Chapter 71

"By the way, do you also have D?"

I asked Suzuki.

"Yeah, about ten volumes."

"Huh... I didn't expect that. I thought you wouldn't need them, traveling with such beautiful girls."

I know a lot of people are thinking, "Don't say that!" but I asked about something that was bothering me.

Then, Suzuki smiled wryly,

"I haven't touched any of them yet."

Wow, to have three girls who dote on you and not touch them, is that for real?

Well, I can understand about the lolis,

"That's a noble stance. Is it because you're a hero?"

"I have no choice. Mile is a nun. Haven't you heard? Nuns must remain virgins."

"…I think I've heard something like that… You can't touch her, indeed. But what about that female swordsman?"

"Caincey is the opposite of Mile; she actively tries to seduce me. But… her tribe has an absolute monogamy rule. If I touch her, I have to marry her. According to her tribe's customs, if I marry her, I will be forbidden from having any contact with any other women except for my own daughters born after the marriage."

That's too much, those customs.

"By the way, what about the loli? Surely she's out of bounds?"

"I think Schreil is a very charming girl, but before I went to her village—when her village was attacked… she was kidnapped by bandits… and… she was forced to wear a slave collar and… assaulted—"

"Wait, you don't need to say anything more. Please, don't say anything more. I can't touch a girl like that."

I almost cried.

"Finally, you can talk to me normally, and even touching your shoulder is fine."

Suzuki said with a wry smile.

"…Hey, Suzuki, by any chance, do you not only have D but also add T?"

"…Don't say that."

"Sorry."

Yeah, I really said something bad.

Of course, doujinshi are necessary.

Unlike me, he's too much.

We entered a large building that looked half-abandoned on the outskirts of town.

Originally, this mansion belonged to a noble, but it had been abandoned after the noble's death.

The sun had already set, and the mansion was very dark, with no moonlight reaching inside.

"Lighting"

The light magic Suzuki used made the light float.

I can use Petit Light, which is also a light magic, but it flies in a straight line and can't be kept floating in one place.

Moreover, it's impossible to walk with it, so I was impressed by how convenient the magic was.

I tried to make Petit Light move slowly to see if I could do something similar, and I managed to create a light ball that moved at a human walking speed, but I couldn't control it freely.

When I told Suzuki this, he said that Petit Light is a light magic but belongs to the attack magic category, used to purify undead monsters.

Lighting is a light magic with no attack power, and it belongs to a completely different category.

Incidentally, Lighting is a skill he learned after becoming a paladin.

The numbers like II or III after the light magic indicate the number of spells that can be used with that skill, and even if you have the same light magic skill, it doesn't mean you can use the same spells. That's why Suzuki said he envied my Petit Light.

"This is the fireplace."

Suzuki pressed a brick next to the fireplace.

Then, the bottom of the fireplace opened, revealing a hidden staircase.

Light was leaking from inside, and voices could be heard.

It seems there were other people there.

Suzuki went in first.

"Oh, Mr. Hero! How did it go? Did you defeat those villains?"

A voice came from inside. That voice—

When I went in, I saw—indeed, the three from earlier.

"Why are you here!? Mr. Hero, did you betray us?"

The bald cat tamer shouted in panic.

"You betrayed my trust. He's not the kind of man you described. Besides, he didn't come for revenge, so you can relax."

"That's right."

I said this and took out the doujinshi the man dropped earlier from my item bag.

"I want to read this. Also, if possible, I'd like to see and buy some of the books here. I'll pay for them."

"…Are you one of us!? Even with three cute girls around you?"

"Two-dimensional is a different stomach. Just showing me would be enough. I don't intend to blame you for what happened earlier or for tricking the hero."

It was clear that we overreacted, even if it was in self-defense.

The cat tamer and his two companions looked at each other,

"Alright. Not many people understand our hobby. If you return the original, I can sell you the copies."

"Copies? Are you mass-producing them?"

…Mass distribution of doujinshi is prohibited, I think.

Has the law not advanced that far in this world?

In Japan, it would be a capital offense.

"Follow me."

The man led us further inside.

"Have you heard of the job 'Magic Scribe'?"

"Only the name."

It's one of the jobs unlocked by raising the level of a commoner.

"A Magic Scribe uses special ink to create contracts, draw magic arrays, and make cards that can be thrown to attack. However, drawing magic arrays is very detailed. It takes several minutes to make a card, and sometimes even hours. So, a noble had an idea. Could magic tools be used to mass-produce cards?"

In the back of the room, I saw—what looked like a printing machine.

It even looked like a copy machine you'd find in a convenience store.

"The Magic Scribe tried to use this magic tool to make cards. The result was a failure. Do you know why?"

"Was it because the effect only worked with hand-drawn cards?"

"No, the effect worked. It worked too well. Creating a card requires slowly transforming magic power. Using the magic tool to write quickly caused the Magic Scribe to suffer from magic power intoxication and collapse. There was no way to avoid it. In the end, it was faster to make the cards normally, so the project was a big failure. After that, this facility was abandoned. However, it seems that a mansion was built over this secret facility, and due to a design flaw, the magic tool couldn't be removed. This is written in the diary."

