Introductions

The Debt Hero Wataru arrived.

As promised, I decided to introduce Nayuta to Wataru. He came by as usual, and I set things up normally. No problems at all.

"P-pleased to meet you! M-my name is Nayuta!"

"I'm Setsuna～"

"Nice to meet you. I'm Wataru Nishimi, the empire's Hero."

And so, Nayuta and Setsuna were seated across from Wataru and me at a four-person table in the dining hall. It wasn't mealtime, so there were no other guests around.

"Let's see, I heard a bit from Kehma-san, but you two are from Wakoku?"

"Y-yes. And so, there are many things I'd like to ask you as a Hero, Wataru-san! Um, we'll pay for the information, so—"

"It's fine. Instead, I'd like to ask you about Wakoku in exchange, so let's call it even."

And by sitting in with them, I'd be getting information on the side as well… Well, I didn't really need to be here. I just realized that if the conversation turned to me, I'd need to stop it before things got out of hand.

"So, does Wakoku have cherry blossoms?"

"Yes, it does. They're the pink flowers that bloom on trees in spring."

"Ah, so they do bloom in spring after all. Then maybe spring would be the better time to visit… well, I don't have the luxury to put off work like that until my debt is paid off."

"Debt?"

"Yeah, about two thousand gold coins… I'm paying it off in installments, yeah…"

"By the way, if you were to become Wakoku's Hero, we could cover that loan…"

"I owe Haku-san too much… she's still introducing me to work and I'm steadily building up my good standing."

"So it's true that Heroes are duty-bound…"

Nayuta let out a sigh. Setsuna didn't seem to quite understand, as she was just smiling.

"Hey hey, wanna have a mock battle later? I'm suuuper interested in strong people."

"Haha, sure, later. By the way, what else does Wakoku have?"

"Um, there's miso and soy sauce."

"Eating raw fish was a bit scary, but the sashimi was really good."

"Ooh… as expected of Wakoku. Is there sake too?"

"We don't have ginjo, but there's shochu. Since it doesn't use rice, it can't technically be called Japanese sake—more like Wakoku sake… ah, but I heard rice was discovered recently. That's actually why we came to the Raverio Empire—to investigate it. Apparently growing it isn't hard as long as you have the rice itself to start with."

"Eh? Rice isn't in Wakoku?"

Ah, crap. Come to think of it, I'd said it was there, hadn't I…

"Hey, wasn't there something more important you wanted to ask the Hero—"

"From what we heard, our employer managed to obtain a very small amount that was discovered in the Raverio Empire through connections. Unfortunately, it was pre-processed, but when it was presented to the Mikado—ah, the Mikado is the most important person in Wakoku, a descendant of the Hero who founded Wakoku."

I tried to casually interrupt but failed completely. Nayuta wasn't paying any attention to me at all, oi.

"Mikado… I see, Mikado (Emperor), huh. So Wakoku was a country established by a Japanese person… that's why it's named Wakoku…"

"And when the rice was presented to the Mikado, he confirmed it was unmistakably the real thing. Reproducing Japan is Wakoku's ultimate goal. An edict was issued to investigate the area where it was produced and obtain seeds. Ah, that's a state secret."

"Haah, I see. So, about that rice… ah, is it okay for me to ask about this?"

"We're supposed to keep it secret… but in reality, we're seeking any bit of information we can get, so spreading the word is fine."

Is that really okay for a state secret? I wanted to tilt my head in confusion.

"Then about that rice—"

"Hey, Wataru. A Hero from so long ago that he was able to build a country—wouldn't that be a clue for your goal of returning to Japan?"

I promptly interrupted. Come to think of it, rice hasn't been showing up in the set meals lately, not even in the A set. We still have a lot of the wheat we bought to get through winter, so we've been using that. Thanks to that, Nayuta probably hasn't realized this inn used to serve rice. If she'd noticed, she definitely would have asked about it.

"Eh? Ah, you didn't know, Kehma-san? Hero summoning crosses through time. The Food God, Hero Ishidaka-san, was someone from roughly the same era as me judging by the food culture he spread, so the flow of time here must be different."

Eh, really? I feel like I just heard something pretty significant for the first time.

"More importantly, it's about the rice, Kehma-san! Apparently there's no rice in Wakoku!? Hey Kehma-san, I need to ask you about—"

"Alright, hold up. Sorry, but I need to borrow Wataru for a moment. Come on."

