Manuke FPS - Chapter 257
“Let’s go, Sharle-chan! Next, let us conquer that area!”
“Yeah!”
Chancellor Zephanel and Sharle-san slipped past in front of me, using shopping carts akin to a scooter. The carts were each loaded with boxes of beer and carbonated drinks, apparently also used as counterbalances to prevent them from tipping over….
“Wait a minute. It’s unfair since only the two of you have the cart. Wait, what the hell is this music repeating like you’re making fun of this person—!”
The two people riding the cart gained momentum by kicking the floor and zoomed through the aisles of the shopping center. Chasing after them, Rachel of Lily of the Valley ran through with a shopping bag full of delicacies in hand.
“Why don’t you use the magic bag or something…?”
When I saw Rachel running through, I muttered a frank question――.
“Because it won’t work here.”
“Eh――?”
Prince Ark, who had been chasing after the three of them as they ran through, answered my murmur with a curious word. Looking back at those words, Chancellor Bergman was also behind Prince Ark.
“It’s not just the magic bag. Magic is very ineffective in your realm. Even when His Majesty joined us, he had a hard time healing his wounds.”
Come to think of it, I’ve been to this large shopping center several times, and when I bring out food and goods, I collect them in my inventory. Chancellor Zephanel and others are not taking out arbitrarily, even though they have a large amount of supplies. They had to ask for confirmation and permission from me before they could take anything out, so naturally I was the one carrying the luggage.
When I asked Prince Ark and Chancellor Bergman about the details, they said that the magic tools did not work at all at the shooting range, and the magic was less than 10% effective. At first, the chancellors didn’t even notice that fact, but they seemed to try various things every time they visited this space.
There is magic in the space of this shooting range created by the VMB system.――but it’s fundamentally lacking. I still don’t know what it means, but this is essentially the third world, neither the previous world nor the world I’m living in now.
Maybe there’s some kind of special logic in this place.
“Rather than that, Schwartz, I’ll be moving quickly. There’s a lot of things I want you to explain――”
“――Ah, so here you are. I left Roy to accompany Nasha and the others.”
The one who came late after saying that was Crown Prince Khan. It seems that after going to the shopping center’s fashion booth with Anastasia-sama and the other women――Ashley, Lapitirica-sama, and Roy, who is carrying luggage, he decided to join us.
“Brother Khan, is it really alright for you to move alone?!”
Prince Ark rushed over to Prince Khan and assisted him in supporting the arm opposite to the one that thrust the cane. Although Crown Prince Khan had recovered from his rest in Amar, it was still difficult for him to walk around alone. He was once suggested to use a wheelchair while he was recuperating, but he refused, saying that as the heir to the Kingdom, he must stand on his own feet.
“If you look at the clothes and accessories related to Schwartz’s world, there’s no way those girls will stop. They might not know how to use it, but they’re interested in things like “Beauty Lotion” and “Milk Lotion”.”
Chancellor Bergman breathed a sigh of exasperation and walked over to Crown Prince Khan.
Today is the last shopping day before I leave for labyrinth island. Chancellor Zephanel and Sharle-san are hunting for a lot of food and beverages, while Ashley and others are hunting for clothing and cosmetics. And we, the men, are planning to hunt around for various accessories and tools so that I could explain how to use them.
We brought back tools that could be reproduced in this world as samples, and conveyed the techniques to the heads of the capital’s workshops and various production guilds in the form of transmission, including the clothing related items that Ashley and the others went to see.
It’s a little troublesome procedure, but I don’t intend to spread the existence of this shooting range any further. Ashley also agrees with my opinion, hiding my existence, the shooting range, and technology it provides, under the guise of hidden knowledge obtained from the Zephanel family, while providing techniques and tools that can be reproduced in this world.
But, of course it’s not for free.
As the price for providing technology, Schwarz and Shaft’s position within the Kingdom of Kurtmelga will be guaranteed――this is achieved by announcing “Spark” as an execution unit under the direct control of the Chancellor. Then, there is also a fee for providing information. I will have a part of the non-elemental magic stones that the Kingdom manages to secure.
In the last shopping trip before the expedition, I secured a large amount of tools that I would also need. Things like cooking utensils and portable stoves. Up until now, it’s difficult to start a fire outside without using the Continental kitchen. But with these tools, I would be able to have a hot meal while camping.
I also secured tools such as portable LED lanterns and folding camping chairs that could cover fields that were slow to develop due to magic, a skill unique to this world. Then, I decided to collect ingredients, processed foods, and perishable foods that are almost impossible to obtain in this world, to prepare for a long-term expedition.
“So, Schwartz, what is this tool with continuous rings used for?”
“It’s a whisk. It’s a cooking utensil that you use to stir eggs and add flour and ingredients.”
“Sharle-chan, next is the candy storeー!”
“Hmm… I see, these rings help mix the ingredients.”
““Chocolate”! Bag it!”
“Schwartz, what is this ingredient? It smells good, but it doesn’t seem to be “Chocolate”.”
“Ah, Prince Ark, it’s curry roux. I don’t know how to make it, but I would heat flour with butter, mix it with the whisk I mentioned earlier, add several spices, then bake it until the moisture is gone… put it in a pot with vegetables and meat and use it to season the soup.”
“Wait for meー. Are we really going to take all that back homeー”
“Hey, is that delicious?”
“Yes. It’s basically a spicy dish, but the taste can be addictive. There are already similar dishes in the Kingdom, but this one is easy to use and store. Adventurers and travelers might appreciate it when they need to camp”
“This dress is cute. And the sewing in this uniform… is it made using special tools?”
