I'm sorry for the long gap since my last post. I couldn't think of how the story should continue, and kept writing and deleting over and over.
Also, we've gone ahead and published the frontispiece illustration for "Isekai Tensei no Boukensha, Volume 2."
If you're interested, please check out our activity report.
"First things first, no issues with walking. Maybe I should pick up the speed a little."
With that mutter, I increased the speed of the New Tanikaze—now renamed "Raiden." By the way, both Tanikaze and Raiden are names of real sumo wrestlers. The two of them had a master-disciple relationship, and both were said to be among the greatest sumo wrestlers of all time. As an aside, while I named it Raiden after the sumo wrestler, Tanikaze was a different story. Originally I'd twisted the name of a certain eccentric's beloved horse, but later recalled that it was also a sumo wrestler's name—so when I created the New Tanikaze, I gave it the name of the disciple. The fact that Raiden, having been crafted using a Baicorn's magic core, happened to possess lightning attributes made the name all the more fitting.
"Overall, it feels like it surpasses Tanikaze."
From a fast walk to a jog, and then—
a full sprint—
—I switched to that and circled the city of Seigen before reaching my assessment. Still, with its improved capabilities came less control than Tanikaze, but it was within acceptable limits, so it wasn't a serious issue.
But beyond all those improvements, Raiden had one truly astonishing quality. That was—
"Having a Golem with a will of its own was one of my goals... and it just happened this easily..."
Clearly, this Raiden sometimes acted on what could only be called its own judgment. Without any commands from me, it would bend its knees and lower itself to make mounting easier, avoid muddy patches I hadn't noticed, and even autonomously annihilate Monsters that appeared.
What's more, the current Raiden didn't have Slarin riding inside it the way Tanikaze had. While space was reserved for Slarin, Raiden outperformed Tanikaze even without Slarin on board. By my estimate, without Slarin it had about a ten percent edge over Tanikaze (which carried Slarin), and with Slarin it boosted to roughly thirty percent. So at full sprint, it might exceed two hundred kilometers per hour depending on conditions. It hadn't hit that earlier, but I thought it was going around one hundred and fifty. At those speeds, though, the vibration became brutal, so I probably wouldn't push it that far in practice.
"With Slarin freed up, we gain extra combat strength—that's a real plus."
I didn't think Slarin could match Raiden's speed during combat while riding it, but that was easily solved by having Slarin ride on Shiromaru or Solomon instead. If Slarin commanded both of them, they'd undoubtedly become even stronger.
Raiden's power, which could honestly be called that of an artificial Monster, couldn't be properly gauged against the Monsters that lived around Seigen. But I couldn't exactly test it against Shiromaru, and dungeons were too cramped to fight in. So while I didn't know its exact strength and there would be matchup differences, I figured it probably wouldn't go down easily even against A- to S-class Monsters.
"I think that should be enough for now?"
Having ridden it nonstop for several hours, I decided to wrap up the test here.
First, when I returned to the spot where I'd originally been checking its performance, I spotted several figures in the distance.
"Oh! You're back!"
At the front of the group was Chris. Behind her stood Lady Maria and Luna, along with several royal guards serving as their escort.
"What are you all doing out here? And where's Tida?"
They had clearly been waiting for me, but I figured I'd ask anyway. Besides, I was curious about Tida's absence.
"Waiting for you, of course. It looked like you were up to something interesting, and I've been curious about the new Tanikaze made from Baicorn materials too. As for Tida... promoting herself seems to be her priority right now."
Lady Maria answered my question and then approached me as I sat atop Raiden. It would have been rude to remain mounted, so I dismounted and moved to put Raiden into the Magic Bag, but Lady Maria said she wanted to take a closer look at Raiden and asked me to leave it out.
As Lady Maria walked around Raiden, examining it from various angles, Luna quietly crept up to the creature and attempted to mount it. That was when an unexpected incident occurred.
"Burrrru... Gaaah!"
A menacing growl rang out from Raiden's mouth, and right after the sound, its jaws snapped open.
