In the Land of Leadale - Volume 2 - Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Intruders, a Duel, a Move, and Blood Ties

Cayna vacated her room at the inn for the time being, and since she was unsure whether it would be a long journey, she procured several days’ worth of food, potions, and anything else she might need. She purchased lumber from Kartatz’s workshop at a good price through a wholesale retailer and attended to various other remaining tasks. 

Her first destination was the ocean tower she had heard about from Cohral. Since she had magic that would allow her to both move and breathe underwater, it didn’t matter if she couldn’t swim. Should she grow a bit lonely on her solitary trip, she learned from the Adventurers Guild that a joint force of Felskeilo and Helshper knights would be setting out in two days to take care of the remaining bandits. Cayna considered joining their ranks and accompanying them halfway. 

Since Cohral was also in the Guild, she pestered him for more info about the coastline. He naturally insisted on monetary compensation, and she obliged. He looked elated—apparently, he’d needed money to repair his armor. 

“Hmm, I should’ve gathered info ahead of time,” she mused. 

“Mm? Something happen?” 

“I moved out of my room at the inn, so what am I supposed to do for two days…?” 

“Gettin’ ready is pretty tough, huh? Ha-ha-ha-ha!” 

She sulked at Cohral’s smile. It then struck her… She could stay at Marelle’s place. On the way back from her last trip, she had only checked on Mimily, so she decided to pay the village another visit. 

“Do you have somewhere to stay?” 

“Yeah, a remote village.” 

“Won’t you get there by the time the cleanup force is returning home?” 

“Heh-heh-heh. My dear Cohral. Who do you think I am? My tower is over there, and I can return here in an instant with Teleport.” 

Cayna puffed out her chest and wagged her finger with a “Tsk, tsk, tsk” in a needless display of importance. 

“Ew, gross! At least suffer a little like the rest of us!” 

“Isn’t it a little late for that? If you tried it once, you’d know I’m right.” 

At Cayna’s high-handed attitude, Cohral tried to reach out and poke her head. She dodged with ease. No longer joking, he repeatedly extended a hand to grab her, but she nimbly evaded each attempt. 

His comrades lukewarmly watched over this sudden game of tag. However, it wasn’t long before the receptionist Almana angrily called out, “Please don’t horse around in the guild!” and brought it to an end. 

“Hah! Your level and speed are no match for me, young Cohral.” 

“Dammit, I’ll get you for this!” 

Cohral shook a fist at Cayna, who had now pulled down her eyelid and stuck out her tongue at him, but his friends pulled him away with a “Now, now,” in an effort to calm him. 

As she watched him get dragged off, Cayna regained her composure and murmured “Well, guess I better get going” and went on her way. 

Prior to leaving the capital, she once again searched out the prime minister’s spies and tied them up. Before the man observing her in the shadows had a chance to realize it, he lost sight of his target when Cayna snuck up on him and knocked him unconscious. It was his second slipup, and he started wondering if he should find a new career. 

Cayna used her own ring to travel to her Guardian Tower in the remote village. The Guardian at the Battle Arena had approved of her, so she made sure not to use the Ninth Skill Master’s ring to prevent accidentally winding up there. 

Then she received some very curious information from her delinquent wall Guardian. 

“Someone was here?” 

“Yeah. They showed up after you left, Master. Maybe a couple days ago. ’Bout three people, I’d say. They hesitated in the forest below and ran off. Bunch of gutless wimps.” 

“Oh, well then, maybe they could have been players?” 

At the very least, she didn’t think by now anyone would come on business to a place rumored to be the home of a scary, ancient witch. 

If one had enough patience, the trial in Cayna’s tower was easy enough for even a low-level player to clear. If they hesitated in the forest maze and decided not to enter, they either came looking out of curiosity or went back to prepare for the long trial. 

It was all speculation, so Cayna set the problem aside for the time being. She’d have the Guardian tell her if anyone came again, and she could use Search on visitors to find out if they were players. 

Everything would have been so simple if the Guardian could confirm these things by itself, but unfortunately the Guardian was an overseer of the region, not an intercom or concierge. The most it could confirm was whether someone entered the forest or tower. Besides, a wriggling, moving wall Guardian would be pure horror. 

After telling the delinquent just to contact her if anyone came along, Cayna descended the tower and headed for the village. At the entrance, there were two covered wagons stopped beside the workshop that had stood there the last time she visited. Since the village had no stables for them, the horses munched on the grass nearby. 

Thinking that the villages really seemed to be flourishing, and there even appeared to be more people, Cayna headed toward the inn. 

“Ah, Miss Cayna!” 

“Hello, Lytt.” 

As Cayna came across Lytt carrying a bucket of water in front of the inn, she felt all the tension fall from her shoulders. The girl lowered the bucket, and they bowed to each other. 

“I was thinking of staying at the inn for two days. Do you have any rooms available?” 

“Uh-huh. We’re surprisingly busy, but I think it’ll be okay.” 

“If you’re saying it’s surprising, I take it things aren’t going all that well…” 

Lytt brought the bucket into the inn, and Cayna followed. Marelle, who was busy cleaning the tavern, greeted her. 

“Hi there, Cayna. Been nearly a month since I last saw you, huh?” 

“Long time no see, Marelle. I’ll be staying just two days, if that’s all right with you.” 

“You’re free to drop in whenever. No need to be shy now; stay as long as you like.” 

After paying forty bronze coins in advance for her two-night stay, Cayna asked about the bustling atmosphere. 

“Have you been getting more people here again lately?” 

“Oh, you mean those covered wagons? They say it’s that bathhouse you made. Students from Otaloquess even came to study it.” 

“Otaloquess… They came here from that far south? How are rumors even there…?” 

Cayna had learned basic geography from Elineh. Of the three nations, Otaloquess to the south (also known as the former Red Kingdom of Questria and the Blue Kingdom of Aulzelie) was famed for its superior magic techniques. She also heard that they’d had the same high-elf queen since the nation’s founding and that Felskeilo’s Royal Academy had modeled itself after them. However, Mai-Mai had said that since the Academy didn’t have enough magic instructors, they couldn’t dedicate themselves solely to magic. 

Despite the southern Red Kingdom of Questria being entirely made up of desert, it had transformed into a lush, dense forest like the Blue Kingdom of Aulzelie that occupied the same territory. The climate was a perfect tropical rain forest, and Cayna heard the temperatures were high all year round. She thought that a desert becoming a jungle within two hundred years was one mystery too far. 

“Students, huh? They’re not giving Mimily any strange looks, are they?” 

“They’re all male. Mimily is in the women’s bath, so they haven’t seen her. Now that we’re bringing her meals to her, I don’t think she’ll catch anyone’s attention.” 

Although they were watching out for Mimily’s well-being, it seemed that the villagers were very much used to the mermaid doing their laundry by that point. It didn’t seem like she’d have to deal with any unnecessary stalker issues. 

As she drank Marelle’s lukewarm tea and recalled times both past and present, Cayna locked eyes with a male and female werecat entering the inn. The man had brown hair and ears and wore leather armor. He had the look of a swordfighter and carried a sword at his side. The woman had beautiful black hair and ears, wore leather armor, and had a long bow across her back. 

The woman stared at Cayna and briskly approached. Flustered, the man followed after. 

“Hello, comrade.” 

“‘Comrade’?” 

“You’re an adventurer, aren’t you? Or am I wrong?” 

“Oh, that’s what you mean. In that case, a fine hello to you, too. What can I help you with?” 

The female werecat appeared to think about Cayna’s question for a moment. Next to her, the swordfighter was poking her shoulder and uttering complaints of “What the heck are you doing?” 

Cayna quickly used Search on them and found a bit of a surprise. 

The woman, at level 70, was the weaker of the two, while the man, at level 80, was the stronger. Higher than Arbiter. She initially thought they were players, but since nothing indicated them as such, she judged they were from this world. 

Incidentally, Search did display the nation a person belonged to. In Cayna’s case, she had last belonged to the Black Kingdom of Lypras. Cohral and Shining Saber had been a part of the Blue Kingdom of Aulzelie. 

“We came at the great scholars’ request, but there’s nothing here, and it’s dead boring. We heard there was a tower of wisdom nearby, so we went with ’em to check it out.” 

It was then that Cayna understood. These were the visitors. They had been unprepared and were planning to come back with the scholars, but Cayna thought it was all for naught. The area around the tower was covered by a powerful barrier, so it rarely suffered outside attacks. However, there was also a set time limit between breeching the tower and arriving at the time, so all you had to do was stop in the middle and be sent back outside. 

This loudmouth werecat girl was just like the players in the Game Era who had bugged Cayna for skills. The idea that there were still people like that here made Cayna want to burst out laughing, but she held her tongue. 

“So how about coming along? You can ride on our big names once we take the tower.” 

“No thanks, I’m good.” 

“………” 

To keep from blowing her cover, she flat out rejected them with a great big smile. 

I want to laugh so hard right now. 

“It will only aggravate them.” 

They’re the ones already picking a fight. 

