155-Episode 153 Makoto Takatsuki receives consultation




Actually it seems that my classmates are being held as slaves in the royal capital of the Fire Nation (Great Keith).
The words that Fujiyan told him in a heavy tone were unexpected.

(Which........slave.........)

 Slaves are not uncommon in the western continent.
 However, I have rarely met slaves.

 The reason is that the Water Country (Roses) does not adopt the slavery system.
 I've heard that it's the policy of the Roses royal family to do everything.

(I don't like slaves, Mako-kun.)

 Oh, Master Eil.
 You heard me.
 Apparently, it was a matter of preference for the Lord God of the Water Country (Eil), it seems.
 It's true that Roses in a religious state reflects the goddess's intentions.

(Wah, me too! (I hate slaves!)
 Noah-sama you don't have to stick it out.

 Anyway, you hardly see slaves in the Water Country (Roses).
 Then what about the rest of the country?

The Land of the Sun (Highland), the Land of Fire (Great Keith), the Land of Commerce (Cameron), and the Land of Earth (Culliran) all have slavery.
 Slaves are used for various purposes: as laborers, for military purposes, and as s*xual slaves.
 I don't have a good image of them.

So...... Who are your enslaved classmates?
 I asked him fearfully.
 The only classmates I'm close to are Fujiyan and Sa-san, and Sakurai-kun, so I don't think they're my friends.
 Fujiyan has a wide range of friendships.....

...Kawakita Keiko-dono.
 Fujiyan told him the name of his classmate.
 Hmm.....

(Who was it?)
 I may or may not have heard the name before.

"What? You're Keiko-chan!
 Suddenly, it was Sa-san who called out to me from outside the room.
 He was just passing by.

"Mr. Sa-san, are you well?
Yeah. Sorry, I slept in last night. Anyway, I'm sorry! What do you mean, Keiko is a slave? Fujiwara-kun!
 Sa-san is shaking Fujiyan's shoulder with great vigor.

'Oh, calm down, Sasaki-dono. It seems that Keiko-dono originally lived in the Land of the Sun (Highland), but it seems that he was tricked by a tatty aristocrat, and ended up with a large amount of debt.... Now he has lost himself to slavery, and I discovered by chance that he is registered as a commodity in the upcoming slave market.
That's right!
 At Fujiyan's explanation, Sa-san's face is filled with grief.
 Fujiyan also has a painful look on her face.

(I-I-I can't say that I can't remember his or her face.

So, Sa-san, were you close with Mr. Kahoku?
 For now, let's fool ourselves with conversation.

'Yeah, we used to hang out together sometimes. He's a bit harsh, but he's a good kid.
That's right.....you and Lady Sasaki were friends, weren't you?
 Oh, you're Sa-san's friend.
 So you can't leave him alone.

So, Fujiyan wants to save Mr. Kawakita, right?
 If it's the way it's going now, it can't be wrong.

'Yes, it is! We have to help him! But ... how?
'Mr. Saa, I think that being a slave is something that can be solved with money. Hey, Fujian.
 It doesn't ring a bell if you're Japanese, but I mean, that's human trafficking, right?
 Then it shouldn't be a problem with Fujiyan's abundant financial resources.

''That........is not the case.
 Fujiyan's reply was not a good one.

 Because - the slaves of the Otherworlder are extremely valuable.
 The reason is because of the powerful 'skills' possessed by the Otherworlder.
 Kawakita Keiko also possessed a rare skill, and the value of that commodity seemed to be extremely high.

''Normally in the slave market, the person who offers the highest price in an auction format becomes the owner. However, it has been decided that a certain nobleman will be the owner of Keiko-dono's property. The reason why he dares to show it to the public is to show the prestige of that nobleman.
What's that...
 Sa-san shows her displeasure at Fujiyan's words.
 It certainly doesn't seem to be in very good taste.

(But Kahoku........Keiko-san? .........no, I can't remember any of it. I have a vague memory of it, but...)
(Mako, don't you remember the three guys who made fun of your weakest status and skills in the Water Temple?)
(Trio?)

 Speaking of making fun of me, Kitayama, Okada-kun and... ah! Now I remember!
 That gal-ish girl with the two of them!
 He wasn't a close friend at all, or rather, he wasn't my type!
 That girl...
 I see, so she's become a slave.
 Anyway...

Wasn't Fujiyan a good friend of Miss Kawakita?
 Aside from the socially awkward Sa-san.
 He's the complete opposite of me and Fujiyan, who are game geeks. Kahoku-san, you know.

