Tenshi Translations

Volume 1 Chapter 4 Part 2

 

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You can grab the PDF here.

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"Even in a parallel world, I can still count on yakitori to taste good.”

 

(T/N: Yakitori is chicken pieces grilled on a skewer.)

 

Shin had spent several hours doing research in the library. As was the fate of all public facilities, some time before sunset, when the sun was still visible in the sky, the library announced that it would be closing. According to his ingame menu, it was 4:50pm. Though he didn’t know if his clock was properly synced to the world’s actual time, he saw that even the city hall and postal office were closing at the same time, so there was nothing that he could do. Rather, he was more surprised at how they all closed at pretty much the same time.
When he decided to return to the southern district for the time being to check out the street stalls, his stomach growled. It was still too early for dinner, but he stumbled upon a yakitori stall that was doing really well with the grilling, so he bought some. However, this yakitori was very different from what is normally sold in Japan; it was a 30 cemel long skewer with hearty portions of chicken on it.

 

“Oh dear, I might have bought a little too much.”

 

With a wry smile, he pulled out a fresh skewer from the bag. He had bought four skewers. For a pre-dinner snack, the quantity was definitely a bit too much.
Eating while walking around wouldn’t be very relaxing, so he sat down on the rim of a fountain in the middle of a large square that had become a resting area for the local residents. He continued stuffing his face with meat while watching the people going by.
There were a lot of adventurers around, which Shin guessed was because the news about the Skull Face had been publicized. Similarly, there were also more stalls selling goods aimed at adventurers than he had ever seen before. Well, Shin had only been here a few days, so he only vaguely felt those differences.
Though the news that the Skull Face was defeated had also been publicized, it appears that the adventurers were still on high alert.

 

“............”

 

While munching on his yakitori and gazing at the bustle of the streets, he mentally organized the information that he had learned from the library. At this point, there were three points worthy of special mention.

 

The first point was that there was absolutely no information on the Dusk of the Majesty.
There was also the possibility that all such information had been locked away into those books that require special permission to read. Either way, there was nothing that Shin could do about it this moment in time, so he decided to set it aside for now. He resolved to find the communities where long-lived species like elves and dragnils lived and directly ask the residents there. He was not desperate enough to want to sneak into the library to read those books.

 

The second point was the world that Shin was currently in.
Originally, the world of THE NEW GATE had been composed of four continents, respectively aimed at low-leveled players, mid-leveled players, high-leveled players, and players bored of the normal fields.
Naturally, Shin had cleared and revealed almost every part of the entire world. However, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the map was currently pretty much dead. The reason was extremely simple: the cataclysms that had occurred after the Dusk of the Majesty had completely altered the entire world’s geography. The continents had moved and land had risen from the sea, all such that there was now a total of five continents and lots of small island countries. The book where he read this from did actually have a map, but calling it ‘rough’ would have been an understatement. This could also have been one of the reasons for the lack of documentation on the Dusk of the Majesty.
Incidentally, the continent that Shin was currently on is called the Eltnia Continent.

 

The third point was the metropoles of this time that had once been player bases.
Every continent used to have two or three metropoles where players had been based in. Each metropolis had a different characteristic, such as being famous for its equipment or its commerce, and each metropolis also had a unique race and job demographic. The temples where players resurrected at were located only in those metropoles, and was thus a big reason why people gathered at those cities.
Now, though, those metropoles are called『Holy Lands』and are re-conquest targets. The metropoles themselves had remained relatively untouched by the cataclysms, but they had become demonic cities rampant with high level monsters after the Dusk of the Majesty. Many scouting parties had been dispatched to these『Holy Lands』where even the weakest monster was over level 500, but no one has ever made it back out alive.
For some reason, the high level monsters inside the『Holy Lands』never come out. The magical power overflowing from these『Holy Lands』had also caused the surrounding land and vegetation to mutate, which led to an enormous number of lower level monsters spawning.

 

“Well then, what should I do?”

 

Shin contemplated his plan of action while tapping his chin. Since the geography was now completely different from the game, his memories would not be of much help. The places where long-lived species lived, like the elven gardens or the pixies’ Fairy Village, could very well be in a completely different place than where he remembered. It appears that he would have a tough battle ahead if he was to continue seeking more information.