"Kyaaaaah!"
"Nngh!"
Luna, having gotten an up-close look at Raiden's threatening expression, let out a shriek and scrambled behind me. Lady Maria, who had been standing near Raiden, squealed in a cute voice and plopped down onto her rear.
"Lady Maria!"
At this, Chris and the other guards rushed over to Lady Maria and drew their swords in a defensive posture toward Raiden. However, Raiden ignored the soldiers pointing their blades at it and continued to glare at Luna, who had taken shelter behind me.
But none of it registered — not Lady Maria's adorable little scream, nor Luna's panicked retreat. The only thing occupying my mind at that moment was:
(Not only did it make a sound — its mouth opened!)
After all the thorough checking I'd done, the fact that its mouth could open had completely slipped past me. And the fact that it could produce sound meant there was a hollow space in its throat, which meant there could be some mechanism I hadn't noticed hidden inside.
I pried Raiden's mouth open and peered inside. There was a passage extending all the way to its neck. Even sticking my hand in, I couldn't reach the end, so it might very well connect to the space used by Slarin. I asked Slarin about it, but Slarin hadn't noticed either and said it would try infiltrating through Raiden's mouth next time.
Raiden seemed to have quite the temperament after the incident with Luna earlier, but it obediently listened to whatever Slarin and I said, submitting to our handling. Even so, the creature kept its face turned toward Luna the entire time, clearly still wary of her.
"Oh — so it really was connected."
Several dozen seconds after Slarin entered Raiden's mouth, the entrance to Slarin's compartment on Raiden's back opened, and Slarin emerged from within. When I asked Slarin about the interior, it turned out that a portion of the forward section of Slarin's space could be detached, creating a passage through. As for the growling, apparently there were protrusions along the throat that vibrated to produce the sound. Additionally, according to Slarin's report, some unfamiliar patterns had been carved into the throat area. Slarin had accidentally touched them, but there was apparently no danger.
"So in other words, we won't know anything unless we interrogate the boss..."
"More importantly, Tenma... explain in a way we can understand too, will you? It's not a problem because it's you, but normally this would be grounds for imprisonment, you realize?"
Chris came up behind me and demanded an explanation in a tone that sounded slightly irritated.
"Um, well, let's see..."
I told Lady Maria and Chris what we had learned so far, and that Raiden had growled and acted threateningly when Luna tried to touch it. Fortunately, Luna was the only one who had attempted to touch it, so no one else had been identified as an enemy by Raiden. It seemed that Raiden's memories of when it was Tanikaze were mixed with memories of its time as a Bicorn — it recognized me as its master and Slarin and the others as companions. Incidentally, Raiden and I could communicate to a certain extent, though not with the fine nuance that Slarin and the others could achieve, but Slarin was able to communicate with Raiden perfectly.
"There's nothing to say but incredible, isn't there..."
Lady Maria was petting Raiden while listening to my explanation. Apparently, Raiden didn't like being touched by strangers without permission, but was fine with anyone I had given approval to. Its strong wariness was probably related to the fact that it had been crafted using a Bicorn's magic core and materials.
"Tenma, if it's alright to touch, would it be possible to ride it?"
Chris seemed to want to ride Raiden and have it run. However, when I asked through Slarin, Raiden apparently had reservations about anyone other than me riding alone. Slarin had used quite gentle wording, but in reality it was closer to an outright refusal.
But there was a workaround for this too. That was...
"This is amazing! You can't get this kind of thrill from a normal horse!"
Riding together with me. When I relayed through Slarin that Raiden had given its permission, the first to raise her hand was Lady Maria. Chris had clearly wanted to be the first to ride, but she couldn't very well push Lady Maria aside to insist on going first.
Lady Maria was now sitting behind me, her arms wrapped around my waist. Slarin had taken up a support position for Lady Maria, so she wouldn't be easily thrown off, but the bodyguards — minus Chris — were standing around in a panic.
