I'm like those Pikamon trainers who go on a journey to gather cute monsters and have them fight each other. Except I'm the opposite.

I'd mind my own business, but these guys keep coming to disturb my peace.

They either want to kill me, or each other, and I lock them all up so they chill instead.

[Notice: This is a flawed comparison. They don't want to kill you or each other. Their goal is to Banish the Goddess of Luck, and capture the Princess alive.]

Well, that anime wasn't too violent either.

Nobody died in it, no matter how hard they fought. Like in John & Terry, the mouse would cripple that poor cat many times if real-world physics applied.

[Reminder: The one person who killed people so far was the First Bride, and you didn't collect her.]

I could have if you didn't freeze up during the fight. I had to take over, remember?

And I burned a hole in her, that should count too.

If only I didn't blind myself with that move, she could be in my custody too.

But enough chit-chat, I'm on a different mission today.

Like in the last two, but this time, I will clear it. It has been too long, I want that stupid skill to fix up the Orc camp and impress the Goddess.

I need over seventy pounds of iron.

Unless I give in to the System's terror and pick up the Mining Skill, then find a mountain, the only option left is trade.

[Querry: Why do you think, using a skill provided by the Thirteenth Bride would impress her?]

I prefer not to think at all. I'm trying to enjoy my stay here and play by your rules.

You could be a little more supportive, you know. And cheer me on in my feeble attempts to win Alex over.

[Querry: Do you realize you are the same gender, but come from different worlds?]

What are you trying to imply with this? That a nerd from Earth couldn't pick up a chick who's an absolute ten, and even a Goddess?

I wouldn't avoid thinking about it if I wanted to make myself feel bad, so don't remind me.

Mission. I need iron, and plan C is in progress.

As it turns out, many of the Lesser Races who lived in the Old Capital were absent when Alex made it disappear. Though, even those at home survived, according to the Goblin.

They spread across the Continent. People got thrown around depending on where they were when the disaster happened. The ones disappearing with the Demon Lord had it worst.

About a hundred thousand men found themselves in a dungeon with him, Sealed in from the outside. And the ones who were lucky to be outside of the radius remained.

Some, like the Lesser Races, settled in the nearby lands while the human population fled north.

And by Lesser Races, I mean the Orcs, Goblins, and Beastmen like me in this body.

Anything non-human, other than elves and dwarves.

This is the official designation for Nordhaben, though I find it rather racist.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

And ironic too. Considering these Lesser Races ruled over the entire Continent a decade ago.

In any case, most villages and tribes don't have much industry.

They hunt and gather, and in rare cases, they have some land to cultivate.

While they trade with each other, their lack of craftsmen and miners makes them bad candidates for me.

So out of the dozen little villages nearby, the only sensible target is one, which happens to be a Beastmen tribe.

It's across the Old Capital, so it's quite a walk there, and half the Battalion sets out with me.

The other half guards the captives I spent the last two days interrogating.

They are a mixed bunch. The one wizard they sent to kill me, — sorry banish Alexandra — seems the least threatening. He's a coward, but he's not stupid.

He has no loyalty to his masters either, and when I asked him some questions, he gave me a theory that matched mine.

As in, they weren't sent to Banish the Goddess of Luck.

They were out here to disappear. One odd thing though is that he had no idea who I am.

The Seer girl — the Princess — knew at first glance that my aura didn't match Alexandra's.

The guy who they sent to defeat her couldn't tell. Well, he never met her. And he wasn't a Seer. If not for his affinity, he was almost like a normie in my world.

He had to learn hard and practice more than anyone else to pull off the most basic magic spells.

He specialized in healing, but somehow he mastered Banishment too.

Though saying he mastered it might be pushing it. He cast it exactly once, and the First Bride took him under her wings.

He thought it was to keep an eye on him, rather than to nurture his talents.

And it's understandable, I have to keep an eye on him too, or he might cause trouble.

But not here and now.

The road to that Beastmen village was too long, allowing me to think about these things.

And it's not a simple settlement like what the Orcs have.

It has walls built from bricks, orderly streets, and proper housing. Their place must be the most advanced part of this world I have seen so far.

But with no farms in sight, they're prime candidates to trade for food. And seeing their technological superiority, they should have everything we need.

Charlotte escorted our little caravan with the carts and wheelbarrows. The kids came too — they wanted to and didn't take a no for an answer.

The hunters provided the guard, and we brought almost a ton of meat to exchange for iron.

"Your Grace, let me do the talking," Charlotte whispers when the Beastmen opens the gates.

"While they're your kind, and might recognize you, things have changed in this area in the last decade."

She doesn't have to convince me. Any chance I get where I don't have to do the talking or be in the spotlight, I'll take it. Unfortunately, I end up in the center of attention anyway.