Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 161: “Challenging the Researcher from the Hero World”
—Thor’s point of view—
This is the inn in the town of Nosa.
After finishing our exploration and entering the town, we were provided lodging by Princess Sophia’s arrangement.
It was for the purpose of analyzing the box.
Erte-san and the soldiers from the Reisenga territory are staying at the town’s dormitory.
It seems this is the first time the soldiers have entered a human town, so the elder Erte-san was assigned to look after them.
Because of that, the rest of us rented a house and got a good rest.
The next morning, Mabel, Agnis, and I gathered in the living room.
We were supposed to start analyzing “that box,” but—
“The box analysis is already done, isn’t it…”
I identified the materials using the [Material Appraisal] skill.
The box was mainly made of iron and a foreign-world material called “concrete.”
I recognized “concrete” because it was listed in the mail-order catalog.
There were things like “brushes to clean concrete surfaces.”
Apparently, that material is used in buildings in the Hero’s World.
There might be something similar in this world too. I’ll look into it later.
I also figured out the box’s locking mechanism.
There were illustrated instructions. If I follow those, I should be able to recreate it.
So—
“Let’s have breakfast for now.”
“Yes, that sounds good.”
“We should eat properly in the morning to maintain our health.”
Dorothy-san delivered the ingredients earlier.
They included meat, eggs, and vegetables harvested in the northern part of the Empire.
However—
“The vegetables aren’t very fresh.”
“The ones from the Demon Lord’s territory are much better.”
Mabel and Agnis tilted their heads in thought.
This region is at the edge of the Empire. Because of the abundance of monsters, development hasn’t progressed much.
To be honest, when it comes to crops, the Demon Lord’s territory is more prosperous.
“There are various races living in the Demon Lord’s lands. They’ve made it so many different kinds of ingredients can be grown.”
“Yes. It seems that farming zones and gathering areas are designated by race.”
“Even the chefs in the Demon Lord’s castle change the menu based on the race they’re serving.”
“Food is important after all… Wait, huh?”
When I looked, Mabel and Agnis were staring intently at me.
Oh no. This flow means—
“Yes. Food is very important. That’s why, Thor-sama, you must rest well and eat properly while staying in this town.”
“We want you to live a regular, healthy life.”
“…Understood.”
When I nodded, Mabel and Agnis smiled.
I’ve been causing them a lot of worry.
Especially without Mabel—I might not have been able to live a normal life at all.
“I’ll help with the cooking too. It’ll help me appreciate the importance of meals more.”
“Are you sure?”
“Right now, we’re waiting for a reply from Rukie-sama, so I’ve got free time.”
“Understood. So, Thor-sama, what kind of cooking are you good at?”
“Let’s see… Back in the capital, I used to soak bread in soup and eat it.”
“What kind of soup was it?”
“I’d buy cheap vegetables at the market, boil them down—”
“…Let’s make a nutritious meal today.”
Mabel nodded with an expression like she had come to a realization.
“Then, would you help with making the salad?”
“Sure. What should I do?”
“We have boiled potatoes. Please mash them.”
“For potato salad, right?”
“Yes. May I ask you to do that?”
“Of course.”
When I responded, Mabel handed me a wooden bowl filled with potatoes.
They were already peeled. All I had to do was mash them.
“Okay, I’ll work at the table in the living room, so call me if you need anything.”
“Please do.”
“I’ll be making the soup,” said Agnis.
“Thanks, Agnis.”
I moved to the living room.
In front of me was a wooden bowl filled with potatoes. In my hand was a stick for mashing them.
Let’s do this.
“By the way, Thor-sama.”
“What is it, Mabel?”
“The ‘Foreign World Weapon Data’ is still in Princess Sophia’s possession, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Once Rukie-sama approves, we’ll exchange it for ‘that box.’”
“I’m curious what kind of amazing weapon data it is.”
“It’s the ‘Ultra-High-Vibration Blade,’ after all.”
“Ultra-high vibration… So, a sword that shakes violently, right?”
“That’s what I think.”
I nodded.
“It’s probably extremely powerful. The other world uses vibration in a lot of their items. You could say this is their crowning achievement.”
“The ‘foot bath’ also used vibration in hot water to heal the body, didn’t it?”
“I think the Hero’s World realized early on the effects that vibration can produce.”
“What an amazing world…”
“It’s the Hero’s homeland, after all.”
