Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku (WN) - Volume 10 - Chapter 43

Chapter 43: 43

10-43 . Mithril Plate (2)

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"Then, you won't hand it over no matter what?"

"Sorry . I won't comply to your demand even if you're an upper-ranking noble or the king himself . It's impossible even if you want to exchange it with the [Lost Gjallarhorn], or the world tree's branch, or an orihalcon armor . "

Geryl the crimson noble told me so while looking apologetic . He probably mentioned items that are absolutely not possible to be prepared, but I would have given them except the Gjallarhorn . Even Gjallarhorn, right now I can likely make an exact copy of it .

"Give it up, this is the absolute everlasting custom that the Ancient King Yamato has established . "

The guildmaster who was keeping silent during my conversation with the handsome man-shi intruded with a know-it-all look . He came out again huh, the ancient king .

"I guess it's about 600 years ago . During the time Yamato-sama alive, there was a big enough uproar among the kingdom's retainers it could have divided the kingdom due to the legendary artifact that had been dropped by the floormaster . "

I see, defeating floormaster probably happens quite rare .

"Yamato-sama who couldn't stand it any longer made one rule--"

Summarizing what the guildmaster's said; first the people who defeat the floormaster have to present all the items they've acquired to the king . And then, except for one item which their representative selects, all the items are exhibited in the auction sponsored by the king to be bid equally .

Any citizen of the kingdom can participate in this auction as long as they pay the registration fee . However, since the registration fee is one gold coin per person, most people besides the wealthy and nobles don't participate . 90% of the money collected in the auction will be granted as the reward to the explorers together with the item they've picked in the beginning . The remaining 10% is collected as tax, but most of it seem to be used as the expense of the guards for the auction .

"Originally, I would have to turn you down before we have this talk and that's the end of story, but you're a promising explorer after all . I have especially asked Geryl boy to have a talk with you . "

"Guildmaster, please stop calling me Geryl boy . "

The guildmaster said to the harassed handsome man that he had his diaper fall even now, but I took no notice of it . Fumu, financial power means everything huh . . .

Oops, I have to confirm something before that . It'd be troubling if he chooses the Gift Orb as the reward after all .

"And so Geryl, what do you want as the reward?"

"The Gift Orb of course . "

Geh!? Take the other two please?

"T, that is which orbs . "

"The poison resistance orb . "

Safe .

That's true huh . People don't normally want Chant Orb huh .

"I see, so you're aiming for the light magic orb aren't you . "

"The competition for light magic is expensive . It came out 200 years ago, and it seemed to be bid at an extraordinary price of 3000 gold coins . "

"That's amazing . "

While being amazed, I check the number of Shiga kingdom gold coins in my storage . I can buy 1 or 2 of it with just the gold coins I have in hand . I can probably get it by just bidding honestly, but there's no meaning if there are participants who use backhanded tricks .

I'll go visit some authorized and influential people around to check whether there's a trick to it or not .

I thanked the handsome man for agreeing to meet me, and presented a liquor called [Wicked Firewater] to the guildmaster who had arranged this meeting . This is a liquor I've acquired from Ga Hou the orc, it's strong enough to make an ordinary person who drinks it to collapse with foams on their mouth . It can even make me drunk for 10 minutes . No one saw the figure of the guildmaster for three days after that . Later on, I was looked at with begrudging eyes, but she didn't complain since it did taste terribly good .

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Next I head to the viceroy mansion .

"Umu, unfortunately, even as nobles, no, precisely because we're nobles that you cannot violate that unwritten rule . If a noble violates it, his political opponent will certainly use it against him to make him lose his position . "

Marquis Ashinen whom I'm consulting to warned me seriously . His tone is serious, but his expression is slovenly loose . His lust is not directed toward me, but the statue of a handsome young man which I've brought .

This was something I had bought in the duchy capital just when I was looking for buckwheat flour during our stay in the elf hometown . I couldn't judge this kind of things besides for their market price, so I bought it after consulting to the giant mama-san from the okama bar I had visited together with Toruma back then . His judgment was reliable since the marquis looks delighted . I cut off the figure of the marquis creeping his fingers on the young man statue from my mind .

