I Shall Survive Using Potions!

He's home.

Yeah, it went by so fast.

I don't know what the time it has taken me to travel so far: .......

No, but that doesn't mean I'm going to travel on this boat from now on.

We don't need to save more and more wasted time, even if we are limited by time, which we are not. On the contrary, we'd rather have a policy of 'taking it easy and enjoying the progress and wasted time along the way'.

We have time. We have time to do it. ......

The reason I used this ship this time is because I didn't have the means to transport the baggage guys, and I wanted to get it over with and have a slow pile-up story with Kyo-chan. Also, I wanted to get the kids to spend some time at the former orphanage as soon as possible.

That on-board boat is now in geostationary satellite orbit on autopilot, apparently. With advance instructions to the on-board computer and a wristwatch communication device, they can operate it to some extent without being on board. ......

The reason why they put it into satellite orbit instead of hiding it in the nearby ocean is because, as expected, Kyo-chan was worried that sinking it into the ocean might not be so good for the ship's hull.

Even though the hull is sturdy and hermetically sealed, the conditions in space and under the sea are too different for a completely sealed hull, such as the effect on the propulsor or the water pressure.

Well, I was worried that it would affect the catch and the price of seafood would go up if we had to take that thing in and out of the sea so often, so I'm glad to hear that. It's a good thing, because the price of raw materials is unbearable for processors," he said.

And the reason why they leave the fish out of the ship instead of returning it to the mothership is because it's easier to call for help in an emergency. It's just a small difference in time, but it can make the difference between life and death," he said.

...... In a nutshell, you're thinking about it, too, Kyo-chan.

It's not just a matter of time before you get home, it's also a matter of time before you get home.

No, I didn't think there was a brave man who would pick a fight with the goddess (Ceres), so I wanted to ask him what his intentions were for that last assault.

When I did, the reply was, 'At that point, I thought it was either an angel or a wizard. But if it was the Messenger, it was already completely too late, so I took a chance on the other one, namely the possibility of being a wizard. 'Then there was a hope that we could manage it,' he said.

Well, well, that's true .......

It's not wrong to say that you shouldn't, and originally, bet on a slight chance of winning.

What was wrong was the way of life that led to such a situation.

And I kept a tight lid on them. Only the part about the magic (Megami no Chikara) and the "floating boat of heaven".

For that part, you're simply going to testify that you were caught in a trap.

Yeah, well, there's no way they're going to go against what we, who are now considered to be the Goddess and the Messenger of Goddess and her party, are saying.

Since it's an attempted crime, there's a good chance we'll be able to get away with a year-long crime slave if we keep this up. And yet, anyone who goes out of their way to touch the wrath of the Goddess and wants to ruin this life, and even after death, by being cast into hell, is not likely to do so.

And now, having disembarked from the on-board boat near 'Little Silver', we are returning the last few hundred meters with the attempted murderers.

As expected, we couldn't just lie down at home. We can't afford to be seen in the event that someone sees us.

Now, when I get home, I'll leave the kids to Reiko and Kyou-chan, and I'll take the attempted murderers to the lord ......, it's hard to pull those guys with a woman's thin arms.

...... Alright, I'll send a messenger to the lord and ask him to send someone to escort them away. And also to make an appointment for the meeting.

But I'm not a demon enough to let Meene go here, who is happily explaining the basement and baths to her friends. Of course I want to show them how to use it as soon as we arrive home, right in front of the actual thing.

Okay, I'll have Leiko go on an errand.

Ah!

Come to think of it, I was going to check out the current status of the merchant who bought Meene on the way back, but he came straight back on Kyo-chan's ship.

Do you want to ask Reiko, who can handle that one too, if you're on your own, with magic? I'm sure there's some kind of body-strengthening magic or acceleration magic.

...... As expected, they said it's no good with transference magic.

It's a good idea to have an item box that is just a doorway to connect to a specific inter-dimensional space, but other than that, the rest of the items that have the potential to induce a distortion in spacetime are not acceptable, according to Ceres.

Well, that's obvious.

Anyway, when acting alone, Reiko is the one with the highest self-defense and self-defense abilities.

I'm powerless against surprise attacks and fast-moving enemies, and Kyou-chan is almost a normal human being without a ship... The most unreasonable of the three of us is Reiko, after all. ......

When I finally reached the front door of the house, after walking around thinking about ...... or something like that, there was some kind of paper on the door. And a bunch of them.

The first one.

We have captured the intruder. Upon your return, you are invited to come to security headquarters.

The second one.

"You came to security headquarters in a hurry with the antidote

The third one.

"The bandits are going crazy. They came in immediately. There are four bandits.

The fourth one.

'Come at once, you bastard demon!

...... No, why do you think we're the bad guys?

Oh, the fourth one has a different paper. The writing instrument is different, and the handwriting is more rough and dirty than the first three pages.

The fourth sheet is the companion of the criminal, or a family member of the criminal, though the third sheet might be a person of the security force.

But it's that bad, that poison pill .......

Well, we're not supposed to die, and we're supposed to be able to keep our limbs from actually rotting away even though they're about to rot away, so there's no need to be in such a hurry to do that one. First, let's get rid of these troublesome attempted murderers and lighten up. With these guys around, we can't move freely. So we can go to .......

"Leiko, I'm sorry to trouble you, but I need you to go to the Lord's mansion and bring me some men to take them in. Tell the lord that I'll be there later to explain the situation and I want you to set a date and time.

Roger that.

After that, I made the children wait for a little while at the front door and then hurriedly disarmed the security system as I went around. ......

And the first words from the commander of the eight soldiers Reiko brought from the lord's residence to me were, ''Anyway, take the antidote and go to the headquarters of the security force immediately. If you have a human heart, ...... was a message from the lord-sama,'' he said.

No, how much of an outsider do they think I am, I .......

* * *.

When I went to the headquarters of the security force, I saw the bandits' hands and feet swollen black or sickeningly purple and on the verge of rotting away.

The four bandits, who had probably run out of tears and cries, were simply twitching on the shabby plank bed in the cell where they were tied up.

Maybe he was tied to the bed because he was in so much pain that he was flailing about, or maybe it was to prevent him from trying to scratch his swollen limbs, or maybe it was because he was worried that his rotten limbs would be shredded .......

As far as I can tell, he doesn't seem to be conscious, and he's not going to be able to take the antidote on his own, even if I give him one. ...... His hands are also tied up.

"...... Oh, pry your mouth open and force me to drink this. Also, sprinkle this one on the affected area .......

Before I can finish, the guards snatch the container of potion from my hand as I take it out of my bag and run over to the bandits tied to the bed.

Yeah, they're treating me like a victim, not a criminal, those guys .......

I knew it, I'm the villain, dammit!