Heading into the abandoned mine, he would naturally need directions or information.
　For Xelloss, who was nearly unbeatable, he needed information more than he needed directions.
　The problem was where to gather that information, but the places were limited by necessity.
　It could be a shady tavern or a mercenary guild.

　Since I am not a mercenary, I decided not to go to the guild, and went to a nearby tavern, which looked like a stinky old tavern, but had a huge number of customers.
　In this world, a tavern is like a set meal restaurant during the day, and it is only open for business after dark.
　Since it is lunchtime now, many merchants and craftsmen gather here, order their meals and talk among themselves.
　Some of them were merchants negotiating with each other, while others were mercenaries trading items with each other.

　I thought it would be a tavern for ruffians, but surprisingly, it seems to be a social place open to the general public.

(Hmmm ......, maybe I need to change my perception of this?　(Hmmm... I guess I should change my mind about this. It's like a bar in the Bronx.

　To be honest, I was a little intimidated by the idea of coming to a tavern.
　He seems to be aloof, but inside he is a very timid old man.
　If you stay indoors, you are less likely to get into trouble, but then you will not be able to get information about common sense in the world. This is not good if you have to live in this world.

　The more different the world is, the more there is a difference in common sense between the world of the former and the world of the latter, and if you know that common sense and don't know it, the people you meet will respond to you differently. This kind of common sense information is necessary for business negotiations and information gathering, and you can't pretend to be a reclusive mage forever.
　Because of his experience in trading magic stones, he had to make an effort to blend in with his surroundings.
　However, he forgot that his current appearance is quite suspicious to normal people.

(What's with all the gawking? ...... I wonder what it is?　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.

　If you're a mage with a medium height and an unattractive appearance, wearing a dirty gray robe, and you enter a tavern, you'll feel the eyes of the people around you focus on you for some reason.
　He had become so accustomed to this suspicious outfit that he forgot how smelly he looked.
　Man is a creature that adapts to his environment, but in his case, he was just careless about himself.
　He acted to get information, but he forgot about his outfit in the back of his mind, and the people around him were alarmed by the unfamiliar appearance of the mage.

　In this tavern, there are many regular customers, so if a suspicious-looking, middle-aged mage enters, he or she will be noticed.
　It was either a curious look or a dubious look of suspicion on their faces.

(Well, standing around getting information isn't going to help, so why don't we find a seat and order something? ......)

　You look for an open seat, but everything is packed and there is no place to sit.
　As he looks around and can't find a seat anywhere, he sees a figure.

　It is a girl with twin-tails, dressed in a black outfit with a very skinny chest.
　The girl, who looks like she is forcing herself to act like an adult, is a mixture of smiling and eccentric, and is also a fellow countryman whom he rescued from bandits before.
　There seemed to be two others in the room, but I thought I'd get some information from them.

"Huh?　Uncle. Long time no see." "Mogumogu......
It's not appropriate to greet people while eating, you know.　It's been a while since I've seen you, Iris... and who was that?　I think it's your friend .......
I'm Lena. Thank you for your help last time.
Oh, yes. You're Lena. I remember you.

　The woman who calls herself Lena wears a green, easy-to-move robe and a leather vest, and looks like a vanguard mercenary.
　With her shield and shortsword by her side, it's safe to assume that she's focused on mobility.
　Beside them, there was a red-haired, brown-skinned woman with sharp eyes glaring at Xellos.
　She was equipped with a breath plate mail and a large sword that was propped up by the table, indicating that she was in charge of striking in the vanguard.

　Xellos did not overlook the fact that she was taller than most women, and more importantly, she had big tits.
　She was also a tightly modeled woman, which he liked a lot.
　If there was a problem, it was his age.

"Hey, who's this guy's dad?　Do you two know each other?
"Hmm?　Yeah. He's the guy who helped us when we got caught by bandits the other day.
Something smells fishy about him. ...... I can feel his eyes on my chest.
It's always the same, right?　Janae has a great figure and she's always attracting the attention of men.
It's the same with Lena. How many guys have you been with?
What?　I'm only interested in younger boys.

　At first glance, she seemed like a decent girl, but in reality, she was a shota.

Would you like to sit with me?　I was having a hard time finding a place to sit when the place was so crowded.
"Hmm?　What's wrong with you today, Uncle?　Didn't you say you were going to live as a hermit farmer?
I was thinking of gathering some information for that and going to the abandoned mine site in the north... but first I have to eat.
Abandoned mine?　Don't do it, old man. That place is hard to get to in gray robes.
What's wrong with your gray robe?　What's wrong with your gray robes? - They're very strong, Uncle.

