《Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely》 CH 1 First Chapter ¨C City of Flowers and Water ¡°With this, it¡¯s over.¡± I thrust my spear into the body of a monster who flew into a rage over its dead comrades. A large body taller than three metre falls shakingly to the ground. I glance around. There are around ten odd bear-type monster¡¯s dead bodies lying around. I don¡¯t think any of them would be smart enough to pretend to be dead, but I¡¯ll observe for a few seconds to make sure. As for the first one I killed, vaporization has already begun. *Phew*. I shake the spear once to rid it of blood and gore, then transmit my will to the spear. Obeying, the spears handle and blade become short. Before long, it becomes the size of a general knife and I put it in the scabbard on my waist. ¡°Finished-!¡± Then, I called out to the people who had taken refuge in the nearby copse. The figure of a good old man hidden in the shadow of the tree came out fearfully. ¡°Oh, Ah. No way, a group of wild bears so easily¡­¡± ¡°Well, even though I look like this, I¡¯ve come from the front line. Please wait while I collect the claws.¡± ¡°Ah, I will help¡± The dead wild bears are beginning to disappear into a thick fog. A magical monsters body dissolves and vanishes into the air when they die. However, the part where strong magical power dwells remains as a material. It depends on the type of monster, but in the case of wild bears it is usually claws. Unfortunately, there doesn¡¯t seem to be a rare drop so I collect and stuff the nails into the bag. ¡°Now then, it¡¯s time to go. ¡¸¤Ï¤¤¡¹ ¡°Yes.¡± Please wait while I work on translating the rest of the chapter. But I¡¯m a lazy shit. If someone else wants or is doing it, I will succumb and not do it. Yay. CH 2 Book 1 ¡°The Adventurers of Flowtier¡± Chapter 2 "Being an Explorer" At the gate, I finished all the paperwork and went straight to Mr. Thomas¡¯ store. He¡¯ll introduce me to the inn after I finish my rounds with the church, and Cyril and Jend are leading the way there as we leisurely walk the central main street. The streets were not empty nor was it too overcrowded. The tidy, clean buildings lined the left and right of the street, and you could feel the excited energy of the street merchants as they called out to pedestrians. The goods they sold also looked current and up to fashion. And upholding its name of ¡°The City of Flowers and Water,¡± the number and variety of floral decorations touted its distinction to its neighboring town. And most importantly, feeling a small pang of hunger, enjoyed a delicious shish kabob from a food cart. The bird meat was a cheap 10 *zenitha per stick, but it was still quality meat. Cyril: ¡°Henry! Henry! Please tell us the rest of the story! You were on the frontlines surrounded by a 100 *dragon kin, and what happened next?¡± I was telling them a story of one of my adventures, but I got distracted by the kabob. Cyril saw that I finished my snack and pressed me for more details. Henry: ¡°Well, at the time, we had a strong mage so me and one other person bought time, and the mage took out the whole group with a spell.¡± Jend: ¡°Wait, I thought dragons had strong magic resistance¡­¡± Since his partner is firing off questions, Jend realized that all courtesy was lost and started cutting in with his own thoughts and questions. Henry: ¡°No no. Dragon kin only look like dragons, but they¡¯re not as strong as real dragons. Besides, the mage was the strongest among everyone I know, so he could easily burn this town to the ground. Cyril: ¡°OMG, that¡¯s amazing! But when it comes to strength of magic, I won¡¯t lose to anyone!¡± Cyril is getting pumped up as she raises her staff in the air, and she gets karate chopped immediately by Jend. Cyril sends a protesting glare back at him. Jend: ¡°Don¡¯t be swinging your weapon in the middle of town.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s right.¡± I nod in agreement. Cyril: ¡°Oka¡ªy, I¡¯m so¡ªrry.¡± She¡¯s pouting. She has a variety of expressions change on the spot. Cyril: ¡°Oh! Henry, we can see the church from here!¡± Henry: ¡°Yup, I see it.¡± A four-story mansion appears in the distance. A shield with two swords crossed decorates the entryway - a very familiar emblem. Any churches related to the god of Mother Earth have a more strict atmosphere, but the church we are at focuses on pragmatism only. It¡¯s no different than other business headquarters. Inside, we¡¯re greeted by an even more familiar setting. Henry: ¡°No matter where I go, the churches for the god of war is the same. There is an altar before us where you can offer your prayer. On the right, you¡¯ll see a billboard posted with quests for explorers, the market prices for demonic creature parts, and a counter to handle the administrative side of these requests, and coordinates with the quest givers. On the left is the bar. A tavern inside the church? Other churches would raise a brow at the sight, but according to legend, the god of war cherishes the drinking party after the victory of every battle above all else, and hence, why a bar is included in every one of his churches. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Jend, today, I¡¯ll be first in the drawings! You went first last time and got an uncommon draw so it¡¯s my turn this time!¡± Jend: ¡°Umm, the order doesn¡¯t change your chan¡­¡± Cyril: ¡°Sister¡ª! Today, I hunted down a lot of them , so I should have at least 3 draws¡ª!¡± Since no one was standing in line, Cyril dashes forward to the altar. Henry: ¡°3 chances after one hunt? You guys just started adventuring huh?¡± Jend: ¡°Haha, yeah. We only started about a month ago.¡± Cyril and Jend both had high quality equipment, so even if they looked young, I thought they had more experience. I guess their families are just well off. Church Sister: ¡°Yes, yes, Ms. Cyril. First, please complete your prayer to the God Grandes.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes ma¡¯am¡ª¡° Reprimanded by the sister, Cyril begrudgingly got into the prayer position. Church Sister: ¡°...Yes, now we can begin. We have confirmed your records. Today, Ms. Cyril will be bestowed a godly equipment from the Treasure Vault with 4 points.¡± Cyril: ¡°YES! ¡­I mean, I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Whoa, 4 draws. I would have to save up quite a bit to do the same. Church Sister: ¡°Ahem. ...Now then, Oh Great God, Grandes. Please bestow your blessing upon your faithful follower, Cyril.¡± The sister accessed Heaven''s Treasure Vault. Using the points. Cyril earned today as the key, a gate opened in the air and light filled the room. From there, 4 shadows lightly landed upon a prepared table next to the altar. Church Sister: ¡°Yes. One common wand, two health potions, and the last one is¡­oh! Congratulations! This hoodie is an uncommon!¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes! What does it do? What does it do?¡± Church Sister: ¡°Please hold for a moment. I will check. According to this...it is called the ¡®The Slight Breeze hoodie¡¯.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay, okay. And its ability?¡± Church Sister: ¡°It will cause a slight breeze around approximately 1 meter around the hoodie.¡± Cyril: ¡°Umm, I guess I could use it for drying my hair?¡± Cyril isn¡¯t thrilled either. Oh, a drunkard at the tavern jokingly gave his condolences. Even if they¡¯re too far away to hear our conversation, the light from the Treasure Vault is obvious and from Cryil¡¯s look, you can tell that she had a bad draw. Cyril: ¡°Shut it, you drunks!¡± Cyril¡¯s throwing a cute fit which is only making the drunkards laugh harder. I sort of understand how they feel. Church Sister: ¡°How would you like to proceed? Would you like to make a return?¡± Cyril: ¡°Umm, well, it¡¯s my very first uncommon so I¡¯ll hold on to this. Please return the common wands.¡± Church Sister: ¡°As you wish.¡± The sister passed the hoodie and potions to Cyril, and returned the common wands back to the Treasure Vault. In return, a small silver coin replaced the returned items. Church Sister: ¡°It is complete. ...Please don¡¯t be so discouraged. From my experience, only 1 of 5 items that are above uncommon are generally useful ones.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ergh...I understand. ...Jend¡ª! You can go next, here!¡± Jend: ¡°Sure.¡± Jend tilts his head to me as he goes to where the sister stands. Jend: ¡°Just sit back and watch my amazing luck streak.¡± Cyril: ¡°You had a good draw last time, so you¡¯ll probably end up with just commons ¡ª yeah, be cursed with commons today!¡± Jend: ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t jinx me! What if my luck goes down because of you!¡± After she finished teasing Jend, Cyril walks this way. Henry: ¡°Tough luck.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yeah¡ª, it¡¯s my first time drawing something other than common, but it¡¯s not very useful equipment. Oh, but it¡¯s a pretty cute hoodie.¡± Cyril puts on the hoodie that she just drew. Well, regardless of its usefulness, she did look good in it. This hoodie... is also a godly equipment. I wonder how things work with the Treasure Vault in the realm of gods. It¡¯s not the first time the thought crossed my mind, but I needed to finish my paperwork at the counter. And Cyril totally jinxed Jend, and he only drew commons this round. In general, all adventurers believe (with varying levels of faith) the god, Grandes. He is the god of wars and pioneering. But most believe he is mostly a god of war. There are some theories that around 2 or 3 thousand years ago, he came down into this world. And to all humanity, he passed down a revelation. There are many complicated things written in the theology, but simply put: Grandes: ¡°Hey, you guys. Beat down the demonic creatures and go have an adventure. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll let you borrow my equipment.¡± ¡­or said something similar to that. Believers of the god Grandes like myself call ourselves ¡°adventurers¡± for this very reason. At the time, humanity only covered a very small safe haven, and survived day-to-day. Not a lot of quality metalsmithing was possible, and good weapons were scarce back then. To defeat one demonic creature, many adults had to gather and hit it with everything they got, or send out the rare and very few *sorcerers and sorceresses for each battle. But from this time on, an oath of allegiance to the god of war bestowed upon you a promising metal weapon. And if you defeat a demonic creature, that deed was recognized by the gods and gave you access to more weapons and equipment from the gods¡¯ Heaven''s Treasure Vault. ...well, they call it a ¡°Treasure Vault,¡± but I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s some sort of storage facility because there were a lot of useless items in there. Even so, with the items from the Treasure Vault, humanity gradually expanded their territories. Nowadays, you can go to the weapons shop to find some quality weapons that are better than the common-level weapons. Magic Technology advanced, and people were able to fight off the demonic creatures on their own. Cyril: ¡°But, I still would like equipment with some sort of bonus trait--¡± Finishing up their business trading in the demonic creatures¡¯ dropped items, Cyril griped as she ate a parfait in the tavern. I just had that bird shish kabob, so I¡¯m drinking juice. Cyril: ¡°Henry, did you see people with amazing godly equipment at the frontlines?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, of course, but only a very few people I knew carried legendary-class weapons.¡± Cyril: ¡°LEGENDARY?!¡± The weapons from the Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault had 5 ranks associated with them. Common, uncommon, rare, epic, and legendary. The difference lies in the fact that anything above uncommon had some sort of special traits and abilities attached to the weapon. Uncommon had one trait, rare had two, and so on and so forth. Henry: ¡°But some would say that it¡¯s better to use human-made weapons since you can trade them, and those wouldn¡¯t have weird traits and abilities associated. So I know some people who would return every godly equipment they received.¡± All godly equipment is ¡°borrowed.¡± Other than some exceptions with one-time use items, the godly equipment can only be used by the original owner, and if the owner dies, the equipment returns to the Treasure Vault automatically. In exchange, you get some silver or gold for equipment returned. And this is the most important part but...like today, many times, you¡¯re left with some really weird abilities and traits like Cyril¡¯s Wind Hoodie, and the abilities are not always practical. An ¡°extra sharp¡± club, spy clothes with ¡°concentrated aggro,¡± a ¡°nice smelling¡± sword¡­ things like that. If it¡¯s meaningless, that¡¯s one thing, but some item abilities are more curses or disadvantages than they are blessings. Some of these makes you seriously wonder if the gods were drunk while making these. Really and truly, the rarity does not automatically mean that it¡¯s a great weapon or equipment. It¡¯s better to use an uncommon with one decent trait than an epic equipment with 3 useless traits. In comparison, yes, it¡¯s much more difficult and the prices exponentially soar, but humans also have the ability to associate certain abilities and traits they desire to create the ideal weapon. Cyril: ¡°Henry, what about your stuff?¡± Henry: ¡°Me? I use one godly weapon and one *protective charm, but otherwise, the rest are normal equipment.¡± Cyril: ¡°Wow, interesting. What is its rank?¡± Henry: ¡°My weapon is an epic, and the protective charm is a rare.¡± Among all the weapons and equipment I drew, there is only one other spear that is useful other than these two. Well, I shouldn¡¯t complain. There are people who have never drawn anything useful, so my luck isn¡¯t that bad compared to others. ...I remember the very first epic-class godly equipment was a leather armor that was ¡°rust-proof¡± (but it¡¯s leather?), had a ¡°floral¡± scent and was ¡°edible.¡± It was complete crap. Jend: ¡°I guess if you become a Heroic Warrior, you¡¯ll be able to draw epic equipment.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, I¡¯ve only been able to draw 3 epics in my life. The second one isn¡¯t OP by any means, but it¡¯s useful enough.¡± Jend sips his coffee, and I let him know that it¡¯s not that simple. It¡¯s true that the more you draw from Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault, your point requirements for the next item are raised, and your chances for better equipment rise slightly. Henry: ¡°That reminds me. I didn¡¯t see any demonic creatures around this area, but for adventurers, where would they go hunt?¡± Jend: ¡°The main hunting ground would be the forest east of here. If you go deep enough, they say you¡¯ll run into stronger creatures, but around the entrance to the forest is perfect for Cyril and I.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I saw the Killer Dog fangs that you were delivering.¡± Jend: ¡°Yes.¡± Killer Dogs will gang up on you, so they are tough for beginners, but looking as how they are both without scratches, they must have some strength and skill. Cyril: ¡°Henry is a Heroic Warrior, so you could venture much deeper than us. You would be fighting Giant Spiders, and I heard there¡¯s Griffins too. I really would like to have a go at Griffins one day.¡± Henry: ¡°No thanks. Well, maybe one day, but I¡¯ll start with the Killer Dogs.¡± Cyril: ¡°What?! Why?¡± Henry: ¡°What do you mean why? It¡¯s my first time at this hunting ground. I don¡¯t have any reason to take on unnecessary risks.¡± Sure, I have confidence in my skills, but in unfamiliar territory, it¡¯s harder to use your full potential. Each territory has similar demonic creatures, but they may behave differently. If it¡¯s a demonic creature you are used to, you have to be even more careful when moving to a different area. Besides, I have no reason to go after stronger prey. I just need to make enough to pay my bills. I wanted to live a more lax and stress-free life. Jend: ¡°Well, would you like to join us then? I would like to see how people above my level fight.¡± Henry: ¡°Huh?¡± A sudden offer out of the blue. Well, I did want to just take it easy, but it¡¯s not good to let your instincts rust. That might be scarier. So all in all, Jend¡¯s offer is a godsend. Henry: ¡°Well, I mean, it would be really helpful to be with someone who knows the area, but what about you guys? Are you okay with that?¡± No matter what, we just met. I trust them because Mr. Thomas, who is a long-time resident of this town, knew them. But from their perspective, I¡¯m just a suspicious adventurer that came from out of town. Once we¡¯re out of the public sight, aren¡¯t they worried that I would turn around and con them, and say something like, ¡°I hate to do this to you but¡­¡± Jend: ¡°Cyril, you¡¯re okay with this?¡± Cyril: ¡°Of cou--rse. I think Henry is trustworthy-ish.¡± Cyril doesn¡¯t seem to mind. Wait, I think she¡¯s just too distracted with her parfait. I doubt she put much thought into her answer. Henry: ¡°Alright. Well, if you guys are okay, I accept. I look forward to working with you.¡± Jend: ¡°Thank you. I look forward to working with you as well.¡± Cyril: ¡°Me too--.¡± So, things just ended up like this. ----------------------------------- CHONKY TRANSLATOR NOTES ----------------------------------- *Protective Charm - (Omamori) (¤ªÊؤê) -- The Christian cross is the closest thing the U.S. has that is similar to the Japanese ¡°Omamori¡± (protection charms). But it is impotant to note that there is more casual superstition (i.e. jinx) involved with Japanese ¡°Omamori¡± (think of it like superstitions baseball players carry in the Major Leagues or any other stories of famous athletes with weird personal rituals). The most common and practical way to think about an ¡°omamori¡± is something that was imparted to your loved ones going to war to protect them. It has since been marketed and commercialized like crazy, but people will give ¡°omamori¡¯s¡± for good luck and protection for almost anything. Common instances are studying for a big entrance exam or winning a big game. In the MC¡¯s case, it¡¯s a protective artifact that has some spells inscribed which will appear later in the series. *Mages/Witches/Sorceress (mahou-tsukai) (ħ·¨Ê¹¤¤), Mages/Wizards/Sorcerers (majyutsu-tsukai) (ħÐgʹ¤¤) or (madoushi) (ħŒ§Ê¿) are very loosely used and applied. The words and terms themselves can easily overlap and can be confusing since in most cases, they could be interchangeable. The only differences may be between ¡±magic users¡± (drawing out the magic inside you) and ¡±magic wielders¡± (manipulating the magic around you) but it doesn¡¯t strongly apply to this novel. There are some gender differences as well inherent in the terminology - mahoutsukai (feminine and especially when associated more to the word ¡°Witch¡±) and madoushi (masculine - rarely will you see a female character take on this title), but the sexism is more subconscious and not purposefully intended. More detailed explanation in later chapters. CH 3 Chapter 3: The Bear¡¯s Keg Inn Thomas: ¡°Ah, here we are. This is where my good friend runs his inn along with a food and dining business - The Bear¡¯s Keg Inn.¡± After we finished everything at the church, I planned out our next steps with Cyril and Jend, and Mr. Thomas took me to his friend¡¯s inn. The Inn had a giant barrel-shaped sign, and looked like a typical inn. The building looks a little old, but it¡¯s very well kept, Thomas: ¡°Hello¡ª¡° Mr.Thomas enters first, and I follow. Lana: ¡°Oh! Mr. Thomas, welcome!¡± A girl probably in her mid-teens greeted us. Thomas: ¡°Hello Lana. Is Ol¡¯ Nord in?¡± Lana: ¡°Dad is in the kitchen at the moment. Should I go call him for you?¡± Thomas: ¡°If it¡¯s not too much trouble, I would appreciate that.¡± Lana: ¡°Yes sir¡ª, one moment please. Oh, please have a seat there while you wait. Please have the gentleman next to you also take a seat.¡± I raise my hand in acknowledgment as she goes to the back room. Thomas: ¡°Her name is Lana. She¡¯s the daughter of the owner and has been helping out with the family business since she was very little. Today, she¡¯s more of a local celebrity and the poster girl of this inn.¡± Henry: ¡°Ah, got it. I can see how that is.¡± I can see how popular she can be. She is a little too much of a kid for my taste, but the way she brightly smiles to the customers is very welcoming. Anyone living in a kill-or-be-killed world of exploration would welcome the change to be greeted by a cute poster girl with that kind of smile. And I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not just the explorers but the regular workers as well. After a little bit, Lana returns. Behind her is¡­ holy crap he¡¯s huge... A man well over 6 feet walks towards us. With a thick, full beard, he exuded an intimidating presence that was only masked by a well-worn apron. Nord: ¡°Thomas? You came back from your trip.¡± Thomas: ¡°Hey Nord. It¡¯s been a while. Anything happen while I was gone?¡± Nord: ¡°Nope.¡± They look very close. Mr. Thomas spoke very professionally to someone younger like me, but he was completely relaxed around this man. Thomas: ¡°I actually came by to introduce a customer.¡± I felt Nord glare and take me in his sight. Henry: ¡°Oh, uh, yes. My name is Henry. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± Nord: ¡°I¡¯m Nord.¡± He¡¯s the strong, silent type. I was wondering how to proceed when Lana elbowed her father in the side. Lana: ¡°Dad, be more friendly to customers! I¡¯m always having to remind you!¡± Nord: ¡°Sorry.¡± Lana: ¡°Mom¡¯s gone so try to learn to greet customers better!¡± Mom¡¯s gone? Like...gone? Well, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising in this day and age. Just like the pack of Wild Bears, demonic creatures have been spawning more frequently in unexpected locations since the Demon King¡¯s arrival. According to Thomas, it was more peaceful around this area until recently, but tragedies like that still happen. But I let my imagination run too freely. Thomas: ¡°Mr. Henry, Nord¡¯ wife is just back with her family until her baby is born.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh¡­ Ohhh, got it.¡± Well that was embarrassing. He even knew what I was thinking. Lana: ¡°And was it Mr. Henry? OMG! You¡¯re a Heroic Warrior?! You must be amazingly strong!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I guess I am.¡± It¡¯s hard not to stand a little taller after being hyped so much. It¡¯s true that people around here rarely meet Heroic Warriors. But I know that her hype and enthusiasm is also part of her business tactics. Even so, it doesn¡¯t feel bad to be praised so why not? No one¡¯s coming out a loser in this exchange. Lana: ¡°So would you like to book a room?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah. I had some changes in my life, and I¡¯d like to move my main camp to this area. I thought about renting an apartment, but I¡¯ll be living in inns for a while. Mr. Thomas said he¡¯ll introduce me to one.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh thank you for the referral, Mr. Thomas!¡± Thomas: ¡°Of course, it¡¯s my pleasure. You run an amazing establishment here.¡± Lana seems happy and a little embarrassed by the compliment. Lana: ¡°Oh, so how many nights would you like to stay? You are Mr. Thomas¡¯ acquaintance so I can give you a discount, and a stay longer than 3 nights will get you an even better deal.¡± I take a quick peek at the inn¡¯s rate. With breakfast, it¡¯s about 600 zeniths. A 3-day stay is 550 zeniths. Yeah, definitely more expensive than Ligaleo. Over there, the government gave financial support to explorers to encourage them to remain there. But again, I made a small fortune in Ligaleo, so money shouldn¡¯t be an issue for a while. Henry: ¡°Could you book me for five nights?¡± Lana: ¡°Great! We¡¯ll make it an even 500 zeniths per night, and the total will be 2,500 zeniths today.¡± Henry: ¡°Here you are.¡± I take out the money from my wallet and hand her 2,500 zeniths. Lana: ¡°Thank you. You must be tired, so I¡¯ll prepare your room immediately. Dad, please take care of things on the floor while I¡¯m gone.¡± Nord: ¡°Sure.¡± Lana: ¡°Smile, okay?!¡± Nord: ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Mr. Nord seemed a little uncomfortable with this exchange, and Lana followed up more with her warnings. He tried to force a smile, but honestly, it doesn¡¯t fit him at all. But for Lana, that was enough and approved the effort. They are a tight knit family. Thomas: ¡°Mr. Henry, I have my own store to run so let me excuse myself here.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, thank you so much for introducing me here.¡± Thomas: ¡°Of course! It¡¯s the least I could do. Please don¡¯t forget to drop by and take a look around my store. I can¡¯t guarantee any discounts, but I will show you the best my store can offer.¡± Mr. Thomas bowed deeply and left the in . Lana: ¡°Mr. Henry, your room is ready. Right this way please.¡± Henry: ¡°Sure thing.¡± Following Lana, we climb the stairs and we went up to the 3rd floor, and to the farthest room on the right. Lana: ¡°Mr. Henry, here is your key. We run this business like any other inn, but if you have any questions, please don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡± Henry: ¡°Sure thing. Thanks.¡± I take the key from Lana. I think the restaurant is about to get busy so she quickly excuses herself down the flight of stairs. I close the door, sit on the bed, and put my luggage down. Henry: ¡°Ugh¡ª, I¡¯m so tired¡ª¡° And with that, I crumple into the sun-dried sheets and blankets. It¡¯s not like I lack stamina, and so still have some reserves if energy left, but the job as a guard, exploring a new town, and the conversations with people I just met took more out of me mentally. But yeah. This feeling... Henry: ¡°I¡¯m free¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡° I happily stretch my arms. Unlike the commotion and hurried get-it-done-now atmosphere of Ligaleo, I inhale the steady and slow peaceful mood of this town. Sure, it¡¯s fun to be in the middle of a busy ruckus every now and then, but I think this quiet atmosphere suits me better. Henry: Yawn¡ª A big yawn follows. I should at least change my clothes, but gave up on the thought and fell asleep. Letting my thoughts drift freely, my consciousness let the sleepiness take its hand, and ai quickly fell asleep. I wake to the noise of the hustle and bustle down stairs. In Ligaleo, there were at least 4 night raids by the demonic beasts per week, and you were sent out at least once every 2 raids. Because of that, I¡¯m a light sleeper. Hopefully, I can move on from this habbit. Henry: ¡°Ahhhhhh¡­¡± With another yawn, I take a look outside. The sun is just about to set completely, and people were turning on their night lights. I roughly smooth down my bed hair with my hands. I felt thirsty, and take hold of my pendant hanging down to my chest and chant a spell. Henry: ¡° Eedle¡± The top of my dice shaped stone pendant glows a little as water is formed right before my eyes. These are really bad manners, but I quickly drink up the water before me. This is actually harder than it looks and takes time to get used to. Henry: ¡°Crap. I need to find a store to do some maintenance work for the spell stone.¡± I don¡¯t use spells often, but it really wouldn¡¯t be funny if I can¡¯t cast Teo when I need it. I play around with the pendant feeling the inscriptions on each side, and head downstairs. The noise grew as I headed to the bottom floor, and a large group of people appear in the tavern dining area. It was a night and day difference to when I was checking in. People drinking down ale in large mugs. Everyone is enjoying themselves as they drink and eat. My stomach growls. Lana: ¡°Oh! Mr. Henry!¡± Henry: ¡°Lana, can I get some food and ale? Are there any seats where I can sit?¡± Lana: ¡°Yessir¡ª! Please hold for one moment. I¡¯ll clear a seat at the bar counter.¡± Holding four mugs each, she hauls 8 large drinks with ease as she weaves through the crowd and delivers them expertly to waiting customers. Her movements are smooth and just watching her puts your mind at ease. She then proceeded back to the bar counter, quickly picked up leftover plates and mugs in a flash and took it to the kitchen. She returned almost immediately, wiped down the surface, pulled the chair out and called out to me in a loud voice. Lana: ¡°Mr. Henry! You¡¯re seat is ready!¡± Henry: ¡°Got it¡ª. Thanks. Oh, please excuse me. Just passing through.¡± I weave in between the tables to the counter. As I take a seat, a menu is handed to me. Lana: ¡°When you¡¯re ready¡ª¡° Henry: ¡°Flowtier Ale and sausages. And a salad for the side.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, got it. Ale, sausages and a side of salad. For the salad, I¡¯ll bring a half portion of the Bear Keg¡¯s special salad, is that okay?¡± Henry: ¡°Sounds great. Thanks.¡± While Lana was cleaning up, I took a peek at what others were eating. At a glance, many were ordering the sausage so I¡¯m sure that it wasn¡¯t a wrong choice. I look over the menu more as I wait for the ale to arrive. Waitress: ¡°Here you are!¡± Henry: ¡°Alrighty, thanks.¡± An older woman who was probably a waitress here brought the ale to me instead of Lana. The glass mug was frozen cold and drops of precipitation ran down its side. I swallowed hard in anticipation at the beautiful sight. I downed almost half in the first taste. A bitter but smoothie aftertaste filled my mouth as it gently passed my throat and entered my stomach. I let a deep satisfied breath, as a I enjoy the remaining sweet floral scent left behind. This is one of Flowtier¡¯s special ale that even the mid-tier nobles love and enjoy. Due to how far it is to import, I couldn¡¯t enjoy this much in Ligaleo because of the price, but here, this is just local ale so it¡¯s much more affordable. I mean, a third of my decision to move here out of all the other towns was due to this ale. I even fasted from alcohol until I arrived here, and I quickly finished my remaining drink. Lana: ¡°Mr. Henry, here is your sausages and salad. Would you like a refill for your drink?¡± Henry: ¡°Yup, yes please.¡± Lana: ¡°Be right out!¡± My food came. She brought 3 large boiled sausages and a salad and herb salad sprinkled with cheese came on the side. I bite into the sausage. Henry: ¡°Ow! Ho-ho-hot!¡± I break through the sausage skin and hot juice from the meat spray into my mouth. As I chew, my taste buds were assaulted with the overwhelming flavor of meat along with salt and various spices. This would go really well with rice, but I prefer the ale Lana brought to me in a flash. As I wash down the sausage with the ale, I¡¯m left with inexpressible joy and satisfaction from the deliciousness that my poor vocabulary cannot describe. Henry: ¡°Ahhh¡ª, yes. That hit the spot¡± Good bye, days of simple, unenjoyable dried rations. Hello, world of delicious cuisine. The refreshing salad also complimented the ale. More sausage. More ale. The refills just keep coming. This is what being a normal human being is like. There is something fundamentally wrong when it¡¯s normal to nibble on dry rations for 3 days and nights as you cut down and push back demonic creatures back where I was. On the seventh mug of ale, I lift my cup in the air to celebrate. Congratulations! Congratulations, me! And being pretty drunk at this point, I suffered a severe hangover the next morning. But right now, that doesn¡¯t matter. Tomorrow¡¯s problems will be handled by tomorrow¡¯s me, and I excitedly ordered my eighth ale. CH 4 Book 1: The Explorers of Flowtier Chapter 4: The Preperation Before an Expedition Waking up, a hangover was giving me a headache, but it cleared up by the end of breakfast. Breakfast included bread, soup, steamed vegetables and an omelette. The omelette was especially amazing. After that, in order to understand the local geography, I decided to explore the nearby area. Starting with the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn and its surroundings, I also got some day-to-day items on the way. I dropped off my bags, and expanded my horizons with a different restaurant, and it was about time. I went back to the Grandes Church I visited yesterday. Inside, I looked around and found Cyril. She also saw me and started waving her arms and yelling, ¡°HE¡ªY!¡± It¡¯s a little embarrassing so I wish she¡¯d stop. Cyril: ¡°Hey Henry. You¡¯re right on time.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, yeah, I meant to get here earlier, but got a little lost coming here.¡± Cyril: ¡°I mean, yea¡ªh, you only arrived yesterday. How is it? How do you like Flowtier?¡± Henry: ¡°Well¡­¡± I answer her questions as they come. But man, this kid is a good listener. Freeg: ¡°Oh, hello Ms. Cyril.¡± Cyril: ¡°Huh? Oh, hey Mr. Freeg. How are you doing?¡± An explorer walking by recognized Cyril and said hi. And this Mr. Freeg looks suspiciously my way. Freeg: ¡°Wait, who¡¯s that? You dumped Jend?¡± Cyril: ¡°Dumped? It¡¯s not like that. We¡¯re planning on an expedition with this explorer who just arrived yesterday.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, I¡¯m Henry.¡± It¡¯s important to make connections. Freeg: ¡°Hey, I¡¯m Freeg. I¡¯m a solo adventurer. I occasionally join adventurer parties as a freelancer, so I look forward to working with you if the time comes.¡± Henry: ¡°Me too. I¡¯m planning on one expedition with these two, but I haven¡¯t planned beyond that. I look forward to working with you if we get a chance.¡± Good, looks like a sensible person. Freeg: ¡°Well, at a second glance, Henry, you¡¯re a Heroic Warrior, huh? I guess with that much experience, it¡¯ll be okay. Cyril and Jend are still newbies so please show them the ropes.¡± Henry: ¡°Of course. They¡¯ll be teaching me about this area too.¡± Freeg says goodbye and walks towards the counter where the trading of demonic creatures are done. I guess he went out hunting this morning and just got back. His axe he used was well used, and he seemed like a veteran. Cyril: ¡°Jend is running so late! He better buy me a juice later.¡± Henry: ¡°Ah, give him a break. It¡¯s only been about 5 minutes.¡± The god of Grandes could care less about the personality or history of a person he blesses with his weapon. If you pray, you¡¯ll receive at the very least a common-rank weapon. As long as you contribute, you¡¯re access to the Treasure Vault will not be denied. So it¡¯s no surprise that some ruffians and rough characters join the adventurers. Mr. Freeg seemed sensible enough, but others would get riled up if you speak to them like, ¡°Whatcha lookin¡¯ at you punk *** *****? You wanna get your throat slit? Don¡¯t be looking down on us you ****ing piece of ****!¡± And would get overly excited for no reason. An----d those types of characters are very lax on time commitments too. If you join an interim group, you need to watch out for these characters or you¡¯ll be balding from stress in no time. And besides, without guys without decent communication skills will die out sooner than later regardless. As long as they don¡¯t try to cause you harm, it¡¯s best to ignore them. Henry: ¡°O, speak of the devil. Looks like he¡¯s here.¡± Jend just arrived at the entrance. He must¡¯ve been running to be breathing so heavily. Jend: ¡°Mr. Henry! My apologies for the tardiness!¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Cyril: ¡°Jend¡ª, don¡¯t you got something to say to me?¡± Jend: ¡°My bad.¡± Cyril: ¡°Very well. Careful not to do it again, okay?¡± Cyril approvingly nods at Jend and sticks out her chest proudly. She¡¯s cute but she lacks in the chest department. Jend: ¡°I was helping out my family business and things took longer than expected.¡± Henry: ¡°What¡¯s your family business?¡± Jend: ¡°A small merchant business. My brother¡¯s taking over, but I lend a hand when they¡¯re short people.¡± Cyril: ¡°You say small, but your the Lord¡¯s personal merchant.¡± Henry: ¡°Wait, really?¡± He must be loaded. Jend: ¡°Sure, we¡¯re one of the top merchant families in Flowtier, but we¡¯re nothing compared to the bigger businesses in the Capital.¡± Henry: ¡°Pretty sure rural merchant groups shouldn¡¯t compare themselves to those groups at the top.¡± But a business man, huh. Henry: ¡°What about Cyril¡¯s family? What do they do?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh uhhh¡­ my parents both passed away.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, sorry I brought it up.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s been more than 10 years now.¡± 10 years. That¡¯s around the time of the Demon King¡¯s coronation. Many people died in the chaos that immediately followed. Henry: ¡°You living in your own?¡± Cyril: ¡°Actually, the City¡¯s Lord is permitting me to stay with him.¡± Wait, are these two the local VIP celebrities?! Cyril: ¡°Oh but I can¡¯t tell you the reason why.¡± Cyril shushes me quietly with a finger to her lips. Well, it looks like you have your reasons so I won¡¯t dig any further. Henry: ¡°Well, uh, I guess we should go ahead, and get all the paperwork processed, huh!¡± Cyril: ¡°Well what about you, Henry! Could you tell us a little about yourself? Henry: ¡°Been an explorer for 10 years. I¡¯m in the same boat as Cyril.¡± As Cyril said, it¡¯s been 10 years. I¡¯ve already gotten over it since it was¡­ somewhat long ago. Cyril: ¡°Wow! For 10 years! Wait, how old are you?¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m 22.¡± Cyril: ¡°22?! So you¡¯re not just trying to look young, but you¡¯ve been doing this since you were 12?!¡± Well, it was pure luck that I survived. I awkwardly left the discussion quickly leaving Cyril in a state of disbelief and shock and went to the take care of the paperwork for our expedition. ??? Finalizing our expedition request, we came to the adventurer training grounds behind the Grandes Church. There are simple training equipments like the straw and wooden dummies and simple exercising equipment. Otherwise, it¡¯s just a giant open field. Henry: ¡°Well, just as we discussed yesterday, I¡¯d like each us to get a better understanding of what can all [email protected] This is purely fundamental. Cyril: ¡°Henry! Are you going to brush your hair back, give us an evil smile and say, ¡®Now let¡¯s see what your capable of¡¯ like a villainous mentor?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, there are things you can only experience in true combat, but we¡¯re here to talk and learn what we can about each other before we get to that point. Jend: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mr. Henry. Cyril is a huge fan of adventure novels.¡± Well, yeah, I guess that¡¯s a common trope where the inexperienced MC teams up with a veteran adventurer.¡± Oh wait, before that... Henry: ¡°Hey Jend, you don¡¯t have to be so formal with me. I know I¡¯m older, but we¡¯re both explorers so¡­¡± Jend: ¡°Oh, um, please, you don¡¯t¡­¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just relax.¡± If they were more wild, then some authority would be helpful to establish the chain of command, but these two don¡¯t require it. If we¡¯re teaming up, I¡¯d like them to be as frank as possible with me. Jend: ¡°Um, okay Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Much better. Thanks, Jend.¡± Good good. It¡¯s going well. Cyril: ¡°Oh, btw, this is my default speak.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I got that.¡± She didn¡¯t have an ounce of reservation from the get go. Henry: ¡°So since I got us here, I¡¯ll start. Oh, and you don¡¯t have to divulge everything. Just whatever you¡¯re comfortable with.¡± I¡¯m sure there are secret moves passed down in some sword arts, or moves that are only effective the first time you use it on someone. So divulging info that would make your fighting against someone more disadvantageous would be an idiot¡¯s move. And as an adventurer, there will be times when you have to fight people, so it¡¯s better to keep your truck up your sleeves until that time comes. Henry: ¡°I am a basic spearman. I can also use some Kroseid-style support spells.¡± Both Jend and Cyril look confused. Cyril: ¡°Spearman? But you don¡¯t even have a spear with you.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s this.¡± I take out the Nyoiten Spear in knife form, and let it grow to its spear length. Henry: ¡°Epic-rank godly equipment, the Nyoiten Spear. As you can see, I can adjust the blade and length of the spear to certain degrees at will.¡± Cyril: ¡°WHOAA¡ª! This is so neat! It can transform?!¡± Henry: ¡°I mean, technically you can just carry around your preferred weapon types individually, so it¡¯s not a super useful ability, but it can change to a knife, short spear, and long spear. Oh, and a one-handed sword as well.¡± If there are objects around, then using the short spear or sword is better. If it¡¯s an open battlefield, than a long spear is fine. Depending on the circumstances, I can adjust it to the weapon I need. And it may not be super-effective against demonic creatures, but changing the length of the blade and staff during battle can really mess with your sense of depth and perception. I know this is effective against humans, but I don¡¯t want to answer why I know that so I won¡¯t mention that part. Cyril: ¡°So being an Epic, it should have two more abilities, correct?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, one is¡­¡± I throw the spear away from me. Cyril: ¡°Huh? What?¡± Henry: ¡°And I can call it back to me at will.¡± The Nyoiten Spear returns to my hands. This is handy when your weapon gets hit out of your hands. Henry: ¡°And the last ability is a secret.¡± Cyril: ¡°Wait, wha¡ª-t?¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m probably not going to use it any time soon anyways.¡± As long as we¡¯re hunting inside a forest as the main hunting grounds, I probably won¡¯t have a chance to use the last ability for a while. I don¡¯t mind sharing this ability with them, but like I said, you¡¯re free to conceal information as you wish, so I¡¯ll exercise that right right here. Henry: ¡°I can use the spear like this.¡± I stab and swing the spear. My defensive form and offensive form. My staff hits if the enemy gets close, multiple stabs, and swiping at the opponent while retreating. These are all the basics. Both Jend and Cyril intensely observe my style and form. Cyril: ¡°Oh ummmm, what spear-style is that, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve changed the style without permission on my own over the years, so I rather not say.¡± But it¡¯s not my fault. No one would build a style based on a weapon that can freely change it¡¯s length and subsequent range. Henry: ¡°Lastly, I¡¯m 3rd-class with the Kroseid Style Magecraft. I know 6 separate spells.¡± Jend: ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s right. The Kroseid Style only teaches their spells to those who pass the initial exam. I took the test once but failed it. Henry: ¡°Yeah, it has a pretty steep learning curve. If you want, I can teach you some tips and tricks during our free time.¡± There are a lot of styles of magic, and Kroseid is one of the most prestigious styles. You can mix and match different spells to get different outcomes, but you can self-destruct too during spell incantation, so not everyone is taught it. But it¡¯s very popular due to its wide range of usefulness, and its ability to combine simpler spell inscriptions. Henry: ¡°I can use Eedle, Ignus, Teo, Veros, Hazac, Katerno.¡± Cyril: ¡°Could you show us?¡± Henry: ¡°Sure.¡± Henry: ¡° Ignus, Veros.¡± Two sides of my square pendant glow as an arrow of fire forms. I randomly throw it against the ground. There is nothing but dirt there so there is nothing to burn and the carved the ground very slightly. Cyril: ¡°Wow, honestly, that was pretty lame.¡± Henry: ¡°You¡¯re being way too blunt. I can make it stronger with Hazac, but I would run out of magic showing you every combination. Besides, my spells are more for support than for combat.¡± Eedle and Ignus are both useful on their own during long journeys and Tio was really difficult to learn, but being able to heal your own wounds is a huge plus. Henry: ¡°Alright, who¡¯s next?¡± Cyril: ¡°I¡¯ll go last so Jend, go ahead.¡± Jend: ¡°Huh? Sure, but I only know how to use this sword.¡± Jend takes out the large broadsword he was carrying on his back. Jend: ¡°This is an uncommon-rank sword. The Flaming Sword ¡®Blaze Blade.¡¯¡± Henry: ¡°Man, that¡¯s a simple and straightforward powerful attribute.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not fair at all¡ª¡° If you get any abilities related to fire, ice, or lightning, you drew a big winner. The demonic creatures¡¯ bodies are composed of magic, but creatures closer to the wildlife of this world are no different than animals until they die. To those creatures, fire is an incredible advantage to have. And if you get a water attribute, it¡¯s usually a miss. ¡®What are you trying to do if you¡¯re cleaning the wounds of enemies as you cut them?¡¯ is a standard tavern joke. Jend: ¡°My style is the Blade of the Fire God.¡± Henry: ¡°And your sword style uses fire?!¡± In the world of martial arts, this is one of the styles that uses magic and magic inscriptions. I believe it¡¯s one of the bigger groups. Jend: ¡°Yeah, thanks to Blaze Blade, the effects of my style were boosted significantly. This was a lucky draw.¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s almost too good to be true.¡± From there, he showed us a few basic forms of the Blade of the Fire God. It¡¯s a very exhilarating style with broad swings, and I can see that he¡¯s put time and effort into his training. The last downward swing had flames imbued into the sword, and it would have easily cut a Wild Bear in half and left it in smoldering ashes. I can¡¯t use large broadswords, but I¡¯ve seen a lot of adventurers and even compared to them, his skill was very high. Looks like I can depend on Jend to be our main attacker, and I can focus on defending Cyril and harassing the enemies from their blind spots when needed. Cyril: ¡°Yes! It¡¯s finally my turn!¡± Henry: ¡°Alright, alright. So what style of spellcraft do you use? It looks like that staff is a magic enhancing item. Where are your spell inscriptions?¡± It¡¯s common to inscribe your spells into your tools, and without it, most mages will be useless as explorers. Cyril: ¡°Haha! I¡¯m actually not a *mage.¡± Then a staff user? I was confused and then she dropped a bigger bomb on me. Cyril: ¡°I¡¯m a *sorceress!¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡­¡­¡­.is she serious? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chonky Translation Notes ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- *Differences between madoushi (ħŒ§Ê¿) and mahoutsukai (ħ·¨Ê¹¤¤). Please note that these differences are practically negligible between different works of art as the definitions of the terms themselves are ambiguous and overlap and let¡¯s be real, interchangeable in many ways. In SRALL, everyone has magic inherent in their bodies. Henry utilizes this by using specific magical tools such as spell inscriptions on his pendant to draw out, shape, and direct his magic. I will refer to the use of magical spell inscriptions as *magecraft going forward. Magic users who only use magecraft will be referred to as *mages going forward. Without this tool, Henry would be unable to cast the same spells. You can think of this like someone using magic through magic engineering. In Cyril¡¯s case, the term sorceress means that she does not require pre-made magic inscriptions to channel and shape her magic. She can directly cast her magic without the assistance of magic inscriptions, and instead of using the term ¡°witch¡±, I substituted the word ¡°sorceress¡± in case we run into a male magic caster (male witch vs sorcerer). More details to come in the next chapter. CH 5 Book 1: The Explorers of Flowtier Chapter 5: Cyril¡¯s Magic and the First Expedition Everybody has magic within them. Magic exists in nature - a power imbued with magical elements. If it gets corrupted, it becomes the source of demonic creatures, but the original power itself is neither good or bad. And, for those whose job is to fight, they incorporate magic into their fighting style in some way. The most basic fundamental is to learn how to circulate magic throughout your body and learn how to strengthen it. But at the same time, learning how to exert this magic power outside of your body is extremely difficult. Without taking measures, the best you could do is store magic into your weapon or imbue it with magical properties. In order to exert the magic within you, there are generally two options: *sorcery and *magecraft. Both are skills that require magic to make something happen, but in essence, they are two completely separate things. In magecraft, you need roughly 3 things. Magic which is your power source; an item with a spell inscription that will guide and shape your spell; and the will of the magic user. Sorcery only requires 2 things: the source magic power and the casters will. The magic inscription is unnecessary in this process, and to be more specific, the simple explanation taught to the general public is that the magic inscription is actually incorporated inside the caster¡¯s will. And one major difference is the resulting power. In magecraft, the amount of magic an inscription can handle has a set limit. In the Kroseid style, Ignus has an upper limit to how much magic you can pump into it. That¡¯s why it¡¯s important to consider combining spells for greater effects even if it¡¯s much more complicated to do so. In my case, joining 5 spells is my limit, and the upper limit I can store in 5 spells is my spell strength limit. On the other hand, sorcery is different. They say that ¡°will¡± which has no particular shape can store an infinite amount of magic. Cyril: ¡°Alright! Here comes¡ª!¡± Cyril raises her staff in the center of the training grounds. Jend: ¡°I don¡¯t mind you blasting magic, but keep in mind where you¡¯re shooting! Don¡¯t forget you ruined all the training dummies and equipment last time!¡± Cyril: ¡°UGH, OF COURSE I remember! I¡¯m not an idiot! Ms. Cyril is a woman who never makes the same mistake twice!¡± She did what now? With Jend¡¯s warning in mind, she positioned her staff and... Cyril: ¡°¡«¡«?¡¡¡«¡«¡«?¡± ...began singing. Wait, what? She catches me by surprise, but only for a moment. I¡¯m not too sharp sensing magic, but even I could feel the power beginning to surge and swirl within Cyril¡¯s body as she continues to sing. Her magic rose high into the sky and took form. A little more than 10 seconds later, at the end of her song, 2 meter fireballs¡­ 2, 4, 6, 8¡­ about 15 of them took shape. Each fireball¡¯s temperature was nothing compared to me dinky fire arrow spell. Just one of those would be enough to roast a large monster. Letting out a slow breath, Cyril opens her eyes and points the staff in front of her. Cyril: ¡°Here I come! !¡± With a shout, the fireballs gather and collide into the ground in one place. The amount of control and accuracy she holds is also impressive. They collectively strike the earth and melt the soil. The soil immediately cools and hardens again, but this is one dangerous spell. Cyril: ¡°Fwew! How was that?! Everyone else was using fire so I did my own fire spell.¡± Henry: ¡°Um, yeah. You¡¯re¡­ really amazing Cyril. Uh huh.¡± She¡¯s obviously too powerful and not someone who should be sticking around these rural parts. Cyril: ¡°Uh huh, uh huh. I knew it! Keep the compliments comin¡®! I learn much faster with compliments rather than criticisms!¡± Jend: ¡°Don¡¯t get too cocky. You lose sight of your surroundings when you¡¯re preparing to cast and would be monster food without someone protecting you.¡± Cyril: ¡°I know, I KNOW! I¡¯m thankful that I have a partner like you, Jend¡ª!¡± You need a strong will to guide magical sorcery. That¡¯s why it is critical to have some level of subconscious affinity to the magic you¡¯re using. And even with affinity to magic, not many can use sorcery as they are. You need something to flip a switch to put your subconsciousness into gear¡­. or so they say. I¡¯m not a sorcerer so I really don¡¯t know. So for example, it would be like cryil¡¯s singing, or it could be dancing, or reading poetry. Dangerous sorcery styles use risky state-inducing drugs, and rumors have it that there are more methods than these. Cyril: ¡°Well anyways, let me introduce myself again. I am Cyril, the Endel Sorcery Style user, Cyril.¡± Henry: ¡°Endel Sorcery Style, huh?¡± Never heard of it. But then again, there are very few sorcerers and sorceresses in general so there is not a lot of information about different styles of sorcery. Henry: ¡°Is the amount of time you need to cast about the same for every spell?¡± Cyril: ¡°Nope! If I need to gather more power, you¡¯ll need to buy me more time. If you need me to distract something, I can cast it with a single hum.¡± Is that so? Since you¡¯re switching your entire focus to singing, I would think that the time to cast would be relatively longer... But I¡¯m no expert. When it comes to sorcery, each sorcerer and sorceress have different ways they perceive their own magic, so if she says she can do it, then I just need to trust her word. Cyril: ¡°And if you need to do something big, with about 10 minutes, I can burn the majority of this town to ashes.¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t say something so scary,¡± Cyril: ¡°But Henry, you said there¡¯s someone who can level a whole city¡ª¡° I know I mentioned that when we first met, and she said she wouldn¡¯t lose to anyone, but I didn¡¯t think she seriously meant to take the number 1 magician¡¯s seat. Jend: ¡°So we finished showing each other¡¯s abilities, so now what?¡± Henry: ¡°Now we just discuss how we want to work together. What is our basic formation? We don¡¯t have to determine every single detail, but as long as we have a good understanding of each other¡¯s roles in the group, it will be much easier to coordinate. Well, we have to do this because with me in the group, you have to change up how you¡¯re doing things already. Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯ll mostly be working to adjust to you guys. I had to join a lot of temp teams, and I¡¯m good with both range and close combat.¡± Yeah, I¡¯m the typical jack of all trades. Depending on the situation, my team had me alternate supporting the vanguard and rearguard and had me running all over the place. Cyril: ¡°OH, OH!! Henry! I want to start using my bigger spells during battles!¡± Bigger spells? Henry: ¡°Jend, you guys were hunting Killer Dogs, right?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, we once fought a stray Wild Bear, but we mainly hunted Killer Dogs.¡± Yup. Henry: ¡°You¡¯re spells are way overkill so let¡¯s not, Cyril.¡± Cyril: ¡°Aww poo. Fine. Whatever.¡± Cyril isn¡¯t happy with the decision, but I think she understands. We can save her more powerful spells until after they both gain more experience, and we go after bigger prey. Alright, so how should we do our lineup... ??? Cyril: ¡°Alright! Onward we march!¡± The next morning, we gathered early and headed to the forest to the east. Apparently, it¡¯s unlikely that we¡¯ll run into demonic creatures until we near the forest area. Even if they do appear, they would be easily spotted in this open field, so we shouldn¡¯t be caught off guard. We leisurely chatted as we walked to the forest. Henry: ¡°By the way, how old is everyone?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, both Jend and I are 16.¡± Jend: ¡°In the Alvenia Kingdom, you¡¯re considered an adult at the age of 16. My family didn¡¯t allow me to become an explorer even though I could have started much earlier.¡± Cyril: ¡°And I¡¯m actually 2 months older than Jend.¡± Jend: ¡°What difference does that make?¡± Cyril: ¡°I wanted to also start earlier, but the City Lord didn¡¯t want me to start as a one sorceress party.¡± Henry: ¡°What¡¯s your relationship to the City¡¯s Lord?¡± Cyril: ¡°I told you before that it¡¯s a secret. So, when Jend began as an explorer, I finally got the approval to be an explorer with him.¡± Well, if I was her guardian, if you ask me if Cyril will be okay on her own as an explorer, my answer would be a definitive no. Henry: ¡°Have you two known each other long?¡± Cyril: ¡°I guess we¡¯re childhood friends. We¡¯ve known each other since I moved here 10 years ago.¡± Jend: ¡°That¡¯s true. My sword master was the head of the Castle soldiers, so I visited the Lord¡¯s premise a lot because of that.¡± Hence, Jend earned the trust, and they saw his skills, so as long as they explored together, they felt comfortable sending the two out together. This part of the countryside seems more lax and easy-going as far as its expectations for young adults to following strict customs and traditions. Out of the 3 main kingdoms, the Valsaldi Empire still upholds traditions where the parents determine their child¡¯s future. So it¡¯s most likely a difference in cultural values. Jend: ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you, Henry. Why¡¯d you leave the frontlines? It¡¯s not from a lack of skills or strength from what I can tell.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, that. Uh¡­ yeah, a year ago, I finally accomplished my goal there at Ligaleo, and I lost my motivation after it was done.¡± I remained on the frontlines for a little bit, but I no longer could see the point of risking my life every day, and I withdrew shortly afterwards. Jend: ¡°That¡¯s too bad. If you¡¯re a Heroic Warrior, I¡¯m sure you could have reached a Hero of Legend status if you kept going.¡± Henry: ¡°Could I have? I wonder about that¡­¡± I keep my answer vague. Considering that I¡¯ve personally met all the Heroes of Legend, I never want to throw away my humanity to that extent just for that title. Cyril: ¡°Then why did you choose Flowtier? It¡¯s far from the frontlines.¡± Henry: ¡°I mean, it¡¯s true that explorers drawing away from the frontlines would move to a place where they could make good money but¡­¡± Well, it¡¯s not like I have a big reason why I came all the way out here. Henry: ¡°When I was thinking about where to move, there was a bard at a tavern singing about this place.¡± Cyril: ¡°Wait, that¡¯s it?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh um, of course not! I also thought ¡®oh yeah, they make Flowtier ale there,¡¯ and ¡®maybe going to a place with weaker demonic creatures will be better,¡¯ and ¡®maybe they¡¯ll treat me better since I¡¯ll be stronger than most explorers there,¡¯ and¡­ other reasons. Yeah, lots of other reasons.¡± The more I made excuses, the more my petty greed kept spilling out. I mean, c¡¯mon! It¡¯s not like I was trying to cause anyone trouble! Cyril: ¡°Wow, that totally changed how I see Heroic Warriors. I thought they were the elite of the elites.¡± Henry: ¡°Of course not. They¡¯re just normal people who had some successful missions.¡± Cyril: ¡°How about you, Jend? Do you still want to become a Heroic Warrior after hearing that?¡± Jend: ¡°Oh, yeah, I have my own reasons for becoming one so¡­¡± As a senior adventurer, I feel like I really embarrassed myself just now. Henry: ¡°Oh, hey. There¡¯s a Crazed Rabbit 500 meters ahead, slightly to the west hiding inside the grass.¡± I saw the grass move unnaturally in the distance. I saw white fur briefly before it vanished. Judging from the location, 9 out of 10 it¡¯s got to be a Crazed Rabbit. It uses its body to smash into opponents. Unless you¡¯re a small child, an average adult would have no problems. The only thing to ge aware for is tripping and getting your neck caught in its jaws. Well, if you¡¯re a warrior type, you can deflect its attack with your natural strength alone, so even among all the basic demonic creatures you encounter as a novice adventurer, they rank in the lowest as far as threat-ranks. Cyril: ¡°Really? That¡¯s amazing you found it.¡± Henry: ¡°I had to work as the scout for teams when we didn¡¯t have a scout specialist.¡± Even as we chat, I try to keep a constant lookout for these types of threats. Henry: ¡°Well, if it comes at us, we¡¯ll engage, but if it runs, we¡¯ll leave it be. Sound good with everyone?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good with that¡ª¡° Jend: ¡°It won¡¯t add much to our record anyways.¡± I don¡¯t know if it knew our intentions, but it came at us with a ¡®Though weak we may be, they¡¯ll suffer our wrath today¡¯ attitude and charged in. Three Crazed Rabbits appeared out of the tall grass. I took out two with my spear, and Jend took out one. That was all the trouble we ran into, and after a while, we arrived at the forest. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª CHONKY NOTES ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª *magecraft - A general method of using magical spell inscriptions to cast magic. CH 6 Book 1: The Explorers of Flowtier Chapter 6: First Expedition Jend: ¡°And we¡¯ve arrived. Henry, this is where we hunt demonic creatures - the Flowtier Forest. It was a massive forest. The trees were spread far enough apart, so we wouldn¡¯t have too much trouble swinging our weapons, but it went much deeper than I could have imagined. And at the edge of the forest, I can sense the corruption suddenly getting thicker. Well, I say ¡°thick¡± but this would be average anywhere else in the world, but I¡¯ve been told that it does get worse the deeper you go. Well, any natural setting without much human interference would end up like this. Looking cautiously around, I locate a lone Killer Dog hiding behind a large tree. He¡¯s looking this way. Jend: ¡°If you were an adventurer that went deeper into the woods, you would normally camp inside the forest.¡± Henry: ¡°Dang, then it must be a pretty large forest.¡± Now that I think about it, I should have purchased maps of the Flowtier area. Well, I guess that can wait. Cyril: ¡°A Killer Dog is staring at us¡­¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s probably a scout. See? It¡¯s running now.¡± Killer Dogs travel in packs of 10 to 20. There are apparently jobs and roles they play within the group, and sometimes, you¡¯ll see them coordinate effectively as they attack. They¡¯re only a little stronger than your average dog, but if you¡¯re a novice adventurer in a solo or pair team, facing these things suck. Well, Jend and Cyril have been fighting these guys mainly, and I¡¯m not lacking in experience. From what I gathered from them, these Killer Dogs do not differ greatly with the ones around Ligaleo. Henry: ¡°...alright.¡± I take out my Nyoiten Spear and extend its length. The trees could get in the way, so I keep the length as a short spear that is slightly longer than my height. Henry: ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this just as we discussed.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s do this!¡± The scariest thing would be getting caught off guard behind us, so I¡¯ll cover the very back and be on the lookout. When it was just the two of them, they would stand side by side and be very weary of attacks from all sides. With our current formation. We can move more smoothly and more quickly. Henry: ¡°Oh, are we able to gather medicinal herbs in this forest?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, there are herbs you can pick, but their quality will be low.¡± Jend: ¡°I¡¯ve seen some other adventurers trading golden apples. Maybe you can find some deeper in the forest?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh wow. That¡¯s used as a recipe item for high-level potions. They¡¯re also good eating them as-is.¡± We are being cautious with our surroundings, but continue our chat. It¡¯s hard to stay focused 24/7, and you don¡¯t have to completely let your guard down, but easing some of the tension will help you move more efficiently. ...and a little further up ahead, a pack of Killer Digs greet us. They most came after their scouts report. Killer Dogs tend to be more aggressive and won¡¯t back down from a fight. They let out a low growl towards us. Their deep voices rumble as they try to intimidate our group There are 8 out in the open that I can see...there must be more hiding elsewhere. Henry: ¡°Jend! Watch your flanks! Don¡¯t let them catch you off-guard! There¡¯s a few hiding!¡± Jend: ¡°Got it!¡± As I was sending precautions to Jend, Cyril went straight into her song. Jend: ¡°Come at me!!¡± Jend gets into his main stance with his large broadsword, and taunts them with loud shouts. This is a good way to draw their attention. There¡¯s actually a certain way you can inflect your voice to make your taunts more effective. The pack of Killer Dogs charge towards Jend, but before they get there... Cyril: ¡°Jend! Step back a little bit! ¡­[ICICLE COFFIN]!!¡± Cyril completed her magic and a straight blue line blasts straight forward. It hits the Killer Dog in the front and center and instantly turns him into an ice cube. A giant iceberg taller than me traps 3 Killer Dogs inside. Jend: ¡°ZeAhh!!¡± 5 more still come forward at Jend. He swings his sword and dispatches them with little effort and risk. One by one they fall, and he punches one with his gauntlet when it got close. One Killer Dog got past and runs by Jend. Jend: ¡°Sorry! One got through!¡± It¡¯s running towards us. I was about to step in front of Cyril when my ears catch 3 sets of footsteps. They probably took the long way around to try and attack the rearguard. There is two from behind and one flanking Cyril from her left. The one in front still has a little ways to go. Henry: ¡°Cyril! I¡¯m leaving the one in front to you!¡± Cyril gives me a thumbs up, as she starts her second song. Henry: ¡°[CONSTRICT] Katerno + [LAUNCH] VELOS!¡± I deal with the one running towards Cyril with a trap arrow. If I send an attack and fail to kill it, the consequences could be severe. With this, I can slow it down for sure. An arrow of light streak across the air. The nimble Killer Dog jum¨® aside to dodge the arrow, but too bad. The arrow transform into a chain and wraps around its legs. I confirm that my spell captured it before turning my attention to the two approaching fast behind me. ...but honestly. Henry: ¡°Sh!¡± Two deadly thrusts to both Killer Dogs coming from different directions. One pierced its head while the other pierce its heart, and both fall lifeless in the air and crumple as they hit the ground. ...yeah, going against a Killer Dog¡¯s speed, I can strike 4 times before they reach me. Cyril: ¡°[BRIGHT BOMB]!¡± Jend: ¡°It¡¯s over!¡± The one headed towards Cyril explodes in a cloud of light, and Jend cuts down the last remaining one I end the life of the Killer Dog still trapped in my magic with a single thrust and the fight is over. Henry: ¡°Are any¡­ no. None are left. Good job everyone.¡± Cyril: ¡°Great jo¡ªb!¡± I high-five Cyril. Jend: ¡°Sorry I let one get by.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry about it. You had your hands full.¡± Jend returns from where he was out far ahead. Well, I¡¯m sure when it was just them two, it would have been more serious to allow creatures past and get to Cyril, but today, I had him focus on taking them down instead of slowing down the enemy. He doesn¡¯t have to feel bad. Even if Cyril¡¯s magic wasn¡¯t going to make it on time, there were still many options to deal with her threat. Cyril: ¡°Let¡¯s see. I took down 4, Jend is also 4, and Henry is just 3. Henry is last!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah yeah, I¡¯m last. I¡¯m okay with last.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes! I beat Henry¡ª!¡± Henry: ¡°Uh huh. You know there¡¯s a way we can directly determine the winner and loser.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh¡ª-, you know I¡¯m just kidding Henry. Just Cyril being silly.¡± Well, yeah, I know she¡¯s kidding. If your merit in battle was purely based on the number of takedowns, then the rearguard focused on support would gain nothing, and that¡¯s not the case. Henry: ¡°Well, that wasn¡¯t too bad overall. Let¡¯s collect the drops and look for more.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes! This time, crush them while they¡¯re iced, Jend!¡± Jend: ¡°Sure, sure.¡± The demonic creatures begin to evaporate, and we went around collecting their remains. In total, we were left with 10 Killer Dog fangs, and one rare drop of a Killer Dog fur. ??? Henry: ¡°Alright. Is that about it?¡± Since then, we took down 5 more packs of Killer Dogs, 6 Crazed Rabbits who came at us, and one stray Kobalt. Cyril: ¡°Yeah, considering our route home, we should start getting on our way.¡± Jend: ¡°We got plenty of drops and our luggage is getting full too.¡± So I carried about 70% of the luggage, Cyril 20%, and Jend 10%. Cyril doesn¡¯t have the muscle to carry more, and I didn¡¯t want Jend, our main attacker to be weighed down, so it ended up this way. Henry: ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s head back.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh but usually, isn¡¯t some trouble supposed to suddenly come at us when a new party member joins?¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t say stuff like that.¡± It¡¯s best to not run into those sorts of trouble and arrive safely back at home. Henry: ¡°By the way, how¡¯s everyone feeling?¡± Cyril: ¡°I¡¯m a little hungry, but otherwise fine. I still have plenty of magic left in me.¡± Jend: ¡°We rested in between fights so I¡¯m still good for a while.¡± ¡­yeah, these guys are ahead of the game. Any other new novice adventurers would have been exhausted with the amount of fighting amar did. That means they seriously trained well up until now. They¡¯re not like newbies who fight with just guts or amateurs who only know how to wildly swing their weapons. Jend: ¡°But Henry, you¡¯re seriously something else. You killed everything with a single thrust.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, they were just Killer Dogs.¡± Jend: ¡°If I could hit them head on, I could take them out with a single blow but¡­¡± Cyril: ¡°Haha, both of you have a long way to go. I can take out several with one shot.¡± Don¡¯t mix magic with standard weapons. Sure, MAYBE I could take out a few with a single thrust if they are lined up just right, but AOE magic of course has a better chance of taking out more with single shot. Jend: ¡°But you¡¯re also good at locating them even before the demonic creature notice us. I really want to get better at that.¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s just a matter of time. Once you start fighting more and more, it¡¯ll get easier. Real scouts are much more incredible than this though.¡± They don¡¯t need to find the actual demonic creature, but they will pick up their footprints or sense remains of their magic and quickly track them down. Cyril: ¡°Oh, but this is our first time with a real adventurer, and you sure are the real deal! Definitely amazing and reliable! The Don of Adventurers! Heroic Warriors really stand out. I need to work harder.¡± Henry: ¡°Cyril, what are you after?¡± She¡¯s too obvious. Cyril: ¡°Oh nothing really. I may be thinking you would be way, way, WAY cooler if you carried my portion of the luggage too, but only that.¡± I ignore her. I let out a exasperated sigh as I think over our progress today. Cyril: ¡°I wonder if I¡¯ll get 4 draws again.¡± Henry: ¡°I may have earned at least one draw myself.¡± Jend: ¡°The Heavenly Treasure Vault, huh. I wish they would do something about those low odds.¡± Henry: ¡°I heard that wa¡ª¡ª¡ªy back when, they had different items pop out, but apparently the contents have remained the same the last 2-300 years.¡± There¡¯s rumors saying the gods already got bored of it. Henry: ¡°Oh, looks like we didn¡¯t run into any trouble on the way back.¡± As we were talking, we come to the edge of the woods. The sun already crossed the high noon point a while back and was heading towards its setting point quickly. By the time we arrive at Flowtier, it will be sundown. Henry: ¡°Well, good work everyone.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh Henry, you can¡¯t let your guard down until we reach town.¡± Henry: ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Jend: ¡°Oh, let me at least carry half, Henry. There shouldn¡¯t be any battles on the way back,¡± I pass some luggage to Jend, and we all head back together. On the way back, I feel a slight weariness, but the walk back from an adventure is one of my most favorite moments. At Ligaleo, you had a 100% chance of running into more demonic creatures, so you could never be this relaxed . I think I like this kind of slow pace more. And with those thoughts, we hit the road returning home. ??? On our return to Flowtier, no one was badly injured so we went straight to the church. I got 1 draw, and the other two got 3 draws from the Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault. I got an uncommon potion that raises your speed. Cyril got 3 common wands, and Jend got a sharpening stone, rope, and a common great sword. Cyril: ¡°They¡¯re totally out to get me! This is so unfair!¡± We try to calm Cyril down as we sell off our goods and split the earnings 3 ways. And of course, we have to celebrate our first adventure together with a dinner at the Grandes Church tavern. Henry: ¡°To our adventure¡¯s success¡± Cyril: ¡°To our safe return¡± Jend: ¡°To our victories¡± CHEERS! And you can hear our voices echo in the tavern. Henry: ¡°Glug glug glug, FWEW~~~~!!! A long drink after a hard day¡¯s of work is the best!!!¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry, you¡¯re such an old man.¡± Jend: ¡°But I have to agree that the taste of ale after an adventure really is the best.¡± Cyril is drinking a juice cocktail, and Jend is enjoying ale the same as me. Henry: ¡°Can you guys handle the drinks?¡± Cyril: ¡°Jend is strong against alcohol, but not me. I only started drinking after I became an adult.¡± Jend: ¡°Everyone in my family tends to hold their liquor well. We didn¡¯t go out and drink, but had plenty of it during family gatherings.¡± Oh I see. Maybe we can have a little drinking contest, huh? And as we are talking, the food arrives. They had a large pot of stew, so there was no prep time. We split the large bowl into separate smaller bowls and¡­ Henry: ¡°Oh this place is good too.¡± The gizzards have a strong, deep flavor which goes well with the ale. I mean, seriously, the difference of quality in the raw food items is night and day compared to Ligaleo. It was hard getting shipments to the frontlines, and we couldn¡¯t farm and grow our own food. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Henry, where are you staying right now?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, uhh, I¡¯m at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. You know the place?¡± Cyril: ¡°Um, yeah, I think I¡¯ve heard of it.¡± Jend: ¡°I know the place. I heard good things about it.¡± The son of a merchant would know of these things. The rest of our food arrives, and we enjoy a feast that matches our ravenous appetites. It¡¯s important to recover and regain all your nutrients after an adventure. And naturally, we start talking about our expedition. Jend: ¡°Man, it made a world of difference with 3 - the stability was astounding.¡± Cyril: ¡°I know right¡ª? When it was just the two of us, we had some close calls, but we couldn¡¯t find anyone to join us just for some Kilker Dogs¡ª.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, in that case, you could use tools to cover that gap. Like for example¡­¡± I teach them about some useful support items. ...huh. I was originally planning on going solo in Flowtier, but this isn¡¯t bad either. I could easily solo enemies like Killer Dogs, but solo adventuring always carries a high risk. All it takes is one mistake, one moment when you lose your focus and let your guard down. Or what if you start feeling sick during the trip? What if you get injured in a spot you can¡¯t address alone? Of course, being in a party has its own risks. Especially because of the relationships you have to maintain. Henry: ¡°Hey, you two.¡± Cyril: ¡°? What is it?¡± Henry: ¡°This is only if you want to, but would you guys like to team up with me?¡± It¡¯s only been 3 days since we met. We only did one expedition together. Forming a permanent party May have been moving things along too fast. Cyril: ¡°I¡¯m fine with that¡ª. What about you, Jend?¡± Jend: ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll be glad to have him join us. I was just thinking that it would have been hard moving up to the next step with just the two of us.¡± That¡¯s true. You can handle Killer Dogs with just these two, but fighting stronger foes would require a bigger party. Jend: ¡°Why don¡¯t we go a little further next round and search out some Kobalt packs? Honestly, it felt too easy today.¡± Henry: ¡°Kobalts, huh. They don¡¯t have great equipment, but they¡¯re armed and have some wits about them so it¡¯ll be tougher.¡± But they are still in the realm of novice adventurers to target. Cyril: ¡°Why not go for Wild Bears more deeper into the woods?¡± Jend: ¡°I think it¡¯s doable but I don¡¯t want to be in too much of a hurry to rank up. You¡¯re more likely to get injured.¡± Jend is serious about reaching the Heroic Warrior class. He¡¯s hungry to move up, but at the same time, he makes some solid and slow decisions. I agree with him. No matter how strong you are, you can lose your life with one mistake. It¡¯s best to be careful. Results will always follow later. We lift our cups high in the air. Today is a good day to drink. From that day forward, we completed our 2nd, 3rd, and 4th expeditions and grew more as a team. CH 7 Chapter 7: A Day Out with Cyril Afternoon in Flowtier. I was having tea at a fancy open cafe. There is no place like this in Ligaleo. I sipped expensive tea and opened a book. The title of the book was ¡°Anthology of Poetry by Daniel Volume 4.¡± Daniel is one of the most famous poets in the Kingdom, and his newest volumes were being publicized in the book store. They say great poetry helps nurture the soul. Under the warm sunlight, having tea at a cafe, I read the anthology. Whoa, whoa, whoa¡­ this is just too perfect. I¡¯m like one of those chic high-class men on his day off. I turn the page gently. Henry: ¡°I see.¡± Next page. Henry; ¡°Oh, uh huh. I see.¡± More pages. Henry: ¡°Uh huh. Yup, I get it.¡± I close the book abruptly. I shouldn¡¯t have bought a book of poetry just to look good. I have little to no education about this so I can¡¯t even tell if it¡¯s good. I should have stuck with tourists pamphlets showcasing the best eateries in Flowtier. But if I can¡¯t read this, I have little else to do here. I guess I¡¯ll just finish this tea and head out. ...but it feels like such a waste. The tea price also includes the price of the section you¡¯re sitting in. It was a really expensive tea because of that. Cyril: ¡°OH¡ª, hey, isn¡¯t that you Henry? How¡¯s it going?¡± Henry: ¡°Huh? Oh, Cyril, hey.¡± I heard a familiar voice and turn around. We¡¯ve went on several expeditions and adventures, so we got to know each other better. Today, she was not in her adventuring gear, but in casual everyday attire. I think it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen her in normal clothes. Cyril: ¡°You have good taste picking out this cafe. This is one of my favorite spots.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh really? I just randomly chose this place.¡± I thought I would look cooler sitting here. Henry: ¡°Are you shopping right now?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, just looking¡­ wait, hey, that book! Is that one of Daniel¡¯s anthologies?! I actually came to buy that book! ¡­..really? Henry: ¡°You read these kinds of books?¡± Cyril: ¡°Of course I read them. Great poetry really nurtures your soul, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Damnit. I think she¡¯s goading me. Henry: ¡°Here, you can have this one then.¡± Cyril: ¡°What? Really? Are you sure? Oh, do you have photographic memory that helps you memorize books in an instant?!¡± Henry: ¡°I just thought that it looks cool to read poetry and bought this, but I have no clue what any of it is talking about.¡± Cyril: ¡°Pff¡­¡± Cyril couldn¡¯t contain her laugh. She suddenly bursts out hysterically and isn¡¯t trying to stop any time soon. I hit her with the anthology on the head. Cyril: ¡°Owie¡ª-¡° Henry: ¡°Like that would really hurt.¡± I said ¡°hit¡± but it was more like placing the book on her head. Cyril picks up the book off her head. Cyril: ¡°Geesh, Jend¡¯s like this too, but you have no idea how to treat a lady.¡± Henry: ¡°Is that so? If you bring a lady here, you can show me how I should treat her.¡± Cyril: ¡°What did you say?!¡± Cyril throws a fit, and I try to calm her down. Cyril: ¡°Ohh! Excuse me¡ª. Could I get a rose hip tea and cookies?¡± The waitress answers, ¡°Sure thing!¡± Cyril sits down across from me after she orders. Henry: ¡°Hey, who said you can¡­ oh never mind.¡± Cyril: ¡°I got what I came here for, but it would be a waste just to go back now.¡± Is that right? Cyril puts the Daniel¡¯s Anthology carefully in her bag. Henry: ¡°Hey, are you okay with this?¡± Cyril: ¡°What do you mean?¡± Henry: ¡°I mean, what if Jend sees us sitting together like this at a cafe?¡± Jend is a great guy, but romance always brings out different sides of people. I don¡¯t know any to fight or argue with him. Cyril: ¡°Why should it matter if Jend sees us?¡± Henry: ¡°What do you mean, why. Aren¡¯t you guys going out? I know we¡¯re in the same party, but he wouldn¡¯t appreciate his girl hanging out alone with a different man.¡± Cyril: ???? Wait, why are you tilting your head. Cyril: ¡°um, Henry? I think you have a big misunderstanding.¡± Henry: ¡°What?¡± Cyril: ¡°I¡¯m not dating Jend at all.¡± Henry: ¡°Wait, really?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes.¡± Whaaaat, are you kidding me¡ª. You¡¯re adventure partners. It¡¯s just the two of you. You both get along just fine, so I thought... Cyril: ¡°Besides, Jend is already in love with someone else. The whole reason why he wants to become a Hero of Legend is because she said, ¡®If I¡¯m going to be with anyone, it would be with a hero, no exceptions!¡¯ This was a while back, but he hasn¡¯t forgotten it.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, you shouldn¡¯t tell me those things without permission from Jend.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh it¡¯s okay. We¡¯re in the same party, so we¡¯ll eventually talk about it. Besides, anyone who knows him knows this fact.¡± I see. So that¡¯s why he¡¯s trying to become a hero. Well, Cyril did say it was a long time ago, so that girl may not even be thinking about that now. Right now, half the heroes are women, and that would mean she can only marry four men in this world. Cyril: ¡°He says, ¡®Even if I can¡¯t become a hero, maybe with the Heroic Warrior title, I¡¯ll have a better chance when I ask her out¡¯ is what he told me.¡± Henry: ¡°And that explains why he wants to move up in the world.¡± I¡¯m a little glad that it¡¯s a straight forward, easy reason to understand. I rather that than, ¡®I want to be a hero everyone respects¡¯ or ¡®I¡¯m going to be the one who protects humanity.¡¯ I don¡¯t mind helping him become a Heroic Warrior for his particular reason. As far as the Adventurer ranks go, the church determines that, so getting him to understand how to get noticed by them will be the first step. Cyril: ¡°Wait, just because I¡¯m single doesn¡¯t make me an easy target. You understand, Henry?¡± Cyril crosses her arms in a defiant gesture. Henry: ¡°What are you doing?¡± Cyril: ¡°This is the Ms. Cyril means business pose.¡± You are way too impulsive and blurt out the first things that come to mind. Henry: ¡°Not to be rude, but that thought didn¡¯t cross my mind.¡± Cyril: ¡°What do you mean? Are you saying that I¡¯m not attractive at all?!¡± Henry: ¡°Well¡ª¡­¡± She has a cute face but nothing on her chest, and she¡¯s short. So, all in all, I¡¯m not feeling a pull towards her. To me, she¡¯s more like a little sister who¡¯s always getting into trouble. Henry: ¡°Maybe if you were, you know. Maybe if you were just a little bit more¡­ then maybe you¡¯ll be more attractive?¡± Cyril: ¡°A little more like what?¡± Henry: ¡°Like breasts?¡± Oh ****. Her eyes are like icy daggers now. She¡¯s won¡¯t stop looking at me with those eyes. Henry: ¡°Oh Cyril, your cookies arrived.¡± Cyril: ¡°OH! Yaaay¡ª¡° She suddenly got into a better mood. She¡¯s more about the food than the beauty stuff, huh. Well, that is more like her anyways. I smile as I watch her eat and drink, as I sip the rest of my lukewarm tea. ??? I¡®m sipping the cold water I asked for and relax. The water in this city is amazingly refreshing. The water comes down from the nearby mountain, Altohirun and a river cuts through the city. There is no shortage of water here. Most restaurants here serve water for free, so the volume and quality are maintained well. The only cities without water shortages are those with enormous mageworks incorporated into their cities water system, and the other few and far between minority of cities with similar geographical advantages. Cyril: ¡°Oh that¡¯s right! Henry, could you tell me more about.. was it Ligaleo? ...where you stayed?¡± Henry: ¡°Huh?¡± Cyril pops a question on my while carefully savoring her last cookie. Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t mind but why?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s because I¡¯m going to the front lines one of these days, and accomplish huge heroic feats!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, no. Don¡¯t. I wouldn¡¯t recommend it.¡± Cyril: ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m going regardless.¡± Henry: ¡°No, seriously. Reconsider, yeah?¡± Cyril: ¡°I refuse.¡± Wh-why is she being so stubborn about this? Henry: ¡°Well in that case, I might as well tell you to help you change your mind.¡± Cyril: ¡°It won¡¯t change anything, but please tell me anyway.¡± Alright, where should I begin. Henry: ¡°Well, for one, you¡¯ll see that they have two fortified walls - an outer and inner wall. Cyril: ¡°You see that occasionally in older fortified cities or when the population grows and they expand as a result. True, but Ligaleo is different . Outside the inner walls, you¡¯ll only see soldiers, mercenaries, and former war related veterans run all the inns, shops and restaurants. You know why?¡± Cyril: ¡°Is it because they prefer to be closer to the outer gates for easier access for traveling?¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s because the outer wall is breached at least 4 times a week, and to protect normal civilians from getting injured. The corruption is so thick there, that the magical field set on the outer walls have reduced effectiveness. Especially on nights when you don¡¯t detect demonic creatures in time, it is easy to have the walls breached. Henry: ¡°So we are tasked with making sure that no demonic creatures reach the inner walls and take them out. Someone once said ¡®the people are the castle and they are the walls. And there it¡¯s the people themselves that make up the actual defenses and walls of the fortress. This isn¡¯t an exaggeration, but we carried it out literally. Cyril: ¡°Nooo¡­ really?¡± Good. She got the picture. For any adventurers, there is no such thing as a good night¡¯s rest. It is impossible to have a day off outside the inner walls. For women, not enough rest messes with your skincare. ¡­Ugh, I just had a flashback of that idiot swinging that Morningstar around screaming, ¡°You are the enemies of beauty care!¡± And smashing them to pieces. I wonder if she¡¯s doing alright. Henry: ¡°Other than that, you can¡¯t just adventure freely like you do here. The Grandes Church rounds up all the adventurers in that area, and determines the groups and rotation for exterminating demonic creatures. Cyril: ¡°Oh that sounds like a bummer¡ª¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like you can¡¯t put in requests. They¡¯ll be flexible to a certain extent.¡± The adventurers do not directly work for the church and so you can quit any time you want, but you¡¯re in an area where running amok freely will cause more harm than good, so they will move quickly to enforce order. But as a result, the church commands a formidable and organized force that can coordinate easily with the residing military, so there are reasons things are run this way. Henry: ¡°And other than that, it¡¯s things like getting completely surrounded by demonic creatures every time you set foot outside the walls, and they¡¯ll all be upper-tier demons, and buying good food would cost you an arm and a leg. Stuff like that.¡± I hope some of those stories would help deter her from going. I mean, I never want to go back if I can help it. Cyril: ¡°But it¡¯s easy to earn merits, right?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± Cyril: ¡°And many people became heroes there, right?¡± There was one who saved the city from eminent demise. Another who saved 1000 adventurers. An assassin who took down the demon general and forced them to retreat. These were all adventurers who accomplished amazing feats. But even if they had the ability, they wouldn¡¯t have become heroes if they were not given an opportunity to use their gifts. As long as you have the strength and ability, going there offers ample opportunity to show off those skills. Cyril: ¡°Well, it¡¯s not as if I want to go there right this second. I¡¯m going to work hard on our expeditions, and when I think I gain enough strength¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Most people who think they can make it there usually find out that they¡¯re wrong.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh stop worrying. It¡¯ll be fine!¡± She¡¯s being way too optimistic. I guess it¡¯s much better than pessimism but¡­ If she really intends to go, I¡¯ll do my best to stop her. Just because you¡¯re young doesn¡¯t mean that you have to travel that hard of a path. Henry: ¡°Hey, I told you my stories, so you should tell me something. Like the best places to go in this city.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, okay. How about this one alleyway where the cats all gather together.¡± I think refills are half-price. Remembering these things, I order more food, and we have a great time sharing stories. I enjoy talking to Cyril - the way she gets really into stories and knows how to make her stories flow. So the rest of my day off with Cyril went something like that. CH 8 Chapter 8: My Day Off with Jend Henry: ¡°Oh yeah, I heard from Cyril that there¡¯s someone you¡¯re interested in?¡± Jend: ¡°Sheesh, that girl¡­¡± I parry his blow to the side. Each of his swings carry a lot of weight and power, but I¡¯m still managing to deflect and redirect his swings. Jend: ¡°Ah well, yeah, I guess it¡¯s nothing to hide. The topic just never came up.¡± I counter and swing the blunt end of my spear at Jend, but he receives the blow on his shoulder protector. He didn¡¯t take damage by I swing through to push him back and widen our distance between each other. With him farther away, I thrust and jab my spear. Jend jumps back using the momentum from the blow before, and distances himself away from the spear¡¯s reach. Henry: ¡°So, what, ugh, kind of, person, is she?!¡± Jend: ¡°She¡¯s, hmph, a beauty!¡± I chase him down and swing at his sides in a wide arc. Jend blocks the swing which had quite a bit of momentum behind it with a defensive sword stance. Dang, he¡¯s sturdy. Henry: ¡°I¡¯d like, to meet her, one day.¡± Jend: ¡°That¡¯s, too bad. She lives, in another town.¡± Our light banter continues as we pick up the speed and our swings grow more frequent and intense. Of course, we¡¯re not playing around or going easy on each other. We¡¯re both quite serious in trying to win. I¡¯m using a wooden sword with a cloth tied to the end, but it could still cause serious injuries with a solid hit. We are talking while training, but none of us are taking this lightly. During an expedition, the communication between adventurers in the same party is one of the most important factors that will determine your chance of success. It is critical to understand when you¡¯re party is sending out a warning or requesting assistance from the party - stuff like that. So though we are in serious combat, being able to communicate while you fight is an important skill to develop. Of course, you need to go through some serious training or this would not be possible. Breathing will get harder, and while you swing, your teeth and jaws are usually clenched. But for those who can fight while pumping magic throughout their body, this becomes easier. Henry: ¡°There.¡± Jend: ¡°Crap!¡± Weaving through his defenses, my spear thrust stops before it reaches Jend¡¯s throat, and we both pause to let the moment pass. Jend: ¡°I surrender.¡± Henry: ¡°Good work.¡± Today, we had 10 bouts - I won 7 and lost 3. I managed to win overall, and I¡¯m glad to have done so as the veteran between the two. Jend: ¡°Aw man. I thought, I had this one in the bag when I got two consecutive wins on the 5th and 6th round¡ª¡­¡± Henry: ¡°We¡¯re 6 years apart, so I¡¯m not going to lose to you that easily.¡± I say that, but Jend will probably exceed me in about one year if we¡¯re strictly using just weapons. I have to admit that he has more talent than me. His sword skills will exceed me, but there are certain tactics and magic you can employ on the field to even out the odds, and I could squeeze out desperate wins with strategy, but winning like that can be frustrating. Henry: ¡°Jend, here¡¯s your towel.¡± Jend: ¡°Oh, thanks.¡± We hung two towels on a nearby tree, and I throw his to him. This is Jend¡¯s house¡¯s yard. I actually had a tough time finding a good training spot. Of course, I can keep on going on expeditions to keep my instincts sharp, but if all it took was real combat to maintain your strength, no one would be having any trouble. It¡¯s important to practice the basics and forms of your art, because small changes and bad habits will add up and cause your fighting style to degrade or regress. There are a few adventurers with natural born talent that sharpen their fangs by only fighting enemies, but that is more of an exception to the rule. Of course, in a town like this, there¡¯s no reason I have to maintain or improve my skills with the level of enemies here, but this was something that was ingrained in me from an early age. Of course, I could use the church¡¯s training yard, but the paperwork gets really annoying, really fast. But I can¡¯t just be swinging my spear around in a random location, so I asked Jend where he trains at. He brought me to the yard of his house. He¡¯s the son of a wealthy merchant so his house and yard were enormous and spacious. Henry: ¡°Hey Jend, I haven¡¯t properly thanked you for letting me borrow your yard for training. It¡¯s close to where I¡¯m staying, and honestly, it was a huge help.¡± Jend: ¡°I¡¯m the one that should be thanking you. My master is too busy, and so I could only exercise and do sword swings alone. Now I have a training partner who I can spar with, AND he¡¯s a higher skill level than I am for now.¡± I guess it is a win-win situation. And he added ¡°for now¡± so he definitely doesn¡¯t like losing, but as a fighter, that¡¯s perfectly normal. Jend: ¡°Mrs. Kiyo! Could you bring us some refreshments? For two please!¡± Kiyo: ¡°Of course young master. Right away.¡± One of the servants was passing by and Jend asks for drinks. Jend: ¡°Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m a little old to be called *¡¯young master¡¯?¡± Henry: ¡°Haha, chill out, man.¡± I didn¡¯t know what else to say, and just left it at that. From my experience, to an elderly woman like that, Jend will forever remain as her young master. Henry: ¡°Oh, tell me more about this girl. You said she¡¯s not from Flowtier, and she¡¯s pretty, but what kind of girl is she?¡± Jend: ¡°Man, you are not dropping the subject.¡± Henry: ¡°Of course, it¡¯s too interesting to drop now.¡± If he was dumped, I wouldn¡¯t breach the subject, but otherwise, who you like and who you prefer is a fun conversation topic. It¡¯s not just women who like gossiping about romance stuff. Jend: ¡°Well, I guess even if I don¡¯t say anything, you¡¯ll hear it from Cyril later, so I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Henry: ¡°Yup, yup. Go ahead.¡± Jend: ¡°She¡¯s two year older. She lives in the capital. Her family is in the lineage of knights, and until about 4 years ago, she visited here about twice a year to stay at her family¡¯s vacation home.¡± A knight, huh¡­ And her family owns a vacation home? Then they must be up there in the military ranks. Even common knights would have a difficult time buying a second home with their pay. This area is a tourist attraction, is a good distance from the frontlines so it¡¯s safe, so overall, buying land here wouldn¡¯t be cheap. Jend: ¡°And honestly, we were pretty little so there¡¯s a lot I can¡¯t remember, but we somehow connected, got to know each other, and it was her, Cyril, and myself, and we would play together with the 3 of us whenever she came by. Henry: ¡°And then you fell for her?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah¡± Dang. He¡¯s not even a little embarrassed to say it. He¡¯s not much fun to tease. Henry: ¡°Wait, so she hasn¡¯t been coming here recently?¡± Jend: ¡°I heard they sold their vacation home, but I¡¯ve heard no rumors about any misfortune that befell her family.¡± Jend is calm about many things, but I could tell this really concerned and bothered him. Jend: ¡°Well, if it¡¯s Feris, she can take of herself, and even if something did happen, if I¡¯m not strong enough, I can¡¯t be of any help, so it¡¯s training and expeditions right now.¡± Henry: ¡°...you¡¯re the type that becomes the MC of an adventure story, huh.¡± Jend: ¡°What? What are you saying?¡± But even if you¡¯re not strong, I think there are things you can still do. I¡¯ll keep an eye out for any guard duties headed towards the capital. Jend: ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not fair that I¡¯m the only one sharing. What about you, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°Me?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, you were a Heroic Warrior-Rank Adventurer at the frontlines. There must have been at least 1 or 2 girls you were interested in, no?¡± Hmmmm¡­ Girls I was interested in¡­? Henry: ¡°Not really¡­¡± Jend: ¡°What? Really?¡± Henry: ¡°All the female adventurers associated with me were armed to the teeth and dangerous, so it was hard to develop those kinds of feelings. Yeah, there were some girls that were nice, but they all had boyfriends.¡± Jend: ¡°Anyone that was not an adventurer?¡± Henry: ¡°The girls in town weren¡¯t interested in dating someone who might die any day from now on the frontlines.¡± Of course, there were some girls still interested, but those girls were only interested in the REALLY good-looking adventurers out of all of us. I¡¯m not conceited enough to think that I¡¯m part of that group. I can¡¯t even read anthologies... Jend: ¡°So you never went out with anyone? Well, not like I have any experience either but¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t go to the brothels sometimes¡± The only things to do outside of killing demonic creatures were drinking, gambling, and buying women. But I¡¯m more of the drinking and eating kind so I don¡¯t have a ton of experience with the last one. There were some who would invest their life-savings in one particular call girl¡­ so I guess that¡¯s the same thing as putting all your money into alcohol. Jend: ¡°Oh¡­ the b-brothels¡­ huh?¡± Henry: ¡°You interested? Want to go to one?¡± In Flowtier, those kinds of businesses are limited to a very particular area of the city. I did look around to see where it was. What? Is that bad? It¡¯s not like I have NO interest in that area of life, just some. Jend: ¡°HEY! Don¡¯t be pulling me down with you. I¡¯m pretty well-known around these parts, so it could lead to a scandal!¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, so you we just have to NOT get caught then? I can ask a Thief-Class to disguise you so no one would recognize you.¡± All you have to do is change your hairstyle and put on a bit of makeup, and you will look and feel like a different person. It¡¯s something you never know until you try it. Jend: ¡°No! Stop inviting me! I¡¯m not going!¡± Henry: ¡°Rela---x, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay.¡± Jend: ¡°STOP!¡± Our banter continued until Mrs. Kiyo brought the tea. ??? Jend: ¡°Ugh! You are the worst! Do you know how much trouble it was to explain what happened to Mrs. Kiyo?¡± Apparently, Mrs. Kiyo overheard and was mumbling something like, ¡°The Young Master will one day grow up too, I guess,¡± and was looking somewhere far off in the sky. Henry: ¡°Hey, my bad.¡± Jend: ¡°Geesh. I¡¯m only buying the first round, got it?¡± Henry: ¡°Yup. Thanks.¡± Afterwards, we both washed off our sweat, and Jend and I visited a local tavern. Jend was a regular here, and the Tavern Keeper came out to greet us jovially. Henry: ¡°Hey, what¡¯s good here?¡± Jend: ¡°Everything¡¯s good here, but you should try the fish.¡± You should always listen to the regulars of the restaurant when making a decision. Now that I think about it, Flowtier is far north on the continent, but it¡¯s actually close to the ocean too. You can take a carriage for about a day to the port city. They must be importing the fish from there. Henry: ¡°Alrighty then. I¡¯ll get the fish stew and ale.¡± Jend: ¡°I¡¯ll have the ale as well, and whatever the chef recommends.¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± Jend orders the food without looking at the menu, and the ale immediately came with the appetizers. The appetizer is steamed vegetables and looks delicious. Henry: ¡°Alright, cheers¡± Jend: ¡°Cheers, thanks for the training.¡± We both drink the ale. Ale after a hard day¡¯s workout is really the best~! And all the stores around here bring out the Flowtier Ale. I¡¯m so happy. Jend: ¡°Man, you really like this ale, huh?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah~~... Someone who grew up here wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± In Ligaleo, Flowtier Ale was always double, if not more than the price of regular ale. I pick at the steamed vegetables. Nice, they have some seasonings that have been absorbed into the vegetable. Jend: ¡°What are we doing for the next expedition? I¡¯m bored of Kobalts, and as for me, I think we¡¯re ready to move to the next level.¡± Henry: ¡°You think so? We can try hunting Wild Bears. I fought them once already around these parts, and I didn¡¯t think they were that strong.¡± Jend: ¡°Well, you and Cyril both have high attack power, so I¡¯m sure a Wild Bear makes a good target practice. Wild Bears are known for their toughness and endurance.¡± They are large with a tenacity to survive and are covered in thick fur that won¡¯t allow regular sharp edges to pierce them. Blade of the Fire God Style and boo~~m, and Magic spell boo~~m, and it would be over. They¡¯re easy prey for these two. Jend: ¡°Then maybe we¡¯ll go after Giant Spiders¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, let¡¯s not. With our group, we¡¯ll definitely get caught off guard.¡± Giant Spiders make spider nests just like regular spiders, and they are a patiently-wait-for-prey strategists. They don¡¯t move and are great at hiding. Without being extra cautious, it¡¯s hard to locate them. Of course, I can play the scout and sniff them out but¡­ Henry: ¡°Well, let¡¯s just take it a step at a time. Wild Bears are annoying in larger numbers. They actually have a high attack power, so you need to avoid their nails.¡± Jend: ¡°I see. Yeah, let¡¯s do that. Oh, the food¡¯s here.¡± We pick at the food and drink some more. We share stories about our adventures, what kinds of girls we like, and local news, and overall we had a great time. This is nice having a guy friend that you can talk to about anything. I hope we can continue to get along. It was a strong hope and desire that welled up inside me that night. ************************ CHONKY NOTES ************************ *Young Master - (botchan; obotchama) (¤ª·»¤Á¤ã¤ó; ¤ª·»¤Ã¤Á¤ã¤Þ) ©` A title or affectionate name used for typically smaller children of the wealthy. Servants who have served the ¡®young master¡¯ from infancy typically will call them so until they take over the family. The word infers a certain degree of entitlement and status, but can sound like a sarcastic or clinical insult - inferring that someone is spoiled rotten and snobby. CH 9 Chapter 9: Concerning a Certain Girl I was eating breakfast at the Bear Keg¡¯s Inn enjoying their rice porridge and feeling nice and relaxed. In the morning, the Bear¡¯s Keg only serves breakfast to the guests of the inn, and because I got up later that morning, there was hardly anyone in the dining hall. I let out a yawn and watched Lana as she cleaned. I¡¯ve been here a while, but I¡¯m impressed with how mature she is. She¡¯s at an age when kids would be more interested in playing and running around, but she helps with the family business from morning till dawn. She says that she has off days, but even on those days, she¡¯s accomplishing numerous administrative or side tasks, so I¡¯m a little worried that she¡¯s overworking herself. Henry: ¡°Lana¡ª, can I get another bowl of porridge¡ª?¡± Well, regardless, I¡¯m still going to order seconds. Lana: ¡°Yessir¡ª, one second please.¡± Lana takes my bowl and heads to refill it. I need to start thinking about what I will do today. My promise to train with Jend starts in the evening, and I have plenty of time to kill until then. I¡¯ve explored the majority of Flowtier already, so¡­ Over here, we¡¯re going out on expeditions every 2-3 days which is a pretty rigorous pace, but it still gives me time to do things in between. ¡­.thinking about it, I don¡¯t think I have any real hobbies. Back on the frontlines, I would sleep on my off days to recuperate my strength. Otherwise, it¡¯s hunting demons, completing quests, and train, train, train. That left me with no time for myself. Alright, that can¡¯t be right. Let me think of fun memories. Let¡¯s see, something fun¡­.shoot, I can only think about fun times eating and drinking. No, no, no, no, no¡­ hold on, me. I¡¯m not THAT boring of a person am I? Since I completed my lifelong goal a year ago, I wasn¡¯t working as hard, so I must have been doing SOMETHING with my free time. ¡­.damn. Was so just staring into the air the whole time in my room? A classic case of a complete burn out. Lana: ¡°Mr. Henry, here is your refill¡ª¡° Henry: ¡°Thank you, Lana. Hey, I had a quick question. Do you have any hobbies?¡± I went to look for some friends to join me in my pity party. Lana is working very hard at here every day. She must not have time for hobbies either. Lana: ¡°Me? I enjoy studying as a hobby.¡± Henry: ¡°...studying?¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, I read textbooks about 1-2 hours before I sleep every day.¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s a hobby?¡± Isn¡¯t a hobby supposed to be something more fun and relaxing? I do study my Kroseid-Style magecraft, research the demonic creatures and demon lands, plants that are for collection quests, and anything else out of pure necessity, but I would never say that was enjoyable or fun. Lana: ¡°I think it¡¯s a great hobby to have. You don¡¯t have to know more than basic reading, writing, and arithmetic to work here, but I do it because it¡¯s really fun for me.¡± Henry: ¡°...oh, I¡­ I see.¡± That is something a person who¡¯s more physically active like me would never understand. Henry: ¡°Then why not go to school? I¡¯m sure Flowtier has schools you could attend.¡± The Alvenia Kingdom puts a lot of emphasis into education and learning. Of course, it won¡¯t be free, but the price of admission should be affordable even for commoners to attend, and especially for this family with such a successful business. Lana: ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to, but helping out here is more important to me. Henry: ¡°I get it¡­ It seems like kind of a waste, but if you like studying that much, why not try to become a scholar in the future?¡± Lana: ¡°Oh that¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not interested in making a living with it.¡± Well, I guess it¡¯s none of my business. But even so... I failed at finding another person who¡¯s just as hobby-less as I am. ??? Hmmm¡­ maybe I should find a hobby? Now that so think about it, finding others with no hobbies is a pretty cynical thing to do. It won¡¯t help me or the others I find just by doing that. Lana: ¡°Oh, Mr. Henry, today is the last day for your inn reservation. Did you want to extend your stay?¡± Henry: ¡°Please do.¡± I reach into my wallet to pull out the funds for the next week. Lana: ¡°Thank you for your business. I mean, it¡¯s good business for us, but Mr. Henry, didn¡¯t you say you were going to look for apartments?¡± Henry: ¡°Umm, yeah. About that¡­ it¡¯s that¡­¡± Lana: ¡°What is it?¡± Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t like cleaning and doing laundry.¡± I can eat out for meals, but cleaning and laundry...I can hire someone at the laundromat, but I would have to do the cleaning myself. I¡¯ve been living in inns the last 10 years, so transitioning out of this habit would take a lot of work. I¡¯ve been too dependent on others to do these tasks for me all these years. About a week into my stay here, I explored the area, and thought about starting my apartment search¡­ but once I started thinking about all the appliances and furniture I would need¡­ the thought was postponed indefinitely up until today. Whenever I was living with my family, I helped out with chores, but when it¡¯s just me, I feel zero motivation to get started. Lana: ¡°Mr. Henry, I¡¯m surprised to see you so lacking in this area.¡± Henry: ¡°...you¡¯re right. I won¡¯t make excuses.¡± Lana: ¡°Well, if you do have laundry, please put it out early.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes¡¯m¡ª-¡° I feel pretty deflated as I finish my second serving. Daily life skills¡­ I really start living on my own. I can¡¯t possibly just live at inns for the rest of my life. Right now, the funds we¡¯re gathering from the expeditions are sufficient to leave my savings alone, but I can¡¯t imagine that I could keep this up forever. And if by chance I get married, then living at inns would not go over well. Not that I have anyone particular in mind anyways. Maybe Lana will marry me 5 years from now? She¡¯s a harder worker, and she¡¯ll definitely grow up to be a beautiful woman. I was just letting my imagination take off when the not-open-for-business-yet inn door opened. Henry: ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°.........¡± At the entrance, a girl that¡¯s Lana¡¯s age stood at the door. She¡¯s not wearing any jewelry, and is wearing very pragmatic clothes focused on ease of movement. She¡¯s carrying one bag over her shoulder. Huh¡­ I wonder if she¡¯s one of Lana¡¯s friends? She bowed politely my way while I was staring so I politely bow back. She waits there for another second when Lana comes back from hearing the doorbell ring. She quickly recognizes the girl and hurries over. Lana: ¡°Hey Teo! Welcome!¡± Teo: ¡°...hey.¡± Lana: ¡°Did you bring us meat again?¡± Two: ¡°Yeah. One boar and 10 wild birds. What do you think? If not, I can sell it at the market.¡± Lana hurries back to the kitchen. ¡­.a boar? What, she¡¯s selling meat? You can pick off birds in this area, but a creature the size of a boar would be¡­ and boars that tear up farmlands are immediately dispatched so you can¡¯t really hunt them. And where would she carry all that meat in the first place? In that small bag on her shoulder? She must have it loaded on a horse-drawn carriage outside. As doubts fill my head, Mr. Nord comes back with Lana. Nord: ¡°...hey, Teo.¡± Teo: ¡°....hello, Mr. Nord.¡± Both are the quiet type... Nord: ¡°Let me see the boar.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes.¡± Reaching into her bag, something obviously well above the bag¡¯s capacity is dragged out...holy crap!!! Henry: ¡°Bfffftt!!!¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, Mr. Henry, are you okay? Did you get the porridge caught in your throat?¡± Henry: (cough cough)... ¡°thanks, I¡¯m okay.¡± Lana brought some water for me. I drink it to calm myself down. Nord and Teo ignore me altogether and start inspecting the boar parts taken out one by one together. Henry: ¡°Lana, that¡¯s a godly equipment, yeah?¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, yes. It¡¯s apparently a rare equipment with [space expansion] and [indestructible] traits.¡± That¡¯s a national treasure! Not only does it have the [space expansion] which makes it an automatic winner, but it has [indestructible] on top of it all to prevent it from getting destroyed by accident... I¡¯d like to have a draw like that one day. This is because you are severely limited by luggage space with expeditions and part of the challenge is to reduce as much unnecessary luggage as possible. You can move easier with less luggage impeding you, and you have to have space for the drop items on your journey back. People bring along extra sacks for that purpose. You¡¯ll be in trouble if you forget a critical item or equipment on the journey, so it can get rough trying to predict what you will run into and what you will need the most. Very rarely do you get an item with [space expansion] from the Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault that actually resolves these issues. What¡¯s even better is that the weight of the items you place within the [space expansion] will not be reflected on the physical item, so it¡¯s nothing short of cheating. If you draw a winning item like that, every adventurer party will be raking their nails at your door to join them. If you don¡¯t have to worry about carrying your stuff around, that¡¯s an invaluable player to your party. Henry: ¡°Hey, wait a second. How is she able to draw from the Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault? She¡¯s still a kid.¡± She must have at least 3 or 4 more years before becoming an adult. Lana: ¡°Teo has been working with her grandfather since she was little as a follow-up and roamed the Flowtier Forrest with him. They also got rid of demonic creatures during their hunt, so she became an adventurer.¡± Henry: ¡°Sh-she roamed that giant forrest?¡± Whoa, really? A child like that running around that thick forest with demons roaming everywhere?¡± If she was just tagging along her grandpa, that¡¯s understandable, but a follow-up means chasing down wounded creatures and finishing them off. Henry: ¡°So that¡¯s why you have boar dishes on your menu periodically.¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, her grandfather and my grandfather were childhood friends, so they sell it to us very cheap.¡± I see. I wonder if roast boar is on the menu today. That dish is delicious. Whoops, I¡¯m drooling just thinking about it. Henry: ¡°But isn¡¯t it really dangerous for her?¡± Lana: ¡°Teo is basically very good at hiding from demonic creatures, so she spends more time hiding than fighting. Teo¡¯s grandfather was bragging how great she was at it.¡± Henry: ¡°Dang¡­¡± I remember when I first started as an adventurer, I was more of an errand boy and did more scouting. If she¡¯s been able to carry her own weight up until now, I have no place to judge her. But still, she¡¯s a very interesting kid. I watched Nord and Teo start haggling and drank the rest of my porridge. ??? Later that day, I was with my usual party in the Flowtier Forrest, and we ran into Teo and a very physically fit elderly man near the edge of the forest. Teo: ¡°......¡± I don¡¯t know if she remembers me, but she bowed politely my way. I bow in return. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Henry, do you know her?¡± Henry: ¡°A little. She poked her head in at the inn I¡¯m staying at, and she¡¯s friends with the inn keeper¡¯s daughter.¡± Cyril: ¡°I¡¯ve run into her before, but a girl her age is working so hard. Alright! I should be working hard too!¡± Cyril seems more motivated than usual. Yup, it¡¯s time to get to work. CH 10 Chapter 10: Quest Before going out on an expedition, we always meet at the Grandes Church beforehand. In the morning, we were all in good condition, but just as we were about to leave, I stop and call back Jend and Cyril. Jend: ¡°What¡¯s wrong Henry? Are you not feeling well?¡± Cyril: ¡°Do you need to go to the bathroom?¡± Henry: ¡°No. That¡¯s not it.¡± I wave my hand in a gesture of denial. We¡¯ve been adventuring together for quite a bit now, but there is still something we have yet to do. We need to talk about that. Henry: ¡°What do you both think about performing some quests today?¡± Quests are job requests made to adventurers. It is difficult for normal civilians to go about doing things in demon-filled areas, and there are materials such as certain plants and precious metals that can only be gathered there. Of course, if they have nothing else to do, Adventurers may collect some of these resources, but there are very few who specialize in this area, and in most cases, there are severe shortages of these resources year-round. I¡¯ll pay you a reward, so please go collect these things. This is the most typical resource collection quest available. But there are others. Some ask for very specific drop items from demonic creatures, and sometimes you are asked by the Kingdom or City to vanquish certain demonic creatures causing problems. And finally, most adventurers are exceptionally strong and can use spells, so there are jobs catered in asking for assistance in a day job when there¡¯s not enough help. Well, anyways, if the church inspects the reward and quest contents and finds no issues, most jobs will find their way to the quest board. There are some who start making a better living performing a certain kind of occupation and transfer out from being an adventurer. Adventuring is an unstable job and position afterall. We are all the followers of the god, Grandes, but we are not employed by the church directly. And there are many adventurers who do expeditions as a side job to their main occupation. Jend: ¡°Quests, huh. Now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t taken any. I thought you had to be an established adventurer before accepting them.¡± Henry: ¡°You got it backwards. Most adventurers start off with no money or skills so in order to buy proper equipment, they¡¯ll do easy quests in the beginning.¡± Of course, there are quests that are only given to trusted adventurers. But for resource collection quests, as long as you bring the goods, they won¡¯t turn you away. Cyril: ¡°Huh¡­ but it¡¯s not like we need the money right now.¡± Henry: ¡°In the future, when you¡¯re trying to accept a big quest, if you don¡¯t know how the paperwork and quest acceptance process works, you¡¯ll be pretty embarrassed when that time comes.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh¡­ I see¡­¡± Henry: ¡°And no matter how strong you are, no one who is not approved by the church will be able to become a Heroic Warrior. Instead of only taking demonic creatures slaying quests, performing these other quests will make the church pause and take a second look at you.¡± When you complete quests, you actually have more interactions with the church rather than just going by their sell counter with drops. Yes, it can be cumbersome having to do this often, but having the church personnel know your name and face will come in handy in a lot of ways. If I started solo adventuring in this area, my first step would have been to start completing random quests left and right to get settled. Jend: ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s do it. What kinds of quests should we do?¡± Henry: ¡°Hmm, well. Usually, the resource collecting quests are the go-to starting point for all adventurers, but we¡¯ve been slaying a lots of demonic creatures, so they should have some idea of who we are already. I gesture to them to come with me, and we all head to the church¡¯s receptionist counter. If you had some qualifying goods to complete quests, you can typically find them posted on the Quest Board and tell the receptionist that your items are for that quest. Let¡¯s see if we can take some other type of quest today. Henry: ¡°Hey, good morning.¡± Receptionist: ¡°Oh hi, good morning Mr. Henry, Ms. Cyril, and Mr. Jend. Are you not leaving to go on a Hunting Quest today?¡± Henry: ¡°Actually, I was hoping to see if there are any quests available that will be just right for these two. It will be a great experience for them if there are any available.¡± Receptionist: ¡°Oh I see. In that case, please hold while I search through the available quests we have on hand.¡± Ms. Felicia moves through her files very efficiently. She is a clergy of the church and is wearing a nun¡¯s outfit. She has voluminous breasts that raise up her outfit that makes it look sexier in a way, and she¡¯s slender beauty, so I typically go to her when I need something here. All the other adventurers think the same way, and there¡¯s a line that forms right here. I even heard that there¡¯s a fan club somewhere. Cyril: ¡°Henry, all men should be a gentlemen, right?¡± Henry: ¡°Ow ow ow! Stop it, Cyril.¡± And somehow Cyril picks up on my vibes, and tugs hard at my ear from behind. Felicia: ¡°Hehe, you two get along so well, even though you¡¯ve only been a party for a month or so.¡± Henry: ¡°You think so?¡± I feel like anyone can get along with Cyril without effort. Felicia: ¡°Thank you for your patience. These are the quests the church can offer to your party at the moment.¡± The church will meticulously inspect your abilities, reliability, and background behind the scenes. They make note of your conduct at the church, your movements during training on the training grounds, rumors spread by other adventurers, and your score with the gods which is impossible to cheat. And of course, my team has our data collected, reviewed, and assessed. With all this under consideration, we got the following quests On each sheet of paper, we have the contents of the request, the period of time to complete, and the associated rewards. There are about 5 pages worth, and we thumb through the results together. Henry: ¡°So what do you guys think?¡± Jend: ¡°Hmmm¡­ well, to be honest, I really don¡¯t know. Are these really jobs for adventurers? I feel like some of these have nothing to do with expeditions.¡± Cyril: ¡°Right? Look over there. On the board is a White Bear¡¯s liver quest. What about that?¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t ever sign up for rare drop item requests. If you get stuck with one, you may be working on it nonstop for months.¡± Those kind of quests are fulfilled by adventurers who got lucky. Henry: ¡°And for your reference, I recommend this one.¡± I show them the sheet I chose. ¡°¡±whhhhaaaaaaaat¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, trust me. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± Jend: ¡°Well, if you insist Henry. I¡¯ll give it a shot.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yeah, I guess I don¡¯t mind, but will I be of any use with this request?¡± What are you talking about, Cyril. These kinds are requests are actually more perfect for you than Jend or I. Henry: ¡°Alright, we can accept this request right away, so let¡¯s go to the Quest giver. We finish the paperwork to accept the Quest, and with our adventuring gear still on, we head to the meeting spot specified. ??? Ms. Felicia gave us the following options. Removal of abandoned building Guard duty to the port town Patrol duty of the main roads Sewage cleaning Field clearing request We chose the Field Clearing Quest. We will help clear the ground for expanding the Flowtier farmlands. We go to a spot in the wilderness, and we will cultivate the land so it¡¯s ready for seed planting. Directed by the supervisor, we first move the giant boulders that are in the way. This used to be part of the forest, but the trees have been cleared away, and now they need to clear out the rest of the obstacles. Jend: ¡°Can I ask why you chose the quest for us?¡± I move a 5 meter tall boulder with Jend¡¯s help and carry it across the field. Henry: ¡°Hmmmm? We¡¯re appealing to the public. This is partly for show.¡± Jend: ¡°...to the public? Show?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re spreading our recognition and fame to the local townspeople. If we work diligently and have the skills to complete the job, they might give us a better quest later down the road.¡± In Flowtier, Jend is the son of a famous local merchant so he is pretty widely known. But when asked about his adventuring, the gossip will stop at, ¡°Oh I heard he¡¯s an adventurer.¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± And now comes the benefits of this quest. To be frank, moving a builder of this size will be tough for any average adventurer. The other quest participants are looking at us with jaws dropped. Of course, there a few who can use physical strength boost magic and are not adventurers, but they would be nowhere near our level. Henry: ¡°By showing off our strength, the rumors about us will shift with more recognition like, ¡°Daaaaaaamn, did you see Jend, my bro? He¡¯s a macho libre strong.¡± Or ¡°Man, this job can only be done by Mr. Jend, the master muscle builder.¡± Jend: ¡°Putting your terrible impressions of the townspeople aside, I get what you¡¯re saying .¡± What? Terrible? What are you talking about. That¡¯s totally how people talk nowadays. Henry: ¡°Of course, you¡¯ll be recognized if you finish the other quests properly.¡± Like demolishing an abandoned building. Cyril can do it in one shot, but she would only be seen by the supervisor. Jend and I would have no role to play. The guard duty to the port. Only the people you¡¯re guarding will see you work, so it¡¯s low visibility as well. Plus, you shouldn¡¯t take on jobs that take multiple days to complete so easily. Patrolling the main roads. Boring. Sewage Cleaning. Who¡¯s gonna watch you do that? So all in all, out of the 5, this was the best quest available. It was a wide area, and the boulders we¡¯re holding back the crew and causing delays in their schedule, so the people were very thankful for our help. Henry: ¡°And we have to use our local sorceress to our advantage, right?¡± Jend: ¡°I didn¡¯t think you could use magic like that.¡± We glance towards where Cyril stands after the boulders are removed. Cyril: ¡°[GROUND POUND!!] HAHAHAHA¡ª¡ª!!¡± Cyril unleashes her spell with a full smile. The ground explodes. The hard top soil breaks up revealing the softer soil below. And she also takes out the tree trunks and roots that were deep in the ground at the same time. The amount of dirt she blew up totaled to a few hundred tons. This would have taken 30 mages to do what she just did. Using spellcraft actually tires you out mentally and emotionally. Cyril did all of this with one spell, but the mages would have had to repeatedly perform the same spell to cover the same amount of ground. This would have fatigued them greatly. She had to sing for about 5 minutes to store enough power into her spell, so this would not have been very practical to try in actual combat. Even so, this is incredibly useful when you need a large scale spell for a job of this magnitude. There are lunatics who can do the same thing with magecraft, but I¡¯d rather not think about it. Henry: ¡°Here we go, and done!¡± I drop the boulder in the discard space. Henry: ¡°Is that it for the big ones?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, the rest you and I could carry alone.¡± Yeah, don¡¯t group me with you. There¡¯s a couple of boulders still left that I would have trouble on my own. Even if we are both physical boost magic users, Jend is power, and I use mine for speed. Even if my overall magic capacity is larger than Jend¡¯s, Jend has more ability to pump more magic into his physical boost. I can win in a race, but not in weight lifting. We still have to go collect the tree stumps uprooted by Cyril too, We already did 3 to 4 times more than our pay grade, so I guess we can take it easy. ??? The noon sun peaked at its highest point when we took a break. This quest included a lunch. They packed salted rice into a large ball which is a dish served in the island country of Rishu. They call it onigiri. It¡¯s served with salted meat and pickled vegetables. ¡­.this is a meal catered to hard labor workers. But since coming to Flowtier, I have yet to be disappointed by the food, so I take a bite. Cyril: ¡°Fwew. Rice after hard work really hits the spot. It¡¯s delicious.¡± Henry: ¡°Cyril, you¡¯ve been firing off large-scale spells left and right today. Do you still have magic left in you?¡± Cyril: ¡°Hehe, don¡¯t underestimate me, Henry. I did use up a lot, but I can still keep going and do the same thing this afternoon. This girl¡­ even from a conservative point of view, she¡¯s a monster. She has more magic capacity than anyone I know. Her only downfall is her physical frailty. Cyril: ¡°Hehe, so which plot of land wants to suffer the wrath of Ms. Cyril next?¡± Henry: ¡°There¡¯s none.¡± Cyril: ¡°Excuse me?¡± Cyril tilts her head to the side. Henry: ¡°Think about it. You already blasted every inch of the land set aside for development. Now they¡¯re going to sow the seeds and fertilizer, and finalize the agricultural planning.¡± Wow, I can¡¯t believe we finished that work in less than a day. Jend and I did take care of the majority of the heavy lifting. I thought about taking it easy, but they were complimenting me so much, I ended up lifting up 10 tree trunks at once and carrying it all. Because of that, all of the work for us was complete. We can go home after we eat. Since we finished a job that was supposed to take a few days in half a day, he¡¯s giving us a bit of a bonus on top of our reward. Cyril: ¡°Nooooo¡ª¡ª, I haven¡¯t been able to fire so many spells like this ever¡­ It is a little boring casting the same spell over and over though..¡± Of course. Under what other circumstance can you blow up the ground for acres at a time and not call it ecoterrorism. Cyril: ¡°OH! I got it! Why don¡¯t I just completely decimate the Flowtier Forrest altogether?! We¡¯ll get so many points that we¡¯ll be drowning in them!¡± Henry: ¡°Idiot.¡± Cyril: ¡°Owie¡ª¡° I karate chop her head. We leave the forest alone because gathering demonic creature drops and rare forest resources is part of the economic structure of Flowtier. Destroying that is equivalent to destroying the city from its foundations. But Cyril should definitely already know this. Henry: ¡°Do you joke around because you like it when I hit you? You a masochist?¡± Cyril: ¡°N-O-O-O-O¡­ It¡¯s just a light joke to spark more conversations.¡± Remembering how energetic and motivated she was blasting her magic at full power today, I don¡¯t think she was purely joking. Cyril: ¡°I¡¯m not as careless and irresponsible as you think. Don¡¯t you think the frontlines could use my power?¡± Henry: ¡°I know they can, but don¡¯t you think about going! This isn¡¯t a joke!!¡± I¡¯m starting to wonder if she wants to go to the frontlines just so she can blast her full magic power without reservation... ¡ª-holding these doubts in the back of my mind, our first day of questing came to an end. In the following days¡­ A mountain of construction requests asking for Cyril piled onto the church receptionist¡¯s desk. Poor Ms. Felicia. I knew Cyril only wanted to use large-scale spells so we kindly refused any quests that did not require a large area spell. CH 11 Chapter 11: The Magical Artifact Store Henry: ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhh¡ª¡ª-...¡± I wake up. Judging from the light coming through the window, it¡¯s getting close to noon. I slept in more than usual this morning. I mean, we did drink quite a bit last night. We went on an expedition yesterday, and today¡¯s my off day so I¡¯m not late to anything. OHHH¡ª- but I did miss the Bear¡¯s Keg¡¯s morning breakfast special¡­ dang it¡­ I look lazily out at the scene from the window. I turn my eyes to the single flower in a small vase decorating my windowsill. I don¡¯t know the name of the flower, but it¡¯s a pretty red one. In Flowtier, the City of Flower and Water, decorating spaces with flowers like this is a very common practice. I have to admit that it is a nice touch and really lifts your spirits. Henry: ¡°Alright¡­¡± I did sleep in later than usual, but my meeting time isn¡¯t till after lunch, so there¡¯s no problems. I quickly get up and get myself ready. ??? Cyril: ¡°Oh! HEEEEENNNNRY! OVER HERE¡ª¡ª! HEYYYYYYYY!!¡± Henry: ¡°...hey.¡± At our meeting spot, Cyril greets me garnering attention from the people passing by. She¡¯s always high energy like this, but when we first started meeting, it was really embarrassing, and I really wished that she wouldn¡¯t do this. Henry: ¡°You¡¯re early as always.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, well, I love taking walks, so I generally walk around exploring the surrounding area and leave earlier so I can do so.¡± Huh... walks eh? It¡¯s true that this city has flowers decorating the scenery everywhere, so just talking a walk around would be pleasant. Henry: ¡°Well, let¡¯s get going, shall we? Which way was Mr. Thomas¡¯ store?¡± Cyril: ¡°It¡¯s over here. This way.¡± I follow after Cyril as she leads the way. Today, we will be visiting Mr. Thomas¡¯ magical artifacts shop. Lately, we have been increasing the difficulty of our opponents, and Cyril also wanted a new magical trinket. I¡¯m also interested in buying anything that catches my eye, but the main reason why I¡¯m going is to request maintenance for my mage artifact. If it¡¯s a magical artifacts store, there are typically magic craftsmen working there. The store will take out a percentage of the cut as the middleman, but I really need this done. Oh, and Jend couldn¡¯t come with us today. His sword master had the day off and offered to train Jend personally. Cyril: ¡°Hm? Oh! Look at how cute these clothes are!¡± And Cyril veers off the main path and looks intently through the display window of a clothes store. I calmly and carefully flick the back of her head. Henry: ¡°C¡¯mon. Let¡¯s head to the magic store first.¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry, you have to enjoy the things around you as you go when gping shopping!¡± Henry: ¡°AFTER we¡¯re done what we came here to do.¡± I¡¯m actually the type that¡¯s more restless if I have things remaining on my to-do list. Cyril: ¡°Oh! Then how about you buy me clothes for the anniversary of our first date!¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s not a date. We¡¯re fellow adventurers on the same party, and you asked me to give you advice on purchasing magical artifacts.¡± Cyril: ¡°I know but¡­.dang it.¡± Don¡¯t think that you can weasel me out of my hard earned coin so easily. ¡­.wait, is it because I¡¯m so uptight about money that women don¡¯t like me? Still, I¡¯m not going to start spoiling Cyril. I can¡¯t see the end of it if I start now. Henry: ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll buy you a snack or dessert after we¡¯re done.¡± Cyril: ¡°YES! Awesome! That¡¯s a promise, okay?¡± Well, this much should be fine. ¡­..or am I being too easy on her? ??? We follow a street off the main road, but this street is also spacious and packed with people. And we arrive at Mr. Thomas¡¯ store - a very nice looking building with a wide assortment of goods laid out very nicely. Henry: ¡°Hello.¡± Inside the spacious store, this time of day was not busy. I¡¯m glad because I had to meet with him personally to discuss my business with the mage craftsman. Thomas: ¡°Oh hello there, Mr. Henry, Cyril.¡± Mr. Thomas was watching over his store and came to greet us. Thomas: ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in my store in a while, Me. Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Haha, yes, I haven¡¯t had any opportunities to drop by lately.¡± Thomas: ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯ll be stranger if you had to buy my goods on a frequent basis. But anyways, we should catch up over a drink some time.¡± I haven¡¯t been to Mr. Thomas¡¯ store since I first arrived at Flowtier, but he comes around the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn to dine, and we had dinner together on a number of occasions. He¡¯ll usually be with other merchants, so I¡¯ve been able to make connections as well. Thomas: ¡°So what can I do for you today?¡± Henry: ¡°Cyril needs a defensive artifact. I need some maintenance work done on my spellcall stone. If you can introduce me to a magic craftsman, I¡¯d be grateful. It¡¯s a Kroseid-style artifact.¡± The Spellcall Stone. One of the many common types of magical artifacts. In order to use magecraft, the spellcall stone has the spell already engraved into the tool. They say that long ago, spells were vocal incantations only, and you changed the spell by raising or lowering the volume or pitch of the voice. Hence, the origin of the name ¡°spell call¡± - like calling forth a spell. My artifact is a dice shaped stone wrapped around my neck as a pendant. Other artifacts could be staffs, books, bracelets, or any of the other millions of different objects you can use. And apparently, depending on the mage style, the material, shape and size of the spellcall stone does matter. One of the oldest magecraft style is the Aron Style Magecraft. To use their magecraft, you have to carve the spell inscriptions on a special stone that can only be excavated from select mountains. But to be honest, their magecraft does not have a lot of practical uses applicable to today¡¯s standards. And typically, the spellcall stone used by adventurers are small. Mine only had 6 sides, so I¡¯m limited to 6 type of spells, but it¡¯s something I can pinch between two fingers. I¡¯m more of a close combat specialist so a large spellcall stone would only get in the way. And as you cast spells, the magic that flows through the inscriptions will slowly wear the carvings away causing minor twists and warps in the inscription itself. Once the damage exceeds a certain point, it loses the ability to cast the spell and becomes useless. This is why a regular maintenance and upkeep is required. The smaller the artifact, the faster the maintenance can be performed as well. Thomas: ¡°What tier of Kroseid-Style do you use, Mr. Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m a 3rd tier.¡± Thomas: ¡°We¡¯re able to take up to 2nd tier artifacts here.¡± Oh, that¡¯s good. Henry: ¡°Do you have a magic craftsman working here?¡± Thomas: ¡°No, my wife is a former magic craftsman. She still helps out with repairs today.¡± Oh, I see. Yeah, I can see how that can happen. You¡¯ll have close business ties with that industry as a magical artifact merchant. Henry: ¡°Then can I lend this to you to fix? The base material is mythril 4, lead 3, bronze 1, and iron 2.¡± Thomas: ¡°Yes, that will be fine. With this size and material, it will be about 3,000 zeniths.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, here¡¯s the payment.¡± I hand over my pendant with the payment. Henry: ¡°How long do you think the repairs will take?¡± Thomas: ¡°We¡¯re not so busy at the moment, so the repairs should be done by tomorrow evening.¡± Henry: ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you again tomorrow.¡± Okay, so my business is done here. I look for Cyril in the store. Henry: ¡°Hey, why are you looking at house keeping magic artifacts?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh! Henry! Look at this burner! You can easily boil water anywhere using this!¡± She pulls out a plate that is about 20 cm (8 in) wide. Apparently, it¡¯s an artifact that you can put a tea kettle on it to heat it up. Henry: ¡°If I need hot water, I¡¯ll combine [WATER] Eedle with [FIRE] Ignus, so it¡¯s not useful to me.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh that¡¯s convenient. The Endel Style uses very broad blasting magic and lacks that kind of fine touch.¡± Even her weakest spell is equivalent to a fire arrow reinforced by [STRENGTH] Hazac, so I can¡¯t imagine her spells being useful inside a house for chores. It¡¯s just not a style of magic that was made for that. Henry: ¡°Gah, wait a sec. We¡¯re here to find you a defensive artifact. Not this.¡± Cyril: ¡°Huh? But don¡¯t you think it¡¯s overkill? My equipment is already high quality.¡± Yeah, I know. What Cyril has on normally is a top quality defensive gear, and it will not allow normal attacks to penetrate it easily. But what I¡¯m worried about is to prepare for the ¡°just in case.¡± You have to always prepare for the worst in this line of work. Henry: ¡°Since you have an over abundance of magic reserves, this will be a very effective tool to keep around.¡± Cyril: ¡°I guess you¡¯re right¡­¡± There are in general, 3 kinds of magical artifacts you can use. One requires the user to pour in their magic and will to cast the spell. The spellcall stone is a classic example of this. Another holds the magic inside it so that you just need to press a button or flip a switch to activate the spell. The household artifacts like that burner fall in this category. And finally, there are artifacts that require the user to continually feed it magic to cast a perpetual spell for some sort of benefit or effect. This is what I¡¯m having Cyril buy. If you get greedy and put too many on at once, the artifacts will drain up your magic, and you¡¯ll be immobile until you recover, but for Cyril, she could easily adorn 5 or 6 items without any issues. Cyril: ¡°Fine! Let¡¯s try something then. What should we buy? Which one is good? I¡¯ve only looked at magic enhancing artifacts in the past.¡± Henry: ¡°Then try this one. It puts a protective field around you at all times and is called ¡®Mr. Forcefield.¡¯¡± I recognized these items and pointed out different kinds to Cyril. Cyril: ¡°Who came up with that name? There¡¯s not a lick of creativity or good sense put into it.¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s a super popular item for adventurers everywhere. It only prevents demonic creatures from entering your field so it doesn¡¯t get in the way of everyday living or when you¡¯re scouting. They¡¯ve been coming out with several different series recently like ¡®Mr. Forcefield Mk II¡¯ and ¡®Mr. Forcefield [ROCK HARD BODY]¡¯ and ¡®Mr. Forcefield FOREVER.¡¯¡± If you can use physical strengthening magic, that would be more efficient than using the item, but if you have a hard time with that kind of spell, this item is a lifesaver for rearguards. Thomas: ¡°Oh, but our store only carries up to ¡®Mr. Force [ROCK HARD BODY]¡¯ and we¡¯ll have to custom order anything else.¡± Mr. Thomas added his input to mine. Cyril: ¡°Hmmmmm¡­ but it looks so bad and out of style¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, don¡¯t judge a book by its cover. It¡¯s about what it can do, not how it looks.¡± Cyril: ¡°But what¡¯s the point of wearing an item that makes you look super dumb? It¡¯ll kill your morale!¡± Well, I mean¡­ I¡¯m not going to argue that morale and how you feel doesn¡¯t matter, because it does. A forward way of thinking will always get you farther even as an adventurer. But setting that aside, does this artifact make you look THAT bad? I personally like how it looks. Thomas: ¡°That is true. Aside from its performance, the looks of the artifact is very unpopular.¡± ¡­..really? Cyril: ¡°See! I told you so!¡± Thomas: ¡°In fact, they recently had a complete makeover done. The effects are still the same, but they hired a good designer this time. Would you care to take a look? It¡¯s right over here.¡± Oh, I didn¡¯t see the discount tag on this ¡°Mr. Forcefield.¡± Cyril: ¡°OH! Look at that! They really did make it look nicer! I like it!¡± Over on the table was another bracelet. Its overall silhouette looked sharper, and the way the spell inscription is carved has an elegant flow to it. Cyril asked if she could try it on, and Mr. Thomas lent the bracelet to her. Cyril: ¡°How is it, Henry? Doesn¡¯t this one look nicer?¡± Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t think a single bracelet is really going to make that much of a difference¡­¡± Cyril¡¯s telling me how I just don¡¯t get it. She¡¯s looking at herself in a mirror with a nod of approval. I feel like I got a small glimpse of the difference between men and women... Cyril: ¡°I¡¯ll take it. How much will it be?¡± Thomas: ¡°It¡¯ll be 10,000 zeniths.¡± Cyril; ¡°Ouch. It¡¯s a little pricey.¡± But most adventurers will tell you that compared to its performance value, it¡¯s a bargain. That¡¯s why it¡¯s so popular and many of its kind are being mass produced for the market. Well, Cyril must have known the general market price for magical artifacts and took the money out of her wallet. Thomas: ¡°If you like how this one works, please consider purchasing its upgrade in the future. You can use the one you have as a trade-in to get a price reduction.¡± Cyril: ¡°I¡¯ll try this out before I give you an answer. The upgrade sounds like it would be pretty expensive.¡± Thomas: ¡°The ¡®Mr. Forcefield Mk II¡¯ is 50,000 zeniths.¡± Cyril looks shocked, but if she continues to be an adventurer, she¡¯ll be making a hefty sum to cover that cost in no time.¡± Now that Cyril¡¯s defense, which was the most concerning point for our team, has been covered to a certain degree, we talk about going a little further into the forest for our next expedition. On the way back, we tried several sweet shops that Cyril recommended. Having a little too much to drink and more sweets than usual, I woke up with some heartburn the next morning. CH 12 Chapter 12: Gathering Party Members Jend: ¡°ORAAAAAHH!!¡± At the front, Jend yells and swings down his sword decisively. The Wild Bear was cut diagonally and fire spread from its wounds as it fell to the ground. There are many more Wild Bears around, but Jend used the one he just defeated as a wall and cover to avoid being completely surrounded. ¡­..He looks okay to hold out on his own for a bit. Henry: ¡°So let¡¯s take care of our side then!¡± I smack a shabby arrow with the back of my fist strengthened by [PHYSICAL BOOST]. With the arrow, 3 creatures came charging forward - humanoid demonic creatures with a head of a dog, Kobalts. I sweep them to the side with one swing of my spear. Kobalts are intelligent, and they will gather resources from nature to make simple weapons and armor. The ones I¡¯m facing right now are carrying stone axes. And what¡¯s really annoying about them is¡­ Henry: ¡°Ergh!¡± I swing my spear and break the arrows they fired at Cyril who is singing and preparing her spell. It¡¯s this. They have 3 archers firing from 3 different directions, and it¡¯s really getting on my nerves. Cyril bought the ¡°Mr. Forcefield¡± artifact, and it should be enough to deflect the arrows, but that can also break her spellcrafting concentration, so I¡¯m doing my best to deflect all arrows heading her way. Cyril: ¡°I¡¯M READY!! [BRIGHT FLOOD]!!¡± Cyril casts her spell. A stream of light blows back 10 Kobalts and among them might have been one of the archers. Unfortunately, this was only one side of their formation that is currently surrounding us in a half circle. This was one of the bigger packs with about 50-60 creatures. Cyril: ¡°Henry! What should I do next?!¡± Henry: ¡°Same spell to the right side this time!¡± 3 Kobalts on the left and 2 Kobalts from the right pincer us, but Cyril goes straight into singing. She must trust me a lot. Then let¡¯s not disappoint her. Henry: ¡°[WATER] Eedle + [FIRE] Ignus + [LAUNCH] Veros!!¡± Hot boiling water rains upon the 3 on the left. ¡°GRAHHHHH!!¡± ¡°KYAN! KYAN!¡± They scream and shriek in pain. They don¡¯t have good defense so that alone slows them down. I quickly takedown the two on the right who stepped into range with two quick, deadly stabs. Two arrows fly at me and one misses while the other bounces off my body strengthened with [PHYSICAL BOOST]. The Kobalts on the left and right are coming at us in waves but¡­. Cyril: ¡°[BRIGHT FLOOD]!!¡± We countered with her spell, and the entire right side got struck and wiped out. Good. That only leaves the 20 on the left-side. I was a little worried when they surrounded us, but we got throug¡ª¡ª Just as I was about to let out a small sigh of relief, I hear the sound of large wings flapping overhead. Crap. I feel a chill crawl down my spine. It¡¯s coming straight down above us. He¡¯s aiming for Cyril! Henry: ¡°LIKE I¡¯LL LET YOU!!¡± I intercept the claws stretched out for Cyril¡¯s head with the Nyoiten Spear, I bumped into Cyril hard covering for her, and I hope she forgives me. With the descending velocity, its weight, and the magic strengthening its claws, my heels dig deep into the ground as I hold it back, but this is nothing. I raise my [PHYSICAL BOOST] input and push it right back. ¡°GYAU?!?!¡± Instantly feeling the difference in strength, the Griffin uses my push to escape back into the sky. It probably thinks that it¡¯ll be safe back in its domain high in the sky. Henry: ¡°Sorry, but you¡¯re not getting away! [STRENGTHEN] Hazac + [STRENGTHEN] Hazac!!¡± I cast the spell on my legs. Instead of boosting spell power, you can also use [STRENGTHEN] Hazac in this way. I hold the spear pointing upwards, and jump. I jump hard and fast enough to easily catch up to the Griffin, and charge straight into it. I pierce the Griffin, but my momentum continues upwards. Crap, I put too much power into my jump. Looking down, the remaining Kobalts are charging in towards Cyril. Henry: ¡°....hut!¡± I rotate in the air to regain my composure. I adjust the blade and length of the Nyoiten Spear and throw it downwards. I¡¯m impressed with my own aim as my throw flies and pierdes the head of the Kobalt leading the charge. The shock causes the others to stop momentarily, and that was enough. Cyril completes and releases her spell for the 3rd time and blows the Kobalts away. From the air, I see Jend slay the last Wild Bear. There are a few Kobalts retreating, but there is no reason to chase them down. I land with those thoughts, and call back my spear protruding from the Kobalts head, and let out a deep breath. Henry: ¡°Well, that was unexpectedly difficult.¡± I feel a bit worn out. ??? Henry: ¡°Let¡¯s recruit another party member.¡± We returned from our expedition and finished cashing in our drops. At the church tavern, we tell each other good job, and begin talking about what went wrong today. This was my first comment. Jend: ¡°That¡¯s kind of sudden, Henry. I¡¯m not against the idea, but why now?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yeah, we defeated a huge horde of demonic creatures so we should be celebrating instead! You took out a Griffin by yourself! That was really impressive!¡± Oh, so that¡¯s how these two perceived that situation. They both have skills, so I keep forgetting that they¡¯re both new at this. Henry: ¡°Look, getting out if that situation unscathed really is amazing, and I¡¯m proud of you both, but the fact is, we shouldn¡¯t let ourselves get caught and pulled into a situation like that in the first place.¡± First, we ran into a pack of Wild Bears, and while we were fighting, a large pack of Kobalts came from behind and surrounded us. Lastly, we got ambushed by a Griffin at the end. Putting the last Griffin aside, we should have dealt with the Wild Bears and Kobalts separately. We could have even decided to avoid such a large Kobalt pack altogether.¡± Jend: ¡°Oh, I get it now. Now that you say that, I see your point.¡± Henry: ¡°So that¡¯s why going forward, we need a scout for our party.¡± A scout¡¯s role is to go ahead if the party and identify enemies in the path quickly and accurately. They¡¯ll need good eyesight, have high mobility and stealth skills, and understand the various geological traits. As far as combat strength, if they can guard Cyril, that¡¯s all we need right now. If we have someone like that, I can go help out Jend, and we can expand our offensive tactics. Henry: ¡°....so, any ideas of who we can recruit?¡± Cyril: ¡°Hmmmm¡­ not really from me. How about you, Jend?¡± Jend: ¡°I have a few people I know who are scouts, but all of them are already committed to another party.¡± Yeah, I thought so. Henry: ¡°If it was a solo adventurer and not a scout, we could probably have them do the scout role, but asking them to join our group would be difficult to do.¡± Solo adventurers tend to stick with working alone. They might help us one or two times, but they won¡¯t help us out long term. And for most solo adventurers, they tend to be hard boiled veterans. In this party, I¡¯m 22, and Jend and Cyril are 16. We¡¯re a relatively young group, so an older adventurer would feel out of place here. You can¡¯t ignore factors like that when talking about party dynamics. Even if you have different levels of strength in the group, if the group dynamics are sound, then you can make it work, but people who feel out of place will start wrecking and poisoning the party¡¯s atmosphere. Well, if it was a temp party, you¡¯ll just have to deal with the poor dynamics and move on after completing your goal. So all in all, we need a scout that is in their teens or tweens. What¡¯s even more difficult is that the scout role requires extensive knowledge and experience. If we could find someone that easily who fits this criteria, everyone would have an easy time forming amazing parties. Cyril: ¡°But Henry, how do we even start recruiting in the first place? You just happened to join our group, but we weren¡¯t really looking for recruits then.¡± Henry: ¡°Huh? Oh, it¡¯s usually very similar to how I ended up joining your group. You make a temp party, and if it goes well, you start forming a permanent group.¡± Cyril: ¡°Well, there¡¯s still the challenge of finding someone. How do you suppose we¡¯ll find anyone who¡¯s interested?¡± Huh¡­ really? Cyril really seems to be clueless about how we adventurers function. Henry: ¡°Well, one is joining a larger scale quest and finding people within that group. Aside from that, you just ask, ¡®Hey, anyone who want to go on an expedition with us?¡¯ and call on people that way. Cyril: ¡°Whaaaa¡ª¡ª-t. That sounds embarrassing!¡± Henry: ¡°What? Really? Here, it¡¯s easy. Let me just show you.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, please do.¡± Well, it¡¯s my idea mainly to want to incorporate a scout. I wanted these 2 to understand how a party¡¯s functions and roles change with a scout in the group. I stood up and look around the room. Since I suddenly got up, all eyes in the room are on me, and I yell. Henry: ¡°HEY! Anyone interested in being a temp scout for us? We target Wild Bears. We split the rewards evenly. If you¡¯re interested, come by this table!¡± After that, there was an awkward silence that followed. ¡­.wh¡ªwhat. Did I do something wrong? I was wondering about the when a familiar face showed up. It was Mr. Freeg, a fellow adventurer. Huh¡­, we sometimes see him in the forest. He¡¯s a very stable adventurer with high skills. I¡¯m sure he could do scouting for us and will be a welcome addition to our party. Freeg: ¡°Hey Henry¡± Henry: ¡°Hi Mr. Freeg, are you interested in joining us?¡± Freeg: ¡°Oh, no. Just came by to give some advice. I¡¯m sure there are other towns where they recruit members just like you did, but not here. If you need someone to join your party, go up to the front desk receptionist and put in a request.¡± Henry: ¡°.......huh?¡± Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve been here for quite some time, but I haven¡¯t seen any other parties do the same thing. Crud. I¡¯m gonna be known as that weirdo who just yells randomly. Freeg: ¡°Well, everyone knows that you¡¯re a Heroic Warrior from another town, so I¡¯m sure the rumors will be mild¡­..well, good luck to ya.¡± Mr. Freeg kindly pays my shoulder as he departs. I can¡¯t stop shaking from the shame boiling over inside of me. He¡¯s yelling ¡®Don¡¯t worry about it so much!¡± as he goes back to his seat. I sit down. Henry: ¡°....well, the lesson here is that different cities have different norms. At least you all now know that.¡± Cyril: ¡°It¡¯s okay Henry. There¡¯s always tomorrow.¡± Henry: ¡°.....yeah, thanks.¡± I place my head on the table. That was really embarrassing. That way if recruiting must have been unique to Ligaleo. I¡¯m guessing that there were so many adventurers that the church just didn¡¯t have enough capacity to analyze everyone¡¯s personality and traits efficiently enough to help parties find members, and it just ended up the way I just did it now. Jend: ¡°Uh¡­ um, well! We now know to go to the front desk reception for our scout recruiting!¡± Henry: ¡°....yeah, that¡¯s true. Alright. That¡¯s enough for this meeting. We did have a big victory today, so let¡¯s drink up.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ye¡ª¡ªs, let¡¯s. I¡¯ll try some ale today.¡± And we drank and celebrated like we usually do. And just like Mr. Freeg suggested, we had some people join us as temp scouts on occasion, but just as I suspected, no one wanted to permanently join our group. And for quite a while, our recruiting efforts went unanswered. CH 13 Chapter 13: Teo Henry: ¡°Dang¡­ what should I do¡­¡± At the Bear¡®s Keg Inn, the lunch hours were done, and there were only a few customers left in the dining area. I was among them just loitering lazily at a table. I¡¯m thinking about our scout recruiting. We had a few temp scouts join us, and Cyril and Jend understood the importance of their roles, but we¡¯re unable to sign on anyone to our party. We had a few promising candidates, but all of them had reservations about joining us. Well, to be fair, anyone who¡¯s in their late 30¡¯s would hesitate to join a party with two newbies. It would be different recruiting Jend and Cyril to their own parties, but coming to us is just not an option. Some offered to partner with me as a two-person party, but I¡¯ve been working long enough with these two, and they¡¯ve helped me a lot. Throwing away their friendship at this juncture would just be a waste. I had to kindly refuse those counter offers. Henry: (sigh¡­.) Lana: ¡°They say sighs scare away good luck.¡± Henry: ¡°Lana, do you know any adventurers who would be willing to join our party?¡± Lana: ¡°I know some people in the neighborhood who want to become adventurers.¡± Yeah, pulling in a fresh recruit like that into our current hunts would be nothing less than a trial by hellfire. We¡¯re feeling that Wild Bears are too luke warm, and we¡¯re just about to step into the Griffins¡¯ territory. Put it simply, it would be way too dangerous for them. As a side note, a normal newbie would complete simple quests until they save up enough funds for better equipment, and then transition to fighting Crazed Rabbits for a few months, and then fight one stray Killer Dog¡­ something like that. Cyril and Jend are exceptions to the rule and have skipped several steps, but they were trained from an early age to become adventurers by proper instructors. When we first teamed up, they had some things to work out, but this was more due to a lack of experience and not ability. Now, they are making much fewer mistakes. If they are facing a familiar enemy, they may not be quite up to par with first rate adventurers, but are approaching quickly into that realm. All that remains is to learn how to approach demonic creatures they meet for the first time, hunt in other geographies different from the forest, and learn more technical adventuring skills, and they will be first-rate very soon. And because they improve so much so quickly, they are eager to press forward, and a newbie will get crushed following their pace. Henry: ¡°We just need someone who¡¯s young, strong, and can do scouting.¡± Lana: ¡°I don¡¯t know much about adventuring, but wouldn¡¯t the last conditions exclude potentially everyone that¡¯s available for recruiting?¡± Henry: ¡°Yea¡ª¡ªh, I know ri¡ª¡ªght.¡± I said it half jokingly. Lana: ¡°Will you be ordering anything else?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, I¡¯m good. I¡¯ll go back to my room after I finish this cup of water.¡± Lana: ¡°Yessir, thank you...oh! Welcome¡ª¡ª¡° The door to the Bear¡¯s Keg opens and the bell on the door rings. Looking in that direction, I see Teo walk-in. I¡¯ve seen her several times come and go now. Is she selling meat again today? But she¡¯s coming later than usual. Henry: ¡°Hey¡± Teo: ¡°Hello¡± We¡¯ve run into each other during expeditions, and I typically greet her now when I see her. Lana: ¡°Teo, your coming at a different time than usual.¡± Teo: ¡°Yeah, grandpa hurt his back. He¡¯s pretty old now, so he¡¯s talking about retiring from hunting.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, I see. Isn¡¯t he well into his 80¡¯s now?¡± ¡­¡­.that gramps is how old? Man, he¡¯s in great shape then. I saw him with Teo, but he definitely looked younger to me. I heard people with high levels of magic age slower. Teo: ¡°So he wanted me to give this to you as an apology for retiring suddenly.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh my gosh! No! He doesn¡¯t need to feel bad! It¡¯s us that should be thanking him for all this time he¡¯s helped us! Oh, wait here. I¡¯m going to go get dad, and we¡¯ll give you something to hand to him.¡± Teo: ¡°...but¡­¡± Lana: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± I thought Teo would just stand there and wait like usual, but out of the blue, she started speaking to me. Teo: ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Mr. Henry, right?¡± Henry: ¡°Huh? What?¡± She called me by my name for the first time. Henry: ¡°Oh, yeah. Sorry. It¡¯s Teo, right?¡± Teo: ¡°Yes...um¡­¡± Teo becomes very quiet. Teo: ¡°Actually, never mind.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, you can tell me. What¡¯s up?¡± It must be tough for kids to go up and talk to grownups. But I¡¯m a nice guy. I¡¯m not scary at all. Teo: ¡°I wanted to become an adventurer, and I was wondering what adventurers do typically.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, you want to know about that. Got it.¡± There are many kids who aspire to be adventurers. To help her grandfather, she made an oath to the Grandes god, but she hasn¡¯t become an adventurer in the real sense. ¡­..Well, she has a [SPACE EXPANSION] godly equipment, and she has experience exploring the forests, so her future is bright. It¡¯ll still be 2, 3 years until she reaches adulthood, so if she trains hard until then, she¡¯ll turn into a solid adventurer. Henry: ¡°Sure, I can tell you a few things.¡± I tell her some things about being an adventurer. I tell her that sometimes, there may be rough times, but there will also be fun times. You get a lot of attention for defeating demonic creatures, but it¡¯s important to complete quests to help people out. Stuff like that. And when Teo grows up, if she would like to join our party as an adventurer, she can. This was more of a formality to wrap up the conversation. Teo: ¡°Oh¡­ um¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Something the matter?¡± Teo: ¡°...it¡¯s nothing.¡± I wonder what that was about. Well, anyways... Lana joined us while I was talking to Teo, and gave Teo a Bear¡¯s Keg Inn Special Peach Compote to take back to her grandfather, and Teo left. ??? A few days passed since. We were heading back to town earlier than usual and just left the forest. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Henry, don¡¯t you know her?¡± Henry: ¡°Huh?¡± Cyril points out the girl, and I look in that direction. Henry: ¡°Hey, that¡¯s¡­¡± It¡¯s Teo. She¡¯s wearing a light leather armor that won¡¯t impede her movements, a machete on her waist, and a bow and quiver of arrows on her back. She is fully prepared to do some exploration as an adventurer. The equipment is good, but a little large for her size. Henry: ¡°Hey, Teo, are you planning on going into the woods by yourself? Teo: ¡°....yes.¡± I mean, I guess you wouldn¡¯t come out this far just to turn around and go right back carrying around that equipment, Henry: ¡°Hey, I¡¯m saying this for your own safety. Don¡¯t go in there alone. It¡¯s way too dangerous. Look, we¡¯re on our way back, so I can help you hunt down some Crazed Rabbits. C¡¯mon, you can come with us.¡± If she¡¯s equipped this much, she shouldn¡¯t have any trouble with Crazed Rabbits. She can get a taste of being an adventurer, sell off her drops and get some ice cream on the way home. Teo: ¡°No, I¡¯m going into the forest.¡± Hey now. Henry: ¡°Umm, did you get permission from your parents?¡± Teo: ¡°My parents will probably refuse my request, but my grandfather told me,¡¯Just go. Just go.¡¯¡± Gramps...really? Henry: ¡°Hey this forest is dangerous even for adults. If something happens to you, your parents and Lana would be very saddened.¡± Teo: ¡°Even so, I already decided that I will go.¡± Why are all the adventurers in this town so bloody stubborn! Teo digs her feet into the ground and lowers her stance into a ready position. Wait, what is she doing? Henry: ¡°Hey, Teo, you don¡¯t¡­¡± She took off like a bullet towards the woods. Henry: ¡°HEY! WAIT!¡± I try to catch her, but she slips past my hands, and runs past the trees into the forest. I know she caught me off guard, but I didn¡¯t think she could get by me so easily. Henry: ¡°I¡¯m telling you it¡¯s too dangerous! GAH! Jend! Cyril! You guys head back first. I¡¯m gonna catch that punk-*** girl and give her a good scolding!¡± Jend: ¡°Hey, Henry¡­¡± Cyril: ¡°Good lu¡ª¡ªck!¡± Jend seems unsure, but Cyril is smiling and waving me goodbye. I confirm their replies and head back into the woods a little behind Teo. I can see her back. I can still catch¡­ up¡­ she¡¯s¡­ fast! I¡¯m not easing up on my running, but I can¡¯t close in the distance. We run, and run, and run. I¡¯m forcefully busting through the annoying brush, and kill a Killer Dog who tried to ambush me from the side with the back of my fist. Teo weaves through trees too close for me to go through, so I have to circle arpund. If it¡¯s just pure speed, I may still be faster, but Teo¡¯s running is flawless, with no energy wasted. You can tell that she knows these woods, and she has a solid grasp of the terrain. And I just noticed that though I have demonic creatures attack me periodically, she has encountered zero so far. This isn¡¯t just luck. She¡¯s running, but I hear no footsteps. Her presence is so low, that I¡¯ll lose track of her if I take my eyes off of her for a second. And this is my guess, but she¡¯s probably using her magic to increase her stealth techniques. An assassin-class friend ran the same way she does. Henry: ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± Is she really a kid? I would believe it if she told me she¡¯s an adult half-ling. Teo looks behind, and sees that I¡¯m still on her trail, and suddenly changes directions. I can¡¯t catch up with her like this. It feels like cheating to do this but¡­ Henry: ¡°[STRENGTHEN] Hazac + [STRENGTHEN] Hazac.¡± Similar to what I did in the Griffin fight, I cast the spell on my legs and feet. I kick the ground harder and increase my speed. She probably heard me catching up to her, and Teo changes her running style. Teo: ¡°Yah!¡± She jumps up to grab a branch and is now jumping from tree beach to tree branch. She¡¯s too agile! Henry: ¡°Dangit!¡± I could probably do what she¡¯s doing, but it will be much slower than my running right now. Besides, I¡¯ve never tried that kind of movement. It¡¯s getting tough following her with my head tilted up¡­. crap. Henry: ¡°Wild Bears, huh.¡± There¡¯s 5 total. They noticed me approach and is roaring and charging at me. I take out my knife-form Nyoiten Spear, and lengthen it to a long spear. ¡°GRAHH!!¡± The Wild Bear shouts as it swings its arm at me, but I delay for a second with a feint and dodge. Before it can swing with its other arm, I ram into it with my spear thrusting through its heart. I pull out my spear, and block the attacks coming from my left and right. I meant to take out one and keep running, but they stalled me here. Henry: ¡°Haaaaah!!¡± I stab and kill the second, and swing my spear down hard to crush the skull of the 3rd. The fourth¡­ Tosu! (sfx) An arrow protruded from its neck as a second and third arrow followed, and it wavered slightly as it stood. Henry: ¡°Whoa¡­¡± I stood there impressed as the fifth one charges at me. I dodge... and leave it alone. As soon as I pause, a shadow falls right over the Wild Bear from straight above. The shadow falling with momentum and speed comes down with a sharp knife on the Wild Bear. The Wild Bear¡¯s thick fur or skin was useless under these circumstances, and the wound was deep enough to kill it instantly. The Wild Bear falls over, and the shadow clinging to it, Teo, appears from behind. Teo: ¡°I thought they would be perfect to prove that I¡¯m not helpless even alone¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Yup, I gotcha.¡± The rearmost city of Flowtier has way too many youths with too much talent, don¡¯tcha think? CH 14 Chapter 14: The Addition to the Party Jend: ¡°Hey Henry, welcome back.¡± Cyril: ¡°Did you catch her----¡± Teo and I traveled back outside the forest, and Cyril and Jend were patiently waiting for us. Henry: ¡°Oh, hey. Sorry, did I make you all wait?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about it. We didn¡¯t want to leave behind a small child either.¡± Though Cyril meant well, I could tell that Teo who was standing next to me was annoyed with the comment. Teo: ¡°....I¡¯m not small. You¡¯re not that much different than I am.¡± Cyril: ¡°Say wh---!!¡± Cyril¡¯s shock is deep. I don¡¯t think anyone ever talked back to her. Cyril: ¡°Wh-what do you mean, we¡¯re no different?! I, I--I---I¡¯m a full grown adult! A lady!¡± Henry: ¡°Maybe she¡¯s talking about your height and chest?¡± Cyril: ¡°Shut it, Henry! And stop checking me out with those lewd eyes!¡± I meant well as well, but it only fueled the anger raging inside Cyril. ¡­.Okay, maybe that was rude. But, I wasn¡¯t really checking her out. Cyril: ¡°Erhmm, *cough.¡± After Cyril put me in my place, she coughed to clear her throat and recomposed herself. Cyril: ¡°W---well, I¡¯m an adult, so I don¡¯t let childish statements like that get to me.¡± Teo: ¡°....weren¡¯t you really upset just now?¡± Cyril: ¡°You were hallucinating.¡± Wow, she¡¯s totally sticking with her narrative. She¡¯s got some thick skin. Teo looked pityingly at Cyril, and said, ¡°I understand¡± and conceded. Jend: ¡°Umm, so Henry, who is she?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, her name is Teo, and she¡¯s a friend of the Inn Keeper¡¯s daughter where I¡¯m staying at.¡± Teo: ¡°....hello.¡± Teo bows politely. Henry: ¡°And I wanted to ask you two, but could she join our party?¡± Cyril/Jend: ¡°WHAT?¡± ??? We set off to go back to Flowtier, and I explained the situation to them as we walked. I explained how Teo¡¯s ability exceeded that of normal adventurers. She has really high skills and abilities as a scout which we were looking for. And finally, if we don¡¯t draw her into the party, she¡¯ll continue to go into the forest on her own, so it would be better to do this together. I would talk about her [SPACE EXPANSION] and [INDESTRUCTIBLE] godly equipment will really come in handy, but doing so would sow the misunderstanding that I¡¯m only recruiting her because of it. So I only mention it briefly and moved on. Jend: ¡°Huh¡­. well, it¡¯s hard to believe that she¡¯s that good, but if she does have the skills, I don¡¯t mind.¡± Jend seems skeptical. Well, I¡¯m sure without seeing Teo in action, it will be hard to believe that she has that much skilla. But he can confirm this when we get back to the training grounds. And as for Cyril, though they clashed at the beginning, she¡¯s already pivoted and is in a good mood. She¡¯s all for the idea and is caring and playing around with Teo. Her ability to switch gears like this is one of her strong suits. Cyril: ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all either. She¡¯s a little rude, but now that I think about it, I find it cute. I always wanted a little sister---.¡± Teo: ¡°Please don¡¯t rub my head.¡± Cyril: ¡°Don¡¯t be so stingy. Your hair is so soft and fluffy, and it feels so good.¡± Cyril is practically hugging her, and patting Teo on the head. Teo seems really uncomfortable and is cringing away from Cyril, but ¡­ if she really didn¡¯t like it, I¡¯m sure she would have gotten away already. She might just be embarrassed but doesn¡¯t mind deep down. Henry: ¡°How about you, Teo? Do you want to join our party?¡± Teo: ¡°....It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t feel the risks of exploring alone. I¡¯ve seen your skills Mr. Henry, and I okay with joining.¡± Teo gives a suspicious glare to Cyril. Teo: ¡°Aside from that other man, is this woman really an adventurer?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, you want to see my skills? Sure thing. La--la--la----?¡± Teo: ¡°Uh¡­.she just started singing. Is she okay?¡± Well, yeah, I guess when you see Cyril do this the first time, it can take you by surprise, but this is her style. She sang for about 10 seconds when she pointed at the sky and yelled¡­ Cyril: ¡°[EXPLOSION]!¡± From her fingertips, a small fireball the size of her pinky flew into the sky. It flew so high that we lost sight of it and then... Cyril: ¡°BOOM!¡± And just as Cyril spoke, a huge explosion occurred above us, and we felt the impact of the explosion from where we stood. Teo¡¯s mouth kept opening and closing a few times from the shock. Cyril: ¡°How was my magic? Aren¡¯t I great?¡± Teo: ¡°Y--you¡¯re a soceress?¡± Henry: ¡°Yup, she¡¯s not just a feather-brained woman, but she¡¯s a feather-brained woman that can use magic.¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry! You shouldn¡¯t bad mouth people like that! Those kinds of things lead to bullying! I¡¯m going to report you!¡± But anyone who knows you would feel the same way. Teo: ¡°O--Okay. I understand.¡± Henry: ¡°Now that that¡¯s settled, we¡¯ll need to get permission from your folks last.¡± We¡¯re recruiting a girl who hasn¡¯t reached adult age. Permission from the parents is a must. Teo: ¡°....I think my mother and father will object to the decision. They told me that grandfather is not well enough to go hunting anymore, so I can¡¯t go to the forest.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, yeah, I would think so too.¡± If I was the parent, I would make the same decision. Teo: ¡°?¡± Henry: ¡°But you just leave the talking to me. You¡¯ll probably never have a party as good as ours come along ever again.¡± ??? Teo: ¡°.......they gave me permission.¡± Henry: ¡°I told you so----¡± I went to go talk with Teo¡¯s parents first thing in the morning. As a result, they asked me to look after their daughter, so we all met up at the training grounds of the Grandes Church. I¡¯m doing the same thing I did with Cyril and Jend, and we¡¯re just sharing information about ourselves before going on an expedition. But Teo was still stuck on why her parents said yes. Teo: ¡°But why did they do it?¡± Henry: ¡°Why? Um, well, first off, they weren¡¯t against you going into the woods with your grandfather, so they¡¯re not completely against you becoming an adventurer.¡± As someone from a different country, it feels strange to me, but this country has a more hands-off approach to parenting. Henry: ¡°So that means that their biggest concern was you going alone. If we¡¯re talking about our party, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s an understatement to say that we¡¯re the most trustworthy party among all the rest here.¡± Jend: ¡°Well, besides Henry, Cyril and I only started as adventurers 6 months ago¡­ I mean, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have confidence in my skills but¡­¡± We¡¯re not talking just about skills here. Henry: ¡°First off, Jend is a son of one of Flowtier¡¯s most prominent merchant groups. They would trust that.¡± Jend: ¡°...ohhh, that¡¯s right. Teo¡¯s father is one of our trading partners.¡± They also knew about Jend¡¯s personality and character, so that also added to their trust of us. Henry: ¡°And we have me who¡¯s a Heroic Warrior-class.¡± This blue line on your Adventurer¡¯s tag is a bit of a status marker. You have to first be acknowledged for your skills and be trustworthy prior to accomplishing something that gets you the recognition to become a Heroic Warrior. You¡¯ll also have some say when you need to speak to the Grandes Church. Henry: ¡°And lastly, having Cyril with us was a huge plus.¡± Cyril: ¡°What?! I knew it! So my overwhelming strength helped convince the parents to let Teo come with us?¡± Henry: ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡± Jend is enough to just take a glance and know that Teo will be safe. Henry: ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re a girl. In most cases, all the members of an adventurer¡¯s party will be male.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ohhhhh¡­¡± No matter how you look at it, being an adventurer is a combat occupation. And of course, in general, men have higher physical strength and stamina, so naturally, a lot of adventurers turn out to be men. And there¡¯s no parent who¡¯ll want their 14 year old girl to join a party that is just men. And when it comes to magic, usually, women are more adept at it than men. If you¡¯re talking about mid-tier class, it¡¯s still even between men and women, but if you go above into the higher skill tiers, the women dominate this arena. That¡¯s why if you go up into the highest tier groups of adventurers, you¡¯ll actually see the ratio of men and women get restored to half and half. Teo: ¡°I see. I understand now.¡± Henry: ¡°Yup! That about sums it up. Alright, Teo, can you show us some of your skills?¡± Let¡¯s get into the main objective of the day. Cyril: ¡°Yaaaay, clap clap clap.¡± Henry: ¡°Why are you clapping with words¡­¡± This girl¡­ oh, Teo completely ignored her. Teo: ¡°What I¡¯ve been taught is called Cloudy Plains Style. I know it¡¯s not well known around these parts, but it studies martial arts, magecrafting, and outdoor survival techniques all in one. ¡­..I¡¯ve heard of this¡­ Henry: ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it. It originated from Rishu.¡± The Island Country of Rishu. It is separated from the main continent by sea and has developed its own unique culture. It has good relations with the Alvenia Kingdom, and there are many people who moved here from there. That¡¯s right. Teo¡¯s father¡¯s business handles imports and exports of Rishu products. Teo: ¡°Oh, you know of our Style?¡± Henry: ¡°I know one person who uses it.¡± ¡­..I¡¯m sure there are very few people who use the Rishu Style martial arts. It should be almost impossible to find another person who uses the exact same style. I hate to derail the conversation at the beginning like this but¡­ Henry: ¡°....her name was Ageha. Do you know her?¡± Teo: ¡°She¡¯s my cousin. Her family is the main family line, and her name is in the Rishu style.¡± It¡¯s really a small world. She¡¯s the Decapitator Ageha¡¯s cousin. Now that I recall, she said something about being from the northern Alvenia Kingdom. Henry: ¡°Your cousin is a Hero of Legend fighting on the frontlines.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, I know. I became an adventurer because I wanted to be like her.¡± I don¡¯t think any woman would ever want to turn out like her but¡­ She¡¯s a woman who snuck past an army of 10,000 demonic creatures and brought back the Demonic Army¡¯s General¡¯s head. I remember her saying how she was going to make a mug out of the skull. It would have pissed off the Demonic Army if word ever got out, so we ganged up on her to stop her. Jend: ¡°You¡¯re a relative of a Hero of Legend?¡± Teo: ¡°Oh, but sister Ageha¡¯s is amazing, but I¡¯m not even close to her level.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, go ahead and show them what you can do.¡± Jend seemed interested, but we¡¯ll be here all day if we don¡¯t get going. If you want to hear the stories about Ageha, I have PLENTY of stories that will make you cringe. Teo: ¡°Well, in that case¡­ I¡¯ll target that.¡± Teo points to the wooden doll in the training grounds and draws her bow and arrow. She shoots two arrows that seemed to have gotten sucked into the head and heart of the doll, and there was not even a half-second between shots. She was able to smoothly transfer magic into each shot. Unlike swords, it¡¯s much harder to do so with long-range weapons, but she successfully did it with each arrow. And Teo dashes forward. Her running style is very unique. Her upper bodies wavers unexpectedly, and it¡¯s a very hard to predict. . ¡­..If she¡¯s coming directly at me, maybe it¡¯ll be different, but from the side, it¡¯s hard to tell. Even so, overall, she¡¯s super fast. And once she¡¯s one step from being in range of the wooden doll. Henry: ¡°Oh?¡± Jend: ¡°She¡¯s very light on her feet.¡± Cyril: ¡°Woooooow! She¡¯s amazing!¡± She made a frontal feint, and jumped over the doll and cut the back of the head as she rotated. Teo: ¡°[Erupt]!¡± To finish it off, she stuck a paper charm from her bag, and the wooden dummy exploded. It¡¯s like a one-time use Spellcall Stone, but the Cloudy Plains Style focuses on speed and efficiency, and it matches that style well. Teo lets out a deep breath and walks back over to us. Teo: ¡°This is about it.¡± Cyril: ¡°Wooooow! Teo, you are so amazing! Here, come over here, and I¡¯ll tell you how much of a good job you did!¡± Teo: ¡°Please don¡¯t¡± Teo doesn¡¯t mind the compliment, but Cyril¡¯s physical affection is a bit much for her. But they look like they¡¯re getting along so I¡¯ll just leave them be. Henry: ¡°Alright, then Jend, I guess it¡¯s our turn to show off what we can do.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do it. As part of this training, Jend and I will do a mock battle, and let Teo understand our skills and abilities. And like this, our party welcomed one new member. CH 15 Chapter 15: That Night (Part 1) The Expedition in the Forest of Flowtier. Me, Jend, and Cyril are standing very close in a tight-knit formation and as move forward. We are walking slower than usual. This is just to ensure that she does not lose sight of us¡­.well, not like there¡¯s a chance of that happening anyway. I let these thoughts run, when Teo appeared jumping down before us. That tree was really tall. I understand landing upright, but landing without a sound from that height is ridiculous. Henry: ¡°Teo, how was it?¡± Teo: ¡°Yeah, 2 O¡¯Clock direction. 3 Giant Spiders. And close by is a pack of 10 Wild Bears.¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s more than we expected.¡± We¡¯ve been on several expeditions together, and Teo has become an essential asset to our party. Jend and Cyril are no longer skeptical of her scouting skills, and she¡¯s never overlooked an enemy. Though we are proceeding slower, Teo is identifying all of our targets, so we are able to more efficiently and quickly dispatch demonic creatures faster than before. You can say that our party is progressing with strong winds and full sails. So I¡¯m thinking, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s about time---?¡± but I leave that thought for now. Teo: ¡°It¡¯s this way.¡± We follow Teo¡¯s directions and walk for a bit. She raised her hand when we got close to the enemy. Teo: ¡°.....If you run for about 10 seconds, the Giant Spider is waiting at its nest. See? There.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ick¡­ I will never get use to how gross it looks.¡± Looking where Teo is pointing, a Giant Spider hangs dangling from a tree waiting for its prey. These guys will place their webs right below them, and as soon as something is caught, they drop right on top of you. Their webs are thin and hard to see, and any adventurers not used to detecting them will have trouble. Cyril: ¡°So all three are there. I¡¯ll take the one on the right. Henry, take the one in the middle, and Teo, take the one on the left.¡± Henry: ¡°Sounds good.¡± Teo: ¡°Affirmative.¡± Cyril begins to hum quietly. ¡­..yeah, it really looks like she¡¯s just playing around and doing anything seriously, but this is a legit spellcrafting ritual. Since Cyril will take the longest to prepare, Teo and I prepare ourselves in the meantime. Teo readies her bow, and I focus on my spellcall stone. Cyril: ¡°.....alrighty, I¡¯m ready.¡± Henry: ¡°Alright.¡± Cyril: ¡°On the count of 3. 1¡­ 2... ¡° Cyril releases an arrow made of light. I cast a [STRENGTHEN] Hazac + [FIRE] Ignis + [LAUNCH] Veros and fire off an upgrade version of my fiery arrow. Teo did not use sorcery or magecraft, but used her human-crafted bow and releases her arrow. 3 arrows fly, and catch their mark. 3 Giant Spiders fall to the ground helplessly. Teo: ¡°....right side and middle, confirmed dead! Mr. Jend, please take out the one I shot!¡± Jend: ¡°I got it!¡± Henry: ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll hold back the pack of Wild Bears.¡± The Wild Bears caught the sound of the arrows and explosions and are heading this way. I leave to intercept and welcome them. A wounded Giant Spider, and 10 energetic Wild Bears. You would think that the Wild Bears would be stronger, but it takes time to get used to a Spider¡¯s movement. So I let Jend get some practice and experience. He¡¯ll be fighting Underground Spiders and Arachnids which are higher-tier spider creatures, so getting used to fighting spiders now will help him in the near future. It¡¯s not because of my distaste for bugs - don¡¯t get it wrong there. Henry: ¡°Here you, go, and¡­¡± I swing my spear in a wide, exaggerated arc to gain the attention of the Wild Bears. The moment the Wild Bears stopped in their tracks, the one leading the pack got hit by one of Teo¡¯s arrows. Cyril: ¡°Henry! To your left! [ICICLE COFFIN]!¡± On Cyril¡¯s cue, I step to the left. The Wild Bear on my right side was hit by the blue light that stretched out from behind me and became trapped in a block of ice. Another bear who was close by also gets trapped with his buddy. Fear and panic spread as their pack numbers dwindle, and I make quick, deadly jabs and take out 3 more. Jend: ¡°Henry, I¡¯m here!¡± Henry: ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s do this!¡± I gaze at the Wild Bears on high alert after losing half their pack in a blink of an eye. Jend came to help as soon as he took care of the Giant Spider. And with Jend, we take out the Wild Bears one by one. ??? Jend: ¡°....I think we¡¯re ready to take the next step, but what do you think?¡± We completed our expedition. We met at the Grandes Church tavern like we usually do, and we¡¯re reviewing anything that could be improved for our next expedition. At the meeting, Jend starts us off with this comment. ¡­..Yeah, I thought so. Cyril: ¡°Yeah, I agree. Teo is getting used to our group, and right now, the enemies seem too easy.¡± Teo: ¡°I feel the same way.¡± Everyone except me speaks in agreement. Young people are always itching to keep moving things forward. Honestly, we¡¯re making quite a bit of money even with 4 in the group, and personally, I don¡¯t mind keeping things the way they are for a while, but¡­ ¡­.but unlike me who completely lost his purpose and goals and dried out, I shouldn¡¯t take the other 3 down with me. Henry: ¡°Yeah, this will be a good time to transition to the next stage. Wait here. I¡¯ll borrow a map of the Flowtier Forest.¡± You can¡¯t take the resources with you outside of the church, but they have a lot of information stored here. You can always borrow their documents as you please. And they have especially several maps of the Flowtier Forest which is this city¡¯s main hunting and fighting grounds for adventurers. I finish the paperwork and borrow the map. We sit around the tavern table and take a look at the map together. Henry: ¡°So we are currently active around this area.¡± I circle with my finger the entrance of the forest and the adjacent areas. Henry: ¡°Even if we go further, the demonic creatures will actually remain relatively the same.¡± Jend: ¡°I heard that too. In the past, a stray ogre or dragonkin appeared a few times, but they said those wandered in from other lands.¡± Flowtier¡¯s main demonic creatures are Crazed Rabbits, Killer Dogs, Kobalts, Wild Bears, Giant Spiders, and Griffins. They have everything from the lowest tier to the mid-mid tier rank creatures. ¡­..And concerning the Griffins who are the strongest¡­ Cyril: ¡°Their territory is the mountain in the middle of the forest, right---?¡± Teo: ¡°I¡¯ve been traveling in and out of the forest since I was a child, but I have never gone there myself.¡± TBH, it¡¯s far. Even if we left really early in the morning and hiked nonstop, we would only have 1 hour to hunt before we have to head straight back. And if we travel at such high of a pace, I¡¯ve been through worse so I¡¯ll be fine, but even Jend with high stamina and Teo who¡¯s used to the forest will be worn out. So in that case... Henry: ¡°We¡¯ll have to camp out. Well, we also have other items we need to start preparing as a party anyways.¡± Cyril: ¡°OHHHH!! CAMPING?!¡± Cyril seems really excited, but I can¡¯t blame her. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going without food, in a state of extreme exhaustion, and being surrounded by a horde of upper-tier rank demonic creatures and as a necessity, attempting to camp to recuperate our energy to survive. Since that¡¯s not the case, I think I would be looking forward to camping too. Henry: ¡°The goal will be to travel near the mountains on day 1 and prioritize making camp. Once the camp is set, we¡¯ll spend about half a day fighting and return. Depending upon our injuries and fatigue, we¡¯ll decide whether to spend one more night or not¡­. Something like that.¡± Jend: ¡°Sounds good. I thought it would be about time. My store has camping equipment, so we can go buy our supplies tomorrow.¡± We¡¯re putting aside some money as a group budget, but I don¡¯t know how much we have saved up so far¡­ I hope we have enough. Cyril: ¡°So we¡¯ll rest up a little, and then in a few days, we¡¯ll go hunting for Griffins, right?!¡± ? Henry: ¡°Uh, Cyril, what are you talking about?¡± Cyril: ¡°Huh? But aren¡¯t we buying camping equipment?¡± Oh, I get it now. She¡¯s thinking we¡¯re going to go straight into the real thing. Henry: ¡°It¡¯s the first time to camp out for you three, and we need to test out the camping gear. ¡­.So we¡¯re starting off with a practice camp out.¡± ??? The next day, we visited Jend¡¯s store and gathered our camping equipment. We went on a typical expedition, and we set up camp nearer to the entrance of the forest where only Killer Dogs appear. Jend: ¡°Oh, hey, what¡¯s this? Putting up a tent is trickier than it looks.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, it takes a few tries to get used to it.¡± I¡¯ve set up countless tents, so I left the tent setup to Jend for practice. I¡¯m sure this experience will come in handy for him in the future. Teo: ¡°I set up the barrier to keep the demonic creatures away, and some noise traps for when they approach.¡± The Cloudy Plains style was made for outdoor survival. In Teo¡¯s magecraft tools, there were some items that made it more difficult for demonic creatures to find us, so I had her set those up. And if that fails, she set up the noise traps to alert us as backup. Teo: ¡°Should I set up some traps as well?¡± Henry: ¡°Ah, not right now. I¡¯ll ask you to do it on the actual camp, but new adventurers will be coming around this area to collect herbs, so I don¡¯t want them to accidentally trip the traps and get hurt.¡± Teo: ¡°I understand. Oh, and I picked up some firewood to hold down our costs.¡± Teo takes out the dried branches from her bag. Henry: ¡°Great. Let¡¯s start the fire and start prepping dinner. Teo, could you do that?¡± Teo: ¡°Yes.¡± And Teo reaches in to her bag and pulls out equipment after equipment. We had firewood we bought from a logging store, and she also had pots, pans, knives, and a cutting board. She brought out stuff that lasts longer like potatoes, carrots, and onions. She must also have collected herbs that grow around this area, and a rabbit she caught during our expedition. Cyril: ¡°Oh, leave the rabbit to me. I¡¯m used to it.¡± Henry: ¡°Sounds good. Then I¡¯ll start the fire. Cyril, could you also cut up the vegetables?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yessir-----¡± I¡¯ve never camped with so much luxury. Typically, tents are only used by larger parties who have luggage carriers. With that in mind, Teo¡¯s bag is amazingly helpful. We will compensate her for any arrows or other ammunition used during the expedition from the group funds, but this is not a comparable compensation to how much trouble she¡¯s saving us with her godly equipment bag alone. I need to make sure to thank her later. Henry: ¡°There. [FIRE] Ignis.¡± I set the leaves and Teo¡¯s dried branches and start a fire with magecraft. I start putting in the bigger pieces of firewood, and the fire is going now. There¡¯s something about watching a campfire that is really relaxing and cathartic. As I gaze at the fire, Cyril brings the pot with all the cut up vegetables. Cyril: ¡°Here¡¯s all the veggies.¡± Henry: ¡°Alright, let¡¯s boil it. [WATER] Eedle.¡± I fill the pot with water. Cyril: ¡°....wow. I¡¯m starting to think that it will be better if I learn some magecrafting.¡± Henry: ¡°I heard the stronger your magic, the harder it is to learn magecrafting.¡± On a side note, I also have pretty strong magic power, and it was a pain learning 6 different types of spells. Well, they also say if you have really good magic sense, it doesn¡¯t matter. I heat the water over the campfire. As the water begins to boil, Tio puts in the rabbit meat. Teo: ¡°You¡¯re supposed to let the meat rest and ferment for a few days but¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll still be edible.¡± I¡¯ve cooked a lot during these kinds of camp outs. Using the fragrance of the spices, we used a lot of seasonings all thanks to Teo and prepared the dish. And after it boils for a bit¡­ Henry: ¡°Here, Cyril, try it out.¡± Cyril: ¡°Sure¡­ hmmm¡­ it¡¯s pretty good.¡± Looks like it¡¯s ready. Henry: ¡°Jend, we¡¯re finished cooking dinner.¡± Jend: ¡°Oh, right. I¡¯m just wrapping things up. And this should do it.¡± As soon as he said it was complete, the tent crumpled uselessly to the floor. Well...shoot. Jend took it pretty hard. I¡¯ve never seen him so down. Henry: ¡°I¡¯ll help you set it up after we¡¯re done eating, so let¡¯s eat dinner first.¡± Jend: ¡°...¡¯kay¡­¡± And that¡¯s how first night of camping began as we share some good laughs. CH 16 Chapter 16: That Night (Part 2) We finished the rabbit stew and some hard, dry ration bread for dinner. I helped Jend re-setup the crumpled tent together. I asked Teo to take out a wooden bucket. Henry: ¡°[WATER] Eedle + [FIRE] Ignis¡± I adjust the temperature to the water so it¡¯s not too hot and place it in the bucket. Teo brings out towels enough for everyone, and we all take turns soaking the towels and wringing it. Henry: ¡°Alright. Women in the tent. Jend, you can clean off first.¡± Jend: ¡°Got it. Thanks.¡± Jend takes off his armor and starts wiping his upper body with the towel After a full day of adventuring, we¡¯re all covered in sweat. Our clothes are dirty too. It won¡¯t kill us to not bathe for a day or two, but it does feel gross, and any mental or physical distractions like that could impact your performance during battle. If you get the chance, it¡¯s best to clean it off when you can. Cyril: ¡°Henry, Jend, don¡¯t you dare peek inside!!¡± Teo: ¡°I¡¯ll know if you get close.¡± Henry: ¡°Stop being ridiculous and wash off quickly.¡± I wave them away with my hands. I hear some sounds of clothes being removed, but I¡¯m not that young and innocent anymore. I¡¯m not bothered by it, but Jend keeps looking in that direction uncomfortably. Seeing that I noticed, he starts shooting off excuses. Jend: ¡°Wait, Henry, it¡¯s not like that.¡± Henry: ¡°What do you mean, ¡®It¡¯s not like that.¡¯ But don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t blame you. It¡¯s only natural.¡± Jend: ¡°I really don¡¯t have any interest in them romantically, but it¡¯s just instinct.¡± Yup. I get it. I understand, Jend. You¡¯re only 16. You¡¯re at the age when your desires are going to be swinging you around by the leash. And apparently, you¡¯re a virgin too. Should we take a trip to the brothel? Cyril: ¡°Hen¡ªry¡ª, could you rinse and wring the towels once more?¡± Henry: ¡°Sure.¡± A hand sticks out of the tent holding the towels, and is beckoning me to take them. Of course, the rest of the tent entrance is shut tight so you can only see the hand. ¡­.Jend, you don¡¯t have to look away with just that. I walk towards the tent and ask her to throw it, and Cyril tosses the towels towards me. Henry: ¡°Wait a sec¡ª¡ª¡° I go back to the bucket and quickly rinse and wring out the towels. I bring it back and place the towels on her hands. Cyril: ¡°Thank you¡ª¡° She quickly withdrew her hand inside the tent and shut the entrance. Dangit. I thought maybe I could get a glance inside, but her defense was too solid. Well, I just thought it would be lucky to get a glance, but I have no interest in actively trying to peep, so I walk away quickly. Henry: ¡°Jend, even if you need to, hold it in till we get back to town.¡± Jend: ¡°I DON¡¯T DO THAT!!¡± What? That just sounds unhealthy. ??? We finish wiping the sweat off our bodies. If we were back in town, we would head out into the night life, but here, we have to prepare to rest. Cyril: ¡°Wha¡ªt¡­ I¡¯m not feeling sleepy yet. Why don¡¯t we all do something together? Teo, didn¡¯t you have a deck of cards in your bag?¡± Henry: ¡°No no. We have to rotate guard duties all night, so if you play around, you¡¯ll miss your chance to get some sleep.¡± Even if you¡¯re not sleepy, it makes a huge difference just lying down with your eyes closed. Once you get used to it, you can fall asleep pretty quickly. Jend: ¡°Oh, I see why we need to do that. How should we rotate?¡± Henry: ¡°Two people rotating every 3 hours should be fine. We¡¯ll have to trade-off guard duties twice, but this should be optimal for this group. If we had more people, there might be more ways to divide up the night guard duties, but with just 4, our options are limited. Teo: ¡°I guess Mr. Henry and I would be in separate groups.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m used to staying alert for enemies, and Teo¡¯s good at scouting, so we¡¯ll stay in separate groups. Also, it¡¯s good to have someone who can hold off the enemy, so Jend and I will be separate for that reason. It¡¯ll be me and Cyril; and Jend and Teo in pairs. And actually, this is the only way to break up our group regardless. We bought a bigger tent because of Teo¡¯s godly equipment, and having two people sleep in there will be no problem. Cyril: ¡°Oh, so that means I¡¯ll be sleeping with Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, you alright? If you have bad sleeping habits, it won¡¯t bother me.¡± For instance, I know of a certain someone who will instinctively attack anyone who approaches them while they sleep. I can deal with most things except that. Teo, I¡¯m talking about your cousin. Cyril: ¡°No no. It¡¯s not that. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you Henry, but I¡¯m just uncomfortable with the idea of sleeping next to a man.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t do anything or play any pranks. I can swear by it.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hey, you keep saying that, but doesn¡¯t that just mean that I¡¯m not attractive at all?¡± Henry: ¡°What? No, of course not.¡± I might have been too quick to answer. Cyril is cute no matter what you say, and I wouldn¡¯t mind sleeping with her if it didn¡¯t cause any trouble or drama. But I can only see trouble and drama at the end of that path, so I will kindly avoid such painful futures. Cyril: ¡°R¡ªreally?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, plus I think any adventurers who takes advantage of their party member during an expedition are low-scum trash.¡± It brings up a bad memory. At the time, I was part of a temp party with 5 other men and women. The night duties were divided up into 3 pairs. We found a convenient cave to hide from the demonic creatures for the night, and there shouldn¡¯t have been any problems that night. But this one man decided to try and rape his guard duty partner during their rotation. She was beautiful, and she did tease him a lot, but none of us figured that he would go that far. He later confessed that he figured that she wouldn¡¯t be able to scream during guard duty because it would attract demonic creatures. I wasn¡¯t sure then what he intended to do when their rotation was over, but I don¡¯t care to find out, and I¡¯ll never know regardless. The woman screamed, and demonic creatures came. The man had his pants pulled down, and survived with severe injuries. The woman was killed. The remaining four woke up, but the creatures stamped out the fire, and we fought in the dark. We lost another 2 that night. . It¡¯s not something I like to remember. The man did survive with severe injuries, so we took him to the city and turned him into the church. He¡¯s now serving his time to make amends for the 3 that lost their lives that night. Jend: ¡°Henry, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Henry: ¡°Sorry, just had a flashback of an adventurer that I really didn¡¯t like.¡± It¡¯s been 5 years since then. Henry: ¡°But anyways, that¡¯s why you can trust me.¡± Cyril: ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean by ¡®that¡¯s why¡¯ but (*sigh), okay.¡± Cyril conceded. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s because of how trustworthy she saw that I am. Henry: ¡°Make sure the fire keeps going. Demonic creatures can see in the dark.¡± Teo: ¡°You do not have to worry. We have plenty of firewood.¡± Teo dumps out a load of firewood from her bag. ¡­..that bag really is amazing. Jend: ¡°Will the moon be about there in 3 hours?¡± Henry: ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so precise. The clouds can hide the moon, so don¡¯t rely too much on it.¡± Jend: ¡°Got it.¡± Henry: ¡°And all that remains is¡­¡± I talk to Jend about what to look out for when doing night guard duty. Henry: ¡°I think that¡¯s everything. You can ask Teo for tips and pointers to get used to it Jend: ¡°Sounds good. I¡¯ll be in your care, Teo.¡± Teo: ¡°Understood.¡± Alright, then¡­ Henry: ¡°Cyril, let¡¯s get some rest¡ª.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay, okay¡­¡± We enter the tent together. I take off the armor that will be in the way of sleeping, and immediately lay down with the sheets covering me. Cyril seemed hesitant at first, but laid down next to me. Henry: ¡°Make sure to sleep the next 3 hours.¡± Cyril: ¡°I know, I know. I just don¡¯t know if I can fall asleep.¡± We fell silent. I closed my eyes, and let sleep take over. It takes a trick to fall asleep so quickly. Cyril: ¡°...Henry?¡± Right as I was dozing off, Cyril calls my name. Henry: ¡°What is it? I was just about to fall asleep.¡± Cyril: ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. But just hearing a man breathing so close to me makes me feel so self-conscious.¡± Henry: ¡°Get used to it.¡± And I slept. ??? Our turn came. I sit around the fire with Cyril and talk. The reason why a two-person team is better is to help each other stay awake, and pass the time without too much boredom. Of course, we¡¯re both alert for danger. Cyril: ¡°That reminds me. I was at the City Lord¡¯s residence, and they let me borrow a maid¡¯s outfit. It was so easy to maneuver in it, that I thought about purchasing one myself.¡± Henry: ¡°I heard that about a hundred years ago, some City Lord who really liked maids came up with tons of designs concepts, and it ended up looking like what we have today.¡± That City Lord¡¯s design got really popular, and nowadays, you can find it everywhere where there is a maid. Henry: ¡°I think you¡¯ll find Maid Cafe¡¯s in the bigger cities.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, I never heard of those. There¡¯s none in Flowtier.¡± Henry: ¡°There¡¯s one in the capital. One of my adventurer friends said he visited one. He said he had a good time.¡± Cyril: ¡°Huh...I¡¯d like to go one, one of these days.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, r¡ªreally?¡± Would it be any fun for girls to go? It¡¯s a store where women dress up and talk to you, and to put it bluntly, it¡¯s not that different from a brothel. They say the atmosphere is strangely intense though. Henry: ¡°Oh, Cyril, we need more wood.¡± Cyril: ¡°Here you go.¡± Cyril chunks the wood in the fire. Henry: ¡°To make the wood burn, you should set it up like this, and then like this.¡± Cyril: ¡°I see¡­¡± I pick up a branch and arrange the wood to adjust how it burns. Henry: ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be good to start learning these things a little at a time. Adventurers who can only fight aren¡¯t as useful.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yea, I see your point.¡± We fell silent for a bit. I¡¯ve been with her for some time. We can just sit here without talking, and it¡¯s just nice to be around her. She¡¯s usually more talkative though. I wonder what¡¯s wrong, Cyril: ¡°Henry...Umm, I just wanted to say thank you¡­ for everything.¡± Henry: ¡°What¡¯s wrong all of a sudden.¡± A¡ª¡ªnd she suddenly opens her mouth to thank me. What? Why? Cyril: ¡°Well, since you joined our group, we really started improving. If it was just Jend and I, it would have taken much longer for us to get to where we are today.¡± Henry: ¡°Well...yeah, it takes more than just muscle and magic power to be an adventurer, but that just comes with experience.¡± When I first met the two, they had skills, but besides fighting, they were just newborn chicks. Cyril: ¡°Well...yeah¡­ both Jend and I thought that you can¡¯t be an adventurer if you¡¯re not strong.¡± Henry: ¡°You¡¯re not wrong there. That¡¯s your main asset as an adventurer for sure.¡± I mean, we are sworn warriors to the god of battle. Cyril: ¡°Well, I just wanted to say thank you.¡± Henry: ¡°You¡¯re welcome. But to be frank, I should be thanking you guys.¡± I was lucky to run into these two. I came to this town young, burnt-out, and semi-retired. I was only going to go on expeditions partially with temp groups. I¡¯m sure I would have been fine doing just that, but I¡¯m also equally certain of how bored so would¡¯ve been with that life. I can easily picture myself with dead eyes saying something like , ¡°Ugh¡ª, expeditions are so boring¡ª¡ª.¡± Come to think of it, it¡¯s the first time I thought that expeditions were fun. Cyril: ¡°Is that so? Well, I guess then we¡¯re even.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Cyril: ¡°To be honest, when you told us that you chose this place because a bard sang about it, I thought it was the lamest reason ever, but now I¡¯m really thankful for that bard.¡± Henry: ¡°Um¡­ I had other reasons too¡­¡± Cyril: ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it was the alcohol?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, I DID say that but¡­¡± But that was 80% of my reasons! The last 20% was my home country which was destroyed by the Demon King¡¯s armies had a deep tie to this city. I thought maybe I¡¯ll find someone from my hometown living as a refugee here. See?! I had my super serious and deep reasons for coming here! ¡­...but I won¡¯t say anything. I didn¡¯t even bother looking. It would hit me too hard if I found out that there was nobody like that here. I rather live hoping that someone survived... ¡­..and because everyone I knew and cared about¡­ I already know that they passed, so I already know the outcome of everyone I would have searched for here¡­ Henry: ¡°Well, anyways, I¡¯m looking forward to how things will develop going forward.¡± Cyril: ¡°You¡¯re just wanting to avoid talking about your embarrassing motives, but I¡¯ll let it go for now.¡± Cyril is quietly laughing to herself. Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t like sharing my night-time cheese snack with people who laugh at me. When you lightly roast it on the fire, it becomes incredibly delicious.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh! I¡¯m kidding, I¡¯m kidding! I won¡¯t laugh anymore!¡± I tease her as I take out two pieces of cheese. I throw one to Cyril. I stick it on a stick and lightly roast it over the fire. Cyril almost jumped up saying how good it was, so I sat and watched her eat as I ate mine. It was that kind of normal, typical night as an adventurer, The moon looked so beautiful hanging over us that night. <> <> CH 17 Chapter 17: The Day at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn The Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. I watched the crowds of customers fill in the lunchtime venue as I waited for my food to arrive. Yesterday, I worked extra hard in the Griffin¡¯s territory, so as a reward to myself, I¡¯m chugging down ale while it¡¯s still daytime. And before long, Lana quickly walks over with the bowls and plates. Lana: ¡°Sorry for the wait, Mr. Henry! I brought your sides to your lunch.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, nice. Thanks for bringing it over.¡± Lana: ¡°Your main order will take some time, so I added some fried chips as an extra.¡± Henry: ¡°Thanks. No worries. I¡¯m in no hurry today.¡± At the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn, you can start drinking starting from noontime, but there are lots of people who come here for regular lunch. You can order regular sides which will take more time, or you can order the daily lunch special and its sides and get it faster. The daily specials change everyday, so it¡¯s a smart way to keep the customers flowing. Today¡¯s lunch is their specialty sausage, fried potatoes, salad, and soup. And you get your choice of rice or bread. Yup, it¡¯s delicious Henry: ¡°Oh! Ho¡ª, hot!¡± The sausage was delicious as always. The combination of this and the ale is a match made in heaven. I clean off the rest of the dishes. The sour and sweet salad dressing, and fried potatoes. I drink more ale, and after my second serving of ale, I drink down the soup. Lana: ¡°Mr. Henry, I brought your chicken steak.¡± Henry: ¡°Thanks. Can I get a gizzard stew. And you said you got a shipment of liquor from Rishu, right? Can you warm a *hot one up?¡± {{Chonky Notes : basically Japanese sak¨¦ served warm in a bottle. The high temperature makes the alcohol circulate faster}} Lana: ¡°I¡¯m always surprised by how much you eat and drink.¡± Henry: ¡°Aren¡¯t all adventurers healthy eaters?¡± Lana: ¡°But Mr. Henry, even in comparison, you¡¯re eating too much. I don¡¯t mind because it¡¯s great business for us but¡ª¡° Speaking like a true business woman, Lana heads to the kitchen with my additional orders. ¡­ alright, let¡¯s eat this chicken steak before it gets cold. Teo: ¡°Hello. ...oh¡­¡± I heard a familiar voice and look over to the entrance, and I see Cyril and Teo standing at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn entrance. I was sitting at a table near the entrance, and they quickly notice me and head over to my table. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Henry! Wait, are you already drinking? It¡¯s still day time!¡± Henry: ¡°Yu¡ªp¡­ Cyril, wanna join me?¡± Cyril: ¡°Nope. No thank you.¡± Cyril came and sat down next to me uninvited as usual. I asked her if she wanted to join in on the fun, but she refused without hesitation. Teo: ¡°... I know it¡¯s your off day, but please don¡¯t embarrass yourself too much. A bad reputation on your part will negatively affect our team¡¯s reputation.¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about it. Alcohol and adventurers go hand in hand.¡± I get a warning from Teo, but if you think about it, the god, Grandes, is a huge drinker. They say that he drank by the barrel-full¡®s after a battle. In other words, there¡¯s no issue if the followers of the Grandes church like to drink. Lana: ¡°Oh, Teo, and Ms. Cyril. Welcome.¡± Since I stay at this inn, Cyril got to know Lana. They have a slight age difference, but they¡¯re good friends now. Cyril: ¡°Hello. I¡¯ll have the daily special with bread. What about you, Teo?¡± Teo: ¡°I¡¯ll have the same.¡± Lana: ¡°I¡¯ll bring it right out. Please wait a moment.¡± Lana heads to the kitchen. Henry: ¡°So why are you two hanging out?¡± Cyril: ¡°Well, since we made some good money on our last expedition, we decided to go shopping together. And before we hit the stores, we decided to get something to eat.¡± I see. It¡¯s good seeing party members get along. The biggest reasons a party dissolves is (1) money troubles and (2) relationship drama. Teo: ¡°I said I don¡¯t need new clothes, but Cyril kept insisting.¡± Cyril: ¡°You¡¯re such a cute girl! It would be a waste if you didn¡¯t dress up a little more! Just leave it to me! As Flowtier¡¯s most famous lead fashion guru, you are in good hands! I¡¯ll coordinate the best outfits this city can offer!¡± I¡¯m pretty sure that no one knows her by that title, but Cyril does have good taste in clothes. Henry: ¡°In that case, you should take Corden with you.¡± Cyril: ¡°Who¡¯s Corden?¡± Henry: ¡°Dontcha know? Back in the day, Corden-ate bad fashion and became famous.¡± Cyril slapped me on the shoulder. Cyril: ¡°Could you stop with the terrible dad jokes?¡± Henry: ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Sheesh, what¡¯s wrong with a little humor? ??? After we finished eating, Cyril and Teo were resting till the food digested and hung around. I ate and drank a lot, so I was drinking some water to let the buzz wear off. Lana: ¡°Here¡¯s your peach juice.¡± Cyril: ¡°Thank you Lana¡ª¡° Cyril got the peach juice she ordered. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Lana! Teo and I were going shopping! Did you wanna come?¡± We can wait till you¡¯re done working!¡± Lana: ¡°Oh! Um, I appreciate you inviting me but¡­¡± She seems to want to go but can¡¯t make up her mind. On any other day, after the lunch rush, the restaurant helpers would leave the restaurant, and Lana would manage by herself until dinner time. ¡°Lana, I¡¯ll take care of the restaurant, so go ahead and go have some fun.¡± A middle aged, stout lady called out to Lana after wiping down the table next to us. Lana: ¡°Oh! But um, still¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about a thing. I¡¯ll tell Nord myself. But just stick around a little longer till things settle down, and then you can go.¡± Lana: ¡°Yes ma¡¯am! Thank you, Mrs. Wendy!¡± Lana bows her head to Mrs. Wendy and turns back to Cyril. Lana: ¡°Um, so if it¡¯s not too much trouble, I¡¯d like to join you Ms. Cyril. Cyril: ¡°Of course! I¡¯m so glad that you decided to go.¡± Lana seems to be in an even better mood than usual as she goes back to work. Cyril: ¡°Lana is such a good girl. She works so hard, so I¡¯d hate to see her not stretch her wings every once in a while.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, she is. She said her hobby is studying, and I¡¯ve been here a while, but I have yet to see her take a break.¡± Cyril: ¡°Shee¡ªsh¡­¡± Cyril looks even more impressed. Yeah, you don¡¯t look like the studious type. Teo: ¡°...Lana has always been really smart. We went to preschool together, and she always got full marks on every test.¡± Oh yeah, there was a school nearby here. In the Alvenia Kingdom, you can learn reading, writing, and basic arithmetic at a reasonable rate. I heard there¡¯s government-run schools where they teach history and law as well. They have these schools in every major city. As long as you don¡¯t have any extenuating circumstances, most kids will go to school till they¡¯re about 10 years old in this country. Lana said she wasn¡¯t interested, but higher education is sponsored by the country and is affordable to common citizens. Teo: ¡°The teacher always said that Lana can earn scholarships so she should go to the high school or any colleges and universities.¡± Henry: ¡°...university?¡± Teo: ¡°Yes.¡± That¡¯s the highest learning institution there is in this country! If you can go at the age around 10, how friggin¡¯ smart do you have to be?! Cyril: ¡°Kekeke, no matter how smart she is, she¡¯ll be under my care today. I¡¯ll dress her and Teo and mold them into beautiful swans¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, chill out. You¡¯re scaring Teo.¡± Cyril¡¯s opening and closing her hands palms up with some weird ambition firing up inside her eyes. Henry: ¡°Fine, whatever. I¡¯m going back to my room to rest.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, can we come too? We¡¯re done eating, so I feel bad to stick around and take up one of their tables.¡± Teo: ¡°That¡®s true.¡± ??? Well, there was no reason to tell them no, so we went back to my room. Cyril: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s tidier than I thought!¡± Henry: ¡°I mean, it¡¯s an inn, so Lana cleans up the place daily. She also does my laundry. I¡¯ll always be in her debt.¡± I completely gave up on apartments and may just live here. Cyril: ¡°But Henry, you¡¯ve been here a while, but you barely have any furniture or belongings.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey! Stop being so nosy and looking through my stuff!¡± Thankfully, I don¡¯t have anything here to be embarrassed about, but it¡¯s still embarrassing nonetheless. Henry: ¡°Since I became an adventurer, I¡¯ve been living in inns. That¡¯s why I travel really light.¡± As an adventurer, I have a few changes of clothes, toiletries, some notebooks for diaries and note keeping, and a few photos. Oh yeah, almost forgot. Henry: ¡°Hey Teo, lemme show you something.¡± Teo: ¡°?? Yes, what is it?¡± Henry: ¡°Here. It¡¯s a photo with me and Ageha.¡± That¡¯s right¡ª. I had a photo with Teo¡¯s cousin, a current Hero of Legend. At the time, Ageha and I were part of the same party, and this was taken at the farewell party. We had key members retire, and the party disbanded. Teo: ¡°...wow, you really did know Sister Ageha.¡± Henry: ¡°Why would I lie about that?¡± I guess some people do lie about their relation to celebrities. Cyril: ¡°Wow, look at all these pictures! Aren¡¯t photos expensive?¡± Henry: ¡°Someone I know is a photo hobbyist. She would make copies and give it to us to keep.¡± I wonder how she¡¯s doing... Cyril: ¡°On a closer look, Henry, you¡¯re scowling or in a really bad mood in every picture.¡± Henry: ¡°...it¡¯s the photographer¡¯s fault.¡± Around the time of the photos, I was not easy to hang around. I don¡¯t regret those times, but I wish I took it just a bit more easy. ...but I guess I can only say that in hindsight. Because of how I was, I was able to accomplish my goal, and now I¡¯m enjoying my life more. So all in all, it turned out just fine, Henry: (*yawn) ¡°I don¡¯t mind you guys sticking around, but I¡¯m gonna lay down for a bit. The drinks are making its way around. You can leave whenever you want.¡± Cyril: ¡°What about the key?¡± Henry: ¡°Lana has the master key. Use that to lock the door behind you. Good ni¡ªght¡­¡± I stumble into my bed. I think I¡¯m still tired from yesterday, and my consciousness instantly drifts to sleep. CH 18 Chapter 18: The Trip to the Capital Henry: (*YAWN) I belched out a long and loud yawn as I descended the stairs of the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. I woke up late again and missed out on the breakfast special. My life at Flowtier has been slowly digressing into laziness. When my home country was still around, I remember that I wasn¡¯t much different from how I live now. And waking up later, the captain of the guard would be waiting to grill and drill me with choice words about responsibility and dignity. Those were the good ol¡¯ times now. As I descend to the bottom, I don¡¯t see Lana who is usually cleaning and preparing for the lunch rush. Actually, no, she is here but just not cleaning. She¡¯s sitting beside Mr. Nord, and they¡¯re talking to a woman sitting across from them. She looks like she may be in her 40¡¯s and has a slender figure. Wearing glasses, you get the strong impression that she¡¯s an intellectual. ¡°Oh.¡± The woman noticed me as I came down the stairway. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I wasn¡¯t aware that you still had customers.¡± ¡°...It¡¯s okay. He¡¯s not one to mind.¡± With few words, Mr. Nord assured her. Lana: ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Mr. Henry. We¡¯re talking to my teacher right now. I did save a breakfast special for you.¡± As usual, Lana¡¯s a good girl. I love you so much. But a teacher? She does look and fit the type, but what¡¯s she doing here? Lana: ¡°We¡¯ll be done shortly. Could you wait until we finish?¡± Henry: ¡°If it¡¯s a private conversation, I don¡¯t mind excusing myself, so you all can talk¡­¡± I could tell from the atmosphere that things were a little tense, and I was all for leaving the scene. Lana: ¡°It¡¯s really not a big deal. My teacher¡¯s asking if I would like to go to the University at the Capital.¡± ¡°Ms. Lana...oh dear¡­¡± I catch the paperwork sitting on the table. It had a lot of text, but key words stuck out like a sore thumb ¡ª it read ¡°Alvenia Central University.¡± Henry: ¡°When you say a university at the capital, are you talking about¡­¡± ¡°(*sigh) Yes. We¡¯re discussing her future with Alvenia Central University.¡± Hey hey hey hey. I know we talked briefly about how smart Lana is, but we¡¯re talking about the school that gathers the greatest minds of this Kingdom. That¡¯s way above just being ¡°smart.¡± I¡¯ve seen the campus when I went through the Capital, and it was a very large campus with tall buildings. Needless to say, the security there was equally impressive. They had the Royal Knights patrolling the area. The overall education level of each university in this country is very high, but they say the Central University at the Capital is a level above the rest. Someone who was a university grad and became an adventurer told me this. Lana: ¡°But...I¡¯m just a girl who just likes to read and study for fun¡­¡± ¡°A person who can prove the Theorum of Clooge Noin is not someone who just happens to like studying. The professors at the Central University practically fell over their seats reading your dissertation.¡± Yup, no clue what those words mean. Did Lana make some kind of discovery? Lana: ¡°I only asked you to briefly review it. I didn¡¯t ask for that paper to be submitted.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be frank. The contents of that paper were well beyond my knowledge and understanding...¡± Okay, so a woman who¡¯s probably really smart couldn¡¯t understand Lana¡¯s paper. Holy crap. Really? Everyone I meet here is like some sort of child prodigy. ¡°Regardless, they have strongly insisted that I immediately send you to their campus and have you take their entrance exam. They are offering to give you a full scholarship!¡± Lana: ¡°But¡­¡± Lana doesn¡¯t look happy with the offer or opportunity, but her teacher continues. ¡°For now, let¡¯s speak with your parents. Mr. Nord, ultimately, the decision will fall upon you. I personally think that any parent would want their child to be in an environment where they can fully utilize their talents and gifts.¡± Nord: ¡°Mrs. Shelly¡­ I understand. I will take your words into consideration.¡± Mr. Nord and Mrs. Shelly bow to one another, and she leaves. Um¡­ What should I do? I kind of heard everything, and now it¡¯s really hard to just leave. Henry: ¡°Umm¡­ so¡­¡± Lana: ¡°OH! I¡¯m so sorry! I¡¯ll go warm up your breakfast right away!¡± Lana hurries to the kitchen. Henry: ¡°Mr. Nord, I apologize for eaves dropping on your family¡¯s personal matters.¡± Nord: ¡°Please¡­ it was nothing we were trying to hide.¡± With his shaggy, manly beard, Nord was brushing it while deep in thought. Well, of course. I can¡¯t blame him. We¡¯re talking about his daughter¡¯s future. What parent wouldn¡¯t worry, and how difficult would it be to send her off so far away? I can¡¯t blame him for not being able to immediately come up with an answer. Nord: ¡°Mr. Henry, what do you think?¡± Henry: ¡°What, me?¡± Nord: ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you with this. I only know of this town. You have been to other cities, and I¡¯d like to hear your opinion.¡± Oh, he looks pretty desperate for any advice or direction. Why me? There are so many others who would be better suited than me. But, since he asked, I can¡¯t be rude. I sit down to think myself. Henry: ¡°Well, this will be my own personal opinion but¡­.¡± This might not be helpful for Lana¡¯s future, but this is just how I feel. Henry: ¡°Since she has parents, why can¡¯t she remain with them until she reaches adult age?¡± I am too, but many adventurers are orphans or have lost their families. As time passed, the pain lessened, but everyone always wished they could spend more time with their families if given the chance. ...so being 14, why be separated from her family right now? Nord: ¡°I see¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, but please speak to others about this too. I¡¯m just an inexperienced youngin.¡± Nord: ¡°No, thank you for you input.¡± And at that point, Lana brought me my breakfast. It was delicious as always. ??? The next day, I was doing some cleaning and maintenance on my equipment. You have to leave actual repairs to the professionals, but there are things you can do yourself to keep the costs down. Otherwise, your wallet will empty quickly. I sharpen my blades, fix tears in my clothes, replace the soles of my shoes - these are all things I learned how to do on the way. Oh, I wonder if Jend and Cyril can do these things? Teo said she already knows how. I¡¯ll ask them the next time I see them, I can¡¯t help but feel happy to take care of them. They learn and grow so fast. I¡¯m sharpening my knife as I let my thoughts run and I hear noise from downstairs. Henry: ¡°....huh?¡± The noise seemed to grow slightly louder. Today, the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn is closed. It¡¯s their once a week break. The Inn is running, but the restaurant side is closed for the day. All the rest of the inn customers are gone except me, and Mr. Nord and Lana are usually quiet on these days. Did something happen? From the sounds I¡¯m hearing, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s trouble brewing. I was curious. I stopped my maintenance tasks and headed downstairs. As I walk down the steps, I can also hear the sound growing¡­ These are¡­ laughter? It¡¯s the laughter of a woman I never heard before. ¡°HA-HA-HA! Here Lana! Hold him for me. It¡¯s your little brother. It¡¯s you or him that¡¯s gonna take over this business one day!¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, yeah. Oh wow¡­¡± There¡¯s a tall, stout, and beautiful woman handing a baby over to Lana to hold. Nord: ¡°Linda, why does he cry whenever I hold him?¡± Mr. Nord doesn¡¯t look very pleased. Linda: ¡°That¡¯s ¡®cuz your face is freakin¡¯ scary! Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯ll get used to it soon enough. When I first met you, I was scared to death of your face, but I got used to it quickly.¡± Nord: ¡°....Wait, no you weren¡¯t. Why are you lying?¡± Linda: ¡°I¡¯m just joking!¡± She slaps Nord hard on the back several times as she laughs. Linda: ¡°Hm? Oh, an Inn customer?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, hello. How are you? My name is Henry. I¡¯ve been staying at this inn long-term.¡± Oh¡ª, yeah, I can guess who she is. Mr. Nord¡¯s wife. I remember being told that she went back to her family to have the baby. And I¡¯m guessing that that¡¯s the baby over there. Linda: ¡°Oh, then you¡¯re a valuable customer. I¡¯m Linda. I run this inn with Nord. I hope you¡¯ve been enjoying your stay!¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, um, it¡¯s been great being here. She¡¯s a really energetic woman. She¡¯s the total opposite to Mr. Nord. I¡¯m a little concerned about how they get along at all. But I guess judging from their interaction just now, there¡¯s nothing to worry about. Wait, is Lana going to turn out this way in the future? She does have a very strong core and can be stubborn¡­ yeah, I think it¡¯s possible. Linda: ¡°And Nord, there¡¯s something about Lana you wanted to discuss?¡± Nord: ¡°Yeah, just a little something.¡± Oh, they must be talking about yesterday¡¯s thing. It looks like they¡¯re about to have a family meeting, so I should excuse myself quickly. It¡¯s about lunch time anyways. It¡¯s closed here today, so I can go out and find a place to eat. Henry: ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be heading out. I¡¯m rooting for you, Lana~¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, yes, thank you.¡± I send some encouragement to Lana who¡¯s holding the baby. Okay, so what should I eat for dinner... ??? So¡­ Linda: ¡°Putting aside whether you¡¯ll enroll or not, why not just go and see what they have to say first. You haven¡¯t even looked at the campus! Don¡¯t just sit there thinking about it and do something first!¡± Apparently, that¡¯s what Lana¡¯s mother said. In the letter from the University, there was a section asking Lana to just come and take a look at the research facility, so with Mrs. Linda¡¯s guidance, the decision was made. For Lana who¡¯s never been outside of her city, going to the Capital would be a good opportunity and experience to expand her views of the world. Putting aside whether it would help her determine her future, I don¡¯t think this trip will turn out to be a bad experience for her. Henry: ¡°So that¡¯s the story.¡± Cyril: ¡°Wow¡­ So Lana really was THAT amazing¡­¡± Teo: ¡°...Mmhmm. Lana is a girl who can do anything if she puts her mind to it.¡± Cyril and Teo are genuinely impressed. Jend: ¡°Wait wait wait. What do you mean, ¡®So that¡¯s the story¡¯? What does that have to do with us?¡± And Jend cuts in. Henry: ¡°Yup. So here¡¯s the deal. Lana is going to the Capital, but Mr. Nord has the business to run, and Mrs. Linda has the baby to take care of, so they can¡¯t go with her.¡± The rest of their relatives also have their own work to do, so no one can go to the Capital just like that. Henry: ¡°So we have a Quest for our party specifically. Our objective is to safely deliver Lana to the capital. I¡¯ll be honest. The reward isn¡¯t that much, but what do you guys think?¡± I¡¯ve been a customer here for quite a while, and they¡¯ve been really good to me. I¡¯m not against going. It makes me happy because it¡¯s also a proof of how much they trust us. Cyril: ¡°? Is there a reason why we should refuse?¡± Cyril and Teo have no objections. Henry: ¡°What about you, Jend?¡± Jend: ¡°Well, if everyone else wants to go, I don¡¯t mind, but honestly, I prefer expeditions over this.¡± Henry: ¡°To be frank, we¡¯ve been doing things at too high of a pace. I don¡¯t think it means that we have to let our guard down, but it won¡¯t be bad for us to take a vacation. If we don¡¯t take a break somewhere, we¡¯ll trip sooner or later. Having your concentration break is like cutting a tight string. There are many stories where adventurers suddenly make an error against a common opponent they¡¯re used to. Jend: ¡°I guess¡­ I can see your point.¡± Henry: ¡°You might be able to go see that Feris girl.¡± I bring up a name of Jend¡¯s crush. Jend: !!! ¡°Whatever! You don¡¯t have to bring that up!¡± Henry: ¡°Hey don¡¯t worry man. So how about it?¡± Jend is now torn. But Cyril who knows him longer already sees which way Jend will go, and is saying to herself, ¡°I wonder what kind of stores are in the Capital?¡± and she¡¯s revving up to go. Jend: ¡°Gah, fine. Fine. I get it. Fine. I¡±ll go too.¡± Henry: ¡°That settles it. Our departure is in one week.¡± Jend: ¡°Then we¡¯ll go to our expedition as planned tomorrow?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll be our last one, and then we prepare to go to the Capital.¡± I did go by the Capital while coming to Flowtier, but at that time, I just passed through and didn¡¯t stay. It¡¯s been a while since I last visited the Capital. I wonder what¡¯s there now. CH 19 Chapter 19: New Equipment Henry: ¡°Alright everyone. We¡¯ll proceed as planned.¡± Everyone nods. We¡¯re inside the Flowtier Forrest, on the mountain jutting out from its center. There was less vegetation on this rocky landscape. Hiding behind one of these rocks, I looked ahead of us. This is the Griffin¡¯s territory. Griffins that would rarely be seen inside the Forrest gathers here. 7 of them were in sight. They are not grouped together, so wiping them out in one sweep would be difficult. Looking at the closest one 50 meters ahead, I adjust my Nyoiten Spear. I increase the flow of magic inside my body and let it flow into my spear. The spear slightly glows. Usually, I wouldn¡¯t go this far, but it was necessary this time. I picture myself as a bow as I raise the spear overhead. I take one step forward. Henry: ¡°...!¡± The spear leaves my hand. The spear is a very adequate throwing weapon. In fact, I¡¯m better at throwing with it than fighting. The spear streaked across the air with incredible speed and strike the Griffin in the stomach. A red flower blooms where the spear protrudes. Jend: ¡°You¡¯ve got an amazing arm as always. A third of that Griffin just got blown away.¡± Henry: ¡°Jend, hold the small talk. They saw us! ...Cyril!¡± Cyril: ¡°Aye aye Cap¡¯n!¡± I bring back the spear into my hands with its ability, and Jend and I run out of cover. They did not see Cyril still hiding behind the rock and continuing her song. Henry: ¡°Ha!¡± I extend the length of the Nyoiten Spear as I stab towards the Griffin. It tries to jump away from my thrust, but that¡¯s not quick enough. I didn¡¯t reach its heart, but my spear rips and tears into its body, ¡°Gyuiiiiii!!¡± The Griffin shrieks in pain. Using that Griffin as bait, two others charge at me, but I swing my spear in a wide arc, and smack them away. Jend: ¡°You forgot about me!!¡± Jend also swings over-dramatically at the Griffin. The flaming blade did not even graze the Griffin as it dodged, but his plan to keep their attention pinned on him worked. So Jend and I cover each other¡¯s blind spots and continue to fight back the Griffins that come at us. We¡¯ll attack if we get a chance, but our goal is to round them up into one large group. 3 Griffins suddenly rip at Jend and one gets through his defenses. Henry: ¡°Jend! Are you okay?!¡± It hit the hard piece of my armor! Just a scratch!¡± Henry: ¡°Good! Keep up the fight!¡± 3 also come at me, but I use magecrafting to keep one at bay, and my long spear doesn¡¯t allow them to get close enough to strike. We manage to gain enough time when¡­ Teo: ¡°Hey, you two!¡± We hear Teo¡¯s voice from behind us. That¡¯s the signal! Henry: ¡°[STRENGTHEN] Hazac + [RESTRAIN] Katerno¡± I throw a net at the 6 and manage to catch them all. With 6 in the net, the spell will only hold for a few seconds, but that¡¯s all we need. Cyril: ¡°[METEOR FLARE]!¡± Cyril unleashes her spell. She put a whole lot more time into this one and concentrated more magic into each fireball than when she demonstrated this spell, and fire swallowed and consumed the Griffins. I think this level of a spell would work against the highest-tier demonic creatures, so the Griffins didn¡¯t have a chance. All the demonic creatures evaporated on the spot. <<<<>>>> Our last expedition before heading off to the capital completed without a hitch. We returned safely to the Grandes Church tavern. Henry: ¡°I know we tried a few different tactics on that mountain, but I feel like today¡¯s style fits our group the best.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, I agree.¡± I chunk my spear at the very beginning. Jend and I jump into the fray to distract and hold them back. Cyril quietly charges her spell and wipes out the group when she¡¯s ready. We can¡¯t have too many or too few enemies, so Teo will be busy running around and scouting for us. Henry: ¡°Jend, how¡¯s your wound? Are you alright?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, you healed me with your magecraft, so I¡¯m fine now.¡± Especially for Jend and I who face the enemies directly, we are more susceptible to injuries. My spear has a longer reach to keep them farther away from me, so Jend naturally receives more wounds than I do. It¡¯s the first time since coming to this town where I got to use my [HEAL] Tiol. Well, we could use lower grade potions, but I need to keep up my practice so I don¡¯t get rusty, so I feel bad for Jend, but he¡¯ll be my practice dummy. Cyril: ¡°He~y, let¡¯s hurry up and get this over with~¡± Teo: ¡°....Please hurry.¡± Cyril and Teo were both at the receptionist¡®s window waiting for us. Henry: ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Jend: ¡°We can talk about this later.¡± And we sold the Griffin¡¯s drops to the church. We also picked up some Quest herbs that are specific to that mountain and receive our reward. We circle around the tavern¡¯s circular table and divide up our rewards. We take 3 tenths for the Party¡¯s shared budget, and divide the rest evenly between the 4 of us. And as we meet to review how the previous expedition went, Cyril started counting something with her fingers. Cyril: ¡°Hey! I almost forgot! Um¡­.isn¡¯t today the day we draw from Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, now that you say it¡­¡± Our god Grandes will grade adventurers according to their deeds and accomplishments in battle, and in return, we get an opportunity to receive godly equipment from the heavens. Well, to put it bluntly, we get to participate in the gods¡¯ bingo games. In fictional stories, one of the usual tropes is an novice adventurer who gets really lucky and draws a Legendary Godly Equipment and rises above the rest. You will accumulate points as you complete expeditions, and you are free to use them up when and where you please. That¡¯s why most Adventurers become superstitious when it comes to what day to draw. Some believe that 14 is the magic number and will draw when their drawing number reaches 14. Others draw at the beginning of the year. Some believe running a full marathon will make their luck rise, and others believe that even holding onto points overnight is bad luck and will spend points as they earn it. And for us, we decided that after every 5th expedition is probably the time we should all draw. Cyril: ¡°ALRIGHT! IT¡¯S GOING TO BE MY LUCKY DAY TODAY!¡± Teo: ¡°It¡¯ll be good to draw something good right before our Capital trip.¡± Jend: ¡°I haven¡¯t had anything good since the Blaze Blade. That¡¯s why¡­ TODAY, I FEEL IT! I¡¯LL GET SOMETHING GOOD TODAY!¡± Oh man. They¡¯re such innocent noobs. From my experience, you should never go in with such vigor and hope. You have to be empty of desire. Completely devoid of any hint of greed. Kekekekekeke¡­ that¡¯s why I¡¯m the only one that¡¯s going to be drawing something good! I feel it! These kinds of instincts are usually right! And we all approach the Grandes Church altar. ¡°Congratulations. You have earned the ¡®Solid Gauntlet.¡¯¡± And Jend drew 10 times and got a ¡°Armor Enhanced¡± uncommon trait. It¡¯s simple and straightforward, and a definite winner for a defensive piece of equipment. Cyril: ¡°WOW! I got the ¡°Sprint Boots! This will come really in handy!¡± Cyril also drew 12 times, and drew shoes that had the ability to explosively ¡°sprint.¡± Teo: ¡°OH!! LOOK AT THIS! A Magic Soul Shooter Bow! It¡¯s a Rare!¡± Teo already had a [SPACE EXPANSION] bag, but her luck didn¡¯t end there. She drew 14 times and got a bow with Magic and Arrow Storage traits applied. ¡­..I had 4 draws but they were all common¡­ Wait, this is strange. When you draw as many times as I do, I draw less times, but my Uncommon rate is at least 30%. Yeah, I got an uncommon rank spear with an ¡°Edible¡± trait, but I will NOT acknowledge that as anything but garbage. The ¡°Edible¡± series are the worst. They taste horrible, and it takes up one of your trait spots. It¡¯s nothing less than a curse and a prank from the gods. I wonder what they were thinking when they made this. And to make matters worse, this series pops out a lot. ¡­.dammit¡­ Henry: ¡°You guys all got good stuff¡­¡­.¡± I fry them with my jealousy rays shooting from my eyes. Well, I don¡¯t really shoot anything, but I try regardless. Cyril: ¡°I don¡¯t know about Jend, but Teo and I have lived respectable lives. I¡¯m sure the gods are all watching us very closely and rewarding us for our good deeds.¡± Henry: ¡°What, Cyril too? That¡¯s weird. The gods must all be horribly blind.¡± Cyril kicks me several times with her toes, but it doesn¡¯t hurt. Jend: ¡°Hey, Henry, Cyril, stop playing around like usual and let¡¯s go try out these new equipment! I already finished the paperwork!¡± Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to test, so I¡¯ll just stay here and drink.¡± Jend: ¡°Don¡¯t be a sour puss. C¡¯mon.¡± I¡¯m not pouting¡­ or sulking¡­ that Jend, I need to put him in his place so he respects his elders¡­ I mean, who would become sour and bitter over some stupid draws anyways¡­ Well, it is important to know what equipment your party members use¡­ I mumble some excuse as I follow Jend and the others to the practice field. ¡­.*sigh. Maybe I should buy a new Magic Artifact when I get to the Capital. <<<<>>>> We get to the training grounds, and Cyril switches into her new boots. Cyril: ¡°It always surprises me, but the size is perfect. I¡¯m really thankful but¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Well, yeah. The Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault may have ¡®useless¡¯ things in there, but they do not have a single piece of ¡®unuseable¡¯ equipment.¡± For instance, an armor that is the wrong size. A weapon you never used before. You never get anything like that from the vault. If you wanted to use it, they are all things you COULD technically use. So the gods are doing their job there. Cyril: ¡°But¡­ isn¡¯t it creepy that they know the proportions and sizes of your body?¡± Henry: ¡°I mean¡­ they ARE gods so¡­¡± Cyril: ¡°I¡¯m just saying it¡¯s a little creepy.¡± Cyril lightly taps her toes on the ground to check how the boots feel. Henry: ¡°Oh, Cyril. I forgot to tell you. Be careful when using that ¡®Sprint¡¯ ability.¡± Cyril: ¡°What?¡± Oh crap. I was too late. As I tried to warn her, Cyril used the ability, and stepped forward. Cyril: ¡°WH--KYAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡± (sfx scream of terror) [SPRINT] activated, and Cyril shot off like a bullet. Her physical body isn¡¯t that strong, so she just made an impossible leap. She jumped about 10 meters. Of course, doing something that extreme will only get you hurt. Yup. She failed her landing and stumbled and rolled for a while. Henry: ¡°Ahhhhh¡­¡± I walk over to her quickly. She did break her fall a little, so she seems okay.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, you okay?¡± Cyril: ¡°OF COURSE I¡¯M NOT OKAY! I SCRAPED MYSELF! LOOK!!¡± Henry: ¡°Okay okay. [HEAL] Tiol~~¡± I quickly heal the scrapes on her arms. My [HEAL] Tiol will only lighten your pain if you are seriously injured, but as far as light injuries like this, it will patch it up just fine. Cyril: ¡°WHAT THE HECK IS THIS JUNK?! IT¡¯S TOTALLY USELESS!!¡± Henry: ¡°Well wait. Godly Equipment that boosts physical abilities are things you have to practice and get used to a lot.¡± Your body and mind are familiar with how your body usually move, so if you can move unexpectedly faster, of course it¡¯s going to take time for your body and mind to get accustomed to your new movements. For instance, some have [Extreme Strength] traits on their gauntlets, and they accidentally break other equipment while handling it. Other people had [Farsight] on their glasses, but totally forgot to check what¡¯s in front of them. Stuff like that. Henry: ¡°If you are able to adjust the ¡®Sprint,¡¯ you¡¯ll be able to use it in everyday life. Well, for you, you need to first just learn how to dodge things quickly when things get dangerous.¡± If you can do that, your chance of survival will go up substantially. And if you are able to even temporarily run as fast as us, then you¡¯ll be able to relocate and retreat with the group which will be very handy. There¡¯s a reason why the Church Sister said, ¡°This is a very adaptable piece of equipment.¡± Well, if anyone else in the group got it other than Cyril, it would actually be pretty pointless. This is not an equipment that increases your natural potential and is actually only giving you the ability to go a certain speed. For us frontline vanguards and scouts, that speed would be slower than what we can already do. Cyril: *sigh¡­ ¡°...fine. I¡¯ll keep practicing.¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll help you. I don¡¯t have anything else to do right now.¡± Since I didn¡¯t get any new godly equipment. Cyril: ¡°But Teo looks really happy.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh yeah, that really looks cool.¡± She¡¯s currently firing her arrows at a wooden training dummy. You¡¯ll notice that she¡¯s not loading arrows onto her bow. When she draws her bow string, an arrow appears there. Apparently, there is a small magic inscription on the bow itself where you can store up to 30 arrows there. You don¡¯t even need a quiver anymore. And because of the magic storage, magic flows into the arrows and strengthens the shot by several times. ...it¡¯s not as useful as her bag, but for an archer, you just won the big prize. It¡¯s no wonder that she¡¯s so ecstatic. Henry: ¡°At the very least, I¡¯m glad Jend¡¯s is just boring.¡± Jend: ¡°Well, yeah, it¡¯s not as exciting as Teo¡¯s but¡­¡± Jend is next to another wooden training dummy hitting it with the gauntlet to test its durability and strength. I mean, sure, the defense is definitely high, but you could make something equal to it using some good materials and having a good armorsmith craft you something. It¡¯s that level of good. But yeah, sure, those pieces of armor will cost you a small fortune so Jend did get something good in that sense. Cyril: *sigh ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get to practicing, shall we¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Just start off with the smallest amount of sprints and gradually raise the output. That¡¯ll make it easier.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oka~y.¡± And we continued practicing. But for some reason, Cyril wasn¡¯t able to get used to the boots until the day before our journey to the capital. Henry: ¡°Cyril¡­ you seriously don¡¯t have any talent.¡± Cyril: ¡°WELL EXCU~SE ME FOR NOT BEING AN ATHLETIC BUFFOON LIKE YOU BEEFY MUSCLE-BRAINED GORILLAS!!¡± Yikes. Oh well. We¡¯re off to the Capital tomorrow. CH 20 Chapter 20: Departure The day arrived when we¡¯re heading off to the Capital. I woke up earlier than usual, and checkEd my things I¡¯ve packed for the trip. Well, I¡¯m just taking everything. It¡¯ll be a waste to pay for a room I¡¯m not staying in, and I got rid of everything I can¡¯t take with me on the trip. Mr. Nord kindly offered to keep my stuff stored here, but this is a typical process for me who moves from location to location, so I kindly declined his generous offer. I don¡¯t think anything will happen, but just in case something does come up, some sort of trouble, finding a different job, or any other reason why I wouldn¡¯t be coming back to Flowtier, I need to be prepared. Henry: ¡°That¡¯s everything.¡± I take my stuff and head down stairs. Several customers were in the dining area enjoying their breakfast special. Instead of Lana, Mrs. Linda was serving the customers. She carried the baby on her back as she worked. She plans to help out in the hours when the customers are few. The baby is not crying and is happily enjoying the ride. Linda: ¡°Good morning, Mr. Henry! I¡¯ll get you your breakfast. Just sit wherever you want!¡± Henry: ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am.¡± I saw that Lana was sitting down eating breakfast at one of the tables as the customers did, and I sit across from her. Henry: ¡°Morning, Lana.¡± Lana: ¡°Good morning, Mr. Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Are you all packed and ready? Did you check if you forgot anything?¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, I checked 3 times, so I shouldn¡¯t have forgotten anything.¡± 3 times? Well, I can¡¯t blame her. It¡¯s her first trip to step outside this city. Anyone would be extra cautious in that case. Linda: ¡°Here¡¯s your breakfast! Eat right up!¡± Henry: ¡°Alright, great! It¡¯s here.¡± Linda: ¡°Since it¡¯s Lana¡¯s departure, we made it a little extra special today.¡± It¡¯s true. There¡¯s an extra sausage, the soup has more ingredients, the salad has cheese sprinkled on top, and there¡¯s an extra piece of bread. This looks delicious. I immediately start digging in. My engines start revving up, and I feel pumped for the day. <<<<>>>>> We ate breakfast, and said our farewells to Mr. Nord and Mrs. Linda. I escorted Lana to the community horse carriage stop. Cyril: ¡°Morning, Henry. Good morning, Lana.¡± Henry: ¡°Morning, Cyril.¡± Lana: ¡°Good morning.¡± We greet Cyril who always arrives early. Henry: ¡°Is Jend¡­ never mind, I see him.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s friends with the person giving us a ride and is talking to him.¡± Oh yeah, it was Jend who made the reservation. The driver of the carriage looks really young too. He looks like he just reached adulthood this year. But if he¡¯s being trusted with his own carriage, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s been doing errands and trained for this role for a while now. Cyril: ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about you, but I was so excited that I couldn¡¯t sleep last night!¡± Henry: ¡°What are you doing? You should be sleeping when you can. Don¡¯t I keep reminding you that the role of the adventurer requires that you sleep in any place at any time as soon as you''re given a chance?¡± I remember that she had a hard time sleeping when we were out camping. She doesn¡¯t fall asleep that quickly. Cyril: ¡°I know what you¡¯re saying, but I¡¯ve always had trouble sleeping the night before a big trip. It¡¯s just how I am!¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s not something to be proud about¡­¡± Cyril: ¡°What about you, Lana? We¡¯re you able to sleep?¡± Lana: ¡°To be honest, no, I had a hard time falling asleep last night.¡± Cyril: ¡°Righ~t? See! It¡¯s normal!¡± For not sleeping, she¡¯s really energetic. Cyril: ¡°OH! Teo¡¯s here! HE~Y! Overe he~re!¡± Cyril waves her hand wildly at Teo. All the other passengers are wondering what¡¯s going on and look at her, but she doesn¡¯t care. At the Grandes Church, the adventurers have gotten used to Cyril, but I wish she would be a little more attentive to her surroundings. Henry: ¡°Hey, keep it down. You¡¯re drawing attention to us.¡± Cyril: ¡°What? What do you mean?¡± Henry: ¡°Why you..¡± Teo, who was being waved at, sprinted towards us.¡± Teo: ¡°Cyril! That¡¯s really embarrassing! Could you not do that!!¡± Cyril: ¡°Wha~t, sheesh, you and Henry both¡­¡± Lana: ¡°Haha¡­¡± Lana¡¯s trying to mend the atmosphere with an awkward laugh. Henry: ¡°Alright, we¡¯re all here so let¡¯s get inside.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes~sir¡± We head to the carriage where Jend is talking to the driver. The carriage is meant for 5-6 people, and the size is smaller, but it¡¯s well taken care of. Jend: ¡°Hey Henry. G¡¯morning.¡± Henry: ¡°Morning Jend. And let me introduce you. She is¡­¡± Lana who was standing behind me steps forward. Lana: ¡°Good morning! I am the daughter of the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn! My name is Lana. Thank you so much for your assistance.¡± She greets and bows to Jend and the driver. You can tell she¡¯s used to greeting strangers from her work at the inn. She didn¡¯t hesitate or show any fear even meeting unknown men for the first time. Jend: ¡°Ah, yeah. I¡¯ve seen you around, but it¡¯s the first time we spoke, huh? I¡¯m Jend. I¡¯m in Henry¡¯s party and am an adventurer.¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard. Mr. Henry¡¯s always talking about how reliable you are.¡± Hey now. Henry: ¡°Lana, you shouldn¡¯t be sharing other customers'' information like that.¡± Lana: ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Well, I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t share anything that would be damaging, but it¡¯s just embarrassing. Jend: ¡°Really, Henry? Thanks¡± Henry: ¡°....sure.¡± So¡­ awkward. Cyril: ¡°Lana, Lana! What does Henry say about me?!¡± Lana: ¡°Um...well¡­¡± Cyril jumps in on the conversation and throws the question at Lana. Well, if it¡¯s Cyril¡­ It won¡¯t matter. I give Lana a slight nod to let her know it¡¯s okay. Lana: ¡°Well, Mr. Henry says you are questionable and disappointing in many ways, but your ability as a sorceress is incredible.¡± Cyril: ¡°HENRY! Why you!!¡± Cyril begins throwing a fit and grabs me by my shirt. Cyril: ¡°Disappointing how?! Huh?! How could a girl this cute ever disappoint you?!¡± Henry: ¡°Just like this! This is what I¡¯m talking about!¡± Cyril is grabbing me by the collar and shaking me around. I try to push her away by her face. Cyril: ¡°Fine! We¡¯ll leave it for now. I¡¯m definitely going to revise that opinion of yours to ¡®WOW THAT CYRIL, SHE¡¯S SUCH AN AMAZING GIRL!!¡¯ Like that!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s never going to happen.¡± ...but my opinion of her isn¡¯t that low. Yeah, her physical combat abilities and skills, plus some other essential adventurer skills she needs to learn is maybe at a civilian level, but her magic is completely on a different league. At the very least, there is no one in Flowtier that can replace her. Granted, her strength is completely overkill for the level of demonic creatures in this area, but if we¡¯re dealing with the highest-tier demonic creatures that won¡¯t die no matter how many times you kill them, then Cyril¡¯s OP spells will tip the table to our advantage. Teo: ¡°Lana, what about me?¡± Lana: ¡°He says how useful you always are.¡± Teo: ¡°Useful? Like a tool¡­?¡± Lana, that was poorly worded and will cause misunderstandings, so could you reword that? ¡°Excuse me for interrupting your conversation. Could I introduce myself?¡± The driver who was standing there unnoticed looked relieved to finally get our attention. Jend: ¡°Oh, sorry Will. I didn¡¯t introduce you.¡± Will: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s okay. I was just worried about making sure we depart on time.¡± Oh yeah. Looking around, the other carriages are starting to depart. It¡¯s so that they¡¯ll arrive at the next town before sundown. Will: ¡°Well, let me introduce myself. It is a pleasure making your acquaintance. I am Will. I will be your Carriage Driver until we reach Northerntier. Will elegantly bows. He¡¯s tall, handsome, and every movement is smoothe and elegant. Are all carriage drivers like this? Oh, we better introduce ourselves too. We¡¯ll be on a long journey together so being courteous will go a long way. Henry: ¡°A pleasure meeting you. I¡¯m Henry. I am in the same party as Jend, and I¡¯m also an adventurer.¡± Will: ¡°Oh, I know. You¡¯re very famous around these parts. There are not many Heroic Warriors who¡¯ll come all the way out here. I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re the real deal.¡± Henry: ¡°I have some skills.¡± Not to brag, but from a third person¡¯s point of view, I do have skills compared to other adventurers. At the frontlines, they put me on the 1st tier list the past 5 years. Well, now I¡¯m just picking off really weak prey lazily. And we finish the introductions and load up onto the carriage. Will: ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll be off now~!¡± The carriage starts miving. We leave Flowtier and hit the roads. We¡¯ll have very little to do going forward, so I sit down and open a book I bought for the trip. <<<<>>>> At first, Cyril, Teo, and Lana were excitedly looking at the window. It was their first carriage ride, and many things caught their eyes. But the scenery remained the same. There were only plains as far as the eye can see. They got bored after a while and began small talk among each other. Cyril: ¡°Lana~, do you have someone you li~ke?¡± Lana: ¡°Um, not really, no. I don¡¯t have too many boys my age except the few who went to school with me.¡± Cyril: ¡°And Teo¡­ said you didn¡¯t have anyone you like before, right?¡± Teo: ¡°Yes. What about you, Cyril?¡± Cyril: ¡°Me? Fufufu. There¡¯s a whole line of men who ask for my attention, but I haven¡¯t met anyone who¡¯s even close to my standards.¡± Teo: ¡°...please don¡¯t lie.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hey Teo, I¡¯m trying to show Lana how well-rounded and mature I am, so could you please follow along?¡± Wait, is a woman who tells a man that¡¯s interested in her, ¡°You¡¯re way below my standards¡± is a mature, well rounded woman inside Cyril¡¯s head? What kind of madness goes on inside of that head? But I feel so out of place. I should head up to where Jend and Will are. Lana: ¡°Wait, what about Mr. Henry? I thought you two got along really well.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ummm¡­ well¡­ yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± Cyril looks over at me. I guess I wasn¡¯t forgotten. They started talking about romantic things, so I thought they just shut me out of the conversation. Cyril: ¡°He¡¯s not a bad person, but if he wants to be my boyfriend, he¡¯ll have to earn more favor points from me.¡± Henry: ¡°Who says I wanted to be your boyfriend?¡± Cyril: ¡°See? He just lost some favor points right there~¡± Yeah, what¡¯s that to me anyways! Henry: ¡°Since we all have very little experience in the romance department, why don¡¯t we switch subjects and talk about something else?¡± I¡¯m really hoping that this girls talk atmosphere changes, even just a little. Cyril: ¡°Well, let¡¯s see~. Will said we¡¯ll be going to Northerntier, but isn¡¯t the Capitol further?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah¡­ oh, did I not explain the route to you guys yet?¡± Cyril: ¡°Nope.¡± Oh, that was my mistake. I dropped the ball. If you¡¯re going to the Capitol from Flowtier, there is really only one route, and I didn¡¯t think about letting them know. Henry: ¡°So you know about Northerntier, right?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the biggest town in this area, correct? They call it one of the cities of the four corners?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± In the Alvenia Kingdom, there are 5 main cities. The first is where we are heading, the Capitol of Centralio. And there are 4 large cities surrounding it in the North, South, East, and West. So these four cities are called the Four Corner Cities, and among them, the one closest to Flowtier is the northern city of Northerntier. That is our current destination. Henry: ¡°It¡¯s about 4 days on horse carriage to Northerntier.¡± We left in the morning, and we¡¯ll arrive at the next town before nightfall. We¡¯ll repeat that process until we arrive at Northerntier. Henry: ¡°And after we arrive there, we¡¯ll use the Teleportation Gate to get to the Capitol. It¡¯s a little expensive, but it¡¯s actually no different compared to the fees you¡¯ll pay for the carriage ride to the Capitol anyways.¡± Cyril: ¡°The Teleportation Gate? I heard rumors about it. I believe I¡¯ve used it...once? But that was a long time ago, and I don¡¯t remember it very well.¡± ? Oh yeah, I remember Cyril telling me that she came to Flowtier as a child. If she came from some place far, there¡¯s a good chance that she used the Teleportation Gates on the way. The Teleportation Gate is something the country put all of its resources into to complete. The masterpiece of a magecraft is one of the most complicated spell inscriptions and requires a ridiculous amount of magic energy. It takes 10 first-rate mages to control. Because of that, it costs an arm and a leg to use, but you¡¯ll be able to instantly teleport between cities in return. In the Kingdom of Alvenia, they utilize the Teleportation Gate for the Capitol and its Four Corner cities for the citizens to use. Henry: ¡°So that¡¯s why we¡¯re only going to Northerntier by carriage.¡± Cyril: ¡°What is Northerntier like?¡± Cyril keeps asking questions, but Teo and Lana are curious too. I¡¯ve only spent a little time there on my journey to Flowtier, but I can at least tell them what I know. <<<<>>>> And like this, our journey on the horse carriage began. CH 21 Chapter 21: On the Way to the Capital We continued on the horse carriage without running into any trouble. We smoothly crossed two towns and we¡¯re getting close to Northerntier. Well, there was one issue though. Cyril: ¡°I¡¯m~ so~ bor~ed¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Gah, you¡¯ve been saying that all day. You¡¯re one of the adults in the group. Look at Teo and Lana who haven¡¯t complained at all.¡± Cyril: ¡°You say that but there¡¯s nothing to do inside the carriage¡­¡± It¡¯s this. Cyril¡¯s not used to long travels and started complaining. And it¡¯s likely that other than the driver, Will, and I, everyone else is feeling pretty bored too. I mean, there really is nothing to do. It was hard playing cards when the carriage shakes and rocks. We tried word games, but got tired of it after 2 days. The best thing to try is to buy books in the towns we stop by to kill time, but you¡¯ll get motion sick if you¡¯re not used to it. Cyril: *sigh¡­ ¡°Oh, do you think we¡¯ll encounter any demonic creatures on the road?¡± Henry: ¡°The corruption in this area is mild, and the soldiers patrol this area regularly, so it¡¯s unlikely that we¡¯ll run into anything.¡± It¡¯s not like I WANT demonic creatures to spawn, but if they do, it¡¯ll help pass the time and give us a chance to move our bodies. I did run into a pack of Wild Bears on my way to Flowtier, but incidents like that are really rare. Henry: ¡°Why not run beside the horse carriage? It¡¯ll help develop the endurance you¡¯re lacking.¡± Whenever I get cramped in my seat, that¡¯s what I do. Cyril: ¡°Uh¡­. it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t have endurance. It¡¯s that you guys have way too much.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, yeah. Jend and I have lots of stamina, but just because you¡¯re a sorceress doesn¡¯t mean you can completely ignore physical training.¡± Some will emphatically tell you that the job of the adventurer is to run. Henry: ¡°Here, I¡¯ll run with you, so let¡¯s go.¡± Cyril: ¡°Umm¡­! Ummm¡­!¡± Teo: ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll join you all.¡± Cyril: ¡°Teo too?! Wait, we¡¯re supposed to be guarding Lana! We shouldn¡¯t do something that will wear us out while we¡¯re on a mission!¡± Ugh, she¡¯s using Lana as a shield. But if you get worn out from a little running, you¡¯re not going to last long in this line of business. Lana: ¡°Hahaha. Don¡¯t worry! I trust everyone here. You¡¯ll be just fine from a little exercise, correct?¡± Cyril: ¡°Uggggghhhhh¡­.¡± With Lana saying that with a smile, Cyril ran out of excuses. Alright, let¡¯s run about 10 km (6 miles). As I was thinking that, Jend pokes his head from the carriage seat. Jend: ¡°He~y, it¡¯s a little early, but we found a nice river running beside the road. I thought we could do lunch there.¡± Cyril: ¡°OHH!! That sounds great! I was just feeling really hungry!!¡± Ah, dangit. Bad timing. Jend: ? ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. Okay everyone, let¡¯s get ready for lunch~¡± Ah well, I¡¯ll make her run after we eat. <<<<>>>> I stare at the water flowing through the river. This river near the main road had a lot of fish swimming in it. I found a large, nice one in the group, and I wait patiently for it to swim nearer. ¡­..now! Henry: ¡°There!¡± I stab the water with my spear, and twist it as I bring it up. I scoop out the fish out of the water, and throw it towards the bank. Henry: ¡°We got a good haul.¡± The fish danced on the shore, and I put it in a basket I weaved with some plants, and check out my results. I got 12 fish. That¡¯s about 2 per person, so that should be good. I take the fish basket and make it back to the carriage. Henry: ¡°I got some fish~¡± A little distance from the carriage, the group was in the middle of setting up the campfire. Cyril, Teo, and Lana are busy preparing the stew we¡¯ll have for lunch. Jend is on watch. Will was feeding the horses with feed and water. Jend: ¡°Welcome back. I was watching you from here, but why are you fishing with the spear? You shouldn¡¯t be using your weapon that way.¡± Henry: ¡°But it¡¯s faster fishing this way than using a line and hook¡­¡± If I was just doing this for recreation, I can lazily use a fishing rod, but if we¡¯re trying to eat as soon as possible, spearing is faster. Will: ¡°Haha, wow, that¡¯s amazing! Jend, can you do that too?!¡± Jend: ¡°Of course not. How are you supposed to do that with a large broad sword?¡± Henry: ¡°I know someone who can.¡± Jend: ¡°What kind of weird people do you know?!¡± Weird? At the frontlines, knowing someone like this is absolutely normal. Henry: ¡°But in your case, you just never tried. You definitely have the skills to pull it off.¡± Jend: ¡°I didn¡¯t train this hard just so I could go fishing with my sword.¡± Henry: ¡°Of course not. I didn¡¯t train either so I can fish with my spear, but it¡¯s useful if you can use your weapon in many different ways.¡± Jend, you have to think more flexibly. You¡¯re going to be facing many situations where your equipped weapons and skill alone will not be enough to find an obvious solution. That¡¯s when you have to think outside of the box, and use whatever you have in more creative ways and solve problems. That kind of critical thinking skill will be necessary going forward. But, of course, it WOULD be better if you can just plan ahead, prepare, and take care of problems that way. Will: ¡°Haha¡­ whoa, do you need more water? I¡¯ll get some more from the river, so wait here.¡± Jend: ¡°Here, let me help.¡± The horses cry out, and Will takes a bucket to the river. Jend takes the other bucket and walks besides him. They get along so well. Oh, if they needed water, I could have used my [WATER] Eedle¡­ Ah well. I walk towards the girls cooking. Henry: ¡°Here Teo. Here¡¯s the fish I caught.¡± Teo: ¡°Thank you.¡± I call to Teo and hand her the fish. Cyril: ¡°Wow, you caught some magnificent ones! They all look delicious!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, all the fish in that river were looking really good.¡± Teo: ¡°Then I¡¯ll just cook them over the fire with salt.¡± Ah, that sounds good. The smell of salted fish over a campfire always gets my appetite going. Oh, Jend went to go get water, so I should be on the lookout. <<<<>>>> Will: ¡°Thank you so much for the food! I never would have thought my meals would be this luxurious during a carriage trip. I¡¯m really thankful for you sharing the meals with me.¡± Will laughs and smiles while eating the fish I caught and was cooked and prepared by Lana in a Bear¡¯s Keg Inn style stew. During the trip, we stop for lunch and cook a simple meal over a fire. We are the customers, but it wouldn¡¯t be right to leave Will out, so he¡¯s been sitting with us during meals. Because Lana, who works at an Inn, is with us, our meals have been much more high quality than our usual campouts. Cyril: ¡°Oh, but what do you usually eat during these trips then?¡± At Will¡¯s comment, it caught Cyril¡¯s curiosity, and she follows up with a question. Will: ¡°Usually, I¡¯ll be nibbling on dry rations. Other than that, if my customers are much more well adept to outdoor living, I¡¯ll occasionally share a warm meal with them.¡± Henry: ¡°But if you don¡¯t prepare and cook the meals quickly and efficiently, you¡¯ll eat up too much time and cause delays to the next city.¡± Will: ¡°Haha, yes, you¡¯re absolutely right, Mr. Henry.¡± Well, our party does not have that issue. The group has gotten used to these campouts, and Teo is able to carry around all of our equipment. Jend: ¡°Will, how much longer till the next town?¡± Will: ¡°To Arkas, it¡¯s about 4 more hours. We¡¯ll have to take one more break before we arrive.¡± About 4 hours, huh¡­ Henry: ¡°That¡¯s perfect. Cyril, we¡¯ll all run to the next town.¡± Cyril: ¡°Wha~~~... you were still thinking about that?!¡± Henry: ¡°Of course I remember. The carriage runs at the speed of a slow jog, so you should be able to make it to the next town with no problems.¡± If it was just adventurers, we would most likely be running instead of taking a carriage. People use carriages to minimize fatigue, carry large shipments, or like this round, help regular folks travel long distance. Sometimes there are quests that ask you to deliver letters, so it¡¯s good to get a feel for the distance between cities as well. Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Unlike the forest floor, running on a road is much less tiring.¡± Cyril: ¡°...really?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, really. Have I ever lied to you?¡± Cyril: ¡°Have you NOT lied to me before?¡± Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t lie to you about any principles I teach as an adventurer.¡± I mean, yeah, I tease and joke, but otherwise, you should be able to trust me. Teo: ¡°Cyril, like I said before, I¡¯ll run with you too.¡± Jend: ¡°Oh what? Everyone¡¯s running? Then I¡¯ll join too. I haven¡¯t been able to train during the trip.¡± Jend looks pumped too. I know the feeling. It¡¯s easy to be lazy during long trips. So with all the peer pressure from the entire party, Cyril finally surrendered and ran with the group. Will: ¡°Well well. I am technically being paid to carry all 5 of you¡­¡± Jend: ¡°I know you gave us a significant discount since the request came from me. Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± Will: ¡°You know that my family would jump at the opportunity to make a connection with the Carousel Merchant Association, so don¡¯t worry about that discount either.¡± The Carousel Merchants, huh. I¡¯ve been to shop at their stores a few times, but it really is a large organization. Their store was 5 stories tall and each floor had different products and all with the most recent trends. They had 3 stores in Flowtier, and a few stores in the larger town nearby. This is one of the largest merchant groups north of the Alvenia Kingdom. They serve as the top of all the business groups and are the private sellers to the Lord of Flowtier, so you can say they are the top dog in that city. Now that I think about it, why is the second son of the association living as an adventurer? Jend: ¡°Just because I was your customer doesn¡¯t create a connection with my brother or father though.¡± Will: ¡°No worries. If you just mention once that ¡®Will is a carriage driver,¡¯ and they keep that information at the back of their mind, then that¡¯s all I can ask for.¡± Jend: ¡°...You really think we have that much influence? We can¡¯t even delve into the Four Corner Cities¡¯ markets.¡± Yeah, you¡¯d have to be a huge business group to compete in that market as a newcomer. You¡¯ll have to be sponsored by certain territories, and even have the notoriety and fame equal to that of a Hero of Legend to push through by force. I don¡¯t know much about business, but I¡¯m sure it takes a lot to become a merchant group in the Capital areas. Will: ¡°Haha, well, even so, my family does business in the Flowtier area, so we cannot simply ignore your family.¡± Jend: ¡°It¡¯s like that, huh¡­¡± We chat on different topics like that and finish our meal. Alright, let¡¯s clean up and head out. <<<<>>>> And Cyril made it to the next city completely out of breath. Cyril: ¡°....Wh-----why¡­..are¡­..*breathe¡­.you 3¡­.not¡­.out of¡­.breath?¡± Henry: ¡°Difference in our daily training.¡± Teo: ¡°Cyril, you should probably train more.¡± Jend: ¡°You want to join me and Henry in our training sessions? You could get more experience with close-range combat.¡± With concerns raised from every party member, we made Cyril promise to do more fitness training when we get back to Flowtier. CH 22 Book 2: The Road to the Capital Chapter 22: Reunion at the Capital We arrived at Northerntier, and parted with Will as he loaded the next customers on board. We headed towards the center of Northertier to one of the biggest buildings there. Nicknamed the Teleport Station, the Teleport Gate Spell Inscription resides here. Henry: ¡°Alright, first we¡¯ll go to the reception and get our reservation all set~¡± Cyril: ¡°Whaaaa~, we rode on the carriage all day, and we¡¯re tired. Why can¡¯t we do it tomorrow?¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s just a reservation. The Teleport Gate has a lot of customers so you¡¯ll have to wait days before you can use it.¡± The Teleport Gate typically has a limit to how many people it can transfer, so in general, all the slots get filled up to the brim. We¡¯ll go to the reception to get our reservation settled, and we¡¯ll be here in this town for about 2 days. Or so I thought. Henry: ¡°....what? We can go right now?¡± ¡°Yes, if it¡¯s only 5 people, we can schedule you in on the next teleportation in 20 minutes. We just had a cancellation come in just now.¡± That was fast... I don¡¯t know if that was great or poor timing. We thought about doing some sight-seeing around town, but we can get to the Capital right away. Henry: ¡°And if we take the next opening after this, when will that be?¡± ¡°In that case, it¡¯ll be 3 days from now in the afternoon.¡± 3 days, huh¡­ Henry: ¡°Lana, what do you want to do?¡± This trip is all about Lana. I need to make sure she gets input on how we proceed. Lana: ¡°Um, well. If we can get there earlier, I think that would be better. It¡¯ll save us the traveling costs, and I told the professor that we¡¯ll be visiting soon, so if we get there earlier, I think it¡¯ll be easier to arrange a meeting with him.¡± Henry: ¡°Alright, then it¡¯s decided.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, I guess we can tour the city on our way back.¡± Oh, Cyril, we¡¯ll just take the first carriage back to Flowtier. Carriages are not as booked as the Teleport Gates. Henry: ¡°Well, in that case, please schedule 5 people for the next teleportation. The luggage is as much as we are carrying right now. Luggage also costs additional money. They check the amount of luggage during the reservation so we put the majority of our stuff in Teo¡¯s bag. ¡°Thank you, then¡­¡± We pay the fare, and since there is not much time, we hurry to the Teleport Gate¡¯s Spell Inscription site. At most, a 100 people can stand on this giant circular area. The complicated inscriptions carved into the ground begin to glow green as magic pours into it and the spell begins to initiate. And at the end of the large crowd, we huddle together at the far side. Jend: ¡°Hey Henry, if they needed to fill in those spots in 20 minutes, do you think we could have gotten a discount?¡± It¡¯s definitely the way a merchant¡¯s kid thinks, and honestly, as a business transaction, I understand where he¡¯s coming from, but still, don¡¯t be ridiculous. Henry: ¡°This is run by the country. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll get too upset over that, but if you get blacklisted by the country, it¡¯ll also affect your relationship to the Grandes Church and¡­¡± Jend: ¡°Ah, I get it. Forget that I asked.¡± Henry: ¡°I appreciate you trying to help us hold down Our costs. I really mean that.¡± For professional adventurers, most come from non-educated backgrounds, so they are prone to mishandling money which leads to trouble within the party and can lead to high interest debt loans¡­ When I first started as an adventurer, I had no clue about finance, and I almost starved to death at one point. If you mismanage money, you¡¯ll head straight to bankruptcy. This isn¡¯t limited to adventurers, and for any adults, they need to learn this quickly If they want to survive. Henry: ¡°Talking about money, didn¡¯t you put Flowtier Ale Kegs in there? You plan on selling it?¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, we can sell it at a high price at the Capital, so through Jend, we obtained 10 kegs worth through the Carousel Merchant Association. I¡¯ll take half the profits, and the remaining half will be applied to our travel costs.¡± Jend: ¡°If my family¡¯s business had more of a footing in this area, we could have gone bigger, but all the Merchant Associations in the Capital have their own import methods. They¡¯ll let this slip just because we¡¯re doing it on such a small scale.¡± I don¡¯t really understand what¡¯s being said here, but wouldn¡¯t Jend do fine as a merchant? Well, for us, or rather, for our Quest sponsor Mr. Nord, I¡¯m sure he greatly appreciates all these efforts to keep costs down. Lana: ¡°oh¡­.Teo, are you really going to apply half the profits to the travel costs? Mr. Jend isn¡¯t even benefiting from this at all.¡± Teo: ¡°This is for your future Lana, and we¡¯re not going to be traveling to the Capital unless under these kinds of special circumstances.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, my family is just wondering if we¡¯ll get lucky and run into any good business partners in this area, so it¡¯s just a low-success, exploratory investment so don¡¯t worry about that.¡± Wow, these guys are well settled and mature for their age. If I think about what I would do with the same godly equipment and business connections, I¡¯m a little ashamed of how small I think. As we were finishing our small talk, a worker from the Teleport Gate made an announcement with a loud voice. ¡°Thank you all for your patience. This will be the 5th teleportation from Northerntier to the Centralio Teleportation Gate. We will be initiating the teleportation spell shortly. For those of your traveling, please remain inside the spell inscription, stay calm, and you will all be teleported shortly!¡± 10 mages surround the spell inscription and start chanting to cast the spell. Spell chanting has been going out-of-style on the present battlefields, but for these kinds of large-scale spellcrafting, it is still the main methodology. 10 First-Rate mages pour their magic into the spell, and magic fills the entire Teleport Spell Scription and the room. ¡­..but honestly, it¡¯s more frightening that Cyril has just as much magic contained in her alone as what¡¯s being done here. Cyril: ¡°Ohhhh! Look! It¡¯s starting to glow!¡± Henry: ¡°Stand still.¡± Bright light springs forth from the 10 locations where the mages stood, and the entire spell inscription is now brimming full of light. A bright flash. Our sights go white, and we feel ourselves fall into the depths and then rise into the heavens. Strange sensations like these overwhelm us. And we depart from Northerntier. <<<<>>>> But the weird sensations only lasted for a moment. As we blinked at the bright light, the light faded as fast as it appeared. We stood in a room very similar in atmosphere to the Northertier¡¯s Teleportation Gate. Cyril: ¡°.....oh, did we arrive?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, we should have arrived. I know it feels different to travel this way, but we¡¯re already at Centralio.¡± Cyril: ¡°Aww¡­ I thought it would be more like ¡®WAHHH!!¡¯ or ¡®WHOAAA!!¡¯ or something really intense, but it was kind of a let down.¡± I don¡¯t understand Cyril sometimes or what she¡¯s trying to say right now. Well, we¡¯re done with the teleportation, and we want to leave, but the door to outside gets jammed packed right after we arrive. We wait for the crowd to thin out. Jend: ¡°Wow, that Teleportation Gate is something else. If they were to use that in more places, there would be a revolution in imports and exports.¡± Jend speaks from a merchant¡¯s point of view. Henry: ¡°Apparently, there are a lot of technical hurdles that would make distribution of those Gates impossible to spread to more places right now. But you can leave that problem to the scholars, and oh! We have Lana here who may become a world renown scholar soon enough.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh...um, spellcrafting is outside of my expertise. I could only understand a third of what was on that spell inscription Just now. I saw that the spell inscription was double-layered too. I¡¯m sure there was another layer of spell inscription underneath in the ground out of sight. I wonder if it¡¯s to keep the formula of the inscription confidential¡­?¡± Yeah, this girl¡­ holy smokes, she is something else. She was able to understand part of that gargantuan jumble on the ground. Henry: ¡°Oh, well, let¡¯s get going. There isn¡¯t much of a crowd anymore.¡± What she said did make sense. The technology behind the Teleport Gate would be a national-level top secret. I always wondered if they were okay with the public seeing it, but now I understand why. Lana resolved one of my longstanding doubts, and we walked outside. As we stood at the entrance of the station, Cyril and Jend let out a gasp. Cyril: ¡°Wow~, we really did arrive in a different city!¡± Jend: ¡°So this is Centralio.¡± Even though it is part of the Four Corner City area, the Northerntier¡¯s northern region from the Alvenia Kingdom¡¯s perspective is way out in the rural country. Compared to the north, here, we see more modern architecture spread throughout the city. And as we exit the Teleport Gate¡¯s building, we see the castle standing in the distance before us with all its glory. This¡­ is the Capital. Teo: ¡°....the Teleport Station is several times bigger than Northerntier¡¯s¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Of course. Northerntier is only connected to Centralio, but the Capital is connected to all 4 Corner Cities.¡± The Teleport gate has a set of a two teleport types: a sending and a receiving one. So Northerntier only has two inscribed, but here, there are 8. Because of that the station will also be equally large. ¡°I see,¡± said Teo and nods with agreement. Cyril: ¡°But there are so many people! Henry, is it always this busy at the Capital?¡± Henry: ¡°....no. It¡¯s busier than usual. I wonder what¡¯s going on? Lana, we¡¯re gonna head to the inn, but please don¡¯t get lost in the crowd.¡± We and the other teleporters from the station are trying to head into the city, but there is a sea of people blocking our path. What IS going on? I¡¯ve used this Teleport Station several times in the past, but it¡¯s never been this crowded and busy. Henry: ¡°I wonder if some celebrity bard is coming to the capital¡­¡± There a some bards who are not limited to singing at taverns in the shadowy corners of the city. There are some who are young and popular, and sing on large stages, are interviewed in newspapers, and fans will follow them around. We call these bards, *idols. {{Chonky Note: i.e. Japanese Idol groups are mainly the Boy and Girl Bands that sing and dance on TV}} There are region or city-specific idols as well. Cyril: ¡°Oh I see¡­ so we may get to see someone really famous?!¡± Henry: ¡°Maybe. I¡¯m just guessing.¡± Cyril: ¡°But I would really like to meet them if that¡¯s true. I, the Flowtier¡¯s most renowned Melodious Songbird, will determine the quality of their talent.¡± Henry: ¡°Renown where? Known as what?¡± Besides, aren¡¯t all your songs spells? Those that know that would be terrified watching you sing on a stage and run for the hills. Henry: ¡°Lana, would it be okay if we wait and see who comes through?¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, if it is someone famous, I would really like to see who.¡± Oh, she¡¯s rather more into pop culture than I thought. I¡¯m really not interested in that aspect of our society, but that¡¯s possibly one of the reasons why I don¡¯t have much luck with women either. Jend: ¡°I don¡¯t mind waiting either, but let¡¯s get out of the way. We¡¯ll run into them if we keep standing here at the Station Entrance, and I don¡¯t want any trouble with someone that famous.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± I heard it¡¯s best to keep a formal distance with idols as courtesy. If we keep standing around at the station, we may be mistaken for one of their really passionate fans trying to ambush them. It¡¯s really bothersome if that happens, but avoiding those situations in the first place is the best way to avoid making enemies too. So as we try to relocate, the next Teleport Group arrives, and inside the station gets noisier. Henry: ¡°Alright, let¡¯s merge in with the crowd.¡± I take everyone, and we blend in with the crowd. But we were a little late. Everyone started bustling and yelling as the person they were looking for came through. ¡°WHOOOOAAA!! It¡¯s the Black Dragon Knights! You guys rock!!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the pride of the nation, Hero Grandezel!¡± ¡°Welcome back to the Capital!¡± The crowd gets rowdier and begins to excitedly yell and scream to welcome whoever it is they were looking for. ¡­.wait, what did they just say? They were all yelling things all at once, so I couldn¡¯t hear it really well over the blended yelling of the crowds, but...did they say the Black Dragon Knights and Grandezel? I look back at the Teleport Station entrance to see if what I heard was right. ¡­.they were all wearing black armor. They raise their hand to greet the crowd, and 20 large men walk through. They are all wearing their helmets and face masks, but I still recognize many familiar faces. And it was my fault for turning around and getting caught. One of the Knights recognized me. I can see him whisper to the knight next to him, and that person says, ¡°Hey! It¡¯s Henry!¡± OWEN, YOU BASTARD! Just stay quiet, idiot! And soon enough, the leader of the Black Dragon Knights, Grandezeal¡­.Sir Ezeal picks me out of the crowd. ¡°Oh, OHHH!! Well if it isn¡¯t Henry!!¡± His voice roared over the crowd, and the Hero of Legend very purposefully walked with long, manly gaits over to where I stood. I gave up hiding. Sorry, everyone. We just arrived at the Capital, and got some unwanted attention. Ezeal: ¡°It¡¯s been too long! It¡¯s been a while since you left Ligaleo, but I¡¯m glad to see you looking well! We¡¯ve been doing well too smacking around those demonic critters!¡± He smacks my back heartily several times. He isn¡¯t a bad person, but he speaks loudly, and everything he does is so rough and exaggerated¡­ Henry: ¡°Hello¡­ it has been a while, Sir Ezeal.¡± This is the Black Dragon Knights - the Alvenia Kingdom¡¯s strongest and most powerful of all Knights, and they currently reside at the foremost city, Ligaleo. And the captain of the Black Dragon Knights, the leader of the eight Heroes of Legend designated by the Grandes Church, Grandezeal Vandelstein. ¡­..We adventurers and the different Kingdom¡¯s Knights have cooperated on countless occasions fighting the demonic hordes, and it was an unexpected reunion. CH 23 Chapter 23: Homeland Right after I reunite with Sir Ezeal, some really fancy carriages roll around to where we were standing. These carriages were provided for the Black Dragon Knights to transport them to their barracks. It¡¯s not just because they are local heroes and celebrities that the country goes this far. Unless there is a formal parade to welcome these guys, you¡¯ll have 20 fully armored knights walking the business streets of a peaceful capital. They¡¯ll be in the way of usual traffic, and because if their popularity, you can imagine that crowds will gather and cause a scene. I¡¯m sure they asked the Black Dragon Knights to come fully armored as a PR move to appeal to the public saying, ¡°Hey! We¡¯re back from fighting on the frontlines!¡± But once they see the armor the first time, the deed is done. Further action on their part is not required. But that¡¯s not our problem right now. Henry: ¡°..........Sir Ezeal¡­why were we stuffed into the carriage with you?¡± My party and group are riding with the Black Dragon Knights. Owen, who is the same age as me, is also with us. Ezeal: ¡°Hm? HA HA! That¡¯s because it looked like you yourselves just arrived at the Capital. Our barracks have more than enough rooms so just stay with us for the time being!¡± Henry: ¡°You can¡¯t just bring in outsiders to the Knights¡¯ barracks, Sir Ezeal¡­¡± Ezeal: ¡°Outsiders?! What a sad thing to say, Henry! We¡¯re comrades who fought side by side, have we not?!¡± This guy is supposed to be the top military leader, right? Why is he so lax on his own security protocols... Cyril: ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± Ezeal: ¡°Yes! What is it, most beautiful miss!¡± Cyril raises her hand to ask Sir Ezeal a question, and pauses from his overly energetic attention. Cyril is practically fearless with talking to strangers, but even she is bewildered on how to speak to this man. Wait, most beautiful miss? Who? I don¡¯t see anyone who fits that description. Cyril: ¡°Umm¡­ so, Sir Grandezeal, what is your relation to Henry?¡± Ezeal: ¡°Like I stated before, we are comrades! This man has a deep tie with our Black Dragon Knights. He joined us when we faced off with the Demon General, Gileverte!¡± ...Gileverte, yeah, Gileverte. Now, hearing his name doesn¡¯t bother me as much. Cyril: ¡°Demon General?¡± Jend: ¡°Cyril, you should be knowledgeable about current events. The Demon Generals are the leaders of his army who are currently leading the war against us. I think there were 10 at the beginning of the war, and the people of the frontlines were able to take down 4 so far¡­¡± Jend quickly explains and summarizes the key points to Cyril. Cyril: ¡°Henry fought the Demon General? This Henry?¡± Ezeal: ¡°In fact, it was Henry who delivered the finishing blow.¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes widen at the statement, To be brutally honest, my contribution to Gileverte¡¯s death is minimal. I just happened to be the last guy who attacked him before he died, and if it wasn¡¯t for Sir Ezeal and the Saint of Deliverance (*LOL), there was no way I could have beaten him. {{Chonky Notes: Henry chuckles when mentioning the Saint of Deliverance as if laughing to an inside joke}} On the battlefield, one odd thing led to another, and I ended up finishing off Gileverte. It was the product of sheer luck and coincidence. Henry: ¡°Teo, just to put that into perspective, your sister took one down all on her own. That¡¯s how she became a Hero of Legend.¡± Teo: ¡°Oh, i-is that so? Now that I think about it, I didn¡¯t even know how sister Ageha became a Hero.¡± Sir Ezeal raises a brow at the comment. Ezeal: ¡°Is she from the lineage of the Sagiri family?¡± Teo: ¡°Yes. I am a relative to the Sagiri household. Ageha Sagiri is my cousin.¡± Ezeal: ¡°Oh ho! What a glorious day! I reunite with my comrade and meet a descendant of the Sagiri! Our knights are deeply indebted to your cousin. This is even more of a reason for you to stay with us now!¡± Sir Ezeal¡¯s laughter booms from the carriage. Henry: ¡°Owen, you¡¯re just gonna let your Captain do as he pleases?¡± I drag Owen, who has been invisible up until now, back into the picture. Owen: ¡°Haha. Have you already forgotten, Henry? This is just how we operate.¡± Ugh, that¡¯s right. Sir Ezeal isn¡¯t one to enforce strict order and discipline to his subjects, and everyone in the Black Dragon Knights is like this. They are hella strong, but they could care less about formalities. It¡¯s a giant group of problem childs. And it¡¯s probably one of the reasons why the common people adore them. They have equally humorous legends as well as their deeds on the battlefield. Lana: ¡°Ummm¡­ may I address you as Sir Grandezeal?¡± Ezeal: ¡°Yes, what is it? You may speak freely to me as you please.¡± And Lana began speaking to Sir Ezeal. Lana: ¡°My name is Lana, and I requested for Mr. Henry¡¯s party to escort me to the Capital and ensure my safety.¡± Ezeal: ¡°Ah! That¡¯s why one of you was not an adventurer. I see, I see.¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, so Mr. Henry manages the travel arrangements, but I am the representative of this group presently. As the representative, I would like to formally thank you for allowing us to stay in your barracks.¡± Lana bows politely to Sir Ezeal. Ezeal: ¡°I see, I see! I understand! I accept your gratitude as the leader of the Black Dragon Knights. But you do not have to be so formal. You are all young, but we are welcoming 3 beautiful flowers to our barracks. It is we who should be thanking you for gracing us with your company!¡± ¡­..yeah, there are women in the Black Dragon Knights, but they speak with their fists more than their beauty, and none can be referred to as a flower without getting your throat ripped out. Of course, I would never mention this fact to any of them. Cyril: ¡°Wait, Sir Grandezeal, did you just treat me as a child too?¡± Ezeal: ¡°Hm? HA HA HA! Do no fret about youth! You will sure enough grow up one day into a beautiful lady!¡± Cyril: ¡°I¡¯ve already reached adult age and am already a respectable, beautiful lady!¡± Cyril gots some guts telling off Sir Ezeal. She really has no fear. Ezeal: ¡°Is that so? Forgive my rudeness!¡± And Sir Ezeal continues to laugh it off, as he tells Cyril to not worry about it. And our carriage ride was pretty much taken over by this man¡¯s pace and atmosphere all the way to the barracks. <<<<>>>> At the barracks of the Black Dragon Knights. They really did have plenty of open and unused rooms there. Sir Ezreal just told us to ¡°Use whichever rooms you please!¡± and I had Owen help us find appropriate rooms and threw our luggage in there. Jend: ¡°So, we would like to show our gratitude for allowing us to stay here, and offer this ale to you in kind.¡± We sit around the tables in the dining area for dinner. The lady handling the cooking for the Black Dragon Knights lines the tables with many delicious looking dishes, and Jend puts a keg of ale next to it. This is one of the kegs we brought. We are offering it free of charge, but if the Black Dragon Knights remember us by name, it¡¯s a small price to pay for the notoriety we will gain in return. Jend: ¡°From the northern town of Flowtier, the Carousel Merchant Association presents to you our Flowtier Ale. We are a rural town compared to the larger cities, but I will guarantee the quality of taste.¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° YEAHHHHHHHH!!! ¡° ¡° ¡° The Knights hear the name of the ale and an uproar fills the room. Flowtier Ale is popular even on the frontlines, but it¡¯s expensive to import and is constantly out of stock, so it¡¯s hard to get your fill of it. ¡°Henry! You moved there just for this ale, huh?!¡± Henry: ¡°What are you talking about?! It was only about a third of my reason!!¡± An older knight, Ryden, laughs merrily to hear it¡¯s still a third of Henry¡¯s reasons. Ezeal: ¡°Hey, Ryden! Come cool this for us!¡± Ryden: ¡°Yessir, Captain! As you command!¡± With the commanders orders, Ryden approaches the keg. He is wearing his civilian outfit, but he still carries a belt with a stack of metal plates, and holding one of them, he begins the spell chant. Ryden: ¡°The glitter of ice, silver wind, the hand of the northern god, reveal thyself and dance.