“By the way, Thor-sama.”
“Yeah?”
“The living room table has been shaking slightly for a while now…”
“Ah, sorry. Was it noisy?”
“No, no… But from here, I can only see your back. What exactly are you doing with your hands?”
“I’m mashing the potatoes.”
“Yes, of course. You’re mashing the potatoes…”
“Yep. With high vibration, they mash really well.”
“I see. High vibration would mash them well, indeed—wait, eh… eeeeeh!?”
“The ‘High-Vibration Item’ is already finished!? T-Thor Canaan-sama… That’s amazing… I was just so surprised!!”
“Wah! Agnis-sama, please calm down! You’ve turned off your ‘Health-Boosting Pendant’ and you’re using your flame to cook—W-Wait, your clothes, Agnis-sama!”
“I-I’m okay! My dress is made of ‘Earth Magic-Woven Fabric,’ so—”
It turned into a huge commotion.
“…I was really surprised.”
“…I just didn’t expect that Thor Canaan-sama would be making a ‘high-vibrating item’…”
“Sorry for surprising you.”
On the table sits a small hammer.
It’s made of wood, and the head is smeared with mashed potatoes.
By the way, the mound of potatoes in the bowl is all neatly mashed.
There’s not a single lump left. Everything is smoothly mashed into one cohesive mass.
Since it was mashed so thoroughly, the texture should be quite pleasant. Probably.
“This hammer was something I made for experimentation.”
I handed the wooden hammer to the two of them.
“If I used a sword, I wouldn’t know what kind of effect it might have. It could end up being insanely sharp. Like, say I accidentally made a sword that could cut through anything, and then dropped it…”
“It might sink right into the floor.”
“It could just keep sinking straight into the ground…”
Mabel, Agnis, and I all turned pale.
If it really were a sword that could cut anything, that sort of thing could definitely happen.
Once it slips from your hand and hits the ground, it might just keep burrowing down until it reaches the depths of the earth. That’s a real possibility.
“That’s why, for safety reasons, I tried it out with a wooden hammer first.”
“You’re using it as a reference for making the ‘High-Vibration Blade,’ right?”
“Yeah. So that once I get the materials, I can start making it right away.”
I figured I’d start by making an item that vibrates.
The result of that trial was the ‘Vibrating Wood Hammer.’
I wanted to see what kind of effects weapon vibration might produce.
The Vibrating Wood Hammer is embedded with a Wind Magic Stone and a Water Magic Stone.
Wind causes swaying, and water creates waves.
By compressing and powering them up, I managed to make it vibrate at high speed… but as a weapon, it wasn’t very effective.
It’s noisy when it hits armor or shields, but that’s about it.
So far, its useful effects are—
“Well, for now, it seems to work great as a cooking tool.”
“It mashed the potatoes in no time. And if you attach a rod to the end, it might work for whisking eggs too.”
“It could probably tenderize meat as well.”
“I should make a note of this.”
Effects of the Vibrating Wood Hammer:
- Can mash potatoes at incredible speed.
- Can efficiently whisk eggs.
- Can tenderize meat by pounding it.
“Thanks. That was helpful.”
“Um…Thor-sama?”
“Yeah?”
“Why did you decide to experiment with vibrating items now?”
“Because I’m curious about the High-Vibration Blade.”
“But… we’re expecting a letter from the Demon Lord tomorrow, right? Once it arrives, you should be able to get documents on weapons from the other world. Wouldn’t it have been better to wait and experiment after that…?”
“…That would’ve felt kind of like losing.”
I said:
“I’ve been exposed to otherworldly items through the ‘mail-order catalog.’ I think I’ve become fairly familiar with their magic items. So, I wanted to challenge the researchers from that world.”
My goal is to surpass the Hero’s world.
Someday, I’ll have to create an item that exceeds what’s in the mail-order catalog.
That’s why I wanted to test how close I could get to the level of the researchers in the other world using just the hint of a High-Vibration Blade.
I’d create an item that incorporates high-frequency technology and try to trace the thought process of its researcher.
And if the item I made ended up surpassing the High-Vibration Blade, then I’d feel like I’ve taken one step closer to the Hero’s world…
“…That’s amazing, Thor-sama.”
Mabel looked at me with sparkling eyes.
“You’re trying so many different ways to get closer to the Hero’s world… I truly respect that.”
