Arifureta Shokugyou De Sekai Saikyou: Irregularity

I ride on my way leaving behind Fuhren, the biggest comercial city in the proximities... well, it certainly was the biggest city I have ever been in, but I don't really get the "proximities" thing, is it like, in the whole kingdom? or half of it? no wait, it was a neutral city so it isn't part of any kingdom?...

My destination was the "Northern mountains", or more exactly, a city by the name of Ull built on a lake SOMEWHERE between the mountains and the city that I came from. I'm really looking forward a lot from that city, like the food that is like "that world's food"... and some other things too...

...But I'm lost, like, literally lost-nano...

Yuuki [Now that I think about it, I should have asked for some directions before dashing out of the city, or at least buy a map somewhere...]

My sence of direction is not bad, not bad at all, in fact it is pretty good, but sence of direction is not everything when it comes to traveling, specially by myself. To go alone from one place and try to head somewhere specifically with no map and just following the geography and somehow reading the weather sounds pretty stupid for experienced adventurers. I mean, it's way too inefficient with all the time and resources you waste in looking for something that's not suposed to be lost, right?

Yuuki [I guess I didn't really care about time before. if I felt I'll get there someday, until I find what I'm looking for I'll just keep my own pace-nano...]

Is still morning, so counting today I have around four days to reach the city before something happen, but taking in count that two days have passed since I left Fuhren, is better to get there today... I don't know when exactly something is going to happen, it could be in three days, in two or tomorrow, so I have to hurry.

Yuuki [...]

While taking a break to confirm the terrain, I look at the "vehicle" I'm riding. If seen from a certain distance it can be mistaken as a white horse, but at close you can see it lacks a head and legs as it is not exactly a living creature.

A body made of pure white metal, with an stylish design (I think) adorned by beautiful grey colored pattern made of magic crystal that go all the way to the back, and a mount in which easily fit up to two people at the same time. An "Artifact", a tool that uses the power of magic to realise a task, with a performance and a result up to tens or even hundreds of times better than a common tool.

This is an "Artifact" made with the main purpose of traveling. Way faster and smaller than a carriage, but stronger and with better maneuverability than a horse. In fact, if not for sharing the same purpose, there would be no comparation between those two and this Artifact...

Yuuki [...Well no matter how much I praise, it's just a copy of someone else's work...]

One of Nagumo Hajime's handmade "Artifact", based on a vehicle from Hajime's world, the magical Motorcycle "Steiff" that of course is not supposed to exist in this world... together with pretty much everything he makes...

By the name of "kirin(麒麟/kirin)" this Artifact can barely be called a copy of "Seiff", not because of something like my great creativity, but out of my lack technique. Even if I knew the process, it was too complicated for me to reproduce it, so I HAD to make my own original version. Even with all that said, I fell really proud of the results, and if I had to mark at least one reason, compared to hajime's "Seiff", my "kirin" is a beauty...

Yuuki [Oops, I'm getting out of track, let's keep on with the search...]

I put my hands on the handle, and transfer magic power to "Kirin", then the grey pattern start to change as a blue colored light flows through it, giving a very diferent impression than before. A sound as if air being cut can be heard the moment blue magic power fill the patterns, the lower part that lacks the presence of wheels separate itself from the ground and now floats slightly over the road. The whole process took two seconds at most.

Yuuki [let's go...]

After I release a voice so low that only someone at my side could notice, as if folowing my comand, the Artifact "Kirin" moved forward...

...

...

After two or someting hours I finally found the road heading to the city of Ull.

Yuuki [I already had an idea but, this is a really beautiful place...]

I get off from "Kirin" as I can't help but grinn at the perfect view of the scenery some kilometers away from the city decorated by a beautiful lake.

Yuuki [We are finally here, thank you for the hard work, I'll get there the normal way so for now you can rest inside...]

While saying 'I'm counting on you nex time too' I point my left hand at "Kirin" and as if it had never been there it disappear after being stored in the ring shaped "Treasure Trove" on my middle finger.

Yuuki [Well, let's get ready]

Next, I put out a steel long sword, a traveling cape, and a leather bag full of some necessities for travelers.

With the sword in the holster on my belt, the bag on my shoulder, and the cape covering me I look the part of an adventurer no matter who you ask...

After gearing up I walk to the road conecting to the gate of the city...

...

...

