Kelvin’s Mansion – Dining Hall
“What, you’re leaving Pars tomorrow? You should stay longer,” Silvia said.
“I want to, but I have to board Traage’s ship and head to the Western Continent,” I replied.
We listened to Silvia and her party’s future plans while having an early dinner. It seemed they had to hurry to the Western Continent.
“Gugu… Wonderful.”
“Mmm~♪ As expected, Efil’s cooking is supreme.”
While waiting for Emma and Ariel to recover, Melfina and Silvia, the gluttons of the group, had already devoured most of the food. Efil, who regained her senses first, had cooked more. Of course, those two ate most of that as well.
By the way, the deadly cuisine created by Emma and the others was secretly stored away by Kuro. If left out, the pungent smell would likely have seeped into the mansion’s walls. It might even be useful as a weapon to throw at enemies.
“Haa, so it didn’t work after all… Should I focus on acquiring cooking skills…?”
“Don’t be stupid, it’s a waste of points! Starting from zero, or rather, below zero like this, you’ll only be on par with others once you reach B-Rank or A-Rank skills.”
“Ugh, to have Nagua speak the plain truth to me…!”
During the meal, Emma and Ariel were the only ones eating with good manners in Silvia’s party, so I thought they were capable of anything. People are not always what they seem.
“I see, Sylwie is leaving…”
“It will be lonely.”
“Rion, Gerard. You’ve blended in quite naturally, but where were you until now?”
You weren’t in the dining hall earlier, were you?
“Hahaha… We sensed danger from the kitchen and were observing from a distance. Alex still can’t get close because of the smell, though.”
“Same here. I’ve told Ryuka and Ellie not to approach as well, so rest assured.”
Efil must have had a really tough time…
“Sera, what have you been thinking about in silence?”
She wasn’t eating, but seemed lost in thought.
“…I was thinking, wouldn’t a ‘dog-man’ be perfect for fighting a Golem?”
“Are you referring to Nagua? Hmm, that might be good.”
“What are you implying?”
I explained the situation to Silvia’s party. In short, they wanted to gauge the Golem’s strength by having it fight Nagua. “Nagua, fight.”
“Hah? Why do I have to do something like that—”
“Ah, it’s fine. We’d like to repay you for teaching us cooking too.”
“I was the one who learned in the end, you know!”
“Alright, we have your consent! Gerard!”
“I’m sorry, my friend.”
Gerard lifted Nagua, who was still wearing an apron, at Sera’s command.
“Who’s your friend! Who is!”
Nagua struggled but was held firmly, unable to escape Gerard’s grasp.
“What are you saying? Have you forgotten that night? We were together when we spied!”
“Hmm, spied?”
“Waaah! I get it, so stop talking!”
I thought they had become closer, but they’ve become such close friends. Did these two spy on Silvia as well?
“Well then, let’s go to the Underground Training Ground right away, Kelvin♪”
“I’ll be waiting ahead!”
“Gah, why did it have to come to this…!”
Gerard went down the stairs to the underground first, and Sera pulled on my arm, trying to drag me along.
“Wait, wait. We’re going to watch Nagua and the Golem fight, but what about Silvia and the others?”
“Mmm, we’ll take responsibility for eating this delicious food.”
“My Master, please leave this to us!”
“Ah, okay. I’ll leave it to you.”
Melfina and Silvia would be staying behind.
“Emma, what about us?”
“Ariel, you should go. Even though your cooking failed, there will surely be other chances to shine.”
“…Yes. I’ll go.”
“In that case, I’ll guide you. This way, this way!”
Rion took Ariel’s hand and led her underground. It felt like a rom-com. Emma seemed to be helping Efil with the cleanup.
“…”
“…Aside from cooking, I can do chores.”
“I-I see. Sorry for doubting you.”
Emma glared at me. However, there’s no need to worry if that’s the case. I can’t put any more burden on Efil.
“Master, you should go too. Sera looks like she’s tired of waiting.”
“Mmm.”
Oh dear, Sera was puffing out her cheeks and waiting with a sullen look. I wanted to save this expression in a photo, but it would be bad to keep her waiting any longer.
“That’s right. Efil, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
***
Kelvin’s Mansion – Main Gate
“I-I did it…”
“Yes, yes, let’s get some rest early today.”
