Our reunion was sudden and unexpected. I finally got to meet the one I had been longing to meet.
　He was standing quietly in front of a store. He looked divine, like a painting of a saint.
　The next thing I knew, I was standing in front of him, staring at him, stroking him, and then....

Auntie! I don't have more of this rice!

　I asked the woman in the store, pointing to a 10 kg jute bag of rice.
　This rice was not the indica rice I had seen before in this world. It was very similar to the japonica rice I used to eat almost every day in my previous life.

'There's still fifty kilos in the back. How much more do you want?

　That's what Auntie asks, but that's a given....

All of them!

　As a former Japanese, I can have as much japonica rice as I want!
　Auntie was surprised, but she was glad to be able to handle all the inventory. I hurriedly approached the employee in the back and brought five jute bags similar to the one I was holding in my hand.
　The total price was 60kg, or 1,800g, but the lady discounted 100g, probably because we bought a lot.
　It would be unusual for someone to buy so much at once. The lady was laughing.
　When I finished the bill, I heard that this rice is grown in some areas of the north, the distribution of this rice is less than indica rice, and it is not so popular because of its strong tenacity, this time I happened to be asked by a merchant acquaintance to buy it, but he said he was wondering what to do because it did not sell .

　With a wave from Auntie, we (...) left the shop.......in fact, we're on our way back from the dungeon now.
　Jeanne and Aura seemed to be surprised by my sudden action and just didn't speak a word.

'Temma-sama, what are you doing buying so much rice.......I've never cooked this kind of rice before.......'

　Aura seems to think she's going to be made to cook, and she's anxious to hear it, but

Don't worry, I'll cook this for you!

　I will not let anyone interfere with this momentous encounter! I had made up my mind that I wouldn't let Aura mess with me either.
　However, after buying the rice, my steps were lighter than I'd thought, and Jeanne and Aura, who were following behind me, were a little out of breath.　
　I suppressed my impatience and consciously decided to slow down.

　Shortly afterwards, I arrived in my room and pulled out an earthenware pot from the depths of my bag.
　It was one of the dishes I had made myself when I was in the village of Kukuri, and it had a lid on it.
　The rice is usually thought of as being cooked in a cauldron, but I had never cooked rice before and I didn't have a cauldron, so I decided to use an earthenware pot as a substitute.

　First of all, I sharpened the rice and put it in the water, after 30 minutes I pulled it out of the water and put the rice in the earthenware pot, poured the same amount of water and flattened the rice.
　Next, I make a pizza oven to set the earthenware pot on fire intermittently by magic.
　At first, heat it on high until it gurgles and boils, then when it boils, turn the heat to low and heat it until it stops making noise, then remove it from the heat and let it steam... and that's it!

　First, taste the rice as it's cooked...

Good....

　A nostalgic taste spreads in the mouth. Perhaps the quality of the rice is lower than that of the previous life. But that doesn't matter ... no, I don't care! Because the primary thing is that I'm eating the same kind of rice as in my previous life, and the taste is secondary to the taste.
　Surprisingly, it was Aura who was most concerned about the food I was eating.

'Temma-sama, may I have a bite?'

　Jeanne and Aura are having a different dinner than I am. It was prepared by Aura and was lined with bread and stewed meat in soup.
　Lately, Jeanne and Aura had been getting rid of any unnecessary restraint from Jeanne and Aura, and since we were no longer paying attention to the weirdness of the situation, we were starting to spend time together and not have any pain.

'Hoi,'

　I handed the whole plate (I'm serving it on a plate because I don't have a bowl) to Aura. Aura was puzzled, but she took a bite of her food and....

Delicious....

　I was surprised. Maybe it is rare in this world to cook rice like this.
　Moreover, this cooking method is one that I learned in a previous life, and I'm even proud to say that it's delicious.
　Perhaps inspired by Aura and I, Jeanne also seemed to be interested in this method and came over to us with a plate of rice.

　In the end, we didn't have enough rice to cook, so we decided to cook some more.
　Shiroumaru and the others showed interest at first, but after taking a bite, they were surprised by its heat and stopped wanting it.
　We'll continue to collect this rice with all the vigor we can muster when we see it!
　At any rate, with the magic bag, I didn't have to worry about it going bad, and my current bag could easily hold a ton or two of food.

　I enjoyed a good meal for the first time in a long time and hid under the covers that night.


　The next day, we continued to attack the dungeon. We started at the 11th level.
　I convinced them that we wouldn't see each other often since we had destroyed G's nest the day before, and we started the attack.
　Thirty minutes later, as expected, we haven't seen any G's so far.
　Moreover, perhaps because of the fact that they had seen G's swarm, the two of them did not back down even when dealing with demons such as spiders, centipedes, and yasde, not to mention caterpillars.
　Shortly after that, they found the stairs and aimed for the lower floor.

