Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, Vol. 11

by Hiro Ainana

  Arisa pointed at my eyes and grinned.

  She was probably suggesting that I use my “Analyze” skill to scout out the best bargains.

  It felt a bit like cheating, but it was probably all right in moderation.

  “Hey, this ring looks pretty awesome, right?”

  Arisa held up an ornately decorated bronze ring. It contained a semitransparent white stone engraved with a rune of strength.

  “That there’s a real magic ring that makes yer weapons stronger simply by wearin’ it! Normally it’d be a hundred and twenty gold coins, but…”

  Damn, that’s steep.

  There was no way it should be that expensive. It was just a bronze ring with a single rune.

  Even at a stretch, a few gold coins would already be a high-enough price.

  According to my “Estimation” skill, its market price was more in the range of one to six silver coins.

  “…You look like a promising young fellow, so I’ll sell it to ya special for only fifteen gold coins!”

  “It only raises your strength stat by three points,” Arisa murmured to me.

  She’d put on the ring at some point and must have analyzed herself.

  For such a tiny bonus, you’d be better off just eating fried whale as you fought.

  “I could maybe do three silver coins.”

  “Tch! If ya don’t even know the value of a magic ring, get outta my store!”

  Sensing that we wouldn’t be buying, the store owner kicked us out with a menacing look, as if he was going to toss salt after us.

  In the next store, we found a curved blade that was pure black.

  “Ooh, that sword looks strong!”

  Arisa reached out her hand, but I grabbed her wrist to stop her.

  “Don’t touch it, Arisa.”

  “Huh? Is it dangerous?”

  “Yeah. It’s cursed.”

  I couldn’t tell what kind of curse exactly, but my “Miasma Vision” showed an ominous black cloud writhing around the sword.

  There were a few other, more beat-up swords in a container resembling an umbrella stand. There was also a wooden crate full of mallets made from maze-ant fangs, in addition to claw daggers and all sorts of other low-budget weapons.

  “Nothing’s really grabbing me in here.”

  “Agreed.”

  The shop next door sold armor.

  “It stinks!”

  “Yeah, I don’t think I could wear this…”

  “That makes an apprentice’s used kendo uniform smell like roses.”

  The leather armor made from wyvern hide seemed reasonably strong, but it stank of the previous owner’s body odor so much that just approaching it made me want to hurl.

  “Fake elixirs; crappy, overpriced potions… I don’t know if there are any hidden gems in this junk pile at all.”

  As Arisa grumbled, I handed her a veria water I’d bought from one of the stands.

  “Hmm? This is actually pretty tasty and refreshing.”

  “Maybe it’s something like watered-down aloe juice?”

  This would be even tastier if it was cold, but that was probably asking too much of a fantasy world without refrigerators.

  I discreetly produced some ice cubes from Storage for Arisa’s and my cups.

  “Thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it,” I whispered back.

  The veria juice, which was delicious now that it was cold, soothed our throats as we looked around the nearby shops.

  “Oh, now, there’s a bargain.”

  “Huh? Where, where?”

  The sharp-eared Arisa picked up my muttered comment and looked at me with sparkling eyes.

  “This one.”

  “What, this rusty old broadsword?”

  “Yeah. It might look like nothing more than a rusty copper broadsword, but it’s actually…a Magic Sword.”

  I whispered this last part in Arisa’s ear, then turned to the shopkeeper.

  “Is it all right if I pick this up?”

  “Sure, but don’t complain if yer hand gets dirty, mister.”

  With the shopkeeper’s permission, I picked up the rusty sword and put some magic into it.

  “The magic conduction channels seem to be blocked, so it probably couldn’t be used as is yet…”

  If I forced some magic through to clean it, it would probably clear up and work, but I didn’t want to risk doing that there in case the sword imploded or something.

  “Shopkeep, how much is this sword?”

  “Three gold coins. Just so you know, though, it’s brass, not gold. And it’d cost more to turn it into ore, too.”

  This shopkeeper was pretty friendly and honest.

  The sword’s market price was between three silver coins and ten gold coins, so three gold coins seemed like a fair price.

  Considering its weight, the raw brass was probably worth five gold coins at least, but it would take no small effort to get it into the right shape to be melted down and reused, which was probably why it was being sold as is.

  “Couldn’t you do two gold coins?”

  Instead of responding to Arisa’s bargaining, the shopkeeper turned to look at me.

  I couldn’t read minds, but I guessed he was trying to figure out whether I’d actually buy it for that price.

  I promptly produced the two gold coins from the wallet in my breast pocket.

  “Sold!”

  The man practically snatched the coins out of my hands, wrapped the broadsword in a tattered cloth, and handed it over to me.

  Maybe he thought he’d gotten away with overcharging me for two gold coins.

  “I’ll come again sometime.”

  “Please do! You’re always welcome!”

  The man grinned at us, and we smiled politely in return, maintaining serious faces as we left the store.

  As soon as we turned the corner and made it to a small alleyway, we looked at each other and burst out laughing.

  “Aah, that’s hilarious! That guy definitely thought he pulled one over on you.”

