breasts. I wish he would wipe that smile from his face. Someday the god of lechery will abandon him.

"Wee! Turn on the stabilizers!"

"They're already at full power!"

I could hear Hayato and Weeyari at the front of the bridge. These two seemed relatively calm despite the multiaxial rotation tossing us around like an extreme theme park ride. Soon, our trajectory levelled out.

"Th… thank you, Sir Pendragon. You can release me now if you would,"

"Thank you, Sir Knight,"

Satou relinquished his hold on Princess Meriest and Loleiya. Then he brought the dazed Princess Menea back to her seat, securing her in place with a seat belt. Her escort knight was sprawled in the corner of the bridge, but his life didn't seem in danger. Even so, I cast a healing spell on him.

I could see what hit us when I looked out of the porthole. I saw an adult dragon, which was at level sixty-eight. I don't know why, but that dragon seemed extremely angry, letting out fire breaths and lashing out at anything that moved.

"Hayato! There's a dragon ahead! This sheer power must belong to the lord of the Black Dragon Mountains!"

Priestess Meriest reported the information I found from the terminal of the silver ship. So it is a mighty dragon. I don't know how much power it has exactly, but it must be a lot if it belongs to something known as the lord of the Black Dragon Mountains. I have a bad feeling about this.

"Wee! Dimensional submersion, now!"

"We can't! The dimensional submersion function is stalled!"

"All right. Then I'm heading for the prow,"

Taking up his Holy Shield, Hayato dived into the passage leading to the prow. Satou swiftly followed behind him without saying a word. Rin shouted from the bridge to stop him, but Satou ignored her and kept moving. I was about to follow him, but we were struck for a second time, and despite our ship handling the impact better this time, the crew and ship took more damage.

"Rin!"

"Rusus, help me with the fire,"

Princess Meriest held Rin as she bled from a cut to her forehead while Rusus and Fifi used strange-looking fire extinguishers to fight a small fire that had broken out. I quickly healed Rin's wound and then moved to help fight the fire. The damage didn't seem that bad, but I could sense the flow of magic through the ship was off. I don't know what broke, but I don't think we can stay aborn for much longer.

Just then, a fireball surrounds the ship, but the flames are held back by a powerful shield. I doubt it was the ship's defences. Everyone else looks surprised to see the flames. Hayato and Satou could probably use help up there, but I couldn't go. The ship is losing magic fast. If nothing changes, we are going to crash.

I quickly move and touch an exposed part of the magical circuits in the wall. It is still hot from the fire, but nothing I can't handle. It's weird how similar this ship is to Nana. Their magic circuits are laid out in a similar pattern, and the ship even makes a satisfied sound when I start to provide it with magic. Luckily it doesn't make those embarrassing, misleading sounds Nana makes.

"What are you doing?"

Of course, someone would question my actions. It must be strange to see someone putting their hand on a fire-damaged wall after all. Still, I am surprised that Fifi was the one to question me instead of one of the more intellectual members of the group.

"Stopping the ship from falling out of the sky,"

I put it simply for Fifi to understand. Right now, I am providing my power to compensate for the magic pouring out of the ship. We won't be able to return to the old capital, but hopefully, it will be enough to safely land.

"Leave her!" But before I can be questioned further, Weeyari called out from the cockpit. I wouldn't be surprised if one of those consoles alerted her to my actions. "It's not much, but whatever she is doing will allow us to safely land!"

"GROOOOOOOARRR!"

Just then, the dragon roared, reminding everyone there was more stuff to worry about apart from me. I acquired the "Dragon Language" skill as a mighty roar shocked the ship. It wouldn't be a lie to say that I wanted to talk to a dragon when I maxed the skill out. Hopefully, I can find a dragon who is friendlier than this one to have a conversation with.

"Hayato! The port skypower engine is down, and the starboard side is losing power fast. We're making an emergency landing as far from the dragon as we can!"

The damage is worse than I thought. I know we took a big hit, but I didn't think we lost an engine. No wonder we have been steadily losing altitude. I tried to provide more magic to compensate, but I couldn't even come close to meeting the ship's demands.

"I'll use my Wing Shoes to fly over and distract the dragon. Use that time to get away from the ship and hide!"

"No, don't! It's too dangerous!" Priestess Meriest's voice protested against Hayato's suicidal plan.

"RWOOOOOOLRGH!"