¡± As he pronounces the words, the inscription on the plate glows. This man used the Fulfuse Style magecraft. On each metal plate, a spell inscription is engraved. Unlike the Kroseid Style, you can¡¯t combine multiple spells together, but each spell is complicated and carries more effective power alone. There is no worry of having a spell explode on you and is relatively simpler to learn then the Kroseid style. It is a very rigid but reliable magecraft form. And what he just used was the ice spell. If he put his full power into it, he could freeze an entire household, but simplified chants like he used just now are used often to cool beverages. The chef brings out large glass mugs, and we hand out the cooled ale. Lana and Teo also have a mug too, but a single glass should be okay. Ezreal: ¡°All raise your drinks! For our return to our homeland, reunion with old friends, and to new beginnings with new friends! CHEERS!¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° CHEERS!!!! ¡° ¡° ¡° Glasses clinked and people began guzzling down the ale. We have a good bit of people here, and they all drink quite a bit, so this keg will be emptied by the end of the night. Teo: ¡°.....I thought knights were more scarier people, but they are more laid back than I imagined.¡± Teo sips the ale slowly and carefully. Henry: ¡°Well, they need to be examples to the soldiers. Plus the Black Dragon Knights are famous so any rumored incidents with them will spread really quickly.¡± They are rowdy but not vulgar. Out of all the trouble makers that gathered on the frontlines, they were the easiest to get along with.¡± Jend: ¡°So Henry, why did you keep the stuff about the Demon General a secret from us? That¡¯s a heck of a feat you accomplished.¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t keep bringing that up. I swear it was a stack of unbelievable coincidences that led to that. Sir Ezreal led the main charge, I was supporting him from the side, and when Sir Ezreal got a solid hit and made the General waver, I struck from the side and got a lucky hit.¡± I¡¯m not that thick skinned to take all the credit for myself. Ezreal: ¡°Hm, that¡¯s a very humble way to put it. It¡¯s true that I was the one who faced off with the Demon General directly, but your contribution in that fight was not insignificant. You fought well.¡± Henry: ¡°Well yeah, I don¡¯t think I pulled everyone¡¯s legs or was not doing anything but still¡­¡± I definitely struck during key moments in that fight, but without the Saint of Deliverance (LOL) having my back, I should have died 3 or 4 times during that battle. Ezreal: ¡°Hmph, very well. Your recollection of history is your own, so we¡¯ll let you be. Even so, you were able to complete your goal in the most magnificent fashion! Be at least proud of that!¡± Cyril: ¡°Goal¡­? What was Henry¡¯s goal?¡± Ezreal: ¡°What? My lady, you do not know? Has he not told you?¡± Oh, yeah, I don¡¯t think I ever talked to them about it. I wasn¡¯t trying to hide anything. The topic just never came up. Henry: ¡°Well, to put it bluntly, I had a personal vendetta against Gileverte. He was the General that destroyed my home country.¡± I can¡¯t count the number of times I dreamt about that day when my Kingdom was destroyed. I finally stopped having those nightmares after that battle. Cyril: ¡°Oh¡­ Umm¡­¡± Yeah, I guess this was a difficult subject to talk about even for Cyril. Henry: ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s all in the past now. I got my revenge, and now I¡¯m just living a lukewarm life in Flowtier.¡± Owen: ¡°Yeah, you should have seen how much he changed after that battle. He used to always walk around with pissed off eyes like this, and picked fights with anyone who looked him straight in the eyes.¡± Owen makes angry brows with his fingers to resemble how I looked back in those days. What? I didn¡¯t look like that. Yeah, my eyes may have been a little bit more scowling than what I have now but¡­ Owen: ¡°As soon as the battle was over, his face became like this, and his personality completely changed. He used to just lay about after that.¡± Henry: ¡°I-I still did my job.¡± Owen: ¡°Yeah, but you didn¡¯t have a pinch of tension left inside ya. You were just an empty husk at that point.¡± Hey, I just stopped doing things way too seriously, but I didn¡¯t let my guard down. I just finished what I was trying to do all my life, and once it was done, I kinda sorta knew what it felt like when an old man retires. I mean, that was how I was naturally before the war. Just a really laid back personality¡­ I think. It¡¯s not like anyone who knew me back then can vouch for me today... Cyril: ¡°Where was your home?¡± Henry: ¡°Ah, yeah, it was the Fezard Kingdom. You probably don¡¯t know it, but it was a small country that¡¯s now part of the Demon King¡¯s territory.¡± It was one of the many kingdoms that fell at the time of the Demon King¡¯s coronation. Cyril: ¡°.........................what?¡± Henry: ¡°What do you mean, ¡®what¡¯?¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry, you were born in the same country as me?¡± Whoa now, Miss Cyril. That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard that news. Care to explain? CH 24 Chapter 24: The Missing Person My home country - the Fezard Kingdom. It was a country that is incomparably small to the Alvenia Kingdom, and the entire country¡¯s territory would be equal to one of Alvenian Duke¡¯s. But the knights of the kingdom were renown for their strength, and because of that, the country had some notoriety. At the time, I was serving as a squire of the Fezard Knights Number 2 Squad. Basically, any kid with some potential could enlist as a knight-trainee. In the end, right after the Demon King appeared, an avalanche of demonic creatures flooded into the kingdom swallowing it up, and since I was only a child at the time, the knights did everything to help me escape¡­ And this Fezard Kingdom and the Count of Flowtier had a very close relationship. Apparently, about 3 generations ago, the King and the Count were in the same party in their teens when they both ran away from home and became adventurers. At the time, the story gave all parties involved a huge headache, but that¡¯s why the two territories kept such close ties over the years. The current Count of Flowtier¡¯s wife is the Fezard King¡¯s younger sister, so that should tell you how close the two territories are as well. And Cyril. Apparently, she tagged along with the King¡¯s sister when she married into the Flowtier¡¯s Count¡¯s family and is a relative of one of the servants. She¡¯s living at the Count¡¯s residence with the connection to her relative and has been well liked and taken care by the Count and his wife. Cyril: ¡°Wo~w, that really took my by surprise. I never thought Henry was from the same Kingdon as me.¡± We were eating breakfast in the barrack¡¯s dining hall as Cyril nonchalantly makes the comment. Henry: ¡°I¡¯m more shocked than you. Are there others besides you from Fezard?¡± Cyril: ¡°Umm, well¡­ my grandmother who brought me here passed away two years ago, but besides her, there are two maids. There are people who come by to ask Mrs. Asteria for help back in the day...they may be living in the market area, but I¡¯m not sure.¡± Asteria. The wife of the Count of Flowtier and former princess of the Fezard Kingdom. I¡¯m technically a knight so she would be my Lord and Lady. Wait¡­ If she married into a different family, would that change anything? Regardless, it doesn¡¯t matter now. Of course, I knew that Mrs. Asteria was in Flowtier, but Fezard was destroyed 10 years ago. I think she would be more troubled seeing a former squire of the country suddenly drop in on her, so I refrained. Cyril: ¡°But this all makes sense now~. I thought your spear style looked so familiar~, and it bothered me that I couldn¡¯t remember where I saw it from. But yes, I remember seeing the knights on the castle grounds train, and it looked the same as that.¡± Henry: ¡°You have some incredibly good memory¡­¡± Yes, the Fezard Knights Spear Techniques are the base fundamentals to my martial arts. But ever since getting my Nyoiten Spear, I¡¯ve completely bent and warped the original style, and I would receive a fist to my face from my Captain who taught me if he saw me today. Well, if he was still around, that is. Cyril: ¡°Of course I would remember! I¡¯ve been wanting to be an adventurer since I was little. I would watch the knights train with swords and spears and dreamed of doing so myself one day.¡± Yeah, I get that. Watching a female knight run through the battlefield with a sword in hand is easy to admire. Those kinds of heroines get a lot of attention so they¡¯re made into characters of some adult literature from what I¡¯ve heard...and no, I don¡¯t have those volumes. Not anymore at least. Jend: ¡°If you¡¯re from the same country, wouldn¡¯t you guys have met somewhere?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh! Jend! That¡¯s a good point. I didn¡¯t think Henry would fit the childhood friend category and trope.¡± Stop making me a character of one of your novels. Henry: ¡°Cyril, you lived in the Capital, right? I lived in a town nearby so it¡¯s unlikely that we directly met.¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry, you have to dream bigger if you want to expand your romance life.¡± Henry: ¡°Are you trying to start a romance story with me?¡± Cyril: ¡°To set up that flag, you¡¯ll still need 20 Cyril¡¯s Attraction points to proceed.¡± That¡¯s not a real thing, is it? And I¡¯m not the one pushing this narrative in the first place. Henry: ¡°Hey, we¡¯ll continue this discussion another time. It¡¯s not the reason why we¡¯re here. We¡¯ll catch up about our former homeland on another occasion.¡± Yeah, I totally got derailed and off-topic Let¡¯s finish breakfast, drink my tea, and talk about what we¡¯re doing today. And the dining hall is just us. The knights all finished breakfast and headed to the training field. ...aren¡¯t they on vacation? Lana: ¡°Well, let¡¯s go ahead and arrange an appointment with the Central Alvenia University professor. I¡¯m sure that he¡¯s a very busy man, so I¡¯ll send a letter first notifying him of our arrival.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡± I nod in agreement to Lana¡¯s plan. She already had a letter ready, so she just needs to send it off. Lana: ¡°The only problem is that he might be surprised to see where we are staying currently when he tries to reply.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. Henry, why don¡¯t we just go to a regular inn? Wouldn¡¯t that be better?¡± Henry: ¡°If we go, Sir Ezeal will barge into the inn and yell, ¡®Was there something lacking with our barracks?! I¡¯ll address it right away!!¡¯¡± I¡¯ve known him for too long. I can assure you of the events to come. Jend: ¡°He¡¯s the captain of the knights and a Hero, right?¡± Henry: ¡°He¡¯s the captain and a Hero, yup¡± And to be frank, he¡¯s still one of the more normal ones for his title. I had a theory of how far off a person¡¯s personality was is directly proportional to their strength. Lana: ¡°Then, we¡¯ll just leave the address as here for now¡­I¡¯ll send off the letter to the university first thing in the morning. But even so, the reply back may take some time.¡± Well, that was expected and according to plan. We were going to go sight-seeing in the meantime. The Capital Library, live theatre, art museums and various other exhibits. We can go around to many locations that will be nurturing to our souls and expand our horizons. Teo: ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± Lanal: ¡°Yeah, me too! Is there some place you want to go?¡± Teo: ¡°There¡¯s a place that sells delicious snacks.¡± Lana: ¡°Then let¡¯s have dessert there!¡± Teo and Lana are making their plans while checking out a Capital Tour brochure. Lana¡¯s the Quest sponsor, and Teo is the youngest, so letting them choose our route will be fine. Cyril: ¡°Umm¡­ could I add something?¡± Lana: ¡°What is it, Miss Cyril?¡± Cyril: ¡°After we go to the university, could we drop by a certain place? I believe it¡¯s called¡­ Ah, here it is. The Torineko Street? I wanted to go here.¡± Torineko Street? I¡¯ve never heard of it. I¡¯ve done my fair share of guard quests for people visiting the Capital so I have the majority of tourist sites memorized. Jend: ¡°Hey Cyril, we¡¯re here for work.¡± Cyril: ¡°But I want to see Miss Ferris. It¡¯s been too long.¡± ¡­..ohhhhhhhhhh, I get it now. We¡¯re in the barracks if the knights. In case there is some sort of trouble in the city, they have the Capital City map posted. In fact, there is a huge one posted in the dining hall. The Black Dragon Knights do not reside in the Capital most of the year, but it¡¯s there for just in case. Henry: ¡°Torineko¡­ Torineko¡­ Ah! Found it. It¡¯s not that far from the university so we can drop by there I think.¡± Cyril¡¯s childhood friend, and Jend¡¯s crush - Ferris. I wonder what kind of girl she is. <<<<>>>> So we arrived at the university reception desk to deliver the letter. Afterwards, we dropped by the Torineko Street nearby. This area is nearer to the castle, so there are some luxurious residences lined up¡­...I know her family had a vacation home in Flowtier, but they must be really wealthy. Cyril: ¡°But even so, I just remember her telling us that she lives on this street, but we don¡¯t know her address.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, in that case, why don¡¯t we ask someone who lives in this area? You said she¡¯s from a family of knights, right? What¡¯s the family name?¡± Cyril: ¡°It¡¯s Harshall. Ferris Harshall.¡± We¡¯ll ask that lady right over there taking care of the lawn. Henry: ¡°Oh, excuse me. Sorry to bother you. I wanted to ask you a question. Do you have a moment to spare?¡± ¡°Oh, hello. ¡­.what could I do for a Heroic Warrior like yourself? Are you looking for a Quest Sponsor in this area?¡± She gives a glance to my Guild tag, and becomes friendlier as she recognizes the rank. Yeah, having a Heroic Warrior title in these circumstances is really handy. There are some real trouble makers who are adventurers, and if she mistook us for those ruffians, she would have quickly vanished inside the house.¡± Well, there¡¯s a high level of security and patrolling done in the area, so any trouble would invite a swarm of knights to descend upon us. Henry: ¡°Oh, yes. We¡¯re looking for the residence of the Harshalls. It¡¯s not a quest, but one of our party members is a friend of the Harshall¡¯s daughter.¡± As soon as I mention the name, her expression tightens. ¡°I see. You¡¯re a friend of dear Ferris...Unfortunately, they no longer live here. They used to live across the street from us.¡± Okay! We found their neighbor! But she¡¯s not here anymore? Henry: ¡°Did they move?¡± ¡°Well, not really. ...Ferris¡¯ father, who served as the captain of the White Dragon Knights, was arrested and convicted for embezzlement of public funds.¡± OUCH!! Geesh~ Ferris¡¯ dad has some guts to sneak money out from inside a Knight¡¯s group.. and she said the White Dragon Knights - they directly protect the Capital. They are literally the perfect symbol of innocence, justice, and strength. oh man... ¡°At the time, the house was surrounded by the White Dragon Knights, and¡­ it was a terrifyingly frightful scene¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Umm¡­ would you happen to know what happened to the family members?¡± ¡°They would not convict a child for her parent¡¯s crimes, but I¡¯m afraid that I don¡¯t know what has become of Ferris. Her mother passed many years ago, and it was just her and her father. I really do hope that she¡¯s okay.¡± With a deep and worrisome sigh, our conversation ends. Okay. That was really unexpected¡­ If it¡¯s just her, I hope she had a relative that would have taken her in. Without that¡­ it¡¯s a very wealthy country, so I¡¯m sure she could find work to survive. There are also bleaker possibilities but¡­ Henry: ¡°Umm, so yeah, Jend. Apparently it¡¯s like that.¡± Jend: ¡°If it¡¯s Ferris, I¡¯m not worried. She¡¯s one of the toughest girls I know.¡± He says this with fists clenched. ¡­.we meet back up with Teo and Lana we left behind at a caf¨¦. They didn¡¯t know Ferris so we thought that would be better, and it turned out to be the best decision so far. Okay, so what do we do now¡­ CH 25 Chapter 25: The Missing Person - Found I felt bad for Lana, but we dropped by one more location. We arrived at the doorsteps of the Capital¡¯s Grandes Church. Cyril: ¡°....huh? Henry, is this really the church?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, see? Here¡¯s the church emblem right here.¡± The shield with the two swords crossed - the familiar symbol of the god, Grandes. Cyril: ¡°But this place in the Capital is so much more smaller than our church in Flowtier! Oh, maybe there are multiple churches in this city?¡± Henry: ¡°Well, there are other churches, but those are actual churches just to offer your prayers. The only church catered to adventurers is here.¡± An Adventurer is a person who has swore an oath to fight to the god, Grandes. There are other followers of this church who have not sworn that same oath, and live a regular life of faith. There are larger churches for those followers in the Capital, but you won¡¯t find Quest Receptionists or anyone attending to the altars for the Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault. But, you will find taverns in all churches. There are those on their off days who will come for morning prayer and have a drink on the way out. This may sound sacrilegious to people outside the Grandes church, but it is the common practice for the Grandes followers. ¡­..but he¡¯s not the god of drinking either...but oh well. Anyways¡­ Henry: ¡°So Cyril, as an Adventurer, you can perform quests, but your main job is to defeat demonic creatures, right?¡± Cyril: ¡°Of course it is. Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± Henry: ¡°So if there are no demonic creatures around, we¡¯ll be out of a job.¡± Cyril: ¡°Wait, are you telling me there are NO demonic creatures in this area?¡± Henry: ¡°None.¡± This entire city and its neighboring territories have purification rituals regularly performed to prevent any demonic creatures from spawning out of the corruption. And even if they do spawn, they are immediately defeated by the patrolling soldiers. The demonic creatures you¡¯re supposed to fight aren¡¯t anywhere to be found. That¡¯s why very, VERY few adventurers make their base camp in the capital. Jend: ¡°Is that true? I thought I would meet a lot of strong adventurers in the Capital.¡± Henry: ¡°You won¡¯t meet a lot of professional adventurers who are strong here. But those who are adventurers as a side gig are usually knights, so they are strong.¡± The Grandes Church is the country¡¯s religion, so any soldiers or knights would swear oaths to defeat demonic creatures. They won¡¯t bother collecting drops or take on quests and will just drop by to draw from the Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault occasionally. Henry: ¡°But large cities like these will have plenty of different types of quests. There are adventurers who specialize for these quests, and they called it ¡®City-Style¡¯ adventuring, I think.¡± After getting some skills, strength, and experience in another town, you come back to a big city like this, and find daily employment through the church. Well, the only city really vigorously purifying their surrounding land is Centralio. If you go to the four corner cities, you can travel a little farther outside of the city to find hunting grounds. Henry: ¡°Teo, you¡¯re pretty good at doing many types of things, so you may fit in well as a city-style adventurer.¡± Teo: ¡°Do you think so? I just have a hard-time understanding how this is being an adventurer at all.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, yeah. That¡¯s true. You would be no different than most hired hands around the city.¡± But you¡¯re still an adventurer! Henry: ¡°But you¡¯re right. If you¡¯re going to ge doing city-style adventuring, it¡¯ll be safer and more stable to find permanent employment. But there¡¯s adventurers who have reasons why they can¡¯t find a position like that. The church will only review your current accomplishments and skill set, and doesn¡¯t immediately throw you out because of your past history, so that¡¯s a relief for a lot of adventurers. Lana: ¡°So Henry, why did we come here at all?¡± Henry: ¡°Sorry, Lana. I wanted to do something really quick. It¡¯ll be over in a sec.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t mind at all. I was just curious to know the reason.¡± Oh, that¡¯s right. I only told them that we were heading to the church without any further explanations. I was in too much of a hurry, and then we got off topic. Henry: ¡°So Cyril and Jend have a friend here. We currently don¡¯t know where she is, so I thought we could put in a quest to have someone look for her.¡± Jend: ¡°OH!! Got it! So we¡¯ll be the quest sponsor! I wouldn¡¯t have thought of that!¡± Well, we¡¯re the ones always taking quests, so yeah. I can see why it didn¡¯t occur to Jend. Henry: ¡°You¡¯ll be making a lot quests going forward. Quests to collect resources for new equipment. Quests to scope out new hunting grounds. Stuff like that.¡± Of course, the church will monitor and determine the contents of the quests, so you can¡¯t ask someone to be cannon fodder for strong demonic creatures, but making simple requests like these is no problem. Henry: ¡°Well, so it¡¯s like that. If it¡¯s a missing persons request, there is usually not a lot of danger, and the cost for sponsoring a quest like that should be reasonable.¡± Cyril: ¡°I see. Do you think someone will find Miss Ferris?¡± Henry: ¡°That, I don¡¯t know. If we get lucky, someone will contact us while we¡¯re still in the Capital.¡± I don¡¯t think it will be an unreasonable bet. When we asked the neighbor lady, all the relatives of the Harshall family cut ties with Ferris, and from what I heard of her from the two, she¡¯s a beautiful girl, the daughter of a incriminated knight, and it would be difficult to find proper employment with that kind of background. She would have been 14 or 15 at the time and being thrown out in the streets like that, she could wander into some shady businesses where healthy men frequent. There were plenty of girls like that in Ligaleo. But if you showed a smidge of sympathy, they would wrap you around their fingers and suck your wallet dry. Yup, tough girls are tough no matter where they fall. Regardless, adventurers tend to frequent these types of businesses, so someone may know something about where she is today. It¡¯s a depressing story for sure. Henry: ¡°Oh, let¡¯s stop standing around the entrance and go in.¡± <<<<>>>> The architecture and layout inside is identical to the church in Flowtier. But it¡¯s just slightly smaller, and the number of adventurers drinking inside were fewer. Well, I like getting a feel for other churches, but we have something to do, so we head straight to the counter. Someone I recognized was standing there. ¡°Oh my! Hello, Mr. Henry. It¡¯s been a while.¡± Henry: ¡°Hi, Miss Sonya. I¡¯m here because of a guard quest to the Capital.¡± The receptionist of the Capital - Sonya. She las long ears that are characteristic of Elves. Elves in general are very handsome and beautiful, but even among them, Sonya stands out. I¡¯m sure the church prioritizes putting beautiful girls at the front reception desk. Flowtier¡¯s Miss Felicia is also a gorgeous woman. Yup, I don¡¯t mind this policy at all. Sonya: ¡°How is Flowtier treating you?¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s a wonderful place to live.¡± When I took quests at the Capital or took guard quests helping people get to Ligaleo, I always spoke to her. It feels very nostalgic and familiar. Henry: ¡°Oh, but we¡¯re actually here today to submit a quest.¡± Sonya: ¡°I understand. How may I help you today?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, these are the members of my party - Cyril, Jend, and Teo. Cyril and Jend are looking for someone who lives in the Capital.¡± Sonya: ¡°I see. So you are making a missing persons quest. Could you describe the person you are looking for?¡± Sonya takes out a memo notebook and starts jotting down details. I gesture to Jend to step forward. Because it wasn¡¯t Miss Felicia, Jend was a little stiff and awkward, but he began to quickly describe Ferris. Jend: ¡°So her name is Ferris Harshall. She has blonde hair and had it cut to shoulder length at the time I knew her. She has blue eyes. She wanted to be a knight when she grew up, so she should be fit for a girl and..¡± Sonya: ¡°...pardon the interruption.¡± Jend: ¡°Yes?¡± Sonya cuts Jend off mid-sentence. Sonya: ¡°Are you referring to Miss Ferris who is right over there?¡± Jend turns very abruptly to look behind him. I turn to look back too. ¡­.and a woman that matched Jend¡¯s description stood with her mouth open staring back at us. Ah, oh yeah... When I was explaining to them about city-style adventurers, didn¡¯t I tell them, ¡°because some may have reasons why they can¡¯t get normal employment¡±? Ohhhhh¡­ so she DIDN¡¯T plummet straight into the nearest brothel. That was a very vulgar thing to imagine. I, Henry, am deeply sorry and ashamed. Ferris: ¡°Jend? Cyril?¡± Cyril: ¡°Miss Ferris, it¡¯s been too long!¡± Cyril sprints up to Ferris and dives straight into her arms. Ferris: ¡°Ack! Cyril! Hey! Stop that!¡± Cyril: ¡°Ahhhh, we haven¡¯t seen you in so long, we were so worried! Thank god your okay!¡± Ferris: ¡°Aw, Cyril...you really haven¡¯t changed.¡± Ferris gave up on getting Cyril off of her, and scratches her cheek. Jend: ¡°Yo, Ferris.¡± Ferris: ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Jend¡­ judging from the situation, I guess you already know about me.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, we swung by your old house.¡± The conversation goes silent. Um¡­ yeah, I get that it¡¯s difficult to talk about that, but let¡¯s hold off on it a little longer. Henry: ¡°He~y, let¡¯s switch venues. We¡¯re getting too much unwanted attention here.¡± My party would not be affected, but this is Ferris¡¯ central hub. Things might get difficult for her if we¡¯re not careful.¡± Ferris: ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right. Umm¡­¡± Ferris has a hard time finding her words. Henry: ¡°It¡¯s Henry. I¡¯m in the same party as these two. And this is¡­¡± Teo: ¡°I am Teo. I¡¯m also a member of this party.¡± Lana: ¡°My name is Lana. I am not an adventurer, and I am being helped by everyone here at the moment.¡± Ferris nodded with each introduction, and stood straight when she introduced herself. Ferris: ¡°I¡¯m Ferris. I no longer have the Harshall Family name, but I will one day become a knight.¡± Her eyes did not have a glint of doubt, and her bold expression spoke of her determination. She¡¯s a really cool, admirable person. Unlike the girls in our party, she also held many other bigger things. If it wasn¡¯t for Jend, she would be someone I¡¯d be interested in getting to know better. <<<<>>>> So we headed to a park near the church. It¡¯s not a typical holiday so there are a few kids with their mothers, but no one else. We let Teo and Lana sit on a bench a little bit farther from us, and continue our conversation. I assumed that the topic would get a little heavy. Ferris: ¡°So both Jend and Cyril both became adults. You both have grown so much.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, you were taller than me before, but now I¡¯m taller than you.¡± Ferris: ¡°I¡¯m fairly tall myself, but there¡¯s no way I could beat men when they hit their growth spurts.¡± A typical conversation between childhood friends. It¡¯s refreshing to see Jend¡¯s childish side. Cyril: ¡°Did you hear, Henry? She said that I¡¯ve gotten bigger too.¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s good¡­¡± You¡¯re still that size after growing bigger...? Cyril: ¡°Why are you looking at me with so much pity!!¡± Henry: ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it!¡± Dangit, she caught on to me. Ferris: ¡°Haha, Cyril, you¡¯re still only 16. You have plenty of time to grow. Mr. Henry, was it? Please don¡¯t tease her too much.¡± Henry: ¡°Fine by me. Can I call you Ferris?¡± Ferris: ¡°Of course. It¡¯s an honor to have a Heroic Warrior remember me by name.¡± Ouch! My guilt! Her straightforward gaze is so bright against my dark and twisted imagination of what I imagined was her fate!! Ferris: ¡°Are you all adventurers in Flowtier?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re fighting Griffins now.¡± Ferris: ¡°That¡¯s impressive.¡± The middle of mid-tier demonic creatures - the Griffin. If you can hunt these guys safely, you can confidently claim that you¡¯re an average adventurer. The fact that it hasn¡¯t even been an year since Jend and Cyril started, they are growing at an amazing pace. Cyril: ¡°And what about you, Miss Ferris?¡± Ferris: ¡°Well, you heard about my father, right? Because of that, I have some debt myself, so I¡¯m working to pay that off by taking quests at the church.¡± ¡­.what? Wait, something¡¯s not right there. Henry: ¡°Wait, a child should not be held responsible for their parent¡¯s debts¡­¡± This country has strict laws concerning that. It¡¯s a very stable country, so I can¡¯t imagine there being that much twisted politics and corruption that would force Ferris to receive punishment as well. Of course, other countries might exile the whole family depending on the amount of money but still... Ferris: ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right. But there are also no laws saying that you can¡¯t take on the debt.¡± ¡­.so you VOLUNTARILY took part of your father¡¯s debts and are paying it off? Jend: ¡°Why are you doing that? The debt is your father¡¯s responsibility.¡± Jend doesn¡¯t seem to like the idea. I agree with him. Ferris: ¡°But even if I didn¡¯t know at the time, I lived off that money until my father was found out. I¡¯ve lived a pretty luxurious life, and I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m wholly innocent of the matter.¡± Henry: ¡°....yeah, you¡¯re still not responsible for what happened.¡± Ferris: ¡°You¡¯re a straight shooter, Mr. Henry.¡± I mean, it¡¯s one thing if you were the wife, but as the kid? Your parents are the ones who made all the purchases knowingly, but how or when would you start doubting if the money cane from an illegal source? Ferris: ¡°I know that even if I were to pay off my piece of the debt, it won¡¯t lessen my father¡¯s sins or help him get released, but I hope that by doing so, he could live just a bit easier as he serves his time. My father is my father after all.¡± The last bit is probably her real reason. She¡¯s a good daughter. Compared to her, her father is...I mean, could he have had his reasons? Yeah, I can¡¯t think of any extenuating circumstances that also include purchasing vacation homes. I can¡¯t vouch for you, sir. Ferris: ¡°Well, it was great getting to see you all, but I must be going. I have a job to get to.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, Miss Ferris. Even if you can¡¯t today, we¡¯re staying here for a while, so let¡¯s hang out again. So please tell me where you live now.¡± Ferris: ¡°...you really haven¡¯t changed, Cyril.¡± I guess she was planning on leaving without telling us how to contact her again. I don¡¯t think she feels bothered by us, but rather she feels that we¡¯ll be bothered by her. Being a daughter of a criminal with large debts, she may be worried about how people will perceive us if we hang around her. Even in this short amount of time, I could tell that she was very considerate of others. Ferris wrote down her address and gave it to Cyril. Ferris: ¡°I don¡¯t have a lot of free time, but maybe in 3 days?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes! We¡¯ll see you then!¡± Cyril waves her hands enthusiastically. Alright. Now what should we do¡­ Henry: ¡°Jend~, Cyril and I will show Lana and Teo around, so go do something about that face of yours.¡± Jend: ¡°....yeah, sorry¡­¡± What should we do with this really heavy atmosphere¡­ CH 26 Chapter 26: Training with the Black Dragon Knights We had that incident about Ferris, but other than Jend, our party still enjoyed touring the Capital. We went to a famous restaurant to have lunch, visited the Capital Museum, an art museum, and enjoyed snacks at Teo¡¯s recommended dessert shop. After we thoroughly enjoyed our sweets, we went to a ¡°Wish Fountain,¡± that asked us to throw in money to make a wish. Only Cyril tried it out. And to wrap it all up, we went to a portion of the Castle that was open to the public since it was nearby the Black Dragon Knight¡¯s barracks. It was a very thorough and nice day of sight-seeing. The only issue was that I was the only guy there, so I did feel a little left out the entire time¡­ Ugh, Jend. I wish you would just pull it together. It¡¯s lonely being the only guy. Cyril: ¡°Hi~, we¡¯re back~¡± Cyril opens the front door to the Black Dragon Knight¡¯s barracks. Ezeal: ¡°Oh! Welcome back!¡± Cyril: ¡°Huh? Ack! Ahhhh!!¡± And let out a scream after seeing Sir Ezeal with just a towel wrapped around his waist. I calmly cover Teo and Lana¡¯s eyes. Teo: ¡°What is it, Mr. Henry?¡± Lana: ¡°Mr. Henry, you don¡¯t have to worry about me. I work in the Inn¡¯s dining hall, and..,there¡¯s some drunk customers who start undressing.¡± Teo had no problems with the scene, and Lana was slightly embarrassed but was not shocked. Cyril was the only one who was bright red, panicking, and crying out a wave of objections. Cyril: ¡°Wh-wh-wh-wh-what are you thinking being undressed like that outside your room?!¡± Ezeal: ¡°Oh? ¡­.ohhhhh...pardon my manners, little miss! I completely forgot that we had some ladies present!¡± Sir Ezeal was telling Cyril how he just got done training and washed off the sweat. He didn¡¯t look sorry at all. Well, to be fair, in a group of knights, it is a co-ed environment, and they all dress and undress around each other. And of course, if you do something perverted in that situation, you could get expelled from the knights. Ezeal: ¡°Oh, Henry. Your friend, Jend, was it? He came back earlier, but hasn¡¯t left his room today. Did something happen?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, yeah. Umm¡­¡± It¡¯s a private matter, so I shouldn¡¯t be talking about this to just anyone. But it does involve the Knight groups, and Sir Ezeal may know something helpful. Ezeal: ¡°?? What is it, Henry? You¡¯re just staring at me and haven¡¯t said a word.¡± ¡­¡­¡­..Sir Ezeal¡¯s.....wisdom? Wait, wait, wait¡­ let¡¯s not be so rude. Even if Sir Ezeal is like...this...EVEN SO! He is the leader of one of the biggest country¡¯s Knights. He doesn¡¯t just laugh really loud while destroying demonic creatures on a regular basis, but he has also fought through the politics of the Capital...hopefully fought with his wits and not his sword...but I would believe it if he brute forced his way through all his problems. He has that kind of aura. Well, regardless, let¡¯s just have a quick chat. He¡¯s not the kind to frivolously spread rumors. Henry: ¡°Well, actually, there is something I wanted to talk to you about.¡± Ezeal: ¡°Ah! A worrisome problem, I see! I may not be able to help you, but you¡¯ll have my full attention!!¡± For just listening, he¡¯s really energetic! Ezeal: ¡°Then let¡¯s head to my room. Hm? Oh, Lady Cyril. I appreciate your admiring gaze at my muscles of steel, but I do have a beloved wife, so if you will please, I would appreciate not sending such passionate gazes my way.¡± Cyril: ¡°Who¡­?! Wh-What are you talking about?!¡± I guess Cyril is still young girl going through her teenage years. But to be fair, even men would admire how built Sir Ezeal is. Cyril continues to scream protests our way, but Sir Ezeal and I head into his study. This is the room for the commander of the knights. It is the farthest room inside the barracks, and also the biggest room as well. As we enter, there is a very calming atmosphere to the place. I thought it would be full of weapons and training equipment, but the walls are lined with bookshelves and are filled with books. Just perusing through the titles, I saw Strategy books, Tactics books, law books, philosophies, finance, and war histories, etc. etc. He puts on a robe and sits down in his seat. He definitely emits an aura of importance as he does so. Ezeal: ¡°Hmph, this room is still so damned uncomfortable! I get goosebumps when I¡¯m surrounded by books!¡± ¡­...that¡¯s right. This isn¡¯t the his regular room. His room is somewhere in the barracks on the front lines. Henry: ¡°Then what are all these books here?¡± Ezeal: ¡°They are a collection handed down from previous commanders. There are some important documents within this stack, so I can¡¯t just get rid of them. Do you want it?¡± Henry: ¡°You can¡¯t just hand this stuff over to me!!¡± And besides, I¡¯m not as bad as Sir Ezeal, but I¡¯m not that great with books either. I couldn¡¯t even read that poetry anthology. Ezeal: ¡°Well, that¡¯s enough of that. What is it that you wanted to speak to me about?¡± Henry: ¡°Well¡­.¡± Part of me feels that I would regret confiding with him. But I can¡¯t reconsider now. Doing so will only put me in a situation of extreme uncomfortableness and pressure from the torrent of questions at full Sir Ezeal volume that will come my way. I give up and tell him the story. Ezeal: ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I tell him about Ferris and her Father. Ezeal: ¡°Mmhmm¡­.hm?¡± And about her present predicaments. And I haven¡¯t known her for long, but my general impression of her character and personality. What her neighbors said about her. And finally that Jend is head over heels for her. I finish my explanation, and wrap it up with, ¡°So that¡¯s the situation.¡± Ezeal: ¡°Hmmm¡­ I see.¡± Sir Ezeal nods as he hears my entire explanation. Ezeal: ¡°That young man does not have to lament like that. She¡¯s not injured or sick. Even for the debts, it¡¯s not as though she herself is being crushed by it. In fact, it¡¯s the complete opposite! She¡¯s striving bravely to pay it off! Could he not say, ¡®Now that¡¯s the woman I fell in love with!¡¯ and encourage her in kind?¡± Henry: ¡°Well, now that you put it that way¡­¡± If the person going through the hardship is not feeling sad, it is odd for a bystander to feel sadder than her. Ezeal: ¡°But I understand your situation now. I will reach out to the commander of the White Dragon Knights, and hear her side if the story.¡± Henry: ¡°Are you sure? This is just a private and personal matter¡­ Would the other Knight organization feel annoyed if we brought this up?¡± Ezeal: ¡°Do not fret. Beatriz is not that narrow-minded.¡± Commander Beatriz, huh. I saw her twice from afar when the White Dragon Knights came to help us on the frontlines. From a glance, she¡¯s a frightening commander...but I guess Sir Ezeal is older and has been a commander longer, so it should be okay. Henry: ¡°In that case, could we ask for your help?¡± Ezeal: ¡°Nothing may get done, but you can leave it to me!¡± Sir Ezeal bangs his chest and nods his head. <<<<>>>> It was the next day after my talk with Sir Ezeal. Henry: ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we last had a match, Owen.¡± Owen: ¡°I¡¯ll sweep the match today. I¡¯ve been training and fighting since the day you left till now.¡± I face off with one of the younger Black Dragon Knights who is also a spear user. There were also other people dueling and training on the training grounds. Today, we decided to join in on the Black Dragon Knight¡¯s daily training. This morning, Sir Ezeal barged through the door asking, ¡°Why don¡¯t you and your comrades come train with us? No, you need to come train with us right now!¡± And came to convince(?) us without giving us a choice, so we¡¯re here now. And while I do appreciate my trainings with Jend, I needed something different to fine tune my skills. Hence, why I¡¯m training with Owen, Cyril: *gasp¡­. *gasp¡­. He...nry¡­.how¡­*gasp.. many¡­ more la~~~ps¡­?¡± Henry: ¡°Keep going Cyril~. Just 10 more laps, and I¡¯ll buy you dessert.¡± Cyril: ¡°D-don¡¯t underestimate my power when sweets are on the...line¡­¡± And right now, Cyril is currently running a marathon. If she were to do physical training with the Black Dragon Knights, she would severely injure herself. I told her 10 more laps, but to train her mental stamina, I plan on telling her ¡°great job, just 5 more laps¡± with a smile. I can¡¯t wait. Owen: ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking, but your party members are those cute girls? Yeah, you¡¯re eating dirt today.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I guess they¡¯re cute but¡­ whoops.¡± Without waiting for a signal to begin, Owen struck, but I dodge quickly. I can¡¯t let my guard down. Owen uses small shifts with his holds and wrist to thrust his spear in odd, unexpected ways. Even though we¡¯ve fought many times, I still can¡¯t get used to his style. He aims for my chest, legs, face, and shoulders. I strike at him to prevent other strikes from coming in. I managed to avoid direct hits, but I¡¯ve been on the defense this entire time¡­ But¡­!! Henry: ¡°Hmph!!¡± Owen: ¡°Ergh!!¡± I strike with brute force at Owen¡¯s spear. He¡¯s got skill and technique, but his power and speed is on the lower end of the Knights. I break his balance, and strike deep at him. I thought I would get him at this timing but I strike something else hard. GAKIN! (*sfx metal striking metal) And my spear comes back with a sensation saying it was an incomplete attack. He blocked with his armor before I could get enough momentum on my thrust. Owen: ¡°You¡¯re too naive!!¡± Henry: ¡°Look who¡¯s talking!!¡± Don¡¯t think you can just block my strikes with crazy moves like that. You hurt your shoulder from that last strike. With that injury, Owen lost some of his refined, graceful movements, and I secured a win at the end. The match was only for a few minutes, but it was helpful and stimulating for both spear users. Owen: ¡°Ugh, now I¡¯m back to a 1 out of 5 win rate.¡± Henry: ¡°Let me tell you, Jend over there can win 1 out of 3 when it¡¯s just weapons only.¡± Owen: ¡°Huh...nice. Good for him. It¡¯s no wonder the commander set his sights on him.¡± Jend¡¯s mood hasn¡¯t improved this morning, but now Sir Ezeal is training him, and there¡¯s no time to mope around. After getting beat within seconds, Jend did not attempt a second match but had Sir Ezeal check his sword swinging form. With every swing, a shout of instructions comes sharply from Sir Ezeal, and Jend continues his wings while gritting his teeth. Sir Ezeal has studied the Single Blade of a Fire God style, and his instructions are spot on. Owen: ¡°You¡¯re right. Kid¡¯s got a good swing.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, if we include the use of magecraft or other skills, I¡¯ll still beat him 99% of the time.¡± Owen: ¡°Don¡¯t be so childish. It doesn¡¯t look like that kid can use magecraft.¡± Henry: ¡°He wants to learn eventually.¡± Practice matches with just physical strengthening magic is good to refine your moves and skills, but in a real fight, there are more things to have to keep in mind. If I were to pull more tricks up my sleeve, I wouldn¡¯t lose to Jend just yet. But looking at Jend with Sir Ezeal¡¯s training, he might improve significantly with leaps and bounds after today. As far as large broadsword users go, Sir Ezeal is not only one the top in the country, but he¡¯s at the pinnacle of all civilizations combined. You can tell by the quality of his subordinates skills that he¡¯s also a skilled instructor. I¡¯m sure al martial artists would grind their teeth in envy at Jend¡¯s fortune. Henry: ¡°Oh, hey, Owen. You took a good beating on that shoulder. Go have a Healer take a look at it.¡± Owen: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. You wait there, I¡¯ll beat you next time.¡± The difficulty of learning a magecraft that heals wounds is extremely high. Very few have been able to obtain mastery enough for difficult surgeries, and even users who can use my [HEAL] Teol which can only heal light wounds are very few. So a magecraft user specializing in [HEAL] magic has a special title known as a Healer. And these Healers can make lots of money almost anywhere they go. There are not that many who become knights or adventurers. ¡­.but when it comes to the top Knight organizations of a country, they can afford having a Healer in the training vicinity. Yes, they try to make the training and combat as close to real combat as possible and as a result, the trainees get injured, but it¡¯s definitely a huge luxury to have. And after waiting a bit, Owen returned from the Healer¡¯s post near the training grounds, and we fought a few more matches. Ezeal: ¡°Alright! On to the next!¡± With Sir Ezeals¡¯s shout, the practice matches are finished. Ezeal: ¡°Next, we will do actual combat 1 on 1! Unlike your practice match, you may use all skills and tactics available to you! Like always, be weary and careful as you give your best!¡± Before, I was trying not to use my magecraft spells, but the restrictions have been lifted. Owen is also an excellent magecrafter, so he¡¯ll give me a hard time. Unless my opponent changes that is. Ezeal: ¡°Henry! You¡¯re with me! Let¡¯s see what you¡¯re still made of!¡± ¡­¡­¡­...seriously? CH 27 Chapter 27: Real Combat Simulation Training and the Healer I stand a certain distance apart from Sir Ezeal and face him. In an actual combat training match, if we start any closer, I would have no chance against him. Henry: ¡°Oh grea~t¡­ I really hope he doesn¡¯t defeat me in an instant¡­¡± Everyone is watching the fight between Sir Ezeal and I. Sir Ezeal said, ¡°HA HA HA!! There will be much you can learn from this match!¡± and called everyone to observe. Jend, Cyril, and Teo are also observing VERY closely. ¡­..well, this may be better considering how dangerous it will be for the people around us when Sir Ezeal and I start fighting. I glanced at Sir Ezeal, and he stood there with an unbelievable amount of concentration visibly swirling around him. We¡¯re standing far apart and yet my will to fight is being pushed to the ground just by the sight. I knew he wouldn¡¯t go easy on me, but I did still hope just a little bit. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll try to come full out and kill me, so he won¡¯t use his [Mountain Splitter] on me¡­¡­..he won¡¯t, right? Ezeal: ¡°HA HA HA! Henry! Just standing like this across from you gets my blood pumping!¡± Ohhhhhh... CRAP. He¡¯s definitely going to use it. As soon as he sees an opening, he¡¯s going to unleash his legendary [Mountain Splitter] without a doubt. ¡­¡­..DANGIT. If you¡¯re going full out, then I¡¯m also not holding back. I¡¯m going in with everything I got. Henry: *deep inhale... I suck in a very deep breath and loosen my tightened muscles. I relax the hand holding the Nyoiten Spear. I¡¯m not going to cast my magecraft until the match begins, but I begin to circulate the magic within me and raise my concentration. And at that point, Mr. Ryden, who is going to be our referee, steps forward. Ryden: ¡°Then we shall begin. Commander, Henry, are you both ready?¡± Ezeal: ¡°Yes!!¡± Henry: ¡°Anytime.¡± Mr. Ryden raises his hand¡­..and swings it down. Ryden: ¡°BEGIN!¡± Ezeal: ¡°UOOOOOOOOOOGH!!¡± (*sfx shout) Sir Ezeal bellows out a battle roar and charges forward. I guess he¡¯s not going to use [Mountain Splitter] from the getgo! But I¡¯m putting everything into my initial move!! Henry: ¡°[STRENGTHEN] Hazac + [STRENGTHEN] Hazac + [STRENGTHEN] Hazac!!¡± I layer 3 strength enhancements on my spear. The magic roars into the spear and as it shines brightly, and I bring it back behind me and take one hard step forward. Ezeal: ¡°Hm?! He¡¯s going for it!¡± Henry: ¡°O-RAAAAAAAA!!¡± (*sfx yell) And I launch the spear from my hand. A streak of light blazes straight at Sir Ezeal, and after a moment¡­ Henry: ¡°[SPLIT APART]!¡± I pour my will into the spear. The Nyoiten Spear obeys my command as it splits into 20 separate spears. This is my godly equipment, the Nyoiten Spear¡¯s 3rd ability. I can make it duplicate if I throw it. If I duplicate it, the magic spent also increases according to how many times I clone it, and its initial power will remain unchanged. The magic cost to attack ratio is abysmal, but I get to strike 20 times with my ultimate move in one go. Ezeal ¡°UUUUUUUURRRRGGGHHHH!!¡± Even Sir Ezeal had to stop in his tracks to deal with the incoming attack. He immediately stops in place and takes a defensive stance. The spears of light land where Sir Ezeal stood, and a dust cloud whips around him - blocking his sight. I bring the spear immediately back to my hands and pour magic into it again. Henry: ¡°[STRENGTHEN] Hazac + [STRENGTHEN] Hazac¡± I chunk my spear once more. ¡­..and right after I throw... Ezeal: ¡°HAAAAAA!!!¡± Sir Ezeal¡¯s energy explodes and the clouds of dust immediately get pushed away. ¡­.his armor is damaged, but he¡¯s only received very minor wounds¡­..is this guy really human?! Ezra: ¡°I appreciate all the craters you¡¯ve created in our training field, Henry! Just as I would expect from you!¡± This time, Sir Ezeal moves quickly forward towards the oncoming spears. ¡­...he knew I reduced the amount of magic in order to conserve magic energy¡­.this is bad... Sir Ezeal raises and brings down his sword hard against the spears coming directly at him. He allows the rest to deflect off his armor and body. ¡­¡­¡­..look, even if I conserved one [STRENGTHEN] Hazac, it still has enough of a punch to pierce a dragon¡¯s scale, so what is up with his [PHYSICAL STRENGTHEN] level?! Henry: ¡°Gah!! Not good!!¡± Ezeal: ¡°I won¡¯t give you a 3rd chance!¡± I brought my Nyoiten spear back into my hands, and Sir Ezeal had gotten much closer to me. Before he gets into my range, I change from the throwing spear form to a hand-to-hand combat spear form, and immediately thrust forward. Sir Ezeal easily parries the spear right in front of him. ¡­..but I add a spiraling motion to the thrust and do not allow him to get any closer. There is no way I could compete against the quality of his weapon and agility, so I have to maximize one of the very few advantages I have - the range of my weapon. Ezeal: ¡°Hmph!!¡± Just like in my previous match with Owen, Sir Ezeal with brute force slams his sword against my spear. If I tried to hold on to my weapon, he would have put me off balance, but I allow my body to follow the hit as I let go of my spear. And I immediately return it to my hands. Ezeal: ¡°A troublesome ability as always!¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s not flashy or fancy, but it¡¯s reliable!¡± He comes closer a step at a time. I¡¯m barely keeping him off me by shrinking and extending my spear and making my attack range fluctuate wildly, but it won¡¯t last long. 2 steps closer, and it¡¯s my loss. Henry: ¡°.........[STRENGTHEN] Hazac + [RESTRAIN] Katerno!!¡± In a close range combat where each moment can determine your loss, using magecraft here is a gamble. But I¡¯ve been training and fighting alongside Sir Ezeal. I was able to luckily time one of his inhales to spring a spell on him. Ezeal: ¡°That won¡¯t work on me!!¡± A chain made of magic is nothing to Sir Ezeal, but I¡¯m able to gain a precious second. I jump backwards, and fire another spell. Henry: ¡°[FIRE] Ignis + [LAUNCH] VEROS!!¡± I can only gain another second with this, but during that time, I drive my spear into the ground, and spray Sir Ezeal with a cloud of dust. He shouldn¡¯t be able to see me. He may just bust through it with another one of his brute force energy bursts, but I scramble to the side and swing my spear. ¡­.but my plan backfires, as I see one beam of light burst upwards out of the cloud of dust. Ezeal: ¡°Giving me time to prepare this move was a critical mistake.¡± Oh crap. I was still running to his side when I realized my error. A wave of energy bursts out from Sir Ezeal¡¯s body wiping away the remaining clouds of dust. Ezeal: ¡°It is checkmate!¡± Using the large broadsword as a focus, magic explodes from it as it transforms into a sword of light. This is Sir Ezeal¡¯s ultimate move, ¡°Luminous Blade.¡± This is just to prepare for his [MOUNTAIN SPLITTER] at full power. ¡­¡­¡­..even though I relocated, he identified my exact location with impeccable timing and calculation. Yup, I lost. Ezeal: ¡°HAAAAAAAAAA!!!¡± Sir Ezeal brings down his Luminous Blade, and a wall of light that would easily destroy a fortress appears before my eyes. I was able to bring my spear back in time to try and deflect it, but my spear arm and main standing leg both break at the bone. ¡­¡­¡­.continuing the match from here is impossible. It¡¯s my loss. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!?!¡± If I didn¡¯t block the last blow, I would have easily died! I broke my left hand and right leg and couldn¡¯t move, but I still throw my protest at Sir Ezeal. Ezeal: ¡°You had my full confidence that you would survive that attack. You should be proud of yourself. Even if I did accidentally strike you, I was going to stop my blade at the moment it hit.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know how you could have possibly stopped a swing like that mid-way through but okay¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Do not fret. If I released my Luminous Blade, the blade that would have reached you will have disappeared.¡± Oh, ...hmmm, I see. ¡­..but wait. If you released it after it hit me, it would have still hit me and gave me a critical if not fatal injury, no? Ezeal: ¡°But Henry, even though your spear throwing tactics were superb as always, you are still unable to deal with me properly when I get into striking range. Continue training and improving this weakness.¡± Henry: ¡°Sir Ezeal¡¯s skills are way above anything I¡¯ll be able to deal with¡­..¡± I consider myself a first-rate spear user, but compared to this man¡¯s swordsmanship, there¡¯s nothing I can do. As soon as I¡¯m caught in his range, it¡¯s over. I¡¯m 100% confident about that. He¡¯s way above me in physical strength, magic power, and skill. Against someone like that, I think I held out as long as I could. Ezeal: ¡°Hmmm, but we¡¯ll need to repair and restore the field or we can¡¯t continue training.¡± I look away quickly far into the distance and didn¡¯t meet his eyes. In my initial attack, my 20 spears created multiple creators everywhere. If I was to use [STRENGTHEN] Hazac five times, I would completely run out of magic and pass out, so I didn¡¯t go all out with that throw, but the condition of the field is still¡­..bad. Ezeal: ¡°Okay everyone! Fill in the holes! It¡¯ll be good physical training! Afterwards, we will continue the real combat training matches! Show me what you have learned from the match you just saw!¡± The Knights respond energetically in kind. And suddenly, there¡¯s an immediate construction project being completed by the Black Dragon Knights. They¡¯re used to this kind of activity, so it¡¯s done smoothly and efficiently. Ezeal: ¡°And Henry, go to that cottage over there. There¡¯s a Healer on standby there. Get your wounds fixed up. Do not fret, I heard that their skills are good. They will fix up your broken bones in no time.¡± Henry: ¡°Understood.¡± It¡¯s the Black Dragon Knights who are paying the fees, but they are paying an hourly rate so I gladly accept the offer. Henry: ¡°Hey, Jend!¡± Jend: ¡°Hm? What¡¯s up?¡± Jend was helping out fill the holes with the Knights, but he looks up as I call his name. Henry: ¡°I need to get to the Healer! Could you give me a hand?¡± Jend: ¡°Oh, okay. I¡¯ll be right there.¡± If this was the battlefield, I¡¯ll cast [HEAL] Teol and stop the pain temporarily as I relocate myself, but there¡¯s a chance that the wounds could get worse if I do that, so I get Jend to help me. Jend: ¡°....but Henry. You were really strong out there. I thought I was catching up to you pretty quickly during our trainings but¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s no way we could any training with magecraft mixed in. It¡¯ll wreck your yard like this.¡± Jend¡¯s house is large and well built, but if I start rampaging with magic filled spear throws, it¡¯ll easily flatten to the ground. Jend: ¡°Well, I got a glimpse of your skill when you handled the Griffin so easily, but the top sure is far up ahead.¡± Henry: ¡°I mean, I am bragging about this, but if you take out all the system breaking cheaters like Sir Ezeal out of the adventurers group, I¡¯ll be pretty close to the top. I¡¯m not going to let you beat me that easily.¡± But there are a lot of cheats in this world though! I can easily think of 10 people who are right above me. Grrr, it hurts. The cottage is still far away. Jend: ¡°Sir Grandezeal, huh. I had him take a look at my sword skills, but I wonder if I¡¯ll be able to reach his level some day. Then maybe I¡¯ll have a chance with Ferris¡­¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure strength will have nothing to do with whether she¡¯ll go out with you or not.¡± Jend: ¡°No, she really likes strong men. So I need to show her what I¡¯m made of. Like, strong enough to be able to tell her, ¡®Look, you¡¯re mine now!¡¯ like that.¡± The door to the cottage opens. ¡°Um, sorry. I couldn¡¯t help but overhear. Jend, I know I said those things as a child, but I¡¯m not going to just decide on my partner from strength alone.¡± Jend: ¡°........WH---....¡± And out comes the person we were just talking about. Ferris: ¡°H-hi Mr. Henry. I was watching from the window, but that¡¯s amazing that you were able to fight so well again the Hero, Commander Grandezeal.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, um...thank you? ¡­..But Ferris, why are you here?¡± Ferris seems to be quite surprised herself, and clears her throat once lightly. Ferris: ¡°One of my most common quests is to be on standby as a Healer for Knight Organizations while they train. I¡¯m typically the Healer for the White Dragon Knights, but today I¡¯m over here. It had something to do with Commander Beatriz of the White Dragon Knights meeting with Commander Grandezeal, and she recommended that I come here today. But I never dreamed of seeing you Mr. Henry¡­.or Jend¡­¡± ¡­..I mean, yeah, yesterday, I did talk to Sir Ezeal about Ferris, yeah. And he said something about talking to Commander Beatriz, yeah... but... How could I have ever imagined him dragging her here like this?! Oh crap. Jend completely petrified and completely froze in place. I don¡¯t blame him. ¡­¡­.My condolences, Jend. CH 28 Chapter 28: Jend and Ferris Ferris: ¡°[Merciful Goddess, please grant us the light of healing]¡± And as Ferris chants the incantation that will trigger the spell, her bracelet, which is the spellcall stone she has equipped, begins to glow with a bright light. Ferris places a hand on mine and says, ¡°[HEAL LIGHT]¡± My body is enveloped by light. The swelling from my broken arm and leg visibly lessen, and by the time the glow from the light faded, it was completely healed. Henry: ¡°Wow¡­.that was amazing.¡± I move my arm and leg around to check, but there is nothing wrong with them that I can tell. ¡­..there are very few people who can use magecraft of this level, and even among them, she¡¯s probably at the top of her class. Henry: ¡°So you were a follower of the Goddess of Mother Earth.¡± This magecraft type, the magecraft of salvation ¡°Ningale¡¯s Hand¡± is the technique solely owned by the church that worships the Goddess of Mother Earth Ningale. And without passing the church¡¯s examinations, you are not even allowed to purchase the mage-crafted spellcall stones - they are that adamant about safeguarding their spells and techniques. Some have called them out to share their techniques more openly, but if you fail at casting this spell, it can actually destroy the body they were trying to heal. If the wound worsens, that¡¯s actually a better outcome because their body can mutate or rot and fall off. So because of that, they are resistant to spreading their techniques to more groups. ¡­..and I know of a saint who actually uses this to her advantage, and casts failed healing spells at demonic creatures to cause their bodies to rot and die. If the church heard about this, I think she would be excommunicated. Ferris: ¡°Yeah, I have sworn an oath to the God of Grandes, but my main faith is with Ningale¡¯s god.¡± There are actually many people who do this. They will not only follow 2 but 3 or 4 other gods. I heard that there is a process when becoming a follower of other churches, but the god of Grandes does not reject any who come to him. I mean, he¡¯s basically like, ¡°Does it really matter if they¡¯re killing demonic creatures?¡± so the bar is set very low if there is a bar at all. This confidence may stem from being the largest and most prolific religious group in the Kingdom. Henry: ¡°Well, anyways, thanks for healing my injuries.¡± Ferris: ¡°This is my job. No need to thank me.¡± I thank her, and then wonder what we should do about this situation. Jend: ¡°H-Henry¡­if your injuries are healed, let¡¯s go back...we still need to fill in those holes you made....¡± Henry: ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that, Mr. Jend~. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re a part of the Knight Organization, and we weren¡¯t obligated to train with them in the first place~.¡± I bring my arm around his shoulder and whisper into his ear. I make sure that my words only reach him and no one else. Henry: (....look, I know this isn¡¯t how you planned on things happening, but it happened so make up your mind.) Jend: (.....make up my mind how? What are you talking about?) Henry: (I¡¯m talking about your confession - your confession of love. Look, the way she responded was not bad. If you push, I think she¡¯ll give in.) Ferris was a little troubled hearing Jend¡¯s words, but she was not obviously disgusted or repulsed by the thought. In fact, she¡¯s stealing glances at Jend as we speak. Well~~~, I mean, if a childhood friend just suddenly appeared on your doorstep and spouted those words, of course you would be troubled. Jend: (B---but Ferris¡¯ problems are not¡­) Henry: (Look, those things shouldn¡¯t get in your way. Just convince her to come to Flowtier with you.) Seeing her skills today, I would welcome to her to our party in Flowtier. Jend will get to have the love of his life beside him. I will make a solid connection with a very skilled Healer. And I¡¯m sure Cyril will jump up with joy at the news. No one loses. Henry: (She¡¯ll be able to pay off her debt in Flowtier. No problem.) She is one of the few Healers in the Kingdom, but this is the Capital, the center of the Kingdom. You will be able to find other Healers. And in comparison, the price of Healing will be higher in Flowtier. That place is a tourist location, so many rich people go there too. Jend: (Look, I get what you¡¯re saying but¡­) Henry: (Why you... look at how gorgeous she is! If her father didn¡¯t do those things, she would most definitely already have a boyfriend or may have been married by now¡­..if you don¡¯t make up your mind right now, what¡¯s going to happen the next time you see her~, huh~~?) I put Jend on the spot, and let him envision a different kind of future. This bastard. He talks all tough about winning her over by being strong, but he¡¯s completely chickening out right now. I know it when I see this. I¡¯m exactly the same type of guy. I tell him to go for it, push him towards Ferris, and leave the clinic. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°Sir Ezeal, thank you for your assistance.¡± Ezeal: ¡°Oh, hey, Henry. I see that Jend hasn¡¯t returned, so was there some progress made?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, there might be something going on, but I don¡¯t want to intrude and listen in.¡± I could have acted like I left, and then hid myself to listen to the rest of the conversation, but I honestly had no intention of doing that. Henry: ¡°And so, I heard that she takes on quests from the White Dragon Knights as a Healer, but wasn¡¯t there any problems after her father caused so many issues within that same organization?¡± Ezeal: ¡°Hmm? Oh, HA HA! Why you...are you the type to punish the child for their parents¡¯ crimes?¡± Henry: ¡°Of course not. Just asking¡­¡± Ezeal: ¡°It¡¯s just as you saw. That Healer had deep ties to the White Dragon Knights since she was little, and even after her father¡¯s crimes were revealed, there were only Knights who were concerned for her well being. There were some who even invited her over to stay with them.¡± Yeah, no doubt, she has the personality that any upstanding Knight would adore. Ezeal: ¡°Regardless, there were talks of offering her a position of Knighthood. It¡¯s of course because of her skills as a Healer, but apparently, her swordsmanship is comparable to any Knight newcomers.¡± Henry: ¡°......yeah, that¡¯s unbelievable talent¡­¡± Ezeal: ¡°But, at this point, her guilt will not allow her to accept such offers. She is intent on paying off her debts first.¡± Wow, she is way too serious and straight-forward. She could have paid off her debts even faster as part of the Knight Organization. Ezeal: ¡°She has isolated herself and continues to work diligently. If it will help her be around friends and better company, please take her back to Flowtier. This is a message directly from Commander Beatriz to you. I¡¯m sure there are plenty of opportunities for a Healer in the northern parts?¡± They saw through me completely. Henry: ¡°What about the debt cosigner for her to move out of the city?¡± Ezeal: ¡°If she was to go, then Beatriz herself will take on the responsibility.¡± ¡­¡­.if the Commander of the White Dragon Knights is willing to become the consignee, I¡¯m sure no one would dare try to question or oppose her decision. Well, I thought they might already have someone in mind. If not, I was willing to put my name out there too. Owen: ¡°He~y, Henry~. What are you and the Commander talking about?¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? Oh, we¡¯re making bets on whether Jend will ask out the Healer who¡¯s here today.¡± I give Owen a general, vague answer. The details of this story are not for me to share and spread. Owen: ¡°What?! Are you serious? I was planning on asking her out to dinner after the training session, but someone already beat me to it....¡± Jend, you are one really lucky bastard. Owen is infamous for leaving many women in tears in Ligaleo. He¡¯s gone out with multiple women and yet there is no bad rumors about him. I guess this is what it means to be popular with the ladies. I guess. I don¡¯t know. Shut up. I mean, really. What¡¯s so different between him and I¡­¡­¡­. Henry: ¡°Oh, Owen, if you have time, let¡¯s do one actual combat match. I¡¯ll give it my all.¡± Owen: ¡°Wait, hold it. When you say giving it your all, you mean¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Of course, I¡¯m talking about spear throws being allowed, and allowing me to use my Nyoiten Spear¡¯s abilities.¡± If it was close-combat with only magecraft, it would be an even fight between Owen and I, but if we include spear throws, I can sink him before he even gets close to me. Owen: ¡°You know that it would take one of our veteran Knights to be able to compete with that tactic¡­...you¡¯re just asking indirectly if you can beat the **** out of me.¡± Henry: ¡°What? I¡¯m not trying to imply that. I¡¯m asking you directly. Let me beat the **** out of you.¡± Owen: ¡°Why all of a sudden?!¡± Kekekeke (evil laugh), you don¡¯t have to know my reasons. ¡­...a small, very tiny piece of my conscience protested against beating up people I felt jealous against, but I completely ignored its advice. <<<<>>>> Owen also pulled off his savvy little shenanigans and called over 2 other young Knights, and we had a disgraceful 3 vs 1 fight. How dare they¡­.I just barely won that round, and we ended our training session there. Cyril: ¡°I¡­.I can¡¯t¡­..move¡­.one more step¡­..¡± And during the entire session, I made Cyril run with breaks in between, but she was completely out of commission. Teo: ¡°Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr¡­¡­¡­...I couldn¡¯t even get one strike to hit.¡± And Teo who was doing training with a few knights was not happy with her results at all. ¡­¡­¡­..I mean, every Knight in the Black Dragon Knights trains their pure combat skills and scouting skills, so there¡¯s no way Teo would be able to defeat them. Even so, they looked impressed, and there¡¯s rumors about Teo¡¯s combat capabilities spreading. Henry: ¡°Here, Cyril, Teo, water.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ohhhh~~~ thank you~~~¡± Teo: ¡°thanks¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t chug it all at once~¡± I¡¯m also equally exhausted from the last fight. I let the water slowly absorb into my body. Cyril: ¡°Oh! Where¡¯s Jend? Now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t seen him since the middle of training.¡± Henry: ¡°Today, the Healer that came over was Ferris, so Jend is catching up with her.¡± Cyril: ¡°WHAT?! Miss Ferris is here?!¡± Yeah, anyone would be shocked. This is all old man Grandezeal¡¯s fault for doing things so suddenly and abruptly all the time. Teo: ¡°She¡¯s the one we saw at the Grandes church, correct? She¡¯s a Healer¡­?¡± Henry: ¡°She¡¯s got real skills. She fixed my broken bones in seconds.¡± Even among the Healers I¡¯ve dealt with in the past, she¡¯s second to the ¡°Saint of Salvation¡± (ROFL). Cyril: ¡°If Jend is speaking with Ferris....is it? Are they¡­?¡± Henry: ¡°I told him to go for it, but I don¡¯t know what happened after that.¡± I¡¯m hoping that cornering Jend to that extent would force him to make a move. But I have still about a third of doubt that I can¡¯t get rid of. Cyril: ¡°Ohhhhh~ yes. Jend is usually a man¡¯s man, but when it comes to Ferris, he tends to shrink into his own shell. It was like that when we were children, but I can¡¯t believe he hasn¡¯t fixed that...he told everyone he knows in Flowtier how much he likes her.¡± I see. The knowledge and insight from a childhood friend. But, I wonder how things will turn out. I gaze lazily at the clinic shack as we talk. ¡­¡­..wait, are they gonna go wild in there once the dam bursts?! I mean, anyone can walk in with an injury at any given point so I would hope that¡­. Teo: ¡°......Jend is coming back.¡± Henry: ¡°Got it.¡± Just like Teo said, Jend walks out of the shack. He¡¯s not alone. Beside him was Ferris¡­..and you can tell that they were standing a little too~ close. Both of their faces have this inexpressibly satisfied expression. Cyril: ¡°Looks like it went well~~~¡± Henry: ¡°Yup.¡± ¡­¡­.did it wrap up really nicely? <<<<>>>> Ezeal: ¡°Oh! Jend! I have a message from Beatriz to you!¡± Jend: ¡°Huh? What? Sir Grandezeal, who is Beatriz¡­?¡± Ezeal: ¡°If you have successfully stolen the heart of Ferris, you must come immediately to the White Dragon Knight barracks! That was the message. That Knight group has a lot of so-called self-proclaimed Ferris¡¯ guardians. They want to be certain that you are a man worthy and capable of such responsibilities!¡± Jend: ¡°Wait?! The Knights of the WHITE Dragons?!¡± Ezeal: ¡°Do not fret, young one. I was the one who personally trained you! Have confidence! You have plenty of talent! ¡­...but with your current skill level, you may get more than your fair share of affection from other knights though! HA HA HA!¡± I watched Jend and Sir Ezeal talk. Jend dutifully marched into the White Dragon Knights stronghold, and with very open, muscular arms, cracking knuckles, popping veins, and cold smiles with some predatorial teeth showing, they ¡°welcomed¡± him with much overly zealous enthusiasm. ¡­¡­.well, in the end, they accepted him as a worthy candidate so let¡¯s just say all¡¯s well that ends well. CH 29 Chapter 29: Alvenia Central University Jend succeeded in asking out Ferris. I thought it would be about a 50/50 chance of her coming all the way to Flowtier, but he convinced her to come as well. I heard that he said something along the lines of, ¡°If Ferris won¡¯t come, then I¡¯ll remain in the Capital!¡± ¡­¡­.that idiot. If he did have to stay here, what was he going to do about his family business, and how was he planning on making a living around here? I know he was just spouting our desperate threats, but he needs to be more careful... Well, regardless¡­ Ferris will not only come to Flowtier, but she¡¯ll also join our party. Now we have someone who can help us if we suffer a major injury, and the stability of our party just became rock solid. For a party in Flowtier, it¡¯s excessively solid. So Jend receiving some passionate and excessive ¡°training¡± from the veterans of the White Dragon Knights, worked out for the best. Now, we can look back and laugh at what happened. It will take about 3 days for Ferris to prepare her things to leave, but that should not be a problem. It¡¯s been a little crazy the last few days, and we almost forgot that our main purpose of this trip was for Lana to meet the professor at the university. ¡­.I¡¯m sure that meeting will not end in one day. Henry: ¡°What time was the meeting?¡± We¡¯re at the Black Dragon Knights¡¯ barracks. Looking into a mirror in front of a wash basin, I was making sure that I looked presentable as I asked Lana. Lana: ¡°He has availability this afternoon at 2PM.¡± We received a reply from the university professor last night. The student running the errand kept looking back and forth between the return address of the letter and the building in front of him. ¡­.yeah, I would be hesitant and bewildered too. I felt bad for him. Henry: ¡°Should we bring a gift for the meeting?¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, we already brought something from Flowtier. Teo has it stored in her bag. Teo?¡± Teo: ¡°Here.¡± Teo takes out a package of cookies neatly set and wrapped inside a box. Flowtier cookies are known for having candied flower petals sprinkled over them. It¡¯s a snack that fits the name of the City of Water and Flowers. I ate it at a caf¨¦, and it was pretty good. Teo: ¡°Good luck, Lana.¡± Lana: ¡°Thank you, Teo.¡± Teo encourages Lana, and Lana accepts it with a smile. Henry: ¡°Oh yeah, Teo, what will you do? I know Jend and Cyril went to help Ferris pack for the trip this afternoon.¡± Teo: ¡°I¡¯m joining Sir Grandezeal for another training session. ...I¡¯m getting at least one strike in today.¡± Teo definitely doesn¡¯t like losing. But an adventurer who can defeat a Black Dragon Knight is at least a Heroic Warrior level , so she shouldn¡¯t be so hard on herself. And all the young guys are resting today so it¡¯s just the veterans... Her path today is full of perils. Lana: ¡°Teo, good luck to you too.¡± Teo: ¡°Mmhmm. Thanks. I have plenty of charms today so I¡¯ll show them the strength of the Cloudy Plains Style martial arts.¡± The magecraft that can be used by throwing it at the enemy. She might have a chance if she makes it rain with those explosive charms. Well, let¡¯s hear the results when I get back. Alright. I think we have everything. I made sure to clean up and look nice to help us enter the university. It¡¯s still a little early, but let¡¯s go ahead and head out. Henry: ¡°You ready to go, Lana?¡± Lana: ¡°Yes.¡± Then let¡¯s see what this Kingdom¡¯s top educational institution is like. <<<<>>>> Lana: ¡°Umm¡­ hello. I have an appointment with Professor Conrad. My name is Lana.¡± At the gates of Alvenia Central University, we are being screened and checked. Without a student identification, there is paperwork you have to fill out to enter the premises. Well, if it was just your normal guards, they have security like this in most places, but the guards before us are not regular soldiers or adventurers taking on a quest. They are a man and a woman from the renown Green Dragon Knights. Just by that, you can tell how important this place is to this country. ¡°Yes, we have been informed. ¡­.but you are much younger than we expected.¡± Lana: ¡°Hehe¡± Lana is a little embarrassed and the female knight smiles warmly at her. And the male knight approaches me to ask me questions. ¡°And you are?¡± Henry: ¡°My name is Henry. I am an Adventurer who has been requested by her parents to protect her. I am not her guardian per se, but my Quest includes sitting in on the discussions and reporting back to her parents.¡± ¡°I understand. We do not mind if you step onto the premises, but please leave your spellcall stone and weapons here.¡± Oh, yeah. That makes sense. I take off my spellcall stone necklace and hand over my Nyoiten Spear. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll have to do a quick body check. Please excuse me.¡± The male knight checks me and the female knight checks Lana to make sure we¡¯re not hiding any weapons or carrying anything dangerous. They take security very serious here. They check the contents of our bag, and finally, we get through. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be this thorough for any student of theirs, but they are extra careful with anyone not affiliated with the school. ¡°Excuse us for being overly cautious. We had someone recently try to steal research data, and we are currently undergoing heavier security.¡± As I am signing into their visitor¡¯s log, the male knight explains this to me. Henry: ¡°I see. Well, we don¡¯t mind at all. Okay, let¡¯s go, Lana.¡± Lana: ¡°Yes.¡± And I was just about to step in, but¡­ Henry: ¡°Oh, wait just a sec, Lana. Just wait right there.¡± Lana: ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mr. Henry?¡± I return to the reception desk. ¡°Is something the matter? Did you forget something?¡± Henry: ¡°Well, it¡¯s not really something I left behind, but something I forgot to tell you. My spear is a godly equipment.¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± Yeah, he looks confused. It¡¯s not odd for an adventurer to be carrying around a godly equipment. Henry: ¡°And¡­ it has the ability to return to me at any time.¡± I reach out my hand toward the desk where my Nyoiten Spear was stored, and it appears on my hand. I also extend it to its full spear length and shorten it back to its knife length. Henry: ¡°......I thought this might be a problem.¡± ¡°Y-yes. It is. Since you were upfront about it, in any other time, we could have let you pass, but right now, our security measures will prohibit you from entering until the restrictions are lifted¡­¡± Crap. I didn¡¯t think about this scenario. ¡­.worst case, I¡¯m sure the inside of the University is safe for Lana to go alone, and I don¡¯t have to stand guard next to her the entire time. But on the other hand, I can¡¯t just abandon my responsibilities of this quest... Henry: ¡°Hmm?¡± Owen: ¡°Oh.¡± I suddenly come upon a familiar face¡­.and he has a woman with him. Owen: ¡°Ohh¡­ that¡¯s right. You were here to take Lana to the university. Have fun~~...¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, hold up, Owen!¡± I feel bad to interrupt his date, but I need to borrow his name and status real quick. <<<<>>>> That went smoothly getting a current Black Dragon Knight member to vouch for me and have him sign off on my identity and character. We are now in the university premise without anything to worry about. But now that I think about it, I guess I can be adept at assassinations. Unlike demonic creatures, I could join a human party unarmed, and then call out my Nyoiten Spear and take out my target... Of course, I¡¯m just playing with my imagination here. I really have no intention of going into that kind of business. ¡°Hello, Miss Lana. I am Conrad. It is a pleasure making your acquaintance.¡± Lana: ¡°The pleasure is mine, Professor Conrad. My name is Lana. Thanking for making the time to meet with me. Oh, these are famous sweets from my hometown.¡± Conrad: ¡°Oh, how considerate. I will enjoy it with the other students when we get a chance.¡± A very kind looking old man greeted Lana. He had a relaxed atmosphere unlike what I would have expected from a university professor. Since he is a professor at Alvenia¡¯s Central University, he is one of the top minds of this country. Henry: ¡°Hello, Professor Conrad. I am Henry, an adventurer requested to stay by her side on this trip. It is a pleasure making your acquaintance.¡± Conrad: ¡°Ah, you must be the man with the relation to the Black Dragon Knights. I was notified by the guards at the gate about you.¡± ¡­..yeah, I guess they¡¯ll talk about me. Henry: ¡°Haha¡­ Right now, I¡¯m based in Flowtier, but I was in Ligaleo prior to that. There were a number opportunities toI cooperate with Sir Grandezeal during that time.¡± Conrad: ¡°The students were rumoring that you must have been extremely good friends with them to be invited to stay at their barracks. The student who delivered the letter was rather excited and spoke all about it. Sir Grandezeal is a Hero of Legend after all.¡± Ah, that makes sense. It wasn¡¯t just the fact that he was at a Knights¡¯ barracks, but it was the fact that it was Sir Ezeal¡¯s barracks specifically. But speaking so formally is getting tiresome. I¡¯m not used to speaking to people so high up. Part of being an adventure is to experience a world where social classes almost do not matter. Conrad: ¡°Now then¡­¡± Professor Conrad pulled open his desk drawer and pulled at a few dozen sheets of paper. Lana: ¡°Oh, my dissertation¡­¡± Conrad: ¡°Yes, it is indeed. If you could please, Miss Lana, I would love to hear your explanations on certain aspects if you don¡¯t mind. For instance, I was extremely curious about this equation you have on this page.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, yes. Please wait a moment.¡± Lana pulled out a well-worn and used ink pen, and asked Professor Conrad, ¡°Where is it again?¡± Conrad: ¡°Yes, right here. You¡¯ll see that part of the equation was abbreviated here.¡± Lana: ¡°Ohhhhh yes. In this case¡­¡± Lana writes down more information next to where Professor Conrad pointed. He nods appreciatively and follows her explanation. I sneak a peek at what¡¯s being discussed, but I can¡¯t even decipher the letters they¡¯re using¡­. Lana: ¡°Ohhhh, yes, now I see. Writing it like this really makes it much easier to understand.¡± Conrad: ¡°Well, you¡¯ve been studying on your own up until now. I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t had a chance to learn how to format dissertations for other colleagues. Oh, yes, and this explanation right here...Could you¡­¡± And a storm of more complicated lingo flailed about speaking about calculation methods, proofs and dissertation methods... Yup. I¡¯m completely lost and left behind~~~. But I can¡¯t just leave Lana here and go roam around the campus. I hold back the yawns and wait patiently for them to finish. Around an hour later, they take a break from their discussion. Lana: ¡°Thank you so much for all your advice and insight.¡± Conrad: ¡°Oh my. I should be thanking you. I¡¯ll make the edits to the dissertation and present it at the next conference with your name published.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, but really, you don¡¯t have to¡­¡± Conrad: ¡°This is a very valuable dissertation worth publishing and presenting. Cludge Noin¡¯s Theorem does not have many practical uses as of now, but we have much to learn from it¡¯s theoretical analysis you are providing here.¡± This man is praising Lana like crazy. Lana: ¡°Umm¡­.well...in that case, thank you for doing all this for me.¡± Conrad: ¡°Of course. When I first heard from Ms. Shelley that this dissertation was written by a 14 year old girl, I had my doubts, but now that I got to discourse with you, all those doubts have vanished.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, okay. Um¡­ thank you very much.¡± Lana¡¯s having a hard time taking this all in. I don¡¯t blame her. I mean, she said studying was her hobby. Being praised this much by a professor of a university must be bewildering to her. To her, it all came too naturally to understand how difficult the problems she solved was. Conrad: ¡°So how about it? You do not need to take the entrance exam. Just with that one hour, you have shown me that you have amazing knowledge and skills. Will you not come to my research lab and help us?¡± Professor Conrad makes the offer. In the letter, he strongly insisted that she take the entrance exam and enroll, so this invitation was expected. On the way here, Lana kept thinking about her decision. I don¡¯t know if she ever came to a conclusion. The day my party was training with the Black Dragon Knights, apparently, she was in her room thinking. ¡­..that day, we thought it would be best to give her some space and privacy to consider her future, so that is partly why we accepted doing that training in the first place. Lana: ¡°I¡­¡­..¡± I wonder what she¡¯ll decide CH 30 Chapter 30: The Return Home 3 days have passed since our visit to the Alvenia Central University. During that time, Lana spoke with Professor Conrad on many occasions. She got a tour of the university facilities, and she debated with him about his current research themes, and hung out with the students. Lana was always very lively at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn, but here, she was also equally energized like a bird free to explore the skies, and she did many things while we were here. I don¡¯t really understand it, but the professor and all the students admired Lana¡¯s insight and knowledge. Conrad: ¡°Then¡­..I will write to you again, Miss Lana.¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, I will also be thinking about the research ideas you have given me.¡± Conrad: ¡°Yes, please do.¡± So in the end... Lana did not decide to enroll into the university for now. But she wanted to continue studying, so she will communicate by mail with Professor Conrad and approach her studies a little differently going forward. In a few years, she does plan to consider enrolling into the university. Conrad: ¡°Oh yes. About your dissertation¡­I will make sure that it is properly presented at the next academic conference. It is in about a month, but...I¡¯m guessing that attending the conference will be difficult?¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry. I would not be able to neglect my family and family business for that long.¡± Conrad: ¡°That is regrettable, but I understand. I will send you news once it is presented.¡± Lana: ¡°Thank you so much, Professor Conrad.¡± Lana bows deeply, and I bow too next to her. Conrad: ¡°Then Mr. Henry, please take good care of her on your journey back. Please make sure that she safely arrives home.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, I understand. I will ensure that she reaches Flowtier safely.¡± Super serious mode Henry. Conrad: ¡°Please, you don¡¯t have to be so formal.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh no, this is my job.¡± Maybe if you¡¯re a student, sure! Plus, Professor Conrad has received a title of nobility. Apparently, he¡¯s a Baron. In the country of Alvenia, the nobility do not carry absolute authority, but it still does not mean that commoners can mingle with them without fearing repercussions. Technically, Sir Ezeal has the title of Viscount, but it¡¯s Sir Ezeal we¡¯re talking about. He doesn¡¯t count as nobility in my books. Lana: ¡°Then we¡¯ll be going now. Thank you for everything, Professor Conrad.¡± Conrad: ¡°Yes, thank you Miss Lana for coming all this way. Please be careful on your journey back.¡± We finish are parting goodbyes, and leave Professor Conrad¡¯s office. I head to the university entrance with Lana. And¡­¡­.our business with the Capital Centraleo is now complete. I found out that Cyril was from the same place as me, and having Ferris join our party was unexpected, but I¡¯m glad we were able to complete all of our objectives. We also toured the city during our free time¡­..which reminds me. We did go to the Maid Cafe that Cyril and I talked about before, and she was super excited the entire time. ¡­¡­...those were all good and fun times. Alright, let¡¯s make sure we all get home safely. <<<<>>>> Ezeal: ¡°Ah, so you are returning.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes. Thank you for taking care of us, Sir Ezeal.¡± Back at the Black Dragon Knights¡¯ barracks. We packed our things, and after we picked up Ferris, we all gathered at Sir Ezeal¡¯s room to say goodbye. To be frank, we saved a ton of money being able to stay here. I am more than a little thankful. The Knight Organization bought the rest of the Flowtier Ale that Teo brought, and Jend got to spread the name of his family¡¯s Carousel Merchant Association¡¯s name. And most of all, Sir Ezeal helped resolve Ferris¡¯ situation with unbelievable efficiency - though it may have just been normal to him. Ezeal: ¡°Yes. It always saddens me to have to say goodbye, but farewell. Our organization will be back on the frontlines to Ligaleo the day after tomorrow anyways. I will let the others know that you are doing well, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°.....that¡¯s fine with me, but please don¡¯t say anything unnecessary, please?¡± Because we¡¯re talking about Sir Ezeal here, I feel like he¡¯s going to blow things way out of proportion. I don¡¯t know exactly what that would look like, but I know that I¡¯m going to suffer the most from it. Teo: ¡°Sir Grandezeal, thank you for being willing to deliver the letter to sister Ageha.¡± Ezeal: ¡°Yes, I have received your letter and promise to deliver it. That¡¯s right. I need to let that Sagiri know that Miss Teo is in the same party as Henry.¡± Ageha, huh. I was in the same party as her back in the day, so it is a funny coincidence that now I¡¯m in a party with her cousin. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be talking about that all night if you bring it up. Ezeal: ¡°Jend, continue to develop and improve what I taught you.¡± Jend: ¡°Yes. Thank you for your instruction, Sir Grandezeal!¡± Ferris: ¡°Yes, please let me share my gratitude as well, Commander Grandezeal. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me.¡± Jend and Ferris bow their heads low. Yeah, I guess these two would be the most indebted to Sir Ezeal out of our group in this trip. But I¡¯m sure Sir Ezeal would reject any notion that they owed him at all and laugh it off like it¡¯s nothing. Cyril and Lana also say their farewell, and we leave the Black Dragon Knights¡¯ barracks. Henry: ¡°Did you guys forget anything?¡± Cyril: ¡°It¡¯s all in Teo¡¯s bag. We also got plenty of gifts for everyone back at home.¡± Cyril is super-confident. And it¡¯s usually people like this that forget stuff the most. Henry: ¡°Cyril, didn¡¯t you take a bath with Teo earlier this morning? You sure you didn¡¯t forget your underwear or something?¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry, why do you have to be so vulgar.¡± What? I¡¯m only asking if she forgot anything... Teo: ¡°OH¡± Teo lets out a quick realization, and heads to the bathtub. Henry: ¡°.....see?¡± Cyril: ¡°GRRRR¡­.¡± I can hear her grinding her teeth from here. But anyways, Teo grabbed what they were about to forget, and now it¡¯s time to¡­..hey. Owen: ¡°Hey Henry, we came to say goodbye as well.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine but¡­.¡± ¡­¡­...it¡¯s not just Owen and Sir Ezeal, but anyone who¡¯s off-duty is gathered at the front to see us off. I asked what they were all doing and got many replies. ¡°Wanted to thank ya for the ale!¡± ¡°We¡¯re comrades, aren¡¯t we? Seeing you off is part of our duty!¡± ¡°I had nothing else to do.¡± ¡°Anything to be with cute girls for one more sec¡­.ERGH?!¡± The last knight got reigned in by the others around him. ¡­¡­..they are all good people. Henry: ¡°It was fun for us too. Thanks for everything!¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh! We¡¯ll be heading to the frontlines soon so we¡¯ll see you there!¡± Henry: ¡°NO WE¡¯RE NOT. C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go!¡± I jab Cyril with my elbow, and we start walking towards the Teleportation Station. <<<<>>>> We make it to our reserved time slot and transport to Northerntier. We immediately book a carriage ride back to Flowtier. We spent the rest of the afternoon hitting some sights at Northerntier, and leave the next morning. And right now, we¡¯re taking a break from the carriage. Jend is practicing the new forms he learned from Sir Ezeal. Teo and Lana headed towards a flowerbed nearby. And the carriage driver was looking after his horses. Cyril, Ferris, and I had nothing in particular we wanted to do, so we chatted. I¡¯m glad we got this opportunity to do so, especially with Ferris. I¡¯ve only known her for a short period, and I know that she has a trustworthy character and skills, but as long as we¡¯re in the same party, it¡¯s best to communicate with one another whenever possible. Well, it sounds grand, but basically, we¡¯re just talking. And it¡¯s not like I need to build up trust with her right this moment, so I take it easy. Ferris: ¡°Flowtier, huh... it¡¯s been a while since I last visited...I used to go to that city with my father every summer and winter.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I heard a little about that from Cyril and Jend. How did you guys get to know each other? Jend said he forgot how you guys met.¡± Ferris: ¡°Oh, it was nothing. I was out exploring the town when I got lost. The two were playing outside, and we met by coincidence.¡± Oh¡­.that¡¯s rather normal. Cyril: ¡°Really? ¡­..OHHHH now I remember! Miss Ferris was crying, and Jend goes, ¡®I¡¯ll help you so stop crying!¡¯ like that, right?!¡± Ferris: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right! I was more impressed that a kid younger than me had the gall to tell me that.¡± Ferris smiles and chuckles with the memory. Jend really hasn¡¯t changed much since he was a kid, huh? Ferris: ¡°I really liked Flowtier as a city, but I never would have thought that I would be living there one day.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh yeah, that reminds me. You were able to pack and prepare for the trip rather fast. I thought it would take you more time.¡± Ferris: ¡°Haha....well, I am carrying a rather large amount of debt, so I really couldn¡¯t afford to own any furniture. I lived off whatever was available in my rental room, and the rest of my luggage is clothes, daily goods, and the spellcall stone I use for work and...¡± Ferris reaches over to show us her weapon and armor. Ferris: ¡°These had the Harshall Emblem engraved, so this was something I couldn¡¯t bear to part with.¡± Henry: ¡°Ohhh, yeah, that would be hard to sell off.¡± It is a family that no longer retains its name, but you couldn¡¯t sell anything with an official family emblem to an established weapon and armor store. You might be able to get something if you recycled the materials, but I¡¯m sure that¡¯s even tougher than selling it. ¡­¡­.that reminds me¡­..I can¡¯t even remember what the Tone family emblem was¡­. I vaguely recall seeing it, but I can¡¯t remember anything. It was on dad¡¯s spear and mom¡¯s shortsword but¡­¡­ Ferris: ¡°I didn¡¯t think I would become adventurers with Jend either, so I¡¯m really glad to have this around now.¡± Cyril: ¡°Miss Ferris, how are you able to hold this... it looks really heavy¡­.¡± Ferris: ¡°Would you like to try holding the shield, Cyril?¡± Cyril answers, ¡°Ye~s¡± and goes for it. She manages to lift it up with both arms, but she¡¯s shaking the entire time. I know that shield¡¯s kind of big, but it¡¯s still for holding it with one arm. Cyril: ¡°It¡¯s¡­...it¡¯s heavy¡­¡­¡± Ferris: ¡°It was made on the assumption that you¡¯ll use [Physical Strengthening] to lift it so yeah.¡± Ferris easily picks it up with one hand from Cyril. Ferris shows Cyril a few forms with the shield, and Cyril is applauding Ferris with each move. Henry: ¡°You really need to toughen up your weak little [Physical Strengthening]....¡± Cyril: ¡°Who¡¯re you calling weak?! Miss Cyril is always trying her best!!¡± Henry: ¡°You need to train harder. Here, I¡¯ll help make a training menu for you to do every day.¡± [Physical Strengthening] does not add but MULTIPLIES your basic physical strength. So if we can add even a little muscle to your body, it goes a long way. Cyril: ¡°Um¡­...wait, no, I can¡¯t! I have too much magic training to do!¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m telling you, if you¡¯re going to die from getting poked by an upper-tier demonic creature, there¡¯s no telling how many times you¡¯ll die as soon as you get to Ligaleo.¡± In truth, as long as you¡¯re protected by a good vanguard, even the most fragile mages can make it there, but I sneak a little fear into her anyways. Ferris: ¡°That¡¯s right, Cyril. I have only heard of it in rumors, but the frontlines are extremely dangerous.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ughhhhhhhh¡­.training¡­.? Ergh¡­..fine¡­..fine, alright. I¡¯ll do it¡­¡± Cyril looks reluctant, but in the end, she agrees. I still don¡¯t know why she wants to go to the frontline so much. Ferris: ¡°Cyril, I¡¯ll train with you so let¡¯s do our best. ¡­.oh!¡± Ferris stands up and looks toward Jend. Ferris: ¡°Looks like he¡¯s taking a break. Well, we¡¯re about to head off anyways. ¡­.I¡¯ll bring a towel to him.¡± And Ferris leaves to go to Jend. ¡­¡­.well aren¡¯t they lovey dovey. Cyril: ¡°Well¡­.this was really fun getting to go outside of Flowtier. I haven¡¯t been this far away since I escaped from Fezard. I hope the City Lord appreciates my gifts¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Seriously, you have a really good relationship with the City Lord, huh¡­¡± Cyril: ¡°Of course~! He¡¯s taken care of me since I was a child. OH! Speaking of...I need to speak with Mrs. Asteria about you, Henry! How a knight from our country was able to avenge us! She¡¯ll be happy to hear it!¡± ¡­¡­..ummmmmm¡­¡­ If you look at the text only, yeah, sure, maybe it looks like a tale of a hero. At the time, taking out that General was all I could think about, so I don¡¯t mind if people saw it that way. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t want to be famous or at least get a word of thanks for everything that happened but¡­¡­ Think carefully. Be calm, me. If I had the skills to be able to accomplish that, what am I supposed to say if they ask me why I came down to Flowtier? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m sick or injured. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Okay, it¡¯ll be hard to live with myself if she gets disappointed in me, so let¡¯s just now tell her about Gileverte. I hate to be lifted up only to be thrown back on the ground. Henry: ¡°In conclusion, let¡¯s not tell her about the avenging for our country episode, Cyril.¡± Cyril: ¡°In what conclusion? Could you please not skip the explanation and jump straight to the conclusion?¡± Henry: ¡°It was after careful, careful consideration of my circumstances.¡± Please don¡¯t ask me what circumstances¡­ Cyril: ¡°(sigh¡­) Fine. I understand. You¡¯re always so weird, Henry.¡± That¡¯s the pot calling the kettle black right there, but I can¡¯t say that seeing as how I just asked her for a favor. But just like that, our journey to and from the Capital ended. Now it¡¯s time to get back into the groove of things back at Flowtier. [End of Book 2] CH 31 Book 3: The Flowtier Days Chapter 31: Party Leader ¡°He~y, we¡¯re ready to order here!¡± ¡°Yes sir~! I¡¯m on my way. Please wait for just a second please!¡± And the noisy hustle and bustle at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn lunchtime rush echoes in its dining hall. In the middle of the crowd, Lana weaves through gracefully, and arrives at the customer¡¯s table. Lana: ¡°So what would you like today?¡± She¡¯s energetic as usual. ¡°Two Lunch Specials and one hamburger meal. One special with bread, and one with rice.¡± Lana: ¡°Got it. Thank you. I¡¯ll bring it out as soon as it¡¯s ready.¡± She quickly writes down the order and goes to the kitchen to take it to Mr. Nord. She returns from the kitchen and quickly cleans off the tables for the next customers with rapid efficiency. She is quick, but she¡¯s not sloppy. She clears off two tables in record time and greets and welcomes in the customers waiting at the front, Yup, she was gone for a little bit, but she hasn¡¯t lost her touch at all. I think she¡¯s even more energetic now than before we went to Centraleo. Her energetic smile is infectious and customers are returning it to her involuntarily. Her experience at the Capital must be playing its part. Lana was wondering about her future, but it may not be now, but she¡¯s seriously considering the prospect of entering Academia in the future. But even so, she is putting her all into helping out with the Inn while she is still here. ¡­¡­I think that¡¯s a very hard life with a lot of long hours ahead, but looking at her now, those worries dissipate. Well, telling her not to over do it is not my job, but it¡¯s Mr. Nord and Mrs. Linda¡¯s. I, of course, reported everything that happened at the Capital to them. And they were surprised that we stayed at the Black Dragon Knights¡¯ barracks during our time there. Henry: ¡°Lana~, I¡¯m leaving the money here.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, yes, thank you! Mr. Henry, are you heading out?¡± Henry: ¡°Going to Jend¡¯s to help with Ferris¡¯ move.¡± I place the change for my lunch special onto the counter Lana comes and quickly picks it up, and I leave the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°Hey, how¡¯s it going?¡± I come to the storage building of one of Flowtier¡¯s most prestigious business group¡¯s mansion. Jend¡¯s family runs the business, and I¡¯m at his house. I come here often to train with Jend in his big yard, so the servants all know me very well. I asked them where I could find Jend and Ferris, and they guided me here. Jend: ¡°Oh, hey Henry. Thanks for dropping by.¡± Ferris: ¡°Hello, Mr. Henry.¡± Jend and Ferris both had blackened faces from the dust and soot, and were carrying stuff to and from the storage house. Henry: ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jend: ¡°Well, you know how Ferris rented an apartment near here.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, isn¡¯t it one of the places your family owns?¡± Hence, she got a really cheap rent contract very quickly. She signed the contract the day after she arrived in Flowtier. It wasn¡¯t just her connection with Jend, but also her skills as a Healer helped too. Having a skilled Healer nearby is a priceless advantage in case of emergencies, and it¡¯s no wonder that his family wanted her to live close by. But now that I think about it, I could have asked Jend to connect me with a realtor. But I¡¯m so deeply rooted in the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn now, I probably won¡¯t move out unless I absolutely have to. Jend: ¡°And as I talked about yesterday, she¡¯s free to borrow any furniture that we¡¯re not using inside this storage facility.¡± Yup, hence why he asked me to come over to help move stuff. Ferris: ¡°I didn¡¯t want to take anything for free. From the looks of it, it¡¯s been a while since the contents of the facility has been organized, so I wanted to help sort through the things as we looked for appropriate furniture.¡± Jend: ¡°You really don¡¯t have to worry about it. This place has been around since I was a kid, and I have yet to see anyone come through and clean it once. Ferris: ¡°¡­¡­and Jend is like this, so this is just something I want to do in return.¡± Jend: ¡°And I can¡¯t just leave her alone here, so I¡¯m here as well.¡± Ah, that¡¯s just like Ferris to be so responsible, serious, and straight forward. Ferris: ¡°Hehe, thanks Jend.¡± Jend: ¡°If you want to thank me, you can thank me in other ways.¡± Ferris: ¡°Like what?¡± Jend: ¡°Like¡­you know. Other ways¡­¡± Jend is embarrassed and breaks eye contact, and understanding what he meant, Ferris blushes and looks away. I spat a huge loogie in my mind. PTOOEY. Ferris: ¡°Oh, Mr. Henry. You¡¯re only here to help carry the furniture to my place. You can rest while we sort through and clean up this place. We should be done by the evening, so you can come back then. Worst case, we can carry the furniture by ourselves.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey hey hey¡­ I can¡¯t just leave you guys with all this work. I¡¯m not that much of a jerk.¡± I let out a sigh. Ferris: ¡°Oh¡­but¡­¡± Henry: ¡°I owe Jend¡¯s family for letting me use their yard for training. This will be a good way to repay them.¡± It¡¯s a bit of work, but let¡¯s knock this out of the way. Henry: ¡°Oh, but if you start flirting, I¡¯ll punch some sense into you, Jend.¡± Jend: ¡°I¡ªI won¡¯t.¡± Yeah, just like you weren¡¯t just now. I can¡¯t trust a man with a prior record. Ferris: ¡°Ha, hahaha, well Mr. Henry, thank you so much for the help.¡± Henry: ¡°No problem. So what do you want me to do?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re carrying all the stuff out into the yard for now. Then we¡¯ll tidy up inside the storage house, and reorganize the stuff outside and put it back.¡± At a quick glance, Jend¡¯s family storage contained old furniture, decorative pots, artwork, jewelry, accessories, and dresses. There were many kinds of things packed in here. Henry: ¡°You think any of this stuff is worth anything?¡± Jend: ¡°There might be something in here that¡¯s some worth of value, but the majority is just junk.¡± I see. Well, there seems to be some stuff related to family history, so I should still be careful in handling most of this stuff. Well¡­ I roll up the sleeves of my arms and head into the storage house. <<<<>>>> Well, in the end... There were lots of large furniture like drawers and sofas, but Jend and I are physical combat adventurers. Ferris is a woman, but she has trained to be a knight, and her physical strength exceeded that of a normal adventurer. If three people like that get to work, we finished getting everything out of the storage house in less than an hour. I accidentally hit the drawer in the doorway of the entrance, but Jend just laughed it off and forgave me. And we finished cleaning the inside of the storage house, and as we were in the middle of putting things back¡­ Teo: ¡°......what are you all doing?¡± Teo looked at us with a single brow raised. Cyril: ¡°Ummm¡­.I thought we were celebrating Miss Ferris moving into her new apartment?¡± And nearby, Cyril was holding a basket that had a delicious smell wafting from it, but let out a sigh after seeing what we were doing. Henry: ¡°Umm¡­.well¡­¡± Cyril: ¡°I bet Miss Ferris didn¡¯t want to take the furniture for free or something along those lines, right?¡± Henry: ¡°........yup.¡± She nailed it. I¡¯m a little surprised that Cyril understood Ferris so well. She must be looking more closer at people than I thought. Or Ferris is just really easy to read and understand. Cyril: ¡°I brought cake, and I hate for it to go to waste.¡± Henry: ¡°What?! You can make things other than cookies?!¡± Cyril: ¡°WHAT?!¡± Cyril¡¯s brows furrow. Cyril: ¡°Henry~~~, we need to have a talk about that image of me inside of that brain of yours. My HOBBY is baking. Did you even know that? And I¡¯m also very selective about tea.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, uh, really?¡± Cyril: ¡°YES REALLY. Please immediately correct that image of me right now. Like very quickly!¡± ? Yeah, I don¡¯t understand at all. But this is a very...womanly hobby. But no matter what, I still can¡¯t wash away the disappointment of when I look at her. I know this is part of Cyril¡¯s charm. Ferris: ¡°Oh yeah, I remember that you made cupcakes for me a while back.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh Miss Ferris, you remember!¡± Ferris: ¡°Yeah, since she was little, Cyril has always been good at baking desserts. I¡¯ve always been training to become a knight, so I¡¯m terrible at those kinds of things.¡± Cyril smiles victoriously with, ¡°Hehehe¡± slipping through her mouth as she looks at me. Cyril: ¡°If that¡¯s the case, with Teo, let¡¯s get together with the 3 of us and learn how to bake. We can sleep over and do a fun pajama party too!¡± Teo: ¡°Me too? No thanks. I¡¯m okay.¡± Ferris: ¡°Pajama? Sorry, I only wear a shirt and underwear to sleep.¡± Jend blows out tea from his nose at the words. C¡¯mon. Really? Henry: ¡°But really¡­¡± The girls are enjoying their talk with Cyril at the center, and it made me think. I look at Jend and I. Henry: ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel a little¡­.you know...like we¡¯re out of the circle?¡± Jend: ¡°It¡¯s just your imagination. You¡¯re the party leader after all.¡± Henry: ¡°.....huh? Since when was I the leader of this party?¡± It¡¯s the first I heard of this. Jend: ¡°What do you mean, ¡®Since when¡¯? You¡¯re our veteran adventurer, and you¡¯ve been determining the course of this party this entire time.¡± Henry: ¡°But this is a party that started with you and Cyril. In my mind, you were always the leader, Jend.¡± Jend: ¡°......what? That¡¯s not right. It has to be you. I don¡¯t have enough strength to lead this group yet.¡± Henry: ¡°Well why not experience what it¡¯s like being the leader right now? You¡¯ll be meeting with other party leaders, and it¡¯ll be a good experience for you.¡± I simply don¡¯t want to do that kind of bothersome work if I can help it. We¡¯re pushing the leadership responsibilities onto each other when Cyril¡¯s ears perk up and come towards us. Cyril: ¡°Hey hey~~~ I overheard you guys. If you¡¯re trying to determine the party leader, hehehehe, if you two don¡¯t want to do it, then I, the amazing Miss Cyril, will take up the baton and¡­¡± Teo: ¡°No, Cyril. Stop.¡± Ferris: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Cyril, but I think it¡¯ll be too much for you.¡± The women step in immediately. Cyril is protesting with, ¡°Why can¡¯t I do it?!¡± but isn¡¯t it obvious? Teo: ¡°......even if we were to count Cyril¡¯s overly positive personality as a plus¡­¡± Cyril: ¡°Teo, what do you mean by, ¡®even if we were to count¡¯ huh?¡± Teo: ¡°BUT! ¡­.no matter how you look at it, she doesn¡¯t have the right personality for a party leader.¡± And Teo definitively cuts through to her conclusion. Ferris: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Cyril. I¡¯m of the same opinion.¡± Jend: ¡°Me too.¡± Henry: ¡°And I¡¯m with everyone else.¡± Cyril: ¡°Whaaaaaaat¡­¡­¡± Cyril pouts with her cheeks stuck out. If this was anything else other than adventuring, I might let her be a leader...like maybe a cooking club? But this is about our party. I can¡¯t let this one slide. Teo is still a child, and in a different way than Cyril, she does not have a leader¡¯s personality. Ferris is very serious and straight-forward, but I feel like she would be caught up too much in idealism. Henry: ¡°And since it comes down to Jend or myself, Jend, who is one of the oldest party members, should be the leader. Yes. And we¡¯re done here.¡± Cyril: ¡°.......ummmm¡­¡± Everyone looks at me. Teo: ¡°You¡¯re the oldest.¡± Teo points at me for emphasis. Ferris: ¡°Mr. Henry, you¡¯re the Heroic Warrior. No matter how you look at it, people will always see you as the face of this party.¡± Ferris follows up. Jend: ¡°You¡¯re the strongest out of us right now.¡± Jend, you too? Cyril: ¡°..........well, hmph. I guess so.¡± And Cyril is still pouting. ¡­¡­.wait, I can¡¯t say no now, can I? In fact, I¡¯ve never been a party leader before. Before Gileverte, even at the peak of my career, people told me I¡¯m way too dangerous and couldn¡¯t trust me with a party. And after that, I just basically spent a year sitting on my ass... But no matter what I say, it doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯ll change their minds¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..and being unable to change the tide, I became the leader of this party. And with Cyril and Teo¡¯s help, we successfully finished cleaning and reorganizing the storage house, and moved Ferris into her new apartment. We thoroughly enjoyed Cyril¡¯s fruit cake, and deepened our friendship that night. CH 32 Chapter 32: Solo Adventuring Henry: ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t this Hamao grass? That¡¯s a rare find for these parts.¡± Inside the Flowtier Forest. I was gathering herbs I discovered in the Wild Bears¡¯ territory. Hamao grass is a pretty rare herb used for potions. If you give it to a decently trained pharmacist, they can make a mid-tier level potion with this. If they were to let it sit in liquor, it gives the drink a distinct, acquired taste that some people adore. And they also say that drinking liquor like that will invigorate you in many ways¡­ I didn¡¯t think that I would run into a small patch around here. From further inspection, it doesn¡¯t look like anyone picked through it recently, so I happily help myself. ¡­..it¡¯s typical for adventurers to acknowledge that anything found in these hunting grounds are first come first serve, but you still have to be careful because there are still some who would stake claims to areas regardless. I¡¯m not desperate enough for income to risk starting an altercation with any other group, so if there were signs of someone collecting the herbs, I was only going to pick a few stems and that was it. But as it is, I help my self to as much as I can take. But I will leave the younger buds, so that it can continue to grow and spread for the next time I come around. Henry: ¡°I guess that about wraps it up.¡± I stuff the Hamao grass inside my bag and stand up. I stretch out my limbs that stiffened a little while I was bent over. I take out my notebook from my bag. I need to record where I found the Hamao grass. I don¡¯t have great mapping skills, but thankfully, the trees here are more separated, so I can guess the relative position and distance more accurately. If this was a dungeon, I¡¯d be too scared to use any map a novice made. Now, how long did it take for Hamao grass to grow back again? As I tried to plan out when I should return back here, a low growl emerges from a distance. Henry: ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± I draw out my Nyoiten Spear from its sheath at my side and shape it into a short spear. And at the same time, a black shadow emerges from the shadows of the trees. A single Wild Bear¡­.huh. Henry: ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Wild Bears aren¡¯t known for their intellect and tactics like Kobolds, but I scan the area for other threats. ¡­..but it doesn¡¯t look like there are any other ambushes set up. But regardless, I raise my alertness to several levels higher than usual as I slowly approach the Wild Bear. The Wild Bear is also approaching me slowly at the same time. It¡¯s eyes were full of anger towards humans. And once we got to a certain distance near each other¡­ ¡°Grrr¡­..¡± The Wild Bear leans forward, and charges in. Henry: ¡°FU¡­..!!¡± Blowing out a quick breath, I also close the distance. I circulate plenty of magic power throughout my body, and I stand before the Bear in the next instant. Even before the Wild Bear could finish taking its first step, I thrust my spear into its chest. ¡°GRAAAAAHHH!!¡± With its heart pierced, it cries out one last time before it falls to the ground. ¡­..the demonic creature¡¯s body evaporates completely, and once it is totally gone, I relax from my high alert stance. Henry: ¡°Fwew¡­¡± I won¡¯t be tired from dealing with one Wild Bear, but I¡¯m glad my skills haven¡¯t rusted. I let out a slow breath of relief. <<<<>>>> Right now, me, Cyril, Jend, Teo, and Ferris are teaming up and forming a party together. Until Ferris gets acclimated to our party, we¡¯re tackling Kobolds. Even so, we don¡¯t go adventuring every day. And because of that, I have some pent up energy, and I came down to the Flowtier Forest alone to do some Solo Adventuring. Henry: ¡°Oh, Mr. Nord¡¯s lunch looks delicious as always.¡± I buy lunches from Mr. Nord¡¯s Inn, and I open it as I find a place to eat. Since I¡¯m eating outdoors, I have something easy to eat like sandwiches. But unlike regular sandwiches, this is catered towards physical fighters and is stuffed with goods inside. There¡¯s thick-cut ham, vegetables, saut¨¦ed chicken, cheese, and tomatoes, and potato salad on the side. I won¡¯t get full from this, but there¡¯s enough to get me through the day. I take a large bite out of my sandwiche. They salted the ingredients a little more than usual to cater to people who do hard labor outdoors. I finish one sandwich quickly and drink out of my water bottle. The water from the forest is clean, and it moistens my dry throat. ¡­..and as a precaution, I have a bracelet that¡¯s actually a Rare-class godly equipment called, ¡°The Prayer of Defense.¡± It¡¯s effects are resist-poison and resist-lightning. A little bit of natural water won¡¯t affect me. I could use my [WATER] Eedle, but any water created by magecraft is always lukewarm. I could try to learn [ICE] Glacial, but I¡¯m currently not in need of more spells, and just learning one magecraft spell just so I can drink cooler water sounds like an enormous waste of time and effort. Henry: ¡°Fwew¡­..¡± I let out one slow breath. Looking up, the tree branches block my view, but I can still see the blue sky above me well enough. It¡¯s peaceful here. If there were no demonic creatures, this would be a popular picnic site. ¡­¡­.so, it¡¯s not like I can let my guard down completely, but I can take care of 10-20 Wild Bears on my own, so I allow myself to relax a little. When adventuring solo, it¡¯s critical to find moments to rest and breathe. Being alone, it¡¯s impossible to have your guard up all the time. And today, I came here alone to confirm that I still got it. I can still do this. ¡­...yes, I¡¯m in a party right now and there¡¯s no plans to dissolve the party any time soon, but there¡¯s no telling when I¡¯ll be left alone again. If I can only function in a party, then I¡¯ll be in trouble. Injuries, employment, marriage, death in the family, or even boredom. There¡¯s a myriad of reasons why you should retire from Adventuring. There¡¯s no loss in being prepared for the worst. And in the case of our party¡­. Henry: ¡°......2 years? No, it¡¯ll be about 1 more year.¡± Cyril especially wants to go to the frontlines. The others are also interested as well. If it comes to that, I have no reason to fight in that hellish place, so I¡¯ll stay behind in Flowtier. I do feel the bonds between us grow and deepen, but it¡¯s not enough to pull me back into Ligaleo. I think. Probably¡­. Well, I guess we¡¯ll just have to see. ¡­¡­..anyways, whether I go with them or not, they¡¯ll probably depart in about 1 year. Up until then, I¡¯ll just have to teach them what I know as much as possible. Henry: ¡°But really...why in the world does Cyril want to go that badly?¡± It¡¯s a mystery. I can understand Jend and Ferris. They are the kinds of people that seek out strength. Teo is full of curiosity too and carries high aspirations. But Cyril¡­.she has incredible magic talent, but she¡¯s not the type that enjoys fighting. And that¡¯s why I just don¡®t understand why she is the most enthusiastic about going among the 4 of them. I think about squeezing that reason out of her but¡­..it might be a very personal reason, and I don¡¯t know if I want to step in that deep. From her personality, she just might say, ¡°I¡¯m going to the frontlines because we¡¯re talking about me!!¡± I can imagine that very easily happening. I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s intentionally keeping it a secret or subconsciously doing so, but regardless, it¡¯s difficult for her to breach the subject. We¡¯ve gotten to know each other better and gotten along fine. We¡¯re from the same hometown, but is this really something I should try to wriggle out of her? She¡¯s also from the Fezzard Kingdom. She also had parents and friends killed by the Demon King¡¯s armies. Maybe she¡¯s like me and wants revenge? And unlike me who went after the General, she wants to wipe out the entire Demon King¡¯s armies? Henry: ¡°..........yeah, definitely not.¡± I really don¡¯t think her carefree, free-spirited personality is just an act. That has to be her core personality. If she¡¯s truly hiding her true ulterior motives and the face of a murderous, blood-raged vengeance queen underneath it all, you might as well turn this world upside down and inside out. ¡­...but whatever. She might talk about it soon, or if she doesn¡¯t, she¡¯ll be going to Ligaleo with Jend. I¡¯m not¡­..not¡­¡­.ARGH! I¡¯m so worried!! Yeah, maybe I can just guide them to Ligaleo. And then I¡¯ll connect them with my old acquaintances, and they should be safer. If it¡¯s the frontlines, Sir Ezeal will be there too. Hmmm¡­¡­.. Henry: ¡°.................maybe I should go¡­¡­.¡± I was done eating but my thoughts kept going. I¡¯ll have to set aside these thoughts for now, and finish this adventure. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°Fwew! Well, that was a good haul today!¡± Around when evening came, I ended my exploration and returned back to Flowtier. I finished selling off my drops and had a good bit of income come in. I was unlucky in that there were no Quests asking for the Hamao grass, but I was able to go through the church to sell it. ¡­¡­.unless you¡¯re like Teo with a cheat bag, an individual can only carry so much. Unless you¡¯re bringing in something ultra rare and expensive materials, if it¡¯s just a single bag of mid-tier potion ingredients, you really don¡¯t have many places that will take your trade. You¡¯ll actually lose money with all the item checks and time wasted in negotiations. There are specific, specialized buyers, but they will haggle down the price to dirt cheap. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.so in the end, if you¡¯re an adventurer with no connections, your best choice is to ask the church for help. What? Jend¡¯s house? A Merchant Association of that size wouldn¡¯t have a reception window for Adventurers. The economy of Adventurers is way too unstable and unreliable. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Hm?¡± I step out of the church, and someone calls my name. Turning around, I see someone who I see almost everyday approach me with a smile. Henry: ¡°Cyril?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, hello there¡­.oh, I guess it¡¯s almost good evening~~~¡± Well, yeah, it¡¯s almost sundown now. Henry: ¡°It¡¯s rare to see you out and about at this time. Are you on your way home?¡± Cyril: ¡°No, today, the head chef at the Governor¡¯s mansion had to rest due to a cold. Everyone at the mansion is making their own meals today. I figured that I would like to go out and eat somewhere in that case.¡± They have a head chef, huh¡­ yeah, that makes sense. It¡¯s the Flowtier¡¯s Governor¡¯s mansion after all. Henry: ¡°Then do you want to join me? I made a good bit today, so it¡¯s on me.¡± Cyril: ¡°Really?! Yes!!¡± Henry: ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s go.¡± We can just walk around and find a nice looking place to eat. Cyril: ¡°Oh huh? I thought we had the day off, but Henry, you went adventuring?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, just to make some income and train. Oh, since we¡¯re talking about training, did you complete everything I asked you to do today?¡± Cyril: ¡°O--of course! I was working hard all morning. ¡­..and it took me all afternoon to recover¡­¡± Oh wow. Even though I gave her more than I should have, she still completed it all. Henry: ¡°Then let¡¯s make sure to eat up plenty. Even if you train, if you don¡¯t eat, it¡¯s all for nothing.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ummmm¡­.you know I don¡¯t want to gain weight from eating so much, right? I¡¯m still a lady.¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? What? You actually thought that you would be able to gain weight? Oh no no no. You should be more about losing too much weight.¡± Cyril: ¡°Wait¡­..how much are you planning to train me¡­..?¡± At the end of the day, she needs to get to a place where today¡¯s training menu can be done while humming, skipping, and not losing her breath at all. When I told her that, she turned a pale blue as the blood drained out of her face. CH 33 Chapter 33: Some Troublesome Adventurers This happened while the party was receiving their dues for the drops they collected during their last adventure at the Grandes church tavern. Henry: ¡°Here¡¯s your share, Jend.¡± Jend: ¡°Thanks.¡± With Ferris in the party, we decided to put away a third into the party¡¯s shared funds and divided the rest evenly. With 5, we were overall making more as a team, but our personal shares did dip slightly. But now, we can rely on Ferris to heal most of our injuries, and that kind of reassurance can¡¯t be bought. Everyone understood this, and there were no complaints from the rest of the party members. Henry: ¡°Ferris, Cyril.¡± Ferris: ¡°Thank you.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ya~y!¡± Henry: ¡°And Teo, here¡¯s your share.¡± I distribute the money accordingly. Our shared funds are being placed in a vault at Jend¡¯s home. Teo: ¡°Thanks.¡± Teo thanks me and places the money in her wallet. It was around that time that some adventurers sitting a little far from us spoke loud enough for us to hear. ¡°Hey, hey, look at that. He¡¯s even given money to a kid!¡± ¡°Mr. Heroic Warrior is all about equality, huh? If he¡¯s giving money to a kid like that, dontcha think he could be buying us a drink at least?¡± ¡°Hey now, it might be just because kids like that are his type. Look at the other women in the party. Yeah, he definitely likes kids.¡± There¡¯s vulgar insults thrown our way, but I ignore it. If you got angry at every jeer, then the punks at Ligaleo in comparison would be like fecal stew that¡¯s fermented in a pot for a decade. If you took offense to everything said to you, all the veins in your brain would hemorrhage from anger on the day you get to Ligaleo. Flowtier has better mannered adventurers than the frontlines, but there are still a few annoying ones scattered here and there. These guys are pretty much strangling their careers with their own bare hands. Unlike light-hearted jesting and jokes within a party, doing this right under the nose of the Grandes Church is nothing but career suicide. Your trust, reputation, and rapport will plummet, and as a result, the church will stop giving you decent quests. Jend: ¡°Those guys¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°Jend, just ignore them. There¡¯s no point getting yourself involved with trash like that.¡± And I also gently hold down Cyril¡¯s shoulder. Cyril: ¡°You think we¡¯ll back down when they insulted our Teo? And who¡¯s the other childish girl they¡¯re talking about I wonder, hmmmm??¡± Henry: ¡°Argh, you guys, calm down. We can¡¯t just start blowing up stuff and starting a fight in the middle of the church.¡± Cyril: ¡°But my mercenary bodyguard next to me gets up and¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Here I¡¯ll take care of them, I mean, yeah right. This isn¡¯t a Rishu Novel¡­¡± {{Chonky Notes: Japanese Samurai movie trope I think}} I play along with Cyril just to get her to calm down. Ferris: ¡°Teo, don¡¯t listen to anything they say. Your contribution to this party is as clear as night and day.¡± Teo: ¡°.........I¡¯m not letting it bother me. I know that I do my job in the party.¡± Teo looks a little bothered and Ferris is doing her best to comfort her. It¡¯s no exaggeration, but a genuine fact that Teo is pulling her weight. ¡­¡­..and of course, I¡¯m not just talking about her useful bag. She¡¯s a scout, and in a party, that''s a critical role. From how Teo looks on the outside, you may not believe that she is able to play that role, but she¡¯s done better than any average adventurer scouts I know. Do they think we¡¯ll take on a useless kid on an adventure quest where our lives are at stake? ¡°HA! Look at that. Can¡¯t even say nuttin back. They got no guts, these guys.¡± ¡°Maybe his Heroic Warrior status is just a fluke? There¡¯s no way a real Heroic Warrior would come to a place like this.¡± ¡°True! We just have to scare ''im a little, and maybe he¡¯ll give us something good.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..those idiots. If it was just talk, I was going to ignore it with a merciful face like the goddess, and make sure none of our crew does anything rash, but they got up from their seats. Jend and Ferris get up a little, and Cyril moves her seat behind me. And Teo¡­.oh shoot. Henry: ¡°........look, I¡¯ll deal with this so let me handle it, okay?¡± ARGH! I hate having to bother with stuff like this¡­¡­..but if we back down now, they¡¯ll keep coming back at us every time we run into each other. And besides, even if I lay low, the rest of my party won¡¯t. I stand up, and go greet the 3 prancing proudly toward us. ¡°Yo, Mr. Heroic Warrior, how¡¯s business?¡± ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve been given quite a sum even to that kid over there. Can¡¯t you give some to us too?¡± ¡°If you¡¯d like, we can help you with your quests. Unlike that kid over there, I¡¯ll guarantee that we¡¯ll do better. What do you say?¡± Some middle-aged adventurers that plateaued long ago in their careers. I think their names were Roz, Dorudo, and Axim. They don¡¯t have any connections to any big names around here. Their manners are the worst, and no one likes them, but they haven¡¯t committed any obvious crimes. Even if I report their behavior today to the church, it¡¯ll just be settled with a warning with no arrests. ¡­¡­...and I recall their profile details very quickly. We¡¯re all the same adventurers. There might be times when we have to work together, so just so we don¡¯t step on each other¡¯s toes, I¡¯ve looked into their backgrounds. And I also thought they might get up in our face at some point too. If they were part of a bigger party or organization, I would have to go deal with the rest of the members too, but thankfully, it¡¯s just this drunk trio, and we¡¯re done here. Henry: ¡°No thanks. Just go home, take a ****, and go to sleep.¡± ¡°HUH?! Hey, we were asking you really nicely, so what¡¯s with that attitude?!¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m being more than nice right now to punks like you. You wanna give it a go?¡± The people around are wondering if they should intervene or not. If we just part with no real understanding, it¡¯s going to happen again, so let¡¯s make this quick and final. ¡°HA! Mr. Heroic Warrior who¡¯s all talk? You picking a fight with us?!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I am. So why not start it already? It¡¯ll just be me.¡± ¡°.....you think you can take us 3 with just yourself? You¡­.¡± I circulate a burst of magic energy throughout my body. I need to make it obvious so even these drunkards would get the message. Henry: ¡°So what¡¯s it going to be? Are we gonna do this or what?¡± ¡°.....(spat), whatever, you remember this. Let¡¯s go.¡± They try to leave, but I grab Roz around the shoulders. This guy¡¯s the leader out of the three. Roz: ¡°Wh-what?¡± Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t care to remember this night, so just so we¡¯re clear, why don¡¯t you hang with me a bit?¡± Punks like these would hold grudges like this and would wait to ambush you in your sleep or while you bathe or even in the toilet. It¡¯ll be troublesome if it goes that far. At least these guys have enough sense to not start trouble where they¡¯ll get caught, so I need to hammer it in with them. Henry: ¡°Oh, it might a while, so you guys can go ahead without me~¡± I tell Cyril and everyone as I drag Roz with me. Roz: ¡°H--hey wait! Hey, let go!¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m only taking you back to your seat. Here, I¡¯ll buy you a drink at least. So let¡¯s talk, okay?¡± I¡¯m sure we can have a nice ¡°chat¡± over a drink and have them ¡°understand¡± us a little better. If things go bad, a punch or two that reshapes your face always ties up any loose ends. I¡¯m such a pacifist. Really now. They should really be thankful that I¡¯m so skilled in these kinds of negotiations. ¡­¡­...no seriously, they should be thankful. Teo was about to pull out her machete. That part of her is identical with Ageha. Is that just a common principal taught at the Cloudy Plains training? <<<<>>>> An arrow without arrowheads flies my way, but I dodge it. I smack the second shot with my stick, and the third one is just to distract me so I ignore it. By that time, Teo has come into my range. I thrust my stick at her, but she dodges. I then forcefully swipe to the side. Normally, this wouldn¡¯t have enough force or momentum for a normal opponent, but Teo is light enough to be carried off by the swing. She rolls and breaks her fall, and she tries to distance herself and readies her bow¡­..but by the time she gets up, my stick is at her throat, and the match is over. Teo: ¡°.......Th---thank¡­.you¡­..for the¡­..match¡­¡± Henry:¡± Yeah, thanks for the match too.¡± We bow to each other. But Teo seems more tired than I am, and sits down immediately. I guess this was pretty hard on her body. Her last bout was a little rough on the edges now that I think about it. It must have been due to the fatigue. We¡¯re at the Grandes church training grounds. Teo invited me to train with her after last night¡¯s incident. As a result, it was 15 matches and 15 wins for me. Teo has a lot of potential, but I¡¯m not going to lose to her any time soon¡­¡­...there were 2 or 3 close calls though. Henry: ¡°Here, I have some water.¡± Teo: ¡°Yeah, thanks¡­¡± It¡¯s just a large open space with some wooden dummy targets, but there is also a well for water. I pour the water into a simple wooden cup, and Teo drinks it greedily. Teo: ¡°Fwew¡­¡­.I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Henry to bother you with my training.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about it. I need to train with people quicker than me.¡± Jend is more about power than speed. It¡¯s good to be able to train with a variety of opponents. And Ferris is in between Jend and Teo. Henry: ¡°But your movements are really different from Ageha even though your both from the same line of martial arts.¡± Teo: ¡°Sister Ageha has¡­..well, transformed the style to cater to her fighting style.¡± Thought so. I¡¯m glad that her style of always going for the neck is not the default ways of the Cloudy Plains. If you look really carefully, you¡¯ll see some similarities, but it¡¯s distinct enough to call it two separate martial arts styles. Henry: ¡°But why all of a sudden did you want to train with me?¡± Teo: ¡°......yesterday, you got into a fight because of me. I didn¡¯t want to be underestimated as a child so¡­¡± Teo glances at the church building. From the tavern windows, you can see the training field, and there are a few adventurers who were drinking and watching our match. Teo: ¡°I don¡¯t like it when people look down on me. I didn¡¯t want to make it a habit.¡± Henry: ¡°.....yeah, I get it.¡± 15 matches. Even though I won, they must have at least noticed Teo¡¯s swift movements, her accuracy with the bow, and even her unique, tricky fighting style with close-combat. Even though it¡¯s around noon, there are plenty of people in the taverns. If they talk about our match, the rumor will just keep spreading. Henry: ¡°Yeah, I doubt anyone would underestimate you after watching this fight.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes.¡± She actually picked up a win during the training with the Black Dragon Knights. Adventurers make a living off fighting, and strength speaks volumes in our industry. If Teo¡¯s strength is known, then very few would continue to treat her like a child. Teo: ¡°Of course, I didn¡¯t show any of my secret moves¡­¡± Secret moves¡­¡­ Henry: ¡°.....please tell me it¡¯s not the Ageha Neck Slash.¡± Teo: ¡°Please don¡¯t compare me to sister Ageha.¡± I¡¯m glad. That move where you suddenly appear behind an opponent that is 20 meters away was not passed down to her cousin. We rested a bit, and after a while, Teo and I got up and left the training field. CH 34 Chapter 34: Casino Part 1 It¡¯s still bright outside, but the main streets of Flowtier began to empty out as the end of the day approached. Cyril: ¡°Oh???... so it¡¯s my first time in this area of town, but wo???w, it¡¯s like this huh.¡± Henry: ¡°.............hey, stop looking around so much.¡± Cyril: ¡°But everything¡¯s so new to me.¡±¡¯ Cyril let¡¯s out some curious gasps as she glances all around her. Well, yeah, for her, this would be new. Stores that you typically don¡¯t see in Main Street line-up this area - especially the businesses that cater to the late night crowds. There are bars that have scantily clad women serving you alcohol, and that¡¯s just the beginning. There are gambling facilities and brothels and love hotels. If you go to one of the back alley¡¯s, there are stores selling goods that you would never see in the light of day, and you¡¯ll see some ¡°specialty¡± stores as well as special ¡°pharmacies¡± as well. Well, women who just turned adult-age should be weary while walking these streets so they don¡¯t get snagged by bad men, but¡­..I guess that¡¯s less of a concern around here in Flowtier. But there are guys catcalling and hitting up any girls they see. If you just go by looks, Cyril is a cute girl. But no one is approaching her in this situation. Of course not. She¡¯s with a man already. And of course, because of that, people are acknowledging that we are in ¡°that¡± kind of a relationship. Henry: ¡°Cyril, c¡¯mon. Let¡¯s get to where we¡¯re going.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay??? Oh! It¡¯s my first time, so I need you to take the lead and teach me everything.¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m not that great at this either.¡± It¡¯s still early so all the bars and taverns are empty, but the love hotels are happily welcoming all the young couples in heat. I take a quick glance around, but I see a couple that¡¯s around the same age as Cyril, and they try to secretly enter a love hotel together. Cyril: ¡°Oh!¡± Cyril notices too, and takes a quick look at me, and then looks away quickly. If you¡¯re going to be embarrassed about it, stop looking around so much. Henry: ¡°C¡¯mon. Stop snooping around, and let¡¯s go.¡± Cyril: ¡°I¡±m not snooping???¡± Alright, alright. I respond to Cyril nonchalantly, and I try to remember the location of the store according to the map in my head as we round a corner. The magecraft lights shine brightly on its store sign as it tries to attract a younger audience with a casual, fun look. Cyril: ¡°Ooooohhhhh... so this is a Casino.¡± Henry: ¡°Yup.¡± The Flowtier approved legal gambling center, ¡°Big Casino¡± was overflowing with an atmosphere of striking it rich. <<<<>>>> This all started yesterday as I was eating lunch at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn, and I said something out loud like, ¡°Uhhhhhh...maybe I¡¯ll go win some money or something today¡­¡± I really have too little to do when we¡¯re not out on adventures. I don¡¯t feel like going solo adventuring every single time. ©`©`©`I know I was doing that before Gilverte. ©`©`©`but no, I¡¯m not living my life like that again. Of course, there is a lot to do around here. I can read a random novel. I can go explore the town. I was actually reading a guide book to the city when I thought, ¡°Oh yeah, I could go to the casino.¡± Flowtier has a tourist side to the city, and there are also all sorts of gambling arenas. But the businesses are limited to places nearer to the red-light districts, and you wouldn¡¯t see any close by the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. I turned the page to the introduction to the City Casinos, I was thinking about going around some card tables and maybe even visit a brothel, but Cyril, who¡¯s been coming around more frequently to the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn for lunch, raised her hand. Basically, her ask was, ¡°I want to go! Take me with you please?¡± I guess she¡¯s at a age when she¡¯s curious about these kinds of things. So, I ended up having to take her along with me. ¡­¡­..and yeah, there¡¯s no way I can pop into a brothel now afterwards, so she did put a giant wrench in my final plans. And now that I think about it, the timing¡¯s always been off, so I haven¡¯t gone to one here yet. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Ooooohhhhhh. Even though it¡¯s still a regular weekday, there¡¯s so many people here.¡± Henry: ¡°Not that we can say anything since we¡¯re here too.¡± Cyril¡¯s eyes sparkled as she gazed up on the bustling crowd in the Casino. There are also adventurers we frequently see at the church. It¡¯s normal to put in days to rest in between adventures, and of course, that means that some will have very little to do on their off days like me. Hence, that¡¯s why there are those who hang around casinos during these times. Well, it¡¯s not a bad option as long as you are able to keep yourself under control. Whether it¡¯s fine dining, alcohol, smoking, gambling or women, for those who spend their days risking their lives every time they work, we need something to take the stres, pressure, and load off of us or we¡¯ll snap or break down. There are some who believe that adventuring itself is a way to recover from adventuring fatigue and are the reincarnation, embodiment, or even possessed by the Grandes god, but those idiots are rare and few. Cyril: ¡°So um¡­.what do we do first?¡± Henry: ¡°Well, first we need to trade in our money for coins. All the games at the Casino use these coins, and after we¡¯re done, we go back and trade in the coins for real money.¡± And of course, the rate to exchange the coins are different from buying and selling. The exchange rates are one way to tell if you¡¯re at a decent Casino or not. And the good thing was that here, this Casino was catered to attract tourists, so they made sure to ensure a fair exchange rate to appease the public and city. But because of that, it¡¯ll be harder to win big. These kinds of risk to reward rates differ by Casino as well. I don¡¯t feel like losing too big today so I exchange about 1,000 zeniths and Cyril¡­...is just getting 300. That¡¯s about right for someone who¡¯s gambling for the first time. Cyril: ¡°So what should we do first?¡± Henry: ¡°Well, let¡¯s see¡­ Cards are a little tricky because it depends on who you¡¯re playing against¡­.so why not try the roulette?¡± Well, depending on the dealer¡¯s skills, the dealer could manipulate the outcome some, so you have to outwit and outsmart them, but it¡¯s still fun. And it¡¯s not a bad one to start with. There¡¯s a lot of people who gather around, and it¡¯s a nice energetic and noisy atmosphere, and just to enjoy the Casino feel, it¡¯s a great place to start. Cyril: ¡°Ya?y, okay, let¡¯s go¡­...huh, oh!¡± Cyril was about to dash forward when another customer walked by. She nearly bumped into him, and I had to grab her hand and stop her. Henry: ¡°Sorry, she can be clumsy at times.¡± The other gentleman laughed it off and went on his way. Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t mind you enjoying all of this, but pay attention to your surroundings.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Well, she just has to be careful going forward. It¡¯s not a big deal. So out of a few roulette tables, there was one with 2 seats open, so we traded half our coins into chips. This is just so we can keep track of who¡¯s money is on the table easier, so Cyril and I have different colored chips. Henry: ¡°Alrighty then¡­..I¡¯m betting on Number 23 only.¡± Cyril: ¡°Since it¡¯s my first time, I¡¯ll just go with red or black. Mmmmm¡­.I¡¯ll go with...BLACK!¡± And Cyril¡¯s first roulette challenge began. <<<<>>>> Cyril: ¡°Mmmmm¡­...RED!¡± Cyril boldly bets a third of her chips on red. The other customers place their bets, and the dealer begins to spin the roulette and releases the ball. Watching the ball spin around, Cyril adds another third of her chips onto red. Let¡¯s see what happens¡­. Cyril: ¡°YES~!¡± ¡­¡­¡­..she got it. Cyril throws a peace sign at me while she shows off her growing chip count. And I ran out of chips about 20 minutes ago so I¡¯m taking a break. I¡¯m taking a sip of a non-alcoholic drink at the bar and watching Cyril play. Henry: ¡°Cyril¡¯s got the hang of it. She¡¯s doing well for a first-timer.¡± She¡¯s only betting red and black, so her gains are small, but now she¡¯s doubled her chips. She told me that she could sort of tell where the ball was about to land. She¡¯s added more chips when she feels like she¡¯s about to win, and she refrains when she¡¯s about to lose. She¡¯s been right so far. And with that last win, she decided to end it there and had the dealer exchange her chips back into the Casino coins. Cyril: ¡°How¡¯s that, Henry?!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, great great. You did well?" Cyril: ¡°He?y, you don¡¯t mean that at all!" You think someone who lost out will be happy for someone who won?! Cyril: ¡°What do you want to do next?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh?, well, I thought we could do some poker, but all the seats are taken¡­why don¡¯t we go to the back?¡± Cyril: ¡°The back?¡± This floor of the Casino is mostly roulette¡¯s and table games. In the back of the Casino, there is the Casino¡¯s main venue. Henry: ¡°See, look at the Casino¡¯s pamphlet right here.¡± Cyril: ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­...a betting match¡­.?¡± Henry: ¡°Yup, that¡¯s it.¡± They arrange a one on one fight, and you bet on who¡¯s going to win. There are some fighters the Casino arranged, but customers are allowed to participate if they want. You will have to use the weapons the Casino provides which have higher safety features embedded within its design. And you are prohibited from using magic power. If you win, you get a percentage of the money that was betted in your fight. The Alvenia Kingdom is a country that emphasizes education, but it also has the Grandes Church as its national religion. As a result, there is also importance placed on martial arts and strength - the betting arena is a result of this culture. Out of the 3 major countries, the *Republic of Salaise believes this to be a barbaric practice. Cyril: ¡°Oh, do you plan to participate in the fights, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°...........no, just watching and betting.¡± Yeah, even without using magic powers, I do have quite a bit of skill. I¡¯m not trying to look down on the other arena fighters, but I don¡¯t want the fight to look like I¡¯m bullying the weaker fighters. Cyril: ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± Henry: ¡°In fact, you should go up there. You¡¯ve been training with your staff skills.¡± Cyril: ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Right now, I''m barely able to protect myself.¡± We chat as we walk down the hallway that leads to the arena. As we move forward, a different type of atmosphere begins to tickle our senses as we catch whiffs of a very heated and rowdy audience. Cyril: ¡°Wo?w, you can hear the cheers from here.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re really getting into it today.¡± As we approach, a Casino attendance opens the sound proof door. We are suddenly blasted with the sounds of a cheering crowd. Cyril: ¡°Whoa?¡± It¡¯s a bowl shaped arena with a square stage in the middle. Most of the seats are filled. Cyril: ¡°Wow?, look how big this place is.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. You couldn¡¯t tell from looking at it from the outside, but I wonder how big this site is¡­¡± This arena is smaller than anything you would see at the Capital, but it was still surprisingly big. Henry: ¡°Okay, let¡¯s look for an open seat somewhere¡­¡­..¡± Cyril: ¡°.......Henry?¡± Hm? I look towards where Cyril is pointing. Her finger landed on the fighting arena stage. The previous match just ended, and a woman is currently walking up to the injured on stage. Henry: ¡°..............Ferris?¡± She casts her healing magecraft, and heals all the injuries quickly. Cyril: ¡°The opponent that won¡­.if I¡¯m not mistaken, that¡¯s Jend, right¡­¡­¡± Henry: ¡°.........you¡¯re right¡­..¡± What are those guys doing? ¡°Annnnnnnnnnd the match goes to Jend!! He¡¯s strong!! Our newest up-and-coming Adventurer has now won five battles in a row!! How is your fatigue, Jend?! Can you go for another round?!¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, I can keep going. Compared to who I usually go up against, this is too easy.¡± ¡°Thank you so much! Now do we have anyone who wants to challenge our hero?!¡± The referee shouts into a magecraft item that magnifies your voice, and another arena fighter who was waiting for their turn steps forward into the arena. ¡­¡­¡­..no really, what is he doing here? CH 35 Chapter 35: The Casino Part 2 ¡°WHOAAA!! Jend swung his sword downwards and struck Urias¡¯ sword out of his hands©`!! The victory goes to Jend©`!!¡± As the referee determines the victor, the crowd goes wild and applauds. According to the conversations I hear around me, that Urias that Jend fought was a famous rapier-user and quite famous as a fighter in this casino. He definitely had solid swordsmanship skills, but Jend had Sir Ezeal train him, and Jend¡¯s swordsmanship was also refined about two levels ahead of Urias. Cyril: ¡°Ooohhhh¡­ you were right, Henry. Jend won just like you said he would.¡± Henry: ¡°I told you. I¡¯m not always 100% accurate, but I can tell a person''s strength by how they walk.¡± Cyril: ¡°......? Really? Just by their walking?¡± Henry: ¡°You watch for their weight distribution, muscular formation, and the way they draw their weapon. Stuff like that.¡± Cyril: ¡°????????¡± Cyril¡¯s head visibly fills up with question marks. ¡­¡­.yeah, I know how she feels. When I was a kid, an elder martial artist would watch a man walk by and comment, ¡°That man is strong.¡± And I would wonder how he was able to determine that. I honestly thought he was nuts. But as you improve yourself, you begin to catch on. ¡°Jend still seems to be full of energy!! Are there any challengers?! Wait¡­¡­.Ohhh!! Here comes Gwayne, the master spear-user!! It¡¯s as if he was waiting for this moment to come!!¡± I immediately head to the betting counter and throw the max betting amount towards Jend. Henry: ¡°Cyril, if you want to make some quick cash, bet on Jend.¡± Cyril: ¡°Huh? What? Oh, um, sure. Okay.¡± Cyril seems doubtful and bets half the max amount towards Jend. Cyril: ¡°Um, Henry. I know I''m a complete beginner in martial arts, but Jend¡¯s opponent seems strong.¡± He has a well trained and chiseled build, and good spear skills from the way he handles the practice weapon. He¡¯s definitely skilled, and he¡¯s not showing any signs of overconfidence or looking down upon Jend. Plus, Jend¡¯s been fighting consecutive matches, so the stamina difference may be an issue. That Urias was strong, but Gwayne is a level higher. And finally, since the use of magic power is prohibited, going against the long reach of a spear user will be difficult. Without any foresight, I would be unsure of the outcome. Jend¡¯s skills are higher, but his opponent is stronger and full of energy. Even so... Henry: ¡°You¡¯re forgetting one thing, Cyril.¡± Cyril: ¡°Huh¡­.?¡± Henry: ¡°Who do you think Jend trains with all the time?¡± Ha! Nailed it. Now you see? Cyril: ¡°Training? You mean how he trains with you? What does that have to do with anything.¡± Her words hit me hard in the gut as my shoulder sags from the impact. Can¡¯t you just let me feel a little bit cool for a moment? Cyril: ¡°So what did you mean by that?¡± Henry: ¡°Um, well, so you see¡­ if Jend is always training with a very skilled spear-user like me, then you see how he wouldn¡¯t lose to any other spear-user? Like that?¡± ¡­...why am I having to explain this¡­.I thought just by saying, ¡°Who do you think he trains with all the time?¡± That would be enough to drive the point¡­.you know¡­.because¡­. Cyril: ¡°Hmmm, do you really think so? It¡¯s the same weapon, but his height and build is different from yours, his moves will be completely different, so would the experience training with you really help in this case?¡± Henry: ¡°Y©`yeah, that IS true, but...Miss Cyril, could you be quiet for a second?¡± Everything she said was true, but her logic was more crippling to my confidence than anything else. That was a good 1-2 combo. I slump in my seat from the burns. <<<<>>>> ¡°Jend parries Gwayne¡¯s strike and his sword nails Gwayne¡¯s shoulder!!¡± The end result was that Jend won. Henry: ¡°....see? Just like I said.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m impressed. Jend really is improving. Grrr¡­ Well, to be fair, Gwayne was an experienced fighter, and he was pushing Jend back for most of the fight. The bets were hedged against Jend, so the odds played in my favor, and I got a nice sum back. I wanted to tell Cyril how she could have made more money if she trusted me more, but that seemed petty, and I held back the words. I¡¯ll be satisfied with just the thought. ¡°Mr. Jend, do you still have more fight left in you?¡± Jend: ¡°I can still keep going, but I¡¯m not sure if there are any more challengers.¡± After Gwayne, the challenges ceased. Looks like there was no one above Gwayne''s caliber around today. Cyril: ¡°Henry, Henry. Isn¡¯t it your turn now?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, uhhhhh, not sure about that.¡± Honestly, the last fight got my blood pumping, and I am itching for some action. But I don¡¯t like being made a tool or puppet for people¡¯s entertainment. But Jend has been stealing glances my way too. ¡°Is there anyone?! Anyone who has the strength and courage to stand up to this man?!¡± Oh, the referee is desperate too. It¡¯ll be problematic to end things here for the casino. Jend sends me an eye contact signal that is asking me for my help. Henry: ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go, Cyril?.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh?! Really?¡± We begin to jump and weave through the audience and move towards the stage. The referee notices that we are purposefully moving towards them, and welcomes us whole heartedly. ¡°OHHHH!! WE HAVE A CHALLENGER©`?!?! He even has a cute lady walking behind him©`?! Is it a boyfriend trying to show off his strength to his girl?!?!¡± ¡­¡­¡­...I guess that¡¯s welcoming? Cyril: ¡°Awww that¡¯s so sweet! She said I''m ¡®a cute lady¡¯?¡± Henry: ¡°Ugh, why¡¯d she introduce me as your boyfriend. This isn¡¯t a date.¡± ...........¡­.or is it? I jump over the tall fence surrounding the stage. Cyril doesn¡¯t even try to and heads for the gate. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Challenger! What is your name?!¡± With a voice-magnifying mic pointed at my face, I cough to clear my throat. I¡¯m not using to speaking like this, so I do feel nervous, but I speak as clearly as I can. ¡°I¡¯m Henry. I¡¯m a Heroic Warrior Adventurer and¡­.I¡¯m also in the same party as Jend over there.¡± Whoa! Hearing my own voice so loud made me almost jump. ¡°Ooohhh I see!! From the same party, huh? This is going to be a good fight then! Just in case! Please pledge your oaths that you will fight with your utmost ability!!¡± Oh yeah, if it¡¯s people within the same party, you¡¯ll need to do that. You could purposefully lose a fight any way you want, and that could upset the crowd who would hold the casino responsible. If you break your oath to the church and god you swore allegiance to, you won¡¯t be able to walk in public any more. There¡¯s not many who would risk that much just to lose a fight on purpose. Henry: ¡°I swear by the god of the Grandes Church. I will not go easy and will fight with everything I have for this match.¡± Jend: ¡°I swear the same oath as well.¡± Both Jend and I swear an oath. I go over to a stand next to the fighting arena and select a short spear. There is no blade on the edge and the end is rounded. It is still made of metal, so you still have to be wary of accidents, but¡­...that won¡¯t be a problem for Jend and I. We¡¯re not amateurs that can¡¯t stop our blade when we know it will hit. I try a few basic stances and swings to determine the balance and weight of the spear. ¡­¡­¡­.Good. It¡¯s designed for anyone to be able to use it, so the design itself is very simple and straight-forward. I let magic power for a moment travel through my body to warm-up and relax my muscles and let it dissipate¡­.and once it is completely gone, I rise up on top of the stage. As soon as I get up into the fighting arena, I¡¯m taken back by the roar of the crowd. The air vibrated, and it almost felt unreal like a dream. ¡­¡­¡­¡­..I¡¯m starting to get nervous. Jend: ¡°How is it, Henry? Isn¡¯t it different on a public stage? I actually got so nervous in my first battle that I couldn¡¯t feel my feet and lost pretty quickly.¡± Henry: ¡°.....I¡¯ll be alright.¡± I try to take a deep breath, and focus my full attention on Jend. I¡¯ve been in fights during my adventures in piss poor conditions, and that happened way too many times in Ligaleo. I have too much experience now where a little mental pressure is not going to keep me from performing from what I have done most of my life. ¡°I wonder who the audience has placed their bets on?! Right now, the odds look to be in favor of Jend! It speaks volumes to his performance tonight!¡± Oh, that kinda hurts to hear that. I don¡¯t have a whole lot of pride, but I still have some dignity as a martial artist and a warrior. ¡­...no, really! I do have some¡­! Henry: ¡°Sorry, Jend. I¡¯m gonna have to take this one.¡± Jend: ¡°......hey, it¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t been improving lately. You¡¯re not going to win that easily.¡± Yup, I know that better than anyone else. Jend¡¯s been following every hint Sir Ezeal gave him, and his techniques and skills have improved drastically. If it was the Jend before going to the Capital, I don¡¯t think he would have beaten that Gwayne guy even in his top condition. But even so, with just [Physical Boost] in play, I¡¯m still holding a 70% win rate. With Jend improving, I¡¯m actually improving with him. Eventually, I¡¯m going to plateau, and he¡¯ll catch up, but that¡¯s still in the future. ¡°Alright you two, are you ready?!¡± ¡° ¡° Any time ¡° ¡° We both speak at the same time. ¡°THEN©`©`BEGIN!!¡± The referee lowers her hand, and Jend charges in at the same time. I step back to open up the distance, and circle around him counter-clockwise and thrust my spear towards him. Jend blocks my jab with ease, and he parries the following jabs without any issues. ¡­¡­¡­..and what he¡¯s most improved on is his defense. Even though the large broadsword is not catered for defensive tactics, he manipulates his sword well with clever blocks. These movements remind me of Sir Ezeal. He parries my spear with force, and it forces me to re-take my stance. Jend: ¡°©`©`!! Got you!!¡± Jend sees an opening and charges forward. I dodge his horizontal slash by stepping back. Jend: ¡°Dangit¡­¡± Henry: ¡°I didn¡¯t think you could close that distance so fast. You almost got me there.¡± He¡¯s definitely improved even more than what I remember. ¡­¡­¡­...he¡¯s getting strong really fast. ¡°Ohhh, OHHHHH¡«¡«¡«!! Look at that offense and defense from both fighters!! Henry was pressing Jend, but Jend¡¯s last attack was very close!¡± Although I hear the noise of the referee¡¯s comments and the cheers of the crowd, none of their words reach my ears. How should I attack? Should I take a moment to see what he does? All my thoughts are consumed by what I¡¯ll do next. ¡­¡­.you know what? It¡¯s not bad fighting on a stage like this. It¡¯s pretty fun. Unknowingly, a smile comes across my face as I charge forward towards Jend. <<<<>>>> Jend: ¡°Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh¡«¡«¡«, I can¡¯t believe I lost!¡± In the waiting room for the arena fighters. As a show of gratitude for giving the crowd a night they¡¯ll remember, we were taken to a private room to rest. There, Jend was lying on a bench. Henry: ¡°Well¡«, it¡¯s a given. You fought 10 matches before fighting me.¡± Jend: ¡°Even so, I still had plenty of energy. Even when we¡¯re training, we easily go through 10 or 20 matches.¡± Henry: ¡°That kind of special environment plays a part too. You have to take that into account.¡± I only fought one match, but being on a public stage like that, after a few matches, I would start feeling the mental strain and fatigue. Cyril: ¡°But before that, Jend. Why are you even fighting here? Do you want to quit being an adventurer and become an arena fighter?¡± Jend: ¡°No¡«, why would I even do that? I was told by Sir Grandezeal that I don¡¯t have enough experience fighting different opponents.¡± Ferris: ¡°I heard that too. And then I saw that they had a Quest posted for here, and I was the one who invited him to come fight. I didn¡¯t think he would be winning this much though.¡± Jend answers Cyril¡¯s question, and Ferris clarifies further. Henry: ¡°I get it now. Well, just make sure that it doesn¡¯t affect your performance when we¡¯re out on adventures.¡± Jend: ¡°I know¡«. But man, it really sucks to lose at the very end.¡± I know we weren¡¯t playing around, but in a fight like that, you don¡¯t end up losing your life, so you don¡¯t have to get so down on yourself. Henry: ¡°Haha¡­.well, why don¡¯t we all go out? I betted on you, and got some money from it.¡± Jend: ¡°A¡«nd you betted on me too, huh¡­.¡± Jend won every fight, so I was able to recover my losses from the roulette and I got a hefty sum on top of that. Ferris: ¡°I¡¯m done with work as well. Can I join?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh yeah, totally. Do you drink, Ferris?¡± Ferris; ¡°I didn¡¯t do it before just because money was tight, but I like drinking.¡± Got it. Then it¡¯s all good. In this shady area, there¡¯s a lot of establishments that women probably won¡¯t like, but there¡¯s also a lot of regular bars and taverns as well. Henry: ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go©`!!¡± I¡¯m followed by a ¡°YEAH!¡± from the group, and we head out. Next day. Teo: ¡°And why wasn¡¯t I invited?¡± Henry: ¡°................I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Teo was in a foul mood for being the only one left out, so I had to appease her with the Bear Keg Inn¡¯s specialty peach compotes. ¡­¡­¡­...no really. I do feel bad. CH 36 Chapter 36: Songs of Memories This happened on one sunny afternoon. I was walking through the area of Flowtier that was allowed to host a flea market, and I took my time looking at all the wares and goods. There¡¯s many kinds of vendors here selling all kinds of goods. There are farmers selling their recently harvested produce. Wood cutters lining their stalls with wooden dolls, and some selling used clothes. There are stalls that are selling medicines which are typically prohibited, but all in all, just walking around the different stalls is fun. I bite into a fruit I bought at one of the stands. It¡¯s slightly more sour than sweet¡­.and pretty acidic as well. A farmer¡¯s kid was selling it to get some pocket change, so I wasn¡¯t setting my hopes too high, but¡­. this is definitely from a non-domesticated tree from the wild. Well, it¡¯s still edible, so I quickly take bigger bites to finish it off. ¡­...but just like this, the quality of goods you find in the flea market are not regulated. When Teo was still hunting with her grandfather, they would come sell the meat here, but the quality of food and produce especially is a hit or a huge miss because it all depends on how the prey was taken down and how the meat was processed and treated afterwards, Henry: ¡°Hmmmm¡­ I wonder if there¡¯s anything good¡­.¡± Since I live in Inn¡¯s, I don''t want to accumulate too much furniture. but there is still stuff that I want. Like, look at that antique sand clock. It¡¯s not much use, but I simply like looking at it. ¡°Oh, you interested in this sand clock right here? You got good eyes. This was said to be one of the clocks that the god of time Chronos passed down¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, sorry. I¡¯m just looking around. Excuse me.¡± I strain a smile at the seller¡¯s passionate tirade on the epic history of his clock, and quickly excuse myself. There¡¯s no way that that story is true, but they have to find ways to sell off their goods. I was walking around each stall when I ran into a familiar face. Ferris: ¡°Hasn¡¯t it been too long since this has been harvested? Couldn¡¯t you give me a better discount? Look, it¡¯s already starting to wilt and dry out in the edges. You''re not going to find any other buyers.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Ferris: ¡°Look, I¡¯ll take these carrots as well.¡± ¡°Argh, fine! Fine. It¡¯ll be 20 zeniths total.¡± Ferris: ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Here you go. You''re young but you haggle like an pro, Miss.¡± Ferris: ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡­¡­.and I see Ferris haggling with a produce seller like a flea market veteran. She pays him the money and places the items inside her bag. Ferris: ¡°Oh!¡± Henry: ¡°Hey Ferris. Good afternoon to ya.¡± Ferris: ¡°Yes, good afternoon, Mr. Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Shopping for dinner supplies?¡± Ferris: ¡°That about sums it up. The flea market is a good place to keep your coat down if you know the market price and have an eye for things. I save a lot of money here.¡± Ferris is carrying a portion of her father''s debts. Because of that, she does her best to spend as little as she can every day, It is a debt carried against the country, and they didn''t impose an interest rate on her, but in return, there are some further limitations placed on her. Even moving here to Flowtier required the backing of the Commander of the White Dragon Knights. Now, I¡¯ve gotten to know her better which only reaffirmed how trustworthy she is. I could lend her the money to pay the rest of her debt off, but ¡­...I would be overstepping my bounds in that case. As we walk along the flea market, I chat with Ferris. Henry: ¡°So you can cook?¡± Ferris: ¡°I can¡¯t cook desserts like Cyril does, but eating out everyday adds up quickly. And on top of that, the rental room that Jend connected me with has a well equipped kitchen. It would be a waste to not use it.¡± ¡­¡­..owwww, to a person who ONLY eats out, those words stung. Henry: ¡°Still?, that¡¯s amazing. I can only cook basic things when camping outdoors.¡± Ferris: ¡°That reminds me. You also live in an Inn, huh? You should try taking up cooking. It¡¯s actually a lot of fun.¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s a bit bothersome for me, but Jend really caught himself a good bride.¡± I seriously think so. She¡¯s diligent, frugal, pretty-looking, and curvy. Ferris: ¡°Oh please, you tease too much.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh! Do you cook for Jend sometimes?¡± Ferris: ¡°Ah, you just won¡¯t stop. But yes¡­..just sometimes. He eats quite a bit so it¡¯s fun just watching him eat.¡± She blushes as she confirms my suspicions. ¡­...I see¡­. so they¡¯re already spending time together in the house. A "home-date" as they called it? The atmosphere within the party hasn''t changed, so they haven¡¯t crossed the line just yet, but it¡¯s a matter of time now. ¡­..........¡­..I¡¯m not jealous, okay? Henry: ¡°Wow, is it just me or is it getting warmer all of a sudden? You guys keep it on the down low during our expeditions, so I have no complaints on that front.¡± Ferris: ¡°You¡¯re the one who started poking around with the questions¡­ but yeah, of course. I can¡¯t imagine getting hurt because we were too distracted with each other during an actual expedition. That wouldn¡¯t be a laughing matter.¡± Yeah, I¡¯m actually thankful that she thinks that way. Newly dating couples have a way of getting carried away and dying¡­..it actually happens more often than you think. One time, because of that, I got entangled in their mess, and I almost died. I saved the couple, but I gave them a stern lecture before kicking them off the frontlines and sending them back. ¡­¡­.I hope they¡¯re doing okay. Ferris: ¡°So what are your plans, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°I''ll walk around a bit more, and the. head to a tavern to have a drink.¡± Ferris: ¡°That¡¯s a good way to spend your off-days.¡± ¡­¡­..I know she meant nothing by it, but her words kind of stung. Henry: ¡°Oh, look at that¡­¡± Ferris: ¡°What is it? Oh a sound record disc.¡± It¡¯s a magecraft item used to record and store sounds. It¡¯s about 20 cm (8¡±) wide disc, and if you place it onto the replay device, you can enjoy music. It¡¯s not a cheap hobby at all, but we¡¯re at the flea market. It seems to be pretty well used and old, so the price is cheaper than usual. Ferris: ¡°Oh¡­.hmmmmmmmmmm¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Ferris? You okay? Do you like this kind of stuff?¡± Ferris: ¡°Well, there¡¯s no way I can afford a sound player, but Jend actually has one on his room. If it¡¯s just a disc, I may be able to¡­¡­¡± And Ferris intently stares at a music disc of one of the most famous celebrity singers. Charlotte Fine. ¡­.also known as the Rainbow Singer. She¡¯s a super famous halfling celebrity. And she¡¯s also one of the 8 Heroes of Legend. . After going back and forth about it for a long time, Ferris decided to go ahead and purchase it. She places the disc carefully and cautiously into her bag and looks satisfied. As we walk, she has an apologetic smile on her face. Ferris: ¡°Well, there goes all my allowance. Haha.¡± Henry: ¡°Why not? You like her, huh?¡± Ferris: ¡°Yeah, before my father''s incident, I went to every concert held in the Capital. I never missed one. I love her songs, but I especially love her tales. When a town was about to get swallowed up by a wave of demonic creatures, her song inspired the entire town, and they were able to defend it.¡± And actually, that story was before the Demon King¡¯s coronation. She¡¯s actually the other hero along with Sir Ezeal who was already a Hero of Legend by the time the Demon King rose up. She¡¯s a halfling so she looks like a child, but she should be well into her 60¡¯s by now. And she¡¯s a sorceress that uses songs like Cyril. She can buff anyone within listening radius to extremely high statuses. She¡¯s incredibly strong, but she visits all the lands as a singer and celebrity, so she doesn¡¯t remain on the frontlines like other heroes do, and goes there 3 to 4 times a year to cheer up the soldiers. Henry: ¡°Miss Lotte, huh. She does have a beautiful voice, but if you know her personal life, she kinda lets herself go when no one¡¯s looking¡­...¡± Ferris: ¡°..........H©`HENRY?¡± Henry: ¡°Hm?¡± Ferris: ¡°Y©`you¡­ do you know our sweet little Charu personally?!¡± Little Charu. It¡¯s what her fans call her. ¡­¡­.but wait. Ferris. What¡¯s with those eyes? Something¡¯s not right here. Henry: ¡°M©`Miss Lotte is a good friend of Sir Ezeal. I©`got to know her through him¡­...we had some history, so we would go have a drink when she came to Ligaleo. That¡¯s about it¡­¡­?¡± Ferris: ¡°YOU CAN¡¯T BE SERIOUS?!?! REALLY?!?! I¡¯M SO JEALOUS RIGHT NOW!! I WANNA GO HAVE A DRINK WITH LITTLE CHARU!!!¡± Hey, what the heck. Your persona¡¯s transforming?! What happened to the super serious girl I knew?! Now that I recall, she was really into the way she recalled Miss Lotte¡¯s battle episode and her energy mysteriously rose really high! Henry: ¡°C©`calm down, Ferris. People are watching us now¡­¡± Ferris: ¡°E©`excuse me. You caught me off guard, and Little Charu¡¯s energy just overcame me.¡± Henry: ¡°Little Charu energy¡­?¡± During her concerts, Miss Lotte would ask her fans, ¡®Everyone?! Are you full of Little Charu energy tonight???!¡± and her fans would respond "YE?S!!!" at every concert. ¡­¡­..look, I personally like her songs, but I couldn¡¯t go along with the passion of her fans. Ferris: ¡°Mr. Henry, I¡¯m wondering if you wanted to step into that caf¨¦ to tell me a little more¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh!! So sorry!! I completely forgot that I had an engagement that I¡¯m running late for!! I have to go! Maybe next time!!¡± Ferris was starting to loom over me, and I had to make a desperate escape. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°Wow¡­ that was an unexpected side to Ferris¡­¡± I managed to escape from Ferris, and landed in a random tavern. I sipped Flowtier ale as I recalled her sudden and frightening transformation. ¡­¡­...we''ll, it is tough to hang around someone who¡¯s always that serious, but who could ever imagine that she would throw that kind of curveball. Henry: ¡°Miss Lotte, huh.¡± It was around the time when a year passed since I became an adventurer. The images of my country getting burned to the ground were fresh on my mind, and I was one nasty kid with an attitude. I became an adventurer to avenge my country, but I struggled in gaining the strength I needed, and everyday pissed me off even further. In Ligaleo, there are many children like that, but there was no child as young as I was. Hence, Sir Ezeal took notice, and looked after me from a distance. And one day, Miss Lotte came to Ligaleo, and Sir Ezeal took me to her concert¡­.. Afterwards, she barged into my room screaming, ¡°Where¡¯s the ********** brat that didn¡¯t smile after hearing my song?!?! WHERE IS HE?!?!¡± Of course, the only person who knew where I lived was Sir Ezeal so it was his doing. Well, so I was pretty pissed too that someone just barged in¡­.. and after arguing back and forth, this and that, I told her my story, and I ended up sleeping while she sang a lullaby. Miss Lotte¡¯s song beefs up its listeners, but it also has the effect of calming one¡¯s soul. Because of that, I was able to sleep for the first time. Henry: ¡°.......I need to thank her for that time¡­.¡± She followed me around for about a week after that, and because of that, I got through the worst period of my life. It feels like such a long time ago. I was only 12 or 13 at the time. The only reason why I survived was because so many people looked after me. Henry: ¡°........should I buy a disc and sound player too?....¡± No, it''ll be too noisy for my neighbors next door. ¡­.maybe I¡¯ll go and listen to my discs at Jend¡¯s place too¡­. As I walked down memory lane in my head, I ate this tavern¡¯s specialty, whole-roasted chicken and drank down my ale. CH 37 Chapter 37: War Comrade, Visiting from the Ends of the Earth Today, and today again, we were on another expedition - another adventure. Ferris was beginning to really adapt into our group¡¯s combat tactics and fighting style, and we were in the Flowtier Forest¡¯s most dangerous area - the Griffins territory up on the central mountain. We spent a night on the mountains, so we do have some fatigue starting to creep up on our bodies. Cyril: ¡°Ye¡«s! That was a good hunt! I can¡¯t wait to turn in our drops tonight!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, that was a good haul.¡± Cyril¡¯s smile brightens her face. With Ferris in our party, there is no reason for our party to hide around and seek for openings. Teo will identify where the Griffins are, and we charge in, hit them hard, and defeat them as they come. This is definitely not the smartest way to do things, but this was the most efficient. And it¡¯s actually good to experience these kinds of chaotic battles that can change at any moment. In the frontlines, you¡¯ll see mid-tier to upper-tier demonic creatures flood out towards you without any shame or regard. The terrain does determine what kind of creatures lurk there, so you''ll know what basically to expect, but they are eager to show themselves at the opportunity. If you want to fight in that kind of environment, you can¡¯t get used to fighting a certain type of demonic creature in a certain type of way¡­ If you get stuck in a rut like that, then those kinds of parties will not be able to thrive on the frontlines. ¡­¡­¡­...granted, this is all in preparation for the frontlines. If you wanted to just hunt Griffins and live off of that, there¡¯s no reason to learn any other battle tactics and skills. But as Cyril mentioned earlier, they are the middle of mid-tier demonic creatures, but because we defeated so many, we had a very good haul today. I could try suggesting doing this for a while, but ¡­¡­..they probably won¡¯t go with a long-term plan like that. Ah well... Ferris: ¡°The sunset is pretty.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, I like the view from up here too.¡± Ferris comments on the view from the mountains and Jend nods. The Flowtier forest is on the east side of the city, so when we head back to the city, we walk towards the sunset. It was true. The sunset did look amazing from here. As we walk down the path, the shadows of 5 adventurers stretch long behind us, and it reminded me of some songs about adventurer legends. Ah¡«... it¡¯s so relaxing and calm¡­¡­.why would anyone want to go to the frontlines and miss out on this kind of peace and quiet. As I¡¯m thinking about this, I see something on the horizon - a small shadow. ©`©`My mind goes immediately quiet and cold. Henry: ¡°...........Teo.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes. Someone¡¯s coming this way. They¡¯re fast. They¡¯re running on foot.¡± The speed is unbelievable. Whoever it is was on the far horizon, but already covered 1/3 of the distance to us already. I can¡¯t imagine any good reason why anyone would run this fast through the peaceful terrains of the Flowtier plains¡­. Then again, there¡¯s not a lot of people who can run that fast¡­¡­..ixnay that. I can only think of very few people who can run that fast. A certain someone¡¯s face came to mind as it registered a direct match with the person in front. Teo: ¡°.........wait, Sister Ageha?¡± Henry: ¡°Everyone on your guard!!¡± Ageha that idiot!! You should be in Ligaleo!! Why are you even here?!?! Ageha: ¡°Hhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyy©`©`©`!!!!¡± She came to about 100 meters away, and she got something out of her pocket. She threw it onto the ground in front of her. Smoke immediately rises, and her body is hidden from view. Henry: ¡°©`©`©`©`©`©`©`!!!¡± I look immediately behind me. Ageha, who was 50 meters in front of me, landed from the air as I did so. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.smoke bomb to the front, hide yourself from the prey and jump. Create footholds with magecraft, and move quietly behind your target and go for the kill. Only an crazy idiot would come up with a move like this and call it¡­ Ageha: ¡°[Ageha ? Neck Slash]!!¡± Henry: ¡°HA! Like that would work!¡± I block Ageha¡¯s hands coming for my throat. This move is for surprise attacks. If your opponent already knows what¡¯s coming it won¡¯t¡­¡­¡­..let me rephrase. If the opponent knows beforehand what you¡¯re about to do AND CAN REACT to it in time, then yes, it won¡¯t work. ¡­¡­¡­..her range of the attack has significantly increased since the last time I saw her though. Ageha: ¡°HA HA! Good block, Henry©`!¡± Henry: ¡°Shut your trap if you¡¯re going to keep going!¡± I block the oncoming rush of chops and kicks. Ageha beats me in speed, but I beat her in strength and weight. I need to be wary of my neck and eyes¡­.and my crotch. I block with flat palms against the brutal assault, and try to fight back. Ageha: ¡°Hu!!¡± Ageha¡¯s body twists in the air. A spinning kick comes straight for my throat. ©`©`Why does she always go for the throat!! Whatever! If I block this, she¡¯ll have a big opening. If I can endure this kick, I win. If she breaks through my defense, she wins. Tch! I¡¯m not going to lose©`©`!! Cyril: ¡°[WIND BOMB]!¡± And at that moment, a strong wind rushes around us, and both Ageha and I are taken up and blown away by the wind. We roll away on the ground and are covered in dirt. I couldn¡¯t sense it coming because there was no killing intent behind the spell¡­¡­¡­. Cyril: ¡°Why are you both fighting all of a sudden?! You won¡¯t get away with such behavior while this Miss Cyril is around!!¡± Cyril looks quite upset and is throwing a fit. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.my bad. I completely forgot where I was and responded as I would in Ligaleo. <<<<>>>> Cyril: ¡°Yes, so please introduce yourself.¡± Ageha: ¡°Sure. Ageha Sagiri. 20 years old! I¡¯m Teo¡¯s cousin, and a former party member to Henry. I¡¯m an Adventurer in Ligaleo. Nice to meet you!¡± Ageha finished her introduction with a bold smile across her face. Her hair tied back behind her waves like a tail behind her head, and reveals how good of a mood she¡¯s in. She¡¯s actually in a REALLY good mood right now. Cyril: ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m Cyril. I¡¯m currently an adventurer with Henry and Teo.¡± Ageha: ¡°Oh! Cyril, right? Got it! I know your name now!¡± Cyril: ¡°So question. Why did you suddenly start fighting with Henry? Henry, you need to answer this too!¡± And I¡¯m also scolded as well. ¡­¡­..for starting a fight suddenly, Ageha and I are sitting next to each other on the ground. Ageha: ¡°It¡¯s just a normal greeting. I was saying hi.¡± Cyril: ¡°What kind of greeting is that?!¡± Henry: ¡°Well, no, she¡¯s right Cyril. What she¡¯s saying is true. Between Adventurers on the frontlines, if you see someone you haven¡¯t seen in a while, this is how you greet them normally.¡± Now that I think about it, what a ******** violent culture. Usually, it¡¯s just one or two hits, and Ageha¡¯s one of the rare ones who doesn¡¯t pull any stops. ¡­¡­..I said rare, but she¡¯s not the only one mind you. Cyril: ¡°R©`really¡­¡­..?¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s no lie. But only the Adventurers who are fighters do it.¡± Ageha: ¡°The fun part is to figure out how to go all out without hurting anyone ¡î¡± Ageha winks as she says this. What kind of fun is that¡­..really¡­¡­¡­.but I also responded in kind without hesitation, so I guess I¡¯m not one to say. Cyril: ¡°..........(SIGH¡­¡­)...fine. Please stand. I¡¯m sorry. I misunderstood and intervened with my magic.¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m sorry to.¡± I apologize. Like, I can see how regular people would never understand what just happened right now. Don¡¯t worry, me, I¡¯ll be able to become normal one day! Ageha: ¡°But no really¡«. I came over because they said Teo was in a party with Henry, but there¡¯s other fun ones here too¡«.¡± Teo: ¡°Not as interesting as you¡­..¡± Ageha: ¡°HA HA HA!! Good one, Teo!¡± Ageha laughs joyously and walked towards Teo who didn¡¯t know how to take in the situation. Ageha: ¡°Hey, Teo. You grew up! Are you what, 14 now?¡± Teo: ¡°.......It¡¯s been 5 years since you said, ¡®I¡¯m gonna go have an adventure!¡¯ and never came back. Of course, I¡¯ll be bigger by now.¡± Ageha: ¡°It¡¯s been that long already¡«.¡± Ageha taps Teo on the head, and Teo doesn¡¯t seem too annoyed by it. Henry: ¡°5 years, huh¡­¡­...I thought that might be the case. You came straight to the frontlines and started your Adventurer career, huh? You are insane¡­.¡± Ageha: ¡°Like someone who came to Ligaleo at the age of 12 can talk!¡± Urrrrrrghhhh¡­. I growl not being able to find a good retort, and Jend and Ferris come forward. Jend: ¡°Ummm... Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Jend, and this is¡­.¡± Ferris: ¡°I¡¯m Ferris.¡± Ageha: ¡°Oh! I heard about you from old man Ezeal. I¡¯m Ageha. Nice to meet ya¡«.¡± And Ageha smiles as she greets them back. ¡­¡­..she¡¯s violent as heck, but she gets along with people well. I feel like those two shouldn¡¯t go together though¡­¡­¡­ Jend: ¡°Is that the Hero of Legend Adventurer tag¡­?¡± Ageha: ¡°Huh? Oh yeah, it¡¯s Jend, right? You interested in getting one?¡± Jend: ¡°One of these days. I¡¯d like to do enough to earn one.¡± The Adventurer tag that Ageha is wearing is different from ours. It looks gold on the outside. It¡¯s made from the rare metal Orihalcon. There are only 8 tags made like this. Sir Ezeal didn¡¯t have his on because he¡¯s a knight by trade, so this is the first time Jend and everyone else got to see one. Ageha: ¡°Nice! Keep up the work then. I like guys with big dreams. Ferris, you better support him properly!¡± Ferris: ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah, of course.¡± Ferris was a little shocked that she saw through their relationship so quickly. ¡­¡­...yeah, she doesn¡¯t seem like it, but she watches people real carefully. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s her way of observing or if she just has a knack for it, but apparently, the Cloud Plains Style was originally created for spies and covert ops. Henry: ¡°........and so why you here, Ageha?¡± Ageha: ¡°I just told you, didn¡¯t I? I heard you and Teo were in the same party, so I thought, ¡®I need to go see this!¡¯¡± Henry: ¡°And just for that, you came all the way here? Your travel fares wouldn¡¯t have been cheap.¡± If you wanted to come here from Ligaleo, you have to go to the Southern Corner City Southgaia and go through Centraleo and then Northertier. That¡¯s two Teleport Gates, and quite a fee. Ageha: ¡°Nope. Ran here all the way.¡± Henry: ¡°Wh©`you r©`...¡± Ageha: ¡°Spending all that money would¡¯ve been a waste so I ran. Was it about 4 days?¡± ............is she stupid¡­..? Cyril: ¡°Y©`you ran?! But do you know how far it is from Ligaleo from here?!¡± Ageha: ¡°Nope.¡± Cyril strains an awkward smile, and Ageha tilts her head to think about it and quickly gives up. ¡­¡­¡­.let¡¯s just say that a normal person could run for a month straight and still not get there. I could probably do it in 6 days, but I don¡¯t wanna. Ageha: ¡°Well, the sun¡¯s going down. Let¡¯s go back! I was looking forward to having some Flowtier Ale¡«!¡± Henry: ¡°........then go drink by yourself.¡± Ageha: ¡°It¡¯s been forever since I drank with my cousin and comrade! Of course I wanna drink with you guys!¡± Ageha wraps her arms around Teo and my shoulder together. ¡­¡­.sigh. Henry: ¡°So that¡¯s why you came for us at the end of our expedition?¡± Ageha: ¡°Yup. I went to Teo¡¯s house, and they said she¡¯ll be back by this evening so I came to pick you guys up!¡± For what? You could have just waited at Teo¡¯s house. Wait, so you did this so you can come attack us by surprise? Oye, this idiot. Really¡­.. Henry: ¡°Fi¡«ne, Fi¡«ne. We¡¯ll go to my inn. The food and drinks are great there. Let¡¯s have a drink together then.¡± Ageha: ¡°Ni¡«ce. Sounds good, sounds good. You guys are coming too, right?¡± And Ageha invites Cyril and the rest. ¡­¡­...that night. There was a huge celebration that welcomed one of the Heroes of Legend at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. CH 38 Chapter 38: The Woman Named Ageha That night, a hero descended upon the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. On the frontlines, it¡¯s not uncommon to run into heroes, so unless it¡¯s Ms. Lotte, they won¡¯t make a fuss when a hero arrives at a tavern, but here in Flowtier, it¡¯s a different story. News and Tales of the Heroes of Legend are heard even in Flowtier, and one of the main characters from stories that sound like it''s straight up out of a fairy tale just arrived in person. Of course, the people would get excited. The regulars listened to Ageha¡¯s tales of valor (chopping off demonic creatures¡¯ heads) and were cheering with every episode. She spoke about the tale of fighting the War Dragon when I was still in her party (she again chopped its head off), and everyone was shocked to hear the details. After drinking plenty of Flowtier Ale, she laid her head on the table to sleep. Henry: ¡°Ugh, great¡­¡± The dining hall of the Inn is empty. They hit closing hours a while back, and Cyril and the rest of the party already left. It was getting late so Jend escorted Teo back home. ¡­¡­..but with Teo, even if someone tried to nab her, I¡¯m pretty certain that they would have met their end, but this was just to take all precautions. And Ageha was supposed to spend the night at Teo¡¯s, but she had no sign of waking up any time soon, and that plan abruptly got quashed. So we decided to let her sleep at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. Lana: ¡°Haha¡­.wow, she¡¯s sleeping so soundly.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah¡­..at this point, nothing will wake her up till morning.¡± Lana brought me some water to help ease off the buzz from the alcohol, and I looked upon my old comrade with some nostalgia and annoyance. She¡¯s not strong against alcohol, but she loves to drink. I had to look after her so many nights because of this habit. If Yuu was here, I would have passed Ageha off to her. Lana: ¡°Well¡­.ummm¡­.what should we do? We have a room available on the second floor¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Here, I¡¯ll help carry her.¡± Dangit. Maybe I could have asked Ferris to carry her¡­..actually, no. That wouldn¡¯t work. If you¡¯re not used to it, Ferris may not have reacted in time. I let out a deep sigh, and I get close to Ageha who¡¯s sleeping with a happy expression on her face. And as soon as I get into her arm¡¯s reach¡­ Henry: ¡°WHOA! ¡­.sheesh, that was close.¡± Ageha¡¯s hand stretches out to strike my throat. I grab her wrist and stop her immediately. Henry: ¡°............yup, she hasn¡¯t changed a bit.¡± Lana: ¡°U©`um, Mr. Henry? Is Miss Ageha¡­.awake?¡± Henry: ¡°NOPE. She¡¯s sound asleep, but if she senses anyone come near her, she¡¯ll strike at your neck just like she did now.¡± We questioned and interrogated her about this habit of hers, but finally, we concluded that it¡¯s pure instinct. It¡¯s a really annoying, awful instinct if you ask me. But if Lana or someone like her comes near her, it¡¯s fine. Apparently, it¡¯s a matter of whether you have sufficient strength to do her any harm. And if you¡¯re a man, unless you¡¯re very little or a really old geezer, you better be careful. ¡­¡­¡­¡­..in order to figure this out, we had many noble sacrifices. I can¡¯t count how many times I¡¯ve been struck. And don¡¯t tell us that we wasted our time. After we found out, we became entrenched in finding out all its rules and boundaries - if for nothing else, it was for our own safety and well-being. But back in the day, at least 1 out of 10 times, she drew her blade, and we were able to at least reduce the chances of that happening to almost nil so there were some¡­.improvements(?) that we accomplished through the process. She¡¯ll actually stop after cutting through your first layer of skin though. Henry: ¡°She¡¯ll relent after you block her first strike, so I¡¯ll be okay now.¡± I pick her up by the shoulder and hold her against my side. She¡¯s like a ragdoll, but she¡¯s also very light, so I can carry her easily. Henry: ¡°Lana, which room is it on the 2nd floor?¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, I©`I¡¯ll show you the room.¡± With Lana leading the way, we go up to the south eastern room. I throw Ageha into the single bed, and she unconsciously lands breaking her own fall and goes soundly back to sleep. Okay, good. All done here. Seeing as how Ageha broke her fall with feline-like instincts, Lana is still in wonder and confusion. Lana: ¡°So only people like this become heroes¡­.?¡± Henry: ¡°E¡«xactly.¡± I answer her without hesitation. Lana; ¡°R©`really?¡± Henry: ¡°Lana, the first Hero you met was Sir Ezeal. Your second example¡¯s right here.¡± And I rest my case. Henry: ¡°Alright. Then I¡¯ll be going to sleep too. Good night, Lana.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh yes, good night, Mr. Henry!¡± I leave Lana with her thoughts about the character and personality of our heroes and return to my room. Well, she just got a small taste of who and what I had to deal with in Ligaleo. <<<<>>>> The next morning¡­ Even though she drank like crazy, Ageha woke up without an ounce of alcohol left in her. She was so delighted with the breakfast at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn that she immediately declared that, ¡°I''m going to be adopted here!¡±¡¯ And with that, she invited a barrage of terse comments from me. After our expedition, we went straight to the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn to celebrate and haven¡¯t turned in our drops, so we head to the Grandes Church and meet up with the rest of the party. There, Ageha declared loudly. Ageha: ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go on an expedition!¡± ¡­¡­¡­.since she¡¯s wearing the Hero of Legend¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s tag, everyone is looking at her, and she makes this remark. Jend wonders if he should say anything and then goes for it. Jend: ¡°Ummm, Miss Ageha?¡± Ageha: ¡°Just call me Ageha.¡± Jend: ¡°Sure, Ageha. We just came back from our Griffin Slaying expedition so¡­..¡± And it was a multi-day expedition camping out in the mountains. All expeditions require that you risk your life, so taking one on while you¡¯re mentally and physically worn out is dangerous. Usually, you take about 2 or 3 days of a break between expeditions to ensure that your party recovers properly, or at least, that¡¯s how our party does it. Ageha: ¡°I see. So what are we going to slay today?¡± ¡­¡­¡­...yeah, I understand where she¡¯s coming from all too well. When I first arrived at Flowtier, I had a hard time adjusting to the way Adventurers operate here. Henry: ¡°Ageha, this isn¡¯t Ligaleo. The Adventurers here will take a break between expeditions to rest.¡± Ageha: ¡°.........really?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, really.¡± It¡¯s not like there was absolutely no concept of a break or off-day in Ligaleo. You fought demonic creatures every single day, and very few people can continue doing that forever. Ligaleo was a fierce battlefront, but the Grandes Church there recommended a 2 day break out of the week to recover. ¡­¡­¡­...but the problem was that the organization ¡°recommending¡± a 2 day break per week gave you a job that took one month non-stop to complete. Seriously, stop giving us Quests like ¡°Oh, look, in the Demon King¡¯s realm, the Dragons¡¯ eggs are going through their hatching season, so go break them all.¡± We had to be wary of demonic creatures on the way there, so just going there and back took a week. At the time, Ageha and I were in the same party, but it would be suicide to take on all the Dragons at once inside their nest. We snuck around in full alert and fear for weeks breaking all the eggs carefully. Finally, Ageha got tired of it and was about to go on a rampage against the Dragons, and the entire party had to hold her back. We can laugh about it looking back on it now. ¡­¡­¡­..back then, it would have been impossible, but now, we may be able to pull it off. Ageha: ¡°Wha¡«t, that¡¯s so boring! What else is there to do?!¡± Henry: ¡°There¡¯s a lot you can do. There¡¯s a lot of fun, leisurely activities to do around the city, and if you don¡¯t wanna do that, you can read the most recent, popular books, so there''s a whole lot more stuff than at Ligaleo.¡± Ligaleo¡¯s library was full of how-to-survive, how-to-fight, and what-to-fight books, and there was not much in terms of leisurely entertainment. The few fun books that we did have circulated around the parties multiple times. Between the guys, we had some sketchy books¡­¡­...and Yuu discovered it, and since then I could never find a good hiding place for it. There were brothels, yeah, but books had their own allure and quality. Ageha: ¡°Huh, so like hobbies? Henry, you didn¡¯t have a single hobby in Ligaleo, but did you actually find something to do here?¡± Hobby¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.? Henry: ¡°Hey, who cares about that. You just need to find something you like to do.¡± Ageha: ¡°After recommending me to do something, you haven¡¯t found anything, have you?¡± Henry: ¡°I can just eat and train, and the day¡¯s already done by the time I¡¯m done¡«.¡± Ageha: ¡°Ugh! You can still be so annoying!¡± Ageha slaps me on my back. ¡­¡­¡­...hey, who cares if you don¡¯t have hobbies? It¡¯s not like I''m causing anyone trouble by being boring. Ageha: ¡°Then in that case, it¡¯ll just be me and you. It¡¯s been a while since we paired up.¡± Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve forgotten how Ligaleo was. My body still remembers its hellish culture. Anyways, I can still keep going, and it won¡¯t be a problem if we head out today. Henry: ¡°Fine with me, but in the Flowtier Forest, the Griffin is the strongest thing we¡¯ll find around here. You okay with that? Personally, I don¡¯t like the Giant Spiders but¡­¡± Ageha: ¡°Griffins, huh? Well¡«, that¡¯s okay. It¡¯s been a while since I went on an expedition with you.¡± That¡¯s true. If you haven¡¯t gone on an expedition together, it¡¯s unlikely that you¡¯ll be able to immediately coordinate well. But even if we don¡¯t work well at first, we can easily recover if it¡¯s just Griffins. From that perspective, Griffins are a good target. Ageha: ¡°Alright, it¡¯s settled then. Show me what the Flowtier Forest is like.¡± Henry: ¡°Sure, sure¡­¡± I was trying to think of how I was going to explain to Ageha who¡¯s only hunted in Ligaleo about other hunting territories, when Jend spoke up. Jend: ¡°Hey, Henry. Do you mind if we tag along?¡± Ferris: ¡°Yes, I would like to as well.¡± Ferris too? Teo is also intently staring at me¡­ Jend: ¡°It¡¯s a rare opportunity to see a Hero of Legend fight during an expedition.¡± Ferris: ¡°Yes, it¡¯ll be good for us just to watch.¡± Hmmm¡­. I guess? Teo: ¡°I want to see Sister Ageha¡¯s awesome fight scenes.¡± Ageha: ¡°Oh¡«? Teo, you¡¯ve gotten so cute too¡«?¡± Ageha is overjoyed with Teo¡¯s sincerity and with a wide smile spread across her face, she¡¯s patting Teo¡¯s head pretty hard and rough, but then takes a moment to glare at me. Ageha: ¡°Henry, if you touch her, don¡¯t expect to find your head anywhere.¡± Henry: ¡°HA! Like you can take me out.¡± Ageha: ¡°What?¡± Henry: ¡°You heard me.¡± We cross glares and sparks crackle in the air. In this line of work, if you get looked down upon, it¡¯s over. Even if she was joking, letting someone say they¡¯ll kill you and leaving it like it was nothing would mean the end of your career¡­... Henry: ¡°Wait¡­¡­¡­.we¡¯re in Flowtier. Ageha, sorry. Ignore what I said just now.¡± Ageha: ¡°Huh? For real? I don¡¯t mind at all though.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t have to worry about my reputation too much. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m trying to get employed around here but¡­¡­¡± UGH! It¡¯s so annoying having your old party member come down all of a sudden. I¡¯m slipping into my old habits, and my speech is getting my rough and violent. Teo: ¡°........I hate that you¡¯re just ignoring me now, and getting all hyped with just the two of you.¡± Ageha: ¡°Ha ha ha, sorry Teo! But really, be careful around Henry, okay?¡± Henry: ¡°There¡¯s nothing for her to be careful about. I have no intention of laying a finger on her.¡± Wait about 5 years, and I dunno. But even if I wanted to, I¡¯m pretty certain Teo wouldn¡¯t pay me a smidgen of attention. Jend: ¡°So can we or can we not go with you guys?¡± Cyril: ¡°I¡¯m going too¡«!¡± Cyril was eating her parfait intently, but watching Jend get a little frustrated, she raised her hand too to poke me for an answer. ¡­¡­¡­.but she¡¯s so quiet while she¡¯s eating sweets. You really are a kid¡­ Ageha: ¡°Of course I don¡¯t mind! It¡¯s not like it¡¯ll be any less fun!¡± Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t mind either.¡± I wonder what¡¯s going to happen¡­. CH 39 Chapter 39: How They Fight on the Frontlines We ran through the Flowtier Forest. We¡¯ve been running expeditions in this area for quite some time now. Everyone is able to run through the terrain avoiding rocks and tree roots without tripping, and the pace is pretty quick. Although.... there is one who is having a little trouble. Henry: ¡°Cyril, you alright?¡± Cyril: ¡°D©`Don¡¯t talk to me right now! I¡¯m gonna trip and fall!¡± Cyril is unable to keep up with us with just her physical strength alone. Previously, she received a godly equipment, the [Sprint Boots], and she¡¯s barely keeping up with us, but just watching her makes me nervous. She keeps letting the boots pull her legs forward, and she could lose her balance at any time. ¡­¡­...hmmmmmmmmmm, I was trying to let her practice running with the boots, but doing it any further will just be too dangerous. Henry: ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. HEY! Everyone! Just go ahead without us! Cyril, stop with me for a sec!¡± I raise my voice. Everyone acknowledges that they heard with a quick ¡°OK¡±, and Cyril manages to stop with some awkward footwork. And she almost fell, so I grabbed her hand to keep her from falling. Cyril: ¡°(gasp¡­¡­...gasp¡­¡­¡­.) What is it Henry? I still... have energy to run.¡± Henry: ¡°¡®course you do. Sheesh.¡± She doesn¡¯t have enough breath in her to talk back. Henry: ¡°I¡¯m being serious. You seem to be at your limit. I can¡¯t have you fall and get injured in this area. It¡¯ll be too dangerous.¡± There¡¯s a lot of rocks lying about, and just getting hit with one in the wrong place would leave a scar. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s clumsy enough to go face first but¡­¡­¡­ Cyril: ¡°......ergh, I guess you¡¯re right.¡± Henry: ¡°So here. Get on.¡± I turn around and kneel down with my back facing Cyril. Cyril: ¡°Piggy back?¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t be embarrassed. We¡¯re on an expedition, and it can¡¯t be helped.¡± It would be better if another woman carries her, but Teo is our scout, and Ferris is the newest member of our party and still needs more experience in these woods. If I give her to Ageha, she might be doing flips off trees while running. And Jend has hard, uncomfortable protectors all over his body, so it should be relatively more comfortable with me. I only have metal protectors on my shins and forearms. As I explain all these things to her, Cyril doesn¡¯t look too happy, but after grumbling to herself a bit, she gets on my back. Cyril: ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch me in any weird places, okay?!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± I admit that I like the role, but I¡¯m not going to blatantly rub my hands all over her. Doing so would crack the foundations of the good party dynamics we built up. ¡­¡­...oh, she¡¯s so soft. Wait, no, Henry! Calm down and empty your thoughts¡­ Henry: ¡°H©`Hey, let¡¯s catch up with the others. We¡¯re a little behind, so I¡¯m going to gun it.¡± Cyril: ¡°Huh? OH AAAAAAHHHHHHHH?!?!¡± I ran as fast as I could. ¡­¡­...Cyril is screaming behind me, but I decided to ignore it for now. <<<<>>>> Jend: ¡°Oh, that was fast, Henry. I thought you were further behind.¡± Henry: ¡°We did hurry a bit.¡± We catch up with the group, and I wave and answer Jend. Jend: ¡°..........so what happened to Cyril?¡± Henry: ¡°I carried her on my back, but apparently, I went way too fast.¡± Cyril was currently out of breath and being cared for by Ferris. I do feel bad, but I¡¯m sure this won¡¯t be the last time I have to carry her. She¡¯ll just have to get used to it. I glance and look around. Henry: ¡°Besides Cyril, it looks like everyone¡¯s in really good shape. Maybe we don¡¯t need to camp anymore and do day trips for Griffin hunts.¡± Jend: ¡°Hmmm, yeah, I think that might be better.¡± Jend agrees. Henry: ¡°I¡¯ll bring it up at the next meeting.¡± Jend: ¡°Sounds good.¡± Alrighty then. Cyril manages to recover, and we all gather together. Ageha was stretching and warming up her body, and we all look upon the mountain sitting at the center of the Flowtier forest. Ageha: ¡°Wow! Look at how many Griffins there are!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s quite a bit of them. The mountain is pretty large though, so they''re not all huddled in one group.¡± Ageha: ¡°If they want to see you and I fight¡­¡­...then¡­¡­.let¡¯s go with Plan D.¡± Plan D¡­¡­¡­ Henry: ¡°Wait, was there even a Plan D?¡± Ageha: ¡°I just made up the name right now!¡± ¡­¡­¡­..this girl¡­¡­¡­. Ageha: ¡°What, you don¡¯t remember? We¡¯ll use this.¡± Ageha takes out of her pouch, a perfume bottle holding a green liquid. Ageha shakes the bottle next to her and smiles mischievously. ¡­¡­..ohhhhhh, THAT plan. Henry: ¡°Pretty sure that they¡¯re not gonna learn anything if we do that but¡­¡­..¡± Ageha: ¡°They don¡¯t have to be able to copy us. They just need to learn that there¡¯s all sort of ways of doing things.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, yeah, but¡­.. It¡¯s a little risky¡­...what if you miss one?¡± Ageha: ¡°HA! I know you¡¯re rusty Henry, but I¡¯m still gonna rub it in if you mess up!¡± Henry: ¡°Fine, fine.¡± I nod and agree. Ageha: ¡°Here we go, and...¡± Ageha takes the cap off the perfume bottle, and an intense odor begins to spread in the area. The party members who were caught off guard hold their noses and back away quickly. Jend: ¡°THAT STINKS?!? WHAT IS THAT SMELL?!?!¡± Cyril: ¡°Ughhhhhhhh, I feel sick¡­¡­.¡± Ferris: ¡°Wow, this is¡­¡­¡­.¡± Teo: ¡°Sister Ageha¡­..?¡± ¡­¡­¡­..Ageha, you could have at least warned them. Even though I know the smell, I still want to plug my nose up right now. I mean, if you have any good senses of smell, you¡¯ll probably throw up with one whiff. Ageha: ¡°I don¡¯t know why everyone hates this smell. I actually kinda like it.¡± Henry: ¡°Idiot! Go before you stink up the place permanently!¡± Ageha: ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Ageha places a few drops of the odorous liquid on her body and begins to run towards the mountain. Her speed is unbelievable as always. She¡¯s already a small dot on the horizon. Cyril: ¡°H©`Henry! Ageha went by herself! Will she be okay?! I thought you were both hunting as a pair!!¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, yeah. She¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯ll be back in 2 or 3 minutes.¡± While we¡¯re waiting, I take out my Nyoiten Spear and begin circulating and concentrating the magic power within me. Alright¡­...how far can I go today¡­¡­. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°Okay, she¡¯s coming back.¡± Ageha, who headed into the mountains, came back in about 3 minutes. She¡¯s not running as fast as she was going up the mountain though. She¡¯s not tired. She just didn¡¯t want to lose the guys chasing after her. Jend strains a forced smile across his face at the sight. I guess he wasn¡¯t expecting this at all. Jend: ¡°Y©`yeah, she¡¯s coming back, but¡­...Henry¡­...look¡­¡­¡± Ferris: ¡°...........hey, Mr. Henry. If my eyes aren¡¯t deceiving me¡­...there¡¯s at least 50 Griffins behind her, right?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, she got a pretty good haul.¡± My spear whips through the air as I prepare¡­¡­ Ageha is sharp as ever. She¡¯s luring the Griffins without letting them get close, but she also has them grouped up tightly by fine tuning her return route. As soon as I can clearly see Ageha¡¯s face¡­. Henry: ¡°MOVE ASIDE, AGEHA!!¡± Ageha: ¡°Sure thing!¡± With my shout, Ageha dashes and jumps to the side with a long jump. The Griffins immediately lose sight of their prey and confusion erupts in the group. ©`©`It¡¯s the perfect opportunity. I throw my spear. With the Nyoiten Spear¡¯s ability, I divide my spear into 30. ¡°GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!?!¡± ¡°GYA, GYA?!?!¡± ¡°GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!¡± My spear hits the mark. The pack of Griffins is decimated on impact. My spear pierces the Griffins¡¯ armor easily, and continues to pierce the ones behind them. But there were 50 of them. There were some who only got light injuries and some who were unharmed. At a glance, 4 left. The remaining Griffins glares at our group who just killed their comrades but¡­. Ageha: ¡°HEY, I''m over here!!¡± Like the wind, a shadow overcomes them, and their heads fly off. Of course, that was Ageha. Henry: ¡°Alright, let¡¯s collect the drops.¡± Jend: ¡°......................huh? Hey, um, Henry. Wait a sec¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°You¡¯re gonna make me do all the work? C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go¡«.¡± Jend: ¡°Argh, fine.¡± I convince Jend to follow me, and we run to where the Griffins¡¯ bodies lay strewn on the ground. Their bodies transform into a corrupted magic mist, and evaporate into the air. Ageha is collecting the drops happily as we arrive. Henry: ¡°Oh look! A Griffin¡¯s Wind Feather.¡± Ageha: ¡°Already?! We¡¯re in luck!¡± We can sell these feathers that are imbued with [Wind] magic. Usually, you only get about 1 or two at most after defeating about 100. If you¡¯re unlucky, you¡¯ll leave empty handed. Ageha: ¡°Go ahead and keep collecting the regular feathers and talons. I¡¯ll go out again.¡± Henry: ¡°You can gather more this time. I¡¯m feeling pretty good today.¡± Ageha: ¡°You sure? Then I¡¯ll nab 100 this time¡«¡± Before Ageha runs off, Teo stops her. Teo: ¡°W©`wait, Sister Ageha. Can you hold on?¡± Ageha: ¡°Hm? What¡¯s up, Teo?¡± Teo: ¡°Um...what¡­.is this?¡± It¡¯s quite a vague question. Ageha: ¡°What is what?¡± Teo: ¡°This. What kind of fighting is this?¡± Ohhhhh...that¡¯s what you meant. Cyril, Jend, and Ferris are all nodding in agreement with Teo¡¯s question. Oh, well, I guess that makes sense. They¡¯ve only fought the straight-forward way up until now. Ageha: ¡°I collect the enemies, Henry wipes out most of them, and I take out the remaining. It¡¯s the Ageha ? Henry ? Ageha Plan D!!¡± Henry: ¡°You¡¯re making up random names for the plan again¡­.¡± Not only is it hard to say. It doesn¡¯t make a lick of sense. Cyril: ¡°Wa¡«it wait wait wait. What is this? This isn¡¯t like any hunt we¡¯ve ever been on.¡± Henry: ¡°Cyril, you need to expand your horizons more and think outside the box.¡± Cyril: ¡°Wha¡«....¡± No, it¡¯s true. Everyone has their own way of taking out demonic creatures. You don¡¯t have to always fight them head on. I¡¯ve known scouts who would tear them up and take out Upper-Tier demonic creatures with just traps. Henry: ¡°And by the way, the perfume she put on before is something that attracts demonic creatures. Any demonic creature who gets a whiff of that scent will start chasing you down like crazy. And luring just the right number of demonic creatures is key and shows how good¡­..well, how good your legs are.¡± Jend: ¡°But it smells¡­..¡± Ageha: ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t tell a lady she¡¯s smelly!¡± Well, it does reek. I¡¯ll give it that. Ageha: ¡°So I¡¯m good with 1 on 1 fights, but many to one battles are not my strong suit. So as a result, I came up with this plan.¡± Henry: ¡°Before Ferris joined us, Jend and I would stop the pack, and Cyril would finish them off with her magic. It¡¯s the same type of plan as that.¡± Jend: ¡°The number of demonic creatures is VE¡«RY different, and you¡¯re just doing it with two of you....¡­.¡± Jend is flabbergasted and doesn¡¯t agree. ¡­¡­¡­.but no, it¡¯s really all stemming from the same line of thought though. Henry: ¡°And yeah, Ageha¡¯s role is super difficult, but my role is pretty plain and generic. Anyone with strong area attacks can fulfill it. Cyril, you want to give it a shot?¡± As far as this tactic goes, Cyril is better suited than I am. Cyril glances briefly at Ageha and starts to think really hard. Cyril: ¡°Um¡­¡­..will it really be okay? I don¡¯t have any confidence that she won¡¯t get caught in my blast.¡± Ageha: ¡°Oh! That¡¯s right. You said you¡¯re a sorceress, right? You strong? I¡¯m sure that [Wind] magic you used last time wasn¡¯t your strongest spell, right?¡± Ageha doesn¡¯t know Cyril¡¯s ability, so I explain a little. Henry: ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve see someone with more magic power than Mr. Reuel.¡± Ageha: ¡°Holy...you serious?¡± Yeah, very serious. But even so, I¡¯m sure Mr. Reuel can still dish out more powerful spells but¡­ Ageha: ¡°Hmmm, could you show me real quick?¡± Cyril: ¡°Sure thing¡«?¡¹ Cyril¡¯s bright singing voice fills the air. After about a minute, she completes her song and¡­ Cyril: ¡°[EXPLOSION]!!¡± A small ember floats out from Cyril¡¯s finger tips, and goes about 30 meters away and ¡­¡­...a huge explosion erupts. My spear can do more concentrated damage on a single point, but there¡¯s no way I could ever beat her in area attacks. Ageha: ¡°Alright, that¡¯s good enough. And if it¡¯s about this range and blast radius, I can easily run away. Cyril, be prepared!¡± And Ageha runs up to the mountain once again. Cyril: ¡°U©`ummm¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if you mess up, I''ll follow up.¡± I prepare my spear just in case. <<<<>>>> So that day¡­.. Griffins completely disappeared from the forest mountain for some time. ¡­¡­¡­.I mean, they do respawn from the corrupted magic in the area after a time, so they¡¯ll be back in a few days. But we got scolded like crazy by the church staff for completely overdoing it. <<<<>>>> CH 40 Chapter 40: A Story About the Saint of Salvation Ageha: ¡°Wo¡«w, ha ha ha, I never thought I would be scolded for defeating too many demonic creatures in my life.¡± It was the day after our expedition with Ageha when we took out 1,000 Griffins. One of the other veteran adventurers came running back from the Flowtier mountains and alerted the church screaming, ¡°All the Griffins are gone! There¡¯s something wrong with the Flowtier mountains!!¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­..and with impeccable timing, that¡¯s when we returned to the church too, and we had a nice long, one-sided, ear-full of a ¡°chat¡± with the church staff about proper adventurer etiquette. Henry: ¡°Yeah, that was my bad¡­..if you think about it, if you defeat too many demonic creatures here, you¡¯re basically taking away prey for other groups of adventurers and their means of making a living¡­.¡± Jend: ¡°I told you we were overdoing it¡­¡± Ageha: ¡°My bad, my bad. Over on the frontlines, you can hunt to your heart¡¯s content. I never thought you could get in trouble for hunting too much.¡± In Ligaleo, it¡¯s actually impossible to wipe out all demonic creatures from any area. You can shave the numbers down, but it¡¯ll grow right back where you started the next day. At this point, there¡¯s no way to purify that area. Before the Demon King, it wasn¡¯t anywhere like that around that city, but now, the concentration of magical corruption is way off the charts. Just making sure that it doesn¡¯t spill inside the city is the best we can do at this point. Cyril: ¡°Wo¡«w¡­, the more I hear about Ligaleo, the more I realize how dangerous the place is...¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s right, Cyril. You can reconsider going there. It¡¯s not too late.¡± Cyril: (*whistles¡«?) Cyril looked away and just started whistling to herself and completely ignores my comment. Ageha: ¡°What, you want to come to Ligaleo, Cyril? Then partner up with me. We¡¯ll go with the Ageha > Cyril > Ageha Plan, and we¡¯ll make a killing.¡± Cyril: ¡°...........well, regardless of the name of that plan, when we do arrive there, please take good care of us.¡± Well, Ageha did mesh well with Cyril overall. Cyril was happily firing off some big area attack spells that she doesn¡¯t use every day as much as she wanted. She used a Lightning Spell at the end called, {LIGHTNING JUDGEMENT}, and even Ageha couldn¡¯t completely dodge its effects completely and felt her hand get zapped. Teo: ¡°Sister Ageha, I¡¯m going too.¡± Jend: ¡°As will I.¡± Ferris: ¡°And I.¡± Ageha: ¡°Whoa whoa, sure thing. I can look after all of you guys. I always wanted to run a Clan.¡± Ageha talks pretty big towards Cyril and the others but¡­ Henry: ¡°To set up a Clan, you need at least 20 people. Were you that popular in Ligaleo?¡± She gets along with everyone there, but how many people are willing to actually form a party with her? Ageha: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If we get Yuu to join us, we can draw in those stupid men left and right to fill the numbers.¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t make our party a den of idiots. Besides, how many days do you think those guys would last on an expedition with you?¡± They might even try to make a move on Yuu during the night. Their skulls will be crushed by the next morning. Well, I guess even if she crushes their skull, she¡¯ll make sure that they¡¯ll still live on. Cyril: ¡°Yuu? Who are you talking about?¡± Ageha: ¡°*Eustacia. Ever heard of her?¡± Cyril: ¡°OHHH!! Yes, that famous¡­!!¡± Cyril claps a fist in her hand at the recognition. That¡¯s no surprise. Yuu''s tales and epics are famous and well-known throughout the lands. 3 years ago, the Demon King¡¯s army executed a large-scale invasion. Powerful knights and adventurers were being cut down left and right in the attack, but the God of Mother Earth Ningale¡¯s priest, the Hero of Legend Adventurer, revived them on the spot, and they held the defensive lines. Out of everyone I know, she¡¯s the best Healer there is. Ferris has significant Healing Skills, but at this point, she¡¯s no match for her. Ferris: ¡°The Saint of Salvation, Her Holiness. For us Ningale followers, she¡¯s the embodiment of what a Hero of Legend should be.¡± Henry: ¡°..........yeah¡­..¡± Ferris seems to admire Yuu, so I just vaguely agreed and left it at that. It¡¯s true that she used her Healing Magecraft to hold the defensive lines together, but what¡¯s less known is how she swung a Morningstar around and blasted intentionally failing Healing Magecraft at the enemies and destroyed their bodies ruthlessly. And I know that she enjoys destroying her enemies more than sitting back and healing her comrades. I was assigned as her bodyguard, so I saw the whole thing from beginning to end. When I heard her title of ¡°Saint of Salvation,¡± I almost passed out and died from laughing. Teo: ¡°Sister Ageha, why would people come to your clan if the Saint of Salvation joins?¡± Ageha: ¡°You may not understand about men yet, but she¡¯s pretty so men fall for her all the time.¡± ¡­¡­¡­..yeah, a regrettable fact. Henry: ¡°It¡¯s only the new recruits that don¡¯t know her that get fooled though.¡± There¡¯s no true hero who would still pursue her after getting to know her true nature. Ageha: ¡°What? No, there¡¯s a lot of guys now looking for a chance to go out with her.¡± Henry: ¡°? Really? Why now? ¡­¡­..wait, is she finally starting to settle down?¡± I¡¯m not talking about her superficial calm and kind persona, but an actual calm and kind personal skills. Ageha: ¡°Seriously, Henry? It all started because you were out of the picture.¡± Henry: ¡°.......oh, I guess I served as a sort of barrier. Now that I think about it, the only young adventurers she was close to were me, and the guys who retired, huh¡­.¡± She did get along with the people in the Knight Organizations though¡­ Jend: ¡°Henry, you have way too many Heroes of Legends in your circle¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°I was there for 10 years. Of course I¡¯ll get to know a few of them.¡± I let out a sigh as I responded to Jend. Ferris: ¡°He also knows Little Charu apparently.¡± Jend: ¡°Oh really? ¡­¡­¡­..wait, Ferris, what did you just say?¡± I mean, yeah, I think I have a pretty solid network, but everyone there knows Sir Ezeal and Ageha, and if you stay in Ligaleo, you¡¯re bound to get to know them regardless. Besides, out of the 8 Heroes of Legend, there''s 3 of them whom I¡¯ve only said hi like maybe once? So I''m not close to all of them. Ageha; ¡°Oh! I almost forgot. Henry, Yuu told me to tell you, ¡®Hey, I¡¯ll come drop by soon.¡¯ Alright, I passed the message to you.¡± Henry: ¡°.........you think she can really leave the frontlines?¡± Ageha: ¡°Nope.¡± Thought so. The only reason the death rate of Adventurers on the frontlines is only SLIGHTLY higher than other areas is due to Yuu. As long as you have any breath left in you, she can fix you right up. Yuu wanted to go out and do more Adventurer like things, but because of her Skills, the Church has her on strict standby around the city. ¡­¡­¡­.from her personality, I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll be able to just put those responsibilities aside and come down to visit. Henry: ¡°Well, I owe her a lot too, so tell her, I said hi and hope she¡¯s doing well. I¡¯ll give you something to take back to her before you leave.¡± Ageha: ¡°Sounds good. She¡¯ll be happy to hear from you.¡± I guess she likes sweets, so I¡¯ll give her some sweet snacks that won¡¯t go bad. I think those Flowtier cookies that Lana took to the university would be good. Cyril: ¡°Henry, you seem pretty close to this Yuu person¡­¡± Henry: ¡°We¡¯ve just known each other for a long time now. She¡¯s probably the person who was in my party for the longest time.¡± We had times we separated to different parties, but in total, wasn¡¯t it about 5 or 6 years? Ageha: ¡°Huh? Henry, I thought she was your ex.¡± Henry: ¡°That was when we¡¯re still kids. That doesn¡¯t count.¡± I object to Ageha¡¯s interpretation. I came to Ligaleo when I was 12, but Ageha who is two years younger than me and Yuu who¡¯s the same age as Ageha also came to Ligaleo when she was 12. And coincidentally, she stayed at the same inn as me, and our rooms were next to each other. ¡­¡­¡­..on the frontlines, there were no other kids our age, so we got to know each other quickly by default. But I say coincidence, but it was actually Sir Ezeal who caught wind of Yuu¡¯s situation, and in his Sir Ezeal fashion, strongly suggested and signed her into the inn I stayed at. And she was a 12 year old girl at the time. I was 14 and wasn¡¯t adult-age yet. After 2 years, I was able to hold my ground and not pull any adventurer or knights¡¯ legs. In that situation, of course it was natural for Yuu to come depend on me. And as she started her Adventurer career, there was a very brief time when we were in that kind of a relationship. I was too focused and worried about getting stronger, but I wasn¡¯t going to just leave a girl in an uncertain situation behind either. I wasn¡¯t a squire any more, but I still held onto the Knights¡¯ values and ways. But Yuu was still a kid, and we just spent our rare and too few and far in between off-days with walks together. We didn¡¯t even kiss before we decided to go our separate ways¡­¡­...and that just kinda happened naturally. Cyril: ¡°Henry had someone like that?!¡± Jend: ¡°Hey, Henry. Didn¡¯t you say you had no luck with women in Ligaleo?¡± Henry: ¡°Look¡­...that happened when we were kids. There was no one else her age, and we dated for about half a year. I¡¯m not going to make a big fuss just over that.¡± In the end, Yuu grew up into a beautiful woman, and yeah, I do think about the what-if¡¯s and if we stuck together, and I regret¡­...wait, do I regret it? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...actually, I don¡¯t. Yeah, I really don¡¯t. Ageha: ¡°Is that so? I didn¡¯t even know that. Wo¡«w...so Yuu had a period like that too.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t even know how she ended up the way she did¡­.¡± She used to be such a calm and quiet kid. As a genius Heal Magecrafter, she busted into Ligaleo by herself thinking there are people she needs to save, and that crazy, world-saving attitude hasn¡¯t changed at all though. Ageha: ¡°Great. Now I have more dirt on her that I can tease her about.¡± Henry: ¡°.....do what you want, and I hope you¡¯re able to get away.¡± I have a feeling that Morningstar is not going to be far away, and she¡¯s persistent as heck. Ageha: ¡°HA! Like Yuu could ever catch up to me.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh yeah?¡± I¡¯m telling you, she holds grudges like no one else I know. Once she¡¯s determined to get back at you, she would wait months for the right moment to arrive. Teo: ¡°.........Mr. Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? What¡¯s up, Teo?¡± Teo is staring intently my direction for a while now. Wait, what¡¯s going on? Teo: ¡°Were you and Sister Ageha ever in a relationship?¡± Henry: ¡°LIKE THAT WOULD EVER HAPPEN!!!¡± Yeah, NO! JUST NO! PLEASE, NO. She¡¯s a female warrior who would go undercover in open territory for 3 days and hunt down the enemy officers and bring back their heads. There¡¯s no way I could be with anyone like that! Ageha: ¡°RU¡«DE¡«.......¡± Ageha doesn¡¯t like my reaction and frowns a little. As if to let off some steam, she raises her hand and asks for a extra thick serving of steak, potatoes, and the whole bottle of wine. Ageha: ¡°We got off topic, but we hunted a lot of Griffins and made some good profits. Let¡¯s have a party tonight¡«!¡± Henry: ¡°Didn¡¯t we just party yesterday¡­¡­¡­?¡± Great, she¡¯s not listening at all. She chopped off the top of the wine bottle with her hand. Ageha: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Here, I¡¯ll pour you a glass.¡± Henry: ¡°.........thanks.¡± I bring up my glass, and Ageha pours me one. Pouring a glass to each member of our party, Ageha raises her glass. Ageha: ¡°Cheers!!¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­.and again, she collapsed where she sat drunk as a skunk, and I had to carry her to another inn that night. CH 41 Chapter 41: The Return of the Hero It has been 5 days since Ageha arrived at Flowtier. She said that it was about time she returned. For that reason, we had lunch at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn to have lunch together and send her off. We sit around the table with the usual group and with Ageha. Teo: ¡°Sister Ageha, I know you said you¡¯re leaving for Ligaleo, but if you came this far, why don¡¯t you go to the Rishu mainlands and go see your family?¡± Ageha: ¡°Oh uhhh¡­.it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s a bit bothersome to go there right now, and it takes 2 days by boat from Seasualgo.¡± The Port Town of Seasualgo is the closest city near Flowtier. If you¡¯re going to the island of Rishu, it is a good place to catch a ship. The fish caught at Seasualgo is transported and arrives fresh on the dinner tables of Flowtier. Cyril: ¡°What is your family like, Miss Ageha?¡± Ageha: ¡°My home is located in a port town called Kaisei and runs a merchant business there. Back in the day, they used to be the covert ops organization for the General, but now we just run a normal business.¡± Ageha answers Cyril¡¯s question. Yeah, I kind of remembered that her family did some sort of merchant business in Rishu, but I never heard any more details. Henry: ¡°I thought about 50 years ago, there was a Civil War in Rishu?¡± During my days at the Fezard Kingdom, I did learn a little history. Ageha: ¡°Yup yup. We made a fortune off that war, and then the family jumped into being merchants after that. Well, we still retain and pass down the Cloudy Plains Style though.¡± Teo: ¡°So they started an import and export business with the Alvenia Kingdom. As a representative on this side of the sea, my grandfather, who was the little brother of the head of the household at the time, came to Flowtier¡­..and immediately fell in love with my grandmother and decided to settle in this area.¡± Ageha: ¡°OHH!! I remember that story. They play the story at the theatre at the beginning of every new year. I haven¡¯t seen it since I became an adventurer, but are they still doing that?¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, that hasn¡¯t changed at all. Grandfather wants them to stop though because it¡¯s getting too embarrassing for him.¡± Family talk. But I see. I¡¯ve only run into Teo¡¯s grandfather a few times, but I have new respects for him. And with that Lana brings over the lunch meals on two large platters. Lana: ¡°Here¡¯s today¡¯s Lunch Special! I¡¯ll bring the rest right out.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, food¡¯s here. Today¡¯s Lunch Special has chicken steak as the main course. Everyone gets their plates served, and we start eating. Ageha: ¡°Ohhhh¡­.it¡¯s so good! Maybe I¡¯ll quit the frontlines and work around here for a while.¡± Henry: ¡°I know how you feel. The food in Ligaleo is always so-so.¡± Ageha: ¡°Yeah, the trade routes are all dead so there¡¯s just not enough food to go around. No matter how many demonic creatures we kill, they just keep coming back.¡± Hence, any transported supply wagons will always need guards, and because of that, large-scale imports of goods are not possible. The supply chain is just too restricted and limited. Cyril: ¡°Why not use those Teleport Gates that we saw in the Capital? It might cost a lot to use it, but wouldn¡¯t it be worth the trouble?¡± Henry: ¡°They say that the Magical Corruption in the area is too dense for Teleport Gates to function.¡± Yeah, it¡¯s a common line of thought, and I answer Cyril¡¯s question. Magical Corruption is Magical energy that absorbs Demonic energy and properties. The Teleport Gate uses Magecraft to function, and it uses Magical Power as its source of energy. The density and concentration of the Magic Corruption will interfere with the Magecraft Spell Inscription, and the disturbances it causes makes it impossible to connect the Gates. Ferris: ¡°Well, people much smarter than us have been thinking of a solution before our time, so if we haven¡¯t come up with something now, it must be very difficult to do.¡± Henry: ¡°Just like Ferris said, the upper echelons of the Grandes Church and the top authorities of the Kingdom¡¯s Armies are trying to come up with a solution, but nothing has worked so far.¡± Since I¡¯m the one who left the frontlines to go eat more delicious things in a peaceful place like this, I¡¯m not one to speak, but I still wish they do something about it. Ageha: ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to eat as much as I can while I¡¯m here! Can I have the Mixed Fried Lunch meal with rice!!¡± She¡¯s skinny, but she can eat a lot. Well, it¡¯s important to eat when you can. That¡¯s one of the core tenets as an adventurer. Ageha gobbles up the additional lunch meals she ordered. Henry: ¡°Wait, Ageha. Aren¡¯t you running all the way back to Ligaleo? Wouldn¡¯t eating this much cause issues for you later?¡± Ageha: ¡°I¡¯m good, I¡¯m good.¡± I hope so. ¡­¡­..but if she¡¯s the one saying so, it must really be okay. <<<<>>>> We sip our post-meal coffee and relax a bit. Teo: ¡°Sister Ageha, I¡¯ll keep practicing what you taught me.¡± Teo strikes up a conversation with Ageha. Oh yeah, they were practicing something together. Ageha: ¡°Yeah¡­¡­.but uhhh¡­. If it¡¯s about Adventuring stuff, listen to Henry well. If it¡¯s just about fighting, I¡¯m stronger, but as far as all the bothersome stuff you have to do as an Adventure, Henry¡¯s got more skill in that area.¡± I guess this is Ageha¡¯s way of worrying about her cousin. Well, regardless of whether Ageha asked me to or not, Teo¡¯s part of my party so of course, I¡¯ll teach her what I can. Henry: ¡°Yeah, you can leave it to me, Ageha. But that¡¯s strange. I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m stronger when it comes to fighting.¡± I had to make sure she knew that I wasn''t going to brush off a comment like that. Ageha: ¡°What? What are you blabbering about, Henry? I took down a Demon General by myself, but what did you do again? Oh yeah, you just hid behind Old Man Ezeal and were poking that General from behind like a coward, weren''t you?¡± Henry: ¡°You¡¯re forgetting that Demon General Bazeraldo had lower combat skills compared to all the other Generals. And you caught him off guard and took off his head before a fight even happened. I admit that your assassination skills are something else, but that and general combat fighting skills are different.¡± Ageha: ¡°.....you wanna test out that theory of yours?¡± Henry: ¡°......any time. You can go back home crying after your loss.¡± We both rise from our chairs and gesture to each other to step outside. *Ke ke ke, do you really think you can beat me after stuffing yourself full? You won¡¯t be as sharp or as fast as usual like that. But there was sharp and our fighting mood is dowsed and extinguished by Cyril¡¯s chops. Cyril: ¡°No fighting you two, okay?¡± ¡° ¡° ¡­¡­...yes ma¡¯am. ¡° ¡° She smiles in a not so kind way, and both Hero and Heroic Warrior sit back down with heads bowed. Ageha: ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. Next time I see you, we¡¯ll head to the training field. I¡¯ll let you know who¡¯s stronger when that time comes.¡± Henry: ¡°There¡¯s plenty of time to train here in Flowtier. You really think you can beat me?¡± Ageha: ¡°How much of an idiot can you be? You can get stronger by just taking off more heads.¡± Yeah, that only applies to Natural-Born Adventurers like you. ¡­¡­¡­.wait, Adventurer? You¡¯re more an assassin than anything else. Cyril: ¡°Oh, I never got to ask, but Miss Ageha, why do you go after the necks so much?¡± Ageha: ¡°Hmmm? Um, there¡¯s really not a reason.¡± Henry: ¡°Cyril, don¡¯t bother asking. We¡¯ve asked her this same question over and over, and we¡¯ve never gotten one single useful piece of information out of her.¡± We all had to finally conclude that that¡¯s just the kind of living organism she is. Cyril: ¡°But wouldn¡¯t fighting like that incur significantly more unnecessary risk?¡¯ Ageha: ¡°Yeah, just like you say, Cyril, there are times if you only fight a certain way, it makes the fight more difficult. But I''m dedicating my entire life to beheading demonic creatures.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.her life? Well, she is definitely very determined to stick to that style, and her weapon is actually¡­. Cyril: ¡°I©`is that so¡­¡­¡± Henry: ¡°And actually, Ageha¡¯s godly equipment is an Uncommon-Rank even though she¡¯s a hero. It¡¯s called the [Neck Critical Short Sword].¡± When it hits the heck, its effects increase drastically. It¡¯s not as popular as the [Chest Critical] weapons, but for its additional difficulty, it does even more additional damage. Jend: ¡°Uncommon-Rank¡­? Then it¡¯s the same as my [Blaze Blade].¡± Yeah, Jend¡¯s Fire Sword is also an Uncommon-Rank. So as far as rarity goes, even a lucky beginner adventurer can receive an Uncommon-Rank weapon. Ageha: ¡°That¡¯s true, but if you just want a weapon with a specific attribute, the difficulty of receiving one goes up exponentially. When I first became an adventurer, I went after this short sword¡­¡­¡­.never mind. I don¡¯t like thinking about those times." Oh yeah, there were rumors of a girl that was hunting demonic creatures solo and without speaking a word. Henry: ¡°How many times did you have to draw?¡± Ageha: ¡°I stopped counting after 5,000¡­..¡± Yeah, that¡¯s way too much. Ageha: ¡°A©`anyways, the moral of the story is, if you have a goal, it makes your day-to-day adventuring all the more exciting. Cyril, you said you wanted to go to the frontlines, but did you have a specific reason?¡± Cyril: ¡°.....I do.¡± Oh, Ageha asked the question that I¡¯ve been wondering how I should approach Cyril. Alright, good for you, Ageha. Keep the question going. Let¡¯s see if it¡¯s enough of a reason to go... Cyril: ¡°But it¡¯s a secret!¡± ........and she dodges the question. Now I know it¡¯s something she can¡¯t just readily spill. ¡­¡­..really, what should I do? The other 3 are fine. Cyril¡¯s personality is the least compatible with the way of life over there, so I really want to change her mind if I can. Ageha: ¡°HA HA! Well, yeah, you don¡¯t need to tell me the reason. Alright. I¡¯ll be going then.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s starting to get busy, and we¡¯re all done eating.¡± Well, I do feel some sadness for her leaving, but it¡¯s time to say farewell. <<<<>>>> We walked with Ageha to the Flowtier¡¯s outer walls to send her off. In these last few days, Ageha¡¯s face is pretty well known, and she got a lot of attention from adventurer¡¯s on their way to or back from an expedition, but none of that mattered to her. Ageha: ¡°Thanks for seeing me out. Teo, keep working hard and get stronger, okay?¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, please be careful as well, Sister Ageha.¡± Ageha: ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about me. I¡¯ve gotten used to how things work there, and I¡¯ve made a lot of friends. There¡¯s nothing to worry about now.¡± Ageha laughs merrily. ¡­¡­..but this is just Ageha reassuring Teo, and it¡¯s not like she¡¯ll let her guard down. There¡¯s no one who can be overconfident in an environment where Upper-Tier Demonic Creatures come down upon the city like an avalanche. If there are any overconfident adventurers there, it would just be the stupid ones. ¡­¡­¡­.correction. Now that I think about it, there were a ton of those idiots. Ageha: ¡°Cyril, Jend, Ferris, it was a lot of fun running expeditions with you guys. Let¡¯s do it again!¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes.¡± Cyril answers Ageha in place of everyone. Ageha: ¡°Alrighty, Henry. You be well.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, you too.¡± We bump fists. We finish saying farewell. I start wondering if she¡¯s serious about running all the way to Ligaleo. But she carries a small sack over her shoulder and begins to stretch and warm up. Henry: ¡°You¡¯re really not going to use the Teleport gate?¡± Ageha: ¡°I don¡¯t like waiting, and it¡¯ll be faster if I run.¡± ¡­¡­.only for you! ¡­¡­...sigh¡­ Henry: ¡°Ageha, tell everyone said hi when you get back. And don¡¯t forget to give Yuu her gift.¡± Ageha: ¡°Yup, got it! See ya!¡± And with that, Ageha began running. ¡­¡­¡­...and like always, she¡¯s fast. Too fast. A horse carriage going past didn¡¯t know what just passed by them. Cyril: ¡°.........wow, she was a like a storm.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah¡­¡± But, well...even though I basically ran away from Ligaleo and came here, it was still touching to know there were people willing to come see me all the way here. CH 42 Chapter 42: Swimming in Lucan Lake The bright, blinding sun is beating down on us. If it was any other place, I would start dripping sweat on a hot day like this. But around Flowtier, the humidity is lower, so even with higher temperatures, it¡¯s not as uncomfortable during the summers. ¡­...when I first came to Flowtier, it was still the beginning of spring with still remnants from the previous winter hanging in the air. It¡¯s only been less than half a year since. Now we have entered the middle of summer. Up until now, so many things have happened. I found friends, explored with them, the trip to the Capital¡­..unlike my memories of Ligaleo, it was full of activities and memories, without so much death and blood tainting it. They were peaceful memories¡­ ¡­..but anyways, let me introduce you to something wonderful. Next to Flowtier lies the Lucan Lake. The water that runs from the Altohern mountain north of the city will pour into this lake first before turning into the river that cuts across and through Flowtier. The water is crystal clear, and the water quality is amazing. During the summers, part of the lake is opened to the public as a swimming and water sports and activities. It transforms into one of the top tourist attractions, and many come just to spend their days at the Lucan Lake. Yes, in short, swim suits¡­ Although it¡¯s the beginning of the season, there are still many people, including young women. Cyril: ¡°Could you stop harassing all the girls with your perverted eyes?¡± Cyril, sitting beside me, pulled hard on my cheeks. Henry: ¡°Excuse you. I do appreciate the view, but I¡¯m not harassing anyone.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ugh¡­men¡­¡± Cyril¡¯s still innocent in many ways and gripes to herself. It can¡¯t be helped. That¡¯s just how men are. Henry: ¡°Okay, okay. My bad, my bad. Let¡¯s start stretching and warm-up and do what we came here to do.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yessir?¡± And since we came here to swim, Cyril¡¯s also in her swimwear. It¡¯s a swimsuit with not a lot of skin showing, but she looks good in it. I don¡¯t want her to gloat it over me, so I keep my opinion to myself. Henry: ¡°Oh, Cyril, how¡¯s your swimming?¡± Cyril: ¡°We come here to swim every summer, so I¡¯m not an expert, but I can swim normally. What about you, Henry? Are there any places to swim in Ligaleo?¡± Henry: ¡°There was an ocean that was relatively close by. You had to be able to swim to take out Oceanic demonic creatures. I can keep myself from drowning even if you threw me into the water with my full gear.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yeah, that sounds more intense than what I can do¡­¡± We chat as we both stretch and get ready. Cyril: ¡°Oh, I know I said I can swim, but it¡¯s the first time I¡¯m training and swimming, so if I pass out in the water, please save me.¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m not going to push you so hard knowing that you¡¯ll be in deep waters.¡± So yeah, we came to swim, but not for fun. If it was for fun, we would have invited Jend and the rest. This is all part of our training agenda for Cyril to toughen her up. Cyril has been diligent in doing everything I asked her to do everyday. She¡¯s trying to increase her physical strength, and she¡¯s running 20 km (12.5 miles) ©`©`but we increased that to 30 km (18.7 miles) now with the strength training. She practice fights with the rest of the party member to raise her staff skills, and practices basic movements to roll and break her falls. It¡¯s not everyday, but I train with her often. I need to give her credit for her hard efforts, and she¡¯s now pushing out some results. Her body type in general does not gain a whole lot of muscles, but as far as her endurance, for a rearguard, she probably would have as much if not more than her peers. But at the same time, she¡¯s gotten used to the training, and she¡¯s now moving her body in a way that conserves more energy than she burns. Of course, that¡¯s an essential skill to learn, but it also means that she has to exercise more to continue improving, and her progress is starting to plateau with efficiency worsening. I thought about going with some old methods of training with weights strapped on your body, but with the swimming areas opening, I thought this would be better. Swimming is a great way to build up your stamina and endurance. So it¡¯s not for being able to see women in swimsuits or any other ulterior motives like that. I considered this option very seriously, and this is purely for her training and benefit. I have no ulterior motives. None whatsoever. Cyril in her swimsuit is drawing my attention, but if she realizes this, it¡¯ll get bothersome, so I try to steal a glance or two with my peripheral vision. Cyril: ¡°........it¡¯s not like I¡¯m not noticing you staring at me by the way¡«¡± WHAT?! <<<<>>>> After a slew of insults and a slap on the back, she forgave me. There seems to be a red handprint on my back, but I took no damage. I did want to say something about not wearing things that draws people¡¯s attentions if you don¡¯t want them to stare, but I¡¯ll just be digging my own grave so I shut up. Henry: ¡°Oh, you are a good swimmer.¡± Cyril: ¡°You think so?¡± We both swim breast stroke towards the edge of the swimming area where they have a marker placed. We swam with our heads above water to decide on what we¡¯ll do. Henry: ¡°We¡¯ll go to that marker there, turn back to the shore, and then go back and repeat that, okay?¡± Cyril: ¡°Won¡¯t people be looking at us strange?¡± Henry: ¡°There¡¯s a lot of people here, so it should be fine.¡± People aren¡¯t that mindful of others - especially in large crowds. Cyril: ¡°But watching other people play makes me want to do something fun too¡«¡± Henry: ¡°You can do whatever you want after we¡¯re done training. I can hang out with you if you like.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a promise then! Let¡¯s see¡­.what should we do¡­.? Maybe we¡¯ll be like kids again and build a sand castle after this?¡± ¡­¡­¡­.Cyril seems to be enjoying this, but we haven¡¯t even done one lap yet. We¡¯ll see how long she can continue. Henry: ¡°I¡¯ll go at my own pace. This is your first time, so find your pace and keep going, got it?¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay¡«¡± And with that, I began to swim more quickly. My arms cut through the water as I push forward. It really has been a long time since I trained in water. Maybe the last time was all the way back in my Fezard days. Just like I told Cyril, I have been pushed into the water while fighting, and I won¡¯t drown, but maybe I should consider improving my swimming skills. And inside the water is cool and feels really good. I dive deeper into the water. This is the area for swimming so it¡¯s not going to be that deep, but this lake really has clear waters so you can see all the way to the bottom of the lake. ¡­...oh, look at that. There¡¯s a lot of fish you can see swimming. There¡¯s no way I can catch them by hand though. But this is fun. Alright, it¡¯s time to get serious. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°He¡«y, you okay?¡± I catch up with Cyril from behind and check on her. It¡¯s been about 2 hours since we started swimming. I¡¯ve lapped Cyril more than a couple of times now, and I keep checking in on her. Cyril: ¡°I¡­..I can keep going¡­¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, no. Look, it¡¯s no joke if you pass out in the water, so let¡¯s call it a day.¡± Cyril does have a competitive side to her and no matter what I ask her, she always responds like this. I let out a sigh as I tell her to go back to shore. Cyril: ¡°......okay¡«¡± Henry: ¡°And it¡¯s already past noon. Let¡¯s get something to eat.¡± We started training a little before the sun was above us. We exercised a lot, and I¡¯m starving. I match my pace to hers, and we slowly go back to shore. Once we get to the shallows, we begin to walk but¡­ Cyril: ¡°Oh¡­¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Whoa, hey, get a hold of yourself.¡± Cyril seemed to have reached her limits and wobbled a bit. I grabbed hold of her arm to support her, and called out to her. Cyril: ¡°Oh¡­..sorry. I guess I was more tired than I thought. In the water, you¡¯re kept up by floating so I didn¡¯t realize it.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, you felt all the weight come back as soon as you got out of the water.¡± Cyril: ¡°But you don¡¯t look even a bit tired, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m hungry, but yeah, I can keep swimming for another half-day.¡± But they close the area off once it¡¯s past the evening, and the water will get too cold, so I¡¯m not that crazy enough to continue in that kind of condition. I guess I need to think of a way to increase the amount of duress on my body too while I train. Cyril: ¡°.............monster.¡± Henry: ¡°If you want to be a vanguard at the frontlines, doing this much is normal.¡± I don¡¯t know if Teo and Ferris can keep up with me, but Jend probably could. These kinds of stamina and endurance activities seem to favor men more. Cyril: ¡°What about Miss Ageha? She¡¯s a female and looks pretty slim.¡± Henry: ¡°She ran all the way here, remember?¡± Cyril: ¡°.....that¡¯s right.¡± Ageha is more of a side-attacker, but she is a hero and can play the role of vanguard better than any normal adventurer. And I know she looks skinny, but her muscles are incredibly hard. As we talk, we finally arrive on shore. Henry: ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat! What do you want to eat, Cyril?¡± Cyril: ¡°I¡¯m so tired that my appetite is gone¡­¡± Henry: ¡°I see. So what do you want to eat?¡± Cyril: ¡°..............fine, fine. I¡¯ll eat, I¡¯ll eat. You want me to eat, right?¡± Yup. If you don¡¯t properly eat meat after working out, you won¡¯t develop the proper muscles. We¡¯ve had this discussion several times, and I¡¯ve gotten used to her responses. Cyril: (sigh¡­¡­¡­¡­) Henry: ¡°Then wait here. I¡¯ll go buy us some food.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay¡«¡± At the swimming area, there¡¯s a lot of food and drink stands catering to the crowd. And of course, it¡¯s a tourist attraction so the prices are higher than usual. But the city is close enough where you could just make a food run, so they don¡¯t have the prices that high. And it smells good. What should we eat? Fried noodles? Corn on the cob? There¡¯s even places roasting some Seasualgo fish¡­..it all looks good¡­. And after a lot of going back and forth, I bought two huge meats on a stick and fruit juice and brought it back to Cyril. Cyril¡¯s still catching her breath. ¡­¡­...since she¡¯s good looking, I thought there would be men trying to ask her out, but I guess anyone would hesitate if a girl was breathing that hard¡­. Henry: ¡°Here Cyril, got you some food.¡± Cyril: ¡°Th©`thank yo¡­¡­¡­¡­.it¡¯s huge.¡± It¡¯s a shish kabob small enough for someone with a slight appetite I think, but Cyril looks a little sick just looking at it. Henry: ¡°I¡¯ll buy more if it¡¯s not enough.¡± Cyril: ¡°......no, I think I¡¯ll be okay.¡± Henry: ¡°But before that, drink up.¡± I give her the fruit juice, and Cyril drinks it all down. I give her her meat, and I eat with her. The meat is still very hot, and I bite into it. A very thick taste hits me real hard. So the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn has a very refined flavor to their dishes, but over here, all the seasoning is done very rough and thick, but it¡¯s still good. We¡¯re sitting under the sun next to the beach eating our shish kabob. It¡¯s a very pleasant way to spend your afternoon. Henry: ¡°So you wanted to build a sand castle after we¡¯re done?¡± Cyril: ¡°Ummm¡­.let me think about it after I rest. I¡¯m pretty worn out.¡± Henry: ¡°Got it. Here, I¡¯ll guy rent some towels and a large parasol.¡± They have stands renting equipment out too. Near the water is pretty cool, and even if you¡¯re not swimming, you can still have a cool time just laying on the beach. The line to rent one of these is very short since it¡¯s already past the afternoon, and I finish the paperwork when¡­ ¡°.........oh?¡± Henry: ¡°Hm?¡± I look up to see a familiar face passing by. Henry: ¡°Jend?¡± Jend: ¡°Henry? What are you doing here?¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m doing swimming training with Cyril to build up her stamina. What about y¡­..?¡± But before I finish my question, another familiar face walks over. It¡¯s Ferris. Ferris: ¡°Hey, Mr. Henry. What a coincidence. I ran into Cyril sitting over there. She invited us to come over and join her. ...Jend?¡± Jend: ¡°Oh, yeah, that¡¯s great. Yeah, I mean, since we¡¯re all here¡­.yeah¡­¡± Ferris is wearing a pretty amazing bikini swimwear. ¡­¡­...and I don¡¯t want to stare at a woman who¡¯s already taken so I just quickly glanced. That¡¯s all. No really¡­ But still¡­. Henry: ¡°..........on a date, huh.¡± Jend: ¡°You got a problem?¡± Henry: ¡°No, not like that. Just feel bad that we interrupted.¡± I¡¯m sure as soon as Cyril saw the girls in our party, she forgot all about her fatigue and came back in full force. She needs to be a little more aware, that girl. If Ferris is wearing THAT kind of swimsuit, you need to let them have their space. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.well, maybe next time. Henry: ¡°Well, there¡¯s four of us, so maybe some 2 vs 2 beach volleyball?¡± Jend: ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± And I see that there¡¯s a few nets setup for it. We just need to wait a little in line to use it, and we can show the athletic ability of our party¡­¡­¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­¡­¡­...our party? Remembering what happened the last time at the Casino, I immediately went to go and invite Teo. Thankfully, the city was close. Teo arrived, and Cyril got even more excited, and after beach volleyball, we built a giant sand castle together. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..that was too close¡­.!! CH 43 Chapter 43: The Next Step Jend: ¡°ooooooRAAAAHHH!!¡± Jend swung his sword around with full force. The blade enveloped in flame cut across a Griffin, and fire rose up from the wound. There were 3 in Jend¡¯s attack radius, but two dodges the attack and got away to the sky. Teo: ¡°No¡­...you don''t!¡± Teo fires off her arrows from behind them. Her godly equipment only requires the string to be pulled back for an arrow to be set for firing. Now, she is able to quickly fire off arrows faster than any standard archer. 3 arrows pierce the body of one killing it, and the other suffered 2 arrows to its wings and falls to the ground. I was right around where the wounded Griffin fell, and I quickly put it out if its misery. Henry: ¡°How are you holding up back there?!¡± Ferris: ¡°We¡¯re fine over here!¡± A few Griffin headed towards Cyril, but hearing Ferris¡¯ confident answer, I let them take care of it. Glancing behind, Ferris blocks two Griffins safely with her shield and counters them with her sword. Teo is next to her dispatching Griffins with her machete too. And being protected by Ferris and Teo, Cyril cheerfully sings and completes her Spell. Cyril: ¡°{SWORD TORNADO}!!¡± A wind spirals above in the sky. Around 10 Griffins who were flying above us and were looking for a chance to swoop down were sucked into the vortex and shredded by blades made from wind. ¡­¡­¡­...I have to admit that that spell has both power and range. The Griffins fall one by one from the sky. Jend and I finish off any with breath left in them, and we take a breather. All the Griffins we could see in the area are now taken care of. We continue our lookout for a little longer, but no more are appearing. ¡­¡­¡­.I really had very little to do in that battle. Henry: ¡°Good job, everyone! Let¡¯s collect the drops and take a break!¡± We all start collecting the talons and feathers from the Griffins and gather together. We place all the drops in Teo¡¯s bag, and start making the descent down the mountain away from the Griffins¡¯ territory. Cyril: ¡°Fwew¡«...that was a little tiring¡­¡± Jend: ¡°Well, we got here first thing in the morning and hunted practically non-stop. I¡¯m okay, but I¡¯m surprised you held up this far, Cyril.¡± Cyril: ¡°Fufufu, Jend? Don¡¯t think that I¡¯m the same as I was before. I¡¯ll soon show you the fruits of my training.¡± Cyril puffs out her chest as she brags to Jend. I don¡¯t blame her actually. She did gain a LOT of stamina, and if it¡¯s just transporting locations, she can keep up with us now with the [Sprint Boots]. She has thus far exceeded all of my expectations. Ferris: ¡°Teo, what about you? I know you¡¯re strong, but you¡¯re still a child.¡± Teo: ¡°Thank you for your concern, Miss Ferris, but I¡¯m okay.¡± Yeah, Teo¡¯s body hasn¡¯t fully developed, so she¡¯s only above Cyril when it comes to stamina and strength, but she¡¯s accumulated a lot of experience in the forest and mountains while doing the Cloudy Plains training. Apparently, she¡¯s been hunting since she was 10, and she¡¯s the second most as far as experience goes in this party. And because of that, she¡¯s showing no signs of fatigue. We descend the mountains and find an open field to take a break. We make a campfire, boil some water, and pour some herb tea that is said to relieve your fatigue. I actually bought these tea leaves for myself, but I offer it to the rest of the party. Henry: ¡°Ahhh¡«... so good. I know it¡¯s a bit of an acquired taste, but I really like this tea.¡± Cyril: ¡°It¡¯s a little too bitter for me¡­.Teo, could you pass me the sugar?¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, give me one second.¡± Cyril asks for the sugar, and Teo is rummaging through her bag and pulls out a bottle with the sugar inside. Teo¡¯s bag is a godly equipment, and we have many of our party¡¯s belongings stored in there. There¡¯s ropes, potions, cloths, plates, silverware, and pots. We even have spices that won¡¯t go bad. ¡­¡­¡­..if we ever split apart, there¡¯s gonna be some nasty arguments over who gets what, but hopefully, we¡¯ll be able to resolve that peacefully. I can even offer to buy it off her hands too if it comes down to it. Ferris: ¡°Can I have some as well?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes.¡± Ferris: ¡°Jend, would you like some?¡± Jend: ¡°Oh, I''m okay. I like the taste of this tea too.¡± Oh, Jend likes this tea too. There¡¯s actually not a lot of people who can drink this tea as-is. Mostly because it¡¯s treated more as medicinal tea. Ferris: But it¡¯s so hot inside the city, but so cool inside the forest.¡± Ferris brings up a conversation topic. Yeah, now that she mentions it, I thought it might be too hot outside to drink hot tea, but we¡¯re all able to drink it without any issues. Jend: ¡°Why not come over to my place? We have magecraft artifacts that cools the temperature of the room.¡± Cyril: ¡°........air conditioning, huh? That thing is so expensive. Jend, you¡¯re family really is well-off.¡± Cyril makes a slight jab at Jend¡¯s comment. But yeah, that artifact is not cheap, and a normal household wouldn''t be able to afford it. Maybe if you rent a luxury hotel room, it might come with one, but not at an inn like the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. Jend: ¡°You live in the Governor¡¯s mansion!¡± Cyril: ¡°Sure, they have it set in the living room, and the Governor¡¯s room, but I don¡¯t have one in my room.¡± Teo: ¡°........the Cloudy Plains Style has some Magecraft catered to daily living, so we are able to cool the room ourselves.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, I¡¯m envious.¡± I remember now that Ageha used to use that when I was still in a party with her. Since I don¡¯t have anything convenient like that, I just sleep through it. Henry: ¡°It¡¯s true. It¡¯s getting so hot at night, that it¡¯s getting tougher to sleep well.¡± Cyril: ¡°Right¡« I hate waking up all sweaty. Maybe I¡¯ll buy one too¡­¡± Cyril shares in my complaint. Henry: ¡°Well, we definitely make enough to make a purchase without it hurting us now.¡± Cyril: ¡°But doing so will delay my goals for saving up for a new robe¡«¡± Jend: ¡°You got it tough, Cyril.¡± Cyril: ¡°......it doesn¡¯t mean much from someone who won armor from Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault. I hope you get a jinx where you don¡¯t get anything above uncommon.¡± Jend: ¡°Hey! C¡¯mon now! Your jinx really has some power behind it, so don¡¯t say things like that! After I got the Blaze Blade, I only got Commons for a while after that!¡± Jend was also saving up to buy some armor, but he recently got a [Wind Mail] which is an Uncommon-Rank armor. Like the name says, it blows out wind from the armor. It¡¯s a pretty strong wind, and he can blow away fire if he wants it to, but that¡¯s just an added bonus since the armor itself was well-made. ¡­¡­..when it comes to godly equipment, aside from the added bonuses and traits, the quality can vary greatly from amazing quality to complete trash. I haven¡¯t heard of an equipment with great traits but was poorly made, but in some rare instances, you get an equipment with disappointing traits, but the overall quality of the equipment was exceptional. Ferris: ¡°Haha¡­.I¡¯m sorry too, Cyril.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, um, I didn¡¯t mean you too, Miss Ferris. Besides, you both needed the armor either way.¡± Ferris only had a sword and shield, but she recently obtained the [Oath Armor]. It raises your stamina, and it¡¯s not the most exciting, but it¡¯s still a very effective trait, and since Ferris didn¡¯t have any armor, you can say that it was a lottery winner for her. Teo: ¡°I recently bought a better machete and leather armor, so I want a new magecraft artifact next.¡± Cyril: ¡°.......and Teo hasn¡¯t had much luck with new equipment, but you¡¯ve been getting a lot of stuff you can easily sell off for high prices.¡± When you draw expendable items or precious metals, in those cases, the item is not restricted and can be sold. Those items actually remain even if the person who acquired it dies. Cyril: ¡°The only unlucky ones are Henry and I¡­¡± Henry: ¡°H©`hey, hold up, Cyril. Yes, it¡¯s true that I haven¡¯t drawn anything good recently, but you have to look at the big picture for these kind of things. Like, my Nyoiten Spear isn¡¯t quite a Legendary equipment, but it was a win for me.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ahhhhh¡«¡­.I hope I draw something good soon¡­.¡± Gah, she¡¯s ignoring me. ¡­¡­...but yeah. I thought I was pretty lucky in my draws up until now, but looking at Teo and the others, I can understand how you can start feeling a little jealous. When it comes to the Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault, that is one of the biggest topics talked about between Adventurers. And our discussion only got more heated after that. Henry: ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get back to work. Let¡¯s take down about 50 more Griffins today.¡± Cyril: ¡°When we were with Miss Ageha, she got that many in one try¡«¡± But no one collects and herds demonic creatures as well as she does. She¡¯s just way too good at it. But¡­.well¡­. I realized this while we were talking about the godly equipment, but everyone is almost equipped enough for the next stage. I better think about our next move now¡­.since I¡¯m the leader for now. <<<<>>>> In the Grandes Church library¡­ I had the Flowtier area maps and several books outlining the types of demonic creatures encountered in each area, and I tried to find something above a Griffin for our next target. The biggest hunting ground in this area is the Flowtier Forest. There¡¯s no doubt about that. The shallow parts of the forest are catered towards beginner adventurers, and the deeper parts of the forest are geared towards mid-tier adventurers. The Central Mountain has a horde of Griffins. ¡­¡­..but you only see Griffins here. If you have a solid way of defeating Griffins, then you can make money very efficiently. There¡¯s also very good herbs you can find there, so overall, it¡¯s a great hunting ground. If you just want to make money, you can live here for the rest of your life. But for an Adventurer who is going above the mid-tier, mid-class Griffin, this is just a milestone. But the tier-ranking of demonic creatures is not absolute. There is compatibility with certain demonic creature traits, the terrain, the number©`©`etc. etc¡­ there¡¯s countless variables that can affect how well you can fight with a certain type of demonic creature. For instance, I can fight a mid-tier, mid-class Griffin just fine, but I really hate fighting the lower-tier, upper-class Giant Spiders. But if you want the Church to approve of you, then you need to be wary of each demonic creatures¡¯ tier and rank. ¡­¡­.so in short, for people like Jend who want to become Heroes of Legend, then he needs to go after higher-level demonic creatures, but¡­ Henry: ¡°Crap¡­.there is none¡­¡­¡± I look through all the information and mumble to myself. At least around Flowtier, I can¡¯t find any hunting grounds with upper-tier demonic creatures. If we want to move up, we¡¯ll need to either relocate cities or ¡°gain permission.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.hmmmmm, I have to think about this hard. My party will function just fine without me. Jend is the vanguard. Ferris is a vanguard and healer. Cyril has the fire power. And Teo can scout. I didn¡¯t plan for it to be like this, but this is a well-balanced party. I can do pretty much everything, but I¡¯m mostly a vanguard and sometimes switch roles if I have to. Because of that, my position in the party is so fluid that you can flip it and also say that I¡¯m not serving a concrete role either. Hence, if I leave the party, nothing really changes. I¡¯ve trained them a lot, and I don¡¯t mind letting them venture out on their own but¡­. Henry: ¡°But no¡­¡­¡­.not yet. They still have a ways to go.¡± I¡¯m not one to hesitate on parting if that¡¯s what¡¯s necessary. But for them, no matter how strong they are, they are completely lacking in experience. There¡¯s still a lot to teach them about adventuring that is not battle-related. So that leaves me with one choice. Henry: ¡°I guess we¡¯ll go to Altohern, huh¡­¡± The Sacred Mountain north of Flowtier. Snow perpetually covers the top of the mountain, and according to legends, it¡¯s a resting ground for actual dragons. Unlike the rest of Flowtier, there are many strong demonic creatures in that territory. But this is also Flowtier¡¯s precious water source. In order to enter, you need the permission from Flowtier''s Governor. ¡­¡­¡­.but for now, let¡¯s just see what the group says at tomorrow¡¯s meeting. CH 44 Chapter 44: Paperwork (Grandes Church Tavern) We do meet after every expedition to reflect on any mistakes and review our progress, but we also have a meeting every 2 weeks here. We decide general hunting goals, bring up anything troubling us outside of expeditions, how to upgrade or get better armor, and off-days planned ahead of time. We especially make sure to align our off-days. I mean, we have 3 women in the group, so it¡¯s critical to know when they want off. But anyways, it¡¯s nothing formal, and we try to keep it as casual as possible. At the meeting, I decided to go ahead and bring up the main topic for the day. Henry: ¡°I wanted to see if we could move our hunting grounds to Altohern starting next month.¡± The other four are surprised by this news. Cyril: ¡°When you say ¡®Altohern,¡¯ you mean that mountain, right?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, I looked it up, and the higher you climb up the mountain, the thicker and denser the magical corruption gets. From around the midpoint of the mountain, you¡¯ll start seeing Ogres which are mid-tier upper-class demonic creatures. ¡­¡­¡­.that would be a good target for this group now.¡± If you go all the way to the top, you¡¯ll start seeing upper-tier¡¯s as well. Jend: ¡°I knew there were strong demonic creatures in that mountain, but I thought Adventurers couldn¡¯t go to that mountain? They already patrol the area with the Flowtier army, no?¡± Demonic creatures, by their very nature, do not leave areas with thick magic corruption. That¡¯s because the stronger you are as a demonic creature, the weaker you get if you leave that environment. But once they reach a certain capacity with the environment, they start pushing creatures outside of that territory, and you¡¯ll start seeing more creatures out on the roadways if nothing is done, so in a sense, Adventurers serve a role in ensuring that the number of demonic creatures in an area is controlled. And even within the rewards we get for certain demonic creature drops, there is also a very small percentage added for the patrolling done. Henry: ¡°As Jend mentioned, yes, Adventurers are not permitted to enter the mountain UNLESS you get explicit permission from the Governor of Flowtier.¡± Jend: ¡°Is that true?¡± Henry: ¡°I asked the Priest working here, and currently, there are 2 parties permitted to enter the Altohern mountain area.¡± That really is a very small number of parties, but part of it stems from children in Flowtier being told to never enter that mountain from birth. So many who grew up here will hesitate to break that norm. Henry: ¡°We will need to meet directly with the Flowtier Governor in order to obtain permission. And of course, we will also need to submit to the Church our current abilities, personality analysis, and battle records, and stuff like that too.¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry, Henry. If it¡¯s permission from the Governor, I can go ahead and ask him for it.¡± Henry: ¡°Idiot.¡± I flick my finger into Cyril¡¯s forehead. Cyril: ¡°Ow¡« what was that for?!¡± Henry: ¡°No, we do things right, and we''re not taking any shortcuts like that. What would happen to our group once word gets out that you used your connection with the Governor to push us through the process? We¡¯ll instantly lose our legitimacy and reputation.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t think about that. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I¡¯m sure she didn¡¯t mean anything by it and just spoke without thinking, but she listened to my explanation and nodded in agreement. And to be fair, this is a case by case basis. There are some corrupt nobles out there where a little bribery would take you a long way in just getting this over with quickly and be done with them. But the Governor of Flowtier has a flawless reputation as a fair and honest man, so any actions like that would backfire immediately. Teo: ¡°It¡¯s just as Henry says, Cyril. Please think before you make any suggestions like that.¡± Cyril: ¡°....Teo, you''re so cold¡­ Miss Ferris¡«¡± Ferris: ¡°Oh Cyril, come here.¡± Teo followed up my comment, and Cyril went crying to Ferris. Ferris is holding her and gently patting her on the head. ¡­¡­.the women in our group really get along. It¡¯s a good thing. Henry: ¡°Alright, so what do you guys say? To be honest, the Griffins are getting old for me, and I don¡¯t want your fighting style to get rigid with only dealing with one type of enemy. If you¡¯re going to be moving up in this world, I think you should do it.¡± Cyril: ¡°Of course we¡¯ll go¡«!¡± Cyril immediately throws up her fist in agreement. She recovered quick. The others don¡¯t have any objections either. Henry: ¡°Then I¡¯ll start the paperwork with the Church, and we¡¯ll need to make an appointment with the Governor.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, it''s okay if I do that much, correct?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll actually be faster and better.¡± There¡¯s no way anyone would raise a brow for that. Ferris: ¡°But if it¡¯s the Governor, wouldn¡¯t he be very busy? When do you think he can make time for us, Cyril?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yeah¡« let me think. Around this time, he¡¯ll be planning for the Fall Flower Festival, the harvest gatherings, resolving issues with tourists¡­ I would guess that it might take around 2 weeks?¡± There¡¯s some nobles who do not meddle with their territory''s business at all and strive for complete self-sufficiency, but this Governor seems very busy... Henry: ¡°Well, let¡¯s finish up the paperwork with the Church first and wait patiently then.¡± And besides, it¡¯s not a guarantee that we can get permission, so we¡¯ll just have to play it by ear. <<<<>>>> Cyril: ¡°If you¡¯re okay with it being this evening, he¡¯ll make time for us.¡± Henry: ¡°THAT WAS FAST?!¡± This was only the day after our meeting about the Altohern transition. Cyril came over bright and early in the morning to the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn to deliver the message to me. Henry: ¡°.........how were we able to get time so fast? Did he have an opening in the schedule?¡± Cyril: ¡°No, he was supposed to attend a meeting about the Flower Festival, but it was a meeting between the Counts¡¯ families so he was able to delay the meeting to a later date.¡± This would be the Flowtier¡¯s Fall Flower festival held every year. I mean, yeah, it¡¯s still a ways ahead, but I wouldn¡¯t think that he would delay this kind of big event meeting just to see us. I am thankful, but¡­...is there another reason? Henry: ¡°Cyril¡­..did you force his hand in any¡­..¡± Cyril: ¡°Of course not. I just got yelled at by the group just yesterday.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t think so¡­..then why¡­¡­?¡± I heard Cyril is well liked by the Governor, so is it because of that? Or is it because he plans on immediately rejecting our proposal and didn¡¯t want to waste any time on it? ¡­¡­...there¡¯s many possibilities at this point¡­ You would think that Adventurers only go on Demonic Creature slaying expeditions and complete Quests, but after a certain point, you have to start dealing with the nobles. I had to be a guard for this one Count¡¯s son who came to inspect Ligaleo. From those experiences, there¡¯s a number of things I can think of that the Count may bring up with us. Henry: ¡°Well, then we accept. If he¡¯s willing to set aside time like that, then let¡¯s go this evening. Please send our acknowledgement back to the Governor.¡± Cyril: ¡°Roger roger¡«¡± Cyril stands tall and salutes in response. Henry: ¡°What¡¯s everyone else¡¯s plans tonight?¡± Cyril: ¡°I think they will be free to attend.¡± Henry: ¡°Then I¡¯ll go speak with Teo. Could you go find Jend and Ferris?¡± Teo¡¯s house is actually the opposite way to Jend and Ferris so this will work out better this way. Cyril: ¡°Okay! Ummm¡­.we¡¯ll meet in front of the Church at 15:00 hours? And then we¡¯ll all go together, like that?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, that sounds fine¡­¡­¡­.but you could just wait at home if you want.¡± Cyril: ¡°No no. I¡¯ll be happy to guide the group.¡± The Governor¡¯s mansion is at the center of the city, so no one would really get lost trying to find it. But we may be able to skip having to go through the guards at the front gate. Henry: ¡°.........(sigh)....I guess I¡¯ll get my formal wear.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ohhhhhh, you have something fancy to wear, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. Adventurers are allowed to wear their gear on formal occasions.¡± But it¡¯s something I had custom made. I rarely get to wear it, but I have one set of clothes for these kinds of occasions. As for the others¡­¡­¡­.Jend is a merchant¡¯s son so of course, he¡¯ll have a formal suit. Ferris apparently got some clothes as a gift from Jend, so she¡¯ll be okay. No one would really complain about Teo since she¡¯s still a kid. Cyril: ¡°Okay, then I will see you at 15:00 hours. I¡¯ll look forward to seeing you in your formal wear!¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t¡­.I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s really not that fancy.¡± Sigh¡­..girls really like these kinds of things¡­ <<<<>>>> Now, it¡¯s time to meet up with the gang. Everyone was there right on time. Cyril: ¡°Henry, you said formal wear, but¡­...you look almost the same¡­.?¡± Henry: ¡°The material used is actually fancier.¡± Well, that¡¯s a weird comparison to make because high-grade Adventurer armor is made of demonic creatures¡¯ fur and cloth made from the Elder Tree Ents or a blended mix of different materials like that, so the price of armor like this would be much more expensive than any formal suits¡­. Jend: ¡°Well, as long as it¡¯s not anything inappropriate, we should be fine. I¡¯ve met with Sir Alvare on several occasions, but he¡¯s easy to get along with.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, yes. He¡¯s a Governor, but he definitely doesn¡¯t flaunt his authority at all.¡± ¡­¡­..I could take Jend and Cyril¡¯s word for it, but the governor knew them since they were kids. I¡¯m sure that he would be showing them a different side of him compared to someone he doesn¡¯t know. But worrying about this here isn¡¯t going to get us anywhere. Teo: ¡°Let¡¯s get going. I know we still have plenty of time, but I hate to dawdle around. It¡¯ll be embarrassing if we show up late.¡± Ferris: ¡°I agree with Teo. We can chat along the way.¡± With Ferris and Teo pushing us forward, we begin to walk towards the Governor¡¯s mansion. There¡¯s really no way to get lost. There is a spire rising out of the center of the city, and we just have to keep moving towards it. Henry: ¡°......now that I think about it...why is the office inside a tower?¡± You can see the white, unblemished tall tower from a great distance, and it is the central government office of the city. They call it the Government Tower for that reason, and it¡¯s pretty famous. It is beautiful, but I would think that traveling up and down the tower, and the maintenance and upkeep required would be tiresome. And during the day, they open part of the tower for tourism too. Apparently, the view from the top of the tower is amazing. But I have yet to go and see it for myself. Cyril: ¡°I think the 2nd Governor back in the day built it to cater to his tastes.¡± Henry: ¡°...........so it was more like a hobby?¡± It was the 3rd generation Governor who became an adventurer with Fezard¡¯s King back in the day, so the Governor¡¯s family in general may just be made up of a lot of odd characters. But anyways, we head towards the Government Tower. Around the central part of the city, there are many businesses lining up the streets, and it is one of Flowtier¡¯s most prosperous business districts. It is quite crowded though, and it slows us down as we melt into the crowd of the busy streets. And finally, we arrive at the Government Tower. Next to the tower is the Governor¡¯s Mansion where the Governor lives. It is a 4-story mansion, and the yard is kept pristine. And of course, there are two fully equipped soldiers standing at full attention in front of the gate to ensure that no suspicious characters come through. Normally, we would be questioned pretty intensely concerning our identities, we¡¯ll hand in our identification forms, and fill in a slew of paperwork before we enter. But this time¡­ Cyril: ¡°I¡¯m back! Mr. Bearl, Mr. Geo, thank you for all your hard work!¡± ¡°Welcome back Cyril. Are those your guests? I recognize Jend in the group.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, they are all part of my Adventurer Party. This is Henry, Miss Ferris, and Teo.¡± Cyril greets the gatekeepers with enthusiasm and gusto and seems super friendly and acquainted with them. ¡­¡­...no doubt because she goes in and out a lot. ¡°I understand. They have already informed us about your arrival so you can pass through.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, thank you! Please keep up the great work!¡± ¡°Haha, thank you.¡± And we go through. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..yeah, I¡¯m super thankful, but it¡¯s letting a lot of air out of the tension. Cyril: ¡°The Governor requested that we wait for him in the meeting room, so let¡¯s get going.¡± Henry: ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Hmmm, alright. It¡¯s finally time for the interview, but I wonder how the conversation will go. CH 45 Chapter 45: The Interview With Cyril guiding us in front, we walk into the meeting room. Cyril beckons us to sit down in her usual energetic tone, but I¡¯m not so thick as to sit down before the Governor arrives. In truth, not many Alvenian Nobles try to impose their power on the citizens. I don¡¯t think us sitting down would ruin the Governor¡¯s mood, but I¡¯m particularly cautious around authority figures. Henry: ¡°......looks like he¡¯s arrived. C¡¯mon Cyril. Stand up with us.¡± Cyril: ¡°.....how do you know that he¡¯s coming?¡± Henry: ¡°? How? I mean, his presence¡­?¡± Cyril: ¡°Presence?¡± I mean, it¡¯s just this fuzzy sensation of a person¡¯s presence¡¯ish? Now that she mentions it, I can¡¯t remember since when I was able to start sensing these things¡­ I definitely couldn¡¯t do it as a kid. Teo: ¡°Oh, now I can sense it. You¡¯re fast, Mr. Henry.¡± Teo follows up to confirm...but¡­ Henry: ¡°I still have a ways to go. If it was Ageha, she could detect all the presences inside a mansion of this size with ease.¡± Teo: ¡°Sister Ageha really is amazing.¡± Well, when it comes to assassination skills and abilities, she¡¯s top of the class out of all adventurers. I won¡¯t lose to her in a 1 on 1 fight though. And after about 10 seconds, we hear a polite knock, and a butler opens the door. Following that, a well dressed man walks inside. He had a very pleasant and peaceful smile and greeted and introduced himself. ¡°I am sorry to have made you wait. I am Alvare, the Flowtier Count and head of this family.¡± Henry: ¡°It is a pleasure making your acquaintance. My name is Henry.¡± Alvare: ¡°The pleasure is mine.¡± As Cyril and Jend mentioned, he looks to be a caring and kind man. His smile is genuine, and the way he speaks to us is sincere and friendly. He is still young for a Count. He must be in his early 30¡¯s, but because of that, he¡¯s easier to talk to. ¡­¡­¡­..but it doesn¡¯t mean that we can just relax and be casual to him. Ferris and Teo seem to understand and politely introduce themselves without issue. Jend: ¡°Sir Alvare, it has been a while since we last met.¡± Alvare: ¡°Yes, Jend. Has been 2 months since we last met? I do see your father quite often though.¡± Jend¡¯s father is the owner and leader of the biggest merchant association in Flowtier.¡­.and because of that, his father has very close ties with the Governor. Cyril: ¡°And I am the Miss Cyril you already know. Sir Alvare, how is your work going?¡± Alvare: ¡°Yes, yes. It¡¯s good seeing you too, Cyril. Work has been going very well as usual.¡± I¡¯ve heard Cyril talk a lot about it, but¡­¡­¡­.yeah, Cyril and the Governor are close. What¡¯s going on here? Alvare: ¡°Well, everyone, please take a seat. Let us begin this interview, shall we? I say this, but really, this is just formality at this point.¡± And being recommended by the Governor, we all sit in the chairs prepared in the meeting room. They are fluffy and soft. They have some high-class furniture in here. The Governor pulls out an envelope from his coat pocket. It¡¯s already been opened once, and the seal was torn. Alvare: ¡°This is the report from the Grandes Church concerning the status, history, and progress of your party. I cannot share all the details, but I can tell you that they think highly of you.¡± I thought so. Good! But I keep these thoughts to myself as my confidence swells. The combat strength of my party even without me can easily be counted from the top of the list now in Flowtier. We are able to make the rounds slaying Demonic Creatures much faster now, and every Quest we have received, we have diligently completed without fail. Although this sounds easy, there are not too many parties who can continue performing like this for extended periods of time. Alvare: ¡°When Cyril and Jend told us that they want to become Adventurers, I never thought that they would rise up so quickly. I knew they had potential, but they have truly exceeded my expectations.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh¡«¡¡That¡¯s so embarrassing.¡± Jend: ¡°Hey now, it¡¯s all thanks to Henry, you know.¡± Well, no. It¡¯s the result of all the diligent, hard work and effort they¡¯ve put in to be honest. If it wasn¡¯t for that, I wouldn¡¯t have tagged along this long with them. Alvare: ¡°And your trustworthiness is not a concern. I know Cyril and Jend very well.¡± The Governor looks and meets Teo¡¯s eyes. Alvare: ¡°And Miss Teo was born and raised in Flowtier. Everyone acknowledges her reputation as a hard-working and good natured child.¡± Teo: ¡°........thank you very much.¡± Alvare: ¡°And your grandfather, Mr. Shiden was apparently, for a short period of time, the Flowtier Army¡¯s Combat Instructor. I have only learned of this through the reports I received recently, but one of my most tenured servants said that if it¡¯s the granddaughter of that Shiden, then there is nothing to worry about, and gave me their full approval with confidence.¡± I see. So there was a connection between that Grandpa and the Governor too. I guess he¡¯s been in Flowtier long enough for that kind of stuff to happen. Ferrs: ¡°.......Sir Governor. If it is a question of trustworthiness, my father is a convicted felon. If I am to blame for the disapproval of hunting in Altohern, I will gladly resign my position from this party.¡± Alvare: ¡°Do not worry. There is no law in Alvenia that prosecutes the children because of their parents¡¯ crimes. Besides¡­.¡± The Governor pulls out a separate envelope from the first. ¡­¡­..that Dragon symbol on the envelope is something the Knight Organizations use. Alvare: ¡°I¡¯ve received communication from the White Dragon Knights that asked me to please look after a woman named Ferris who is moving to Flowtier. There is no way I could mistreat or be rude to someone who is highly valued by the Knight Organization.¡± Ferris: ¡°Those people¡­¡­¡­¡± Ferris seems a little flabbergasted about the situation, but I can also see the joy underneath her expression. She has been involved with the White Dragon Knights from an early age, and after gaining the skills, served as a Healer, so of course, they would be worried about Ferris. Alvare: ¡°And finally, Mr. Henry. We actually looked into your profile quite some time before.¡± Henry: ¡°Is that so?¡± Alvare: ¡°Yes. For my wife and I, Cyril is like a younger sister to us. We understand that you are a Heroic Warrior, but we could not allow just anyone to be by her side. I apologize as this was done without your knowledge.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, no no no. That¡¯s okay. I understand.¡± Yeah, that¡¯s normal. If just any rough-necked ruffian Adventurer was by Cyril¡¯s side, I wouldn¡¯t be calm either. I would have taken the same actions as the Governor, so I have no complaints. Alvare: ¡°To be honest, I thought it would be difficult to find out about a specific Adventurer, but¡­..Mr. Henry, you activities in Ligaleo has been quite the spectacle, and we were able to quickly gather your background information.¡± Henry: ¡°......did I stand out that much?¡± Alvare: ¡°You have personal relationships with the majority of the 8 Heroes of Legend. You have also delivered the finishing blow to a Demonic Army General. I think it would be impossible not to stand out with those facts in line.¡± Sir Alvare chuckled merrily with his compliment. Well¡­.um¡­.yeah¡­..I guess people knew my face and name, but I wanted people to know my strength too which was never the case. Alvare: ¡°Henry Tone. Born in the Fezard Kingdom and share the same origins as my wife, Asteria and Cyril. You are the first born son of the Tone Family of Knights and a former squire to the Fezard Kingdom Knights. After the fall of Fezard, you swore vengeance against the Demonic General Gilverte who led the charge against Fezard, and began your Adventurer career. A year and a half ago, you completed your goal, lost your motivation, and about half a year ago, moved to Flowtier.¡± Okay, they knew everything. That¡¯s a very detailed report. Cyril: ¡°Henry, you told me not to say anything, but it looks like it was all for nothing.¡± Henry: ¡°........yup.¡± I agree with Cyril. That¡¯s an amazing amount of information they collected about me. Cyril: ¡°It¡¯s the first time I heard your family name.¡± Henry: ¡°........I can count on a single hand the number of times I talked about my family lineage. Sir Governor, I¡¯m surprised that you knew about that.¡± The Head of the Household held his ground to die with dignity, and his first born son ran away to live in a far off country. I know it sounds stupid now, but back in the day, I was ashamed of that fact, and I refused to talk to others about my family history. Even today, there¡¯s really no need to share that fact with anyone, so I don¡¯t go out of my way to talk about it. Alvare: ¡°My wife was the one who remembered actually.¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s true that Lady Asteria visited our 2nd Squad once, but¡­¡­.she couldn¡¯t have¡­...just from that?¡± Alvare: ¡°It¡¯s true that the position of Squire is offered to those prior to reaching adult-age, but¡­..because it was truly rare for a 10 year old child to become a Squire, she kept you in mind.¡± Ohhhhh¡­.I see. Yeah, the average age of Squires were 14 and 15, so I was the only one to ever join at the age of 10. ¡­¡­...the guys around me today are full of talent and potential, and I almost forgot, but I also had a lot of potential as a young kid. Alvare: ¡°And in summary, as a result of our investigation, we also received a report of great rapport from the Adventurers and Church. You have completed all your work diligently. You have no issues with communication. You have high strength, skills, and abilities, and because you are able to do many things, your Adventurer Title became the ¡°Jack of All Trades.¡± It felt embarrassing to be praised so much. I appreciate people realizing my previous efforts, but the pressure now is to the point where the expectations can crush my future. Jend: ¡°Henry, you even had an Adventurer Title? Why didn¡¯t you tell us?¡± Henry: ¡°Because I hated that title. Who wants to be called the ¡°Jack of All Trades?¡± Famous Adventurers all receive an Adventurer¡¯s Title. Sir Ezeal is [The Great Hero]. Ageha is [The Beheader], and so on and so forth. The way the title is determined is very random. Everyone starts spreading small rumors about what kind of person that adventurer is, and in the end, someone says, ¡°Then let¡¯s call him or her _____________¡± and you fill in the blank. If it catches on, that becomes your title. ¡­¡­¡­...and usually, the person getting the title has no say in the matter. ¡°Jack of All Trades¡± Henry¡­¡­¡­¡­...just sounds lame. There¡¯s nothing threatening or intimidating about it. It just sounds¡­.plain. But I prefer that over a name that completely misses the mark like Yuu¡¯s [Saint of Salvation]. ¡­¡­...that was close. I almost burst out laughing. Alvare: ¡°So all in all, from our investigations as well as the Church¡¯s investigative report¡­¡­..I see no reason to refuse your request.¡± Henry: ¡°Then¡­..¡± Alvare: ¡°Yes, as the Count of Flowtier, in the name of Alvare, I grant Henry and his party the permission to perform expeditions on the Altohern mountain.¡± YES!! WE GOT PERMISSION!! I thought things were going pretty well for our party, but even so, it¡¯s good to have the Governor himself back us up and validate our progress thus far. Henry: ¡°Thank you very much, Sir Governor.¡± Alvare: ¡°Oh, our army has been having trouble with the Demonic Creatures on that mountain for quite some time. If you¡¯re willing to take down the creatures on our behalf, then we also greatly benefit from your efforts. True true. Soldiers in the armies are usually better trained than your standard Adventurer, but when you start fighting mid-tier Demonic Creatures, the fights begin to require more talent and experience. Cyril: ¡°You can leave it to me Sir Alvare! I¡¯ll light the whole place up with my Spells!¡± Alvare: ¡°Um...yes, I¡¯m glad you are so excited...but it is our precious water source as well so please do not go overboard.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, of course¡­.¡± Cyril was just a little too excited just now, but I can talk to her about it after this meeting. Cyril has a slight tendency¡­.actually, no, she¡¯s prone to dive in head first with most things, but it¡¯s not like she doesn¡¯t listen at all or is incapable of it. Alvare: ¡°So this...I guess interview is finished, but I would hate to just have you leave. It would ruin my reputation to turn you away now. Could you at least stay for a meal?¡± A meal? That¡¯s a great honor, and normally, I would accept automatically but¡­ ¡­¡­¡­.if you¡¯ll remember, it¡¯s true that I avenged the Fezard Kingdom by taking down the Demonic General Gilverte. And I didn¡¯t receive any injuries from that battle, and age-wise, I am at the prime of my Adventuring career. So why did I retreat to such a luke-warm hunting grounds like Flowtier? The reason why I didn¡¯t want Cyril talking about this was because I really didn¡¯t want someone to ask me that question. I don¡¯t want to get our former country¡¯s princess¡¯ hopes up and then end up disappointing her. So...all in all, it pains me to do this but I¡¯ll refu©` Alvare: ¡°And Mr. Henry. My wife Asteria would really like to speak with a Knight from her former country. Would it not be possible to join us?¡± Henry: ¡°......of course. I¡¯ll gladly accept.¡± You can¡¯t refuse if they call you directly out by name! I gave up and nodded, and inside my head, curled up into a ball. CH 46 Chapter 46: Asteria After our interview(?) with the Governor. They led us to the dining hall of the Governor¡¯s mansion. ¡­¡­..and there, there was someone waiting for us. ¡°There are some who I already know, but please let me introduce myself. I am Alvare¡¯s wife, Asteria. It is a pleasure making your acquaintance.¡± She politely bows to us. She looked familiar - she carried the same look and features similar to the woman I saw back in the day. The first princess of the former Fezard Kingdom. 12 years ago, she came here to wed the Governor and maintain relations with the Flowtier city - the remaining royalty who I swore my oaths and loyalty to. She was thin with silky, beautiful hair. She was renowned as the beauty princess, and over the years, that beauty has not faded. You can say it has been even more refined today. ¡­¡­¡­.back in the 2nd Squad, when she visited our group for inspection, it was the first time as a child I gazed in stunning awe and realized that there were people this beautiful and lovely in this world. With those memories flooding back, my body instinctively bowed in the Fezard Knights¡¯ formal position. Henry: ¡°This will be the second time to have the privilege to gaze upon your face. I am the former squire of the Fezard Knights. My name is Henry.¡± Asteria: ¡°I remember you well. I cannot believe that the small Knight I saw would survive the Demon King¡¯s Army¡¯s invasion and grow up to defeat that Gilverte. ¡­¡­...I am now a part of the Count of this realm, but as a former Royal of Fezard, I would like to offer my utmost gratitude to you. Sir Henry, I thank you on behalf of all whom we have lost their lives and all whom have lived to today. Thank you for avenging us.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, my ladyship.¡± I straighten my back as I receive the compliment. ¡­¡­¡­..I thought my roots had been replaced by becoming an Adventurer, but there were still the remnants of my Knight days strong and present. Pure muscle memory remembered all the formalities of Knighthood. And with that, Lady Asteria¡¯s serious composure dissipated and relaxed. Asteria: ¡°Well, I have to say that I was quite disappointed that you did not come to see me sooner as soon as you got to Flowtier.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, yes, um¡­¡­¡­..¡± Asteria: ¡°Hehe, that reminds me. Would it be unkind of me to ask why you came to Flowtier, Sir Henry?¡± YES! VERY!! The Governor already collected that much information. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s already heard my reasons for coming here. I was telling all the Adventurers around me at the time, ¡°I just want to take it easy, so I''m leaving the frontlines.¡± Asteria: ¡°Well, all Fezard Knights were renowned for their skills and bravery on the battlefield but equally renowned for their lax way of life. I¡¯m glad to see you carry on that tradition.¡± Henry: ¡°Th©`thank you, my ladyship.¡± Now that she mentions that, outside of training and battles, the 2nd Squad was pretty lazy all-around. Ugh¡«¡«¡«, this is so embarrassing. But she doesn¡¯t look as disappointed or angry at me as I thought she would be. Teo: ¡°It is a pleasure meeting you. My name is Teo.¡± Ferris: ¡°My name is Ferris. I am honored to make the acquaintance with your ladyship. I hope you are well.¡± Asteria: ¡°Yes, it is a pleasure meeting you both. You have taken such good care of our Cyril. Thank you.¡± And Teo and Ferris finish their introductions and greetings. I let out a sigh of relief as I uncharacteristically displayed some buried Knight habits and formalities, and Cyril walks up to me. Cyril: ¡°Henry, she complimented you a lot.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s amazing to receive such praises from a princess. I know I¡¯m just a former Knight, but it really does hit and fulfill the core of your Knighthood and duties to receive those words.¡± Cyril: ¡°........really? I see.¡± Yup, really. Henry: ¡°But I¡¯m still embarrassed about them knowing why I came to Flowtier. Like how I wanted to just take it easy.¡± Cyril: ¡°And the alcohol was a third of your reason.¡± You¡¯re not going to let that go, are you? Asteria: ¡°Oh, Sir Henry, do you enjoy the ale in Flowtier?¡± ACK?!? SHE WAS LISTENING IN!! Cyril: ¡°Lady Asteria. He also told me that a bard was singing about this town in a tavern and that was part of his reason too.