　Iris didn't know the rank of the mages of this world, especially of the mages of this country.
　In this country, the color of one's robe is used to distinguish one's strength, with gray being the lowest, followed by black, crimson, and white.
　However, Iris and Xellos are not mages in this country, so they do not fit into that common sense.
　I explain this to Iris.

"Hmmm. But I'm sure you can handle it, right?


"Well?　I've never been there, so I can't say for sure, but is it really that dangerous?
"I often do escort work for the devil's advisors, and there are always goblins, Kobolds, worms and golems. Worms are the worst.
"Hmm ......, you can mine?　That's good.
Did you hear what I said?　That place is a maze. It's not safe to go alone.

　While listening to Janae's advice, Xellos put his order of what looked like fried chicken between two slices of bread and put it in his mouth.
　It must have been seasoned beforehand with herbs and other preparations. The sweetness of the poultry oil that spreads when you bite into it, combined with the flavor of the herbs used in the preparation, combined with the unique aroma of the hard bread, made for a great eating experience.

I know it's dangerous. I know it's dangerous, but I really need the metal, and I'm thinking of going mining.
"I don't know if you're more confident or just a daredevil. Well, it's none of my business if you die.
We're going anyway. The more troops, the better.　My uncle is very strong.
That's true. You're getting a new sword, aren't you?　You said it would be cheaper if we could mine the metal from the mines, right?
"Ugh. ...... You're taking this old man with you?

　I'm sure you're not the only one.
　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm not sure what to do.
　This was a feeling that came up when he met Luceris, and he had never felt it before in his world.
　If I had to pick one, I'd say it's similar to the feeling I get when I see a weekly magazine with naked pictures of the opposite s*x.

(What is this feeling, I wonder? ......)

　(What is this feeling? ) He could not understand the feeling he had felt since he came to this world.

Well, just show me the way and I'll take care of the rest... do you need metal?
"Yes, I do. Jaune's sword is about to fail and he needs metal to strengthen it, iron or black iron.　　
How about red-hot iron?　What about red light iron? I'm sure that could be made stronger.
You have to go deep to mine that stuff. It's full of worms, so you're risking your life.
I'd feel safer if my uncle was here. ...... Want to go mining with me?

　Xelloss ponders for a moment.

　I want the metal, but I'm a little embarrassed to accompany a party of women my age.
　However, it would be better to accompany her to make sure she gets the metal.
　Once we get to the mine, it will be fine if we go separately, and more importantly, I'm not sure if I'm ready to go on an unfamiliar road.
　If it was only bandits, it would not be a problem, but based on my experience of being chased by demons in the Deep Green Zone of Fafhran, I decided that it is better to have many companions.

It's not a problem if you want, but it will be night by the time you get there.　Are you going to camp out?
"No, there's a village by the mine. It's called the village of Ahern. ......
Yes, it's called the Village of Aahan.　Sometimes I go there with a group of young girls who are leveling up and I escort them to .........
"I know it's for you, but it's Ah-Han's village!

　Apparently, there was about one person who was using this village in a different way .
　If she hadn't said anything, she would have been a beautiful woman, but she remembered something and her face twisted into a sloppy smile.
　I can't help but feel disappointed.

(Are they eating young mercenaries who are just starting out?　I'm not sure if this is a crime, but if it is, isn't it a crime?　
　But it's a different world, and there may be common sense that differs from the original world. (Hmmm ......)

　I can't help but think about it when I compare crimes in the original world.

　He looks like a decent guy, but he is actually a good-looking woman.
　He seems to be a slut in a different direction than some lords.
　Why is this not a crime?

Either way is fine with me, as long as you have a place to stay. I'm a man, too, and if I see an attractive woman in front of me, I might become an animal. If you have a place to stay, you can go without worry.
Attractive is ...... me?
I'm not interested in children. I'm not interested in children. If you start to think that, it's a crime.
Oh?　Is it me, then?
If it weren't for that funny smile, I'd be on the safe side, but alas, .......

　Then there's only one person left.
　I'm not sure why I froze, but I was stunned.
　The two of them focused their gaze on her.

I'm not sure if I'm attractive enough.
"If you go by the process of elimination, that's what you'll end up with. Don't you realize that?　You're beautiful enough.
"What?

