Chapter 92
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After leaving the “Silver Orchid” office, I headed to “Hooters.”
I was there to tell them I was resigning as “Mose.”
The town felt a bit tense, probably because of some big moves from “Gem Snake,” but I made my way to my destination.
As “Mose,” I could enter areas that customers couldn’t, but I couldn’t just walk into Ms. Wendy’s room, who is the head’s daughter.
So, I was thinking of contacting one of the employees when a woman who was recruiting customers called out to me.
Conveniently, she was Ms. Wendy’s direct subordinate, a woman named Moona.
”Welcome, Mr. Mose. What brings you here today?”
’Hello. I came to tell Ms. Wendy something… oh.’
Huh? Did I say that in a way that could be misunderstood?
My main purpose was to inform her of my resignation, but depending on how it was taken, it could sound like I was asking her out.
Just as I was thinking of rephrasing, the woman narrowed her eyes and said quietly.
”You’re here about the ‘Gem Snake’ matter, right? I’ll guide you.”
* * *
Led by Moona, who understood without any misunderstanding, I headed to Ms. Wendy’s office.
While admiring her figure from behind, I learned that Ms. Wendy was aware of the movements of “Gem Snake” and had expected to hear from someone.
Since I was the one who had delivered supplies today, she had already informed the relevant departments that I would be coming, assuming it was definitely about “Gem Snake.”
So, I avoided any strange misunderstandings.
As we chatted, we arrived at Ms. Wendy’s office, and after Moona knocked and asked to enter, I stepped inside.
”Please, have a seat.”
’Okay.’
I sat on the sofa she indicated, and as Ms. Wendy took her seat across from me, there was a knock on the door from outside.
”Come in.”
”Excuse me.”
The woman who entered was different from Moona and brought in a tray with tea and cookies.
Later, I heard that since they are in the business of serving customers, they always have tea ready.
The tea was brought and placed in front of me and Ms. Wendy, and the woman who brought it left the room.
Once it was just the two of us, she took a sip of her tea.
”Ahh, nice…”
’…You seem calm.’
Ms. Wendy set her cup down and replied.
”Even though I’m in management, I’ve had my fair share of negotiations helping my father… So, it can’t be bad news, right?”
’…Do you understand?’
It seemed she, like Charlotte, had picked up on the situation, but maybe I was just an easy person to read?
As I thought about this, Ms. Wendy responded with a denial.
”No, I don’t think this is about you at all.”
’I hope that’s true…’
I wasn’t entirely convinced, but she tried to steer the conversation back to the main topic.
”More importantly… what happened with ‘Silver Orchid’ and ‘Gem Snake’?”
’Oh, that is…’
I relayed to Ms. Wendy what I had told Charlotte.
She seemed relieved by the news and let out a light sigh.
”…Phew, that’s good to hear. Thank you, Mr. Mose.”
’No problem. The detailed discussion will have to wait until Ms. Ferris returns tomorrow, so if you want to know more, you can ask about ‘Silver Orchid’ then.’
”Okay, understood.”
’So, about that… I’m thinking of leaving this town.’
”Oh, why is that?”
”I believe the main force of ‘Gem Snake’ has been wiped out, but they aren’t completely gone, right?”
”Well, there are probably still some people left in town.”
’Yes. I don’t know what ‘Silver Orchid’ plans to do next, but whatever they decide, the remnants of ‘Gem Snake’ will report to the Norland family, and if that family doesn’t give up, they will likely continue to operate in this town.’
”It’s not impossible.”
’I made quite a noticeable move regarding this matter, and those close to Mose might be targeted as a result.’
”To avoid that, huh… That’s true, considering Ms. Monoka’s orphanage, I think it’s better that way. But, will Lady Charlotte agree to it?”
It seems Ms. Wendy also expected that Charlotte would want Mose to stay as a deterrent against the Norland family.
’Since I’ll be staying in town, I can respond in a different armor when necessary, so I hope that will be enough to convince them.’
”Ah, the shape of the armor is flexible, right? In that case, the princess might be okay with it. So, about that…”
’Yes, we need to remove my registration. That’s one of the reasons I came to talk to you this time.’
