*

　When Makoto woke up, Liv was asleep next to him in a large - or is it a sooty - position.
　He sat up and straightened up.
　It's a refreshing way to wake up.

'Oh yes, Makoto.
Good morning.
Yeah, well, you were awesome last night.

　Liv turned over and grinned.
　She must be remembering last night.

'How's Mako?'
It was like playing sports.

　With Shelley, it's more of an atmosphere, but with Liv, it's a physical challenge.
　I'm trying to push her physical strength to the limit.
　But I'm not ready to compete with her until she runs out of energy.

Sports?
It's not a bad thing.
It's okay.

　Liv buried her face in the pillow and moved her legs in a flurry.
　Suddenly, she looked up.

'What's going on?'
Speaking of which, what does Mako think of Laura?
Well that's a tough question.
It's not that hard. It's just a matter of doing it or not doing it.
It doesn't sound so hard when you put it that way.
So, do we like it or not?
I don't hate you.

　If I didn't like him, I wouldn't have him as a member of the team.
　What's more, she's skilled and serious.
　There's a little bit of a disappointment that he forgets himself because of his marital status, but I think he's cute in that regard.

'So you like her then?'
Well, you will.
Okay, it's settled.
What's the rule?
I thought I'd strip myself down to my bare skin.
You don't have to do that.
What's the matter with you?

　Liv's lips quirked up in frustration.

'As for me, I don't know why Liv would want to take care of it?
That's my boy.
No, I'm with you. Don't you have any exclusivity or anything like that?
'Not without, but it's going to be more complicated to push that kind of thing forward.
Is that what it is?
That's just the way it is.

　Liv said, still with a pout of her lips.
　You don't understand.

'I've thought about it before, but Mako is still very passive, or rather passive.
I'm not really saying that.
So what is the reason for this?
Don't get all tangled up in it.
Oh, come on, a little bit.

　With that, Liv wagged her tail.
　It hit his thighs with a bash.
　At first glance, the tail looks thin, but it's quite painful.

'So, what's the reason?'
What do you mean, it's a pain in the ass?
It's a pain in the ass.

　Liv grunted.

'Laura's going to be set for marriage! I hope that's not the case...'
It's a bit of a joke, isn't it? In case you haven't noticed, I don't sleep around for fun.
I know that.
That's okay.

　Liv said in a somewhat sulky tone.

*

　When Mako took a shower and went downstairs, Shelly was at the counter doing her usual water work.
　Yuka, Fujika, and Laura sat at the counter, while Frank and two strangers sat at a table in the center.
　Scratching my head in a raggedy way, I headed for my assigned seat--.

'Mako is over there!'
Okay, okay.

　Mako got to the center table as Yuka pointed behind her - Frank and the others with her thumb - and Mako got to the center table.

'Sorry to barge in on you so early in the morning,'
I don't mind.

　There are only glasses on the table.
　I'd rather ask for a drink than to say I'm sorry for barging in on you in the morning.
　I glance at the counter.
　Sherry looks a little happy.
　Maybe she's just happy that the restaurant is so crowded.

'I brought in the main crew as they gathered. This is Shank.
Nice to meet you.

　The young man next to Frank - Shank - bows his head in a bow.
　He looks like a Bisonhorn because of his horns, but I wonder if he was wearing a loincloth.

'Shank is a civilized man,' he says. He wears a loincloth.
Tribal traditions are nice, but when you're in a township, you have to go with the township.
Oh, my God. That's why they're so young.

　Frank complained begrudgingly as Shank cowered his shoulders.

'But, well, even a man like this is good at his craft.
'This is terrible. I'm still leading my own team.
Hmmm, that's a lot for a young man to do.
Not as much as Makoto-sama.

　Shank chuckled and scratched his cheek.
　I tend to forget that I'm not physically, if not mentally, then physically, I'm not Alafore.
　If a young man called me young, he would let out one of his bitter smiles.
　Aside from that--

'You know my name?'
''This industry is so small. If you don't know anything about black flames, you're a mole.
Well, that doesn't feel so bad.