 

“Fu, mu ............ Nn?”

 

Just as he was thinking of asking Tiera or Els, Shin felt someone’s gaze on himself and looked up. Turning his face towards the direction where he had felt the gaze from, he saw a little girl with nekomimi between 6 to 10 years old staring at him from about 2 mels away.

 

(T/N: Nekomimi is cat ears. Due to it being such a famous characteristic, I will leave it as is.)

 

“............”
“............”
“............ *slurp*”
“Really? ............”

 

An amendment is in order. A little girl with nekomimi between 6 to 10 years old was staring at the skewer that Shin was holding. She somehow looked like she wanted something very much.

 

“............”
“Errrr ......”
“............”
“Umm ......”
“............”
“............ Wanna eat one?”

 

Shin gave in under the little girl’s intense stare. Under the fixed gaze of such an innocent-looking girl (a debatable characteristic in light of her blatant materialistic desire), strangely enough it was Shin who started feeling like he had done something bad.
In the first place, he had been thinking that he had bought too much anyways, so while holding the skewer that he had been eating with his teeth, he took out a new one from inside the bag and held it out to the girl.
Shin had intended to ask “Wanna eat one?”, but because he was biting down on a skewer, it came out slightly distorted.
It wasn’t clear whether it was because she understood what Shin had said, or because she understood the gesture of having meat held out to her, but she trotted over with small steps and snatched the skewer with such force that he almost heard a “whoosh” sound. She then sat next to him and started stuffing her face with the yakitori. At the first bite, her nekomimi stood up so suddenly that Shin started a little.

 

“Mugu mugu.”
“Hamu hamu.”

 

For a while, the meat was eaten in silence. When Shin stole a glance at her, he saw her trying her best biting down on the meat with her little mouth. Somehow, the scene gave him a very heartwarming feeling.
But separately, words like “waif” and “beggar” came into his mind. However, those words were immediately rejected, as her appearance was too well-groomed for that.
Though there were mends on her clothes here and there, she was wearing proper clothing, and she did not look emaciated. Neither did it seem like she was aiming for his wallet. Shin judged that this girl did at least have a home to return to and people to look after her.

 

“Hafu~, gochisousama deshita.”
“Nn, you’re welcome.”

 

(T/N: It’s manners to say gochisousama after a meal. Itadakimasu is for before the meal.)

 

After completely cleaning off the skewer, the little girl lowered her head to Shin.

 

“Onii-chan, good person.”
“Thank you for that.”

 

Shin looked at the little girl with a small laugh. Her nekomimi was an obvious indicator that she belonged to the beast race. More specifically, her yellow hair that appeared dyed with brown at the tips told Shin that she belonged to the tiger sub-race. According to Tsugumi, a third of Berylricht Kingdom’s population were beasts, so it wasn’t that unusual for this girl to be one too.

 

“Me, Millie. Onii-chan is?”
“Oh, name? I am Shin, just Shin.”
“Same as Millie.”
“Same?”
“Millie too, just Millie.”
“Ohh, you’re right, we are the same.”

 

Shin was just using his player name, so he had no last name. Because no one had ever made an issue of it, he had left it as is, but he had given due consideration to whether it was a problem or not. At that time, he had decided to put off the issue, as it was not urgent. Now, though, seeing the delighted Millie chanting “We’re the same, we’re the same” at his side, he lost all interest in the matter.

 

“Well then, since we’ve finished all the meat, I’m going to head off soon. What are you going to do, Millie? If you’re going home, then I can escort you.”
 

“I’m fine. Pick up, already came.”
“Nn? By ‘pick up,’ you don’t mean ......”

 

Millie pointed with her finger. Shin could not hide his surprise at the silhouette that was walking towards them from that direction.
Noticing that Millie was together with Shin, that person also started walking faster towards the two of them.

 

“Ou, we meet again, Shin.”
“Ever since lunch, eh, Wilhelm.”

 

The person who called out first was the black-haired man cloaked in the aura of a wild beast. Millie’s so-called ‘pick up’ was none other than him. It was Wilhelm Avis.

