The Strongest Onmyoji and the Shikigami With AI are Unparalleled in Another World ~ A Second Life Properly Enjoyed Using Artificial Intelligence ~ - Chapter 149

When I returned to my room, the usual group was waiting for us around the kotatsu.

We quickly joined them and drank the tea Natalia had prepared.

“How did it go?”

As I took a sip and relaxed, Natalia asked.

“I talked to the count. Apparently, he received information from the elves that someone went to the mountain range in the west. Lily, that’s near your hometown.”

“Oh, that mountain, huh… There are two routes: one that goes through a cave inside the mountain, and one that goes up the outside.”

“Is it tough?”

“Well, sort of?”

Sort of…

“Lily, I’d like to talk to the elves. Is that possible?”

Leanne checked with Lily.

“You could just ask normally… I can ask my parents or the village chief.”

Looks like there’s no issue.

“Then, please handle it. Yuuma-sama, it would be better to take Lily with you in the elven forest.”

“Right. Lily, I’m counting on you.”

“Sure, no problem. It’s even easier to navigate than the Western Forest. I could get around with my eyes closed.”

She’s definitely a local.

“How long would it take to get to that forest from Ibru?”

“For me, it’s by foot, so it doesn’t even take a whole day. By carriage, I’d say half a day, even at a slow pace.”

Pretty close.

“Leanne, what do you think? I was thinking of leaving tomorrow, but we could reach the forest entrance by tonight.”

“True… but I think it might be better if Yuuma-sama took a bit of a rest. You’ve been out and about constantly.”

“I haven’t really done anything…”

“Even so, you’ve been scanning and everything…”

Hmm… She’s probably worried about me.

“Maybe I should go with Leanne? I’m done with the materials processing, too.”

Annie, who had been lying down, looked up and suggested.

“You, huh…”

I suppose there wouldn’t be any issues with Annie.

“…I’ll go too. I’ll give it my all before we reach the forest.”

Alice, huh.

“Alright, you guys, take Koma-chan and head out. Don’t push yourselves; use Leanne’s teleportation to escape if needed.”

“As if we’d need you to tell us that.”

“…We’re the weakling trio, after all.”

I’m a little worried…

“Okay. Leanne, wait here a minute. I’m going to get ready.”

“…Me too.”

The two of them got up from the kotatsu and left the room.

“Whoa, it’s freezing out here!”

“…We’ve been in the kotatsu the whole time.”

I could hear their worried voices from outside.

“Are they going to be alright…?”

I hope they don’t catch a cold.

“They’ll be fine. They’re both B-rank, after all.”

Good point.

“Maybe I should tell Jeffrey to promote you guys to B-rank after this job is done.”

Natalia and Lily are still C-rank.

Feels like these two do way more work.

“Shouldn’t you be telling that to someone here?”

AI-chan pointed at Leanne.

“True… Alright, Leanne, that’s the plan.”

“Understood. I’ll make it happen.”

Leanne accepted it gladly.

“We’ve been promoted to B-rank!”

“That’s politics for you. I totally get it.”

Lily nodded in agreement.

“Doesn’t it seem more like a woman who’s fallen for a bad guy?”

Who’s the bad guy here?

You should be happier about being promoted to B-rank.

As we talked, Annie and Alice returned with Koma-chan.

“We’re ready. Leanne, please do the honors.”

“…Alright, let’s show them what B-rank power can do.”

“Yeah, yeah… everyone, touch me.”

Leanne knelt down and held out her hand to Koma-chan, asking for a “paw.”

Koma-chan placed his front paw in Leanne’s hand, while Annie and Alice each put a hand on her shoulders.

“Take care out there!”

With that, Leanne and the others disappeared.

Left behind were just the four of us: myself, AI-chan, Natalia, and Lily.

“It feels lonely with fewer of us. Should we call Pamela?”

Yeah, we are down three people.

“She’s working, isn’t she?”

“Actually, she said it’s her day off. Apparently, she was saying, ‘Maybe I’ll go shopping since I’ve got nothing else to do, nya.’”

That’s definitely Tama-chan adding the “nya.” I doubt Pamela said it like that.

“Give it a try, then.”

“I’ll give it a shot.”

I wonder how she’s going to do it?

“Guess it’s slow at the guild too, huh?”

“It’s not just the guild. Most jobs are the same, like craftsmen and other trades. Only restaurants get busier, apparently.”

So all the idlers come out.

“Seems like you’d need a hobby to keep you sane.”

“Yeah, probably. But this year’s been pretty nice. It’s warm.”

“Right? Wonder if we’ll get any snow…”

Not only Annie and Alice but even these two have started sticking around casually…

As we chatted and passed the time, a knock echoed through the room.

“You can just come in!”

It’s probably Pamela, anyway.

“Hello!”

“Nya!”

It was Pamela and Tama-chan, just as I thought.

“Come on, join us in the kotatsu.”

“Sure.”

“Nya.”

Pamela and Tama-chan came over and slipped into the kotatsu.

“Hey, hey, while I was resting in my room, Tama-chan suddenly started meowing and pointing with her tail toward this dorm…”

So that’s how it is.

“Maybe she just wanted to get in the kotatsu?”

“No, I actually have a mini kotatsu just for Tama-chan at home.”

You made something like that…?

“AI-chan said we should call you since Yuuma was just hanging around.”

“Weren’t you about to go shopping, Pamela? We were totally aware of everything you were up to,” Natalia and Lily revealed.

“It was AI-chan who suggested it,” I clarified. “Not me.”

“It just seemed like Master would be lonely with only Natalia and Lily…”

“That kind of makes it sound like you’re unhappy with Natalia and Lily, so stop,” I said.

“As if there aren’t enough women…”

Hmm, no matter how I phrase it, this doesn’t make me look great.

“Whatever. Pamela, you had nothing else to do either, right?”

“Well, yeah… But if you’re saying there aren’t enough women, what about Annie and Alice? And weren’t you supposed to meet with Leanne-sama and the Count today?”

“We already met with the Count. He mentioned that the dragon had moved further west, toward the forest and mountains, so the three of them went out to the forest. I was told to rest up.”

“Got it… Well, you have been out constantly, Yuuma-san.”

Of course, so has Leanne.

“That’s how it is. Not that I’m even the slightest bit tired, though.”

In my previous life, there was no such thing as a break.

“Take it easy, will you?”

“Yeah, seriously.”

“I think so too. Resting is important.”

Well, I get that.

“Not like I have much else to do anyway, so maybe I’ll just relax.”

“Oh! Then let’s play a card game,” Lily suggested.

“Hanafuda?”

I’m not very good at it…

“What’s that? Oh well, I’ll go borrow some cards from Clive and the others!” Lily said, getting up and leaving the room.

“Cards, huh… Shall we make it interesting with a little wager?” I joked to Natalia.

“If you win, I’ll knit you a lap blanket.”

“Then if you win, I’ll give you a dragon scale.”

Lily came back with the cards, and we started playing this card game with Natalia.

I lost.