But it didn't come down to suicidal plans. The dragon gave us one last roar that felt friendlier than before. Seconds later, it was gone. We could safely land near a small village without any problems with the dragon gone.

<0>

"That's a pretty big tree,"

"I believe it's known as the Tree of Healing Rest. According to legends passed down in the Lumork royal family, it was planted by the nomad elves many hundreds of years ago," Princess Menea explained to Hayato.

Weeyari stays behind on the ship working with human-sized golems called living dolls to repair the damage to the ship. They were creepy faceless things, but they seemed handy regarding manual labour. Meanwhile, The rest of us walked into the village to investigate where the dragon had been roosting.

In the centre of a village at the bottom of a wide valley was the Tree of Healing Rest, mentioned earlier. It was a lot bigger than I thought it would have been. Not as big as the Mountain Tree in the village of Giants, but twice the size of the trees around it. It gave off a pleasant feeling when I approached it. It was as if someone had wrapped me in a warm blanket.

The valley extended to the north and south of the village. The black dragon's breath scorched the north side and formed several prominent black ditches. The walls of the valley itself showed signs of similar damage.

"I… is this not a firefly lily?"

"It's difficult to tell in the light, but yes, I believe you're right,"

"And jewel grass, a one-night lily… Aah! Even crystal mushrooms!"

"Let's collect them at once, Rin!"

"Yes, of course! I'm not sure what our current stock is for stabilizer, but we should collect as much as we can carry!"

Getting excited, Rin and Princess Meriest celebrated with a high five. Clearly, they'd found some rare ingredients. I recognized some ingredients, but Satou made most of our potions.

"But this village is only known for its edi potato crops and the Tree of Healing Rest…."

Princess Menea tilted her head uncertainly at seeing the rare plants flowering around us. The edi potato, she explained, was a small potato that could be eaten raw. They certainly look magical. Some faintly glow, while others look unnaturally large.

"It looks like they grew in the area where the dragon was resting,"

"I detect the scent of liquor from that pool over there. Could it possibly be…the legendary dragonspring liquor?"

Rusus and Fifi called down from a tall peak nearby.

"Dragonspring liquor is a high-grade alcohol created by dragon magic, correct? They say it can extend your life span by a hundred years…."

Priestess Loleiya gazed at the pool of liquid dreamily. Rin has that same look in her eyes. I hope I don't have to look after a bunch of drunks again.

"I'm going to investigate over there,"

"Loleiya, don't drink too much, all right?"

"Yes, I know,"

Humming a little tune, Loleiya walked over to the pool along with Rusus and Fifi. Princess Meriest sniped at her on the way but to no gain. At least Rin isn't following them, so I don't have to take care of her again. I really hope she doesn't start drinking later.

"Satou! Help us pick these! They lose potency if they're not processed immediately, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gather rare ingredients!"

"Yes, it is, as Rin says. Most likely, they grew because of the dragon's breath, which means they will wither in a matter of days now that the dragon has gone,"

"Come on… hurry!"

It looks like Satou has his job. Rin grabbed his arm and dragged him over to the field of rare plants, forcing Satou to join the plant-collecting team. According to her, he could keep any of the herbs he collected. But while their group collected the plants, they forgot about other resources. There was a pile of monsters that the dragon was feeding on. Harvesting will not be the most pleasant job, but they still have their cores, and some of their materials are worth a lot of money according to my "Appraisal" skill.

While since no one else is going to do it, I take out my knife and start working my way through the pile. There was a lot, but I worked away with more than enough to make it worth the trouble. Twenty Rocket Wolf Pelts and forty pelts from ordinary wolves. I made sure to take as much meat as possible from their bodies. It should be enough to keep Pochi and Tama fed for the next month, which is saying something since those two could eat three times their size in meat a day.

But there were some even rarer monsters there. One Firefox, a Golden Bear and even a Wayven corpse were amongst the pile of dead. Most of the scales of the Wayven were destroyed, but I took as much as possible. I left the meat behind, though, since everyone warned me how bad it tasted. It's crazy how used I am to tearing monsters apart now. I used to feel sick at the sight of it, but now I feel nothing as my knife cuts into them.

That Firefox and Golden Bear must have been deadly monsters because they both gave me Blood Crimson Magic Cores. It was the first time I had seen them. They were the lowest grade for a Blood Crimson Core but still should be worth a small fortune. The rest of the cores were low-grade, apart from the Wayven core, but that was nothing compared to the Blood Crimson Cores.

