The bath was indeed nice and spacious. Because the women could all bathe at once, there was no need to wait long.
"We're done~ Tae-jin, Kazuma."
When Aqua let us know the women were finished, Kazuma and I entered the bath.
"Every time I see it, I realize it's enormous..."
"What is?"
"Ahaha, nothing."
Probably, Kazuma was referring to my thing. After rinsing off, as we sat in the bath, Kazuma seemed to be thinking about something, then asked me.
"Tae-jin, could I learn some swordsmanship from you? There are no quests right now because of the Demon King's generals, so I have free time."
I didn't know what had gotten into Kazuma, but it seemed like a good thing, so I readily agreed. I thought it was probably because we had started out together, but the gap between me, who had bought a mansion, and himself was too big.
"Sure! I'll teach you starting tomorrow."
We made that promise, finished washing, and went to our rooms. I began drinking the potions I had bought from Wiz's shop today.
I experimented with the ones whose side effects were wounds or broken bones, but thanks to my [Status Ailment Immunity] ability, I had no adverse reactions.
"I wonder if I could make these?"
I tried to analyze the potion with [Projection Magecraft] and [Eyes] to make it, but while I could replicate the ingredients exactly with [Matter Manipulation], I couldn't reproduce the energy contained within. In short, copying was impossible.
"Too bad..."
I had no choice but to drink the rest of the potions. The effect of the potions raised my level by 3, and I also gained 4 Skill Points.
Whether Wiz could continue to procure these potions was uncertain, but to me, they were practically free, so I decided to check in with her from time to time when I had time.
The next day, I woke up early, washed up quickly, and made breakfast for the kids. Everyone was amazed by the taste of the food. Especially Kazuma, who was delighted.
"Wow~ Tae-jin, when did you learn to cook like this? Yesterday too, it's incredibly delicious."
"I lived alone in Japan for a long time, so that's why."
"I see."
"If you want Japanese food, just say so. If I have the ingredients, I'll make it for you."
"Really? Thanks~!"
After finishing breakfast and resting a bit, I went out to the mansion's yard and began teaching Kazuma swordsmanship.
"So, the point is, the higher your understanding in this other world, the more Skill Points you can save?"
"Yeah. For example, if a blacksmith came to this world, they would need fewer points to take blacksmithing skills compared to an ordinary person who knows nothing."
"I see. So if I practice a while and increase my understanding, it's more efficient to take the skills then."
"That's right. But it takes a lot of time."
"I suppose so. Got it."
As expected, Kazuma was fairly smart and understood this quickly. I took two katanas out of my inventory and gave one to Kazuma. Both were swords I had made in the One Piece world.
"Oh~ What's this?"
"A gift. I got them a while ago. For today, you just need to focus on cutting. You have to get a feel for the sword's length."
I took out some rolled-up straw bundles, stuck them on wooden poles, and set several of them up in the ground. Then I showed Kazuma how to hold and swing the sword.
"Your goal for now is to understand the sword's effective cutting range. Focus only on that and try cutting."
"Got it."
I had Kazuma practice only that all morning, then went back to the dining room to prepare the meal. Having [Telekinesis] made it not too difficult.
And since the others took care of all the dishwashing themselves, making the food was actually easier. After finishing the meal, I went outside and saw that the straw bundles I had set up were all tattered and cut to pieces.
"Oh~ You worked hard."
"Right? I think I've gotten a feel for cutting now. Plus, the sword is good, so it cuts well."
"Great. Then try this."
I set up the straw bundles again, tied a red thread above them, and attached a bell to the end of the thread.
"This time, don't cut the straw bundle. Only cut the thread and drop the bell."
"Huh? Is that possible?"
"Yeah. Watch closely."
I took out my sword and lightly cut the thread.
Thud! Jingle!
"Oh~"
"With practice, you'll be able to do it soon enough. Keep at it."
"Got it. Is this also to understand the distance?"