“Well, yes…” 

Apparently not expecting a refusal, the werecat woman froze with a shocked expression. Behind her, the man gave a look of apology for her rudeness and mouthed Sorry with a raised hand. The werecat woman’s face twisted with disgust, and spit went flying as she rattled on. 

“Listen here! We’re famous adventurers in Otaloquess! You better realize that working with us is an honor! Think of what it could do for your own reputa—” 

“No thanks, I’m good.” 

The woman looked on in disbelief at this word-for-word repeat rejection. Her eyebrows slowly raised with rage, and with one look at Cayna, she furiously raced up the inn stairs. 

“Sorry about my little sister.” 

The man briefly apologized with a quick bow of the head and followed after. 

“Adventurers like them seem hard to get along with…” Cayna looked toward the stairs with shock. 

“Perhaps they are famed adventurers not for their skills but rather their impressive egos?” 

Even Kee sounded surprised, and Cayna couldn’t help but nod in agreement that this was likely the case. 

“Sorry you had to put up with that.” 

“Why are you apologizing, Marelle? Adventurers come in all types, so you’re bound to run into ones like them at some point.” 

As Marelle took her cup, Cayna reassured her that there was no need to worry. If she wanted to talk about bad, then the players who tried to steal her skills by force back when she was a Skill Master were a million times worse. They’d been so full of themselves, but their reactions when they failed were adorable. 

“Oh, right, please listen to this, Marelle. My daughter, Mai-Mai, is so mean.” 

“I still think hearing a word like daughter come out of your mouth sounds ridiculous.” 

“Wha—?! You’re so mean!” 

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry. What about your daughter, now?” 

“So you see…” 

Cayna wiped away the dark atmosphere by recounting what had happened in Helshper. She recounted for Marelle how Mai-Mai had kept the truth about her grandchildren from her, how the three girls had gone hunting for a horned bear, and other such events for the remainder of the morning. 

Not only was Marelle dumbfounded that Cayna had grandchildren, she was also shocked to learn they were involved with Sakaiya. After relishing a delicious, long-awaited lunch made by Marelle, Cayna promised Lytt she would recount her adventurer stories over dinner. 

Cayna then headed over to the workshop by the village entrance where the technicians for whom she had drawn an illustrated explanation of the water wheel’s mechanisms lived. She cheerfully greeted the villagers she passed on the way and ran into Lottor, who was carrying several rabbits. 

“Yo there, Miss Cayna! You came back?” 

“It’s been a while, Lottor. Are you done hunting?” 

“Well, I can’t say I’ve been all that busy. You on another request?” 

“Just taking a short break. I’ll be leaving for a far-off place the day after tomorrow.” 

“There’s no real reason to come to our nothing village… If you’re already visiting this often, how about moving in?” 

Lottor had meant it as a joke, but Cayna was silent. When he looked at her, she had her arms crossed and was deep in thought. 

“…It’s a possibility.” 

“Hold on, Miss Cayna. Are you serious?” 

“I’d been considering setting up a base of operations somewhere, so you might say this is a windfall. I’ll speak with the village elder later.” 

She was serious from every angle. In that case, even if he’d meant it as a joke, Lottor figured he should run it by the elder first. 

With this in mind, he parted ways with Cayna and decided to head for the elder’s house before returning to his own. 

Setting aside Lottor’s proposal until she discussed it with the village elder later on, Cayna initially went to see firsthand how things made with Craft Skills changed once people got their hands on them. At the workshop entrance, she called out to a dwarf who was crouched down, working on something. 

“Hello.” 

“H-hello… You’re the young miss from earlier, right? What can I do for you today?” 

“I’m here to talk about the picture I explained before. Is anyone else around?” 

She wanted to discuss some pretty confidential matters and asked that no one else come inside. The dwarf agreed immediately and led Cayna in. There, he brought out a woman and two more dwarves. 

They started with basic introductions. 

The bespectacled, sharp-eyed human woman was Sunya. Of the dwarves, the largest and brawniest was named Lux. The next biggest was Lux’s apprentice, Dogai. The smallest (who still reached to about Cayna’s chest) was Lux’s son Latem. They were apparently a family who ran an engineering workshop and had contracts with Helshper merchants. 

Cayna was surprised to find out that Sunya and Lux were married, but when she heard that Latem was Lux’s son from his previous wife, it all made sense. 

“Well then, Miss Cayna. You mentioned that you wished to discuss some sensitive matters. What might those be?” 

Sunya seemed to be the delegate Cayna would be negotiating with, and Cayna continued. Lux and the others were all about production, so they were entrusting the business matters to Sunya. 

“I explained on paper before how the mechanisms of the well work, but I can provide you with a full version for a fee.” 

“What?!” 

““What was that?!”” 

This was the last thing they’d expected her to say, and it was far beyond anything they would have hoped for. Sunya looked utterly bewildered. Lux and the others seemed even more surprised. Their mouths were wide open, and they stood perfectly still. This moment of silence pressed on, and Cayna couldn’t hide her smirk. 

Lux was the first to recover. 

“H-hold on, miss! We’re very grateful to research your device, but is it really all right to transfer your own technique privileges to someone else?” 

“Huh? What’s that?” 

Cayna had no idea what this sudden mention of technique privileges was. After all, usually someone who passed the offline quest could create the mechanism in question. Plus, it had no purpose outside the quest anyway. Cayna tried confirming it the other day, but it seemed that Shining Saber and Cohral could use it as well. 

In the world of the game, it was treated as a prerequisite skill needed in order to obtain other skills. However, since it was only used when building fortresses, it pretty much gathered dust. 

Sunya understood by Cayna’s reaction that she didn’t know what they meant, and it reconfirmed to her that perhaps the elf’s offer to hand over a technique so precious in their modern world for a fee wasn’t the wisest decision. 

Cayna, on the other hand, was so dumbfounded by how far techniques had deteriorated that she gladly handed it over to them for research purposes. 

In addition to monetary payment, her other stipulations were that they never name her as the contributor and never turn it into anything used to kill people. Of course, how things developed after Cayna passed it to them would all depend on the other party’s discretion. 

“…Understood. We shall follow your two conditions. However, in regard to the monetary fee, I’m afraid we cannot provide such a large amount. We will conduct negotiations and verify the matter with our partner merchants, so would you mind waiting for a short while?” 

“Umm…is it really so valuable? That thing?” 

It was just a simple, human-powered device that turned gears and used a caterpillar track to draw up troughs of water, so she wondered how much they were possibly willing to pay. A large question mark appeared over her head. 

“Yes, well, if we include its future usefulness and diffusion…I believe we are looking at around ten gold coins.” 

“Bwagh?!” 

Cayna sputtered when she heard the number that was twenty times more than she’d expected. For that price, she could stay at the inn for seven years without lifting a finger. Although Cayna’s standards for currency exchange were out of line with the modern world as usual, Sunya herself was completely serious. 

“Are there even any merchants who can provide that much money at the drop of a hat?” 

“I believe the merchants we are contracted with will be able to accommodate it.” 

Cayna had a bad feeling before Sunya even said anything. Knowing full well she was on the mark, Cayna went ahead and confirmed her fears. 

“…Like Sakaiya?” 

“Yes, indeed. We are supported by the master of Sakaiya.” 

“You’re under Caerick’s direct supervision, then. In that case, there’s no rush to get the money. I’ll ask the kid for it myself.” 

“What?! A-are you an acquaintance of the master?” 

“Yeah, well…you might say we’re business partners, I guess?” 

Just to be safe, she wouldn’t mention that he was her grandson. After all, it’d be a pain if Sunya and the others bowed their heads every time she stopped by. If the other villagers found out, and they all prostrated themselves before her, it would break Cayna’s heart. Having a blood connection to a big name directly correlated to increased stress, so she decided to keep mum about that matter alone at any cost. 

Unsurprisingly, as soon as Cayna called Caerick by name and referred to him as the kid, they knew exactly what the connection was between the two. They had apparently said nothing out of consideration. Cayna, who wasn’t really a fan of hierarchical relationships, judged that they had their own reasons for doing so and continued pretending not to notice. 

“Well then, why don’t we get crackin’?” 

Just as she said “As for the materials…,” a log that would have required two adults to carry appeared in front of Lux. One could only assume it came out of thin air, and several more of the same size popped up in a similarly odd fashion. A single log must have weighed four times more than Cayna. 

Their eyes widened in wonder at what mysterious technique could allow one girl to prepare such a large volume. 

Paying no heed to their uneasy gazes mixed with fear, Cayna cast the spell to process the wood, then used Craft Skill: Water-Drawing Mechanism. 

Everything had been split up into pieces last time, but this formula put everything together all in one go. The rectangular planks came together to create the caterpillar track, and there were two conspicuously big wheel gears powering it on either side. This was connected to a gear box with a crank one could use to transfer energy, and within mere seconds, a water-drawing device identical to the one used by the village’s well was complete. 

Sunya and the others stopped what they were doing and stared as they witnessed this entire process happen in midair. To be honest, such methods were incomprehensible in the modern world. 

