Chapter 3

"Alright, that's it."

I threw the items from the gacha into the magic bag, tidied up neatly, and placed my hands on my hips to announce the completion of the organization.

Since I can only spin the gacha a hundred times, I decided to move on to the next step and start the verification with what I have. I can't experiment with magic cards in such a small room, so I will perform a "Shadow Crossing."

I have the knowledge but no experience. There are many things I won't know until I actually use it. I immediately entered the shadow. It seems that the condition is to touch the shadow with part of my body, but it might be recognized as part of the body even through clothes or shoes.

It's a flexible skill, which is great.

The inside of the shadow is, in a word, a "completely black room with a glass ceiling." The room follows the shape of the shadow. The size of the room changes according to the size of the shadow, and I can't enter very small shadows or my own shadow.

If shadows are connected, I can move between them, so even if the entrance is small, it's fine as long as it's connected to other shadows. Furthermore, within the shadow, I can instantly move to a place I want to go.

However, it seems to put a strain on the body, causing dizziness, so I usually limit it to high-speed movement. Since the room is originally small, it's unfortunate that I can't experiment with how far I can move.

Then I looked up. There was nothing blocking my view, and I could see directly above the shadow. This means that skirts can be peeked at freely. It's really wonderful. By moving and following the shadow from the wall, I could see the entire room. I see... If I can move, I can also secure a view from there.

Next, I tried to extend part of my body out of the shadow. As expected, I just needed to move the part I wanted to extend to the edge of the shadow.

Of course, when I tried to come out through a small gap, it got stuck. It seems that what is physically impossible is impossible. Well, that's to be expected.

I threw a stone I took out of the bag, but it hit the invisible ceiling and rolled on the ground inside the shadow. This seems to be the reason why I can't attack from inside the shadow.

I speculate that only the user or something recognized as part of the user can pass through. Incidentally, when I placed something inside the shadow and took it out, the item came out with it. It seems that it can't be used as a trash can.

I took a deep breath and moved on to the next experiment. I tried to drag a ashtray (gacha item) on the ground into the shadow. But it failed. It seems that I can't put things into the shadow from inside the shadow.

I can bring things in without any problem if I'm wearing them, but it seems impossible to put something inside the shadow. Since I succeeded in entering the shadow while holding something, it seems that "things you are holding and wearing when you enter can be brought in."

Next, the next experiment.

This time, I tried to see what happens when I enter a moving shadow. According to the knowledge, I need to move with the shadow, but I need to grasp the feeling by actually doing it.

Fortunately, there is a gap under the door even in this sealed room. I didn't notice it when I was brought in, but the throne room was bright, but the rest, especially the corridors, were quite dim. Maybe to save on electricity?

There are few lights in the corridor, so a shadow should be cast when someone passes by the door. The rest is to block the light from the glowing stone and close the curtains to darken the room.

If I can slip in, I can enter and exit the shadow of a moving object. However, it would be inconvenient if someone comes here while I'm out. So, I took out the Rubik's Cube I put in the bag earlier, fiddled with it, and threw it on the bed. If they misunderstand, that would be good. This is a half-hearted measure.

If there is a Rubik's Cube in this world, it would be meaningless, but if not, they might connect it to the reason I'm not here. In any case, a report that "such a thing was left behind" is necessary, so it should buy some time. It's too early to make a big fuss or reveal my power.

I'll leave it at this as insurance and wait in front of the door to continue the verification. If necessary, I can hide in the shadow in an empty place.

"It's okay even if I fail." I kept telling myself this as I waited in front of the door for someone to pass by.

How long did I wait?

Thirty minutes? No, probably about fifteen minutes. Only one person passed by, and I failed to enter the shadow. The shadow came into the room through the gap under the door as expected, but the shadow of a person walking in pants was a bit too small to enter.

But it's not time to give up yet. This is a castle, so there should be maids. Maids should wear skirts. If they wear mini-skirts like in Akihabara, it would be impossible, but this is a fantasy world. They should wear long skirts like in medieval Europe.

With a mix of hope and anxiety, I continued to wait for a maid. I heard faint footsteps approaching. The footsteps were coming towards me. I held my breath and concentrated on the shadow that would appear through the gap in the door.