Paying those flustered bodyguards no mind, I gave Raiden the signal to pick up speed. The area where I had been conducting my trials stretched into a wide plain for quite a distance, and the ground wasn't too rough, so the impact was minimal — but I still figured it would be tough on Lady Maria, so I only intended to run for a few minutes. It was during those few minutes that Raiden briefly exceeded one hundred kilometers per hour, and the exclamation earlier was Lady Maria's reaction to that experience.
In this world, a normal horse could probably reach close to one hundred kilometers per hour with magic, but that could only be achieved in short bursts — it couldn't be maintained constantly like Raiden could. And reaching that speed with two riders, even with magic, would be impossible.
"Granny~ next, it's my~ turn~"
"Luna, it's my turn next!"
Luna and Chris were fighting over who would ride second, but Lady Maria didn't seem satisfied yet. Pretending she couldn't hear either of them, she kept directing me to go farther and farther.
After being made to run for about an hour like that, Raiden was naturally getting tired — or so Slarin said — so we decided to take a break. Luna and Chris
Raiden
They had been suspicious of Raiden all along, but it seemed they understood that if he threw a genuine tantrum and started thrashing about, there was nothing they could do about it — so they quietly decided to wait for the next opportunity.
"Phew... There was a little trouble, but in the end, it just goes to show once again that Tenma is in a class of his own."
At Lady Maria's words, Chris and the others burst out laughing. They got on my nerves a bit, but since I couldn't really argue back about the whole Raiden thing, I decided to just ignore them and instead pressed Lady Maria on why she had come here in the first place. After all, it was strange enough that the Queen of this country had shown up with the Crown Prince and a Princess just because of my letter.
"Oh my! Is that how you've been looking at me!"
Lady Maria looked genuinely offended by my words, pulling a fan from inside her coat and hiding her face behind it. But the whole act was so obviously put-on that I just kept silently staring at her face, and before long she seemed to resign herself, lowering the fan and finally telling the truth.
"I just have a small commission I'd like to put out. It does involve traveling a rather long distance, but as for transportation, we'll have Raiden, so that's not a problem."
"I'm afraid I can't accept designated commissions, since I haven't raised my rank yet."
Basically, designated commissions were only available from B-rank and above. That was because, considering ability and track record, the guild couldn't in good conscience assign commissions to anyone below B-rank.
"Tenma. You won the martial arts tournament, you slayed an Earth Dragon, and you stopped a coup d'état — there's no way anyone can claim you lack the ability or the track record. And besides, do you really think the guild would dare refuse a commission from royalty?"
So in other words, whether I accepted or not was entirely up to me.
"And don't worry. It's not much of a commission — you just need to deliver a letter to a certain person. The location is far, though, so it'll take a fair amount of time."
Thinking that didn't sound too bad, I was about to ask for more details when she told me the full story would have to wait until we got back to the apartment. I'd figured they would normally hold such discussions at the mansion Lady Maria and the others used, but since I'd need to talk to my grandfather too, the apartment was probably more convenient, so I started getting ready to head back.
Chris and Luna were disappointed about not getting to ride Raiden, but they couldn't go against Lady Maria, so they obediently followed along.
When we all got back to the apartment, Amy and Tida were outside. Rather than playing, it looked like the two of them were having some kind of conversation. And since it seemed Amy had been the one to initiate it, maybe things had progressed a little.
"Oh! Master, welcome back!"
Amy noticed our approach first and greeted us. Tida followed shortly after with a greeting of his own, but written all over his face was the unmistakable sentiment of "It would've been fine if you'd been a little later..."
"I'm back. Is Grandpa around?"
"Yes. He came back a little while ago."
"Oh, and shortly after Merlin, Branca came back too... carrying Amour on her shoulder..."
Tida provided some supplementary information. It seemed Branca had successfully captured Amour. She wouldn't let her guard down this time, so our parting with the two of them was probably drawing near.
"So Branca has returned as well. That works out perfectly."
For Lady Maria, Branca's return appeared to be convenient timing. I had a bad feeling about this, but all I could do was pray nothing came of it.
