Riot Grasper

A day in the second week of August.

How about this? Dont you think it looks good on me?

.. You know, that kind of thing should be only be done by women.

You want me to evaluate your newly purchased clothes, and I let out my honest opinion as I watch Rens carefree figure twirl in front of me.

The long garment, which covered his body to just above the knees, had exotic embroidery on the collar and chest. When the pants are included, it gives the impression of a dark blue ceremonial dress, and when worn by the well=-dressed Ren, it looks like the formal attire of an exotic prince. A long shawl is draped over his shoulders, and I must say that the elegant orange color looks like a blessing from nature.

But will it survive the journey?

Ill be fine. Its easier to move around than it looks, and I hear its made of strong thread. And Im wearing leather armor underneath.

Okay then, but that shawl? Whatever it is, do you need it?

This is. here.

Ren wrapped the shawl from his shoulders to around his face and dexterously spun it around. In a matter of seconds, his face was completely hidden.

I think I saw people riding camels in the desert wearing these.

I dont think well need it in this country, but if were going to the Suven Empire, we might need it, right?

Well, maybe so.

In the end, I decided to go to the Suven Empire.

Kuroko has called me overprotective, stupid, a pre-sexual offender, and many other abusive words.

Im willing to admit that Im a little overprotective, but its not all just because Im worried about Lim.

How can I pass up an opportunity to make connections with the king of a country?

Later that day, I knocked on the gates of the royal palace and asked about the release of the twins, Rei and Ren. This is my first time in the country, so it would definitely be helpful to have someone who knows the land.

As for worrying about being stabbed in the back, I think Ill take Illys word for it for now. Of course, Im not going to let myself get too comfortable.

I was visiting rather soon after I had refused, but apparently the king was not so small-minded as to be disturbed by my sudden change of heart, and arrangements were quickly made for them to be released.

And as he had said, he tried to offer me a sum of money as a road bank, which I politely refused. They described it as an upfront investment, and Im too scared to accept that. Im honestly happy that theyre buying into who I am, but I dont want to find myself in a situation where I cant say no to them.

However, since we couldnt take the twins on a trip in prison clothes, we were given enough money to equip them and pay for their lodging.

And so, we are now in the process of getting equipment for both of them. Ive already repaired my armor.

Lets get back to the story.

.. though only a few people know what we look like.

They need it to hide their face just in case.

They were doing their job as part of a special task force, but if its found that they failed in their mission and came back as traitors, they would be executed. Due to the nature of their work, there are few people who know who they really are, but I guess you can never be too careful.

That being said. arent you hot in that outfit?

With the temperature getting higher, Rens clothes seem a bit too hot. If he wears a mask, hell probably collapse from the heat.

Tsk, tsk. Its hotter in Toggle than here, but thats why we need to block the sun. The real danger is prolonged exposure to direct sunlight.

..hmm

Wait, listen! Whats that! Thats a beautiful thing to look at.

Since Rens story was going to be a long one, I took the phosphorus dragon crystal out of my tool bag and looked at it.

The dragon bone emits a faint and mysterious light. No, the dragon crystal that has been altered over time is harder than any metal. It is truly a material of extreme rarity and maximum hardness.

I really love this kind of stuff. I could look at this all day long and never get tired of it. Id rather eat it.

..By the way, I did return the skill to Belga.

He probably doesnt know what happened, as it was returned to her while she was drunk and asleep.

He felt his strength return after waking up. We parted with the promise that if I ever met someone named Shania, I would tell her about Belga. We havent seen each other since, but I guess I dont need to worry.

..By the way, Rei nee-chan is so slow

Well, they say women take a long time to get ready.

Ren and I both chuckled.

By the way, you use two swords in battle, right?

Yeah, yeah

On Rens waist sits a pair of twin swords, also freshly purchased. It seems that Rens fighting style was to use the long sword mainly for offense and the short sword for defense.

Whats wrong?

No, I was just wondering what its like to duel-wield

This trip is not an urgent one. Im not just worried about Lim Im also going just to see what another country is like. I think itll be okay to take an occasional detour.

Hmm. I dont know. I basically use my dagger as a shield, but in some cases I find it useful to be able to attack with my dagger, which is more maneuverable. Its not as good a defense as a real shield, though.

What bout equipping two long swords?

I thought about it at first, too. Because thats more

Cool

Our voices overlapped and our gazes met. It feels as if a strange friendship has been born.