  “That’s fine. It worked out for both of us, right?”

  The owner was happy to have sold a rusty old sword for two gold coins, and we were happy to have bought a Magic Sword for two gold coins, so it was a win-win.

  The equipment in the Ivy Manor could remove the rust in no time, and I could use Space Magic to clear the magic channels and have Arisa use it.

  Looking at my log, I found I’d gotten titles like Connoisseur and Antiques Dealer.

  “Oh man, that was too funny.”

  “All right. Let’s head to the next store—”

  But just as I was proposing this to Arisa…

  “Masterrrrrrrrr!”

  My “Keen Hearing” skill picked up a faint voice calling for my help.

  Pochi’s voice.

  “What’s wrong, master?”

  I held up one hand to silence Arisa for the moment.

  Listening closely, I opened the map to display Pochi’s location.

  Found her.

  She was in a part of the downtown area that had managed to survive the fire.

  “Arisa, Pochi’s in trouble. Wait for me in one of these shops, okay?”

  “A-all right.”

  Arisa nodded.

  Making sure there was no one else around, I slipped into the shadows, where I quickly donned a black overcoat and transformed into my Kuro disguise.

  “…It’s Pochi… Please help…”

  Launching myself into the sky at full speed, I used “Flashrunning” to head in the direction of the voice as fast as I could.

  I’m coming, Pochi!

  Pendragon Orphanage

  Satou here. I’ve heard that abuse and domestic violence only come to light if people around the situation notice it. Even in a place with social welfare like modern Japan, these things can still happen in the shadows. So in a parallel world like this one…

  “There she is!”

  Barely a second after launching mys
elf into the air, I arrived directly above Pochi’s location.

  It was a bit dark in the shadow of the outer wall’s tower, but she was fine.

  Two men stood in front of her holding long rods, but the rods were tucked under their arms as they covered their ears with their palms.

  Her life didn’t seem to be in any immediate danger, at the very least.

  I used “Warp” to land in an empty alleyway nearby, then used the skills “Invisibility” and “Spy” to head toward the area.

  While there was no one around, I used the “Quick Change” skill to turn back into Satou.

  “Masterrrrrr!”

  As Pochi continued to scream toward the sky, I ran over to her, careful not to use “Blink.”

  “What’s the matter, Pochi?”

  “Master!”

  Pochi looked up at me with glittering eyes.

  “Are these men bothering you?”

  “No, sir! They’re policemen, sir.”

  Looking more closely, I realized that their well-worn clothes were those of Celivera guards.

  “Hey, where the hell did you c—?”

  One of the guards reached out to grab my collar, but the other rapped him on the head with his rod.

  It looked like only a light tap, but the man clutched his head and held back tears and whimpers, so it must have actually hurt quite a bit.

  “I’m terribly sorry for my colleague’s rudeness, Sir Pendragon.”

  “No, no, I’m the one who should apologize.”

  The other guard seemed to have recognized me, which was why he stopped his colleague from saying anything rude to a noble.

  It seemed a little violent, but he probably had his fellow guard’s best interests in mind.

  “Master, come this way quickly, sir. There are little kids who’re dying, sir!”

  Pochi grabbed my hand and tugged me toward a shadowy hiding place.

  There were several children there who were even younger than Pochi.

  “The hell was that about?”

  “That’s my line. You didn’t realize who you were talking to?”

  The guards argued among themselves behind me, but it didn’t seem particularly serious, so I ignored them.

  Seeing me, one of the children opened his mouth, but he didn’t seem to have the strength to speak or move.

  Two of the kids had broken legs; their wounds were red and swollen, with insects swarming around them.

  According to my AR, the children had the status conditions Bone Fracture, Starvation: Severe, and Dehydration.

  “Please save them, sir.”

  “Don’t worry—I will.”

  I nodded reassuringly at Pochi.

  First, I used the Everyday Magic spell Bug Wiper from my magic menu to chase off the insects.

  “Yuck, bugs!” exclaimed one of the guards behind me.

  They seemed to be watching us from some distance away.

  I produced a handful of vials from my Garage Bag, intending to give the kids nutrition supplements before the healing potions.

  On my radar, I saw that the guards were coming closer.

  “May I ask what you’re doing, Sir Knight? Euthanasia is technically against the law here, I’m afraid.”

  “No, no. I’m just giving them nutritional supplement potions.”

  I took a sip of one to demonstrate their safety, and the guard apologized and stepped back.

  “All right, please drink these.”

  Murmuring gently to the kids, I gave each of them a nutritional supplement potion sip by sip, followed by some water.

  They seemed to be able to drink those without a problem, so next I gave them some watered-down magic potions to restore their health.

  “They moved, sir!”

  “Good. Let’s let Miteruna take care of the rest.” I turned to the guards. “I’m taking these children with me. Is there any paperwork involved?”

  “No, it won’t be a problem. We can just let our superior know. In fact, would you like us to help you?”

  It was pretty nice of them to offer.

  The viceroy’s wife must have told the guards, or at least their superiors, to cooperate with our orphanage work.

