What the hell is going on here?

　As soon as they returned to the inn and entered the room, Rion crowded in on Albert and Cain, almost grabbing them.

'Rion, who had the most power in that place?'

'What?　That's Temma, right?

　Albert and Cain react to Rion's words like a contrast.

You're the next head of the Haust frontier earl family that includes Russell City, right?

　At Chris's dismayed point, Rion said, "Oh, so that's what you mean... so what? He returned, and this time Chris looked up to the heavens.

''If me and Cain, the noblemen of the other territories, blame the guild leader on that spot, and if Rion, the next lord, intercedes, then the canon will feel indebted to Rion and try to suppress his resentment towards Temma in the future, though!
'Me and Albert played the villain to get a good point across for Leon but the story went in a weird direction and you almost became the real bad guy!

　Incidentally, Yuri-san also seemed to have noticed their intentions right away, and they seemed to have combined their conversations. That's why, as soon as Rion joined the conversation, the conversation was settled, I was convinced. By the way, Chris and Leni seemed to have noticed that they were up to something.

'Besides, if I had shown them a good point there, I might have been able to get Kanon-san.

　Cain said, mischievously, and Leon said

'Mr. Kanon, well she's a beautiful woman.

　He said, as if there was something stuck in his mind.

'What?'　Do you care about that (...) temper that ran into Temma?
'No, I've heard that's not usually the case, so I don't think there's anything wrong with his personality.

So it's all about status?　I don't think the frontier county family is going to be much of a problem, given Miss Edilia's example, do you think?
"Cain, I'm not going to let my status determine who I marry,

'So, what's the... ah, age. Certainly, I might be concerned about that. Even though I'm half-elf, I'm an elf, so my life span is different from that of the human race (Leon). But it's unavoidable in intermarriage between other races, and there are now people who say that the balance of appearance and whether you can have children is more important than your actual age, so there's no need to worry about it that much.
I don't really care about my age, do I?

So what the hell does Leon care?

　Leon, who immediately answered Albert, Cain, and Chris' questions differently, put on a serious face when I asked him.

Her breasts, they're so small they're one of the best I've ever encountered otherwise.

　He started to say with a heartfelt regret, "I'm sorry," he said.

'Yes, Kai-sa~!　Thank you all for your hard work today. We'll call it free time until dinner time.
'Right. Let's leave the lousy Rion alone and we'll decide on dinner when we're all together.

'Right. Leave the lousy Leon behind and I'll go find something to take home with me.
'Ah!　Can I come with you?　I'm afraid of the lousy Leon-sama's gaze here...
'If Aura's going, do you think I should follow her?　I'm going to stay here for a moment...
'I ... I think I'll be fine, but I want to go outside because Leon sucks.
Well, I'll go with you. To stay behind without your daughter is a bit of a problem, you know?

　With Cain's dismissal statement, they each started to ignore Rion. The women, among them, looked at Rion as if they were looking at him as if he were an uncomfortable insect, and walked out of the room at a fast pace, keeping their distance.

'Kris and the others were acting a little strange, what's going on?

　Grandpa came back to replace Chris and the others, but he felt uncomfortable when they passed each other in the hallway.

'No, actually, it was Rion...'

　When I explained to my grandfather about Leon's "mistake,

My advice to you is that you should not make the mistake of saying anything that might make you look like an ally of Temma, Albert, or Cain, even if you are likely to be judged as an ally of Leon. They'll think you're one of their own.

""Yes!"
'Eh....'

　We replied loudly to Grandpa's grateful words.

'And Leon,'　
Yes!

Giving up is the key to the whole process. The key to perseverance is perseverance.
Oh, yeah, what do you call it?

　It seems that even Grandpa, who has the most life experience of all the members, can't help Rion's current situation. However, Rion clung to his grandpa's waist, trying to get some advice.

'Don't let go!　There are things I cannot do!　If I had the ability to fix a relationship with a man and a woman like that, I would at least get married!

Oh, no...　

　Did your grandfather ever want to get married?　And then I look at my grandfather, who is being tangled up with Leon, thinking.

All right!　I'll think about it for a minute, then you must leave!
It's true!

　After persistently winning, Rion quickly left and sat upright in front of his grandfather, waiting for his advice.

