I returned to the inn together with Seras.

[Piyyuu~♪]

Upon our arrival, Pigimaru comes out from under the bed.
And there, I suddenly realized.

[Shoot…]

Leaning her sword against the wall, Seras reacted.

[What’s the matter. Touka-dono?]

Group of sorcerers.
A were-leopard Blood Champion.
Witch of Taboos.
I was in a hurry so it slipped out of my mind.

[I forgot to bring Pigimaru’s meal.]
[Piyuuyuu~]

Pigimaru sways left and right.
Just like how people shakes their head.

“It’s alright~”

It’s as if he’s trying to say that.
I placed my hand on my chin.

[It’s been a long time, I guess I should use that.]

I take out the leather bag from inside my backpack.
Seras asks.

[That is?]
[What does it look like?]
[That’s… a leather bag, isn’t it?]

I started injecting magic energy into the jewel in the leather bag.
The leather bag then emits a faint light.

[This is one of the ways to prove that I’m a person from a different world.

▽

[Mokyyuukyyuu~♪]

After eating, Pigimaru’s color turns into a light pink.
What appeared out of my leather bag this time is a cheese tart.
Half of it was eaten by Pigimaru.
The rest was eaten by me and Seras.
Well, that’s how Pigimaru wanted to do so.
This slime really is quite unusual…

[Bread dough that was baked into this solid form… And this should be cheese, right?]

Seras started smelling it.
Is there no cheese tart in this world?
Cautiously, Seras brings it into her mouth.
I also brought my own slice of the tart into my mouth.

Crunchhh…

A slightly crispy cookie batter.
I could taste the rich sweetness of cheesy parts.
There were even some moderately solid cheese mixed along with it.
The taste of lemon mixed along with it in every bite.
The interior parts and the cookies wrapped around it mixed along in my mouth…
Even the dark-colored cream cheese were really delicious.
The mixture of the crispness of the cookie and the dough inside was quite enjoyable.

[—Ah, I have to make sure that the cookie crumbles won’t fall on the bed.]

Well, Pigimaru could just clean it up when that happens.
Finished eating her own tart, Seras held her cheeks.

[Deli… cious…]

Her eyes turned towards the plate.

[Touka-dono.]

In a forceful tone…
Kneeling on the bed, Seras leaned forward.

[What in the world is this? Is this just one of the foods you would commonly find in your world…?]
[…That’s right.]

Why the heck is she leaning forward that much?
It’s as if she’s going to try and forcefully push me down.
Taken aback upon realization her posture, Seras quickly draws back.
Clearing her throat, she straightened her posture.

[I- I’m sorry for being rude.]
[Did you like the food from another world?]
[…Yes, it was really tasty.]
[Even if you want some more, but I unfortunately can’t be sure if I could get the same thing. I don’t know what will come out. It will also take some time before I could use it again.]

I held out my leather bag.
Seras receives it.

[This must be a Hero’s Unusual Tool, right?]

It seems that she knows the existence of Unique Items.
I started explaining what my leather bag could do.

[It’s thanks to that thing that I’m able to survive in the Disposal Ruins. It’s because I haven’t found any food or water in there.]

This time, there were no drinks that have appeared though.

[This is the first time I heard of such an Unusual Tool… I heard that they would usually increase the base status of the Heroes.]

Seras picks up the wrapping of the cheese tart.

[Even this transparent bag…? The things written in here… Are these letters? How in the world were this even made…?]
[That’s through our world’s technology.]
[Hohouuu…]

Seras began curiously observing the bag.
The characters written in the wrapping also counts as proof that I’m a person from Another World.

[Touka-dono.]
[Hmm?]
[It’s quite beautiful, isn’t it?]
[…………..]

Did she think that vinyl packaging is beautiful?
Looking at the High Elf, I think that she’s more beautiful though.

[It’s possible that you’re just saying that it’s beautiful because it’s not something you would find in your world.]

Well, in the case of Seras, I don’t think it’s just because she’s a High Elf.

▽

I sat on the bed with Pigimaru beside me.

[Now then, what are we going to do hereafter?]

The whereabouts of the Witch of Taboos.
It would be better if we had a general idea of where she is.
Knowing this would save us a lot of time.
Many more times than just blindly searching the area.

[I wish I could get some information from that Blood Champion but…]

It would be difficult to solve this without using my skills.
After making them sleep, it would be great if I could use something like hypnosis to make them spit out what I need.
It would have been different if I could do such a thing though…
I also can’t just capture and torture the information out of their mouth at the moment.

[If Eve Speed was like that f*cking goddess, this would have been easier.]
[Should we just collect some information about her for now?]
[Let’s do that then.]
[If we were to know what her purpose on why she became a Blood Champion, it would be easier for our plan to proceed.]

Seras continues.

[There were those who desire money and continues to fight, those who depend on the Blood Colosseum after abandoning their own Mercenary Corps while prioritizing their own life, those who want to buy their own freedom from their owners with their winnings… There are various types of Blood Champions.]
[The method of negotiating with them changes depending on their purpose huh… If we could find something that we could use in negotiating with them, their answers would more likely to be positive then.]

I want to know the whereabouts of the Witch of Taboos.
However, I don’t really want to stay that long here in Monroy.
I want to finish this as fast as possible.

[I have something to ask.]
[What is it?]

I suddenly thought of an idea.
I’ve realised it after hearing Seras’ explanation just now.
All Blood Champions have one thing in common.
It all depends on Eve’s circumstances but…
Surprisingly, the solution to this might have been easier than I thought.

[What’s the next priority of the Blood Champions aside from their life?]

Sometimes, they would have to bet their own lives.

[I guess most of them would probably be money. Most of the people have taken the initiative to become a Blood Champion because of money. The people who wants to retire from being mercenaries, those who want money for their travel expenses, even those people who want to “buy back their own bodies” from their owner.]

A Blood Champion can buy his freedom for a certain amount of money.
It is said that there was such a system in Monroy’s Blood Colosseum.
It was the so-called “Ascendance”.
It was thanks to this system that many slaves wanted to become Blood Champions.
They might even be able to get out of their status as a slave.
They were allowed that one single hope.
As a result, their motivation during their fight in the Blood Colosseum increases.
Thereupon, the number of duels increases.
Inevitably, the number of places they would need as their venue increases.
The audience were also delighted.
After they became a hot topic, the previous audience would also call for another.
It can be said that this system is also beneficial for the management.

[However, it seems that a Blood Champion requires a huge amount of money to buy “their freedom”.]
[A huge amount of money huh…]

I put my hand inside my pocket.
I grasped the satchel containing the Azure Dragon Stones.

[I thought I should avoid making this choice because I don’t want to stand out but…]

After I turned some into money, I guess I would have enough to get “a huge amount of money” in my hand…