"Shouldn't you be helping gather these plants?" Rin asks coming over.

"But there is rare stuff here too,"

Holding up the Blood Crimson Magic Cores causes Rin's eyes to widen. She finally realized what she was missing. Either that or the sight of the blood on me might have creeped her out. She stepped closer, examing the core in my hand and touching it like she might not believe it was real. This core must be rarer than I thought.

"How many cores have you harvested?"

"Two Blood Crimson Cores, a Crimson Core and just over sixty Vermilion cores,"

I answer Rin as she suddenly gets really intense. I'm starting to feel like the core in my hand is the most valuable thing in the world.

"So you weren't butchering these animals for food,"

I don't know how she could say that. Can't she see the pelts and neatly cut slabs of meat already preserved and wrapped, waiting to be put in my storage? Come to think of it, there is a lot of meat around me, so I am starting to understand how she came to that conclusion.

"Oh, this is so soft,"

Princess Menea seems to have fallen in love with the Firefox pelt. Hugging the soft fur to her body while rubbing her cheek against it. It was hardly behaviour expected of a princess, but I was tempted to do the same thing when I first felt how soft it was. I'm sure it will make a great blanket once I get around to making it.

"I don't think I have seen such fine pelts before,"

Meanwhile, her escort knight is examining the wolf pelts one by one with his pockets full of those rare plants. I maxed out the skills relating to harvesting monsters, so maybe that is why everything turned out so well. It took me longer than I thought to finish the job, but the quality was high, so I can't complain. Nearly an hour had passed since I started harvesting those monsters. Time really flew right by.

"How did you harvest so many in such a short amount of time?"

"I used to be a mon hunter," I replied, acting like it was no big deal. "When I first started, everyone dumped the harvesting jobs on me, so I got good at it."

Princess Meriest nodded her head at my response. Rin probably already told everyone my fake background, so it shouldn't have been that hard to believe.

"All right, let's search the area. Princess Menea, stay with Loleiya. We'll meet back at this giant rock at noon,"

But there was a change of plan before she could question me further. On Hayato's orders, everyone split up to investigate nearby. Satou accompanied Princess Menea to find Priestess Loleiya, who was looking quite cheerful next to the pool of liquid.

"Oh? Hello there, Satou. Care to join me for a drink?"

I'll let Satou handle the drunks this time. Hopefully, she won't give him the same trouble Rin gave me back in the old capital. But then again, with Satou staring at Loleiya's slightly open top of her priestess uniform, maybe he deserves that trouble. I pretend not to see the plea for help look Satou gives me as I walk by. I don't feel too bad, as Satou seemed to enjoy it when Loleiya pressed his arm into her chest.

By the time we meet back up again, I have found nothing. I probably would have been better off helping Satou as he seemed to find the best stuff. I bet it was all due to his cheat map skill. Still, he found some helpful stuff during our time apart.

"Adult dragon scales!"

"Where did you find these?"

Satou had indeed found multiple dragon scales. When he brought the scales and, along with a spearhead he found, Princess Meriest and Rin came in for a closer look. Their eyes sparkled as they examined the scales from every angle.

"They were in the exact opposite direction of where you all went looking. When Sir Hero repelled the dragon, I thought I saw something fall from the area around the backward scale on its chest. So I thought perhaps a scale might have fallen…."

"Satou, what's that dagger-looking thing there?"

"I'm not quite sure myself, but I found it near the scales,"

"Hmm. 'Dragon claw spearhead,' huh…? Loleiya! Come look at this!"

Hayato took the spearhead and used his "Analyze" skill to identify it, then called the drunken priestess over from the pool of dragonspring liquor. Getting impatient with her stumbling approach, Hayato walked over to her himself.

"Can you analyze this?"

"Mm-hmm,"

Rather than a skill, the priestess used her knowledge to appraise it. She examined the cloth wrapped around the end and the remaining shards of the wooden shaft, touching and even tasting them.

"It was made by the weaselfolk, no doubt about it. The weave of the cloth points to the northern part of the Weaselman Empire, and the wood used for the shaft comes from a tree native to that same area,"

"I see…" Hayato nodded, his brow furrowed.