¡± Henry: ¡°C©`Cyril. Miss Cyril? Could you please just shut that mouth of yours for just a moment? My reputation and respectability is crumbling from your words.¡± Cyril: ¡°Your¡­.respectability?¡± YES! WHY IS THERE A QUESTION MARK NEXT TO THAT WORD?! Yeah, that, you know, respectability as one of the top Adventurers! That kind of reputation and respectability! Asteria: ¡°I¡¯m so glad that you get along so well with Cyril, Sir Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, uh, yes. She¡¯s been a good friend. Aside from Adventuring, I was able to settle into Flowtier smoothly because of her.¡± ¡­¡­...crap, I accidentally answered her honestly. Cyril¡¯s gonna take those words and run with them. Cyril: ¡°Yup¡«¡¡he owes me a lot. Hehe¡± UGH!! SEE?! Asteria: ¡°Well well. You¡¯ve done well, Cyril.¡± And Lady Asteria compliments Cyril. Even though Cyril is an adult age, she¡¯s treated just like a kid here. But even more than the Governor, she¡¯s even closer to Lady Asteria. Maybe it¡¯s because she¡¯s from Fezard, but she has similar features as Lady Asteria, and you could easily believe if if you were told that they were sisters. ¡­¡­¡­¡­...but even if they share similar features, I don¡¯t sense the same gorgeous aura and impression that I get from Lady Asteria from Cyril. Asteria: ¡°Sir Henry, it¡¯s about the dinner this evening, but¡­¡± ¡­¡­¡­.oh. Henry: ¡°Lady Asteria. I apologize for the rudeness, but you do not have to address me as ¡°sir.¡± I have not taken on the Tone Family rights, and I am just an Adventurer now.¡± I try to politely address the issue to Lady Asteria. I haven¡¯t forgotten my days as a Knight, but I also have equal pride now as an Adventurer. And I didn¡¯t mention this, but the country that would vouch for my knighthood no longer exists. With the facts in mind, being addressed as a Knight would be inappropriate. Asteria: ¡°..........yes, you are right.¡± Lady Asteria should already know these things, but she closes her eyes briefly as she nods. ¡­¡­¡­.oh crap. I think I brought up some unnecessary feelings from the past with my comment. But as if to wipe away my worries, she quickly recomposed herself back to a cheerful expression. Asteria: ¡°Then let me address you as Mr. Henry. Why don¡¯t we all take a seat now? Our Head Chef will be bringing out his best dishes tonight. I hope you will enjoy the meal tonight.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± I am genuinely looking forward to that. The Head Chef of the Governor¡¯s Mansion would be at least the number 1 or number 2 Chef of this city. I guess every day is not a luxurious meal, but if guests are over, I¡¯m sure they bring out some wonderful meals. Alvare: ¡°Oh, have you all finished greeting Asteria? I brought out some good bottles from the cellar.¡± And the Governor who was gone for a moment came back with 4 wine bottles. Asteria: ¡°Dear, you brought that many bottles? Please don¡¯t overdo it and drink too much.¡± Alvare: ¡°It¡¯s to celebrate and send off new Adventurers who will be challenging the Altohern Mountain. I think 4 bottles is just right for the occasion.¡± Asteria: ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who is most excited about the bottles?¡± Alvare: ¡°Haha, it¡¯s just as you say.¡± The conversation between the two was natural and full of smiles. It was a marriage between a noble and a Royalty, and it must have been an arranged marriage, but it looks like Lady Asteria was blessed with a good relationship. We bow quietly to the Governor and take our seats. The waiter takes the wine bottles from the Governor and with a smooth motion, opens a bottle, and pours it into our glasses¡­¡­.well, I guess a glass or two can¡¯t hurt. Henry: ¡°Is this a wine made in Flowtier?¡± I take a glance at the bottle and its name. It said ¡°La Flowtier¡± on the label. From the name, I guessed that it was made here. Alvare: ¡°Yes it is. The Flowtier Ale is quite famous, but the wine is not bad either. In the North East province, they have many vineyards.¡± Henry: ¡°I see.¡± I nod as he explains. The wine and ale production here are very prevalent and robust, and it''s probably because the water quality is so good. Jend: ¡°What a wonderful aroma, Sir Alvare. It¡¯s a 16th year La Flowtier?¡± Alvare: ¡°Yes. We should enjoy the best ones before the alcohol kicks in. The other 3 are just regular wines.¡± Jend comments on the wine in his glass, and the Governor seems pleased with the compliment. I don¡¯t know much about wines, but from the aroma, it does smell more expensive than any wines I''ve had in the past. ¡­¡­..since Jend and the Governor said it was good, I¡¯m sure most of it is just from taking their word for it. The food was brought in, and the Governor stood and raised his glass. Alvare: ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do away with the formalities. To our new Adventurers of Flowtier, we drink to your future adventures and success, CHEERS!¡± With a brief speech, we all raise our glass. ©`©`that night, with great food and great wine, we all enjoyed the meal thoroughly. We got quite drunk that evening, and I have a vague memory that the Governor and I had an arm wrapped around each other¡¯s shoulder as we talked¡­¡­¡­¡­..I won''t get executed for insulting a noble¡­¡­.right? <<<<>>>> And 4 days passed since our permission to hunt in Altohern was approved. We had to collect information on the Demonic Creatures that appear, the species of plants that grow there, the terrain and any other useful information we could find. We held meetings. And we had to go buy equipment that we would not have used in the Flowtier Forest, but it would be essential there. After finishing all of our preparations, today, we went on our first hunt up the Altohern Mountainside. Unlike the Flowtier Forest, as you near the Altohern Mountain, you will reach a military checkpoint set up by the Flowtier Army. It was set up there to ensure that Demonic Creatures from the mountainside never reach the city, and those without permission would not enter the mountain area. We hand over the permits provided by the Governor himself and safely cross and head towards the foot of the mountain. Then¡­. Henry: ¡°Okay, just as we expected, there are packs of Winter Wolves at the foot of the mountain.¡± Jend: ¡°I thought it was getting chilly. I think I should have worn a few more layers of clothes now.¡± You could see a tinge of blue on the pack of wolves¡¯ coats as they approached our group. They breathed cold air as part of their strategy to dull and slow down their prey and are categorized as Mid-tier Low-class Demonic Creatures. They are the most frequently spotted in the thick magically corrupted [ICE] trait Altohern environment. Cyril: ¡°Just as we planned, I will attack with my [FIRE] magic.¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t forget our attack formation and plans.¡± Teo: ¡°........they¡¯re coming.¡± The Winter Wolves begin to charge at us after observing us for some time. Although we face them for the first time, Cyril and the others don¡¯t seem to be afraid. I ready my spear as I feel the confidence and solidity of our group, and welcome our new enemy. CH 47 Chapter 47: Frost Ogre I wait for 4 Winter Wolves as they charge in from different directions. With each howl, a cold wind rushes over my body. This is the White Wolves specialty - the White Breath. The breath of the Winter Wolves is not strong. It won¡¯t completely freeze over the enemy or cannot freeze their enemies to death. At its worst, if you are completely unprepared and unequipped, and THEN get attacked by a pack, it could then potentially make you freeze to death. But that is pretty much it. ¡­¡­..but even cold wind can make your muscles tense and cause your body to freeze up even for a moment. If your body temperature is lowered, your movements will be dulled. The cold will eventually rob you of your stamina too. In a short skirmish, there is nothing to worry about, but possibly in a longer fight, they would be a nuisance of an enemy - or that would be the case in a typical fight. Henry: ¡°But not for...US!!¡± I swing my spear to the side with one swing and take out all the Winter Wolves who jumped at me at once. 3 took critical injuries. One survived landing on top of the 3, but it threw up blood and was out of the fight. My body is doing really well. Their breaths are not even cold, but cool at best. That¡¯s all because¡­ Henry: ¡°Well, you¡¯re just out of luck facing my party.¡± Behind him, Jend has my back and swinging his large broadsword with flames wrapped around it. The Single Blade of the Fire God Style¡­.for a sword style that uses fire in battle, the area around us is actually hot. And on top of that¡­ Cyril: ¡°[Meteor Flare]!¡± Though each fireball is smaller than usual, she increased the number of fireballs, and Cyril blasts her spell at them. Each fireball took a life of its own as it looked for its prey, and incinerated the Winter Wolves to black ash. There were some who survived with severe burns, but Teo followed up with her arrows and took out the remaining survivors. ¡­¡­...so all in all, because their fighting itself is a strategy against the cold, with Jend and Cyril on our side, the Winter Wolves did not once get the upper-hand in this cold environment. Ferris: ¡°Hah!¡± Ferris who was guarding the mid-area of our formation moved in very precise movements and took out the Winter Wolves one by one. Her movements are not fancy or flashy, but if anyone got hurt, you could count on her. Hence, we placed her where the pressure would be lightest so she could easily maneuver within our party formation. ¡­¡­¡­..hm. There¡¯s no issue without teamwork. We are carving down their numbers gradually. Henry: ¡°..........this is going too well.¡± After the last of the Winter Wolves were killed, I mumbled to myself making sure no one could hear me. Honestly, I thought we would struggle a little in our very first battle. I didn¡¯t think we would lose to a mid-tier lower-class pack of Winter Wolves, but this is a different hunting ground and a different enemy - I didn¡¯t think we would so easily overwhelm our enemy. This is the first time to fight in an environment with a specific corrupted magic trait too, but it made no difference... Jend: ¡°¡«¡«! Ack! It¡¯s cold! As soon as I stopped moving, my sweat froze up. I really need to think about getting warmer gear next time.¡± Jend puts away his blade and shivers. Yeah, he didn¡¯t really switch out what¡¯s underneath his armor, so with metal armor plating, it would get pretty cold underneath. Teo: ¡°Mr. Jend, you can use this.¡± Jend: ¡°? Teo, what¡¯s this?¡± Teo: ¡°It¡¯s a Cloud Plains Style Magecraft Artifact. It¡¯s called a body warming charm. It doesn¡¯t work immediately, but it let¡¯s off a slight warmth, and if you keep it under your clothes, you will feel its effect.¡± Jend: ¡°......I¡¯m grateful, but I have to say that your Style has a lot of strange equipment. Teo: ¡°Well, it was for spying and covert operations originally.¡± See? We even have equipment to deal with the cold too. I appreciate how advanced our group¡¯s adaptability skills are, but it makes me a little concerned. We are way too over-prepared. Ferris: ¡°But really. It¡¯s the summer and yet it¡¯s this cold here. The name [Corrupted Ice Territory] is no exaggeration.¡± Cyrl: ¡°And that¡¯s because the [Ice] magic around this area is thickly corrupted, correct?¡± Ferris: ¡°That¡¯s right. I see you¡¯ve been studying hard, Cyril.¡± Inside the Flowtier Forest, the magic corruption there has no particular trait or attribute, but like here, there are places where specific types of magic get corrupted and accumulate. This is called a Magical Trait Corruption, and each Corrupted Area has their own specific terminology and names associated with it. The most common ones are [Corrupted Ice Territories], [Swirling Flame Territories], and [Corrupted Wind Territories], etc. Each territory has its own challenges in order to survive within it. And of course, the demonic creatures that appear in those kinds of territories are usually easy to predict. But at the same time, because it is a very specific Magic Trait that is corrupted in the area, those creatures will equally be more adept and powerful in that environment. ¡­¡­..but all in all, it¡¯s easier to predict the enemy and make plans to deal with them. There¡¯s a debate between Adventurers on whether it¡¯s easier to fight and make more money in these kinds of territories or not. Cyril: ¡°As far as the cold, I¡¯m well-prepared. Henry made my ears hurt with all his warnings about how cold it would be even though it¡¯s the summer here and to make sure to buy a Magecraft Artifact for it.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, that¡¯s because your [Physical Boost] is the weakest out of our group. For the others, in the worst case scenario, we can circulate magic in our bodies and warm our bodies up.¡± So she bought an artifact that helps you stay warm in the winter called, ¡°Burning Barrier.¡± Cyril: ¡°........but I still have my [Fire] magic¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Over time, it might get difficult to sing and cast your spells too. Don¡¯t forget, we¡¯re still at the foot of the mountain, and it¡¯s this cold. The higher up we go, the Magic Corruption will get denser, and the temperature will drop with it.¡± Besides, your spells are way too overpowered, and there¡¯s no way you could just warm yourself up. Cyril: ¡°.....but that¡¯s strange. Why did Mr. Thomas have so many Burning Barrier artifacts in his stock in the middle of summer? His store isn¡¯t that big to keep an oversupply of things.¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s probably because it¡¯s kept in store for the Flowtier Army.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, that makes sense.¡± A single Magecraft Artifact can use up your magic power, but if your mission is to patrol these mountainsides, then prioritizing the Burning Barrier makes more sense. Henry: ¡°Well, I know it was a bit expensive, but once we start hunting in these areas regularly, it¡¯ll pay itself off very quickly.¡± Cyril: ¡°You think so?¡± If I was to guess, I bet the army pays for a portion of the artifact. It¡¯s not something a regular soldier could afford with their salary. Henry: ¡°Alright, enough chit chat. We can keep talking, but let¡¯s start collecting the drops.¡± The Winter Wolves drop nails, fangs, and tails. Other than that, they occasionally drop a small Ice Magic Stone. In these specific Magical Trait Corrupted areas, the demonic creatures tend to drop these Magic Stones more often. We quickly finish collecting the drops and go further up the mountain. Henry: ¡°Usually, I¡¯d like Teo to go scout ahead of us but¡­¡± Teo: ¡°I think I will stick with learning and understanding the terrain first.¡± Henry: ¡°Thought so. Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± We resume our expedition. ¡­¡­¡­..well, we¡¯ll probably not go up to the midpoint of the mountain side, and just continue roaming around the foot of the mountain some more. <<<<>>>> Since then, we crushed 3 more Winter Wolf packs, and we were deciding to head back. ¡­¡­¡­..that¡¯s when we saw an Ogre who descended to the foot of the mountains. To be accurate, it was a subspecies of Ogres - the Frost Ogre. Its height is about 3 meters (9.8 feet). It¡¯s skin color was a bluish black and held a fierce expression. It held an axe made from its own [Ice] magic, and its body was covered in [Ice] armor. Teo: ¡°........what should we do? It doesn¡¯t seem to have noticed us yet.¡± Henry: ¡°Hmm¡­.yeah, let me think¡­¡± We crouch low as we observe the Ogre, and I think through Teo¡¯s question. It¡¯s just one, but the party is also tired from the repeated battles. It might be good to just experience what a Frost Ogre is like, but right now, that may be a bad idea. But leaving it alone is not an option either. If an Ogre appeared this far down the mountain, if it just happened to start walking towards Flowtier, than the Army will suffer some casualties or losses if it faces it. Henry: ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. Wait here. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± It would be more troublesome if it was a pack of Ogres, but it¡¯s just a stray one. I can go ahead and take it down quickly. Jend: ¡°........hey Henry? Could you hold on for a sec?¡± But Jend stops me. Henry: ¡°? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jend: ¡°Could you let me handle that Ogre?¡± You could see the fire and excitement in Jend¡¯s eyes, and he seemed restless enough to jump out and charge in at any moment. Henry: ¡°Hm...any particular reason why?¡± Jend: ¡°I always wanted to face off with an Ogre. If you think it¡¯s too much for me, I¡¯ll back down, but if you think I¡¯m ready, I¡¯d like to try. But this is just my own personal agenda. As our party leader, if you don¡¯t agree, I¡¯ll follow your lead.¡± Ah, got it. I understand where he¡¯s coming from. An Ogre is one of those symbolic ¡°strong¡± demonic creatures. There are, of course, a lot of other stronger creatures, but in fables and theatres, Ogres are a crowd favorite. Dragons are similarly treated, but most consider defeating a Dragon to be more unrealistic in real life, so for the general public, they consider an Adventurer¡¯s goal to be able to defeat an Ogre. Defeating a demonic creature like that. To be able to prove your strength. ¡­¡­¡­.yeah, as a warrior-class, I can understand Jend¡¯s feelings. Jend: ¡°......so what do you think? You think I can do it?¡± Henry: ¡°Ummmm¡­¡­¡± I wonder¡­.Jend¡¯s current skills should be able to handle an Ogre just fine. The problem is that it¡¯s his first time fighting an Ogre, and this is an unfamiliar environment for him. On top of that, he has some fatigue built up from the previous fights. These are not great conditions to tackle a new enemy alone. But¡­ Henry: ¡°........I guess it will be okay. Go ahead.¡± Jend: ¡°You mean it?!¡± Henry: ¡°If we didn¡¯t have Ferris with us, I would be against it, but watch out for any head injuries.¡± Worst case scenario, even if he loses a limb, with Ferris, he should be able to reattach it with enough time. Ferris: ¡°Yeah, leave it to me. Jend, I know you¡¯re not going in to get injured, but be careful anyway. But even if something happens, I¡¯ll fix you up, so give it your all and go defeat that demonic creature!¡± Jend: ¡°Understood. Just watch me, Ferris.¡± Ferris: ¡°I won¡¯t take my eyes off you.¡± Hm, do your best, Jend. Show Ferris what you¡¯re made of. Cyril: ¡°Jend, looks like Mr. Ogre is heading our way.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, Cyril and everyone else, step back. I¡¯ll take him!¡± Jend readies his large broadsword and heads straight towards the Ogre who is also marching towards out group. We give Jend his space and distance ourselves from the fight. Jend: ¡°AAAAARRRRGHHHHHHH!!! ¡°GRAAAAHHH!!¡± Jend¡¯s broadsword clashes with the Ogre¡¯s axe. Both put their full strength behind the blow, and as their blades collide, we hear a large collision sound that shakes the ground. Cyril: ¡°Oh! Whoa!! Look at them go!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, if you¡¯re talking about physical strength alone, an Ogre is in the upper-class tier.¡± Ogres don¡¯t have other special abilities, but they are known for their strength and ability to take a beating. That¡¯s what makes them so hard to deal with. They don¡¯t have long-range attacks so they are susceptible to traps though. But Jend also doesn¡¯t have those kinds of tricks up his sleeve so he is going head-on with the Ogre. The Ogre¡¯s axe is enveloped in blue magic while Jend¡¯s broadsword is enveloped in the flames of the Single Blade of the Fire God style. The blue and red blades cross and collide and small explosions occur all around them. Teo: ¡°Jend is pushing the Ogre back.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s trained well and is handling the Ogre with no problems. He¡¯ll win this fight.¡± Cyril: ¡°I©`I see. I was thinking the same thing.¡± Cyril...I know you¡¯ll have trouble following a physical fight like this with your eyes, so you don¡¯t have to try and blend in with the group. But Jend really has gotten strong. If it¡¯s a one on one fight, he should be able to readily defeat the Ogre. But that¡¯s if it was a regular Ogre. ¡­¡­...Ogres don¡¯t have special abilities. That is true, but if it¡¯s a subspecies, it¡¯s a little different and bothersome. Jend: ¡°?! What?! What¡¯s it doing?!¡± Sensing its disadvantage, the Ogre jumps back. Because Ogres are known to aggressively jump straight into the fray and rampage, this caught Jend off guard. ¡°GRAAAAGGGHHHHH!!¡± The Frost Ogre - as its name might suggest - blew out a Blizzard Breath. Its a simple attack taking the [Ice] magic within your body and blowing it outwards. But because they hold more magic reserve than Winter Wolves, the difference in effect is apparent. Jend: ¡°AGH?! WHAT?!¡± Of course, holding a blazing sword, Jend would not go down just with that, but the Ogre sees an opening and drives his axe into it. Jend: ¡°GRR!!¡± Jend receives the axe with his gauntlet. The [Gauntlet of Solid Defense] he received from Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault lives up to its name and takes the axe blow without damage. But the axe was enveloped in [Ice] magic, and the impact freezes Jend¡¯s gauntlet with the arm inside. Certain of its victory, the Ogre smiles¡­¡­.sort of, and swings his axe down. Jend only has one arm free. ¡­¡­.yup, that¡¯s the end of the fight. Jend: ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me!!¡± Jend dodges the big swing of the axe - the course of the blade was too predictable. And with one hand, Jend raises the Blaze Blade over his head, and before the Ogre could recover, Jend finishes swinging through. A red line is engraved through the Ogre¡¯s stomach, and a moment later, it¡¯s upper and lower body separate. It¡¯s Jend¡¯s victory. The Ogre was too eager and hurried to end the fight. But to its credit, if the fight continued, Jend¡¯s arm would have defrosted, and it would have lost in the end regardless. Jend: ¡°Fweeeeeeeeeeew¡­¡± Jend lets out a long breath of relief. Ferris: ¡°Good work, Jend! You won!!¡± Ferris runs up quicker than anyone else to deliver her compliments. Jend: ¡°Yeah, it caught me off guard with that Breath, but I managed to win.¡± Henry: ¡°You did well.¡± I give my compliments as well. Yeah, he is getting stronger. With just a little more experience, he should be able to take on 2 or 3 Frost Ogres at once. Teo: ¡°Then let¡¯s start heading back.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes! I can¡¯t wait to see how much we made with our¡­.¡± Following Teo, Cyril was thinking about going back home when her words were cut short. I wondered what happened when I saw what she was looking at¡­..another Ogre was descending from the mountains. Cyril: ¡°There¡¯s another one?!¡± Henry: ¡°.........[Fire] Ignis.¡± Fire wraps around the Nyoiten Spear. I bring it overhead and throw it. It crushes the Ogre¡¯s skull, and the spear returns to my hand. It¡¯s done. Henry: ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get the drops and go back home.¡± The three are speechless as they look at me. Hey, I can do this much at least. Up until now, we only fought Griffins, so it might have been harder to gauge my strength, so this should give them some idea. I feel some pride well up as I head to where the Ogre dropped dead to pick up the dropped items. CH 48 Chapter 48: The Two Leaders At the corner of a bar inside Flowtier. I clinked glasses with a person I¡¯m meeting for the first time. We ordered some appetizers, and I grabbed a handful of mixed, spiced nuts, and sip my whiskey. I¡¯m not too big on whiskey in general, but this drink is particularly savory and good. This was a brand of whiskey recommended by the man sitting in front of me - Mr. Lad. Lad: ¡°How do you like it? Isn¡¯t it good?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. I typically only usually drink ales, but I really like this one.¡± Lad: ¡°Yeah? ¡­...man, where is Gawain? He¡¯s running late¡­¡± Lad murmurs his complaint against his acquaintance with a glass of liquor in his hand. Gawain was someone who Jend fought at the Casino Betting Matches. I didn¡¯t know it at the time, but apparently, his main occupation is an Adventurer. Henry: ¡°He said he was going on an expedition today. You think he ran into some sort of trouble?¡± Lad: ¡°No...knowing him, I would doubt that. He probably just lost track of time. I wouldn¡¯t mind it so much if it was just me, but you¡¯re here today too.¡± Mr. Lad and Mr. Gawain have a long history together, and they seem to get along really well. And as we spoke of Mr. Gawain, the doorbells to the bar¡¯s entrance rang, and a giant of a man entered. It was a face I recognized. It was Mr. Gawain. Mr. Lad raised his arm and called him over. Mr. Gawain raised a hand toward us to acknowledge us, but also gestured to us to give him a moment. He gave a bag to the bartender and gave him some directions. And he finally came to sit down next to us after that. Gawain: ¡°Sorry, got too carried away in the expedition and lost track of time.¡± And Mr. Lad shrugs his shoulders and gives me a knowing look. Lad: ¡°You really should fix that bad habit of yours.¡± Gawain: ¡°I know. ¡­...Mr. Henry, my apologies.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh no. Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m also prone to losing track of time during expeditions.¡± If this was 2 or 3 hours, that¡¯s a different story, but we¡¯re talking maybe 15 minutes here. There¡¯s no reason to drag this on any further. Gawain: ¡°¡®Excuse me. I¡¯ll have the same drink as they are having.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± The waiter nods and brings over a glass of whiskey on the rocks. Lad: ¡°Well, let¡¯s start shall we? Cheers.¡± ¡° ¡° Cheers ¡° ¡° Mr. Gawain and I raise and clink our glasses together. Mr. Lad and I have already started drinking, but we clink our glasses anyways. The clear, short of the glass cups ring in the air, and I take a sip of liquid that burns through my throat. Lad: ¡°Well, why don¡¯t we start with introductions? I know we all know each other¡¯s faces, but let¡¯s introduce ourselves first.¡± Mr. Lad leads the meeting. Lad: ¡°I¡¯m Lad. I¡¯m the leader of the Adventurer¡¯s Group, the ¡®Silver Fangs.¡¯ I¡¯m 31, and my preferred weapon is the single-handed sword. I can use the Kroseid Style Magecraft.¡± It¡¯s a very Adventurer-like introduction. You introduce briefly the skills you can use, and if it ever comes down to recruiting someone temporarily into your party or teaming up with them, this makes it easier to find the people you need. Gawain: ¡°I¡¯m Gawain. I¡¯m the leader of the party ¡®Glow Lance,¡¯ and the same age as Lad. I use the spear alone in the Leimbach Style.¡± The Leimbach Style is one of the biggest, most well-known spear martial arts. Because a wide-variety of people use it, using the style doesn¡¯t mean you''re automatically strong, but a lot of people have studied and refined the art and the moves. I have watched and learned from a fellow friend who used the Leimbach Style for my own spear studies as well. Oh, it¡¯s my turn now for introductions. Henry: ¡°My name is Henry. 22 years old. We don¡¯t have a party name, but I am teamed up with Cyril, Jend, Teo, and Ferris, and I¡¯m currently acting as the leader. I also use the spear and the Kroseid Style so I have commonality with each of you.¡± I laugh to lighten the mood. Gawain: ¡°Hmph. Similar, you say, but looking at your spear skills at the Betting Matches, I don¡¯t think I would even come close to your skills.¡± Henry: ¡°.......well, I know I don¡¯t look it, but I am still a Heroic Warrior-class.¡± I¡¯m not used to being complimented directly, but I also don¡¯t like false modesty and nodded to Mr. Gawain¡¯s words. Being an Adventurer, understanding each other¡¯s strengths is key to surviving. But now I know. Mr. Gawain is addressing me as ¡°Mr.¡± in respect of my skill I showed when I was fighting Jend at the Casino. Lad: ¡°The Gladiator¡¯s Arena huh. You really like fighting there, Gawain. I wouldn¡¯t want to swing my sword except during work and training.¡± Gawain: ¡°You¡¯ll experience a tension that¡¯s different from fighting Demonic Creatures, and it¡¯s a bit of a thrill. I fought with Henry¡¯s party member, Jend, the other day. He was young, but it was a good fight. That boy¡¯s not even 20 so he¡¯s got a bright future ahead of him.¡± Lad: ¡°Is that so¡­¡± I¡¯m leaning towards Mr. Lad¡¯s opinion. I fought with Jend more out of not wanting to disappoint the crowd, but unlike Mr. Gawain, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be actively showing up to fight there. Gawain: ¡°Oh, let¡¯s not get off track. Let¡¯s go ahead and get the main goal of our meeting out of the way.¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s true. I apologize that I couldn¡¯t meet with you earlier.¡± Lad: ¡°No, we¡¯ve been pretty busy too recently, so I¡¯m sure you had your hands full trying to get a hold of us both. Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± The two leaders here lead the ¡°Silver Fang¡± and the ¡°Glow Lance.¡± These two parties are the only other Adventurer groups that are permitted to hunt in the Altohern Mountain. In other words¡­ Lad: ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to pay us back in return, but I¡¯ll let you copy our maps, and where you should be careful around Altohern.¡± Gawain: ¡°......and we need to divide up the territories so we don¡¯t overlap when collecting herbs.¡± Henry: ¡°Thank you very much.¡± So we are here today to share information and make sure that we¡¯re not stepping on each other¡¯s toes. At Altohern, there¡¯s plenty of information concerning the foot of the mountain because the Flowtier Army patrols that area frequently. But if you start going up to the mid-part of the mountain, only these two parties have really done expeditions in that area. ¡­¡­..of course, the Church retains records of past Adventurer parties who have explored that area, but nothing beats information provided by current Adventurers. And although there is not as much, there are rare herbs and ores around the Altohern area, and I didn¡¯t want to fight over material rights with the other parties either so we decided on who gets what at the meeting as well. Henry: ¡°Thank you both for your cooperation.¡± I take out a notebook and take notes. ¡­..I guess I¡¯ll have to hold off on drink refills until we¡¯re done. <<<<>>>> Lad: ¡°A Frost Ogre at the foot of the mountain? ¡­...that is very strange. Hey, Gawain, did you know about this?¡± Gawain: ¡°No. ¡­..my party has been doing expeditions on Altohern for a couple of years now, but I have never heard of an Ogre descending that far down the mountain.¡± After I got as much information as I can afford from Mr. Lad and Mr. Gawain, I offered them some info to balance the scales a little. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.but by doing so, surprising concerns were raised. Henry: ¡°Have the number of Ogres you encounter and defeat been lower than usual?¡± Gawain: ¡°No, that hasn¡¯t changed at all.¡± Lad: ¡°Our party would take down around 10 a week give or take a few. That pace hasn¡¯t changed at all.¡± So what¡¯s going on here? The foot of the mountain¡¯s density of magical corruption is far too less for the Ogres to live there. They wouldn¡¯t come down the mountain unless there was some sort of compelling reason. If it was one stray, then it may have been an odd Ogre that just took a different path than its peers, but¡­¡­..there were two. Were they a pair? I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell the difference between males and females. Lad: ¡°Sounds like we should be more wary around the foot of the mountains. Typically, we only encounter Winter Wolves and Slimes, so we¡¯re not as careful around that area.¡± Henry: ¡°......Slimes? I heard that you can encounter them, but we haven¡¯t come across any. How often do they appear?¡± Lad: ¡°About 2 or 3 times in any given month. If you do see one, just blast it with Magecraft from a distance.¡± Slimes. They are a special kind of Demonic Creature, and they are one of the rare creatures without any tiers or classes. They surround their core with some type of liquid, and look like a jellyfish, but depending on the liquid that surrounds their body, the danger they pose can drastically change. Most of them are made up of water, but on a very rare occasion, there¡¯s some that would explode on impact, and some very dangerous ones that could dissolve metals and armor. It¡¯s not unheard of to hear stories about Adventurers who took no precautions and ended up dying from the Slime¡¯s explosion. Lad: ¡°Well, there¡¯s no use speculating any further. You already reported it to the Flowtier Army, right?¡± Henry: ¡°Of course.¡± Lad: ¡°Then let¡¯s just keep communication open and alive between our parties, and if anything happens, we¡¯ll help each other out. That should be fine, right?¡± Mr. Gawain nods at Mr. Lad¡¯s suggestion. Lad: ¡°Alright, that about wraps up everything we need to discuss. We received some valuable intel too, so you can just pay for our drinks tonight, and we¡¯ll call it even. I¡¯ll handle the payout to my own party members.¡± Gawain: ¡°I¡¯m fine with that as well.¡± Henry: ¡°.......but this isn¡¯t a cheap restaurant, but...o¡«kay, fine. It¡¯s a deal.¡± It¡¯s quite the expense to my wallet, but I just saved all my money on the frontlines and didn¡¯t do anything with it, so I do have quite a bit saved up. This won¡¯t be a problem at all. Gawain: ¡°So as a sign of our new friendship, I brought something.¡± Mr. Gawain turns toward the bartender and raises a hand to him in a gesture. The bartender acknowledges Mr. Gawain and begins cooking something. Lad: ¡°? Oh yeah, you did give that bartender something before you came in. What was that?¡± Gawain: ¡°Yeah, I got lucky today, and an Ice Boar dropped some meat.¡± Whoa, seriously?! There are some Demonic Creatures who will drop edible meat, but that¡¯s a pretty rare thing to happen. And they are a bit of an acquired taste, but it is prohibited by law to sell it. There is some magic corruption left over in the meat, and if your not physically tough and with enough magic power, you can lose to the magic corruption and get very sick. So, because of that, you¡¯ll either have to go through the Church to find chef¡¯s with special licenses who can cook the meat, or you will have Adventurers who¡¯ll just consume the meat themselves. The latter is the most common scenario. Of course, the bartender doesn¡¯t have any such skills or license, so he just cooks it regularly and brings over the steaks. ¡°Here are your Ice Boar Steaks.¡± ¡°Thank you, bartender.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. It¡¯s nice to be able to cook with such rare ingredients.¡± Mr. Gawain seems to know the bartender well as he thanks him. The meat is sizzling on the platter and sounds and looks delicious. Unlike beef or pork, there is a distinct odor. I¡¯ve only been snacking on nuts here, so my stomach growls at the site. ¡­¡­..well, since he¡¯s offered to let us eat such rare steaks, why not go all out? Henry: ¡°Excuse me, could you bring us a bottle of Forz¡¯moa?¡± ¡°Right away, sir.¡± Forz¡¯moa. It¡¯s a brand of whiskey and is relatively pricey. Lad: ¡°Oh, you okay with that?¡± Henry: ¡°Of course. I¡¯d like to do something as well as a show of good faith.¡± Well, that¡¯s a lie. Honestly, I just wanted to drink some right now. The bottle of whiskey was brought quickly over, and I pour the drink into the glasses that was brought over at the same time. Henry: ¡°This is to our adventuring and success.¡± Lad: ¡°For riches and glory.¡± Gawain: ¡°.....for our safety and well-being.¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° Cheers! ¡° ¡° ¡° We clink our raised glasses together. <<<<>>>> Afterwards. I was dragged around by two drunk men as we visited several taverns and bars and ended up in a brothel at the end. ¡­¡­¡­..I came back with a completely emptied wallet, and returning in the morning, I felt a slightly colder stare from Lana, but it must¡¯ve been my imagination. But that Mr. Gawain. He looks and acts super serious, but he let loose after a few drinks. ¡­¡­¡­.I¡¯ll have to be more careful when I¡¯m drinking with them next time. CH 49 Chapter 49: Injury Teo: ¡°Mr. Henry, this map is really well-charted.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, is it?¡± We are currently on the mountain-roads of Altohern¡­..well, the ¡°mountain-road¡± is just the path that Mr. Lad and Mr. Gawain¡¯s party had walked over the years. As we walked from the foot of the mountain and up to its mid-region, Teo was comparing the map I copied to the actual geography and complimenting the cartography. Teo: ¡°I took a quick look around away from the path, but it was exactly as the map said. I did make a few adjustments and corrections though.¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s great! Could you compile the sections you corrected? It¡¯ll help me have more intel to give back to the Silver Fangs and Glow Lance.¡± Teo: ¡°Understood.¡± And in exchange, they will hand over any corrections to our maps. Any territories where strong Demonic Creatures reside can change their terrain and geography often, so redo¡¯s of these maps are frequent and for that reason, it makes current information even more valuable. Cyril: ¡°The areas where we are allowed to gather resources are far from here, correct?¡± Cyril takes a peak at the map from beside Teo and is a little disgruntled at the fact. At my last meeting with the leaders, my party will have to circle around the mountain to the other side in order to reach those destinations. Henry: ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped. They had seniority over the closer regions, and even if it¡¯s a little farther, we were given locations with more resources in general.¡± Cyril: ¡°I know but¡«¡± Henry: ¡°All the other parties are all men, so if you just use a little womanly charm, maybe you can help change their minds?¡± And a loud smack on my back echoes throughout. Well, I¡¯m wearing my adventurer armor and gear, so Cyril¡¯s slap would just feel like a bump in the wind to me¡­ Henry: ¡°What was that for?¡± But I see Cyril very red in the face throwing up a huge fuss. Cyril: ¡°Wh, wh©`wh©`what do you mean by womanly charms?! What are you thinking, Henry?!¡± Henry: ¡°.........I just meant you can pour them a drink at the tavern or something along those lines¡­.¡± Cyril: ¡°¡«¡«¡«!!! Hmph! Sorry for hitting you then!¡± So I need to credit her for still being able to apologize, but¡­..I didn¡¯t understand why she thought I meant something else. Do I really look like that cruel of a party leader that would try to take advantage of young girls like that? Jend: ¡°Hey, Henry, you know how Cyril is. You need to be more careful with your words.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, that was my bad. Sorry, Cyril.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ergh! Just leave it alone, Jend!¡± And we were being pretty noisy as we traveled, but I could tell by each of the party member¡¯s way they walked and looked around the area that none of them were letting their guard down. ¡­¡­.hmmmmmmm........it¡¯s kind of sad that I¡¯m running out of things to teach them. And as we approached the midpoint of the mountainside¡­ Henry: ¡°Here they come¡­¡± Drawn by our voices, the Frost Ogres lumbered slowly towards us. I saw a total of 3. There were also 5 Ice Boars and around 10 Winter Wolves with them. There were also 3 Snow Fairies with the group that had wings that were the color of snowballs and looked transparent and camouflaged. Typically, Demonic Creatures don¡¯t form packs with other types, but if your magic trait is identical, then there is more harmony when a variety of types gather, and when you come to these corrupted magic territories with a distinct magic trait, you will see more diverse groups like these. This was something Mr. Lad told me over and over till my ears fell off. Henry: ¡°They¡¯re coming!!¡± I yell and warn the group. And against the Demonic Creatures charging in, we also charged head long into the fray. <<<<>>>> 3 Ogres are a little too many, so I made sure to throw my spear to take one down before we crossed blades, but once we connected with their group, the battle became chaotic, and I didn¡¯t get a chance to take another one down. Henry: ¡°Jend! Take care of your side on your own!¡± Jend: ¡°I know!!¡± I took on one Ogre, all the Winter Wolves, and 2 Ice Boards. Jend took on an Ogre and the rest of the Ice Boars. The Snow Fairies who could fly completely ignored our vanguard and went straight to our rearguard and threw Ice Arrows towards our backlines. A certain group of Demonic Creatures cannot only fire off raw magic power, but also use spells like this. ¡­¡­¡­...but of course, Ferris who¡¯s carrying a shield isn¡¯t allowing any of those attacks to pass through. Teo: ¡°...........hyu!¡± Cyril: ¡°{Fire Arrow}!¡± And in response, Teo¡¯s arrows and Cyril¡¯s fire arrows take down the Snow Fairies one at a time. The last one is trying its best to fire back Ice Arrows, but the backline looks okay. These Demonic Creatures are considered mid-tier, lower-class because they can fly and can use long-range spells, but other than that, they are no different from lower-tiers. Jend: ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaagh?!¡± Henry: ¡°Jend?!¡± As I parry the incoming Demonic Creatures and turnaround from checking our backlines, I hear Jend scream. I turn my attention to where he is, and I see one of the Frost Ogres swing down a Ice Hammer and smash Jend against the mountain side. He didn¡¯t receive a critical injury, but half his body was frozen from the Ice Magic, and he wasn¡¯t able to move. Henry: ¡°Dangit! [Strengthen] {Hazac}¡± I grit my teeth, and strengthen my body with one Magecraft spell and extend my Nyoiten spear longer. I swing in a wide arc and slam away all the Demonic Creatures around me - the Ogre and the Winter Wolves all together. I just brute forced this attack so it was not an elegant or a refined swing, and only one Winter Wolf died from it, but I was able to gain some distance from them. The Ogre who smashed Jend was gearing up for another swing, so I quickly ran to his side. ¡­¡­...but the angle is bad. If I throw my spear now, I could hit Jend who is on the other side of the Ogre. Teo: ¡°Mr. Henry! I¡¯ll back you up!¡± Teo raises her Soul Shooter Magic Bow and begins to pour her magic power into the arrow. Unlike Cyril, Teo does not have an enormous magic reserve, so she can¡¯t continually fire shots like these, but her godly equipment, the magic bow, has a [Magic Power Equip] ability. The arrow receives several times the regular amount of magic power, and as it shines brightly, it was released and soared straight at the Ogre. ¡°GAHH!!¡± But the Ogre noticed the arrow and braces its hammer against it. ¡­¡­...but the brightly flashing arrow ricochets off the hammer and although it goes slightly off course, still digs into the Ogre¡¯s shoulders. NICE! I thought I wouldn¡¯t get there before Jend is attacked again, but I made it there just in time! Henry: ¡°Over here! ORRAAAAHHH!!¡± I roar to grab its attention, and the Ice Boars around Jend also come at me, but I can ignore those completely. I go straight on into the front of the Ogre and charge in. It took a significant amount of damage to its shoulder, but Ogres are known for their durability and toughness. It raises its hammer with no problems and prepares an attack against me. It plans on crushing me from above and swings down the hammer with full force. Henry: ¡°.......sh!¡± I twist and turn my body, and as I dodge the hammer, I jab the spear with a single arm straight into the Ogre¡¯s chest. The Ogre screams in rage, but it won¡¯t die just from this. I take out the spear and spin half-way. I change the Nyoiten Spear¡¯s form into a single-handed sword, and with the momentum of the spin, I take off the Ogre¡¯s head swiftly. ¡­¡­...yeah, it¡¯s a bit of cheat move, but being able to change my weapon¡¯s range freely means that I can fight flexibly like this. Henry: ¡°Hey, Jend! Are you okay?!¡± I call to Jend who looks like a pseudo ice-sculpture. ¡­¡­...crap, I can still feel his magic power underneath, so he¡¯s alive, but he¡¯ll suffocate like that. Jend: ¡°OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGGGGHHHHH!!!¡± But my worry was for nothing. With one shout, flames explode and envelope around Jend as he melts away the ice that was trapping him in one go. It¡¯s probably one way to use the Single Blade of the Fire God Style¡­¡­.but it¡¯s a little annoyingly loud. Jend: ¡°Gaha!¡± But he immediately throws up some blood. His armor significantly reduced the damage, but he received a direct blow from an Ogre¡­¡­.if it wasn¡¯t for his armor, he would have survived with severe, critical injuries. Henry: ¡°Ferri©`©`©`s!! Jend¡¯s injured!¡± Ferris: ¡°I know! But who will guard Cyril?!¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯ll switch places with you! Get ready!¡± The remaining Ogre and Winter Wolves are heading this way. And the Ice Boars are heading towards Ferris. Hmph. Cyril: ¡°...........{Bright Flood}!¡± But Cyril was already preparing a spell and took out the Ice Boars. The last Snow Fairy from had been taken out earlier. Now, all that remains is the Ogre and the Winter Wolves. Henry: ¡°Jend, can you move?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, no problem. I could run all day.¡± Henry: ¡°Your legs are shaking, but whatever. We¡¯re running to Ferris¡¯ position!¡± ¡­¡­¡­taking on an Ogre with other types of Demonic Creatures may have been too much for him still. As I watch Jend run desperately beside me, I feel a pang of guilt from my poor decision-making skills. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Restrain] {Katerno} + [Launch] {Veros}......3 shots!¡± I throw 3 twice-strengthened restraining spell. 3 enhanced magic chains are casted like a throwing net, and stops the Demonic Creatures in their tracks. 2 Winter Wolves run past my trap, but Teo strikes both of them fatally with her arrows. ¡­¡­¡­...and with the Ogres stopped in their tracks, we reach Ferris. Ferris: ¡°First, show me your wounds.¡± Jend: ¡°Okay.¡± It¡¯s nothing like my [Heal] {Teol} that patches up light wounds. Ferris¡¯ Healing Magecraft is much more complicated and refined. She has to accurately diagnose the wounds and apply the Magecraft accordingly, or it will fail. Ferris is helping to remove Jend¡¯s armor behind me, and I ready myself against the Demonic Creatures who just broke through my constraints. ¡­¡­.but with this much time... Cyril: ¡°Everyone, it¡¯s going to be a bit hot! {Meteor Flare}!!¡± Cyril completes her fireball spell, and just like moths to a flame, she burns the remaining enemies to a crisp. Whoa...even that tough Ogre had no chance to survive. That¡¯s pretty frightening. We check our perimeters, but no further reinforcements arrive. ¡­¡­¡­.so we had some mistakes, but we completed the battle in one piece. <<<<>>>> Jend: ¡°Sorry. I let my guard down¡­.no, that was completely my lack of skill.¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s not just you. My decision was bad too. It¡¯s only your second time to face an Ogre. I should have taken on more of the creatures.¡± Jend: ¡°Are you sure¡­.? Yeah, I guess if it¡¯s you, that wouldn¡¯t have been a problem.¡± After that, we confirmed the geography and terrain quickly and headed back. We could have continued our expedition after that, but there¡¯s no reason to push ourselves like that. And this was the first time we had someone get injured. Yes, we had Ferris with us, and Jend was healed on the spot, but there was some damage done to our group¡¯s overall morale. <<<<>>>> Ferris: ¡°Hey, Jend. Your wounds are healed, but you still need to take protein and nutrients. You need to eat.¡± Jend: ¡°Hey, Ferris. You don¡¯t have to be like my mom, ya know?¡± Ferris: ¡°Hm? Aren''t you the one that''s going to make me into a mom?¡± Jend: ¡°¡«¡«¡«!!¡± GAH! They¡¯re at it again! Ferris is actually more on the offensive in this relationship between the two now! Cyril: ¡°(sigh), sweet treats are the best after an expedition.¡± Teo: ¡°.......Miss Cyril, you¡¯re such a child. Alcohol should be your first option after an expedition.¡± Cyril: ¡°Teo, you haven¡¯t even reached adult-age, and you¡¯re already talking about drinking.¡± Cyril is taking bites out of her cream puffs, and Teo is drinking a Rishu liquor called ¡°Shochu*.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.I think Teo¡¯s been drinking more and more recently. ¡­..is this my fault for letting her try different types of alcoholic drinks? Technically, she¡¯s not breaking any laws, but it¡¯s just frowned upon for adolescents to be drinking. ¡­¡­.but it¡¯s the same for becoming an Adventurer before reaching adult-age too. Regardless¡­ ¡­¡­..these guys are not even a smidge worried or traumatized about Jend¡¯s injury. They developed some real thick skin. I was a little concerned, when my nose started to itch. Henry: ¡°.......A¡­¡­.CHU!!¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry¡« at least cover your mouth when you sneeze.¡± Henry: ¡°...ugh, shut up¡­.¡± Well, it was cold up there. I need to bundle up tonight and sleep warm. But unlike the mountains, it¡¯s the middle of summer though, so it may just be another hot summer night. CH 50 Chapter 50: A Sudden Change of Events A month passed since the first expedition to the Altohern mid-regions. Feeling a lack of skill, strength, and ability for the first time, Jend and his group displayed an exorbitant amount of motivation, and almost doubled the rate of their previous growth spurt. ¡­¡­¡­.it was expected. In hindsight, the Demonic Creatures they fought before were all tiers and classes beneath them. Now facing more formidable enemies, it¡¯s more accurate to say that they were learning to truly utilize every bit of strength and potential they held inside. Of course, there is no such thing as an inviolable safety margin in an Adventure. So they learned to recover from injuries and retreat and have the group prepare counter-attacks when needed with smoother transitions when it occurred. Nowadays, I¡¯ve been intentionally lessening the follow-ups I performed for the group, but I saw no issues arise from it. From this, my estimates and hopes that I couldn¡¯t send them to the frontlines for another year or now, 11 months, were being overhauled and shortened dramatically. And so, this was a critical time for our party. Cyril: ¡°Is it a cold? How do you feel?¡± Henry: ¡°..........tired¡­..¡± Cyril came by to see how I was doing, and I could only respond with a dry, raspy voice. Since yesterday, I thought my body was feeling a little heavier and my throat was hurting but¡­ ...the next morning, I woke up with a noticeable fever. I thought at least one of us would get sick from the constant influx of going to the winter mountainside of Altohern and back to the hot summer days of Flowtier back and forth but¡­. Jend: ¡°Yeah, I never thought Henry would be the first to cave in.¡± Henry: ¡°...........I know right. How am I the first one¡­.¡± I should have the most stamina out of the group. Lana: ¡°Of course you are. You don¡¯t look after your body like the others and drink too much. ¡­...here, I asked my father to make you a milk porridge.¡± Lana was worried that I hadn''t gotten up on the morning of an expedition and came up to my room and found me in this condition. She carried a bowl of oatmeal porridge on a tray and brought it to me. She also contacted the different party members, and I can¡¯t be thankful enough for what she did. Teo: ¡°Lana, what did you mean when you said Mr. Henry didn¡¯t take care of himself?¡± Lana: ¡°I could think of a number of things. He doesn¡¯t sleep regularly or on a schedule. He eats too much and drinks too much. And even then, he won¡¯t stop training excessively, and it¡¯s only on the day before an expedition that he straightens out.¡± Ferris: ¡°Mr. Henry, as someone who is involved with medical care¡­...you should take care of your own body better.¡± Henry: ¡°..........yes ma¡¯am.¡± At Ferris¡¯ words, my shoulders sag as I nod in agreement. It¡¯s true that I¡¯ve taken advantage of the Flowtier culture and way of life a bit too excessively and let my guard down. I can also come up with too many instances where Lana¡¯s words apply. Yup. It¡¯s a good time to reflect and change. Henry will change. Cyril: ¡°........but, if Henry is out, what should we do about today¡¯s expedition?¡± Ferris: ¡°We can cancel or postpone.¡± Ferris suggests cancelling the expedition, but Jend interrupts. Jend: ¡°No, we should be able to handle this ourselves. In the future, when we go to the frontlines, Henry won¡¯t be with us, right? Then we also need to start learning how to fight with just the four of us.¡± Teo: ¡°I think he has a point. I have also learned the geography and terrain of the Altohern mountain, so if anything happens, we can retreat.¡± Jend seems firm on his stance, and Teo supports his idea. Cyril: ¡°What do you think, Henry? You think we can do this on our own?¡± Henry: ¡°Hmmmm, let me think¡­¡­.¡± Ummmmm, in reality, they have accumulated enough skills, strength, and experience to do it on their own. I do have some reservations, but in most cases like this, 99.9% of the time, all the worry would be for nothing. If I have to stop them if I¡¯m not 100% certain of their safety, they shouldn¡¯t be Adventurers in the first place. Henry: ¡°........shouldn¡¯t be a problem, but just be more on your guard this round.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, of course.¡± I guess it¡¯ll be fine. And because we¡¯re talking, I¡¯m starting to feel worse. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve gotten sick like this¡­¡­¡­. Henry: ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll eat this porridge and go back to sleep.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, no problem. Sorry to barge in like this when you¡¯re not feeling well. We¡¯ll get going now.¡± Henry: ¡°Alright, be careful.¡± I watch Jend and the others leave. And with that, I gobble down the cooled milk porridge. Lana: ¡°When you¡¯re done, you can just leave the plates there, and I will pick it up later. Mr. Henry, just make sure to get some rest.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, of course. Lana, thank you and sorry for all this trouble.¡± Lana: ¡°No no. You¡¯ve been here quite a long time now, and you¡¯ve also been a solid patron of our diner. You¡¯ve contributed considerably to our profits this year.¡± Should you really say that to your customer so honestly? ¡­¡­¡­..but I¡¯m definitely not a typical customer by any sense of the word, so I think that¡¯s why she can be so blunt and honest with me. Lana: ¡°Do you want me to get you some medicines?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©` that¡¯s okay. From my experience, I just have to eat and sleep, and I¡¯ll get over a cold like this in a day.¡± Lana: ¡°Okay, if you say so.¡± And with that Lana left my room. I take one last spoonful of the milk porridge. ¡­¡­...ohhhhh this is one of those kind and loving tastes that seeps into your very being. There were a lot of vegetables that were finely cut and well cooked and as far as nutrients go, it was packed with them. Even if I get sick, I typically don¡¯t lose my appetite. I finish eating, and place the bowl and utensil on the nightstand beside the bed. And I cover myself with the blanket and sheets and close my eyes. Henry: ¡°Are they¡­..going to be okay?¡± As I¡¯m trying to sleep, I think about Cyril and the others on the expedition. I don¡¯t think anything will happen. If the usual enemies appear, then they might sustain some injuries, but they should be able to get back in one piece. The only thing I¡¯m worried about is when the atypical enemies or unexpected circumstances arise. Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve been the one going around and dealing with all of those things, and¡­¡­...as a result, I robbed the opportunity for Cyril and the others to hone their own survival skills¡­ And lastly, with a veteran like me around, they were able to ignore a lot of these what-if¡¯s and potentially dangerous situations and go all-in on every expedition¡­¡­ In a sense, that means that their ability to redraw valid safety margins and precautions may be close to non-existent. ¡­¡­¡­¡­..I keep thinking all of these things so negatively¡­ I need to stop¡­. Henry: ¡°Let¡¯s stop¡­¡± I think it¡¯s because I¡¯m not feeling so well. That has to be it. Even from a bystander¡¯s perspective, the Altohern mid-region is a well-fitted spot for their current level and abilities. And that¡¯s even without me. ¡­¡­...any concerns outside of that would just be me underestimating or looking down on them. I cut my thoughts away and feel the wave of sleepiness come over me and fall asleep immediately. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°............hm? Mmmmmmm¡­ (yawn)¡± I wake up naturally. From the angle of the sun, it¡¯s noontime or a little bit afterwards. ¡­¡­.and I feel¡­. Henry: ¡°Oh, not too bad.¡± I make a fist with a hand and open my palm. I still feel a little dull, but this can¡¯t be helped. I place a hand on my forehead, but I don¡¯t feel the fever any more. I think I got over the worst of it, and by the evening, I should be in my full condition. I get out of my sweat-dripping clothes and change clothes and go down the stairs. It¡¯s probably nearing the end of the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn lunch time. I want to slide in and get something to eat before it completely closes. My body which was fighting off the cold this whole time lets out a long and is protesting quite strongly. I walk into the dining area, and I see that half the seats are open. I was wondering where I should sit, when Lana saw me. Lana: ¡°Oh? Mr. Henry, are you okay getting up and walking around?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m much better now. What¡¯s for lunch today?¡± Lana: ¡°Our Special Stew and salad.¡± Perfect. It¡¯s an easy-to-digest menu item today. Henry: ¡°Great, let me get an order. Can I get it with an extra helping and one more piece of bread?¡± Lana: ¡°Got it.¡± Well, I guess I¡¯ll eat¡­.and I still feel a little dull so I¡¯ll sleep once more. As I ate lunch quickly, I started planning out the rest of my day. ¡­¡­...and suddenly, the doors of the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn swing wide. A loud sound clearly rings across the hall. I look over and see that it¡¯s Mr. Lad from the Adventurer Party, the Silver Fangs. He looks around the room, finds me, and walks over very quickly towards me. Lad: ¡°Henry, something bad happened. I need you to stay calm as I tell you.¡± Henry: ¡°M©`Mr. Lad? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mr. Lad, who is usually more carefree and laid back is incredibly serious right now. ¡­¡­¡­..I don¡¯t have a good feeling about this. I heard myself and swallow hard. Lad: ¡°Your party ran into an upper-tier Demonic Creature. They all came back alive, but they all sustained heavy injuries. They¡¯re at the Church infirmary and©`©`¡± My feet kicked the ground as I sprinted out of the door. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°Are you guys okay?!¡± Next to the Grandes Church, there is an infirmary catered towards Adventurers. There is no Healer on staff, but there is a doctor who can stitch up and mend outer wounds pretty well. If you ever get hurt on an expedition, this is usually where you will be treated. Ferris: ¡°.......hey, Mr. Henry. Sorry to worry you.¡± I was led to one of the patient¡¯s rooms, and there I saw a pale-faced Ferris treating Jend. Jend had a large hole in his gut. I¡¯m used to seeing gruesome injuries in Ligaleo, but it¡¯s the first time to see one here. But he¡¯s breathing steadily, so I think he¡¯s not in danger of losing his life. With Ferris¡¯ Magecraft, his wound is slowly but surely patching up closed. Henry: ¡°Cyril and Teo are¡­...there they are.¡± They were asleep on the beds. I saw a bandage on Cyril¡¯s shoulder that was peeking out, and I couldn¡¯t see Teo¡¯s injuries, but she seemed to be in pain as she slept. Ferris: ¡°.......I''m sorry. Jend had the worst wound, so I had them drink a mid-tier Healing Potion to stop the bleeding, and they¡¯re waiting for their turn.¡± Henry: ¡°What about you, Ferris? Your face is pale¡­.¡± Ferris: ¡°I¡¯m good. I healed my wounds first since I¡¯m the Healer, and the reason why my face is pale is due to magic exhaustion. I had to use a lot of Magecraft as we retreated.¡± I open my pouch and dig through its contents. ¡­¡­..found it. Henry: ¡°It¡¯s a Magic Recovery Potion. Drink this.¡± Ferris: ¡°Aren¡¯t Magic Recovery Potions extremely expensive? ¡­...but yes, thank you. I¡¯ll take it.¡± It¡¯s true that it is a costly potion, but if it¡¯s for my party members, I don¡¯t have any qualms or regrets using it here. I know she treated her own wounds first, but Ferris looks quite wilted and spent. This will at least help her recover her Magic Power. Henry: ¡°.........fwew.¡± At the very least, everyone is alive, and no one is in danger of dying. There¡¯s a lot of questions I want to ask, but that can wait. Cyril: ¡°........oh, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°Cyril, did I wake you?¡± Cyril: ¡°.........what©` happened to your cold©`?¡± Oh, she¡¯s still drowsy and not fully conscious. It¡¯s like her to ask me about my cold even in this situation. Henry: ¡°I¡¯m good. You let me rest, so I¡¯m completely over it now. Just worry about yourself for now.¡± Cyril: ¡°.....okay¡«¡± I pat her head roughly, and she closes her eyes and falls asleep again. ¡­¡­¡­..okay. Mr. Lad said that they were attacked by an upper-tier Demonic Creature. As an Adventurer, I¡¯ve destroyed the lives of countless Demonic Creatures, so it may not be my place to say this but¡­ ¡­¡­¡­..we need to repay whoever it was back¡­¡­¡­.in full. CH 51 Chapter 51: Demonic Realms It was the day after Cyril and the group returned from their defeat. In a second floor meeting room in the Grandes Church, Adventurers and two of Flowtier¡¯s top leaders were gathered here. Alvare: ¡°Then I will take on the role of leading this meeting.¡± And Flowtier¡¯s Governor, Sir Alvare begins the meeting. ¡°Yes, thank you, Sir Alvare.¡± We are joined by the Bishop of the Grandes Church. Mr. Castello is responsible for every Adventurer in this area. He was apparently a Heroic Warrior back in the days, but he¡¯s currently a 60 year old grandpa. But his body is still very fit and in shape, and he doesn¡¯t look like he lost any of his strength or skills. Lad: ¡°Thank ya, sir.¡± Gawain: ¡°Hey Lad, watch your manners.¡± Alvare: ¡°No, he¡¯s right. We don¡¯t need to be concerned about any formalities at this point.¡± Gawain wasn¡¯t appreciative of Lad¡¯s attitude, but Sir Alvare raised a hand to halt any further arguments. ¡­¡­..true, we do have bigger concerns at the moment that we need to discuss. Alvare: ¡°Then let¡¯s go ahead and organize the information on hand. Cyril, Jend, Ferris, and Teo. Yesterday around noon, the four Adventurers who were on an expedition in the middle region of the Altohern Mountain encountered an unknown foe. Is this correct?¡± Jend: ¡°Yes, that is correct.¡± Although he had a hole busted through his gut, Jend¡¯s answer is straight and clear. He was showing signs of discomfort and pain as he walked up to this meeting room, but he¡¯s currently hiding all of it with great effort. Castello: ¡°And what about the details of the Demonic Creature that you encountered? I already heard the report, but now that you rested a night after the attack, could you recount the details more clearly and calmly?¡± And Mr. Castello follows up with his question. Considering the degree of injuries the group sustained, they could have been in a state of panic. There are instances where Adventurers who barely escaped with their lives mistook a Goblin for an Ogre, and his question wasn¡¯t meant to be condescending. At the very least, Mr. Castello is hoping that after a good night¡¯s sleep, any exaggerations to the report would be repealed. Teo: ¡°........I can answer that. I was in the very back of the group and saw everything clearly.¡± Teo raised her hand. It¡¯s true that out of the four, she has the best eyes to observe situations and has a significant amount of knowledge concerning Demonic Creatures. There is no one here who will belittle her for being a child, and Teo begins her explanation. Teo: ¡°We encountered four humanoid Demonic Creatures. They were all twice the height of Ogres, and at a glance from afar, the largest one was at least 8 meters tall. They each held different weapons made from their magic power - a broadsword, spear, staff, and club.¡± ¡­¡­¡­..twice the height of Ogres and humanoid. Teo: ¡°Although we could not understand the language, they were clearly communicating verbally to each other. After they spoke amongst themselves, one retreated to the back, and we engaged with the remaining three. We judged that the one who retreated was calling for reinforcements, and our group immediately retreated.¡± ¡­¡­...a heavy silence falls upon the meeting room. There are many Demonic Creatures who use barks and growls to communicate with one another, but there are not many who are intelligent enough to use actual languages. And with their size, we can narrow it down pretty confidently to one specific group of Demonic Creatures. Alvare: ¡°A Giant¡­.then¡­¡± Castello: ¡°If they appeared in the [Corrupted Ice Region], then they must be Frost Giants. In the past, they have appeared in the top regions of the Altohern Mountain. ¡­¡­.but that record was at least 80 years ago.¡± The Governor lets out an exasperated sigh, and Mr. Castello adds his knowledge to the situation. Upper-Tier, Upper-Class Demonic Creature - the Giant. If we were going by pure physical strength, they are only slightly stronger than Ogres, but they are huge. They are the embodiment of how size can reflect strength, and they are far more dangerous and should not be underestimated. They say that some unique individuals can be far more intelligent than humans, can use specific war tactics and/or mastered martial arts. Some carry high magic power and can use higher-tier spells. They are known to match up toe-to-toe with Dragons when it comes to how powerful and dangerous they are. Alvare: ¡°.........and what about their [Demonic Realm]?¡± Lad: ¡°Right now, they are under my party¡¯s surveillance, but they are making one. Fortunately, all of their current efforts are focused there, and they have no signs of descending the mountain any time soon. We have so far counted a total of nine giants.¡± Mr. Lad answers the Governor¡¯s following question. ¡­¡­...the Upper-Tier, Middle-Class or higher Demonic Creatures have a clear differentiation from the rest of the group. As a rule, the stronger the Demonic Creature is, they cannot function in regions where the Magic Corruption is too thin. But a certain number of creatures who hold a specific amount of magic power and higher and able to create a Demonic Realm by creating enough Corrupted Magic in the region, and they are able to expand the [Corrupted Magic Region]. This isn¡¯t a weird thing for them to do. Us humans will go into a Corrupted Magic Region and after we clean out the Demonic Creatures from the area, we will then purify the region so humans can live and develop the territory. So in a sense, it¡¯s not so strange that the Demonic Creatures have the ability to do the opposite. So in other words, it¡¯s that. ¡­¡­...the Upper-Tier, Mid-Class Demonic Creatures are not just further pests, but they purposefully invade and take over human territory and are the arch nemeses of humanity. Gawain: ¡°It¡¯s likely that they are on high alert after losing one of their comrades.¡± Mr. Gawain adds his own speculation. Teo said that her party retreated immediately, but the Giants had no intention of letting them escape. And although during the retreating battle, they all suffered major injuries, they also defeated one of the Giants. I heard about the battle details. Jend, who had the highest amount of defense, covered the rear, and Cyril threw spells at the pursuers. Teo guided their retreat, and Ferris healed Jend as he received wounds. But even though they retreated efficiently, the 3 Giants continued to pursue the group, and they couldn¡¯t shake the Giants off. Finally, one of the Giants got through, and came face to face with Cyril, but¡­¡­¡­..that idiot¡­...she blasted a spell knowing that she was in the radius of the blast and took out the Giant and almost herself. The Giants were surprised and hesitated from the sudden loss, and the group was able to fully retreat after that. ¡­¡­..okay, they were ambushed by a new enemy, and even though they faced Giants, they were able to escape with all their lives and defeat one in the process. Yesterday, I thought they lacked the judgement skills to deal with unexpected situations, but I couldn¡¯t have been more wrong. If they¡¯re able to do this much, I have nothing more to say. Alvare: ¡°But it is quite clear that if the Demonic Realm is completed and the Magic Corruption is deepened, they will use that to bridge the area from the top of the mountain to the foot of the mountain.¡± Henry: ¡°Sir Governor, would the local military be able to¡­¡± Alvare: ¡°I would not say that it is impossible, but I would like to avoid the confrontation if possible. I am not underestimating our troops¡¯ abilities, but we are talking about an Upper-Tier, Upper-Class Demonic Creature. That is well beyond our standard enemies, and I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of casualties we will suffer.¡± Yeah, that¡¯s what I thought. Enemies like that are handled by the Knight Organizations. The local militaries training exercises, weapons, and battle tactics are not meant for extremely strong Demonic entities. Cyril: ¡°U©`Um...so, are we going to be okay? So, I fought the Demonic Creature itself, but it was unbelievably strong. I¡¯m worried that something bad might happen to the Flowtier City¡­¡± Cyril directly confronted the creature and states her concerns. It¡¯s a legitimate concern. ¡­¡­.though she did take one down with a pretty risky method, but she defeated one nonetheless. ¡­¡­..but to her defense, she probably won¡¯t get a second chance like that. They¡¯ll probably remember her face, and as soon as any strong magical power gatherings are detected, they¡¯ll start retreating or avoiding that threat. Alvare: ¡°Yes, Cyril, your concerns are valid, but that would have been the case up until one year ago. If this occurred at that time, we would have been even more panicked than we are today.¡± The Governor¡¯s attention and sight falls on me. ¡­¡­...yeah, that¡¯s what I thought too. Alvare: ¡°Heroic Warrior, Henry. I would like to specifically designate you for this Quest. Will you accept?¡± Henry: ¡°Before I accept, could we discuss the Quest Rewards first, Sir Governor?¡± This town is important to me too, but I¡¯m still going to get reimbursed for my troubles. <<<<>>>> ©`©` follows. All the Adventurers in particular fell silent. Castello: ¡°Yes, I knew we would come to that point. Even buying back the drops from the Giants would affect our fiscal budget. This will be a headache for us. Out of all the Grandes Churches, we are probably at the bottom of the rung.¡± Alvare: ¡°Yes, I did some research on the market values of such a quest, and I thought I would topple from my desk. A large financial impact like that would shake our bottom line as well, but still, we need to count our blessings.¡± Castello: ¡°Very true.¡± Mr. Castello and the Governor discuss this amongst themselves, and in a not-so-subtle-way, throw some side glances my way. Henry: ¡°H©`hey now. Look, I don¡¯t mind giving you guys a discount, but it can¡¯t be that much. The whole expedition is going to be costly for me too.¡± Alvare: ¡°Of course. Any blatant reductions of the Quest Reward on our part could shake the market in a negative way. But¡­.for instance, what if we negotiate some benefits with the Flowtier public services? Do you think we could work something out from that perspective?¡± Henry: ¡°U©`ummmm¡­.¡± Alvare: ¡°I could make you V.I.P. pass for our publicly funded Casinos?¡± Wow, this Governor is pretty clever and sneaky... But out of Adventurers, Jend recovers. Jend: ¡°......E©`Excuse me. Sir Alvare. But what Quest are you designating to Henry?¡± Alvare: ¡°Of course, we are speaking of the Giant Extermination Quest.¡± Jend: ¡°¡«¡«don¡¯t be ridiculous! I know Henry¡¯s strength well, but it¡¯s not something that can take down 9 of those monsters!!¡± Oh, umm¡­.yeah. I don¡¯t blame Jend for thinking that way at all. I haven¡¯t really gone all out during an expedition¡­¡­¡­..but I did go all out during my fight with Sir Ezeal. But that was just once. And I lost too, and there are methods I didn¡¯t take during that practice match. ¡­¡­¡­..but it wasn¡¯t like I was going easy on Sir Ezeal either by the way. It¡¯s just that during an expedition or a mission, unless you are up against a real threat, you need to leave reserve strength untouched as much as possible. Some say that you should give it your all in every battle, but that¡¯s if that single battle was all you were doing for that time. In order to defeat a lot of Demonic Creatures or prepare for unexpected situations, you need to leave as much strength in you as possible. But there is also another problem that we¡¯re not touching. ¡­¡­¡­..if I really went all out with no concern for anything around me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to recover my losses from places like the Flowtier Forest. Alvare: ¡°Total number of Demonic Realms destroyed with a party - 176. Demonic Realms destroyed by himself - 14. ¡­¡­..this, this is all Henry¡¯s accomplishments. And we¡¯re not even talking about Demonic Realms like the shacks the Giants are setting up right now. We¡¯re talking about fully matured and functioning Demonic Realms.¡± Henry: ¡°But those also include Upper-Tier, Mid-Class Demonic Realms though.¡± Maybe around half? The latter, I was trying to earn some money and went to crush some Upper-Tier, Upper-Class areas. Alvare: ¡°And his record is quite impressive, but it is unbelievable that the frontlines would have so many Demonic Realms in the first place.¡± Henry: ¡°Very true.¡± Because they keep popping up no matter how many you take out! Castello: ¡°When it¡¯s about conquering Demonic Realms, this is recorded dutifully in the Church records. ¡­¡­¡­..when I first heard that a Heroic Warrior of this level was coming to our Church, I didn¡¯t believe it at first.¡± Mr. Castello lets out an exasperated sigh. ¡­¡­...that¡¯s right. I remember being called out by the Church after I was here for a week. As I reminisced, Cyril opened her mouth. Cyril: ¡°.......I©`Is that really true, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°All true. I won¡¯t say that it wasn¡¯t nothing, but if you want to put it into perspective, Sir Ezeal crushed 500 Demonic Realms alone.¡± His Adventurer Title, ¡°The Great Hero¡± is not an exaggeration. And I agree that the head of the Knight Organization shouldn¡¯t keep going headlong into danger every time he sees a Demonic Realm. And for Ageha, she¡¯s not a one versus many combat specialist, so she only has two Demonic Realms she took out by herself. But she has a higher kill count of the Highest-Tier Demonic Creatures than me. Henry: ¡°Well, yeah, don¡¯t worry, Cyril.¡± I guess sometimes, you just have to display some confidence for the people around you. Henry: ¡°I won¡¯t say that I can absolutely, 100% guarantee my success¡­¡­..but Flowtier will be just fine since I¡¯ll be taking care of this.¡± CH 52 Chapter 52: The Demonic Realm Destruction It was only two hours after the meeting ended. There was no time to waste, so I packed my equipment and headed for the Altohern Mountains. As my backup in case things go really wrong, I have the 4 from my party, Mr. Gawain, and Mr. Lad. ¡­..and I especially asked the two veterans to stop my party from doing anything drastic or rash if anything happens to me. If I¡¯m in a tight spot, and it looks difficult to get me out of the situation, I want them to stop them even if it means knocking them out and retreating. Jend: ¡°Hey¡­.Henry¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong, Jend?¡± Jend: ¡°.....I hate to doubt you but¡­..can you really do it?¡± Well, just saying I could wouldn¡¯t really help in this situation. I guess there¡¯s no point hiding it, so I discuss my tactics and options openly. Henry: ¡°Well, Jend. How do you think the fight will go if I go in alone?¡± Jend: ¡°.....catch them off-guard and take down two with a [Strengthen] {Hazac} Spear throw. Seven will come at you and you¡¯ll take one more down before they reach you. On the best case scenario, you¡¯ll take down two and be surrounded by 5. After that, you¡¯ll probably only be able to take down 1 before they¡­..get you.¡± Wow, that¡¯s not a bad prediction. Henry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s pretty accurate. If I¡¯m limited to those conditions, that¡¯s probably very close to what will happen, but at the very least, I¡¯ll take two down with me at the end.¡± Jend: ¡°But that means you still lost.¡± Henry: ¡°Like I said. Your scenario has a lot of limitations because I¡¯ve only used my spear and Magecraft around you guys.¡± Yes, my spear and Magecraft are my two main weapons, but don¡¯t you know that I have more tricks in my bag?¡± Jend: ¡°?? Henry, are you saying that you¡¯re actually better with a sword or another weapon?¡± Henry: ¡°No no no, that¡¯s not it. There''s other options and methods, no?¡± I get tired of explaining, and I open up the bag I brought with me for this expedition. Jend: ¡°Oh yeah, something was clanking inside that bag this whole trip¡­..what are those? Bottles?¡± Henry: ¡°Yup, Specific Ability Increasing Potions.¡± Speed Increase, Strength Increase, Magic Increase, Resistance Increase, Natural Senses Increase - so a total of 5 types of potions. With one dose, the effects will last about 30 minutes. It¡¯s quite a potent doping method. My [Strength] {Hazac} is also a forceful way to increase my abilities through magic, but these potions are more effective and last longer. But not everyone can take all types of potions. Your compatibility with potions drastically differs between individuals, and if you take one that¡¯s not compatible with your body, you¡¯ll end up not being able to move until the potion wears off. There are some gross cheaters out there who can consume 10 different types, but compared to normal people, I have a very high compatibility rate to these potions. Jend: ¡°I©`Isn¡¯t that¡­.REALLY expensive?¡± Henry: ¡°If they came from Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault, the least of these potions would be an Uncommon and the most expensive would be a Rare.¡± The Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault does give out some one-time use supplies, and the good items are traded at extremely high prices. If a Human Pharmacist tries to mimic the potion, they would require Rare ingredients, so the Potion will still be sold at a high price. Ferris: ¡°....my [Ningale¡¯s Hand] Magecraft also has a similar Spell.¡± Henry: ¡°But strengthening abilities through Magecraft is no easy feat.¡± Ferris: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m trying to adjust a spell for Jend, but it may take me months before the spell is complete.¡± Ability Strengthening Magecraft must be uniquely catered and changed for every individual it is cast upon, or there is no effect. When I was on the frontlines, Yuu cast it on me. I would like Ferris to create a Spell for me, but learning two people¡¯s worth or even handling two people¡¯s worth at once may be impractical. ¡­¡­..Ability Strengthening Magecraft AND Ability Strengthening Potions together? Sure, do you know what happens to people who overdose? In most cases, you¡¯ll be permanently mentally and physically disabled after the experience. Henry: ¡°And with the potions, I¡¯ll also be using this.¡± And I rummage through my pouch and take out a ball the size of my fist. Jend: ¡°........what¡¯s that?¡± Henry: ¡°A flashbang grenade.¡± If you pour magic into it, a few seconds later, light and sound will scatter from it. It¡¯s a one-time use item. Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll end up using all of it, but I also have Restraint Grenades, Poison Gas, Smoke bombs, Flame Bombs, and different kinds of Healing and Recovery potions.¡± My pouch was handcrafted with the [Space Expansion] Godly Equipment in mind. The current Magical Techonology is still far behind, so it really doesn''t compare to Teo¡¯s bag which can stuff 10 large barrels and still have room left over, but this small pouch is equivalent to a backpack. But when you need access to various kinds of items, even this pouch is a life-saver. Out of all my equipment, this one cost me the most. After explaining this much, Jend finally nodded his head. Jend: ¡°......I get it now. It¡¯s not a fighting method I would have come up with.¡± Henry: ¡°And you can see why I didn¡¯t use it up until now, right?¡± My profits would significantly decrease. I carry these around as insurance, but none of the foes we fought before forced my hand once to use any of these items. ¡­...I do have enough talent with my spear and Magecraft. But compared to Yuu¡¯s Healing Magecraft, Ageha¡¯s Assassination Skills, or Sir Ezeal''s overwhelming strength in all aspects, I don¡¯t have anything special like that. So being a commoner and with no abilities like a Hero, the only way I would take down a Demon Army General was experimenting extensively with these methods. ¡­...and this, my style of using Ability Potions and these various items while swinging my spear and using my Magecraft for support was developed. If I use all of the above, I can beat Ageha head on with 9 wins and 1 loss ratio. My finances will take a brutal hit, and I can still lose if she snags me with any Assassination Skills, but even so, that¡¯s not too bad. And I never fought Sir Ezeal all juiced up, but I will be able to fight him off longer¡­...I haven¡¯t tried, but I¡¯m pretty confident nonetheless. ¡­..maybe¡­¡­.that guy¡­.the stronger the opponent, I would believe it if he awakens to some new strengths and reaches a new height during our battle¡­.. Henry: ¡°Well, Jend, this may not fit your type of fighting style but for Teo¡­..¡± Teo: ¡°I¡¯m the same as Mr. Henry. Using these items are costly, so I¡¯ve been reserving it only for emergencies. I also have a plethora of items if it comes down to it.¡± Henry: ¡°Thought so.¡± I learned how to make a smoke bomb from Ageha. The smoke spreads faster than the ones they sell at stores, I¡¯m grateful for the ones I have. Cyril: ¡°Hmmmmm¡­¡­¡± Henry: ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Cyril?¡± Cyril: ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. I understand that you can use all sorts of items, but please try not to get hurt.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll come out unscathed, but I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Alright¡­ Just a little ways more, and we¡¯ll be able to see the Giant''s Demonic Realm in the making. ¡­¡­.it¡¯s time to get to work. <<<<>>>> We¡¯re in a position where we can observe the Demonic Realm as far away as possible, and that¡¯s where I left everyone. I hid myself as I approached the Demonic Realm alone. I get close enough where my spear throw will reach. As I observe, I do see 9 Giants as it was reported. They are so large that it¡¯s messing with my depth perception. They have gray skin tinged with a little blue and white hair. They have animal skins around their waist, and carry their weapons with simple ropes tied around. Just from that, you can perceive their intelligence. Normal Demonic Creatures behave no differently than animals. Add intelligence to that mix, and suddenly, you have a much greater threat like the giants. But there are no other Demonic Creature types around them. There is one theory that says that just as humans perceive monkeys as wild animals and not peers, the intelligent Demonic Creatures view the others as just a nuisance. Thinking about it that way, it makes sense why we ran into Ogres at the foot of the mountain. ¡­...it¡¯s likely that before the Giants descended to the mid-region of the mountain, they sent scouts to scare away the creatures living there. That was when the Ogres were pushed out of their territories. Henry: ¡°So they are busy expanding the Demonic Realm, huh?¡± The Giants are taking large rocks brimming with Corrupted Magical Energies and planting them deep into the ground. By doing so, the environment becomes more habitable for Demonic Creatures. Each Demonic Creature type builds Demonic Realms differently, but it is common to see objects soaked in Corrupted Magical energies to be buried into the earth. They¡¯re too focused on their task and are prime targets for a surprise attack. I begin to drink all the Ability Increasing Potions. The Magic inside each potion flows throughout my body and begins to refine my body structure. With something like twice the normal force, my body refills with Magic, and the world seemed to just open up to me. I could feel every single sense in my body become sharper and clearer. Henry: ¡°And now for the ear plugs...there we go¡­and...¡± I pull out the Nyoiten Spear, and reshape it to a throwing spear. They are mostly working separately, but there is one group bunched in two. Okay, let the battle begin. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac}¡± I place a triple strengthened Magecraft Spell on my spear. The spear glows with light and... ¡°§¿§Þ§ß§Ö?!¡± ¡°§¬§Ú§Þ§Õ§Ú§â §Ò§Ú§â¡± The opposing side noticed the sudden concentration and rise of magic energy. They are warning each other, but they¡¯re unable to determine my exact position. I raise my spear over my head. Henry: ¡°HERE. WE. GO! ORAAAGH!!¡± I throw it hard. My muscles and magic power are strengthened with the potion and the ending results are obvious. The spear shoots through the sky like a meteor. I divide and multiply the spear and struck the two Giants standing together. Hemry: ¡°......they¡¯re response is fast.¡± With that strike, my position was divulged to them, and they are all heading straight my way. ¡­..I observe the Giants carefully as they raise their alertness and burn in rage for their fallen comrades. The especially big one is taking the lead and heading the pack at the very front. I was thinking about another throw¡­..when I saw one Giant remain where they were and raise their staff. Henry: ¡°CRAP!!¡± It creates countless ice spears. It was easily a few dozen, and all of them pointed towards me. ¡°§¯§Ñ§Û§Ù§Ñ §Þ§å§Ù §Ò§Ú§Û!¡± The mountain seems to shake as the Giant bellows and flings the staff downwards towards me. The small army of ice spears are released at me. Henry: ¡°DANG...IT!!¡± Normally, I would have taken at least one spear to my body. But with my enhanced senses with the potions, I was able to read each spear¡¯s path. Although there are more than I can count coming my way, I can ignore the ones that are not on a collision course with me. I step forward, and change my Nyoiten Spear into a one-handed sword, and knock down tge spears. One, two, three¡­..four. I deflect 4 with my sword, and dodge the rest My weapon is getting encased with ice as it crackles and spreads. Henry: ¡°[Fire] {Ignis}¡± I can melt these sub-effect icing abilities with one [Fire] {Ignis}. The leading Giant is almost here but... Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac}¡± It would be very bad to allow that mage to continue raining down Spells at me. I ignore the incoming Giant with the large broadsword, and I throw my Nyoiten Spear at the staff-user to repay him back. It tried to dodge, but my spear can¡¯t be evaded that easily. He was shredded to pieces by the multiple split spears and died on impact.. I draw back the Nyoiten Spear and¡­..the Giant with the broadsword has the sword raised, ready to strike. Judging just with my eyes, he stood 12 meters (39+ feet), and broad down the sword. He''s big, but he¡¯s not slow. No ordinary swordsman would have been able to follow his blade. ¡­¡­.and being slightly better than ordinary, I dodge the sword by jumping to the side. The ground is pounded, and large clumps of dirt spray in all directions. Henry: ¡°Whoa¡± There was a spear-user right behind the broadsword-user and strikes his spear towards me. I block with my spear¡­.and I take the momentum of their spear and swing it upwards. With [Physical Enhancement] on top of the Strength Potion, my muscles were much stronger. The spear was shot out of the spear-user¡¯s hands, and flies towards the skies. I quickly move towards the feet of the spear-user who is now empty-handed. It tries to kick me, but I dodge and pierce the heel of the foot with my spear. ¡°§à§à§â§å§ä§Ü§Ñ§ß?!¡± Henry: ¡°Your other leg too!¡± I cut both the achilles heel of his left foot along with his right. Being unable to stand, it loses balance and falls to the ground. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Fire] {Ignis} + [Launch] {Veros}!!¡± I fired a fire arrow at its face. It''s head is engulfed in flames and is scrambling on the ground. ¡­..I don¡¯t think it¡¯s enough to defeat it, but it should be out of the fight now. I reach in searching inside my pouch and¡­ Henry: ¡°Here¡¯s a gift for you!¡± I throw the flashbang grenade I showed to Jend earlier and toss it into the air. The Giants who were trying to surround me instinctively followed the thrown object with their eyes and¡­ I close my eyes as it explodes. A bright light I can perceive behind my eyelids fills the air. At the same time, a loud explosion rips through the air. Without my earplugs, my eardrums would have erupted. When I open my eyes, I see the Giants crouched on the ground. In order to increase the effects of the flash, the light also has corrupt magic purifying properties embedded. Looks like it was very effective. If they were able to surround me, I would have been beaten to death, but that¡¯s not how we roll around here. If it¡¯s Giants, the effects won¡¯t last more than 10 seconds. But with that much time... Henry: ¡°Fuh!!¡± I charge in and strike my spear through the throat of the biggest, broadsword-Giant. Before it''s body hit the floor, I used his body as a platform to jump to the Axe-user and struck him through the heart. Two down. Okay, can I take one more¡­? ...okay, nope. One of the other broadsword-users recovered and had the sword ready and pointed at me. Countless ice shards began to crystalize and swirl around the sword... ¡°§®§å§Ù §à§Ü!!¡± The ice shards were released and shot towards me. It¡¯s a short range attack, but I am too close to avoid it. Small pellets cover my entire view. ¡­¡­¡­...there¡¯s no way to dodge this¡­.I bring up my arms to guard and crouch to make my body as small as possible to decrease the surface area getting hit. Henry: ¡°Ugh¡­..grrrrrrhhhhh!!!¡± GAGAGAGA!! (sfx: collision noises) The ice shards shatter and ricochet off my body as I let out a frustrating groan. The impact sends me backwards, and I hit the ground hard. ¡­¡­..my entire body aches, but luckily, none of my injuries are severe. Because of the Resistance Potion, I was able to survive without any cracks in my bones and just bruises all over my body. I stand up and face the remaining three who recovered from the flashbang grenade. The spear-user was laying flat on the ground with no signs of getting up. Apparently, I was able to take him down completely. Maybe he was a younger warrior Giant? ¡°§Ø§Ñ§Ü§í§ß §ï§Þ§Ö§ã¡± ¡°§¡§Ý§í§ã§ä§Ñ§ß §¡§Ü §Ü§à§Ý¡± The remaining three were extremely wary of me, and they may be planning to chisel me down with their spells. After a brief discussion, all three began to summon their magic. I don¡¯t mind taking a hit or two, but I¡¯ll lose if I don¡¯t do something quick. I reach into my pouch and take another item out. ¡­¡­¡­.oh wow. They are on high alert. They flinched thinking it was another flashbang. Too bad for them. Henry: ¡°Here.¡± This time, it¡¯s a smoke bomb. I smash it against the ground and white smoke immediately covers the area, and I disappear into it. ¡­¡­¡­..and the smoke continued to spread until it reached the 3 Giants. ¡°§®§å§Ù §à§Ü!¡± I sense magic spells being released, but I go ahead and head to the position I saw before the smoke spread. Because they spread out, the concentration of the Spell was nothing. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Heal] {Teol}¡± I heal myself quickly as I charge towards them. I arrive at the foot of the broadsword-user who got me a second ago with his ice shards. ¡°?!¡± Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac}¡± Its realization of the situation was way too late From almost zero range, I throw my spear at the head of the broadsword-user. My Nyoiten Spear hits the exact spot I was aiming for and pierces through his Skull. Henry: ¡°Sh.¡± I draw the spear back and head towards a large hammer-user. The smoke clears around that area, but I¡¯m already in my throwing motion. The Hammer-user tries to back away, but again, you¡¯re way too late. I throw my spear hard towards his large gut. The spear divides and multiplies and pierces his belly several times and finally separates his upper body from his lower. ©`©`Only one remaining. I turn around and face the one-handed sword user. I can sense some fear from him, but I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t let you go. I used up a lot of magic and stamina so I take the Magic Recovery and Stamina Recovery Potion and ready my spear. Henry: ¡°......here I come.¡± ©`©`Five minutes later. The Giant¡¯s Demonic Realm is completely cleared. <<<<>>>> CHONKY Notes LiT (Lost in Translation) The characters used for the Giant¡¯s Language are Kyrgyz, a Turkic language group (e.g. spoken in Kyrgyzstan), where the author probably typed in Japanese to Google Translate and copied and pasted the results into his WN. It¡¯s technically supposed to be an unknown, mysterious language so I left the text as-is. I debated whether it would be worth translating, but the author doesn¡¯t speak it, I don¡¯t speak it, and I would be completely guessing what the author typed into Google. It would be a bad game of international telephone. With respect to Kyrgyz speakers, I¡¯ll let the author take the heat for this one. CH 53 Chapter 53: The Aftermath of the Giants Slaying I collected all the Giants¡¯ drops and went back to the location where everyone was waiting for me. ¡­¡­¡­.and unfortunately, all the drops were the normal Ice Magic Stones. The size is larger and the concentration of magic is quite high, so I should be able to sell it off for a high price, but I really wanted a Rare Drop like a Giant¡¯s heart. And as I return¡­ Lad: ¡°You did it, Henry!¡± Gawain: ¡°Now that¡¯s a Heroic Warrior for you.¡± Mr. Lad and Mr. Gawain showered me with compliments as they slapped me on the back. Henry: ¡°Oh, yeah, thank you.¡± Lad: ¡°But really, are the frontlines just crawling with Adventurers like you? Back in the day, I thought about going to fight the Demon King and his armies, but I¡¯m really glad I settled down here in Flowtier.¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s not crawling with people like me.¡± It feels weird to say that. Gawain: ¡°.....well, Henry. Looks like your friends have much to think about after watching your fight.¡± Ohhhh, yeah, now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t heard a word from my group. Looking over to see what¡¯s going on, and they are all deep in thought. Henry: ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong, you guys?¡± Cyril: ¡°Ummmm, Henry? Would you have had an easier time going Solo? Because we dragged you into our group, you had to keep hunting low level Demonic Creatures¡­¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°Idiot.¡± I chop Cyril lightly on the head since she¡¯s saying something ridiculous. Cyril: ¡°Owwwie¡­¡­?¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯m having fun going on expeditions with you guys, and it¡¯s actually much more efficient to do these things as a group rather than doing it alone.¡± I¡¯m not a perfect, invincible Adventurer. I can have bad days like yesterday where I¡¯ll be out with a cold, and I let my guard down sometimes. But people like me can raise their chances of survival by working in a party. Even my profit from expeditions won¡¯t change much between going Solo and going with a party. I won¡¯t have too much trouble with Griffins, but with Ogres, I would have to resort to using some of my items more or less if I was working alone. Besides, I like our party right now. I know we¡¯ll part ways once they depart for the front lines, but until that time, I want to enjoy my time together with them. And I politely and emphatically explain those points in depth to the group. Henry: ¡°Besides, you guys. Do you even know how fast you¡¯re improving? In two or three years, you may be at the level of challenging some of the Highest-Tier Demonic Creatures. If you do get there, then I benefit from knowing you guys now.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, I¡¯m glad it¡¯s one of your calculated, greedy reasons.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey! Connections are important!¡± It¡¯s not just being calculated or greedy. Adventuring is about helping each other, right? Ferris: ¡°Well, whatever the reasons, it¡¯s still great that he¡¯s willing to teach us. I¡¯m definitely thinking about raising my sword skills after watching that battle today.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, I think I¡¯ll start using more of my tools more proactively.¡± Jend: ¡°And let¡¯s take it up a notch on our training sessions.¡± Ferris, Teo, and Jend are already looking well into the future. These guys really don¡¯t know when to stop and keep heading upwards. Henry: ¡°.......well, that¡¯s that then. Let¡¯s get back and make our report.¡± I¡¯m sure the Governor is pacing back and forth awaiting our return. I know he displayed confidence in me at the meeting, but he only knows my strength from some words written on a sheet of paper. He must have a good deal of doubt of whether I¡¯ll be able to really exterminate Giants¡­...maybe he thinks the chances are 50/50? Or worst case, about a 30% chance of success? If needed, he was preparing to move the Flowtier Military, and if the Giants didn¡¯t come down immediately, he would have requested assistance from the Knight Organizations. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s at least thinking this far ahead. Lad: ¡°True, our party members would be worrying about us too.¡± Gawain: ¡°......yeah.¡± Mr. Lad and Mr. Gawain also agree, and we quickly descend the Altohern Mountains. ¡­¡­...after our return, I drown myself in alcohol at the following celebration, my cold comes back, and I get an earful of a lecture from Lana¡­¡­.but all is well. <<<<>>>> And after I defeated the Giants, our Adventure continued. Like any other day, we just came back from whooping the Demonic Creatures on Altohern. The Ogres seemed to have migrated back from the foot of the mountain back to the mid-regions after the Giants were gone, so everything is returning back to normal. ¡­¡­¡­.but¡­¡­.I expected this, but among the Adventurers, I¡¯m becoming quite the topic of conversation. They now know that my Title of Heroic Warrior is not undeserved - that I have the ability to take out an Upper-Tier, Upper-Class Demonic Creature on my own. And as a result of the rumor spreading far and wide among all the Adventurers in Flowtier¡­ ¡°Hey, you. You¡¯re Henry, right?¡± I was letting Jend and Ferris do the Drop calculations and selling, and I was in the tavern with Cyril and Teo enjoying a drink. It was then that a female Adventurer came up to talk to me. Henry: ¡°......yeah. And I think you¡¯re Ursula, right?¡± Ursula: ¡°Ohhhh, you know my name, huh. That makes me so happy¡«¡± I¡¯ve taken a glance through all the information of the Flowtier Adventurers, and that¡¯s how I know her name. She¡¯s not incredibly beautiful, but she¡¯s still a decently pretty woman, and she had her abundantly large chest pushed up with leather armor. Cyril: ¡°And so¡­.Ms. Ursula? What can we do for you?¡± Ursula: ¡°Yeah, so sorry to bother you. But I wanted to hear the story about the Heroic Warrior that defeated the Giant directly from the hero himself.¡± Henry: (sigh¡­.) Ursula casually answers Cyril¡¯s question. ¡­¡­¡­...and she¡¯s now standing really, really close to me. Seeing that, Cyril lets out a growl of discontent. Henry: (..............sigh¡­¡­.) Henry: ¡°Sorry, but there¡¯s nothing special to share about that.¡± I think I know what she¡¯s after. I¡¯ll just politely refuse and have her walk away. Ursula: ¡°Oh c¡¯mon. Why not? Let me just hear just a little of your story. Or¡­..do you require some payment in return? I wouldn¡¯t mind since it¡¯s the tales and feats of a Heroic Warrior.¡± And she smoothly takes my arm and I feel the curves of her body. Thankfully, it¡¯ll take more than that to put me off balance. Ursula: ¡°If you¡¯re done with your work, why not come have a drink with me? And we can think about after that, too. That woman in your party is Jend¡¯s girl, right? These two are just kids so¡­....aren¡¯t you a little pent up?¡± She whispered the last half just so I could hear. She half blows into my ear, and it tickles. Well¡­...it doesn¡¯t feel so bad but¡­. Henry: ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not in the mood for more drinking.¡± Ursula: ¡°Well well. ¡­..oh here. This is where I¡¯m staying. If you want, just come over. I¡¯ll leave the door unlocked.¡± Henry: ¡°Keep your door locked. It¡¯ll be safer that way.¡± With that Ursula finally gave up, shrugged her shoulders and walked off. I take the sheet of paper with her address, crumple it, and put it in my pocket. I¡¯ll throw it away later. After Ursula is gone, Cyril begins to talk. Cyril: ¡°...............if I¡¯m not mistaken, was she *hitting on you?¡± Henry: ¡°Yup.¡± It was very blatant and obvious. Cyril: ¡°Huh¡­.I see¡« Henry, well aren¡¯t you happy to be so popular¡«¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with the sudden attitude.¡± Huh¡­...hm¡­..could she? But at the same time, even if she doesn¡¯t have any feelings for me, I think she would respond the same way. We have a number of huge obstacles as well, so for now, I ignore it. Henry: ¡°Look, Cyril. It¡¯s not that great. That woman, she was after my money.¡± You will encounter those types A LOT in Ligaleo. This time, I took down nine Giants. With the Quest Reward from the Governor and the sell of the drops, I have a hefty sum of money sitting on my lap. I won¡¯t go around and share with people how much I made, but anyone who goes in and out of the Church would have heard that I made a good sum. And of course, like bees to honey, there will be many who will want to take advantage of the situation. And the most common, universal method since the dawn of time is to use your attractiveness to draw your prey in. Ms. Ursula was a more pleasant kind who saw that she didn¡¯t have a chance and gave up easily. In a worse case, there are unbelievable crazies out there that might force your hand to touch some place on a body and then immediately demand that you take responsibility. Cyril: ¡°.......oh, really?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, but in that case, she would hang out with you for a night, and then ask you to buy them some expensive equipment.¡± I didn¡¯t get the sense that she wanted to suck you bone dry and leave your husk dangling in the streets. Henry: ¡°If it¡¯s like that, the brothel is cheaper, and the relationship will end after the night. I had a few friends who said they preferred normal girls over prostitutes, but not me.¡± And after I said that, Cyril got up, walked towards me, and lightly slapped me on the back. Cyril: ¡°..........could you please refrain from using words like ¡®brothel¡¯ around people who are not adult-age like Teo?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes.¡± She¡¯s right. This wasn¡¯t something I should be discussing openly and loudly with women. ¡­¡­¡­..but...I still need them to at least be aware of the danger. Henry: ¡°Cyril, you need to be careful of honey traps. You¡¯re still innocent.¡± Cyril: ¡°What do you mean ¡®innocent¡¯?!¡± Henry: ¡°Well, would you really consider yourself anything other than innocent?¡± Cyril is unable to reply but gives me a low growl. Henry: ¡°So yeah, don¡¯t get easily caught by a good-looking Adventurer and get eaten up.¡± Cyril: ¡°Eat? What are you talking about?¡± ¡­¡­¡­...this isn¡¯t good. I may have to teach her about those kinds of things or it¡¯ll be dangerous going forward. Teo: ¡°Mr. Henry. Please don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be keeping a close eye on her.¡± Cyril: ¡°Umm¡­.Teo? I think¡­.it¡¯s backwards right? It should be the other way around.¡± Teo: ¡°No, this is the way things should be.¡± I think so too. Teo: ¡°Please be assured. If there is a man like that, I¡¯ll make sure to cut it off.¡± Henry: ¡°Te©`Teo? What are you going to cut off? No really, that¡¯s going way too far if someone¡¯s just hitting on you.¡± Teo: ¡°I¡¯m joking.¡± ARE YOU?! I know your cousin so your words are all the more suspect!! Jend: ¡°Whoa, it¡¯s so rowdy over here. What¡¯s going on?¡± And while we argued, Jend and Ferris came back. Cyril: ¡°.....well, someone came up and started hitting on Henry.¡± Jend: ¡°Hitting on Henry? ¡­..oh, ohhhhhhh.¡± Jend seemed to understand the situation immediately. He¡¯s the son of one of the most powerful merchant groups in Flowtier. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s faced similar predicaments in the past. Henry: ¡°Here, this is a good opportunity for a lecture. Let¡¯s tackle the subject of how to handle large amounts of money.¡± Cyril: ¡°I know I¡¯ve been earning more lately, but I¡¯ve been saving my money for better gear, so I don¡¯t have much free money to use.¡± Ferris: ¡°I¡¯m still paying back my debt¡­¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Cyril, Ferris. Other people won¡¯t care about your situation.¡± If it looks like you¡¯re making money, there are plenty of people who will start eyeing you. Right now, our group is successfully making a solid profit in the Altohern area. I¡¯m sure that I¡¯m not the only one that everyone is eyeing. Teo: ¡°It¡¯s just like the people who picked a fight with us a while back.¡± Oh yeah. She¡¯s talking about Roz and his gang when they harassed us when they saw that I was giving Teo her share of the expedition rewards. Because I diplomatically spoke to them very politely, they haven¡¯t spoken to us or even met eyes with us since. Henry: ¡°In Ligaleo, there are much worse folks than that, so just keep that in mind.¡± ¡­¡­.if they figure out that my party members are Ageha and Sir Ezeal¡¯s acquaintance, there¡¯s not too many idiots who would try to cross that line. You especially don¡¯t want to cross the first. You¡¯ll lose your head. So in many ways, I was getting Cyril and the rest of the group ready with not just knowledge about fighting, but also with other important things you¡¯ll have to deal with. ©`©`They have improved significantly already. If the hunt at Altohern becomes lukewarm, I wonder what our next move will be. But¡­...maybe it¡¯s still too soon to consider that. <<<<>>>> CHONKY Notes LiT (Lost in Translation) *Hitting, Flirting, Nanpa (¥Ê¥ó¥Ñ), Gyaku-nan (Äæ¥Ê¥ó) (reverse-nanpa) - I''m definitely a social hermit so if you ask me if there is a specific term for girls hitting on or trying to hook up with guys in English.... ¡¥\_(¥Ä)_/¡¥ I only know the Japanese terms because it''s so common in the literature. "Nanpa" is guys walking up to girls to ask them out. "Gyaku" (Äæ) means reverse so when a girl is asking a guy out (a violation of classic social norms in Japan where women are expected to be more reserved), they refer to the action as a "Gyaku-Nan". It doesn''t really add or take away from the story, but it was something that surprised Cyril, and it didn''t come out in the translation very well. CH 54 Chapter 54: Before the Flower Festival Heat left over from the summer still lingered in the air as the calendar showed that fall was fast approaching. With the coming of fall, the City of Flowtier was bustling with more activities than usual. I¡¯ve only arrived in this city this year, and even I know that it¡¯s because the date of the famous Flowtier¡¯s Flower Festival is nearing. The festival lasts a week, and it is one of the most famous festivals in the northern region of the continent, and many tourists gather from all over to attend. I don¡¯t know about how the festival started, but friends will exchange flowers, there will be theatres and plays with flowers as themes, and there will be masked parades across the city. Lana: ¡°So because of that, inns will be in high demand, and we apologize for the inconvenience, but we will be raising the price of rent during this time in respect to the other customers.¡± This morning, right after I was done eating breakfast, Lana called me over to speak privately and delivered the news to me. Henry: ¡°Su¡«re. That¡¯s fine.¡± I nod without any complaints. I tend to not accumulate furniture as a personal policy, but staying this long in one place, stuff has been slowly collecting in my room. It¡¯ll be a hassle to move to a cheaper room now, and the price Lana presented wasn¡¯t that much higher. I¡¯ll just pay up the extra costs. Henry: ¡°But a Flower Festival, huh. I¡¯m not too into flowers though¡­¡± If it¡¯s all centered around flowers, I think it¡¯s more catered to the female audiences. I¡¯ll just go around the food stands a little and then go home. Lana: ¡°There will be plenty of different types of alcohol brewed with flowers given out free of charge by the Governor.¡± Henry: ¡°I take it back. Nothing compares to an event like the Flower Festival.¡± I immediately flip my opinion. Lana: ¡°Well, it¡¯s more for its looks and for luck, so it¡¯s not exceptionally good or anything. Even the ones they sell are only sold during the festival.¡± Henry: ¡°Nothing beats free drinks. If it¡¯s a limited time brew, I¡¯d like to try it regardless.¡± Lana: ¡°.........an alcoholic as always¡«¡± Maybe so. Maybe so. Henry: ¡°Oh, if that¡¯s all, then I need to head to the Grandes Church.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, yes. I¡¯m so sorry to stop you all of a sudden. Is it another expedition?¡± Henry: ¡°No, we were discussing whether we should accept Quests regarding the festival preparations or not.¡± It¡¯s a Quest to give back to the community. Adventurers inevitably have a rough reputation, so we use these opportunities to help revise our public image. In order to become a Heroic Warrior, you¡¯ll need to consistently keep contributing back to raise your reputation with the Church. No matter how much you are victorious in battles, you will not be given the title of Heroic Warrior which is the public face of the Adventurers organization with just that alone. And I heard this through the grapevine, but I talked with someone associated with the Church privately, and since Cyril and her group safely came back after running into Giants, brought back intel, and defeated one while doing so, their names are currently on the sub-candidates list for Heroic Warriors. I hope that by the time we leave Flowtier, I can push them up to the main candidates list. So, like any other day, we will be working hard as ever. Henry: ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get going now.¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, please have a good day!¡± I walk down the road to the Church. I¡¯ve gotten so used to this route now. But now that I look back¡­..although it¡¯s different from Ligaleo where I¡¯ll be beating down countless Demonic Creatures day in and day out, I feel like I¡¯m working a whole lot more than other normal Adventurers nowadays. I came to Flowtier to live a more relaxed life but¡­¡­¡­ Well, it¡¯s been fun so far, so I¡¯m fine with it. I can go back to a more lazier lifestyle once Cyril and the group leave. I think about these kinds of things as I slowly walk. Flowtier in general likes to decorate their city with flowers, but apparently, there are many types of flowers that bloom during this specific season, and there are more decorations than usual giving the city an extra festive makeover. There are more stands selling flower bouquets as well. Henry: ¡°Hm?¡± I stop as something catches my eye. I walk up to a store nearby. Henry: ¡°.......I see¡­.¡± This is one of the stores that sells flowers, and outside the store was a poster. The poster was for tourists and visitors, and it explained in detail the Flowtier culture and the types of flowers you give as gifts to one another. It¡¯s still about a month before the festival, so I feel like it¡¯s still too early for these kinds of posters, but I read through it anyway. I see, I see. So basically, you give friends a blue flower, and you give your girlfriend or someone you¡¯re interested in red flowers, and these are the most common exchanges. You would give your coworkers yellow ones¡­...and that¡¯s about the gist of it. And confessing your love as you gift the red flower is very common around Flowtier, so a lot of couples are made during this time. ¡­¡­...and the poster wraps it up by asking if you want to send a red flower to ¡°that¡± person you have in mind. ¡°Oh, hello sir. Are you interested?¡± And the Store Owner came out as he saw me reading the poster. Henry: ¡°Hmmmm, yeah, maybe? I just moved here in the spring, so this is my first Flower Festival.¡± ¡°Oh, in that case, please send your orders through us. If you need some flowers to decorate your room, you can purchase them now.¡± Henry: ¡°I live in an inn, and I¡¯m about to head to an expedition so maybe next time.¡± At the inns of Flowtier, they decorate the rooms with a single flower, and Lana puts one in my room as well. I guess I wouldn¡¯t mind seeing more flowers in my room, but I feel like the responsibility of caring for them is going to inevitably fall on Lana, so I hesitate because of that. I mean, yeah, sure, I just need to take the initiative and care for them myself, but¡­¡­.it feels like it¡¯s more work than I want to bother with. Cyril: ¡°Hey! Good morning, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, Cyril.¡± Someone tapped me on the back, and Cyril was there with a mischievous smile on her face. This road is actually part of her route to the Church as well. Cyril: ¡°....huh? You¡¯re not surprised at all? I thought I¡¯d surprise you and came sneaking up quietly.¡± Henry: ¡°I knew you were coming around that corner over there, so I thought we¡¯d walk together and stopped here for that reason.¡± There was a corner about 20 meters (65 ft) away and Cyril looked from me to the corner with a strained ¡°You really are something else¡­¡± look. Cyril: ¡°I know you did something similar at the Governor¡¯s mansion, but¡­..there¡¯s a lot more people here, no?¡± Henry: ¡°Well, I can at least tell the difference between someone I know and others.¡± Other than that, if that person is specifically paying attention to me, I can tell that too. But this skill is something I haphazardly learned, so if someone who knows what they¡¯re doing erases their presence, I can¡¯t do anything about that. As we walk to the Church together, I explain to Cyril about detecting people¡¯s presence. Henry: ¡°You¡¯re a Sorceress, so even if you don¡¯t know what a person¡¯s presence is like, you can detect their Magical Power, no?¡± Cyril: ¡°If I¡¯m being intentional about it, yes, but I wouldn¡¯t think about doing it as I¡¯m walking around town.¡± True, I guess between Magic Users and Warriors, we perceive these things differently. And we arrive at the Church as we continue talking. Henry: ¡°Oh¡« I guess we were still early. Do you want to drink some coffee while we wait?¡± Cyril: ¡°That sounds great! Oh, but I¡¯m going to have Herb Tea.¡± And stuff like that¡­ We¡¯ve both been arriving early, and having tea with Cyril has been becoming more and more of a tradition. Since the incident with the Giant, I''ve been trying to live healthier lifestyle by going to sleep earlier and waking up early. But I¡¯m bored if I just stay in the inn, so I rather be out here talking with Cyril. ¡­¡­.yup, that¡¯s all, yes. <<<<>>>> It was about 30 minutes after we started talking. Every member arrived about 5 minutes before our meeting time. We all greeted one another, and we all headed to the receptionist window to take a look at the available Quests. I checked what kind of Quests there were yesterday before I left, and it was chock full of festival preparation Quests. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any way they ran out of those. Do we want to help build and set up a Theatre stage? Apparently, during the festival, they set up a public stage to do live performances of plays and invite popular Bards to sing. I think they mentioned a lottery drawing as well. Well, we can decide after we see what Quests are available. Henry: ¡°Hi, Miss Felicia. We came to receive a Quest if possible.¡± I go up to the receptionist window and go talk to Miss Felicia. She¡¯s kind of our party¡¯s preferred receptionist, and if her window is open, we usually choose to go talk to her. ¡­¡­..it¡¯s most definitely not because she¡¯s an incredibly beautiful woman or because she has nice curves. ¡­...no, I¡¯m telling the truth! Felicia: ¡°Oh, what good timing.¡± Henry: ¡°? What¡¯s going on?¡± It¡¯s a rare sight to see Miss Felicia seem a little troubled. She¡¯s exceptional at her job, so in most cases, she would be confident and calm. Felicia: ¡°Well, we just received a Quest that was designated to you, Mr. Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, you mean like someone who wants to hire our Demolitions Expert?¡± Since our very first Quest, we get occasional requests to help clear our land. Our secret land clearing weapon, Miss Cyril, can do most jobs with just a single Spell so she¡¯s super popular. Cyril: ¡°Who are you calling a Demolitions Expert?¡± She jabs me with an elbow to the ribs. Henry: ¡°Hey, stop that. It tickles.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hmph¡«¡± I know she¡¯s just fake pouting to ask for attention but¡­¡­...how am I supposed to do that right now. Felicia: ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry. This time, it is not for Miss Cyril, but this Quest was directed to you personally, Mr. Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°........wait, did another Upper-Tier Demonic Creature pop up somewhere?¡± I feel myself gear up for another battle. I¡¯m not exaggerating when I say that I¡¯m probably the only one in this area that can take care of those higher level creatures without causing a single casualty to the city. If it¡¯s that, I understand why the Quest was specifically designated for me¡­. Felicia: ¡°A©`Actually, it¡¯s not that either. It¡¯s not a dangerous Quest¡­¡­.um, excuse me¡­.do you mind if we speak in the back room?¡± Henry: ¡°Um¡­.sure?¡± My shoulders sag a little. Jend: ¡°Another designated Quest for Henry? What do you think it is, Ferris?¡± Ferris: ¡°No clue. But Henry has the Heroic Warrior title and is well known so it might be related to that.¡± Teo: ¡°Maybe some spoiled child of a wealthy family wants to hire a Heroic Warrior to take him out on a Quest?¡± Henry: ¡°Teo, that¡¯s just a trope of an Adventurer¡¯s tale.¡± And it typically ends up with the Highest-Tier Demonic Creature appearing out of nowhere, and with the death of the Heroic Warrior, there would be a servant who¡¯s actually the reincarnation of an ancient hero and awakens and gets stronger from that point forward. I don¡¯t mind reading stories like that, but for people like me without a hero¡¯s title but still have some skills, we¡¯re usually used as cannon fodder in the end¡­. As we head to the back room of the Church, Jend and the others start spouting out their guesses. But I really wonder what this is about? We all enter one of the Church¡¯s meeting rooms and wait for Miss Felicia to speak. Felicia: ¡°........this morning, we received this letter.¡± And she passes an envelope to me. It looks like a plain, regular envelope to me. Felicia: ¡°The letter contains a request to designate a personal Quest for the Heroic Warrior named Henry, and the contents of the Quest is for a tour of Flowtier during the Flower Festival period¡­.¡± Is it someone I know from Ligaleo? I heard that Ageha wanted to come¡­¡­...or wait, is it Yuu? As I¡¯m wondering, Miss Felicia tells me the name. Felicia: ¡°So the person is¡­¡­..one of the bards who will be doing a live performance during the Flower Festival - one of the 8 Heroes of Legend. The Rainbow Singer, Lady Charlotte Fine¡­¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Ms. Lotte?!¡± What is she thinking?! Look, I get it if she wants to go drink at a bar with some private rooms, but if I take her around town, I could get stabbed by one of her fanatic fans! Does she even understand that she¡¯s one of the ultra-popular celebrities on this continent?! Ferris: ¡°Of course, we accept.¡± Henry: ¡°H©`HEY?! FERRIS?!¡± Ferris: ¡°It¡¯s a request from our Little Charu. Of course we¡¯ll have to accept, Mr. Henry.¡± That¡¯s right! I forgot that she¡¯s one of Ms. Lotte¡¯s fans!! Jend: ¡°L©`Little Charu? Um...Ferris...who are you talking bout?¡± Ferris: ¡°Little Charu is our Little Charu, Jend.¡± Jend: ¡°........................¡± Don¡¯t, Jend. Don¡¯t look at me with those desperate eyes asking for an explanation. Cyril: ¡°Another one of the 8 Heroes of Legend¡­..and this time, it¡¯s a celebrity that I¡¯ve even heard of¡­..¡± Teo: ¡°She¡¯s super-famous.¡­¡­.more than Sister Ageha.¡± ARGH, great¡­..what am I supposed to do with this? CH 55 Chapter 55: The Person Named Charlotte With unmitigated and intense push from Ferris, we eventually accepted the City Tour Quest for Ms. Lotte. ¡­¡­.she is someone I¡¯m greatly indebted to, so I have no qualms over the decision. I just hate needlessly gathering attention to ourselves. It¡¯s obvious that we might run into trouble with fervent fans like Ferris. Well, now that we accepted the Quest, there¡¯s no point mulling over it. Let¡¯s think positively. Very positively. Regardless, the Quest with Ms. Lotte is during the Flower Festival. As we planned at the beginning, we took on the Construction Quest to build the outdoor stage, and we¡¯re currently drenched in sweat. Jend: ¡°Here you go, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Thanks.¡± I took the wooden board from Jend, line it up and with three , I hammer the nail into the wood. I hammer 6 nails total per board, and by the time I finish, Jend already has the next board ready. Jend: ¡°Henry, you¡¯re pretty good at this.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I did this kind of work often.¡± I was sawing a board as Jend spoke to me. The work is simple enough where a little conversation and distraction won¡¯t make me mess up, so we chatted as we continued. Jend: ¡°You did this kind of work on the frontlines?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, Demonic Creatures would enter the city and wreck buildings, so we were constantly patching and rebuilding the damages.¡± The Demonic Creatures would enter the city several times a week, so of course, the buildings would be destroyed too. The ¡°housing¡± right next to the wall was built knowing that it would be destroyed that day, so all of them were basic shacks. Its purpose was to have a place for the guards to get out of the wind and rain. Adventurers were tasked with the construction, maintenance, and repairs. Adventurers with high combat capabilities were exempted from the rotations, but I still did construction work at least once every 2-3 months. Because of that experience, I¡¯m able to do stuff like this. Jend: ¡°I get it now.¡± Henry: ¡°You¡¯re also quite adept at using the saw yourself.¡± Swords and saws are completely different, but Jend cuts through the wood very quickly. He is pouring his Magic through the saw to make it sharper, but even still¡­ Jend: ¡°Wood crafting is just my hobby. I like making stuff with wood, so I picked it up from that.¡± Henry: ¡°I see.¡± Jend: ¡°When I was a kid, we had some unused land, and I used the remains of demolished buildings to build a small shack. It was our secret hideout, but they demolished it because they were building a store there. I was pretty pissed when it happened.¡± Building a small shack as a kid? Impressive. But the word ¡°secret base¡± tickles my instincts as a man. I go to the Flowtier Forest alone occasionally, and I wondered if I should build a safe house, but Demonic Creatures target man-made structures. I could use materials to repel them but then¡­...the cost of maintenance would outweigh any benefits. ¡­¡­..wait. Maybe if I make it on the tree tops¡­.? Cyril: ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting? Here¡¯s your next wood supply.¡± Henry: ¡°Thanks, Cyril. Keep up the good work.¡± And as I was letting my imagination expand, Cyril brought the next load. They were 5 wood supplies that were roughly cut with markings of how it needed to be cut by us. It would have been pretty heavy to carry, but Cyril¡¯s training has been effective, and she¡¯s now at the bottom baseline of physical strength for vanguards. She carried that much with ease. Yup, this is a nice change to her usual training, and it¡¯s helping her as well. Cyril: ¡°Okay, next, I need to carry that supply over there and¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Keep it up?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yessir?¡± And with that, she quickly heads energetically away, Alright, just a bit more, and it¡¯ll be the lunch break. Let¡¯s take care of this quickly. <<<<>>>> Lunch break. We take the provided lunches included as part of our Quest reward and gather with our party to eat together. Henry: ¡°How did this morning go? I was with Jend, and I saw Cyril occasionally.¡± Ferris: ¡°Yeah, my morning was pretty uneventful. There weren¡¯t many injuries.¡± Ferris is not only adept at Healing Magecraft, but also has medical training, so she was handling all the injuries occurring on the construction site. Teo: ¡°I was performing tasks on high places so I enjoyed it a lot.¡± The stage has many decorations on high places, and Teo who¡¯s good at climbing was tasked with those kinds of responsibilities. Teo: ¡°They we''re trying to tell me that kids shouldn''t be doing such dangerous work¡­.but I showed them a thing or two, and they agreed to let me do the job.¡± They probably said it out of good intentions and worry, but yeah, sorry. Teo¡¯s physical maneuverability is far beyond a regular Adventurers. Henry: ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll run out of time to eat if we just talk.¡± I open my lunch box. Henry: ¡°Well look at that¡­¡± It looks delicious. With rice, there is fried chicken and pickled cabbage in large portions. There¡¯s not a lot of variety, but I like these simple meals too. Biting into the fried chicken, the juice from the meat fills my mouth. It¡¯s a lunchbox so the contents have cooled, but the meat is still juicy nonetheless. The cook must have done something to allow the meat to not overcook while it sat in the lunchbox. And taking bites of rice while the taste of the meat still remained in my mouth was¡­...amazing. I¡¯m not sure why fried meat and rice go so well together, but it¡¯s a smashing combination. I can eat several portions of this. And after the rice came the pickled cabbage. The pickling had extra vinegar and salt to cater to physical laborers, and it cleans out the palette. I take a sip of the tea that came along with it, and take a deep breath of satisfaction. Henry: ¡°That was delicious?¡± It wasn¡¯t like fancy restaurant food, but it was a very calming, wholesome flavor. Cyril: ¡°I think the mothers of the city gathered to cook this for us.¡± Henry: ¡°That makes sense.¡± With Cyril¡¯s input, I nod in agreement. I gobble down my remaining meal. There is quite a bit stuffed inside¡­..but not enough to satisfy a healthy Adventurer. Even Teo who¡¯s the smallest and Cyril who didn¡¯t eat much before she started training finished their lunches. Henry: ¡°Fwew¡­¡± Finishing my meal, I sipped a refill of my tea, and relaxed and waited for the lunch break to be over. A little distance away, I overheard the conversations of other people also taking their break. ¡°Did you hear? This year, that Charlotte is coming to do the live show.¡± ¡°Yeah, I heard that too. The Rainbow Singer, right? When I was a kid¡­...like, 30 years ago now? She came to the Flower Festival and did a show once.¡± ¡°That¡¯s before I was born, huh. I¡¯ve never been to her concerts, but I¡¯m a huge fan?¡± ¡°We''ll, when you go to her show, you¡¯ll have to scream, ¡®Little Charu?!¡¯ as loud as you can and¡­¡­¡± Looks like word has already spread that Ms. Lotte is coming for the festival. ¡­.I don¡¯t know when it was decided, but maybe we could have dealt with her arrival if I¡¯ve gotten hold of that info sooner. Overhearing their conversation, Cyril turns to me. Cyril: ¡°So Henry. About that Ms. Charlotte who we¡¯re going to give a tour around the festival¡­¡± Ferris: ¡°Are you interested, Cyril?! Then let me impart to you what I know of the amazingness of Little Charu!! Don¡¯t you have an audio player in the Governor¡¯s mansion? If you do, let¡¯s listen to some recordings together and¡­.¡± Jend: ¡°Stay, Ferris. I¡¯ll listen to what you have to say.¡± Jend intervenes as Ferris gets excited after hearing Ms. Lotte¡¯s name. Well, it seems that Jend didn¡¯t know about this part of Ferris, so I¡¯ll happily allow them to deepen their understanding (mainly Ferris) of one another. A loud ¡°HA!¡± rang inside my head. You have such a beautiful woman as your girlfriend. A little suffering will do you some good. Ke ke ke¡­. Cyril: ¡°Henry, your face is darkening and twisting to the side of evil.¡± Henry: ¡°? What? I¡¯m a man of justice.¡± Teo: ¡°....no, you definitely exhibited an evil aura just now.¡± Henry: ¡°Teo, you too?¡± What? that¡¯s not fair. There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true. Cyril: ¡°And so about this Ms. Charlotte. I know she¡¯s a really famous singer and celebrity, and I''ve heard her records at the Governor¡¯s mansion, but¡­how do you know her, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°How¡­? Well...¡± Cyril: ¡°....like that [Saint], did you date her in the past?¡± Henry: ¡°¡± (sfx water spewing) I spewed out my tea. Henry: ¡°Wait, Cyril, why are you so intent on making everything about romance?" Cyril: ¡°Just my age, I guess!¡± She emphasized that last point. ¡­.well, I guess that¡¯s normal for girls her age... Teo: ¡°¡­.? What is it, Mr. Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°Nothing.¡± Teo has zero interest in these kinds of things, but I guess it¡¯s still normal for girls her age. But why would you tie me down with Ms. Lotte. She¡¯s well over 60 now. Henry: ¡°H©`Hey, just to get clear, the only girl I ever ¡®dated¡¯ was just Yuu, and that was when we were still kids.¡± Cyril: ¡°Really?¡± Henry: ¡°Really.¡± It¡¯s sad, but true. That¡¯s why it¡¯s absolutely natural for me to burn with jealous rage against Jend who is literally in the middle of spring with his love life!! Henry: ¡°So Ms. Lotte¡­.I think if you summarize it simply is...a big sister?¡± Cyril: ¡°Sister?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, she usually tours the entire country, and I only saw her when she came to Ligaleo, but she would take the time to tell me stories about other cities. Everything I know about other towns came from her.¡± ¡­...when we first met, I was at my lowest in terms of mental and emotional well-being, and she was the one who lifted me out of those crags. But Cyril doesn''t have to know about that. Henry: "She¡¯s always making tons of money, so she would pay for all the drinks. ¡­..and she¡¯s a small person, but alcohol has almost no effect on her, so she would keep dragging me to the next tavern all night long." I didn¡¯t have a say in the matter either. I think it¡¯s been about 1 year since we last met? Even then, she dragged me to the pre-celebration of the annual Ligaleo Support Live concert, and we hit 5-6 taverns that night. Cyril: ¡°It¡¯s a little different from her stage personality¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, but on stage, she¡¯s a perfect superstar. She just has an on and off switch between her personal and professional life.¡± As soon as she¡¯s done being a celebrity on stage, she turns into a lazy but albeit very generous big sister. Teo: ¡°But she¡¯s also one of the 8 Heroes of Legend, correct? Is she strong?¡± Teo follows up with her question. Henry: ¡°Very.¡± Teo: ¡°More than Sister Ageha?¡± Teo¡¯s very attached to her cousin, and her bias tends to easily sway that way, so this is important for her to know. Henry: ¡°Hmmmmmm¡­.well¡­..¡± I think about this. Of course, there is no absolute standard for strength. It depends on the situation and also your physical condition. And it also depends on who you¡¯re fighting. But even if all these things considered, from a 3rd person perspective¡­. Henry: ¡°I¡¯m in the same category as Ageha, but comparing Ms. Lotte to us is just a bad matchup." Teo: ¡°That much?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, Ms. Lotte can cast buffs on herself and smash with her fists the Highest-Tier Demonic Creatures by herself.¡± Both Ageha and I can defeat Highest-Tier creatures with relatively large safety margins, but that¡¯s when we are grouped inside a solid party. I can¡¯t say that it¡¯s impossible for me or Ageha to do it alone©`©`but it would be one heck of a disadvantage for us. But if you put Ms. Lotte or Sir Ezeal in the same shoes, they would be able to defeat the enemy with minimal risks. You can say that this is the wall we face when we try to climb to their level. Henry: ¡°Plus, Ms. Lotte¡¯s Spell Songs have the ability to not just buff herself, but others too, so I wouldn¡¯t be able to beat her if she did that.¡± Unlike Magecraft, Sorcery doesn¡¯t require the buff to be uniquely shaped for each individual¡­..she once told me, ¡°I just tried it, and it worked¡±...... I don¡¯t understand the logic or mechanisms, and only Ms. Lotte has the ridiculous area effect of ¡°as far as my song can be heard.¡± ¡­¡­..oh shoot. Teo seems pretty discouraged. Henry: ¡°.....well, to be fair, Ageha¡¯s still young. She uses just assassin techniques, so she still has plenty of opportunities to get even stronger.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes...yes, you¡¯re right.¡± On a side note, I¡¯m fairly certain that Teo could also reach Ageha¡¯s level someday with proper training. But I don¡¯t want her to get too overconfident, so I won¡¯t say anything for now. Cyril: ¡°Um...Henry, did you say she smashes enemies with her fist¡­.? Like...she punches her enemies to the ground¡­.?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fairly certain that no one can beat her barehanded¡­.¡± Being only about 140 cm (4 ft 7 in), she would punch and kick 20+ meter tall (65+ ft) Highest-Tier Demonic Creatures and defeat them. That¡¯s Ms. Lotte for ya.¡± Cyril: ¡°And¡­.she¡¯s a singing celebrity?¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. All of her fans know that part about her.¡± But yeah¡­. Talking about Ms. Lotte brought back a lot of nostalgic memories. ¡­...when she comes to Flowtier, where should we take her? CH 56 Chapter 56: The Day I Found Out At the Flowtier Library. It was where all the knowledge of the Flowtier area was consolidated. There was an extensive and expansive collection compared to most rural areas, and there was everything from leisurely reads to academic text books covering all subjects. And as long as you keep the books on the premise of the library, excluding a very specific section, most of the books are available to the public. And if you are a citizen of Flowtier, you can borrow books as well. Other cities have more stringent security protocols to just enter their libraries, so considering that, this is a pretty progressive approach. Apparently, this was the doing of the current Governor, Sir Alvare. Even before he succeeded the seat of Governor, he was working to revolutionize the library system and security protocols. So, I¡¯m here at the library, but I¡¯ve only read a handful of books during my entire life. And to be frank, I¡¯m not really into reading books in general. But I¡¯m here because the Flower Festival is in 2 weeks, and I need to learn more about it. I received honorary citizenship from the Giant Slaying Quest, so I thought it would be best to at least have some knowledge of the origins and history of the biggest festival this city hosts. I don¡¯t like people who think I¡¯m just bored to death and looking for something to kill time. Henry: ¡°Huh¡­¡­¡± So I asked the local librarian for recommendations, and I was given a book that summarized the Flowtier culture and various legends related to the birth of this city. It¡¯s actually surprisingly interesting. The name ¡°Flower Festival¡± is what the general public calls it, but the official name is ¡°The Flower Offering Festival.¡± They don¡¯t know if it began 1,000 or 500 years ago, but the "official" lore is 1,000 years ago. A thousand years ago, the City of Flowtier suddenly faced an unprecedented wave of Demonic Creatures. The pictures depicted are poorly drawn, and I can¡¯t tell what they are, but apparently, they were ¡°hideous looking,¡± some ¡°were the size of mountains¡± and there were several hundred of them. And arriving on the scene was the True Dragon who is said to reside on top of the Altohern Mountain, Feedlefair. This True Dragon appeared rising from the top of the mountain, and with a single breath, wiped out the Demonic Creature army. The people of Flowtier were thankful, and since Feedlefair was said to be an admirer of flowers, they would decorate their city around this time of year, and eventually, the continued practice evolved into the Flower Festival we have today. I skipped over a lot of details, but that¡¯s the gist of it. Henry: ¡°A True Dragon...huh¡­¡± The True Dragons are said to be servants of God, and many myths, legends, and lore incorporate them everywhere. In the Fezard Kingdom, we had the legends of the True Dragon Wieseleon who empowered one of the knights that saved the realm. The pictures of these True Dragons do not look any different from the Demonic Creature Dragons, but even the True Dragons are not always allies of the human race. There are plenty of stories of True Dragons that rain disaster upon people. And like that, there was about 20 pages explaining the origins of the Flower Festival. The next chapter began the history of Flowtier¡­ Henry: ¡°.....let¡¯s read another book?¡± I finished what I came here to do. The history looks extensive, lengthy, and honestly, boring. I¡¯ll pass for now. I get up to see what else I can read. I don''t want to be here all day, but I stretch my back and limbs as I go to return the book back to its place on the shelf when¡­ Teo: ¡°Mr. Henry? What are you doing here?¡± Henry: ¡°Teo?¡± I bump into Teo, one of my party members. Teo takes a glance at the book I was reading. Teo: ¡°Were you interested in learning more about this city?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, yeah. Since I¡¯m helping out with the Flower Festival, I got curious and wanted to learn more about it.¡± Teo: ¡°I see. I think that is great that you are doing so.¡± Henry: ¡°What about you?¡± She¡¯s carrying several books, and it all looks related to Magecraft and Sorcery. Teo: ¡°I wanted to learn more about the different kinds of Magecraft and Sorcery in this world to help me when I group up with other Adventurers.¡± Henry: ¡°Ah? I see¡­¡± Very studious of her. I was impressed, and it made sense. For example, I use the Kroseid Style which is very popular and well known. So if i say, ¡°I¡¯ve learned 6 Kroseid Style Spells, and can combine up to 5,¡± you can get a general idea of how adept I am. But minor Magecraft and Sorcery Styles are harder to gauge the Spell Initiation speeds, the power of spells, and the uses it has in different scenarios, so you have to discuss these things thoroughly beforehand. In our party, Cyril falls in this category. I still haven¡¯t fully vetted all of her Sorcery Spells. So, for that reason, knowing about the different kinds of Magecraft and Sorcery in this world would come in handy. But even so¡­. Henry: ¡°I understand about studying Magecraft styles, but aren''t there too many styles of Sorcery?¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, that is true. Each region has its own unique style so¡­.¡± In a sense, Magecraft is very academic and formulaic. They will have differences in how they create the Spell Inscription, but the more efficient inscriptions will always become the precedent. And gradually, the less efficient or effective inscriptions will go out of use, and in truth, right now, there are less than 10 Magecraft Inscriptions that Adventurers use today. In contrast, Sorcery is dependent upon the senses of the caster so the number of styles is significantly higher. I think I can name at least 30 Styles that I¡¯ve heard of. And Sorcerers and Sorceresses are naturally few, so it¡¯s not rare for a heir or heiress of a Style to not appear, and that Style is lost in time. And there are always new individuals popping up creating brand new styles, so it¡¯s near impossible to identify all the existing Sorcery Styles at present. Henry: ¡°.....yeah, I think you should just cover the major known Styles, and the rest, you can ask the caster when you team up with them.¡± Teo: ¡°That might be best. I tried to read the [Sorcery Encyclopedia], but there were 100 types listed there, and I couldn¡¯t memorize it all.¡± 100?! Teo: ¡°Oh, but I did come across one Style of Sorcery that was unique to your former Kingdom of Fezard.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, really?¡± Well, I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. I knew several Sorcerers and Sorceresses during my Fezard days, but they all used the major common Styles of those days. I never heard of our unique Sorcery Style, but I probably just never heard of it. Teo: ¡°Yes, it''s this one here.¡± Teo flips to a page in the book and shows me. Henry: ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± The name of the Style is the Ende Style. It¡¯s Cyril¡¯s Style, huh. I thought I had never heard of it, but it was a unique Style of Fezard. But that could also mean that Cyril is the very last user of that Style. It¡¯s a powerful Sorcery Style, so I hope she¡¯s able to pass it down to future generations. And...what else? The Fezard Knight, Ende, is the creator of the Style. It has great destructive spells and is cast by singing songs. And©`©` For a moment, I didn''t understand what I just read. ¡­¡­..say what? I re-read the following passage several times, but I didn¡¯t misread or misunderstand it. Henry: ¡°.......¡± Teo: ¡°? Is something the matter?¡± ¡­..I think Teo never heard the name of Cyril¡¯s Style if Sorcery. Or at least, I never heard them talk about it while I was around. Henry: ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just thinking it¡¯s great to have a section about my hometown.¡± So what do I do now? ¡­..I can act like I didn¡¯t see that part. This is not something I should carelessly get involved with. <<<<>>>> Well, we met by accident, but there was no reason to sit apart from one another. So we sat next to each other as we read. I just picked up a light novel. I thought about trying to read a more difficult book, but it would be far over my current reading skills. I¡¯ll just slowly get used to reading itself first. Henry: ¡°Hm?¡± Something caught my senses. I look towards the entrance of the library, and Teo, recognizing the presence as well, closes her book. Teo: ¡°Oh, she came.¡± Henry: ¡°So you guys were meeting up here.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, we promised to go have dessert together in the afternoon.¡± Okay...it¡¯s a bit awkward since I just found out about ¡°that.¡± ¡­..but to be fair, it''s not her fault. And it¡¯s not so shocking that I won¡¯t be able to hide my shock. I take one long, deep breath, and watch Cyril come down to greet us. Cyril: ¡°Hello, Teo. Sorry to make you wait. Hello, Henry.¡± Teo: ¡°Hello, Miss Cyril.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey.¡± And our party¡¯s Sorcerer, Miss Cyril, arrived on the scene. Cyril: ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that you¡¯ll be joining us, Henry. Did something happen?¡± Henry: ¡°Just a coincidence. I came to the library and ran into her here.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, then would you care to join us? We¡¯re going to a dessert shop that''s been popular lately.¡± Dessert, huh¡­ I like my liquor, but I also like sweets too. So I''d like to go. Cyril does know her stuff and is very selective of places that have good reputations. But...even still¡­ Henry: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t me joining you guys be a little too unnatural?¡± It would be one thing if it was a date, but a guy, and a pretty large, fit guy at that, following a 16 and 14 year old into a dessert shop would look peculiar to the average person. Teo: ¡°There is no one who would be concerned about that.¡± Cyril: ¡°Teo¡¯s right! You don¡¯t have anything to worry about.¡± ¡­¡­..well, I guess they¡¯re right. Henry: ¡°Then I will happily join your company.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes! Then let¡¯s go!¡± Cyril balls up her fist in a celebratory manner and hurries Teo and I forward. I return the book I was reading to the shelves, and hurry after Cyril and Teo who seem to be on the verge of running off. We leave the library and walk onto the main street it faces and head west. Cyril: ¡°So today? we¡¯re going to a cake shop that makes a very special cake during the Fliwer Festival season. They use a plethora of edible candied flower petals, and unlike other flower decorations that are just for looks, this one apparently tastes great!¡± Henry: ¡°Nice?¡± Teo: ¡°I wonder if they use flowers that wasn¡¯t suitable for decorations.¡± Teo gives out a sharp deduction. Now that she says that, it makes sense. This town is full of flower decorations, but I¡¯m sure there are lots of flowers that lose their petals, and cannot be used any more. Cyril: ¡°Well, we''ll. Let¡¯s not think too hard about that and just enjoy the cake!¡± Cyril¡¯s in a really good mood and is skipping as she walks. Even taking away my personal bias since I know her, she is cute, but I still can¡¯t believe that she is¡­..well, I guess I can¡¯t be for certain. The words of the book cross my mind, and I shake my head to stop thinking about it. I already decided to act like I didn''t see that. Henry: ¡°If it¡¯s that good, maybe I¡¯ll order 2 or 3.¡± Cyril: ¡°Wow? I wish I was as rich as you, Henry. Why not buy me one too?¡± Henry: ¡°Nope.¡± And Cyril is disappointed at my answer with an "awww?". Cyril excitedly points out our destination as we arrive at the cake shop and¡­. Well, let¡¯s just eat something delicious to help me forget. It turned out that because it¡¯s a limited time special cake, the number they sell per day is also limited, and they were sold out before the morning was over. Cyril and Teo had their hopes dashed pretty badly, and needless to say, I was really disappointed too. At the very least, their regular cakes were good too, so we¡¯ll reschedule to come back did their special cake some time later. CH 57 Chapter 57: The Start of the Flower Festival and the Hero Day 1 of the Flower Festival - Morning. We were blessed with nice weather, and we spent the day under a refreshing autumn sky. We are in the Main Square where the Opening Ceremony was being held. The Governor held a voice-amplifying Magecraft Artifact and stood upon the stage that our party helped build. He¡¯s currently giving a cheerful welcome speech to the crowd. He spoke about how thankful he was to begin another Flower Festival. How he wanted everyone to enjoy it. And finally invited the crowd to sing with him the traditional song sung to the True Dragon according to legends. His speech was relatively short. Alvare: ¡°And now, I would like to proudly announce the start of our annual Flower Festival!¡± With that, a sudden cheer erupted from all those gathered in the Town Square. Feeling the energy of everyone around me, I lifted my arm and cheered with them. Cyril was also equally excited as I am and was cheering with me. Cyril: ¡°Wow¡« I love the energy during festivals! I¡¯m so excited!¡± Henry: ¡°Aren¡¯t you always excited about something?¡± Cyril: ¡°Excuse you. I¡¯m not that childish.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.I wonder¡­.I feel like Cyril¡¯s still 70% a child but¡­. Henry: ¡°Well, what do you want to do now? Do you want to go around the different stands until our meeting time?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, let¡¯s¡« I didn¡¯t eat breakfast this morning, so let¡¯s go find something to eat first.¡± Looks like she wants to start off the morning enjoying one of the main luxuries of Festivals which is the food stands. Henry: ¡°........still a kid¡«¡± Cyril: ¡°What?¡± Henry: ¡°Nothing.¡± I shrug as Cyril glares at me. Cyril: ¡°Well, whatever. Let¡¯s go.¡± The crowd in the Main Square gradually disperses, and we didn¡¯t have any trouble leaving the area. Cyril: ¡°I hope everyone else is enjoying the festival¡«¡± Henry: ¡°They should be fine.¡± Today, it¡¯s just Cyril and me. During the Flower Festival, there¡¯s special events for couples, so Jend and Ferris are on a date. Teo¡¯s family runs a merchant business, so she is helping out her family today. ¡­¡­.but I think she made plans with Lana, who is also working today, to go out together during their break. So, that¡¯s why it¡¯s just Cyril and I. Honestly, she could have gone out to the Festival with one of her friends that¡¯s not in our Adventurer Party, but¡­.. Cyril: ¡°So what time was Ms. Charlotte arriving here today?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re meeting around 3 in the afternoon.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.today, we¡¯ll be welcoming Ms. Lotte. Her Live Performance is going to be near the end of the Flower Festival on the night of the 6th day, but she wants to enjoy the festival herself and is coming earlier. Publicly, her schedule says that she¡¯ll be entering Flowtier on the evening of the 5th day. She sent a letter saying that she¡¯ll run over here as soon as she finishes her last job before Flowtier, so please take care of her when she arrives. Cyril: ¡°Fu fu fu¡­.if it¡¯s a grand tour of the Flower Festival, leave it to me. I¡¯ve been attending the Flower Festival since I was a child, so I know all the hot attractions and secret must-try locations.¡± Henry: ¡°......well, technically it was a Quest personally designated to me but¡«¡± Cyril: ¡°Why not? We¡¯re helping each other out, and I want to meet this famous celebrity in person.¡± Well, it saves me a lot of trouble to be honest. I¡¯m sure Ms. Lotte designated that Quest to me because we¡¯ve known each other in the past, but if it¡¯s just a tour, then Cyril is a better person for the job than me. Besides, this is my very first Flower Festival. And I would really like to introduce Ms. Lotte to the group. I should be able to arrange a time to let Jend and the rest meet her some time this week. Cyril: ¡°Well, now that that¡¯s settled, let¡¯s go find some food. I saw some caramelized apples on the way here that I really want to try!¡± Henry: ¡°Okay okay. Do what you want.¡± Of course, I¡¯m buying one too! <<<<>>>> Cyril: ¡°ooooohhhh¡­.that was so good¡«¡± Henry: ¡°You ate way too much.¡± We weaved our way through the Flower Festival for the last 2 hours. We were a little tired of walking and decided to rest on a bench that was open. But we really did eat a lot. We started with the caramelized apples, cotton candy, fried noodles, fried potatoes, and continued on. We shared the servings, and Cyril ate a considerable amount. Henry: ¡°You usually don¡¯t eat that much, but you really pushed yourself this time¡­¡± Cyril: ¡°.......that¡¯s because you would make me work out so much that my appetite would be gone.¡± Cyril had the accusatory ¡°You Ogre Instructor¡± look on her face. But yeah, I was strict when training her, but I¡¯m not that bad compared to other instructors. If you go to any large town, there will be an instructor at the Church that will train new Adventurers, and around 30% of them will have their spirits crushed by the end of the first day. Henry: ¡°But putting that aside¡­¡± Cyril: ¡°I really wish you would be more considerate in that area, but what is it?¡± Henry: ¡°This town is usually full of flowers, but it¡¯s definitely different during the festival.¡± There¡¯s an archway covered in flowers, and all the stands outside are also heavily decorated in flowers. The rooftops also have plenty of flower decorations. But it¡¯s surprising that none of it seems too excessive. I¡¯m not sure if anyone is calculating it, but the colors are well balanced. The various kinds of flowers all merge to create this perfume-like aroma all around the city. Cyril: ¡®¡¯Yes, for this season specifically, we have a lot of neighboring towns growing flowers for us. This city really has abundant resources. There are plenty of other cities and regions where growing enough food is a challenge. But I think I remember hearing that certain types of flowers grown on fallow lands serve as fertilizer to revitalize the ground. I¡¯m not certain though. Cyril: ¡°There¡¯s lots of different events too. There is a contest to choose a woman who is most beautiful next to a flower¡­¡­.well, I guess it¡¯s just a beauty contest in the end.¡± Henry: ¡°I see¡­¡± A Beauty Contest, huh. Those are typical for these kinds of festivals. Handsome men and beautiful women gather lots of attention and people talk about the contests after the festival is done. Henry: ¡°Then why don¡¯t you participate?¡± Cyril: ¡°Huh¡­..?¡± Henry: ¡°Well, I mean, I think you¡¯ll make it pretty far.¡± I just said this without thinking¡­ And then soon regretted it. I was being sincere with my comment but¡­ Cyril: ¡°Ohhhh¡­.wow, that¡¯s rare, Henry! I¡¯ll happily accept your compliment, and I¡¯ll share one of these candied petals with you.¡± Ack, see? She immediately gets on her high horse. I¡¯ve gotten used to her personality, and that was a slip of the tongue. Henry: ¡°Ya¡«y¡± I go ahead and accept one of the candied petals. Oh, it¡¯s good. Henry: ¡°Alright, what do you want to do next?¡± Cyril: ¡°Let¡¯s see. Do you want to go see the flower displays? There¡¯s a Flower Arrangement Art in the Rishu culture, and they use flowers and various plants to create interesting art.¡± Huh, interesting. I think I¡¯ve heard of that before. But if it¡¯s something like that, we could go after we meet up with Ms. Lotte too. As I think about it, I look at the crowds passing by. Flowtier itself has a pretty large population considering how far up north we are, but I think there¡¯s 5 times more people now than usual. Henry: ¡°Oh, Beastmen. That¡¯s rare.¡± I see in the distance a Beastmen with fox ears and a tail. You usually only see pure human beings in the Flowtier area, so it drew my attention. Cyril: ¡°Hm? Ohhh...yes, during the Flower Festival season, there¡¯s many tourists, and you will usually see a person of mixed race here and there.¡± The Elves live in the Great Forest of Selena within the Theocratic Republic of Salaiz. The Beastmen have their own territories within different countries. The Dwarves who live in the [The Mountains of the Most Honored God of the Mines] in the Empire of Varsaldi. The free roaming Halflings, full of curiosity, journey through many lands. ¡­¡­...And we¡¯re currently at war with the Country the Demons built, Izanztier, so we¡¯ll leave that out for now. But these representative groups of different races do not reside around Flowtier for mostly geographical reasons. Even the Halflings that travel to most places do not find anything particular special about a city way out in this rural country, so they ignore this location. For that reason, since coming to Flowtier, I¡¯m seeing a lot of different races for the first time. Cyril: ¡°Is that a Halfling?¡± Henry: ¡°Maybe¡«¡± There¡¯s a pretty small person with a hood over their head buying a crepe at a food stand. If they were human, they should have a parent around, so being alone, I assume they¡¯re probably a halfling¡­¡­¡­...wait¡­.. Henry: ¡°.......hey¡­¡­.that¡¯s¡­..¡± I¡¯ve seen that hooded cloak before. That color and height¡­.the cloak has [Wind Manipulation], [Recognition Prevention], and [Storage] enchantments - the Epic Godly Equipment ¡°The Wind Spirit''s Robe¡± isn¡¯t it¡­¡­? Oh, the person turned this way and saw me. Cyril: ¡°Henry? Is there something about that person?¡± Because of the Flower Festival, the street is crowded and full of people walking. Because of that, someone will walk across in front of me, but I know that Halfling is looking directly back at me. We look at each other for a moment, but then¡­. Another person walked passed me, and I suddenly lost sight of the Halfling completely. Cyril: ¡°Huh?!¡± Cyril, who also had her eyes on the Halfling jumps up in surprise. I can¡¯t believe I lost sight of the Halfling at this distance even within a crowd¡­. We were only like that for a few seconds at most. ¡°SURPRISE!!!¡± Henry: ¡°WHOA?!¡± Cyril: ¡°EEK!!¡± The Halfling suddenly appeared below our feet, and jumped right into our faces to scare us. I accidentally let out an embarrassing scream. ¡­¡­¡­..dangit. I should have guessed what would happen next. She was very pleased with our reactions. ¡°.......he he he, sorry sorry. It was just a prank. Please forgive, forgive.¡± She apologizes in a pleased tone. She teasingly sticks her tongue out with us, and turning off the [Recognition Prevention], the face I saw underneath the hood, was exactly who I thought it was. She definitely has the cute looks of a super-star celebrity. Her large round eyes were jiggling with delight. Henry: ¡°Ms. Lotte¡­...you should stop acting so childish.¡± Although a regular child wouldn¡¯t be able to close in that fast from that far away! She probably approached us using the crossing pedestrians as walls and judging from how no one is making a fuss about it, she did it without them even knowing. ¡­¡­..I know that sounds crazy. How could you possibly do that in a random river of people? But that¡¯s why she¡¯s called the singing, dancing superstar celebrity, one of the cornerstones of the 8 Heroes of Legend - that is Charlotte Fine. Charlotte: ¡°Hey, hey, Henry. Forgive me, son. It¡¯s been too long.¡± Henry: ¡°.......yes, it has been a while, Ms. Lotte.¡± I greet her. And something triggered her joy as she merrily laughed. Charlotte: ¡°Look at you! I can see so much has changed! Before Gilverte, you always had a scowl, and after that was all over, you sat around with a dead look in your eyes!¡± ¡­¡­..dead eyes? Really? Oh c¡¯mon! It couldn¡¯t have been that bad. Cyril: ¡°Ummm¡­¡± Charlotte: ¡°Oh, hello! Are you one of Henry¡¯s friends? I¡¯m Charlotte. Nice to meet you.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, yes. My name is Cyril. It is a pleasure making your acquaintance.¡± Cyril shakes hands with Ms. Lotte. ¡­¡­¡­.alright. Let¡¯s just get out of here before someone realizes that it¡¯s Ms. Lotte and causes a scene. CH 58 Chapter 58: The First Day of the Flower Festival Halfling. Their lifespan is slightly greater than humans averaging around 100 years old. They grow up the same way human children would until they¡¯re about 10 years old. After that, their growth stops, and they stay looking the same until their death. In general, they are easy going, optimistic, and full of curiosity. Many live their lives going from one journey to another. Many are merchants or traveling artists and bards, and some make a living as an Adventurer. You would run into many Halfling Adventurers in Ligaleo. And as Adventurers, they are dominantly Scouts for parties. And the Halfling who is licking on a lollipop and sitting next to me is Ms. Lotte - the uncontested champion of all Halfling Adventurers. ¡­..but her role itself is a Martial Art Sorcerer which is even rare among her kind. Henry: ¡°So Ms. Lotte, you¡¯re here much earlier than scheduled, but did something happen?¡± Charlotte: ¡°Nope. I simply haven¡¯t run at my full speed in so long, and it was so fun that before I knew it, I arrived here this morning.¡± Henry: ¡°Is that right¡­¡­¡± This person here ran too?! Cyril: ¡°She¡¯s just like Miss Ageha.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Oh, you know Ageha? That girl is also showing so much promise. But I think she¡¯s a little too obsessed with the neck-chopping thing.¡± Henry: ¡°Cyril, just FYI. Ms. Lotte is even faster than Ageha¡­.¡± Ageha has the advantage of Stealth Skills and the primal instinct to sniff out your weakness, but in all other aspects, she is behind Ms. Lotte. Charlotte: ¡°Ha ha, just give her 10 years, and she¡¯ll exceed me soon enough. You too, Henry.¡± 10 years¡­¡­..? I¡¯m not sure about that. Ms. Lotte will also get 10 years of time, and I¡¯m fairly certain that she¡¯ll get even stronger by then. Cyril: ¡°Wo¡«w, she¡¯s so small in person, but she really is a Hero of Legend¡«¡± Charlotte: ¡°What, you want to see my Hero Tag?¡± With a jingle, Ms. Lotte pulls out the tag dangling from her neck and shows the Orihalcon-made Hero of Legend Adventurer Tag. The Orihalcon is a metal that doesn¡¯t age, so just like Ageha¡¯s, it still looks brand new. But Ms. Lotte got hers 20 years ago. I was still a baby, and Cyril wasn¡¯t even born. ¡­¡­.in comparison, Ageha received hers 2 years ago, and Yuu received hers 3 years ago, so that should tell you how long she¡¯s been doing this. Before the Demon King appeared, it was Ms. Lotte, Sir Ezeal, Mr. Riol, and one more person, and it was the 4 Heroes of Legend. There¡¯s only a handful of ages where 4 Heroes of Legend appeared in history, but right now, we have double that. Of course, most of it is due to having more opportunities to be able to accomplish feats of valor¡­..but because of that, the difference in experience between the new Heroes of Legend and the original Heroes of Legend is immense. Cyril: ¡°But now that I met her¡­¡­.she¡¯s so calm. When I heard she¡¯s a superstar celebrity, I thought she would be more¡­...you know¡­¡­.¡± Charlotte: ¡°You thought I would be more perky and energetic?¡± Cyril: ¡°Well, to put it bluntly¡­¡­.yes¡­..¡± Charlotte: ¡°I see. Of course, during a live performance, you¡¯ll see me put on a stage personality. I still consider myself pretty young and rambunctious at heart though.¡± Well, there are times when you can sense her age¡­¡­¡­¡­.but I¡¯m keeping my mouth shut about that. Cyril: ¡°Oh, are we okay since you turned off the [Recognition Prevention]?¡± Ms. Lotte¡¯s Godly Equipment, the [Wind Spirit¡¯s Robe] has an [Recognition Prevention] attribute. It¡¯s actually one of the easiest abilities to help you commit crimes, but for Ms. Lotte who is super-famous, she¡¯s able to move around freely without causing a scene everywhere she goes, so she takes great care of it. ¡­¡­¡­...there¡¯s even books dedicated to Ms. Lotte¡¯s pictures. A photo machine is expensive, but when you¡¯re this famous, you get a lot of photos taken of you. Charlotte: ¡°Hmmm? Wouldn¡¯t it be strange to walk beside someone whose face you can¡¯t see? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure that my face is hidden from anyone¡¯s line of sight.¡± Cyril: ¡°H©`How¡­.?¡± Charlotte: ¡°What? It¡¯s easy. Identify all the people who can see you, and then when they turn towards you, you turn your face away.¡± ¡­...no, I think she means how do you even manage that¡­.. But yeah, let¡¯s not. If you want to talk about Skills alone, she¡¯s above Sir Ezeal, and I don¡¯t think I would ever understand someone speaking on that level. Charlotte: ¡°But they really outdone themselves this time. The turnout was a little sad at the last Flower Festival I attended, but it¡¯s so lively this year! The new Governor is really doing a good job!¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s right. We heard you attended a Flower Festival in the past.¡± Charlotte: ¡°It was about 30 years ago, so my memory is a little fuzzy on the details, but I don''t remember there being so many flowers. Back then, the festival wasn¡¯t this popular, and they let me sing on a small stage.¡± Ms. Lotte recalls the memory fondly. ¡­...it looks odd to see someone who looks so young act with so much maturity, but that¡¯s just a human perspective, and something normal for Ms. Lorre. Henry: ¡°Ms. Lotte, you became famous around¡­..¡± Charlotte: ¡°It was after I became a Hero of Legend. It was silly how many people flipped their opinion of me at that time. Now, I¡¯m more famous as a Singer Celebrity than a Hero, and I can only say this in hindsight, but I¡¯m glad it ended up this way.¡± Yeah, no matter how good your songs are, if there is no audience, there¡¯s no recognition. Once she was acknowledged as a Hero of Legend, word spread that there¡¯s a Hero that sings, and from there, people paid more attention to her. Charlotte: ¡°......oh, wait here.¡± Ms. Lotte stopped in her tracks. I wondered what happened when she disappeared into an alleyway in between buildings. Henry: ¡°Ms. Lotte? Is something the matter?¡± I followed quickly after her, and there I saw a child hunkered down and crying. I could hear him hiccup and cry. Charlotte: ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong? Are you lost?¡± ¡°.......ye¡­..yeah¡­..my mom¡­..¡± Charlotte: ¡°I see. Hey, I¡¯ll help you look for her. C¡¯mon, stand up. Aren¡¯t you a big boy?¡± The child looks to be around 5 or 6 years old. He wipes away his tears on his arms and stands up. Henry: ¡°Ms. Lotte, I¡¯m amazed that you were able to hear him.¡± Charlotte: ¡°I could hear people cry since I can remember. When I first met you, I heard you really well too.¡± Um, I don¡¯t think I was crying then? But¡­.yeah¡­.there¡¯s something about the way she said it that was so convincing. She just had this aura of authority about her. Cyril: ¡°Umm...well...I think if we take him to one of the festival¡¯s coordinators, they¡¯ll take care of him until his mother is found.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Then let¡¯s take a quick look around first. If we don¡¯t find her, we can take him there. Is that okay with you, son?¡± Ms. Lotte smiles cheerfully at the boy. The boy stares at Ms. Lotte for a second and then nods his head. We decide to look for his mom in the nearby street and start walking in that direction. The boy began to sniffle a little but¡­ Charlotte: ¡°¡«¡«?¡¡¡«?¡± Ms. Lotte starts humming a tune. It¡¯s a popular children¡¯s song. And although I¡¯ve heard it many times, there¡¯s something about the way she sings it¡­...that¡¯s very calming to hear. Is it because she¡¯s a professional? The boy also feels the calming sensations in the song, and his downcast expressions brightens almost immediately. Charlotte: ¡°Do you know this song? You want to sing it together?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± She holds the boy¡¯s hand, and Ms. Lotte repeats the tune. The boy sings along clumsily but keeps up with Ms. Lotte¡¯s humming. The people around smile as if to look at a brother and sister. People are chuckling, and as they pass by, their hearts warmed at the scene. Cyril: ¡°......from here, she just looks like a normal, good person. Is she really a Hero of Legend?¡± Cyril whispers to me quietly. Yeah, I¡¯m glad she¡¯s starting to get a deeper understanding of the Heroes of Legend. Henry: ¡°Ms. Lotte is short and small, but out of all the Heroes, she¡¯s the most reasonable and understanding.¡± True, she is a Hero of Legend AND also superstar celebrity, and at that point, you can tell that she¡¯s got a strong personality, but besides that. And, I meant it as a compliment but¡­. Charlotte: ¡°For people who call me small¡­...take this!¡± Ms. Lotte finishes her song, and punches the air with the back of her fist towards me. Ms. Lotte is standing at least 2 meters (6.5 ft) ahead of me, and it shouldn''t reach but¡­. Henry: ¡°WHOA?!¡± A mass of air just hit me in the face!! Cyril: ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°She hit me with a fistful of air¡­.¡± It didn¡¯t hurt, but it startled me. Cyril: ¡°Fistful¡­..of air?¡± Yeah, I know, right? Even I wouldn¡¯t understand what I¡¯m saying¡­..but if Ms. Lotte uses her full force, she can use this to defeat a Lower-Tier Demon from 10 meters (32.8 ft) away. (sigh).......I need to be more careful about what I say. <<<<>>>> We found the boy¡¯s mother soon afterwards. And the mother was shocked to find out that it was Ms. Lotte. She thanked her over and over, and Ms. Lotte kindly extended an invitation to come see her live performance on the night of the 6th Day, and we parted ways. Henry: ¡°Alright, Ms. Lotte.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Yeah, CHEERS!¡± That night, after we walked Cyril back to the Governor¡¯s mansion, Ms. Lotte and I were celebrating our reunion with a drink. Charlotte: ¡°(chug chug chug)..............(exhale!) It¡¯s so good! Another ale please!¡± The Bear¡¯s Keg Inn was busier and more crowded than usual, but Ms. Lotte chugs down her ale in one go, and asks Lana who is busy running around the restaurant for another glass. Lana: ¡°Yes ma¡¯am! Please give us a minute! Mr. Henry, do you want seconds?!¡± Henry: ¡°Yup, yes please.¡± I drink the rest of the ale at the bottom of my mug, and give the cup back to Lana. Charlotte: ¡°Wow¡« You¡¯re inn is so nice, Henry! I wish I was staying here tonight¡«¡± Henry: ¡°Where are you staying, Ms. Lotte?¡± Charlotte: ¡°I¡¯m staying at the Golden Branch Inn. Luna came here first and got me the reservation.¡± Oh, Ms. Luna. She¡¯s¡­¡­.Ms. Lotte¡¯s secretary or¡­..maybe business negotiator? Anyways, she¡¯s that kind of person that looks after Ms. Lotte. Ms. Luna will take care of all the inn arrangements, and Ms. Lotte also dumped all the business meetings on Ms. Luna too. I¡¯ve only met her a couple of times in the past. Henry: ¡°Where¡¯s Ms. Luna now?¡± Charlotte: ¡°By now, I think she¡¯ll be finalizing the plans for the Live Performance on the 6th Day with the festival coordinators¡« maybe?¡± HenrY: ¡°...........Ms. Lotte, are you sure that you don¡¯t have to be there at that meeting?¡± Charlotte: ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to arrive here till later, so showing up there would just cause more confusion, right? Besides, I¡¯m only good for singing and dancing, so it¡¯s best to let Luna handle it.¡± Ms. Lotte mischievously smiles and sticks out her tongue. I feel bad for Ms. Luna¡­¡­ Luna: ¡°Here¡¯s the refill for your ales! And here¡¯s 2 servings of the sausages.¡± Luna brings the food with the ale. Henry: ¡°Ohhhh, here it is. Ms. Lotte, the sausages here are the best.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Ohhhhh, I¡¯m looking forward to trying some then¡­¡± I take a large bite out of the sausage, and as always, it¡¯s juicy deliciousness goes well with the ale. Ms. Lotte loved them and ordered more. And we ate, we drank, ate, drank, and drank and drank some more. Ms. Lotte couldn¡¯t hold back any longer and began singing where she sat, and the people around recognized her and¡­.. A pleasant night passed with a long-time friend just like that. CH 59 Chapter 59: My Friends Today The Flower Festival Day 2. As I guessed, yesterday, after the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn was closed, the overly excited Ms. Lotte shouted, ¡°To the next we go¡«!¡± and she took me around multiple taverns. ¡­¡­...because of the festival, many businesses decided to extend their business hours, and she made me drink till the sun rose. Henry: ¡°........ugh¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Charlotte: ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon Henry! What¡¯s with you!¡± I keep myself from hurling last nights drinks. Henry: ¡°.......anyone would feel this way after a night like yesterday¡­.¡± It was past noon. Ms. Lotte, who drank as much or even more than I did, came and woke me up. My head pounded from the hangover, and my stomach was outraged by last night¡¯s treatment, and I held my stomach as we walked the city streets. Charlotte: ¡°It¡¯s almost our promised meeting time¡­.fine¡­..here, take this.¡± And Ms. Lotte looks through her robes and brings out a small ball the size of a pinky. Henry: ¡°What is that¡­.?¡± Charlotte: ¡°It¡¯s a Halfling Medication for hangovers that¡¯s been passed down the Fine Family Lineage. Here, you can have some of my water.¡± Henry: ¡°Th©`thank you¡­¡± It was a hard, spherical medicine¡­. I threw the black ball into my mouth¡­¡­.UGH, IT¡¯S BITTER!! I hurriedly gulp down the water from her water bottle. ¡­¡­¡­..ugh¡­¡­¡­.I can still taste the bitterness in my mouth¡­.¡± Charlotte: ¡°It¡¯s a stinging sort of bitterness that wakes you up, right?¡± Henry: ¡°....you could have warned me¡­.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Sorry, sorry. But that medicine works really well. You¡¯ll feel better in about half an hour.¡± Well, if it¡¯s like that, I guess it can¡¯t be helped. We walk through the very crowded main streets of the festival. Although it''s difficult to walk with so many people around, Ms. Lotte is weaving through them effortlessly. She is even humming a song and seems to be in high spirits. Charlotte: ¡°Look at all this! I love festivals. I don¡¯t get to enjoy them much, but there¡¯s so many people having fun here.¡± Henry: ¡°I guess you attend festivals as a job more often than just for leisure.¡± Charlotte: ¡°There¡¯s that, but it¡¯s never fun going to a festival alone. Luna doesn¡¯t like crowded, busy places, so she won¡¯t ever come to these things with me.¡± Oh really? I didn¡¯t know that. Henry: ¡°I would think you would have many people you know, Ms. Lotte.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Sure, I know plenty, but even my kinsmen never stay in one place long, so it¡¯s rare that I bump into them.¡± Henry: ¡°Any Adventurers then?¡± Charlotte: ¡°I¡¯ve been doing things on my own for a while now.¡± Ohhhh, yeah, I didn¡¯t think about that. She has to keep touring different parts of the country to keep up her celebrity fame, so she really wouldn¡¯t be able to work with most Adventurers who settle down in a single area for long periods of time. Charlotte: ¡°All my old Adventurer friends either retired to the countryside or passed away.¡± Henry: ¡°..........I see¡­..¡± Charlotte: ¡°Yup. The only human I knew from way back and is still active is Ezeal. But I guess he¡¯s a Knight now.¡± Oh yeah, Sir Ezeal started off as an Adventurer in the beginning, and he told me that he became a Knight in his 30¡¯s. Charlotte: ¡°I know many in Ligaleo but¡­¡­...I guess, over there, every day is a Carnival Day, now that I think about it.¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s true but not funny¡­¡­.¡± Yeah, it¡¯s as noisy and busy like this Flower Festival¡­. But instead of flowers, there¡¯s other red things that bloom all the time. To put it bluntly, there¡¯s blood spraying everywhere. But Ligaleo, huh¡­¡­. The daily fights are almost a distant past that I can look back nostalgically. Every day, someone got hurt or died. We fought tooth and nail to preserve our lives, and I don¡¯t regret retiring back here in the countryside but¡­¡­. Henry: ¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t say this kind of stuff, but was it really okay for me to leave?¡± ¡­¡­..oh crap. I accidentally spoke my thoughts out loud. It¡¯s a concern that I would never be able to say to Sir Ezeal or Ageha who¡¯s still fighting on the frontlines, and because Ms. Lotte who is just as strong as Sir Ezeal doesn¡¯t fight there year around, I accidentally let my tongue slip. Charlotte: ¡°......don¡¯t get so cocky, son.¡± Yup. I knew it was coming, but she cut me off just like that. Charlotte: ¡°How many Knights and Adventurers do you think are there? Yeah, Henry, you¡¯re strong. But the folks there aren¡¯t so flimsy that one person leaving cripples them.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.yes, very true. When I was first leaving Ligaleo, she told me the exact same thing as my friends. I really haven¡¯t matured at all since then. Charlotte: ¡°Besides, that place isn¡¯t somewhere where someone with no motivation can survive for long.¡± Henry: ¡°.......yes, that¡¯s true.¡± I left there because I couldn¡¯t see any reason to keep fighting with my life on the line. Very clearly, I also felt that ¡°Oh, if I don¡¯t leave soon, I¡¯m going to slip and die.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Well, it¡¯s a festival, Henry! We¡¯ll leave all the depressing stories behind us for now. Look, they¡¯re giving out free alcohol from the Governor over there.¡± Henry: ¡°You¡¯re still going to drink?!¡± I¡¯m still hungover from yesterday so I¡¯ll pass. I¡¯ll look forward to the next time. Charlotte: ¡°If you want to spill out some complaints, I can listen to you tonight if you want.¡± Henry: ¡°.......thank you.¡± Yeah, she¡¯s taking care of me as always like the old days. <<<<>>>> Charlotte: ¡°Is this the house of one of your Party members, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes. It¡¯s the Sagiri Merchant Group¡¯s Flowtier location¡­...didn¡¯t I talk to you about this already? Ageha¡¯s relations run the store.¡± Charlotte: ¡°¡®Course I remember. ¡­¡­.oh, look at that. They¡¯re selling some interesting stuff.¡± The Sagiri Store handles many rare imported goods from Rishu. But during the festival, they take up the opportunity to setup a food stand in front of their store, and there¡¯s a sweet aroma in the air. I take a quick glance, and I see that they¡¯re cooking something over a grill. It¡¯s some sort of round food. I think I remember Ageha making some from scratch. She called it ¡°Dango¡±. The ones Ageha made incorporated some sort of edible grass and made it a green color, but Teo¡¯s family is serving white Dango¡¯s with a syrup covering it. The syrupy parts that are slightly burnt give off an amazing scent, and it looks delicious. Teo seems to be busy helping her family, so I didn¡¯t greet her directly and just nodded at her briefly from afar. Charlotte: ¡°.....that looks good. Henry¡« Can you get some for me¡«?¡± Henry: ¡°There¡¯s a ton of people in line though¡­.¡± Maybe it¡¯s the delicious smelling aroma or because it¡¯s not a food usually served in this area, but there¡¯s a crowd of customers who are pressing in, and there¡¯s a long wait before you can be served. Charlotte: ¡°But you¡¯re the one responsible for my Quest, right?¡± That¡¯s true. Right now, I¡¯m on a Quest to tour(?)....guide(?)....Ms. Lotte around the Flower Festival. Henry: ¡°......I feel like standing in line in your place is outside the scope of the Quest¡­..¡± Charlotte: ¡°GAH! Stop bickering and get in line!¡± Ow¡­. She kicks me in the butt and sends me off on an errand. ¡­¡­¡­..that¡¯s right. Ms. Lotte is the type to delegate tasks she doesn¡¯t want to do. But she will pour all her strength into things she loves to do. She sent me to stand in line, and then told me ¡°I¡¯ll walk around a bit¡«¡± and left me. ¡­¡­.hmmmmm, she¡¯s basically paying so I don¡¯t have complaints there but¡­...I¡¯m so bored just standing in line. I don¡¯t even have anyone to talk to. I stand there mindlessly as I wait for the line to move. And maybe it was about 5 minutes later. I saw some familiar faces come towards me. Cyril: ¡°Oh! He¡«y, Henry! Good morn¡­.wait, I guess it¡¯s good afternoon now.¡± Jend: ¡°Hey Henry.¡± Ferris: ¡°Hello, Mr. Henry.¡± Cyril had a promise with Teo to meet with her, but Jend and Ferris were with her too. Henry: ¡°What? Jend, Ferris, weren¡¯t you two on a date today too?¡± Jend: ¡°.....well, yeah. We are, and we heard good things about the Dango they sell here, so we wanted to drop by.¡± Ferris: ¡°And while we were on our way, we met Cyril but¡­¡­.um¡­..Mr. Henry¡­...is Little Charu¡­..¡± Ferris whispers the end of her sentence at a barely audible level. ¡­¡­...so at the very least, she has the sense to not throw her boyfriend to the side to chase down her most beloved celebrity during the festival, but¡­..she¡¯s only barely keeping herself at bay. Henry: ¡°She didn¡¯t want to wait in line, so she¡¯s taking a look around this area.¡± Ferris: ¡°Oh, i©`is that so? What do you think, Jend? Since we coincidentally ran into them, shouldn¡¯t we at least say our greetings?¡± Jend: ¡°........ohhhhh, yeah yeah. I was thinking about how I wanted to meet her too.¡± And as we gather and talk, of course, our group will stand out. Since I¡¯m waiting in line, I thought it might cause a fuss and trouble to Teo¡¯s family when Teo peeked her head out from near the food stand. With quick steps, she approached us. Teo: ¡°Hello everyone. I¡¯m on break now, so would you like to come inside instead of talking out here?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, Teo, so I¡¯m on an urgent, critical mission to purchase your Dango¡­.¡± Well, I guess it¡¯s not urgent or important, but Ms. Lotte asked so¡­. Teo: ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, we have test products that are slightly out of shape inside that you can have. If you warm it up, it really shouldn¡¯t taste that different from our main product.¡± ¡­¡­¡­...all that time I wasted waiting in line¡­.. And as we talked, Ms. Lotte came back. I can¡¯t even start explaining how she¡¯s able to walk through that crowd without anyone noticing her, but she¡¯s visible to my group. Ferris: ¡°.....!!!!!!!!!! LITTLE CHA©`©`¡± Jend: ¡°CALM DOWN, FERRIS!¡± Jend holds Ferris back by the shoulders. Good job, Jend¡« Keep her under control¡« Charlotte: ¡°Wow, it got lively while I was gone.¡± Henry: ¡°These are my other party members. Ms. Lotte, Teo is inviting us to step inside, so let¡¯s take her offer. They have Dango waiting for us inside too.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Ohh! That¡¯s great! Thank you.¡± Ms. Lotte bows politely to Teo, and Teo bows back. ¡­¡­..well, I wanted to introduce the group to Ms. Lotte during the Flower Festival, so this is great that I was able to do so earlier than expected. Better sooner than later, I guess. <<<<>>>> Teo: ¡°Here¡¯s your tea.¡± Henry: ¡°Thanks, Teo.¡± I sip the tea Teo served. It¡¯s green tea. It¡¯s popular in the Rishu area, and the tea leaves processing is different from regular tea, but the source is all the same. Because of that, it¡¯s been made and distributed around here. It¡¯s a bit bitter, but when served with the sweet Dango, there¡¯s an incredible balance in taste that¡¯s hard to express. You just can¡¯t help but sigh at the combination and relax a little in satisfaction. Charlotte: ¡°Well, let¡¯s get introductions out of the way. I¡¯m Charlotte Fine. There¡¯s some who already know me here, but I received a Hero of Legend Title as an Adventurer. But my main job is a Bard.¡± As she enjoyed the tea and Dango, Ms. Lotte opened up the conversation. Charlotte: ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and add the Adventurer¡¯s side of things. I sing to buff my allies and favor bare-handed combat. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have a chance to team up, but it¡¯s nice to meet you all.¡± Cyril already made her introduction yesterday, so there¡¯s three left but¡­.. Henry: ¡°......ummmm, Ferris. We¡¯re doing introductions but¡­..are you going to be okay?¡± Ferris: ¡°HA! Mr. Henry. Don¡¯t underestimate me. I am most definitely a huge fan of Ms. Charlotte, but as a fan, I would never think to do anything that would cause her any trouble.¡± ¡­¡­.then why are you suppressing those arms down as they tremble¡­¡­ She realizes the shaking and tries to hold it down with one hand but¡­¡­.everyone already noticed¡­.(sigh).... Ferris: ¡°Oh, umm, yes. I¡¯m Ferris. I¡¯m a Warrior with Healing responsibilities. So um, I¡¯ve been a fan of Ms. Charlotte from a while back. It¡¯s a huge honor to be able to meet you like this.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Of course I remember you. You came to every one of my Live Performances in Centralio. You¡¯re the girl that would always wave your arms till I thought they¡¯d rip off.¡± Ferris: ¡°.......y©`you remembered me?!¡± Charlotte: ¡°Well, um, yeah. ¡­...there¡¯s a ton of passionate fans, but there¡¯s not a lot of young girls, and none were as¡­..energetic as you so¡­..¡± Ms. Lotte is popular with both young and old, men and women. But her looks are that of a young girl. Most of the hardcore fans are dominantly men. ¡­¡­.and there are many women who love Ms. Lotte¡¯s songs, but there¡¯s none that I know that would completely lose their mind like this¡­. Charlotte: ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you after a while so I was worried, but I¡¯m glad you¡¯re doing okay.¡± Ferris: ¡°Yes, thank you so much!!¡± Her replies are too energetic¡« Charlotte: ¡°Are you overflowing with Little Charu Energy¡«!?¡± Ferris: ¡°YE¡«S!!¡± I don¡¯t know if it was a service to her fan, but Ms. Lotte put on her stage voice, and Ferris jumped on board with both hands raised and answered back. ¡­¡­...it doesn¡¯t look strange during a Live Performance and with a huge group of fans, but seeing it done one on one, it made me cringe into a corner. Of course, I don¡¯t want to ruin the moment for Ferris so I keep my mouth shut tight. And I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because Ferris had such a¡­..intense greeting but¡­ Jend: ¡°Oh, I¡¯m Jend. I play the Vanguard.¡± Teo: ¡°I¡¯m Teo. I am the main Scout.¡± The other finished with extremely brief introductions. ¡­¡­¡­.well whatever. Let¡¯s just get on with this, yeah¡­. <<<<>>>> CHONKY Notes LiT (Lost in Translation) Dango (‡â×Ó) Traditional Japanese dessert made from rice flour, and covered in a sauce made from soy sauce and sugar. It has a squishy, sticky, doughy texture. It is a representative dish during many kinds of festivals all around Japan, and the sauce and base rice can be modified by adding certain colorings, flavorings, or additional ingredients (i.e. ¡°yomogi¡± leaves to make it green). The above dango will be seen in samurai shows when a samurai goes to a ¡°tea stand¡± that serves tea and dango (historical accuracy unknown, but it is a popular tv trope). In anime¡¯s they have ¡°full-moon observance¡± (tsuki-mi) (ÔÂÒŠ) - a tradition to observe the full moon together, and the ¡°tsukimi-dango¡± comes out in many animes. Finally, there was a Dango craze and fad when the following ending theme song for Clannad went viral in Japan. CH 60 Chapter 60: Highest-Tier Part 1 Henry: ¡°H©`Hey! Ms. Lotte! What¡¯s wrong all of a sudden!¡± Charlotte: ¡°Ohhh...well, well. It¡¯ll be bothersome to explain twice, so let¡¯s go see the Governor first.¡± Ms. Lotte is walking quickly down the city streets, and my party is hurriedly following behind her. ¡­¡­..just a moment ago, we were drinking tea at Teo¡¯s house and talking with Ms. Lotte. We were talking about expeditions in the Flowtier area, and Ms. Lotte was enjoying listening and nodding to our stories. But when we got to the episode about the Giants, she paused to think for a moment and then asked, ¡°So where¡¯s the Governor right now?¡± Cyril knew the Governor¡¯s schedule and answered her, and with a ¡°I¡¯m going to go talk to him,¡± she left, and now we¡¯re here. Ms. Lotte is walking straight forward with a hard expression on her face. Henry: ¡°.....is it something that bad?¡± Ms. Lotte: ¡°Probably¡­¡­.Henry, you didn¡¯t¡­¡­.ohhhh! You haven¡¯t done any adventuring outside of Ligaleo, huh. That¡¯s right. That¡¯s why¡­.¡± I know it has something to do with the Giants, but that¡¯s all I can tell. But this is Ms. Lotte who has decades more experience than I do. She probably realized something that I wouldn''t have. Cyril: ¡°I wonder what¡¯s gotten into Ms. Charlotte. What do you think, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­..I¡¯m not sure either¡­¡­.¡± I reply to Cyril¡¯s question. But from looking at Ms. Lotte¡¯s reaction, I have my guesses¡­...but it¡¯ll be embarrassing if I¡¯m wrong, so I keep my mouth shut. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Ms. Charlotte! It¡¯s over there. During this time, the Governor will be inspecting the Flower Exhibition.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Yup, I see him.¡± ¡­¡­...we¡¯re still a good ways away. It¡¯s too far to see people¡¯s individual faces, but Ms. Lotte¡¯s eyes captured where the Governor was. She¡¯s not even using binoculars or a scope¡­..her eyes are incredibly sharp. Henry: ¡°But wait, Ms. Lotte, how do you know what the Governor looks like¡­.?¡± Charlotte: ¡°I attended the Opening Ceremony for the Flower Festival.¡± Oh yeah, she said she got here on the morning of the first day. Charlotte: ¡°It¡¯s a pretty urgent matter, but will it be inappropriate to approach him directly?¡± Cyril: ¡°Ohhhh, um...no. It should be okay. The inspection is also doubled as a break period for him.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Wow, Cyril. You¡¯re so well informed.¡± Cyril: ¡°Well, I did have breakfast with the Governor this morning.¡± Ms. Lotte was a little confused at the comment and tilted her head because she didn¡¯t know that Cyril lived at the Governor¡¯s mansion and was adored by him and his wife. But she quickly moved on from the subject with a quick, ¡°oh well.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Whelp, I¡¯m gonna go have a chat with him then.¡± Now we¡¯re close enough that I can see where the Governor is. He was with Lady Asteria, and they were both quietly observing the Flower Exhibition together. And of course, there were also two soldiers nearby as guards. ¡­¡­..but it¡¯s pretty common for the Governor to come out to the city for inspections, so people are noticing, but there¡¯s no one walking up to bother him. As we get closer, the Governor recognizes us. He gently gestured for us to approach him, and our group stood in front of the Governor. Alvare: ¡°Hello everyone. Are you also enjoying the Flower Exhibition as a group?¡± Charlotte: ¡°Oh, no. That is not why we are here. Sir Governor, we have a matter to speak to you about.¡± Alvare: ¡°?! You are©`©`....?!¡± She lifts the hood from her face, and Ms. Lotte reveals her face to the Governor. Of course, the Governor recognizes her identity and startles in surprise. Asteria: ¡°.....well, well. It is an honor to be able to meet the Princess of Songs. I am the wife of Alvare, my name is Asteria.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Thank you for your courteous greeting, your highness. I am Charlotte.¡± Although she is just as surprised, Lady Asteria straightened up her posture and greeted Ms. Lotte, and Ms. Lotte returns the greeting in kind. The Governor sends the guards away to kindly turn away any further guests, and turns around to face Ms. Lotte. Alvare: ¡°Well, hello Ms. Charlotte. I am the Governor of the Flowtier City, Alvare Flowtier.¡± Charlotte: ¡°I am Charlotte Fine, Sir Governor. It is a pleasure making your acquaintance.¡± Alvare: ¡°......I believe your arrival was supposed to be on a later date?¡± Charlotte: ¡°I wanted to personally enjoy the Flower Offering Festival. I did not want to cause you any further trouble, so my assistant told you a false date. I apologize for deceiving you.¡± Although she is courteous, there¡¯s not a hint of remorse in her voice. Then again, she really has kept herself out of trouble so I guess it¡¯s expected of her. Charlotte: ¡°But I would like to add that I have thoroughly enjoyed the festival thus far.¡± Alvare: ¡°I©`I see....if that was your goal, then I am delighted to hear that you¡¯re enjoying the festival¡­¡± The Governor seems confused. And rightly so. Ms. Lotte is a famous singing celebrity, but she¡¯s also spent long years as an Adventurer and over her career, she¡¯s developed many connections and many people owe her favors. You can¡¯t count on one hand the number of times she saved entire cities and lands from peril¡­ There are countless tales of her heroics. She is not a noble, but she also has political sway and power. ¡­¡­.although it¡¯s hard to imagine that from her wild, drunken image from last night. Alvare: ¡°Ms. Charlotte. You do not have to be so formal. I would be ashamed to have a Hero of Legend as yourself be so humble towards a small city Governor as myself.¡± Charlotte: ¡°.......then let us speak frankly.¡± Ms. Lotte smiles and laughs. Charlotte: ¡°Then¡« I¡¯ll be speaking as I usually do, Sir Governor.¡± Alvare: ¡°Yes, and what is it that you wanted to speak about?¡± Charlotte: ¡°Yes. I heard that Henry here defeated some Giants who descended the mountains and were trying to make a Corrupted Magic Territory.¡± Alvare: ¡°Oh, it is about that incident. Yes, that was a critical danger that approached our city. Because of Mr. Henry, we were very fortunate to overcome it without any casualties.¡± I¡¯m a little embarrassed by the recognition. I received the proper reward, and for me, I was only doing my job. Charlotte: ¡°.........my guess is that not all dangers have passed. That is what I wanted to talk to you about.¡± Alvare: ¡°........you have my full attention.¡± So it was about that. I made sure to kill every Giant, so there shouldn¡¯t be any remaining Giants from that incident. Charlotte: ¡°Henry has been an Adventurer in Ligaleo where the entire area is one giant Corrupted Magic Territory and so he may not be aware of this but¡­...it is actually very rare for Demonic Creatures to willfully choose to move to an area of low Magic Corruption and try and expand their territory that way.¡± ¡­¡­.is that so? Charlotte: ¡°Especially for Demonic Creatures with a certain level of intelligence like the Giants, they do not underestimate human beings. They would normally never ruffle the feathers of human cities if it can be helped and live quietly among themselves.¡± That¡¯s true. Even if I wasn¡¯t here, the City Military would have stopped them in their tracks, and while they held the Giants back, they could call for reinforcements from Adventurers and Knight Organizations to take them down completely. Of course, that would come at a high cost and casualties to the Flowtier citizens. Alvare: ¡°So what is it that you suspect?¡± Charlotte: ¡°The Giants must have calculated that even if they step outside their territory, that they should be able to win.¡± Alvare: ¡°.....are there perhaps more Giants at the mountain top?¡± Charlotte: ¡°That is one possibility. But I think the situation is much worse than that.¡± A situation worse than a mountain full of Giants¡­¡­..there can only be one other possibility. Charlotte: ¡°The Highest-Tier Demonic Creature. ¡­¡­..at the mountain top, there is a high possibility that one is nesting there now.¡± <<<<>>>> The Highest-Tier. Between the Upper-Tier, Middle-Tier, and Lower-Tier, within each tier, they are divided into Upper-Class, Middle-Class, and Lower-Class to accurately represent the dangers a Demonic Creature presents. The Highest-Tier is beyond all 9 of those classification. These guys are nothing less of a natural disaster. A small country could be easily destroyed by one of these creatures. They are biological calamities. Even if 100 Upper-Tier, Upper-Class Demonic Creatures gathered together, they would not come close to comparing to the dangers posed by one of the Highest-Tier Demonic Creatures. For an Adventurer, if you can defeat one, you can earn enough rewards to immediately retire, and any country would give you a standing ovation for your accomplishment and fame. ¡­¡­...but this was all before the Demon King appeared. In Ligaleo, they see at least one a week, and the strongest and most capable men and women team up to take them down, so the drops and merit of taking one down have plummeted drastically. ¡­¡­.but even so, it doesn¡¯t mean that they got weaker. All Highest-Tier Demonic Creatures are considered on par with natural disasters, and as a rule, anyone who is not at least a Heroic Warrior-class or higher is not allowed to engage with them. Cyrili: ¡°......is there something THAT scary up on top of Altohern right now?¡± Ms. Lotte received temporary permission to enter the Altohern Mountain, and she will be investigating the Altohern upper regions to mitigate and neutralize all threats. She is speaking candidly to everyone©`©`well, everyone except me about what it¡¯s like to face a Highest-Tier Demonic Creature. And being cautioned so strictly, Cyril and the rest of the group is hesitant on facing this danger. Charlotte: ¡°Well, for now, it¡¯s just a maybe¡« But when I poked around more, I found out that no one has patrolled the mountain top for decades. I would say the chances that the Magical Corruption worsened enough for a Highest-Tier to come out is about¡­¡­...maybe 30%.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, is that so? That¡¯s pretty low odds, no?¡± Whoa, whoa, Cyril. Those are actually terrible odds for us. Yes, we see them a lot in Ligaleo, but in other territories, the Highest-Tiers only pop out once every 10 years or so. Jend: ¡°But besides Henry, is it really alright for us to come too? Won¡¯t we, you know, be more a burden than help?¡± Charlotte: ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. Just leave that part to me. Jend, you guys wanted to go to the front lines one day, right? Then it¡¯ll be good for you to at least see one Highest-Tier before you head off.¡± ¡­¡­...well, that¡¯s true. If you unfortunately encounter one before you gain the proper strength and experience, then if you¡¯ve seen one before, it¡¯ll help keep you from panicking or losing your mind so you can run away or at least lower the chances of the worst possible outcome from happening. Charlotte: ¡°Well, I say that, but Henry¡« How¡¯s it look from your perspective? How are these fellas? Do you think fighting a Highest-Tier will be too tough even with my Magic?¡± Ms. Lotte¡¯s unique Magic Spell, ¡°The Rainbow Battle March.¡± It is a Spell that buffs your abilities even more than the ability enhancing potions I chugged during the fight with the Giants. As long as you¡¯re in ear-reach of the song, you¡¯ll continue to receive the buff¡­¡­¡­..in short, it is nothing less than a monstrous, terrifying Spell. But of course, you will accumulate equivalent fatigue and stress in your body, so for places where you fight every day like the front lines, it is actually not so compatible. But even so¡­. If Cyril and the rest receive Ms. Lotte¡¯s buff¡­¡­¡­¡­.hmmmmmmmmm¡­. Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll drag us down, but I would have them focus on the lesser Demonic Creatures that will be surrounding the Highest-Tier just to be safe. I would only recommend Cyril to stay at a distance and use her Spell against the Highest-Tier, and it should be fairly effective.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Then let¡¯s do that.¡± Teo: ¡°........that¡¯s too bad. I wanted to see how much the Cloud Plains Style would work against a Highest-Tier¡­..¡± Teo, you really are a battle-junky. It¡¯s in these moments that I see how closely related she is to Ageha. Ferris: ¡°For myself¡­...I¡¯ll be fighting in the farthest back lines just to be safe. Ms. Charlotte, I can take care of injuries, so leave that to me.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Ohhh, that¡¯s right. Ferris, you¡¯re a Healer, huh? I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡± Healing for Ms. Lotte¡­¡­...I really don¡¯t think she¡¯ll need it¡­¡­.I highly doubt it¡« Henry: ¡°Whoops...there¡¯s an Ogre.¡± In order to reach the top of the mountain, we are taking the route with the least amount of Demonic Creatures, but unfortunately, we¡¯re not lucky enough to not run into any. Three Ogres appear from the shadows of trees. Jend and the group get into formation, but Ms. Lotte stops them with a hand sign. Charlotte: ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll take care of them. It¡¯s your first time fighting a Highest-Tier so save your energy as much as possible.¡± And as if to take a leisurely walk, Ms. Lotte turns and head towards the Ogres. Jend: ¡°H©`Hey, Henry. Is she going to be okay? I know she¡¯s a Hero of Legend and all and she must be strong, but you know¡­..judging from her looks....¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, yeah, no worries. Just watch.¡± Jend who has never seen Ms. Lotte fight is worried, but honestly, he still has a long way to go before he can start worrying about her. You can spend a lifetime training and fighting, and you still may never reach her level. The Ogres grin mockingly at the unarmed Halfling walking their way, and they raise their clubs to meet her but¡­. Jend: ¡°.......huh?¡± It was just one move. In just one sweeping move, she passes by all the Ogres side and walks past them. ¡­¡­.in the next moment, the three Ogres awkwardly fell over. If you look closely, their chests have giant gaping holes where their hearts used to be. Cyril: ¡°Uh, um¡­.what did Ms. Charlotte just do just now?¡± Henry: ¡°I couldn¡¯t see it either.¡± I saw her up to the point where she dodged the Ogre¡¯s attack. I saw that much. ¡­...but I didn¡¯t see at all when she struck the Ogre¡¯s chest. I¡¯m sure she used her arms like spears, but there¡¯s not a single dot of blood on her arms or clothes. Charlotte: ¡°C¡¯mon¡« Let¡¯s keep going¡«!¡± And although she just performed an unbelievable feat, Ms. Charlotte shows no sign of change in her manner and calls out for us to hurry after her. ¡­¡­...really¡­..her and Sir Ezeal¡­...it¡¯s impossible to measure their skill and strength at their Level¡­.. It was almost refreshing re-experiencing the frightening difference of strength between her and I. We hurried to follow after Ms. Lotte. <<<<>>>> Charlotte: ¡°.......there he is.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes.¡± And as we reached the top of the mountain where snow fell year-round¡­. We discovered and observed a single, giant majestic wolf that was gracefully sleeping¡­¡­.a Highest-Tier Demonic Creature, Fenrir. CH 61 Chapter 61: The Highest-Tier Part 2 At the very top of the Altohern Mountain. There was a spot where the ground laid out flat, and at its center, the Fenrir was laying on its side. We circled around the perimeter, and it took us a while to get to the other side. We took position there, and though we had some distance with the Fenrir, we could see it well from here. A blue, silvery fur. A muscled body that at a glance told you held immense strength. And even though it¡¯s laying on its side, you could feel the immense presence pierce you from where you stood. Although it resembled a wolf in many ways, you can almost sense a certain type of divinity from where it laid. Cyril: ¡°Um¡­.uh¡­..it looks like it¡¯s sleeping. Henry, why don¡¯t you sneak a strike at it with your spear before it notices?¡± Henry: ¡°.....well, that is one option, but it¡¯s pointless. That Fenrir has already realized that we¡¯re here.¡± I shrug my shoulders as I respond to Cyril¡¯s suggestion. Our group is not particularly adept at covert operations, and we approached the summit with these numbers. It would be foolishly optimistic to think the Fenrir hasn¡¯t noticed us. It¡¯s ignoring us on purpose because it doesn¡¯t see us as a threat. Charlotte: ¡°Yup, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s acting like it¡¯s asleep, but it¡¯s definitely aware of our group and position. ¡­¡­¡­..and it¡¯s not dumb enough to really let it¡¯s guard down for us to take advantage of it either. Henry: ¡°Ms. Lotte, how strong do you think that Fenrir is?¡± In the Highest-Tiers, they don¡¯t have any classifications to further break it down. There¡¯s too few of them to make that classification meaningful, and each individual Highest-Tier Demonic Creature¡¯s strength varies wildly. Almost all of the Highest-Tiers store up Corrupted Magic inside themselves, so the longer they live, the stronger they grow. Charlotte: ¡°Hmmm...well, from just looking at it, it looks normal.¡± So it¡¯s just a normal, extremely dangerous Demonic Creature. Got it. Charlotte: ¡°We got lucky. It doesn¡¯t have many followers, so I¡¯ll leave those guys to you, Jend. Is that okay?¡± The Highest-Tiers will sometimes use their immense strength to lead large hordes of Demonic Creatures¡­¡­.but this also varies wildly between them, and some prefer to be alone. And it looks like that Fenrir likes to keep the number of his subordinates relatively low. There are five Giants positioned a little farther away to protect its sleeping area. There are four Snow Queens which are the higher class of Snow Fairies. There are many more Snow Wolves, and in total, they number around 50 but are broken into several smaller groups. It¡¯s rare to see Giants with other Demonic Creatures, but if they are a subordinate of a Highest-Tier, that¡¯s not unheard of. Jend: ¡°Oh, yeah, no, that plan should be fine, Ms. Charlotte¡­¡­¡­..but, um, do you think we can win against that many?¡± Though Jend nods at Ms. Lotte¡¯s words, I think somewhere in the back of his mind, he¡¯s reminded of the recent loss to the Giants and cannot help but feel some uncertainty. Ferris: ¡°.......it¡¯s true that we were recently defeated and retreated from Giants. It¡¯s a bitter loss, but since then haven¡¯t we come up with new plans to deal with them?¡± Teo: ¡°This time, they are not catching us off-guard.¡­¡­...let¡¯s make this our revenge match.¡± To answer Jend¡¯s concerns, Ferris and Teo encourage him. Cyril: ¡°Exactly¡«! Let¡¯s show them what we got!¡± Jend: ¡°.......Cyril, aren¡¯t you supposed to be helping with the Fenrir?¡± Cyril tries to wrap it up, and Jend throws in a terse comment. But the women in our group sure are tough¡­..I remember when I made a huge mistake during an expedition, I was down and discouraged for 3 days¡­..and because of that, I still hate dealing with Giant Spiders even to this day but¡­ Charlotte: ¡®Looks like you¡¯re all ready. I think we¡¯re done planning¡­..let¡¯s begin.¡± We had discussed in detail how we were going to deal with the Fenrir on our route around the summit and came to a general agreement in the end. Ms. Lotte and I will face the Fenrir. Cyril will stay back and charge her Song Spell and lay one down on the Fenrir when she¡¯s ready¡­¡­.that was it. It was almost too simple to call it a plan. Jend: ¡°......alright! I¡¯m ready to go whenever you are, Ms. Charlotte.¡± Cyril: ¡°I¡¯m ready too, of course.¡± As each of us confirms, Ms. Lotte nods one last time to the group. Charlotte: ¡°Then I¡¯ll let you hear, [The Rainbow¡¯s Battle March]!¡± Ms. Lotte begins tapping her feet to get the rhythm going and without delay, begins to sing loud and clear. Cyril: ¡°What?!¡± Jend: ¡°Whoa?!¡± Startled, everyone shouts in surprise. It¡¯s a divine song that makes you almost believe her voice itself is wrapped in Heaven¡¯s light. The song permeates into your body, and incredible strength you¡¯ve never felt before begins to well up inside. Unlike the forced ability enhancements of the potions, her Spell strengthened you in a more natural way. And even so, the enhancement was much greater than potions. Cyril: ¡°Ye¡«s! If it¡¯s like this then©`©`¡± As Cyril gets pumped up, her words trail off. As Ms. Lotte¡¯s song echoed throughout the summit, the other Demonic Creatures recognized our position. As our Magic Power surged and continued to increase, the Fenrir finally determined us as valid [enemies] and got up. ¡­¡­¡­.and by doing so, it robbed Cyril of her words. The invincible sensation we were feeling from Ms. Lotte¡¯s [The Rainbow¡¯s Battle March] was splashed with cold fear as the Fenrir gave us a single glare. ¡­¡­.the blood thirst of a Highest-Tier Demonic Creature is like that. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that everyone else looked up to me, I would have freaked out too. It was due to my experience and position as their leader that helped me keep my expression as unimpressed and unaffected. I am pretty confident in my skills even among the top Adventurers (as long as you remove the true monsters out of the group). But when faced with the Highest-Tier¡­¡­...it depends on our compatibility, but my win rate will drop below 20%. But¡­even so¡­. Charlotte: ¡°Oh ho ho¡­..look at that¡­.it¡¯s got a good look on its face. It¡¯s been a while, but I think I¡¯ll be able to go all out.¡± ¡­¡­..this Princess of Song is getting more and more excited with every second. Even if she speaks, she makes it part of the song and rhythm so the effect of the Spell isn¡¯t broken. As always, it¡¯s a ridiculously powerful and absurd Magic. Charlotte: ¡°Henry, just like we planned, I¡¯ll charge in first, so deliver a blow before I reach it!¡± Henry: ¡°GAH!! Fine, fine! I understand!¡± Ms. Lotte stretches quickly with two quick movements and runs off at unbelievable speed. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac}! ¡­¡­¡­.[Fire] {Ignis}!¡± Since the Fenrir is leaning towards an [Ice] Magic Type, I triple strengthen and add fire. I pour as much Magic as possible into my Nyoiten Spear, and change its form to something I can throw easier. ¡­¡­¡­..at that point, I could feel the Fenrir¡¯s eyes on me. But that alone won¡¯t be enough to make me trip over myself. If I did, Ms. Lotte would have a ¡°talk¡± with me after this is all done. Henry: ¡°G¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­©`©`©`©`©`O!!! I throw the spear with all my might. This signaled the beginning of our fight with a Highest-Tier Demonic Creature. <<<<>>>> A spear enveloped in fire head straight for the Fenrir in one straight path. A typical Demonic Creature would not have been able to respond to that speed - it was one of my best throws. ¡­¡­¡­..but at this distance, it¡¯s not enough to nail a Highest-Tier with just that. The Fenrir reads the course of the spear and places itself out of the spear¡¯s path. It at least knows that receiving the spear without any caution would cause some painful damage. The Nyoiten Spear is now veering to empty space, and my magic would be wasted¡­¡­.but before that happens¡­. ©`©`Now! Henry: ¡°Multiply!¡± Before it reaches the ground, I split the Nyoiten Spear into several clones of itself. If my timing was off, it would have multiplied after it hit the ground meaninglessly, but thankfully, I was right on point. ¡­¡­..although it initially dodged the spear with ease, the attack multiplied at the last minute, and the Fenrir was now caught in its attack radius again. At that moment, the Fenrir roared. ¡°GAAAAAAAGH!!¡± The earth shook as it bellowed. The Fenrir kicked the ground as it tried to move out of the way¡­¡­...as a result, it was able to dodge most of my spears. Only two directly hit and one grazed it. ©`©`If it was any other Upper-Tier, Upper-Class Demonic Creature, it had enough power to kill them two or three times over, but even as it bled, the Fenrir stood unfazed and shook out the two spears from his body. I call the Spear back and grasp it in my hand. Jend: ¡°........even your attack won¡¯t pierce it¡­¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°It left some damage, but it¡¯s from this distance¡­.even if I was closer, I would have to deliver at least 10 blows to take it down.¡± It¡¯s no surprise that the Highest-Tier are incredibly tough and resilient. Henry: ¡°Oh, we better get going. It wouldn¡¯t be good to leave Ms. Lotte hanging like that!¡± ©`©`well, I say that but she¡¯s probably fine alone! Everyone in our party dashes forward and launches an attack to give Ms. Lotte support. Ferris: ¡°Cyril! I¡¯ll protect you. Don¡¯t get distracted.¡± Cyril: ¡°Got it, got it. La¡« la¡«¡± Cyril begins to sing as she ran. ¡­¡­.on the battlefield, two voices join together in song. The song Ms. Lotte is singing is a famous song, and Cyril is matching her song to Ms. Lotte¡¯s. The singing helps increase focus and concentration and raises the Spellcaster¡¯s spirit, so what song they sing is not as important. I remember Cyril telling me ¡°When casting fire, it¡¯s best to sing a song that makes you burn with excitement¡± or something like that. ¡°GRAH!¡± Jend: ¡°Out of the way!¡± Jend strikes down four Snow Wolves with a single swing of his blade. Regardless of whether the sword just grazed them, they all flew back backwards. The Rainbow Battle March¡¯s effect increased Jend¡¯s normally high attack power to at least 50% more. Jend: ¡°Yes! This is awesome!¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, it is incredible!¡± As she speaks, Teo draws her Magic Bow¡¯s string and aims at an enemy. The Magic Bow places an arrow as soon as she draws her string, and she lets the arrow fly even as she¡¯s running. Even then, the arrow flies straight and true and pierces a Snow Wolf. Her second and third arrows also strike down enemies one at a time. She¡¯s taking them down before they reach our position. Teo¡¯s archery skills are amazing, but even she would have a tough time shooting at these quick intervals while running. Her senses and agility is also being increased and supported by Ms. Lotte¡¯s song. Jend: ¡°Hey hey, do you plan to take them all down by yourself?¡±¡± Teo: ¡°No¡­¡­..Mr. Jend, please take out the one coming at us diagonally from the right. It¡¯s out of my line of fire.¡± Jend: ¡°On it!¡± Jend takes down the Snow Wolf that was running towards us while hiding behind a large boulder ahead in its path. Henry: ¡°.........and now the Giants arrive.¡± I was grateful that the Snow Wolves charged in head first ahead of their group. It gave a chance for everyone to get used to their enhanced abilities and movements. Jend: ¡°Alright! Henry! Leave them to me! I want to see how far I can go!¡± Henry: ¡°Sure, all yours.¡± In our previous planning, I¡¯m heading to support Ms. Lotte, so I want him to test the waters with the Giants while I¡¯m still able to back him up if needed. The Giant itself is running at us with unbelievably quick speed, and raises a club that matches its height. It¡¯s at least 8 meters (26 feet) tall. But without hesitation, Jend meets it head on and braces himself. Jend: ¡°Come on! I¡¯m right here!¡± ¡°§Ø§Ö§Ô§Ú§Ý§Ö, §Ñ§ß§í£¡¡± Jend stands at the head of the group and calls all the attention to himself with his loud voice as the Giant¡¯s club heads down upon him. The clash. The impact sound echoes all around, and the snow scatters everywhere. We lose sight of the two for a moment. Jend: ¡°........fwew¡«¡± With [The Single Blade of the Fire God]¡¯s move and the Godly Equipment¡¯s effect, the large broadsword is wrapped in flames and scatters the snow around. He had the sword angled, and Jend was able to easily redirect the Giant¡¯s club. The Giant struck only the ground with its initial strike. By wrapping his sword in flames, he nullified the Snow Giant¡¯s [Ice] Magic advantage it gained from the [Corrupted Ice Magic Territory]. Using the Giant¡¯s strike as cloud cover, the Snow Queen fired a Spell at Cyril in the rear-guard but¡­. Ferris: ¡°I won¡¯t let you!¡± It¡¯s unable to get past Ferris¡¯ defense. Ferris¡¯ [Ningale¡¯s Hand] is adept with Healing Magecraft Spells as its greatest asset, but it also excels at Support and Defensive Spells as well. The Magical Shield [Force Shield] will not allow normal Spells to pass. Teo approached the Snow Queen without sound, took off its head, and it was vanquished. Jend continued his brawl with the Giant, and with Ms. Lotte¡¯s Spell support, he¡¯s more than a match for it. Henry: ¡°.......they should be okay.¡± The Giant was the biggest hurdle, but as I look across the field, Ms. Lotte took down three of the five Giants on her way to the Fenrir. With the Giant Jend¡¯s facing right now, that¡¯s a total of two Giants and a Snow Queen. The Snow Wolves shouldn¡¯t pose any problems for these guys. Henry: ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll leave this to you guys! I¡¯ll go help Ms. Lotte!¡± Ferris: ¡°Good luck, Mr. Henry!¡± Ferris, who had the least amount of pressure on her, sends me her encouragement, and I nod towards her. Henry: ¡°Cyril, let¡¯em have it when you¡¯re ready!¡± Cyril gives me a firm thumbs up as she continues her song. Her eyes are glistening with joy to be able to blast a Spell on a scale she¡¯s never done before. ¡­¡­¡­.I better be careful to get out of the way when the time comes. I felt a tinge of guilt for the inkling of doubt that skidded across my mind just now. CH 62 Chapter 62: Highest-Tier Part 3 Ms. Lotte who went ahead of me dodged the claws and kicked up the paw that whiffed the air. The Fenrir let out a short grunt of pain and dropped its jaws wide open to let out another roar. ¡°GRUUUUUU, GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!¡± A Fenrir¡¯s roar is said to awaken the deepest, most primal fears within a person©`©`or so it¡¯s said. I felt my body tense as its voice hit me. ¡­...but Ms. Lotte, as a show of her defiance, raised her singing voice to match it and seemed unaffected entirely. Realizing that it did nothing to Ms. Lotte, the Fenrir dove to take a bite out of her, but Ms. Lotte dodged to the side and sent a fist into the side of its face. Losing its patience at being embarrassed by something so much smaller with short arms and legs, the Fenrir seems to be going into a panicked frenzy with faster attacks¡­¡­.but all of it only grazed the air or was parried and countered by Ms. Lotte. And just because she had such a small body, the power and effectiveness of her attacks did not match her size at all. The Fenrir gave Ms. Lotte a huge opening, and her jump kick to its side made a 10 meter (30 ft) body easily fly through the air. Henry: ¡°Ms. Lotte, I¡¯m here!¡± Charlotte: ¡°You¡¯re late, Henry¡«!¡± And around that time, I finally arrived at the scene. Henry: ¡°Do you think that kick injured it some?¡± Charlotte: ¡°No¡«pe, in your dreams. It purposefully jumped into the air to reduce the damage.¡± Yeah, I thought so. The Fenrir gets up with still plenty of energy left. Charlotte: ¡°How long till Cyril¡¯s ready with her spell?¡± Henry: ¡°......probably around 7 or 8 minutes.¡± With that much time, Cyril should have enough power to do some serious damage to this guy. But against a Highest-Tier, asking for that much time is asking for death. If you submit a Quest to the Guild to ask someone to stop a Highest-Tier for 10 minutes, they would slap you across your face with a smile for the nonsense. Charlotte: ¡°Well, then we have our work cut out for us.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes.¡± Ms. Lotte takes a few steps forward, and I ready my spear. ¡­¡­¡­..yeah, I know it looks bad to have someone who looks so young stand ahead of you, but with Ms. Lotte, I would get in the way standing as Vanguard. Okay, so what will the Fenrir do©`©`? And as I watched where he stood, a wind began to swirl around the Fenrir. It wasn¡¯t a normal wind. You could hear something crackling inside and shards of ice swirled around with the winds. ¡°......GRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAHHH!!¡± As the Fenrir roared, the wind suddenly came blasting our way©`©`AND IT¡¯S FREEZING!! With my [Physical Enhancement] through circulating Magic Power and Ms. Lotte¡¯s support, I should be pretty strong against the cold, but my body temperature instantly dropped. My hair began to turn into icicles, and I couldn¡¯t move my body¡­. Henry: ¡°[Fire] {Ignis} + [Fire] {Ignis}!¡± Before I¡¯m completely frozen, I cast two layers of Fire Magic upon myself. You can manipulate [Fire] {Ignis} to help you survive in arctic temperatures. ¡­..but this is one nasty spell. The spacious field instantly turned into a world of ice. ©`©`there were some Snow Wolves looking to sneak attack Ms. Lotte and I, but now laid on the ground frozen to death. These Demonic Creatures who were born in [Ice] Magic Territory can¡¯t even handle this. Henry: ¡°Ms. Lotte¡­.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Henry: ¡°...........no, it¡¯s nothing.¡± It¡¯s not like I understand everything Ms. Lotte can do. For a moment, I thought about how Ms. Lotte can¡¯t use Magecrafting and is only able to sing [The Rainbow Battle March] right now¡­¡­...but it hasn¡¯t left her vulnerable or susceptible at all. She looked perfectly fine. Her reply was incorporated into the song so the Spell effects continued. On a closer observation, I see a thin light envelope around Ms. Lotte¡¯s body, and this is probably serving as some sort of field of protection¡­¡­.I think. I have no idea how that thing even works. But regardless, she¡¯s still able to fight¡­...and as long as I¡¯m throwing resources to survive in this arctic climate, then my movements will also be affected. In comparison, the Fenrir looks like it was meant exactly for this kind of environment, and is livelier than before. ¡­¡­.it¡¯s my first time going against a Fenrir, but it¡¯s one of those ridiculously strong type of Highest-Tiers. Charlotte: ¡°.......it¡¯s coming, Henry¡«!¡± Henry: ¡°Understood!¡± The Fenrir crouches down. In the next instant, he flies like those rumored bullets into the air, and Ms. Lotte jumps towards it to meet it in mid-air. <<<<>>>> We alternate and switch positions, and the Fenrir and Ms. Lotte continue to clash and spar. ¡­¡­.Ms. Lotte has the advantage right now. She¡¯s landing her blows accurately, and the Fenrir is slowly accumulating damage. On the other hand, the Fenrir isn¡¯t the only one taking damage. It was able to give Ms. Lotte a few wounds as well. I have tried to support and cover her in the interim, but the Fenrir¡¯s speed made it almost impossible to barge in on the fight. After countless clashes, the Fenrir is pushed back and¡­. Henry: ¡°©`©`SEYAH!¡± As the Fenrir tried to change directions, I was able to thrust my spear in that exact moment when his guard was down. ¡°!! GRRAAH!¡± The Fenrir bent its body in an exaggerated fashion to dodge my attack. It probably still remembers my first attack when I split and multiplied my spear into many copies. But I didn¡¯t use the Nyoiten Spear¡¯s clone ability here. Charlotte: ¡°GOT¡­¡­...YOU!¡± Because it moved more than it needed to, the Fenrir moved before Ms. Lotte in an unguarded state. With her full might, Ms. Lotte buried a deadly punch into the Fenrir¡¯s side, and the Fenrir threw up blood. ¡°GRRRRRRRRRrrrrrr¡± Henry: ¡°So scary¡­.¡± And the Fenrir who got sacked pretty hard is now glaring intensely at me. ¡­¡­.the Nyoiten Spear¡¯s ability to be able to split into clones is a powerful ability, but what¡¯s really handy is the fact that I can initiate that by just thinking about it. In other words, I can do it after the fact or even refrain whenever I want to. To not split it when they expect it. And if they think I won¡¯t do it again, I multiply and attack with multiple spears. ¡­¡­.it¡¯s a fairly effective bluff against other human beings, and higher intelligence entities overall. It must have felt offended by my trick, and instead of Ms. Lotte who is standing before it, it turns its attention to me. Henry: ¡°C¡¯mon then.¡± I ready my spear before me and taunt it by raising my voice. ¡°GAAAAHH!!¡± I engage with the Fenrir who draws nearer to me. I deflect its nightmarishly deadly blow of its claw with my spear with my life on the line. ¡­¡­.it¡¯s too fast and extremely heavy. I barely deflected the blow, and my body seems to be screaming in agony from the pressure. I can¡¯t even dream of countering this. But if it¡¯s directing its attention at me, then Ms. Lotte is free to move. And as I predicted, Ms. Lotte was preparing to deliver another solid blow as the glowing light around her increased and approached the Fenrir but¡­. ¡°Guo¡¢¥¬¡¢oluulo¡öooO£¡¡± {untranslated text} The Fenrir raises a bone chilling sound with its beast vocal chords. ¡­¡­¡­.and it might have spoken some sort of words of power as blades of ice appeared by the dozens and flew and danced towards Ms. Lotte. Henry: ¡°Ms. Lotte!¡± But even though she was faced with dozens of blades, she took no damage. She dodged most, and broke some with the back of her hand quickly and accurately. ¡­¡­...but she was inevitably stopped in her tracks. Being freed of Ms. Lotte, the Fenrir eyes me with ferocity. Henry: ¡°¡«¡«¡«!!¡± I pray that I¡¯ll be able to make it in time as I reach to grab something from my pouch. ©`©`with jaws gaping wide, the Fenrir charges straight at me. But before it could reach me, I felt the item I wanted, and I hurtled it towards the Fenrir¡¯s nostrils. ¡°?!?!?!?!?!?!?¡± It¡¯s a specially made stink bomb. It will deliver an impact and the chemical reactions that occur inside give off an unpleasant odor. Humans would wretch with a sniff of this, so even if it¡¯s a Highest-Tier, this would be abhorring to a Wolf-like creature with incredible senses of smell. ¡­¡­...and it definitely worked. It stopped its attempt to chew me to pieces, but it still tried to ignore the smell and turned its attention to me once more. Now, even more determined than before, the Fenrir runs straight at me with burning hatred in its eyes. Instantly, I determine that clashing with the giant beast is not an option. Henry: ¡°DAAAAA©`©`©`NGIT!!¡± I hurriedly jumped to the side. But I couldn¡¯t avoid the Fenrir completely and received a blow from its claws, and I stumbled, bounded, and rolled magnificently onto the ground. I bounded down hard twice with dull each time. I could feel warm blood seeping out of my shoulder, and as soon as it touched the air, it froze. As a Warrior, I try to be as calm and rational by observing the battlefield as a whole at all times but¡­¡­¡­.this really, REALLY HURTS. Henry: ¡°Ugh¡­¡­..¡± Charlotte: ¡°Henry, you alive?!¡± Ms. Lotte stopped the Fenrir from following up any further, and I raise my undamaged arm her way as a reply. There¡¯s several bruises from hitting and rolling on the ground, and one shoulder took a claw that went straight through all my armor and is gushing with blood. Henry: ¡°.........[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Heal] Teol¡± I forcefully raise the effect of my [Heal] Spell with Strengthening Magecraft, and stop the bleeding and ease the pain. ¡­...I had to do this while still holding my [Fire] {Ignis} Spells, so that took a lot out of me. But I recovered enough to rejoin the fight. ¡­¡­.I¡¯m throwing myself into a world of pain later for fighting while I¡¯m still injured, but I¡¯ll have to count on Ferris to help me with that. I use my Spear to help me stand up¡­¡­. And at that moment, I hear a loud horn-like sound from Cyril¡¯s group¡¯s direction. It¡¯s Teo¡¯s Cloudy Plains Style Magecraft - The [Trumpet Charm]. ¡­¡­...it¡¯s the signal that Cyril¡¯s Spell is ready. Charlotte: ¡°GREAT! Henry¡«! We¡¯ll stop it in its tracks and get out of here!¡± Henry: ¡°I know, I know!¡± Ms. Lotte instantly raises her speed. It¡¯s not that she wasn¡¯t serious before, but she switched from stalling for time to finishing the fight. ¡°GRAAAHHH?!¡± Charlotte: ¡°Take that and that and that!¡± Even from this distance, her movements are so fast that I can only see blurs of her shadows, and the Fenrir cannot hide its shock. I turn towards the Fenrir and raise my spear. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Restrain] {Katerno} + [Restrain] {Katerno}!!¡± I haven¡¯t done this in a while, but I use all five Magecraft slots for Spells. My Magic Reserves and concentration will empty out after this, but I¡¯m going all out at the very end. ¡°?!?!¡± Charlotte: ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t!¡± The Fenrir tried to distance itself, but Ms. Lotte came down from on top of it and delivered a crushing blow that drove it back down to the ground. ¡­¡­...and I was aiming at its legs as it stopped. Henry: ¡°This is payback for last time!¡± I chunk the spear into the air. I immediately divide the Nyoiten Spear into 4 clones. I feel the Quintuple-stacked Magecraft instantly quadruple in Magic cost, and I feel my grip on my consciousness loosen but manage to still hold onto it. As I hoped, the four Nyoiten Spear pierces the Fenrir¡¯s legs, and the Magecraft Restraints initiate and chain it down to the ground. ©`©`seeing that, both Ms. Lotte and I depart from the scene as fast as we can. Out of all my tricks, this is my absolute strongest restraining move. And thanks to Ms. Lotte, I was able to deliver it in a near-perfect, most ideal form. ¡­¡­..even so, against a Fenrir, it would only [hold] for maybe 10 seconds. But that is more than enough for us to evacuate and reach safety. Cyril: ¡°[LIIIIIIIIIIGHTNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING¡«]¡± Her voice reaches even where I¡¯m laying down as Cyril chants her Spell name. The Magic Power that was escalating with no limits in the distance begins to take form and consolidates in concentration right above the Fenrir. ¡­¡­...she told us she could do it, but the distance of this Spell strike is mind-blowingly phenomenal. Cyril: ¡°[JUD©`©`GE!! MENT]©`©`!!¡± The accumulated Magic Power transforms into a GIGANTIC lightning bolt, and strikes the Fenrir - piercing its body. ¡­¡­¡­...after the light and sound passed¡­¡­.all that was left was the charred, burnt remains of the Fenrir. ¡­¡­¡­.it looks like¡­¡­ Charlotte: ¡°Good! That¡¯s one powerful Spell. Looks like we won.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes.¡± It was our¡­...victory. CH 63 Chapter 63: Floral Ales and Wines Other than the Fenrir, there were other Demonic Creatures atop the summit, and we made sure to clean up the area before departing. Once we were done, we came back to the City of Flowtier. By the time we returned, the sun was close to setting, and the noises of the festival were toned down a notch. Jend: ¡°Well, I know we just fought as we were ordered, but¡­..I think we did get stronger after all this time.¡± As we chatted about this and that, we landed on the subject of our most recent expedition that just ended. Jend tightly gripped his fist as he let the words settle in his mind. I had too much on my hands with the Fenrir and couldn¡¯t pay attention to the battles behind me, but Jend and his group was able to take down 2 Giants and the Snow Queen. Yes, their abilities were greatly enhanced by Ms. Lotte¡¯s Magic, but this victory was a huge milestone for their development. Jend: ¡°......still, I guess it¡¯s too soon to fight anything like that Fenrir. I don¡¯t think I would even survive the initial strike.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, don¡¯t think about that too hard. If you keep training, in about a year, you¡¯ll be able to stand to face it. At least, I think so.¡± I bang on Jend¡¯s back casually as he mumbles his complaints and worries. I mean that too. Even with me out of the group, the four of them should be able to start taking down the Highest-Tiers without too much risk. Once they arrive at that point, they¡¯ll be in the top leagues in Ligaleo. ¡­¡­..though I still have reservations as far as letting Cyril go to the frontlines. Cyril: ¡°But the Governor was so shocked to hear the news.¡± Ferris: ¡°Of course he was. No one in these parts could stay calm hearing that a Highest-Tier Demonic Creature appeared in their territories. ¡­¡­...It was most fortunate that Little Char©`...I mean, Ms. Charlotte was here to deal with the threat.¡± Yeah, we went straight to the Governor afterwards to deliver the report. Ms. Lotte already told him the possibility of a Highest-Tier appearing in the area, but as expected, once he got the actual report, you could see him sweat and his smile visibly strain. I don¡¯t blame him. If that thing came down from the mountain to the City, Flowtier could have been completely wiped off the map, so I understand how he felt. If I was sneak attacked by a Demonic Creature of that speed, even I may not be able to do anything and be instantly killed. ¡­¡­¡­.and Ferris, I thought I saw a surge of Little Charu energy just now. You sure you¡¯re okay? Henry: ¡°I know you refused any rewards or payments for the Slaying, but was that really the right decision, Ms. Lotte?¡± Charlotte: ¡°Hey, all I did was go because I wanted to and took down whatever came up. But was it okay for you to also refuse the reward, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°That was mostly Ms. Lotte¡¯s efforts and doing. There¡¯s no way I could receive credit much less a reward for it if you refused.¡± I mean, sure, I was supporting her throughout the Fenrir fight, but it was Ms. Lotte who was carrying the most weight from beginning to end. Besides that, my Party was able to see the fight of the top Adventurer against the top threat, the Highest-Tier, and not only that, they also got to experience what it would be like at least 2 or 3 levels from where they are now through Ms. Lotte¡¯s song. This was huge for every member of my team. Wishing to earn more than this would just cause a whiplash with karma later. Teo: ¡°As far as money goes, Ms. Charlotte, you bought our drops at market price, so we earned a lot. With this much, I will be able to purchase the Magecraft Artifact I wanted.¡± Ms. Lotte offered to buy back the drops from the Giant and other Demonic Creatures at Market Price, and everyone¡¯s wallets were filled to the brim. Although Teo¡¯s not one to change her expressions often, I can see that she¡¯s quite happy with the results. With the Flowtier¡¯s Church, I was telling Ms. Lotte that they would probably not have the funds available to buy our drops, and Ms. Lotte offered to do so in their place. Ms. Lotte would be able to go to other larger towns and do the official exchanges there. Me? I received part of the Fenrir¡¯s fur as my reward. My armor was damaged during the fight, so I need to repair it, and if possible, I¡¯d like to increase the defensive quality of my gear. Charlotte: ¡°Ohhhh, a Magecraft Artifact, huh. What do you plan to buy¡«?¡± Teo: ¡°I want the [Sound Killer]. I¡¯ve been bothered by the sounds of my feet or when I go through a brush, so this will really help my scouting going forward.¡± Charlotte: ¡°......a very owlish decision for someone your age.¡± Ms. Lotte seems to be a little taken back. But yeah, for Adventurers of Teo¡¯s age, they would first buy out the Magecraft Artifacts that significantly increase your abilities. Even so, the [Sound Killer] is a great Magecraft Artifact. The technology and skills used is incredibly refined and sensitive, so it is not cheap. In exchange, the Magic cost to use it is minimal, and you can turn the artifact on or off at your own will. And even though your sounds are muted, you¡¯re not prohibited from hearing sounds around you. Being able to approach an enemy unnoticed is one of the most fundamental and greatest advantages an Adventurer can wish for. But I¡¯m starting to worry if Teo is leaning too much towards Ageha, who she admires, and Ageha¡¯s assassination techniques and style. I guess it¡¯s okay either way but I feel some degree of apprehension towards seeing her go in that direction. Charlotte: ¡°Oh, Teo. That reminds me. Weren¡¯t you in the middle of helping out with your family business? I¡¯m sorry we had to pull you away from that all of a sudden.¡± Teo: ¡°Please, it was a precious and rare experience for me.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Is it okay that you¡¯re not going back to work right now?¡± Teo: ¡°I don¡¯t think I have the energy left after that expedition¡­...and even if I did, I¡¯m sure we sold out hours ago and closed the food stand already.¡± Ohhhh, yeah, it was super popular, so I don¡¯t doub that that¡¯s the case. Cyril: ¡°Teo, would you like me to talk to the Governor and have him explain the situation? I don¡¯t want you to get in trouble for any of this.¡± Teo: ¡°......Miss Cyril, please don¡¯t involve the Governor for these kinds of affairs. My family will flip on their heels if he shows up at our doorstep. I¡¯m certain that my parents will understand once I explain to them what happened.¡± Yeah, well, if needed, I was ready to step in on her behalf. I am technically the Party Leader, so it falls on my plate of responsibilities. Charlotte: ¡°Well, we had to take care of one small problem, but let¡¯s leave that aside and keep enjoying the festival. Henry¡¯s Quest to guide me through the Flower Festival is still active.¡± Ms. Lotte returns the conversation back to her original goal. ¡­¡­..and it shouldn¡¯t surprise me that slaying a Highest-Tier Demonic Creature to her is nothing more than a ¡°small problem.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ye¡«s, let¡¯s get back to having fun! But it¡¯s almost night time. Was there something going on after this?¡± Cyril digs out a piece of paper from her pocket. Apparently, the Festival Event¡¯s schedule is written down on it. Cyril: ¡°Hmmm¡« all the major, fun events are all over. At night, there¡¯s a drinking contest. They¡¯re going to line up different kinds of alcohol that¡¯s been brewed or fermented with flowers, and you¡¯ll be able to try out an assorted variety.¡± Charlotte: ¡°WHAT?! We definitely have to go to that!¡± Stars are dancing in Ms. Lotte¡¯s eyes. I would like to go too. Cyril: ¡°Really¡«? That¡¯s fine if you want to go.¡± Henry: ¡°Here, let me see the details.¡± I look over and peek at Cyril¡¯s pamphlet and the event details. Interesting...all drinks are 20 zeniths each. That¡¯s cheap. They¡¯re also selling the alcohol, and you can purchase it in bottles as well. Lana said that most Floral Ales and Wines are only sold during the Festival period, but it looks like they¡¯re trying to expand to bigger markets. It¡¯ll be a big affair with so many kinds of drinks. Jend: ¡°Floral Ales and Wines, huh. I drink it because it¡¯s served in celebrations, but I like regular ales better.¡± Teo: ¡°.......I haven¡¯t gotten a good taste of it yet, so I want to have some.¡± Ferris: ¡°Teo, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s good for minors to be consuming alcohol.¡± Teo: ¡°It¡¯s a festival though. A time of celebration.¡± Ferris: ¡°Well, that is true...but¡­.¡± Teo responds curtly back to Ferris¡¯ warning. But aren¡¯t you drinking regularly even if it¡¯s not a festival? ¡­¡­..this isn¡¯t good. The girl¡¯s turning into an alcoholic. I wouldn¡¯t know what to tell her parents who entrusted me with their daughter''s care if that happens. I©`I¡¯ll just make sure that she doesn¡¯t drink too much tonight. Charlotte: ¡°Alright! Then it¡¯s decided! Let¡¯s head towards the event location!¡± And with Ms. Lotte leading the way, we all start walking down the Festival streets. <<<<>>>> The Floral Ales and Wines Drinking Contest''s stage was in the east of the city. It is the city-maintained training grounds so I¡¯m well acquainted with the area. Today, there are many stands selling Floral-related alcohol and other snacks that would go well with the drinks all around. And there¡¯s tables and chairs set out for visitors to enjoy their drinks and food. Although it was crowded, our group managed to find a table, and we drank to our hearts content. Henry: ¡°Oh¡­..¡± I bought a Flower Ale that didn¡¯t have a line around it, and as I tasted it, I¡¯m deeply impressed. I heard that some people say the overall taste is very experimental, but hey now, this is pretty good. It¡¯s true that the taste is a little lacking, but as you drink, the floral scent wafts through your nose, and it¡¯s a fun experience. Cyril: ¡°.......I like the scent, but it¡¯s a little too bitter for me.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh¡«, true. It is bitter.¡± Cyril scrunches her face as she sips the cup. If you¡¯re not used to drinking, this may be hard to appreciate. Henry: ¡°Here, got you a snack.¡± Cyril: ¡°Tha¡«nk you¡«¡± I share the dried fruits that I bought with my drink and pass it to Cyril. I take a dried apple, pop it into my mouth, and take another sip. Yup, something sweet matches drinking something a little bitter like this. Teo: ¡°......I¡¯m going to go get seconds.¡± Teo seemed to have guzzled down her first drink, and she went out to purchase her second. ¡­¡­...that was way too fast. I think you should take the time to appreciate the taste more. Charlotte: ¡°Teo¡«, can you get me some too? I¡¯ll pay for your drink.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, that is fine.¡± Ms. Lotte calls towards Teo, and flicks her 50 zeniths her way. The coins arc gently and land right into Teo¡¯s hands. ¡­¡­...she really uses her talents for useless tricks¡­.. And though they¡¯re both the smallest out of the group members, they love to drink. Charlotte: ¡°What should we do about tomorrow? Cyril, what events are there?¡± Cyril: ¡°Ummm, tomorrow¡­.let¡¯s see¡­.There is the Flower Girl Contest which will be the most popular.¡± Charlotte: ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Cyril: ¡°It¡¯s a contest to decide what girl looks best with flower decorations¡­¡­.in other words, a beauty pageant.¡± Yeah, underneath it all, it¡¯s simply that. Charlotte: ¡°Oh¡« will there be a swimsuit section?¡± Cyril: ¡°No, it¡¯s way too cold for that¡­..they¡¯ll just be wearing regular clothes. But if you get past the qualifying rounds, you get to borrow a dress that will have a lot of flowers decorating it. There¡¯s a lot of girls who want to wear it at least once and join the competition just for that.¡± A dress huh¡­...it doesn¡¯t really stir up my interest. Charlotte: ¡°....sounds like fun. I wonder if I can participate.¡± Ferris: ¡°If Little Charu joins, you¡¯ll definitely win 1st place!¡± Charlotte: ¡°Of course! But I guess it¡¯ll be too unfair to the other participants, huh?¡± Ferris: ¡°No doubt! Little Charu is the world¡¯s cutest and sweetest!!¡± Ferris is getting more and more pumped up. ¡­¡­..Jend, you need to stop her. I put some emphasis as I look his way. Jend: ¡°............¡± Annnnnnd he looked the other way! Hey! Aren¡¯t you her boyfriend?! Take responsibility! Oh no, Ms. Lotte is getting more and more in the mood to participate with Ferris¡¯ compliments. I©`I...better¡­.stop her¡­? Can I¡­.? Really? Stop.....her? ¡°Of course you can¡¯t participate. Lotte, calm down and think over your actions more carefully.¡± ¡­¡­...oh. Charlotte: ¡°Oh, hey¡« it¡¯s Runa.¡± Runa: ¡°What do you mean, ¡®hey¡«¡¯! I¡¯ve looked all over for you, Lotte!¡± A woman suddenly appeared on the scene, and she gives Ms. Lotte an accusing stare as she speaks to her. She has a very serious expression with black hair and glasses. Her mole underneath her eye is her charming feature, and we¡¯ve met before. Runa: ¡°Sheesh. I finally locate you and here you are, spouting nonsense left and right.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Wha¡«t, what do you mean? Wouldn¡¯t the competition get really exciting if I join?¡± Runa: ¡°A professional like you should refrain from joining any amateur competitions like that. Besides, you¡¯re OFFICIALLY arriving here 3 days from now!¡± Ms. Runa. She¡¯s in charge of Ms. Lotte. She¡¯s her caretaker(?) or manager(?). Anyways, she¡¯s that kind of person. She¡¯s a [Human Race] and has been helping Ms. Lotte for the last 10 years or so. She¡¯s only involved with Ms. Lotte¡¯s Celebrity career and does not touch Ms. Lotte¡¯s Adventurer-side of things. Henry: ¡°........hello, Ms. Runa.¡± Runa: ¡°Ohh! Henry, was it? It¡¯s been a while.¡± Typically, Ligaleo is a dangerous town, so Ms. Runa would not come with Ms. Lotte when Ms. Lotte visited us. But I had ample opportunities to perform Quests in other cities, and occasionally, I would run into her during one of Ms. Lotte¡¯s live performances, and met her that way. Runa: ¡°I heard that you assisted Lotte in her last expedition. Thank you so much for your help.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Crap, you already know about that?!¡± Runa: ¡°Of course I do. I¡¯m your caretaker. Sir Alvare was kind enough to inform me as soon as he heard the news.¡± And with that, Ms. Runa lets out a deep, exasperated sigh. Runa: ¡°At the very least, it looks like you weren¡¯t wounded.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Yeah, I got a few scratches, but Ferris over there took care of me.¡± Runa: ¡°Miss Ferris, is it? Thank you so much for your assistance.¡± Ms. Runa bows her head to Ferris in appreciation. Ferris: ¡°No no! Of course! Anything for our Little Charu!¡± Runa: ¡°Y©`yes¡­¡± Ferris has a HUGE smile across her face. I mean, yeah, I think you did good work as a Healer. You did great work actually¡­.but¡­.like¡­..I don¡¯t know how to put it¡­¡­your reaction right now is ruining it all¡­. Teo: ¡°Ms. Charlotte, I brought you your drinks¡­...oh, who is that?¡± And Teo brings back the drinks for her and Ms. Lotte. Runa: ¡°Good evening. I am Lotte¡¯s caretaker. My name is Runa.¡± Teo: ¡°Oh...I¡¯m Teo, an Adventurer.¡± Runa: ¡°And you¡¯re drinking so much¡­..you know that alcohol is bad for your singing voice.¡± And Ms. Lotte smiles and scratches her head to avoid the subject with a, ¡°Yeah¡« I know¡« but¡«¡±. Charlotte: ¡°But hey, why not have a drink with us. Here, you can have my drink.¡± Runa: ¡°Fine¡­..I¡¯ll have one.¡± And with that, Ms. Runa takes the cup and downs the contents in one chug. ¡­¡­...she¡¯s strong. I never drank with her before, but I can tell that this woman can really drink her liquor. Runa: ¡°Fwew¡­¡­.please hold for a second. I¡¯ll go buy more.¡± Charlotte: ¡°It¡¯ll be bothersome to keep going back and forth. Could you go buy us about 5 drinks?¡± Runa: ¡°Yes, understood. ¡­..this is a good drink. I¡¯ll go buy 10.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..10?! I¡¯m starting to get a bad feeling about this¡­. And my instincts were correct. For two days straight now, I was drinking with Ms. Lotte and Ms. Runa until the morning sun peeked its head over the horizon. ¡­¡­¡­.but it was a lot of fun, so I guess that¡¯s okay. CH 64 Chapter 64: The Singing Celebrity Arrives The third and fourth day of the Festival ended without any unexpected surprises. There were parades down streets that were heavily decorated with flowers. There was an annual award ceremony to the person who was deemed to have grown the most beautiful flowers of that year. There was the Flower Girl Contest, and a hedge maze made of flowers. Ms. Lotte enjoyed every bit of it, and Cyril and I also enjoyed the events with her. On the evening of the fourth night, we met at the entrance of the Flowtier City. Charlotte: ¡°Well¡« it¡¯s been too long since I enjoyed a Festival like this. It was tremendously fun. Thank you.¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m glad you enjoyed it.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes. Oh, and thank you for paying for our food during the Festival.¡± Cyril bows her head respectfully. That¡¯s right. Ms. Lotte paid for most of our food while we toured the Festival. I hurriedly follow after Cyril¡¯s example and lower my head too. Henry: ¡°Thank you so much. You could always subtract the amount from the Quest reward, Ms. Lotte.¡± Charlotte: ¡°I won¡¯t do such a stingy thing as that. I have plenty of money, and I don¡¯t really get chances to use it that often.¡± As a Hero of Legend Adventurer, she also has income from her Celebrity activities. ¡­¡­.I¡¯m pretty certain that her income would match that of a small Governor¡¯s annual budget. Though I¡¯ve been saving up my money from the frontlines, my savings would probably pale against what she amassed over these years. Cyril: ¡°Was your official arrival tomorrow?¡± Charlotte: ¡°Yup, yup. They said that I need to at least look like I arrived here from outside of town. I¡¯ll go to the town of Rezel, and tomorrow morning, head to here from there.¡± The town of Rezel is about a day¡¯s journey from Flowtier. It¡¯s smaller than Flowtier, but it¡¯s a relatively successful town. ¡­¡­..departing now, you would normally get there by tomorrow, but with Ms. Lotte¡¯s speed, she could easily get there before it gets dark. Cyril: ¡°Is there really a reason to go that far? I feel like you could walk out a little ways and then come right back.¡± Charlotte: ¡°I have some passionate fans that will be waiting for me by the roadside. If there¡¯s anyone who has confidence in their running skills, like a soldier or Adventurer, they¡¯ll probably be waiting for me at Rezel. Around this area, there¡¯s only one main road that goes from Flowtier to Rezel anyways.¡± Cyril: ¡°Sheesh.¡± Cyril cringes at the image that arose inside her head. ¡­¡­..yeah¡­¡­.I don¡¯t know how or why they can be so passion-driven, but if you are a fervent fan of Ms. Lotte, that much can be expected. There were many more visitors and tourists attending the Flower Festival this year than any other year, but I¡¯m sure there are some who are just here for Ms. Lotte¡¯s live performance. Cyril: ¡°I feel bad for you.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡« regardless, I do this because I enjoy it.¡± Cyril: ¡°I see¡« hm...yes, I guess being so adored and praised must be fun. Henry, you can adore and praise me as much as you want.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah right.¡± And I lightly chop her head. Of course, it shouldn¡¯t have hurt at all but¡­ Cyril: ¡°Owie¡« ¡­...Ms. Lotte¡« Henry is bullying me¡«¡± Charlotte: ¡°Oh my, you poor dear.¡± And Cyril went crying to Ms. Lotte, and Ms. Lotte is petting her head and comforting her. ¡­¡­.during this Tour Quest, the two seemed to have gotten really close. Cyril started calling Ms. Lotte the same way I do, and Ms. Lotte has been answering in kind with much love and affection. Both use songs to create Spells, and even without that, their personalities mesh well together. It¡¯s unbelievable how well they get along. Cyril: ¡°Ms. Lotte, please teach Henry a lesson.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Of cou¡«rse, you leave it to me.¡± I hear her small knuckles crack as she starts coming towards me. Henry: ¡°HUH?! W©`W©`Wait?! Ms. Lotte! Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a little childish?!¡± Charlotte: ¡°Hehehe...anyone who bullies my little Cyril will face my wrath¡­..like this!¡± Ms. Lotte takes my hand. And with a quick movement of her arm, my feet float off the ground¡­.and I¡¯m hovering in the air. Henry: ¡°WHAT?!¡± I was completely upside down in the air, but then I landed on the ground on my feet without any injury. ¡­¡­¡­.sheesh, that scared me¡­. D©`Did she just throw me? I couldn¡¯t feel her strength at all. Henry: ¡°Wh©`What was that just now.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Just a little trick. The kind that uses your opponents strength and not yours¡­..a trick like that.¡± I know a few countermoves that are similar in purpose, but this one held something more terrifying underneath. Charlotte: ¡°Well, it wouldn¡¯t be bad if you learned something like this. If you go up one more, techniques like this will be common. Oh, and don¡¯t worry. I made sure that no one saw what just happened.¡± If I go up one more, isn¡¯t that the very top? But she wanted me to experience that I guess. ¡­...that almost made my heart stop, but I guess I should be....thankful? Charlotte: ¡°There you go, Cyril. I taught him a good lesson.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ya¡«y, thank you!¡± GAH! Don¡¯t applaud Ms. Lotte like that. Charlotte: ¡°Alrighty then. I guess it¡¯s time I should go. I will see you two again.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, we will see you at your performance.¡± Cyril: ¡°Good luck¡«! Do you best¡«!¡± Ms. Lotte waves her hand and begins to run down the main road. Closer to town, she held back, but she suddenly burst with unbelievable speed after a certain point. But no one is even noticing her passing, which is what differentiates her level from Ageha¡¯s. Cyril: ¡°Well, there she goes¡«¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go back.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes.¡± We both turn back to the City of Flowtier. ¡­¡­.I wonder what tomorrow¡¯s going to be like. <<<<>>>> The next morning. I woke up without a hangover for once and felt refreshed. I was planning on teasing Ms. Lotte as she entered town and headed towards the City¡¯s main entrance. Her arrival is supposed to be around 10 O¡¯Clock. Just in case she arrived earlier, I came 10 minutes before 10 at the front gate. I¡¯m sure Ms. Lotte entering town won¡¯t be too rowdy. ¡­¡­¡­.but I was proven completely wrong. ¡°Is Little Charu not here yet?!¡± ¡°Hey, move over a bit. I need to squeeze by.¡± ¡°RRRAAAAGGHHHH!! LITTLE CHARU ENERGY©`!¡± ¡­¡­...there were many men waiting to greet Ms. Lotte and were throwing up a huge ruckus. Of course, the City Soldiers were trying to get them to line up in an orderly fashion but¡­ ¡°Excuse me©`! Please stop pushing! The arrival time of Lady Charlotte is still some time in the future! We will announce to the group when we see her¡­¡­..it¡¯s dangerous so please stop pushing! Stop¡­.Sto©`....I SAID STOP PUSHING DAMMIT!!¡± Oh, he snapped. ¡°Hey! Stop acting like idiots and embarrassing yourselves, and present yourselves more like true fans of our Little Charu!¡± And one person stood in front of them all, feet apart, shoulders back, arms crossed and started lecturing them. ¡­¡­.that¡¯s¡­¡­...that¡¯s definitely Ferris. I see Jend standing naturally behind her. I look away and hide my face so no one thinks I¡¯m related to them. ¡­¡­¡­..so please stop making eye contact with me Jend. Even I wouldn''t know what to do if I were in your position¡­.. Yeah, at this rate, I¡¯ll be so far back that it¡¯ll be hard to even see Ms. Lotte¡¯s face. I guess I¡¯ll find a way to kill some time around here. Henry: ¡°Hm?¡± From far away, I hear a stampede-like rumbling. And it was heading to Flowtier with amazing speed. ¡°Oh! There¡¯s Lady Charlotte! Whatever! You guys do whatever the hell you want!¡± And the soldiers give up holding back the fans. And with that, the fans begin pushing their way through the main gate. Henry: ¡°......maybe I should try going up?¡± Right now, all the people around me are focused on getting out of town. I secretly cast [Physical Enhancement] on my legs and jumped up. I landed on top of the City Walls. ¡°WHOA?!¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, sorry for startling you.¡± I accidentally scared the guard on top of the wall. I apologize immediately. ¡°.........you know this is a restricted area¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, is it restricted? I¡¯m so sorry.¡± ¡°Well, if it¡¯s you, I guess it¡¯s okay, Mr. Henry.¡± Oh, he knows who I am? ¡­¡­..ohhh! I remember now. When we went to get permission to go to the Altohern Region at the Governor¡¯s mansion, he was one of the soldiers standing guard there. Cyril greeted him, and his name was¡­¡­ Henry: ¡°Was it Mr. Geo?¡± Geo: ¡°Yes, I¡¯m honored that you remembered my name. ¡­...we are truly grateful for your help in the incident with the Giants.¡± Oh, I haven¡¯t been scolded because of that. It feels good to be thanked genuinely. Geo: ¡°I¡¯ve only heard rumors, but I still can¡¯t believe you went up against a Upper-Tier, Upper-Class.¡± Henry: ¡°Well¡­...to be honest, I¡¯m more scared of what¡¯s coming toward us right now.¡± I point to the object on the horizon heading directly for us. Mr. Geo chuckled in agreement. The view is spectacular from up on the wall. I can see Ms. Lotte running full speed towards us. She¡¯s still far away in the distance, but I can see her smile even from here, but she¡¯s waving at the fans at the main gate, and I think she¡¯s even singing a song while she¡¯s running. And behind her, I see about 100 beefy, sweaty men screaming ¡°Little Charu¡«!¡± like lost lambs, and are approaching the city with Ms. Lotte at an incredible speed. ¡­¡­..I think Ms. Lotte¡¯s casted her Song Spell and boosted the ability of the men behind her. And in front of the gate is a mad celebration as her fans are going bananas at Ms. Lotte¡¯s arrival. Although they were pushing and shoving before, they¡¯re now a terrifyingly unified and organized group. I thought I saw one of my Party Members within that horde, but it is most definitely a hallucination caused by the trick of the light. Henry: ¡°.................wow.¡± Now I know what Hell on Earth looks like. My brain is trying to process what I¡¯m seeing, but my defensive mechanism is trying to kick in so I can lose consciousness and close my eyes. Although I''m at a loss for words at the entire ordeal, Ms. Lotte comes near the Flowtier gates, and stops shortly before, and so does the men behind her. I swallowed hard at what was to come next. And with the biggest smile ever, Ms. Lotte shouted, Charlotte: ¡°Hi¡« everyone¡« Thank you for welcoming me here¡«! Your Charlotte Fine has finally arrived! I think I¡¯m a little tired from the travels¡« hehe!¡± Cringe. I think I threw up in my mouth a little. ¡­¡­¡­..but apparently I was the only one who felt that way, and the rest of her fans roared with cheers and great fanfare. I hear something like, ¡°You worked so hard¡«! Thank you¡«!¡± Are you serious?! You think she could ever be tired just from that?! I don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s possible for her to ever tire out! Charlotte: ¡°He¡«y everyone¡« are you overflowing with Little Charu energy?!¡± ¡°Ye¡«s!!¡± GAH, SHUT UP!! ¡­¡­..it¡¯s no use. I¡¯ve been to her live performances before, so I thought I was mentally prepared, but¡­¡­..unlike the Live Performance Theatre where you can expect unordinary scenes like this, when they do the same things out in normal public, it makes me feel dizzy and light-headed. Charlotte: ¡°Alrighty! Then to mark my arrival at this wonderful City of Flowtier, let¡¯s sing one song¡«!¡± The crowd of fans completely lose it as they cheer. But, it¡¯ll be a little bit inconvenient if she sings directly in front of the main gate, so they go off a little ways to do an outside Live performance. Oh, Ms. Lotte just winked in my direction. ¡­¡­¡­¡±you better come and listen¡±, huh. Fine, fine. I¡¯m coming. And just like that, the Hero of Legend, and Singing Celebrity, Charlotte Fine¡¯s public appearance at Flowtier began. CH 65 Chapter 65: I Hear the Reason and Watch the Live Performance Ms. Lotte¡¯s Outdoor Live Performance did not last longer than an hour. It would be problematic if they continued, and Ms. Lotte¡¯s schedule is chock full and overflowing with appointments today. While we were going around the Festival, I heard from her that she was visiting the local Grandes Church, had a meeting with the Governor, checked out the Live Performance venue, and was going out to slay some Demonic Creatures - and that was just her first day. Even though she came as a Singing Celebrity, I thought Demonic Creature Slaying was unusual, but this is actually the reason why Ms. Lotte does Live Performances in these rural areas. There are many small towns and villages where strong Demonic Creatures spawn nearby, but they do not have any Adventurers who can take care of them. Sometimes, there are travel issues. The roads may not be well maintained, or it may be that it¡¯s too hot or too cold, or simply by plain bad luck, they cannot get Adventurers to gather there. Ms. Lotte strategizes her Live Performances to visit those kinds of areas and goes around taking out the immediate threats around them and secures their safety. And the people who live there no longer have to live in fear of the Demonic Creature¡¯s threat and enjoy a spectacular Live Performance. Ms. Lotte is happy to make fans in these distant parts that would otherwise never hear her songs. ¡°It¡¯s a win-win,¡± is what Ms. Lotte tells me. ¡­...but I can¡¯t help but feel that it¡¯s just mostly Ms. Lotte volunteering to do some charity work that no one else is wanting to take on. So that¡¯s why Ms. Lotte received permission to enter the Altohern region from the meeting with the Governor, and with cheerful enthusiasm, she went and defeated the Demonic Creatures near the summit. Apparently, she found Giants, Snow Queens, and an Ice Dragon (wait, there was one?) and slayed about 100 of them in total and came back. As she returned, her fans welcomed her back into town, and Ms. Lotte shouted to them saying¡­ [Oh¡« I¡¯m so glad there weren¡¯t any Highest-Tiers¡« That¡¯s a huge relief for Charlotte¡«] We¡¯ve gotten used to her stage personality but¡­. Cyril: ¡°........it¡¯s just one giant fake act.¡± It was the day after Ms. Lotte said something that was undermining her true strength - the night of the 6th Day of the Flower Festival. I was walking with Cyril and heading to Ms. Lotte¡¯s Live Performance, and I talked to her about what I saw, and Cyril was flabbergasted at the news. Henry: ¡°Yeah, but hey, we already defeated it. If they found out that an actual Highest-Tier was at the summit, people would be more than concerned.¡± Cyril: ¡°.........do you think another one will pop up? To be honest, even though I fired my Spell at it from really far away, it still scared me to death to face it.¡± Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t think so. It would be a nightmare if that was the case. At the very least, this is the first time in Flowtier''s records that one was identified. That¡¯s going back at least 300 years.¡± Looking at the Grandes Church records, you would see a Highest-Tier appearing around this area, and the records can be trustworthy in the last 300 years at least. But going back farther than that, even in the fairy tale days, you can¡¯t find any mention of anything like Highest-Tiers appearing. The True Dragon Feedlefare who was the start of the Flower Offering Festival could be considered a Highest-Tier, but it¡¯s not technically a Demonic Creature. Henry: ¡°Besides, if you go to Ligaleo, you¡¯ll face at least one once a week. I¡¯ve defeated 14 in the past, but that was of course, with a solid party.¡± Cyril: ¡°WHAT?!¡± Henry: ¡°Last time, I was paired with Ms. Lotte, who I was not used to, and I messed up and took a hit, but as long as you have your roles well defined, it¡¯s not too hard to win. Even if I went Solo, as long as I¡¯m fully prepared, I can at least stop it in its tracks.¡± Well, to be fair, because the Highest-Tiers appeared so often, the knowledge and tactics of how to deal with them expanded exponentially which contributed to our win-rate. The Highest-Tiers are most definitely fearsome creatures, but even more than that, we simply had no information pertaining to them before. We didn¡¯t know what kind of attacks they would do. Where were their weak points and what was effective against them? What about their physical strength? Speed? Reaction time? There was no way to prepare to fight Highest-Tier Demonic Creatures because they were so few and far in between. And besides the lack of information, you wouldn¡¯t encounter the same one for at least 100 years in most cases. ¡­¡­...but now, they appear once a week, and they appear at the frontlines where Adventurers are gathering in numbers. In other words, we were able to begin beating the crap out of them and while doing so, we gathered as much information about them as possible. And as a result, the fame and wealth that usually followed defeating a Highest-Tier evaporated into history. But you¡¯ll still get annihilated if you underestimate one. Henry: ¡°So I can protect you, but that¡¯s only while you¡¯re in Flowtier.¡± Cyril: ¡°.......yes.¡± Annnnnnd, she¡¯s still working towards going to Ligaleo. ¡­¡­...I guess it¡¯s okay if I ask now. Henry: ¡°Hey, why do you want to go to such a dangerous place?¡± For the first time, I ask without beating around the bush. I have some guesses, but they all lack a certain something that doesn¡¯t convince me that it¡¯s the correct reason. A long silence follows. Cyril¡¯s eyes swim back and forth as she speaks worriedly. Cyril: ¡°That¡­¡­..that¡¯s still a secret¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Till how long?¡± Cyril: ¡°You need to gather at least 7 more Cyril points of admiration.¡± Henry: ¡°I haven¡¯t heard about those mystery points in a while¡­.¡± I sort of remember those points, but I¡¯ve already forgotten when you mentioned it before! Cyril: ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to say it. It¡¯s not an embarrassing reason either. I swear to the Heavens.¡± Henry: ¡°You swore an oath to the God, Grandes. Why are you swearing to a different entity now.¡± Cyril: ¡°That¡¯s not the point.¡± True. In the Heavens, there is the Sun God Nulvis who values promises and is known as a just and fair God, so those oaths would be acceptable to that God. Cyril: ¡°.........well, I might tell you some time soon. But if I do, I think it¡¯ll cause you trouble, Henry, and Miss Cyril is full of concerns and worries.¡± Henry: ¡°You really think it¡¯s something big enough to worry me?¡± I brush it off with a swipe of my nose. ¡­¡­...but in truth, besides whatever she¡¯s hiding, if she truly wanted to cause me trouble, there are plenty of ways she could do it, but I ignore that fact for the moment. Cyril: ¡°......I¡¯m gonna tell Ms. Lotte again.¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Please excuse my rudeness!¡± She uses one of the methods brilliantly, and I immediately surrender. Cyril: ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me too much!¡± Henry: ¡°Well, to be fair, you¡¯re totally relying on other¡¯s strengths right now¡­.¡± She sticks her tongue at me, and I know we¡¯re on the way to the Live Performance so I better do something to get her back to a better mood. Henry: ¡°Cyril, you want some cotton candy?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, I do!¡± That was easy¡­ <<<<>>>> So now we are in the Central Square of the City. We approach the stage which we helped build, and there are so¡« many people here. There are many people interested in watching Ms. Lotte¡¯s Live Performance. And I think there are generally more men around, but on a closer look, I see a balance of elderly and the young, men and women throughout. Ms. Lotte¡¯s popularity doesn¡¯t cater just to one age group and gender¡­¡­..but the Governor who is sponsoring this event isn¡¯t taking any entrance fees, so many people are here to get a glance of someone who¡¯s pretty well known. And Ms. Lotte specializes in turning these curious observers into instant fans. Jend: ¡°Oh, he?y, this way, you two! Over here!¡± Jend, who was waiting for us, waved his hand as he called to us. Jend, Ferris, and Teo were already there. Ferris and Teo were in some sort of heated discussion. Were we a little late to arrive? I wonder if we shouldn''t have gotten the cotton candy now. Henry: ¡°Hey, sorry. Did we make you wait long?¡± Jend: ¡°We did!¡± O©`Oh yeah¡­? Jend seemed relieved to see us, and I was just about to ask him what happened when... Ferris: ¡°Ah, Mr. Henry, you¡¯re here. We have a little more than 10 minutes until Little Charu¡¯s Live Performance. ¡­..it¡¯ll be a little rushed, but I¡¯ll explain the general things to expect and how to perform in each part. Jend, Teo, this will be a review for you, but I want you to listen again from the beginning. Got it?¡± Uh, no. I don¡¯t wanna. Jend: ¡°.....Ferris, it¡¯s my third time now.¡± Ohh©`. ¡­..I see. Yeah, you can do it, Jend. It¡¯s, uh, that. The things we do for love. Just consider it a trial of surviving your relationship or something like that. That way, things will go more smoothly. Don''t think about whether this is something you should be doing or not. Henry: ¡°Ferris, it¡¯s not my first Live Performance with Ms. Lotte, so I know the drill.¡± Ferris: ¡°O©`Oh, that''s right. Mr. Henry is a personal friend of our Little Charu, so that¡¯s to be expected.¡± Henry: ¡°I guess? ¡­.she¡¯s more like someone I¡¯m indebted to or a big sister...at least, that¡¯s how I feel personally.¡± I feel a little hesitant to call her my personal friend¡­ Cyril: ¡°It¡¯s my very first Live Performance so please teach me everything I need to know!¡± Teo: ¡°Me too. Watching Miss Ferris is quite entertaining.¡± Ferris: ¡°Entertaining? What are you talking about?¡± Yeah, the transformation in Ferris is quite comical. Jend is having a hard time catching up between the gaps in the personalities though. Ferris begins explaining all the chants and movements associated. She¡¯s even warning the first time participants to refrain from getting too excited and moving too wildly which is probably unnecessary. ¡­..looking around, I see similar explanations being done all around the crowds. Ms. Lotte¡¯s fans are diligent in teaching and preparing new fans in the ways of Ms. Lotte¡¯s fandom. And as I enjoyed watching the crowds and Ferris¡¯ amazing demonstrations, the Square went dark all around except for certain parts. The stage itself is pitch black. It¡¯s a starry night, but the stage lighting crew made sure that the stage was hidden well in the shadows. And the center of the stage lights up slightly. ¡­..within the center of the light was Ms. Lotte in an all-out brilliant stage costume. Cyril: ¡°Ohhhh¡­¡± Ferris: ¡°That¡¯s Little Charu¡¯s favorite entrance. But not yet. You can¡¯t start cheering just yet.¡± Um, pretty sure the first-timers would hesitate to start yelling and screaming regardless. And it¡¯s true that Ms. Lotte uses that dark stage to the spotlight entrance¡­.but now that I look closely, isn¡¯t that the same defensive light Spell she used against the Fenrir? ¡­...knowing what it¡¯s capable of, it feels like a real waste or abuse of that Spell. But knowing her, I''m sure she finds the defensive properties as only secondary, and this is the main purpose she uses that Spell for. And as her concert begins with a very mystical atmosphere, Ms. Lotte begins to sing a song with a gentle melody. You couldn¡¯t imagine such a powerful voice coming from someone so small and frail, and her singing ability is spot on as the song flows off the stage and into the hearts of the listeners. ¡­..she likes singing those upbeat, girly songs, but in truth, she has an incredible voice and an amazing talent for singing. She could sing more technical and difficult songs, but she usually starts off with this kind of slow melody. Looking sideways, I see Cyril, Teo, and Jend''s eyes widen seeing Ms. Lotte perform for the first time. We all drift into the music and lose track of time as we all listened, and the lights came back on when she finished. And now holding a mic, she changes pace to a brighter, upbeat personality and yells¡­ [Hey everyone?! Thank you for coming! For all those who are long time comers and first time comers, I hope you all enjoy!] And Ms. Lotte literally begins to shine and sparkle. ¡­..I feel awkward when Ms. Lotte switches into full celebrity mode, but I can see why people are dazzled by her. [Let¡¯s get this party started with a popular number?! Everyone?!] And here comes the first chant. ¡­¡­.beginning with Ferris, the fans are flooding with energy as the energy around the whole stage begins to boil over with Ms. Lotte at the lead. [Alright?! Great?! You guys are so energetic! Let¡¯s start the next song, ¡°Love Explorer?!] It¡¯s one of Ms. Lotte¡¯s top hits. Even though the singer herself was never in a relationship and has no experience herself. With silly, comedic lyrics, you''re immediately sucked into a bright mood. And I wasn''t the only one. Everybody in the crowd were all smiling. ©`©`Ohh¡­, now I understand how deeply depressed I was to hear this song and not even perk up when I first went to her concert. Cyril: ¡°Henry, Henry! Ms. Lotte...no, Little Charu is amazing!!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, she is.¡± Cyril also has a big smile on her face. ¡­¡­.yeah, she is amazing. It feels good to be here. Maybe I should loosen up for once. I remember the dance moves that I¡¯ve seen Ms. Lotte¡¯s fans do. I¡¯ll make sure to not bother the other fans, but I¡¯ll show off what a First-Rate Adventurer''s physical ability is capable of!! And so©` Although I was careful not to bump into anyone, there were plenty of complaints that said watching any person move like that was terrifying¡­ ¡­.and had to apologize a good bit right afterwards. CH 66 Chapter 66: The Flower Exchange After two requested encores, Ms. Lotte¡¯s Live Concert was finally over. I messed up with my initial dance and cheer, but after that mistake, I understood the general boundaries I had to follow and just cheered her on normally. I couldn¡¯t make myself yell ¡°Little Charu¡«!¡± though. It would be too embarrassing. And Ms. Lotte¡¯s songs were amazing, but being able to cheer as the entire fanbase congealed into one giant entity was a different kind of experience. I sort of understand now why Ms. Lotte¡¯s most passionate fans get along so well. [It¡¯s too bad, but today¡¯s Live Concert will end here¡«. Everyone¡« Thank you for all your support!] With a mic in her hand, Ms. Lotte wraps up the concert herself as the crowd roars back to life one last time with a ¡°YEAH¡«!!¡±. [Oh, but we also have gifts for everyone who attended¡«! Did you know? In Flowtier¡¯s Flower Festival, it¡¯s customary to gift flowers to people special to you!] Oh¡«, that¡¯s right. I remember reading about that on the poster that was pinned to the wall of a Floral Stand. I almost forgot. [That¡¯s why, it¡¯s a little sudden, but I will be giving everyone here a Blue Flower that represents our friendship! You can pick up at the exit so please make sure to pick up one¡«! See you all again!] Ms. Lotte waves her hand, and a puff of pink smoke appears at her feet and with a , by the time the smoke cleared, Ms. Lotte was gone. It¡¯s a really cute way to exit, but the smoke only held for a second at most¡­¡­¡­..Ms. Lotte must have gunned it at full speed to the back of the Stage. Henry: ¡°So a blue flower, huh.¡± Giving one to everyone here would be quite costly. But I guess from Ms. Lotte¡¯s pockets, it won¡¯t even make a dent. Or since this Live Concert was hosted by the Governor, by having the flowers come from Ms. Lotte, was it a marketing strategy to spread the Flower Gifting culture to people visiting from other towns and increase sales for flowers in the future? ¡­¡­¡­..I wouldn¡¯t put it past the Governor and his conniving economic schemes¡­.this seems more likely. Cyril: ¡°Wow¡« that was so fun¡«!¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, I had to do a double-take at first, but it wasn¡¯t bad at all.¡± Cyril and Jend seemed to thoroughly enjoy their very first Live Concert. The two of them were doing their best to copy the movements and cheers of the people around them the whole time. Ferris: ¡°How was it, Teo? Wasn¡¯t Little Charu absolutely amazing?¡± Teo: ¡°Yes. Her dance on the stage¡­¡­...though the movements were extravagant, I didn¡¯t see any openings or weaknesses at all. It was almost creepy how smooth her movements were.¡± Oh, so Teo¡¯s focus was directed there. Yeah, most definitely. When Ms. Lotte performs moves, she is on another level. In fact, there are traveling martial artists who will come to her concerts just to observe her movements and the way she carries her body. And in most cases, those Stoic Martial Arts Pilgrims fall into her trap...I mean, "transform willingly" into Ms. Lotte¡¯s fans. Ferris: ¡°R©`Really? Well, yes, her dance was absolutely amazing too, but what about her songs?¡± Teo: ¡°? I do intend to withdraw some money tomorrow for a record player and purchase some of her records.¡± Oh, she¡¯s totally into Ms. Lotte¡¯s music now. Ferris: ¡°W©`Wow¡­.I didn¡¯t know you had so much money.¡± Teo: ¡°Of course, we¡¯re hunting Demonic Creatures in the Altohern Mountains, so saving this much shouldn¡¯t be that hard¡­¡­...Miss Ferris, would you like me to let you borrow some money?¡± Ferris: ¡°N©`No! I can¡¯t! That would be going too far! My pride wouldn¡¯t allow it!¡± Ferris has been returning 90% of her Expedition earnings to pay back her father¡¯s debts, but Ferris only wavered for a brief moment before she turned down Teo¡¯s offer. And in fact, I only heard the rumors about her father, but if he¡¯s that much of a trash, she could have cut ties with him and then she would have plenty of money to buy whatever she wanted. I guess it¡¯s hard to cut ties with family. ¡­¡­¡­.since I spent 10 years of my life practically at war with an enemy who destroyed my country and family, I guess I have no place to talk about cutting family ties. Jend: ¡°Haha¡­¡­.well, don¡¯t worry about that so much, Ferris. If you want to hear records, you can always come over to my place.¡± Ferris: ¡°But I¡¯m going there so often to listen to your records. Isn¡¯t that too much for your family to have to deal with?¡± Jend: ¡°That¡¯s not true. You don¡¯t have to worry about them.¡± Ferris: ¡°But they always serve me tea and cakes every time¡­.I feel terrible making them do that.¡± Jend: ¡°Oh¡­..ummmmm¡«...¡± Jend scratches his head with annoyance and faces Ferris directly. Jend: ¡°Look, I¡¯m the one inviting you to come over because I want you there. So don¡¯t worry. In fact, stop griping and just come over.¡± Ferris: ¡°Oh¡­..yeah¡­..I¡­.understand¡­.¡± UGH, they started flirting, these two¡­ Cyril: ¡°Wow, it¡¯s gotten so warm all of a sudden. It¡¯s autumn, but isn¡¯t it unusually hot around here¡«.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, for sure.¡± Cyril fans her face with her hand in an exaggerated manner. I fully agree. ¡­¡­..they¡¯re really heating up over there! Ferris: ¡°Oh, yeah, um...well, isn¡¯t it okay? We are dating, so please don¡¯t tease us like that, you two.¡± Ferris blushes as she quietly protests. She¡¯s usually a calm beauty and then transforms into a pitiable beauty when Ms. Lotte comes up, but the way she¡¯s acting now is cute. Cyril: ¡°We didn¡¯t say it was a bad thing¡« right, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°No¡«pe¡± Jend: ¡°Hey cut it out¡­..gah, whatever¡­¡± Jend was about to say something, but gives up on his retort and just sighs. Henry: ¡°........alright guys. The crowd¡¯s thinning out. Want to go congratulate Ms. Lotte for her performance?¡± Teo: ¡°That sounds great. But please wait for a moment. I¡¯m going to go buy some pen and paper for an autograph.¡± Ferris: ¡°Oh! Teo, wait for me! I¡¯m going too! I want Little Charu¡¯s autograph!!¡± Teo left with light steps and ran towards the nearest stand where they sold various Ms. Lotte¡¯s fan goods, and Ferris quickly followed behind her. Weren¡¯t you saying something about not wasting money¡­? Ah well, she¡¯s fun to watch when she gets like this. And after the two came back, we went to go see Ms. Lotte. Of course, the path to go see Ms. Lotte was heavily guarded, but the Governor¡¯s soldiers knew of our situation, so they let us pass. And as we approached the giant tent where Ms. Lotte was¡­. Charlotte: ¡° FWEW¡«!! YES!! The drink after a Live is the best¡«!¡± Runa: ¡°Lotte, isn¡¯t that your 5th drink?¡± Charlotte: ¡°Runa, isn¡¯t that your 6th?¡± Runa: ¡°NOPE! It¡¯s my 8th.¡± It makes you wonder about the difference you see here and at that stage. Ms. Lotte¡¯s outfit is dangling off loosely as you see the halfling chug down Flowtier Ale, and her manager was right beside her. And next to them was a whole barrel announcing its presence loudly. ¡­¡­¡­.how much do they plan to drink, these two? Henry: ¡°Ms. Lotte¡«, we came around to say hi but¡­..¡± Charlotte: ¡°Hm?? Ohhh! It¡¯s Henry! And the others too. Come now, don¡¯t just stand there. Come sit over here, huh?¡± She gestures with her finger to come sit down near them. Under the tent was a table and chairs. It was probably originally meant for the organizers and workers of the Live Concert to take a break here, so there were a lot of chairs scattered around. I sit in one of them, and Ms. Lotte immediately places a full mug of ale right before me. The others also get a mug of ale placed in front of them as soon as they take a seat. Charlotte: ¡°The ale is from the Governor as a congratulation for a successful Live Concert gift. There¡¯s no way Runa and I could drink it all, so please have some.¡± Cyril: ¡°What is the Sir Governor thinking¡­...even if it¡¯s Ms. Lotte, an entire barrel is way too much.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Hehe...he said it¡¯s for the Heroes of our City. He guessed correctly that you guys would be coming. ¡­¡­.oh, and he told me to tell you, Cyril, don¡¯t get too carried away and drink too much.¡± Ohhh, it¡¯s probably a show of gratitude for taking care of the Fenrir incident. Ms. Lotte didn¡¯t accept the reward money, so the Governor must have pulled some strings to at least give her this. Well, if it¡¯s that, I¡¯ll gladly partake. There¡¯s also a lot of delicious looking food on the table as well. Cyril: ¡°Hmph. Miss Cyril isn¡¯t that irresponsible of a woman. The Sir Governor can be so rude at times.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like you drink ale anyways.¡± Cyril: ¡°I don¡¯t like bitter drinks.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Oh, then have some Cider I made.¡± Ms. Lotte takes out a bottle from her bag and places it in front of Cyril. Cyril: ¡°It¡¯s a liquor made from apples, correct?¡± Charlotte: ¡°Yup. This batch, I made it sweeter, so it¡¯s easy to drink.¡± Cyril: ¡°That sounds terrific! Henry, here¡¯s my mug of ale.¡± And I get a second fully filled mug in front of me. Well, I have no problems with that. Runa: ¡°Here, you three, have some more.¡± Even though she had already drunk quite a bit, with unaffected, precise movements, she refills Jend and the other¡¯s mugs with ale and gives it back to them. ¡­¡­..I thought this about her from last time, but she can drink more than anyone I know. Henry: ¡°Oh, is it really okay for a Celebrity to be celebrating like this where anyone can see?¡± Don''t celebrities have to be careful about their public image? I know there are security guards so the civilians can¡¯t come, but the security guards will most definitely see us. I don¡¯t see any around us though. Charlotte: ¡°No worries. With Runa¡¯s Magecraft, it will shut out the sound and hide us from plain view. Didn¡¯t you notice it as you approached the tent?¡± Runa: ¡°Apologies, Lotte. I forgot to cast the Magecraft inscription around the tent.¡± Charlotte: ¡°HEY WHAT¡«?!?!¡± She¡¯s mumbling, ¡°sorry, sorry¡± as Ms. Runa heads outside the tent and at various points, she writes down an inscription in the ground and sends Magic Power through it. It¡¯s not a Magecraft Style I recognize, but it¡¯s not for combat use. Runa: ¡°Well, no one came to chide us for our behavior yet, so I think we¡¯re okay.¡± Charlotte: ¡°Please be careful next time¡« It¡¯s my fault too for not noticing but¡«¡± And as Ms. Lotte grumbles a little, she lifts her mug into the air. Charlotte: ¡°Alright, listen up¡­.¡± And Ms. Lotte clears her throat as she raises her voice. Charlotte: ¡°For the success of the Live Concert, for the friends we met in this city, and for Henry not carrying that pitiful expression on his face anymore! CHEERS!!¡± [CHEERS!] Henry: ¡°HEY! What pitiful¡­..UGH, whatever! CHEERS!¡± Ugh, this woman¡­..she''ll be like this to the very end¡­.. Ms. Lotte is laughing merrily and isn''t showing any signs of guilt. She stuck her tongue at me and winked. ¡­...sheesh. I sip the ale, and tear into the roasted leg of some bird. Henry: ¡°Mmmm¡« wow, that¡¯s good¡­¡± ¡­¡­...but I guess after all that¡­. One of Ms. Lotte¡¯s reasons for coming here and hosting a Live Performance was to come verify if I was doing okay. (sigh)........I¡¯ll never be able to repay her if she keeps stacking up debts like this on me¡­. <<<<>>>> Ms. Lotte left the morning of the last day of the Flower Festival to head to her next destination. The fans who were still in town gathered to send her off¡­¡­.and there were fans who ran with her for a bit as she was leaving. They were frantically trying to keep up but couldn¡¯t. Apparently, this is a well-established tradition as well. Even Ferris and Teo, who got their autographs last night, ran after her¡­¡­.and after seeing her to the nearest town, they said their farewells and came back. And so¡­.. We all disbanded after that, and I am standing in front of the Floral Store once again. ¡°Hey boss, what¡¯cha gonna buy? Do you want the red one?¡± Henry: ¡°.........all blues please.¡± I was going back and forth, but I decided to purchase 6 blue flowers for all my friends. I bought one for every party member, one for the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn, and to Mr. Thomas who I got to know on the way over to Flowtier. Receiving too much can be a bother, so apparently, you¡¯re only supposed to get them for your closest friends. Well, Ms. Lotte is a Celebrity so I guess she¡¯s an exception. ¡­¡­..and as far as your love-interest and those you are dating¡­..or even those you plan to ask out, I was thinking about the red flower, but after some thinking, I decided that it was still too early. Well, it might not be a matter of whether it¡¯s too soon or later anyways. Henry: ¡°Well, that¡¯s that¡­¡± I go to the City¡¯s Central Square where Ms. Lotte held her Live Concert. This is where the Flower Festival¡¯s Closing Ceremonies will be held. A lot of people will be gathering here, and this is one of the places where you can exchange flowers apparently. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t think I¡¯d run into you here, Cyril.¡± As soon as I started walking, I ran straight into Cyril. We were planning on meeting each other around this time, so running into her on the way wasn¡¯t unusual¡­¡­..but¡­...did she see me at the Floral Store? There¡¯s so many people at the Festival that all the people¡¯s presence was jumbled up. There¡¯s a chance that I wasn¡¯t paying attention, and she was watching me from afar. Seeing a man go back and forth between a blue and red flower in front of a Floral Store¡­ ¡­¡­¡­...yeah, this got really awkward. But brushing aside my concerns, Cyril presented me with a blue flower. Cyril: ¡°Henry, this one is yours.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, uhhh, yeah. Here, this one is from me.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hehe, thank you so much!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, me too. Thanks.¡± I look at the flower Cyril gave me. ¡­¡­¡­.hm? Henry: ¡°Cyril, this flower looks like a different species compared to the one I bought.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh¡« they must have sold out on the ones you have.¡± Henry: ¡°Really?¡± And without a second thought, I went to the Town Square with Cyril. The week-long Flower Festival came to an end. And¡­.. I actually found out about this WA¡«Y afterwards but¡­. At the Flower Festival, the meaning of the flower you send to someone is in general, decided by its color. That is true, and there¡¯s no lies about that, but between the Flowtier girls, the meanings of the flowers slightly change depending on the species of flowers you send. Teo isn¡¯t interested in romance stuff, and Ferris hasn¡¯t been in Flowtier long. And Jend, who¡¯s a man, wouldn¡¯t know about this, but Cyril did. The flower she sent me meant, ¡°I¡¯m a little interested in you.¡± ¡­¡­¡­...although she can be so straightforward and direct most of the time, this was probably one of the few times I recall where she took her time delivering a message in a very subtle, round-a-bout way. <<<<>>>> CH 67 Chapter 67: Prologue - Book 6 A Letter from a Saint The energy from the Flower Festival began to dissipate, and the everyday goings of Flowtier returned back to normal. With the experience at the Altohern summit with Ms. Lotte, I feel like my Party grew a level or two higher than before. I¡¯m sure experiencing a battle with a group of Upper-Tier Demonic Creatures will be helpful in the upcoming battles on the frontlines. Jend: ¡°So Henry, about going to the Upper Area of the Altohern Mountains¡­¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s still too early for that.¡± We were having our scheduled bi-weekly Party Meeting at the Grandes Church. Holding a glass of juice in his hands, in this place where we could relax and talk casually, I gave Jend my immediate denial of his request. Jend: ¡°Really? Well, I guess that¡¯s true.¡± Henry: ¡°If you already know, don¡¯t make me say it.¡± Jend: ¡°Well, it¡¯s getting harder to gauge my strength recently. The Ogres aren¡¯t giving me much trouble nowadays.¡± True, we¡¯ve hit a period where all Party members are growing at exponential rates in their abilities and strengths¡­. I remember being Jend¡¯s age and feeling my strength increase dramatically with my growth spurt. Cyril: ¡°I also feel like I¡¯m getting better at Spells that are not the core Spells of my Style! I want to be able to use stronger Spells going forward too!¡± Henry: ¡°No, at this point, the power and number of Spells you can use is well above expectations. I need you to learn how to carry yourself around the battlefield better.¡± Cyril is making some sort of appeal but¡­...you struck a Fenrir down with a single Spell. I don¡¯t know what kind of Spell you¡¯re going for beyond that. Teo: ¡°If we¡¯re talking about Miss Cyril¡¯s Spells, why not increase the speed in which to cast it? Honestly, it is an immense cannon, but there are too many times when we defeat the Demonic Creatures even before she fires her first Spell.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh yeah, well, that is something that we brought up and tried to address even before you joined our Party, Teo.¡± Cyril: ¡°Unfortunately, my Magic Style is 100% all about power¡­¡­..so I won¡¯t be able to shorten the length of my songs¡­.¡± And although we¡¯re talking about Cyril, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s oblivious to her shortcomings and weaknesses to her Magic Style. Apparently, she was experimenting heavily even before becoming an Adventurer. But this can¡¯t be done. Right now, she has significantly reduced the length of her Spell Casting to about half the time since we first met, but she can tell that further shortening the spellcast time would be impossible. Because Sorceress¡¯ use their willpower and thoughts to manipulate their Magic Power, she can instinctively feel out these limitations herself. Ferris: ¡°Hmm, then maybe try and learn a different Sorcery style? ¡­¡­...oh, nevermind. I forgot that different styles of Sorcery conflict with one another.¡± Ferris remembered the fact while she spoke and took back what she was trying to suggest. If it was Magecraft, yes, an adept user can use 2 or 3 different Styles, but when it comes to Sorcery, learning two different styles will actually interfere with the Spellcaster¡¯s senses, and the end result will weaken their original Style. Cyril: ¡°Yes, that is true. Hmmmm, what can I do then¡«¡± Ferris: ¡°I don¡¯t know much about Sorcery, but if there¡¯s anything I can do to help, let me know.¡± Cyril: ¡°I will¡«¡± Well, it¡¯s good that we can talk about each other¡¯s abilities openly like this. This will also help deepen trust and understanding about each other too. ¡°Oh¡«, Mr. Henry? Could I interrupt you for a moment?¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? Yes, what can I do for you?¡± One of the staff at the Church approached me to speak to me. ¡°Yes, well, we actually received a letter that was addressed to you.¡± Henry: ¡°.......from whom?¡± I¡¯m immediately reminded of the letter I received from Ms. Lotte about the Tour Quest during the Flower Festival. I brace myself as I think about what other matters I¡¯m going to be dragged into. ¡°Well, according to the documentation, the letter is from Eustacia. We also see that the letter was sent from Ligaleo¡­¡­¡­.we believe that this is indeed from the [Saint of Salvation].¡± From our beloved Miss [Saint of Salvation] (lol), huh. Ugh, my sides are hurting from trying to hold the laugh in. But as a matter of fact, Yuu¡¯s popularity is only second to Sir Ezeal and Ms. Lotte. According to the records, she healed over 1000 people during a specific incident, and from that deed, she was awarded the Hero of Legend status. You couldn¡¯t even start counting the number of people who were saved indirectly from that either. ¡­¡­¡­.and of course, each person she saved has family and friends. No one will hold ill will towards her for saving someone precious and close to them. Henry: ¡°Oh¡«, yes. Thank you so much. I have indeed received the letter.¡± ¡°Yes. Then if you will please excuse me¡­¡± The Church Staff bows and turns around to walk away. ¡­¡­¡­.and turning around myself, I¡¯m met with curious eyes from each of my Party members. Henry: ¡°What is it. Stop staring.¡± Cyril: ¡°Well, it is from your ex-girlfriend, so¡­..of course we¡¯ll be curious.¡± Jend: ¡°Me too.¡± Teo and Ferris are also nodding in agreement. ¡­¡­...I already explained to them that it¡¯s not like that between Yuu and I¡­¡­. I cut the seal and opened the envelope. A nice scent tickles my nose as I do so. ¡­¡­..it¡¯s the smell of one of Yuu¡¯s favorite perfumes. I was wondering about it when I saw that she placed a scented paper inside with the letter. It¡¯s simply a paper that is soaked in a certain perfume. That¡¯s right. She loved to do things like this. I remember now. I take out the letter as the nostalgia hits me, and I start reading. Her handwriting is impeccable as usual. Okay, so what did she write¡­ <<<<>>>> [I am addressing you through a letter, but it has been a while, Henry. I heard about you from Ageha, and I was overcome with a sense to immediately write to you. First of all, thank you for the gifts. I have received them from Ageha accordingly. I will treasure this Flower Bookmark. I have heard about the famous Flowtier Flowers, and this is a wonderful gift. It was an unusually thoughtful gift for you and took me by surprise. Are you doing well, Henry? According to Ageha, Flowtier is a peaceful land, and you are living out your days in relative ease. I pray that the peaceful days will continue. I am slightly envious though! It has not changed in Ligaleo. Everyday, the Demonic Creatures raid the city, and there are many who are injured. I am so busy that some days, I feel burnt out, but the novels I read before I go to sleep every night keep me going. Did you send me the bookmark because you remembered my hobby? If that is the case, I appreciate your kind gesture. And everyone you were close with here are doing well. Harold, Vincent, and Mr. Riol and Ruby and Bianca. Everyone in the Black Dragon Knights are doing well too. I heard that you ran into them at the Capital. And I can¡¯t forget to tell you about Helen. She withdrew from Ligaleo to get married. She is apparently going back to her hometown. I wish her the very best and hope she will live out the rest of her life in happiness and peace. And I hope you are doing well with the Party members I heard about from Ageha? I understand that in the past you had only one single thing that consumed your mind, and because of that, you had many conflicts with your friends here. But now that you are a genuine, skilled Heroic Warrior, I¡¯m sure things are going much better. But I heard that other than Mr. Jend, you are partied with Ageha¡¯s cousin, Miss Teo, Miss Cyril, and Miss Ferris, and your party is mostly female. I hope you have been well-behaved. You are the eldest in the group as well as a man, so I expect nothing less than the utmost caution when dealing with your female counterparts. I heard that everyone in your party is aiming to come to Ligaleo in the future. When they come, please tell them to reach out to me so that I can properly introduce myself. Well, there is more I want to write about, but as I am writing, I¡¯m having difficulty recalling everything. I will stop here for now. I will appreciate it if you can take the time to write back to me. Please take care of yourself. Sincerely, Eustacia <<<<>>>> Huh¡­¡­.. Although it was just a letter, I sensed sincerity and humility in her words. It¡¯s not like her. Cyril: ¡°Henry, what did she say?