The Unaware Harem Adventure Tale of the Strongest Enchanter ~~I Don’t Know My Companions’ Faces or Identities, but I’m Pretty Sure They’re All Guys~~ - 43. A Staff-Breaking Enchanter Looks Best in a Dogeza

43. 43. 43. 43. 43. 43. 43. 43. A Staff-Breaking Enchanter Looks Best in a Dogeza

A twin-tailed girl stood in front of me. Her head was hanging in apology.

From time to time, she glanced up at my expression. She was checking it nervously.

It was just like a child about to be scolded.

“Grannaughts is yours, right?”

“W-W-W-What are you talking about? I have no idea~”

“So you’re saying you’re not involved. Hey, Grannaughts, wake up already. Once we reach the village, I’ll treat you to a ton of good booze.”

“For real!? Ah—”

I glared at the girl. She broke into a cold sweat and looked away blatantly.

“Oh, looks like we can get inside from here!”

“Wait, wait! I’ll talk! Just don’t go in!”

As I tried to enter through Grannaughts’ armor plating, she pulled on my clothes to stop me. I caught a glimpse of the inside—there was no way she could fit in there.

But I did see a shimmer in the space. It was characteristic of a magic storage. So it might actually be a lot roomier inside.

“I’m the creator and pilot of Grannaughts Heidern—Nonon Heidern of the elder dwarves. Nice to meet you again, Raku-cchi.”

Nonon flashed a V-sign with both hands and smiled like a bright yellow flower under the blue sky.

“Raku-cchi?”

“I’ve been wanting to call you that for a while. Cute, right? See, I was kind of pretending to be the strong-silent-type, you know. It was to not get underestimated. But I’ve been hitting my limit. Both physically and mentally. Honestly, getting found out like this is kind of a relief.”

“I see.”

To think the inside of Grannaughts was such a gal.

I was so surprised that I was already calming down.

And elder dwarves—an even rarer, longer-lived race than dwarves.

Their crafted weapons far surpass those of normal dwarves. They were powerful enough to shift the balance of nations.

Because of this, they eventually vanished from sight. They chose to live in hiding.

“Was it okay to tell me you’re an elder dwarf? I mean, I won’t spread it around. But you didn’t have to tell me either.”

“I said I’d come clean, didn’t I? Staying quiet wouldn’t be right. Plus, I trust you, Raku-cchi. I’ve been watching from inside Grannaughts. Saw you working hard for everyone.”

She made a heart shape with her fingers and winked.

Being trusted was nice. But her tone was too casual.

She didn’t sound like the “manly” Grannaughts I knew.

Still, we’d been traveling together for almost three years.

If anything, it was a blessing to truly get to know her.

“Once again, I’m the leader of our ‘Unknown’ party—Lux Thirdwood.”

“Yoroshikuu~”

We bumped fists lightly.

—

“Move, Grannaughts.”

At Nonon’s voice, Grannaughts stood up.

By the riverbank, Grannaughts sat on a rock while Nonon circled to the back and began fiddling around.

She occasionally shoved her upper body into the chest area and pulled out tools.

Grannaughts was big. But it still seemed too cramped for her to fit in completely.

As I wondered about that, she seemed to read my thoughts and answered.

“You’re wondering how I manage to stay inside so long, right? Grannaughts’ interior is a different space. It’s like a magic storage. It’s way bigger inside than it looks. There’s even room to take naps.”

“Can I take a peek?”

“No way. Don’t you know a maiden’s room is a state secret?”

“Fair enough.”

“I haven’t cleaned it and it’s embarrassing.”

Still working, her face turned red.

“Maintenance complete. Stand, Grannaughts.”

“Rebooting. Complete. Switching to auto mode.”

With a hiss of steam, Grannaughts rose.

Light flickered in its black eyes before fading.

“Huh, it’s speaking normally. It always used to talk in broken sentences.”

“Oh, that. The voice system was messed up when I first joined the party. So that was the best it could do. But it’s fixed now, so it can talk normally.”

“So it could always speak fluently?”

