"Dear Gino! Gino!"
Anna, who was looking outside near the door of the entrance hall, saw me and shouted.
In order to let her know that I was safe as soon as possible, I went directly to the house without warning.
Anna must have come in a hurry after receiving the call from the gatekeeper.
She was not her usual graceful self.
She seemed to be in a hurry to get to the entrance hall.
"Anna! Anna!"
Seeing Anna for the first time in two months, I couldn't help but run to her as soon as she got off the carriage.
Running is not the behavior of a nobleman, but since we are outside, not in the entrance hall, it is still a minor breach of etiquette.
I hugged Anna.
"I'm so glad you're okay..."
Anna was crying in my arms, trying not to make a sound.
For once, the Duke doesn't say anything.
I was also filled with love for Anna.
The warmth of Anna's thin, soft body makes me feel happy.
Peddling in this world is a deadly business.
Perhaps demons are the descendants of fighting beasts created to kill people.
Even if the peddler is careful not to be spotted by the demon, when the demon finds a trace of a person, it will follow it and attack the person.
It is difficult to avoid encountering demons in the vicinity of their habitat because they take a lot of effort to track you.
Knights regularly kill demons, and adventurers also hunt demons.
The area around the royal capital, where demons have been defeated, is not so dangerous, but the outlying areas, where demons have been defeated more slowly, are still full of demons and are more dangerous.
The reason why Anna is crying is because I left the capital to go to the frontier to do business.
Demons, which have a habit of following and attacking people when they find traces of people, appear not only in the mountains where they live, but also in the plains following traces of people.
Therefore, people are forced to live within the high city walls that surround the city.
There are no bandits or thieves outside the city.
Living outside the city is like becoming food for the demons themselves.
Even around King's Landing, it is dangerous to go outside the city walls, but the frontier is even more dangerous.
He must have thought that I might not come back because of the high risk of death.
In fact, when a peddler goes to the frontier to do business, there is a good chance that he will die.
That's why I came directly to the House of Seventh Worth, rather than returning to the Barbarians or the Chamber of Commerce to show my face and give them a heads up.
◆◆◆◆◆
This is what I have for you this time."
Anna and I are sitting in the reception room, facing the Duke and my mother-in-law (ha ha).
We have been paid off, so the four of us are the only ones in the room now.
When the servants have left and we are alone, I put the souvenirs on the table.
What's this? What's this? What's this?"
"Hmm. What's this about? Hmm.
My mother-in-law takes the anklet, and the Duke takes the bracelet, and asks me, gazing at them.
"It's the Relic Charm."
"What? What? What?
"Oh my! Oh!
What the fuck? What? What?"
The duke, the mother-in-law, and Anna all shouted in surprise.
Sometimes you can find things that were made during the time of prehistoric civilizations.
These are called 'relics'.
But most of them don't work.
Of course not.
It's been 20,000 years, so the product's warranty period has long passed.
Even if the preservation magic has not expired and the product is undamaged, most products are based on the infrastructure of a previous life.
You can't use an electrical outlet without a magical power supply, and you can't talk on a smartphone without a magical base station.
However, in very rare cases, things that can be used in this world are discovered.
These are called 'relic magic tools', as distinguished from 'relics'.
Unlike "relics," which are useless and have only antique value, "relic magic tools" are very expensive.
Most of the existing "relic grimoires" are owned by the royal families and powerful noble families.
Most of the national treasures and prized items are relic magical items.
However, in my previous life, I was an engineer who made 'relic grimoires'.
I can make any number of things I've been involved with in my work.
So, what's the use? What's it for?"
I get up and stand a short distance away.
I'll start explaining.
"I'll start with the gift for the Duke.
This bangle, when worn like this, twists this gem."
As I demonstrate this, I hear a hard metallic sound and a ward unfolds around me.
I am enveloped in a thin film of light.
The wards are in place.
A bow or a little magic won't hurt you.
Even if a few knights slash at you, your sword won't reach them."
The duke and his family all had their mouths hanging open, but I continued my explanation.
The bracelet is for defense, but this dagger is for attack.
Press the jewel on the hilt and say, 'Dagger. Protect me."
As I say this while demonstrating, the dagger softly leaves my hand and floats in the air.
"Duke. "Duke, could you throw something at it for me? "Oh.
"Ah, yes."
The dagger floats in the air, leaving my hand.
The dagger, which was floating, moved quickly and knocked the baked goods away.
It moves automatically like this.
The command is 'defend', so it only defends, but it can also attack the enemy if you command it with an offensive command.