　It means he has a good track record to the extent that he's been warned about as a business enemy.

Besides, you're the one who's close to the chief's daughter.
The chief's daughter?
It's about the ribs.

　It was Frank who answered Mako's question.

'Seriously?'
What, you didn't know?　Liv is the chief's daughter.
'How can a chief's daughter be a mercenary?
The chieftaincy is to be succeeded by my sister, Neku.
Is that what you want from the Bison Horn tribe?
Bringing in outside blood is an important task. Well, it's unusual for a woman to do that, but...
I see.

　There may be other reasons for this, but I'll pretend to be convinced.
　I'm not insensitive enough to step into someone else's situation, and Liv will tell you if she has to.

'So, where's the other one?'
I'm standing next to Shank.
It's Loyne.

　Then the man - Loyne ruffled his hair.
　He has beautiful blonde hair and wears flashy clothes like a bullfighter.

'I lead a team called the Golden Rapier.
He's a bit of a jerk, but he's good at what he does.
This has earned you a knighthood.

　'Hmph,' sniffed Loyne.

'I'll leave you in charge, you know.
Yeah, I'm on it.

　Frank nodded vigorously when Mako reminded him.
　Aside from Shank, Royne seems to be a pain in the ass.
　To be honest, I can't imagine him following instructions.

''Come to think of it, you said you'd be the main member.
The sub the stevedores are putting out a call for help.
Gathering?
I want you to be comfortable with that.

　Frank's tone is weaker than it was earlier.
　I can gather a number of people, but I don't want you to question the quality.
　If I dare to put it into words, it would be something like that.

When will you be leaving?
I'll see you in two days.

　Frank made a pretense of thinking before he said.

'Are you okay?'
'They're undead. I'm more afraid to give them time.
That's for sure.

　Kuzuha has just been resurrected.
　If you give him time, he will kill people and power up.
　We can't give them time to power up.

''Well,''

　As Frank stood up, Shank and Loyne also sat up.

What, you're leaving already?
I've got a lot of work to do.

　Frank headed for the exit, stopping on the way.

'We're leaving the day after tomorrow. Get ready to go.
I know.
Just in case.

　Frank grinned and walked out of the restaurant with Shank and Loine.
　Oh dear, Makoto let out a sigh and took a seat at the reserved seat - the far end of the counter.

'Come in,'
Thanks.

　I take the glass from Sherry and drink half of it.
　It was my usual lemon water, but it tasted better because I hadn't had any water since I woke up.

'Yuka, how did it go?'
What do you mean by that?

　I called out to Yuka, who was sitting next to me, and she asked me back with a puzzled look on her face.

''What's the level?''
Well, just say so. Frank is twenty-one, Shank and Loine are fifteen and six, and that's about as much as you can expect from a leader.
You need to be more selective with your words.
Your choice of words won't change that.

　Yuka said in a disgusted tone.

''I wonder why those guys are so low level?''
That's because you have a safety margin, unlike us.

　Of course, there is only one life.
　It's not something to be staked on.

What do you think, Laura?
....

　Yuka calls out to her, but Laura is silent.
　She is slumped over in a daze.
　Was it such a shock to her that she changed her job to dark knight?

''Laura!''
"-Oh!

　Laura looked up with a huff as Yuka called out with more words.

'Nah, what is it?'
I'm done.
I'm sorry.

　When Yuka said with a sigh, Laura turned over in a daze.

'You're shocked to be a dark knight... well, I don't know, but the fight is the day after tomorrow, so get a grip, right?
'Yes, yes, I do.'

　Laura nodded and let out a deep sigh.

'Like I'm not impressed with your style of rubbing salt into a wound.
It's not true.
It's like there's a way to say things.
So what would you do to comfort me?
It's a tough question.

　Fujica raised her eyebrows in difficulty.

'You complain, but you have no idea what you're talking about.
And I'm thinking!
Then get on with it.
Well, you see...

　Fujika groaned in a cooing tone, but then a revelation came down and she huffed.

''It's like you must have a chance to change your job to a holy knight!
Are you sure?

