Summer had arrived.The bright sun shining through the leaves confirmed it.
A lot had happened, and I'd had quite a bit of fun.
"But it's time to put all that aside and face the new challenges ahead!"
"That's why today I will overcome my insecurities and embark on a new journey beyond the unknown! I will set off towards the adventure that awaits me behind those mountains!"
"And I will raise my name in the glory of this world!"
"What are you supposed to be doing now, miss?"
"I'm giving myself courage and overcoming my fears with a motivational speech."
"This is the first time I've heard of someone needing a motivational speech just to travel."
"I'm nervous! You know what?! It's the first time I've left the mountains in two years!"
"I think you'd be the only goddess who'd get nervous about that… by the way."
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"Is the ship necessary?"
Maria asked, pointing at the galleon parked on the lake's shore.
"Of course! There's no good speech without a good atmosphere!"
Every actor needs a stage to perform on.
"Ugh… anyway, I'd better start getting ready. We'll be leaving in a few hours."
"...…."
"Miss."
"I haven't told Maria how beautiful she looks today."
"...."
"…I'm going to get ready."
"Then try not to be too late. We've already postponed this trip for quite some time."
"…Okay."
"Very well, I'll have everything ready."
With that, she turned around to return to the mansion and prepare her equipment.
"Haaaaaf…"
I let out a heavy sigh. There was nothing I could do now; this day was bound to come sooner or later.
It had been two and a half years since I reincarnated, and I still hadn't left the mountain range.
It was fun staying here, but I couldn't remain shut away in my own world forever. I had to step outside, live my own story, and meet new people.
Maria seemed to want to go out for a while too, so I decided to finally make it happen.
"Even so…"
I couldn't help feeling nervous. This kind of thing always happens in stories: once you leave your comfort zone, the problems begin.
"Let us pray to God that nothing bad happens."
Even though I am a goddess.
With countless thoughts swirling through my mind, I continued walking back to the mansion.
...…...
Hours passed, and we were ready to leave.
We didn't bring much, only enough not to look suspicious.As for our appearances, we hadn't changed much. I still wore the same black outfit I'd created when I first came into this world, except now the silver ornaments had been modified to look more like armor. I also wore a utility belt with two book cases.
One held my personal research notes. The other held a grimoire.
Why bring a grimoire? Because using it was still safer than using magic on my own.
I could control my strength now, but honestly, I wasn't confident it would always remain that way. The grimoire was more of a safeguard.
Maria hadn't changed either. She still wore her warrior maiden outfit, though her armor was lighter. She carried her travel bag and a retractable shield attached to her forearm.
Although our appearance might seem conspicuous, it was perfectly acceptable, since once we left the mountain range, we'd pass ourselves off as mercenaries. Besides, the place we were heading to was within the territory of the Kingdom of Galark.
We had considered using cloaking magic to disguise ourselves as ordinary travelers, but constantly hiding our identities was annoying. And in this world, it was strange to see two young women traveling alone anyway.
That is why we chose the kingdom of Galark as our first stop. It has a higher volume of races than other nations.
Maria looks like a normal human, her absurd resilience aside, but I have the appearance of a Majin, and in this world there is a certain amount of friction between races. So a place where it is common to see other species was the best choice.
But there is still the problem of checkpoints.
Normally, unregistered people are checked before entering the border, which is quite normal.
The problem is that the status needs to be displayed.
If we were normal people, there would not be a problem. Even if we were carrying weapons, we could just say we were mercenaries.
But we are not normal people. I am a goddess and Maria is a living tank.
"I cannot help but feel that the young lady is thinking something rude."
"It must be your imagination."
Now that I think about it, this girl also gained the ability of intuition not too long ago. It seems it does not only work in combat.
Putting that aside, I had already thought of a solution.
The brooch on Maria's dress is a magical tool that changes her visible state to other people.
While the change is not drastic, it removes automaton as a race and replaces it with human. It also lowers stats to three digits and hides flashy skills and titles.
As for me, I can now customize my status screen however I want. This was the result:
Status
Level: 80
Name: Lucia
Gender: Female
Race: Majin
Titles: Huntress, Elder, Former Clan Chief
HP: 12025/12025
MP: 30050/30050
Vitality: 502
Vigor: 730
Dexterity: 619
Strength: 820
Agility: 750
Intelligence: 420
Luck: 400
Karma: -250
Active Skills: Melee Techniques, Sword Techniques, Scythe Techniques, Dark Magic, Elemental Magic, Gravity Magic, Quick Step, Double Slash, Limit Break, Overexertion, Intimidation, Marksmanship, Double Jump, Heavy Strike, Cooking, Blacksmithing, Alchemy
Passive Skills: Poison Resistance, Status Effect Resistance, Magic Resistance, Intuition, Quick Thinking, Pain Resistance, Rapid Healing
Racial Skills: Instinct, Fighting Spirit, Superhuman Strength
Unique Skills: Shadow Magic
It may seem exaggerated, but the truth is that most of these skills can be learned normally.
Other skills are learned only if they are within your area of expertise.
Majin are considered a warrior race, so they are seen as possessing tremendous physical power and an innate talent for battle. My stats could be considered those of a fairly strong individual among the Majin.
As for the titles, they were deliberately created to provide an alibi in case our identities are questioned further.
And the title of old woman was a mandatory addition.
It turns out that most Majin have red horns, and only the oldest individuals of their race have white horns.
The majority of demon race members are immortal in the sense that they never age. Their growth period stops at some point in their adolescence.
Therefore, it is impossible to know at first glance the actual age of a member of the demon race.
But there are some members who possess certain body parts that do change over time.
