Chapter 2: Sui’s Special Elixir (Degraded Edition)

After breakfast, Dora-chan once again expressed his desire for pudding.

《Hey, won’t you give me that jiggly stuff? I wanna eat that.》

He must be really fond of pudding.

《Sui also wants to eat cake...》

Sui too, huh? It really does love sweet stuff... It’d be easy to just give it to Sui, but if I don’t properly set limits it’ll just want more and more... Eating too much would be bad for its health, too.

“Hmm, then I can give some to you, but I’m limiting pudding, cake, and other sweet stuff to two a day. This goes for all three of you.”

《Whaaaat, only two? Give me more, come onnn...》

《Only two, huh—?》

Both Dora-chan and Sui looked a little unsatisfied. But I’ll have to steel my heart here, draw a line in the sand.

“I can bring it down to one.”

《No, no, two is fine. Yeah, two.》

《Sui is also fine with two.》

Good, then it’s settled.

《I want to eat some of that jiggly stuff now.》

《What should Sui do~? Hmmm, Sui wants one, too. A different cake from yesterday would be nice.》

“Give me the white one with that red fruit on top.”

Ah, so everyone already wants one, huh? Actually wow, Fel just casually slipped in here. Well, whatever.

I opened my Online Supermarket and picked out some custard pudding and a strawberry shortcake, as well as a strawberry mousse cake for Sui. “Here you are.”

《Oohh! The jiggly stuff!》 Dora-chan scarfed down his desired pudding, not caring how messy the sides of his mouth got.

“Hm.”

Woah! Fel just ate the whole slice in one bite.

《Yayyy! It’s one Sui hasn’t eaten! Ah, this is sweet and a little sour — it’s delicious!》

Thank goodness the strawberry mousse cake matched Sui’s tastes. Now then, since everyone’s had their after-meal dessert, let’s go to the Adventurer’s guild.

◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

We had just arrived at the Adventurer’s guild. When we entered the building, it seemed that one of the employees had contacted him about it, as Elrand came flying over. “Now, now, let’s go to my room.”

Taken along by Elrand, we came to the usual guildmaster’s room.

“So, is this about having us buy what you gathered from the dungeon?”

“Yes. But you see, there was more than I originally thought there would be......”

“Hohh, that much, huh? By the way, what kind of things do you have? I’ll be deciding on what to buy depending on that, after all.”

It was just as Elrand said. Buying everything would be impossible, and even just buying all the hides and skins that Elrand wanted would be difficult for him, since there was a limit to the amount of money the guild could spend. On the other hand, I might be able to get him to buy some gemstones or magic items. I did take a memo of the results of my sorting yesterday...... Ah, found it.

While looking at the memo, I read out loud the entire results of our foray into the dungeon.

“Uhhh, let’s see... Venom tarantula venom sac x3, orc meat x56, orc testes x31, orc hide x125, lizardman skin x63, ogre hide x102, ogre magic stone (very small) x21, troll hide x113............ (and such, and so on) ............ and a Necklace of Antidotes x1.”

I was wearing the ring of magic recovery, so I left it out. Also, given that the magical sword Caladbolg is what it is, I decided to try and hide it, and only answer if asked.

It was such a long list that, around halfway through, Elrand’s mouth started to hang open as he took on a stunned expression. Looking at the beautiful elf’s gobsmacked face, I found it a little funny.

“W-What an incredible amount......”

Yeah... Everyone’s really strong... They were all happily beating every monster into the ground, so I ended up picking up heaps of items... I looked back on the events inside the dungeon.

“You know, my party also cleared down to the 29th floor of that dungeon, and amassed a pretty sizable number of drops and magic items, too... But that doesn’t even begin to reach your feat, Mukohda.”

“Man, rather than me, it’s more my familiars, you see. I basically just ran around collecting drops the entire time.”

Sadly, that’s the truth. Yeah, but I did fight a little. Just a little.

“I totally wanted to see it......... Dora-chan’s gallant fighting figure. Tch! If it wasn’t for that sub-guildmaster, I totally would have chased after you...... Aggghhh!”

“Tch”? Elrand...... It’s just troubling for you to chase after me, you know? Dolan’s sub-guildmaster really does have his work cut out for him.

“Well, leaving that aside, buying everything really will be impossible, as you suspect.”

Thought so, given the amount.

“However, the demand for dungeon-spawned hides is high, so we’ll be buying as many as we can. I’ll want to get all of your orc, lizardman, and ogre hides. I also want the troll hides......... Hmmm, it seems like I’ll have to consult with the sub-guildmaster about what we will buy... He’s already mad at me since I used too much of our budget...” he finished, whispering to himself.

Ah, so he really did get yelled at. I know I took the money, but I did feel like this guy was using up way too much of it for his own desires... Mainly in the dragon department.

“I don’t mind that. Ah, about that list, please ignore the meat, because I’ll be using that myself. Ah, also......”

I took out the (small) and (medium) magic bags out of my Item Box. “Hey, Fel. What’s up with time in these magic bags? Do you know with your Appraisal?”

