Sa-san.
　Real name: Aya Sasaki.

　Due to reincarnation in another world, her current race is Lamia.
　Her level is 35.
　His status is much higher than the gold-ranked Nina.

　And Sa-san has never done any training since she came to the other world.
　Because they were strong from the beginning.

　In the Great Labyrinth, I was just living (survival).
　The only other thing I did was to learn a little bit of martial arts imitation from Nina.
　The weapon I handle is the 'Demon God Hammer' that was gathering dust in the Roses royal family's treasury.
　Normally, it's just an accessory, as she rarely uses it.

　Lucy trains for a few hours every day (the limit of her concentration).
　I train for about 12 hours every day (I end when I pass out).
　Sa-san's training time is zero.

'I'm behind the scenes at Takatsuki-kun's party,'
　With that said, he does all the packing for the trip, cooks for us, and does the shopping for us.
　Basically, he's been a support person.

　Still - the 'strongest' of our party is Sa-san.

　Even though she has learned king-class magic, Lucy's magic is poorly controlled.
　It's a good thing that you can't have a problem with that.


　In other words - I can't even imagine how strong I would become if I seriously trained in it.


　◇


It's freezing out here, Makoto!
　Lucy, in her usual thin clothes, is shivering as she hugs herself.
'You're dressed like that,'
　I lent my jacket to Lucy.

'Hey my knight. What's going on here?
　The one with a blanket over his head and only his face peeking out is Friae.
　When I told him that your outfit is not elegant, Princess, he hit me.

　This is a place a few dozen kilometers away from Gamelan, the royal capital of the Fire Nation (Great Keith).
　It's a remote area with many Table Mountains jutting out of it, known as the Gigant's Chair.
　The summit of Table Mountain is nearly 1,000 meters above the ground, and the sheer cliffs are not accessible to human feet.
　And unlike the scorching wilderness of the Fire Nation plains, the temperatures in the highlands are very low.
　We're standing there now.

'It's a spectacular view!
Yeah, it's spectacular.
　Fujiyan and I murmured as we looked down from the cliffs at the vast orange expanse of land.
　We were brought to this place in Fujiyan's airship.

''Oh, watch out, Takatsuki-kun,''
Watch out, sir, I'm warning you.
　As I was gazing at the view near the cliff, Sa-san and Nina warned me.
　Did I get too carried away?
　I turned to Sa-san and said, "Sa-san!

Sa-san!　Then let's level up!
'Well, um ... yeah, how?'
　Oh, I didn't tell you.
　You brought him here for no reason.

I will explain.　''Lord Sasaki. Due to its height, this Table Mountain is very difficult for ordinary adventurers to reach and is home to many rare monsters. Furthermore, out of the more than a hundred Table Mountain, the best demon lair for leveling up can be found right where we are standing right now, the platinum lizard!
If we defeat one of the 'Platinum Lizard', we'll be able to reach max level in no time. Way to go, Sa-san!
Oh, yeah...
　Compared to me and Fujiyan's high level of tension, Sa-san is slightly drawn out.
　Hoi?

Hey, Makoto. How do you know that?
　Lucy asked as me and Fujiyan explained.

'Oh come on, Lucy, it's common sense to look for hunting grounds to level up in an RPG, right?'
　Whew, I made a gesture of saying, "Do it.
'Something about my knight's tension is so high it's annoying...'
　Friae gave me a cold look.
　That's not very pleasant.

''By the way, where is this 'platinum' lizard' you're talking about?
　Sa-san is scurrying around.
　A quick glance at the top of the 1,000-meter high plateau, with only rocky surfaces and short weeds, reveals no living creatures.

'Yes, Death, Takatsuki-sama, sir. The Platinum (platinum) Lizard is a demon that takes half a day to find. Moreover, they are cowardly and rarely show themselves in public. That's why adventurers don't bother to come here either...
　Nina-san also looks at me with concern.

　Hmph, we don't miss that point.
　Me and Fujiyan grinned at each other.

