Altea and the Mad Dog
Agatram cannot transform into anything beyond a certain level of power. In the game, this was implemented as a level restriction. Since it could only change into weapons that were level 10 or below, it was nothing more than a temporary substitute for equipment I hadn't obtained yet, making it hard to call it truly useful gear. That said, it's not like it's completely useless. In any case, it was basically just for show. Even now, it couldn't transform into anything made of magical metal, let alone anything stronger than steel.
"But anything below that threshold, it can become anything. Even if it has no fixed form. Transform: Fire."
With a whoosh, the Agatram in my hand turned into a ball of flame. Naturally, holding fire barehanded meant it started burning my skin, but—
These days, even this doesn't leave a mark.
My skin, toughened to support my strength, couldn't be burned by ordinary fire. It felt like dipping my hand in slightly hot water. That was the sensation of gripping the blazing flames.
"Transform: Tent. Transform: Sleeping Bag."
At my command, it became a massive tent, then shifted into a sleeping bag stuffed with down. The fact that it was limited to steel as a weapon was a weakness, but it proved there was no better all-purpose tool.
"You didn't make this, did you?"
"I can't even use mana. How could I create something like this? My ancestor made it."
More precisely, it was crafted by an ancestor who had glimpsed the future in the form of a book.
"He probably used Descent on a parallel-world version of himself, or someone equivalent. But the important part wasn't just seeing the future. Just like how I used Oh Ji-o's memories to pull off modern knowledge stunts—the toilet edition—his world had its own peculiarities."
"What my ancestor saw was a weapon that could take any form as long as you poured power into it. Once he confirmed that knowledge, he became obsessed and wanted to recreate it himself."
"And that became Agatram..."
"It's a flawed copy with restrictions, but..."
"Even so, that versatility is incredible."
"Thanks to it, it was chosen as our family's heirloom. It's especially useful in the Academy, where terrorism is frequent, so we even kept one hidden there."
However, because of its fundamental material limitations, its performance was somewhat mediocre, which was probably why no one had taken it until now. I might be the first in our family to actually use it properly.
"That's enough about Agatram, right? Let's move on to the next thing."
"There isn't anything else."
"Huh?"
"There are no more difficulties in the surrounding area, apparently."
Thinking about it, it made sense. We had crossed the road into the grassy area, but we weren't that far away. If strange incidents had been popping up like mushrooms near the road, it would have meant the empire's public order had collapsed. And since the problems I'd solved were the only difficulties left around here—
"So this is Altea."
We arrived at the resort city faster than expected.
It was a beautiful city. A lake glittering under the late afternoon sun. Rows of quaint little houses. A view overlooking from a gentle hill. It reminded me of Naples or Santorini from Oh Ji-o's memories. The name "resort city" wasn't wasted on it. But—
"Hey! Move it, move it!"
"Do you even know who you're rushing?!"
"Just shut up and keep walking!"
"House Rayphon! Members of House Rayphon, this way!"
"I made a reservation three months ago!"
The problem was the timing. Right after Academy admissions ended, it was peak season.
"How did it go?"
"Luckily, I found one room. It can fit two, so come on."
"Thanks!"
Nobles who arrived around the same time as us couldn't find rooms at the inns and were staying in their carriages, while commoners without even that were sleeping in large barrels rolling around. In a place where such homelessness had become normalized—
"Excuse me."
"Yes, brother and sister. What brings you here?"
"This."
"…………I see. I've heard the stories. Please, come this way."
A house for pilgrims was always prepared.
"We can just get lodging with a free pass at a time like this?"
"We're risking our lives. How unfair would it be if we had to sleep on the streets too? At least as long as we're pilgrims, there won't be any problems with food or lodging."
"That's quite the privilege, being a pilgrim..."
After that conversation, we followed the priest for a while.
"This is it. May the light of God shine upon your path ahead."
We soon arrived at the house provided for pilgrims.
"It's not that big."
The house we were shown was fairly small. Judging by how the priest hadn't been surprised that there were only two of us, the Pilgrimage probably wasn't designed with large groups in mind.
Well, even if it's small, it's plenty spacious for two people.
It wasn't luxurious, but being a two-story house with two rooms on each floor, it wasn't small enough to complain about. Without Oh Ji-o's sensibilities, the noble Helio might have found it cramped.
"But why... my room?"
After unpacking and washing up, I returned to my room to find Diana already fully prepared and waiting.
Guess the old saying about women taking forever to get ready is outdated now.
"So, do you dislike it?"
"...No."
"Hehe, come here."
Faced with that absolutely invincible question, I surrendered once again and obediently followed her lead. The bed was nice and soft. Even with my muscular frame, it didn't sink too much.
"…………"
Diana was lying right beside me. From her, I could feel the warm body heat and pleasant scent unique to someone who had just bathed.
"There's a place I like. A restaurant I have to visit every time I come here."
She said that while looking at me.
"Isn't it crowded?"
"Of course it'll be packed. But surprisingly! I have a special privilege that can nullify all the waiting and reservations."
"Regression users are so unfair."
"Hehe, we are unfair."
Diana grinned and took my hand.
"So, do you still dislike it?"
"...You're really unfair."
Seeming satisfied with that answer, Diana got up from the bed.
"It should be break time now, so it'll be fine in two hours. Rest for a bit."
"Yeah, you too."
"They also have Celine Mountain ice, which you like."
"...That somehow sounds ominous."
"What could possibly go wrong?"
Diana brushed off my unease and left the room.
"………Maybe I should take another shower."
The room where the girl had stayed smelled unnecessarily sweet.
"You bastard, how dare you hit a kid right in front of me! You wanna die?!"
Thud! Thud!
It was a strangely nostalgic sight. Thinking back, that was exactly how our reunion had gone eight years later.
I wanted to forget about it, but...
Once Diana's eyes flipped, she was showing in vivid detail why she was called the Mad Dog.
"Kek... Urgh..."
Yeah, I had a bad feeling about this.
With resignation, I approached to save the pickpocket who was being turned into pulp beneath Diana. Beep!
"It's the guards!"
"Stop right there!"
At the same time, the guards who had been chasing the pickpocket from afar arrived. As a result, they struggled alongside me to calm down the Mad Dog.
"Thank you for your assistance with the arrest."
"...It would've been better if you'd held him a bit more gently."
"Oh my!"
Even though the guards' uneasy conversation was clearly audible, Diana didn't hide her calm smile.
"It's nothing. It was something I had to do anyway."
"Haha... I suppose so."
It was the same smile she'd worn when she turned Anki into a bloody mess. Now it was just absurd. Despite what she said, she'd been beating the guy purely out of frustration.
The moment the pickpocket pushed the kid blocking the road, she charged like lightning.
She rushed in at a speed even I might have missed, followed by a perfect tackle, then naturally transitioned into mount position and ground-and-pound. Maybe after me, who had learned Ancient Martial Arts, Diana was the best at hand-to-hand combat.
"That aside, there sure are a lot of pickpockets."
Regardless of Diana's dual nature, I moved on to the main point. The pickpocket she'd personally pummeled was just that one guy, but we'd encountered far more.
Five of them.
Pickpockets were always plentiful in tourist spots, but even accounting for that, there were too many.
"Yes, we've received reports as well. You caught five including that one. As the guards, we can't even show our faces."
The guard bowed his head, his face genuinely flushed with shame.
"Is there some reason for this? No matter what, a city like Altea shouldn't be like this."
"...Thank you for saying that. The truth is..."