I won't demonstrate it now because it's dangerous."
I will continue to explain the other items.
Next is an anklet with an automatic defense function.
When worn, the anklet automatically generates a sensing membrane, measures objects and magic that enter within the range of the membrane, and if it predicts an impact above a certain level, it puts a protective membrane on the surface of the body.
If you are hit by surprise, you may not be able to deploy the warding in time.
This is a countermeasure for surprise attacks that fills in the shortcomings of ward items.
It is a direct adaptation of the technology used in the golem's collision safety device.
The pendant is an antidote.
When activated, it automatically diagnoses the poison and automatically activates the corresponding antidote magic.
I made it based on a product that was commercially available in a previous life.
The product I made in my previous life was an outdoor item, used to treat snake bites and insect stings.
In the crystal ball recovered from the university library this time, I found a large amount of poison diagnosis magic and antidote magic.
I was able to retrieve some of the dictionaries on detoxification quite early on.
This pendant incorporates the newly learned antidote spell.
This is the most time-consuming souvenir of this trip, and I am very proud of it.
As you can see, I cannot drink the poison, so I will only explain it verbally.
I will go on to explain the souvenirs for Anna and my mother-in-law (ha-ue).
The anklet is designed for women and has the same automatic protection.
The same goes for the dagger.
There is no difference in function except for the design for women.
The detoxification item is a brooch, not a pendant, because it is designed for women.
In fact, I wanted to make it into a ring that could be worn at all times, but I couldn't make it that small.
I had no choice but to make it a brooch.
As for the warding item, I made it a hair ornament because it is for women.
They are designed to be worn with other hair ornaments, and are simple enough to match the hair color of each person.
Of course, all of them were made by myself, except for the antidote item, which was made using the technology of the security golem.
After the explanation, all three of them were stunned.
"...Amazing.
They're all national treasures."
The mother-in-law, who was the first to recover, said.
"Hmm. I can't take these, of course."
"Please don't say that. Please take it.
To me, you are the treasure.
Please, please, please."
I bowed my head on my knees.
This is the greatest form of begging, the equivalent of getting down on your knees in a previous life.
But if you present even one of these to the royal family, you will be knighted.
Are you going to wipe out that honor? The Duke asks me.
The duke asks me.
The Duke asks me, "It's not a noble idea, but my family is far more important to me than titles and honors.
I don't want to see Anna grieving if something happens to the two of you.
I reply to the duke.
"We are not the only family you have, are we?
What about the Adorniers and the Barbariers? What about my mother-in-law?
My mother-in-law asks.
I knew I could trust her because she was still thinking about my situation even with a national treasure in front of her eyes.
It's no problem.
We have enough for everyone in the Adorni and Barbarie families.
What the hell? What? What?
"What? What? What?"
All three of us shouted in surprise.
Anna quietly got up from her seat and came to stand beside me on her knees.
Then sit back and make sure your eyes are level with mine.
"Mr. Gino.
Are you sure this time you were peddling? It was.
I can't stand the thoughtful look in Anna's eyes, and I look away.
You're not, are you?
You went to an unexcavated site, didn't you? Anna says.
Anna says.
In the middle of her words, Anna's eyes, which were staring into mine, began to moisten and she began to shed tears.
"Why? Why?
Why are you doing such a dangerous thing? Why? Why are you doing such a dangerous thing?
Anna grabbed my clothes around my shoulders, shook my shoulders, and cried out in protest.
Undiscovered ruins are synonymous with riches.
Even a farmer's third son can be knighted and become the head of a noble family if he finds a national treasure, a relic of magic.
However, there are still many ruins that are known to exist but have not been excavated.
The reason why the location of the treasure is known but remains unexcavated is because it is an extremely dangerous place.
The unexcavated ruins are the places where battle beasts that use long-distance attack magic are sitting or where there are many battle beasts that use body-enhancing magic.
They are unexcavated because no one has succeeded in defeating them yet, as the knights and adventurer clans have repeatedly challenged them and been annihilated.
No one has succeeded in defeating it yet, and that is why it is unexcavated. Going to unexcavated ruins is no different from committing suicide, because you will almost certainly lose your life.
That is why Anna cried.
I was so filled with guilt that I lost the will to continue spouting the lie that I went peddling.
"Well, I'm sorry.
There was something I really wanted to give to Anna, but I got word that it was in the ruins.
I don't need anything like that!
I'm not sure what to do with it.
If anything happens to Gino-sama I...I...I..."
Anna's words were choked with tears and she could only sob as she put her face on my kneeling shoulder.