After thinking about it for a while, I had the idea that the bags could be useful for cooking if time passed normally in them. My Item Box doesn’t allow time to pass, so that’s really convenient in terms of preservation, but there are some cases in cooking where that would be a bad thing.

When cooking, there are times when you need to let flavors marinate, or cases where the dish would become tastier after resting for a night. Usually, to let flavors soak into meat, I’d poke holes in the meat with a fork to allow that to happen in a shorter time, and if letting things rest for a night would make it tastier, I would leave it on a table while I slept, so depending on whether or not a magic bag allows the passage of time, it could have quite some use for cooking. For example, I could ferment lots of miso in a bag, and once it’s nice and ripe, I could move it to my Item Box. It would have a lot of uses.

My Item Box was like a special ability for otherworlders, so it was pretty strong, in my opinion. Thinking like that, magic bags allowing the passage of time seemed plenty possible. But since I couldn’t tell with my level of Appraisal, I asked Fel.

“Let me see, I will look at it for you. Hm...... both of them have time pass inside them as normal. Essentially, they are just bags that are really large.”

I see, so both of them allow the passage of time unchanged, huh? If that’s the case, let’s keep the (medium) one and sell off the (small) one.

“Elrand... wait, what’s wrong?” Looking at Elrand, I noticed that both his eyes were opened wide.

“U-Uhm, it can’t be, but... does that Fenrir... have Appraisal?”

Ah~, I see. Wasn’t it that the Appraisal skill is something that basically only happens in fairy tales, that heroes summoned from other worlds get? But you know, Fel is...

“Ah — you see, he looks like this, but he is in fact a legendary beast...”

“Mn, what do you mean by that?”

I mean, you know I’ve seen and heard a lot, right? Fel totally became my familiar because of my food, and I know how gluttonous you are.

“Ah, yes, now that you mention it... you’re right. He is a legendary Fenrir, something that normally no one would even get to see in their lifetimes.”

Right, right. So Elrand’s gotten used to this sight too, huh? This backdrop of there being a Fenrir and a pixie dragon and a special slime around...

“So okay then, could you also ignore the magic bag (medium) from my list too?”

“The meat and the magic bag (medium) right? Can I think of everything else as something for sale?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

If this is how it is, it might be okay to talk to him about that, too.

“Uhhmm, also, there’s something I didn’t include in that list, but being what it is, I’m kind of troubled over what to do with it......” I decided to consult with him about that.

“You see...... hup.” I brought out a heavy sword from inside my Item Box. “When we defeated the dungeon boss, the behemoth, I got this. The magic sword, Caladbolg.”

“Bpphhfffbbttt!” The beautiful elf, Elrand, did a spit take.

He totally did, with water and everything!

“M-Ma-Ma-Magic sword?!”

If Elrand’s this surprised by it, then it really is something dangerous.

“Still, a magic sword...... I did think it might be possible, since this dungeon is on the harder side, so if you cleared it......”

Listening to Elrand, it seemed that there were only four confirmed magic swords in the world.

The first one was from 700 years ago, when a hero chosen by the gods was said to have come back from a dungeon with it, the “magic sword Joyeuse.” And, it was currently being held under rigorous security in the head church of the Rubanov faith, in the Holy Kingdom of Rubanov.

The second was being held by the Geisler Empire, the “magic sword Blutgang.” This sword was apparently found about 400 years ago from a dungeon in the Geisler Empire, and it seemed that, in order to get it, the empire threw around 30,000 soldiers at the dungeon.

The third is owned by the kingdom of Marveil, the “magic sword Balisarda.” This one was said to have been brought back to the kingdom of Marveil from some dungeon somewhere by one of their S-ranked adventurers at the time, this was 300 years ago.

And so, it was said that the kingdom of Marveil bought it off of him, and it was also rumored that the price of it was equal to the current kingdom’s entire national budget.

The fourth is owned by this country, the kingdom of Leonhardt, the “magical sword Arondite.” Apparently, it was something that this country’s first king brought back from a dungeon within the kingdom (not from Dolan). I wondered just what kind of person that first king was, to be able to bring back a magic sword from a dungeon, so I decided to look that up whenever I was free.

And so, the “magic sword Caladbolg” that I brought back would be the fifth, but I wondered something...

“Uhm, so from what you said, all four magic swords are owned by countries......”

From Elrand’s explanation, what I was most concerned about was the fact that each one was owned by such-and-such country.

“Well, of course. When it comes to magic swords, which are said to be symbols of power, of course they would be preciously safeguarded by the country itself.”

What? Does that mean I have something normally entire countries would own?

“U-Uhmm, the price?” There’s no way I could use it: it was too heavy, and besides, I didn’t want to keep hold of something a whole country would normally safeguard.

At this rate, the only choice was to have it sleep in my Item Box forever, though.

“Don’t even joke. Of course I wouldn’t be able to buy a magic sword when its price equals an entire country’s national budget,” Elrand said, exasperated.

Yes, you’re totally right. Sorry for asking for the impossible.

“You know you can try using it yourself, instead of trying to sell it. For swordsmen, using a magic sword is like a dream among dreams.”

Man, but I’m not a swordsman, you know? And before that, just by having this, it’ll become a whole thing.

