Published: December 20th 2024, 7:53:15 am
A magnificent class change.
I managed to distinguish Geraldin-san from the others. After investigating the Fake-rin and the others, I found that they operated by consuming magic power. They were more akin to spirits, and as long as they had a source to replenish their magic, they could function semi-permanently.
"What will you do, Pochi?"
"… Huh?"
"If left alone, they'll eventually disappear. Since you're their creator, the decision is yours."
"...… Eh."
"Ky~uun…"
“"Stare~”"
"Rosarin…"
The fakes stared intently at Pochi. Among them, the Fake-rin moved, gesturing desperately to convey something to Pochi.
"Rosarin! Rosarin! Rosarin!!"
But please, stop repeatedly calling my name.
"Um…"
And I had no idea what they were saying.
"The failure says it doesn’t mind being erased, but it asks not to erase the others, as they are its master’s masterpieces.”
Valkyrie translated for me. What a devoted Fake-rin! It seemed accurate since the Fake-rin nodded in agreement.
"... I, too, humbly ask. They were created to serve you. I can understand their wish to stay by your side.”
Valkyrie bowed as well.
"My Lord…"
"”Oniichan…””
"… A-Alright. Rosarin Oneechan, what should I do?"
"Hmm? Just use some suitable magic stones as their core."
"... Beastkin child, give me one of your drawings."
"Huh? Okay."
Pochi obediently handed over a drawing, which the Dungeon Master examined with delight. I wanted one too—for decoration in my room. Would they give me one?
"This is a fine drawing. Worthy of my collection. Humans trade with money, but I have none. Would this suffice as compensation? It should be suitable as their core."
The Dungeon Master handed Pochi four magic stones—or rather, magic crystal stones. They resembled small crystals, about the size of a thumbnail, but their magic power was equivalent to SSS-rank magic stones.
The Sage looked envious, indicating they were quite rare.
"… Are you sure?"
"I like this drawing. It’s fine."
"… May I visit again?"
"Yes, come play again."
Pochi and the Dungeon Master seemed to have become fast friends.
"Everyone, come here."
"Umu."
"”Okay~”"
The fake Geraldin-san, fake Lucius, and fake Lucille were absorbed into the magic crystal stones and vanished. The stones gained colors once they entered.
However, the Fake-rin hesitated. After some thought, it shook its head.
"Rosarin, Rosarin…"
"It says, 'Since I’m a failure, I will disappear like this.'"
"Fake-rin…"
Is that name fixed? I wanted to ask but refrained.
"You're not a failure. True, the result was unexpected, but you are who you are. You're just different from the original. You're not a failure. I'm sorry for making you feel sad. Will you stay with me?"
The Fake-rin smiled softly and entered the magic crystal stone. I inscribed a technique to absorb Pochi’s surplus magic power into the stone and set it into Tsuyoshi to prevent it from being lost.
Mary, intrigued by the magic crystal stone, asked:
"Hey, hey, can Pochi summon the Fake-rin and others with this?"
"Yes."
"Like calling Jend’s Papa when needed? That’s amazing~"
"… Yeah, it is."
It's certainly amazing... Their fighting power is on par with the originals... And unlike the originals, they're usually inside the magic crystal, so they probably won't do anything strange. That's super convenient, isn’t it!?
“Lucius, Lucille, Fake-rin, Jend’s Papa… Pochi, you are the strongest!”
(............)
Everyone except Mary froze.
"Y-You're right! You've changed class from a villager (artist) to the world's strongest summoner!"
“... Eh? What’s that?”
Pochi’s expression visibly twitched.
"It's true... You've conquered the most difficult Cold Ruins... I don't think there are many people who can beat your paintings..."
When you think about it, it's a pretty impressive force. Even the fake Geraldin-san is super strong. On top of that, there's the twins who specialize in magic, and the Fake-rin. The combat power of the Fake-rin is unknown, but it's impressive that it was able to move through the Cold Ruins while protecting Pochi.
"...... Uh?"
Pochi was in tears. The key to life is to give up, Potch.
"Welcome to the Absurd Individuals Club!"