 

“Wil-nii!”

 

Millie rushed over to Wilhelm with her small steps and gave him a big hug. Shin continued to be surprised at this unexpected development.

 

“To think that she was Wilhelm’s kid ......”
“No way that’s true! She’s being taken care of at the orphanage.”
“Orphanage?”
“Oh right, you’ve only arrived at this country recently.”

 

While gently rubbing Millie’s head, Wilhelm gave a brief explanation. He talked about how there was a church in the eastern district that was also serving as an orphanage and offering protection to children that had lost their parents for whatever reason. Millie was one of those children.

 

“This one has always been good at sneaking out of the orphanage. I was sent to look for her.”
“So you slipped away without permission. That’s a bit disappointing to hear.”
“Uu, sor, ry.”

 

Millie apologized properly, so it seems like she did understand that she had done something wrong. Her nekomimi spontaneously drooped down, as expected of a fantasy.

 

“With that said, it’s pretty strange for this one to be so friendly with you.”
“Strange?”
“You might not notice it from looking at her right now, but she’s actually really shy around strangers. She’s never been the type to proactively approach someone that she doesn’t know.”
“Is that so.”

 

She was just lured in by the meat, thought Shin as his line of sight shifted towards her and saw her shaking her head. Almost as if she had read his mind, she seemed to be silently telling him “don’t say it.” Maybe he wasn’t completely off the mark.

 

“Well, we don’t intend to stand here all day. Come on, Millie, we’re going back.”
“Wait, a bit.”

 

So saying, Millie came over to Shin.

 

“What’s wrong?”
“Ear, lend it.”
“Like this?”

 

Shin squatted down and brought his ear to Millie’s mouth. After whispering in Shin’s ear, Millie went back to Wilhelm the same way she had come.

 

“Okay, okay.”

 

Shin saw off Millie as she disappeared into the crowd whilst holding Wilhelm’s hand.
While musing over the meaning of what Millie had told him, he turned his feet towards The Badger’s Pavilion.

 

After returning to The Badger’s Pavilion, Shin rested inside his room until dinnertime.
Sitting on his bed, he continued mulling over the words that Millie had said when she left.

 

“ ‘Please help the Fox-san inside the Northern Forest,’ was it?”

 

(T/N: Little children add -san after everything to show respect. Like how English-speaking children say Mr. Sun, Ms. Clouds, etc.)

 

If this was back in the game, then he would have been able to determine the place in question simply by looking up the area map. Sadly, though, with all the changes to the geography, he now didn’t have sufficient information to make even an educated guess.
As he had been to the Northern Forest himself, it wasn’t like he was completely in the dark. However, he could only tilt his head in puzzlement over the word ‘fox.’ None of the monsters that he had come across had been a fox type. The only ones that he had encountered were bears, snakes, dogs, and the occasional flying type.
Perhaps due to the large number of monsters in the area, there were very few wild animals; he himself had only seen snakes and rats. Some of the wild animals had mutated into monsters under the effect of the magical energy in the land, but there were still some normal ones around. Shin didn’t remember any foxes among them, though.

 

“This is no good, I haven’t the faintest idea.”

 

Shin understood that this was no normal fox, seeing as how Millie had expressly gone to the effort of telling him, but he could make neither heads nor tails of the request. All he knew was that this fox needed to be saved. He would not be surprised if some sort of danger was drawing near it, as the Northern Forest was one of the more dangerous areas in the vicinity of the Berylricht Kingdom.

 

Though it was strange that she would make such an important-sounding request to someone that she had just met, maybe it was because she had inferred that he was also an adventurer from seeing him and Wilhelm together. Chalking it up to one of those times when children think in ways that adults can’t really follow, Shin didn’t give too much thought to the possibility of there being a catch.

 

Of course, Shin wasn’t obliged to do something just because he was asked to. However, not doing anything would leave a bad aftertaste in his mouth. In the end, Shin decided to at least check out the Northern Forest tomorrow. On the way, he will also stop by Tsuki no Hokora and leave a message for Schnee with Tiera.

