This world was incomparably harsher than my past life, and human life was worth far less here.
Even for someone like me, who carried memories of a past life.
That said, it was handy being able to understand things my current age wouldn't normally let me grasp.
But my past-life memories couldn't revolutionize this world or anything like that.
I didn't even know how to make mayonnaise.
Seriously, why didn't I know that?
I knew how to make salad dressing, though.
"Well then, guess I should get up. Ouch…"
The bed was a wooden frame packed with straw. It was hard, and sometimes my back and joints ached.
I really needed to do something about this. A futon, maybe? Yeah… I'd think about it.
Also, I needed to replace the straw soon or bugs would start breeding in it.
Actually, when I'd gotten back last time, they'd already infested the place. It was awful.
I dealt with it using Banish. Goodbye, old straw. Hello, new straw.
It'd be nice if I could make insecticide, but I didn't have that kind of knowledge either.
Ah, but I bet there were people who would know how.
For now, I washed my face with water stored in a barrel and checked my reflection in the cracked mirror.
"…No matter how many times I look, I can't get used to it."
I managed a wry smile. Blue hair, silver eyes. Childish features. Really childish.
Well, I was 13, so I guess being childish came with the territory.
I also had to do something about the broken mirror.
Maybe I should buy a proper one this time. I was pretty sure Arifa had one in her shop.
"…………"
Every morning, I saw it. My face. So often I was sick of it.
Until now, it had felt like looking at some distant boy — the sense that it was me had been faint.
But now I could say, in a small voice, that I was Wof. That much self-awareness I had.
A loud voice was still beyond me.
I managed a wry smile, wiped my face with a cloth, and ate my morning bread-bean.
A big, mochi-mochi bean shaped like bread.
Toasted, it was soft and had a plain, honest taste. I didn't dislike it.
I washed it down with cold tea whether I wanted to or not, and finished eating.
Today's was a citrus tea.
The blending notes the witch had given me — something even I could manage — had proven handy.
Almost every day now, I made nothing but tea in the crescent-moon bowl.
Oh, right. I mustn't forget. I filled a plate with bread-bean.
That was her share — the woman illegally squatting in the watchtower.
She'd complain if it was only bread-bean, so I prepared meat-scrap soup too.
Leftover from yesterday. I heated it up and dumped the rest in — piled high in the bowl. That should do it.
Meat-scrap was great. Meat-scrap was really great.
I'd had no idea the cost-performance was this good. I owed Hoss for that.
After that, it was time for daily training.
Practicing and applying Banish.
In the fight against the Crown, I still hadn't gotten the hang of Banish.
So I tried out various things you could do with it.
I also became the Quiet One and tested Generous.
Generous had an active duration of 5 minutes and a cooldown of 1 day, I discovered.
I should have verified that when I first obtained it.
Oh well, no use regretting it. I'd still be careful using it going forward.
Once that was all done, I equipped the brand-new knife and headed out.
A new knife.
And I'd gotten it for free.
He'd already made it back safely and was drinking at the tavern, same as always.
Right — Agaro.
He was in high spirits, and when he asked if I wanted anything as a subjugation memento, a knife was the first thing out of my mouth.
So he gave me this red knife that had been sitting in the back of Arifa's shop.
Apparently it was a knife Agaro used to favor back when he was Rank IV.
It's a simple single-edged blade, and he said he'd replaced the scabbard and fittings several times over the years.
Right now it had a salamander-leather scabbard and a Thunder Bull horn handle.
That horn from the bull wreathed in lightning.
And the blade, which had never once been replaced, was tarnished the deep red of copper.
The blade had a wave pattern running through it, like rough surf.
It was slightly curved and the longest knife he'd had yet. It was practically a short sword.
Or rather, this knife — it reminded him of a knife from a corner of his past-life memories.
An adventurer's knife. The one used by the guy with the trademark hat and the dog he'd named after himself.
Simple design, but cool-looking.
For the record, this knife wasn't an OOPArt.
A knife. Bless you. Bless you.
Six days had passed since the dungeon subjugation.
He'd thought that was fast, but honestly it wasn't really.
The return point was the basement of the Delvers' Guild in Hydrangea.
It was called the Return Room, and a large teleportation return circle was set into the floor.
This large teleportation return circle was legendary.