With a smooth pose, Rinka showed off her foolishness.
"Wait! What’s this club?"
"Eh~ it’s our club, of course. The members being Geraldin-san, Rosarin, Dirk… everyone’s a comrade!"
"Stop! Don’t include me! Exclude me!"
"What’s the leader of the extraordinary talking about?"
The Sage, apparently exasperated, made a rude comment. Who's the leader? I strongly object! I’ll file a complaint and win!
"You perverse old man! How dare you! I'll send scandalous underwear to your wife! Regret this, haha!"
"Don’t make such precise threats!"
"You’re enjoying this, aren’t you? The other day, your wife vividly described your bed—"
"Stop, stop, stop! I apologize! Rosarin isn’t the leader!"
The perverted Sage desperately covered my mouth. There’s no way you can out-talk me!
"That’s right~ Oneechan isn’t the leader; she’s in a category of her own. She’s beyond the top, outside any framework."
Mary proudly declared, completely oblivious to the chaos she caused.
"Pffft!"
"Pff!"
"Guh!"
"Argh!"
The group collectively spasmed. What an unintentional bomb! I collapsed as well.
"Mary!?"
"What? Everyone says Oneechan is in the 'Category Rosarin.'"
(…………………)
Everyone averted their eyes simultaneously. That was their answer. Though I sulked greatly, Dirk pampered me a bit, and I quickly recovered. After all, I’m weak to Dirk's attention.
----------
There are things in this world that you’re better off not knowing.
For now, we’ve escaped from the Cold Ruins. Oh, and I made sure to close the emergency exit. Thanks to a special teleportation item gifted by the Dungeon Master, we can now travel directly from the entrance of the ruins to the Dungeon Master’s room.
“Um, you’re Pochi, right?”
Unusually, the Sage struck up a conversation with Pochi.
“Yes.”
“Take good care of that.”
The Sage pointed at the magic crystal.
“Of course.”
“Good. That one piece alone is worth enough to buy the Christia Castle, so make sure it doesn’t get stolen.”
Pochi’s tail puffed up dramatically, and the hand holding Tsuyoshi started trembling slightly.
“You’re joking, right?”
“Nope. In fact… Christia Castle might not even cover it.”
“Nooooooooo!!”
Pochi burst into tears. Was the item really that expensive? I had a bit of a suspicion, though.
“Return it… No, but Fake-rin and the others are inside… Noooo!! What do I do, what should I do… I’m too scared to carry it around…!”
“Oh, so you didn’t know when you accepted it?”
“This is clearly excessive compensation…!”
“Well, I wanted one of Pochi’s drawings, too. And honestly, Pochi’s probably the only artist who could reach that Dungeon Master, not panic, and paint something so incredible…”
Everyone except Pochi nodded in agreement. Ordinary painters wouldn’t even make it to the Dungeon Master.
“Exactly. Even if you could reach the Dungeon Master, the first thought wouldn’t be to paint—it’d be to fight.”
Jend agreed. Who else would head to the deepest part of a last dungeon just to paint?
“In other words, welcome to the ‘Absurd Individuals Club’!”
““We’re over that already!””
Jend and I retorted in unison.
For a while, Pochi was trembling like a newborn fawn—not a puppy—but he seemed to switch gears eventually. He decided to repay the excess compensation bit by bit. Our Pochi is a responsible, honest boy.
He even finished an exquisite drawing of the Dungeon Master for me. It came with a handmade frame. Apparently, he gave a frame to the Dungeon Master as well, who was so delighted they tried to gift him more treasures. Pochi politely declined.
The painting now hangs in our living room. When I suggested valuing it the same as the Dungeon Master’s, I got severely scolded. In the end, Pochi insisted and gifted it to me.
One day, while having tea with Dirk and the Sage, Dirk murmured something.
“The world is well-balanced, isn’t it?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“You, Pochi, and Rinka—individuals who could potentially conquer the world are all uninterested in doing so.”
I mean, sure, I could do it if I wanted, but I wouldn’t. It’d be troublesome and impossible without bloodshed.
Pochi… I guess he might be able to if he made full use of those magic tools?
