Chapter 163: The Veil Of Deception (5)

In the middle, various things happened, but to summarize simply…

“When I drank the sparkling mint chocolate pineapple juice, Miss Lydia taught me how to use a greatsword, and Benny agreed to coat my weapon with acid magic!”

“…? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Excluding the part about drinking somewhere other than Ellie’s pub, when I recount today’s events, she tilts her head in confusion, unable to understand.

“What even is sparkling mint chocolate pineapple juice? Why would you drink something like that?”

“Because it’s delicious?”

“That sort of stuff is delicious…?”

Ellie makes a bizarre face, as if hearing about how indigenous people used to frequently hunt platypuses and how the tail, rich in fat, was considered a delicacy.

That’s mean. I’m not joking, it was really good.

It wasn’t just randomly mixing existing mint chocolate and pineapple; it was a menu created with the intention to mix these two from the start, and it matched surprisingly well.

It happened when I was on Earth, at a fast-food chicken place with a smiling grandpa as the mascot, where they sold mint chocolate sauce for dipping as a promotional event.1

Mint chocolate on fried chicken. Many people cringed at the thought of such a bizarre combination…@@novelbin@@

But when I tried it, it wasn’t as bad as expected. That’s because it was created to be used as a fried chicken dipping sauce from the beginning.

The sharp freshness balanced the greasiness of the chicken, and the moderate sweetness enhanced the chicken’s flavor, much like yangnyeom fried chicken sauce.

Of course, it couldn’t beat already proven flavors like yangnyeom fried chicken, soy sauce fried chicken, or rib flavored fried chicken.

However, the fact that it was quite edible is what’s important.

“Got it? Sometimes, even strange combinations can turn out to be surprisingly good if done right.”

“Can’t you just pick a popular menu item that everyone likes, Jonah?”

Ellie let out a deep sigh. Smiling slyly at her, I continued speaking.

“Hey. How could I? If I were someone who only ate standard menu items, I wouldn’t be able to like something like a retired adventurer with one arm.”

“Hmm hmm.”

Ellie cleared her throat and nodded after pondering for a moment.

“I still don’t know what that fried chicken thing is, but I can make mint chocolate pasta. Should I give it a try?”

“What are you talking about, Ellie? Only basil pesto is allowed for green pasta, so there’s no need to research such useless menus.”

“……”

Ellie looks over with a cold gaze, as if she doesn’t understand what I’m trying to say.

But there’s no choice. Sparkling mint chocolate pineapple juice is fine, and mint chocolate fried chicken is okay too, but mint chocolate pasta seems unbearable. ȓ𝓪ɴО𝖇Èš

I chuckle at Ellie’s cold stare, which I haven’t seen in a while, and gulp down the remaining milk in my cup.

“Whew. Well, the point is, just wait a little longer, Ellie.”

“For what? The day I develop the perfect mint chocolate pasta recipe?”

“No. The day I find your arm, Ellie.”

“…Were you serious about that?”

“I’ve always been sincere with you, Ellie.”

As I laugh, Ellie lightly pats my shoulder with her one remaining arm.

“Just to let you know… I’ve been one-armed for quite a while, so I’m pretty used to it now. So…”

“So even if I fail, don’t get too upset or hurt myself from being impatient, right? Don’t worry. I didn’t say this without any basis.”

I dismissed Ellie’s concern with a light gesture. The Goddess of Love hasn’t given me any signs or guarantees, but…

There’s enough reliable information, so it should be fine. Seeing the statue in my arms silent, it seems the Goddess has no complaints either.

Only then did Ellie, slightly relieved, sigh in relief and roughly ruffle my hair.

Rustle, rustle.

“Well, if that’s the case, it’s a relief…but still, be careful.”

“Okay.”

“Are you entering the Labyrinth now?”

“No. Today I’m learning the basics separately from Miss Lydia, and I’m planning to start tomorrow. Of course, not deeply, just starting again with the Human Golems in the outskirts residential area.”

“You’ve thought it all out. That’s fine then.”

“You seem a bit bittersweet, Ellie. Is it because your little Jonah seems to be growing up?”

“…A little?”

Ellie tilts her head weakly. In the past, she would’ve been too embarrassed to admit it… She’s become quite honest.

For my part, I was overwhelmed with bittersweet emotions and couldn’t tease Ellie any further.

“Ah, hold on a second.”

I quickly dashed up to my room upstairs and then came back down.

“I’ll give you a present before I go!”

“A present? For me?”

Ellie’s eyes widened. Her ears perked up, and her tail started wagging busily.

With a face full of anticipation, I laughed and spoke.

