“〖Space Hole〗”
The corpses of Demon Beasts fall from the black hole that opened in mid-air.
“That’s today’s haul, I guess.”
『Another big catch today, huh?』
After that, Paula continued to raise her 〖Level〗, and then returned near the base.
The plaza we’re in now doesn’t have a single flower or tree, it’s just a small open space.
The Demon Beasts we defeated today are lined up in that plaza.
Since they were put into the other dimension immediately after being defeated, all the corpses are fresh.
“Oh, that’s right. I borrowed a weapon from Ergo-kun. Here, it’s apparently called ‘Grizzly Bear’s Arm’.”
『Oh, thanks』
As if it were an afterthought, she took out a greatsword.
I had asked Ergo to show me if he had any good weapons.
I took the greatsword with the black blade and checked its performance with 〖Escalating Warfare〗.
『Hmm, a 〖Dire Beast〗 weapon, huh? How did Ergo get his hands on this? Isn’t it expensive?』
“Apparently, the blacksmith who made this is an acquaintance of his family’s business partner, and they have a good relationship. So, when he asked, he was able to borrow it just for today.”
『I see, then I have to treat it carefully. The effects are pretty good too.』
Apparently, this greatsword can deal damage while ignoring more than half of the target’s 〖Toughness〗.
It’s limited to living things, but it should be very effective against Demon Beasts with sharp 〖Stats〗 like me.
『Alright, analysis complete. Thanks for bringing it all the way here. Tell Ergo I said thanks.』
I returned the defense-ignoring greatsword, and then shifted my focus to the corpses of the Demon Beasts.
First, the Armadillo. I took in the three bisected corpses at once and melted their flesh.
In parallel, I analyzed them with 〖Escalating Warfare〗. I left behind the claws and carapaces that had value as materials.
Then, I spat them out in front of Paula.
『There’s nothing that looks like it would suit Paula.』
“I see. Then I’ll put them away.”
The girl stuffed the materials into her rucksack.
This is something she’s recently started using instead of a basket.
The surface reason is that it simply holds more items, and the shoulder straps make it easier to carry the weight.
The real reason is that it’s harder to tell from the outside that the space is expanded.
“Alright, there we go.”
『That’s really convenient, isn’t it?』
Even though she’s clearly stuffing more materials than the bag’s volume, the rucksack isn’t bulging much.
That’s because she’s using a magic called 〖Space Expansion〗 to expand the space inside.
Since taking things out of thin air would be too conspicuous, she decided to use this bag method.
The guild doesn’t seem to pry into adventurers’ abilities, so they just ignore it even if something seems a little strange.
“If you want, I can make an expansion bag for you too, Kouya-kun?”
『Is that okay?』
“Of course. It takes quite a bit of 〖Mana〗 to make, but that’s all, and thanks to you, Kouya-kun, I’ve earned a lot of money, so let me repay you a little.”
『Sorry… and, this looks like it could be useful.』
I muttered, looking at a monkey with grass growing from its body.
『The materials from this one seem good for armor. What do you think? Should I process it?』
“Please do. Everything Kouya-kun makes is high quality.”
While listening to her say such nice things, I adjusted my 〖Zone Control〗.
I replaced ‘Sharp’ with ‘Master Craftsman’.
“(〖Arms Craftsman〗)”
I used my 〖Skill〗 on the Grass Monkey I had taken into my body.
I fused the Grass Monkey materials that had been split into left and right halves, and wove them into one.
『Alright, it’s done.』
It took a little time because it was an unfamiliar material, but I finished it without any particular problems.
What was completed was leather armor… no, Grass Armor?
The organs that looked like grass on the Grass Monkey had excellent blade-resistant and shock-absorbing properties, so I used them to make armor.
It’s also very light, so it won’t hinder Paula’s 〖Speed〗.
『I made it similar to the leather armor you’re wearing now, so I think it’ll be fine, but if the size doesn’t fit or it gets in the way of your movement, let me know next time. I also have a 〖Skill〗 for adjustments.』
“Yes, thank you for everything, really.”
After that, we continued to sort the materials.
Recently, Paula’s equipment has been getting better, so I didn’t make any weapons other than the Grass Armor, and the sorting was finished in a short time.
『That’s the end of it. Then, see you again in three days.』
“Yeah… oh, sorry, I think it’ll be four days next time. Actually, I have a matchmaking appointment in three days…”
『Matchmaking!? …Oh, no, I see. I guess that kind of thing happens.』
I couldn’t help but ask back at the unfamiliar word.
But, when I think about it calmly, it’s not that strange.
Matchmaking itself seems to have been common in Japan until modern times.
And Paula still looks like she’s in middle or high school, but I’ve heard that in the past, people got married normally around that age.
It must be a common thing in this country.
『…Huh? Wait, but Paula wanted to go to magic academy, right? Is it possible to go even if you’re married?』
I had heard the reason why Paula was desperately training her magic.
But, it seems like it would be quite difficult to enter the academy after getting married.
Paula gave a wry smile in response to my question.
“Yeah, that’s right. This matchmaking was already quite far along by the time I became able to use magic, so I couldn’t cancel it. The other party seems enthusiastic too, so it’s just a face-to-face meeting for now…”
She probably feels like it’s a mockery to attend if she has no intention of agreeing.
Paula spoke apologetically.
『Humans seem to have a lot of troublesome constraints.』
“Haha, that’s true. Well, there’s also the possibility that the other person will say they don’t want someone like me in the first place, and even if it goes through, they might just get engaged and wait until I graduate from the academy. There’s no point in worrying too much about it.”
As she said that, she stood up and put on her rucksack.
“Well, that’s why it’ll be four days from now.”
『Okay. …Are there any other adventurers around here?』
“Huh? No, there aren’t. At least not within my 〖Spatial Awareness〗 range.”
The current 〖Spatial Awareness〗 has a detection range of several hundred meters.
This should be fine.
『I see, that’s good then. See ya.』
I watched Paula leave through the 〖Space Hole〗, and then I headed to the center of the plaza.
The plaza is a perfect circle, so it’s easy to find the center.
“(This is about the place.)”
Three hundred and sixty degrees. The distance to the trees is almost the same in every direction.
While vaguely taking in such a familiar sight, I sank my consciousness into myself.
“(〖Territory〗 release. 〖Zone Control〗 adjustment, ‘Convergence’ deleted. –〖Territory〗 activation)”
The range limitation was released, and the 〖Zone Control〗 spread around.
The range is just about the size of the plaza.
–That’s right. This plaza was created by my 〖Territory〗 training.