'Lucy, take care of the fire. A big one.''
Yeah, yeah. It's cold, but it's good that it's a fireball.
　Lucy waved her wand and a huge ball of fire the size of a shed appeared in a fluffy, fluffy way.

'What am I supposed to do with this?'
Keep it steady for a while. Princess, please enchantment magic.
　Next, I call out to Friae.

'Me?　Enchantment magic to whom?
"Platinum lizards like to stay warm. But now that we're here, the cowardly platinum (platinum) lizard won't come out. Can you lure it out with the princess's mesmerizing magic?
You're really messing around with people... when you were attacked by a fire hero, you left me hanging.
　Oops, not good.
　Hey, you're angry.

"No, no, no, the princess was hiding in the shadows, so I thought she was safe.
"Hmm. Really? Did you forget that you're my guardian knight?
Don't worry, it's okay. I'll take care of you.
Hmmm, next time you forget, I'll forgive you.
　He seemed to agree with me for a moment, as I explained to him in my awkward defense.
　Furiae threw the blanket she was wearing with a bang.

'Oops.'
　Nina catches it in a hurry.

''Then let's go. I'm going to put mesmerizing magic on my singing voice, so everyone keep your ears covered. ........except for my knights.
Is Takatsuki-kun okay?
You don't need to plug your ears, do you, Makoto?
　At Friare-san's words, Lucy and Sa-san turn their gazes suspiciously.

''My knights don't have the charm magic to work on them anyway.
Or is that how you feel about trying to seduce Makoto?
No, Fu-chan. Takatsuki-kun is for three people.
I won't!　We're both afraid of the eyes!

　Mr. Furiae is pulling back slightly.
　And Sa-san.
　Please don't sound like a sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
　What's for three people?

...hmmm, let's go then.
　Soooooooo, Friae took a deep breath.
　She held her hand out to the top of her chest and opened her mouth wide.

''~~~~''

　Ms. Furiae's crystal-clear singing voice echoed through the air.
　Just listening to her beautiful voice riding in the wind gave me the illusion of being soothed.

(It's a stone....)
　The sound is incomparable to the singing of the Queen of the Harpies that I heard one day in the Great Maze.

　I noticed that birds and insects were gathering from around me, listening to Friae's singing voice.

　And then a small, glittering lizard crawled out from behind a rock.
　It's about time they gathered near Lucy's fireballs.
　There are about dozens of them.

''Oh~ they came out. A big catch.
　When I smiled at Friare-san, what came back was a blank stare.

''........I used the topmost enchantment magic I did to control the stray dragon before. Is it nothing?
You don't want anything to happen to you.
You can't help but be fascinated at least once.
　You can't keep charming me whenever you have a chance, can you?
　It's not Noah-sama.

　I turned to everyone who was covering their ears and tapped Sa-san on the shoulder.

(Knock him over, Sa-san.)
(Uh, yeah....I feel bad about this.... But I have to be strong!

　Sa-san made a determined face.
　He held the Demon God's Hammer in his hand.
　Sa-san's figure disappears.　

　The combination of Sa-san's "Action Player" skill, the "Dash" attack and the "Covert" skill took down the platinum lizard at once.

　-- Sa-san's level went up in one fell swoop!


　◇


'Brave Makoto, you must have gone far away to level up today, right?　Shouldn't you be resting?

　While I was training in the courtyard of the inn, Princess Sophia spoke to me from behind.
　Incidentally, since Princess Sophia is staying at the inn, there is a beautiful artificial pond and fountain in the courtyard, where the water spirits are happily playing.
　Or rather, if it weren't for this kind of water, there wouldn't be any water spirits at all.

　I was sitting on the lawn in the courtyard, talking to the water spirits and practicing the water magic method.
　By the way, it seems that Sa-san, Lucy, and Furiae went to the large bathhouse at the inn after dinner and then went to their rooms to talk to the girls.
　Fujiyan is out with Nina, saying that she and Nina have work to do.　

'I'll sit here,'
Yeah.
　Princess Sophia sat on the ground - on the grass, just like me.
　Moreover, she leaned her body against me so that she could lean her back against me.

"Uh,
　The feel of Princess Sophia's soft skin against my back.