  “No, that won’t be necessary.”

  As I said this, my eyes were on Liza and Tama, who were running toward us from the main street.

  They must have heard Pochi’s cry and come running, too.

  “Pochiii!”

  “Tama! And Liza, sir!”

  “Pochi, are you hurt?”

  While I waited for their fussing over Pochi to subside, I contacted Arisa using Telephone to explain the situation.

  “…They were near death when Pochi found them, so we’re taking them in.”

  “Oh, goodness gracious! I’ll find a hidden alley to teleport home so I can help.”

  “Sorry about this, Arisa.”

  “Don’t worry about it! If you want to make it up to me, you can always do so physically.”

  I could practically see her winking at me.

  After that, the beastfolk girls and I carried the children to our mansion.

  “You picked up some kids, too, Nana?”

  “Larvae protection is of the utmost importance, I declare.”

  When we arrived in front of the house, I saw Arisa talking to Nana.

  The latter was accompanied by a bunch of small children.

  “We’re back.”

  “Welcome home, master. Are they the kids in question?” Arisa peered anxiously at the children we were carrying. “We’ve got beds ready for them, so hurry and get them inside for some rest, please.”

  Arisa led us into the house.

  “It’s him!”

  “Yeah, I saw them together.”

  “…Larvae?”

  Turning around, I saw Nana’s group of kids running off somewhere.

  I wasn’t sure what had happened, but they were probably just following a random impulse, as kids do. The orphanage wouldn’t be ready for a little while longer anyway, so we could assemble them again when the time came.

  For now, I brought the children we’d rescued into the house, laying each of them down in their own bed.

  “These are some nasty wounds…”

  Arisa’s brow furrowed as she saw the kids’ broken bones and swollen joints.

  “Yeah. I’m going to do some healing that I can’t really have other people seeing. Make sure nobody else comes in, okay?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  I had the beastfolk girls take turns watching the door while I used some careful magic manipulation to repair the children’s bones via “Magic Heal.”

  I’d used similar techniques to patch up the kids we found collapsed in our barn—the same kids who were our current maid staff.

  Wait a minute.

  They’d had the same kinds of injuries back then as these children did now.

  Who in the world was perpetrating such awful violence toward these little kids?

  As I was lost in thought, my “Magic Heal” finished restoring the kids’ limbs to their proper state.

  “Amazing! Was that a spell?” Arisa asked.

  “No, it’s the ‘Magic Heal’ skill.”

  “Huh, maybe I should pick that up, too… Geh!”

  Arisa was speechless for a moment after that.

  Eventually, she told me that the “Magic Heal” skill required far more skill points to acquire than any normal magic skill.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a single skill that costs so much. Master, if you keep picking up these specialized skills, you’re going to regret it, you know.”

  “Thanks, I’ll take that warning to heart.”

  I appreciated Arisa’s concern, but I was able to pick up any skill I wanted for only one skill point, so that wasn’t going to be a problem.

  Not that I intended to waste my points, of course.

  “A man in green clothing?”

  Entrusting the care of the rescued children to Miss Mite
runa, I went to the young maid girls whose legs had been broken when we found them and asked them what had happened.

  “I was sleeping in the corner of an alley, and a weird, scary man stomped on me.”

  From the sound of things, the green-clad noble—also known as Counselor Poputema—had been abusing homeless children in secret.

  “Green Man kicked me, too.”

  “Mr. Indeed. I hate him…”

  The other young maids all had similar experiences.

  “Green Man” and “Mr. Indeed” seemed to be the children’s nicknames for Poputema.

  “Master, death to abusers!”

  Nana was still expressionless, but she clenched her fists tightly in rage.

  “Bullying’s baaad?”

  “That’s right, sir! You can’t pick on little kids, sir!”

  Tama and Pochi were livid, as well.

  It seemed to come from a place of pure morality, even without projecting their own past experiences onto things.

  “Master, is that man not a high-ranking noble? I am not sure it is wise to put yourself at risk in such a way, even for children…”

  “Yeah. Liza is right.”

  Arisa normally had a strong sense of justice, so that was a surprising statement from her.

  “…But you’ve got to use your power to protect the weak, no matter what!”

  Arisa’s eyes glinted, and the other kids around her all gazed at her admiringly and burst into applause.

  Now, that’s the Arisa I know.

  “Master!”

  As I smiled, Nana latched onto me pleadingly.

  “All right. I’ll take care of it somehow.”

  So stop pressing your breasts against me, please.

  As it stood, I was going to the viceroy’s wife’s tea party the following afternoon. I could confront the green-clad noble about the truth of the matter then. If it really was him, I would deliver some justice.

  A high-ranking noble like him was unlikely to listen to a much-lower-ranking noble like myself, so I’d probably end up having to lean on the viceroy’s wife’s authority, but that was exactly what friends in high places were for.

  But of course, I did intend to try to negotiate with the green-clad noble first.

  Then, late that night…

  “So the rumors are true. I didn’t want to believe it.”

  I called out to the green-clad noble, who was raising his foot to stomp on a child sleeping in an alley.