Chapter 91
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
’What is this…?’
I headed to the rocky mountain that leads to the 3rd District of the dungeon. To be safe, I turned invisible in the dark hallway and flew up to the top of the mountain.
I was there to collect the mini tomato growing kit that I had left for over a week.
But when I arrived at the top, I was surprised by what I saw.
Last time, the water in the tank I set up had gone down a lot after just one night, and since it had been over a week, I thought the mini tomatoes would be dead… but for some reason, they were thriving at the top.
They didn’t spread out as much as I could see from the bottom of the mountain, but it looked like they had grown about 10 meters (≈ 32.8ft) from where I originally planted them.
Well, I could understand that they grew fast, but what confused me even more was the fruit they were producing.
For some reason, they were black.
Last time, the mini tomatoes were normal red ones, but now, right in front of me, they were all black.
I thought maybe they were rotten, so I got closer to check… but they looked shiny and firm.
I decided to set my Magic Armor so that only my fingertips could feel the outside, and I touched one of them.
*Squish…*
It felt like a normal mini tomato.
It had a smooth skin and a nice, firm flesh.
So far, there was no weird smell.
So, the only strange thing was the color?
They were growing really fast, and if they could spread out this much on their own, it wouldn’t be surprising if they were a new variety.
I’ve heard that tomatoes can create new types by self-seeding.
Well, the speed of their growth is strange, though.
But since I’ve had experience with black foods in my past life, I didn’t feel too weird about it.
Like blackberries.
…They are an example of black fruit, but they are red before they fully ripen.
If these are similar, then maybe the ones I harvested last time were still unripe.
I didn’t think they would ripen overnight, but they looked ripe enough for mini tomatoes, so I guess it’s fine.
’…’
*Pop.*
I picked one of the mini tomatoes and waited to see if anything strange would happen.
In games and stories, there are plant monsters, so it was possible that these could turn into something like that… but nothing happened.
I was still on the outer edge.
If they were monsters, they might not move until their prey came closer to the center.
Thinking that, I headed toward the center…
*Rustle…*
’…’
Still nothing strange.
Hmm, what should I do?
It seems like there’s no immediate danger, so I’d like to take my time figuring out what to do with these, but I need to go pick up Iris and the others, so I can’t take too long.
So, I decided to clean up for now, but when I tried to return the magic, I could only turn the planter set back into magic, which was still somewhat intact.
Maybe once they grow, they count as a different thing.
At this point, I guess I’ll just have to dig them up and burn them.
Using Magic Armor makes digging them up easy, but burning them will take some time.
…Alright, I’ll save that for next time.
For now, I’ll harvest a few mini tomatoes and pack them in my backpack.
Since I want to check on these changes, and since I’m going to “Hooters,” I’ll ask Ms. Wendy to look into them.
I’ll keep the amount small.
To make a clear difference from “Mose,” I won’t be pulling a cart this time, so I can’t harvest too many.
I decided that and then collected about 20 of the nearest ones, made a wooden box that could hold them, and packed them into my backpack.
Next… I should think about the possibility of setting up a tent here again, so I’ll clear out the area I used last time.
If they spread out in that area again, I’ll have to get rid of them from the roots.
With that in mind, I headed toward the 3rd District, thinking about how much of a hassle this was, and then returned to the 4th District as “Koji” to meet up with Iris and the others.
* * *
When I got back to the 4th District, I found Iris and the others with a few members of the “Silver Orchid” security team.
They were a bit cautious when I got closer, but Iris and the others quickly relaxed when they saw my attitude.
”Hey, Koji!”
”Mr. Koji!”
*Tap, tap, tap… Grab!*
The two of them ran up to me and, without hesitation, wrapped their arms around mine from both sides.
This was all part of the plan
I had told “Mose” to act all close with Iris in public since he was supposed to be rejected by her.
I didn’t plan to give the same instructions to Seria, but she ended up acting the same way on her own.
Well, she was in a similar situation as Iris, so I let her do what she wanted.
The women from the “Silver Orchid” security team didn’t look too happy about us.
Oh, right.
To them, “Mose” probably seemed better, and it might look like I stole Iris from him.
They must have seen or heard about “Mose” helping Ferris, which means he helped the whole “Silver Orchid” too. So, it makes sense they’d think I took a girl from someone like him.
Plus, Iris and the others had relied on “Mose” a lot, so they might see them as ungrateful for getting cozy with another guy.
This is bad.
If I want Iris and the others to use the “Silver Orchid” base in the future, they might get looked at badly.
Even though “Mose” is supposed to be Iris’s bodyguard, it shouldn’t be a problem if another guy is around.
Well… if anything goes wrong, Ferris won’t let it slide, and if something happens, I can just tell her.
Some people in my past life said that was a bad thing, but asking a third party to step in when the people involved can’t solve it themselves is kind of like going to court.
What the outcome will be is a different story.
So, I decided to head back to town with Iris and the others.