But you know. In fact, its hard to use two long swords

What do you mean?

The advantage of having two swords is that you have more moves. You can attack with a dagger, and you can attack with more than a shield. However, if you use both swords as your main attack weapons, the weight of the longswords will tired you out quickly unless you have lot of muscle strength. And even if you can wield them, what will you do if your opponent comes at you with a large two-handed sword?

Well, I could avoid it, or catch it with my sword.

Yeah. Its fine if youre evading, but if youre defending with a sword, youll have to use the strength of arm to block the power in both of your opponents.

Then cant you block it with both swords?

As I said before, the seeling point of duel-wielding swords is the number of moves you can make,. but dont you think its pointless if you have to use both of your swords to block each of your opponents attacks? Moreover, the weight makes it easier to get fatigued.

.. I see. I didnt think Ren had thought it through like that.

With a dagger, you can basically just focus on deflecting the trajectory of your opponents attacks, and because its lighter than a shield, its less likely to fatigue.

Dagger..? No, but.

Well, thats the general idea.

When you say?

I know that your arm strength is not as strong as it looks. Are you really human? If so, one arm is enough to counter most opponents. If you can handle your body in a way that allows you to evade and opponents attack, you can make both swords specialize in attack, and your overall attack power will increase.

Attack SpecializationExplosive Strength

.. This guy put my favorite words at the end.

Thanks to his physical skills and enhancements, his evasion abilities have been increased.

I think Ill consider it moving forward

Why are you so bright-eyed?

The one who was now approaching, dragging me out of my fantasy, was the princess who had taken so long to get ready.

Never mind that. So, have you decided on your equipment

I turned around and caught sight of Rei in my vision, and my eyes went rigid.

Well. that.

What? Ive got everything within the allotted amount, remember?

Reis outfit was something that I hadnt seen since I came to this world.

Looking up from the feet, the first part of the foot is a pair of footwear and the soft and fluffy light purple fabric that is integrated with the footwear wraps around her knees.

She seems to be wearing black tights from her thighs to her waist. The upper half of her body is designed like a yukata, and is made of the same soft material that wraps around her knees. The length is about halfway up her thighs.

Shoulders and arms are exposed, but the area around the forearms is protected by gloves.

A beautiful pale orange obi is wrapped around her slightly higher than her waist, giving her a somewhat Japanese impression, but it is not exactly a kimono. The fact that her hair is tied up at the back probably adds to the Japanese look.

What are you staring at?

Well, Im the younger brother, and I have something to say about my sisters unique sense of style

Shut up. Im sorry for your unique sense of style.

I dont have.

Ren was instantly silenced by his sister with a single glare.

I know you think its a strange outfit, but its also very functional. The light purple fabric is made from the larvae of the purple moth, so its shockproof and durable, and it even has a temperature control function to keep the inside of the clothes at the right temperature. This belt is also made from yellow cotton and protects the abdominal organs well.

Its certainly more function than I expected, which surprise me, but Im keeping my mouth shut for a different reason.

Unique sense of.?

No, this is very good stuff.

The imbalance with the Japanese atmosphere is exquisite.

I mean, I think it looks good on you normally. Its good. Very good.

Good job!

What? I dont need you to tell me how good I look. Im the one who chose it.

He turned his back and walked away.

.. Im also going to look at the. weapons, so wait a bit longer.

With that, I pushed my way towards the weapon section.

After waiting for a while

TL: I cant make any sense of these next 6 lines. Im assuming Seiji went to go ask about making a weapon out of the dragon crystal, but honestly, I cant tell.

Thats weird!

Whats going on?

I responded to Rens muttering, and listened as I looked at the phosphorus dragon crystal.

No, Rei told me to use this for a weapon, so I thought Id be back soon.

You were gone for quite a while

Did I get lost at the last minute? Its possible.

By the way, why did you suddenly decide to go to the Suven Empire? You said you werent going there right now Stop looking at that fang!

I have no choice but to put the phosphorus dragon crystal away in my tool bag.

No, I really dont have a big reason for it.

Maybe that cute little beastgirl had something to do with it?

.. This guy scares the hell out of me. He seems so aloof but is strangely sharp sometimes.

Well, maybe thats part of the reason.

.. I see.

He smirks at me.

What the hell?

Oh, Rei nee-chan, have you decided on a weapon too?