　The twelfth level........there were many grasshoppers and spiders, but the two of them attacked from a distance while using magic. At first, their attacks were repelled and so on, but gradually they seemed to have figured out where their attacks could easily pass, such as the joints and the abdomen, and they were able to win without danger.

　Thirteen levels..........Here Aura was attacked. The two of them were advancing with caution in the area, but they didn't seem to understand their opponent's characteristics very well, and the spider that was attached to the ceiling almost bit them when it pounced on them.
　But I, who had noticed the spider's presence, kicked Aura away just before she was bitten, so she didn't get seriously hurt.
　I taught him to be careful because the insect type can be attached to the ceiling as well, and he resumed his attack.

　The fourteenth level........this time Yasudeh attacked from the ceiling, but the two of them, who were also wary of the ceiling as they had been warned earlier, avoided this with ease, and Jeanne was able to counter it.
　Both of them seemed to be able to handle weapons much better, and if it was a demon that wasn't that big, they could slaughter it in one hit.

　 Their concentration seemed to be starting to lose its power of concentration, and they were increasingly getting hit by the demons' counterattacks. We've been taking breaks along the way, but I think we're nearing our limit.
　We've already started to dive and about five hours have passed. It takes about an hour to get through one level so far.
　We could go back here, but there should have been a staircase near here, so I'll let the two of them use a potion and then proceed a bit further.

　The sixteenth level.............................This level was different from the previous ones, so they were both surprised. However, the level where they met the two of us was much lower, so I thought it was strange and asked them about it, and it seems that their former master, the Viscount, forced the adventurer who was guiding them to the path, took a flight to the 30th level before starting the attack, and was attacked by a centipede while resting at the dead end just after descending the stairs.
　No wonder he was surprised by this place then. However, the viscount must have been an idiot too. It's as if he went out of his way to become the food for the monster (centipede) without knowing what he was doing.
　Putting that aside, I dug up the roots of a nearby tree and began collecting white caterpillars after a long time.
　Jeanne seemed to be curious about what she was doing and looked at me, but the moment she saw the caterpillar and heard what it was used for, she pulled away from me at a great rate.
　

　In the meantime, we made sure to get some for Eee and Shih-chan and called it a day.

　That night, I enjoyed a caterpillar dish for a long time, but Jeanne's rejection was so strong that she didn't listen to me for a while afterwards.
　Aura, as a cook, was interested in it, and she took a fearful bite of the soup and was amazed at how good it was, but she couldn't butter it up. Jeanne was astonished that Aura had tasted the caterpillar dish.

　The chicks at Aimee's place had grown up recently and could eat the caterpillars without having to grind them down, which reduced Aimee's mental burden.
　Incidentally, in exchange for giving Aimee the caterpillar and the demon nucleus, I used to get her to clean my room and so on, but since Aura's arrival, she doesn't have to do that anymore, so now it's a tab...................I don't really need to pay for it, but there's also the public opinion. He's an apprentice, so he's a bill of goods, I'm assuming.

　I felt like the caterpillar brought me closer to Aura, but on the other hand, I felt like the distance between me and Jeanne had opened up.
　It's not going to work out, I decided to get ready for the bath... By the way, no bath-related, lucky-scheme events have happened so far... or rather, I don't intend to happen No!

　
　 ...
　But but you don't have to scream and call Aura!
　That's why even Aura and Amy broke into the carriage!
　Well, I hid in the bathroom at the time, but then I had a hard time clearing up Amy's misconceptions...
　Eventually Aura explained it to me, but until then the psychological damage was enormous...

　By the way, Amy heard Jeanne's voice when she came to thank me for the caterpillar, so she reflexively went after Aura.

　




　The next morning, today is another dungeon attack....

"Jeanne, good morning....

　The moment I called out to Jeanne, she disappeared right in front of me... no, she just squirmed under the covers.
　 ...

　And so on, Jeanne keeps avoiding me.
　It's the same even when I'm hiding in the dungeon. Even if you try to talk to Aura.

Jeanne she's lovely.

　And with a smiling smile on her face, she didn't take my advice........Aura was enjoying this state of affairs, occasionally comparing me and Jeanne and smiling at me.

　The dungeon attack continues without my reliance working........

　At the eleventh level, they proceeded with a vigilant eye on G's raids, but they were able to get rid of most of them yesterday, or maybe they couldn't even see their shadow at the moment.
　When that happened, Jeanne and Aura regained their usual form and their attack speed increased.

　Their abilities had improved considerably since they met, and with their strengthened weapons and improved magic skills, they would probably be comparable to a C-ranked adventurer.
　However, if they fought head-on with magic and only in the act of combat, they would still be able to do well as D-ranked adventurers even if you subtracted that from them.