¡± Henry: ¡°There¡¯s not a whole lot that would interest you. She thanked me for the gifts I sent with Ageha, and she told me she¡¯s doing well. Other than that, oh yeah! She told me to tell you that once you get to Ligaleo, she¡¯d like to introduce herself to you all.¡± I wave the letter at them and answer Cyril¡¯s question. The fact that the contents were so plain is what surprised me the most. Hm? Jend¡¯s thinking about something. What is it? Jend: ¡°...........I feel like our connection in the frontlines is getting larger and larger¡­¡± Ferris: ¡°Jend, it¡¯s not just your imagination. There is an immense amount of connections waiting for us there. There is Captain Grandezeal, Miss Ageha, and now the Saint of Salvation. That¡¯s 3 Heroes of Legend who are actively fighting on the frontlines. And one of them is a relative of one of our Party members.¡± True, now that you put it that way. Also, when you guys go, I was going to write a letter of introduction to Mr. Riol so that would make the total tally 4. Teo: ¡°? Mr. Henry, there¡¯s another piece of paper inside your envelope.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right.¡± Teo pointed it out, and I drew out one more piece of paper from the envelope. I knew about it, but since the letter wrapped up and ended on the first page, I didn¡¯t think much of it. What is it? I open up the second sheet of paper. ¡­¡­¡­..there¡¯s a large "X" marked across the entire page. I think it¡¯s the rough draft or a messed up draft. She must have put it in here by accident. But it¡¯s like her to make these kinds of clumsy mistakes. I was wondering because her letter was so prim and proper that I thought maybe she matured a little? But seeing this, I see that she hasn¡¯t changed¡­.much? <<<<>>>> [I am addressing you through a letter, but it has been a while, Henry. I heard the news from Ageha, and there were a few things I wanted to tell you so I grabbed a pen and paper immediately. First of all, thank you for the gift you sent. I did receive your gift from Ageha. A Flower Bookmark ©` even though you chose it, it wasn¡¯t half-bad. I am using it quite often. It shocked me to receive something so thoughtful. Henry, I didn¡¯t know you can give presents like this. It¡¯s very unlike you. I wish you could have shown me this side of you while you were here. Are you doing well, Henry? According to Ageha, I heard Flowtier is very peaceful and you¡¯re lazing about everyday. I¡¯m so jealous. Go die a few times. Ligaleo hasn¡¯t changed at all. Everyday, Demonic Creatures attack, and there are too many who are injured. I¡¯m sick of it. There¡¯s always so many who get injured. I can¡¯t just leave them alone so I¡¯ll fix them up, but can¡¯t they at least NOT get so hurt in the first place?! They¡¯re doing whatever they want because I¡¯m here! ¡­¡­..sigh. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that I receive and get to read newest chapters from my favorite novels because of my Saint status, I would have quit a long time ago. Oh, I remembered this as I¡¯m writing, but was the bookmark because you remembered that I like to read? Oh, and all the people you were close to are all doing well. Harold, Vincent, Mr. Riol, and Ruby, Bianca. Everyone in the Black Knights too. I heard you ran into them at the Capital. And yeah, Helen is leaving Ligaleo to get married. She¡¯s apparently going back to her hometown. I don¡¯t know if someone who can crush 10 Ogres in one swing could do housework¡« Between Ruby, Bianca, and myself, we have bets going around. I betted that she¡¯ll slip up in about 3 days in. And I heard from Ageha, but are you getting along with everyone in your Party? In the past, you were off the wall crazy, but now I heard you¡¯ve calmed down a bit, so I¡¯m sure everything is going better. But I heard that other than a male named Mr. Jend, you have Ageha¡¯s cousin, Miss Teo, Miss Cyril, and Miss Ferris, and it¡¯s mostly women in your party. You better not be thinking dirty thoughts. I also heard that everyone there wants to come to Ligaleo in the near future. When they do come, please tell them to reach out to me so I can introduce myself. Well, there are other things I wanted to write about but whatever. I¡¯ll end it here. You better write me back. Later, Eustacia <<<<>>>> The way she flips back and from proper to informal language is just like her. This is the Yuu I know. Cyril: ¡°What are you smiling about, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°Well, it turns out that she accidentally slipped in a rough draft. That idiot. I bet she realized it after the fact and panicked a bit¡« that was what made me smile.¡± Annnnnnd she would drink herself to death the day of and completely forget about the day after - that¡¯s the kind of woman she is. This isn¡¯t good. For a split second, I wanted to go back to Ligaleo just to tease her about this. I¡¯ll just make sure to do it in my reply letter - thoroughly. Ferris: ¡°Mr. Henry, isn¡¯t it a little twisted to tease people over their mistakes? Besides, it¡¯s the Saint we¡¯re talking about here.¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? Oh, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s totally still in my rights to do so.¡± In this rough draft, there¡¯s clearly some things she said that I am more than willing to express my thoughts on the subject. I''m not one to let such insults slide unnoticed. Who was off the wall crazy, huh? Hehehe¡­.a dark smile creeps over me as I get up to go buy paper and an envelope. CH 68 Chapter 68: Fresh Adventurers Henry: ¡°Oh, found a Enicil Mushroom.¡± I¡¯m currently in the shallow parts of the Flowtier Forest. I came alone today, and I found one of the ingredients that I was looking for. It¡¯s a blue mushroom that resides and grows nearby tree roots. If you were to accidentally eat this, you would grow an immediate addition to it, but I am not collecting this for food. I carefully pick it up, and I place it into one of the many bags that I brought. Henry: ¡°Now to get the Haoma grass I found before¡­¡­.and then I just need to find a sylphynium or a mandragora.¡± I¡¯ve only seen a mandragora once, so if I can¡¯t find one, I¡¯ll have to purchase it¡« ¡­¡­.so, I¡¯m not collecting these plants as part of a Quest. I collect and use a variety of tools for Adventuring, but if I was to purchase everything, the cost would be significant, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to customize it as much either. There are some tools that would be very difficult to make, but there are some odor bombs and poison concoctions like the ones I used on the Fenrir that I can make myself. You will need a license in order to legally make poisons, but I actually have a Bi-Hazardous Material Handling License. It would take about half a day to make it at a rented workshop facility after all the ingredients were found. As I was calculating the length of time it would take to make the supplies I needed, I caught a distant scream in the air. Henry: ¡°?!¡± I immediately sprinted towards the direction of the sound. Judging from the faintness of the sound, there is quite a distance to cover. I cast [Physical Enhancement] and maximized all my abilities as I ran. I charge through the brush and weave through the annoying small trees standing in my path, but I was able to get there in less than 10 seconds to the location where I the sound originated from. ¡°Get away! Get away you stupid mutts!!¡± ¡°Els! Just leave me here and run!¡± ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that! ©`©`YAH!!¡± A girl and a boy who must have just reached adult age were surrounded by a pack of Killer Dogs. The boy named Els tried to counter a Killer Dog with his sword, but his blade was not standing vertically. He hurt it, but the Killer Dog charged forward and pushed him to the ground. ¡°Els!!¡± ¡°Nina, run¡­..¡± The Killer Dog opened its jaws to bite into Els when¡­ Henry: ¡°That¡¯s all for you today!¡± I got to the boy¡¯s side and kicked the Killer Dog on top of him. The Killer Dog flew far and hit a tree, and as it was crushed by the impact, it turned back into corrupted mist. Henry: ¡°Hey, you okay?¡± Els: ¡°What? ¡­..huh¡­..?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, I¡¯m Henry, an Adventurer. I hope you don¡¯t mind me intruding.¡± The two seemed confused. ¡­¡­...oh, and the girl named Nina has a wounded leg. That¡¯s why she couldn¡¯t run. But I¡¯m really glad I made it here in time. I take out my Nyoiten Spear from my waist and change the form from a knife to a short spear. I had my back turned on them, and the Killer Dogs eagerly took the opportunity to attack. To their misfortune, I was hoping that they would do so, and immediately countered with my spear with a thrust. I pull out my spear and turn around. There are about¡­...2, 4¡­¡­.approximately 20. It¡¯s quite a large pack. This would be a difficult fight for two brand new, fresh-out-of-the-box Adventurers. Henry: ¡°Just wait here. I¡¯ll take care of them.¡± Alright, let¡¯s do this¡« Killer Dogs. Alone, they are the Lower-Tier, Lower-Class Level, but as they gather into larger packs, they begin to coordinate their attacks, and at that point, they are classified as Lower-Tier, Middle-Class in the Demonic Creature Ranks. Cyril and Jend were aiming to become Adventurers from the start and had trained accordingly since they were little, so that is the only reason why they were able to handle such a large pack from the beginning. But for Els and Nina, these were extremely dangerous opponents. If you can defeat a pack of this size safely, then you can be considered a fully qualified Adventurer. Nina: ¡°Mr. Henry, allow me to express my gratitude¡­.thank you. You even treated my wound.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about it. This isn¡¯t anything. Your wound wasn¡¯t that deep, so it wasn¡¯t any trouble.¡± Nina bows her head politely, but I dismiss it with a wave of my hand. Els and Nina. I think I remember seeing them at the Church. They were a couple who seemed to get along really well and took on Quests together. But¡­¡­¡­ I verify Nina¡¯s equipment. She was wearing clothes that were no different than the girls in town and only had a very thin leather jacket. On the other hand, her staff was quite expensive looking and seemed to have the ability to enhance the Magecraft Spell effect. Nina: ¡°Hey, Els. Stop sulking and thank Mr. Henry for saving us.¡± Els: ¡°........thanks¡­¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, um, yeah, you¡¯re welcome.¡± Els seems to be quite discouraged, and Nina had to poke him to say his thanks. He was reluctant, but he still bowed his head. His attitude might be considered rude, but I don¡¯t care. This is quite normal for boys his age, and just makes me feel older to see him as such. Besides, when I was first starting off, I tried to do tasks that were way above my level and caused all sorts of problems to the people around me. I wasn¡¯t friendly at all to anyone, and seeing how Els could at least say thank you is a whole lot better than me. ¡­¡­...there are those who would complain that I took away their prey, and if they were really bad, they would not only demand the Demonic Creatures¡¯ Drop Items, but also additional compensation. Of course, that wouldn¡¯t have made a lick of sense, and I would just ignore them in that case. If they insisted, it probably didn¡¯t occur to them that I was able to defeat something they couldn¡¯t, and I would educate them thoroughly on that fact. But comparing these two to those idiots is like comparing apples and oranges. Henry: ¡°So why are you two in the forest? I hate to say this, but looking at your gear and how you fought, it¡¯s still too early for you guys to be this far into the woods.¡± Nina: ¡°Well, so we had some money saved up from Quests and were able to buy some excellent weapons¡­¡­.so we wanted to test it out.¡± Ohhhh, so that¡¯s why the quality of your weapons alone is so high. Nina¡¯s staff is of great quality, but Els¡¯ sword is a style made in bulk, but it¡¯s still decent quality. But his armor is on par with Nina¡¯s. Els: ¡°I was able to take down at least 2 Killer Dogs¡­...this time, we ran into some bad luck, but if they come one at a time¡­¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s rare to find a stray Killer Dog inside the forest.¡± Els: ¡°I know, but I finally got the sword I wanted¡­¡± Oh, this isn¡¯t good. He¡¯s the classic type of Adventurer that heads into trouble and messes up. Yes, an Adventurer¡¯s main duty is to defeat Demonic Creatures, but taking on ridiculous amounts of risk for that purpose will end your career - usually in a pool of blood. You need to select opponents that you can defeat with a large safety margin, and once your strength and abilities begin to grow, you need to carefully consider your next move. ¡­¡­¡­.I know our Party is an exception and not the general rule, but we still follow this iron clad rule. These two are still not ready for the forest, and should remain in the plains taking down Crazed Rabbits, and get used to combat first. And they¡¯re also making a critical mistake in their gear selection. Of course, what takes priority differs between Adventurers, but you need to first and foremost make sure that you gather a defensive armor for your legs©`©`there is a general consensus about this. This is because any damage or wounds to your feet or legs will cripple your mobility. You lose the option to flee which could end in your death. But looking at the two, I don¡¯t see any leg guards and even their shoes are just normal ones. ¡­¡­¡­.this is incredibly careless and dangerous. Henry: ¡°You two, do you still have your Common-Class weapons as backup?¡± Els: ¡°I do¡­¡­.just in case.¡± Nina: ¡°Me too.¡± Henry: ¡°Then what I would suggest is to exchange your current weapons for a set of armor - especially for your legs. Ohhh, ummmm, this is advice from an outsider so you¡¯re free to disregard it, but if you¡¯re going against Lower-Tier enemies, Common-Rank weapons are more than sufficient.¡± When you swear an Adventurer¡¯s oath to the Grandes Church God, you are rewarded with a Common Weapon. And it¡¯s true that with today¡¯s technology, there are plenty of other weapons that are superior to the Common weapon you receive, but humanity used these weapons to pioneer and expand their territories from ancient times. The quality of these weapons are not shoddy by any means. And that¡¯s another reason why Adventurers who are just starting off will prioritize armor over weapons. Els: ¡°But¡­..I just bought this¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°You don¡¯t have to rush into a decision right now. When you get back, discuss it between the two of you.¡± Nina: ¡°Yes, we will. Right, Els?¡± Els: ¡°Fine¡­.¡± Hm, still. I can¡¯t shake off this bad feeling. ¡­¡­...I guess my equipment and supplies can wait. I can poke my nose into their business a little. Henry: ¡°Do you two still have time?¡± Nina: ¡°Huh¡­..um, we just arrived here, so yes, we do have time.¡± Henry: ¡°Then do you want to keep hunting Demonic Creatures while I watch?¡± <<<<>>>> Els¡¯ sword cuts a Killer Dog in half. Henry: ¡°[Launch] Veros + [Restraint] Katerno¡± But there was another one trying to attack him from behind, and Els did not sense its presence. I threw a restraining arrow to halt its movements. Henry: ¡°Els! Don¡¯t just pay attention to the ones in front of you! And keep Nina protected!¡± Els: ¡°.........yes sir!¡± He stabs the Killer Dog that was restrained, and Els readies his sword again. Nina: ¡°[Ice] Glacio + [Launch] Veros!¡± And Nina, who was concentrating her Magic Power in the back, creates an Ice Arrow and pierces a Killer Dog who was observing them from a distance. Henry: ¡°Nina! Always give a signal before you fire off a Magecraft Spell! You¡¯ll hit your own Party members if you don¡¯t!¡± Nina: ¡°Understood!¡± She doesn¡¯t seem to understand how to use Magecraft during a battle, so I shout my advice towards her. Nina also uses the same Kroseid Style Magecraft. She seems to be well trained and adept and her skills are more refined than mine, but she takes more time concentrating. But this isn¡¯t something you can change overnight. She will have to continue to work on shortening her spellcast time. She can only use two at once, but she¡¯s already learned 9 different types of Spells. She has a lot of potential and a bright future ahead of her. Henry: ¡°Oh.¡± I throw my spear at a Killer Dog who was trying to attack them from behind. Els: ¡°HAH!!¡± Els parries a Killer Dog¡¯s attack, and counter attacks. His blade is still not straightened as he swings, but he attacked when the enemy showed an opening and crushed the Killer Dogs skull. ¡­¡­...well, at this point, it¡¯s not different than using a blunt weapon, but it¡¯s all about the results for now. Henry: ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s take a break!¡± They defeated all the Killer Dogs, and I let them know that they can rest. ¡­¡­..the two fall exhausted and lay on the ground. Well, that¡¯s normal. My Party would go through multiple battles from the very beginning, but usually, 2 or 3 battles would sap the strength from new Adventurers and leave them depleted. This isn¡¯t usually just a matter of stamina. During a battle, you have to keep a high-level of concentration for a long duration of time. This actually takes time to adjust and get used to it. Letting your guard down is out of the question, but veterans are able to manage times when you can ease the tension in your mind between the ebbs and flow of the battle. Henry: "Okay, let¡¯s collect the Drops and go home.¡± Els: ¡°Ye...s¡­.¡± Nina: ¡°Yes sir¡­.¡± All I did was shout out a few pointers and things I noticed, and made sure that the two were not in too much danger and adjusted the threat the Killer Dog¡¯s posed. But ¡°getting used to¡± fighting against Demonic Creatures is no easy task. Even if they were under the supervision from a veteran, they defeated many Killer Dogs today, and they should have gotten a better practice and understanding. Especially, they should now understand the Killer Dogs¡¯ speed, toughness, and what kind of movements they do¡­.. Once you get an understanding of that and get their gear in order, they should be able to hunt Killer Dogs as their main target going forward. Nina: ¡°Um, Mr. Henry. Thank you so much for today. Unfortunately, we do not have much money to reward you with¡­¡± Els: ¡°If there is anything you need help with, we will do it.¡± We were on our way back to the city. They looked uncomfortable trying to tell me, but I waved my hand to dismiss their worries. Henry: ¡°Oh, don¡¯t fret. I wouldn¡¯t be able to help you often, but you don¡¯t need to give me anything for something like today.¡± Nina: ¡°But¡­¡± Henry: ¡°If you insist, you¡¯ll hear this a lot, but once you both get stronger and run into other new Adventurers who are having trouble, if you can pay your gratitude from today forward to that group, then I would consider the debt repaid. But just do what you can when the time comes.¡± That¡¯s how I was trained. Having a veteran of the industry show the new guys the ropes¡­..is not unique to Adventurers. It happens all the time. And well, it doesn¡¯t feel bad to be thanked. And it won¡¯t be a bad thing to look after the new recruits every once in a while. I¡¯ll keep my eyes out for more opportunities in the future. ¡­¡­..wait, wait. Think about this better, Henry. If you approach people you never talked to with a ¡°he he he, you want some help?¡±, wouldn¡¯t that creep them out? ¡­¡­¡­.I hate to be annoying like that so I¡¯ll just help out if the opportunity comes up. Later on¡­ I saw a pair of Adventurers with a Common sword and Common staff along with leg armor equipped, and they were submitting Killer Dog Fang drops. ¡­¡­...looks like they¡¯re doing well. It was a relief to see that. CH 69 Chapter 69: Teo¡¯s House Between Adventures and Expeditions, our Party will usually leave 2 or 3 days in between to rest. Eventually, in order to match the pace of the Frontlines, I am thinking about shortening this period, but right now, everyone in my Party is hitting their growth spurt. I¡¯m fairly confident that rather than stacking experience on experience back to back, in their current situation, it would be better to let each experience from the expeditions marinate and digest slowly. Fortunately, we do not have any Adventurers who only grow through Adventures and Expeditions. Henry: ¡°......so that¡¯s your cousin, Teo.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, Sister Ageha is so amazing.¡± Henry: ¡°I see. So that¡¯s your reaction¨D¡± Teo was sitting next to me, and I decided to tell her a few stories about Ageha, but all it did was make her eyes sparkle with admiration. I was hoping for a, ¡°wow, she is insane©`¡± type of reaction, but it was all for naught. But it¡¯s true that Ageha is dependable during an expedition, but keeping up with her is tiring¡­ Teo: ¡°Something is pulling your line.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh!¡± She¡¯s right. My float had sunk below the surface. I pulled my fishing rod, and I got a strong tug back on my line. I think I got a big one¡­..? It got my hopes up as I continued to pull the line closer to me. My fishing rod was bending from the pressure and¡­¡­..I pulled out of the water a nice sized fish. Henry: ¡°Whoa, oh, c¡¯mere, you.¡± Teo: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a nice Yellowstripe Scad. Looks delicious.¡± The fish flicks its tail wildly as Teo examines it. Today, I went fishing with Teo. As I mentioned before, we have some time in between adventures and expeditions. Sometimes I train or rest my body. Other times, I go Solo Adventuring¡­..and I can kill a lot of time that way, but only doing those things gets boring after a while. I came to Flowtier to partially retire. It¡¯s been fun looking after my Party Members, and I¡¯ve been doing much more Adventuring than I originally expected, but regardless, I need to expand my hobbies as well. Unfortunately, I spent my entire childhood as an Adventurer, so I have very poor compatibility with civilian hobbies. I don¡¯t want to go to the Casino often, and I have this inkling that I pro¡«bably should avoid the brothels for the time being. I like drinking, but I don''t want to be always drunk during the day¡­¡­..just occasionally. And with that, the 3 major pleasures as an Adventurer were crossed out, and I was wondering what else I could do. And with that, I asked the different party members what kind of things they do on their off days. When Teo mentioned that she likes to take a trip to Seasargo and fish in the sea, I immediately jumped on the idea and asked her if I could come too. The seaport town closest to Flowtier, Seasargo. We go to the embankments and cast our lines from there. Henry: ¡°I haven¡¯t done much fishing in the past, but this is pretty fun.¡± Teo: ¡°Well, we are catching a lot of fish today. When you don¡¯t get a single bite, it can weigh pretty heavily on you, but that¡¯s part of the fun.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, I found this out before we left, but did you know that Fishing is certified as a fun activity in Flowtier?¡± Teo: ¡°Oh, really?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s o-fish-ial.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Henry: ¡°Could you at least say something?¡± Getting completely ignored is the most painful thing after a joke. Teo: ¡°Unlike Miss Cyril, I have no intention of joining your banter.¡± Henry: ¡°You''re so co¡«ld¡­¡± Teo: ¡°Mr. Henry, you and Cyril are too easy-going. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a terrible thing, but I think you should learn to be more calm and mature.¡± I consider myself plenty calm and mature¡­. But I guess compared to Teo¡¯s unfazed demeanor and posture, it pales in comparison. Teo: ¡°......hm? Oh, looks like I got a hit.¡± And Teo raised a round, bloated fish. A poisonous puffer fish. Teo has been catching nice fish up until now, but she finally got a bad one. Henry: ¡°Better luck next time.¡± But Teo didn¡¯t seem to mind my words, and placed the puffer fish inside the fish basket. Henry: ¡°? Teo, you know that that¡¯s a poisonous fish, right?¡± Teo: ¡°My father can prepare it.¡± Henry: ¡°Prepare¡­¡­..? What? What do you mean by that?¡± Teo: ¡°If you remove the poisonous portions and cook it, it¡¯s actually quite good. You do not eat it in this area, but in Rishu, we cut the meat very thinly as a dish.¡± Really? Back in the day, I heard of sashimi where people would eat fish raw, but I never thought they would eat puffer fish raw too. Rishu¡­¡­..it¡¯s a small island nation, and they have more exposure with seafood, so their approach to it will be different to ours. But it makes me wonder. What were the very first cooks thinking when they thought of eating the puffer fish. I¡¯m sure it had to be common knowledge that they were poisonous. Teo: ¡°Mr. Henry, would you like to come over and try some?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©`, hmmm, yeah¡­.¡± I do have some sense of fear mixed in my reservations, but I do have a godly equipment called the [Guardian¡¯s Prayer] which has [Anti-Poison] attributes. So I should be able to survive. ¡­¡­¡­..but I guess it¡¯s a little rude to go into a meal with the worst outcomes in mind. But still, the fact that I never tried it before unnerved me a little. Teo: ¡°My father and mother both love cooking, so they¡¯ll be happy to make many dishes for you. My mother can¡¯t cook the puffer fish, but she can cook regular fish just fine.¡± Oh no¡­...my mouth is watering for the taste of fish now. Well, I thought that it would be about time to report back to Teo¡¯s parents on Teo''s progress anyways. This will be a great excuse to visit them. Henry: ¡°Yeah, if your family doesn¡¯t mind, then let¡¯s do that. Here, I¡¯ll bring something too for the occasion¡­¡± Teo: ¡°And if you are, I just wanted to let you know that sashimi goes really well with the Rishu¡¯s alcohol [seishu]. I would strongly recommend it.¡± Henry: ¡°.......why do I have a feeling that you¡¯re saying that because you want to drink it?¡± Teo: ¡°I won¡¯t deny it. But everyone in my family likes to drink.¡± Well, in that case, maybe it¡¯ll be okay. Seasalgo is one of Rishu¡¯s primary trade ports so I should be able to buy it around here. Teo: ¡°Well, now that that¡¯s settled. Let¡¯s get more side dishes.¡± Henry: ¡°......you¡¯re making it sound like the alcohol is the main dish¡­..¡± This isn¡¯t good. What am I supposed to tell her parents now that she turned into an alcoholic? ¡­¡­¡­.now I¡¯m more worried about going. Let me go ahead and gather more things to gift to them to soften the blow. Henry: ¡°Teo, I¡¯m going to try and get something bigger. I¡¯m going to dive in and spear them.¡± Teo: ¡°Spear?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, go underneath the water and spear them.¡± I point to the Nyoiten Spear at my side. It brings up some memories from back in the day. There was an ocean not so far from Ligaleo, so when I would go around that area, I would dive into the ocean to get dinner. I think this area of the embankment is a little dangerous, so I''ll head down a little ways¡­¡­..oh, and I should probably warn the fisherman or ask them before I dive in. Henry: ¡°You might have beaten me in fishing with a rod, but I won¡¯t lose with a spear.¡± Teo: ¡°Um, I would never think of beating you with anything using a spear.¡± Alright, then let¡¯s do this. <<<<>>>> It was a little before the evening when we decided to wrap it up. Between Flowtier and Seasargo, it takes about 2 hours by horse carriage, but if we run the distance, we should be able to make it in 30 minutes with ease. Well, to be honest, you can pull off the same thing even if you¡¯re not an Adventurer. It might be more difficult doing it while carrying luggage. And we arrive at Teo¡¯s house. Teo¡¯s family is a merchant by trade, but they have a business office building that is separate from their residential house. I came here 2 or 3 times before, but even if it¡¯s not as big as Jend¡¯s house, it¡¯s still a magnificent residence. But now that I think about it, Cyril lives in the Governor¡¯s mansion, Jend¡¯s family is the number 1 business leader in Flowtier, and then we have Teo. Looking at these facts, all of our Party members live in quite the large house. Ferris would have been in the same group before her father messed up. Oh, and don¡¯t get me wrong. I have no problems with the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. That¡¯s a really good Inn. Teo: ¡°Mr. Henry¡­..now that I look at it, I think we caught too much.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, that ocean was full of fish so I got too excited." I caught 5 snappers and yellowtails that were at least 50 cm (20 inches) big, and we have at least 20 regular fish. ¡­¡­¡­...this was, yeah¡­. Teo: ¡°Let me go ask my mother if she will start cooking the fish. Mr. Henry, could you go find and invite the rest of our Party members?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, good idea. I¡¯ll get right on it.¡± I parted ways with Teo in front of her house. I went around Flowtier looking for our usual members. Cyril was training at her house, so I easily located her. I tried to grab her and haul her off to Teo¡¯s but with a cry of, ¡°LET ME AT LEAST SHOWER FIRST¨D!¡± she wriggled out of my arms, so I let her clean up first and told her to meet us at Teo¡¯s. I figured Jend and Ferris would be together somewhere¡­¡­.but they were not in fact. I found Jend helping out with his family¡¯s business, and I caught Ferris on the way back from a medic-related Quest. Because I brought over so many fish, I would have caused more hassle for Teo¡¯s family, so I visited one of Jend¡¯s Carousel Merchant¡¯s stores and bought more drinks. And after about an hour since I came back to Flowtier¡­ Henry: ¡°So that¡¯s what happened. This is all the fish Teo and I caught, this is Rishu¡¯s wine, and we deeply thank the hospitality and efforts of Teo¡¯s mother for cooking all these dishes for us.¡± ¡°CHEERS!¡± We take the small cups specifically made for seishu, clink our drinks together, and then take a long sip. The clear liquid burned as the strong alcohol went down our throats. I immediately take the meat of a snapper which was prepared in an amazing, professional manner. The white meat has a faint taste as the Rishu¡¯s soy sauce fills my mouth. The small bit of wasabi hit me hard, and it was an amazing experience overall. And if I follow it with more seishu, it was an experience and taste beyond words. Henry: ¡°Fwew¡­..wow¡«...¡± Cyril: ¡°You¡¯re really enjoying the food, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Eating fish you caught yourself tastes more amazing.¡± Teo: ¡°I agree with you.¡± With that, Teo takes a small ¡°ochoko¡± cup and drinks her seishu. ¡­¡­...she looks so natural as she drinks¡­¡­...I¡¯m going to ignore that for now... Cyril: ¡°Oh, oh no. Dangit¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©`, Cyril. Here. This is how you hold chopsticks. Like this.¡± I show her an example using mine. With slightly trembling hands, Cyril carefully picks up a sashimi piece and carries it to her mouth. Cyril: ¡°There were never really opportunities to use chopsticks©`. Flowtier is close to Rishu geographically, so I knew of it, but that¡¯s about it. Henry, where did you learn to use it? From Miss Ageha?¡± Henry: ¡°Nope. I learned the Rishu¡¯s culture from another person.¡± It is rare to run into someone from Rishu, but it¡¯s not like Ageha is the only one. In order to fight the Demon King, Rishu sent their ¡°Gi-Yuu¡± {Duty-Courage} soldiers, and I had a number of opportunities working with them, and sometimes we shared meals together where I learned how to use chopsticks. And as we were talking¡­. ¡°Ohh, I see. That is interesting. I would be grateful if you would be willing to share more stories about that.¡± Teo¡¯s mother, Tina, brought out more food, and she smiled and spoke to me. She looks so young that you wouldn¡¯t be able to believe that she has a daughter that¡¯s Teo¡¯s age. I honestly thought she was Teo¡¯s sister the first time I met her. Ferris: ¡°Oh, excuse me. I will help you carry the dishes.¡± Tina: ¡°Oh no. Please relax. You are our guests, so please enjoy the meal.¡± Ferris tried to get up in a hurry, but Ms. Tina gently declined her offer. Tina: ¡°I fried the fish in this dish. Maybe that will suit your tastes better than the sashimi.¡± Jend: ¡°Ohhhh, this looks good too.¡± I see Jend¡¯s eyes sparkle in delight. Tina: ¡°I¡¯m glad that you think so. ¡­...well, if we finish what¡¯s stewing, then we have almost all the dishes complete. I will have to leave the Puffer Fish to my husband when he gets back.¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m sorry for troubling you with all of this.¡± Tina: ¡°Oh not at all. You offered to let us take the unused fish, and I do enjoy cooking. And besides¡­¡± Ms. Tina continues. Tina: ¡°You are always looking after our Teo. Oh, and could you tell us a little about Teo along with the story about the Gi-Yuu Soldiers?¡± Henry: ¡°Of course. I would be pleased to.¡± Teo: ¡°........Mr. Henry, it¡¯s a little embarrassing.¡± Teo protests with an almost hushed voice. Well, yeah, at Teo¡¯s age, that¡¯s normal. I¡¯m sorry. This is like one of my duties to report your progress. Ms. Tina smiles at Teo and my exchange. ¡­¡­..looks like I¡¯ll be able to make the report without getting into too much trouble. The atmosphere was relaxed and peaceful around Ms. Tina. And after a while, she brought a seafood and vegetable stew in a large clay pot. Teo¡¯s father and grandfather also came back home and joined our party as we spent a pleasant night with Teo¡¯s family. <<<<>>>> CHONKY Notes LiT (Lost in Translation) Rishu = Japan so the author¡¯s going to drop as many Japan references as possible in these chapters! Yellowstripe Scad, ¡°aji¡± (¥¢¥¸) - pretty common fish in Japan. Yellowtail (Amberjack) (¡°buri¡±) (¤Ö¤ê) - also known as the ¡°promotion fish¡± (¡°shu-se-zakana¡±) (³öÊÀô~) because in order to be considered a full grown ¡°buri¡±, it has to at least be 80 cm (31.5 in.). Different regions of Japan categorize the fish differently with different names but in general, they have about 4 to 5 different stages before it reaches ¡°buri¡± status. Red Snapper (¡°tai¡±) (¥¿¥¤) - celebratory fish since ¡°mede-tai¡± means ¡°worth celebrating¡± so it¡¯s a play on words. sashimi (´ÌÉí) -- During my elementary school days, my mother would wrap some eggs and vegetables with rice to make maki-sushi (Ž†¤­ÊÙ˾), and the kids around immediately associated ¡°Japanese food¡± to ¡°raw-fish.¡± A bitter memory that can easily be washed away with a plate of sashimi and plum wine. A common misconception is that Japanese people eat river fish raw which could carry parasites, but in most cases, that''s avoided. Ocean fish are less likely to carry parasites due to the sea water. Ochoko (¤ªÖí¿Ú) - the characters used to describe what¡¯s basically the Japanese shot glass for sak¨¦ is a ¡°boar¡¯s mouth.¡± I guess because it¡¯s shaped like a boar¡¯s mouth? Not really. According to one article, it¡¯s simply a ¡°a-teh-ji¡± (µ±¤Æ×Ö) meaning they just found Kanji characters that fit the way it sounds. It has nothing to do with the actual origin of the word. How misleading¡­. They call the blue circle inside the ochoko ¡°a snake eye¡± (because of how it looks) and it¡¯s used to measure the quality of the sak¨¦ by (1) comparing the clarity of the liquid by the white parts, and then using the blue to check the gloss or light reflective quality of the liquid. Finally, you¡¯ll see them ¡°warm up¡± the sak¨¦ to allow the alcohol to hit you harder and faster. In a cultural history where food was rarely plentiful, they maximized what little they had with determined efficiency. How to hold chopsticks: CH 70 Chapter 70: Magecraft Science The Bear¡¯s Keg Inn has a scheduled off day weekly. When I¡¯m not on an expedition, I will eat 80% of my lunches here, but the restaurant is closed. I was wondering about what I was going to do about lunch when someone knocked on my door quietly. Henry: ¡°Come in, Lana.¡± Lana: ¡°Hi, Mr. Henry.¡± Of course, I sensed her coming towards my room, so I answered immediately. And Lana, the daughter of the Innkeeper and the Inn¡¯s poster girl comes into my room. Henry: ¡°What can I do for you? I thought I paid you for the Inn¡¯s fees already.¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, you did. It¡¯s actually about something else. Could I ask a favor from you?¡± As she said, ¡°It¡¯s about this¡­¡± she pulled out two stones that are about the size of a fist onto the desk in the room. The octagonally-shaped object is something I¡¯m well familiar with. Lana: ¡°The Magic Stone¡¯s Magic Power ran out. My family members do not have much Magic Power, so could you charge these stones for me? I can give you a discount on the next Inn¡¯s fees and payments.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, no problem at all. Sure thing. That¡¯s something I can easily help with.¡± Magic Stones. It is the name of stones that have the ability to store Magic Power within them. You will usually find them among the Demonic Creatures¡¯ drops, but these are actually used slightly differently. The Demonic Creatures¡¯ drops, depending on their material, will be used for weapons and armor. In comparison, what Lana brought to me was something that was excavated from mines and was shaped and refined so that it can be used to power Magecraft Artifacts. The official name of the object is Absorption Magic Stones. And it was about 100 years ago when this was invented, and since then, Magecraft Artifacts have flourished within everyday society. Before that time, only people with large Magic Power reserves could use Magecraft Artifacts in their daily lives, so this was incredibly useful to the common people. ¡­¡­¡­.but I heard all of this from Mr. Riol who is an Elf, a race with an extensive lifespan, and I was born long after its invention. To me, it was something that has always been there, and it¡¯s hard to imagine life without it. Lana: ¡°These are fairly large but will you be okay?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, no problem at all. I may be a Warrior-class, but I¡¯m well adept at Magecraft as well.¡± And of course, if it stores Magic Power, it can also be depleted once the Magic Power inside is used. In that case, you would usually ask someone with plenty of Magic Power to recharge the stone. If it was Cyril, she could probably recharge 20-30% of this City¡¯s Absorption Magic Stones, but I could easily charge 10-20 stones alone. Henry: ¡°Here we go.¡± I hold the two stones that Lana brought and hold one in each hand as I focus. Within each stone, my Magic Power is being poured into it. The dim color of the stone begins to regain its brilliant shine once again. It would take about 15 minutes to fully charge these. If I hurry too much, I could crack or split the stones if I¡¯m not careful. Lana: ¡°Um©`, I hate to bother you with more, but once you¡¯re done with that, could you recharge this one as well?¡± And with that, Lana brought out a small Magic Stone the size of my pinky. Henry: ¡°Hm? I don¡¯t mind at all¡­¡­.but what would you use that small stone for? It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s made of quality materials either¡­.¡± The amount of Magic Power you can store in one Magic Stone depends on the size and quality of the materials used directly. If you try to be more efficient or conserve space with its size, you would need more expensive Magic Stones made from quality material, so in most cases, the daily Magecraft household items all use large Magic Stones. And what Lana held out to me was of the same quality of Magic Stone as those daily household items. There is nothing special or significant about this stone. And it¡¯s small on top of all that. I don¡¯t mind recharging it, but I didn¡¯t know what it could be used for. Even power conserving dim lights would still require a larger stone than this. Lana: ¡°This is for my research.¡± Henry: ¡°Research?¡± Lana: ¡°I actually got my interest stirred in Magecraft Science during our trip to the Capital. Like, that Teleport Gate¡¯s design was amazing. Professor Conrad is well versed in that area, and he¡¯s currently helping me learn different things related to it.¡± Oh, that brings back memories. Lana wrote a dissertation that was highly regarded, and my Party went with her to visit the Alvenia Central University. I knew that since then, Professor Conrad and Lana were exchanging letters of communication once or twice a month, but I didn¡¯t know that he was knowledgeable in the area of Magecraft Science. Lana: ¡°In order to study Magecraft Science and do experiments, there is no way to do so without Magic Power. So I only needed something that I could use on top of my desk, and nothing more. I was trying to use my own Magic Power before but¡­..I realized that it was pretty tiring, so I wanted to switch to using Magic Stones instead. I knew it might be bothersome to you, Mr. Henry but¡­¡± Henry: ¡°If it¡¯s something that small, it¡¯s no trouble at all. It doesn¡¯t bother me at all.¡± The ones I¡¯m charging now may take a couple of minutes, but this small one that Lana is using for her research wouldn¡¯t take more than a minute. If it¡¯s that, then compared to the amount of service and care I received during my stay here, it¡¯s little to nothing. Lana: ¡°Thank you so much.¡± Henry: ¡°Can I ask about what kind of research you¡¯re doing?¡± I may not understand at all what she¡¯s doing, but I ask out of curiosity. Lana: ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been mainly reviewing other past research and gaining a lot of knowledge, and there was one particular research I wanted to try.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, it''s research about Corrupted Magic Power.¡± It is said that the Magic Power we use and the Magic Power that shapes and is used by the Demonic Creatures are fundamentally from the same source. But Demonic Creatures are not born from any of the Magic Power we exert, so I¡¯m sure there are differences as well. There has been much research invested into the subject, and there has been some breakthroughs, but as of now, there is still a lot that is unknown. In fact, for commoners like me, the Corrupted Magic Power just feels wrong, but that¡¯s about all we understand about it. Henry: ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± Lana: ¡°Does it sound boring?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©` not at all. I¡¯m just uninformed on the subject overall. I was just wondering how understanding Corrupted Magic Power would be useful to us.¡± Oh, crap. That might have been¡­¡­.a little insensitive (if not insulting) to someone who¡¯s aspiring to be a researcher. A research in and of itself may not be meaningful on its own, but as they stack and build on top of each other, the discoveries that came of it have helped humanity progress¡­¡­..and this is also something Mr. Riol emphasized to me over and over again. Lana: ¡°Well, I''m not sure about that at all¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Really¡­.?¡± She was not indignant of my question, but returned a very frank answer back at me. I remember now that Lana studies as a hobby. She just wanted to do it, and that¡¯s why she¡¯s doing it. There¡¯s probably nothing more than that to her. Lana: ¡°But it¡¯s an interesting subject to me.¡± Henry: ¡°Y©`Yeah?¡± But this is a way of thinking that I would never understand. ¡­¡­.so I just give her my encouragement to do her best in my own mind. <<<<>>>> A week passed since that exchange. Jend: ¡°RAAAAAAGGGHHH!!¡± Jend swings his large broadsword and diagonally slashes the Ogre. The Ogre ignites into a ball of flame as it¡¯s cut with the fiery sword. Jend continuously executes a movement to now a defensive posture. And he parries a strike from the other Ogre he was facing at the same time. Henry: ¡°Even against 2, he¡¯s no longer at a disadvantage at all.¡± I redirect a charging Ice Boar as I watch him. The Ice Boar is redirected to a path besides me and continues to run past me, but before it can turn around, Teo strikes it down with her arrow. Henry: ¡°Ferris is able to handle an Ogre by herself too.¡± The Ogre spins and wields an attack with its weapon at Ferris, but Ferris responds immediately and is fighting on par with it. Ferris is also being supported by Cyril who is behind her, and Cyril is blasting away short spells to distract the Ogre, but as a Support Healer, she has more than enough strength now. Henry: ¡°Here, take this!¡± And there was a pack of Snow Fairies who was trying to go over my head towards our rear guard, so I chunk and split my spear into clones to take them out. And as I was trying to decide who to go help next©`©`before I make a decision, Jend and Ferris both finish the Ogre their facing at the same time. Teo: ¡°........everyone! I don¡¯t sense any other Demonic Creatures in the area. We are done for now!¡± Teo was scuttling around the area shooting her arrows at the enemy and also kept an eye out for further enemies. She gives the all clear signal, and I let out a long exhale to catch my breath. Henry: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. I almost forgot.¡± I head to where Ferris and Cyril are. Well, to be precise, I had to where the corpse of the Ogre lies. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Henry, good work today.¡± Henry: ¡°You as well. I¡¯m gonna borrow your Ogre.¡± Cyril: ¡°Excuse me?¡± Cyril tilts her head in reply, and I take out my Nyoiten Spear and shape it into a knife. I cut off the Ogre¡¯s pinky. I take out a small bottle and place the pinky finger in it and close the cap. Cyril: ¡°What are you doing?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, Lana asked me. She¡¯s studying and researching Corrupted Magic Power, so she wanted me to collect samples.¡± This is also a designated Quest. Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m getting a lot of money for this, but I am getting a free lunch as a reward. Cyril: ¡°Huh¡­...and so you¡¯re taking a piece of the corpse?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, if you put it into a bottle like this, apparently, the Corrupt Magic Power doesn¡¯t escape out of the bottle.¡± Corrupted Magic Power and Magic Power are made from immaterial things, so they would disappear inside a regular container. But with the Magecraft Science today, there are special bottles designed for research purposes, and the Corrupted Magic Power would not be able to escape from this bottle. The bottle itself is apparently made from the same materials as Absorption Magic Stones. Cyril: ¡°Yeesh¡­.there¡¯s some strange tools in this world¡«¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, no doubt. But I don¡¯t do this often, but it¡¯s interesting to observe this so closely.¡± The Ogre¡¯s finger is transforming from flesh to Corrupted Magic Power inside the bottle. Normally, it would evaporate into thin air, but the black, cloudy substance is currently trapped inside the bottle. A Demonic Creature that turns into Corrupted Magic Power and disappears at death¡­¡­¡­.now that I think about, that is a strange mystery. Ferris: ¡°Miss Lana, huh. I haven¡¯t spoken to her much, but she must be very intelligent.¡± Henry: ¡°She has to be. Otherwise, she would never have gotten invited to Alvenia Central University.¡± Oh yeah. I guess Ferris doesn¡¯t come to the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn often, and so she doesn¡¯t have as much interaction with Lana as we do. We were all together on the way back from the Capital, but I don¡¯t recall them talking with each other much. Ferris: ¡°But if it wasn¡¯t for her talents, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to reunite with Jend or Cyril. I need to thank her the next time I see her.¡± Well, Jend may have headed to the Capital at some point, but unlike today, he was very reserved about expressing his feelings, so things may have worked out differently or would have taken significantly longer time. Cyril: ¡°Well, let¡¯s collect our Drops and keep going©`¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s.¡± I placed the bottle of Corrupted Magic Power into my pouch, and we went hunting for our next target. Later on. Henry: ¡°Oh yeah. Lana. Was the Corrupted Magic Power samples useful at all?¡± Lana: ¡°Oh yes. I got to learn a lot from it. Of course, everything I¡¯ve learned so far has been proven in past research.¡± Henry: ¡°Huh¡­.¡± It should have been expected, but I guess it¡¯s hard to make a major breakthrough so easily. Lana: ¡°But there is a hypothesis I wanted to test. I have yet to start testing it though.¡± Henry: ¡°Wow. So do you want me to keep collecting samples? I¡¯ll do it for a free lunch.¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll probably ask you again in the near future.¡± And so¡­.. Since then, I would get a sample for her about once every 2 weeks and deliver Corrupted Magic Power samples. I got a free meal every 2 weeks, and that¡¯s all that mattered to me. ¡­¡­.but the samples of Corrupted Magic Power led to an unbelievable discovery later. And Lana¡¯s name was deeply engraved into the history of Magecraft Science going forward. But that¡¯s another story that happened later down the road. CH 71 Chapter 71: A Day of a Semi-Retired Adventurer. Henry: ¡°.........hm¡­¡­.?¡± The morning comes, and I wake up from the light peeking through my windows. I sit up and inspect my body quickly to see if there are any abnormalities. ¡­¡­...no problems. Still healthy as ever. I have all the urges to go back to sleep, but I fight off the lazy temptations and stand up. I get dressed out of what I sleep in and leave my room at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. Henry: ¡°Good morning.¡± Nord: ¡°......good morning, Mr. Henry.¡± I greet Mr. Nord who is preparing for the breakfast rush this morning. It¡¯s still very early so his wife, Ms. Linda, and Lana are still asleep. Well, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re just about to wake up to start cleaning up the Inn, but this morning, I was earlier. Nord: ¡°Going out for training? You are so diligent.¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything that rigorous. Just a light workout.¡± Like the time when I fell sick during the Giants Incident, after coming to Flowtier, I haven¡¯t been as disciplined in managing my own body and health, so I¡¯ve been more mindful lately. In the morning, just to keep the sharpness in my movements, I¡¯ve been doing light warm-ups and exercises. In my pouch, I take out bracelets and anklets. I put them on and pour Magic Power into them. ¡­¡­...these are Magic Artifacts that get heavier when powered by Magic. They are mainly used for training. Each one is about 15 kg (33 lbs). If I¡¯m not using {Physical Enhancement}, then this is about right for me. Henry: ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be off. Looking forward to the Morning Special when I get back.¡± Nord: ¡°Yes, please be careful.¡± I jump into the morning air of Flowtier. There are very few people in the streets, and I occasionally run into the drunkard asleep on the side of the road, or a merchant heading to the early morning markets. And lastly, there are a few people who are also exercising like me. Hm. Maybe I¡¯ll run to the Flowtier¡¯s Central Government Tower today. I take a different route every day for my morning jog and turn the corner. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°Fwew¡­..¡± I finished my 1 hour of running, borrowed the Bear Keg Inn¡¯s inner yard to do some strength training, and took a break. I would like to do some spear swings, but this garden is a little too small for that. I¡¯ll have to wait till I get to use the Grandes Church Training Grounds or Jend¡¯s yard. I take off the sweat-filled clothes off. Henry: ¡°[Fire] Ignis + [Water] Eedle¡± I make some hot water with Magecraft and dump it over my head. I shake my head to get the water out of my hair, and pick up the nearby towel I left and dry myself. It¡¯s not much, but it¡¯s enough to wash off the sweat. I put on the change of clothes I placed with the towel and enter the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. Lana: ¡°Oh, Mr. Henry. Welcome back. How was your training?¡± Henry: ¡°Thanks, Lana. It was good. Can I get the Morning Special, extra bread, and freshly squeezed orange juice?¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll get it right away¡«¡± With light steps, Lana takes my order back to the kitchen. The Bear¡¯s Keg Inn¡¯s Morning Special changes daily, and you can also request add-ons for additional menu items or drinks. While I wait for my food, I lazily watch the other people at the dining hall. Linda: ¡°Mr. Henry, here¡¯s your order. The Morning Special and orange juice.¡± Henry: ¡°Thank you, Ms. Linda.¡± Carrying a baby on her back, Ms. Linda, who¡¯s managing the dining hall this morning, brings me my food. The baby on her back is Lana¡¯s little brother Rando. He seems to get upset if he doesn¡¯t see his family¡¯s faces so when the diner isn¡¯t too crowded, someone would be carrying him around. ¡­¡­...wow. So today¡¯s Morning Special is crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, and vegetable soup with plenty of veggies. It looks delicious as always. I take a good long pull from the orange juice first. I can feel my tired body soak up the sweet and tangy liquid. Fwew¡« feels good. Now for the food. I take a bite of the scrambled egg and the bread. I sip the delicious, deep-flavored soup, nibble the bacon, take another bite of bread, sip the soup¡­¡­. It¡¯s a pretty large breakfast, but for an Adventurer who uses up a lot of energy, it¡¯s just right. I clean off the plate and bowl pretty quickly. I sip the after-meal coffee and think about my plans for the day. ¡°Good morning, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, good morning, Pierre.¡± I heard a cheerful voice call out my name, and it was Pierre, the travelling merchant who was also staying at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. Last night, we sat next to each other, hit it off well, and had a drink together. Pierre: ¡°Henry, you got plans right now?¡± Henry: ¡°Actually, I was trying to decide what I was going to do today.¡± Pierre: ¡°Then you want to play a game of chess? My business meetings are all this afternoon, but I feel like I¡¯ll waste money if I step out and look around.¡± Just like most merchants, Pierre prefers to keep his money in his pockets and goes to retrieve the chess board that the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn has. It¡¯s one of the games that inn customers can rent out. They also have Backgammon and Reversi. Pierre: ¡°Do you want to make a bet?¡± Henry: ¡°No way. I only know the basics of how the pieces move. That¡¯s all.¡± Pierre: ¡°I¡¯m on the same level as you, so it¡¯ll be fine.¡± And Pierre laughs and smiles as he pushes for a betting game. ¡­¡­¡­..yeah, he¡¯s being fishy. Didn¡¯t he just say how he doesn¡¯t want to spend any money? If that¡¯s the case, why risk losing money if you¡¯re a true beginner at the game? Henry: ¡°Nah, I¡¯m certain that you¡¯re more experienced at this game than you let on.¡± Pierre: ¡°Haha, what? There¡¯s no way.¡± Seriously, the way you¡¯re setting the board is too smooth. Pierre: ¡°C¡¯mon. I¡¯ll let you go first.¡± Henry: ¡°.......here.¡± I move a pawn. Great, I wonder how this is gonna go¡­ <<<<>>>> 5 matches, 5 losses later¡­ Henry: ¡°I knew it. You¡¯ve been playing chess for a while, haven¡¯t you?¡± Pierre: ¡°Well, lots of merchants think about building up relationships that may become trade opportunities through these kinds of games¡­...so yeah, I know enough to have fun.¡± Dangit. I¡¯m better at Rishu¡¯s Shogi because of Ageha, but unfortunately, there¡¯s no Shogi boards here. Pierre: ¡°Well, that was fun, Henry. We¡¯ll have to play again. I¡¯ll be visiting Flowtier every few months, so I¡¯ll see you again.¡± Henry: ¡°We¡¯re doing Shogi next time. Shogi.¡± Pierre: ¡°I didn¡¯t think I would find people that would know that game¡­..but I guess if it¡¯s Flowtier, the Sagiri Merchant Group¡¯s trading post is here, and they would sell the game. Well, that¡¯s Teo¡¯s family. I guess they are pretty famous. Pierre: ¡°Alright, it¡¯s about time for their lunch rush, so I can¡¯t be sitting here taking up their table all day. It¡¯s about lunch time at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. We were using their diner¡¯s table and seat, but it¡¯ll be rude to take up seats when it¡¯s super popular during the lunch rush. Henry: ¡°......well, I¡¯ll be eating here, so I¡¯m staying.¡± Pierre: ¡°I see. Well, I¡¯ll eat out, so I¡¯ll see you around.¡± Henry: ¡°Later.¡± Pierre already finished paying his tab, so he raises a hand to wave goodbye to me. After the business meetings, he plans to depart to the next town. Must be tough being a merchant. Lana: ¡°Mr. Henry, it¡¯s almost lunchtime, but did you want to put in your order?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, please.¡± I let Lana know and stretch my arms out and up. ¡­¡­..hmmmm, I¡¯ve been sitting all this time since this morning after breakfast. I need to go out this afternoon. Henry: ¡°Hm?¡± Something on my radar caught my attention. A few seconds later, the doors to the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn open and a familiar face pops in. Lana: ¡°Oh, Miss Cyril, welcome.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hey©` Lana. Are you well? I was looking for Henry and¡­¡­.oh, there he is.¡± Looks like Cyril came looking for me. She skips over to where I¡¯m sitting. Cyril: ¡°Hello, hello. Good afternoon, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, good afternoon to you too. You eating lunch here?¡± Cyril typically eats lunch at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn 2 or 3 times a week. So you can definitely call her a regular. But she usually comes a little later than now. Cyril: ¡°Yes, I came to eat lunch here. But I also wanted to come see you too, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°? What did you have in mind?¡± Cyril: ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to do, so spend some time with me.¡± ¡­¡­.well, she¡¯s being pretty direct. Henry: ¡°Like¡­..what did you want to do?¡± Cyril: ¡°After we finish eating lunch, let¡¯s go out somewhere. I don¡¯t mind doing some easy Quests together.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, I have plans too you know? I can¡¯t just suddenly turn on a dime even if you wanted me too.¡± Truth is, I am bored and have plenty of time, and I don¡¯t mind spending time with her, but regardless, I don¡¯t want her to think that I¡¯m that easy to wrangle in. Cyril: ¡°? I¡¯m certain that you don¡¯t have any other plans today. Jend is helping out with his family¡¯s business so you aren¡¯t training today.¡± Henry: ¡°..........well, you¡¯re certainly confident today.¡± Everything she said is true though. Cyril: ¡°Oh, then you really do have other plans today?¡± Henry: ¡°Um, actually¡­¡­¡­.not really.¡± Cyril: ¡°See?¡± Ugh. Her smile is so bright, it¡¯s hurting my eyes. Henry: ¡°(sigh¡­) Fine. Whatever. I¡¯ll let you handle where we¡¯re going.¡± Cyril: ¡°Sure thing©`¡± And Cyril hums away as she seems to be in a great mood. ¡­¡­¡­.oh well. I don¡¯t mind hanging out with her. I guess I¡¯ll try to enjoy whatever we decide to do this afternoon. <<<<>>>> We found a Material Gathering Quest on the Quest Board, so more like a picnic, we leave for the Flowtier Forest. Compared to where she started, Cyril has improved a lot since then. If it¡¯s just a pack of Killer Dogs, she doesn¡¯t need to use any Spells and can defeat them with just her staff. As long as we don¡¯t go too deep into the woods, we can walk around leisurely without too many concerns. We gather the required amount and take our reward. Henry: ¡°And so it¡¯s customary for Adventurers to drink away their earnings for that day.¡± We sit at the counter seats at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn as I push an Ale towards Cyril. Cyril: ¡°Stop teaching me such weird customs.¡± Henry: ¡°No no no. I¡¯m not joking. That¡¯s the proper teachings and etiquette at the Grandes Church.¡± And that is a fact. It¡¯s written in their official theological texts. Cyril: ¡°Well, I can¡¯t stay out with you too late.¡± Henry: ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯ll make sure to walk you home.¡± Cyril won¡¯t drink that much, so we¡¯ll call it a night pretty early. Maybe I¡¯ll hit a few more taverns after I drop her off at the Governor¡¯s Mansion. Henry: ¡°..........oh¡­.¡± Cyril: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that¡­¡­..today was exactly how I envisioned how I wanted to spend my time here at Flowtier. That¡¯s all¡­¡± That¡¯s right. When I left Ligaleo, this was exactly the laid back, peaceful lifestyle I wanted. ¡­¡­...yeah, why am I fighting Ogres this far back from the frontlines everyday? What¡¯s wrong with you, Henry? Well, I¡¯m not bored, and my life has been more than fulfilling, but...there¡¯s that small seed of doubt that¡¯s yelling, ¡°How did it end up this way?¡± Like that. And out of all things, I had to fight the Highest-Tier here too. As I was thinking about these things, Cyril nodded with an understanding expression. Cyril: ¡°I see. So it was your dream to be able to hang out with a pretty girl like me during your time here. I¡¯m glad your dreams came true! Aren¡¯t you happy?¡± Henry: ¡°...........................¡± There¡¯s no doubt that I¡¯ve been happy here, but don¡¯t call yourself pretty. Just don¡¯t. It makes me not want to admit the truth. Henry: ¡°Happy?¡± Cyril: ¡°Ya©`y¡± The subtle inflection in my words was not missed. I got an elbow to the ribs. Henry: ¡°........sure, cheers©`¡± Cyril: ¡°Sheesh, cheers.¡± We clink our glasses together. And so¡­ The day continued on as I drank with Cyril that night. CH 72 Chapter 72: The Flowtier Army Henry: ¡°So©`, that is why when you face an Upper-Tier, a normal person with so-so armor would die in one strike, so if you do run into one alone, your main focus should be evasion. The Frost Giants in the Altohern Mountain generally fight in a very straightforward manner, so as long as you observe it well, you should be fine.¡± And¡­ I was at the Training Grounds for the Flowtier Military, and I was giving a lecture to the veteran soldiers there. ¡°Yes, Mr. Henry, I have a question.¡± Henry: ¡°What is your question?¡± ¡°We do not typically act on our own and will typically fight fundamentally in a tight formation. I don¡¯t believe evasion tactics in this scenario would not be realistic but¡­..in the frontlines, how do the soldiers handle that problem there?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, it¡¯s typical for soldiers to use a Magecraft Artifact as a group that generates a shield that protects the entire group. The Quintet Shield which requires 5 people is common.¡± With this, they will stop Upper-Tier Demonic Creatures, and the rearguard archers would then attack it with their arrows. There are of course, other groups who use other tactics, but this is the most fundamental formation and tactic that is used. Henry: ¡°I have discussed this with the Governor as well. As an experiment, he will purchase 2 or 3 units to test out with the army.¡± ¡°I see¡­...I understand. Thank you so much.¡± The Soldier who asked the question thanks me. Another Soldier raises their hand, and the questions continue. ¡­¡­..today, I had a designated Quest sent to me by the Sir Governor himself. The recent sightings of not only Giants, but a Highest-Tier Fenrir caused the Governor to be more weary of dangers in the Altohern regions. The request was for me to teach and share my experiences fighting against Upper-Tiers on the frontlines, and how I saw the soldiers at Ligaleo fight against Demonic Creatures stronger than them. Of course, I¡¯m certain that the Governor and those responsible for developing the military tactics for the Flowtier Military have already collected a good amount of information, but they wouldn¡¯t pass up the opportunity to hear from someone with actual, recent experience. If they assembled the entire Flowtier Army, that would be too many people, so they selected the most promising individuals out of the army to come talk to me. The idea is for them to process and take back what they learn here and adjust their fighting style in the army overall. ¡°But even so, this will be difficult to simulate in training. We only see an Ogre maybe once every 10 years come down from the mountains.¡± Among the gathered soldiers, the Deputy Captain who is the eldest and still held an air of authority spoke up. The Captain is actually Jend¡¯s Sword Instructor, but he is currently performing exercises with the rest of the army and is not present. But, it¡¯s true. Just like he said, simulating such battles would be very difficult. If you were in Ligaleo, you would never be short of practice enemies - well, you would have to immediately test your theories in actual combat, but here, you would have to climb all the way up the Altohern Mountain. But doing so will leave the City defenseless¡­. Henry: ¡°Well, let¡¯s try this. I¡¯ll simulate the enemy¡¯s movements.¡± ¡°.........oh, Mr. Henry? Will that really work? I understand that you¡¯re a Heroic Warrior, but if you get injured¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s a battle simulation so injuries are expected. Besides, that goes for the Soldiers as well.¡± ¡°Well, we are compensated for our roles though.¡± As am I. It might be because I don¡¯t look as impressive or intimidating, but I feel the group hesitate fighting against me because of that. I am not lanky or skinny by any means, but there are people here who are more well built or bulkier than I am. Henry: ¡°Well, let¡¯s just try it anyway. ¡­¡­..I¡¯m not as weak as you think.¡± ¡°Oh no. I wouldn¡¯t consider anyone who can single-handedly take on multiple Giants weak¡­..but¡­..okay, thank you.¡± At the frontlines, I have performed this role to simulate enemies many times. Well, let¡¯s just see how it goes. <<<<>>>> ¡°Incoming! All, shields up! Spears out front!¡± With the commander¡¯s orders, 6 Soldiers line up their tower shields, and they set the points of their long spears against me. Henry: ¡°........FUH!¡± (sfx exhale) But I stretch my Nyoiten Spear to its maximum length, and I strike their shields from outside of their range. If this was a large enemy or one with long reaches like with tentacles, you would commonly get hit like this. ¡°URRRGHH?!¡± ¡°GRR! GET UP, GET UP! HE''LL STRIKE US DOWN!¡± The commanding officer yells out more orders to the soldiers who were knocked flat and points a crossbow at me. The end of the arrow is rounded, but without any armor, it would hurt quite a bit. It would be dangerous if it strikes me in the eye too. So as the arrow cuts through the air, I strike it down with my spear. ¡°He hit the arrow with his spear?!¡± ¡°Is that even possible?!¡± It was just a single arrow, and there was barely any Magic Power behind it, so yeah, it¡¯s possible. My movements get halted for a moment though, and the Soldiers on the ground try to regroup in that time but¡­ Henry: ¡°Pardon me!¡± Before they regroup back into their defensive formation, I run through the group and pause my spear right at the commander¡¯s throat. ¡°..........that was incredibly fast. I think you were faster than my arrow.¡± ¡°You will see Mid-Tier Upper-Class run this quickly especially if they are specialized for speed.¡± The whole purpose is not to show off my strength, so I wasn¡¯t running at my full speed. It was about the speed of a Hell Hound. Even so, for soldiers who are not used to fighting against Demonic Creatures above Mid-Tier, they would have a difficult time responding. And my Physical Enhancement is more geared towards speed as well, so if I were to go all out, I would be at least in the Top 10 out of all the Adventurers. Ms. Lotte would be undoubtedly first by a wide margin, and behind her would be Ageha coming in 2nd. Henry: ¡°Oh©`, sorry for stepping on you.¡± When I charged in at the commander, I stepped directly on one of the Soldiers that were on the ground. I apologize as I offer a hand to help him up. ¡°Oh, this is nothing. It happens all the time.¡± Well, he is wearing armor so he¡¯s not hurt, but his armor is dented. ¡­¡­¡­.my boots have Adamantite worked into the soles so...I should have been more careful when I stepped onto him. ¡°Next is our group!¡± ¡°Wait! It¡¯s our group¡¯s turn next!¡± And as the fight ended, the other Soldier groups stepped forward. ¡­¡­...wait, I already fought with the entire group at least twice around now. I appreciate that they are very serious about training, but I¡¯d like a break soon. Unlike the rest of the group, I don¡¯t get to rest at all! But I¡¯m also receiving quite a bit of money for this job¡­...what should I do¡­...but as I contemplated my options, someone walked towards the Training Grounds. ¡°! Atten©`tion!¡± The Deputy Captain gives out a sudden order, and all the Soldiers line up immediately into formation. Without moving a muscle, they welcome the people who are coming over. I am also standing straight up at attention with the Soldiers. ¡°Hello, everyone. How is your training going today?¡± With a very peaceful smile and tone, the Governor, Sir Alvare, greets the Soldiers on the field. Lady Asteria is also walking behind him. These two really do get along so well. ¡°Sir, yes sir! Sir Henry has graciously entrusted us with his knowledge and experience, and we were just simulating what a fight on the frontlines would be like, sir!¡± The Deputy Captain salutes as he makes the report. Alvare: ¡°That is all very well. I am glad that the Quest has been very beneficial. Mr. Henry, thank you so much.¡± Henry: ¡°Thank you, sir. I am honored by your words.¡± Alvare: ¡°Mr. Henry, you do not have to be so formal with me. We have shared a drink during a meal, have we not?¡± He¡¯s talking about when I went to ask for permission to go up the Altohern Mountains. Um, yeah, I had a ton of fun that day, but I¡¯m not that thick headed that I would expect to be the best buddies with a Count right after that. And on top of that, he is also the spouse of a princess, Lady Asteria, of my former country that was destroyed. There¡¯s no way I won¡¯t feel anxious interacting with him. Alvare: ¡°Well, I have been observing your exercises from afar, but there seemed to be no end in sight¡­...the evening is approaching us, so maybe this is a good point to call it a day?¡± Ohhh, now that he mentions that, the sun is starting to set. ¡°.......Yes sir. That is true. I believe we were getting a little too carried away.¡± A little¡­.? The Deputy Captain completely ignores my accusatory glower in his direction. ¡°Attention all! We will clean up the Training Grounds and that will be it for today! Now get on with it!¡± With his commands, the Soldiers all move quickly and efficiently. I also messed up the field quite a bit with all the fights, so maybe I should help out? But I don¡¯t know the cleaning routines so maybe I would just be in the way? As I¡¯m thinking, the Governor calls out to me. Alvare: ¡°Mr. Henry, would you have time to speak with us?¡± Henry: ¡°? Yes, of course. I don¡¯t mind at all.¡± Alvare: ¡°Then please, right this way.¡± And we walk to the edge of the Training Grounds. I wonder what he wants to talk about? Is he adding more money to the Quest rewards? I wouldn¡¯t mind that at all if that¡¯s the case. And clearing his voice with a slight cough, the Governor opens his mouth to speak. Alvare: ¡°So how was it, Mr. Henry? How were the elite soldiers of our army?¡± Henry: ¡°Well¡­¡­.let¡¯s see¡­..I think they are well trained overall.¡± Alvare: ¡°I see. Thank you for your compliments. ¡­¡­..and out of curiosity, did you find any Soldiers who would be able to fight in Ligaleo?¡± ¡­¡­¡­.hmmmmmmmm... Henry: ¡°Well¡­¡­...if they were to equip themselves with more expensive gear and get proper training dealing with Upper-Tier Demonic Creatures, I think they¡¯ll be able to in the future. But I think the main obstacle will be getting proper experience. I wouldn¡¯t be able to train with them every time.¡± Today, I served as the Demonic Creature substitute, but that¡¯s just a substitute and not the real thing¡­ Alvare: ¡°I see¡­ I feared that that might be the case.¡± Henry: ¡°Are you receiving requests to send out your Soldiers?¡± Alvare: ¡°Yes, exactly. ¡­.well, as of now, they are taking war funding payments as fair compensation.¡± At the frontlines, you have Adventurers, Knight Organizations, Gi-Yu Soldiers, and Soldiers so there are a lot of people there, but Soldiers make up the majority of the forces. But this territory is too peaceful, and it would be very difficult to train Soldiers that would be effective on the frontlines¡­ Hmmm¡­¡­...ummmmmm¡­. Alvare: ¡°Oh, my apologies. Mr. Henry. I didn¡¯t mean to concern you with such issues.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh...no, that¡¯s okay¡­.¡± It¡¯s hard to put into words, but¡­. As someone who withdrew from the frontlines, these issues hit a sore spot for me. Well, Ms. Lotte told me this last time, but anyone without motivation would die quickly if they stuck around so¡­. But it¡¯s not like everyone on the frontlines has super-high motivation, but at my level, I fought Upper-Tier, Mid-Class Demonic Creatures and above. If you face those kinds of opponents daily, then yeah, you do need some sort of reason to be there if you want to survive. Asteria: ¡°By the way, Mr. Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh...yes, Lady Asteria.¡± And Lady Asteria who was smiling warmly behind the Governor spoke to me. Asteria: ¡°.....how are things going with Cyril recently?¡± Henry: ¡°Wha©`?!¡± She caught me off guard. Henry: ¡°Wh©`What are you asking about, my lady?!¡± Asteria: ¡°Well, I heard from Cyril that you two were getting along very well, so I was just curious.¡± Lady Asteria chuckles merrily. I think she was trying to lighten up the dampened atmosphere but¡­...I wish she chose something else to talk about! Alvare: ¡°Ohhhhh...I am also equally curious now.¡± Henry: ¡°Sir Governor¡­.you too¡­.?¡± Ack, these people. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s not on my mind, but she¡¯s going to Ligaleo eventually. And what would the Governor and Governess think about that¡­.? ¡­.I¡¯m too scared to ask¡­. But like that¡­. My work with the army was well received, and I continued to occasionally receive similar designated Quests to train the Flowtier Army. CH 73 Chapter 73: Jend and Ferris¡¯ Future Cyril: ¡°Jend and Miss Ferris are late¡­¡± We are at the tavern inside the Grandes Church. At one particular table we claim regularly, Cyril grumbles and complains. Today is our scheduled meeting day. Cyril and Teo are here, but the other two have yet to arrive. Teo: ¡°Mr. Jend and Miss Ferris aren¡¯t people who come late to meetings¡­...I wonder if something happened to them?¡± Henry: ¡°If both of them are not here at the same time, I don¡¯t think either one is out sick, but¡­.I¡¯m not sure.¡± Typically, maybe they promised to come together and one person woke up late and caused the other to run late too¡­...or something like that. After about 15 minutes, I was thinking about checking on them at their house when¡­ Cyril: ¡°Oh! They¡¯re finally here.¡± Jend and Ferris appear at the Church entrance. They notice our stares and gesture an apology. And they¡¯re walking over¡­..but that¡¯s strange. Ferris¡¯ walk is a little unnatural. She¡¯s walking with a slight limp as if to compensate for a hip injury. And they¡¯re actually walking pretty close to each other - closer than usual. They¡¯re holding hands, but their bodies are also touching. Normally, they would not be that affectionate around us but¡­.. Henry: ¡°..........oh¡­..¡± Ohhhhh¡­...I see¡­¡­¡­.huh¡­¡­¡­¡­. I guessed what happened and sent a smile of recognition towards them. Cyril: ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Henry? Your face is creeping me out.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, shut it.¡± I retort to Cyril¡¯s comment. Whose face looks creepy, huh? But with a direct comment like that, I rub my face with my hands and return to my usual expression. Jend: ¡°H©`Hey, good morning. Sorry, you three. Sorry we¡¯re late.¡± Ferris: ¡°Everyone, I apologize. We slept in later than usual. I can buy the first round of drinks. Please forgive us.¡± And the two arrive at the table and try to act natural. Um¡­.dang...this awkwardness is so genuine that they¡¯re making it even more obvious. Cyril: ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll have a mixed juice. But Jend, I can¡¯t approve of you making Miss Ferris late because you woke up late.¡± Ferris: ¡°O©`Oh, Cyril. I was the one who woke up late. I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Cyril: ¡°? Really? Were you up late last night?¡± I think Cyril is just genuinely concerned for Ferris¡¯ health right now. It¡¯s true that she puts in a lot of work in between our expedition days, and her schedule is pretty intense. Everyone in the group knows that. But no matter how tired she was, Ferris was the kind of person that was never late before. So for Cyril, she was more concerned that Ferris was overworking herself, and the signs finally started showing. But Cyril¡­..you need to stop. You shouldn¡¯t ask those questions to Ferris today. Ferris: ¡°U©`Up late¡­.?! U©`Uh, no. I would never do that, yeah!¡± Cyril: ¡°But you have so much work scheduled on our off days¡­¡± Ferris: ¡°O©`Oh¡­..yes, you mean¡­..w©`well, I guess that is true¡­.¡± And I didn¡¯t think she would be this bad at acting naturally. Teo: ¡°Mr. Jend, Miss Ferris seems to have some injuries at the waist. You are her boyfriend so please take care of her if she¡¯s in pain.¡± Jend: ¡°Huh?! Y©`Yeah! You¡¯re right. I will. I know that.¡± Teo: ¡°You don¡¯t have to raise your voice like that¡­¡­.you seem to be rattled or anxious about something today.¡± And Teo also threw a curve ball right at Jend. It doesn¡¯t seem like she understands, but from Jend¡¯s perspective, the words ¡®take care of her¡¯ must have sounded very different.¡± Teo: ¡°But why wouldn¡¯t she apply her Magecraft Healing Skills?¡± Henry: ¡°Using Magecraft Healing Spells actually causes more of a burden on the body, so if you are able to, you should just let your body heal naturally. That¡¯s a good tip to keep in mind.¡± Teo: ¡°I see.¡± I answer Teo¡¯s doubts, and lend a helping hand. In reality, it''s probably a little different. I heard it briefly from Yuu, but after your first time, if you apply Magecraft Heal Spells¡­¡­.it actually goes back to how it was before. The next time would hurt just as much, so they say that you¡¯re not suppose to fix that pain with Magecraft. Cyril: ¡°Huh? I have this feeling that more people are looking this way than usual.¡± Jend: ¡°I wonder why!!¡± Ferris: ¡°I don¡¯t get it at all!¡± Jend and Ferris try their best to keep the conversation at bay while Cyril makes a comment. There are many faithful, diligent Adventurers at the Church¡¯s tavern. Among them, there are also some observant ones who know Jend and Ferris are going out, and seeing the two in such a state was a good source of amusement as they drank. And recognizing their situation, the two blushed bright red. What should I do¡­...I just want to go sit at another table with those guys now¡­.. Ferris: ¡°C©`Come on. Cyril, you wanted mixed juice, right? Mr. Henry and Teo, don¡¯t hesitate to order a drink. It¡¯s on me.¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m tasting something unusually sweet in the air today, so I¡¯ll take coffee, no sugar or cream.¡± Teo: ¡°I¡¯ll have apple juice.¡± Ferris leaves to go find a waitress. ¡­¡­.alright. What should we really do¡­. Henry: ¡°Jend.¡± Jend: ¡°Wh©`What is it, Henry?!¡± Henry: ¡°I have something important I want to discuss with you, so can you open some time for me today?¡± <<<<>>>> So Jend and Ferris have moved up a step in their relationship. ¡­...well, it¡¯s not like the two told me, but it¡¯s rather obvious from the way the two are acting. But the two are very serious about their work and role, so during an expedition, they¡¯ll keep their act straight. I don¡¯t have a problem there. And as far as what happened between those two, Cyril and Teo didn¡¯t realize it even after the meeting was over. ¡­¡­¡­.but Teo hasn¡¯t turned adult age, but Cyril...you¡¯ve known Jend for a long time now. Are you really that clueless? But she¡¯s just commenting on how Jend and Ferris seem closer than usual. I clear my throat. Well, so after all that, it was after the meeting ended and we disbanded for the day. I bought some stuff before arriving at Jend¡¯s room. Henry: ¡°Here, got you a gift.¡± Jend: ¡°Thanks¡­..dang. That¡¯s some strong alcohol there¡­¡± Henry: ¡°It caught my eye. Anyways, let¡¯s see how it tastes.¡± Jend tells me to wait for a moment as he leaves the room. He comes back with two glasses and a pail of ice and also some cheese as sides. Henry: ¡°Hey, thanks.¡± I open up the Whiskey bottle and pour it over a glass with ice inside. I like the sound of the amber liquid pouring gently into a glass. Henry: ¡°Alright. There you go. Cheers.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, cheers.¡± We clink our glasses together and take a sip of our drinks. A rich aroma rises up and flows up through my nose. My throat burns from the strong alcohol and almost makes me cough, but that¡¯s also part of the experience. I only started trying out Whiskey after arriving in Flowtier, and I¡¯m finally starting to understand the differences in brand and tastes. Jend: ¡°.........so¡­..what¡¯s this thing you have to talk to me about? You said it¡¯s kind of important.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, about that¡­...ummmm, I¡¯m sorry if this is just my misunderstanding. I know it¡¯s a crude way to put it, but¡­..you did it with Ferris, right?¡± (sfx choking) Jend spews out the whiskey from his mouth as he coughs. Jend: ¡° H©`Hey¡­..well, I thought you knew what¡¯s going on, but still, don¡¯t put it like that!¡± Henry: ¡°No, um, I really feel bad¡­¡­..but it¡¯s important.¡± If it was any other Ligaleo Adventurer, they would have come onto him like, ¡°Oh Jen¡«d...I heard that you finally stepped up and became a man today¡«?¡± and totally pull you in with the most annoying attitude possible. They did it to me, and I remember the experience so I didn¡¯t want to do it to Jend. Jend: ¡°Important¡­¡­..? Well, whatever. Yeah, it¡¯s just like you thought¡­¡­.so what of it?¡± Jend¡¯s mood soured exponentially as he pushed the question back at me. ¡­¡­¡­.yeah, I know it¡¯s a private matter that I shouldn¡¯t be poking my head into, but¡­¡­.at the end of the day, I am the leader of our Party. Henry: ¡°Well, so¡­.um¡­...well¡­¡­.if you are going to get married, I need to reconsider how Party rewards are being distributed. And if you have children, Ferris won¡¯t be able to go on our expeditions anymore. I know it¡¯s your private business, but it will have an impact on a lot of things we do. I just needed to know what you were thinking of doing.¡± Jend: ¡°Oh¡­.ohhhhhh¡­...yeah, I get it.¡± I¡¯m glad he understands. In the Alvenia Kingdom, there are many farming villages where people get married before they reach adult age. Compared to that, the marriage age in the city areas is higher, but many people get married before they turn 20. If they are both adults and are making a decent income as Adventurers, I¡¯m sure they have marriage in their sights. They might take this opportunity to progress their relationship even further. So that¡¯s why I decided to ask sooner than later. Henry: ¡°But if you are going to have children, give up going to the Frontlines. That''s no place for having children or raising them.¡± Jend: ¡°.......oh¡­...yeah, that makes sense too.¡± In fact, there are a lot of Adventurers who leave Ligaleo to get married or have children. In Yuu¡¯s letter, I remember it mentioning that Helen went back to her home country to get married. ¡­¡­.though most Adventurers strive up and up, as soon as they have a family, most would go instantly into the defensive to protect their families. So¡­.depending on what happens, Jend and Ferris may give up going to the frontlines. If that¡¯s the case, we need to start considering new strategies. Jend: ¡°I¡­¡­.do want kids¡­...at least, we talked about it a little. But me...and probably Ferris both want to see how far we can go first¡­¡± Henry: ¡°I see. Well, if that¡¯s the case, that¡¯s fine. It¡¯s your life. Live it how you want. That¡¯s your right.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, but¡­.sorry. I never thought about it, but our relationship directly affects our Party in a big way, huh¡­...just never occurred to me till now.¡± Well, he¡¯s still young so that¡¯s not his fault. ¡­...honestly, he only started his Adventuring career less than a year ago. Henry: ¡°Then I don¡¯t need to change the direction of our Party any time soon then? Our goal is to make sure you guys can set up base in Ligaleo in the near future? And we¡¯ll make sure to keep increasing your skills and get better gear for that purpose?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll confirm with Ferris, but for now, that¡¯s fine. Hm...well, then that¡¯s all I have as far as official business goes. I bought a really good bottle, so now it¡¯s just time to hang out just as guys. Ohhhh...I almost forgot. I need to tell him one more thing. Henry: ¡°.....I know you guys just got started, but don¡¯t forget protection. Take it serious.¡± Jend: ¡°OKAY! I WILL! SHEESH!¡± And with that, I hung out with Jend till the night got pretty late just talking about stupid things. CH 74 Chapter 74: The Tailor In the west of Flowtier, there is a business district for craftsmen. And in the block related to clothing, there is one particular shop on the corner. Florence Tailoring. This is the Tailoring Store that serves the Count of Flowtier, and because of that connection, Cyril had most of her Adventurer gear and clothes made here. Henry: ¡°........so¡­¡­.this is the store?¡± Cyril guided me here, but I checked with her one last time. Cyril: ¡°Yes, we he¡«re. C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go inside.¡± Cyril enters the store with a ¡°hello©`¡± as if it¡¯s nothing. ¡­¡­..it¡¯s amazing what you can get used to. Because it¡¯s the Governor¡¯s personal tailor, the store itself is overflowing with an expensive, fancy atmosphere, and I am feeling very out of place at the moment. This is¡­.yeah, that kind of store. If you fight for a living, you would at least be a knight with some noble status to come here. It¡¯s that kind of store. No matter how strong you are, any Adventurer with a rough public image would not be able to step inside this store. Cyril: ¡°? What are you doing, Henry? You¡¯ll get in the way of other customers standing at the entrance like that.¡± Henry: ¡°I©`I know¡­.yeah¡­.¡± When I choose a clothing store, I definitely hit the ones catered to the general public, and not ones this high-class. I¡¯m feeling more and more out of place by the second as I step into the store. And I take a look at all the elegant clothes on display. The displays too are somehow very decorative and really emphasized the celebrity status of the location...or at least, that¡¯s what it feels like to me. ¡°Hello, welcome.¡± And as I am distracted with the interior design of the store, someone calls out to us. ¡­¡­.of course, it¡¯s a normal store, so there will be people working here. I look to see who called to us, and I see a woman whose age is hard to determine standing at the counter smiling our way. ¡°Cyril, is he one of your Adventurer Party members?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, he¡¯s Henry. Henry, this is the Store Owner, Ms. Florence.¡± I see. So the store is simply named after her. Henry: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a pleasure making your acquaintance, Ms. Florence. I am Henry.¡± Florence: ¡°The pleasure is mine. I¡¯m Florence.¡± I bow my head as I greet her. Cyril: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Henry, Ms. Florence is also from the Fezard Kingdom just like us.¡± Henry: ¡°Is that so?¡± Oh yeah. Cyril was saying before that many people came to see Lady Asteria, the former princess of the Fezard Kingdom after the Kingdom was destroyed. Florence: ¡°Yeah, 10 years ago, I was also one of the refugees who fled from the Demon Kingdom¡¯s invasion. ¡­...and you¡¯re quite famous yourself, Henry. I heard that you defeated the General who destroyed our country.¡± Henry: ¡°You know?¡± Florence: ¡°I¡¯m responsible for Lady Asteria¡¯s clothes, so we chat about this and that.¡± Ohhhhh, that makes sense. Cyril: ¡°Ms. Florence was part of the Tailoring Staff that served the Fezard Royal Family, and that¡¯s where I met her from.¡± Oh yeah, Cyril told me that she¡¯s one of the children of the servants of the Kingdom¡¯s castle, and she was living with her parents at the castle at the time of the invasion¡­.or so the story goes. Florence: ¡°Haha, yes, my skills were improving to the point where I could have had my own store¡­¡­and right at that time, that invasion started¡­.it really was unfortunate for me on many levels.¡± Ms. Florence shrugs her shoulders and looks somewhere into the far distance as the memories come back. Seeing this well-established store, it¡¯s really hard to imagine, but I¡¯m sure she went through a lot of hardships. The atmosphere dampened a bit, but Ms. Florence shook it off and turned back to me. Florence: ¡°Well, anyways, what business do you have with us today, Mr. Customer?¡± Henry: ¡°Well, it¡¯s just that¡­.today, we wanted to see if you could handle a specific request that I had¡­¡± Florence: ¡°Well, that¡¯s what I would have expected. If it wasn¡¯t that, you would have taken me by surprise¡­..although there are some people who come to ask me out occasionally.¡± Ohhh¡­.yeah. I understand their feelings. Ms. Florence is a beautiful woman with a rebellious edge in her character. She would be a very difficult opponent for me to try and ask out. Florence: ¡°Right now, our schedule is pretty full¡­¡­.but this is a job from my dear Cyril and the Hero of our former Kingdom. Let me hear the details of your job first.¡± ¡­¡­..wow. To have it put that way is pretty embarrassing. W©`Well, let¡¯s just see what she says first. Henry: ¡°Yes¡­.well....so here is my Adventurer¡¯s gear and armor. You¡¯ll see that it¡¯s damaged from a fight with a Demonic Creature.¡± And I take and lay out the clothes that were in the bags. This was the armor and gear I was wearing when we fought the Fenrir with Ms. Lotte. I have a backup set, but it¡¯s not on the same caliber as my main gear. It wouldn¡¯t matter facing Ogres, but there¡¯s a chance that I would have to fight Giants again, so I want to get this patched up as soon as possible. But there are a lot of special materials used, so I will have to go to a Tailor with enough skills¡­.and when I mentioned this at the previous meeting, Cyril wanted to introduce me to this store, and that¡¯s how we came to be here. The armor and gear we wear to fight Demonic Creatures will eventually be upgraded or created by specialized craftsmen who use a technique and skill called Enchanted Magecraft. If it¡¯s made of metal, it¡¯ll be Metal Magecrafting and if it¡¯s made of cloth, then Thread Magecrafting, and there are specialized craftsmen for each. With this, you can create and upgrade gear that will exceed the original materials in durability and attributes that wouldn¡¯t have been possible before. These techniques were mirrored after the Godly Equipment and to eventually try and exceed those item qualities. Now, as long as you have the money, you can obtain a gear that has specialized attributes similar to Godly Equipment. This Tailor Shop sells regular clothes, but looking at Cyril¡¯s gear, they are also first-rate Adventurer Gear craftsmen. Florence: ¡°Hmmm¡­¡­.well, this definitely can¡¯t be fixed by novices for sure.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, so does it look possible?¡± Florence: ¡°Do you have backup materials for repairs?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, but unfortunately, not enough to repair this much damage.¡± I take out the additional cloths and materials I was given when I first purchased the gear and hand it to Ms. Florence. If I had enough material, I could have made emergency repairs myself. Florence: ¡°........let me take a moment to closely examine all of this. Wait here. You can roam around and take a look at our store while you wait.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, thank you so much.¡± And with that, Ms. Florence starts examining my gear even more intently. I know I washed them, but I hope they don¡¯t smell of sweat or reek too much. Well, I did sniff them before bringing them here. They should be okay. Well, I¡¯ll have to leave it to her for now, yeah... <<<<>>>> Cyril: ¡°Henry, Henry. Take a look at this.¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? What¡¯s up?¡± I was roaming about Ms. Florence¡¯s store when Cyril waves and gestures for me as she calls me over. I see a lot of small items lined up where she¡¯s standing. Cyril: ¡°Here, take a look at this. Isn¡¯t this handkerchief absolutely gorgeous?¡± And Cyril showed me a handkerchief she was looking at. It had beautiful embroidery and the colors were rich but not too extravagant, and it definitely was a beautiful work of art. Henry: ¡°It¡¯s beautiful¡­¡­.but it¡¯s too beautiful to use it as a handkerchief, no?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh©` yes, I agree with you. But I¡¯d like to have something like this when I get older." I got a glance at the price tag, and the numbers definitely matched the quality I was seeing. Henry: ¡°........but¡­...you make enough to not have to hesitate about purchasing that, right?¡± It is an expensive piece, but for an Adventurer who can hunt Mid-Tier, Upper-Class Demonic Creatures safely, it¡¯s not a price out of reach. Cyril: ¡°Hmmmmmm©` I do like to dress up, but I think it¡¯s still a little too soon to wear things of this quality for me©` I don¡¯t mind shopping at cheaper places right now.¡± Florence: ¡°Don¡¯t say such sad things, Cyril. I¡¯m waiting anxiously for the day when you¡¯ll order a dress from my store.¡± Ms. Florence was examining my gear a moment ago at the counter, but snuck up on us before we knew it. I know that she knew Cyril from way back when, but she¡¯s poking Cyril to make a big order pretty casually. Cyril: ¡°A dress©`? Well, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m not interested, but it¡¯s uncomfortable to wear and walk around the city, and I¡¯m not involved in those fancy ballroom parties either.¡± Florence: ¡°Oh, you can make an order for casual clothes too. Don¡¯t you worry. Why not put in an order that¡¯s different from your Adventurer¡¯s gear? I¡¯ll still make you look fabulous.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hmmmm©` Ummmm©` but right now, I need to upgrade the gear I have.¡± And Cyril thinks about it for a moment, but refuses the offer at the end. I think she has a lot of clothes, but it looks like she doesn¡¯t spend a lot of money for each piece then. Florence: ¡°Well, well. If you¡¯re looking for something of higher quality, it¡¯s going to be difficult to do that at my store, you know? ¡­¡­...but Henry¡¯s order is even more tougher than that though.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, will the repairs be impossible here¡­¡­?¡± Florence: ¡°I won¡¯t say that I couldn¡¯t do it, but it would take too much money and time. What¡¯s more, importing and buying the remaining materials would be incredibly difficult.¡± Ohhhh¡­.. As far as the materials involved, I hunted the Upper-Tier Demonic Creatures myself, and I also had help from my Party and friends¡­¡­..so¡­.. Cyril: ¡°? Is the quality really that amazing for Henry¡¯s gear?¡± Florence: ¡°The bark of an Elder Ent. The fur of a Cerberus. Thread made from Orihalcon¡­...and that¡¯s just the main materials. The dye is also a specialized concoction. The person who made this is also much more skilled than me¡­¡­..it¡¯s not impossible for me to fix it, but the importing of the materials alone will be 500,000 zeniths.¡± Th©`That¡¯s too high¡­¡­ Henry: ¡°W©`Will it really be that much for materials alone? I¡¯m only missing a little bit, no?¡± Florence: ¡°Materials like this would be sold in bulk around here. If you want to obtain just enough, then you¡¯ll need to put in a Quest with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. That¡¯ll be your main option.¡± ¡­¡­..I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll find any of those Upper-Tier Creatures anywhere near here. What¡¯s more, the Orihalcon Vein (a.k.a. The Upper-Tier, Upper-Class Orihalcon Golems) will definitely not be around here. If they were, I would have hunted them down. Henry: ¡°Oh yes, I thought maybe I could upgrade my gear, and I brought a Fenrir¡¯s fur with me but¡­..¡± Florence: ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask a 1st-Rate Dwarf Craftsman. I¡¯ve never handled a Highest-Tier Demonic Creature material before.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, yes.¡± That wasn¡¯t an option either. And on top of that, I need to go to the race that is renowned for their craftsmanship - the Dwarves. I see one occasionally who¡¯ll set up a workshop in a city, but you¡¯ll typically find Dwarves living in the Varsaldi Empire in the [The Mountains of the Most Honored God of the Mines]. ¡­¡­.and that¡¯s too far at the moment. Florence: ¡°If you want a realistic solution, the compromise will be using the extra material we have to fix as much as we can, and then fill in the rest with the best materials at my store. It¡¯s definitely not on the same caliber as this material, but it shouldn¡¯t degrade the quality that much.¡± Henry: ¡°.....and what about the price?¡± Florence: ¡°It¡¯ll come to a total of 200,000 zenith.¡± 200,000, huh¡­. Henry: ¡°.......then I will go with that.¡± Florence: ¡°Okay, thank you for your business. Give me about 5 days to complete the job.¡± It is a crippling cost, but it can¡¯t be helped. Cyril: ¡°It¡¯s only to repair a tear, but even that costs so much¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah©` an Adventurer¡¯s gear knows no bounds the higher up you go.¡± The gear I have today, I provided all the materials needed, but they still charged me a lot for the production fee. Henry: ¡°If we can win a Godly Equipment, that would be best. Jend and Ferris¡¯ armor would be fine against Upper-Tier Demonic Creatures already.¡± Cyril: ¡°........but with your luck and mine, I think that would be nearly impossible.¡± Henry: ¡°D©`Don¡¯t remind me¡­¡± Since I arrived at Flowtier, all of my equipment I received has been one disappointment after another, so I can¡¯t deny the fact. Florence: ¡°.......well, I definitely respect the skill of the gods, but human skills aren¡¯t that inferior either. I¡¯ll show you.¡± We may have provoked Ms. Florence¡¯s pride as a craftsman as she looks at us with a wolfish smile. ¡­¡­¡­..yeah, I think I can trust her with this job. And she fulfilled her end of the deal. 5 days later, I got back my original gear that differed very little from before it was damaged. CH 75 Chapter 75: The News Cyril: ¡°Henry, what drink would you like to have?¡± Henry: ¡°Tea.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oka©`y, oh, excuse me©`¡± Cyril calls over a waitress and gives her our orders. It was the morning before we set out on an expedition. As is our custom now, we came to the Grandes Church a little early before our meeting time, and I had tea with Cyril at the tavern. This is how we energized ourselves and raised our motivation before an Adventure. Cyril: ¡°Oh, looks like the Adventurer¡¯s News has a newly published release. Should I grab one for you?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Cyril: ¡°Sure thing©`¡± And as she hummed a melody, she went to the corner of the tavern shelves and took one of the Adventurer¡¯s News releases from there. The Adventurer¡¯s News is a newspaper published without a regular schedule for Adventurers. It was published by the Church, and on it, you¡¯ll find many important developments and information that is useful for Adventuring in general. There are news about new Magecraft Artifacts, newly discovered traits of Demonic Creatures, news about the most famous Adventurers, etc., etc.. You can see Ms. Lotte¡¯s Live Performance dates and location advertised there too. It is published and placed there for free at the tavern, so many Adventurers read it. I usually glance through the headlines at the very least when there is a newly published release. The situation in Ligaleo is a constant hot topic, so I typically see names I recognize. And Cyril returns. ¡­¡­.? But something¡¯s wrong. She¡¯s acting really weird. Cyril: ¡°U©`Um¡­.Henry. Look at this.¡± Henry: ¡°What? Did Sir Ezeal do something ridiculous again¡­¡­?¡± I take the Adventurer¡¯s News from Cyril¡¯s hands and look at the article. [The Saint of Salvation Collapses] ¡­¡­..that was the first thing I read. Cyril: ¡°H©`Henry?¡± Cyril calls out to me, but I¡¯m too busy reading the article. ¡­¡­¡­..looks like the recent attacks from Demonic Creatures are escalating and injuries are mounting up. Without sleep or rest, she continued to perform Healing duties and finally her fatigue peeked, and Yuu collapsed from exhaustion. But that was after she finished treating every last injured Adventurer there at the time. That¡¯s Yuu for you. Of course, there are other Healers in Ligaleo. But she would take on 30-40% of the injured herself, and only Yuu is able to save anyone who is minutes away from death. But even so, if they overwork this precious resource to the bone and completely put her out of commission, then their backs will be up against the wall with no alternatives. ¡­¡­¡­.the Grandes Church and the Ningel Church met to discuss this, and decided to draw Yuu back away from the frontlines to give her time to rest and recover. In exchange, the Ningel Church is sending 10 Upper-Tier Healers to Ligaleo¡­¡­.and that¡¯s where the article ends. Henry: ¡°.........fwew, okay. It¡¯s not like she was taken out by a Demonic Creature, but she passed out from overwork.¡± Cyril: ¡°Y©`Yes. Um¡­.Henry¡­.? Are you okay?¡± Henry: ¡°Ha ha. What¡¯s wrong, Cyril? Why wouldn¡¯t I be okay? Geesh, that girl. I knew she was a hard worker who always felt responsible for everyone, so I knew something like this would happen one day.¡± I take up the tea that was brought to me while I was reading the article and¡­. Henry: ¡°(COUGH!) HOT!!¡± ¡­¡­.I take a mouthful without thinking and burn my tongue. Cyril: ¡°Oh geesh. Calm down. You spilled your tea.¡± Henry: ¡°S©`Sorry! I¡¯ll go borrow a towel!¡± I immediately stood up. ¡­...but maybe I was in too much of a hurry. I bump the table with my legs, and now the tea completely spilled over and splashed over my shoes. Well, I don¡¯t feel any of the hot water through my gear but¡­¡­¡­.crap. Thankfully, Cyril was holding her cup with the hot milk tea, so her drink was fine. ¡­¡­..but I almost want to think that she expected that to happen. Cyril: ¡°...........Henry¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°I©`It¡¯s nothing¡­.¡± Oh no, she has an exasperated look on her face. I©`I need to go get a towel and clean this up¡­¡­. I explained the situation to the tavern worker, and they let me borrow some cleaning equipment. By the time I got back, Jend and the rest of the group were there. Jend: ¡°Hey, Henry. I¡¯ll help you. Here, hand me that towel.¡± Henry: ¡°Thanks¡­¡­¡± I handed Jend the towel, and I take another one to wipe the tea off the ground. ¡­¡­¡­...when I tried to stand up, I hit the back of my head against the underside of the table. Teo: ¡°Um, Mr. Henry? You aren¡¯t your usual self today. Did something happen?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©`, um, it¡¯s nothing¡­.¡± I can¡¯t believe that I made even the youngest member in our group, Teo, worry about me. Cyril: ¡°Henry saw this article and started acting this way¡­..¡± Cyril spreads out the Adventurer¡¯s News newspaper and shows everyone the article. Ferris: ¡°The Lady Saint of Salvation¡­¡­..so that¡¯s why Mr. Henry¡¯s head is up in the air.¡± Jend: ¡°Wasn¡¯t she Henry¡¯s ex? And they knew each other for a long time, right?¡± Henry: ¡°..........you don¡¯t have to emphasize the ¡®ex¡¯ part¡­.¡± I haven¡¯t even held hands with her. Cyril: ¡°Um©`, Henry? Are you okay for today? Why don¡¯t we cancel today¡¯s expedition?¡± Henry: ¡°Cyril, what are you saying? Of course we won¡¯t cancel. It¡¯s nothing, alright? Of course, I am a little worried since she was a member of my Party long ago. But I¡¯m not that shaken up, okay? I know it says here that she collapsed, but that was from overwork. Plus, it says that she¡¯s taking time to recuperate so there¡¯s no reason for me to be worried, so I¡¯m not shaken up at all by the news.¡± I finish saying this in one breath, and Cyril begins whispering with the rest of the group to discuss. Jend: ¡°.........it¡¯s worse than I thought.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, he¡¯s completely lost his cool.¡± Ferris: ¡°I¡¯m sure if it¡¯s Mr. Henry, he¡¯ll be fine during the expedition but¡­.¡± Cyril: ¡°Should we just go without him?¡± I can hear everything, you guys. Henry: ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯m fine, so¡­¡­¡± But before I could finish my sentence, I swallowed back my words. I don¡¯t know why. I don¡¯t quite understand, but it¡¯s true that I¡¯m not in my best condition. If the worst case scenario happens, if I make a critical or even a fatal error, I¡¯ll curse myself to the grave. Besides, in this city, nothing will happen if you don¡¯t go on an expedition for a day or two. I try to calmly assess the situation and©`©` Henry: ¡°.......no, sorry. It¡¯s like you all say. I¡¯m a little off today, so let¡¯s cancel. You can go without me if you like.¡± Jend: ¡°If we go without you, we might run into the same situation as last time. Why not take a break for a change?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. Then Ferris, Teo, since we have time, do you want to go shopping with me?¡± Cyril begins inviting the two. ¡­¡­¡­..but what should I do? I think the longer I stay awake, the more unhelpful thoughts keep coming to mind so maybe a nap will do me some good? And as I was thinking, I headed to the Grandes Church entrance. I open the door©`©`and I go into full alert. ¡°Hey, Henry!¡± I barely managed to parry a hand with its fingers fully extended that was heading to my throat with unbelievable speed. By pure reflex, I try to palm strike in return, but I couldn¡¯t fully see the opponent¡¯s face, and they duck and dodge my attack. I block a leg swipe underneath by moving my center of gravity to a different foot. As the opponent was forced to pause, I swung my arm downwards, but they crossed their arms to block my attack. For a few seconds, we dish out punches and kicks and block in kind. Finally, our fists meet with a (sfx) and the air around us trembles from the impact. We both stay still for a moment¡­¡­¡­.and I finally saw my opponent¡¯s face. Henry: ¡°........you¡­...Ageha. What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Well, there were too many attacks going for my neck, so I knew immediately who I was up against, but the face confirmed my suspicions. Ageha: ¡°Just saying hi.¡± Henry: ¡°You completely erased your presence and sneak attacked me. Is that your way of saying hi?¡± Well, it is a common way of greeting in Ligaleo¡¯s terms. Ageha: ¡°What? If I was really serious, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to respond in the first place. You know that, right?¡± Henry: ¡°There¡¯s no way. If you tried to attack me, I would know.¡± Ageha: ¡°Haha. Yeah, right. It¡¯s uncool to say you can do something when you can¡¯t, so just stop.¡± Henry: ¡°........you picking a fight?¡± Ageha: ¡°Yeah, sure. You want to have a go?¡± I was just about to answer her back when I felt a , and Cyril hits me in the head with her staff. Cyril: ¡°Please don¡¯t start dueling at the Church entrance.¡± Henry: ¡°..........yes¡¯m.¡± Ageha: ¡°Pffff, you©` got in trou©`ble¡± Cyril: ¡°You too, Miss Ageha! What are you laughing at!¡± Ageha laughs and apologizes without a hint of remorse in her voice. Cyril tries to conk Ageha in the head with her staff, but Ageha¡¯s dodging all her swings. Henry: ¡°(sigh).......¡± I let out a deep sigh. Henry: ¡°.........so, why are you here, Ageha? You just wanted to drop by Flowtier for no reason again?¡± She said last time that it took her four days, and considering the distance between Ligaleo and Flowtier, that is an incredibly short amount of time, but it¡¯s not something she could do casually. She must have a reason¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.or maybe in her case, maybe she doesn''t. Ageha: ¡°Oh yeah. That¡¯s right. The reason why I¡¯m here. Henry, have you heard the news? Yuu overworked herself and collapsed.¡± Henry: ¡°I just read the article in the Adventurer¡¯s News this morning.¡± Her timing is unusually impeccable. Ageha: ¡°Great©` so that actually happened while I was on a long-term Quest. When I came back, Yuu had already left to go recuperate¡± Henry: ¡°And why does that bring you to Flowtier?¡± Ageha: ¡°So I think Yuu went to go recuperate where her family is, but I don¡¯t know where exactly in Salaiz that is. Everyone I know said they don¡¯t know, and the people at the Church won¡¯t tell me either¡­¡­..so the only other person who would know is you, right?¡± Is she a genuine idiot? Oh, yeah. She is. Henry: ¡°.......okay, I understand your reasoning. But why do you want to know where Yuu is?¡± Ageha: ¡°Hm? To go check on her of course. The others were too slow, so I left them behind.¡± If you were the standard for slow and fast, the whole of humanity excluding one person would be considered slow. Ageha: ¡°And I thought I better bring along a gift or a certain someone©` so¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, Flowtier has a lot of pretty flowers and other stuff.¡± Wait. Henry: ¡°Did you just say [bring along a certain someone]?¡± Ageha: ¡°I did.¡± Henry: ¡°You mean¡­¡± Ageha: ¡°You have nothing else to do, right©`? Besides, Yuu seemed pretty down lately, so here. Why don¡¯t you go and say something nice to her.¡± This girl¡­¡­¡­ But Yuu¡¯s family home? It¡¯s true that I know where that is but¡­¡­...wait¡­...huh? Henry: ¡°Hey, Jend. Isn¡¯t Wreathfield in the Salaiz Republic pretty close to Flowtier?¡± I ask Jend who¡¯s the most knowledgeable about geography. Jend: ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s definitely a lot closer than the Capital. The Flowtier Count¡¯s territory neighbors the Salaiz Republic, and it¡¯s a town close to that border. My family¡¯s business has some business ties there¡­¡­¡­.but you asking about that means¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°I heard that Yuu¡¯s home is the Orphanage in Wreathfield. If that¡¯s the case¡­¡­..I guess we could just go there without any issues.¡± If it was Ageha and I, we could get there and back within the day. Teo: ¡°If it¡¯s that close, wouldn¡¯t she consider visiting you?¡± Henry: ¡°.........nope. Not her.¡± I had to tell Teo no. I do know her pre©`tty well. Unless she was planning on visiting me from the get-go, if she just happened to accidentally end up near me after an incident like that, she would not consider visiting me in the least. She¡¯d feel too embarrassed and ashamed. It¡¯s kind of like¡­¡­.when you skip school and the guilt eats away at you, and you can¡¯t fully enjoy just playing around and doing what you like. It¡¯s similar to that feeling, I think. Ageha: ¡°Good, then there¡¯s no problems, right? Let¡¯s go!¡± Henry: ¡°Wait, wait. Ugh©` I don¡¯t mind going, but let me get some things ready at least.¡± I guess I¡¯ll pack a few clothes, and then go find some Flowtier snacks as a gift and then¡­. Cyril: ¡°Oh, then we¡¯ll get ready too. Should we meet up again after lunch here?¡± Jend: ¡°You¡¯ll need a proof of identification to cross the country border, so have that ready too, everyone.¡± Ferris: ¡°Oh©`, but I have my debts so I can¡¯t just go to another country¡­.¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry¡¯s a Heroic Warrior, so if he takes responsibility, can¡¯t you go then?¡± And Cyril and the rest of the group begin discussing next steps. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.wait, is everyone coming too? CH 76 Chapter 76: The Departure and the Reunion It was only a few hours after seeing Ageha when we were ready to leave Flowtier. It is a closer destination, but a different country nonetheless, but we were able to make good time preparing quickly and efficiently. 3 of them were already adults, but Teo had to run to get permission from her parents. With that, we departed Flowtier, and ran down the road for 2 hours. We soon saw the border checkpoint that separated Flowtier from Salaiz appear in the distance. Henry: ¡°Cyril, just a little further. Once we get to the border checkpoint, we¡¯ll have to do some paperwork, and you¡¯ll be able to rest there.¡± Cyril: ¡°Fuh, fuh¡­¡­..fuh¡­¡­¡­..fuh¡­¡­!¡± (sfx exhales) Oh, this isn¡¯t good. She¡¯s so out of breath that she can¡¯t even reply. ¡­...and she is using her [Sprint Boots], but she still kept us with us at a pretty high pace. I thought she might pass out, but she stuck through it. Well, it¡¯s true that we dropped our running pace for Cyril, and we would have gotten here in half the time if we didn¡¯t, but that¡¯s not worth mentioning. She was running at her top speed the entire way here. Jend: ¡°Now that I think about it, it¡¯s the first time for me to cross into a different country.¡± As we approach the border checkpoint, Jend mentions this while running. Henry: ¡°? What? Jend. I thought your family was wealthy so they would have been traveling a lot for vacations or something.¡± Jend: ¡°When my father and grandpa go to other countries, it would usually be business related. Everyone in my family¡¯s typically busy year-round too, so we never took long vacations to any place too far.¡± I see. So they were too busy making money. It¡¯s the hallmark of the rich. Ferris: ¡°Before my father was thrown into prison, he did take me to a lot of different places. The Salaiz Republic, the Varsaldi Empire, and even Rishu.¡± Teo: ¡°I¡¯ve only been to Rishu to visit family.¡± Ferris and Teo also add their experiences traveling. Henry: ¡°I¡¯ve only been to Fezard and Alvenia. Ligaleo was technically managed between 3 major countries, so it wasn¡¯t considered as any country¡¯s territory.¡± Ageha: ¡°Hey, hey. Henry. Don¡¯t forget that we¡¯ve been to the Demon Country several times.¡± Wait, no, Ageha. Drawing out Demonic Creatures and secretly crossing the border to set traps for the Demon King¡¯s Armies is nothing like a vacation. Don¡¯t put those in the same category as everyone else. ¡­¡­.but as we chatted, we arrived at the checkpoint. ¡°Hello, everyone. From the looks, you all are Adventurers, correct? We apologize for the inconvenience, but please go inside and submit your paperwork at the counter please.¡± One of the guards at the Border Checkpoint entrance guided us while laughing merrily. Henry: ¡°Thank you so much. We appreciate all the hard work you put in.¡± ¡°Well, it looks like you have been working pretty hard yourselves.¡± As we stopped running, with a (gasp¡­...gasp¡­¡­), Cyril tries to catch her breath, and the guard at the gate strains a smile at her. Henry: ¡°Oh©`, Cyril, are you okay?¡± Cyril: ¡°O©`Of course. Th©`This is nothin©`©`(cough cough)¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, don¡¯t force yourself to speak. Just concentrate on catching your breath.¡± Teo: ¡°Miss Cyril, here¡¯s the water bottle.¡± Teo takes out the water bottle from her Godly Equipment bag and hands it to Cyril. With a (chug chug chug), Cyril rehydrates and lets out a big breath. Oh©`, I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s able to run after we cross the checkpoint. That might be brutal for her. Can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll carry her again. Yuu¡¯s town of Wreathfield shouldn¡¯t be too far from the border checkpoint. Ageha: ¡°Hey, c¡¯mon. Let¡¯s not dawdle here and get this paperwork done. It¡¯ll be nightfall before we know it.¡± Henry: ¡°Right, right. Ageha, calm down. You¡¯re always in too much of a hurry going everywhere.¡± I throw my complaint back at Ageha as I enter the checkpoint. There were several reception windows lined up after I entered. I go to the nearest one available. Henry: ¡°Hello. We have six people wanting to enter the Salaiz Republic.¡± ¡°Yes, here is the application to enter the country. Please enter your name and the reason for your visit, and also provide any documentation that will be proof of your identity here. These are the documents for your application.¡± With practiced, efficient movement, the receptionist gives us the application papers. I distribute a page to each one and read it myself. ¡­¡­¡­...hmmmm¡­.it¡¯s my first time doing the paperwork to enter a new country, but it¡¯s not as much as I thought it would be. Ferris has some debts, so she¡¯ll need someone to vouch for her, and I highly doubt a Heroic Warrior who is in the same class as an Upper-Tier Priest of the Church would be rejected as an adequate insurer of debts. Ageha¡¯s Hero of Legend Class is more certain, but her citizenship is officially Rishu, so I¡¯m the best bet here. Every refugee of the Fezard Kingdom was technically received by the Alvenia Kingdom, so my official citizenship belongs to Alvenia. As far as all of the refugees of the countries destroyed by the Demon Kingdom, at the time, there were several negotiations between the 3 major countries but¡­¡­.well, anyways, I didn¡¯t receive any mistreatment, so I have no issues with the results. Henry: ¡°Ferris, here, I can fill that part out.¡± Ferris: ¡°Oh, yeah. Thank you, Mr. Henry. I¡¯m sorry for the trouble¡± I signed my name as the insurer of her debts. So if Ferris was to escape and run away, the repayment of the debts would fall on me¡­¡­¡­...but there¡¯s no way anything like that would happen. We all finish signing and submit the paperwork to the receptionist. So after this, as long as there are no issues with what we submitted, we will be admitted to enter the Salaiz Republic, or that¡¯s how it¡¯s supposed to go. Henry: ¡°Everyone, you all filled out the paperwork correctly, right? If there are any errors, that will take up more time.¡± Cyril: ¡°No problems here! I looked over it 3 times!¡± And Cyril assured me with confidence and her chest puffed out. Jend: ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t that difficult of a document, so I think we¡¯ll be okay.¡± Ferris: ¡°Jend and I checked each other¡¯s answers and work too.¡± And I looked over my answers at least twice. There shouldn¡¯t be any problems. Henry: ¡°.........Ageha. I¡¯m worried most about yours.¡± Ageha: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t make mistakes with a document like that.¡± Henry: ¡°If you did mess up, we¡¯re going to leave you behind. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll catch up to us in a flash anyways.¡± Ageha: ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s pretty cold of you, Henry.¡± As we chatted away, the receptionist stood up and walked our way. ¡°U©`Um, I¡¯m so sorry. Ummm, are you perhaps, Mr. Henry? Is that correct?¡± Henry: ¡°? Yes, I¡¯m Henry.¡± ¡°C©`Could you come to the private meeting room in the back? There are a few more questions we would like to ask regarding your application to enter the Salaiz Republic.¡± ¡­¡­¡­...huh? Why? <<<<>>>> For 30 minutes, I was interrogated thoroughly, and I was finally free to go. ¡­¡­...yeah, there wasn¡¯t anything wrong with my application. It was my history and record that was a problem. A Heroic Warrior with an abundant amount of experience taking down Corrupted Magic Territories, and also with experience taking down numerous Highest-Tier Demonic Creatures. And on top of that, my record reflects that I took down the Demon King¡¯s Army¡¯s General. ¡­¡­...writing it all down like that, during that time I was just only focused on getting stronger and my revenge. But taking a step back, I realized that I have built up quite a reputation and history, and it wasn¡¯t unpleasant to look back upon. Regardless¡­ Every country desperately wants adept Adventurers. If the Adventurer was another country¡¯s citizen, you would ask them if they would consider relocating, and if they were from your country, you made sure that it stayed that way. In short, I was stopped at the border because there were concerns that I was either being bribed or even fooled by a woman to move my base of operations to the Salaiz Republic. Because I am not a born and raised Alvenia citizen, and became a citizen during the chaos at the beginning of the war, that added more doubts and suspicions to the mix. ¡­¡­.And it wasn¡¯t just me. Most Heroic Warrior Class Adventurers will in general get severely questioned at the border©`©`this was something one of the Border Guard Supervisors were kind enough to tell me when my interview was ending, and I was on my way out. If I wasn¡¯t single, they would be more generous in their assumptions apparently. Ageha: ¡°(sigh¡«¡«¡«) Because of Henry, we got rea©`lly delayed! Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh come off it already. It wasn¡¯t my fault.¡± We were all running towards Wreathfield, and I had to keep countering Ageha¡¯s teases and retorts the whole way. She¡¯s not serious about anything she¡¯s saying, but it¡¯s still really annoying. Cyril: ¡°But isn¡¯t Miss Ageha a Hero of Legend¡­¡­?¡± Ageha: ¡°Oh©`, I¡¯m a citizen of Rishu, so they didn¡¯t even bother. Well, if they tried to detain me, I would have ignored them and kept running.¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s illegal, idiot.¡± I am carrying Cyril on my back, and she asks Ageha, but Ageha simply laughs it off and talks about ignoring the law. It¡¯s true that she could easily sneak into this country with her skills but¡­. Henry: ¡°If you commit a crime, Sir Ezeal will come after you to straighten you out.¡± Ageha: ¡°Crap, nevermind.¡± Because Sir Ezeal is the head of all the Heroes of Legend, if a Hero of Legend commits some evil deed, he is the one responsible for carrying out the consequences. By the very nature of the job and title, the title of Hero of Legend is not given to someone prone to evil acts, so he hasn¡¯t had to really carry out that role yet¡­...but most people would think twice about breaking the law if Sir Ezeal was going to start hunting you down. Henry: ¡°Oh hey, I¡¯m starting to see the town. It¡¯s exactly where the Border Checkpoint Guards told us. That¡¯s Wreathfield.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ohhhh¡«¡± And Cyril turns to look where I was looking and raises a voice of excitement. It¡¯s deeper in the countryside than Flowtier¡­...but it¡¯s not completely in the countryside either, and it¡¯s like any other town you see outside the main cities. This particular town is known for their pottery, and it is their main export. You will see pottery workshops here and there scattered all around. Their biggest customer is the Church, so the Salaiz¡¯ National Religion, the Ningel Church, has a strong influence here. ¡­¡­...this was all things I learned a lo©`ng time ago when I was going out with Yuu. She spoke of her town while we sat around a park in Ligaleo. I¡¯m surprised that I still remember this. Those times feels so nostalgic. Cyril: ¡°Henry, you can put me down now.¡± Henry: ¡°Sure thing.¡± By the time we saw Wreathfield¡¯s main gate, we stopped running, and I let Cyril down. ¡­¡­..good, it¡¯s still just before sundown, so even though we ran at a pretty high pace, this place really is close to Flowtier. Ferris: ¡°Oh, the city walls are very different from Flowtier¡¯s . It¡¯s an older design and architecture. Henry: ¡°Oh really? You know this stuff really well.¡± Ferris looks impressed, but I can¡¯t tell the difference. I mean, yeah, I can tell that it looks different, but I couldn¡¯t tell you if it was a newer or older architecture. Ferris: ¡°You learn about fortresses and castle wall structures as part of your knight training.¡± Henry: ¡°Huh¡­..¡± ¡­¡­..but¡­¡­.I was a squire too so I should have learned this¡­..maybe? This is bad, I can¡¯t remember at all. W©`well, I don¡¯t even use that kind of knowledge in my line of work, so it¡¯s all good. I forced myself to accept this conclusion, and we all headed to the main gates of Wreathfield. Compared to crossing the countries¡¯ borders, the paperwork entering the town was very simple, and we easily got permission to enter the town. ¡­¡­¡­.oh, before I forget. Henry: ¡°Um, excuse me. I¡¯d like to ask you for some directions, if that¡¯s okay.¡± I spoke to one of the soldiers guarding the main gate. ¡°Hm? Oh, yeah, that¡¯s fine. Where are you trying to go?¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s an orphanage run by the Ningel Church, and it has a large apple tree in its yard¡­¡­..does that sound familiar at all?¡± I know it¡¯s an orphanage in Wreathfield, but now that I think about it, I never got the orphanage¡¯s name. I add the bit about the apple tree that Yuu told me about, and hopefully, that would be enough. ¡°Ohhh, yeah. They call that orphanage the Apple Tree House. It¡¯s on the eastside of the town and¡­.¡± I listen to the soldier explain the way there. Behind me, Teo is taking notes on a notepad just in case. I thank the soldier, and we all head to this Apple Tree House. Cyril: ¡°Wow©`, a town in a different country really does feel different in many ways©`¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± On the way there, Cyril gives her impression thus far, and I agree. Let¡¯s see¡­.yeah, it may be a matter of different tastes and preferences. This is just my impression, but the Salaiz Republic likes things to be more orderly and straight. Jend: ¡°We import their pottery wares from this town. They¡¯re good quality, and the customers love the design, so it¡¯s one of our popular products.¡± Ferris: ¡°Oh, really¡­¡± Jend: ¡°Ferris, when you come over, the tea cups you use are also from here.¡± I overhear Jend and Ferris talk and¡­. Ageha: ¡°Hey, hey, Teo. Aren¡¯t plates and cups all the same?¡± Teo: ¡°Sister Ageha¡­...I can¡¯t agree with you there. Don¡¯t you know that the Sagiri Merchant Trade also handles Tableware?¡± Ageha: ¡°Really?¡± And as we continue to talk amongst each other, we arrive at the location the soldier directed us to. It¡¯s a pretty large piece of land, and I see a fairly new and large house ahead. Just like she told me, I saw a large Apple Tree in the yard, and there were many red fruits growing. Maybe it¡¯s the season for it? And¡­. There¡¯s a girl taking down the hang dried sheets from a clothes line¡­. Ageha: ¡°He©`y, Yuu©`! We came to see you©`!¡± Ageha immediately springs and charges at the woman. Yuu: ¡°Huh? WHAT? Ageha? Why are you¡­...how did you¡­¡­.I mean, you shouldn¡¯t know where I live¡­¡­..¡± And while speaking with Ageha, she looks up to see us following from behind. She has a beautiful, overly well-composed face, but it freezes when it catches a glimpse of me. I didn¡¯t know what to say to her, and I thought about how I should break the ice, but in the end, I just said the first thing that came to mind. Henry: ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that the Saint of Salvation?! I heard you collapsed, but I¡¯m glad you¡¯re doing okay, Saint of Salvation! Do you still remember me, Saint of©`©`¡± Yuu: ¡°Fuhn!¡± (sfx exhale) And as I greeted her, a fist came flying at me! Henry: ¡°Hey now!!¡± I caught her fist in my hand. ¡­¡­.it actually hurt. She really put her weight into it. I felt the impact go right through me. And considering that she chose to punch instead of slap is just like her too. Yuu: ¡°Hello, Henry. I don¡¯t know if you forgot, but I hate it when people, and especially family, call me by that title. It¡¯s pretty embarrassing.¡± Henry: ¡°Of course I remember.¡± Yuu: ¡°I see¡­.¡± She used her left hand before, but she¡¯s right handed, and prepares a serious punch with it¡­ Henry: ¡°Sorry, sorry, I surrender.¡± Yuu: ¡°(sigh).......why you¡­..¡± I raise my hands above my head and run away, and Yuu lets out a sigh and lowers her fist. We both let out a chuckle at the same time. Henry: ¡°......well¡­.I guess it¡¯s been a while, Yuu.¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes, it has been a while. Good seeing you, Henry.¡± And with that¡­ I reunited with Eustacia. CH 77 Chapter 77: The Two Heroes of Legend and One Heroic Warrior Yuu: ¡°Here, just wait there while I put the laundry away.¡± With that, Yuu led us to the Orphanage [The Apple Tree House]. Inside, we were welcomed, by a peaceful-looking grandmother, Sister Fi-Ne. She is the head of this orphanage. She carries a kind smile all the time, and the atmosphere around her is very calm and relaxing. I can see why she was appointed to run this orphanage. We were led to the guest meeting room, and we sat at a table as Ms. Fi-Ne greeted us with a very low, bowed head. Fi-Ne: ¡°Thank you so much for coming all this way to come see Yuu.¡± Ageha: ¡°Well©` she is my friend, and Yuu has fixed me up so many times, so I owe her a lot.¡± Ageha laughs with a ¡­¡­¡­.and it¡¯s true. Without Yuu, Ageha and I both would have died multiple times on the frontlines. On that note, we have nothing but gratitude towards her. Jend: ¡°Oh¡« um, we¡¯re¡­...so, Henry¡¯s friends with Miss Eustacia, so when he decided to come, we tagged along with him¡­.¡± Fi-Ne: ¡°Oh, I see. This is a wonderful town, so I hope you enjoy your stay.¡± Jend felt guilty for coming with us, but Ms. Fi-Ne laughed merrily as she replied. Jend: ¡°Yes, thank you so much. This is, um, for Ms. Eustacia, and a gift for everyone here. I hope you enjoy it.¡± And Jend passes to her the box of snacks we brought. Inside are the famous Flowtier cookies. Fi-Ne: ¡°Well, well. Thank you so much.¡± Ms. Fi-Ne receives and sets the package aside. Fi-Ne: ¡°By the way, Miss Ageha, Mr. Henry. How was Yuu when she was at Ligaleo? I see in the Adventurer¡¯s News articles about her occasionally, but I would love to hear thoughts from her friends directly if possible.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©`, yes...well, I recently relocated away from Ligaleo a half-year ago, so I don¡¯t know about any of the recent developments but¡­.¡± I take a moment to filter through my memories... ...about Yuu in Ligaleo... ¡­¡­.yeah... If I tell her straight up, she might have a heart attack so let¡¯s not. Henry: ¡°Well...umm¡­.Yuu definitely lives up to her title of Hero of Legend and her Healing Magecraft is amazing. Every Adventurer at Ligaleo is thankful for her presence and efforts.¡± Ageha: ¡°And if any idiot keeps getting hurt over and over, she would sock them in the face after healing them too!¡± Ageha! Stop! You¡¯re ruining all my careful efforts! Fi-Ne: ¡°Well, well. That sounds more like her. That girl, she was such an energetic tomboy growing up. She was acting like a Saint straight out of one of those children¡¯s storybooks, so I wasn¡¯t sure if that was even her or not.¡± A©`And of course, since Ms. Fi-Ne raised her from a baby, she knew Yuu really well. Then I guess it¡¯s okay to just be frank with her. Henry: ¡°And what else©` She loves to fight close-range with that Morning Star of hers, and I keep telling her to stop, but when she gets pissed off, she has this awful habit of charging in head first.¡± Ageha: ¡°Yeah, yeah. When Demonic Creatures attacked at night, her sleep was interrupted, and she totally snapped and charged straight into the group. Henry and I woke up because of that and©`¡± Henry: ¡°You¡¯re going to ruin my beautiful skin©`! Like that, right? That was hilarious. ¡­..except she tried to fight them in her pajamas, and that wasn¡¯t a laughing matter at all.¡± I remember having to go and hold her back while trying to calm her down. Ageha: ¡°I remember how desperate you were at the time, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°She was going straight into a pack of Demonic Creatures with zero armor on. Of course I¡¯ll panic.¡± And both Ageha and I look at the entrance to the room at the same time. Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t remember getting thanked for all my troubles then©`¡± Ageha: ¡°I even pitched in and took out those noisy Demonic Creatures too©`¡± The door opened, and with a rock hard fist gripped and shaking, Yuu appeared. Yuu: ¡°.......Henry, Ageha. Did you guys come to see how I was doing? Or you just wanted to come make fun of me?¡± Her smile was strained hard, and Yuu glares at Ageha and myself. From this distance, even if she tried to punch us, we can easily dodge and take cover. I was chuckling to myself, when Yuu releases her fist. ¡­¡­¡­.hm? It¡¯s odd that she instantly calmed down like that. As my suspicion grew, Yuu smiled kindly and¡­ Yuu: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Everyone in Henry¡¯s party, did you know? Henry¡¯s biggest attack is throwing his Godly Equipment Spear, but that move is called, [The Great Heavenly Destruction Spear?One Throw Thousand Deaths]! Did you know it was called that?!¡± AAAAAAAAGYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHH©`©`©`©`©`?!?!? Henry: ¡°Stop! Stop digging up my embarrassing past!¡± Ageha: ¡°It wasn¡¯t that long ago to call it the past, right Henry? That was...let¡¯s see, about 2 months after you defeated Gilverte I think.¡± You don¡¯t have to determine the exact time! I was still in revenge mode then, and I wasn¡¯t thinking straight! I didn¡¯t want to just call it a Spear throw, because it felt lacking, so I spent some time thinking of a name for the move and revealed it to them¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.and now that I think about it, both of them were laughing their heads off then! Yuu: ¡°Ageha, you also use a weird move named Ageha?Neck Slash.¡± Ageha: ¡°? What do you mean weird? Isn¡¯t that a cool name? Ageha?Neck Slash.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­.hmph, Yuu, you still have a long way to go. Ageha¡¯s sense of style is completely below the worst, imaginable line. If you want to get at her then¡­.. Henry: ¡°Oh yeah, Ageha. You¡¯re all about beheading your enemies, but a while back, when you fought a Cerberus, you didn¡¯t even go for the neck and just smashed its head in. Do you remember that?¡± Ageha: ¡°WHA©`?! Henry, why are you bringing that up!?¡± Well, I did say it to embarrass her, but¡­..why would she be embarrassed of this in the first place? Ageha: ¡°Tsch! If you want to play dirty, I¡¯ll reveal the biggest, most embarrassing secret I got out of the Old Man Ezeal. Hey©`Hey©` Teo, did you know? These two, when they were going out, they fed each other cake!¡± That was something I begrudgingly did because Yuu wanted to do it!! ¡­¡­¡­¡­..OH NO?! Yuu: ¡°Ageha, if that¡¯s how low you want to go, I have some material as well¡­..¡± Ageha: ¡°Hm?¡± Yuu: ¡°Did you know? Ageha has a perfect line of 3 moles on her butt©`! Oh my gosh! That¡¯s so embarrassing©`!¡± Wait, really? Ageha: ¡°Henry! Stop imagining it!¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± I spat out my retort. Cyril: ¡°.........why are they endlessly bringing each other down without any regard for preserving their own dignities?¡± Jend: ¡°I dunno.¡± Cyril and Jend¡¯s voice didn¡¯t reach us three in a frenzied skirmish. We endlessly screamed and argued at one another¡­ ¡­¡­...even though we are the leaders of the newest Adventurers who reach Ligaleo, Sister Fi-Ne finally had to cut in with ¡°Enough of this¡± before we finally quit. <<<<>>>> After that... We were invited to eat dinner at the Orphanage, and because it might be difficult finding an inn after dark, they asked if we could spend the night there instead. Henry: ¡°Um, is this really okay, Ms. Fi-Ne?¡± Fi-Ne: ¡°Yes, of course. We don¡¯t mind at all. We have a lot of children who grew up and left, so presently, we only have 3 here. We have plenty of rooms to spare.¡± Those were the 3 kids Yuu was looking after. There are two boys and one girl. I think their names were¡­¡­.ummm¡­¡­.Kay, Red, and Gile I think. She just told me a second ago, so I¡¯m not sure if I got it all right. Henry: ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, then we¡¯ll gratefully accept your offer.¡± Fi-Ne: ¡°Yes, then Yuu, can you help with the dinner arrangements?¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. Everyone, it¡¯s time to eat so go wash your hands.¡± With a cheerful ¡°Ye©`s¡±, the kids ran off in the direction of the washing basins. Yuu: ¡°Hey! No running inside the house!¡± Yuu scolded them, and the noisy turned to a quieter . Yuu: ¡°C¡¯mon, Henry. You all too. You need to be good examples for the kids to follow.¡± Henry: ¡°.....yeah, yeah.¡± With Yuu¡¯s suggestion, we all head to the wash basins too. Teo: ¡°Sister Ageha. I heard she collapsed, but Miss Eustacia seems to be doing well.¡± Ageha: ¡°She¡¯s a tough one so yeah©` I wasn¡¯t that worried.¡± While they were heading to where we would wash our hands, Teo called to Ageha, and Ageha laughed and answered her right back. ¡­¡­.well, what Ageha is saying is true. It¡¯s true but¡­. Cyril: ¡°? Is something the matter, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Cyril asked, but I wave my hand to dismiss her question. It¡¯s not anything I need to mention. As we return from washing our hands, at the large dining room table, the dinner dishes and plates were set, and a delicious aroma filled the air. ¡­¡­¡­..we¡¯ll be staying here for the night, and we made them feed 6 people. I¡¯ll hand Ms. Fi-Ne some money later. I think she¡¯ll refuse if I say it¡¯s payment for the stay and food, so I¡¯ll just say it¡¯s a donation to the Orphanage. Fi-Ne: ¡°Okay, then everyone. Let¡¯s say a prayer of thanksgiving before receiving the meal.¡± Ms. Fi-Ne prays a simple prayer before the meal. Typically, I neglect these before my meals, but this is an Orphanage sponsored by the Church. They say their prayer before every meal. We learn the prayer from the way Ms. Fi-Ne does it, and the kids must be used it. They perform the prayer without any hesitation. Henry: ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡± I take a spoonful of stew to my mouth. It¡¯s a slightly different way of seasoning, but it¡¯s good. It¡¯s a little bland compared to what I¡¯m used to, but there is also strong herbs being used, and it didn¡¯t feel lacking. The bread¡­...oh, had walnuts mixed into the dough. I actually like any kind of nuts in general. Because we all ran from Flowtier to here and used up a lot of energy, we are all pretty hungry as we dig into the food. Yuu: ¡°Henry, do you want seconds.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes please.¡± Yuu takes a look at my plate and asks if I want refills, and I hand her my plate obligingly. She puts an extra helping of stew in my bowl, and I mimic the kids and lightly use some of the seasoning on the table. ¡­¡­¡­.hm, the seasoning itself is a certain kind of herb. It changes the stew¡¯s taste slightly and is fun to try. Yuu: ¡°I know Adventurers in general eat a lot, so we have plenty of stew. Please feel free to request refills. Oh, ummm¡­¡­.Miss Ferris, was it? Your plate is empty. Would you like some more?¡± Ferris: ¡°Thank you very much, Miss Saint of Salvation. I will gladly have some more.¡± Ferris obediently hands over her plate, and Yuu looks at her with a strained smile. Yuu: ¡°Um©` you don¡¯t have to address me by my title. You can just call me by my name.¡± Ferris: ¡°I©`Is that okay? Then could I address you as Lady Eustacia?¡± Yuu: ¡°You can drop the ¡®Lady¡¯......I¡¯m just a Ningel follower who¡¯s just slightly good with Magecraft.¡± If you have the Hero of Legend status in the Grandes Church, you¡¯ll be at least a Priest status. And Yuu did receive offers of promotion in the Ningel Church, but she refused it because it was too much trouble.¡± Ferris: ¡°Miss Eustacia, then.¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes, that¡¯s much better. Here is your refill. There is plenty of bread too, so help yourself.¡± The way Yuu is taking care of everyone is still just the same as I remember her. She hasn¡¯t changed at all. Henry: ¡°......Ms. Fi-Ne, I heard that Yuu collapsed in the news but¡­¡± Fi-Ne: ¡°Yes, she was unwell for a few days when she first arrived here, but she got better in about a week.¡± I don¡¯t think Ms. Fi-Ne would lie to me about this judging from the smile on her face. Well, okay. ¡­¡­..I guess we¡¯ll talk later then. CH 78 Chapter 78: A Night-Time Talk with the Saint Henry: ¡°Hey! Kay, Red! Dry your head before you head out!¡± I was helping the two boys bathe, and we were all finishing up our baths. The two barely dried their bodies before trying to escape from the changing room, and I caught them. ¡°Wha©` I don¡¯t wanna¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah©`¡± As kids do, they¡¯re giving me some not-so-cute attitude and griping. I ignore their complaints and throw a towel over each of their heads. And without warning, I started roughly drying each of their heads. ¡°AHHH©`!!¡± ¡°ACK!!¡± But as they screamed, they also giggled in delight as they tried to fight back. ¡­¡­.sigh, yup. Kids¡­ I dry the kids properly, and I finally get to dry myself. Kay: ¡°Henry! Look at those abs on your body!¡± Kay pokes at my stomach as he speaks. With a , I strengthen my abs making them even harder and more pronounced, and both boys let out an impressed ¡°WHOA!!¡± Kay: ¡°Adventurers sure are strong.¡± Red: ¡°When we grow up, we¡¯ll become Heroes of Legends.¡± Henry: ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys followers of the Ningel Church?¡± Becoming a follower of the God, Grandes, is to become an Adventurer. It¡¯s not forbidden to be members of a different Church from the Grandes Church¡¯s perspective for that reason. But even if the Alvenia Kingdom has no restrictions for becoming an Adventurer (a member of the Grandes Church), there are many in the Salaiz Republic who would frown on that decision. Or at least, that¡¯s what I heard. ¡­¡­.it¡¯s their national religion, but even so, the Grandes Church¡¯s overall political power and influence are stronger. The Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault that directly blesses (benefits) the Grandes Church¡¯s members in a visible and obvious manner makes a huge difference. Kay: ¡°But Sister Yuu is an Adventurer, right?¡± Henry: ¡°..........that¡¯s true.¡± If their senior, Yuu, is an Adventurer, I can¡¯t really make any argument on why they can¡¯t become Adventurers. Kay: ¡°Hehe, once we¡¯re Heroes of Legend, we¡¯ll let you join our Party, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡± There are countless people who try to become a Hero of Legend. Out of those, only a handful will become Heroic Warriors. But, yeah, I don¡¯t want to be someone who laughs at kids¡¯ dreams. I just tell them ¡°good luck¡± as I pat their heads. Yuu: ¡°Oh, Henry. Thank you for helping the boys bathe.¡± Returning to the living room, Yuu had already finished her bath and was sitting there relaxing. Red: ¡°Oh, Sister Yuu! Can we have some juice?¡± Yuu: ¡°Just one cup. And make sure to go to the bathroom before going to bed, okay?¡± ¡° ¡° Yes ma¡¯am©` ¡± ¡± Kay and Red head to the refrigerator in the kitchen. It¡¯s a Magecraft Artifact that cools the food inside. It¡¯s not like ordinary people wouldn¡¯t be able to afford it, but it¡¯s an expensive item. Most Orphanages wouldn¡¯t ever have the funds to afford one, but Yuu has been donating a lot of her earnings here, so they seem to have quite the budget. The building seemed brand new, but it was something they rebuilt and remodeled 3 years ago. ¡­¡­...Yuu really likes to take on these extra responsibilities and troubles¡­. But that¡¯s also just like her. Henry: ¡°Yuu, what about my Party members?¡± Yuu: ¡°They all ran from Flowtier, so it looks like everyone was tired out. They all went to bed.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah? I guess I went too easy on them with the training.¡± I can understand the rest of the Party but Jend too? ¡­..well, I guess the pace and distance was a lot to cover in a few hours. Yuu: ¡°You all ran the same distance¡­..but you and Ageha still have that endless stamina.¡± Henry: ¡°If you¡¯re forced to fight 3 days and 3 nights without any breaks over and over again, anyone will turn out like this¡­...oh, so what happened to Ageha?¡± Yuu: ¡°She said she felt restless and went out for a run.¡± Henry: ¡°.......that idiot. I hope she doesn¡¯t get caught as a suspicious suspect or something.¡± Yuu: ¡°Who knows? ¡­.but I can¡¯t imagine her ever getting caught by the guards or security.¡± Yuu chuckles at the thought and smiles. ¡­...yeah©`, just looking at this alone, you would think she¡¯s back on her feet. Kay: ¡°Alright, Sister Yuu, good night©`!¡± Red: ¡°Good night!¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes, good night to you both. Don¡¯t forget to use the restroom.¡± Kay and Red finished drinking their juice and sprint towards their room. Yuu: ¡°......well, we should get some rest too.¡± Henry: ¡°Isn¡¯t it still a little too early?¡± Yuu: ¡°This household sleeps early and gets up early. You¡¯ll have to adjust to our schedule.¡± With a ¡°yes¡¯m©`¡± I reply to Yuu. Henry: ¡°So¡­.where¡¯s my room?¡± Yuu: ¡°It¡¯s the room next to mine. ¡­...if you don¡¯t like where your bed is placed, you can move it around freely.¡± Ah, thought so. I shrug as the room arrangements were as I half suspected. Yuu: ¡°Good night, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Yup, good night.¡± Yuu goes into her room, and I open the door to the room next door. I turn on the lights, and look at furniture placement. There¡¯s a bed, a small drawer, and a table, but the bed was opposite from the wall of Yuu¡¯s room, so I quickly cast [Physical Enhancement] and moved the furniture around quickly. I place the bed against the wall connected to Yuu¡¯s room. I sit on the bed with my back against the wall. Henry: ¡°.........hey, can you hear me, Yuu.¡± Yuu: ¡°Yeah, I can hear you.¡± Unlike how she acts in front of people, her voice was much more relaxed and casual. The last we spoke was before I left Ligaleo. And with this, we started our conversation. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°Well, it¡¯s odd saying it now, but how are you doing?¡± Yuu: ¡°Yeah, it was a little busy, and I messed up and collapsed, but I¡¯ve been well otherwise.¡± Henry: ¡°And what are you reading right now?¡± Yuu: ¡°[Princess Prym¡¯s Adventure].....it¡¯s a children¡¯s fable. It¡¯s written for reading to the children.¡± ¡­¡­...in Ligaleo, my room was right next door to Yuu¡¯s. The inn¡¯s walls were thin, and you could hear all the sounds in the room next door. Usually before we slept, we talked to each other past the wall just like this. Yuu would talk to me while she reads, and I would be drinking or something, and we just talk about whatever. ¡­...well, I guess I don¡¯t have anything to drink right now. Yuu: ¡°But Henry, I talked with them a little, but you¡¯re new friends¡­..they¡¯re all good people.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, too good for me. I wrote it in the letter to you, but they want to go to Ligaleo in the future, so when they do, look after them for me.¡± Yuu: ¡°What will you do?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah©` I¡¯m still on the fence about it, but right now, I¡¯m still leaning towards staying where I¡¯m at.¡± I think about it a lot, but I still don¡¯t have a reason to fight on the frontlines. Yuu: ¡°Well, there¡¯s no reason to go to some place so dangerous without any motivation.¡± Henry: ¡°Yup, how about you? I¡¯m sure you¡¯re getting offers from the Cardinal and stuff like that all the time, right?¡± Yuu: ¡°There was a Duke from Alvenia and even the Emperor of Varsaldi made me an offer too. They want to hire me as their Healer.¡± ¡­...if it¡¯s a Healer on Yuu¡¯s level, she could cure almost any injury or sickness as long as they¡¯re not dead. From the world¡¯s most powerful people¡¯s perspective, they would want her on their team, and they¡¯re constantly making all kinds of offers to her. Henry: ¡°If you just take up one of those offers, you¡¯ll be set for life.¡± Yuu: ¡°Unlike some people who lost their reason to fight on the frontlines, I still have my reasons for being there.¡± Her reasons, huh¡­.. Henry: ¡°And how long are you supposed to be resting here?¡± Yuu: ¡°They told me one month, but I¡¯ll go back after one more week. I¡¯m completely recovered now.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I can tell just by looking at you.¡± But¡­.. There is one thing bothering me this whole time. Henry: ¡°So¡­.¡± Yuu: ¡°..........what?¡± Henry: ¡°How many people?¡± There was a moment of silence. I could feel someone¡¯s presence shake across the wall. I just sat there silently waiting for an answer. And after a bit, Yuu squeezed the answer out of her. Yuu: ¡°.......since you left Ligaleo¡­¡­...26.¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s a lot less than I thought¡­¡­...but for you, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Yuu: ¡°Yeah¡­¡­¡­¡± I hear Yuu¡¯s crying voice in the other room. ¡­¡­¡­..26 people. That¡¯s the number of people that was carried to Yuu and their treatment didn¡¯t make it in time and died. Yuu is one of the most exceptional Healers I know, but she¡¯s no god. Though she says she can fix you up as long as you¡¯re not dead, there are times when they pass as soon as they get to Yuu, and at times, they don''t realize that the patient has already passed long before when they reach Yuu. It¡¯s been half a year since I departed from Ligaleo. Being a Healer on the frontlines, if you only lost 26 people during that time, that¡¯s an incredibly small number. ¡­¡­¡­.and that¡¯s also proof of her abilities as a Healer, but because of that as well or because of her personality and character, Yuu never got used to people dying. Henry: ¡°I told you to find someone to cry to. If not, just cry in your room when you¡¯re alone.¡± Yuu: ¡°Don¡¯t be¡­..ridiculous¡­...I can¡¯t¡­¡­.let anyone¡­¡­..see me like this¡­...I don¡¯t want to¡­¡­.cry alone either¡­¡­.¡± Yuu argues back with me as she continues to cry. ¡­¡­¡­...it¡¯s this. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s her pride, but she never cries when she¡¯s alone. When she has someone to complain to, she¡¯s finally able to finally vent and get some of that pent up stress out. Right now, I¡¯m the only one she¡¯s willing to vent to. Henry: ¡°Hey, you think I should go back to Ligaleo?¡± I don¡¯t have a reason to fight. But if Yuu wanted me to be there, I wouldn¡¯t think twice about it and go. Yuu: ¡°........I told you before. If someone like you comes to the frontlines, and if something happens to you in that one in a million chance¡­¡­..I would never be able to live with myself.¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to stay alive.¡± Yuu: ¡°Stop it. I¡¯m serious¡­¡­.don¡¯t say stuff like that. You¡¯ll seriously piss me off¡­¡­..besides, even if you¡¯re not there, I¡¯ll manage just fine.¡± I shrug my shoulders. We¡¯ve been through this discussion several times before I left Ligaleo. If Yuu showed even the slightest sign of depending on me, I would have remained on the frontlines. ¡­¡­...in the end, that didn¡¯t happen, and even my offers today aren¡¯t going anywhere. Truthfully, Yuu is strong in many ways. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not worried about her even if I¡¯m not there. Henry: ¡°......but if you¡¯re going to collapse from the stress, then you can¡¯t keep repeating the same mistake. Take a break every once in a while.¡± Yuu: ¡°That¡¯s¡­...well, from this incident, the people at the Church up top said they¡¯ll think about it.¡± Well, I guess that¡¯s good. Henry: ¡°If you¡¯re coming back here to recuperate, just let me know. I¡¯ll run over and come see you again.¡± Yuu: ¡°..........shut up¡­..¡± Though she says that, she didn¡¯t refuse. ¡­¡­..well, she¡¯s a little troublesome like that. Henry: ¡°Well, whatever. If you have other things you want to talk about, I¡¯m here to listen.¡± Yuu: ¡°.............yeah¡­..¡± And that night, we stayed like that. Until I fell asleep, I listened to Yuu¡¯s gripes, complaints, and whining stories that I couldn¡¯t tell what it was about, but I just kept listening. <<<<>>>> Yuu: ¡°Good morning, Henry©`!¡± I let out a huge yawn while I walked down the steps, and I saw Yuu preparing breakfast as she greeted me. Henry: ¡°Good morning¡­¡­.dang¡­..well©` you were up till pretty late, but you¡¯re still so energetic¡­¡­.¡± Yuu: ¡°This is normal for me. Henry©` maybe you¡¯re getting too used to the slow life.¡± Henry: ¡°There¡¯s no way.¡± Yuu: ¡°So what would you like to drink for breakfast?¡± I answer coffee and sit at the table. My Party is already up and sitting there with Ageha, and Ms. Fi-Ne and the 3 children were there too. Cyril: ¡°Henry¡­¡­..what were you doing up so late last night?¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s been a while so we had a lot to catch up on. We were just talking.¡± I answer Cyril¡¯s probing questions without much thought. And truthfully, she had way too much to talk about, and it was a little bothersome. Cyril: ¡°Hmmmm¡«¡«¡«? I see¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°What¡¯s with those eyes? Like I said, we were just talking.¡± I think she has the wrong idea, so I had to re-emphasize that point just in case. Fi-Ne: ¡°But Yuu is more energetic than usual. It¡¯s like a weight lifted off her shoulders.¡± Henry: ¡°.........really? She looks the same to me.¡± Fi-Ne: ¡°Yes, thank you so much, Mr. Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± I tried to evade her comments, but Ms. Fi-Ne raised Yuu, and maybe she did notice something and slightly bowed her head towards me. Well, yeah. I know she¡¯s called the Saint of Salvation, but she was still just the same person I knew. She hasn¡¯t changed a bit. <<<<>>>> CHONKY Notes LiT (Lost in Translation) Public Bathing - I cannot speak for other Asian Cultures, but the Japanese bathing culture directly conflicts with the American Culture. As kids, bathing together with family members is considered normal and public baths (sent¨­) (äEœ«) (¡°paid public baths¡±) are part of the cultural norm. Hence, there is no stigma for men bathing together like Henry did with the orphan boys. In fact, it is normal for adult men to bathe with younger boys they''re responsible for to make sure they bathe correctly. If you go to a public bath, you will see other people you don¡¯t know there, and they will be naked with no shame. Unlike American apartments, if there is a nearby public bath, then some apartments Japan may not come with a shower/bath (meaning you¡¯ll have to go and pay to take baths). The baths are separated by gender, and there will be a locker room like area to get undressed, a washing area as you walk inside to thoroughly clean yourself off before getting into the tub. A Japanese Onsen (hot spring) (ÎÂȪ) in the winter mountains: Typical layout of a public bath. The red and blue squares are individual faucets to wash yourself (you fill a bucket, scrub yourself, wash your hair, and then dump the bucket of water over your head). A Onsen (hot spring) would have individual baskets for your clothes. The public baths might have lockers or coin lockers to store your belongings. CH 79 Chapter 79: The Conversation Before an Adventure Yuu: ¡°Henry, Ageha. If it¡¯s okay with you two, could we go out on an Expedition today?¡± They were taking a short break after breakfast. That¡¯s when Yuu suddenly made a suggestion. Ageha: ¡°Hm? Well, I haven¡¯t decided what I was going to do today, so I¡¯m okay with that.¡± Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t mind either, but what¡¯s up all of a sudden? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be resting?¡± Yuu starts answering me as soon as I finish asking my question. Yuu: ¡°Well....so nearby Wreathfield is a forest called Fallwood, and it¡¯s a pretty large forest. Inside this forest, especially in the central area, Upper-Tier Demonic Creatures appear there.¡± And gradually¡­.very gradually, they expand their territory©`©`the Corrupted Magic Territory, and they are trying to spread it to the entire forest. The Upper-Tier Demonic Creatures of the Altohern Mountains in Flowtier have higher intelligence in general so they rarely descend from the summit area, but the situation can differ depending on the region. The Demonic Creatures in Fallwood do not have a high amount of intelligence that would make people weary, but they are more aggressive and enjoy fighting. Yuu: ¡°Of course, because of those circumstances, there are Adventurers and Knights residing within this town, and they will draw out and take down such creatures periodically¡­..but recently, they noticed that the Corrupted Territory seems to be expanding further than they expected. It hasn¡¯t gotten to the point of causing a panic, but I would like to avoid leaving any risks that may harm this town later.¡± And because some of her old Party Members conveniently arrived, she thought they could go ahead and take down some of these creatures. Henry: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mean we''ll be taking away the jobs of those Adventurers? I¡¯m sure they¡¯re here because they received a Request from the Church and their Country, right?¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true that there are those who received an official Quest from the Grandes Church, but most are saying that the payout is not matching the risks involved, so even if they lose this job, they might thank you for it. ¡­¡­¡­.the Corrupted Territory in Fallwood is a Poison Forest Territory. Henry: ¡°Seriously¡­¡­?¡± I can¡¯t help but whine at the news. For those Corrupted Territories that cater towards a certain Magic Type, the area becomes an extremely dangerous environment according to that Magic Type. And with the subtle differences in the properties of the Corrupted Magic Type, even if it is the same [Water] Type, there are arctic Corrupted Ice Territories as well as swamp-like Corrupted Mud Water Territories, and territories with the same Magic Type can differ like that from one to another. ¡­¡­¡­..and out of all of those Corrupted Magic Territories, the Poison Forest Territories that are rarely born from the [Earth] Magic Type is one of the top worst ones as far as how annoying it can be. Most of the plants around will absorb the poison, and the air will be filled with poison too¡­¡­.if an ordinary person walked into it with absolutely no preparation, they would die within minutes. Unlike extreme heat or cold, it¡¯s difficult to plan against. If you try to protect yourself with a Wind Spell or a Magecraft Artifact of the same kind, you cannot move very quickly or else the Spell would become ineffective. [Resist Poison Potions] will help protect you from the poison, but they are quite expensive. Even so¡­¡­ Yuu: ¡°Henry, you have the Godly Equipment charm with [resist poison]. I have my own Magecraft to repel the poison, and for Ageha¡­.¡± Ageha: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. As part of the Cloud Plains Style Training, I received anti-poison training. Unless it¡¯s an especially strong or specialized poison, most poisons won¡¯t work on me.¡± Teo scrunches her face into a difficult expression at Ageha¡¯s words. Teo: ¡°Um, Sister Ageha? I don¡¯t know about the past, but in the current age, there¡¯s no one who goes through anti-poison training. Can you not make it sound like it¡¯s a regular training regimen for us?¡± Ageha: ¡°Really? I know it was tough at first, but after a while, that tingling sensation you get becomes pretty addictive and fun to feel.¡± Oh, is that right? I took Ageha¡¯s words at face value, and I thought Teo also had resistance to poison. ¡­¡­¡­..and what about the tingling sensations? I think she¡¯s crossed a line there. Then again, this is Ageha we¡¯re talking about. And as I reaffirm my correct assessments of Ageha as a woman, Yuu hits one open palm with her fist. Yuu: ¡°Okay, so with all things considered, it should be a low-risk Quest for us, right?¡± Even in Ligaleo where you will encounter various Corrupted Magic Territory types, the Poison Forest Territory is something no one wants to deal with if they can help it. Now that I think about it, I had an effective poison-resistance strategy, so I was sent head-first into Poison Forest Territories many times. As I reflect back on nostalgic memories, Cyril raises her hand. Cyril: "Ummm©`would it be okay if we go too? Since we came all the way out here, I would also like to gain some new experience in a new environment.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©` well, if it wasn¡¯t a Poison Forest Territory, I would have taken you all with us but¡­¡± At Cyril¡¯s suggestion, I have a difficult time answering her. Even if they have some natural poison resistance more than ordinary people due to [Physical Enhancement], their lives would be at risk within the hour of stepping inside of that Corrupted Territory. Yuu could fix them up as we go, but that¡¯s additional stress I don¡¯t want to place on her right now. It¡¯s too bad, but they should skip this round and for us to return here¡­. Ferris: ¡°Mr. Henry, you can leave that part to me.¡± Henry: ¡°What?¡± Ferris: ¡°I¡¯m actually more adept at healing poisons and illnesses more than wounds and injuries. I can use [Area Antidote]. It¡¯s not a huge radius, but it¡¯s enough to take care of ourselves.¡± Ferris says this with absolute confidence. ¡­¡­...Magecraft that treats poisons and illnesses are far more difficult than treating exterior injuries, and casting an area effect that can do so is doubly double that difficulty. Yuu: ¡°Oh, Miss Ferris, I didn¡¯t know that you were a person from the Ningel Church.¡± Ferris: ¡°Yes, but I still have a long way to go before I reach your level, Miss Eustacia.¡± That¡¯s right, the two really haven¡¯t spoken to each other that much. Yuu: ¡°Hehe. You don¡¯t have to be so humble. I only know a handful of people aside from me who can use an area-effect Antidote Magecraft Spell.¡± Ferris: ¡°No¡­..I have still much more to learn. I know this might be rude to ask, but¡­...if possible, while we are here, could you teach me a trick or two?¡± Yuu: ¡°Of course. I would love to.¡± ¡­¡­¡­..good. Henry: ¡°And when you come to Ligaleo, you will be able to reduce the amount of work I have to do! HA HA HA HA!¡± Yuu: ¡°.......Henry, was that supposed to be an impression of me?¡± Henry: ¡°Yup.¡± I was sitting right next to her, and Yuu¡¯s fist flew towards me. I receive it with my hand. ¡­¡­..this girl¡­.she knew I would stop it, so she didn¡¯t hold back at all. Yuu: ¡°Then, we¡¯ll plan on Henry¡¯s Party also joining us for this expedition. I have heard about everyone¡¯s abilities through his letters. Our main target will be the Upper-Tier, Mid-Class Elder Treant, but for everyone else, you will be facing the Mid-Tier Demonic Creatures.¡± Henry: ¡°What other Demonic Creatures are there?¡± Yuu: ¡°Other than the Elder Treants, Poison Wolves, Wood Golems¡­¡­.and Demonic Apes if you want to count the slightly stronger ones.¡± Hm... a Demonic Ape is a Mid-Tier, Upper-Class. The rest are Mid-Tier, Lower-Class but on the stronger end of the spectrum. Then we should be fine. Ageha: ¡°What?! Treants?! Never mind! You all go by yourselves. I don¡¯t want to face anything without a neck!¡± And Ageha immediately loses motivation after hearing about our main target. ¡­¡­..an Elder Treant is a Demonic Creature in the shape of a tree. The knots and holes of the tree sort of look like a face, but otherwise, yeah, it doesn¡¯t have a neck to hold its head up. And for Ageha who lives to behead Demonic Creatures, she absolutely hates all enemies like these. Even though they¡¯re both made of wood, the Wood Golem is humanoid, so she¡¯ll excitedly go chop off their heads. In other words, it just has to look like it has a neck to satisfy her. Yuu: ¡°Ageha, you just accepted the Quest a moment ago. Liars won¡¯t last long in our line of work, you know?¡± Ageha: ¡°Hmmm©` Fine. Then I¡¯ll go with Teo and her group and help them out. You all can take care of the Elder Treants by yourselves!¡± And as if she came up with a brilliant solution, Ageha makes her proclamation. Yuu: ¡°......(sigh)....looks like we won¡¯t be able to talk her out of it.¡± Henry: ¡°Yuu, how many Elder Treants are we facing?¡± Yuu: ¡°There¡¯s several territories with several dozen creatures in each one.¡± That¡¯s quite a bit. Jend: ¡°A few dozen in multiple territories, huh¡­¡­.Henry, that¡¯s going to be pretty tough. Are you really going to be okay?¡± Jend shares his concerns for my safety. Well, truthfully, if it was any other ordinary situation, and I was with only one other Party member facing that many Elder Treants, rather than taking them on, I would first and foremost retreat. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t win, but the risk is too high. Ageha: ¡°Jend, it¡¯s gonna be fine. When you put these two together, it¡¯s completely cheating.¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s not cheating. It¡¯s the result of our combined effort¡­...well, mostly Yuu¡¯s effort.¡± I object to Ageha¡¯s comment. What do you mean by cheating, sheesh. But as Ageha is saying, if I¡¯m paired with Yuu, I can face 100 Upper-Tier, Mid-Class with little to no risk. Plus, I¡¯ve taken down a Highest-Tier when paired with Yuu. Jend: ¡°Cheating?¡± Henry: ¡°Yuu can use a Magecraft Enhancement Spell specifically catered to me. Wasn¡¯t Ferris trying to learn a similar spell for you, Jend?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, we almost got it figured out¡­.¡± The Magecraft Spell of Salvation, the [Hand of Ningel], is renown for its Healing Magecraft Spells, but it is a Magecraft Style that also includes Barrier Spells and Enhancement Spells as well. And the Ningel¡¯s Enhancement Magecraft is different from my general use of [Strengthen] {Hazac} or Ms. Lotte who can buff anyone who can hear her [Rainbow¡¯s Battle March], and requires fine-tuned adjustments between every individual. The difficulty level matches the Healing Magecraft Spells, and in truth, there are very, very few who can use this. ¡­¡­¡­..but, in exchange for its difficulty and rarity, the effect is phenomenal. It¡¯s enough for a person like me to be able to intervene between Sir Ezeal fighting a Demonic Army General. Teo: ¡°Sister Ageha, can you really get that strong with Enhancement Magecraft?¡± Ageha: ¡°Yeah©` I don¡¯t like to admit it, but I don¡¯t even want to fight Henry if Yuu¡¯s supporting him. The only way I¡¯ll win is if I take off his head in a one in a million chance.¡± But she¡¯s the type to make that one in a million chance succeed though! Before, after I drank all my ability enhancement potions to fight her, I thought I would win 9 out of 10 times, and I remember still getting struck in the neck after a confusing skirmish. I still can¡¯t fully recall how I lost that fight. But I¡¯ll leave that for now. Henry: ¡°You think you can still do it?¡± I ask Yuu, and Yuu smiles in a very childish, cheerful way. Yuu: ¡°Yes, it will be fine. I¡¯ve only been doing Healing, and I haven¡¯t been on an Expedition in a while, but I haven¡¯t stopped training for a single day. You can leave it to me.¡± Henry: ¡°Fine, fine. If it gets dangerous, I¡¯ll help you out.¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes, please do. Even if you go overboard and get injured, I¡¯ll patch you up like always.¡± That, I¡¯m not worried about. As long as Yuu is okay, she¡¯ll fix me right up. ¡­¡­¡­...and there¡¯s that sense of peace knowing how dependable she is. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m looking down on Ferris¡¯ skills, but I don¡¯t get the same level of assurance as I do when I¡¯m with Yuu. Henry: ¡°Well then. Let¡¯s do a brief lecture and recap of the Demonic Creatures we¡¯ll encounter there before we go.¡± Since it¡¯s the first time for them to fight these Demonic Creatures, it¡¯s best to go ahead and let them know the basics of how the creatures fight and move along with their known weak points. And one hour later¡­ We are packed and ready and leave the Apple Tree House. CH 80 Chapter 80: The Light The thick, dense forest of the great forest lies before us. The Fallwood Forest seems gloomier in comparison with the Flowtier Forest. The density of the Corrupted Magic is thicker here as well, and as soon as we stepped foot inside, Poison Wolves rushed at us. This is a hunting area that¡¯s several levels above the Flowtier Forest. Ageha: ¡°Oh©` the Poison Wolf Fangs©` These are actually great ingredients for making poison©`¡± And Ageha immediately dispatched the 10 Poison Wolves within a second as their heads flew off, and she was happily gathering the dropped items. ¡­¡­..well, the Flowtier Forest is catered towards beginner Adventurers, so for anyone on Ageha¡¯s level, the Fallwood Forest is not that different. Henry: ¡°Oh, I could use some more poison ingredients too. Can I have some?¡± Ageha: ¡°No way. I took these guys out, so these are mine.¡± Ugh, oh well. At this rate, we¡¯ll be running into many Poison Wolves anyways. Cyril: ¡°Miss Ageha¡­...you¡¯re so fast as always.¡± Ageha: ¡°Hehe, aren¡¯t I?¡± Cyril is impressed, and Ageha gets on her high horse. ¡­¡­¡­.well, it¡¯s true that her speed is something to be noted. Henry: ¡°Oh, watch out. It¡¯s the Wood Golems.¡± They are about 3 meters (¡«10 ft) tall, and they are humanoid Demonic Creatures made of wood. They appeared sluggishly into sight. The Golem-Type Creatures differ heavily in how strong they are depending on the material they are made from. But even if they are made from wood, they are still pretty hard and pretty large, and although they are classified as the weakest among their kind, Wood Golems are still Mid-Tier, Lower-Class. If they are made from metal, they will rank in the Mid-Tier, Upper-Class range or higher. Jend: ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll go in!¡± With a shout, Jend charges in with his large broadsword at the ready. As you would expect from how they look, the Wood Golems try to counter attack, but their slow movements and attacks are easily dodged by Jend who ducks low and sprints forward. He reaches them at arm¡¯s length and swings his sword sideways with one broad stroke. Jend¡¯s favorite move©`the Flaming Slash. He cuts through the wooden body with ease, and from where he cut, fire erupts. Even though he¡¯s fighting Wooden Golems for the first time, he is fighting them calmly and without taking risks. He¡¯s really learning from each of his past fighting experiences, and he is making sure to be able to adapt to any one of his opponent¡¯s movements. As proof of that¡­. Teo: ¡°Mr. Jend! Above you!¡± Jend: ¡°I see them!¡± With Teo¡¯s timely warning, Jend braces his sword above his head. ¡­¡­¡­.if he didn¡¯t notice, I would have had to jump in, but Jend blocked the attack of the thing that came raining down on him from the shadows. He blocked this attack without any issue. Even if he¡¯s attacking an opponent, he didn''t failed to keep his eyes on his surroundings. Yes, he¡¯s really improved a lot in this area. Ferris: ¡°Is that what they call the Demonic Ape?" Henry: ¡°Yup.¡± I affirm Ferris¡¯ suspicions. The Mid-Tier, Upper-Class Demonic Creature, the Demonic Ape. They stand about 2 meters (¡«6 ? ft) covered in black fur and are extremely muscular. They are clever and extremely aggressive, and as they travel jumping from branch to branch with light movements, they are still incredibly strong, and they are pretty annoying threats to have to deal with. Henry: ¡°Looks like they were looking for an opportunity before we even entered the forest.¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes, looks like we¡¯re surrounded.¡± I take a quick look around our surroundings, and I see about 6 Demonic Apes glaring down on us from high above the tree branches. They sat in a circle around us and continued to glare our way. ¡­¡­¡­..that Wood Golem and the Poison Wolves, there¡¯s a good chance that the Apes led those Demonic Creatures towards our way. Yuu: ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a while since I swung this thing around.¡± Yuu takes out the wooden stick that was strapped to her back and holds it in front of her. On the end is a metal ball the size of a fist, and with an effort of will, Yuu detaches the ball from the tip and lets it fall to the floor. ¡­¡­.but it didn¡¯t just detach completely. The stick and the metal ball at the end were connected by a chain made of light. Yuu: ¡°Here we go.¡± She begins to spin the wooden handle around in a circle, and the metal ball spins around. The chain made of light begins to lengthen gradually, and the metal ball on the end also increases in size and thorns and spikes appear all around it. Basically, this weapon is a Morning Star. Yuu: ¡°Yah!!¡± And with enough momentum built up behind it, Yuu swings the Morning Star towards one of the Demonic Apes that were sitting high above in the tree branches. The chain of light stretches without end, and the spiked metal ball heads directly at one of them. ¡°?!?!¡± The Demonic Apes who mistook the weapon as a short-range weapon immediately tried to avoid the unexpected attack. But Yuu quickly moves the wooden handle and the metal ball immediately shifts in direction slightly, and the metal ball sinks deep into one of the Demonic Ape¡¯s legs. ¡°.......PIGEEE?!¡± The Demonic Ape lets out a howling screech. As the spikes of the metal ball sunk into its skin, more spikes protruded from those spikes at the end and mutilated the flesh underneath. And as Yuu draws back the wooden handle, the chain of light shortens and drags the poor Demonic Ape off the branch and into the ground. The pierced flesh was torn off its leg in the process. Yuu: ¡°.......hmmmm, I seem to be a little rusty.¡± Henry: ¡°I can tell, but that weapon¡­¡­..it¡¯s sickeningly brutal as always¡­¡­..¡± The fact that she missed its body on the first try shows that she¡¯s a little rusty, but the way the spiked metal ball destroys the body of the Demonic Creature is not something a child should ever see. This is Yuu¡¯s Epic Godly Equipment, ¡°The Star of Destruction.¡± The abilities are [chain of light], [shape shifting], and [course manipulation]. Using a half-material Magic Chain, it can stretch to any length, and with shape-shifting, it can change the shape of the metal ball attached or make spikes grow out of it, and after it is thrown, the course of its throw can be manipulated¡­¡­¡­...so basically, it LOOKS like a Morning Star, but it¡¯s used in a completely different manner. And the [Shape Shifting] is the same as my Nyoiten Spear, but it is limited to the metal ball at the end. But because of this limitation, Yuu is able to make more refined shape-shifting changes than my spear. ¡­...even so, making spikes grow out of spikes after it pierces the enemy is an incredibly sick and twisted imagination. Henry: ¡°Teo, can you take care of it.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes.¡± But going back to the fight, I asked Teo to shoot an arrow through the Demonic Ape that fell to the ground. It could not dodge with its wounded leg, and the Demonic Ape was killed instantly. Yuu changed the metal ball to an ordinary sphere, shortened the chain of light and brought the sphere back to her¡­¡­¡­..but as soon as she was finished, the enraged Demonic Apes rushed at us from above. Henry: ¡°Take this!¡± I aimed for the easiest target and threw my spear at one of the Demonic Apes. Before it touched the ground, I pierced its skull. Henry: ¡°Cyril! Take the rearguard! Ferris and Teo fight as a pair! Jend! Just take care of your side on your own, got it?!¡± I yell out orders to everyone in the party. Since it¡¯s the first time fighting in this kind of location against new kinds of enemies, these order should prove helpful. Jend: ¡°Aren¡¯t you being too vague with my orders?!¡± Jend complains, but this is a sign of trust. As a genuine vanguard, he¡¯s coming close to perfecting his role, and he¡¯ll be able to handle Demonic Apes on his own. And Yuu and Ageha don¡¯t need any orders. Ageha is already heading right towards the location where one of the Demonic Apes that are jumping down, and as they meet, the Demonic Ape¡¯s head goes flying off. Yuu is standing diagonally behind me and changed her metal sphere into a blade and readies her weapon. Without the chain, the Star of Destruction is now a long stick with a blade at the end. ¡­¡­.in other words, it¡¯s a spear now. I taught her a little bit back in the day, and she showed a lot of promise and talent, and now she¡¯s able to protect herself well. But her main role is a Healer, so similar to Ferris, she¡¯s not the kind that needs to grind herself into a fight. Yuu: ¡°Okay, shall we, Henry©`?!¡± ¡­¡­..yup, alright. Let¡¯s do our best. <<<<>>>> Cyril: ¡°{Icicle Coffin}!¡± The blue light that Cyril blasted hit the Demonic Ape that Ferris and Teo were holding back and instantly froze the body. ¡­¡­..with that, we successfully took down all the Demonic Apes that attacked us. It¡¯s only been about 1 hour since we set foot inside the Fallwood Forest. This is now the 3rd attack we faced. Cyril: ¡°Th©`There¡¯s a lot of them¡­..¡± Cyril still has plenty of Magic Power in her reserves, but the interval between fighting, walking, and fighting are too short and caused Cyril to complain. Henry: ¡°Yeah©` Demonic Creatures that love to fight and have some level of cleverness are all like this. You may not have realized it, but there were about 10 Demonic Apes at the entrance of the forest standing watch. They¡¯re probably all scouts from different packs¡­¡­¡­..so basically, the packs who got ready first have been attacking us.¡± Cyril: ¡°Is that why¡­¡­¡­¡± Henry: ¡°They¡¯re extremely territorial, but we¡¯re lucky that the different packs don¡¯t like combining their strengths and attacking us all at once.¡± If they were a Demonic Creature with some ability to form societies©`©`like Giants for instance©`©`it would have been a whole lot more troublesome. Henry: ¡°Oh, Jend. How is your injury?¡± Jend: ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡­¡­..or so I¡¯d like to say, but this isn¡¯t good. I can¡¯t raise my arm.¡± 5 Demonic Apes suddenly rushed towards Ferris and Teo. Seeing that they were at a severely disadvantage, Jend rushed in to cover them, but as a result, he received a pretty bad injury. He was fortunate that they hit him where his armor protected him, but he received 3 or 4 pretty strong attacks on his left arm. Right now, he isn¡¯t able to put any strength into it, and it is dangling uselessly next to his body. ¡­¡­..but he protected those two under these conditions. He teamed up immediately with Teo and Ferris and as one coordinated group, they were able to take down 3 before Ageha came to reinforce their group. Honestly, that was impressive. With that arm, he could be rolling around in pain, but Jend was acting calm and cool. But he couldn¡¯t hide the oily sweat that surfaced from the pain he was holding back. Henry: ¡°Sorry, I should have gone to help.¡± Jend: ¡°Pshhh, we can¡¯t always be counting on you to help carry us through everythin¡­¡­..OW OW OW?!?!¡± Ferris was examining Jend¡¯s injury and was touching his arm, and Jend suddenly let out a howl of pain. Ferris: ¡°It¡¯s a terrible bruise. He definitely broke a bone.¡± Jend: ¡°Y©`Yeah?¡± Ferris: ¡°Yeah, but well, leave it to me. ¡­¡­.[Merciful Goddess, please bless us with your healing light].¡± Ferris initiates her Magecraft with those key words, and her bracelet-shaped Spell Chanting Stone lights up, and that light envelopes Jend¡¯s arm. Ferris: ¡°{Heal Light}!¡± The Healing Light shined brilliant for a few seconds longer, and by the time it disappeared, Jend¡¯s painful expression was gone. Jend: ¡°Whoa©`, thanks, Ferris! You saved me!¡± Ferris: ¡°I¡¯m just returning the favor. You saved us back there too, Jend.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, thank you so much for your help, Mr. Jend.¡± As I watched the three share their gratitude with each other, I noticed Yuu gaze at them¡­.or rather, at Ferris specifically. Henry: ¡°What? You want her to join your group?¡± Yuu: ¡°Honestly, yes. Even at this point, she¡¯s better than the Upper-Class Healers among the Ningel Church. Do you know where she learned her Magecraft, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°She studied in Centraleo¡¯s Ningel Church. I don¡¯t know who taught her though.¡± Yuu: ¡°In the Alvenia Kingdom¡¯s Capital City, I see¡­. That Ningel Church should be¡­¡­..maybe Master Rune?¡± Yuu mumbles to herself as she identifies the people she knows in that area. Henry: ¡°Well, you can ask her that later. Besides, we¡¯re almost there.¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± I glare into the forest depths. From here, it¡¯s difficult to see far, and it looks like a regular forest from where we''re standing. But if we walk about 20 meters (¡«22 yards), we¡¯ll enter into a Corrupted Territory where the Corrupted Magic density is several times greater than where we are standing now. My skin tingles at the animosity and enmity that I feel from there. ¡­¡­¡­.because they are Plant-based Demonic Creatures that root themselves deep into the ground, they cannot immediately get up and rush at us, but as soon as we step into their range, they will begin attacking us from all sides. They are Elder Treants. One of the Demonic Tree Creature packs is right around the corner. Ageha: ¡°Okay, then. He©`y, you guys! We¡¯ll all be backing up Henry and Yuu from here on out. Instead of going after boring creatures without heads, let¡¯s go hunt some more fun ones this way!¡± That Ageha. Her words take the edge off my rising motivation. Well, whatever. I can¡¯t let her attitude sway me this way and that. Henry: ¡°Alright, Yuu.¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes.¡± There¡¯s a strong repercussion to the Spell, so I haven¡¯t used it up until now, but it¡¯s time for Yuu¡¯s Enhancement Magecraft. Cyril: ¡°Ohhhh©` so we finally get to see it. I can¡¯t wait to see what it¡¯s like.¡± Yuu: ¡°Hahaha. I¡¯m not sure if it will live up to your expectations, but please watch anyways, Miss Cyril.¡± Cyril goes into spectator mode, and Yuu waves her hand nonchalantly towards Cyril with a smile. Cyril is cheering Yuu on with a ¡°Please do your best!¡± Yuu: ¡°Then¡­¡­¡­..[Gods who are in Heaven, to this man, Henry, may you bless with your gracious light].¡± Yuu begins her incantation. She does not solely rely on a Spell Chanting Stone that has the Spell engraved physically into an object, but by using subtle nuances and changes in her voice, the effects of the spell are changed¡­¡­...this is mostly useless during a battle, but it¡¯s the Incantation Initiation Magecraft Style. The actual Enhancement Spell will use a Spell Chanting Stone, but in order to uniquely specialize the effect for an individual, you need to perform this Incantation form in order to complete the Spell. In order to fully create and master the Spell, it takes roughly years normally. Yuu: ¡°[My Hero, show me your strength. With my light, cast evil aside with thy sword]!¡± But listening to this incarnation is embarrassing. It¡¯s probably in a similar format as one of the ancient Incantation Spells, but the phrase ¡°My Hero,¡± is hard to listen to. ¡­¡­¡­...crap, I can¡¯t be distracted and thinking about that. Yuu: ¡°[Shimmering Rally]¡± Light fills my line of sight. Yuu¡¯s Magic Power carries my strength higher and higher to incredible heights I never experienced¡­¡­..or actually, haven¡¯t experienced in a while. Confidence pours into me as power floods every sense of my body and envelopes all around me. A buff that is far stronger than any Ability Enhancing Potions or Ms. Lotte¡¯s song. In the past, there was a pair who used this Spell, and the two were considered as one ¡°Hero of Legend¡± together. Well, I may not have that kind of title, but in this condition, I am [okay] in a fight. It¡¯s like taking one single step into Sir Ezeal and Ms. Lotte¡¯s realm. Cyril: ¡°.............y©`you¡¯re shining quite a bit.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, one of the shortcomings of this Spell is that I stand out a lot.¡± But it¡¯s not that big of a deal though. Henry: ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get going.¡± I can¡¯t stray too far away from Yuu or the Spell will be cut short, so Yuu follows after me. Okay, let¡¯s do this! CH 81 Chapter 81: The Day the Elder Treants Disappeared As I dove straight into the pack of Elder Treants, countless branches began attacking me from all directions. They were dark branches that were splintered on the sides and sharply pointed at the end. They were not ordinary plants. These Demonic branches could easily pierce full-plate armor like paper. I counted 27. With Yuu¡¯s support, my senses were sharpened to the point where I could identify all the attacks including the ones from behind. Henry: ¡°HAH!!¡± {sfx exhale} I swing the Nyoiten Spear in a large arc twice. I break off half the attacks with that, and the other branches were interrupted or blocked by the broken branches and veered off course. [¡ç¡ç¡ç£¥¡±£££££¡££££] On what looks to be the Elder Treant¡¯s face, air blows through one of the holes, and a cursed incantation-like words echo into the air. The sound may have just been a signal for the Spell to be released. From below, stone spears that absorbed the poison from the Corrupted Poison Forest Territory erupted from the ground. The spikes spreads quickly towards where I stood. Henry: ¡°That¡¯s it?!¡± I swing my spear at the ground, and I cut a deep gash into the earth that cuts off the Elder Treant¡¯s magic and stops the Spell from activating further. As I break away the remaining stone spears, I approach one of the Demonic Trees. I ignore the branches that stretch toward me in vain as I accelerate faster than it can move. I¡¯m in range now. I don¡¯t need to put in too much strength. I simply run my Magic Power through my spear and thrust forward. ¡­¡­..just with that, the impact is twice my normal attack, and wind erupts in all directions as a hole about 1 meter (¡«3 ft) wide opens up in the center of the Elder Treant¡¯s body. The hole splits the Elder Treant in half horizontally, and the top portion of its body crashes to the ground. Henry: ¡°Good.¡± I test my strength by gripping my fists two or three times. ¡­¡­.it¡¯s been a while since Yuu cast her Shimmering Rally on me, but it¡¯s working like a charm as usual. Yuu: ¡°Hey, Henry! If you¡¯re done testing your movements, help me over here!!¡± She¡¯s a little farther behind me, but Yuu makes a call for help as several Treants are attacking her. She would be able to easily dispatch Mid-Tier packs with ease, but dealing with several Upper-Tier, Mid-Class Demonic Creatures would be difficult. She¡¯s blocking their attacks with her Star of Destruction reshaped as a short spear, but she won¡¯t last for long. Henry: ¡°My bad!¡± The Elder Treants were all conveniently grouped into one place, so I threw my Nyoiten Spear, split it into clones, and destroyed them in one go. The remaining Elder Treants attack me while I call my spear back, but I dodge all their attacks. Henry: ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this.¡± I got a sense of my body¡¯s movements, and I decided to go into full attack mode. In order to do so, I changed the Nyoiten Spear¡¯s shape. I change the blade to the length of a one-handed sword, but keep the handle long. It¡¯s not a form I like to use, but I shape it into a Glaive. For dishing out powerful attacks, this is the best weapon for me. I cast three [Strengthen] {Hazac} and two [Fire] {Ignis} and with a 5-layered enhancement, I run into the fray of battle. Henry: ¡°Fuh!!¡± {sfx exhale} I swipe as I run and cut off two Elder Treants from their roots. Henry: ¡°Hah!¡± {sfx exhale} I continue my attacks with a second swipe and take down a total of five. Henry: ¡°ORAAGH!¡± I jump high into the air towards what I believe is the leader, an Elder Treant that stood 10 meters (¡«30 ft) tall and split it in half vertically with a single swing. And after that¡­.. Henry: ¡°......fwew.¡± I take a moment to catch up my breath. Within a few minutes, the 40 or so Elder Treants in the area were completely wiped out. I change the Nyoiten Spear into a short spear and survey the area. The Elder Treants¡¯ bodies transform into Corrupted Magic and dissolve into the air. Looks like I took down all of them. If it was just me, these branches and Spells would be a pretty big threat, and there¡¯s no way I could take them out so fast. I relied mostly on my speed and power and fought in an unrefined manner, but even then, I was able to take them out with such rough tactics with Yuu¡¯s support. Yuu: ¡°Good work, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, you too. I used up a bit of Magic Power, but are you still able to keep going?¡± Yuu: ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re talking to? I still have plenty of reserves.¡± Yuu has twice the Magic Power reserves than I do. With the Shimmering Rally casted onto me, she can share her Magic Power reserves with me as I fight. Because of that, I was able to use my 5-fold Magecraft Spell Enhancements and hold it as I fought. Yuu: ¡°But could you stop wasting Magic Power? You didn¡¯t need a 5-fold Spell for Elder Treants.¡± Henry: ¡°True. From that fight just now, I could do it without the [Strengthen] {Hazac}. But I wanted to try anyway because if I don¡¯t use my Magecraft, I would get rusty, and it was a great opportunity.¡± Yuu: ¡°Don¡¯t use up people¡¯s Magic Reserves just for that reason or out of simple convenience.¡± No, no. It¡¯s actually really important. The Kroseid Style Magecraft exponentially increases in difficulty with each additional Spell you combine, and at my current Skill Level, I can barely use 5. If I don¡¯t use it every once in a while, then I would find myself unable to use it at all one of these days¡­...it¡¯s a real possibility for me. I know I retired to Flowtier, so if you ask me if I really need to retain such high amounts of skill, I would hesitate on answering that but¡­. Well, um, oh yeah! Remember that Highest-Tier that popped up¡­.? For that¡­.. Yuu: ¡°Oh, everyone¡¯s coming this way.¡± I turn around to look with Yuu¡¯s comment, and with Ageha leading the group, everyone is heading this way after seeing that the battle was over. Ageha: ¡°He©`y, good job taking down the Treants.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, Ageha. How were the Demonic Creatures on your end?¡± Ageha: ¡°The Demonic Apes came at us again, but it was a small pack so we took them out almost instantly.¡± Again, huh. We¡¯ve defeated quite a bit of Demonic Apes. They actually drop a hide that is a good material for leather armor, so it might be worth collecting them for Teo. I¡¯ll have to discuss it with the group later. Ferris: ¡°But Mr. Henry. Barely any time has passed since you headed out for the Elder Treants with Miss Eustacia, and you took out so many already.¡± Henry: ¡°Elder Treants by nature do not move around so©` you don¡¯t have to chase them down. That saves a lot of time and hassle.¡± But because they root deeply into the ground, they are experts at creating Corrupted Magic Territories. And as they expand their Corrupted Territory, new Elder Treants would spawn and¡­...in that sequence, they don¡¯t have to relocate and simply multiply to expand their territories. Cyril: ¡°So all that bright shininess isn¡¯t just for show.¡± Henry: ¡°Cyril, who do you think you¡¯re talking to¡­.?¡± Sheesh. Henry: ¡°Oh©` yeah, Teo. Could you map this area? We¡¯ll need to ask for it to be purified later.¡± Teo: ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Teo takes out a notepad from her pack, and starts taking notes of this area. Yes, the Elder Treants are gone, but the Corrupted Territory won¡¯t return to normal on its own. If left alone, Elder Treants will spawn here again, and we¡¯re back to square one. So we¡¯ll have to ask one of the Purify Magecrafters to come here and clear out the Corrupted Magic in the area. And with that, you can finally mark a Corrupted Territory as wiped out. Back in the old days, when Purification Spells were still in development, it was said that people inherently held cleansing power within themselves, so Adventurers would camp out in Corrupted Territories for several days to cleanse the area. Ageha: ¡°He©`y, Henry, you jerk. Don¡¯t be bossing around my cousin like that.¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m not. She¡¯s part of my Party, so she¡¯s helping us fulfill a role we need. And Ageha, if you have time to gripe, go search for the next Elder Treant territory.¡± Ageha: ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll go.¡± I asked Ageha, and she went out to search for more territories. She was more agile and adept at moving around on top of the trees than the Demonic Apes and disappeared in an instant. ¡­¡­.she was probably bored and decided to pick a fight while Teo finished mapping out the area. She really doesn¡¯t like to just sit around and do nothing. And after a while¡­ Teo: ¡°I¡¯ve finished mapping out the area.¡± Ageha: ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± Teo finished her map, and Ageha came back almost at the same time. Henry: ¡°Thanks, Teo. Ageha, how was your search?¡± Ageha: ¡°You¡¯re not going to thank me?!¡± Henry: ¡°Right, right. Thank you. You¡¯re a huge help. And?¡± Ageha: ¡°There is one that way and that way. Both would only take 5 seconds to reach by foot.¡± Don¡¯t calculate distance with your speed. So¡­...I guess about 10 minutes to walk to each location? Ageha: ¡°And there are two in that direction, and a little ways away, there¡¯s one with about 100 of them, and the last one¡­¡­..oh, here, Teo, can I borrow that.¡± ¡­...Ageha is most adept at assassinations, but she¡¯s also a monster when it comes to scouting. In this short amount of time, she scouted at least a third of this forest. On Teo¡¯s map, she starts marking the territories she found accordingly. I look at the map and memorize their locations. Henry: ¡°If we know this much, then Yuu and I will go on our own and take care of them. We can regroup afterwards.¡± Ageha: ¡°Sounds good. Alright, you guys©` there was a huge pack of Demonic Apes that way, so we¡¯ll head over there!¡± We split the group into two and part ways. We didn¡¯t decide on a place or time to regroup¡­..but we should be fine. Henry: ¡°Jend, take the lead on this one. ¡­..oh, and order around Ageha however you like.¡± Jend: ¡°Ah©` yeah, I don¡¯t know about Miss Ageha, but leave the rest to me.¡± Right now, I¡¯m the Party¡¯s leader, and Jend is the sub-leader. If I¡¯m not present, Jend is supposed to take charge. Henry: ¡°Cyril, do you best.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, leave it all to Miss Cyril! Good luck, Henry!¡± Henry: ¡°Thanks.¡± Cyril throws her fist in the air to cheer me on, and I respond with a thanks. Cyril: ¡°Oh, and Miss Eustacia, good luck to you too. Please take care of Henry for us.¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes, I will. Thank you so much.¡± And with a ¡°Alright©` Here we go you guys©`¡± Ageha raises her voice and Cyril runs over to that group. And as I¡¯m turning around to head to our next destination¡­. Yuu: ¡°That Miss Cyril, she¡¯s adorable. She seems to like you a lot, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah? Well, maybe.¡± I would never tell her directly though. She would get all uppity from the compliment. Yuu: ¡°And Teo is cute too, and Miss Ferris is also beautiful.¡± Henry: ¡°......what are you getting at?¡± Yuu: ¡°I told you this in the letter, but don¡¯t overstep boundaries and get yourself into a situation you can¡¯t get out of.¡± RUDE. Like I would! Henry: ¡°Like you¡¯re one to say. As far as looks go, that¡¯s the only thing going for you, and I was able to keep adventuring with you for a while without incident.¡± Yuu: ¡°¡®Only¡¯ is not true, but it doesn¡¯t feel bad to be complimented by you.¡± Yuu chuckles happily to herself. She seems to be having a lot of fun. Henry: ¡°Whatever, c¡¯mon. Let¡¯s go already. I want to crush all the spots Ageha looked up before the sun goes down.¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡± And with that Yuu and I headed to each Elder Treants¡¯ territories one by one. And that day¡­ In this area, the Fallwood Forest is considered one of the top most dangerous areas, and half of it was successfully conquered. The next day, the Purify Magecrafters were dragging their exhausted feet across the forest to follow up with our efforts. ¡­¡­¡­..oh¡­¡­..we may have overdone it a little bit. CH 82 Chapter 82: A Day in Wreathfield So, we took out about half the Elder Treants, and it was the day after we received our rewards from the Church for our work. I thought we could charge into to the Fallwood Forest again today, but if we crush any more Corrupted Magic Territories, they would not be able to purify the areas in time, so we dropped the plan. Accomplishing something that was unheard of in the area, we were told by one of the upper-clergy who came hurrying out that they can rely on the Adventurers residing in the town to do the remaining work, and within the next year, the Fallwood¡¯s Corrupted Territories could be completely wiped out. The Corrupted Territories in that area were great source of concern for the town, so they were pretty thankful for what we did. But during that time, Yuu looked really uncomfortable under the showers of praise of ¡°Our Amazing Hero,¡± ¡°The Pride of the Town¡±, and the ¡°Most Elegant and Beautiful Saint of Salvation.¡± Ageha: ¡°But isn¡¯t that weird©` I¡¯m a Hero of Legend too, but Yuu is the only one getting all the attention©`¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s not like you enjoy people you don¡¯t know complimenting you.¡± She¡¯s complaining, but Ageha¡¯s not the type to really care about what others think about her. Ageha: ¡°I know but©` doesn¡¯t it bother you a little?¡± Henry: ¡°I mean, at the end of the day, it was Yuu and I that defeated the Elder Treants.¡± Ageha: ¡°But I was the one who found them!¡± True, without Ageha¡¯s help scouting them out, there¡¯s no way we would have defeated so many. Teo: ¡°Yes, I believe you are far underestimating Sister Ageha¡¯s contribution in the matter.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m not considering Ageha¡¯s¡­¡­..ugh, never mind¡­.sorry, sorry. My bad, Ageha.¡± Ageha: ¡°As long as you understand.¡± With Teo backing her up, I apologize to Ageha. Ageha: ¡°Well, I followed you because I was bored, but I don¡¯t have anything I want to buy. Teo, did you have something you were looking for?¡± Teo: ¡°Hmmm¡­.well¡­..¡± And as we chatted, we looked around the various stores. Cyril: ¡°Henry, Henry, don¡¯t you think this cup is nice?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©` yeah, it is. It¡¯s a nice design and looks easy to use.¡± At one of the stores, there were cups lined up, and Cyril was pointing to one of them. I took a look and gave her my thoughts. Today is the once a month Wreathfield¡¯s Pottery Market day. This town isn¡¯t a very touristy place, and there¡¯s not a whole lot to see, so this was a nice timely event for us. Since our expedition plans went down the drain, Ms. Fi-Ne kindly told us about this. But right now, it¡¯s only Cyril, Teo, Ageha, and myself ©` just us 4. Jend went to greet one of the merchant groups with ties to the Carousel Association, and Ferris, as promised, was being taught Magecraft by Yuu. Well, it might have been too big of a group otherwise, so 4 was just the right number. Cyril: ¡°Henry, what about you? Why don¡¯t we buy a matching pair?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, no. I still live in an inn so¡­..¡± Cyril suggested that I buy a cup with her, but I don¡¯t want more luggage to carry around between inns. I don¡¯t mind buying a sturdy one for Adventuring purposes, but I already have all the tableware I need for that purpose. Cyril: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. But how long do you keep planning on living in inns? Isn¡¯t it more expensive?¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s¡­...just so much easier¡­.¡± There¡¯s a lot of different kinds of pottery goods, so just looking around is pretty fun. Oh, but since I¡¯m here, maybe I¡¯ll buy a gift for Lana¡¯s family at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. Cyril: ¡°Hmmm¡­.oh, this doll is so cute.¡± There is a store that makes dolls out of pottery, and with sparkles in her eyes, Cyril is drawn to the display. I don¡¯t quite understand what¡¯s so good about these kinds of works of art, but as long as she¡¯s enjoying it, I don¡¯t care. Ageha: ¡°Hey, Henry©`¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong, Ageha.¡± Ageha: ¡°Teo and I don¡¯t have much interest, so we¡¯ll head back. I already bought the gifts for everyone, so we¡¯ll do some training or something.¡± What¡­¡­ Henry: ¡°But you¡¯ve only been here for about 10 minutes.¡± Ageha: ¡°Well©` I thought it would be more interesting, but it¡¯s not what I thought it would be. Anyways, see ya.¡± Teo: ¡°Excuse us.¡± And both left like the wind. ¡­¡­...ugh©`, guess it can¡¯t be helped. Cyril: ¡°Oh? Henry, what happened to Ageha and Teo?¡± Cyril came back from the doll store, and not seeing the two around anymore, she came and asked me. Henry: ¡°They got bored and went home.¡± Cyril: ¡°What©`¡± Yeah, I know how you feel. Cyril: ¡°Henry, are you going back too? You don¡¯t seem to be interested in buying anything.¡± Henry: ¡°.................................¡± Henry: ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll keep you company. I¡¯m more worried if I leave you alone.¡± Cyril: ¡°Why would you worry?! Miss Cyril is a perfectly mature adult!¡± You are an adult but¡­¡­.perfectly mature? I have a problem with that description personally. Henry: ¡°Right, right. Here, I can help carry the stuff you bought.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ergh. It doesn¡¯t look like you have any intention of revising your opinion of me.¡± Cyril frowns slightly as if in a poor mood. Well, compared to when we first met, I think my impression of her changed here and there. But it¡¯s a little embarrassing putting it into words, so I don¡¯t like saying it directly to her. Henry: ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go©`¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, hey©` wait for me©`¡± And now that it¡¯s just the two of us, we thoroughly explored and enjoyed the Wreathfield¡¯s Pottery market. <<<<>>>> Cyril: ¡°We¡¯re back©`¡± Yuu: ¡°Ohhh, Mr. Henry, Miss Cyril. Welcome back.¡± We return to the orphanage, the Apple Tree House. In the yard, Yuu, who was doing Magecraft training with Ferris, looks up and welcomes us back home. Ferris: ¡°......ah, ohhhh, you two are back. Welcome home¡­¡­...did you find something interesting there?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, there was so much that it was hard to decide, but I bought a cup and a plate. I also bought a cat¡¯s figurine, and since one of the larger serving plates at the Governor¡¯s mansion was cracked, I thought of getting a replacement.¡± Henry: ¡°I bought something for the inn that I always stay at. Apparently, it¡¯s a decoration that helps bring in good fortune for their business. ¡­¡­¡­.but Ferris, you okay?¡± Ferris looks a little gaunt and emaciated, and she¡¯s also currently out of breath. Ferris: ¡°I©`I¡¯m okay. You don¡¯t have to worry about¡­¡­.me. I just used a lot of Magecraft, and I¡¯m running low on Magic Power. That¡¯s all.¡± Yuu: ¡°Here you are, Miss Ferris. Here¡¯s your Magic Potion.¡± Ferris: ¡°..........and as soon as I¡¯m out of Magic Power, she immediately refills my reserve, and we¡¯ve been endlessly doing Healing Magecraft training¡­¡­¡­...haha.¡± As if waiting for the moment, Yuu immediately pulls a Potion and hands it to Ferris, and taking it, Ferris strains a smile on her face. Yuu: ¡°Of course, it¡¯s always better to rely on your natural reserves, but unlike while you¡¯re on an expedition, when you are Healing within city limits, you can immediately resolve any Magic Power exhaustion problems by chugging down these potions. In Ligaleo, if you are a Healer of some skill, they¡¯ll provide Magic Potions for free. It¡¯s important to refine your Healing Magecraft skills, but getting used to doing continuous Healing like this will also be useful too.¡± Cyril: ¡®Ummm¡­..I know you say it''s useful but¡­¡­.¡± Cyril is taken aback a little, but during the busiest times, the life of a Healer on the frontlines is exactly like this. And especially in Yuu¡¯s case, there¡¯s no other Healer who can heal on her level, so when there are many seriously injured patients, she would get Magic Potions by the dozens ready. ¡­¡­¡­.at the incident during the mass invasion where she became a Hero of Legend, I remember her forcing herself to drink 30 Magic Potions and throwing up. But according to her, they¡¯ll be sending out and increasing the number of Upper-Class Healers, so hopefully, those kinds of situations will decrease. Ferris: ¡°....ugh¡­¡­¡­.¡± As soon as she tried to sip, Ferris felt something well up from her throat and had to hold it back with her hand. ¡­¡­...how many Potions did Yuu make her drink? I never saw her train other Healers, but she¡¯s absolutely merciless¡­.. Fi-Ne: ¡°Yes, yes. That is enough. Miss Yuu, Miss Ferris has never received training such as this, so this will be a good stopping point for today.¡± Yuu: ¡°But Ms. Fi-Ne¡­.¡± And thankfully, Ms. Fi-Ne appeared and lent Ferris a helping hand. Yuu: ¡°.......but when you trained me, you never stopped my training.¡± Fi-Ne: ¡°That is because you never relented ©` not even once. I don¡¯t know who taught you to be so obstinate.¡± Yuu looks at Ms. Fi-Ne with glaring eyes, but Ms. Fi-Ne isn¡¯t showing any signs of regret. ¡­¡­¡­...so it¡¯s Ms. Fi-Ne who trained Yuu. I guess it¡¯s natural for the Director of the Orphanage to take on that role, but it¡¯s hard to imagine that this good-natured, kind looking grandmother was the one who trained up Yuu right there. Yuu: ¡°(sigh).......well, Miss Ferris. Then we will stop for today. Once your stomach can accept it, please drink that Potion to recover.¡± Ferris: ¡°Y©`Yes ma¡¯am¡­¡­¡± And as her strength left her, Ferris crumpled to the floor. Yuu: ¡°Hmmm©`, well then, what should we do about tomorrow? Ms. Fi-Ne, could you ask the local clinic if there is room for Miss Ferris and I to assist?¡± Fi-Ne: ¡°Of course. There is always a shortage of personnel there, so if I speak to them, I¡¯m sure they can hire you as temporary Healers.¡± Yuu: ¡°Then let¡¯s go with that plan.¡± Ohhh©` Yeah, I guess there¡¯s no one who would injure themselves just for their training. When I was learning [Heal] {Teol}, before I used it on an actual injury, I had to cast it on someone who already knew the Spell to learn how to make the Magic Power pass through the body and check if there was anything wrong with my Spell inscription. Fi-Ne: ¡°Since you are doing this as part of a training, the compensation will not be very well, but is that okay?¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes.¡± Ferris: ¡°.......of course, thank you.¡± Yuu was very energetic in her reply, but Ferris was still a little woozy as she nodded. With that, Ms. Fi-Ne smiled and¡­ Fi-Ne: ¡°Then let¡¯s all head inside. I came out to tell you that tea and dessert are ready.¡± Ferris: ¡°.........Ms. Fi-Ne¡­...thank you for the offer, but I think I will go back to my room to rest.¡± With uncertain steps, Ferris slowly heads towards the Apple Tree House. Cyril: ¡°Is Miss Ferris going to be okay?¡± Cyril looks worriedly towards Ferris¡¯ way as we watch her walk back. I let out a sigh and gave an accusing look at Yuu. Henry: ¡°You went too far, idiot.¡± Yuu: ¡°What do you mean by ¡®idiot¡¯, Henry. With the training today, there may be one more life that will be saved in the future. Thinking of it that way, it was a very productive day.¡± Henry: ¡°You really make it hard to argue with that¡­.¡± Sure, in an ideal world, maybe what Yuu is saying is right. But humans can¡¯t just be so self-sacrificing all the time. Sometimes, you just need to take a step back and just do the minimal work¡­¡­...or rather, you need to balance between your goals and your limits ©` at least, that''s what I think. Granted, I prioritized what I wanted more than what others wanted and came to Flowtier, so maybe I have no place to say anything. Yuu: ¡°Besides, Miss Ferris was serious about putting her all into this training. It would have been more rude to go easy on her in that case. Do you not think so?¡± Grrr¡­.well, that¡¯s true. The training itself was something Ferris asked for herself. Henry: ¡°Aghhhh©`, yeah, yeah. Whatever. I get it. But just make sure she doesn¡¯t overdo it.¡± Yuu: ¡°Hehe, who do you think you¡¯re talking to, Henry©`?¡± ¡­¡­...well, that¡¯s true too. As far as knowledge about the human body, there¡¯s no one who is more of an expert than Yuu. It was wrong of me to assume that she didn¡¯t know what she was doing. She completely beat me in every argument I put up. Yuu: ¡°But I do understand why you would worry about your Party member. That part of you hasn¡¯t changed a bit.¡± Henry: ¡°Isn¡¯t that the normal thing to do?¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes, it is normal.¡± I don¡¯t know what¡¯s so funny, but Yuu¡¯s been smiling mischievously this whole time. Ugh©` dangit. I¡¯ve never once won when Yuu was smiling like this. Henry: ¡°Hey, Ms. Fi-Ne got some dessert ready for us. Let¡¯s go before it gets cold.¡± Yuu: ¡°Sure, sure.¡± And with Yuu''s ¡°I know, I know¡± kind of attitude, I returned to the house with her with a slight bitter taste in my mouth. Afterwards, we got to taste Ms. Fi-Ne¡¯s homemade apple pie and apple tea. It was delicious. It was their specialty treat when the apples ripen on the tree. Since she makes it every year, it was incredibly good, and Cyril was asking for the recipe. ¡­¡­¡­.and well, it was one busy but peaceful day. CH 83 Chapter 83: Cyril and the Saint Night fell over the Apple Tree House. Cyril woke up with a dry throat and headed to the kitchen to get a cup of water. Although she felt a little bad for going around a house that was not her own, Sister Fi-Ne assured everyone that they can do as they pleased. Although it must have been closer to 2 o¡¯clock at night, Cyril noticed that there was a small light lit in the dining room. Cyril: (A©`A Robber¡­¡­.?) Having a very active imagination, Cyril slowly and carefully crept forward quietly, and headed to the dining room to see what was going on. ¡°If there is a thief, then they¡¯ll witness the wrath of Miss Cyril''s Punch,¡± is what she thought to stir up courage within her to continue on. In truth, putting aside basic combat instincts, Cyril¡¯s [Physical Enhancement] is sufficient enough to handle most fully grown men with her bare-hands and take them down. And if worst comes to worst, as soon as there is some sounds of a fight, Henry would surely come flying down the stairs. So she quietly peeked through the entrance of the dining hall and¡­. ¡°Miss Cyril, you don¡¯t have to keep hiding there. Would you like to come sit down over here?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, yes.¡± And she was surprised to see the Saint of Salvation, Eustacia, inside. Cyril: (Well, I guess that¡¯s to be expected©`) And Cyril was a little disappointed at the bland outcome but walked into the dining hall. There, Eustacia sat alone. In front of her was a bottle of wine, a glass cup, and a plate of cheese. Cyril: ¡°I didn''t know you drank alcohol.¡± Yuu: ¡°I actually do, and I enjoy it. People tell me that it¡¯s not becoming with the image of the Saint. I used to drink with Henry a lot too.¡± Cyril: ¡°Huh¡­..¡± Cyril felt a perk of annoyance at the comment, but immediately shut it down. Jealousy is unbecoming of a true lady. If Henry heard about this, he might say something stupid like, ¡°You¡¯ll grow jiggly if you always feel jelly.¡± She can do without the dad jokes and terrible puns. Yuu: ¡°.......Miss Cyril. Would you like to join me for a drink? You don¡¯t have any plans tomorrow, correct?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t know have any plans, but Miss Eustacia, didn¡¯t you promise to train Miss Ferris tomorrow?¡± Yuu: ¡°We¡¯ll start in the afternoon, and luckily, the Ningel Magecraft has a Spell ©` it¡¯s limited to yourself ©` but you can cure alcohol poisoning with it.¡± Cyril has never drank enough to get a hangover, but that seemed to be a very handy Spell. Yuu: ¡°And¡­..well, this may sound very stupid, but long ago, many people relied on this Spell so much that many died from overdrinking. Because of that, it took a lot of effort to convince people to teach me the Spell.¡± Yuu chuckles at the thought, and laughs with a light blush on her cheeks ©` probably from the alcohol. Even from the same gender¡¯s perspective, Cyril found Eustacia¡¯s beauty to be astoundingly intoxicating. And not only is she beautiful, she also has the title of Hero of Legend. God really does unfairly bless some more than others, Cyril simply thought to herself. Yuu: ¡°So what would you like to do? It¡¯s a little lonely drinking alone, so I would appreciate some company.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, but why are you drinking alone? What happened to Henry or Miss Ageha?¡± Yuu: ¡°Well, after those 20 bouts they had in the evening, they knocked each other out, remember? They both said they were tired and are resting now.¡± Cyril: (That¡¯s right.) She remembered that in the end, Henry had 8 wins and 12 losses and was lamenting his defeat. Cyril: ¡°Ummmm, well, if that¡¯s the case, I¡¯d like to join you if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Honestly, Cyril isn¡¯t much for drinking, but she did want to speak to Eustacia, so she accepted Eustacia¡¯s offer. Yuu: ¡°Great. Here, you can come sit over here.¡± And Eustacia offered a chair for Cyril, and Cyril sat in it. Yuu: ¡°Just wait here. I¡¯ll bring you a glass.¡± Humming delightfully to herself, Eustacia headed to the kitchen, and brought a glass and another bottle of wine. Cyril: ¡°.......um, I¡­...I really can¡¯t drink that much.¡± Yuu: ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you worry. I¡¯ll be the one drinking.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.looking more closely at the bottle on the table, there was maybe only a fifth of it left. She didn¡¯t bring the bottle for Cyril as much as it was to just refill her own glass. Yuu: ¡°Here, have some.¡± Eustacia hands the glass to her and pours her a cup. From the crimson red wine, Cyril smells a sweet fragrance tickle her nose. Cyril: ¡°Th©`Thank you, Miss Eustacia.¡± Yuu: ¡°You can call me Yuu. Isn¡¯t it hard to say my full name?¡± Cyril: ¡°Then can I call you Miss Yuu?¡± Eustacia nods her head in the affirmative. Yuu: ¡°Then cheers.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, cheers.¡± They clink their glasses together, and Cyril tastes the win inside her glass. A very satisfactory taste floods her mouth. She had a number of opportunities to drink when she became an adult, but tonight, she could definitely say that it was the best drink she ever had so far. Even though she hasn¡¯t had much experience drinking, she could tell that much of the wine. Cyril: ¡°.......it¡¯s¡­...goo¡«d.¡± Naturally, her words slurred a bit. Yuu: ¡°Yes, this is one of my favorites. I¡¯m glad you like it.¡± Cyril: ¡°Um©`, if it¡¯s this good¡­..isn¡¯t it quite expensive?¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes, it is. So¡­¡­...I really don¡¯t want this to be taken the wrong way, but I have plenty of money to spend. I do donate a good bit, but I still set aside money for things like this.¡± Cyril: ¡°Wow©` I¡¯m envious.¡± Right now, Cyril is trying her very best to save up enough to be able to purchase new gear, but she would like to one day make enough to be able to say that. She then remembered how Henry dropped 200,000 zeniths for his armor repairs like it was nothing. She definitely felt a difference in how money was perceived being around people like this. The cheese was also incredibly delicious, and though she never liked drinking, it made the wine go down much easier. Yuu: ¡°So?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes?¡± Yuu: ¡°How is Henry doing in Flowtier? For these two, their only commonality would be expeditions or about him. Cyril was expecting the topic to come up so she was able to immediately answer. Cyril: ¡°Well yes©` I¡¯ve only known Henry since he came to Flowtier, but I¡¯m thankful for him being willing to teach us many things.¡± Yuu: ¡°Is that so?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, like just recently©`¡± Cyril starts speaking about Henry and what he was doing in Flowtier without holding back any details. About the Adventures they had. About what they do day-to-day. She could speak about many things on and on. And Eustacia listened and nodded as Cyril spoke. And when Cyril paused to catch her breath after retelling a certain episode, Eustacia smiled warmly at her. Yuu: ¡°.......Miss Cyril, thank you so much.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes? Why thank me all of a sudden, Miss Yuu.¡± Yuu: ¡°No, I¡¯m talking about Henry. He¡¯s the type of person to seek reasons for fighting outside of himself. When he retired to the backlines, I was worried that he would just spend his day with deadened, lifeless eyes as he worked just enough to make a living.¡± After fighting to avenge his family, his home country, and his friends, once the battle was over, it was shocking how much Henry just deflated¡­¡­..is what Eustacia explained to Cyril. Cyril: ¡°Oh©` I heard some stories, but was it really that bad?¡± Yuu: ¡°For me personally, I prefer him to be his natural self rather than that tense and uptight guy all the time.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hmm©` a tense and uptight Henry¡­¡­.?¡± He¡¯s definitely more alert during their expeditions, but Cyril assumed that it wasn¡¯t about that. Cyril tried to imagine what that would be like and could not. The effort was abandoned after 3 seconds. Cyril: ¡°......hmmm©` I can¡¯t imagine him being like that at all.¡± Yuu: ¡°Well, he wasn¡¯t always like that, but when I first met him, and when Gilverte came out to the frontlines, he completely changed into a different person.¡± Eustacia laughs as she recalls the memories. Cyril: ¡°I¡¯m curious now, Miss Yuu. Could you share about the time you grew up with Henry? Since I told you my side of the story, it¡¯s only fair.¡± Yuu: ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t mind at all. Let¡¯s see now¡­...where should I start¡­¡­¡± And Eustacia begins to recall and tell her stories. From those stories, Cyril could tell that Eustacia was very close to Henry. They also lived close to each other, and they had neighboring rooms at the inn. Every night, they would speak to each other through the walls. As she listened, it may have been the alcohol talking, but Cyril let her words slip. Cyril: ¡°So, Miss Yuu. Do you¡­..like Henry?¡± Once the words escaped her lips, Cyril regretted it immediately, but another part of her wanted to move forward with the momentum and charge straight in. She originally planned to sneak the question in, but most things never go according to plan anyways. Eustacia looked at her blankly for a moment, but then began chuckling. Yuu: ¡°Of course, as friends, I do feel close to him as I would a family member, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what you mean, correct, Miss Cyril?¡± Cyril nods slowly. Eustacia considers the question and starts to contemplate it deeply. Yuu: ¡°Hmmmmm¡­..well¡­..I do believe that I had feelings for Henry when I was younger¡­..but I¡¯m not sure about how I feel today. What do you think?¡± Cyril: ¡°Ummm¡­.." Cyril wouldn¡¯t be able to answer that question. Yuu: ¡°....I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already heard, but I arrived at Ligaleo when I was 12. I was a child who knew nothing of how the world worked, and Henry protected me then. I was in love with him before I knew what was happening, I confessed to him¡­¡­..and now that I think about it, I think he accepted it just as part of protecting me as a child.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes.¡± Yuu: ¡°But at some point, instead of being protected, I wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with him as equals. And once I got the hang of things and became a full-fledged Adventurer, I think I saw him more as my Adventurer partner more than anything else. Right now, those feelings are far stronger, and I don¡¯t take much time thinking of him as a man. That¡¯s how I feel.¡± Cyril: (........isn¡¯t that far stronger and deeper than a simple relationship between a man and a woman?) ¡­¡­.is what Cyril thought for a moment. Yuu: ¡°Well, if he confesses to me, I don¡¯t think I would hesitate saying yes though!¡± Cyril: ¡°I©`Is that right©` I never thought Henry would be that popular©`¡± Yuu: ¡°Oh, don¡¯t get me wrong. He wasn¡¯t popular at all. All the female adventurers said he¡¯s dependable as an Adventurer and a member of your party, but as far as relationships are concerned, no one thought twice about him.¡± It was a pretty harsh review. Yuu: ¡°........or so I thought up until now. Right, Miss Cyril?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yeth?!¡± With the question inferring far more than Cyril wanted, Cyril¡¯s voice flipped an octave higher. ¡­¡­.but Cyril herself already knows. No matter who saw it, it was plain as day. Yuu: ¡°There¡¯s no reason to hide it anymore©` You were so©` bold asking me about this, and you thought you could get away with hiding your own feelings?¡± Cyril: ¡°W©`Well, actually©` well©`....¡± Eustacia immediately locked onto her prey. Cyril¡¯s reaction was too innocent and cute to let it fly, and Eustacia¡¯s formal words began degrading in several levels of casualness starting with her tone. Cyril was not ready for this. Eustacia downed her glass, and with a teasing voice, followed up with Cyril further. Yuu: ¡°It¡¯s okay©` Henry definitely has feelings for you too. If you ask me, he¡¯s obviously really conscious about you.¡± Cyril: ¡°Seriously?¡± Yuu: ¡°Seriously.¡± Henry hasn¡¯t really shown that kind of attitude towards her, but maybe from someone who has known him longer like Eustacia, the signs were clear as day. Yuu: ¡°But hey, he¡¯s a little clumsy and timid when it comes to romance stuff, so you should definitely press on the offensive.¡± Cyril: ¡°B©`But¡­.I have my circumstances too to consider¡­.so¡­.I can¡¯t just¡­...you know¡­.I think Henry will be troubled if he gets pulled into my business.¡± Yuu: ¡°Drag him in. You have my full permission.¡± She got Eustacia''s permission. Yuu: ¡°Hehe¡« the night is so young. C¡¯mon Miss Cyril. Let¡¯s get right down to business and speak everything on our minds tonight.¡± Cyril: ¡°I©`It¡¯s actually already really late!¡± Yuu: ¡°No worries¡« Relax¡« Relax¡«¡± Cyril: (Oh no, she¡¯s completely drunk.) Cyril: (.......and how many glasses have I had now?!) ¡­¡­¡­.and Cyril doesn¡¯t remember what followed after that point. CH 84 Chapter 84: Soup Cyril: ¡°(groans) ughhhhh¡­¡­.¡­¡­¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°(sigh).......here, Cyril. Water. Drink it slowly.¡± And I hold out a cup of water to Cyril who is groaning in her bed. Cyril: ¡°Th©`Thank you very much, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Sheesh, how much did you drink? You usually don¡¯t drink that much at all.¡± In the morning¡­ I went to bed quite early last night, and because of that I woke up before the sun rose, and as I walked into the dining hall, I saw Yuu and Cyril with their heads down on the table and 4 empty wine bottles tipped over. I guessed at what probably happened, and Yuu immediately cast {Clear Drunk} and cleared the alcohol from her body, and with a ¡°Gonna sleep some more¡±, went up to her room. ¡­¡­¡­.but Cyril didn¡¯t have the same Magecraft Spell luxury (and an incredible luxury I wish I had too), so I had to carry her to her room, and now I¡¯m having to look after her. Cyril: ¡°M©`Miss Yuu invited me and¡­¡­¡­.I probably drank a whole bottle myself.¡± Henry: ¡°.........which means Yuu drank 3 on her own, huh.¡± That wine was a Ren¨¦ St?lln ©` an incredibly expensive brand, and it seemed a little wasteful for them to wash it down like juice. ¡­¡­¡­.but they were drinking for pleasure, so they are entitled to drink whatever they want as they please too. Henry: ¡°Do you want to throw it all up once? It¡¯ll help you feel better.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ugh¡­¡­.no¡­...I don¡¯t think¡­¡­.as a lady, I want to go that route¡­¡­¡± Henry: ¡°A lady, huh¡­.¡± ¡­¡­...I¡¯ve seen way too many female Adventurers who had too much fun and drank too much, and spit it all back up in the past. It¡¯s surprising, but Ageha tends to know her exact limit, but Yuu would throw up regularly before she got used to drinking. Once, she threw up right in front of me, and after that, she desperately learned the {Clear Drunk} Spell. How nostalgic. Henry: ¡°But¡­..¡¯Miss Yuu¡¯? You all must of gotten very close after the drinking last night then.¡± Cyril: ¡°Well¡­...yes, we did somewhat¡­¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Huh¡­¡­.so what did you all talk about?¡± And Cyril immediately froze after my question. ¡­¡­¡­¡­..did I ask something weird? Cyril: ¡°Uh¡­.ummmmmmmm¡­...so¡­..we talked¡­..about you¡­¡­.a little¡­¡­.¡± Maybe it¡¯s because of the hangover, but Cyril mumbles her words a little. Her face is red, and it looks like she¡¯s in a bad state. I hope she¡¯ll feel better after today¡­¡­.but it¡¯s good to go through these painful experiences while you¡¯re still young. Henry: ¡°I see¡­.so you all talked about me? I mean, that makes sense. Between you and Yuu, I¡¯m one of the few common factors. ¡­¡­¡­..so what kind of stories about me did Yuu share?¡± If Yuu is talking about me, 9 out of 10 times, she would rattle off an embarrassing tale or two about me. Her personality isn''t that twisted that she would really talk bad about me¡­...but depending on what she shared, I would have to get her back. Cyril: ¡°Yeah, so¡­...u©`ummmmmmm¡­¡­..ummmmm¡­¡­¡± And as Cyril thinks, her groans seem to be more¡­¡­.forced. ¡­¡­...did Yuu tell her one of my really embarrassing stories? Was it that episode? Or that? Yuu and I have known each other for a long time, and we also have a warehouse of stories about each other because of that. The name of my spear throwing move was just the tip of the iceberg. When I was 16, she knows about how I reacted to my first brothel experience, and when I was 18, I got plastered and really embarrassed myself that night. ¡­¡­¡­..or when I was 21, when I heard Gilverte came to the frontlines, the way I completely snapped and went out of control¡­ The last one is something I really don¡¯t want to recall. I remember Yuu slamming her fist into my face to stop me. Cyril continues to groan, but doesn¡¯t say anything further. Henry: ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not going to force you to tell me.¡± If I keep trying to dig out the information out of her, tomorrow, she¡¯ll be telling the girls that I''m insensitive and that I have no clue on how to read the signs, so I gave up on this for now. Cyril: ¡°.........excuse me, Henry. Can I get a refill of water?¡± Henry: ¡°Sure, sure.¡± I make water with my Magecraft and refill the pouring jar. You do get quite thirsty during a hangover. Henry: ¡°Alright then, just keep resting. There¡¯s still time before breakfast.¡± I leave Cyril¡¯s room. ¡­¡­..hmmmmm, but still, I haven¡¯t seen Cyril like that before. But it¡¯s obvious what she¡¯s going through. I¡¯ve been through some terrible hangovers myself, so I get it. Henry: ¡°..........okay then.¡± I remember seeing one particular plant in the Fallwood Forest when we were last there. I guess I¡¯ll make a quick run and gather some. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°I¡¯m back©`¡± I jogged to the Fallwood forest, and it only took about 40 minutes for the round trip. I heard the light tapping of a kitchen knife hitting a cutting board, and I head to the kitchen. Fi-Ne: ¡°Oh, welcome back, Mr. Henry. Where have you been?¡± Henry: ¡®I just came back from the Fallwood Forest.¡± Ms. Fi-Ne was preparing breakfast, and greets me as I returned, and I answer her quickly. Fi-Ne: ¡°You went to that forest¡­.alone? It¡¯s dangerous¡­...but I guess to a Heroic Warrior, it¡¯s not that big of a deal.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh no, I appreciate your concern. But all of the creatures there are not as active during the morning hours.¡± I had a guess that I probably wouldn¡¯t be attacked. And in fact, I wasn¡¯t, and I was able to retrieve what I went to get. Fi-Ne: ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case¡­¡­.and what are those?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, it¡¯s something I saw during my Adventurers. It¡¯s an herb that works really well on hangovers.¡± This was something I was saved by numerous times. Fi-Ne: ¡°For hangovers?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh no, not me. I think Yuu and our Cyril were drinking last night. Yuu was able to heal her hangover with that Magecraft Spell, but Cyril was hungover so bad that she was not able to get out of bed.¡± Fi-Ne: ¡°Oh dear¡­¡± Ms. Fi-Ne lets out an exasperated sigh. Fi-Ne: ¡°That girl¡­..that Magecraft wasn¡¯t created so you can drink as much as you like¡­¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°Haha¡­..¡± Apparently, that Magecraft Spell was made for Healers who have to work every single day, and if they were drinking during their rare breaks and an emergency patient was brought in¡­¡­.it was for situations like that. ¡­¡­¡­.but yeah. In the end, human beings are like that though. Since I am fond of drinking, I couldn¡¯t fully agree with Ms. Fi-Ne, but I awkwardly laughed neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Fi-Ne: ¡°Fwew¡­¡­¡­.well then, Mr. Henry, how do you plan to prepare those herbs?¡± Henry: ¡°So I¡¯m thinking of making a soup with this. Can I borrow your kitchen? Oh, and I can make enough for everyone too.¡± I was wondering if I would make it before breakfast preparations, and it looks like I made it just in time. Ms. Fi-Ne was just getting started with the breakfast preparations. Fi-Ne: ¡°Oh, of course, I don¡¯t mind at all. Please use the kitchen as you need. You are welcome to help yourself to the other foods and ingredients available.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, thank you so much.¡± The Apple Tree House currently only has 3 children residing here, but judging from the room, they have the capacity to handle many more children. And the kitchen is also equally spacious, and there is plenty of space for Ms. Fi-Ne and I to cook separately. I open the daily-living Magecraft Artifact, the refrigerator, and check for ingredients inside. And I also look through the kitchen at the non-refrigerated stuff that lasts longer, and for spices. ¡­¡­..yeah, I have everything I need. I put water in a pot and heat it up. While it comes to a boil, I take the carrots and onion and peel and chop finely. Fi-Ne: ¡°You are very good with a knife.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh no, not at all. I¡¯m good with a blade, but fighting Demonic Creatures is nothing like cooking. Actually, when I was struggling as a start-off Adventurer, I helped do chores around the inn to get discounts.¡± It was when I was still a kid. Nowadays, I have no motivation at all, but my body still remembers all the skills I learned in the past. Fi-Ne: ¡°The inn? Is that the same inn that Yuu stayed at? I believe you were neighbors with Yuu at the same inn, correct?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, the Heartbeat of the Star Inn. ¡­..well, it was destroyed by Demonic Creatures several times. By the time I was leaving Ligaleo, we rebuilt that building 4 times.¡± It was originally run by a couple who were both former Heroic Warriors, and every time the building was destroyed, they would rebuild it with equal amount of enthusiasm. But because of that, the building structure itself was pretty simple. Henry: ¡°So the wife loved to grow herbs, and because there were so many Adventurers who liked the drink, she would grow this herb, and this soup is actually her recipe that she taught me.¡± At that inn, we had this soup every other day. You take the finely cut vegetables and boil it all together. And as I arranged the flavor with the spices, it brought back memories. You put in the herbs last, and you lightly pass it through heat ©` that¡¯s the key. Henry: ¡°Yuu actually liked this soup. Well, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s still eating it often over there.¡± But for me, it¡¯s been more than half a year since I had it. At the end, I inserted the well-washed and cut herbs, and a very distinct fragrance suddenly filled the air. I took a sip, and it was just right. Yeah©` it¡¯s such a nostalgic flavor. Now that I think about it, I didn¡¯t see this herb in Flowtier. Maybe it¡¯s due to a difference in climate. Fi-Ne: ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a wonderful smell. The recipe looks very simple. If it is okay, could you teach me the recipe?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t mind at all.¡± Fi-Ne: ¡°Thank you so much. I¡¯ve finished my preparations. Shall we go wake up the children now?¡± She makes a large bowl of salad, and an omelet for everyone. There is also freshly baked bread that she must have bought this morning. And now, with a bowl of my soup, it completed the breakfast menu. Henry: ¡°Then I¡¯ll go set the table.¡± Fi-Ne: ¡°Thank you so much.¡± <<<<>>>> So breakfast was over. The children rather liked the soup, and they decided on incorporating it into the Apple Tree House¡¯s meals. Ageha was complaining, ¡°What©` why do I have to eat this when I¡¯m not even at Ligaleo!¡± but in the end, she had two servings. Well, she did thank me for the soup at the end, so I¡¯ll forgive her. And I took the soup I set aside and head to Cyril¡¯s room since she didn¡¯t come down to eat. Henry: ¡°He©`y, Cyril, are you awake©`?¡± I knock on the door, and I hear a faint ¡°ye©`s¡± reply back. Henry: ¡°Can I come in?¡± Cyril: ¡°........go ahead©`¡± But now, I heard her reply louder. Maybe I accidentally woke her up? I felt a little bad as I went in. Cyril: ¡°Hey Henry¡­¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°Brought you some food since you haven¡¯t had anything to eat. I know you may not have an appetite, but you should be able to drink some soup.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh¡­..yes, thank you so much.¡± Cyril got up, and she sniffed the soup that I carried on the platter. Cyril: ¡°Hm¡­.that¡¯s a different kind of herb inside¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a herb that¡¯s really effective for hangovers. It was a famous recipe at the inn I stayed at when I was in Ligaleo.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ohhh¡­..huh? Wait, so Henry, did you make this¡­..?¡± Yup, and I nodded to her. Cyril looked shocked at the news. Henry: ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon. I was cooking while we were camping, right? I just don¡¯t bother with it much, but I can do all the general chores.¡± But I just don¡¯t like doing it! ¡­¡­¡­¡­...hence why I feel so guilty towards Lana too¡­.. Cyril: ¡°W©`Well, thank you so much.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, well, just drink it slowly. After that, you should be feeling better in the afternoon.¡± I watch Cyril as she fearfully and carefully tries the soup. ¡­¡­¡­¡­..I guess we could go out somewhere after she feels better. CH 85 Chapter 85: The Kids at the Apple Tree House Two swords come at me simultaneously, but I can read their paths. Looks like their attack timing is perfect, but they¡¯re positioning is bad. I let my body tilt to one side and dodge one attack. The other attack, I brace my sword ©` a wooden sword wrapped up with several layers of cloth and stop the blow. ¡°ACK?!¡± And the one who I dodged was being carried forward by his momentum, so I put my foot out to trip him lightly. ¡°Kay!!¡± Henry: ¡°You don¡¯t have any time to be distracted.¡± Red looked concerned for his partner, but I pushed his sword back. He didn¡¯t let his sword go, but Red had to try and regain his balance first. Henry: ¡°Here.¡± And while he was doing so, I lightly tap Kay on the shoulder, and now Kay is officially out of the picture. Red: ¡°Dangit!¡± Henry: ¡°You don¡¯t have time to complain either. Come at me.¡± Red: ¡°Urrrgghhhhh¡­¡­.YAH!!¡± And with his sword raised up high, Red comes charging in. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.his being too careless, and there¡¯s too many openings on his body now. Henry: ¡°If you become reckless, you¡¯ve already lost at that point!¡± Before he can swing down his sword, I step forward, and strike Red in the stomach. Red: ¡°OW!¡± And being pushed back from the impact, Red rolls backwards. If this was an actual battle, Red would have been split into two. Henry: ¡°Okay, that¡¯s the end of Round 5.¡± I tap the sword against my shoulder, and signal the end of our bout. The children are weary from the exercise, but they stand up straight and bow politely. ¡° ¡°Thank you so much!¡± ¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re welcome.¡± We are in the yard of the Apple Tree House. I¡¯m with the two boys ©` Red and Kay. I was giving the two a sword lesson. As they told me when I first got here, they are both trying to become Adventurers. And in order to reach that goal, they both have been training daily. Under the instruction of Ms. Fi-Ne, who used to be a famous Priest Warrior, they were now practicing sword swings and building up their physical body. ¡­¡­¡­..but they were also thinking about wanting to practice fighting and do matches too. So since I had nothing else to do, the request was delivered to me. Henry: ¡°Red, you said ¡®ow¡¯ a second ago, but are you hurt somewhere?¡± Red: ¡°Oh©` no, not at all. When the sword hit me, it scared me so I said that without thinking.¡± Red laughs with a little embarrassment. Well, I know how he feels. It doesn¡¯t have to be painful or hurt, but if something hits you, you can¡¯t help but let out a shout of surprise sometimes. But I¡¯m glad. I didn¡¯t think Yuu would screw up, but accidents can happen. Henry: ¡°Yuu! Just to confirm, but you haven¡¯t broken the Spell, right?!¡± Yuu: ¡°Of course I haven¡¯t! I¡¯m being 10 times more careful than when I cast stuff on you!¡± From a little distance away, I call out to Yuu who is holding her Godly Equipment?The Star of Destruction as she faces Ferris, and I get a surprising response. ¡­¡­¡­.10 times? You know you could be a little more careful when casting Spells on me too? Henry: ¡°Oh©` and besides that, Ferris! I felt your Spell weaken a few times! Be more careful there!¡± Ferris: ¡°Y©`Yes!¡± Feeling her regather her concentration, I feel the Magic Power that was gathered around me become more stable and solid. This is one of the Ningel¡¯s Magecraft Spells {Aura Barrier}. Basically, it¡¯s a Magecraft Spell of invisible armor made of Magic Power that you cast onto a target. Unlike the Enhancing Magecraft, it¡¯s slightly different in nuance, and you don¡¯t need to really adjust the Spell to the individual you are casting it upon. The difference is whether you permeate the Magic Power into the target or not. But it¡¯s a very handy Magecraft Spell to cast on yourself, but as soon as you try to cast it on someone other than you, the difficulty of the Spell increases dramatically. In the Ningel Church, if you are able to cast it on yourself and two others, you are considered as adept on using the Spell. ¡­¡­...but Ferris was able to cast the Spell on herself, and she was using it regularly during our expeditions, but she was not using it beyond that. Mainly performing as a Healer within the city, she was not used to Spells outside of Healing for that reason. But with Yuu¡¯s [Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s more important to PREVENT injuries rather than having to heal it when it happens?!], and with that, this training began. Ferris is practicing casting {Aura Barrier} on herself and me while fighting at close range against Yuu. And Yuu is also casting it on herself, and the two children. Just to avoid any accidents, I went easy on them, but with Yuu¡¯s protection, even if I punched them at full strength, the children should be okay. But of course, that¡¯s assuming that I do not use any {Physical Enhancements} myself. Red: ¡°Mr. Henry! Let¡¯s do one more round, please!¡± Kay: ¡°We¡¯ll go full force this time!¡± Henry: ¡°Okay©` sure, sure.¡± Both Red and Kay are trying to be polite to their instructor, but¡­...they are 9 and 8 years old. Henry: ¡°Okay, then come at me one at a time. I¡¯ll only defend, so attack me however you like.¡± Red: ¡°Okay. Kay, I¡¯ll go first!¡± Kay: ¡°What?! That¡¯s not fair, Red! I¡¯m first!¡± And they fought. They argued about who would go first. But I guess they fight because they get along so well. Instead of using their fists, they determine turns by rock, paper, and scissors, and it made me smile watching them. ¡­¡­¡­...hm? Henry: ¡°FERR©`©`©`IS!! I felt the Spell weaken just now!!¡± Ferris: ¡°S©`Sorry! I¡¯ll be more careful!¡± Maybe it¡¯s because I wasn¡¯t fighting, but the {Aura Barrier} around me weakened slightly. I don¡¯t like doing it, but I send a scolding yell in her direction. Of course, during an actual fight, you can weaken and strengthen it according to the situation, but while you¡¯re not used to casting the Spell on others, it¡¯s important to just practice holding it at a certain solidity¡­¡­¡­...is what Yuu said. Think about it. For instance, if you have a shield, and you knew how strong the shield should be, you brace it for an attack you knew it can repel¡­¡­¡­¡­.but if the shield was weakened, the attack would easily break through. On the contrary, if you didn¡¯t know that the shield was stronger, then you wouldn¡¯t have to force yourself to dodge an attack you thought it couldn¡¯t repel and lose your balance. That¡¯s why for beginners, holding the {Aura Barrier} at a single solidity is so important. ¡­¡­¡­.and as a side note, as one who gets {Aura Barrier} casted on them, we understand that the defensive properties of it can be unstable, so if it¡¯s a critical moment during a fight, vanguards need to operate as though the Spell isn¡¯t there in most cases. But if I start arguing with Yuu about this, I know she¡¯ll beat my logic to a bloody pulp, so I kept my mouth shut. Kay: ¡°Yes! I¡¯m first! Here I come, Mr. Henry!¡± Henry: ¡°Right, right. Come at me.¡± Kay defeated Red in the rock, paper, scissors and yelled out a triumphant and then came charging in at me with a . ¡­¡­¡­..um, you really shouldn¡¯t yell while you¡¯re running. You won¡¯t be able to use your full strength that way. I need to make a comment about it later and make a mental note. I block Kay¡¯s first attack. <<<<>>>> Red: ¡°(gasp).....(gasp)......¡± Kay: ¡°(gasp)........(gasp)........¡± Afterwards¡­.. I fought with Kay for about 15 minutes, and I blocked all his attacks, and then Red tried for the same amount of time. At the end, I asked both of them to attack me at the same time, and now they¡¯ve been continuing this exercise for about 20 minutes. Because of that, they are both heavily out of breath. Cyril: ¡°I brought you towels and some lemon juice©`¡± Red: "Th©`Thank you, Sister Cyril.¡± Kay: ¡°Thanks¡­¡­¡± Cyril was watching us from the sidelines at some point, and sent words of encouragement to the two. As she complimented their hard work ethic, she patted their sweaty heads and walked over to me. Cyril: ¡°Here¡¯s yours, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡± I wasn¡¯t tired at all, but I was a little thirsty from moving around so much. I take the cup of lemon juice, and wipe off the little bit of sweat on my body. Cyril: ¡°But that¡¯s amazing that you dodged all of their attacks. You didn¡¯t get hit once©`¡± Henry: ¡°Um, I know it was two against one, but you don¡¯t have to compliment me for fighting against kids¡­¡­¡± If I bragged here, wouldn¡¯t it just make me look like a real jerk? Cyril: ¡°Do you think so? But you instructed them properly too. I didn¡¯t know you were adept at using the sword too, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°The Nyoiten Spear can change into a one-handed sword, so when I¡¯m fighting in close-quarters or have to focus on defense, I use it a lot, so I¡¯ve trained quite a bit with it because of that.¡± And the Fezard Knights incorporated the one-handed sword fighting style within their Martial Arts training. When using a one-handed weapon, you have one hand free to use Magecraft Artifacts and other tools, so it¡¯s pretty useful to know. Well, that¡¯s how I fight, and the best I can advise the two about is how to properly swing the sword and simple techniques and basic theories when using a sword. I tried to teach them to use those techniques in a practical battle, so I hope this will help them in the future. Yuu: ¡°Henry, good work today. Thank you so much for instructing the children.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, good work to you as well. ¡­¡­¡­..is Ferris okay?¡± Yuu and Ferris wrapped up their training and were coming back. ¡­¡­¡­..and Ferris seemed pretty beat up as always. Ferris: ¡°I©`I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine.¡± Yuu: ¡°Is that so? Then maybe we can add 3 more hours of¡­..¡± Ferris: ¡°Eek! ¡­..I©`I mean, if you have time, I would appreciate more instruction from you, Miss Eustacia.¡± Ferris flinched in horror for a moment at Yuu¡¯s words, but she straightened her back and asked for further training. She was beaten up by Yuu at close quarters and was getting yelled at by me every time the {Aura Barrier} got weak. If it was any other ordinary person, they would have been crying on their knees, but Ferris¡¯ determination was something to be admired. And Yuu smiled at Ferris¡¯ attitude and¡­ Yuu: ¡°Hehe, I am just kidding. Training when you are so tired like this will not be very efficient. We¡¯ll do some Academic studies.¡± Ferris: ¡°A©`Academic¡­¡­.I mean, yes, thank you.¡± It¡¯s pretty bothersome to deal with when a determined person¡¯s spirit breaks, so it¡¯s good to let them break them at least once¡­¡­¡­...is what Yuu might be thinking. Using your brain when you¡¯re physically exhausted is¡­¡­...torture. Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard¡­..¡± Ferris; ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Ferris¡¯ face carries a pained smile¡­¡­¡­.but she suddenly turned cheerful. Ferris: ¡°Hm? Oh, Jend is back.¡± Jend and Ms. Fi-Ne are walking down the path towards the Apple Tree House. Jend accompanied Ms. Fi-Ne to carry all the groceries and supplies. Because we arrived, the number of people to feed doubled, so she had to go buy more groceries than usual. ¡­¡­¡­.I better add more to the donation to the Orphanage later. But Ferris runs with light steps to go greet Jend. Yuu: ¡°Well isn¡¯t that an envious sight.¡± Yuu smiles warmly at the scene but is she really thinking about wanting a boyfriend like that? I know we did do something similar as kids, but it was on the level of playing house, but she hasn¡¯t really expressed any interest in men since. And it¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t thought about her¡­¡­...thinking of me in that way, but if she did have feelings for me, would she treat me like this? She wouldn¡¯t, right? Ferris: ¡°Welcome back, Jend.¡± Jend: ¡°Hey, Ferris. I¡¯m back. ¡­¡­¡­.looks like they put you through the grinder again.¡± Ferris: ¡°Haha, yes, most definitely. But I can feel myself improve, so it¡¯s not as bad as you think.¡± Well, I¡¯m glad Ferris looks cheered up. ¡­¡­¡­...oh, what¡¯s that? Cyril: ¡°I wonder who that is? Someone¡¯s running this way.¡± Cyril notices too and points a finger in the direction. The Apple Tree House is actually a little ways away from the town center. It is on the inner-side of the city walls, but it¡¯s an area left alone by people in general. So it¡¯s easy to notice people when they are heading over here, but there¡¯s a man wearing armor who seems to be urgently running this way. That armor is of the local town¡¯s militia. Yuu: ¡°......looks like an emergency. Ms. Fi-Ne, I¡¯m going to see what this is about.¡± Yuu looks upon the situation, and immediately tells Ms. Fi-Ne who just got back with Jend. Fi-Ne: ¡°Yes, please do.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, you need a bodyguard?¡± Yuu: ¡°It¡¯s not necessary, but please come with me anyways.¡± Yeah, I don¡¯t think Yuu can be taken out by any ordinary soldier, but I go with her just in case. As we ran towards him to meet with him, he was out of breath, but opened his mouth to speak. ¡°I©`I am Nikola with the Wreathfield Gate Guards! I would like to speak with Sister Fi-Ne please!¡± Yuu: ¡°Please calm down. Can you tell us what happened?¡± ¡°We have a carriage that was attacked by Demonic Creatures, and we have several severely injured who arrived in town! This location was closer than the Clinic¡­¡­...but we have soldiers heading there to ask for help as well!¡± Yuu¡¯s face turns dead serious at the news. Yuu: ¡°Where is the carriage now?!¡± ¡°W©`We thought transporting the injured any further would be risky, so they are waiting at the gate. Right now, soldiers with first-aid experience are attending to them.¡± Yuu: ¡°Henry©`! Go ahead of us!¡± Henry: ¡°Understood!¡± As soon as I know which direction to run, I run at full speed towards the gate. Yuu is slower than I am, but she¡¯ll be arriving there soon afterwards. ¡­¡­¡­.well, I don¡¯t know how bad it is, but I hope we make it in time. CH 86 Chapter 86: The Rescuers I ran at my full speed to the Wreathfield Gates. But I was careful not to run into anyone because at this speed, I could easily injure them severely by merely bumping into them. But fortunately©`©`Wreathfield is more way out in the country than Flowtier, so there are not many people in the streets. I pass by some, and they quickly turn around bewildered at seeing me run by high speeds, but I don¡¯t have time to deal with that right now. ¡­¡­¡­..thinking through the situation, I wonder why I¡¯m in such an anxious state in the first place. Even if there are injured people, they are all people I don¡¯t know. Even if they unfortunately pass away, I would feel sorry for them, but after a night of rest, I may forget about them. But this is just how I feel. Yuu has continued to count the number of people she could not save, so I don¡¯t want to add any more to those numbers. That was 80% of the reason why I ran so hard. ¡­¡­¡­..the rest is¡­¡­.well, if people¡¯s lives can be saved, then I do want to save them. Henry: ¡°.........there it is!¡± I begin to see the gate. I see a wrecked horse carriage on the inside of the gate, and some people who are looking with concern from a distance. I need to drop my speed and get through that crowd to go near the carriage, but¡­¡­...never mind, it¡¯s too much trouble. ¡°Wh©`Who is that?! There¡¯s someone coming¡­¡­!!¡± Henry: ¡°Up we go!¡± One of the members of the crowd notice me, and at that second, I kick the ground and jump over the heads of the whole crowd. Henry: ¡°.........oh, whoops¡­.¡± I jumped with too much momentum and almost fell forward. I made the crowd stir up and their attention was on me now, but at the moment, I need to get to the carriage as fast as I can. ¡°Wh©`Who are you?! What business do you have here?!¡± The soldier who was guarding the carriage immediately came up to me ©` I guess a man jumping over a crowd like that suddenly would look quite suspicious. I cough to clear my throat, and greeted him as best as I could. Forcing my way through at this point will only waste more time. Henry: ¡°I¡¯m currently a guest at the Apple Tree House. I heard there were some who were injured, and I came to help.¡± ¡°From Sister Fi-Ne¡¯s¡­¡­? No, but.....I have not heard that a man like you was at that house. Do you have any proof of identification?¡± ¡­¡­¡­..ugh, it¡¯s bothersome, but from the soldier¡¯s perspective, this is an important question. Henry: ¡°No, we¡¯re only staying there temporarily, but this should suffice as proof of identification.¡± ¡°!! Are you a Heroic Warrior Adventurer?!¡± Henry: ¡°Yes.¡± I show him the tag we all carry around as proof of our Adventurer status. Heroic Warriors in general have a lot of respect and clout. That¡¯s why it¡¯s so difficult reach the high set of standards and receive the title promotion to become one. Henry: ¡°I can¡¯t use any powerful Healing Spells, but I do know how to perform basic Healing Magecraft Spells. Can you let me through?¡± ¡°..........yes, please.¡± I am guided towards where the injured are. There is a blanket that was laid next to the carriage, and I see four men laying upon it. There are three Adventurers and one who is probably the carriage driver. Next to them is one more Adventurer looking extremely concerned at their state. The four who are laying on the ground are wrapped up in several bandages. The bandages are tainted with blood soaking through, and just looking at them is painful. ¡°?! Hey, who are you?!¡± The Adventurer who was standing next to the four take notice of me, and screamed at the top of his lungs as he glared, but I remain calm. His friends are injured. There will be people who will not be calm in these kinds of situations. But injuries like this were so common in Ligaleo, you couldn¡¯t afford losing your cool on the frontlines. Henry: ¡°I am an assistant of a Healer. I was quicker at running, so I ran ahead to look at the injured.¡± In order to calm them down, I speak as formally and politely as possible. But, I said I was an assistant to a Healer without even thinking about it, but¡­..it¡¯s not a complete lie. As Yuu¡¯s partner, I have helped her perform her healings many times. With the amount of knowledge she stuffed into my head, and from my own experiences healing my wounds, I am pretty knowledgeable now about external wounds. ¡°I©`I see¡­...I¡¯m sorry for yelling at you. I¡¯m Valius.¡± Henry: ¡°My name is Henry. I will start the examination now, so please wait here.¡± I leave Valius with that, and I walk towards the four who are groaning on the ground. I can¡¯t do any official medical procedures, but I need to determine whether they will make it until Yuu gets here. There are two Adventurers who are severely injured, but they shouldn¡¯t die for a couple of days. Fortunately, they don¡¯t seem to have head injuries, and their breathing is stable. But on the other hand¡­. ¡°Ugh¡­¡­..uhhhhhh¡­¡­¡± ¡°.................¡± ¡­¡­¡­...the elderly carriage driver and one other Adventurer are in a dangerous state. Their bodies are covered in bruises, and I can see signs of broken bones all over. One of the bones might have damaged an internal organ, and their faces are pale. The Adventurer has weakened to the point where he can¡¯t even speak. Even I can tell that their lives are fading away quickly. I don¡¯t know if they will make it until Yuu gets here in a few minutes. ¡­¡­¡­...although it¡¯s not as effective against people who are injured this badly¡­.. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Heal] {Teol}! [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Heal] {Teol}!¡± I cast a twice enhanced [Heal] {Teol} on both. ¡­¡­¡­..Healing Magecraft is incredible difficult, and with [Heal] {Teol}, I can only combine it up to 3 Spells. Before the effects of the [Heal] {Teol} wear off, I continue to recast it. I can feel my Magic Power drain to the point of exhaustion, and I took out the Magic Potion I carry around and chug it down and continue. ¡­¡­¡­¡­...if it¡¯s this bad, all my Healing Magecraft can do is relieve the pain and keep them from dying at best. In any other normal circumstances, this would have been a pointless exercise since death was inevitable, and I would be just extending their suffering. Yeah, in any other normal circumstance that is¡­.. Yuu: ¡°Henry! I¡¯m here! Sorry to make you wait!¡± ¡­¡­..see? Someone¡¯s who¡¯s absolutely not normal came. She pushed through the crowds, and when it comes to healing injuries, there is no one in the world better at it than her. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Y©`Yeah, it¡¯s the Saint of Salvation. I¡¯ve read about her in the papers. Why is she¡­..?¡± And I can hear the crowd begin to whisper about, but I can¡¯t let that distract me. Henry: ¡°Yuu! These two need attention! Especially the Adventurer on the left is really bad!¡± Yuu: ¡°I know!¡± Yuu immediately and quickly examines the two and begins her Spell Incantation. ¡­¡­¡­..because of its simplicity, I am able to cast my Spell without much inspection, but with higher class Healing Magecraft, you must thoroughly understand the patient¡¯s condition. Her ability to diagnose conditions so quickly is also Yuu¡¯s mark of being one of the rarest and greatest Healers there are in our generation. Yuu: ¡°[God of Ningel, save and raise up these people from the pits of death]¡± A strong but kind light flood out from Yuu¡¯s palms. Yuu: ¡°{Resurrection}.¡± The light embraced the two who were severely injured and began permeating slowly into their bodies. ¡­¡­¡­.eventually, by the time the light faded¡­.. ¡°Hm¡­¡­¡­.? ¡°What?¡± The two who were only a few steps from death''s doorstep opened their eyes and looked around confused and bewildered. <<<<>>>> The five thanked Yuu over and over again and promised to deliver a gift to convey their gratitude at a later date. And Yuu and I left the scene hurriedly to get away from the gathering crowds. Some wanted autographs and to shake hands, and mistook Yuu for some sort of celebrity super star¡­¡­¡­.but I guess if you just went by looks alone, she could easily succeed as one. It was bothersome to continue refusing, so we ran and left them behind. Yuu is slower than me, but she can easily outrun ordinary people. Yuu: ¡°Ahhhh¡« that was a huge blunder¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong?¡± We successfully escaped from that place and were walking slowly back to the Apple Tree House when Yuu let out a huge sigh and mumbled to herself out loud. ¡­¡­..and that reminds me¡­...I never thought about it, but why is she wearing a hood over her head? Back then, she was in a huge hurry so it flew back off her head, but she also had it on during our expedition. Yuu: ¡°Some people might guess that this is my hometown. If that happens¡­..it¡¯ll be a little troublesome.¡± Henry: ¡°..........? Oh, was that supposed to be a secret?¡± Yuu: ¡°Of course it is. The only people that know are the upper echelon of the Church, and only a few people besides you, Henry. We already asked the people who know here to keep quiet, and only the head of the local Church knows about me.¡± Henry: ¡°And why go through all that trouble?¡± Yuu thinks about this before she replies. Yuu: ¡°I know that you don¡¯t know much about this, but people who try to recruit me don¡¯t always resort to peaceful means.¡± Henry: ¡°.........ohhhhhh¡­..¡± As soon as she said that, the realization dawned on me. Yuu: ¡°Even recently, they underestimated me because I was a girl and tried to take me by force. They got what they deserved.¡± Henry: ¡°.......are they¡­..alive?¡± I don¡¯t care if those kinds of people live or die, but every death will weigh upon Yuu. For her sake, I hope they¡¯re okay. Yuu: ¡°They¡¯re not dead.¡± I see. I¡¯m relieved©`©`wait, wasn¡¯t the nuance of her sentence a little¡­...strange? Yuu: ¡°Well, so as you can see, if they know where my hometown is¡­¡­.I think what if, and you can imagine the rest, right?¡± If a politician who is injured or sick tries to forcefully gain Yuu¡¯s service¡­¡­¡­.they might resort to hostages. It¡¯s a very common yet very effective strategy. Yuu: ¡°But there was only 20 people there, and if I ask Ms. Fi-Ne, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine. Everyone here respects her.¡± Henry: ¡°Is that so? Well, if something does happen, just let me know. Even if they take one or two hostages, I can rescue them. I live pretty close to here anyways.¡± Yuu: ¡°I would hate it if it comes down to that, but if it does happen, then I¡¯ll be counting on your help.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­.but I probably won¡¯t even get a chance. There are many who owe their lives to Yuu, and I mean a ton of people. And among them, some are extremely high-ranked Nobles, very strong Adventurers, and even many Knights owe her. So if anything like that happens, the conspirer will have to deal with an army that would be out to beat them down both politically and physically. Yuu: ¡°..........(sigh).....using Healing Magecraft really tired me out. Henry, do you want to get something sweet?¡± Henry: ¡°Like you would ever be tired just from that. But yeah, I was training before that, so I am a little hungry. I don¡¯t mind finding a place to eat.¡± Yuu pointed at a very nice looking caf¨¦. I saw from there windows, but one of the customers were eating cheesecake and it looked good. Yuu: ¡°Then it¡¯s decided. Let¡¯s go in.¡± Henry: ¡°Sure, sure.¡± And I was right. That cheesecake at the caf¨¦ was phenomenal. CH 87 Chapter 87: A Farewell for a While 5 days have quickly passed since we arrived at Wreathfield. I was originally only coming here to make a brief visit, but one thing happened after another, and we ended up staying much longer. But¡­...we should be getting going soon. For letting us stay at the orphanage, I gave the Ningel Church a donation to repay back Ms. Fi-Ne. The materials we gained during our expedition and gifts back to our friends and families back home have been placed inside Teo¡¯s [Dimensional Expansion] bag, so we are all packed and set to go back. Red: ¡°Henry©`! When we see you again, we¡¯ll be much stronger than we are now! Look forward to it!¡± Kay: ¡°We¡¯ll definitely get one strike on you next time!¡± Red and Kay puff out their chests as they make their proclamation. I smile at the proud boys, and I scrub their heads with my hand. Henry: ¡°Good, keep working hard. Don¡¯t skip out on your trainings.¡± Red: ¡°We won¡¯t©`! ¡­¡­.besides, if we do skip for no reason, Ms. Fi-Ne can be¡­¡­.quite scary.¡± Kay: ¡°.......hey, stop talking about that, Red. I don''t want to remember the last time she got mad at us.¡± The two energetic boys visibly shrink in fear. Ms. Fi-Ne seems like a kind person, and she doesn¡¯t look that terrifying to me but¡­¡­ I guess it¡¯s hard to go against the adults who raise you. Or it¡¯s possible that since Ms. Fi-Ne raised Yuu, I just haven¡¯t seen the other side of her personality yet. ¡­¡­¡­..she really doesn¡¯t look it at a glance, but from my past experience, I can¡¯t help but feel that it¡¯s the latter. Fi-Ne: ¡°Mr. Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Y©`Yes.¡± With impeccable timing, she began talking to me as I wave the rude thoughts out of my mind. Fi-Ne: ¡°.....I wanted to relay my thanks one last time about Yuu. That girl, I¡¯m happy to see that she¡¯s able to go back now with much more cheerfulness than when she first arrived here.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, but I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± Fi-Ne: ¡°Hehe. Then we¡¯ll just leave it as that for now.¡± Ms. Fi-Ne lets out a small chuckle and looks over to Cyril and Ferris who are saying goodbye to Yuu. Yuu: ¡°Thank you, you two, for the time we spent together. When you come to Ligaleo, please come see me.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll definitely come see you when we get there!¡± Ferris: ¡°And thank you so much for your instructions and training. I feel as though I grew a step or two higher than when I first arrived here.¡± Cyril was bright and cheerful with her reply, and Ferris bowed her head deeply. Yuu: ¡°Oh no, Miss Ferris. It¡¯s only because you just got used to what we¡¯re doing that you feel that way. If you continue the training after you get back, you will need to definitely continue improving, you know? You did receive my instructions, so if you haven¡¯t improved when I see you again¡­¡­.¡± With a ominous ¡°fufufufufu¡± (sfx feminine chuckle), Yuu was smiling towards Ferris with obvious intimidation in her words. Ferris: ¡°N©`NNNNN©`No! There¡¯s no reason for that kind of concern! I will, with heart, soul, mind, and body, endeavor to continue training!¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes. ¡­...I know I scared you a little there, but it was only to encourage you. Please keep up the good work¡± Yuu flips her expression to a bright smile and encourages Ferris. Yuu: ¡°Oh yes, yes. ¡­¡­.Miss Cyril, I will be for you too.¡± Cyril: ¡°Y©`Yes?! I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about! Miss Cyril has no idea!¡± Yuu: ¡°Oh you¡«¡± Yuu seemed to imply a lot in her words, and Cyril is suddenly panicking. Those two really seem close now. It¡¯s been like that every since that night they drank together, and they¡¯ve become really close friends since. Teo: ¡°Sister Ageha, are you not coming back with us?¡± Ageha: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be going back with Yuu and go directly back to Ligaleo. Yuu¡¯s slow, so it¡¯ll be tiresome though.¡± And I overhear Teo and Ageha talk. Yuu: ¡°We are specially getting a Magecraft Vehicle sent to us for our return trip. It¡¯s not going to be that slow. Sheesh.¡± Ageha: ¡°The Magecraft Vehicle¡­..isn¡¯t that that thing where it can only run on flat surfaces even though it¡¯s friggin¡¯ expensive?¡± Yuu: ¡°.........I think you¡¯re the only one that can honestly call that vehicle slow.¡± I know Ageha is not impressed, but in general, a Magecraft vehicle is pretty fast. It¡¯s about as fast as a Mid-Tier Adventurer Vanguard, and it doesn¡¯t tire out. And the exterior is also really cool looking. I actually like them a lot. Teo: ¡°Miss Eustacia. Please take good care of my Sister Ageha.¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes, of course. And please take care of Henry as well.¡± Teo bows her head politely, and Yuu returns the gesture in kind. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.well, so far, this is all very typical. We are making our farewells like in any other normal case. But now¡­¡­ ¡°Brother Jend, please come and drop by to see us again.¡± And the person saying her farewell to Jend is the last member of this orphanage, Jill. I really didn¡¯t have time to get to know her, but when Jend had free time, he spent it hanging out and playing with her. Jend: ¡°Yeah, I made some connections with this town¡¯s merchants, so I¡¯ll definitely be sent here again for business. I¡¯ll definitely come by if that happens.¡± Jill: ¡°Okay! Oh, and here¡­¡­..this is a protective charm I made. It¡¯s a medal with the emblem of the Ningel God¡¯s symbol.¡± Jend: ¡°Oh, thanks. I¡¯ll make sure to treasure it.¡± It was a wooden medal that would fit on the palms of a child¡¯s hand. Though the engravings were still a little rough, you could tell that the child spent a lot of time working on it. Jend accepts the gesture and gives his thanks. ¡­¡­¡­¡­...Jend, is everything okay? I can¡¯t help but feel that there¡¯s something beyond adoration in that way the child¡¯s looking at you¡­¡­. Henry: ¡°Ferris, I¡¯m just saying this just in case, but stay calm.¡± Ferris: ¡°Mr. Henry¡­...really now, who do you think I am? I¡¯m not going to throw a fuss over that. She¡¯s still just a kid.¡± Ferris brushes it off like it¡¯s nothing. ¡­¡­¡­.yes, that¡¯s true. But that¡¯s right now. Jill is the oldest among the children and is 11 years old. She¡¯s only 5 years separated from Jend. When she turns 16, Jend will be 21, and their age difference will be smaller than me and Cyril¡¯s. In a few years, small crushes like these might blow away and disappear¡­¡­¡­.but the Ningel Church believers are known for being very caring and endearing. ¡­¡­¡­.but by that time, Jend would have gained a lot of strength, skills, and money by then. If he¡¯s able to support them properly, it¡¯s not unusual to have multiple wives. Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean that there won¡¯t be tension in the family, but that¡¯s up to Jend to deal with when the time comes. Okay, that¡¯s it! I¡¯ve decided to ignore it. As I make the executive decision to turn a blind eye to what¡¯s happening between Jend and Jill, Yuu walks over this way. Yuu: ¡°Then Henry. It¡¯ll be a farewell for a while, but please take care of yourself.¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s my line. I came to see you because I heard about whomever that collapsed from exhaustion.¡± Yuu: ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll make sure that it will not happen again. I do understand that I was pushing myself a little too hard recently.¡± I heard that they¡¯ll be increasing the number of Healers on the front lines, so Yuu¡¯s burden should be lighter going forward but¡­¡­ Henry: ¡°Yuu, even if you think so today, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll forget those words as soon as you see someone get hurt¡­¡­¡­..if you collapse again, I¡¯ll be sure to laugh at your mistakes, so remember that.¡± Yuu: ¡°.......it would be quite humiliating to be laughed at by you. Fine, I understa©`nd.¡± And with that, she pouts and turns her face away. ¡­¡­¡­..sheesh, she gets childish like this sometimes. Henry: ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll believe you for now. Hey, you take care of yourself too, alright?¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes, then it¡¯s goodbye for now.¡± I shake hands with Yuu. Although her hands are small as always, the lives of the soldiers and adventurers weigh heavily on them. ¡­¡­¡­.if it¡¯s her, she¡¯ll try to carry them all by herself with these skinny arms. Henry: ¡°You let me know if anything happens. If you come begging to me with a ¡®help me©`¡¯, I¡¯ll come flying over.¡± Yuu: ¡°I told you this before, but that¡¯s none of your concern.¡± Although her words are bitter, she still smiles. I guess she does trust me to a certain degree. Yuu: ¡°Good bye, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, see you later, Yuu.¡± We leave the Apple Tree House. We wave goodbye to everyone at the Apple Tree House plus Ageha, and we start heading towards the town gates. ¡­¡­¡­.and then¡­.. That signaled the end of our Wreathfield trip. <<<<>>>> So now, on our way back......on the way here, I was worried about Yuu¡­...I mean, I was in a hurry for whatever reason, but we didn¡¯t have anything urgent to get to on the way back, so we walked leisurely. Cyril: ¡°Well©`, after all that¡­..I was watching you both till the very end, but Henry and Miss Yuu get along so well©`¡± It happened on our way back. Cyril who was walking next to me suddenly spoke up. I feel like similar comments have been made a lot¡­.. Henry: ¡°I told you. We knew each other for a long time now.¡± Cyril: ¡°But even if you know someone that long, it doesn¡¯t usually end up like that, right? I''ve known Jend since we were kids, but we¡¯re not that close like you.¡± Henry: ¡°If you are saving and being saved only on a daily basis by each other, it¡¯ll be like that.¡± With all my friends on the frontlines, unless our personalities really clashed, it was easy to get along with everyone there. Cyril: ¡°Is that so¡­.? ¡­¡­¡­..do you think we¡¯ll be like that some day?¡± I don¡¯t know how many people are encompassed in this ¡°we¡± business but¡­¡­ Henry: ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll be fine. Without any bias, this is a solid and good Party.¡± It¡¯s different from when I was in Ligaleo, but I can say for certain that Cyril and the rest are important friends of mine. ¡­¡­¡­..although we¡¯ll be separated when they leave for the frontlines, we¡¯re close enough where I will miss them dearly. Cyril: ¡°I see. Then we¡¯ll need to keep working hard with every expedition when we get back!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the spirit.¡± I send casual encouragement to Cyril who is getting herself pumped up. Ferris: ¡°Yeah, Cyril. I also want to try what Miss Eustacia taught me in actual battle, so I can¡¯t wait to go on our next expedition.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± Teo: ¡°Me as well.¡± And everyone who was listening to our conversation spoke up in agreement. Everyone here seems to be right on the edge of just running off at any moment. And it¡¯s fine to feel that way but¡­.. Henry: ¡°....I don¡¯t mind you guys getting pumped up, but fatigue from traveling is no joke. We are taking the next day off as soon as we are back.¡± Cyril: ¡°What¡«¡«, Henry, why would you dampen our moods like that©`¡± Henry: ¡°Argh, shut up. It¡¯s part of the veteran¡¯s job to calm down you bloodthirsty youngins¡­.and don¡¯t get so close!¡± Cyril pouts as she rubs her face against my arms. Cyril: ¡°Grrrrr, why you©`¡± Henry: ¡°What do you mean, ¡®why you©`¡¯. Sheesh.¡± I shrug my shoulders. Well then¡­.. It feels like everyone got something out of this trip going to see Yuu. I¡¯m glad. Maybe we¡¯ll challenge ourselves to the Altohern¡¯s upper region when we get back. As I think about these things, I deal with Cyril who seems to be more playful than usual as we continue to walk back. CH 88 Chapter 88: Jend¡¯s Sword Master We were at the Flowtier¡¯s Army¡¯s training grounds. Today, the army wasn¡¯t training there, and there were only a few people in the spacious training area. In the middle of the spacious training grounds, I face an opponent using a single-handed sword. His stance is using the [Single Blade of the Fire God] Style. Instead of Jend¡¯s favored stance that focuses on aggressive attacks, this stance is more defensive, and I can¡¯t find any openings at my skill level. My opponent is the Flowtier¡¯s Head of Military and the Sword Master of the Single Blade of the Fire God. He distinguished himself by meticulously arranging his hair, and his name is Ricardo. He¡¯s Jend¡¯s teacher. I knew him by face, and I have spoken to him before, but today is the first time we¡¯re actually having a practice match fighting one another. I hear Mr. Ricardo¡¯s foot as it drags on the ground, and I also match him by sliding my feet as we move together. But before I let my impatience take over and make the first move¡­¡­ Mr. Ricardo raises his sword, and flames envelop the blade. I was cautiously observing at a safe distance since neither sword nor spear could bridge the distance between us but¡­¡­¡­. Ricardo: ¡°[Soaring Flame Strike!]¡± Mr. Ricardo brings his sword down from where he stood. His blade did not reach me¡­¡­.but the fire that blew forth from his sword arched towards me through the air. Henry: ¡°WHA©`£¿£¡¡± I froze in shock, and it delayed my reaction for a moment¡­...but I jumped to the side and managed to barely dodge it. The flaming arc flies past me and strikes the ground behind me. I hear a small explosion, and a dust cloud billows upwards. ¡­¡­..how does that blade of fire have such a physical impacts? Ricardo: ¡°Here I come£¡¡± Henry: ¡°Tsch£¡¡± As I was frozen in place after I dodge the Soaring Flame Strike, Mr. Ricardo instantly covered the ground between us. I parry the sword coming down to strike me with my spear and I strike back meagerly with my balance slightly broken. ¡­¡­..and my half-hearted counter was easily parried aside. Ricardo: ¡°There there there there£¡¡± Henry: ¡°URGH©`©`£¡¡± I change the Nyoiten Spear into a more flexible single-handed sword and continue blocking the flurry of attacks. This is getting difficult. Mr. Ricardo¡¯s sword is blurring a bit, and it¡¯s making it hard to read the sword¡¯s path. I heard this from Sir Ezeal once. By emitting heat with the sword, you can warp the air around it, and you can force the opponent to start misjudging the sword¡¯s striking distance ©` this is one of the Ultimate Techniques of the Single Blade of the Fire God Style. If I remember correctly, I need to look at the opponent¡¯s sword hand and not the sword itself to read their next moves. Predict¡­¡­.predict¡­¡­¡­..oh c¡¯mon! If it was that easy, I wouldn¡¯t be struggling so much right now£¡ Henry: ¡°.........FUH£¡¡± (sfx exhale) Ricardo: ¡°Oh¡­¡± I decided to give up on a proper defense, and I extended the Nyoiten Spear¡¯s length and swung wildly. This was to force Mr. Ricardo to go on the defensive. Of course, Mr. Ricardo is able to parry these attacks, but he shouldn¡¯t have that much experience fighting against a weapon that can lengthen and shorten so quickly. I manage to get him to step back and open the distance between us. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Restrain] {Katerno} + [Launch] {Veros}£¡¡± I released the Magecraft Arrow. With amazing footwork, he completely avoids it, but now the distance between us is even greater. Henry: ¡°ORAAHH£¡¡± I throw my spear. Mr. Ricardo easily escapes from the spear¡¯s single flying path but¡­¡­...it won¡¯t be that simple£¡ Henry: ¡°Split up£¡¡± Ricardo: ¡°What£¿£¡¡± Mr. Ricardo panics a little as he parries the Nyoiten Spears that split into 3 right before his eyes. ¡­¡­¡­.even at that timing, he was still able to respond defensively. If I delayed the cloning just a tiny bit later, it might have worked, but from this distance, I don¡¯t know if I could catch that timing ©` in short, I would need to train some more. I return the spear back to my hands as I confirm my shortcomings. Ricardo: ¡°...........I see. I have not heard about that ability of yours.¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s not something I absolutely have to keep secret¡­..but I don¡¯t get to use it that often, and it¡¯s more or less a trump card I keep tucked away.¡± I reply to Mr. Ricardo¡¯s comment. Henry: ¡°Would you like to continue?¡± When my Nyoiten Spear split in three, he was able to deflect two of them, but one grazed his ribs. The chest plate in that area was dented, and I¡¯m sure he felt the impact. Mr. Ricardo seemed to regard the injury, and his stance was protecting that region now. I made sure to go for non-vital areas just in case they hit, but I didn¡¯t hold back much power behind the throws themselves. Ricardo: ¡°Without a doubt.¡± We could call the match here, but Mr. Ricardo decided to proceed with the fight. Now, it¡¯s my turn to attack. I begin a flurry of strikes against Mr. Ricardo who¡¯s now injured. Although he¡¯s able to parry my strikes in clever, graceful ways, his injuries are taking effect and his defense is not perfect. And right now, Mr. Ricardo doesn¡¯t have the physical strength to match me and stop the oncoming blows directly. Realizing his disadvantage, Mr. Ricardo tried to jump back to reset the fight¡­...but I was expecting it. Henry: ¡°Hah£¡¡± (sfx exhale) I got the general timing down, so I matched his jump, raised my spear, and threw it. I aimed¡­¡­..not directly at his stomach, and made the spear stick to the ground beside him as he landed. Ricardo: ¡°........haha, I should have resigned back then. It is my loss.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, it is my win.¡± And with a slow exhale, I let all the strength leave my body as Mr. Ricardo raises his hands in a gesture of defeat. Ricardo: ¡°Thank you for the match.¡± Henry: ¡°Thank you for the match.¡± The practice match was over. We bowed to one another. Seeing our match end, Jend, who was observing from the sidelines, starts walking towards us. Today, we held a no holds barred practice match not just for training, but it was especially for Jend to see this fight. We wanted him to see the pure, refined skills of a Single Blade of the Fire God Style user like Mr. Ricardo going at his fullest power. ¡­¡­.and there¡¯s no one in this territory that can really bring out all of his strength except me. Jend: ¡°Good work, master, and Henry too.¡± I raise a fist in the air in reply with a ¡°yeah¡±. Jend: ¡°But really¡­¡­..you¡¯re so strong, Henry. I didn¡¯t think you would beat my master this easily.¡± Henry: ¡°No, if it was just about technique and skill, I completely lost. I forced a win with my weapon¡¯s ability and brute strength. That¡¯s about it.¡± Although he¡¯s not on Sir Ezeal¡¯s level, Mr. Ricardo is also a master of the sword. His skills and techniques will be high above where any 20 year old could reach. Ricardo: ¡°No, no. All of those things are still part of your strength, Mr. Henry. ¡­¡­..but I can¡¯t help but think that if I was 15 years younger, we could have had a better match though.¡± Mr. Ricardo shrugs with his comment. It¡¯s true. From what I heard, Mr. Ricardo is 53. He¡¯s definitely reached the elderly age¡­..and typically, you would have retired long ago as a combat fighter. And it¡¯s surprising that he can move so well nowadays, so he must have been much stronger during his youth. Ricardo: ¡°No matter how much I refine my techniques, my muscles are quicker to decline. For people like me, there is very little to be done about that.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah©` that is true. ¡­¡­..but there are some exceptions that continue to improve both strength and skills after 50. Such as that Great Hero.¡± Ricardo: ¡°Please don¡¯t compare me to the greatest anomaly of our times.¡± Apparently, Mr. Ricardo trained with Sir Ezeal at the same Dojo at one point. One of the Alvenia Kingdom''s greatest Martial Art¡¯s city ©` Eastfarea. That is Mr. Ricardo¡¯s birth place, and when Sir Ezeal was 10 years old, it was the first location where he started training. Ricardo: ¡°When I was a child, we swung the sword together for only a few months, and we barely spoke to one another¡­¡­...but I don¡¯t doubt that those significant talents of his reached the realms of a Hero of Legend.¡± In only a few months, Sir Ezeal mastered all the Ultimate Techniques of the Single Blade of the Fire God, and moved onto the next Dojo. But he soon mastered all the Martial Arts in that area, and went on to the next place. ¡­¡­¡­...is how one Martial Artist who was training in Eastfarea at the time remembers in vivid details about Sir Ezeal¡¯s activities. Ricardo: ¡°However, I never would have thought that my own disciple would receive instructions from him. And to add insult to injury, his teaching was spot on. ¡­¡­.(sigh)......I sometimes wonder if my teachings these last 8 years were wasted.¡± Jend: ¡°Ugh, w©`wait, I didn¡¯t mean to devalue Master¡¯s teachings¡­..he offered to teach me so, I just took him up and©` hey, I already apologized about this before, Master!¡± Ricardo: ¡°Haha. Sorry, sorry. I am only teasing, Jend.¡± Jend looks at him sullenly as he retorts back to Mr. Ricardo¡­¡­..and Mr. Ricardo apologized with mischief still in his eyes. These two get along so well. Henry: ¡°So Jend, did you get something out of that?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, I got to see my Master¡¯s moves, and I¡¯d like to try it out but¡­¡­.¡± Jend glances briefly at Mr. Ricardo. Oh yeah, Mr. Ricardo¡¯s still injured. Henry: ¡°That¡¯s right. We haven¡¯t treated your injuries. Here, I can help you with that.¡± Ricardo: ¡°Ah, well, well. Could you please?¡± The ribs where the spear grazed didn¡¯t pierce the armor, so it¡¯s probably a bad bruise. This is something that I can heal if given enough time. I cast my [Heal] {Teol} and heal Mr. Ricardo¡¯s injury. And after his injuries were healed, Jend trained with Mr. Ricardo. Of course, I was thrown into the mix, and we all trained to our hearts content. <<<<>>>> After we spent the half-day training¡­. Jend wanted to go out drinking, but we were both soaked in sweat, and it was hard justifying going to a tavern like this. So before we hit the taverns, Jend and I went to the public bath together. Jend: ¡°Fwew¡­¡­...mmmmm¡«¡«¡«¡± Henry: ¡°AHHHHH©`©` feels like my body¡¯s melting¡«.....¡± As we were both exhausted from the training, submerging shoulder deep into slightly hot bath water, and I can¡¯t help but groan lazily. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything more amazing in life than this. Jend: ¡°(sigh)........it¡¯s my first time at the Flowtier¡¯s Public Bath, but it¡¯s spacious, clean, and very well maintained. It¡¯s nice.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I just come here every once in a while. I like the bath at home, but sometimes, it¡¯s nice to come here.¡± Jend: ¡°There¡¯s also flowers floating in the water to give off a nice scent¡­¡­.sheesh, it¡¯s like a Royalty¡¯s bath.¡± It¡¯s a bath suitable and symbolic of the City of Flower and Water. Jends: ¡°It¡¯s one way of using the flowers that were not suitable for decoration¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Makes sense©`¡¯ I agree nonchalantly to Jend¡¯s explanation as I enjoy the hot water. Fwew¡« it feels good. Henry: ¡°Oh©` Jend. I forgot to tell you. That move, the one Mr. Ricardo was using, Soaring Flame Strike? You should learn that. It¡¯s important to have [long reaches].¡± After we¡¯ve been in the tub for a while, I remember that all of a sudden and suggest it to Jend. Jend: ¡°Oh that©` that¡¯s my Master¡¯s Original move. It¡¯s a mix between Martial Arts and Magecraft, and you can¡¯t do it without engraving a special Spell Inscription on your sword. It¡¯s a Spell that initiates with the movement of the sword, so it shouldn¡¯t be that complicated of an inscription though¡­¡­..¡± Jend¡¯s weapon is a large broadsword that is a godly equipment. ¡­¡­¡­.the only people who can modify that would be limited to the super top echelon of smiths. Yeah, that¡¯s impossible. Henry: ¡°Got it.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, I thought about buying a normal sword and learning it, but the Blaze Blade is a great godly equipment so¡­¡­.¡± Jend has drawn several Rare weapons, but none of them exceeded the [Flame Envelopment] ability of the Blaze Blade. The sword is just way too compatible with the Single Blade of the Fire God Style. Henry: ¡°Well, I guess we can¡¯t just take any short cuts then.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah¡­...well¡­...I¡¯ll just take it one step at a time.¡± And though I don¡¯t know how much help I¡¯ll be, I¡¯ll do the best I can to help him move up. We were thinking of these things as we got out of the bath. <<<<>>>> Dojo - A place to train in any kind of martial arts. The word ¡°Do¡± (µÀ) is the same character as way or path. ¡°Jo¡± (ˆö) just means place. So it¡¯s the place to find the way of the warrior essentially. CH 89 Chapter 89: The Shopping at the Carousel Merchant Store Cyril: ¡°Henry, what do you think about this?¡± Henry: ¡°Good, good. I think it looks good on you. Why not choose that?¡± Cyril: ¡°............hey©`, can you at least look this way before commenting? It feels a little lonely otherwise!¡± It¡¯s a little bothersome, but I look towards Cyril who¡¯s talking to me. Cyril is trying on the scarves that are lined up on the store display one by one. The white fluffy scarf she has on right now actually looks good on her. ¡­¡­...so, if her sense of fashion is way above mine, why can¡¯t she choose one or two articles of clothes on her own? Henry: ¡°Oh©` yeah. No, it really looks good on you.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hehehe, really? Then you can compliment me by saying, ¡®Cyril, you look so cute©`¡¯ like that.¡± Henry: ¡°That, I refuse.¡± Why do I have to embarrass myself like that in public? ¡­¡­.and seriously, there¡¯s a lot of customers around us right now. This store is run by Jend¡¯s family, and it is the Carousel Merchant Store¡¯s 3rd floor. We¡¯re in the area where clothes are being sold. On each floor, they sell different types of items, and they call it a department store. It¡¯s become popular in the last few decades, but due to how many goods they would have to manage, there¡¯s only a few merchant groups that would attempt to make an actual store like that. Normally, you would combine your strengths with other merchant groups and run a store like this cooperatively. ¡­¡­¡­.and though the Carousel Merchant group does have a few specialized vendors, they are basically running this place on their own. Though it¡¯s smaller than this store, they have two other similar stores around Flowtier. They also have stores in the main neighboring towns, and you can definitely tell that they are the main business leader in the upper north region of the Alvenia Kingdom. But they are still the big stores in the rural area, and compared to the Northerntier¡¯s top Merchant Group, the Gerd Merchant Group, the difference in financial power, market opportunities, and influence is astounding. Basically, the stage they are playing on is completely different. Cyril: ¡°Hmmm©` then I¡¯ll go with this scarf. If that¡¯s the case©` I¡¯ll match the gloves with it too©`. Henry, over here please. Over here.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± And so what we¡¯re doing right now at the Carousel Group¡¯s store is finding winter clothes for Cyril. I¡¯m just tagging along. The temperature is getting chillier, and during lunch at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn, Cyril dropped a hint about wanting to start shopping for new winter clothes. And before she even said it, I knew what was coming up next. ¡­¡­¡­..and just as I predicted, it was, [so would you mind helping me shop for some?], and that¡¯s why I¡¯m with her right now. When I moved from Ligaleo to here, I got rid of most of my luggage, and I needed some winter clothes too, actually. Cyril: ¡°.........hm? Oh¡­¡­? Isn¡¯t that Jend over there?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, looks like it. What¡¯s he up to?¡± While we were heading to the section where they have gloves laid out, we recognized him walking around the store. He also noticed us in return, waved, and walked towards us. I¡¯ve seen that muscular 190 cm (¡«6¡¯ 3¡±) man put on a Carousel Group Apron and work around the store, but he really doesn¡¯t fit in well. Jend: ¡°Dear customers, welcome to our store. How are you enjoying the Carousel Group¡¯s most esteemed product selection today?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, you guys definitely got a great number of selections. ¡­¡­¡­.and so you¡¯re going to keep talking like that to us?¡± I wave my hand dismissively at Jend who¡¯s speaking to us as if auditioning for a play. It¡¯s so different from his usual demeanor, it almost creeps me out. Jend: ¡°Right, right. And you two on a date?¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m just tagging along with her shopping¡­¡­.but I guess it could be considered a date?¡± I¡¯m always following Cyril around different places, so I guess I¡¯m not feeling like this is anything special out of the norm. Cyril: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Henry, if this is a date, then usually, the man pays for everything, correct?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh yeah. But Cyril, if the man is paying, it usually means he¡¯s also after other things you know¡­.¡± And I very deliberately look her up and down and smile. Cyril: ¡°.............I said ¡®if this is a date¡¯. You¡¯re just tagging along my shopping, correct? Then I¡¯ll pay what I need out of my own pockets.¡± Henry: ¡°I see. That¡¯s very astute of you.¡± I was ready to jump on the ride if she agreed, but yeah, I thought this would happen. Henry: ¡°So it turns out that I am just tagging along with her shopping.¡± Jend: ¡°.......I mean, I don¡¯t care either way, but¡­¡­¡± Jend looks a little tired of our charade as he mumbles. ¡­¡­...and I do feel bad for him. I get it that we¡¯ve been in this limbo for quite some time now. But I have a lot to think about as well. If possible, I¡¯d like to keep it at this lukewarm state for a while longer. Henry: ¡°So you¡¯re helping out with the store today?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah©` I¡¯ll help out when we¡¯re down a few people, but today, it¡¯s more or less just observing.¡± Henry: ¡°Observing?¡± I don¡¯t get it. Jend: ¡°I¡¯m looking at which products are selling well, and what kind of routes customers are taking when walking around the store. I also pay attention to what products they look at carefully and think over, and the number of customers during certain periods of time¡­¡­.stuff like that. I keep an eye out for other stuff as well, and what we need to buy more of and how we should display the items.¡± He¡¯s spilling out the details one after another, but if he¡¯s really keeping track of all of that, he¡¯s got an incredible perception. Cyril: ¡°But isn¡¯t that what a regular worker should be doing, no?¡± Jend: ¡°.....Cyril. I¡¯m technically the son of the Merchant Group, and if anything happens to my brother, then I might end up taking over the family business.¡± And with that, Jend lets us know that it¡¯s not normal in a roundabout way. Jend has a brother that¡¯s 6 years older than him named Shade©`©`he¡¯s currently acting as a secretary to his father as he follows him around and earning valuable experience for the future. He¡¯s actually the same age as me, and when he reached adulthood, he got married to a childhood friend. They already have a 2 year old son, and they don¡¯t have to worry about heirs now, but¡­¡­..if anything happens to him now, Jend would have to consider his circumstances and options. As an Adventurer, he¡¯s definitely reliable and dependable. So I can only pray that nothing like that will happen. Jend: ¡®Besides, Henry and Teo have been showing me tricks on how to scout, so I¡¯ve gotten better at paying attention to my surroundings. If that¡¯s the case, I should find other ways to make a use out of the skill.¡± Henry: ¡°Y©`You think so?¡± It¡¯s true that both Teo and I taught him some Scouting Skills, but could you really use that for merchant business? Or is Jend just really good at utilizing his skills in different ways? Just to try it out, I try checking out the surroundings for a while. Henry: ¡°............yeah, I don¡¯t think those are related¡­..¡± I got a feel for where everyone was on the floor, but besides that, I got nothing. I haven¡¯t got a clue about what¡¯s popular or anything like that. Jend: ¡°Well, you¡¯ll also need to know about the products too. You might be much more experienced as an Adventurer, but I wouldn¡¯t lose to you when it comes to experience running a business.