　Laura looked up and stared at Fujica.
　Her eyes lit up in anticipation.

'How can I become a holy knight?'
'Well, that's...'

　Laura leaned forward and said, and Fujica tore her gaze away.
　She was probably thinking hard.


Are you sure?
Ugh!

　Fujica moaned softly as Laura leaned in further.

''Well that's what happened in the game, and...''
Game?

　When Fujica said unsure, Laura tilted her head curiously.
　
　It was a fairly famous series, and there must have been a remake of the game.
　It's no wonder that Fujika was playing it.
　When I was searching my memory for the ending, Yuka spoke up.

'In short, I'm just trying to put you at ease.
Are you trying to make me feel better?

　Laura was again paragraphing at Yuka's words.

'And I'm getting more and more depressed,'
It's your fault.

　Yuka slapped Fujika's second arm with the back of her hand.

'There are people out there, the ones who talk about easy comforts.
Uggh, it's better than rubbing salt into a wound.
Better?

　Yuka gave a sideways glance at Laura, who was sectioning off, and said petulantly.

'Guh, I can't even make a goofy noise.
Well, the lesson learnt is not to take the easy way out and not take the easy way out.

　Hmph, Yuka snickered.
　Still, the winning attitude suits her well.
　Makoto drank the remaining lemon water and put the glass on the counter.
　Sherry poured the lemon water without saying a word.

''Well ... two days later?''
Are you okay, Faine?

　Immediately after Fujica muttered, there was a pessimistic sound.
　Yuka tapped Fujika's second arm with the back of her hand.

'Why, I don't even know why she slapped me!
Tone, tone.
Tone of voice?

　Fujika tilted her head at Yuka's words.

''Didn't I say, 'Fene, I hope you're okay?'
I did.
It's so blurred.
'It's not worth beating around the bush and it's going to be like this forever.

　A pesh-pesh sound could be heard.
　Once again, Yuka slapped Fujika's second arm with the back of her hand.

'Cara!'
'Uggh, and I'm starting to feel regret now. I'm trying to avoid bullying, but they really think I'm a b*tc*, and they're forcing me to defend the setting.

　Fujika moaned as she rubbed her two arms.

'Yuka, stop the violence.'
This is not a form of violence.

　Yuka's lips twitched in a sultry manner.

'When I get serious--'
Ugh, you might cut your arm off.
It won't fly apart. I'm getting an open fracture at best.
Well, that's just not very nice damage.

　Fujica held her head in her hands.

'You're frightened,'
You're a cowardly woman. You won't survive the day.
It's like a flashback to the image of Yooka being half killed.
You're not gonna think it's a good idea, are you?
I wouldn't be using the word 'flashback' if I thought that.

　Yuka said in a low, stifled voice, and Fujika said in a similar tone of voice.

'A head as cracked as a pomegranate, a big fat one sticking out of his thighs--'
You're going to have to stop that!
I'm feeling a little nauseous.
'Ha, ha!　That's why you're a little girl!
Your voice is rubbing off on me. I mean, you're seeing a lot more than that, aren't you?
Great?
It was me. It was me!
"Oleo scam?

　Yuka raised her eyebrows and tilted her head.

'Wrong!　How can it be an oleo scam when you're talking about gross stuff?　I think you're jumping the gun on this one.　Besides, don't tilt your head in wonder!
What?　Don't want me to bend my head?
I didn't say that!
I said it!　I did say that!　From the beginning of life until I was born, that's roughly 4 billion years of history.
'I don't remember fighting with that thing!
Sold!　Sold!　I certainly fought with the history of protozoa until they evolved and earned their heads!　For the most part, Mako can say that because she has no respect for the history of how a creature earned its head!

　Makoto drinks lemon water...

All right. I've been remiss in not taking a stand and fighting my way through the history of how a protist got his head.
Wow, you should know. You should be very sorry.

　Yuka seemed a bit surprised, perhaps because she suddenly showed a pretense of remorse, but she immediately smiled a victorious smile.

