Kays Translations

Chapter 218: Thank You, and I’m Sorry

The head of department and others watched us from a distance. From there, they couldn’t hear us, but they could quickly intervene if needed.

Officially, that was the plan, but they were likely eavesdropping. They had a promise to keep with me, but there’s no guarantee they’d honor it.

In this tense situation—

“Could you buy a slave collar for me in the other world?”

His words were unexpectedly harsh. I was taken aback and momentarily at a loss for words.

“A… collar, you say?”

“Yes, a slave collar.”

“I know what it is, but may I ask what you intend to use it for?”

What followed made a certain kind of sense, though the morality was questionable.

Keigo’s village had 17 inhabitants, 16 of whom were slaves. Since their loyalty levels weren’t rising, he had to set the threshold to 30. As slaves, betrayal wasn’t a concern, but without raising loyalty, he couldn’t increase the number of villagers.

He figured he could use the slave collar on Japanese people and remove it once their loyalty rose. This was his reasoning.

In another world, this might work… no, it probably would. Slavery was normal there. Since I also bought slaves to increase my villagers, I couldn’t exactly criticize him.

“What do you think? I have plenty of magic stones.”

“I’m afraid that’s probably impossible. Japanese people are disliked in the other world. We might not even be able to enter the cities, let alone buy or sell anything.”

I intended to refuse anyway, but this excuse was convenient. It was true, and we likely wouldn’t be allowed in the cities.

“Disliked? Why—oh, because of the Empire… damn it.”

“Are you aware of the orc incident?”

“Yes, I know a bit.”

“Because of that, almost all Japanese in the Kingdom and the Beastman Country were expelled.”

“Then it’s impossible… Thank you for telling me.”

I thought he might push further, but he seemed to give up easily. We called Masaki-san and others back and moved on to the next topic.

Whether he liked my attitude or had another reason, Keigo began to talk more openly. Sometimes, he even shared unasked-for information. I considered the possibility of a bluff, but his demeanor suggested otherwise.

We discussed barriers, testing if our barriers would interfere with each other. The conclusion was that our barriers neither annihilated each other nor could they interfere with each other. This might have been the most valuable information gained.

He also mentioned a dungeon in his village. Though we couldn’t see it from here, he confirmed there was a rocky mountain behind his house.

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

Blessing of the Moon Goddess:

– Creates a dungeon in the village.

– Maximum of 15 floors.

– Only one dungeon can be created.

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

The appraisal showed that it was limited to 15 floors. He maintained the dungeon without defeating the Orc King. He wasn’t sure if defeating it would cause the dungeon to disappear or if it could be reestablished.

After another 30 minutes—

He talked about being attacked on the day of his transfer and meeting the goddess. Our similar circumstances seemed to foster a sense of empathy, making him more talkative. By then, our tone had become much more relaxed.

“So, Keigo-kun, can we agree to leave each other alone from now on?”

“Yes, as long as we’re not hostile, we can act freely.”

“That’s right. If anything comes up, I’ll contact you through the chief.”

“I will do the same.”

Having identified his abilities and confirmed his skills, I didn’t see him as a significant threat for now. There was no sign of his village growing, and since our barriers didn’t interfere and he couldn’t expand his territory, leaving him alone seemed the best course.

In 10 months, just before the mass transfer, I could disable the barrier at the northern beach. Even if the fort remained, no one would suspect it was us.

As for what he would do from now on… honestly, I didn’t care. Whether he enjoyed a carefree harem life, forcibly increased his villagers and self-destructed, or ended up enslaved by the government, it was his choice. We’d likely never meet again.

Oh, and one last thing—

Thank you for the excellent books and games. I’m sorry for borrowing them permanently.

 ◇◇◇

After the Meeting—

We had returned to our tent and were preparing to head back. Although we could use the teleportation circle to return, due to certain circumstances, we planned to take the helicopter back. For now, we were waiting for Masaki and the others.

“Kana, Lev, great job. How did things go on your end?”

I spoke to the empty space in front of me, and the two of them appeared out of nowhere.

“We checked all the tents, but there were no eavesdropping devices. The surveillance cameras were also turned off.”

“I didn’t detect any suspicious movements. Based on the conversations of the Self-Defense Forces, there doesn’t seem to be any issues.”

“That’s good to hear. I’m relieved.”

After setting up the teleportation circle, I had called in Kana, who has stealth abilities, and Lev, a scout. With their skills, they wouldn’t be detected, and with Kana’s keen hearing, they could listen in on conversations.

“Are you returning with the Self-Defense Forces, village chief?”

“Yes, I have something I want to test.”

“Understood. We’ll head back then… Everyone, take care, okay?”

“Thanks, you two. When you get back, please report to Sakura.”

“Roger that!”

As I saw them off, Masaki-san returned. Apparently, there had been some complicated procedures, which had taken longer than expected. In the end, he had to use his ultimate trump card, ‘Divine Revelation,’ to forcefully get permission.

(Divine Revelation… that must be referring to that person. Just how powerful are they?)

With a feeling that this person was far more terrifying than any student village chief, I boarded the helicopter and headed to our destination.

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