Gatekeeper [So, an adventurer... your rank is- black rank!? May you be the one dispatched by the guild for the investigation quest? But wait, is it just one person?]

Yuuki [Sorry, I'm just an adventurer passing by, so I didn't know about any quest...]

Gatekeeper [I see, my bad... It has been only a few days since we send notice, it is too soon for someone to come and even if a black ranked, you look to young to take this kind of quest alone]

The troubled gatekeeper looked at me like he still wanted to say someting.

Yuuki [Sorry again but, taking a quest without formally report to the guild would be troublesome for anyone that properly takes the quest, for the guild itself, and for me too, as you said, even a black rank will have trouble by himself with no preparations...]

Gatekeeper [You are right, sorry for that. Everything in order here, wellcome to the lake city of Ul]

I part from the troubled looking Gatekeeper and finally enter the city. By what he said, the mysterious incident had been going for some time and already was reported to the guild... This means that there have been victims.

Yuuki [...I've already failed...]

I couldn't supress those words. The face of the culprit of said incident forms vividly on my mind.

Yuuki [(Shimizu Yukitoshi...)]

I'll have to meet him, but I... what will I do at that thime? I want to stop him, but I don't want to kill him no matter what... I want to save him... No matter what... but what he is doing is definitely wrong, so I should not help him in his plan. It's not just that I want to save his life, I want to "save" Shimizu Yukitoshi himself... but how exactly can I "save" him? I don't know...

Yuuki [...Even so-]

I shouldn't stop because of that. The time keeps pasing, the World keeps moving. This same situation will repeat again and again, if at that time I doubt, nothing will change. If I don't know what should I do then-

Yuuki [-I'll just do everything I can...]

Without time to waste, I walk through the city to prepare for everything that is coming to this city and the people in it, for that-

Yuuki [-Guess I'll go "there"...]

I head to the place with easily the best place to star with, the "Water fairy inn"...

...

...

Waitress [Sorry for the wait customer! one fruit juice and our inn's prided dish "Nilshisseer". please enjoy yourself!]

Right now is about lunch time, so the restaurat of the "The Water fairy inn" is not exactly empty, but not exactly full either. The waitress cheerfully puts a wooden mug filled to the top and a plate with what looks like a milky white stew on the table in front of me.

I'll clarify that the incident involving Nagumo Hajime, Shimizu Yukitoshi, and the otherworld heroes is of my highest priority, but that also means that there are... "less" urgent matters to deal with, and I'm not THAT ashamed to say that this is one of them.

Yuuki [If I remember correctly, the name of that dish was "Curry", I think?]

That dish from Nagumo Hajime's world that is almost exactly (diferent color?) like this one. It's, apparently, so delicious that everyone that came from that world loves it.

Yuuki [Of course there's no way for me to just not try it myself...]

First, I try the juice...

Yuuki [Very tasty...]

It really was tasty, like, very tasty... Now the Nilshisseer.

I dip the spoon in the milky stew and then brought it to my mouth.

Yuuki [It's good-]

...?

...??

...!!??

...!!!!

Whatisthistastethisemotionitfeels likeapartofmethatwasmissingallthistime withoutmenoticingJustfoundit'swaybackto measifthemetothispointwasnotwhowassuposedtobeasifIhadbeenwhoIwasjusttoberebornandbecomesomeonenewrighthereandnow-

Yuuki [~~Shoo~tasshhtyy-nano~~]

Yep, it's good, is way too good-nano, is this even legal? I mea, someone can totally get adicted. I'll get some to Miledi-san later... Wait, can she eat with that body? I didn't ask her about that. If she can't then I'll try to do something about it-

Waitress [C-customer...]

While I was busy enjoying my food, the waitress came to my table with a somehow embarrassed exprecion.

Waitress [T-this is a decent establishment and this is troubling for us. Right now we have a group of very respectable individuals at our service, so I'll have to ask you behave yourself while you eat, i-if it's not a problem... p-please?...]

...Eh?

...W-what does she mean? Behave? Did I do something weird? Is it my face?

I touch my own face with my fingers as I wonder 'what does she mean?' and when I look at her to ask what is the problem-

Waitress [Hii! S-sorry~]

Why!?...

...

...

??? [...It's been five days...]

Yuuki [?]

My eyes open wide (but my hands don't stop moving the spoon) as I heard a cute and a little worried voice. It somehow fells... nostalgic...