“Hmm, I guess the caterpillar track didn’t need to be this long if it’s going to be inside.” 

Cayna had measured the initial device so it would reach the bottom of the village well, but the extensive length of the track seemed a bit cumbersome here. The wells in the village also had preservation magic cast on them, but considering the workers here would likely disassemble the device, she decided to forego this. 

As she gave a gesture of It’s all yours, they finally moved forward. The parents, their child, and their pupil all raced at the parts that interested them most, and Cayna felt like she’d just given children a new toy. 

Sunya awkwardly withdrew to the back of the workshop and returned with several documents. 

“Well then, Miss Cayna. Could you please sign these?” 

“Um, sure. Here and here?” 

Since coming to Leadale, Cayna hadn’t had much opportunity to write her own name. Besides signing in to lodgings, the only other time had been when she registered for the Adventurers Guild. 

She didn’t have a last name here, so she simply signed it Cayna. 

“Well, I guess I’ll head to the village elder’s house nex— Huh?” 

“Hello, Lady Cayna. So this is where you have been.” 

Cayna was stupefied to see the village elder approach her with a questioning murmur, but as soon as she saw Lottor grinning right behind him, she understood what was going on. 

“Geez, Lottor. Isn’t it unfair to talk to him before me?” 

“Nah, it’s faster this way, don’cha think?” 

The village elder smiled as he stroked his peppered beard and permitted Cayna to build a home within the village. 

“In that case, shall we all build your home together, Lady Cayna?” 

“Ah, there’s no need to go that far for my sake. As long as I have a plot of land, I can build it myself.” 

Of course, there had been a build-your-own-home offline event in the game, but those usually involved huge fortresses. The basic Building Skill had several house templates, so she planned on going with one of those. Wandering here and there as an adventurer was fun and all, but she also wanted one place where she could relax. Marelle could also teach her methods of housekeeping that didn’t involve skills. Since Cayna had spent most of her life in a hospital, she dreamed of having her own home. 

The village elder proposed a place farther within the village that received plenty of sunlight, and the villagers who had gathered approved as well. Long ago, the pioneer who founded the village had built his house there, and no one had thought to build on it since. 

“What?! Is it really okay for me to have a place like that?” 

“Lady Cayna, although you are not from this village, you’ve done so much for us, have you not? It would be shameful of us to not repay you at a time like this.” 

As the elder said this, the other villagers nodded simultaneously in agreement. 

“That’s right. If Cayna’s around, we can expect better game from her than Lottor!” 

“Hey now! I’m gonna lose my job as a hunter, ain’t I?!” 

“No one’s sayin’ that. We’ll just have better banquets.” 

“A nice excuse, but we don’t have the money to pay for all our husbands’ drinking.” 

“Whaaat? I wanna kick back for a day…” 

Several of the men groaned, and everyone burst into laughter. It wasn’t a flat-out refusal, though, so Cayna decided to gratefully accept their feelings. 

After that, the women of the village gave her an overview of items necessary for daily life, such as one goat per household and a barn. If she was hoping to plow the fields, they said they would give her a corner of one of the fields that several families were managing together. Kee stored away all this information for use after the house was built. 

She could buy a goat someplace in advance, and she could make most of the furniture herself as long as she had the materials. 

The problem was coming up with something she could also share with the villagers. 

It was true that ever since she made the bathhouse for them, they had said not to worry about it. However, she couldn’t just depend on them and investigated the matter further. 

The quickest solution would be to simply take on a huge job at the Guild and put that money into the village. However, since Cayna was oddly famous in Felskeilo, there was a good possibility she might earn other adventurers’ animosity. 

There was also the matter of Mimily. It all depended on the mermaid’s wishes, but Cayna dearly wanted to put a large aquarium in the house for her to live in. 

“I’ve gotta think of something…” 

“Well then, why not go hunting with me for now? That way, you can eat some good, rare food and find plenty to sell, right?” 

“That’s true. Maybe I should be a hunter like you, Lottor…” 

He put his hand on her shoulder. Grateful for his proposal, Cayna accepted. 

“I knew it’d turn out like this!” 

That night in the dining hall, the tavern was quickly transformed into a welcoming banquet for Cayna. Of course, Lux and his family, the two Otaloquess palace mages conducting magical investigations in the bathhouse, and their four adventurer guards were invited despite knowing nothing of the events leading up to it. It was dangerous for Mimily to be around those who didn’t know her circumstances, so Lytt brought food and alcohol to the women’s bathhouse for her. 

The villagers lined up tables and chairs beyond the dining hall and commenced with the festivities. They forcibly put Cayna in the seat of honor, and adults packed around her to pour her alcohol. 

Here and there, exhilarated villagers placed their arms around one another and sang with full vigor. Realizing she couldn’t beat them so she might as well join them, Cayna shouted a loud, desperate “Cheers!” 

Even so, she had things she wanted to do. Marelle would likely complain later, but Cayna used the Poison Nullification on her armband to prevent herself from getting drunk. 

However, she could occasionally feel a strong, malevolent gaze focusing on her, and when Cayna traced it back to its source, she found the girl who had charged at her that afternoon glaring in her direction. When their eyes met, the werecat girl once again frowned with displeasure and turned away. Cayna couldn’t figure out what in the world she was so unhappy about. 

As the banquet wore on, and increasingly more people were growing unsteady with drunkenness, Cayna stood up. Since the villagers had shown her such hospitality, she thought she’d show them a bit of a spectacle. 

Reading the room, Marelle clapped her hands to pull everyone’s attention toward Cayna. 

“Hey now, everyone. Cayna has something to say!” 

“Sorry about this, Marelle.” 

“No worries; it’s the least I can do. C’mon, you better say what you want fast.” 

“Right. Well then, everyone. Thank you kindly for throwing me such a wonderful banquet tonight.” 

Cayna gave a low bow, and cheers and clapping erupted. One could not say who, but a number of people gave a look of How crass and turned their heads away. 

Wheat flour, fruits, eggs, and other ingredients had been set on a table. Naturally, for the people of the village, they had a good idea of what was going on; Cayna had ways of taking ingredients and creating finished products as if it were nothing. 

The ones who weren’t aware of this were the Otaloquess guests who had just arrived in the village and weren’t yet familiar with her. They took one look at the mountain of ingredients on the table, grew bored, and returned to their private conversations with one another. 

Even their faces would change to a shade of shock after Cayna’s next move. 

“Right here and now, I shall produce a dessert found only on aristocratic tables.” 

The second she said it, she cast Cooking Skill: Cake. 

She held her hands in front of her chest, and an orange-colored magic ball of fire formed within. It swallowed up several ingredients on the table. The fireball changed to a sphere of marble and disappeared. Soon after, cake appeared in Cayna’s hands. The fluffy sponge cake had layers of red berries and cream. The top and sides were decorated with pure-white cottony icing. 

One might normally call it a basic cake, but for the villagers who had neither seen nor heard of such a refined, noble dessert before, there was no greater work of art. 

On top of that, the sweet fruity scent wafting from the cake enchanted them, and they swarmed on Cayna as if they were being drawn in. She stood before them and made cakes of red, orange, and yellow. Using what she’d learned from television, she cut pieces of cake for the villagers while using a cloth to wipe the warm knife she had received from Marelle. 

Marelle, Lytt, Gatt, and Luine were the first to taste it. She soon offered it to the village elder, his wife, and Lottor. 

Lytt immediately dug right in. When she did, her eyes grew wide, and she froze. When Cayna worriedly asked if maybe she didn’t like it, Lytt shook her head and proclaimed, “It’s soooo yummy!” with a great big smile. 

As the inn’s and elder’s families savored their first taste of the sweet cream and fluffy texture of the sponge cake with wide eyes, Cayna set to work. Since everyone had unanimously agreed it was delicious, she used all the ingredients she’d procured beforehand and created one cake and pie after the other. 

She offered some to Li’l Fairy as well, but the girl sniffed the aroma and gave a bright smile. Apparently, she really didn’t need to eat or drink. 

It wasn’t long before the villagers polished off Cayna’s desserts. 

“We’ll have to make sure Mimily has some later, too.” 

“Right! I’ll take it for you, Cayna!” 

“Great. Why don’t we go together, then?” 

“Sure!” 

After a pleasant conversation with Lytt, Cayna made berry, ruche, and nanafruit cakes and set them aside. 

The attentive guests from the southern nation had been keeping an eye on the whole affair from a corner of the dining hall, and they observed each person’s eyes go wide with shock. 

They didn’t know the village’s political or hierarchical system, but they chuckled at the people’s extensive surprise. 

…If only they could have just stayed surprised. 

Someone who couldn’t read the enjoyable atmosphere stood up. 

“Unacceptable! H-how could I ever stand for th—?!” 

Just as she was about to continue a stream of insults, her older brother put a hand over her mouth. With a “Hgwhh?!” she began to flail. 

Upon hearing her very first utterance, every villager present turned a cold, piercing stare upon the siblings and scholars. The collective glare of Who do you think you are, ruining our good time? sent the Otaloquess group running full speed to their rooms. 