I'm sorry...
I promise I won't do anything dangerous ever again."
I said and hugged her.
But I'm not giving up.
The book said that if chronic magical circulatory failure is not treated, it tends to lead to visceral diseases and shorter lives.
The more severe the disease, the higher the probability of developing visceral diseases, and the faster the disease progresses, according to the book.
The extreme magic overload that Ana is suffering from is an extremely severe form of chronic magic power circulation failure.
The tendency to shorten life should be more pronounced.
What you promised not to do is "dangerous".
"Not dangerous" is fine.
"Oh.
All right, stand up now.
I'll take this.
It'll be your inheritance when we pass away anyway."
said the mother-in-law.
Hmm.
You can have it, but I'll make a condition.
Don't ever do this again.
I won't let you make her cry again.
That's the deal."
The Duke agreed to take the gift.
Thank you, sir."
With that, I stood up and sat Ana down on the couch by her shoulders.
Anna sat beside me for a while, crying.
The three of them didn't ask me what I really wanted to give her.
I guess they have an idea.
The Elixir.
It's a legendary elixir that cures all diseases.
If the legend is true, it should cure Anna's strange disease.
I'm sure the Duke and Duchess have searched for it.
But I think the elixir is a fairy tale.
When I was alive, there was no such thing as a magic potion, you needed a cure and a potion for the disease.
And I believe that the time when I lived and the time when civilization died are not far apart.
This is because the excavated ruins of the Tonkin Capital, Skulltree, and Landmars Tower are in the shape I know.
Civilization would have died out later than when I died, before these structures were rebuilt.
Medical technology would not have advanced enough in such a short time for an elixir to have been invented.
That's what I think.
But I won't correct you if you misunderstand that I'm looking for an elixir.
Because what I'm looking for is a cure for Anna's disease and the effect I'm looking for is not much different from the elixir.
"Hey, honey?
Gino called us his family, didn't he?
Shouldn't he be calling us 'father-in-law' instead of 'duke' like a stranger? "
A few moments after Anna finished crying, her mother-in-law said to the Duke.
"No, no, no!
What if he gets carried away and something happens to Ana's innocence??"
"Oh, Father! Father! Whoa, father!"
Anna's face turned red as she protested, embarrassed that her father was talking about her sexually while her fiancé was next to her.
Anna, who was looking outside near the door of the entrance hall, saw me and shouted.
In order to let her know that I was safe as soon as possible, I went directly to the house without warning.
Anna must have come in a hurry after receiving the call from the gatekeeper.
She was not her usual graceful self.
She seemed to be in a hurry to get to the entrance hall.
"Anna! Anna!"
Seeing Anna for the first time in two months, I couldn't help but run to her as soon as she got off the carriage.
Running is not the behavior of a nobleman, but since we are outside, not in the entrance hall, it is still a minor breach of etiquette.
I hugged Anna.
"I'm so glad you're okay..."
Anna was crying in my arms, trying not to make a sound.
For once, the Duke doesn't say anything.
I was also filled with love for Anna.
The warmth of Anna's thin, soft body makes me feel happy.
Peddling in this world is a deadly business.
Perhaps demons are the descendants of fighting beasts created to kill people.
Even if the peddler is careful not to be spotted by the demon, when the demon finds a trace of a person, it will follow it and attack the person.
It is difficult to avoid encountering demons in the vicinity of their habitat because they take a lot of effort to track you.
Knights regularly kill demons, and adventurers also hunt demons.
The area around the royal capital, where demons have been defeated, is not so dangerous, but the outlying areas, where demons have been defeated more slowly, are still full of demons and are more dangerous.
The reason why Anna is crying is because I left the capital to go to the frontier to do business.
Demons, which have a habit of following and attacking people when they find traces of people, appear not only in the mountains where they live, but also in the plains following traces of people.
Therefore, people are forced to live within the high city walls that surround the city.
There are no bandits or thieves outside the city.
Living outside the city is like becoming food for the demons themselves.
Even around King's Landing, it is dangerous to go outside the city walls, but the frontier is even more dangerous.
He must have thought that I might not come back because of the high risk of death.
In fact, when a peddler goes to the frontier to do business, there is a good chance that he will die.
That's why I came directly to the House of Seventh Worth, rather than returning to the Barbarians or the Chamber of Commerce to show my face and give them a heads up.
◆◆◆◆◆
This is what I have for you this time."
Anna and I are sitting in the reception room, facing the Duke and my mother-in-law (ha ha).
We have been paid off, so the four of us are the only ones in the room now.