“Uhmm, this sword is too heavy. I could never use it.”

“Huh? Really? Can I try picking it up?” In response to Elrand’s request, I said yes, and Elrand took Caladbolg out of its scabbard and took a stance with it. “You’re right, it’s got quite the substantial heft. Although it’s not like I can’t swing it.” Elrand stood up and lightly swung Caladbolg.

So you’d try swinging it, Elrand. As expected of a former S-ranked adventurer. Even though it’s so hard for me just to pick it up.

“Also, it seems like it’s made of adamantite.”

“Bppphhbbt!” Oohh! Elrand did another spit take. “A-A-A-Adamantite?!”

“Apparently, that’s what Appraisal says.”

So, adamantite is something to be surprised over... I had thought that adamantite was probably a rare-ish expensive metal, a lot like mithril, since that one exists in nature too.

“Adamantite is a legendary metal, said to be unable to be damaged by anything......”

Ah, so it’s like this here, huh? Damn, I really should have let this sleep for eternity in my Item Box.

“W-Well, it’s not like I can use it, so I’ll just leave it in my Item Box for a while.”

“That might be for the best.”

Taking Caladbolg from Elrand, I shut it in my Item Box. Yep, it’s decided. The “magic sword Caladbolg” sleeps in my Item Box forever. W-Well, I might decide what to do with it eventually. I have no idea when that’ll be, though.

“Ah, right. There’s something I need to tell you. Mukohda, you’ve risen to A-rank.”

............Wha? Eh? Huh? Wasn’t I C-ranked? Why am I suddenly A-ranked?

“Huh? A-rank?”

“Yes. There’s no way we can let you, who conquered a dungeon, stay at C-rank, after all.”

So it was. Thus, my silver C-ranked card that I’d been using until now was confiscated by Elrand. Without having any input in the matter, a shining golden A-rank card was pushed into my hands.

They say that I conquered it, but I didn’t really fight at all, I just let everyone else do all the work......

“So, when will you decide what to buy?”

“I’ll be consulting with the sub-guildmaster, so I want to have it decided by around the day after tomorrow. I’ll have to hurry and report this to the main Adventurer’s guild branch in this country, as well as the palace itself, after all. So much work......”

Elrand, your real feelings are showing. All over the place.

Apparently, he had to give a detailed explanation on how the dungeon was conquered.

“Normally, it would be best for the adventurer who conquered the dungeon to come with me, but...” After saying that, Elrand shot me a quick, furtive glance.

“No, uhmm, I’m not great with that stuff. If possible, I’d like to refrain from going.”

Hard pass on having to meet higher ups from the guild, much less going to the royal palace. I’ll just get worn out from meeting them. Also, I don’t want them to pry with any weird questions and find out that I’m from another world.

“Thought so. I heard that you don’t really want to be forced into anything, and then a message came from the palace saying not to force you.”

Thank you, oh thank you, lord. Really, it’s great that this country’s king is so quick on the uptake.

“Oh well. I guess I’ll just be going to the capital by myself. If you were with me, Mukohda, that would mean that Dora-chan would be with me as well, so the trip would have been fun, though. Really, I’d rather take a long holiday or something, and tag along with you, Mukohda, but...... When I submitted my request for a break, the sub-guildmaster went and ripped it up! Don’t you think that’s just cruel? And he said, ‘If you’re going to keep doing whatever you want, guildmaster, I’ll boycott this job, got it?’ He’s totally threatening me.”

No, I mean, you’re the cruel one for not doing your job. No matter how you think about it. Sub-guildmaster, I feel your pain.

“W-Well, there’s still the matter of buying your dropped items and stuff, so I’ll still be in town, and if I get any more dragons, I’ll bring them here, so...”

When I said that, Elrand banged his hands on the table and shot towards me. “You’re not lying, are you?!”

W-Wait! You’re too close!

“Of course not.”

Or rather, this is basically the only place that’ll butcher a dragon. I don’t know if I’ll ever get any more, but if I do I’ll totally shut it in my Item Box and bring it over.

“It’s a promise, got it!!” Elrand had a firm grip on my shoulders as he said that, and I nodded fervently, many times in response.

“Th-Then, I’ll be back the day after tomorrow, when you’ve decided what to buy.” Leaving those words behind, I put the Adventurer’s guild behind me. It was starting to feel like if I stayed any longer, I’d get dragged into a long spiel about dragons by Elrand, after all.

◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

After leaving the Adventurer’s guild, I had Fel take me outside the city to somewhere with no people.

“Okay then, I’ll start brushing.”

We had come to take the bath that we couldn’t indulge in the entire time we were in the dungeon. I also decided to clean Fel up along the way, since he also got quite dirty in the dungeon.

In order to prepare for that, I had to first give Fel a thorough brushing.

“Does this have to happen?” Fel asked, while I carefully teased out all of his tangled fur.

“No matter what. You know, the dungeon had swamps and deserts and stuff, so you’re really dirty right now.”

“Mn... I do not think I am that filthy, but......”

“No no, you’re filthy. Just touching you feels dusty, and see? Your feet are caked in mud and it’s all in your fur,” I said, while brushing him down to his toes. In response, Fel put on an unhappy face.