The weaselfolk again. I don't want to judge them by their race, but they seem to have more to do with this incident by the second. But I can't connect the dots. They have the Lumork Kingdom summon people from Japan and then have something to do with a dragon attacking their territory. I just can't see what those two things have in common. But maybe it is nothing. That weaselfolk behind the summonings might have nothing to do with the dragon, nor does this weapon prove that the weaselfolk caused the dragon's rampage.

"So the weaselfolk were the cause of this incident, then,"

"Those people are always causing trouble!"

Princess Meriest and Rin frowned indignantly. Liza's and Pearl's hometowns were destroyed by weaselfolk, too, so I guess they were a race who have caused many problems. Slowly everyone started to suspect the Weaselman Empire was the most likely cause of this incident.

"Wasn't there a prediction that a demon lord would also appear in the Weaselman Empire?"

"True enough. No one in their right mind would pick a fight with a dragon, so maybe a demon lord is pulling the strings,"

"Fine by me. We may not have beaten the demon lord that appeared in the Ougoch Duchy, but this next one is ours,"

I had no plans to interfere, but if he needed my help, I wouldn't hesitate to fight this next demon lord. Hopefully, this time I won't constantly end up losing my clothing.

"Say, Sir Pendragon. About these dragon scales… I don't suppose you'd be willing to part with one?"

"Powder made from an adult dragon's scales would be invaluable in preparing anti-demon weapons,"

Princess Meriest and Rin pressed in on Satou from either side. He needs to be careful. They may have missed the smile when their chests pressed against him this time, but Satou's luck will run out one of these days. They were tempted to ask for one of my Blood Crimson Cores but decided against it when they remembered none of them had the skill level necessary to use one. In the end, I gave one to Princess Menea to help fund reconstruction efforts, and I will probably let Satou have the second one.

"Of course. I had no intention of keeping them all in the first place,"

"Really?!"

"Thank you!"

The girl's faces lit up when Satou handed them a few scales.

"What would you like in exchange? For materials this valuable, you could have peerage in the Saga Empire if you'd like. I could promise you the rank of baronet at the very least!"

"Or perhaps magic armour would make a better reward for you?"

"Being of common birth, my current rank alone is already more than I deserve. And magic armour would be better used in the hands of a noble warrior of the Saga Empire, would it not?"

The pair protested over Satou's lack of desire, struggling to think of something else to offer him. Satou and I had run into this situation a few times before. We probably could be controlling half the Shiga Kingdom by now if we hadn't kept turning everyone down. Besides, most of those things are meaningless to Satou and me. We both have simple tastes and little desire for a noble life. Yet somehow, I keep moving up the ranks.

"Perhaps you could allow me to peruse some magic scrolls or advanced spell books, then?"

"What, are you trying to be a magic swordswoman like Rin?" Meriest raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"I don't have any scrolls, but I could certainly show you my advanced wind and fire spell books. I have Explosion Magic and Destruction Magic books, too, but there aren't very many chants,"

"That would be much appreciated. Perhaps on the way back to the old capital?" "Sure. You can even copy the fire and wind ones if you'd like,"

It always ends this way. Satou will always turn down money, titles and positions to gain access to scrolls and magic items. It works out fine for use, and most of the stuff we buy proves to be helpful.

<0>

"Meri, how are the repairs going?"

Satou and Rin returned from Hayato's ship. It looks like Satou had his hands full as Loleiya drank herself into unconsciousness. Satou and Rin have just returned from dropping the drunk off in her room. Princess Meriest, meanwhile, had some living dolls set up a simple camp for us.

"The dimensional submersion device will be restored by tomorrow morning thanks to its automatic repair functions, but the skypower engines are in bad shape. The port engine is gone, and the starboard engine is malfunctioning,"

Princess Meriest looked at the starboard wing, where Weeyari was dismantling and repairing the barrel-shaped skypower engine. Hayato and the two warriors had gone to the valley's north side to investigate the aftereffects of the dragon's breath. Princess Menea and her escort knight rested in the shade of a nearby tree.

"Could we not replace it with the spare in Hayato's inventory?"

"I'm afraid not. The dragon's attack severed the portside joint completely. If the starboard side's skypower engine itself is malfunctioning, then replacing it will work, but if it's the magic transmission circuits that are broken, it could take days just to figure out the cause."

The ship seemed to be more damaged than I'd realized. I know we took a big hit, and I had to provide some magical power to allow us to land, but I didn't think it was that bad.

"Lady Ringrande, would you mind if I assist Lady Weeyari?"