Rinka… she could probably do it if she summoned a god.
“No, I’m actually quite greedy. It’s just that I don’t see any point in doing it, and it’d be too much trouble.”
I said this with a straight face.
“You say it’d be too much trouble, but you don’t even want to conquer the world, right? You don’t want to own or govern it, and you don’t want to dominate the weak through power. Even if you had the power to destroy the world, you wouldn’t use it, would you?”
I don’t understand. Isn’t that obvious?
“World domination sounds like a pain. Even managing the Burton territory is a bit overwhelming; why would I want more land? The weak should be protected, not oppressed. What’s the point of destroying the world?”
Dirk chuckled wryly.
“Well, peaceful thinking is better than the alternative.”
I kind of get what he means. After all, I don’t exactly lack the desire to knock down those who ridicule Dirk just because he’s a beastman. However, doing so would make me a deplorable person. People have their circumstances, so I’ve chosen to find solutions that don’t rely on brute force, even if they’re harder.
“See, I’m a half-laid-back, opportunistic Japanese at heart. I wouldn’t do anything unnecessary like that.”
“Right. Rosarin, Rinka, and Pochi just want a peaceful life. Maybe the gods planned it that way. Especially Pochi… He could mass-produce Geraldines…”
Mass-produce that troublesome old man? And summon him only when needed… No, he’d be drawn before he could be stopped… No, wait, Fake-rin and the others would buy time. Even now, I can only win against Geraldin-san one out of three times.
The theory of Pochi being the strongest quietly emerged at that moment.
And yet, the strongest man in the world is still holed up in his atelier, creating art today.
“Look! I made the Dungeon Master!”
“Look! I painted a beautiful landscape I saw the other day!”
The Cold Ruins, the hardest final dungeon.
It seems it won’t be long before the Dungeon Master’s room becomes the venue for Pochi’s solo exhibition.
The artist who unknowingly became the strongest man in the world continues to live a peaceful life today.
----------
Pochi’s material hunt.
Pochi’s Point of View
Despite the commotion, I managed to visit the beautiful places around the world as planned. As a result, the draft for the stained glass was completed. Now all that’s left is to find the materials and create it.
With that in mind, I decided to have Suigetsu-san, who has evolved, translate for Crys-kun, the Crystal Rabbit. Normally, Mofumaru would handle translations, but since he has a surprisingly cunning side, Kou suggested Suigetsu-san for the job. Strange, considering how white and innocent Mofumaru looks.
Stained glass is usually made with regular glass, but I wanted to create something extraordinary this time. Crys-kun nodded enthusiastically, expressing his willingness to help.
“Pyu, pyuuui!”
“He says there’s a lot of that in his homeland.”
“Pyuu, pyupyu!”
“Colored glass can be melted with high heat. The colors also blend.”
“... Crys-kun, where exactly is your homeland?”
“”……………………””
Apparently, he doesn’t know. Thinking about it, Crys-kun was kidnapped and brought here, wasn’t he? In that case, maybe someone else could tell us.
And so, I went to the Adventurers’ Guild! Surely they’d know where creatures like Crys-kun live. According to him, their primary food source includes something akin to high-temperature-meltable colored glass. While Crys-kun and his kind also eat meat and vegetables, their homeland is free of predators, and this material is a moderately tasty delicacy for them.
In other words, I needed to inquire about caves where crystal materials could be harvested and that were relatively free of monsters.
“Oh? Isn’t this Rosarin’s…”
“I’m Pochi. Hello.”
It was lucky to run into the veteran adventurers known as the Free Wind. I know them well—they often played with me when I was little. They’re trustworthy adults. The one who spoke was Sole-san, the leader. He’s always friendly and approachable. After explaining the situation, he gave me several candidate locations.
“What’s going on, Sole?”
Mirula-san appeared. I greeted him, and he ruffled my head with his big hand. Mirula-san always makes sure to be gentle when patting me.
“Oh my, Pochi-kun?”
“It’s been a while.”
Sugar-san and Binet-san also arrived. The entire Free Wind crew was here.