The brother had pinioned and knocked out his sister and, with an apology of “Sorry to disturb your festivities,” withdrew to the second floor. 

“What the heck was that…?” a shocked Lottor murmured. Every other villager shared his sentiment. 

Despite having their parade rained on, the villagers continued enjoying their rare, sweet delicacy with relish, and the revelry continued. 

As the party drew to a close, Cayna escaped the inn with Lytt and headed toward the bathhouse to give Mimily her cake. The three then sat alongside one another in the bath and aimlessly looked up at the steam-filled night sky. 

“Hmm. Land dwellers certainly do think differently from us merpeople.” 

“…‘Land dwellers.’” 

After hearing about the strange occurrence at the banquet, Mimily nodded sagely. She had lumped humans and every other race as land dwellers, and Cayna frowned. The mermaid seemed to know something about the werecat girl’s hysteria. 

“That person probably overlapped Cayna’s image with someone else. That’s why she said it was unacceptable.” 

“‘Someone’?” 

Not understanding what she meant, Cayna tilted her head. Mimily continued with an example. 

“There might be someone precious to her who looks just like you. Rapid-fire ideas like They would never do such a thing! may be running through her mind. Don’t you think?” 

Cayna thought of her cousin and imagined if she had a rude look-alike. Yes, she sensed this was likely what was going through the werecat’s mind. 

“I totally get it! I’d be mad, too, if there was a Not–Miss Cayna!” 

Next to them, Lytt looked at the night sky and raised her arms to prove her point. Cayna and Mimily smiled. 

“I, too, am glad you are the one who saved me, Cayna.” 

“Th-thanks, you two.” Cayna’s cheeks reddened at their unabashed affection. She thought that she probably wasn’t imagining the water growing hotter. “Still, you really hit on something, Mimily.” 

“Ah yes. I’ve been on the receiving end myself, after all. I certainly understand how it feels.” 

As Cayna watched Mimily cross her arms and look away with a nod, she seemed to be hinting at a dark past. She thought she heard the mermaid whisper, “Back then, with Mother…,” but decided to pretend she hadn’t. 

As if attempting to dodge the issue, Mimily coughed and turned to the plate at the edge of the bath with a straight face. 

“Well then, this must be the food all land dwellers crave!” 

“I don’t know about all land dwellers, but it’s cake. Cake. It’s a dessert.” 

“Everything Miss Cayna makes is delicious!” 

Next to Cayna, Lytt bent forward with a sigh and praised it wholeheartedly. 

On the plate was a berry shortcake. The berries were as big as grapes. There was also a ruche mousse. Ruche were fruits that had an orangey flavor. Last, there was the nanafruit chiffon cake. Nanafruits tasted very similar to bananas. 

“Everyone ate the rest. I’ll have to pick up more fruits when I’m in Felskeilo.” 

“But fruit is so expensive…” 

Lytt had only seen fruit a handful of times. Since Elineh’s caravan required magical tools to keep them fresh all the way to the village, the unit price was high. Thus, the most sweetness that the villagers tasted was honey and small wild berries. 

“Don’t worry, Lytt! I’ll take you to Felskeilo someday and show you all sorts of things!” 

Cayna gave sad Lytt a big hug to cheer her up. Pressed against her small chest, Lytt simply gave a dry laugh of “Ah-ha-ha” and murmured, “I won’t get my hopes up.” 

Meanwhile, Mimily carefully approached the cake with the fork Cayna had given her. She gulped, took a plentiful scoop of cream off the berry shortcake, and very slowly raised it to her mouth. 

As the sweetness melted on her tongue, a sharp glint came to her eye like a bird of prey. She stabbed the very center of the berry shortcake and tried to shove as much in her mouth as possible. Mimily squeezed out every ounce of sweetness as she squashed the cake with her tongue and swallowed. She enjoyed it despite the slight choking sensation. After her body finished trembling, and the last notes wore off, she eyed her next prey—that is, her next cake. 

Upon devouring that cake in a similar fashion, Mimily noticed an empty plate and two pairs of eyes staring at her in shock. 

“You coulda at least enjoyed it a bit more…,” Lytt said with a note of disappointment. 

Cayna, on the other hand, had a slightly different take. 

“You looked just like Scylla turned Kuchisake-onna devouring its prey.” 

“That’s so mean!” 

Mermaids in particular took great offense at being compared to Scylla, hence Mimily’s reaction, but Cayna then replayed the scene for the two of them. After all, the way she savagely gobbled up the cake was like none other than Scylla itself. 

“Woooow! How did you do that, Miss Cayna?” 

“It’s a skill that lets me replay any scene I find impressive only three times.” 

“How about me? Do I get a turn?” 

As Mimily hung her head in self-loathing in a corner of the bathtub, next to her, Lytt was begging Cayna to do the same thing for her cake-eating experience. 

“Hmm. I can’t remember something I didn’t take much note of. Next time, okay?” 

“Whaaaat? I wanted to see me, too.” 

Lytt gave a mournful moan, and Cayna said “Sorry about that” in apology. 

This peaceful scene continued (despite the dark clouds rising from one corner) until Luine came over and asked Lytt how long she was planning on lazing around while everyone was still cleaning up. 

The storm Cayna thought she’d avoided once again made landfall after the banquet was over. She was helping Marelle and the others tidy up. Lytt and Luine rubbed their eyes sleepily as they carried plates, and Marelle did the dishes. For whatever reason, Cayna was helping wipe the tables. 

“Sorry about this, Cayna. You’re the guest of honor, yet I’m still having you do the dirty work.” 

“I don’t see the issue. I’m a part of this village now, too, so we all work together.” 

Luine called out to Cayna while carrying enough plates to look like she was attempting a world record. Smiling wryly at the girl’s strength, Cayna washed out her rag and went to answer her. Lytt was also at her side making herself known by tugging on the older girl’s sleeve, and Cayna answered this with a smile. The moment she saw Lytt’s grin, it made her whole world. It was indeed a small happiness, and the thought of the days continuing on like this made Cayna’s heart dance. 

However, that happiness was short-lived. 

Kee’s close-range warning system pointed her toward the stairs, and she saw the werecat girl racing down it. She charged at Cayna, stopped just in front of her, and glared with enough malice to bore a hole through her. Apparently hoping to continue from before, she thrust out her chest and made her declaration. 

“I’ll never accept you!!” 

“What’s up with this crazy lady?” 

Luine voiced exactly what Cayna was thinking. 

The girl turned her stare on Luine, and as one might expect, such a look from an adventurer was enough to strike fear in an average girl like Luine. 

Stepping between them, Cayna handed Luine the cloth, activated several of her Active Skills used in Battle Mode, and stared down the girl opposite her. Scaring her longtime friend Luine had set Cayna off. After all, now that she heard from Mimily that the werecat was venting her personal frustrations, Cayna wouldn’t stand for it. 

The girl took a step back at Cayna’s threat, which surprised even her. She probably never imagined someone with as much excessive pride as her would show fear. 

Upon seeing the werecat’s expression and deciding she’d had her revenge, Cayna burst into laughter. 

The glint gradually returned to the werecat’s eyes, but she couldn’t keep venting her misplaced anger forever. 

“How can someone as low as you wield the same ancient arts as the queen?!” 

“…Ah, I get it. I guess you’re not a Foster Child or anything, huh?” 

Cayna’s relaxed attitude suggested she’d hit upon something, and the werecat raged with fury. After directing her bloodlust at Cayna for a while longer, her hand went for the short sword at her side. 

Cayna would have preferred to avoid bloodshed in their current location, but honestly, she thought talking wouldn’t get them very far, either. If her foe made a move, she could suppress her with ease. 

“So if you’re not going to accept me, what will you do?” 

“We will duel!!” 

“……Huh?” 

Cayna took some time to break this down, stew it over, and slowly process the information. The situation had grown more troublesome than a mere counterattack, but she realized the definitive truth of the matter and answered honestly. 

“No thanks. I don’t bully anyone weaker than me.” 

“Who you callin’ weak?!” 

It was only natural. The difference in power between a level 1,100 and a level 70 was obvious. It was like an ant picking a fight with a nuclear missile. Cayna’s reaction was a matter of course. If this were the game world of Leadale, it’d be like her launching a concentrated attack on a new player who only joined two or three days prior. Such actions weren’t anything to be proud of. 

However, her foe didn’t realize that. Immediately being declared weak sent the werecat into a fit of snarling, and her position shifted into one that suggested she might lunge at any moment. 

There was a high-pitched keening that made her want to rip her ears right off. Sure enough, Cayna’s head slowly began to throb. 

“I will have you kneel before me.” 

“Oh, I see… I’m pretty sure that’s impossible, though.” 

Cayna gave a tired look and shrugged at her laughably high self-confidence; she hadn’t even agreed to the duel, yet the girl already looked raring to go. 

Finally, she accepted the situation before her. Perhaps in a good mood, the werecat gave a proud look as she fell back and disappeared. 

