Wend Port.
The only port town on the Demon Continent.
The hilly streetscape offered a panoramic view of the entire town from the entrance.
The houses were built of the earth and stone typical of the Demon Continent, though a few wooden structures dotted the streets here and there.
They probably imported lumber from the Millis Continent.
A shipyard stood at the edge of town.
Perhaps because it was a port town, there were fewer stalls near the entrance and more bustle toward the harbor.
It felt like a town with a slightly different flavor from the others.
And on the far side of the harbor— Beyond the town stretched a vast, open sea.
When was the last time I'd seen the ocean?
I think it was back in middle school, during a coastal school trip.
The sea seemed to be the same no matter what world you were in.
Blue water, the sound of waves, birds that looked like seagulls, sails billowing in the wind…
This was my first time seeing a sailing ship with my own eyes.
I'd caught glimpses in movies from time to time, but watching an actual wooden ship cutting through the waves under full sail was thrilling in a way that made me feel embarrassingly childlike.
I wondered—did they have techniques for sailing against the wind in this world too?
Well, knowing this world, they probably just had mages conjure a tailwind or something along those lines.
--- The moment we arrived in town,
"
The words that tumbled from Eris's mouth were fluent Demon God language.
I'd made a point of having her practice using it regularly.
The plan had paid off, and Eris's Demon God language had improved dramatically lately.
As expected, the shortcut to mastering a foreign language was using it in everyday life.
That said, she still couldn't read or write.
Incidentally, since arriving on the Demon Continent, I hadn't taught her a single spell.
Not only had I not taught her incantationless casting—she'd probably forgotten how to chant altogether.
"Wait, Eris! We haven't even picked an inn yet—where are you going?!"
At my words, Eris skidded to a halt.
This was, for the record, the third time this had happened.
The first time, we got lost. The second time, we ended up in a street fight at a corner.
The third time would not occur.
"Right! We should pick an inn first, or we'll get lost!"
Eris kept glancing toward the sea as she bounced back over to us, practically glowing with excitement.
Come to think of it, this was probably her first time seeing the ocean.
There were rivers near the Fittoa Region, and she'd apparently gone on outings with Sauros to splash around in the water on holidays.
Unfortunately, I'd never joined them.
"Can you swim?"
"Huh? Swim in the port?"
"I want to swim!"
I mean, sure, I wouldn't mind getting a look at thirteen-year-old Eris's alluring physique…
"But you don't have a swimsuit, right?"
"A swimsuit? What's that? I don't need one!"
That bombshell left me momentarily at a loss for words.
*A swimsuit? What's that? I don't need one.* She didn't need a swimsuit.
That could only mean one thing—full nudity.
No, no, surely not.
This world did have a culture of modesty.
So it was probably—yes, almost certainly—underwear.
She'd swim in her underwear, clothes clinging to her skin when wet, translucent fabric revealing what lay beneath, perky shapes on full display.
Wait, why hadn't I ever tagged along on those river outings in the Fittoa Region?
Because I'd been busy.
Back then, I'd spent every day productively.
But one time—just once—it probably would have been okay to join them.
No, never mind that. Focus on the task at hand.
Live in the present.
Yes—live in the present!
Yeehaw!
The sea!
"Oh, I wouldn't swim in this sea if I were you."
And just like that, Ruijerd doused my enthusiasm with cold water.
"Why not?!"
"There are a lot of monsters."
Apparently.
Well, Ruijerd and I could just kill them all.
I'd be lying if I said that thought hadn't crossed my mind.
But that biological radar of his wasn't infallible.
It couldn't see underwater, maybe?
Still, couldn't we at least take a temporary dip?
Even if swimming in the harbor was too dangerous, we could find a nearby beach and use earth magic to build some kind of fish pen or enclosure— No, there was always the slim chance something could go wrong.
Some monsters had bizarre special abilities.
Something might jump right over a makeshift barrier.
If it was an octopus, that'd be an ecchi event. If it was a shark, though, it'd be Jaws.
There was no helping it.
We'd have to skip the ocean swim.
Truly, there was nothing to be done about it.
"No ocean swimming this trip.
We'll pick an inn and then head to the
"Yeah…"
Eris looked crestfallen.
Hmm.
But I was genuinely interested in Eris's healthy, growing body.
I hadn't been able to gauge her development over the past year.