Nagua, battered and bruised, was leaning on Ariel’s shoulder. His expression was one of exhaustion, but also of great relief. The battle between Nagua and the new model was far more evenly matched than I had imagined, and it was truly magnificent. Nagua clung on as the new model, enhanced by the Wind Prison Stone, increased its speed, and repeatedly landed punches on its black armor. The new model skillfully used its built-in new equipment, the Gatling Gun, and the match lasted for tens of minutes. In the end, Nagua won by a narrow margin.
“Thank you today. It expanded my culinary repertoire.”
“My repertoire, you mean…”
Nagua seemed surprisingly alright.
“…”
“What’s wrong?”
Silvia looked at me as if she had something to say.
“Mmm, won’t you come with us, Kelvin?”
“Me too? Go, to the Western Continent?”
“Yes.”
“W-Wait… What are you saying, Silvia…?”
The Western Continent, huh? I’ve thought about going eventually, but right now, with Trisen’s situation, it’s not wise to go too far away.
“Unfortunately, I can’t leave here yet.”
“…I see.”
“I’m sorry for not accepting your invitation.”
“No. Kelvin, let’s definitely meet again.”
“Yeah, we definitely will.”
With the setting sun behind them, Silvia and her party headed back to their inn. The next day, Silvia and her party left for Traage before dawn.
***
Western Continent – A Certain Inn
Yesterday was a disaster because Touya got caught up in trouble again. Well, Touya gets into trouble less often now, but his physique remains the same. Why does he always get involved in troublesome disputes? But today, the weather is perfect, with not a single cloud in the sky. It looks like it will be a good day today—
*Creak!*
“Setsuna! It’s bad!”
“…It’s not.”
With the inn door flung open, Touya returned, holding something. He said he was going to the Adventurer Guild this morning. Huh, did he get into trouble again…?
“It’s bad, Setsuna! It’s finally been published!”
“What are you talking about?”
“What else could it be! It’s an article about Master’s S-Rank promotion! Here, I got it from the Guild!”
As he said that, Touya handed me an article. After Master left for the Western Continent from Traage, Touya started calling Kelvin “Master.” It’s not wrong, but wouldn’t that make Cliff the leader as well? I bet Miyabi taught him some unnecessary knowledge.
“Let’s see.”
For now, I’ll read the article.
—The Birth of a New S-Rank Adventurer—
A new S-Rank adventurer has been born in Seijo Town Pars. The adventurer’s name is Mr. Kelvin. Astonishingly, Mr. Kelvin became an adventurer only three months ago. This is an unprecedented feat in the Guild’s history, and he has become the fastest adventurer to reach the pinnacle of S-Rank. Furthermore, he demonstrated his genuine strength by winning a mock battle against the current S-Rank, ‘Ice Princess’ Silvia. Now, you are all curious about Mr. Kelvin’s epithet. The Adventurer Guild announced it just now. Based on his scythe and black robe displayed during the match, and his characteristic smile, his epithet has been named ‘Grim Reaper.’ Although it is a foreboding epithet, according to the voices of the people of Pars, Mr. Kelvin himself is a polite and good-natured young man. There is also information that his party has already defeated multiple S-Rank Monsters. Mr. Kelvin’s future achievements are highly anticipated.
—
Indeed, Kelvin is featured prominently in the article. S-RankAdventurers are rumored to be a gathering of non-humans, a collection of eccentrics and oddballs. We have also grown much stronger since coming to the Western Continent, but Kelvin is climbing to an even higher world. I’m curious about the gossip article about Kelvin in the margin…
“Amazing, Kelvin-san.”
“Yeah, we can’t afford to fall behind!”
“That’s right…”
Since coming to the Western Continent, we have been training diligently every day. The oracles that Colette heard spoke of a Demon King residing in the Lizea Empire. However, we haven’t heard even a rumor about a Demon King. The Empire is perfectly peaceful. Are we truly in the right place?
From between the articles Touya brought, another one fluttered to the floor. We didn’t notice this article at the time, but it stated:
—Trisen Declares War on Eastern Continent Nations—
This concludes Chapter 4.
And one more important announcement.
We have decided to publish this series in book form. For details, please check the activity report.
