Chapter 86

As cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

---

Amidst the chatter, they hunted until the sun set. When they finished hunting and were about to return to the main island, a shadow guided them to the inn on the island.

Misaki bathed in the hot spring provided in the inn.

"Hmm..."

Today's results: Level 4 up. 10 shields, all with status effects.

Honestly, the efficiency is just amazing. I can only be impressed by the activation.

At this rate, I might be quite a bit higher by the time I leave the island.

By the way, as the first woman mentioned, I remember that Motoyasu's party only had women from the beginning.

They joined halfway, but either didn't fit in or were kicked out.

The first woman wasn't there from the start, so the information is a bit mixed up.

Originally, there were four women with Motoyasu, including Bitch. Where did the other three go?

If you add a man, it makes four. They might be with Ryou or Ju.

"Is the water temperature okay?"

"..."

The shadow's voice echoed in the men's bath.

Where are you? Where are you hiding?

"You won't find me, you know?"

"Are you a man?"

"It's a secret."

"..."

"I've been told to inform you about the status of the curse healing from the queen."

"Well, I do feel a bit lighter and more relaxed."

Looking at my status, the numbers seem to be recovering by 1... or so it seems.

A long soak might not be bad.

Part of my goal is to take the waters.

I gaze at the bathtub.

Upon closer inspection, the hot spring I'm in looks like it's built in an ancient Roman style.

Is it too much to hope for a Japanese-style hot spring?

"Hey, Shadow."

"What is it?"

"Your way of speaking and your appearance, by my world's standards, would be a ninja."

"That might be the case."

Huh?

"It's a confidential matter, but it shouldn't be a problem for the Shield Hero. We, the Shadows, have taken inspiration from the culture of the Eastern lands. So, we might be considered assassins or ninjas, and we are also well-versed in Eastern knowledge."

"Hmm..."

The Eastern lands... I remember the old man at the weapon shop mentioned he trained in the Eastern lands.

Is it Japanese-style?

In this world, when they say Eastern, it usually means Japanese. I've seen it in games I've played.

"Then, do you know about the design of hot springs in the Eastern lands?"

It's not about homesickness, but I'd like to experience a bit of Japanese-style atmosphere.

Until now, all the hot springs I've been to were Western-style, and I'd like to enjoy a bit of Japanese-style atmosphere.

"The hot springs on the main island have that kind of design."

"Got it, I'll look forward to it."

Soaking in the hot spring is part of my job.

That day, I stayed in the hot spring for a long time before returning to my room and ending the day.

---

The next day.

After a quiet night, I feel refreshed.

Usually, I have Raphatalia and Filo, who are always noisy, so quiet nights are rare.

Thinking about it, I wonder if they are okay...

They were with Motoyasu, who only lives for his lower half.

...I hope they didn't cause any big problems.

If there were any, Shadow would deal with it.

"What are you going to do today?"

After finishing breakfast at the inn, the first woman spoke to me.

"I'm thinking of hunting until noon and then returning to the main island."

"Okay, I understand."

Together with the first woman and Shadow, we hunted and leveled up until noon.

Since it was noon, I made sandwiches with leftover ingredients from the inn and gave them to the first woman and Shadow.

"I can't eat because I have work to do."

"Got it."

"Then I'll take it... thanks."

The first woman took the sandwich and ate it.

"Mmm... Not bad. You could open a restaurant."

"Everyone who eats my cooking says that."

I'm not trying to make anything fancy or particularly delicious... but for some reason, people say it's good.

It must be because of my Shield cooking skill.

"Motoyasu sometimes cooks, but it's not as good as mine."

"Ah, so Motoyasu can cook but it's not good."

Is he trying to show off his good looks by cooking?

It seems that in Motoyasu's world, men who can cook are popular.

Somehow, I can imagine him making pasta or French cuisine.

That would be more appealing to women.

By the way, since Carmilla Island is tropical, he might say his hobby is surfing.

No, his hobby is online games, which is why he's here.

The more I think about it, the more I wonder why his hobby is online games.

Looking at him now, he seems like a typical popular guy.

Maybe he's trying to form a harem, as is the norm in this world.

What a hassle.

He even fired the men in his party.

I should ask about this.

"By the way, you mentioned that there were men in Motoyasu's party yesterday."

"Yes. To my knowledge, two men joined after I did."

"Is the turnover that high in Motoyasu's party? From my memory, there were four women, including Bitch, at the beginning."

"Wow, when I joined, there were five women and two men."

"...That's a lot. Hey."

"Since then, there have been many comings and goings. No new members have joined recently, though."

In summary, the women who were in the way were driven out by Bitch's underhanded tactics, and the men left because they were fed up with Motoyasu's womanizing.