“Thanks. Well then, I’ll give this Vibrating Wood Hammer to you, Mabel.”
“A-Are you sure!?”
“It seems useful for cooking. I’d be happy if you put it to good use.”
“Y-Yes! I’ll make your meals with it, Thor-sama!”
As she said that, Mabel gave me a warm, sunshine-like smile.
“…Stare…”
When I glanced to the side, I saw Agnis staring intently this way.
“I respect Thor Canaan-sama too! I’ll help with your experiments as well!”
“Y-Yeah.”
“So please give me the Vibrating Wood Hammer… Ah, but if it’s me, I might accidentally burn it…”
“Don’t worry about that. I can just make another one.”
I handed Agnis a spare Vibrating Wood Hammer.
Also, just in case, I decided to give her something else as well.
“Agnis, I’ll give you this too. Try using it when the time comes, okay?”
“This is… a cloth belt?”
“It’s a Low-Frequency Belt.”
“A Low-Frequency Belt?”
“There was a Low-Frequency Therapy Device in the mail-order catalog, so I made this as a reference for ‘vibration.’ After all, waves are a kind of vibration too.”
“What does it do?”
“When you infuse it with magic power, it emits a very weak lightning spell.”
I poured magic power into the Low-Frequency Belt.
Zzzt, a tiny spark of lightning was generated—or at least, it should have been.
Since the output is so weak, it’s not visible to the naked eye.
“…What exactly is this?”
“It seems to send out something called ‘low-frequency waves’ to move the muscles. That way, it softens a body that has ‘hardened like stone.’”
“—Which means, this is…”
“An item for canceling petrification, most likely.”
There are many magical beasts with petrification abilities, starting with the cockatrice.
When struck by a petrifying breath or attack, the body turns to stone.
According to those who’ve recovered through magic, it seems that even consciousness is lost during petrification.
There are some who possess the power to undo petrification, but not many.
The magic that cancels it is said to ‘awaken the inside of the body.’
It works on the interior of the petrified body to revive its life force.
Most likely, the ‘low-frequency therapy device’ has a similar ability.
By moving the muscles through low-frequency waves, it ‘awakens the inside of the body.’
That’s probably how it cancels petrification.
“Well, it hasn’t been tested on living creatures yet, so we don’t know if it works.”
I’ll try experimenting on a magical beast when I have the time.
Until then, it’s just a weapon.
“But how do you fight a ‘Hard Creature’ with this?”
“This can activate an incredible lightning spell when the output is increased. If you wrap it around a magical beast’s body, it should be pretty powerful.”
“That’s amazing! With that, we can defeat a ‘Hard Creature’!”
“Yeah. But I don’t think that’s the same kind of fighting as with a ‘high-vibration blade’…”
If it were simply a lightning-based spell, they wouldn’t have gone out of their way to write ‘high-vibration.’
So maybe ‘low-frequency’ really has nothing to do with ‘high-vibration.’
Items from the Hero World are really deep.
“I think this is a defensive item.”
Suddenly, Agnis murmured.
“If you wrap this around your body, it makes your muscles twitch, right? Then if you wrap it around a magical beast and send in low-frequency waves…”
“The magical beast’s body will jolt, and it won’t be able to attack?”
“That’s what Agnis thinks.”
She has a point.
Even the ‘Magical Beast Gargarossa’ had muscles beneath its skin.
If you wrapped a ‘low-frequency belt’ around its body and activated it, its body would start convulsing—jerking involuntarily.
Since its body would move regardless of its will, there’s no way it could launch an attack.
“If a magical beast is hit with low-frequency waves, its body would keep twitching. In other words, its body would continue to vibrate…”
“So it’s basically a weapon that ‘induces high-frequency vibrations in magical beasts’…”
“Y-Yes. But I might be wrong…”
“No, that’s very helpful.”
If you want to capture your opponent, use low-frequency mode to paralyze their movement.
If you want to defeat them, increase the output and pour in lightning magic for an extended period.
Maybe the ‘low-frequency belt’ works by making the magical beast’s body ‘vibrate’ like that.
I’ll write a report on the ‘Vibration Wood Hammer’ and the ‘Low-Frequency Belt.’
If I show it to Rukie and Kelve-san, I might get some good feedback.
“—Well then, that’s the end of today’s research into the other world.”
I clapped my hands, pon.