"I'm home."
I headed into the carriage to speak with Grandpa first, and there I found Branca along with Amour, bound even more tightly than before. It looked like Branca had been waiting for me so they could head back to their homeland right away.
"Perfect timing. We were planning to head back to our homeland from here. Thanks for everything. If you ever make it to our homeland, you'll be welcome."
The moment Branca saw my face, she said just that and moved to leave with Amour slung over her shoulder, but it was Lady Maria who put a stop to that.
"Could you wait just a moment? I have a commission I'd like to give you."
At Lady Maria's sudden words, Branca seemed uncertain of what to do, and tried to decline in order to prioritize returning home. But Lady Maria said, "It concerns your homeland," so Branca sat back down in her chair to at least hear her out.
"First, the commission I'd like to give Tenma is to deliver a letter to Viscount Robo, who governs the Southern Autonomous Region. And the commission for Branca is to guide Tenma to Viscount Robo."
I'd heard Branca's homeland was in the Southern Autonomous Region, so it really was a fitting request — or so I thought. But it seemed to mean something a bit different to Branca.
"In other words,"
Brother-in-law
"is who you want me to introduce Tenma to... Is this a personal request from Lady Maria? Or a command from the royal family?"
"It's a request"
from the royal family.
"Of course, you're free to refuse, but there's nothing to lose by accepting, and you'll be properly compensated — so I'd call it an offer with nothing but upsides?"
Sparks seemed to fly between Lady Maria and Branca, but when it came to a battle of wits and hidden maneuvering, there was no one in this kingdom who could outmatch Lady Maria (or so I believed), and the matter was settled quickly. Naturally, it was Branca who agreed to take it on.
But more than anything, there was the word Branca had uttered — '
Brother-in-law
The word "brother-in-law" kept bugging me. Branca's
brother-in-law
— that meant I should be Amour's father.
When that thought hit me, my gaze naturally drifted toward Amour. The moment she noticed my stare, despite being bound with ropes, she — for some reason — puffed out her chest with a smug grin. Looking at her like that, she didn't look anything like a viscount's young lady.
Just to be sure, I confirmed with Branca and Lady Maria, and got back a simultaneous "She's definitely the viscount's daughter" from both of them.
"Well, whether to take the commission or not is up to Tenma, but... what do you think?"
At Lady Maria's words, Amour shot me an expectant look, but I was torn. I had enough money, and there was also Amy to think about. On top of that, I still wanted to keep pushing through the dungeon.
"You could just take it, couldn't you?"
Up until then, the old man had been practically part of the scenery, but he threw in his support.
"Tenma, you've only ever adventured near the center of this country, right? I figured this might be a good opportunity — why not take it? Right now, you'd get a generous reward and a guide to boot."
The one who reacted most strongly to the old man's words was, as expected, Amour. As far as she was concerned, she had been running from Branca for all she was worth, claiming I'd stay here because of Seigen. Having been captured, her plans thoroughly dashed, the fact that I would now act alongside Amour to deliver a letter to her father must have felt like a complete reversal of fortune. However, Amour was currently tied up in a tangle of ropes by Branca (plus a ball gag), so she was just grunting and squirming around, and it was impossible to tell what she was saying.
"Lady Maria, what does the letter say?"
Branca, speaking more politely than usual, held down the flopping-fish-like Amour while putting the question to Lady Maria.
"I can't tell you the contents, of course. It's a letter officially from the royal family to Viscount Robo... But don't worry. It's nothing more than small talk, really."
Quiet sparks flew between Lady Maria and Branca, but even the combat-oriented Branca couldn't break through Lady Maria's defenses. Giving up, Branca asked, "So there's nothing unreasonable written in it?" and when Lady Maria nodded, the tense atmosphere settled down, at least for the moment.
"By the way, if the viscount is Robo, does that make Amour's name 'Amour Robo'?"
Trying to change the subject, I asked Branca about something that had been on my mind, and not only Branca, but even Lady Maria and the bound Amour all shook their heads in denial.
