"I have heard that the new lord of Tokumo is training his people to defeat the monsters themselves, that I have heard.

　You know your stuff," said Gitaro Bando.

'You know your stuff.

It's all over the place, that it is.

'Well. I've only beaten the weakest ones.

So do me a favor, that I will.

Huh.


　He says this.

　In Okuga's territory, a monster called the Great Ape rages in the mountains and attacks people.

　We've asked the guild for adventurers, but Okuga is quite far from Skahama, so it's difficult for strong adventurers to come.

　It's a good idea to have the help of Tohkumo, who is rumored to be a monster exterminator in his native land.

''I beg of you, please help me!

'Hmm. A big monkey, huh? ......

　I puzzled over it.


　The Great Monkey is a beginner monster, but it has a higher fighting strength at the beginner level.

　It's still not an opponent that the 75 of us are capable of defeating.


My Lord says that if you give me a skedachi, I'll thank you appropriately, that I will.

''Hmm. I know it's a pitiful story, but I can't let my lords fight an unreasonable monster either.

I'm working on that, that I am.

'Well, I'll think about it for a couple of days anyway. I'll let you know by letter when I hear back.

That's right.

　Gitaro Bando left.



　After that, he asked Garcia's opinion first.

It would be better to keep in touch with Okuga.

Yeah. What's for sale?

That's where the shipbuilding is strongest.

...... I see.

　The ship. Important.

　Among other things, you need a ship to register with the guild down the road and go do the quests.


''Then I guess I should really go now ...... but unfortunately my abilities are not as good as they should be.

Is that a pheasant?

Yeah. Everyone is doing their best, though. We need to build up our strength a bit more in the 'west side of the territory' before we can do that.

How long is this going to take?

With the big monkey, it could be another six months or a year: ......

If you linger too long, won't other adventurers come along and beat you?

Yeah, maybe. There are quite a few new adventurers in the Far East.

　But I can't just go straight to it with an under-qualified lord and ...... hmmm.

'Lady Aega,'

　Then Igarashi-san.

''Wouldn't it be better if Eiga-sama defeated it?''

What?

''That's why. That big monkey can be defeated by Lady Aega.

You. I can't do that. ......? You have .......

　That's right.

　I'm the weakest member of the brave party, but I'm still at least of intermediate ability.

　I can beat the Great Monkey on my own.

　I was so focused on cultivating and strengthening my fellow countrymen that I completely forgot about the concept of 'me fighting'.

''Of course.

　Igarashi-san's nose, which she says as she closes in on me, lightly hits my cheek.

　...... I'm afraid I'm starting to get used to this person's personality lately.

It's not just a matter of time before he or she will be able to get to know you. It's a good idea. It's a good idea to have an experience bonus, because the big monkey is treated as a boss. It's a good idea to make sure that you have a good idea of what you're doing.

　Besides, .......

　I'm not going to be able to stay stronger than the lords of the future either.

　It's a good thing that the entire population has to be much stronger than me.

But isn't it okay if the master beats him this time? It's better to make the most of what we have now because of the ship.

Hmm.

　Does Garcia have a point, too?

''Igarashi-san. Please write a letter to the lord of Okuga. He said he'll be coming to your aid in a few days.

Yes, sir.

　With that, Igarashi straightened her posture, retied her ponytail, and spread the dull paper in front of her tight skirt's knees.

　A black liquid like ink was dipped into the fine hairs planted at the end of the wooden handle, and letters such as '~souko' were written on the paper, which I could not understand at all, nor did I think I would be able to write one day.


　At any rate.

　This was the first expedition for me.

　Well, it's the territory next door, right?



　◇



　The big monkey is the boss, so he leads a lot of henchmen called 【Middle Monkey】.

　I decided to have the 75 of us hunt these middle monkeys this time.

　It would be a good experience for me in a real battle.


　Gaya Gaya Gaya......


　Well, I don't have much leadership.

　It's the first expedition and everyone is so excited about it.

　Even if you tell them not to bring anything unrelated to the adventure, they bring magazines, and if you set a limit on snacks, there are kids who will laugh at you for being so cryptic.