So he hates being washed that much, huh? But he’s all dusty, and I think it’d feel good to get clean...

Good, the brushing’s done, I thought, after paying special attention to the matted fur on Fel’s feet.

“Sui, I’ll make the hot water, so can you make some cold water?”

《Got it—.》

“Mn, there is no need for hot water. Cold water is fine, hurry up.” I was going to prepare hot water, but apparently Fel was impatient to get it over with.

“But the water will be cold, won’t you catch something?” The weather was currently neither hot nor cold, but with water in the mix...

“You fool. What do you take me for? As if that would happen just by soaking in some water. Also, I have the goddess Ninrir’s blessing. I will not get sick. More importantly, if you are going to do this anyway, at least make it fast.”

Ahh, so he’s saying that since he’s bad with water, and if it’s going to happen anyway, at least don’t use up time and do it fast, huh? If that’s the case, let’s just get this over with using cold water.

《Whaaaat, you’re using cold water? Even though hot water feels so good... Well, if Fel finishes up fast, that just means we can get in earlier, though.》

That was Dora-chan. It seemed like Dora-chan took to baths like a fish to water.

“Right? Would finishing faster not be good for you, too? Since that is the case, hurry up and finish this.”

“Fine, fine. Then I’ll just use water to wash you.”

“Very well.”

“Sui, can you spray water on Fel?”

《Are you sure?》

“Indeed. Sui, do it.”

《Got it—!》 Sui sprayed water at Fel. After washing off the filth and muck, I had Sui stop spraying water once Fel was thoroughly soaked. Then, just like when I washed Fel before, I still had some of the same shampoo left over, so I used that.

First, start with the back...

“Hey, use more power.”

Sure, sure.

I put more power into it and washed Fel vigorously.

“Use a little more power there, as well.”

Fine, fine. So it’s itchy here, too, huh? I scrubbed and scrubbed, powerfully washing Fel.

“Keep going there for a little.”

Ahhh fine, fine. A little longer here, right?

*Scrubscrub* *Scrubscrub* *Scrubscrub*

Although he said to do it quickly, as soon as I started, he’s been saying things like ‘a little longer here,’ or ‘a little more power there’ a lot.

Following those instructions, I thoroughly scrubbed every nook and cranny.

“Good, this is fine. Sui, start spraying Fel again.”

《Oka—y!》 Sui once again sprayed water at Fel. The foam and bubbles that had lathered up on Fel were washed away.

“Fel, we’re washing your face, too.”

“Mnn, do it fast.”

“Sui, lower the power a little and spray it like rain on Fel’s face. Can you do it?”

《Yeah, got it—.》 A gentler shower of water rained down on Fel’s face.

Now then, let’s clean off Fel’s face.

“Good, Fel, you’re fine.”

“Whew, finally.”

“Fel, w-wait a second! At least wait to do that until we’re out of range!”

Fel looked like he was about to start shaking himself, so I barely managed to stop him in time. Dora-chan, Sui, and I all evacuated from Fel’s vicinity.

“Okay, it’s fine!”

As soon as I said that, Fel started shaking furiously. Just like that, after shaking off the water, Fel produced a warm wind and dried his body.

“Well then, let’s take a bath.”

《Yeah!》

《Yayy!》

While I was preparing the bath, Fel, who had already completely dried himself, talked to me.

“I will be going hunting while you all take a bath.”

“Hm? That’s fine, but I just washed you, so be careful not to get too dirty.”

“Mn, I know already.”

“If you’re going hunting, birds, like rockbirds and cockatrices, would be good. I don’t have much of that meat left.”

“Okay then.”

“Ah, also, this.” I produced the magic bag (medium) from my Item Box. It was shaped like a shoulder bag, so it’d probably be easy for Fel to carry.

“A magic bag?”

“Yeah. It’d be more convenient for you to carry around if you catch a lot, right?”

“Hm, that is true. Then I will borrow it.” After saying so, Fel quickly ran off.

Of course, I didn’t forget to have him put up a barrier.

◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

“Whewieee~, this feels good.”

《Yeah, this is the best.》

《So go—od.》

After quickly finishing the preparations for a bath, Dora-chan, Sui, and I were all having a good soak.

Dora-chan and Sui were floating in the water, relaxing.

I was also stretched out in the tub, relaxing.

For the first time in a while, both my body and head were cleanly washed and feeling refreshed... baths really are great.

As a reward for clearing the dungeon, I put in a slightly expensive bath powder that was mixed with carbon dioxide, and it somehow feels like it’s gradually heating up my body, taking away all the exhaustion. It smells good, too.

Dora-chan and Sui leisurely enjoyed their bath time for a while.

“I guess it’s about time to get out now.”

《Yeah~.》

《Fi—ne.》

After getting out of the bath and changing, I gave Dora-chan and Sui some fruit-flavored milk, while I drank some coffee milk, and then, we rested.

“......He......lp me—!”

“Gyaahhhh!!”

I heard children’s voices... they were getting closer and closer.

I saw the owners of those voices. They were a boy and a girl, around 10 years of age.

“Iris, run away by yourself!!”