Satou quickly volunteered to help. I have no idea what needs to be done, so I stay out of it. Where would you even begin when it comes to repairing a magical flying airship?

"Satou, I know you're a skilled swordsman and chef, but repairing a skypower engine? Only a highly skilled magic-tool engineer could even begin to do that,"

"Well, perhaps I can still be of assistance in some way,"

Satou probably wants to learn how they work. It wouldn't surprise me if he built his own magical flying airship one day.

"All right, you can go help. As long as you don't get in Wee's way,"

"Agreed. With your 'Cooking' skill, I would've liked your help preparing the magic potions, but you're welcome to help Wee if you think you're able,"

Once Satou was gone, I took his place in the potion-making. It wasn't hard work, but I had to slow down to match the pace of Rin and Princess Meriest.

<0>

"Oh? Taking a break?"

When Satou and Weeyari returned to the camp near the stern of the silver ship, the sharp-eyed Ringrande stopped working momentarily to call out to them. Princess Meriest and I were still processing the rare ingredients from before while Princess Menea and her escort knight sat at a simple table nearby, looking bored.

"We're done,"

"Already?"

Weeyari looked a little smug as Ringrande exclaimed with surprise.

"Yes, thanks to Satou,"

"All I did was follow your directions, Miss Wee,"

"On a nickname basis already, are we? That's rather unusual for you, Wee,"

"Not at all,"

Shrugging it off, Weeyari thirstily drank some fruited water Rin had prepared.

"Whew, I'm finally halfway done… Wee, if you have any magic left, could you help me?"

"Can't. None left,"

Princess Meriest looked exhausted, but so did Weeyari. Maybe I should have worked faster so we could have also finished our work.

"If it's all right with you, could I lend a hand?"

"You can do transmutation, too?"

"Enough to help with preparing ingredients for formulation and supplying magic power, at least,"

Following Princess Meriest's and Rin's requests, Satou helped with the preprocessing work and magic power supply.

"Satou, take care of this soul grass, please,"

"You want me to remove the roots and wash the leaves and stalks, correct?" Rin handed Satou a bundle of grass.

"Yes, that's exactly right. How did you know?"

"Kura showed me how,"

Everyone turns to me, but I just shrug and claim the witch of the Forest of Illusion taught me. I told them about how we stumbled into a plot against her and made up receiving lessons as a reward. That witch must have a good reputation because most of the potion makers shot me envious looks. Rin and Princess Meriest look sceptical but accept it when Satou backs up my story. I probably could tell them the truth, but I don't want to hurt their feelings by letting them know I can master most skills in seconds, thanks to my cheating abilities.

"Sir Pendragon, could you supply this Transmutation Tablet with a bit of magic?"

"Certainly, madam,"

Satou and I have been supplying magic non-stop refuelling tablet's when everyone else's magic runs dry. It's not that difficult, and I could still continue my own work at the same time. When asked how I could do it so fast, I mentioned having to provide magic to Nana from time to time. I just left out how embarrassing and awkward those times are when Nana starts moaning. I really wish she didn't have to make those sounds.

"Ta-daaaa!"

"We've got some big game!"

Rusus and Fifi returned from their investigation carrying a colossal monster known as a fortress tiger. Unused to the sight of monsters, Princess Menea screamed, and the escort knight paled while grabbing the hilt of his sword.

"Th… the hero and his comrades are truly amazing. To think they could bring down a fort… destroying fortress tiger with just three people…." The escort knight gasped.

"We cleared the main road of any obstacles. It might need a bit more maintenance before carriages can use it, but humans and pack mules should be able to traverse it easily enough,"

"Oh, goodness! Thank you very much, Sir Hero!"

Princess Menea looked thrilled at Hayato's report. She looked like she was going to hug him, but a glare from Rin and Princess Meriest stopped her in her tracks. But unfortunately, Hayato also brought bad news back with him. The Lumork Kingdom army dispatched to defeat the dragon was destroyed before it reached its goal. Other monsters laid waste to their forces before they found the dragon.

"Hayato! This thing was inside the fortress tiger,"

"It looks like a whistle!"

Rusus and Fifi are butchering the fortress tiger under a nearby tree while Hayato tells us his findings. They called the hero over to look at a broken flute-shaped magic tool.

"Meri, Rin, come take a look at this,"

"Why, this is…."

"The flute of a weaselfolk beast master?"

