BXBX NOVEL — (222) Preparations for infiltration
Chapter: (222) Preparations for infiltration
Translator: Tseirp
Leaving Haru and the others in the mansion, Suzuki and I secretly went to a cheap hotel on the outskirts of town.
Suzuki was walking while reading the comic in blatant violation of manners but nobody reprimanded him.
Waiting there was a familiar face.
”… It’s been a long time, good-for-nothing-san.”
“Good-for-nothing!?”
I was suddenly shot down with hurtful words.
It hurt even more when those words came from a small kid.
She was Schreyl — Suzuki’s slave — or rather, his companion Sorcerer.
“Schreyl, I am not a good-for-nothing.”
”… Schreyl’s misconception?”
Without looking at me in the eye, Schreyl pulled the cheek of the bear soft toy she was hugging.
“I will take back saying that you are a good-for-nothing.”
“Thank you.”
“Then, have you found a Job and quit Jobless?”
“Rather than quit, I am kind of challenging the new heights of Jobless.”
After reaching Lvl100 of Jobless, I arrived at the pinnacle for a time. However, thanks to Miri’s limit breaking medicine, I no longer have that upper ceiling so I have stepped onto a new stage.
“I see… I take back what I took back.”
“You take back what you took back!?”
It seemed like I said more than I should have.
“No, wait. I am working. Lately… yeah, I’ve been working as a Pirate —”
”… Ko-oniisan, should we report him immediately?”
Please wait a minute, why would you report me?
Ah, that’s right. Pirates are usually criminals after all. But, Suzuki will definitely explain it properly —
“Hn? Ah, yup. I think that’s a good idea.”
“Suzukiiiiiiii!”
That bastard, he was reading the Nyapiece I passed to him and was totally absent-minded!
That was probably a half-hearted reply!
It was a mess after that, she was really about to report me and Suzuki suddenly started crying while reading the comic.
※※※
While returning the comic to Suzuki after he somehow proved my innocence,
“Haha, sorry. Junkas’s lines were way too touching.”
“I don’t deny that but — eh, where did we leave off?”
As Suzuki’s other two female companions — Kyanshi and Miles were also taking independent action, Schreyl was left here as their point of contact. I could understand that but why was I led there?
“To join the smuggling group. Some work is needed after all.”
“Work?”
“To change job. To a job that seems likely to be their companion.”
”—!?”
Don’t tell me, we have to change jobs?
That’s bad. Once I switch Jobless to another job, I can no longer return to my previous job —
(Wait, what am I thinking.)
Compared to getting my hands on a new cheat skill by continuing as Jobless, didn’t I already decide that it was more important to help Miri as soon as possible?
“All right — I’ll change to anything. Hn?”
Wait, then why did we need Schreyl?
All we needed to change job was to find a Priest.
I see, I’m not just changing job. But more importantly, even if we did change jobs, how would the smuggling crew investigate it?
Only my Jobless skill 「Job Appraisal」 could investigate other’s jobs and I don’t believe a person holding that skill would be in that crew. Another item would be the test when entering a town but that test would only detect nobles, royalty or criminals. We’ll have to find a Priest to change job to Peddler while it is impossible to change job to Noble or Royalty.
That leaves, criminal?
That was when the points connected inside my head.
A young girl — and crime.
“You bastard, there’s no way I would assault an innocent girl like her!”
“There’s no way I’d ask you to do that!”
Suzuki instantly denied it.
Yeah, if he actually asked me to do it, I would have beaten Suzuki up.
I would probably be hated by Schreyl but I still would not be able to forgive him.
“If we’re going to do that I should be the one assaulting her!”
”— Don’t say something like that so loudly. So, what are we doing?”
“Kusunoki-kun, do you know about the skill called Status Forgery?”
“Hn? Yeah. I only heard of it recently though.”
It was a skill Miri had.
It could forge a person’s status and falsify the status that others would see.
Miri used that to hide the fact that she was the Demon Lord. And the skill could even be performed on companions too.
“Does Schreyl have that skill?”
“That’s right — furthermore, her clan is one where the members are born with the Status Forgery III skill.”
“Status Forgery III? What kind of effect does it have?”
“In detail, the Status Forgery skill can originally only alter the status of party members. However, Status Forgery II can alter the status of people other than the user themselves and their party members. But the target must remain within a certain distance from the user. The target has to be within 10 meters from the user or the status forgery would be dispelled.”
”… I see, then Status Forgery III…”
Would it be able to falsify status no matter the distance?
If that’s the case, won’t the person be able to cause world panic if they change all the Royalty and Nobles into Commoners?
Maybe Schreyl’s village was attacked because of their possession of that skill?
“That’s right, it is as Kusunoki-kun has guessed. After faking the status, the forgery would not be undone within 24 hours even if the user and target are separated.”
— That was a lot shabbier than expected.
Well, I would still consider it as a convenient skill. Especially for an undercover investigation like what we were about to do.
“In other words, using Schreyl’s ability, I would fake my Job as a Thief and infiltrate the smuggler crew?”
“That’s right. However, she can only perform status forgery on a person outside the party once at a time. Although I don’t think it would be discovered as Haurvatat-san and the others are slaves, the opponent would be cautious if we turn up with a large number of members.”
“That means the people infiltrating will only be me and Suzuki?”
“Yup, although the plan was for me to go alone — by the way, Kusunoki-kun. Could I ask something?”
“What is it?”
“Why are you in such a rush to reach the Southern Continent? Regular trading ships would set off after some time —”
“Ah, yeah. I don’t know where to explain from but my younger sister has been taken.”
“Your sister-in-law has been taken? You’re married?”
Suzuki curiously asked.
Not my sister-in-law but my real sister — ah, I see.
In the first place, I don’t have a younger sister in this world.
“That’s not it. She came to this world to pursue me.”
“That — are you serious?”
“Unfortunately.”
Suzuki should be aware too. For a Japanese to come to this world, they would have to die on the other side.
To come here of their own will meant that the person killed themselves.
I guess it would be hard to believe.
“Despite that, she came over to pursue me. That’s why, this time, I have to chase after her.”
“All right. But, I think it would be better to file an arrest warrant for the kidnapper.”
“I can’t do that. I have no proof and the opponent is a big shot in this world. Furthermore, even though I know that she’s the kidnapper of my younger sister, I still trust that person.”
“A big shot — could I ask who it is?”
“It’s Daijiro-san — the woman who entrusted this item bag to us.”
“Daijiro-san… no way…”
Suzuki found it unbelievable.
“Daijiro-san is a woman!?”
That’s what you’re surprised about?
Well, I was surprised too.