Chapter 26

As the men left, I watched them from the car. The face of the man leading them was briefly visible. His eyes and hair were a dark, murky brownish gold. He had a large build. With a smug, mocking smile, he strutted away, but... I've seen him before. In games and anime. He was older then.

That rusty forehead ornament... I see.

I confirmed that they had completely left. I made sure not to have our eyes meet through the window and be remembered. I'm just a minor protagonist. If I get involved, I might end up with unnecessary connections.

The car started with a gentle rumble, and this time we arrived at the gate. The butler, who was about to return to the mansion, noticed the car, smiled warmly, and bowed.

"Hello! I'm Takano Miharu!"

I greeted him cheerfully through the window.

"Welcome, Miss Miharu. We have been waiting for you."

"I came to play with Tamamo!"

I stuck out my tongue and giggled, a charming and alluring young girl.

"Thank you for having us."

My mother also bowed through the window. She didn't mention the argument from earlier. It's impolite to comment on other people's affairs. That's how adults interact.

The butler led us to the parking lot and parked the car. The Tamamo family is wealthy, with a garage that can fit eight cars.

As I got out of the car, I was led into the grand mansion. It's a grand mansion, with a swimming pool. I'd like to swim, but it's about to be the rainy season, so it's impossible. Maybe I'll ask when it's summer.

"En-chan, welcome!"

As the butler opened the door, Tamamo jumped out and hugged me. She's a fox girl who loves physical contact.

"Hehe, I've been waiting!"

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Tamamo."

"I've been waiting!"

We held hands and spun around, like young girls dancing. It was a heartwarming and adorable sight, so my mother and the butler both relaxed their expressions.

Tamamo's mother also came to greet us, and Tamamo's younger brother followed behind. He's shy, so he hid behind his mother's back and peeked at me. I waved to him.

"Hi, Mihane-chan."

"Hi, Haru-kun!"

He approached me hesitantly. Yuki Haru, a 7-year-old boy. He looks like a normal child. His cheeks are a bit red. I see, so this is the 'Magic Syndrome' disease.

As I pet Haru's head, I turned to Tamamo's mother.

"There were some strange people outside!"

Adults are considerate, but children are innocent. Tamamo's mother responded with a slightly awkward "Ah."

"That's 'Yggdrasil.' They heard about our magic items and want to exchange them for a cure for their son's 'Magic Syndrome.'"

My mother must have heard the conversation, so she already knows.

"The lady, they proposed to exchange one of the three magic items from the previous proposal for the 'Elixir.'"

The butler relayed this with a bitter expression.

I remember, the hurricane axe, the thunder spear, and the rusty forehead ornament. They wanted one of these in exchange for the 'Elixir.' Even with a brief conversation, Miharu's sharp memory had recorded it clearly. Hehehe.

"That's... quite a concession... the hurricane axe, the thunder spear, the earth forehead ornament... They've conceded a lot for the 'Elixir.'"

It's completely different. Well, it's similar enough, right? Miharu is 9 years old.

But I understand. This is a clever manipulation. Tamamo's mother must be considering the rusty forehead ornament.

"No matter how you look at it, the axe or the spear is the goal. I understand. If they concede this much, I'll discuss it with my husband."

"Whaaat! Isn't it the earth forehead ornament? It's rusty!"

No matter how you look at it, it's a no-brainer. Why the axe or the spear? Miharu opened her mouth wide in surprise, and Tamamo's mother responded with a wry smile.

"Miharu is very knowledgeable. The earth forehead ornament has almost no magic power left. It can only cast earth magic a few times a day. It's impossible to repair, even if they try. If they realize it's impossible, they might get angry and say something."

It seems she's concerned about rumors. If she gives the seemingly useless forehead ornament in exchange for the 'Elixir,' she might gain a short-term advantage, but it could be problematic in the long run. The 'Elixir' costs 100 million yen in the game, after all. Of course, it's a game, but the real world is no different.

This is unexpected. The 'Yggdrasil' people probably think the same. They must have pretended to want the washing machine axe and the ramen spear to get the rusty forehead ornament, as in the original story.

I never thought they would consider the reputation and give a proper weapon.

A strategist drowning in their own schemes. ...Is that really the case?

Think carefully. This world is a fictional novel, but the people living in it are real. Their thoughts are not simple. But if they get involved in the story, what happens? Real people moving according to the fiction. This isn't the main story...