　Her face turned bright red and she panicked, which was honestly adorable.
　But he didn't even show such a pretense, and chewed his lunch with a nonchalant expression.
　This may be a remnant of the Lehman era.



"Hey, this guy's a real pick-up artist, huh?
Oh, come on. They said you were cute, right?　It's nice to be attractive.
Yeah, I know. I was rejected, and I just snacked on a boy...
・・・・・ Iris, but what Senna is doing is a crime, don't you think?

(Oh, it's a crime after all. (Oh, I knew it was a crime. I doubted my common sense even for a second.　

　This party of women was also quite a dense group.
　However, not wanting to make any unnecessary waves, Xelloss just continued to eat in silence.
　However, not wanting to make any unnecessary waves, Xelloss just kept eating in silence, because if he kept quiet, there was a good chance he could get away with it as a joke.

"No, I don't want to.　I don't want to go with this old man. ......
The more the merrier, so give it up, will you?
Yeah?　There's no one as skilled as you, so you'll just have to put up with him for a couple of days.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. ～～～～～!

　Apparently, she's not good with men.
　It was sad to see her rejected so blatantly.

　Iris and Rena persuaded her, and in the end she grudgingly agreed.
　However, for some reason, Xellos was forced to continue being stared at with cautious eyes.

　For some reason, the mere fact that he complimented her on her cuteness was taken as an attempt to pick her up.
　After finishing the meal, the group headed for the abandoned mine, but only Janae was insistent until the end.


　　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇　　


　It is said that a journey is a companion, but after three hours of walking, no words can be said.
　The women, who had been so noisy at first, were now just walking along in silence.
　As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but an unchanging forest and a road that had been haphazardly cut into the ground.

　It was only half a day's walk to the village of Arhan, but it would be a long way on foot.
　It took us about six hours to reach the village, and we were safely on our way without seeing any demons.
　I could say that we were on schedule, but I couldn't help but feel bored when there was nothing to do.

　As if she couldn't stand the silence, Iris called out to me.

"Hey, Uncle?　What are you going to do with all the metal you're mining?　Are you going to make some new equipment?
"I'm thinking of building a small silo to dry and supplement the rice. With a dryer.
Rice?　There's rice in this world?
Yes, there is.　You can see it growing at Iris's feet. That's rice.

　She pulled out a weed that was also a rice seedling and frowned quizzically.

・・・・・・ Is this really rice?　I did a test and it came out as a weed. ......
"It's rice. The hierarchy of rice in this world is as low as weeds.

　Iris' appraisal level was low.
　It seems that even if you look it up, you will only find it to be a weed.

I'm thinking of building a foot thresher," he said. We have tools like hoes and plows, but how do you thresh wheat?
"What is a thousand-tooth thresher?

　A thousand-tooth thresher is a tool that was used to thresh rice in the past, and it is the prototype of a thresher that hooks rice into the gaps between the comb-like teeth.
　The foot thresher is a tool for threshing rice by passing numerous curved wires through a tube on a drum, and by stepping on the drum, the drum linked by a belt is rotated and the rice is hit by the wire.
　It is more efficient than a thousand teeth and was widely used until the middle of the Showa era.

　Today, combine harvesters are the mainstream, and they do everything from harvesting to threshing in one go.
　The work is quicker, but the combine harvester requires the time and effort of first opening the area to be moved while harvesting rice by hand, but even so, it is much easier than it used to be.
　The technological progress of the times is tremendous.

Why don't we just make a combine harvester?
"I thought about that, but if you misuse it, you could make a tank.　If you make it big enough and put a big ballista on it, it could take on a wyvern, if not a dragon.
"Isn't that a good thing?　It would protect a lot of people.
Don't you remember?　The history of man is the history of war. How can you say that a useful tool of war is not directed at people?
Ugh. ......

　The release of superfluous technology will decisively alter the military balance of this world.
　I'm not sure what to make of it.
　If it were to be strategized and deployed to ordinary soldiers, it could lead to genocide rather than war.
　For this reason, Xellos had decided not to use knowledge cheats. 　

　However, he did not want to simply leave behind a bad name as a butcher or a great man who created a deadly weapon.
　I just want to live my life in peace, unbound by any responsibility.

　Well, there is the responsibility of paying taxes, but that is no different from modern society.

I thought you used to be a tutor.　Are you unemployed now, Uncle?
"Huh?　I don't want to be asked that question. ...... I'm unemployed. I wonder how Celestina is doing right now.