¡± Henry: ¡°A competition like that wouldn¡¯t even be a fair fight in the first place. That¡¯s way out of my line of expertise. Jend: ¡°Well, I can¡¯t keep chatting. My dad will get onto me. See you guys. Enjoy looking through our products.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, Jend, good luck with your work.¡± And with a ¡°yeah¡±, Jend turned around. Jend: ¡°Oh! That¡¯s right. Since you all are here, I¡¯ll give you this.¡± And he handed something that looked like coupon or ticket. Henry: ¡°? What¡¯s this?¡± Jend: ¡°Right now, there doing drawings on the 1st floor. It¡¯s tickets for those. If you get 5, you can draw once.¡± He handed over 4 to us. Henry: ¡°.......is that okay that a worker here is giving out coupons like this?¡± Jend: ¡°Well, I had to do some shopping of my own and got those. ¡­¡­..but the store owner¡¯s son can do the drawing without drawing out criticism so¡­.¡± Oh©` yeah, that makes sense. Henry: ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll happily accept these. Jend: ¡°Sounds good. See you guys around.¡± And Jend really left us this time. Cyril: ¡°Henry, gloves. We¡¯re going to the gloves section. And after that, let¡¯s look at some coats.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I know, I know. I want a new set of gloves for myself too.¡± I didn¡¯t buy a scarf because it would be annoying to have something wrapped around my neck, but I did plan to buy gloves. And like that, I enjoyed my shopping time with Cyril. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°.......Cyril, I think you bought too many things.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hehe, sorry.¡± And after that, our shopping continued for 3 more hours. She has no guilt in her smile and apology, and every time she was thinking about purchasing a certain piece of clothing, she would go back and forth for a while and then end up with, ¡°I guess it¡¯s okay¡± and bought most of them. As a result, I was holding 8 bags with both arms. My stuff all fit in one bag. The weight is not the issue. It¡¯s just hard to walk with this many bags. Henry: ¡°(sigh). Look, I¡¯ll help you carry all of this to the Governor¡¯s mansion, but next time, be a little more careful.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ye©`s sir, I will. I¡¯m sorry. I had more money this round than last year, so it was hard to say no to everything that caught my eye.¡± I know she¡¯s saving up to buy better gear, but with that goal alone, you can¡¯t keep your motivation up for expeditions. So it¡¯s important to spend some money for yourself doing these kinds of shopping. ¡­¡­¡­.and I believe Cyril told me that she put 10% of her earnings away to treat herself. With the amount of money our Party is making, 10% would still be quite a bit. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Henry. Look, they¡¯re doing the drawings over there. The drawings.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s right. I almost forgot about that.¡± When we descend to the 1st floor, our eyes look forward to the event that¡¯s happening at the front of the store, and many people are lined up. Inside the device are different colored balls, and when you turn, it rattles and one ball in particular comes out. And everyone is participating in this familiar game with delight and disappointment at the results. Looking at the prizes listed, if you get first place¡­¡­¡­.oh, nice. First place is two tickets to a Hot Spa Vacation Tour in the Rishu Island. Cyril: ¡°Ummmmm, with the tickets Jend gave us¡­.it¡¯s exactly 20 draws.¡± Henry: ¡°........and further evidence that we shopped way too much.¡± You have to shop quite a bit to even get up to 1 draw. Henry: ¡°Here, you can have mine too. I think it¡¯s enough for 2 draws.¡± I put down the bags, and draw out the tickets from my pouch and hand it to Cyril. Cyril: ¡°Understood! Just sit back and watch in amazement at Miss Cyril¡¯s super luck!¡± Being pumped up, Cyril yells a ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡± and joins the line, and I watch her with a little exasperation. Cyril got in the very back of the line and looked really excited waiting for her turn. ¡­¡­..she¡¯s so energetic. Jend: ¡°Huh? Henry? You¡¯re still here?¡± Someone calls out to me, and I turn around to see Jend still in the store¡¯s apron. Henry: ¡°Yeah, Cyril went all out shopping.¡± Jend: ¡°Well, we thank you sincerely for your business, dear customer¡­..oh wow.¡± Jend took a look at the bags and strained a smile. Henry: ¡°You getting off work now?¡± Jend: ¡°Oh, nah. Once my break is done, I need to help with the accounting and finances.¡± That¡¯s true. Jend is quick and accurate with his calculations, and anything dealing with money is usually left to him. But I¡¯m a little surprised to see him really help out with his family¡¯s business. He¡¯s very active in his Adventurer activities too and also trains. And on top of that, he makes time to help out like this. ¡­¡­..maybe not compared to me in the past, but to me right now, he¡¯s sparkling with all that ambition. Henry: ¡°Oh, looks like it¡¯s Cyril¡¯s turn.¡± Jend: ¡°How many times can she draw, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°22 times.¡± Okay, let¡¯s see what¡¯s going to happen. And I watch from the sidelines with Jend. ¡­¡­¡­..well, since getting the Sprint Boots, Cyril hasn¡¯t gotten anything good from the Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault. As a result, she got the 5th Place Prize candy 22 times consecutively. Jend and I welcomed her back laughing, and she was hitting us with a ¡°Don¡¯t laugh at me©`!¡± It''s entertaining to watch her. <<<<>>>> Raffle Drawings in Japan. Fukubiki (¸£Òý) (Lucky Draw) - One spin and a single marble comes out. I think white is usually the "miss" (hazure) (¤Ï¤º¤ì), and you get a tissue package (pocket tissue) (¥Ý¥±¥Ã¥È¥Æ¥£¥Ã¥·¥å) (written on the box in the back - lol) as a prize. The package will have some sort of advertisement on it, so that''s how that''s justified. CH 90 Chapter 90: The Senior Disciple Part 1 I jumped to the side to dodge the sword that came swinging downwards. An axe was being swung right where I was escaping to, and I blocked it with the Nyoiten Spear. The pressure against my arm was no joke, but I managed to change the axe¡¯s direction and get out of trouble. The axe continued on its course, and slammed and shook the ground. Henry: ¡°That was close! [Fire] {Ignis} + [Launch] {Velos}!¡± After I managed to dodge the continuous rain of huge attacks, I fire off a Fire Arrow as a diversion and turned around to run. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.there were Giants with an axe, a sword, and a spear, and they continued to attack me as I tried to get away. They completely ignored my Fire Arrow. ¡­¡­...I was being too conservative with my Magic reserves. ¡°§®§å§Ù §à§Ü£¡£¡¡± A shard of ice comes flying at me to return the favor. I increased my speed to get away from their range. ¡­¡­¡­..oh no, I think I put too much distance between us. Henry: ¡°Hey, over here, you slowpokes!¡± I raise my voice to taunt them. Giants have a higher level of intelligence, but they also understood when a human who is much smaller than them was making fun of them, and their faces were overcome with rage¡­¡­..or at least, it looked like that to me. I can¡¯t really read a Giant¡¯s expression, but I¡¯m pretty sure that they¡¯re more than annoyed now. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Restrain] {Katerno} + [Launch] {Velos}......times three!¡± This time, I used an enhanced arrow. The Giants tried to display their annoyance and displeasure at such a feeble attempt by sweeping it away with their weapons, but too bad. As soon as they hit the arrow, it transformed into a chain of light, and the chains wrapped around and connected all their weapons together. ¡°§¢§å§Ý§Ø§Ú§Ô§Ú§ä§ä§Ú§Ý§ä§â£¡¡± Their anger meter went up another notch, and they screamed words of fury in a language I couldn¡¯t understand, and ripped apart the chains of light. I pause for a moment to yell back ¡°Hey, he©`y¡± and waved my hands at them to taught them more. It was very effective, and trembling in rage, they rushed at me with astonishing speed. ¡­¡­...good, we¡¯re about to hit the meeting point. I took a quick glance at the planned hiding spot, and Teo looked up at me for a brief moment and gave me a thumbs up. Looks like they¡¯re ready. Great! Let¡¯s do this! I ran past the [checkpoint], and the Giants also ran through right after me©`©`in that instant, the rope that was disguised underneath the ground snapped up and caught the Giants¡¯ feet. ¡°§¿§Þ§ß§Ö£¡£¿¡± (sfx) The Giants all fell. Jend: ¡°SO HE©`©`©`AVY!! But we did it! Let¡¯s go, Henry!¡± Henry: ¡°Let''s do it!¡± One end of the rope was tied to a large boulder, and the other end was held by Jend. He was able to catch 3 Giants that were running at a full sprint. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac}!¡± One of the Giants frantically tried to stand up, but I throw my strength enhanced spear into him. I pierce his skull, so that¡¯s one down. Jend: ¡°ORAAHH!!¡± Even though one of his hands must be still paralyzed from holding that rope, Jend took this golden opportunity to bring down his sword with his full strength. From his position, he could only take a single leg, but that¡¯s enough. The last one got up without injury¡­...but only for a moment. Teo shot and stuck it with an arrow. Cyril: ¡°I¡¯m beginning the Spell!¡± Ferris: ¡°Leave this side to us!¡± Cyril began her Singing Spell, and Ferris positioned herself to guard her. We¡¯re in our typical formation. Teo: ¡°I¡¯ll help Mr. Jend!¡± Jend: ¡°Henry, take out the one without the leg!¡± Henry: ¡°Sure thing!¡± Teo and Jend charge at the Giant with the arrow wound, and my opponent is the Spear Giant. Though his leg was cut by Jend, it forced the cut sections together and managed to stand up. The sound of hot water steam evaporating and smoke came out from where the wound was, and it was trying to regenerate. But even if it¡¯s a Giant¡¯s regeneration ability, it¡¯ll still take some time for a completely severed limb to restore itself. Plus, Jend¡¯s Single Blade of the Fire God Style cauterizes the wound, so it will be difficult to regenerate regardless. ¡­¡­¡­..and without being able to step in any direction, there¡¯s no way it¡¯ll be able to handle its spear well. Teo: ¡°{Explode}!¡± Jend: ¡°Take this!¡± The other Giant has lighter wounds, but Teo is using her Magecraft Charms, and Jend is keeping it at bay. It¡¯s a little worrisome to send Teo, who¡¯s more fragile, to the frontlines, but Ferris is protecting her with Yuu¡¯s {Aura Barrier} Magecraft Spell, so I don¡¯t need to be so worried. ¡°¡­¡­§¨§Ñ§Þ§Ñ§ß§Õ§Ñ§Ñ§Þ§í¡± Behind me, Cyril continued to concentrate her Magic Power without any limitation, and though the Giant saw it as a great threat, I had no intention of letting it pass. Henry: ¡°Well¡­¡­...we¡¯ll just hang around here a bit if that¡¯s alright with you.¡± And I parry the Giant¡¯s spear. ¡­¡­¡­.one minute later. Cyril¡¯s lethal Spell erupts, and the remaining Giants are burned to a crisp. <<<<>>>> Jend: ¡°Here, Henry. Here¡¯s your part.¡± Henry: ¡°Thanks.¡± After that, we kept hunting Giants and Snow Queens ©` the Upper-Tier Demonic Creatures ©` and after we returned, we surrounded a table at the Church Tavern and divided up the spoils. After we take a portion as the Party¡¯s group funds, we divide it equally after that, but recently, I¡¯ve been receiving a little more. Before we start challenging the Upper Region of the Altohern Mountains, I am [luring out] the Upper-Tier Demonic Creatures to regions with less dangers and risks, and helping the Party gain valuable experience. So as the [bait], I am taking on a role that is more dangerous than the rest. Teo has the technical skills to perform this, but if she ever encounters a situation where she can¡¯t get out of, between her and I, I would have the higher chance to survive, so I¡¯m fishing out the Demonic Creatures for now. I think I¡¯m definitely getting paid more at this point, but if these guys start officially hunting Upper-Tiers on the Upper Regions of the Altohern Mountain, they¡¯ll easily be able to regain their losses. Teo: ¡°But they really fell for that trap today. The rope was expensive, but I¡¯m glad we made the purchase.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, and the way you hid the rope was good too.¡± It¡¯s a rope that tripped up Giants. Any ordinary rope would have been torn to shreds easily, so this one is specially made. It¡¯s an alloy between iron and Mithril. It¡¯s flexible, but still extremely tough, and because of that, the price is also equally high. Teo: ¡°I would like to try out other kinds of traps, but what should we use?¡± Henry: ¡°Hmmmm, well¡­¡­¡± I think about Teo¡¯s question, but if we make the trap too sophisticated, the cost performance ratio instantly breaks down. Ferris: ¡°I don¡¯t know much about traps, but what about trap holes?¡± Henry: ¡°The problem with those is the amount of energy it takes to dig one. It¡¯ll just be more efficient to use that energy directly against our enemies.¡± Ferris: ¡°I see. That makes sense.¡± Cyril: ¡°I got it! Miss Cyril would like to try out bombs!¡± Henry: ¡°Too expensive. Your request is denied.¡± And like this, we all talk about our next strategy. It¡¯s a good atmosphere. It¡¯s actually rare for Party members to be able to freely discuss their ideas like this. It¡¯s very easy for hierarchy of strength to be established in this line of work. For now, we couldn¡¯t think of any new strategies, but as we continue with more and more expeditions, we¡¯ll think of points to improve soon enough. Cyril: ¡°So when do we want to go again? We¡¯re on a roll lately, so maybe just rest one day and go the day after?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©`, yeah, let me think.¡± I try to think about our schedule. Umm©` with 3 women. I think about their¡­¡­.physical schedules. I think it¡¯s okay¡­¡­...I mean, it was really embarrassing having to ask about that. But as far as making expedition plans, I had to ask just in case. As I think about that time, Jend raises his hand. Jend: ¡°Oh©` sorry. I have plans the day after tomorrow.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh yeah? Then it¡¯ll have to be another day.¡± There¡¯s no reason to hurry. After getting everyone¡¯s schedule together, we decided on going on our next expedition four days from now. I sipped the coffee I ordered as we just talk about whatever. Henry: ¡°Jend, the day after tomorrow, you helping out with your family business or something?¡± Jend: ¡°Oh©` no, no. An acquaintance is coming back to Flowtier to visit. He¡¯s a senior of mine." Oh, Jend¡¯s senior, huh. Ferris: ¡°Your senior, Jend?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, I call him Brother Ashley. When he lived in Flowtier, he should have lived close to where Teo lives in that neighborhood.¡± Teo: ¡°Ashley¡­¡­...Ashley¡­¡­...now that you mention it, I think I met him. He always carried around a large sword, and I remember him always laughing.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, yeah. That¡¯s the guy. When he turned 14, he said he wanted to be an Adventurer and left Flowtier, and we haven¡¯t heard from him up until now. I just got a letter from him saying he¡¯s coming to visit.¡± ¡­¡­¡­..sounds like a pretty free spirited guy. Cyril: ¡°Mr. Ashley? I remember talking to him. I don¡¯t remember him that well though.¡± Jend: ¡°I don¡¯t think you had much in common with him, Cyril. Besides, it¡¯s been 6 years since Brother Ashley left Flowtier.¡± 6 years¡­..sheesh. Henry: ¡°If he really hasn¡¯t contacted you guys for that long, didn¡¯t his family think he probably died somewhere?¡± Jend: ¡°No doubt. I completely gave up on him until that letter came. I bet his dad¡¯s going to really give him a good lecture or two. Brother Ashley¡¯s never been good about keeping in touch with people.¡± Yeah, I don¡¯t think you can blame the family for getting mad. Henry: ¡°So he¡¯s your senior of the Single Blade of the Fire God?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, Master Ricardo was first teaching Brother Ashley. He was strong. I think I would definitely be stronger than Brother Ashley when he was 14, but¡­¡­¡­..he seems to be pretty successful as an Adventurer, so I¡¯m sure he¡¯s quite strong by now.¡± Huh¡­¡­.well, if it¡¯s Mr. Ricardo¡¯s disciple, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s quite the swordsman. Jend: ¡°Oh yeah, so his Party is taking a short break and coming down with him. They¡¯ll be here for about a week.¡± Henry: ¡°Adventurers from another town? Man, I want to talk to them. Flowtier is too far out in the country, and I can¡¯t seem to get good news here.¡± Jend: ¡°The country¡­..? Well, I guess you¡¯re right but¡­¡­¡­¡± Oh, don¡¯t get me wrong. I think Flowtier¡¯s an amazing place to be. But besides the Adventurers News that the Church publishes, I don¡¯t get information about other Adventurers much. Usually, other Adventurers from other towns would visit, and I would get information from them in the form of rumors¡­¡­¡­.but that¡¯s for a normal town. There¡¯s not a whole lot of opportunities like that in Flowtier. Jend: ¡°Well, if it¡¯s like that, I can talk to him. I have a lot of questions for Brother Ashley too about his Adventurers.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡± After that, we chatted some more about this and that. And that day, we parted ways. CH 91 Chapter 91: The Senior Disciple Part 2 After I heard Jend¡¯s Senior came back to Flowtier, it was the night hours of the next day. 3 visitors who looked like Adventurers came to the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. Among the three, one carried a large broadsword similar to Jend, and I recognized who they were. Among the drunks at the dining hall of the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn, Lana who finished her work at the kitchen immediately went to greet them. I was coincidentally drinking at a nearby table, so I decided to listen in on their conversation. ¡°Oh©` pardon us for coming in so late. We''re looking for a room to stay tonight, but are there any available?¡± Lana: ¡°Yes! We do have availability. Is it for 3 people? And will you be staying in separate rooms or the same?¡± ¡°We can stay in the same room, right?¡± The man with the large broadsword seems to be the leader of the group, and the two behind him nod in acknowledgement. Lana: ¡°If that¡¯s the case, a 3 person room will be 900 zeniths per night. If you are staying for longer than 3 nights, we can give you a discount. How many nights will you be staying?¡± ¡°Oh uh©`¡± The man with the large broadsword seems to be looking this way and that as he thinks. He tapped his foot restlessly as he contemplated nervously. And after thinking about it for a while, he cautiously and carefully spoke up. ¡°..........could we rent the 3 person room for 1 week?¡± And with those words the man who looked like a Magecraft Spellcaster let out a sigh of disappointment. With a knowing look, he approached the man with the large broadsword to speak with him. ¡°Ashley, you have family here right? I understand that it¡¯s a little too late to visit tonight, but from tomorrow on, you can stay with them, right?¡± Ashley: ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound so easy, Forte. I didn¡¯t contact them for 6 years. My old man¡¯s going to pulverize me, and my mom¡¯s going to be crying the entire time.¡± Forte: ¡°Well, that¡¯s your fault for being so neglectful. You let them know by a letter already, right? Just give it up and face the consequences.¡± The man called Forte continued lecturing, and Ashley held his head down in shame. ¡­¡­.oh yeah¡­...um¡­¡­.now that I hear it again, he was definitely not being mindful of his parents'' feelings. But he did runaway from home as a kid, and he just worked hard like crazy after that, so by the time he learned some common sense, he hadn¡¯t communicated with his family in years¡­¡­..and you¡¯ll see Adventurers like that every once in a while. For those who make Adventuring a living, they all seem to have a similar tendency in their personality. He would fit right in at Ligaleo. Lana: ¡°Ummmm, sir?¡± ¡°Sorry about that, Miss. Tonight, we¡¯ll stay in a 3-person room, and from tomorrow on, it¡¯ll be a 2-person room for 6 nights, please.¡± Ashley: ¡°H©`Hey, Paul!¡± The last member spoke to Lana, and Ashley lets out a yell of protest. But Forte held him back with a, ¡°This is for your own good.¡± Lana overheard most of the conversation, so after thinking about it for a bit¡­.. Lana: ¡°Ummm, okay. I understand. It¡¯ll be a 3-person room tonight, and from tomorrow, it¡¯ll be a 2-person room for 6 nights, correct?¡± Paul: ¡°Yeah, and one more thing. The food and drinks look amazing here. After we set our luggage down in our rooms, we¡¯d like to have a meal. Could you reserve a table for us?¡± Paul talked very smoothly¡­¡­.but after hearing that, I raised my hand. Henry: ¡°Hey, if you three want, there¡¯s room at this table.¡± Ashley: ¡°? Huh? Oh, yeah.¡± Ashley is a little confused at the sudden offer. Oh crap, I think I rushed things a little too fast. I was trying to figure out a good time to approach those 3, and my mouth ran on its own first. Henry: ¡°Oh©` sorry, sorry. You¡¯re Ashley, right? I think you know Jend from around here, right? I¡¯m one of his Party members, and we heard about you.¡± Ashley: ¡°Oh, I see. So Jend became an Adventurer too ©`©` wait, you¡¯re a Heroic Warrior! Why is a Heroic Warrior this far back in the country¡­¡­.? Were there any hunting grounds for guys like you around here?¡± There is the Altohern Upper-Regions, but you need explicit permission from the Governor, and it¡¯s a hunting area that¡¯s not well known even among the citizens here. From Ashley¡¯s words, he¡¯s just confirming my suspicions that not many local civilians really know about that place. ¡­¡­.besides, there¡¯s only 3 parties that are currently going there right now. So with that, if you ask why a Heroic Warrior is here¡­¡­..it¡¯s a difficult question for me to answer regardless. And in the end, I ended up having to work pretty hard anyways. But it¡¯s hard to explain my initial motivations for coming here, and no matter how you look at it, compared to the frontlines, it¡¯s definitely lukewarm here¡­¡­ Henry: ¡°W©`Well, don¡¯t worry about that. Here, it¡¯ll be my treat, and I¡¯ll order you guys some stuff, so go take care of your luggage first.¡± I try to laugh it off to avoid the subject and sent the three on their way. <<<<>>>> The Swordsman Ashley, the Magecraft Caster Forte, and the Scout Paul. They compose the Party [Brilliant Swords] who are currently based in one of Alvenia Kingdom¡¯s 4 cities, the one closest to Ligaleo, Southgaia. As Adventurers, they are pretty skillful, and they mainly target Upper-Tier Demonic Creatures that sneak past Ligaleo. ¡­¡­¡­.and they introduce themselves, and I introduce my name, general combat style, and most recent Adventuring history. By that time, the food orders came in. Henry: ¡°Then let¡¯s toast.¡± Ashley: ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s. Cheers to meeting the Heroic Warrior, Henry, tonight.¡± Henry: ¡°To a new tie with the [Brilliant Swords], cheers.¡± And I toast and drink the Flowtier Ale in a large beer mug with the 3. Before the Brilliant Swords came, I had drank quite a bit already, but I¡¯ll drink down my ale. ¡­¡­¡­..yeah, doing a toast always makes the following drink more enjoyable. Ashley: ¡°(FWEW).....ahhhhh, it¡¯s so good. I didn¡¯t drink while I was here, but the ale was this good this entire time.¡± Ashley gets a taste of the Flowtier Ale, and slowly savors the taste. Henry: ¡°But if you¡¯re in Southgaia, I¡¯m sure you could have drank it there.¡± The Flowtier Ale is a popular brand almost anywhere, and even if it¡¯s a slightly more expensive drink, most people have a taste at least once. Paul: ¡°This guys was purposefully avoiding it. He said it would remind him of home too much.¡± Ashley: ¡°Shut up, Paul.¡± Paul: ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with people knowing.¡± Paul chuckled and grinned to himself as he ordered another drink for himself. And Ashley also followed as did I. Forte was slower to finish and was savoring each and every sip as if he was analyzing every taste. And that Forte looked up with an exasperated look and spoke. Forte: ¡°We had to work so hard to finally convince him to come here. Sheesh, our Leader can be such a pain.¡± Ashely: ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon, Forte¡­¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Haha¡­¡­.but Jend was happy to hear the news. If they didn¡¯t, they might have presumed that you died somewhere.¡± The number of children that die after trying to become Adventurers is not a low. If you don¡¯t hear from them, you would typically have to brace yourself for the worst case scenario. Ashley: ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡­...yeah, no. I do feel bad about that.¡± Ashley didn¡¯t have much to retort on that point, and muffled his words as he mumbled to himself. Well, I think it¡¯ll be good for him to get a good scolding. Unlike me, he at least still has people that can get mad at him¡­¡­¡­...but I¡¯m getting too emotional. It¡¯s probably the alcohol talking. Ashley: ¡°But Mr. Henry, you said that you¡¯ll pay, but¡­¡­..is that really okay?¡± Henry: ¡°Ashley, and you two as well, you can just call me Henry. We¡¯re only 2 or 3 years apart. ¡­¡­..and as far as tonight being my treat, I wanted to get some information about Southgaia and Ligaleo, so it¡¯s payment for that.¡± Southgaia is where all the import goods to Ligaleo is collected. And because of that, there are many Adventurers active in that area. I can gather good, recent information from them. A little while ago, when I went to go see Yuu, I could have asked her, but¡­¡­...she¡¯s a Healer, so because of her role, she doesn¡¯t interact with other Adventurers under ordinary circumstances, and she¡¯s not as informed because of that. What about Ageha? My head is not so empty that I would take her seriously outside of directly during an expedition. Ashley: ¡°I see. If that¡¯s the case¡­¡­.Forte?¡± Forte: ¡°Yeah, if that¡¯s the case, Henry, I can share the info with you.¡± Forte, who was wearing enhanced, hardened glasses that were very suitable for a Magecraft Caster, took out a memo book from his inside pocket and began sharing a lot of information with me. ¡­¡­..yeah, I guess he does seem like the intelligent type. All the information he¡¯s sharing is summarized to the most important points, and even with a body full of ale, I¡¯m still able to process it. Henry: ¡°Oh yeah, about Yu¡­...no, I mean, do you know how the Saint of Salvation is doing? I thought she came back to the backlines and recently went back to the frontlines again.¡± Forte: ¡°I heard that she¡¯s very active in her role. Apparently, more active and energetic than before the incident.¡± Okay, that¡¯s good to hear. Ashley: ¡°Are you acquaintances with Lady Eustacia, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I met her when we were kids. I told you that I was at Ligaleo before I came here, right? If you¡¯re an Adventurer and a vanguard, you¡¯ll get to see her once or twice.¡± In my case, it was definitely more than once or twice though. But I probably shouldn¡¯t share info like that with people I just met. Yuu was worried about people from her hometown getting abducted, and even if that¡¯s a higher possibility, there¡¯s no guarantee that they won¡¯t come after me either. Plus, it¡¯ll be troublesome if they started asking me to introduce her to them or something. Paul: ¡°Really? Isn¡¯t Lady Eustacia a real beauty? I¡¯m envious that you got to know her.¡± Henry: ¡°.....yeah©`?¡± With Paul¡¯s words, I just nod without agreeing or disagreeing. Paul: ¡°Well, for myself, rather than dream of getting a girl like that, I prefer to be more realistic with the girls around us. From what I can tell, it looks like there¡¯s a lot of beautiful women here. Henry, could you tell me where the brothels are located?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine.¡± With Paul¡¯s request, I tell him about where he can go to find those kinds of businesses. Since I came here, I¡¯ve only gone a handful of times, and I haven¡¯t gone at all recently. As you get along with Adventurers, you also get that kind of information pretty readily. I told them about a few particular stores that were recommended to me. Lana: ¡°Okay, Mr. Henry. Here¡¯s your refill. ¡­¡­.and I did overhear you talking just now, but I''ll keep it a secret from Miss Cyril, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Henry: ¡°Wai ©` Lana? I only related information that I heard from others!¡± Lana, who brought my ale refill, nodded with a, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I understand¡± but she definitely misunderstood!¡± But Lana heads over to the next customer asking for her, and she couldn¡¯t hear my excuses. Henry: ¡°Ugh©` dangit.¡± Ashley: ¡°Haha, you¡¯re really close to the girl that works here. Have you been here long?¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯ve been here for more than half a year now. It¡¯s a really good inn.¡± As I answer the question, Ashley thinks about it and¡­.. Ashley: ¡°W©`Well, if it¡¯s that great of an inn, what do you think? Don¡¯t you think I should stay here instead?¡± Forte: ¡°Drop the subject.¡± Paul: ¡°If you keep spitting more nonsense, we¡¯ll just tie you up and leave you in front of your parents¡¯ house.¡± His two companions glare threateningly at him, and Ashley let¡¯s out a worried (SIGH¡«¡«¡«) and drank down the rest of the ale in his mug. CH 92 Chapter 92: The Senior Disciple Part 3 It was the morning after I drank all night with the Adventurer¡¯s Party [The Brilliant Swords]. At dawn¡¯s first light, Ashley¡¯s companions held him in between their arms and escorted him back to his family by force. After watching them go, I enjoyed the rest of the morning in leisure rest. I was invited later by Ashley who had some noticeable bruises, and we both headed to Jend¡¯s house. Ashley: ¡°Fwew¡­¡­..¡± Jend: ¡°Hm.¡± Ashley and Jend face each other with large broadswords in hand. Though he must¡¯ve been very busy, Mr. Ricardo made time for his former disciple, and as he watched both students raise their spirits to their peak, he raised his voice. Ricard: ¡°BEGIN!¡± Jend was the first to step forward and charge. He manipulated his broadsword well, and with a compact swing, he delivered a powerful strike. Ashley took a step back and parried, and before Jend¡¯s sword returned, he thrust forward with his sword. Jend dodges that, but his skin gets slightly burned from the flames that surrounded the broadsword. Jend: ¡°.......ow!¡± Pain colors Jend¡¯s expression for a brief moment, but he immediately goes into his counter. The two attacked and defended without giving their opponent much leeway. But gradually, from a poorly timed Jend¡¯s attack, Ashley began gaining the advantage. Ashley: ¡°Fuh!¡± (exhale) Jend: ¡°AGH?!¡± At the end, Ashley rammed his body into Jend to knock him over, and pointed his sword at Jend¡¯s face and the fight was over. Ricardo: ¡°That is the match!¡± Mr. Ricardo signals the end of the fight. Ashley held his sword and gaze onto Jend till the very end, but with that, let out a huge exhale and relaxed his shoulders. He reached out to take a hold of Jend¡¯s hand and smiled a little smugly. Ashley: ¡°Here, up you go. Now that would make it 5 Wins and 3 Losses¡­¡­..I didn¡¯t think you would take those other 2 fights, but I guess I was able to uphold my seniority as Master¡¯s disciple.¡± Jend: ¡°Ergh, I thought just maybe, I could actually beat you¡­.¡± Ashley: ¡°You¡¯ve gotten good, but not that good.¡± Ashley punches Jend lightly in the arm, and Jend seems a little happy. It¡¯s been a while since he met his senior that¡¯s like an older brother to him. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s happy to have Ashley come back. Ferry: ¡°Hey you two, you¡¯re both covered in burns. Here, come over here.¡± As their match ends, Ferris who was on standby immediately gets up and walks over towards the two. The two were careful to make sure to avoid any critical hits, but it was a fight against two first-rate swordsmen of the Single Blade of the Fire God. Both have some resistance to fire, but there¡¯s no avoiding getting some light burns everywhere. Jend: ¡°Yeah, thanks Ferris.¡± Ashley: ¡°Umm©`, so¡­..thanks, Ferris.¡± Jend is used to it, and responds as he normally does whereas Ashley didn¡¯t seem to quite know how to respond. It¡¯s his junior disciple¡¯s girlfriend¡­¡­..yeah, it¡¯ll be hard to know how to talk to her for sure. Ricardo: ¡°Good fight, you two. Especially Ashley. I haven¡¯t seen your skills in a while, but you have trained really well.¡± Ashley: ¡°Yes, thank you very much, Master!¡± Ashley immediately straightens his back and stands up straight and gives his gratitude towards his Master. ¡­¡­¡­..I guess it¡¯s the way of the Single Blade of the Fire God Style. Each Martial Arts group has their own distinct atmosphere and culture. And Mr. Ricardo smiles warmly as he places a hand on Ashley¡¯s shoulder. Ricardo: ¡°Even so¡­¡­.although you have gotten stronger, do you not think your swings are a little too crooked now? You must have ignored practicing the most basic forms.¡± Ashley: ¡°Y©`Yes sir¡­¡­¡± Ricardo: ¡°Oh, do not be so intimidated. We will address that issue immediately. ¡­¡­.it¡¯s for my dearest disciple¡¯s sake. Let¡¯s do a few thousand¡­..no, tens of thousands of basic form practice. I will do my best to instruct you till the end.¡± Hearing the number, Ashley instantly turned to stone. ¡­¡­¡­.I can sense some bit of strength in how Mr. Ricardo is gripping Ashley¡¯s shoulder. And Mr. Ricardo¡¯s smile suddenly disappears as he looks sternly at Ashley. Ricardo: ¡°......what happened to your reply, Ashley.¡± Ashley: ¡°Y©`Yes! Thank you very much, sir!¡± Holy, Mr. Ricardo¡¯s voice was ice cold just now. Ashley must have had the fear ingrained, and his voice rose an octave when he replied just now. Henry: ¡°Jend, is Mr. Ricardo¡­...angry perhaps?¡± Jend: ¡°..........well, Brother Ashley did leave during the time when he should have progressed his skills the most. And he did it without speaking to Master about it.¡± Oh¡­¡­ ¡­¡­...yeah, can¡¯t back you up there. Just like what happened with your family, you¡¯ll just have to endure what¡¯s coming here. Ricardo: ¡°Well then, Ashley. From tomorrow on, come over to my house during the mornings. If it is just basic form training, you can do that in my yard.¡± Ashley: ¡°Oh, b©`but Master, since you¡¯re so busy¡­..¡± Ricardo: ¡°Do not concern yourself with that. In fact, my subordinates were worried that I was pushing myself too hard lately, so it is a good time to request a few days of leave. Besides, I¡¯m almost retiring. It will be good to observe how they will handle themselves without me.¡± Mr. Ricardo shreds Ashley¡¯s argument within seconds. As Ashley recoils in fear, Mr. Ricardo suddenly relaxes, and starts ruffling Ashley¡¯s hair as he would a child. Ricardo: ¡°......welcome back, Ashley. I¡¯m glad to see you alive and well.¡± Ashley: ¡°.......yes. Thank you, Master.¡± Ricardo: ¡°I am interested in meeting your friends. While you are in Flowtier, if the opportunity arises, invite them over. I will welcome them with my wife¡¯s cooking and good liquor.¡± And with that, Mr. Ricardo turns around to walk away. Ricardo: ¡°Ah, Jend. Forgive my intrusion. I¡¯m sure you both have much to catch up on. It¡¯ll be difficult for both of you if I remain here, so I¡¯ll excuse myself today.¡± Jend: ¡°Sir, thank you for coming over to observe our match today!¡± With a nod, Mr. Ricardo left Jend¡¯s house¡¯s yard. And Ashley held his head bowed down as they both watched their Master depart. Jend: ¡°Brother Ashely, good luck starting tomorrow.¡± Ashley: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll try not to embarrass myself too much and do my best.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­.so young¡­¡­ Ferris seemed to want to talk with Ashley, but she had a Quest Appointment already scheduled from a while back, and as soon as the match was over, she had to leave. So in Jend¡¯s room, it¡¯s just me, him, and Ashley ©` just a bunch of men around a table. But it¡¯s still midday so instead of alcohol, we drank tea and were talking about this and that. With this kind of group, the stories naturally transition to our past expeditions and adventures. Jend: ¡°Brother Ashley¡¯s base is Southgaia, huh. You were actually pretty close to where Henry was then.¡± Ashley: ¡°Yeah, apparently, it was just a regular town a long time ago. Since the war started with the Demon King¡¯s Army, it¡¯s pretty chaotic with all the Demonic Creatures that slip past Ligaleo. But I make quite a bit because of that too.¡± If you look at this continent, if you REALLY simplify its shape, you can sort of see a Sand Timer shape. The top half is the 3 Kingdoms of man, and the lower half is the mostly desert plains and encompasses all of the Demon King¡¯s territory. And Ligaleo sits smack dab in the middle ©`©` it is in an area known as the Isthmus of Bifrost. Because of the geography, it¡¯s a relatively easy location to defend and set up defenses. ¡­¡­¡­..but there are Demonic Creatures that can cross the seas. If they fly overhead during the night, it is difficult to stop all of them. So naturally, the further south you go on the northern parts of the continent, the more you will encounter tragedies and damages from Demonic Creature attacks. It¡¯s unrelated, but long ago, the Isthmus of Bifrost used to have many smaller countries scattered throughout it. My home country, the Fezard Kingdom, was in the northern parts of the southern regions of the human territories. Henry: ¡°If we had better Magecraft barriers, we wouldn¡¯t let so many get past but¡­..¡± Ashley: ¡°Oh no no no. We can¡¯t thank the Adventurers in Ligaleo enough. I went on a few Quests as an escort, but you guys don¡¯t get a break day or night.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­..yup, that¡¯s true. But you¡¯ll get used to it after 2 months. The Church is very active in structuring the roles, so you don¡¯t have to worry about things that are not delegated to you¡­..or it¡¯s easier if you think of it that way. Jend: ¡°Wow, so Brother Ashley¡¯s been to Ligaleo too. Apparently, Henry was pretty famous there at Ligaleo, but have you ever heard of any rumors?¡± Ashley: ¡°.....now that you mention it, I think I have heard some rumors.¡± Ashley places a hand on his chin and thinks deeply as he tries to remember. He seems to be digging through his memory. But there are many people named Henry, so it¡¯s more likely that he¡¯ll mistake me for someone else. Yup, my fame in the Adventuring circles is about this level. I¡¯m not a Hero of Legend, so compared to other famous Adventures, my stories are not as exciting. ¡­¡­¡­...but at the same time, the people that were around me were too amazing and in comparison, I just looked plain, which might be some of the reason. Henry: ¡°Oh, but besides that, Ashley. What kind of tactics do you guys use again Demonic Creatures?¡± Ashley: ¡°Us? Well, we¡¯re a typical Party that prefers direct fights¡­¡­.we try to avoid really annoying enemies, so we target beast-type Demonic Creatures the most.¡± Depending on your Party Member, your combination and skills, you¡¯ll target different kinds of Demonic creatures. You will most frequently encounter the kinds of Demonic Creatures that looks like they evolved from existing animals, and in general, they are easier to handle. On the other hand, the most unpopular Demonic Creatures are the intangible-type Demonic Creatures. They¡¯ll ignore walls and obstacles, and in general, they float in the air, and if you don¡¯t pour enough Magic Power into your attack, it won¡¯t damage them. The Snow Queen you encounter on the Altohern Mountain can be a difficult enemy on that note. Ashley: ¡°Just recently, we took out an Upper-Tier, Upper-Class Chimera.¡± Henry: ¡°...........would that count as a Beast-Type?¡± Ashley: ¡°You can argue that it¡¯s definitely LIKE a beast.¡± I¡¯m of the opinion that any Demonic Creatures that are a mash-up of different animals should be considered separately from other Beast-Types. The Griffon is a good example. And there are scholars who argue about this and split their opinion. Ashley: ¡°Oh yeah, so what do you and Jend hunt as a Party? Since you have a Heroic Warrior like Henry, is it the Griffon?¡± Jend: ¡°Nope, Brother Ashley. We¡¯re actually exploring the Altohern region now.¡± Ashley: ¡°What? That mountain?¡± Ashley seems to be taken back by the news. That¡¯s how much anyone who grew up in Flowtier knows to avoid that place. They seemed to be very adamant about teaching the children that only soldiers can go near that mountain. Jend: ¡°Yeah, you actually need permission from the Governor to do it. There¡¯s Ogres in the mid-region, and in the upper-regions, you¡¯ll see some Giants.¡± Ashley: ¡°There¡¯s Upper-Tier, Upper-Class too¡­..? I¡¯m surprised that this town has been so peaceful all this time.¡± Jend: ¡°They say the Giants are smart enough to underestimate people¡­.or something like that.¡± ¡­¡­..during the Flower Festival, if Ms. Lotte didn¡¯t come by and take out that Fenrir, there was a good chance that this town would not have remained so peaceful but¡­¡­ But they plan to keep this news to themselves for a while, so we don¡¯t mention it. Jend: ¡°And in order for us to be able to challenge the Upper-Region¡­¡± Here, Jend explains our newest hunting tactics to Ashely. I act as bait and lure a few Giants and Snow Queens, and we surround them and beat them up. That reminds me¡­..I heard there¡¯s an Ice Dragon in the Upper-Region, so I¡¯d like to fight one soon. Ashley: ¡°......that¡¯s quite the tactic¡­¡­..¡± Ashley listened to Jend¡¯s explanation, and he was half impressed and half flabbergasted. He¡¯s probably impressed with our opponents¡­¡­..but not the way we rely on one person to go in and draw them out. Jend: ¡°Um¡­¡­...yeah, sure, we know that we¡¯re putting Henry in a hard position but¡­.¡± Ashley: ¡°Yeah, I can imagine. As your senior, I only have gratitude for Henry but¡­¡­..Henry, you¡¯re not pushing yourself too hard, right?¡± I nod to Ashley¡¯s question. Henry: ¡°I¡¯m making sure to keep my safety margins. If it comes down to it, I¡¯ll lose some money, but I have ability enhancing potions to get me out of there.¡± Ashley: ¡°So you¡¯re way above the average Adventurer that I should be worried about.¡± But I do appreciate the concern regardless. Jend: ¡°Brother Ashley, I like Henry¡¯s stories too, but tell us more about what you¡¯ve been doing.¡± Ashley: ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind. So I guess I¡¯ll start from when I first left Flowtier¡­¡­¡± And Ashley begins his tale of how he moved up in the world. It was an amazing, heroic tale that you could use to write a play or novel, and it was entertaining to listen to. ¡­¡­¡­.I wonder if he¡¯s embellishing it a bit¡­¡­ CH 93 Chapter 93: Training and Practice Ashley: ¡°Fuh, fuh, fuh!¡± (sfx exhale) Ricardo: ¡°Ashley! Your step-in is getting lazy! And you need to watch your sword as you swing back up and not just down!¡± Ashley: ¡°Yes!¡± Ashley responds heartily to Mr. Ricardo¡¯s criticisms. As I watched this as I glanced to the side, I was practicing my basic forms with a spear. And Jend was training next to me. We were at Mr. Ricardo¡¯s house. Since he is the head of the City Military, his house is equally very impressive. Inside the yard of the large house, the three of us continued to swing our weapons. ¡­¡­¡­.so¡­...yesterday, we were drinking tea and talking, but it seamlessly transitioned into drinking, and we spent the night at Jend¡¯s as a result. The next morning, Jend suddenly came to realize.. Though Mr. Ricardo is very busy year-round, if he is giving private lessons to Ashley¡­¡­..then couldn¡¯t he also join Ashley in the training too? And I also joined Jend on his line of thinking. I¡¯m not one of Mr. Ricardo¡¯s pupils, but I thought it would increase the competition and morale if there was someone they were competing against. Since I haven¡¯t seriously done any intense training lately, this would be a great opportunity. So that¡¯s why I returned to the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn just to get dressed, and I joined the other two at Mr. Ricardo¡¯s yard. Since I¡¯m half-retired, I do feel like I¡¯ve been more than I should lately¡­¡­..and it¡¯s definitely not because while we were with Yuu, I lost to Ageha in our training matches¡­...definitely not¡­...really, that has nothing to do with this. Ricardo: ¡°Ashley, keep that grip on your sword firm! Jend, keep your form more compact!¡± ¡° ¡° YES! ¡± ¡± With Mr. Ricardo¡¯s directions and teachings, the two are barely but still noticeably improving each sword swing. I¡¯m envious of them having an instructor. Up until I was 12, I was training and learning in the Fezard Knights Organization, but after the Demon King¡¯s Armies destroyed my homeland, I¡¯ve been doing mostly self-study. Occa¡«sionally, I would put in Requests for training from other Adventurers who are spear-users or train with Sir Ezeal who can pretty much use any kind of weapon and would share our experiences with other spear-users¡­¡­¡­.but without a doubt, having a proper Master is much more convenient. Ricardo: ¡°................¡± Henry: ¡°.........Mr. Ricardo?¡± Ricardo: ¡°Mr. Henry, spears are outside my expertise, but I believe a thrust should be more like¡­.¡± And Mr. Ricardo shows a quick example. I said quick, but his step-in and arm movements were refined and elegant. I burn the image into my mind, and slowly prepare my breathing. Henry: ¡°Hah!!¡± (sfx exhale/shout) I copy Mr. Ricardo¡¯s movements and thrust my spear forward. I could definitely use more practice but¡­¡­..I see. Henry: ¡°.........you are definitely being too humble to say spears are outside of your expertise.¡± Ricardo: ¡°I have not used it much, but when I was journeying around the country to become stronger, I have fought many spear-users and have much experience there.¡± Wait, journeyed around the country? Well, I heard of people who do that, but¡­..it¡¯s different when you actually meet someone who did¡­¡­. Henry: ¡°Did you go around different Martial Arts Dojos?¡± The Alvenia Kingdom prides themselves in their well established Martial Arts expertise, and in almost every town, there is some sort of Martial Arts Dojo. The Eastflair area has a much more denser concentration and quality, but there are many Dojos in other towns that are renown or well known. Ricardo: ¡°Haha, well, I wouldn¡¯t go around smashing them to the ground, but I politely asked for a match, and they would usually accept. ¡­¡­...well, I was very young those days, so I may have provoked one or two matches with a few choice words.¡± Mr. Ricardo laughs and shrugs¡­¡­..but only people who have done this more than one or two times responds like this. Especially after watching Ashley get intimidated, I can easily imagine now that Mr. Ricardo may have been quite rough on the edges when he was younger. Ricardo: ¡°Well, this is a wonderful opportunity to have you train with us. If there is anything I notice, I will gladly give you my perspective.¡± Henry: ¡°........thank you very much.¡± I bow politely to him. ¡­¡­..okay, let¡¯s get to work. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°(exhale).........(exhale)..........¡± From seven o¡¯clock this morning, I¡¯ve been swinging my spear for 5 hours now. This time, I didn¡¯t use any {Physical Enhancements} so that I can identify mistakes in my form more easily, and now I could barely move my arms. It¡¯s been a while since I trained this hard. Now, in this condition, I allow Magic Power to flow through, and under physical exhaustion, I confirm my form and movements once again. Depending on how much you can move when you are exhausted will determine your life and death in critical situations. I poured my will into my body as it tried to sluggishly resist the movement and swung my spear all the way down. Because I am out of breath, I can see that my movements are rough and clumsy. But even if I¡¯m tired, I can¡¯t forget the basics¡­¡­ Henry: ¡°Sei©`!¡± (sfx exhale/shout) Good! Ashley: ¡°H©`Henry¡­...you still have that much energy? I¡­..I can¡¯t move anymore¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, you¡¯ve been to Ligaleo so you may already know, but over there¡­¡­.we sometimes had to fight 3 days and 3 nights non-stop.¡± Of course, we couldn¡¯t have fought non-stop all that time, but there were times when I found a large rock to hide behind and tried to catch my breath by closing my eyes and meditating during the middle of battle. Those were some crazy, risky times. ¡­¡­..if the Magecraft Artifact Barriers that are engraved into the City Walls worked better, we would never be in a situation like that, but with the corrupted Magic being so thick on the frontlines, the effect of the barriers are equally weakened. That¡¯s why we would be put in difficult situations like that. Jend: ¡°That¡­¡­.sounds like hell.¡± Henry: ¡°Jend, it¡¯s the place you¡¯re wanting to go, remember?¡± Jend who was equally tired as Ashley is lying on the ground as he makes a comment. I know we¡¯ve spoken about this a few times in the past. Ashley: ¡°Jend, you want to go to Ligaleo?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, what about you, Brother Ashley?¡± Ashley: ¡°I would consider it if I was a little stronger, but honestly, I¡¯m starting to feel my limits as far as how much stronger I could get¡­¡­¡± Ashley mumbles those last words. ¡­¡­¡­.and I can understand his feelings. When I was 16, 17, I began to see my limits with my own Spear Skills. But I couldn¡¯t give up there because of my goal, and I worked to find a way and poured my everything into it. When I couldn¡¯t improve my Spear Skills, I began learning Magecraft. When I reached my limit with Magecraft, I learned to use Magecraft tools and items. And when I felt that my physical abilities were too low, I began using Ability Enhancing Potions. ¡­¡­¡­.and because using those potions is bad for you, Yuu learned the Physical Enhancement Magecraft Spell. And even with all that, all I could do was support Sir Ezeal with his fight against Gilverte. ¡­¡­¡­..wow¡­¡­.how nostalgic. Ricardo: ¡°If you have the energy to talk, end your break, and restart your training. Go at your fullest might for the last 30 minutes!¡± Ashley: ¡°Y©`Yes!¡± Jend: ¡°Understood!¡± Mr. Ricardo raised his voice, and the two disciples hurriedly got back up. As he watched the sword swings and forms, Ricardo turned to Ashley and said¡­ Ricardo: ¡°Ashley. You shouldn¡¯t set such limits at your age. You can cry about your lack of strength once you¡¯ve swung the sword to your limit.¡± Ashley: ¡°........yes.¡± Ricardo: ¡°Besides, just with this half-day, you should have felt yourself improve. I wish you would at least acknowledge that.¡± Oh©` that is true. Although they should be tired, Ashley¡¯s form and swing has significantly improved compared to the beginning of this training. The parts that were self-taught were now refined, and he is now definitely moving a level or two higher now. Ashley: ¡°Do you really think so?¡± Ricardo: ¡°Yes. All that is left to do is engrave those forms into your body. ¡­¡­¡­.which means you better show up every day after tomorrow.¡± Ashley: ¡°O©`Of course.¡± Jend: ¡°Brother Ashley, I¡¯ll be here too. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Ashley seems pretty tired after just today, but after Mr. Ricardo pressed the point, he had to nod his head in agreement. And if his junior is showing up, there¡¯s no way the senior disciple would not show up if he wanted to save face. ¡­¡­¡­..good luck©` I¡¯m not a disciple, so showing up everyday might be too much of a burden. I¡¯ll just cheer you guys on from afar. Ricardo: ¡°Oh yes, yes. Mr. Henry. If you are here, the other two seem to be much more motivated. If it is okay with you, could you also join us starting tomorrow?¡± Henry: ¡°........yes, thank you very much.¡± Honestly, I think he¡¯s being way too considerate but¡­.. ¡­¡­.still, it¡¯s good to have Mr. Ricardo look over my moves. I will happily join the guys in training then. And with that, we were just about to end our last full burst of training swings when¡­. ¡°Excuse me©`¡± And we heard a voice from Mr. Ricardo¡¯s gate entrance. Apparently, he has guests¡­..or rather¡­.. Ricardo: ¡°Oh, is this Miss Cyril¡¯s voice?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, I believe so¡­¡­..fwew©`¡± I try to catch my breath while I speak to Mr. Ricardo. Cyril: ¡°Oh, I hear voices over here¡­¡­¡± And with light steps, Cyril comes around from the gate to the backyard area. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Henry. There you are.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey.¡± I raise my hand to answer. Ricardo: ¡°Is anything the matter, Miss Cyril? Did you have a message for me from the Governor?¡± Cyril: ¡°Ohhh, no, it¡¯s nothing like that. I went to the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn for lunch, and I didn¡¯t see Henry there for once, so when I asked Lana, she told me that he was training at your house. So I¡¯m here now.¡± And because she was pretty much treated as the Governor¡¯s younger sister, she was acquainted with Mr. Ricardo. But¡­.. Henry: ¡°Wait, Cyril. But still, why are you here?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because today, Miss Cyril is feeling the need to be attended by Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°.........I didn¡¯t promise nothing did I?¡± Cyril: ¡°Nope, but I knew you wouldn¡¯t have anything else to do¡­...well, today, I was wrong about that.¡± Argh, she¡¯s being herself as usual! Ricardo: ¡°Hahaha, it¡¯s good to see you two get along.¡± And Mr. Ricardo barks out a laugh at the sight. Cyril: ¡°So¡­...Henry, Mr. Ricardo, what happened to those two?¡± Ricardo: ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t concern yourself. They are just some incompetent pupils that couldn¡¯t even swing their swords for 5 hours without tiring out.¡± Cyril points at the two who are sitting with their backs against one another and trying their best to catch their breath, and Mr. Ricardo responds a little critically. Well, they were both already tired out when they were forced to do a last effort to swing their sword to the fullest. It looks like the last part completely squeezed out every drop of energy they had left. Ashley: ¡°Hm¡­¡­.? Oh, it¡¯s Cyril.¡± Cyril: ¡°Mr. Ashley, good to see you.¡± Although she said she didn¡¯t remember him much, they both knew each other¡¯s faces, and greeted one another. Ashley was completely out of breath, but he did some deep breaths two or three times and managed to stand up. Ashley: ¡°Fwew¡­¡­..well, it¡¯s been a while. The last time I saw you, you were still just a kid, but you¡¯ve gotten so pretty.¡± Cyril: ¡°Thank you so much! See, Henry?! This is what I¡¯m talking about!¡± And with delighted enthusiasm, Cyril turned to me as if to make a point. ¡­¡­...I mean, I do give her compliments occasionally, but apparently, those didn¡¯t count. Henry: ¡°Sure, sure. Yes, you¡¯re pretty¡­¡­...now you satisfied?¡± Cyril: ¡°Errrgghhhh©`¡± Cyril is not as she puffs out a breath through her nose. And seeing Cyril, Ashley realized something. Ashley: ¡°.......oh, Cyril. Are you an Adventurer too now? That tag¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? Did that never come up when we talked yesterday?¡± I guess we didn¡¯t really talk about my current Party members now that I think about it. Ashley: ¡°Yeah¡­...so¡­..um, are you okay? The kid I knew back then was¡­...pretty laid back.¡± Ashley is careful in selecting his words¡­¡­..but he probably meant that she was pretty clumsy as a kid. Cyril: ¡°Yes, I am completely fine. My Magic is something else, you know.¡± Ashley: ¡°A Magician? That¡¯s rare.¡± Though it does take some time, she can use some Magic that is effective against the Highest-Tier. But we can¡¯t talk about the incident with the Fenrir, so I keep my mouth shut. Ricardo: ¡°Okay, you three. I know you want to talk, but first get that sweat washed off. You shouldn¡¯t present yourselves like that before a lady.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.oh yeah, we are completely drenched in sweat. Although Cyril has been around us like this since she¡¯s in our Party, I do understand what Mr. Ricardo is trying to say. Henry: ¡°Okay then. Cyril, I don¡¯t mind hanging out, but just wait a bit while I clean up.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ye¡«s¡± I drag Jend on the ground who still hasn¡¯t caught his breath and head to the well that¡¯s in the back of Mr. Ricardo¡¯s house. Ashley: ¡°Hey Henry. Are you and Cyril going out?¡± Henry: ¡°No, not yet.¡± Ashley: ¡°Not yet? I see, tell me more.¡± And on the way, Ashley suddenly displayed a sudden interest, and I did everything I could to dodge the question¡­.. ¡­¡­...and with all that considered, it was a great day of training. CH 94 Chapter 94: Ashley¡¯s Friends Paul: :Two Pair.¡± Forte: ¡°Nothin¡¯.¡± Henry: ¡°.......Full House.¡± We lay out our cards on the table. With my hand, I win the round, and I take the chips placed on top of the table. Paul: ¡°Dang©` Completely lost that one. Let¡¯s go another round.¡± Forte: ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡± It is in the late afternoon at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn, and I am playing cards with Ashley¡¯s buddies ©` Paul and Forte. These two are staying at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn, and we¡¯ve become pretty good friends. They just got done visiting all the touristy spots, and because they had nothing else to do, I was hanging out with them but¡­¡­ Henry: ¡°.......strange¡­¡­.even though the odds have been good, why are my chips¡­¡­.¡± I won the last round and gained some chips, but my 20 chips are now just 5. ¡­¡­...if I didn¡¯t win that last round, it would have been game over for me. Forte: ¡°Henry, you¡¯re too easy to read. You raise when you have a good hand, and you drop out as soon as you see a weak hand. You need to learn how to bluff.¡± Paul: ¡°But because of that, it seems like I can avoid being in last place. Between the guys in my Party, I seem to be the weakest.¡± Forte was completely dominating the game in 1st place and gave me some friendly advice while Paul was smirking and trying to get me riled up. Henry: ¡°Sorry. I don¡¯t have much of a Poker Face.¡± That¡¯s why I shoot my hands straight. And in a Casino, there¡¯s a ton of people so even with this tactic, I can win some and lose some, but with just 3 people, this is definitely a poor strategy. Lana: ¡°Here you are! Here¡¯s your tea and raspberry pie. Enjoy!¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s here.¡± Lana brought the tea in a pot and enough cups for everyone at the table, and also brought a pie already cut into serving slices. We move the cards and chips to the side and make room for our order. The delicious aroma of a fresh baked raspberry pie filled the air around us. Forte: ¡°Then let¡¯s take a break from Poker and enjoy our dessert.¡± Paul: ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s eat while it¡¯s still hot¡­¡­¡­..oh man, this is great!¡± Paul takes a bite of the pie, and his eyes glisten with joy. I follow and take a bite of my pie slice. The sweet and sour raspberry and the flaky, crunchy pie crust combine in my mouth, and it¡¯s amazingly good. I wash it down with the tea and take another bite. Forte: ¡°Wow, this really is delicious. I can understand now why Henry recommended it.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey hey. I haven¡¯t wasted my time while residing here for a while. I¡¯ve tasted every item on their menu. They¡¯re all good, but the dessert is especially great.¡± Apparently, the Inn Master and Chef, Mr. Nord, trained really hard to learn dessert recipes to convince Mrs. Linda who loves sweets. Lana: ¡°I appreciate the compliments, but I can¡¯t approve of doing gambling when the weather is so wonderful outside¡­¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s okay. The person with the most chips wins a drink, so we¡¯re not betting real money. This is just for fun.¡± I smile and wave a hand to reassure Lana¡¯s concern. As soon as one person runs out of chips, the last place has to buy drinks for the other two, and the 2nd place buys a drink for the 1st place. Compared to the illegal Black Gambling sites, the bets are so peaceful that it makes me yawn. There are laws against gambling, but those are not so strict that they would frown upon what we¡¯re doing right now. Lana: ¡°Well, not only that, but it¡¯s such wonderful weather, so why not go outside and enjoy it a bit? That¡¯s all.¡± ¡­¡­.and Lana¡¯s main concern was not quite in the direction I was thinking. Henry: ¡°This morning, I swung my spear so much, I¡¯m tired, and I don¡¯t want to walk.¡± Forte: ¡°I naturally prefer the indoors.¡± Paul: ¡°I lost a lot of money at the Casino yesterday, so today, I have to conserve.¡± The 3 of us immediately lay out our excuses. Lana lets out a sigh and turns around to walk away. The 3 lazy men left behind drank the tea and ate the rest of the pie as we chatted. Forte: ¡°But really, that girl Lana is such a good girl. She¡¯s cheerful. She¡¯s really good at conversing with customers, and usually, when someone makes a comment like that, it would get on my nerves, but she words it so well that I can¡¯t get mad at her.¡± And Forte gives his comments once Lana goes into the kitchen. It¡¯s true. She¡¯s very good with handling customers. Paul: ¡°She¡¯s pretty cute too. That¡¯s too bad. If she was only about 5 years older¡­...maybe I¡¯ll drop by around that time again.¡± Henry: ¡°If you lay a hand on her just for fun, I¡¯ll have to break that arm or leg.¡± Paul raises his hands in a surrender gesture, but I know he¡¯s joking. Henry: ¡°Hmmmmm.¡± But now that I think about it, in about 2 or 3 years, there will be guys hitting on her. The drunks at the tavern are known to harass the female workers no matter where you go. ¡­¡­.of course, if anyone like that appeared here, I would have a nice long ¡°talk¡± with them though. Forte: ¡°Henry, you¡¯re making quite the scary face right now.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, sorry about that. It¡¯s nothing. ¡­..but really, sweet things really hit the spot.¡± I ate a lot for lunch, but sweet things really help heal a tired body. Paul: ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard you were training today. You¡¯re working really hard.¡± Forte: ¡°You were getting instructed by Ashley¡¯s Master right? ¡­¡­..wait, that reminds me. Where¡¯s Ashley? I thought he was going to join us this afternoon.¡± Henry: ¡°He was completely knocked out from the on-going fatigue. He plans to sleep through the afternoon.¡± It¡¯s been 3 days now since Mr. Ricardo¡¯s training began. It¡¯s around that time when it¡¯s harder to recover from the fatigue, and today, Ashley¡¯s sleeping it off at his family¡¯s house. Jend is in the same boat. Forte: ¡°Ashley¡¯s pretty tough¡­...but it must have been an intense training then.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, it is.¡± Since day 2, they been swinging a practice sword that has extra weights. Forte: ¡°.......but you¡¯ve been doing the same training as Ashley with that big beefy body of his, and you seem to be fine.¡± Henry: ¡°I have confidence in my stamina.¡± It¡¯s just a matter of getting used to it. I¡¯m pretty tired out myself, but I had too many instances where I had to keep moving around even in this situation. So I¡¯m able to intentionally ignore the fatigue building up in my body. Henry: ¡°Why don¡¯t you two join us? If it¡¯s Ashley¡¯s friends, Mr. Ricardo won¡¯t say no.¡± Paul: ¡°We came to this town for vacation. Please don¡¯t drag me into that kind of hardcore training.¡± Forte: ¡°I can only use Magecraft so it¡¯s a shame©` really it is.¡± I jokingly invited them, but as expected, no one took the bait. I smile and chuckle at the two¡¯s reaction as I take another bite of the pie. It was quite a large pie, but there are 3 active Adventurers here. We eat it up without any trouble. Once we are done, we grab the deck of cards once again. Henry: ¡°......alright, let¡¯s continue. I have a feeling that my great comeback is about to begin.¡± Forte: ¡°Your bluff is way too obvious.¡± Paul: ¡°If we catch you cheating, you automatically lose.¡± It¡¯s true that my strategy is not working here. But Poker in general is all about your hand which is based on luck. So now that we had a tea break, I felt my luck greatly rise¡­¡­¡­.or at least it feels like it did! ¡­¡­..since I had no intention of going into this with a pessimistic attitude, I rally myself up, and engage the next round with full gusto. <<<<>>>> In the end, it only took 2 rounds for me to lose all my chips. ¡­¡­¡­.I guess Forte was right about my bluff. HA HA HA. ¡­¡­¡­..(sigh)........ ¡° ¡° CHEERS ¡± ¡± Henry: ¡°........cheers.¡± Forte and Paul lift up their beer mugs bought with my money, and I raise my glass too, but¡­¡­...ergh. Forte: ¡°Wow©` I think having a Heroic Warrior buy your drink makes it extra enjoyable.¡± Paul: ¡°Yeah, yeah. Well, I didn¡¯t really gain or lose anything, but just from having someone else buy your drinks, it tastes at least twice as good.¡± UGH©`©`©` tomorrow. I need to bait them to play Shogi with me. I can win with Shogi. And I harden my resolution for a rematch as I drink down my ale. A refreshing, bitter taste fills my mouth, and it feels great as the liquid rushes down my throat. I let out a of satisfaction, and feel the Flowtier Ale¡¯s distinct floral scent tickle my nose as I do so. Hmph, I guess drinking something this good will make losing a bet not matter anymore. Henry: ¡°Lana, can I have a refill!¡± Lana: ¡°Okay©`¡± And I ask Lana for another as she passes by. Paul: ¡°Oh, a refill on my ale as well!¡± Lana: ¡°Yes sir©`¡± Paul follows and puts in another order as well. Forte: ¡°You two are so fast. It¡¯s such a good drink. You should all enjoy it more slowly.¡± Paul: ¡°Ha! Like I want to drink small sips like that all night.¡± Forte: ¡°To each their own.¡± Forte lets out a small sigh of disappointment watching us guzzle down the ale. I¡¯m sure this exchange is pretty common between the two. Paul can be rough in the way he talks, but Forte doesn¡¯t seem bothered by it at all. Henry: ¡°Forte, can you not drink that much?¡± Forte: ¡°No idea. I don¡¯t plan on bragging about how much I can drink any time soon.¡± Paul: ¡°Henry, this guy can drink if he wants to. He¡¯s a slow drinker, but whether it¡¯s ale, wine, or whiskey, he¡¯ll drink at the same pace all night long.¡± Forte: ¡°......I only do that when we¡¯re celebrating. If I do it all the time, I would be broke in no time.¡± And the two continued to talk and drink when I saw two familiar faces arrive at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. The two came in looking around the dining hall, and when they saw us, they waved their hands and walked over. They slip by the crowded tables and seats without trouble and head this way. Ashley: ¡°Hey, looks like you already started without us.¡± Jend: ¡°Good evening, gentlemen.¡± It was Ashley and Jend. We say our greetings back at the two and¡­ Ashley: ¡°Paul, can you squeeze over so we can sit?¡± Paul: ¡°Sure.¡± They move the seats, so the two can sit with us. We were sitting at a 4 person table, so it¡¯s a little crowded, but they brought two open seats, and we all gathered around. Paul: ¡°What, I thought you were out cold this afternoon.¡± Ashley: ¡°I¡¯ve been sleeping since noon, so I¡¯m awake now. My body¡¯s still tired, but I can¡¯t sleep any more. It¡¯s a good opportunity too, so I wanted to introduce you guys to my junior.¡± Ashley raises his chin at Jend. Jend: ¡°Oh, hello. I¡¯m an Adventurer in the same Party as Henry. My name is Jend. I am Brother Ashley¡¯s junior disciple.¡± Paul: ¡°Yeah, we heard. I¡¯m Paul. Nice to meetcha.¡± Forte: ¡°I¡¯m Forte.¡± When they were all done with introductions, the ale that I ordered for the two arrive. And we all raise our glasses for another toast. Paul: ¡°It¡¯s Jend, right? If you¡¯re Ashley¡¯s Junior Disciple, you must be pretty strong, right?¡± Jend: ¡°I have some confidence, but I¡¯m still far from the top. ¡­¡­...especially since there¡¯s someone I can¡¯t beat right next to me.¡± Jend glances my way. Forte: Well, a Heroic Warrior is usually at the very top of the Adventurers, and typically, Adventurers in their 30s with plenty of experience move up into that role. ¡­¡­...considering that Henry reached his status at his age, I think that¡¯s absolutely normal. No need to beat yourself over that.¡± Jend: ¡°But if it¡¯s just weapons, I think I¡¯m almost caught up to him though.¡± Maybe another half year¡­...no, maybe a year at most. I want to stay on top, but Jend¡¯s putting his all into his sword skills, and he¡¯ll catch up to me in no time. Of course, if we¡¯re allowed to use Magecraft or other methods, I don¡¯t plan on losing to him for another 10 years. Ashley: ¡°Yeah, in fact, as far as weapon skills go, there¡¯s really not much of a difference. Since I have more experience, I think I¡¯m still a little above as far as Adventurers go but¡­¡­..I¡¯m pretty certain that he has more talent than me.¡± His pride feels a tinge of pain from the acknowledgement, but Ashley is also excited and happy for the improvement he sees in his junior disciple. Paul: ¡°Wow, so he¡¯ll become something big in the future.¡± Ashley: ¡°Yeah, he¡¯ll be going to Ligaleo eventually.¡± And both Paul and Forte can¡¯t hide their astonishment. Forte: ¡°It¡¯s a place where Adventurers who try to become wealthy or ¡®protect humanity from the Demon King!¡¯ go, but why do you want to go there, Jend?¡± Jend: ¡°It¡¯s nothing special. I just want to see how far I can get and get stronger¡­¡­.that¡¯s about it.¡± Paul spews ale a little as he hears the words. Paul: ¡°You guys are so alike. He¡¯s saying the exact same thing Ashley said when we first met him.¡± Ashley: ¡°Agh, hey, Paul.¡± Paul: ¡°But be careful out there. Don¡¯t be like a certain idiotic someone I know, and over-estimate your strength and end up almost dying.¡± ¡­¡­..with ¡°a certain idiotic someone I know¡±, Ashley¡¯s shoulders drop as he looks downwards. Ashley: ¡°I¡¯ve already apologized about that time over and over¡­¡­..can we drop it and forget it now?¡± Forte: ¡°No, Ashley. As a general example of what never to do, you should not forget about that incident.¡± Ashley: ¡°That¡¯s true but¡­.¡± With Forte¡¯s logic, Ashley is at a loss for words. ¡­¡­..well, it¡¯s already passed so they can laugh about it now, but most likely, he probably poked a Demonic Creature he shouldn¡¯t have. Well, as far as risk assessment, I¡¯ve been hammering down on that point for my Party. Besides, with Ferris in our group, I can¡¯t see how Jend is going to risk her safety with a crazy expedition. Paul: ¡°And what else. Oh yeah, it¡¯s good to want to be stronger, but you can also lay your eyes on more ordinary goals.¡± Jend: ¡°Ordinary?¡± Paul: ¡°Yeah, in fact, Ashley and his girlfriend have been saving up money for their wedding, and since then, his motivation has been through the roof¡­..¡± Ashley: ¡°Paul! That¡¯s enough!¡± Red-faced, Ashley stops Paul from speaking further. ¡­¡­¡­..I see. Marriage, huh. Yeah, I can see how that¡¯s motivating. Forte: ¡°That¡¯s right. He decided to come back to his family after his engagement with Miss Karen.¡± Ashley: ¡°Forte, you too?! C¡¯mon guys!¡± Ashley tries to desperately stop his Party members from spilling any more details. But I already heard enough. If it¡¯s like that, it¡¯s customary to ask for more juicy details. Hehehehe¡­.. I wickedly laugh internally and start my interrogation about Ashley¡¯s future wife. But after getting a few drinks down, it suddenly becomes Ashley¡¯s nonstop talk about how wonderful his girl is. And as a result, the rest of us heard much more than we wanted to¡­¡­¡­.but, that¡¯s not so bad either. <<<<>>>> CH 95 Chapter 95: Shogi So, day after day, we visited Mr. Ricardo¡¯s yard and trained till we were drenched in sweat. And this afternoon, I invited Forte and Paul to a Rishu-Style Chess match called Shogi. Today, Jend and Ashley still had energy left, so it was a tournament between the 5 of us. We took over one corner of the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn, and although it was sad that there were 5 beefy guys huddled in a crowded area, it was during a time when there were less customers, and we ordered a lot of food and drinks, so I hope they¡¯ll forgive us. So, it¡¯s time for the tournament. Well, everyone except me basically learned all the rules for the first time today, so of course, I¡¯m going to dominate and win consecutively. Since everyone is a beginner, no one wanted to place any bets, but I washed away yesterday¡¯s bitter loss with today¡¯s victories and was satisfied. Paul: ¡°But Henry, you¡¯re seriously being childish.¡± Forte: ¡°According to the rule book, it says that when veterans face beginners, they remove key pieces from their own group as a handicap.¡± Paul and Forte are griping about their losses, but I have no intention of hearing their protests. Besides, I¡¯ve never done a handicap game, so I could very well lose trying that for the first time. Henry: ¡°C¡¯mon guys. I lost in Poker pretty badly yesterday. Why can¡¯t we play a game where I have a little advantage¡­¡­?¡± Forte: ¡°A little¡­¡­?¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, hey, c¡¯mon. Let¡¯s forget about that and see how the 2nd place match goes.¡± This will be the final match in the tournament ©` Jend vs Ashley. Whoever wins this round will be the runner-up. Ashley: ¡°..........Jend, wait, I want to take that move back.¡± Jend: ¡°Brother Ashley, that¡¯s your third time to recall a move. I can¡¯t let you have any more than that.¡± Ashley: ¡°Tsch¡­¡­.I¡¯ll let the King escape this way.¡± Jend: ¡°Then I will¡­¡­..there¡­¡­¡± And though it was an even game at the beginning, during the middle of the match, Jend checked the King and the rook in a pincer and took the advantage. Now, Ashley is barely getting away by the skin of his teeth. Looking at Jend¡¯s captured pieces vs Ashley¡¯s¡­¡­.it¡¯ll be difficult for Ashley to flip this around. Jend will have to make a pretty critical error right now because he can win this game in about 4 more moves. And as I make these predictions, the entrance to the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn opens. It¡¯s rather uncommon to get customers during this time¡­...and I look towards the doorway. Cyril: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Henry. Are you hanging out here today?¡± Ferris: ¡°Hey Jend. Mr. Henry and Mr. Ashley. Are those the rumored friends of Mr. Ashley?¡± Teo: ¡°Hello.¡± The other 3 members of our Party arrived. They were not wearing their everyday, casual clothes but wore their expedition gear. Henry: ¡°Oh? Did you guys go out on an expedition today?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes. We knew that you would be busy with the training, but we didn¡¯t want to pause going on expeditions for too long and get rusty. This was all to keep our Adventurer instincts sharp.¡± Oh©`, I guess that¡¯s true. But Cyril is really serious as an Adventurer. Compared to others, she displays a higher level of motivation. Teo: ¡°.......Miss Cyril, those were the exact words I told you before, isn¡¯t it?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, um, well¡­...I©`I was thinking the exact same thing. That¡¯s all.¡± Teo: ¡°When I invited you yesterday, weren¡¯t you first saying how you had a Flowtier City snack tour planned all day today?¡± Cyril quickly looks away as Teo continues her interrogation. ¡­¡­..hey, you don¡¯t have to try to look good in front of us. Jend: ¡°What did you go after today?¡± Ferris: ¡°Oh, we knew it would be too dangerous to go to Altohern without you two, so we hunted some Griffins in the Flowtier Forest.¡± Ferris answers Jend¡¯s question. With those 3, they should be able to hunt Griffins without too much risk. If they did challenge the Altohern region as we usually do and went to the mid-region, I would have had to sit and have a talk with them, but it was an unnecessary concern. Paul: ¡°...........hey, Henry, hey.¡± Henry: ¡°What?¡± Paul keeps poking me in the back. Henry: ¡°What is it?¡± Paul: ¡°..........you got 3 girls in your party? Leave the two children out, but that sister¡¯s an incredible beauty.¡± Oh, Cyril is naturally getting downgraded to child-status. Well, she is short and has no chest, but she¡¯s almost a year after reaching adulthood technically. She said she was born in the 1st month of the year. Henry: ¡°Ferris over there is Jend¡¯s girlfriend. Don¡¯t go hitting on her.¡± Paul heard the news and dropped his shoulders in severe disappointment. Paul: ¡°Seriously©`? Ahhhhh, that¡¯s too bad©` She¡¯s dead on my type©`¡± Henry: ¡°And Cyril¡­...the Magecraft Spellcaster girl over there is technically an adult. If you call her a kid, she¡¯ll get mad so be careful.¡± Paul: ¡°Oh, is that right? ¡­¡­.hmmmmmmm, but I¡¯ll still have to wait 3 years for her to see how she turns out.¡± Paul kept making his own judgments an assessments¡­¡­.and well, he¡¯s free to do so as long as he just keeps it in the realm of imagination. Lana: ¡°Oh, Teo and Miss Cyril and Miss Ferris too. Welcome.¡± As she heard more voices in the dining hall, Lana who was resting in the backroom came out to greet the girls. Lana: ¡°Teo, did you come over for some tea?¡± Teo: ¡°No, not that. Lana, didn¡¯t the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn put out a Quest? You said you wanted someone to hunt boars.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, yeah. There were a lot of customers as of late that were requesting for the boar dishes we put out..¡± He¡¯s now retired, but Teo¡¯s grandfather used to hunt in the Flowtier forest, and being well acquainted with this inn, he would bring in the boars and rabbits he hunted here. And especially the gamey boar meat roast became a very popular item, and when it comes out on the menu, most of the regulars will order it first thing. I¡¯ve only ate it a few times, but I remember that it was incredibly delicious. Teo: ¡°Before we left for the expedition, I found one so I took some time to hunt it down. You¡¯ll still need to let the meat ferment.¡± Lana: ¡°OH! Thank you!¡± Teo nods with a ¡°yeah¡± at Lana¡¯s gratitude and starts looking through her bag at her side. When Teo draws her hand out, a piece of meat that was clearly much larger than the size of the bag suddenly appeared. She continues to bring out the different pieces and sections of the boar meat, and Teo draws out a cloth and places it all on it¡­¡­¡­¡­.and since she¡¯s been hunting with her grandfather since she was very young, even though it was a big prey, she butchered it very well. Teo: ¡°Can you confirm? I¡¯m pretty sure I withdrew the blood correctly.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, sure. I¡¯ll bring my dad over.¡± With a ¡°Da©`d,¡± Lana went back to the kitchen to call for Mr. Nord. Hm, well. ¡­¡­...there will be some time before the meat is fully ready, but maybe I¡¯ll be able to have some boar roast in the near future. As I looked excitedly at the future boar roast in my mind, Ashley spoke up to me. Ashley: ¡°Hey Henry. That bag that girl is carrying. Is that¡­?¡± Henry: ¡°......yeah, it¡¯s a [Dimension Expansion] godly equipment. Plus it has [indestructible] casted on it.¡± Ashley: ¡°G©`Geesh. That¡¯s amazing¡­..¡± Since I¡¯ve been using it frequently, I¡¯ve gotten desensitized to it, but just as Ashley says, [Dimension Expansion] enchanted godly equipment is one of the greatest treasures an Adventurer will drool over. The fact that you don¡¯t have to worry about your carrying capacity is an advantage that is never overlooked. Paul and Forte look envious at the bag as well. But no matter how much they want it, the godly equipment can only be used by the individual who earns it. ¡­¡­¡­..but I better make sure Teo doesn¡¯t get poached. Cyril: ¡°So, Henry, Henry. What are you doing here?¡± Henry: ¡°Ohh, I guess you wouldn¡¯t know this game. This is called Shogi, and it¡¯s one of Rishu¡¯s games. It¡¯s close to chess, but you can re-use and place captured pieces which is a big difference.¡± Cyril: ¡°Huh¡­...so it¡¯s like chess, yes? I¡¯ve¡« never been good at these kinds of games.¡± Yeah, this game requires a lot of forethought, and she¡¯s more of the charge in head-first type. Ferris: ¡°Ohh, and what¡¯s this? A tournament sheet? Mr. Henry won all his matches¡­¡­.and Jend, you haven¡¯t lost to anyone except Mr. Henry.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, and after I beat Brother Ashley in this match, I¡¯ll be second place.¡± Ashley: ¡°This game isn¡¯t over, Jend.¡± Ashley makes his next move. Teo: ¡°Shogi, is it? Let me see.¡± And Teo, who is usually not as interested in things, looked unusually very intently at the board. She stares for a long while, and ¡­¡­..well, this game is pretty much over though. Jend: ¡°Brother Ashley, this is checkmate.¡± Ashley: ¡°.......I surrender.¡± And as I predicted, in 2 moves, Jend won. Well, Ashley did a good job hanging in there, but it would have been hard turning that game around for anyone. Teo: ¡°.......excuse me for a moment. If we go back 2 moves, why not let the King escape this way?¡± Teo takes a piece and rewinds the board a few moves back and with a few taps of her finger, begins to lay out a different scenario. ©`©` oh¡­..hey¡­look at that¡­ Teo: ¡°If you run this way, you would be able to escape, and from here, you should be able to turn the game around.¡± All the men let out an ¡°OOOOOHHHH©`©`¡± of wonder at the realization. ¡­¡­.Cyril and Ferris don¡¯t know the rules so they¡¯re not quite up to speed. Jend: ¡°......but what if I make a move like this? I would cut off your escape route.¡± Teo: ¡°In that case, I would do this.¡± Teo responds immediately to Jend¡¯s move¡­¡­¡­..and Jend, you¡¯re starting to make some scary moves. I know I beat you in the first round, but I might lose to you if I play you now. Jend: ¡°I see¡­¡­¡­.yeah, I wouldn¡¯t be able to finish the game. Oh, so Teo, you play too?¡± Teo: ¡°I used to play against my grandfather often.¡± Oh yeah. Teo¡¯s family sells Shogi boards, so I guess it¡¯s natural for the store owner¡¯s daughter to know how to play the game. Paul: ¡°I see¡­¡­.hey, little miss.¡± Teo: ¡°It¡¯s Teo.¡± Paul: ¡°Excuse me, Teo. If that¡¯s the case, could you play against Henry over there? He beat up some beginners and is all up on his high horse right now.¡± OH, DANGIT! PAUL! HOW COULD YOU?! Teo: ¡°.......I don¡¯t mind. Now that I recall, I haven¡¯t beat Mr. Henry at all during training.¡± Henry: ¡°T©`Teeo©`? If you¡¯re upset about losing in training, shouldn¡¯t you try to win against me in a training match then? I think that¡¯s only fair.¡± Forte: ¡°Says the man who is taking out his frustration from losing in Poker with Shogi.¡± Forte, you too?! Teo begins to line up the board and pieces¡­¡­.and as I look around, I see no room for escape or a helping hand. All the men are looking smugly at my predicted demise, and Cyril and Ferris are too busy reading the rule book and not looking over here. Mr. Nord came out to take a look at the boar meat, so he¡¯s busy with work, and Lana who came back with Mr. Nord is innocently looking at Teo arranging the board. Teo: ¡°.........please, Mr. Henry. You can have the first move.¡± Teo gestures a polite hand to the seat before her. D©`D-D-DANGIT!! If it¡¯s like that, I won¡¯t lose©`!! ¡­¡­¡­¡­..it was a one-sided defeat. And Jend, who played Teo after me had a better game with her, so that only rubbed salt in the freshly opened wound. ARRRGHHH!! <<<<>>>> CHONKY Notes LiT (Lost in Translation) Shogi (½«Æå) It is similar to chess in that pawns up at front move one space forward at a time. There¡¯s a rook and bishop in the center of your formation (they are your key pieces). The King can move in all directions for one space, but that¡¯s where the similarities begin to dwindle. One major difference is that reaching your enemy¡¯s territory (any space 3 rows from the back where your enemy starts) allows your pieces to get promoted (each type promotes differently) and most importantly, all captured pieces can be returned to the board to any open space on your turn. You can opt to place a captured piece down or move a piece (not both). You cannot auto-promote pieces if you send them into enemy territory (they must take a turn to move before they are promoted), so the game centers on your ability to capture and re-utilize pieces for offense or defense. <<<<>>>> CH 96 Chapter 96: Encounter The Sacred Mountain located on the north of Flowtier ©` the Altohern Mountain. Although this area is farthest from the frontlines, the Magic Corruption in the upper regions of the mountain are thick enough for Upper-Tier Demonic Creatures to appear and is subsequently labeled as forbidden territory. Because it is also the precious water source of Flowtier, you are not allowed to enter the mountain region without explicit permission from the Governor. ¡°©`©`SEIYA!!¡± And in the mid-region of the Altohern Mountain, Ashley lets out a roar as he swings his large broadsword. The heat-reddened blade cuts the Frost Ogre diagonally and splits it into two. As he cuts through the Demonic Creature¡¯s body, the wounds are being cauterized and a slight burnt smell of flesh fills the air¡­¡­...and in a short while, the Ogre¡¯s body turned back into Corrupted Magic and evaporated. Ashley: ¡°Fwew. ugh. How was that, Master?¡± Ricardo: ¡°......hm. If you can swing that well in actual combat, there are no issues.¡± After defeating his opponent, Ashley turned to Mr. Ricardo, and Mr. Ricardo nodded in approval once to him. Cyril: ¡°Oh wow©`, it was one on one, and he defeated it so elegantly.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, even though the difference in our sword skills is not that much¡­¡­.I wouldn¡¯t be able to win against an Ogre that easily. I wonder what the difference is?¡± Watching from afar, Cyril voiced her admiration, and Jend followed with agreement and doubts at the same time. Even though Ashley was testing his moves, he defeated the Ogre in less than 3 minutes. Undoubtedly, it was an impressive show of skill. If this was not a training and an actual battle, he may have slain the Ogre with the first strike. Ferris: ¡°I was a little worried since he was fighting to test out what he learned over training¡­..and I thought he would get hurt in the process, but I guess that wasn¡¯t the case at all.¡± Ferris also lets out a sigh of relief. ¡­¡­.today, we are doing a Designated Quest from Mr. Ricardo. [To confirm my disciple¡¯s training results, I would like the Party to come with us to the Altohern Mountain and remove any unnecessary distractions]. My Party is currently here in the Altohern region for this reason. Ashley did not have direct permission to enter the mountain, but Mr. Ricardo made a request to the Governor to allow the exception just for one day. It¡¯s not quite¡­¡­.abuse of authority and status. He got the paperwork done and submitted, and any Adventurer can technically ask for permission like this. And typically, an Adventurer with no history or trust with the Flowtier City would not be able to gain approval so quickly, but Mr. Ricardo has been serving tirelessly for several decades in the City Military, and he had built up his trust and relationship with the Governor as the Head of Military. Gaining approval from this standpoint was all too easy. And the Master and Student both walked over to us. Ricardo: ¡°Well, thank you everyone for today for accompanying us. Because you took on the other Ogres and Winter Wolves, my undisciplined pupil was able to test out the fruits of his training.¡± Ashley: ¡°I would like to thank everyone as well. And especially Jend. I only got to glance at your battle, but you¡¯ve improved by leaps and bounds as an Adventurer. ¡­¡­...I would¡¯ve expected nothing less from Henry who¡¯s a Heroic Warrior, but the others are exceptionally skillful for their age.¡± Jend lets out a small, embarrassed laugh. The others are also equally embarrassed and proud of the compliment. Ricardo: ¡°Ah, Ashley. They are all here for your sake. You should have been focused on your opponent.¡± Ashley: ¡°Master, that¡¯s not correct. This isn¡¯t a training match at the Dojo. Even if I¡¯m fighting, I need to be aware of my surroundings at all times. If not, I could be isolated from the group and die, or I won¡¯t be able to follow-up and help anyone who might be in trouble.¡± Oh©` yeah. It¡¯s as Ashley says. Learning swordsmanship at the Dojo and fighting on the battlefield are two different things, and even further, the way the Military and Adventurers fight are very different as well. Ashley: ¡°And specifically with Ogres, they fight only using their brute strength, so I am fighting to match their strength, but it gives me the opportunity to spread my attention elsewhere as well.¡± Ricardo: ¡°......hm, I see. Excuse me. I will retract my previous statement, Ashley. I spoke of something outside of my expertise and gave poor advice as a result.¡± Ashley: ¡°No, thank you for understanding, Master.¡± Mr. Ricardo has a plethora of experience as a Martial Artist and the Head of Military, but he probably hasn¡¯t had a lot of experience running around as an Adventurer. He retracts his statement immediately. Henry: ¡°Yeah, and Jend. You were wondering why Ashley was able to defeat the Ogre so easily, but what Ashley was saying is the exact reason.¡± Jend: ¡°? What do you mean?¡± Henry: ¡°Meaning, it¡¯s¡­...the way he divides his attention, I guess. You always take any Demonic Creature very seriously and fight it without underestimating it¡­¡­..but after you get used to certain opponents and learn how they fight, you¡¯ll be able to distribute your attention more efficiently to what you need to pay attention to and what you can ignore. That kind of stuff.¡± If you take all of the complexity out of the equation and put it in its simplest form, it¡¯s the difference in experience with fighting Demonic Creatures. You can even say it¡¯s the difference in experience of how many you¡¯ve killed so far. And well, this is something you gain naturally as you fight different types of Demonic Creatures. Teo: ¡°......I see. It¡¯s similar to some of the principles we learn in the Cloudy Plains Style.¡± Henry: ¡°Is it that [Once you take off one head, you can take off the next one better]?¡± Teo: ¡°Sister¡¯s Ageha¡¯s way of wording is terrible, but yes, that is it.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hmmmm¡­..I think I understand what you understand, but I don¡¯t get it at the same time.¡± Teo seemed to understand faster, and Cyril was struggling to grasp the concept. But between a vanguard who has to swing their weapons multiple times and a rearguard who fires off a big Spell once, the understanding between combat will differ naturally because of that.¡± Ricardo: ¡°Haha. Then the differences between an Adventurer and a Martial Artist are more similar than they are different. Yes, no matter how well you can swing a stick, a Sword Skill is only as valuable as the enemies you are able to cut down. As a Martial Artist, you must get used to the sensation of cutting apart your enemies.¡± Mr. Ricardo agrees with a pretty violent metaphor. And from the snippets I¡¯ve been hearing from Mr. Ricardo¡¯s history and experience, I¡¯m starting to develop some doubts surrounding his actual character¡­.. Henry: ¡°Um, Mr. Ricardo, by [enemies], you mean¡­..¡± Ricardo: ¡°......of course, I am speaking of Demonic Creatures. A four limbed creature such as an Ogre is especially well-suited for practice.¡± Wait, is he pulling my legs?! If you¡¯re [practicing] on an Ogre, then what are you actually training to fight against for the [real battle]?! But if I ask, I feel like I¡¯ll learn something unnecessary. I let my words slip a little, but I¡¯ll just ignore his comments just now. ¡­¡­.but well, it¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t fought against people either. Though, I would never make it my end goal to fight against human beings. Ricardo: ¡°Well, we just got started. If you all do not mind, I would like to have my disciple engage in 4 or 5 more battles¡­¡­...and if possible, I would like to also see Jend¡¯s progress as well.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, you have provided enough rewards for this Request, so we can continue to follow along.¡± Alright, let¡¯s look for some Ogres then. <<<<>>>> Since then¡­ With Teo¡¯s scouting skills, we were able to find a total of 8 Ogres for the Single Blade of the Fire God¡¯s disciples to fight one on one. Ashley fought 5, and Jend fought 3. Just as Mr. Ricardo required of them, they were able to test all the Skills they trained the last couple of days. The sun overhead had passed over us to indicate mid-afternoon, and in a short while, we will need to head back to the City. Ricardo: ¡°........(sigh). I see that it¡¯s difficult enough to retain stamina at this age. Even though I am just watching, just walking through this mountain was tiring enough.¡± Mr. Ricardo seemed disappointed at this realization, and this is probably one of the reasons why he chose my Party to tag along. If he was younger, he could have taken care of the disciples themselves. Henry: ¡°I guess we are nearing the end. Then since it¡¯s a good opportunity, I¡¯ll lure a big one here.¡± Ricardo: ¡°A big one?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll head up to the Upper-Region and catch a Giant¡¯s attention. Please wait around here for me.¡± Yes, I think this will be a good wrap up to the training. Ashley: ¡°......that ¡®tactic¡¯ you were mentioning before? Are you seriously going to do that, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°Well, if these guys can take out an Upper-Tier, Upper-Class, then it will benefit me in the future too.¡± Ashley seems a little conflicted at my suggestion. And yes, this is in a way, cheating, so I won¡¯t deny that. Ashley: ¡°No, sorry. It¡¯s not something I should be complaining about.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, no problem. Alright, I¡¯ll head out.¡± And with that, I ran up the mountain to the Upper-Region. Cyril: ¡°Henry, you be careful©`!¡± I answer with a ¡°yeah©`¡± to Cyril as I wave back. ¡­¡­...but honestly, we¡¯re already pretty close to the Upper-Region after looking for those Ogres already. With just a little run, I arrived in the Upper-Region. There¡¯s not a distinct boundary or distinction between the mid and upper regions, but I use the perpetual snow on top of the mountain as a general guide to indicate that I reached the Upper-Region. The temperature will drastically drop, and living up to its name, the Corrupted Ice Territory¡¯s wave of icy cold wind hits me. Henry: ¡°[Fire] {Ignis}..........¡± Because of my {Physical Enhancement}, I¡¯m not that cold, but I don¡¯t want my movements to get dulled, so I use the Fire Magecraft to ward off the cold. But¡­¡­..as always, because of this snow, scouting is a little problematic. If I can find footsteps, it¡¯ll be easier, but the wind will erase those quickly¡­¡­¡­¡­.so for now, I head to an area with less snow. Henry: ¡°..........hm?¡± Something rose out of the ground. As I was trying to figure out how I would find the Giants, a nearby hill suddenly rose up out of the snow. A giant mountain of snow stood up¡­¡­¡­.or at least it looked like it did, and it immediately shook off the snow on its body. What appeared was blue scales, golden eyes, wings that spanned up into the air, and huge jaws ©` a beast that was bigger than the Giants. Among all the Demonic Creatures, if you take out all the Highest-Tiers, it would reign on top. With every heroic episode, you can say they almost always appear as one of the greatest enemies. The symbol of violence and destruction. ¡­¡­¡­..a Dragon. [...........GRRRR] It looked at the puny creature that woke it up ©` in other words, me ©` and locked its eyes on it. From its closed jaws, I saw something like smoke start spilling out and©`©`wait, this is bad!! [BUHAAAA©`©`!!] The [Dragon¡¯s Breath]. One of its principle, devastating attacks that represent its species. At the Ice Dragon¡¯s {Arctic Breath}, I hurriedly escaped from its range. I avoided a direct hit, but the explosive impact of the {Breath} on the ground pushed me, and I rolled on the ground. If it hit me directly, my entire body would have been frostbitten even with my winter armor and [Fire] {Ignis}..........but don¡¯t estimate me too much! Henry: ¡°[Fire] {Ignis} + [Fire] {Ignis} + [Strengthen] {Hazac}!¡± I took out my Nyoiten Spear from my side, and as I extended it, I poured my Magecraft Spell. As I got off the ground, I threw it. And I¡¯ll clone it too! [GAAAAAHHH!!] It struck the Dragon¡¯s scales, and the 10 Nyoiten Spear¡¯s clones all stick¡­¡­..but the Dragon¡¯s scales are equally hard, and his muscles underneath are also unbelievably tough, so I wasn¡¯t able to pierce it. I draw the Spear back and click my tongue in frustration. ¡­¡­..dragons individually pride themselves with strength that would overwhelm Giants. They are extremely territorial, and they never live in packs. Intellectually, they are closer to beasts. They are also not so great at building Corrupted Territories¡­¡­..and just because of that, they are classified as the same threat-level as a Giant, but in a head-on fight, they are several times tougher to deal with. Their lifespan spans several hundred years, and for those who have stored a lot of Corrupted Magic power will be labeled as an [Elder] and are typically determined as a Highest-Tier. I did want to hunt one in the near future, but I would prefer to avoid these kinds of random encounters. ¡­¡­¡­.receiving some damage from my Spear, it has now determined me as an enemy and continued to glare at me. And the damage I gave it is recovering by the second. Henry: ¡°Fwew¡­¡­¡­.¡± As the Dragon stood by to observe me, I reached into my pouch to drink down my Ability Enhancing Potions and drain it one by one. [GUUURRRAAAAAHHHHHHH!] ©`©`As I downed my 3rd one, the Dragon leaps towards me. Alright¡­...it¡¯s a little difficult, but let¡¯s do this! CH 97 Chapter 97: Dragon Slaying I slip under the Dragon¡¯s claws and run towards the it''s side. Henry: ¡°HAAH!¡± (sfx exhale) I thrust at the defenseless side with my full force. I churned up enough Magic Power inside of me, and I also drank a strength-enhancing Potion, so my thrust was much more powerful than my initial strike. My attack succeeds in piercing through the Dragon¡¯s scales and carve out a hole¡­¡­...but it¡¯s still far from reaching his organs. [GAAARGH!!] From pain and anguish at me, the Ice Dragon lets out a roar and swung its tail towards the source of the pain where I stood. I need to pull out my spear and¡­¡­..it¡¯s stuck between the tightened muscles!! Henry: ¡°CRAP, WHOA!¡± It caused a moment of hesitation, and the tail glanced at my arm. Even though it barely brushed it, I can still feel how powerful that strike was. A dull pain thrummed in my arm. Henry: ¡°.........if my weapon wasn¡¯t the Nyoiten Spear, this fight would have been over with this.¡± As I mumble, I call back my Spear that was still stuck to the Dragon. The Nyoiten Spear¡¯s [Return] ability prevents me from ever losing my weapon. It¡¯s a boring but exceptionally useful ability. And at this point, I was expecting this, but with my attack power, it would be tiresome trying to take down this thing. I could probably take it out with one strike to the head, but in a one on one solo fight, there¡¯s no opening. The Dragon isn¡¯t that dull-witted. If I try to stack damage by throwing my Spear from afar, it¡¯ll turn into a war of attrition where either the Dragon¡¯s life energy will expire first or my stamina and Magic Power will run out. If it would give me time to concentrate, I could try and stack 4 Spells on top of each other and see if I can take it out with that, but that would be extremely risky. If there was someone with high firepower¡­¡­.like if Ageha was here, I would just have to buy her some time, and she would take off that Dragon¡¯s head and end the battle instantly. ¡­¡­¡­.and it¡¯s my first time fighting against a Dragon solo too. [GAAAARHH!!] As I was trying to figure out a method of attack, the Dragon released its Breath. The very first breath caught me off guard and almost hit me, but now that I am facing it head on, in this situation, I dodge it with ease. ¡­¡­¡­..but, looks like that Dragon was expecting it, and began letting out weaker bursts of smaller Breaths continuously. Blue Magic Power Cannonballs came rushing towards me, and I had no other choice but to focus on dodging all of it. Henry: ¡°UGH©` DANGIT! IT¡¯S HARD TO MANEUVER! [Fire] {Ignis} + [Strengthen] {Hazac}!¡± Below my feet was the perpetual snow that fell year round, and without solid footing, it¡¯s hard to evade the Breaths. At this rate, the Dragon might crush me just with its Breath, so I found an opening between two Breaths and threw my Spear. Because my first attack caused damage and pain, it braced itself by raising and concentrating the Magic Power inside its body and¡­¡­..as a result, although I pierced its scales, it didn¡¯t go any deeper than that. ¡­¡­.but, that¡¯s all the time I needed to buy. Henry: ¡°See ya!¡± Yeah, fighting a Dragon under these circumstances is too much trouble. There is absolutely no reason why I should force myself to continue fighting. I¡¯m fairly certain that I could beat it 8 or 9 out of 10 times, but I¡¯m not crazy enough to risk my life against 10 to 20% chances of death. I took out a Smoke Bomb from my pouch and threw it against the ground. The smoke quickly rose and filled the surrounding air¡­¡­...and as I focused on detecting any Breath attacks, I turned tail and ran. Next time I¡¯ll bring Cyril with me, got it! Her Magic will blast you away! And like that, I cursed at it inside my head as I put distance between myself and the Dragon and ran out of the smoke screen. Henry: ¡°..........that¡­¡­..was a mistake.¡± I checked behind me just in case, and with a and , from above the smoke screen, I saw the Dragon looking right down on me. That¡¯s right. Dragons can fly. I heard that with the exception of the Wind Dragon, the act of flying can be very fatiguing, and that¡¯s why they roam around on the ground but¡­¡­¡­.crap, I don¡¯t know if I can escape it now. The 3 potions I drank were Muscle Strengthening, Magic Power Increase, and Stamina Increase¡­¡­.in addition, I decided to hurriedly drink down the Speed Enhancement, and now I was seriously trying to make my getaway. ¡­¡­¡­.at the very least, I wanted to relocate to a place with less snow on the ground because I won¡¯t be able to dodge these Breath attacks forever! As I detect Breath attacks from behind me, I dodge by instinct left and right and continue descending down the mountain. Now then¡­¡­¡­..what should I do to get out of this situation? <<<<>>>> I came down to the mid-region of the mountain. Even though the density of the Magic Corruption should make it difficult for the Dragon to be here, it seemed to be intent on hunting down the intruder that violated its territory and wounded it on top of it all. Now, as it fired its few dozen-th Breath, I jumped to dodge it. Henry: ¡°........alright, what should I do now?¡± Even if I go down any further, I don¡¯t think I can shake it off. I just can¡¯t overturn the flying advantage the Dragon has. So now that I have better footing, and I got a better understanding of my opponent¡¯s habits, I can fight it here. Or I could reunite with everyone and beat it to a pulp. I¡¯m on the fence about it. If I bring a Dragon when they are expecting a Giant, it might cause confusion and panic. I¡¯ve only spoken briefly about combatting Dragon¡¯s. But even so, we¡¯ve fought together this far, so I can¡¯t imagine them not being able to handle an unexpected situation like this. ¡­¡­..I guess it¡¯ll be fine. Henry: ¡°HEY©`©`©`!! I¡¯m bringing a Dragon so get ready!!¡± I raised my voice squeezing in as much hope as I could stuff into each and every word. Teo has extremely good hearing. Even if she doesn¡¯t catch my entire message, she¡¯ll know that I was trying to send some sort of message. ¡­...and while I was busy yelling, a Breath directly hit my left arm. Henry: ¡°OW©`©`©`!¡± Even though I had 2 stacks of [Fire] {Ignis} around my body as an anti-frostbite, I still feel a painful sensation burn across my skin. It didn¡¯t completely freeze over my skin, but my left-arm is not moving like I want it to. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Heal] {Teol}!¡± I cast a Heal Spell on my left hand as I continue to run towards where everyone should be. During that time, I started feeling my Magic Power drain low, so I dug out a Magic Potion from my pouch and chugged it down. Since I was trying to drink it while running at full speed, I spilled a lot of it, but I can¡¯t complain about how wasteful that was under the circumstances. I continue to dodge the following Breath attacks when¡­ ¡°[Soaring Flame Strike]!¡± With a disciplined yell, I see a flaming blade emerge from the direction I was heading straight towards the Dragon behind me. [GYAU?!] The Dragon panics from the unexpected attack and yelps in surprise. ¡­¡­.I immediately put on the emergency brakes and turnaround. The attack must have aimed at its head as it shook it side to side to reveal a huge opening. Henry: ¡°........[Strengthen] {Hazac}¡± I am for one of its wings. The stretched webbing does not have any scales, so it¡¯s much more fragile than the rest of its body. Henry: ¡°©`©`OoooRAH!¡± I threw my Nyoiten Spear as hard as I could. I split the Spear into a little more than a dozen clones and punch holes in the Dragon¡¯s wings. Unable to hold its altitude any longer, the Dragon falls to the ground. ¡­¡­.but from the Dragon¡¯s physical composition and body shape, it wasn¡¯t flying with its wings, but it was due to using its Magic Spell, but in order to initiate the Spell, the wings are a crucial component. This is something in common across multiple flying-type Demonic Creatures. It is an intricate part of their body, and it takes time for it to grow back than any other body part. Ricardo: ¡°Mr. Henry, apologies for making you wait!¡± Henry: ¡°Mr. Ricardo, thank you for the assistance!¡± Jend: ¡°We¡¯re here too!¡± And from behind Mr. Ricardo, his two pupils came running up from behind. Ashley: ¡°Dang, Henry. A Dragon? That¡¯s amazing that you got away this far. I see some in Southgaia occasionally, but it¡¯s a Creature where we have to all gang up on it at once to take it down.¡± Henry: ¡°If it¡¯s just running from it, yeah.¡± In the end, I didn¡¯t receive any major damage from its attacks. The only time I got hurt was when it caught me off guard as I yelled a warning to everyone. And thankfully, it¡¯s intelligence is relatively low, so its attack pattern was easy to read. If this was a Dragon that lived much longer, then it would have had much more experience and intelligence that would make it the worst opponent to fight, but this one hadn¡¯t developed that far. Jend: ¡°Ha, all this excitement is making my body tremble.¡± Ashley: ¡°Jend, stick to what you can do, and don¡¯t try to be brave.¡± And as we talked, a single arrow flew towards the fallen Dragon. The arrow was enveloped in the Magic Power¡¯s light, and though it scratched the scales, it didn¡¯t do any further damage. Teo: ¡°......looks like with my bow, I¡¯ll need to directly shoot it in the eye for it to be of any use. I¡¯ll focus on distracting it.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Teo, who suddenly appeared on the scene, bitterly gave her own assessment. But for real, she risked for the Dragon to turn its full attention on her, and she still shot it with zero hesitation. She¡¯s got guts as always¡­...but a little part of it just might be youthful recklessness. Teo: ¡°So, Mr. Henry. What should we do? Among us, I believe that you would be the one to have the most experience fighting a Dragon.¡± Henry: ¡°Well¡­¡­¡­..oh hey, Teo, where¡¯s Cyril?¡± Teo: ¡°She¡¯s singing somewhere back there.¡± Then we can just buy her some time, and it¡¯ll be over in one blast. Henry: ¡°Then let¡¯s just keep it company for now. I¡¯ll stand front and center. Everyone, stand back just a little more than usual, and don¡¯t try to do anything excessive to stop it in its tracks!¡± ¡° ¡° UNDERSTOOD! ¡± ¡± [GAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!] As soon as we agree on a strategy, the Dragon released a huge Breath attack at the whole group. We all jumped away from the spot and dodged¡­¡­..or I thought everyone did when Mr. Ricardo remained behind. Ricardo: ¡°[Flame Blade]?Swipe!¡± And as he bellowed a powerful shout, he swung his sword. An enormous wall of fire appeared in between him and the Dragon¡¯s Breath, and they collided head on. Ricardo: ¡°HMPH!!¡± Mr. Ricardo elegantly moved his sword even further and with it, the wall of flames shifted. After it stopped the Dragon¡¯s Breath, it suddenly turned and a wave of fire was blown back towards the Dragon. The Dragon didn¡¯t seem to receive any solid damage, but it hurriedly took a defensive guard position. Henry: ¡°Mr. Ricardo! I said don¡¯t do anything extreme!¡± I¡¯m glad that the end result was positive, but that was an unnecessary risk to take. I shouted towards him but¡­ Ricardo: ¡°No, I wanted to try that at least once!¡± ¡­¡­¡­.okay, I guess it can¡¯t be helped if you really wanted to do that once in your life? But because of that wall of flame, the Dragon¡¯s sight was blocked, it lost sight of our group as we approached. Looking at the outcome, it was hard to argue with him. Jend took the left, and Ashley took the right as they closed in on the Dragon for the attack. I headed straight towards it, and tried to stay in the center of the Dragon¡¯s attention as I approached. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac}!¡± I cast my strengthening Magecraft Spells on my Spear, and threw it as the Dragon as I ran. Learning from its previous experience that it wouldn¡¯t be able to block it completely, it positioned its body to protect its vitals and increased its defensive Magic Power. As a result, I only scratched the Dragon¡¯s vast amount of life power, but¡­...that wasn¡¯t my aim. Jend: ¡°HAAAAH!!¡± (sfx exhale) Ashley: ¡°©`©`EEEAAHH!!¡± Jend and Ashley pincer the Dragon from the left and right and deliver a devastating attack. Their attack powers are definitely on the higher end, and they cut right through the scales and through the flesh. With the flames wrapped around their large broadswords deliver further damage, and the Dragon roars in agony. In response to the pain, the Dragon began thrashing about wildly and¡­..oh, it¡¯s my chance. Henry: ¡°[Fire] {Ignis} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac}.¡± While the Dragon was distracted with its opponents on both sides, I stack 4 Magecraft Spells on my Spear. I raise my concentration and brace the Spear above my head and¡­.. ©`©`I throw. The Dragon had its eyes locked on Ashley and didn¡¯t notice the incoming fatal blow, and its head instantly blew off. Ashley: ¡°WHOA?! WHAT HAPPENED?!¡± Seeing the Dragon¡¯s head suddenly erupt out of nowhere, Ashley shouts in surprise. Jend: ¡°........ugh©` in the end, I guess we weren¡¯t that useful.¡± Jend is mumbling his complaints, but no no. Because the two created a huge opening for me to strike, I had an easier time nailing it. But even so¡­¡­.once the fight was over, it was actually pretty surprising how easy it was. I guess with this Party, we were able to fight against a Dragon Class without any issues. I¡¯ll need to keep that in mind going forward. As I thought, I started heading towards the Dragon to collect its Drops. It¡¯s body began to as it immediately turned into the Corrupted Magic Power as I walked to it. Cyril: ¡°Um©`©` what am I supposed to do with all this Magic Power I stored up?¡± Henry: ¡°......just throw it at any poor unfortunate Demonic Creature that¡¯s walking nearby.¡± And Cyril, without being able to do anything, complained directly at me. ¡­¡­...why? CH 98 Chapter 98: The Dragon¡¯s Heart So now that the Dragon was defeated, it¡¯s time to collect the Drops ©` the best part of being an Adventurer. There will be the Dragon¡¯s scales, fangs, claws, etc. Although it won¡¯t compare to the Highest-Tier Demonic Creatures, all the Drops are going to be first-rate. And in light of the fact that Drops from the Highest-Tiers are too few, and there is not a whole lot of knowledge surrounding how to use it, if you try to incorporate it into your armor or gear, you will have to pay an inordinate amount of fees, so in that sense, a Dragon¡¯s Drop may be far superior as far as utility goes. So, I was pretty excited as I laid out all the Dropped items and showed it off to Paul and Forte at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. As they glanced at the different items, the two of them strained a pained smile to hide their immense shock. Paul: ¡°........are you kidding me? This is the first time I¡¯ve seen a Dragon¡¯s Heart.¡± And just like Paul said, this time, we got a hold of a Rare Drop called the Dragon¡¯s Heart. Henry: ¡°I¡¯ve seen them¡­¡­..ummmm¡­..maybe¡­.10 times? But this is the first time my own Party got a hold of one.¡± Forte: ¡°So even for you, Henry, it¡¯s only been a few times. Ummm, according to rumors, apparently, it can be turned into a powerful catalyst for Magecraft Artifacts or something like that.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh yeah, I forgot what it was called, but I heard about that.¡± Forte: ¡°It¡¯s the Lindcris Style, I believe.¡± For Adventurers, it¡¯s an extremely unpopular minor Magecraft Style that utilizes Monster Drops as catalysts for their Spells. It¡¯s a type that doesn¡¯t use a Spell Call Stone, so it¡¯s practically worthless on the frontlines while you¡¯re frantically swinging and blocking, but in the military, they say that there are some Ritual Magecraft Squads that specialize in it or something. I¡¯m surprised that Forte even knew about it. Forte: ¡°Other uses would be¡­.can¡¯t it be used as material for powerful Magecraft Medicines?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, and that¡¯s probably the most common use for it. But there¡¯s no pharmacist in this town who can handle such high quality catalysts.¡± I went around all the Pharmacists with ties to the Grandes Church, but as I expected, every one of them threw me out with a, ¡°We can¡¯t do anything like that!¡± There¡¯s no one even in nearby cities, so I have no one to sell this to. Henry: ¡°And so, this thing actually goes bad pretty quickly, and it¡¯s kind of a wasteful option, but we decided to eat it. So Paul and Forte here will get a share too.¡± Paul: ¡°Seriously?! You okay with that?¡± Henry: ¡°They say that eating too much will cause health issues later, and the only Adventurers in this town that can eat this and be okay are not that many.¡± It¡¯s not just Dragons. There are other Demonic Creatures that occasionally drop edible body parts. But those materials will usually carry an equal amount of Corrupted Magic according to the Demonic Creature¡¯s strength¡­...so your body has to be strong and your Magic Power needs to be pretty high, or you¡¯ll get a stomach ache in return. And of course, the more you eat, the stronger your body needs to be. The only other Adventurers that can eat this without problems potentially are Mr. Lad and Mr. Gwayne¡¯s Party. But we don¡¯t have enough to share with everyone in that case. So that¡¯s why since Ashley helped us out, his two other Party Members are invited to join us. And between my Party and Mr. Ricardo, there¡¯s just enough for everyone. At the moment, I¡¯m certain that each person is cooking and preparing it at their own house. Henry: ¡°Alright, so that¡¯s how it¡¯s gonna go. You were listening right, Lana?¡± Lana: ¡°Hahaha, it was so rare to see something like this, I couldn¡¯t help but overhear your conversation. The hour is pretty late. The customers are much fewer, and Lana didn¡¯t have anything to do, so she was observing the Dragon¡¯s Heart very curiously all this time. At least in this way, she¡¯s showing an age appropriate amount of youthful curiosity. Henry: ¡°Alright, so I already sliced the meat up, so can you cook it like steaks? It should be fine to cook it the same way as you would a beef steak.¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, I think we can do that.¡± Forte: ¡°Oh, and can you bring us ale for three?¡± Lana: ¡°Right away©`¡± Forte adds his order in, and Lana takes the Dragon¡¯s Heart Steaks I gave her and heads to the kitchen. Forte: ¡°It¡¯ll be difficult for us to receive this for free, so I know it¡¯s not going to cover it, but please let me buy you a drink.¡± Forte seemed to feel bad about receiving the steaks for free and winked at me casually. It¡¯s strange how some people can do that naturally without it looking awkward¡­¡­...if I try, I seem to make this really really sound effect and instead of it looking cool, I just feel dumb after trying. At this age, I really shouldn¡¯t be complaining about how I look, but I sometimes wish that I looked cooler. But it¡¯s just a thought, and I don¡¯t ever plan to do anything about it. Paul: ¡°But a Dragon, huh? Man, I would love for our Party to be able to reach that level where we¡¯re taking them out left and right.¡± Forte: ¡°With our current abilities, we¡¯ll need one or two Parties of the same strength to fight one.¡± Paul: ¡°Idiot. Don¡¯t you remember? About half a year ago, there was a group of 3 parties that went out to hunt a Dragon, and one got killed in the end. The risk is still way too high.¡± Ouch. Looks like I brought up some bitter memories for them. Paul: ¡°Hey, Henry. Is there like a trick to fighting Dragons?¡± Henry: ¡°.........a trick? That¡¯s difficult. A Dragon basically doesn¡¯t have any weak points.¡± Strength, speed, defense, and Magic Power¡­¡­...in all aspects, it has no visible weaknesses. Alone, it is the strongest among the Upper-Tier, Upper-Class Creatures. The only fault it has is that it typically has low intelligence, and not having a specialized ability is a saving grace for us. Paul: ¡°Then when you were on the frontlines, how were you taking them on?¡± Henry: ¡°How? ¡­¡­..I mean, basically, I would distract it, and this idiot would sneak up to it from behind, and well, and slice its head off.¡± Paul: ¡°.....? Really¡­.?¡± I know my explanation lacks clarity, but honestly, that¡¯s the best way I can describe it. Her beheading skills¡­¡­.she doesn¡¯t use any kind of formalized move or pattern, and just on instinct, swings where she thinks it would cut the best¡­¡­..and in the end, she strikes a critical and fatal blow every time, so there¡¯s no one who can complain, but we all don¡¯t agree with her methods regardless. Forte: ¡°Wait, if you¡¯re talking about taking its head, you¡¯re talking about Ageha, the Head Chopper?¡± Henry: ¡°Yup. Her.¡± From the story about Dragon¡¯s getting their heads cut off, that seemed to ring a bell for Forte. And the fact that that alone brings up her topic should say something about Ageha, but she¡¯s pretty famous as a Hero of Legend ©` even if it¡¯s not on the same scale as Sir Ezeal or Yuu. Paul: ¡°Ageha¡­..you mean, that Hero, Ageha? ¡­¡­.the...rumored problem child?¡± On the contrary, what Hero isn¡¯t a problem child? I don¡¯t know any existing creature that fits that description. Forte: ¡°Wait, wait. So not only do you know the Saint of Salvation, AND you have connections to another big name?¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, if you¡¯re talking about Miss Ageha, she came about twice to come see Mr. Henry in this town.¡± Bringing over the ale, Lana adds an unnecessary tidbit. Paul: ¡°She came to see Henry¡­..? To a town this far¡­¡­..?¡± Forte: ¡°I heard that she¡¯s a free-roaming Hero, but is she to that extent¡­¡­.?¡± They started whispering amongst each other. ¡­¡­¡­...ugh©`©` I have this bad feeling that I don¡¯t even want to know what they¡¯re saying. Henry: ¡°Look, I was in the same Party as her for a short period of time. That girl likes to go all over the place, so if you¡¯re an Adventurer in Ligaleo, you¡¯ll get plenty of opportunities to go on expeditions with her. And here, don¡¯t forget, the ales arrived. Cheers.¡± Paul: ¡°Y©`Yeah.¡± Forte: ¡°Cheers.¡± I try to change the subject and chug down the ale. ¡­¡­..and as usual, the Flowtier Ale is amazingly delicious. It¡¯s very easy to drink down, and yet it has a solid taste and aroma. And today¡­.. Lana: ¡°Thank you for waiting. Here is your Dragon¡¯s Heart Steaks. We kept it simple and only put salt and cooked it. Please enjoy it while it¡¯s still hot.¡± And Lana brought out the Dragon Steaks. It was brought out on a heated iron plate, and you could hear it sizzle and steam. Just from the presentation alone, it looked delicious. The scent that came our way from the plate was unlike any other kind of meat, but it stirred up more restless hunger inside of me. Paul: ¡°Whoa¡­.¡± Forte: ¡°This looks quite delicious.¡± The two of them are drawn more to the steak than about Ageha. I felt myself swallow hard. I had to hold myself back, as I cut the steak with my knife. The meet seems to be very juicy, and unlike the Dragon¡¯s scales, the knife easily passes through. As I carried a bite to my mouth¡­¡­. Henry: ¡°¡«¡«¡«?!?!¡± A flavor that struck me straight through my brain rushed forward. As I chewed, the juice of the meat spilled out, and I was wrapped up in so much delight and joy. Henry: ¡°Holy¡­¡­¡­...this is¡­.incredible.¡± I swallow my first bite, and comment on my first impression. If the market was right, you could probably purchase a house with a Dragon¡¯s Heart. ¡­¡­.since we couldn¡¯t sell it to anyone around here, we though it would be wasteful to let it rot, so we decided to eat it, but¡­¡­¡­.I never would have thought that it would be this good. They say that if you eat it, you¡¯ll regain 10 years of your life, that you would be filled with so much energy that you wouldn¡¯t need to sleep for a week, or for 3 days and 3 nights, your libido would go through the roof¡­¡­..or so the rumors say, but this is still incredibly delicious. I have eat regular Dragon Meat a few times, but the Heart was just something completely different. Forte: ¡°It¡¯s delicious¡­¡­...but it has quite the concentration of Corrupted Magic too.¡± Paul: ¡°Yeah, I can feel something rolling around inside my stomach right now.¡± Now they mention it, I do feel a weird sensation too. But in order to get a taste of this wonderful meat, it¡¯s nothing to be concerned about. I chug down the ale, and bring the next piece to my mouth. Henry: ¡°Lana! Can I have more ale?!¡± And I order more drinks. That day, I thoroughly enjoyed savoring the Dragon meat. <<<<>>>> And the next day¡­. Henry: ¡°Oh©` Ferris, it got you too?¡± Yesterday, we couldn¡¯t meet because of the incident with the Dragon, but we all gathered at the Grandes Church to divvy out the rewards. But surprising, there were several people who got hit hard with the Corrupted Magic concentration within the Dragon Steak and were out sick today. Cyril: ¡°It was so delicious, but I guess it¡¯s really bad for your body.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, they say you get 10 years younger eating it, but that was just a false rumor. If you prepare it right, it can be turned into a medicine that gives you lots of energy though.¡± Cyril was unaffected and nonchalantly commented about wanting to eat it again, but apparently, I completely underestimated the effect. Because at this point, only Cyril and I made it out without having any side-effects. Jend and Ashley are not feeling well, but they can walk around normally. Paul looks like he has a hangover, but Ferris, Teo, Forte, and Mr. Ricardo are all suffering as though they have an extreme bad hangover. Cyril was able to repel the Corrupted Magic of the Dragon¡¯s Heart with her own enormous quantity of Magic Power, and the symptoms of others are only differences of their physical body¡¯s durability. Mr. Ricardo may have been fine if he was younger, but it can¡¯t be helped at his age. Jend: ¡°I still feel a little heart burn. I think I¡¯ll take it easy at my house today.¡± Ashley: ¡°..........we were supposed to head back to Southgaia tomorrow, but with Forte¡¯s condition, we may have to push back our departure.¡± Even the two disciples who came out were not looking as energetic. Well, I handed Ashley¡¯s portion of the reward since he was leaving Flowtier soon, but the rest of the Party can be handed their reward at another time. Cyril: ¡°What do you want to do, Henry? Since I came all the way out here to the Church, I thought we could try doing a Quest.¡± Henry: ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tag along.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay©`! I¡¯ll go check out what they have©`!¡± Not feeling any effect from the Corrupted Magic Power, Cyril responds energetically with light steps and ran towards the counter. It was cute to see her so excited. And as I glanced at her as she ran off¡­. Today, I tagged along Cyril and completed some Quests with her. <<<<>>>> CREDITS Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely Written by Hisagushien Translated by: ChonkyTranslator Japanese Title: ¥»¥ß¥ê¥¿¥¤¥¢¤·¤¿Ã°ê“ÕߤϤΤó¤Ó¤êĺ¤é¤·¤¿¤¤ ×÷Õß: ¾Ã™±¾v£¨¥Ò¥µ¥°¥·¥¨¥ó£© http://kuontenrin.ehoh.net/ Original Source: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n1161ft/98/ Book 8: The Flame Swordsman Chapter 98: The Dragon¡¯s Heart So now that the Dragon was defeated, it¡¯s time to collect the Drops ©` the best part of being an Adventurer. There will be the Dragon¡¯s scales, fangs, claws, etc. Although it won¡¯t compare to the Highest-Tier Demonic Creatures, all the Drops are going to be first-rate. And in light of the fact that Drops from the Highest-Tiers are too few, and there is not a whole lot of knowledge surrounding how to use it, if you try to incorporate it into your armor or gear, you will have to pay an inordinate amount of fees, so in that sense, a Dragon¡¯s Drop may be far superior as far as utility goes. So, I was pretty excited as I laid out all the Dropped items and showed it off to Paul and Forte at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. As they glanced at the different items, the two of them strained a pained smile to hide their immense shock. Paul: ¡°........are you kidding me? This is the first time I¡¯ve seen a Dragon¡¯s Heart.¡± And just like Paul said, this time, we got a hold of a Rare Drop called the Dragon¡¯s Heart. Henry: ¡°I¡¯ve seen them¡­¡­..ummmm¡­..maybe¡­.10 times? But this is the first time my own Party got a hold of one.¡± Forte: ¡°So even for you, Henry, it¡¯s only been a few times. Ummm, according to rumors, apparently, it can be turned into a powerful catalyst for Magecraft Artifacts or something like that.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh yeah, I forgot what it was called, but I heard about that.¡± Forte: ¡°It¡¯s the Lindchris Style, I believe.¡± For Adventurers, it¡¯s an extremely unpopular minor Magecraft Style that utilizes Monster Drops as catalysts for their Spells. It¡¯s a type that doesn¡¯t use a Spell Call Stone, so it¡¯s practically worthless on the frontlines while you¡¯re frantically swinging and blocking, but in the military, they say that there are some Ritual Magecraft Squads that specialize in it or something. I¡¯m surprised that Forte even knew about it. Forte: ¡°Other uses would be¡­.can¡¯t it be used as material for powerful Magecraft Medicines?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, and that¡¯s probably the most common use for it. But there¡¯s no pharmacist in this town who can handle such high quality catalysts.¡± I went around all the Pharmacists with ties to the Grandes Church, but as I expected, every one of them threw me out with a, ¡°We can¡¯t do anything like that!¡± There¡¯s no one even in nearby cities, so I have no one to sell this to. Henry: ¡°And so, this thing actually goes bad pretty quickly, and it¡¯s kind of a wasteful option, but we decided to eat it. So Paul and Forte here will get a share too.¡± Paul: ¡°Seriously?! You okay with that?¡± Henry: ¡°They say that eating too much will cause health issues later, and the only Adventurers in this town that can eat this and be okay are not that many.¡± It¡¯s not just Dragons. There are other Demonic Creatures that occasionally drop edible body parts. But those materials will usually carry an equal amount of Corrupted Magic according to the Demonic Creature¡¯s strength¡­...so your body has to be strong and your Magic Power needs to be pretty high, or you¡¯ll get a stomach ache in return. And of course, the more you eat, the stronger your body needs to be. The only other Adventurers that can eat this without problems potentially are Mr. Lad and Mr. Gwayne¡¯s Party. But we don¡¯t have enough to share with everyone in that case. So that¡¯s why since Ashley helped us out, his two other Party Members are invited to join us. And between my Party and Mr. Ricardo, there¡¯s just enough for everyone. At the moment, I¡¯m certain that each person is cooking and preparing it at their own house. Henry: ¡°Alright, so that¡¯s how it¡¯s gonna go. You were listening right, Lana?¡± Lana: ¡°Hahaha, it was so rare to see something like this, I couldn¡¯t help but overhear your conversation. The hour is pretty late. The customers are much fewer, and Lana didn¡¯t have anything to do, so she was observing the Dragon¡¯s Heart very curiously all this time. At least in this way, she¡¯s showing an age appropriate amount of youthful curiosity. Henry: ¡°Alright, so I already sliced the meat up, so can you cook it like steaks? It should be fine to cook it the same way as you would a beef steak.¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, I think we can do that.¡± Forte: ¡°Oh, and can you bring us ale for three?¡± Lana: ¡°Right away©`¡± Forte adds his order in, and Lana takes the Dragon¡¯s Heart Steaks I gave her and heads to the kitchen. Forte: ¡°It¡¯ll be difficult for us to receive this for free, so I know it¡¯s not going to cover it, but please let me buy you a drink.¡± Forte seemed to feel bad about receiving the steaks for free and winked at me casually. It¡¯s strange how some people can do that naturally without it looking awkward¡­¡­...if I try, I seem to make this really really sound effect and instead of it looking cool, I just feel dumb after trying. At this age, I really shouldn¡¯t be complaining about how I look, but I sometimes wish that I looked cooler. But it¡¯s just a thought, and I don¡¯t ever plan to do anything about it. Paul: ¡°But a Dragon, huh? Man, I would love for our Party to be able to reach that level where we¡¯re taking them out left and right.¡± Forte: ¡°With our current abilities, we¡¯ll need one or two Parties of the same strength to fight one.¡± Paul: ¡°Idiot. Don¡¯t you remember? About half a year ago, there were 3 Hunting Parties that went out, and one got killed in the end. The risk is still way too high.¡± Ouch. Looks like I brought up some bitter memories for them. Paul: ¡°Hey, Henry. Is there like a trick to fighting Dragons?¡± Henry: ¡°.........a trick? That¡¯s difficult. A Dragon basically doesn¡¯t have any weak points.¡± Strength, speed, defense, and Magic Power¡­¡­...in all aspects, it has no visible weaknesses. Alone, it is the strongest among the Upper-Tier, Upper-Class Creatures. The only fault it has is that it typically has low intelligence, and not having a specialized ability is a saving grace for us. Paul: ¡°Then when you were on the frontlines, how were you taking them on?¡± Henry: ¡°How? ¡­¡­..I mean, basically, I would distract it, and this idiot would sneak up to it from behind, and well, and slice its head off.¡± Paul: ¡°.....? Really¡­.?¡± I know my explanation lacks clarity, but honestly, that¡¯s the best way I can describe it. Her beheading skills¡­¡­.she doesn¡¯t use any kind of formalized move or pattern, and just on instinct, swings where she thinks it would cut the best¡­¡­..and in the end, she strikes a critical and fatal blow every time, so there¡¯s no one who can complain, but we all don¡¯t agree with her methods regardless. Forte: ¡°Wait, if you¡¯re talking about taking its head, you¡¯re talking about Ageha, the Beheader?¡± Henry: ¡°Yup. Her.¡± From the story about Dragon¡¯s getting their heads cut off, that seemed to ring a bell for Forte. And the fact that that alone brings up her topic should say something about Ageha, but she¡¯s pretty famous as a Hero of Legend ©` even if it¡¯s not on the same scale as Sir Ezeal or Yuu. Paul: ¡°Ageha¡­..you mean, that Hero, Ageha? ¡­¡­.the...rumored problem child?¡± On the contrary, what Hero isn¡¯t a problem child? I don¡¯t know any existing creature that fits that description. Forte: ¡°Wait, wait. So not only do you know the Saint of Salvation, AND you have connections to another big name?¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, if you¡¯re talking about Miss Ageha, she came about twice to come see Mr. Henry in this town.¡± Bringing over the ale, Lana adds an unnecessary tidbit. Paul: ¡°She came to see Henry¡­..? To a town this far¡­¡­..?¡± Forte: ¡°I heard that she¡¯s a free-roaming Hero, but is she to that extent¡­¡­.?¡± They started whispering amongst each other. ¡­¡­¡­...ugh©`©` I have this bad feeling that I don¡¯t even want to know what they¡¯re saying. Henry: ¡°Look, I was in the same Party as her for a short period of time. That girl likes to go all over the place, so if you¡¯re an Adventurer in Ligaleo, you¡¯ll get plenty of opportunities to go on expeditions with her. And here, don¡¯t forget, the ales arrived. Cheers.¡± Paul: ¡°Y©`Yeah.¡± Forte: ¡°Cheers.¡± I try to change the subject and chug down the ale. ¡­¡­..and as usual, the Flowtier Ale is amazingly delicious. It¡¯s very easy to drink down, and yet it has a solid taste and aroma. And today¡­.. Lana: ¡°Thank you for waiting. Here is your Dragon¡¯s Heart Steaks. We kept it simple and only put salt and cooked it. Please enjoy it while it¡¯s still hot.¡± And Lana brought out the Dragon Steaks. It was brought out on a heated iron plate, and you could hear it sizzle and steam. Just from the presentation alone, it looked delicious. The scent that came our way from the plate was unlike any other kind of meat, but it stirred up more restless hunger inside of me. Paul: ¡°Whoa¡­.¡± Forte: ¡°This looks quite delicious.¡± The two of them are drawn more to the steak than about Ageha. I felt myself swallow hard. I had to hold myself back, as I cut the steak with my knife. The meet seems to be very juicy, and unlike the Dragon¡¯s scales, the knife easily passes through. As I carried a bite to my mouth¡­¡­. Henry: ¡°¡«¡«¡«?!?!¡± A flavor that struck me straight through my brain rushed forward. As I chewed, the juice of the meat spilled out, and I was wrapped up in so much delight and joy. Henry: ¡°Holy¡­¡­¡­...this is¡­.incredible.¡± I swallow my first bite, and comment on my first impression. If the market was right, you could probably purchase a house with a Dragon¡¯s Heart. ¡­¡­.since we couldn¡¯t sell it to anyone around here, we though it woudl be wasteful to let it rot, so we decided to eat it, but¡­¡­¡­.I never would have thought that it would be this good. They say that if you eat it, you¡¯ll regain 10 years of your life, that you would be filled with so much energy that you wouldn¡¯t need to sleep for a week, or for 3 days and 3 nights, your libido would go through the roof¡­¡­..or so the rumors say, but this is still incredibly delicious. I have eat regular Dragon Meat a few times, but the Heart was just something completely different. Forte: ¡°It¡¯s delicious¡­¡­...but it has quite the concentration of Corrupted Magic too.¡± Paul: ¡°Yeah, I can feel something rolling around inside my stomach right now.¡± Now they mention it, I do feel a weird sensation too. But in order to get a taste of this wonderful meat, it¡¯s nothing to be concerned about. I chug down the ale, and bring the next piece to my mouth. Henry: ¡°Lana! Can I have more ale?!¡± And I order more drinks. That day, I thoroughly enjoyed savoring the Dragon meat. <<<<>>>> And the next day¡­. Henry: ¡°Oh©` Ferris, it got you too?¡± Yestereday, we couldn¡¯t meet because of the incident with the Dragon, but we all gathered at the Grandes Church to divvy out the rewards. But surprising, there were several people who got hit hard with the Corrupted Magic concentration within the Dragon Steak and were out sick today. Cyril: ¡°It was so delicious, but I guess it¡¯s really bad for your body.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, they say you get 10 years younger eating it, but that was just a false rumor. If you prepare it right, it can be turned into a medicine that gives you lots of energy though.¡± Cyril was unaffected and nonchalantly commented about wanting to eat it again, but apparently, I completely underestimated the effect. Because at this point, only Cyril and I made it out without having any side-effects. Jend and Ashley are not feeling well, but they can walk around normally. Paul looks like he has a hangover, but Ferris, Teo, Forte, and Mr. Ricardo are all suffering as though they have an extreme bad hangover. Cyril was able to repel the Corrupted Magic of the Dragon¡¯s Heart with her own enormous quantity of Magic Power, and the symptoms of others are only differences of their physical body¡¯s durability. Mr. Ricardo may have been fine if he was younger, but it can¡¯t be helped at his age. Jend: ¡°I still feel a little heart burn. I think I¡¯ll take it easy at my house today.¡± Ashley: ¡°..........we were supposed to head back to Southgaia tomorrow, but with Forte¡¯s condition, we may have to push back our departure.¡± Even the two disciples who came out were not looking as energetic. Well, I handed Ashley¡¯s portion of the reward since he was leaving Flowtier soon, but the rest of the Party can be handed their reward at another time. Cyril: ¡°What do you want to do, Henry? Since I came all the way out here to the Church, I thought we could try doing a Quest.¡± Henry: ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tag along.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay©`! I¡¯ll go check out what they have©`!¡± Not feeling any effect from the Corrupted Magic Power, Cyril responds energetically with light steps and ran towards the counter. It was cute to see her so excited. And as I glanced at her as she ran off¡­. Today, I tagged along Cyril and completed some Quests with her. CH 99 Chapter 99: The Departure of the Brilliant Swords I went on a Quest with Cyril, and on the way back¡­. We decided to drop by Teo¡¯s place to check on her condition after being exposed to the Corrupted Magic from the Dragon¡¯s meat. Jend is going to check on Ferris, and if we poked our heads in, we¡¯ll just be in the way, so we¡¯ll let them be. Henry: ¡°Teo, are you awake? We came to see how you were doing.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hello©` Teo©`¡± We knock on the door and call out to Teo. Teo¡¯s mother, Mrs. Tina welcomed us into the home, and according to her, Teo has only drank water since this day started. We brought some fruits that should be easy to digest, but I wonder if her stomach will be able to handle it. Teo: ¡°.....please come in, you two. The door is unlocked.¡± I heard a surprisingly energetic voice from inside. ¡­¡­...oh, that reminds me. I¡¯m entering a girl¡¯s room. Yuu kept her room at the inn pretty tidy, but Ageha was the kind of girl who couldn¡¯t clean up after herself. But from Teo¡¯s personality, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll see something so entertaining. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll have the bare minimum furniture, and maybe a bookshelf full of textbooks¡­¡­..it¡¯ll probably be like that. Cyril: ¡°Hello©`¡± And Cyril opens the door¡­¡­...and we are suddenly hit with¡­¡­.lots of pink. Pink color was everywhere. Henry: ¡°......h©`hey.¡± It was so much that it blinded me for a moment. Teo¡¯s room was¡­...let¡¯s see¡­¡­...very catered to girls. She had a frilled pink curtain, colorful cushions, lots of stuffed animals of different sizes, and a bookshelf full of children¡¯s stories. ¡­¡­..in the corner of the room, there was a bow and machete, and other suspicious looking tools looked horribly out of place, but otherwise, it was indeed a girl¡¯s room. Teo: ¡°Mr. Henry, Miss Cyril, thank you for dropping by to check on me.¡± Cyril: ¡°Of course. ¡­¡­.oh, you have some new stuffed animals since I came here.¡± Cyril is very close to Teo and has visited her on a number of occasions. She took hold of a stuffed bear and began playing with it. Henry: ¡°So¡­¡­.Teo. What are you doing?¡± Teo was sitting on top of her bed in a strange posture. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve seen before. I think they called it the lotus position. Ageha did it when she was trying to focus and concentrate. Teo: ¡°Yes, this morning, the contamination from the Corrupted Magic was very bad, so I was trying to restore my body by doing some breathing exercises. Because of that, I feel much better now.¡± Henry: ¡°Breathing exercises¡­..huh¡­.¡± I don¡¯t really understand the Rishu techniques. I¡¯ve heard that there¡¯s been more wars between humans than against Demonic Creatures there, so they have developed a different line of skills that¡¯s different from the main continent. In its most simplest form, fighting a Demonic Creature comes down to determining how you will hit it with your strongest attack. But against humans, such simple techniques do not always work. Of course, there are some people who will fight against other humans with the simplest of attacks and just overwhelm them with landing a single powerful attack, but similar to sword play, you will also see people less gifted in strength refine their moves to counter. Henry: ¡°I see. I heard that you were down from the Corrupted Magic influence, but I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re doing okay.¡± Teo: ¡°I really was not feeling well this morning though. But that Dragon¡¯s Heart was delicious so I want to try it again sometime.¡± She¡¯s so positive. Usually, getting sick from Corrupted Magic like that would put you in so much misery that most would shy away from risking another experience like that. Henry: ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, we¡¯re glad you¡¯re doing much better. ¡­¡­..here, we bought you some fruits.¡± Cyril: ¡°And we also have medicinal herbs too! Today, I went to the Flowtier Forest with Henry for a Quest, and we ran across some during the expedition.¡± Yeah, those herbs help you feel better when you¡¯re feeling nausea. The Quest was for a different herb, but we ran across this one by accident so we picked some. Teo: ¡°Thank you so much for going out of your way. I will gladly accept the fruits, and¡­...maybe I¡¯ll use this herb to make some Poison.¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? Can you make something like that with this?¡± Teo: ¡°It¡¯s a little weak, but when you mix it with a certain herb, it turns into a Paralysis Poison.¡± I was interested and got the recipe from her. From what she told me, I can make it cheap, and it sounds pretty useful. But in exchange, I teach Teo a few recipes I know. We do this during our regular meetings with our Adventuring Party, but we actually never talked about this so Teo and I went into quite a deep discussion. Since the local fauna are different from the Ligaleo region, there were some recipes I couldn¡¯t use, but now, it looks like we may be able to incorporate poison into our tactics. Cyril: ¡°........umm©` why would we bring up some violent topics when we¡¯re just coming to check in on how she¡¯s doing¡­.¡± It was 30 minutes later¡­. Teo and I got really into our Poison Recipe discussion, and exasperated, Cyril cut into our conversation. ¡­¡­.look, I know we were ignoring you, and I apologize, but don¡¯t get in a bad mood. <<<<>>>> After visiting Teo, 3 more days passed. We were near the main Flowtier gate where the public carriage station was located. It was 2 days later than they originally planned, but Jend and I were here to send off the [Brilliant Swords] who were departing from Flowtier. It might be a little too much if too many people came, so from my Party, it was just the two of us. ¡°Alright, good bye, Ashley. Come by at least once a year. And send us a letter at least one every two months. ¡­¡­...Mr. Paul, Mr. Forte. I know he¡¯s an inept kid, but please take good care of him.¡± Ashley: ¡°Hey, c¡¯mon dad! These guys are my friends, and you don¡¯t have to be so formal!¡± ¡°Idiot. As a parent, let me at least properly greet the people who are looking after you.¡± Paul and Forte strain a smile as they half-laugh at Ashley¡¯s dad¡¯s response. ¡°Ashley. Just take care of your body, okay? ¡­¡­..and bring your wife here one of these days.¡± Ashley: ¡°Yeah, I promise, mom. I wanted to bring her this time, but she couldn¡¯t leave her job at the store.¡± One of the big reasons that Ashley, who ran away from home, came back was to let his family know that he was getting married. Karen, was it? She¡¯s the daughter of a Bakery in Southgaia, and they plan to get married in the spring when their new residence construction is complete. In the southern regions of the Alvenia Kingdom, a man isn¡¯t recognized as independent until he owns his own house, and he holds off on marriage until that house is done apparently. On the other hand, around the central region, they usually have an extravagant wedding ceremony, and in the far south, they make a vow before the God they serve, and it is done in quite the solemn and conservative manner. So depending on the region you live in, the culture can change. Flowtier is located extremely north, so they do not have a chosen custom here. You can do whatever you want. Ricardo: ¡°Then Ashley. You keep up the good work.¡± Ashley: ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Ricardo: ¡°Ah yes. Before I forget. If your basics are lacking the next time we meet¡­..you understand, correct?¡± Mr. Ricardo placed a hand on Ashley¡¯s shoulder and put on quite the intimidating smile. Although he was down resting from the Corrupted Magic contamination up until yesterday, I could even feel the pressure he was putting on Ashley from a distance. Ashley: ¡°Of course. I will not forget the lessons you have taught me these past few days.¡± Ricardo: ¡°..........yes, a good response. Continue to sharpen and hone your skills. Then you will exceed even me in my prime.¡± Ashley: ¡°Yes sir.¡± The Master and Disciple grip their hands tightly in a handshake. ¡­¡­.wow©` I¡¯m a little envious of the scene. Like, you can really feel the passion and bond or¡­...the trust(?) between the two. And the two part with some reluctance, and Ashley turns towards Jend. Ashley: ¡°Good bye, Jend. We will meet again.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, besides. Rather than me going to see you, if I head to Ligaleo, I¡¯ll pass through Southgaia, right?¡± Ashley: ¡°That¡¯s right. If it¡¯s you, once you get a little more experience, you¡¯ll get along just fine. ¡­¡­..I know I said this before, but going to the frontlines is now just a pipedream for me, so I¡¯ll be rooting for you.¡± That¡¯s right. Ashley was saying something about going to Ligaleo if he got a little stronger. But he¡¯s newly wed and building his new home, so I guess there¡¯s no way he¡¯ll drop all of that and go now. Ashley: ¡°.....oh wait. Maybe once all the kids are grown up, maybe I could try again after that.¡± Jend: ¡°Ha, by that time, I would have already defeated the Demon King and become a Hero of Legend, so I¡¯m sorry to tell you, that dream¡¯s never going to come true.¡± Ashley: ¡°HA! You still got that big mouth, Jend.¡± Ashley bumps a fist into Jend¡¯s chest. Even without putting it into words, I¡¯m sure Jend knew that it was Ashley¡¯s way of telling him good luck. Ashley: ¡°Henry, I know he can be annoying, but please take care of my little brother.¡± Henry: ¡°Sure thing. ¡­¡­.but at this point, I¡¯m already relying on him a lot. I guess we¡¯ll be helping each other out from now on.¡± Ashley: ¡°I see.¡± And with that, Paul and Forte walked over this way. Out of the people seeing them off, we got to know each other pretty well, so they came to say their farewell. Paul: ¡°Henry, thanks for everything. Thanks to you, we had a great time during our vacation here.¡± Forte: ¡°I feel the same. For me, that Dragon Heart¡¯s Steak left too strong of an impression for better or for worse.¡± Forget couldn¡¯t get out of bed for 2 days after that so yeah¡­. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s fully recovered yet judging from his face. Ashley: ¡°Oh yeah! That was an experience of a lifetime! I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever be able to eat anything that delicious in the future.¡± Paul: ¡°Ashley¡­...I know it ended as a good memory for you, but don¡¯t forget that Forte and I were out sick because of it.¡± Ashley: ¡°It¡¯s because you don¡¯t train hard enough. Do you want me to train you the way my Master Ricardo did?¡± Paul and Forte visibly shook their head side to side pretty emphatically. Seeing the tough Ashley come back exhausted every day, I don¡¯t think anyone would light-heartedly want to say yes to that offer. And we all finish our farewell greetings. Ashley: ¡°Okay everyone. Thank you for seeing us off.¡± Paul: ¡°It was a great town. I¡¯ll come by again.¡± Forte: ¡°Farewell.¡± The members of the Brilliant Swords all gave one last parting farewell and got onto the carriage. The driver is the same one that took us to the Capital ©` Will. ¡­¡­..since they were supposed to leave two days ago, they had to pay extra fees for the delay, but that was expected. Both Jend and I make eye contact with Will with a quick greeting. It was also to silently ask him to safely take these new friends of mine back. Will: ¡°Okay, then we¡¯re off!¡± Will spoke out and signaled to his beloved horses. The carriage slowly began moving forward and towards the main gate. They passed through the gate, and we watched until they disappeared into the horizon. Jend: ¡°......Henry, if you don¡¯t have any plans, can you join me in training?¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? I don¡¯t mind, but why all of a sudden?¡± I really don¡¯t mind, but it was a little out of the blue. Jend: ¡°In the end, I lost overall to Brother Ashley in our practice matches. The next time I see him, I want to surprise him.¡± Henry: ¡°I didn¡¯t know how much you didn¡¯t like to lose.¡± Jend: ¡°Not as much as you, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Really?¡± Wait, wait. That¡¯s not true. I¡¯m the cool, calm-type Adventurer. I¡¯m not so childish that I get irate over a few losses. Jend: ¡°You don¡¯t remember how much you sulked after losing to Miss Ageha?¡± ¡­¡­...as an Adventurer, it is crucial to always want to win. At the end of the day, when you are in a life and death situation and faced with a critical moment, what will make the difference is your strong will and resolution. That¡¯s why being competitive is a true testament to being a good adventurer¡­¡­..or at least, we should all acknowledge that. And I continued making excuses quietly inside my mind¡­.. Today, I joined Jend and we trained until we were both drenched in sweat. CH 100 Chapter 100: The Winter Quest Henry: ¡°..........hm?¡± In the morning, I woke up in one of the rooms at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. The sun that is shining down through the window seems to be brighter than usual. Right now, we are in the middle of winter. I feel a tug of laziness at the comfort of my warm blanket, but I have to go do my daily jogging routine. With a ¡°HMPH!¡± I jumped up out of bed. It might be a little bit of a waste to use it like this, but I use my {Physical Enhancement} to warm up my body, and with that, I throw open the window. Henry: ¡°It¡¯s still packed with snow today©`¡± As I look outside, I see the ground blanketed with snow everywhere. From the 12th month, the snow began to fall, and even during the sunny days, the snow did not melt. From what people told me, the snow will generally remain until the springtime warmth arrives. In this region, this is a normal sight to see. But not everything I see around me is blanketed in white. Flowtier is known as the City of Flower and Water. Even during the winter, there are many flowers that bloom during the winter used as decorations. And because the snow remains for the duration of the winter, there will be a Snowman Festival as well. Lastly, I heard that a lot of fish caught in the Port Seasargo taste the best during this season¡­¡­.it¡¯s not as popular as during the Flower Festival, but many tourists still come around the winter to Flowtier to enjoy these events. Henry: ¡°¡«¡«¡«!!¡± As I feel the sun against my face, I stretch my body. I quickly get dressed into my workout clothes and head downstairs. Linda: ¡°Good morning, Mr. Henry.¡± Lana: ¡°Good morning.¡± Henry: ¡°Good morning, Mrs. Linda, Lana. It must be tough to have to get up so early in the morning.¡± As I descend to the bottom floor, I run into the two who are cleaning the dining room. On Mrs. Linda¡¯s back, Rando, Lana¡¯s little brother, has grown up quite a bit. I wave a friendly ¡°hello¡«¡± towards him, and he answers me back with a, ¡°Ah©`u!¡± I have been at this inn since this little guy was born. Because of that, he knows my face well, and he always answers me back when I greet him. Linda: ¡°Mr. Henry, you¡¯re going out for a run again today?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, since we can¡¯t go to the Altohern Mountains, I need to make sure to not slack off on my training.¡± The Altohern Mountain is a Corrupted Ice Territory. Once the temperature drops and the snow piles up, the threat-level of the territory increases exponentially. We were just about to challenge the Upper-Region, so it is a little too bad, but it would be far too dangerous to march up a place where the snow goes up to your waist. And there¡¯s no reason for us to take on such a high risk and keep going. So we are going back to our roots and hunting in the Flowtier Forest once again. Just doing so would be boring, so we are trying out different tactics and maneuvers. I would use my poison against the Wild Bear and observe its effects, and Cyril would face off with Killer Dogs with her staff techniques. Jend began learning Magecraft, and Ferris and Teo are honing their sword techniques. Regardless, since the expeditions are a lot easier, I need to increase my personal training regimen just to stay in shape. Linda: ¡°This morning seems especially cold, so my husband is making a hot stew for the morning special. Go out there and come back extra hungry today.¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± Mr. Nord¡¯s stew is delicious. And I wonder how many refills I¡¯m allowed today. If I try to eat to my fill, I can easily empty the large cooking pot¡­...and that will leave nothing for the rest of the inn guests. So maybe I¡¯ll come back a little later and ask for the remaining portions near the end of the breakfast time. That¡¯ll be my plan today. Lana: ¡°We have shoveled some of the snow, but it¡¯s still slippery out there, so please be careful.¡± Henry: ¡°Roger that. Thanks for the warning.¡± As I head out the door, I thank Lana for her advice and step outside. The snow has been pushed to the side, but the snow that fell during the night has covered the ground again. It has been packed down by the people who have been walking this morning, so if I¡¯m not careful, it¡¯ll be easy to slip and fall. ¡­¡­.I think the snow shoveling was a Request given out by the territory for the general public. Since Adventurers are allowed to help out, it might not be a bad idea to take it on. It seems to be pretty rigorous physical labor. Henry: ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go©`!¡± It was Flowtier¡¯s winter morning. I began running through the world surrounded in silvery white. <<<<>>>> As I finish my daily training regimen, I ate stew and bread till my stomach bloated and enjoyed every minute of it. Arriving at the Grandes Church, I was meeting with everyone else in my Party. It was our periodic, scheduled meeting. We are not as active this season, but we haven¡¯t stopped meeting with one another since winter started. Henry: ¡°Alrighty then. Then tomorrow, we are good with Jend and I taking on the Snow Shoveling Request?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, it sounds like they don¡¯t have enough hands, and it¡¯ll be a good Request to collect some recognition points.¡± Henry: ¡°I brought up the thought that came to mind this morning, and the Party agreed with proceeding with the plan.¡± As Jend mentioned, if you want to be acknowledged as a Heroic Warrior, taking on this Request is good for visibility and recognition by the Church. I heard that it¡¯s a pretty tough job, but compared to Quests where there is always the danger of losing your life, this Request has a decent reward attached to it. Cyril: ¡°Hmm©` if you¡¯d just let me handle it, you won¡¯t even have to worry about snow shoveling. I can make all of the snow in Flowtier evaporate.¡± Ferris: ¡°Yes, yes. Let¡¯s keep those kinds of dangerous jokes to ourselves, Cyril.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes ma¡¯am©`¡± Cyril mentions her absurd idea, and Ferris lightly chides her. ¡­¡­...well, I¡¯m sure if it¡¯s Cyril, she could most likely do it, but¡­...I¡¯m also fairly certain that the city will burn down too. Ferris: ¡°I have my usual Job Requests as a Healer.¡± Teo: ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Tomorrow will be an off day for me.¡± Ferris has her usual work, and Teo needs the day off for her monthly¡­..that. Cyril couldn¡¯t find a suitable Request or Quest for herself so she¡¯ll be taking the day off. Henry: ¡°Okay then. About planning our expedition starting after next week¡­¡­¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry. Could I interrupt for a second?¡± We all decided on our plans for tomorrow, and I tried to transition to what we¡¯ll do when Cyril raised her hand. Henry: ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong? Do you need to use the restroom?¡± With a light , Cyril hits my back. Cyril: ¡°Henry, you should really learn to be more sensitive¡­¡­..but anyways, no, it¡¯s not that. Actually, Sir Alvare had a Designated Quest for our Party and wanted me to discuss it with everyone.¡± Henry: ¡°From the Governor?¡± Huh¡­.I wonder what he wants. It¡¯s true that in our Party, Cyril lives at the Governor¡¯s mansion, Jend is the son of the largest Merchant Group in Flowtier, and I have saved the City from imminent(?) peril, so our Party has a certain degree of trust and recognition from the Governor personally, but still¡­¡­.what would this be about? Henry: ¡°What¡¯s the ask?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes. OH! But please keep this confidential.¡± Henry: ¡°I have no interest in gossiping about clients¡¯ personal Requests.¡± Everyone else nods at my reply. And then Cyril lowered her voice to a bare whisper. Cyril: ¡°Actually, next week, the Alvenia Kingdom¡¯s Princess is secretly coming to Flowtier to sightsee. So the Request is to guard and guide her around the City.¡± Henry: ¡°Wait-wait-wait-wait¡­.¡± A PRINCESS?! W©`Wait. Calm down, me. It¡¯s true that Flowtier is one of the more well known tourist locations in the Alvenia Kingdom, so it shouldn¡¯t be any surprise that the Royal Family will come visit at times. But let¡¯s see¡­...the Alvenia Kingdom had two princes and three princesses, if I remember correctly. I heard of their rumors but¡­.. Henry: ¡°And which Princess are we talking about¡­¡­?¡± Cyril: ¡°The second princess, Lady Eileen.¡± The Adventurer Princess?! Princess Eileen, age 18. When she was a youth, she said, ¡°The Grandes Church is our Kingdom¡¯s national religion! As a princess of this country, there are no issues with me swearing my oath to the Church, correct?¡± And with that, became an Adventurer. Afterwards, she escaped from the castle, and she would repeatedly go off on expeditions for 1 to 2 weeks at a time and continued to repeat those actions. Hence, she was well-renowned as the biggest problem of the Royal Family. Normally, the Royal Family would have enough reason to excommunicate her for her actions but¡­¡­.the only people who are really against the princess going on expeditions are the country¡¯s officials, and the military counsel and Royal Family praised her by saying, ¡°This is truly a symbol of our military might of the Alvenia Royal Family,¡± and overlooked the issue completely. ¡­¡­¡­..actually, is this Kingdom going to be okay? I¡¯m starting to get worried. Henry: ¡°Why would we be chosen as guards for someone so high up?¡± Jend: ¡°I think so too. If it¡¯s protecting someone like that, shouldn''t someone from the City Military¡­¡­...like my Master should personally guard her? I mean, we could act as guides around the City, but that¡¯s another matter entirely.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.and besides, I really don¡¯t think that she¡¯ll need any help protecting herself. Princess Eileen has been awarded the Heroic Warrior status all on her own. I¡¯ve only heard rumors, but she can overpower the typical 2 or 3 Knights and wipe the floor with them. ¡­¡­¡­...but that¡¯s really not a surprise. When the Grandes God descended and before the Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault and its godly equipment were handed down, the people who protected humanity were the very few Mages. So of course, they had extremely high statuses, and many of the Royal and Noble families tend to descend from those ancient Mages. There are some families that completely collapse, but the Royalty and High Nobles tend to inter-marry¡­¡­..and maybe it¡¯s because of their ancestors¡¯ blood, but the Nobles tend to have children with very high Magic Power ©` especially compared to ordinary citizens. Princess Eileen is not an exception on that front, and she was born with extremely high Magic Power. And on top of that, she was given the Kingdom¡¯s finest education, and it¡¯s not very hard to imagine why she became such a strong warrior. Cyril: ¡°Well, that¡¯s because©` she¡¯ll have a personal bodyguard from the White Dragon Knights who is also on leave with her. I believe it was Ms. Beatriz(?) who will be by her side.¡± Henry: ¡°..............okay, I REALLY don¡¯t understand why we need to be there at all.¡± Cyril doesn¡¯t seem to know, but that is the name of the White Knights Leader. The Head of the White Knights Organization, the Blue Heavens Knight ©` Beatriz. Among all the Knights in this world, she¡¯s known to be second to Sir Ezeal. She¡¯s the strongest female Knight known to man currently. Ferris: ¡°Oh©` I see¡­..¡± As my confusion deepens, Ferris raises her hand timidly. Henry: ¡°? What¡¯s wrong, Ferris?¡± Ferris: ¡°I think Eileen¡­¡­..if it¡¯s about her highness, she¡¯s probably coming to see me.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, yes. Sir Alvare also mentioned that as well.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­..why an ordinary commoner and the princess? Ferris: ¡°Her highness came and participated in the White Knight¡¯s training sessions as a young child. ¡­...from my father¡¯s position then, I was also at the training sessions too, and afterwards, I was working there as a Healer. We were the same age so¡­¡­..we are basically childhood friends.¡± Seriously? That¡¯s¡­¡­.definitely like a story out of a fairy tale. If either one of them was male, it would have created that romance novel between a royal and a commoner. Ferris: ¡°I have been receiving some letters from her highness and Sir Beatriz about my recent situation. ¡­¡­...so I thought they might be coming to visit me in the near future.¡± I©`I see¡­¡­ Ferris: ¡°I don¡¯t want to offend the two by refusing this Request, so I would like to accept it if possible.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, we really don¡¯t have a reason to refuse either I guess¡­¡­¡­.right, you guys?¡± As the Party Leader, I don¡¯t really see a strong enough reason to veto this Request, and the other 3 are not against it either. Ferris: ¡°I©`Is that okay? Thank you, everyone.¡± Teo: ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank us. I am looking forward to meeting this princess.¡± ¡­¡­.oh, Teo seems to be really excited just from the ¡°princess¡± title and letting her imagination go wild. I can tell from her expression. But¡­¡­.unfortunately, the Adventurer Princess is not that kind of person who people dream about or aspire to be¡­¡­¡­..but I won¡¯t crush her dreams here. Cyril: ¡°Hehehe, if we are going to accept this Request, there¡¯s no time to waste. I¡¯ll personally revise the Flowtier Tour Map I was making when Ms. Lotte came.¡± Henry: ¡°.....that¡¯s right. I remember you making something like that.¡± During the Flower Festival, we all were guided by Cyril¡¯s personal map of the City with all the tourist points identified. Henry: ¡°Ummm, then, next week, we will be performing the Princess Request from the Governor. ¡­¡­.everyone, do you best©`¡± Yeah©` And I raised my fist slightly into the air. CH 101 Chapter 101: The Princess Arrives It was one week after receiving the Request from the Governor. I was waiting at the Governor¡¯s mansion¡¯s meeting room, and bided my time there. Princess Eileen had already arrived at Flowtier, and currently, she¡¯s speaking g with the Governor. She rode on a carriage straight to the Governor¡¯s mansion, and we came after she arived, so we haven¡¯t seen Her Royal Highness¡¯ face as of yet. And after we are done greeting, we are just making introductions today, and starting tomorrow, we will begin the tour of the city. Henry: ¡°........I know it¡¯s too late now, but wouldn¡¯t it have been better if Ferris was the only one who accepted the Request?¡± Cyril: ¡°They also wanted to meet Miss Ferris¡¯ Party members too.¡± Cyril added what she knew to my question. Ah, okay. I wonder what they want with us? But regardless of what the Princess is scheming, as long as we are tasked as her guards, I will perform that job accordingly. Jend, Teo, and I are currently standing apart to make sure that there are no intruders or suspicious people coming near. Ferris, who knows the Princess, and Cyril, who doesn¡¯t have much skill in scouting, are remaining near the center. I have done a couple of guard duties for Nobles who came to observe Ligaleo, so I know how it¡¯s basically done. ¡­¡­...but the biggest difference is that over there, we¡¯re not weary of assassins as much as Demonic Creatures busting through the walls. We also simulated guard situations with Cyril acting as the Princess, so it may not be perfect, but we should be okay. I mean, Flowtier is an incredibly peaceful area, and the Princess¡¯ personal guard is incredibly strong. Ferris: ¡°H©`Hey, Jend. How do I look? Do you see any stray hairs or wrinkles in my clothes?¡± And Ferris seemed to be the most restless out of all of us, and she has been checking and re-checking her clothes and asking Jend for his input. Jend: ¡°You look great. ¡­¡­..and besides, I¡¯ve lost count how many times you asked me the same question already.¡± Ferris: ¡°They are people I owe a great debt to. I haven¡¯t seen the Princess and Captain in so long. I can¡¯t risk making some sort of mistake and offend them at this point.¡± Jend: ¡°I think it¡¯s more rude to be so nervous and fidgety. C¡¯mon. Just sit down here.¡± Ferris: ¡°F©`Fine.¡± Being strongly nudged by Jend, Ferris begrudgingly complies. Teo pulled out something from her backpack and spoke to Ferris. ¡­¡­...is that a bottle? Teo: ¡°Miss Ferris, please use this if you like.¡± Ferris: ¡°? Teo, what is this?¡± Teo: ¡°It¡¯s a perfume that helps calm the nerves. It¡¯s usually used after a battle to calm down your senses, but it can also help when you¡¯re nervous.¡± ¡­¡­..Teo really has a lot of little tools under her belt. But setting aside Ageha who is purely combat focused, the Cloudy Plains Style must have originally been a very versatile Martial Arts form. Ferris: ¡°O©`Ohhh, thank you. Yes, I will gratefully give it a try.¡± Teo: ¡°The aroma will be too strong to sniff directly out of the bottle, so please open the lid and waft it towards your nose.¡± Ferris followed Teo¡¯s directions, and opened the perfume bottle. Even from a distance, I caught a slight, refreshing scent. Ferris: ¡°.......what a nice smell. I really like this.¡± Cyril: ¡°I prefer a slightly sweeter smell, but this isn¡¯t bad either©` Teo, this isn¡¯t used as regular perfume?¡± Teo: ¡°It has a slightly addictive property, so I can¡¯t recommend it. But just using it a few times in a day will be fine.¡± A©`Addiction? A not-so-pleasant word popped into the conversation. ¡­¡­.I mean, I do have one medication dubbed as ¡°for use when under unbearable, excruciating pain. Those without certified licenses must not handle this dangerous substance,¡± and the paperwork was unbelievably tiresome to get approval, and if I was to distribute this illegally, I could be instantly detained. An Adventurer¡¯s life is constantly under threat while on the job, so it¡¯s not uncommon for them to handle dangerous substances for that reason. Ferris: ¡°..........ahhh, I feel a little calmer now. Thank you, Teo.¡± Teo: ¡°Of course.¡± With the perfume¡¯s effects, Ferris seemed to go back to her usual self. She continued to do some deep breathing exercises, but she should be fine now. Jend: ¡°But isn¡¯t Lady Eileen a little late? Did she have that much to discuss with Sir Alvare?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I agree.¡± As Jend mentioned, it¡¯s been about an hour since we were brought to this waiting room because the Princess and the Governor were currently meeting. If anyone approached the room, I would know, but I only sense the maids going up and down the hallways and no one©`©` Henry: ¡°Everyone, be on the alert!¡± Someone¡¯s presence suddenly appeared behind the door. Even though we are just Adventurers, we brainstormed a number of situations that may occur. If anyone wanted to harm the Princess, they might first crush the guards before they try their direct assault¡­¡­..and this is one of possible option. But I never thought an actual assassin would come this way. ©`©`A hairbreadth of a moment later after my warning, the door swung open with a and someone kicked it open. I was the first to be able to respond, so I directly met the oncoming shadow that blurred into the room. ¡°?!¡± Henry: "ORAAH!¡± Before the shadow reached its top speed, I sent a kick in its direction. The shadow tried to sneak from a low position, but it dodged my foot, and like a cat, it tried to reposition its body to regain its balance but©`©`you¡¯re too slow! But before I could step in for a follow-up attack, a chill ran straight down my spine. Half-panicked, I pull out my Nyoiten Spear, and change it into a one-handed sword for indoor combat. ¡°A good reaction, Adventurer.¡± ¡­¡­¡­..I turn towards the source of the hair-raising danger, and there, a beautiful, strict-looking woman in white armor had a hand on her sword. ¡­...even from afar, I recognized her. Henry: ¡°Sir Heinvent¡­¡­¡± Beatriz: ¡°Yes.¡± The person who answered was Beatriz Heinvent. She is the renowned Blue Sky Knight. Henry: ¡°That means¡­...that other person is¡­..¡± I turn to the other figure who entered the room, and she looked disappointed as she stood up. She was a beautiful woman¡­¡­..or girl? Well, she was somewhere in between. I can¡¯t believe she moved like that with such an extravagant dress. And I don¡¯t recognize her face, but if she¡¯s with Ms. Beatriz¡­.. Ferris: ¡°Your Highness, Eileen!¡± Eileen: ¡°It¡¯s been too long, Ferris. And call me Eileen when we¡¯re not in public.¡± Ferris: ¡°That, um. As children, it would have been fine, but now, that would be difficult.¡± Eileen: ¡°We are here confidentially, so I would hate for someone to catch on by how you¡¯re addressing me.¡± And the woman Ferris is speaking to familiarly is¡­..I knew it. It¡¯s Princess Eileen herself. I felt the blood drain from my face. ¡­¡­...it was a surprise attack, but I just kicked a Royalty. In the end, I missed, but regardless, what I did could be taken as an attack against the crown. The status that separates the Alvenia Nobles and common citizens is not that high, but it¡¯s still enough for my head to fly off. Eileen: ¡°Well, I would like to continue celebrating my reunion with Ferris, but¡­...Mr. Adventurer over there.¡± Henry: ¡°Y©`Yes! P©`Please pardon my insolent actions!¡± Cra©`©`©`p©`©`©`....I don¡¯t think the other Party members can be held responsible, but what should I do¡­.. From what I observed a moment ago, if it was just Princess Eileen, I might be able to escape her, but Ms. Beatriz is here too¡­.. Is it about 50/50 for my escape? Or maybe a little better odds than that? Maybe I¡¯ll chance it, bow and grovel for my life, they might forgive me? Eileen: ¡°I¡¯ll give you my utmost compliment for easily blocking my surprise attack!¡± Henry: ¡°Wh©`.......oh, yes. Thank you¡­.so much?¡± She already forgave me. Or rather, she isn¡¯t mad at all. Ferris: ¡°Your Highness, Eileen¡­¡­¡± Eileen: ¡°Ferris, just address me as Eileen.¡± Ferris: ¡°Oh, yes, Eileen. Why did you attack us in the first place?¡± Eileen: ¡°Of course, to surprise you! I had no intention of attacking at the beginning, and I just wanted to jump up onto stage and see your shocked expressions!¡± A Princess¡­¡­¡­? What is a Princess¡­¡­..or maybe this is actually an impersonating decoy and the real Princess is elsewhere? But wouldn¡¯t a decoy like this get fired immediately after a stunt like that? I look towards Ms. Beatriz for an explanation, and she lets out a deep sigh as she speaks to the Princess. Beatriz: ¡°Your Highness. As soon as your hand was on the door knob, you emitted a high, enthusiastic energy. That is why he was able to block it. If you are going to erase your presence, you need to commit to doing so from beginning to the very end.¡± Eileen: ¡°Ugh¡­¡­..I¡¯ll make a stronger effort next time.¡± Nevermind. This Knight is no good. Now that I think about it, she¡¯s in the same league as Sir Ezeal, and it shows. ¡­...and seriously, what¡¯s up with all the Alvenian Knights? The Knights of my former country, the Fezard Kingdom, they were¡­¡­...wait, now that I try to remember the senior Knights words and actions¡­...they¡¯re not that different¡­¡­ Beatriz: ¡°But with all things considered, you still matched your movements to her Highness¡¯. That was very impressive. You were also quick to respond to me as well. You must be Henry that Captain Ezeal had mentioned.¡± Henry: ¡°Y©`Yes. It¡¯s an honor to have Sir Heinvent know my name.¡± Beatriz: ¡°Just call me Beatriz. I¡¯m currently off duty and here on vacation.¡± I do feel some intimidating air of authority from her, but she doesn¡¯t seem to be too difficult to speak to¡­¡­.maybe. Eileen: ¡°So you¡¯re Henry! Sir Grandezeal did speak about you. It¡¯s my first time meeting someone around my age that¡¯s stronger than me! While I¡¯m here, would you care to do some practice sparring?¡± Henry: ¡°Y©`Yes. Of course. If there¡¯s an opportunity¡­.¡± That old man¡­..what kind of rumors did he spread about me! I¡¯m going to write him an official letter of complaint! Eileen: ¡°Ferris, could you introduce me to the others?¡± Ferris: ¡°Yes, of course. ¡­...c¡¯mon, everyone. Stop staring and greet her Highne¡­..come greet Eileen and introduce yourself.¡± The 3 stared blankly as the most recent events unfolded, and they finally came to their senses. Ferris recovered faster than anyone because¡­...well, she¡¯s probably used to it judging by her reaction. Jend: ¡°My name is Jend. I serve as the Party¡¯s Vanguard and use a large broadsword. I am one of the sons of the Carousel Merchant Group of this city, and¡­¡­...well, I have been courting Ferris.¡± Eileen: ¡°Oh¡«.....you look well trained too. Let¡¯s also plan on doing a practice match while I am here.¡± Jend: ¡°I will be honored to do so.¡± Jend introduces himself. As someone from a merchant¡¯s family, he must be used to meeting people in high statuses. Once he recovered, he spoke very clearly and confidently. Beatriz: ¡°Ah, you must be the swordsman who declared his intentions to be with Ferris at our headquarters¡­...I¡¯ve heard that my men welcomed you with open arms. I am also interested in seeing how much you have improved since then.¡± Jend: ¡°Y©`Yes, please relay my gratitude when you get a chance.¡± I remember that. Jend came back completely beaten up, but he said that it was good training. Teo: ¡°I am Teo. I serve as the Party¡¯s scout.¡± Eileen: ¡°......you¡¯re quite adorable. I sense something exotic from you.¡± Teo: ¡°Um, it may be because of my Rishu heritage.¡± Eileen: ¡°Do you mind if we try out a few outfits? I love dressing up girls like you.¡± Teo: ¡°I prefer clothes I can easily maneuver in.¡± Eileen: ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be shy. What do you say?¡± This Princess seems pretty eager. Teo doesn¡¯t change her expression often, but she looks troubled at the moment. I think Eileen is offering in good faith (sort of), so she¡¯s having a hard time refusing. ¡­¡­.but Princess Eileen means no harm, and she might buy Teo expensive clothes, so there¡¯s no problems there. Cyril: ¡°My turn! I¡¯m Cyril. I am a Magician! You¡¯ll be quite impressed with my Magic!¡± Eileen: ¡°Oh my! Is that so! I would love to see it!¡± Cyril: ¡°If it¡¯s a request from her Royal Highness, it cannot be helped! Just leave it all to Miss Cyril!!¡± And Cyril and Princess Eileen hit it off immediately. I half expected that this might happen though. Eileen: ¡°Yes, I am looking forward to it. ¡­¡­¡­.hm? But wait¡­.¡± Cyril: ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Eileen: ¡°Miss¡­¡­¡­.Cyril?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Miss Cyril, but is something the matter?¡± ? I wonder what¡¯s wrong. Princess Eileen is thinking really hard right now. Eileen: ¡°I feel something tugging at the back of my mind, but maybe it¡¯s just my imagination? Well, now that introductions are done, why don¡¯t we have some tea and chat for a bit?¡± Beatriz: ¡°Then I will excuse myself and stand guard at the door.¡± Eileen: ¡°Ms. Beatriz, why don¡¯t you come join us? Aren¡¯t you off duty?¡± Beatriz: ¡°......ah yes. Then I would like to hear from Ferris about recent events.¡± And with that¡­. We and the Princess had some delicious tea together as we talked. Although she has some interesting quirks, I¡¯m glad that it looks like we¡¯ll get along just fine. CH 102 Chapter 102: The Practice Match Against the Princess It was the day after we met the Princess. From very early in the morning, I walked and headed towards the Governor¡¯s Mansion. Yesterday, as a result of having tea with her Highness, Princess Eileen, we became quite acquainted with each other. So much so that Princess Eileen asked us if we could join her for breakfast the next morning. Apparently, she brought with her some ham from a famous shop in the Capital and said she would love for us to try it. We¡¯re talking about the Royal Family who must be eating some delicious meals every single day. I¡¯m sure if she says it¡¯s good, it must be really good. Henry: ¡°Hey, Jend.¡± Jend: ¡°Hey, Henry. Mornin¡¯.¡± Henry: ¡°Mornin¡¯¡± On my way, I ran into Jend. As we just talked about this and that, we naturally came to the topic of her Highness, the Princess. Jend: ¡°But that Princess. She¡¯s quite frank¡­¡­.I mean, Ferris told me a little bit, but apparently, she''s always been like that." Henry: ¡°Well, she is a Princess that did become an Adventurer. And...there are Adventurers like that on the frontlines. They would usually be from Upper Nobility and 2nd or 3rd heir in line.¡± Those who are from Noble birth and are born with great amounts of Magic Power typically make their living as Knights or Adventurers. Sir Ezeal is the head of a Viscount Family, and Ms. Beatriz is the eldest daughter of a Count I believe. So in that way, it¡¯s not unheard of for people of high status to transfer to become Adventurers. ¡­¡­¡­..but as part of the Royal Family, especially as a female, and instead of a Knight, to become an Adventurer is actually quite rare. Jend: ¡°Huh¡­..most of the Nobles I knew were pretty proud of themselves, so weren¡¯t there some really bossy guys then?¡± Henry: ¡°That usually depends on their country of origin. The Nobles of Alvenia aren¡¯t as bad, but the ones from Varsaldi Empire tend to be like that. The ones from the Upper Priesthood of the Salaiz Republic are halfway between Alvenia and Varsaldi, I think.¡± But this is just what I experienced in my past, so I may be wrong too. Jend: ¡°I see¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Yup. ¡­...but well, they¡¯re usually like that right after they become Adventurers, and after one or two months, they usually tone down.¡± It¡¯s a job that risks your life. If you don¡¯t do your part and order people around, or charge in even though you¡¯re not that strong, you won¡¯t last long in this field. So in order to survive, you have to adjust and change. If you don¡¯t, they usually suffer a major injury and retire or die¡­¡­..or if they¡¯re really lucky, someone will beat them up and send them back across to the back lines. As we talked, we began to see the Governor¡¯s Mansion¡¯s gate in the distance. We¡¯ve met the two guards standing at the gate several times now. Henry: ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Good morning, Mr. Henry. ¡­¡­¡­.you are being expected in the backyard. Please proceed that way.¡± Henry: ¡°?¡± As I greeted the guard at the gate, he told me something peculiar. Why the backyard? ¡°........it is a directive given to us by her Royal Highness, Princess Eileen.¡± Henry: ¡°Ohhh¡­¡­¡± And I got a general idea of what¡¯s going on. Jend got the picture too, and I shrug and head to the backyard as we were told. The Governor¡¯s Mansion¡¯s backyard is incredibly spacious. They have plenty of flower gardens, but they also hold morning meetings with those who work at the Mansion, and they also train the males of the Governor¡¯s Family here, so they also have open space for that. As we head to the back¡­¡­¡­.as we expected, Princess Eileen and Ms. Beatriz faced off against each other with weapons in hand. Princess Eileen was not wearing a dress like yesterday, and though it was still a little extravagant and flashy, she was wearing full-body armor. Henry: ¡°And they even have the boundaries secured too.¡± As if to surround the backyard, there are about 10 points where metal plates with Spell Inscriptions were distributed. There are many Styles of Magecraft used for preparing [locations] like this, but the most famous one is the Marinan Style Magecraft Spell Inscriptions. And among those, it¡¯s a barrier that prohibits sound from spilling to the outside. As soon as we cross over the threshold of the barrier, we soon hear the sounds that didn¡¯t reach us before. Eileen: ¡°(gasp¡­...gasp¡­¡­)........¡± Beatriz: ¡°Eileen, are you already giving up?¡± Eileen: ¡°Not yet!¡± Princess Eileen¡¯s halberd glows orangish yellow as her Magic Power accumulates, and with that light, Princess Eileen charges with all her might. Ms. Beatriz observes Princess Eileen¡¯s attack with a ¡°Hmm¡± and readies her shield which is now glowing blue. Without any feints or fakes, Princess Eileen¡¯s thrust her halberd forward with everything she had. It¡¯s a heavy, long-reaching weapon. Usually, with that much Magic Power, you don¡¯t need to worry about delicate techniques and can brutally crush your enemies but©`©`not in this case. Beatriz: ¡°Too light!¡± Ms. Beatriz stopped the attack with her shield and delivered a counter strike with her sword. Having exhausted all her strength on that last strike, Princess Eileen was unable to dodge and¡­¡­..before the blade struck her shoulder, Ms. Beatriz¡¯ sword paused. ¡­¡­...putting Ms. Beatriz aside, Princess Eileen just went all out on her strike. Normally, you wouldn¡¯t go this far in a morning training..... Beatriz: ¡°........the last strike was okay. Make sure to continue training your Magic Power concentration.¡± Eileen: ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Princess Eileen bows her head. Even if it¡¯s between a Royalty and a Knight, they seem to have abandoned those statuses during training. Henry: ¡°Good morning and good work. We only got to see the end, but that was an amazing fight, Princess Eileen.¡± Eileen: ¡°Oh! Good morning, Henry! Thank you for your compliment, but I still have a long way to go to draw out Beatriz¡¯ true strength.¡± With a graceful smile, she stood there as any accomplished Adventurer would. She really looks the part right now. Cyril: ¡°Henry, Jend, good morning©`©`¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, good morning, Cyril.¡± Cyril, who was observing the training session, waved her hands at us, and I wave back. Eileen: ¡°Okay¡­...now that my body is warmed up, would you both like to join us?¡± I thought she would say that. I KNEW she would say that. Normally, there¡¯s no reason to refuse, but today, her Highness, Princess Eileen, is here for sightseeing, and we are her guards. I can¡¯t just go and waste my energy and stamina today. Henry: ¡°Unfortunately, we are on duty today¡­¡­¡± Eileen: ¡°Hmmmm¡­...oh, yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Princess Eileen made a disgruntled face, but then hit a fist to her palm. Eileen: ¡°(cough) Even for myself, is it not important for me to know the strengths of my guards? Without knowing that, it would be very difficult to entrust myself to you. How''s that?¡± What do you mean, ¡°How''s that¡±........... Of course, it does make some sense, but you can easily tell that 100% of her reasoning is just an excuse to fight. Henry: ¡°...........Ms. Beatriz¡­¡­..¡± Beatriz: ¡°It will be good for her to experience fighting a variety of different opponents.¡± Nope, she has no intention of stopping this. Henry: ¡°(sigh)......Okay, I understand. Just one fight.¡± Eileen: ¡°Yes, that¡¯s fine! But if you go easy on me, I won¡¯t forgive you!¡± Well, of course. From the flow of the conversation up until now, if I lose on purpose just to make her look good¡­¡­.I can see how that would easily trigger her anger and discontent. I do have some reservations still, but¡­..a true warrior will forego the details and focus on the fight at hand. Eileen: ¡°As far as the rules¡­...well, let¡¯s just say anything within reason.¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s fine with me. I will be fighting with all my strength.¡± Eileen: ¡°Yes. Then Beatriz, please signal the beginning of the match.¡± Beatriz: ¡°Understood.¡± At the center of the training field, I stood a little ways from Princess Eileen and faced off with her. Cyril: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Henry and Ms. Eileen¡¯s fight. Miss Eileen©`, please feel free to pummel Henry to the ground!¡± Eileen: ¡°Okay, I will, Cyril!¡± Cyril dropped the honorific to a ¡°Miss¡± huh. Just after one night of spending time, Cyril became really good friends with the Princess. But that¡¯s that. I need to focus on the now. Henry: ¡°Cyril, usually you should be cheering for your own Party member.¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry, when we went out last week, you ate the cake I ordered. You¡¯ll suffer my wrath for that.¡± Henry: ¡°But that was in exchange for a bite of my apple pie, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Cyril: ¡°You took a larger bite out of my cake!¡± Ugh, she¡¯s really holding a pointless grudge¡­.. Eileen: ¡°Hehe, you two get along so well.¡± Henry: ¡°(sigh)....I guess?¡± I guess we do? Eileen: ¡°But now with Miss Cyril cheering me on, I cannot lose so easily. ¡­¡­...please ready yourself.¡± Henry: ¡°........yes.¡± Princess Eileen erupts in fighting spirit and readies her halberd. I also ready myself. I take out the Nyoiten Spear in knife-form, and change it into a short spear. We are only a few meters apart. If we step in, we¡¯ll be able to reach each other. From this distance, I won¡¯t be able to use my spear throw as my first move, so I¡¯ll be at a slight disadvantage, but that¡¯s okay. Beatriz: ¡°Are both of you ready?¡± Ms. Beatriz stood in between us and confirmed with each one of us. Both Princess Eileen and I nod. Ms. Beatriz raised her hand in the air, and as soon as she let her hand down, she raised her voice. Beatriz: ¡°BEGIN!¡± <<<<>>>> Cyril: ¡°.......you won so easily, Henry. But it felt like you used some cheap tactics.¡± My fight with Princess Eileen lasted about 2 minutes. I won the match without any issues. Henry: ¡°Cyril, what do you mean cheap? That wasn¡¯t cheap at all. It¡¯s a well known strategy.¡± In this match, I avoided going into a full on fight. Princess Eileen pours an amazing amount of Magic Power into her weapon with every strike, and she¡¯s like a small hurricane. If I were to try to match my strength to hers, I don¡¯t know who would¡¯ve won. So I parried at times, dodged at times, and looked for an opening¡­¡­..and as Princess Eileen began rushing her attacks, one of her swings was too wide, and with a [Restraint] {Katerno}, I binded her weapon. A half-moment of pause on her part was enough for me to point my spear at her throat and end the match. Yes, this was a delicate strategy that was executed very bravely. So calling it cheap doesn¡¯t sit well with me. So like this, one of my biggest strengths is my ability to adjust and change strategies with my opponent. ¡­¡­¡­.and yes, against Sir Ezeal who is strong against all strategies, so even in a slight disadvantageous situation, he would respond perfectly or forcefully drag you into his advantageous position, these kinds of tricks wouldn¡¯t work. Cyril: ¡°I know but©`©` see, look at Jend¡¯s fight. It¡¯s so much more fun to watch.¡± Henry: ¡°The two of them are very similar in fighting style so of course, things will get heated up.¡± Before us, we saw the orangish-yellow halberd and a crimson large broadsword clash. Jend has slightly higher strength, but Princess Eileen¡¯s Magic Power is much higher than his. As a result, Jend¡¯s red is being pushed back slightly, but he still held his position. Both of them are warriors that try to crush their opponent with their strength, so it¡¯s fun to watch. Beatriz: ¡°To be able to fight against Princess Eileen this much. It hasn¡¯t been even a year, and yet his abilities have grown quite significantly.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes. Even I was shocked at how fast he developed.¡± Ms. Beatriz is quite impressed, and it makes me proud to hear that. Beatriz: ¡°Henry, thank you as well. You are both closer in age, and yet you completely shut her down. For Princess Eileen, it was good to have experienced such a defeat.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, we¡¯re still 4 years apart. Why not have her fight Ageha?¡± Beatriz: ¡°Ageha Sagiri, huh. ¡­¡­.the last time I went with my troops to support the frontlines, I got to see her fight, but¡­..against that Hero, she would lose instantly and probably end up losing her confidence.¡± Well, I guess that¡¯s true. Ageha¡¯s tactic is all about a full-frontal sneak attack. And I know that makes no sense at all or don¡¯t even know how to explain it. Even from fighting her head on, Ageha is pretty strong. But when fighting her, you have to first and foremost never lose sight of her. If you let your attention waver off of her for a second, she will disappear and come for your throat¡­¡­..is the inexplicable tactic Ageha uses. So it¡¯s like¡­..instinct? You have to have a pretty significant instinct to be able to fight with her. From what I could tell, Princess Eileen¡¯s strength is amazing. But she is still inexperienced, and because of that, there are some weaknesses I can observe. Henry: ¡°Oh.¡± As I was thinking and watching, Jend made a mistake. From there, Princess Eileen began hammering down on him as the situation worsened for Jend like a downward slope and¡­¡­¡­..though he tried to persist, he eventually lost. Jend: ¡°.........I surrender.¡± Eileen: ¡°Yes, it¡¯s my victory. But Jend, you are plenty strong yourself. ¡­¡­...if you were too weak to protect Ferris, I had some reservations myself, but with this I can entrust her to you.¡± Reservations? Like what? Eileen: ¡°Of course, what I meant was that we would have to do my Hell-mode Training Course! But¡­...it looks like all that thinking and planning will go to waste. It is a pity.¡± Henry: ¡°..........uh huh¡­¡­¡± I thought she meant that she would forcefully end their relationship or something like that¡­...but even still, to have a backup plan and come up with a full training regimen in case his strength was lacking is¡­¡­...quite off. Beatriz: ¡°Since we spent the time devising the training plan, why not do it anyway, Princess Eileen? There is no reason to not do something that will make you stronger.¡± Eileen: ¡°That¡¯s true. And you did help me make this training plan too.¡± Does the leader of a Knights Organization not have anything else to do? Cyril: ¡°Ms. Beatriz, do the leaders of a Knight Organization have a lot of time on their hands?¡± AGH?! CYRIL?!?! I understand how you feel but never ask those kinds of things directly!! Beatriz: ¡°Unlike the Black Dragon Knights on the frontlines, the White Dragon Knights focus on protecting the Capital and King¡¯s Palace, so as long as there are no crimes to investigate, we do have a lot of leisure and flexibility.¡± Henry: ¡°Is that so¡­¡­¡± ¡­¡­¡­.or rather, Ms. Beatriz didn¡¯t mind the question at all. (SIGH).....this is getting tiring. Jend: ¡°Oh, umm©`¡± Eileen: ¡°Jend, you would like to participate in this training as well, right?¡± Jend: ¡°U©`Um, if it¡¯s after our guard duty is complete, then yes. Of course.¡± Eileen: ¡°Yes, that is without question. ¡­¡­...and Henry, you wouldn¡¯t run from a rematch, correct?¡± And I¡¯m pulled in very subtly and naturally. Is there any way to refuse? While I was trying to come up with a reply, Ferris and Teo came too. It became a slightly late breakfast, but thankfully, the conversation ended right here. And the ham that Princess Eileen brought as a gift was amazingly delicious as expected, and we all spent the rest of the morning complimenting it as we ate. So all in all, since the ham was so good, I don¡¯t mind participating in this Hell-Mode Training(?) that they came up with. CH 103 Chapter 103: The Flowtier Tour Part 1 Now, it¡¯s time to start Princess Eileen¡¯s tour of the city. Cyril, who is a long time citizen here, is extremely knowledgeable about the area, and has dubbed many interesting locations as [If you come to Flowtier, you need to go here!], and has setup a schedule broken into half hour activities but¡­ Henry: ¡°Hey, Ms. Felicia.¡± Felicia: ¡°Oh, Mr. Henry. Hello there. But why are you here? Aren¡¯t you¡­..supposed to be on ¡®that¡¯ quest with ¡®that¡¯ person?¡± Ms. Felicia was cleaning the area in front of the Grandes Church entrance. She is a Sister of the Grandes Church, and she¡¯s also the receptionist in charge of the Adventurers, but I guess she doesn¡¯t have much to do during this time. And she is our go-to receptionist for our Party and knows about our Designated Request. Although it¡¯s a Designated Request from the Governor himself, they still have to process the paperwork through the Church to maintain relationships maybe. So we are hiding Princess Eileen¡¯s status in general, but Ms. Felicia and the Head of the Church, Mr. Castello, is well aware of the situation. Henry: ¡°Well©` yes, you¡¯re right. And ¡®that¡¯ person made a request to first visit the Grandes Church¡¯s Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault and do some drawings.¡± Felicia: ¡°.........but really, why?¡± According to Princess Eileen, ¡°I get lucky when I use up what I saved at a town I visit for the first time!¡± As I relay what I was told, Ms. Felicia lets out a deep, disappointed sigh. Felicia: ¡°Technically, the Grandes Church does not concern itself with the worldly statuses of individuals, but that is so botherso©` I mean, can make us weary.¡± Henry: ¡°Ms. Felicia, you aren¡¯t hiding your feelings well.¡± Of course, I understand how she feels. Inside the Church, there are those who are highly skilled with violent acts and they usually don¡¯t have the best of personalities. If anything happens, the Church can be held responsible. But Princess Eileen is known as the Adventurer Princess, so she must be used to these kinds of fools already¡­¡­..but that still means that the us, her guards, will have to remain extra attentive and vigilante which is draining. Henry: ¡°So that¡¯s the situation. I came here first to take a look around before everyone arrived. How is it going at the Church today?¡± Felicia: ¡°I see. Hmmm¡« today is just like any other day. There hasn¡¯t been any fights.¡± Henry: ¡°Anyone here that you don¡¯t recognize?¡± Felicia: ¡°As far as I can tell, no. Ohh, there was a new Adventurer signing on 2 days ago, but that person is from here.¡± Hm. I see. Of course, I¡¯m still going to take a look around, but it¡¯s reassuring to hear that everything is as usual from Ms. Felicia. Henry: ¡°Thank you for the information. I¡¯ll take a look inside now.¡± Felicia: ¡°Of course. Welcome©`¡± Ms. Felicia opened the Church doors for me. I bow politely to her and enter inside. In front of me is the altar, and to the right is the reception desk and bulletin board. On my left is the tavern. Yup, it¡¯s the same ol¡¯, usual scenery. There¡¯s no one I don¡¯t recognize or is acting strange. At the reception, there¡¯s somebody else instead of Ms. Felicia, but it¡¯s the other Sister from this Church. At the tavern, there are a few groups of Adventurers, the diligent observers of the Grandes Church teachings, who are drinking to their hearts¡¯ content. ¡­¡­...hm, I know everyone in the tavern except one person. There¡¯s a boy surrounded by the veterans, but it¡¯s probably the newbie. Good, there¡¯s no one trying to hide in the crowd that would be aiming at Her Highness. One of the members who were drinking juice instead of ale was speaking with other Adventurers but looked up and saw me. I raised my hand to wave, and that person ©` Mr. Fregg ©` came towards me. Henry: ¡°Hello Mr. Fregg. How are you?¡± Fregg: ¡°Yeah, hey Henry. What¡¯s up? ¡­¡­...oh, never mind the niceties. Aren¡¯t you supposed to be guarding some Noble or something?¡± We have hidden the fact that she¡¯s from the Royal Family. But if you take any ordinary citizen, place guards around them, and it¡¯s a Designated Quest from the Governor himself, it will look way too suspicious. So we just made up a cover story that a Noble who has ties with the Governor sent their daughter to Flowtier to tour the city and made that known to the public. Henry: ¡°Well, that daughter is a little troublesome. She worked as an Adventurer quite a bit and had a jinx about coming here as soon as she arrives at a new town.¡± I explain the same thing I did with Ms. Felicia. Fregg: ¡°Huh, that¡¯s odd for a daughter of a Noble. But I guess in this country, we have a princess that¡¯s just like that. I¡¯ve heard that other girls were inspired by her and took similar actions, and many of the Nobles were troubled by the trend.¡± Henry: ¡°Ha ha ha¡­..¡± We have the original source of the problem right here. But of course, there¡¯s no way I can tell him that. I just laughed awkwardly to get through the conversation. Fregg: ¡°Hmph, well, if that¡¯s the case, just leave it to me to handle things here. If there¡¯s any idiots who wants to pick a fight, I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Henry: ¡°Thank you very much. It¡¯ll save me the trouble of threatening them myself.¡± Fregg: ¡°No worries. We¡¯re drinking buddies after all. It won¡¯t be that much trouble.¡± ¡­¡­...I can¡¯t see anyone who could be a suspected assassin in the group. I¡¯m certain of it. Around this time, there¡¯s a few in the group of drunks who would subtly cause trouble. Maybe if they¡¯re drunk enough, they might try to talk to a girl they haven¡¯t seen around. I get a sense that they might at least do that. If Mr. Fregg will stop those idiots, that would save me a lot of trouble. I thank him and head out to the Church entrance to welcome Princess Eileen and her group. <<<<>>>> I was chatting with Ms. Felicia who was still cleaning for a few minutes. Finally, Princess Eileen came with all the women from my Party. For the mission today, Teo was supposed to guard and be on watch from afar, but she is walking with the group right now. Of course, it was because Princess Eileen requested that she did. After this, apparently, they are going to go dress up Teo. And about a pace behind is Ms. Beatriz without her full body armor and just with a sword at her side. And behind her is Jend. Eileen: ¡°Oh! Henry. Thank you so much for going ahead and scouting out for any possible trouble.¡± Henry: ¡°......of course, it¡¯s my job to do so.¡± As Princess Eileen arrives, she gently smiles and thanks me. ¡­¡­¡­.when I first saw her, it caught me by surprise, but Princess Eileen¡¯s disguise is quite something. When we first met, she originally had her hair braided, but she let it down, wore fake glasses, and with light makeup, she looked like a completely different person. I have learned some disguise techniques myself, but talking with her, she gave off a completely different aura. As a member of the Royal Family, Princess Eileen¡¯s picture will appear on newspapers occasionally, but with this, unless you know her personally, it would be hard to tell that it¡¯s her. Cyril: ¡°Miss Ilia, this is Flowtier Grandes Church. It¡¯s a wonderful place and has been extremely helpful for us in our journey as Adventurers.¡± Eileen: ¡°Yes, though it¡¯s not as large, it¡¯s well kempt and thoroughly maintained.¡± Cyril brags about her hometown Church, and Princess Eileen cheerfully smiles and answers her. And yes, Ilia is Princess Eileen¡¯s fake name. We rearranged bits and pieces of her name, and though it¡¯s simple, it only took 3 seconds for her to come up with it. Felicia: ¡°Hello there. How are you doing? We have been made aware of your arrival. I am a Sister at this Church, and my name is Felicia. Welcome. I will be happy to guide you inside.¡± Eileen: ¡°Yes, thank you, Sister.¡± With Ms. Felicia guiding the way, Princess Eileen enters the Church. Beatriz: ¡°Henry, how was it inside? Are there going to be any punks we have to deal with?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, no. Inside, one of my friends who is a veteran Adventurer will stop it if that happens. You can trust both his personality and ability.¡± Beatriz: ¡°I see. That¡¯s very reassuring. Thank you.¡± I spoke briefly with Ms. Beatriz as we all follow Princess Eileen inside. Everyone knows Cyril and her Party members, so all the attention went to Princess Eileen at the center. The Adventurer crowd at the tavern seemed to take a liking to her, and some are whistling to themselves. Well, Princess Eileen does look like one of those maidens sitting by a window sill, so I understand why they would want to come speak with her. A few decided to make a move and started standing up out of their seats, but Mr. Fregg immediately stepped in and pushed them back down. I bow my head in gratitude his way. Eileen: ¡°If it was past dusk, I would first have an ale for extra luck¡­¡­.but we have much to do after this. Let¡¯s go straight to the God of Grandes.¡± ¡­¡­...the lonely daughter of a Noble image was just that ©` an image. The people who usually drink down an ale before drawing from Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault are usually middle-aged men or older. Ferris: ¡°Good luck, Ilia.¡± Eileen: ¡°Ferris, how about you draw too?¡± Ferris: ¡°We actually decided to draw together as a Party. Right now, we draw after defeating 50 Ogres.¡± Eileen: ¡°How brave. 50 Ogres. There¡¯s not that many Party¡¯s who can claim such deeds across all the Kingdom.¡± Yeah, well, all the members in my Party are overflowing with talent at the moment. I don¡¯t know when it will happen, but it¡¯s easy to expect them all to receive a Heroic Warrior title in the near future. If they continue to train diligently, they would need just one big win on their record, and they might even make it to a Hero of Legend. But achieving that kind of huge deed wouldn¡¯t be that easy though. You¡¯ll need real Hero of Legend Class strength like Sir Ezeal or have one extraordinary talent like Yuu or Ageha¡­¡­.but on that note, Cyril may be able to make it. Eileen: ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll challenge it myself. Then Sister, I am under your care!¡± ¡°Y©`Yes¡­..understood.¡± Having this daughter of a Noble-like girl appear out of nowhere, Sister Leti, who was working at the Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault, was quite taken back by Princess Eileen¡¯s presence. Leti: ¡°(cough).......then can I have your name please?¡± Eileen: ¡°It¡¯s Ilia. It¡¯s a pseudonym, but please excuse me.¡± Leti: ¡°I©`I see. Well, the God of Grandes knows all things, so that is no problem for us.¡± Really though. I wonder how they calculate all those achievement points. When you think about it, the sum calculation is so accurate, it¡¯s scary. But though there¡¯s a lot of people like me who accept it as a given, there are a few researchers who are delving deep into this subject. Leti: ¡°.......Miss Ilia, today, you have two points that will be delivered to you as godly equipment.¡± Eileen: ¡°Yes, I beat up 30 wyverns just the other day, so I hoped that I would have at least 4.¡± Leti: ¡°A©`A wyvern, you say?¡± Eileen: ¡°Yes, would you like to hear some of my epic stories?¡± Teo pokes at Princess Eileen¡¯s back gently. Teo: ¡°Miss Ilia, you¡¯re getting off topic.¡± Eileen: ¡°Oh yes. Excuse me. Then I would like to draw twice today if you would please?¡± With a ¡°What is with this girl?¡± kind of look, Miss Leti shoves her feelings down as she accesses the Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault. All of Princess Eileen¡¯s points from defeating Demonic Creatures are exchanged and the [gate] opened. With light shining down, something thick lands on the altar with a loud ..... Leti: ¡°Uhhh©` it looks like you got shoes and an axe¡­¡­.huh, an axe?¡± Eileen: ¡°Ha ha ha.¡± With Princess Eileen¡¯s skinny composure, it¡¯s hard to imagine her swinging such a massive weapon. Well, it¡¯s normal to see someone who is adept with handling Magic Power to be much more stronger than they look¡­¡­...but I guess it¡¯s still so off from her current image. See? Even the men at the tavern are super surprised. Leti: ¡°Y©`Yes, well¡­...the shoes are Common and the axe¡­.OH!¡± Eileen: ¡°Oh, was it a good godly weapon?¡± Leti: ¡°The Thunder Strike Axe¡­¡­.it has [Lightning] enchanted twice ©` a Rare godly equipment!¡± Whoa, that¡¯s solid. Lightning works almost on any Demonic Creature. That kind of enchantment is cast doubly, so it¡¯s attack power will be quite high. Eileen: ¡°Hmmmmmm¡­¡­.it is a good weapon, but it¡¯s not so much that I would like to switch from my favorite halberd.¡± Leti: ¡°........oh, ummmmm, will you be returning it?¡± Eileen: ¡°No, I¡¯ll take this is a replacement weapon. But I will need to clean up the things in my room¡­¡­.¡± Oh©`, yeah. That happens a lot too. Since coming to Flowtier, I received two decent Spears from Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault, but it¡¯s not so good to switch out my Nyoiten Spear. So although it¡¯s a bit of a disappointment for me¡­¡­..just in case it¡¯s useful somewhere, I have it stored in my inn¡¯s room. Living at an inn, it¡¯ll be impossible to carry around so many, but for some Adventurers who owned homes in Ligaleo, they had rooms full of godly equipment swords like any other collection. Cyril: ¡°Oh©` that¡¯s amazing! Maybe it¡¯ll be a good time to join in on the good luck?¡± Ferris: ¡°Cyril, will you draw too?¡± Cyril: ¡°Is there a better time to draw?! I can feel it! It¡¯s definitely Miss Cyril time©`!!¡± Ferris: ¡°..........I see. Well, it¡¯s your choice of course, but I don¡¯t believe the Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault really has those kinds of flows of luck.¡± But Cyril completely ignored Ferris and puts in an order, ¡°Miss Leti! Let me have one draw!!¡± and goes forward. Henry: ¡°Well, let her do what she likes.¡± I look exasperated at her as we all watch. I¡¯m not one to speak of lucky draws, but Cyril¡¯s luck has been something that was much more underwhelming than mine. If it was someone lucky, from the number of times Cyril drew, putting aside whether the abilities are useful or not, they would have at least achieved 5 or 6 Rare godly equipment. But up until now, Cyril has yet to draw anything that is a Rare or greater. This time, we¡¯re certain that she¡¯ll get a common wand, a low-grade potion, or maybe something miscellaneous¡­¡­. Cyril: ¡°.........oh?¡± Wait. As if to answer Cyril¡¯s prayer, the thing that came down onto the altar was¡­¡­...what is that? A bracelet? It doesn¡¯t look like a Common bracelet that a lot of people get. Leti: ¡°Oh, Miss Cyril! Congratulations! This is a Rare!¡± Cyril: ¡°Is it really?!¡± ¡­¡­¡­.is there something such as a lucky flow of events? I mean, THAT Cyril drew a Rare. And thus, with a certain ¡°I think I¡¯m feeling lucky too!¡± feeling, I jumped in and drew twice from the Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault. I drew 2 Common Spears. ¡­¡­...Princess Eileen had a good laugh about that. CH 104 Chapter 104: The Flowtier City Tour Part 2 It was after we received our godly equipment from the Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault. Cyril¡¯s bracelet wouldn¡¯t get it in our why, but Princess Eileen¡¯s [Thunder Strike Axe] would definitely be a bother to carry around town, so we went back to the Governor¡¯s mansion to store it away. Now, it¡¯s time to resume our tour. Our first destination was the Flowtier Central Garden. During this time, people have made ice and snow sculptures everywhere with the shoveled, discarded snow from the path. And although it¡¯s in the middle of winter, there are flowers blooming, and it¡¯s one of the most popular places to take a stroll. I am walking ahead of the group to make sure there are no troubles on the route, but even though I am focused on doing my job, I can still enjoy the scenery. (Argh¡« that visit to the Church wrecked my whole schedule¡«) I hear a familiar voice inside my head. Although she¡¯s complaining with her words, her tone can¡¯t hide her excitement. (........I know you¡¯re excited about this new godly equipment, but don¡¯t use it so recklessly. You¡¯ll get a headache if you¡¯re not used to it.) (Okay¡« I understand. By the way, are there any dangers before you?) Her wording is a little off, but I get what she¡¯s trying to say. (Yeah, it¡¯s completely peaceful. How are things over there, Cyril?) (We¡¯re fine too. Okay, please stay alert.) And with a , I felt something like a [line] connecting my head to Cyril¡¯s cut off. This is the godly equipment Cyril received ©` [The Link Ring]. It¡¯s powers are [Communication] and [Shared Magic] and was an excellent godly equipment to receive. The [Communication] ability can communicate via telepathy to an individual that¡¯s pre-registered. We need to figure out the maximum distance we can be apart for communication to start failing, but as a few kilometers apart should be fine. It¡¯s a really useful ability for the Guard Request we are currently doing. Until you get used to it, it is a little surprising to suddenly hear a voice in your head, but it¡¯s a very versatile ability. There are many Magecraft Artifacts with similar effects, but they are more recent discoveries, much larger overall, and very expensive. It¡¯s not something an average Adventurer can use for regular purposes. She instantly flipped all of her bad luck up until now and traded it in with this one draw. Henry: ¡°....oh, we¡¯re here.¡± As I was thinking about her new tool, I arrived at the center of the garden. Here, a fountain was built, and there are more snow and ice sculptures on display. There is also a small stage, and if there was an event, they would perform plays or music concerts here. This is where Princess Eileen¡¯s group is heading. I take a quick look around and see if there are any dangerous or suspicious individuals around. There are many people, but there isn¡¯t anyone who¡¯s overly equipped with weapons, and most of them are with their family or on a date. In fact, I¡¯m probably the most suspicious person here. Henry: ¡°Oh©` it¡¯s pretty chilly today¡­..¡± I feel a slight shiver run through my body. I didn¡¯t feel it when I was walking, but as soon as I stopped and stood still, I realized that the core of my body was pretty chilled. I usually wear my battle gear daily so I¡¯m used to the cold, but my face is bare so it¡¯s not like I can completely block all the cold. I can try using my {Physical Enhancement} or Magecraft Spell, but I don¡¯t want to recklessly waste my Magic Power while on the job¡­.. Henry: ¡°It¡¯s going to be a bit before Princess Eileen¡¯s group gets here¡­..¡± As I mumbled an excuse to no one in particular, I head to one of the food stands that are here to cater to the crowd. ¡°Welcome, what would you like?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©` please hold on for a moment.¡± I was still looking through their menu. I wished the stand owner didn¡¯t try and hurry me. This stand caters to people like me who got chilled by the weather and sold a variety of warm drinks. They have hot wine, but I shouldn¡¯t drink any alcohol at the moment¡­¡­.so©`©` Henry: ¡°Okay, can I have the Hot Ginger? And please add honey.¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± He quickly picks up a single use wooden cup, fills it with the Hot Ginger, and I exchange it for 30 zeniths. As I hold the cup, I can feel the warmth spread to my hands. As I enjoy the warm feeling in my hands, I take a short and taste the Hot Ginger. The sweetness of honey and the sourness of the lemon spreads across my body. I swallow and feel the hot liquid pour down into my stomach, and I feel the chill leave my body. The Ginger tastes so good too. Henry: ¡°Fwew¡­.¡± I drink down a quarter of it and let out a deep satisfied sigh. My warmed breath whitened as I breathed out and disappeared into the air. I follow it up and look at the sky. It was a cloudless day with the sky completely soaked in blue. The sound of children playing in an open area reaches my ears. I don¡¯t take walks in parks, but this is a very relaxing atmosphere. (HENRY©`©`! We¡¯re almost there©`©`!) My ears . And a loud voice that wrecked the whole peaceful mood echoes inside my head. (.........Cyril, you need to drop the volume a little.) It¡¯s not like they¡¯re really making a sound, but it seems to be based on your imagination. The stronger you imagine the sound, it seems to increase in volume. (What©`? But I don¡¯t even know if my voice is reaching you) (I guess we should practice that too¡­¡­..) Sheesh. I let out a sigh and drink the rest of my Hot Ginger. I pass the cup back to the stand owner. Looking back at the way I came, I see Cyril wave her hands wildly, and as I watch her with a little exasperation, she is followed by Princess Eileen and the rest of the group. Henry: ¡°(sigh).....¡± I raise my hand to wave back casually, and stretch my back straight. <<<<>>>> Eileen: ¡°Oh! What beautiful snow sculptures!¡± Princess Eileen looked admiringly at one of the larger Dragon sculptures, reached into her bag, and took out a photograph machine (camera). Inside the Magecraft tool is a highly specialized paper where the image is burned upon. With that piece of paper, you can see an image as it would be reflected in a mirror ©` a photograph. ¡­.to be precise, it is not only using Magecraft but also utilizes some natural phenomenon, but I don¡¯t quite understand how it all works. It is quite expensive to purchase, and if you¡¯re a successful Adventurer, you can actually get your hands on one. Teo: ¡°Oh, that photograph machine, it¡¯s a Kasumi Factory brand, no?¡± Eileen: ¡°Oh, Teo. Do you know a lot about photography machines?¡± Teo: ¡°It¡¯s one of the products my family handles in the store. ¡­¡­..and that design in particular is a really expensive one, no? It should have cost you at least 500,000 zeniths¡­.¡± I take it back. It¡¯s something you would have if you¡¯re super rich. Eileen: ¡°Yes, when it comes to photography machines, the Rishu¡¯s Kasumi Factory makes the best ones. They are quite expensive, but I put in all my earnings as an Adventurer to buy one.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­.as a Princess, she should technically have her own money, but I guess she didn¡¯t use that. I¡¯m sure most of the citizens wouldn¡¯t mind her using her part of the tax money for her hobbies if it means for her to settle down more and take a break from Adventuring. Eileen: ¡°Then let¡¯s take some photos with the Snow Sculptures as a background. Let¡¯s line up with you three and¡­¡­.Henry, can you handle taking the photo?¡± Henry: ¡°Ummmm¡­.¡± After hearing the price, I really don¡¯t want to handle something that expensive. W©`Well, the Rishu Magecraft Tools are well known for not only their high quality, but also for their ease of use, and also durability. It¡¯s just one Magecraft Tool. I can handle it just fine. Henry: ¡°Y©`Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Eileen: ¡°Thank you very much. ¡­¡­.I¡¯ll make sure to make the required adjustments and settings beforehand.¡± She began manipulating the dials and switches that I didn¡¯t understand, and when she was done, she said, ¡°Here you go¡± and handed it to me. Eileen: ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave the rest to you. To take the photo, you need to press here and look through here.¡± Henry: ¡°Okay¡­.I see¡­..¡± If you really wanted to learn how to use one, there are a lot of techniques to learn, but for now, I just need to look through the lens and press the button when the moment is right¡­¡­...I think. Eileen: ¡°When you press down on the button, please make sure to not shake the photograph machine please.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. I understand.¡± Princess Eileen nods once, and quickly skips over to stand in front of the Dragon¡¯s Statue. With Ferris and Cyril by her side, she had Teo stand in front of her and smiled towards the photograph machine. Eileen: ¡°Okay, Henry©`! We are ready whenever you are!¡± Henry: ¡°Okay©` Then here we go. 3¡­.2¡­.1¡­¡± I press the button. I make sure to not shake the photograph machine¡­¡­.it¡¯s the same as when a heavy-class Demonic Creature charges at you, and you have to make sure your spear doesn¡¯t move when receiving the charge. Compared to that, this was nothing. I think it went okay. As I finish taking the Photo, Princess Eileen heads back to where I¡¯m standing. Henry: ¡°Is that all? I did hear some sort of mechanism click inside it but¡­.¡± Eileen: ¡°Yes, you did well. Oh, since we have the opportunity, I can take a picture of you and Jend.¡± Henry: ¡°What? Oh, no. I¡¯m okay.¡± I kindly refuse Princess Eileen¡¯s offer. Eileen: ¡°Oh c¡¯mon now. Don¡¯t be like that. I like taking Photos too.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©` Jend, what do you want to do?¡± Jend: ¡°If she¡¯s willing to take one, I¡¯d like to. I¡¯ve always had an interest in photography.¡± Jend, who was on guard, from a little distance away, agreed happily to the suggestion. ¡­¡­...what©`.... so I¡¯m going to take a picture with another guy in front of this fancy snow sculpture? It¡¯s like¡­...well, I had another hobbyist take plenty of photos on the frontlines, and from that experience, it¡¯ll be a photo with too much testosterone. Henry: ¡°Oh©`! Princess Eileen, if you¡¯re going to take a photo of Jend, why not have Ferris stand next to him instead?¡± Eileen: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a great idea!¡± And Princess Eileen hits her fist against her palm at the thought. Jend: ¡°Wh©`what? With me and Ferris? W©`Wait, that¡¯s a little embarrassing, you know?¡± Henry: ¡°Shut up and get going.¡± Why feel embarrassed now? I look at him a little irritated as I push him towards the statue. Caught off guard, Jend stumbles a few steps forward, and looks at me astonished. But after a moment¡¯s of consideration, he begrudgingly heads to stand in front of the statue. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Teo. Let¡¯s not get in the way©`¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, you¡¯re absolutely right.¡± And Cyril and Teo both step away and leave Jend and Ferris and the two there alone. Ferris: ¡°Oh©` uh, yes. I guess it¡¯s a good chance to get our photo taken, Jend.¡± Jend: ¡°........yeah.¡± They¡¯ve been going out for quite some time now, and they¡¯ve done the deal, so why get embarrassed now? Eileen: ¡°Aww, they¡¯re so innocent.¡± Beatriz: ¡°.......Princess Eileen, you¡¯re not in a position to talk about others that way. You need to be making a boyfriend or two. Even if our Royal Family prefers marriage by romance, it won¡¯t be too much longer before they revoke your privileges to choose.¡± Ms. Beatriz speaks quietly into Princess Eileen¡¯s ear. As we were on guard and paying attention to our surroundings, Ms. Beatriz¡¯ words were what directly stabbed Princess Eileen in the back. Now that I think about it, I guess the Alvenia Kingdom had that kind of culture. At the very least, an equal or suitable status of the romantic partner will be required, but beyond that, the Nobles here enjoy some freedoms as far as romances go. ¡­¡­.then again, I¡¯m surprised that there hasn¡¯t been political uprisings or revolutions because of that. Eileen: ¡°Oh geesh! Beatriz, you promised not to bring that up!¡± Beatriz: ¡°I do not remember making any such promises.¡± Ms. Beatriz smoothly disregards Princess Eileen¡¯s protests. ¡­¡­..these two really get along between master and servant. I admire their relationship as I nod to Ms. Beatriz¡¯ eye contact and go into guard duty in her stead. CH 105 Chapter 105: Flowtier City Tour Part 3 Alright. It¡¯s almost time for lunch. It is the Royal Family touring the city. I thought we would be heading to some place ridiculously fancy and overly expensive, but the restaurant that Cyril guided us to was¡­..well¡­...it had enough class to where there were no problems as far as guard duty was concerned, but it was a place where ordinary citizens could dine if they wanted to. Cyril: ¡°Hehehe¡­.this restaurant is actually very famous. The Governor himself would come sneaking out to eat here at times.¡± Eileen: ¡°Oh, the Count of Flowtier? He is known for his refined tastes of delicacies, so if he has recommended here, it has to be very good.¡± And as we sat down, Cyril proudly announced this fact to the group, and Princess Eileen nodded in satisfied approval. ¡­¡­...rather, I didn¡¯t know the Governor was known as a foodie. But now that I think about it, the dinner we had with him when we got the Altohern Mountain pass was impressively great. ¡°Are you ready to order?¡± And I was already inside the restaurant ahead of the group making sure to scout the area for any suspicious looking individuals, and the waiter came to take my order. Henry: ¡°The Daily Lunch Special, please.¡± ¡°Thank you. I will bring it out right away.¡± The waiter elegantly bowed and walked away. ¡­¡­..hm, he¡¯s not the super friendly type like Lana at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn, but he¡¯s very professional and walked with grace. Oh yeah. I didn¡¯t have time to read through the menu, so I just ordered the lunch special, but today¡¯s special is¡­¡­..croquette. Nice. Eileen: ¡°So Miss Cyril, what do you recommend we order here?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, yes. One moment. I have the recommendations from the Governor himself right here.¡± From her pocket, she pulls out a memo as Cyril starts reading it off. Cyril: ¡°Okay©` this store is famous for it¡¯s croquettes and consomm¨¦ soup. They switch out the main ingredients for each daily. Oh, and during this season in Flowtier, you can¡¯t go wrong with their seafood menu.¡± Eileen: ¡°I see. In that case¡­¡­.let¡¯s see.¡± Princess Eileen is looking over the menu once again and is trying to make up her mind. Cyril was also enjoying reading the menu over her shoulder and commenting, ¡°Everything looks so good©`¡±. Teo: ¡°I will just have the Daily Lunch Special.¡± Ferris: ¡°Oh, I will have the same thing as Teo.¡± And the two who are usually unconcerned about these things make their decision swiftly. Eileen: ¡°Oh, the croquette and consomm¨¦ soup comes with the Daily Special. Then¡­¡­.I think I¡¯ll have the grilled cod with herbs, 20 raw oysters, and for the wine¡­...maybe a Ren¨¦ St?lln ©` white.¡± That¡¯s way too much food. And Ren¨¦ St?lln is Yuu¡¯s really expensive favorite brand of wine. I guess she drinks the good stuff. Cyril: ¡°I will have the Seafood Gratin!¡± Beatriz: ¡°I will have the Daily Special.¡± Cyril and Ms. Beatriz also make up their minds and call for the waiter. The restaurant door opened as more customers walked in. I checked who it was just in case and glanced towards the door. It was a young couple. And they held no weapons. It was then that I saw through the window¡­¡­.there was someone standing guard outside of the restaurant, and my eyes meet with Jend¡¯s who bought a sandwich at a random food stand. Jend: ¡°...................¡± Thought I can¡¯t hear his voice from here, I can tell what he wants to say with those accusing eyes. ¡­¡­..sorry. I¡¯ll buy your meal the next time we go out to eat. ¡°Thank you for your patience. Here is your order.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± As if to add upon my guilt, the food comes at this exact timing. The main dish is the croquette and some stir fried vegetables. It also came with the consomm¨¦ soup and a small salad. The bread looks very fluffy and delicious. Henry: ¡°Let¡¯s see here.¡± I try the consomm¨¦ soup first. On my first spoonful, a rich flavor fills my mouth. It was a very delicate and intricate flavor that was hard to put into words with my poor vocabulary. Next, I try the freshly fried potato and ground meat croquette. As I take a bite, I excitedly juggle the heat in my mouth as I huff out breaths of air. As I finally get it to cool in my mouth and swallow, I enjoy the aftertaste it leaves in my mouth. I take a bite of my bread before that sensation is gone, and finishing the bread, I tackle the salad. Although it¡¯s the middle of winter, the salad is crunchy and washes down the taste of the croquette swiftly. My hands won¡¯t stop. The Bear¡¯s Keg Inn meals are good, but this is a different kind of deliciousness. In five minutes or less, I finish my lunch special. ¡­¡­..hmm¡­.it¡¯s delicious, but there¡¯s not enough volume in the meal. Well, it¡¯s hard to move around in a full stomach, so I guess it¡¯s just right. ¡°Thank you for your patience. Here is your order.¡± And as I eat, Cyril¡¯s table also gets their order. Princess Eileen was enjoying her raw oyster appetizer and wine, and her eyes sparkled as the main course appeared. Cyril: ¡°Wow©` this looks good!¡± Eileen: ¡°Oh my. The plate arrangement is equally amazing.¡± As Princess Eileen admires the food, she took out the photograph machine. Is she taking a phot of the food? Is it¡­..fun doing that? ¡°Sir, may I take this plate away for you?¡± Henry: ¡°....oh©` yes, please. And can I also get coffee and the baked cheesecake?¡± Since I¡¯m here on guard duty, I can¡¯t give up my seat. But this is a popular restaurant. I can¡¯t just sit here without ordering more food, so I got myself dessert. ¡­¡­¡­..so please, Jend. I know it looks bad, but I¡¯m just playing my role here. And so¡­ Though Jend looked quite miserable, I made the excuses in my head as I continued to eat. <<<<>>>> As we all filled our stomachs to the brim, the next Tour Spot is a little bit of a walk to get to. This is part of Cyril¡¯s amazing Tour Strategy to help us walk and digest the food. We exit the restaurant that was near the center of Flowtier and head towards the West Gate. With the freshly fallen snow and decorative flowers, it is quite the enjoyable walk. And there¡¯s a lot of gift shops in this area that targets tourists, so Princess Eileen was able to casually window shop as we walked by. Well, I understand how you want to go in and out of these shops that catch your interest¡­.but from a guard¡¯s standpoint, it¡¯s a little difficult. But I can¡¯t complain with just this. So, Princess Eileen bought gifts for everyone at the Palace. She bought 10 boxes of Flowtier¡¯s famous Flowtier Cookies which are cookies sprinkled with candied flower petals. She also bought Flowtier Wine for herself, and some sort of wooden decoration that I didn¡¯t understand. Since it will be too much to carry around for the rest of the day, we had the items delivered to the Governor¡¯s mansion. Since Princess Eileen still looked like she was from a Noble Family, we were not specifically questioned about where we were sending the packages to or why. Eileen: ¡°Oh, Cyril. We¡¯re going outside of the city? In that case, are we going to the Lake Lukan?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes! If you¡¯re talking about one of the main tourists attractions, it is definitely at the top of the list.¡± Eileen: ¡°That¡¯s true. It¡¯s been selected as one of the top 10 most famous lakes to visit in all the continent.¡± I can hear them chatting behind me. ¡­¡­¡­.I didn¡¯t know about the Top 10 Most Famous Lakes. It¡¯s the first time I heard about it. As we exit the Western Gate, we proceed west of Flowtier. We head slightly south from there, and we see the river that is connected to the Altohern Mountain, and cuts through the Flowtier City. This river flows into a lake that is west of Flowtier. The water will then flow southward and irrigates the smaller towns in the Flowtier Count¡¯s territories. This territory is one of the Alvenia¡¯s productive agricultural regions, and a large part of it is thanks to its access to this water resource. (Henry, how does it look outside?) (Yeah, there¡¯s nothing out here. I took a look around, but there¡¯s nothing dangerous. I¡¯ll go ahead and take a look around Lake Lukan. You can just take your time to get there.) (Yes. Oh, but please wait for us at the Lake Lukan¡¯s Information Board.) I got directions from Cyril through our godly equipment called the ¡°Link Rings.¡± ? Hmmm, I think on the way to Lake Lukan from the Flowtier West Gate, there was a billboard that had info about the origins of the lake or something. But why there? (Hehehe. It¡¯s to be able to guide you to a secret spot that only the local residents would know.) (.........are you technically from Fezard?) (You can be a local resident of as many places as you like.) Well, I guess? From Cyril¡¯s age, she probably spent more time growing up here, so I¡¯m sure that Flowtier feels naturally like her home now. Anyways, I walk to the Information Board as I was told and wait there. During this particular season, the water of the Lukan Lake is crystal clear and you can see the lake bottom. That alone makes it quite beautiful, and there are portions that are frozen artificially to make it into a temporary skating rink, and there are plenty of people heading out of the West Gate towards that area. Cyril: ¡°Henry, sorry to make you wait.¡± And after waiting a little bit, Cyril and the others came. Henry: ¡°No problem.¡± Cyril: ¡°But yeah©` if you think about it, is there any purpose to this guard duty?¡± Don¡¯t be so frank. I¡¯m also losing steam doing this silly job so seriously¡­.. But honestly, there is not a hint of danger in sight. Even so¡­. Henry: ¡°It¡¯s better if the whole thing ends up being pointless. Besides, don¡¯t say that kind of stuff in front of the Requester.¡± Eileen: ¡°Oh, even for myself, the Tour itself is the main goal. Henry, if you¡¯re bored, why not join us?¡± And Princess Eileen offered a problematic out for me obliviously. Henry: ¡°P©`Princess Eileen, that is¡­¡­..Ms. Beatriz, could you say something to her?¡± Beatriz: ¡°You¡¯re speaking to the representative leader of the knights who praised Her Highness for becoming an Adventurer for showing how a true Royal Noble should act. Would you like me to continue?¡± That¡¯s right! I forgot that these people severely lacked a sense of danger for the Princess in the first place! With a smile, Ms. Beatriz confirmed that no one else was around us. Beatriz: ¡°Well, if the Princess gets abducted or something happens during an expedition, I will do what I can to save her, but if some misfortune falls upon her, then that¡¯s that.¡± Henry: ¡°R©`Really? You are okay with that?¡± She has become an Adventurer of her own will. I will praise her for any heroic deeds accomplished, but she also needs to be able to wipe her own ass.¡± I guess she was more strict than I initially thought. And Princess Eileen nodded in agreement as well to Ms. Beatriz¡¯ words. Eileen: ¡°Of course. I will make sure to wipe my own ass.¡± Ferris: ¡°P©`Please, Eileen. Let¡¯s refrain from such language, yes?¡± Regardless of what we¡¯re speaking about, Ferris preferred the exemption of ¡°ass¡± from the conversation. Eileen: ¡°Ohh, excuse me, Ferris. There are some women, but in general, the Knights and Adventurers are mostly male dominated, so I tend to pick up things here and there.¡± Ferris: ¡°But our Party is not that way! Eileen: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. You have a rare Party where there are more females than males.¡± And with that, Cyril clapped her hands to call for attention. Cyril: ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯d love for us to continuing chatting, but we have to be getting on our way.¡± Jend: ¡°Cyril, by the way, where are we headed? If we going to see Lake Lukan, we just need to take this path straight.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hehe¡« well, follow me and see!¡± And we veered off the path with Cyril and began heading south. The snow has not been shoveled off here, so we¡¯re walking normally onto the snow-laden plains. Although it¡¯s a little difficult to walk, everyone here is an Adventurer or a Knight. There¡¯s no one having too much trouble traveling. And we walked like this for a half an hour or so. We were walking around the large perimeter of Lake Lukan and arrived at the Southwest area of the lake. And with that, Cyril points up in a certain direction with a, ¡°There!¡±. She was pointing at the Altohern Mountain north of Flowtier. The mountain itself is beautiful, but now, it¡¯s majesty was reflected perfectly in the waters of Lake Lukan and gave the whole scenery a certain mystique with its presentation. It is one of those places that makes you feel the grandiose magnitude of nature. Cyril: ¡°Well, there¡¯s not so many people who come here during the winter so©` it¡¯s a bit of a walk, but during the summertime, it¡¯s a very popular location.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, it was definitely worth the walk.¡± The blanket of snow around us also adds to the beautiful scenery. Princess Eileen had already taken out her photography machine and was taking several pictures. Eileen: ¡°Yes¡­¡­.thank you so much, Cyril. This is an amazing sight.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hehe©` You¡¯re very welcome!¡± With Princess Eileen¡¯s compliments and gratitude, Cyril receives it whole heartedly with a big ol¡¯ smile. Eileen: ¡°.............?¡± Cyril: ¡°? Is something the matter?¡± For a brief moment, Princess Eileen¡¯s scrunches her face in intent thought. Eileen: ¡°That smile¡­¡­¡­.no, I definitely have seen it somewhere¡­..¡± Princess Eileen taps on her head as she continues to think. After a while¡­. I had an inkling of a guess of what was about to happen and nervously swallowed as I waited. Eileen: ¡°.........the Fezard Kingdom¡¯s, Princess¡­..Silure?¡± CH 106 Chapter 106: The Princess of Fezard Jend: ¡°Princess¡­¡­¡± Ferris: ¡°Cyrule¡­..?¡± In disbelief, Jend and Ferris repeat Princess Eileen¡¯s words. Eileen: ¡°O©`Oh? Is something the matter, everyone? Um, Princess Cyrule?¡± Princess Eileen senses the drastic change in atmosphere and begins to wonder herself. Looks like she wasn¡¯t expecting things to turn out like this. Cyril: ¡°H©`Ha ha ha, Miss Eileen, what are you saying all of a sudden? Me? A princess©`? You¡¯re joking©`©`¡± Eileen: ¡°? What are you saying? There¡¯s no way I¡¯m mistaken. 11 years ago, when I visited the Fezard Kingdom, we spent a lot of time in each other¡¯s company. Well, you were only 5 at the time, so you may not remember but¡­.¡± I see. So that¡¯s how they know each other. 11 years ago would be after Lady Asteria married the Governor here. What serendipitous timing¡­. Cyril: ¡°N©`No no no. Miss Eileen, you¡¯re mistaken. Right? Right?¡± Eileen: ¡°What do you¡­¡­¡± Though Princess Eileen looked at her confused, but the light bulb lit up suddenly, and her eyes gleamed knowingly¡­¡­.or it looked like that to me at least. Eileen: ¡°Yes! I understand now. Everyone! It was obviously my mistake. Princess Cyrule of Fezard and Miss Cyril have nothing to do with one another!¡± ¡­¡­¡­.though she tries to rectify the situation, it¡¯s already too late. I mean, seriously, this Princess really sucks at lying or acting. Cyril: ¡°Y©`Yes, that¡¯s right©` Really, Miss Eileen, I can¡¯t believe you would mistake me for¡­¡­ well¡­¡­.so©`¡± With all our stares concentrating on her, she frantically looked around for help, but here, it¡¯s only us. After a while, she seemed to finally surrender and sagged her shoulders. Cyril: ¡°W©`Will you not believe me?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah©` um. I think not.¡± I let out a as I pat Cyril on the shoulders. ¡­...yeah, there¡¯s no way to fool anyone now. Cyril: ¡°H©`Henry¡­..you¡¯re not surprised?¡± Henry: ¡°......Ende Style.¡± Cyril: ¡°Excuse me?¡± Henry: ¡°You told me you use the Ende Style Magic. That style is actually only specifically passed down from the Royal bloodline of the Fezard Kingdom. The originator of the Magic Style Lady Ende, married into the Royal Family after she established the Magic Style.¡± It was actually quite a ways back. It was noted in a [Magic Encyclopedia] when I was at the library. With that, Teo let¡¯s out a ¡°OH!¡± as she realizes too. Teo was also reading the same book which this fact was noted, but she didn¡¯t know Cyril¡¯s actual Magic Style so she never put two and two together. After learning about that, I made just a tiny bit of effort to not bring up Cyril¡¯s Magic Style in our conversations afterwards. Cyril: ¡°I©`Is that so?¡± Henry: ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± Cyril: ¡°B©`But, I was only learning Magic at home until I was 6. I secretly snuck out the Magic text and learned how to use it, but I haven¡¯t studied that much of the details. Besides, my sister didn¡¯t learn Magic at all.¡± ¡­¡­..sister, huh. Henry: ¡°I thought maybe you were part of an illegitimate line, but if you¡¯re the younger sister of Lady Asteria, I guess you¡¯re from the main Royal Bloodline.¡± Cyril: ¡°EEK?!¡± The slip of the tongue smacked her in the face as Cyril froze. ¡­..but seriously, you¡¯re letting it all slip on your own. But I guess it¡¯s also because things are happening too fast. Henry: ¡°Well, I had a guess and decided not to ask, but¡­..can you tell us what this is all about now?¡± Because we went out to the southwest side of Lake Lukan to see the beautiful scenery, and besides us, no one else was here. If that¡¯s the case, we can just hear her out, and if needed, just forget what we heard tomorrow and move on as if nothing happened. But yeah, I thought it was about time we talked about it. I tried avoiding that subject, and now the distance between Cyril and I became too close. So I originally thought about bringing it up before the end of the year. ¡­¡­...although it was abruptly revealed, I think this is a great opportunity. Cyril: ¡°U©`Ummm, well¡­..so¡­..ummmm¡­.¡± Cyril¡¯s expression is changing every second as she contemplates how to start. Henry: ¡°Calm down.¡± I place a hand gently on her head and pat it. She lets out a growl of frustration at being treated like a child, but allows me to continue. ¡­¡­..well, most likely¡­¡­.she probably worried how our relationship would drastically change if I found out, but unfortunately for her, I don¡¯t plan on changing anything. Too bad for you! Cyril: ¡°Ugh©` don¡¯t touch a lady¡¯s hair without permission©`©` I¡¯ll report you©`©`¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, yeah. Well, if you can¡¯t talk about it, we won¡¯t force it out of you.¡± I meet her eyes and ask, ¡°So what do you want to do?¡± wordlessly. Cyril¡¯s face brightened red, and after thinking about it for a while¡­. Cyril: ¡°............fine.¡± She mumbled the word. <<<<>>>> Cyril: ¡°As Miss Eileen said, my real name is Cyrule Fezard, and I was the second Princess of the Fezard Kingdom.¡± We were back at the Governor¡¯s mansion¡¯s meeting room, and Cyril began to immediately speak. Princess Eileen and Ms. Beatriz excused themselves because they felt that this was a private matter, and they are probably enjoying the drinks they bought on the way back. Jend: ¡°Cyrule¡­..but that means Cyril is a fake name? You met me when I was a kid. I¡¯m surprised that you didn¡¯t let it slip once.¡± Cyril: ¡°No, my name is really hard to say, so I chose to be called Cyril since I was little in the first place.¡± Jend: ¡°.......got it¡­.¡± Jend is at a loss for words. I thought since he¡¯s a childhood friend, he would have known, but this news also took him by surprise. Ferris: ¡°I knew Cyril since she was young, but you never spoke about this once as a child. That¡¯s quite impressive to be honest. Children are more prone to brag about these kinds of things.¡± Cyril: ¡°Well©` to be honest¡­.I really didn¡¯t understand what being a Princess really meant at the time.¡± ¡­¡­...ohh©` the Fezard Kingdom was annihilated when Cyril was 6 years old. I can imagine that most kids would be clueless about their status at that age. Cyril: ¡°So the reason why I kept my identity secret was©` well©` the Royal Family I come from has a high chance of someone being born with very high Magic Power, so even if the Kingdom is gone, we had a long history and had some political clout. If we let the word slip, we thought some country would try and force an arranged marriage, so we kept the information confidential.¡± Henry: ¡°Is there stuff like that that goes on¡­¡­?¡± Even with the country gone, I guess the Royal Bloodline still has value. It¡¯s a world I¡¯m not familiar with at all. Ferris: ¡°I see. Cyril, you can rest assured. We have no intention of speaking about this to anyone.¡± Cyril: ¡°Thank you. Only the Governor, my sister, and the maids who are formerly from Fezard know about this.¡± Wow, so they¡¯ve really kept this under the rug tight. Teo: ¡°But really. Why would you keep a secret like that from us? I thought you trusted us more than that.¡± Ferris: ¡°Hey, Teo, that¡¯s not fair. It¡¯s better for less people to know about these kinds of things. Just because we¡¯re in the same Party doesn¡¯t mean that we have to share all of our secrets with each other.¡± Teo seemed a little bitter as Ferris chastises her attitude. ¡­¡­..although she would never openly admit it, Teo is really attached to Cyril. She¡¯s probably upset at realizing that someone who she thought of as a sister was keeping a secret from her. Cyril: ¡°No, Miss Ferris. It wasn¡¯t absolutely something I needed to keep from the Party, and I could have told you all. Besides, I do trust that no one here would betray my secret to anyone else.¡± Ferris: ¡°? Is that so? So is it just that you didn¡¯t have an opportunity up until now?¡± Cyril: ¡°Well©`©` it¡¯s not like that either¡­¡­¡± Cyril steals a glance towards my way. Henry: ¡°......I have a general idea of what¡¯s going on so go ahead.¡± Cyril: ¡°S©`Since when did you know?¡± Henry: ¡°Since I found out about the Ende Style, I had a pretty good guess. It¡¯s probably because of me that you didn¡¯t share, right?¡± Unlike Lady Asteria who married another Noble from a different country, Cyril is still one of the members of the Royal Family. Though the country itself is gone, for a former Knight of that country like myself, she¡¯s not someone I can just ignore or forget. Cyril: ¡°......that¡¯s right. I didn¡¯t want Henry to start treating me like that. Besides¡­¡± The reason Cyril wants to go to the front lines. From what we know of her until now, it¡¯s hard to imagine why should be so motivated towards that goal. But if you consider her status, then a few ideas come up immediately. Cyril: ¡°I want to re-establish my country. That¡¯s why I wanted to pile up a lot of accomplishments and deeds so I can get my country¡¯s territory back.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.out of all the options imaginable, she chose the one that¡¯s hardest to achieve. Our home country, the Fezard Kingdom, is actually on the other side of the Isthmus of Bifrost that ties the northern and southern continent together. It is located on the northern parts of the southern continent. They placed Ligaleo on the Isthmus of Bifrost because it¡¯s easy to concentrate military power, goods, and resources, and the 3 major countries are currently working together to keep the point secure. If you want to invade even further than that defensive point, you can¡¯t just do it with overwhelming manpower alone. The sheer density of the Corrupted Magic Power is off the charts in the Southern Continent, and the Magecraft Barrier Artifacts would be useless there. So if you help with a successful invasion of the Southern Continent, you might be able to earn a territory the size of the former Fezard Kingdom. With the backup of a Noble, they can push for an Adventurer who has taken the majority of the credit for the success and grant them territory ©` it¡¯s rare but it can happen. Since she¡¯s trying to revive her former Kingdom, she may not have to face as much opposition. But it¡¯s still an absurdly difficult task. There¡¯s no telling how long that would take. The war with the Demon Race began 10 years ago. If you want to tip the scales, it might take 10, no... 20 years. You can spend even more time than that, and in the end, it might all end up being for nothing as the chances of failure are far greater. Cyril: ¡°©`©`is my primary goal!¡± Henry: ¡°......okay, so that¡¯s your primary.¡± Cyril: ¡°My secondary goal is to accomplish great deeds and gain notoriety, but the plan is to take over a former smaller country¡¯s territory in the southern part of the continent. Today, the 3 countries are running the territory as an alliance, but if I can accomplish enough, I might be able to take that territory for ourselves. Sir Alvare is also planning on backing me up on this plan.¡± ¡­¡­..around the Isthmus of Bifrost, there were countless small countries all around it. At one point, the Demon Race Army invaded the southern portions of the Northern Continent, and the 3 Great Countries united as one to push them all the way back to Ligaleo at one point. So because of that, the ownership of those territories in that area is extremely vague. As a general rule, some ambassadors of one of the countries will run the place, but occasionally, I hear of some Great Noble¡¯s second or third son in line who would purchase the land. ¡­¡­..a former Kingdom¡¯s Princess accomplishes a heroic deed and with the backing of the Alvenia Kingdom¡¯s Count¡¯s backing, receives a territory. If she saves up all her earnings in Ligaleo, then she should also have the financial resources to make the purchase as well. Or maybe? I wouldn¡¯t be able to understand those kinds of details, but it seems possible. Cyril: ¡°And thirdly©`©`¡± Henry: ¡°There¡¯s more?!¡± Cyril: ¡°Miss Cyril is a woman who can tell the difference between fact and fiction. I will not blindly charge at an unreasonable or impossible goal.¡± ¡­¡­...well, that is a good way to think about things. But if you ask me, ¡°blindly charging in¡± fits your image perfectly. Cyril: ¡°My third goal is©`©` ¡­...at the very least, give one to the Demon Race Army and tell them, ¡®The Fezard Kingdom is still here©`©`¡± and make that known.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.I see. Henry: ¡°Well, I already did that. You might have not seen it, but when Giverte was defeated, the Adventurer¡¯s News had ¡®Former Fezard Knight Avenges his Country!¡¯ on the front page¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right©`!¡± Maybe she can only laugh about that now, and she laughs heartily. Cyril: ¡°But because of that, we have at least the bare minimal goal already accomplished! We can just take it easy from here then.¡± Henry: ¡°I see.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. That¡¯s why Henry, since you worked so hard already, you can stay here and relax.¡± ¡­¡­¡­...if you think about it logically, well yeah, that is an option. Our country no longer exists. I already avenged for everyone there as much as I could, but there¡¯s no reason for me to force myself to accompany Cyril. But that still doesn¡¯t mean that I can just send them off with a ¡°Good luck¡«¡± and not feel any regrets. ¡­¡­..but at the same time, I can¡¯t help but feel some hesitation in going back to that constant, exhausting chaos. Cyril: ¡°Oh©` I knew it. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to talk about this. I don¡¯t mean to trouble you at all about any of this.¡± After a brief awkward silence, Cyril scratches her cheek. Everyone else is also looking at me with concern. I mean, I did tell them that I won¡¯t go back to the frontlines many times¡­¡­ Hmmm©`©` Okay! Henry: ¡°I¡¯m going to table this discussion for now. You¡¯re not all going to Ligaleo today or tomorrow, so I want to think about this more.¡± Teo: ¡°........Mr. Henry, you can be pretty indecisive at times.¡± Teo¡¯s words pierced and weighed on my heart. No, that¡¯s not it. It¡¯s not indecisiveness. It¡¯s called being cautious. And with more excuses flooding my mind, we ended the discussion. ¡­¡­..afterwards, we all listened to Cyril¡¯s childhood stories. CH 107 Chapter 107: My Future Though Cyril¡¯s identity was revealed, her relationship with each member of our Party did not change, and we treated her the same as before. With that out of the way, we continued the Governor¡¯s Request to be the tour guides for Princess Eileen. The 3 days of Touring of Flowtier was completed without any problems. So now, all that¡¯s left is for Princess Eileen to return home but¡­¡­.she won¡¯t leave just like that. As we promised earlier when she arrived, our Party is getting a taste of the [Hell-Mode Training Course] that Princess Eileen designed for Jend specifically. Cyril: ¡°(GASP!! GASP!!) MISS EILEEN!! I CAN¡¯T!! I¡¯M AT MY LIMIT!!¡± Eileen: ¡°It¡¯s when you start seeing your limit is when the real training starts, Miss Cyril!! Let¡¯s add some more weights and run 10 more laps! To be fair, I¡¯m starting to feel the fatigue myself!¡± ¡­¡­...and¡­...with each carrying additional weights of their own, Cyril and Princess Eileen are running laps around the training grounds. Very fortunately, the Governor¡¯s Militia is not using it right now, so we are borrowing it in their absence. Ferris: ¡°Teo, shoot now!¡± Teo: ¡°Understood!¡± Jend: ¡°Tsch! It won¡¯t be that easy!¡± And a little distance away, Jend is facing off with Ferris and Teo¡¯s tag team in a practice match. The loser will have to join Cyril and Princess Eileen in running laps, and the winner will face Princess Eileen herself. After that is done, the loser will run laps, and Teo and Ferris will return to face off with the winner. This process continues without end. Still, Cyril is not participating in the practice matches. Her Magic will be difficult to hold back, and at the moment, she has improved significantly, but she still has a little ways to go as far as physical strength and stamina are concerned. Training those aspects takes priority right now. Though she added the word ¡°hell¡± into the training title, it is a pretty difficult training regimen, but in the end, it¡¯s just regular training. And well, as for me©`©` Beatriz: ¡°That¡¯s enough of a short break. Let¡¯s go to the next round.¡± Henry: ¡°........yes.¡± After a regular regimen of training exercises, I am repeatedly facing off with Ms. Beatriz. At the moment, I¡¯ve lost 4 in a row. Undoubtedly, the title of 2nd strongest knight is no understatement. Her strength is real. I¡¯m able to keep up with her during the matches ©` barely ©` but I can¡¯t see any paths or methods to victory. ¡­¡­...at the very least, I¡¯m starting to get used to the way Ms. Beatriz fights. If this was an actual battle, I would have been long dead but¡­.. ©`©`anyways, let¡¯s go another round. Henry: ¡°Here I come!¡± Beatriz: ¡°C¡¯mon.¡± We both move at the same time. Henry: ¡°SEY!!¡± (sfx yell) At the start of the round, I threw my spear. The distance between opponents is relatively close, so I don¡¯t have time to cast [Strengthen] {Hazac}, but unlike ordinary spears, my spear can shred through the average shield and armor with ease. Henry: ¡°Separate!¡± My thrown spear splits into 5 with the godly equipment¡¯s attribute. Beatriz: ¡°HAH!¡± (sfx exhale) But without any concern, Ms. Beatriz raises her shield. It¡¯s true that she is holding the official shield of the Knights¡¯ Organizations, but it¡¯s still not of a quality that can withstand my throw. On top of that, blocking all 5 of those spears would be extremely difficult. ¡­¡­..of course, Ms. Beatriz is well aware of this fact. The shield is simply a focal point. At its center, a sky-blue colored Magic Power begins to swirl around. The Nyoiten Spear gets forced off course by the Magical wall, and the two that barely grazed Ms. Beatriz armor had their velocity and power severely decreased so it did not damage her at all. Henry: ¡°Tsch.¡± I return the Nyoiten Spear to my hand, and silently prepare for Ms. Beatriz¡¯ charge. I thought about keeping the distance open between Ms. Beatriz and I as I continue to harass her with my spear throws till she messes up her defense ©` this was something I tested in the 3rd match. Unfortunately, she doesn¡¯t mess up defending, and if I include throws in my attack sequence, it gives her ample opportunities to close the distance fast. ¡­¡­...well, I¡¯ll just have to keep trying different tactics! Henry: ¡°HAH!!¡± (sfx exhale) Before I get into Ms. Beatriz¡¯ sword¡¯s range, I thrust my spear out. She receives this attack with her shield and¡­¡­.I felt something grab and push the tip of my spear away, and my attack strays away from Ms. Beatriz. ¡­¡­.normally, if you enchant your weapons and armor with your Magic Power, you¡¯ll see a simple increase in the power and effect with the enchantment at most. But the way Ms. Beatriz manipulates her Magic Power, she uses an unbelievable amount of finesse and strength to [guide] the attacks away from her. If she uses that power for defense, your attack feels like it got swallowed and washed away by a strong river stream ©` or that¡¯s how the logic supposedly works. Henry: ¡°!!¡± And with my attack completely dispatched, Ms. Beatriz envelopes her one-handed sword to strike at me. I let go of the Nyoiten Spear quickly and drew my arms back. I pour Magic Power through my gauntlet and block one strike that was aimed at my left shoulder. Henry: ¡°WHOA?!¡± I blocked the sword itself, but the Magic Power inside the sword kept flying on at me. The Magic Power with slicing attributes would have been the same as a blade, and I jump to the side to barely dodge it. Henry: ¡°URGH!! [Restrain] {Katerno} + [Launch] {Veros}!!¡± As I jump, I aim at Ms. Beatriz¡¯ feet and fire a Magic Arrow her way. On the way, it transforms into chains and¡­¡­..she deflects it with Magic Power swirling around her feet. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.okay, she¡¯s definitely not normal!! It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen anyone manipulate Magic Power like this without Magecraft support! Henry: ¡°RETURN!!¡± I initiate the [Return] capabilities of the Nyoiten Spear and bring it back to my hand. ¡­¡­..at least my Magic Arrow wasn¡¯t wasted. I was able to hold her off one step back and that was enough. In that case©`©` Henry: ¡°TSUE-AAHH!!¡± (sfx shout) Beatriz: ¡°Hm¡­¡­?!¡± I concentrate on the hand that is pulling the spear back, and before it¡¯s caught in the flow of Magic Power, I drew the spear back quickly and struck multiple times. Ms. Beatriz elegantly uses both her sword and shield to block all my attacks, but she¡¯s not able to close the last bit of distance. Any openings at this point, and a blade would be lodged in my throat¡­¡­¡­.or hopefully stopped right before it reaches the skin. Beatriz: ¡°Ha¡± As if amused, she smiles slightly and takes one step back. ¡­¡­...what? If she wants to make this a long range right, I have my spear throws. As I quickly contemplated my next move, Ms. Beatriz raised her sword straight towards the heavens. Beatriz: ¡°............initiate ©` Sky Sword¡± As she quietly spoke the words, sky-blue Magic Power erupts around the sword¡¯s center. A blade made of pure Magic Power stood 10 meters (¡«33 feet) tall and came crashing down towards my head. Henry: ¡°Sorry! I¡¯m used to that kind of attack!¡± This is exactly the same type of move as Sir Ezeal¡¯s Luminas Blade. I¡¯ve watched him use that move several times, so I can easily dodge this one. Beatriz: ¡°Oh? Even with this?¡± She swipes the sword sideways at me after I dodge. I¡¯m not sure why she thinks a simple attack like that will¡­¡­.WHAT?! Henry: ¡°ACK?!?!¡± The Magic Power Blade [bent]. As soon as I thought I dodged and cleared it, it wriggled in a serpentine manner and snapped back at me. I was able to dodge this, but she¡¯s attacking me now from all angles mercilessly with unpredictable movements. ¡­.!!! This isn¡¯t a sword! It¡¯s a whip!! She called it a Sky Sword, but it''s such a misleading name! And with that, I was cornered very quickly and¡­.. ¡­¡­...lost. <<<<>>>> I fought with Ms. Beatriz 8 rounds. I was finally able to achieve one victory at the very, very end. As her Sky Sword whipped and lashed all around me, I was able to gain some distance, and with a [Strengthen] {Hazac} triple stacked, I chunked it with all my might. ¡­¡­¡­...I didn¡¯t try to hit her directly like I did with Sir Ezeal, but I was able to gain a surrender from her at the end of it. Beatriz: ¡°Fwew©`©` it¡¯s been a while since I lost. You have good skills, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Thank you¡­¡­¡± Both Ms. Beatriz and I are at our limits and are sitting down. But I¡¯m happy to receive a compliment from her. Henry: ¡°Looks like we should start wrapping things up over there as well.¡± Right now, Jend and Eileen are fighting. They both seemed to be high from the adrenaline rush and forgot about their fatigue, but if they don¡¯t call it quits soon, they could accidentally hurt one another. Beatriz: ¡°Yeah, maybe¡­..1 or two more matches, I¡¯d say.¡± Henry: ¡°I see.¡± As the Head of a Knight¡¯s Organization, Ms. Beatriz has oversaw countless training, so she would be more adept at determining where to draw the line than me. I¡¯ll leave that job to her. Beatriz: ¡°.......so, Henry. I heard that your Party members want to head to Ligaleo, but is that true?¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s true. I think if they progress just a little further, they should be able to fight on the frontlines.¡± Beatriz: ¡°Princess Cyrule as well? I¡¯ve heard that she has amazing Magic Spells, but her personality and character just isn¡¯t suited for war.¡± Ms. Beatriz uses Cyril¡¯s official title ©` Princess. ¡­..but Ms. Beatriz should also have an inkling on what Cyril¡¯s aiming for. If I can draw those conclusions, there¡¯s no way a leader of a Knight Organization will be oblivious to it. Beatriz: ¡°She¡¯ll probably be fine if you¡¯re there protecting her.¡± Henry: ¡°..............¡± Since hearing Cyril¡¯s story, I have been thinking about that a lot and haven¡¯t been able to sleep much lately. Even so, Ms. Beatriz is really gutting me hard with her comments. Henry: ¡°........yes, that would be true.¡± Beatriz: ¡°Hmmm...ohh, sorry to change the subject, but Henry, would you like to join the Knights?¡± Huh? What? Henry: ¡°Wh©`What are you asking all of a sudden.¡± Beatriz: ¡°No, I¡¯ve found someone with strength, skills, and a trustworthy character. As someone who leads the Knights, I need to at least see if you¡¯re interested in joining. There are many Knights who were Adventurers before. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad offer at all.¡± The Knights of Alvenia are not treated the same as the Varsaldi Knights of the Empire. The Empire places all the Knights at the butt end of all the Nobles, but in Alvenia, you are not without fame and privileges. If you want to cut out all the politics, you¡¯re basically and [ultra-strong soldier]. That¡¯s why if you want to become a Knight, there is a Knights Training Academy that is open to anyone, and there are Knights who go out recruiting new members. I remember Sir Ezeal half jokingly trying to recruit me. At the time, I let my country fall and considered myself unworthy of calling myself a Knight so I kindly refused. Beatriz: ¡°Well, if you are a former Adventurer, you¡¯ll be sent to the Knight¡¯s Training Academy¡¯s supplemental courses for about a half-year to a year to learn all the knowledge and etiquettes, but¡­..you were already a squire of the Fezard Kingdom. You¡¯ll pass those kinds of courses with flying colors.¡± Hmmmm¡­. Well, to be frank, it is a good deal. Firstly, the trust between society is definitely different between Adventurers and Knights. If you are injured and cannot perform your duties anymore, the Grandes Church is responsible for your retirement. On top of that, having a regular salary is wonderful. ¡­¡­...so she probably considered those things and brought up Cyril at the beginning of the conversation. The Black Dragon Knights are there on the frontlines all year, but there are also other Knight Organizations that go periodically to support the efforts. She¡¯s probably opening up a door so I can be in a position where I can go check in on Cyril every once in a while. It makes me wonder. She casually suggested it to me, but I feel like I¡¯m at a decision point in my life and the paths are diverging. Am I going to remain here as an Adventurer in Flowtier? I can become a Knight of Alvenia and fight for the citizens and country. ©`©`or I can return to the frontlines, and throw myself into an unending battle. And if I wanted to, I could probably choose other paths as well. Henry: ¡°............oh¡­¡­¡± Without realizing it, I was watching Cyril as she finished her laps and was trying to catch her breath. She sensed my gaze and though she was exhausted, she smiled weakly and waved her hand this way. Yeah¡­¡­¡­..that¡¯s right. The events that change your life are usually very minute, very ordinary. With Ms. Beatriz showing me different paths I can take in my life, I am finally able to think about my future. And see her face¡­¡­¡­..my mind was 80% made up. Henry: ¡°No. Thank you so much for the offer, but an Adventurer¡¯s life is what suits me best.¡± Beatriz: ¡°I see. I guess that should¡¯ve been expected. Well, I don¡¯t plan to retract my offer, so when you change your mind, just come see me.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, thank you very much.¡± With a grunt, I stand up. So¡­¡­.when should I break the news? CH 108 Chapter 108: The Day He Rose Up Leaving us with ¡°The next time, we¡¯ll meet at the frontlines! If it¡¯s Ligaleo, we¡¯ll be going there too!¡± Princess Eileen left in an energetic fashion from Flowtier. ¡­¡­..but still¡­..I didn¡¯t know that she had come to Ligaleo a few times. I¡¯ve never even heard a rumor about her, so she must have blended in really well with the Adventurers. ¡­¡­..well, from the way she speaks and acts, if I met her without any foreknowledge, I would have just assumed that she was an Adventurer from start to finish. Regardless¡­ With Princess Eileen returning home, we went back to our usual day to day. It¡¯s still the middle of winter and entering Altohern is prohibited, so we trained in the Flowtier forest testing out various things. During the breaks in between our expeditions, I was at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn that afternoon. I gazed at the silent snow falling and sipping some hot milk when a voice reached my head. (Henry©`©` I¡¯m almost there©`©`) (........sounds good. Roger that.) It was Cyril¡¯s voice. It was one of the abilities she gained when she received the godly equipment [Link Ring]. It¡¯s range of use was quite large and could reach someone in a radius of 2 kilometers (¡«1.25 miles). If you are in the same Party, this will work well in most situations. Henry: ¡°Lana, could I get one more hot milk? Cyril should be arriving soon.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, yes. Right away.¡± It¡¯s not a blizzard outside, but it is still snowing pretty hard. Right now, there¡¯s no other customers left after the afternoon lunch rush. It pains me to keep sticking around so I put in an order with Lana who was cleaning the area. Lana headed for the kitchen where Mr. Nord was preparing the food for the evening, and by the time she returned, the door to the inn opened. Cyril: ¡°Hello©`. Uggghhhhh, it¡¯s so cold today©`©`¡± Lana: ¡°Welcome, Miss Cyril. Here, you can sit next to the stove to warm up.¡± Cyril: ¡°Thank you©`©`¡± Cyril was shivering from head to toe and shook off the snow that was piling atop her shoulder and head at the entrance. After finishing up, she headed towards the stove to chase the cold chill out of her body. With one sigh, I got up and went next to Cyril. Cyril: ¡°Oh, hey Henry. I came right on time, didn¡¯t I?¡± The tip of her nose was reddened, and Cyril smiled cheerfully at me. ¡­¡­..yes, I did have a promise with Cyril to meet today but¡­ Henry: ¡°.......didn¡¯t I say that we can choose another day if the weather¡¯s bad? You¡¯re going to catch a cold.¡± During this season in Flowtier, the weather can be really flaky. That¡¯s why we try to be flexible in case the worst case scenario happens. ¡­¡­¡­.there was no reason for her to push herself like this to come see me. I thought just maybe she would cancel, and expected her to not appear if I didn¡¯t receive a message from her. Cyril: ¡°Oh, no no no. Miss Cyril has been training like crazy since Spring, so a little snow won¡¯t stop me from ¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°Here, warm your body quickly. ¡­.do want a sip of my hot milk?¡± Cyril: ¡°You won¡¯t trick me into drinking from the same cup as you yet.¡± Idiot. As an Adventurer, passing around and drinking from the same water bottle is normal. Our Party has Teo, so we can carry around enough water bottles for everyone though. Henry: ¡°Jeesh. Maybe I should have headed to the Governor¡¯s Mansion instead.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hmmm©` well, I¡¯m a guest over there technically, so I hesitate on bringing guests and friends.¡± I guess publicly, she¡¯s just a guest¡­¡­ Cyril: ¡°Well, don¡¯t you worry. I¡¯m fine. It was a little chilly, but it was fun walking in the snow.¡± Henry: ¡°Is that so¡­¡± As we chatted, Lana brought a warm cup of steaming hot milk on a platter. Lana: ¡°Here is your hot milk.¡± Cyril: ¡°Huh? But I didn¡¯t order anything.¡± Henry: ¡°I thought you might be cold, so I ordered one for you. It¡¯s my treat so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± With a ¡°Oh, if it¡¯s like that¡­¡± Cyril took the cup in both hands and took one sip but burned her tongue a little since it was a little too hot. She blew on her cup to cool it a little and drank it slowly. Cyril: ¡°Oh©` the warmth feels so good. The sweetness of the honey is just perfect.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, they put just the right amount.¡± The hot milk is one of the hidden menu items of the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. It¡¯s not only warmed up milk, but they also slip in some honey and a variety of herbs, so it warms you up very quickly. It¡¯s actually great after waking up with a hangover, so there¡¯s a lot of customers who order this during this winter season. Lana: ¡°Please take your time.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, thank you very much, Lana.¡± We positioned ourselves around the stove, and we chatted until Cyril¡¯s body was warmed up. Henry: ¡°Oh yeah. It¡¯s almost New Years, but what do people do here during that time?¡± Cyril: ¡°Well, let¡¯s see. I think we do what everyone else does. At the last day of the year, we get together with our family and friends and reflect on the past year quietly, and when the New Year comes, we have a New Year Festival. The Churches all hold different events and rituals.¡± Yeah, I guess that¡¯s normal. Cyril: ¡°Now that you mention New Years, I think I told you this long ago, but my birthday is the 5th day of the 1st month. I¡¯ll look forward to my birthday gift!¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, I think I remember you telling me that.¡± So Jend and I are coincidentally born on the 3rd month. Teo is the 11th month, and just a little while back, she turned 15. I don¡¯t know when Ferris¡¯ birthday is¡­...well, Cyril will probably plan a birthday party, so I might ask her then. Cyril: ¡°Oh yeah, Henry. The Grandes Church is holding their annual snowball fight tournament. Do you want to join? I believe registration ends after this week.¡± Henry: ¡°.......typically, when the Church holds an event like that, they call it ¡®recreation¡¯ but they¡¯re actually measuring the Adventurer¡¯s strength and abilities. It¡¯s not bad for getting some visibility, but it¡¯s bothersome for me. Why do we have to chunk snow at each other in this cold?¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry, you¡¯re still young, but you sometimes act like an old man. C¡¯mon! A snowball fight sounds like fun!¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m against age discrimination.¡± Cyril: ¡°Sheesh.¡± It¡¯s nice to be able to talk about whatever, and there¡¯s a calming peace with it that accompanies our time. ¡­¡­¡­.yeah, I can tell I¡¯m far too deep in now ©` or at least, the calm, rational part of my brain tells me so, but my lazy side responds seconds later with, ¡°Who cares? Just go with the flow.¡± And once Cyril was done drinking her hot milk¡­. Henry: ¡°.....alright, let¡¯s head to my room.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay©` oh, but don¡¯t try anything just because we¡¯re alone!¡± I flick her lightly in the forehead with my finger. Cyril: ¡°OWIE!¡± Cyril glares at me in protest, but I, of course, ignore her complaints. Henry: ¡°Lana, we¡¯ll leave the cup here©`¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, yes. Thank you so much.¡± Now then¡­.. ¡­¡­¡­.how will the next conversation turn out¡­.. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°There¡¯s only one chair, but go ahead and take a seat.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes.¡± It¡¯s a room for one, so there¡¯s only one chair inside. I let Cyril take the chair, and I sat on the bed. Cyril: ¡°So Henry. You had something you wanted to talk about?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, um¡­.¡± That was the purpose of meeting with Cyril today. I think she already knows what I wanted to discuss. She has a more serious expression than normal. Henry: ¡°I¡¯ll be frank. Right now, I¡¯m leaning towards going with you guys to Ligaleo.¡± Cyril: ¡°.......um, Henry. You don¡¯t need to force yourself. Our statuses as Fezard citizens don''t matter anymore.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not thinking about that at all. ¡­...I mean, if I was, I would probably be taking a more respectful attitude towards you.¡± Just like the time we had to meet with Lady Asteria! And in my case, I met Lady Asteria while she was still a part of the Royal Family, and I was never appointed as an official Knight. If the King had ceremonially appointed me as a Knight of the Kingdom, things may have been different. I still have respect for the Royal family, but if you ask me if I was faithful and loyal to them, I¡¯m not sure. Cyril: ¡°I©`Is that so? Well, that¡¯s a little sad to hear but¡­¡± Henry: ¡°What? You want me to call you ¡®Princess¡¯ and bow and kneel before you?¡± Cyril: ¡°Well, if you do it now, it¡¯ll just be awkward. It¡¯s just¡­.I was just a little bit curious. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡­¡­...wait, just flat out say no from the beginning. I can see that she got a little excited at the thought. Henry: (cough) Cyril: ¡°Oh, pardon me for interrupting. Please continue.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, yes. Well, as far as the biggest reason is¡­...well©` I know we¡¯ve only known each other for less than a year, so saying this may come off as©`©`¡± I can feel my own eyes swim as I try to get the words out. I thought of a lot of ways to say this, but all of it fell out somewhere, and I¡¯m drawing a complete blank at the moment. ¡­¡­..but I don¡¯t think I can just postpone this discussion to another time. I just need to make up my mind and go for it. Henry: ¡°Cyril, I¡¯m just¡­..well¡­...it just feels different when you¡¯re not around next to me.¡± As I say the words, I realize how extremely roundabout I¡¯m going about this. Cyril: ¡°Huh?¡± Cyril looks at me with a blank expression and with genuine confusion, tilts her head at my words. Cyril: ¡°Oh, um, yes? That¡¯s¡­.um¡­.th©`thank you?¡± ¡­¡­...oh no. I don¡¯t think my intentions reached her whatsoever. Cyril: ¡°???¡± Argh, in times like these, actions speak louder than words. I felt how nervous I was, and I rose and stood up off the bed, and reached out and held Cyril¡¯s head towards me while she was still sitting down. Cyril: ¡°...........huh? U©`Um, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m in love with you, Cyril. Let me at least protect the girl I love.¡± A long silence followed. After a while, I think I physically heard her head steam with a , and Cyril¡¯s expression dramatically changed in my arms. Cyril: ¡°Ha©`ha ha ha?! U©`UMMMM¡­..HENRY?! Wh©`What are you saying all of a sudden?!¡± Henry: ¡°.......was it still not clear? Look, it¡¯s my first time doing a confession, and I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯m doing this right.¡± Cyril: ¡°N©`No no! I understand you clearly but©`©`!¡± With a ¡°AAAAAHHHHHHHH!¡± Cyril is trembling in my arms.¡¯ But she¡¯s not trying to escape or push me away. In fact, she¡¯s burying her face deeper into my body and rubbing her head against it. After a while, she finally calmed down, and with a bright red face, she started grumbling. Cyril: ¡°Ugh¡­...Miss Yuu said Henry¡¯s terrible at romance, so he¡¯ll probably never be able to confess to you¡­.¡± I¡¯ve decided that I need to make some posters detailing out some of Yuu¡¯s most embarrassing past events around her the next time I see her. Henry: ¡°.........so, Cyril. I know it was all of a sudden, but what about you? ¡­¡­..if it¡¯s too much trouble, you¡¯re free to say no, or if you want, just hold off on answering and just keep me nearby until you make up your mind.¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry, you know that I could never do that to you¡­...and besides, do I really have to spell it out for you by now?¡± Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s needed, but I just want to hear it myself.¡± Cyril growls with a little frustration and with her face still read, she looks up at me with protesting eyes. I wasn¡¯t sure if I was even acting close to my usual self, but I gave her the most confident smile I could muster. ¡­¡­¡­.seeing that, I saw the fire in her eyes dwindle a little. But the resolution that was teetering side to side suddenly ignited with a ¡°LET¡¯S DO THIS!¡± and©`©` Henry: ¡°HMF?!¡± Her face suddenly got very close to mine and something soft touched my lips. Henry: ¡°...........¡± Cyril: ¡°H©`Haha¨D! I guess it¡¯s my win!¡± Is it a matter of winning or losing? I wanted to reply, but since she accepted me, I felt relieved and let it go. ¡­¡­¡­...and my final hesitations to going to Ligaleo disappeared with it. Well, we¡¯ll still be training in this town until everyone gains enough strength, and it¡¯s farewell to my semi-retirement. I guess when everything is said and done, I¡¯ll live the slow life with Cyril. But that¡¯s then, not now. Henry: ¡°You bumped me with your teeth the first time so let¡¯s try again.¡± Cyril: ¡°Wh©` H©` Henry?! Wai©`©`?!?!?!¡± I don¡¯t have a reason to wait. As Cyril panicked with a hundred different expressions, I kissed her properly. <<<<>>>> Lana: ¡°Oh, Henry. If you dirtied the sheets, you¡¯ll have to wash it yourself this time.¡± So Cyril and talked for a while after that and as we descended the stairs, Lana misread the situation terribly and smiled as she said that. I¡¯m ready any time, but from Cyril¡¯s personality, it¡¯ll be a while before we get to that point. ¡­¡­¡­.since Lana¡¯s eyes read, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I totally understand.¡± It got on my nerve, so to also celebrate, I ordered as much food and drinks to the point where she was sick of taking my order that night. CH 109 Chapter 109: Discussing About the Future It was the day after Cyril and I started dating. That day was coincidentally our scheduled, periodic meeting with our Party, so we decided to make the announcement. Henry: ¡°Well©` so, anyways. You might all have guessed already, but Cyril and I decided to go out.¡± ¡­¡­..they might have already guessed since Cyril ran to me at twice the speed than usual. She grabbed my arm as if to make the ¡°He¡¯s mine!¡± statement, so I think she made it obvious to everyone. Teo: ¡°Uh huh¡­...and?¡± Teo doesn¡¯t seem to be interested at all at the news and responds very dryly. How could she not care if there is a dramatic change in the Party¡¯s dynamics?! Henry: ¡°H©`Hey, hey, Teo. You can be a little more surprised at the news.¡± Yes, you should be more aware of the people around you. Jend: ¡°No, no, Henry. It¡¯s been so longer overdue, so honestly, I feel the same way.¡± Ferris: ¡°I agree with Jend. Seriously, it took you two this long to start dating?¡± Jend and Ferris too?! I©`I mean. I won¡¯t deny that there has been moments when things seemed to be going in that direction, but putting that aside, could you all be a little more shocked at the news? Was it that obvious? Really¡­¡­.? Teo: ¡°Oh, but I¡¯m curious to know who confessed first.¡± Cyril: ¡°He he he©` Teo. Then I, Cyril, shall be happy to answer your question! Can you believe it?! Henry was the one who said, ¡°I lo©`©` HMMFF?!¡± I quickly closed my hand over her mouth to shut her up. You need to learn to keep some details private! Teo: ¡°Mr. Henry initiated it? That really is a surprise.¡± Henry: ¡°......Teo? What do you mean by that?¡± Why is that the part that surprised her?¡± My question was left unanswered as she looked away and broke eye contact with me. ¡­¡­¡­...this reaction usually means¡­...if she says anything, it¡¯ll just come off as insulting. I think it would have been a similar comment to what Cyril mentioned about what Yuu said about me. Do I really look like I have no initiative on that front? If I delved into this any further, I would probably suffer a severe backlash but¡­¡­.I¡¯ll remember this! Jend: ¡°So is that why you wanted to meet in a private room instead of in the tavern?¡± Right now, we are using one of the Church¡¯s private meeting rooms instead of the pub downstairs. The Church has a couple of these rooms on the second floor. You have to pay by the hour, but if you are distributing large amounts of rewards or discussing a strategy that you don¡¯t want others to hear about, or if your Party just hates meeting at a noisy joint, there are a variety of reasons to use this facility. Cyril: ¡°What? Is that why, Henry? You wanted to keep our relationship a secret?¡± Henry: ¡°Ack, no. That¡¯s not why. It¡¯s to discuss what we¡¯re going to do going forward.¡± Cyril who sat right next to me began to glare discontentedly, but it¡¯s a misunderstanding, and I make that very clear. ¡­¡­...besides, from what Jend and Ferris are telling me, other Adventurers would probably already assume that Cyril and I are going out. Jend: ¡°Going forward? Like what?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah©` I know I¡¯ve said this over and over, but I¡¯ve changed my mind. I¡¯ve decided to go to Ligaleo with you guys. It¡¯s about that.¡± Jend: ¡°Oh, I see! That¡¯s really good news!¡± Jend slaps his thighs and makes his delight known. Ferris: ¡°Yes, it is indeed. ¡­...you are our Party Leader after all, Henry. I can¡¯t imagine anyone else taking your place. If you¡¯re coming with us, we¡¯ll be glad to have you with us.¡± Teo: ¡°Okay.¡± Ferris and Jend both seem happy to hear the news. Teo seems to be very casually about it¡­...but we¡¯ve been together as a Party for a good time now. I can tell when something is making her happy. ¡­¡­¡­..I¡¯m glad they didn¡¯t assume that I was already going from the beginning. Jend: ¡°Then when do you want to go? I was a little worried if it¡¯s just us and extended and extended our move out date, but with Henry, we should be okay then. We probably need to take care of our living situations here, so around the New Year¡¯s?¡± Jend is right. Honestly, with our current ability, we would do fine in Ligaleo, but if I exited the team, I would need to still teach them things outside of combat, and it would have taken maybe half a year longer. Henry: ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. If I¡¯m backing you guys up, I think we¡¯ll be able to do just fine there. But the problem is¡­...in order to reach Cyril¡¯s goal, ¡®doing just fine¡¯ won¡¯t be enough now.¡± To rebuild a new Kingdom. Reviving a Kingdom in the Southern Continent would be too farfetched, so Cyril¡¯s 2nd goal is what I¡¯m aiming for. To earn a territory and have the former Fezard Kingdom Royalty rule over it¡­¡­...it¡¯s most likely that it¡¯ll be treated as one of the Alvenia Kingdom¡¯s territories, but if we can get to even that point, that would be a huge success. But even if the hurdle is lowered because she¡¯s the direct blood relative of a former Royal Family (compared to an ordinary citizen), for a person of a former Kingdom to earn a Noble¡¯s title, they will need to accomplish a lot to attain that status. In Ligaleo, you would probably have at least once, no twice¡­¡­? Wait¡­...maybe even 3 times? Well, anyways, we would get more opportunities per year to do something big, so her decision to head to Ligaleo isn¡¯t wrong. But in order to do so in the first place, we need to be adequately equipped and trained. Rather than heading there right this second, it will be better to spend some time preparing. We can get direct combat experience on the frontlines, but it¡¯s not a place where we can calmly train and develop ourselves. Ferris: ¡°I see. That¡¯s right. Cyril, I may not be that much help, but I will do my best to help your cause.¡± Teo: ¡°.........it can¡¯t be helped, so I¡¯ll help out too.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, thank you so much, Miss Ferris, Teo!¡± The woman in our group really get along well. Jend: ¡°..........hm, well, I¡¯m aiming to become a Hero of Legend, so I have no objections if it¡¯s going to help us make it big. But what did you have in mind specifically?¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯ve only had one night to think about this, so I don¡¯t have all the details but¡­¡± But there are a few ideas I came up with. Henry: ¡°First, we¡¯ll reach out to all my contacts in Ligaleo and ask for support. We¡¯ll also need to upgrade our armor and equipment about 2 levels higher, and finally, to improve our skills, we¡¯ll go to the Dojo¡¯s in Eastfarea. Those are my thoughts.¡± I simply explained everything I had on my mind. There are other things we need to do, but these are the top, critical items. Jend: ¡°I understand about making connections and getting better weapons, but why do we have to go so far away to a place like Eastfarea?¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m the same way, but Jend¡¯s Master, Mr. Ricardo, isn¡¯t a specialist at teaching others, right?¡± If it¡¯s training a Militia or Military, then Mr. Ricardo is a pro, but as far as training a Martial Artist, he¡¯s only had experience training Ashley and Jend. I don¡¯t doubt Mr. Ricardo¡¯s abilities, but compared to a Dojo¡¯s Master who has trained several dozen to several hundred students, there will be a difference in their teaching abilities. We¡¯ll aim for a concentrated training in a short period of time. There are Dojo¡¯s who cater to recruiting Adventurers and helping them train as a business. And the quality of Dojo¡¯s in Eastfarea is the best. Cyril: ¡°Oh©` What about me? Will I be going too? Well, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to, but I¡¯m not sure how much more I can improve on my staff skills.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, Cyril should probably go to the Sunwest area while Jend and everyone are in Eastfarea¡­. It¡¯s the place in the Alvenia Kingdom you should go to once if you are mastering Magecraft or Magic.¡± If Eastfarea is renown for its Martial Artists, the city of Sunwest in the west is renown for its Magic Studies. If it comes down to researching about Magecraft and Magic, there is the [Sage¡¯s Tower] that is said to be better than the Alvenia Central University, and they focus on developing and raising combat-focused Magecraft and Magic users. Finally, they make this available to anyone interested by offering short term courses. Cyril: ¡°Huh? Just me? ¡­¡­¡­.oh, if it¡¯s Magecraft, would Miss Ferris come with me?¡± Ferris: ¡°The [Ningel¡¯s Hand] Magecraft is the sole propriety of the Ningel Church, so they won¡¯t be teaching that at the Sage¡¯s Tower¡­...there won¡¯t be any reason for me to go.¡± Teo: ¡°And I don¡¯t have to explain about the Cloudy Plains Style, correct?¡± Visibly shocked, Cyril shrivels in disappointment. Henry: ¡°........well, I was thinking that I might improve more on my Magecraft than my Spear Skills, so you might be with me. But this is tentative and not final.¡± I followed up with her just in case after seeing her reaction. I¡¯m not trying to mislead her here either. Being able to combine 5 is pretty good with the Kroseid Style, but I only know 6 Types of Spells which isn¡¯t a lot. ¡­...or so I was making excuses to myself when©`©` Cyril: ¡°Oh, are you really?!¡± Henry: ¡°I told you it¡¯s tentative!¡± Cyril flipped to the bright side and me tight. Oh, she¡¯s soft©`©` ¡­¡­¡­..w©`wait! It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like it, but let¡¯s not do any excessive public displays of affection! Jend: ¡°Huh©`¡± Ferris: ¡°Oh©`¡± Teo: ¡°A boyfriend¡­...I wonder if I should get one¡­.¡± Look! Everyone¡¯s staring at us! And chuckling to herself, Ferris spoke first. Ferris: ¡°Well, let¡¯s leave figuring out the details at another time. Today, it¡¯s a wonderful date to commemorate these two. I know it¡¯s still mid-day, but why don¡¯t we all go downstairs to have a drink?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, that sounds good. Henry, I¡¯ll pay for your drink, so tell me the story.¡± ¡­¡­...hmm, well¡­ I guess they¡¯re genuinely congratulating us. I guess I¡¯ll gladly accept their congrats. <<<<>>>> Cyril: ¡°Oh, excuse me©`©` Can I have more mead please!¡± Henry: ¡°H©`Hey, Cyril. You don¡¯t drink that much so slow down a little.¡± Cyril: ¡°He he he©` even if I drink too much, you¡¯ll carry me home, right?¡± Henry: ¡°.......oh©` yeah©` well©` of course, I¡¯ll at least do that much¡­¡± I¡¯ll carry a girl who started drinking from mid-day and carry her back to the Governor¡¯s mansion¡­¡­.spelling it out, it sounds terrible, but I won¡¯t just abandon her either. Cyril: ¡°Then I have nothing to worry about©`©`¡± Ferris: ¡°Haha¡­¡­.well, let¡¯s let her have her way for just today, Mr. Henry. Here, Cyril, they brought the mead.¡± Cyril: ¡°YAY©`©`¡± Ferris takes the ordered drinks from the waitress and brings it to Cyril. ¡°I thought things might end up this way, but still, I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s happening to that Miss Cyril. ¡­¡­..Mr. Henry, please take good care of her. In fact, if you don¡¯t¡­¡­...he he he¡­..¡± This is the tavern inside the Church so the waitress¡¯ that worked there were all Sisters of the Church. ¡­¡­...they knew about Cyril really well, and stuck a warning in my back like a thick spike. ¡­¡­¡­.of course, I had zero intention of mistreating her but¡­.. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Henry. You¡¯re glass is empty. Did you want more ale?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡± Cyril: ¡°Excuse me©` Can we get more ale©`?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Cyril puts in the order. Her smile is genuine without a hint of doubt or remorse. Well, so now¡­.. There¡¯s a lot to do. I¡¯ll have to do my best or at least, what I can so she can keep smiling like this. ¡­¡­¡­..and with too much ale in my system, I made a new resolution. CH 110 Book 10: Flowtier''s Year End and New Year''s Ch. 110: Lunch with Him and Her Henry: ¡°.........okay. That¡¯s that.¡± I was in my rental room at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. At the single table furniture inside the room, I finished up my letter. I read it twice to check for any errors, and with no obvious mistakes found, I closed up the envelope. There were several similar envelopes laying on my desk ©` five in total. These are all letters to my contacts in Ligaleo. I basically told them, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m coming back©`¡± and ¡°I¡¯m also bringing some friends©`¡±. As long as you have enough skills and strength, any Adventurer can make it big there¡­¡­...which is not a complete lie, but it¡¯s definitely easier with help and support from the people there. Of course, you can¡¯t expect them to help you without helping them in some way in return. Establishing these kinds of relationships is incredibly, incredibly important. The reason why I was able to avenge my country and take down the Demon General Gilverte was because my friends took on the other enemies while I fought Gilverte. My friends helped me accomplish my lifelong goal that I swore to accomplish since I was a small brat. ¡­¡­¡­.of course, as a prerequisite, I had to prove that I had enough skills and strength to be able to help Sir Ezeal against the General Regardless¡­. As we are preparing to return to Ligaleo and do something big, we are upping our training regimen, and I am also making my rounds with my contacts on site at the same time. ¡­¡­¡­.well, I was sending them a few letters letting them know how I was doing. They might have even expected that something like this would happen. Now that I reflect over the letters that I have sent to them, since coming here, I ran into Cyril and Jend who wanted to go to the frontlines and have become very close to them. I guess from a big picture, it would have been obvious to guess. Henry: ¡°.........oh.¡± As I was imaging the smug faces of all my friends in Ligaleo, I caught someone¡¯s presence at the corner of my senses. Looking outside the window, Cyril was just about to enter the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn wearing a very fluffy scarf and overall, very warm looking clothing. I couldn''t help but smile at the sight¡­..but, no. I can¡¯t be like that, and straightened my expression to something more serious. No, overall, being happy for her visit is a good thing, but if I was too obvious, she would get all cocky. Too bad for her, just because we¡¯re going out doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m going to let her have the upper hand that easily. ¡­¡­...well, I get that it¡¯s a stupid, man-pride. I can hear the light footsteps skip up the stairs. The sound came up to my door, and catching her breath, she knocked lightly. Cyril: ¡°Hey©` Henry©` Are you here? Can I come in©`?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, come in. Come in.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay©`¡± With a bright and cheerful voice, Cyril comes into the room. With a full smile across her face, it makes me happy just seeing that. That prideful resolve almost melted at that instant. ¡­¡­¡­.this isn¡¯t good at all©`¡¡at this rate, I won¡¯t be able to keep this up and fall deeper into this pattern. And the fact that I¡¯m okay with that makes it even worse. Cyril: ¡°Hello, Henry. Are those letters?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, the people you would know would be the Black Dragon Knights and Yuu. I know it¡¯s still a little ways ahead, but I wanted to let them know that I¡¯m returning to the frontlines.¡± Cyril: ¡°I see©` Oh! If it¡¯s to Miss Yuu, I should write a letter too.¡± Oh, she did get to be quite good friends with Yuu when we went to Wreathfield. Henry: ¡°I remember you guys getting along real well after drinking together, but did you mesh that well?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh©` yes. I can tell you now, but we had some girl chat about our romances. After that, we felt very comfortable around each other.¡± Henry: ¡°Romance stuff?¡± Cyril: ¡°Hahaha, umm©` yes, it was about you, Henry.¡± The way she¡¯s getting embarrassed is quite cute, but that aside, that must be when Yuu told her some unfair rumors about me. Probably something like how I¡¯m a pushover. Cyril: ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll make sure to let her know how passionately you confessed to me!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah right. Please, don¡¯t write about that.¡± I grabbed Cyril¡¯s cheeks and pulled it sideways. It actually stretches really well. Cyril: ¡°O©`Ow!! Th©`stop dat! I won¡¯t write about it so pwease!¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± It was so soft, I could pull on it forever, but she was about to get mad so I let go. Cyril: ¡°Sheesh©` well, regardless of how it all happened, I¡¯ll at least let her know that we¡¯re going out, okay? She did give me a lot of advice then.¡± Henry: ¡°Advice from Yuu, huh¡­¡­.it¡¯ll probably be depressing to hear it, so I¡¯ll pass.¡± Cyril: ¡°Haha¡­...well, it¡¯s a secret between two maidens, so I can¡¯t answer even if you ask me.