”That’s unfortunate. I thought you could bring something valuable with you…”
I had told her about Magic Mending, so she seemed disappointed with my offer, expecting results from it… but she quickly returned to a cheerful expression and made a suggestion.
”Then, how about joining as a different person? Considering the mini tomatoes from the other day, I’d like to keep a route for secretly bringing them in.”
Since I had shown her those mini tomatoes right after joining, it seemed Ms. Wendy had high expectations of me.
Even if she has direct subordinates in each department, if I don’t discuss things in advance, it would take several steps before reaching Ms. Wendy.
It seems she made this suggestion to avoid the time loss and potential issues that could arise from it… but a different person, huh.
The appearance I use when dealing with the “Gem Snake” shouldn’t be used elsewhere, and if I prepare an unknown identity, I might be suspected due to the precedents of “Mose” and “Fraud.”
Even if they can’t trace back to “Koji,” it seems it would cause trouble for “Hooters.”
That’s not what I want…
’It’s best to avoid being seen as someone with an unknown identity. There’s a chance that people related to the Norland family, like “Gem Snake,” might suspect me as troublemakers.’
When I said this, Ms. Wendy responded with something like this.
”How about showing your true self then?”
She seemed a bit hesitant, probably because hiding one’s identity usually comes with a good reason.
But, it’s not like I can completely dismiss that idea.
What I want to keep hidden is my background and my connection to “Silver Orchid.”
Ferris and the others should be able to keep “Koji” a secret if I ask them, and as long as I don’t reach out, they’ll likely stay out of it.
When Iris and the others use the “Silver Orchid” base, I plan to stay as far away as possible as “Koji.”
As for my background… well, after ten years of living in exile, my appearance has changed a lot, so it’s unlikely anyone would suspect me easily. That’s why I’m coming to this town in my natural form.
Also, one reason Iris and the others were drawn to “Koji” is that I was part of “Hooters,” which could convince outsiders.
Yeah, that’s not a bad idea.
There’s the issue of how the two of them will be perceived by others, but I’ll just have to accept that.
Then there’s the problem with my voice… I’ll show the voice changer as a limited-use magic item, and make it disappear as if it reached its limit in front of her.
If Ferris finds out, she might realize it’s a bluff based on examples of magic items that turn invisible… but if it’s related to my identity, she’ll probably keep it a secret. Even if Ms. Wendy hears about it, she won’t be able to press me too hard right now.
However, there’s one problem.
I need to keep the fact that “Koji” was “Mose”… and ultimately “Fraud” a secret too, and I’m not sure if Ms. Wendy can keep that secret.
I know she’s not a bad person, but she did recommend me to Charlotte, so if necessary, she might drop some hints without actually saying anything.
So, is it really going to be difficult?
I was worried about that… It seemed like I was thinking too hard, and because of that, Ms. Wendy realized I was hesitating to reveal my identity.
”Um, if I promise not to tell anyone, I’ll share my secret with you. How about that as a guarantee that I won’t reveal your identity?”
In other words… we both hold each other’s secrets, and if one of us leaks it, the other will do the same, so we both have to keep our secrets to avoid that.
’Is that okay?’
Since it works in my favor, I asked to show that I was interested in her proposal.
Then… she nodded deeply in response.
”Yes. You can travel back and forth between the town and the 4th District of the dungeon in a short time, and if you’re someone who might have even made a favor with the royal family, I think we should maintain that connection.”
’I see. But does that mean the secret is worth that much?’
”Yes. At least for me.”
After saying that, Ms. Wendy continued, emphasizing her point.
”Um, can you really keep it a secret? It could be life-threatening if it gets out…”
’Since I’m also keeping my identity hidden, I have no intention of sharing someone’s secret without their permission.’
”Okay… then…”
What kind of secret could it be? I thought, but to move the conversation forward, I answered like that… Ms. Wendy took a deep breath and reached for the cup on the table.
Then…
*Poof*
’What!?’
The moment she touched the cup, it vanished without a sound.
I thought it might have turned invisible like my Magic Armor, so I asked, ‘Is it okay?’ and reached out, but… I felt nothing.
’Um… where did the cup go?’
At that question, she looked troubled.
