Chapter 41

In the distance, a town could be seen, a small-scale town surrounded by rivers and fences. Facing the street was a wooden gate, and next to the gate was a small hut, probably for the gatekeeper. Although it was small, the town was still equipped with a gatekeeper, indicating a certain level of security. With the thought of being able to shop sufficiently, Aichi's face relaxed.

"…If you're in a good mood, can you take off this collar for me?"

Shia, looking unhappy, pleaded to Aichi, who was smiling and looking in the direction of the town. Shia's neck was adorned with a black collar, which, though inconspicuous, had a small crystal-like object embedded in it. This collar was something Aichi had put a lot of effort into making, and he had forcibly placed it on Shia's neck to punish her for speaking out of turn. For some reason, Shia couldn't take it off herself. When Shia asked Aichi to remove the collar, he completely ignored her.

As they approached the town, people could clearly see Aichi and his companions. Aichi put away his magic-powered motorcycle into his treasure vault and started walking instead. After all, riding a black motorcycle into the town would cause a big commotion.

On the way, although Shia grumbled incessantly, she was still ignored. Finally, they reached the town gate. As expected, the small hut next to the gate was the gatekeeper's booth, and an armed man came out from inside. He was dressed in leather armor with a sword at his waist, looking more like an adventurer than a soldier. This man-like adventurer called out to Aichi, making them stop.

"Stop, show your attribute card, and what is your purpose for coming to the town?"

It was a standard question, but the guard seemed to lack enthusiasm. Aichi answered the guard's questions while taking out his attribute card.

"Mainly to resupply food, as we are traveling."

The guard, lacking enthusiasm, responded with a "Hmm~" while checking Aichi's attribute card. Then, he blinked, held the card further away to look at it, and rubbed his eyes. Seeing the guard's reaction, Aichi thought, "Oh no, I forgot to hide it," and felt a cold sweat.

Attribute cards have a function to hide ability values and skill slots. For adventurers and mercenaries, the leakage of combat abilities could be fatal. To get through, Aichi immediately started making up lies.

"Not long ago, we were attacked by monsters, and the card seems to have been damaged during that time."

"Huh? Damaged? But... "

The guard was confused, but it was understandable. Aichi's card did not display a level, and the ability values and skill slots were a mess. While it was known that attribute cards could be lost, it was unheard of for them to be damaged (meaning the displayed values were bugged). Normally, such a claim would be laughed off, but the card was displaying impossible values, leaving the guard unsure of how to judge.

Aichi put on a troubled expression, shrugged, and continued his attack.

"If it weren't damaged, the values displayed would be too strange, wouldn't they? I would be like a monster. Do I look like the kind of monster that could destroy this town with one finger?"

Seeing Aichi spread his arms and joke, the guard chuckled. If the attribute card's display was correct, the person in front of him would be a monster surpassing even the Demon King and the Hero. Even if he hadn't heard of such a thing, it was more reasonable to think the card was damaged.

If the guard knew Aichi was truly a monster, he would probably faint on the spot. Yue and Shia watched Aichi, who was calmly lying, speechless.

"Well, I can't see the level. I've never heard of the values being displayed incorrectly, but everything has a first time... What about the two of you?"

The guard asked Yue and Shia to show their attribute cards. When he turned his gaze to them, he froze. Looking at them, the guard's face turned red, his eyes became unfocused, and he looked back and forth between Yue and Shia. Yue, naturally, was a beautiful girl like a delicate porcelain doll. Shia, when not speaking, was a mysterious and charming girl. In other words, the guard was captivated by the two, losing his composure.

Aichi coughed on purpose, and the guard hastily turned his gaze back to Aichi.

"Because of the monster attack, this girl's card was also lost. This rabbit girl... you know, right?"

Accepting this explanation, the guard nodded and returned Aichi's attribute card.

"Still, you've acquired quite beautiful companions. White-haired rabbit girls are quite rare, aren't they? Are you unexpectedly wealthy?"

The guard, still occasionally glancing at the two, asked Aichi with a mix of envy and jealousy. Aichi just shrugged and didn't answer.

"Alright, you can pass."

"Ah, thank you. By the way, where can I exchange materials for money?"

"Ah, that? Just go straight down the main road to the Adventurer's Guild. If you want to go directly to a shop, ask at the guild; they'll give you a simple town map."

After getting the information from the guard, Aichi and his companions entered the town. The town, called Brook, was confirmed from the gate. The town was quite lively, though not as bustling as the nearby town of Holuard in the Orkus region. There were many street vendors, and the sounds of hawking and intense bargaining could be heard.

Such a bustling scene lifted everyone's spirits. Not just Aichi, but Yue also looked pleased. However, Shia had been trembling and looking at Aichi with teary eyes since the beginning.

Shia didn't yell at Aichi but stared at him with teary eyes. Aichi sighed, thinking, "Don't dampen our spirits," and met Shia's gaze.

"What's wrong? You look like a gorilla monster trying to hold up an ultra-heavy rock with all its might."

"Who's a gorilla?!! And what kind of bizarre metaphor is that? Mr. Aichi, you could just say it in one hit! Just imagining it makes me feel so pitiful!"

"…Would you cry if I pulled your face?"

"Unexpected additional attack!? That's so unfair! No, that's not what we're talking about!"

Shia, busy complaining and making sarcastic remarks, waved her hands and expressed her dissatisfaction with her whole body. Incidentally, the gorilla monster scenario was a story from when Aichi used the monster as a compression alchemy test bench, definitely not for the enjoyment of torturing monsters. Yue often got angry. Incidentally, the gorilla monster also had the innate magic [Powerful Arms].