The footsteps got closer.

Three steps... two steps... one step... I saw it. At that moment, I successfully entered the shadow. But just as I made a small victory pose, I heard a knock on the door.

I can hear sounds even in the shadow... No, that's not it. I quickly came out of the shadow and moved away from the door, replying, "Who is it?"

"I am a maid working in this castle. I have brought a meal for the hero."

The maid who opened the door and entered was wearing a long skirt and a gray maid uniform, a rather plain-looking maid.

She had slightly wavy brown hair cut to her shoulders, not particularly beautiful or cute... It's hard to judge. If she had shown some charm, it might have been different, but she placed a tray with sandwiches on the table and left the room with a formal "Excuse me." She didn't ask about the dark room, probably because she's a professional.

I don't mind cool types, but she's far from a cool beauty. I was a bit disappointed. Anyway, I quickly entered the maid's shadow as she stopped to lock the door.

I think the faces of the people in this world are more Western, but there's something subtly different. Well, my current comparison is with a bald man, a pig, and a mob maid, so it's not accurate data. I feel like a harem of beauties is getting further away, and I slumped my shoulders.

Well, I need to pull myself together and continue the verification. I can't keep sulking, and I don't have the luxury for that.

When the target moves in the shadow, the shadow moves with it. As it moves, the boundary of the shadow... the wall, comes closer from behind. I need to move in the direction the target is moving, and depending on their speed, I can easily be caught by the wall. Now, I'm moving slowly to match the walking speed of the mob maid, but I need to be careful when entering the shadow of a moving object.

Incidentally, the ceiling gets lower as I get closer to the wall. When I leaned against the wall, my head was pushed out of the shadow. I quickly returned to the shadow, almost exposing my upper body.

After completing the initial verification, I need to find the next shadow to move to. I could stay in the mob maid's shadow and observe other maids, but my top priority is to gather information about this castle.

These people may be unpleasant, but they control my food, clothing, and shelter, which are my lifelines. In the current situation where I know nothing, it would be a foolish move to leave the castle out of frustration. On the other hand, I can't just sit around and do nothing.

To be honest, these people might say, "This guy is useless. Let's do some human experiments," or "Since he doesn't listen, let's make him a slave," and put an unremovable collar on me. Therefore, I need to know the escape route and the location of essential items like food.

I thought I could do anything with the gacha, but with only a hundred spins a day, I only have nineteen days left. I still want to rely on the state's money.

I searched for the next shadow to enter... but it was hard to find a good one. Since I can only see from the perspective of looking up from inside the shadow, it's not progressing at all. No matter how I change the position to look up, all I can see is the corridor and the mob maid's skirt.

(Ah, I forgot to peek under the skirt.)

I naturally thought about it, but I justified it in my mind as part of the skill verification. It's for verification, so it can't be helped.

I immediately moved forward in the shadow and looked up. There was a surprisingly large area of underwear.

It was drawers.

"Eh... drawers?"

Why drawers?

For a maid, it should be a pure white garter and panties, right?

This is definitely wrong. It's too much of a shortcut for a mob maid.

I don't understand, fantasy.

For a maid, it should be a pure white garter and pure white panties, right?

This is important, so I'll say it again.

For a maid, it should be a pure white garter and pure white panties, right?

Even if I give in on the garter, the panties are a must. More sex appeal, please. I'm not asking for much. A pure-hearted maid is not what I want right now. A sexy maid would be better. Come on, put on some panties. Maybe there are no panties in this world? The pigs didn't seem to know what panties were.

At that moment, an electric current ran through me, Shiroishi Ryo.

The gacha is a power given by God, and I can use this power to create panties... so God is saying, "Spread panties in this world."

What does that mean? Am I chosen to spread panties in this world?

That can't be, I thought. If I was summoned as a hero, but turned out to be a missionary to spread panties, what a perverted scenario. Who wrote this script? I'll invade the backstage and demand the ultimate script.

While I was thinking about this, the mob maid stopped. She knocked on a door and heard a familiar voice say, "Come in." The maid entered the room, closed the door, and bowed, then made a bombshell statement.

"Following your orders, I have brought the hero a meal with sleeping pills."