It was hard to tell through clothes, but maybe on an open beach, I could pick up on certain things.
"Even if we don't swim, we can still play on the beach, right?"
"The beach?"
"The sea has these things called sandy shores. The shoreline is lined with stretches of sand."
"What's fun about that?"
What could I even say?
"Well, you know… splashing each other at the waterline…"
"Rudeus, you're making that weird face again."
"Guh…"
"But it does sound fun! Let's go later!"
Eris beamed, kicked off the ground with a light tap, and vaulted back onto the lizard.
A magnificent leap.
She'd launched herself with just the strength of her ankles.
The onomatopoeia for it would be something like *gwoon*.
Eris's legs and core were seriously well-trained.
That itself was fine, but…
Would she end up getting absurdly muscular like Ghislaine down the road?
I was a little worried.
--- After settling on an inn and leaving the lizard at the stables, we headed straight for the Adventurer's Guild.
We could hold the strategy meeting before bed.
The Adventurer's Guild of Wend Port.
It was packed with adventurers of all manner of races and appearances.
A familiar sight, though it seemed there were more humans than before.
Once we crossed to the Millis Continent, there'd be even more.
First, as usual, I made my way to the bulletin board.
"Aren't we crossing the sea soon?" Ruijerd asked.
"We're just looking. Apparently, the Millis Continent offers better-paying jobs."
Better-paying jobs on the Millis Continent.
That was because the currency was different.
The Millis Continent's money came in six denominations: King Notes, General Notes, Gold Coins, Silver Coins, Large Copper Coins, and Copper Coins.
Setting a one-stone-coin value as the baseline: King Note: 50,000 General Note: 10,000 Gold Coin: 5,000 Silver Coin: 1,000 Large Copper Coin: 100 Copper Coin: 10 On the Demon Continent, a B-rank job paid roughly fifteen to twenty scrap iron coins—equivalent to 150 to 200 stone coins.
If a B-rank job on Millis paid, say, fifteen Large Copper Coins, that would be 1,500 stone coins.
Ten times as much.
Millis was clearly the better place to earn.
However, if there was going to be a long wait before a ship departed, we'd have to take jobs here too.
They'd mainly be B-rank quests.
A-rank and S-rank jobs were dangerous and often took over a week.
If you wanted steady income over a few days, B-rank was the way to go.
That was precisely why I had no intention of promoting to S-rank, where B-rank jobs would be off-limits.
You could take S-rank quests once you hit A-rank.
So why did S-rank exist in the first place? I'd wondered about that initially.
When I asked a guild receptionist, it turned out S-rank came with special perks.
I hadn't looked into the details, but apparently the discounts on inn rates improved, the guild assigned you cut-rate jobs, and they'd turn a blind eye to minor rule violations.
Something along those lines.
If you were going to focus on A-rank work anyway, being S-rank instead of A offered better financial returns.
That said, those perks primarily benefited adventurers who specialized in labyrinth exploration.
We weren't going into labyrinths.
They were dangerous and time-consuming.
Our quests were mostly B-rank.
So there were no plans to reach S-rank anytime soon.
Eris seemed to want it, though.
I'd gotten off track. Anyway, the whole reason we were adventuring was to make money.
So if Millis paid better, the sooner we got on a ship, the better.
"Speaking of which, where do the ships actually depart from?"
"The harbor."
"I mean where in the harbor."
"Why don't you ask?"
I headed over to the counter.
The person standing there was a woman, probably human.
For some reason, the staff behind the guild counters were disproportionately female.
And for some reason, they were disproportionately busty.
"I'd like to go to the Millis Continent. Do you know where I should go for that?"
"You'll need to ask that question at the checkpoint."
"The checkpoint?"
"When you board a ship, you'll cross a national border."
That was a matter between nations, not something under the guild's jurisdiction.
So the guild staff had no obligation to explain. Fair enough.
In that case, we'd head to the checkpoint.
I could get the details there…
"You there!"
Just as I was thinking this, a shout echoed through the guild.
I turned around.
Eris was punching a human man.
Our nuclear warhead was in fine form today.
"Who do you think you are, and what part of me did you just touch?!"
"A-a coincidence! Who'd want to grope a brat like you?!"
"Coincidence or not—your apology isn't sincere enough!"
Eris's Demon God language had become remarkably fluent.
