Chapter 91: Weakness of Orihime

“Annemarie-san, that huge whale we saw earlier, was it really an incarnation of the goddess?”

The ship, which had been buzzing with excitement over the appearance of what seemed to be a goddess incarnate in the form of a large whale after the deadly battle, finally calmed down. Isamu and Annemarie were leisurely chatting.

“I’m not sure if it was Rusarsa-sama, but the youngest goddess in this world would undoubtedly be Orihime-chan, right…? Only a select few people know about that. So, thinking of it as a goddess or something similar seems natural…”

“Yeah, you’re probably right… I told the people in the territory that Orihime has the goddess’s protection, but only the high priest and Mimilia-san know the appraisal results. It’s not like she’s friends with anyone else…”

Isamu said, stroking Orihime curled up on his lap, while contemplating.

As Annemarie had said, it made more sense to acknowledge that the whale was a being close to a goddess.

“Well, whatever. Even if we got confirmation, it wouldn’t change anything.”

“Yeah. Orihime-chan’s cuteness won’t be affected at all.”

In the end, no matter how much they thought about it, it wouldn’t change anything. And if that whale really was a goddess, it meant they were being watched over and protected.

Judging from its attitude, it probably intended to intervene if things really went south.

Having a goddess watching over them to the extent of being willing to use force if necessary was a rare and fortunate thing. To complain would literally invite divine punishment.

Isamu decided to accept things as they were.

“Speaking of which, Isamu-san, do you know why Orihime-chan is afraid of water?”

Annemarie remembered something she had forgotten to ask Isamu and inquired.

“Oh, it’s not a big deal… When Orihime first came to my house, she loved watching the water come out of the faucet after dinner. There’s a magic device where you can turn on the faucet then cold water or hot water comes out as much as you want. Orihime loved watching the water come out from there.”

Not only Orihime, but many cats are fascinated by the water coming out of the kitchen or bathroom faucet. During dishwashing, Orihime would always settle in the small space beside the sink and watch, occasionally batting at the water with her paw.

“She was watching as usual that day, but then a slightly larger earthquake happened by chance. Startled, she slipped and fell into the sink… I was washing a large pot at the time, and she fell right into the water in it, getting soaked by the rushing water. Since then, she’s been terrified of large amounts of water or suddenly being splashed with water. Small amounts are fine, and she’ll even approach them on her own, but she absolutely refuses to go near the edge of the ship where she can see the water.”

“I see, that’s what happened…”

“Yeah. I think she got scared today because there was a large puddle on the deck and suddenly large droplets of water fell. I’m sorry for causing you to worry.”

Isamu apologized to Annemarie.

“I see. So Orihime-chan never entered the shower room…”

“Huh?”

Surprised by the unexpected answer, Isamu turned around to see Mizeroi nodding in agreement.

“Ah, sorry. I just happened to overhear your conversation and got curious… So Orihime-sensei also has things she’s afraid of.”

Apologizing with a scratch of his head, Mizeroi continued.

“However, now we not only have Orihime-sensei to protect us but also the possibility of protecting her. It’s a little comforting. I’ll share this with the captains. Excuse me!”

In the end, Mizeroi left with a slightly happier expression, trotting away.

From that day on, a knight always carried an umbrella when it rained, accompanying Orihime wherever she went.

“It’s more lavish than being a lord.”

Selfers would chuckle with a wry smile.

Furthermore, they succeeded in recovering several defeated river sharks, but Silvio was the one who caught their attention.

Apparently, river shark leather was a first-rate material traded at a high price.

River shark leather was lightweight, durable, and naturally resistant to water, making it highly valued. Additionally, its beautiful patterns and the fact that it often chased away or escaped from hunters made it extremely rare.

Even without tanning, the supple yet rough texture of the leather was highly valued for its use as grip material for weapons and joints in armor.

Since Isamu and the others had defeated them, Captain Revecchio’s generously offered for them to take everything. However, as merchants, they couldn’t accept that and decided to buy them for a fair price.

Even so, they were able to obtain them for less than half the market price, much to Silvio’s delight.

Half of the recovered leather would be kept for the exclusive use of the elite guard unit’s equipment, while the rest would be purchased by the Zambrotta Trading Company as merchandise.

The rest of the journey went smoothly, and on the fourth day after leaving Viscount Jansen’s domain, they arrived at the confluence of the river.

“Thank you, Captain Revecchio, for everything this time. It was my first time on a ship, and I had a great time.”

“No, no, Isamu-sama, thank you. If it weren’t for you guys, the ship would have sunk… And you even gave us something like that…”

As he shook hands with Isamu, Revecchio’s expression was complex.

“I can’t offer you anything in return, but if you ever need to return by ship, please don’t hesitate to ask! We have a shipyard for our company near the capital city of Innocenti’s territory, Innotia. We’ll provide a ship for free, and if we can make arrangements in time, we’ll even transport you from Rusarsa again.”