''M~ ... Rion, my Lord doesn't talk anymore!　Only when spoken to, reply with words like 'yes' and 'no'!
Oh, thank you!

　That's it?　I thought to myself, but Leon put his forehead on the floor and thanked me.

'Well, if that's fine with Rion, then it's none of my business.
Temma, that's us.
'Master Merlin's advice seems to have some effect, but still, it's basically Leon who's headed in the wrong direction.

　That was the experience of my childhood friends, and even I, who had known them for less time than they had, had to nod my head.

'And yet, Temma. You looked unusually red in the face, didn't you?
'Come to think of it, yes. I don't think I've ever seen Temma so embarrassed about anything woman-related.

What are you talking about?　

　I blurted it out for now, but I know I can't fool these two, even if it's Rion, I know I can't fool them.

'Sure, Kanon-san was s*xy back then, but... if you're the usual Temma, you may be a little embarrassed, but you won't be like Rion. Did you have a change of heart or something?
''It's true that Temma is a gathering of beautiful people close to me, but there have been no floating rumors about it. It's not like they're withered, like Park Nenin or anything.

What are you talking about?　

　I was about to be driven into a corner by the two opponents, and even my grandpa joined in. Behind him is Rion, who is trying to follow Grandpa's teachings and is trying to keep his mouth from opening it.

''Actually, when Merlin-sama wasn't around........''

　Cain immediately started telling Grandpa about the changes in me that had happened in the guild, good thing I was limited in my movements by my wheelchair.


'Temma reacted to a woman?　As a grandfather, you should be happy or not....but Temma

　Grandpa almost toyed with me for a moment after he finished listening to Cain's story, but then he suddenly turned serious and started looking at me from different angles.

'It doesn't look like there's been any change in your appearance... then maybe there's a change on the inside... or maybe you're returning to normal...'

　Grandpa began to mumble and mull something over.

'Albert, Cain and Leon. I'm going to have an important talk about the Temma, so restrict other people from entering this floor and tell the employees to notify Chris and the others as soon as they return. Also, lock the doors, just in case.

Would you like us to leave the table?

'No, I want to hear what Albert and the others have to say, so come back.

All right. I'll be ready in a minute.

Mission, aye, sir.

　The three of them moved as soon as they heard Grandpa's request. Rion looked slightly....well, quite strange because he was following his grandpa's teachings, but he looked quite serious in person.


Now, what I'm interested in is the change in Temma's inner life. More specifically, his interest in women has grown stronger.

　I wondered what my grandfather was going to say with a serious face, but it wasn't serious at all.

''Merlin-sama, it's true that things have certainly changed after all this time... but considering your age, isn't it a perfectly normal thing to do?

"Temma, woman, like, normal.

Leon, just shut up!

　At Albert's words, Rion started to say something impersonal, but Cain poked him and shut him up.

It's true that it's appropriate for your age, but the change is so sudden... or rather, I have a strong suspicion that you were strange before that.

'Question?　Temma, used to be normal?

Leon, shut up!

　Leon, who seemed to say that he had always been strange, was now quieted down by Albert's slap.

It's a good thing that you're not going to have to worry about it, because there were no young women around when you lived in Kukri, and Temma was still a child. But since we started living together in the capital, he never responded to the presence of young women around him.

　Aside from Kukri Village, there were a few times in my life in King's Landing when I reacted to a woman, but my rebuttal was ignored by all of them.

"I wondered if Temma had suffered some kind of 'trauma' or 'curse' during the dragon zombie fiasco in Kukri village,

　Grandpa's idea is that he is subconsciously afraid of losing his 'family' because he witnessed his mom and dad being killed by a dragon zombie, and that he is afraid to make a 'new family' because he is afraid of losing his 'family' and that when he fights a dragon zombie, he will be 'less interested in women'. I'm afraid I've received a "curse".

I know what a 'trauma' is, but is there such a thing as a pinpoint 'curse'?

There are many stories about the curse that are only on the level of folklore, and they are not well understood. Long before Tenma came to the village, the people of Kukri had already had difficulty conceiving. It's not just because the dragon zombies have unknowingly made the villagers less energetic, is it not a mistake?

　Grandpa's reasoning was convincing. Because if a dragon zombie was holding something like a 'virus' that reduced human energy, it wouldn't be surprising if I, who fought it directly, was infected with it.