And with that fluency had come more fights.
Turned out, understanding what the other person was saying really was the problem.
"Ahahaha! What's this, what's this—a fight?!"
"Oh dear!"
"Hey, hey—don't tell me you're getting beaten up by a kid!"
Incidentally, fights between adventurers were apparently a common occurrence, and the guild rarely intervened.
In fact, some staff members actively started taking bets.
"I'll crush you!"
"S-sorry! I lose! Give me a break—let go of my leg! Stop—stooop!"
As I was watching this train of thought unfold, Eris had already sent the man sprawling in no time.
Her ability to corner an opponent had come into its own lately.
She'd snap without warning and then press her attack with startling precision.
*What the hell is she angry about?* By the time you thought that, you were on the ground and she was stomping on your vital spots.
No ordinary C-rank adventurer could handle her.
And once she'd landed a few good blows, Ruijerd would step in.
"Enough."
"…Don't stop me!"
"The fight's over. That's enough."
As before, Ruijerd lifted her up like a cat to restrain her.
The man crawled away in a panic.
"Damn it—she's crazy!"
Same scene as always.
I had trouble stopping her myself.
If I tried to grab her from behind, my hands had a tendency to wander of their own accord.
And if they wandered to inappropriate places, it would be *my* life in danger.
"That red-haired brute of a girl with the bald guy…!
Hey—aren't you guys 'Dead End'?!"
The moment someone shouted that, the entire guild went quiet.
"Dead End—the Superd clan…?"
"Idiot! It's their party name! Recently there've been rumors they're fakes!"
"I heard rumors that they're the real deal, too."
Oh my.
"She's violent, but apparently she's actually a decent person at heart…"
"Violent but decent? That's contradictory."
"No, I think they mean not *everyone* in the group is violent…"
A murmur rippled through the guild.
This was a first.
It seemed we'd gotten quite famous.
Maybe I didn't need to sell Ruijerd's name in this town?
"Just a three-person party at A-rank…"
"Yeah, crazy—though whether they're real or fake, if it's those two, I buy it."
"They're 'Mad Dog Eris' and 'Watchdog Ruijerd,' right?"
Eris and Ruijerd had nicknames!
"Mad Dog" and "Watchdog," though.
Why dogs?
What would I be, I wondered?
Fighting dog? Nah. I hadn't done anything that cool.
I didn't come across as the heroic type.
If I were naming myself, something like "Butter Dog," maybe…
Over the past year, I'd served as the party's strategist, or so I liked to think.
So it should've been something intellectual.
Loyal Dog, perhaps.
"Then that little runt over there must be 'Owner Ruijerd'!"
"I heard the 'Owner' is the worst of the bunch!"
"Yeah—word is he does nothing but awful things."
My spirits sank.
My name—my name hadn't been remembered.
Well, I *had* introduced myself as Ruijerd fairly often.
Every time we did something good, I'd say something like, "We're Dead End, led by Ruijerd, so please bear with us!"
And every time we did something bad, I'd cackle, "I'm Rudeus, bwahaha!"
But that shouldn't have gotten the two names mixed up…
Hm.
After a solid year of adventuring, the fact that only my name had been forgotten was… a little disheartening.
…Well, whatever.
My name was known, even if it was for the wrong things, and it wasn't my real name anyway.
Besides, "Owner" wasn't bad at all.
I'd love to put a collar on Eris and parade her around.
"Impressive."
"He's probably *small* down there too—kids are like that, right?"
"Hey, hey—say he's small and he'll set the dogs on you!"
"Ahahahahaha!"
Before I knew it, they were laughing about something completely unrelated.
Too bad for them, though.
I'd been growing just fine lately.
Oh wait—no good.
If they laughed at me like that, Eris would fly into a rage again.
But when I looked over, she kept glancing my way, face flushed red.
Well, how adorable.
"Eris? What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong!"
Hmph.
If you're that curious, you're welcome to watch me bathe tonight.
Don't worry—I'll fill Ruijerd in.
Better yet, let's all bathe together.
Of course, in that case, hands might slip, feet might slip, bodies might slip, tongues might slip— Jokes aside.
Time to head to the checkpoint.
As befitting a proper "Owner," I'd leave this place radiating dignity.
"Eris! Ruijerd Doria! Let's go!"
"Why do you keep getting my name wrong sometimes…"
"Hmph!"
