Chapter 130: A Victorious Departure (1)
「So, what has Lord Seiya been up to lately? 」
「He’s been training with Celseus non-stop . 」
Five days had passed since then . At this precise moment I was cooking inside the Porta’s kitchen, and talking with Uno at the same time . I sighed while cutting the vegetables with a kitchen knife .
「Ahh . I was able to turn into a devil, but it was all for nothing . 」
「Maybe he doesn’t want to fight against Lady Lista, don’t you think so?」
「Hmm, I wonder about that . I really doubt that he’s that gentle, you know . 」
Anyway, I had to concentrate on cooking . Many of the ingredients from the Underworld were unfamiliar to me, but I had no problem knowing them because I used my Appraisal skills . The Underworld dishes prepared by Uno and Due were not bad . However, I wanted to cook something that Seiya would eat in Japan . Therefore, I was trying to create a dish that resembled the cuisine of his homeland .
「I think I’m going to make curry today . Let’s see, where do you have the spices?」
「The spices are on that shelf over there . 」
「Thank you! 」
I went to the shelf, which Uno told me about and…
「Gyah!? 」
I was extremely surprised . Celseus was crouching down next to that shelf!
「Wha…Wha…What the hell are you doing over there!? 」
Although Celseus turned into a devil, his body was full with bruises and his horns were missing from his head .
「It’s obvious, isn’t it!! I’m hiding from that hero!! 」
I stared at Celseus with disdainful eyes .
「You really are stupid, aren’t you? Didn’t you know that this would happen in the end?」
「I’m sure that the devil me engulfed my heart with darkness! That’s why I became a little bit overconfident!」
「Oh my . That’s strange . As long as you don’t activate it in the earthly worlds, there shouldn’t be any devilish corruption of your soul . 」
「See? Uno says that you’re okay! You’re suffering now because it’s your fault!」
「Ugh… 」
However, Celseus was shaking with his head too much . I bet that he could no longer hear my words .
「Scary…That guy is so scary…! Every time I turned into a devil, he’d ask me to do more and more training! So, each time I became a devil, the more he pushed me into a corner…!」
「Is…Is that so? 」
「Lady Lista . Lord Celseus looks very tired . Let’s leave him alone for a while . 」
I left the shivering Celseus and I went back to cooking . But, after a while, Seiya came to the kitchen himself .
「Hey, Lista . Have you seen Celseus? 」
I didn’t know what to do . But, I knew that I couldn’t deceive Seiya . Therefore, I pointed silently to the corner of the kitchen . Seiya walked in, and then he grabbed Celseus and dragged him out there as if he was holding a cat by its neck .
「Uahhhhhhh!! Stop, stop, stop, stopppppp!! I don’t want to gooooo!! Please, somebody help meeeeee!!」
The Swordsman God kept crying out loud . He looked like a child being taken away…We…Well, you reap what you sow! Good luck, Celseus! Have patience until Seiya’s level goes up!
—
And then, at noontime I brought the curry to the garden, which was now Seiya’s training grounds . I saw that Celseus fell down on the ground . It seemed that he fainted . After I put my hand on Celseus’ head to check his health, I invited Seiya to the garden table to eat my curry .
「By the way, Seiya . Is your level going up nicely? 」
「Yeah . It seems that I’ve just reached the limit . 」
「So fast!! Then, does that mean that you’re ready now!? 」
「No . There’s one step left . 」
After Seiya finished eating my curry, he stood up and walked away . I followed him immediately .
「Hey, where are you going? 」
「I’m heading for the town . 」
When the Underworld people saw Celseus and me, they would lick their lips with their tongues and smile at us with creepy grins . I was terrified of them, so I never went far from Uno’s house . However, Seiya wanted to go to that town in his spare time after he finished his training with Celseus . Regardless of my fears, I followed Seiya, but kept close to him .
…In the vicinity of the Shrine of the Six-Realms of Existence, where Hades lived, the eerie people of the Underworld wandered freely on the streets . I noticed that many of them rolled on the ground with just their heads . Nonetheless, when they saw Seiya…
「Oh my, Mister Seiya! 」
「Hello! 」
「How are you doing today? 」
I didn’t know why, but they were saying “hello” to Seiya as if they were his friends!
…Wha…What on earth!! He looked like a celebrity of this town!!
A woman from the Underworld, whose body looked like a centipede, smiled gently when she saw Seiya in town . I tried to be like Seiya, and said hello in a natural way .
「Hello, nice to meet you! 」
Then, the centipede woman distorted her face, and began to lick her lips with her tongue .
「Whoaaaaa! Ohhhhhh! A godddddd! Give me your HPPPPPP!」
「What!? Her attitude changed drastically!? Why did she greet me so differently!?」
I immediately hid behind Seiya’s back . Uno said that the “people of the Underworld respected the gods”, but…It didn’t look like it . Rather, it looked like I was “food that gave them HP”, wasn’t that right!?
However, Seiya walked away without worrying too much about me and stopped in front of a store . After we dived into that wooden building, I was extremely surprised to find swords, shields, and armory on display .