　Three more hours of walking and it would be dark.
　The old man looked up at the clear blue sky above him.
　Under this wide sky, there was a student who had taught him magic until six days ago.

　He was a little curious about what the girl who was said to be useless was doing now.


　　...


　Delsacis Van Solstair.
　The current lord of the Duchy of Solistea, a man who is busy with his personal and professional life.

　He has taken two wives from different noble families, and his marriage is happy.
　However, if you include the number of mistresses he has outside, his reputation is extremely divided.
　They are either favorable or unfavorable.

　He is generally well-liked by the people of his domain, but some merchants and nobles are infinitely disliked by him, putting him in a dangerous position with many allies but also many enemies.
　The enemies of the merchants are usually those who have been driven into the red by his godlike determination and execution, to the point where it is pointless to antagonize them.
　His mistresses, who he had surrounded with his financial power, were also taken away from him, and he was dealt a severe blow to his business and was left for dead. In addition, they resented Delsacis because he would offer them absurd business deals that they could not refuse.

　The enemies of the nobility are usually resentful, and the fact that the different factions of the magical nobility are also hostile.
　Currently, Delsacis's faction is called the Solisteers, and they are a weak faction that advocates the fusion of the Mage Order and the Knights, but in terms of capital power, they are so wealthy that they are untouchable.

　This faction was born from the declaration of the former Duke Claston, who was concerned about the future of the country, and in the eyes of the magical nobles, it was nothing more than an evil act to take away the power they were seeking. However, the Dukes of Solstice were not to be trifled with, even by them.
　The former king and Kraston are brothers, and Delsacis has the right to inherit the throne, so if any of the other nobles were to succeed in their plot and kill him, the first to be suspected would be the magical noble faction.

　In addition, the Solstaires were in the royalist faction in terms of political factions, and were trusted by the current king, who was also of royal blood.
　In fact, Delsacis is not interested in the throne, he is more interested in running his domain and protecting the lives of his people, and today he is working on paperwork in his office.

"Hmm, it seems that sales of magic scrolls are booming. The mercenaries don't seem to be interested in the other factions' scrolls.
"It seems to be working. They're funded by scrolls and potions, and scrolls are a slow seller, aren't they?
Once you buy a scroll, you can learn spells over and over again. There's no need to buy the same spell over and over again. No wonder they don't make any money.
But we sell a different kind of scroll.
"Yes, you're a wise man. You're a wise man, you'd think you'd have a formula like that in .......

　At the moment, the Solstice Chamber of Commerce is selling a new scroll of magic and sales are booming.
　The reason for this lies in the properties of the Scroll.

　The scrolls, which had been widely available until now, were, as Delsacis had said, able to be purchased once to allow someone else to learn magic. They were so troublesome that even the mage factions restricted the sale of these.
　Mercenaries were the most common buyers of magic, but these mercenaries would pass the scroll around to their friends and have them all learn the same spell. The factions wanted money, but they couldn't sell magic.
　More importantly, the price of the magic paper used to write down the spells was ridiculously high, and the faction was losing money.

　However, the spell sold by the Solstair Trading Company was different.
　It copies the spell of the Zeroth renovation and installs a spell-erasing formula in it, so that once a spell is learned, it cannot be passed on to others.
　When you learn a spell, you need to deploy the spell formula and imprint it in your mind so that you can use it, but as soon as that process is complete, all the spells in the scroll will be erased.
　But as soon as that process is complete, all the scroll's magic will be erased, including the erasure spell.

　The expensive magic paper would be collected and recycled on the spot, and then a new magic formula would be written on it so that it could be sold again as a commodity.
　There will be supply and demand, and customers will flock to the store to buy new, more efficient spells.
　The spellcasters make it a rule to learn spells immediately in the store, and do their best to recycle magic paper by not letting it go outside.

　Currently, sales are so high that the scrolls cannot be mass-produced in time, and the performance of the spells used has been well received.
　The business of selling these spells is becoming a new business for the Solstair Chamber of Commerce, and they are currently scrambling to recruit mages.
　If a spell with good performance is put on the market, the mage faction will surely be hit hard.
　In the past, this was due to the fact that the scrolls were not selling well even if they were produced, but from now on, the price will depend on the power rank of the spell, which will make business viable, and in addition, you will have to buy the spell directly to prevent its use.
　This is a complete reversal of the current situation, which makes it a viable business.