The man took out a research diary and said.

"While this was happening, the noble who was in charge of the research facility died, and the facility was forgotten."

"So, you're using ordinary ink to restart the doujinshi factory. That's quite a history. Where are the original doujinshi?"

I was waiting for the main dish, but I'm not patient enough to wait like a full-course French meal.

"Here."

The man lifted a corner of the cloth.

There were—what would be a small amount in Japan, but in this world, where comics are not widespread, it was a significant collection, about twenty volumes of doujinshi, in a three-tiered bookshelf.

Considering the thinness of doujinshi, the number of books on the shelves was more than a hundred or two hundred.

"The top shelf, the thirty books on the right, were drawn by the great Big Second."

"Huh? There are other people who draw doujinshi besides Big Second?"

"Yeah, they're called Second Children."

I took a few books to look at them.

Most of the books had a realistic style, even though they were two-dimensional. The level of detail was lacking.

Among them, I found a doujinshi with a cute illustration of a cat-eared girl.

"Wow, this is great. Hey, can you copy this… ugh… geez."

I saw the bald man blushing and fidgeting uncomfortably.

"Ah… thank you."

"It's you! You drew this illustration! How could you draw something like that… I mean, it's a pretty good work. But, how much do you love cats to be a cat tamer with a cat-eared girl illustration?"

"Why do you know I'm a cat tamer!?"

"That's not important. What? You drew this very well-drawn, very cute, four-headed cat girl character? This doesn't look like something you'd draw! Rather, you'd be the one saying, 'I'll dye the canvas red with your blood,' while being squished like a cherry tomato."

"That's harsh. But, I really did draw this."

Despite being a minor character, being a cat tamer and collecting doujinshi already makes for a rich character. Adding a manga artist to the mix is too much.

You haven't even been named yet.

If you keep this up, your character sheet will spill over to the second page.

"…You, a cat manga tamer, drawing doujinshi."

"Stop calling me that! My name is—"

"Wow, you're a cat tamer. That's a rare job. I heard only those recognized by the leader of the Ketsi can become one."

Suzuki was surprised and nodded in admiration.

"If that's all you know, remember this: a cat tamer can only change to a Ketsi priest. They not only stole the catnip I was transporting but also changed my job without my consent, saying it was a thank you! And they're a mysterious race that can't be found. Ah, damn it. Am I going to be a cat tamer for life?"

Ah… Just like how Carol was troubled by not being able to change from a seducer, this guy is troubled by not being able to change from a cat tamer.

If I had the power, I could change his job, but the party setup is a hassle, and it's fine as it is.

The cat manga tamer, having vented his frustration, looked a bit relieved,

"So, I decided to take revenge on the Ketsi. The Ketsi, who look almost like cats, are enemies with the cat people, who only have cat ears. I'm raising the popularity of the cat people to elevate their status, so I keep drawing this work."

…Is this guy one of those fans who sends scandalous stories to weekly magazines to boost the popularity of their idol?

He's clearly lowering the status of the cat people.

"So, what do you want to do? If you want to buy, the copies are 50 cents each, and my books are divided into three volumes."

"Give me all of them!"

I won't say they're expensive.

In this world, such works are unique. If I don't buy them here, I don't know when I'll meet them again.

Even if Dajiro has them, the books he had might have already been disposed of.

"Thank you."

The man's books were already copied, and he handed me the three volumes.

The copies were beautifully made.

At that moment,

The cat manga tamer suddenly looked anxious and puzzled.

Then, a piece of paper flew out of his pocket.

A card… a card used by Magic Scribes?

"What a surprise."

The man said, placing the floating card to his ear.

What is he doing?

I thought, and then,

"That's a communication card. It's a receiving type card."

Suzuki explained.

At that moment, the paper in the man's hand turned to sand and scattered.

"It's disposable like that."

The man said, exhaled, and looked at us.

"…Sorry, 150 cents. Do you have the money now?"

"Two silver coins are fine. I don't need change. Use it for the production of the manga."

I handed him two silver coins.

I thought he would be happy, but his expression was somber.

It seemed he had received bad news.

"Thank you… I really want to talk more, but please go home today. I'll have a subordinate show you out… and, Suzuki, I need to talk to you."

Suzuki and the cat manga tamer went to a back room.

I was led out by the man's subordinate.

What's this? I should have the best three items, but I have a bad feeling.

～Interlude: In the Back of the Printing House～

Suzuki was led to the back of the printing house.

"Listen, I haven't forgiven you for lying to me…"

"I apologize. But, please, this time it's serious. Help me."

"…What happened?"

Suzuki narrowed his eyes and asked, seeing the cat manga tamer's serious expression.

Then, the cat manga tamer revealed his name.

"Pinky Pants… have you heard of him?"

"I haven't… wait, do you mean the engraving printer?"

"That's right. The artist who draws comics that don't mix with us. His real name is Milky. He lives in the southern Ferit… well, he's my nephew, and I received a message from him."

Suzuki immediately realized it was the message from the card.

The man's behavior had been strange since he received the message.

"Please, help Milky… save this country. If things continue like this, the country will be destroyed."

"Tell me more!"