Published: August 2, 2025
The next day
When I woke up and went outside, it was still dim.
Did I go to bed too early yesterday? It’s still too early to head into town now.
Thinking that, I decided to expand the kitchen and storage inside the mine shaft. I also started organizing the contents of the Item Box. I had mostly put the herbs in the dispensing room, but the furs I hadn’t sold yet were still just left inside.
Fur, fur, fur, fur, fur, black tea... the black tea belongs in the kitchen.
Fur, fur, fur, fur, fur, fur, money… Ah, these must be the bandits’ belongings... weapons, armor, armor, weapons, weapons... Come to think of it, I forgot about the bandits’ spears from Merzen. I’ll try those next time. And then... more fur.
"More fur. There’s way too much fur... Why did I bother keeping all of it? If I fed it to the slime, it wouldn’t go to waste."
As I kept organizing for a while, I found something strange.
"What’s this?"
In my hand now was a goblet. All my dishes are either stone-made using earth magic or wooden, carved from wood… but this goblet is made of silver. It’s decorated with gold and even has jewels.
Why is such a high-class item in my Item Box? It can’t be a bandit’s item—I checked everything before leaving the forest, and there was nothing this splendid. But I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere...
On a whim, I appraised the goblet.
Divine Artifact: Goblet of Tekun, the god of liquor
A Divine Artifact created by Tekun, the god of liquor.
It contains the power of the god of liquor, and if mana is continuously offered as price, it produces endless wine.
Owner: Ryoma Takebayashi
!?!? Wait, what is this? Why do I have a Divine Artifact like this…?!
"I remember! This is the one Tekun gave me when we met! Wait, I actually brought it with me!?"
Thinking back, when I was in a hurry that time, I just threw things into the Item Box randomly... If it got mixed in then...
"Isn’t this bad? For now, I should go to the church!"
I quietly put the goblet back into the Item Box, let the slimes into the dimension home, and rushed to town—at full speed.
When I arrived in town, I went straight to the church. As I got to the front door, a girl was opening it.
"Oh, are you here for worship?"
"Yes, is it okay now?"
"Yes, please come in. It’s rare to see someone come this early in the morning..."
I didn’t have much time for small talk...
"I’ve been busy with work lately. I thought this would be the only time I could make it."
"I see."
Today, I was guided into the worship hall again. Honestly, I already knew my way, so I wanted to cut out the guide and run to arrive as soon as possible. But I kept up appearances, thanked the girl who showed me in, sat in a chair, and prayed.
Tekun! Take me to the divine realm!! I wished, and a few seconds later, my vision was filled with white light. Did my prayer reach him?
When the light stopped and I turned around, Tekun was there. Seeing his form made me breathe a sigh of relief.
"Ryoma, did you call me? Wait, how did you call me? I clearly heard your voice just now."
"I prayed at the church."
"Hey, hey... You can’t just call a god like that. If it were that easy, we’d constantly be getting summoned by someone."
"Even if you say so... Anyway, I have something to talk about."
"What is it? Did something happen?"
Before speaking more, I pulled out Tekun’s goblet from the Item Box. Seeing it, Tekun’s eyes widened dramatically, and he alternated his gaze between the Item Box’s hole and the goblet.
"Last time we met, you left me behind and ran off, right?"
"Y-yeah..."
"At that time, while I was searching for snacks for the wine inside the Item Box, time ran out... When I hurried to pack up, the goblet got mixed in with my stuff. I only realized this morning while organizing the Item Box... Sorry for taking it without asking."
"Well, I don’t mind, but—did you actually manage to bring it?"
"I put it in the Item Box and brought it along like that, but I was able to take it out properly on the other side."
"You were able to take it out? Hey, wait... Magic, no, magic needs spirit and mana... So it’s not impossible?"