Chapter 60: The Guardian of Nainai chinchin Village

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Translator: Soafp

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The night before our departure for the Empire's port city the next day.

At an abandoned village near the imperial capital, I reunited for the first time in a while with the Indiscriminate Healing Magicians Nightingale.

“Long time no see, No-Face-sama!!”

“Yo, boss. Been a while.”

“P-please don't call me boss. The leader of the Indiscriminate Healing Mage Corps Nightingale is No-Face-sama.”

The young man—formerly known as the boss—scratched his cheek with a wry smile.

“More importantly, is it true that that thing got repaired?”

“Yes. Hey, hurry up and bring it out!!”

At the boss's signal, the other members soon brought over a huge object, about three meters long, loaded onto a cart.

It was covered with a white cloth, so I couldn't see what was inside.

With a bit of excitement, I yanked the cloth off in one go, revealing the robot I had once brought back from the underground dungeon beneath the royal capital.

Ohhh—still just as cool.

“But doesn't it look bulkier than before?”

Before, it had a slim, clearly fast-looking silhouette, but now its limbs and torso were almost twice as thick as they used to be.

And embedded in its chest was a single fist-sized red stone.

As I tilted my head at the unexpected changes, the boss began explaining with an apologetic look.

“It seems the craftsmen from Nainai Chinchin Village who saw this golem had their artisan spirits ignited. When they tried to reproduce its original performance using existing magic technology, its weight ended up tripling. The power's fine, but apparently the speed is completely dead.”

“Hm. No, actually, that works.”

“Huh?”

“If the previous one was the completed form, this one feels like a prototype. I like it. A lot.”

And so, we decided to activate the robot right away.

“Apparently, it activates when you pour magic into the exposed red stone—the core in its chest—while giving it a name. Please go ahead, No-Face-sama.”

“A name? Hmm, a name…”

Since it was going to become a new member of the Indiscriminate Healing Mage Corps Nightingale, maybe something related would be good.

Nightingale… Florence Nightingale…

Taking it from Florence…

“Alright, then… Lauren.”

As I touched the chest core, poured magic into it, and gave it a name, the robot's eyes—Loren's eyes—glowed red.

Then, with creaking noises, it stood up.

“Initializing from default state—ga-ga—Lauren. Activated.”

“Hm? Default state? Did you forget fighting in the underground of the royal capital before?”

“Affirmative. Severe damage to magitech intelligence confirmed. Portions of dialogue functionality are malfunctioning.”

“Magitech intelligence… kind of like artificial intelligence, I guess.”

“Master. Issue a command.”

A command, huh. Even if I'm going to give one, I don't really know what to command without knowing Lauren's detailed capabilities.

“What can you do?”

“This unit is a combat-oriented model designed primarily for intruder elimination.”

“I know you can fight. Anything else?”

“……I can transport supplies equivalent to ten wagons at once.”

Wait, that's amazing.

With Lauren, I could even go on expeditions to distant cities and do roadside healing.

This is revolutionary.

“Alright, then. Lauren, I appoint you as the logistics officer of the Indiscriminate Healing Magicians Nightingale.”

“This unit is a combat-oriented model designed primarily for intruder eli—”

For some reason, Lauren began explaining its capabilities again in response to my order. Maybe it wasn't happy about being assigned to carry luggage.

“Then use that power to protect the supplies.”

“……Acknowledged.”

“Oh, and while you're at it, please protect the members of the Indiscriminate Healing Magicians Nightingale too. From today on, you're the guardian deity of Nainai Chinchin Village and its people.”

“Guardian… deity?”

“Yeah. A guardian god. Protect everyone.”

“……Even at the cost of this body… ga-ga… acknowledged.”

And just like that, Nainai Chinchin Village gained a new companion.

Now we just have to find Luu.

Since we seem to be heading to the Empire with quite a large group, it might be better to split manpower between searching for Ruu and dealing with the plague.

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The day after reuniting with everyone from Nainai Chinchin Village for the first time in a while.

Together with Nee-san, I was heading toward a port city of the Belhardt Empire where a plague had supposedly broken out.

The port city's name was Zotas.

Long ago, a warrior who fought the Demon King alongside the Hero was granted this land as a reward, and the city was named after that warrior.

Oh, right.

By the way, the members of the Indiscriminate Healing Magicians Nightingale had already headed to Zotas ahead of us to set up a hideout.

Using that as a base, they planned to roam the port city and nearby villages night after night, healing people wherever they found them.

“So, you two came along as well.”

Inside the carriage heading for Zotas were not only Nee-san and me, but also Lidiel and Belchika.

Flinching under Nee-san's sharp gaze, Lidiel puffed out her chest.

“I-I was ordered by His Majesty the Emperor to guard Ask-kun and his sister!! I'll protect you with everything I've got!!”

“Don't call me ‘his sister.' We're the same age, aren't we? …Though in one respect, it's hard to believe we're the same age.”

“Huh?”

Nee-san clicked her tongue while staring at Lidiel's chest.

“Nee-san, jealousy is unbecoming—ghk!”

“Ara, I'm so sorry. My hand just slipped because Ask said something unnecessary.”

“Lidiel-san, please help. Nee-san is bullying me.”

“Huh? Huh? Um, I-I think violence is bad!!”

At that moment, Nee-san's gaze shifted to Belchika.

Belchika seemed to notice it a beat late and tilted her head.

“Did you need something from me?”

“You were also ordered by His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Ah, no. I had personal business in Zotas, so I volunteered as an escort.”

“…I see. As comrades, let's work well together.”

Nee-san officially acknowledged Belchika as a comrade while looking at her chest.

“I feel extremely dissatisfied.”

“It's fine. Both you and I are still developing. There's a future ahead, a future.”

“I feel extremely dissatisfied!! Please don't lump me in with you without permission!!”

Lidiel didn't seem to understand the meaning of their conversation.

She leaned over and whispered to me.

“Hey, what have those two been talking about this whole time?”

“Oh, about ch*sts. You know, Lidiel-san has a big one, so Nee-san's jealous.”

“Eh, ch*sts?”

“Yes. Ch*sts.”

“I-is that so…?”

Lidiel lifted her ample chest from underneath with both hands and gently shook it.

That's a little lewd.

Then, completely unaware, Lidiel added fuel to the fire with words that provoked Nee-san even more.

“Are they really that great? They get in the way of sniping, they're uncomfortable when you lie on your stomach, your shoulders get stiff… I've never really thought of them as a good thing…”

“Nee-san, stay. Belchika-san, stay. Lidiel-san, apologizing might be safer for you.”

“Huh? Um… sorry for having a big ch*st?”

“War, then.”

“I'm disappointed in you, Lidiel-san. I shall deliver righteous punishment.”

“W-why are you both angry!?”

Yeah, I can see why they'd be mad.

And so, after continuing our journey while deepening our bonds like this, three days passed—

And we arrived at the city of Zotas.

Surely the plague must be rampant, with countless people on the brink of death.

I was fully prepared to turn every last one of them into pictures of rugged health.

Or so I thought.

“…It's peaceful.”

“Completely peaceful.”

“What in the world is going on…?”

The city of Zotas was so peaceful it was hard to believe a plague was spreading, and smiles filled the faces of the people walking through the streets.