"I thought so…."

The three of them examined the flute gravely. So the destruction of the Lumork Kingdom's army was also the work of the weaselfolk. I still can't figure out what they were up to. Nothing they have done seems to be linked.

"Hey, you're a chef, aren't you?"

"Come on, cook this meat for us,"

Rusus and Fifi were uninterested in having a serious conversation about the possible schemes of the weaselfolk. The two of them walked over to Satou carrying some chunks of red meat.

"Make it real tasty, okay?"

"I want an extra-thick piece!"

"Sure, leave it to me,"

It looks like we will be eating well tonight as Satou quickly gets to work. He soaks the meat in sake and fries the monster's heart and liver while ending any serious conversation by creating a mouth-watering scent.

"Oh man, that smells amazing!"

"W… watch it, Hayato. The first piece is mine!"

"And I'm second!"

"Wait, so I have to be third?"

"No, I'm afraid I'm third, so that makes you fourth, Hayato,"

This hastily decided order didn't last long. Soon, the four vanguard members were pushing and shoving one another to get each piece as it was cooked. It is a good thing there was so much meat, or everyone else would have gone hungry.

"My, that's delicious. Now I understand why you buffoons made such a disgraceful display,"

"Right? I told you Satou's cooking is amazing!"

Princess Meriest nodded approvingly when she finally tasted the steak, and Rin puffed up her chest with pride.

"Indeed. Now, if only I had a glass of red wine to go with it…."

"You've had enough to drink for one day, Loleiya,"

Weeyari shot down Loleiya before she could grab a drink. She had just recovered from her drunken state and wanted to drink again. Loleiya is a real handful. I don't know how Hayato handles her.

"Fortress Tiger is quite delicious, isn't it? I didn't expect monster meat to taste this good,"

"N… no, Your Highness. I once ate the meat of a fortress tiger when I worked at a fort, but it was like chewing on a boiled old shoe. This doesn't even compare,"

Satou really has done an excellent job with the meat. The piece I got is melting in my mouth, and the herbs he added are to die for. Just when I thought I had tasted the best of his cooking, Satou goes and outdoes himself.

"Sir Hero… Everyone. Allow me to thank you on behalf of my kingdom for saving our people from danger," Princess Menea gave an elegant curtsy to the hero, then went around to each person to take their hands and thank them individually. Even Satou and I were thanked despite doing so little. "Could I persuade you to come to Lumork Castle? We would love to express our gratitude for your great deeds."

"Sorry, but I'm not really into that kind of thing. If King Lumork wants to thank us, tell him to just send a thank-you letter to the Saga Empire or something, please,"

Hayato waved at the princess to have a seat signalling an end to the whole affair. Loleiya brought out some after-dinner coffee not long after.

"That was delicious! We never get to eat that well on the road,"

"I agree. You should join our party, too, Satou!"

Rusus and Fifi sat on either side of Satou, pounding my shoulders encouragingly… and pressing their chests into his arms. Satou's talent strikes again.

"Don't harass Satou, you two," Weeyari's cheeks were slightly pink as she pulled her companions away. I would have thought she was in love with him if she hadn't been drinking so much. "However, I agree with your suggestion. It would be a big help to have someone else who can assist with repairs for the ship besides me."

And now Satou has Weeyari's chest pressing against his back. I swear Satou is the only person in both this world and my old one who can consistently get into positions like this. I am starting to suspect he has some hidden unique skill he is hiding. There has to be some reason this stuff keeps happening to him.

"I should think he would have a hard time with us at level thirty, though,"

"Yes, maybe we'll talk if you gain another fifteen levels or so in Labyrinth City,"

Loleiya and Princess Meriest agreed that Satou's level was too low. I doubt Satou wants to join them anyway. Even if he did, I still think he would have declined because there wasn't enough room for every one of our group in the hero's ship.

"I dunno, guys. What if Satou just goes off and gets the Hero title for himself?"

Hayato grinned, cracking a joke. I wonder if he would have still found it funny to know that Satou has already earned the hero title.

"Ha-ha, Hayato, you're a riot!"

"That's so like you, Hayato,"

Rusus and Fifi laughed. It was rare for anyone to get the Hero title on their own. If Satou and I weren't so OP, I doubt we would have those titles. Count Seiryuu told me I was the first person to have earned the title in over two hundred years. He didn't know about Satou, of course.