“Well, it felt weird to suddenly start talking normally, you know? Sometimes I didn’t feel like talking while piloting either. And broken speech worked better for me. Now that I’ve been found out, I guess I can’t fake it anymore.”

That explanation made perfect sense.

To us, Grannaughts was the strong and silent type.

If it suddenly became chatty, it would’ve caused a panic.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. We can head out anytime now.”

“Then let’s go.”

“Walking side-by-side with Raku-cchi like this is a first. I’m happy.”

We climbed the embankment. She walked beside me with a smile.

Behind us followed the now-autonomous Grannaughts.

“I forgot to mention—my mentor lives in this village. Before I became an adventurer, I trained here as an enchanter.”

“So this is a village full of memories for you.”

“Yeah. Technically, I have another mentor. But that one’s always wandering. So I’m not sure if they’re here right now.”

“Huh, so you were taught by two masters.”

“No, from that one I learned something different—oh, there it is.”

After walking down the street a bit, we arrived at a house.

It was decently large. It had a pile of firewood on the side and a field behind it ready for harvest.

An old weather vane spun on the roof. And a crooked mailbox stood near the door.

I grabbed the mailbox and straightened it.

“For your mentor’s house, it looks… normal.”

“What did you expect me to be, exactly?”

I was more curious about what kind of house she had imagined.

I knocked on the door.

After a while, it opened from inside.

“Yes, who is it—oh, if it isn’t Lux-kun!”

The man who appeared had a fox-like face.

His smooth golden hair and ever-so-slightly upturned lips gave him a laid-back air.

“Been a while. Is Master in?”

“She’s here. Hey, Lux-kun’s back! Come in, don’t be shy. This place is basically your home too.”

“I’m home.”

“Welcome back.”

He was my master’s husband.

His name was Kusaya.

He invited us inside.

The stone floor was smoothed from years of being stepped on.

The wooden pillars bore many scratches. The white walls were lined with herbs and flowers.

From the ceiling hung colorful glass ornaments. They were gently spinning now and then.

“Nothing’s changed.”

“Nice atmosphere. Very calming.”

“This way.”

Kusaya waved from the back hallway.

In the room we entered, a woman sat by the window in a rocking chair. She was reading amidst towering piles of books.

She didn’t even glance our way.

My body stiffened with tension.

“I’m back.”

“Let’s hear why.”

“Well, I came to ask you to fix my staff.”

*Clack.* The book shut.

“Don’t tell me it got broken?”

“Haha, no way, of course not…”

Sweat burst from every pore.

To an enchanter, a staff is second only to life.

Sometimes, it’s even more precious than life.

A staff-breaker is considered second-rate or worse.

My master despises those who treat their staves carelessly.

She turned slightly. And her sharp gaze pierced through me.

“Then let’s see the staff.”

“I’m so sorry!! It was broken by an enemy!!”

I dropped to the floor and performed the ultimate apology—dogeza.

An ancient Eastern art of apology.

(Secret technique includes “window-breaking sliding dogeza.”)

Silence followed. It was broken only by a sigh.

“I thought I raised a first-class enchanter I could be proud of anywhere.”

My master stood and looked down at me with a troubled expression.

Kusaya had been watching. He kindly stepped in.

“Now, now. Since he’s finally come back, let’s forgive him. I’m sure Lux-kun had his reasons. Besides, didn’t *you* break a lot of staves back in the day? Like that time you scratched your back and—”

“Stop. Don’t expose my embarrassing past in front of my disciple.”

With a sigh, Master narrowed her eyes sharply again.

“Stand up.”

Before I got scolded again, I quickly stood up.

“And that girl?”

“Nonon Heidern. I’m Raku-cchi’s companion. Nice to meet ya, Master~”

“Raku-cchi… quite the unusual companion you’ve got.”

Nonon greeted her politely.

Master looked surprised. She then smiled.

“I’m this idiot’s master. An enchanter—Hilda. If you plan to stay in the village, I’ll lend you a room. But you’ll have to work for it. If you don’t work, you don’t eat. We don’t run a charity.”