　Even at the twelfth level, there was no G in sight, and the two of us (and me) were clearly relieved.
　Even though they were relieved, they hadn't forgotten to pay attention to their surroundings as before. In fact, a spider-type demon tried to attack from right above the two of them, but the two of them effortlessly avoided it and intercepted it.
　By the way, it was a spider that I had eaten before, so I was responsible for retrieving the corpse.

　After that, although it took some time, I was able to break through the thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen levels.

Jeanne, I think it's time for a break...　

　When I call out to her, she still hides behind Aura....
　And Aura is still smiling, oh dear, as usual....
　 Her face seemed to be red for some reason, but I didn't have time to worry about it.

　I felt half-heartedly that I'd had enough, and made my way to a resting place.
　
　Seeing this, Aura pulled Jeanne over to the corner and started the discussion.

　I don't know what the outcome of the discussion was, but Jeanne was blushing and Aura was grinning even more than usual.
　Neither of them seemed willing to tell me what they were talking about, so we decided not to ask them either, and decided to eat.
　It was all that was sold at the food stall today, but it was quite good.
　After the meal, I gave Jeanne a medicine mixed with my blood and took a break...Because Aura might get suspicious if she only took the medicine with Jeanne, I decided to give her the same color-tinted one for Aura to drink.

　It's a good idea to have them both drink it, saying it will speed up their recovery of strength. I've made three other medicines, one to speed up the recovery of magical power and another to increase resistance, and I'm not lying since they are effective as well.

　After a short break, we attacked the rest of the sixteenth level, and after breaking through the seventeenth and eighteenth levels, today's attack is over.
　As we walked out of the dungeon, we noticed a number of people looking at us and whispering to each other.
　Some of them were pointing at us while talking, and it bothered me, but there was no way to check as they kept their distance from us as soon as they got any closer. The only thing we know is that they are paying attention to us rather than making fun of us, so I think there's little danger of us getting into trouble for now.

　As we headed straight to the guild, we just ran into Djinn and the others, and I told them about what happened earlier.

What, you don't know? You guys are the hottest young party in town, and Temma is the most powerful adventurer in the city, or so they say, and they're talking about it.

　I couldn't hide my surprise at Jin's words. I could kind of understand that this was a young party that was in the spotlight, but I couldn't understand why there were rumors circulating that I was the strongest.
　It's true that even before Jeanne and Aura joined, there was a lot of talk about solo dives and accompanying dragons, but not once did rumors circulate that I was the strongest.
　When the djinn saw what was going on.

Maybe it's because Temma beat up the son of a nobleman and scared the ogre.

'In addition to that, because Temma-san used to faint and bury Jin-san in the dirt, and Jin-san used to complain in the tavern that he was afraid of Temma, that he wouldn't go against her, that he didn't want to die dealing with Temma, and so on.

It was your fault!　

　Leena's tip-off revealed the person who spread the rumor... so I tried to stun Jin as usual.

Farewell!

　And Jin started to run away from the scene as fast as he could.
　There was some surprise at how fast he acted, but as soon as Jin started to run, Shiroumaru gave chase, and before fifty meters had passed, Jin was crushed by Shiroumaru... As an aside, from those who had seen this scene, Temma Rumors are spreading that there's no way to get away with it.

'Oh well, don't mention it. But the Temma and her friends are in great shape these days. I have two girls with me and they are getting a reputation for fast recovery without serious injury.

　Menace was grinning at me, emphasizing the part about two girls, but I didn't change my expression.

'So that's what happened...'

　I ignored him. Despite Menace's vaguely boring face, this time Garratt

Speaking of which, will Temma and the others be participating in the martial arts tournament?

　I've been trying to talk to you about

What's that, I've never heard of that before...

　It was unfamiliar to me, but I could imagine it from the name alone. Garratt looked at me like he was surprised to see me like that, but

'Well, these days Temma wouldn't have had time to be interested in such things. Wouldn't it be strange if they didn't know?

　And to Menace's words, "Oh, I see! I was convinced.

'What's that martial arts tournament all about?'

　I asked Menace and the others honestly why Leena was beside herself.

A royal warrior's ceremony, to be exact.

　That's what they tell me, but I can only know that it's a very ostentatious name.
　Menace, who couldn't bear to look at it.

It's an awkward name, that's why everyone calls it a 'martial arts tournament. In the past, when the country was still small, knights would hold mock fights to stimulate the economy, and it has become a form of entertainment nowadays. The top finishers are often knighted or appointed as knights, so the number of people participating in this tournament every year exceeds a thousand.

　He explained in simple terms.

'Plus, this competition is divided into three divisions - individual, pairs and teams - so there's a lot of adventurers who want to make a name for themselves.