When the servants have left and we are alone, I put the souvenirs on the table.
What's this? What's this? What's this?"
"Hmm. What's this about? Hmm.
My mother-in-law takes the anklet, and the Duke takes the bracelet, and asks me, gazing at them.
"It's the Relic Charm."
"What? What? What?
"Oh my! Oh!
What the fuck? What? What?"
The duke, the mother-in-law, and Anna all shouted in surprise.
Sometimes you can find things that were made during the time of prehistoric civilizations.
These are called 'relics'.
But most of them don't work.
Of course not.
It's been 20,000 years, so the product's warranty period has long passed.
Even if the preservation magic has not expired and the product is undamaged, most products are based on the infrastructure of a previous life.
You can't use an electrical outlet without a magical power supply, and you can't talk on a smartphone without a magical base station.
However, in very rare cases, things that can be used in this world are discovered.
These are called 'relic magic tools', as distinguished from 'relics'.
Unlike "relics," which are useless and have only antique value, "relic magic tools" are very expensive.
Most of the existing "relic grimoires" are owned by the royal families and powerful noble families.
Most of the national treasures and prized items are relic magical items.
However, in my previous life, I was an engineer who made 'relic grimoires'.
I can make any number of things I've been involved with in my work.
So, what's the use? What's it for?"
I get up and stand a short distance away.
I'll start explaining.
"I'll start with the gift for the Duke.
This bangle, when worn like this, twists this gem."
As I demonstrate this, I hear a hard metallic sound and a ward unfolds around me.
I am enveloped in a thin film of light.
The wards are in place.
A bow or a little magic won't hurt you.
Even if a few knights slash at you, your sword won't reach them."
The duke and his family all had their mouths hanging open, but I continued my explanation.
The bracelet is for defense, but this dagger is for attack.
Press the jewel on the hilt and say, 'Dagger. Protect me."
As I say this while demonstrating, the dagger softly leaves my hand and floats in the air.
"Duke. "Duke, could you throw something at it for me? "Oh.
"Ah, yes."
The dagger floats in the air, leaving my hand.
The dagger, which was floating, moved quickly and knocked the baked goods away.
It moves automatically like this.
The command is 'defend', so it only defends, but it can also attack the enemy if you command it with an offensive command.
I won't demonstrate it now because it's dangerous."
I will continue to explain the other items.
Next is an anklet with an automatic defense function.
When worn, the anklet automatically generates a sensing membrane, measures objects and magic that enter within the range of the membrane, and if it predicts an impact above a certain level, it puts a protective membrane on the surface of the body.
If you are hit by surprise, you may not be able to deploy the warding in time.
This is a countermeasure for surprise attacks that fills in the shortcomings of ward items.
It is a direct adaptation of the technology used in the golem's collision safety device.
The pendant is an antidote.
When activated, it automatically diagnoses the poison and automatically activates the corresponding antidote magic.
I made it based on a product that was commercially available in a previous life.
The product I made in my previous life was an outdoor item, used to treat snake bites and insect stings.
In the crystal ball recovered from the university library this time, I found a large amount of poison diagnosis magic and antidote magic.
I was able to retrieve some of the dictionaries on detoxification quite early on.
This pendant incorporates the newly learned antidote spell.
This is the most time-consuming souvenir of this trip, and I am very proud of it.
As you can see, I cannot drink the poison, so I will only explain it verbally.
I will go on to explain the souvenirs for Anna and my mother-in-law (ha-ue).
The anklet is designed for women and has the same automatic protection.
The same goes for the dagger.
There is no difference in function except for the design for women.
The detoxification item is a brooch, not a pendant, because it is designed for women.
In fact, I wanted to make it into a ring that could be worn at all times, but I couldn't make it that small.
I had no choice but to make it a brooch.
As for the warding item, I made it a hair ornament because it is for women.
They are designed to be worn with other hair ornaments, and are simple enough to match the hair color of each person.
Of course, all of them were made by myself, except for the antidote item, which was made using the technology of the security golem.
After the explanation, all three of them were stunned.
"...Amazing.
They're all national treasures."
The mother-in-law, who was the first to recover, said.
"Hmm. I can't take these, of course."
"Please don't say that. Please take it.
To me, you are the treasure.
Please, please, please."
I bowed my head on my knees.
This is the greatest form of begging, the equivalent of getting down on your knees in a previous life.
But if you present even one of these to the royal family, you will be knighted.
Are you going to wipe out that honor? The Duke asks me.
The duke asks me.
The Duke asks me, "It's not a noble idea, but my family is far more important to me than titles and honors.