She must have come back from the weapons corner, and shes carrying a strangely shaped whip.

Ill take this.

The whip, which has a thicker-than-usual handle and presumably a built in winding mechanism,, has a number of small blades visible where it extends and retracts.

.. a Bladewhip?

Yes. If you do this

Rei moved her hand slightly, and the whip shaped blade whip became a single sword with a series of matallic clicks.

The whip is at a disadvantage when approached, but I can at least defend myself with this. Well, Ill rip anything to shreds before that happens.

.. she doesnt sound like shes joking.

Well, I guess youll just have to settle for that whip and some clothes.

Since Ive decided to be the one to manage the money, its up to me to make the final purchase of equipment.

I walked to the back of spacious store and approached the shopkeeper.

Excuse me, Id like to purchase the equipment this girl has on.

The shopkeeper turns around and gives Rei a strange look.

Hello! Whats wrong with you? You look so unhappy. I was just humming along in the weapons section

Doss.

Sorry about her. I was going to buy this too.

Every time.

What Rei at the accounting table was a small throwing knife. It looked like a set of three dull knives, but only one of them was painted black.

I mean, what are you doing?

I have some talent for throwing, so its not a waste of money.

Thats not the point!

Please dont cause problems to prove if something is worth it or not.

We managed to make the purchase without any problems, and now everything is ready for our departure.

Ive already greeted everyone who took care of me in Kings Landing, and Ive stored away emergency rations, water, healing potions, antidotes, and all sorts of other items in my magic tool bag.

As for Uran-san and Stella-san, they were very enthusiastic about starting their own business in the near future, and Ill be sure to stop by their new store next time Im here.

Though I feel like Im forgetting something.

What are you zoning out for?

While Im deep in thought, Rei, dressed in her new clothes, asks me a question.

Oh my God, if you walk around the streets in that country, pickpockets will take your whole wallet, wont they?

No. Its not that bad is it?

Thats sweet. Its usually - cuck.

She was walking with her face toward me, and I guess she was preoccupied her sermon to me. She bumped into a passerby from the front.

.. Oops! Im sorry about that. Im sorry that I was so rude to a lovely woman like you. Would you accept dinner with me as an apology?

The man who bumped into her suddenly tried to hold Reis hand, and she didnt bother to hide her rejection.

Dont touch me.

In response, the man only bowed and said he was sorry, breaking into a smile.

My apologies. It was just too tempting to go for. Have a nice trip.

Oh, I remember

The mans demeanor resembled someone I knew, and I could finally remember that perverted man.

Garib-san, whats going on?

After all, its been a few days since then, and I still havent heard anything. When someone disappears without saying a word, it bothers me. But, when I looked into the face of the man who was walking away, it seemed like he was a completely different person.

Hmm. something like.

Whats up?

Oh, my eyes are a little blurry. Maybe Im just tired.

Hey, hey, hey, were leaving now, are you okay?

Ren muttered uneasily, but as soon as I blinked a few times, my vision cleared up.

Dont worry, its just that. Rei should walk carefully in front of you.

Shut up. Dont call me by my name so lightly.

Conditions for release, part 1: Both released persons shall make every effort to establish at least the necessary personal relationships to accompany me.

There are a few conditions that I was allowed to offer when I released them, and this was one of them.

Calling someones name is the least I can do, right? Rei and Ren. its going to be a while, so Ill be counting on you.

Im totally fine with that. Im just trying to figure out what Im going to call you.

Ill make an effort. too

And thus, I left the Capital City with two new companions

TN: This chapter was quite difficult to translate. I couldnt tell who was speaking most of the time so these pronouns are my best attempts to figure out who said what based on what was said. In general, I think I got the gist across, but some of it might not be entirely accurate.

Also, Ill be shifting my release day to Friday, which means the first translation for volume 4 will release on the 20th. Im going back to school soon and I think it will work better with my schedule that way.

In addition, I feel rather comfortable with picking up another novel. If you have anything you want to see translated, let me know in the comments. Im only interested in translating Japanese novels, and in order for me to consider it, the previous translator has to have not released a chapter within the last 30 days at minimum. The longer its been since the last chapter, the better.

Finally, I just want to thank you all for reading. Honestly, I wasnt expecting anyone to really want to read this seemingly dead novel, and the fact that you guys are interested is a large part of what keeps me motivated to keep doing them, so, once again, thank you for reading.