Stacks of Relic Plates. What on earth… there's still something at the back of the desk.
A wooden box filled with small bottles. This one's just a normal wooden box, then.
"What's this…?"
Inside were liquids of red, blue, green, and transparent colors.
I could tell they were some kind of potions, more or less.
"My, my, young Wof. You're handing that wooden box over to Kom, aren't you."
"Yes. Here you go."
I handed it to the expert witch. She examined the small bottles one by one.
What caught my attention, though, was what the witch had placed on the desk in order to receive the box.
Was that a figure of Pakira?
No, it wasn't. It was a figure of Lady Yomido.
I picked it up without thinking. It was wooden, but exquisitely crafted.
Naturally, the quality couldn't compare to the beautiful-girl figures from my past life memories.
Still, the face was sculpted with such skill that you could tell it was Pakira at a single glance.
She wore a simple garment, yet the folds and ripples were rendered with meticulous detail.
The cat ears and the long-and-short tail showed an impressive attention to detail.
Yep. The craftsmanship was truly outstanding.
And the arms and legs could even move slightly, allowing you to change the pose.
The clothes couldn't be removed, of course… but what also caught my interest was the staff.
The staff that Yomido held was masterfully crafted as well.
The tip consisted of multiple overlapping rings, and the pommel was made of crystal.
Was it Yomido's own staff?
I didn't recognize it, but something about the "rings" felt oddly familiar.
Next time I met them, I'd ask about the staff.
"Hmm hmm. Hmm hmm. This, this — hmm hmm. Might be trickier than the stack of Relic cards, y'know."
The witch gazed at the small bottle with an expression close to anguish and murmured.
"Oh, seriously? What kind of potion is that?"
The witch tucked the small bottle into the wooden box and spoke with a worried look.
"Most likely, most likely — a sample of magical medicine."
"Magical medicine…!?"
"Well, well, I'll need to examine it more closely to be sure."
Still, if the witch said so, it was probably accurate.
My gaze shifted to the stack of Relic plates.
"If that's the case, then what kind of Relic is that Relic plate?"
What came to mind was Self-Destruction. And Transformation was possible too.
Or maybe it was neither.
I couldn't rule out the possibility of something even more dangerous.
"Same with that one — I won't know until I look into it."
"Right…"
Now that I thought about it, wasn't there a research institution for Relics in the Royal Capital where I could have things examined?
"Oh, by the way, by the way, young Wof. That figurine. You've taken a liking to it, haven't you?"
"Huh? Figurine?"
"That one, that one. The one in your hand."
Ah, the figurine.
So this counts as a divine statue… yeah, I suppose it is. It's a statue of a god, after all.
"I wouldn't say I've taken a liking to it… I just think it's really well-made."
It really is well-made.
It doesn't compare to the tens of thousands I remember from my past life, but it's still on par with the better part of ten thousand.
"Oh my, oh my. I thought so too. Still, the resemblance to Pakira is something else, isn't it?"
"Huh, you didn't know, Witch? Pakira is the spitting image of Lord Yomido, you know."
"Oh my. Oh my, oh my. Well, well. Now that is very, very interesting."
The Witch's eyes lit up like she'd found something adorable.
Run, Pakira! Run!
For now, I stowed Lord Yomido's figurine into my pouch.
The Witch also put the wooden box and bundle of Relic plates into her pouch.
I'll leave that side to her. Time to head out.
Once we left the villa, the guards were escorting the captured remnant soldiers away.
Other guards were dealing with the corpses.
They seemed to be piling them all together to burn.
The head of the guard detail noticed us and approached with a slight bow.
"I heard an explosion."
"Yes, it's fine. How about your side?"
"Minimal damage on our end as well. But they resisted more than expected."
He said he'd be guarding the villa from now on.
Guards had it rough.
I went home, parted ways with the witch, and collapsed onto my bed to catch my breath.
I was tired.
My mind felt tired, more than anything.
But with this, Paled was finished.
Finished, yet I still felt something unsettling lingering.
I left the small bottles and the bundle of Relic plates to the witch.
It would take a while, but who knew what the result would be.
"So sleepy… guess I'll sleep…"
I closed my eyes just like that.
My consciousness faded.
Two weeks had passed since then.
Nothing in particular happened, and I just drifted through the days in lazy fashion.
Today I was lazing about in bed again.
Now this—this was truly a slow life.
It's My Life.
"What are you doing?"
"Hmm?"
The rabbit showed up.
She plopped down on the bed.
"Sloppy, and you're so young."
She grumbled. That sounded so old.
"I've been busy lately, so what's wrong with taking it easy?"
"I've heard bits and pieces about all that. But that was two weeks ago."
"I've been working myself to the bone for months now. But isn't that weird? I'm only thirteen. It's not like I'm in my prime working years."
"What are you talking about? Even children are supposed to work."
"...Oh... right."
I slowly sat up.
Once again, I'd been viewing this world through the filter of my past life's memories.
"But I can get by without working for now."
Leold's payment. Plus the dungeon allowance from Heizen.
That alone was bringing in a pretty decent sum.
Hooray for unearned income.
"You still owe the Witch, don't you?"
"I do, but she won't accept my payments for some reason."
"Same here. Money doesn't mean much to that Witch, so— Oh, what's that on the shelf up there? Isn't that Miss Pakira?"
Haiarn's gaze had drifted to the statue of Lord Yomid displayed on the shelf by the bed.
I'd been keeping it in my pouch for the longest time but ended up just setting it there on a whim.
"Ah, that's Lord Yomid."
"Yomid?"
"He's the god of dungeons, and also the god of the underworld."
"Oh. You worship him or something?"
"Hmm… how should I put it?"
Being asked if I worship him feels off somehow.
I mean, I've met the guy in person several times. I'd even call us friends.
But is it really okay to have a figure of a female friend displayed in my room like this?
I don't think my past life memories include anything about this.
"Still, it really is remarkably well-crafted."
"You're that interested? Do you always stare at things that long?"
"Statues of that size exist, sure. But this one—how should I put it—it feels completely different from the kind of statues most people make."
Well, yeah, because it's a figure.
I don't know who carved it, but it's definitely a figure.
Haiarn kept on staring at it. Was it really that captivating?
"What about something like that—do you think it'd sell?"
"—Wof. You just said 'Lord Yomid,' didn't you."
"I did, didn't I?"
"Lord Yomid rules over the Kings of Death, right?"
"That's right."
"Do you know Anemos? The King of Death of Wind."
"Of course I do. I'm the one who held the audition, found Anemos, and made him a King of Death in the first place."
That was only two weeks ago, but — not to be mean — this is absurd.
"You're involved in everything, aren't you. So then. That"
"Anemos. Is a guy."
"……………Huh?"
She was about to say "she," so I struck first.
Haiarn — I'd never seen a rabbit's eyes go that wide before.
"Anemos is a guy."
"No way! There's no way!"
"He's male."
"There's absolutely no way! Because — he was so cute! And gentle! And adorable! And his smile was wonderful! And his gentle smile made my heart flutter!"
"But he's a guy."
"IMPOSSIBLEEEEEEE!!!!"
Haiarn collapsed.
First time I'd ever seen a rabbit crumple from shock.
Oh, right. Anemos and the others must have come back.