 

“Now that I’ve finished planning ...... Food it is.”

 

Having already digested the yakitori, Shin went downstairs in search of dinner.

 

 

 

♦♦♦♦

 

 

 

The next day began as the sun rose.
Leaving The Badger’s Pavilion, Shin jostled through the stalls on the main street and passed through the southern gate. Continuing onward, he witnessed an enormous line of people on the other side of the road, waiting to gain entrance to the city. It appears that the people who didn’t make it before the gates closed last night had lined up again early this morning. From what he saw, there was an abnormally large number of merchant caravans. The line was probably being held up because of them.

 

Casting a backwards glance at those people, Shin began to walk along the wall. Tsuki no Hokora was located somewhere between the southern and eastern gates, but was slightly closer to the southern one. After walking for a bit, he found a place where the trees opened up.
As he had thought, the area enclosed by trees as thick as 1 mel where Tsuki no Hokora stood was decidedly out of place here. Before, Tsuki no Hokora had been located in the wilderness on the『Arclid Continent』, one of the original four continents. Based on that, Shin surmised that where he was currently living had once been part of the Arclid Continent.

 

Arclid Continent had been the area beyond the high-leveled area,『Houzant Continent』. There used to be tougher monsters and harder quests than those found on the other three continents. However, there had also been quests for low-leveled and mid-leveled players to accept, so the customers who visited Tsuki no Hokora included players who wanted to take up weirder quests and players who wanted to fight monsters in the middle of nowhere. In some sense, it had been a place where the largest variety in player levels and jobs had gathered together.

 

With that said, Tsuki no Hokora had been located in the wilderness, so most of the customers had been high-leveled players, with only the odd player seeking refuge from being chased by a monster. Incidentally, the monsters that spawned in the area where Tsuki no Hokora had stood leveled around 600 on average, ranging from slightly above 200 to the maximum of 1000. Though it was all in the past, there was even a time when Shin had casually set up shop close to the den of a boss monster.
The aim had been for players to restock their items at Tsuki no Hokora before starting the boss fight.

 

“...... Now that I come to think about it, I wonder what had happened to the monsters that used on live on the Arclid Continent. If some of the continents had been joined, then some of the monsters would have crossed over. Or did all of them get wiped out by the cataclysms?”

 

If the monster spawning setting had remained unchanged, then for starters the Berylricht Kingdom would undoubtedly have been obliterated, as there had been monsters with the mannerisms of army ants. The monsters that would spawn as random encounters for each area had an average level of 600; though they were merely irritating to the high-level players, the mid-level players could only either run away or try to slip past, and the low-level players simply lived with the knowledge that they would get annihilated the moment they met one. The more people there were in a party, the higher the encounter rate. Therefore, there was no way that a place like a country, where so many people were gathered, would not get targeted.

 

With that said though, he wouldn’t learn anything just from standing here. Whether preventive measures had been taken or the monsters had stopped appearing, it was a fact that the kingdom was still standing, so there was probably some explanation for the current situation. If it wasn’t so, then there was no way that the countries or the roads could have been built. He decided to stop thinking about it for now. In truth, there was also the possibility that this land was originally a different continent altogether, and that Tsuki no Hokora had been moved here.

 

He put his questions aside as he reached Tsuki no Hokora. When he had been here a few days ago, he had been so relieved at seeing it still standing that he didn’t notice the wooden tag about 20 cemels high and 10 cemels wide hanging on the door to the entrance of the shop. On the tag were the words『Storeowner Struggling On』. This was the indicator that Tsuki no Hokora was open for business. The other side of the tag says『Storeowner Currently Out』, which meant that the store was closed either because he was not logged in or because he was busy collecting raw materials somewhere else.

 

Feeling admiration that this tag was still being used, Shin opened the door and entered the shop. After taking a step into the store, he heard the light tinkling sound of a bell. This was set to go off when a customer came into the store while no one was behind the counter. It seems like the Knights’ Order wasn’t here this time.

 

“Welcome! Ara, Shin.”
“Yo! I forgot to do it last time, so I came again to leave a message for Schnee.”