“No! Not without you, big bro!”

There were five orcs chasing after the boy and girl.

“Dora-chan! Sui!”

《Sure! Leave it to me!》

《Sui will do it!》

Dora-chan flew off immediately, and Sui set up its tentacles like a rifle.

*Dzsshh* *Dzsshh* *Dzsshh———*

*Byoo* *Byoo———*

Dora-chan, clad in Fire magic, pierced through three orcs, while Sui used Acid Bullets to bring down the other two.

“He—y, are you two alright?” When I ran and approached the two children, I found them staring dumbfounded at the defeated orcs. “Huff, huff... the orcs are already dead, you’re safe. Rather, where did you two come from?”

Setting aside that this was a forest near the city, this place specifically was pretty remote, so it was odd for children to be wandering around here.

Could it be that there was an adult with them? When that thought came to my head, the children started crying. It must have been a really scary experience, getting chased down by orcs.

“Ugh... *Sniff* ...Uwaaahhhh!”

“Ugh... Uuuu... Uueeehhh!!”

While I was panicking, wondering what I should do, Fel returned.

“What is with these brats?”

Looking at Fel, the children started crying all over again.

“Ah, aaahhh, you know this one is my familiar, so it won’t do anything. You’re safe.”

“Hey! What do you mean by ‘this one’?! Huh?!”

When Fel shouted a little, the two of them gave a start, crying even harder.

“Ahhh geez, stop with that loud voice. Just shut up a while, Fel.”

In order to calm down the two crying children, I kept repeating things like, “You’re safe now.” and “Fel and the others are my familiars, so they won’t do anything.”

◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

After somehow finally managing to calm them down, I listened to their story.

“What are your names?”

“*Sniff* ......I’m Darryl, and this is my younger sister, Iris,” said Darryl, sniffing. He was an intelligent-looking boy with brown eyes and hair.

Darryl’s little sister, Iris, who had brown hair just like her brother, worn in braids, and who seemed a little shy, was still clinging onto her brother’s arm.

“How old are you two?”

“I’m 10 years old, and Iris is 8.”

Just as I thought, they’re around 10. Why are children like them here?

“Did you come here with an adult?”

In response, Darryl shook his head no.

“What? Just you two?”

When I asked that, Darryl nodded.

“You came by yourselves? From where?”

“Dolan.”

“What? All the way from Dolan?” I had completely taken to the idea that they were from a nearby village, so I was honestly surprised. Especially since it would take around three hours to get here from Dolan on foot. And when it comes to children’s legs, it would no doubt take even longer. Looks like there’s some sort of reason, here...

“Why did you come all this way into the forest by yourselves? Did you have some sort of reason? Please, tell me.”

“If you’ll give me one of those orc bodies, I’ll talk.” Since Darryl said that, of course I agreed, and he started talking.

Right now, Darryl and Iris were living with their mother in Dolan as a family of three. Their father was an adventurer, but when Darryl was 6, he dove into the dungeon and never returned. Apparently, their mother was a skilled seamstress, so thanks to that they were able to live as a family.

However, around two weeks ago, their mother collapsed. After having her looked at by a temple priest, they also had him give her healing magic. Thanks to that, she became better for a time, but after a while, she once again fell ill.

According to the boy, the priest said, “The only things we can heal here are light, non-serious illnesses, and if her sickness is this powerful then you can’t hope for recovery unless you go to the capital and have her healed by a high-ranking priest.”

Since they’d heard that, in order to have that happen, they would have to offer an appropriately large sum of money, the two became desperate to earn some, and started gathering what herbs they could, coming to this forest.

“*Sniff*...” I made sure the two children wouldn’t be able to see me when I sniffled. So brave, what good children this Darryl and Iris are... I’m super weak to this kind of thing.

“What were you two doing for food?”

“......We did chores in the city, and somehow got food with that.”

Chores wouldn’t pay that much at all, and these two are good children who think of their mother, so these two would probably use even that pocket change for her... So that would mean they may or may not have food to eat on a given day, huh?

“You guys are hungry, right? We’ll be eating food in a little bit, so let’s eat together.”

“Food, huh? Good timing, I am just about hungry.”

《I was getting hungry, too.》

《Sui too—!》

Aahh, I wasn’t talking to you guys, though. Well, I’ll make your portions too, though.

What would be good for Darryl and Iris? Rather than unfamiliar rice, using bread which they’d eat regularly would be better, right? If that’s the case...... let’s make that.

I would be using teriyaki to make some teriyaki burgers. With this dish, I’d have enough ingredients just in my Item Box, so I wouldn’t have to use my Online Supermarket in front of those two, either. With that decided, the first step is to bring out the magic stove.

When I brought out the magic stove from my Item Box, both Darryl and Iris widened their eyes in surprise. “I have an Item Box too, but I wouldn’t be able to fit something that big......” Darryl whispered.

Oh, so Darryl has an Item Box. If that’s the case, won’t he have a lot of job options when he grows up?

“Iris doesn’t have one. Sounds nice,” said Iris, who was sulking a little.

Yeah, honest children like this really are the cutest. Well then, let’s get to cooking.