"No, I mean it. Earlier today, if it weren't for Satou, that black dragon's breath would've blown me right off the Jules Verne,"

"Not at all, Sir Hero. I was simply holding on to you and the railing for safety,"

"You can just call me Hayato. Besides, you were backing me up with scrolls, weren't you? We might not all be sitting here safely without your help. I owe you one, Satou," Without leaving his chair, Hayato bowed his head deeply and thanked Satou. "Come to think I it, how did you earn your hero title, Kura?"

"It appeared after I fought a Greater Hell Demon during the labyrinth incident in Seiryuu City," I am pretty sure Rin already told him this story. Still, he probably wanted to hear it from me in person. "I didn't even realize I had earned it until Count Seiryuu's soldiers started checking everyone."

I'm pretty sure they were interrogating me as Hayato and his party started questioning my story, but with drinks of ale being passed around and the cheerful air, it didn't feel like it. In the end, I told them about how the labyrinth in Seiryuu City was formed, the defeat of the demons and everything that happened with the Undead King Zen. I just omitted everything about Satou being Nanashi in my version of events.

We even shared stories of our journies in this world. I told Hayato about my time on the road and shared a few events from his past. Rusus and Fifi by chance along the road, taking in Priestess Loleiya after she got in trouble at the temple. Apparently, Hayato even met Zena and her friends along the way. But after a few jokes, and when our stories ended, Hayato got to ask the question he probably wanted to from the start.

"And when you fought the demon lord. How did you find it?"

I wish I had an answer for him… or at least the information he hoped for, but I don't. I didn't even find the demon lord. I was brought there by the dragon god herself. But since the same thing didn't happen to Hayato and his party, that wasn't helpful information to him, so I altered my story slightly.

"I was ambushed by a group of cultists and found ran into the demon lord when I gave chase," I tell him. "I think one of them had some kind of teleportation device because we were transported from Zurute City to the old capital."

"A dead end," Hayato shakes his head and mutters under his voice. "Well, let me know the next time you find one."

"Sure,"

"Sir Hero?"

"Just Hayato,"

Hayato scowled as Satou spoke up.

"Sir Hayato, then,"

"That'll do, I guess,"

"Do all Holy Swords have a special keyword, like the word you used with yours today?"

"Oh, the scriptures? Rin would know more about that than I would,"

"Let's see… The Holy Sword Durandal, which was used by a hero in the era of the ancestral king, has "for eternity," and Joyeuse, the one belonging to the hero of the demi-human war, has "in the sun." I think those are the only ones I know. If you want to know more, you should read Uncle Leon's book Holy Swords and Scriptures. Since you're his vassal and all, I'm sure he'd be happy to answer any of your questions on the matter,"

That distance isn't as big of a deal for Satou as most, but he probably could find a copy of that book in the old capital. Mr Kikinu, the owner of a magic shop in the city, seemed like a big hero fan and most likely has a copy. If not, he could fly back to Muno City, sneak into the castle, and make a copy. Something like that should be child's play for Satou.

But after dinner, we all had some fun before bedtime to work off our meal. We started off with simple sparing matches but soon started a tournament. Satou lost in the first round to the hero, and I am sure I would have won, but when I faced Fifi, Rusus snuck up behind me and covered my eyes. I saw her coming and could have avoided it, but I figured I could let them have this win. Besides, Rusus and Fifi reminded me of Pochi and Tama when they celebrated Fifi's win.

We all slept soundly that night after such a workout. Everyone in Hayato was so talented, and despite my vast superiority in strength and speed, they could still keep up with me thanks to their extensive experience. I'm sure none of them will have any trouble defeating the next demon lord that appears. I learned several new techniques today, so despite my loss, it was still worthwhile.

The following day Hayato's ship was fully repaired. That automatic repair system was handy as it handled most of the work. We can finally return to the old capital and reunite with everyone else. It has only been a few days, but I am still worried Nana might have filled the guest house with children she found on the street.

Princess Menea became incredibly talkative during our trip back to the old capital. She talked Satou's ear off and didn't even notice at first when he fell asleep. But when she did notice, I held her back from smacking him. I warned Satou that pulling an all-nighter last night was a bad idea. Hopefully, whatever he was reading was worth all this trouble.

At least Satou managed to calm her down when Rin woke him up upon our return. I doubt Arisa would be happy about his plan to go sightseeing with Princess Menea, but Satou should be able to handle her.