I don't want to see Anna grieving if something happens to the two of you.
I reply to the duke.
"We are not the only family you have, are we?
What about the Adorniers and the Barbariers? What about my mother-in-law?
My mother-in-law asks.
I knew I could trust her because she was still thinking about my situation even with a national treasure in front of her eyes.
It's no problem.
We have enough for everyone in the Adorni and Barbarie families.
What the hell? What? What?
"What? What? What?"
All three of us shouted in surprise.
Anna quietly got up from her seat and came to stand beside me on her knees.
Then sit back and make sure your eyes are level with mine.
"Mr. Gino.
Are you sure this time you were peddling? It was.
I can't stand the thoughtful look in Anna's eyes, and I look away.
You're not, are you?
You went to an unexcavated site, didn't you? Anna says.
Anna says.
In the middle of her words, Anna's eyes, which were staring into mine, began to moisten and she began to shed tears.
"Why? Why?
Why are you doing such a dangerous thing? Why? Why are you doing such a dangerous thing?
Anna grabbed my clothes around my shoulders, shook my shoulders, and cried out in protest.
Undiscovered ruins are synonymous with riches.
Even a farmer's third son can be knighted and become the head of a noble family if he finds a national treasure, a relic of magic.
However, there are still many ruins that are known to exist but have not been excavated.
The reason why the location of the treasure is known but remains unexcavated is because it is an extremely dangerous place.
The unexcavated ruins are the places where battle beasts that use long-distance attack magic are sitting or where there are many battle beasts that use body-enhancing magic.
They are unexcavated because no one has succeeded in defeating them yet, as the knights and adventurer clans have repeatedly challenged them and been annihilated.
No one has succeeded in defeating it yet, and that is why it is unexcavated. Going to unexcavated ruins is no different from committing suicide, because you will almost certainly lose your life.
That is why Anna cried.
I was so filled with guilt that I lost the will to continue spouting the lie that I went peddling.
"Well, I'm sorry.
There was something I really wanted to give to Anna, but I got word that it was in the ruins.
I don't need anything like that!
I'm not sure what to do with it.
If anything happens to Gino-sama I...I...I..."
Anna's words were choked with tears and she could only sob as she put her face on my kneeling shoulder.
I'm sorry...
I promise I won't do anything dangerous ever again."
I said and hugged her.
But I'm not giving up.
The book said that if chronic magical circulatory failure is not treated, it tends to lead to visceral diseases and shorter lives.
The more severe the disease, the higher the probability of developing visceral diseases, and the faster the disease progresses, according to the book.
The extreme magic overload that Ana is suffering from is an extremely severe form of chronic magic power circulation failure.
The tendency to shorten life should be more pronounced.
What you promised not to do is "dangerous".
"Not dangerous" is fine.
"Oh.
All right, stand up now.
I'll take this.
It'll be your inheritance when we pass away anyway."
said the mother-in-law.
Hmm.
You can have it, but I'll make a condition.
Don't ever do this again.
I won't let you make her cry again.
That's the deal."
The Duke agreed to take the gift.
Thank you, sir."
With that, I stood up and sat Ana down on the couch by her shoulders.
Anna sat beside me for a while, crying.
The three of them didn't ask me what I really wanted to give her.
I guess they have an idea.
The Elixir.
It's a legendary elixir that cures all diseases.
If the legend is true, it should cure Anna's strange disease.
I'm sure the Duke and Duchess have searched for it.
But I think the elixir is a fairy tale.
When I was alive, there was no such thing as a magic potion, you needed a cure and a potion for the disease.
And I believe that the time when I lived and the time when civilization died are not far apart.
This is because the excavated ruins of the Tonkin Capital, Skulltree, and Landmars Tower are in the shape I know.
Civilization would have died out later than when I died, before these structures were rebuilt.
Medical technology would not have advanced enough in such a short time for an elixir to have been invented.
That's what I think.
But I won't correct you if you misunderstand that I'm looking for an elixir.
Because what I'm looking for is a cure for Anna's disease and the effect I'm looking for is not much different from the elixir.
"Hey, honey?
Gino called us his family, didn't he?
Shouldn't he be calling us 'father-in-law' instead of 'duke' like a stranger? "
A few moments after Anna finished crying, her mother-in-law said to the Duke.
"No, no, no!
What if he gets carried away and something happens to Ana's innocence??"
"Oh, Father! Father! Whoa, father!"
Anna's face turned red as she protested, embarrassed that her father was talking about her sexually while her fiancé was next to her.