~◇~◇~◇~

First, grill the dungeon-spawned cockatrice meat until its skin is crispy, then wipe off any excess fat from the frying pan using kitchen paper.

Once that’s done, use the store-bought teriyaki sauce on the meat, and after simmering it for a while and mixing the sauce so it coats the meat evenly, the chicken teriyaki is done.

Halve some black bread, and load up one side with a bed of shredded cabbage and some mayonnaise. Lay the cockatrice teriyaki on top of that, and close the burger to finish the dish.

~◇~◇~◇~

Along with that, I poured some orange juice into a cup and served it to Darryl and Iris. “Here you go.”

They hesitated at first, but when I said, “If you don’t eat, I’ll have my familiars eat you,” they started scarfing down the food. They must have been quite hungry.

“So good!”

“Big bro, this is delicious! This drink is also sweet and good!”

Yep yep, eat as much as you want. Now then, I’ve still got food to cook...

After cooking up a huge portion of teriyaki burgers for my three familiars, I served it to them. Seeing that, Darryl and Iris were surprised.

“Waahh~, everyone eats so much.”

“Yeah. All of them are big eaters. More importantly, are you two done already? I have more,” I asked them, but it seemed that the two of them were full.

Hamburgers using black bread is really filling, after all.

“If that’s the case, what about drinks?”

Iris must have taken a liking to the orange juice, and seemed like she wanted more. However, she hesitated, trying to decide if it was okay to ask for more.

“Here, don’t hold back you two — keep drinking.” Having said that, I poured more orange juice into their wooden cups, and the two children happily started drinking it down.

After giving Fel and Sui several more helpings, the meal was finally over. And with that, Darryl and Iris once again shrank into themselves and started to act formal.

“Thanks, mister.”

“Mister, thanks.”

M-M-Mister, huh? I’m a mister............ What is this? It’s like I’m happy to be thanked, but also not happy at all... And correcting these two right now would be...... Mister, huh......?

From what I’d seen of this world, it seemed like once a person reaches 20, they’d probably already have one or two children.

Thinking like that, I guess being 27 would count as a “mister”............ Khh...... that’s a little sad.

“Bbff...... Seems like you are a mister, too, bbff!”

Hey, Fel. Don’t laugh. Actually, huh. So he was holding a grudge...

《Well, at the very least, you don’t seem like a big bro or anything.》

Dora-chan, are you saying that I’m old and decrepit? I’ll have to talk to you about that later, then.

《Mister? Master is master—.》

Yeah, Sui, only you can be my healing.

“Mister, you’re an adventurer, right?” Darryl asked.

“Y-Yeah. Kind of.”

Being called a “mister,” it just kind of stings...

“How much money is an orc body? Will we be able to go to the capital to see a priest with it?”

Ah, this is about getting a high-ranking priest from the capital to come over, huh? I feel a little sorry for them, but no matter how you think about it, one orc won’t be nearly enough money.

“Just one orc would be... a little impossible......”

“Then, how much would it be? Would all five of those be enough? If that’s the case I’ll do anything, so give them to me!” Saying so, Darryl bowed his head. When he did that, Iris followed suit.

If handing over five orcs would actually help them, I’d happily do it, but I don’t think five orcs would be enough to get a high-ranking priest to come over from the capital at all.

Just... this might be hypocrisy, but if I can save them, I want to. It wasn’t like I thought I could save anyone and everyone, but it must have been some sort of fate to have met Darryl and Iris here, too.

I want to save them, but what should I do......?

I thought about giving them one of Sui’s potions, but when I gave it some more thought, I remembered that the only things it worked on were wounds. Given that, and the fact that I hadn’t tested it against illnesses...... When I asked Darryl and Iris how their mother was doing, it seemed that her condition was bad enough that she couldn’t get out of bed.

If the sickness is that bad, then I feel like it won’t work unless it’s an elixir or something. Hmmm, what should I do? ...............Ah!

“Darryl, Iris, I haven’t introduced you to my familiars yet, have I? This fluffy one here is called Fel. And, this one is Dora-chan the pixie dragon, and this slime is Sui. Can you get along with everyone?”

“They won’t get angry if we touch them?” Darryl fearfully asked.

“They won’t. Right?”

“As if I would get angry over something like being touched by those whelps.”

“There you go. Fel can talk, so if you have something you want to ask you can talk to him. Dora-chan, you’re fine too, right?”

When I said that, Dora-chan landed himself in front of the two. Darryl fearfully reached out and touched Dora-chan, who was in front of him. As soon as he realized nothing would happen, Darryl started stroking Dora-chan over and over from his head to his back.

Iris seemed to have taken a liking to Fel, as she was poking at Fel’s back. When she realized it was okay, she started stroking Fel’s soft fur.

“Fel’s fur is fluffy and smells nice~.” Iris seemed to be enjoying Fel’s fur a lot.

While watching this happen, I quickly started a telepathic conversation with my three familiars.

《Fel, Dora-chan. I have something to do with Sui, so keep Darryl and Iris occupied. I don’t think it’ll take that long. Sui, I have something I want you to do, so can I have you come with me?》

Good, let’s leave this to Fel and Dora-chan.

◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

Along with Sui, I separated from everyone a little and came to a different spot in the forest.

“Sui, can I get you to do something for me?”

《What~?》

“You see......” I took out two things from my Item Box. The first one was some earth dragon blood. The second was the earth dragon’s liver. From what I remember Elrand saying before, a dragon’s blood and liver can be made into a panacea of sorts. With that in mind, I thought that it might be possible.

I was hoping that, by having Sui take in the dragon’s blood and liver, and adding its own special potion on top of that, Sui could make some sort of new medicine. Of course, making an elixir would be a dream among dreams, but I had a hunch that it would at least make some sort of potion that would work on illnesses, too.

“You see, this is the earth dragon’s blood and liver. These can make medicines that work on a lot of illnesses and wounds. So Sui, can you use this with your ability to make medicine to make something that will cure illnesses? What do you think?”

《Hmm — Sui doesn’t know, but Sui will try.》

“I see, I see. You’ll try, huh? Thanks, Sui. Okay then, here, take this and this.”

《Yeah!》

I handed Sui a bottle of the earth dragon’s blood and some of the earth dragon’s liver. Half the liver was bought by the Adventurer’s guild, but even so, it was quite large, so I cut it into four pieces and handed one over to Sui.

Sui, taking in the earth dragon’s blood and part of its liver, said 《Uhmm, hmmm...》 while it was doing something inside its body.

I waited patiently, watching Sui work.

After about five minutes, Sui raised its voice. 《It’s done—.》

I handed over one of the empty bottles that I had left over in my Item Box to Sui. “Well then, can you put it in here?”

《Yeah, got it—.》 From the tip of Sui’s tentacle dripped a clear, reddish-purple solution into the bottle.

“Yeah, once you fill the bottle, it’s fine.”

《Master — there’s still around two bottles left.》 Sui, having just filled a bottle, told me that much.

“Then can you put it in here, too?” I handed Sui another two bottles.

Just like that, I got three bottles filled with a clear, reddish-purple liquid. For now, I should just appraise it, right?

【Sui’s Special Elixir (Degraded)】

Sui’s special elixir (degraded). Since it is degraded, it will not extend one’s life. Works on all illnesses.

“Bbpphhff! *Cough* *Cough* *Cough*”

《Hm? Master, are you alright?》 Seeing me choke in surprise, Sui approached, worried.

“*Cough*......I-I’m fine. I’m fine,” I said like I was trying to convince myself, while I stroked Sui.

...............It made an elixir. Sui, wow... It’s degraded, but it’s still an elixir. It even says it works on all illnesses.

It said, “It’s degraded, so it won’t extend one’s lifespan,” but does that mean that a real elixir would do that? W-What amazing medicines, elixirs are. I never thought that I’d be able to make one. W-Well, there’s no doubt that it cures illnesses. F-For now, we’ve succeeded.

Good, now Darryl and Iris’s mother will be fine. Right, since she’s recovering from an illness, let’s make that for her, too.

By “that,” I meant an easy-on-the-stomach egg porridge. Egg porridge would use only stuff bought from the other world, but... It will be fine if it’s to cheer up Darryl’s and Iris’ mom, who will just be recovering from an illness, I thought.

“Sui, can you wait a little? I want to make something for Darryl and Iris’ mom to eat.”

《Yeah, sure—.》

I have the seasonings, and I should have some rice left over...... Good, this should be enough for a portion for Darryl, Iris, and their mom. All I need to do is buy eggs with my skill... good.

~◇~◇~◇~

Put in a large-than-normal amount of water and the rice into a pot, and boil until the pot burbles. Then, add in some granulated dashi, and some soy dashi.

At this point, add in some beaten eggs and stir a couple times before turning off the heat.

Then, taste it, and if the taste is too thin, feel free to adjust it with more soy dashi or salt.

~◇~◇~◇~

Rather than rice porridge, which uses more water, I tried making it more like rice gruel, since that was my preference.

Good, this should be fine. The pot is something I used before, so I can just hand it over to Darryl as is. Darryl did say that he has an Item Box, after all. Let’s tell them to heat it up and eat it if his Item Box allows the passage of time, and it cools down. So let’s go back after I put this magic stove away.

◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

“Sorry for making you wait—.”

《You’re laaaate!》

“Mn, finally, huh?”

Oh my. Darryl and Iris must have gotten tired, as they were napping while leaning on Fel. Dora-chan was circling above them.

I guess it makes sense, since after walking all this way, they then got chased by orcs too.

“Well then, let’s go back.”

“Indeed.”

《Yeah.》

“Sui, get inside.”

《Yeah!》

When I opened my bag, Sui slipped inside. I didn’t want to wake the two up, but if we didn’t return soon, it would get dark.

“Darryl, Iris, sorry for waking you up. We’re going back to town.” I gently shook their shoulders to wake them up.

I have to hand over the finished “Sui’s Elixir” and the egg porridge I made, too.

“Mnn......” “Nnn~......” Darryl and Iris rubbed their eyes, still sleepy.

“Darryl, Iris, I have some medicine to make your mother better.” When I said that, the two opened their eyes wide.

“Mister, is that true?!”