 

Realizing that the one who’d come in was Shin, the business smile on Tiera’s face turned into a beaming grin. The part of her hair that had returned to its original silver color glittered as it reflected the sunlight coming in through the window.

 

“Oh right, we’d completely forgotten about that.”

 

At Shin’s words, Tiera went “Ah!” and her expression became that of someone who had suddenly remembered something forgotten. Well, considering what happened last time, neither of them could be blamed for forgetting. For Tiera, especially, it was something so huge that it had completely thrown the idea of leaving a message right out of her head.

 

“So it’s this. Please tell her that I’d like to meet and talk with her if she still remembers this.”

 

So saying, Shin took out something from his inventory and placed it onto the counter.
It was a dark blue ninjatou with a flower that Tiera had never seen before drawn onto the scabbard and handle. The drawing was so detailed and fine that even though this was supposed to be a weapon, it was so beautiful that no one could complain if it was to be categorized as a work of art instead.

 

(T/N: Ninjatou are short, straight-bladed swords with a square guard used by ninjas.)

 

“............”
“...... Tiera?”
“...... Ah!”

 

Shin called out to Tiera, who was just staring intently at the ninjatou. Tiera came to at his voice.

 

“What’s wrong?”
“Um, Shin. This ...... is this possibly an Ancient grade weapon?”

 

Tiera was looking at the ninjatou with disbelief in her face. Her eyes were squinted, as if she was looking at something really bright.

 

“You can tell? This is indeed Ancient grade. This is a personal weapon that belongs to Schnee. Its name is『Sougetsu (Blue Moon)』.
“Master’s?”
“Aah, I might be wrong, but Schnee is currently not using a personal weapon, right?”
“Umm, I don’t actually know what a personal weapon is ......”
“You don’t know?!”

 

Clearly expecting to get his meaning across, Shin was taken back at the fact that ‘personal weapon’ was the part that she didn’t understand.

 

“Personal weapons are weapons that can only be used by certain people. In the case of this『Sougetsu』, that would be Schnee, anyone that Schnee grants permission to, and me, because I forged it. I’m leaving it with you, so I’ve made it so that you can also touch it. Those who have not been granted permission wouldn’t even be able to touch it.”

 

Back during the game, the ability to personalize weapons had been handed out in the form of applicable items given as event rewards. That item could be applied to a weapon that the owner didn’t want stolen, such as someone with a sword that he really likes or a guild that had made a weapon as a symbol of itself.
Though most people knew of this function, the only people who could apply it to a weapon were top class blacksmiths and alchemists, so there were very few people who actually thought of having it done.

 

“A limit on who could use it ...... Come to think of it, I have heard of people excavating weapons from historic ruins that nobody could use. Were those personal weapons?”
“Yes, those were probably someone’s personal weapons. I’m sure there are those who are looking for a way to somehow use those weapons. The personalization item can only be applied to weapons Legend grade or higher, which are all already powerful in and of themselves. Depending on how a personal weapon is used, a level 1 person could easily defeat something like a Tetra Grizzly.”

“...... What is with that ridiculous power.”

 

Tiera could only be astonished at this power completely beyond her expectations. Having only heard the explanation, she was in a state where half of her still remained doubtful. However, it was a fact that a ninjatou packed with an insane amount of magical power was in front of her eyes.
Shin had just casually laid『Sougetsu』onto the counter, but the space immediately around『Sougetsu』was almost distorted because of its existence. Though Tiera had very little combat experience, she felt like she could almost understand the incredible power hidden in the sword just from that sight.

 

“Well, even if all that could be achieved by using this sword, I wouldn’t want to use it.”
“Heeh~, may I ask why not?”
“I might get swallowed up, I think.”

 

Tiera intuitively knew beyond a doubt that although this sword could indeed grant a mighty power, it would eat away at any user who did not already possess enough power to be worthy of it.

 

“ ‘Swallowed up,’ you say? Hmm, that might be because of the materials used to make it.”

