Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.
---
There was a considerable number of people gathered for the gutter cleaning.
From a distance, they all seemed to be dressed rather shabbily.
It was probably not because it was sewer cleaning, but rather because it was a gathering of servants.
There were quite a few servants in the houses around here.
Well, that was to be expected.
The well was a bit away.
Drawing water was heavy labor.
It was fine for us because I made water with a Water Wall.
Society seems to be surprisingly constrained by scientific and technological limitations.
In this world, if you want to live a decent life, servants are indispensable.
The layers of society that live well and those that support them from below are clearly divided.
Many households might even use slaves.
There is another way in which scientific and technological limitations affect society.
There is no such thing as forensic investigation in this world.
DNA analysis, fingerprints, and even blood types are unknown.
So what happens?
The investigations conducted by the knights cease to be real investigations.
If someone seems suspicious from questioning, that person is the culprit.
In this world without forensic investigation, there is no such thing as physical evidence.
There is no luminol test, so it's impossible to identify the weapon.
Confessions and eyewitness testimony are almost the only evidence.
If there's a strange person in the neighborhood, they are likely to be blamed when something happens.
A society where you don't know the face of your neighbor, or where people from different cultures and customs live next door, cannot exist in this world.
Even if it were to form temporarily, it would collapse as soon as an incident occurred.
Kooltar is a city where many explorers gather.
Originally, it was a town where strangers lived together.
Compared to the rest of the world, the neighborhood interactions are not very close.
Still, some minimal community activities are necessary.
If you are seen as a weird or unpleasant person, you will have problems when something happens.
What would happen if a robbery or murder occurred in this area?
If someone skips community activities, they will be the culprit.
Then, they will be tortured until they confess.
To avoid being mistakenly accused, you need to participate in gutter cleaning.
Interpreting Cerie's words in my own way, this is probably what she meant.
She tried hard to persuade me not to skip.
It's a survival tip in this world.
The reason I had Mirea participate in the gutter cleaning.
Of course, there are ways to defend yourself even if you are accused.
A trial will be held.
It will be a trial by ordeal or a trial by combat.
A trial by ordeal is something like a boiling water ordeal.
A small stone is placed in boiling water, and the defendant is made to retrieve it.
If they retrieve it unharmed, they are innocent; if they fail, they are guilty.
There is also a method where the person is tied up and thrown into water, and if they float, they are innocent.
Or they are given poison and if they survive, they are innocent.
What happens if they are found guilty is obvious.
In a trial by combat, the accuser, witness, or testifier will fight the defendant.
If the defendant wins, they are innocent; if they lose, they are guilty.
It's a two-for-one deal as it saves the cost of execution.
I don't want to go through such a trial.
In a society with underdeveloped investigative techniques, there's no other way to determine the culprit.
There is no such thing as an alibi in a world where field walking exists.
In this world, it's quite common to determine the culprit by drawing lots.
Someone was killed in a mansion.
There were no signs of an outsider entering from the outside.
The suspects were the six people living in the house.
In a TV drama, this would be the scene where a famous detective appears, but in this world, it's the scene where a die appears.
It looks like a toy, but its mind is that of a god.
The die determines the culprit according to the will of the gods.
Of course, if there is one strange person among the six, and the other five's testimonies match, that person will be the culprit.
Then, it will be a five-to-one combat at most.
The more witnesses there are, the more evidence there is against the defendant, so the number difference is not an issue.
I have three beautiful slaves.
Just that alone could make me a target.
I need to live as inconspicuously as possible, blend in with my surroundings, and live a bright and upright life.
That's the key to surviving in this world.
"Master, a messenger from Luke has come. He says he won the bid for the slime monster card."
Right after sending Mirea off, while I was still at home, a messenger from Luke arrived.
"Cerie, what skill does the slime monster card give?"
"It gives a skill to reduce physical damage when attached to armor. If used with a kobold monster card, it gives a skill to reduce physical damage, but there's no need to go that far."
It can reduce physical damage.
That's quite fitting for a slime.
"What should I attach it to? I'll go to the merchant guild while I'm out shopping."
I went to the center of Kooltar and bought vegetables and monster cards.
If I attach it to hard leather armor, it will become my exclusive equipment.
I have a hard leather hat with poison resistance and waterproof mittens, so maybe I should attach it to shoes.
No, it's good when I'm in the back, but when I'm in the front, I want to equip it.
It's difficult to change shoes.
Gloves are not impossible but troublesome.
The easiest to change is a hat.
The hard leather hat with poison resistance has an empty skill slot, but it's better not to use it.
Skill-equipped items are not yet widespread.
It's better to wait until everyone has them before adding multiple skills.
I handed Cerie the hard leather hat and the slime monster card.
Sturdy Hard Leather Hat - Head Equipment
Skill: Physical Damage Reduction
"It's done."
"Wow, as expected of Cerie."
"Good job, Cerie."
Cerie fused the monster card effortlessly.
The equipment was left by a thief, so there is only one empty slot.
I immediately equipped it and entered the dungeon.
There's no need to use water, and I don't stay at home.
