Death March — Fixed

“Tek here, it may not be my intention, but I can’t help but look when breasts are presented before me--I’m a normal, and healthy guy!”

Waiting for a slight lull, Arisa starts to ask my a barrage of questions about what had happened. Since all of the others, including Mia, who I hardly knew, and No.7 who I didn’t know at all, were there; I put aside the more secret things like the purple lights, and the fact Zen was reincarnated--and roughly explained about how the Mage has accomplished his goal and won’t go after Mia again.

“Hmm, you seem like you are hiding things,” Arisa spoke quietly as she walked right up to me and peered into my eyes.

“Well, yeah. I’ll tell you when we get some private time.”

“Alright, I’m fine talking about it as our pillow talk.” She smirked at me as she backed off a little.

It was then that she seemed to notice Mia and No.7, “Wait a minute--who is this beautiful woman? What did you talk about with the Mage?”

I laugh at her antics, “You understand right, the identity of this person?”

Arisa nods, since she can also see that No.7’s real species is a Homunculus.

Mia took the chance to step forwards, “I do not know the courtesy of Humans. My mother, who was with me for more than one hundred years told me that when I go out, I would understand that things are different.”

Oh, she is speaking in long sentences--but something seems a little strange.

“If I may, a thank you usually is enough. If the other person is a young man you like, then say it when in bed with him!” Arisa answers Mia’s question.

Mia looks at me, and then blushes slightly, glancing between Arisa and I.

Uhh, Arisa--What are you trying to teach an innocent girl?

Wait, how did she answer?

So that’s what seemed weird, she was talking in the Shiga Kingdom language--When I asked her later, she apparently knew the language from the beginning; I inquired as to why she didn’t use it, I get ‘Human language makes my tongue feel funny while talking, I hate it.’

“You only require to thank Master, Arisa is trying to trick you--” Lulu speaks up with a sigh, rustling Arisa’s violet hair and grinning in doting amusement.

Mia straightens her posture, and then looks at me, “Thank you, Tek.”

“You’re welcome.”

Come to think of it, this is the first time she has thanked me.

“Let me introduce myself once again--I am the youngest Elf of the Bornean Forest, daughter of Lamisauya and Lilinotoa: Misanalia Bornean.”

Then after a pause, she seems to consider something before continuing, “You have my utmost gratitude.”--she reaches up and grabs my cheeks, pulling my head down, she kisses me.

At first, I think she will kiss me on the cheek or forehead--but her lips press against mine, her small tongue pushing against them, like she was trying to emulate what happened when I gave her the HP Potion--it seems she may have misinterpreted it--not that I mind.

So I responded like she wanted.

Breaking the kiss, she spoke with a deep blush, “You took my first kiss without meaning it--so I decided to properly give it to you as a gift for saving me; this i-is an E-Elven tradition.” She stutters at the end, but I let it pass.

“Uhh, Master, what did she mean by that?” Arisa asks with a raised eyebrow.

“I did it to save her life.”

“M-Master, moves, fast--” Lulu muttered so quietly that it was barely audible--but she was clenching her fist and looking determined for some reason.

 

>>Title: Friend of the Elves Acquired.

>>Title: ‘Loved’ by the Bornean Acquired.

 

It wouldn’t be love--just maybe a mixture of the suspension-bridge effect and gratefulness most likely. Love doesn’t appear that quickly, or if it does, it fades as quickly and ends badly.

***

“Who?” Tama points at No.7, her nose crinkling a little, “Person?”

“Oh yeah, it seems that you got even more women; I was too distracted by the Elf here.” Arisa looked between No.7 and I, inquisitively.

“A matter of course.” Liza nods to Arisa’s words with a sage look on her face.

What does she think of me?

“She is one of the people I ran into in when I saved Mia. Please introduce your self?” I am a little worried about what she may say, but I want to know.

“I am No.7, youngest of my sisters, and new doll for Master.” She speaks in a monotone, but I can tell by the way she keeps looking around that she is intrigued with being outside and among other people who aren’t like her.

“You got a new slave? When did she become your ‘doll’?” Arisa raises an eyebrow at the word--which can have bad connotations.

“When I saved her, and her sisters from the maze.”

“Master, please name me. My records state that it is common for natural-born to have names, and I will need one to interact with them--I would like my Master to choose my name.” She speaks with a pleased look flashing through her eyes.

“Uhh,” I’m not great with names--“Nana?”

The name means ‘7’ in Japanese, and both Arisa and I like that culture, so it’s not all bad; this world also doesn’t seem to have the language.

Arisa gives me a strange look when she heard the name--I’d like you to spare your judgement, since I don’t have any naming sense--

“That name is more than sufficient, Master--My records state that this is the name for my order number in the language of my late Master--Thank you” Nana looks really pleased, I can even see the tiniest curling of her full lips.

Did you have to reveal how bad my naming sense was?

Nana’s ‘Name’ was changed in her information, from No.7 to Nana, and her Title changed from ‘Zen’s Doll’ to ‘Tek’s Doll’, so there might be some kind of meaning behind naming her.

***

Since we were right outside Seryuu, I decided to take Mia to the manager of the Worker’s Guild, since he is from the same village as Mia, she should know him.

When I mentioned it to her, she replied with, “--Meet. Will not leave.”

I asked who she won’t leave, she pointed at me.

Since my permit to Seryuu City is still valid, I can enter the gate without having to pay more tax, but this doesn’t seem to apply to the other members of my group, so I go alone to call the manager.

 

“Hello, Nadi.”