“Schwartz, is this “shopping center” run by a single company?”
“Not exactly, Crown Prince Khan. Some are indeed managed by one body, but in most cases, each sales floor is operated by a different company. The owner makes a profit by leasing the floor to these companies.”
“Lapiri, take a check on how amazing this cloth feels like. Schwartz said it’s called “silk”, but I don’t think there is similar animal fiber with such luster and texture in this world.”
“…………”
“Bergman, do you think Kurtmerga can build a similar facility?”
“Land is a problem if we want to build it in the Royal Capital, but if we use the vacant trading house in the commerce city of Melka in the southeast…however, I think it will be difficult if we don’t manage it comprehensively in the Kingdom.”
“Ashley, I’m pretty sure you use “face lotion”, “beauty lotion” and “milk lotion” in that order, right?”
“There are many merchants and craftsmen who are smoldering in flats without having a trading post. Why not give them a chance?”
“Isn’t that a good idea? Melka’s economy has been stagnant for a long time, but the collapse of Yamigasa Company has created a big business opportunity. If we proceed with this general commercial facility plan, a new surge will be born.”
Prince Ark and Chancellor Bergman seem to be interested in the many products lined up in the shopping center, but Prince Khan seems to be interested in this commercial facility itself――the concept itself. With a cane in his right hand supporting his body and a body eroded by overflowing magical power, Crown Prince Khan was unable to walk around alone, but he may be the one who thinks about the future of the Kingdom more than anyone else. .
“It’s about time…”
“That’s right. It seems that Ashley and Chancellor Zephanel have also headed for the parking lot.”
Today’s shopping was divided into three groups, but I could grasp the situation through listening to everyone’s voices collected by the sound collection sensor.
After this, only Chancellor Bergman will be transferred to the Royal Capital, and the rest will be transferred to the seaside city of Amar. With that, my duty of guarding the dignitaries will end, but I can’t leave anyone behind at this shooting range. While making a final check on the map floating in my field of view to see if there are any people left on the floor, I turn my feet to the parking lot while listening to the in-store music that I heard somewhere.
“…………”
“Hmm――?”
On the floor where there should be no one left, I heard someone speak out――or so it seemed. I turned around and looked around the floor, which should have been empty, but there was no one there. Just in case, I searched the map and counted the number of dots lit up in the parking lot, but――.
“… They’re all there.”
“…………”
I heard it again――it wasn’t just my imagination or a misunderstanding. Someone――something is there.
Until recently, the floor of the large shopping center was bustling with the voices of Chancellor Zephanel and others scavenging for goods, but now the repetitive and cheerful music could be heard eerily on the contrary, and the chilly air of the air conditioning caressing my cheeks made my body warm. I feel the illusion that my body temperature is rapidly dropping――
Everything looked different from just a few moments ago, from the lights that colored the floor to the gondola where products were displayed so much that it was impossible to see into the back.
“I… shouldn’t stay for too long here.”
I forced myself to suppress my anxiety and rushed to Ashley and the others who were waiting in the parking lot without looking back.
“You’ve finally arrived, so hurry up and set up the transfer magic circle! The ice cream will melt!”
In the parking lot, Chancellor Zephanel was waiting for me in a standing position.
“I, uh, I’m sorry. I’ll prepare it right away.”
Activating the TSS with my thoughts, I took out a gift BOX from the inventory, then fished out the transfer circle I had stored within―― when I pointed my hand toward the parking lot, light particles began to gather, and the teleportation magic circle started to appear. Two of them.
“Chancellor Bergman is on the left, and the one connected to Amar is on the right.”
“Alright, let’s go home! Sharle-chan, let’s go, we’re having a dinner party tonight!”
“Ohhhー! I will ask Lester once we arrive home!”
Chancellor Bergman briefly greeted Crown Prince Khan and Prince Ark, before transferring back to the Royal Castle. Chancellor Zephanel also transferred one after another, and Ashley was the only one left at the end.
“Ashley too…you better transfer quickly…”
A little awkward――that’s what I said, but Ashley stared at me and didn’t seem to move.
“Schwartz… Did something happen?”
“N, nothing――”
The anxiety actually didn’t go away even after leaving the shopping center ――in fact, the momentum that wells up is increasing. I wonder if it was on my expression, Ashley immediately noticed a slight change in me…
“…………”
That noise again.
“It’s okay, it’s just that the preparations for the labyrinth island took a little time.”
“That’s right… I can’t see it, but…”
I grabbed Ashley’s worried shoulders――turned her around and pushed her out into the magic circle.
Go ahead, clean up the magic circles and I’ll be there soon.”
Ashley seemed to have given up on asking, saying […I understand.] as she entered the transfer circle.
“…………”
“…………”
“…………”
When I was left alone in the parking lot of the large shopping center, the intervals between the strange noises I heard earlier began to shorten rapidly――.
Ping♪
And an electronic sound echoed in my brain. It was the sound of a personal chat message from VMB that I heard for the first time in a long time.
Right now, there is only one person who can send chat messages to me…
Incomprehensible hieroglyphs displayed in the text chat window displayed in the field of vision. Then, it was translated by the automatic translation function so more familiar characters emerged, and at the same time–.
The sky over the shooting range, which was supposed to be sunny, quickly clouded over, and shadows began to cast over me.
“Found you”
The log in the chat window floating in my field of vision was filled with those words.
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