It's been a while since Roxanne, Cerie, and I entered the dungeon together.
We could explore the thirteenth floor of Halbar, but not without issues.
I took many hits from the monsters.
The sturdy hard leather hat was a good investment.
I left the front line to Mirea and the other two, so my burden was heavy.
When I use Durandal, I also go to the front, so I'm not out of practice.
I should have been able to do it before Mirea came.
I need to remember.
I barely dodged the Pig Hog's charge.
I focused on the pig's movements and cast Water Storm.
Two Pig Hogs fell.
The enemy in front of me was gone.
The remaining Grassbee was safe as Roxanne dealt with it.
I cast Breeze Ball from the side as Roxanne skillfully dodged the bees.
It was an easy kill.
The next opponent, as guided by Roxanne, was two Pig Hogs and two Grassbees.
Cerie, with a spear that interrupts casting, dealt with the Grassbee with a skill attack.
I faced the Pig Hogs.
I used Breeze Storm to take out the bees first.
The Pig Hogs were left for last, but there was no choice.
It was a long battle, but I managed to take only one hit.
The next group was three Grassbees and one Pig Hog.
Roxanne's shield blocked the Grassbees' ranged attacks, so there was no problem.
I kept an eye on the bees coming from the front while casting Breeze Storm.
I dodged the Grassbee's charge with my rod.
The bees that had been attacking from a distance joined the front line.
I also had to pay attention to the Grassbee Roxanne was facing.
I glanced to the side to confirm it wasn't targeting me.
I was safe.
But in the moment I looked away, the Grassbee in front of me charged.
I twisted my body in a panic but still took the hit.
I retaliated with the fifth Breeze Storm.
Three bees fell.
At the same time, my body heated up and I felt uncomfortable.
It was poison.
I had been poisoned by the Grassbee's charge.
Maybe it was because I wasn't wearing the poison-resistant hard leather hat.
It was my second time being poisoned, so I was relatively calm.
Physically, it was painful.
My chest felt constricted.
But I needed to defeat the monsters first.
I cast Breeze Ball at the monsters.
No, that's wrong.
The opponent was a Pig Hog.
I had made a mistake.
I was calm enough to realize my mistake.
I cast Water Ball.
My body was uncomfortable.
How many more?
I cast another Water Ball.
I was calm enough to count.
I was calm and collected.
Cerie came in front of me.
It was a potion.
A poison antidote.
Mouth-to-mouth.
I was calm enough to understand her intention.
I pulled her close and kissed her mouth.
I sucked strongly, savoring the softness of her lips.
I had to enjoy this opportunity.
I was calm enough to make that judgment.
The poison antidote was sent from Cerie's mouth.
I swallowed it.
I continued to suck on Cerie's tongue, chasing after it.
I moved my tongue, entwining it with hers.
Cerie's tongue moved slowly and gently.
The discomfort gradually subsided.
The heaviness in my body disappeared.
My thoughts became clearer.
What am I doing?
I might as well enjoy it.
No, what about the monsters?
I quickly released Cerie's mouth.
Good.
They were all dead.
"Thank you, Cerie. I'm fine now."
I took a deep breath.
I had a cup prepared and used Water Wall to fill it with water.
Roxanne fed it to me mouth-to-mouth.
I took my time, catching my breath.
The dungeon is dangerous.
Even the absence of one person makes a big difference.
It's better not to push it.
I returned home early.
There was a lot to do.
First, I heated up the bath.
Since I couldn't drain the water, I was careful not to spill it.
I placed a water barrel in the bathtub to use the leftover Water Wall water.
Mirea would return a bit later, so I kept it hot.
It was the first time in a while that we were three.
What would we do?
The truth is always one.
"I'm home."
Mirea returned as I finished.
She was covered in mud.
She had worn the cheapest clothes from the slave merchant, but returned with them in a mess.
"I told Mirea to take them off immediately. It's okay to drain the water now. I'll wash them outside."
"I want to give Mirea a bath."
"That's right. It's fine today. Cerie and I have been pampered."
I got Roxanne's approval on the order.
"Mirea, you've worked hard today. I've heated up the bath, so let's go in together."
"Bath."
I had Mirea go in the bath first.
I washed her thoroughly before she got into the tub.
I washed every part of her body, meticulously, thoroughly, and completely.
I lathered Mirea's body and washed her gently and carefully.
After rinsing with water, I washed her hair.
I washed Mirea's body again after washing her head.
Washing her twice should be enough.
"Mirea, I'm sorry for making you work today."
"Dinner is fish."
"Was it hard?"
"There were no fish."
We talked while washing, but without Roxanne to interpret, the conversation felt a bit off.
There were no fish in the sewer.
Cerie and Roxanne, who arrived later, also washed and joined the bath.
"Did you plant some kind of plant?"
"Yes."
"It's licorice. It's a plant often planted on riverbanks. Licorice is toxic in its roots, flowers, and leaves, which keeps animals away. It prevents the banks from collapsing due to burrows. Also, the poison can be washed away in water, so it can be used as food in emergencies."