MV – Chapter 90: Change of Plans and the Minor Villain

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“Oh man, my apologies. I never imagined I’d be stripped down by robbers like that.” (Muramasa)

“Don’t worry about it. I do think there are some dangerous parts in the Surface District as well after all.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach and Muramasa exchanged awkward, hollow laughter. Muramasa was surprisingly in his underwear when Lanpeach returned from his morning walk, so they sat on the sofa and he was in the middle of apologizing.

Lanpeach maintained a smile despite the situation, radiating patience, and even offered Muramasa some sweets. He is surely trying to sympathize with Muramasa, who had supposedly been robbed. 

Lanpeach was secretly outraged. Stripping someone down to their underwear and taking everything was way too cruel. He is probably burning with anger, so the school of fishes swimming lively inside his eyes must just be his imagination.

“Dad, I don’t think it was a robber! You are the strongest mage after grandpa, so it is impossible for you to lose to a mere robber.” (Touka)

Sitting next to Muramasa, Touka slammed the table with a bang, snatched the manju, and stuffed her cheeks with a blissful face.

“And you know, Dad said he can’t even remember what the attacker looked like! I bet it was an alien, and the Menpeo in Black wiped his memory!” (Touka)

Touka’s guesses were wildly off the mark as usual.

“That sounds like a tasty organization, like ramen.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach sighed at Touka, who munched the manju excitedly, and placed another manju in front of Muramasa.

“And look, as proof that aliens abducted him, they left this behind. They were probably going to implant it in his head but gave up because it was too much trouble.” (Touka)

Touka, still snatching manjus, said this with an intensely serious expression. She clearly had no intention of giving her father any of the treats.

Muramasa chuckled at the sight and carefully placed an emerald-like spirit crystal, gleaming with fine detail, onto the table.

The spirit energy contained within was overwhelming, making it obvious even to a novice that this was leagues beyond a regular spirit stone. As a gemstone, it was so radiant that it made ordinary emeralds look like pebbles.

This was a spirit crystal: an item obtainable only in final boss battles. In this world, it was an extremely rare treasure.

(To think he would show a spirit crystal to a stranger guest… Is he bragging? Or does he want me to spread the word? Or maybe he’s trying to see if I’m connected to Michibiki? I can’t figure him out…) (Lanpeach)

“Actually, I wanted you to spread the word that this is something I, Muramasa, obtained. I plan to show it to my associates as well.” (Muramasa)

“You’re not…just showing it off to brag, right?” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach tilted his head, wondering if Muramasa was one of those guys who liked to boast about their new items. 

His doubt was met with a broad smile from Muramasa.

“There’s no big reason for it. I’m planning to sell this spirit stone, so I want to make sure people know it originally belonged to me…no, to the Tsurugi family.” (Muramasa)

“Why not just sell it normally?” (Lanpeach)

“When it comes to a spirit stone this valuable, there’s always a chance someone could accuse me of theft after the sale. I want it on record that this was something found in the teleport portal owned by the Tsurugi family. This is just a precaution. That said, I plan to sell it to a trusted Armed House, so there shouldn’t be any issues.” (Muramasa)

“I see. You don’t want rumors about finding the stone on your head after getting knocked out and left in your underwear spreading around.” (Lanpeach)

“Exactly. I’m sure you wouldn’t want rumors spreading about your dealings with people from the Underground District either, Lanpeach-sama. It is the same as that.” (Muramasa)

Lanpeach’s words sounded like a threat, which Muramasa responded to with a smile on his face, causing Lanpeach to narrow his eyes slightly.

[Hey, Libra. Weren’t these sunglasses supposed to keep my identity hidden? Oh, right, you’re still not back yet.] (Lanpeach)

[Pin pon pa~n! I’ll answer in her place. As long as you’re wearing those sunglasses, no one can figure out the identity of the minor villain that looks like a bank robber. However, if they know someone’s involved, they might suspect whoever holds the key. They’ll probably assume a throwaway minor villain scouted ahead. But they definitely won’t reach the conclusion that their identity is Player.] 

It’s a common pattern. A spy or scout shows up first before the strong and cool protagonist or an evil leader infiltrates. That character sneaks around and laughs with a ‘gehehe’, only to end up dead after completing their mission by being told ‘you are of no need anymore’ or ‘so you have found the secret location’. You could say it is a truly suitable role for Lanpeach.

[Ah… So that’s how it works. I wish they’d iron out that part too. That’s asking for the impossible, huh.] (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach resigned himself.

[Besides, even if you wear the sunglasses in front of them, there’s a high chance they might just call you a fake and not believe you. So maybe the Sunglasses of Chaotic Causality weren’t necessary after all.] 

[Kuh, I hope Libra comes back soon. When she does, I’ll treat her to a chocolate parfait for all her hard work until now.] (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach, now understanding how kind Libra-san truly was, felt tears well up as he faced the sky. 