“Sorry for the interruption. Let’s get back to cooking.”
“Y-Yes, Thor-sama.”
“R-Right. The soup was halfway done.”
After that, we continued cooking side by side.
The potatoes for the salad had been mashed extremely finely.
That’s the power of the ‘Vibration Wood Hammer’ for you.
“…Come to think of it, we still have some potatoes left.”
Mabel murmured quietly.
“We also have milk. Since we have the chance, why not make potato soup? Normally you’d boil them until they fall apart, but… if we mash them first and add them to the soup, simmering them until they’re soft and creamy, it could be delicious.”
“Mabel, you want to use the ‘Vibration Wood Hammer,’ don’t you?”
“You can tell, Thor-sama?”
“Of course I can. It’s you, after all.”
“…I see.”
Mabel looked slightly embarrassed.
Agnes quickly started a fire and began boiling more potatoes.
Once they were nicely cooked, she took them out… Wait, huh? Am I not supposed to help? Is it because it’s dangerous and I might get burned? I see.
After transferring the potatoes to a bowl, it was time for the “Vibration Wood Hammer” to shine.
Clatter Clatter Clatter Clatter Clatter Clatter…
The “Vibration Wood Hammer” shook the kitchen table.
In sync with that, Mabel’s body trembled slightly as well.
“S-s-so amaaazing. The potatoes are getting mashed right before my eeeyes.”
Because of the vibration, Mabel’s voice came out strangely.
Agnes moved behind Mabel and placed her hands on Mabel’s shoulders.
She seemed curious about what the vibration felt like.
“Ahh ahh ahh, y-y-yes. Th-the vi-bra-tion is ma-making my voice sound weeeird.”
“It’s s-s-o fu-n-nyyy.”
“If you loosen your grip a little on the hammer’s handle, it’ll help. If you squeeze it tightly, the vibrations go straight through.”
“N-no, this iiis f-i-i-ne like thiiis, it’s f-u-u-n.”
“I s-s-ee-e-e.”
Each time their bodies shook—so did their chests, in tiny little bounces.
I was trying not to pay attention to it… but sometimes my eyes wandered before I knew it.
…For now, I’ll focus on finishing the salad. Yep.
And so, the meal preparations continued—
“““Let’s eat!”””
After a while, the food was ready.
We enjoyed a late breakfast.
The potato salad and soup made with the “Vibration Wood Hammer” were incredibly delicious.
Once we’re back at the Demon King’s castle, I should give this hammer to the chefs.
I’m sure they’ll be happy.
“Meow~”
“Huh? Good morning, Soleil.”
“Good morning to you too, nya.”
Before I knew it, white-cat-mode Soleil was at my feet.
When I greeted her, she pulled back her hood and returned to her fairy form.
It looked like she was using the “Pretend Pajamas” as actual pajamas.
“Would you like to eat with us, Soleil?”
“I’d love to, nya.”
Soleil floated in the air and flew toward the water area.
As she washed her hands and feet, she asked:
“By the way, what will you all be doing after this?”
“I’m waiting to hear back from Rukie-sama. Until then, I thought I’d explore the town of Nosa a bit.”
“If you’d like, I can guide you around, nya?”
Saying that, Soleil plopped herself down on my lap.
“I’ve been to this town many times, nya. I’d be the perfect guide.”
“I see. Then, I’ll take you up on that.”
“Understood, nya.”
“Mabel and Agnis, want to come too?”
“I’m sorry. Agnis has to check in at the garrison.”
Agnis murmured with a hint of regret.
She’s also the captain of the Flame Giant’s subordinate unit.
So she needs to go check on how the squad is doing.
“Oh, but! I’ll catch up with you after I finish my work.”
“Okay, sounds good. What about you, Mabel?”
“Y-yes! I-I will devote my life to guarding Thor-sama—!”
“No need to be that serious, okay?”
Personally, I’d like Mabel to enjoy walking through town.
She’s hardly ever left the Demon Lords domain. This is a good opportunity for her.
With the “Partial Concealment Hairpiece,” she can even pass as a human.
…And, honestly, I want to walk through the town with her too.
“Then let’s walk through the town together. I’ll show you what the human world is like.”
“P-please do, Thor-sama.”
“Yeah.”
I took Mabel’s hand.
And like that, Mabel, Soleil (in white cat mode), and I set out to explore the town of Nosa.