　Since powerful magic requires a certain level of skill, the mercenaries focus on improving their skills.
　At the same time, they prevent the threat of demons, and if they learn to buy powerful magic, they strive to become even stronger, which leads to the improvement of public safety.
　As a lord, it was convenient because it would create a double circle of business and security.
　Moreover, the factions' complaints could be suppressed in the name of improving public safety.
　In addition, it would put economic pressure on the faction camps.

It's a problem that so many factions come here asking for money. The Academy's budget is limited, and we can't afford to give it to them.
We'll need to boost our authority without them noticing, but I'd like to hit them in the pocketbook if possible.
Potions?　We have alchemists in our territory, but we don't have enough of them.
The problem is that their efficacy varies from person to person. We don't need third-rate ones, since the efficacy varies depending on the skill.
No, let's get some third-rate ones. Let's gather a group of third-rate alchemists and have them produce healing potions of equal potency.

　Delsacis' idea was to have all the third-rate alchemists produce the restorative once, and then combine them into one to eliminate the difference in quality.
　As long as the ingredients are the same, there is no problem in mixing them together.

What about the second and higher ranks?　Just let them make their own potions?
"Let them produce only the best quality products according to their skill. The mages and alchemists are probably having a hard time making ends meet right now, so they'll jump to our side.
"They won't send spies?　It's like passing on inside information.
That's all taken care of, sir. They've got their own people working on it. I'm sure they've had a lot of trouble with them, so they're probably looking for revenge as well.

　The mage factions, especially Weasler and Saint Germain, were troublesome.


　The St. Germain faction is a research-oriented faction, so they are likely to agree with us if we can show them the moral principles.
　However, the Weasler faction has a tendency to run amok.
　Rumor has it that they are connected to some dark organization, and there have been many suspicious deaths in the vicinity of this faction.
　Furthermore, their attitude toward the people is arrogant, and they are so arrogant that they claim to be superior to the people.

But so much for that arrogance. With Saint Germain's faction in control of the magic potion, they can't get blackmail loans from other nobles.
They've done a lot of things, they'll be fighting back soon.
That's what we're trying to do. I'm going to destroy all sources of funding, is that all right with you?　Father.
I don't care. Go ahead, make a show of it. I'll have your runaway vassals disappear from the land.　

　The Weasler faction had been gaining power by bribing powerful noblemen in order to capture even the Knights. Other factions have done similar things, but not as aggressively as them.
　The St. Germain faction was trying to raise funds for research, and the other factions were basically treated as pawns by the two major factions.
　Naturally, they were dissatisfied, and if a powerful faction emerged, they would be the first to turn.

I'm working on Zveit, but the problem is ......
You'll be working with Lord Xellos, won't you?　To help us decipher the magic words?
It's the only way your father's faction can gain any power.
Will you do it?
"If you guarantee the safety of his private life, or ......
Never mention his name, okay?　If you do, it could be the end of your country.

　Aside from Celestina and Zveit, Xellos is the only one who can decipher magic letters.
　I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.
　If we can raise up more excellent mages, the faction that is now rife with injustice will disappear.

　The faction's concern for the country is forcing them to take strong measures, and if they don't weaken their power now, they will grow to the point of causing a coup d'etat.
　At the same time, the people have a bad feeling about him, and the only way to prevent him from causing the country's downfall was to eliminate him.

"Will Tina and Zveit be the spark for the rebellion?
The current Zveit will be fine. He used to be corrupt.
If you knew that, why didn't you do something about it?
If you can't learn from your mistakes, you'll never grow. It seems that his encounter with Lord Xelloss has changed him greatly.
The question is, what will become of Croesus?

　The problem is Croesus, but I don't know what will happen to him." His head seemed to ache as he thought about the future of his grandchildren.
　There was an old man with his fingers on his temples, enduring the pain.

"Well, it's time for me to go to .......
"What, are you going somewhere else?
I have a good woman waiting for me. I'm on my way to her.
...... Dell, you're a lazy bastard. Will they kill you one day?
I'd like that. It's a man's dream to be killed by a good woman, father.

　A good man can manage his work in seconds.
　After finishing his work, Delsacis is now on his way to his mistress.

"How many grandchildren do you have, ......?

　You'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.
　There was too much mystery surrounding his son's actions.

　A man who can do it seems to baffle even his own father.

　Left alone, Creston was seriously wondering if he had made a mistake in educating his own child.
　It is said that the heart of a parent does not know the heart of a child, but in fact the opposite is true.

　The parents could not understand the mind of their child.