(I’m sorry, Libra. You’re not just about being lewd; you’ve got kindness too. You’re 30% kindness, 70% lewdness, and 0% work ethic.) (Lanpeach)

[I’m sure the new support character will be more useful. I may be a black rabbit, but the cute and strong Mira is super popular with the older ladies. Give her a chocolate parfait, and she’ll be as loyal as Lu Bu with 99 loyalty points.] 

[Lu Bu betrays you even at 99 loyalty!] (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach shook off his warm conversation with the black rabbit and pulled out the Twin Spirit Key. He thought it would be fine to return the key since his identity was safe. 

“I don’t think I need this key anymore. It looks like the altar is broken anyways.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach was nervous internally, wondering just how well the Sunglasses of Chaotic Causality would work. The key, which likely belonged to Michibiki, was being returned by Lanpeach. Even a child could connect the dots that Michibiki is Lanpeach.

“Thank you. With this, it’ll be easier to explain that there was an intruder beyond the portal and that the altar is no longer functional.” (Muramasa)

Muramasa glanced at the garden, his eyes wistful. The Stonehenge-like structure had been reduced to rubble, and the ground, once inscribed with a magic circle, had turned to sand.

The black rabbit had swept it all away while humming a tune.

And yet, Muramasa still didn’t suspect that Lanpeach was Michibiki.

“I never imagined people from the Underground District would intervene. I’d heard rumors about them sending operatives to the surface, but I thought it was just gossip. I have never seen the real thing. I always assumed that the skilled individuals in the Surface District were just being mistaken for underground agents. It seems my view was naive.” (Muramasa)

Muramasa chuckled to himself. He had once thought himself unmatched, but now he realized how naive he had been. There were always those stronger than him, though he had believed the difference was small enough to be overcome through tactics and strategy.

How foolish he had been. His opponent had been so powerful that they could hold back and still render him powerless.

“Dad, are you going to search for another Stonehenge now?” (Touka)

Touka, who knew her father’s goal, looked anxious.

“If you go on another journey… if you leave…” (Touka)

Muramasa gazed at his daughter with a gentle expression, thinking she was worried about his departure, but…

“I’ll have to run the hotel! There’s no way I can do that! Grandpa’s busy with the dojo, and Mom’s a teacher, so they won’t help with the hotel! And I failed my last math test!” (Touka)

Her worry had a completely different reason. Muramasa’s expression grew puzzled as he recalled what kind of daughter he had.

“Don’t worry. I’ve given up on the journey. The other teleport portals will likely be destroyed, and even if I could use one, I can’t risk getting killed. I have a family to take care of now. I can say it is not possible.” (Muramasa)

Before, he could have said with confidence that he could fend off any attacker. But that confidence is gone now. Though he still craved wisdom, his family was more important.

“I’ve failed as a mage. From now on, I’ll sell this spirit stone and use the money to buy back the Tsurugi family’s original territory. I want to restore our family’s power for the sake of my future grandchildren.” (Muramasa)

Restoring the family seemed like a fun new project to Muramasa. Now that his quest for knowledge had ended, it was time to find a new passion.

“Grandchildren? You don’t have any yet! You’ve got a cute daughter right here!” (Touka)

“Touka… if I leave you the money, you’ll just spend it all on your alien conspiracies. So, hurry up and get married and give me grandchildren. You can leave the child-rearing to your mother and me… No, maybe I should just have another child.” (Muramasa)

“That’s so cruel, Dad! Kids who get told that suffer deep emotional scars, you know!” (Touka)

“By the way, I’ll be sure to tell your mother about that failing math grade.” (Muramasa)

“My heart’s made of ceramic, so it doesn’t get wounded! But please, Dad, don’t tell her! She’ll cut my allowance again~!” (Touka)

Touka clung to her father with a tearful expression.

Muramasa tried to make her promise to study for at least two hours a day. 

Lanpeach watched this scene as he leaned back against the sofa.

“Looks like you two have your hands full. Well, I’ll be busy myself, so I’m heading home.” (Lanpeach)

Touka suddenly froze at Lanpeach’s words, her head turning toward him with an audible creak.

“Eh?! Aren’t you going to keep exploring with me, old man?” (Touka)

“I realized that being at home is better. There’s more for me to do there.” (Lanpeach)

Indeed, Lanpeach had learned a tough lesson from the battle at the Twin Spirits Graveyard —just how difficult the Lanpeach difficulty really was.

Up until now, he had an unfounded confidence that things would somehow work out. Well, not entirely unfounded. He had the status reset, exclusive skills that could only be obtained in a second playthrough, five times the experience points, and knowledge of the game’s strategies after all. That’s why he thought the upcoming main storyline would be a breeze.

But even with all that, the Lanpeach difficulty was still incredibly tough.

That’s why he decided to change his approach.

(Should I lay low for a while? No, I will be the one acting. I’ll clear a bunch of quests.) (Lanpeach)

—He wouldn’t care even if that threw this world into chaos.

Lanpeach Kouza is a minor villain after all.

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