The teleportation return circle Alexander had installed was a Legacy.
Honestly, even having it explained to him, he still didn't really get the difference.
He understood legendary well enough.
But honestly, he still couldn't tell Legacy and OOPArt apart.
Maybe that was because he wasn't a delver yet.
Come to think of it, Alexander.
At first he'd said he was staying behind, but he'd ended up coming back with them. Still.
"Well then, everyone. I'll take my leave here. Hope we meet again."
He bowed like that and left in a dashing way. It was clean and cool.
I hope I can see him again sometime. For something other than fishing.
Waiting for us when we returned were a Guild staff member and the Guild Master.
A man with blond hair, an elf, wearing a white shirt and trousers... with makeup on.
His name was apparently Arance. A flamboyant guy whose catchphrase was "oh my."
When Megadia, as our leader, explained the circumstances to Arance, we were guided somewhere.
We were dismissed for the day, but told they might call us in again later.
I was tired, so I headed straight home, and for some reason Mineha came along with me.
And just like that, our illegal occupation of the tower continued on.
Today the sky was overcast.
The white buildings of the city looked duller than usual.
The walls and structures of this city were made of materials with monster-warding properties.
That was why the city still existed, even though there were several dungeons in and around it.
The city's name was Hydrangea. It meant "a vessel for water."
It was true that with abundant groundwater and no shortage of water, it was the most livable city in the frontier.
Though, this country itself was on fertile land and was called the continent's breadbasket.
In the western district of Hydrangea. Next to the bell tower.
A giant monster's
mouth
suddenly appeared.
This cave is the entrance to the dungeon. It's still closed off, though.
"Hello there, Gauro."
I greeted the gatekeeper.
Gauro—the veteran gatekeeper. He had a scar on his face and looked like some kind of thief.
He used to be a delver, but after taking a scar to the face, he'd ended up as the gatekeeper.
"Hey. Sorry, Wof. Still closed."
The dungeon's anomaly had been resolved.
But until the investigation team's findings came back clear, the closure wouldn't be lifted.
"Yeah. I just came by to check things out today."
"Well, the Junkyard has"
"no"
"th"
"ing"
" in"
" it,"
" so"
" you"
" can"
" use"
" it..."
e
t
d
o
w
n
"
The Crown had been completely eliminated, which meant its subordinate mimics were no longer a concern either.
So the tragedy at the Junkyard never happened.
There were still some victims from the lizardmen that had replaced the mimics, but it wasn't on the scale of a tragedy.
Agaro had defeated the boss Lizard General at the time.
I was there too, and sure enough, I helped save the girl.
"That's great to hear."
"I'd like to reopen as soon as possible, though. There are a few kids who show up every day."
"Well, there's nothing you can do about that."
That had to be about Gauro. He was probably treating the kids who came by to a meal or something.
I'd had him treat me before too.
"Oh, that's right. Here—I got this during that last expedition."
I showed him the bronze ring.
"Now that you mention it, when you dealt with that incident… what's going on with this thing?"
"H-hey!?"
I tossed the ring over.
It was the bronze ring I'd gotten from the lizardman nest in the dungeon.
By all accounts, I had supposedly gone on a rampage in that nest as the "Still One."
I'd called it decent, but honestly, I had no idea what it was really worth.
Still, if it meant more kids who could put food on the table, that was fine by me.
"Wof, I can't accept th—tsk, he's already gone."
I could see the refusal coming from a mile away, so I just grinned and bolted.
Southwest of Hydrangea. Deep in the second forest in this area.
There was a brick house built into a hollow at the base of a massive, gnarled tree.
I rang the bell hung just above and to the side of the wooden door.
Ding-a-ling.
"Coming, coming. I'll be right theeeere~"
The witch's voice drifted out, and my heart was pounding.
It had been quite a while since I'd seen the witch.
After returning and all the things that followed, I hadn't been able to come see her right away, and that had made it all the worse.
There was something I absolutely had to tell the witch.
But before that, I absolutely had to apologize.
The door swung open.
"Um—um, Witch. Long time no—whooooaaa—tch!?"
I let out a scream before I could stop myself. Which makes sense.
The witch was smiling, but she was completely naked.
I mean, totally bare. Not a single stitch of clothing on her.
Seriously, why?!