Chapter 71
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After finishing Ferris’s test of strength, I was inside a tent with her.
Ferris looked at me and said with a hint of disbelief.
”…Can you still go? This is the third time, you know?”
’Well, even if you say that, I don’t really know how far I can go.’
”It’s a bit troublesome for me if you can just keep going. Can you make this the last one?”
’Well, I don’t mind, but…’
”You sound dissatisfied. But that doesn’t mean you should try anything else, okay?”
’I won’t do anything reckless.’
”…Sigh. Alright, I’ll let you go one more time.”
Ferris let out a light sigh in response to my answer, but she seemed to accept it.
”Then, bring me another box.”
”Yes.”
It was Nina who answered her instructions and immediately left the tent.
She conveyed Ferris’s instructions to the people waiting outside and soon returned to the tent.
”I will bring the magic stones right away.”
As Nina’s statement made clear, I was replenishing the magic power I used during Ferris’s test.
Due to our prior agreement and the fact that I had deformed the steel shield quite a bit, they decided to provide me with more magic stones than planned.
So now, after absorbing 3 boxes of small magic stones, I was in a situation where the 4th box was about to be brought in.
This tent was the same one we were in before the test, and since I wanted to avoid being seen absorbing magic stones into my armor, Ferris chose this place.
As the 4th box was brought into the tent, only Ferris and Nina remained with me, just like before.
Ferris stayed behind as the representative of the company, while Nina was there to report to Ms. Shirley.
It seems they needed to check how the magic stones were used and record it at the city office.
In the meantime, I accepted that I had to be there too. I opened the lid of the wooden box and stuck my right foot, still wearing the Magic Armor, inside.
*Huff.*
Ferris and Nina observed as the magic stones silently disappeared one after another, leaning and bending their bodies to get a better look.
”…Do you have to touch it with the sole of your foot to absorb it?”
”Now that you mention it… he did receive the magic stones collected by Ms. Iris and the others on the way, but they weren’t absorbed then.”
”Then it makes sense that he wouldn’t want anyone to see. If he can’t touch the magic stones in a specific place, he can’t absorb the magic power. If someone doesn’t know that, even if he steals it, he can’t replenish the magic power, and eventually, it just becomes regular armor.”
”But it’s not common to touch magic stones with the sole of his foot.”
”He might accidentally step on one that’s lying around, but… generally, magic stones are things people collect, and it’s rare to find them just lying around.”
”Well… even if that armor can withstand some of Ms. Ferris’s power, if he doesn’t know how to replenish the magic power, it would be hard for anyone trying to steal it to prioritize that.”
”That’s true. It’s almost like it was designed with the idea of being stolen from the start.”
’Ugh.’
Ferris’s words made me a bit uneasy.
The method of replenishing magic power was a lie I came up with, and as she said, it was set up with theft in mind.
We had been testing my strength outside this base, and even though we were far away, there were outsiders watching.
If that information spreads, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone started to take an interest in this armor.
So, I came up with the idea of absorbing magic through the soles of my armor, instead of directly touching the magic stone like normal.
In reality, I’m the one absorbing the magic, so I need to make direct contact.
But the idea that my skin has to touch the magic stone just to recharge the armor’s magic doesn’t feel right.
That’s why I said I didn’t want them to see me absorbing magic into the armor… But they insisted that as magic items need to be recharged, it’s only natural they observe it because of their positions.
Well, I kind of understand, since magic stones are valuable assets, and they need to keep track of their use.
So, I make a method where I absorbed the magic stone while they watched. I deactivated only the soles of the Magic Armor, so they couldn’t see what was going on from the side.
It seemed to work as planned, but Ferris made a comment that hinted she might have caught on, which made me a little anxious.
Even so… Nina, who has little skin exposed due to her heavy armor, is fine, but Ferris, wearing a cheongsam with deep side slits both at the top and bottom, exposes a lot of skin whenever she leans or bends.
It was because of my gaze that I ended up receiving a blow strong enough to dent a steel shield as a test of strength. I try not to look too much, but since I’ve confirmed I can endure some of her power, and considering she’s quite attractive, I can’t help but glance at her.
It’s not like I’m starved for women, but it’s natural to be drawn to something I find appealing.
Some people in my previous life used to dismiss that as being an “immature being unable to resist instinct,” but it’s exactly because of such instincts that our species has thrived.
So, that’s why there have been inventions and advancements in technology, and because of that, civilization has developed. In this current time, where political marriages are common, this should be just about right.
That said, whether this idea is accepted depends on the other person…
”…”
’…Sorry.’
I replied to the glaring Ferris and continued to absorb the magic stones quietly.
…
……
………
After finishing the absorption of the 4th box of magic stones, we took our seats once the box was carried outside.
Of course, we were going to talk about what’s next.
”For now, let’s just keep an eye on things as promised. I’ll let Shirley know too.”
’Keep an eye on things, huh?’
”I said I wouldn’t interfere, but I can’t just leave it alone, right? So, if anything happens, I’ll lend a hand.”
’Ah, I see. Thank you.’
Since she said to keep an eye on things, I almost thought continuing to have Nina with me, but it seems that’s not the case.
After I thanked her, Ferris asked about my plans.
”So, what are you going to do from here? Oh, I don’t mean your action plan, but your plans for today and tomorrow.”
’Well, today I’ll stay at the “Golden Lion” base, and tomorrow I plan to go back to the city alone.’
”Alone, huh? Well, you should be fine. So, about that…”
’?’