''If it was caused by a dragon zombie, why is the Temma returning to normal now?''

It's possible that the influence of the dragon zombie just happened to fade away, but I think it's because of the fact that Tenma fought Rich and Jeanne, who was with him at the time. The curse faded because of the fact that Rich is the same kind of person as the dragon zombie, or perhaps the curse faded because he was driven to protect Jeanne, and the desire to protect Jeanne at the same time brought Tenma back to her normal state.　It is said that when a creature is pushed into a critical situation, its instinct to leave behind an offspring comes into play and makes it easier to have children.

So you're saying that Rich was able to get Temma's energy back?

Rich, good job.

'Leon don't say that in front of other people if I'm wrong.

　I wish people would stop calling me vigorous and energetic, because I feel like I've become some kind of s*xually active person. However, I don't know if Rion is not very good at it, but the other three are discussing it with serious expressions on their faces.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world. The problem is that it's better that the ladies don't know about this. Jeanne, Aura is a slave and a maid, so even if there were a mistake, it wouldn't be much of a problem, but I think Amur and Chris should be careful. Even though Amur has become more mature lately, he's the Viscountess, and it's not a good idea for him to get involved in a relationship with someone just for the sake of it. As for Chris........well, many things are not good. If he finds out about Tenma's current situation, he might try to make a move on you.

""Ahhhhh....."
Miss, no doubt about it.

　It was very easy for me to imagine Amour and Chris-san. But Leon felt worse than before because he was following his grandfather's teachings to the letter.

''Well, since it's Temma, even if she regains her age-appropriate s*xual desire, I don't think she'll drown herself in it, so there's no need to worry too much about it.
Yeah. It's a temma.
At least they're all people I have no problem messing with.
Temma, hang in there!

...Are you done?

　The second half of the game was just teasing me and playing with me, so halfway through, I was watching the four contrarians while eating a snack with Slarin and the others. However, I ate a little too much snack due to the fact that I tried to convince myself that it was contrived, but sometimes I got so pissed off that I ate a little too much snack.

　That evening, when it was time to eat, Chris and his friends didn't come back to the inn, and we had no choice but to divide into the men's group and the women's group for dinner, but I was grateful for that, because I couldn't help but feel conscious of being teased about a strange topic.



''Temma, uncle the guild leader said you're free to do what you want here.
Thanks, canon...

　A few days after the day I was tinkered with, I was led to the forge attached to the guild. Today, I'm going to rent this place to clean up the charred 'Kogarasuma'.
　Kanon (...)'s mood towards me softened somewhat, perhaps somewhat relieved by the fact that he went out of control and took out his anger directly on me. However, since it was outside, we made a lot of witnesses, so we decided to call each other names to show that we had made up, as well as to show that we had made up.

'By the way, Temma, that........Leon-sama(s).......?'

　Kanon fell in love with Rion, just as Albert, Cain, and Yuri had planned. The fact that Rion was the only one defending Kanon at that time may have made Rion look like a prince in Kanon's eyes.

'Rion would be wandering around the city. Before you went out, you said something like 'I need to see the market'.
Sorry, I just have to run an errand.

　Kanon left the forge at a fast pace when he found out from me where Leon was likely to be. Well, as far as blacksmithing is concerned, Kanon had said himself that he was useless, so it's fine if he wasn't there... but as a guild employee, how can he disappear without giving any explanation to the users?

'Huh?　Mr. Temma, where did the canon go?

　When Yuri arrived by mistake and I explained to him what had happened, he looked very complicated. Probably because as an uncle, he wanted to support his niece's love, but at the same time, as a boss, he had to scold her for leaving work and customers out of the picture.

'What's the matter with you?'
What's up?

　As Yuri was standing at the entrance, Grandpa and Chris peeked out from behind him. I can't see them because the three of them are gathered at the entrance, but further behind them, it looks like Amour and Jeanne and the others are also there.
　When they heard that Kanon had gone after Rion, they all agreed that they could see. That's how much everyone understands that Kanon is in love with Rion. The only person who doesn't understand is Rion, who is in love with him.

'But by Rion's side, there are two people who are always together.........................Kanon, don't you dare.