　Don't you think you're fooling my lord! As much as I would like to yell at ......, but even if you make them listen to you by threatening them like that, that won't make them stronger in the long run.

　Besides, I have never seen anyone become really strong by saying, "He's scary, so I'll do what he says.

　Well, there are occasions when it is necessary to yell at him, but usually we have to make him listen to what we say without scaring him too much.

　Gaya Gaya Gaya: ......

　However, I'm worried if I don't cause trouble to other people by doing this.

　It's so hot and humid already, it's seriously annoying.



　Well, I straddled the Kuro-Ohmaru and led the 75 men, Garcia and Igarashi-san across the valley.

Eiga-dono! That's the one you're going to get.

　When we arrived at the north "outer village" of Sister Mountain, Gitaro Bando was there to pick us up.

Come on. My territory is over here, that it is.

　Gitaro Bando quickly stepped to the side of the Kuokuoumaru and began to pull on the reins in an agile motion.

　He wasn't even sweating in this heat.


　Seeing him, I became a little curious about him.

　He is not flashy, but his clean-looking kimono, his eye-poppingly long black hair, his youthful teeth, two oddly shaped blade sheaths hanging from his waist, one large and one small, and the way he pulls his horse at a lightning-fast pace is anything but ordinary.

It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. How old are you now?

Nineteen, that is.

What's your position at Okuga?

I am the Samurai General of Okuga, that I am.

　I'm not sure about this one either, but it has 'general' attached to it, so it must be a suitable position.

　Well, I don't think it's necessary to know that much detail about him since he's from another territory, though.



　◇



　The territory of Okuga has a population of 50,000.

　It is located to the northeast of Tohun.

　The land is large and the industry is well-developed, not only in shipbuilding, but also in comparison to Enuguo, which is flourishing beyond compare.

I'm glad you are here. Eiga-dono.

　However, the lord of Ouga is a pleasant man who does not dare to be overbearing even to a lord 1/20th the size of me.

''Nevertheless, it's a wonderful castle,''

　When I complimented the lord of Ouga, he said happily, "Ho-ho-ho," gazing at his fan.


　In fact, the castle here was very impressive and tickled my heart.

　It is a little unique, but it is a magnificent and gorgeous structure with a combination of stone, wood and earth in a precise and "practical" style.

　It was worth it just to see it.


　However, you can find it at ......

Hmm? What is it?

　That hair style is the only thing I don't understand.

　The lord of Okuga used to have a bizarre hair style in which he shaved the front of his head and tied it up at the top of his head: ......

　I wonder if he is doing this for good?

　He was a good guy, though.

　Seriously.



　Now, I've left it up to Garcia and Igarashi-san to talk about this kind of reward ...... for defeating the big monkey.

　Garcia and Garcia will negotiate with the finance people over there, and Igarashi-san will prepare the contract documents.

　Meanwhile.

　I was led to another room, where I was receiving a reception from the lord of the strange hair style.

　We talked about various things while eating and drinking.

'Ho-ho-ho. Good job, good job. Aiga-dono's story is interesting.

　This lord was especially eager to hear about 'cultivation skills' and was amused.

　Whether it was the minister of the imperial capital or this lord, people of high rank might be more interested in the word 'cultivation'.


''You should stay in the castle today.

　So I'll take him at his word.


　He let me stay in a room on the top floor of the castle.

　This room was small, but it was a great room with a great view of the Okuga area.

It's an amazing view!

　In particular, the sight of ships under construction lined up on the 'dock' by the sea is a sight to behold.

　It seems Garcia's statement that he is strong in shipbuilding is not wrong.

......

　But they were all wooden boats, like sailing boats.

"Don't you make steamships?

Hmm. I'd like to, but I don't have any magic ore in my land.

　Demon ore.

　It is a stone that contains magical powers and is used to power trains and steamships.

I see.

　With all this shipbuilding technology, it seemed a bit of a waste.


　◇


　The next day.

　I immediately took 75 people with me and headed to the back of the 'Sister Mountain', the nava of the [Great Monkey].


　Zazza Zazza......


　By the way.

