CH 152

Chapter 152 – Talk of the Special Reward

“It’s called the [Earth-Controlling Rod].” (Bouchi)

“…Earth-Controlling…Rod? Wisdom Rod? Does it have the power to bestow some kind of knowledge or wisdom?” (Nike)

(TL: The staff’s name is 地指揮棒 – ‘chishiki-bou’, and ‘chishiki’ means wisdom or knowledge in Japanese. ‘Chi’ is also the word for Earth, and ‘shikibou’ is a controlling rod/conductor’s baton. It’s somewhat of a pun, which is why Nike doesn’t get it at first.)

“It doesn’t have anything to do with wisdom. It’s a rod for controlling the earth.” (Bouchi)

“Earth… Controlling Rod.” (Nike)

“Try pointing the tip towards the earth.” (Bouchi)

“O-Okay! …Oh?” (Nike)

“What’s the matter, Nike-sama?” Rajie asked, seeing Nike starting curiously at the ground. The others looked at him as well, seeming to want an explanation.

“Right now, you should be seeing the earth divided into squares.” (Bouchi)

“…Y-Yes. That is what it looks like.” (Nike)

“Focus on one of those squares and point the tip of the staff at it.” (Bouchi)

Nike did as he was told. Shortly after, he let out a small exclamation as a change entered his vision.

“Do you see the area where you pointed the staff marked red?” (Bouchi)

“““Whoa~!”””

Everyone who was watching let out an exclamation of surprise in unison.

“D-Did I do that?” (Nike)

“That’s right. As the name implies, the [Earth-Controlling Rod] can manipulate earth.” (Bouchi)

“Earth…” (Bouchi)

“Just now, you only focused on one square, but it can also manipulate multiple squares at once. It does take some practice though.” (Bouchi)

To the wielder of the [Earth-Controlling Rod], the ground appeared as if it was divided into grid-like squares. If the wielder aimed the tip of the staff at one of the squares, it would glow red, which signified that the region could be manipulated.

By sliding the tip of the stick in a certain direction, the area selected in red could be increased, which would expand the range of manipulation. The rest was up to imagination. Depending on what you wanted, it was possible to make the selected region sink or rise.

It was also possible to change the state of the earth into something like mud or solid bedrock. In other words, depending on how it was used, it was a convenient item that could be handled in any number of ways.

However, this artifact was difficult to control. I tried to use it a few times, but it wasn’t for me. I wasn’t able to learn to use it very well despite my attempts.

If I spent more time practicing with it, I would eventually be able to use it, but I decided against it because I didn’t want to waste that time. There were other artifacts that were more effective for the purpose.

But fortunately, it seemed to be quite suitable for Nike, who had plenty of time to practice with it. If he could master it, he would be able to protect himself and the others. It was the perfect weapon for him right now.

“What do you think? It’ll take some practice to master it, but… if you think you’re up for it, I can sell it to you.” (Bouchi)

“I’ll buy it! I can buy it, right Rajie?!” (Nike)

“Y-Yes. If that’s what you desire, Nike-sama. I have no objections.” (Rajie)

“Yay!” (Nike)

Nike hopped up and down happily, clutching the [Earth-Controlling Rod] tightly. He actually seemed to act like his age for once.

“I’ll go practice right away! Thank you, Bouchi!” (Nike)

“Ah, wait a minute, Nike-sama!” (Tria)

“Wait up~!” (Alicia)

Tria and Alicia went after Nike, who sprinted away joyfully. The two maids seemed to be following him as his guards.

Noalia watched her little brother with a pleasant gaze as he ran off. At her side, D’esta and Kirie began walking, belatedly following after Nike.

“Are you sure it’s alright? That artifact seemed like quite the valuable item.” (Rajie)

“Well, yeah. But… I understand how he feels.” (Bouchi)

Not wanting to be protected all the time… Wanting to become stronger. Those thoughts were natural for any male to have.

“Besides… You’ll be paying me for it.” (Bouchi)

As I said that, I held my right hand out towards Rajie.

“…Good grief, the spending never seems to stop.” (Rajie)

After receiving the proper payment from him for the artifact, there was nothing left to do here, so I brought Sol and the others with me and returned to Joysprout Island.

—

We returned home, but everyone was staring at me with fervent gazes.

“…Uhh, what is it? W-What in the world is up with you guys all of a sudden…?” (Bouchi)

Why are they looking at me with such hungry eyes…?

“Puuu~! Master, you can’t be forgetting about that!” (Sol)

“This one couldn’t even sleep at night from worrying about it.” (Shiki).

“Precisely. Well, it’s already obvious who would be chosen from the start though.” (Izu)

“Hm… You seem rather confident, Izu-dono. However, I was the only one who repelled the enemy.” (Yofel)

“If you’re going to say that, it was me who kept a lot of people at bay.” (Ior)

Izu, Yofel, and Ior began to butt heads with their words, refusing to back down.

“Uhh… I seriously don’t know what you guys are talking about…” (Bouchi)

“““““The special reward!!!”””””

They all exclaimed in unison.

“…! O-Oh… I see.” (Bouchi)

Oh right, I do recall mentioning that. I totally forgot about that.

Before the Nike rescue operation, I said that I would give a special reward to whoever helped out the most.

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