A moving skeleton emerged from the forest. Holding a ragged sword and shield, it moved toward Mr. Shero with awkward but surprisingly swift movements, as if it was being controlled from the sky with strings.
　His size appears small compared to Ms. Shero's. It may be that Shero-san is too big, but even so, he's probably no more than 5'7". Her movements are comical and her weapons are poor. He literally looks like a puppet, and to be honest, he doesn't look very strong. Perhaps I could fight that one ...... or something like that.

'You must have thought it looked weak, Jiro.

　You cringe when you get a guess. You're really sharp, Rebecca.

''It's definitely weak, those bones. But it can be a very troublesome opponent if you have the right chemistry with it!　That's especially hard to fight with a bow or a fine sword. ...... And no matter how weak you look, the monster will always have enough offensive power to kill someone. Even a sword like that can easily kill a person if it's hit.

I wouldn't let my guard down if I actually had to fight myself, but ......, are those bones weak?

Well, by our standards, anyway.

　Skelton is heading straight for Shero-san. There's no murderous intent or hostile intent - or rather, no intention or even purpose in mind - as it just hurriedly makes its way towards Mr. Shero. In contrast, Shero-san is still not moving. With the claymore on her shoulder, she only sat down slightly.

　At last, the skeleton has fleshed out on Mr. Shero, and a moment before the thrust with the ragged sword is about to be unleashed, Mr. Shero's body shakes for a moment, and a violent crushing sound echoes ---- when he realizes that The skeleton has already made a clean exit from this world.
　It seems to have been a blow from Shero's kesa-kiri by Claymore. At that speed, he probably didn't have time to think about defending himself with his shield (although it's doubtful that bone had a brain to think about it). It's a good thing that they were able to get out of this world without any offense, defense, or tactics, because they were knocked down by an overwhelming blow that was delivered without any preliminary movements. It's a level where you can say that you've already laid waste to the world. Mr. Shero is a real pain in the ass.
　I was thinking that depending on the situation, I'd have to join in ....... It's so ridiculous when there's such a difference in strength.

　Shero-san picks up what looks like a black crystal from the ground. Is it some kind of skeleton drop item?

'Well, ......, is that it, or is it just going to come out in one piece?　What's a monster?

There are various monsters that spring up, but only one of them appears in this area. Except for Hitotsutsuzuki, when the country hires hunters and organizes a strike force.

　Basically, only one of them appears? Well, "monsters" and "monsters and subhuman creatures (...)" seem to be completely distinct, and if there are too many monsters actively attacking humans, then the peace is in danger, and that's probably just fine. The only thing that comes out of this area is a weak one, as Rebecca said before, but I'm sure there are places where a strong one comes out .......
　I'm sure the modern kids will associate the game with it, but the strongest monsters are the ones like dragons, gryphons and wyverns.

It's a good idea.　The strongest monster that popped up around here was ......, I guess it's "Guardian Knight's Armor". It came up at the end of "Hitotsutsuzuki" two years ago and can be found at ....... It's not the kind of monster that would normally spring up in a place like this, though. Sixteen hunters were killed by that thing!

　Wow, 16 people were killed: ....... I don't know how many people were hit in the system, but that's close to a massacre, isn't it? And the other guy is in armor .......

"Guardian knight's armor ......?　Is it armor?

Yeah. Armor. This is the hardest piece of living armor I've ever seen. I had originally prepared it for the statue, so I was able to defeat it, but that was really close to the edge. Originally, it was supposed to be a monster that would boil up in the ruins of ancient ruins or something. ...... In Hitotsutsuzuki, it's not uncommon for unexpected monsters to spring up from time to time.

　Living armor, huh? The skeleton, statue, or monster are often undead attributes. No, strictly speaking, are they magical creatures rather than undead?

'Are monsters often like that kind of magical creatures?　And what's that 'Hitotsutsuzuki' you mentioned earlier?

As I've explained before, monsters spring from magical leaven. As I've explained before, monsters come from the magical leaven, so being a magical creature is a strange thing to say. The 'human crane' comes two to four times a year ............ Simply put, it's the time of year when the monsters are most likely to spring up.