''We have to take history seriously, don't we?
'Hmph, Mako is finally starting to understand. I have to give you credit.
'So, can you tell me the history of how the protozoa got their heads?
Why would I ever do that?
What, you don't know?
What?　And I know. That much.

　Yuka said, as if pissed off - in fact, she may have been pissed off - but she said.

'Four billion years ago, primitive life was born in the sea...'
Born?
There it is. There it is.
That one.
Yeah, that.

　When Makoto nodded, Yuka looked relieved.

'Tell me more about it.'
Details...

　Yuka said as if she were grunting and glared at me with a snap.

'There's a lot going on here!'
You don't know anything about that?
Of course!　To Makoto, I look like a college professor who specializes in the history of biology?　I'm a high school girl. A high school girl!　So it doesn't help that I don't know the details of the evolutionary process.
You're just taking it out on me, aren't you?

　He's quite a performer.
　Maybe someday he'll be able to pull off the detached act of laughing and crying.

So what's more awesome than that?
Well, you can't be serious.
'I haven't seen anything like what you'd expect.

　Yuka rushes into Pesci and Fujika.

'So what's more amazing?'
You know, where the ghouls ate the flesh off your arm, where your guts were sticking out, where your left hand was blown off, where your arm was ripped open vertically, all that stuff.
Oh, that happened.

　Yuka said as if it was someone else's business.
　No, well, it was Mako who was hurt and it was someone else's business, but it would be nice to have something more.

''........Yuka.''
What?
At night, when I close my eyes in bed.
You're not s*xually harassing me.
'No, I won't do that. Seriously, listen.
Yeah, I get it.

　Yuka turned to me and straightened her residence.

'Close your eyes and imagine your body being cut by a blade.
Why do you have to do that?

　Yuka raised her eyebrows quizzically, but she didn't lose her listening stance.

'I imagine the blade is deep inside your body ... for example, if it's your tongue, it's going to cut you in half.
Mmm-hmm, I imagine cutting it in half. And what's wrong with that?
'My body freaks out as I repeat the process. With my tongue, a weird taste spreads in my mouth and I salivate.
I'm not harassing you!

　Yuka shouted hoarsely.

'Oh, God!　You heard me out!　What if I start freaking out before I go to bed!
Yooka thinks too much.
I'll take you with me.
It's bad luck to talk about it.

　Fujica let out a loud sigh.

'Aside from the weird image-training thing, I'm worried about Fene's return, and...'
You'll be fine.
It's like Yooka doesn't have a soul.
I'm just a guy who believes in Faene.

　Yuka turned to the counter and drank the lemon water that had been prepared for her before she knew it.
　A silence descended on the cafeteria.
　It's a good thing that you're not going to have to worry about it.

''I don't think you need to worry about it, Fene, though.

　Hmm?　Makoto tilted his head inwardly.
　Last night, he looked worried, but what was going on?
　Sherry chuckled, as if she could see that Makoto was feeling that way.

''No, it's because Fene is standing at the entrance.
Really?

　When Makoto turned around, he saw Fene looking at him from behind the door.
　He's carrying a large backpack.

'If you're there, tell me you're there.
'I couldn't get in because my brother and Missus were arguing,'

　Fene came in with a sultry pout on her lips.
　Then he stopped in front of Makoto.

''Brother, I'm bothering you.''
Are you all right now?
I'm not quite there yet, but I'll do my best.　I'll save Redd!　Gung ho, gung ho, gung ho!

　Fane pumped his fist up and shouted.
　By the way, the caretaker of this world (Periolis) is a fine art.

''By the way, like your backpack is bigger than usual?
Yeah, that's--
'I know. You cracked it out of the Count's house.
"I hope you're not going to say something inappropriate.
I know. On the bike.

　With that, Yuka forms a hook with her index finger.

'Charringko?'
That's the code word for larceny.

　Fujika tilted her head curiously, and Yuka replied in a good way.
　Maybe she read Ha-sixty Gen, though.

I bought it properly. The payment is paid by Christine, though.
Okay.

　Shortly after Yuka nodded in satisfaction, there was a creaking sound.
　I looked at the stairs and saw that Liv was about to come down.
　Her hair was wet, as if she had just taken a shower.