This has been happening regularly.

...Quite something.

"It sounds like Motoyasu's party is quite a mess."

"Not really. As long as I go along with the Bitch Princesses and watch Motoyasu fight, I get to live a luxurious life and gain experience points. It's like heaven to me."

"...If that's what you want, then it's fine."

"But I think it's getting dangerous. We need to make Motoyasu stronger by investigating the Shield's secret and making him stronger. He's been on a decline lately, and if he doesn't improve, it might be time to leave. But I personally don't want to keep losing to the Bitch Princesses. I'll think about leaving after becoming one of Motoyasu's favorites."

What a statement.

If Raphatalia thought like this, I wouldn't be able to recover.

I don't really care, but I feel a bit sorry for Motoyasu.

"Why are you telling me this?"

This guy is completely complaining because the other two aren't here.

He's a hassle in a different way from Hysteria and Bitch.

Why does the Shield Hero have to listen to complaints about Motoyasu's party?

...But I'm picking up useful information here and there, so I can't complain.

"Couldn't you have switched to a better party if I had bought the inferior item?"

"I would have, but you didn't."

"Did you try to make me buy it on purpose?"

"Probably. I wish I had more power and didn't have to worry about money. I want to live luxuriously."

"Hey... Why are you with Motoyasu if you have such a background and personality? Can't you live luxuriously in a safer way?"

You must have experienced some life-threatening situations. There must be a reason you're still with him.

It wouldn't change anything even if I knew, but...

"My father keeps telling me to serve the hero. Honestly, my home is uncomfortable. My mother married into nobility but still does business. If I leave the hero's party, I'll either join the knight's order or help my mother with her business. Neither is easy."

"Is it okay to tell me this?"

"Would Motoyasu believe your words?"

"No."

"Right? Even if I say I almost died, it wouldn't matter in this era. If I level up easily, it will be easier to leave if I do."

Indeed, this is the era when four heroes were summoned at once.

Some have lost their families and even become slaves.

Being a hero's companion means a class upgrade and free leveling. There are few people over level 40, so the treatment isn't bad.

Despite being lazy, you're thinking about the future.

"Among the heroes, I like Motoyasu's face the most."

"Sure, sure. By the way, Shadow."

"What is it?"

"Are you guarding my companions?"

"Yes, I'm watching them to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"I'm afraid Motoyasu might turn into a wolf."

"Ah... That's possible."

The first woman nods calmly, clearly understanding Motoyasu's character.

Your nod makes me more worried...

But, "That girl, I don't know about the bird, but she seems to be very proper."

"Raphatalia? She's not at that stage yet. She looks like that, but she's still a child."

"...I understand her struggles."

"Huh? Struggles?"

"Don't worry about it. It doesn't matter either way."

"Got it. Filo... seems to be interested in food."

Food can build friendship, but love... I'm not sure.

In a way, it's based on animal instincts.

I don't know biologically, but I don't think she's interested in that kind of thing outside of mating season.

"By the way, Motoyasu was quite interested in the bird girl. The Bitch Princesses were jealous."

"He was into angel girls, right?"

His topics always revolve around women. I wish he would stop.

Filo's appearance... he must like blonde, blue-eyed angel girls.

If Motoyasu came from Japan, there are no such girls there.

I've never seen an actual angel in this world.

I've seen sub-humans with wings, but they have clawed hands and feet.

"Filo and Raphatalia spent two days together! They skipped out with a mix of complaints."

"Are you still with Motoyasu after that?"

"Their complaints were intense. But, as they say, heroes are admired for their color. I can't deal with all the fuss."

"Surprisingly, you're quite detached."

"Go on."

In terms of being easy to get along with, you're a good match.

I don't know how you act in front of Motoyasu, but you're definitely easy to talk to.

You might be a good conversationalist.

"Still, Bitch doesn't give up, does she?"

"She can't back down now. She said something like, 'I can't forgive her for rising above me after I set her up!'"

"What a terrible statement."

"Her father is probably like that. I think she's always gotten her way. Now that things aren't going well, she's so resentful that she wants to kill you, based on my analysis."

"Sounds reasonable."

You observe things well.

So, Bitch wants to kill me.

I knew that, but I'm also making her suffer while making her think I want to.

"When I heard that you tried to rape her, I thought it was suspicious, but I had no reason to protect you. Some of the others had doubts and were set up, so I pretended to be uninvolved."

"You're consistent."

"Well, she'll have to give up somewhere or she'll strangle herself to death. It's not my problem."

"..."

Your cold words instantly froze my heart.

Is this what women are like?

Despite this, we finished our monster hunting and returned to the main island.

At first, I wasn't sure what would happen, but it turned out to be more normal than I expected.