　Garratt added. He said that a maximum of five people are allowed to fight with the team in this case and one replacement is allowed as an alternate.

'So, will Temma be joining you?'

I don't think I'll be joining... or even Temma (...)

　I reacted to some of the words, and I looked at Menace.

Yeah, we, the Sword of Dawn, will be participating in the tournament.

　He said that with pride. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for, but it's also a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　By the way, last year, about 450 people participated in the individual matches, 200 pairs and 100 teams in the team matches.
　The number of participants lightly exceeded 1,000, but this is because there was no limit to the number of participants, and some of those who participated in the individual rounds also participated in the pairs and teams rounds.
　Some of those who took part in the pairs event also took part in the team event with two members of the same pair.

　In the individual matches, dozens of players take part in a battle royale, and the last two players to leave are the finalists, with a maximum of 32 players selected.
　The pairs also used the same battle royale system, with a maximum of thirty-two pairs selected in the same way.
　In the team competition, all the teams were divided into sixteen blocks and played in a tournament format, with the winning team from each block qualifying for the main tournament.
　The main event is a tournament, and opponents are decided by lot before the games begin.
　In the individual matches, however, only those who have advanced to the semi-finals or higher in the previous tournament will be seeded and will be exempted from the qualifying round.

　The tournament is scheduled to last 9 days, with qualifying rounds on the first 3 days, the semi-finals on the next 3 days, and the final round on the last day after a 2 day break.

　There are various types of official and unofficial betting on this tournament, including one to find the winner, another to find the first three places, and another to find the finalists.

　The event will be held in about two months, and an auction will be held at that time.
　I'm thinking of going there. I've been thinking that if I go to the capital, I'll be able to hear the stories of the village's survivors, and I'll be able to let the kings know that I'm still alive.

　We'll discuss this matter with them all this evening.　

　But for now, I think my priority is to get back on track with Jeanne, and I look at her, but she still hides when our eyes meet. It was getting better than in the morning, but it didn't make a difference that she was still avoiding me.

　Today we made dinner simple and quick, and then we discussed the future.
　Even though we discussed it, Jeanne and Aura have no veto power due to their position, so we only had to decide on the route to the royal capital and the date of our departure.
　It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what to expect when you go to the beach, but it's not easy to say that the king of this country is an acquaintance of yours, so you can't say that you're going to meet someone from your hometown.

''Um........Temma-sama, there are probably relatives of Jeanne in the royal capital.......''

　And so Aura said.

Well, I guess I'll say goodbye to you there.

　And when I told them that I was going to hand them over to the man I knew.

That's the last thing I want!

　Jeanne objected, unusually loudly.
　Surprised that Jeanne was so loud and that she didn't want to be freed from her slave status, she continued

"I'd rather die than go to a man like that! 　

　I tried to ask her why, but Jeanne didn't seem to want to talk about it, and instead, Aura

The relative is Jeanne's mother's cousin's marriage to a disgusting man by the name of Quasi-Consort Podro il Chloride.

　It seems that not only Jeanne but Aura also disliked this Podolo or something like that and expressed a clear dislike for him.
　According to Aura's story, Podolo had come into the family of a branch of Jeanne's family, but when Jeanne's family went bankrupt, he was the first to abandon Podolo.
　In addition, Podolo's wife is mentally weakened by Podolo's bad habits, and she is almost bedridden because she abandoned her husband's family so easily.

''That's why I don't mind going to King's Landing, but please just don't give us to that man.

　And Aura begged me with her head down. As for me, I couldn't just hand them over to such a man, so I clearly agreed that I wouldn't hand them over to him no matter what.

　When Jeanne saw me, she said.

Mr. Tenma....

You can call me Temma.

　And when I said it was okay to call him out, Jeanne thought for a moment and then

So, Temma I mean, thank you...

　Then she looked embarrassed.
　Aura tried to note that Jeanne had called me out, but I convinced her that I had given myself permission to do so.
　I told Aura that it was okay to call her by her name too, for a change.

'I am a maid before I am a slave, and I cannot be so disrespectful to my master.　

　And he refused to do so...

　After discussing things like that, we decided that we would leave for King's Landing a week from today in order to secure lodging as soon as possible, that we had no plans to participate in the martial arts tournament for now, that we would not hand them over to Podolo, and that we could flee to Seigen as fast as we could in case of an emergency.
　He also promised that they would be given a specially made golem nucleus as their bodyguard when they went to King's Landing.

　The two of them seemed quite relieved, especially Jeanne, who seemed to have fallen asleep early in the futon.
　Tomorrow, in addition to attacking the dungeon, we'll be starting preparations for the trip to King's Landing, so I thought it would be good to go to bed early, and Aura and I also went to sleep early... not knowing that this would lead to the commotion the next morning... ...