I tried ramming the door and picking the lock for a while, but my efforts were in vain.
(Ah, I messed up…)
Though I knew brooding wouldn’t help, regret consumed my thoughts. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have touched anything in such an obviously suspicious room. When I first peeked inside, I should have been wary the moment it didn’t look like a crafting room, and at least left Ringo outside.
In hindsight, forgetting the key was another misstep. Even if I didn’t intend to use it, carrying it might have tempted me to. I thought it would be safer to leave it behind if I wouldn’t use it, but that was simply too short-sighted.
(Now what do I do…?)
The worst part is that this place wasn’t designed to trap Players. If it were a malicious trap set by the usual Cat Ear staff, it might have been tricky or cruel, but there would have been a way out. However, this was a precautionary measure for when a Thief-type NPC infiltrates. Or rather, I don’t know if they actually get burglars at home, but it’s a prank room designed with that scenario in mind. This means it’s highly unlikely to have a self-escape route.
“Looks like I’ll have to wait for rescue…”
With that, I flopped onto the ground. I’m glad it happened when I had a packed schedule. I left such obvious traces. Someone from the castle will come looking for me, and I have a duel with Hisame scheduled for tomorrow morning. As a long shot, if the Guild could pony up some cash, there’s a chance someone from the Bounty Hunter Guild or Poison-tan might track me down here.
(Either way, I shouldn’t worry too much.)
Thinking that put my mind at ease. Trapped here, there’s little I can do. But looking at it another way, this is an unexpected vacation. So far, there seem to be no traps other than the inability to leave, and no signs of anything attacking from the outside. In a way, this might be the safest place in this mansion.
I turned to tell my companion this conclusion, but stopped myself.
“Ringo, help will definitely come, so don’t worry too much… Ah, no, never mind.”
Without me needing to say anything, Ringo, who showed no signs of worry and was simply staring blankly into space, had already sat down nearby. I retracted the words I was about to say. Come to think of it, in the game, Princess Shelmia had spent hours without moving, or even days without speaking. This kind of uneventful time must be easy for her.
(Well then, I should do what I can.)
I took out Torch Sisyo and a multitude of weapons from my bag, placed Torch Sisyo on the ground, and assumed a stance with weapons in both hands.
How many hours had it been since we were trapped? Fortunately, I had some food and drink in the Cooler Box I bought at the item shop, so hunger wasn’t an issue. The air quality, which I had secretly worried about, also seemed fine for now.
(But I’m so bored…)
The sheer boredom was unbearable. Just hitting Torch Sisyo repeatedly would get old, and my Skills were sealed, so I couldn’t even test my progress. For Ringo, it might be different, but for me, spending time in this room without speaking was an incredibly difficult penance.
“…Hey, Ringo.”
Unable to bear it any longer, I finally called out to Ringo, who was so still I was starting to worry if they were dead.
“…?”
It seemed they weren’t dead. Ringo’s face turned slightly towards me.
“Uh, well, um…”
After speaking, I realized I hadn’t thought about what to say next. I searched my mind for a topic and then remembered. Our previous conversation, about the source of my knowledge, had been interrupted when Ringo mentioned “Game.”
“Um, about our previous talk. I was going to ask if you were interested in how I know so many things.”
“…No.”
I tried to steer the conversation towards “Game,” but the unexpected reply made me pause.
“You’re not interested? Not in how I have strange knowledge… or where I came from?”
“…Not particularly.”
While it’s not necessarily true, it felt like being told I held no interest for them, and it was a bit of a shock. So, without intending to, I blurted out,
“Um, do you ever think about me returning to my hometown?”
It was a mean question, but Ringo didn’t flinch.
“I’ll go with you.”
That was the reply in a single word. Honestly, that immediate response was unexpected. However, to travel between my hometown and here, one must cross the wall separating worlds. That wall would be far thicker and higher than Ringo imagined. So I changed my question.
“But what if my hometown is a very distant place, where all my previous common sense doesn’t apply?”
“I’ll go with you.”
There wasn’t even a hint of wavering in the answer. Before I could get frustrated, I became worried.
“What if I can go back alone, and you can’t come with me?”
There was a slight pause before answering this question this time.
“…I’ll search for you.”
But the core of the answer hadn’t changed at all. So, you’ll still come with me. I continued to press.
“What if my hometown can’t be found?”
“I’ll search more.”
Stubborn.
“And if you search forever and still can’t find it?”
“I’ll search until I find it.”
Extremely stubborn.
“What if my hometown is in a place that absolutely cannot be found?”
“I’ll search until I die.”
Finally, I’d made them commit their entire life.
“Sorry. That’s enough.”
I sighed. This was like dealing with a spoiled child. Well, Ringo has only had about three days of practical life experience. This kind of skewed values will gradually be corrected, I thought, forcing myself to accept it.
Then, as I fell silent, Ringo asked me a question.
“…Are you going back to your hometown?”
It was a straightforward question, as expected from Ringo. I thought for a moment and shook my head.
“I’m not going back. …At least, not yet.”
After hearing my words, Ringo was silent for a moment. But then,
“…Then it’s fine.”
Finally, they said that one word and returned to being as still as a statue.
After a while, Ringo approached me again.
“Is something wrong?” I asked. Ringo, though expressionless, had a tense aura about them.
“Soma… is…”
They started to say something to me.
“Did something happen to me?”
I asked, wondering why they didn’t finish their sentence. Ringo looked a little hesitant and averted their gaze. Their gaze stopped at my hands.
“…Are you preparing for a duel?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. Well, it’s partly that.”