「Ehh!! The Underworld had a weapons shop!? 」
An Underworld person with tentacles came from behind the counter with a zigzagging movement . This person, who resembled an octopus from Planet Earth, was probably the owner of this shop .
「Have you received the one that I requested? 」
「Yes, it has arrived . However, it was hard to get it in the first place . You, my dear customer, kept saying strange things such as spares of spares . 」
Apparently, Seiya was already familiar with this place . The owner, an octopus with many tentacles, shook his head and placed on the counter a slightly dull vermilion armor and a sword of the same color .
「Seiya, did you order weapons? 」
「Yeah . I asked for more, but he said that it was impossible . So, I had to reluctantly reduce the amount . 」
「Just be more moderate with your requests! What you have now it’s already enough!」
The shop owner looked quite stunned when he saw me scream at Seiya . But, then I noticed some irregularity about this situation .
「Eh, wait a second!! Weapons bought in the Underworld can be taken to earthly worlds!?」
「Sure . What you buy here, it’s yours . It doesn’t matter where you’ll go . You can use your weapons because you bought them yourself . 」
Is…Is that so!? That would be absolutely impossible in the Gods’ realm!! The rules of the Underworld were certainly loose!!
However, the Twisted Geabrande was unlikely to have weapons and armor . So, it was actually great that Seiya could find good equipment in here .
…So, Seiya was already preparing for his equipment while training at the same time!
I was secretly impressed . But the owner, who seemed to be gentle at first, changed his complexion quite suddenly .
「Well then, we have to negotiate the price of these weapons now…」
No…No way!! Don’t tell me that he’d want me to be humiliated again!?
I took I step back when I feared by destiny . However, Seiya said the following words .
「Don’t worry . I’ve already prepared the payment in advance . 」
「Eh? 」
Seiya took something out of his bag .
「This is my payment…“The shameful horns of the Swordsman God” . 」
「Wha…Wha…What a great HP they have!! 」
Ehhhh!? Were those things a substitute for money!? Just how many Celseus’ horns were taken from his head!?
Eventually, they exchanged twenty Celseus’ horns for ten pieces of Underworld swords and armors . Seiya came out of this shop equipped with many weapons . I used my Appraisal skills to know more about the slightly dull vermilion equipment .
『Swords and armors of the Underworld…The equipment from the Underworld is made of Flame Steel* . It’s more durable than diamonds and platinum . A super rare equipment that can only be obtained in the Underworld!』
「Ehh!! That’s very good equipment, isn’t it!! 」
「Yeah . It’s more powerful than a platinum sword or other platinum materials . 」
「That’s great for you, Seiya!! 」
After that, Seiya, who was a Magic Warrior, thought about buying a shield from the Underworld . He said “just as a precaution” .
Just as we did several times before in the earthly worlds, Seiya immediately entered the shop next door after leaving the weaponry shop . I noticed many strange objects in this new shop, but I also noticed familiar herbs that resembled the medicinal herbs that we bought on our previous quests . It seemed that this shop was a tool shop of the Underworld .
「That, here, over there . I’m going to buy everything you have there . 」
This time, the shop owner was like the Durahan**, a person in an armor but without a head . Actually, Seiya wasn’t mindful about it, but was explosive as always .
「I’m glad that you bought a ridiculous amount of my tools, but can you pay for it?」
Seiya replied to the shop owner without hesitation and showed him a large number of Celseus’ horns .
「It’s the “shameful horns of the Swordsman God” . 」
「Ohhh! Sold!! Take whatever you want!! 」
What!! He could buy everything!? Just like that!? Celseus’ horns were quite useful and versatile!!
Seiya bought a lot of Underworld tools that he didn’t even know how to use them . When we tried to leave the shop, the owner came after Seiya and said the following words .
「My shop has run out of stock . Now, I can’t sell anything to other customers . If I may ask…If you could provide me with more…」
「What a troublesome guy . It can’t be helped though… 」
Then, Seiya grabbed my hair and pulled some strings out of my head!
「That hurtssss!! 」
He threw my hair strings to the shop owner .
「I give you that . 」
「Ohh! Thank you very much! 」
「Is my hair a gratuity!? And don’t “give” my hair so randomly like that!!」
I screamed extremely high . Yet, Seiya left the tool shop with an expressionless face as if nothing had happened, and walked away .
「Whe…Where are you going this time? 」
「I’m going to meet Serous Rousse . 」
「Eh! But, we don’t need her anymore, right? 」
「There’s something I want to ask her . Her technique was quite interesting . 」
「Do…Don’t tell me that you want to transform into a devil as well!? 」
「That would be impossible . But, I had some inspiration after you two were humiliated . 」
Wha…What on earth did that mean…?
I was worried about his words . But, when I heard the name Serous Rousse, the trauma that I suffered due to the forced handstand came rushing to my head . I felt an unpleasant feeling when I remembered that I was upside down, and that she could make me do that again . Moreover, Seiya kept telling me 「Hey, Lista . Just for how long will you keep following me? 」 . Therefore, I gave up and returned to Uno’s house .