Chapter 46

Let's go back a little in time.

The communal life in the mansion had just begun, and after completing the adventurer registration, Shal and Ar faced me at the table. Natalie had already left the mansion early in the morning to open the shop.

"Toya-sama, I want to return to my country with Lady Natalie soon to save the Lunette Empire."

"I understand, but you barely managed to escape to this city with your life. How do you plan to save your country? With the three of you, including Ar and Natalie, it's impossible. Can you fight, Shal?"

I confronted Shal with the harsh reality, who was looking serious.

"W-well..."

"I will protect you!"

Ar stood up, indignant, but it was clear that he couldn't do anything on his own.

"How many can you handle on your own, Ar? Ten? In a war, thousands of soldiers will attack with all their might. It's unrealistic to think you can handle it."

Ar's face twisted in frustration at my words, and he sat back down weakly, muttering, "But..."

"That's why I have a proposal. By the way, what are your levels?"

"I'm level 37. I've been trained as a knight."

"...I'm level 5..."

Ar answered cheerfully, while Shal said it apologetically. Even if Natalie is as strong as a sage, I don't think the three of them can take on a country. Moreover, the Generate Kingdom has a hero.

"I don't intend to participate in the war, but if you want, I can train the two of you. There are many things I can't talk about, but..."

The two of them lit up at my words.

"Toya-sama, please, I want to save my country. I'm worried about my parents."

"Please, me too. I'm worried about my brother and mother."

"Alright, I understand. I'll help you both raise your levels. Be prepared to spend some time in the forest starting tomorrow."

"「Yes!!」"

I had the two of them prepare for the time in the forest, and I went to the market to get food and other supplies for the forest. Buying large quantities of ingredients is a regular occurrence, and the shopkeepers don't mind.

I carried large bags and stored them in my dimensional storage as I walked through the alleys. After buying a large amount of ingredients, I went back and made several types of soup and stored them.

Later, after Natalie returned home, I told her that we would be spending some time in the forest to raise our levels.

"......I see, the two of you will work hard. I'll stay at the shop during that time. I won't be able to eat Toya's cooking, after all."

...Is it just for the food? I chuckled and nodded.

The next day, early in the morning, the three of us, along with Kokuyou, left the city and headed for the forest where monsters appeared. On the way, we took out a carriage from the dimensional storage, got in, and had Kokuyou pull it. We arrived at the entrance to the forest in about two hours.

The Northern Forest was off-limits due to the war and my report to the Generate Kingdom about the border crossing. It was convenient that no other adventurers would come near.

I led the way, followed by Shal and Ar, heading deeper into the forest. I couldn't leave Kokuyou behind, so I told him to stay at the back and protect the two of them. Kokuyou let out a "Buruu" and positioned himself behind Ar.

The two of them were a bit bewildered, remembering the time they were surrounded by orcs.

"Do you intend to save your country? Can you save it if you're this hesitant?"

I called out to them, and they clenched their teeth and nodded firmly. We took a break halfway and arrived at an open area in the forest.

"---This is..."

"Yeah, this is where the orc village was. We'll use this as our base to level up. First..."

I found a flat area and took out a "house" from my dimensional storage. A typical two-story Japanese house suddenly appeared in front of us.

"---This is our base. The two of you---"

I turned to call out to them, but they were standing there with their mouths open, stunned.

"...Ar, have you ever seen someone take a house out of dimensional storage...?"

"...No... I've never seen it before."

"Right... What is Toya-sama...?"

I called out to the two of them, who were still stunned by the house.

"The two of you, come inside. I need to talk to you."

"A, yes..."

The two of them followed me into the house.

"Ah, take off your shoes at the entrance. No shoes inside."

"Understood..."

The two of them took off their boots and entered the house barefoot. The first floor had a kitchen, bathroom, dining room, and living room, and the second floor had four Western-style rooms, each about six tatami mats in size.

I sighed and headed to the living room, which might be a fresh experience for the two of them. The house had no particular decorations, the walls were all white, and there were no art pieces.

The dining and living room area was about twenty tatami mats in size. I gestured for them to sit in the chairs. When I sat down, Shal and Ar sat opposite me.

"---First, I need to make it clear that you must not tell anyone about this house."

"---Yes, of course. This is... quite extraordinary."

"I won't say anything either."

After confirming their nods, I began.

"First, we'll get you equipped. I'll lend you the gear. You must return it when we go back to the city. Understand this."

"「Yes!」"

"I'll take out your gear first. Shal, you're a spirit mage, right? Is it the same as a magic user?"

I had asked about their jobs when they registered as adventurers. Spirit mages are rare, and I remember Miria being surprised when they registered. In the game I played, there was no such job, but I had a general idea.

"Yes, there's no problem. In my case, I can achieve the same effects as magic by asking the spirits."

...Then, this should do.

I took out a robe and a staff from my dimensional storage and placed them on the table.

"This gear reduces your mana consumption and provides sufficient defense."

The robe and staff were items I obtained from events. The robe halves mana consumption, and the staff amplifies the power of spells. The white robe was adorned with gold thread, clearly a high-quality item. However, I had obtained it when I was still below level 100, and it wasn't particularly important, so I had stored it with this character.

However, when Shal heard about the gear's performance, she was speechless. Ar, sitting next to her, was in the same state.