　A common time for monsters to spring up, huh? ....... What a zap explanation ......, that's a zap explanation .......
　Well, all you need to know about "Hitotsutsuzuki" is that there is such a thing. They said a strike force is being formed, so it doesn't seem to have anything to do with me directly.
　But if there's going to be a large-scale battle here, it's going to be very close to the mansion, so I'm curious about it. Shero-san and Rebecca-san will obviously be participating in it: ....... It's a good idea to help out if there's anything I can do to help. I'd be happy to help out at least in the kitchen, though.

　Later, Shero came back and showed me a black crystal that he had picked up earlier. They are shiny black crystals about the size of a quail's egg, with a bit of transparency, much like black crystal, but they are the magical crystals, the lump of magic element that we're talking about. It's not as valuable as the spirit stone, but it's still rare enough that it can only be found in one monster, and it's a small price to pay if you sell it. However, since it doesn't have a wide range of uses like spirit stones, the demand for it isn't as high as it could be.





　◇◆◆◆◇





　As soon as we finished killing the monster, Mr. Shero went off to hunt, Rebecca said, "Let's spend the afternoon on the sword," and started to prepare lunch, while me, Deanna and Marina were staring at Rebecca's beloved horse to practice riding.

It's huge: ......

　Once again, horses are huge: ....... To be honest, I don't know how to ride one ....... It's a good idea to get a stepping stone to ride them, but that's not cool.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for when you go to the store.

"I can at least make him walk, sir!　Can I get a ride from Marina, sir?

Good. I mean, neither me nor Deanna know anything about riding yet.

Then you will receive a ride from Marina, sir.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of your time in the world," she said happily, patting the horse on the cheek, then grabbing the reins and treadmill, putting her feet in the stirrups and riding the horse's back with a flutter. Oh ....... I'm a sucker for this guy.
　As it is, "Well then, I'm off! He smiles and walks pock-pock.

'Marina ......, it looks like you're really enjoying yourself.

''Right. The priestess said that a person with a vocation is five times more efficient than normal, and if you're talented and improve fast, it will be fun after all.

'I'm sure that's part of it, but ...... seems to be more simply for fun.

　I see Marina walking her horse with a smile on her face. She sure looks like she's really enjoying just riding her horse. I wonder if she likes horses.
　No. ......, originally Marina didn't have an easy life, even before she became a slave. So maybe that's why she didn't enjoy this kind of entertainment in itself. I'm sure you'll find that riding a horse is a very high-class pastime even in the other world. Of course, I've never done it either.

"Let's take a memorial photo.

　I take out my digital camera to capture a picture of Marina riding her horse with a smile on her face.

'......?'　Master, you use those tools from time to time, what are they?

　I thought I was filming all sorts of sneak peeks, but did Deanna notice? Well, I took pictures at the dinner party the other day, and I've been taking pictures of them a lot more often than that. Well, it's not like I'm going to find out what's going on.

　I point the camera toward Deanna and snap the shutter. I show her the scowling face that appears on the LCD display. She has a smug look on her face.

Oh, is this a Kinen Shashin?　I've seen it in the village treasury. Most of all, though, that one was copied on paper.

What ...... means is .......

　Deanna says that there are several "mirror-realistic paintings" in the treasure room of the elven village. All of them are from a long time ago, and the method by which they were made has not been conveyed, and the word "Kinenshashin" on the box is the only information about this item: .......
　Yup. That's totally a commemorative photo. I'd love to see what it's like.

This tool is called a 'camera'. This tool is called a 'camera,' and it's used to take commemorative photos. ...... I didn't calculate that Deanna knew about the photo, but ....... Well, I'll print it out and bring it to you next time.

'Camera ....... I had such a tool. My father told me that the method of creating the Kinenshasin was lost, so I was completely convinced.

Well, yeah. It's a valuable item that hasn't been sold to the general public yet, and we don't want to be targeted by thieves, so don't tell anyone at .......

　Then we photographed Marina riding her horse with a smile on her face, and me and Deanna practiced getting on and off the horse while Marina taught us, and then Rebecca came over to call that lunch was ready and we all ate our lunch.

　At any rate, ......, I'll have to buy Marina and Deanna riding clothes because I can see their pants and glare their raw legs every time they get on and off ....... For me, it's a treat, but it's too unprotected, and there's no way I'm going to be riding in a dress ....... I'd better get some kind of workout clothes too.
　I'm going to be able to get the measurements and then go to the mass merchandiser over there and buy some. It's a bit embarrassing to buy women's clothing, but it's better than buying expensive old clothes over here. Let's do it, let's do it.