Drawing every eye in the guild, we departed.
--- We arrived at the checkpoint.
The town was on the Demon Continent, but the ships headed to Millis, a territory of the Holy Millis Kingdom.
Bringing goods in meant paying taxes.
Entering the country required money.
Was it to discourage crime, or were they simply greedy for coin?
Well, the reason didn't matter.
If they said pay, we'd pay.
That was what I'd assumed.
"There are two humans and one demon. How much is that?"
"Five iron coins for the humans… What race is the demon?"
"Superd."
The checkpoint official looked at Ruijerd with wide eyes.
Then he glanced at that bald head and let out a long sigh.
Wearing an expression that screamed zero motivation, he said: "Superd. Two hundred green ore coins."
T-two hundred coins?!
Now it was my turn to be shocked.
"W-why is it that expensive?!"
"You don't need me to tell you…"
The reason Superd passage was so expensive.
I got it!
I understood perfectly, given all the traveling we'd done.
But it was still too much.
"Why such an absurd amount?"
"Search me. Ask whoever set the rate."
"What's your best guess?"
"Huh? Probably counter-terrorism. They figure you'll smuggle Superd in as slaves and let them run loose on the Millis Continent."
Something like that.
So the Superd were treated as walking bombs. Noted.
"You're that 'Dead End' crew, right?
When you board the ship, they check your race for real.
So even if you flash two hundred green ore coins here to save face, it won't mean a thing, y'know?"
The official kindly offered this warning.
In other words, even if we pretended to be Migurd here, we'd be found out.
"There's no penalty for falsifying your race?"
"…As long as you pay the higher fee."
According to the official, money could fix pretty much anything.
Truly a capitalist philosophy.
--- By the time we returned from the checkpoint, night had fallen.
We went back to the inn for dinner.
What the inn served was the kind of seafood fare you'd expect from a port town.
Tonight's main dish was a massive shell the size of a fist, steamed in sake with garlic butter seasoning.
Delicious.
The best thing I'd eaten on the Demon Continent.
"This is so good!"
Eris stuffed her mouth full, chewing happily.
Over the past year, she'd been steadily unlearning every bit of Asuran Kingdom table manners she'd once known.
She used the knife in her right hand to cut the food, then speared it directly into her mouth.
At least she wasn't eating with her hands, but any semblance of decorum had long since vanished.
Edna would probably cry if she saw this.
Was it my fault…
"Eris! Your table manners are terrible!"
"Mmph… Who cares about manners?"
Ruijerd actually had better manners than she did.
Though "refined" wasn't exactly the word for him either.
He didn't use a knife at all, cutting everything with just a fork.
A single pass of the fork and the food parted like butter.
Masterful technique, I had to admit.
"Now then—sorry to interrupt the meal, but let's hold today's strategy meeting."
"Rudeus. Talking during a meal is bad manners."
She said it with a straight face.
--- After finishing our meal and settling our stomachs, we began the strategy meeting.
"The passage fee is two hundred green ore coins. That's an astronomical sum."
"Sorry—it's my fault."
Ruijerd's face clouded over.
I hadn't expected that amount either.
Honestly, I'd been naive about the passage fees.
I'd assumed we could board as soon as we scraped together some money.
In reality, humans paid just five iron coins.
Other demon races paid one or two green ore coins at most.
Only the Superd paid an exorbitant amount.
"Dad, you can't just let that slide."
"I'm not your father."
"I know. It was a joke."
Two hundred green ore coins, though.
That was no small amount.
Even if we took A-rank and S-rank quests exclusively in this town, it would take who knew how many years.
The Millis Continent really did not want the Superd coming in.
"This is a real problem. We can't just leave Ruijerd behind, obviously."
Leaving Ruijerd behind would be the fastest solution.
We'd become pretty capable adventurers by now.
We could probably continue the journey without him.
That said, there was absolutely no intention of doing so.
Ruijerd was with us until the end.
Our friendship was eternal and unbreakable.
"Of course we're not leaving him behind."
"Then what do we do?"
"I have… three options."
I held up three fingers.
Everything started with the number three.
No matter the situation, the choice to advance, retreat, or stand still was always there.
"Oh?"
"Three options? Impressive…"
"Heh heh."
Give me a second—I hadn't actually thought of them yet.
Um.