"What's wrong, En-chan? Are you hungry?"

I was deep in thought with a serious expression, but Tamamo is cruel. I'm not that hungry. I'm a well-behaved and good girl. That's Miharu.

"I've prepared snacks in the room."

"Let's go!"

I beamed. This body is still young, so it's understandable. I jumped and held hands with Tamamo, about to be led to the room, but...

"Wait a moment."

I have something to do. I looked at Haru and stared at him. His cheeks turned red. This must be the 'Magic Syndrome.'

'Inspect'

Yuki Haru, Level 2, Condition: Disease I

It's not a deadly disease, so I thought it wasn't a big deal, but it really isn't.

When I used 'Inspect' on Haru, I could see his condition. Even if I couldn't analyze it, I could tell it was an abnormal status.

"Um... No, it's nothing."

I thought about buying 'Disease Cure I' at the alchemist's shop, but decided against it. It costs 1 million yen per unit. For the wealthy, it's not a big deal, but something seems off. If they could buy it, they would have.

So there must be a reason they can't buy it. Maybe they need an introduction from a high-ranking noble.

In that case, my course of action is clear. I've learned a new magic, and that's the reason, not because I want to use it.

I placed my hand on Haru's head and smiled.

"W-What? Mihane-nee?"

"I'll use a little magic for you."

Haru looked up at me curiously as I applied a slight force to my hand and cast the magic.

'Heal I'

A golden magic circle appeared at Haru's feet and spun. The light from the magic circle illuminated Haru's face, and small stars scattered and were absorbed into his body.

'Yuki Haru's Disease I has been cured.'

It doesn't matter what the disease is, whether it's poison or a curse. Even a deficiency can be cured. 'Heal' cures all abnormal statuses that aren't debuffs. Of course, the effects vary from I to IV. In the game, there were various abnormal statuses, but the recovery magic was consolidated. The potions were separate, so the magic was powerful.

"Eh? What?"

Haru was confused but didn't feel any change. When I checked again, the abnormal status was gone. This level of abnormal status is easy to cure. Hehehe.

Everyone was surprised by the sudden use of magic.

"Oh! What did you do, En-chan?"

Curious Tamamo looked at me with sparkling eyes, so I smiled and replied.

"I cured the 'Magic Syndrome.' I think it's cured..."

I answered confidently, but upon further thought, I wasn't sure if it was really cured. It's a game-style recovery magic.

"...Mihane, did you cure the 'Magic Syndrome'?"

My mother grabbed my shoulder and shook me, looking shocked. It felt a bit strange.

"Probably? But it's not a serious disease, so I think a healer could easily cure it."

Something seems off. Why didn't they ask a healer? This disease should be easy to cure.

Noticing my puzzled expression, my mother looked troubled. There must have been a problem.

But after a deep breath, she calmed down and became serious.

"Mihane, there's something I need to talk to you about. Your growth is faster than expected. But today, play with Tamamo."

"? Okay! Let's go, Tamamo!"

"Mihane! Thank you for curing Haru."

Tamamo's mother was moved to tears and hugged Haru. No... I think I did something wrong. It's a simple magic in the game, but it's strange.

But if my guess is correct, it's extremely problematic.

"Um, so... Can you show me the fan, the ramen spear, and the rusty forehead ornament later? I want to see the magic items."

"That's not a big deal. Of course, you can. If you like, I can give them to you. The hurricane axe, the thunder spear, and the earth forehead ornament, right?"

I think I made a mistake, but I'm 9, so she's being lenient.

"No, just showing them is fine!"

I don't need the items. I don't want to hold the joker.

"Tamamo, show me around."

"Okay! Let's go! I have freshly baked chocolate cookies."

I held hands with Tamamo and headed to the room. Chocolate cookies. Freshly baked is rarer than the forehead ornament.

"Ah, Tamamo. I have a small request later."

"Request?"

"Yes. I need to be alone for a bit. I need to practice the somersault technique. I have to practice once a day."

It's a crude request, but Tamamo's eyes lit up. She asked to see the somersault technique later as she led me to the room.

Well, if 'Yggdrasil' is involved, I need to train seriously, but first, I'll complete this side event.

It's not part of the main story, but I'm better at side stories. After all, I'm not ignored in side stories.

After all, I'm just a minor protagonist.