 

Hearing Tiera’s words, the first possible explanation that came into Shin’s head was the penalty that would occur when someone tried to use a weapon unbefitting of his or her level. Every weapon has stat requirements, and if someone who did not fulfill those requirements tried to wield it, their stats would be lowered even more. A portion of Legend grade, Mythology grade, and Ancient grade weapons couldn’t even be equipped if the requirements were not met.
However, this didn’t seem to fit the description of almost being swallowed up, so he thought to bring up the weapon’s raw materials instead.

 

“What exactly was used?”
“The main material was an alloy called Chimeradite. Combined with it was a fang from a Black Death Dragon, a scale from a Sea War Beast, and a teardrop from an Element Tail. There were other components too, but those were the main four. If I had to make a guess, I would attribute the feeling to the Black Death Dragon’s fang or the Sea War Beast’s scale. Both are top class monsters after all.”
 

“............”
“Tiera?”

 

Having heard Shin’s explanation, Tiera was now pressing one hand to her forehead and had furrowed her eyebrows like she had just heard something really hard to understand.

 

“............ No, I refuse to be surprised. Even if I just heard someone spout a list of legendary creatures ...... I will be fine. Yes, I am fine.”
“No, you totally don’t look fine!”

 

While Tiera was shaking her head to the sound of her common sense crumbling inside, Shin reflexively retorted.
As usual, Shin’s common sense differed greatly from that of the current world. It was only natural, because as Tiera had said, the monsters that Shin had spoken of were ridiculously powerful monsters that now lived only inside legends. This talk of turning these monsters with enough power to cause cataclysms into raw materials would normally only be laughed off as a joke. However, there was currently a ninjatou emanating a strong aura right in front of her, and the one who had taken it out was Shin, who already had a track record of diverging from what she knew as common sense. The two facts put together convinced her that it was not a joke.

 

“Haah, it feels like every time I talk to you, you grind every speck of my common sense to dust.”
“Eh, I’m in the wrong?”
“Naturally! What’s with you just casually taking out an Ancient grade weapon? There should be a limit to how unbelievable you can be.”
“Even if you say that, there’s nothing I can do about it. Whether Schnee still remembers me or not could hinge on this.”

 

Shin said this while looking at『Sougetsu』. It was Schnee’s personal weapon, and she had entrusted it to him before his fight with Origin (in game lingo, it was ‘retrieved’). Together with Schnee, all of his other support characters had also done the same. The gesture had been something like a little bit of a good luck omen on Shin’s part. The equipment from the other support characters were still in his inventory, awaiting their turn.

 

It was one thing when Shin himself was still here. From what Tiera said, though, it was clear that the current situation wasn’t one where he would be able to meet her just because he sent a message saying that he wanted to meet up. He also had no guarantee that there wasn’t anyone else among Schnee’s current acquaintances who had the same name as himself, so the only method that he could think of to prove his own identity was by including something like this with the message.

 

“Very few people would still refuse to meet after being sent something like this. But Master is one of those few people, so your caution might not be unfounded.”

 

Also returning her gaze towards『Sougetsu』where Shin was already looking, Tiera was finally convinced.
Up to now, she had been asked to pass along many expensive clothes, precious jewels, and various rare articles. However, the figure of her Master showing almost no interest in any of them floated into Tiera’s mind. Though Geyl gold coins were beyond their means, those people had also sent goods worth several tens of Jul white gold coins and Legend grade equipment of substantial value, all to no avail. In short, things that are simply unusual or expensive were not enough to garner her Master’s notice.

 

The message this time said “if you remember this,” so Tiera thought that it would at least elicit a cursory glance. Her Master had ignored even Legend grade items before, so there was no guarantee behind her evaluation that her Master might show interest in『Sougetsu』.

 

“If she does indeed remember, then please use this. You can contact me with this no matter where I am.”

 

So saying, Shin left some writing paper and a message card of simple design onto the counter, placing them next to『Sougetsu』.

 

“If I use these, I can contact you?”
“It’s only one-way, though. You write your message here, and you write the intended recipient’s name on the writing paper. Then all you have to do is verbally say ‘Send’ .”

 

Shin gave his explanation while pointing to the message card and writing paper. It was an item frequently used by players for events like birthdays and Christmas. There were also people who modified them to do elaborate things like releasing sparkly effects when being opened
Inside the game, it was faster to message each other through the normal chat function though, so these message cards were only used for special days. But this world did not have a friend list function, much less the chat function, so these have now become very valuable.