When I was buying the statue with Mama-san, I saw the children and Sera who looked happy . I couldn't call out to her since I was in disguise, but she was probably training hard since her level had risen by one . Sera is a good writer, she's been sending letters frequently . She has already sent three letters even though it's only been less than a month since we've arrived in the labyrinth city .

She's greatly different than the poor correspondent Lady Karina who still hasn't responded back even now . According to a letter from Muno Barondom, it seems that Lady Karina wants to train in the labyrinth city too . Consul Nina seems to remonstrate her sometimes, but it seems she's being ignored .

There are a lot of monsters that can break through Raka's defense in the labyrinth city, so please don't come here if possible . Even though she's annoying, I don't really want to see her beauty damaged . Please be satisfied with exterminating thieves in your territory .

Now then, my thought has been completely derailed since I really didn't want to see Marquis Ashinen and his young man statue .

Since I've heard the things I want to hear from the Marquis, I'll go consult with other people .

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"This is quite rare for you to visit my home . "

Baronet Dyukeli who has his stern face become even more severe encourages me to sit on the sofa .

I have only come here once after the matter with saving her daughter from the lost thieves . At that time, I was invited to a banquet as thanks, and drank together with the shopkeepers of the magic tool shops and medicine shops in the labyrinth city who were under his control .

I've come to consult him since he might know some unclean ways .

"A matter that's not like you . It'll be hard even if you have a connection with the king . "

"I have been made aware that it is impossible using that method, but since I am desperate to know if there's a good way to obtain my goal, I will be borrowing everyone's wisdom . "

I could probably directly negotiate with the king as Nanashi, but that's also not good huh .

Fumu, maybe I don't have to worry about underhanded tricks since they don't seem to exist .

"It is not that there is no way . "

"What kind of method is it?"

"Of course, it's not a direct one . "

I wait for Baronet Dyukeli who's putting an overemphasis to continue his words .

"It's the same as war . Know your opponents . Ask the well-connected Viscount Shimen for anyone who wants the item that you wish . And then by negotiations, you turn those people to become in a state where they cannot bid . "

I see, information war huh . I'm glad that it's not 'actually there's a trick . '

Turning them into a state where they can't bid sounds like a crime, but even without abducting them, maybe I can turn them into a state where they're not financially strong enough to bid the item .

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Since the Marchioness has invited me to an afternoon tea party, I should ask her to collect information with Baronet Dyukeli's idea in mind .

After enjoying the tea and cakes and some long gossips, the talk became about the spoils from the floormaster .

"My, so even Satou-dono has something he wants . "

"Yes, it is the Gift Orb . Does Retel-sama has anything you've set your eyes on?"

By the way, Retel is the Marchioness's name . After coming here so many times, I've acquired the permission to call the Marchioness's name .

"Yes, did you see that wonderful tiara?　If I were to wear that to the salon during the Kingdom conference, wouldn't I become the center of attention?"

"Yes, it does really suit the Marchioness . "

"How about using that egg-like big emerald in a necklace?"

The noisy wives on the surrounding flatter after the Marchioness's remark .

Baronet Dyukeli's wife stated "Panacea" in a low voice with her fleeting existence, but it doesn't seem to reach anyone's ear . I probably wouldn't have heard it if I didn't have the Straining Ear skill .

"Does the medical diet not going well?"

Since the fact that her son is sick is a secret, I obfuscate the subject .

"Yes, he doesn't like vegetables, so he didn't eat much . "

"Was the recipes I gave before no good?"

"He ate the dish that Chevalier-sama's cook had made while saying that it was delicious, but he didn't eat the one made by our cooks, and said that it was bitter, or smelled of earth . "

Fumu, the difference in (cooking) skill huh?

However, among the recipes that I gave there were a lot of dishes that only needed finely chopped, strained, or souped vegetables, so it shouldn't need that good of a skill . . .

Maybe I should make and sell vitamin supplement and vegetable juice, since there are considerable number of nobles who suffer from lack of vitamin in the labyrinth city . Let's present the trial product to Baronet Dyukeli as a thank for the talk a while ago .

The tea party became lively when the talk was about the floormaster spoils, and the Marchioness would gather information about which person want which items in the auction before I even asked her .