'You left me out of the mix, didn't you?
　Since they're talking with their backs to each other, they can't see each other's faces - Princess Sophia seems to think that they can't see each other's faces - but I secretly checked their expressions by switching the perspective of my 'RPG Player' skill.

(Meh, she's looking sulky...)

　I did leave a message, though.
　I should have gone directly to him.

How are the levels coming along?
　Regardless of her expression, Princess Sophia asked me a question with a calm tone of voice alone.

''Just today alone, it's gone up 3(⋅)0(⋅)close.
　Oh no, what a massive piece of experience, a platinum (platinum) lizard.
　It makes me feel like an idiot for leveling up until now.

It's not a good idea to have a good time.
　I don't know if I could keep my cool, but Princess Sophia turned around and her long hair brushed the back of my head.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.

''.........''
　They stared at each other for a few seconds.

'Well, then, Aya, you've grown quite strong.
　Princess Sophia, blushing, said dependably.
''No, unfortunately, it looks like you still haven't reached the Fire Brave.

　Sa-san, says.
　I've only fought a little, but apparently I'm not far behind Olga, the brave goddess of fire.
　It's a dimension that I no longer have a clue about.
　They're both too strong.

''Will you be able to make it to the martial arts tournament?''
　Princess Sophia wore a worried expression on her face.

　There are only about two weeks left until the martial arts competition in the Fire Nation.
　I have reported to Princess Sophia that Sa-san will be participating in the competition.
　She was a little worried, but she didn't object.
　In the meantime, it's positioned as a sporting event with safety in mind, so there's no risk to your life.

　The old man, the guardian knight, said regretfully, "Aren't you going to participate in the event, Brave Lord.......
　I can't use the water spirit, you know.

''With two weeks left, I'll do everything I can. In the meantime, I'm thinking of some secret tricks.
Okay, well, we'll look forward to seeing you then.
　Princess Sophia's expression softened.
　But it quickly changed to a grim expression.

''One more point.
　You mean Keiko Kahoku?

We're waiting for Fujiyan to investigate that.
''I'm sorry........The Bunahabun family is a noble family with a strong influence on the military of the Fire Nation. Normally, when demon damage occurs in the Water Country (Roses), they often receive support and can't come out strongly...
　I made him look dejected.　
　I knew my opponent was stronger than me, huh?

''It can't be helped, that's just the way it is. Ah, but speaking of which.......can't you get Sakurai-kun from the Land of the Sun or that nobleman to talk to you via Princess Noel?
　The reincarnation of the Saviour and the next king of the Land of the Sun.
　This one would be hard to ignore, as it is.
　But Princess Sophia's face remained cloudy.

''Although the Sun Nation and the Fire Nation have differences in overall national power, they are in competing positions in terms of military power. In particular, the Fire Nation is aiming to achieve greater battle results than the Sun Nation in the next war against the Demon Race, the Northern Conquest, and become the leader of the continent. At this time, it will be difficult to bring the conversation to them...''
Well....
　Well, I'm sure Fujiyan has already thought of that.
　I knew it.

(The last thing I want to do is make a deal with the goddess of water, Eir...? (But...)

　Master Noah's words came back to me.
　Dealing with God is ruinous.
　Too much use is a dangerous thing.

　We have to go steady and steady.
　That's all I do.

I think it's time for you to call it a night.　Staying up late is bad for your health.
　I called out to Princess Sophia.　
　I was thinking of continuing my training a little longer, but for some reason, she grabbed my arm.

''Brave Mako, you too, too much training is poisonous to your body. It's time for you to go to bed.
No, I'll just have to learn to do a little more training before I get pulled in.
　With great strength, Princess Sophia dragged me away.

(Well, that's why my status is so low...)

　There was no way she could beat Princess Sophia, the priestess of the Water Goddess, by force of arms.
　That day, she was forced into her own room.


　◇

　Then I leveled up Sa-san for lunch.
　At night, I continued to gather information at the bar.　

　Five days after arriving in the Fire Nation.


　--Sa-san's level is now 99.