"Yeah, where we live, almost nobody uses family names. That includes the patriarch, Robo. So the viscount title goes directly after the given name."
Apparently, the Southern Autonomous Region was a rather unusual place even within the kingdom — originally home to multiple tribes that hadn't been part of the kingdom, it became royal territory during an old war with a foreign nation, and after a winding path, it was given autonomous-region status. Since the leadership had changed hands so many times, the viscount title apparently carried a provisional significance, and most people didn't use family names. Or, as Branca put it, "Using family names is a huge pain."
"Tenma, will you take this commission?"
In response to Lady Maria’s question, I said I would accept and we exchanged all the necessary contracts. The reason the contract went so smoothly was probably because she had come to me with the discussion based on the premise that I would accept.
"I would like you to go as soon as possible, but Tenma, you have various preparations to make as well, so how about departing in about a week? Also, I will take responsibility and handle the matter of Emi, so you don't need to worry."
Lady Maria seemed unusually enthusiastic about Emi, so I figured it would be fine to leave it to her as is... We decided to start preparing for the trip. Well, by preparations, as always, everything was already packed in the Magic Bag, so all we had to do was buy extra food and prepare some small miscellaneous items. Incidentally, at this point, Branca had judged that Amur would not try to escape and had untied his rope.
"Big brother, what are you doing?"
Having finished my preparations before everyone else, I was repairing the Magic Bag I obtained at the dungeon lake. In the middle of that, Luna came over. When I explained to Luna, she realized there were multiple bags and looked at me with hopeful eyes, wondering if she could get one too, but she was immediately confiscated by Chris and presented to Lady Maria.
"Well, something like this should do."
Since I was focused on the repairs, by the time I finished, it was dinnertime. The others had also mostly finished their preparations, and now Grandpa and Branca were discussing which route to take to the Southern Autonomous Region. Amur was... gnawing on skewered meat next to me.
"The rest is... this, and this, and this..."
I was putting various usable items from my own Magic Bag into the one I had just repaired.
"With this, all that's left is to hand it over to Emi."
I placed preserved food for emergencies and magic cores that could be converted into money into the two Magic Bags, along with a few cores for guard Golems. The Golems weren't the ones made for Lady Maria and the other royals, but they possessed comparable combat power. In terms of Monster rank, they should be around B. I prepared about ten of them.
"Tenma, you're quite overprotective..."
Lady Maria seemed exasperated, but from my perspective, this was still not enough. If a noble with significant power seriously intended to do something to Emi, I felt this would be insufficient.
"Well, from those who don't think highly of me, it's not strange they might see Emi as a target."
If some fool truly targeted Emi, as her master (for now), I would be obligated to take action for her sake. In that case, I intended to show no mercy, no matter who the opponent was.
When I told Lady Maria this, Grandpa agreed as well. Since Grandpa told everyone that Emi was his 'grand-disciple', it went without saying.
Seeing Grandpa and me nod to each other, Lady Maria immediately tried to catch Tida, but she said she had no intention of interfering in his personal romance. However, she also said that if Tida went crazy and tried to take Emi by force, ignoring her feelings, that was a different matter...
Perhaps because of that, Lady Maria meticulously discussed the details of Emi's protection with Chris. Since she said she would take responsibility, any incident could potentially become the royal family's responsibility, so her expression was utterly serious.
It felt like I might have gone a little too far, but I was just glad that she understood I was serious.
It was already late at night, so we decided to end today's preparations and resume tomorrow morning. For now, tomorrow's schedule included buying necessities and interrogating the craftsman.
For now, Chapter 8 is planned to wrap up in one or two more installments.
As you can probably tell from this story, the next stage will be the Southern Autonomous Region. Since it will be the hometown of Amur and Branca, Amur's parents and Branca's wife will also be making appearances. I'm also planning to reveal the true identity of Grandpa Kei, the first Bandit King, so I hope you'll continue to enjoy the story going forward.