“Hello. Eh? Tek, didn’t you depart yesterday?”

“Yes, actually a lost Elf has fallen under my care, so I came here with the intent to borrow the manager, to talk to her.”

 

“You’re a good person, you even come back for that.” Nadi’s tone at first seemed a little surprised, until she remembered what I did with the mementos of the dead, “The manager is still asleep, so I’ll wake him for you--please, make yourself comfortable on this sofa while you wait.”

While speaking, Nadi briskly cleans some male clothing and what look like magazines from the sofa, to make some space. They are most likely the manager’s.

While I wait, I give in to curiousity and pick up one of the magazines; it seems to be a gossip magazine that covers topics from the Shiga Kingdom.

There aren’t more than ten pages, but as I flip through it, I feel nostalgic; articles like the outcome of the love between a noble girl and an explorer, or maps for the best spots for ‘service’ in the numerous red-light districts in the Royal Capital.

I can hear Nadi waking up the manager on the floor above me.

The two make their way side by side down the stairs while I’m reading an article about cheating in some kind of competition between famous fighters.

I look up as Nadi and the manager stop in front of me, “I’m sorry to disturb you.”

 

“--Where is she?”

“Oi, manager! When you talk to an ordinary person, please talk properly--I’m sorry Tek; where is the Elf girl?”

 

When I first met him, I thought that he was in a bad mood because of being woken up, but this guy is also really taciturn too. Maybe the Elves of this world are just normally like that.

“Follow me,” I put the magazine down and stand up, leading the two of them into the open space outside the gate where my wagon is waiting--even though they both left, no one put a ‘closed’ sign on the door or anything--was that alright?

I ask Lulu, who was in on the Driver’s seat, to call Mia.

“Mia? I can’t believe it, the lost child is Misanalia?” The manager actually spoke proper sentences--speaking to himself.

 

“Yes, do you know her?”

 

“Ah.”

 

Yep, back to small sentences when replying to me.

Nadi looks at the manager with a troubled expression.

 

“Yuya?”

 

Mia starts the, conversation.

 

“Mia.”

 

“Nn.”

 

“Ran away?”

 

“No.”

 

“Lost?”

 

“No.”

 

“Lia?”

 

“House.”

 

“I see.”

 

“Why?”

 

“--Cleaning up.”

 

Their tiny exchanges in Elven are interesting.

I can guess the meaning, though I would like a proper interpreter for the actual conversations.

Mia denies both being lost and running away, before they seem to talk about someone called Lia and they continue to mutually understand each other.

With the help of Nadi, I generally understand their conversation.

Manager(Yuya) is an Elf who comes from the same hometown as Mia, he came to Seryuu city 10 years ago to clean up the mess his granduncle created--he didn’t tell Nadi the name, but I have the suspicion that his granduncle is Trazayuya; the ‘mess’ being Trazayuya’s maze.

So, I told him that a Mage kidnapped Mia; the Mage had an underground hideout in the Ratman’s territory which looks like a maze, and that when we escaped from it--the maze self-destructed, burying itself along with the Mage.

The manager looked at me and nodded.

 

“Go home?” Mia asked.

 

“Won’t.”

 

“I see.”

 

“Have work to do.”

 

Nadi became a little anxious when Mia asked if the manager was going to go home now, but her smile was back when the manager said that he wouldn’t because he had work to do.

 

“What do?”

 

“Go home.”

 

“Can you?”

 

“Together with Tek.”

 

Now it was the manager’s turn to ask Mia if she could go back home, and she said that she could--and she would go with me.

Really, they could understand each other so well with just that?

Well, it makes sense if you have been acquainted with someone for more than 100 years; you may even get to the point where you can guess what they are thinking by just the tiniest movement of their face.

Lastly, the manager tells me, “I’m counting on you”.

Then the manager and Nadi pull us along as they go to the gate, they negotiate with Soun to make an ID for Mia.

I consult with the two if they can do something to make it so that Nana can make an ID, and the manager responds with, “Leave it to me.”; he uses a Magic Art called ‘Fake Patch’, to camouflage Nana’s species into ‘Human’.

Overcome with curiousity, I ask what the difference between a Magic Art and a Spell is; the manager says that anyone can learn spells with enough effort, within reason, but Magic Arts rely on having certain affinities--they also don’t require chants, just the will and control to move and shape Magic Power.

The manager also warns me that this Magic can only deceive the replica Yamato Stone, while the original which was present when we got out of the labyrinth back then, as well as the Status Check Ability could see through it.

By the way, the Heads-Up-Display shows me, ‘Species: Human’ (‘Species: Homunculus’). While the Appraisal Skill gives me, ‘Species: Human (Fake)’.

For the time being, thanks to the manager and Nadi, both Mia and Nana got their ID safely and without much trouble. With this, we will be able to easily visit towns in the middle of our journey.

When we’re waiting for the ID to be finished, the manager gives me a bag, which contains money, while saying, “Nn”.

“Please use this to cover Mia’s traveling expenses--though it’s only a little, since it’s manager’s secret savings.” Nadi clarifies with a large grin and a mischievous look at the manager.

“Said too much.” The manager rolls his eyes and complains.

“Thank you.” I receive it and place it in one of the large pockets in my robe.

We don’t really need this, so I will give it all to Mia later.

I promise to send Nadi and the Manager a letter when we arrive at the forest.

The wagon starts back down the same road as yesterday.

I halfheartedly wish for this to become a peaceful journey without much happening, but I also want a little excitement so as to not get too bored--

The wagon just continues on while rattling.