I've known Keiko-dono.......we live near each other and have known each other since preschool.... It's true that after I entered high school, we stopped talking at all, but to pretend that we didn't see him being a slave to a stone.......
I see, Fujiwara-kun and Keiko-chan were in the same junior high school, weren't they? That's right, we were childhood friends!
 Sa-san popped his hand.
 Huh, I see.
 So that's the kind of relationship you have.

(In my case, Sakurai-kun is a slave... or is it the other way around? (In my case, I'm more likely to be the slave.
 Then Sakurai-kun gallantly appears to save the day.
 Yeah, it's a scary thing that could happen normally.
 This is not the time to be thinking about something stupid.

(Well, we've decided what we're going to do.)

Okay, Fujiyan. Let's make a plan to get Mr. Kahoku out of here.
'Yes! Takatsuki, let's save Keiko! Ah, Takatsuki-kun. I'll have a word with you later...
Yeah, yeah. Okay.
 You're asking for advice, Sa-san.
 What is it?

Oh, wait! Tuckey-dono and Sasaki-dono. The nobleman who is set to own Keiko-dono is one of the most prestigious nobles in the Fire Nation (Great Keith). Moreover, he is a person who is always rumored to be black. There's a fear that an unreasonable rescue could be dangerous...
 Fujiyan warns me in a hurry.

''Fujiwara-kun! Don't be afraid to risk it to help your friends.
 Sa-san is as handsome as ever.
"Fujiyan, when you're in trouble, you have to help each other.
Mister Tuckey, Mister Sasaki I'm at your service.
 We nodded at each other.

'But how can we help? Would you like me to sneak in and kidnap him?
 Sa-san says something radical.

''That would be impossible. Slaves have a 'servitude' collar on them, but it takes a 20-digit magic code to remove it. The only person who knows the magic code is the head of the slave management union.
Okay, I guess I'm screwed.
 Sa-san slumped his shoulders in a daze.

''........Otherworldly security, isn't it tough?''
 It's a medieval-style fantasy, so let's manage it more loosely!

Some say the slaves are among the tightest in the world. Even if it is bent, life is a commodity.
Huh, what can I say?
 It's a nasty world.

''So the only way to help the enslaved Lord Keiko is to take over ownership from the nobleman who is to be his new master.
'But those nobles are bad nobles, aren't they?
They say he's a man who likes to show off his intelligence and is very greedy. And very greedy.
 He seems to be a good guy........
 Sa-san and Fujiyan are nodding their heads.

(Hmmm........)
 I'll try to put my thoughts together.

 The goal is to save your classmates.
 The enemy is a corrupt nobleman.
 We can't attack it in a straightforward manner.


 So...


All right, Fujiyan. I mean, that's it.
"Huh?
Takatsuki, do you have a better idea?

 Fujiyan and Sa-san wait with expectant eyes for the rest of my words.
 Once the conditions up to this point are met, there's only one thing to do.



"...and...
(....)

 Silence fell.
 Hmm? 

No, Mr. Tuckey.
You're wrong, Takatsuki.
Makoto, are you stupid?

 My two friends and the Goddess (Noah) gave me a general tweak.
 Ah, that~?
 I guess I was wrong.
 Well, well, I guess I was.
 Sorry, I was game brain.
 Let's reconsider.

I was about to say, scratching my head, "No~ I'm just kidding, just kidding.
 A gentle voice echoed from heaven.


(Mako-kun~, if there's someone you want to kill, you must tell me in advance☆ I'll tell the Fire Goddess (Saul). If you arrange it beforehand, you won't have to ask any questions.

...What?

 The voice of the water goddess (Eil) as usual.
 It was like making small talk.
 It was like having a conversation about today's weather.

(Ah, um........Eir-sama?)
(Uh, what's going on? (Mako-kun)
Is it going to be...?
(Yes, of course.)
 Of course.....

(Well, you have to have that(-) minute(s) worth of(-) versus(-) value of(-).
You're going to do that again, aren't you? (For the record, no conversions.)
 Eil-sama and Noah-sama tsk-tsukuri.

(If Mako-kun would convert to the Goddess of Water (me), I'd give you permission to 'assassinate' with room to spare.
(...no, that's not quite...)

 After all, this water goddess (human) is the ruler to all intents and purposes.

 It's as if she listens to the needs of her children.
 As if to say, "I'll buy you any toy you want.
 I'm going to make the difference between life and death. 


"Mister Tucky?
Takatsuki-kun.
 The two of them called out to me, worried about me, who suddenly looked grim and froze.

''Oh, yeah, sorry, sorry. I was just trying to think of something better to do.
(I'll hold off on Eil-sama's idea. In that case, the consideration should be something other than conversion.)
 In my heart, I told Ail-sama.

(Yes, okay~*)
(Mako you must be careful not to deal too much with the goddesses of other religions. You will be ruined.)
Yes, yes, Master Noah.
 Let's be careful.