'Laura!'
...What is it?
Let's get together after dinner.

　Liv gave a thumbs up and a manly smile.

*

　When Makoto and the others finished eating, they moved to a clearing near the castle gates.

''Why would I........''
That's good.

　As Mako sat down on the rock and blurted out, Liv said in a sultry tone.

'You're not busy anyway, are you?'
Yeah, but...

　Mako folded her hunchback and prodded her cheekbones with her thighs for support.
　Liv stood in the center of the clearing with full equipment, but her opponent - Laura - was nowhere to be seen.
　After a while, a clattering sound could be heard.

'Excuse me. I'm late.''
I'm too far from home.

　When Laura hung her head deeply, Liv said in a light tone.

'If you say so,'
It looks good on you.
Thank you.

　Laura proudly puffed out her chest.
　'That's the new equipment she's wearing.

'But why is she carrying two swords?'
This ... is ... something that's been bothering me a bit.

　Liv pointed out to her, and Laura dropped her gaze.
　At her waist was the sword she had been using and the newly acquired sword.

''Speaking of which, even if your job has changed, can you still use shield shooting (shield bash) and impact reversal (reflection) as before?''
"-Oh!

　Laura gasped at Mako's question.

'Ta, let me check!'
Don't try to turn your head in your direction!
I'm sorry!

　Laura turns her head to the side and holds up her shield.
　Her body sinks slightly--.

''Shield shot!''

　It accelerates like an arrow unleashed.

'Oh, you can use it properly,'
'No, it seems to be smoother than when Job was a knight.

　Laura raised her eyebrows and corrected Liv's words.

'Did your job change and your status corrections go up?'
It's hard to say, but I don't think it's a bad change.

　Laura answered Mako's question while still raising her eyebrows.
　She says it's not a bad change, but the fact that she's a dark knight is probably triggering.

''Next........shock reversal!
Black.
Yeah, it's black.
"Phew!

　Laura grunted at the muttering of Mako and Liv.
　Laura's shield was enveloped in a black light.
　After a while, the black light disappeared.
　It seems that the activation time of the skill has been extended--.

''Laura, turn towards us.''
What is it?
I'm going to try and attack you, and you can use your skills.
Isn't that dangerous?
That too, I suppose.

　Liv looked down at the ground and picked up a stone.
　It's just a stone that can fit in the palm of your hand.
　Well, this shouldn't be too big a deal - it shouldn't be too big.

It should be fine, right?
Yeah, right.

　Laura turned to Liv and held her shield at the ready.

'Impact reversal!'
Hey.

　Deciding that it was dangerous to throw the stone as hard as he could, Liv released the stone with an underhand throw.
　The next moment the stone hit the shield, which was surrounded by black light, there was a high-pitched sound.
　It passed right by Liv and made a dry sound as it hit the tree behind her.

''Uheh, that's a heck of a lot of power.''
Yeah, right.

　Laura's wrinkles between her eyebrows deepen at Liv's words.
　I guess she's still curious about the fact that her job is a dark knight.

'Don't you have any skills in training or anything?
I have one.

　When Makoto asked, Laura drew her sword.
　It's a newly acquired holy attribute sword.

'I couldn't use it until now, but I feel like I can use it somehow. A skill that is effective against ghost-type undead from slime-like monsters to ghost-type undead.......its name is Sword Qi Release (Aura Blade)!''

　Right after Laura screamed, bam!　There was a sound.
　The sword fell to the ground.
　A black light bounced off the blade just in time to cover or not cover it.
　It didn't explode, but that was all it looked like.

''Ah, ah, the holy sword...''
You got such a great sword?
'I was hoping to become a holy knight.

　When Makoto said in disgust, Laura muttered in a pathetic voice.
　I don't think I should have lived a little more purely and correctly if I wanted to become a Holy Knight.
　I don't know the conditions for changing jobs, so it's possible that I could have become a dark knight even if I lived a pure and righteous life.
　Laura picked up the holy sword and sheathed it and pulled out an old sword - an ordinary sword.