¡± Just by her expression, I kind of knew what it was about. Anyways, in one of the letters, I wrote a few things to get back at Yuu. I wrote some embarrassing stories to Ageha, and she¡¯ll have enough to talk about it for a whole night. If it¡¯s Ageha, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be able to make good use off it¡­¡­.ke ke ke¡­.. Cyril: ¡°Henry, you¡¯re making a really evil face.¡± Henry: ¡°What do you mean evil? This is the face of justice about to bring the hammer down on the corrupt.¡± Cyril: ¡°I don¡¯t understand any of what you just said.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.well, ummm¡­. Cyril: ¡°Well, anyways, c¡¯mon. Please clear up the table.¡± Henry: ¡°Alrighty.¡± I stack all the envelopes on the table together, and place it on top of the drawers. I¡¯ll take it to the post office later. While I was cleaning up, Cyril took the basket she brought and spread its contents on the table. Delicious aromas were coming from the basket, and inside was Cyril¡¯s handmade lunch. We got together because she promised that she would feed me lunch. Henry: ¡°Oh, that looks great.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hehe. I wanted to make lunch for my boyfriend at least once. I put a lot of work into this one.¡± During our expeditions, Cyril would share her lunch with me, or sometimes, she would cook for the Party, but today was more luxurious. Baked herbed chicken, and a very colorful stirred vegetables, sauteed mushrooms, and a very soft-looking bread. It¡¯s simple yet it must have taken time to make, and she also has a pie for dessert. Cyril: ¡°I think the chicken turned out really well. Please try it.¡± Henry: ¡°Sure.¡± Today, I asked Lana if I could borrow an extra chair, so we were able to sit across from each other. Henry: ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡± Cyril: ¡°Thank you for this food©`¡± I tried out Cyril¡¯s Herbed Chicken first. The chicken was cut up into bite-sized pieces. Using the fork I found inside the basket,, and I took one piece into my mouth. Henry: ¡°Hm¡­¡­¡± Cyril gazed at me intently without blinking as I tasted her food, and it made me nervous, but I tried to focus on the taste. The savory fragrance of herbs mixed well with the juiciness of the chicken. Maybe she knew my preference of taste from the expeditions, but the flavor was saltier, and my hands reached out for the bread naturally. Henry: ¡°.........(gulp). It¡¯s really, really good. Yeah, thanks for letting me try.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, yes! Thank you!¡± I swallowed the food and gave my compliments, and Cyril, who looked a little worried, cheered up immediately and began eating the food herself. ¡­¡­..it¡¯s really important to be able to eat good food. Typically, Adventurers will eat out, and most dream about eating their mother¡¯s cooking or girlfriend¡¯s food. My appetite is triggered, and I began consuming the lunch meant for four. Cyril: ¡°Hehe.¡± Henry: ¡°? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Cyril: ¡°I know it¡¯s going to get busier, but let¡¯s take the time to eat with just the two of us just like this. I¡¯ll be happy to cook again.¡± Henry: ¡°.......I¡¯d be happy to hang out to have a meal. I can cook the next meal if you want.¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry¡¯s cooking is definitely a man¡¯s recipe¡­¡­..it¡¯s good, but overall, it¡¯s a little too rough on the edges.¡± We argue and chat back and forth as we continue to eat. I hate that it sounds so cheesy but¡­¡­..the food had a faint taste of happiness inside. <<<<>>> Henry: ¡°Fwew¡­¡­¡­.thank you for the meal.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, thank you so much.¡± I ate up the apple pie for dessert, and sipping on the tea Cyril brought in a bottle, I let out a satisfactory sigh. Henry: ¡°What do you want to do this afternoon? If you want to go out and do something fun, it¡¯ll be my treat.¡± Cyril: ¡°No, let¡¯s just relax here. I¡¯m stuffed full, and I don¡¯t want to move around much.¡± Henry: ¡°Got it.¡± Maybe Cyril was trying to keep up with me, but she was eating more than usual. She¡¯s lazily rubbing her stomach and seems pretty sleepy. Henry: ¡°Then do you want to play a game? There¡¯s cards here, and I can go down the stairs to borrow the chess board.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh©` No. I¡¯ve been cooking from very early in the morning, so I¡¯m getting a little sleepy. I think I¡¯ll lay down for a bit.¡± As soon as she finished speaking, Cyril popped onto the bed in my room. Henry: ¡°.........wait, huh?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, Henry, did you want to lay beside me for a nap too?¡± And Cyril innocently shifted over and made room for me to lay down. Henry: ¡°©`©`©`©`©`?!?!?!¡± Cyril: ¡°? What¡¯s wrong, Henry? You keep opening and closing your mouth.¡± Th©`this girl. We haven¡¯t been even going out for a week, and is she inviting me to bed? Wait, from Cyril¡¯s personality, I don¡¯t think that would be case. Then¡­¡­.what is she up to¡­¡­¡­? Henry: ¡°H©`Hey, Cyril.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± Henry: ¡°.......don¡¯t you feel¡­.a little uncomfortable taking a nap on the same bed?¡± I decided to suck it up and ask her directly, and she looked at me blankly without any recognition. Cyril: ¡°Hahaha, what are you saying? I know we haven¡¯t in a while, but while we camp out, we would sleep in the same tent often.¡± It¡¯s COMPLETELY different during and outside of expeditions©`©`! Between a dangerous territory where you can get attacked and lose your life¡­¡­.and within a safe city and safe inn¡­¡­..you can¡¯t compare the two together! ¡­¡­..ugh, calm down, Henry. I know I¡¯m taking this situation way differently, but Cyril is totally oblivious. Calm¡­...and cool¡­¡­...think calmly¡­¡­...but is there really no other choice but to just go with how she¡¯s perceiving things? Of course, I have no intention of crossing that line just yet with her. But even so, isn¡¯t this¡­.kind of a good thing for us? Being able to lay next to one another? I think that¡¯s a good sign. Henry: ¡°A©`Alright, if that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m feeling pretty full too, so I¡¯ll go to sleep.¡± Cyril: ¡°? You¡¯re acting stranger than usual, Henry.¡± Cyril tilts her head, but let¡¯s it go and pulls the blanket over her. I fearfully and carefully lay next to her. Cyril: ¡°Then good night©`¡± Henry: ¡°G©`Good night¡­.¡± I close my eyes. If this was during an expedition, I would have fallen asleep immediately, but as I guessed, my heart raced, and I couldn¡¯t sleep at all. ¡­¡­...there were days when I slept over in brothels, so why am I feeling so nervous? CH 111 Chapter 111: The Winter Adventurers [GAAAAHHHH©`©`©`©`!] Cyril: ¡°EEK?!¡± Cyril lets out a cry as she deflects the claws of the Wild Bear she faces. Henry: ¡°Hey! Stop flinching every time! You have the newest [Mr. Barrier], right?!¡± As Cyril cowers away from the bear, I let out a scolding roar from a little distance away. The [Mr. Barrier (Extreme Defense)] is something Cyril recently bought to help protect her. As far as durability goes, it should give her the same defensive stats as an average vanguard. Even if she connected directly with a Wild Bear¡¯s attack, no matter how bad, the worst she would suffer is a broken bone. I wish she would be more bold. Or¡­.at least, putting aside any reckless courage, going in too weak-heartedly is much more dangerous. Cyril: ¡°¡«¡«! Okay, I get, it!¡± The words struck a chord in Cyril, and she faced off squarely with the Wild Bear, and poured her overflowing Magic Power into her staff as she swung to hit it. [©`©`GAH!!] ¡­¡­...only¡­..she definitely put in more Magic Power than she needed to, but she wasn¡¯t able to utilize it into strengthening the attack. She poured 10 times as much Magic Power as I would, and only got 1/10 of what my attack would have done. She will have to focus on improving this inefficiency going forward. Jend: ¡°But man. Look at Cyril now. She¡¯s finally able to do some close combat.¡± Henry: ¡°......with that?¡± Jend: ¡°When she first became an Adventurer, it was real bad. Since we began doing expeditions with you, there weren¡¯t any incidents where she had to do close range combat, so it might be hard for you to picture.¡± Jend was watching alongside me and nostalgically recalled the not-so-long-ago past. We were in the Flowtier Forest ©` not far from where we entered. We were on an expedition, but since we cannot enter Altohern during the winter season, we are working on new techniques or practicing to overcome our weaknesses in our own respective areas. That¡¯s why Cyril is facing off with a Wild Bear one on one ©` this is part of her training. We don¡¯t plan to make our rearguard susceptible or vulnerable to attacks, but there is always that ¡°what-if¡± you have to consider. When that happens, if she can at least do the minimal basics, her chances of survival will exponentially increase. Cyril: ¡°Take that!¡± Her battle roar came out as a pathetic squeak, as she slammed her staff against the side of the Wild Bear¡¯s head. She must have connected with something critical in that area because the Wild Bear wavered slightly on its feet. ¡­¡­¡­.the way she just dodged a huge swing from the Wild Bear and countered was okay. I¡¯ll need to remember to compliment her on that later. Cyril: ¡°Oh, good! ¡­¡­...Yah!¡± (sfx yell) Once the Wild Bear fell to the ground, Cyril hesitated for a second but then brought down the final blow. And the way she didn¡¯t hesitate much on finishing off the bear was good too. Unlike Magecraft and Magic, although it is a Demonic Creature, there are many who resist killing creatures with their own hands. Overlooking the initial bumbling of the fight, she got a passing score on this battle. But¡­¡­ Teo: ¡°Mr. Henry, I¡¯ll shoot at it first. It¡¯ll be bad if it goes berserk, so please cover Miss Cyril.¡± Henry: ¡°Got it. Let¡¯s go.¡± I nodded to Teo who placed an arrow in her bow and began running forward. We headed straight for what was behind Cyril. There was another Wild Bear who was sneaking up on her through the trees and brushes. Henry: (CYRIL! BEHIND YOU!) Cyril: (Huh? ACK?!) Through Cyril¡¯s [Link Ring], I deliver a warning to her mind directly. ¡­...and at the same time, I grit my teeth as the bones and muscles in my legs groan from the strain and dash forward. Today, I drank two speed enhancing potions. So for speed and reflex, I was able to move at the same speed as when Yuu would cast her {Physical Enhancement} on me. One moment later, Teo¡¯s arrow comes from behind. If I wanted to, I could almost reach out and grab that arrow who¡¯s slowly overtaking me with my hand. But drinking multiple potions of the same ability enhancement is actually a very dangerous and risky act. If it¡¯s a speed enhancing potion, one misstep, and you can wreck the muscles and nerves in your legs and become immobile. The reason why I can casually test this is because of our amazing Healer, Ferris. [GEE?! GAHH?!] The arrow pierced its chest as the Wild Bear howled in pain. One moment later, I arrive in between the Wild Bear and Cyril, and ready my spear to guard her. Teo did not pour any Magic Power into the arrow. Because of that, the arrow only pierced a little of its thick fur and muscles and didn¡¯t do any damage. It swung energetically once and then twice as I block the attacks without countering. [GUUUUUU©`©`©`?!] Finally, the Wild Bear¡¯s movements began slowing and soon, it drunkenly fell against a tree and remained there. Cyril: ¡°H©`Henry, what just happened?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, the experiment was a success.¡± ©`©`it was poison. We used a paralyzing poison based on Teo¡¯s proper knowledge of the Cloud Plains Style (what Ageha uses is her own twisted, original concoctions). Teo had knowledge around these kinds of poisons but never tested it. So we were currently testing out the effectiveness of each. ¡­¡­..though they are Demonic Creatures, it is a little cruel, but if we don¡¯t know how effective it is, it would be way too dangerous to try this out on the fly on Altohern. We are focused on immediate effectiveness and the paralyzing effect was thought to be not as powerful, but this is better than we hoped for. The Wild Bear¡¯s arms and legs twitched as it continued to glare daggers at us. Henry: ¡°Sorry.¡± We were able to confirm the effectiveness of the poison. I struck the heart of the Wild Bear to finish it off. Henry: ¡°Teo, the effectiveness of the poison was pretty good. If it can do this much to a tough Wild Bear in the Lower-Tiers, I think it¡¯ll be effective against Mid-Tiers too.¡± As I was fighting it, Teo had come up pretty close to be able to study the effectiveness of the poison up close. Teo: ¡°Yes, I was watching too. This round, I used the 4th combination, but the effect was much higher than we imagined¡­...I¡¯ll make note of its composition.¡± And this time, Teo had meticulously recorded each of her test poison¡¯s compositions and was gradually increasing its potency. She had bottles labeled from 1 through 10 today and had notes on each one. ¡­¡­¡­.a smidgen of doubt crosses my mind. Though it¡¯s a dangerous and cruel process, as an Adventurer, this is normal¡­¡­..right? I think so¡­¡­.? I shut away the thoughts protesting putting a girl that hasn¡¯t reached adulthood through such actions. Cyril: ¡°W©`Wow¡­.how scary¡­..Teo, please don¡¯t spill that poison anywhere.¡± Teo: ¡°Of course. I¡¯m taking extreme cautions storing and maintaining these. Otherwise, my certifications will be revoked.¡± Teo had the same Handling of 2 Types of Hazardous Chemicals Certification as me. Without knowing how to properly store and take care of these chemicals, you could not pass their test. Teo: ¡°Well, I am adjusting these to be effective against Demonic Creatures, so even if a human was exposed¡­¡­.I wouldn¡¯t say that it would be harmless, but it wouldn¡¯t be fatal either. I think.¡± Cyril: ¡°You think?¡± Teo: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to confirm it by testing.¡± I think about Teo¡¯s cousin who has developed poison resistance¡­...no, wait. We can¡¯t do that. Don¡¯t think about it, Henry. It¡¯s like when they say speak of the devil. I began to faintly hear a voice in my head say, ¡°Hey©` I was bored so I dropped by!¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, before that! How was my elegant staff skills, Henry?! Wasn¡¯t I something else?¡± And as Cyril recalled her previous battle, she immediately began pressing me for compliments. I could read her need for compliments right off her face. I let out a deep sigh. Henry: ¡°The fact that you were too focused on the opponent in front of you and did not recognize the other one hiding is an automatic F, you idiot.¡± And I jab at Cyril¡¯s face that was coming closer with one finger. ¡­¡­¡­..and well, if it was just the two of us, I would overlook such mistakes and compliment her, but unfortunately for her, I don¡¯t carry over romantic relationships during expeditions. Cyril: ¡°GRRR©`©`¡± Henry: ¡°Pouting won¡¯t get you anywhere.¡± Cyril also understands this, and even before we started going out, she was like this too. I scratch my head with a ¡°ugh©`¡±. ¡­¡­.yeah, what I said wasn¡¯t wrong, but you can give or rob motivation to your Party members with just logic alone, so in that sense, my wording was poor. Henry: ¡°Yes, yes. You¡¯ve done well to improve to the point where you can face off a Wild Bear one on one. Keep up the good work.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, yes, I will!¡± As soon as she gets one compliment, she immediately clutches her fists in victory. ¡­¡­..and well, if you just consider the results, she did accomplish something big. Being able to take down a Wild Bear one on one would symbolize the graduation from a rookie as a vanguard. Jend: ¡°Hey, good work.¡± Ferris: ¡°Good work everyone. ¡­...Mr. Henry, any side-effects from the potions?¡± Jend and Ferris joined us too. Henry: ¡°Yeah. ¡­¡­.I think it¡¯ll be about 10 more minutes before the effects wear off, and I think I can hold up until then. Looks like I¡¯m more compatible with the speed booster potions in general.¡± Ferris: ¡°You know what you¡¯re doing is irresponsible, right? Remember what happened with the strength enhancing potions? You completely tore your muscles while the potion was still active.¡± ¡­¡­¡­..yeah¡­¡­ These kinds of potions are expensive too, so it¡¯s really hitting me financially, but it is really helpful to know my true limits for when things get really dicey. I know she can¡¯t overlook this kind of behavior as a medical professional, but©`©` Jend: ¡°Alright! I¡¯m up next. Magecraft Spells during combat¡­...I¡¯ll make it succeed this time.¡± Jend is getting himself pumped up. This guy is in the middle of his Magecraft Spell Training too. He has been watching me use my Spells, and seeing how useful and flexible my Spells are, he has been diligently studying the Kroseid Style. Just the other day, he finally obtained the Kroseid Style 6th Rank. ¡­¡­...and honestly, my gut feeling says that Jend will probably not thrive in the Magecraft area, but at least giving it a good go won¡¯t hurt his future. If he¡¯s studied Magecraft, he will be able to better coordinate with Mages in the future too. Cyril: ¡°Well besides that, Jend. I¡¯ve been thinking about this a lot, but aren¡¯t those things way too big and in the way?¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be like that. A Spell Call Stone like the one Henry has is super expensive.¡± Jend responds sullenly to Cyril¡¯s critique. ¡­¡­...and I understand what Cyril¡¯s trying to tell him. Jend is currently carrying around a square metal plate that¡¯s 30 cm (¡«1 ft) wide and tall. The Spell Call Stone in the shape of a small dice has 6 Spells engraved on it, but Jend has one Spell per plate. In addition, the material it¡¯s made from is cheap iron. Yeah, it¡¯s equipment meant for practicing and training. If you want Spells engraved on smaller objects, you will get charged high technical fees, but with this, an apprentice can make one as practice, so you¡¯re barely charged more than the material fees. So there¡¯s 3 more of those blunt, heavy objects in Teo¡¯s bag. Henry: ¡°[Cannon] {Telma}, huh¡­. It¡¯s a decent Spell that you can blast pretty quickly and simply but¡­.¡± Jend: ¡°I know your [Launch] {Velos} is much more compatible with other Spells, but I can fire this one off alone, and it¡¯s pretty strong¡­.¡± Jend is running into incredible difficulty combining different kinds of Kroseid Spells together. With only 2 Spell combinations, he¡¯s failing at least once every 3 times or so. That¡¯s why he¡¯s selecting a Spell that has relatively high effect without combining it with others. The Kroseid Style Spell System is based upon 3 pillars ©` 1. How much Magic Power you can store. 2. How many other Spells you can combine it with. And 3. The effects of the Spell used alone. For instance, [Strengthen] {Hazac} has very simple effects, but you can pour more Magic Power into it. In comparison, the [Cannon] {Telma} has a limit of being able to combine up to 2 other Spells. But, it¡¯s quite useful to use alone. ¡­¡­.but according to the creator of the Style, those who state that these are the limitations of the style are because they don¡¯t understand the true essence underneath. Ferris: ¡°I¡¯d like to train with my sword more. Maybe the next Wild Bear or¡­...maybe I¡¯ll go look for a Griffin.¡± With Ferris¡¯ words, we began searching. ¡­¡­...and like this¡­.. We continued our Adventurer activities during the winter season too. CH 112 Chapter 112: Cyril¡¯s Family The Governor¡¯s Mansion that was located near the center of the City of Flowtier. This is the Count¡¯s residence, and also where Cyril is being allowed to live. So at this mansion that competes as one of the top two most luxurious residences in this entire city, I sat there across from the Governor. Alvare: ¡°Mr. Henry, is something the matter? Please have some tea before we begin. Ohhh, we also have some snacks. These are some of my favorites.¡± Henry: ¡°Y©`Yes¡­ thank you.¡± I take a sip of the tea I was offered just as I was told. It¡¯s most likely a very expensive, high-class tea, but right now, I¡¯m too nervous to taste anything. ¡­¡­¡­then again, it¡¯s not like I could tell apart good tea from bad even when I¡¯m not nervous. So basically, this is what happened... This morning, I went to go pick up Cyril to go on a date with her. As I was explaining to the guard at the gate my situation, they teased me quite a bit but in the end, they left to go let Cyril know that I was here. ¡­¡­¡­and for some reason, the guard who came back had a very troubled expression on his face and informed me that, ¡°The Governor is awaiting for your arrival in the guest meeting room,¡± and before I knew what was happening, I was guided here. Well, um, yeah. I sort of©`©`(?) knew that the Governor might want to see me sometime soon. I expected it, but I didn¡¯t expect him to suddenly free up his schedule like this to invite me in. I¡¯m just an Adventurer. He could have summoned me at his own convenience any time. And I continued to desperately sip the tea to try to take my mind off things and calm down and reached out for the tea snacks that he graciously brought out for me. Seeing as I calmed down slightly, the Governor opened his mouth to speak. Alvare: ¡°.......now then. Mr. Henry. I hear that you have become romantically involved with Cyril recently.¡± Henry: ¡°Y©`Yes. Well, it was about a week before when we started dating.¡± Alvare: ¡°I am deeply curious about the beginnings of how you got to know each other, who confessed to who and so on so forth, but¡­¡­..putting that aside for the moment©`©`¡± You can put it aside forever if that¡¯s possible. Alvare: ¡°So I¡¯ve also heard that you and your Party Members have also been informed about Cyril¡¯s ¡®circumstances¡¯?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes. Due to her special style of Magic, I had a clue as to her background¡­¡­.but I never would have imagined that she was your sister-in-law.¡± In this room, there are no other people except us. I didn¡¯t feel anyone¡¯s presence outside of the door trying to listen in, so I was able to speak freely. Alvare: ¡°Hm¡­¡­well, I¡¯m certain that this can be left unsaid, but please do not share this information with others. As of late, the bloodline of the Fezard Kingdom is not of huge import, but unfortunately, it is not so insignificant that it can be completely ignored.¡± Henry: ¡°I understand.¡± Alvare: ¡°Yes, thank you. ¡­¡­.now then, separate from that discussion, I took some of your time because I had two other requests I wanted to ask of you.¡± The Governor¡¯s face becomes very grave. I swallowed something hard in my throat as I waited to hear what he had to say. Alvare: ¡°One, do not make Cyril cry. ¡­¡­.of course, there¡¯s no avoiding having the day-to-day fight here and there, so I will not make this an absolute condition, but I ask that you take the utmost care with her. This is a request as her brother-in-law.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Alvare: ¡°Even without my connection to her through my wife, she is a very precious child to me. If you were to ever harm her carelessly in any way©`©`¡± Henry: ¡°I will not.¡± For a brief moment, the Governor¡¯s eyes turned menacing, but I was able to look straight back as I answered him. Our eyes held steady at each other for a few seconds, and it was the Governor who softened his eyes first. Alvare: ¡°Forgive me, Mr. Henry. I did not mean to phrase that in such an insulting way.¡± Henry: ¡°No, I can understand your concern.¡± Cyril has been raised here since she was a child. The Governor is calling her his sister-in-law, but I¡¯m sure that some parts of him considers himself her father figure too. Alvare: ¡°Now then. The last request I have¡­ this is something that I can only ask of Sir Henry who is a long-standing, distinguished warrior.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.since he addressed me like that, it means¡­. Alvare: ¡°Cyril¡¯s determination to go to the frontlines is unwavering. ¡­¡­¡­.I have tried to convince her many times before, but this is the one subject where she will not compromise whatsoever.¡± The Governor lets out a pained, fatigued sigh. ¡­¡­¡­and yeah, if you are Cyril¡¯s guardian and well aware of her personality and character, there¡¯s no way you would agree to let her go there. But at the same time, it¡¯s not part of this region¡¯s culture to stop someone with that much determination either. Alvare: ¡°Please¡­please protect her. I understand that your country is no more, but you are still a Knight at heart, correct?¡± Henry: ¡°Now that is something you can really leave unsaid. I¡¯m coming out of retirement just for that reason.¡± Alvare: ¡°........wait¡­..were you supposing that you were retired this whole time?¡± Henry: ¡°That was my intention.¡± I accidentally spoke in my natural tone to the Governor as I made my thoughts clear. Likely, the Governor is imagining how I happily went hunting the Giants solo and assisted the slaying of the Highest-Tier, and how that can possibly be aligned with retirement. But considering how many more crises I had to deal with when I was in Ligaleo, the amount of incidents here would qualify me as at least semi-retired in my opinion. Henry: ¡°Now then, I was going to do those things anyways, but I have accepted your request, Sir Governor.¡± As I stood up, took out my Nyoiten Spear, and extended it to the size of a short spear. ¡­¡­¡­this can be construed as a threat in front of a Noble without any guards around, but the Governor himself understood what I was trying to do and said nothing. I postured the Fezard Knight¡¯s form for gratitude, and relayed my words very carefully. Henry: ¡°I swear to you by my father and mother and by this spear I hold that I will protect Cyril to my utmost ability.¡± Alvare: ¡°.......very well. Then I have nothing more to say.¡± The Governor relaxed in his seat and laughed as he spoke. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°Hey, Cyril. Sorry to make you wait.¡± In the Governor¡¯s mansion, near the front entrance, I raised my hand to wave at Cyril who was speaking with Lady Asteria there. When she saw me, she let out a ¡°oh!¡± and trotted over to me. ¡­¡­¡­she reminds me of a very friendly dog¡­. But I do consider that part of her pretty cute. The only complaint for me is for her to pay attention to the time and place where she behaves like this. Is that really selfish of me to think so? Cyril: ¡°Henry, Henry. What did you talk about with the Governor?¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? Well, we just had a few things to discuss.¡± Cyril: ¡°.......oh! Did he stand up to you and say, ¡®I won¡¯t hand over Cyril to a ruffian like you!¡¯ and KERPOW!¡± Here, Cyril gestured an exaggerated punch. Cyril: ¡°Was it something like that?!¡± Cyril¡­..seriously, I sometimes worry about that imagination of yours. What kind of B-Rated play are we in?¡± Alvare: ¡°Haha. Cyril, I am pretty fit for my age, but I would never dare to do that to a Heroic Warrior-class Adventurer. I would only hurt my hands. In fact, I might provoke a counter if I¡¯m not careful.¡± Henry: ¡°Wait, no. I wouldn¡¯t dare counter attack you even in that situation.¡± The Governor was just playing along with Cyril''s joke, but even if that were to happen, I would just dodge. ¡­¡­of course, if the Governor¡¯s punch was much more dangerous than I expected, then I can¡¯t be held responsible, but¡­..you know. It would just all happen on reflex. Alvare: ¡°Well, yes. If Cyril chose a good-for-nothing, I wouldn¡¯t stop with just a punch. I may need to mobilize the City Military.¡± Now THAT, I hope he never goes that far. Just send some guard for crying out loud. Alvare: ¡°But, there¡¯s no concern like that from him, right?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes! Even though he looks like this, Henry can still be a so-so good person.¡± Henry: ¡°What do you mean by so-so?¡± I elbow Cyril in the side. She laughed and played it off. Asteria: ¡°Oh my. Dear, did you get a little better acquainted with Mr. Henry?¡± Alvare: ¡°Yes, and I got him to make the promise too.¡± Cyril: ¡°Promise?¡± Cyril tilts her head in wonder, but I don¡¯t think the Governor would let her know about the recent events so easily. Or rather, I really don¡¯t want him to. ¡­¡­he won¡¯t, right? It¡¯ll be embarrassing if Cyril finds out. ¡­¡­.well, I did make her the same promise when I confessed to her, and now that I look back, I don¡¯t know why I took the formal kneeling position of the Knight¡¯s oath. I can easily imagine Cyril getting excited and saying, ¡°I want you to do that for me too!¡± Alvare: ¡°That is a secret between two men.¡± Sir Governor, I believed in you! Cyril: ¡°Hmmm, I guess that¡¯s a world I¡¯ll never really understand¡«¡± Asteria: ¡°Oh, Cyril, you need to be more studious. If you don¡¯t know about your man¡­..would you like me to lend you some of my secret notes?¡± Alvare: ¡°Asteria.¡± The Governor sternly intervened and cut Lady Asteria¡¯s conversation short. Alvare: ¡°......didn¡¯t we promise that we would not frivolously let others know about those kinds of hobbies?¡± Asteria: ¡°Oh yes. That¡¯s right. Pardon me.¡± The two are communicating in perfect harmony, but I can¡¯t grasp what they¡¯re referring to. Even Cyril, who has known them longer, is looking at the situation in confusion. Cyril: ¡°Hm? Hobby? What are you talking about, Lady Asteria?¡± Asteria: ¡°Hehehe. Well, Cyril. If you ever awaken to the same kinds of curiosities¡­let¡¯s wait till then. Okay?¡± I wonder what she¡¯s talking about. I really don¡¯t understand. Like¡­.the image of Lady Asteria that I admired so much seems to have cracked slightly at that moment. N©`No. It must be my imagination. Yeah. These instinctive warnings telling me to not step any further are all just a great, big misunderstanding. Alvare: ¡°Okay, okay. I know I was the one who interrupted, but the two of you are going on a date today, no? Now go enjoy your day.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll go have a lot of fun!¡± Alvare: ¡°Yes. ¡­¡­and oh, do you need some allowance, Cyril?¡± The Governor made the suggestion teasingly at Cyril. Cyril: ¡°Sheesh, Sir Governor. I¡¯m not a kid anymore! I¡¯m a hard-working, money-making adult now!¡± Cyril puffs out her chest as she makes the declaration. ¡­¡­..but the part that is puffing out is probably the most childish aspect of her, but we¡¯ll leave that aside for now. And unlike me who had a slightly off-topic thought, the Governor himself looked far away into the distance. Alvare: ¡°......yes, you¡¯re right. You are a mature, hard-working adult now.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, yes I am!¡± And though I wanted to chime in about the ¡°mature¡± comment, I decided that it wasn¡¯t the time or the place. Asteria: ¡°Yes, I agree. You are now old enough to go out with men¡­..and by the way, what are your plans today?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, we were going to go to an early lunch, and then go skating. Afterwards, we were going to do some shopping.¡± Asteria: ¡°Skating? How nice.¡± In Flowtier, outdoor activities are pretty popular and in one of the corners of Central Park, they built a Skating Rink. Apparently, most people who grow up in Flowtier can skate well. ¡­¡­¡­.I wonder if I¡¯ll be able to. Asteria: ¡°That makes me want to go skating some time soon. Right, my dear?¡± Alvare: ¡°Yes. Maybe I¡¯ll take some vacation time very soon so we can go together.¡± The Governor and his wife chat very intimately, and Cyril bid them farewell as I bowed my head politely as well. We both left the Governor¡¯s mansion. Henry: ¡°Hey, Cyril.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes? What is it?¡± As soon as we were out of the house, Cyril grasped onto my arm, and I confirmed that no one else was around before I spoke again. Henry: ¡°......you have a good family.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes! They are the best brother-in-law and sister!¡± Cyril nodded with vigorous agreement. And a big smile surfaced on her face after that. CH 113 Chapter 113: A Certain Training Once we were done calculating our gains from our most recent expedition, the amount is noticeably less than our Altohern days, but it¡¯s still enough to earn a normal living. Cyril: ¡°So we¡¯re done for today©`? Oh, Henry. Do you want to grab something sweet on the way home? It can be your treat!¡± Cyril was half-joking, but today, I have something else I have to do. Henry: ¡°Oh©`uh©` sorry. Today, I have something to do. ¡­¡­Jend, I had something I wanted to discuss with you. I¡¯ll buy you a drink, so can we talk in the tavern?¡± Jend: ¡°? I don¡¯t mind, but¡­..what¡¯s up all of a sudden?¡± I glance briefly at Cyril and the rest of the group. Ferris: ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mr. Henry? I may not be able to help, but I can at least hear you out.¡± Teo: ¡°Me too.¡± I appreciate Ferris and Teo¡¯s concern, but if at all possible, I¡¯d want Jend to help me. Cyril: ¡°Hehe¡­¡­Miss Ferris, Teo. This is¡­whatcha call-it. ¡®A man-to-man¡¯ talk.¡± Ferris: ¡°What¡¯s that, Cyril?¡± Cyril: ¡°Well, I¡¯m not so sure myself, but Lady Asteria told me that I should be more mindful of allowing men to have their own discussions, so I just imitated what she might say.¡± So she just said that without really understanding what it means. Does that even count as learning? But as for me, it spares me the trouble of having to explain myself. Henry: ¡°Yeah©` that. It¡¯s kind of like that, so don''t worry about it.¡± I wave my hand to shoo them away casually. And Cyril and Ferris get up to leave but©`©` Henry: ¡°......Teo, why are you still here?¡± Teo: ¡°I wanted to have a drink here. Oh, if it¡¯s confidential, I have no intention of listening in, so I¡¯ll sit over there.¡± ¡­¡­¡­this girl really likes her liquor. I don¡¯t mind since I have a drinking buddy, but what do her parents think about this situation? The worry fluttered briefly in my head, but Jend and I took a seat at the end of the tavern and ordered our drinks. Jend: ¡°So, what did you want to talk about? If it¡¯s something you¡¯re worried about, I don¡¯t know how much help I¡¯ll be though.¡± Henry: ¡°No, no. You¡¯ll be able to help me. This is a request from one man to another. There¡¯s something I wanted to ask you.¡± Jend: ¡°......I think you¡¯re blowing this way out of proportion, but okay. If you¡¯re that desperate, I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± Yes! I¡¯m glad he said that. It¡¯s a wonderful thing to have friends! Henry: ¡°I want you to teach me how to skate.¡± Jend: ¡°.........what?¡± Henry: ¡°No, I understand why you¡¯re confused. I¡¯ll explain. I recently went skating with Cyril, and ¡­¡­..she was really good at it, but it was my first time, and I embarrassed myself pretty good.¡± I fell several times, and Cyril was laughing every time. I grabbed her and got my revenge by rubbing my head against her, but as repayment for that, she made me buy her crepes! ¡­..so overall, I completely lost! Henry: ¡°So that¡¯s why. I really want to be able to skate by the next time we go. I want to restore my reputation that I can learn to do most things once I try. Since you grew up in Flowtier, you can skate, right? Could you please teach me how, Master Jend?!¡± Jend: ¡°..............¡± Hm? What¡¯s wrong? Master Jend is looking away now and won¡¯t make eye contact with me. ¡°Thank you for waiting©` 2 ales and a potato salad. Please wait a little longer, and we will get the rest of your order.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, thank you very much. Here, here, Master Jend. Please have a drink. The drinks here are really good.¡± I keep my head bowed low as I put on my business smile and offer Jend his ale. Ha, what do you think about my humble, minion-act. Doesn¡¯t this make you want to help me out? ¡­¡­¡­.I¡¯m kidding of course. But it¡¯s nice to have friends you can joke around with like this. But that¡¯s beside the point. It¡¯s true that I want Jend¡¯s help, and I look up at Jend with hopeful eyes. Henry: ¡°? What¡¯s wrong, Jend?¡± Since Jend remained silent, I decided to speak up first. Jend takes a long gulp of his ale and then goes back into deep thought. A moment later, he squeezes out the words©`©` Jend: ¡°........can¡¯t.¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? What?¡± He mumbled something really quietly and I couldn¡¯t catch what he said. Jend let¡¯s out a frustrated ¡°AGGGHHH¡± and scratches his head furiously. Jend: ¡°........I¡­..can¡¯t skate. I¡¯ve never been able to since I was kid.¡± And released those words. Henry: ¡°I©`Is that true?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah! I know it¡¯s a popular thing to do during the winter, but I haven¡¯t been able to skate since I was kid, and all my friends teased me about it. ERGH! It¡¯s frustrating just to remember those days!¡± And as he spat his curses, Jend took a long pull until he finished his ale. S©`Since he was a kid, huh. Crap. Then I totally asked the wrong person. It seems like he has a lot of bitter memories from that time too. Jend: ¡°I¡¯m also avoiding the subject with Ferris, but there¡¯s a good chance that she¡¯ll want to go skating with me soon. I¡¯ve been worrying about that too. I know it¡¯ll be really unnatural if we don¡¯t go at least once during the winter¡­¡­.crap, what should I do¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°W©`Well¡­..even if you ask me¡­..what about practicing?¡± Jend: ¡°If there was only someone who could coach us. The instructors in general are all children, so¡­¡­.¡± Yeah, I thought about that first too, but my pride would let me join a class with just kids, so that¡¯s why I¡¯m here asking Jend for his help¡­¡­ But if Jend can¡¯t help me, then¡­¡­¡­ Henry: ¡°.......it can¡¯t be helped, huh. Hey, Jend.¡± Jend: ¡°What?¡± I call out to Jend, and then point my thumb at several seats behind me where Teo was. I have some reservations asking Teo too, but now, I really don¡¯t have a choice. Henry: ¡°......what do you think?¡± Jend: ¡°True. If it¡¯s Teo, she probably won¡¯t make fun of us. Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± Both Jend and I stand up at the same time, and head to Teo who is having her third ale. ©`©`at the end of our negotiation, she accepted after we offered 2 drinks of ale, one wine bottle, a plate of roast beef and an extra helping of salad. <<<<>>>> Teo: ¡°Yes, then today, I will be instructing Mr. Henry and Mr. Jend on how to properly skate.¡± We are in one of the many skating rinks in Flowtier. This one is a little far from town, so it has less people around, and Jend and I stood very timidly before Master Teo. Teo: ¡°Are the rental skate sizes fitting you well?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re good.¡± Jend: ¡°Me too.¡± ¡­¡­¡­but. Now that I think about it, putting blades under your feet and running them over ice isn¡¯t something a sane person would do¡­¡­..isn¡¯t the whole idea ridiculous? Since we both are clinging to the skating rink¡¯s handrails, we¡¯re able to barely stand, but as soon as I let go, I¡¯m fairly confident that I¡¯ll fall down. Teo: ¡°For now, let¡¯s walk slowly. You can move while holding onto the rails.¡± Henry: ¡°O©`Okay.¡± Jend: ¡°U©`Understood.¡± Both Jend and I held onto the rails like it was our lifeline and slowly walked. Henry: ¡°WHOA?!¡± I misstep, slip, and greatly lose my balance, but I grab the rail tightly to pull myself back¡­¡­.OH CRAP?! Teo: ¡°......please don¡¯t bend the metal handrails with your hands.¡± Henry: ¡°S©`Sorry. I couldn¡¯t help it. I instinctively poured Magic into my body and¡­.oh©` hey, e©`excuse me©`¡± I called over someone who was working there who was just passing by. I explain the situation to them and told them that I would pay for it. ¡­¡­¡­man, that was a huge mistake. Jend: ¡°Henry, I¡¯m glad to see that even you mess up sometimes.¡± Henry: ¡°.......when things happen all of sudden, Sir Ezeal always told me to just put my all into it.¡± That old man always told me that large, bold acts are what makes a mountain (the actual saying is small things add up to bigger mountain later). Teo: ¡°Jend, please be careful as well. In your case, you might emit some fire and melt the whole rink.¡± Jend: ¡°I©`I¡¯ll be careful.¡± And with that, we carefully and slowly crawled like some newly born chicks around the skating rink once. ¡­¡­..Teo was skating backwards while giving us some tips every now and then. At my current level, skating backwards would be as dumb as a new Adventurer going to slay the Dragon. Teo: ¡°Okay, since you both are now used to it, let go of the rails.¡± And after going around once and taking a short break, the Spartan Teacher, Miss Teo, mercilessly gave the order. Jend: ¡°W©`Wait. Isn¡¯t it too soon for that? I think we should take things more slowly and without taking corners. How about another 10 laps?¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m of the same opinion as Jend. If we forgo the basics, we¡¯ll get hurt later. Like with Adventurers, right?¡± I know both of us are spouting out poor excuses, but I don¡¯t care. If it means that we can hold onto the rail a little longer, I will gladly choose a little dishonor. Teo: ¡°Let. Go. Of. The. Rails.¡± ¡° ¡°............yes ma¡¯am ¡± ¡± Though her expression remained indifferent, her words were packed with irritation, and we both quickly surrendered. And we began to fearfully and slowly make our way on the ice when©`©` Jend: ¡°WHOA?!¡± Henry: ¡°CRAP!!¡± ¡­¡­¡­.we fell. Why? Teo is skating so smoothly and easily. What are we doing so differently? Henry: ¡°We could just smash the ice so we can walk easier¡­.¡± Teo: ¡°Then it wouldn¡¯t be skating.¡± My thoughts slowly evade reality, and Teo¡¯s cold and sharp retorts come in impeccable timing. ¡­¡­.but since we¡¯ve been falling over for 2 hours now, I feel like I grasped something. Both Jend and I are vanguards. We both pride ourselves in having great athleticism and reflexes. So you might think it strange that it took us a while to get used to this¡­¡­..but well¡­ everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, right? Teo: ¡°It looks like you both are getting the hang of it. Keep up the good work.¡± Finally, we get one kind compliment from Master Teo after a long unending rant of criticisms. Being complimented by our strict teacher, Jend and I grew instantly in confidence. Henry: ¡°Yeah, for me, it was really easy learning how to skate!¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, I know I wasn¡¯t confident about this for years, but now there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± We both smile at Teo and give her a thumbs up. ¡­¡­¡­.right then, we lose our focus and both of us fall onto our backs. Teo: ¡°...............¡± Henry: ¡°........ha¡­.haha, wow. Didn¡¯t see that coming.¡± I try to laugh it off, but I see Teo take a long, deep, stressful breath. Teo: ¡°If it¡¯s like that, then I¡¯ll train you until the sun goes down. ¡­..I hate leaving things only half-finished.¡± Oh crap. I think we ignited something inside Teo. I see fiery determination in her eyes. Teo: ¡°Since you both have endless stamina, we¡¯ll continue to skate non-stop until nightfall. C¡¯mon, get to it!¡± Teo began to chase us down to force us to skate. ©`©`and with that¡­ With Teo¡¯s training, Jend and I finally learned to skate¡­¡­.pretty decently¡­¡­.or rather, good enough. CH 114 Chapter 114: The Snowball Fight Tournament (Observation) It was a rare, sunny day during the winter in Flowtier. Though it wasn¡¯t warm enough for the snow to melt, it was easier to be outside, and there were more people out and about on the streets. Cyril came charging in this morning as promised and commented about how wonderful the weather was as she dragged me along. We both eventually arrived at the Grandes Church. Cyril: ¡°Whoa©` it¡¯s been a while since I saw so many people at the Church during winter!¡± Henry: ¡°We got lucky with the weather. In general, some people are scared of Adventurers, but when there¡¯s an exhibition like this, it tends to be a very popular event to go to.¡± Today is the Flowtier Adventurer¡¯s Snowball Fight Tournament. Apparently, it¡¯s the 11th time they¡¯re holding this event. So there are many non-Adventurers at the Church who came to watch. There¡¯s still time before they open up the event grounds, so the Training Field, which will be used for this event, is not open to the public yet. So without much else to do, they sat at the tavern and had a drink, and it was getting lively inside. Today, we won¡¯t be participating either, but came to watch and root people on. Henry: ¡°You didn¡¯t forget your ticket, right?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Although it¡¯s free to watch, there¡¯s only a limited number of seating so they distribute tickets with numbers beforehand. If you fail to obtain one, you¡¯ll have to stand and watch. And just for today, the private meeting rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floor, and the 4th floor where the Church Staff offices are located have been made available. For those who don¡¯t want to stand out in the cold, they could watch from the windows. But this, you have to pay for to do. Henry: ¡°.......I guess we still have time before it begins.¡± I¡¯m a little bored, and from my pouch, I take out a textbook. This Magecraft pouch, which has expanded storage space inside, is not only useful for expeditions, but for day-to-day living as well. Cyril: ¡°? Henry, what are you reading?¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s the textbook for the Kroseid Style. I¡¯m trying to relearn the basics of Magecraft.¡± As I explain, Cyril looks like she was struck by lightning. Cyril: ¡°S©`Studying? Henry¡¯s studying?¡± Rude. Henry: ¡°If I need to, I¡¯ll study things here and there. I told you that we¡¯ll be going to the Mages Tower in Sanwest, right? It¡¯ll be good to review the Magecraft basics before we get there.¡± Lately, I know that I¡¯ve been handling the Kroseid Style more by instinct. If this was a Magecraft Style that relied on the caster¡¯s senses, then that¡¯s fine, but for a Mage who relies on logic and techniques to manipulate Magic, this is not a good habit. If you ask my Master, he would respond with, ¡°Why do you assume that you don¡¯t have to master Spells as you would with everyday speech?¡± So it¡¯s a must for anyone to at least be able to master the basics¡­¡­.according to him. Cyril: ¡°Oh my©` you¡¯re working so hard. Weren¡¯t you training with Jend all day yesterday?¡± Henry: ¡°Well, if I¡¯m going back to Ligaleo to do something big, then I need to do at least this much.¡± But Cyril scratched her cheeks uncomfortably at my comment. Cyril: ¡°Umm¡­.well¡­¡­I feel bad for dragging you into this for my selfish reaso©`....I mean, thank you so much!¡± As she thanked me, she must have gotten a little excited as she grabbed hold of my arm even tighter. ¡­¡­hmmm. Henry: ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing, and I can¡¯t read my book.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh©` you¡¯re so cute when you¡¯re embarrassed.¡± Henry: ¡°......I think it would be more problematic if I didn¡¯t feel embarrassed in this situation.¡± And why is she so comfortable in this situation in the first place? It¡¯s not like she¡¯s used to hanging out with guys. Although her attitude towards me hasn¡¯t changed that much, she¡¯s definitely been more physically clingy. But since our first kiss, things haven¡¯t developed at all on that front¡­¡­so all in all, she just wants to be attached to me all the time. Cyril: ¡°Hehe©` looks like I have the advantage on this!¡± Henry: ¡°What advantage?¡± I pressed my finger against her forehead and vigorously poked at it. With her, ¡°Stop it¡«¡±, Cyril protested weakly, and I was satisfied with my revenge. She held her head with obvious dissatisfaction and looked up at me with eyes vowing to get back at me. Cyril: ¡°.......how dare you. Henry, I¡¯ll definitely get you back when you least expect it. You remember that.¡± Henry: ¡°So do I need to remember that or forget that? Which one?¡± Cyril: ¡°Both!¡± That¡¯s impossible. I look at her exasperated, and pat her head to calm her down. Though she pouts and sulks, I can tell that it made her feel better. ¡­¡­is she going to be alright like this? She¡¯s so easy to manipulate, as her boyfriend, it worries me a little. As I resolve to make sure to look after her¡­¡­.I notice a lot of gazes from the people around us. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Cyril: ¡°Henry, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Henry: ¡°........it¡¯s nothing. Looks like they¡¯re opening up the facility. Let¡¯s find a seat at the front. I take Cyril, and we quickly relocate. ¡­¡­¡­I calmly and cooly reflect on our exchange, and now that I think about it, maybe it wasn¡¯t a conversation we should have had with so many people around. ¡«¡«!! It¡¯s so embarrassing! <<<<>>>> Normally, there would be training equipment laying about on the Training Field. Today, those equipment were stored away somewhere, and in its place, there were several obstacles and walls made of snow set in various places. On top of one of the walls, it looks pretty old and worn, but with a Magecraft item that increases the volume in one hand, Ms. Felicia, the front desk clerk of the Church speaks into it. Felicia: ¡°Yes©` then we will begin the 11th Annual Flowtier Adventurers Snowball Fight Tournament!¡± The crowd cheers her on with the announcement. It¡¯s gotten even more lively now. I guess after 11 times, people know what to expect. Cyril: ¡°Ms. Felicia is great at making speeches too©` Now that I think about it, I think she was the main announcer for last year¡¯s tournament too.¡± Henry: ¡°Is that right? Oh, were you here last year to watch the tournament too?¡± Cyril: ¡°Before becoming an Adventurer, I used to come down to the Church, so I wouldn¡¯t have missed an event as big as this.¡± Although Adventurers tend to have a rough background, this is a Church after all. As long as you don¡¯t provoke anyone who look dangerous, you should be okay. Henry: ¡°.........and what about Jend?¡± Cyril: ¡°Well, we were planning on teaming up on expeditions.¡± I feel a little jealous. Well, I know it¡¯s not something I should get myself worked up about since we¡¯re talking about things that happened before we met, but these are just my emotions getting the better of me. But maybe these kinds of feelings will go away after I get used to our dating relationship, yeah. Cyril: ¡°Oh, speak of the devil. There¡¯s Jend over there.¡± The participants of the tournament are now entering the field. This time, there are a total of 10 teams, so a total of 50 people. Teams are made up of 5 people, and Jend was on a team with other Adventurer friends he knew. We came here to cheer Jend¡¯s team on. This time, you can¡¯t use Magecraft Spells except for {Physical Enhancement}, so most of the participants have a certain degree of confidence in their physique. There was one all-female Adventurers team and were waving at the crowd. Ms. Felicia introduces each team with her microphone, and afterwards, introduces Mr. Castello, the head of this Church who I have spoken to a few times. Felicia: ¡°Then let the first round begin! Team ¡°Snow Bomber¡± vs ¡°The Charging Captain Snowball¡± will now start!¡± The introductory ceremonies were done, and the other teams retired to their athlete seats leaving behind the two teams competing against one another. ©`©`from the very beginning, we got to see Jend¡¯s team, ¡°The Charging Captain Snowball.¡± ¡°Alright! Here we go, guys! Raise the flag!!¡± ¡°YEAAAHHH!!¡± Team Captain Snowball are pumped and even made a flag with a snowman symbol. Jend, who¡¯s the biggest on his team, is swinging it around wildly. His team roars and gets even more excited. Cyril: ¡°Hahaha, that flag is so cute!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, though it¡¯s a little too cute for such a testosterone filled team. ¡­¡­.I wonder who made it?¡± Cyril: ¡°It was probably Jend. Since we were little, he loved making things.¡± ¡­¡­¡­..Jend has a lot of hidden talents. He would have been successful at various jobs even if didn¡¯t become an Adventurer. Cyril: ¡°And as far as the team name¡­¡­.we need to hurry up and think of a name too.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± Because I was the leader and was planning on parting with them originally, we didn¡¯t think about making a Party name, but now that we are all going to the frontlines, we do need to think of something. Cyril: ¡°Then how about ¡®Cyril and her merry friends¡¯?¡± Henry: ¡°You put zero thought into coming up with that. But yeah, it¡¯s typical to make the weapon your Leader uses as the Party Name.¡± For instance, Jend¡¯s elder disciple, Ashley, is the Party Leader of the ¡°Brilliant Swords.¡± Mr. Gawain¡¯s Party who explores the Altohern Mountains like us is the ¡°Glow Lance.¡± This is normal. Cyril: ¡°Then Henry, you use a Spear so¡­¡­..but doesn¡¯t your godly equipment change into different weapons?¡± Yeah, so in that case, it¡¯ll be more difficult to use a weapon¡¯s name as your Party name. Henry: ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like we should choose it without discussing it with everyone first. Let¡¯s just think of a few to suggest to the group.¡± Cyril: ¡°Got it©` I¡¯ll amaze you with Miss Cyril¡¯s wonderful naming ability©`!¡± I don¡¯t know how someone who thinks ¡°Merry Friends¡± has any lick of sense at all but whatever. Henry: ¡°Oh, hey. They¡¯re about to start.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, yes! They are! JEND©`! DO YOUR BEST©`!¡± Cyril raises her voice, and the crowd begins to cheer on the teams. Even then, I can hear Cyril¡¯s voice clearly above them. Jend heard her too, looked towards us, and gave her a thumbs up. Felicia: ¡°Then¡­¡­..let the first round, BEGIN!¡± With the signal to start, the teams divide into those who make the snowballs and those who throw at once. The snowballs compacted by Adventurers become stupidly hard, and when thrown, they left a white mist behind them as they flew at incredible speeds ©` so fast that ordinary people would have a hard time catching it. And according to the pamphlet, they are not out if they are struck. The idea is to knock out as many people on the opposing team as possible. If the same number of people remain on each team, then the judges will award the victory to the team who dished out the most damage. But there¡¯s not going to be many weaklings who¡¯ll get knocked out by snowballs, so most of it will be determined by the judges ©` that was my guess. ©`©`on top of that, the play field was surrounded by a Magecraft barrier, so the audience would be protected. Henry: ¡°Hey Cyril, do you think you could dodge those snowballs?¡± Cyril: ¡°O©`Of course I can! I©`I¡¯m able to see most of it. Judging from her reaction, she probably couldn¡¯t. ¡­¡­¡­yeah, even if she got hit, it wouldn¡¯t hurt her too badly, so this may be perfect to train her to dodge flying objects. I¡¯m going to add it to Cyril¡¯s training regimen going forward. And Jend¡¯s ¡°The Charging Captain Snowball¡± team kept advancing in the tournament bracket and©`©` Though it was close, they lost in the finals. Even so, the younger Adventurers all got their faces and names etched into the audience¡¯s memory, and it was a good promotional event for them. They had good team work, and I¡¯m sure it made a great impression on the Church observers. Cyril and I applauded and cheered them on the whole way through. ¡­¡­.yeah, it was pretty fun overall. <<<<>>>> CREDITS Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely Written by Hisagushien Translated by: ChonkyTranslator Japanese Title: ¥»¥ß¥ê¥¿¥¤¥¢¤·¤¿Ã°ê“ÕߤϤΤó¤Ó¤êĺ¤é¤·¤¿¤¤ ×÷Õß: ¾Ã™±¾v£¨¥Ò¥µ¥°¥·¥¨¥ó£© http://kuontenrin.ehoh.net/ Original Source: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n1161ft/114/ Book 10: Year End and New Year¡¯s CH 115 Chapter 115: The Reply I change the Nyoiten Spear to a throwing spear shape and focus intently. Henry: ¡°©`©`[Restrain] {Katerno} + [Restrain] {Katerno} + [Launch] {Velos} + [Launch] {Velos} + [Launch] {Velos}¡± I stack and combine a total of 5 restraining and launching Magecraft Spells together. To be honest, this wouldn¡¯t be that helpful in an actual battle field. If I could, just to get the maximum destructive power out of the Spells I have available, I want to stack 5 strengthening Spells together, but if I release that beast of a Spell, I could easily take out a small fortress, so there¡¯s no place for me to practice that in Flowtier. I glare at the targets before me. They were the simple, wooden training dolls the Grandes Church has on their training field, and there were 25 of them. I memorize the formation and location of each, and raise the Nyoiten Spear over my head. Henry: ¡°©`©`©`!! RAAAHH!!¡± I throw the spear into the air. With the Launch Magecraft Spell, it flew even faster than usual. Henry: ¡°DIVIDE!¡± And the spear¡¯s tip split into 25 to match the number of dummies. At that instant, the stack of 5 Magecraft Spell consumption multiplied instantly to 25 times and¡­¡­my consciousness wavers, but¡­.I hold on. ©`©`They hit and restrain the targets. I lowered the impact power, so the wooden dolls wouldn¡¯t be blown away by just the blast. Out of the 25, 23 have a Spear sticking out of them, and the magic restraining chains are wrapped around each. ¡­¡­¡­.hm, good. I missed 2, but I threw the spear better this time. Though, throwing a spear that is meant to multiply wouldn¡¯t be considered a regular throw by any means. Henry: ¡°Oh¡­¡­¡­whoa¡­¡­.¡± I feel myself lose balance because of the Magic Exhaustion. I almost fell to my knees, but Cyril, who quietly walked up next to me, held me steady. Cyril: ¡°Good work. I¡¯ll start transferring Magic now©`¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡± From where Cyril touched me, I can feel a warm sensation pour into my body. ¡­¡­..this is one of the abilities of Cyril¡¯s ¡°Link Ring¡± ©` Shared Magic. As the name suggests, you can hand over Magic to your linked partner to help them recharge their Magic quickly. I do know quite a bit of strong acquaintances, but even so, I don¡¯t know anyone with more Magic reserves than Cyril ©`©` it¡¯s possible that she¡¯ probably close to the top of all of the human race in regards to Magic reserves, so this ability was perfect for her. Cyril: ¡°It feels like it¡¯s been a while since I used this much Magic Power.¡± Henry: ¡°.......o©`oh yeah?¡± This is my tenth time today where I cast a quintuple stacked Magecraft Spell. With one shot, I come close to completely exhausting my Magic reserves, and she¡¯s been recharging me every time¡­¡­¡­..in other words, at the very least, Cyril has 10 times more Magic Power than I do, and now, she started feeling the fatigue slightly. Cyril: ¡°I heard that you can¡¯t improve your Magic Power if you don¡¯t use it. I envy you, Henry. You¡¯re able to drain your Magic Power really efficiently.¡± Henry: ¡°......well, wait. It¡¯s not as easy as you think.¡± Yes, I can split the spear into about 50 now with the Nyoiten Spear, but when I first received the spear, the best I could do at the time was to split it into 2 or 3 at most. It¡¯s hard to put it into words, but it takes a lot of training to be able to use your godly equipment to its fullest potential. ¡­¡­¡­well, if you only have Attack Spells in your repertoire and the more Magic Power you pour into any of them, you could easily destroy this whole Practice Field, I guess for Cyril, my way of using Magecraft Spells seems very convenient. But in Cyril¡¯s case, it makes me wonder about what she could possibly do more with even more Magic reserves. Ferris: ¡°Cyril, when you¡¯re done with Henry, can you help us out?!¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes I can©`©` wait about 2 minutes for me©`©`!¡± The {Aura Barrier} allows the caster to cast Magic Armor around a target individual. Ferris was training her proficiency on that Spell and raised a call for assistance to Cyril. Normally, you are considered first-rate proficient if you can move around while casting it on others, but she is focused on casting it on more people and is sitting still to concentrate. If she is standing still, she could cast it on me, Cyril, the two who are doing a practice match, Jend and Teo, and herself, so 5 people total. But exerting 5 people¡¯s worth of Magic Power and holding it makes her feel sick. Henry: ¡°But¡­¡­..really though. It¡¯s a little inconvenient that you have to be in direct contact and it takes a little time to fully recover Magic Reserves, so it¡¯s not suitable for trying it during combat¡­¡­.but this really takes away the need for Magic Recovery Potions.¡± Magic Recovery Potions have an immediate effect, so it¡¯s not completely useless to us. But during a standard expedition, between battles, Cyril is now able to help us recover our Magic Power, and this will significantly reduce our reliance on Magic Recovery Potions altogether. ¡­¡­¡­.now that we are less concerned about conserving our Magic Power, I¡¯m worried that our fighting style is going to get more out of hand. Cyril: ¡°Hehehe, Miss Cyril¡¯s value and stock only keeps on rising!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, if Yuu finds out, she¡¯ll squeeze out every drop of Magic out of you. During times of crises, she would drink Magic Recovery Potions to the point where her stomach would burst.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh©`, well, if it¡¯s that kind of situation, I don¡¯t mind helping but¡­¡­.does Miss Yuu really go that far? Henry: ¡°They won¡¯t really talk about it to not hurt her public image, but it was a sight that people should not see.¡± The Potion is blue colored and so was what came out of her. Even then, she didn¡¯t stop healing the patients so¡­¡­..well, even if it did look awful, the situation itself was an incredibly noble feat deserving of respect. I reminisce nostalgically, and a priest comes towards the Training Field. He¡¯s a familiar Church Official. ¡°Mr. Henry, please excuse me for interrupting you during your training.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh no. That¡¯s totally fine. What is it, Mr. Cress?¡± ¡°10 letters addressed to you arrived from Ligaleo. There were also a number of letters for your Party members as well.¡± ¡­¡­.ohhh, it¡¯s probably a response to the letters I sent recently. I¡¯m a little surprised at how soon the replies came back. Well, it¡¯s a good time to take a break. Let¡¯s see what the letters say. <<<<>>>> Yuu, Ageha, Sir Ezeal, Mr. Riol, Harold, Vincent, Ruby, Bianca¡­¡­I confirm each of the names as I go through the front of the letters. Zest¡­¡­.didn¡¯t reply, but I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Cyril: ¡°©`©`?¡± Yuu also sent Cyril a letter, and Cyril hummed a tune while getting a letter opener to open the envelope. Ferris: ¡°I¡¯m honored to get a letter from Miss Eustacia, but¡­.it¡¯s scary at the same time¡­.¡± And Yuu also wrote to Ferris since she taught Ferris Healing Magecraft. Since Yuu wasn¡¯t going easy on Ferris, Ferris remembered the hellish Spartan-like training and hesitated in opening the envelope. Along the same lines, Sir Ezeal gave a sword lesson to Jend and sent him a letter, and Ageha also sent Teo a letter. ¡­¡­¡­.yeah, I think they totally just decided to send everyone else a letter since they were writing me one. Henry: ¡°Oh, Cyril. Can I borrow that letter opener?¡± Cyril: ¡°Sure thing©`©`¡± Since we were talking about her earlier, I decided to open Yuu¡¯s letter first. A fragrance wafted out from inside the envelope due to a scented piece of paper, and I can feel myself calm down after my training. Okay, let¡¯s see what she said¡­ <<<<>>>> [Hello Henry, It¡¯s gotten to be quite cold this season, but how are you these days? To get straight to the point, this is about you returning to the frontlines. And right now, the fact that you are now going out with Cyril is the talk of the group. Ageha, Sir Ezeal, and myself are getting pummeled with questions about your new found friends. Of course, I believe they were all wonderful people that were wasted on you, Henry, and I spoke well of all of them.¡±] Wasted on me? How could that possibly be. I¡¯m the Party Leader at the moment. Hmph, but there¡¯s no draft letters with her mistakes this time, and so after congratulating me on my comeback to the frontlines and warning me to take good care of Cyril, she also added some recent events and news on the frontlines¡­¡­..otherwise, a perfectly ordinary letter. Well, that was a little disappointing. In the letter before, I sent a letter revealing an embarrassing incident about Yuu. I guess she has matured and grown up¡­¡­.and I look far into the distance at the realization. [I understand that your region is especially cold during the winter, so please watch your health and do not catch a cold. Then with that, I know it will take some time before you arrive here, but I look forward to seeing you and everyone else.] And the letter ended with that. ¡­¡­¡­¡­hmmmm, I guess reflecting on my actions, I was being way too childish. On the next letter, I¡¯ll make sure to apologize about that secret I revealed. Cyril: ¡°©`©`Henry. Here, in my envelope, there was a message for you inside.¡± Henry: ¡°What? Man, she really can be clumsy. I guess she¡¯s still quite the klutz.¡± I took the paper from Cyril. ? Is something wrong with Cyril? She acted a little funny¡­¡­..well, I¡¯ll leave that alone for now. So let¡¯s see here. I didn¡¯t think she really missed anything in the previous letter, so what¡¯s written here¡­¡­¡­hey¡­¡­ [I let Miss Cyril know how much you have a fetish for big breasts! It¡¯s payback for last time! Take care¡«? (Oh, Miss Cyril, could you pass this onto Henry?)] ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Henry: ¡°H©`Hey, Miss¡­¡­Cyril?¡± Cyril: ¡°HMPH!¡± AAAAACCCCKKK?!? That IDIOT! All I revealed was how one of her clothes she could fit in ripped when she tried it on a year later! Isn¡¯t this going way overboard?! Ferris: ¡°Wh©`What¡¯s wrong you two?¡± Cyril: ¡°Nothings wrong©`©` Henry¡¯s just a pervert©`©`¡± Ferris saw the change come between us and was concerned, but Cyril continued to remain spiteful. Henry: ¡°I©`It¡¯s a misunderstanding. L©`Like¡­.oh yeah! In general, all men are perverts. Right, Jend?¡± Jend: ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, but don¡¯t get me involved!!¡± I can¡¯t believe how cold he can be. Aren¡¯t we all friends? Dang it¡­¡­.that Yuu¡­¡­..looks like I was being way too easy on her last time. That¡¯s it. I¡¯m going to write something so embarrassing, it¡¯ll break her spirit¡­¡­¡­Ke ke ke, I can easily think of a dozen or two embarrassing stories right off the top of my head. Teo: ¡°.......Mr. Henry. In the letter from Sister Ageha, it says, ¡®Tell Henry and Yuu to stop it here. You¡¯ll just turn into each other¡¯s sandbags and crush one another at the end.¡¯ but what is she talking about here?¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­and in the same way, every one of my preciously hidden secrets is well known by Yuu. I was just about to rush to buy more pen and paper, but realizing this, stopped in my tracks. If I responded in kind here¡­¡­¡­crap, it¡¯ll be a chicken race to see who¡¯ll self-destruct first. ¡«¡«¡«URGH! F©`Fine. Since I¡¯m older, I¡¯ll be the first to back down. It¡¯s really unsatisfactory, but it can¡¯t be helped. Well©`©` I guess in that case©`©` Henry: ¡°C©`Cyril? Here, I¡¯ll buy you dessert. So c¡¯mon, cheer up.¡± I need to focus on remedying this situation with Cyril. At the end, she took up her Parfait and with a, ¡°Well, my future is still ahead of me!¡± and felt better. ¡­¡­¡­.to be honest, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much of a future for her on that front but¡­. I didn¡¯t choose her based on her breast size so there¡¯s no problems there. ¡­¡­.but well, if they get bigger, then I have no issues with that either. CH 116 Chapter 116: The Kroseid Style It was in the late afternoon at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. Cyril, Teo, and I sat around a table, and we were all working on different tasks. I was reading the Kroseid Style textbook, copied the Inscriptions in the book, and deepened my understanding. Cyril was drawing something that looked like tadpoles along 5 parallel lines. She¡¯s apparently coming up with a new melody for her Magic. It¡¯s okay to use existing songs, but in order to raise her concentration even higher, she said a song she composed would be better¡­¡­or so she thinks. And Teo was trying to make her Cloudy Plains Style Spell inscription more efficient. We did not all originally plan on meeting here to study Magic and Magecraft originally. I was having lunch with Cyril, as we were having tea, Teo came by. I know you might think that it would be more efficient if we studied on our own, but there was a reason for this. Teo: ¡°Here, Lana. I finished.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, yes. Let¡¯s see¡«¡± Since we were the only customers there, Lana was also reading a book at the same table we were sitting at. ¡­¡­¡­.it¡¯s an Academic book that even the title is confusing to me. Lana looked intently at Teo¡¯s Spell Charm from corner to corner. Lana: ¡°Here, here, and here. I know you¡¯re trying to make the inscription smaller, but the Spell inscription is broken in these three places.¡± Teo: ¡°.....oh, you¡¯re right.¡± Lana: ¡°Here, let me borrow your pen. If you do this¡«, I think it might work.¡± And Lana draws several lines onto the inscription. I¡¯m a complete novice with the Cloudy Plains Style, but Teo was watching very excitedly at Lana¡¯s corrections. Teo: ¡°........you¡¯re right. Thank you, Lana.¡± Lana: ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I¡¯m also glad that I got to see a rare Spell inscription.¡± ¡­¡­¡­so that¡¯s how it is. Lana is helping Teo simplify her Spell inscriptions. The Cloudy Plains Style is a minor style from Rishu. Unlike the major styles that people use on the mainland, they have a very unique form, and there¡¯s apparently room for improvement¡­¡­or so I¡¯m told. Even so, to be able to instantly review and correct a Magecraft Inscription that you¡¯re not even able to use is absolutely insane. Henry: ¡°.......Lana, I¡¯m pretty certain that you¡¯ll be able to create your own Magecraft Style one of these days.¡± Lana: ¡°Hahaha¡­¡­.but I¡¯m not great at making my own diagrams, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to use it myself.¡± Although she¡¯s being humble about this, the fact that she didn¡¯t flat out say that it was impossible for her says something in and of itself. Henry: ¡°Then, can you take a look at the Kroseid Style? You might be able to find improvements from your perspective.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh no¡­¡­I don¡¯t believe there would be something I could do with such a popular Style.¡± But Lana took the textbook curiously. Looks like she¡¯s interested in reading it. While Lana was reading my textbook, I didn¡¯t have anything to do, so I looked at Cyril work. Cyril: ¡°Hey©`©` don¡¯t stare at me like that before I¡¯m even done. It¡¯s embarrassing.¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not like I can read music sheets.¡± Cyril: ¡°Well, that¡¯s not exactly the issue here.¡± Cyril pouts as I watch. Henry: ¡°But well, I didn¡¯t know that you composed your own music. It¡¯s my first time hearing about this.¡± Cyril: ¡°I only do it as a hobby©` and I took piano lessons when I was little.¡± ¡­¡­¡­she likes baking sweets too, and if I list the things she¡¯s able to do, she would have quite the resume as a woman. But¡­¡­ Oh, it¡¯s not that I have a problem with her at all. Yeah. Cyril: ¡°Oh yeah. Henry, I was thinking. Can you play any instruments?¡± Henry: ¡°Huh? Uh, no. I can¡¯t.¡± Cyril: ¡°Would you like to learn how to play the flute? If you played while I sang, I feel like I can raise the Magic Power of the Spell even more.¡± Henry: ¡°Of course I won¡¯t!¡± I imagined playing the flute as background music while Cyril sang. Once the song was complete, the Demonic Creatures would blow up. Just hearing that flute song while fighting on the frontlines¡­¡­..it would be quite surreal for everyone involved. Besides, putting me in such a role would be awful for the Party overall, so it would be something I would never consider. Cyril: ¡°That¡¯s too bad©`©`¡± Henry: ¡°Here, why not ask Teo since she¡¯ll be in the rearguard with you?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, that may work too! Teo, Teo, what do you say?¡± I deflect the attention to Teo who just found a way to rewrite one of her Spell Charms. Cyril was easily misdirected and went straight to Teo. Teo: ¡°.........I can only play a grass whistle as well.¡± Cyril: ¡°A Grass Whistle! I like those too! It has a very barebone feel to the sound!¡± Teo: ¡°No, please. I¡¯m not going to do that¡­..hey, Miss Cyril. Please don¡¯t come over to my side of the table!¡± Cyril: ¡°Please©`©`©` just once. Ju©`©`©`st once! Can¡¯t we just try it out to see how it goes?¡± Cyril stood up to walk around to where Teo sat, and as she patted Teo¡¯s head, Cyril kept on nagging her. Though Teo did not appreciate this one bit, she had a hard time shaking Cyril off. ¡­¡­¡­.though they don¡¯t look alike and their personalities are so different, they looked like sisters right then. Lana: ¡°Hm? Oh¡­.¡± Lana was reading through the Kroseid Style textbook and being engulfed in her reading, did not notice the ruckus going about around her when she suddenly let out a voice of surprise. She looked curiously turned back a few pages and then back to the present page. From a glance, it looks like she was looking at the page where all the Kroseid Style Spell inscriptions were laid out neatly across next to each other¡­¡­.but what about it? Lana: ¡°Mr. Henry, it¡¯s the first time for me to look at the Kroseid Style, but instead of a Spell Inscription¡­¡­.would you be able to describe it more as a¡­¡­language?¡± Hey, seriously. What kind of brain does this girl have. Henry: ¡°......yeah, you¡¯re right. But I know of it because I heard someone else tell me that, but I have no understanding.¡± Teo: ¡°? Lana, what do you mean by language?¡± Now that Lana and I began conversing, Cyril paused her nagging, and Teo was able to chime in. Lana: ¡°Hmmmm©`©` well©`©`? Spell Inscriptions are typically more like pictures. For instance, if you take a different part of the Spell Inscription and place it into a separate Spell Inscription, it usually doesn¡¯t work at all.¡± If they are from the similar Magecraft Style lineage, there will be some similarities between Spell Inscriptions. But creating one Spell Inscription is like making a single work of art. And the differences in styles will come up as certain traits and techniques that distinguish them as unique. The Teleportation Gate, for instance, is a large-scale Spell Inscription where many of those so-called great artists got together and built one piece of art together. ¡­¡­¡­¡­but of course, there are certain fundamental Magecraft principles that were applied as the foundation of the Spell Inscription itself. Mainly the Kroseid Style. Lana: ¡°For instance, in the [Fire] {Ignis} Spell Inscription, parts of it appears in different Spell Inscriptions, so¡­¡­.if you can disassemble and reassemble Spell Inscriptions, you would be able to do a lot more?¡± My hats off to this girl. For those who studied Magecraft Science deeply, they may have already known this, but at the very least, there are precious few who have come to this conclusion that use the Kroseid Style. I only know of a few people who understand this, and of course, I am not one of them. Henry: ¡°Yeah, the creator of the Style, Mr. Riol¡­¡­according to him, that¡¯s how he sees it. You take 99 Spell Inscription pieces, and by combining them, you can theoretically make any kind of Magecraft Spell!........is what he told me.¡± Lana: ¡°Riol? Do you mean one of the 8 Heroes of Legend? His name rarely comes out in the Adventurer¡¯s News.¡± Henry: ¡°Yup, the Great Magecraft Sage Riol.¡± He¡¯s one of the Heroes before the war with the Demon Country began just like Sir Ezeal and Ms. Lotte, and among the Heroes, he is the oldest. I believe¡­¡­.he was a little over a hundred when he first became a Hero is what he told me? And he¡¯s close to 200 years old. So well, he¡¯s been a hero for 80 or 90 years now. Lana: ¡°Oh, but wait. According to this book, the one who invented the Kroseid Style is Emile Kroseid.¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s Mr. Riol¡¯s wife. How to put this¡­¡­.if Mr. Riol is the one who created the unknown language of letters, then Ms. Emile is the one who put it together in legible words.¡± For example, if you put together the letters f-i-r-e, you get the word ¡°fire¡±. Mr. Riol created an entire alphabet that would be meaningless on its own, but Ms. Emile was the one who put together [Fire] {Ignis} and [Launch] {Velos} as Spell Inscriptions. [Hic¡­¡­so what? What¡¯s so great about the Kroseid Style. To put it bluntly, Emile only wrote one small novel and changed the flavor of it over and over. No matter how you put it together, you will always get a select Spell. The true nature of this Style is the ability to create an infinite set of Magecraft Spells according to each and every specific circumstance¡­..hic] ¡­¡­¡­¡­when Mr. Riol drank, he always brought up this story and complaint. In fact, he himself doesn¡¯t use the generic Kroseid Style. He creates letters in the air which is typically not a combat Magecraft Style called the Astra Style. He builds his own custom Spells and projects it into the sky, and each time, he builds a unique Spell and releases it, and because of that, he is a Magecraft Mage who can cast any kind of Spell. And the amount of Power he can pour into a Spell can compete with Cyril. If you have a limit to how much Power you can pour into one Magecraft Inscription¡­¡­..then why not just draw up a countless amount into the sky? ¡­¡­¡­¡­is the ¡°smart¡±, unreasonable solution that the great genius Mr. Riol came up with. During one battle, he made a Spell Inscription that was at least 50 meters (¡«55 yards across), and he blew up a few hundred Upper-Tier Demonic Creatures with that Spell. So of course, it¡¯s already difficult enough to create your own custom Spell Inscription on the spot during a battle, and using the Astra Style, he would almost instantaneously create his own Spell Inscription right then and there and initiate the Spell¡­¡­¡­¡­which would be impossible for ordinary people. In fact, it is closer to a Circus Act. Lana: ¡°Is it not limited by the Spell Call Stone?¡± Henry: ¡°Nope.¡± Depending on the Magecraft Style, you might be limited to certain equipment or materials for equipment, but the Kroseid Style doesn¡¯t have that limitation. But yes, in order to cast a Spell with greater effect, a regular Kroseid Style caster would be very intent on selecting certain kinds of material. But if you can properly write the Spell Inscription in the sand and pour Magic Power through the veins, then you can technically cast the Spell from there. Lana: ¡°That sounds interesting. You said there are 99 different kinds, but do you know what the others look like? From this textbook, there¡¯s only the established Spells, and it would be a lot of work to dissect all of them.¡± Even though she says it¡¯s a lot of work, she¡¯s implying that it¡¯s possible for her to do it if necessary. But leaving that aside, the 99 Spell pieces, huh. Henry: ¡°Hmmmmm, well, I remember looking at all of them on one of Mr. Riol¡¯s notes, but I don¡¯t remember all of them.¡± Lana: ¡°......um, please forgive me if this is out of the question, but would it be possible to contact Mr. Riol? I¡¯m actually stuck on a certain Magecraft Research study, and this might be a potential solution.¡± Lana looks very serious about her request. ¡­¡­¡­but only Mr. Riol and Ms. Emile is said to have fully understood all 99 Spell pieces and are the only ones who can put it together¡­¡­ But this girl¡¯s genius is not ordinary either. Henry: ¡°Ummm, well. Sure, I can try. I need to send him a reply letter anyways. I can send your request in as part of it. He does like to share with people what he knows, so he might be willing to do that.¡± In fact, it¡¯s no secret that the one who taught me the Kroseid Style is Mr. Riol himself. Though he dismisses the general public¡¯s understanding of the Kroseid Style¡­¡­..he still appreciates the fact that it has become a great tool and weapon for the Adventurers. Lana: ¡°Thank you so much! Then, just so I don¡¯t embarrass you, I¡¯ll study and more and more!¡± Lana began reading through the textbook once more with great fervor. Okay¡­¡­¡­so how should I introduce Lana to Mr. Riol? ¡­¡­¡­..and because these two were introduced to each other, a certain research was successful and greatly influenced many things ahead¡­.. ©`©`but there was no way to foresee that at this time. <<<<>>>> CH 117 Chapter 117: The Year It was coming to the end of the year. There were many things that happened this year, and now, we¡¯re nearing the end of it. Yesterday, we did the Year End Cleaning at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. I¡¯m only a resident customer, but since I¡¯ve been in such good care, I helped with the repairing of the roof or cleaning the windows that were on the 2nd story or higher, and took care of some of the more risky activities that needed to be done. At the Grandes Church, there was a great fuss about Year End Cleaning and preparation for the New Year¡¯s ceremonies, and people were busily going back and forth. I also saw many Adventurers who were helping out too¡­¡­and finally, everyone began finishing those tasks as the day came nearer to the end. It was the last day of the year. My Party all gathered at Ferris¡¯ rental room. Ferris: ¡°There isn¡¯t much furniture, but please make yourself comfortable.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, this is perfect. Here, Mr. Nord gave me a lot of food to bring here.¡± I laid down a huge lunchbox filled with the best dishes you can find at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn onto the table. Jend: ¡°Me too. I got a good bottle from my dad.¡± Teo: ¡°Oh! A Febran aged 40 years? You brought something very special, Mr. Jend.¡± Teo¡¯s eyes sparkled as she read the label on the bottle. I¡¯m not too knowledgeable about whiskey, but it was unpackaged from a very expensive looking box. Cyril: ¡°Teo, is that really expensive?¡± Teo: ¡°It¡¯s at least 10,000 zeniths.¡± Cyril: ¡°Eek?! I©`I¡¯ll be okay. You guys enjoy. I can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s good or not anyways.¡± Oh©`, yeah. It probably won¡¯t suit Cyril¡¯s taste. It¡¯s too high in alcohol content. Ferris: ¡°I¡¯m surprised your father let us have this.¡± Jend: ¡°I told him that it was for our Year End gathering, and he said no at first. But my mom nagged him about how it¡¯s just going to sit there as a decoration, so why not take it.¡± He has a very gracious mother. I train at Jend¡¯s house often and see her occasionally, but when I do, she always brings us snacks. Regardless, it¡¯s a really good bottle, so we¡¯ll gratefully accept and enjoy it. We spread out the food, passed the glasses until everyone had one, and Cyril got fruity wine while everyone else got a glass of Febran. Jend: ¡°Hey Leader, give us a toast.¡± Henry: ¡°Uh¡­¡­..actually, I¡¯d prefer if someone else did.¡± Jend: ¡°C¡¯mon, we¡¯re all family here. You don¡¯t have to get so nervous around us.¡± Jend pushed me forward, and as I stood up, I coughed once to clear my throat. Henry: ¡°Um©` well, I know it¡¯s been less than a year since we formed a Party. But¡­many things happened this year. I¡¯m glad that no one got really hurt during our expeditions. Next year¡­¡­.when we get to Ligaleo, let¡¯s keep up the good work.¡± So it wasn¡¯t the best of speeches, but no one minded. I raised my glass high. ¡°Then, to celebrate our safe journey and good health this year, and for far greater success in the next! Cheers!!¡± And with that©`©` Our Party¡¯s first Year End Celebration began. <<<<>>>> In Flowtier, it is customary to gather with the people you know and love and celebrate the New Year. Most gather among families, but Jend and Teo¡¯s family will have celebrations with their Merchant Associations, and they will gather all their employees to hold a party, and the the Governor would leave to go to the Capital of Centraleo so he can greet the King during the New Year¡¯s celebration. So that left Ferris and I with¡­¡­¡­well, yeah. So because of that, this year, the Party decided to gather together to celebrate the Year End and New Year. We chose Ferris¡¯ room because other member¡¯s houses would cause their family¡¯s to worry and care for them, and if it was Ferris¡¯ place where she lives alone, they wouldn¡¯t have to bother or trouble anyone. Henry: ¡°.........hmm, yes, it¡¯s definitely good¡­¡­I think¡­.¡± And I sipped at the liquor Jend brought, and I tried to recall the tastes of other drinks in the past to contrast and judge it. Jend: ¡°Fwew¡­.yeah, it¡¯s as good as ever.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, that taste is definitely worth every zenith it cost.¡± And then I see Jend and Teo who can instantly judge the liquor¡¯s quality and heard them give their own opinions of it. Henry: ¡°F©`Ferris, what about you?¡± Ferris: ¡°Hmmmm, I think it¡¯s good, and I can tell that it¡¯s different from what I usually have¡­ but beyond that, nothing else.¡± Yes, I have someone on my side too. And besides, I get why Jend might, but why is Teo being able to judge the flavor and quality of high-end liquor, hmmm? Cyril: ¡°Oh, Henry, Henry. I love the food from the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn, but my cooking also came out really great today. Would you like some?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡± Though she may not be as great as a professional chef like Mr. Nord, Cyril is quite the good cook. Since we started dating, she¡¯s cooked for me a few times, and today, she looks especially pumped to show off her skills. Cyril: ¡°Then here. Here¡¯s a mini-hamburger.¡± She brought to me one of the hamburgers she cooked that was made to be bite-size. As I bit into it, the juice from the meat flowed out, and it was quite good. Looks like she made sure to cook it in a way where it will still be good even if it got cold. And I follow that up with a shot of whiskey and¡­¡­¡­.fwew, that¡¯s the stuff. ¡­¡­..oh, just now. I think I was able to taste the high-quality-ness of the alcohol. Henry: ¡°Cyril, Cyril. Hey, I think I understand now. It¡¯s a pretty good drink. Why not try some?¡± Cyril: ¡°Ummm, well, last time, just getting a drip of whiskey on my tongue was gross enough.¡± I tried recommending it to Cyril, but she refused. Well, I guess it¡¯s nothing to force on her¡­¡­.but as I was about to drop the subject, Teo opened her mouth to speak. Teo: ¡°Miss Cyril, that¡¯s because you¡¯re trying to drink it straight. You can split it on the rocks. Here, one second.¡± And Teo dug through her godly equipment bag and brought out a few things. Umm©`©` she got an ice pail, glasses, a stirring stick you see in taverns and¡­¡­¡­wait, why is a girl underage have all this equipment? Teo: ¡°Let me get the ice.¡± And she pulls out a Cloudy Plains Style Magecraft Charm paper. Teo: ¡°{Ice}.¡± Apparently, it¡¯s an Ice Spell. A ball of ice about two fists big appears in the air. Teo: ¡°Fuh!¡± (*sfx exhale) Teo brought out a knife from her bag and slashed. The ice was cut into cubes and was placed inside the pail underneath. Henry: ¡°......wait, Teo. Seriously, what are you doing?¡± Teo: ¡°? As you can see, I¡¯m preparing a drink for Miss Cyril. Oh, Mr. Henry, could you make the water? My Magecraft style can¡¯t regenerate our tools for free.¡± What do you mean, ¡°As you can see.¡± Sheesh. And why is she so skilled at making drinks?! I bet she¡¯s been practicing at home, this girl. Cyril: ¡°W©`Well, since Teo is making the drink for me, I¡¯ll gladly try it.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, please wait a little longer.¡± And from there, her movements were like that of a professional¡¯s. I used my [Water] {Eedle} and made her water, and she also made a drink for me too. And Cyril slowly and carefully took a small sip and©`©` Cyril: ¡°.....oh, I can actually drink this. It¡¯s still pretty strong, but the taste is so complex and good.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, it definitely hits you differently drinking it this way.¡± I don¡¯t typically dilute my drinks with water, so I didn¡¯t think about this method. I typically take shots and on the rocks, so this was new for me too. Jend: ¡°Teo, can I also have one.¡± Ferris: ¡°Oh, then me too.¡± Maybe they liked watching her skills and techniques of making the drinks, but Jend and Ferris also asked for one. Teo: ¡°Understood.¡± Teo makes more ice and gives the whiskey with water to the two. She also made a drink for herself. With that¡­.. We ate and drank the food we brought and feeling the buzz, we chatted away through the night. Jend: ¡°......but yeah, Henry mentioned it earlier, but a lot really happened this year.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yeah©` you¡¯re right©` when we both first started, I would have thought that we¡¯ll still be struggling in the forest today.¡± The two who started this Party were talking together. But well, the two already had quite a bit of skill and strength. I¡¯m pretty sure they would have risen up the ranks even without my help. Without any bias, without me, they would probably be hunting Griffins by now. Even so, that¡¯s an amazing growth and development. Teo: ¡°Me too¡­¡­when my Grandfather couldn¡¯t go hunting any more, and I tried to become an Adventurer on my own and then¡­¡­everyone here invited me¡­¡­and everything changed so drastically after that. But I didn¡¯t mind it at all.¡± And I was quite surprised to hear Teo sharing about herself too. But I know things did change a lot, but let¡¯s stop drinking less, you know? Ferris: ¡°And not to mention me. I moved to a different city and all my relationships and jobs ©` everything changed.¡± Jend: ¡°.........Ferris, I know this might be a little too late, but¡­..I¡¯m sorry if it was hard on you to drag you all the way here.¡± Ferris: ¡°Seriously, now you bring that up? Besides, Jend, I think it was for the best that I got to come here.¡± And with that, Ferris leans against Jend. ¡­¡­¡­I know you guys are dating, but can you do that when you two are alone? Cyril: (whistles) Henry: ¡°Argh, Cyril. Don¡¯t encourage them.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hehe©` Henry, want me to do that too?¡± That? Oh, you mean how Ferris is leaning against Jend right now? The feeling of a woman sitting close by to you¡­¡­. Henry: ¡°.......nah, I couldn¡¯t tell if it¡¯s your front or your back.¡± Cyril: ¡°Excuse you!!¡± And Cyril starts pushing against my body¡­¡­¡­.but yeah, this isn¡¯t like having a girl lean on you. At best, she¡¯s just trying to squash me. Henry: ¡°(sigh)......¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, what¡¯s with that sigh? By the way, how was the year for you, Henry?¡± This year, huh. At the beginning of the year, I spent a good time getting all my stuff taken care of to leave Ligaleo. Then I moved to Flowtier in the spring. I met everyone and went on expeditions. It was an unexciting but fulfilling day-to-day life¡­¡­..w©`well, we did have to deal with the Fenrir and that time Yuu collapsed from exhaustion. ¡­¡­..but it was really a peaceful year. Everyday, there was something fun to look forward to. It¡¯s been a long time since I had a year like that. Besides¡­. Cyril: ¡°Huh? Why are you patting me on the head all of a sudden?¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± And this girl sitting next to me, though I never would have guessed it in the beginning, became a huge part of my life. ¡­¡­¡­I better keep working hard next year. At least, to the point where I don¡¯t disappoint her. As I made a New Year¡¯s resolution to myself, Jend suddenly spoke up. Jend: ¡°Oh yeah. During New Year¡¯s Eve, they¡¯ll be doing a countdown in the Flowtier Central Park. After a quick break, do we all want to go?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©` that sounds like fun, but I¡¯m so full, I just want to lay here for a while¡­¡­..¡± Teo: ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon Mr. Henry. You¡¯re the Party Leader so please act like one.¡± Cyril: ¡°Miss Cyril agrees with Henry©`©` it¡¯s too cold outside©`©`¡± Teo: ¡°Miss Cyril, you too? Miss Ferris, could you say something to them?¡± Ferris: ¡°Haha, now now. Don¡¯t get so riled up. They¡¯ll both get up in due time.¡± And with that¡­. We spent the last day of the year with our Party. CH 118 Chapter 118: Birthday For Adventurers, the New Year traditions include the Grandes Church Festival on the first day of the year. The name of the Festival is a very uncreative ¡°New Year¡¯s Festival.¡± Right before the sun rises, the highest ranked clergy of the Grandes Church will step in front of the altar to recite a blessing that give thanks for the previous year¡¯s protection and prayer for further success in battle and conquest. ¡­¡­¡­.afterwards, there will be utter chaos of celebration until the next day. Oh, but the Adventurers will all lift up their prayers too at the altar before that. And there are many people who see how lucky they will be that year by drawing from the Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault. And after a few minutes of solemn silence and contemplation, we will all taste the wonderful, free liquor served by the Church¡¯s tavern. ¡­¡­¡­and yes. Compared to the Ningel Church who¡¯s ceremonies last half a day or the Sun God Nulvis who spends the day with believers announcing their New Year¡¯s resolutions and goals to their God, it makes them wonder why our particular church had become the biggest and most popular on the continent. But there is a reason for this too¡­¡­sort of. For Adventurers, those without strength will not be able to make much money. And during the winter times, slaying demonic creatures becomes increasingly dangerous, and for those starting off as Adventurers, they would be living very frugal lives to survive till Spring. For those people, the Festival aims to give courage and spirit so that they can make it through the rest of the winter ¡ª is the Festival¡¯s true aim. Or so they say in the rumors. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s really true. But in fact, they do ask Adventurers who make a good deal of money to refrain from eating too much, and that¡¯s been a consistent tradition, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯s completely false. And as Adventurers, we attended the ceremonies and festival, but it was way too overcrowded, so we left pretty early on. Ferris had gone to the Ningel Church¡¯s festivities. And came back with renewed vigor to tackle this upcoming New Year. And outside of the churches, there was an atmosphere of celebration in the air, and there were a few festival stands opened here and there. ¡­¡­¡­..but with this and that, the busy New Year¡¯s traditions all came to an end. Today is the 5th day of the 1st month. It is Cyril¡¯s birthday. Cyril: ¡°Thank you, Henry!¡± And before the lunch rush at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn, Cyril had one of her best smiles on her face. We did promise to meet, but she came early. And she came with overly abundant energy and enthusiasm. I stopped sipping my coffee and raised a hand to greet her. Cyril: ¡°Okay, Henry. Please don¡¯t hesitate to spoil me rotten today! I, Miss Cyril, have been looking forward to this day!¡± Henry: ¡°Oh knock it off. You really are full of energy this morning.¡± Cyril: ¡°He he he¡­the birthday is the one day in the year where people can celebrate with you no matter what. Out of the whole year, this is my favorite day.¡± No matter what? Really? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case all the time, because as you get older, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s going to be more worries and concerns on your mind. ¡­¡­¡­.but at her age, she can still enjoy being one year older. As Cyril said, it is a special day for her, so I¡¯ll just follow her lead. Henry: ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯ll do my best to escort you, My Lady.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, I¡¯m pleased to have your company.¡± I chug the rest of my coffee down and stand up. And I take the formal bow of my Knight¡¯s Order and stretch out a hand to her. Cyril cautiously took my hand. Henry: ¡°..........and suddenly you¡¯re very quiet.¡± Cyril: ¡°O©`Oh, um. Well©` this feeling of you bowing to me felt¡­¡­kind of nice.¡± Henry: ¡°Take that.¡± I smack her head with the palm of my hand for that silly thought. Cyril: ¡°Owwwiee©`©`¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, yes. C¡¯mon. Stop saying stupid things and let¡¯s go©`©`¡± We hold each other¡¯s arm as we walk out. And there were a few customers who came for lunch that day that caught sight of our bantering from beginning to end¡­. And the next day, all the witnesses that knew me well teased me quite a bit about it¡­¡­¡­I regretted being so careless to my surroundings. <<<<>>>> The Bear¡¯s Keg Inn is a good restaurant, but there will always be limitations to the food selection due to the low prices. So for today¡¯s lunch, we splurged and chose the Varsaldi Empire Style food restaurant ©` a luxurious and expensive place to eat at. This restaurant is known to compete as the best or 2nd best restaurant in Flowtier¡­¡­.or so I heard. I got the information from Jend. Even for lunch, a prior reservation is required. And compared to other casual lunch places, the price is a digit or two digits higher. Cyril: ¡°Wow©` their interior decoration is just as extravagant.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, it really is.¡± The seating is also private rooms, and the pots and art pieces used for decoration must be expensive¡­¡­or so I guess. Cyril: ¡°I©`It¡¯s a little hard to feel comfortable here.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, to be honest, I¡¯m not feeling too comfortable myself.¡± In Ligaleo, you had to go to the center of the city to find a restaurant like this. And here, their main customers are not Adventurers but usually Noble families who came down to observe the city. Since Ligaleo had difficulty importing quality food supplies in the first place, the prices they would charge would be even higher and their floors would be raised too. I think I¡¯ve only eaten there once or twice for some kind of celebration in my life. Henry: ¡°But Cyril. Wouldn¡¯t you be used to these kinds of places if you live with the Governor?¡± Cyril: ¡°Hmm, well, the overall atmosphere isn¡¯t really Alvenian-like.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­.so I guess she understands what Alvenian style is like. On that point, she would already be a few steps above me. So as we chatted about this and that, someone knocked quietly on the door to the private room. ¡°Thank you for waiting. Here is your appetizer, the seafood treasure terrine arranged in a Flowtier style.¡± The waiter appeared without making so much as a sound and placed plates in front of Cyril and I. The Varsaldi Empire cuisine typically is arranged like this where you are brought one dish at a time in a certain order. And the waiter is explaining about the dish, but I have no clue what he¡¯s talking about. After a while, he was finally done with his explanation, and I took a knife and fork in hand. I cut off a piece and took a bite. ¡­¡­¡­it¡¯s delicious. Cyril: ¡°........yes, it¡¯s good.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I can understand why this place would be so popular.¡± From there, as soon as we were done with one dish, the next dish came out. The soup, main seafood dish, meat dish, salad, dessert, and then coffee. All of the dishes were exquisitely arranged, and they not only tasted great, but looked like a work of art. And the fact that we really didn¡¯t get enough to eat was expected too. And we finished paying for our meal and left the restaurant. Cyril: ¡°Ohhh¡«¡« that was so good! I would hesitate to go there if I had to pay myself, so thank you very much, Henry!¡± Henry: ¡°Well, yeah, at least for your birthday. I have some decent amount of savings too.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh yeah, you mentioned something about that before. If it¡¯s not too rude, could you tell me how much you have in there?¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? Sure, here. It¡¯s about¡­¡­¡± And I whisper the amount of money I have saved in a bank that is run by the Grandes Church in her ear. Cyril: ¡°VHAT?!¡± Henry: ¡°If I bought new equipment, I would easily use up a third of that though. But yeah, I¡¯ve been hunting Higher-Tiers and Highest Tiers like crazy so I would have at least that much.¡± Among my equipment, the pouch with the expanded dimensional space enchantment costs around 10 million zeniths. ¡­¡­.oh yeah. That reminds me. I need to get it serviced for maintenance, but there¡¯s no one in Flowtier who can help me. Henry: ¡°If you need money to get better equipment, I could help you out.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh©` um©` that¡¯s okay. If I depend on you like that, I feel like I¡¯ll snowball into lazy habits.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, yeah. I was joking too.¡± You buy your own gear with the money you earn. This is the Adventurers¡¯ gold standard. No matter how good the equipment might be, you¡¯ll need equal or greater experience to be able to use it effectively. There¡¯s plenty of stories about rich fools who mistook the quality of their gear as a measure of their own strength and died. But if there¡¯s really no other choice, most adventurers will conveniently forget about that tradition periodically. Henry: ¡°So that¡¯s why I don¡¯t mind buying a few things on your anniversary day.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay©` thank you very much.¡± Henry: ¡°A good reply. Well, it¡¯s a little early, but here is your birthday present©`¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh©` we¡¯ll see how good your instincts are with gifts!¡± Ha! You fool. I have no confidence in that aspect. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t choose the gift. And she squeezes my arm tight as we both start walking in a certain direction. As we entered the road where a lot of craftsmen set up shop, Cyril got a clue as to where we were heading. Cyril: ¡°.......oh, this road. Um©` are we perhaps going to©`©`¡± Henry: ¡°To Miss Florence. I had her make a custom order. She would know your sizes.¡± She was a former Fezard Kingdom, Palace Tailor and currently resided in Flowtier with a shop of her own. A little while back, I was introduced to her by Cyril to help with repairing some of my gear, and I asked her to make some clothes for Cyril for Cyril¡¯s present. Henry: ¡°I asked her to make something that would suit your taste.¡± Cyril: ¡°What©`©` I wish you would have chosen something for me, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°But©`©` wouldn¡¯t it be bad if I gave you something weird? If I¡¯m giving you a gift, I would rather get something that you would actually wear.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hmmmm, then next year, let¡¯s go shopping together. If we choose together, then there¡¯s no problem.¡± Oh, there was that option too. I didn¡¯t think about that. And as we talked, we arrived at the Florence Tailor. Henry: ¡°Excuse us.¡± Florence: ¡°Welcome. ¡­¡­.oh my, oh my. What a cute couple we have here.¡± Miss Florence sat behind the counter and smiled teasingly towards us as she spoke. Henry: ¡°Are we that cute?¡± Florence: ¡°Yes. At my age, you¡¯ll almost make me blush watching you.¡± Impossible. I understand about Cyril, but I¡¯m a cool, calm adult now. Florence: ¡°But anyways, this is about your order, right? I have it right here. Cyril, I¡¯m going to make some final adjustments so come over here.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay©` Henry, just wait right here.¡± Henry: ¡°Sure.¡± Cyril and Miss Florence stepped into the back where Miss Florence probably has her workshop. With nothing else to do, I was looking at the clothes in the store for a while, but they both came back within a few minutes. Cyril: ¡°S©`Sorry to keep you waiting. H©`How is it?¡± Henry: ¡°........y©`yeah, you look good. Really good.¡± The cloth was white ©` one of Cyril¡¯s preferred colors. It was a casual dress with frills¡­¡­but even so, she could easily slip into a ballroom party without anyone noticing. It was that elegant. It caught me off guard, and I couldn¡¯t help but stare at her for a while. Cyril: ¡°This is pretty extravagant, but it feels so comfortable to wear. And I can move just fine in it!¡± Florence: ¡°Of course. It¡¯s one of my dresses. I went all out since it was my dream making this.¡± Cyril: ¡°Dream?¡± Florence: ¡°He he. Of course, it¡¯s to make a dress for our dear Princess Cyrule.¡± ¡­¡­¡­Miss Florence is the former Fezard Palace Tailor. Of course, she would be aware of Cyril¡¯s identity. After looking around to make sure that there were no other customers inside the store, Miss Florence walked up and hugged Cyril in her dress. After a few seconds, Miss Florence let go and pushed Cyril gently towards me. Florence: ¡°.......here, Cyril. Go to your man. I¡¯ll send the clothes back to the Governor¡¯s mansion in a bit.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay©`¡± Cyril walked over to me with small steps, and as if she held the rights to it, drew my arm. Cyril: ¡°Okay then, Henry. Let¡¯s go somewhere!¡± Henry: ¡°Sure, sure.¡± I may not be well dressed enough to stand next to Cyril in her brand new dress, but Cyril is not the kind to worry about that. I let her pull me as we left the store, and as I let out a small sigh¡­¡­¡­I noticed that I was smiling without even knowing it. CH 119 Chapter 119: The Far Expedition Jend: ¡°Mr. Bannon, is there anything that can be done?¡± Bannon: ¡°Hmmmmmmm¡­.¡± After listening to Jend, the number 1 black smith of the Carousel Merchant Group, Mr. Bannon, thought long and hard as he groaned. We are in the corner of town where all the Craftsmen gather, and specifically, where the Black Smiths set up shop. This is the 3rd shop we¡¯ve visited today, and we have yet to receive a good response from anyone. Bannon: ¡°.......if it¡¯s a request from our dear boy, Jend, I do want to help if I can¡­..but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone who can handle Orichalcum or Mithril at the standards Mr. Heroic Warrior needs. The gauntlet, leg braces, and shoes you¡¯ve shown me were far beyond my skill to make. Mr. Bannon raised both hands in surrender when I asked if he could make something of equal or greater quality than the gear I showed him. The gauntlet and leg braces are made with Orichalcum and Mithril. It also incorporates dust made from Dragon bones, and the rest is a top rare secret allow made by a Smith who also used rare metals. The shoes were made from multiple Demonic Beast furs very cleverly and the soles had Adamantite embedded in it. Jend: ¡°Mr. Bannon, you too?¡± Bannon: ¡°If it was regular steel or a mid-tier Magic Metal, I can make you something decent from that, but you have to understand that in this town, you never get a chance to work with that kind of material in the first place.¡± I thought so. We received the exact same explanation from the previous 2 shops, and I groaned in frustration. ¡­¡­.this was our preliminary investigation to see if we can get our gear upgraded or renewed. And since we are aiming to go to the frontlines, our gear needs to be something that can withstanding or exceed Ligaleo battle standards. I¡¯m okay, but©`©` Jend uses mainly godly equipment. The Large Broad Sword Blaze Blade. The Wind Mail with the ability to create small breezes of wind which he never uses, and the Defenders Gauntlet. Ferris has a sword and shield passed down from her family, and the most expensive gear she owns is the godly equipment, the Armor of Oath. Cyril and Teo¡¯s gear requires tailors or Magecraft Tool Artisans more than Black Smiths so we¡¯ve tabled that for now. ¡­¡­¡­..it¡¯s not as though we absolutely cannot go to the frontlines with the gear we have today. But if you want to stand out as an Adventurer in Ligaleo, we need to upgrade it at least once or twice. And it would be too risky waiting on a good draw from the Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault, so in the end, we need someone to custom make or upgrade our gear. There¡¯s also the problem of pricing, so just to see how much it would cost, we are here asking around today. But in the end¡­¡­..they told us that it would be impossible for them to make it. And thinking about it more carefully now, if you don¡¯t go to the summit of Altohern, only mid-tier and lower Demonic Creatures appear around this city. In other words, there¡¯s no demand for extremely strong weapons here. So just as Mr. Bannon said, the Black Smiths here will severely lack experience handling high-grade material here. ¡­¡­¡­.I¡¯m glad that my gauntlet and leg braces have remained intact up to today. Bannon: ¡°I¡¯ve had a little experience when I was studying under my Master way back in my days, but handling high-grade Magic Metals are extremely difficult in many ways.¡± Henry: ¡°I see. That makes sense. All of my gear was charged an exorbitant technical skill fee that made my eyes pop out.¡± Bannon: ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Since I brought them half the needed materials, there was a bit of a discount, but it still cost a lot. Bannon: ¡°And it breaks my heart to have to turn you down and hurts my pride as a Smith, but¡­¡­I never want to say yes to a job I can¡¯t do.¡± Henry: ¡°No, thank you for discussing this with us. We will also think of a solution as well.¡± Bannon: ¡°Yeah, sorry again. And good luck.¡± And we leave Mr. Bannon¡¯s workshop. Jend and I walked down the street and across the snow-covered ground. Henry: ¡°Ughh¡«¡« that was my bad. It was something I would have realized if I thought about it just a bit more carefully.¡± Jend: ¡°I should have realized it too. The materials used in your gear, Henry, are things that¡¯s rarely traded in this city. We do occasionally see goods with them after it¡¯s already been made though.¡± As the son of the city¡¯s biggest merchant group, this guy knows the imports and exports of this city really well. Henry: ¡°And we wouldn¡¯t be able to order and import gear of this level¡­..maybe we¡¯ll ask the workshops around Northerntier?¡± Jend: ¡°Hmmm, yeah, we might do that. My family¡¯s group hasn¡¯t been able to dig into business in that area, but we do have some connections. I¡¯ll poke them with a letter or two to see.¡± Henry: ¡°But during this time, sending letters are so expensive. Last time I sent letter to Ligaleo, they took twice the fee than normal.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, especially in the north, we¡¯re closed with snow.¡± And we continued to chat as we walked. Well, the Black Smiths at Flowtier couldn¡¯t help us, but there has got to be some Smiths in the four corner city of Northerntier who can make Ligaleo-standard equipment. Both Jend and I were looking at the issue way too optimistically at this time. And we went to get a drink to wash off the failure of today and start anew tomorrow. ¡­¡­¡­..and realized how na?ve we were 10 days later. <<<<>>>> Jend: ¡°.......Henry, take a look at this.¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong, Jend? What is this?¡± We were having one of our scheduled, periodic meetings. After we got done with our main discussion topics, Jend handed me a letter with a bitter expression on his face. Jend: ¡°So just as we discussed, I made an inquiry on Smiths who can make quality gear in Northertier, and this is their reply.¡± Henry: ¡°Hmmmm¡­. Okay, let¡¯s see here¡­..¡± I read the contents of the letter. Well, it was a single page with well summarized bullet points, so it didn¡¯t take any time to read all of it. As I read through¡­¡­..I got to the end, but I rubbed my eyes once and read it once more. Henry: ¡°There are only 4 places in Northerntier that can handle Orichalcum¡­¡­..and they are all booked with reservations. The soonest we can begin discussions is one year from now¡­¡­.¡± Jend: ¡°And the price is astronomical too.¡± Jend let out a sigh as he spoke. And yes, though this is just a rough estimate, the numbers shown here¡­¡­¡­..even with all the earnings we¡¯ve had at the Altohern mountain, the price is way beyond any of our Party members. Cyril: ¡°Let me see¡« Here, can I read that too?¡± Henry: ¡°Here.¡± Cyril was drawn over with curiosity, and I handed the letter to her. In a few seconds, she let out a ¡°EEEEK?!?!¡± after looking at the numbers. Ferris: ¡°Let me¡­¡­.yes. Mr. Henry. This is impossible.¡± Ferris looked through the letter and with a elegant smile, concluded concisely. She just finished paying off her father¡¯s debts, so she hasn¡¯t really had a chance to build up her savings. And so, at this point, yes, the price asked is way more than she can afford. Henry: ¡°Well, yeah, but since we have to a wait a year, we can definitely save up enough money by then.¡± Teo: ¡°But that would be a severe delay for us.¡± Teo spoke up. ¡­¡­¡­¡­and yeah, she¡¯s right. Jend: ¡°Then why not find another Smith in the Capital or in the other Four Corner Cities? They¡¯re all connected by the Teleportation Gate, so it¡¯ll be easy to investigate. We might even find a cheaper vendor.¡± Henry: ¡°Hmmmmmmm, but having someone offer their service that cheap would be highly suspicious. And just paying for the materials will make us surpass our budgets¡­¡­..wait here.¡± I thought about all the other past stories I heard from other Adventurers as I head to the second floor of the Church to their library. I took out one of the largest books, and with permission from the records keeper, I go down stairs with it. The book I have is not allowed to leave the church premise, and if I wasn¡¯t a Heroic Warrior, this precious book would take hours to get approval to borrow from the library. Jend: ¡°The Northern Continent Demonic Creature Demographic Encyclopedia¡­¡­you brought out a very rare book.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hmmm©`? I understand what that book is from the title, but what are we going to do with it?¡± I cough to clear my throat to answer Cyril¡¯s question. Henry: ¡°So this is just one idea, but when spring time comes, why not go on an extended expedition?¡± Ferris: ¡°An expedition¡­¡­? Mr. Henry, for what purpose?¡± Henry: ¡°In order to reach out goals to earn enough to upgrade our gear, the Flowtier area is too inefficient. The Altohern Mountain Summit has giants and Snow Queens, but the return is too little for the investment in effort and time. And we don¡¯t every come across Dragons either. Then it¡¯ll be better if we go after Demonic Creatures that drop gear materials or give us more money in return. I¡¯m suggesting that we go to an area where that¡¯s possible.¡± These kinds of things are pretty common for veteran parties¡­¡­..apparently. I¡¯ve never done it before. Cyril: ¡°I see©`©` I see. That sounds like fun!¡± Henry: ¡°Cyril©` I won¡¯t tell you to not to have fun, but let¡¯s be a little more serious here.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yessir©`¡± I reprimand Cyril slightly and look to everyone else to see their reaction. Henry: ¡°How about it? I think this will take at least a few months. And since we¡¯re already away from Flowtier, we can go ahead and tackle the Dojos of Eastflair and short-term training at the Sunwest Mages Tower¡­¡­¡­..but this will mean that we will be away from Flowtier for a while¡­¡­..and after we¡¯re done, we will return here once, but we¡¯ll probably head to Ligaleo shortly afterwards. It also means that we are leaving this city earlier than planned¡­¡­¡± Ferris and I have only been living in this city for less than a year. But the other 3 have grown up here, and they have family and friends. If we leave in the spring, that only leaves them 2 to 3 months of time. They would probably have to pack up their belongings and say their farewells. And now that they will really be leaving town, they might even feel some hesitation¡­.. Jend: ¡°If it¡¯s like that, let¡¯s not wait for Spring. As soon as we¡¯re packed, we can go. I¡¯ve already finished preparing for my departure.¡± Cyril: ¡°Miss Cyril has already finished saying good bye to her friends last year.¡± Teo: ¡°.......I¡¯m ready too.¡± That was fast! Henry: ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you at least hesitate a little more? Especially you, Teo. You¡¯re still only 15.¡± Teo: ¡°You¡¯re considered an adult at 16 in this country, but Rishu is 15.¡± Oh, really? ¡­¡­..but yes, your grandfather is from Rishu, but you were born and raised in Alvenia¡­.. But I already know that it¡¯s impossible to convince Teo once she made up her mind. Cyril and Jend are the same too. ¡­¡­¡­¡­I guess I was looking on them too lightly. Henry: ¡°And just in case, what about you, Ferris?¡± Ferris: ¡°I¡¯m good with that too. I thought things might turn out this way, so I do not have any patients assigned to me specifically.¡± So she¡¯s been preparing for this too in her work schedule¡­. Cyril: ¡°Then we have no problems! Okay, Henry. Where should we go?¡± Cyril stood behind me, and we both looked at the Northern Continent Demonic Creature Demographic Encyclopedia. Of course, everyone else was curious too so they looked on from the side. I flip through the pages one by one. Cyril: ¡°So what kind of Demonic Creatures are we looking for?¡± Henry: ¡°Hmmm, it really depends on the Party too, but even if they help us make a lot of money, if they don¡¯t appear enough, there¡¯s no point, so it¡¯ll be difficult to decide.¡± But as far as our Party strength is concerned, unless the Demonic Creature fights in an incredibly unorthodox manner, we should be fine. Henry: ¡°If we¡¯re looking for gear materials, we should hunt Orichalcum Golems and Mithril Golems¡­..¡± So we¡¯ll first look for where those Demonic Creatures appear. I flip to the very back of the book to look at the Appendices for a list of Demonic Creatures. Henry: ¡°.......the Varsaldi Empire, the [The Mountains of the Most Honored God of the Mines], huh.¡± From their Race, they tend to be very adept with craftsmanship. There, on average, you will see more skillful dwarf craftsman than human ones. And as one of the boundaries of the Alvenian Kingdom, the large mountain ranges caught my eye. CH 120 Ch. 120: The Two Geniuses At the end, after much discussion, we ended up deciding to go to the [The Mountain of the Most Honored God of the Mines]. Golems that drop precious metals spawn frequently at this mountain, and though they are fewer, some Demonic Beasts spawn too. And best of all, many Dwarf Craftsmen live in this area. With these kind of conditions, you would expect Adventurers to be flocking to this area¡­¡­¡­but fortunately, that¡¯s not the case. But I get it. Upper-Tier Golems are just as much of a hassle to fight as Dragons. Because¡­¡­.they¡¯re huge! They¡¯re heavy! They¡¯re hard! With these 3 awful traits, they are extremely tiresome to fight against. They are slower than Dragons, so you can easily get away from them, but if you do fight, you could destroy or break all your weapons with a single fight, so no one really wants to fight them. ¡­¡­¡­.even so¡­.. In our case, we have our handy dandy Magic Spell Caster, Miss Cyril. If we can distract the Golem long enough, with one Spell¡­ we can take it out. Henry: ¡°Ha, it¡¯s our victory¡± Lana: ¡°What were you victorious against, Mr. Henry?¡± I was eating the breakfast special at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn, and as I was going through the battle simulation in my mind, as soon as I confirmed our victory, I gripped my fist into a ball, and Lana threw a curt retort as she came by. Henry: ¡°Well, we¡¯ll be going to the Varsaldi Empire to the Dwarves¡¯ mountain, and I have this feeling that we¡¯ll be hugely successful there.¡± The official name of the mountain is [The Mountain of the Most Honored God of the Mines], but it¡¯s so long, I just call it the Dwarves¡¯ Mountain. Lana: ¡°Oh yes. You were going on a long expedition, correct? When are you leaving?¡± Henry: ¡°In about two weeks. We¡¯ll say our farewells to our acquaintances¡­¡­..and even if we do come back, we¡¯ll probably head straight to Ligaleo right afterwards.¡± Lana: ¡°¡­¡­.it will be lonely without your Party here.¡± Being at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn, I¡¯ve known Lana for a year. I¡¯ll also feel some regret parting with her. And now that I look back, everyone I met at Flowtier are good people. In the end, my plans to live a lazy life in a safe town and only do easy jobs went down the drain, but the days I spent here were not wasted. I can say that for a fact. And the silence. Henry: ¡°Oh yeah, while we¡¯re gone, are you able to collect the Corrupted Magic?¡± And as the atmosphere darkened slightly, I tried to cheerfully change the subject. Lana is currently researching the Magic Power that has Demonic attributes called, ¡°Corrupted Magic Power.¡± When a Demonic Creatures¡¯ corpse evaporates into the air, by using a specialized glass bottle, you can store it inside. I¡¯ve been handling the Quests to go collect samples for her. Lana: ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no worries there. When Mr. Henry¡¯s Party is not going out on an expedition, I have other Adventurers who are regulars at our diner, and they told me that it¡¯s really easy work for a free meal.¡± Henry: ¡°I see.¡± Adventurers who are Regulars¡­..she¡¯s probably talking about Kid. He¡¯s the same age as Cyril and Jend, and they grew up with each other as kids. He¡¯s currently a member of the The Knights of Dragonslayer. And I believe they¡¯re planning on changing their Party name soon. Lana: ¡°But with you, Mr. Henry, I wonder how I will contact Mr. Riol.¡± One of the 8 Heroes of Legend, the Great Sage Riol Kroseid. He is the inventor of the Kroseid Style Magecraft, and Lana has been sending him letters after I introduced her to him. Henry: ¡°Oh¨D Mr. Riol, huh. He sent back one reply, but he hasn¡¯t gotten in touch with you ever since?¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, I believe you saw the first reply too, Mr. Henry? He sent a book that summarized the Kroseid Style Spells as detailed as possible, and just said, ¡®Please wait for a bit¡¯ on a memo. After that, I¡¯ve sent a few letters of thanks and sent him a few questions, but I haven¡¯t gotten any other reply. Would it be possible for you, Mr. Henry, to reach out to him again?¡± ¡­¡­¡­now that I hear about Mr. Riol¡¯s reply, it¡¯s not even a full letter. In fact, what the heck is she supposed to wait for? Henry: ¡°Sorry about Mr. Riol. He¡¯s a real academic, and he¡¯s usually very unconventional in everything he does.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh no. That book he sent was amazingly helpful.¡± Henry: ¡°Really? That book was?¡± She let me read it too, but even I, someone who uses the Kroseid Style that was simplified by Ms. Emil, understood none of it. Lana: ¡°Oh¨D yes, it really was. It was a book that explained each character one by one, and it would be a little difficult to make a similar book like that. And there were many things that I wanted to still ask. That¡¯s why I was hoping to get a reply.¡± ¡°It would be a little difficult to make a book like that¡±¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­honestly, it definitely is not a small feat. Lana: ¡°Oh yes. I made a few sample Spells, but would you like to try them out, Mr. Henry? One is called . With my Magic Power reserves, I can¡¯t even initiate it.¡± Wait, wait, wait, wait. Henry: ¡°¡­¡­..what? Seriously? You made your own Spells?¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, but mine are a little [too heavy] and unlike Ms. Emil¡¯s Spells, you can¡¯t combine it with other Spells. It¡¯s amazing that she was able to create a Spell that you can fit and customize together with other Spells so easily.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­and I think this girl is on par with Ms. Emil if not greater. Ms. Emil is an Elf, so she has been researching Spells for at least a 100 years. Henry: ¡°C¨DCould you show me?¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, yes. Please wait here. I¡¯ll bring it from my room.¡± With light feet, Lana went swiftly up the stairs. As I watched her, I took a sip of my coffee that had already went cold. I took one long breath and thought to myself. ¡­¡­¡­she¡¯s an extremely gifted woman, that girl. Henry: ¡°? Hm?¡± And then I heard a quiet, reserved knocking at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn entrance. ? What? If it was a vendor, they would enter through the back entrance. During the morning, the breakfast is only served to inn customers, so the sign outside the door should still say closed. ¡­¡­¡­hmmmm¡­. Henry: ¡°Mr. Nord! Looks like you have a guest outside!¡± I spoke a little loudly, and Mr. Nord¡¯s head appeared out of the doorway. He was probably preparing for the lunch rush. Nord: ¡°..........thank you, very much, Mr. Henry.¡± Mr. Nord thanked me without smiling, and as he wiped his hands, he headed slowly to the entrance of the door. When he arrived, we heard the knock once more. Nord: ¡°©`©`yes, how can I help you?¡± ¡°Forgive me for disturbing you this morning. Is this the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn? My name is Riol and¡­.¡± I spewed the coffee from my mouth when I heard the voice. Riol: ¡°Hm? Oh! Why, it¡¯s Henry! It¡¯s been a while. Since you retreated to the backlines, were you able to find more time for your studies?¡± Henry: ¡°.......Mr. Riol, you know as well as I do, that I don¡¯t like studying.¡± I could see him past Mr. Nord¡¯s large body. A strange man stood in a gentlemanly fashion there. He wore a ceremonial robe, and long pointy hat, and had long ears that were the mark of the Elf Race. The Hero of Legend that we were just talking about, Riol Kroseid, stood there as if he was being expected. <<<<>>>> Riol: ¡°Oh¡­¡­¡­oh, OH!¡± As soon as he was done greeting me, Mr. Riol¡¯s eyes were drawn to the large stack of paper that Lana brought down. He was eagerly reading the Spells written down on it. Lana: ¡°Mr. Henry, is that¡­?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s Mr. Riol. ¡­¡­..he may look like an ordinary gentleman, but he¡¯s a Hero of Legend, so be careful.¡± The clothes he was wearing was first-rate armor that was designed for combat. ¡­¡­.that man, he always wears the same thing wherever he goes, so he always stands out. Riol: ¡°.......hmmm, I see. Ohhh, you. You there. You must be Miss Lana. Could you come over here and explain this Spell construction to me?¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, yes. Be right there.¡± Being called over by Mr. Riol, Lana stepped forward and walked to him without hesitation. Well, Lana deals with more intimidating characters that dine at her inn every day, so I guess with Mr. Riol¡¯s calm and gentle appearance, she wouldn¡¯t have a reason to be scared of him. Lana: ¡°Oh, this one? I took the foundational circle and split it into three. I was hoping to increase the potency of the Spell by forming a harmonious effect.¡± Riol: ¡°I see. I understand your intentions now. But wouldn¡¯t a Reverse Letter be more suited here?¡± Lana: ¡°But if I do so, then the amount of Magic Power that can be poured into the Spell will decrease.¡± These two hit it off immediately. They immediately jumped into a discussion about Spell construction. It feels odd since they completely ignored any greetings or courtesies. They didn¡¯t even introduce themselves. I let out a sigh of disbelief, and whisper to Mr. Nord who didn¡¯t know what to do. Henry: ¡°........Mr. Nord, excuse me. Could you get coffee for everyone here?¡± Nord: ¡°? Y©`Yes.¡± Mr. Nord returned to the kitchen and came back 5 minutes later. Nord: ¡°......here is your order.¡± Lana was busy with Mr. Riol, so Mr. Nord brought the steaming drinks himself. Since Mr. Riol loves his coffee, he finally paused here. Riol: ¡°Oh! What a wonderful aroma.¡± Henry: ¡°I ordered you some coffee. Let¡¯s first introduce ourselves.¡± Riol: ¡°Hmm, you do have a point. Miss Lana, my apologies. I seem to forget myself when discussing my Spell constructions. It¡¯s a terrible habit of mine. It seems to cause some grief to my acquaintances on occasion. And yet he has done very little to address it either. Regardless, Mr. Riol seemed to calm down a bit and sat down at the table. Riol: ¡°I apologize for the awkward timing, but¡­¡­..(cough), my name is Riol Kroseid. It is a pleasure making your acquaintance.¡± He finally took off his hat and introduced himself. Lana: ¡°Yes, thank you for your letter. My name is Lana.¡± Nord: ¡°.......I am Lana¡¯s father, Nord.¡± Riol: ¡°Thank you for your courtesy and hospitality.¡± They all bowed to each other, and Mr. Riol sipped the coffee. Riol: ¡°.........hm, this wonderful fragrance. It is permeating and awakening my mind. It is a difference of night and day compared to the mud water they serve in Ligaleo. You have good taste, Mr. Chef.¡± Nord: ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Mr. Riol seemed to really enjoy the taste of the coffee and had a satisfied smile on his face. ¡­¡­..well, there aren¡¯t too many places in Ligaleo that can get decent coffee beans. But putting that aside¡­ Henry: ¡°So Mr. Riol, what are you doing here? Aren¡¯t you the head of Area Attack Spells on the frontlines?¡± Riol: ¡°I left the frontlines to one of my former disciples to take my place, so it should be fine. He was quite the busy man though, so that¡¯s why it took so much time.¡± Henry: ¡°Disciple?¡± Riol: ¡°His name is Alas and is the Palace Court Mage at the Varsaldi Empire.¡± ¡­¡­¡­I don¡¯t know him directly, but if he¡¯s a Palace Court Mage, he¡¯s probably an elite Mage. Riol: ¡°And to answer why I am here, I am here to teach a young genius who has taken interest in my Kroseid Style Magecraft.¡± Henry: ¡°J©`Just for that reason?¡± Riol: ¡°Just? How rude. I am a student of learning before all else. My life¡¯s purpose hinges on teaching and bestowing my knowledge on younger generations.¡± That¡¯s right¡­¡­.I forgot he was like this. Mr. Riol is a self-proclaimed Academic Researcher and Teacher and will tell you that that is his main job. The only reason why he is a Hero of Legend is ¡°to create a world where people can peacefully continue in their studies.¡± Though he would like to do research of his own, he felt that the Academic World would progress far more faster and efficiently if he protected it with his Magecraft himself. But as you can see, he tends to forget this quite often. Lana: ¡°A young genius? Mr. Riol, you¡¯re going too far with your compliment.¡± Riol: ¡°What are you saying, Miss Lana. At this point, your knowledge of the Kroseid Style is comparable to my wife.¡± Lana: ¡°But I still have a ways to go before I can make a Spell Construction like Ms. Emil.¡± ¡­¡­.but she¡¯s also advertently inferring that with enough time, she could potentially do it too. Riol: ¡°Of course. Those Spells were the result of numerous experimentations and research. If you were able to produce such results now, my wife would be disgraced. But you have made your own original Spell Construction such as this. You should be proud to have done so.¡± Lana: ¡°Y©`Yes.¡± Riol: ¡°Hm, well, I can only remain here for about a week, but during that time, I will instruct you as much as possible. You wrote that there was something you were trying to do in your letter.¡± Lana: ¡°Yes. Actually, I was researching Corrupted Magic Power, and¡­..¡± And the technical terms began flying around. There were many words I didn¡¯t understand, and they began writing down calculations and graphs on paper, and went back and forth in their discussion. ¡­¡­¡­.yeah, it¡¯s time to retreat. Nord: ¡°Mr. Henry, that person is¡­..?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©` I know he¡¯s a little strange, but he¡¯s trustworthy. He is a Hero of Legend and is a pretty well known Academic as well.¡± Nord: ¡°.......if someone that distinguished is here, then it would be best to let Lana focus on her studies. Okay, I¡¯ll just have to have Linda pull up the slack.¡± And with that©`©` Mr. Riol was here at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn for some time. CH 121 Chapter 121: A Declaration of War¡¯ish Thing It was 3 days since one of the Heroes of Legend, the man with the title of the Great Sage, Mr. Riol, came to Flowtier. Mr. Riol was shaving off his time to sleep to continue teaching Lana as much as he could. Since it was difficult to concentrate at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn, they borrowed a private meeting room in the Grandes Church. Cyril: ¡°Is Lana really working that hard?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah. I only caught a glimpse yesterday, but she was completely focused on her studies.¡± Teo: ¡°......I knew Lana could do it if she tried.¡± And in order to cheer on the two who were working so hard, I took Cyril and Teo along to bring some sweets, and we all arrived at the Church. And well, I also wanted to introduce my Party members to Mr. Riol as well. Mr. Riol was one person that I was heavily indebted to and took care of me in many ways. Cyril: ¡°But he¡¯s the Great Sage¡­..correct?¡± Henry: ¡°Well, I know the title can sound a bit excessive, but in his case, it¡¯s no exaggeration. That man, if given enough time, can easily decimate the town of Flowtier.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hmph.¡± ?? I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on, but Cyril didn¡¯t sound so enthused. I would have expected her to say, ¡°Well, that¡¯s amazing¡± and act surprised. Cyril: ¡°.......but having another Hero of Legend arrive in a rural town like this, shouldn¡¯t more people be excited about the news?¡± Henry: ¡°Well, he did come secretly and hid his identity. Mr. Riol told me that he didn¡¯t want to cause a ruckus on his arrival and that wasn¡¯t his intention. But he did at least let the leader of the Church, Mr. Castello, know about his arrival.¡± And since Mr. Riol doesn¡¯t appear in newspapers or have a high publicity among the Heroes of Legend, he was able to push his agenda through. Although, now that I recall, Mr. Castello did have quite the strained smile with the edges of his lips twitching after hearing the news. ¡­¡­.and yeah, I get it. Unlike Yuu or Ageha who are relatively younger Heroes, beginning with Sir Ezeal, the older Heroes of Legend have a lot of political clout and power. Unlike Ms. Lotte who came on official business, it would be more complicated to know how to handle Mr. Riol who came in secret. We entered the Church, and we passed by the Church Tavern that was full of people due to the Winter Season as we climbed up the stairs to the second floor. They should be in the same room as they borrowed yesterday so, I went immediately to the 3rd Meeting Room and opened the door. Riol: ¡°©`©`and so, if your Spell Inscription is getting overly bloated, the standard practice is to use the compressed Spell Construction in order to manage it better. By doing so, you can exceed the Spell Inscriptions secondary criticality. You can also use this kind of control mechanism on other Spell Inscriptions as well.¡± Lana: ¡°But Mr. Riol, if you are going to do that, would it not be more efficient to manage the Spell Construction like this from the beginning? If you apply the Nimros Theory to the Inscription Equation, you can formulate it this way like this and this.¡± Riol: ¡°Miss Lana, you are very quick to catch on. But in that case, you would see the circle break here, and the Spell would go out of control.¡± Lana: ¡°.......then what about doing it this way?¡± Riol: ¡°Hm? ¡­¡­.hmmmmmmm, I see.¡± And I saw the two scribble all over the blackboard with Spell Inscription notes everywhere. From a glance, I can see a certain part that looks like the Kroseid Style, but I don¡¯t recognize anything else. In fact, it was so messy that I¡¯m certain that only the people who wrote it would understand what was there. Riol: ¡°©`©`Hmmm!! There are some aspects that seem less efficient, but it is indeed a new Spell Inscription Formula indeed! Miss Lana, I¡¯ll take note. Please hold while I write this down.¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll take note as well.¡± The two took out their notebooks, and began furiously writing inside of it. And by the time they seemed to be done writing in their notebooks, I hesitatingly called out to them. Henry: ¡®.......um©`©` hey you two. How¡¯s it going?¡± Riol: ¡°Hm? Oh, it¡¯s Henry. When did you get here?¡± I have been here since 5 minutes ago¡­¡­ Lana: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s true. Mr. Henry, hello. And hello Teo and Miss Cyril.¡± Lana, you too? Henry: ¡°Looks like you were having quite the heated debate.¡± Riol: ¡°Yes! It was well worth the trip all the way to Flowtier. Miss Lana has not failed to surprise me with her insights. In fact, I find myself learning from her as well.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh no. I¡¯m just saying what comes to mind, and I¡¯m learning so much from Mr. Riol.¡± ¡­¡­.and they quickly developed such a solid trustworthy relationship within such a short period of time. Riol: ¡°It is that imagination and idea that is so invaluable. I¡¯m sure Professor Conrad¡¯s teachings have been going very well.¡± Lana: ¡°? Mr. Riol, do you know of Professor Conrad?¡± When Lana was invited to visit the Alvenia Central University, we tagged along, and she went to speak to Professor Conrad. Lana has been communicating via mail with Professor Conrad and learning a lot from him, but I never though Mr. Riol would be connected to him too. Riol: ¡°For a short period, I was teaching at the Alvenia Central University. At the time, I got to know Professor Conrad, who was an Assistant Professor at the time, very well.¡± Lana: ¡°I see.¡± Well, before the Demon King¡¯s Coronation 10 years ago, Mr. Riol was mainly teaching in universities as a professor and was an Adventurer on the side, so I guess that¡¯s not surprising to hear. And as more incidents with High-Tiers©`©` and somewhere Highest-Tiers appeared©`©` and just like that, he had to abandon his occupation and go where the emergency occurred. Riol: ¡°So Henry, did you have some business with me today? If you would like to listen in, I welcome your audience.¡± Henry: ¡°.......there¡¯s no way I can follow or understand what you all are saying. I just brought you some food.¡± And I lift up the paper box we brought with the sweet snacks inside. This is from one of the more popular dessert stores in Flowtier. Riol: ¡°Oh, how nice. This is a good opportunity. Miss Lana, let¡¯s take a break.¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, yes. That is a good idea. We haven¡¯t stopped working since this morning.¡± And currently, it is 3 in the afternoon. Henry: ¡°.......please at least eat proper meals.¡± Riol: ¡°Do not worry. As an Adventurer, I always carry around plenty of dried food rations.¡± Living off long-preserved food rations even though you¡¯re in the middle of a city¡­¡­looks like I should check on them more periodically throughout the day. Mr. Riol might be fine, but if Lana passes out from exhaustion, I would feel terrible since I¡¯m the one who essentially called Mr. Riol here. Riol: ¡°And? Oh, before that. Could you introduce me to the ladies you brought here? Seeing as how you brought them here, are they your rumored Party members?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, I did come here to introduce them to you.¡± Teo: ¡°I am Teo.¡± Cyril: ¡°.........hello, I am Cyril. Pleased to meet you.¡± Hmmm¡«? What¡¯s going on here? I thought so earlier, but there¡¯s something definitely wrong with Cyril. Is she not feeling well or something? Henry: ¡°Oh, Mr. Riol. I think you already know, but Teo is Ageha¡¯s cousin.¡± Riol: ¡°I see¡­¡­I heard the rumors, but truly, the world can feel small at times.¡± That is true, but if Ageha showed more interest in where I was retiring too, I feel like she could have guessed about who I would run into here. ¡­¡­and it¡¯s not like I wanted everyone to know, but I did tell everyone who I was close to where I was going, but she completely ignored me when I brought up the subject. Riol: ¡°And Miss Cyril is Henry¡¯s girlfriend¡­¡­huh. You are fortunate to have caught the attention of such a beautiful lady.¡± Cyril: ¡°O©`Oh, thank you.¡± If it was the normal Cyril, she would have said something like, ¡°Oh, Mr. Riol, you have such good tastes! Henry, this is what I¡¯m talking about. Like this!¡± and got all excited, but I think something is wrong. Henry: ¡°And we brought cake for you, and there¡¯s a variety of different ones, but which one would you like?¡± Riol: ¡°Of course, please allow the ladies to choose first. Miss Lana and you two, please feel free to pick the one you want.¡± I had no objections to Mr. Riol¡¯s suggestion and let the 3 choose first. Cyril was the oldest out of the 3 so she stepped aside while Lana and Teo chose, and¡­¡­.for some reason, stood in front of Mr. Riol. Cyril: ¡°M©`Mr. Riol.¡± Riol: ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± Cyril took in a long, deep breath, and with a sharpened gaze, she looked Mr. Riol right in the eyes. Cyril: ¡°You¡¯re called the Great Sage right now, but I¡¯ll catch up and exceed you soon enough! Yes, the Great Magic Caster Cyril will!¡± And puffing her chest out, I thought I heard sound effects as she made the announcement. Because she said it so boldly, I thought I even hallucinated seeing burning fire in the background behind her. Henry: ¡°Idiot.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ow.¡± But putting that aside, I swat her head from behind. Cyril: ¡°Wh©`Why did you do that, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s my line. What nonsense are you spouting to someone you just met for the first time?¡± Cyril: ¡°Urgh, it¡¯s not nonsense. I thought you would be proud that I would want to exceed someone who¡¯s called a Hero of Legend.¡± Sure, I like the enthusiasm, but don¡¯t try and pick a fight like that. If it was anyone with a shorter temper, they could have been offended. Henry: ¡°Oh©` um, I¡¯m so sorry, Mr. Riol. Please excuse her. C¡¯mon, Cyril. You too.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ugh¡­¡­.um, I¡¯m sorry.¡± So that¡¯s what was bothering her this whole time. It¡¯s no wonder why she acted so weird. ¡­¡­..and it was a pretty simple reason too. I feel dumb for being so worried this whole time. Riol: ¡°Ha ha ha, now now. What a fun and exciting lady we have here. Besides¡­¡­.from what I gathered from Henry¡¯s letters, I can¡¯t say that it¡¯s all nonsense, no?¡± Henry: ¡°I can¡¯t say that there¡¯s no chance of it happening in the future but¡­¡­¡± A Mage or Magic Caster is not just responsible for casting gigantic Spells from the back. They need to coordinate with the vanguard, choose effective Magecraft or Magic Spells, and be able to respond well when targeted by the enemies, etc., etc. There¡¯s plenty of things Cyril still has to learn in that sense. So from that perspective, Cyril still has a long way to go. Riol: ¡°Well, the pure human race develops so quickly. I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s not too long in the future before that happens.¡± Henry: ¡°Uh huh¡­¡­..¡± It¡¯s hard to understand the thoughts of someone from a race who lives 500 to a 1000 years. Cyril: ¡°.....oh, but putting that aside, out of the remaining cakes, the Orange Chiffon cake is mine.¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not going to steal it from you.¡± And I took the cream puff out of the remaining desserts, and Mr. Riol got the chocolate cake. Teo brought out plates and forks for us in her bag, and as always, the [Dimensional Expansion] enchantment proved to be incredibly useful. Henry: ¡°Thank you for the food.¡± I take the cream puff and carefully take a bite. The cream inside started spilling on the side, so I carefully bit through the thin outer bread. As soon as I took the bite, a flood of creamy sweetness filled my mouth. Though it was sweet, it was not grossly sweet, and the vanilla and brandy flavors left a strong impression in my mouth afterwards. ¡­¡­¡­..wow, that¡¯s good. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Henry, that looks so good. Can I have a bite?¡± And before I can fully enjoy my bite, Cyril fluidly came asking for a piece of my cream puff. Henry: ¡°.......no, I don¡¯t wanna. You have your Chiffon cake, right? Your Chiffon cake.¡± Cyril: ¡°Then I¡¯ll let you have a bite of mine first.¡± And Cyril takes a piece of her cake on her fork and playfully holds it out for me. I felt myself instantly freeze into a statue, but Cyril just happily held out the fork while smiling. ¡­..I think it takes a special personality to not feel anything in this situation! Lana is intensely watching our exchange as any girl her age would, and Teo is looking at us with exasperated eyes that said, ¡°What are you guys doing¡­¡± Mr. Riol is saying something like, ¡°Sweets are the taste of society¡± and is completely unaware of my predicament. ¡­¡­¡­and after intense contemplation, I decided to take a bite from the fork, and then stuff the cream puff into Cyril¡¯s mouth. CH 122 Chapter 122: The Man Named Riol Riol: ¡°Thank you for the dessert. It was quite delicious.¡± He savored the chocolate cake slowly, finally finished, and put the plate down, and Riol put his hands together and bowed slightly. Looking at this, his gentlemanly character is pretty obvious. Cyril: ¡°Hmph, Henry, I can still feel the cream all around my mouth. I think you should think about how to give somebody a bite better!¡± And Cyril was still complaining about how I stuffed her face with the cream puff. Henry: ¡°I will consider the appropriate improvements to my actions at a later date.¡± And Cyril glowered at my response. Cyril: ¡°........so you don¡¯t feel any guilt at all?¡± Henry: ¡°In the end, I only got a single bite of the chiffon cake and cream puff. Don¡¯t think that I forget things like this when it comes to food.¡± Cyril: ¡°But it was you, Henry, who pushed the whole thing into my face©`©`¡± That¡¯s because you wanted me to do something really embarrassing. But I slightly regret giving the whole cream puff to Cyril. I should probably go buy some on the way back. Riol: ¡°Ha ha ha. What a wonderful thing to see them getting along so well.¡± Teo: ¡°......they behave during expeditions, but in all other times, it¡¯s always like this and gives us headaches.¡± Mr. Riol laughed very elegantly, and Teo was rubbing her temples with both hands. ¡­¡­what? Isn¡¯t this quite normal? Riol: ¡°Putting that aside, I need to do something in return now for bringing me a treat. Here, I¡¯ll prepare some of my special coffee.¡± Lana: ¡°Coffee? But Mr. Riol, we don¡¯t have any coffee beans or tools to make coffee. Are you going to use the Tavern kitchen?¡± Riol: ¡°Hmmm, yes, I have been so focused on teaching Miss Lana the theories, that I have failed to demonstrate any of them. This is a good opportunity. Let me show you.¡± Mr. Riol picked up a staff that was leaning against the table. This magnificent staff had many detailed and complex designs written all over it, and it is Mr. Riol¡¯s most precious Spell Call Stone. The design across the staff is actually countless Spell Inscriptions, and the Staff has been crafted and combined carefully with a very rare black crystal ball at the end. ¡­¡­.and the crystal ball at the end began to shine. Cyril: ¡°? Henry, what is he about to do?¡± Henry: ¡°Just watch. It¡¯s pretty amazing.¡± I had an idea as to what he was about to do, but I left Cyril, who had a question mark above her head, without a straight answer. Riol: ¡°There.¡± And with a light tap, Mr. Riol hits the ground with his staff, and light began flooding out of the crystal ball at the end. The flooding light began filling the air with mysterious signs and symbols, and I recognize bits and pieces of it. The Kroseid Spell Inscriptions begin to fill the entire room. The Spell Inscription is so vast that this shouldn¡¯t be something an individual person could handle. After taking an extensive amount of time, several first-rate Mages would have to fully understand the Spell construction, use rituals and mediums for support, and then they should be able to initiate the Spell. It¡¯s that complicated. Lana: ¡°........[Existence] {Esse}, [Here] {Naae}, [Distant] {Longe}?¡± Riol: ¡°A-ha, Miss Lana. You have been able to read as much. There are, of course, other aspects, but the key points are indeed there.¡± ¡­¡­¡­..it¡¯s supposed to be quite the sophisticated Spell construction. Though, anomalies like a person who can easily initiate it and someone who deciphered it on a first glance are with us right now. Riol: ¡°Now then, just watch as I finish things up, here.¡± The Spell Inscription was now fully unfolded, and the middle of it suddenly [opened]. The place beyond it was an difference landscape. Lana: ¡°Oh¡­¡± Lana let out a voice of surprise. That¡¯s because she was well-acquainted with the place. It was one of the rooms she would clean every single day. ¡­¡­¡­..it was the room Mr. Riol currently rented at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. Riol: ¡°Hmmm, I could have probably made the door smaller.¡± And Mr. Riol reached in to grab his bag, and once he got the coffee beans and the tools he needed, he placed the bag back in his room. Once he was done, the Spell Inscription that filled the room began to fade, and the dimensional door also closed. Cyril: ¡°Wh©`What was that, just now?¡± Riol: ¡°Hm? Miss Cyril, have you never used a Teleportation Gate before? The base theory is the same as that. I connected this space with a separate space that was marked. ¡­¡­.well, if it¡¯s just me using the Spell, I would just be able to cover this city though.¡± The Teleportation Gate is that thing where it takes 10 Mages to operate, and what they now call the Teleportation Station is also stuffed with equipment to maintain that Spell Inscription, and they also use a butt-ton of catalysts and mediums too¡­¡­¡­.and with all that money invested beforehand, you are finally able to start utilizing it. Teo: ¡°.......that¡¯s quite amazing.¡± Riol: ¡°No, it¡¯s not as useful as you think. It¡¯s just something you can do as a party trick. In the end, I could have just walked there to get my things.¡± Teo gives her compliments, and Mr. Riol answers her while opening up the jar filled with coffee beans. Riol: ¡°Besides, the true usefulness of the Kroseid Style begins from here. I would like you to observe the fruits of my research after countless years of study and experimentation.¡± Mr. Riol smiles slyly as he chuckles. ¡­¡­¡­.the true usefulness, huh. Cyril: ¡°Ohhh©`©` Now Miss Cyril can¡¯t help but feel excited now. If it¡¯s more amazing then before, I wonder what it¡¯s going to be like.¡± Henry: ¡°.......no, Cyril. Don¡¯t worry about paying attention to anything from this point on.¡± Cyril: ¡°Huh?¡± Mr. Riol struck the ground with his staff, and this time, the Spell Inscription that appeared in the air was much smaller than before. There, Mr. Riol poured the coffee beans inside. Cyril: ¡°What?¡± The sphere-shaped Spell Inscription began heating the beans immediately. Lana: ¡°M©`Mr. Riol, what are you doing now?¡± Riol: ¡°Hm? What do you mean, Miss Lana? As you can see, I am roasting the coffee beans.¡± Mr. Riol hummed a tune while he made adjustments to his Spell Inscription. Riol: ¡°If you use Magecraft, you can make much finer adjustments than using a coffee bean roaster. If you want to make the best cup of coffee, you should all learn the Kroseid Style.¡± And not surprisingly, his logic and reasoning flew way beyond anyone¡¯s imagination. And besides, the only person that can make that kind of fine adjustments is just you, Mr. Riol¡­. Lana: ¡°.......M©`Mr. Henry, I thought Mr. Riol was pretty normal for a Hero of Legend¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, Mr. Riol is excellent at acting normal.¡± In comparison! I¡¯ll never say who I¡¯m comparing him to though! As I watched a little exasperated, Mr. Riol finished roasting the coffee beans and placed it inside the coffee bean grinder. Cyril: ¡°O©`Oh, umm, Mr. Riol, are you not going to use Magecraft to grind the beans? You were speaking of making fine adjustments while roasting, right?¡± Riol: ¡°I quite enjoy the sound and feeling of grinding the beans. Coffee is not just about drinking, but it is important to learn to enjoy the process of making it.¡± Cyril looks at me for help, but I quietly make a hand gesture to leave it be. There¡¯s no point trying to argue with someone as deep into the hobby like that. And as we wait, we finally get to the drip process. Riol: ¡°Now then. This is a crucial point. When preparing the coffee, you must use the ideal temperature and flow rate¡­¡­..I will demonstrate to you something that is impossible to do with a kettle.¡± With that said, Mr. Riol created boiling water with Magecraft and began pouring it over the beans. Lana was just simply confused, but Cyril, Teo, and I just looked on with understandable disappointment in our eyes. <<<<>>>> After Mr. Riol was done pouring the coffee, we all chatted together. And besides Mr. Riol and myself, black coffee was too bitter, so they went downstairs to borrow some milk and sugar. Riol: ¡°I see. So you are heading to the Grand Mountain of the God of Mines.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes.¡± And the conversation began to shift to what our Party was going to do next. We will most likely be heading to Ligaleo within this year, and Mr. Riol was interested in hearing our plans. Henry: ¡°Mr. Riol, have you ever been to the Dwarves¡¯ Mountain?¡± Riol: ¡°I have. The Dwarven Town inside that mountain is worth seeing at least once in a lifetime.¡± ¡­¡­¡­over half of the Grand Mountain of the God of Mines is actually Demonic Territory. They left the Demonic Territory there so that Golems that drop high grade and precious metals will spawn, but of course, you can¡¯t live in a place like that. But Dwarves are a race that tends to enjoy craftsmanship, and apparently, they have been longing to live close to that area where they can farm precious metals. And then, a long time ago, a crazy leader of the Dwarves said, ¡°Then why don¡¯t we just dig a hole inside and live there?¡± or something like that. ¡­¡­¡­.and I don¡¯t know how it all came together, but that blind statement became reality. Nowadays, the area is now incorporated into the official Varsaldi Empire¡¯s map, and the Dwarves have been unofficially been recognized as the official residents of the Grand Mountain of the God of Mines ©` that is how important the settlement has proven itself to be. Henry: ¡°And after we get our gear upgraded there, Cyril and I will go to the Mage¡¯s Tower in Sunwest, and learn combat-oriented Magecraft and Magic there. Teo and two other Party members who are not here will go to Eastflair to study martial arts. Riol: ¡°Oh, that is very good. The tower is full of teachers who have not abandoned to continuously refine their knowledge and skills. I am sure that you will benefit greatly from the experience.¡± Henry: ¡°........I thought you might have some connection to that place, Mr. Riol.¡± Riol: ¡°I am one of the original Founders. Having someone with a long lifespan stand on top would cause the organization¡¯s structure to be too rigid, so as soon as they were on their feet, I left for that reason.¡± Holy crap. But well, I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. Henry: ¡°Then¡­.could you write us a letter of recommendation¡­.?¡± Riol: ¡°I do not mind, but even if they can give you more leeway, I cannot guarantee any special treatment. It¡¯s highly likely that all students learning there are treated at the same status.¡± Henry: ¡°That is totally fine. Thank you for doing that for us.¡± Here, I can see that Mr. Riol is a little dense when it comes to the ways of this world. The difference between having someone you trust introduce you or not is night and day. It would be super helpful to have that recommendation letter. I have been helped by Mr. Riol many times, but I have also protected Mr. Riol more than once or twice. Our relationship is still reciprocal in that I will return the favor some day. ¡­¡­¡­and I understand that I probably owe more than what I can return, but it won¡¯t just be me. Cyril will be with me too. I¡¯d like to make sure that she¡¯s in a comfortable environment to study and learn. Riol: ¡°But you are leaving in a little more than a week, huh.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, it¡¯ll be soon after you leave Flowtier, Mr. Riol.¡± Riol: ¡°If you would push your departure date earlier, I can help you get to Eastflair with me. It¡¯ll only be a slight detour on my route.¡± Oh, I didn¡¯t think about that. If he can take us to Eastflair, the Dwarves¡¯ mountain is actually close as it stands on the border of Alvenia and the Varsaldi Empire. That would be a huge help. Henry: ¡°Umm, I will have to discuss that with my Party, but if we decide to go, we would love to travel with you. I understand that it might be more trouble for you though¡­.¡± Riol: ¡°No, I do not mind at all. Having strong Adventurers owe me favors will be beneficial for me as well.¡± ¡­¡­.and I¡¯m going back Ligaleo. I will need to start thinking about returning the huge amount of favors I owe to not just Mr. Riol, but others too. Cyril: ¡°? Ummm, is Mr. Riol traveling in a Magecraft Vehicle?¡± And Cyril popped in while listening to our conversation. A Magecraft Vehicle. With the power of Magecraft, it is a carriage that can move without the help of horses. They also call it a car for short. It wouldn¡¯t be useful at all on a bumpy road, but if it¡¯s a well-maintained road, then it is much faster than a horse carriage. ¡­¡­..but, that¡¯s not how Mr. Riol travels. Henry: ¡°We¡¯ll fly.¡± Cyril: ¡°F©`Fly?¡± Henry: ¡°He uses the Magecraft Spell of {Flight}. There are only a handful of people who can use it, but I only know Mr. Riol who can also carry others with him while he does.¡± I have flown with him a few times, but if it¡¯s from Flowtier to Ligaleo, it might only take 2 days at most. You can directly fly straight over all the natural obstacles, and Mr. Riol will also generate his own wind to increase his speed. Teo: ¡°I see. By flight¡­¡­.there are Magecraft techniques in the Cloud Plains Style that creates footpaths in midair¡­¡± Oh, looks like Teo¡¯s trying to compete a little. Riol: ¡°Ah, yes. I remember Miss Sagiri also used a technique like that.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh that©`©` it looks handy, but it¡¯s not one of the Spells in Ms. Emil¡¯s Kroseid Style.¡± Ms. Emil, who came up with a Kroseid Style Spell that everyone can us, is more familiar with the Magecraft research, so there¡¯s not a whole lot of support spells for warriors and fighters. Riol: ¡°But you should be able to create a Spell with the desired effect ©` that is the strength of our Kroseid Style.¡± And Mr. Riol lets out a disappointed sigh. He of all people has understood over time that the core of his Spell Construction is too difficult to understand for the average person. Riol: ¡°And I am not as adept in creating a Spell like Emil does¡­¡­actually, this is a good opportunity. Miss Lana. Would you like to give it a try?¡± Lana: ¡°M©`Me?¡± Riol: ¡°Yes. It¡¯s actually quite difficult. It will have to be strong enough to withstand a vanguard¡¯s strength, and it would have to be simplified where it can be inscribed on a small Spell Call Stone.¡± Oh? Is this a good learning opportunity for Lana?¡± Would I be able to fight in mid-air now? And Lana seems interested in the topic and is thinking through it carefully. Riol: ¡°If you do complete a Spell, I will go ahead and push it through the Association. It¡¯s tiresome, but I need to at least follow the Association¡¯s rules.¡± ¡­¡­..that¡¯s right. The Kroseid Style Magecraft has an organization that manages and supervises its usage. There are certification levels for the users, and they have many rules limiting what kind of Magecraft Spell each level can use. In general, they determine the certification levels by the difficulty of the Spell you can use, and that¡¯s natural, since the failed combination of Spells could self-destruct and injure or kill the caster. Riol: ¡°.......and in order to get there, I must continue my lessons with Miss Lana. Let¡¯s end the break here.¡± Lana: ¡°Yes.¡± And the two geniuses began working once again. ¡­¡­¡­to get out of their way, we excuse ourselves and left the room. <<<<>>>> CH 123 Chapter 123: Departure. One week has passed since Mr. Riol arrived. During that time, Mr. Riol never took the time to look around the Flowtier City, and he invested every second to teach Lana as much as he could. And he consumed the entirety of his days at Flowtier for that purpose, and the time came when the Great Sage was going to return to Ligaleo. Riol: ¡°There are many things I still wanted to teach you, but if it¡¯s you, Miss Lana, then I¡¯m sure that you will be able to learn these things even on your own.¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, I will not forget the things you have taught me this past week.¡± Behind the Grandes Church, with some arrangements from Mr. Castello, the head of the Church, he prohibited anyone except those involved from entering the training grounds, and this ad-hoc master and disciple, Lana and Mr. Riol, were saying their parting thanks. Riol: ¡°Oh, yes yes. As you confirm that hypothesis of yours, please let me know the results as soon as possible. If your expectations are correct, then there will be a revolution.¡± Lana: ¡°Ha ha ha¡­.you are overexaggerating way too much.¡± I don¡¯t know what they are talking about, but Lana did not take Mr. Riol¡¯s words very seriously. Mr. Riol just shrugged his shoulders with an ¡°Oh well¡± in return. Nord: ¡°.......Mr. Riol, thank you very much for everything you have done for my daughter.¡± Linda: ¡°And I would like to express my gratitude as well. Thank you so much. I can¡¯t believe my daughter would be taught by someone so famous.¡± Riol: ¡°No, no. It was an enjoyable time for me as well. Mr. Nord, Mrs. Linda, thank you for the delicious food at the inn.¡± And Mr. Riol, Mr. Nord, and Mrs. Linda also said their parting thanks. And that¡¯s not all who are here today. Alvare: ¡°Cyril, do your best.¡± Asteria: ¡°And be careful to not get hurt, okay?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll do my very best!¡± ¡­¡­¡­and in the end, my Party will be traveling with Mr. Riol, so everyone who came to see us off were also here too. Cyril had the most amount of people seeing her off. And though he must have a mountain of work, the Governor and Lady Asteria were also present to encourage Cyril and©`©` ¡°Cyril, don¡¯t forget to bring us back gifts, okay©`©`?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be a long trip, so you better make some progress with that Mr. Henry.¡± ¡°Good luck!¡± ¡­¡­.and many of her friends are also here. But progress, huh¡­.I don¡¯t even know if there will be time for that. I scratch my cheeks awkwardly as I overhear some of her friends¡¯ words. Ricardo: ¡°Jend, come back here as a greater man than you are today.¡± Jend: ¡°Yes, Master!¡± And Mr. Ricardo, Jend¡¯s sword instructor, is also here. He told me that he had a farewell party with his friends last night. Teo also had her family come see her off. Ferris: ¡°I feel a little left out, Mr. Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s natural.¡± And Ferris and I, who don¡¯t have that many acquaintances here, are left to bide the time till we leave. And I did say my farewell to Mr. Thomas and Mr. Fregg. They have their jobs though, so it can¡¯t be helped if they can¡¯t come to see me off. But we are finally reaching the end of our farewells and parting words. Mr. Riol is writing autographs for one of Cyril¡¯s friends and also to the Governor, but after that¡¯s done, we¡¯ll probably be off. Cyril: ¡°Is an autograph really something worth having©`©`?¡± After she finished talking with her friends, Cyril curiously asked me the question. Henry: ¡°Well, he is a Hero of Legend after all. Once you become a relatively famous Adventurer, you might find yourself in that situation a lot.¡± Ms. Lotte who is an actual celebrity is on a whole new level, but Sir Ezeal, who is like the national hero, and the Saint of Salvation (lol) gets asked for autographs often. And it¡¯s not just Heroes of Legend. Any Adventurer who accomplishes something great becomes the center of people¡¯s attention, adoration, and admiration. The bards will make songs about you, and you can become instantly famous. Cyril: ¡°I see¡« that¡¯s awesome! I¡¯m going to become a famous Adventurer that everyone wants an autograph from! Maybe I should start practicing my autograph signature?¡± Henry: ¡°If you¡¯re going to waste time doing something meaningless like that, practice your staff techniques.¡± Cyril: ¡°What do you mean meaningless?!¡± Cyril tries to pinch my arm as hard as she could¡­¡­but with her strength, it only tickles. Cyril: ¡°Besides, what about you, Henry? You defeated a Demonic General after all, and weren¡¯t you the talk of the town at one point?¡± Henry: ¡°Me? Oh, um¡­. well, let¡¯s see¡­¡­¡± It¡¯s a little hard to explain. It¡¯s true that I¡¯ve been on articles on the Adventurer¡¯s News more than a handful of times, and I don¡¯t know about my reputation outside the city, but people knew me for my strength and skills within Ligaleo. But I wonder why¡­ I don¡¯t remember getting any kind of special attention like that. ¡­¡­.well, it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯m pretty boring compared to the others. My general looks and my fighting style fit that category. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.ugh, that¡¯s a depressing thought. Cyril: ¡°..............I¡¯m sorry I asked.¡± Henry: ¡°Why? Why are you sorry, huh?¡± And sensing my mood, Cyril apologized, but I squished both her cheeks together with the palm of my hands. Cyril: ¡°ERRGHH?!?! WHA-ARE-YOU-DOINNNNG!!¡± Henry: ¡°Hmph, there.¡± Seeing her face morph to something hilarious made me feel better. She began punching me furiously, but I accepted the hits without bothering to guard. Henry: ¡°Hm?¡± I felt some stares this way. ¡­¡­¡­and I saw some of Cyril¡¯s friends whisper to one another as they pointed towards our way. I think some are blushing and squeeling quietly. ¡­¡­¡­oh crap. I usually ignore it if it¡¯s people I don¡¯t know, but I feel like they might have gotten the wrong idea just now. W©`Well. Now¡¯s not the time. We¡¯re going to the Dwarves¡¯ Mountain, and then the Mages Tower. By the time we return, they would have forgotten all about it. Henry: ¡°M©`Mr. Riol, is it about time to depart?¡± Riol: ¡°Hmm, yes. It is regrettable always to have to say farewell, but we will start heading out now.¡± With those words, my Party members gather around Mr. Riol. The other people seeing us off stepped back a little. Riol: ¡°Then farewell, the good people of Flowtier. It will be goodbye for a while. Thank you for everything.¡± Mr. Riol spoke, and hit the ground with his staff. The black crystal ball at the end began to flood out with Spell Inscriptions that encircled me and my group, and it began to take shape in a form of a bird. Riol: ¡°Flight Spell Construction : The Guiding Bird, Activate.¡± With those words, our bodies lost its weight, and we felt the sensation of some invisible power lifting us up off the ground, and we all began floating in the air. The {Guiding Bird} Spell. The words itself really don¡¯t have that much meaning. Mr. Riol will create new Spells as needed on the spot, but for Spells that he reuses often, he tends to memorize its construction as it¡¯s more efficient to do so. And so by naming some Spells, it makes it easier to remember its construction¡­¡­.apparently. Jend: ¡°Wh©`Whoa¡­¡± Ferris: ¡°Th©`This feels very strange¡­..¡± Riol: ¡°Mr. Jend, Miss Ferris, please remain calm. If you move too much, it will be more dangerous for you.¡± Jend: ¡°Y©`Yes.¡± Ferris: ¡°Under, stood.¡± Everyone who is experiencing the {Guiding Bird} for the first time are more or less panicking. Mr. Riol only made us float slightly off the ground and waited for everyone to regain their calm demeanor. And by the time everyone did calm down¡­. Cyril: ¡°..........oh wait!! I just realized that I¡¯m wearing a skirt!¡± And it was a little late, but Cyril came to realize this. Riol: ¡°Do not worry. People may panic if they see us flying, so there will be a Camouflage Spell underneath us so they wouldn¡¯t be able to see us from beneath.¡± Cyril: ¡°I©`I see¡­.¡± Cyril let out a sigh of relief. ¡­¡­.but it¡¯s something she should have realized sooner. Riol: ¡°Now then, everyone. Let¡¯s get going.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay! Everyone, we¡¯ll be off©`©`!!¡± We gently float up into the air, and as our altitude rises gradually, the people that came to see us off are now the size of the end of our pinky. And because of the Camouflage Spell, from their perspective, they can no longer see us. Teo: ¡°I©`It¡¯s quite¡­..high¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Oh? Teo, if it was Ageha, she would jump down from this height without a tad bit of worry.¡± Of course, if I miss my landing from this height, I would get hurt too, but I wouldn¡¯t mess up in the first place. Teo: ¡°........of course, I have trained at high altitudes as well. I was just a little surprised because it wasn¡¯t a height I¡¯ve experienced before.¡± Henry: ¡°I see. Well, you¡¯ll get used to it quickly. The other three are also equally frightened from this height, and I speak to them one by one. ¡­¡­¡­that¡¯s so nostalgic. There was a time when I reacted the exact same way as them. The memory flashed back suddenly from when I first flew. It was when I was 18. There was a huge wave of Demonic Creatures. During that time, I was in a Party with Yuu, Ageha, and other members, and Mr. Riol joined our Party temporarily as we flew overhead of the giant swarm of Demonic Creatures¡­¡­and in the dead center of the wave, Mr. Riol made us all free-fall right into it. [It¡¯s a surprise attack from above. Don¡¯t worry. I will support you, and we have plenty of ammunition.] ¡­¡­..as we all began falling, Mr. Riol kindly and fairly treated everyone as ¡°ammunition¡± as he spoke. And it was hilarious to see all the faces of the guys who came along because they thought they would be able to safely earn some money as long as a Hero of Legend was around. What was not funny was that I probably had the same expression as everyone else. ¡­¡­and he most definitely had incredible amounts of experience in battle because he sent just the right amount of soldiers to the exact location they were needed, and we were able to hold off the attack because of that. Annnnnnd, as you can see, this guy loses all sorts of restrictions and limitations to what constitutes common sense when it comes to battle. Riol: ¡°Okay, everyone. Have you all gotten used to it? We¡¯ll start moving now.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes. Oh, by the way, Mr. Riol, I know this is out of the blue, but can I punch you later? I just now remembered how you took me on my first flight, and then threw me down to the ground.¡± Riol: ¡°What is it all of a sudden, Henry? That was so long ago. I apologized later that I acted too carelessly then. As a gentleman, you need to stop resorting to violence to resolve everything.¡± Are you saying that the way you just tossed everyone like a human cannonball was gentleman-like? You jerk¡­. Riol: ¡°And besides, that was a tactic we used many times after that. Why be angry about it now?¡± Henry: ¡°Well¡­¡­true, it was incredibly effective¡­¡± It¡¯s a huge advantage to be able to send reinforcements directly into the enemies¡¯ critical weak point. And while he¡¯s casting the {Guiding Bird}, Mr. Riol can¡¯t use any of his major Spells, but he can still cast Support Spells. And personally, I always enjoyed doing a surprise attack from above against a flying Demonic Creature-type. It always felt so good afterwards. Riol: ¡°Now then, let¡¯s stop wasting time, and get going.¡± With one swing of his staff, the bird made up of Spell Inscriptions began beating its wings. And with the sudden acceleration, the City of Flowtier was far behind us in an instant. Cyril: ¡°W©`Wow¡« It¡¯s so fast!¡± Jend: ¡°¡®Farewell, my hometown¡¯, I guess.¡± And Cyril and Jend both speak out their impressions. ¡­¡­..and with that, our long journey began. CH 124 Chapter 124: The Rescue The scenery flowed very quickly behind them at incredible speeds. Even though it¡¯s been only a minute, the Flowtier City disappeared behind them in the horizon, and as they saw new towns appear, they soon disappeared as well. Mr. Riol¡¯s {Guiding Bird} Spell is incredibly fast as always. Cyril: ¡°Wow¡«¡« we¡¯ll be there in no time at this rate.¡± Henry: ¡°How much time do you estimate that it will take until we reach Eastflair, Mr. Riol?¡± I has Mr. Riol who is holding the Spell together with his Spell Call Stone Staff. Normally, a Spell of this complexity and magnitude will take the entire focus of the individual casting it, and it would be a taboo to distract the Spellcaster in that case but¡­¡­.for Mr. Riol, it was something he could do with relative ease. Riol: ¡°Let¡¯s see. Well, there are many in the group who are not accustomed to flight, so assuming we take more breaks¡­¡­¡­around a half-day or so. We¡¯ll be there by evening.¡± Henry: ¡°A half day, huh.¡± Of course, that is unbelievable traveling speed. Normally, it would have taken us 2 to 3 days of running to Northerntier, one of the 4 Corner Cities. We would then have to schedule a trip on the Teleport gate which would take at least 2 days. Though we are not in a hurry, being able to cut down so much travel time is still a plus. Jend: ¡°This is amazing, Mr. Riol. By the way, how many people could you take with you at once?¡± Riol: ¡°About 30 probably. It will depend on how I am doing that day and can be a little more or less.¡± Jend pops the question, and Mr. Riol answers. Jend: ¡°If more people could do this kind of Spell, they could travel or carry imports and exports so much more easily.¡± Riol: ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. And I don¡¯t mind teaching this Spell, but I have not come across anyone who could learn it. I wish I could simplify the Spell Construction more but¡­¡­as you can expect, it¡¯s not that easy.¡± Jend is very good at carrying on a conversation, and Mr. Riol loves to teach people things. Their personalities are very compatible, and they continue to chat happily. Now then, how is everyone else doing? Henry: ¡°.......Teo, you¡¯re fidgeting a lot. Do you need a bathroom break?¡± Teo: ¡°No, I do not. I do not mind the height any more, but I get restless with my feet so far off the ground.¡± Henry: ¡°Ohhhh, yeah, I get that.¡± Right now, Mr. Riol has used his Magecraft to make us almost weightless. So it would almost feel like we¡¯re floating in water. We could move a little bit if he wanted to by moving our arms and legs, but we technically are not standing on any firm ground. Now that she mentions that, I¡¯m getting curious about this sensation too. Teo: ¡°In these circumstances, a meditative position is best.¡± And as she mumbles to herself, Teo crosses her legs in midair and began to take deep breaths and closed her eyes. Henry: ¡°.......are you really comfortable like that?¡± Teo: ¡°I am.¡± It looks like a really uncomfortable position no matter how I look at it, but I guess it can be for some people? I wondered about it and did a little meditating (or tried to at least), and Teo completely ignored her surroundings and remained concentrating on her posture and breathing. Well, if she is feeling comfortable doing so, then just let her. Henry: ¡°Cyril, Ferris, are you guys okay?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, I love this feeling. It¡¯s like being on a cloud.¡± Ferris: ¡°I don¡¯t like it or hate it. I am a little restless too, but I can ignore this much. I¡¯m sure with Teo¡¯s refined senses, it would be more difficult for her to adjust.¡± Hmmm, looks like there are no issues here. Cyril: ¡°But we¡¯re traveling so fast, but I don¡¯t feel the wind at all.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, simply put, it is a {Flight} Spell, but Mr. Riol put together many more kinds of Spells together.¡± As Mr. Riol mentioned before we left, there is a Camouflage Spell concealing us from view from underneath, and other Spells that prevent the winds from reaching us. He also casts a Spell to blow the wind directly behind us to propel us forward, and there are also a barrier to prevent attacks. Finally, I think he also adjusts the temperature as well. I was curious too and asked about it in the past, and I received an hour of Mr. Riol¡¯s lecture, and this is all I remember. Cyril: ¡°Wow¡«¡«¡± Henry: ¡°.......well, in Ligaleo, there are many flying Demonic Creatures, so if we had to deal with those, it would not be as pleasant of a trip.¡± Mr. Riol would have to change the Spells, and the Spell blocking the wind is usually the first to go. Having your hair blown in the wind like that makes it go all over the place too. As we chat to pass the time, we enjoy our trip in the sky. Suddenly, Mr. Riol looks distracted and concerned while speaking with Jend, and raises an alarm. Riol: ¡°Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°What is it, Mr. Riol?¡± His tone is serious. Did something happen? I nervously answer him as he calls my name. Riol: ¡°Two o¡¯clock from our position. It is still a little ways off, but a carriage is being attacked by Demonic Creatures.¡± Henry: ¡°.........I see it now.¡± In front of a horse-drawn carriage on the main road, a large Demonic Creature blocked the path. The guards of the carriage are fighting against it, but even from this distance, I can tell that they¡¯re at a disadvantage. ¡­¡­¡­we are pretty far from Flowtier. These kinds of situations do not happen in such peaceful territories, but it¡¯s not a rare sight in these parts. Riol: ¡°The enemy is a Dragonkin. We¡¯re going to assist them.¡± Henry: ¡°Understood.¡± They are Mid-Tier, Upper Class. They are lizards that are sometimes called Demi-Dragons. They are weaklings compared to the Upper-Tier, Upper-Class Dragons, but they are tough, strong, and even blow fire. They can be a difficult enemy. Riol: ¡°I will lower our altitude, and fly overhead. I will throw you at it, so just do something about it.¡± Henry: ¡°.......could you stop being so reckless with your plans? I got it though.¡± I took out my Nyoiten Spear, and changed it from a knife to a Spear shape. From our flying velocity, we¡¯ll be there in a second, so I let the Magic Power flow throughout my body as a quick warm-up. Jend: ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be of any help this time. We¡¯ll most likely get injured being dropped from this height.¡± Henry: ¡°Jend, it¡¯ll still be a good experience to be thrown out from this height.¡± Jend: ¡°.........are you sure? I highly doubt we¡¯ll gain much from doing anything like that.¡± W©`Well, if you¡¯re fighting with Mr. Riol in Ligaleo, then it¡¯s important experience¡­¡­¡­and it¡¯s only valuable in that one scenario only¡­¡­. Riol: ¡°Henry, 10 seconds till we arrive.¡± Before I can reply to Jend, we get very close to our destination, and I nod to Mr. Riol¡¯s words. Cyril: ¡°Henry, good luck!¡± I replied with a nod to Cyril¡­¡­..and I felt my weight suddenly return. The {Guiding Bird} continues at the same velocity, and I am thrown off in a diagonal, downwards angle. ¡­¡­¡­and with Mr. Riol¡¯s impeccable calculations, I am on course to be right above the Dragonkin. He¡¯s done this to me time and time again, and he¡¯s on point as expected. I ready my spear and make sure I don¡¯t slip off course. [GUH!? GAAHHHH?!?!] For now, I stab the Dragonkin from behind. Not expecting the attack, it was completely defenseless from my strike. With the velocity I gained from falling added to the spear, my spear breaks through the hard scales and digs deep into its flesh. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Fire] {Ignis} + [Fire] {Ignis}¡± [©`©`©`GyuuuaaaAAAAAA©`©`©`©`!!] Before it can shake me off, I use my Magecraft to create fire at the tip of my spear and burn it from the inside out. And even if it boasts in its physical stamina and toughness, the Dragonkin cannot help but recoil in pain at this. I calmly jump and dismount from its back. ¡°Wha©` Huh? What?¡± Henry: ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Y©`Yes, hell¡­..o?¡± I greet the guards who were fighting against the Dragonkin in a friendly manner, but they are all completely confused. I see Adventurer tags, so they must be the same as me. From their gear, they are probably established Adventurers, but a Mid-Tier will be difficult for them. ¡­¡­..well, here, the Corrupted Magic Power is still lighter. Normally, guards at their level should be able to take care of most problems, but they got unlucky. Henry: ¡°We¡¯ll talk after this is done.¡± Though I burned one of its organs, the Dragonkin is still alive. I don¡¯t think it can fight that well after that attack, but it was still glaring intently at us. Henry: ¡°......it¡¯s time to finish you.¡± I close the distance instantly, and thrust my spear into the Dragonkin to end its life. <<<<>>>> Riol: ¡°Thank you for sharing your meal with us.¡± ¡°Of course, of course! You all saved our lives after all! This is the least we can do. Besides, having an opportunity to express my thanks to our Hero of Legend is the greatest honor of my life!¡± As Mr. Riol relays his gratitude, the owner of the horse-drawn carriage, the Merchant, Mr. Paul, rubs his hands together as he speaks quickly and nervously. As soon as Mr. Riol told him who he was, Mr. Paul began acting this way. ¡­¡­¡­well, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s thinking about the benefits as a merchant to have ties with a Hero of Legend. He¡¯s not doing anything illegal, so I just leave them alone. And it was very kind of him to share some of the food supplies he was carrying in the wagon with us. Henry: ¡°So Rick, Edward. Did you get a chance to calm down?¡± ¡°Y©`Yes. Thank you.¡± ¡°Y©`You really saved us back there. Thank you very much.¡± The two guards were trembling inside their gear, but they seemed to have calmed down a bit. I got to learn their names, but they just now loosened up enough to talk. But that¡¯s expected. From these two¡¯s strength, a Dragonkin would have been the end of them. They¡¯re still young, so the fact that all they did was shake a bit means they have more courage than most. Cyril: ¡°Henry, all that¡¯s left is to let the soup boil for a bit.¡± Henry: ¡°Thanks. Then please serve these two brave heroes who did not run from the Dragonkin today.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay©`¡± Cyril, who was making the soup, responds energetically. ¡°W©`We¡¯re not heroes.¡± Henry: ¡°No, I admire your courage. In that situation, you both made the Dragonkin stop in its tracks.¡± They could have easily abandoned the carriage if they wanted to. And honestly, in that situation, they should have grabbed Mr. Paul and ran, but saying that now would come across as rude. Jend: ¡°But a Dragonkin spawned in this area? ¡­¡­¡­.I know my family wanted to extend our business route to these parts, but I¡¯ll have to let them know in a letter soon.¡± Edward: ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯ve never heard of one coming out on the main road. They usually appear in the far depths of the mountains though. Um¡­.?¡± Edward instinctively answers Jend who was talking to himself, but I was the only one who introduced myself in my Party, so he didn¡¯t know how to address Jend. Jend: ¡°Oh©`©` um, I¡¯m jend. The girl making the soup over there is Cyril, and the tall one standing guard is Ferris, and the little one is Teo.¡± Edward: ¡°Y©`Yes, I¡¯m Edward.¡± Rick: ¡°I¡¯m Rick, Mr. Jend.¡± And Jend waves his hand in front of him. Jend: ¡°I¡¯m only 16, so we must be close in age right? You don¡¯t have to be so formal.¡± Edward: ¡°Is¡­that right?¡± Rick: ¡°But if you¡¯re in Mr. Henry¡¯s Party, you must be really strong.¡± Jend: ¡°I can¡¯t say that I don¡¯t have confidence in my skill, but I¡¯m still not at Henry¡¯s level. We have some history together and that¡¯s why I¡¯m in his Party¡­¡­..but he¡¯s one of my first goals.¡± Whoa, having someone tell you that you¡¯re their goal makes you want to straighten your back naturally. ¡­¡­.and to be honest, with only weapons, Jend is fairly close to exceeding me, but¡­..no, I¡¯m still just a tiny bit ahead of him. But putting that aside. Henry: ¡°Alright, Jend. I¡¯m going to patrol the area. The Dragonkin might not have been alone.¡± Jend: ¡°Be careful¡­¡­.or rather, I guess you¡¯ll be fine regardless.¡± Henry: ¡°No, thanks for the warning.¡± I¡¯m sure with me gone, it¡¯ll be easier for the other two guards to speak with Jend. With that in mind, I decided to go scout. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Henry. If you find any edible herbs, please go gather some. I want some greens in this soup.¡± Cyril: ¡°Sure thing©`¡± I waved my hand at Cyril¡¯s request and ran off into the distance. ©`©`and though we had an incident like that©`©` Riol: ¡°Everyone, we have arrived. Here, we¡¯ll land in a spot with nobody around, so wait for a moment.¡± As planned, we arrived in Eastflair around the evening. From the air, I could see many training fields scattered throughout the city. There were training grounds for swords, spears, bows, and martial arts¡­¡­and there were many people training in each location. It is the City of Strength and Blood. And we all descended into the City aptly named so. CH 125 Chapter 125: The Evening in Eastflair Jend: ¡°I guess we¡¯ll start with looking for an inn? The guard told me there¡¯s a lot of inns here, so we should be able to find one pretty easily.¡± We finished all the paperwork at the Main gate, and entered into the City of Eastflair. As soon as we were in, Jend made the suggestion first thing. Henry: ¡°Yeah, I think you¡¯re right. This is my first time in town, but I¡¯ve heard rumors. There¡¯s a lot of Adventurers who come here to do training for short periods, so they have many inns to accommodate them.¡± I say short periods, but it could be a 1 month course, 3 month course, or even a half-year course. So they have the courses meticulously broken down, and of course, depending on where you go to train, they may have their own unique system. The most strangest course would be the one where you would go to a different dojo every week, and you would spend around 1 to 3 years learning all the various styles and weapons to become the [Martial and Weapon Arts Master] Course. Riol: ¡°I have an idea of where the inns are generally concentrated in this city. I can take the lead and guide you all there.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, Mr. Riol, thank you so much.¡± Mr. Riol will also be spending a night in Eastflair. If it¡¯s Mr. Riol, he could fly overnight and Ligaleo, but he decided to stay the night. And since he has lived quite the long life, he has visited this town before, so we followed his lead as we walked through town. Teo: ¡°Besides that though¡­¡­even though it is a bigger town than Flowtier¡­¡­it¡¯s a very sweaty place here.¡± And Teo¡¯s dishes out her honest first impressions of town. ¡­¡­.and no, it doesn¡¯t exactly smell like sweat here. It¡¯s just that half the people who are walking the streets are extremely well built martial artists, and many of the stores are weapons and armor stores, and almost every block has a dojo¡­¡­..it¡¯s likely that the ¡°sweaty¡± impression was pertaining more to that atmosphere. And I understand what she¡¯s saying too. But let¡¯s not speak those kinds of thoughts out loud. Ferris: ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t particularly dislike it.¡± Cyril: ¡°Miss Ferris might feel that way, but Miss Cyril doesn¡¯t particularly care for this either.¡± And the rest of the females also convey their first impressions. ¡­¡­¡­and I can see why Cyril would feel that way too. Jend: ¡°Oh! What¡¯s going on over there?¡± Henry: ¡°Hm?¡± Jend brings our attention to something nearby. Henry: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jend: ¡°No, that man over there. ¡­¡­.he put up some sort of sign and drew a circle around him. It doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s about to do a street show, but I wonder what he¡¯s up to?¡± ? It¡¯s true. Just as Jend pointed out, there is a man standing feet apart and proudly inside a large circle. The circle seems to impede some of the street traffic as people are avoiding stepping inside it, but¡­¡­.no one seems to particularly mind. Riol: ¡°Ohh, that. That is a call for a Street Match.¡± Henry: ¡°........Mr. Riol¡­¡­what did you say he¡¯s doing?¡± Riol: ¡°He¡¯s asking for a participant to do a Street Match. In short, he¡¯s asking every passerby, ¡®Will you fight with me?¡¯ And they would usually write down the conditions for the fight on the sign. ¡­¡­¡­.that sounds idiotic. I mean, I understand that Practice Matches are great for learning combat skills. But asking anyone and everyone for a fight seems extremely dangerous. What are you going to do when someone much stronger than you steps forward? Jend: ¡°Oh, I see. Let¡¯s see then¡­¡± ¡­¡­¡­.is what I thought, but¡­. One of our Party members, Jend, can be quite reckless when it comes to fighting. He began curiously heading towards the man with the Street Match sign. ¡°Oh, young one. Looks like you just arrived in town today, but do you wish to take on my challenge? This time, the fight will be conducted only with your weapon. No Magic Powers will be allowed. If you lose to me, there are no penalties, but if you beat me, I will bestow upon you 2,000 zeniths.¡± So there¡¯s a reward too? I guess that makes sense. Otherwise, why would anyone bother? If you¡¯re not particularly craving to fight, you would just walk by without a second glance. ¡°You can find more specific rules written on the sign.¡± ¡­¡­.looking over the rules, they are sound and fair. You cannot intentionally cause severe injury to your opponent. You will leave all resentment and hatred towards your opponent inside the ring after the match is over, and if you do get injured, that will be your own personal responsibility. Stuff like that. Jend seems to be thinking it over pretty carefully, and the people walking by pause to see what he¡¯ll do. There¡¯s even some telling him ¡°Do it©`! Go for it©`!¡± and encouraging him. ¡­¡­¡­if Jend decides to go for it, I guess they¡¯ll stop and watch. Jend: ¡°Oh, sorry everyone. Could you wait here for a little bit?¡± Cyril: ¡°That¡¯s fine, but if you¡¯re going to try, you better win.¡± Jend: ¡°Of course!¡± And with Cyril¡¯s encouragement, Jend smiles as he cracks his knuckles. Ferris: ¡°Jend.¡± Jend: ¡°.......yup!¡± And Ferris only said his name, but¡­¡­it riled up Jend even more as he slapped his cheeks hard and drew out his large broad sword. Henry: ¡°Sheesh. I guess we¡¯ll just stand by and observe.¡± Riol: ¡°Henry, what do you think has the advantage? Martial Arts is outside my expertise.¡± Henry: ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡­.¡± At Mr. Riol¡¯s bequest, I look at both sides and think. ¡­¡­¡­the warrior who was looking for opponents uses a spear. As someone who uses a spear, I take a good look at him to determine his strength level. Henry: ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think Jend will have any problems.¡± Riol: ¡°I see. Then we can watch without concerns.¡± Jend and the Spear User stood inside the circle. There is technically an out of bounds rule too. ¡°Then I will introduce myself. I am Jaygun, a user of the Rheinbach Style.¡± Jend; ¡°I am Jend, a user of the Single Blade of the Fire God.¡± As they finish introductions, they both ready their weapons. Jaygun: ¡°Hey! Can someone signal the start of the match?!¡± Jaygun yells out into the crowd, and one of the observers stepped forward with, ¡°Then I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡­¡­and I guess all the citizens here are used to this. Do they have a lot of these Street Fights? ¡­¡­..it¡¯s such a different culture. As I look upon the crowd half-exasperated and half-impressed, the volunteer lifted his hand into the air¡­¡­..and then dropped it. ¡°Begin!!¡± And the Street Fight at the edge of the street began. <<<<>>>> We were delayed slightly from Jend¡¯s Street Fight, but we found an inn for tonight. There were many inns available, but we also wanted to go ahead and eat dinner, so we chose an inn that was similar to the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn and had a diner on the 1st floor. While looking for the inn, though it was right around sundown, the place was full of people. And judging from how many patrons the diner had, it must be pretty good. The pickles they served as appetizers were quite delicious. Jend: ¡°He he, so goo¡«d¡± Jend takes a long sip of his ale and smiles wrly. Coincidentally, an observer of his Street Fight came in, and bought him a drink for ¡°giving him a good show.¡± ¡­¡­..so it was a drink of victory or something of the sort. With the Street Fight against Jaygun, he was well-trained and pretty strong, but Jend held the advantage from beginning to end and dominated the fight with his attacks. Jend is a pretty large man with a style that is exciting to watch, and the crowds loved him. When the fight was over, he received a loud ovation from everyone around. ¡­¡­..in a regular town, if you make such a commotion in the street, the guards may immediately get summoned, but there were no signs of them here. The City lives up to its gritty nickname of the City of Strength and Blood. Henry: ¡°Okay then. Let¡¯s go ahead and confirm our schedule as we eat©`¡± All of my Party members turn their attention to me as I speak, and Mr. Riol has separate traveling plans from us so is enjoying his coffee privately without an ounce of attention on us. Henry: ¡°I know besides Cyril and myself, you all plan to join a short-term training program here, but that¡¯ll be for later. Firstly, we¡¯re heading to the Dwarves'' mountain. It¡¯s about a half-day run east of Eastflair. And we¡¯ll approach the Varsaldi Empire¡¯s border from there.¡± And one step over that border and we¡¯ll enter the Dwarves'' Mountain¡­¡­.the official name is the [The Great Mountain of the God of Mines.] If we were heading on the regular trade route, we¡¯ll have to go around the southern tip of the mountain range to get around it, but if we are heading to the Dwarves'' Mountain itself, then we can head straight there. Henry: ¡°I guess you can call it an entrance to the Dwarves'' Mountain at the foot of the mountain itself? Anyways, there¡¯s a border point a little bit before that where we¡¯ll fill out our paperwork and then enter the mountain. We¡¯ll try to get to the Dwarves'' City, the Mountain Vein City of Gangardo, the next day if possible.¡± ¡­¡­¡­from the Alvenia Kingdom, the entrance to the town is actually very far, and you would have to cross over several mountains. From the Varsaldi Empire, it¡¯s a bit closer, but you still have to circumvent the mountain range, and from Eastflair, it¡¯s faster than going through the Empire. Cyril: ¡°A mountain hike¡­¡­..I see. I know we¡¯re used to it with the Altohern Mountain, but just imagining the hike makes me tired.¡± As she hears our schedule, Cyril looks a little discouraged. Henry: ¡°If fatigue is the only thing we need to worry about, that would be the best case scenario. If we¡¯re not carefully, we may get ambushed by an Orichalcum Golem¡­¡­¡­Teo, you and I will double check and secure our route every 30 minutes.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, understood.¡± The Dwarves'' Mountain is 80% Demonic Territory, but there are also routes where Demonic Creatures do not appear as often. If the entire Mountain Region was covered in Upper-Tier, Upper-Class Creatures, you¡¯ll need to have a significantly good Adventurer or Knight to guard you to the city, so this is normal. Just on these routes, they¡¯ll regularly clear out and purify the region. And so, we¡¯ll need to be extra careful to stick to the route. There should be signs that can guide us, but if we don¡¯t confirm ourselves¡­¡­¡­for instance, there may be creatures that destroy the signs or some really nasty pranks that would write over the correct information. In those cases, we¡¯ll be in real trouble. Yes, we are here to hunt down these Golems, but that can wait until we first establish ourselves in Gangardo. Henry: ¡°Oh, and we¡¯ll probably spend one night outdoors, and there are rest spots for specifically travelers from the Alvenia Kingdom, so arriving at that destination will be our goal tomorrow¡­¡­¡­.and that should be it.¡± All of the other finer details have been determined before we left. We just need to confirm the main details, and we don¡¯t need to go over everything again. I especially made sure to go over how to deal with the Demonic Creatures that will appear in the Dwarves'' Mountain region. Henry: ¡°Alright, then this is to our success from tomorrow on. Cheers, everyone.¡± I lift my mug, and everyone raises theirs as well. We chug down an ale that is much more rich in taste than the ones in Flowtier and ordered more. Now then, in order to regain our strength for tomorrow, I need to make sure to eat plenty. ¡­¡­¡­and not knowing what tomorrow will bring, I nonchalantly thought so without much concern or care. And the night in Eastflair passed by just like that. CH 126 Chapter 126: The Grand Mountain of the God of Mines So we spent one night in Eastflair, and after parting with Mr. Riol, our Party departed for the Dwarve¡¯s Mountains. We made good progress, and even at the border crossing point, I was prepared this time. Unlike the time when I went to go see Yuu in the Salaiz Republic, they didn¡¯t question me heavily about being a Heroic Warrior entering their country. And after we crossed the border©`©` Cyril: ¡°Oh¡­OH¡« It¡¯s¡­.it¡¯s hard to express, but it¡¯s so¡­..grand-looking.¡± And with the mountain range in sight, Cyril remained still in awe of the view. ©`©`the Grand Mountain of the God of the Mines in the Varsaldi Empire. The Altohern Mountain is a pretty tall mountain, but there were several mountains here that matched it all lined in a row. It was one of those views that reminded you of how amazingly large our world was. I saw it from afar, but now that we have walked closer to it, the mountains stood intimidatingly before us. Ferris: ¡°Yes, if the sight is this beautiful, I wonder why they can¡¯t attract tourists here.¡± Jend: ¡°No, that¡¯ll be impossible, Ferris. Look over there.¡± Jend points a finger towards the mountain. There, we saw a single Mid-Tier, Upper Class Demonic Creature. It did notice our Party, but I assume it¡¯s a scout for a bigger group. Ferris: ¡°.........you¡¯re right. I guess it¡¯ll be difficult to make a Demonic Territory into a tourist attraction.¡± Teo: ¡°We were attacked a few times by Demonic Creatures on the way here too.¡± Ferris: ¡°Yes, but because you found them so quickly, we were able to deal with them with ease. Thank you.¡± Teo: ¡°That is my job.¡± Though Teo brushed off the compliment, she looked happy to hear it. Henry: ¡°Okay then.. We¡¯ll be entering the Dwarve¡¯s Mountain range soon, so let¡¯s review our notes while we walk.¡± I take out the memo from my pouch and flip through the pages. Henry: ¡°The Demonic Creatures that appear here are Golem-type Creatures, and other kinds are the Demonic Monkeys you just saw in the distance. There are also Dragonkin, Treants, Wood Serpents, and Man-Eating Flowers¡­¡­..that should be all. Or at least, the ones we should be cautious about. But besides the Upper-Tier Golems, the rest are Mid-Tier and below, so as long as we are cautious, there shouldn¡¯t be any issues.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, I remember all of it. We have been studying how to counter each type for a while now!¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, yes. I love your enthusiasm, but don¡¯t wear yourself out before we even get to the mountain, Cyril.¡± And there are way too many Lower-Tier Creatures to even bother studying, so we skipped that part. I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ll have any trouble with those with this Party¡­¡­..but overconfidence is the first step to tripping and falling all over ourselves. But I think everyone is aware of that as well. Henry: ¡°Then we¡¯ll proceed as planned. Teo will scout ahead, and I will take the rear. Jend, Ferris, stay ahead and behind Cyril and keep that formation.¡± Jend: ¡°Got it. Leave it to us.¡± Well, this is our most natural formation with this party. Teo will be our scout ahead, I¡¯ll keep watch for anything trying to attack us from behind. And Cyril is the most fragile out of the group, so the remaining two will make sure to protect her. Before we head towards the mountain again, we change our formation and walk for a few more minutes. Teo: ¡°I see the entrance to the mountain up ahead.¡± Henry: ¡°........sheesh, it¡¯s not so obvious, is it?¡± Up ahead, Teo finds the entrance to the mountain trail and points it out with her finger, but I wouldn¡¯t have noticed until I was gotten closer. The trees to the mountain just barely stop at a certain point. Annnnnnd looking more closely, you¡¯ll see that there is a small sign standing there. It¡¯s likely to be the sign for the entrance. Ferris: ¡°Well, they did say there¡¯s not many people who go to the Dwarve¡¯s Mountain from this direction any more.¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s right. The guy at the border crossing was saying how besides us, nobody has crossed there in a while.¡± If you wanted to go to the Dwarve¡¯s Mountain from the Alvenia Kingdom, you would have to cross that border point. But the guards there seemed really bored. Still, a Dwarven Merchant would come from the Dwarve¡¯s Mountain 2 to 3 times a month to sell weapons and armor in Alvenia, but in these last couple of weeks, they haven¡¯t seen any traffic from that direction either. Henry: ¡°Hmmmm©`©`¡± Well, the Dwarves have their own circumstances too, so maybe I¡¯m overthinking this¡­..something seems off to me, but¡­..for now, all I can do is just be a little more careful. And as I prepare myself mentally, we arrive at the entrance. Henry: ¡°.......okay, we¡¯re going in. Everyone, we may be attacked immediately by a Demonic Monkey pack as soon as we enter so be on your guard.¡± Everyone responded as they nodded back at me. And we stepped inside the Dwarve¡¯s Mountain. <<<<>>>> We were walking up a path that was made by people walking over it over and over again, and we headed in the direction that would take us between two mountains. In the beginning, the trees were in the way, and it was difficult to see around us, but going in further, there were many bald spots on the mountain where it was easy to see ahead. We had a few fights with Demonic Creatures up until now, but we were able to repel them with no issue. Henry: ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡± And we found an open field on our way, so we ate lunch at that spot. Since we might be attacked by Demonic Creatures at any time, we have to take turns eating, so Jend and Teo are currently on guard. Even so, our lunch is a simple soup and hard bread. We ate it quickly within a few minutes. Ferris: ¡°Mr. Henry, here¡¯s your tea.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, thanks, Ferris.¡± I take a cup from Ferris that has a very unique scent coming out of it. It¡¯s a thick cup designed to be sturdy, and I sip the tea slowly. It¡¯s an herb tea that is good to relieve fatigue, and it does have a bitter, acquired taste to it. Once you put enough honey though, it¡¯s easy to drink. And I take a breather¡­¡­¡­¡­and as I sit there, that one thing keeps coming to mind. Henry: ¡°Hmmmmm©`©`¡± Cyril: ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Henry? Are you hurt somewhere?¡± Cyril speaks up as she sees me think. Henry: ¡°No, when we first entered the mountains, you saw the Demonic Monkey looking at us, right? It¡¯s strange that we still haven¡¯t encountered its pack.¡± Out of all the encounters we had so far, we haven¡¯t encountered the Demonic Monkeys yet. Cyril: ¡°Is it that strange? I¡¯m certain that they saw me drop a huge Spell and decided to avoid us!¡± And Cyril takes a weird victory pose. Sometimes, I really can¡¯t follow this girl¡¯s body language. Henry: ¡°The Demonic Monkeys are very aggressive and territorial Creatures, so I can¡¯t imagine that being the case¡­¡­..but maybe the Demonic Monkeys in this region are different? There is always that possibility.¡± Cyril: ¡°I see. I think I remember hearing something similar in the past.¡± Henry: ¡°The Killer Dogs appear in a lot of regions, so it¡¯s easier to see the differences.¡± Though they always form packs, the number in their packs and fighting strategy would be different depending on the region. In a rare instance, some would try to guide their prey into a trap hole they dug inside the ground. Ferris: ¡°Hmmm, that is interesting. Mr. Henry, how are they in Ligaleo?¡± Henry: ¡°There, there¡¯s really not any unique Demonic Creatures that act outside the norms. Over there, their behavior is pretty standard.¡± Instead, we get EVERYTHING from the Lowest to the Highest Tier though! ¡­¡­¡­no, really. Everything except those Creatures who can¡¯t live outside of water will appear there. The Corrupted Magic Types are all intermingled into camouflage-like patterns, and constantly change. In that town, if you can¡¯t adapt, you die. But as far as our Party is concerned, we¡¯re doing well for this being our very first time inside these mountains, so we should be fine in Ligaleo. If we get Ageha into our Party temporarily, we can avoid most disastrous situations. Now that Ligaleo is coming up in the near future, there¡¯s a lot of things I¡¯ve been thinking about. ¡­¡­and I discuss this and that with Ferris as I think through the information. Cyril is also curiously listening, and Jend and Teo who are on watch are turning one curious ear in our direction. Ferris: ¡°I see. Thank you. It looks like we¡¯ll really have to be on our guard when we get there.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m sure there are going to be many times we¡¯ll get injured too, so we¡¯ll be counting on you then.¡± Ferris: ¡°It¡¯ll be best to avoid injury altogether, but you can count on me.¡± Okay, we¡¯ve finished talking, and I was done with my tea, so it¡¯s time to trade places with Jend and Teo. Henry: ¡°Jend, Teo, let¡¯s switch so you can eat.¡± Jend: ¡°Sure.¡± Teo: ¡°Understood.¡± I high-five the two as we switch. Ferris and I will be on watch now. Since Cyril has the least amount of stamina out of all of us, she¡¯ll continue to rest. I know it may sound unfair, but everyone serves a different role in Parties so this can¡¯t be helped. Henry: ¡°Okay, Ferris. Go clockwise from this point, and take your time as you look around. I¡¯ll do the same from the other side.¡± Ferris: ¡°Understood.¡± There are not that many trees in this area, and we can see pretty clearly in all directions, so we don¡¯t have to be too worried. ¡­¡­¡­..unless it¡¯s an extremely quick Demonic Creature that can close in the distance from a point too far to see in an instant. But there shouldn¡¯t be any Creatures like that on this mountain so we should be okay. Ferris: ¡°........Mr. Henry, over there.¡± As soon as we were beginning our watch, Ferris calls out for me with some nervousness in her voice. Henry: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? ¡­¡­oh, Demonic Monkeys.¡± 2, 4, 6¡­¡­.a pack of 11 is coming slowly this way. ¡­¡­is it the first pack we ran into in the beginning? It took them a very long time to respond, so I wonder if their pack was really far away? Or were they watching us this entire time and decided to attack us while we ate? Regardless, looks like they¡¯re looking for a fight. Jend: ¡°Enemies?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, sorry to interrupt your meal, but let¡¯s get ready.¡± Jend swallows the mouthful of bread quickly, and stands next to me. Jend: ¡°Well, the food will taste better after some exercise and an emptier stomach.¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down. There¡¯s something strange about their movements. They might fight differently than other Demonic Monkeys.¡± Jend: ¡°Got it.¡± Jend pulls out his large broadsword. Behind us, Cyril begins singing to prepare her Magic Spell. Teo took our her bow and took aim. Ferris remained near Cyril to stand guard. Henry: ¡°.......they¡¯re coming!¡± Once they reached a certain distance, they began shooting out towards us. ¡­¡­¡­? There¡¯s one that isn¡¯t moving from its spot? ¡­¡­.no, I can¡¯t be thinking about that now.¡± Henry: ¡°There!¡± I throw my Spear. It splits into 10 separate spears on the way. ¡­¡­.I was able to take down 5. Out of the ones remaining, 3 took a hit, but the injury is light, and the other two are unscathed. ¡­¡­¡­dang it. I guess from this distance, a Demonic Creature with high agility like the Demonic Monkey would be able to avoid my throws. But I took out half. I brought the Spear back into my hand and got ready for the confrontation. ¡­¡­.I kept an eye on the one that didn¡¯t move from its spot, and we began our fight with the Demonic Monkeys. <<<<>>>> The fight ended in an instant. Out of the 5 that came our way, I took out two, Jend took out one, and Teo shot at two more when Cyril¡¯s Spell hit and wiped out the group. Our Party has reached a point where even Demonic Monkeys are no trouble at all. Jend: ¡°Fwew¡­¡­¡± Jend swung his sword to shake off the blood on the blade. The Demonic Creatures¡¯ blood will turn into Corrupted Magic and disappear, but it¡¯s more of a mental thing. I do it too. It feels gross to wait for the blood to evaporate. Cyril: ¡°Hmmm, I want to use a bigger Spell.¡± Teo: ¡°Please don¡¯t needlessly destroy nature.¡± Ferris: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. When the time comes, your Spell power is a critical weapon for our Party. There¡¯s no need to pout.¡± And I hear the women talking behind us. Hmmmmmmmmm. Henry: ¡°That Demonic Monkey didn¡¯t move at all till the end. It just ran away after that.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, I was thinking that it was looking for a time to attack, but it didn¡¯t do anything. The battle may have been too brief, and maybe it thought it lost its timing.¡± I listen to Jend, but something keeps bothering me. It¡¯s not that Jend¡¯s idea is off-base. If it was any other time, I would have thought the same too. But something¡­¡­my 10 years of experience as an Adventurer is trying to warn me about something. But I shouldn¡¯t expect my Party who is just about to reach their first year as Adventurers to understand. But nothing has happened that is cause for us to turn immediately back. There¡¯s nothing else to do except to be more on guard. Henry: ¡°........what¡¯s going on here¡­.?¡± Something doesn¡¯t seem right with the Dwarve¡¯s Mountain. I took hold of my Nyoiten Spear in hand and stared intently at the mountain ahead of us. CH 127 Chapter 127: The Lord of the Demonic Apes <<<<>>>> *CHONKY TL Notes: Changing ¡°Demonic Monkeys¡± to ¡°Demonic Apes¡± <<<<>>>> After defeating the Demonic Apes, going to the Dwarven Town of Gungard was unimaginably smooth. Though we were weary that the one Demonic Ape who escaped would bring back more company, since then, we were not attacked by any Demonic Creatures at all. Before starting our journey here, we planned for the initial days to be filled with Demonic Creature attacks. We arrived 3 hours early and before nightfall to the location where we planned to camp. We went back and forth about this, but in the end, we decided to move forward to gain more ground. Henry: ¡°..........something¡¯s not right.¡± Cyril: ¡°? What¡¯s wrong, Henry? You look really tense.¡± It was getting close to sundown, and we placed our tent near the shade of a large rock. As we prepared for camp¡­¡­¡­I was weary and paid very close attention to our surroundings. Henry: ¡°Since the Demonic Ape attack around noon, we haven¡¯t been attacked once by Demonic Creatures since.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. I guess by looking at you¡­¡­we weren¡¯t just lucky then?¡± Henry: ¡°Of course, there is a good chance, that it was just good fortune.¡± The closer we get to the town of Gungard, they would be regularly purifying the area©`©`in short, the chances of running into Demonic Creatures should lessen, and there should be more safe zones. That is the reason why we prioritized going further than planned but¡­¡­. Henry: ¡°......everyone, gather here quickly.¡± I decided to explain to them the uneasy feeling I have been getting. At best, I would be wrong, and they can make fun of me all they want. But even then, I don¡¯t know if it will really happen©`©`or not even happen for that matter©`©`at this point, I have no idea. I realized how unhelpful my explanation was at even convincing myself. Jend: ¡°.......hey, Henry. I don¡¯t understand what is going on, but I know those Demonic Apes were acting weird, and they might be dangerous. I understand that much, and how that can be dangerous, but otherwise, you¡¯re being too vague.¡± And Jend was first to speak out his confusion. Ferris: ¡°If Mr. Henry, who has the most experience out of all of us is saying it, I¡¯m sure that he¡¯s not just saying this without any basis.¡± Henry: ¡°No, sorry Ferris. I don¡¯t have any concrete proof or evidence. This is all purely my instinct.¡± Ferris: ¡°W©`Well, you can¡­..so¡­¡­not underestimate instinct¡­..either¡­..¡± And Ferris¡¯ support gradually lost steam. Cyril: ¡°I do feel like Henry¡¯s a little out of touch with reality but isn¡¯t it always better to be careful and play it safe?¡± Y©`Yes, yes. It¡¯s just like Cyril says. We¡¯re in a different location, and there¡¯s no way we can be overly careful. And I thought the group came to a loose consensus when©`©` Teo: ¡°.......hm, I agree with Mr. Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Teo?¡± Teo¡¯s eyes sharpened ferociously as she placed one finger over her mouth as she whispered¡­¡­..out of all of us, Teo was the one who was most on guard. I could feel her nervous tension that made my hair ripple and stand straight up. Teo: ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling uneasy for a little while, and now that Mr. Henry mentioned it, I finally realized¡­¡­..this is probably the same Demonic Ape from before. We are being watched.¡± Watched, huh. I couldn¡¯t even tell that much. Compared to Ageha, my ability and range to detect other presences is smaller, and now, I¡¯m certain that Teo is better at this than I am. I knew she had plenty of talent and potential, but this was proof that she exceeded my skills at some point. Teo: ¡°After concentrating for a bit, I confirmed that it¡¯s not just one. And¡­¡­..I hope this is just my misunderstanding, but one presence in particular feels like it is on another level.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.and being a friend of that genius, Lana, she has incredibly scary talent. It¡¯s good to have her on our side. Henry: ¡°.......Teo, from which direction?¡± Teo: ¡°From my perspective, behind and to the left. Towards the west.¡± Without moving my neck, I glance with just my eyes in that direction. Far in the distance, well beyond my presence detection ability, looking closely at that single point, I see a faint shadow barely move. It¡¯s even harder to see it with the sun with its back¡­¡­¡­is it putting that into calculation? Henry: ¡°.........I confirmed it. I don¡¯t know how many, but at the very least, it¡¯s a small pack. They probably planned to ambush us during the night.¡± During the night, there¡¯s no use comparing between Demonic Creatures and Humans on who holds the advantage. If we get ambushed at night, we would be severely disadvantaged. And though the Demonic Apes are intelligent and highly aggressive, they typically do not wait for nightfall. I hope it¡¯s just a rare habit they picked up being around the Dwarven Mountain¡­¡­..but what comes immediately to my mind is a presence that is ¡°higher-tier¡± than the rest. That specific type is even more shrewd and clever than Demonic Apes and can run laps around humans. Jend: ¡°........what are we going to do, Henry? If it¡¯s just a few Demonic Apes, there shouldn¡¯t be any problem.¡± Henry: ¡°We¡¯re going to put full faith in Teo¡¯s assessment that ¡®one of the presences feels different.¡¯ We¡¯re going all out.¡± The absolute worst case scenario crosses my mind. It¡¯s hard to suppress my anxiety, but I slowly and discreetly take out my Ability Enhancing Potions from my waist pouch. Henry: ¡°I¡¯ll go with Strength, Speed, Stamina, and Sense enhancement¡­¡­.and go from there.¡± I can only take 6 Potions max. I¡¯m not trying to be frugal stopping at four, but depending on my opponent, the next two Potion selections will change. An opponent that won¡¯t even let me drink these potions¡­¡­¡­and that¡¯s possible, but if I drink this much, then I can at least hold it off. Jend: ¡°........wait, if you¡¯re going that far, that means¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°There¡¯s the possibility that it¡¯s the Highest-Tier. ¡­¡­¡­if its leading a pack of Demonic Apes, then it¡¯s©`©`¡± But before I could finish speaking, the Demonic Apes began scrambling out of hiding and charged forwards to ambush us. Teo: ¡°©`©`!! They seemed to realize that we noticed their presence!¡± Teo¡¯s shout pierced the air as she grabbed her bow from her back. I took one look at the Ape leading the pack, and realized that my worst case scenario just came true. Henry: ¡°UGHHHHH¡«!! I knew it!¡± It was at least twice as big as the Demonic Apes around it. It was the first time seeing one, but I¡¯ve heard the rumors and read the reports that matched its description. It held a metal pole made from its own Magic Power, and from its Corrupted Magic aura, it created more Demonic Apes .©`©` one of the Highest-Tier Demonic Creatures. Henry: ¡°It¡¯s a Hanuman! Everyone, be on guard!!¡± As I spoke, I cast two [Strengthen] {Hazac} upon myself. And with my full out spear throw, the battle began. <<<<>>>> [Kiiiiiiiii©`©`©`©`!!] My spear split into 14 clones, and screaming at a high pitch, the Hanuman swung its Nyoibo Staff to deflect them. Some spears shot past it and struck the Demonic Apes behind it, but only one hit the Hanuman, and it only glanced it at that. It responded to my attack as if it was expecting it¡­¡­.it must have been that one Demonic Ape scout who reported back and told the Hanuman about it! Henry: ¡°UGH!! Everyone, I need you to take out the Demonic Apes! Leave the Hanuman to me!¡± Jend: ¡°You¡¯re taking a Highest-Tier alone?! That¡¯s too much even for you!!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going to be in a really tight spot, so as soon as you take care of the Demonic Apes, I need your support!¡± I can only respond pitifully to Jend¡¯s protest. But right now, only I can face that. Everyone is stronger, but it¡¯s still way too soon to fight a Highest-Tier! Henry: ¡°Cyril! We¡¯ll split them up first!¡± Cyril: ¡°Understood!¡± Cyril began singing her Spell incantation as soon as Teo shouted her warning, and she answered confidently to my command. Cyril: ¡°{Meteo-Flare}!¡± With words of power, Cyril swung down her staff. Hearing that, I began running at the same time. [©`©`©`Giiiiii!!] Henry: ¡°Take that!!¡± With the momentum pushing me forward, I lengthened the Nyoiten Spear to its maximum length and thrust it forward. The Hanuman deflected it with its own staff, and also countered me with a similar weapon that can lengthen and shorten like mine. I let the Nyoiten Spear go from my hand¡­¡­.and with the ability to draw it back, and with some luck, I was able to block the Hanuman¡¯s attack with the spear in a new position and held his staff for a moment. ¡­¡­¡­¡­then, Cyril¡¯s balls of flame came crashing down around us. The few Demonic Apes that tried to assist its master were all burnt to a crisp. Jend: ¡°You¡¯ll have to deal with us first!¡± Teo: ¡°Mr. Henry! Move towards your right!¡± Jend¡¯s shout gathers the rest of the pack¡¯s attention, and Teo¡¯s throws out a command. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac}!¡± I cast two layers of Strength-enhancing Magecraft on my arms. With the Strength-Enhancing Potions already at work, it felt like my arm was about to burst, but I ignored the pain. I push against the Hanuman with my spear against its staff to try and move it to the right. Henry: ¡°UGH! UURRRGGHHH¡­.!!¡± But no matter how much I enhanced my strength, I wouldn¡¯t be able to push a Highest-Tier with brute power. Instead, the Hanuman pushed me back. For a moment, I thought the Hanuman smiled at its small victory. ¡­¡­..even so. Henry: ¡°There!¡± [Kiii©`©`?!] I allow the Hanuman push as I guide the momentum and break its sense of balance. The Hanuman hangs in the air helpless for a second, and I strike it as hard as I could to push it away. It rebounded two or three times on the ground, and as it stopped, I chased it down. The Demonic Ape that was in the same direction took an arrow from Teo and was struggling for breath. Jend came around to run past me, and we exchanged a quick glance as I kept running. I stop right before the Hanuman. Jend stopped the Demonic Apes from interfering, so this Hanuman has no more support. We succeeded in splitting their group. I was fortunate that this Hanuman hasn¡¯t been around for that long. An aged Hanuman would have staff skills that would easily exceed a human expert¡­¡­.or so I heard. So that was the first good news I picked up. But¡­¡­ Henry: ¡°.........a one on one with a Hanuman, huh.¡± I feel a cold sweat bead down my face. Being the leader of the Party, I can¡¯t afford to panic because that would spread quickly across the team, so I tried to remain calm¡­¡­¡­..but I barely suppressed my hands from shaking with Death knocking at my door. If I was doing this solo, I would make several layers of preparations, and then maybe¡­¡­just maybe I would have about a 10%, 20% chance of winning¡­¡­¡­for me, that¡¯s how difficult facing a Highest-Tier means. It¡¯s been a while facing such low odds©`©`in fact, the last time the odds were this bad was when I faced Gilverte. If it was just me, I could probably run away successfully, but that would be at the cost of abandoning everyone else. The only other person that could run away would be Teo, and that¡¯s still uncertain. Cyril: ¡°©`©`Jend, I¡¯ll take care of the left! {Bright Flood}!!¡± ¡­¡­well, not that I would ever do so in the first place. Henry: ¡°C¡¯mon, you Apey bastard. I¡¯ll pummel you to the ground.¡± To shake off the fear, I spit out taunts at the Hanuman¡­¡­¡­..and though it probably didn¡¯t understand what I said, it clearly understood that I was mocking it, and waves of blood lust began pouring out of it. We both grind our feet against the ground as we measure the distance between us¡­. Henry: ¡°©`©`C¡¯MOOOOOOON!!!¡± [Giiiiii©`©`©`©`!!] And my Nyoiten Spear and the Hanuman¡¯s Nyoiten Staff collided once again. <<<<>>>> CHONKY TL LiT (Lost in Translation) The story of Sun Wukong (Chinese) or Son Goku (Japanese) has been watered down in popularized Japanese fairy tales and mythology quite a bit, and it was quite shocking to read even a tad bit of the Indian lore of Hanuman. I cannot speak to the historical development and evolution of the concept of "Son Goku" (ŒOÎò¿Õ) other than that growing up in the 1990''s, I read a few Japanese fairy tales and then was hit with Dragon Ball (the original). CH 128 Chapter 128: The Battle with the Hanuman I collided with the Hanuman. One, two, three clashes¡­¡­..with each consecutive strike, my disadvantage was becoming clearer. ¡«¡«urgh?! How is his strikes so heavy?! Every time our weapons meet, I feel the grip of my weapon paralyze and slip, but I poured everything into not dropping it as I prepare for the next strike. The next few minutes felt endless as all I could do was defend against a wave of attacks. [Gii!! Gii!!] The Hanuman could not hide its glee from winning the fight, and let out a vulgar laugh as it increased the speed of its attacks. His movements were unrefined and only relied on brute force to strike. There was not an ounce of skill in his movements. But it was delivered with the Highest-Tier strength, and with a weapon that can lengthen and shorten at will, it was troublesome to deal with. I barely managed to dodge a wide swing©`©`and now! There¡¯s an opening! Henry: ¡°.......[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Restrain] {Katerno}!¡± A Magecraft chain made of light wraps around the Nyoibo Staff that hit the ground. [Kii?] The Hanuman tried to pull back its weapon and was prevented momentarily by the [Restrain] {Katerno} chains. [Gii?! ¡­¡­¡­.?!?!] And as it tried to forcefully pull back its weapon, I disbanded the Spell. With too much momentum , the Hanuman fell back and slightly lost its balance. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac}!¡± I cast a Physical Enhancement and thrust my spear with one arm. Its head is small so I went for its body¡­¡­and by luck hit its heart! An average vanguard would not have seen the strike coming as it flashed. [©`©`©`Kii?!] ©`©`but my opponent is the Highest-Tier ©` one of the greatest threats to humanity. The Hanuman somehow regained its balance. As our weapons crossed, I caught a glimpse of why. ¡­¡­..the Hanuman¡¯s hairs on its legs grew out and stuck against the ground. That stopped its body from going any further back and helped it stand firmly. The Hanuman lengthened its Nyoibo Staff as it thrust it towards me. I couldn¡¯t stop my attack now, and with reckless abandon, I prayed as I struck it with my full strength. Collision. Henry: ¡°UGH?!¡± I felt a heavy impact against my left shoulder as I flew backwards. My head spun from the pain. ¡­¡­..but at the same time, my right-hand felt something hit. I let go of my Nyoiten Spear and I regained my posture with my right hand and both feet. I made sure to minimize any openings by readying my body and looked at the Hanuman. [GiiiaaaaaAAAA!!] An enraged Hanuman was charging towards me. Blood spilled out from its sides, but its completely ignoring the wound. With the Hanuman¡¯s overabundant life force, it can apparently continue the fight with such injuries with no problem. Henry: ¡°Then take©`©`¡± My left shoulder is completely out of commission. Without my left, I won¡¯t be able to fight in close quarters. Then I need to finish the fight here. I use the Nyoiten Spear¡¯s ability to return to my right hand and brace it over my head. Henry: ¡°THIS!!¡± I throw. I do not split the spear into clones. To make sure that it cannot block it, I split the end into 20 right before it strikes the Hanuman. [Giiiii©`©`©`!!] ¡­¡­¡­..because of the close proximity, I had no time to enchant it with my Magecraft, and the Hanuman completely ignored my attack. My spears struck it, but it only scratched its skin and didn¡¯t prevent the Hanuman from proceeding forward. Under its furious rage, it had released all of its Magic Power, so my attack did nothing under these conditions. Henry: ¡°Why¡­.you!!¡± The Nyoibo staff hurtles sideways towards me. There¡¯s no time to get my spear back. My shoulder hurts, but I managed to move my left arms bracers to block the attack and©`©` I hear a nasty splintering sound as a large crack appears on the bracer. My bones must have broken as more pain washes over me, but ignoring my arm, I reached into my pouch with my right hand. Even if I retrieve my spear, I wouldn¡¯t last one strike. So what I need right now is¡­..! Henry: ¡°URGH!!¡± I took out a flashbang grenade. It activates with Magic Power, and I initiate the ignition immediately in my hand. Though my eyes were closed, I could still see the light spread behind it. The Hanuman must have received it directly as it howled in surprise. [GYAAAuuuuu!] Something hit my stomach. From the sensation, it must have been the Nyoibo Staff swung around wildly. I fly even further back. The taste of blood fills my mouth¡­¡­.but I was able to gain precious seconds. Henry: ¡°............¡± I spat out the vomit and blood that filled my mouth and stood back up. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Heal] {Teol}¡± I cast a Healing Spell on myself. All the pain I was ignoring during the fight lightened slightly¡­¡­..but that¡¯s it. With my Magecraft, I can only mitigate and kill a little bit of the pain from the deep injuries. In contrast, the Hanuman who recovered from its blindness was glaring down on me, and all the wounds I gave it were mostly healed. ¡­¡­¡­.it would probably be weary if I tried to use anything from my pouch, so that seemed futile now. I will just have to trash my left arm and with the Nyoiten Spear¡­¡­.if I can last one more minute, that would be the best result. With this injury, it would be impossible to run now. I bite down hard to shut down the sense of dread and defeat. Since coming to Flowtier, I haven¡¯t had moments like this, but I have faced similar situations countless times before. In these moments, those that cannot remain calm die. And¡­¡­ [uuuuuuu, GuuuuURAAaa!] ¡°Don¡¯t forget about me!!¡± The Hanuman no longer felt any threat from me, but a bright, flashing sword crossed between its path. The Hanuman blocked the attack and tried to counter, but an arrow imbued with Magic Power followed¡­¡­..and dealing with the arrow, it was now lagging one step behind. ¡°{Shine Ray}!¡± And countless beams of light now rained down upon it. The Hanuman, the Highest-Tier Demonic Creature, could not help but retreat. ¡°Mr. Henry! I¡¯ll fix you up right away!¡± And Ferris arrived next to me before I knew it and was healing my wounds. As expected from a professional Healer. I felt my body return to normal¡­¡­and I was able to sharply grip my spear with my left hand as I felt the sensation come back. I do have some awkward sensations still left in me, but I should be able to fight without any problems. Cyril: ¡°Are you okay, Henry?!¡± Henry: ¡°.......yeah, thanks to you all. You guys defeated those Demonic Apes really fast.¡± Cyril ran to my side, but I waved her off to assure her that I was okay. ¡­¡­.I didn¡¯t want to make them worry, so I keep quiet about being about to die within a minute if they didn¡¯t come. Henry: ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think Jend will last long as the only vanguard, so I¡¯ll go help!¡± Jend was enveloped in light as he fought against the Hanuman, and with Teo¡¯s support, they were barely holding the line. ¡­¡­¡­..in a fight, those who lose their sense of calm first will die. And those who believe in their allies, surprisingly tend to survive. It was refreshing to see how true that was as I hurried towards the frontline. <<<<>>>> Jend: ¡°huh, GAH?!¡± Shining brightly, Jend was holding back the Hanuman, but it was still too soon for him to face a Highest-Tier. He held it for under a minute, but the Hanuman finally knocked him down. As the Hanuman tried to finish Jend, it raised its Nyoibo Staff and©`©` Henry: ¡°Like I¡¯ll let you!!¡± ¡­¡­¡­.as the Nyoibo Staff came down, I stepped in between the Hanuman and Jend. I braced my Nyoiten Spear as the Staff came crashing down, and¡­¡­.the impact made my legs cave into the ground. I hear nasty cracks and pops throughout all the joints in my body, but I ignore it with a flurry of adrenaline. Henry: ¡°Jend! Now!¡± Jend: ¡°Got it!¡± And while I blocked the strike, Jend stood up, and with flames enveloping his sword, he swung it with all his might. If it struck, the Hanuman would have received some damage¡­¡­..but Jend¡¯s swing was too simple to read, and it dodged it easily. Jend; ¡°Ugh¡­.¡± Jend clicks his tongue in frustration. We stare down the Hanuman as each side tries to find an opening. Henry: ¡°........Jend, how do you feel? I know it¡¯s the first time to use it in battle.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, I feel great¡­¡­..or I wish that were the case, but I can¡¯t seem to fully control it yet. If it turns into a drawn out battle, it¡¯ll be bad.¡± Right now, Jend is receiving an Enhancement Magecraft Spell from Ferris. {Shimmering Rally}......it¡¯s the same Magecraft Spell as what Yuu uses for me. The effect is immense, and Jend¡¯s physical abilities have gone up several levels. His physical strength could now match the Hanuman. But even so¡­. They finally completed the {Shimmering Rally} this winter. Jend has yet to fully control his newfound physical strength. It took about a year before I got used to Yuu¡¯s Enhancement Spell, so he¡¯ll need more time to adjust and train with it. But right now, I need him to step up no matter what. Cyril: (Miss Ferris will only hold for 2 to 3 more minutes max!) Henry: (Understood) As I heard Cyril continue her singing, I received a message in my head from her from the Link Ring. ¡­¡­¡­.the {Shimmering Rally¡¯s} effect will only hold for just a bit longer. Henry: ¡°Jend, I¡¯ll stand in front, so cover me!¡± Jend: ¡°Got it!¡± Then there¡¯s nothing else but to go on a full on attack. I close in on the Hanuman and my spear and its staff cross with numerous strikes and blasts. The way I¡¯m fighting it is no different from before, but now, Jend is finding openings to attack the Hanuman and distracting it. Teo is also meticulously shooting at the Hanuman¡¯s eyes. ¡­¡­.and with this, we¡¯re finally on even grounds. Jend: ¡°GRRRRR!!!¡± Henry: ¡°Jend! Don¡¯t be reckless!¡± Sensing his impatience, I stop Jend from stepping forward. And right where he was just about to step, the Hanuman¡¯s tail swung wildly past. ¡­¡­with that tail alone, it could easily crush 2 or 3 veteran adventurers, so that alone tells you how crazy it is to face a Highest-Tier. And the only chance our Party has at defeating such insane monsters is©`©` Cyril: ¡°¡«¡«?¡¡¡«¡«?¡± Behind us, Cyril is singing loudly as we feel the power of her Spell grow ©`©` this is our best hope. But the Hanuman seems weary of the increasing Magic Power, and it has kept an eye on Cyril throughout our fight. At this rate, even if we fire off the Spell, it would easily dodge it. Holding it down¡­¡­would be difficult. This is different from the time when we faced the Fenrir with Ms. Lotte. But it¡¯s not impossible. We¡¯ll just have to take some bigger risks and©`©` Henry: ¡°What?¡± As I tried to step in with my final gamble, the Hanuman suddenly opened the distance between us. Henry: (¡«¡«!! NO! THIS IS BAD!!) Henry: ¡°Teo! Shoot it with everything you got! It¡¯s preparing to run!!¡± Without waiting for her to respond, I charged at the Hanuman. The Hanuman struck the ground to make a cloud of dust and turned around¡­.. Henry: ¡°I won¡¯t let you! [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac}©`©`©`!!¡± I threw the spear with triple strengthening enchantments. It split into several dozen as the Hanuman dodged and blocked some as it ran, but¡­..one hit. It took severe damage as one pierced the side of its stomach, and it won¡¯t be able to heal from that easily. But the Hanuman kept up its pace of retreat. ¡­¡­¡­..this is really bad. It probably determined that its chance of being defeated right now is not low. That¡¯s why it planned to regroup and attack again. It¡¯s almost nightfall. If it attacks us during the night, we wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything. But even as we tried to stop it, the Hanuman¡¯s body grew smaller and smaller. It finally retreated out of Teo¡¯s range too and©`©` Henry: ¡°......hm?¡± Looking past the Hanuman¡¯s retreating path, I saw something black and round fly towards it. It accurately pursued the Hanuman and¡­¡­..as the Hanuman jumped to the side to dodge it, as if to mock the Hanuman¡¯s efforts, an enormous explosion engulfed it. Henry: ¡°Wh©`What?¡± I could feel the impact of the blast from where I stood. As the clouds cleared, it wasn¡¯t dead, but the Hanuman was on the ground on its back. Henry: ¡°©`©`! TAKE IT OUT, CYRIL!!¡± Cyril: ¡°ROGER!! {LIGHTNING JUDGMENT}©`©`©`!!!!¡± There¡¯s no reason to let go of this opportunity. Cyril had her Spell ready from long ago, and drops the enormous bolt of lightning on top of the Hanuman. Now a blast and explosion twice the power from before struck and split the earth as it mercilessly pierced the Hanuman and©`©` Jend: ¡°..........did it¡­.hit?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, it did.¡± And just like the Fenrir, the Hanuman turned to charcoal and ash. ¡­¡­¡­.and thankfully, it won¡¯t be able to resurrect from that state. Jend: ¡°¡«¡«¡«. I thought I was gonna die¡­¡­¡­oh, but I guess we shouldn¡¯t let our guard down. What happened back there?¡± Jend almost crumples to the ground in fatigue but braces himself to keep standing. Well, I understand how he feels. That mysterious explosion worked in our favor, but it could have been a new enemy appearing. But I knew where that came from. Henry: ¡°That¡¯s a one-time use Magecraft tool. The Magecraft Explosive [Ether Bomb].¡± Jend: ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a weapon like that.¡± Henry: ¡°Of course not. It¡¯s incredibly expensive, and there¡¯s only a handful of people that can make it.¡± Even so, it¡¯s extremely treasured in Ligaleo, and when a large wave of Demonic Creatures comes, we use it to reduce their numbers. ¡­¡­¡­but one that has the power to flip a Highest-Tier can only be made by one person. Jend: ¡°Oh, hey. Someone¡¯s coming.¡± From across the Hanuman¡¯s retreat route, a beefy, round man appeared. It¡¯s hard to see from this distance, but I recognized the large cylinder he was carrying on his shoulder. Henry: ¡°Yeah¡« I thought so.¡± Jend: ¡°? Henry, do you know him?¡± Henry: ¡°Well, technically, I¡¯m the customer, and he¡¯s the craftsman.¡± Rather than achieving some sort of victory on the battlefield, he has contributed countless weapons and tools ©`©` the Hero of Legend of the Dwarves. Holding the Hero Title, ¡°The Hammer of God,¡± he is the creator of my arm and leg bracers. One of the eight Heroes of Legend, Gordon Goibniu. ¡­.it was that Hero who came slowly walking towards us. CH 129 Chapter 129: The Land Cruising Shooting Star Gordon: ¡°Hey, Human Adventurers! Thanks for taking out that annoying bastard! As a representative of the Dwarves, I want to give you my thanks!¡± And©`©` After defeating the Hanuman, one of the eight Heroes of Legend who gave us a hand at the end, Mr. Gordon shouted out his greetings as he approached us. Henry: ¡°..........hey Mr. Gordon. It has been a while.¡± Gordon: ¡°Huh? You there, have we met before? ¡­¡­¡­no, wait. That gauntlet and leg brace is something I made. That means you¡¯re a customer.¡± Oh, I guess he doesn¡¯t remember me. Well, that really can¡¯t be helped. The quality of weapons and armor Mr. Gordon makes is incredible, but his production output is nothing less than God-level. He serves about 100 customers a year, so there¡¯s no way he would remember all of them. ¡­¡­¡­even so, he is a true craftsman to remember the items he made in the past. Henry: ¡°My name is Henry. It was about 3 years ago that I was introduced by Sir Grandezeal and had one of my requests completed.¡± Gordon: ¡°You know that fool, Ezeal? ¡­..oh¡« oh¡« it¡¯s coming back to me. You¡¯re that miserable-looking brat at the time.¡± W©`Wow, I didn¡¯t expect that. But well, when I asked Mr. Gordon for his assistance, it was right after Gilverte came out to the frontlines, so I was definitely on-edge and always in a terrible mood. Cyril: ¡°Mr. Gordon? Wait, I think I heard of you. Aren¡¯t you one of the eight Heroes of Legend?¡± Gordon: ¡°That¡¯s right, Lil¡¯ Miss. I am one of the followers of the God of Mines, Ovein. I am the greatest craftsman of the Dwarves. Don¡¯t fall too hard for me.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m this here person¡¯s girl. It¡¯s a shame.¡± And Cyril tugs at the sleeves of my clothes as she puffs out her chest proudly. ¡­¡­¡­I don¡¯t think this girl is ever embarrassed of anything. Gordon: ¡°HA HAAA! I see, I see. Well, I don¡¯t have any interest in human sticks either anyways!¡± Cyril: ¡°Wh©`What a rude person¡­¡­and I don¡¯t have any interests in Dwarf Men either!¡± An adult Dwarf is about 140 cm (¡«4 ? ft.) tall, and are pretty short in stature as a race. But they are not frail like Halflings. Their bodies are covered in overwhelming amounts of muscle, and each one is like a living fortress. And as a race, they grow a full beard at a young age, and though there are some exceptions where they marry a Halfling, they have their own unique tastes in how they define beautiful women. Gordon: ¡°Ha, I like women with a chip on their shoulder. What¡¯s your name?¡± Cyril: ¡°.......it¡¯s Cyril.¡± Gordon: ¡°And I¡¯m Gordon Goibniu again. A pleasure.¡± And Mr. Gordon winked in a not so subtle way, and seeing that he was being friendly, Cyril relented and responded mumbling, ¡°yes, a pleasure¡­¡±. That¡¯s when Jend spoke up. Jend: ¡°Oh©`, ummm, please excuse Cyril. I am Jend.¡± Ferris: ¡°I am Ferris.¡±: Teo: ¡°Teo.¡± Gordon: ¡°Yeah, a pleasure. I don¡¯t remember people¡¯s names much, but since you¡¯re the heroes that took down that annoying Hanuman, I¡¯ll make a special exception!¡± And Mr. Gordon burst out laughing loudly. Henry: ¡°.........and Mr. Gordon, your timing couldn¡¯t have been better.¡± Gordon: ¡°Hm? What are you talking about?¡± Henry: ¡°Well, you threw that Ether Bomb as the Hanuman was about to make a run.¡± Gordon: ¡°Oh that¡­¡­¡± And Mr. Gordon snorted as he breathed out. Gordon: ¡°.........that bastard was guarding the Gungard¡¯s main entrance up to this morning. It was targeting anyone who stepped outside the city. We have sufficient defenses so it didn¡¯t try to attack the city itself.¡± And Mr. Gordon spat disgustedly at the thought. ¡­¡­¡­..from the way he¡¯s acting, I¡¯m certain that there were plenty of victims. Gordon: ¡°And by noontime, we realized that it was only the Demonic Apes without their boss. So my hunch was that it went to attack humans coming in from the main road.¡± Henry: ¡°And you came to help?¡± Gordon: ¡°What? No. I figured that it would let its guard down while it¡¯s preying on the humans, and I was going to attack it while it was distracted. Well, it was convenient for you guys to take it down instead.¡± ¡­¡­¡­..yeah, uh huh. I think that¡¯s a very practical approach. Mr. Gordon became a Hero of Legend for his craftsman skills, so his overall combat ability is not very high. So for him, the best solution is to throw a bomb at his enemy when they least expect it. ¡­¡­¡­..but I honestly can¡¯t help but feel less grateful now. Gordon: ¡°Oh, but we flipped a coin on whether you guys were coming from Alvenia or Varsaldi, so in that sense, you guys were lucky.¡± ¡­¡­¡­..and looking back with that in mind, that victory was way too close for comfort. Gordon: ¡°Well, let¡¯s talk some more later. It¡¯ll be nightfall before you know it.¡± The sun is already halfway down. ¡­¡­¡­..? Usually, you would have to be ready to camp by this time. Henry: ¡°Mr. Gordon? What¡­¡­¡± Gordon: ¡°Ha ha ha. I¡¯ll show you my awesome car.¡± A car¡­¡­..if it was a regular Magecraft vehicle, it wouldn¡¯t be able to drive on this rough terrain, but if it¡¯s made by one of the best craftsman of the ages, Mr. Gordon, it must really be something else. Mr. Gordon waved us forward as he guided us to an object hidden in the shade of a large rock and covered with a camouflage sheet. Gordon: ¡°Yup, this is it! I named it the Land Cruising Shooting Star?The Super Gordon Special! Doesn¡¯t it look amazing?!¡± And as Mr. Gordon took off the covers, we saw his car in all its glory. It was a wonderful work of metal with sharp contours. There were a lot of additional blocky pieces attached to it, but I couldn¡¯t tell what they were for. But this is a up and coming new type of Magecraft vehicle and compared to the ones where the designs resemble horse carriages¡­¡­¡­..this one looks amazing. Of course, we have to leave the name aside. Jend: ¡°WHOOOOOOAAAA©`©`!! This is amazing, Mr. Gordon! I want one too!¡± Gordon: ¡°Yeah? Yeah? Of course you do.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey! I want one too. C©`Can you really give us all a ride?¡± Gordon: ¡°I usually only let women ride with me, but it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll make an exception for this one time, got it?¡± And Jend and I completely forgot about the fight to the death we just overcame, and Mr. Gordon laughed merrily as he watched our reaction. Cyril: ¡°I do think that it looks cool, but is it something to get that excited over?¡± Ferris: ¡°Cyril, you just have to let them fuss when they get all excited like that.¡± Teo: ¡°..........what happened to the tension we were feeling a little while ago?¡± I knew the women of our group were exasperated at Jend and I, but I pretended to not notice. <<<<>>>> As we expected, the Land Cruising Shooting Star smoothly crossed over the rough terrain, and in 20 minutes, we speeded over to our destination. Gordon: ¡°Alright, we¡¯re here!¡± And Mr. Gordon sharply turned the wheel, and slammed one of the pedals used for activating the brakes. The car slid sideways as it decelerated quickly¡­¡­..and it stopped right in front of a large cavern on the side of a mountain. Around us, there were many facilities and tools probably used for defensive purposes, and I saw the foundational mechanism for a Magecraft Barrier generator. This must be the entrance to Gungard. ¡­¡­.and in front of the cave, there were many heavily armored Dwarven Warriors standing guard, but they all looked shocked at the sight of Mr. Gordon¡¯s car. Among them, one of the warriors with more elaborate and luxurious armor walked towards the Land Cruising Shooting Star. ¡°G©`Gordon? Didn¡¯t you just leave to go take care of that ape? Who are all those people with you?¡± Gordon: ¡°Hey, Georg. Listen up. This party of humans minced that annoying Hanuman. I helped too of course.¡± ¡°What? Hey, is that true? After the Demonic Apes all disappeared, we thought something was up but¡­..¡± Ohhh, since they did not spawn naturally and were clones of the Hanuman, after the Hanuman died, they all probably disappeared too. Gordon: ¡°It¡¯s all true. So, in that case, I won the bet.¡± ¡°..........no, wait, Gordon. You said those humans killed the Hanuman, right? Then isn¡¯t the bet off?¡± Gordon: ¡°Nope, I won the bet. The bet was, ¡®If I came back alive,¡¯ then all the good-for-nothing warriors who can¡¯t even get rid of this city¡¯s enemies would buy me as many drinks as I liked. There was nothing in there about me defeating the Hanuman.¡± Sheesh. They were making bets on the Hanuman? But honestly, being able to live and come back to tell the tale against a Highest-Tier is a pretty amazing accomplishment. On the way here, Mr. Gordon told me that the reason why he didn¡¯t bring others along was because without any passengers, he would be able to probably escape driving away on the Land Cruising Shooting Star. ¡°.........ugh. If only you died, we would have drank with all the wealth you would have left behind, and then we would have gone and killed that stupid ape. Because of you, now we lost the chance to take down a Highest-Tier, you jerk.¡± Gordon: ¡°Too bad for you!¡± And Mr. Gordon laughed merrily once again. Although these are some dark humored jokes, judging from how both sides are laughing, this must be the norm around here. ¡°Ohhhh! We forgot to greet you. Hey! Line up!!¡± And the Dwarven Warrior named Georg straightened up, and the other warriors probably under his command came running at his order. The Dwarven Warriors shook themselves out of shock and lined up in a straight line. ¡°Draw and salute!¡± All the warriors drew out their weapons and with both hands, held it in front of their face. You could tell that they were all carrying first-rate weapons. Every weapon was of an amazing quality just from a glance. ¡­¡­¡­and now that I think about it, I heard that for Dwarves, showing their must trusted weapons like this is the utmost form of respect they can show. ¡°You have defeated the atrocious Hanuman, human heroes! We, the Dwarven Warriors, welcome you! Welcome to the Mountain City of Gungard!¡± And we received an unusually intense welcome. ¡­¡­¡­.and that¡¯s how we arrived at the Dwarven City of Gungard. CH 130 Chapter 130: The Welcome at the Gordon Mansion We rode on the Land Cruising Shooting Star and traveled through the tunnel for a while. As the walls began to expand out to open up our view, instead of the sky, there was a vast ceiling made of stone, and a familiar scene of streets and buildings appeared. This is the Dwarve¡¯s town of Gungard. From one part of the city, I saw smoke lift up. I wonder if that¡¯s where all the workshops are? And it¡¯s like the Dwarves to build a city that¡¯s several times larger than a regular city. Cyril: ¡°Wow¡« I would have thought that a city inside the mountain would have been dim and dark, but it¡¯s actually very bright inside.¡± Impressed, Cyril let out a voice of awe, and just as she said, inside the town was just as bright as the noon day. Several hundred meters above, attached to the ceiling, there were several lights set up. Gordon: ¡°Yeah, well, they could keep those lights on all day, but you would lose your sense of night and day, so they have scheduled times when they would turn it off. In fact, that¡¯s just about now.¡± It¡¯s not like someone was listening to Mr. Gordon, but the lights went out just as he spoke. Instead, the street lamps lit up. Jend: ¡°........Mr. Gordon? Aren''t there very few people here?¡± Jend spoke with some concern as he observed the streets. That¡¯s true. Even though it¡¯s right after sundown, there are very few people returning to their homes. With the number of people walking in the streets, the main street should have at least a food stand or two, but there are none in sight. Gordon: ¡°Because of the Hanuman, we had trouble with our supply chain, so we had to hold back on many things. Insight here, we¡¯re able to grow some food, but the more active you are, the more you require food, and we lack many goods outside of that.¡± Henry: ¡°.......even so, isn¡¯t that workshop district a little too active in that case?¡± Gordon: ¡°Henry, you trying to kill all the craftsmen? You¡¯ll come down with the ¡°gotta-make-something¡± disease and die.¡± Mr. Gordon spoke with a very serious expression. ¡­¡­¡­wait, wait, wait. You wouldn¡¯t die just from that. Right? ¡­¡­..right? Gordon: ¡°But those days are over thanks to you guys. I¡¯m sure Georg and his subordinates are spreading the news. We¡¯d like to host a celebrational feast in honor of you all¡­¡­but I¡¯m sure you¡¯re quite tired. I¡¯ll let you stay at my mansion. Just take a break for now.¡± Henry: ¡°Thank you very much. That would be very helpful.¡± Gordon: ¡°Yeah. Alright. Let¡¯s go a little further.¡± Mr. Gordon turns on the Magecraft car and accelerates. Normally, any Magecraft vehicle would draw people¡¯s attention, but this must be a regular sight in this town. Among the few passerby, no one took notice. They instinctively veered to the side of the street to make room for the car to pass by. Mr. Gordon raised a hand in thanks at the gesture. Gordon: ¡°Once there are more cars out and about, we¡¯ll have to fix the roads.¡± Ferris: ¡°Fix the road? Excuse me, but what do you mean?¡± Gordon: ¡°Cars are faster and have more power than horses, but it¡¯s quite dangerous. If there are roads specifically for cars, there would be less accidents, and people will be able to drive as quick as they like, and everyone wins. That¡¯s what I mean, Lil¡¯ Miss.¡± Ferris: ¡°.......well, I¡¯m not so young now to be called little, but I do understand that it¡¯ll be good to have less people hurt.¡± Ferris chuckles. But even from my perspective, Ferris is plenty young. And as we chatted, the car drove on. Gordon: ¡°Oh, this street lamp right here. This one¡¯s one of my works. Look up. You¡¯ll see a shadow of an animal when you look up at it.¡± Cyril: ¡°Wow! It¡¯s true! How cute!¡± And on one of the streets, Cyril got really excited at the sight of all the animals floating in the air. Gordon: ¡°Yeah, and that resident over there is from Rishu. They wanted me to build a house in the Rishu style, and it was a lot of work.¡± Teo: ¡°.........even the yard is in the Rishu style. That¡¯s amazing.¡± And looking at one of the wooden buildings, Teo was surprised as well. Mr. Gordon¡¯s work could be seen in different places all around the city, and as he explained each and everyone¡­¡­..we were quite impressed at the variety of skills he had to accomplish all of that. Gordon: ¡°Oh, we¡¯re here.¡± And we arrived at a certain house. It was two-stories tall and a magnificent looking building. The building itself was not so big, but even I could tell that a lot of money was poured into its lavish design. There were intricate designs and decorations all over, and used just the right amount of gold for decoration. And the yard was pretty spacious. A hedge surrounded the property and there were many statues decorated around. There was even a fountain, and I¡¯m a complete novice with art, but the way it weaved the water so delicately and in complex patterns made me hold my breath at the sight. In one corner of the yard, we parked the car in a space probably designated for it, and with a slight squeak, the Land Cruising Shooting Star came to a stop. Gordon: ¡°Good, get out. Get out. Now then, I wonder what we¡¯re having for dinner today.¡± Mr. Gordon elegantly jumped out of the car and with quick steps headed towards the house. But dinner¡­¡­.? Was Mr. Gordon married? No, I¡¯ve heard that the Hero, Gordon, is single according to rumors¡­¡­ Gordon: ¡°Hey, I¡¯m back!¡± Mr. Gordon opens up the front door. Then we saw a woman bowing her head¡­¡­..oh wait, a girl, maybe? But there was only one person there. ¡°Welcome back, sir. I am truly thankful to see you come back safe and sound.¡± Gordon: ¡°Yeah, for me, a Hanuman wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. HA HA HA!¡± And the girl who welcomed us let out a deep sigh. ¡°I received a transmission from Sir Georg. Aren¡¯t the people behind you the ones who defeated it?¡± Gordon: ¡°Ugh, that jerk. He didn¡¯t have to add that detail.¡± A transmission¡­¡­.it¡¯s probably a Magecraft artifact with the same effect as Cyril¡¯s [Link Ring]. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s quite an expensive item, but between the Warrior group that protects the city entrance and the Hero¡¯s house, it would be no surprise to find that they set up a communication link there. ¡°For crying out loud, it was too dangerous going out to face a Highest-Tier. If anything happened to you, sir, I would have been left with nothing except to wander the streets. Has that crossed your mind at all?¡± Gordon: ¡°Wh©`What do you mean? I don¡¯t have any relatives, and my will states that you¡¯ll take over my assets.¡± ¡°..........let me rephrase. Please don¡¯t make me worry so much.¡± Mr. Gordon looks uncomfortable as he answers, ¡°S©`Sure.¡± Umm? She¡¯s wearing a maid¡¯s outfit, so I think she¡¯s Mr. Gordon¡¯s maid, but¡­¡­¡­I can sense an unexpected power balance in this relationship. And it was strange that the maid in Mr. Gordon¡¯s mansion was a young human girl. Gordon: ¡°H©`Hey now. Enough about me. Besides, we have guests! Guests!¡± ¡°Yes. ¡­¡­..apologies for the late introduction. I am a maid employed at Sir Gordon¡¯s mansion, and my name is Ricotta. It is a pleasure making your acquaintance.¡± Her mannerisms were very precise and calculated as the maid, Miss Ricotta, bowed. ¡­¡­this is definitely not manners and skills you can obtain overnight. She has the movements of someone who has been trained up from a very young age in this specific role. ¡­¡­¡­but the way she talks with Mr. Gordon is even stranger in that case. Maybe she¡¯s just adapting to Mr. Gordon¡¯s style of communication? It¡¯s not like you have to always be super respectful to your employer. Henry: ¡°Oh©` yes. Nice to meet you. I am Henry.¡± And with that, everyone else in my Party introduced themselves. Gordon: ¡°Well now, c¡¯mon! It¡¯s time to eat! Bring out the food and drinks! Is everything ready?¡± Ricotta: ¡°After receiving communication from Sir Georg, I made express preparations. Our food supplies have reached the bottom in most aspects, but I was certain that you wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± Gordon: ¡°Of course not. We¡¯ll get more supplies from the outside soon enough! Besides, if I was being stingy to our guests of honor, everyone would give me a piece of their mind.¡± And laughing out loud, Mr. Gordon and Miss Ricotta enter into the house. Gordon: ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be shy. Come in! Come in!¡± We all looked at each other and stepped inside Mr. Gordon¡¯s house. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°Wh©`Whoa¡­¡­..¡± We were sitting around a luxurious table where 10 people could easily sit around, and there was a lot of food already prepared waiting for us. There were roasted meats, a mountain of potatoes, salad with cheese sprinkled on top, and wonderfully soft, fluffy bread. And a large pot sat on top of a Magecraft Artifact that kept it warm and inside was a wonderful smelling stew. It took about 20, 30 minutes from after meeting with Mr. Georg. We were impressed that Miss Ricotta was able to prepare this much in such a short period of time. ¡­¡­¡­wait, is this even physically possible? Ricotta: ¡°I am sorry for not preparing more dishes. We have been experiencing shortages in our food supplies.¡± Henry: ¡°O©`Oh no, no! This is amazing! Thank you so much!¡± I wave my hand to reassure Miss Ricotta. There¡¯s no way we could complain with this much food. Cyril: ¡°Oh¡«¡«¡« what a great smell¡«¡± And Cyril was on the verge of drooling as her focus was on the food. And not only that, but we also heard a deep rumble coming out from her stomach. Henry: ¡°ha¡± Cyril: ¡°¡«¡«?! Don¡¯t laugh, Henry!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯m not laughing at all. C¡¯mon. Let¡¯s sit down.¡± And I try to calm Cyril down who seems pretty upset as I take a seat. ¡­¡­¡­and this chair is also beautifully designed, and it was also amazingly comfortable. Gordon: ¡°Ricotta, bring out that bottle. That one.¡± Ricotta; ¡°Sir, when you say, ¡®that¡¯....¡± Gordon: ¡°You know what I mean.¡± Ricotta: ¡°I do but¡­¡± And Miss Ricotta let out another deep sigh and left the room. A few moments later, she came back with two bottles and enough glass cups for everyone. Ricotta: ¡°For anyone who is not used to liquor, I have brought some fruit wine. And this©`©`¡± Gordon: ¡°It¡¯s a special whiskey I made personally! One sip is enough to take you out. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re not used to liquor. Just try it first!¡± And Mr. Gordon grabbed the whiskey bottle from Ricotta, and opened the bottle top roughly. Immediately, an intense aroma filled the entire room. It was a sweet fragrance that was enough to cause someone to become drunk just by smelling it. And with Mr. Gordon¡¯s rough hands, he filled 6 glasses with amber-colored liquid. There was something about the beautiful color that made it all the more attractive. Teo: ¡°It¡­¡­.looks amazing¡­¡­¡± And Teo let out an impressed awe at the sight. ¡­¡­¡­.even though she¡¯s just 15, she¡¯s really got to be quite the alcoholic. But I can understand how she feels. Cyril: ¡°I don¡¯t prefer liquor much¡­¡­but if it¡¯s just a sip.¡± And even Cyril was drawn towards it. Dwarves are known for their love of drink, and as far as any alcoholic beverage is concerned, every household has their own special recipe. And this one was made by the world¡¯s best, master craftsman. Miss Ricotta served everyone their glass, and with a little nervousness, I took a glass from her. Gordon: ¡°Now then, it¡¯s the anniversary day you guys took out that bastard Hanuman! Cheers!¡± And everyone raised their glass. And as we all took a sip of Mr. Gordon¡¯s whiskey©`©` ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ All we could barely recollect the next day was the overwhelming feeling of satisfaction after that. CH 131 Ch. 131: Legendary We arrived in Gungard and within a blink of an eye, several days already passed. The Heroes who Saved the City¡­¡­.was a bit much, but we did take out a large danger that was threatening Gungard, so we were welcomed with immensely thick open arms. Because of the Hanuman, the city¡¯s supplies were dwindling, and we asked them to refrain from doing any large celebrations, but in return, we received a lot of home-brewed alcohol, and the whole experience was a little embarrassing. ¡­¡­¡­but putting that all aside¡­.. The Grandes Church in Gungard had placed a large reward for taking down the Hanuman. And we also had a piece of the Hanuman¡¯s Nyoibo Staff and fur as dropped items. They were all placed on the table before us and©`©` Gordon: ¡°So, you wanted to put in a job for me.¡± And with those materials, we were in the middle of negotiating with Mr. Gordon. Jend, who was most adept with anything business or financial, was sitting next to me, and the other members were¡­¡­well, it would be more difficult to have more people here, so they were having tea with Miss Ricotta. Henry: ¡°Yes. Our original goal for coming here, was to upgrade our weapons and armor prior to heading to Ligaleo.¡± Gordon: ¡°Well, that certainly would be for the best. Other than Henry¡¯s gear, it¡¯s decent enough, but it¡¯ll be a terrible risk heading to the frontlines just with that.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes¡­.and I was hoping to maybe repair the arm and leg braces that the Hanuman destroyed¡­¡­¡± Since the Hanuman tore it to pieces, it might be easier just having Mr. Gordon make a new one. Gordon: ¡°Hm¡­¡­¡­well, I do have a favor to repay, and though I have a few jobs, I can potentially consider prioritizing your request.¡± Henry: ¡°Really?!¡± Gordon: ¡°BUT!! I have a two conditions.¡± I jumped at his words, but Mr. Gordon splashed me cold with reality quickly as he spoke sternly. Henry: ¡°Oh¡­..yes, what are the conditions?¡± Gordon: ¡°The first is money. If you want me to make gear for your entire party, this measly amount is nowhere near enough.¡± The reward for slaying a Highest-Tier¡­¡­..of course, it is a significant amount, but thinking about how much it cost to make my arm and leg bracers, it hardly compares. Gordon: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t give you that much of a discount. I love expensive luxuries, and I have no intention of selling myself short.¡± Jend: ¡°.......and around what ballpark are we talking about?¡± With Jend¡¯s question, Mr. Gordon responded with, ¡°It¡¯s just an estimate but©`©`¡± and answered with a ballpark figure. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.holy¡­¡­ Henry: ¡°...........Jend, just in case, using all our Party savings, how much can we pay?¡± Jend: ¡°Around a quarter.¡± Thought so©`©` What should we do. Should I resort to blowing away all my savings? But it is way above what we were willing to pay for in the place, but it may be our last opportunity to have someone of Mr. Gordon¡¯s caliber make our gear. Gordon: ¡°If it¡¯s you guys, you should be able to save up that amount in a month if you hunt down as many Golems as you can in this mountain.¡± Henry: ¡°..........maybe so¡­¡­¡± Gordon: ¡°And you would be able to get materials as well. Oh, but I have no intention of waiting a month for you guys. By that time, I¡¯ll be heading to Ligaleo to make some cash.¡± Mr. Gordon would be in Ligaleo for about 3 months out of the year, and he would look after the top-tier Adventurers and Knights¡¯ gears. Many of my acquaintances had armor and weapons that were made by Mr. Gordon. ¡­¡­¡­..and from the prices I¡¯m hearing, I¡¯m sure he makes more money in those 3 months than an average person can make in a lifetime. So I can¡¯t ask him to throw that opportunity away just for us. Mr. Gordon: ¡°Bu¡«t, depending on if you accept my second condition, I¡¯ll take your payment by credit for a month.¡± Henry: ¡°Huh¡­¡­¡­.? Um, is that¡­.really okay?¡± That¡¯s truly rare. Mr. Gordon will only accept jobs that are fully paid for up front, and this is well known in our industry. Apparently, someone failed to pay him 10 years ago and ran off, and that¡¯s why. Gordon: ¡°Hmph. It¡¯s true that I only do jobs after getting paid, but that depends on the time and place.¡± And with a strong tap, Mr. Gordon lightly rapped on the Nyoibo Staff¡¯s remains with his thick finger. Gordon: ¡°This piece of Free-Forming Metal¡­ let me be the one to put it to use. ¡­¡­right? RIGHT?! I¡¯ll make sure to use it for your gear so will you let me?!¡± ¡­¡­¡­.is what he said. He was being so calm, serious, and stern in the negotiation up to this point¡­¡­and he threw that persona out the window without a second thought, and with blushed cheeks, he began incessantly nagging us. Of course, having a beefy, hairy man take this kind of attitude is just gross from my perspective. ¡­¡­¡­¡­no, really. What is with this guy?! Henry: ¡°A Free-Forming Metal¡­¡­..? Are you referring to the Nyoibo Staff remains? I¡¯ve never heard of it.¡± Gordon: ¡°That¡¯s right! Well, it¡¯s a rare piece of metal, so I¡¯m not surprised that you¡¯ve never heard of it. Free-Forming Metal can only be naturally mined from one of the hopelessly thin veins in Rishu. And at most, they would only get about 3 kilo (¡«6.6 lbs) per year. That¡¯s how rare it is.¡± ¡­¡­..so¡­..with about 1 meter of the Nyoibo Staff remaining, it¡¯s thick enough where a full grown adult would have a hard time gripping it¡­¡­¡­and thus, it¡¯s quite a bit. Gordon: ¡°He he he he he¡­¡­.Free-Forming Metal is incredible¡­¡­if you make it into an alloy, depending on what you use it with, you can bring out all sorts of traits. It¡¯s incredibly hard to do, but you can even make the metal shape according to your thoughts. Henry, isn¡¯t your godly equipment that way? Can you even imagine all the possibilities?!¡± I see. So the Nyoiten Spear is made from the same metal. I always thought that it¡¯s ability to freely change its form was due to some sort of divine blessing or miracle from the gods. Jend: ¡°........hey, Henry. If it¡¯s that rare of a metal, why not just sell it and gain the money we lack?¡± Gordon: ¡°WAIT A SEC! If you do that, you¡¯ll definitely break my heart!!¡± With Jend¡¯s suggestion, Mr. Gordon interrupted him fervently as he howled. ¡­¡­¡­.do I really care? Is what I honestly thought. Jend: ¡°Wait, Mr. Gordon, I don¡¯t even know what you mean¡­.¡± And Mr. Gordon, realizing that he may have overdone it, scratched his cheek as he looked at the astonished Jend. Gordon: ¡°Oh©`, um, Jend. I was just joking, but to be frank, you can¡¯t sell Free-Forming Metal that much. Even among the Dwarves, the only person that can really use it is me. And besides myself, if you go to Rishu where they mine that metal, there may be someone in that clan that can.¡± I¡­¡­..don¡¯t think he¡¯s lying. Mr. Gordon is not one to make such frivolous claims. Gordon: ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find some enthusiasts that would give it a shot, but they would charge you an arm and a leg¡­¡­.if it comes to that, it¡¯ll be smarter to let me do the job.¡± Hmmm¡­. ¡­¡­.well, when it comes to making gear, you have to take the words of the craftsman seriously. ¡­¡­though his incredibly excited face and state make it harder to do so at the moment¡­.. I glance at Jend as he looks back at me. Though Jend was thinking it over in his head, he nodded once to me. Henry: ¡°........then Mr. Gordon, we¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± Gordon: ¡°HA! You can SUPER count on me! Awww, there¡¯s barely any Demonic Creatures that drop this so it¡¯s been about 3 years since I got to mess with one!¡± Mr. Gordon grasped the Nyoibo Staff with unabashed delight, and for a moment, I thought he would start kissing the large piece of metal. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.did I just make a huge mistake? The thought crossed my mind, but if I change my mind now, I¡¯ll probably sink in a sea of blood, so I refrained. Gordon: ¡°Alright! Then let me see your gear. I¡¯ll determine whether we need to upgrade or just make you a new one! If you have any special requests, just put it down on paper!¡± Henry: ¡°Upgrade, you say?¡± Gordon: ¡°If you want to hold down the costs as much as possible, as long as the original gear is in good shape, I¡¯ll shape it up to its best form.¡± And Mr. Gordon seemed to be in an extremely good mood to offer such bonuses as he stood up. Gordon: ¡°I¡¯m going to go throw Miss Free-Form Metal into the furnace! It won¡¯t melt unless I heat it for a full day!¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­that means he¡¯s going to use that. Jend: ¡°? A key?¡± Seeing what Mr. Gordon pulled out, Jend tilts his head in wonder. It was a beautiful, incredibly intricate and delicately designed key. It definitely gave an awe-inspiring aura as it was made by the hands of the gods. Once, when I asked Mr. Gordon to do a job for me, I got to see him activate this key. Gordon: ¡°I ask for your favor once again.¡± Mr. Gordon crossed his arms in front of him©`©`a gesture of respect to the God of Mines, Ovein, as he reached forward and inserted the key into the air. ¡­¡­..there was no key hole in sight, but something clicked, and Mr. Gordon turned the Key, the [door] opened. Jend: ¡°Wh©`What?!¡± Gordon: ¡°Oh, I guess you didn¡¯t know about this, Jend? This is one of my Legendary ranked godly equipment¡­¡­[The Key to the Mine God¡¯s Smithy].¡± In this world, there are only a handful of Legendary Ranked godly equipment. The key¡¯s ability is to be able to open a door to the god¡¯s workshop from any location. And the number of abilities assigned to a Legendary Ranked godly equipment depends on the item¡­¡­¡­or so I¡¯ve heard. In fact, this key¡¯s sole ability is to open a door to the smithy. But the tools and equipment the God of Mines uses and the furnace burning with divine fire cannot be brought out through the door. In exchange, you are free to use the facility to your heart¡¯s content. It is an item that every metalsmith in the world desires. One of the reasons why Mr. Gordon was able to become a smith worthy of the Hero of Legend title was due to this key. Jend: ¡°A©`Amazing¡­¡­..he¡¯s¡­..definitely on a different level.¡± Jend was overjoyed seeing the Legendary godly equipment. And as Jend mentioned, when it comes to Legendary Ranked equipment, it feels like a whole different ball game. For instance, in the center of Ligaleo is a small fortress where the Legendary godly equipment, [The Statue of the Aqua Goddess] is currently set, and all the town¡¯s water supply comes from there. ¡­¡­¡­..all of the Epic Ranked godly equipment, no matter how powerful, is a tool that can only be used on the individual level. In that sense, the Legendary Ranked items are probably the true godly equipment. Gordon: ¡°Well, it feels like Mr. God is looking over your shoulder the whole time, and it¡¯s nerve-wracking but¡­¡­..I plan to make something that won¡¯t tarnish the workshop¡¯s reputation. Alright, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Only the owner of the key is able to enter the smithy of the God of Mines. But we can see a little of what was inside. And into the workshop that was completely beyond words, Mr. Gordon disappeared. The door to the workshop naturally closed, and it returned to the normal space before. Reaching out our hands, we felt nothing as our hands felt for the door that was just there. Henry: ¡°..........I think we can count on Mr. Gordon doing his part. Let¡¯s go let the others know.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, we need to tell them about the Legendary godly equipment.¡± And with that, we headed for the meeting room where Cyril and the others were having tea. ¡­¡­now then, we need to quickly determine what we¡¯re going to do with our equipment improvements. CH 132 Ch. 132: The Woman Named Ricotta I opened the door to Mr. Gordon¡¯s Mansion¡¯s meeting room. Inside the room, there was one large table, and there were a few sofas meant for 2-3 people each surrounding it. On top of the table, there was a teapot and cups with steaming hot tea accompanied by various kinds of colorful cakes all set on a 4-layered cake stand. Mr. Gordon is probably the one who designed all of this. They all look like high-end furniture¡­¡­..or that¡¯s what I guess¡­¡­probably. And among the furniture, there was something everyone wanted to talk about, and within the room, I heard the sound of delighted conversation. As I could have guessed, the women in our Party have become quite the friends with Ricotta. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Henry, Jend. Thank you for handling the negotiations. How did the talk go?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, we were able to get him to accept our requests. From tomorrow on, we¡¯re going to have to hunt down every Golem in this area from daybreak to dusk. We¡¯re counting you, Party Magician.¡± Cyril: ¡°He he he. Well, you can rest assured. You can leave everything to Miss Cyril!¡± Cyril puffs out her chest. And in truth, striking down two Highest-Tiers is an amazing feat. Her confidence is a given considering what she¡¯s accomplished. Jend: ¡°Don¡¯t get too cocky, Cyril. You always slip up and mess up big when you¡¯re on a roll.¡± Ferris: ¡°Now, now, Jend. Cyril¡¯s grown up since we knew her as kids. C¡¯mon. Let¡¯s have some tea.¡± Jend: ¡°Sure.¡± With Ferris¡¯ invitation, Teo got up and gave her seat up to Jend, and scratching his cheek embarrassingly at the gesture, Jend sat down next to Ferris. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Henry, Henry. Your seat is right here. Right here.¡± And Cyril enthusiastically patted the seat next to her on the sofa. ¡­¡­¡­.please, it¡¯s really embarrassing when you do that. I will sit there regardless. Cyril: ¡°Hehe¡­¡± And as I sat down, Cyril let out a satisfied chuckle. Oh, she¡¯s now leaning her body against me. ¡­¡­.whatever. Let¡¯s just go with the flow. Ricotta: ¡°It is so good to see you two get along so well. Oh, please have some tea.¡± Ricotta stood up and filled Jend and my tea cup. Her movements were incredibly refined, and I was certain that she must have gone through some sort of maid training. Henry: ¡°........oh wow. This is good.¡± I¡¯m more of a coffee person, but this is really good. Jend: ¡°Oh, the Highland¡¯s Second Flash. As expected from the house of a Hero of Legend. You¡¯re using quality tea leaves.¡± Ricotta: ¡°Thank you very much for the compliment. You have a keen taste.¡± Jend: ¡°My family runs a merchant business. On a rare occasion, we get to handle high-quality products like these.¡± It¡¯s good. But that¡¯s all I could pick up from sipping the tea. Jend was able to determine the exact brand and flavor. Jend definitely seems very trustworthy and reliable when it comes to stuff like this. He not only has a keen sense of taste, but he also has an art for art. And now, he can be considered a first-rate fighter and has a beautiful girlfriend. ¡­¡­¡­.what? I¡¯m not envious. Never. Not. At. All. Besides! I have a girlfriend as well! She¡¯s a little different from Ferris, but she¡¯s got her positive aspects. ¡­¡­¡­um, like¡­¡­.her height and chest? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.hmmmmmm¡­¡­ Cyril: ¡°Henry, are you perhaps thinking of something really disrespectful about me?¡± Henry: ¡°What? Of course not. Where¡¯d you get that idea?¡± And I was a little taken back by Cyril¡¯s sharp intuition and looked away as I babbled some excuse. She¡¯s glaring at me suspiciously, but I concentrate all my attention on ignoring it. Henry: ¡°B©`By the way. What were you talking about with Ricotta?¡± Cyril: ¡°..........highly suspicious, but I¡¯ll let it go for today. So what were we talking about? Relationships, of course!¡± R©`Relationships¡­¡­¡­. Henry: ¡°S©`Sorry, Ricotta for Cyril dragging you into a topic like this.¡± Ricotta: ¡°Oh no. It¡¯s something I¡¯m very interested in. ¡­¡­you two really get along so well.¡± Ricotta chuckles, but I think she meant more by what she said. ¡­¡­¡­wh©`what¡¯s going on? What were they talking about before we arrived? I stared suspiciously at Cyril, but she crossed her arms with a, ¡°I¡¯m not telling you¡± attitude. Ricotta: ¡°Sir Henry and Lady Cyril. Sir Jend and Lady Ferris¡¯s relationship. They were very helpful for me to hear your stories.¡± Jend: ¡°M©`Me too¡­¡­? Hey, Ferris, what did you talk about?¡± Ferris: ¡°Well now, Jend. I know we are dating, but I can¡¯t breach confidentiality with subjects I speak about with fellow women.¡± Jend and I both looked at Teo for help¡­¡­¡­.but she completely ignored us and continued to eat cake with a ¡°You¡¯re not dragging me into this¡± attitude, so we both understood immediately that she¡¯s no help. As we both slouched on the sofa, Ricotta clapped her hands with realization. Ricotta: ¡°Oh yes! Could I ask you two a question? I think an opinion from men would also be very helpful.¡± Henry: ¡°A question¡­..? Ummm, sure. I think?¡± I¡¯m a little taken back by the sudden suggestion. From the flow of the conversation, maybe there¡¯s someone Ricotta likes? Is she going to ask the opinion from a man she barely knows? That¡¯s quite brave of her. Ricotta: ¡°Thank you so much. So, it¡¯s about my Master¡­¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Master? ¡­¡­¡­..you mean, Mr. Gordon?¡± Ricotta: ¡°Yes, I have fallen deeply for my Master, but he has yet to say yes to our relationship. If you have any ideas, I would deeply appreciate any insight you can provide.¡± Henry: ¡°........w©`wait, let me think.¡± Ricotta is¡­..well, a fairly beautiful girl. She might be a little skinny, but that¡¯s still in the realm of healthiness. And in these last few days, as we stayed with Mr. Gordon, she¡¯s a pro at taking care of all the things around the house. From a 3rd person¡¯s perspective, she¡¯s an extremely attractive woman. She¡¯s 18 years of age, so I¡¯m sure she has a lot of offers. ¡­¡­¡­.if her partner was a Pure-Human. When we first met Mr. Gordon, he called Cyril a ¡°stick.¡± I¡¯m sure he was half-kidding, but it¡¯s still one example of how Dwarves¡¯ perception of ¡°beauty¡± is quite different from us Pure-Humans. Henry: ¡°U©`Um, to be honest, I think it might a little difficult? W©`Well, you see, when you¡¯re a different race, your perception of ideal beauty can be different too, right?¡± Ricotta: ¡°Oh, I have no concerns there. Once we are dating, I plan to shape my Master to a man who will only be attracted to a slender, Pure-Human woman who¡¯s name starts with ¡®Ri¡¯ and ends with ¡®ta¡¯.¡± ¡­¡­¡­..holy¡­¡­¡­..wh©`wh©`wh©`what is this girl saying?! Cyril: ¡°You see? She told us the same thing, but she¡¯s so self-sacrificing©`©`¡± Ricotta: ¡°Lady Cyril, you¡¯ll embarrass me with such compliments.¡± Wait, wait, wait, wait. How can Cyril interpret this as self-sacrificing?! That¡¯s a huge red flag, and I¡¯m starting to feel endangered here! Ricotta: ¡°.......so well, as far as being a different race, there¡¯s no issues there, but my Master will still not say yes. I¡¯ve already proposed to him at least 10 times.¡± If he says no that much, just move on for crying out loud! Jend: ¡°U©`Um, well. I¡¯m not very knowledgeable about Dwarves, but Miss Ricotta, what is it about Mr. Gordon that you like¡­¡­?¡± Jend follows with an excellent question. That¡¯s right. We need to hear her side of the story¡­¡­..and hear more¡­¡­..and drag it on to gain as much time as we can! Ricotta: ¡°Well, let me see¡­¡­.before I explain, is everyone aware of the Varsaldi Empire¡¯s law on the right to exclusive employment?¡± Henry: ¡°......just the basics. It¡¯s a modification of the slave policies from the past, right?¡± About 200 years ago, there were slaves everywhere. The Alvenia Kingdom and Salaiz Republic eventually got rid of it as times changed, but in the Varsaldi Empire, they still held up the law Ricotta mentioned. Well, it¡¯s just like it sounds. In short, they give one individual the right to employ a certain individual. Of course, though this is an exclusive right, they must operate under the law. They cannot force someone to work without pay all year which would just lead to poor efficiency. ¡­¡­¡­.and there¡¯s been many complicated reformations in the law surrounding this issue, but that¡¯s really all I know. Ricotta: ¡°Well, you can actually purchase and sell this right, and when I was being trained by a certain Merchant Group to work as a maid¡­¡­¡­.my employer was unable to pay for my Master¡¯s work, and I was paid to my Master instead.¡± Mr. Gordon only works when the money is paid upfront, because someone failed to pay him in the past. I wonder if this was the specific incident. Ricotta: ¡°When my Master learned that they were unable to pay, he was quite upset. At the time, I was only a maid-in-training, but he grabbed hold of my hand and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t have the money, I¡¯ll take her instead. I needed someone to take care of things around the house.¡± He was very passionate at the time¡­¡­..¡± Hm? That ending was a little strange, no? Henry: ¡°B©`But regardless, why did Mr. Gordon take you, Miss Ricotta? You would have been what¡­¡­.8 or 9 years old?¡± ¡­¡­and besides that, they trained children at that age as occupational trainees? Well, I was around 10 when I joined the Fezard Kingdom¡¯s Knights as a squire. A©`Anyways, was there no one else besides Ricotta at the time? Ricotta: ¡°My Master said children would be able to adapt to a different environment much faster. If it was an adult, there would be many relationships to deal with¡­¡­.and what¡¯s more, I had no other family, so my Master must have pitied my situation. For a few years, he treated me as he would a daughter when I first arrived.¡± Whoa, seriously? That¡¯s unexpected¡­¡­¡­.actually, no. He might have a bad mouth, but Mr. Gordon has a good heart. Ricotta: ¡°So that is how I got to know my Master. As we lived together for 10 years, I cannot remember if there was an incident that made me fall in love¡­¡­..but¡­..hehe¡­..my heart may have already been his since he took my hand that day.¡± Cyril: ¡°Wow¡«¡«¡« it¡¯s such a romantic tale¡«¡± Cyril is applauding quietly at Ricotta. Romantic? ¡­¡­.Romantic? What is romance in that case¡­¡­? If I was in Mr. Gordon¡¯s shoes, I would be deeply troubled. If someone that I thought of as a daughter began to think of me as a future husband¡­¡­. And besides that, at this age, falling this hard for someone and not letting it go one bit¡­..isn¡¯t that a little too¡­..extreme? Jend: ¡°B©`But I can¡¯t believe a Merchant would fail to provide the promised amount. Miss Ricotta¡¯s former employer must have been extremely disreputable.¡± Ricotta: ¡°Yes. But because of that, I am here today, so I am actually thankful for my former employer¡¯s faults.¡± Jend: ¡°H©`haha¡­..yeah, I guess¡­ that¡¯s true¡­.¡± Jend tried to change the subject and failed. ¡­¡­..and Ferris and Teo have not been participating as much as Cyril, but they have been intently listening to and seemed approving of Ricotta. Well, yeah, though the content of the story is a little strange, on the surface, it¡¯s not a bad story overall. But no matter how many times I think about it¡­¡­..Ricotta¡¯s passion seemed¡­¡­..I dunno, a little¡­¡­.muddied and heavy? If the feelings towards your first crush can be described as a splash of clear water, her¡¯s was a bit syrupy, and it made chills run down my back. I was certain that Jend felt the same as me. Henry: ¡°S©`Sorry to interrupt in the middle of our conversation. I©`I need to use the restroom.¡± And I got up quickly and left the meeting room. Outside the room, Mr. Gordon stood there with a bitter expression as if he chewed 100 stink bugs at once. H©`He scared me by appearing out of nowhere. I was so focused on the conversation, that I didn¡¯t even notice. I lifted a finger to gesture to follow him. I walked after him for a while, and once we were far from earshot from the meeting room, Mr. Gordon opened his heavy set jaws. Gordon: ¡°Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Y©`Yes.¡± Gordon: ¡°Can you please convince Ricotta to give up?! I¡¯ll even take half off your bill!¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s not possible!!¡± And with a I ran at full force away from that spot. CH 133 Ch. 133: Blaze Blade We were in a place that was about 1 hour away from the Dwarven City of Gungard. According to the Church in Gungard, we were walking in an area where Golems spawned frequently and¡­¡­..just like they said, we were in the middle of our fourth encounter. Henry: ¡°Over here, slow poke!¡± I yelled to draw its attention and jumped to the side. A few seconds later, a huge Orichalcum fist pounded the ground where I used to be and struck deeply into the ground. (*sfx) A heavy rumble echoed as the ground shook slightly from the impact. So like this, we distracted the Golem as we circled around it and continued to dodge its attacks for 3 minutes. I was thinking it was about time when I received a telepathic communication. Cyril: (Henry! Jend! I¡¯m going to let¡¯em have it!) Henry: (Got it!) On Cyril¡¯s signal, I put distance between the Orichalcum Golem and myself. And a little ways away from where I was, Jend was also distracting another Mithril Golem and moved away as I did. Cyril: ¡°{Diamond Javelin}!¡± After testing it a few times, Cyril chanted the most effective Spell she had against Golems. The ground below her feet swelled up as two massive objects shaped like spears emerged. Coated with Magic Power, the objects tips were white, and she pointed one towards each Golem and©`©` Cyril: ¡°Launch!¡± And with the Spellcaster¡¯s signal, they flew straight. ¡­¡­¡­..although my Spear throw has more variety in flight paths and accuracy, the destructive power of her spears far outclassed mine as they flew. [Goh?!?!] The Golems were too slow to dodge, and as it struck their left chest, a huge hole appeared that went straight through. As we suspected, their cores were located in that area, and after a moment of silence, the Golems all collapsed. (*sfx) Henry: ¡°............fwew¡­¡­.¡± As I confirmed that each Golem was turning into Corrupted Magic, I let myself relax and wiped the sweat off my face. I still have enough stamina reserves to keep going, but dodging attacks of that level is nerve-wracking. Golems are typically very slow, so as long as I¡¯m paying attention, it should be fine, but if by accident, they struck me¡­¡­..it would probably break every bone in my body. With the Corrupted Magic now disappearing, I see an ore the size of my fist made of Orichalcum. This is all the Orichalcum Golems drop. Depending upon the quality and quantity, the value of the Orichalcum changes. This one¡­¡­¡­is a bit small, but the quality looks high. Jend: ¡°Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, good work. Looks like yours went down with that one hit.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, it was all thanks to Teo.¡± Teo was supporting Jend from a distance, and we regrouped as we headed towards the rearguards where Cyril was. Cyril struck their Golem around the left waist where they suspected where its core was. A Golem¡¯s Core. For an inorganic Golem, their weaknesses differ from typical creatures. They have ¡°Cores¡± that are similar to an organism¡¯s heart, and it must be destroyed to take them down. If it¡¯s a Stone Golem, it might be faster to break apart the whole body, but for Orichalcum and Pure Mithril or even Adamantite Golems, standard theory calls for determining the location of its core and striking through there. The position of the core changes with each Golem, and that¡¯s why the key is to be able to accurately assess and discover it. So in our case, the vanguards would discover the location of the core and relay that info through the godly equipment, [Link Ring], and Cyril will it with her Spell. ¡­¡­¡­¡­it¡¯s true that if you cut off the head or upper body, you can pause its movements, so that is an option too. But the neck is extremely tough and is located much higher than an average person, and unlike the core which you just need to scar it enough, you need to completely cut it off, so it¡¯s not a popular tactic. There was one who specifically made it a point to always behead Golems¡­¡­..and not surprisingly, I¡¯m talking about the idiot, Ageha. Jend: ¡°Henry, you¡¯re really good at finding the cores even though you¡¯re in the middle of a fight. Is there a trick?¡± Henry: ¡°A trick? There¡¯s a lot of small things I could name, but it¡¯s namely experience and instinct¡­¡­.¡± Sensing the strength and weaknesses in Magic Power. Seeing where the Golem is trying to protect the most. Identifying the differences in strength in each limb. The slightly different construction of each Golem¡­¡­¡­¡­..so there are countless small factors that I consider as I think, ¡°this point smells suspicious¡± and go with it. Jend: ¡°I©`I see¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah.¡± I tried to explain the finer details quickly, but none of it really resonated with Jend. Even I wouldn¡¯t understand if this was my first time dealing with these Demonic Creatures. I¡¯m not sure if there really is a way to convey this, so I leave it alone. ¡­¡­¡­..yeah, I can only explain it as experience and instinct. For Rare Metal Golems, the pay out is very good, so if you have anyone in the Party with high enough attack power, you would purposefully start hunting Golems specifically. ¡­¡­¡­since Ageha could chop the heads, I benefited a lot financially during that time. Henry: ¡°But on that point, Teo really has talent. She got it wrong a few times at first, but now, she¡¯s on point.¡± Teo: ¡°Well, I prioritize training my observational skills, and besides, as a rearguard, I can observe without being interrupted, so it¡¯s not compliment-worthy.¡± Teo is being humble, but she was the one who detected the Hanuman¡¯s presence before anyone else, and the way she can hone in on pertinent details shows that she has really good instincts. Of course, Jend is something else too. His opponent today was a little slow, and he was focused solely on defense, but he held off an Upper-Tier, Upper-Class Demonic Creature on his own. And when we first started, Jend slipped up and got the bones of both his arms shattered, but Ferris helped him recover to the point where he could swing a sword by the next day. Her skills shouldn¡¯t be underestimated, and neither is Cyril¡¯s powerful Spells. All in all, our Party¡¯s members are exceptional. And maybe it¡¯s the experience of having fought a Highest-Tier, but they all seemed one level above from before. It¡¯s hard to put it into words, but they were more confident and steady on the battlefield. If they get proper gear and learn proper battle strategies¡­. Ligaleo. Even at the frontlines of the war between humanity and the Demon Nation, they would be able to rise up to the ranks of a first-rate Party. Henry: ¡°...........I guess I can¡¯t just laze about any more.¡± Jend: ¡°Hm? Did you say something, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Jend, who was walking ahead of me, couldn¡¯t hear what I mumbled to myself. ¡­¡­¡­oh, but Teo heard. She gave me a subtle thumbs up. ¡­¡­¡­..it was a little embarrassing. And to blast away the ticklish feelings, I braced myself as I raised my voice to speak to the whole group. Henry: ¡°Alright! We¡¯re doing really well! Let¡¯s go find our next Golem!¡± And hearing the group cheer back, it was hard not to smile. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°We¡¯re back.¡± Since then, we took down 10 more Golems, and we all returned to Mr. Gordon¡¯s house. We thought about resting in an inn for the night, but per Mr. Gordon, it¡¯ll be more convenient if we came back to his place to test and make adjustments to our requested gear and possibly do some renegotiations¡­¡­¡­¡­or at least, that¡¯s his reason. Ricotta: ¡°Welcome home, everyone.¡± ¡­¡­¡­..as they welcomed us back, I¡¯m pretty sure half the reason is to avoid being alone with his maid. Cyril: ¡°Hi, Miss Ricotta. Thank you for welcoming us back!¡± Ricotta: ¡°Oh, of course. This is nothing. The bath is ready, so please rest and recuperate from your Adventurers. Or would you like to have dinner before that?¡± And she¡¯s diligent and efficient as always. Well, it does feel rude to walk into someone¡¯s home being covered in dirt and sweat, so since she offered, I was planning on accepting the bath when I heard heavy footsteps coming from the back of the mansion. Gordon: ¡°Oh! You¡¯re all back!¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, we just got back. Good to see you, Mr. Gordon.¡± Gordon: ¡°Good! And Jend¡¯s here too? I got your weapon modified and ready. Come to the back so you can try it out!¡± And as if to show off the modified Blaze Blade, Mr. Gordon holds it up above his head. In general, it hasn¡¯t changed dramatically, but I could tell that the appearance was slightly modified to give off a more slender look, and I could see a few symbols on the blade itself. Ricotta: ¡°Master, Sir Jend and his guests are tired from coming back from an expedition. Can this not wait till tomorrow?¡± Gordon: ¡°Whoa now, Ricotta. When it comes to my work, I won¡¯t have you telling me what to do. I need him to try it so I can do final adjustments!¡± Ricotta: ¡°(sigh¡­.)¡± Ricotta lets out an exasperated sigh. Oh, so when it comes to work, he can stand his ground. Ricotta: (His strict and stern attitude is so¡­¡­..good¡­¡­) ¡­¡­¡­.that¡¯s why I decided to completely ignore what I overheard Ricotta mumbling to herself. I know Mr. Gordon is sweating profusely right now, but I¡¯m sure that is from coming back from working in his workshop. It can¡¯t be anything else. Jend: ¡°Of course. It¡¯s my weapon, so I¡¯ll gladly come along to test it for you, Mr. Gordon.¡± Gordon: ¡°Great! Let¡¯s go!¡± Mr. Gordon seems really excited (and it¡¯s just my imagination that it looks a bit forced) as we head for their yard. I have a lot of interest in seeing how many Party Members¡¯ equipment turns out, and the rest of the Party follows as well. Mr. Gordon¡¯s yard is quite spacious. But unlike the front yard, there are no sculptures and flower beds ©`©` rather, it¡¯s pretty desolate. Instead, there are simple combat dolls, logs for cutting, hammers, etc. In short, it¡¯s where Mr. Gordon likes to test all the weapons and armor he makes. So in the center of the yard, Jend and Gordon stood side by side. Jend took hold of the Blaze Blade and¡­¡­he swung it 2, 3 times. Gordon: ¡°How does the grip feel?