　One thing I was convinced of again this time was the presence of the martial artist Chiyo.

　Without her, we wouldn't have been able to carry 75 people's recovery medicine and food, and we wouldn't have been able to get as far as we did.

　Today, they were able to make it to Nawabari in perfect condition because of her ability to transport them.


'Good! We're about to have a battle!

　I shouted that on my horse.

''Like I said before, don't fight even if [Big Monkey] comes out. Let me know. But if it's [Middle Monkey], you can take him down as often as you want!


　Kiiiiii!


　But it was the monsters who responded first to such a loud voice from me.


　Basava Saba Saba: ......


　One after another, they leap from the top of the trees.

　They are all about twice the size of an adult male ...... [middle monkey].


''Hiiiiiiii!''

''Help me!''

　The lords were in a state of panic at the sudden attack.

　They were fearful, as if their depressed sweat would burst at once in the humid heat.


''Don't run away! You guys already have the ability to defeat at least the [Middle Monkey]!

　However, it seemed that the 'escape' was rather good.

　They all spread out and fled in a scattered manner, so it was apparently immediately apparent that there were only a little over ten [Middle Monkeys] in total.

　The middle monkeys would also be dispersed one by one.

　The 75 of them seemed to feel more positive as they realized that they had a lot of room in their numbers for a fight.


　Keen! Keen!

　BOB! ......


　Thirty-seven swordsmen wielded their swords and thirty mages chanted Kira.

　The supporting mages increased the overall defense, and the archers 《Shashu》 shot arrows at key points.


　Seriously.

　These guys can already do this much if they fight properly.

　We'll be fine leaving the middle monkeys to them now.


　Well, this time, I had to defeat the boss 【Big Monkey】.

　It was a long time ago when I was in the hero's party, the quest to 'rely on me in the boss fight' was a long time ago .......

　No, no, no, don't.

　This is not the time to be thinking about anything else.


　Heeheen!

　I flipped the Black King circle and ran to the cliff.


　Pakalak, Pakalak, Pakalak ......


　Where's the Great Ape?

　Yes, looking down from the high ground, I can see the entirety of the lordship's people fighting against [Middle Monkey] and the others.

　Oh! I'm doing it, I'm doing it!

　In particular, the martial artist Chiyo is remarkable.

　Boff! Bisi! ......

　My daughter's dancing fists and her bouncing knees.


　But even so, if you've been trained intensively with the cultivation skill 【Possession】, even when you're not possessed, there are times when it seems as if the person is yourself.

　Chiyo's loincloth buttocks, amber-colored limbs, and bare feet covered in dirt give the illusion of being "me. ......

　But it was only an illusion.


　That said, I'm not sure if it's a good idea.

　I think I came to Tokumo, and it was so beautiful that I unwittingly imagined that I myself could be a part of that beautiful glow.

　Lords building embankments.

　A chiyo carrying a tree.

　I thought I could be a part of that sparkling, simple world of words, the kind of people who fall in love with the soil.


　But the more I get to know Chiyo, the more I realize that I can't become that.

　I'm already living in a 'complicated world of words' and there's no turning back on what I've put into words.


　So I can't fall in love with the soil, nor can I be embedded in the human tissue of the land.

　All I can do is watch the glittering of the lords and ladies from a step back, and rule in a direction that is not bad.

　And only in the manner of governing [control] in a not bad direction am I allowed to come in contact with them.


　Well, that's what being a [lord] is all about, isn't it?


　Bishi! ...... ...

　It seems that Chiyo, who had just kicked me to 【Naka Monkey】 in the distance, noticed my appearance, and a smile bloomed on her healthy wheat-colored cheeks《Cheeks》 with a smile.

　Sun and familiar, beautiful cheeks .......


　I was worried that the smile I gave back might reflect a sense of loneliness.



　◇



　Gauuuuuuuuuu. ......

　Well.

　I heard an uncommon roar [growl] and turned around to find [Great Monkey] standing behind me.

　The size of five adult men.

　Fierce fangs.

　Red eyes.


　Hah .......


　I, on the horse, sighed and brandished my 【Copper Sword】!