Her brother then appeared from the shadows of the stairs. Unable to hide that he, too, was clearly fed up with all this, he looked at the ceiling before approaching Cayna and bowing his head. 

“Sorry about that. My sister said some pretty ridiculous things.” 

“Y-yeah… It’s fine, don’t worry about it. I kinda already agreed to it by this point. What was that all about anyway?” 

“I’m seriously sorry. She loves and admires the queen, so when she saw you using the same techniques, she got offended. Well, there’s no need to hold back, so give her a good whupping.” 

“That doesn’t really seem like something a big brother should be saying. Oh, I’m Cayna. What’s your name?” 

“I’m Cloffe, and that was my sister Clofia. I’d like for us all to get along, but…” 

“Yeah, she and I aren’t exactly there yet.” 

Cloffe’s and Cayna’s sighs overlapped. The reason was easy enough to guess. 

Cayna gently patted Luine’s back as she eased away the fear of the werecat’s overwhelming aura. 

“Hey, are you okay, Luine?” 

“Y-yeah… Thanks, Cayna.” 

“Luine! You okay?!” 

Marelle, too, had been frozen on the other side of the counter and now dashed forward. As Cayna watched the still-trembling girl fall into her mother’s arms, her shoulders relaxed. 

From the shadows of the counter, Lytt timidly looked around the tavern. 

“Th-that was scary.” 

“Indeed it was. The mean demon lady is gone now, though, so everything’s okay.” 

Cayna stroked Lytt’s head comfortingly, all the while staring sharply at the ceiling. 

Then, early the next morning, the duel in question was held on a main road near the village. The witnesses were Cloffe and Lottor, who just happened to be passing by on his way to pick berries. Unfortunately, this activity took place at the same time Cayna was leaving the village. 

“Sniff… I just wanted to look for berries this morning…” 

“Like I said, I’ll help you once we’re done with this. Please cheer up, Lottor.” 

Cayna had persuaded him to wait there by promising to accompany him after finishing the duel quickly. Hearing this made Clofia seethe next to her, but Cayna paid her no mind. 

They weren’t able to hold the duel in the village since Clofia’s weapon was a bow, and Cayna primarily used Attack Magic, plus Cayna didn’t want to bother the villagers with a personal vendetta. Furthermore, Clofia’s energy was at a fever pitch before the duel even started, while Cayna couldn’t have cared less. 

“Well, I’m ready when you are,” Cayna said to Clofia with the calmest of expressions, despite not having so much as a wand on her. 

I’m counting on you, Kee. 

“Understood.” 

With Kee helping out, Cayna found the will to give it her A game from the get-go. 

“Understood. The duel between Lady Cayna and Clofia will now begin. Does either party take issue with the use of lethal attacks?” Cloffe asked. 

“None here!” 

As Clofia replied with a powerful nod and her bow at the ready, Cayna waved her hand casually and kept her tone light. 

“Sure, no problem. I’ve gotta hurry and finish this up so I can go berry picking.” 

She was fully aware this would only get Clofia more riled up. 

“Well then, begin!” 

Cloffe swung down his raised hand, and the battle commenced. 

Clofia made the first move with some smugly shot rapid-fire arrows, but they all stopped in midair a few centimeters from Cayna. 

“What…?!” 

“Oh my, are you planning to go easy on me? You’ll never hit me that way, though.” 

Clofia leered as Cayna put her hands on her hips and tilted her head in surprise. 

“D-don’t you underestimate me! Break Ball! ” 

The very next instant, a prickly ball of fire came hurtling forward, yet that, too, was blocked midair by some unknown force right in front of Cayna. 

“Wha—?!” 

“That’s some pretty weak magic. At this rate, you’ll never get past my Divine Spirit barrier.” 

“Divine…?!” their referee Cloffe exclaimed in surprise. 

Next to him, Lottor wasn’t really sure what was going on, but he had been watching the battle in amazement the entire time. 

According to Skargo, Divine Spirits were one step above the spirits that Cayna summoned. Cayna herself knew nothing about that, but he seemed to be talking about Kee. 

Kee was the one who acted as her source of knowledge and advice and served as her protector of sorts. That was why if so much as a piece of paper blew her way, he put up a force field to nullify all attacks. Since Clofia also had no way of knowing what was even going on, Cayna openly faced her evil arrows with no preparation at all. Kee’s force field blocked every last hit. 

Finally, just as Clofia went to draw her sword, she tripped over her own feet upon witnessing Cayna raising her arm straight into the heavens and glaring at her. 

Clofia realized that the magic condensed above Cayna’s hand was enough to make one’s hair stand on end. 

Magic Skill: Load: Laguna Vala Giga 

“Tear her apart!” 

The water spears shot from Cayna’s hand and made parabolas that spread out in four directions. They changed trajectory halfway, converged on a single point, and instantly froze together in front of Clofia. The icy mist scattered across the area, solidified, and transformed into a beastly jaw big enough to swallow a house as it descended on the werecat. 

It hadn’t even taken a second for it to travel from Cayna’s hand to right in front of Clofia’s face. Her eyes wide with shock, it looked as if the icy maw would eat her up and kill her right then and there. It put her head between its teeth, and the tip of its fangs were almost at her throat when it stopped. 

Cloffe had told Cayna to “give her a good whupping,” but it didn’t mean he wanted to see his own sister die. He had averted his gaze, but when he turned back to look, he saw Clofia collapse to the ground in shock, pale-faced. Her eyes were unfocused, her teeth rattled, and the icy maw had turned to crystals and crumbled. 

“If you ever hurt the villagers, I won’t show any mercy!” Cayna said, hands on her hips and cheeks puffed out in a show of how mad she was. 

Cloffe raced over to his sister, who was now curled up in a fetal position and trembling. 

With the hostilities having only ended moments before, Cayna waved her arms as if to clear the air, gave Lottor a push from behind, and went to leave. 

“Come on, Lottor, let’s get going.” 

“H-hold it. Is it really okay to just leave those two?” 

“It’s fine. The duel is over.” 

As Cayna further hurried Lottor on, behind her, Cloffe bowed his head silently. 

She passed by the area again an hour later with Lottor after they’d finished their berry picking and were on their way back to the village. Clofia was gone, but Cloffe alone stood there straight and tall. 

“Hey, where’d that girl go?” Lottor asked. 

His tone had been amiable, but Cloffe simply shook his head and said, “I sent her back to our room at the inn.” He then turned to Cayna and asked if he might borrow some of her time. 

Confused by his strangely polite tone, she nodded awkwardly. He put a hand to his chest and replied, “Thank you.” 

“Well then,” said Lottor, “I’ll be going on ahead to the village, Miss Cayna. Gotta give the proprietress these berries.” 

“Oh, right. Sorry for dragging you along.” 

“No worries. See you later.” 

Cayna waved Lottor off, then turned to face Cloffe, wondering exactly what he wanted to talk about, when she was met with an astonishing sight. 

Cloffe was down on one knee like a vassal before someone important. 

“U-uhhh…” 

Unsurprisingly, this made her face twitch. She instinctively took several steps back and reeled at the troublesome truth that now awaited her. 

“Wh-wh-wh-wh-what is it, Cloffe? Why are you on the ground?” 

“Yes, ma’am. You are as kind as they say. I, the humble Cloffe, am deeply moved.” 

“Uhhhh, d-didn’t I give her a good whupping like you said? What part of that was nice?” 

“Regardless, you did not deal the final blow even at the very last second. You could have easily taken my sister’s life.” 

“Just how savage do you think I am?!” 

Her retort was spur of the moment, but Cayna suddenly realized something odd. 

“Huh? ‘As they say’? Who told you about me?” 

“From the ruler of Otaloquess, Her Majesty, Queen Sahalashade. We have come here on secret orders from our sovereign.” 

“Hmm? Why do I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before?” 

The name of the southern nation of Otaloquess’s queen rang a bell, and Cayna tilted her head. As she tried to recall where she had heard it, Kee presented a related conversation from the log: 

“My dear Cayna, I have followed your example and taken on a Foster Child as well.” 

“Oh, you too, Sahana? Are they going to be your child?” 

“Yes, she is a fellow high-elf girl named Sahalashade. If you two should ever meet, please come to love her, would you?” 

“Um, how am I supposed to love an NPC…?” 

“This has nothing to do with Eternal, so please don’t say anything.” 

“…Right.” 

“Come to think of it, that was the name of Sahana’s kid…” 

Sahana was a former player who was in the high-elf community and whom Cayna had registered as a younger sister. She remembered Sahalashade being the name of her attention-seeking Foster Child who was the closest thing to a baby squirrel. Eternal was registered as the oldest player in the high-elf community. He was probably the sole male high-elf player in the entire game. After all, there had only been six high elves left last time she checked, so it was easy to remember everyone’s names. 

Wait, hold on. If Sahana was my “little sister,” and this is her daughter, that makes me her aunt… That’s why I’m being treated like royalty?! 