“Ellie. Hand!”

“…Haa. What is it this time?”

Even with a deep sigh, Ellie quietly extended her hand. I placed a freshly brought, warm gift in her hand.

“Hm? What is this? A warm fabric…?”

Ellie tilted her head in confusion as she unfolded the piece of fabric in her hand. It was a pair of men’s underwear, with a simple design but high-quality and expensive, which I had specifically requested from the Cradle Trading Company.

Most of the nicer ones were problematic, with lace, thongs, or tightly clinging materials, all designed to appeal to…well, you know.

Even though I understood this was a world where gender roles were reversed, how could I wear such things?

Of course, even if it wasn’t particularly racy underwear, it seemed to have a strong impact on Ellie.

“…!”

Ellie, with her fur standing on end, jumped in place. It was a bit amusing how she held onto my underwear tightly so as not to lose it.

I patted Ellie’s frozen abs and said,

“Feel free to use it! But, since it’s just been taken off, I recommend using it quickly before the warmth fades!”

“Hey, uh, what? This…huh?”

“Then I’ll be back in the evening, so have a good time!”

Ellie stammered like a broken person. I waved playfully at her and quickly exited Fairy and Silver Coin.

That day, the opening time of Fairy and Silver Coin was delayed by two hours or so.

After leaving Ellie’s shop, the place I headed to was the Guild’s training ground.

Since the Guild’s purpose is to support adventurers, aside from merely purchasing loot or issuing quests, they also provide various intermediaries and small conveniences.

One of them is renting the training grounds.

The public training ground can be rented by any adventurer for a very low price, and private training grounds can be rented for a few silvers for an entire day.

These are just ordinary training grounds. Depending on the purpose and the person, more spacious or specialized environments can be created, which requires a hefty sum in gold for rental.

However, top adventurers are an exception.

Since they are so rare among the countless adventurers, the Guild wishes to maintain friendly relations with them whenever possible.

As Lydia was previously mobilized to capture a defector from the Magic Tower, as long as the minimum cooperation quota is met, the Guild provides maximum convenience.

“In other words, it means I rented this entire spacious training ground for free.”

“Ooh! Miss Lydia, you’re amazing!”

“Ahem!”

With a smug expression, Lydia nodded, and I chuckled as I asked.

“But what is this place for?”

“It’s a training ground to test the power of close-range techniques. See those?”

Lydia pointed at the large and small pillars that jutted out intermittently.

Each had a different color, and naturally, they were made of different materials, and some were even composed solely of magic like fire or water, without any physical substance.

“You test your skills according to the strength, size, and attributes.”

“Oh? You said you’d teach me how to properly wield a greatsword? So, it’s like a scarecrow to test that on.”

“Correct. For a greatsword user, two things are most important. Can you hit it, and how strong is it?”

The Greatsword adventurers speak of is not just a slightly larger sword. What significance would a blade extended by a few dozen centimeters have against gigantic monsters?

The minimum standard is a sword as large as a human body. Only then do adventurers call it a Greatsword.

Naturally, due to its large volume and considerable mass, it is difficult to wield skillfully, making accuracy important.

All these risks must be worth taking, so its power is crucial as well.

“However, all I will teach Jonah is how to swing it powerfully. Jonah’s greatsword is special…and hitting accurately is Jonah’s specialty, isn’t it?”

“That’s true.”

The Power of the Earth given to me, the Seed of the Mountain Range. And the greatsword made from the horn of Minotauros, the previous Power holder.

The compatibility between the two was so perfect that it could implement a selfish function where it felt light to me but heavy to the opponent.

So there’s no need to worry about how to match well.

“From now on, Jonah only needs to do one thing. Swing properly to unleash the power to break the alloy on the 3rd Floor…. This pillar should be of similar hardness.”

Lydia pointed to a green stone pillar a little distance away.

Standing in front of it, Lydia slowly took a stance with her greatsword, as if telling me to remember.

Perhaps because it was a task of using the body rather than the mind, it didn’t take long to get Lydia’s approval.

It was not long after I left the training ground with Lydia.

Karen, an Inquisitor of the Temple and also my secret collaborator.

As if she had been waiting, she approached as soon as our eyes met and whispered in a small voice.

“Jonah. I have something important to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a rather old matter, but I discovered evidence that the Pope was up to something suspicious on the 3rd Floor.”

“…Shall we discuss it in more detail somewhere private?”

TL/N: There was a Mint Chocolate fad in Korea, where they put or made everything with Mint Chocolate… I myself, though being a fan of Mint Choco…was not a fan of that movement…bleh ️

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