MV – Chapter 91: Return of the Minor Villain

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The slums stretch around the Lanpeach Complex. An 8-lane road on each side for a total of a 16-lane highway when combined makes this extremely convenient for transportation. But that was in the past, in what could now be called ancient times.

Now, rusted vehicles lay in crumbling piles, and debris stacked up, perhaps forming the remnants of a defensive line, with barricades scattered here and there. It is difficult to drive vehicles in this place. 

Moreover, there’s no means to hide from monsters or thieves, so no one lived in the nearby abandoned buildings. Thus, no one had made the Lanpeach Complex their base either. Normally, people preferred tighter, more defensible places to guard against monsters and raiders.

But things have started to change recently. 

At the border between the Surface District and the slums, a 10-meter-tall concrete and iron wall had been erected, blocking the road. 

A thick metal gate was installed as well. It must have been processed with spirit stones, it had concrete, iron, and magic imbued in it, so the wall could not be easily destroyed by ordinary means.

Most people might assume that this barrier was constructed by the Surface District to keep out the slums. But that assumption would be wrong.

Pieces of cardboard were attached at regular intervals along the wall, with clumsy writing scrawled in marker.

[Beyond this is Papa-shan’s house.]

Lanpeach had built this wall to mark his territory, putting up signs to claim it. He’d left the job of making the signs to a little girl who had cried, wanting to help. The signs looked cheap, but their rarity -due to being made by a child- might make them valuable one day.

The wall is being made in a way that encircled the entire district, so it is still a work in progress.

Giant Taraworkers were tirelessly constructing the wall as though building a nest, while the workers around did their jobs as well.

“Heeh~, they’re building a wall between the slums and the Surface District. I see~.” (Touka)

Touka saw the wall and said what a normal person would think. She wore a long coat with the hood pulled up and carried a knapsack, looking every bit like a wandering traveler.

“No, this is a wall marking my base. It’s still a small one, but I had to assert my claim to avoid future disputes over ownership.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach was standing beside her in a similar outfit.

“I see. Well, let’s head inside!” (Touka) 

“Got it.” (Lanpeach)

He pushed his bike forward, a relic that was sleeping in Tsurugi House and had once belonged to Muramasa, who had loaned it to him. They had ridden it together to reach this place.

At the gate, a man stood in front of the large open door, equipped only with token armor, and yawning with boredom. He wasn’t collecting tolls or conducting inspections, so his job seemed mostly to keep watch.

Lanpeach passed through the gate without any hassle, with Touka following close behind.

“Hey, Touka, are you really planning to live here? It’s pretty far from the Magic Academy. It’ll take at least two hours to commute by car.” (Lanpeach)

“I’m thinking it’s about time I live on my own! I figured I’d move to the southern part as a boarding place, so it works out perfectly. Just connect a teleport portal between my boarding place and the Magic Academy, and I’m set!” (Touka)

Looks like she had no intention of commuting for two hours each way.

“Why don’t you just buy a teleport portal yourself?” (Lanpeach)

“Teleport portals aren’t something you can just buy in a store! They’re artifacts recovered from ancient ruins!” (Touka)

“…They’re rare, but you can still buy them, right?” (Lanpeach)

That was the case in the game. They were incredibly rare, but they were for sale. If he remembered correctly, you could only buy two in total from shops. You could get up to five per playthrough, maybe?

“They’re not for sale. Even most Armed Families don’t have many. I think only the military has a few they can use freely.” (Touka)

“Is that so? Well, maybe they’ve sold out. Or more like, it is possible they bought out all the stores….” (Lanpeach)

Teleport portals were rare items. The pillars worked in pairs, connecting two spaces. But who knew they were so valuable?

It was entirely possible that other players had already bought out any teleport portals sold in secret shops. Having one of those made all the difference.

(In Powder of Elements, there was no long-distance teleport magic. We only had Short Teleport, so traveling was a pain. It was a hardcore game, good grief.) (Lanpeach)

Teleport portals were reusable, but Lanpeach hadn’t realized that in his first playthrough, so he walked everywhere, thinking it was too precious to waste. He sighed at this dark history of his. If only the text had said it was reusable from the start.

“Hey, hey, old man, can’t you use alien technology to make a teleport portal?” (Touka)

Touka skipped ahead on the well-maintained road, looking back at him.

“…Well, I can buy one if I need to. I’ve got connections.” (Lanpeach)

Starting from the second playthrough, Lanpeach had used portals frequently. They were available in the space shops for 1,000 EXP after all. 

He had already confirmed they were still for sale. He remembered the scream he let out when he realized they were reusable after he used one for the first time.

“Awesome, go ahead and buy it! How much is it? Is it bartering? I’ll trade you my rare manga collection. It’s an ancient cultural treasure! It’s a manga where a cop explains the local culture at the park!” (Touka)

“…Good luck with your two-hour commute.” (Lanpeach)

‘There’s no way you would be able to exchange it for manga’ -he shot her a dry look and continued walking.

Finally, the familiar sight of the Lanpeach Complex, looking as new as ever, came into view.