The conversation seemed to jump abruptly, which surprised me, but I realized I hadn’t explained Torch Sisyo to Ringo. It was natural for them to be curious seeing me endlessly hitting this thing without any explanation. So, I took this opportunity to explain that this was an item for training weapon proficiency, and how strong Hisame, whom I planned to fight, was.
“…Can you win?”
After hearing everything, Ringo asked the question that was, in a way, obvious. Before answering, I took out a magic gem from my pouch.
“I think I can win if I use this.”
I showed them an ordinary gem purchased at the item shop. It contained a mid-level attack magic, and didn’t seem strong enough to defeat Hisame. Ringo probably thought the same.
“…Magic resistance?”
They asked. Hisame has almost complete resistance to four elements. Would a commercially available gem like this be effective against someone like Hisame? This question was also perfectly reasonable. But, naturally, I had already considered that. In fact, the *Orichalcum* equipment we were wearing had all elemental resistances. As the story progressed, enemies and characters with elemental resistance became increasingly common in “Cat Ear.” In the latter half, enemies often had full elemental resistance or absorption, to the point where mages would equip two rings of “Attribute Attack Specialization I,” reduce their compensation to -40%, and attack with the opponent’s absorbed element, doing nonsensical damage. Even then, it was only 40% of the normal damage, so the “brain brute” specification remained unchanged.
Anyway, I was incorporating the opponent’s resistances into my plan when I decided to use this magic gem. I declared confidently.
“Well, if I just shoot it directly at them, it probably won’t work. But I’m going to shoot this magic at that.”
“…Up?”
Ringo replied upon seeing my finger point towards the ceiling. I nodded.
“Ah. The effect of magic isn’t just reducing the opponent’s HP. I intend to use this magic to exploit their weakness.”
…Yes. The strategy I’m planning is meaningless to anyone but Hisame. It relies on the weakness of Hisame that I learned from the game, and the fact that she wears extremely light armor, optimized for extreme weight reduction due to her high-speed movement. Only with these two factors combined is there a possibility of success. I considered explaining in more detail, but this was a rather unsportsmanlike method. I decided to gloss over it at this point.
“Well, it’s a simple thing anyone could figure out with a little thought. More importantly, how to land the attack… For that…”
Then, I glanced at the stick in my hand and said,
“Looks like I gotta pound this thing again.”
I returned to the task of seeking advice from Torch Sisyo.
“Night has fallen, huh…”
Eventually, as dusk turned to morning, no one had come to our rescue. Last night, I took out camping gear from my bag and set up a makeshift tent to sleep. Camping inside a room, I thought, but it was more comfortable than I imagined, so I had no complaints. Still, perhaps due to psychological factors, I didn’t sleep well, and those are precisely the times when strange dreams occur. The dream I had as I dozed off at dawn was so bizarre that it woke me up completely.
The dream was of Hisame approaching me naked, whispering in my ear, “I will show you a place of me that I have never shown anyone.” I couldn’t tell Ringo about this. Incidentally, the line itself was indeed in the game, a phrase spoken when staying in the same room after marrying Hisame. Despite the rarity of the event, it was well-known and ranked in “Cat Ear’s” top 10 erotic lines. Of course, I never triggered the marriage event, so I never heard it directly, and the screen would just go black afterwards and turn to morning, so nothing really happened.
Besides, I knew the cause of this dream. One reason was, of course, the duel with Hisame today. The other was…
“It’s this guy, isn’t it…”
…Ringo, sleeping soundly pressed against me. Ringo wasn’t particularly clingy, but last night, they didn’t want to be separated from me more than usual. Perhaps the situation of being trapped in this room and unable to leave was gradually causing Ringo stress. But I understood that feeling all too well.
(Will help really come?)
I tried to stay strong, but my resolve wavered. Come to think of it, this “Cat Ear Mansion” was the epitome of a fortress, built by the Cat Ear staff with all their malice. Originally, only the two of us, its owners, could move freely within this mansion. If even we let our guard down, we could end up like this. I couldn’t even imagine what would happen to outsiders.
(What if we can never leave this place?)
Just as I was being overcome by such pessimistic thoughts.
— *Knock, knock*.
It was a faint sound, but a definite knock. I instantly sprang up and ran to the door. I shouted for help.
“Is anyone there! Is anyone there! We are here! We’re trapped! Help us!”
I pressed myself against the door and blurted it all out. But there was no response I was hoping for. Just as anxiety began to creep in, wondering if I had imagined the knock, again,
— *Knock, knock*.
The sound of a knock from the door. Perhaps they couldn’t hear me? Or maybe the system was designed so I could hear them, but not the other way around.
“C-Can you hear me!? The key is in the living room, on the first floor! If you use that…”
Betting on the possibility that they could hear me, I yelled. The reply… was still nothing. Did my words even reach them? Time passed slowly, filled with impatience and anxiety. But after a while.
— *Jiggle, jiggle*.
I heard the sound of a key being inserted into the lock. It seemed they could indeed hear me.
(Yes!)
I didn’t say it out loud, but I made a big fist pump. And finally,
— *Click*.
The lock that had trapped us opened. Slowly, the door began to swing open.
Who was this person who came to rescue me? My best guess, the Knights’ Order who came to capture me. My second guess, Hisame, impatient for our duel this morning. A long shot, Poison-tan, sent by the Guild. A Knight, Hisame, or Poison-tan? As I watched the opening door with anticipation and gratitude, the one who appeared from beyond was…
— *Nnngh*.
It was a moment when I thought, “The current Bear is surprisingly dexterous.”