Although it seems that I have to bid for the tiara too now, it's fine if I think of it as the information fee . At worst, if it became too expensive, I could just make a gorgeous imitation, and she should be consent with it .

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Arisa and the others besides me are mastering their new equipments in the upper and middle layer's hunting grounds .

I've culled enemies with instant death attacks and armor-penetrating ones, so they shouldn't be in danger so often . Arisa's new equipment has an automatic deployment system for defense magic, so they should be able to run with teleport magic if they encounter an unexpected situation .

It's already evening, and I've already told Ms . Miteruna that I don't need dinner, so maybe I should go to the labyrinth and eat dinner with the girls .

Everyone seems to be fighting a chimera of scorpion and spider .

"Pochi, stop its leg!"

"Aye! Split bodies attack nanodesu!"

Pochi makes full use of Flickering Movement to attack, and destroys four legs on one side of the eight-legged chimera . Just like Pochi's said, her afterimages look like split bodies .

Tama who have climbed the stalled chimera's back crushes its compound eyes with her short sword . The chimera wags its head to throw Tama off, but she turns the other short sword into a whip sword, and endure the shaking by wrapping the sword on the chimera's feeler .

Looks like Tama is able to properly use the whip sword shaped magic blade and the drill magic blade of her short swords . Since Tama was the only one skillful enough to use two kinds of function, Pochi and Nana needed to change it by voice .

Lulu fires her new smoothbore gun's bullet to the chimera's mouth that has been wrenched open by Mia's magic .

The gun that Lulu is using is a riffle with two meter and a half long barrel, and it uses magic as the explosive instead of explosive powder, shooting substance bullets . During the shooting, the repulsive force occurs on the whole gun, and bullet doesn't touch the inside of the gun barrel . I had a very hard time making this circuit mold, so I instructed her not to use the gun as a club .

The bullet only travels at about half of the speed of sound, but since it's a big 20 millimeters caliber bullet, its destructive power is extraordinary .

In fact, Arisa who was going to give the finishing strike has no turn to come out, she stamps her feet to the ground .

"Satou . "

The sharp-sighted Mia who has quickly found me embraces me accompanied with a 'Pofun' sound .

"Master nanodesu!"

"Wlcome~?"

Everyone gathers after noticing that voice .

After waiting for Liza who had crushed the chimera's legs on the opposite side of Pochi's to finish collecting the magic core, I go back to the villa, taking everyone along .

"What do you think about the new equipments?"

"The performance is magnificent"

"Nice~"

"The strongest of the strongest nanodesu!　It truly feels like bossss nanodesu!"

It's quite favorable on the vanguard side . I don't know Pochi's reference, so I'll ask about it from Arisa later . I feel like it's from some anime or game, but I can't remember it .

"I'm sorry master . I still cannot skilfully use the acceleration to hit well . "

"Ah, with that gun, the trajectory will change even if you shake for an instant . Do your best to master it . "

"Yes, I'll do my best!"

I pat the head of Lulu who grasps both her hands tightly to motivate herself, encouraging her .

After all, it's a hard to use gun even for me who have Shooting and Sniping skills at MAX . It's quite powerful if she can handle it well, so I hope she can master it .

"Overkill . The power is much higher than before, it might be better to use the old wand for support . "

"Nn, excessive . "

As for the rear guard, most agree that the power is too high, or so they said such luxurious problem to me .

"Like with Mia, she miscalculated the Balloon's expansion range and power, it made Pochi flew to the ceiling twice . "

"Arisa! Secret!"

While looking warmly at Mia who's lightly beating Arisa, I listen to the shield-user, Nana .

"I inform that it's safely safe . The consumption of magic power has increased, and the ability to continue fighting tends to fall . I request the supply of magic power after a long time of absent . "

While there is a scene where Lulu tried with all her might to stop Nana who had began to strip her armor, I gave Nana the magic power supplement as she had wished during bathing . I feel that I can just use Magic Power Transfer, but this way seems to feel better . It's like the difference between calorie bars and proper meals huh .

After getting refreshed from the bath, I consult to Arisa about the schedule until the time we acquire Mitrhil Plate .

The X day is 10 days later .