"Exactly. So you should try cutting from as far away as possible, and also from up close."
Kazuma needed a lot of muscle training, but to get him interested in swordsmanship first, I decided to focus on technique rather than muscle training.
Three days passed like that. Kazuma was outside every morning from early on, practicing cutting the thread.
"I succeed sometimes, but this is harder than I thought, isn't it?"
"Right? Now, come stand facing me for a moment."
"Like this?"
I gradually reduced the distance between Kazuma and myself, then stopped at an appropriate distance.
"How is it? Do you think you could cut me?"
"No, it's still a bit far."
"You're finally feeling it. That's called 'the zone'. It's your own striking range. All fights begin within that zone."
"Ah~ I see!"
"Now you can practice thread-cutting and swordsmanship simultaneously."
From that day on, I had Kazuma practice both [Kingdom Samurai Swordsmanship] and thread-cutting at the same time. And finally, the blacksmith contacted me, so I went to pick up my armor.
"How is it? Do you like it? I put some effort into it."
It was indeed easy to move in without any restrictions. The metal parts were also finished well, showing that he had put in a lot of care.
"I'm very satisfied. Here's the remaining payment."
"Hmm? This is more than we agreed?"
"I added a little extra to thank you. Buy yourself a drink later."
"Oh~ Thanks. Very well."
While I was here, I decided to analyze the ores of Konosuba.
"And if it's not too much trouble, could I see some of the various ores?"
"Hmm? Why do you need ores?"
"For when I have more funds later, I thought it might help when making weapons or armor."
"I see. Come this way."
The blacksmith showed me the warehouse where the ores were stacked and explained each one.
"This is 'Adamantite', which is also used in your armor. It's very strong, so it's popular with warriors who prefer heavy equipment. And this is 'Manatite'. It's a mineral mainly used by mages to store mana.
The higher the purity, the more expensive it is. Other than that, there are 'Orichalcum' and 'Coronatite', but I've never seen those myself."
Konosuba didn't have as many different ores as I thought; instead, the price seemed to be determined by purity. And the 'Coronatite' the blacksmith mentioned last was an ultra-rare mineral, the energy source of the Destroyer.
It could be called a perpetual motion machine of the Konosuba world, said to contain enormous energy. Orichalcum, literally, was the ultimate metal of the fantasy world.
"I see. Thank you."
"If you ever want to know more, feel free to come by anytime. You're always welcome."
I packed up my armor, said goodbye, and returned home. The next day, Darkness and Chris finally showed up.
"So this is Tae-jin's house."
"Long time no see. Come in. You can stay in one of the spare rooms."
"Thanks. We'll be in your care for a while. By the way, what's Kazuma doing out there?"
Darkness asked, looking at Kazuma, who was training.
"He asked me to teach him swordsmanship, so he's training."
"Oh~ I see! Then, let me drop off my luggage and join the training quickly!"
Darkness showed enthusiasm at the word 'training', but I knew she would just end up doing muscle training.
"First, eat lunch before you do anything."
"Good point. Look at the time."
"Chris, eat with us. I also have something to talk about."
Chris glared at me for a moment, then 'Hmph!' and snorted, following Darkness into the mansion. It seemed she still hadn't gotten over what happened back then.
We sat in the dining room and ate. I had also prepared the meal this time. As we were all eating deliciously and having dessert, Darkness complimented my cooking.
"I ate very well. Did you really make all this, Tae-jin?"
"Yeah. When I lived alone, I practiced cooking a bit."
Then Chris, drinking tea, spoke in a huffy, standoffish manner.
"So you can cook a little. So, what was it you wanted to talk about?"
"I got the breast enlargement pills."
"What!!!??? Really!!!???"
"Yeah. I didn't know myself, but it turns out they're edible."
I pretended to take it from my bag and handed the clam-shaped breast enlargement pill to Chris. Everyone looked at the pill in Chris's hand with curiosity.
"This is the breast enlargement pill? How do you eat it?"