 --deal with the goddess.
 It's a hell of a subterfuge, though.
 I feel like I could end up destroying myself if it's done poorly.

 Once I turned my attention to the two people in front of me.
 Fujiyan and Sa-san also seem to be trying to come up with some ideas.

''Hey, hey, how about asking Sophie-chan for help?''
Oh, that's a good idea.
 I agreed with Sa-san's idea.
 Even though it's another country, I feel that if it's a request from Princess Sophia, the royal family, I won't be taken lightly.

''That........we won't know without trying, but the nobleman we're dealing with this time is a person who has a good face in the Fire Nation's military department. Even if it's the Roses royal family, there's no guarantee that they will respond honestly....... And if we get into a dispute with them, it will cause trouble for the Roses Royal Family as well.......
I see...
 The Roses family is not very influential abroad.

That's why I'm currently gathering information through spies.
Spies...
 Sa-san rolls her eyes.
 Hmmm, Fujiyan isn't a high school student what he does anymore.

In other words, he grabs the other person's weaknesses and negotiates with them.
 Threats may seem illegal, but they're far more straightforward than assassinations.

''No, that's a subterfuge, Lord Tuckey. The other party is a far superior nobleman. Doing such a thing will only cause resentment. What I am looking for is what they want. To that person, Keiko-dono is not a thing that he desperately wants, it's just one of his high-class collections. If you offer to exchange it with an object that is more desirable to them, they will accept the deal.
Well, I see...
Great job, Fujiwara-kun.

 Me and Sa-san were just impressed.
 The point of view is different from that of an amateur like me.
 After all, we'll just have to leave it to Fujiya.

By the way, what's the name of that nobleman?
The third son of the Bunahabun family. Martin Bunahabun. The third son of the Bunahabun family, a family that has produced many naval officers in the Land of Fire. As for Lord Martin himself, he's not a soldier, he's a drifter with a lot of money.
 The Bunahabun family, whose name doesn't sound familiar to me, is said to be the one thing in the military's Land of Fire (Great Keith) that military personnel should never mess with.
 A troublesome opponent....

'There may not be much I can do, but I'll think about it.
Yeah, me too!
 When me and Sa-san said that, Fujiyan apologetically thanked us for our help.

 But, a prestigious nobleman, huh?
 I guess it won't be as easy as a dungeon attack.

 Here, I suddenly remembered.

''By the way, what was that story about Sa-san?''
 I have to hear this before I forget.

I'm not going to be in my seat.
No, you can stay, Fujiwara-kun... well...
 Sa-san said a little hesitantly, scratching her cheeks.

''I........wonder if I can't be a little stronger.......''
S-San....
 I knew you were concerned about the fact that Olga, the brave man of fire, didn't have a hand or a leg to stand on.

''That was just me getting tangled up because I was a brave man from the Land of Water (Roses), and Sa-san is the victim. Besides, I'm the only one who's been spreading all sorts of weird rumors because of my loss.
''No, but if I hadn't lost to that guy so easily, I'm sure it would have helped Takatsuki-kun. So I want to be strong.
 Sa-san said emphatically.

''But, Lord Sasaki. Even though you have become stronger, you cannot challenge the Fire Brave Olga to a battle. She is an important figure in the Fire Nation. You won't necessarily be able to go to see her easily from here, will you?
Surely it's no use getting stronger if you can't fight again, right?
 I nodded at Fujiyan's words.

'That's okay then! Sophie told me that if you win the upcoming Martial Arts Tournament of the Fire Nation, you'll have a special match (exhibition match) against the Fire Brave Olga. That shouldn't be a problem, right?
''Huh... but won't the Fire Brave participate in the martial arts tournament?''

''I've heard that story before. I heard that Olga the Fire Brave won the annual martial arts tournament for three years in a row, and the tournament lost its momentum, so she was banned from participating.
"Seriously?
 You really are a hell of a fighter.

"Takatsuki-kun! What do you think?
 I asked him how he was doing, and when I looked into his eyes, he was in full motivation mode.

(Sa-san, you're so stubborn when it comes to this.)
 Maybe there's no point in stopping it.

 Well, if you want to be strong, there's only one thing to do.
 I glanced at Fujiyan and our eyes met.
 Fujiyan gave a small nod.

(Probably thinking the same thing.)

Fujiyan, the time has come for that thing to come in handy.
I know. Supposed to be a no-show.
?
 At my and Fujiyan's words, Sa-san tilted his head, unable to follow.

'Takatsuki-kun? Fujiwara-kun? What does that mean?
 I returned Sa-san's question emphatically.


'Sa-san, let's level up and hit him with physics.