“Hey, Binet! How did it go?”
“No noteworthy requests today.”
Even more reason to seize the opportunity!
“Umm, could you accept a personal request from me?!”
I explained my situation in detail.
“Isn’t this something anyone could handle? Like the Protectors of the Amethyst?”
Mirula-san tilted his head, puzzled. But that wasn’t what I wanted.
“No, this is a request I want to entrust to you. I want this project to be my greatest masterpiece! That’s why I can’t make any compromises! The Protectors of the Amethyst are my friends, so I might end up relying on them too much… and that wouldn’t do!”
“… I see.”
Binet-san nodded in understanding.
“Besides, the Free Wind is a group of trustworthy adults. You don’t belittle or look down on me just because I’m a beastman. Adventurers like you are rare!”
Thanks to Rosarin Oneechan, overt discrimination against beastmen has drastically decreased. Even so, it still exists. Naturally, I’d want to entrust my life to reliable adventurers.
“Here, this is all my savings! Please, won’t you accept my request?!”
“Hey, after being told all that, how could we possibly refuse?”
“Exactly.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m a woman, but not accepting isn’t an option here.”
“Thank you so much!”
Everyone nodded with smiles. I handed the money to Mirula-san, who froze after checking it. Then she smacked me on the head.
“Idiot!”
“??”
“What, was there play money mixed in?”
“That’d still be cute! But it’s the opposite! The opposite!! Ugh, go ask the Guild staff for the standard rates and make it an official request! You’ll save way more with the fee structure!”
Apparently, I’d offered way too much. Mirula-san scolded me thoroughly. But getting scolded for offering too much… it just proves how trustworthy they are.
This was money I had painstakingly saved for emergencies, so I thought now was the time to use it.
Even the Guild staff seemed a little taken aback. I wonder why? Still, they explained the market rates in great detail. Sure enough, the fee system was much cheaper.
Out of gratitude, I set the reward slightly above market value.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Yes. There might be a next time. Please remember me as a good client.”
“Hah, I like that! If there’s a next time, make sure to request us!”
“I will!”
And so, I ended up going on a material-gathering expedition to a cave with the Free Wind.
“Still, who gives a kid like you that much money…?”
“Huh? That money is what I earned myself.”
“… What?”
“I sell paintings and sculptures to earn—”
“Pochi!”
“Oh, Duke Carlisle!”
Duke Carlisle stepped out of his carriage and gently patted my head.
“The painting you made recently was incredible! Be sure to let me know when you finish your next piece!”
“Oh, okay.”
Duke Carlisle is a customer introduced to me by Otousan… I mean, Rosarin Oneechan’s dad, who loved the landscape painting I gifted him.
“Oh, by the way… I think I have a painting you might like.”
The Duke loves waterfront scenery, so how about the one I recently painted? It’s a landscape featuring a watermill, a river, and fields. I’m quite proud of it.
“Marvelous! I must buy it!!”
The Duke happily purchased it.
“I must hang it immediately! Thank you for such a wonderful piece!!”
Overjoyed, Duke Carlisle left. I usually sell my works for whatever price the buyer suggests since I don’t really know their value.
The Free Wind members were stunned. Huh? Did I do something weird?
“Pochi… you’re incredible.”
Sole-san grinned and ruffled my head.
“??”
“That painting… it was beautiful.”
Yay! My painting got praised! I’m so happy!
“It was one of my best works! Waterfront scenery is lovely, isn’t it? Hehe, since the Duke paid so much for it, I’ll donate this money again.”
“… Donate?”
Binet-san tilted his head.
“Oh, I’m an orphan. So, I donate half of what I earn to the orphanage where I grew up. With money, the kids can eat plenty of food, right?”
Eating a full meal is pure happiness. I said this with a smile, but…
For some reason, the Free Wind members burst into tears.
“Are you okay?! Did I say something strange?! Are you hurt?!”
“They’re fine, full of happiness.”
“Pyui!”
“Exactly.”
Suigetsu-san and Crys-kun agreed. Being full truly is happiness.
Although I was patted endlessly by all the Free Wind members after that, I still don’t know why.