Cayna’s emotions dipped straight into melancholy at the thought of the incredible mess she was now involved in. She also now understood Cloffe’s behavior. First of all, she herself was a high elf, the royalty of the elves. It was one thing to be served by elves, but the fealty of a werecat was normally unfounded. 

“Come to think of it, you said something about secret orders, right?” 

“Yes. Well then, please allow me to explain in further detail. A short while ago, shadows from numerous nations reported sightings of an adventurer named Cayna in Felskeilo. The queen was exceedingly intrigued by this and sent us to gather more information. We haven’t been observing your every move, of course. We have simply been compiling the rumors spreading nationwide. After close examination of this data, Her Majesty confirmed you to be the real Cayna and sent us here.” 

“Wow… I can’t say I’m all that shocked, though. Is your sister one of these shadows, too?” 

“No, she is not. She came here for the same public reason as the adventurers and scholars and merely accompanied me.” 

Their purpose of researching the ancient arts had apparently been a front. The real goal was to find and solicit Cayna. 

She was surprised that the ruler of an entire nation would go that far. Really, she wanted to tell them not to put her through such trouble. She had big tasks, like finding the Palace of the Dragon King and building her home, both of which demanded her full attention. When Cayna considered her to-do list, this problem didn’t seem like anything to get worked up over. 

“Sigh. Well, tell this to your queen for me, okay? ‘I don’t plan on coming to Otaloquess.’” 

“Understood… Huh? My queen’s wish was indeed to greet you in her kingdom…” 

“I still have a lot of things to do. I have to find my friend’s tower and build a house. I also have to repay the villagers for their kindness and thank Elineh and Arbiter. My kids are in this country as well, and I want to see my grandkids. Even if I have adventuring business in Otaloquess, I don’t plan on going to the castle to see the queen. Tell Sahalashade that.” 

Cayna understood that she should care about the queen as her niece, but she simply didn’t have time at the moment. Sahalashade was like a memento of Sahana, and Cayna thought she should visit her at least one time at some point, but in terms of priority, she was near the bottom of the list. She decided to visit her niece once things had calmed down, even if she had no idea when that would be. 

Cloffe wasn’t sure what to do about this flat-out rejection. The primary goal of his mission had been Do whatever Cayna wishes, so for now, he considered his task finished. Even so, there was no question that repeating Cayna’s answer before the queen, who had issued his orders, would require nerves of steel. 

Cloffe floundered a bit and wanted to stop her, but he and the other shadows who had been dispatched to Cayna’s usual haunts had one last important goal. 

That was: Do not upset the target under any circumstance. 

When his fellow shadows had questions over this, the queen replied, “If my aunt Cayna doesn’t hold back, she could burn this entire nation to the ground.” 

If Cayna herself heard this, she would have furiously replied, What kind of crazy game of telephone are you playing?! Since he’d caught a glimpse of her power during the duel with his sister, Cloffe exercised restraint and swallowed down any further remarks that might get her going again. 

Even in the best light, Clofia was an upper-tier adventurer, and Cayna had sent her spiraling into fear with a single burst of magic. 

If Cayna unleashed the full extent of her power, she’d destroy everything in seconds. 

“Well then, I suppose I’ll head back to the village. Care to join me, Cloffe?” 

Even though he was kneeling before her, Cayna acted like her usual self. However, there was something oddly nebulous about her gaze, and he shuddered. He stood up, brushed the dirt off his clothes, and informed her that he’d return after a round of patrolling. 

“No problem. Um, could you tell your sister I’m sorry?” 

Cayna relayed this request to Cloffe with a smile that said she wasn’t especially worried. 

“I shall be sure to do so. Whether she will listen is another matter, however.” 

Cayna murmured, “Did I scare her too much?” to which the grim-faced Cloffe gave a small nod. 

“Hmm. Okay, then. She’s actually pretty interesting, now that I think about it, so tell her we should meet up again sometime.” 

“I cannot imagine she would do so upon hearing such snide remarks. You truly are a curious one, Lady Cayna.” 

“Well, it’s better than fighting each other, right?” 

“…Understood. I would not anticipate any replies.” 

Since Cloffe always had a small grin anyway, it was hard to read his expression. He sounded amused, though, so Cayna gave a solid nod. 

After that, Clofia never left her room, and Cayna returned to Felskeilo via the Battle Arena ring. 

The next morning, Cayna returned to the Felskeilo capital. 

Since she would be traveling alongside the subjugation forces, she decided to gather her supplies while the sun was still high. 

First, she used Teleport to visit Sakaiya in Helshper. 

Since the trip back meant she’d have to travel to the village after returning to her tower anyway, she decided to leave basic items in her inn room after telling Marelle in advance. If she set her own house as a main base, she’d be able to fly to the village with ease. However, since any other destination had to be something conspicuous like a castle, using Teleport had some drawbacks. The only other option were the Portals set in each area long ago to act as relay points. But even if you compared the old maps against the new ones, the Portals didn’t exist in this modern land of Leadale. 

Just to be safe, she went someplace near the Helshper capital and made sure not to leave a single trace. 

“Maybe I should just build a tower as my own landmark?” 

“It would undoubtedly be taken over by bandits.” 

“Well, what if I place a dragon or a golem, and…?” 

“It would no longer be a relay point but rather a stronghold, correct?” 

Cayna couldn’t argue with Kee’s logic, so she scrapped the idea. If she did build it, adventurers sent to check out the suspicious structure would likely run into unfortunate accidents. 

“Next we’ll have to find or dig up magic rhymestone. I want to bury it with quartz sand and make window glass.” 

“It appears we need a host of ingredients.” 

Cayna continued chatting with Kee as she kept going through the Helshper capital. Any outsider would believe she was talking to herself, but she paid this no mind. 

Magic rhymestone was an ore that collected magical power, and it served as the battery that kept magical tools running. Its effectiveness varied depending on size, but since it allowed a user to cast simple spells multiple times without the need for a charm to sustain its life span, it was quite useful. Not only could it provide light, it could turn a barrel into a refrigerator if you used Freeze, and it could also make that very same barrel become a washing machine if you used Spin. 

In the world of the game, one could obtain these via Dig Points, but it was unknown whether those still existed. Honestly speaking, this kind of ore wasn’t something you could find just by mining in the mountain. 

There were three ways to find magic rhymestone: 

Do a thorough search of the area and discover magic rhymestone mines. 

Summon a rock worm and search for it that way. 

Take it from worm-type magic beasts who love tough boulders and stash both ore and other rocks in their nests. One grew to be twenty meters tall and five meters in diameter, so it was an annoying beast that lived almost entirely in holes. The jewel worm collected only the greatest treasure, but such a catch was geared toward eccentrics. A vast span of land would collapse whenever a jewel worm appeared during Events, so players didn’t know much about these monsters. 

Cayna was grateful for this modern world, since the chances were good that she would be able to find a rhymestone later on without any digging. 

“…At any rate…” 

As soon as she arrived at Sakaiya, she was greeted with the same sight as before. 

One could boldly declare by this point that this street ran on Sakaiya’s prosperity alone. The bustling mass of people was a mix of laborers’ shouts along with the sounds of customers and small-business employees. On top of that, the one-story Japanese-style tiled house was completely different from any other house around it. Amid the crowd, there were even tourists with open guidebooks who had nothing to do with business. 

On either side of Sakaiya were shops that had gone under—the direct opposite of Sakaiya’s prosperity. It left nothing other than the impression that Sakaiya was a greedy merchant from a period drama who rose up with the power of money. 

“Caerick and Caerina are both taken from parts of my name, right? Could it be that Mai-Mai missed me for two hundred years?” 

Kee gave no reply as she murmured this to herself. Instead, another voice called out. 

“…Great-Grandmother?” 

“Oh, Idzik. It’s been a while.” 

The elven young master had been accompanying the workers but stopped and stood in the middle of the road when he noticed Cayna. He trotted over to her, gave a bow, and happily asked what brought her to Sakaiya. 

“I came to deliver a letter. Caerick said he sent a family of craftspeople to a village near the Felskeilo border, right?” 

“I’m afraid that sort of matter is outside my jurisdiction. Let us have Father confirm it for you.” 

Idzik issued several work-related orders to the kobold maid right behind him before leading her into Sakaiya. 

“I’d rather have you prioritize your profits, to be honest.” 

“Father grows afraid when you are disrespected, Great-Grandmother. My aunt is here as well.” 

“Caerina’s here?” 

She had repeated him unintentionally, but Sakaiya was Caerina’s home. It wouldn’t be strange at all for them to run into each other. 

Cayna was led to a Western-style room with wooden flooring and suitably dignified furnishings. Personally, she thought the garden with the lush view of strange plants and a gourd-shaped white-sand garden had a sweeping view. 

Also unlike the room she was led to before, Idzik knocked on an already open door. When the siblings asked what he wanted, and he proceeded farther inside with Cayna in tow, they hurriedly corrected their posture. 

“Father, Aunt Caerina. Great-Grandmother is here to see you.” 

“Hey there, you two. Long time no—” 

““G-Grandmother?”” 

Cayna looked at them as they spoke in unison and trembled with fear. 