“Mister, Mom will get better?!”

They desperately clung to me. The two of them must love their mother so much.

“Yeah, I remembered that I should have something like a medicine for illnesses, so I tried looking around my Item Box, and I found it.” When I said that, the two jumped up, overjoyed.

“But, I won’t give it to you for free.” When I said that, the two of them froze in place. Iris looked like she was about to wilt to the ground and cry.

“Darryl, you have an orc right now, right?”

“......Ah, yeah!”

Earlier, I handed an orc corpse over to Darryl so he’d talk, so right now he would have one. “Want to trade it?”

“The orc for the medicine?”

“That’s right. How about it?”

When I said that, Darryl suddenly grew a bright smile as he replied, “Yeah, of course!”

“Okay then, here’s the medicine. I think it’ll work on your mother’s illness. Give it to her as soon as you get home, okay? Also, here’s something extra. I think it’ll be easier for your mom to eat, since she’ll just be recovering from a sickness. I made some for you two, too, so eat it together.” Saying so, I handed Darryl the bottle of Sui’s special elixir along with the pot I made the egg porridge in.

“Mom will get better with this, right?”

“Yeah. She will.”

When I said that, Darryl’s eyes watered up. It was probably a mix of happiness since his mother would get better, and also remembering how hard it was until now.

“Darryl, you have an Item Box, right? If that’s the case, make sure to put these inside.”

Darryl nodded with a teary face, and he obediently put both of them into his Item Box.

“If the food gets cold, heat it up a little before eating it.”

“It’s in the Item Box, so it won’t get that cold. It’s fine.”

I replied, “I see.” And Darryl wiped his eyes on his sleeves and said, “Thanks, mister,” in a small voice.

I messed with Darryl’s hair in order to hide my happiness.

“Big bro, will Mom get better?” Having watched the exchange between Darryl and I with a confused and worried face, Iris asked her brother a question.

“Yeah, she will. I got a medicine to fix her sickness from this mister here.”

“Really?!! Yayy! So Mom will be happy like before! Thanks, mister!” Iris bounced around, looking truly happy.

“Okay then, the two of you, let’s go back to Dolan. Fel, can you give all of us a ride?”

“Hmph, nothing will change just by adding those two whelps on top of you.”

Yeah, yeah, is that so? Well then, I’m counting on you.

I climbed up on Fel’s back first, and I placed Iris in front of me, while Darryl got on behind me. Darryl and Iris were both excited to be riding Fel.

“Iris, make sure you hang onto Fel properly, okay? Darryl, make sure to hang on to me so you don’t fall off.” In response, the two of them said that they got it. “Fel, go slower than usual, okay?”

“I know already.” Then, Fel started moving towards Dolan quite a bit slower than normal.

Even so, we reached Dolan a good sight faster than if we had walked. I showed the guard my Adventurer’s guild card, while Darryl and Iris showed their citizenship cards for the town of Dolan, and we were let in.

“Darryl, Iris, where’s your house?”

“It’s not that far from here. It’s close to the wall.”

Near the wall? So where all the poor live, then.

“Should I see you there?”

“No, it’s fine since it’s so close.”

“I see.”

After a while, Darryl spoke, looking straight at me. “Mister, I’m not gonna become an adventurer. Rather than an adventurer that can’t steadily make money, I’m going to be a merchant that can. When I become 13, I’m gonna go to the Merchant’s guild, and become an apprentice to a merchant in town. I have an Item Box, so I think I’ll be able to go anywhere. So, one day I’m definitely gonna open my own store. And then, I’m definitely, deeefinitely, going to make my Mom and Iris happy............ Mister, one day I’m going to repay this favor. Will you wait until then?”

It was a declaration of determination from Darryl, who was only 10 years old. Even though he was bawling his eyes out from being chased by orcs, now he was looking a little more like a man.

“*Sniffle* ......Y-Yeah, I’ll wait, as long as you like.”

A 10-year-old kid just said that he’d definitely make his mom and little sister happy. Oh this is no good, I’m super weak to this kind of thing.

“Mister, really, thanks!” said Darryl.

“Thanks, mister!” Iris said the same. Then, the two walked towards their house, hand in hand.

“Do your best, Darryl. You too, Iris.” I whispered to the backs of those two.

“*Sniffle*......Ugh.........”

“Hahh, what are you even crying about?”

“*Sniiiffle* ......I’m not crying. I just have dust in my eye.”

The hell are you saying, Fel? This is, you know, dust in my eye. That’s all.

《Geez, don’t cry. You know, men shouldn’t cry unless it’s something really big.》

“Dora-chan, didn’t I just say that I just have dust in my eye? ......*Sniff*”

《Look at you breaking down like that. I can’t believe you’re trying to pass this off as dust in your eye.》

Shut up, Dora-chan. You should have some humanity at times like this and just leave it at that, right? Hm? Dora-chan’s not a human, it should be dragonity? Well, whatever, at any rate he should read the atmosphere here and leave things alone.

Darryl, you make sure you become a great man and support your family, you hear? Man, Darryl and Iris were such good children.

Filled with warm and fluffy feelings, I returned to the inn along with Fel and the others.