"First.
Earn money through quests and cross to Millis—the legitimate method."
"But that—"
"Right. It would take too long."
If we focused solely on earning, maybe we could scrape it together within a year.
Not that some mishap couldn't happen along the way.
What if we accidentally lost our coin purse?
"Second.
Enter a labyrinth and retrieve mana crystals and mana-infused items.
It'd be hard work, but a single haul might net enough to get us across."
Mana crystals sold for a high price.
I didn't know exactly how much, but if we handed them over to the checkpoint official, they'd probably let at least one Superd through.
"A labyrinth! Great—let's go!"
"No."
The labyrinth proposal was shot down by Ruijerd.
"Why not?!"
"Labyrinths are dangerous. Some traps are beyond what my eyes can see."
Ruijerd's vision could identify living creatures, but it apparently didn't react to the traps created within labyrinths.
"I wanted to go, though…"
"…I hate to shoot down my own suggestion, but I'd rather not go."
We might manage if we were careful, but knowing my clumsy self, I'd make some fatal mistake eventually.
I should follow Ruijerd's judgment on this.
"Third.
Find a smuggler somewhere in this town."
"A smuggler? What's that?"
"At border crossings like this, importing goods incurs taxes.
What we're being asked to pay falls under that.
For merchants, I imagine their merchandise is taxed as well."
"Is that right?"
"Indeed.
Otherwise, why would different races have different rates?
There are probably items with outrageously high taxes—things you can't move openly.
Someone out there would transport those goods for less than the tax fee."
Of course, they might not exist.
But if we could cut a deal with such an operator, they'd move us for far less than two hundred green ore coins.
The checkpoint's pricing was clearly absurd.
A minor rule violation probably wouldn't draw punishment…
No, no—bad idea.
The easy path always led to a trap.
Hadn't I learned that lesson?
I'd listed it as an option, but I'd rather not do anything wrong if I could help it.
So, off the top of my head, these were the three options: • Earn money the honest way • Strike it rich in a labyrinth • Use a shady middleman None of them were great.
Oh, right.
There was one more.
I could sell my staff—the **Arrogant Water Dragon King**.
Setting aside the pros and cons, I really didn't want to part with it.
It was a gift Eris had given me for my birthday.
I'd treasured it until today.
Neither Ruijerd nor Eris would agree to selling it.
But it might be the best option after all.
--- That night, I received a divine message.
God spoke: "Buy provisions at the stalls and search the back alleys alone."
Well, since there was no getting out of it, I went along with it.
"Reluctantly, you say…?"
Look—food stalls, back alleys—the setup was so obvious I already knew the event.
"You can tell?"
What else would it be—some starving, lost kid?
And the kid would be getting harassed by some shady guy?
"Exactly right! You're quite sharp!"
And after I save the kid, it turns out they're the granddaughter of the shipyard guild master or something like that?
"Hehehe—that's something to look forward to *tomorrow*."
Look forward to nothing.
When had any of these events ever been pleasant?
And hey—wait a minute.
It'd been a whole year since you'd shown up.
I thought you'd disappeared for good and had finally relaxed, you bastard.
"Well, last time my advice really caused a mess, didn't it?
I felt a little awkward about showing my face."
Ah.
So even God had moments like that.
But don't get the wrong idea.
That disaster was entirely my own screw-up.
That said—could you at least tell me what the correct choice would have been?
"Asking me to tell you what the right answer was? If you'd simply handed them over to the guards, you would have become friends with Ruijerd."
Huh? That event was that simple?
"Yes. Instead, you recruited them into your party and attracted the attention of the
I hadn't found it entertaining in the slightest.
"But thanks to that, you've come this far in just over a year, haven't you?"
So the ends justified the means?
"Results are everything in this world."
Tch.
I didn't like hearing that.
"Is that so?
Well—whatever.
I suppose I'll take my leave now. You seem to be in a foul mood."
Wait—one more thing I wanted to confirm.
"What is it?"
Was it possible that his advice worked better the *less* I overthought it?
"From my perspective, it's far more entertaining when you *do* overthink things."
Ah—I see now!
So that was how it worked.
Got it.
Let me make a declaration.
Next time? Not a single entertaining thing would happen.
"Hehehe—I look forward to it."
*Do you… do you… do you…* As the echo faded, my consciousness sank into darkness.