“Well then, Great-Grandmother, do enjoy your stay. I shall bring you some tea later on.” 

“It’s okay; don’t worry about it. Thanks for all your help, Idzik.” 

Caerick and Caerina were both clearly acting suspicious as they watched him give a bow and retreat. Caerina wasn’t as much, thanks to her knight training, but Caerick’s flustered look was another story. Even so, just as she thought there wasn’t much point in a big merchant who built a major distribution system trying to hide anything, Caerick frowned. 

“G-Grandmother. It’s been quite some time. How may I help you…?” 

“You both seem pretty upset about something. Is it something you can’t tell me?” 

These few words were right on the money, and the thudding of the pair’s hearts jumped up an octave. 

Caerina invited Cayna to sit next to her, and Cayna passed Sunya’s letter to Caerick. They were surprised to find out that the new technique their craftsmen reported about came from Cayna herself. As Caerick briefly read over the letter, his eyes widened when he saw his grandmother’s name as the provider of the technique. After reading it over again, he looked at Cayna across from him hesitantly. 

“Could it be that the mechanism described here is an ancient art?” 

“Yep. If they have that, they should be able to find plenty of uses for it, right?” 

She hadn’t expected to hear that Craft Skills went by the bombastic title of ancient arts in this modern world. There were only a few textbook patterns available to create with. If current technicians improved upon it, they could use it for more than just wells. This was also one form of dependence on magical tools, but small villages excelled at getting by on labor alone. 

All sorts of items that players had made in the Game Era swarmed towns and fields. Cayna thought it might be interesting for others to research even a fragment of these techniques and mechanisms and give them new life. 

“If I had to pick, though, I’d say Opus is better at this negotiating stuff.” 

“Grandmother?” 

“Oh, it’s nothing. Nothing at all.” 

She had grumbled without thinking and quickly covered her tracks. 

“Anyway, what made you want to get involved with a Felskeilo village, Caerick?” 

“I thought it might give me some new business concepts. Based on the reports, there were a number of things I was highly interested in. However, I never imagined they would be your doing, Grandmother…” 

He spoke rather proudly. Caerina, however, held her head in her hands and gave a long, long sigh. 

“Do take care, Grandmother. Once this guy has his sights set on something, he never lets go. He’ll sink his teeth into it until he understands its workings inside and out.” 

“…Dear sister. Might you please stop making me sound like a lid snake?” 

“It’s the truth. When we were younger, you took apart several of the tools Father bought for you, did you not? Parts were scattered throughout the house each and every time.” 

The siblings glared at each other with a What was that? and a What did you say? but both turned away with a gasp when they heard giggling. 

Hiding her mouth behind her hand as her shoulders trembled, Cayna nodded and gave a laugh that implied You two are so similar. 

Embarrassed, Caerick said, “The tea is late,” and stood up. Once her brother had run off, Caerina grew clammy as she waited with Cayna, who was grinning from ear to ear. 

It wasn’t long before Caerick returned, and once the maid he’d brought back served them tea, he hesitantly sat down. 

“So what were you two talking about?” 

As soon as they returned to the subject at hand, the siblings fell into a gloomy silence. Cayna’s curiosity sent a swirl of Intuition around the pair. Caerick’s earlier despair caught her interest, and she was intent on discovering their secrets. 

The siblings saw her expression and, as if sensing danger, averted their gazes. Caerina brought the sword leaning against a chair closer. 

“Anywaaaay. Are you two in some sort of trouble?” 

“A-ah, no, well, a-about that… Ha-ha-ha-ha.” 

“…Caerick, you idiot.” 

No matter how eloquent a merchant he was, Caerick put Cayna’s fearsome anger above all else and failed to hide distress. Caerina sighed and face-palmed at her brother’s Something is totally up response. She had been planning to keep it from their grandmother, but now that the topic had been broached, she decided to disclose that herself. 

“Um, Grandmother. About the bandit leader you captured before…” 

In that moment, Cayna’s face fell terribly. 

Although she had handed him over to the country, he was still originally a player. There was no way it wouldn’t concern her. 

Caerina hesitated a bit, as if worried she might have chosen the wrong words. Since she’d already gotten the ball rolling, there was no turning back time. She continued until the very end. 

“There was a public beheading the other day, and…” 

Cayna’s face fell even farther. 

Because of what he had done, there was no question the country’s response was just. However, the grandchildren were worried their kind grandmother would feel responsible for the monstrous villain. 

It was clear that Cayna had created a chance for a player to be killed. But even so, the problem was that there was a player who would do such things in the first place. 

Nevertheless, such a statement was strange coming from someone who had tried to kill them right then and there. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say she had impatiently determined that doing so on the spot was the only proper punishment. 

Honestly, Cayna was slightly grateful Caerina had stopped her. After all, despite his heavy sins, he had been one of the few fellow players. 

Cayna put this aside, and the conversation continued. 

“Publicly…” 

“Huh…?” 

Caerina wrestled over what to say, and Cayna’s eyes shrank to dots. 

Here was the gist of what she was timidly trying to explain: 

The guillotine swung down during the public execution. However, the bandit leader did not die. 

Cayna’s concern grew as she took in these snippets of explanation that sounded as if even Caerina wasn’t exactly sure what she was saying. 

His head was cut, but he didn’t die… Have players always been that hardy? 

“For a player to die, their HP must fall to zero.” 

She speedily conversed with Kee in her mind and came to a conclusion. The most likely reason he didn’t die was because damage was based on the HP system. 

In the game world of Leadale, the difference between life and death lay between zero and one. Normally, even if your head was cut off, as long as one HP point remained, you wouldn’t die. 

Not having HP dispersed across every part of his body had probably kept him alive. The Punishment Collar had dropped his stats and level to a tenth of their normal power, but HP and MP were unaffected. Although defense did drop, demons boasted a high amount of HP. For someone like Cayna, who knew Opus, it was only natural that they were extraordinarily hard to kill. Especially when they had skills like Continuous HP Regeneration. 

That aside, this naturally caused a major panic during the execution. After all, his head never fell from the guillotine. 

Having no other choice, the nation postponed his sentencing for the time being and exhibited the royal family’s authority over the people by putting a similar criminal’s head on display later on. A number of vassals who had been disturbed by the bandit leader’s failed execution forced him to work in the coal mines as a lifelong prison sentence instead. 

There seemed to be a growing pile of problems, but Cayna felt relief all the same. She still had a hefty amount of concerns, but everything beyond that was for the country to deal with somehow. 

Feeling a bit calmer and back to her old self, Cayna gratefully patted Caerina’s head for telling her such confidential information. 

“G-Grandmother… I’m not a child anymore…” 

“You’re still my granddaughter. C’mon, Caerick, over here. I’ll pat your head, too.” 

Cayna beckoned him over with a wave of her hand, but Caerick backed away while shaking his head. When he noticed her look of dissatisfaction, he quickly made a break for it. 

“I-I-I-I’ll go get your payment! Please wait just a moment, Grandmother!” 

His footsteps receded and disappeared. 

Cayna blankly watched him run off while still patting the blushing Caerina’s head. Her granddaughter didn’t forget to mention that her brother was merely shy. 

As she looked out over the relaxing garden, Cayna imagined herself as a young child. Was this what parental love felt like? She remembered the way her own mother would stroke her head. 

“I wish I could have learned more when I was little…” 

“If I had met you when I was younger, I’m certain I would have been a bit different as well.” 

They bonded over conversations of what-ifs and softly smiled. 

Caerick returned shortly afterward, and Cayna accepted the payment. She had the entire stash of gold coins changed to silver since her Item Box didn’t have an automatic conversion feature. Within the Item Box, it indicated her gil earned during the Game Era, which was calculated in all silver. Unless she prepared additional purses for gold and bronze, they wouldn’t go inside the Item Box. 

“Sheesh, it really is such a pain.” 

“Not at all. As a merchant, such work is what I desire more than anything.” 

“I know what you mean. All we need are our bodies, right?” 

“There are nobles who believe they can buy such things for the right price, so I ask that you not recklessly expose me.” 

“…If you say that to Grandmother, I have a feeling all the nobles will be gone by tomorrow…” 

Caerina suspiciously looked away from Cayna with a murmur, and Caerick’s cheek twitched. 

“How rude! That’s the sort of thing Opus would do! I’d just change them into pigs!” 

As Cayna gripped a fist in front of her, Caerick grimly asked that she not declare things like that. 

“Who is this Opus you were talking about earlier, Grandmother?” he asked. 

“Hmm… A bad friend?” 

At the words bad friend, Caerina couldn’t help but imagine someone with the same might as her grandmother, and she was left speechless at the idea that there were two Caynas. If there was indeed another like her, the truth was that they would be completely unstoppable. 

“Well then, I don’t want the knights to leave me behind, so I’ll guess I’ll get back to Felskeilo.” 

“The knights?” 

“Yeah. I heard we’re teaming up with the Helshper knights to crush the bandits’ stronghold. I’ll be accompanying them up until the halfway mark. You wanna join me, Caerina?” 