¡± Jend: ¡°It feels good. Before, I was comfortable with the grip¡­¡­¡­but now, it feels like it¡¯s sticking to my hand.¡± Oh, that¡¯s good to hear. How the grip feels is pretty important. Cyril: ¡°It feels¡­.sticky?¡± ¡­¡­¡­.and Cyril, who is not as acquainted with handling weapons, didn¡¯t know what to make of Jend¡¯s comment. As for Cyril, she¡¯s trading in her original staff and getting a new one, so once that is done, she should understand what Jend means. Gordon: ¡°Good. Try out the new feature. It¡¯s your first time with the Spell Inscription, so I want to make sure that it activates properly.¡± Jend: ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Jend places the Blaze Blade right in front of him. He takes a few deep breaths and©`©` Jend: ¡°©`©`{Soaring Flame Strike}!¡± He grips his sword as flames envelope the blade and©`©`swings. A flame arches and cuts through the air. It proceeds towards a combat doll 10 meters (¡«30 yards) away and©`©` Gordon: ¡®.......hmm, that was alright. I need to adjust the Spell Inscription a little more.¡± The combat doll fell over and disappeared. It was Jend¡¯s Sword Instructor, Mr. Ricardo¡¯s signature move. It was possibly by using a Magecraft Spell Inscription carved into the sword and combining it with a Single Blade of the Fire God Style move to make the {Soaring Flame Strike}. ¡­¡­¡­..because of how difficult it is to carve a Spell Inscription into a godly equipment, he couldn¡¯t use it until now, but now, Mr. Gordon made it possible. Jend: ¡°Amazing¡­¡­¡­I really was able to use the {Soaring Flame Strike} with the Blaze Blade¡­¡± Gordon: ¡°You asked for it. As long as I take a job on, I¡¯ll make sure to complete it according to your order.¡± Mr. Gordon grunts a little at Jend¡¯s reaction. ¡­¡­..the modification of a godly equipment. There¡¯s not many craftsmen who can actually perform that kind of work. There¡¯s the problem of acquiring a godly equipment of high quality, and there¡¯s also the possibility of a godly equipment¡¯s ability to weaken if it¡¯s not properly done. Gordon: ¡°I also added one more {Flame Enchantment} so it should have more fire power.¡± Jend: ¡°What?! Really?!¡± But for man with the title [God¡¯s Hammer], instead of accidentally weakening an equipment¡¯s ability, he was able to add an additional ability to it. There are literally, only a handful of people like Mr. Gordon who can manipulate and upgrade a godly equipment. Gordon: ¡°Well, you gave me something good to work with. If it was a crappy blade, then it would have been impossible. You got this when you just started as an Adventurer, right? You got some good luck.¡± Jend: ¡°Haha, thank you so much. Oh, and here¡¯s the blade I borrowed.¡± Gordon: ¡°Yeah, how was it?¡± Jend: ¡°It¡¯s hard to compare anything against my Blaze Blade, but this one was a great weapon.¡± And with a nod and a laugh, Mr. Gordon took back the large broadsword he lent to Jend while he worked on the Blaze Blade. That one was also made by Mr. Gordon and was one of the available weapons in Mr. Gordon¡¯s mansion. Ferris: ¡°Haha. Jend looks so happy.¡± Seeing her boyfriend run around like a child, Ferris chuckled at the sight. Cyril: ¡°Hmph. I¡¯m glad it worked out, but why did Jend get his weapon made first¡­.¡± Watching Jend¡¯s happy face, Cyril must have felt a little jealous as she puffed her cheeks out. Henry: ¡°Now, now. By the end of the month, everyone will get their gear upgraded by Mr. Gordon. That was the promise. But we need to make sure to make enough money to pay him back.¡± Cyril: ¡°I know¡«¡± And Jend and Mr. Gordon really got into a heated discussion about the final adjustments. Henry: ¡°........they¡¯re going to be at it for a while. Since Ricotta got the bath ready, why not get ourselves cleaned up first?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, let¡¯s©`¡± And as their discussion heated up, we waved at the two and headed back to the house. ¡­¡­..now then, it¡¯ll be good to rest so we can work hard again tomorrow. CH 134 Ch. 134: The Tour of Gungard I decided to take a tour of Gungard. The Dwarves carved a massive hole inside the side of a mountain and built this city inside of it¡­¡­.and though the origins of this city are outrageous, the city itself looks pretty normal. I would think that there would be many issues trying to live inside a mountain, but the Dwarves have managed to push through with their craftsmanship and unified efforts. ¡­¡­¡­.so, when we first entered, we were surprised to see that the entire ceiling was made of stone, but now that we are walking around the city, other than the fact that the people walking around were Dwarves, it felt no different from any other city. Henry: ¡°Oh¡« ummm¡­.apparently, there¡¯s not really any tourist spots, so¡­¡­what should we do?¡± I just decided on this on a whim, but I couldn¡¯t think of any destinations to head to and scratched my cheek in the awkwardness. ¡­¡­¡­.right now, my party is currently destroying the Golem population nearby in order to accumulate money. But in our hurry, we ventured out 5 days in a row, and as a result, everyone except me were out of commission from fatigue. I can¡¯t say it¡¯s because they¡¯re out of shape. It¡¯s the one-full-month, one-rest-day frontline expectations that are absurd. ¡­¡­¡­but to be fair, only me and a few others were able to do that. A©`Anyways, they were fighting in unfamiliar territory on unfamiliar expeditions non-stop. If someone makes a critical error due to fatigue, there¡¯s no taking that back, and thus, we decided to rest today. On the other hand, I had plenty of energy, so I came out to explore the city. ¡°Oye, you there. Aren¡¯t you the Savior of this City? Here, have one of these.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh! Thank you very much.¡± One of the men at the food stands called out to me and shoved a shish-kabob into my hand. We no longer received the crazed, feverish welcome we saw at the beginning, but we still get a few people calling out to us and gave us some gifts. It¡¯s embarrassing but also difficult to turn down people when they¡¯re trying to give you things for free. I smiled awkwardly, and took a big bite out of the large meat on the stick, and the juice from the meat filled my mouth. Henry: ¡°Oh, hot-hot-hot.¡± Since the meat was fresh off the fire, I almost burned my mouth. Henry: ¡°(huff, huff)¡± I blow out air as I juggle the meat inside my mouth and finally chew it down. Henry: ¡°Oh¡«¡«¡« it¡¯s really good.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad. You want a drink with that? I¡¯ll have to charge you for the drink though.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, thank you!¡± Looking at the menu posted outside the food stand, I pass 20 zeniths to the man. ¡°Thank you for the order!¡± He took the payment energetically and swiftly filled a wooden mug with ale. I swallowed in anticipation right before I chugged it down. It¡¯s still before noon, and I feel a pang of guilt for drinking at this time of day, but if I look around, there are plenty of Dwarves drinking ale as they would water. This city has that kind of culture¡­¡­.or so I tried to convince myself as I chugged down a quarter of the mug. Henry: ¡°ahh¡­¡­..this is really good too.¡± ¡°Yup, our ale is one of our most popular items.¡± The taste of the ale is much heavier than the Flowtier Ale. With a deep and complex flavor, it hits your stomach with a punch. Some say that ale is just liquid bread, but this drink proves that point well. And of course, it goes extremely well with the meat. The meat¡¯s hardy seasoning complements the ale¡¯s strong flavor, and you can easily drink down a mug of ale with one shish-kabob. Henry: ¡°Thank you for the meal. It was delicious.¡± ¡°Yeah, glad you enjoyed it. Is our Savior on a break today? I heard rumors that you were trying to earn money to pay Gordon¡¯s fees.¡± Henry: ¡°.........yes, but you don¡¯t have to address me as Savior. It¡¯s pretty embarrassing. But yes, we¡¯ll be going on expeditions with breaks in between. If we go out continuously, we¡¯ll eventually tire out.¡± In the 3 major nations, it¡¯s part of the tradition to anyone who has accomplished a huge feat or saved your city from danger as ¡°Savior¡±..........but I¡¯ll let it go for the first or second time, but I couldn¡¯t bear being told so every single day. There¡¯s only one person I can think of that deserves that title. ¡­¡­..and that person is pretty oblivious, and maybe that¡¯s why they don¡¯t mind being called that. ¡°Hmmm, I see. Well, there¡¯s not much to see here, but take your time.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, thank you so much.¡± I wave my hand as I depart from the food stand. Now then, what should I do next¡­¡­ <<<<>>>> I wavered slightly as I continued down the path. I then finally started seeing where all the workshops and smithy¡¯s were lined up in the streets. From each of the workshops, smoke billowed and rolled up to the sky. Since the environment is inside a mountain, you would think the air quality would instantly start degrading, but they must have some secret gadget that made it alright. Hmm¡­¡­.let me think. Since I¡¯m here, maybe they¡¯ll be selling some stuff around here? I could use another life for day-to-day living. The Nyoiten Spear can be shaped into a knife, but I would appreciate the sensation of a different blade in my hands. Henry: ¡°Hmmmmmm¡­.¡± As I walked while pondering¡­¡­.oh, I didn¡¯t even have to look that far. I entered a different street, and I saw some younger workers who were probably helpers of those workshops. There were both Dwarven boys and girls there, and they set out merchandise on blankets in front of the stores. It was quite the sight to see. ¡°Oh, hey mister. I haven¡¯t seen you before, but you from the outside?¡± Being lost in the sea of products all around me, a human girl came up and spoke to me as she peered up at me. ¡­¡­¡­she¡¯s about 12 or 13? It¡¯s rare to see humans in a Dwarven city. Henry: ¡°Yeah, I came here from a different town to earn some money.¡± ¡°I see, I see. Mister, you must be quite strong then. If you came here to earn some cash, you¡¯re hunting Higher-Tier Golems, right?¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s about right.¡± With the Hanuman incident, our faces and names were quite well known, but that doesn¡¯t mean that every person here knows about us. I laughed awkwardly to let the question pass. Henry: ¡°........so, did you have something you want from me?¡± ¡°Well, if you¡¯re going to shop here, do you want a guide? You¡¯re at the Gungard Workshop District, the Blue Sky Market. All the products you see here range from things the Smith Masters made to things their apprentices and even trainees made. It¡¯s all mixed up together, so if you don¡¯t have a guide helping you, you might get ripped off¡«.¡± Wait, wait, wait. Henry: ¡°But if you do that, wouldn¡¯t the workshop owner lose face selling poor products¡­.?¡± ¡°The products sold have appropriate price tags, but this place is to help train your ability to distinguish the quality of products too. See?¡± And the girl pointed at a sign post. ¡­¡­..and just like she said, the exact same thing the girl explained was written plainly on the notice board. For instance, if you purchase a poor quality product, that is your own responsibility. ¡°But maybe it¡¯s not fair to enforce that on visitors from the outside. It¡¯ll be heart-breaking if you do fall into a bad deal¡­¡­¡­..so that¡¯s why, with a little fee, yours truly, Miss Narcia, will help guide you through the marketplace. I¡¯ve been living here since I was little, so I have some confidence in being able to tell apart the good from the bad.¡± She¡¯s a little arrogant as any other child, and I feel myself smile a little. And I may not be as good as a craftsman, but I think I can distinguish the quality of a weapon pretty well¡­¡­..but I guess this is fine. The way she addressed herself caught my attention. Henry: ¡°Narcia, huh? Fine, here¡¯s your payment. When we¡¯re done, I¡¯ll pay the other half.¡± Narcia: ¡°Whoa?! 500 zeniths?! ¡­¡­.ummm, you understand that I¡¯m not going to help you find treasure here.¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it and keep it.¡± Narcia: ¡°.......he he he, Mister, would you like me to hold your bags?¡± Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t have any luggage like that¡­¡­¡± I wave my hand to dismiss her offer. Besides, even if I was carrying something, I¡¯m not going to make a small child carry it. Narcia; ¡°Hmmmm, then¡­¡­.oh, mister? I know the Varsaldi Empire is very lax in that area, but the Dwarven City is self-governing, so you can¡¯t buy a child like me. You know that?¡± Henry: ¡°LIKE I WOULD!!¡± I immediately address this severe misunderstanding. Henry: ¡°Like I told you before, I came here to earn some money. I¡¯ve been lucky and earned more than I expected lately, so I¡¯m just sharing some of that wealth.¡± Narcia: ¡°Hmmm, hearing someone be so successful makes me full of jealousy, but Miss Narcia is an intelligent and mature maiden. She will not let such small things get in the way of her business and will promptly continue making her customer feel at ease. Well done.¡± Is¡­¡­.she Cyril¡¯s relative or something? ¡­¡­but she¡¯s pretty good at gauging the social distance with her conversation. She¡¯s adjusting her wording judging by my reaction, and she¡¯s making sure to not brazenly cross lines that would put me off, and she¡¯s able to gracefully joke with me right up to that line. She might be quite the intelligent child. ¡­¡­¡­..correction. She¡¯s different from Cyril. Cyril doesn¡¯t think this deeply. Narcia: ¡°Now then, mister. What is it you¡¯re looking for today?¡± I told Narcia that I was looking for a knife, and she immediately guided me to a store. ¡­¡­.and well, it¡¯s probably a store that she has close ties to, but I don¡¯t think she would be foolish enough to take me to a poor quality store off the bat, so I followed her without a word. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s Narcia. You caught another tourist?¡± Narcia: ¡°What do you mean caught? I did no such thing and explained everything to him!¡± ¡°Right, right. Uhhh, you a human adventurer? Welcome.¡± She had a casual conversation with one of the store¡¯s underlings and pointed to the store¡¯s merchandise. Narcia: ¡°Hmmmm, mister. That one looks elaborate, but Iwan made it, so I wouldn¡¯t recommend it. Otherwise, there¡¯s no other bad choices.¡± Iwan: ¡°Hey, why you¡­.¡± The boy seemed a little taken back, but he must know that his skill level still isn¡¯t up to par. He wasn¡¯t able to retort anything beyond that. Henry: ¡°Do you mind if I test the blade?¡± Iwan: ¡°You can use the discarded wood pieces here.¡± Henry: ¡°Thanks.¡± I took 3 knives that caught my eye and pick up a wooden block with test cuts all over it and make a mark. One, two, and three¡­¡­there. Henry: ¡°This one. ¡­¡­¡­..oh, it¡¯s quite cheap.¡± I chose the 2nd one and was shocked when I saw the low price tag. Iwan: ¡°.........he picked the Master¡¯s handiwork on the first try. Mister, you must be quite the Adventurer.¡± Henry: ¡°Somewhat. But do you make any profits with a price like this? Isn¡¯t this Adamantite?¡± It looks plain and is heavier than it looks, but it¡¯s quite durable. It¡¯s edges are very sharp, and I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it was sold at 3 times the price they have here. Iwan: ¡°Oh, I guess even an Adventurer of your level didn¡¯t recognize. That is a test product trying to see if you can retain the durability of Adamantite while turning it into a cheaper metal alloy. I can¡¯t tell you the alloy metal ratio though.¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s cheap because it¡¯s a test product¡­¡­..are you sure about this knife then?¡± Iwan: ¡°We¡¯ve tested the durability of the metal thoroughly. But making this alloy is SUPER cumbersome, so we¡¯re not going to make any others.¡± Then I guess it¡¯s fine. Huh, now that I look closely, there¡¯s a lot of fun items around here. Narcia: ¡°Mister, is that it? You got the knife you were looking for.¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯d like to look around a little more¡­.hmmmm, let¡¯s see. I should buy some gifts for my other Party members. Can you introduce me to those stores?¡± Narcia: ¡°Of course. Just leave it to me.¡± As I let Narcia guide me through the market, I walk through the Blue Sky Market. There are other shops besides Smithy¡¯s, and they¡¯re selling cloth-based items, wooden crafts, food and alcohol¡­¡­¡­so you can find just about anything. They told me that there¡¯s really not a tourist spot, but this was worth the time to see. So, I bought Jend a practice Kroseid Spellcall Stone, Teo ©` a set of nice looking arrowheads, Ferris ©` a sharpening stone¡­¡­.and basically, gifts that can¡¯t go wrong. ¡­¡­..but I think about what to get Cyril and pause. Narcia: ¡°Mister, what are you going to do about the last gift for your human friend?¡± Henry: ¡°Hmmm©`, yeah¡­..let me think¡­¡­.¡± I could pick something just like I did with the others, but I feel like that¡¯s a bit boring. Henry: ¡°........well, it doesn¡¯t have to be for Adventurers, but is there an Accessory store around?¡± Narcia: ¡°Oh, oh. ¡­¡­¡­.is it your girlfriend?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah.¡± It¡¯s a little embarrassing so I turn away as I answer. Narcia laughed and waved her hand, ¡°This way¡± as she walked without hesitation to the next store. Narcia: ¡°Well now, that¡¯s so nice¡« I wish I had someone like that¡«¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah? ¡­..do you have anyone in mind? I guess finding other human beings in this city is pretty tough.¡± Narcia: ¡°Yeah¡« but there are many Adventurers that pass by looking for weapons and armor, so once I¡¯m a little older, I¡¯ll catch one. Mister, you were just 5 years too fast!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± I answer her banter casually. Henry: ¡°Oh, but where are we going? We seemed to have exited the Blue Sky Market.¡± Narcia: ¡°Ohh, we¡¯re going to a clothing store I have ties to. The most famous craftsman is the Hero of Legend, Gordon, but when it comes to cloth products, my Master is one step above.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­it doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s trying to exaggerate. Henry: ¡°But I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to afford the merchandise of your Master.¡± Narcia: ¡°No worries. The apprentices¡¯ skill level is very high, and with a word from me, you might get a good price.¡± Then I guess it¡¯s okay. ¡­¡­¡­as we talk, we arrive at the workshop. That¡¯s fine but©`©` ¡°Thank you very much. ¡­¡­¡­oh?¡± And as someone was exiting the workshop, I recognized her. She was holding a package very carefully and©`©` Henry: ¡°Ricotta?¡± Ricotta; ¡°Why, it¡¯s Sir Henry. What a coincidence.¡± She bowed elegantly even with the package in her arms. It was Mr. Gordon¡¯s maid, and someone who¡¯s been taking care of us ©` Ricotta. Narcia: ¡°Oh, mister, you know Miss Ricotta?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, my Party¡¯s been staying with Mr. Gordon.¡± Narcia: ¡°.........then, mister, you must be the rumored Party that defeated the Highest-Tier!! I was giving a tour to someone amazing¡«¡± And Narcia applauded as she yelled quietly in surprise. Ricotta: ¡°Judging from your conversation, Narcia, you have been giving Sir Henry a tour of the Blue Sky Market?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, she talked me into it, and it ended up this way. We¡¯re here because¡­.well, I wanted to get Cyril a gift. What about you, Ricotta?¡± Ricotta: ¡°I was here to pick up materials we custom ordered for Lady Cyril¡¯s armor.¡± Now that I recall, Cyril will upgrade the clothes she¡¯s wearing, but she wanted to get a brand new cloak. ¡­¡­and this also proved Narcia¡¯s previous comment. If Mr. Gordon is asking for materials, the Master here must be quite the skilled craftsman. Henry: ¡°I see. Then, can you wait here for me? If you¡¯re going back to the Mansion, I can carry the luggage for you.¡± Ricotta: ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t have you doing such things. Besides, this isn¡¯t that heavy.¡± Henry: ¡°........sorry, to be frank, I don¡¯t know if I can return straight to Mr. Gordon¡¯s place from here, so I want you to wait if that¡¯s okay.¡± Ricotta: ¡°......oh, yes.¡± I was a little too excited about exploring a brand new city and got myself lost as I walked everywhere. I think I¡¯ll be okay regardless but having a guide would be very helpful at the moment. And with Narcia¡¯s guide, I entered the workshop. They recommended many kinds of items, but in the end, I chose a light-colored scarf and left the store. I parted with Narcia here. I paid her the rest of her dues, and with a huge smile, she waved us goodbye. Henry: ¡°But that Narcia was a good girl.¡± Ricotta: ¡°Yes, I¡¯m very good friends with her.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, that makes sense. You¡¯re the same race and both women. In this city, it would be a rare friend to have.¡± Ricotta nods with a yes. Ricotta: ¡°She¡¯s also an exclusive employee just like me. ¡­¡­.oh, but¡­..it¡¯s sad, but she doesn¡¯t quite understand the charm of Dwarven men. I think they¡¯re wonderful. Especially the beard. ¡­¡­¡­oh, but my heart is set on my Master alone!¡± Henry: ¡°O©`Okay¡­.¡± Narcia seems to be growing up healthy and well. ¡­¡­¡­..and I hope she¡¯s not too heavily influenced by her peer here and grow up to a live a happy life. CH 135 Ch. 135: The New Equipment and the Departure Gordon: ¡°.........alright! That¡¯s the last adjustment! With that, everything¡¯s done!¡± Mr. Gordon shouted out with full satisfaction in his voice. ¡­¡­¡­.we somehow earned the luxury of arming ourselves with Mr. Gordon¡¯s weapons and armor. And all of that preparation was just completed. Cyril: ¡°Oh! I was trying out the equipment one at a time, but¡­¡­now that I wear them all, I feel a little stronger already!¡± Gordon: ¡°Hey, hey, Cyril. Those are things I made. You don¡¯t just ¡®feel¡¯ stronger. You are most definitely stronger now!¡± Cyril: ¡°I©`I see! That makes sense!¡± With Mr. Gordon¡¯s full confidence behind his words, Cyril also rode on its back and nodded in agreement. Although just upgrading your gear alone is¡­¡­¡­well, it is a bit of a headache that cripples the heart of what being a true Adventurer is, but for now, let them fuss and enjoy themselves. Teo: ¡°........but it¡¯s great to be able to do more things, but it¡¯ll probably take time to be able to execute it without fault.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©` yeah, I guess you got a lot of tricks stored in your gear now.¡± Teo was the one who had the longest, most meticulous list handed to Mr. Gordon. Her leather armor was a combined leather between the Hanuman¡¯s furr and another Higher-Tier Demonic Beast. As a special effect, it helped reduce her presence from detection, and for a short time, she can completely vanish with {Mirage}. And her shoes. They have {Suction} enchanted on it, so she¡¯s able to cling to walls and ceilings. And she also had a machete for day-to-day use, a thin knife that would be able to get into small crevices of enemies with a hard shell. The color of the blade was adjusted to be mirror like¡­..and it¡¯s incredibly difficult to see.. The godly equipment, [Soul Shooter], was already at a high degree of completion, but they adjusted the {Magic Charge} ability to be able to pour more Magic Power over time. I think it¡¯s called {Charge Arrow}. Not the most exciting name, but it¡¯ll come in handy. She¡¯s now more specialized in her scouting skills, and just in case, she now has a certain degree of upgraded fighting abilities. That is where she ended up. Gordon: ¡°For me, I think Jend¡¯s [Blaze Blade] came out that best! Hey, don¡¯t you dare die and have that thrown back into God¡¯s treasure vault, you hear me!!¡± Jend: ¡°I know, I know.¡± Mr. Gordon even renamed it to the [Twin Flame?Blaze Blade]. It was due to its added ability of shooting out flaming strikes, and its additional {Fire Envelopment} enchantment. On top of that, he returned his original armor and had a new one made. There are no special enchantments or abilities on this one, but it was made to be extra durable, flexible, and allows more maneuverability. With so many different kinds of Demonic Creatures on the frontlines, as a vanguard, you need defense-focused armor like this. And since they made it exactly to Jend¡¯s measurements, it should not hinder any of his movements. It was a standard upgrade to strengthen the greatest attributes of his original armor. Ferris: ¡°Haha, Jend, you look great in your new armor.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, Ferris, you too.¡± Ferris: ¡°Well, mine won¡¯t look any different at a glance.¡± For Ferris, she had her sword, shield, and armor upgraded. The sword and armor was not tweaked too much©`©`but it had been upgraded to its highest capacity©`©`but the real jewel of her upgrade is her shield. The shield that carries her former Noble households emblem, the Hershel Family, Mr. Gordon incorporated the Free-Forming Metal into it and¡­¡­.at Ferris¡¯ will, it can change into 4 different shapes now. With the Gungard¡¯s Church of Ningel¡¯s permission, she had the [Ningel¡¯s Hand] Salvation Magecraft Spell inscriptions added which we will be heavily relying upon. Because the surface area of where the inscription can be placed was larger, she¡¯s now able to use Spells that would typically have not fitted on a standard-sized Spellcall stone. Cyril: ¡°Now that you mention it, why was my request the only one that was rejected! Everyone else got what they wanted!¡± Gordon: ¡°..........Cyril. I know I may not be an expert in Magecraft, but with powers that could kill a Hanuman with one strike, why in the world would you require more power than that?¡± Cyril¡¯s request was, ¡°Please give me a staff that would increase the power of my Magic Spells!¡± ¡­¡­¡­..and of course, it was vetoed instantly. What the heck are you planning to do with a weapon like that? Mr. Gordon also instantly understood the outcome, and as soon as he heard that, he completely ignored it. Gordon: ¡°Wait, are you dissatisfied with the staff I made you?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh! No no no! Of course I have no complaints with this. It¡¯s the best staff ever.¡± Gordon: ¡°Right? Right?¡± Cyril¡¯s staff was a little different from her request, but it¡¯s still quite amazing. The attack power as a blunt weapon is increased, and the Blue Rainbow Crystal Ball on the end will assist her maintain her concentration. Depending upon the Magic Power¡¯s quality, the Crystal Ball is a rare item that will change into the 7 colors of the rainbow, and the blue one is more rare among them. And her new cloak had many defensive qualities added. A part of her clothes were remade with new dye, and enchanted with additional defensive abilities. I never heard of this ability even among godly equipment, but {Magic Reflection} is where if an attack is received, the wearer can fire off Magic Power to pacify the impact of the attack¡­¡­. And apparently, it¡¯s Magic Power consumption is ridiculous, so Mr. Gordon commented that Cyril and only a handful of others would really be able to use this kind of ability. ¡­¡­¡­..and I wonder what Ms. Florence, who made Cyril¡¯s clothes would say now. It¡¯s been modified quite a bit. But besides that©`©` He repaired my arm bracers, and my base armor was strengthened with the Fenrir¡¯s fur that I got with Ms. Lotte, and my Nyoiten Spear was modified a bit. ¡­¡­¡­.we have most definitely accomplished what we came here to do. And I call everyone to stand in a line and©`©` Henry: ¡°Mr. Gordon, thank you very much.¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° Thank you very much! ¡± ¡± ¡± We all bow our heads with gratitude. Gordon: ¡°Hey now. You don¡¯t need to thank me. I just did the job you requested in the end.¡± Though Mr. Gordon said that, we really can¡¯t thank him enough. He prepared all of this in less than a month. No matter how famous Mr. Gordon is with making his equipment, it was a hard schedule even for him. While we were here, he spent all of his time inside the Mine God¡¯s Smithy, and we only saw him when we were testing out the newly made equipment. And he also put a great discount on his work too. We paid tens of millions zeniths, but he added so many additional abilities. It could have cost maybe twice¡­¡­well, maybe not that much, but it wouldn¡¯t have surprised me to see at least 50% more added to the final price tag. Gordon: ¡°Well, make sure you train and practice with your new gear. Oh, and you have to depart now, right?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, we¡¯re actually coming very close to our reservation at the Teleportation Gate.¡± Gordon: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s my fault then. I didn¡¯t think your Nyoiten Spear would take that much more time.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh no no! Please don¡¯t worry about that!¡± Right now, our Party is splitting into two groups. Jend, Ferris, and Teo are going to Eastflair to train their martial arts skills in Dojos. Cyril and I are heading to the Sunwest to train our Magecraft and Magic. ¡­¡­¡­and if it¡¯s Eastflair, they could walk the distance, but for Sunwest, it¡¯s fastest to go through Eastflair to the Capital and then take the Teleportation Gate to Sunwest. Since we didn¡¯t want to waste time, we asked one of the Dwarven Merchants who were heading to Eastflair to make a reservation for us at the Teleportation Gate but¡­¡­¡­because of the delay in getting the Nyoiten Spear done, we¡¯re actually cutting it very close to our departure time. But, there¡¯s no point whining about that right now. Gordon: ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, you really don¡¯t have to¡­..¡± Gordon: ¡°I just got done with a big job, and I can finally ride around in my car. It¡¯s just something I¡¯ll be doing anyway, so I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡± Mr. Gordon laughed as he went to go get his car keys for the Land Cruising Shooting Star when©`©` Ricotta: ¡°Master, your keys are here.¡± Gordon: ¡°Oh, Ricotta, thanks.¡± Ricotta: ¡°Of course. It¡¯s your usual custom to go on a drive after completing your job.¡± Gordon: ¡°That¡¯s right! I do do that often!¡± And Mr. Gordon laughed merrily. Ricotta: ¡°.......and of course, I can ride along as well?¡± Gordon: ¡°Oh©`©`¡± Mr. Gordon began scratching his head as he thought. He probably wouldn¡¯t mind the drive there, but it¡¯s the drive back ©`©` it¡¯ll just be him and Ricotta. ¡­¡­..oh, putting myself in his shoes, chills ran down my back. Cyril: ¡°Oh! What a wonderful idea! It was sad enough parting with Ricotta here!¡± Ferris: ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a good opportunity. Cyril is going to Sunwest so she won¡¯t be able to join us, but would you like to spend some time with us in Eastflair?¡± And Teo is nodding in agreement to Ferris¡¯ words. Oh©`©` the women in our group were getting along with Ricotta really well¡­¡­.that¡¯s fine but¡­¡­Mr. Gordon is looking at them with a, ¡°They betrayed me!¡± in his eyes. Gordon: ¡°H©`Henry, Jend. C¡¯mon, guys. You have an opinion too, right?¡± Henry: ¡°.........I think it¡¯s best to just give up, no?¡± Gordon: ¡°HEY!¡± If it just took a 3rd party to make this stop, it would have stopped long ago. That¡¯s why intervening right now wouldn¡¯t have any effect. It¡¯s most definitely not because sticking our necks in this snake pit of a problem is terrifying or anything. Definitely not that. It¡¯s so sad that I cannot help Mr. Gordon who¡¯s helped us so much! Gordon: ¡°.......w©`well, it¡¯s not the first time to give Ricotta a ride¡­¡­so it should be fine again this time around¡­.¡± And with shoulders slumped, Mr. Gordon walked towards the car with heavy feet. And apologizing to him profusely in my mind, I followed him from behind. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°.......okay, then. It¡¯ll be a short farewell for now.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll be training hard, so don¡¯t be slacking off over there.¡± Henry: ¡°Ha! Like you can talk. Don¡¯t flirt so much with Ferris that you come back worse than before.¡± We are in front of the Teleportation Station in Eastflair. Jend and I bantered a little as we said farewell. Cyril: ¡°Everyone, I wish you the best! Don¡¯t worry about us! Henry and I will get along just fine!¡± Henry: ¡°........wait, Cyril. People will misunderstand if you word it that way.¡± Cyril: ¡°How so?¡± Cyril tilted her head in confusion. ¡­¡­..well, I¡¯m sure with her, she really didn¡¯t mean anything by what she said, but I wish she would be more conscious of her words. Teo: ¡°.......Mr. Henry, please look after Miss Cyril. I¡¯m¡­..a little concerned without us to watch over her.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hey hey, Miss Teo©`? What do you mean by that? By the way, I think you¡¯ve forgotten that I¡¯m older.¡± Teo: ¡°That is true, but what of it?¡± Teo¡¯s harsh words are delivered calmly without remorse. ¡­¡­..I¡¯m sure that there¡¯s been moments when I wasn¡¯t there when she must have gotten herself into some sort of trouble. Since it¡¯s a brand new city, I need to make sure to watch over her as Teo says. Ferris: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s about time, Mr. Henry. You need to hurry.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh! You¡¯re right. It¡¯s already time.¡± With Ferris¡¯ words, I look at the clock set on the Teleportation Station, and it¡¯s almost time for our departure. Henry: ¡°C¡¯mon, Cyril. We need to go. ¡­..okay, everyone! See you later!¡± I took Cyril and entered to the Teleportation Station. ¡­¡­¡­..for the next 3 months, we¡¯re going to be training pretty hard. Then we¡¯ll head back to Flowtier to take a small break. After that, we¡¯ll go to Ligaleo. Cyril: ¡°It¡¯s going to be so much fun©`©`¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­and it¡¯s not like I¡¯m not a little worried about rejoining the front lines. But I¡¯ll at least be able to protect the girl laughing right next to me. That much I can do. And with that resolve inside my heart©`©` We headed to the far west city. CH 136 Ch. 136 Sunwest Henry: ¡°Hm¡­¡­?¡± I awake from my sleep. The clock on the room says it¡¯s a little before 7 AM. It¡¯s a good time to wake up. I shake away the feelings of wanting to sleep in more and get up. Henry: ¡°(yawn¡«)¡± I let out a yawn, lazily climb out of bed, and open the curtains. Before me was the clean view of the city. The Capital definitely feels more like a metropolis, but¡­¡­.the city here was more fashionable and chic. There were more brand new buildings, and every one of them had their architecture well-considered to fit into the bigger picture of the city. Also©`©` My window was facing the Alvenia Kingdom¡¯s Central Magecraft and Magic Research Facility ©`¡¡[The Mages Tower]. It sat pleasantly and melted into the city landscape. The west city of the Four Corner Cities ©` Sunwest. We arrived here through the Teleportation Gate yesterday evening. We spent the night at a hotel. ¡­¡­..of course, we rented separate rooms. Henry: ¡°Oh¡­¡± As I stood there in my thoughts, I heard light footsteps and someone¡¯s presence approaching my room. Cyril: ¡°Henry¡«¡¡Good morning¡« Are you awake©`?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m awake. I¡¯m awake. Wait a moment. I¡¯ll get dressed.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay¡«¡± Cyril would typically oversleep during campouts, but in the city, she would go to bed earlier and wake up early. I quickly got out of my pajamas, got dressed, and opened the door. Henry: ¡°Hey, good morning, Cyril.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes! C¡¯mon, let¡¯s get some breakfast. I¡¯m starving!¡± Henry: ¡°Okay, okay. It¡¯s going to be okay without having to rush there.¡± I lock my door and walk downstairs with Cyril. This inn is not quite like the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn where a diner is available on the ground floor, but they do serve meals for the inn guests. It¡¯s the first day, so we spent the night at a slightly more expensive place but¡­¡­.let¡¯s see how their food tastes. We were in the main hall on the 1st floor. There were several round tables set out, and on each of them, there was a tag with the room number on it. So Cyril and my table is¡­¡­..oh, there it is. Henry: ¡°Cyril, there. Over there.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes!¡± We sat down in the two chairs and one of the Hotel staff quickly brought over a pre-prepared breakfast. They probably used a household©`©`or rather a business-use©`©`Magecraft Artifact. The food was warm and included an omelet, crispy bacon, salad, a carrot pottage, and a basket of croissants. For dessert, they served fruits. Henry: ¡°Oh, it looks delicious.¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry, you always say that before you eat. Isn¡¯t there some things you don¡¯t like?¡± Henry: ¡°Not really¡­..or I¡¯d like to say so, but¡­¡­I can¡¯t take Ageha¡¯s cooking.¡± Cyril: ¡°Not that you don¡¯t like it, but you can¡¯t eat it?¡± But she really is the worst. When we let her cook, she would produce a medicinal ball that¡¯s bitter that it will squeeze tears out of your eyes, one that is so sour that it dries out your mouth, or one so spicy that you¡¯ll be spewing out fire. She would confidently and proudly tell us that ¡°it is a secret medicine that is full of nutrition, and you won¡¯t have to eat for an entire day!¡± and would puff out her chest at the announcement, but no matter how nutritional it is and how it staves off hunger, if you consume one during an expedition, the morale of the Party will break below rock bottom. We all protested and demanded that she cook a normal meal, and she sullenly cooked a boar over a fire¡­¡­.but she only cooked the surface and dug into the raw meat with cries of ¡°so good, so good¡± and continued to eat. ¡­¡­..and let me add that a few minutes later, being drawn by the smell of blood, Demonic Creatures began swarming the area, and we had to abandon our meal altogether. And as I spoke episode after episode, Cyril¡¯s smile strained across her face. Cyril: ¡°Well, that is¡­ummm, o©`oh! But what about days when you were not camping out? Wouldn¡¯t she have cooked something decent©`©`¡± Henry: ¡°I have never seen her pick up a cooking knife outside of camping. ¡­¡­Cyril, don¡¯t worry about trying to defend her. There¡¯s no point, and it¡¯ll just be a depressing exercise in the end.¡± I let out a long sigh as I look back and dwell on that far past. Cyril: ¡°Y©`You¡¯ve gone through a lot¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah¡­..¡± And silence falls upon our table. Cyril: ¡°W©`Well, let¡¯s eat before the food get cold. W©`wow, this looks so good¡«¡± Henry: ¡°.....yeah, it does.¡± And our morning had a slight rough start but©`©` I diligently brought the fork to my mouth to finish our breakfast. <<<<>>>> The Hotel¡¯s breakfast was worth its high price and was very delicious. My spirit improved dramatically, and after checking out, we headed with light, excited steps towards the Mages Tower. But¡­it was a little difficult to walk. Cyril¡¯s had 3 large luggage bags, and I had one mid-sized luggage. For now, I carried all of it, but the weight was fine. It was just bulky and hard to carry. ¡­¡­¡­and I realize how much we have relied on Teo to carry our belongings up until now. Now that we had to part temporarily, I forgot that I would have to carry all the luggage ourselves. Cyril: ¡°But since we arrived late in the evening, we weren¡¯t able to take a look around but¡­it really is a beautiful city.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, it really is. Apparently, that park right there was designed by a famous architect.¡± With a beautiful fountain in the center, there were flower beds lined up all around. The lawn was full of soft looking grass, and it looked like an ideal place to take a walk. Cyril: ¡°Wow¡« it does look nice. ¡­¡­¡­but it doesn¡¯t compare to Mr. Gordon¡¯s yard still.¡± You shouldn¡¯t compare it to one of the top artisans of the world who had no budgetary limitations since it was his own yard. Cyril: ¡°Oh, then let¡¯s come here for a date during one of our off days. Just because we¡¯re here to train doesn¡¯t mean that we won¡¯t have days to rest, right?¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s fine. But we¡¯ll need to secure our residence first. 3 months might seem short, but it can feel long too.¡± Cyril: ¡°I see¡« ¡­¡­..hm? Oh, I didn¡¯t really inquire about the details. Henry, will you be living in an inn just as you were in Flowtier?¡± Well, if I was here alone, then that¡¯s fine, but¡­¡­.. Henry: ¡°What about you, Cyril?¡± Cyril: ¡°Hmmm, financially speaking, living in an inn for 3 months would be difficult. I spent most of my savings paying for Mr. Gordon¡¯s equipment.¡± Yeah, thought so. Cyril: ¡°Oh, but don¡¯t misunderstand, Henry. I¡¯m not going to mooch off you. It¡¯ll be difficult staying at an inn, but I will be able to afford an apartment at least.¡± Henry: ¡°......hey, Cyril¡­.?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, what is it? Oh, are you concerned if I¡¯ll be able to live on my own? Please don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already shown you that I can cook, but as one of Lady Asteria¡¯s maid¡¯s relatives in the Governor¡¯s mansion, I had to help out with the work occasionally. I can do the basic cleaning and laundry and other tasks too.¡± Yeah, as one of Lady Asteria¡¯s maid¡¯s relatives¡­¡­.I almost forgot that that¡¯s her official backstory. I don¡¯t doubt that she could live just fine on her own, but that¡¯s not what I was worried about. Henry: ¡°Then let me ask a question. During the night, you¡¯re at your place alone, and you hear a knock. What would you do?¡± Cyril: ¡°Hmm©`? What is it, all of a sudden? A psychological question? I would just open it.¡± Henry: ¡°Yup, that¡¯s no good¡«¡± £¼BOOF£¾ I knock her gently with one of the luggage. Cyril: ¡°Ack?! Why did you do that?!¡± Henry: ¡°No, I¡¯m telling you to be cautious for any visitors during the night.¡± I did not think that she would answer so innocently. Cyril: ¡°.......oh.¡± Henry: ¡°So that¡¯s why I¡¯m concerned about letting you live alone. That¡¯s just my personal opinion. You are strong, but I¡¯m not sure how you would deal with a human opponent.¡± With her strength, she would be able to knock out most ordinary men, but mentally, it¡¯s different dealing with a human opponent versus a Demonic Creature. And especially now, she¡¯s wearing some expensive equipment. If a robber comes pushing through the door, I can¡¯t imagine it ending well. Henry: ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ll be living close, and I will take care of security.¡± I don¡¯t like having to do all the household chores, but if it¡¯s for Cyril¡¯s safety, it can¡¯t be helped. Cyril: ¡°.....so©` what about you, Henry? Are you able to handle people when they attack you?¡± Henry: ¡°Well¡­¡­I can, somewhat. I¡¯ve done it before.¡± Cyril: ¡°I©`Is that so¡­.¡± Oh, Cyril¡¯s smile is straining again. To clarify, I haven¡¯t killed anyone. ¡­¡­I have taken down Adventurers who were in the act of committing a crime, beat them up good, and then handed them over to the city constable several times. And Yuu was in my Party at the time, so if I overdid it, she would help heal them. That¡¯s how I learned to control my strength. But with all things considered¡­¡­I decided on not elaborating on the subject. Henry: ¡°Besides, I was on the front lines against the Demonic Race. The Demonic Race is similar to us and they talk just like us too. You may have to get used to that¡­.or maybe not, but you¡¯ll need to make sure to prepare for that moment.¡± Cyril: ¡°Th©`That¡¯s true¡­¡­¡± ¡­..well, she doesn¡¯t have to worry about the Demon Race for now. I can explain that stuff to her more in detail later, and I don¡¯t want her to be distracted by that while she¡¯s training here. Cyril: ¡°Then once we enroll into a short training course at the Mages Tower, we¡¯ll be looking for a place to live?¡± Henry: ¡°No. Apparently, they have rental living quarters reserved for those taking these courses at the Mages Tower, so I¡¯m hoping that we¡¯ll be able to rent a room through them. Since it¡¯s the first time coming to this city, we don¡¯t know of any trustworthy realtors¡± I¡¯m sure the short-term trainees would be a great target for the scammers. We can also go to the Grandes Church in this city, but the Mages Tower, who is doing this as a business, should be better acquainted with this process¡­¡­I hope. Cyril: ¡°I see¡«. Oh, we¡¯re almost to the Mages Tower. From here, we can see it really well.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± Passing by all the tall buildings, our vision widens suddenly. The Mages Tower lies at the center, and the city encircles it all around. According to legends, a long time ago, a great Mage fought against a highest-tier, and at the final showdown, their Spell created this crater or something like that. ¡­¡­¡­..and that was about 200 years ago. And because of the after-effects of that Spell or maybe the land¡¯s Magic Power concentration was pretty dense, so the Mages of that day (Mr. Riol included) eyed the territory, and created a Research Organization that would investigate the secrets and truths behind Magecraft and Magic which led to the creation of the Mages Tower. And after its creation, residences and business began quickly sprouting outward in a circle around it. And like that, the newest of the Four Corner Cities, Sunwest, was born©`©`is what I read on the hotel¡¯s pamphlet. Henry: ¡°......it¡¯s huge¡­.¡± Cyril: ¡°I think it¡¯s bigger than the Capital¡¯s castle¡­.¡± The tower was ginormous. You would think that it would have collapsed from its own weight, but the tower¡¯s radius was at least 2 to 3 times bigger than an average castle. And there were 2, 4¡­..8 square practice fields surrounding the Tower. Each one was surrounded by a barrier, and several dozen people were practicing their Magecraft and Magic fervently. Of course, I¡¯m sure they would be experimenting more complex Spells within the tower, but Cyril and I would most likely be using these practice fields a lot. Cyril: ¡°Okay, Henry. Let¡¯s go!¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, don¡¯t just run off. I¡¯m carrying all the luggage.¡± And not being able to hold back her excitement, Cyril began quickly jogging towards the Tower, and I followed right behind her. ¡­¡­¡­¡­well now, I wonder what awaits us in this city. CH 137 Ch. 137: The Meeting and the Home We arrived at the Mages Tower. As we looked up, we felt our necks strain as we searched for the top. As we entered, we followed the signs directing us to the Course Registration Reception, and we arrived at a large hall on the 1st floor. Glancing at the welcome sign and map, there are other business and administrative offices besides this giant hall. And inside the great hall©`©` Cyril: ¡°Wow¡« so many people here¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, these short-term courses have a specific month when it begins, so right now, you¡¯ll see the most people registering.¡± I believe in about 3 days, the 3 month course will begin. If it¡¯s a popular Magecraft Style, they offer the course several times during the year, but if it¡¯s a minor style, they might only offer it once a year. Well, my Kroseid Style is very popular among Adventurers, so they do it 4 times a year. Each Magecraft Style has their own reception desk, and I look for the Kroseid Style sign and¡­ I found 3 reception windows with the longest line. That was it. Henry: ¡°Cyril, I will be lining up over there, so come find me after you¡¯re done registering.¡± Cyril: ¡°W©`Wait, Henry. The registration for Magic¡­ I don¡¯t see it anywhere¡­ Where is it? Is it located separately from all the Magecraft stuff?¡± Cyril looked worriedly left and right where all the people were gathered but¡­.she was looking in the wrong place. Henry: ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? It¡¯s over there.¡± Cyril: ¡°? There¡¯s no one there. Isn¡¯t that registration desk closed¡­.? Oh.¡± In this gigantic hall, there was one registration counter with [All Style of Magic] and had no one in line. Although the other receptionists were ferociously processing the giant wave of participants, the receptionist at the Magic counter was dozing off to sleep. Henry: ¡°.....I think I told you before, but there are not that many Magic Spellcasters. If you have at least one other participant, then you¡¯re lucky.¡± Since Cyril uses it so naturally herself, she may not have realized, but the only Magic Spellcasters I¡¯ve met since coming to Flowtier is Cyril and Ms. Lotte who came to Flowtier for a business trip. Cyril: ¡°Ugh¡­.th©`that¡¯s a little disheartening but¡­..w©`well, I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± Henry: ¡°Good luck.¡± I wave casually as I send her off, and I go to the end of the Kroseid Style line. ¡­¡­..as for Cyril, she had to shake the registration clerk¡¯s shoulder to wake them up, and finally got started with her paperwork. I envy her since she¡¯ll be done way faster than me. I patiently wait for the line to move. We¡¯re moving bit by bit, but at this rate, it¡¯s going to take some time. As I was standing there thinking, Cyril, who was looking at various things in the large hall, walked over to where I was. Cyril: ¡°Henry, I¡¯m going to go take a look around the tower. It looks like you¡¯ll be here for a while.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, just make sure to check the guide posts and signs. Don¡¯t walk into a prohibited area or get lost.¡± Cyril: ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Henry: ¡°And if someone weird tries to ask you out, call me with the godly equipment. I¡¯ll come flying over.¡± Cyril: ¡°Sure sure©` I¡¯ll be counting on you if that happens.¡± Cyril waves back at me casually and walks away. Is she going to be okay? It¡¯s the first time she¡¯ll be on her own, and I can¡¯t help but feel worried. Yeah, I know I¡¯m being overprotective but¡­¡­ ¡°Oh wow. What a cute girl. Is she your girlfriend?¡± Henry: ¡°Hm?¡± The person in front¡­¡­a young man turned around to speak to me. Henry: ¡°Ummm¡­.and you are?¡± ¡°Oh, excuse me. Since we¡¯re just standing here, I was getting bored. I thought we could chat for a bit to pass the time.¡± Henry: ¡°........I don¡¯t mind chatting, but calling someone¡¯s girlfriend cute, it doesn¡¯t give a great first impression.¡± ¡°Ha ha ha, you misunderstand. Yes, rightly so. I simply like to speak what¡¯s on my mind. Besides, I¡¯m not so eager to provoke death by trying to take a Heroic Warrior¡¯s girl.¡± He saw the tag on my chest, and the young man in front of me smiled gracefully. He really has a bright personality. And this natural talent to befriend people¡­..he reminds me of someone. He also looks to be quite popular with the ladies. My instincts are sure of it. He¡¯s handsome, and the slender, light armor is of good quality, but even more, it looks incredibly stylish. And his weapon was coincidentally a spear ©` the same as mine. ¡­¡­¡­.hmmmmmmm??? No, he definitely feels familiar. ¡°Oh, pardon me for not introducing myself. I am Alfred Spencer.¡± Henry: ¡°.......well, whatever. I¡¯m Henry. An Adventurer. Since you have a family name, you are a Noble¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m from the Baron Spencer Family. But I¡¯m just the fourth son, so I¡¯ll have to earn my own living with my own two hands! Right now, I¡¯m aiming to be a Knight. As part of the training, I came here to take a course.¡± He really didn¡¯t hold back any details to someone he barely knew. He is really trying hard to befriend me¡­¡­.wait, huh? Henry: ¡°.......hm? Spencer?¡± ¡°? Yes, but our family is at the lowest rung of Noble society. My eldest brother does finance accounting at the castle, my second brother married into a merchant family, and my 3rd brother is a Knight.¡± A Knight¡­¡­..and a Spencer. I know I¡¯ve heard that somewhere before¡­..since I¡¯ve heard of it, it must have been someone I fought with on the front lines¡­¡­.then it would be the Black Dragon Knights and¡­¡­..OH! Henry: ¡°........you¡¯re¡­¡­Owen¡¯s little¡­.brother?¡± One of the youngest members in the Black Dragon Knights. We¡¯re close in age, and we got along pretty well. ¡°Oh! Do you know brother Owen?¡± I think I¡¯ve only heard his full name a few times. But I remember him saying he was Baron Owen Spencer! He brazenly stated that he doesn¡¯t want to be treated like a Noble, and I¡¯ve forgotten all about that up until now! Henry: ¡°.......well, I was in Ligaleo as an Adventurer till about a year ago. We cooperated with the Black Dragon Knights occasionally, so that¡¯s when I got to know him. We were close in age, used spears as our main weapon, and so we got along pretty well.¡± ¡°Wow! What a coincidence.¡± Yes, it really is an amazing coincidence. But I see. So he¡¯s Owen¡¯s younger brother. Now that he said that, I can see the family resemblance. ¡­¡­¡­so his brother was also blessed with great looks. Henry: ¡°So if you¡¯re aiming to be a Knight, Alfred, you want to join the Black Dragon Knights?¡± ¡°Yes, but that particular Knight Organization would be very difficult to be accepted into¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Ohh¡­..¡± In Alvenia, each Knight Organization takes after a specific Dragon Color ©` red, green, blue, white, and black. They are mainly separated by roles, and if you want to apply to a Knight Organization outside the Black Dragon Knights, you can go to a Knights School and then apply to enter the organization post graduation¡­¡­.is what the standard path is apparently. Of course, you¡¯re not guaranteed a 100% acceptance rate, but it is to open doors for all young men and women to become a Knight. In contrast, in order to enter the Black Knight Organization©`©` You¡¯ll have to challenge one of the active Black Dragon Knights and do well. If you get through the fight, then you have a personal interview with Sir Ezeal, and then you finally pass. This is the only way to get into the Black Dragon Knights. Other Knight Organizations will also act as the police and security, so you will have to study the law and other such academics, but¡­¡­for the Black Dragon Knights who handle the frontlines, your strength comes first, next is trustworthiness, and nothing else matters. It is an almost refreshing simplicity for a group of muscle-for-brains. ¡­¡­¡­.but knowing personally the Captain¡¯s personality and way of life, this result should have been obvious. ¡°Brother Owen has been in the Black Dragon Knights since he was 15, but even though I¡¯m 16, I¡¯m still too weak to join.¡± Henry: ¡°Wait, the Black Dragon Knights are usually for people in their late 20s.¡± ¡°Yes, I know that but¡­..¡± Usually, you would gain strength and experience in other Knight Organizations and then see if you can transfer in. For people like Owen who are called the ¡°young generation,¡± though they might have skill differences amongst each other, they are usually in the group of geniuses. So for Alfred in comparison©`©` I''ll have to see him fight to assess him properly, but judging from how he¡¯s composing himself, he has trained well, but he¡¯s still far from the Black Dragon Knight standards¡­¡­and I agree with his self-assessment. It¡¯s likely that because of his brother, he¡¯s raising his own standards, but he would do better to train in another Knight Organization first. Well, I just met him, so I wouldn¡¯t be able to really speak on that subject. ¡°Mr. Henry, could you please tell me more about my brother? Brother Owen would come back occasionally, but he never shares stories about his experience.¡± Henry: ¡°Sure, I¡¯d be happy to. So let¡¯s start with his relationship history¡­..¡± ¡°You¡¯re starting from there?!¡± Of course. That¡¯s what I remember most about him. When it was really bad, he would have a different girl walking next to him every single day for a full month. Henry: ¡°........and as for you, Alfred. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you¡¯re a lady¡¯s man too.¡± ¡°I©`I like girls too, but I¡¯m in the middle of training right now.¡± So once he¡¯s done training, what¡¯s he planning on doing? ¡­¡­.well, Owen had a lot of relationships, but he rarely made the girls upset. If Alfred¡¯s related to that, he must have talent in that area as well. ¡°And Mr. Henry, you can call me Fred. That¡¯s what everyone calls me.¡± Henry: ¡°Understood, Fred. ¡­¡­.so, Owen¡¯s first girlfriend was©`©`¡± Fred: ¡°.....oh, so you weren¡¯t joking when you said that¡¯s where you¡¯re starting.¡± And I spoke with Fred about Owen as we waited in line together. ¡­¡­.and during my time in Sunwest, this is how I first met Fred. <<<<>>>> Fred was quite the great listener, and we almost forgot the time. We finished registering for the 3 month course at the counter, and I was back with Cyril. I parted with Fred a moment ago, but we¡¯re taking the same Magecraft Course together. I¡¯ll see him again soon enough. Cyril: ¡°Oh¡« that person just now. He¡¯s the younger brother of that playboy of the Black Dragon Knights?¡± Henry: ¡°Playboy? That was the impression you had of Owen? Well, I guess I can¡¯t blame you.¡± Cyril: ¡°While we were at the barracks, he asked me out several times. Of course, I refused every time.¡± Okay then. Next time I see him, I¡¯ll have to do a ¡°training¡± session with him and give him a good beating. Well, Cyril and I were not dating back then, and of course, this is not about any kind of jealousy. If you¡¯re going to try and ask out a member of your Party, it¡¯s common courtesy to at least me first as the Party Leader, and that¡¯s what I¡¯m mad about. ¡­¡­¡­.(cough). Henry: ¡°But compared to the course registration, the Rental Property desk is pretty empty.¡± The registration section of the giant hall on the first floor was crammed with people, but after getting some directions from the staff, the reception counter here was quiet. Cyril: ¡°I overheard this while touring the Tower, but since they are doing these courses all year, they usually make sure to secure residence much earlier.¡± ¡­¡­.oh¡«¡¡that makes sense. Crap. I¡¯ve been living in inns for so long, I completely forgot to think about what renting an apartment would take. Well, I guess we can just ask. Henry: ¡°Excuse me. Pardon me, can I ask you a question.¡± ¡°Ohhh, yes, yes. Please wait for a moment.¡± A middle-aged woman was reading a complex looking Magecraft Book, and as she closed the book, she turned this way. ¡°What can I help with today?¡± Henry: ¡°We were hoping to find an apartment for both of us, or introduce us to a realtor who can help us.¡± ¡°Will you be living together?¡± Henry: ¡°No, we¡¯ll be living separately. Is there a one-room apartment, and a rental room that would be close by?¡± ¡°Hmmmmmmm¡­.¡± The woman groaned as she thought and grabbed a file labeled, ¡°For Single Rooms¡±. ¡°.......to be honest, there aren¡¯t that many rooms left for singles. This is usually the case at the start of the short-term courses.¡± Henry: ¡°Ummm, we do have this as well¡­..¡± I quietly handed her a document. It was the introduction letter I got from Mr. Riol. I tried to present this at the course registration, but they told me right off the bat, ¡°We do not accept any letters of recommendation,¡± and returned it promptly. ¡°Oh¡­¡­is this a recommendation letter from the 1st Founding Principal?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes.¡± The Mages Tower is officially recognized by Alvenia Law as a College University. Of course, they do not give out degrees to any short-term course students after completing the class. Henry: ¡°Right now, he¡¯s an active Adventurer, so because of that, I got to know him.¡± ¡°I see. Please hold. I will have to discuss this with my manager.¡± Oh, they accept letters of recommendation here. Mr. Riol told me that it¡¯s the Tower¡¯s policy to ¡°treat all students as equals.¡± So I guess this is slightly different since it¡¯s outside of the course itself¡­..maybe? As we wait, Cyril is getting more and more excited as she spoke up. Cyril: ¡°I wonder what kind of place they will recommend. It¡¯s my first time living alone, so I¡¯m so excited!¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up too high. No matter what, it won¡¯t even compare to the Governor¡¯s mansion.¡± Cyril: ¡°I know that. But can¡¯t you understand how exciting this is?¡± Well, I¡¯ve been living on my own for quite some time now. ¡­¡­¡­or does living in an inn even count as living on your own? As we talked, the woman at the reception came back. ¡°Thank you for waiting. I can offer this location at a significant discount¡­.¡± And on the paper, there was a small house listed there. It was close to the Mages Tower, and it was built relatively recently. It would be hard to believe that this location was offered with a discount. Henry: ¡°Ummm, I understand that this is not a residence meant for one, but why the discount?¡± ¡°This is actually Sir Riol¡¯s personal residence. During his absence, the Mages Tower maintains the location, but we do not rent it to anyone. On the letter of recommendation, he had mentioned that you could use any facilities he owns in Sunwest.¡± Whoa, really? ¡°We will have to charge a fee, but you will not have to pay any other fees aside from that. You will find all the furniture and Magecraft Artifacts needed for daily living¡­¡­.and to be frank, I don¡¯t believe we have anything better than this to offer.¡± Yeah, I didn¡¯t think so. Wh©`What should we do¡­.from the layout, we can have our own rooms¡­..that¡¯s not the problem¡­¡­the problem is©`©` Cyril: ¡°Oh©` Oh©` it¡¯s a nice looking house.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­.and Cyril should be the first to pick up why this is a bad idea, but she¡¯s delighted at the news. ¡°And finally, from our perspective, we would really like to reserve single rooms for other customers if possible¡­¡­..usually, around this time, there will be a few stragglers that have not secured a residence and comes to us at the last minute.¡± Henry: ¡°I©`I see. In that case, then we¡¯ll gladly accept. And feeling a pang of guilt for fitting in that category, I handed back the paper. And we decided to go ahead and live in that house they introduced. CH 138 Ch. 138: The New Residence We took the map from the Business Branch of the Mages tower, and we walked for about 10 minutes. Though Mr. Riol¡¯s house was a bit smaller than other homes, it was a very neat, tidy, and fashionable location. Cyril: ¡°WOW©`! What a nice house!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah©` We need to make sure to tell him thanks the next time we see him.¡± It was a red roof with white walls. The yard had flower beds with a variety of colors, and a maintenance miniature Golem was watering the plants. As for the yard, the semi-eternally functioning Golem that Mr. Riol designed, maintains it. Cyril: ¡°I heard about the Golem from the Tower, but it¡¯s so cute. I was imagining something more bulky like the ones we had to fight at the Dwarven Mountains.¡± Henry: ¡°Of course not. A Golem of that size in a town like this would just get in the way. That Golem¡¯s the right size in that sense.¡± Artificially-made Golems are extremely useful in performing simple tasks. ¡­¡­¡­but the maker of a Golem is usually the elite of the elite of Magecraft Spellcasters and is even more restricted to those with knowledge about how to create Golems, and lastly, the materials to create one is extremely expensive. Henry: ¡°........oh, the key, the key.¡± We also received the key from the Tower, and I take it out of my pouch and open the front door. We were hit by a musty scent of dust. Cyril: ¡°Ah, I guess without someone living here for a while, it would turn out like this.¡± Henry: ¡°True. I guess we should clean at least the bedrooms and living room.¡± I was expecting this. On the way here, we visited a general store to buy cleaning towels and buckets. Henry: ¡°So we¡¯ll place our luggage here and¡­¡­.well, we can take a look around each room first.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, it¡¯s time to explore!¡± Cyril seems really excited. ¡­¡­.well, we¡¯re going to be spending the next 3 months here, so I felt some excitement too. We go around checking each room in a circle. The first floor has the living room, kitchen, restroom, and bathing room with a fairly large storage room. The second floor has the master bedroom, two guest bedrooms, and a library. It has the basic furniture like beds, tables, and chests with drawers. The kitchen has two Magecraft Artifacts used for cooking, and though it¡¯s about 2 design generations behind, they are still top of the line. It¡¯s true that with a little cleaning, we can start living here immediately. Cyril: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t feel comfortable using the Master bedroom, so we should use the two guest rooms.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay!¡± Cyril began rolling her sleeves up. It¡¯s time to clean. Henry: ¡°[Fire] {Ignis} + [Water] {Eedle}¡± I create warm water with Magecraft and fill the bucket. I throw in the cleaning towel and wring out the water. Cyril: ¡°..........wow, Henry. You have amazing strength. You didn¡¯t even use any {Physical Enhancement} but that towel is about to rip from your wringing.¡± Henry: ¡°I can wring it and tear it if I wanted to.¡± But it¡¯ll be a waste so I won¡¯t. Cyril: ¡°But shouldn¡¯t we start with a broom first?¡± Henry: ¡°................yeah, we should.¡± I place the cloth on the rim of the bucket, and instead, take a broom in hand. Henry: ¡°Okay, let¡¯s clean the guest bedrooms first, and after that, clean the living room¡­¡­and that should do for today.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll do my best¡«! Let¡¯s go©`!¡± And with a cheer, Cyril raises her fist into the air. She¡¯s really pumped up. It¡¯s inside the house, so that¡¯s fine, but she would do this outside without any embarrassment. ¡­¡­.sometimes, I wish she would learn to be more¡­¡­calmer¡­. Cyril: ¡°C¡¯mon, Henry! Let¡¯s do it©`!¡± She wants me to do it too?! I don¡¯t want to . It¡¯s too embarrassing¡­. Cyril: ¡°Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°Wh©`what?¡± Cyril: ¡°C¡¯mon, yeah©`!¡± Sh©`She¡¯s being unusually persistent. Having her stare intently at me as if to protest at my attitude, in the end, I had to give in. Henry: ¡°......y©`yeah©`.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hmm©` it¡¯s a little lacking, but that¡¯ll do for now. C¡¯mon! Let¡¯s start cleaning!¡± Henry: ¡°.......I¡¯m already exhausted¡­.¡± And I sag my shoulders as I walk to the guest bedroom. Cyril: ¡°What©`? C¡¯mon! You¡¯re not excited? You should be like, ¡®Yeah! Let¡¯s go¡«!¡¯ like that.¡± Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t know why I should get pumped up about just cleaning.¡± Cyril: ¡°What?! It¡¯s not JUST cleaning. Cleaning is a proper job that people do for a living!¡± No, wait. You can¡¯t compare professional house cleaners with just cleaning your own house, right? Well, not that I would really know. Henry: ¡°(sigh).......well, let¡¯s just get this done and over with. It¡¯ll be evening soon¡­¡­okay!¡± I forced myself up and focus on cleaning¡­¡­¡­and I knew I stopped thinking and stopped caring at this point. <<<<>>>> Per Cyril, ¡°Always clean top down because dust will fall, and you¡¯ll end up cleaning twice!¡±; ¡°Oh, to clean that, you¡¯ll need to use this chemical¡±; ¡°He he he, if you use this secret chemical (store bought), you can say goodbye to roaches!¡±; ¡°If you¡¯re moving a drawer, take out what¡¯s inside first!¡±; ¡­¡­.etc., etc. Finally, we were done with cleaning. I laid face down on the living room table, and let how useless I was sink in deep. Henry: ¡°Cyril¡­¡­.you were right. I underestimated cleaning¡­..and I had no right saying that.¡± Cyril: ¡°Wow©` Henry, I thought you were good at most things, but I didn¡¯t think you had this kind of weakness.¡± I lived in an inn all my life, so it shouldn¡¯t be surprising. I can cook while we¡¯re camping, and I can do simple fixes to my clothes and armor to make it last longer, but cleaning was unexplored territory. Henry: ¡°......but Cyril. I knew you could clean, but I didn¡¯t think you were so good at it.¡± Cyril: ¡°I¡¯m not particularly that good, Henry. I think it¡¯s more the fact that you really didn¡¯t know how to do it at all.¡± Henry: ¡°Y©`Yeah¡­?¡± That¡¯s called being kicked while still down. Cyril: ¡°Oh, but you don¡¯t have to feel so bad. You¡¯re capable in many other things, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°You think so¡­.?¡± Cyril: ¡°Hmm, you still seem depressed. Then here, I¡¯ll cook something for you to cheer you up. Just wait here!¡± And chuckling to herself, she headed for the kitchen smiling. ¡­¡­..while I was struggling to finish cleaning my own bedroom, Cyril finished cleaning her room and the living room by herself. She even cleaned the kitchen and went and came back with groceries too. I thought we could just eat out on our first day of our move, but per Cyril, ¡°It would be a waste to not use such a fabulous cooking facility¡± and insisted that she cook tonight. Henry: ¡°Hey¡« I can at least help cut some ingredients.¡± Cyril: ¡°Then I¡¯ll have you help me starting tomorrow. It¡¯s my first day in this kitchen, and I¡¯m super excited. Just for tonight, let me do everything. Or rather, I¡¯m doing everything, got it?¡± I shrugged my shoulders and stretched my arms out. I still have plenty of stamina, but doing something I¡¯m not used to, I was more mentally fatigued. Since I didn¡¯t want to just sit there and do nothing, I took out the Kroseid Style textbook from my pouch to review. Right now, I¡¯m a 3rd Class in the Kroseid Style. In the Kroseid Style, each class represents a certain repertoire of Spells you can use, and typically, I would aim for 2nd Class next. ¡­¡­.but the 2nd Class Spell list doesn¡¯t have anything I¡¯m interested in, so I would like to skip a Class and go up to 1st Class if possible. And to be frank, there¡¯s no Spell that would really be good enough to replace any of the ones I¡¯m already using. And to be fair, if I was a Kroseid Style Magecraft Specialist, there are plenty of useful Spells, but I fight in the vanguard most of the time, so there¡¯s not really any opportunities to utilize those. But if I become 1st Class, I will receive permission to use base materials of Spellcall Stones that would increase the power and effects of my Magecraft Spells. Because of that, achieving 1st Class is no easy feat, and if I mess up a Spell, it could explode in my face, so that¡¯s why the restrictions are so tight. And I have the materials already made by Mr. Gordon. I had a metal alloy made from Orichalcum and Mithril with dust from a powerful jewel. Although it¡¯s only the size of a child¡¯s fist, it cost just as much as my other equipment and gear. I thought about the precious alloy in my pouch as I flipped through the pages of the textbook. Cyrl: ¡°¡«¡«?¡± And the air was filled with Cyril¡¯s humming. Since she has to focus and sing to cast her Magic, she is a pretty good singer overall. I relax to her familiar voice and focus on studying the text. And about 1 hour passed. The smell traveled from the kitchen to the dining area, and my body, which was used up by the unfamiliar task of cleaning, let out a long growl. It was hurrying me to get some food inside it. Henry: ¡°Cyril, is the food done yet©`?¡± Cyril: ¡°Almost. ¡­¡­.I could hear your stomach from all the way over here. I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re hungry and ready to eat.¡± So she heard. It¡¯s a little embarrassing. I scratch my cheek awkwardly as I hear Cyril say, ¡°It¡¯s done¡«¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry, Henry, please help me carry the dishes to the table.¡± Henry: ¡°Sure.¡± And on the dining room table, Cyril¡¯s specialty dishes line up. In the center was a big pot of stew. Next to it were sandwiches with a variety of colorful ingredients, a pork saut¨¦, a salad, and omelets¡­¡­. Henry: ¡°......isn¡¯t this a bit much?¡± Cyril: ¡°Ahaha¡­..sorry, I went a little overboard.¡± Well, Cyril didn¡¯t used to eat as much, but after she began training, her appetite has gone up. And I¡¯m extremely hungry right now. Even though this meal is more for 5 or 6 people rather than just the two of us, we should be able to finish it with no problem. Cyril: ¡°Oh, and this too. I actually bought this too. I really enjoyed it when drinking with Miss Yuu.¡± And Cyril brought out a wine bottle carefully. The brand is¡­..Ren¨¦ St?lln. It¡¯s one of Yuu¡¯s favorites, and I remember seeing a few empty bottles when they spent the night drinking together. Henry: ¡°Well, that¡¯s rare for you to buy alcohol.¡± Cyril: ¡°Well, it is a special occasion to celebrate. It¡¯s our anniversary of living together.¡± ¡­¡­¡­..no, seriously. This girl¡­..she¡¯s not even a little concerned in this situation. (sigh)........I had my hopes up slightly, but I can¡¯t bear the idea of betraying her trust¡­¡­yeah, we¡¯ll have to let things naturally progress in that area. Or rather, it better. Henry: ¡°Oh©` but for now, let me handle paying for the groceries.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hm? I have enough savings to pay for food.¡± Henry: ¡°Just let me.¡± Cyril is paying for it, but this is unnegotiable. Cyril shrugs and picks up the wine bottle in her hand and then freezes. Cyril: ¡°.........oh, that reminds me. There was no wine opener in the kitchen¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°Hey now.¡± Argh, I take back all my compliments from before. (sigh)......well, it¡¯s not considered good table manners, and it may be sacrilegious to do it in front of a wine connoisseur but¡­¡­ Henry: ¡°Here, let me see the bottle.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes?¡± I took the wine bottle from Cyril, and taking out my Nyoiten Spear in its knife form and sliced. A moment later, the top of the bottle slid, and¡­¡­I caught it in my hand. Of course, I wasn¡¯t careless to break the bottle or cause cracks to the glass. Cyril: ¡°......that¡¯s a pretty barbaric way to open wine.¡± Henry: ¡°When we didn¡¯t want to bother taking out the cork, we did this a lot.¡± Yuu also did it when she didn¡¯t want to bother. But she was terrible, and when drunk, she would sometimes smash the whole bottle. I pour the wine into our glasses gently. Henry: ¡°Now then. I guess we¡¯ll enjoy all your cooking tonight.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, please do.¡± Now that I think about it, I have eaten her cooking while camping, and sometimes, she would make a lunch box, but I think this is the first time to eat her cooking for a proper meal. And judging from past experience, I¡¯m not worried about the taste or quality. I take one bite to my mouth¡­¡­..and sip the wine. Cyril: ¡°How is it? To be honest, when we were staying at Mr. Gordon¡¯s place, I had Miss Ricotta teach me some recipes, so I tried to flavor it in a Varsaldi Empire style.¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s great!¡± I saw Cyril clench her fist in victory. So with that©`©` ¡­¡­..our first day at our new home was quite lively even with just the two of us, and it was a pleasant evening. CH 139 Ch. 139: The First Day I snapped awake. Spring was still far off, and the mornings were especially cold, but the region of Sunwest was warmer than Flowtier. The warmth underneath my blanket was tempting, but it was not as magnetic as the mornings in Flowtier. I sat up from an unfamiliar bed and stretched. Henry: ¡°[Water] {Eedle}.¡± I created water with Magecraft, filled a cup that was on top of my bedside stand, and drained the cup. After that, I was fully awake. Henry: ¡°..........okay, let¡¯s get going.¡± We were in Mr. Riol¡¯s house which we rented out. I step out of one of the 2 guest bedrooms and knock on the room next door. Henry: ¡°Cyril, wake up©`¡± Cyril: ¡°..........oka¡«y¡± I heard a sleepy voice reply back. I guess it¡¯s still very early in the morning where most people would still be asleep. Cyril: ¡°I¡­¡­.I¡¯m¡­¡­.I¡¯m awa¡«ke©`¡± Her voice is not giving me any confidence. Henry: ¡°Hey©`©` are you really going to get up?¡± Cyril: ¡°Leave everything¡­¡­.to¡­..Miss Cyril¡­..¡± Oh, I think she fell back asleep. I strike the door a little stronger with my knuckles. I sense someone getting up out of bed. Cyril: ¡°Ugh©`©`.......this time¡­..I¡¯m awake¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°C¡¯mon. It¡¯s the first day for our courses, you know? Did you stay up late last night?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yeah¡« I got too excited and couldn¡¯t fall asleep till the sun started to rise.¡± Oh yeah. That sounds familiar. I think she told me she gets too excited to fall asleep before some kind of event. ¡­¡­¡­.is she a kid?! Henry: ¡°...........hey, I¡¯ll head out just like I told you yesterday. I¡¯ll be back.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll be ready when you get back.¡± I heard the faint sounds of cloth rubbing. I figured that she was getting out of her pajamas¡­¡­¡­but I¡¯m not like Jend. Things like this won¡¯t shake me up so easily. I turn on my heels and head to the front door on the first floor. I open the door and©`©` Henry: ¡°Okay! I¡¯m heading out!¡± I hear a quiet ¡°see you later¡«¡± from Cryil upstairs. A faint smile crosses my face as I leave. In the brisk, refreshing morning air, I dash away. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°I¡¯m back©`©` oh¡± It was about an hour since I left. I looked around town as I jogged and came back. On the way back, I was carrying a few things so I dropped my pace, but overall, it was a good morning warm-up. My body was now fully awake. Cyril: ¡°Welcome back, Henry. Oh, you bought some bread.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah. I had to get in line for it though.¡± I pass the paper bag full of bread to Cyril. As she opens the bag, a delicious smell of baked goods fills the air. I went to one of the popular bakeries in Sunwest that opened its doors early in the morning. Though the store just opened, there were many people in line wanting to buy breakfast. Cyril: ¡°Oh¡« what a great smell. Oh, breakfast is ready too. All we needed was bread. Let¡¯s eat, let¡¯s eat.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah.¡± In these last 3 days, Cyril familiarized herself with the kitchen here. Breakfast was prepared by the time I got back. She made some eggs on ham, stirred fried vegetables, and a soup full of different ingredients. With the bread I rought, it made a fantastic breakfast menu. Henry: ¡°Thank you for breakfast.¡± Cyril: ¡°Enjoy¡«!¡± And we began to eat. Cyril: ¡°(munch munch) oh, Henry. What time did the courses begin?¡± Henry: ¡°The Kroseid Style is meeting in the First Practice Field out in front at 10 AM. What about you?¡± Cyril: ¡°I start at the same time, but the All Magic Courses will meet on the fourth floor in room 402. I asked the reception clerk just in case, but apparently, there are two others aside from me taking the course by the time I registered.¡± So there¡¯s a total of three including Cyril, huh. From the number of people in line, there¡¯s probably a few hundred course registrants for the Kroseid Style, so the gap was enormous. Well, if we leave around 9:30 AM, we should make in plenty of time.¡± I look at the clock that was furnished with this house. It was still a little past seven. ¡­¡­¡­wow, this clock. Now that I looked at it closely, it looked really expensive. I¡¯m sure it was to Mr. Riol¡¯s taste. I think I remember that he had a collection of pocket watches. Cyril: ¡°Even after we clean up after breakfast¡­¡­..we have more than enough time. Would you like to explore around here together?¡± Henry: ¡°We¡¯ve seen most of the area yesterday and the day before, right? ¡­¡­..then there¡¯s only one thing we can do ©` training. You can do some weight training.¡± Cyril puts on a bitter face of disappointment. ¡­¡­..and no, we came here to learn about Magecraft and Magic, but that doesn¡¯t mean that we can slack off with the rest of our training. And I¡¯m a spear user first and foremost. As I learn different things, I have to intensify my training to be able to incorporate it into my fighting style. And I especially don¡¯t want to fall behind Jend who is training in the Dojos in Eastflair. Cyril: ¡°Urgh©` okay, I get it. I understand. I came here to work really hard, so I won¡¯t complain.¡± I guess the groaning doesn¡¯t count as complaining? ¡­¡­.so like that©`©` We chatted, ate breakfast, and cleaned up the plates. And in the backyard of our rental house, we began training. Henry: ¡°I¡¯m glad the yard was pretty big. I can swing my spear here with no problem.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right©`¡± Of course, I wouldn¡¯t be able to practice my spear throws, but I can thrust and swing my spear around just fine. As I used the Nyoiten Spear¡¯s ability, I confirmed each form and move carefully. I have casted {Physical Enhancement}, but my movements feel awkward. I guess one of my goals will have to be training to use my upgraded weapon to its fullest potential. Cyril: ¡°Henry, is it pretty hard to swing that around?¡± Henry: ¡°......Cyril, you want to give it a shot?¡± Cyril: ¡°If I try to hold it, I¡¯ll probably be crushed.¡± Yeah, I can easily see that happening. Right now, the Nyoiten Spear is several dozen times heavier than normal. It¡¯s so heavy now that an average warrior would have trouble just holding it up in front. The Nyoiten Spear. It is one of the Epic Godly Equipment that I have, and with Mr. Gordon¡¯s help, I was able to upgrade and add a few new features. And one of them is this ©`©` the ability to manipulate its weight. And to be clear, I guess Mr. Gordon did not add new features ©`©` but he helped draw out the full potential of the [Shape Shifting] power. Since the weight differs when I switch the shape from a knife to a spear, it probably has something to do with that. This will be extremely useful for training, and I can increase the power and impact exponentially of when I strike and throw. Although it¡¯s a simple ability, it¡¯s a very good upgrade in my opinion. ¡­¡­¡­¡­and now, it not only lengthens and shortens, but the weight can change too which makes the handling of the weapon that much harder and complicated. I won¡¯t be able to practice using it in actual combat while I¡¯m here, but if I do, I better be very cautious on when to use this ability, or it may lead to a fatal mistake. Henry: ¡°Okay, we don¡¯t have much time before we leave, so let¡¯s increase our intensity.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay©`¡± And the two of us focused intently on our training. <<<<>>>> We ended the training as planned, took a shower to wash off the sweat¡­¡­.and arrived at the Mages Tower after a 10 minute walk. Cyril: ¡°Okay, my class is inside, so Henry, good luck with your class!¡± Henry: ¡°You too.¡± I wave as she enters the tower and heads inside. I headed to a small crowd that was gathering at the Practice Field #1. At the entrance, there was a long table with the words ¡°Registration¡± posted against it. There were 3 people there. The registration was alphabetically arranged, so I went to the line where my name would be. Henry: ¡°Good morning. I¡¯ll be taking the Kroseid Style 3 month course. My name is Henry.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Henry, is it? Please wait a moment.¡± They were looking through the registration file for my name. The lady at the registration desk took a quick glance through the columns of names and©`©` ¡°Oh, umm, there are 3 Henry¡¯s registered.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s that one right there. The one that says, ¡®Kroseid Style 3rd Class.¡¯ That¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you very much.¡± And she placed a circle over my name. ¡°Then Mr. Henry. You are assigned to Class 10. Please go towards the sign over there and wait for the rest of your class to arrive.¡± Henry: ¡°Thank you very much.¡± I see. There¡¯s 10 signs ranging from 1 through 10. Class 1 has the most people and with each additional class, the class size got smaller and smaller. ¡­¡­.and next to the Class 10 sign, I saw a familiar face. Henry: ¡°Hey, good morning, Fred.¡± Fred: ¡°Ohh, good morning, Mr. Henry.¡± It was Alfred who I met when I was registering for the course. He is the younger brother of one of my friends in the Black Dragon Knights, Owen. As expected of him, he put on a graceful smile from the start of the morning. Fred: ¡°Mr. Henry, are you Class 10 as well?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah. ¡­¡­..hey, come to think of it. How do they divide up the classes anyways?¡± I spoke out the first thought that came to mind, and the man holding the Class 10 sign responded. ¡°It¡¯s mainly determined by expertise and goals. Between those who are trying to start learning Magecraft and those who are here to refine their skills, there¡¯s a difference in level and experience, right? As for goals, there are those who want to be able to use Magecraft in their day-to-day lives for convenience, and there are those here to use it for combat or even for work. Depending on that, of course, the contents of the classes would be very different.¡± And someone was kind enough to be very elaborate in their response. ¡­¡­..I just noticed, but he also has an Adventurers¡¯ Tag. And it has a blue line drawn on it¡­¡­.he¡¯s a Heroic Warrior. He had three Spellcall Stone Bracelets with inscriptions, and a single-handed sword at his side. From the way he stood, he should be quite strong. Henry: ¡°So that means this is©`©`¡± ¡°For those learning Magecraft for combat¡­¡­.and also for those who have a certain degree of skill and expertise already with the Kroseid Style. I am the teacher of the course, Derrick.¡± So the one holding the sign was the Course Teacher. Henry: ¡°I see. I am Henry, one of your pupils then. It is a pleasure meeting you.¡± Derrick: ¡°Yeah, I know, I know. We have the fewest number, so I¡¯m able to examine your registration paperwork pretty thoroughly.¡± ¡­¡­¡­yes, so besides Fred and I, there¡¯s only a handful of others here right now. Henry: ¡°Why are there so few in this class?¡± Derrick: ¡°The standards they have is extremely high. You¡¯ll need to be able to combine at least 4 Types of Spells to be able to enter this class.¡± In the Kroseid Style, if you can combine at least 3 Spells, you are considered 1st Rate. 4 would mean you¡¯re incredibly good. Henry: ¡°I see. Thank you for informing me of these things.¡± Derrick: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. We¡¯ll be together for 3 months. There¡¯s no need to be so formal.¡± Well, I thought between a teacher and student, it would be a pretty formalized relationship¡­. He¡¯s definitely 100% a combat Magecraft Spellcaster. Well, it is easier that way for me too. Henry: ¡°So Fred. That means you can combine 4 Spells?¡± Fred: ¡°I¡¯m actually better with Magecraft than with my spear and can combine up to 6. I can use about 12 different kinds of Spells.¡± Wow, so in regards to Magecraft, he¡¯s way above me. To be able to combine 6 at his age is remarkable. Fred: ¡°But my issue is not being able to quickly determine which Spells to use in which situation. ¡­¡­¡­that¡¯s what I¡¯m focused on learning here.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah©` with 12, you¡¯ll definitely have a lot of options to choose from.¡± I only have 6, but part of the reason I narrowed my Spell selection is to reduce any hesitation. With fewer options to choose from, there¡¯s less thinking required¡­¡­¡­at least for me. And as I chat with Fred, Mr. Derrick looks at the clock placed on the practice field. Derrick: ¡°......okay, it¡¯s about time. We¡¯re missing one person though.¡± It¡¯s the first day, and I guess they¡¯re running late. I guess there are people like that¡­¡­.hm? ¡°Wh©`What¡¯s that?!¡± There was a girl screaming, ¡°RAAAHHH!!¡± as she came furiously running towards here. Well, she wasn¡¯t running that fast, but you could sense her intensity. As she ran to the meeting spot for the 10 classes, she kicked the ground hard to stop as her long hair floated gracefully into the air. And the girl crossed her arms, and with a confident smirk on her pretty face, she made an announcement. ¡°So this is my class! The Beautiful Genius Magecraft Spellcast, Miss Emily, has arrived! Now, now, you can all applaud my arrival!¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­what? Um¡­¡­.what? CH 140 Ch. 140: Magecraft Examination The girl, Emily, appeared on the scene suddenly, and the 8 who were already standing by at the Class 10 sign stared at her in surprise. Of course, the people in Class 9 who were close by were staring as well. The Class Instructor, Mr. Derrick, also stood there bewildered for a split second, but then©`©` Derrick: ¡°Ohh¡«¡«¡± Groaned as he scratched his head and spoke. Derrick: ¡°Umm, so you must be one of the courses enrollees, Emily Statia, am I correct?¡± Emily: ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me! I just turned 16 the other day, and my grandmother finally approved of me moving forward with my Adventurer career¡­¡­.but I had to promise to at least take one course before I can, so that¡¯s why I¡¯m here!¡± No one asked, but she just flooded us with a long introduction!! Emily blew out steam out of her nostrils and smiled really broadly. ¡­¡­.oh, I think I¡¯ve seen someone like this before. She has the, ¡°C¡¯mon, now. Don¡¯t hesitate to shower me with your praises¡± look that Cyril has sometimes. But I feel like Cyril is slightly more reserved than this girl¡­¡­maybe. Derrick: ¡°I©`I see. Well, you have very noble goals and aspirations.¡± Emily: ¡°Thank you, mister. Now, let¡¯s get on with this course or whatever, shall we?¡± Emily gripped her staff with a Spellcall Stone on the end, and Mr. Derrick let out a very, very long sigh. Derrick: ¡°.........understood. It¡¯s about that time anyway, so let¡¯s begin. Over there on the practice field is our space.¡± Emily: ¡°Oh, mister, you don¡¯t look so good. Do you want a piece of candy?¡± Derrick: ¡°......I¡¯ll gladly accept. And also, it¡¯s not mister. It¡¯s Mr. Derrick. I¡¯m your course instructor.¡± Emily: ¡°Ah, yes. The instructor. It¡¯s a pleasure making your acquaintance, Instructor.¡± Emily handed him the candy with pure innocence on her face, and Mr. Derrick only furrowed his brows deeper and began walking. Well, yeah. She didn¡¯t seem like a bad girl at heart¡­..it would just be tiring dealing with her. Unlike the rest of us who were joining the course, for Mr. Derrick, this might be quite the challenging course to teach for him. Quietly, I wished him a sympathetic best of luck. Fred: ¡°.........Mr. Henry, does the last name Statia sound familiar to you?¡± Henry: ¡°Hm?¡± As we followed Mr. Derrick, who was walking in front, Fred spoke up something that was bothering him. It was about Emily¡¯s full name that Mr. Derrick mentioned. In this country, you have to have a certain level of status in order to have a family name, so I¡¯m certain that she came from a decent upbringing. So Statia, huh¡­.. Have I heard of this name before¡­¡­hm. ¡­¡­..oh. Henry: ¡°........is she related to Elizabeth Statia?¡± Fred: ¡°Most likely. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a coincidence to come take a course on the Kroseid Style with that last name.¡± Elizabeth Statia. She is a former Hero of Legend that was renowned for her exceptional ability to freely use the Kroseid Style. She was active around 50 years ago. At the time, before the war with the Demon Kingdom broke out and before anyone knew anything about fighting the highest tiers, she was one of the fearless ones that took them down solo. She¡¯s well above Sir Ezeal¡¯s age, so she had retired long ago, but I haven¡¯t heard any rumors of her passing. She is one of the preeminent progenitors of everyone who uses the Kroseid Style in combat, and if you studied in school, you would have at least heard of her name. Henry: ¡°But she¡¯s a self-proclaimed beautiful, genius Magecraft Spellcaster.¡± Fred: ¡°Y©`Yeah¡­.¡± It was difficult tying the former, fierce god-like fighting legend we hear in the fables and this strange girl who walked a bit ahead of us. Of course, it might be because they¡¯re completely unrelated but¡­¡­ Fred: ¡°Well, I guess we can just ask her eventually. I can¡¯t argue with her calling herself beautiful.¡± Henry: ¡°..........Fred, do you like girls like that?¡± Fred: ¡°Her face is cute.¡± He really doesn¡¯t hesitate with these kinds of comments, does he!! Well, now that I recall, Owen acted like a gentleman, but when it was just us guys, he spoke in the same way. Fred: ¡°Oh, no, no. Please don¡¯t misunderstand, Mr. Henry. We¡¯ve only just met, and we only know her for her eccentric personality and the way she spoke. That¡¯s why I can only judge her by her face.¡± Henry: ¡°.......and what¡¯s your honest opinion?¡± Fred: ¡°It would have been better if she had more development in her body overall.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I agree.¡± And both Fred and I nod in agreement at the thought. Fred: ¡°But wait. Mr. Henry, as for your girlfriend¡­¡­¡± Henry: ¡°......well, sometimes, you can like girls that may not be exactly your type. Well, whatever. I see you¡¯ve been checking her out too.¡± I lightly elbow Fred in the ribs. Fred: ¡°Hahaha, please excuse me. I¡¯ll keep the conversation we had just now from your girlfriend, and we¡¯ll call it even, no?¡± ¡­.ugh. But Fred really is easy to talk to. Like a sound board, he will follow and respond to any topic you bring up. Even without our connection through Owen, we would have gotten along just fine. Jend is too serious to joke about these kinds of things, and it was refreshing to be able to just let loose and be idiots with just the guys. So, we chatted as we walked, and Mr. Derrick eventually stopped at a certain location. Derrick: ¡°Okay, this is the spot. There was a line drawn on the ground, and beyond the line, I saw a lot of signs of destruction that is caused by Magecraft. So this is a space where we could practice and test Magecraft Spells. At the edge of the Practice Field was a Magecraft Barrier. And beyond that, I don¡¯t know if it was additional precautions but was a wide, open field. It looked to be a place where you could really blast any Magecraft Spell. Derrick: ¡°So, for the first day of class, we will be assessing your individual strengths and skills. ¡­¡­.oh¡« so if you exaggerated your skills on the registration form to make yourself look better, come forward now before you embarrass yourself.¡± An uncomfortable silence and stillness followed. ¡­¡­.but after a while, two people raised their hand fearfully and report to Mr. Derrick their actual level of skill. Derrick: ¡°.....(sigh). Okay, I will call out your names one by one, so cast the combination of Spells that I call out.¡± And from there, we took our first step to begin our 3 months of Kroseid Style training at the Mages Tower. <<<<>>>> Derrick: ¡°Alfred, you are surrounded by countless enemies. Blow them away with everything you got.¡± Fred: ¡°.....! [Wind] {Gale} + [Wind] {Gale} + [Blade] {Lamina} ¡­¡­. [Double] {Dobl¨¦} + [Double] {Dobl¨¦} + [Launch] {Veros}!¡± Fred cast a Magecraft Spell as he was told. He thought for a moment, and then quickly combined his Spells together, but at the end, he fumbled slightly. This is now Fred¡¯s 10th Spell that Mr. Derrick instructed him to cast, but up until now, it doesn¡¯t look like Fred has been able to connect combinations of Spells into something similar to instinct and muscle memory. He is fast enough as a rearguard, but if he wants to fight up front, then that will leave some concerns. On the other hand, once he determines the Spell he wants to cast, the finesse to his technique is good. Considering that he is a Magecraft Spellcaster that can protect himself, he has enough skill to be able to serve as a Knight already. ¡­¡­¡­but that¡¯s once you exclude the Black Knights which is made up of the top tier (only measuring strength) of Knights. Assessing Fred¡¯s blades of wind, Mr. Derrick nodded once. Fred: ¡°Hmm, I think I got the general picture. Since you¡¯re carrying around a spear, you want to fight on the vanguard side, right? We¡¯ll aim to increase the construction speed of Spells and refine your judgment skills.¡± Fred: ¡°Yes, thank you very much!¡± And Fred bowed in a Knight¡¯s manner very naturally and came back. Henry: ¡°Hey, welcome back.¡± Fred: ¡°Y©`Yes. That was pretty tiring¡­¡­I didn¡¯t think it would be that hard from the start.¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m glad you were the first to go. Now I know what to expect.¡± The last situation was pretty easy to understand, but Mr. Derrick has been relaying situations where Magecraft Spells can be utilized, and you must immediately come up with a combination of Spells to cast¡­¡­..is the general exam itself. For instance, ¡°Now you want to put distance between you and the enemy¡± or ¡°it¡¯s mid-range, and there are 3 mid-tier lower-class Demonic Creatures¡± or ¡°you¡¯re surrounded by easy enemies and you need to break through their line¡±........are some of the examples Alfred was given. And Mr. Derrick will follow-up with questions on why you chose the Spells you did, so this is a pretty intense examination. You can¡¯t just keep blasting away your strongest Spells. Derrick: ¡°Next, Sandy. Come forward.¡± The next person was the opposite type of Fred and was a complete rearguard Magecraft Spellcaster. They spoke back and forth, and began using Magecraft Spells. Fred: ¡°Huh¡­..? That person¡­they¡¯re firing off multiple Spells with one of Mr. Derrick¡¯s command, but is that okay?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s perfectly fine.¡± Mr. Derrick mentioned that the simulation was a hunt with two vanguard warriors. You won¡¯t necessarily be in a tag team situation always, so he was sending support Spells to each. And sometimes, you might interpret the situation different with words alone, so Mr. Derrick made sure to hear out your intentions and goals with every Spell. Judging from the way they were casting the Spell, they were probably supporting a vanguard who was doing as he or she pleased. It¡¯s an impressive show of skill.¡± The next person was someone who just blasted Spells. They combined just the right amount of Spell Power to take down an enemy with one shot and carefully fired each Spell. Henry: ¡°Oh, you can use [Cannon] {Telma} in that kind of way¡­¡± ¡­¡­.I thought I would be bored just watching, but I got to see a lot of different ways people utilized Spells, and it was pretty entertaining. Fred was also getting just as much out of observing and began taking down notes in a memo book. Though he may be a playboy, he¡¯s still studious and hardworking at heart. Derrick: ¡°Next is¡­¡­..Emily.¡± Emily: ¡°Yes! It¡¯s finally my turn! I was tired of waiting!¡± Derrick: ¡°Emily, I want to confirm just in case, but¡­.is everything you wrote down here true?¡± Emily: ¡°What? How rude. I was raised with my Grandma always telling me that God hated liars.¡± Emily puffed out her chest. Mr. Derrick responded with a ¡°Okay¡«¡± and awkwardly scratched his head as he gave out the first assignment. Derrick: ¡°You meet Mid-tier Upper-Class 10 creatures. Distance is 20 meters.¡± Emily: ¡°[Water] {Eedle} + [Water] {Eedle} + [Invade] {Ginci} + [Invade] {Ginci} ¡­¡­.[Ultimate Amplification] {Ultima}!¡± She can use [Ultimate Amplification] {Ultima}?! As I stared wide-eyed, the Spell Emily casted changed the Practice Field¡¯s ground into swampy mud. ¡­¡­there are actually few Demonic Creatures that can fly. So hypothetically, all the Demonic Creatures in the imaginary scenario are caught in the mud and are immobile. Emily: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Ice] {Glacio} + [Spear] {Lancer} + [Spray] {Barrage}!¡± The following Spell sent several dozen ice spears and struck exactly 20 meters from their location and broke into pieces. From the power of the Spell, an ordinary Demonic Creature of the Mid-Tier Upper-Class would have been killed by it. Fred: ¡°Isn¡¯t [Spray] {Barrage} the highest level of all launch type Spells?¡± Henry: ¡°.......[Ultimate Amplification] {Ultima} is not something you can use unless you¡¯re a First-Class Kroseid Style Spellcaster. It¡¯s the highest of all strengthening type Spells.¡± It is approximately 3 times stronger than one of my [Strengthen] {Hazac}. But because of that, the scale of the Spell Structure and Inscription and the handling of the Spell is exponentially more difficult. ¡­¡­¡­.now that I look closely, I see that Emily¡¯s staff is not good for close combat, but it has Spell Inscriptions engraved in every space available. Derrick: ¡°Okay, next.¡± And Emily continued to cast very high-level Magecraft Spells with each instruction. Her skills with Magecraft, decision-making ©` overall, she completely exceeded every previous course attendee hands down. Compared to her wacky introduction, seeing her actual strength made all the observers stand flabbergasted once again. Derrick: ¡°That¡¯s all. ¡­¡­.well, I don¡¯t think anything will change even if we continue.¡± After 5 assignments, Mr. Derrick ended the examination having no further questions. Derrick: ¡°So yeah©` ¡­..you definitely have enough skills to match your confidence. I don¡¯t have anything to teach you as far as Magecraft Spells go.¡¯ Emily: ¡°Yes, of course! I am the beautiful, genius Magecraft Spellcaster! Besides, my Grandma made me do a lot of the same tests Mr. Instructor is doing!¡± So for her, the term genius is not an exaggeration. Beautiful¡­¡­.you can say that. Since she was saying how much she was taught not to lie, her words about her skills were true. Derrick: ¡°Yes, but overall, you seem to overdo it. Your Spells are leaning towards overkills. You need to learn more about conserving your Magic Power.¡± Emily: ¡°Ugh¡­..erhmmmm¡­.fine. I understand.¡± And she took the criticism without making much of a fuss. If you can do this much at that age, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising to see an over-inflated ego. Derrick: ¡°Next, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, yes!¡± As I was lost in thought, my name was called. ¡­¡­¡­.alright, let¡¯s do my best then. <<<<>>>> Derrick: ¡°You seem to have room for improvement with Magecraft Spells¡­¡­but similar to Emily, I don¡¯t have much to teach you either. Besides that, what is with that ridiculous Spell construction speed¡­..¡± Well, I was fighting on the frontlines for 10 years so¡­..and so I received a rather high appraisal and©`©` Emily: ¡°Urgh¡­! How dare you be compared to me. ¡­¡­I see now. You must be my rival!¡± ¡­¡­.and now, I¡¯m being dragged into class drama. CH 141 Ch. 141: My Heroic Tales¡­¡­.? The Kroseid Style 3 Month Short-Term Course Class 10. Before we began the official course instruction, Mr. Derrick assessed everyone¡¯s ability and finally got through everyone. We neared lunch time by the end, and Mr. Derrick probably planned it that way. Derrick: ¡°Okay, we¡¯re done for the morning. In the afternoon, at 1 PM, we will all meet at the Mages Tower at room 403. Oh, and we have student ID¡¯s for the course attendees, so please take one before you leave.¡± And Mr. Derrick pulled out a handful of cards out of his pocket. Derrick: ¡°The Mages Tower¡¯s 1st through 4th floor is open to the public, but you cannot proceed to the 5th floor without a card. There is a dining hall and cafeteria on the 5th floor. You can eat elsewhere, but the food is cheaper, so that¡¯s why I strongly recommend it. We paid a registration and course fee at the front desk, so I presume that part of that also pays for the food. Derrick: ¡°Besides that, on the upper floors of the Mages Tower, there are libraries that only the faculty can access¡­..oh, well. You can find that information on the guide map. In the cafeteria, you should also find guide pamphlets too.¡± I thought this might take a while, but Mr. Derrick cut his speech short and began distributing the cards. Well, unlike the course registrants that ¡°wanted to learn the Kroseid Style¡± in Class 1, this class only had 10 people. He was done distributing the cards momentarily. Okay, I guess I¡¯ll regroup with Cyril. But as I was thinking about my plans, Emily stood right before me. Emily: ¡°Hey, don¡¯t just leave your rival behind and go somewhere.¡± Henry: ¡°.......oh, were you serious about what you said before?¡± When Mr. Derrick complimented me, he also compared me to Emily. Because of that, Emily said something about deeming a rival but¡­¡­..I thought she was joking. Fred: ¡°Haha, Mr. Henry, I knew you were a sly guy. Well, I¡¯ll excuse myself©`©`¡± Henry: ¡°No you don¡¯t.¡± I don¡¯t want to be left alone with this girl. I grab Fred¡¯s shoulder as he tried to gracefully retreat. Emily: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the next best person who can use Magecraft besides me.¡± Fred: ¡°Y©`Yes. My name is Alfred Spencer.¡± Emily: ¡°Alfred¡­.so Alf? Or just Fred? ¡­¡­.it¡¯s easier to call you Fred, so we¡¯ll stick with that. I¡¯m Emily Statia. Nice to meet you, Fred.¡± Wow. She instantly settled on a nickname for him. Fred¡¯s very skilled socially, but this girl is really used to handling people. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that bad, but I don¡¯t approach people I just met as directly as these two. Fred: ¡°Yeah©` okay. Nice to meet you, Emily.¡± I don¡¯t know if he just surrendered, or he saw Emily¡¯s smile and decided to stay, but Fred stopped resisting and answered back with a smile. Emily: ¡°Oh, Mr. Rival, I don¡¯t know your name yet.¡± Henry: ¡°........it¡¯s Henry.¡± Emily: ¡°I see. Mr. Henry then.¡± Emily nodded as she memorized my name. ¡­¡­.oh, but she did put Mr. in front of that. Henry: ¡°Yeah©` so, Emily. Did you want something with me?¡± Emily: ¡°Yes, yes I did! Since we¡¯re taking the same course, why not eat lunch together? Would you care to join me?¡± Henry: ¡°There¡¯s plenty of other girls in the class. Why me?¡± Emily: ¡°Because you¡¯re my rival! ¡­¡­¡­.well, I¡¯m joking a little, but you are a Heroic Warrior, right? I wanted to hear about your experience.¡± Joking a little? ¡­¡­.I wanted the whole thing to be a joke. But yes. Emily did say she wanted to become an Adventurer. There were other Adventurers among the class, but I was the only Heroic Warrior. So that¡¯s why she chose me. Fred: ¡°If it¡¯s about that, I¡¯d like to hear your story too. Since you fought on the frontlines with brother Owen, you must be very strong, right?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©` but I actually have someone I need to go meet up with.¡± I didn¡¯t make any promises with her, but I think I will be having lunch with Cyril¡­¡­.or as I was thinking so©`©` Cyril: (Oh, Henry, hey, Henry.) Henry: (Cyril?) As if she was waiting for this exact moment, I heard her voice in my head. It was the communication ability of Cyril¡¯s godly equipment, [Link Ring]. Henry: (What¡¯s wrong? Is this about where we¡¯ll be meeting up?) Cyril: (Oh©` no. I¡¯m actually going to eat lunch with the rest of the Magic Course classmates. That¡¯s why I reached out.) Henry: (I©`I see.) Cyril: (By the way, the All Magic Course is only 3 students including me, but it¡¯s all girls. You have nothing to worry about©`©`) Why does she think I¡¯m worried? ¡­¡­.I mean, well, if there was a guy in the group, I would go check to see what he looked like just in case. Henry: (......then in that case, I¡¯ll eat lunch with some of the people I met in class. Oh, but there is a girl in this group, but don¡¯t worry.) Cyril: (Uh huh¡­.and what is there to worry about?) Henry: (Like I won¡¯t cheat on you.) Cyril: (Henry, I would never suspect that you would have the gall to do something like that anyways. Then see you later©`©`) Oh, she cut the communication. ¡­¡­¡­what is with this situation? Should I be glad that she trusts me so much or should I be insulted because she doesn¡¯t think I have any lady skills? Emily: ¡°? What¡¯s wrong, Henry? Do you have a stomach ache?¡± Since I suddenly fell silent, Emily looked at me with concern. It¡¯s actually hard to speak by mouth while communicating inside your head. Henry: ¡°No, nothing like that. I had a communication come in from my friend. She¡¯ll be eating with her classmates, so I¡¯ll join you for lunch.¡± Fred: ¡°Oh, was it Miss Cyril? I remember you using that the first day I met you.¡± Fred nodded too. When Cyril was touring the Mages Tower, she had used the telepathic communication to regroup with me. But not knowing about Cyril¡¯s godly equipment, Emily tilted her head in confusion. Emily: ¡°Communication?¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s a godly equipment. Even if you¡¯re physically apart, you can talk with each other inside your head. It¡¯s pretty handy.¡± Emily: ¡°Godly equipment! Yes! That¡¯s what I want to hear more about that! I looked at my grandmother¡¯s godly equipment, and I really want something as amazing as that!¡± She¡¯s really excited. It¡¯s almost cute. But this ¡°grandmother¡± Emily keeps mentioning¡­¡­ Henry: ¡°Hey, Emily. Is your grandmother Elizabeth Statia¡­..perhaps?¡± Emily: ¡°So you know her too, Henry. Yes, that¡¯s right. She¡¯s my grandmother! My pride and joy! She¡¯s really strict during training, but she¡¯s really nice otherwise.¡± So it¡¯s confirmed¡­.. Well, not that that really changes anything. It was surprising that the granddaughter of the Hero of Legend who was once called the [Magecraft Princess] is hilariously eccentric, but that¡¯s all. Henry: ¡°So food¡­¡­..since we¡¯re already here, let¡¯s try out this Mages Tower Cafeteria, shall we?¡± Both Emily and Fred did not have any issues with that plan. Following behind all the course students who had already dispersed, we began walking too. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°Whoa¡­.it¡¯s pretty big.¡± The cafeteria on the 5th floor of the Mages Tower filled up the entire floor. The far edges of the cafeteria were so far away that it was hard telling the faces of the people there. The researchers, professors, students, and putting together all the other students from every course, there must be a few thousand people here, so they need a cafeteria of this size to accommodate that many people. But even a cafeteria of this size would be pretty crowded and busy during the lunch rush hour. Henry: ¡°What should I eat today¡­.¡± I try to remember the menu we passed by at the entrance. There were some standard lunches, and alternatives that change every day. They had the menu filled out for every day of the week. Today, the fish was fried fish, pork saute if you wanted meat, and bacon and spinach cream pasta. Those kinds of options. There were pre-prepared plates on a table waiting to be picked up, and you took whatever you wanted to the register. It was a system like that. I¡¯m sure they made it this way to avoid being overwhelmed by customized orders. But because of that, the meal is a little cheaper. Fred: ¡°I guess I¡¯ll try the fish today?¡± Fred reached for one of the fish plates and grabbed a piece of bread. Emily: ¡°¡«? ¡«?¡± Emily was humming as she chose a pasta and mini salad. ¡­¡­..hmmmmm. As I tried to decide, I put all three types on my tray, and we all got in line to pay and sat down at an open table when we were done. Fred: ¡°........Mr. Henry, that¡¯s a lot of food.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, the body is the Adventurer¡¯s most important asset, and we did do quite a bit of exercise this morning.¡± I had an extra helping of rice on both my fish and meat lunches. I had the potato salad and today¡¯s special soup as side dishes. Emily: ¡°That was what my grandma said all the time.¡± Henry: ¡°But that¡¯s a pretty small portion you chose.¡± She chose the plate with less pasta on purpose. Emily: ¡°I was pretty sick for most of my childhood, so I never really ate that much.¡± Henry: ¡°I©`I see. Sorry for bringing that up.¡± Emily: ¡°? No, I¡¯m well now. And I¡¯m sure I have plenty of room to grow, so I¡¯m going to eat lots and lots more!¡± And Emily proudly puffed out her chest. She¡¯s really an optimistic one, this girl. Emily: ¡°Oh, yes, yes. Now Mr. Henry. Please share some of your experiences. Since you¡¯re a Heroic Warrior, you must have a tale or two to tell us!¡± Henry: ¡°A tale, huh?¡± But to be honest, there¡¯s not a whole lot of stories where I stood out. The best example is taking down the Demon General Gilverte, but I was mainly doing support, and only coincidentally delivered the finishing blow. ¡­¡­¡­¡­but her eyes are glittering with excitement, and for someone that¡¯s about to become an Adventurer and is looking up to me, I don¡¯t want to disappoint her. Henry: ¡°Well, let¡¯s see. I know that Elizabeth Statia once defeated a Hr?svelgr. I actually defeated one too before.¡± It¡¯s a Highest-Tier Demonic Creature that looks like an eagle. Emily: ¡°Really?! My grandma told me that story during bed time. How did you defeat it, Mr. Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, first, my Party consisted of a girl named Ageha and©`©`¡± And I exaggerated a little as I described our battle with the Hr?svelgr. Though it was a complete accident that we ran into one, I described it as a sneak attack we prepared in advance¡­¡­..for instance. And though there was an idiot trying to behead a flying beast, I phrased it as her trying to keep it distracted. And as we were looking for the opportunity to take it down with my multiplying spear throw, it actually worked¡­¡­..and I was the one who was most surprised at the outcome and yelled, ¡°REALLY?!¡± but I didn¡¯t share that part. ¡­¡­..so, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m totally lying? Yeah, I don¡¯t think those kinds of edits counts. Emily: ¡°That¡¯s so amazing! You planned it out, cooperated with your trustworthy Party, and Mr. Henry, you really stood out in that fight! Way to go!!¡± Henry: ¡°Ha¡­haha¡­..yeah¡­¡± Oh crap. Emily doesn¡¯t doubt me at all. W©`Well, I don¡¯t think Emily will run into Ageha or Yuu who was in that Party that easily, so it should be okay¡­¡­..or so I would think, and before I know it, in a cruel series of happenstance, they are all going to meet! So just in case, I need to make sure our stories align. Fred: ¡°......but if you think about it, if you¡¯ve taken down the Highest-Tier, and you¡¯ve been around all these Heroes of Legend¡­¡­Mr. Henry, you said you left Ligaleo a year ago, but why would you do that? If you¡¯re that amazing, you should be able to become a Hero of Legend yourself.¡± And I had to break my gaze with Emily as Fred spoke his question that came from innocent curiosity. After refining and elaborating that heroic tale, I really didn¡¯t want to get into the reasons why I moved to Flowtier. Since I got her expectations so high, I can easily imagine it plummeting to the earth. Henry: ¡°A©`A lot happened. Really, a lot¡­.¡± Fred: ¡°......oh, I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Sensing something, Fred apologized. Well, he didn¡¯t need to apologize at all, really. ¡­¡­¡­¡­besides, if he speaks with his brother Owen, Owen¡¯s going to spill and ruin everything. I¡¯ll just have to tell Fred afterwards in private. Oh¡­.. Henry: ¡°I got distracted with all the talking. There¡¯s not much time left. Let¡¯s go ahead and eat our food.¡± As I glance at the Cafeteria¡¯s clock, we have less than half an hour until we go back to class. We all hurriedly ate, and left the cafeteria together. CH 142 Ch. 142: The Meeting of the Two In the afternoon, Mr. Derrick explained the schedule for the next three months. Henry: ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± After Mr. Derrick left the classroom, I continued to review the printed handout once more and nodded as I read. Other classes probably have a different curriculum¡­¡­but this Class 10 course has a lot of flexibility. Or rather, it¡¯s way too flexible. Class will only be 3 to 4 times a week. It will be divided up between the morning and afternoon, and one will be for practicing Spells and the other for studying. Depending on the day, they will switch which comes first. On top of that, you are¡­¡­.free to do self-studying. Attending class is also optional. It is up to you. If you wanted to ask Mr. Derrick for a personal lesson since he holds the Special Class certification for the Kroseid Style, he is willing to help. If you want to get together with higher skilled classmates and learn from one another, that is okay as well. You are also free to attend any courses being taught at the Mages Tower. There are no restrictions on using the library. ¡­¡­..for those who are really looking to improve themselves, the environment is optimal for growth, but on the other side, if you don¡¯t know how to train, these 3 months will fly by without much progress. So in that case, I looked at the syllabus and list of courses for those trying to achieve 1st Class Kroseid Style certification, so I¡¯ll attend these for sure¡­¡­¡­but what should I do now? Emily: ¡°Mr. Henry, you¡¯re looking really intently at that syllabus, but what courses do you plan to take?¡± Emily, who was sitting next to me, spoke up and asked. But even though she¡¯s confident, I think obtaining the Special Class would be difficult for Emily. Between the 1st Class and Special Class, the difference in strength is not that big, but a Special Class is someone who can teach others¡­it¡¯s in essence a Magecraft Teaching certificate. But you don¡¯t have to be a Special Class to be able to teach. In fact, in private school, the teachers that teach the Kroseid Style there will most likely not have the Special Class certificate. But the difference will come out in your pay. With the Special Class certification, you will be paid at least 3 times higher. Normally, a person who has gained plenty of teaching experience in their 40¡¯s and 50¡¯s would try for this certificate. That¡¯s why Mr. Derrick, who is in his mid-30¡¯s, having a Special Class certificate is a very impressive feat. Putting that aside©`©` Henry: ¡°Then Emily, do you have any courses you¡¯re interested in?¡± Emily: ¡°For me, above all else, I will be taking the [Physical Enhancement Practice Course]! My grandma has always told me that a true lady is an expert with fists and kicks, and as a Magecraft Spellcaster, you have to be able to kick without ruining the folds in your skirt! That¡¯s what she told me to learn.¡± ¡­¡­.????? Now that¡¯s the first I¡¯ve heard. It¡¯s true that rearguard members need to be able to protect themselves, but why go as far as to learn martial arts? But from the way Emily is admiring her grandmother, I can¡¯t sense a hint of doubt in her words. And what kind of kick would not ruin the folds of a skirt? Does she plan to do a series of low kicks? ¡­¡­¡­..oh, is this some big misunderstanding that I should address? I make quick eye contact with Fred who is sitting opposite of Emily. Fred: (It¡¯s the role of veterans to instruct newbies, right? I¡¯ll leave it to you.) Henry: (Wait, wait, wait. Sometimes, it¡¯s easier to receive advice from someone who¡¯s closer in age. That¡¯s a proven fact.) Fred: (No, no, no.) ¡­¡­¡­well, it¡¯s not like I can actually hear his voice, but this was the back and forth I felt like we were having silently. Well, it can¡¯t be helped. I opened my mouth to try and explain. Henry: ¡°H©`Hey, Emily¡­¡± Emily: ¡°And also, [Magecraft Engineering Theory 1], [Magecraft Engineering Theory 2], [Magic Power Recovery Practicum]. Oh, and also, [Magecraft Artifact Construction Practicum].......but this actually costs money. Oh well, other than that¡«¡«¡± And though I was about to chime in about the martial arts, I was suddenly interrupted with a barrage of very advanced course names that sounded really useful. And she was exploring a wide variety of areas as well. She¡¯s practically filling in every minute of free time in between classes. But if she really does take all these courses, she won¡¯t have any breaks. Fred: ¡°Emily, are you sure you want to take all these courses? It¡¯ll be exhausting.¡± Emily: ¡°Oh, Fred. Of course, I¡¯ll be okay. That¡¯s because¡­..I¡¯m a genius!¡± And Emily laughs to reassure Fred. Henry: ¡°.....just make sure to not overdo it and get sick.¡± Fred: ¡°Well, she¡¯ll be taking some courses I have, so I¡¯ll keep an eye on her. But we should get going. The next class is coming in.¡± Oh, yeah. That¡¯s right. It¡¯s been 10 minutes since Mr. Derrick¡¯s class was done, and students with textbooks are starting to come into the room. Emily: ¡°So this is all for today. ¡­¡­.hmm, Mr. Henry? Fred? Since we got to know each other, why not do something together afterwards?¡± And as Emily stood up, she fixed her skirt as she made the suggestion. ¡­¡­¡­this girl, she¡¯s being too naive. You should never go out with two guys you just met. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if something happens in these situations. Henry: ¡°Emily, Emily. Hasn¡¯t your grandmother told you that men are like wolves or something like that?¡± Emily: ¡°Oh yeah ¡­¡­she said if a wolf appears, gracefully kick them in the nut sack, and as soon as they show an opening, pound them with Magecraft Spells. That¡¯s what she taught me!¡± ©`©`I felt chills run down my back! Emily: ¡°Before, there was one guy who just wouldn¡¯t give up, so I kicked him so hard, he couldn¡¯t get up for a while so I didn¡¯t use any Spells!¡± ¡­¡­.sh©`she¡¯s already had to put it into practice. Well, if someone tries to kick me there, I would dodge or block¡­¡­..but just the thought of knowing that that¡¯s the first place she¡¯ll strike makes cold chills run down my spine. Fred must feel the same way. His smile is not as graceful as usual. Emily: ¡°Oh, were you two thinking of something inappropriate?¡± We both swung our head side to side furiously. ¡­¡­..well, it¡¯s not a bad idea to hang out with your classmates to get to know them better, but I need to stop thinking about those things. Well, I had no such intention in the first place. Henry: ¡°Oh, Emily. If we¡¯re all going together, do you mind if I bring my friend along?¡± Emily: ¡°Oh yes. You told me about her earlier. Yes, of course she can come.¡± Now then, let¡¯s see how well Emily and Cyril get along. <<<<>>>> We regrouped with Cyril. As I introduced her as my friend, Emily immediately opened up with©`©` Emily: ¡°Nice to meet you! I am the ge-nius, beautiful, Magecraft Spellcaster, Emily!¡± And made her introduction proudly. ¡­¡­..is she not embarrassed? Nope, doesn¡¯t look like she is. Cyril: ¡°Y©`yes? Genius? Beautiful? I see¡­.¡± Emily: ¡°Yes, grandma always talked about how much of a genius I am, and how I¡¯m the most beautiful girl in the world.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.so it¡¯s that grandmother¡¯s fault! And I know it¡¯s too late to say this, but this girl is really a grandma¡¯s girl! Cyril: ¡°I see¡­¡­! But even so, you¡¯re no match for this Miss Cyril right here!¡± Cyril made a weird pose with her fingers straightened and arms bent, and Cyril made her announcement as well. She¡¯s probably thinking that she can¡¯t let Emily outdo her, so she¡¯s really pumping herself up. ¡­¡­..yes, this is my girlfriend. You can laugh. Emily: ¡°What did you say? I can¡¯t just overlook what you said.¡± Cyril and Emily glare and lock eyes. I can see their piercing gaze collide into sparks. ¡­¡­but frankly, both of them are not intimidating, so from the side, they just look like kids play fighting. And it was Cyril who broke the silence. Cyril: ¡°Haha! You unfortunate girl. The only compliments you got was from your own family, but Miss Cyril receives praises not just from her family, but from him everyday!¡± And Cyril pointed straight at me. Fred: ¡°.......you really say that? Every single day?¡± Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t recall a single time¡­¡­.¡± Fred swung a very curious gaze at me, but I only groaned as I try to dig into my memory. I do say it as a joke occasionally, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever said that in a serious manner. ¡­¡­¡­.well, whatever. It¡¯s embarrassing regardless. Emily: ¡°You said your name was Cyril? Are you sure that that¡¯s not a lie?¡± Cyril: ¡°No, no. I can definitely hear him say it. I can hear Henry¡¯s heart say it every day.¡± And Cyril puffs her chest out in victory. ¡­¡­¡­.I really don¡¯t know what she¡¯s saying. And it wasn¡¯t just me who thought the statement was strange. Emily: ¡°.........are you okay? Maybe you¡¯re really tired? Do you want some candy?¡± And Emily suddenly looked upon Cyril with concern in her eyes, and took out a piece of candy and showed it to Cyril. She gave one to Mr. Derrick, so she must carry around a lot. Cyril: ¡°Oh, thank you very much. I¡¯ll have one. But it¡¯s not a lie. See, when he¡¯s looking my way, I can tell from his behavior, body language, and eyes.¡± Emily: ¡°Ohh©`©` I understand now. Mr. Henry must have really fallen for you then?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, he did.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­wait, wait, wait. That¡¯s not. Wait, no, no, no. Fred: ¡°Mr. Henry, let¡¯s talk later.¡± Henry: ¡°Shut up.¡± Fred began holding down a laugh, and I nudge him in the ribs pretty hard with my elbow. With a ¡°oof!¡± Fred fell to his knees. ¡­¡­..oh, that actually got him good. Sorry about that. Emily: ¡°Hmmmmmm, well, that¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll concede today and admit defeat. But watch out. Very soon, I¡¯ll repay you two fold.¡± Cyril: ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it! Now then, as far as introductions, I¡¯m Cyril. It¡¯s nice meeting you.¡± Emily: ¡°I already said my name once, but I¡¯m Emily. Nice to meet you, Cyril.¡± And the two grip each others¡¯ hand strongly. Though they were on the verge of fighting earlier, they made up and became friends just as fast. ¡­¡­yeah, I thought this might happen, but these two really get along. <<<<>>>> That night¡­. Cyril: ¡°Henry, what are you reading?¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s a textbook my course teacher, Mr. Derrick, recommended. [1st Class Kroseid Style Simplified Note and Test Guide!]¡± Cyril: ¡°I see©`©`¡± And with a thump©`©` Freshly out of the bath, Cyril sits right next to me on the sofa. She read some of the text from where she sat, and commented, ¡°hmm, I don¡¯t understand at all¡±. She nodded as read some more and gulped down some water. She looks to be in quite the good mood. Cyril: ¡°But it was so much fun today.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah.¡± After that©`©` We went to explore the town with Emily and Fred. Well, since it is part of the Four Corner City, there was plenty of tourist attractions and entertainment. There were street acts using Magecraft Spells, a drama theater, a large department store, and an arcade similar to a casino, but there¡¯s no gambling. Just making our rounds was pretty fun. Emily had read many guide books for this occasion and led the group as she explained each location. Henry: ¡°Well, our break is over now. From tomorrow on, our classes will get harder.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll do my very best!¡± And©`©` Just like that, a very fun and enjoyable time came to an end. CH 143 Ch. 143: Days of Training We were in the corner of the Practice Field No. 3 of the Mages Tower. Class 10 was in session practicing our Spells outdoors. ¡­¡­.I slowly take in a breath as I concentrate. And feeling myself reach a certain level of concentration¡­¡­I pour Magic into my feet and jump high into the air. Going up about 20 meters (¡«65 ft), I take the metal plate with a Spell inscribed on it©`©`a Spellcall Stone©`©`and pronounce the incantation. Henry: ¡°[Light Ledge] {Plateau}¡± Though I failed the previous 2 attempts, this time I succeeded. Below me, a platform made of light appeared with a diagonal about 1 meter (¡«3 ft) long. The platform was able to sustain my weight, and about 10 meters (¡«30 ft) above in the air, I was able to take a look around at my surroundings. Henry: ¡°........this is going to be incredibly useful¡­.¡± As a test, I jumped once more. As I reach new heights, I cast another [Light Ledge] {Plateau}. Repeating this process¡­¡­I was able to climb extremely high into the sky. But from what I can sense, if I was to really kick off this platform, the [Light Ledge] {Plateau} will most likely break. But, even so©`©` Henry: ¡°[Light Ledge] {Plateau}¡± I cast the same Spell again, but this time, I create the platform right above me. Unlike before, the size was just big enough for my foot. I jumped to flip upside down so my legs were above me and©`©` Henry: ¡°There.¡± I place a foot on the [Light Ledge] {Plateau}. I brace hard against it, and kick off as hard as I can and shoot towards the ground. Henry: ¡°Yes!¡± I launch out of the air and fly towards the ground. Before I hit the ground, I flip my body to land. I feel a as the impact ripples through my body. ¡­¡­..the durability of the [Light Ledge] {Plateau} depends upon the size and how long I need to keep it up. If I just make it just big enough for my foot and only keep it up for a split second, I can push off of it with my full strength. It¡¯s a huge advantage to be able to make a mobile platform like this with just one Spell. I can think of many ways I can use this. I can use this to gain higher ground, and I can survey the area from high above too. I can avoid stepping into swampy footing or change direction while I¡¯m still jumping in mid-air. If I place it in front of me, it could even be used as a simple shield. ¡­¡­since this Spell was in development, I held onto this opinion, but this really is a very useful and handy Spell Inscription. Henry: ¡°Mr. Derrick, I¡¯m definitely incorporating this Spell.¡± Derrick: ¡°Y©`Yeah?¡± Mr. Derrick strained a smile as he nodded. But then he grunted in frustration and scratched his head. Derrick: ¡°People who are vanguards really have amazing physical abilities. I can use the sword too, but I¡¯m typically supporting from the back, so I tend to admire people like you. How high above were you just now?¡± Henry: ¡°Maybe about 100? But I think people in the rearguard who can support us with so many different Spells is pretty amazing too, so I guess it goes both ways.¡± Derrick: ¡°I guess the grass is greener on the other side, huh. Good, looks like the Spell is initiating with no issue, but continue practicing and test the Spell to reduce any chance of errors.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, sir.¡± I can handle 6 Spells. Each one of the Spells are useful but pretty boring, and I¡¯m not in need of new Spells¡­¡­.but with a new Spell in my repertoire, it really does expand my options significantly. So that¡¯s why I¡¯m discussing with Mr. Derrick on what new Spells I should try out and test. I asked him if there were any new Spells recently developed, and what he told me about was the [Light Ledge] {Plateau}. Under Mr. Riol¡¯s guidance, this was a new Magecraft Spell Lana created. It has already been approved as a new Kroseid Style Spell. But this was a difficult Spell to master, and it was classified as a 2nd Class Spell, and in truth, a 3rd Class like myself shouldn¡¯t be allowed to try it. ¡­¡­.but under the direction of Mr. Derrick, who is a Special Class, they lent me a practice Spellcall Stone and was allowed to try the Spell out. Derrick: ¡°But this is your first time trying out the Spell, but you¡¯ve already gotten a solid grasp of it.¡± Henry: ¡°Haha¡­.well, I was actually involved in the development of this Spell.¡± I was the main tester while they were creating the Spell Inscription. Derrick: ¡°? Oh, you said you knew the Mage, Lady Emile.¡± Henry: ¡°Haha¡­¡± Mr. Riol¡¯s wife, the original Magecraft Master who developed the Kroseid Style, is someone I know, but this Spell was created by a natural born genius out in the wild. ¡­¡­.but that would just confuse him if I mention it, so I kept quiet. And though Lana was the one who did most of the work, she was introduced to Mrs. Emile during the process, and the quality of the Spell Inscription was refined further. Derrick: ¡°But though not many people are using it yet, I think many vanguards would love this Spell - [Light Ledge] {Plateau}.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, I fell in love with it on the first try. So, Mr. Derrick, I want to incorporate one more Spell into my repertoire, but do you have any recommendations?¡± I prod Mr. Derrick for more insight. Though he is mainly a rearguard, Mr. Derrick has studied many styles of Magecraft combat as a Special Class. He would be able to identify a more appropriate Spell than if I tried to think of it myself. Mr. Derrick groaned quietly as he thought and©`©` Derrick: ¡°Well, let¡¯s see¡­.. Why not try a higher ranked launch type Spell? [Launch] {Velos} is an easy Spell to master, but on your level, I would suspect that its power is lacking, no?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©` yes, now that you mention it¡­.¡± I¡¯ve been relying on my spear throw to cover my range attacks, but now that I think about it, it would be useful to have an option to do a long range attack without letting my spear go. Henry: ¡°But a higher rank? That would be©`©`¡± Derrick: ¡°[Snipe] {Sagita} or [Barrage] {Volley}. It¡¯s usually good for a single target, but if you¡¯re going for accuracy and power, [Snipe] {Sagita} is my recommendation. If you need to hit more targets at once, [Barrage] {Volley} would be better. Both are 2nd Class Spells.¡± If it¡¯s 2nd Class¡­¡­¡­well, I should be able to use it while I¡¯m out at front. Compared to Emily¡¯s [Scatter] {Barrage}, in a hand-to-hand combat where every moment counts, I wouldn¡¯t have the time or focus to cast it. Derrick: ¡°Well, I¡¯ll see if there¡¯s any other Spells that might be suitable for you. Today, just keep practicing [Light Ledge] {Plateau}.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, thank you so much.¡± And I bow my head with gratitude. Derrick: ¡°No need. This is my job. Besides¡­..¡± And Mr. Derrick pointed to something behind me. I got the clue and knew what was coming, so I let out a sigh as I turned around. Fred: ¡°........Mr. Henry, could we go another round?¡± Henry: ¡°Fred, just in case you¡¯re forgetting, this is a class to practice Magecraft, you know?¡± Fred: ¡°I understand, but being able to fight with someone with a similar style and that is above your level is an incredibly rare and great experience for me.¡± And this was now the 3rd time someone asked me to spar with them. I let out another exasperated sigh. ¡­¡­..no, I know how Fred feels. When I was feeling my skills and strength on the up and up, I would have begged for the same training opportunity. Derrick: ¡°Would that be okay, Henry? I can still advise on Magecraft Spells after this is done, and I can be more accommodating in other aspects of the class as well.¡± Henry: ¡°.........I understand.¡± And it wasn¡¯t just Fred who wanted to spar. All the vanguards or those who fought more in the front would inevitably choose me as their sparring opponent. ¡­¡­¡­being the strongest in the group came back to bite me in this aspect. But I¡¯m also learning from everyone elses¡¯ strengths, and Mr. Derrick has been even more accommodating in giving advice in return, so I¡¯m not that flustered¡­..still, it¡¯s tiring. Emily: ¡°Oh, Mr. Henry, Fred, you¡¯re going to spar with one another?¡± Henry: ¡°Emily¡­¡± And at the far side of Practice Field No. 3, this part of the field had become Class 10¡¯s main sparring arena. Being curious, Emily, who was practicing her own Spells, came over as well. Henry: ¡°You want to watch again? I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re not bored.¡± Emily: ¡°Well, I never got to see other people fight as much. I¡¯m probably going to have to pair up with someone, so I need to learn what kind of movements the vanguards do.¡± Henry: ¡°......well, if it¡¯s helping you, I don¡¯t mind but¡­¡± In reality, Emily¡¯s skill with the Kroseid Style was well above Mr. Derrick¡¯s, and as far as her Magecraft Skills, she didn¡¯t have a lot of room to improve. So it¡¯s good for her to study how a vanguard fights¡­¡­¡­I think? And since she didn¡¯t like the fact that I¡¯m faster at constructing the Spells, outside of observing the sparring, she continued to practice Spell construction. Henry: ¡°It¡¯ll be dangerous to watch up close, so keep your distance.¡± We came to the arena where there was a line drawn across in the ground, and I warned Emily just in case. There are other people outside of Class 10 who are interested in watching Fred and I spar, so I pointed to an area far enough away. Emily: ¡°Okay, okay©`©` Oh, and Fred, do your best©`¡± Fred: ¡°Oh, thanks for the encouragement!¡± What. Henry: ¡°Why are you just cheering for Fred? ¡­¡­¡­it¡¯s not like I¡¯m jealous or anything but¡­¡± No, I¡¯m not jealous. That¡¯s definitely not it. Emily: ¡°Because Mr. Henry, you¡¯ve only lost to Mr. Gimm once, but otherwise, you¡¯re on a winning streak. I¡¯d like to see at least one fight where the underdog wins.¡± Henry: ¡°Is that it?¡± But I¡¯m taking all my spars seriously too! Fred: ¡°Haha, but Mr. Gimm¡¯s win was because anyone would have had trouble seeing that Spell for the first time. Even Mr. Henry couldn¡¯t avoid it.¡± Henry: ¡°......well, I technically lost, but if it was actual combat, I would have healed myself and continued fighting.¡± I¡¯m not making excuses. This is not an excuse at all. ¡­¡­..Mr. Gimm is a Knight in his 30s. His favorite move is to initiate a Magecraft Spell from inside the ground. On our very first spar, an ice arrow that shot out of the ground from where I stood caught me totally off guard. It grazed my shoulder because Mr. Gimm wasn¡¯t intending to injure me severely and intentionally missed. Apparently, he combined several Magecraft Spells to make this possible, but he wouldn¡¯t tell me his secret when I asked. ¡­¡­..and Mr. Gimm is even on the sidelines watching, so I concentrate on my upcoming fight with Fred and face off with him. Henry: ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go, Fred.¡± Fred: ¡°...........yes!¡± <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Restrain] {Katerno}!¡± Fred: ¡°?!¡± As Fred drew back his spear, I launched a chain made of light at him. I held one end with one hand, and the other end wrapped around Fred¡¯s hand to limit his movement. And to make him lose his balance, I pull on the chain and©`©` Fred: ¡°...!! Why you!¡± And the chain abruptly disappeared as I disbanded the Spell. Suddenly being jerked free from the chain, Fred stumbles ©` his expression already realizing his mistake. Fred: ¡°[Explode] {Bao}!¡± But before I delivered the finishing blow, he tried to push me back with an explosive Magecraft Spell¡­¡­.but he¡¯s being too naive. He tried to avoid the blast and overcompensated. He prioritized casting the Spell over correcting his stance, so now, he really couldn¡¯t move, and I pointed the tip of my spear at him and paused. For a few seconds, we remained in that position. Fred: ¡°........I surrender.¡± Henry: ¡°Good job©`¡± Fred surrendered, and I lowered my spear. Derrick: ¡°Good work, you two.¡± Mr. Derrick, who joined the sidelines during our fight, applauded as he approached where we stood. Derrick: ¡°Fred, that last [Explode] {Bao} put you in trouble. From your position and distance to your opponent, you should have pointed the blast towards yourself to push you further away from Henry faster.¡± Fred: ¡°HUH?! Point the blast at myself?!¡± Derrick: ¡°Well, for you, instead of [Explode] {Bao}, use [Wind] {Gale}. That would be better.¡± Fred: ¡°Well, either way, I would be self-destructing¡­¡­¡± Fred kept grumbling about this but©`©` Henry: ¡°Fred, frankly, these are the basics of basics. You saw how I used [Restrain] {Katerno} on myself to tie myself to you, right? It¡¯s not about the Spell. It¡¯s about how you use it that¡¯s important.¡± Fred: ¡°.......really?¡± He¡¯s being a little too hard-headed. But that¡¯s the reason why we¡¯re trying to teach him by beating him down to soften that head of his. Derrick: ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try that¡­¡­.but it¡¯s already noon. This afternoon, we¡¯ll be training your brains. Make sure to take a break in between.¡± And Mr. Derrick dismissed class and sent the students away. Training our brains, huh. I scratch my head as I call out to Fred. Henry: ¡°...Fred, this can wait until the afternoon class, but yesterday, there were a few places I got stuck in the textbook and©`©`¡± Fred: ¡°Oh, yes. You can count on me.¡± Fred definitely has the smarter brains, so during study time, I count on him instead for help and support. Emily too. ¡­¡­.and well, like that©`©` Our days of training were passing by quickly one by one. CH 144 Ch. 144: Cyril¡¯s Training Part 1 We were in the living room of our rental home. We sat around the dining table and chatted about all that happened that day. Cyril: ¡°Oh©` so Mr. Fred was finally able to get a strike in on you, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, it was sooner than I thought. But why would his spear techniques improve faster than his Magecraft when he¡¯s here to study Magecraft?¡± Cyril: ¡°Haha, I guess he hasn¡¯t completely lost his main objective, and Mr. Fred came here to become a stronger Knight, correct?¡± Well, yeah. There¡¯s nothing wrong with improving your overall strength¡­¡­but isn¡¯t this something Fred should be paying me for then? But these thoughts were a waste of time, and I munched down mouthfuls of Cyril¡¯s special pasta. Dinner today consisted of pasta with a tomato sauce and salad. Cyril: ¡°I know I was the one who cooked it, but don¡¯t you get bored of eating that much of the same thing?¡± Henry: ¡°No, it¡¯s delicious, so it¡¯s okay.¡± I had an extra large serving of pasta on my plate. There were at least 4 or 5 servings total. With this much pasta and one type of sauce, it could be a little bland, but with powdered cheese, you can shift the taste, and I also have pepper and hot sauce on the side too. Henry: ¡°So what happened to you today, Cyril?¡± Cyril: ¡°We wrote poems and meditated and did stuff like that. But I really don¡¯t think it fits my style at all©`¡± Cyril is taking the All Magic Course. In the beginning, they have you try all sorts of techniques to help you concentrate. Every Magician has a technique or two in their own styles to help them concentrate. For Cyril and Ms. Lotte, it¡¯s singing songs, but you can play instruments, repeat a very specific physical move, do a karate chop at a 45 degree angle 10 times¡­..etc., etc. In short, there are any number of methods you could use. In some shady religious cult groups, they use certain kinds of risky medication. But there is not a limitation for using Magic saying that you can only use a very specific method of concentration. All of these practices are purely just methods in guiding your mentality in a state where you can use Magic. ¡­¡­..in other words, there may be a method that might be more efficient or effective than what you were previously using. So, all in all, that¡¯s why they recommend to their class to give everything a try. Cyril: ¡°But¡­.well¡­.I¡¯m glad Karin found the meditating to be effective. I don¡¯t think using medications like that would be too good for your body¡­..¡± I heard the story from her before. The Night Black Style Magic or the name of the style is something brooding like that is used by one of Cyril¡¯s classmates, Lady Karin. Apparently, she was taking medications that elevated her mood, so she can use Spells. Though the medicine itself had low addictive properties, and at times, doctors would administer the same chemicals as medication. As long as you didn¡¯t consume a large amount at once, it was a relatively safe medication, but I¡¯m glad that she found alternatives. Henry: ¡°So for you, it was dancing that worked.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes. It¡¯s not as effective as singing, but I learned that I can cast simple Spells with dances!¡± This is a good find. Dancing will also draw attention to you, but you won¡¯t be advertising your position by making noises with your singing. Because of that, the Demonic Creatures would be drawn to Cyril more, and we had to be extra attentive to her situation. And there are geographical locations where you shouldn¡¯t be breathing the air so much¡­..especially in places where there¡¯s large amounts of poison gas in the air. In those places, singing just wouldn¡¯t work. Cyril: ¡°Hehehe, maybe with this, I would become a very famous, superstar idol bard like Ms. Lotte? I¡¯ve now started down the path of fame, and like Ms. Lotte, I can dance and sing at concerts.¡± Ms. Lotte¡¯s dance is more of a martial arts form than a casual dance¡­¡­ She would, at times, incorporate into her moves a hidden martial arts move, so martial artists from around the continent would gather to watch and observe her moves, so they can get a glimpse of that. And as a result, they would become a huge fan of hers. Those kinds of stories floated around Ms. Lotte all the time. But a singing and dancing idol, huh¡­ Cyril: ¡°?¡± ¡­..she probably could do it if she wanted to but¡­. But this strange image keeps coming to mind. Cyril, who is beginning to glow with Magic Power as it concentrates with every move and melody on center stage. Our Party members would be the ones playing whatever instruments on stage with her. ¡­¡­umm, Jend apparently plays guitar as a hobby, and Ferris has taken piano lessons. Teo, who probably doesn¡¯t have much music experience would hold a triangle, and equally talentless me would¡­¡­.only be able to use castanets. The crowd would be going wild with each song and performance, and the Magic Power would continue to concentrate and rise. Suddenly, a Highest-Tier would attack us from nowhere and¡­¡­Cyril would release her Spell to blast it away. And the crowd would explode into an applause as they shout a chorus of ¡°Encore, encore, encore!¡± Henry: ¡°I must be exhausted from all the training¡­¡­..¡± Cyril: ¡°A©`Are you okay, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. Just had a weird image pop inside my head.¡± Once I finish eating dinner, I¡¯ll head straight to bed. Cyril: ¡°? Uh huh¡­.well, besides that, on the way back here, I saw this really cute pussy cat, and it was so friendly©`¡± And we continue to chat about this and that about nothing particularly important. ¡­¡­.but man¡­.we¡¯re here to train and study, so I don¡¯t mean to be so relaxed but©`©` I can¡¯t help but feel really happy right now. <<<<>>>> Cyril: (Henry, Henry. Do you have time right now?) I was in the library of the Mages Tower. There wasa self-study area, and I was reading through a study guide on passing the Kroseid Style First Class test, when Cyril contacted me. Henry: (? I¡¯m just studying on my own right now, so yeah, I do have time but©`©`) Cyril: (Then if it¡¯s alright with you, could you come to Practice Field 6? We¡¯re doing a Magic Class practicum, and right now we¡¯re going to practice coordinating with vanguards or something like that.) Henry: (Understood. I¡¯ll be right over.) If it¡¯s a lesson about that, I¡¯m interested too. I placed my writing tools and textbooks into my bag, and turn off the light above my desk. ¡­¡­.the library on the 13th floor of the Mages Tower has the lights dimmed to protect the books, but at each seat, there is a Magecraft Artifact that can shine a light. I weave through the sea of students who are studying and reading, and in my periphery, I see the towering bookshelves filled with books as I exit the library. This entire floor is a library, so as soon as I step outside, the stairs are right in front of me. I begin to descend step by step. Henry: ¡°...........urgh, could I just jump down from a window or something?¡± I grumble as I continue down the steps. ¡­¡­of course, there¡¯s a chance that someone might walk right underneath me if I jumped down the side of the tower, so that wouldn¡¯t be allowed, but if I officially learn [Light Ledge] {Plateau}, I would be able to stop myself before hitting anyone. I make note of that use in my head as I arrive on the first floor. Practice Field 6¡­¡­would be the east end. Following my memory and instincts, I head towards Practice Field 6, and seeing me, Cyril cries out ¡°HEY¡«!¡± and waves her hands frantically at me. ¡­¡­.I told her that doing stuff like that is really embarrassing, but I know it¡¯s no use. Cyril: ¡°Henry, thanks for coming out on a short notice.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©` that¡¯s okay. I was curious to see how an All Magic Class Course was taught too.¡± As I looked around, I saw two girls that were very close in age to Cyril. I couldn¡¯t tell which was which, but one was Karin, and the other was called Monica, I think. And the woman behind them was¡­¡­this would be course instructor, Ms. Elenoir. Cyril: ¡°Karin, Monica, Ms. Elenoir. This is my Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Hello, my name is Henry. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± I bow politely as I introduce myself. ¡°She said, ¡®my¡¯......wow, did you hear that, Monica?¡± Monica: ¡°Yes, they must be really close.¡± Cyril: ¡°Sheesh, don¡¯t tease me. Oh, Henry, this is Karin, and this is Monica.¡± And the two also greet me too. Karin had bags under her eyes and carried around a lumpy, wooden staff¡­..she had quite an odd, mysterious aura around her. And the very serious looking one who also had a sword on her belt was Monica. ¡­¡­.although they were all very different from Cyril, since they were close in age, they looked to be getting along really well. Elenoir: ¡°I am Elenoir, Mr. Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, nice to meet you.¡± I also greet Ms. Elenoir, the course instructor. And once we were done with introductions, Ms. Elenoir coughed to clear her throat as she began class. Elenoir: ¡°Now then, everyone. As we discussed before, today, we will be learning the basics of working with others. Magic, by its very nature, will leave you defenseless while you are concentrating. Because of that, it is essential to understand how to place yourself within a party so that you can be easily protected¡­¡­.this is critical for all Adventurers.¡± Yep. She¡¯s right. Magecraft doesn¡¯t leave you as unguarded as Magic. This is the most fundamental of fundamentals, and very important to know. Elenoir: ¡°There are people who can perform other duties perfectly while they are focusing on their Magic concentration, but these are exceptions to the rule, so do not try to copy them.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.like Ms. Lotte, who can sing, cast her Magic Spell, and go into close-range combat on her own. Normally, just moving around somewhat would be the limit for most Magicians, but Ms. Lotte¡¯s movements are that of a martial arts master. And in fact, she moves better while she¡¯s singing. As I nostalgically thing about Ms. Lotte, Ms. Elenoir continued to explain the basics of what a Magician needs to pay attention to. ¡­¡­this actually helps a vanguard like me. It was as if Ms. Elenoir was putting into words everything I knew by instinct. Elenoir: ¡°But I understand that maybe showing you an example would be easier than just talking. Let¡¯s have Miss Cyril, who is currently in a Party with a Heroic Warrior, show us an example.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hehehe, you can leave it to Miss Cyril! During my adventures with Henry, I¡¯ve never once received a blow or damage, so this is my area of expertise.¡± Elenoir: ¡°Um, Miss Cyril? That is probably¡­¡­.well, never mind.¡± Ms. Elenoir decided against speaking any further. ¡­¡­.and well, she does know the basics, but that is also thanks to how hard everyone else in the Party works too, is what she probably wanted to say. Henry: ¡°Ms. Elenoir, even if we wanted to show an example, how will we do so? Do we just need to show how an Adventurer moves during a regular expedition?¡± Elenoir: ¡°Oh, we have an opponent for you. See there? He¡¯s warming up right now.¡± At the edge of Practice Field 6, there was a man swinging his sword, and noticing Ms. Elenoir looking his way, he walked over here. Oh hey. Henry: ¡°Mr. Derrick? What are you doing here?¡± Derrick: ¡°Oh, Henry, it¡¯s you. What do you mean, ¡®What?¡¯ It¡¯s normal for me to help out other instructors in other courses.¡± ¡­¡­..yeah, I guess so. Today, Class 10 is not in session, but the Course Instructor, Mr. Derrick still has other duties and responsibilities to perform. Derrick: ¡°Elenoir, I know we¡¯re practicing coordinating between a Magician and a Party member, but¡­¡­..I didn¡¯t know my opponent would be Henry.¡± Elenoir: ¡°Yes, one of my students, Miss Cyril, said he was part of her Party, so that¡¯s why I asked him to come.¡± Derrick: ¡°.........that¡¯s fine, but Henry, you better go easy on me. Watching all your spars, I¡¯m no match for you. If I lose to you alone, there would be no point to this exercise.¡± Yeah, that makes sense. But I think Mr. Derrick¡¯s pretty strong too. If he decided to just pepper me with Spells from a long distance, I would be hard-pressed to beat him. Elenoir: ¡°Is he that strong? ¡­¡­then Mr. Henry, please do as Mr. Derrick requested. Otherwise, I would like for you to think of this as a combat exercise.¡± Henry: ¡°Same as a combat exercise¡­..okay, I understand.¡± Well then. Let¡¯s do my best. <<<<>>>> CHONKY Notes LiT (Lost in Translation) Musical Instrument: Triangle Musical Instrument: Castanet CH 145 Ch. 145: Cyril¡¯s Training Part 2 Mr. Derrick and I stood a little ways apart as we faced each other. The Practice Fields of the Mages Tower was spacious, and the distance was great enough that I wouldn¡¯t be able to reach him in one breath. At my top speed, it would take 2 to 3 seconds. ¡­¡­¡­.oh, wait. No, no, no. I can¡¯t. I need to go easy on him. This isn¡¯t my training, but an opportunity for Cyril to be able to demonstrate her ability as a Magician to position herself well on a battlefield for her classmates. Approaching him within 2 to 3 seconds would be way too fast. So I need to gradually close the distance. ¡­¡­..of course, I can¡¯t completely let my guard down either. Henry: ¡°Cyril, are you ready? We¡¯ll tackle this exercise like it¡¯s actual combat just like the instructors said to do. Take this seriously.¡± Cyril: ¡°Of course! I¡¯m ready wherever you are!¡± I sensed her nodding behind me. ¡­¡­.good. Far behind Cyril, outside of the Magecraft Barrier that surrounded the Practice Field, Ms. Elenoir stood with the rest of the class and raised her hand to signal that everything was ready. Elenoir: ¡°Now, let¡¯s¡­..begin!¡± With the starting signal, I sprinted somewhat quickly towards Mr. Derrick. Derrick: ¡°[Weaken] {Uz} + [Fire] {Ignis} + [Spray] {Volley}!¡± And seeing me approach, Mr. Derrick sent Magecraft arrows towards me. ¡­¡­¡­.and being able to use a Spell like [Weaken] {Uz} which is completely useless in actual combat says something about the depth of Mr. Derrick¡¯s repertoire of Spells. And we had an agreement before the practice that in order to minimize the risk of injuries, [Weaken] {Uz} would be treated the same as [Strengthen] {Hazac} and should be handled as such. I look at the 8 arrows flying towards my way, and I strike the two that would hit Cyril and dodge the rest. As I guessed, the arrows I dodged flew past Cyril and disappeared against the Magecraft barrier. Derrick: ¡°Ugh! You have good eyes! [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Water] {Eedle} + [Invade] {Ginci}!¡± Henry: ¡°Whoa!¡± My next step suddenly turned into slippery mud, and it was the same Spell combo that Emily used on the first day. Though Mr. Derrick¡¯s Spell was not as expansive, his positioning was irritatingly precise, and I had to stop to regain my balance. ¡­¡­..though the positioning of the trap was immaculate, I would be able to jump over this kind of mud trap in an ordinary battle¡­¡­.but we also agreed on me not going full throttle. Henry: ¡°Cyril!¡± I call out to Cyril and jump to the side to avoid the muddy hole. ¡­¡­.and Cyril followed suit and moved with me. She is making sure that I am standing directly between her and Mr. Derrick. This makes it easier for the vanguard to protect the rearguard, and working as a pair, this is a standard formation. Cyril: (Henry, I¡¯ll fire one Spell to distract him¡­¡­!) Henry: (Okay!) As I dashed forward once again, I got a message from Cyril who was singing behind me. 3, 2, 1¡­ Cyril counted down as it echoed inside my head. Cyril: ¡°{Fire Arrow}!¡± Henry: ¡°Hmph.¡± As she cast the Spell, I tilted my head slightly to let Cyril¡¯s arrow fly past me. Derrick: ¡°Wh©` Hey, hey!!¡± Mr. Derrick panics as he hurriedly dodges the incoming arrow. It¡¯s not an incredibly sharp attack, but the telepathic communication between Cyril and I cannot be picked up by others. It actually cuts down time by a few seconds quicker than voice communication, and it may not be a flashy ability, but it¡¯s quite useful. Derrick: ¡°[Weaken] {Uz} + [Weaken] {Uz} + [Accelerate] {Accela} + [Accelerate] {Accela} + [Light] {Luche} + [Snipe] {Sagi}.....¡± Henry: ¡°Hah!¡¯ Mr. Derrick was eyeing Cyril and was constructing quite an impressive Spell, but I threw my spear at him. He was forced to dodge and his incomplete Spell construction failed. At this range, I¡¯m not limited to just blocking the incoming Spells, but I can disrupt the casting of them too. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Restrain] {Katerno} + [Launch] {Veloz}!¡± Derrick: ¡°[Accelerate] {Accela}.........UGH?! What¡¯s with that Spell construction speed!!¡± To prevent him from building another Spell, I cast a quick Spell as I called my spear back to my hand. Mr. Derrick accelerates his body to dodge it, but I¡¯m sure that he was hoping to make a combination Spell. But while Mr. Derrick is constructing one Spell, I am able to put 3 together. Though Mr. Derrick¡¯s skills in Magecraft is way above mine, if I use my Spell construction speed to my advantage, I can put up a fight for a little while. And now, my spear will almost reach him. Mr. Derrick places a hand on his sword as he prepares for close-range combat. Mr. Derrick¡¯s sword style does not trigger Spells with key words, but by swinging his sword in certain motions to make the Kroseid Magecraft Sword Style. ¡­¡­.though I may be better with a weapon, if I¡¯m not careful, I¡¯m going to have a Magecraft Spell blasted in my face, so I can¡¯t let my guard down. ¡­¡­..using the length of my spear to its fullest advantage, I am weary of Mr. Derrick Spell as I keep him pinned down in one spot. We would be able to take him down with Cyril¡¯s second Spell¡­¡­..that would be the safest, surest route to victory. As I thought about our next steps, my spear was finally going to reach him when©`©` Henry: ¡°Cyril!¡± Before I could©`©` I sensed something and immediately halted and turned around towards Cyril. Cyril: ¡°?! Okay!!¡± Though she was confused at first, in a moment, she realized what I was thinking and turned around. Yes, the course instructor, Ms. Elenoir had stepped inside the Practice Field. Holding her staff in front of her, it glowed with her Magic, and it was pointed directly at Cyril. Henry: ¡°.......I won¡¯t let you!¡± Cyril immediately jumped to the side, and I threw my spear as she did so. Holding back? I completely forgot to do so. The Nyoiten Spear split into 3 clones, and struck the ground near her feet and both her sides. ¡­¡­..normally, this should be enough to take down someone. Even if it was an especially tough enemy, Cyril could blast it with her Spell to finish it off. ©`©`and now Ms. Elenoir who suddenly entered the fray was now out of the picture. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac}¡± Continuing our assault, I strengthened my legs, and jumped far away to dodge Mr. Derrick¡¯s attack from behind. ¡­¡­..and since they didn¡¯t hold back to do a sneak attack, I found no reason to hold back either. With the spear I drew back, I struck Mr. Derrick¡¯s sword out of his hand and pointed the end at him. <<<<>>>> Cyril: ¡°Ms. Elenoir, that was unfair!¡± After our practice fight, at the sudden arrival of an assassin from outside the playing field, Cyril protested furiously. And Ms. Elenoir, not showing an ounce of remorse, opened her mouth to speak. Elenoir: ¡°I¡¯m very sorry. But this was necessary. In an actual battle, the enemy will not be limited to just the one in front of you. If you only focus on the enemies you can see, you will suffer sudden attacks from nowhere¡­¡­..was the lesson to learn, and that¡¯s why we attempted our sneak assault.¡± ¡­¡­¡­..well, I completely understand, but isn¡¯t this going a little too far from the very beginning? Derrick: ¡°Elenoir, I told you that this isn¡¯t a good teaching lesson. This is why your reputation among students is so poor.¡± Mr. Derrick seems to be aware of Ms. Elenoir¡¯s tendencies and warns her. Elenoir: ¡°Well, even if you say so, I cannot stop from doing this lesson. ¡­¡­.I never want any student of mine to make the same mistake and suffer as I did.¡± Ms. Elenoir rolled up her sleeves as she spoke to reveal¡­¡­.a painful looking scar below. Even Cyril, who was still puffing her cheeks in anger, and the two other classmates who thought the lesson went too far inhaled sharply at the sight. I see now. Because she got hurt in a similar situation, even at the cost of her students resenting her, she wanted them to learn this from her. It¡¯s hard to argue with her after seeing that. Elenoir: ¡°And I always enjoy my student¡¯s expression of disbelief when I pull this off. You couldn¡¯t possibly rob me of this pleasure.¡± Wait, does she just like pulling pranks on people?! If she said nothing, we would all have been fooled!¡± ¡­¡­.is she just honest and genuine? Elenoir: ¡°But this time, I was the one to put on that expression. ¡­¡­for our knowledge and learning, Mr. Henry, how did you realize what I was doing?¡± Henry: ¡°Huh? Well, if I¡¯m paired with a rearguard, I¡¯ll be weary of anything approaching my Party member. That was all.¡± If Ferris or Teo was guarding Cyril, then I would have been dividing my attention to something else. During my days at Ligaleo, I was paired with Yuu many times¡­¡­.and she was quite reckless, so this was something I learned naturally. Elenoir: ¡°..........Miss Cyril, Miss Karin, and Miss Monica. There are very, very few vanguards who can perform this kind of feat, so do not use Mr. Henry as a baseline.¡± Well, yeah. As far as doing battles in pairs, I have some level of confidence in this arena. After all, I was able to protect that feisty Yuu after all these years. ¡­¡­¡­.no really. When she gets hot-headed, she would charge in head first into a pack of Upper-Tier Demonic creatures alone, so for crying out loud, Miss Saint!! Please give me a break!! Elenoir: ¡°And especially Miss Cyril. I see that you have the basics down, but you probably avoided major and minor injuries because of Mr. Henry. You must recognize this, and be more careful when paired with another vanguard.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, I will be more careful of course. ¡­¡­..but well, I can¡¯t imagine not being with Henry ever though!¡± She said that so matter of factly, that the people around blushed at the words for her. I©`©`It especially made me hurt. Elenoir: ¡°Now then, since we already have you here, I would like for you to work with Miss Karin and Miss Monica. Would that be okay, Mr. Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°Of course.¡± She has been taking care of Cyril, and it would be a good experience for me to pair up with someone else for a change. Elenoir: ¡°Thank you very much. ¡­¡­..but please make sure to go easy on them. Miss Karin and Miss Monica both significantly lack combat experience, so they would not be able to perform such high coordination and techniques. Mr. Derrick, is that okay with you?¡± Derrick: ¡°Yeah.¡± Mr. Derrick nodded at her words. Well, I guess I can ask her after our training but©`©` Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t mind either but¡­¡­.you aren¡¯t going to barge in again are you?¡± Elenoir: ¡°Hehehe, my, my. To pull such a trick multiple times a day? Well now.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.she did not deny it flat out. Henry: ¡°Then if it happens again, I may have to hit you with my spear next time.¡± Elenoir: ¡°Please don¡¯t! That would kill me! I won¡¯t! I won¡¯t do it.¡± That reaction¡­..she was planning on it. But yeah, I was joking too. ¡­¡­..but I would have at least cast [Restrain] {Katerno} on my spear and tied her up in a magical chain. Yup, things were rather peaceful. Derrick: ¡°Henry, let¡¯s go ahead and plan out the structure and flow of the battle beforehand. I¡¯m sure that the two would have difficulty adapting to new or sudden circumstances, so this would make it easier to test their abilities.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, I agree. Let¡¯s do that.¡± And I speak with Mr. Derrick for a few minutes. ¡­¡­.that day, we did about 10 practice matches, and I swung my spear for the All Magic Class. CH 146 Ch. 146: Studying with Emily The shadows grew long during the evening. I was carrying heavily packed shopping bags and walked alongside Cyril. Today, there was a special sale at our favorite nearby supermarket. We bought mainly goods that would not perish easily and picking up this and that, a normal person would not have been able to walk 10 meters (¡«30 yards) carrying this many things. Cyril: ¡°There were so many things on sale today!¡± Henry: ¡°.....I know, but¡­..even then, we bought way too much.¡± Cyril: ¡°We are living in a house with a large refrigerator. We should do our best to make the most use of it. Besides, Henry, you¡¯re a warrior that eats many times more than a regular person.¡± Well, yeah. Since most of this food is going to eventually end up in my stomach, I really don¡¯t have a place to complain¡­¡­but I¡¯m not that much of a bottomless eater. Cyril: ¡°¡«? ¡«?¡± Cyril hummed as we walked. Hearing her singing, my urge to complain evaporated. We followed the wave of people heading in the same direction and arrived at our house¡­¡­.and©`©` ¡°Good evening, you two.¡± And in front of our house, Emily, who was one of the students taking the same Kroseid Magecraft Course with me, was sitting near the doorway. And though things started off in a contentious mood, Emily hit it off with Cyril just fine, and after class, they usually go have tea together. Cyril: ¡°Huh? Emily? I thought we said around the 5th bell rings, but did I make you wait?¡± Emily: ¡°Ohhh, I¡¯m so sorry, Cyril. It¡¯s my first time being invited to a friend¡¯s house, so I got a little too excited and came early.¡± And apparently, they promised to meet today, and Cyril invited her to our house. Since we were out getting food and supplies, Cyril planned on meeting her at a later time¡­..but from how Emily looks, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s been waiting that long. Emily: ¡°But this is such a nice house. Isn¡¯t it expensive to rent a house like this?¡± Cyril: ¡°Well, not really. We know someone that helped us rent this place cheap. Here, I¡¯ll unlock the door right now©`©`¡± Cyril scurried up to the front door first and waved us both inside. Cyril: ¡°Welcome, welcome, Emily. Please come in.¡± Emily: ¡°Yes, thank you for inviting me in.¡± And as for me¡­¡­..with all the shopping bags I was carrying, I couldn¡¯t fit through the front door. I had to place a few bags down and bring them to the kitchen a few bags at a time. On my second trip, Cyril waved me over with a tea kettle in her hand. Cyril: ¡°Henry, I need hot water. Could you make some hot water for me? I need it to make Emily some tea.¡± Henry: ¡°[Fire] {Ignis} + [Water] {Eedle}¡± I put some hotter water into the kettle. If she places this over a fire, it would start boiling immediately. It¡¯s a little technique to shorten the amount of time to boil the water with Magecraft. Cyril: ¡°Thank you.¡± Cyril bowed politely, and took the kettle back to the kitchen oven. Emily: ¡°You don¡¯t have to serve me anything you know©`?¡± Cyril: ¡°Of course we do! You¡¯re our first guest here. Please let us welcome you with everything we can. Actually, we just will whether you like it or not.¡± Emily spoke up from the living room couch, and Cyril immediately turned down her request. Now that I think about it, she gets pretty bossy at times. Well, it¡¯s only to people she knows really well, and typically, her bossy attitude just comes off as cute. Cyril hummed a tune while she lit the stove for the kettle. She took out a special tea that we drink on our day off and to offer it to guests. Well, I can leave the rest to her. She¡¯s really good at making tea. I left Cyril to prepare the welcome for Emily, and I returned out front to retrieve the rest of the groceries. ¡­¡­..and when I finally got all five bags and put the contents away, Cyril and Emily sat around the living table and had tea. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Henry. Thank you for putting the groceries away. Please have a seat.¡± Henry: ¡°Sure¡­.¡± I sat across from Emily and on the same sofa as Cyril. After taking a seat, Cyril poured tea into my cup. ¡­¡­¡­.yes, the tea was really good. Emily: ¡°Wow¡­¡­..that tea was delicious. Could I have another cup, Cyril?¡± Cyril: ¡°Of course you can. Have as much as you want. You¡¯re helping Henry after all.¡± And I grimace slightly. ¡­¡­..yeah, I really didn¡¯t want to drag her out here at this kind of hour. Emily: ¡°Is it in 5 days? The Kroseid License Test. Mr. Henry has been studying really hard.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m trying to push myself, but when it¡¯s 1st Class material, the textbook isn¡¯t enough to help me figure out the problems¡­¡­..I really don¡¯t mean to bother you with this, but I need your help.¡± Emily: ¡°Yes, just leave it to me.¡± The Kroseid Style Test is done once a month. In other words, while we¡¯re in Sunwest, I have 3 chances to pass. But it will also take time to make the custom Spellcall Stone, so I want to pass as soon as possible. To be able to craft with materials that¡¯s only allowed for 1st Class users will also take even more time. Fortunately, my Practicum will be easy to pass, but I¡¯m struggling a lot with the written test. And that¡¯s why I asked Emily who already held her 1st Class license and was surprisingly good at teaching. Fred is smart too, but he¡¯s only 2nd Class, so he hasn¡¯t really studied 1st Class materials in depth. After we had our tea, Emily placed her cup gently and elegantly on the living room table, and digging through her bag, she began taking out writing material and a textbook. Emily: ¡°Now then, we¡¯ve enjoyed the tea long enough, so let¡¯s get started.¡± I drank the rest of my tea in one gulp, and¡­¡­.before I could move, Cyril took my cup and walked to the kitchen. She¡¯s quick with cleaning up too. Henry: ¡°Thank you, Emily. I¡¯m in your debt.¡± I also take out my studying material and bow my head politely. Even if she¡¯s younger than me, she¡¯s the one teaching me today. I need to address with respect©`©` Emily: ¡°No, no. You can address me as the beautiful and wise Miss. Emily please.¡± And she immediately kicked my legs from under me right at the starting gate. What? Y©`You really want me to address you like that? I mean, I¡¯m the one who¡¯s asked her to teach me, so if she really wants me to do that, I will¡­¡­. ¤¨¡¢¤½¡¢¤½¤ó¤ÊïL¤Ëºô¤ó¤ÇÓû¤·¤¤¤Î£¿¡¡¤¤¤ä¡¢ŸoÀí¤Ë¸¶¤­ºÏ¤ï¤»¤Æ¤¤¤ë¤Î¤À¤«¤é¡¢ÑԤäÆÓû¤·¤¤¤Ê¤éÑԤäƤ⤤¤¤¤¬¡­¡­ Henry: ¡°B©`Beautiful and wise Miss¡­.Emily?¡± Emily: ¡°Hmmmmmm¡­..¡± Oh, she¡¯s enjoying the moment¡­¡­¡­..is she happy? Really? She¡¯s not just playing with me? Emily: ¡°Yes, that was great! You just leave everything to Miss Emily! Oh, you don¡¯t have to call me that a second time. It¡¯s a little long anyways.¡± Henry: ¡°.........oh, yes¡­¡­thank you, Miss Emily©`©`¡± Now, I¡¯m the one who¡¯s wondering if everything will be okay. But I know Emily has the skills¡­¡­.so I throw away my doubts and thoughts and compliment and support her as best as I can. <<<<>>>> Cyril: ¡°Henry, Emily, dinner is ready but¡­¡­..Henry, are you okay?¡± It was only about 1 hour since Emily began helping me with my studies. I knew this would happen, but the Kroseid Style 1st Class test problems were so difficult, my brain began cramping. Emily: ¡®Yes, he¡¯s doing just fine. Henry is a fast learner, so as long as I break it down and explain it step by step, he¡¯s absorbing the information quickly.¡± Henry: ¡°.........I can but¡­..this is incredibly hard.¡± Emily: ¡°Hmmm, yeah, let¡¯s see. Maybe we just need to do some repetitive drills?¡± Emily just stated a scary suggestion without hesitation. ¡­¡­..and to be honest, even if I passed the test, there¡¯s no way that I would be able to teach someone else how to do the same. Cyril: ¡°Well, keep up the hard work. I¡¯m going to finish up the remaining dishes©`¡± And Cyril withdraws back into the kitchen. I pick up the textbook, and stare at the problem in front of me once again. Yeah, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m supposed to do here.¡± Henry: ¡°Emily, I¡¯m amazed at how easy these problems are for you¡­..¡± Emily: ¡°Oh, well. I was bed-ridden when I was little so, I kept reading the same books over and over. It included several of my grandmother¡¯s Kroseid Style textbooks, so that¡¯s how I learned.¡± ¡­¡­¡­she¡¯s brought up a pretty heavy subject very casually. Henry: ¡°Man©` that must have been a very hard life.¡± Emily: ¡°Hmm, well, maybe it was somewhat.¡± But looking at her, I can¡¯t imagine her being sick and bed-ridden. But I¡¯m letting my curiosity take hold. It might not be something she wants to talk about so I shouldn¡¯t©`©` Emily: ¡°Oh, Mr. Henry! Are you curious about my past! Hehe, even though you have someone like Cyril¡­..you womanizer!¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m not a womanizer!¡± Judging from her reaction, maybe it wasn¡¯t something I shouldn¡¯t have been so concerned about. Emily smiled as she spoke. Emily: ¡°If you¡¯re that curious, I¡¯ll tell you my story.¡± Henry: ¡°.........no, you really don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to¡­..¡± Emily: ¡°Don¡¯t want to? Why not? Besides, this is my past you¡¯re talking about! You should be incredibly curious!!¡± ¡­¡­¡­.sure. Emily: ¡°When I was, I had Self-Magic Power Incomplete Compatibility. Do you know what that is?¡± Henry: ¡°Ummm, maybe just in general, a little.¡± Just as Corrupted Magic can cause health issues if you absorb it©`©` Regular Magic Power can affect your health negatively if it¡¯s too strong. Of course, in general, people who are born with strong magic power is able to contain and control that at will, but¡­¡­..on a rare occasion, there are those who are overpowered by their own magic inside their body. That is the gist of Self-Magic Power Incomplete Compatibility. In general, most people are able to grow out of it. ¡­¡­¡­I see. So that¡¯s why Emily looks so healthy today. Emily: ¡°So I was bed-ridden while at home, and my mom and dad were busy with work, so it was my grandmother who took care of me. She would read me books, tell me stories about her heroic adventures, and taught me how to be a truly proper lady.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.ah, so Emily was brain-washed about how to incorrectly be a lady from a very early age. Emily: ¡°Oh, I almost forgot. They told me that I would feel much better if I can exert Magic Power outside of my body, so she would take me outside to practice Magecraft.¡± Wait one second. Henry: ¡°.........Emily, when did you start using Magecraft Spells?¡± Emily: ¡°At the innocent age of 3! My grandmother helped me control it at first.¡± That¡¯s incredibly dangerous! To allow a child with large amounts of Magic Power to use Magecraft¡­¡­if you didn¡¯t have someone who was a living Magecraft Legend there to support her, she would have exploded from the attempt. Henry: ¡°But looking at you now, it¡¯s hard to believe that you were bed-ridden growing up.¡± Emily: ¡°I only got to get out of bed when I practiced Magecraft. So everyday, it was about 3 to 4 hours.¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡­..quite the training regimen there.¡± Well, is it training? The goal is to exert Magic Power outside your body so¡­¡­..but I can tell that her training has established her Magecraft foundation very well. Emily: ¡°And well, that¡¯s why I started to want to become an adventurer and¡­¡­.around 13 or 14, my body was feeling much better, and I started the real training. And that brings us to the present day.¡± Henry: ¡°Uh huh¡­¡­..¡± Well now. That¡¯s¡­¡­how to put it. Even with her grandmother around, I¡¯m sure that life was not easy for her, but Emily spoke with a bright and cheerful expression the whole time. ¡­¡­¡­but maybe I was overly concerned over nothing. She has a¡­..really strong heart¡­¡­.or rather, just really thick skin. Cyril: ¡°Henry, could you help carry out the dishes?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, be right there. Hold on.¡± I stood up and headed towards the kitchen. And after a while, we had one more seat arranged at the dining room table and©`©` Emily: ¡°Wow, Cyril. You¡¯re really good at cooking!¡± Cyril: ¡°Yup!¡± Since we had guests, Cyril worked really hard to make more dishes than usual, so dinner looked very elaborate. And Cyril¡¯s pride only escalated with Emily¡¯s compliments. Cyril: ¡°Emily, this pork fritter came out really well. Please try some.¡± Emily: ¡°Yum¡« it¡¯s so delicious¡­¡­.but I need be careful or else I¡¯ll gain some weight.¡± But in response to Emily¡¯s womanly words, light faded from Cyril¡¯s eyes. Cyril: ¡°It¡¯s fine. As long as you¡¯re training hard, you won¡¯t gain any weight. Rather, if you don¡¯t eat a lot, you¡¯ll turn to just skin and bones. ¡­¡­.Henry, Henry, isn¡¯t that right?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± I nod strongly in agreement. We trained Cyril¡¯s physical body to be on par with an average adventurer¡­¡­or well, at least be strong enough to defeat a wild bear in single combat, and of course, to do so, eating your meals was important. It wasn¡¯t as much as me, but Cyril can eat as much as a fully grown man. Well, she hasn¡¯t developed any muscles, but I think that¡¯s just how her body is. ¡­¡­.but she¡¯s gained a lot of stamina, and that was the result of our effort. Cyril: ¡°.........Mr. Henry, what kind of training did you put Cyril through?¡± Henry: ¡°Huh? It was just regular training. A regular regimen. In fact, it was a little lighter than regular.¡± That¡¯s if you look at the standard regimen required to survive in Ligaleo. Emily: ¡°........Henry, I think Cyril has gone through much more than I have. Look at her eyes. They¡¯re completely dead.¡± Well, at the time, Cyril was pretty weak overall, so I¡¯m sure the training just felt that much harder but¡­¡­the regimen was perfectly normal. But I did feel a little bad seeing how much trauma it caused her. ¡­¡­¡­.and our meal progressed very peacefully. It really did. And until the day of the test, Emily came over every night till pretty late to help me study. ©`©`and just barely, just very barely, I was able to uphold my teacher¡¯s reputation by passing. But, I forgot everything I learned as soon as I passed the test. CH 147 Ch. 147: Jend and the Rest Around the Same Time Among the country of Alvenia, the Four Corner Cities are the most developed. Among the four cities, the city east of the Capital is called Eastflair - the city of might and blood. And though large and small Dojo¡¯s are scattered across the city, the [Blazing Flame Arts] is known for being one of the strongest Dojos. In this Single Blade of the Fire God Dojo, Jend applied as a short-term student, and currently, he swung his sword again and again without hesitation or thought at the edge of the outer yard. Jend: ¡°Fuh! Fuh! Fuh!¡± With each swing, he concentrated every nerve in his body to completely control the movement. ¡°Jend, keep your arms more compact. Your swing back up is slow. It means you are too tense in the shoulders.¡± Sparring with another student besides Jend, the Head of the Blazing Flame Arts Dojo pointed out his observations casually. Jend: ¡°Yes!¡± Answering the criticism, Jend corrected his posture and continued to swing. ¡­¡­¡­.it has been one month since he became a student of the Dojo. Jend has spent all his time here doing practice swings alone. When he first entered the Dojo, Gara told him up front, ¡°You have good skills for your age, but you¡¯re not used to the sword. For now, go over there and keep swinging your sword for a month or two.¡± Jend has his doubts about Gara¡¯s methods at first, but¡­¡­.he no longer thought so. Since doing this for a month, his strike has become faster. Since doing this for a month, his strike has become more powerful. ©`©`and above all else, since doing this for a month, now his consciousness seeped and reached into every part of his sword. The weighted, wooden practice sword cuts through the air. Jend: (.......that was a bad swing.) He brought the sword up and down again. The next swing cut the air sharper as he heard the ear slightly ring. Jend: (That was good.) He continued to whisper to himself without a sound and continued his swings. He could feel his consciousness meld together with the sword. He felt no fatigue, and Jend continued to concentrate on the sword and his swings alone when©`©` ¡°That¡¯s enough for today! Wrap it up!¡± ©`©`he was abruptly brought back to the edge of the Dojo¡¯s yard. Gara signaled the end of practice, and Jend was now aware of the things and people around him. All the Dojo¡¯s students lined up side by side. Jend hurriedly stands next to a student at the edge of the line¡­¡­.and almost feels himself lose his balance. He managed to keep himself from falling, but just barely. The fatigue he ignored all this time hit him like a boulder all at once. He breathed deeply and slowly and waited for the signal. ¡°Bow!¡± ¡° ¡° Thank you very much! ¡± ¡± With a signal from the Vice Leader of the Dojo, everyone bows their head in unison. Even within the Single Blade of the Fire God, respect to the superiors is a must. Superiors¡­¡­.meaning someone stronger than you. That¡¯s why the Head of the Dojo is determined by a savage duel. From what Jend heard, the Vice Leader and current Head of the Dojo, Gara, will duel every half year, and the Blazing Flame Arts Dojo would see a change in leadership. Jend: (¡­¡­I¡¯m surprised that things run so smoothly with leadership changing so much.) As a merchant¡¯s son, Jend couldn¡¯t imagine organizations continuously changing hands without chaos ensuing, but he kept his opinion to himself. As a temporary student at the Dojo, he would be overstepping the line to comment on how the Dojo should be run¡­¡­¡­plus it would be troublesome anyway. Jend: ¡°¡«¡«¡«!!¡± In this season, the water was still icy cold, and he poured out a bucket of it over himself to wash off the sweat. The steaming sweat was instantly cooled, and he felt comfortable fatigue wash over him at the same time. Though he could just laze around and do nothing for a while, Jend let out a slow breath, and headed slowly towards the dressing room. He had a friendly chat with another Dojo student that was close to his age, quickly got dressed, and finally felt the relief of reaching the end of the day. ¡°Alright, Jend. See you tomorrow.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, see you tomorrow.¡± The Blazing Flame Arts Dojo was located south of town, but he headed even further south. As he walked alongside the border walls, the area where Demonic Creatures could still climb over and attack so the rent was that much cheaper, he saw a familiar shadow. Jend: ¡°Hey, Teo. Are you on your way back too?¡± Teo: ¡°Oh, Mr. Jend. Good evening. Yes, our Dojo session was over a little while ago. Today, they taught me an interesting moving method.¡± Teo was going to the Speed Construction Society. It is a Dojo that is focused on all martial arts forms found in Rishu. Her Cloudy Plains Style is unique to her family tradition, so no one else was an expert of her particular style, but other styles mirrored and overlapped with hers, and the Dojo suited her well. Here, her genius talents and senses shined as she incorporated skills of other styles into her own, and her style began to morph dramatically. Jend: ¡°Hey, Teo. Weren¡¯t you a little concerned about how much Miss Ageha was changing the Cloud Plains Style? Are you okay with modifying your fighting style so much? I thought it was developed from a long line of traditions.¡± Teo: ¡°? Concerned? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I just thought how amazing Sister Ageha was. That¡¯s about it.¡± Jend: ¡°I©`I see. It was my misunderstanding then.¡± Jend still remembers about the Adventurer who is infatuated with cutting Demonic Creatures¡¯ heads off. Even only meeting her a handful of times, she has made an unforgettable impression. He does admire her title as a Hero of Legend, but he had a hard time understanding the allure of only beheading things¡­¡­¡­and tilted his head as he tried to see the point. <<<<>>>> Ferris: ¡°Hey, you two. Welcome back.¡± The two reached their home, and Ferris, with an apron on, greeted them as she was preparing dinner. Jend: ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re back.¡± Teo: ¡°Hi Miss Ferris.¡± Jend sniffed the air, and smelled the scent of cooking meat. ¡­¡­..the strong garlic scent also filled the air up to the front door. It was an odor that demanded that you focus on regaining your energy before making any complaints. Jend: ¡°Sorry to make you cook meals for us every day.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, thank you so much.¡± Ferris: ¡°Haha, don¡¯t you worry about it. My Dojo starts early, but also ends earlier because of that too.¡± Ferris goes to a place called the ¡°Sword of the Loving Mother.¡± It is actually not a Dojo, but rather, a group within the only Ningel¡¯s Church in town. It refers to the division that teaches combat to those who can use the Ningel¡¯s Hand Magecraft. ©`©`after cutting down a Demonic Creature, they run across the battlefield to heal the injured. Known as the Assault Healer, the division aspires to train more. Because they are so rare and valuable, the instructors were more skilled than a low-ranked Heroic Warrior or a Knight. Ferris: ¡°Besides, you guys help me with the cleaning and laundry.¡± Of course, Jend took care of the cleaning while Teo did the laundry. Even if they are dating, Ferris was not comfortable with letting Jend handle her underwear. For Teo, ¡°it doesn¡¯t matter either way to me¡± and could care less about the situation. Jend: ¡°Haha, alright. Shall we eat?¡± Ferris: ¡°Yeah, but make sure you wash your hands first.¡± Jend acknowledges Ferris¡¯ request, and heads to the washing area with Teo. ¡­¡­¡­.looking back, Jend realizes how much they got used to this arrangement. They were originally planning on staying at a inn, and they saved enough money for it¡­¡­..but paying for Mr. Gordon¡¯s fees, someone who became a Hero of Legend with his blacksmith skills alone, critically crippled Jend¡¯s savings which was much larger than any of his peers. Ferris, who just paid off her debt, and Teo, also lacked funds after that. They sent Henry and Cyril off, and thought hard about where they would live. ¡­¡­¡­in the end, they realized that splitting rent and living together would be the cheapest option, and they found a house to rent together. Well, living together would help them develop their teamwork, so that wasn¡¯t a bad decision. ¡­¡­.it wasn¡¯t, and with your teammates around, it was hard to slip into a lazy lifestyle. They washed their hands, and the food meant for 7-8 people on the dining table was immediately consumed by the three. They drank tea at the end of dinner, and Jend opened up a topic of discussion. Teo: ¡°That reminds me, wasn¡¯t there a letter from Miss Cyril?¡± Ferris: ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s right there. I¡¯ve already read it, so you can go ahead.¡± Ferris pointed to a letter on a shelf in the living room. Teo picked it up, and began quickly scanning through the contents. The Four Corner Cities and the Capital are all connected through teleport gates. Though it¡¯s expensive to send people through the portal, letters can be sent relatively cheaply. Because of that, they have been sending letters to each other every 1 to 2 weeks. It¡¯s important to keep up with the Party, and it¡¯s also very encouraging to hear from one another. Teo: ¡°.......looks like Miss Cyril and Mr. Henry are doing very well.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, looks like it.¡± Jend took the letter after Teo was done and quickly read it as well. Jend: ¡°.........Henry passed the Kroseid Style 1st Class test, huh¡­..¡± Jend mumbled with a little jealousy mixed in. In the winter, he tried to learn Magecraft, and he was able to pass the 6th Class¡­¡­but in the end, he was not able to learn any Spells that would help him in combat. Gordon modified his godly equipment, and being able to use the Soaring Flame Strike now, he had a means of attacking long range and didn¡¯t see any reason to try and learn more Spells. But with a cheap Spellcall Stone, he was now able to use [Water] {Eedle}. Being able to create water during an expedition is a huge advantage, so Jend told himself that it was not all for nothing. And as they talked about their friends training as hard as they were¡­¡­.Ferris suddenly smirked as a curious thought crossed her mind. Ferris: ¡°Hey Jend. Do you think there has been some progress between the two?¡± Jend: ¡°Hmmmm, I¡¯m not sure¡­..¡± Henry and Cyril were living under the same roof as they were. But Teo was with them, so Jend and Ferris weren¡¯t tempted to become too intimate¡­¡­but over there, it¡¯s just the two of them with no one else around. But on the other hand, Cyril was incredibly shy in that aspect, and even with some experience under his belt, Henry wasn¡¯t a guy who pushed hard in that area. Jend thought about it carefully for a while and©`©` Jend: ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s about 50/50.¡± He couldn¡¯t make up his mind either way and sipped his tea. Jend: ¡°Oh, really? I would give it about a 70% chance. What about you, Teo?¡± Teo: ¡°Both of you are expecting way too much. I think a 20% chance would be even high between those two.¡± And the three of them gossiped freely without the two around. But whichever way it goes, Jend had been teased ceaselessly by Henry, so this would be a good chance to get him back the next time they see each other. Jend made himself a promise quietly and then glanced at the clock. Jend: ¡°Oh, I better get going.¡± Ferris: ¡°Oh, yes. Sorry to keep you. Have fun.¡± Jend: ¡°Yup! I need to get ready!¡± Jend picks up his sword and excitedly packs his things. Teo: ¡°........I¡¯m surprised how you¡¯re not bored doing this every single day. Are doing the matches that fun?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, I mean, they¡¯re hosting this locally. There¡¯s no way I would miss out.¡± Eastflair is a city of might. In each area of town, there are places where battle-hungry idiots gather together at night. They would sharpen each others¡¯ skills, gamble and earn some winnings, and overall, just have fun every single day. There are even times when regions challenge each other in a tournament. Though Jend has been doing his training with practice swings, he still wanted to get a taste of live combat. For someone like Jend, he was grateful for opportunities like these. Teo: ¡°(sigh).....Miss Ferris. Why don¡¯t we head to the bath then?¡± Ferris: ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s.¡± Jend¡¯s rental house has no bathtub. Though they could get by with wiping off their sweat with a hot towel, sinking neck deep in hot water does wonders in removing fatigue. The public baths were only a 5 minute walk so the two have been using those facilities every single day. Of course, Jend would swing by the public bath after meddling around with his fighting buddies. Jend: ¡°Alright, I¡¯m off.¡± Jend steps outside. Jend: (Now then¡­¡­what kind of opponent will I fight against today?) <<<<>>>> Jend: ¡°Fwewww¡«¡«¡«¡± He fought 3 matches, and finished his bath at the public bath house. Jend looked up at the night sky as he walked. It was a cloudless night, and the stars shone brightly. The view made his blood pump with excitement. Jend: ¡°I¡¯ll have to work even harder tomorrow.¡± He mumbled to himself quietly. And with a ravenous smirk on his face, Jend smiled confidently. CH 148 Ch. 148: A Sudden Reunion At the practice field of the Mages Tower. Another sparring session with Fred, something that is now just a daily routine, comes into focus. Fred: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac}+ [Wind] {Gale}!¡± I was still one step away from being able to reach Fred with my spear when Fred cast a Spell. It was a gale strong enough to blow away a mid-sized Demonic Creature. Should I go with the wind and increase the distance between us? Or should I stay put and resist? It would be safer to put some distance between us, but that is exactly what Fred is aiming for. I strike the ground with my Nyoiten Spear to stand my ground, and force my body to remain where it is. Fred: ¡°?! Then how about this!¡± Seeing that I did the opposite of what he expected, Fred charged forward. Because I forced myself against the wind, it took a few moments before I could regain my balance. At this rate, Fred is going to slide a good shot into me. Henry: ¡°......[Light Ledge] {Plateau}¡± As Fred stepped forward, I cast [Light Ledge] {Plateau}. He was meaning to step onto the ground, but he stepped onto a platform made of light appeared 10 cm (¡«4 in) above ground instead¡­¡­and of course, with the unexpected obstacle suddenly appearing, proceeded to lose his balance. Henry: ¡°There, and it¡¯s over.¡± By the time Fred looked up, I had my spear pointed right at him. We stared at one another for several moments longer and then Fred lifted his hand in surrender. Fred: ¡°.......I give up.¡± Henry: ¡°Good match.¡± We both relax as the match ends. Henry: ¡°Fred, what were you planning to do if I jumped backwards with the wind?¡± Fred: ¡°Well, I wanted to try out that spear throw you showed me with [Strengthen] {Hazac}.¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s quite a gamble.¡± Yes, I did teach him how to spear throw, but Fred¡¯s spear does not have the really useful [Return] ability that¡¯s part of my godly equipment. It¡¯s true that a spear throw would be better than an ad-hoc spell, but it¡¯s a little short-sighted. Fred: ¡°No, it won¡¯t just be one spear. I was going to throw the stone spears laying on the ground.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©`©`I see¡­..¡± I thought it was strange that he kept using [Stone] {Lapis} with [Spear] {Lancer} and [Launch] {Veros} to keep me back, but he was laying a foundation for this moment¡­¡­..a stone foundation (of spears) for that matter! ¡­¡­¡­..(cough). Pardon me. Well ,in actuality, being able to create weapons if you don¡¯t have enough on hand is a very useful tactic. My Nyoiten Spear¡¯s ability may seem bland, but the [Return] ability completely negates this need for me, but I never thought about supplementing what I lack by creating Magecraft tools. Fred: ¡°But Mr. Henry, that last [Light Ledge] {Plateau} was quite the timing. You¡¯ve gotten really used to that Spell.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I was wondering if I could use like that or not, and kept looking for an opportunity to use it. It¡¯s a trick that would only work once, but this would be effective against Demonic Creatures with legs, right?¡± Fred: ¡°......but this rests all on the one condition that you can cast a Magecraft Spell as your opponent is stepping down onto the ground.¡± That¡¯s right. That¡¯s why I haven¡¯t been able to use it until very recently. One week ago, I finally had a Spellcall Stone with additionally [Light Ledge] {Plateau} and [Secure] {Isu} engraved with my other Spells. Though I have a longer way to go with [Secure] {Isu}, most recently, I have been able to use [Light Ledge] {Plateau} as fast as any of my other Spells. It also helped that I practiced a lot prior to this match. But yeah, I¡¯ll just have to keep working on [Secure] {Isu}. I was trying to decide on whether to choose a high tier [Launch] Spell, but this wasn¡¯t a bad choice either. ¡­¡­¡­if I was a Solo Adventurer, I would have chosen [Barrage] {Volley} rather than [Secure] {Isu}. But I had no intention of disbanding the Party with Cyril, and if it¡¯s a long-range attack, then Cyril¡¯s Spell or Teo¡¯s arrows would be more than sufficient. On the other hand, just like our fight with the Hanuman, what is most needed when we fight a strong enemy is how I can keep it at bay so Cyril can smash it down with her Spell. In that case, just having [Restrain] {Katerno} is a little lacking. Jend also struggles when it comes to weakening or constraining the enemy, and Teo is good at setting traps, but she would be hard-pressed if she had to directly interfere with an enemy¡¯s progress. We can¡¯t afford to lose Ferris at any point either. So that¡¯s why, for the team, I prioritized and chose this Spell. With [Restrain] {Katerno} + [Secure] {Isu} cast onto my spear, I would be able to hold the enemy in one place¡­¡­¡­is what I was basically aiming for. Fred: ¡°So, Mr. Henry. Around mid-fight, when we were fighting evenly, about the Spell I used.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh yeah, from that point, you were at a disadvantage. You were too obvious.¡± And as I thought about the future, we discussed any faults or failures we noticed during the fight. Typically, I would be doing most of the talking, but I like hearing Fred¡¯s point of view. And as we argued this and that about the fight, I noticed that it was rather noisy at the entrance of the Mages Tower. Henry: ¡°Hm? Is that¡­¡­..the Red Dragon Knights¡¯ Order?¡± As I turn my gaze to the Mages Tower¡¯s entrance, I see Knights with their trademark scarlet decorations on their armor. Though we see the Green Dragon Knights Order that protects the city, the Red Dragon Knights who venture outside of the cities to slay Demonic Creatures usually do not gather so much publicly. ¡­¡­..well, the Mages Tower is one of the town¡¯s most important facilities, and there are many gifted Magecraft Spellcasters always on standby. And it¡¯s not unusual for the Red Dragon Knights to come by. Sometimes, they would just be temporary reinforcements, and their recruits would train their Magecraft here, so I can think of many reasons on why they¡¯re here. But it was the first time I saw the Red Dragon Knight¡¯s Order at the Mages Tower. And there looked to be someone in incredibly fancy armor, someone of rank and status, was with them too¡­¡­. Fred: ¡°Now that I think about it, wasn¡¯t there more Knights on patrol than normal?¡± Henry: ¡°Now that you mention it, yeah, it was strange.¡± As Fred brought up what we saw this morning, we were both jogging together and passed by many Green Dragon Knights during our run. It didn¡¯t bother me then, but it was rare to see so many Knights on patrol that early in the morning. ¡­¡­¡­ Something nagged at my instincts somewhere inside of me. Henry: ¡°Oh¡ª uhh, Fred. I¡¯ll be going to the Church today instead of class this afternoon.¡± Fred: ¡°? Okay¡­..?¡± Maybe I¡¯m being paranoid, but I should drop by the Church on my way back. There might be some sort of strong Demonic Creature that appeared in this area. There¡¯s no reason for me to go personally hunt down this creature, but I would rather be sure of any risks and not leave myself in the dark. ©`©`well, even if a Highest-Tier appeared here, the skill level of the Knights who protect the Four Corner Cities and with the help of the Magecraft Spellcasters at the Mages Tower, they would be able to take it down fairly easily. I won¡¯t get to do much before it¡¯s all over. And that was all I thought about it. <<<<>>>> It was the afternoon. After eating lunch, I headed to the Grandes Church in Sunwest. I wanted to go alone, but when I explained my plan to skip the afternoon class to go to the Church¡­¡­.more people came along than I expected. Cyril: ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think we visited this city¡¯s church yet.¡± It was Cyril who spoke up first. Emily: ¡°Now that I think about it, I completely forgot to do my vows even though I want to be an Adventurer. It¡¯s a good opportunity for me to go ahead and get that over with.¡± And Emily, who just came up with a reason right now, was also tagging alone. Fred: ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡­..just curious.¡± And Fred was with us too. But there was no reason for me to refuse. The Church was actually located pretty close to the Mages Tower, and we arrived shortly. Cyril: ¡°Wow©` I know it¡¯s my first time in this area, but this Church is so much bigger than the Church in Flowtier.¡± Henry: ¡°Of course. There¡¯s way more people here.¡± The building looked to be newly constructed, and it was a brand new five story tall Church. As part of the Grandes Church network, its architecture was no different than a local business, but judging from the map, the training field behind the Church is several times bigger than the one in Flowtier. ¡­¡­¡­¡­and here, the entire 2nd floor was a dedicated pub. They had food items on their menu that were better than the restaurants around, and even non-Adventurers had fond memories of this place¡­¡­..is what was written down in the Sunwest guide book. I really want to go¡« but I came to this city to train¡­¡­¡­and plus, I had no opportunities to come by here until now. ¡­¡­¡­yeah, I passed my First Class Kroseid test, and I finished getting my Spellcall Stone upgraded and finished most of my training, so maybe just to reward myself for all my hard effort, I¡¯ll get a drink before we leave. The faithful Grandes Church believers were all scattered around the tavern as they drank and bickered with one another. I just finished eating lunch, but if they let me swing my spear a bit in the practice field, I¡¯ll be hungry soon enough. And as I start making plans inside my head, I push open the Church doors. I guess it is to accommodate more people, but there are 3 altars to receive godly equipment from Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault. On my right is a Quest counter with many more rewards for Demonic Creature drops. The left-side¡­¡­oh, has a line of small stands and stores lined up. There are food and snack stands as well, and selling perishable goods to Adventurers. I even see a counter of a workshop accepting requests for on-site repairs. I heard that large Churches have stores like this inside, but this was the first time for me to actually see it. Cyril was also looking around curiously. Cyril: ¡°It¡¯s so convenient.¡± Henry: ¡°And they¡¯ll add a little to the price for it too.¡± I look at the prices displayed, and the perishables are a little more expensive than usual. I guess, it¡¯s to emphasize that you can get anything you forget easily here, but with a slight premium added to the cost. Emily: ¡°It¡¯s my first time at a Church apart from the one in my hometown, but this is how it feels¡­¡­.oh, look there! He¡¯s about to draw from the Treasure Vault!¡± Emily sees an Adventurer heading towards the altar and becomes excited. The young Adventurer notices Emily¡¯s gaze and gives her a confident thumbs up. I could read, ¡°Just watch me!¡± all over his hopeful smile. And a few minutes later, he walked away, shoulders sagging, with all Common-ranked godly equipment. Well, it¡¯s not an uncommon sight. But with Emily cheering him on with ¡°Next time!¡±, he became energetic again. ¡­¡­..it must be nice to be so young. Henry: ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to go speak to the person at the counter to see if anything showed up lately.¡± Glancing around, I didn¡¯t see anything unusual going on at the Church. If there really was something truly dangerous heading here, they haven¡¯t broadcasted the news to anyone yet. But this is when the Heroic Warrior rank comes in handy. Though the general population of Adventurers may not know, I would have a high chance of getting word about it first. It¡¯s difficult to climb up the ranks to become a Heroic Adventurer, but it also comes with its perks. ¡­¡­¡­.of course, it¡¯s not all perks. If the Church decides to designate a Quest to you, unless you have a very good reason, you can¡¯t turn it down. But as I was able to withdraw from the frontlines, the Grandes Church will not force their will upon a Heroic Adventurer. In the end, I could always quit being an Adventurer altogether, and the Church wants to avoid that situation. One of the reception counters already has two Adventurers there, so I look at¡­¡­..the¡­¡­.what? Henry: ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°.........hm?¡± I crossed gazes with one of the Adventurers who was standing at the counter. The two had hoods deeply pulled over their head, and I couldn¡¯t see their faces well¡­¡­..but I knew that voice, and seeing the two with their height and size brought back some nostalgic memories. The other Adventurer noticed their partner¡¯s gaze towards me and¡­¡­. and with incredible speed, closed the distance between us. ¡°Hah!¡± (*exhale) Henry: ¡°.....!! ORA!!¡± My body moved before I could think. I deflected the hand aimed at my throat and kicked at my opponent. They quickly dodged my leg and braced for another round of exchanging blows when©`©` ¡°..........stop that.¡± Her partner stepped in to pause the fight quietly©`©`but with a swing of her staff that would have been impossible for an average Vanguard. ¡°Yuu, why did you stop us? I could¡¯ve gotten hurt if that hit.¡± Yuu: ¡°Then get smacked. ¡­¡­(cough) I mean, then maybe it would be better if it did?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you try!¡± The Adventurer turned her attention away from me to her partner©`©`well, it¡¯s the idiot, Ageha, and I knocked my fist against the back of her head. Maybe it was because I attacked her from behind, but it hit this time. Ageha: ¡°Ow! Hey, not fair ganging up on me like that! Cheaters!¡± Henry: ¡°.......who you callin¡¯ a cheat¡­.¡± But I guess this was in a sense ganging up on her? As I look at them baffled, they raise their hoods up slightly, and Ageha and Yuu both smile back at me. Yuu: ¡°Hello, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°..........hey, what¡¯s up.¡± It¡¯s¡­¡­.it¡¯s such an overly perfect smile on Yuu¡¯s face, and my senses are tingling as I greet them both. Cyril: ¡°Huh¡«? Miss Yuu? Miss Ageha?¡± Yuu: ¡°Miss Cyril, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, yes. It has been a while©`¡± Cyril smiles casually back at them but¡­¡­¡­why would two Heroes of Legend who should be fighting on the frontlines be in a town like this? I feel the wheels turn faster and faster. And a bad feeling began churning quickly out of control. CH 149 Ch.149: Pressing Danger We are at the Grandes Church located in Sunwest. Once we finished greeting each other, I waited for Yuu and Ageha, two people who should not be hanging around here, to break the ice. ¡­¡­¡­.they had their hoods covering their faces and expressions, so it was hard to tell, but I betted that it was because of something troublesome. Emily: ¡°Mr. Henry, what¡¯s the matter getting into a fight all of a sudden? Do you know those people over there?¡± And Emily suddenly asked me a question as I fell silent. ¡­¡­..yeah, greetings like this that are common in Ligaleo would just look like a bar fight to anyone not used to the scene. Henry: ¡°Yeah, I know them. And that wasn¡¯t a fight. It was a type of greeting.¡± Emily: ¡°Oh, I see! So that¡¯s how Adventurers help keep each other¡¯s skills sharp and refined!¡± Train¡­¡­.train? Well, I guess it could be considered something¡­..like that? We do start off the greeting with something like, ¡°Hey man, you haven¡¯t been relaxing on your training and getting weaker on me, have ya?¡± which is pretty much left unsaid most of the time. Yuu: ¡°Oh, Henry. Look at you with all your cute girlfriends. Even though you had no luck in Ligaleo, I guess you¡¯ve began to spread your wings after you left.¡± Henry: ¡°You know it¡¯s not that, so cut it out.¡± Yuu was laughing while she commented. And she knows better than anyone that I wouldn¡¯t be able to pull off anything like that. Fred: ¡°Oh¡­¡­.um. Mr. Henry. If these are your acquaintances, Emily and I can excuse ourselves.¡± Henry: ¡°No, that¡¯s alright¡­¡­.oh, that¡¯s right. Yuu, Ageha. This is Alfred. He¡¯s Owen¡¯s younger brother apparently.¡± The two of them have worked with the Black Dragon Knights Order many times, so they know Owen pretty well. Ageha: ¡°Ohh©` so you¡¯re related to that weird, rebel-looking guy. Yeah, your face reminds me of him.¡± Fred: ¡°F©`Funny rebel¡­¡­¡± Ageha: ¡°That guy would always go after the cute girls, but he¡¯s never tried once talking to me©` ya know? Oh man, just thinking about it makes me mad.¡± There¡¯s no man in Ligaleo who would ever talk to you with those intentions. Going out with Ageha who has a habit of coming after your head while she sleeps would end up tragically if you miraculously get in the same bed as her. Your body would be ice cold by the morning. Emily: ¡°Hmmm? I can¡¯t see your faces with your hoods on, but you¡¯re Adventurers too, right? Then I¡¯m going to go make my vows to the Grandes Church, so could you all watch?¡± Emily strikes the palm of her hand as she makes the suggestion. When a new Adventurer is born, it is a common tradition throughout all Churches for every Adventurer inside the Church at the time to be a witness. There are some superstitions that the stronger the Adventurers there are watching you become one, it increases the chances of your success. Because of that, they would travel to the Churches located closest to the frontlines to make their vows. ¡­¡­¡­..but, there¡¯s not too many who would risk their lives coming to Ligaleo. They would be risking their lives just for that vow in that case. Yuu: ¡°Yes, of course. I pray that the Grandes God will bless the birth of a new Adventurer.¡± Ageha: ¡°I¡¯m good too. We were planning on looking for Henry, but now we have some extra time.¡± The two easily accepted Emily¡¯s request¡­¡­..but Ageha¡¯s words bothered me. Look for me? ¡­¡­.why? I hope it¡¯s something as casual as ¡°Since we¡¯re in the area, let¡¯s just go see how Henry¡¯s doing.¡± I really hope that¡¯s the only reason! Cyril: ¡°?? Henry, you look like you¡¯ve been deep in thought, but did something happen?¡± Henry: ¡°Nothing¡¯s happened yet¡­..but something might be happening soon¡­..maybe¡­.¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry, you¡¯re being weird. Oh, Emily! Good luck!¡± Emily proudly walked step by step towards the Church altar, and Cyril cheers her on. Emily responded back with a peace sign without turning around. Fred: ¡°Oh, by the way. I think Henry said your names were Yuu and Ageha, but by Ageha, do you mean¡­.¡± Ageha: ¡°Oh, you know me? I guess I am quite famous after all. Yuu and old man Ezeal has constant fans chirping, but I never get that kind of attention.¡± ¡­¡­..well, she did become a Hero of Legend by doing assassinations. Her record is solid, but public opinion takes a slightly different point of view on the matter. Yuu: ¡°Hey, Ageha. I told you to keep quiet about us to avoid stirring up the public.¡± Ageha: ¡°Oh, I forgot. Should we shut him up?¡± Ageha tightens her fist into a ball. ¡­¡­.don¡¯t silence him by physical force. I¡¯ll have to step in if she does. Yuu: ¡°Cut that out. You don¡¯t need to go that far. Um, Mr. Alfred? Would you be kind enough to keep quiet about Ageha and myself?¡± Fred: ¡°Y©`Yes. ¡­¡­ummmm, if you¡¯re Miss Yuu, then are you that¡­?¡± Yuu: ¡°Well, yes. It¡¯s probably just as you imagined.¡± Yuu placed one finger against her lips, and gestured to Fred to stay quiet. ¡­¡­..well, Yuu¡¯s fame as the Hero of Legend, the Saint of Salvation, is widely known across the continent. Even if we are using her nickname, if she¡¯s with Ageha, I¡¯m sure Fred caught on very quickly. Fred: ¡°Um, so¡­ I¡¯m a huge fan. Whenever I see your photograph on the Adventurers¡¯ News, I have cut out every single one to store in a notebook.¡± Yuu: ¡°I©`Is that so? Th©`Thank you¡­..¡± Fred: ¡°If you like, could I invite you to dinner some time?¡± Fred, are you actually hitting on her? I mean, saying that you collect photographs of the girl right in front of her would usually creep her out, no? Well, he is being a gentleman about the way he¡¯s approaching her. Yuu is also trying to decide how to politely decline. If he was more forceful, her godly equipment, the [Star of Destruction] would make an appearance, but it looks like I won¡¯t have to worry about that. And Ageha suddenly appeared right in front of him. Ageha: ¡°Alright then©` if you do well with what we have to take care of later, I¡¯ll allow it.¡± Yuu: ¡°H©`Hey, what are you saying? Besides, why would I need your permission in the first place?¡± ¡­¡­..[what we have to take care of later], huh. Ugh©`©` I don¡¯t want to know©` but they¡¯re going to tell me regardless. Cyril: ¡°Everyone, Emily is about to make her vows. Please be quiet.¡± ¡° ¡° ¡­¡­¡­.yes ¡± ¡± Cyril scolded everyone, and we answered in unison. Well, it is a once in a life experience. We need to respect that and watch in silence. ¡­¡­.and the other Adventurers must have felt the same way too. Emily stood at the altar and bent down onto her knees into a praying position. All the Adventurers fall quiet at the sight and watch as they watch the birth of a new comrade. Emily speaks the words of the vow, and the Sister at the altar blesses her. Slowly, a soft light begins overflowing from the altar, and the doors of Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault open with a slight creaking sound. Her very first gift ©` a Common Weapon comes out of the vault and lands on the altar. The Sister picks it up and¡­¡­wait, what?! ¡°........here, fellow believer, Emily. This is the weapon that has been bestowed upon you.¡± Emily: ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Emily took the weapon and swung it once to test how it felt. ¡­¡­.. Emily¡¯s [whip] sharply cut through the air. Henry: ¡°She used a whip as a main weapon¡­..?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh©` I remember her mentioning it briefly. Her grandmother apparently taught her to help protect herself.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.and the former Hero of Legend strikes again. What was she thinking raising Emily that way¡­¡­..no, seriously¡­. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°.......so, why are you guys in Sunwest?¡± After Emily¡¯s ceremony©`©` To celebrate her becoming an Adventurer, we all went to the second floor tavern to celebrate. But Yuu and Ageha looked too suspicious, so Cyril, Emily, and Fred sat at a separate table, and I was having a private meeting with the two. Yuu: ¡°Pardon me, Henry. Before that.¡± A hollow sound akin to a chess piece is placed on the table. It¡¯s the Magecraft Artifact, [Anti-Sound Barrier]. It¡¯s similar to Teo¡¯s Artifact that helps mitigate the sound of her voice or feet [Sound Killer] but a barrier version. It will erase the surrounding sounds for a few meters around. We can¡¯t make this meeting completely hidden from view¡­¡­but it¡¯s more than enough to keep the conversation private. Yuu: ¡°The official notice will come from the Grandes Church of Sunwest and the committee, so until then, please keep this information to yourself.¡± Henry: ¡°I have no intention of going around and gossiping about confidential information.¡± Keeping a tight mouth is also one of the abilities needed to be an Adventurer. No matter how strong you are, if you are unable to do so, you can¡¯t become a Heroic Warrior. ¡­¡­¡­well, in other words, I just need to take this seriously. Henry: ¡°But give me a moment to prepare myself. I know it¡¯s something bad. But if you give me some time to mentally prepare, the impact will be©`©`¡± Yuu: ¡°A Demonic General has broken through Ligaleo.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..are you serious? I would have rather heard about several Highest-Tiers appearing all over this area. That would have been much easier to handle. Without thinking, I cradle my head at the news. Henry: ¡°......that¡¯s why I told you to let me prepare for the news first. What are we going to do?¡± Yuu: ¡°What are we going to do? We will have to face the threat. That is all. But we don¡¯t know where the General is heading. The General has ignored Southgaia, so that only leaves the Alvenia Kingdom and the critical defense points.¡± That would be the Capital and the Four Corner Cities. And the agricultural states in the north. Of course, there are other locations that would be troublesome to lose, but if the General is prepared to [Deplete] with this invasion, he would probably attack these main areas. Yuu: ¡°That¡¯s why Ageha and I were sent to Sunwest to assist with beating back the Demonic General. Sir Ezeal is covering the Capital with the Black Dragon Knights Order. Eastflair is guarded by Ms. Charlotte, who was coincidentally there for a live show, and she will be supported by her main fans.¡± Her main fans¡­¡­.ohhhh, the upper tiers of Heroic Warriors ©` those guys. Henry: ¡°And the north?¡± Yuu: ¡°The Demonic General, Gizehride, is currently wounded. We believe he would [Deplete] before reaching the north ©`©` hence, we are ignoring that option.¡± Wounded¡­..which means¡­. Henry: ¡°.........I¡¯m assuming that the wounds aren¡¯t from a suicidal charge then¡­¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes. Sir Ezeal and another Hero of Legend tag teamed, critically wounded the General, and cornered him¡­¡­.but unfortunately, he decided to punch through the thinnest point of our defenses and fled towards the Alvenia Kingdom.¡± Rather, even though he was wounded, he still managed to escape from the two? He¡¯s that strong? I want to grab Cyril and make a run for it, but¡­.. Ageha: ¡°Yup, so that¡¯s the story.¡± Ageha had been sipping her juice that she ordered quietly and brought out a single piece of paper with a contract written on it. She unraveled the scroll and¡­¡­¡­yup, just as I expected. Ageha: ¡°Henry, the Grandes Church has issued a request for your assistance in the matter. Well, I guess you¡¯ll just have to give up and help us!¡± Yuu: ¡°The reason why I was sent out of Ligaleo was because of our ability to Tag Team. That¡¯s how much faith they have placed in us. We can do this, Henry.¡± The victory against the Demonic General, Giverte, decided to hit me now! With Yuu¡¯s {Shimmering Rally}, I might be able to face a wounded Demonic General, but¡­¡­..UGH! I don¡¯t have a choice. I¡¯ll just have to do it. Henry: ¡°........so, when is that General arriving here?¡± Yuu: ¡°We used the Teleportation Gate to outrun him, so from the way he was fighting, it would at least be 2 days before he arrives. ¡­¡­¡­so, that¡¯s why, in order for us to prepare for the battle, let¡¯s drink to our hearts¡¯ content tonight. In fact, because of this, I finally got a day off.¡± Even though they sent a reinforcement of Healers, she¡¯s busy as always. Well, if I¡¯m going to die in the next battle, I want to relax and enjoy myself tonight too. ¡­¡­¡­¡­now that we are done talking, we can regroup with Cyril and drink as much as we can. As I thought about Cyril, I glanced towards where she sat with the others. She was cheerfully chatting and drinking with the group. Henry: ¡°........I¡¯ll just have to do this.¡± I grip the handle of the Nyoiten Spear very tightly. ©`©`at the very least, I need to fight, so that they can keep smiling. Of course, that would be embarrassing to say aloud, so I kept the vow to myself as I rose out of my seat. <<<<>>>> CREDITS Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely Written by Hisagushien Translated by: ChonkyTranslator Japanese Title: ¥»¥ß¥ê¥¿¥¤¥¢¤·¤¿Ã°ê“ÕߤϤΤó¤Ó¤êĺ¤é¤·¤¿¤¤ ×÷Õß: ¾Ã™±¾v£¨¥Ò¥µ¥°¥·¥¨¥ó£© http://kuontenrin.ehoh.net/ Original Source: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n1161ft/149/ Book 11: Preparation for the Conquest CH 150 Ch. 150: The Demon General We were on the second floor of the Sunwest Grandes Church ©` the Tavern Floor. Living up to the rumors, the drinks and food were great, and we were all having a merry time. Emily, who hadn¡¯t drank that much up until now, completely went overboard with the alcohol. Emily: ¡°This is the beginning of my heroic tales as an Adventurer! You all better be watching me with both eyes open!¡± ¡­¡­¡­is the nonsense she was spatting out as she stood up high on a chair and made the announcement. Well, everyone here is thoroughly drunk. They cheered Emily on and plenty of compliments and good luck wishes were given out. Currently, she was wearing a shorter skirt than usual, so from where we were sitting, we got some lucky glimpses and moments. ©`©`and though I was keeping a straight face the whole time, Cyril slapped me across the face. ¡­¡­¡­it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯m a man after all. Regardless©`©` The celebration of Emily¡¯s beginnings as an Adventurer began to wane. We left Emily, who was completely wasted, with Fred, and I also had to take care of one extreme drunk as we headed home. Yuu: ¡°HA HA HA©`©`! Henry, Ageha! Let¡¯s go one more round! One more place!¡± Henry: ¡°No, we¡¯re going home.¡± ¡­¡­..she let her entire weight fall on my shoulders, and Yuu, the idiot, was laughing merrily in the streets. Since we started drinking close to lunch, it¡¯s still just hitting the evening hour. People are turning around to glance at us, but as soon as they saw our Adventurer¡¯s Tag, they saw that nothing was out of the ordinary. ¡­¡­as a follower of a War God who loves his liquor, this was a common sight. Cyril: ¡°Miss Yuu, how are you feeling?¡± Yuu: ¡°Hmmm? Miss Cyril, I¡¯m fi©`©`©`ne. Wow, it¡¯s been a while since I last drank, and it was so goo©`©`d. ¡­¡­..so¡«¡« how about it? Miss Cyril, let¡¯s go one more round.¡± UGH!! I need to hurry up and throw her in the inn. Henry: ¡°Ageha, where are you two staying?¡± Though she sees me struggle with Yuu, she hasn¡¯t paid any attention to us. She hummed a soft tune as she walked with the group. Ageha: ¡°We just got here, so we haven¡¯t reserved an inn. We¡¯ll just go where you¡¯re staying. You think they have rooms open?¡± ¡­¡­..oh, that¡¯s right. They wouldn¡¯t know that Cyril and I are renting a house. It didn¡¯t come up even as we were drinking. I was trying to think of how we would dodge the question, when Cyril brightened up at Ageha¡¯s words. Cyril: ¡°Then why don¡¯t we invite them to our house? Miss Yuu, we don¡¯t have to go to another place. You can just drink at our house. How about it? We still have Henry¡¯s liquor, and I can make you some side dishes.¡± Oh, crap. Yuu: ¡°House¡­¡­..? Miss Cyril, you¡¯re not living in an inn but in a rental home?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes. It¡¯s just the two of us there.¡± Yuu: ¡°WHAT?!¡± What happened to her Saint mask she¡¯s so careful about? Yuu turns quickly towards where I¡¯m standing. She stares intensely into my face for a few seconds and looks at Cyril again. She turns around once more to look at me and¡­¡­¡­(*smirk¡«¡«) she smiles. Well, she¡¯s still wearing her hood, so I couldn¡¯t clearly see her face, but I know for a fact that she just did. Yuu: ¡°Ohhhhh, uh huh¡­..hmmmmm? Well now. That is quite the news right there. Oh my, Henry, now fess up! How far did you go with Cyril!!¡± Can I just leave this drunkard in the streets somewhere?! Henry: ¡°.........Ageha, could you help Yuu walk home instead?¡± Ageha: ¡°No way. How could you ask a fragile flower of a lady as myself? I am a woman you know, and it would be too much for me to try and carry a person alone.¡± Yeah, that¡¯s complete bs. She¡¯s a Hero of Legend for crying out loud. And yeah, well, I know she¡¯s just making up random excuses because she doesn¡¯t want to, but there¡¯s no way I would accept her reasoning just now. I¡¯ve seen her throw an Ogre across the field. And I can¡¯t push her onto Cyril¡­¡­..ugh, guess it¡¯ll have to be me. I deal with Yuu wildly making a fuss next to me as we head towards our home. Well, we are both close to our home and Mages Tower, and the Church was near the Mages Tower. Before long, we arrived. Ageha: ¡°Ohhhh, look at this. It¡¯s a really nice house. It must be expensive to rent.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, this is apparently Mr. Riol¡¯s house. A lot of things happened, and we ended up renting this place for cheap.¡± Ageha: ¡°It¡¯s Grandpa Riol¡¯s home, huh©`©`¡± Ageha called Mr. Riol ¡°Grandpa.¡± Though he¡¯s an Elf and looks young, he is quite the grandfather by age alone. Cyril unlocks the door and beckons the two guests to follow. Cyril: ¡°Yes, welcome, Miss Yuu, Miss Ageha.¡± Ageha: ¡°Thanks for inviting us in©`¡± Yuu: ¡°And now we get to explore their love nest©`©`¡± Love nest¡­.? Yuu¡­¡­.really¡­¡­ It¡¯s so awkward to hear the Saint of Salvation (rofl) say those words. But seriously, isn¡¯t she a bit embarrassed about saying it out loud?¡¯ But it looks like I was the only one who thought so. Cyril: ¡°Love nest? Well, I guess that sounds about right!¡± Yuu: ¡°Oooooooohhhh!¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s really not that big of a deal©`©`¡± Crap! Cyril¡¯s going along with it now!! Henry: ¡°H©`Here, let¡¯s not block the door and step inside.¡± I abruptly end the conversation and push everyone inside. I helped Yuu over to the sofa and finally got a break. Since no one else was around, they were able to take their hoods off, and Yuu fanned her face with her hands to cool off. Yuu: ¡°Oh, Henry, Henry¡± Henry: ¡°(sigh).......right, you wanted drinks. Wait there.¡± Yuu looked towards me beggingly, and I let out an exasperated gasp as I turn towards the kitchen. Cyril: ¡°Oh, here, I can make some snacks as well.¡± Henry: ¡°Cyril, you be careful as well. You¡¯ve been drinking too.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay©`¡± Well, she only had about two fruit wines that were relatively low in alcohol, so she should be fine. Even if she accidentally cut her finger while chopping something up, there¡¯s someone here who could fix that instantly without even looking. Yuu: ¡°If it¡¯s all the same, bring out the good stuff©`©`¡± Ageha: ¡°I¡¯m good with just juice. Juice please.¡± But you would never guess from how she is right now though! Sheesh. I let out another sigh as I took a bottle out of the cupboard. Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t have anything special, but here¡¯s what I do have.¡± Yuu: ¡°.........hmmmm? Whiskey? Henry, your tastes have changed. You used to be all about ales.¡± Henry: ¡°I still love ales, but I also like this too.¡± And I was reaching for a glass¡­¡­¡­when Cyril swiftly brought them out. Cyril: ¡°Here, I brought the drinking glass with ice. Oh, and this is something I made earlier. A liver pate and crackers. Please have some while I cook up more things.¡± Ageha: ¡°Cyril, where¡¯s my juice?¡± Cyril: ¡°We¡¯re out of juice, but we do have milk.¡± Ageha: ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± And Ageha stretches her back. Henry: ¡°Here you go, Yuu.¡± Yuu: ¡°Thanks, thanks. Oh, here. Let me pour your drink.¡± I pour the whiskey into Yuu¡¯s glass, and she pours it into mine. Yuu: ¡°Here, cheers©`©`¡± Henry: ¡°Cheers.¡± And we drink the amber liquid down. The strong alcohol burns as it passes through our throats, and a complex flavor remains on our tongues. We took the crackers, dipped it with the liver pate, and took a bite. ¡­¡­¡­.yup, this is delicious. Recently, Cyril¡¯s been into making side dishes and snacks, and after several trials and errors, she was able to find the right amount of herbs to mix in. Yuu: ¡°This is so good©`©` I¡¯m so envious that Miss Cyril is so good at cooking. ¡­¡­.and so? So? Henry, how far did you go with Cyril? C¡¯mon! Spill it already©`©`!¡± Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t have any comment on the subject.¡± And I wave her away with my hand to refuse. Yuu: ¡°What©`©` why not©`©`?¡± Henry: ¡°You¡¯re being annoying.¡± And I closed the subject altogether. I really didn¡¯t want to talk about this. Yuu: ¡°Hmph.¡± Finally relenting, Yuu frowned as she sipped her glass. ¡­¡­..and well, both Cyril and I are adults. And it¡¯s been about 2 months since we lived here. And well¡­¡­.. I don¡¯t want Yuu to find out! Yuu: ¡°Hmmmm, well, I guess it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll just ask Miss Cyril later.¡± Henry: ¡°.......do whatever you please.¡± I©`I don¡¯t think Cyril would¡­¡­..would talk about this either¡­¡­.I think¡­¡­..I¡­¡­¡­.I better tell her not to later. Yuu: ¡°Then why not tell me about this town.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, yeah. I can do that.¡± I began chatting with her about this and that about the city. ¡­¡­¡­¡­..Cyril finished cooking, and we all enjoyed another round of eating and drinking until morning arrived. <<<<>>>> The next morning©`©` The City Council of Sunwest and the Grandes Church announced that a Demon General was possibly coming nearby. But being told that a Demon General, something that no one really knew what that was, only hit dumbfounded ears, and no one panicked. ¡­¡­.I¡¯m sure if this was Southgaia, one of the closest major cities to Ligaleo, the public response would have been different, but in the back lines, this was about right. It¡¯s problematic to have no sense of danger at all, but at the very least, they will follow orders calmly so it works out. Henry: ¡°So that¡¯s why me, Yuu, and Ageha will face the Demon General.¡± Now that the information is public, I explain the situation to Cyril. Cyril: ¡°I see. ¡­¡­¡­and how strong is this Demon General?¡± Henry: ¡°They vary individually, but most can easily take out a Highest-Tier. ¡­¡­..but actually, how about Yuu? How strong is this Gizehride?¡± When she first woke up from the hangover, she looked horrendous, but with {Clear Drunk}, she instantly recovered with the Magecraft Spell, and I turned the discussion over to Yuu. ¡­¡­¡­and yeah, I¡¯m still really envious of that Spell. Yuu: ¡°Well, let¡¯s see. He¡¯s about midway between Gilverte, who Henry faced, and Basilard, who Ageha faced. At least, that¡¯s according to Sir Ezeal.¡± Ageha: ¡°And he doesn¡¯t use Magecraft Spells much. He¡¯s a close-combat type, and quite big too.¡± Ageha adds her insight to Yuu¡¯s. Henry: ¡°.......so he¡¯s wounded, and in this back area where the Corrupted Magic density is low, it¡¯ll be us three plus the Knights Order of the Four Corner City and Adventurers, huh.¡± Yuu: ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think our odds are too bad. But if this place gets taken out, the quality of our Magecraft Spellcasters will suffer immensely, so we need to protect it with our lives. Our lives, you hear me? Well, I won¡¯t let you die regardless, but©`©`¡± That, I can trust. ¡­¡­..but it¡¯s a little worrisome to not have the top-tier Heroes of Legend around. Well, Sir Ezeal is at the Capital. Ms. Lotte is in Eastflair, and Mr. Riol, who can cast area damage Spells and the strongest, lone Hero is preparing back in Ligaleo just in case another Demon General appears. ¡­¡­¡­.so¡­¡­.with that, we¡¯ll just have to take care of this ourselves. Cyril: ¡°? Corrupted Magic? Why would that matter?¡± Not understanding what we meant, Cyril voices her question. ¡­¡­..oh yeah, there¡¯s no way she could have known about this. Henry: ¡°Well, it¡¯s a well known secret in Ligaleo, and most people who deal with information would know this here in the backlines, but Cyril, no matter what, you can¡¯t tell anyone about what I¡¯m about to tell you.¡± Cyril: ¡°O©`Okay? What is it? You¡¯re scaring me.¡± I didn¡¯t mean to scare her but©`©` Henry: ¡°A Demon General is unable to do much in areas where the Corrupted Magic Density is low. The very first Demon General we defeated around Southgaia due to being cornered there for a lot of reasons I won¡¯t go into right now, but before we defeated it, it apparently [depleted] right before it died.¡± This occurred when I first became an Adventurer, so I¡¯ve only heard the rumors. Henry: ¡°The reason why several Demon Generals do not come at us at once is because they would eat up each other¡¯s Corrupted Magic and would get in each other¡¯s way. Or rather, that¡¯s the theory so far.¡± Cyril: ¡°R©`Really? Was the Demon Race always like that?¡± No, there¡¯s no way. It¡¯s true that they were fewer in number, and their individual strength was much greater than the average human being, but they had no restrictions about living in Corrupted Magic areas. ¡­¡­¡­in fact, this is a limitation for Higher-Tier Demonic Creatures. And, as for further evidence¡­¡­¡­¡­.when the Demon Army invaded smaller countries, the army poured an atrocious amount of Corrupted Magic and flooded the area before their attack began. Henry: ¡°And furthermore, for anyone who fought the Demon Country¡¯s Army in the far past, there is no one who remembers a single individual who claimed to be a Demon General.¡± Finally©`©` Henry: ¡°If you defeat one, the Grandes Church will reward you with points of accomplishment. ¡­¡­¡­but I always wondered what that means¡­..¡± Of course, you cannot kill someone of the Demon Race and receive any credit. It¡¯s not a system that encourages murder and genocide¡­¡­..or at least it shouldn¡¯t. If I thought about it, there are several theories that come to mind. And as I see Cyril scrunch her face to think, I turn the ideas over in my head several times as well. CH 151 Ch. 151: The Meeting Sunwest falls in the direct jurisdiction of the Royal Family, and thus, a representative was sent on their behalf. The representative served as the Council Leader of the Sunwest Business and Finance Committee that managed the city¡¯s economy. And the Mages Tower that resided at the center of the city. The Red Dragon Knights, who are currently patrolling the city for any threats. And the Grandes Church, who upholds the God of Battle and its believers, the Adventurers ©` is the National Religion and holds a mobile and flexible force at its command. The leaders of each of these major organizations were all gathered together at the City Council Meeting Room. Of course, this was about the potential arrival of the Demon General. And the Green Dragon Knights Order was not present. They were performing extra patrols in order to keep people from panicking and maintaining order within the city. ¡°.......now then, time is precious, so let us begin at once.¡± The one who opened the meeting was the Sunwest City Council Leader. Sir Broto Luhen held the status of Baronet and began the meeting. ¡°Yes, according to our calculations, the General may arrive tomorrow or the day after, but Demon Generals often exceed our expectations. It¡¯ll be safer to have a plan in place as soon as possible.¡± The one who agreed was Zerato, the Head of the Sunwest Branch Red Dragon Knights Order. The woman who was probably the second in command was nodding in agreement. ¡°Yes, indeed. As for me, I would like for all my faculty and students to be able to resume their research and studies. We will offer our full support with that goal in mind.¡± ¡°Of course, the Church feels the same as everyone else.¡± The current President of the Mages Academy, Jeremiah. The Head Priestess of the Grandes Church, Salena. I think¡­¡­¡­.shoot, I can¡¯t remember if I had their names right. We all introduced ourselves, but there were so many new people, I¡¯m not confident if I remember all their names. ¡°But even if we wanted to come up with a plan, we need to learn more about this Demon General. There are too many things we do not understand being in the backlines.¡± ¡°I feel the same as well.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.and other people who attended spoke up. I can¡¯t remember any of the names other than the main representatives. All that I know about the person is that they have plenty of experience as an Adventurer, and they are here with Academy President Jeremiah and Mr. Derrick. Salena: ¡°Yes, as for that¡­¡­.Lady Saint, could I ask for your assistance?¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes, I will be glad to.¡± With Priestess Salena¡¯s recommendation, Yuu answers with her amazing Saint smile. The orderly meeting attendants all wash over with ¡°As expected of the Saint of Salvation¡±, but as for us, who know what Yuu is really like, we are more amazed at her amazing acting. And the reason why Ageha, who is also a Hero of Legend, was not asked was because¡­¡­.well, she¡¯s not as well known. Yuu: ¡°The Demon General¡­¡­¡­is probably thought of as a General of the Demon Country¡¯s Army. But they actually do not lead soldiers. They lead Demonic Creatures instead, and is the leader of that horde.¡± ¡°.........I heard that the rumored Demon General was cornered by the Great Hero and barely escaped with his life to the backlines alone. Without his subjects, wouldn¡¯t he be an easy target to finish off?¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes, except the Demon General¡­¡­.is able to utilize the Corrupted Magic in an area to give birth to Demonic Creatures.¡± A shocked gasp and grumble spreads through the meeting attendants. Looks like there were many who didn¡¯t know this fact. Well, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s advertised either. Yuu: ¡°He can create Upper-Tier Demonic Creatures¡­¡­.as for the numbers, this depends on the Demon General, but the General in question, Gizehride can create 2,000 if he was in his best state. Since the Corrupted Magic density in this area is not as potent as Ligaleo, he shouldn¡¯t be able to create that many but¡­¡­¡± And Gilverte, who actually stood a head above other Generals in individual strength, could create 300 at once. But in his case, he brought Demonic Creatures from the Demon Kingdom, so that didn¡¯t matter so much. Zerato: ¡°.......at most 2,000, huh. That doesn¡¯t bode well for us. I don¡¯t believe our Knights would not be able to handle them, but with that kind of number, we have to expect some to break through and enter the city.¡± The Head of the Red Dragon Knights Order grimaces at the prospect. A formal Knight of the Red Dragon Knights Order is able to take on a mid-tier upper-class single-handedly. That is their standard. They could handle an Upper-Tier with 2 or 3 Knights, but they don¡¯t have enough to hold back 2,000 at once. A regular soldier would have to get custom weapons and armor and be in a formation to handle an Upper-Tier Demonic Creature¡­¡­..and even then, they have to expect casualties. Jeremiah: ¡°I will place our Mages and focus on defending the City. If we can reduce their numbers¡­..¡± Salena: ¡°We have 23 Heroic Warriors based in Sunwest, and Adventurers who are willing to volunteer. It may still be a difficult battle, but that should be enough.¡± Academy President Jeremiah and Priestess Salena both speak in turn. Luhen: ¡°I see. Then let us focus on defense overall to hold the enemy back, and during that time, send a communication to the Capital. We will call over Sir Grandezeal and his Black Dragon Knights, and¡­¡­¡± Yuu: ¡°.......forgive my interruption, but that will not work.¡± Luhen: ¡°? Why is that, Lady Saint.¡± Being denied the most obvious solution, Luhen voices his confusion. Yuu: ¡°The Demon General is able to release the Corrupted Magic he has stored inside of him. ¡­¡­..he would be able to easily overwhelm this area with Corrupted Magic to the point where the Teleportation Gate can no longer function.¡± If he does so, his [Depletion] would be accelerated, but if he doesn¡¯t, we would concentrate our forces here and win. He would know at least that much. ¡­¡­¡­but if he uses his Corrupted Magic power for that purpose, then we would be at a great advantage. It reminds me of how incredibly useful the Teleportation Gate really is. We won¡¯t be able to utilize it directly, but in this way, it¡¯s indirectly assisting us in this battle. Luhen: ¡°.......I don¡¯t know if we¡¯re talking about a Demon General or a Highest-Tier Demonic Creature anymore¡­.¡± Yuu: ¡°If it was something as easy as a Highest-Tier, we would not be having this much trouble.¡± Though Yuu was chuckling while she remarked, the atmosphere of the Council grew steadily heavier. But this was not an empty threat. It¡¯s only a hard fact. ¡­¡­..and well, it can¡¯t be helped. All the information we have to provide about Demon Generals will only put each person here on edge. And it was the Head of the Red Dragon Knights Order who brightened up to change the mood of the meeting with a, ¡°And so?¡± Zerato: ¡°We have most of the information already on hand, and this is all within the realm of our expectations. So? The group that will directly attack the Demon General is the two heroes and©`©`¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, yes. I¡¯m Henry.¡± Zerato: ¡°Mr. Henry, the Heroic Warrior.¡± The Head of the Red Dragon Knights looked me up and down as if to assess my worth. With his gaze, the rest of the Council turned their gaze to me. And I can obviously see doubt in many of their eyes. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.well yeah. It¡¯s an important battle that will determine the fate of this City. To have some unknown Adventurer step in like this would end up with doubts like this. Though being a Heroic Warrior is a nice, effective title to have for any City, there are 23 Heroic Warriors residing in this City. Of course, their is a great difference in strength even among Heroic Warriors. If we had time, I could do an exciting demonstration of ¡°this is how strong I am©`!¡± but I don¡¯t want to waste my energy, and this is not the time nor the place. Salena: ¡°As for Heroic Warrior, Henry, we have full approval from the Grandes Church in Ligaleo. In addition, he also has a record in slaying a Demon General, thus, he was chosen¡­¡­¡± Zerato: ¡°Wasn¡¯t the slaying of a Demon General greatly due to fighting alongside Captain Grandezeal?¡± That was a very accurate and severe rebuttal. With that, he cut down Priestess Salena¡¯s recommendation to have me included. ¡­¡­¡­..the Red Dragon Knights Order is renowned for their bravery and courage to slay Demonic Creatures and has a number of strong and famous Knights in its order. From their organization¡¯s perspective, in a situation like this, they would expect that their Knights would take the front lines. And to be fair, from the way Captain Zerato has been moving, I can tell that he is quite strong. Ageha: (Haha¡« they don¡¯t think you can do it¡«) Henry: (Shut up¡«) Ageha, who was sitting next to me, jeered in a voice that only I could hear, and I retorted immediately. ¡­¡­¡­¡­..but really, what should we do about this? I hate to have the Council come to an impasse just because of me. Derrick: ¡°©`©`may I have permission to speak?¡± And it was Mr. Derrick who raised his hand to ask for the floor. Sir Luhen nodded, and Mr. Derrick proceeded. Derrick: ¡°This is just a coincidence, but Henry is a student in the short-term course that I am instructing. During the course of my instruction, we have conducted many combat-training style spars and practices, so I know his strength well. With that assessment in mind, I will be frank¡­¡­¡­Zerato, I¡¯m sorry to say this, but Henry is stronger than you.¡± Zerato: ¡°............Derrick¡­¡­.¡± Captain Zerato glared back at Derrick bitterly, and after a few seconds©`©` Zerato: ¡°...........fine, fine©` whatever. If Derrick says so, then it must be true. Besides, I can¡¯t reject the Church¡¯s recommendation without proper reason or proof. I¡¯m sorry I muddied our discussion. I look forward to seeing Heroic Warrior Henry¡¯s contribution to this upcoming battle.¡± And laughed lightly as he spoke. ¡­¡­¡­¡­he was really fast in changing gears. Well, that helps us, but it seems a little too early for him to step back. Yuu: ¡°And, it is a little late, but in case something like this happened, Sir Captain Grandezeal has written Henry down as his own recommendation.¡± Zerato: ¡°...........Miss Lady Saint, could you have mentioned that from the get go? There¡¯s no way a Knight of any Order could argue against the Great Hero¡¯s recommendation.¡± Yuu brought out a letter of recommendation, and Captain Zerato looked a little annoyed as he replied. Sir Luhen coughed once, to gather the attention back to him. Luhen: ¡°If Captain Zerato approves, then a non-combatant like myself has no objection. How does everyone else feel?¡± The Council members and attendees all looked at one another, and no one spoke of any objections. Seeing that the top Knight changed his opinion about me, the doubts against my ability lessened significantly. Luhen: ¡°Then let us move forward with our overall battle arrangements. Firstly, as far as the Knights Order and their objectives¡­¡­¡­¡± And from there on, they moved into discussing the meticulous details. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­since we had no experience leading or organizing armies, Yuu, Ageha, and myself only spoke when they needed insight on the Demon General, and the meeting continued on and on. <<<<>>>> The meeting was over after 2 hours. After that, the leaders of each organization returned to their group to relay the play, and explain our overall strategy. I used the restroom in the Council Hall, and stretched my arms to loosen the tightened and cramped muscles I got from sitting in that meeting. In the hallway, I saw Mr. Derrick and Captain Zerato chatting. Derrick: ¡°Oh, hey Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Hello, Mr. Derrick. And Captain Zerato too.¡± Zerato: ¡°Hey.¡± Captain Zerato nodded approvingly at me. Henry: ¡°Do you two know each other well?¡± Derrick: ¡°Yeah, there are times when I help train the Red Dragon Knights Order to help with their Magecraft.¡± Zerato: ¡°Because of that, there were times we had a chance to talk, and now we occasionally go out to drink.¡± I see. So that¡¯s how they¡¯re connected. Since Mr. Derrick is an exceptional instructor, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s had many opportunities like this to make connections. ¡­¡­¡­..oh, that¡¯s right. I almost forgot. Henry: ¡°Mr. Derrick, thank you for speaking up on my behalf. ¡­¡­¡­¡­but I guess it¡¯s strange to say this in front of Mr. Zerato.¡± Mr. Derrick let out a sigh as he whispered, ¡°Oh, about that.¡± He looked around to make sure that no one else was around. I wonder why? ¡­¡­¡­..? That was not the response I expected. Derrick: ¡°Henry, that little act we did was all planned by Zerato. I only did what he told me to do. Besides, in actuality, you and Zerato are about even. If you consider the ability to smoothly coordinate in a military squad, I would have recommended Zerato instead of you.¡± Henry: ¡°Huh?¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­..now it surpassed the unexpected, and now I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about. I highly doubt that a Knight who climbed his way up to become a Branch Manager would have chickened out from a fight. Zerato: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t lose to you on a one on one fight. ¡­¡­¡­..but there¡¯s no way I could beat you with the Saint backing you up.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, you know about that?¡± We¡¯re not keeping Yuu¡¯s Enhancement Magecraft a secret or anything, but it¡¯s not a famous story either. Yuu is too famous for her ability to heal, and her Adventurer stories are actually less well known. Zerato: ¡°There was a time when I went to support the troops at Ligaleo. ¡­¡­¡­.well, coincidentally, I got to see Mr. Heroic Warrior here fight against the Demon General. That¡¯s about it.¡± ¡­¡­¡­..that¡¯s right. During the big fight, I remember hearing about a Knights Order from a different town who came to support us. Henry: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­..well¡­..thank you very much.¡± Zerato: ¡°It¡¯s nothing to thank me for. It¡¯s true that you have a better chance of winning than me.¡± But we were able to smoothly determine the course of action because of his help. Zerato: ¡°..........but I meant what I said about Captain Grandezeal¡¯s recommendation letter. If she would have presented that from the beginning, I wouldn¡¯t have had to go through all that trouble. Please tell that Miss Lady Saint well for me.¡± Oh, is that right¡­.. ¡­¡­.but that Great Hero title is really amazing. Knowing how that old man really acts, I sometimes wonder why people trust him so much though. I tilted my head to think about that as I parted with Mr. Derrick and Captain Zerato. <<<<<>>>> The next day, it was a little before the lunch hour. ©`©`around Sunwest, an absurd amount of Corrupted Magic engulfed the entire area. CH 152 Ch. 152: The Battle Part 1 It took only a few minutes after the entire city was swallowed by Corrupted Magic when reports of sighting the Demon General Gizehride reached us. We had several scouts on alerted patrol, but we could not risk creating any holes in our scouting lines, so naturally, the scouts were concentrated to a much smaller area, and we were not able to discover his whereabouts prior to him releasing the Corrupted Magic. ¡­¡­¡­¡­but this was according to our expectations, and we were swift to take action. We had make-shift defensive fences ready to go, and we placed them in a location quite a bit further away from the city. From there, we split into 3 main formations. Outside the fence. There, the Red Dragon Knights Order and the strongest among the Adventurers were on standby. Inside the fence were the Magecraft and Magic specialists like Cyril and Emily. Archers and any other far range attack specialists and the Green Dragon Knights Order. And in the furthest back was the Sunwest City Military and the Adventurers that would have a tough time facing Upper-Tier Demonic Creatures. We planned to have the people who can face Upper-Tier and the long-range specialists reduce the numbers, and then have the stragglers who sneak by get pummeled by the regular soldiers and adventurers. It¡¯s a simple but effective strategy. The Council meeting was only yesterday, so there was no way to prepare and arrange for any complicated military strategy. And just in case the Demon General created Demonic Creatures ahead of him to flank the city, about 2 tenths of the Red Dragon Knights were guarding the City walls. And Yuu, Ageha, and myself were with the group outside the fence, and standing at the forefront as well. Zerato: ¡°Hey, Henry. How¡¯s your condition?¡± As I lightly stretched to prepare for the Demon General¡¯s arrival, Captain Zerato came over after finishing all his instructions with his Knights for a friendly chat. Henry: ¡°My condition¡­¡­¡­..is just normal. It¡¯s no different than any other day.¡± I am a little nervous having to fight a formidable enemy, but I¡¯m not so nervous that it¡¯ll impede my movement. It¡¯s a nervousness that is just about right. Zerato: ¡°I see. And how about Miss Saint and Miss Head Chopper?¡± Ageha: ¡°Well, I¡¯m about to take the head of a Demon General. Of course, I¡¯m at my peak! This one is mine¡«¡± Ageha was stretching her body and gave Zerato a confident thumbs up. ¡­¡­¡­.I wish this woman would¡­¡­..I dunno¡­¡­.take these things more seriously sometimes. Yuu: ¡°My condition is good as well. Thank you for your concern, Sir Captain.¡± Zerato: ¡°Ha! It¡¯s not that I¡¯m worried. ¡­¡­..but still, if anything happens, we got your back. If you notice anything wrong, make sure to call for help early.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­and by his words alone, I could tell that he was very worried. But I said nothing. I scratched my cheek and looked towards the direction the Demon General was approaching us from. It¡¯s quite an open field, but there¡¯s no sight of him yet. Ageha: ¡°He¡¯s late¡«¡«¡«......ugh¡­¡­hey, Henry. Why don¡¯t we go attack him now? We can, you know, get him by surprise as he walks up this way all slow.¡± Henry: ¡°No. Absolutely not. If we can¡¯t finish him with the first strike, he¡¯ll produce Demonic Creatures, and we¡¯ll get swarmed.¡± I immediately rejected Ageha¡¯s idea. ¡­¡­..well, it¡¯s not like she was actually serious, I think. This is just one of the ways Ageha relaxed by bantering with me¡­¡­¡­or if I think of it that way, it all makes sense. Ageha: ¡°Fine©`.....oh¡­.hmm?¡± I¡¯m sure the Demon General really didn¡¯t hear what Ageha was saying to show up just at the right time. ¡­¡­¡­.on one of the main roads that leads to the Four Corner Cities, we felt something absurdly abnormal approaching, and everyone was on alert. As we waited, we saw one shadow appear in the distance along the road. ¡­¡­¡­..he¡¯s huge. Definitely more than 2 meters (¡«6¡¯ 6¡±). His armor was broken in many places, but his intimidating presence was not something you would expect from someone who just fled from the frontlines. And even though we are still considerably far apart, there is Corrupted Magic pouring out of him that would make an ordinary person unconscious within minutes. If he was in his best condition, a Knight would have trouble staying on his feet with the amount of Corrupted Magic¡­¡­.so from that perspective, we should consider ourselves lucky. But even then, it was enough to make anyone think twice before stepping forward. Zerato: ¡°He¡¯s here! Magecraft and Magic Divisions, begin your preparations! On my signal, fire with everything you got!¡± Mr. Zerato yells his orders to everyone behind us. Most Adventurers fight in small skirmishes, so they tend to prefer Magecraft Spells that are quick to cast, but the Mages of the Mages Tower typically use Spells that requires more time to prepare. There are many who use incantations to help construct their Spell, and the backlines begins to rumble with the sound of people¡¯s voices and©`©` Cyril: ¡°¡«¡«¡«¡«?¡¡¡«¡«?¡± Even among all the noise, I hear a familiar singing voice from the crowd. It was Cyril¡¯s Magic Song. And as she sang, it was obvious that her Magic Power concentration was leagues above everyone else. ¡­¡­¡­and just feeling her presence like that, gave me more courage to step forward. Yuu: ¡°.......Miss Cyril has incredible Magic Power as always.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, she was able to take out a Highest-Tier with practically one Spell last time.¡± Ageha: ¡°If it¡¯s just about Magic Power, she¡¯s got more than Grandpa Riol. ¡­¡­well, not that I really care about any Spells that don¡¯t chop off creatures¡¯ heads¡­.¡± As Ageha was saying something stupid, I fall back into the Knights¡¯ lines naturally. ¡­¡­¡­.and it¡¯s my job to stand out in front. Henry: ¡°Yuu¡­¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes.¡± As I call out to her, Yuu nodded with understanding, and cheerfully began her incantation. Yuu: ¡°{My Hero, show me your strength. Take my light and wipe away evil with thy sword}¡± As she spoke the words of the Ningel¡¯s Church, Yuu¡¯s Spellcall Stone which was divided into several bracelets began glowing©`©` Yuu: ¡°{Shimmering Rally}¡± And that light enveloped me. I took firm control of the power that rose up inside me and threatened to throw me around. ¡­¡­¡­it¡¯s been about a year since I left Ligaleo. Since leaving there, the last time I received this Spell was when I visited Yuu¡¯s hometown. And just in case, she cast this Spell on me yesterday just so I can get used to it again¡­¡­but just like yesterday, I was able to handle the exponentially increasing power rising up within me. I didn¡¯t know if this was because I was able to handle more power than I used to, or if the hellish training Yuu and I did to master this Spell was still in effect. Or rather©`©` ¡­¡­¡­..this Spell requires diligent and rigorous adjustments, and thus, is one of the most difficult enhancement Magecraft Spells, and a certain Miss Saint hasn¡¯t stopped training and refining it¡­.. Yuu: ¡°.........what is it?¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­¡± Up until recently, I had no intention of returning to the battle field, and yet she continued to work on the Enhancement Spell specifically catered for me. Thanks to that, now I really don¡¯t feel like I can lose¡­¡­¡­.or rather, the odds feel like a 30% chance of losing. As I see the Demon General¡¯s face clearly, I can feel literal fear well-up inside of me and poke its head out¡­¡­..but this is pretty normal for me. I can¡¯t be as overconfident as Ageha or Sir Ezeal, but©`©` I take out the Nyoiten Spear, extend it to spear length, rotate it in my hand and ready it in front of me©`©` ©`©`just then, Demon General Gizehride got into our firing range. Zerato: ¡°Now! Fireeeeee©`©`©`©`!¡± With Captain Zerato¡¯s signal, countless attacks fly forth from behind the defensive fences. There was fire, ice, and lightning ©` standard Magic Type Spells ©` along with beams of pure destructive Magic Power. There were arrows and spears thrown, and I think I even saw rocks flying too. As the attacks landed one by one, the Demon General evaded it without breaking stride, and sometimes, he used his fist to deflect one or two. ¡­¡­¡­the ground was being transformed all around him by the endless attacks, but the General did not slow or stop. Emily: ¡°[Gigantify] {Ultima} + [Gigantify] {Ultima} + [Destruction] {Heles} + [Boost] {Accela} + [Barrage] {Volley}!!¡± ¡­¡­¡­..and a clear voice rung through the explosive chaos as Emily began her Spell incantation, and her Magecraft Spell lurched forward with incredible power and speed as it pounded into the Demon General. Among all of the attacks, he must have sensed some danger as he made a giant broadsword appear, and struck and deflected the Spell head on with it. ©`©`and then he paused for just an instant. Gizehride: ¡°.........oh?¡± He noticed the enormous amount of Magic Power concentrating directly above him, and he raised his voice for the first time to take a moment to stare at it. ©`©`I¡¯m not letting you get away. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Secure] {Isu} + [Restrain] {Katerno}!¡± With my new Spell inscription in the mix, I combine 4 together and blast it with everything I have. With Yuu¡¯s enhancement boost, I throw my spear that could have taken out a Highest-Tier if I struck it well enough and sent it flying. I split the Spear into clones in mid-air, and the Demon General swats every one of them down with full strength¡­¡­..and as I hoped, the [Secure] {Isu} and [Restrain] {Katerno} tie him down to the ground. Normally, this kind of trick would only work for a few seconds¡­¡­¡­but at that instant, a giant lightning bolt fell from the sky right onto the Demon General. It was Cyril¡¯s most powerful Spell - {Lightning Judgment}. ¡­¡­..it¡¯s a powerful, merciless Spell that has finished off two Highest-Tiers in the past. Even if she cannot defeat him, he should still receive damage. Gizehride: ¡°That was quite the warm welcome. I must thank you for your hospitality.¡± And he rose and walked out. From the dust clouds swirling around wildly, an unfazed, undamaged Demon General appeared out of the shadow. Zerato: ¡°........I see. I¡¯m glad you enjoyed it.¡± Captain Zerato raised a hand to cease any further attacks from the backlines and began addressing the Demon General. If they concentrated that much fire power, and if the Demon General barely took any damage, it would be more effective to point those Spells at the creatures the Demon General creates. And the reason why Captain Zerato is engaging in conversation is because with each passing moment, the Demon General will near [Depletion], and we will be at a greater advantage. ¡­¡­¡­looking closely, we could see cracks in his skin around his chin. Though from his presence, it¡¯s hard to believe it, but he should be nearing his limit. Gizehride: ¡°Yes, the last one especially took me by surprise. If that had connected, I wouldn¡¯t be standing here in one piece. That warrior over there also supported that effort very well.¡± Henry: ¡°.........you got away so easily. It¡¯s hard to accept compliments like that.¡± I thought that he couldn¡¯t go unscathed after getting struck with Cyril¡¯s Spell, but right before it hit, he must have gotten out of my restraint Spell. Since the lightning flashed as he escaped, we couldn¡¯t see it, but it must have been close. ¡­¡­¡­.whether it was with ease or out of desperation, it¡¯s impossible to tell. Henry: ¡°And so? If you¡¯re satisfied with our welcome party, we would appreciate it if you would just turn around and go back. Our people have other things to do, you know?¡± Gizehride: ¡°Now, now. I¡¯m about to die of depletion. Whether I win or lose, this will be my last battle. Can you at least not entertain me until the end?¡± ¡­¡­¡­.there are many kinds of Demon Generals. The one Ageha took down was a calculating, conniving one ©` Basillard. The one who destroyed my home country did not show much emotion and simply performed his work ©` Gilverte. Compared to the two I know, this one is more human-like and likable. Henry: ¡°From my perspective, I prefer it if you just go die somewhere alone.¡± Gizehride: ¡°How sad. Besides, I need to do one more job for my liege and King.¡± And Gizehride smiled as he spoke. Gizehride: ¡°I am the Demon General. The Demon General, Gizehride! My sympathies, all of you who have gathered to defend Sunwest! I ask that you die with me today!¡± [Why don¡¯t you die alone?] As Gizehride lifted his giant broadsword into the air to make his announcement, he heard a voice echo from his side. Gizehride immediately turned towards the voice and©`©` ©`©`from his , Ageha appeared with a knife posed to take the Demon General¡¯s head. (*sfx) The awful sound of metal striking against metal ring out. Ageha: ¡°.........!! Urgh!!¡± Gizehride had lifted his arm brace and deflected Ageha¡¯s attack. ¡­¡­¡­I was hoping that the fight would end here, but I guess I was too optimistic. Ageha even used one of her secret tricks, {Sound Bouncing} to distract him too. Ageha: ¡°!! Dangit, dangit! You bastard! Just let me chop off your head!¡± Ageha came flying back before the Demon General can counter attack and started spitting out a series of complaints. Gizehride: ¡°Apologies for inconvenience, but I cannot allow that! I am glad that I was on my guard. You really do go for the neck, Ageha Sagiri!¡± Ageha: ¡°Uh what? You know about me?¡± Gizehride nods to answer Ageha¡¯s question. Gizehride: ¡°I would know about a Hero who struck down one of my comrades. You travel with that Saint of Salvation often, so when I did not see you around, I was waiting for you to strike. ¡­¡­if not for that voice, I would have had a much easier time deflecting that blow too.¡± Gizehride smiled victoriously, and I can hear Ageha grinding her teeth with anger. ¡­¡­¡­.she can use that anger and frustration as much as she wants during this battle. Gizehride: ¡°And the warrior who defeated Gilverte is here as well. As my final battlefield, this is not bad.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.and he remembers me even though I was just supporting Sir Ezeal during that fight. Looks like the Demon Kingdom, who only puts forth Demonic Creatures and their Demon Generals to the frontlines, has some sort of information gathering network. Though it¡¯s important to remember this¡­¡­..right now, I need to figure out a way to survive this fight. Gizehride: ¡°Now then, let¡¯s go.¡± With Gizehride¡¯s words, from behind, a black smoke-like mist appeared and climbed upwards. Each consolidated into small spheres. And what came out were beasts, things with wings, and insects¡­¡­..or things that resembled natural creatures ©` they were all Upper-Tier Demonic Creatures. From a glance, there must have been a few hundred. It was not as bad as our worst case scenario, but one mistake in the response could lead to the destruction of the city. Zerato: ¡°.......okay, you three. Leave the Demonic Creatures to us. We¡¯ll leave the Demon General to you all.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, sir!¡± I respond back to Captain Zerato and©`©` I made a beeline towards Demon General Gizehride. CH 153 Ch. 153: The Battle Part 2 I kicked the ground far stronger than I would normally be able to do as I closed my distance with Gizehride. Behind me, I saw Ageha follow after me. As she ran, she began drinking the Potion to increase her speed. ¡­¡­..I would think that she should have used that from the beginning, but when she is being covert, she says it¡¯s harder for her to do so because the potion messes with her senses. That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t use it when she snuck up on Gizehride. Ageha immediately boosted forward and changed directions. ¡­¡­..I¡¯ll attack directly from the front, and Ageha will attack freely as opportunities open up. Henry: ¡°RAAAAAAHHH!!¡± Gizehride: ¡°So you come!¡± With the momentum from my charge, I lengthen my spear to its maximum length as I lunge forward with a piercing strike. The Nyoiten Spear can lengthen up to 7 meters (23 feet). Even with Gizehride¡¯s large broadsword, I¡¯m well outside his range by a wide margin. Gizeehride: ¡°HA!¡± He knocks away my spear. I felt a flash of pain crunch through the bones of my arms as the impact of the broadsword ran through my spear. ¡­¡­..he¡¯s really strong. From what I felt just now, he¡¯s stronger than the Hanuman I fought before. Without Yuu¡¯s buff, he would have easily deflected the spear out of my hands. But I got to see what I wanted to see. Henry: ¡°Ageha! You got it?!¡± Ageha: ¡°Yeah!¡± I shrink the Nyoiten Spear back to a manageable length. It was just one exchange, but I wanted to see the Demon General¡¯s movements at least once before stepping into his range. ¡­¡­¡­..between Demon Generals and the Highest-Tiers, what separates the two is skill and strategy. Yes, there is a large difference in strength, but the biggest difference is skill. Demonic Creatures lack in this department no matter how strong and clever they are. Since it is rare for them to live a long time, some can make some incredibly sharp moves, but once they are defeated, that¡¯s the end of that. But a Demon General is different. They have strength and abilities beyond the Highest-Tier, and they also utilize the same strategies as what humanity has been developing. Gizehride was able to walk through the initial barrage of Spells because of that too. He was able to decipher what kind of attack was coming, what kind of characteristic it carried, and because of that knowledge, he was able to pull through without a scratch. With the time he deflected Emily¡¯s Spells, this is the second time I¡¯ve seen him swing his sword. I don¡¯t know how much strength he is hiding, but I got the lowest baseline of his strength. Gizehride: ¡°How devious! You just wanted to measure my strength just now!¡± Henry: ¡°If not, you could take me out in the first strike!¡± I attack at a range where my spear can reach but his sword cannot, and I thrust several blows. ¡­¡­¡­of course, Gizehride deflected all my strikes and stepped forward towards me©`©` Henry: ¡°[Light Ledge] {Plateau}!¡± I placed a floating ledge right in the way of his foot. Not being able to step in as usual, there should be an opening©`©` Gizehride: ¡°That won¡¯t work on me!¡± ©`©`was no where to be found. He stepped right through my Magecraft platform without a hint of resistance. Having his sword already braced above his head, he swung it down©`©`but as he did©`©`a shield made of light appeared between us. The Ningel¡¯s Hand long-distance defense Magecraft Spell {Aura Shield}. Yuu can place at most 10 shields, and she combined 5 shields together and braced for the Demon General¡¯s attack. Though it was easily destroyed¡­¡­but a swing I couldn¡¯t see before now slowed down ever so slight, and I was able to respond with a defensive move. Henry: ¡°UGH?! UGHHHH!!!¡± I caught the strike with my Nyoiten Spear, and as I deflected the attack, I pushed away the sword and bent my body to dodge the blade. Gizehride¡¯s sword struck the ground and an explosion-like impact spread out. The impact of the sword went as far as reaching the defensive lines in the back. ¡­¡­¡­if that hits, if it misses my armor, I¡¯m a dead man. Even with Mr. Gordon¡¯s armor, I wouldn¡¯t be able to survive multiple attacks like that. Ageha: ¡°Let me play too!¡± Seeing that Gizehride had his blade down, Ageha came from the side to strike. Though she would go for the throat as a finishing blow, she is not picky about where to strike before that moment. Her aim was at his defenseless ribs and©`©` Gizehride: ¡°{Come, shield}.¡± ¡­¡­.with two words, a small black shield appeared and blocked Ageha¡¯s attack. Demonic Creatures who are humanoid can sometimes make their own weapons and armor from their own Magic Power. As Demonic Creatures are made from Magic, Corrupted Magic can materialize into different sizes and shapes. I¡¯m sure the logic is similar to that. Ageha: ¡°Henry, 5 seconds!¡± Henry: ¡°[Light Ledge] {Plateau}......times 10!¡± I made 10 light ledges that surrounded Gizehride. Ageha jumped into the air, and bracing a foot on a ledge¡­¡­..she used the [Light Ledge] {Plateau} as a foothold and began jumping around Gizehride in all directions. As she passed by him, her blade struck. Gizehride: ¡°OH?!¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t forget about me!¡± And before he can get used to Ageha¡¯s moves, I attack too. My strike which would have pierced a steel plate was easily blocked by Gizehride single handedly by his blade. ¡­¡­¡­though he is using his other hand to fend off Ageha, we still can¡¯t get a good hit on him. I thrust at least 20 strikes, and all of it was deflected. Henry: ¡°Ageha, fall back!¡± Ageha: ¡°Okay!¡± The 5 second effect of the [Light Ledge] {Plateau} was passed, so we needed to regroup. Gizehride: ¡°You think I would let you©`©`?!¡± I took out a ball from my pouch, and it struck the ground to spread a black liquid everywhere. It¡¯s a sticky glue that would work on a mid-tier Demonic Creature. Gizehride¡¯s foot gets caught against the ground and stops momentarily. ¡­¡­¡­.of course, with his strength, he could probably get out of it, but unlike stepping through something, bringing your leg up with armor on can be quite cumbersome. Well, he could technically take off the armor too. Ageha: ¡°Here¡¯s a gift from me too!¡± And Ageha pulled out a sphere from her inner pocket and threw it. The next moment, smoke filled the air and surrounded Gizehride. ¡­¡­¡­¡­what is that purplish cloud that looks toxic? Henry: ¡°Ageha, that thing¡­..¡± Ageha: ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a poison I made recently. It¡¯s proven to be effective against Upper-Tiers but¡­¡­.well yeah, I didn¡¯t think it would work.¡± As the smoke cleared, we saw an annoyed Gizehride pull his foot out of the sticky mess. Yuu: ¡°........poison, Ageha? You need to be more mindful of the people around.¡± Ageha: ¡°It¡¯s okay. That poison immediately loses its effect when it touches air. It¡¯s effective range is incredibly small.¡± Ageha answers immediately to Yuu¡¯s criticism. I let out a single breath to prepare myself. ¡­¡­¡­.only 20 or so seconds had passed since our fight began. Around us, the Demonic Creatures just started to engage with the Red Dragon Knights and Heroic Warriors. Yuu: ¡°So, how is it, you two? How strong is he?¡± Henry: ¡°.......yeah©`©` we knew it from the start but¡­¡­¡­crazy strong.¡± He¡¯s completely unhurt after being attacked by a buffed me and Ageha. It makes you seriously wonder if he really is close to depleting. Yuu: ¡°........I see. Well, judging from how my {Aura Shield} stood against him, I suspected as much.¡± Henry: ¡°Would 10 of those shields stacked work against him?¡± Yuu: ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­¡­and besides, while I¡¯m using {Shimmering Rally}, 7 is my max.¡± As long as it¡¯s not a barrier protecting a wide area, a simple shield that¡¯s stacked 5 times could easily deflect a Highest-Tier¡¯s attack. ¡­¡­¡­¡­yeah, attacking him directly would be incredibly risky. Ageha: ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine. The stronger they are, the more satisfying chopping off their head will be.¡± Henry: ¡°Geesh, even in times like this¡­¡­¡­well, whatever.¡± And our chat was over. Gizehride prepared his sword and came charging forward. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} +[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac}!¡± I combined 5 strengthen Spells together. Without Yuu backing me up, I would have passed out from exhausting my Magic reserves. Henry: ¡°©`©`©`©`RAAHHHH!!¡± The spear now shining brightly flew through the air and split into 14 clones. And our round 2 with the Demon General began. <<<<>>>> Fred: ¡°.......in©`incredible¡­¡­.¡± Inside the defensive lines, where the long-range attack group resided, Alfred faced off the Upper-Tier ©` an opponent that would have been tough for him, but they trusted that his Magecraft Skills could handle it. As he fired off Magecraft Spells, he observed the Demon General and Henry¡¯s fight at the center of the battlefield and¡­¡­.let out an awe-inspired word without thinking. The grossly overbearing swarm of Demonic Creatures were being pushed back by the Knights and Heroic Warriors and were prevented from getting to Henry and his group. But there was too big of a difference in numbers, and a few slipped by. ¡­¡­¡­.but every single Demonic Creature ended in a single strike. If a Demonic Creature tried to intervene between the Demon General, Henry, or Ageha, they were ended with a strike to the head or heart or had their head chopped off. If they headed to the rearguard where Eustacia was, they were ended by Henry¡¯s spear throw. ¡­¡­.of course, in a battle against the Demon General, having to deal with Demonic Creatures would give the Demon General an opening. After taking down a Wyvern that approached from the sky, the Demon General struck Henry directly and sent him flying. Fred: ¡°........?! ¡­¡­¡­.!!¡± But he managed to take the hit with his spear and spared himself from being cut in half¡­¡­but even from where Alfred stood, he could see that Henry¡¯s arm was bent the wrong way. This was the fourth time Henry took a strike from the Demon General. ¡­¡­¡­four times. Alfred was certain that this was not a coincidence. Henry flew exactly the same way as the previous three times, to Eustacia, who held the incredible title of the Saint of Salvation. As if expecting it, Eustacia immediately healed Henry, and within a few seconds, Henry resumed fighting on the frontlines. Ageha: ¡°Stop getting direct hits, you slowpoke!¡± Henry: ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡­¡­..and during those few seconds, Ageha stopped the Demon General by herself, and gave a curt criticism to Henry as he answered immediately back. Alfred could hear their voices from where he stood. And their fight against the Demon General resumed once more. A fight with such high Magecraft and spear skills that Alfred could only dream of doing so at this point. It was incredible to watch, but shame also brewed up inside him. Derrick: ¡°3rd Mage Division! 2 o¡¯clock, the Knights have completed falling back! Fire at will!¡± Fred: ¡°U©`Understood!¡± Following Derrick, who was leading the group¡¯s commands, Alfred came to his senses and began combining his Spells. Emily: ¡°Okay, here we go¡« [Gigantify] {Ultima} + [Lightning] {Donner} + [Spear] {Lancer} + [Spray] {Barrage}!¡± Fred: ¡°.........[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Double] {Duble} + [Lightning] {Donner} + [Launch] {Veros}!¡± And being in the same group as Emily, he shot off his Spell at the same time. Alfred had been making sure to fire a Spell that would be very similar to Emily¡¯s. With her training from her grandmother, Emily was extremely accurate with her Magecraft Spell selections. Though Alfred had been training hard to hone that skill himself, he still had a long way to go before reaching Emily¡¯s level. ¡­¡­¡­though he knew that she was strong for a person of his age, seeing Emily, who is the same age as him, or Henry, who is only a little older, made him doubt his own strength and skill level. He knew that it was not something he should be thinking about right now. Fred: (No, no, no! Get a hold of yourself!) Alfred shook his head, and chugged down the Magic Recovery potion quickly. Emily: ¡°Fred! How was that Spell just now? That worked pretty well, huh?!¡± Fred: ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah. It did.¡± Being caught off guard, he answered without thinking. Fred: (¡°Pretty well¡±? Is she serious?) Emily¡¯s Magecraft skill level was well beyond just ¡°pretty good.¡± Emily: ¡°But it¡¯s still not at a level that would work against a Demon General. Mr. Henry really is amazing.¡± Emily was also paying attention to Henry and his group¡¯s fight against the Demon General. Emily: ¡°Well, even if I¡¯m not at that level right now, we¡¯ll reach there in no time. Right, Fred?¡± Speaking with so much confidence and without the slightest hint of doubt, Alfred could only stare back at her in wonder. Fred: ¡°.......yeah, of course.¡± He strained a smile and could only nod at Emily¡¯s words. ¡­¡­..regardless of the questionable character, the Spencer Family will never treat a beautiful girl¡¯s words carelessly ©` it was just not in their blood to do so. Feeling his dread and shame lift after seeing Emily¡¯s innocent smile, Alred looked up. Fred: ¡°Mr. Derrick! We are ready for the next Spell!¡± Derrick: ¡°I¡¯m still getting the right timing so shut up and wait right there!¡± Alfred couldn¡¯t hold back and voiced his ambition, and Derrick only chastised him in response. CH 154 Ch. 154: The Battle Part 3 Henry: ¡°UGH, GUUH!!¡± I take on a direct attack from Gizehride. I dig my feet deep into the ground and push back with all my might. ¡­¡­..the pressure immediately withdrew as Gizehride lowered his giant broadsword for the next attack. Ageha; ¡°Henry! It¡¯s about time! Don¡¯t let your guard down!¡± Henry: ¡°I know©`!¡± Ageha, who has been striking and retreating all this time, sent me a warning, and I nodded. It was obvious that Gizehride¡¯s strength was dropping compared to the very beginning. The fact that I¡¯m still in one piece after receiving an attack is proof of it. Just a little while back, if I didn¡¯t deflect some of the momentum of the attack away from me, my arms and legs snapped, and Yuu had to heal me. ¡­¡­..in other words, the Demon General¡¯s [Depletion] was nearing. Gizehride: ¡°Ha! You¡¯re too young to be so weary! Show some of that reckless ambition and come at me!¡± Henry: ¡°Like hell I would!¡± There¡¯s no reason for me to give him any leeway. Besides, he might just be faking it and trying to take our guard down. Until he¡¯s completely dead, we¡¯re going all out. There¡¯s no other option than that. I glance and make eye contact with Ageha. I saw her nod slightly, and I prepare for my next attack. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Fire] {Ignis} + [Launch] {Veros}!¡± I fire a flaming magic arrow towards Gizehride¡¯s face. Even with 2 strength enhancements, the power of the Spell would not even singe his skin, but his eyes are no exception. After I shot off the arrows, I chased after them swiftly and closed in on Gizehride and thrust my spear at his stomach. He had to deal with an attack to the face and body at the same time¡­¡­.and Ageha appeared behind Gizehride to strike. Gizehride: ¡°Ha¡­.you think it¡¯ll¡­..be that easy!!¡± We were in range to deliver a severe blow, and one of them should have hit¡­¡­.but Magic Power exploded out of Gizehride¡¯s entire body and blocked all 3 of our attacks. We were blown back away lightly, and as I rolled on the ground, I readied my spear once more. Ageha¡­¡­¡­looks like she¡¯s okay. She¡¯s already on her feet with her knife at the ready. Without Magecraft or Magic to guide the shape of the Magic Power, it shouldn¡¯t have so much influence on the physical world¡­¡­.but though he¡¯s a vanguard-type, he¡¯s still a Demon General. It was much more powerful than a poorly executed Magecraft Spell, and my entire body ached. Even so¡­ Gizehride: ¡°................¡± Gizehride struggled to maintain his breath and panted in exhaustion. I have also consumed a large amount of stamina and concentration, but because of the enhancement buff from Yuu, I still have plenty of Magic Power left. Yuu has been throwing defensive spells to support us from the backlines, and has already downed 6 Magic Recovery Potions. I took a chance to look slightly away from the Demon General to analyze the overall battlefield. The fight against the Upper-Tier Demonic Creatures has been going smoothly. Cyril has been blasting her Magic once every 2 or 3 minutes, and Demonic Creatures have been decimated by the explosions. This was an unexpected advantage for Captain Zerato, and he had been maneuvering the army to allow Cyril to blast large groups and spaces. Though it¡¯s easy to get distracted by Cyril¡¯s Spells alone, Emily has been methodically taking down Demonic Creatures with her Magecraft, and Fred, who was in the same division, was also working hard. Of course, that goes for the rest of the Spell Firing Squad, Knights, and Adventurers. They united against the major threat to the city, and the end result of the battle was becoming clear. There had been fewer and fewer interruptions of Demonic Creatures during our battle with the Demon General. ¡­¡­¡­..now, all that¡¯s left is for us to defeat the Demon General. I let out a breath to relax my body, and suck in a breath as I yelled. Henry: ¡°Yuu! This is it! We¡¯ll finish this with the next move! Go all out!¡± Yuu: ¡°¡«¡«¡«, Ugh, fine, I get it!¡± ¡°Go all out,¡± in this case means drink another Potion. She chugged the 7th Potion down, and I feel enough Magic Power flow into me that would be able to handle the next Spell. ©`©`okay, let¡¯s finish this. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Secure] {Isu} + [Restrain] {Katerno} + [Restrain] {Katerno}!¡± With 5 Magecraft Spells stacked, I throw the Nyoiten Spear as hard as I can. It splits into 30 clones as it soars across the air. ©`©`normally, it would be impossible for me to pack so much, but with Yuu¡¯s help, I have more than enough Magic Power in my reserves. Gizehride: ¡°GR! UUURRRGHHHHH?!?!¡± There was no way to dodge all the countless spear heads. Gizehride grunted and howled as he swung his giant broadsword at the spears. Gizehride: ¡°It©`s, heavy?!¡± And failed to deflect the spears. It was one of the new abilities that Mr. Gordon added to the spear as he modified it ©` weight manipulation. It was the first time I¡¯ve used it in actual combat, but if the weight of the spear increases, so will its effectiveness. I¡¯ve been using my spear in countless maneuvers up to this point, and Gizehride has adjusted accordingly. He had tried to deflect my spear the same as before¡­¡­¡­and hiding this ability up to this moment really paid off. With the unexpected weight added upon the spears, a few struck and pierced Gizehride. A Magic Chain also now wrapped around him, and the rest of the spears that struck the ground around him prohibited him from moving anymore for a split second. If this was the same Gizehride as the start of the battle, this would have only held for a few moments¡­¡­.but now, we had no intention of letting this opportunity go by. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac}!¡± I casted strength enhancement on my entire body. With two layers of strength buffs, my body screams under the pressure, but for a few seconds, I grit my teeth and move forward. I returned one of the Nyoiten Spears back to my hand, and I thrust a strike at Gizehride who is still stuck in place by my other spears. Gizehride: ¡°UGH¡­¡­¡­..AGHHH?!¡± I finally struck home. He twisted his body to avoid getting struck directly in the heart, but my spear hit his shoulder area, and as the spear struck through, it left a large gaping hole behind. ©`©`this is our chance. Henry: ¡°Ageha! Now!¡± Ageha: ¡°©`©`yeah! That head, is MINE!¡± As Ageha charged in, I dispelled the Nyoiten Spear¡¯s clones. ¡­¡­¡­.and being able to stretch out the length of time the Nyoiten Spear¡¯s clones can remain is also thanks to Mr. Gordon¡¯s modifications. At last, the new abilities that were added to my gear were coming in handy. Ageha¡¯s knife slid through the air noiselessly. With his shoulder deeply wounded, Gizehride couldn¡¯t use his arms to block¡­¡­..and her knife met the skin of his neck. Henry: (She did it!) Or so I thought for an instant©`©` Ageha: ¡°.........ugh! CRAP!!¡± Ageha¡¯s knife was unable to completely decapitate Gizehride¡¯s head. It cut a little less than halfway and stopped. Realizing that her blade would not be able to go any further, Ageha let go of it, and ran back to where I stood. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.though he¡¯s still alive with a knife cutting that deeply into his throat, I¡¯m not surprised. Ageha: ¡°AGH! It got caught in something, and I couldn¡¯t pull it out. Henry! That¡¯s my favorite godly equipment, so we¡¯re going to kill him and get it back, okay!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, sure. But don¡¯t rush things and do anything reckless.¡± Ageha: ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re talking to!¡± She pulled out her secondary knife, and Ageha readied her blade once more. I also ready my spear and prepare for Gizehride¡¯s next move. Though Gizehride¡¯s a complete monster, I think he¡¯s finally nearing his limit. I have no other hidden tricks up my sleeve, but we¡¯ll just have to crush him with everything we got! Gizehride: ¡°........I guess, this is it.¡± And I was just about to attack when©`©` Gizehride mumbled under his breath, and let go of his broadsword with his uninjured hand. The giant broadsword squashed into the ground with a sickening thud and splash as it returned to Corrupted Magic. Gizehride: ¡°It is¡­..your victory.¡± As he squeezed the words out©`©` He fell to his knees, and fell forward to hit the ground. ¡­¡­¡­..Ageha¡¯s knife that was still stuck in his neck fell out, and blood began pouring out from the wound. Henry: ¡°Oh¡­¡­¡­¡± Silence followed. All who were watching lost their words. ¡­¡­¡­..and the remaining Demonic Creatures all dissipated into Corrupted Magic as their creator died, and a murmur of confusion arose from the ranks. ¡°Did we¡­¡­.win?¡± ¡°We¡­..won, right?¡± I heard the murmurs and whispers from a distance as it spread through the group like wildfire. Captain Zerato took one look at the situation and raised his sword high into the air. Zerato: ¡°YESSSS! IT¡¯S OUR VICTORY!! WITH ME, EVERYONE!!¡± And with leader of the Knights leading the crowd, a thunderous roar of victory erupted. ¡° ¡° ¡° YEAAAAAAHHHHHH©`©`©`©`!! ¡± ¡± ¡± And cheers echoed across the battlefield. Henry: ¡°..........fwew¡­¡­¡± It was over so unexpectedly, that I stood there for one confused moment, and then the strength left me as I crumpled down to the ground to sit. ¡­¡­¡­just a little bit. Yes, just a little bit. No matter how strong he was, killing someone who was communicating with us normally left a bad taste in my mouth¡­¡­¡­but this would pass after a good night¡¯s sleep. Ageha who was also standing next to me also sat on the ground¡­¡­. £¼WHAM!£¾ And she smashed her fist against the ground in pure frustration. Ageha: ¡°AAAAGGHHHH!! DANGIT!! I LOST!!¡± Henry: ¡°......stop talking crazy. We just defeated the Demon General, right?¡± Ageha: ¡°But I didn¡¯t take his head! And well, if it was just that, it wouldn¡¯t matter so much, but I had the timing perfect! And the fact that he kept his head after that is not fair at all!!¡± Ageha continued to vent her frustration around her. Since it was her final strike that ended the Demon General, I feel like she could be happy to take the credit, but it¡¯s not the first time that I have to deal with her weird personal rules. As I gaze wondering at Ageha, Yuu comes over. Yuu: ¡°Good work, you too. ¡­¡­..and I see Ageha¡¯s in one of her weird moods again.¡± They¡¯ve known each other for a while now, and Yuu was used to Ageha¡¯s rants. Ageha: ¡°Yuu, that¡¯s awful. Can¡¯t you see that your best friend is in the dumps? Is that all you have to say?¡± Yuu: ¡°Ohhh¡­.ummm¡­..so you¡¯re feeling down. O©`Okay¡­..ummmm, better luck next time?¡± Ageha: ¡°You didn¡¯t mean anything you said!¡± Ugh, this girl! And as I look wearily at Ageha, I hear some light footsteps approaching. ¡­¡­¡­it was a presence that I was well acquainted with. I turn my head, and raise my hand to greet Cyril who is running over. Cyril: ¡°Good work, Henry!¡± Henry: ¡°Yup, thanks for all your hard work too.¡± And with that©`©` ¡­¡­.our fight against the Demon General was over. CH 155 Ch. 155: Aftermath of the Battle 3 days passed since we defeated the Demon General. For now, we had a victory celebration the night of the battle, and the next day, the Council held a ceremony to award those who participated. ¡­¡­..and I was selected to receive the first reward and represent everyone, but I chucked the responsibility to Miss Hero of Legend. The most beautiful Lady Saint of Salvation who could stand on any stage. From the Council¡¯s perspective, it would look better for the ceremony to have a Hero of Legend exchange places with me, so it¡¯s not my fault. Yuu actually dislikes standing out in front of crowds of people like this, so she told me that she won¡¯t forget this, but unfortunately for her, I already have. And so, yesterday. ¡­¡­¡­against that scale of Demonic Creatures, there was miraculously very few casualties, but even so, it was not zero, and we held a joint funeral for all those who fell in battle. For those who were still breathing by the time the Demon General was defeated, Yuu chugged and threw up Potions while she ran around healing them, but some things just can¡¯t be helped. Of course, these were all people I¡¯ve never spoken to. So I don¡¯t plan on carrying this guilt for the rest of my life, but I can¡¯t forget that it¡¯s because of people¡¯s sacrifices like this that I was able to focus on my fight with the Demon General. And after the funeral was over, Yuu and Ageha returned to Ligaleo. Yuu wanted to stay a little longer, but Ageha, who failed in taking the head of the Demon General, shouted, ¡°I need to redo my training! We¡¯re going to chop off every Demonic Creatures head in Ligaleo!¡± and dragged Yuu away. ¡­¡­¡­at the very end of the day, Yuu wasn¡¯t going to leave Ageha behind. And thoughts like this trickled through my mind when©`©` At the bulletin board of the Mages Tower, 1st Floor, I read a notice. Henry: ¡°.........oh¡­¡­.classes won¡¯t resume for a week, huh¡­..¡± From just a student and Adventurer like myself, I thought the majority of the aftermath of the battle was done, but from the people responsible for this city¡¯s perspective, there was still much more to do. For instance, they would have to repair the field where the Long Range Specialist Division rained down hellfire and ruined the terrain completely. I didn¡¯t know this till I arrived here, but apparently, there are construction work specialists Magecraft Styles. Cyril: ¡°The All Magic Course is the same too¡«¡± Henry: ¡°I see. Well, what to do¡­..¡± Cyril was looking at another announcement and mumbled out loud, so I began thinking. We could potentially register time on the practice field to do some self-training¡­¡­¡­but since coming to this town, we haven¡¯t really taken a break. From the fight with the Demon General, I had Heal Magic cast on me several dozen times to recover from my wounds, so my body is still out of whack. Henry: ¡°Hmm¡«¡« I guess we should take an extended break, maybe? If you want to train, I can help too.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, that would be good. I thought it was about time for a long break.¡± And Cyril has been working very hard too. Not just with her Magic, but I have been helping train her physical strength, so though she would complain often, she still completed everything I asked her to do. ¡­¡­¡­¡­and well, we¡¯ll do the bare minimum upkeep, but otherwise, we should go on holiday. Henry: ¡°Well, then that¡¯s that. Since it¡¯s about that time, why not drop by some place for lunch? Know a good place?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, then let¡¯s go to this one restaurant I¡¯ve been meaning to try. Yes, let¡¯s do that. Apparently, their vegetables are carefully selected and delicious, so it¡¯s very good for the skin.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­.isn¡¯t that¡­¡­a place where I¡¯m not going to fit in at all? But I guess with Cyril with me, I won¡¯t be too out of place. I scratch my cheek and decide to let her do as she pleases, and we saw two familiar faces appear and approach. Henry: ¡°Hey, Emily, Fred. You two also here for updates on the bulletin board?¡± Emily: ¡°Mr. Henry, Cyril, hello. Yes, I thought it was about that time when they would post some notices.¡± Henry: ¡°The course will not resume for a week, apparently.¡± Emily: ¡°A week?! That long? Well, I¡¯m going to be bored out of my mind.¡± Emily pouted her lips at the news. Emily: ¡°Fred, I¡¯m going to do some training, so could you help?¡± Fred: ¡°Hm? Yeah, sure, Emily. I always learn a lot from your Magecraft anyways.¡± Emily: ¡°Hehe! Feel free to compliment my fabulous Magecraft as much as you want!¡± Fred: ¡°Yup, yup. Very fabulous.¡± Emily and Fred made some plans to do some training later. Hmmm¡­¡­are these two¡­¡­getting along pretty well? Well, it has been 2 and a half months since we all started taking the same course, and they were in the same division against the Demon General. I guess it¡¯s only natural. Fred: ¡°...........¡± Henry: ¡°? What¡¯s up, Fred.¡± And I noticed Fred staring quite intensely at me. Fred: ¡°Ummmm, Mr. Henry. You were¡­..amazing in that fight against the Demon General.¡± Henry: ¡°I©`Is that right? Um¡­¡­thanks?¡± At the victory celebration and ceremonies, many people gave me compliments, but it was strange to hear that from someone I knew. Well, I really couldn¡¯t say that it wasn¡¯t a big deal, but¡­¡­¡­well¡­..I know so many stronger people, so it does feel wrong in some ways. Without Yuu¡¯s buff, I wouldn¡¯t have lasted 5 minutes. Fred: ¡°I know I¡¯m no match for you right now, but I will one day catch up as your equal.¡± Henry: ¡°Y©`Yeah, sure¡­.¡± His words caught me off guard. ¡­¡­.I¡¯ve definitely trained with Sir Ezeal and Mr. Hero in mind, but I guess some people are looking up to me now. Now that I think about it, it might have been like this for a while now, but now that someone said it to my face, I finally realized it. But¡­¡­.it¡¯s not like that will change anything. I guess I¡¯ll work hard enough to not disappoint this guy who¡¯s looking up to me. Emily: ¡°Fred, that¡¯s very brave of you. You saw how difficult that fight was, and you haven¡¯t given up at all.