Ferris responded to my answer but looked at me with a slightly uncomfortable expression.
I was internally on guard, thinking she might ask something unreasonable, but the next words were actually convenient for me.
”That weapon you were using, can you lend it to me if you don’t use it often?”
’The tonfa? Why is that?’
The unknown material tonfa was made using a lot of magic power, so I would like to recover it as magic if possible.
However, if Ferris wants to use it, I might be able to agree.
I can track the items I create, so as long as she has it with her… I can know her location.
I can also sense the magic stone she has inside her body, but just that wouldn’t be enough since other adventurers might have magic stones too.
So, if she carries the tonfa, I can confirm it’s Ferris by detecting 2 responses from the same location.
If that happens, when I need help, I can ask her if she’s nearby.
I would have preferred something she could wear all the time… then I could confirm she’s close and it would be easier to use invisibility.
While I was thinking about this, Ferris explained why she wanted the tonfa.
”Look, my attacks leave the shield all dented, but that thing doesn’t have a scratch, right? So I thought it wouldn’t break if I used it.”
’Ah, so until now, there hasn’t been a weapon that could withstand your power.’
”It’s not that there were none… but those were rare items with a lot of restrictions on taking them out. Plus, they were mostly blades, which didn’t really suit me.”
The fact that she can’t freely take them out means they are stored somewhere securely, even with Ferris’s power.
Not being suited for blades… is that her personality?
Even normal people have weapons that suit them or not, and with blunt weapons, you don’t have to worry about the blade’s direction, so they’re easier to handle.
’Hmm…’
I pretend to think hard about Ferris’s words.
I’m willing to transfer it unconditionally, but that might make her suspicious that I have some kind of ulterior motive.
If that’s the case… I should ask for compensation in case of damage or loss and present those terms.
If I make it somewhat serious, she’ll think I reluctantly agreed to this negotiation.
Thinking that, I decided to move the conversation forward by questioning Ferris.
’I can lend it to you, but how do you plan to compensate me if you break it or lose it?’
”What, you want me to offer my body? Just so you know, my strength is also in my ‘p*ssy’, you know. I might crush your thing by accident.”
Maybe it was because of the gaze she felt when I absorbed the magic stone earlier, but it seemed she thought I wanted her body.
With Lunamaria as a precedent, I could probably make it happen if I wanted to… but I’m not in need of women, and it would lead to complications, so that’s not my intention.
Still, I need to be careful not to offend her, so I should watch how I deny it.
’That’s too bad. Well, I didn’t really expect you to accept something like that.’
I replied in a way that showed I understood Ferris wasn’t lacking in charm, but there were reasons I couldn’t go that far.
This way, she shouldn’t take it the wrong way.
Just as I thought that… she didn’t seem offended, but she started saying something inconvenient for me.
”Hmm… then how about I take care of it with my mouth? I can control my strength that way.”
’Uh…’
This is bad.
As an apology for losing the invisibility magic item last time, she already do it with her mouth before.
If I’m sucked as “Mose”, she will find out that I am “Koji”.
The armor I’m currently wearing is only supposed to enhance my strength, so I can’t use Magic Armor to cover myself and change my appearance.
Besides, just covering my body with magic could make her think of “Koji” who has the floating skill.
So, I try to avoid that suggestion as much as I can.
’Um, it’s not really appropriate for someone like the representative of “Silver Orchid” to do something like that…’
”Well, it’s not like it’s that easy. I know that because of this power, guys don’t really come close, but that doesn’t mean I’ll just accept any guy who talks to me. A few days ago, I let one guy do it as an apology, that’s all.”
Yeah, she’s talking about me.
Ferris’s face turns a bit red at the end of her statement, and she rubs her arms with a hint of charm.
*Rubbing…*
”I didn’t let him go all the way, but I let him touch my body freely, and it felt really good…”
It seems she really enjoyed that moment.
But… I can’t interact with her as “Mose,” even if it would be fine as “Koji.”
I wish I hadn’t mentioned compensation.
But since I already said it, I decided to propose something regarding the damage or loss of the tonfa.
’Um, can we go back to the topic?’
”Hm? Oh, right.”
’Then… instead of compensation, how about you look for something that could break that tonfa?’
”Oh, I see. If it can break that, then we can make something even better.”
’Well, that’s the idea.’
Ferris understood what I was thinking, and I confirmed it.
Of course, it was a lie.
If it’s a material strong enough to break that tonfa, it could be used to make high-performance weapons, depending on how it can be processed.
If I asked her to look for it, she would likely think that since she values that tonfa, borrowing it would balance out the deal, and she wouldn’t find my proposal strange.
Then I made this request.
’I don’t know where you can get that opportunity, but I’d like you to carry it as much as possible.’
”Do you really want materials better than that? I think that one is good enough.”
’It’s natural for mercenaries and adventurers to seek better equipment, right?’
”Well, I get that… but I can’t just decide on a course of action for that, you know?”
’I understand. I’m not setting a deadline, and it’s fine if you just try to look for it when you have the chance.’
”Hmm… okay, that sounds good. But just because I find it doesn’t mean I’ll bring it back, okay?”
’I know that too.’
”Then it’s settled.”
Ferris thought for a moment about my words, but after considering that there was no downside for her, she accepted the proposal.
With this, I was able to get a better idea of Ferris’s position, and after finishing my business, I went to meet Iris and the others to let them know I was safe before leaving the “Silver Orchid” base.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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