In vampires, it is reflected in their hair. The longer they live, the more its color fades until it becomes completely white.In most races with bovine characteristics, it is reflected in their horns, like mine.
The difference period ranges from one thousand to one hundred thousand years.
That means that while to humans I look like a mature woman of about twenty seven, to other long lived species I am an old woman over one hundred thousand years old. And once you reach that age, the title of old woman naturally appears in your status.
I do not know what god made this tasteless joke, but if I ever find him I am going to shove a mallet up his ass until he screams like a bitch in heat.
Incidentally, Lucia was the name my mother would have given me if I had been born a girl.
Well, Mom, I am a girl now, so I can use it. Do not worry, it is not like I am crying blood about it now. Not at all.
"You are not looking your best right now, miss."
"Sorry. I had some unpleasant thoughts cross my mind. By the way, did you like the hammer?"
"The weight is just right and it does not feel bad when you balance it. I would say it fits perfectly."
"Well, I am glad to hear it."
Since we are posing as mercenaries, wearing only armor would be strange, so we obviously equipped some weapons I made.
Apart from the folding shield, I gave Maria a two handed war hammer, although she uses it with only one hand.
The design itself is simple and the hammer head is not very big, barely larger than a deer's antler.
Well, although its characteristics are not exactly normal:
Name: Cruel Punishment
Rank: Unique
Description: A hammer made of adamantite alloy, capable of inflicting massive damage on any enemy it encounters and crushing anyone foolish enough to take a direct hit.
Critical Chance Increase: 60%
Impact Damage Increase: 40%
Instant Kill Chance: 20%
Abilities: Weight Control, Retribution
That description, for some reason, gives me a premonition that something bad will happen in the future.
I have my weapons as well.
I am carrying the repeating crossbow, which was the first magical tool I ever made.There was a time when I stopped using it, but now it has reappeared.
There is also this two handed scythe with a sinister appearance, intricate decorations, and a spearhead at the end of the base:
Name: Midnight Moon
Grade: Legendary
Type: Transformable
Description: A beautiful scythe crafted from the bones of an adult night dragon and adamantite alloy. Its power reflects the lust and rancor of those who died unjustly. On nights of the full moon, no matter how much blood is spilled across its black blade, nothing will quench its thirst for violence.
Physical Damage Increase: 70%
Critical Hit Increase: 60%
Curse Damage Chance: 40%
Abilities: Elemental Assimilation, Spread Wounds, Phantom Slash
Unique: Bloodthirsty Weapon
Yes, this is a bit of an exaggeration, but I liked the design, and it is not like they can evaluate weapons at border checkpoints. It is not a weapon of mass destruction either, so it is fine.
"Well, that is all set. The rest is in the inventory. Oh, Maria, do not forget that while we are away, just call me Alicia. Calling a mercenary miss will look odd."
"Then… Alicia sama."
"No, I think that is still too formal. I was hoping for something more relaxed. Something that would make us seem closer."
"So… what do you think, grandma?"
"..."
"Grandmother?"
"... No. You know what, forget it. Sama is fine."
"Understood, Alicia sama."
That little smile of yours really irritates me a bit, but since you are cute, I forgive you.
With our usual comedy act, we begin our journey to the kingdom of Galark.
…
"A forest?"
Not long after we climbed the mountain range, contrary to my expectations, what lay on the other side was a rather large forest.
Although it is not as large as the forest I named Vanaheim Forest, the divine tree gives the same impression as the world tree of Norse mythology.
The forest is confined only to this side of the mountain range. Further south you can see a large desert, and to the north appears to be the sea.
Although I make it sound close, the truth is that everything is quite far away. The mountain range is very large nonetheless.
"For now, let us go through the forest from the south, since the exit is closer in that direction."
Will we be able to travel by air again?
"No, we will walk from here. It is only an hour's walk, and it will help us familiarize ourselves with the geography of the area."
"Understood."
We are really in no hurry. This is just a leisure trip, so there is nothing wrong with enjoying the moment in whatever way suits you best.
And that is how we spent our time.
There was nothing particularly noteworthy. It turned out to be a fairly quiet forest, and whenever a monster appeared, it ran away quickly from us.
Except for the one standing in front of me now.
"A goblin?"
"It is a goblin."
As we were walking, this small, ugly green thing stood in front of us as if nothing was wrong.
I know it sounds strange, but this is the first time I have ever seen a goblin in person. For some reason, there are no humanoid monsters within the mountain range, only beast like creatures or those without coherent forms.
Even so, this goblin's behavior is odd. Normally, when we encounter a monster, one of two things happens:
It runs away as fast as it can.
Or it buries itself in the ground before we get close.
This one is doing neither. It is just staring at us intensely with a piece of rotten wood in its hand.
"Ah."
Now that I think about it, goblins are the kind of monsters that do not think with their heads.
They think with their dicks.
"KIAAAAAA!"
Right as that thought crossed my mind, the goblin rushed toward us with a disgusting expression.
BOOOON.
It did not do much more after Maria slammed her hammer against the ground, leaving a large crater and what used to be a living creature turned into a pool of blood.
"It shocks me that such vulgar creatures exist in this world."
"And he is not the only one."
As soon as I said that, several goblins emerged from the trees and bushes of the forest.
"Maria, I am leaving them to you."
"As you wish."
For some reason, Maria seems quite motivated.
That day, explosions and cries of pain echoed through the forest like never before.
"It seems we are finally getting out."
After Maria's one sided massacre, we resumed our journey toward the outskirts of the forest.
After a while, we could make out vast plains stretching in all directions, and not far from us, there was a well maintained dirt road.
"This road leads to the border town of Asarina."
"I suppose that will be our first stop."
We did not say anything more and continued our trip just like that.