 

“So there was such a convenient item.”
“I used them so rarely that I now have a lot to spare.”

 

It wasn’t just message cards and writing paper; currently in his inventory slept also various other items from quests and events that he never had the chance to use back in the game but would be very useful here in reality.

 

“If this gets spread around, then it would become an enormous deal.”
“I suppose, yea.”

 

From Tiera’s point of view, being able to reach someone else regardless of distance was something equivalent to a technological revolution. However, Shin purposely responded in a way to gloss over the hidden question of “Won’t you spread this around?” behind Tiera’s words.
One does not have to be well-versed in history to know that technological breakthroughs would not necessarily be used in the way that the discoverer or developer had intended. Unfortunately, Shin had no intention nor interest in starting a technological revolution. There is also another way of looking at this ‘discovery’ — as this was a function that had already existed in THE NEW GATE in the first place, eventually someone else will stumble upon it.

 

“...... hey. I just thought of this, but why don’t you just directly contact Master with this instead of leaving a message with me?”

 

Holding the message card in one hand, Tiera voiced the thought that had just come into her mind.

 

“If only I could. You can only send it to people that you have directly met before. Of course, I’ve met Schnee before, but for some reason I can’t send it to her.”

 

Naturally, Shin had also already thought of the idea of directly sending it himself. However, for some reason, he couldn’t send it, and he couldn’t directly contact Schnee. There was also the mystery why even though the chat function was gone, he could still use the message cards.

 

When Tiera asked if the problem lay with the cards, Shin went outside and used one to send her a message. Though she was a bit surprised when the writing paper suddenly appeared in front of her eyes, she understood that at least the problem did not lie with the item itself.

 

(It seems like my friend list was reset.)

 

Shin guessed that that was the real reason. The blurb of the message card says『Let’s convey your feelings to the people that you’ve met on your adventurers!』. Shin surmised that he wasn’t able to send messages to people that he had met back in the game but haven’t met yet in this world.

 

“Hey, hey, if you have a lot of spares, may I have a few more of them?”
“I don’t really mind, but I don’t think you should use them with people that don’t know about them.”
“I’m not going to use them, I’m going to study them. I’m aiming to become a wizard, so when I see unusual magic items like these, I become really interested in understanding how they work.”

 

In truth, after he had sent her a card as a demonstration just now, Tiera’s eyes had begun sparkling like the eyes of a child that had found a new toy.

 

“Well, if it’s like that, then it should be fine. I’ll give you five more, then. The portion for contacting me after Schnee replies is included, so don’t use them all, okay? And I’m giving you this many, so could you perhaps give me a discount on the message referral fee?”
“No problem. I have no intention of using these indiscriminately, so don’t worry. It could become a huge commotion if I actually sent it to the wrong person, after all. Also, I also don’t want to receive all this for free. For now, let’s just say that this more than covers the message referral fee. As for the rest, you can look forward to it.”

 

Though he did have a lot of spares, he didn’t have an infinite number of them, so he had hoped that they would at least cover the message referral fee and asked for a discount as a shot in the dark. The result was the message referral fee being completely covered plus some more perks promised for the future. Confirming that these cards were indeed quite valuable, Shin made a mental note to not use them where other people could see.

 

As for Tiera, her mind was already churning out imaginations about the kinds of tests that she would perform on the cards. Shin thought that it might be better for her to aim to be an alchemist instead if she liked research so much, but it wasn’t like there was a rule that wizards shouldn’t do research, so he didn’t say it out loud. In actuality, there had been quite a lot of players with wizard as their main job and alchemist as their sub-job.

 

“Alright, I’ll start heading off now. I’ll leave the matter about Schnee to you.”
“You can count on me. When Master returns, I’ll show it to her first thing.”

 

After exchanging light greetings, Shin left Tsuki no Hokora behind.

 

It was a while after Shin had left before Tiera suddenly thought, “If I send a message card, then I can immediately get in touch with Master!”

 

 

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