* * *
After a few battles, we returned to town without any major issues.
Ferris found out I could turn invisible and fly, so I could have used those to avoid fighting in front of Iris and the others. But since I used a lot of magic to restrain her while she was being controlled, I wanted to earn some magic stones to replenish my energy.
Once we got back to town, I first said goodbye to Seria, then took Iris to the “Silver Orchid Inn.”
Since I had no ties to “Silver Orchid” as “Koji,” I needed to turn back into “Mose.” But I couldn’t be seen with Iris and the others.
So, I planned to get the two of them to a safe place first, then change into “Mose” and head to the “Silver Orchid” office.
After seeing Seria off as she returned to the church, I took Iris to the “Silver Orchid Inn,” then turned into “Mose” and headed to the “Silver Orchid” office.
* * *
When I arrived at the “Silver Orchid” office, I told the receptionist I had a report about “Gem Snake.”
”Please wait a moment.”
One of the receptionists stood up, and after a little while, I was taken to the second floor.
*Knock, knock.*
”I have Sir Mose here.”
The armed woman who guided me called out to the room, and the door opened right away.
Unlike last time, this room seemed smaller for a meeting room…
*Click.*
”Please come in.”
The person who came out was one of Charlotte’s guards, the cool woman who had stripped in front of me the other day.
When she saw “Mose,” she seemed a bit embarrassed, probably remembering that moment.
Invited into the room, it looked more like an office than a meeting room. There was a sofa and a table in front, and a work desk in the back.
Charlotte was sitting at the desk in what looked like her casual clothes. When she saw me, she smiled and got up to come over.
”Welcome! Please have a seat over there.”
’Okay.’
I sat down on the sofa as she suggested, and she took a seat right across from me.
”Please wait a moment. I’m preparing some tea.”
I only said I came to report, but I’m surprisingly calm even though it might be bad news.
Did she guess it’s good news just from my vibe?
Since she’s royalty, maybe she’s had political training, and if she’s good at reading people, she might be picking up on that.
Still… her simple outfit of a blouse and skirt is nice, but doesn’t she usually wear armor?
Well, I guess it would be hard to do desk work in that armor… but honestly, she has a great figure.
In armor, her shape was pretty flat, but without it, she has nice curves.
Ah, if she’s hiding her identity from outsiders, she might be trying to hide her body shape too.
I also make myself look a bit bigger when I’m “Mose.”
While I’m thinking about this, tea is served, and when it’s placed in front of both of us, Charlotte takes a sip.
”Glug, Phew… Oh, excuse me. I just realized I can’t drink tea in that outfit.”
I can’t help but wonder if she did that on purpose since I’m hiding my face, but for now, I’ll set that aside and get to the main topic.
’Don’t worry about it. So about the ‘Gem Snake’… Ms. Ferris is safe, and she took down the ‘Gem Snake’.’
”Really? Hah, that’s great!”
I have no reason to give false reports, and she looks genuinely relieved to hear that.
But she quickly changes her expression and asks seriously.
”What happened to Ulgar?”
’We’ve captured him. Ms. Ferris and the others will bring him tomorrow.’
”Did we have any damage?”
’Ms. Taia got hurt when Ms. Ferris kicked her, but she’s fine now thanks to Ms. Anju’s healing magic.’
Charlotte looks surprised but relieved that Taia is okay, then asks about Ferris being controlled.
”Ah!? Speaking of which, there was talk about controlling Ferris. Since you said she’s safe, I thought that was avoided… so does that mean Ferris was controlled?”
’Yeah, well, we found the culprit quickly and dealt with them, so she was freed.’
”That’s good to hear. But if Ferris was controlled and Taia got attacked… how did you handle the culprit?”
’Well… we can talk about that after Ms. Ferris and the others return. It would just be repeating the same thing, and I’ll come back when they’re in town.’
Since we didn’t have a detailed meeting, my explanation might differ from what Ferris and the others say, and I don’t want my report to seem inaccurate or biased.
To get what I want as a reward this time, it’s better to show a sincere attitude.
Thinking that, I answer, and Charlotte smiles at me.
”You’re not thinking of exaggerating your achievements to get us as a reward, are you?”
’No way. It would be found out tomorrow, and I could end up with no reward as punishment. Plus, I wouldn’t go that far for you guys…’
”Oh, are we not good enough for you?”
She pouts dramatically but crosses her arms and lifts her chest.
I respond to her.
’I just don’t want to do anything that would get me blamed later.’
Hearing that, Charlotte smiles again, and her gaze becomes more intense.
”I see… so you can reward us without any tricks, right?♪”
She seems to think my actions are impressive, but she didn’t realize I just don’t want to deal with the trouble of her position.
She must be really confident in herself.
Anyway, what I actually want as a reward is something else, so it depends on how we negotiate.
Not that I want Charlotte’s body or anything.
’Ha… for now, I’ll take my leave.’
With that, I finished my report and left the “Silver Orchid” office.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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