"Hey! Why did you suddenly slip me a sleeping pill!?"

I couldn't help but comment out loud, but they didn't hear me from inside the shadow and continued talking.

"She was wandering in front of the door. Also, for some reason, she placed something to block the light and put a colorful box on the bed."

"Wow... You're observant. Are you a spy maid... or a ninja maid, since you can see in the dark?"

Realizing they couldn't hear me, I spoke out loud. Still, who was that voice just now? If it's a familiar voice, there are probably three candidates. But from here, the skirt is in the way, and the view is bad.

"Understood, you may leave."

As the maid was about to leave, I quickly moved to another shadow. The maid left, closed the door, and the footsteps faded away. I moved in the shadow to confirm who was in the room. I thought there was one person, but there were two.

Ah, these are the bald men next to the pig king... I think their names are Harold, the muscle, and Icetross, the fatty. These two disgusting men ordered the maid to slip me a sleeping pill. These two are supposedly the king's close aides.

This is not a laughing matter.

"Finally, we can rest easy."

"Indeed, I have never heard of a gacha that produces women's underwear. Such a rude and useless person being called a hero in our country is unacceptable."

I don't want to admit it, but I seem to be more of a pervert than a hero. Starting from a negative point, it's like a hard mode if I want to be a hero. I need to earn points somewhere and consider how to please these people... being a hero is a tough job. I don't intend to be one.

However, I planned to stay here for a while, gather information, and then escape, but if I'm drugged right away, I need to reconsider my plan. These damned bald men.

Furthermore, the insults towards me continued. I was tired of being criticized. I thought about extending my hand to surprise them and started moving in the shadow. Just then, the bald minister's words made me freeze.

"Then, this time, it will also be a punishment."

Punishment? What does "this time" mean?

I think I'm the third one?

At least from the current line, I understand that I am not the first hero to be summoned, and the previous heroes were "punished" according to these people.

Wait, is this dangerous?

"Still, when will we see results... As expected, if we leave it to the civil servants, the money just disappears like water."

The bald general blamed the bald minister.

"This is harsh. However, the root cause is that Lorenzia performed a suspicious ritual to summon a hero and succeeded in invading the territory of the demons... It's wrong to blame us."

What a great way to shift the blame. I guess "Lorenzia" is a country. So, because another country summoned a hero and cut off the demon territory, we tried to do the same but failed. It's their fault for summoning a hero. What kind of logic is that?

"We must also summon a hero and cut off the demon territory..."

"Stop right there, I understand!"

The bald man interrupted the other bald man and shouted. Wow, I can't tell which is which.

"The demon territory has a lot of undeveloped land... Its value is immeasurable. I can't just sit and watch Lorenzia take it for themselves!"

Heroes are usually summoned to save the world from a crisis, right?

This is clearly for personal gain.

My evaluation of this country is even lower. At the same time, I understood something. It seems that they judged me as another failure after several failed attempts, which is why the pig king immediately shouted. Probably, after I left, these two were told something, leading to my punishment.

But why do they need to punish me?

The bald men explained it. It seems that summoning a hero is very expensive, and they need a person with a gacha as the cost of summoning.

In other words, they planned to put me to sleep, restrain me, and use me as a sacrifice for the next summoning.

Ha ha ha, what a country.

The two bald men left the room after finishing their conversation.

After confirming they were gone, I came out of the shadow and started looking for valuables out of spite. I needed to escape from here immediately.

However, if I just leave, I can't do anything. So, I decided to gather valuables and then leave the castle. I needed money right now. I wanted to take valuables from other rooms, but I didn't have the time. Moving through the shadow would be detected by detection magic, and staying too long was dangerous.

They would realize I was gone when they checked the room and found me drugged, which wouldn't take long. It was questionable whether I could return to the original location with the shadow crossing. Even if I did, what would I do?

They are coming to kill me. What do I want to say to such people?

Having completely given up on this country, I silently gathered valuables and put them in the bag, continuing to move through the shadow.

That day, the summoned hero "Shiroishi Ryo" disappeared from the castle. It was later found out that some people in the castle lost their heads (literally) because of this.

Well, it's not related.

Scheduled posting error...

The next post is planned for Wednesday or Thursday.