”That’s a tough question to answer… If I had to say, I guess it’s within me?”
’Huh? What do you mean?’
”Yeah, I can see how that sounds…”
My reaction seemed to be what she expected, but Ms. Wendy furrowed her brows, trying to figure out how to explain.
She then attempted to describe her ability as best as she could.
”How should I put it… Anything I touch or recognize as part of a group can be stored away, though there are some limitations.”
’Oh…’
Is it like a system in games where you can hold items without worrying about their size or weight?
Not just things I touch, but even those I recognize as a group… Ah, she only touched the cup earlier, but the tea inside it disappeared too.
Now that I think about it, when we first met, she was dressed like a street vendor with no storage space, yet she somehow pulled out a letter of introduction from Frederica.
’For a secret, you were using it in front of me, weren’t you?’
”About the letter from Mrs. Frederica, I was instructed to keep it hidden from others, so I stored it inside me… But I thought I should prove to you that Mrs. Frederica did introduce you, and I figured you wouldn’t notice if I just took it out.”
So, she was just proving that Frederica properly introduced me to Ms. Wendy, giving Frederica some face.
Well, since I didn’t actually notice, that’s fine by me.
It’s a handy ability, but…
’What do you mean by limitations?’
”It seems that living things are excluded. Also… the shape can be anything, but there are limits on the overall size.”
’Oh, I see. It’s fine that living things can’t be stored, but what kind of size limits are we talking about?’
”Um… about this big, I guess.”
As she said this, Ms. Wendy shaped a sphere about 20 cm (8in) in diameter with her hands.
Since she mentioned the shape can be anything, if something exceeds that diameter but fits in terms of volume… it seems the receiving side can change shape to accommodate it.
I heard that if you gain experience fighting monsters, your abilities will grow, and since she’s the daughter of someone with a pretty big merchant guild, she could have increased her capacity if she wanted to.
But…
’It’s not that big, huh?’
”Yeah. I didn’t really think about making it bigger.”
I picked up on that from her words.
’Is it because… you’d be suspected in various ways?’
It seemed my guess was right. She took out the cup she had put away and placed it back on the table to explain the situation.
*Poof… clink.*
”Yes. This power means others can’t tell what I’ve stored away. So, if I’m ever suspected of stealing, even if I release everything I’ve stored, I’ll still be suspected until something stolen shows up. Plus, if someone falsely accuses me of stealing something that wasn’t even taken…”
’If it’s a regular person, that’s one thing, but if it’s someone in power, they’d probably keep accusing you until the end. So, it’s a matter of life and death, huh?’
”Exactly. I realized this power before I received the ‘Ceremony of Blessings.’ When I simply told my father, ‘I can do this,’ he turned pale and told me to keep it a secret. So, I didn’t go through with the ceremony, but now I’m grateful to my father for that being the best choice.”
Ceremony of Blessings.
That ritual where you can hear about your talents and innate skills from the gods through a Cleric.
I don’t know what Ms. Wendy’s ability was, but if it hinted at that kind of power, she might have been treated the same way I was.
’I see… then it’s my turn next.’
After hearing her secret, I decided to share my own.
”Oh, you look younger than your voice suggests.”
When I showed my true self as “Koji,” Ms. Wendy looked surprised and said that.
To her, I made the voice changer I had on transparent so she could see it, then took it off to explain.
’Ah, that’s the effect or function of this. …Actually, this is my real voice.’
”Oh, I see. Is that a magic item?”
”I don’t think so. I made this, but it doesn’t seem to be powered by magic.”
”You made it yourself? You have the ability to create something like that?”
In response to her question, I turned off the voice changer and created a round gold coin, a 50,000 Oar coin, in my empty hand.
”What!? No way, you have the same…”
Ms. Wendy seemed to think I had stored the voice changer “somewhere” using a similar power and pulled out the coin from there, but I denied that and continued explaining.
”No. I can create various things with my power. I made the voice-changing tool with that ability, but I ended up being able to create money too. So if I were suspected of counterfeiting… I can’t prove my innocence, which is the same as your situation.”
”That’s… .”
She was stunned for a moment, her mouth agape at the sudden revelation of my secret.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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