“My duties are within the capital at the moment. I’m afraid I cannot take part.” 

“I see.” 

“Did you accept such a request from the Adventurers Guild, Grandmother?” 

At Caerick’s question, she waved her hand with a No, no, nothing like that. 

“There’s a fishing village on the way there. I’ve got some business to take care of.” 

“I see. So it has something to do with a previous matter you’ve been entrusted with. I understand. As for your inquiry from the other day, I’m afraid I’ve had no luck. I apologize.” 

“Ah, don’t worry about it. I had a feeling I was barking up the wrong tree. I’ll take it slow and search at my own pace.” 

As she might have expected, finding a land dweller with a connection to the mermaids was probably impossible. Cayna sighed at the thought of having to check each and every gulf. 

Cayna used Teleport to return to the Felskeilo capital. Her arrival point was outside the eastern gate. She was in the middle of a forest a distance from the main road. 

The technique had a set range of about one hundred meters from the nearest gate. There was the danger of crashing into someone if she flew right into town, and the flashing light would put all eyes on her as well. 

For the time being, she would tell her worrywart children where she was going. 

First, she headed to the market to get a small amount of cake ingredients. She didn’t know when her next opportunity to treat someone to delicious delicacies would be, but she had no intention of creating a huge feast the way she did with the villagers. Cayna filled half her empty Item Box space with food ingredients and the other half with two or three people’s worth of camping materials. 

Next, she asked the local kids if anyone nearby was selling stones. She had asked Caerick about magic rhymestone as well. He said that while the stones did exist, no one knew how to process them, so he wasn’t sure if they would last in the long run. 

She had searched for these stones and bought them up in Helshper as well. The kids would pick up pretty rocks from the side of the road and river, polish them, make them presentable, and sell them for pocket change, but even a few magic rhymestones had gotten mixed into the bunch. 

Cayna searched out kids doing the same thing in Felskeilo, and she quickly found what she was looking for after asking them who hung out with Primo. She was able to buy a decent amount from other kids selling the same thing as well. However, since a single stone was less than a few centimeters long, she had to gather a large amount. Cayna planned to take these later and process them into a decent size. For the time being, her only real option was to become the kids’ number one customer. 

Caerick had proposed having her create products from magic rhymestone and transfer the selling rights over to him. She said she would mull it over, but although they worked in close contact with each other, he seemed to have his heart set on opening a Sakaiya remote-village branch. Cayna had a strong feeling he was moving forward with plans to strengthen the village on his own. 

She next headed over to her eldest son Skargo’s church, but he seemed to be attending a meeting at the castle. It most likely concerned last-minute details and adjustments to the knights’ departure the following day. When she heard this sort of news from others, he truly did seem to be a man who worked hard for the good of his nation. 

Even so, that grateful heart was smashed to pieces every time they met. 

Since there was no way around it, she went over to the Royal Academy, bowed her head to the guards, passed through the gate, and entered the grounds. Word had already traveled among the teachers, so no one stopped her on the way to the headmaster’s office. 

“Mother?” 

“’Sup, Mai-Mai?” 

As Cayna knocked and entered the room, Mai-Mai put down the papers she was looking at and rushed to greet her mother. Her daughter charged forward with love for her mother in every fiber of her body. 

“Why are you clinging to me all of a sudden…?” 

“But you never pay attention to me like this, Mother.” 

“I don’t think a grown woman with kids who has been married twice should be talking like that.” 

“Oh, Mother, you’re so harsh.” 

Mai-Mai narrowed her eyes slightly at being looked down upon, and she reluctantly separated from her mother. Cayna, on the other hand, was a bit jealous of Mai-Mai’s mature proportions. Thanks to the evils of character creation, there were no signs Cayna herself would develop any further. 

Cayna thanked her daughter for the tea she brewed and took a sip of her twice-steeped black tea. The tea from Sakaiya was fine quality, but this had a delicate sweetness. 

“Well then, what can I help you with today?” 

“I’ll be leaving Felskeilo tomorrow to search for the Palace of the Dragon King along the coast.” 

“Palace of the Dragon King? What is that?” 

“Oh my, I guess you don’t know it by that name. Basically, it’s an underwater version of a Guardian Tower.” 

“Sigh… Before saying something like I’m leaving, wouldn’t it be best to find a decent place to live first, Mother? You can’t be a rootless blade of grass forever.” 

As Mai-Mai broached such a subject, the timing put a satisfied smile on Cayna’s face. She nodded. 

Mai-Mai hadn’t expected her to respond so pleasantly to the suggestion and went on guard. 

“Actually, I was planning on settling in a remote village after I looked for the tower.” 

“WHAAAAAAAT?!” 

“What are you so surprised about? You just proposed it now yourself.” 

Mai-Mai’s eyes were wide, and she nearly dropped her teacup, but Cayna’s reply was matter-of-fact. She had expected this reaction from her daughter, and at this rate, Skargo would likely talk about building a church there. 

“You mean you won’t stay in the capital?” 

“Nope. There’s not enough nature, and it seems like I’d be more likely to get mixed up in the nation’s problems. Besides, I’m afraid Skargo would swarm on me every day.” 

“Ha…ha-ha. It’s true. He would do that…” 

The fact that she knew so many people involved in the running of the nation was problematic. The High Priest and the prime minister. The headmistress of the Royal Academy, the head of the shipbuilding factory, the leaders of the knights. The prince and princess. She was blessed in terms of social connections. On the one hand, for having only arrived in this world three months prior, it was a distinguished lineup. On the other, in addition to also having a grandchild who was an influential merchant in a foreign nation and a niece who ruled a southern one, she was anxious about her chances of involuntarily becoming involved every time conflict arose. 

She would inform everyone she’d probably hide away until things calmed down. Cayna thought Mai-Mai seemed fine with anything other than the depths of the forest that had kept her mother away until recently, and she gladly agreed to pass the message on to Skargo and Kartatz. 

“She’s always in a hurry,” Mai-Mai muttered as Cayna said her good-byes and disappeared with Teleport. 

“Still, there does always seem to be an uproar wherever Mother goes…” 

Appearing in the capital and capturing the prince. Sending the High Priest flying and getting caught up in the trouble with Mai-Mai as well. Going up north and wiping out bandits, then returning home to find an Event Monster had popped up. Mai-Mai couldn’t help but feel that she’d become the world’s deterrent. 

“Just because she’ll be going to the ocean, that doesn’t mean she’ll find trouble…right…?” 

She felt an uneasiness. Since Cayna possessed a rare power that could either involve her in chaos or cause it, Mai-Mai wondered if she’d see reports about changes in terrain along the coast in the coming days. Such clear images gave her an insuppressible headache. 

Cayna used Teleport to return directly to the room she had set as her basic (throwaway) landmark point. Lytt was shocked to see her come downstairs when she should have been away. Marelle had no intention of disclosing a guest’s circumstances, so she greeted Cayna as normal. 

Evening was approaching, but the inn lacked the hustle and bustle of the previous night. Frankly, it was too quiet. 

“It’s pretty quiet, isn’t it?” 

“Oh, that’s ’cause the scholars from Otaloquess went home. Guess they finished what they came here for.” 

“I—I wonder if those shadows really did just come here with an ulterior motive…,” Cayna said. 

“That cat boy was looking for you, since he wanted to say good-bye.” 

“Oh dear, it looks like I’ve done him wrong. You see, I thought if I left him any later than that…I wouldn’t be in time for dinner, Marelle.” 

“You always know just the thing to say, that’s for sure. Flattery won’t get you a larger menu, though.” 

“Aw, that’s too bad.” 

As Cayna bopped her own head and gave a look of defeat, Marelle disappeared into the kitchen with a smile. Still not understanding what was going on, Lytt looked up at Cayna. 

“If you left the village, why did you come down from upstairs?” 

“Hmm? Oh, um, I have a spell that lets me travel between big cities in a second regardless of distance, at least to a certain extent.” 

“Really? Wow, you’re amazing, Miss Cayna…” 

Not questioning anything, Lytt looked up at her with envy. Cayna flinched a bit and fell speechless. She would have liked to bring the girl along, but forming a party was out of the question. 

Instead, Cayna thought about what made her happy—and hit upon an idea. 

“Well then, Lytt, would you like to try flying?” 

“What?! …Like, in the sky?” 

“Yup, that’s right. The weather’s nice today. I’m sure it’ll be a beautiful view, and you’ll get to see lots of things from far away.” 

“Um, but my mom…” 

As Lytt tried to explain that she couldn’t leave the inn without Marelle’s permission, Cayna crouched down to her eye level and patted her head. 

“In that case, let’s ask Marelle together. If she says it’s okay, will you go?” 

“Y-yeah!” 

Cayna and Lytt smiled at each other like sisters. Nearby, Lytt’s real sister, Luine, had finished work early for once. She saw them, and her shoulders dropped. 

“Sniff. Lytt isn’t attached to me at all…” 

“Miss Cayna is way better at relating to kids. She’s really one strange girl,” Marelle replied.