“Fuh, so I’ve finally made it home. Nothing’s changed. It’s still the same as ever.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach pulled his hood down further and smirked as if he were returning after decades away.

[It’s only been a week, hasn’t it?] (Libra)

Libra chimed in with a line that brought down the mood. She peeked at his face while going ‘ushishi’, so she is the same as usual after reviving. 

[Hey, it’s about the vibe. I wanted to look cool, like I’ve been away for ages, so people would wonder, “Who’s that guy—” ] (Lanpeach)

“Papa-shan! It is Papa-shaaaan~! Welcome baaack! Even though Koume wash being a good girl! You are sho late~.” (Koume)

Just as Lanpeach was trying to play it cool, Koume came dashing out of the entrance, tears and snot streaming down her face. She clung tightly to his leg, then climbed up onto his shoulder. 

Mimi, who had been riding in his knapsack, peeked out in surprise and squeaked.

“Aah, sorry, sorry. You’ve been a good girl, huh? That’s great. Look, I brought you a gift.” (Lanpeach)

“I was sho lonely! I shlept a lot, but Papa-shan didn’t come home!” (Koume)

Koume sniffled, rubbing her head against him, clearly heartbroken. The guilt hit him hard.

“It couldn’t be helped, I was working. Here, I bought some delicious manju for you.” (Lanpeach)

He handed her the treat while her cheeks were puffed up like a pufferfish, and even as she sniffled, she began eating it…quickly transforming her tears into a smile.

“It’s yummy! Ta you, Papa-shan~!” (Koume)

Aah, the resilience of little kids. Just moments ago, she was crying, and now she was smiling. 

‘I better make sure I don’t forget to bring back souvenirs from now on’, he thought. Also, there’s no manju for you, Touka.

“Pant…pant… I wondered why you started running all of a sudden… W-Welcome back, Lan.” 

Chihiro appeared next, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, but smiling after seeing Lanpeach.

“Koume’s movements were strange. Seemed to be teleporting from spot to spot. Welcome back, Peach-oniichan.” (Dry) 

Dry also appeared with a pomeranian perched on her head, but looking unfazed and without a drop of sweat on her.

Everyone seemed to be in good spirits, and Lanpeach, feeling relieved, pulled down his hood.

“It’s good to see you all again. It is great to see that you all seem to be doing well.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach said and flashed a cool smile.

He has only been gone for a week though.

◇◇

“Welcome back, Lanpeach-san. I’m glad to see you’re in good health. But weren’t you supposed to stay up north a little longer?” 

Everyone had gathered in the common room, relaxing together. Sage had joined them after hearing Lanpeach had returned, but he looked confused by how soon he had come back.

“I wanted to work as an explorer up north, but I didn’t even make it to Star 1, so I decided to come back.” (Lanpeach)

“You couldn’t even get to Star 1? That doesn’t make sense.” (Sage)

Chihiro and the others were puzzled at the unexpected statement of Lanpeach. It seemed impossible that someone as strong as Lanpeach couldn’t make it to Star 1.

None of them could imagine it was because he lacked mana.

“So you brought home a mistress instead, Peach-oniichan?” (Dry) 

Dry asked bluntly what no one else dared to say. 

But Lanpeach thought he won’t be having romantic feelings for Touka. This wasn’t just speculation; it was a fact.

“No, Dry. She’s not my mistress. She is here because she wants to board, not because she’s in love with m—” (Lanpeach)

“My name is Tsurugi Touka! My dream is to go to space. My type is someone who comes from the farthest reaches of the galaxy! I came here because it seemed interesting!” (Touka)

Touka declared, raising her hand confidently. There was no hint of dishonesty in her bright expression.

Chihiro and the others gave Lanpeach a look, as if asking, ‘Who exactly is this person?’. And he answered with a ‘there’s also things I don’t have an answer to’. 

It doesn’t seem she is a mistress at the very least. They were relieved by this.

“You’ve probably figured it out by now, but this girl’s a bit of an oddball. Anyway, as for why I came back, I received a divine order from above to stop being passive and waiting for things to cool down.” (Lanpeach)

“A divine order…?” (Sage) 

“Yeah, from now on, I’ve decided to take a more proactive approach. In other words…” (Lanpeach)

He looked around the room…and made a mischievous grin.

“I’m going to start a business here.” (Lanpeach)

“A business? I’m sure you could run anything, but what kind of store are you thinking of?” (Sage)

Sage seemed confused, as if it didn’t warrant such an announcement, but this wasn’t just any store.

“A Hunter Guild. I plan to create an organization that buys spirit stones and gives out various requests.” (Lanpeach)

“Isn’t that the same as the Explorer Guild?” (Sage)

“It’s the nature of capitalism for competitors to pop up. And no, I’m not starting it out of spite because I couldn’t reach Star 1.” (Lanpeach)

It would be a small organization at first, but if it grew noticeable enough, requests would start rolling in. In other words, quests should be generated as well. 

This meant plenty of opportunities to complete quests and rake in EXP.

“Let’s see… I’ll call it the Orichalcum Guild of Excellence… No, maybe a play on that, Orichalha Guild.” (Lanpeach)

And so, Lanpeach began his quest for new chaos.

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