"About this! This collar! Because of this, I was mistaken for a slave! Mr. Aichi, you knew this would happen when you put it on me! It's too much, aren't we supposed to be companions?"

It seemed Shia was upset about this. She thought she was a travel companion, but Aichi deliberately treated her like a slave, which was quite a blow to her. Of course, the collar Aichi gave her was not made to restrict slaves and had no ability to restrain Shia. She knew this. However, even so, being treated like a slave was still hurtful.

Looking at Shia, Aichi scratched his head in exasperation and met her gaze.

"You know, it's impossible for a non-slave demi-human, especially a popular rabbit girl, to walk around town normally. Moreover, you are a rare white-haired rabbit girl with exceptional looks and figure. I can assure you that if you don't appear as someone's slave, you will attract a lot of attention as soon as you enter the town. After that, a storm of people will try to kidnap you. It's too much trouble... Hey, why are you acting so shy?"

Say what you want to say! It turned out that Shia was staring at Aichi with a shy expression. Hearing Aichi's words, she blushed and started to fidget, while Yue watched her coldly.

"Really, Aichi, saying such things in front of everyone. About how she has exceptional looks, figure, and personality, and is the cutest and most charming in the world... How shameless!"

In response to Shia's exaggerated remarks, Yue's golden right straight punch hit her face. Shia let out an un-cute cry and fell to the ground. Since she hadn't undergone physical enhancement, she got up, touching her face, which was red for a different reason.

"…Don't get carried away."

"…Yes, Miss Yue."

Shia trembled at Yue's cold voice. Watching the interaction, Aichi, looking dumbfounded, continued.

"Ah, I mean, in human territory, the identity of a slave can actually protect you. Otherwise, you would cause a lot of trouble."

"That... I understand that..."

Although she understood the logic and reason behind Aichi's actions, Shia still found it hard to accept, showing a dissatisfied expression. Because she had a strong desire to be a companion, she found it difficult to accept the current situation. This time, Yue spoke to Shia.

"…What others think doesn't matter."

"Miss Yue?"

"…What's important is that important people know… isn't it?"

"…Yes, that's true. Indeed, that's true."

"…Although it's not my intention… but Shia, you are also a recognized rival… don't get hung up on trivial matters."

"…Miss Yue… thank you."

In the past, the vampire princess who listened to the voices of the masses and worked tirelessly for them, after being betrayed and reborn, her words, though few, carried great weight. Because of this, her words could deeply touch Shia's heart. Everyone, including the Horia clan, Aichi, and Yue, knew that Shia was an important companion to Aichi and Yue. There was no need to cause endless trouble to make everyone understand this. Of course, if everyone could know, that would be even better…

Shia, blushing at Yue's words, smiled and secretly glanced at Aichi, as if expecting him to say something. Aichi, looking helpless, shrugged and spoke.

"Well, even if you are exposed as not being a slave and attacked, we won't abandon you."

"Even if it means going against everyone in the town?"

"Hey, didn't I already kill imperial soldiers?"

"Then, even if it means going against the country? Mwahaha."

"What are you saying? Even if it means going against the world, against the gods, it won't change. As long as they are my enemies, I will fight them."

"Mwahaha… Did you hear that, Miss Yue? Mr. Aichi said such things? It seems he really cherishes us~"

"…Aichi only cherishes me."

"Wait, please consider the atmosphere! Here, you should respond with '…Hmm' as usual!"

Shia, complaining, had a happy expression. If Aichi said he would fight the whole world for her, as a woman, Shia was very happy to hear it, especially since Aichi was the one she was infatuated with.

Aichi, looking at the two bickering (at least it seemed that way), began to explain about Shia's collar.

"Also, the collar has a telepathy stone and a specific stone. Use them if necessary; just inject magic power to activate them."

"Telepathy stone and specific stone?"

The telepathy stone, as the name suggests, is a mineral that allows communication. By using creation magic to grant [Telepathy] to the stone, it can communicate over long distances based on the amount of magic power injected. However, at this stage, it cannot communicate with a specific telepathy stone; everyone within range with a telepathy stone can receive the message, so it cannot be used for private conversations.

The specific stone is created by using creation magic to grant [Aura Sensing + Specific Sensing]. By using specific sensing, it can detect a specific aura from a large number of auras and distinguish it from others. By injecting magic power, the specific stone can be used as a beacon. The signal strength of the beacon is proportional to the amount of magic power injected.

Shia, hearing Aichi's explanation, expressed admiration.

"By the way, the collar can be taken off if a specific amount of magic power is circulated through it."

"I see, so this means… you want to always hear my voice and know where I am, Mr. Aichi? Really, do you like me that much? Still, it feels a bit heavy, ah, not that I dislike Mr. Aichi, oh no!"

"…Don't get carried away."

"Gulp, sorry."

Yue's kick drew a beautiful curve and hit Shia's back of the head. Shia let out a strange cry and fell to the ground. Yue spoke in a cold voice. Yue's high kick was so perfect that it made one want to comment, "Aren't you not good at close combat?" Shia, with teary eyes, apologized to Yue. It seemed that even though she allowed them to travel together, Yue did not allow Shia to get close to Aichi. Whether Shia's behavior could be considered getting close was still questionable.

With this somewhat good (?) atmosphere, Aichi and his companions walked down the main street and found a sign with a large sword. It was the sign of the Adventurer's Guild, which they had seen in the town of Holuard. The scale was about two-thirds the size of the one in Holuard.

Aichi confirmed the content of the sign and pushed open the heavy door to enter.