"Eh, w-what is it, Kehma-san?"

I pulled Wataru away from his seat. I pretended not to notice Nayuta glaring at me for getting in her way.

"Keep quiet about you and me being the ones who brought rice to the empire, got it?"

"Eh, but… the people of Wakoku really want rice, don't they? Let's share it with them."

"Idiot, that's exactly why. That's why we can sell it for more. Supply and demand—it's basic merchant sense. If I take a loss because of your careless remarks, I'll add to your debt. Be prepared to pay a hundred gold a month until you die if you say anything… got it?"

"Uuu, the heck, man… Why is my weakness (money) being exploited even though I'm a Hero… but then, Kehma-san, where did you get the rice from?"

"You think I'd tell you with that loose mouth of yours? Hmm?"

"Yeah, I understand. I'll keep quiet."

After settling things with Wataru, we returned to our seats together. Sitting in was definitely the right call after all.

"… Even if you're looking for rice, I can't help at all. Maaan, that's too bad."

"Village Chief-san? Just what did you…"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Now, you had something you wanted to ask the Hero, right? Go ahead."

"Um, well, excuse my rudeness, but please take a look at this."

With a clank, Nayuta placed her handmade revolver on the table. I thought she might threaten him like she did with me, but since she already knew he was Japanese, I guess there was no need.

"Hm? It looks like a gun… but what is this?"

"I'm trying to reproduce a weapon from the world of Heroes. I'd like your opinion on it."

"… I see, so you're trying to reproduce guns. What for?"

"My hobby!"

"Your hobby, huh…"

Hobby was a troublesome answer. So I decided to interrupt.

"By the way, Wataru. About guns—apparently the only information recorded about them is their appearance and the principle that they propel bullets through explosions. The crucial method of creating the explosion itself isn't understood… I wonder why the Hero of that time left such incomplete records?"

"… Ah—that's right, he was concerned that guns would destroy the culture, so he only left information on how to defend against them without actually being able to make them…!? Kuh, so considering that, I… can't say anything more about guns! Sorry, Nayuta-san…"

"Ah, no, um… yeah, hey, Village Chief-san? Could you please leave if you're just going to get in the way?"

This blonde dog-eared girl just called me a hindrance.

"I'm the one making introductions here. What would you do without me?"

"I could actually get information from him, couldn't I!?"

"Wataru, if you're going to have that mock battle with Setsuna, want to use the backyard?"

"Hero-san, let's fight! Fight!"

When I brought up the mock battle with Wataru while pointedly ignoring Nayuta, Setsuna took the bait as planned.

"Ah, yeah. That's fine with me. I wasn't able to give much useful information anyway."

Wataru answered while sneaking glances at Setsuna's bouncing chest.

But that girl doesn't just have the top part. She's got something down below too.

I didn't say it though.

"… You seem to be enjoying yourself, huh～?"

Nerune roughly set her wooden cup down on the table with a bang. A little water spilled onto the table… come to think of it, today was Nerune's shift as waitress, wasn't it?

"Eh, ah, no! That's not it, Nerune-san!"

"What's not it～? Fufu～, you don't need to worry about me though～?"

"Are you mad? You're mad, aren't you!"

"Hero-sama～, do you like them big～?"

"No, that's not it—"

… Huh? Nerune's reacting like she's jealous or something. When did you two get into that kind of relationship?

Nerune averted her eyes for a moment. Following her gaze, there was Rei with a triumphant look, giving a thumbs up.

So that's what it was? The way she slammed the cup on the table just now was at Rei's suggestion. An act.

"Oi, Wataru. You confessed to Rokuko and got rejected, and now you're making moves on our girl? You've got some nerve, oi."

"Eh, no, I just got a bit excited discussing magic, I haven't done anything wrong yet—"

"… Yet? So you were planning to do something later…? Guest-saaaan? That's troublesome, we're not that kind of inn though?"

"Th-th-th-that's not what I meant! I've just been talking about magic with Nerune-san—!"

"Yes, there's nothing going on～. I'm only interested in the magic Hero-sama knows～. Nothing more, nothing less～."

Ah, those are Nerune's true feelings. As the Dungeon Master, I can vaguely tell, but that's genuinely what she thinks. This girl is seriously only interested in magic. She's not called an Apprentice Witch as her monster type for nothing.

And so, after various things, it was decided that he would bring her some magic scrolls as a gift next time.

Well done.

I gave Rei a thumbs up in praise.