　As usual, Albert and Cain accompany Rion on his way to investigate the market in Russell City. Therefore, walking through the city with Rion, whom Kanon is in love with, means that he will be with two people that Kanon is not good at.

''Well, let's leave that group over there aside... what are we doing today?''

　Chris-san wasn't amused by the possibility of his junior having a girlfriend, so he ended the conversation about Rion and canon early and asked me about my plans for today... I'm pretty sure I told him about my plans for today at breakfast (the body that came for me early). (Dressed and churlishly joining us for breakfast) I don't think he was listening to me, as he was distracted by Kanon's appeal to Leon.

'I don't think there's much to do here today, since we're just going to clean up the blackened sword from the Rich fight and make some simple adjustments, right?　Why don't you guys go spend some time shopping or something?

　I'm feeling much better, but not in the best shape, so I'm going to clean the soot off my sword, which I could do while sitting in a wheelchair, to check for damage and see if I can fit the spare scabbard I have now. So I don't plan to do any blacksmithing work even though it's a blacksmithing shop. Even so, the reason I rented the guild's forge was because it was a place where there was no problem even if it was stained with soot, and it was a place I could use freely under the authority of Rion and Yuri-san.

''Hmm.......Still, it seems everyone else will wait until we're done too, so I'll wait too.

　Chris seemed to have decided that my work wasn't that time consuming and he was going to wait for me to finish with everyone else.

'Well, if that's all right with everyone you shouldn't complain. Especially you, Chris.
I won't tell you!

　I reminded Chris that he was about to complain to me, even though it was his choice, and he complained and pulled a chair from somewhere and sat down.

'Well then, I've got work to do, so if you need anything please speak to someone on the staff.

　Normally, such things would have been Kanon's job, but since Kanon wasn't there, Yuri choked on his words for a moment, remembering that he wasn't about to say "Kanon".
　After Yuri left, I took out the tools I needed to clean the sword and laid them out on my desk and got to work.

'Good thing we have some baking soda left over for soap making. Let's sprinkle this on first....

　He sprinkled baking soda on the little crowbar, dampened it with water and wiped it off with a cloth, and the baking soda he had sprinkled on the little crowbar gradually turned darker.

''Hmm?　Something's not right.

　As I polished the Kogarasuma, I felt something strange about it. I didn't notice the discomfort at first, but when I unfolded the cloth and looked at it, I found out what the discomfort was.

'Not much soot on it?'

　The baking soda, which I thought was going to turn completely black, hadn't turned as black as I thought it would. So, once I washed the Kogarasumaru in water to remove the baking soda from it, I tried to wash it whole.

"It's still black ... no, the soot itself has fallen off. Does that mean that the color of the little crowbar has darkened?

　I wiped the blade repeatedly with a white cloth to try it out, but the cloth did not get soot on it. I don't know why Kogarasumaru's color had darkened, but it was probably related to the direct hit from the 'Takemikazuchi'.

'I'll have to ask Master Ganz or Kelly for more details...'

　Now that the stain problem was solved, I tried installing the pattern and trying it out, but something unexpected happened here as well.
　First of all, fitting the pattern, it was the same size and shape as the one I was using before, but the size didn't fit. It seems to have gotten smaller, albeit by millimeters, and there was a small gap between the pattern and the handle, which made it rickety. However, it is dangerous to wield a sword with a wobbly handle, so I decided not to use the korasuma until I could make a handle that would fit the current condition.
　And a test cut, but the sharpness, which I thought had fallen off considerably, wasn't much of a problem. Well, compared to the one right after Master and Kelly sharpened it, the sharpness was definitely not as good as the one I usually use, but I wondered if it was a little less sharp than when I was using it. It's like that. Considering the fact that I fought a bunch of wyverns and riches, it was a bit odd that it was at a level where there was no problem for normal use. It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what's going on in the world.

I'm not sure there's much I can do now. I could use an adamantine sword or a shortsword as a weapon.

　At first I was hoping for something I was familiar with, even if it wasn't sharp, but since I couldn't use that familiar kobolds, I decided to use either the adamantine sword I was using against the big guy or the shortsword I had made from the remains of Tanikaze before, as my main weapon until I could repair the kobolds.

'Well, I had some extra time to spare unexpectedly, but... what do we do now?'

　What I thought was going to take about two hours, actually took only about 30 minutes, so I asked everyone anyway.