??? [Ai-chan... seriously, where did Shimizu-kun went to, without saying a word, he's just worrying Ai-chan for nothing...]

??? [David-san, you have the priorities a little wrong, Ai-chan sensei being worried IS important, but you SHOULD be more worried about Simizu-kun's safety]

??? [S-Sonobe-san, do you think something bad happened to Shimizu-kun?]

As I continue with my meal I listen the conversation behind a curtain that covers part of the restaurant...

Yuuki [Those voices... they are-]

Hatayama Aiko and Sonobe Yuka... and knight capitan David, or more like I can hear the voices of all the members of the "Ai-chan's bodyguards", so they came before me...

They are talking about Shimizu Yukitoshi's disappearance, and they just said something berry important.

Yuuki [(So five days have passed...)]

Noboru [Well done Sonobe, now try to calm Ai-chan sensei down without worrying her even more...]

Nana [Yuka-chan you shouldn't bully Ai-chan sensei!!]

Taeko [Fufufu~ Yuka-chan you meane...]

Yuka [T-that's not it! I'm not saying that something bad happened to him, I just mean it's too naive to think that something bad will not happen, so it would be better to find him before that!]

The mood lighten up a little when everyone joins the conversation.

Aiko [That's right! we shouldn't give up just yet. Even if Shimizu-kun is not weak and can take care of himself, as a teacher, I should do my part too!]

David [A cheerful Ai-chan is the best after all. All right! we knights can't leave everything to them, right everyone!?]

After Aiko and her guards got up, the knights followed them (mostly Aiko) again in their search of Shimizu's whereabouts.

Then the curtain moved and Aiko's face appeared from behind it and-

Aiko [...]

Her eyes were looking-

Yuuki [?]

Straight at me-

Yuka [Ai-chan sensei? what's wro- oh...]

And not only Aiko, one by one they followed her eyes and looked at me, so hard that probably, even blind people could fell their eyes.

Yuuki [(W-what? Did I do something again?)]

I try to understand what was so interesting about me as I look at myself... and notice that I'm l.i.c.k.i.n.g what's left of the Nilshisseer from the spoon with all my hearth-

Yuuki [(...Wait, what?)]

David [Che- not even an inch of decency]

Aiko [David-san! I mean, it wasn't about that-!]

Yuka [W-well, it's not that I don't get it, i-i'ts really good after all, r-right?]

Yuuki [Y-yeah, it's delicious...]

I answer the question that was probably more for herself than for me, and after a few seconds of silence I get up from the table as I tremble a little and-

Yuuki [T-thanks for the food-nano!!]

I ran away from the restaurant covering my face...

Waitress [Customer!? You haven't payed for your food yet!]

Atsushi [Is that a gold coin in the table?]

Waitress [Customer this is WAY too much!]

Yuuki [Please keep the change!!]

I scream from the street as I keep running...

I'll have to come back latter, I rented a room in that inn after all...

...

...

It's been two long days since my fateful encounter with Nilshisser (and Aiko's party)... I have been eating in my room since then, mostly to not get THAT kind of attention...

Yuuki [The waitress looked a little TOO relieved when I asked her to send the food to my room from now on... Well, the "Rice" was delicious too, so I'm not complaining...]

Right now it's night time and I'm about to enjoy the food that was brought to my room.

Yuuki [...One week since Shimizu's disappearance...]

Is about time to prepare for the monster invasion, so I prepare my Artifacts, or more like, confim the ones I can use right now... I pull out a long, slender, curved sword still sheathed-

Yuuki [I guess "Maigo nyotei(迷子女帝/lost empress)" and "Kirin" are the only ones...]

I sigh at my situation... I put so much effort in making strong Artifact, but they became too strong for me to use them... I want to cry...

Whatever...

Yuuki [tomorrow I'll explore the "Northern Mountains"...]

...

...

-Or not...

Yuka [You... You are that "spoon-liking person" aren't you? Do you have a moment?...]

The nex day, a girl's voice called to me from behind as I walked on the streets of Ul... The owner of the voice is Sonobe Yuka, one of the Heroes from another world and member of the "Ai-chan's bodyguards" party... But before that-

Yuuki [Is "that" the part you remember-nano?]

Yuka ["N-nano"?]

I think I won't explore the mountains today...