''........Sword Qi Release.

　I muttered as I readied my sword and a black light covered the blade.
　This time nothing happened, so the black light and the holy sword must not be compatible with each other.
　After a while, the light disappeared.

''It seems it's best not to use the sword qi release for too long.
'I felt tired when I was at a low level too,'

　Perhaps the jet black flames and the black light - the sword qi - also consumed something like MP.

''........Holy Knight.

　Laura muttered ruefully.

'Let's not be depressed forever, let's join hands, join hands.
'Yes. Best regards.
We're gonna take it easy first.
Yes, please.

　As Liv held up her pole hammer, Laura held up her shield, and
　He's slowly closing the distance.
　It was Liv who moved first.
　He closed the distance in one fell swoop and swung the pole hammer down.
　You said it was light, but it only seemed to move a little slower.
　If it was me, I would have complained that I said it was light, but was it expected, Laura stepped in and ducked the pole hammer, and then tried to move further to the side.
　However, since the weapon is the only weapon, he knows what the opponent is going to aim at.
　Liv quickly turned around and got away from him.

It's a good look. He said it's best to move your body, after all.
I'm just trying to switch it up.

　Laura said in a calm tone, but she seemed to be enjoying herself somehow.
　Well, I guess that's just the way it is, Makoto said as he watched them fight.
　The hand-to-hand combat continued until the evening.



　Night--

"Sir, good night.
Good night.

　Today is another day..., Makoto let out a sigh in front of his room.
　Perhaps it would be better to press on more forcefully.
　Reaching for the doorknob, he noticed that the door wasn't fully closed.

''... another rib.''

　But I just did it last night," Makoto said, opening the door and stepping inside.
　As they passed through the narrow passage, the futon was puffed up.
　It didn't look like it was ribbed in size.
　I had a bad feeling, but I couldn't just stare at the futon forever.
　I rolled up the comforter and found Laura.
　She seemed to be curled up like a turtle - but she was not.

'Why are you blindfolded and gagged?'
M~~!

　Mako muttered, and Laura snorted and shook herself.

'Yeah, I'll untie you in a minute,'

　He said he was going to take off a skin, but not this kind of thing~, Makoto blurted out in his mind as he undid the gag.
　It's a very tight knot, but it's a level 100 body.

The only thing that matters is the fact that it's a good idea to have a good time.　That voice is Makoto-sama, isn't it?
What's going on?
I'm tied to the ribs!

　If you can't remove the blindfold and gag yourself, then your hands must be tied too.

'All right. I'll untie that one too.
Wait, wait--!

　Mako rolled up the futon vigorously and gently pulled it back.

'Did you see that!　You saw that, didn't you?
I didn't see him.
'It's a lie!　I felt the wind!
I saw it.
You can't marry her.

　Laura turned over, her face red.

'S-sorry, take responsibility!
...responsibility.

　Why should I, the victim, have to take responsibility for it, I don't know.
　Scratching my head, I look at the floor and see a bucket and what looks like a large syringe behind the bed.
　Inside the bucket is a green liquid.
　When I looked closely, it seemed to be moving.
　Could this be the slime?

What did they do to you?
No, I can't!

　Laura shook her head in disgust.

'Well I can't marry you anymore.

　Laura jolted and buried her face in the bed.
　Not only her neck, but also her ears are bright red.

''........Laura.''
What is it?

　As Mako put one knee on the bed, Laura said in an upturned voice.

'Okay?'
No!
You told me I wasn't allowed to marry you.
Are you going to get me a wife?
....
Why-why won't you talk?
Well, we'll get to that later...
'Quit it! Bear with me until we're married, sir!　Anything else I'll do!

　Are the people of this world fans of danki●?　Makoto nodded his head.

'Other than that? Well, still... ah!'
How could you...

　Laura must have noticed.

'Well, if this is it...'
No, you can't!

　Mako climbed silently into bed.

'Ma, Mako-sama!　Master Makoto!　Please say something!
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, Makoto-sama, Makoto-sama........

　Laura's scream echoed.