"Open the clam-shaped shell and eat the red bead inside."
After hearing my explanation, Chris carefully opened the shell and picked up the red pill inside with her fingers.
"Oh~ I see."
Snap!
Whoosh~!
Suddenly, Megumin quickly bit the pill from Chris's hand, snatching it away, and ran out of the room.
"Hey! You!! Stop there!!!"
Chris urgently chased after Megumin. Megumin seemed to be running like mad, but being a mage, she couldn't outrun Chris, a thief, and was caught in the yard. We also went outside to watch.
"Spit it out!!! Spit it out!!!"
"Ugh!!! Mmmph!!! Gulp!"
"No!!!!"
Chris tried to pry her mouth open, but Megumin just swallowed it. Then Megumin's chest began to grow a little. Seeing that, Chris slumped to the ground in the yard and wailed.
"Agh!! My breast enlargement pill!!"
Regardless of Chris's anguish, Megumin was overjoyed looking at her enlarged chest.
"Oh~ Oh~ So the legend of the breast enlargement pill was true. My breasts really got bigger!"
"Y-yeah... But there are men here, so maybe don't grope them like that."
At that, Megumin blushed and quickly covered her chest. Watching this, Kazuma looked dumbfounded and said to me,
"Ugh... Now I understand why nations were destroyed over that pill."
"Hahaha, right?"
As I laughed, Chris approached me with an angry face and snapped.
"Hey!! What am I supposed to do about this!!!???"
"Well, I don't know. I gave it to you as promised. This is your fault for not managing it properly."
When I stated the facts, Chris couldn't find any words. She collapsed to the ground again, crying and hitting the innocent ground.
Thump, thump, thump!
"Damn it!!"
Seeing that, Megumin finally approached Chris and apologized, looking sorry.
"Um... someday, I'll somehow compensate you with money..."
At that, Chris glared at Megumin and said,
"Hey! Can you buy breast size with money!!??"
"Th-that's not..."
Chris jumped to her feet and tightly grabbed Megumin's breasts.
"From now on, this is MINE!!!"
"Ah! It hurts!! I'm sorry!! Stop!! You'll tear them off!!"
The situation was somewhat lewd, but seeing Chris wrapped in madness, it didn't feel that way at all. Everyone else felt the same: Kazuma just sighed, Yunyun didn't know what to do, and Darkness, seemingly excited, was just watching with a flushed face, drooling.
"Hehe~! Are you going to do it for me? Drool~!"
I watched for a while, then decided to put a stop to this madness.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down! I don't think the breast enlargement pill is a one-of-a-kind item."
At my words, Chris quickly approached me and asked,
"Really?? Then give it to me now!!"
"I don't have it now. I only managed to get one."
"So, you're saying you might be able to get more later?"
"Maybe. Or maybe not."
Hearing that, Chris frowned and grabbed me by the collar.
"Are you messing with me right now!? Tell me now!! Can you get more!? Or can't you!?"
Having directly witnessed the pill's effectiveness, Chris was showing an obsessive level of interest.
"I don't know. But it's true that we're the only ones who know of the pill's existence, so unless rumors spread, the chances of me finding another one are high."
"How is that possible? Tell me how!"
"I don't want to. And I gave you one as promised. Next time I get one, I'm thinking of selling it for a high price."
"Ugh! Then, when you get another one, I'll trade you one of my items!"
"Fine! As long as it's an item of equal value."
This seemed to work out well. Maybe I could trade for the sacred treasures Chris had been collecting all this time.
"It's a promise!"
"Yeah."
"I'm going to stay here too now! You have a room, right!?"
"Be my guest."
Chris decided to stay at my house until she could get a pill, afraid someone else might get it first. Darkness was very pleased at the news that Chris would also be staying.
And so, a day of madness passed. The next day, Megumin, excited together with Yunyun, went and bought a huge amount of women's underwear and swimsuits. It was probably money borrowed from Yunyun.