“I didn’t do anything special… Well, then, I’ll gladly accept your offer for the return trip.”

Feeling bad for refusing such a desperate captain, Isamu decided to accept the offer gratefully.

“Alright! Leave it to me!!”

The captain’s expression brightened at Isamu’s reply, and he happily thumped his chest.

Upon disembarking at the confluence point, Team Orihime decided to travel by land from there on, rather than using a ship.

The knights insisted that, regardless of whether they traveled by river or land, the number of days it would take would be the same. But for Orihime’s sake and to survey the terrain and climate, it was better to go by land, they argued.

Isamu didn’t particularly care about sticking to the river, and Orihime could relieve stress by hunting along the way, so he readily agreed.

As they traveled along the river named after the goddess of fertility, Maetru, they couldn’t help but notice the unique terrain of the area.

While trees thrived along the river, just 500 meters away, it suddenly turned into a rocky desert with scattered boulders.

It made sense why the river was named after the goddess of fertility, and it also explained why they needed magic stoves due to the expensive firewood.

Along the way, they stayed overnight in a town along the highway and arrived in the late afternoon of the next day at the border lordship’s capital, Innotia.

Located along the great river Maetru, the city was surprisingly lush despite being in the middle of a rocky desert.

This is why Innotia had been the site of numerous conflicts with neighboring Kempbach.

Currently, there was no peace treaty with Kempbach, and there hadn’t been any major conflicts since the war 40 years ago.

As they passed through the splendid double walls into the city, Isamu was amazed.

“Huh? So many beastmen…? Amazing…”

There were many beastmen going about their daily lives, selling skewers at stalls, buying skewers, dressed as adventurers in leather armor, or chasing after friends… At a glance, about thirty percent of the people seemed to be beastmen.

Isamu had heard that there were beastmen here, but it was his first time seeing them, so he couldn’t help but stare.

“Several hundred years ago, the Innocenti family welcomed a wanderer, who turned out to be a beastman. He was extremely talented and, like Isamu-san, he founded a trading company and achieved success. It seems that the company actively employed beastmen.”

Annemarie explained, noticing Isamu expression.

“I see… Are they descendants of that wanderer?”

“No. Most of the beastmen here come from neighboring Kempbach. Originally, there weren’t many beastmen living in Stahlen Kingdom, but the eastern part of Kempbach was originally a beastman country with many beastmen. When Kempbach annexed it…”

Here, Annemarie paused, showing a sad expression.

“There was quite severe discrimination. While they didn’t become slaves due to the annexation, the treatment was terrible…At that time, a beastman, and moreover a wanderer, achieved great success right next door… When the beastmen heard about it, they didn’t take long to start seeking asylum. Fortunately, Innotia, where the beastmen had already integrated, had no discrimination against beastmen, so the asylum seekers were quickly accepted. Also, many beastmen have very high physical abilities, such as being strong or fast, despite having little magic power. The Innocenti family at the time achieved significant military success by employing these people as soldiers and knights. The beastmen, knowing that they were treated badly by Kempbach, also had very high morale. This became a rumor, attracting more beastmen, and it has continued to this day.”

“So, that’s the history… It has its sad parts, but seeing everyone’s happy faces now, at least for the people in this city, I think it turned out well.”

Isamu spoke to Annemarie with narrowed eyes.

“Yes, I think so too.”

Raising her face that she had been hiding, Annemarie also smiled.

After storing their luggage at today’s inn, the group set out for the bustling city made of stone and earth.

Although they could have meals at the inn, it catered to nobles, so the food was elegant and plain.

However, since they had come all the way to the western edge of the kingdom, they decided to eat local food at a restaurant bustling with locals.

“Welcome! How many in your party?”

The lively waitress greeted the group. She had dog-like ears and a tail, marking her as a beastman.

“There are twelve of us. Can you accommodate us?”

Willem, seeming accustomed to traveling to various ruins, replied confidently.

The five knights in the fluid team framework were split up: two were on inn security duty, two were preparing for night watch in advance, and the remaining one was stationed outside the restaurant for guard duty.

“Sure thing! Follow me to the table at the back! I’ll guide the twelve of you~~!”

With the same cheerful energy as when they entered, they were led to their seats.

“Phew, I’m glad there’s room for us to sit.”

Isamu sighed in relief as he finally managed to sit down.

“Yeah. It seems like a popular place, so it’s good that it’s not crowded.”

Willem, who had chosen the restaurant, also breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon, the waitress came to take their orders.

“Welcome~~! Let’s start with drinks, meow!”

“Huh?!”

Isamu couldn’t help but exclaim at the sudden, obvious cat-like ending to her sentences.

“Is something wrong, Isamu-san?”

Not noticing any discomfort, Annemarie asked Isamu.

“N-no, it’s nothing. Um… I’ll have a pale ale, please!!”

Isamu regained his composure and placed his drink order while looking at the waitress. 

Standing there was a waitress who appeared to be a cat beastman, with triangular ears and a long, slender tail sticking up.

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