¡± Fred: ¡°Yeah, thanks, Emily. And now, I just need to go find a beautiful Ningel¡¯s Hand Magecraft user who will learn how to cast a buff specific to me!¡± ¡­¡­hey. Henry: ¡°......does she need to be beautiful?¡± Fred: ¡°Well, it¡¯s not absolutely necessary, but wouldn¡¯t that be more motivating in that case? Mr. Henry, you¡¯re getting your buff from the Lady Saint of Salvation, so I¡¯m sure you understand.¡± As if! As far as that woman goes, I¡¯ve just gotten used to her in a lot of ways! ¡°Well said, Fred! As expected of a man of the Spencer Family!¡± ¡­¡­..huh? As I was trying to think of what I was going to say to Fred, I heard a familiar voice. I turned around, and I saw a sharp, handsome looking man smiling mischievously at me. ¡°Hey, Henry, Miss Cyril, long time©`©`¡± Henry: ¡°......yeah, it has been a while. So, Owen. Why are you here?¡± Owen: ¡°What? You know that the Red Dragon Knights Order lost some men in that fight against the Demon General, right? So I came to fill in those empty spots as reinforcement for the time being. The Demon General¡¯s Corrupted Magic is still in the area, so there might be strong creatures appearing, and well, the famous Black Dragon Knights Order was called for help.¡± I see. Owen: ¡°And my brother happened to be in the area, so I volunteered¡­¡­.but hey, Henry. Looks like you¡¯ve been taking good care of my brother, Fred, huh?¡± Henry: ¡°It was just a coincidence. We happened to take the same course. When I first heard his relationship with you, it caught me off guard.¡± It really was a strange coincidence. Owen: ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Fred. I guess we last saw each other when I last came home?¡± Fred: ¡°Umm, yes, Brother Owen, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Owen: ¡°Yeah, and who¡¯s the girl?¡± Owen turned his gaze toward Emily, and she nodded. Emily: ¡°I am taking the same course as Fred and Mr. Henry. My name is Emily Statia. Nice to meet you.¡± Owen: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m Owen. ¡­¡­..you¡¯re cute, but Fred, is she your©`©`¡± Fred: ¡°No no, we¡¯re just friends.¡± Owen stuck his pinky finger out, but Fred denied his suspicions. ¡­¡­¡­.but I can¡¯t help but feel that they get along pretty well. Owen: ¡°I see, I see. Well, let¡¯s talk later about your time here. Since I just arrived today, I get to take the day off.¡± Fred: ¡°Yes, of course.¡± It was just a friendly chat between brothers¡­..but Owen suddenly darkened his expression. Owen: ¡°But leaving that aside, Fred. I just happened to overhear you talking and¡­¡­.that was heartbreaking. You have such a strong and cool elder brother, but you instead make Henry your goal¡­.?¡± Fred: ¡°O©`Oh, but that¡¯s©`©`¡± And Owen started to kid around, but Fred was panicking. ¡­..hmph. Henry: ¡°HA! Of course he¡¯ll choose the stronger between the two. What are you talking about, Owen.¡± Owen: ¡°You¡¯re going to eat those words, Henry. I¡¯ve been fighting non-stop on the frontlines, and the Captain has been training me like crazy, so I¡¯m nothing like our fight before.¡± Henry: ¡°Let¡¯s see what¡¯s changed. C¡¯mon. It¡¯s a practice match. We¡¯ll borrow the training field here.¡± Owen: ¡°You¡¯re on!!¡± I provoke and he takes the bait. We both quickly disappear towards the reception desk to reserve a practice field for our match. Emily: ¡°.......was Mr. Henry acting a little differently than usual?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh©` when he¡¯s around Miss Yuu, Miss Ageha, or anyone around his age, he tends to be that way. He really doesn¡¯t like to lose.¡± Fred: ¡°But a practice match? Right now? What¡¯s that about? Brother Owen took it as if it was normal.¡± Cyril: ¡°Apparently, in Ligaleo, if you meet a comrade, you greet each other with your fists. I think it turned out more peaceful than usual since there were no sneak attacks. Fred: ¡°What are the frontlines¡­¡­.¡± And I overhear Cyril whispering to each other. But all I could think about was the match, and Owen was the same. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°Ugh©`©` dangit. Stupid Owen. He knew I was not in my best condition today.¡± 6 wins and 4 losses out of 10. It was true that Owen¡¯s movements were better, but in my best condition, I could have won 8 or 9 rounds easily. I should have postponed the match until 3 days from now. By then, most of my wounds from the fight with the Demon General would have recovered. Cyril: ¡°Wasn¡¯t it your idea, Henry, to do that practice match?¡± Henry: ¡°..............¡± I heard Cyril¡¯s voice from very close by, but I decided to ignore her comment. Words like these tend to never reach my ears. Cyril: ¡°Sheesh.¡± And she lightly slaps my cheeks. Cyril: ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me©`©` sheesh, do you want me to push you off?¡± Henry: ¡°Okay, okay. My bad. I¡¯m sorry. Let me rest for a little longer.¡± Cyril: ¡°Fine, fine.¡± We were in the living room of our rental house. On a sofa where a fully grown man can lay down, I had my head resting on Cyril¡¯s lap. I could never do this if other people are around¡­¡­.so this actually felt like the right moment. Whenever I¡¯m in the mood to just lay about, she lets me rest on her lap like this. And there are times when we switch places too. Cyril: ¡°But well©`©` a lot happened, but we only have a little time left. Our stay in Sunwest is almost over.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. I guess it¡¯s a little more than 2 weeks until we meet up with Jend and the rest. It¡¯s too bad that the course is on pause for a week.¡± Before the Demon General attacked the city, we had already delivered a letter with a specific place, date, and time for when we would regroup. There were some incidents, but we had already reserved our spot at the Transportation Gate, and we didn¡¯t plan to reschedule that. Cyril: ¡°Ohhh, but we need to make sure to clean and empty out any additional things we brought here.¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯ll leave the planning to you. I¡¯ll move whatever you need me to.¡± If I try, it would be so inefficient, that Cyril would give me that exasperated look again. Cyril: ¡°Okay©`©` you just leave it to Miss Cyril©`¡± Henry: ¡°Thanks.¡± And the conversation ended. Cyril: ¡°¡«¡«? ¡«¡«?¡± Cyril began reading a book on poetry and hummed a tune. And though we¡¯ve done this quite often¡­¡­..when I¡¯m laying my head on her lap and hear her singing, I get very sleepy. I tried to keep my eyes open, but my lids gradually grew heavier¡­..and finally, I fell asleep. ©`©` ¡°Okay, I need to make dinner so get off©`©`!!¡± is also part of our routine as she shakes me awake. CH 156 Ch. 156: Reuniting with the Party Today was the last day for the course at the Mages Tower. After finishing all of my goodbyes with Mr. Derrick and the other course instructors, I casually strolled to the 1st floor of the Mages Tower to wait for Cyril. Out of all the classmates in my course, Fred and Emily, who I especially got to know better, were with me. Fred: ¡°Mr. Henry, that reminds me. I had a message to pass on to you from Brother Owen. Before you leave Sunwest, he wanted to go out and have one more drink. He said Emily and Cyril can come too, and we can make it a farewell party.¡± Henry: ¡°Hmm©` yeah, that¡¯s fine. We¡¯re pretty much done cleaning and packing anyways.¡± I nod to Fred¡¯s suggestion. Currently, Owen is lodging at the same housing as the Red Dragon Knights and has been training Fred, who lived in an apartment near the entrance of the city, every morning. ¡­¡­¡­..though he was joking about how Fred was looking up to me as a goal, it apparently ruffled some of Owen¡¯s feathers and roused him to show Fred how strong he was. Fred: ¡°How about it, Emily?¡± Emily: ¡°That¡¯s fine with me©` your brother is really funny.¡± Emily, who was reading a technical magazine about Magecraft, the Magecraft News placed in the hall, immediately nodded. Henry: ¡°Then I¡¯ll let Owen make the plans. Cyril and I will leave here in four days so tomorrow would be best for us.¡± Fred: ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll make sure to tell him.¡± Owen is a pro when it comes to arranging these get-togethers so leaving it to him should be no problem. Since he¡¯ll be with the Red Dragon Knights for a while, he¡¯s been exploring around town looking for good places to eat. Emily: ¡°Oh©`©` that¡¯s amazing¡«¡± Henry: ¡°? What¡¯s up, Emily? Is there an interesting article in the Magecraft News?¡± Emily: ¡°Yes. Mr. Henry, take a look at this.¡± Being drawn by Emily¡¯s attention, I glanced at the Magecraft News from the side. Henry: ¡°...........huh?¡± ¡­¡­.and for a second, I doubted my eyes. It¡¯s rare to see a photograph in the newspaper, but this must have been quite the big ordeal. A nervous looking girl¡¯s picture was clearly showcased on the page. Normally, that wouldn¡¯t have surprised me but¡­¡­.the girl on the newspaper¡¯s face was¡­¡­.really, really familiar, and I don¡¯t think it was a mere coincidence. I quickly read the title of the article. [15 year old Girl Genius Proves Theorem to Remove Effect of Corrupted Magic in Magecraft] ¡­¡­..and the article begins with Miss Lana, who is from the northern town or Flowtier©`©` Emily: ¡°She¡¯s younger than me, but she¡¯s so amazing.¡± Henry: ¡°Here, let me see the article too. ¡­¡­..huh¡­..if this is true, a lot is going to change around here.¡± ¡­¡­¡­..Magecraft is disrupted in areas where Corrupted Magic Density is high. Although Magecraft Spells used by individuals have less effect, but the Magecraft Barriers that surround towns and the Teleportation Gate that we couldn¡¯t use this round, become completely useless in environments where Corrupted Magic is present. For equipment that is significantly affected will have a separate, individual energy source like a Magic-Storing Stone to compensate. One theory is that people exert Magic Power differently than Magic Stones and human-generated Magic Power has more resistance to Corrupted Magic. Hence the difference¡­¡­.or so they say. So¡­..if this article is true, if we can remove the disruptions caused by Corrupted Magic to Magecraft Artifacts, Lana just may have found a way to make it function in all environments. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.whoa¡­¡­¡­really? Cyril: ¡°Henry©`©`! Sorry to make you wait©`!¡± Henry: ¡°H©`Hey! Cyril! You¡¯re here early.¡± I jumped hearing her call my name right beside me. Looking to the side, Cyril was smiling and standing right next to me. Cyril: ¡°? What¡¯s wrong? You usually notice when I¡¯m approaching¡­¡­.oh, what? Why is Lana on the front page of the newspaper?¡± And Cyril immediately notices the article Emily was holding and looks at it questioningly. Emily: ¡°Oh, Cyril. Do you know her?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes. My hometown is Flowtier, and she is the poster girl for the inn that Henry stays at. So because of that, I got to know her.¡± Emily: ¡°Oh, so Mr. Henry knows her too?¡± Henry: ¡°Y©`Yeah¡­¡± Though the 3 of them are being pretty casual about this, for me¡­¡­¡­wait, isn¡¯t this a huge deal? I got a certain gut feeling that it is. For example, on the frontlines, the Corrupted Magic is too thick, and the Magecraft Barriers are useless. If, for instance, the Barrier started working to its fullest potential¡­¡­then it might not be able to hold back Upper-Tier Demonic Creatures, but at the very least, more would be able to sleep soundly through the night. Another advantage is the tools that I use. To be able to use some of them in Corrupted Magic dense areas, I have a Magic Igniter to activate them. That is a common limitation in Corrupted Magic environments. But if those limitations are removed, we could use traps much more easily, and even people who can¡¯t fight could use tools to resist the Demonic Creatures. And best of all, if we can use the Teleportation Gate¡­¡­..the war is going to begin shifting to our advantage. Usually, news about new technology like this would have issues with the cost to implement or would have many problems using it in real situations but¡­¡­..in the near future, the article explained that she was going to be awarded the medal of Hestania, the god and symbol of wisdom. ¡­¡­.and although I¡¯m not too familiar with the award, I thought this was one of the highest medals of honor awarded to people who made huge discoveries or academics who contributed greatly to society. No matter what, it would typically not be given to a girl who hasn¡¯t even reached adulthood¡­¡­.and judging from that fact, this reflected greatly on how huge of a deal Lana¡¯s discovery was. Cyril: ¡°Oh, the award ceremony is in 10 days. Henry, why don¡¯t we stay at the Capital and celebrate with Lana?¡± Henry: ¡°Y©`Yeah. Well, we¡¯ll have to discuss that with Jend when we get back together.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay©`©`¡± I let out a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. ¡­¡­¡­.for now, I should just keep my expectations low. <<<<>>>> We finished our farewell party hosted by Owen. We gave back the key of the rental home back to the appropriate reception desk at the Mages Tower. And we travel through the Teleport gate through Sunwest to the Capital of Centraleo. We were in a coffee shop near the Teleportation Station entry gate. From our seat, we could look through the window and gaze at the Capital city, and we waited for Jend and the rest of our Party to arrive. Cyril: ¡°Wow©` it¡¯s been a while since we came to the Capital. When we went to Sunwest from Eastflair, we didn¡¯t come through here.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, I guess last time was when we accompanied Lana to the university here.¡± ¡­¡­¡­and that same Lana made a huge discovery the other day. I knew she was smart, but I would never have thought that she would pull off something like this. Cyril: ¡°Is Jend and the rest not here yet?¡± Henry: ¡°They said that there were some delays from Eastflair to the Capital Teleport, so I think it¡¯ll just be a little bit longer.¡± There could be trouble with the Magecraft Spell Inscription, one of the Mages not feeling well, customers coming in late at the last moment¡­¡­..etc. So even with the travel time being practically instantaneous, that does not mean that they are always right on schedule. Our arrival was actually supposed to be after Jend¡¯s, but there was some mishap that occurred with the Spell Inscription on their end, and emergency maintenance caused delays on their end. Henry: ¡°Oh, speak of the devil.¡± A crowd emerged from the Teleportation station. I was guessing that it was probably the group from Eastflair. The crowd was large, and it would have been difficult finding specific people normally but¡­.. Cyril: ¡°Oh! I see them!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, well¡­ being that tall and big, he¡¯s really easy to find.¡± Jend is at least a head taller than most, so he was our marker. Cyril and I saw our friends in the very back of the large crowd. The coffee was almost cold, but I drank it down and grabbed our tab. Henry: ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go©`¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay©`¡± We paid the bill and walked towards our Party members who were looking for us. On the way there, they noticed us too and came our way. Jend: ¡°Henry, Cyril, it¡¯s been a while!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah¡­¡­¡­.holy, Jend. Aren¡¯t you pretty beefed up now? What¡¯s with all those muscles?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, well. I was swinging my sword from morning to evening, so I finally got a compliment that my body was shaping up like a swordsman from the Dojo Master.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.the standards at Eastflair are really high. 3 months ago, Jend was plenty fit. Cyril: ¡°Teo, Miss Ferris, hello¡« How are you two? I feel that you two also look much stronger now!¡± Teo: ¡°Hi Cyril¡­¡­you don¡¯t have to force yourself to find compliments for us too, you know.¡± Ferris: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay, Teo. She¡¯s being genuine, so let¡¯s just accept it.¡± The women were also enjoying their reunion. Henry: ¡°Teo, Ferris, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Ferris: ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good to see you well, Mr. Henry. ¡­¡­..and we also saw the news about the Demon General in the Adventurer¡¯s News. You repelled the Demon General with Miss Eustacia and Ageha. There was a photo too.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh yeah?¡± I was the vanguard fighting at the forefront, but as for the public news, I was just a Heroic Warrior that assisted the two Heroes of Legend. Even in the photo of the three of us, I was placed on the far end. ¡­¡­..and well, the fame and recognition of the Heroes of Legend would give more impact to the article, and if you¡¯re going to decorate your front page with a photo, it would be better to do so with two beautiful girls than a burly man. So I don¡¯t disagree with how the media handled it. But the Church should have given me plenty of recognition and points, so no matter what the public says, I don¡¯t care. In fact, I prefer remaining in the background. Teo: ¡°That¡¯s right. You defeated a Demon General with Sister Ageha. Please let me hear the story some time.¡± Jend: ¡°I want to hear about your fight too.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hehehe, then leave that to Miss Cyril! I was able to watch the whole thing from the side and can give you a more detailed account!¡± And Cyril raised her hand in confidence but¡­¡­ummm¡­¡­. Henry: ¡°........were you able to really see what Ageha and I were doing during the battle?¡± Even being overly generous, you would need a considerable amount of training and skill to keep up with our movements during that battle. Cyril: ¡°Oh©` Um©` ¡­¡­well, I, I sorta saw it!¡± Teo: ¡°Miss Cyril, those aren¡¯t the details we¡¯re looking for.¡± Cyril: ¡°.........okay©`©`¡± Being shut down by Teo, Cyril dragged her feet away. Henry: ¡°Well, I know there¡¯s a lot of catching up to do, so let¡¯s find an inn somewhere for today. ¡­¡­oh, before that, take a look at this.¡± I show them the Magecraft News I purchased from a vendor. Jend: ¡°.........why is Lana on the news?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah©` I found out about it through the news too. Here, you can read the article yourself.¡± So Jend and the other two didn¡¯t know about this. ¡­¡­¡­.but well, the Magecraft News is a specialty magazine, so it¡¯s not very well known or popular, so that was to be expected. If everything written here is true, then the news is going to spread to the regular news network, and it¡¯s going to be big. And after the 3 finished reading the article, I suggested for us to stay until the award ceremony was complete, and everyone agreed. CH 157 Ch. 157: Catching Up with the Party At the Grandes Church in the Capital of Centraleo. Because there are no Demonic Creatures that spawn around this area, even though it is the nation¡¯s capital, there are far fewer accommodations and people here at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. And because the real-estate prices are so high at the Capital, a Church who hosts far fewer Adventurers must tighten their budgets and minimize as much waste as possible ©` hence, why they offer far fewer services than any other place¡­¡­¡­.and that¡¯s the to be expected from a Church that worships the God of Battle. Even though their other services pale in comparison to Churches around the nation, their training grounds were fully serviced and available. And we were at the training ground that was only composed of 2 practice fields. Since people rarely used these facilities, I had a practice match with Jend while the rest of the Party watched. Jend: ¡°OOOOORAAAHHH!!¡± (*sfx yell) Henry: ¡°U©`GH?!¡± I continue to struggle and deflect Jend¡¯s non-stop attacks. We limited the fight to just physical enhancements and weapons, and since the start of the match, I haven¡¯t had a single chance to counter or attack. Cyril: ¡°Henry! You can do it©`!¡± Ferris; ¡°Jend! Keep pushing to the end!¡± We hear Cyril and Ferris¡¯ voices from the sidelines. ¡­¡­..and Jend is getting pumped up more with his offense, but I have no intention of letting things end like this. I began shortening and lengthening the Nyoiten Spear and with the subtle changes in length, I forced him to miscalculate my weapon¡¯s range. Jend: ¡°Huh?! Ugh!! Wai©` what?!¡± ¡­¡­.and while we continued to cross our weapons, my weapon in particular began shifting in length unexpectedly. I¡¯ve never had it done to me, but I can imagine how difficult of a time that would be. Jend couldn¡¯t help but jump back, and ready his weapon once again. Jend: ¡°.......hey, Henry. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s pretty cheap to do?¡± Henry: ¡°We decided on Physical Enhancements and weapons only in this match, right? I¡¯m just using one of my weapon¡¯s abilities. ¡­¡­¡­but well, I didn¡¯t think you would force me to use this.¡± There was some luck and miscalculations on my part, but Jend held the reins of the first part of this match. I could already see how much his sword skills had improved significantly. He didn¡¯t just learn a few new tricks or moves. His each and individual swing itself had been refined to several levels higher. A simple swing without any deception or tricks could reach these kinds of heights¡­¡­.against Demonic Creatures, petty moves and tricks that work on people are not as meaningful, so for Jend, the training he underwent would prove most useful in Ligaleo. I believe in Rishu, they have an age-old saying, ¡°To tell a different story after not meeting a man for 3 days,¡± but this really is something else. Though Jend still lacks experience, I can¡¯t just say I¡¯m the stronger one that needs to take care of him anymore. He¡¯s grown that much. Yup, good. Very good. If it was just weapons only, I¡¯ve lost to him before, and here, it may have been the teaching moment to lose to him without using my weapon¡¯s ability¡­¡­.but¡­¡­ Jend: ¡°Hey, Henry, stop shifting your weapon length.¡± Henry: ¡°No.¡± I lengthen the Nyoiten Spear considerably. ¡­¡­¡­hehehe¡­..I see, Jend. Your swings have gotten better, but what about your side positioning and footwork? I see that there¡¯s still not much improvement in that area. Would you be able to parry and dodge past my spear attacks with such differences in range? Henry: ¡°......it would suck for me to lose to you in our first practice match after reuniting with you guys.¡± Jend: ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a little childish?!¡± He can say whatever he wants. I also want to look good in front of my girlfriend too. Cyril: ¡°.........oh gosh¡­¡­.Henry¡¯s really not holding back at all.¡± Teo: ¡°For me, I think it¡¯s only natural to utilize everything in your repertoire.¡± Cyril: ¡°Well, I understand that, Teo, but do you think you would go that far to try and beat your own teammate in a practice match?¡± Teo: ¡°Oh¡­¡­.um¡­¡­.¡± ¡­¡­¡­it¡¯s all to impress my girlfriend! Though I think I¡¯ve missed this goal somehow, I¡¯ll console myself by achieving victory! Henry: ¡°I¡¯m coming, Jend!¡± Jend: ¡°Henry, aren¡¯t you taking this way too far?!¡± Definitely not. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°Fwew¡­¡­.¡± After the practice matches, I drank juice at the Grandes Church tavern, and let out a sigh of satisfaction. ¡­¡­¡­after that first match, I had a total of 6 matches, and I ended up with 3 wins and 3 losses. With the very first match, Jend surprised me with how much he improved and¡­¡­well, I may have used a slightly dirty trick, but from the 2nd match onwards, we fought normally, and it was about even. Of course, if I used Spells or tools, then I wouldn¡¯t lose to Jend yet, but¡­¡­.even then, I would still consider Jend as 1st rate as a martial artist. Cyril: ¡°Teo and Miss Ferris got so much stronger too©`¡± Ferris: ¡°Yeah, thanks Cyril. ¡­¡­..I¡¯m glad the training paid off.¡± Teo: ¡°But unlike Jend, we can¡¯t face Mr. Henry alone.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.Ferris and Teo are skilled with healing, scouting, and hiding, and they all improved in their own specialized areas. Although their improvement was not as much as Jend and his sword skill, the two of them could face off with me with a weapons-only limitation. Cyril: ¡°Hmmmmm, I really wish I could show everyone how much I improved.¡± Ferris: ¡°You¡¯ve shown us plenty already. Look at how fast you can initiate Spells now.¡± Cyril: ¡°No, no. I don¡¯t mean boring stuff like that. I wanted show you something more BOOM! And KAPOW! You know, something flashy like that!¡± Ferris chuckles at Cyril¡¯s words. ¡­¡­..and yeah, Cyril has improved too. The fact that it takes a shorter amount of time to finish Spell incantations is one. And she¡¯s also been rigorously trained on how a Magician should coordinate with her party. But Cyril really wanted to show off her biggest Spells. Of course, being inside the training field of a small Church inside the Capital, there¡¯s no way we could allow her to do that. She wouldn¡¯t just blow up the Church, she could easily take out the entire city district. Henry: ¡°Alright, alright. You can show off when the opportunity comes.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hmph¡­..fine. ¡­¡­I¡¯ll save it for the next time we run into a Highest-Tier.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, right. There won¡¯t be an opportunity like that any time soon. Save it for the frontlines.¡± But while I retorted to Cyril©`©` Teo: ¡°........Mr. Henry, we have encountered no less than two, and this year is not over. And this is not the frontlines.¡± Henry: ¡°Y©`Yeah, Teo. You¡¯re right. That is true but¡­..¡± Ferris: ¡°They say that what happens twice can happen a third time, so it¡¯s best to be prepared.¡± Henry: ¡°F©`Ferris? I think, we¡¯ll just waste our time if©`©`¡± But looking at Jend, I can see that his blood began pumping at the thought. No, seriously guys. Aside from Ligaleo, the Highest-Tiers only appear once in a few decades. The fact that we ran into 2 in that short period of time is just poor luck¡­¡­.. Henry: ¡°..........hm?¡± For a moment, I thought about the rumor that in the northern continent, the number of Demonic Creatures have been increasing since the Demon King¡¯s Coronation. ¡­¡­..there¡¯s no proof, but it made me wonder if this was part of that rumor? If the Highest-Tiers were appearing more frequently, there should have been a warning sent out by the Church, so right now, they are nothing but rumors. ¡­¡­¡­.and there¡¯s no telling what would happen in the future. Henry: ¡°.......well, I guess something like that could happen. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything to lose sleep over, but let¡¯s be on our guard.¡± Everyone nodded back at me. I think there¡¯s a higher chance that we¡¯ll be fretting over absolutely nothing¡­¡­.but just in case. Henry: ¡°Well, putting that aside, tell me about what happened in Eastflair.¡± Putting aside that worry, I tried to brighten the tense mood by seeing how things went in the last 3 months. Yesterday, we did talk all through the night, but last night was focused on my fight with the Demon General, and I didn¡¯t get to hear about Jend¡¯s group¡¯s stories. Jend: ¡°Yeah, so at the Blazing Flame Arts Dojo, my training was mostly©`©`¡± So for Jend, he spent almost everyday just doing practice swings. He got actual combat experience during the nights when they hosted local tournaments nearby. Teo was training at a Rishu Martial Arts Union? Or something like that and had learned a lot of various skills there. ¡­¡­..and Ferris was telling us that the Assault Medical Priests training was really, really, really hard. Especially the last month was¡­¡­is what Ferris was mumbling to herself as she recalled her time in Eastflair. As I listened to each person, I remembered something. Henry: ¡°I thought Ms. Lotte went to Eastflair as part of fighting off the Demon General. Did you get to see her?¡± Ferris: ¡°Oh, no, no. There¡¯s no way I could just go see Little Cha©` ahem. Ms. Charlotte, who came to guard the city as one of the Heroes of Legend ©` even if we do know her personally.¡± Jend: ¡°We did sign up as volunteer guards of the city, but the Demon General never came.¡± Ferris held back fan urge, and Jend added his bit. Henry: ¡°I see. Well, how was living over there? I know for Jend and Teo, it was the first time living apart from your family, right?¡± And we continue the conversation. To fill in the gaps while we were apart, we listened to their day-to-day lives, and Cyril and I also shared out time in Sunwest. Hmm, so we were exchanging letters, but it¡¯s good to hear the information directly. We got to catch up as a Party, and things began settling down. Teo: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Mr. Henry, did you make any progress with you and Miss Cyril? That topic came up a while back, and we were curious.¡± Henry: ¡°©`©`?!?!¡± Out of the blue, Teo flung a question in my face, and spewed the juice in my mouth. Henry: ¡°Wh©`why all of a sudden?!¡± Teo: ¡°Oh, I just thought that it was important to know if there were any changes in relationships, especially between Party Members.¡± That is very true, but©`©`! I turn towards Jend and Ferris¡­¡­.and yeah, they are looking with hungry curiosity in their eyes. Jend: ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s right. That was something I wanted to know too. You¡¯ve been picking on us about Ferris and I, so don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get away from this subject so easily.¡± Ferris: ¡°Of course, I¡¯m curious as well. I think some retaliation is well overdue, is it not?¡± Ugh¡­.UGHHH©`©` ¡­¡­¡­..wait, just stay cool with a poker face. C¡¯mon, me. I suck at poker, but I have much more experience than these fledglings. Yes, I¡¯ll just put on an emotionless expression, and just tell them to leave it to their imaginations. Henry: ¡°Yeah, I know you all are curious, but I¡¯ll just let you imagine the©`©`¡± Jend: ¡°........Henry, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°What?¡± And Jend quietly points at Cyril who was sitting next to me. Oh, that¡¯s right. Cyril should have been the first to respond to Teo¡¯s question, but¡­ Cyril: ¡°¡«¡«¡«!!¡± She was visibly trembling. And a bright-red faced Miss Cyril was sitting right there. Henry: ¡°......oh©` um, yeah¡­¡­¡­so¡­..¡± Oh no. The three of them look like they caught on. There¡¯s no place to run now¡­¡­..shoot. And with a bit of alcohol in our system, Cyril and I had Jend and Ferris get onto our case as if to get back at us for all the time we teased them. ¡­¡­.and though she was the one who started it all, Teo just sipped some strong liquor and ignored us completely. As expected of her. CH 158 Ch. 158: The White Dragon Knights Order Visit Lana is about to receive an award for discovering something huge. Though the award itself is not anything spectacular, they are holding a small award ceremony, and since we were coincidentally in the area, we wanted to join the celebration and delayed our departure from the Capital. Even so, there are still a few days left till the ceremony. Of course, since we were training for the last 3 months, we could just use it to recuperate and rest¡­¡­.but because of the Demon General, Cyril and I basically had a break at the end of our Sunwest trip, and Jend and the rest of the Party also didn¡¯t want to just sit around and do nothing. And with Ferris¡¯ suggestion, we headed to the White Dragon Knights Order¡¯s training grounds. Since she was little, Ferris has been cared for by the Knights of the White Dragon, and they were more than concerned for her overall well-being. So to relieve some of those concerns, she wanted to go report that she had successfully repaid her part of the debt. Cyril: ¡°Oh wow©` it¡¯s a really fancy training field.¡± A formidable solid wall surrounded and circled the entire area, and Cyril let out a low whistle as she gazed at the endless fence as far down as she could. Although it wasn¡¯t the prime, royal real estate of the Capital, we were in a district near enough to the Royal Palace, and seeing a wall spanning over 100 meters (¡«109 yards), it was quite impressive. The wall was, of course, protected by a Magecraft Barrier, and obscured the visuals on top of the wall. It also served to protect the wall from any impacts or explosions from the training field as well. The Black Dragon¡¯s training field that we used before was actually located at the edge of the Capital. Although it was more spacious there, it¡¯s obvious that more money has been poured here. Well, between the White Dragons whose main base of operations is here, and the Black Dragon Knights who spend most of their time on the frontlines, you can¡¯t blame them for this difference. Jend: ¡°And it occurred to me when I came here last, but what a waste of space. With this much land, they could build large stores and factories here and make a ton of money. Why can¡¯t they ask the Knights to train on the outer rims of the city?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, actually, Jend. The Capital training field can be used as an evacuation location for fires or other natural disasters. You can see that the Capital¡¯s crammed with buildings and is quite crowded.¡± It was something Sir Ezeal once told me long ago, and Jend nodded as he listened. But Jend¡¯s perspective as a merchant isn¡¯t wrong either, but the land isn¡¯t being wasted with no other purposes. Teo: ¡°That¡¯s certainly true¡­¡­.if you look more carefully, you could easily burn up this whole town if you are selective with where you start the fire. And there are plenty of old buildings too.¡± Henry: ¡°.........hey Teo, let¡¯s be more careful about what we say¡­..¡± Teo: ¡°Pardon me. The Cloudy Plains style has its own dark history, and these are also things we have studied.¡± During the civil war era, the Rishu Clan had apparently contributed significantly in the war effort, so it¡¯s no surprise that such tactics are taught¡­¡­¡­..but don¡¯t say it out loud in public. If a guard overheard, they''d definitely be interested in locking us away and giving us a thorough investigation. Ferris: ¡°Oh, look, everyone. We can see the main gates from here.¡± Ferris, who was leading the way, pointed with her finger towards the main entrance. And yes, from here, we could see the two guards who were standing by a very impressive-looking gate. Cyril: ¡°What should we do after this¡«? Miss Ferris is just doing a quick greeting, yes? ¡­.oh, that¡¯s right! Why don¡¯t we go see Miss Aileen after this?¡± Cyril hummed as she skipped, and recalled the Adventurer Princess¡¯s name as she did so. While we were in Flowtier, the Princess stayed at the Governor¡¯s mansion, and though Cyril didn¡¯t remember, they met when they were much younger, and grew very close to one another. Even so¡­. Henry: ¡°She is a Princess after all. It won¡¯t be easy to just go see her¡­¡­¡­I think¡­¡­probably¡­..?¡± If she heard that a friend came to visit, I have this inkling that she would just drop everything and escape from the castle¡­¡­.but¡­¡­she wouldn¡¯t¡­..right? She is a Princess after all¡­¡­.oh wait. Henry: ¡°..............¡± Cyril: ¡°? What is it, Henry?¡± I almost forgot, but this one is a former Princess too! W©`Wait, calm down, Henry. Yes, there¡¯s still Lady Asteria. Though she is now married to the Count of Flowtier, she is still the admirable Princess of our former Kingdom¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­and why is Sir Alvare looking at me with a disapproving grimace in my head just now? Okay, I¡¯m alright. My ideals towards princesses and nobles have not been destroyed quite yet. I¡¯m okay. Henry: ¡°Lady Aileen must be pretty busy, so let¡¯s not disrupt her by suddenly dropping by.¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry, were you thinking of something rude?¡± Seeing as how I fell silent for a solid 10 seconds, Cyril let out an exasperated breath and looked at me disapprovingly. ¡­¡­¡­.after 3 months of living together, she¡¯s gotten better at reading my expressions. Well, that¡¯s not necessarily a bad thing¡­¡­.and as I thought about that, we arrived at the main gates for the Knights¡¯ training grounds. There was an elderly and young Knight in white armor guarding the entrance. As they saw Ferris¡¯ face, they let out a surprise of recognition. ¡°Why, it¡¯s Ferris! Are you back in the Capital?!¡± Ferris: ¡°Hello Mr. Orland. I haven¡¯t moved back. I had business in the Capital, but I wanted to drop by since it was a good opportunity. Oh, I brought you all something. Please enjoy this with everyone else.¡± She took out a paper bag filled with baked cookies and passed it to the elderly Knight she called Orland. This was something Ferris got in line very early in the morning at the Capital¡¯s most popular bake shop. Orland: ¡°You¡¯re only dropping by to say hi? Why don¡¯t you and your friends stay a while? Everyone would love that.¡± Ferris: ¡°Isn¡¯t everyone in the middle of training? I can¡¯t just interrupt them like that.¡± Ferris strained a troubled smile at the younger Knight¡¯s words as she answered. But since it¡¯s us four and not just Ferris who has any relation to the White Dragon Knights, it would be uncomfortable to just-©`©` ¡°There¡¯s no one with such frail minds here that would be bothered by an Adventurer¡¯s Party dropping by. Don¡¯t concern yourself with that and come on in.¡± ¡­¡­.. and the main gate opened. At the end of last year, the Captain of the White Dragon Knights Order who accompanied the Adventurer Princess poked her head out. And a mischievous smile crossed her face as if she succeeded in pulling off a prank on us. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°........did you know that we were coming to the Capital?¡± Beatriz: ¡°I had a hunch that you would. I heard from the Hero Riol and Captain Grandezeal that you all would be training around this time. ¡­¡­¡­and then there¡¯s Lady Lana.¡± She guided us around the training field. Wondering if she was hiding and waiting for us at the gate, I decided to ask the question. Doing so, I heard some well known names fly out from her answer. That reminds me. When Ms. Beatriz came to Flowtier, we had a meal together at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn, so she knew my face and name. Beatriz: ¡°I would never have thought that a close acquaintance of yours would make that great of a discovery. But since you all know her so well, I guessed that you would probably celebrate with her. If that happens, then Ferris would be with you too.¡± Henry: ¡°I see.¡± I nod as Ms. Beatriz proudly reveals her deductive reasoning. Beatriz: ¡°Lady Lana will arrive tomorrow at the Capital. I personally requested to be there when she arrives. I thought it would be better for someone she¡¯s at least slightly familiar with to greet her at the portal.¡± Cyril: ¡°........um, I don¡¯t think Lana knew that Ms. Beatriz was the Captain of the White Dragon Knights¡­¡­.¡± Beatriz: ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be greatly surprised when she sees me then.¡± This person really likes to pull jokes on people! Beatriz: ¡°But I¡¯m truly grateful that Ferris dropped by. All the men in our Order were greatly worried about her.¡± Henry: ¡°Ah©`©`¡± And as soon as Ferris arrived on scene, the Knights all gathered around her. She was giving an update to all of them even now. And as Ferris¡¯ companions, Cyril and Teo were equally welcomed, and that left me and Ms. Beatriz to talk. It¡¯s good that things are so peaceful right now. ¡­¡­¡­unlike over there. And I glance in that direction. Jend: ¡°........! UGH!¡± ¡°Too naive!¡± Jend swung his broadsword, but the White Dragon Knight easily defended against his attacks. The Knights all here wanted to give Jend a taste of their strength¡­¡­.err, I mean, they wanted to let him train with them. I heard that many of the older Knights considered themselves Ferris¡¯ guardians, but I didn¡¯t expect all of them to clap their hands and say, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s see how much you have improved.¡± And they subsequently began circling around Jend. Right now, he is going against a Knight holding a rapier. This is his 3rd opponent, but he has been hard-pressed with everyone so far. Right now, the Knight is playing around with him. If he stepped in, they would crush his initial attack, and if he withdrew, he received a severe blow. He has managed somewhat with his keen senses, but he¡¯s starting to reach his limit. Beatriz: ¡°Hmmm, he has greatly improved since I saw him last. I don¡¯t think there are many his age that would be able to fight on equal grounds now.¡± Ms. Beatriz, who was observing Jend¡¯s training, gave him high marks and recognition. Beatriz: ¡°How about it, Henry. He¡¯s an Adventurer now but does he want to be a Knight afterwards?¡± Henry: ¡°Ummm, no. He hasn¡¯t mentioned anything like that. In fact, meeting Sir Ezeal and Ms. Lotte has really helped him to aspire to be a Hero of Legend.¡± What about Yuu and Ageha who are Heroes of Legend too? HA! (ROFL) Beatriz: ¡°.......I see. That is a shame. If he entered our Order, I would have shaped him up to be a first rate Knight.¡± It was the words from the Captain of the Order, Ms. Beatriz. Jend was getting recognized pretty highly. Beatriz: ¡°Henry, I imagine that he¡¯s right on your heels then?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, we had a few practice matches, and with weapons only, he really surprised me when we were on equal ground. But well©`©`¡± I glance briefly at Jend as the rapier Knight put another hit in. Henry: ¡°He still lacks experience.¡± Beatriz: ¡°At that age, and growing up in a peaceful town like that. If he had instincts in that area, he would be a truly frightful genius.¡± And Beatriz continues with her compliments. ¡­¡­..and well, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m being too overconfident, but up until now, all the White Dragon Knights that Jend has fought against are weaker than me. But the same Jend who fought evenly with me yesterday is unable to keep up with them¡­¡­.or well, he¡¯s unable to defeat them is because he lacks experience fighting against opponents like them. Even before he went to go train, he picked up on my breathing habits and feints, so he was able to fight better against me. But without that, his instincts would be off, and well, he easily gets pulled one over on him and¡­..well, loses. To put it bluntly, he hasn¡¯t gotten used to fighting against people. But well, the White Dragon Knights are tasked with protecting the Capital and Capital Palace, so they emphasize combat against people more than other Orders too. Henry: ¡°He still needs more experience fighting Demonic Creatures, so when we get to Ligaleo, I¡¯ll probably be backing him up for a while.¡± The Flowtier Forest and Altohern Mountains ©` they weren¡¯t bad hunting grounds, but for everyone, not just Jend, they need to get used to fighting a variety of different enemies. ¡­..for instance, zombie creatures are the worst, and it makes your skin crawl just to go near one. If you¡¯re not used to it, then fear and disgust can cause you to freeze, and they are different from Beast Types since they completely ignore wounds. So all in all, it¡¯s a very different kind of opponent. And at the end of the day, experience is everything. Of course, I¡¯ll be there to help but¡­¡­I¡¯m also certain that there will be many occasions where I¡¯m going to need their help too. So in that sense, we¡¯ll be even. Beatriz: ¡°Ah, yes. I almost forgot that you were going to go back to the frontlines. Hmmm, do you still remember my offer from before?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes.¡± She offered to let me be a Knight of the Alvenia Kingdom. After Ms. Beatriz offered that path to me, it¡¯s helped me think a lot more about the future. Beatriz: ¡°Well, the offer is still on the table, so come to me whenever you¡¯re ready.¡± Henry: ¡°...........you¡¯re really passionate about recruiting.¡± Beatriz: ¡°.......we can always use more hands. Most of the young men apply to the Black Dragon Knights who fight on the frontlines.¡± Ms. Beatriz lets out a disappointed sigh. Looks like even the White Dragon Knights, the most respectable of all the Knights, have their troubles too. I chuckle awkwardly and return to watching Jend¡¯s fights. CH 159 Ch. 159: Welcoming the Girl Genius Beatriz: ¡°I am Beatriz of the White Dragon Knight Order. I have come to welcome Lady Lana at approximately 14:00 hours today.¡± ¡°Yes, we have received word of your arrival. Captain Beatriz, please sign here.¡± Beatriz: ¡°Yes.¡± It was in one of the corners of the Royal Palace property, and in front of a sturdy looking shed, Ms. Beatriz and the guards there exchanged the usual formalities. She signed her name quickly and efficiently, and her writing was extremely good. ¡°Captain Beatriz, who are the people behind you?¡± Beatriz: ¡°They are Adventurers who are based in Flowtier, and also acquaintances of Lady Lana. I also know them personally. Coincidentally, they were at the Capital during this time, so in order to help Lady Lana feel more comfortable, I brought them so that she can be greeted by familiar faces.¡± ¡°Acquaintance¡­¡­? Ohh! That¡¯s right. You traveled with Princess Aileen to Flowtier recently.¡± The guard nodded as he placed all the details together and then held the clipboard where Ms. Beatriz signed towards us. Oh, so they do know about that little trip¡­¡­..though Princess Aileen and Ms. Beatriz kept that journey confidential, the Palace guards entrusted with the security would know about that. ¡°For everyone else, we keep a record of anyone who visits this facility. I understand that it is additional trouble, but if you can please sign here.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, of course.¡± I nod and take hold of the signing sheet. On the top, I read, ¡°1st Special Teleport Facility Entry and Exit Records.¡± ¡­¡­¡­if there¡¯s a 1st, there¡¯s a 2nd somewhere too? I thought about that as I signed my own name, and then passed it to Cyril. From Cyril, it went to Jend, Ferris, and Teo as everyone signed the form, and then returned the sign-in sheet back to me. ¡­¡­¡­..looks like I have the worst handwriting out of the group. On the other end, Teo had the prettiest handwriting in our Party. Henry: ¡°We have all signed the form.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. Captain Beatriz, please sign the next column to confirm that you authorized their entry.¡± Beatriz: ¡°Sure.¡± And Ms. Beatriz signed the sign-in sheet once more next to all of our names. Beatriz: ¡°Oh, everyone. I think you already know this, but you are not allowed to share with anyone what you see inside. Unlike the public Teleport Gate, the number and destination of these particular teleport gates are considered state secrets.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, they informed us before we came here, so we understand.¡± Beatriz: ¡°Good.¡± The Teleport Gate. Between the Capital and the Four Corner Cities, there are those where the general public can use, but this shed on the palace grounds ©` the 1st Special Teleport Facility? ©` is a little different. It can only Teleport very few people at a time, and there are apparently multiple facilities like this. They mainly help the Royal Family and Nobles travel, but it can be used by spies and carrying very special shipments. And just like this time, it is also used to help teleport very important individuals. ¡­¡­.and just as Ms. Beatriz mentioned, the information regarding these Teleport Gates are strictly monitored. If they spread the information to others, there is apparently quite the punishment waiting for them. And this time, an ordinary citizen like Lana is utilizing it, but you¡¯ll also have people who help guide them and greet them at these locations, so if they let their mouths slip, they could¡­¡­.well, maybe not immediately get sent to the prisons, but they will be severely reprimanded¡­¡­¡­and their reputation with the Grandes Church will be severely affected too. Beatriz: ¡°And besides that, if something does happen, it¡¯s all going to fall on my head, so you guys better be prepared if that happens.¡± And Ms. Beatriz lightly joked around. Of course, they trust that no one in our Party would do that, and that¡¯s why we are here today. And there¡¯s no one in our Party that would betray their trust like that. ¡°Then we shall open the entry to the Teleport Room, so please wait a moment.¡± ¡­¡­..I guess they won¡¯t keep calling it Special whatever whatever each time, since it¡¯s a mouthful. The guard took a key that was hanging around his neck and unlocked the door with it. ¡°Please wear this before you enter the room. It will signify that you have been properly registered at this entry point.¡± Henry: ¡°Thank you.¡± We receive an ID indicating that we have been properly processed and step inside. We are greeted by two guards on either side as we pass through the entryway and continue to walk down the corridor that has doors lined up on both sides. ¡­¡­..2, 4, ¡­¡­¡­and I catch myself counting the doors. There are at least 20 doors. There might be some fakes in the mix, but if they are separated into entries and exits, there are at least 10 locations throughout the country connected to this place. They must be connected to the other Four Corner Cities, but I wonder about where else the Teleports are connected to. And as I ponder about that, we are guided to the 2nd to last door on the right, and the guard opens the door. ¡°It is this room. I believe it will only be a moment before the arrival, so please wait in here.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± I enter the room. On the floor was a Spell Inscription that must be for the Teleport Spell. ¡­¡­..of course, since it was not designed to teleport 100 people at a time, this one was much smaller. And the Spell Inscription seemed to be much more refined in exchange, so as far as complexity goes, this one might be more difficult. As I observe the inscription, Ms. Beatriz greets the Mage responsible for activating the Teleport gate. Since it was a smaller scale Teleport Gate, the amount of Magic needed must have been less, and there was only 1 Mage inside. ¡°Thank you for coming, Captain Beatriz.¡± Beatriz: ¡°Yes, it was for 14:00 hours, but has there been any changes?¡± ¡°No ma¡¯am.¡± Looking at the clock set on one of the walls, we had about a little less than 10 minutes left. ¡­¡­¡­.and since it was a rare opportunity to see a place like this©`©` I had no intention of telling anyone else about it, but I took the time to look at my surroundings. <<<<>>>> And we waited in one of the Teleport Rooms for a little bit. When it was time, we were directed to the edge of the room to avoid any complications with activating the Spell Inscription. The assigned Mage began the incantation, and light swiveled and swirled slowly into the engraved lines of the inscription. I¡¯ve been through several Teleports, and the familiar light of the Teleportation Gateway began reflecting off the walls. It began filling the room, and with one flash of explosive white light, we were all blinded for a moment. Though the amount of light was great, it did not burn our eyes. A very gentle and soft light passed us by quickly¡­¡­¡­and in the center of the Magecraft Inscription, two shadows appeared. ¡°Oh, oh my! That was quite the shock. This is my first time going through a Teleport Gate but are we already there?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s only an instant, but we should be here already, mother¡­¡­.wha©` huh?¡± We saw two very familiar faces. One was Lana. And Ms. Linda, her mother, was also there probably as her traveling companion and guardian. Both were wearing more formal clothes than what they would wear at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. Lana: ¡°WHA©`©`?! TEO?! And Mr. Henry and everyone! Why are you here?!¡± And catching a glimpse of us, Lana placed her hands over her mouth as she yelled in surprise. Linda: ¡°Oh, look at that. Ummm, Mr. Knight who was our guide in Northerntier said that we¡¯ll be greeted by Knights on this side, but¡­¡­..Mr. Henry, when did you become a Knight of Alvenia?¡± Though they were still shocked, Ms. Linda immediately smiled and responded with a light joke. And seeing as how surprised they were, Ms. Beatriz stepped forward with a mischievous smile still across her face. Beatriz: ¡°Haha, I have offered him a position in our order, but we haven¡¯t been able to get him to say yes just yet. I apologize for the delay in introductions. I am the Knight in charge of greeting you. My name is Beatriz Hyvent.¡± Linda: ¡°Oh, thank you for coming. My name is Linda, and this is Lana. ¡­¡­.hmm?¡± Ms. Linda responded to Ms. Beatriz¡¯ greeting, but immediately furrowed her brow in thought. As she thought hard, she quietly and carefully opened her mouth to speak. Linda: ¡°........Ms. Beatriz, did you perhaps¡­¡­visit our diner at the end of last year?¡± Beatriz: ¡°Haha, I am grateful that you remember. Yes, I accompanied our dear Princess and enjoyed a meal at your establishment.¡± And Ms. Beatriz answered Ms. Linda as if it was nothing. ¡­¡­.then again, it¡¯s kind of hard to forget. Both Lady Aileen and Ms. Beatriz are beauties, and it was apparent to everyone around that they were either Nobles or Knights. And they stood out quite a bit. Beatriz: ¡°Hi Miss Lana. Do you remember me as well?¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, hello Ms. Beatriz. I believe you had our stew, bread, and 3 drinks of wine. You were enjoying it so much, I couldn¡¯t have forgotten.¡± And as they made introductions, Lana quickly spouted out Ms. Beatriz¡¯s order. Beatriz: ¡°Wow, I¡¯m amazed that you remember that much.¡± Lana: ¡°Hehehe¡­¡­I¡¯m pretty confident in my memory. For any customers I handle the order, I remember all their faces and the order.¡± Lana seemed embarrassed and confident at the same time¡­¡­.but what? All of it? I¡¯m sure she¡¯s exaggerating right? She can¡¯t possibly remember all©`©` Beatriz: ¡°Oh, you really do remember everyone?¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, for instance, your companion, the Princess, was a very healthy lady. She had a mix sandwich, the same stew as you, Ms. Beatriz, roasted chicken, salad, and¡­¡­¡± Beatriz: ¡°Got it, got it. That¡¯s enough.¡± Lana began counting all the Princess¡¯ orders on her fingers, and Ms. Beatriz coughed once before speaking again. Beatriz: ¡°W©`Well, so that¡¯s how it is. Having met you once before, I volunteered to greet you both today, and since Henry and his Party were at the Capital during your award ceremony, I decided to invite them. ¡­¡­¡­I thought you would be pretty nervous over this whole affair, am I right?¡± Hearing Ms. Beatriz¡¯ words, Lana and Ms. Linda looked at one another and let out a small sigh of relief as they smiled. Linda: ¡°Yes. Thank you very much, Ms. Beatriz. Thanks to you, this has become much easier. I know I came here as Lana¡¯s guardian, but no matter what, the Palace is a little nerve wrecking for us common folks.¡± Lana: ¡°....I felt the same way.¡± Beatriz: ¡°Haha, I¡¯m glad that it helped you relax a little. And besides, it was the Palace who invited you here. There¡¯s no need for you to feel nervous.¡± And Ms. Linda continued her conversation with Ms. Beatriz. On the other hand, Lana seemed to be fidgeting in place. She kept glancing not towards Ms. Beatriz, but another direction¡­¡­.well, frankly, she was looking towards Teo. Noticing her gazes, Ms. Beatriz chuckled quietly, and gestured with her hand to Lana to go ahead. Lana: ¡°...! Yes, thank you!¡± And Lana trotted quickly to where Teo was standing. Teo also waved to welcome her friend as she came running over to her. Lana: ¡°Teo! It¡¯s been so long! Are you doing okay?!¡± Teo: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Any changes with you, Lana?¡± Lana: ¡°Not at all¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­well, I guess I can¡¯t say that. A month ago, one of my research came together nicely, but before I knew it, one thing happened after another, and it came down to this.¡± Though the two of them are quite mature, they are still girls who haven¡¯t reached adulthood. Being apart from your closest friend for 3 months, they had a lot of catching up to do. Cyril, Jend, Ferris, and I stepped just a little further away to give them space. Jend: ¡°......but if you think about it, it¡¯s only been a month since her research was completed. This is incredibly fast to receive an award for it already.¡± Cyril: ¡°Is that right, Jend?¡± Jend: ¡°Of course it is. Normally, no matter what you invent or discover, until it¡¯s thoroughly tested to be useful, that takes an immense amount of time.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­now that he mentioned it, that¡¯s true. Beatriz: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. I haven¡¯t told you that part yet.¡± And finishing her introductions with Ms. Linda, Ms. Beatriz came over, and hearing Jend¡¯s question, placed a fist in her palm in realization. Beatriz: ¡°As for that, the Hero of Legend, Riol, was very passionate about spreading the results of this research. So they incorporated Lady Lana¡¯s discovery into the Magecraft Barrier in Ligaleo that was absolutely useless up until now. ¡­¡­..so this was not only theoretically proven, but she had already completed the Spell Inscription for utilizing her theory. It was an experimental phase, so nothing has been officially published yet.¡± Henry: ¡°...........and how did it go?¡± They were talking about my old home. And I couldn¡¯t hold myself back as I asked Ms. Beatriz to explain further. Beatriz: ¡°Of course, they will have to continue observing going forward. There may be side-effects, problems with maintenance, and they have already identified points where the Spell Inscription can be optimized further. Even then©`©`¡± The number of Demonic Creatures that crossed Ligaleo¡¯s Magecraft Barrier ©`©` was cut at least in half. That was what Ms. Beatriz said. Henry: ¡°................¡± I recall how Ligaleo had two sets of walls to protect the city. The Demonic Creatures would breach the walls at least 4 times a week, and the Adventurers, Soldiers, and Knights all came together as a living barrier, and fought tooth and nail to push back the Demonic Creatures from reaching the inner wall ©`©` the memories of those days and nights came flooding back to me. I thought¡­¡­¡­.maybe¡­¡­¡­.just maybe¡­¡­..but¡­.. I held a tight fist to my chest. It¡¯ll just be confusing and troubling if I say it right now but©`©` ¡­¡­¡­at that instant, I offered Lana my full gratitude and thanks. CH 160 Ch. 160: The Invention Lana: ¡°Ugh¡« it¡¯s been a really tough day¡«¡± ©`©`is what she told us. We were all in one of the prepared rooms of the Palace, and Lana griped at us quietly. After we greeted Lana at the Teleport Gate©`©` She apparently had a full schedule, and after chatting with Lana for a bit, she was guided by Ms. Beatriz and walked into the Palace. And so, after completing everything on her agenda¡­¡­she came back to one of the guest rooms and finally got a break. Henry: ¡°Wow¡­¡­..they gave you a good room.¡± I looked around the room once and mumbled the words to no one in particular. This is a room set aside for guests from outside the Imperial Capital, but it was very spacious and all the furniture inside was first class. With guest rooms, they would vary between the importance of the guests, and I can see how much they welcomed Lana from the looks of the room. Inside this guest room, there were 3 bedrooms, so we were able to sleep here tonight. ¡­¡­¡­.and yes, Lana had guards protecting her, but rather than having soldiers who she didn¡¯t recognize, Ms. Beatriz convinced the Palace security that it would be best for us to fill that role. And well, because of Ms. Beatriz¡¯ efforts, Lana was now able to relax much better being with people she knew well. The room would have been a little too tight with all the Party inside, so Jend and Ferris returned to the inn. Teo: ¡°Lana, Lana, what kind of things did you do today?¡± Lana: ¡°Ummm, well. We first had a meeting with the King. Then we had a meeting with the Academic Ministry Officials and other department leaders. We went to the Alvenia Central University to meet with Professor Conrad, and ¡­¡­¡­.in the evening, we had a dinner meeting with a President of one of the major Magecraft Artifact Makers, and the Ministers and Professor Conrad attended the dinner too.¡± Being curious, Teo popped the question, and Lana began recounting her day. ¡­¡­..just listening to all the titles of the big wigs, it sounded like a stressful day. Linda: ¡°I was only by her side the whole time, and even I was nervous. The food they served was wonderful, but we had no time to enjoy it at all.¡± Lana: ¡°Yeah©` they cooked with so many ingredients we never used before. ¡­¡­.do you think we could try something similar at our diner? You know, like a special menu.¡± Linda: ¡°Haha, no, no, no. There¡¯s no way we could compete with a high-class restaurant like that. We¡¯re competing on completely different grounds. One of their dishes would cost more than a night at our place. You think people would spend that kind of money?¡± Lana: ¡°Yeah©` that won¡¯t work©`¡± Ms. Linda vetoed the idea, and Lana sagged her shoulders. ¡­¡­¡­though she is a true genius, listening in on her family chats and how they talk about their inn, you can¡¯t mistake her for anything but a young girl that¡¯s just about to hit adulthood. Linda: ¡°Besides, Lana. Even if we don¡¯t use expensive ingredients, Nord¡¯s cooking is delicious.¡± Lana: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± Yeah, it¡¯s not a high-class dine-in experience at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn, but Mr. Nord¡¯s cooking is amazing. And seeing Lana and Ms. Linda like this¡­¡­.they are a good family. Yeah¡­. Cyril: ¡°Thank you for waiting©` The tea is ready¡«¡± And Cyril was busy preparing tea for everyone at the min-kitchen that was available in the room. She brought the cups on a silver tray. Lana: ¡°Thank you very much, Miss Cyril. I¡¯m sorry. I should be the one doing this.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hehe¡« Lana, you worked hard all day, right? Then leave the tea-making to Miss Cyril~!¡± Cyril joyfully started filling each of the cups with tea. This girl likes to take care of people in general. When we were living together, we tried to split apart the house chores evenly, but by the time I tried to take care of something, she had already completed it. And it happened more than once. Well, as long as she¡¯s enjoying herself. If I see her pushing herself too hard, I¡¯ll step in. Cyril: ¡°Henry, here you go.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, thanks.¡± Cyril: ¡°Teo, you like milk tea, right?¡± Teo: ¡°.............thank you very much.¡± I sip the hot tea slowly. The tea leaves were provided with the guest room, and they were high-quality. Let¡¯s see¡­¡­.it¡¯s like¡­¡­..I can tell that it¡¯s expensive. Otherwise, I couldn¡¯t tell you anything else. Lana: ¡°Wow, it¡¯s so good¡«¡± Linda: ¡°They use quality leaves. As expected from a Royal Palace.¡± Each person gave their impression of the tea. And there were cookies available too, and we all took one and sipped the tea again. The sweetness of the baked cookies, and the bitterness of the tea mixed well into an indescribable experience. We all let out a breath of satisfaction and relaxed. ¡­¡­¡­¡­there¡¯s been a couple of things on my mind, so seeing an opportunity, I decided to ask Lana a few questions. Henry: ¡°Hey, Lana. I heard that you created a Spell Inscription that removes the effects of Corrupted Magic, but how does it work?¡± Lana: ¡°Oh, yes. Fundamentally, it is a Kroseid Style Spell Inscription. I had already created the general theory from way before, but I was unable to transfer that into a usable form. With the Kroseid Style, it¡¯s possible to create any Spell Inscription that is theoretically possible¡­¡­..so it¡¯s all thanks to you introducing me to Mr. Riol, Mr. Henry.¡± She bowed her head politely as a show of gratitude. Henry: ¡°No, no, no. You don¡¯t need to thank me. Thanks to your invention, I think all of us Adventurers will be greatly indebted to you.¡± Lana: ¡°Hmmmm, I wonder about that. Right now, the Inscription itself takes at least 2 meters, and it is difficult to apply to anything outside of stationary Magecraft Artifacts.¡± Henry: ¡°But you were able to use it on the Magecraft Barrier, right? That¡¯s more than enough.¡± And if, for whatever reason, her invention could only be used for the Magecraft Barrier, that alone is more than enough. It will not only be useful on the frontlines, but it will also assist humanity in greatly expanding their livable territories. Cyril: ¡°But, hasn¡¯t it only been a month since the invention was made? I understand that it¡¯s already proven useful in Ligaleo, but¡­¡­¡­is it really that easy to incorporate this invention?¡± I was a little surprised at Cyril¡¯s sharp remark. If you think about it, the Magecraft Barrier is an astoundingly large and complex structure of multiple Spell Inscriptions. Even from a complete amateur¡¯s perspective, I can¡¯t think that incorporating an additional Spell Inscription to the established structure would be that simple. Lana: ¡°Oh, yes. That was a little difficult.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.a little difficult. Lana: ¡°I thought it would be nice to be able to just add it to existing Spell Inscriptions instead of having to create it from scratch. Without going into too much detail¡­¡­..I structured the Inscription so that it would fit nicely into any general Spell Inscriptions.¡± Henry: ¡°E©`Even for Inscriptions outside the Kroseid Style?!¡± Lana: ¡°? Of course. Well, because of that, it evolved into a much larger scale.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.it is said to be theoretically possible to put together Spell Inscriptions from different styles of Magecraft, but I thought it could never be done in practice. Linda: ¡°Oh, that President of the Magecraft Artifact maker¡­¡­.Mr. Miliard, was it? He was very impressed about that. Is it that big of a deal?¡± Lana: ¡°It¡¯s a little bit©` hehe.¡± Linda: ¡°Well now. Good for you, Lana.¡± Though they use Magecraft Artifacts in day to day life, Ms. Linda, who doesn¡¯t use Magecraft herself, is gently complimenting Lana, and Cyril is also commenting casually saying, ¡°That sounds useful¡±, and¡­¡­¡­..I glance at Teo sitting next to me. Teo is also sitting there aghast. Henry: (Is it¡­¡­.only a little bit of a big deal?) Teo: (Emphatically not.) I whispered to confirm, and she rejected it without reservation. ¡­¡­.yeah, I thought as much. When I was at the Mages Tower, I was doing some light reading since there was a Library, and I touched on a few books about Magecraft Theories¡­¡­..and even those books touched upon the difficulties of actually making it come true. Lana: ¡°And well, no matter how you look at it, the Inscription is way too large and bulky, so we need to scale it down in size. I¡¯m trying to optimize the Inscription, so we can create smaller versions of it¡­¡­¡­but it might be half a year before that could happen.¡± And Lana was grumbling about how long half a year was but¡­¡­¡­.holy crap. Typically, it takes much longer to optimize established Spells and doing that in half a year is unheard of. As I sat in silence at Lana¡¯s abilities and potential, Ms. Linda opened her mouth to speak. Linda: ¡°But isn¡¯t that if you continued to do your research while helping out with our inn? Lana, we¡¯ll definitely talk this over with Nord after we return to Flowtier, but what do you want to do going forward? Everyone we saw today wants you to join their organization.¡± Lana: ¡°Hmmmmm¡­¡­but¡­¡­.will you really be okay without me?¡± Linda: ¡°HA! I guess you have grown up some, but don¡¯t worry about us. This is about your future and what you want to do. You can work at the inn just as you have before, and you¡¯re free to become a researcher¡­¡­¡­and if you wanted to, you could use that reward money they gave you to retire and just enjoy the rest of your life. Just¡­¡­.think about it carefully.¡± Ms. Linda spoke gently but firmly to Lana. I guess this is what it¡¯s like to be a parent. Lana: ¡°.........okay, I understand. I¡¯ll think about it, mom.¡± Linda: ¡°Good.¡± Ms. Linda nodded approvingly at Lana¡¯s solemn answer. Lana: ¡°Oh, yes. Teo, tell me more about what you¡¯ve been doing. You¡¯ve been training at a town far away, right?¡± Teo: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll tell you.¡± And with Lana¡¯s invitation, Teo began describing her experience. The contents of her story was exactly the same as what she told us when the Party reunited. She described her training at the Speed Construction Society based in the east town of Eastflair. She described what Eastflair was like and the good food there. How it was a little stressful for Jend, Ferris, and her to find and maintain a place to live, but how it was fun overall. Lana: ¡°Oh, so you were living with Mr. Jend and Miss Ferris? Ummm, they are¡­..dating, right? So¡« since they are both grown ups, was there¡­¡­.things that they did together?¡± ¡­¡­¡­.um, Miss Lana. I know you¡¯re right about to become an adult yourself, but¡­¡­¡­let¡¯s not bring up such topics lightly. Teo: ¡°I was practicing my stealth and concealing techniques at home, and I caught them kissing in secret twice.¡± Lana: ¡°Wow¡«¡± Teo¡«¡«¡«! Don¡¯t be blabbing about Party member¡¯s activities like that openly! But well, it is juicy news that I¡¯m going to use to tease Jend later though! Lana: ¡°Anything else? Nothing else at all?¡± Teo: ¡°Hmmmm, I think that¡¯s it. The two of them were reserved around me. But they did go on dates when there was a break.¡± Lana: ¡°I¡¯m so jealous. We run an inn, so whenever a man and a woman reserve a room together, I don¡¯t mean to listen, but I hear stuff all the time¡­¡­¡­that¡¯s so nice to have someone like that.¡± Teo: ¡°You think so?¡± Though Lana was very interested in relationships, Teo seemed pretty indifferent on that topic as a whole. ¡­¡­¡­this girl¡­¡­.I haven¡¯t seen her really perk up with interest for the opposite sex, and I wonder if she¡¯s even interested in finding someone to date. In fact, I worry because it would be difficult for her to remain in a party with two other couples. Teo: ¡°And besides, if you want to talk about that, Mr. Henry and Miss Cyril have been living together ©` and it was just the two of them.¡± Something sharply lit up¡­¡­¡­.in Lana¡¯s eyes. Or so I thought. I was able to dodge most of Lana¡¯s pokes and prods about my situation©`©` ©`©`but in hindsight, I think she saw through most of my answers. CH 161 Ch. 161: Return to the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn Lana¡¯s Award Ceremony was over without incident. The Award Ceremony was open to the public and was held at the Alvenia Central University in one of their lecture halls. Though it was front page news, the article was written for a very limited, technical, specialized group of readers. Very few people from the public attended the ceremony, and putting aside everyone directly connected with Lana, there were only a few Professors and students involved in the area of Magecraft Studies that were present. On the other hand, Lana was relieved to see such a small crowd, so I think that it ended up for the best. But with her invented Spell Inscription gathering momentum and spreading farther, she will not be able to avoid gathering the public¡¯s attention. I¡¯ve only heard this in passing, but for the Alvenia Kingdom, this would become a powerful card for negotiating with the Salaiz Republic and Varsaldi Empire. [I don¡¯t think anyone would attempt an abduction at this point, but there will be people who will start sniffing around for information. While you are nearby, be weary of those people.] When we were leaving the Capital, Ms. Beatriz warned me about that. And apparently, they have already sent Sir Alvare, the Flowtier Governor, messages asking to tighten security to ensure Lana¡¯s safety. [Well, she is still a child, so we¡¯ll be busy in the background, so as not to cause her any concern.] ©`©`is what Ms. Beatriz was saying, but¡­¡­.I¡¯m sure she meant that there were going to be people secretly watching over Lana to protect her from now on. ¡­¡­¡­.it really felt like Lana was now someone far above my social ladder all of a sudden. On the other hand, Lana went to tour the Capital with her mother during her free time, and she excitedly engaged in girl talk when Princess Aileen came charging through the door and rounded up her and Cyril. In that sense, she was no different than any other girl her age. Her ability to both balance her genius and just being an ordinary girl was one of Lana¡¯s best traits. Lana: ¡°? What is it, Mr. Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°Nah, it¡¯s nothing.¡± We were on our way back to Flowtier on a gently shaking horse carriage. As I let my thoughts drift, I had been unknowingly staring at Lana who sat across from me, and she turned a questioning gaze back towards me. I waved my hand reassuringly to emphasize that it really was nothing. Cyril: ¡°Henry©`©`? Staring at Lana like that¡­..are you cheating me¡«?¡± And Cyril should know how¡­¡­.how honest and loyal I am! Yes, and yet she must have been bored from the ride and tried to start something. Henry: ¡°..........ugh, why would you say that? There¡¯s no way I would cheat on you.¡± I state that as clearly as possible, and Cyril began nodding approvingly as she spouted this©`©` Cyril: ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. Henry, you are head over heels in love with me!¡± ¡­¡­.wait, what? Henry: ¡°.........who¡¯s head over heels, huh.¡± I began pulling her cheek as it began stretching wonderfully. Cyril: ¡°O©`ow! Hey shtop dat!!¡± Henry: ¡°Fine, fine.¡± And I release her cheek immediately. Teo: ¡°.........Miss Cyril, your cheek stretches so well. It¡¯s like mochi.¡± Henry: ¡°Mochi? ¡­¡­..oh, I think I¡¯ve heard of it before.¡± Teo: ¡°It¡¯s a food served on the Rishu Island. It¡¯s made from rice.¡± From Teo¡¯s words, I trace back my memory. ¡­¡­¡­.ummm, during the New Year¡¯s celebration in Ligaleo, the volunteer militia from Rishu would come and with a wooden hammer, a wooden mill, they would make something with that name. They gave me some to taste, and there were a lot of ways you could flavor it, and I liked all of them. ¡­¡­¡­and yeah, now that I think about it, they stretched really well. Cyril: ¡°Urghhhh, Miss Cyril¡¯s cheeks are not to be played with!¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s your fault for making bad jokes.¡± Cyril: ¡°I did no such thing©`¡± Against Cyril¡¯s protests, I covered my ears to act as though I couldn¡¯t hear anything she said. Lana and Ms. Linda laughed as they watched our exchange. Jend: ¡°He©`y, we can almost see Flowtier from here©`¡± And outside of the carriage, Jend, who was jogging along beside the carriage, let us know with a loud voice. My butt was starting to hurt from all the sitting, so I stood up and headed towards where the carriage driver sat. Henry: ¡°Oh, hello, sir. Isn¡¯t the view magnificent?¡± ¡°........yes. Yes, it is indeed.¡± I reflect upon the carriage driver¡¯s words, and I agree with him wholeheartedly. A bright white wall without a single blemish surrounds the beautiful city. From a far distance where you can view the whole city, you can see the planted and arranged flowers that decorate the gardens and houses. The sun reflected off Lake Requin, and the light danced and shimmered across its surface, and in the background, the sacred mountain of Altohern stood tall. ¡­¡­¡­I first came to Flowtier around one year ago. The scenery has not changed since then, but my impression of the scenery has changed drastically. When I first visited the city, I was concerned about how I would make a living going forward. Now¡­¡­. Cyril: ¡°Wow¡«¡«! We¡¯re finally back home©`!¡± Cyril shoved me to the side as she wanted to get a glimpse of her city and raised a voice of glee at the sight. ¡­¡­.yeah. I¡­¡­.felt the same way. ¡°I¡¯m home,¡± was the first thing that came to mind. ©`©`And I know that someone might look skeptical at me because I only live in an inn, so I remain quiet. Besides that, it¡¯s the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn¡¯s fault for being way too comfortable to live in. I silently made a string of excuses to myself©`©` ©`©`as I gazed at the familiar city, and spent the rest of the hours like that until we arrived. <<<<>>>> At the city gates, we parted. Lana, Ms. Linda, and myself returned to the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. ¡­¡­..yeah, I wasn¡¯t planning on changing inns from the start. It was long past the lunch hour, but this diner continues to function until the evening. Since it has been a while, I wanted to have a meal here, and as a celebration of completing my training, have a drink¡­¡­¡­but©`©` Henry: ¡°Huh? It¡¯s not open?¡± Hung on the door was a ¡°We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, but we are currently closed¡± sign. And they were planning to open¡­¡­.at night. Henry: ¡°........oh! That¡¯s right. Their two helpers during this hour are gone, so that¡¯s to be expected.¡± Though the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn employs several part-time employees, between the lunch rush and the evening dinner hour, Lana and Ms. Linda, who are family, runs and monitors the floor. If both of them are in the Capital, then¡­.. Lana: ¡°Oh, no, no, Mr. Henry. We should have had people come in on our behalf while we were out.¡± Linda: ¡°I wonder if he¡¯s not feeling well today? ¡­¡­.well, if it¡¯s Nord, he¡¯s probably just preparing for dinner.¡± Ms. Linda opens the door wide. Linda: ¡°Nord! I¡¯m ba¡­¡­.ck¡­¡­¡± Ms. Linda¡¯s words slowly trailed off into nothingness. I wondered what was going on and peered inside past her as Ms. Linda began apologizing profusely. Linda: ¡°Pardon me. I did not know that the Sir Governor was visiting our establishment. I did not mean to intrude.¡± Alvare: ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t apologize. You have done nothing wrong. I am only a Governor because the people support me as the Count.¡± ¡­¡­and so, at one of the restaurant¡¯s table, the inn¡¯s owner, Mr. Nord, sat across from the current Flowtier Governor, Sir Alvare. Alvare: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Mr. Henry. Hello there. So today was the day of your return¡­¡­.and that means Cyril has returned to the mansion?¡± I was taken back by the sudden meeting too, but I coughed several times to clear my throat, and straightened my back as I answered. Henry: ¡°I have just returned, Sir Governor. Cyril has gone straight back to the Governor¡¯s mansion. She was excited to bring you, Sir Governor, and Lady Asteria gifts from our journey.¡± Alvare: ¡°Haha, that is just like her.¡± The Governor¡¯s laugh was polite and graceful as his gaze fell on Lana. Alvare: ¡°Well, hello. Are you Miss Lana?¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, Sir Governor. I hope the day is finding you well.¡± She grabbed the ends of her skirt to curtsey and bowed her head politely. As a daughter of an innkeeper, she knew the basic formalities. Ms. Linda was taken by surprise and fumbled in her response, but her recovery afterwards showed how well she dealt with Nobility. Alvare: ¡°Haha, yes, a pleasure making your acquaintance.¡± Lana: ¡°Yes, but Sir Governor. You knew about me?¡± Alvare: ¡°Of course. The Hestani 2nd Class Medal is a very important medal. If anyone from this city was selected for that medal, I would hear about it of course. ¡­¡­..but I never would have expected that such a young and beautiful girl would be the starring hope of our city.¡± Lana: ¡°I©`Is that so? Thank you very much.¡± Lana seemed embarrassed at the sudden compliment. Well, I¡¯m sure that there was some obligatory lip service in his comment¡­¡­..but in a few more years, Lana will probably grow into a very beautiful woman. Lana: ¡°Oh, and um¡­..so Sir Governor. What brings you to our establishment today?¡± Alvare: ¡°Oh, yes. It¡¯s really nothing. The streets here can be pretty crowded during the evenings, correct? I¡¯ve heard of some incident reports recently, and I was thinking about increasing the patrol security. That¡¯s why I am here today to speak with Mr. Nord who is a representative of this area.¡± Increase¡­¡­patrol¡­¡­. Ms. Beatriz¡¯ words about her request for the Governor to watch out for Lana crosses my mind. Maybe Sir Alvare saw some realization in my expression, but he discretely winked at me while no one else was looking. Lana: ¡°I see. If that¡¯s the case, we¡¯ll be retreating to the back. If you need anything, please let us know.¡± Alvare: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s alright. We finished our discussion and were having a polite chat. ¡­and my [daughter] has also come home, so I need to take my leave shortly.¡± The Governor chuckled gently as he picked up his things and stood up. The soldiers on guard stepped away from the wall, and they left the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn. Once the Governor left, Lana, Ms. Linda, and Mr. Nord look at one another. Nord: ¡°.......welcome home, you two.¡± Linda: ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s good to be back, Nord.¡± Lana: ¡°We¡¯re back, dad!¡± And Mr. Nord nods in acknowledgement. Nord: ¡°Mr. Henry, thank you very much for looking after my family.¡± Henry: ¡°Of course. And I¡¯ll be here at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn for a while once again.¡± Mr. Nord gave off the silent type vibe, but underneath his serious expression, I sensed his welcome. Linda: ¡°So, hon¡¯, any problems while we were gone?¡± Nord: ¡°None.¡± Linda: ¡°Good. Then I¡¯ll get dressed, and let¡¯s go ahead and take down that closed sign and re-open the diner.¡± ¡­¡­..and Ms. Linda was already ready to get back to work. Henry: ¡°U©`Um, are you not feeling tired from the travels?¡± Linda: ¡°I¡¯ll forget all about that as soon as I start working. Mr. Henry, you wanted a drink, right? Just wait a moment!¡± ¡­¡­..I¡¯m pretty sure that she looked exhausted from doing long carriage rides that they were not used to, but now, there¡¯s not an ounce of fatigue I could see in her face. I mean, I¡¯m glad to be able to eat and drink, but I hope she¡¯s not pushing herself too hard. Lana: ¡°Mom.¡± And as I was thinking, Lana spoke up to Ms. Linda. Linda: ¡°Hm? What is it, Lana? Oh, you can take a break.¡± Lana: ¡°It¡¯s not that. Don¡¯t we have to go pick up Rando from grandma¡¯s?¡± ¡­¡­..Rando is Lana¡¯s younger brother who hasn¡¯t even turned 1 years old. When Ms. Linda, his mother, is unavailable, she takes Rando back to her parents¡¯ home. ¡­¡­..that¡¯s true. I¡¯m sure that he misses his mother. Oh, Rando recognized me before we left on our journey to train, but I wonder if he still remembers me. Linda: ¡°.......oh¡« that¡¯s right. We do. Sorry, Lana.¡± Lana: ¡°No, that¡¯s okay.¡± Ms. Linda looked a little ashamed as she apologized to Lana. And well, I am hungry, but I can wait till©`©` Lana: ¡°I¡¯ll watch the diner, so you go pick up Rando. It¡¯s been a while, so I¡¯ll work really hard.¡± Linda: ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± ¡­¡­¡­..wait, seriously? She had that award ceremony and meetings with many powerful and famous people. During her breaks, they went touring the Capital¡­¡­¡­out of all of us, Lana should have been the most exhausted, but now she looked excited and energetic to get the diner reopened. I really think that she should take a break¡­¡­but she looks so excited right now¡­¡­.and as I reflected on these things, Lana brought over the inn¡¯s record book to where I was sitting. Lana: ¡°........Mr. Henry, let¡¯s take care of your reservation first. How long will you be staying? We¡¯ll give you a discount for staying 3 days or longer.¡± Henry: ¡°Then 5 nights.¡± Lana: ¡°Then¡­..with the discount and special price for being our regular, that will be 2,500 zeniths.¡± I handed over the rent. In exchange, she handed me a key. ¡­¡­..it was the room I rented before. I guess it was still open. I¡¯m glad. Lana: ¡°Then please drop off your luggage in your room. You can take a short break, and we¡¯ll have the food ready by the time you get back. Do you want the usual?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, please.¡± With an energetic ¡°Oka©`y¡±, Lana responded back energetically. And I began climbing up the familiar steps. CH 162 Ch. 162: The Conversation with the Townsfolk We have completed upgrading our equipment and our training. Now, all that¡¯s left is to head to Ligaleo. ¡­¡­.even so, it¡¯s still important to take care of any loose ends in Flowtier. If we go to Ligaleo, we will most likely not be able to return for a few years at a time. Unlike Ferris and I who have only lived in Flowtier for less than a year, the other 3 have many things to attend to. Saying farewell to their friends, sorting through all their belongings, storing them, or getting rid of it ©`©` all those things, they have to finish before we go. Of course, we can¡¯t just focus on leaving and let our skills get rusty, so we all head out on expeditions periodically. At first, we started off in the mid-region of the Altohern Mountain just like before we left Flowtier, but¡­.as we saw each other¡¯s growth in skill, we began hunting Demonic Creatures in the upper region. Now, we are taking down a few Giants in a single day. A little while back, we ran into a rare Dragon and defeated it. ¡­¡­.for the Dragon, I had to be front and center for the fight, but with this Party, we can take on Upper-Tier creatures and be able to handle that fight pretty solidly. Rad: ¡°Man, isn¡¯t that all going well for you guys.¡± Gawain: ¡°You guys already reached the Upper Region? Our group didn¡¯t mean to dawdle, but your group went straight over our heads.¡± I was discussing this and that about our recent expeditions, and Mr. Rad and Mr. Gawain spoke their thoughts. ¡­¡­.in Flowtier, these two lead the only other Parties that explore the Altohern region. When we first began exploring the Altohern Mountain, the information these two provided benefited our Party greatly. Today, we met at a bar we visited together a while back. Before I head to Ligaleo, I wanted to go around and meet with the people I¡¯ve gotten to known. Henry: ¡°Well, as for the members of my Party¡­¡­.it¡¯s a little embarrassing to say, but they have so much potential.¡± Rad: ¡°Ha! There¡¯s no doubt about it. That Jend and Cyril, huh. When they first became Adventurers, I should have invited them over to our Party.¡± Gawain: ¡°.......putting Jend aside, we couldn¡¯t invite someone as young and cute as that girl, and not expect problems to erupt with just men around.¡± Rad chuckled as he imagined the situation unraveling as Gawain described it and nodded in agreement. These two lead Parties with 5 or 6 men in each group. ¡­¡­.though she may still look too young, Cyril is still considered beautiful, and yeah¡­¡­undoubtedly, throw her in a Party with just men, and you can expect the teamwork to start breaking down. Sometimes, things would be different if they began the Party together, but when men and women group together, you can¡¯t avoid those kinds of conflicts. Henry: ¡°Well, since we¡¯ve been racking in the money, this bottle is on me. Can we let it go with that?¡± Rad: ¡°Fine. ¡­..oh, Henry, your glass is empty.¡± Mr. Rad picked up the bottle of whiskey which still had about half left and turned towards me. I raised my glass as he trickled the liquid inside to fill it up. Rad: ¡°But if you think about it, you can retire comfortably just hunting in the Altohern Mountain. Besides, since you guys are the only Adventurers that can hunt in the Upper Region, you¡¯ll practically be celebrities in Flowtier. You¡¯re throwing all that away to go to Ligaleo? You guys are crazy.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, that is true.¡± I nod indifferently to Mr. Rad¡¯s rather accurate portrayal of our Party¡¯s decision. If Cyril wasn¡¯t here, I would have done exactly as he said. But maybe not hunt in the Upper Region. Gawain: ¡°........well, I understand the feeling of wanting to test your strength.¡± Rad: ¡°Ohhh, then Gawain, you¡¯ll be heading to Ligaleo sometime too?¡± Gawain: ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m the only one in the Party who wants to. I don¡¯t mind hiring the occasional help for expeditions, but I don¡¯t want to join or form a new Party. I¡¯ll stick with the guys in my Party.¡± I sensed a strong will and trust towards his Party members in those words. Henry: ¡°Well, Mr. Gawain, please have more.¡± Gawain: ¡°Oh, thank you, Mr. Henry.¡± I took a little more ice than usual from the ice pail and placing it inside Mr. Gawain¡¯s cup, I poured a little less whiskey than usual. ¡­¡­..well, it¡¯s because although Mr. Gawain looks stoic and serious, he throws terrible drunken fits. Gawain: ¡°............¡± Oh, there wasn¡¯t enough whiskey to his liking, and he poured himself more. I glanced briefly at Mr. Rad and made eye contact. Rad: ¡°Oh, the liquor is great, but I¡¯m getting hungry. Can we order some food?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, of course.¡± If there¡¯s enough food in your stomach, you won¡¯t be able to drink as much. Gawain: ¡°........I¡¯m good with just the liquor.¡± Rad: ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon. Don¡¯t be like that. Excuse me©`©`¡± And Mr. Rad¡¯s voice rang out towards one of the waitresses. Rad: ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­..can we get the plate of assorted cheeses, the vegetable sticks, a steak, salad, and oh! A mixed sandwich would be good.¡± Gawain: ¡°Hey, hey, Rad. That¡¯s way too much.¡± Rad: ¡°I¡¯m in the mood to try out different things today. C¡¯mon, you can have some too. It¡¯s too much food for Henry and I.¡± Gawain: ¡°Fine¡­.¡± Mr. Gawain nods slightly. They¡¯ve known each other for a while so I sensed some practiced maneuvers from Mr. Rad. Rad: ¡°And well, it¡¯s disappointing since we just got to know you, but here¡¯s to Henry and his Party¡¯s success in Ligaleo.¡± Gawain: ¡°Cheers.¡± The two raised their glasses, and I followed suit. Henry: ¡°And best of luck to your Parties with the expeditions here.¡± Rad: ¡°Yes, cheers!¡± And our glasses lightly clanged together. Afterwards¡­¡­ Gawain: ¡°Let¡¯s go where we can meet some girls!¡± Mr. Gawain announced very loudly and boldly in the middle of the street, and with Mr. Rad in one arm and me in the other©`©` He dragged us into a brothel and©`©` ©`©`I¡¯m not at fault here. <<<<>>>> The Thomas Magecraft Shop was one of the most notable stores in Flowtier with a wide range of quality wares. I was speaking with the store¡¯s owner, Mr. Thomas, about my night with Mr. Rad and Mr. Gawain. ¡­¡­those two know Mr. Thomas and his store well and come by here quite often. As I complain about Mr. Gawain¡¯s sudden rampage across town, Mr. Thomas chuckled as he heard the news. Thomas: ¡°Well, that must have been quite a night. Mr. Gawain knows of his own bad habits, so it¡¯s unusually for him to get so carried away¡­¡­.I¡¯m sure he was extremely disappointed to see you leave.¡± Henry: ¡°...........I highly doubt he had anything like that on his mind¡­..¡± And I let out a deep sigh. Henry: ¡°.....oh, let me cut the chatter and get to work. So where should I put this large Magecraft Artifact?¡± Thomas: ¡°Oh yes, that was will be at the front of the store. Will that be okay?¡± Henry: ¡°Of course. You can leave it to me.¡± I carried the large, bulky Artifact slowly and carefully towards the front of the store has he directed. Today, I came here to Mr. Thomas¡¯ store to help him rearrange his products as an official Quest. A little while ago, I popped in to the Church and saw Mr. Thomas putting in a Quest¡­¡­and hearing what he needed, I took on the Quest. Thomas: ¡°And I know it¡¯s after the fact, but is this really okay? Compared to other Quests for Heroic Warriors, this Quest is quite cheap in comparison.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, you really can¡¯t find high paying Quests like that in a town like this in the first place.¡± Drops from slaying strong Demonic Creatures, gathering materials in extremely dangerous environments, defeating Highest-Tiers or the like¡­¡­¡­these Quests have the best rewards, but you would not see Quests like that in Flowtier. Henry: ¡°And showing the Church that you have good relations with the people of the city earns you points.¡± Due to the nature of our job, there are many Adventurers who are focused on increasing their strength. So stores like this put out Quests rearranging rooms and cleaning storage sheds, but there are not many Adventurers trusted with that job without some concerns or worries. It¡¯s not unheard of for some guys to pocket a few valuables or accidentally break stuff being too careless. When I accepted the Quest, having Mr. Thomas enthusiastically ask the Church for me to take the Quest boosted my reputation. Thomas: ¡®Haha, that is true. There¡¯s no merchant that can survive our line of work if you can¡¯t build trust.¡± Mr. Thomas nodded in agreement at my words. ¡­¡­¡­and well, it¡¯s not an epiphany about Adventurers that I can brag about. It¡¯s a very plain, very normal fact of life. ¡­¡­¡­..and because Adventurers tend to come from rough backgrounds, so these kinds of points are easier to get. Henry: ¡°Well, anyways, that¡¯s how it is. ¡­¡­.so, Mr. Quest-Giver, which one should I carry next?¡± Thomas: ¡°Yes, let¡¯s take care of these first. I was planning on closing down for 1 week to rearrange the floor, but now, I can re-open in 2 or 3 days at this rate.¡± Mr. Thomas guided me with each item as I continued to carry them one by one. As I carried the larger items, Mr. Thomas began rearranging the smaller products and their layout. We began from early in the morning, and we worked till it was a little late for lunch¡­¡­and we were able to finish moving all of the major items. Thomas: ¡°Thank you for all the hard work, Mr. Henry. Here, I poured you some tea. Please have some.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, thank you so much.¡± We were in the breakroom of the store. Carrying products was nerve-wrecking and wore me out in a different way, and I sunk down in my seat when Mr. Thomas came back from the back of the store. I dumped a lot of sugar in my tea as I mixed and sipped greedily. ¡­¡­¡­and I did feel bad for ruining the general flavor of the tea, but the sweet liquid gave my fatigued body new strength. Thomas: ¡°Now, we just need my vendors to clean up and put up a new shelf¡­¡­.and yes, I should be able to reopen my store the day after tomorrow.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, wouldn¡¯t that be too tight of a schedule?¡± Thomas: ¡°The vendor is someone I know quite well. As long as it¡¯s outside of the regular busy season, they¡¯re quite flexible.¡± And as businessmen, I guess it¡¯s natural that they have a lot of connections and working relationships. ¡­¡­and it goes back to the importance of building trust that was mentioned earlier. Thomas: ¡°But it¡¯s hard to believe you¡¯re already going back to Ligaleo. Haha, do you remember what you told me when you first arrived here?¡± Henry: ¡°....oh, well¡­yes.¡± Why did a Heroic Warrior want to settle his base operations in a town like this? I remember Mr. Thomas asked me something like that. Ummm¡­..I said¡­.. [I actually completed my goal on the frontlines, so I wanted to spend the rest of my days in a safe town fighting sub-par creatures occasionally, or go search for raw materials as if I was going on a picnic or hike.] ¡­¡­¡­.yup. If I hadn¡¯t picked up a new goal, that¡¯s exactly how I would have spent my days in Flowtier. Looking back¡­¡­.it¡¯s not something I should have boasted out loud! I was way too excited feeling like I was finally free. Thomas: ¡°And Miss Cyril was one of the first people you met here, and you ended up courting her and decided to go back to the frontlines. I can¡¯t help but feel that it was more than a coincidence.¡± Henry: ¡°Th©`That¡¯s true¡­.¡± And to put another twist, she was the former Princess to my bygone home and Kingdom. ¡­.yeah, it¡¯s a really strange coincidence indeed. Thomas: ¡°All I can do now is just root for your success¡­¡­.please be careful when you do return to the frontlines.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, thank you so much.¡± I nod gently at Mr. Thomas¡¯s words. Thomas: ¡°Now then¡­..since we have finished way ahead of schedule, just having tea won¡¯t do. ¡­¡­.shall we head to Nord¡¯s?¡± Mr. Thomas made a gesture of drinking out of a mug. Henry: ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡± I immediately nod in agreement. And walking side by side with Mr. Thomas, we head to the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn and drank sitting across from one another. It was something I¡¯ve done countless times since coming to Flowtier. Now, I silently wondered how many more times I would be able to do so in the future. <<<<>>>> CREDITS Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely Written by Hisagushien Translated by: ChonkyTranslator Japanese Title: ¥»¥ß¥ê¥¿¥¤¥¢¤·¤¿Ã°ê“ÕߤϤΤó¤Ó¤êĺ¤é¤·¤¿¤¤ ×÷Õß: ¾Ã™±¾v£¨¥Ò¥µ¥°¥·¥¨¥ó£© http://kuontenrin.ehoh.net/ Original Source: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n1161ft/162/ Book 11: Preparation for the Conquest CH 163 Ch. 163: The Voyage to Rishu Henry: ¡°Uhhh©` so everyone, I have some bad news.¡± It was during one of our weekly meetings. We gathered at the Grandes Church¡¯s tavern, and that was the first thing I mentioned as the meeting started. Cyril: ¡°? What¡¯s wrong, Henry? Did you mess up again? It will be okay.¡± Jend: ¡°If you¡¯re troubled about something, I¡¯ll do my best to help.¡± As Cyril and Jend spoke up, Teo and Ferris also nodded their heads in agreement. I appreciate the gesture, but unfortunately, it¡¯s nothing like that this time. Henry: ¡°Yeah©` so basically¡­.well¡­.¡± I took out a single envelope. Seeing the name on the outside, Cyril let out a gasp of recognition. Cyril: ¡°It¡¯s a letter from Miss Yuu! ¡­¡­..oh wait, Henry. Are you in the middle of another weird argument with her again?¡± Henry: ¡°What? No, it¡¯s nothing like that.¡± I correct Cyril¡¯s misunderstanding, and take out the letter inside of the envelope. Henry: ¡°So©` according to Yuu, we were planning on staying at Ligaleo¡¯s [The Cries of Stars Inn] but¡­..they are currently under going construction after getting demolished completely for the fourth time now.¡± When I was back in Ligaleo, I had a lot of connections there, so I figured my Party could start at the Cries of Stars Inn. The inn is located in between Ligaleo¡¯s first and second wall, and during a Demonic Creatures attack, it was destroyed. ¡­¡­¡­¡­and yeah, well. It¡¯s not unheard of to have inns get demolished. The residents of Ligaleo are also accustomed to these kinds of accidents, so the reconstruction is swift too. It¡¯s swift, but©`©` Henry: ¡°And with Lana¡¯s most recent invention, they have had fewer and fewer Demonic Creature attacks breach the wall, so they want to properly reconstruct the inn this time ©`©` and it will take at least 2 months to do so.¡± So this was one of the last victims or rather, collateral damages prior to the Magecraft Barrier upgrade¡­..or so they¡¯re saying. Ferris: ¡°Well, even 2 months sounds like a very fast construction¡­¡­but since they¡¯re saying that they want to do it right, how fast do they usually rebuild?¡± Henry: ¡°Ummm, the Cries of the Stars Inn is the fourth reconstruction, and it took us about 2 weeks to build it. I was there helping too.¡± As I answered Ferris¡¯ question, everyone¡¯s eyes widened with surprise. Since buildings are constantly being flattened, in Ligaleo, the reconstruction of buildings is incredibly fast. If it¡¯s a small house, we would usually rebuild it in 3 days. Though food supplies may be in constant shortage in Ligaleo, we were able to gather wood supplies by killing off plant-type Demonic Creatures, so we always had a surplus of building supplies. ¡­¡­..and well, I guess those kinds of projects will decrease going forward. It¡¯s all thanks to our great and wonderful inventor, Miss Lana. I should turn towards the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn and offer a prayer of gratitude. Cyril: ¡°Why can¡¯t we use another inn?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©` well¡« so Ligaleo has rent assistance to encourage Adventurers to live there and¡­¡­.switching to another inn would mean redoing a lot of paperwork.¡± In that town, the Alvenia Kingdom, the Republic of Salaiz, and the Varsaldi Empire share the territory legally. With all the politics, laws, and regulations being negotiated, apparently, there were many heated legal battles which led to the increased explosion of overly complicated bureaucratic paperwork. They are trying to streamline the paperwork that you most often encounter, but if you tried to relocate inns, worst case scenario, it could take 2 to 3 weeks to complete. Henry: ¡°So that¡¯s the situation. Because of that, we don¡¯t need to hurry to Ligaleo, and we actually need to postpone our departure because of it.¡± We were originally planning on leaving next week. Jend: ¡°Hmmm, well, I¡¯m okay with that. The Upper Region of the Altohern Mountains are a good hunting ground.¡± Ferris: ¡°I don¡¯t mind as well.¡± Cyril: ¡°.........I just had tearful farewell parties with my friends yesterday because I told them I was leaving next week though©`©`¡± The 3 of them had no objections. Cyril? Oh, this is like her 5th farewell party, so 2 or 3 more wouldn¡¯t make a difference. Henry: ¡°What about you, Teo? You look deep in thought.¡± Teo: ¡°.......hmmm, oh, I don¡¯t mind the postponement. But in that case©`©`¡± Teo scratched her cheek as she began to speak. Teo: ¡°So, for myself, I wanted to go say my greetings at the main Rishu household, but is that okay? I originally gave up on the plan since we didn¡¯t have enough time, but there¡¯s a lot of people I¡¯m indebted to over there.¡± We all looked at one another. After that, we all asked many questions to Teo about her situation. <<<<>>>> Rishu. Separated from the main continent by an ocean, it was an island with its own unique culture and society. It was Ageha and Teo¡¯s grandfather¡¯s place of birth¡­¡­.and for Teo¡¯s family, their business relied on the connections of their main family to acquire goods and sell them in the Alvenia Kingdom. And for Teo personally, before she became an Adventurer, she visited the Sagiri Family quite often¡­¡­and in her childhood days, they took really good care of her apparently. Simon: ¡°Then Mr. Henry, everyone. You have taken great care of Teo during the expeditions, and¡­¡­.I am entrusting Teo to you again for this journey. Please take good care of her.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, of course.¡± We were at the docks of the Seasargo Port City in the Flowtier Count¡¯s territory. Teo¡¯s father came to see us off as we departed for Rishu, and I nodded to answer Mr. Simon¡¯s request. It was after Teo asked if she could go see the Sagiri Family in Rishu. ¡­¡­¡­we had to think about it for a bit, but we all decided to tag along with Teo. There may not be another chance to go to Rishu if we miss this one. The other Party members too were quite curious, and in the end, we all decided to go as one. Thinking of our trip to the Salaiz Republic when we went to visit Yuu, our Party members are quite full of curiosity. Cyril: ¡°Hehehe¡« a journey on a ship will be so fun©`!¡± Ferris: ¡°Cyril, don¡¯t get too carried away. If you fall overboard, you¡¯ll be in trouble.¡± Ferris sternly warns Cyril who seems to be up in the clouds in her own little world. Cyril: ¡°Miss Ferris, do not fear! Last summer, Henry made me swim laps to build up stamina! Mermaid Cyril will not drown so easily©`¡± Ferris: ¡°...........wait, you know the water is freezing, right? You will die if you fall into the water.¡± Though Cyril was confident, Ferris groaned and shook her head. ¡­¡­..well, if she really did fall, I would jump in to save her regardless. Simon: ¡°Oh, I can see our ship approaching.¡± Mr. Simon let us know as soon as he saw a ship on the horizon. Today was the day when the ship carrying the various Sagiri Merchant Group¡¯s products was arriving at the Seasargo port. Mr. Simon was here not only to see off Teo but for business as well. Simon: ¡°Then I¡¯ll take my leave here¡­¡­..oh, wait. Yes, I almost forgot. Mr. Henry, there was one other thing I needed to ask of you.¡± Henry: ¡°? What can I help you with?¡± Since Mr. Simon helped us so much in arranging this voyage to Rishu, I wanted to return the favor if I could. Simon: ¡°Well, you did see Ageha recently, right? Would you be willing to speak with my sister in the main household and tell her about Ageha? As you may know, Ageha¡¯s not the best at sending letters, and my sister would really love to hear about her recent events.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh¡­¡­.um, yes, that¡¯s fine. Was Ageha and Mr. Simon¡¯s sister close?¡± Simon: ¡°For Ageha, my sister was like a mother to her. ¡­¡­¡­my sister married my cousin in the main family.¡± ¡­¡­..OH. If I thought about it, Teo¡¯s grandfather is from the Sagiri family, and his granddaughter Teo and Ageha being cousins was a little strange, but that¡¯s how it was. Simon: ¡°Teo, give my regards to everyone in the family. I know that recently, things have been so busy that I haven¡¯t been able to travel there, but I will go as soon as the next opportunity arrives.¡± Teo: ¡°I understand, father.¡± And with that, Mr. Simon departed for another docking area. The passenger ships and cargo ships arrived in different areas of the docks. Cyril: ¡°Okay©`! Then all aboard¡«!¡± Henry: ¡°Okay, okay. Don¡¯t be in such a hurry.¡± Cyril yelled with excitement and with her fist in the air, she headed for the passenger ship that was docked in port. Sheesh. All the members of our Party watched her go with some exasperation. Henry: ¡°........well, I knew the voyage fees were a little high, but it¡¯s a very nice ship.¡± Teo: ¡°When we go out to see, we can encounter oceanic Demonic Creatures¡­¡­.so the ships must be of a certain size and good build in order to survive the journey.¡± As I looked admiringly at our passenger ship, Teo explained next to me. ¡­¡­¡­.that¡¯s true. It is really difficult to defeat creatures in the water. Physical attacks don¡¯t work as well due to the water resistance, and Mages and Magicians need to take care of most of them. If I combine my Spells with [Water] , then my spear throws have some effect¡­¡­.but in general, I avoid confronting any water residing Demonic Creatures as much as possible. Jend: ¡°But it should be rare to really encounter one though. For any ships going to Rishu, there will always be a Purifying Mage aboard, so they will be purifying the corrupted Magic in our path as we move forward.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Jend: ¡°It¡¯s to also make sure that the sea routes remain safe. My family also owns a ship, and we have a few Purifying Mages hired for it.¡± Thus, if there is extensive poor weather for long durations where the purification is delayed too much, the sea routes¡¯ density of Corrupted Magic will get too high. In that case, they would not only hire Purifying Mages, but also Adventurers who are used to fighting on the sea, and they would form a special Battleship crew ©` a.k.a. A [Purifying Vessel] is what they called it according to Jend. I¡¯ve never been to Rishu, and Jend, who was closely associated with a Merchant Group next to the ocean, was far more knowledgeable about these things. Henry: ¡°You¡¯re so knowledgeable, Jend.¡± Jend: ¡°Oh, well, around here, it¡¯s common sense.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, you should see some Purifying Mages on the cargo ship my father went to go see.¡± As we chatted, we walked up the gangplank, showed the sailors our voyage passes, and boarded the vessel. Cyril: ¡°Geesh, everyone, you¡¯re so slow¡«¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon. Just calm down for a bit.¡± At the ship¡¯s entrance, Cyril waved and greeted us, and I knocked her lightly on the head. Cyril: ¡°Ughh©` what was that for©`?¡± Henry: ¡°Can¡¯t you see that you¡¯re drawing everyone¡¯s attention?¡± The entrance to the ship led into a wide open room, and there were quite a bit of passengers heading to Rishu like us¡­¡­¡­and seeing how Cyril made a fuss, they chuckled quietly to themselves. Cyril: ¡°Fine©` but anyhow, Henry, let¡¯s go to top deck!¡± Yeah, she doesn¡¯t get it at all. She tugged sharply on my arms to pull me forward, but I refused to move. Cyril: ¡°UGHHHH¡«¡«¡± Her face reddened with the effort, but there¡¯s no way she could move me with her strength. Ferris: ¡°........why not go with her, Mr. Henry? When Cyril¡¯s like this, she won¡¯t budge.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, it¡¯s me that¡¯s not budging here.¡± Ferris: ¡°Don¡¯t be a smartass. Just go already.¡± Ferris pushed me forward as well. ¡­¡­¡­.well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m not interested in seeing the deck, so that¡¯s fine but©`©` Cyril: ¡°Thank you, Miss Ferris! Now, c¡¯mon! Let¡¯s go, Henry!¡± Henry: ¡°.......could you just please keep your voice down a bit?¡± I let out a deep sigh and began walking with Cyril towards the top deck. ©`©`but huh¡­. We¡¯re docked at the port, but¡­¡­¡­I¡¯m feeling the ship move quite a bit. CH 164 Ch. 164: The Sea Voyage The passenger ship heading to Rishu departed from Seasargo, and it was about 1 hour into the journey. During that time, I¡­¡­.without exaggeration, was on the brink of death. Henry: ¡°ughhhhhhhhhhh¡­¡­.¡± I held weakly against the handrails of the top deck as I threw up into the blue ocean. I had already thrown up everything I ate before, and now dry heaved to squeeze out whatever drops of gastric acid that remained. I tried to do some deep breathing to catch my breath, and I glanced next to me to where Cyril stood and rubbed my back to convey my gratitude. Cyril: ¡°Are you okay, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°.........no, not at all¡­..¡± Cyril: ¡°Yeah, you look terrible. Here, here¡¯s some water.¡± I didn¡¯t even have the strength to squeeze out the words, ¡°Thank you¡± to you. I sipped the water from the water bottle, and Cyril handed a handkerchief to me to wipe my mouth. ¡­¡­..oh, I better buy her a new one after this. Cyril: ¡°I heard that sea sickness can be really awful, but I never get sick like that.¡± Henry: ¡°.........I heard it depends on the individual¡­.¡± And I wasn¡¯t the only one throwing up. There were several others suffering as I was. They were being nursed by family or friends¡­¡­¡­and as our eyes met by chance, we tried to encourage one another with a weak smile and thumbs up. I continued to heave and breathe heavily as the other Party members climbed to the top deck. They found us soon enough, and seeing my condition, looked at us with surprise. Jend: ¡°..........Henry, I thought I didn¡¯t see you in the cabin, but¡­¡­man, are you okay?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah©`, sorry. I¡­..seem to be really bad with ships.¡± Jend came over with concern all over his face, and I tried to reassure him with a wave of my hand. Everyone else seemed to be the same as Cyril. Looks like I¡¯m the only one in the Party who can¡¯t handle ships. ¡­¡­¡­¡­and well, I¡¯m glad no one else is going through what I¡¯m going through. It¡¯s not like I glanced up with some hope to see at least one of them suffer this journey with me up on this deck. A thought like that would never cross a gentleman such as me. Curse it all. Ferris: ¡°I see. That¡¯s a really bad case of sea sickness. ¡­¡­¡­.Teo, could you hand me my luggage I gave you to store in your bag?¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, which one?¡± Teo carries a [Capacity Enhanced] bag. And on this journey, we took full advantage of this ability, and anything we didn¡¯t want to carry with us, we handed it to store inside Teo¡¯s bag. Ferris took a small pouch that was inside that bag, and out of it, pulled out a small medicine. Ferris: ¡°I thought something like this might happen, so I prepared some anti-nausea medication. ¡­¡­¡­I should have thought to ask if anyone needed any before the trip began, but it slipped my mind.¡± ¡­¡­¡­..right now, I saw a bright and shining halo behind Ferris¡¯ head as she smiled down upon me. Henry: ¡°A Goddess!¡± Ferris: ¡°..........yeah, don¡¯t call me that.¡± I took the medicine from Ferris who looked exasperated, and with Cyril¡¯s water bottle, I drank it down. Teo: ¡°Mr. Henry, here¡¯s something from me. It will take a bit for the medicine to kick in, so please chew on these leaves. It gives off a refreshing scent and will help you calm down.¡± And Teo also handed me something as well. As I chewed, a very refreshing scent filled my mouth, and it helped clear my addled brain. It also helped my stomach feel better as well. ¡­¡­¡­..ahhhhh, Teo¡­¡­..you must be a servant of God sent to this world to redeem humanity¡­.. Henry: ¡°Holy Maiden!¡± Teo: ¡°Please don¡¯t call me that.¡± Teo was also pretty cold to my praise. All I wanted was for them to understand the gratitude welling up inside of me. Ferris: ¡°Now then¡­..looks like there¡¯s others in the same situation as Henry. I¡¯m sure this ship carries anti-nausea medication, but I will go see if they would like my help.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, I still have plenty of leaves. I usually ride the Sagiri Cargo ship, so I never saw sea-sick people¡­¡­.so I¡¯m glad I brought them with me on this trip.¡± Jend: ¡°Oh, then I¡¯ll go with you guys.¡± The 3 stood up and headed for the people looking the same as me. I¡¯m certain that the others will also see those 3 as saviors ©` just as I did. Cyril: ¡°A Goddess and a Holy Maiden, right? If you see those two like that, then I wonder what I would be?¡± Henry: ¡°? Cyril, you¡¯re just a Cyril.¡± ¡­¡­..ah¡« now with the medication starting to work, I feel so much lighter now, and my mood is improving. That¡¯s why I¡¯m able to easily withstand the of Cyril¡¯s low kick no matter how many she throws at me. Cyril: ¡°I was the one who was looking after you from the beginning!¡± Henry: ¡°Fi¡«ne, fi¡«ne. Ummm, an angel, maybe?¡± Cyril: ¡°Hmmmm, I can¡¯t help but feel like you just chose whatever, but I¡¯ll take it for now.¡± Henry: ¡°Good.¡± Fwew¡­¡­I¡¯m glad she¡¯s not holding it against me like she usually does. As I chewed on the Teo¡¯s leaves, I began to think. Henry: ¡°Hey, Cyril, do you think it¡¯s wrong of me to be the only one to swim there?¡± With the medication, I think I¡¯ll get used to it within the day, but if by any chance, I¡¯m going to suffer through that nausea again, I rather just swim the rest of the way. Cyril: ¡°...........wait wait wait. Henry, even if it¡¯s you, it¡¯s a 2-day journey by ship, you know? You can¡¯t swim for two days without rest¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.right?¡± Henry: ¡°Well©` it¡¯s a bit tough, but not impossible, I think.¡± Cyril: ¡°Don¡¯t do it. Didn¡¯t they say there are Demonic Creatures in these waters too?¡± ¡­¡­..hmmm, that is true. If they were to attack me when my fatigue was at its peak, then I don¡¯t stand a chance. If it was on land, I think I would be able to handle them no matter how tired I was, but in the water¡­.. Hmmm¡­¡­oh, what about this? Henry: ¡°Then, what if I do this? ¡­¡­..[Light Ledge] {Plateau}.¡± I made a floating glass plate with my Magecraft and rode on top of it. Since it¡¯s secured in mid-air, standing on top of the [Light Ledge] {Plateau} has no shaking from the waves. Henry: ¡°[Light Ledge] {Plateau}.......[Light Ledge] {Plateau}.......¡± But since it¡¯s secured in mid-air, the ship itself is still moving forward. I¡¯m going to have to keep creating these to stay on top of them. ¡­¡­..ohhhhhh, it¡¯s working. I think this is going to work! Now, I¡¯m not sure how long my Magic Reserves will last but¡­¡­.ha! That won¡¯t be an issue. Henry: ¡°Cyril, now is the time for our godly artifact, [Link Ring]. Can you give me your Magic through it?¡± With Cyril¡¯s Magic reserves, the amount of Magic I¡¯m consuming for [Light Ledge] {Plateau} would be smaller than what Cyril naturally recovers. This is it! I solved the nausea problem! Cyril: ¡°.......definitely not. Look, everyone¡¯s now staring at us weird.¡± So what? But it looks like I can¡¯t count on her for help this time. ¡­¡­..then it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll just use the Magic Recovery Potion and©`©` ¡°Ummmm©`©` pardon me.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, yes?¡± As I was about to keep going, someone spoke to me from the side. Looking towards the voice, I saw a sailor with a strained, troubled smile on his face. ¡°During the voyage, in order to ensure everyone¡¯s safety, we ask that all passengers refrain from using any kind of Magecraft or Magic¡­¡­the directions should have been provided when you purchased a ticket¡­¡­..¡± ¡­¡­¡­..that¡¯s right. Since it wasn¡¯t an Attack Spell, I was left with just a warning, but I had to profusely apologize to the ship¡¯s staff for not thinking this one through. <<<<>>>> Cyril: ¡°Now that I think about it, Henry, you were acting so weird yesterday¡«¡± Henry: ¡°.......don¡¯t remind me. It was the first time I felt that sick, and I must have been delirious.¡± Thankfully, Ferris¡¯ medicine worked wonders. Today, my body must have gotten used to it, and I didn¡¯t feel any signs of sea sickness. Now that I can start enjoying our journey, Cyril and I came out to the top deck, enjoyed the ocean view, and chatted away. Cyril: ¡°And today¡­¡­..compared to yesterday¡¯s cloudiness, it¡¯s beautiful weather. The sea surface is glittering so bright, it looks like jewels. The sea breeze feels so good too¡«¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, it really does¡«¡± Yeah, I agree with Cyril. It¡¯s really nice to be up here¡­¡­..but for some reason, Cyril was upset with my answer. Cyril: ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon. What¡¯s with that reply? It¡¯s such a gorgeous view! Can¡¯t you at least be a little more romantic with your¡­¡­..oh, you know what, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, why are you apologizing.¡± Cyril: ¡°Well¡« as I was saying it, I realized how wrong it was to expect you to be romantic like that. Some people just aren¡¯t able to, and that¡¯s okay.¡± Henry: ¡°You¡¯re being way too blunt!¡± Cyril laughed and said, ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± but really now. What does she think I am? That was really insulting. Henry is mad. Alright! I¡¯ll show her that I can be a man when I want to be. Cyril: ¡°? What is it?¡± I place a hand on her shoulder and hold her closer to me. Henry: ¡°The ocean is beautiful, but I think you¡¯re even more beautiful.¡± And whispered those words to her. Maybe I could have said something that insinuates something more¡­¡­mature¡­..but my repertoire in that area is severely limited, and¡­¡­besides that, this kind of straight talk is perfect for Cyril¡­..I think! Cyril: ¡°Hehe¡« well, anyone can see that, but Miss Cyril¡¯s mood has been restored!¡± Henry: ¡°............um, I¡¯m glad.¡± I think there should be some reciprocity ©` not just me doing all this embarrassing acts, but someone who¡¯ll also accept these words with some romance as well! Well, whatever. I roughly pat Cyril¡¯s head to let off some frustration. Cyril: ¡°Urghh¡­.what is it now?!¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± But all in all, that¡¯s part of her charm too. It¡¯ll be too embarrassing to say it out loud though. But Cyril suddenly let out a shout of surprise. Cyril: ¡°Henry! Did you see that just now?! A fish jumped out from the water!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ve been doing that occasionally.¡± Cyril: ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll be able to see the rumored whale as well¡«?¡± ¡­¡­.and like that, we chatted for about an hour on the top deck. It is a beautiful view, but we quickly tired of it. The ocean view doesn¡¯t change after all. Henry: ¡°Cyril, do you want to go back? The wind¡¯s starting to feel a bit cold.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, but what shall we do afterwards? There¡¯s not much to do. Maybe a nap?¡± It¡¯s still the morning hours. I don¡¯t feel tired at all. Henry: ¡°No¡« I¡¯m not feeling sleepy. Teo has some playing cards in her bag, so maybe play a game or two?¡± Cyril: ¡°I heard that trying to read small print on things like cards while on a ship can cause sea sickness though¡«¡± Henry: ¡°..........maybe something else then.¡± We both return to our cabins inside the ship. We technically have a cabin for men and a cabin for women. We heard voices inside the girl¡¯s cabin, so we knocked. Ferris: ¡°Who is it?¡± We hear Ferris¡¯ voice from inside. Henry: ¡°It¡¯s me. Cyril¡¯s here too. Can we come in?¡± Ferris: ¡°Yeah, sure. Come in.¡± We let ourselves in through the door. Since the ship¡¯s space is limited, there are 3 beds and a table, and that¡¯s it. ¡­¡­..and on top of the table, I see a familiar looking board and pieces. And Jend and Teo sat facing across from one another. Henry: ¡°Shogi, huh.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah. ¡­¡­.I haven¡¯t been able to win even once yet, but today might be the day.¡± Jend has been really into Shogi since the first time we played. He has played against Teo countless times, but as he mentioned, he has yet to beat her even once. But looking at the board, it looks like Jend has the advantage. Teo: ¡°.........it¡¯s still far from checkmate. The game is far from over, Jend.¡± And Teo moves a piece with determination. But Jend must have read that move and immediately moved his piece in response. ¡­¡­..Teo was already strong, but Jend has become quite strong as well. I better make sure to not challenge him lightly in a game of Shogi any more. Cyril: ¡°I see, I see. ¡­¡­¡­..I have no idea what¡¯s going on.¡± Ferris: ¡°It¡¯s not that complicated, so you should read the rules. Jend makes me play against him often, but it¡¯s quite fun.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hmmm, let me see¡«¡± And Ferris handed Cyril a small rule book, and Cyril began thumbing through the pages. ¡­¡­..and if Cyril learns the rules, the entire Party would be able to play Shogi. Since Ligaleo has very few entertainments, maybe we should purchase another Shogi set. I thought about these things as I watched Jend and Teo play. ¡­¡­¡­.and because I was looking so intense, the sea sickness came back. Dangit. CH 165 Ch. 165: Arriving at Rishu Cyril: ¡°Henry, be careful where you step¡« You still seem wobbly, so don¡¯t fall into the sea¡«¡± Henry: ¡°I©`I¡¯m¡­.okay¡­..¡± Cyril looked worriedly as I walked across the gangway. ¡­¡­.in the end, I was seasick for the 2nd day, and though I took some medication, the medicine didn¡¯t kick in until we already arrived at Rishu. ¡­¡­¡­the whole ordeal was awful. As I was throwing up over the ship¡¯s rails, I saw land and immediately thought, ¡°Ohhhhh, bless you, Mother Earth¡± ©`©` a direct line from the Ningel¡¯s sacred texts. Henry: ¡°I think I¡¯ll swim on the way back¡­¡­..¡± Ferris: ¡°Sure, sure. Stop spouting nonsense, and I¡¯ll try to make a more effective medicine with longer effects next time, so stop whining.¡± Henry: ¡°But Ferris, even if you wanted to, I heard that the plants here at Rishu are very different from the mainland.¡± I had doubts about whether Ferris, who acquired her medicinal knowledge in the Alvenia Kingdom, could make the same kinds of medication in this country. Teo: ¡°There are many pharmacies that deal with medicinal herbs from the mainland, and there are plenty of places that sell anti-nausea medication here. Because it¡¯s an island country, people have more opportunities to travel by boat, and there are many effective medicines now.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh yeah, now that you mention it, that makes sense. Teo, please find a good one for your reckless leader.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Ugh¡­..on that ship, it was just a little ©`©` a little tiny bit! ©`©` but they saw me at my lowest. I think I seriously made them worry for a while there¡­¡­¡­but I appreciate their concern regardless. Jend: ¡°But I¡¯ve heard the rumors, and I saw it from the ship but¡­¡­.the way the Rishu citizens build their buildings is very different from the mainland.¡± Jend was gazing curiously at the buildings from the port. Henry: ¡°But Jend, there seems to be a few houses made in the mainland style. Like the houses over there.¡± Jend: ¡°Oh, yeah. You¡¯re right. But I wonder why?¡± I pointed at some Alvenian houses, and Jend tilted his head to think. Teo: ¡°This town has ships coming and going from Seasalgo everyday, so it¡¯s easier to ask carpenters from the mainland over. And so when people come here for work, they prefer homes that they¡¯re used to and build them here.¡± Teo, who was very knowledgeable about the going-ons here, explained to us. Henry: ¡°That reminds of the Rishu-style houses Mr. Gordon made in Gungard.¡± I guess it is more relaxing to live in a house that you¡¯re more used to. ¡­¡­.in Ligaleo, there were many mercenaries and volunteers from Rishu, but there, the houses would get wrecked frequently, so they probably didn¡¯t want to bother. Cyril: ¡°I see, I see. The clothes and fashion is different too¡« For the fashionable and trendy Miss Cyril, a set of clothes from here as a gift would be wonderful¡«¡± Teo: ¡°If you go inland farther, it will change dramatically. As far as the tailors here, this town specifically has a lot of Alvenian influence, so you won¡¯t notice as much differences.¡± Cyril: ¡°I see, I see. Then Teo, could you take me to a Rishu Tailor when we get a chance?¡± Teo: ¡°Well, yes. I don¡¯t mind but¡­.¡± Cyril wrapped her arms excitedly around Ferris¡¯ to loop her into her plan. ¡­¡­¡­..well, if it¡¯s just one set of clothes, I can buy that for her. She took care of me on the ship, and now that I think about it, it¡¯s been a while since I bought her any gifts. Henry: ¡°Oh, wait a sec. I don¡¯t mind chatting, but Teo, wasn¡¯t there someone who was meeting us here?¡± As we were planning the trip, we had a few letters exchanged with the people here. Teo: ¡°Oh, yes. That¡¯s right. Umm¡­..¡± There were several people riding on the same ship as us who were being greeted at the port. I glanced over at Teo and¡­¡­.she gave out a slight surprise. Teo: ¡°Oh!¡± And waved her hand towards someone. Henry: ¡°Did you find them?¡± Teo: ¡°Yes. ¡­¡­¡­there, that person. That is Ageha¡¯s mother.¡± The woman also waved back at Teo, so I could see who it was. If it¡¯s Ageh¡¯a smother, she would have to be at least in her mid-30s, but she looked incredibly young. She had a very warm smile that matched her complexion and personality. She was an incredibly beautiful woman. Henry: ¡°..........Cyril, why elbow me just now?¡± Cyril: ¡°We¡«¡«ll, I thought you were having some weird thoughts crossing your head.¡± Henry: ¡°Idiot. Yeah, she¡¯s definitely beautiful, but it¡¯s Ageha¡¯s mother.¡± In other words, she¡¯s a married woman. ¡­¡­¡­and well, yeah, there are men who really go after women in that category, but I¡¯m not one of them. Cyril: ¡°Hmph! You tell me that I¡¯m cute, but you¡¯ve never called me beautiful.¡± Henry: ¡°If you want me to say it, then please match your looks to the compliment.¡± Cyril: ¡°WHAT?! Hey!! In a few more years, you¡¯ll be drooling over my overflowing charm and appeal!!¡± Even now, she¡¯s definitely acting more childish than her actual age. ¡­¡­¡­¡­is she really going to change in a few years? This thing is? A Cyril bursting with sexiness and charm¡­¡­¡­¡­nope, it¡¯s well beyond the wildest stretches of my imagination. Henry: ¡°...............I¡¯ll¡­¡­¡­¡­look forward to it¡­¡­¡­.¡± And I left it at that. We all started walking towards Ageha¡¯s mother to go greet her. <<<<>>>> ¡°Teo, it¡¯s been too long!¡± Teo: ¡°It has been a while, Aunt Akane.¡± As we arrive to greet her, Mrs. Akane welcomed Teo with a bright smile. It was rare to see Teo smile as she welcomed the embrace from Mrs. Akane. Akane: ¡°So? Are these your friends you spoke about in your letters?¡± Teo: ¡°Yes.¡± I stepped forward since I was technically the Party Leader. Henry: ¡°My name is Henry. ¡­¡­¡­I have also been residing in Ligaleo on the frontlines and worked with Miss Ageha in the past.¡± It feels strange to address her as ¡°Miss,¡± but I¡¯m speaking with her parents so it can¡¯t be helped. Akane: ¡°Yes, yes. I have known you by name for a long time now. She only occasionally sends letters home, and your name was brought up every time. You encouraged her to write those letter, correct?¡± Henry: ¡°.........yes, that was me.¡± She still had a home country and family, and it bothered me that she didn¡¯t send any communication back to them. Of course, she was really annoyed with all my lectures. Since I had no one to send letters to, I may have been projecting my own desires on her¡­¡­.maybe. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.oh, whatever. We¡¯re on vacation. I can think about these things another time. Cyril, Jend, and Ferris all finished making their introductions. Akane: ¡°Thank you. My name is Akane Sagiri. I am Teo¡¯s aunt, and as you all know, I am Ageha¡¯s mother.¡± Mrs. Akane bowed politely to us. Every one of her movements had a refined gracefulness, and her smile was light and yet very fitting. I wonder if this was what they referred to as a Rishu Beauty. ¡­¡­¡­..though her daughter is¡­¡­..well, like that. I do see the resemblance, but that means they only share a resemblance. Teo: ¡°Aunt Akane, is everyone well?¡± Akane: ¡°Yes, of course. How is Simon, Tina, and your grandfather?¡± Teo: ¡°Grandfather stopped hunting and was really bored, so nowadays, he¡¯s really into fishing.¡± Teo and Mrs. Akane continued to share about their family. Mrs. Akane¡¯s response was so delicate and polite that it further expanded the gap between her and Ageha. Cyril: ¡°Henry, Henry¡­¡­um¡­.so¡­..Mrs. Akane¡­¡­she seems¡­very different from Miss Ageha¡­.) Henry: (Don¡¯t say it out loud. That¡¯ll be very rude.) Cyril: (Well, I¡¯m not saying it out loud right now.¡± Henry: (......well, yeah, but¡­¡­.) Cyril and I use the [Link Ring¡¯s] ability to communicate secretly between each other. This godly equipment is really useful for having these kinds of conversations as well. ¡­¡­¡­.putting that aside, it¡¯s not good to speak badly about someone we just met either. Akane: ¡°Oh, pardon me. I¡¯ve completely lost track of time speaking with Teo.¡± Henry: ¡°No, no. That¡¯s okay.¡± This trip was originally for Teo to be able to see her family. That was our main goal. Akane: ¡°......oh, you may think that Ageha and I do not share much in common as a family, but I was¡­¡­.how to say, a little wild back in my younger days, you know?¡± I flinched as I felt my heart twist and jerk sharply. ¡­¡­¡­¡­crap, she completely saw through us. Jend and Ferris also must have had similar thoughts from their troubled smiles. Akane: ¡°Now then, you must be very tired from your travels. Please allow me to guide you back to our home. This way, please.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, thank you very much.¡± Mrs. Akane and Teo led the way as the rest of the group followed. Once we were inside the town, it really felt like we entered into a different country. It wasn¡¯t just the architecture and clothing, but the wagons and horse carriages were shaped differently, and the way the stores and stalls called out to customers was different. The signs on the stores were also in the Rishu style and writing, and it would be hard to read to any outsiders at first glance. ¡­¡­¡­though they are separated by sea, and though they didn¡¯t have much interaction from long ago, there are many theories as to why their spoken and written languages are basically the same. There¡¯s rumors about how God was the one who delivered words and letters to the people. Or rumors of how the original people of Rishu migrated from the mainland. Well, not that it matters. It is a whole lot better than running into an undiscovered civilization that uses a different language and not being able to communicate with them. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Henry. Look at this! They have some lovely wooden accessories!¡± Henry: ¡°Okay, okay. We¡¯ll look around and go gift shopping once things settle down.¡± She naturally wrapped her arms around mine and began to look around the city. ¡­¡­.well, it¡¯s a little difficult to walk like this, but that¡¯s okay. Behind me, Jend and Ferris are in a similar situation. Akane: ¡°My, my. Everyone gets along so well. ¡­¡­..Teo, is there no one nice like that for you?¡± Teo: ¡°? Everyone is very nice to me.¡± No, that¡¯s not what she means. Though I wanted to take a jab at Teo¡¯s response, I also knew that she wouldn¡¯t understand anyway. Mrs. Akane seemed unsurprised by Teo¡¯s answer, and gently chuckled with a hand on her cheek. Akane: ¡°You know, if you were born a few generations ago, at your age, the family would have already had a fiance ready for you.¡± Teo: ¡°Oh, you mean that. ¡­¡­¡­if it¡¯s not going to be too much of a bother, I don¡¯t mind if the family arranges a meeting with suitors.¡± In the mainland, it is not so common in the major cities, but in the rural areas, there are many families where the parents determine the marriage partner for their children. So I¡¯m not going to say that a relationship should all be based on romance¡­¡­.but it¡¯s hard to believe how indifferent Teo is to the whole affair. Akane: ¡°I¡¯m sure Ageha doesn¡¯t have anyone like that either¡­¡­..how troubling. The Sagiri bloodline is on the brink of extinction.¡± Teo: ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure if Aunt Akane or my parents have one or two more children, that problem will be resolved.¡± Akane: ¡°Teo!¡± Shocked at Teo¡¯s words, Mrs. Akane let out a yelp of surprise. ¡­¡­¡­..yeah, I¡¯m also with Mrs. Akane on this one. That was too direct and could have been worded better. Akane: ¡°...........(sigh). Well, I¡¯m sure you would feel differently as soon as you fell in love with someone.¡± Teo: ¡°Do you really think so?¡± Teo wasn¡¯t able to imagine being in that kind of situation at all. ¡­¡­¡­.but well, if that happens, we¡¯ll all celebrate nonetheless. As I was thinking about these things, Mrs. Akane and Teo stopped at a gate. ¡­¡­¡­..it¡¯s¡­¡­quite big. The town of Kaisei was pretty well developed, and I¡¯m sure property is expensive here. And this house is bigger than Jend¡¯s family¡¯s house in Flowtier. Akane: ¡°This is the main Sagiri mansion. As the wife of the current head of household, we welcome you.¡± As Mrs. Akane spoke, the gate began to open slowly <<<<>>>> CHONKY TL LiT (Lost in Translation) Omi-ai (¤ªÒŠºÏ¤¤) - an arranged meeting with a potential suitor for marriage. Before the internet, once photos were common, people would take professional photos (think of High School Senior photos), place it into formal brochures (like a thick binder or pamphlet), and share it with interested families with potential suitors to see if a meeting can be arranged. If the meeting goes well, they will move forward with an engagement and eventually a marriage ceremony. Prior to the invention of photos, the families would move forward with having their children meet with suitors without really knowing what the suitor would be like. With computer technology, it is common to have photoshopped ¡°Omi-ai¡± photos (or have someone more handsome or pretty stand-in for your photo), so you may be shocked with the meeting regardless. Though, before Photoshop, suitors with not so great looks did this anyway. Similar traditions are probably common in China and South Korea. <<<<>>>> CREDITS Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely Written by Hisagushien Translated by: ChonkyTranslator Japanese Title: ¥»¥ß¥ê¥¿¥¤¥¢¤·¤¿Ã°ê“ÕߤϤΤó¤Ó¤êĺ¤é¤·¤¿¤¤ ×÷Õß: ¾Ã™±¾v£¨¥Ò¥µ¥°¥·¥¨¥ó£© http://kuontenrin.ehoh.net/ Original Source: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n1161ft/165/ Book 11: Preparation for the Conquest CH 166 Ch. 166: Ageha¡¯s Past and the Present At the Sagiri Family home¡­..we arrived at Ageha¡¯s family¡¯s house and were welcomed by their servants and helpers. With Mrs. Akane¡¯s guidance, we were led to a certain room. Akane: ¡°This is our guest room. Please relax and make yourselves at home. I will go make some tea.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh¡­ please don¡¯t mind us.¡± Akane: ¡°No, you are our guests. If I do not welcome Little Teo¡¯s friends, my husband will reprimand me.¡± Mrs. Akane chuckled as she closed the sliding door silently. As I heard her footsteps move away from the room, I let out a deep breath. Teo: ¡°Here, you can make yourselves comfortable with these cushions.¡± And Teo went over to a stack of thin cushions in the corner of the room and began placing them around the table in the center of the room. Unlike a house on the mainland, the Rishu custom requires guests to remove their shoes. It is common for them to sit on the floor as well¡­¡­.and well, unlike camping outside, it feels strange to sit on the ground indoors. Henry: ¡°Here, let¡¯s try this. ¡­¡­..oh.¡± The cushion felt very nice underneath me as I murmured in satisfaction. Cyril: ¡°Wow! It¡¯s thin but so fluffy to sit on!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, it is.¡± ¡­¡­¡­hm? Flat but still soft? Cyril: ¡°? What is it, Henry? You¡¯re just staring at me.¡± Henry: ¡°........it¡¯s nothing.¡± Ugh, I had some weird thoughts racing through my head just now. It¡¯s still mid-day. Go away, stupid desires. ¡­¡­¡­..but thank goodness. She must be distracted by the cushions'' soft feel. She¡¯s been a lot more keen about my thoughts, but she didn¡¯t catch on just now. As I reflected on these things, Jend began moving his shoulders in a circle as he began grumbling. Jend: ¡°Fwew¡« but yeah. We can finally take a break. It wasn¡¯t as bad as Henry¡¯s experience, but riding that ship was tiresome.¡± Henry: ¡°Really? You didn¡¯t look any different than usual.¡± Jend: ¡°No, no. It was mentally tiring. The rooms were small, so I felt cramped, and I wasn¡¯t able to move my body for 2 whole days.¡± Well, for Jend who trains hard every day, he must have been itching to get some exercise during that entire time. Since I was seasick for most of the journey, I didn¡¯t realize it, but my body was fidgeting for some exercise too. Henry: ¡°For Teo¡­¡­..I guess you¡¯re used to it.¡± Teo: ¡°No, if it was a regular cargo ship, I would usually help out in return for letting me ride so¡­¡­..I wouldn¡¯t mind going outside to swing my sword a little.¡± Teo gently caressed the knife she carried on her belt. We left most of our gear at the front entrance, but she still carried this around. It was a knife specially made by Mr. Gordon. It is incredibly sturdy and yet razor thin. It¡¯s a weapon meant to pierce through the cracks and joints of tough fur or armor. Frankly, it¡¯s a weapon for assassins. On top of that, the blade itself was specifically designed so that it was hard to perceive, and if she were to pull that blade out during the night, I¡¯m not sure if I would be able to see it. Teo: ¡°Well, there¡¯s really not a place where we would be able to move that much, so we will have to be patient. We could go to the yard, but¡­¡­we will probably scare all the helpers.¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? But isn¡¯t this Ageha¡¯s home? It¡¯s also the home base of the Cloudy Plains Style, so isn¡¯t there a Dojo here?¡± That was my assumption. Teo: ¡°Oh©` This is the Sagiri¡¯s business residence, so there¡¯s not a facility like that. The training for the Cloudy Plains Style is¡­¡­actually performed on the Cloudy Plains Mountain where the Sagiri¡¯s main base used to be. Over there, we have a large dojo at the house, and the mountain itself serves as a natural training ground.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard of that mountain.¡± Since we decided to go to Rishu, I got some bits and pieces about the Sagiri family and the general area. The Sagiri Family had established themselves by serving as something like spies in the civil war that was going on 50 to 60 years ago. And that Sagiri Family¡¯s main base was the Cloud Plains Mountain. Even today, there is a house over there near the mountains. Nowadays, they are incredibly successful import and export merchants, so the house at the mountain has not been used as much¡­¡­is what she told me. Teo: ¡°Apparently, Sister Ageha would spend all her time at the mountain since she was little, and trained day and night. Though Grandpa Hayate was already retired, she nagged him for lessons until he gave in.¡± So¡­¡­Mr. Hayate would be Teo¡¯s grandfather, Shiden¡¯s, brother¡­¡­.I think. But nagging her grandfather for training sounds just like Ageha. As I thought about these things, I heard someone let out a disappointed sigh outside our door. The door slid open, and Mrs. Akane, who seemed to be holding back a headache, came back. Akane: ¡°........I apologize for the wait.¡± On a large, circular wooden platter sat a steaming clay tea kettle and 6 tea cups¡­¡­ummm, they were not a familiar shape, but I think she brought snacks too. The tea kettle and cups are things I¡¯ve seen in Teo¡¯s family store, so I recognized them immediately. Mrs. Akane poured tea into each cup and passed it to each of us. Akane: ¡°Please have some of these snacks. They are called ¡®senbei,¡¯ and we purchased it from our favorite vendor.¡± Henry: ¡°Senbei¡­¡­I see. Yes, thank you. I would love to try some.¡± Inside a round, wooden bowl, there was something black wrapped and stuck to it. As I sniff, a delicious aroma fills my nose. As I bit down with a ........oh! It¡¯s a little hard, but very delicious. And following up with a hot tea, they balanced each other very well. Cyril: ¡°Oh! How delicious!¡± Jend: ¡°I think it¡¯s made from rice. It goes very well with the green tea.¡± Everyone else seemed to take a liking to it as well. Teo was used to it, but even I could tell that it was one of her favorite snacks. She looked extremely satisfied. Akane: ¡°I am glad that you like it.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, thank you very much.¡± After finishing my first, my hand naturally stretched out for a second one. The third¡­¡­..I passed because Teo looked like she wanted more. And as I sipped the tea, we returned to stories about Ageha¡¯s younger days. Akane: ¡°Really, she was such trouble as a child¡­¡­..and she did have talent, and by the time she was 10, she was good enough to give my father-in-law a hard time. I know he was quite aged by that time, but during the civil war, he had made a few legendary episodes by the end.¡± Legends, huh. Well, I knew very little about the civil war, but as far as legends go, Ageha was definitely in the process of building her own fame. Her sneak attack and beheading a Demonic General is not something anyone else can do. Akane: ¡°And well, I know that she has gained the title of Hero of Legend, and that is her choice but¡­¡­..she really did teach us the hardships of child-rearing¡­.¡± And Mrs. Akane ended her story in deep reflection and a heavy sigh. ¡­¡­¡­but¡­¡­.was it just the stress of raising a child? I couldn¡¯t help but feel that raising Ageha came with a whole slew of other stresses, but¡­¡­¡­.I kept that opinion to myself and my mouth shut. But then, Cyril raised her hand promptly to ask a question. Cyril: ¡°That reminds me, Mrs. Akane. There was something I was meaning to ask you. Could I ask a question?¡± Akane: ¡°Yes, of course. Umm, you were¡­ Miss Cyril, correct? What can I do for you?¡± Cyril paused with a long ¡°ummmm¡­..¡± as she went back and forth about how to proceed. Cyril: ¡°Um, Miss Ageha likes going for the throat, but do you know why?¡± ¡­¡­¡­..oh¡­¡­¡­she did it. THAT¡¯S the question you wanted to start with?! But I was curious about it myself. Ageha would just brush us off with, ¡°There¡¯s no particular reason.¡± but if it¡¯s her mother, she might know something. ¡­¡­¡­¡­not that the information would benefit us. But as someone who has had to defend my neck numerous times from a sleeping Ageha, I¡¯d like to know the reason too. Akane: ¡°...........? The neck, you say?¡± Teo: ¡°Oh, Mrs. Akane. Sister Ageha would invent weird moves like ¡®Ageha Neck Slash¡¯, do you remember?¡± Akane: ¡°I knew about that, but it was just one of her moves¡­¡­¡­.wait, huh? What¡¯s happening with Ageha right now?¡± ¡«¡«¡«!! To think that even her mother didn¡¯t know?! W©`Wait¡­. Actually, that makes sense. In Rishu, the Demonic Creatures only spawn in a very specific area. That¡¯s why the civilization here had the time and resource to do a civil war¡­¡­..and Ageha¡¯s obsession with going for the throat would mean that she would go after animals and¡­¡­..and humans(?) here. ¡­¡­¡­and even Ageha wouldn¡¯t go that far. Thus, in Rishu, she didn¡¯t show that side of her personality. And though she does constantly and obsessively go for the throat, she doesn¡¯t really advertise herself or go out of her way to let others know about it either¡­¡­¡­..so¡­¡­¡­isn¡¯t this situation¡­¡­¡­bad? Akane: ¡°M©`Mr. Henry, if you will please. Please let me understand this in detail. I thought her Hero title of ¡°Beheader¡± was just because she beheaded the Demonic General¡¯s head, was it not?¡± ¡­¡­¡­.and Adventurers who climb up the ladder of fame receive a nickname in the form of an unofficial title. And it¡¯s something we Adventurers start poking fun at someone and their general character, and it ends up with, ¡°Well, they¡¯re that kind of guy so how about a title like this?¡± And it becomes the norm around the Adventurers circles and eventually sticks. And within a year of starting her Adventurer career, Ageha already established her title as ¡°beheader.¡± There was no one who argued against how fitting it was. And since becoming a Hero of Legend, her rumors spread further, but she was the ¡°beheader¡± from the beginning. ¡­¡­¡­¡­and how was I supposed to explain that to her mother? Henry: ¡°Ummmm, so¡­¡­yes¡­..well¡­¡­.it¡¯s¡­¡­¡­um¡­¡­.¡± I look around the room as I desperately try to come up with a proper answer. I even glance around the room at my Party members, but¡­¡­.they all kindly broke eye contact and look away. ¡­¡­¡­..what should I do¡­. I know Mr. Simon asked me to talk about Ageha to her mother, and I readily agreed because I thought that Ageha¡¯s demented desire¡­¡­.or rather, twisted obsession........wait, we¡¯ll just call it a ¡°preference¡± ©` I thought her relatives knew about this already! And now, assuming that she knows little to almost nothing about Ageha¡¯s¡­¡­..even conservatively choosing the insane episodes wrought with her escapades openly to her mother would¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­.yeah, if I was her family, I would probably pass out and faint. And Mrs. Akane must have read my thoughts. Akane: ¡°It looks like Ageha has been acting MUCH more freely than I have imagined. ¡­¡­.let me go make a new pot of tea. I believe you all are departing this evening? If you do not mind, I would love to hear the stories about my foolish daughter. Please allow me to hear every detail you know.¡± Mrs. Akane¡¯s eyes lowered to a cold, steely gaze as she stood up. I wanted to assure her, but there were no words or proper moments. ¡­¡­¡­and well, free-spirited is a very mild term for Ageha, and the episodes that came to mind did very little justice to the word. But to be fair, could any parent imagine their daughter doing what Ageha did? I think that¡¯s an impossibility of its own. For instance, right before an expedition, Ageha would announce, ¡°Today is a good day for chopping heads©` so we¡¯ll call today Head Chopping Day!¡± And proudly stated her words with her arms crossed and chin high. ¡­¡­¡­¡­and well, these are just words, and just the beginning. Cyril: ¡°Henry¡­¡­I think you¡¯ll be held responsible for today.¡± Henry: ¡°Responsible for what!! This is all Ageha¡¯s super stupid fault! It¡¯s not mine!¡± Cyril placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder as she spoke softly. And from the bottom of my soul, I objected. <<<<>>>> CHONKY TL LiT (Lost in Translation) 1. Cushion Seats (zabuton) (×ù²¼‡â) (¤¶¤Ö¤È¤ó) - cushions to place on the ground so you can sit on it. The traditional living rooms with tatami flooring will have low tables in Japan near ground level, and the cushions are thin and comfortable enough to sit on while gathering around the table. If you''re wondering why people bother sitting on the ground, consider that space is very limited in Japan so the living room can also serve as a bedroom. Furniture must be compact enough where you can prop up tables against the wall so you can pull out the foldable futon mattress, sheets, blankets, and pillows, and in the morning, yes, you fold it and put it back. The zabuton cushions just make it easier to serve as chairs versus having actual chairs clog up precious living space. Western style houses are being built in modern day Japan, but the space shortage is still a reality in most major cities. 2. Senbei (¼åïž) (¤»¤ó¤Ù¤¤) (rice-crackers) The snack is rumored to have been around since the 8th and 9th century, as a Japanese Monk, Kukai (¿Õº£), brought it over from China. Coincidentally, it would be around the same time cookies became a thing. You basically mash rice together, flavor it with soy sauce, and bake it over a fire until it¡¯s dry. The crunchy, soy sauce flavored snack goes well with seaweed, and you will find a variety of different kinds and packages all throughout Japan. Similar to chips in the U.S. (think of all the flavors and shapes), the interpretation of ¡°senbei¡± is fluid, and the difference between Japanese crackers and senbei can be very gray. The most traditional kind is round, soy-sauce flavored, and sometimes wrapped in dried seaweed, but certain regions of Japan might contest that definition. <<<<>>>> CREDITS Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely Written by Hisagushien Translated by: ChonkyTranslator Japanese Title: ¥»¥ß¥ê¥¿¥¤¥¢¤·¤¿Ã°ê“ÕߤϤΤó¤Ó¤êĺ¤é¤·¤¿¤¤ ×÷Õß: ¾Ã™±¾v£¨¥Ò¥µ¥°¥·¥¨¥ó£© http://kuontenrin.ehoh.net/ Original Source: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n1161ft/166/ Book 11: Preparation for the Conquest CH 167 Ch. 167: Hot Spring Part 1 Time passed©`©` We were now served our fourth cup of tea. It took that long to relay all of Ageha¡¯s ¡°adventures¡± to Mrs. Akane. While we spoke, Mrs. Akane¡¯s husband ©`©` in other words, Ageha¡¯s father ©`©` joined us, and we continued our conversation¡­.. Near the end, both seemed to be nursing headaches as they held their hands to their heads. I have known Ageha for quite a while, so it pained me to see them like this¡­¡­but it wasn¡¯t my place to intervene and meddle in Ageha¡¯s family matters. In the end, relaying everything as objectively as I could, and Ageha didn¡¯t technically break any codes of honor as an Adventurer¡­..I think¡­ probably¡­. No, she definitely did not! Is how strongly I emphasized that point in the end, so I don¡¯t think her family would break ties with her. ¡­¡­they wouldn¡¯t, right? Buried in my own thoughts, I mumbled to myself worriedly as we walked the city streets. Jend: ¡°Well, to be honest¡­..I knew a little bit about Miss Ageha, and even I was shocked at your stories, Henry.¡± And Jend, who was there listening to my stories, affirmed my worst fears. Even Ferris groaned as she reflected on the situation. Ferris: ¡°.......it was¡­ really well beyond what we could have imagined. I never thought that when facing an Elder Treant, she decided to carve ¡®something like a neck¡¯ and then strike there. If she didn¡¯t spend so much time doing that, couldn¡¯t she have defeated more?¡± It was one of Ageha¡¯s brilliant plans she dubbed as ¡°Let¡¯s carve necks into Elder Treants and then lop their heads off¡±. Even Ageha understood how tiresome the work was the first time around, and it was then that she started avoiding any opponents without necks. Cyril: ¡°But if you think about it, I would sort of expect that from Miss Ageha though©`¡± And seeing how Cyril laughed at her own comment, I realized how much she was used to strange people. ¡­¡­since we¡¯re all going to Ligaleo, she would fit in just fine. Cyril: ¡°So Henry, how much farther is it?¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? Oh, let me see¡­¡± As we walk down the street, I take out the map I tucked away inside my pouch. It was an incredibly simple map with just general geographical markers, and the main streets marked and labeled. But there were signs on the streets as well that helped us stay on course, so we should be heading in the right direction. Henry: ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­..maybe in about 20 minutes? ¡­¡­..oh wait. Look, there it is. See there? Around the mid-part of that mountain right there.¡± I pointed to one of the mountains lined up in the distance. Though it was hard to see it with all the trees, you could see a building in the middle of it. Cyril: ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right.¡± As Cyril shaded her eyes, she let out a ¡°wow¡«¡± as she looked upon the building. Jend: ¡°But to think that they would build it right in the middle of a mountain. I would expect it to be flattened if any Demonic Creatures appeared.¡± Ferris: ¡°I know we¡¯ve been told that in Rishu, Demonic Creatures only appear in very small, specific regions, but¡­¡­seeing buildings like that must mean it¡¯s true¡­.¡± And yeah, looking at locations like that away from human civilization, it would have been impossible to come up with that idea in the mainland regardless of the differences in Demonic Creature numbers. If you wanted to build something outside the city, you would have to cut down the trees to open up the land, purify it, and then at least have a simple fence around just so you can sleep at night. I guess these are some clear cultural differences between the countries. Cyril: ¡°Ummm, was it the Suisen Inn?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a fancy inn that¡¯s well known on the mainland too.¡± Excluding Teo, the four of us will be residing at that inn while we stay in Rishu. It¡¯s not that we wanted Teo out of the group. The original purpose of coming to Rishu was for Teo to be able to see her relatives. ¡­¡­¡­we didn¡¯t want to intrude by being there, and it would have been awkward to force her relatives¡¯ hands to take us in just because we were part of her Party. And besides that, we will meet back up with Teo tomorrow at the inn. Because the location was so close to her home, she never had a chance to spend a night there, so she was quite curious about it. And when you mention the Suisen Inn, you can¡¯t forget about the hot springs! Although it¡¯s not unusual to see areas where hot water rises to the surface on the mainland, most of it resides in the incredibly dangerous locations of densely corrupted Magic regions. There might be a few Adventurers and travelers who will wash off their sweat as they pass by, but no one would seriously consider building an inn on such a location. Flowtier did have a public bath, but I heard that natural hot springs are better for the body and outdoor Roten(?) hot springs have an amazing view. The Rishu bathing culture is well known. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­..yes, I¡¯m really looking forward to it. Henry: ¡°Oh, looks like we¡¯ll be a little late to our check-in time. Should we run?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, I wanted to move my body some anyways.¡± Ferris: ¡°Yeah, I have no problems with that.¡± As I made the suggestion, Jend and Ferris nodded almost immediately. Cyril was¡­¡­¡­ Cyril: ¡°Urrghh, I didn¡¯t come here on vacation to get all sweaty¡­¡­¡­¡­but the hot springs are waiting for Miss Cyril, so I will run with you!¡± Although I thought she would complain more, Cyril was also looking forward to the hot springs and jumped on board. With that¡­¡­.the four of us began running. <<<<>>>> With all the visitors the inn receives, the roads to the inn were well maintained, and it made our running even easier. It was an uphill climb, and Cyril was catching her breath, but from all the training I put her through, she no longer pooped out just from a run. And as we arrived at the inn¡­¡­¡­our view of it opened wide. Against a carved cliff in the background, we looked up at the Rishu style building as it appeared. From afar, it was hard to see how beautiful the architecture was. Though it differed greatly from the mainland¡¯s style, it had a gracefulness that made it proper for nobles to live there. Jend: ¡°Whoa¡­.how to say this¡­..it looks impressive.¡± Ferris: ¡°According to the brochure, this inn has been around for 300 years. They had to reconstruct the building a few times, but it survived through the battles of the previous civil war.¡± Jend let out an impressed whistle as Ferris opened up a small booklet she had in her bag and read the contents aloud. Cyril: ¡°Wow¡« this is so amazing. ¡­¡­..ohhh! If only we had one of those photo machines for moments like these!¡± Henry: ¡°........a photo machine, huh.¡± I repeated Cyril¡¯s words under my breath. The machine that can take a view and trap it inside a picture. It¡¯s expensive and difficult to handle, and you wouldn¡¯t think about purchasing one if you weren¡¯t trying to open up and cultivate new land for cities or into the hobby¡­¡­¡­hmmmm¡­ As I thought about this, I looked upon the building in awe. Ferris: ¡°Here, c¡¯mon you two. We can do a tour of the inn anytime. Let¡¯s take care of our check-in first.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, c¡¯mon already.¡± As Cyril and I continued to gaze at the building, Ferris and Jend pushed us to hurry on. ¡­¡­¡­.hm, yeah. They¡¯re right. Henry: ¡°C¡¯mon, Cyril. Let¡¯s go©`¡± Cyril: ¡°Oka©`y.¡± We stepped through the large gate with the inn¡¯s sign and headed towards the entrance. As we approached a well-decorated entrance doorway, we were greeted by a woman wearing one of Rishu¡¯s traditional clothes. I think¡­¡­the women who worked at inns were called Nakai¡¯s. The Nakai saw us and then bowed her head politely and very low. ¡°Welcome to the Suisen Inn. Do you have a reservation?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, yes. My name is Henry. We should have a reservation placed by the Sagiri Merchant Association.¡± ¡­¡­.and though it¡¯s nowhere close to the usual tourist season, we practically decided to come to Rishu on an impulse. And as for our travel arrangements, Mr. Simon, Teo¡¯s father who has a lot of connections in Rishu, helped us arrange most of it. At that time, we were going to just use any open inn, but it happened the day after we cemented our decision to all head to Rishu. Mr. Simon entrusted a letter to one of his business associates who was heading to Rishu, and through that communication, asked his family to secure any open rooms found around the Kaisei city area. ¡­¡­.as a result, there were some open rooms at one of the more renowned inns, and we ended up here. So, though we were not sure where we would be staying until we got here, we were grateful for the family¡¯s efforts to get us some of the best rooms available. I need to make sure to not forget to buy some gifts here as a thank you. ¡°Oh, yes. We have been looking forward to your arrival. Please come this way, and I will guide you to your rooms.¡± Henry: ¡°Thank you very much.¡± The Nakai pushed open the front door to the entrance. ¡­¡­.and the front lobby was also luxurious and breath-taking. In front of us was a well-used reservation desk with a front clerk. The amber color of the wood gleamed with ample care taken to polish it. Next to the front desk was a casually placed potted pine tree and¡­¡­..oh yeah, they actually have these in Frontier too, but there was also a flower arrangement called an ¡°ikebana.¡± There were also many other beautiful decorations and furniture that I couldn¡¯t name. Though they all looked very expensive, it was not gaudy, and the interior decorations gave off a calming aura¡­¡­or something like that. Jend: ¡°Wow¡­..I don¡¯t have much experience with tourist inns but¡­¡­this is something else.¡± ¡­¡­..and I guess people in similar trades and experience understand it better. Jend kept nodding in approval at everything in the lobby. ¡°Sir Henry, would you be willing to sign our guest book please?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, yes. Of course.¡± One of the Nakai¡¯s called me over to the front desk, and I quickly marched over. The front desk clerk opened a large notebook, and pointed politely to where I needed to sign. As I finished signing my name, we were guided by the Nakai to our rooms at the inn. Cyril: ¡°Whoa¡« look! These hallways are amazing too!¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, Cyril. Stop running around. You¡¯ll get separated from the group.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh, well now, how silly of me. That wouldn¡¯t be like me at all!¡± Cyril scurried around this way and that to look at everything we passed by, and I had to tug her forward to keep her moving. ¡­¡­..and what do you mean, ¡°that wouldn¡¯t be like you at all¡±? This is completely like you. But as I looked at Cyril exasperated, the Nakai paused in front of a door. ¡°We have arrived at the first room, ¡°The Sparkling Stars.¡± This room faces the front of the inn, and you can see the stars very well at night.¡± The first room, huh. ¡°The next room is across from this room called the ¡°The Flowing Creek.¡± Unfortunately, it is facing the back of the inn, so you would not be able to gaze at the night sky, but the waterfall you can see from the window is a wonderful sight.¡± Hmmm¡­¡­I see¡­. Well, I don¡¯t care which room we choose. Henry: ¡°Jend, Ferris, do you guys have a preference?¡± Jend: ¡°Nope, not at all. We can come over and see the views from both rooms, so it doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡± Ferris: ¡°Me neither. But Mr. Henry©`¡± Ferris discretely pointed towards Cyril for me. As I followed her finger¡­¡­.it was quite obvious that she was looking intently on the ¡°Sparkling Stars¡± room. Cyril: ¡°Henry, Henry, I like this room a lot!¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©` okay, okay.¡± ¡­¡­.and well, I guess it¡¯s better than eating up our time with everyone saying they don¡¯t care which room and no decision being made. If we weren¡¯t in a situation like this, I¡¯m sure Cyril would have not been so eager to have it her way¡­¡­.I¡­.I¡¯m pretty¡­..pretty sure she wouldn¡¯t¡­..probably. Henry: ¡°Hey, is that okay with you guys?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine. That¡¯s fine. Like I said, either way works for me.¡± Ferris: ¡°Me too.¡± We took the keys for each of the rooms from the Nakai. Henry: ¡°So once we drop off our things and take a small break, want to head to the Roten bath?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡± Jend and I quickly make plans. ¡­¡­..and Cyril and I walk in to the ¡°Sparkling Stars¡± as Jend and Ferris head to the ¡°Flowing Creek.¡± <<<<>>>> CHONKY TL LiT (Lost in Translation) Inn, Ryokan (ÂÃð^) (¤ê¤ç¤«¤ó) Although in most cases, the outside of the Japanese Tourist Inn ©` Ryokan ©` will probably not look as luxurious as something that came out of Spirited Away, the rooms in general are very spacious (in terms of Japanese living space). Inn worker (nakai) (ÖÙ¾Ó) (¤Ê¤«¤¤) Nakai is the name of a traditional guest welcoming and guest serving position. Think of a waitress in a formal suit at a 5-star restaurant. Now put them in a traditional kimono. They are responsible for the welcoming, the serving of the food, explaining what the food is and how to best eat it, and engages in general conversation when needed. Unlike waitresses at questionable establishments, seasoned, veteran nakai women tend to be middle-aged or older (think of the head housekeeper, Mrs. Carson, in Downton Abbey) . They can be seen as the embodiment of traditional Japanese culture with some training in calligraphy, music, and flower arrangements, but over time, the role has modernized to a level of a dressed up hotel staff. Outdoor Hotspring (Roten-buro) (¶ÌìïL…Î) (¤í¤Æ¤ó¤Ö¤í) Literally, the characters spell "naked skies bath", because there is no ceiling, and you can see the sky above from where you are bathing, but rather than calling it a naked something, it''s more commonly known as an outdoor hot spring or outdoor bath area. Typically, there will be a separation between men''s and women''s. Japanese Flower Arrangement (ikebana) (Éú¤±»¨) (¤¤¤±¤Ð¤Ê) Pretty. It''s seen as a symbol of high status, culture, and class to become a teacher of "ike-bana" (unsurprisingly, the highest teaching positions were dominated by men back in the day, but probably has more women representation nowadays......maybe?), but it is now taught to anyone who wants to learn. Traditionally, ordinary men rarely learn this unless they are born into a family that literally passes and teaches this tradition (and also unsurprisingly, they are ultra-wealthy). Some classes require kimono''s to be worn, but to attract modern audiences, some of the more stringent traditions have been abandoned to keep the tradition alive. It''s like the ballet of Japanese culture. CH 168 Ch. 168: Hot Springs Part 2 Cyril: ¡°WHOA©`! Henry! Look, look! The sunset is so pretty!¡± As we entered the ¡°Sparkling Stars¡±, Cyril threw down her luggage and clung to the window sill. I let out a quiet sigh and walked to stand next to her. ¡­¡­.over on the horizon, the sun was just about to hide behind the mountain ranges. With all the beautiful nature we could see from our view, it truly was a wonderful sight. Henry: ¡°I guess it was worth running over here. If we arrived just a little later, we would have missed this.¡± Cyril: ¡°That¡¯s true¡«¡± And we both gazed outside the window at the sunset. I felt Cyril¡¯s hand hold mine tightly. ¡­¡­.and understanding her signal, I drew her body up close to mine. ¡­¡­..we both remained quiet, and well¡­..it was nice to be able to have a time like this to ourselves. It took about 10 minutes for the sun to completely disappear. We stayed as we were until then¡­¡­and after the light was gone, we parted naturally. Cyril: ¡°Fwew©` Henry, that was pretty good! You earned yourself some Cyril points!¡± Henry: ¡°......we still had that point system?¡± Cyril: ¡°Of course we do! But you¡¯re still a long way from full marks©`!¡± I know she¡¯s really not keeping score, but I was still a little curious to know what she thought my current score was. ¡­¡­¡­well, not that she would really have an answer. Henry: ¡°Fine, fine. Hmmm, why don¡¯t we take a seat?¡± The interior of the room was similar to the guest meeting room of the Sagiri household. A very low table was placed surrounded by chairs without legs. ¡­¡­.and on each chair had a cushion. On top of the table was a tea set and a few pamphlets. With some relief, I sat down on one of the seats. Cyril: ¡°Henry, do you want some tea? There¡¯s Magic Tools for boiling water here.¡± Henry: ¡°.......I think I had more than enough at Mrs. Akane¡¯s, so I¡¯m okay.¡± As we continued our long conversation about Ageha, she kept filling and refilling my tea cup, and I can still feel the liquid splash around inside my stomach. So I don¡¯t need any more at the moment. Cyril: Okay¡« so¡­¡­this pamphlet¡­¡­¡­.ohhhh, I see, I see. A map of the inn and a ¡®yukata¡¯? There¡¯s instructions on how to put one on.¡± Hmmm, I see. And as Cyril was reading the pamphlet about the yukata thing, I looked over the map. According to the map, the most famous outside bath at the inn is¡­¡­oh, it¡¯s actually close to this room. And there¡¯s also something called an ¡°away¡± bath in another location. There¡¯s also a recreation area, gift shop, and on the first floor a¡­¡­..couple¡¯s bath? Not sure what that is. Cyril: ¡°Oh, Henry, can you pass me that?¡± Henry: ¡°Sure.¡± I was still reading the pamphlet with the map, but that¡¯s okay. I picked up Cyril¡¯s pamphlet in exchange and began reading it. ¡­¡­¡­oh©` a ¡°yukata¡±, huh. It¡¯s one of the Rishu people¡¯s clothes, and it¡¯s to wear when you¡¯re relaxing indoors. They¡¯ve prepared several sizes, in each room, so we can freely pick and choose the size we want. Since there are a lot of visitors from the mainland, there was also simple instructions on how to put it on, that even I could understand. ¡­¡­well, not that it was that complicated in the first place. Henry: ¡°Well, I guess we should give it a try since we¡¯re here©`¡± I looked around the room and found what I was looking for. There were several cloths folded very nicely¡­..and among those, I chose the 2nd to biggest size. Henry: ¡°Like this?¡± I realized that my clothes were in the way from wearing the yukata, so I began taking them off. Cyril: ¡°Wai©` Henry! Why are you stripping all of a sudden!¡± Henry: ¡°...........what?¡± Wait¡­..really? But Cyril wasn¡¯t joking. The redness in her face reached the tips of her ears. ¡­¡­.um, Miss Cyril? We have¡­¡­you know¡­¡­been together, right? I know it¡¯s not that many times, but aren¡¯t we overreacting a bit? ©`©`is what I wanted to tell her, but this might not be the place and time. In fact, I might end up poking a hornets¡¯ nest. Fine. Fine. I relented and retreated to the green room. The green room is a separate room divided by a sliding door¡­¡­.something called a shoji, so I hid behind it and changed my clothes. Henry: ¡°.......oh, this feels nice.¡± Though I can¡¯t say that the quality of the cloth was exceptional, it still¡­¡­.how to say it, it felt natural. It was light and easy to maneuver. Henry: ¡°Oh, hey. How do I look, Cyril?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh! It looks good on you¡« but let¡¯s see, I think the belt can be adjusted a little more to¡­¡­maybe like this?¡± Cyril adjusts the belt¡¯s position. ¡­¡­..hmm, well, I can¡¯t tell the difference, but Cyril knows her fashion. Even if she¡¯s a self-proclaimed fashion expert, she still knows a lot. Cyril: ¡°Then I¡¯ll get changed too, Henry.¡± With her yukata in her hand, she traded places with me and headed into the green room. ¡­¡­¡­..hmmmm¡­. Henry: ¡°........Cyril, can I watch?¡± Cyril: ¡°OF COURSE NOT!¡± (*sfx) And as we walked past each other, she slapped me across the back. ¡­¡­..and because the yukata was thinner than my regular clothes, I felt it sting more than usual. <<<<>>>> Cyril: ¡°Now, how is it? What do you think about Miss Cyril in a yukata?!¡± After she was done getting dressed, she mumbled to herself, ¡°well, with this, we should probably do something with the hair too¡«¡± and sitting in front of the mirror available in the room, she quickly braided and styled her hair. And with confidence overflowing from her expression, she looked to me for affirmation. Well, actually, in fact¡­. ¡­¡­.she was breath-taking, but I decided to keep that to myself. Henry: ¡°Oh©` uh, yeah, you look good. Yeah.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hehehe¡«¡± Cyril¡¯s smile widened as she took the compliment. ¡­¡­..crap, she looks really cute. <*cough cough*> I cleared my throat. Henry: ¡°A©`Anyways, it¡¯s about time, so let¡¯s go meet up with Jend and Ferris and head to the b©`©`¡± [He©`y, you two©` c¡¯mon©`] And with impeccable timing, we heard Jend¡¯s voice as he knocked on the door. Henry: ¡°Coming©`¡± And I head to the door. When I opened to greet them, I saw Jend and Ferris who were also wearing yukatas. Jend: ¡°Hey, Henry. I see you¡¯ve tried on the yukata. How¡¯s the room?¡± Henry: ¡°When we walked in, the sun was just setting, so we got to catch a great view.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah? We got to see the waterfall behind the inn in our room too, and it was amazing.¡± I guess it¡¯ll be worth going to see it afterwards. I welcome the two into the room. Cyril: ¡°Welcome, Jend, Miss Ferris.¡± Ferris: ¡°Hey Cyril. I see you did your hair. Yup, it looks good on you.¡± Cyril: ¡°Thank you very much! How about you, Miss Ferris? I still have more ribbons left!¡± Cyril jumped up and down as she ran to get more ribbon cloth from her bag. Ferris: ¡°I¡¯m okay. My hair¡¯s too short anyways.¡± Cyril: ¡°Leave that to me! Even if it¡¯s a little short, I can still work with it.¡± Then why did you ask her in the first place¡­¡­ But my mental retort was left unanswered as Cyril circled around Ferris with a ¡°Sit down, sit down.¡± And pressed her hands gently down on Ferris¡¯ shoulders. Ferris: ¡°Aren¡¯t we about to take a bath?¡± But Ferris gave in and sat down. Cyril: ¡°You¡¯re right. Then let¡¯s do this¡­..¡± And Cyril quickly braided Ferris¡¯ hair up and¡­¡­¡­man, it¡¯s impressive how easily she¡¯s able to manipulate other people¡¯s hair like that. Jend: ¡°Whoa©` yeah, the view is definitely better in this room. The stars are starting to come out.¡± During that time, Jend went over to the window to look out, and impressed, commented loudly. Henry: ¡°Since we¡¯ll be here for a while, you want to switch rooms tomorrow?¡± Jend: ¡°No, Henry. You¡¯re forgetting. Guys and girls will be separate from tomorrow on, right?¡± ¡­¡­..that¡¯s right. Since Teo is coming to join us, we can¡¯t stay in this arrangement. Henry: ¡°....I wonder if Teo feels awkward with the Party members like this.¡± I mumble the comment under my breath, but loud enough for Jend to be able to hear. I wasn¡¯t comfortable bringing this up with the other females in the group. Jend: ¡°Hmmmm, I wonder. I mean, we¡¯re talking about Teo here.¡± Henry: ¡°I know that too, but¡­.¡± If the rest of the Party was dating another Party member, I would feel really awkward in Teo¡¯s shoes. And if it was me, I would have left the Party quickly¡­¡­¡­.but considering Teo¡¯s personality, she really may not care at all. But just in case, she¡¯s actually feeling awkward about it¡­¡­.it¡¯s not impossible so I need to think about how to address it with her later. Cyril: ¡°Henry, Jend©`? What are you whispering over there? Let¡¯s go to the bath©`¡± With Ferris¡¯ hair done, Cyril came over. Jend: ¡°Well, we can talk about this later.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s time for a bath, a bath.¡± And the four of us walked down the inn¡¯s hallways. I forced myself to memorize the layout of the inn. It¡¯s important for an Adventurer to memorize the geography and paths, so this was relatively easy for me. It was not far before we found the entrance to the Roten Baths. The entrance was separated to a men and women¡¯s area. They apparently switch during the day so that both can enjoy both baths. Ferris: ¡°Then Cyril and I are going this way.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, hey, look after Cyril, okay? She might slip and hit her head or something.¡± Cyril: ¡°.....grrrr, I¡¯m not that childish!¡± As I asked Ferris, Cyril pouted next to her. But she didn¡¯t have too much confidence behind those words. I look at Ferris and make one last plea with my eyes. Ferris was used to it, and with a ¡°Leave it to me,¡± she nodded. Jend and I walk through the men¡¯s entrance way, and in the changing area, we strip down. And walking to the Roten Baths¡­¡­ Henry: ¡°Whoa¡­¡­.¡± The place looked impressive from the start. Jend: ¡°This is amazing¡­..¡± You first notice the bath formed from the natural rock formations. There is also a washing area, and there¡¯s even a few wooden chairs in case you need to step out of the bath to cool down. ©`©`if it¡¯s like this, it¡¯s not so different from the mainland¡¯s public bath house. But before us, there was no wall cutting off our view to the backdrop. The mountains in the distance greeted us, and looking up, we saw the moon and stars. Enjoying nature while sitting in a hot bath¡­¡­¡­..was a luxury I haven¡¯t experienced before. Though I wanted to jump right in, there were manners and etiquettes to follow, and there were many signs warning us about this. Following the directions, Jend and I quickly wash ourselves clean, and then proceed forward©`©` Henry: ¡°UGHHHHHH©`©`©`©` it feels so gooooooood¡­.¡± Jend: ¡°Hey, stop that. That sounds weird. ¡­..but I know how you feel.¡± The water was slightly murky white, but I lowered down into it until only my head poked out. I can¡¯t tell you how amazing that felt. I could feel the water¡¯s heat from the ends of my hands and feet, and as it tingled, I also felt the fatigue exit my body. Once I thoroughly enjoy the hot waters, I turn my attention to the view. ©`©`with the sensations of the bath still lingering in my body, I felt the natural view gently flow into my mind. Though it would be impossible on the mainland because of the Demonic Creatures, if some eccentric asked me to open up a mountain frontier to build a Rishu-style bath house, I might say yes. [WOW©`©` Miss Ferris, Miss Ferris! Look, look! Isn¡¯t this amazing?!] [Hey, Cyril. Stop running around. It¡¯s embarrassing.] ¡­¡­..but as I was enjoying the bath, something drew me straight back to reality. Henry: ¡°Ugh¡­.sheesh. We¡¯ll have a talk after the bath.¡± But my comment disappeared with the steam. ¡­¡­..but let¡¯s not think about things after the bath. For now, I just enjoyed the hot spring as much as I could. <<<<>>>> CHONKY TL LiT (Lost in Translation) Yukata (Ô¡ÒÂ) (¤æ¤«¤¿) CH 169 Ch.169 Hot Springs Part 3 I went all out to enjoy the hot springs as much as I could. I leisurely took my time in the baths, and if I started feeling light-headed from being in there too long, I got out and rested on the benches they had set out to the side. And as my body cooled down while I enjoyed the view, I would re-enter the bath once again. I did this about 3 times, and being content, Jend and I left the bath area. Before we left, we called out to the girls on the other side of the wall to let them know, but Cyril and Ferris were going to stay longer. As we waited for the girls to finish, Jend and I decided to sit down and chat around the resting area near the entrance of the outdoor hot springs to kill time. Henry: ¡°Ahhhhhhh, that was great¡«¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, it really was. I don¡¯t mind going back after we eat.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah.¡± I lazily replied, and tipped the drink bottle we just bought to my lips. ¡­¡­.inside was ice cold milk, and after sweating a ton at the bath, the liquid felt amazing as it rehydrated my body. Inside the resting area, there was a small store, and there, they sold¡­¡­¡­.I see. There¡¯s also ice cold ale, but I think the milk is a better choice right after a bath. And now, I can understand why this yukata is recommended. The breathable material allows the body to not feel too hot after a bath, and the hand fan we borrowed felt good against our faces. Jend: ¡°Henry, apparently, there¡¯s a trail for the inn guests outside. I heard that it¡¯s pretty popular to take a walk at night.¡± And Jend, who saw the inn¡¯s bulletin board, read aloud some popular things to do here. Henry: ¡°Really. But I imagine walking around the mountain paths at night would be a little scary¡­.¡± Even if this is across the ocean, I still can¡¯t shake off the common sense ingrained in us on the mainland. At night, it¡¯s an opportune time for Demonic Creatures to sneak up on you, so I¡¯m always on guard. As I explain to Jend, he nods in agreement. Jend: ¡°I see. Well, I think I¡¯ll invite Ferris to go check it out.¡± And Jend seemed pretty excited about it overall. But well, I¡¯m sure I¡¯m just being overly sensitive after a long career as an Adventurer and experiencing many night raids. At least intellectually, I understand that this region is different from the mainland and much safer. Henry: ¡°Yeah. ¡­¡­.oh, by the way. No matter how good the mood gets, don¡¯t do it outside. People will come and peep.¡± Jend: ¡°Like we would. Besides, Ferris hates doing stuff like that. ¡­¡­..Henry, you can really be vulgar sometimes¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon. It¡¯s just the two of us right now. If the other women were present, I wouldn¡¯t bring stuff like this up.¡± I gained this skill after a certain Saint would swing around a morningstar in one hand, and ask if I wanted manners hammered directly into my head. Besides that, she had punched me directly countless times. Jend: ¡°And what about you, Henry? Between you and Cyril?¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? Ohhhh, yeah, it¡¯s just normal.¡± And well, if you take Cyril out of the picture, my experience with women would be limited to brothels and¡­¡­..that childhood fling I had with Yuu, so I don¡¯t really know what I mean by normal either. Henry: ¡°And well, she likes to keep things clean and simple, sort of¡­¡­so we haven¡¯t really tried out anything different.¡± Jend: ¡°........you too, huh? That¡¯s the same for us as well.¡± Yeah, now that I think about it, Ferris would probably be pretty strict about that kind of stuff. And as we both let out some minor grumblings about our night lives, we both let out a deep sigh. ¡­¡­¡­.and well, it¡¯s not that I have a problem with Cyril. Not at all. It¡¯s just¡­¡­.I¡¯m a guy, so I just want to try new things. And I¡¯m sure Jend feels the same way. And with the women absent, we continue our guy talk until we see Cyril and Ferris come out of the bath entrance. Cyril: ¡°Hey you two©`! Sorry to make you wait!¡± Ferris: ¡°Sorry about that. The bath felt too good.¡± As the two stepped out¡­¡­¡­¡­yeah, seeing them come out right after a bath made them look really attractive. Personally, there¡¯s something about seeing them with wet hair. But well, it will be rude to stare at Ferris, so I set my eyes on Cyril. (Stare¡­¡­¡­.) Cyril: ¡°Hm? Henry, you¡¯re giving me creepy looks.¡± Henry: ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I wave my hands as I apologize. Since Jend and I were talking about those kinds of things, my head was still in the gutter. Cyril: ¡°...........sheesh, really. This is why I don¡¯t get guys at all. Why are you all so curious¡­¡­..about seeing everything?¡± Henry: ¡°No comment.¡± Cyril glared up at me as she moaned and groaned trying to figure out something. I wasn¡¯t sure exactly what she was thinking about, but I better make it up to her. I took out a coin from my wallet inside my yukata, and flicked the coin towards Cyril. Cyril: ¡°Hey! What was that?!¡± Henry: ¡°You can buy some milk at that store over there. It was delicious after a long bath. You should try some. You can buy two with that, so Ferris can get a bottle too.¡± As she caught the coin in her hand, Cyril looked a little disgruntled. Cyril: ¡°I think you¡¯re trying to change the subject¡­¡­¡­.but whatever. C¡¯mon, Miss Ferris, let¡¯s go!¡± Ferris: ¡°Yeah, Henry, thank you for paying.¡± The two headed to the store together. ¡­¡­..and I was a little worried whether the store clerk would look at them with lewd eyes, but they were very professional and showed no signs of it. Oh, but I wasn¡¯t going to do anything even if they did. Maybe just glare at them from this distance. And with bottles of milk in one hand, the two returned. Cyril: ¡°Hehe©` Henry, thank you for the drink!¡± She opened the bottle, and began chugging down the milk. Around halfway to the bottom, she released the bottle from her lips and let out a satisfied sigh. Cyril: ¡°It¡¯s so good! I can feel it spread down to my bones!¡± Ferris: ¡°Yeah, this is really good.¡± And both Cyril and Ferris smile as they continue to enjoy the milk. ¡­¡­¡­..and seeing them drink, I couldn¡¯t resist. I walked up to the store to grab myself another bottle. <<<<>>>> And as we walk back to our rooms as a group©`©` Cyril: ¡°.......oh! I need to go talk to that clerk over there. Please go on ahead without me.¡± And Cyril headed to the front desk. ¡­¡­¡­I wonder what that¡¯s about? <<<<>>>> Evening came. We all joined up at the Sparkling Stars room, and cleaned off every dish they brought to us. This inn is known for their cooking¡­¡­..or at least, that¡¯s what the rumors said, and without a doubt, the food here was top notch. They brought out fried vegetables they collected from the mountain. This area is near Kaisei, so they had plenty of fresh fish cut into sashimi. Their rice was freshly cooked, and the rice stood on its ends, and all their soups had a very deep, mature flavor. Along with the main dishes, they also served a local sake brand, and we all at to our heart¡¯s content. ¡­¡­..after finishing the meal, we all decided to rest and let the food settle. I layed on the ground lazily in our room. Cyril: ¡°.........Henry, is there something you want to do? Jend and Miss Ferris went out on a walk.¡± Henry: ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡­..¡± I remembered Jend saying that he would go back to the baths once more after they came back. Hmmmm, I wouldn¡¯t mind going back to the baths once more, but it was a very comfortable room, and pleasant enough to just lay here for a while. ¡­¡­¡­.but that plan felt very wasteful. Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t mind just relaxing here for a while, but¡­¡­.what about you, Cyril? Is there something on your mind?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh©` ummmm, well©`¡± I saw her cheeks flush slightly, and then she began to moan and groan in place. ¡­¡­..? Well, that¡¯s rare. She seems to have something she wants to do, but normally, Cyril would never hesitate to speak her mind. I wonder if she has one of the embarrassing romantic situations in mind. If she¡¯s this embarrassed about it, it might be even too much for me, so I hope she reconsiders. Cyril: ¡°Urrrrrghhh¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°? Seriously, what¡¯s this about?¡± In the end, Cyril just handed me the pamphlet to the inn without saying another word. Oh yeah, I haven¡¯t finished reading through all the stuff here. Since I had the basic layout of the inn nailed down, I didn¡¯t bother to revisit this, but¡­¡­ Cyril: ¡°............¡± With her eyes not being able to meet mine, she pointed to one of the points on the map. ¡­¡­..a couple¡¯s bath. Or sometimes called a family bath. It¡¯s a small outdoor bath that you have to reserve, and unlike the public baths that are divided into men and women, it¡¯s a private facility. It says you have to make reservations at the front counter¡­¡­.and that was it. Henry: ¡°Cyril¡­¡­when you went to the front counter after we came out of the baths, was it to¡­.¡± Cyril: ¡°I©`It was just in case. Just in case, really. Since you seemed so interested in it, I just¡­.felt like I had no other choice but to at least make a reservation¡­..¡± I don¡¯t remember asking her about this whatsoever¡­¡­but at this point, I don¡¯t care to argue about it at all. I¡­..I see¡­¡­..I see¡­¡­¡­¡­a private bath. A bath for men and women¡­¡­ ¡­..oh no, I can feel my heart beating faster. Henry: ¡°What time is our reservation?¡± Cyril: ¡°It¡¯s almost time¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°I see. Then we should hurry. It would be rude to not show up after making a reservation, and in fact, I think it would be more respectful if we are a little early.¡± I began rapidly spitting out words without realizing. The laziness I was feeling earlier disappeared far into the horizon, and I immediately stood up. Cyril: ¡°Wa©`Wai©`Wai©`Wait!! Henry! Aren¡¯t you a little too excited about this?!¡± Henry: ¡°No, I¡¯m not. I¡¯m not at all.¡± I¡¯m feeling only the appropriate level of excitement. Very appropriate. Cyril: ¡°Y©`You know what?! Let¡¯s not! I like the roomier baths anyways!!¡± Henry: ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t. We have to take responsibility for the decisions we make. C¡¯mon. Stand up, and let¡¯s go.¡± And I lift Cyril into my arms. Cyril: ¡°EEK?!¡± Being picked up all of a sudden, she lets out a small shrill. ¡­¡­.but she¡¯s as light as they come. I think she¡¯s toughened up considerably since the first time we met, but I couldn¡¯t feel an ounce of muscle on her. Henry: ¡°If you don¡¯t want to walk, I don¡¯t mind carrying you like this.¡± Cyril: ¡°URGH!.......I can walk on my own!¡± And a little upset, Cyril turns her head away from me as I lower her down. Henry: ¡°Okay, okay. I was joking earlier. C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go©`¡± As I stood next to her, Cyril still looked a little upset but wrapped her arms around mine. The yukata¡¯s cloth is quite thin so I¡¯m a little distracted from everything I feel¡­¡­but wait. Just wait, Henry. Although she was embarrassed, she still went out of her way to make this reservation for you. You can¡¯t let her down now. Yes, Henry, tonight, you will be a gentleman! A gentleman! Henry: ¡°So we head to the front counter first?¡± Cyril: ¡°........yes, since the couple¡¯s baths are locked, you have to go get the key first and¡­..¡± I nod as Cyril explains. And we slowly walked down the inn¡¯s hallway together. CH 170 Ch. 170: Hotsprings Part 4 We retrieved our reserved key from the front desk without issue. We stepped into one of Suisen Inn¡¯s other famous attraction ©` the couple¡¯s bath. Henry: ¡°I see. It seems obvious but the baths here are much smaller than the public ones.¡± The changing room was also smaller, and there were only baskets set out for two. The hot spring we could see on the other side was also much smaller in scale. Even so, it was still beautifully laid out, and the bath was more than large enough for 2 people. We had a one hour reservation. I was going to take a quick dip into the bath and placed a hand on the sash on my waist holding my yukata. Cyril: ¡°©`©`Henry, w©`wait, please.¡± Henry: ¡°..........I mean¡­.c¡¯mon. We¡¯re already here¡­¡± To avoid my stare, Cyril turned her whole body away from me. I thought she was the one who signed up for this? Is she backing out now? Cyril: ¡°S©`Shush! Please feel free to go in first. I¡¯ll come in later.¡± Henry: ¡°Okay, that¡¯s fine with me.¡± A little exasperated, I quickly undressed, took a towel provided in the changing room and walked to the bath area. Since I bathed at the public hot spring before dinner, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m dirty at all, but following the Rishu customs and manners¡­¡­.before I got in the tub, I quickly scrubbed and rinsed myself. I glided into the tub allowing the hot water to wash over my body and soul¡­¡­..yeah, this feels like heaven. It¡¯s my second bath today, but it still feels so good. Normally, I would just enjoy the bath but¡­¡­..we have other priorities at the moment. I hear the faint sounds of cloth rubbing. I resist the urge to immediately turn my head towards the source of the sound and strain to wait patiently. The next seconds felt like eternity before I heard footsteps. Feeling relieved that she came at all, I turned towards her. Henry: ¡°Hey, Cyril.¡± Cyril: ¡°Y©`..........Yes! What is it?!¡± I called out her name only to be replied by a high-pitched shrill as Cyril stood there with a towel wrapped around her body. Henry: ¡°.........oh©` um. Well, you can¡¯t come in the bath with that towel. It¡¯s against the inn¡¯s policies.¡± Cyril: ¡°I©`I know! But could you please look the other way.¡± Cyril pointed and mouthed the words, ¡°That way!¡± ¡­¡­¡­and though the mountainside was dark, the moon was bright, and I could see the mountains in the distance very well. The moon and the stars and the faint shadows of the mountains hiding under the night. It was beautiful. It was beautiful but¡­¡­.I still couldn¡¯t get the image of Cyril wrapped in a towel ouot of my mind. Her skin showed white as her shoulders, arms, and legs stretched out from the towel. Cyril: ¡°Urgh¡­..are you really not peeking right now?¡± Henry: ¡°Nope. Even I don¡¯t have eyes on the back of my head.¡± But if we¡¯re this close, I could sense every movement and know what she¡¯s doing. As Cyril folded the towel neatly, she took up one of the basins and began washing her body. Coming in from my blindside, she gently entered the tub¡­¡­¡­.and I heard a faint splash as she sat down. Henry: ¡°.........is it okay now to look?¡± Cyril: ¡°N©`Not really¡­¡­¡­but okay¡­.¡± Alright! With her permission©`©` Cyril: ¡°..................¡± Henry: ¡°Uh huh¡­¡­¡­¡± I don¡¯t think she¡¯s been in the bath long enough to become that red in the face. The water in the hot spring is cloudy too, so I can¡¯t see much except the silhouette of her body. But, I¡¯m sure in her mind, that¡¯s not much of a reassurance. I look up towards the sky and let out a deep sigh. I let my eyes follow the steam rising up past us and feel myself relax. Henry: ¡°Cyril©`©`¡± Cyril: ¡°........y©`yes?¡± Henry: ¡°Look, you don¡¯t have to be so nervous. Relax a bit. Just relax©`¡± Since she would feel uncomfortable with my stare, I keep my eyes focused above. I tried a few comforting words, and then wave at her to come closer. She paused to think about this, and then cautiously approached me. I heard her take a deep, long breath. Henry: ¡°..........I mean, if you didn¡¯t want to do this that much, I wouldn¡¯t have insisted.¡± Cyril: ¡°I©`It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t want to¡­¡­¡­.but this¡­¡­.it¡¯s so embarrassing, I want to melt away right here.¡± Well, at least she wasn¡¯t against the idea. That was a relief, and I poked another question at her. Henry: ¡°Then why did you want to do it?¡± Cyril: ¡°Urgh, well¡­¡­¡­¡± Cyril dipped her face into the water as she mumbled and began to speak. Cyril: ¡°I thought you might want to do something like this¡­¡­and I did want to do something with you that you would enjoy. I know I push you back a lot on a regular basis¡­¡­¡­..so that¡¯s why.¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s not like I mind that much.¡± I let out another sigh as I patted her head. Cyril: ¡°GRR! What¡¯s with that?! Don¡¯t treat me like a kid.¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m not trying to treat you like a kid at all.¡± Cyril: ¡°Then that¡¯s more of a reason to stop! Don¡¯t touch a lady¡¯s hair so carelessly!¡± Henry: ¡°Fine©`¡± And I let go of her head. Since Cyril was returning to her normal self, I let my eyes fall slowly away from the ceiling. Glancing aside, I saw Cyril furiously combing and putting her hair back the way it was. ¡­¡­¡­just seeing the top of her head and shoulders out of the water was an amazing sight. Cyril: ¡°Geesh¡­. Stop staring at me so much©`! We¡¯re here in a hot spring, so let¡¯s focus on enjoying the hot spring!¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Of course, I still feel curiosity pulling me to look her way, but I¡¯m not so sleazy that I¡¯m going to use this opportunity to look at her as much as I like. And besides¡­¡­¡­bathing like this together was¡­.well¡­¡­.um¡­¡­fun. Very fun. To ask for more from this situation would be asking for too much. Besides that, the inn clerk was very emphatic about refraining from doing certain activities here (without going into much detail).¡± Henry: ¡°But well, I don¡¯t get it much. Is it that embarrassing to take a bath together? Even when we¡¯re¡­.you know¡­..you¡¯re not this embarrassed about it.¡± Cyril: ¡°That¡¯s completely different!¡± I mean, during our camp outs when we first started dating, she would invite me to lay next to her. What about that? Henry: ¡°Okay, okay. I get it. ¡­¡­..let¡¯s change the subject.¡± And we began talking about this and that. The content wasn¡¯t as important. We just talked about whatever we could. But since we¡¯re in a bath together, it felt more enjoyable than usual. ¡­¡­¡­¡­well, I¡¯m not trying to imply anything here. It was just that chatting together in a new place and new situation was refreshing. Henry: ¡°So, what do you want to do tomorrow?¡± Cyril: ¡°Let¡¯s see¡« I¡¯d like to walk around the Rishu market. I¡¯ve seen all the Rishu products at Teo¡¯s family store, but I¡¯m sure there¡¯s more stuff to look at here.¡± Henry: ¡°Hmmmm, yeah. That¡¯s not a bad idea. There was something I wanted to get.¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh?¡± Cyril looked up at me in surprise. Cyril: ¡°Really? That¡¯s rare. You rarely buy anything for yourself, Henry. When you go shopping, it¡¯s things we need on the next expedition, and food and water.¡± Henry: ¡°Hmmmm, yeah, well. That¡¯s not my usual policy or anything. I just can¡¯t carry around too much stuff because I live from inn to inn.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ohh, yes. You did mention that before. ¡­¡­.then I guess I wouldn¡¯t be able to take a lot of my clothes with me either.¡± Cyril lamented at the thought. Though she did not overly indulge in clothes, she still had quite a collection. She¡¯s also very good at combining and rearranging her day to day wear too¡­.or at least, that¡¯s just my opinion. I have zero fashion sense, so I can¡¯t say that for a fact. Henry: ¡°Cyril, don¡¯t forget that we have Teo¡¯s bag too.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hmmm, well, it¡¯s not that I forgot about that. But I hesitate to place anything in there that¡¯s not relevant to expeditions. Or, that¡¯s what I think at least.¡± Henry: ¡°Why not? Teo has her fishing equipment in there.¡± When we went fishing together, she also packed a second fishing rod for me too. Cyril: ¡°.......okay, I¡¯ll ask her.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah.¡± And as we spoke, I saw Cyril relax visibly. ¡­¡­.maybe it¡¯s okay now? And trying to judge the mood and timing, I placed an arm around her shoulder. Cyril: ¡°Oh¡­¡± Her body was hot from staying in the hot spring. Her skin felt soft, and it made my nerves twitch. Cyril: ¡°.......next time, you should warn me before you do that.¡± Henry: ¡°Okay, okay. Sorry. ¡­..but let¡¯s stay like this for just a little while longer.¡± Cyril: ¡°Fine, fine.¡± She was giving me some attitude, but her body relaxed as it leaned against me more. ¡­¡­.we were in foreign lands, inside a small hot spring. Time gently flowed with serene grace. I will probably remember this day for the rest of my life. ¡­¡­..yeah, definitely. <<<<>>>> The next morning. Cyril: ¡°Good morning, you two.¡± Jend: ¡°Hey, good morning, Cyril. Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Mornin¡¯.¡± The inn served breakfast on the first floor in both of its large halls. The tables and chairs had room labels so you can find your seat, and we found Jend and Ferris already seated. We greeted them and sat down at the table with them. Ferris: ¡°Good morning. ¡­¡­..Cyril, you look sleepy.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yeah©` last night, we stayed up late.¡± Cyril rubbed her eyes sleepily as Ferris checked on her. Ferris: ¡°I see. That late, huh?¡± Henry: ¡°Wh©`what, Ferris.¡± Ferris smiled wryly towards my way, and she caught me off guard as I stumbled over my words. Ferris: ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. Didn¡¯t mean to tease you.¡± Henry: ¡°.......as if that wasn¡¯t a jab already.¡± Ferris: ¡°Now really, I have no clue on what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Ferris chuckled gleefully to herself. ¡­¡­¡­ugh, it¡¯s not like her at all to tease us, but whatever. I blow out a breath through my nose, and turn my attention to the food. Cyril: ¡°Oh my! The food looks so good!¡± Cyril¡¯s eyes sparkle at all the dishes. Hmm, so the main dish for breakfast is seared fish. They have salad for the side as well as other pickled vegetables, and that white jiggly stuff is¡­tofu? That was what was laid out before us. You can get as many helpings of rice as you please. And¡­..I don¡¯t see this during meals much, but there were eggs with the shells intact laid inside a basket at the center of the table. I guess we can eat as much as we like of that too. I believe Rishu culture eats the eggs raw in some cases. Next to the eggs, there was a small and courteous sign that directed visitors from the mainland on how to use them. ¡­..you drip soy sauce as you mix the eggs with the rice, and eat ©` according to the sign. Cyril: ¡°Oh¡­¡­ummmm, raw eggs? ¡­¡­.Miss Cyril may have to pass on that.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, if you can¡¯t stomach the idea, this would be impossible to do.¡± And there¡¯s no need to force yourself. I was going to try it out regardless. And putting our hands together to say thanks for the meal, we began eating. Henry: ¡°Oh yeah. What were you and Ferris going to do today, Jend? We were thinking about heading to the markets in Kaisei.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a lot of tourist spots around the mountain, so we planned to look around. There¡¯s places to rest and restaurants too.¡± We discussed our day¡¯s plans as we continued to eat. ¡­¡­..hmmm, they put just the right amount of salt on the seared fish, and it went well with the rice. Henry: ¡°Then we¡¯ll drop by and pick up Teo on the way back.¡± Jend: ¡°Oh, okay. Sounds good.¡± ¡­¡­..and Teo was going to meet up with us here at the inn at the end of the day, but I wanted to check-in on the Sagiri family ©` especially after everything I explained about Ageha the day before. Henry: ¡°Oh, I need more rice. I¡¯ll go©`¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry, if you need a refill, I can get it for you.¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? Oh yeah? Thanks. Can you get me an extra large serving?¡± ¡°Okay©`¡± was her reply as she took my rice bowl and headed to the large wooden rice bowl. Ferris: ¡°.......even though she didn¡¯t get enough sleep, she¡¯s still quite perky, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, oh yeah?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, I think so too. Did something happen last night, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°W©`Well¡­¡­¡­¡± UGH!!! Now they¡¯re both teasing me for information! Cyril: ¡°I¡¯m back©`©` ¡­.? Huh? Did something happen?¡± Ferris: ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. We were just talking about how happy Henry must be.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, of course, with a woman like me at his side, who wouldn¡¯t be happy!¡± And Cyril passed me a rice bowl with a mountain of rice inside. Normally, I would chide her for being too cocky but¡­. ¡­¡­but it was a fact. I took the bowl silently, and focused only on consuming its contents and ignored the two smiling from across the table. <<<<>>>> CHONKY TL LiT (Lost in Translation) Japanese Breakfast CH 171 From the deck of the ship, we watched the city of Kaisei disappear into the distance. Our 5 nights and 6 day Rishu vacation came to an end. The hot springs on day 1 - especially that incident with the couples bath - was burned strongly into my memory, but we also had memorable moments at other tourist spots as well. Rishu is not the biggest country. If I wanted to, I could probably run from one end of the country to the other within a day. ¡­¡­not like I have any reason to run all out like that, but point being, we were able to see many places that were only a few hours away from Kaisei. We watched the national sport of Sumo and the play using very interesting masks called Kabuki. We tasted all the local delicacies, and bought many kinds of locally brewed drinks to take back as gifts. We even got to see some of the qualifying rounds for Rishu¡¯s biggest, annual martial arts tournament - the Heaven¡¯s Martial Art Tournament. Jend really wanted to participate, but if he were to pass the qualifying rounds and enter the main tournament, we would have to delay our departure to Ligaleo even more¡­¡­and besides that, we are specialists in fighting Demons. Between people who train to fight Demonic Creatures, and people who fight other humans, we would be at a disadvantage. Looking at the qualifying rounds alone, Jend and I could probably beat most contestants as far as raw skill and strength, but in an actual fight, the difference in fight experience will even the odds. But anyways, there were a lot of things that happened while we were at Rishu. Since, this might be the last time I get to visit, I take that out to preserve the final scenery. A photograph device. A device designed to create pictures - photos - that looks amazingly real. Cyril: ¡°I know you went back and forth about purchasing that photograph device, but how much was it?¡± Henry: ¡°I don¡¯t want to say how much it cost. Just remembering the price tag makes me regret my decision.¡± I closed the lid to the memory before the numbers appeared in my mind. I went to a small Grandes Church in Rishu to withdraw funds from my account, and¡­¡­.it actually took a while to complete the transaction. That¡¯s how much it cost. But in the end, I was able to purchase a quality item. I was able to acquire a renowned Kasumi factory model - a famous brand in Rishu - and their photograph devices were top notch. The model was made with the motto - ¡°it was designed so that anyone can easily take photos.¡± Compared to its predecessors, they made the handling of the mechanism much more simpler. In fact, with about an hour of coaching and training at the store where I purchased it, I was able to master the basics. But, in exchange for the ease in use, there were no complex adjustments and manipulations of settings that professionals would require, so this really was a machine for beginners. But it really was designed well. ¡­¡­.though, I wondered why they would price it so high when ¡°anyone¡± was supposed to be able to use it. But whatever. Cyril: ¡°This is your very first photo. I can¡¯t wait to see how it comes out.¡± Henry: ¡°.....yeah yeah.¡± Of course, my very first photo trial was Cyril who had her chest out in confidence. After that, we took a group picture, a photo of the inn and some scenery from the city of Kaisei. After that, our last photo was going to be from the deck of the ship. Cyril: ¡°Oh, how many pictures can we take with this again?¡± Henry: ¡°12. This is our 7th.¡± The photograph device was a mix of engineering and Magecraft. The light-sensitive Magic Stone used to record the images apparently had a 12 photograph limit as a standard¡­¡­but this was all things I learned from the store clerk who sold me the device. Cyril: ¡°But why did you suddenly want to get a photograph device? I didn¡¯t know you were into those things, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°.....when I was in Ligaleo, there was an obsessive photo-taker, so I never thought about getting one of my own but¡­.¡± But now, things are different. Henry: ¡°I wanted to take photos of Flowtier. ¡­¡­because there were a lot of times I looked at the photos from Ligaleo.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if this was a manly thing to reminisce on the past but©` But even if it was just a year or so, I had a lot of memories about Flowtier. I wanted something to help me remember the scenery¡­¡­¡­and that¡¯s just how I felt. Cyril: ¡°I see. I think that¡¯s wonderful. Oh, I¡¯ll pay you for the light-sensitive Magic Stone, but could you take a picture of me with my friends too?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine. ¡­¡­oh, but if Jend and Teo ask too¡­¡­..I wonder how many pictures I will be taking.¡± Ferris didn¡¯t have many acquaintances in Flowtier yet, but the other two grew up in Flowtier. Looks like I¡¯ll be busy with this thing until we depart for Ligaleo. Henry: (sigh¡­..) The thought pushed a deep sigh out of me. But then again, it¡¯s great that I¡¯m getting so many uses out of it considering its price. At least I¡¯m getting my money¡¯s worth. <<<<>>>> ¡°Father! C¡¯mon! Smile! You have to smile! He¡¯s offering to take a picture of us, so you can¡¯t scowl!¡± ¡°O©`Okay.¡± Having Lana chastise him, Mr. Nord forced an awkward smile on his face. I didn¡¯t think he looked natural smiling, but his daughter nodded with approval, and his wife, Mrs. Linda, also didn¡¯t say anything either. ¡­..and the only one not smiling in the picture was now their son, Lando. He took one look at his father¡¯s smile and abruptly began crying. He just learned to hold onto things to stand, and as you would expect from an inn keeper¡¯s family, he wasn¡¯t afraid of unfamiliar people. Linda: ¡°Oh my, Lando, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just daddy©` it¡¯s not scary©`¡± And even with Mrs. Linda¡¯s comforting words, he was intent on crying with protest. Nord: ¡°Um¡­¡± And as Mr. Nord returned to his usual blank face, Lando immediately stopped crying. ¡­¡­an awkward silence followed and filled the air. Henry: ¡°U©`Um, it¡¯s nothing so formal. This is just so I have a photo of your family to remember you by, but please just act natural. That will be okay.¡± First, I wanted a photo of the people at the Bear¡¯s Keg Inn who took great care of me. I don¡¯t know what I said, but they mistook my request, and even wore formal wear as they lined up in front of the inn. Lana: ¡°Really?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, that¡¯s perfect. Okay, I¡¯m taking the picture now©`¡± I looked through the lens of the photograph device, and setting the frame on Mr. Nord, the head of the household with his family surrounding him, I pressed down on the switch. A now familiar *shaaaaaaaa, snap!* sound followed, and with a click, I hear the sound of a successful picture being taken. ¡­¡­the one I saw being used on the frontlines, and the one Princess Aileen used during her trip to Flowtier needed more rigorous setting adjustment, but this one just required me to make sure the lens was focused. Reflecting on that, I realized how fast technology progressed, and since I was already here, I took a few pictures of the inn inside. Henry: ¡°.........oh, yeah. Lana, can I take a pic of you standing alone?¡± Lana: ¡°Um, sure? I don¡¯t mind, but why?¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m certain that there¡¯s going to be a lot of people asking me about the girl who invented a way to get rid of the corrupted Magic. You¡¯ve helped a lot of people in Ligaleo by doing that. There might even be people who¡¯ll want your photo.¡± If I was on the frontlines, I would definitely want one. Lana: ¡°Umm¡­.I¡¯m a little uncomfortable with the idea. ¡­¡­you won¡¯t¡­use it for weird purposes, right?¡± ¡­¡­.uh, no. Probably. I¡¯m not going to say it out loud, but she¡¯s still just a kid. It will be a photo of a girl wearing proper clothes so¡­¡­..but I guess I can¡¯t say that it would NEVER be used for weird purposes. There are people with strange tastes in the world after all. There are those who prefer more child-like girls over curvy, beautiful women¡­¡­of course, I¡¯m not talking about myself. Nord: ¡°.............¡± Um, Mr. Nord? You don¡¯t have to walk slowly to the kitchen. I know you have tenderizers and butcher knives back there. Henry: ¡°Y©`You know what? I¡¯ll just show them your photo, but I promise I won¡¯t make any new ones!¡± Since I can¡¯t say for sure what people will use that photograph for, I made a solemn oath. And hearing that, Mr. Nord returned from the kitchen empty handed. Lana: ¡°In that case, that¡¯s fine.¡± And getting a photo of Lana, I went on to get my next photo. <<<<>>>> The exterior of the Flowtier¡¯s Grandes Church. The Adventurers who usually hung out inside, and the priests and clerks who knew me well. Mr. Thomas and the many people I got to know here. The photograph device was incredibly expensive, so not many people were familiar with having pictures taken of them. But if I promised to print out more photographs to share with them, they were curious enough to let me take the pictures. After that, I began completing my Party members¡¯ requests. Jend and Teo wanted pictures of their family and a group picture with all their friends. ¡­¡­.and from my experience, these kinds of photos do help lift your spirit up in hard times. Even if someone you know dies, you can still see them full of life inside a photo and©`©` never mind. I don¡¯t want to think about that right now. Ferris asked if I could take a picture of her former home in the capital. And we would pass through Northerntier, the Capital, and Southgaia on the way to Ligaleo, so we should have time to take a photo. And Cyril¡¯s request was¡­¡­..as expected, was taking a group picture with the Governor and his family. Although I didn¡¯t mind taking pictures of the soldiers and servants, I was nervous taking a picture of the Governor and his wife. Henry: ¡°Fwew¡­.¡± In my hands were stacks of envelopes with many photographs inside. In Flowtier, there are only 2 stores that can develop photographs. Since I had quite a bit of light-sensitive Magic Stones, I divided them up and asked both stores to print out the photos. As I entered a coffee shop, I took a few to take a look. Henry: ¡°Whoa¡­.¡± Seeing the photos was¡­..quite an amazing feeling. There were some photos that seemed more blurry or out of focus than other photographs I¡¯ve seen in the past, but the scenery I saw through the lens was replicated onto the photograph. The photograph of the entire region of Flowtier I took after traveling outside of town a bit, actually came out really well. The city had the Altohern Mountain - where we had many expeditions - in its background. With Lake Lukan sparkling next to it and the spring flowers blooming, the photo was breathtaking. Isn¡¯t this¡­¡­well, actually, isn¡¯t this quite the photo? Do I actually have a talent for taking photos? And with this, I can remember the city of Ligaleo really well. Henry: ¡°Fwew¡­.¡± Yes, it¡¯s only been just one year¡­¡­considering that I was out of town to go train for some period, the time I spent here is even less. But this felt like a place that would rank 3rd in my list of cities I consider as home. I want to take good care of this photo. Henry: ¡°It¡¯s almost time to go¡­¡± I mumbled the words quietly to myself. Coming back from Rishu, I was so busy taking photos that¡­..without realizing it, we were 3 days from departing. To be frank, I don¡¯t want to leave. I don¡¯t want to leave but©`©` Jend: ¡°Oh, there he is. Henry, how did the photos come out?¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry, Henry, were you dazzled by how beautiful I was?¡± Ferris: ¡°Hey, did we keep you waiting?¡± Teo: ¡°Hello.¡± Jend, Cyril, Ferris, and Teo all came over. I wanted to show them how the photos turned out, and we decided to meet at this coffee shop. As they walked towards me, I took a look at each of their faces. Henry: ¡°.....but I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡± I sighed deeply, got up from my chair, and welcomed my Party. CH 172 Ch. 172: Departure The people sending us off lined up around the Flowtier¡¯s main gate. Since it would block the road if too many people came, it was only the closest of acquaintances. ¡­¡­and it¡¯s not an unusual sight at the gate, but having the Governor stand among the crowd was probably a rare sight. The gatekeeper was nervously looking around quickly to identify any possible threats. And the Governor is a busy man. The fact that he took the time to walk with Cyril all the way here showed his overly obsessive concern¡­..erhm, I mean, his love and affection for his sister-in-law. Alvare: ¡°Cyril, take care of yourself over there. Make sure to listen to everything Henry says.¡± Asteria: ¡°And I heard that the city area is rough and dangerous. Be sure to be weary of other dangers other than Demonic Creatures. ¡­..and do your best.¡± Cyril: ¡°I understand! I will do my very best!¡± And with the Governor and Lady Asteria¡¯s words, Cyril answered bright and energetically. ¡­¡­¡­and though she answered as she normally would, I could tell that she was taking all their words to heart. I watched Jend and Teo speak to their families as well. And just like the time we left to upgrade our gear and go train, Ferris and I had nothing to do. We chatted together as we waited for the others to finish saying their farewells. Ferris: ¡°Henry, how does it feel to be returning to Ligaleo?¡± Herny: ¡°Hmmm, yeah. I¡¯m half frustrated that I have to go back to that hell hole of a battlefield, but the other half, I¡¯m looking forward to seeing my friends. Wait, actually, I¡¯m 70% frustrated and 30% looking forward to it.¡± Ferris: ¡°Well, that¡¯s quite blunt.¡± Ferris chuckled at my comment. I was thinking about how effective this Party will be when we arrive at Ligaleo. I definitely looked forward to seeing how it turns out¡­¡­.but I could never say that out loud - even if everyone else seemed to catch on to my feelings. Henry: ¡°What about you, Ferris? Are you not a little scared?¡± Ferris: ¡°Well, I think I¡¯m the same as you. I¡¯m half scared and half looking forward to it. ¡­¡­¡­but I can¡¯t say for sure that I¡¯ll be able to endure the frontlines.¡± Ferris spoke jokingly. But I highly doubted that the frontlines would break her. She was quite a tough woman. And everyone else was the same. I couldn¡¯t imagine Jend or Teo getting discouraged. And Cyril¡­¡­.how should I put it. Ummm, oh yeah. She reminded me of one of the Rishu¡¯s toys - the wooden doll that would always stand back up. That kind of feeling. Even if something happens, she would get a good night¡¯s rest and tackle the next day with renewed vigor. That¡¯s how she looked to me. ¡­¡­ohhhh, but¡­. Henry: ¡°Besides fighting Demonic Creatures, be prepared for some awful food. There won¡¯t be much of a variety, and the quality will be nothing like Flowtier. If you were a gourmet food expert, Ligaleo is the last place you would ever want to go. They did collect enough food to feed the hungry Adventurers and soldiers, but¡­¡­besides quantity, they placed preserving high nutrient foods as the top priority. The taste of it really didn¡¯t matter. Of course, good food would raise morale, so they did have some luxuries¡­..but that came with an extremely high price tag. Ferris: ¡°Oh, I saw that you got barrels and barrels of Flowtier ale. Didn¡¯t you buy 20 barrels?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, well, it¡¯s mostly as a gift to my friends on the frontlines. Even I would feel depressed if I had to suddenly switch to the Ligaleo ale right as we got there.¡± And of course, in order to carry such a large amount of ale, we had to rely on Teo¡¯s godly equipment. She accepted the task with one of the barrels as payment. Henry: ¡°And yeah, we¡¯re bringing plenty of snacks that won¡¯t go bad for a while like jerky. It¡¯s quite another experience to be able to drink great ale while the people around you have to drink terrible liquor.¡± Ferris: ¡°I thought you said those were gifts.¡± Henry: ¡°Just 3 barrels!¡± Hehehe¡­.I can¡¯t wait to see their envious faces. ¡­¡­..then again, if I go too far, they¡¯ll probably resort to collectively rioting and say, ¡°Smash that guy and take his liquor!¡± They can be quite the barbarians. ©`©`oh no. I need to switch gears soon. There were some rough, outlaw-types in Flowtier, but compared to the hordes of idiots who nest in Ligaleo, they¡¯re completely tame. I¡¯ll have to be the one who deals with those idiots when the time comes - specifically answering them with my fists. Ferris: ¡°.......I can see your imagination is taking you in a weird direction, but snap out of it. Looks like they¡¯re done.¡± Cyril, Jend, and Teo all came over together. Everyone had their chests out and marched with pride. They received encouragement from their families, and now were filled with hope and determination. Jend: ¡°Henry, Ferris, sorry to make you wait.¡± Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us. We can stay here for another hour or two if you like.¡± Jend: ¡°Ha! There¡¯s no need. I¡¯ll be a Heroic Warrior¡­..and eventually a Hero of Legend before long, and we¡¯ll have a parade when we come back!¡± Though he was talking big, there was something in Jend¡¯s voice that made me believe him. Cyril: ¡°I have a big goal as well!¡± And Cyril, who was planning to resurrect the Fezard Kingdom, held a blazing fire in her eyes as she spoke. ¡­..and in her case, it was like¡­..well¡­..I expected her to run into lots of hurdles¡­¡­I¡¯ll do my best to help her out. Teo: ¡°.....besides, can¡¯t we also run here and back like Sister Ageha anytime we like?¡± And Teo was the most calm out of the three. And yeah, you don¡¯t have to vow that you have to first accomplish something great before you return home. It might be even better to not put that much pressure on yourself from the get go. ¡­¡­but regardless, we¡¯re not going to run like that idiot, Ageha, okay? Henry: ¡°Then©`©`¡± After hearing the 3 speak, I spun on my heel to turn around. Henry: ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah¡­..and farewell, Flowtier, my home sweet home¡­.or something like that.¡± And Jend tried to say something cool as he departed. Cyril: ¡°We¡¯re going now! See you all again!¡± Cyril waved her arms at the people who came to see us off as we began walking. Ferris: ¡°Cyril, you¡¯ll trip if you keep walking backwards like that.¡± And Ferris gave a short warning to Cyril. Teo is¡­..oh, she¡¯s already walking ahead of us. Henry: ¡° I guess it¡¯s business as usual.¡± I let out a sigh and scratched my head. ¡­¡­and we departed from Flowtier. <<<<>>>> We ran from Flowtier to Northerntier. Since we already had reservations, there was no wait to enter the Teleportation Gate and get to the Capital. With Ferris¡¯ request, we went around to take a few photos of the Capital¡­¡­and then we entered the Teleport Gate once more. Since we have traveled this path before, everyone was quite used to it. Cyril: ¡°Ohhh, as always, it¡¯s so fun visiting a new city.¡± It¡¯s been 4 days since we left Flowtier. We had come to one of the Alvenia Kingdom¡¯s Four Corner Cities and arrived in South Gaia. The Teleportation Station was located on higher ground, and Cyril immediately began taking in the scenery excitedly. This city was built on a hill, and the central part of the city had the highest elevation. Since the Teleportation Station was practically in the middle of the city, you could see all corners of the Southgaia from here. Teo: ¡°......? Hm? But if you look closely, the southern side. Only that side seems newer. The southern wall is the only part where it looks to be newly constructed.¡± Teo, who had the best eyesight, noticed first and brought the oddity to our attention. A brief but bitter memory crossed my mind, but¡­¡­it¡¯s already passed. Henry: ¡°10 years ago¡­..well, 11 years now. That¡¯s when the Demon Kingdom reached this area. At the time, we managed to push them back to Ligaleo from here but¡­¡­there were a lot of casualties from that invasion.¡± I remember it vividly. That¡¯s when the Fezard Kingdom was crushed, and we ran and ran¡­¡­when Southgaia was being attacked, I was a refugee here. ¡­¡­¡­looking back, I was able to escape the Demon Kingdom¡¯s attacks, cross the Isthmus of Bifrost that connects the North and South continents, and arrived to take safe refuge in a large city. I was lucky and equally lucky that my stamina somehow lasted that long. And from there, I could have joined an orphanage or used my experience as a squire to become a Knight. There were many options¡­ but in the end, I was engulfed by hatred and thirst for revenge. I didn¡¯t want to wait around doing nothing, so to become someone who could fight Demonic Creatures, I became an Adventurer. ¡­¡­well, I¡¯ve already processed most of these feelings and thoughts since then. With another sigh, I wipe away the painful memories. Henry: ¡°Okay then. Just like we discussed, let¡¯s go to the Grandes Church.¡± Jend: ¡°Sure. Since we¡¯re here, we¡¯re going to see Brother Ashley and his Party, right?¡± One of Jend¡¯s seniors in the dojo was a Party leader, and for a short time, they came to Flowtier - the Adventurer Party [The Shining Swords]. The Shining Swords used Southgaia as their main base¡­..and since they live closer to Ligaleo, we were going to poke them for information about any recent developments. That was the plan at least. We sent a letter ahead telling them that we were passing by soon, and if there¡¯s an opportunity, we¡¯d like to see them. But it¡¯s not like we set a date, so there is a chance that our schedules will not overlap. So if we end up seeing them, we were in luck. Henry: ¡°I think they were based off the West Church, right?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah. ¡­..that¡¯s right, there¡¯s four churches in this city.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, Ligaleo is nearby, so there¡¯s a lot of Demonic Creatures in this area. There¡¯s the military and Knights Orders that reside here year round, but Adventurers are the easiest to move around, so there¡¯s a lot of work here. The merchants need guards to take them to Ligaleo, so stuff like that.¡± And during my days in Ligaleo, we would accept Quests to guard the merchants back to Southgaia. But most of our transactions would be done with the South Church, so we had no connection with Ashley in those days. As we chatted, we walked through the city of Southgaia. Ferris: ¡°It looks like the architecture is different from the Alvenia Kingdoms. How does it look to you, Jend?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, this kind of architecture is more popular in the Southern Continent. ¡­.and it¡¯s no wonder. Before the war with the Demon Kingdom, Southgaia was a major trading port with the Southern Continent.¡± I listened to Jend and Ferris discuss some interesting facts about the city. Compared to them©`©` Cyril: ¡°Oh! Henry! Look over there! They¡¯re selling crepes! Please buy me one!¡± Cyril was Cyril. ¡­¡­¡­well, it was well past noon, so I felt a slight pang of hunger too. Henry: ¡°Here, I¡¯ll give you the money to buy mine too. I just want the plane crepe. ¡­.oh, how about everyone else?¡± Teo: ¡°Oh, are you sure?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry about it, Teo. Order what you want. Jend, Ferris, you two too.¡± Jend: ¡°Oh, if that¡¯s the case¡­.¡± Cyril wrote down the orders, and I passed her the money. Henry: ¡°Go now, Cyril. Fulfill your quest to obtain these crepes.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, right away©`¡± We joked a little before Cyril ran towards the Crepe Stand. It was quite popular with a long line, but they tasted great, and we were all satisfied. Once we finished eating, we started heading towards the West Church once again. ¡­¡­.hmmm, there¡¯s a lot of people today. During my days in Ligaleo, I don¡¯t remember it being so lively. I wondered about the crowdedness as we arrived at the West Church. I knew where the Church was, but it was my first time coming here. Adventurers came in and out of the entrance, and the door to the entrance was left open. And as we watched a few people pass in and out¡­¡­¡­coincidentally, we saw some familiar faces. Jend: ¡°Ashley!¡± Ashley: ¡°Hm? ¡­..oh!¡± Jend shouted towards Ashley as he was just leaving the church. Now then, before we head to Ligaleo, we¡¯ll gather some intel about recent events. ¡­.and to celebrate our reunion, we¡¯ll drink tonight. CH 173 Ch. 173: Collecting Intel We were in one of Alvenia Kingdom¡¯s Four Corner Cities - South Gaia. Ashley¡¯s Party, the Shining Swords had just completed their expedition for the day and were call it a day when we ran into them. Ashley was anxious to get home, but I pressed him to stay and invited him over to the Grandes Church Tavern. The other two members of the Shining Swords were celebrating their expedition¡¯s success and were still sitting at a table when we came in. ¡°Hey! It¡¯s been a while, Henry. Have you been well?¡± ¡°Hello, Henry. You told us you were coming by letter, but it took you a while to get here.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, it¡¯s been a while, Paul, Forte. Yeah, we had some delays.¡± Ah, Paul and Forte were sitting at a table for four. There were¡­..no other large tables available at the moment. Henry: ¡°Oh©` here, I¡¯ll gather the information, so just eat and drink what you like while you wait.¡± Cyril: ¡°Okay©` hehehe, let¡¯s see how good this Church¡¯s parfait is.¡± Jend: ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll go find us an inn. Brother Ashley, you know of any good inns around here?¡± Compared to Cyril who was only thinking about food, I appreciated Jend¡¯s initiative. Ashley gave him a few recommendations and headed off with a trot. Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I join you guys.¡± And Ashley sat down with me at Paul and Forte¡¯s table. Henry: ¡°Excuse me, can I have some ale?¡± Ashley: ¡°I¡¯ll have ice tea.¡± We called over a waitress to give her our order. ¡­¡­and for whatever reason, Ashley passed on the alcohol. Henry: ¡°Ashley, you¡¯re not drinking?¡± Ashley: ¡°....Karen is waiting for me at home. So sorry, as soon as we¡¯re done talking, I need to head home.¡± Karen¡­¡­? Oh, I remember hearing her name before. It was Ashley¡¯s girlfriend¡¯s name. It was because they were getting married, that Ashley finally decided to come visit Flowtier to tell his family. Henry: ¡°Ohh, so you¡¯re married now? Congratulations.¡± Ashley: ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡± ¡­¡­.and it wouldn¡¯t be good to hold up a newly wed. Henry: ¡°Yeah, in that case, let¡¯s get this over with.¡± Paul: ¡°Alrighty. Well, I already know what this is about.¡± I nod once to Paul and get right to business. Henry: ¡°Well, if you can tell me how things have been in Ligaleo, anything you know will help. If things have changed since I left, I need to rethink our plan.¡± For instance¡­..it¡¯s not a pleasant thought, but if the Demon Kingdom decided to perform a large-scale invasion. We would have to think about whether we want to try accomplishing something big, or if the risk is too high, hang around here to see how things develop. That kind of decision making. Paul: ¡°I don¡¯t mind telling you¡­¡­let¡¯s see.¡± Paul glanced my way, and the Forte spoke up. Forte: ¡°We don¡¯t collect intel for a living, so we don¡¯t know anything too specific. But let¡¯s see. I¡¯m sure with a drink, that will help jog our memory.¡± ¡­¡­.and Forte did not beat around the bush. I let out a sigh. Henry: ¡°I know, I know¡­¡­here, I¡¯l buy the next round of drinks. Just, nothing too expensive, alright?¡± What Ashley and his Party knows is things we can find out if we took the time. But since they¡¯re saving us that time, we need to offer something in return. So a drink is usually a fair price. Forte: ¡°Okay, okay. Don¡¯t worry. They don¡¯t serve expensive drinks here anyways.¡± Paul immediately drained his cup and called the waitress over. Forte followed and hurriedly finished his drink as they ordered an unfamiliar name. Henry: ¡°......you two¡­.isn¡¯t Krau?Rozzo a really expensive whiskey?¡± Just to make sure, I looked through the menu¡­¡­.and it made the edges of my forced smile twitch. Paul: ¡°Hm? Really? It¡¯s 200 Zeniths¡­..if we really wanted something expensive, there¡¯s another drink that¡¯s 10 times that price.¡± Forte: ¡°Yes, I really wanted to try this once.¡± The two had no remorse in their choice! And well, they chose a drink that was just high enough where it was borderline permissible. Ashley: ¡°Oh, in that case, I¡¯ll order one too. I was curious about that brand. It was a little too pricey to pay with my own money.¡± Hey! Aren¡¯t you a newlywed?! Henry: ¡°Fine! Do as you like. Sheesh.¡± And in return, I¡¯m going to drag out everything you guys know! They understood, and I drank half my ale as soon as it came. <<<<>>>> Forte: ¡°So, it doesn¡¯t look like the news here hasn¡¯t traveled too far north¡­¡­.in the last one or two months, the situation in Ligaleo has changed quite a bit.¡± Forte was sipping the Krau?Rozzo whiskey slowly as he began sharing what he knew. Henry: ¡°......it¡¯s about Lana¡¯s invention, and how the Magecraft Barriers now work, right?¡± Paul: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it. Ugh, what a waste. I should have asked her out when I had the chance.¡± Paul snapped his finger in regret. But he was obviously joking. Forte: ¡°I never would have imagined that a daughter of an innkeeper would be an academic genius¡­..and thanks to her, Southgaia had experienced a drastic decrease in the number of Demonic Creatures that gets past Ligaleo, and our expeditions have become safer.¡± The Isthmus of Bifrest is a naturally defensible terrain, and Ligaleo sat right on top of it. The majority of Demonic Creatures are taken down here, but there are a few who get through the defensive lines. That¡¯s why in a nearby large city like Southgaia, the military is here year-round to take care of those stragglers. Many strong Adventurers base their living here for that reason too. It¡¯s dangerous, but if you have the skills, then you can make a decent fortune. Ashley: ¡°We definitely make less, but I¡¯m married now and wanted to take less risks, so¡­.all in all, it worked out for me.¡± Forte: ¡°Yes, I saved up quite a bit of money too, so I was thinking about starting up a business.¡± Paul: ¡°Yeah, in that case, what should I do¡­¡­..well, I guess it¡¯ll be a different Party or go back to my home city.¡± There are many ways an Adventurer retires from fighting. And it¡¯s quite rare where all the Party members agree on disbanding the Party. It looks like this Party won¡¯t disband with too much fighting or bitterness¡­..but we¡¯re getting off topic. Henry: ¡°So©` what¡¯s happened since?¡± Forte: ¡°Sorry, sorry. And so, even the Adventurers who were working around the clock could finally take a break. The night raids by Demonic Creatures only happen about once a week, and there might be some weeks without any raids.¡± Really? It¡¯s gotten a whole lot better since talking to Ms. Beatriz. Pa: ¡°Of course, the number of Demonic Creatures that attack Ligaleo hasn¡¯t changed at all, so it¡¯s still an extremely dangerous area to work. But if there are a lot less creatures getting through¡­.you know what that means, right?¡± As Paul said, I didn¡¯t need it to be explained. There''s less Demonic Creatures getting past Ligaleo. That means the road that ties Ligaleo and Southgaia and other southern towns have become significantly safer. Forte: ¡°I think you already know this, but selling luxury goods in Ligaleo is high risk, high return. You would need to hire Adventurers to guard your travel there and back, and even after doing everything you can to make the journey safe¡­¡­the death rate was between 10 to 20 percent.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, of course. I¡¯ve done guard quests many times.¡± At least for me, I haven¡¯t let any one of the merchants I guarded die! ¡­..but there were times when we had to completely abandon the cargo. Forte: ¡°So now, there¡¯s only a minimal risk to take goods there. Of course, that means you¡¯ll make less of a profit, but Adventurers in Ligaleo have plenty of money to spend. The keen merchants are already on the move in securing their market, and Southgaia, which serves as a midpoint between the main cities and Ligaleo, has significantly prospered from the situation.¡± ¡­¡­well yeah, there¡¯s a lot of guys with money in Ligaleo. They¡¯re fighting Demonic Creatures around the clock, and besides their gear, there¡¯s¡­¡­really nothing else to spend your money on. But since the roads are safer, merchants are charging to sell them anything and everything they¡¯ll buy. That would mean that the food shouldn¡¯t be so bad. That¡¯s good to hear. Ashley: ¡°And around here, rumors of Ligaleo¡¯s situation reached fastest here, so many more Adventurers have moved there. If this was a year ago, we would have gone too¡­¡­but I¡¯m married now.¡± Henry: ¡°......I see¡­.¡± Crap. I¡¯ve been trying to get my Party to expect the worst, but the situation has drastically improved since I left. We really have to thank Lana for this good fortune. ¡­¡­actually, she did far more than to just be thanked. Forte: ¡°Well, as for recent developments, that¡¯s about it¡­..but if you like to know more, it¡¯ll cost you another drink.¡± And Forte pulled out a small notebook, and tipped his glasses with a finger. Henry: ¡°.......I thought you didn¡¯t deal in information?¡± Forte: ¡°I don¡¯t do it professionally, but collecting rumors from all kinds of people is my hobby. A 10 year old Krau?Rozzo will get you all the information I have on the Heroes of Legend, the most notable Heroic Warriors, and what the Knights Orders are planning.¡± ¡­¡­..that¡¯s twice as expensive as a regular Krau?Rozzo¡­ But I know the Heroes of Legend well, and I know the majority of the big players for Heroic Warriors and Knights. Getting an update on their situations would be really helpful. Hmmmm¡­. Henry: ¡°.......ah, sorry. I¡¯ll only buy the drink for you, Forte.¡± Paul: ¡°Yeah, of course. That¡¯s intel Forte collected on his own. I don¡¯t plan on piggy backing on that.¡± Ashley: ¡°Me neither. ¡­¡­.yeah, you can get the rest of the info from forte. I need to head home.¡± Ashley sipped the last bit of his whiskey and stood up. Henry: ¡°Yeah, give my regards to your wife.¡± Forte: ¡°The next expedition is in 2 days. Please don¡¯t forget.¡± Ashley: ¡°Got it. See you all later.¡± Ashley said his farewells to his Party and left the tavern. ¡­..before he was out the door, Jend came in. They exchanged a few words, and Ashley was finally able to leave the church. Jend: ¡°Henry, I was able to find us inns. We got 2 rooms.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, thanks for doing that. ¡­.well, in that case, come sit down with us. You want ale?¡± I welcomed Jend who came back from running an errand for the Party, and he sat where Ashley was moments ago. ¡­..and looking over, the girls were having fun. Cyril was scarfing down a parfait, and Teo and Ferris were drinking ales. In that case, the men should be having some fun too. Yes, most definitely. Forte: ¡°I don¡¯t mind you drinking so much, but please don¡¯t make me repeat myself tomorrow.¡± Henry: ¡°I know, I know.¡± I was already finishing my 3rd ale. Since I got to Southgaia quite a bit during my days in Ligaleo, I drank the ale here quite often. The taste of the ale was nostalgic compared to Flowtier Ale, and I was drinking it down much faster than expected. Yes, today, my job is to listen. I need to take it easy. Yeah, definitely. ¡­¡­¡­and that decision got left behind somewhere as the ales kept coming. The next day, I suffered a severe hangover. But¡­..I remember everything Forte said, so let¡¯s say mission accomplished. CH 174 Ch. 174: The Return and the Reunion A Horse-type Demonic Creature with two horns on its head - 3 Bicorns were charging at us from different directions. Henry: ¡°Ferris! Protect the carriage! ¡­..Teo, fire when ready!¡± Ferris: ¡°Okay!¡± Teo: ¡°Understood.¡± Ferris yelled her affirmation back while I heard Teo¡¯s quiet, distinct voice as she fired her arrow. The Bicorns coming at us from the front and the left stopped their charge. Henry: ¡°Jend!¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah! I got this one! Leave it to me!¡± And Jend stepped in to take care of the one coming at us from the right. Flames roared out from his Blaze Blade, but the Bicorn facing him took very little notice. Jend dashed forward to meet it head on. If he¡¯s not careful, the Bicorn could run him through¡­¡­.but I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine. I charge at the Bicorn that Teo fired her arrows at. [BRRGHHH!!] Seeing me, it huffs a powerful breath. Seeing a human run at it, the Bicorn lowered its head, pointed its horns at me, and charged. And since its body is based on a horse, it ran with amazing speed but©` Henry: ¡°Fuh!¡± *sfx breath* ¡­¡­.I changed the Nyoiten Spear from a one-handed sword form to a long spear and thrust the blade forward. The Bicorn, believing that its long horns would reach me first, was caught off guard, struck through, and died instantly. Glancing aside, the Bicorn to the right was split in half by Jend, and its pieces were engulfed in flames. Cyril: {Icicle Coffin}!¡± ¡­¡­and that was the last one. Teo had continued to fire her arrows at it to stop it from charging, and now it was frozen solid by Cyril¡¯s Spell. I looked around to see if there were any more enemies. After confirming that there were no other creatures around, I let out a breath of relief, and returned to the carriage that stopped while we took care of the Demonic creatures. Henry: ¡°Hey, good job, everyone©`¡± Everyone else had also returned to stand around the carriage. I waved at each of them as we gathered. Henry: ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong?¡± It was a smooth victory, but everyone was acting strange. I was trying to understand why, when Mr. Muah, the merchant we were guarding as an official Quest, came over with a smile on his face. Muah: ¡°How splendid! Everyone is so strong. Thank you for taking care of those creatures so quickly.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, no problem. Oh, let me add them to the count. That will be Mid-class, mid-tier - 3 total.¡± Muah: ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± He brought out a simple sign sheet with lines, and as I wrote the class of Demonic Creatures and the number, Mr. Muah placed his signature on the same line. ¡­¡­this time, we were heading to Ligaleo from Southgaia, and since we were heading that way anyways, we picked up a Guard Quest. Guard Quests in this area require the Adventurer and Quest giver to agree upon and accurately record the class and count of the number of creatures defeated. Depending on this, your reward will greatly increase or decrease. This was to avoid any arguments once we reached our destination. If you get a break in between fights, it¡¯s encouraged to quickly measure, agree, and sign off on each encounter. ¡­¡­well, this time was too easy to count, but if we were to get swarmed by a herd of them, those are very difficult to accurately count. Thus, the system favors the Adventurers who are risking their lives, and the unsaid rule is to inflate the numbers slightly. For those Adventurers who go overboard, they¡¯ll be hanged out to dry later. Well, regardless, there was no damage to the carriage, so we were able to depart immediately. Since our responses would be delayed if we were inside the carriage, we all walked along beside it. As we progressed, Cyril seemed to be choosing her words carefully as she cautiously spoke to me. Cyril: ¡°Ummmm, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong, Cyril? Did you get hurt in the last scuffle?¡± She moved her hand to wave away my words as if to say, no not that, and she opened her mouth to speak once more. Cyril: ¡°........I thought you said the number of Demonic Creatures breaking through Ligaleo went down. Whatever happened to that? It¡¯s now the 6th attack we faced just today.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, so it¡¯s gotten a whole lot less. Any day that doesn¡¯t reach 2 digits is a really light day, and even more, we¡¯ve only faced an Upper-Tier just once today.¡± It was the Upper-Tier, Lower-Class Cockatrice, and just one for that matter. This area really got quiet. Back then, at least half would be Upper-Tiers. But, I understand what Cyril is trying to say. We left early in the morning, and now it¡¯s about evening. In between that time, you get attacked 6 times on a supposedly safe road. You would never expect that around Flowtier. Henry: ¡°But you have to consider that the closer we approach the south continent, the denser the corrupted Magic becomes. The majority of those creatures just naturally spawned in this area.¡± Jend: ¡°......I¡¯m surprised that there¡¯s still an economy standing here.¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s actually not. The 3 major countries have been pouring their tax money to support Ligaleo.¡± I answer Jend¡¯s mumbled complaint. I only heard rumors, but that¡¯s how it is apparently. This area¡¯s economy completely crumbled and is unable to sustain Ligaleo on its own. ¡­¡­and in the worst case scenario, if they smash through the frontlines, it would be incredibly difficult to push them back. In fact, it would be practically impossible. That¡¯s why the countries are bleeding out tax money for support even if it means incurring a large deficit. Henry: ¡°But the number of Demonic Creatures in this area really did decrease. A Guard Quest between Southgaia and Ligaleo would mean fighting Demonic Creatures the whole way there, and it took at least 2 days because of that. Now©`¡± I pointed ahead of us. Before us, we began to see glimpses of the sturdy, thick walls that stood at least 10 meters (¡«30 yards) high. Though the northside is relatively the safest area, on top of the wall sat many squads of archers that could be seen even from here. Jend: ¡°Is that¡­¡­¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, the city of the frontlines, the fortress of the Isthmus of Bifrost, the birth city of Heroes¡­¡­and whatever else it¡¯s called, that¡¯s our destination.¡± Ligaleo. It¡¯s been a year and a few months since I left. I came back to my 2nd hometown¡­¡­.and returned to the most dangerous city on this land. <<<<>>>> We parted with Mr. Muah at the north gate. Mr. Muah had more goods that needed to be inspected, and that will take some time. As far as our payment, we just needed to submit the form with all the Demonic Creatures we defeated listed to the church, and they will pull the payment from the money Mr. Muah paid upfront to the Church. Since there are a lot of Guard Quests in this area, they did their best to simplify the process as efficiently as possible. So if you have an Adventurer¡¯s tag, they will let you through the north gate without any fuss and©` ¡°........hm? Hey, aren¡¯t you Henry?¡± It was one of the guards guarding the North Gate of Ligaleo. He was a veteran Green Dragon Knight, and Mr. Olivier and I knew each other well. Henry: ¡°Hey, Mr. Olivier.¡± I waved at him to greet him. Olivier: ¡°Hey, hey. I heard rumors that you were coming back, but I didn¡¯t expect you to really do it. Weren¡¯t you telling me how you were going to take the rest of your life as easy as possible when you left?¡± Henry: ¡°........I can¡¯t remember.¡± How could you ever trust a man who goes back on his word so easily? Couldn¡¯t be me. Olivier: ¡°Fine, whatever. Well, welcome back, Henry.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, glad to be home.¡± Olivier: ¡°Yeah, and©` actually¡­.¡± ? Mr. Olivier thought about something, but then bit his lips closed. Henry: ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Olivier: ¡°.......no, it¡¯s nothing. So those are your new friends? Welcome to Ligaleo. Be careful and don¡¯t die too quickly. Be especially careful on your expeditions here.¡± ¡° ¡° Yes, we will! ¡± ¡± Everyone in the Party replied with quite the enthusiasm. Henry: ¡°Mr. Olivier, did you know if the Cries of the Stars Inn has finished rebuilding?¡± Olivier: ¡°I saw it when I was ringing the alarms last week, but it looked mostly finished then.¡± Okay, that¡¯s some good news. We can avoid having to find a different place to live without support from the church. Henry: ¡°Thank you very much. Then, we will see you again.¡± Olivier: ¡°Yeah, see ya. ¡­¡­..finally, sheesh. She won¡¯t be bothering us again after today.¡± ¡­¡­? I couldn¡¯t catch the last thing he was mumbling about. But I didn¡¯t want to bother Mr. Olivier, who was busy with his guard duties, and we quickly passed through the North Gate. Ahead of us, there was quite the crowd. There were many shopping stands, and they had many kinds of goods lined up. Other than the fact that everyone here was heavily armed, it was like any other main street market. Cyril: ¡°Wow©` since I heard it¡¯s the city of the frontlines, I thought it would be more¡­..empty or desolate, but there¡¯s so many stores here!¡± Henry: ¡°Well, this is the business district. You will see a lot more empty buildings in the southern district.¡± Of course, it¡¯s because it¡¯s safer the farther north you go. Ligaleo had two layers of walls encircling the city for defense, and the inner region was the 1st Class District. In the outer region, the further north you are, the property price goes up. And the North Gate was the main receiving point from the 3 major countries, so even in Ligaleo, this area had the most business activities. Cyril: ¡°Oh©` I see©`......¡± Henry: ¡°The Cries of the Star Inn is around the area where you¡¯ll see more abandoned buildings. But because of Lana, I heard it¡¯s much better there.¡± Until I see it for myself, I couldn¡¯t say for a fact that it was the case. But we¡¯ll find out soon enough. And as I walked in front to lead the Party into the city©` Henry: ¡°.......?!¡± My skin tingled with goosebumps as a chill ran down my back. I let my body follow its instincts as I guarded my neck and©` ¡°©`©`hey, Henry!¡± ¡­¡­.the thought did cross my mind, so I¡¯m glad that I had my guard up as soon as we entered the town. It was who I imagined it would be. And why do I have to be more careful inside the city than out?! But I had no time to complain. As soon as I blocked the chopping hand going for my neck, I kicked with full force that would have sent her flying across the city ©` well, that¡¯s if I hit. She dodged my kick easily. Henry: ¡°Is it you again, Ageha?!¡± Ageha: ¡°Just like old times!¡± Yeah, old times I wanted to forget! But I guess that¡¯s too late! And as fists and kicks fly this way and that, we both couldn¡¯t land a clean hit on each other. It¡¯s about time we settle the score. If I can show her who¡¯s stronger, then I¡¯m¡­¡­¡­sure she wouldn¡¯t attack me as often! I hope so at least!¡± Henry: ¡°So Yuu! Cast the {Shimmering Rally}!¡± Yuu: ¡°Why? Can you two just stop fighting so hard amongst yourselves?¡± And Yuu, who was standing near the North Gate for some reason, rejected my request without a second thought. Ugh?! Ageha: ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Why you trying to cheat? I¡¯m against that kind of violence.¡± Henry: ¡°Like you¡¯re one to speak?!¡± Does she really think her sneak attacks are fair and square?! ¡­¡­..then again, it¡¯s Ageha. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she did. *Sigh*..... I let out a deep, deep grieving sigh at this welcome party, and Ageha was content for now and stopped her attacks. ¡­¡­that¡¯s right. It was like this every day when I was here. To prove that point, no one even cared that we started fighting inside the city. Adventurers fought with each other every day, and a few were starting bets watching our fight. That¡¯s about it. Only my Party stood with their eyes wide open at the scene. ¡­¡­.well, they¡¯ll get used to it soon enough. Henry: ¡°Oh, uh©`¡± I scratch my cheek as I turn toward Yuu. Henry: ¡°Hey, Yuu.¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been¡­¡­well, not quite that long, but welcome back, Henry.¡± Yeah, we just saw each other a few months ago to fight that Demonic General. But putting that aside©` Henry: ¡°I¡¯m back. So, I don¡¯t mind getting to see you so soon but©`¡± Yuu: ¡°? Yes, what is it.¡± Henry: ¡°Why are you here of all places? Aren¡¯t you needed at the clinic?¡± The clinic was located and built near the South Gate so they can respond immediately to people being brought in for injuries. When I was here, she would spend the precious few days we weren¡¯t doing an expedition there. Yuu: ¡°Oh, about that. We had a few exceptional Healers dispatched here, so I have periods when I can take regular breaks now.¡± Henry: ¡°Wait, wait, wait. That still doesn¡¯t explain why you would take a break here at the North Gate. Did you have some shopping to do?¡± Oh©`©` is what Yuu says as she looks elsewhere. Ageha began chuckling with a mean smile on her face as she spoke on Yuu¡¯s behalf. Ageha: ¡°You got to hear this, Henry. Yuu would be saying, ¡®Isn¡¯t it about time he came?¡¯ and she would be hanging around here during her breaks. She would even go ask the guards if they saw you. So I would be watching her and©`¡± ¡°Fuh!!¡± *sfx exhale* Yuu threw the back of her fist at Ageha who was standing next to her. Ageha easily dodged this and stuck her tongue out at Yuu. Yuu: ¡°I was talking about seeing everyone! Y©`Yes, Miss Cyril. It¡¯s been a while!¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, I¡¯m so glad to see you too, Miss Yuu!¡± And Yuu forced a smile as she greeted Cyril, and though she¡¯s shaking hands with everyone¡­.I understood what Ageha was talking about. Yuu was terrible at hiding things. ¡­¡­..but it was nice to be welcomed back like that. I would typically take the full opportunity to tease her about this but©` Well, it¡¯s our first reunion back in Ligaleo. I could let this one go, and a small smile slipped across my face. CH 175 Ch. 175: The Cries of Stars Inn We walked through the town of Ligaleo. Compared to the thriving northern district, we crossed through the eastern district and headed south. The further south we went, the shops and stores began to gradually diminish, and instead, the number of inns and resident buildings for soldiers were more prominent. And the farther we went¡­¡­..the number of abandoned buildings also grew. Cyril: ¡°Wow¡­¡­they really just left these damaged buildings abandoned¡­¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, they usually remove the rubble that gets into the street, but the owner of the property might die or they may just not have the people to rebuild at the moment, and it¡¯s waiting to be scheduled. Some are completely abandoned though.¡± Leaving a broken down building without demolishing it is something you would never see in Flowtier. As Cyril gazed at the abandoned buildings, I add my own commentary to explain. Yuu: ¡°But it is a sore sight, and it¡¯s dangerous if any curious children explore the buildings, so there are construction plans in place, but like Henry said, if the owner of the property passes, the paperwork that follows can take quite a while to complete.¡± Jend: ¡°? Miss Eustacia, are there children in this town?¡± It was Jend who asked the question. ¡­¡­.yeah, well. It is not a city where you want to raise children, so there are probably less than your average town. But there are enough to make you worry. Yuu: ¡°Yes©` well©`¡± Henry: ¡°Jend, there¡¯s really not a whole lot to do in this town as far as entertainment is concerned. So if there are men and women, you can see what follows, right?¡± Yuu was trying to beat around the point, so I answered Jend in her stead. Yuu: ¡°Henry! It¡¯s still the middle of the day!¡± But c¡¯mon. There¡¯s nothing to be embarrassed about. She¡¯s always been sensitive about this topic¡­¡­and judging from her reaction, she hasn¡¯t really progressed in this aspect. Jend: ¡°Ummm, so you¡¯re telling me that¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°If you do the deed, kids usually follow, right?¡± They have ways of avoiding pregnancy, but when you¡¯re in the moment¡­..some just end up with kids. Those guys could technically migrate to safer towns north of here, but many have circumstances where that¡¯s not possible. So with this and that, there is a solid population of kids here. And in most cases, the majority of kids are fathered by Adventurers. This is where we highlight an Adventurers¡¯ poor reputation for lacking morals. ¡­¡­but when you face so much life-threatening danger, the urgency for reproduction naturally increases. Henry: ¡°And there are a few kids who come to the frontlines like I did.¡± Jend: ¡°Now that¡­.sounds dangerous.¡± But as Jend looked aghast at the thought, I saw Yuu turn to look away. It¡¯s no secret that there are many injuries on the frontlines. Hearing those rumors, she came to Ligaleo at the age of 12 just like me. Henry: ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right, Jend. Most of them are just waiting to be killed¡­..and I¡¯m no exception. It¡¯s like that, but sometimes, just sometimes, there will be one who¡¯s unbelievably strong.¡± Jend: ¡°O©`Oh yeah?¡± Every once in a while, there will always be at least one who is leagues ahead of everyone else. Yuu fits in that category because she matched the top Healers here as soon as she arrived. Cyril: ¡°I see, I see. Then if I had come here as a child, I could have been the renowned Genius Magic Girl, Miss Cyril, no? Urgh, I missed an opportunity of a lifetime.¡± Henry: ¡°Idiot.¡± I struck my retort before Cyril got too stuck in a rut. A Genius Magic Girl? I saw glimpses of Emily who we met in Sunwest. They were pretty good friends, but you don¡¯t have to copy one another. ¡­¡­.but well, if you think about it, Cyril did have astounding amounts of Magic reserve, so she had a shot at making a name in Ligaleo. But her physical fragility would have made it quite tough to survive till now. Cyril: ¡°Hmph. You don¡¯t have to be that cynical, Henry. ¡­..in fact, isn¡¯t this an opportunity for you to say, ¡®Don¡¯t worry, your legend can start here.¡¯ Can¡¯t you at least encourage me like that?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, yep. I guess. I think you¡¯re right©`¡± I just nod and agree to whatever. ¡­..and though she should have recognized my nonchalance, Cyril took it and with a ¡°I knew you believed in me! I¡¯ll do my best!¡± and began pumping herself up. A classic simpleton. And we continued to chat as we walked. ¡­¡­finally, I saw our destination. Henry: ¡°That¡¯s it, everyone. That¡¯s the Cries of the Stars Inn.¡± The building was much newer and sturdier than what I remembered, but the overall look hasn¡¯t changed.¡± It was 6 stories tall and on the blue roof, they had their trademark star on their Inn¡¯s sign - an inn meant for Adventurers. There was nothing special about the architecture, and it didn¡¯t stand out amongst the rest of the inns¡­¡­.but they are somewhat renowned for having 2 Heroes of Legend stay at their location. Well, you don¡¯t need to be strong to stay at the inn, but somehow, it became a trend. Cyril: ¡°Is that it? Hehehe, I really love that star on that sign. It¡¯s so cute©`¡± Henry: ¡°Well, the design follows after its name. That sign has remained the same after every reconstruction.¡± Though it¡¯s been a while since I was last here, I was able to locate it at once with that sign. Teo: ¡°Isn¡¯t Sister Ageha staying at that inn as well?¡± Ageha: ¡°Yeah, well, the food is okay, and it¡¯s a decent inn¡­¡­..but no one there really understands the beauty of head chopping. That¡¯s probably the only fault it has.¡± Please stop setting up a standard that no Inn would ever be able to fulfill - nor should they. Yuu: ¡°.......well then, I have to part here. I need to go back to the clinic. Henry, everyone, I will see you again tonight.¡± Ageha: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going to go hunt solo for a bit. See ya.¡± Yuu and Ageha departed. Okay then. Henry: ¡°Shall we?¡± And with that, I came back to my old Inn in Ligaleo. <<<<>>>> We stepped into the Cries of the Stars Inn. The rooms for guests begin from the 2nd floor, and the 1st floor is reserved for the front clerk, the cafeteria, meeting rooms, and bath. ¡­¡­this floor plan hasn''t changed since the current owners took over. People come down for breakfast and dinner, and it¡¯s quite lively, but during this time, all the Adventurers are out, and the Inn was quite empty. The only person here was a 12 or 13 year old boy sitting at the front desk reading a book - or at least a man who looked that young. Though customers had just arrived, his eyes were stuck to the book. ¡­¡­¡­and well, most of the customers here are long-residing, so I get why he¡¯s like that. ¡­¡­.and a bookworm just like I remember. Since he was not looking up, I called out to him. Henry: ¡°Mr. Chris, sorry to interrupt. You got guests.¡± Chris: ¡°Hm? ¡­¡­.hold on, let me finish this. It¡¯s getting good.¡± Does he even know he¡¯s running an inn?! I let out a sigh at his response and patiently waited for him to finish. ¡­¡­and after a full 10 minutes, he nods approvingly, places a bookmark inside his book, and looks up to my face. Chris: ¡°Ah, well if it isn¡¯t Henry. I got your letter. You said there¡¯s 5 including you, right? Here¡¯s your keys. It¡¯s the same as before, so you know the drill.¡± He tossed 5 keys to me, and Mr. Chris picked up his book to¡­¡­..wait, wait,wait. Henry: ¡°Mr. Chris, can I at least introduce you to my new Party? We¡¯ll be here for a while.¡± Chris: ¡°........I guess that¡¯s logical. I really want to get back to Mrs. Audrey¡¯ new book though. It¡¯s quite the page turner.¡± He looked bothered by the additional task, but tugs on his shirt and leans forward. ¡­¡­but then, Cyril said something unnecessary. Cyril: ¡°Um©` Henry? Who¡¯s the child? Someone helping with the inn? Why are you so formal with him?¡± Chris: ¡°........little brat, can¡¯t you see these ears? Just for your information, I¡¯m turning 156 this year. I¡¯m an Elf after all. There¡¯s many kinds of races that live in this city. Don¡¯t go shoving your human ignorance just because.¡± Cyril: ¡°? But even if you are an Elf, Elves are the same height as humans. Are you small for different reason?¡± Yes, that is true. Elves have an extremely short elderly period, but they grow up physically and mature just the same as humans. Unlike Halflings or Dwarves, Elves are not different from Humans as far as height goes. In other words, Mr. Chris just never hit those growth spurts¡­¡­that¡¯s simply the reason but©` Chris: ¡°Ah, you got some nerves directly commenting on people¡¯s height description. I like you! Little brat, I¡¯ll make sure your meals are just 1 potato this week. Never worry! I¡¯ll steam it nicely for you!¡± Cyril: ¡°WHAT?!¡± ¡­¡­..and Mr. Chris really takes comments about his height very personally. If you look past his obsession for books and the way he likes to twist your words, he¡¯s actually a decent guy who looks after his customers. Unless you mention his height. Then this happens. ¡°What?! What¡¯s all the fuss?!¡± As Cyril and Mr. Chris were going at it, a woman appeared from the cafeteria. ©`©`her face brought back a lot of memories. But before I could enjoy the nostalgia, Mr. Chris called towards her. Chris: ¡°Oh, Patty! Good timing! This brat will be staying with us, but she lacks respect towards her elders! Just to teach her a good lesson, make sure her meals are just a single steamed potato!¡± Patty: ¡°.........ah, so that¡¯s what¡¯s happening.¡± The woman - Mrs. Patricia - sighed deeply looking at the situation. She looked like an ordinary woman¡­¡­.but she is also an elf, and I think she¡¯s in her 90s. Patty: ¡°I¡¯m so sorry©` Little miss. He still hasn¡¯t gotten over it.¡± Chris: ¡°Wh©`What do you mean?! Got over what?!¡± Patty: ¡°Dear, it¡¯s been 50 years since my sister dumped you because you were too short for her. It¡¯s about time to let that go.¡± Mr. Chris held his head and screamed as though Mrs. Patricia bashed him over the head with the memory. Ferris: ¡°........h©`hey, Henry, so who are we speaking to?¡± Henry: ¡°Mr. Chris is the Inn¡¯s owner, and Mrs. Patricia is his wife.¡± I whisper to Ferris who looks bewildered at the whole conversation. Ferris: ¡°Th©`They¡¯re quite the¡­¡­.lively type, aren¡¯t they?¡± Henry: ¡°I know you¡¯re trying to be nice, but don¡¯t let Mr. Chris hear you say that. But yeah, the banter between Mr. Chris and Mrs. Patricia is well known. Just follow along like nothing is happening.¡± It just gets more complicated if you try to interject. Jend: ¡°But that thing about her sister¡­¡­.are you sure it¡¯s okay for us to know about that?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, about Mrs. Patricia¡¯s sister? No worries. Mrs. Patricia talks about that constantly, so everyone here knows the story.¡± From what I heard, Mr. Chris and Mrs. Patricia¡¯s sister grew up together. Mr. Chris liked her from the beginning¡­¡­¡­but when he opened up his feelings towards her, she dumped him without hesitation. Mr. Chris claims that it¡¯s all in the past¡­¡­but because she said, ¡°I really can¡¯t date anyone shorter than me,¡± his height-complex was twisted to new heights. Yeah, but¡­.. ¡­¡­¡­it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen them, but they haven¡¯t changed one bit. It¡¯s still tiresome dealing with their banter though. Chris: ¡°R©`Regardless! We have customers! Henry and Party, I¡¯m Chris. I¡¯m the owner here. ¡­¡­.and little brat, I¡¯ll let it go this one time, but there won¡¯t be a next!¡± Mr. Chris broke eye contact with Mrs. Patricia, and steered the conversation back to where we started. Looking towards us, he quickly introduced himself. Patty: ¡°Sheesh, Chris. ¡­..oh, pardon me. I am Patricia. I am Chris¡¯ wife, and I am responsible for the cooking here. If you have any requests, please don¡¯t hesitate to tell me. ¡­.also, Henry, welcome back. It¡¯s lovely seeing you again.¡± Henry: ¡°......yes, thank you. It¡¯s nice to be back.¡± I bow my head low towards Mrs. Patricia. They took care of me here from the age of 12 to 22. When I was barely scratching a living as a kid, they let me stay here by doing chores around the inn¡­¡­..so these are the top 2 people I am indebted to in Ligaleo.¡± Jend: ¡°Nice to meet you both. My name is Jend.¡± Cyril: ¡°I am Cyril. Pardon me for what I said before¡­..but I¡¯m not a brat! I¡¯m a bonafide lady!¡± Ferris: ¡°I¡¯m Ferris. Thank you for letting us stay here.¡± Teo: ¡°Teo.¡± Everyone else introduced themselves to Mr. Chris and Mrs. Patricia. Mr. Chris looked carefully at each and every one and©` Chris: ¡°.......well, we welcome you. Welcome to the Cries to the Stars Inn. We pray good fortune upon your endeavors here in Ligaleo. May your fate shine as the stars.¡± And that is how we arrived at our inn at Ligaleo. CH 176 Ch. 176: Introductions I walked into my room at the Cries of the Stars Inn. I think a certain someone must have been doing some planning and arrangement before we arrived, because my room was coincidentally right next to Yuu¡¯s. Cyril¡¯s room was on the other side. It¡­¡­definitely gave me pause to think why things were arranged this way, but I tossed the thought aside. Unlike the building before, this reconstructed one had thicker walls. And in order to fit all the rooms they needed for the inn, the rooms were big enough to fit a bed and a small writing desk. That was all. I placed all my gear and belongings inside more as a closet than a room. I took a quick break, and by the time I was done doing a quick tour of the inn with my party, the day had turned to night. The Adventurers who were gone during the day all came back to the inn, and in the living room space down below where they could relax and reflect on the day¡¯s expedition, a few acquaintances recognized me and came to say hi. After a bit, Mrs. Patricia would announce that dinner was ready, and everyone sprang up to go to the dining hall. Once inside, we stood in a place where we could see the whole area. I sucked in a breath and spoke up. Henry: ¡°So I see a few new faces, so I¡¯ll go ahead and introduce myself. Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Henry. I lived in this inn and left about a year ago. Today, I came back with a new Party, and we¡¯ll be staying at this inn again.¡± The goal was to have them remember our faces. Since we are all residents of this inn, it¡¯s important to know one another. Being in the same inn, it¡¯s not unusual to form ad-hoc Parties, so knowing each other helps in this way too. So if you are staying long-term, it¡¯s customary to do these kinds of announcements and introductions. Henry: ¡°I am a Heroic Warrior class, and use the spear and Magecraft. ¡­..I consider myself strong enough. It will be a pleasure working with you all. ©`©`and for those who already know me, I¡¯m back! I¡¯m glad to see that there¡¯s no one missing since I left!¡± There was a mix of booing and cheering in response. It was still mostly positive, and feeling slightly embarrassed, I took one step back. In my place, Jend stepped forward as we had already pre-planned. Jend: ¡°Umm, nice to meet you. My name is Jend. I use the Broad Sword, and use the Single Blade of the Fire God style. I¡­..think I can take on an Upper-Tier Lower Class creature by myself.¡± Jend explains briefly his abilities and level of strength. Since I have the title of Heroic Warrior, and the majority of the people here already know me, I skimped on the details, but it¡¯s common to give a measure of your own strength like that. Cyril: ¡°Yes, I am Cyril! I am a Magician, and though it takes me some time to prepare¡­¡­I¡¯m very confident in the power of my Spells!¡± ¡°Confident? Can you be more precise? Like, how many seconds does it take to take down what?¡± Ruby, an Adventurer I knew, sat nearby and raised a question towards Cyril. Since they were both female Adventurers, she probably popped the question to make it easier to talk after this. Just like from before, she tends to help people out by stepping in like this. As if waiting for someone to ask, Cyril¡¯s eyes brightened at the question and responded in kind. Cyril: ¡°Yes! Give me 5 minutes, and I can take down the Highest Tiers!¡± The room suddenly grew quiet. ¡­¡­yeah, I understand how they feel. 5 minutes is a long time, but if you can take down a Highest Tier, it¡¯s well above expectations. Most of them are looking at me to confirm if Cyril is lying. Ruby: ¡°.....Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s true. We took down a Hanuman quite recently, and it was her Spell that basically took it down.¡± Ruby: ¡°Oh¡­.wow¡­..¡± I answer Ruby¡¯s question as objectively as possible. If you claim to have fought a Highest Tier, the Grandes Church would have a record of that fight. If you were lying, it would be easy to confirm. Even then, it was hard to believe for everyone here, but they left the subject at that. And even Cyril picked up on what everyone was thinking as she smiled wryly. Cyril: ¡°But I understand your doubts. You will see soon enough my skills and strength!¡± And Cyril ended her introduction with a dramatic finish. And yes, in a city where Demonic Creatures spawn like weeds one step outside the city walls, Adventurers will all get a chance to fight together, and they can see with their own eyes then. Next is Ferris. Ferris: ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Ferris. I am a believer of the god, Ningel, and I am a user of the Magecraft, Ningel¡¯s Hand. Besides that, I can protect myself with a sword, and if you ever need to discuss an injury or illness, you can come talk to me.¡± ¡°Oh, a Healer.¡± One of the people in the crowd spoke their thoughts out loud. It really was a big plus to have more Healers around. Yuu: ¡°Oh, let me also add that I¡¯ve had some ties with Miss Ferris, and her skills are beyond the Upper Class Healers. I would welcome her to work at our clinic any time.¡± ¡­¡­and sitting at the same table as Ruby, Yuu had been smiling while she listened to Ferris¡¯ introduction. When she added her insight at the end, everyone¡¯s eyes widened and looked at Ferris under a new light. Having a skilled Healer in your Party will greatly increase your Party¡¯s chances of surviving. So everyone¡¯s reaction is natural¡­¡­and now I need to keep an eye out for scouts and poachers. I know Yuu likes Ferris, but she could have¡­..actually, nevermind. They would have figured that out soon enough, and if you want someone to assess a Healer¡¯s ability, Yuu¡¯s analysis is the most reliable. Teo was the last, and Ageha let out some whistling to cheer her on. Teo: ¡°I¡¯m Teo. I am good with scouting and causing diversions. I am confident in surviving out in the wilderness and¡­..¡± Teo reached inside the bag she slung from her shoulder. ¡­¡­.the godly equipment is a solid representation of her skills and abilities. If she wants to introduce her skills as an Adventurer, you have to put this into consideration. Teo: ¡°This bag is a godly equipment, and it has [Space Expansion] and [Indestructible] enchantments. ¡­¡­it can easily carry 10 or 20 barrels like this with ease.¡± (*sfx) She took a barrel, and it heavily slammed onto the ground. Teo began taking out the Flowtier Ale we brought as a gift and began lining it up on the floor. She took out a total of 3 and bowed politely. ©`©`The Adventurers in the room gulped hard at the sight looking between Teo and the barrels. And I get it. I understand how they feel. If I was in their shoes, I would be thinking of every trick in the book to get Teo to join their Party. If drawing her permanently into their Party isn¡¯t possible, I would be thinking about how to form temporary Parties with her. Being able to carry all the ¡°just-in-case¡± equipment and all the creature drops, the [Space Expansion] ability is incredibly useful. But that was the end of introductions. Ruby: ¡°.......hey, Henry? Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to half-retire on the backlines, right? You didn¡¯t go to recruit people, right?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah©`¡± I had to turn away at Ruby¡¯s comment and gaze. Jend might have been the least flashy out of the group, but being able to take down an Upper-Tier at his age is a rare sight. And why I was able to find a Party like this in a peaceful town of Flowtier¡­¡­I had no explanation. Coincidence can be an incredibly scary force of nature. ¡­¡­¡­.but putting that aside. Henry: ¡°Oh, this ale is a gift to you all. It¡¯s a show of good will for us to get along.¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° YEAAAAHHH!! ¡± ¡± ¡± And the men, especially the ones who love drinking, stood up to cheer. BUT! Before that. Henry: ¡°Just one last thing! ¡­¡­I know a few of you have been looking, but Ferris is dating Jend. So give it up!¡± ¡­¡­..oh, a few look seriously depressed from the news. Well, she is a beautiful woman with a great body, and she¡¯s a Healer on top of that. I can understand how they feel. When we were in Flowtier, she was popular there too. Henry: ¡°And©` well¡­¡± ¡­¡­.there¡¯s a lot of people I know here, so it¡¯s really embarrassing, but this has to be said. I cough to clear my throat, and pull Cyril near me and hold her tight. Cyril: ¡°Huh?!¡± Henry: ¡°This one¡¯s mine. If you do anything to her, I¡¯ll kill you. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° WHAT?!?! ¡± ¡± ¡± ¡­¡­the ones who knew me best yelped in surprise. That¡¯s right¡­.I wanted it to be a surprise, so I didn¡¯t write in my letters that I had a girlfriend. Well, we can talk about that later. Cyril: ¡°Hey, Henry. Don¡¯t treat me like a thing! That¡¯s rude!¡± Henry: ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± Cyril: ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you have it backwards? You belong to me.¡± Hey, isn¡¯t that rude too? Ageha: ¡°And ALSO! Teo is my cousin. If you go after her, you better be prepared!¡± And Ageha stood up to make her announcement as the crowd was still recovering from mine. ¡­¡­..prepared? I assumed she meant that you better be prepared to die. Though she¡¯s still a kid, you can see that Teo would be quite beautiful in a few short years, so there were guys who were interested. But with Ageha¡¯s words, I wonder if anyone still has the courage to ask her out. Yeah, nope. There¡¯s not. ¡­¡­..anyways, let¡¯s get started with drinking this ale. Henry: ¡°Mrs. Patricia! Could you bring out the mugs?!¡± Patricia: ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m already on it©`¡± I yelled towards the kitchen, and a parade of beer mugs sailed through the air in a perfect line. ¡­.Mrs. Patricia is a master of Magecraft, and she is able to utilize those skills with her day-to-day life. Carrying mugs like this is nothing to her. Henry: ¡°Great. Jend, let¡¯s start filling these up.¡± Jend: ¡°Sure.¡± I passed an empty mug to my Party first since we brought the ales here. The Adventurers all got in a line, and I greeted each one as I filled a mug for them. Jend and I poured the drinks, and the women in our Party passed them on. Adventurers are dominantly male. Even if you know the girl is taken, there¡¯s no beating having a pretty girl pass you a drink. I confirmed that everyone got a drink, and we filled our own mugs. It¡¯s a little embarrassing, but I am still the Party Leader. I lift my mug for a toast. Henry: ¡°.......now then, I¡¯m glad to be back in the same inn with the same guys. We wish you the best in your expeditions and toast to the god of battle. ¡­¡­.CHEERS!¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° CHEERS!! ¡± ¡± ¡± The Adventurers¡¯ voice echoes across the hall. That night, the Cries of the Stars Inn was very bright and cheery as the night passed. <<<<>>>> CREDITS Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely Written by Hisagushien Translated by: ChonkyTranslator Japanese Title: ¥»¥ß¥ê¥¿¥¤¥¢¤·¤¿Ã°ê“ÕߤϤΤó¤Ó¤êĺ¤é¤·¤¿¤¤ ×÷Õß: ¾Ã™±¾v£¨¥Ò¥µ¥°¥·¥¨¥ó£© Original Source: Book 11 Preparation for the Journey Ch. 119 - 135 Book 12 The Mages Tower Ch. 136 - 155 Book 13 - Before Departure Ch. 156 - 171 Book 14 - Ligaleo Ch. 172 - 184 CH 177 Ch. 177: The Church of Ligaleo It was the next morning. After eating breakfast at the Cries of the Stars Inn, we departed for the Church of this city. Cyril: ¡°Ahh©` wow¡­that soup. Henry, you made it for me before, but that was so good!¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, that. Yeah, it¡¯s healthy to eat, and even helps with hangovers¡­..well, not that I drank that much last night.¡± Mrs. Patricia made a special soup that had herbs from her garden and root vegetables finely diced. At the Cries of the Stars Inn, that soup was served at least every other day. The Inn only served the soup to its inn guests, but it could be considered a Ligaleo attraction. And when we went to the Salaiz Republic to go see Yuu, I remember making the same soup for Cyril who spent all night drinking with Yuu. It wasn¡¯t that long ago, and yet the memory felt nostalgic. ¡°Well, to tell you the truth, we¡¯re a little tired of it. But if she were to stop making it, I think I¡¯ll miss it a lot.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©` that¡¯s right. It¡¯s been a while for me, so I enjoyed it, but I felt the same way back then.¡± I nod in agreement to the Adventurer¡¯s remarks next to me. Henry: ¡°What about you, Vincent?¡± Vincent: ¡°Same as Harold.¡± ¡°But I like that soup©`¡± And Vincent¡¯s Party who is walking with us also comment. The Party was composed of Harold, Vincent, and Ruby. The only one not here is Bianca because it was that time of month for her. The four together made the Party, [Star Nights]. They also stay at the Cries of the Stars inn, and we have been friends before I left Ligaleo. Cyril: ¡°Oh, yes. Miss Ruby, thank you so much for yesterday. Please teach me more about this town whenever you are free.¡± Ruby: ¡°Sure©` even in a town like this, there¡¯s still fun things for us women. Like clothes or good dessert cafes. It¡¯s a little pricey, but there¡¯s still a lot of places you can try.¡± ¡­¡­.last night, Cyril was pulled in to sit with Yuu and Ruby¡¯s table. And from there, they quickly became very good friends. I watched the two chat, and I was relieved to see Cyril make friends here. And Harold also smiled as he looked up on the two ©`©` well, more accurately, at Cyril. Harold: ¡°But I never would have thought that you would get such a cute girlfriend, Henry. When you were leaving here, you were so out of it. I was seriously worried for you.¡± Henry: ¡°........hey, I know I was lucky to run into her, but even without that, I would have been living out my life to the fullest in retirement.¡± And maybe¡­¡­just maybe! I may have been completely burnt out and doing absolutely nothing, but there¡¯s no way, I would have stayed like that. I could never imagine myself falling that low. Vincent: ¡°C¡¯mon. At least we didn¡¯t have to see one of our comrades in a sad state. We should be happy for him.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey, Vincent. Who¡¯re you calling sad?¡± Vincent: ¡°Say that to me again after you spend some time recalling those days.¡± I quickly break eye contact and look away. ¡­¡­no, it¡¯s not like that. Yes, it¡¯s true that after defeating Gilverte, I just sat in my room looking at nothing until the next expedition started. There was a time like that, but that¡¯s¡­..different. Don¡¯t ask me how it was different. Jend: ¡°Ummm, Mr¡­.Vincent? What do you mean¡­?¡± Vincent: ¡°It¡¯s Jend, right? All I¡¯m saying is that this man has also gone through trials and tribulations. Just that. I¡¯m not going to embarrass him in front of his Party, so act like you heard nothing.¡± But aren¡¯t you already saying way more than you should?! Teo: ¡°Mr. Henry, you do not have to mind. People go through all kinds of periods in their lives.¡± Henry: ¡°........hey, Miss Teo. Why do I get the feeling that you know a whole lot more about me than you should?¡± Teo: ¡°? When Sister Ageha came to Flowtier, she told me everything.¡± THAT. IDIOT! Opening her big mouth©`©`! Wait!! From that long ago?! Ageha left this morning saying how she was going to take down something big and ran off. I swore to myself that I would get her back tonight. Ferris: ¡°Oh©` well, Henry? I¡¯ve gotten some training and knowledge on emotional illnesses. If you ever need someone to talk to¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°.......Ferris, you don¡¯t have to worry about me like that.¡± Besides, I¡¯m not mentally breaking down! ¡­¡­..sigh. Harold: ¡°Oh, picking on Henry¡¯s so fun, but we¡¯re already here.¡± I caught all his words, but I let it go and pointed to the building before us. Cyril: ¡°Wow¡­¡­.it¡¯s huge.¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, and look. It¡¯s heavily secured.¡± Both Cyril and Jend gasp in awe. ¡­¡­.the building had a very sturdy wall built around it. The Church itself is only 2 stories tall, but if you include the training grounds in the back, this is probably the largest Church in the whole continent. It was where all of us Adventurers fighting on the frontlines gathered. The Ligaleo¡¯s Grandes Church ©`©` err, at least this is one of them. Harold: ¡°This is the Church #7 where our Party is based. Henry was also based here back in the day.¡± And everyone turned to look at me with surprise. Jend: ¡°........#7? You mean¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°There¡¯s 9 Churches about the same size in Ligaleo.¡± Harold: ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Henry. They built one more since you left. Now there¡¯s 10.¡± Oh, there¡¯s more now. This city is 60% soldiers, 30% Adventurers, and the rest make up the Knights and city folks. When I was here, we were pretty much at full capacity, so I¡¯m not surprised to hear that they built another one. Henry: ¡°Well, I know it looks like a fortress, but it¡¯s just like any other Church on the inside. C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go©`¡± And taking the lead, we all entered through the front door. <<<<>>>> The Star Nights Party received their instructions for where to do their hunting and headed off right away, but since this was our first day, we had to go through an interview. ¡°Mr. Henry, it is good seeing you again.¡± Henry: ¡°It is good seeing you as well, Miss Nicole.¡± I was able to get a hold of Miss Nicole, a Priest who I knew very well. We all sat around a tavern table - a piece of furniture deemed essential even on the front lines - and greeted one another. The Church is responsible for assigning areas to Adventurers. If they do not, then all the Adventurers will try to go to the areas with the best rewards. ¡­¡­if that happens, that would lead to trouble, and with the Grandes Church playing a large part in the war against the Demon Kingdom, this would affect their reputation. Even so, the assignments are based upon your skills and strength. That¡¯s why Adventurers who are new to Ligaleo must go through an interview with the Priest to testify to their level of strength. ¡­¡­..and there are those who try to make themselves look weaker to get easier assignments and others who try to make themselves sound stronger to go to dangerous areas too. But the latter would lead to the death of a precious recruit, so if push comes to shove, they would have the recruit show their ability on the training field. And sometimes, it would turn out like the fairy tales. The Adventurer would fight with the Examiner, and although the Adventurer is a newbie, they would win and show off their strength¡­¡­..kind of scenario. Nicole: ¡°I know your strength very well, Mr. Henry¡­¡­.but from your eyes, how strong is your Party?¡± But for us, that is not necessary. I have fought here for 10 years, so I can accurately judge what my Party can handle. And she also trusts that I will report honestly and objectively. I thought about this question a lot, so I was able to answer immediately. Henry: ¡°Well, I think we could handle the first line, and we might be able to survive a [Foreign Campaign]. But going on a Foreign Campaign on your very first assignment would be way too much. I still need to get re-adjusted to working here too. Henry: ¡°Just to be careful, I think we should spend about 1 week on the 3rd lines, and then gradually move up. Would that work?¡± Nicole: ¡°I think that would work just fine.¡± Miss Nicole was nodding with approval at my suggestion. Henry: ¡°Oh, that reminds me. Before we arrived, I think I already explained, but you guys know about the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd lines as well as a Foreign Campaign, right?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes! But I don¡¯t remember it well, so please explain one more time!¡± And Cyril energetically announced that she did not know the answer. The others seem to be confident in their knowledge¡­¡­..ugh, I should not have explained while Cyril ate dessert. Henr: ¡°*sigh¡­¡­¡± After letting out a deep sigh, I began explaining. Henry: ¡°The Demonic Creatures will generally come from the direction of the Demon Kingdom. And so in Ligaleo, we form 3 lines to fight against them.¡± The first line of defense faces the initial wave from the Demon Kingdom. This is where the fighting is the most intense. The Demonic Creatures that get past the 1st line of defense will be held off by the 2nd. Finally, the 3rd line of defense takes care of the Demonic Creatures that spawn outside of the city. And the different nations¡¯ military and Knights Orders contribute to this formation, and this is how Ligaleo¡¯s defense strategy. And outside of this, there is a Foreign Campaign group that invades the Demon Kingdom¡¯s territory, takes out creatures, and lessens the pressure against the 1st line. This is the elite of the elites. Sir Ezeal goes on solo missions all the time. Cyril: ¡°Thank you very much. I understand better now. But what is the 3rd line like?¡± Henry: ¡°It would be faster to show you. The density of corrupted Magic is thick in this area, so you would see an Upper-Tier creature appear even near the city. There will be plenty of Lower and Mid-Tier too. Corrupted Magic Type Areas would spawn occasionally too.¡± Yeah, thinking about it, it¡¯s a super-dangerous place to live. But in Ligaleo, it¡¯s lukewarm compared to the rest. Jend: ¡°Ha, well, we¡¯ll be out on 1st lines in no time. We¡¯re more than capable.¡± Ferris: ¡°Yeah, and if you get hurt, leave the healing to me. We can be a little reckless as we push forward.¡± Jend and Ferris were pumped up, but¡­¡­let¡¯s see if their motivation stays this high after seeing what it¡¯s like outside the city gates. As I looked forward to see what would happen, Miss Nicole interrupted. Nicole: ¡°Oh, yes. If you would like to volunteer for the 1st lines or Foreign Campaigns, just let me know. We always need people there.¡± Henry: ¡°I know, Miss Nicole. ¡­¡­I still remember being sent out on the 1st lines for 3 days and 3 nights without any breaks or sleep.¡± I stare disgruntled at her recalling the hellish memory. While I was here, I had no other perspective, but looking back now, that was as close to a death sentence as you can be. Nicole: ¡°Yes, we are indebted for your work then. If it wasn¡¯t for you, Henry, the casualty count of Adventurers would have been much higher.¡± But the Priests were used to these kinds of complaints with assignments. She brushed off the glare and was unfazed. Nicole: ¡°Fortunately, because of the Magecraft Barriers working so well, we no longer need to do those forced marches to regain ground. We are extremely grateful to the girl who established the method of removing effects of Corrupted Magic against Magecraft Equipment.¡± ¡­¡­¡­wait, really? In the back of my mind, I fretted over how Cyril or Teo would be able to survive those insane missions, but¡­¡­that¡¯s¡­¡­wow. When I get back to my room, I need to say a prayer of thanks to Lana¡¯s photo. Henry: ¡°.....that was inn keeper¡¯s daughter living in Flowtier.¡± Nicole: ¡°Really?! Could you¡­.actually, I would love to inquire for more details, but duty calls. Maybe another time.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, so Miss Nicole. Where in the 3rd Lines should we go?¡± Nicole: ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­..¡± Miss Nicole picked up her notebook to flip through the pages. The area monitored by the #7 Church is determined by the Church Summit. Though all varieties of Demonic Creatures spawn around Ligaleo, there is somewhat of a trait you can follow. Thus, each Church considers the compatibility of their Adventurers to certain areas before receiving the assignment. ¡­¡­..but those traits only last for about a week, so the Church Summit occurs weekly. The Corrupted Magic in this area is really insane. Nicole: ¡°So then, it is your first day, so this area around the southern gate¡­¡­please go here.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± And receiving our assignment©` ©`©`our very first adventure in Ligaleo was about to begin. CH 178 Ch. 178: First Battle We received our assignment from Church #7, and arrived at the South Gate of Ligaleo. Jend took a look at the gate and looked confused. Jend: ¡°........? Henry, is that gate¡­¡­open?¡± Henry: ¡°? Yeah, of course it¡¯s open. If they had to open and close that all day, it would be chaos.¡± I didn¡¯t understand what was so peculiar about that. In a regular time, unless there are some extraordinary circumstances, the gates would be left open. It would cause many more problems if they left it shut during the day. Jend: ¡°......but isn¡¯t that dangerous? There¡¯s Demonic Creatures everywhere, right?¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, and we have counter measures in place. The people who guard the entrance are selected elites. ¡­¡­..there, you see? I thought it might be, but the Star Nights are there among them.¡± Since Bianca wasn¡¯t with them, I thought it might be the case. They are all Heroic Warrior class as a Party, but tackling the 1st Lines with one member missing is tough. They also recognized us as we approached and waved. Henry: ¡°There are also veteran Knights who guard the gate, and you¡¯ll see Sir Ezeal and Mr. Hero guarding the gates too. Yuu¡¯s clinic is right there as well.¡± On the inside of the South Gate, there is a freshly built shack - that is the clinic. If you did not see the Ningel Church¡¯s sign out in front, you would never think of the building as a clinic. It¡¯s that shabby. But this area is prone to being destroyed by creatures all the time, so it can¡¯t be helped. But with the Magecraft Barrier now being more effective, they might be able to build a nicer looking building sooner than later. Ferris: ¡°.....ohhh, that makes sense. It¡¯s so that they can quickly let the people running come through, right?¡± Henry: ¡°Exactly.¡± And being a Healer herself, Ferris understood the meaning of the open gate quicker than others. It¡¯s true that one step outside the gate is dangerous grounds. Demonic Creatures swarm the area, and keeping the gates open means risking the chance of invasion. The Magecraft Barrier is not used at the entrance because it would impede traffic. ¡­¡­..but if they were to close it, while they were trying to open the gates for the injured, that time alone may cost lives. That¡¯s why unless the Demon Kingdom is doing a large-scale attack, the gate remains open even in the night time. Cyril: ¡°I see¡­.so if things get dangerous, we just have to run all the way back here, and we¡¯ll be safe?¡± Henry: ¡°Cyril, you wouldn¡¯t be able to escape with your speed. If that happens, call for help from the people around you.¡± Though the people around may not be immediately available to help, her chance of survival is much higher than trying to run all the way back here. This, she had to remember no matter what. Cyril: ¡°....! O©`Okay, sheesh. I understand.¡± Henry: ¡°......well, not that I¡¯ll ever let you be in that situation.¡± I swore to the Governor that I would protect Cyril. ¡­¡­.and that¡¯s not the only reason. Cyril: ¡°Oh¡­yes! That¡¯s right!¡± And she brightened at my words. ¡­¡­..she can be a handful sometimes. Teo: ¡°Um, could you do those lovey-dovey things in your own private time? I cannot wait to see what it is like outside.¡± Henry: ¡°W©`We¡¯re not trying to¡­¡­well, whatever. Yes, let¡¯s go.¡± A little embarrassed from Teo¡¯s comment, I scratch my cheeks as we all begin walking again. We walked under the South Gate and passed by the Star Nights. ¡°Hey, good luck out there.¡± Henry: ¡°Thanks.¡± I wave briefly as we receive some light encouragement. We spoke briefly to the soldiers who made up the defensive lines, and they let us through. Henry: ¡°.......oh, uh©` well, don¡¯t be too surprised, got it?¡± Cyril: ¡°Huh?¡± ¡­¡­..as the soldiers let us through, we finally got our first view. ¡°.....?! ¡­¡­¡­huh?¡± I don¡¯t know who said that. Because all we saw was a battlefield after battlefield. Even from where we stood, there were at least 100 Demonic Creatures, and 2, 4¡­..around 13 Adventurer Parties were fighting all around. Of course, this is just the battles we could see, and if we continued to move on, we would see a different group of creatures and Adventurers there. Ferris: ¡°I©`I¡¯ve heard the stories but¡­¡­seeing this in real life is something else.¡± Jend: ¡°........we¡¯re¡­¡­still right outside the city, right?¡± Ferris and Jend both give their impressions¡­¡­.but©` Henry: ¡°Hey, I know it¡¯s a shocking sight, but snap out of it. They¡¯re coming.¡± Jend: ¡°What?¡± I was looking at the Party that was diagonally left of us. The number of creatures they¡¯re handling is a little high. They¡¯re probably¡­¡­.yup, they¡¯re heading this way. ¡°Sorry! We let some through!¡± Henry: ¡°We got these! Focus on what¡¯s before you!¡± One of the Party members yells out a warning, and I raise my voice in answer. There were 3 Charging Bulls heading our way. They had well developed horns and were classified Mid-Tier Lower-Class. They saw that we stuck out of the soldier¡¯s defensive lines and immediately targeted us. Just like their name, they charged in head first. Henry: ¡°Alright! Don¡¯t let your guard down! It¡¯s our first fight in Ligaleo!¡± The enemy is a little lacking! ¡­¡­.but I wouldn¡¯t say anything that would be heard by the Party who let them escape. I pulled out the Nyoiten Spear, and lengthened it into a short spear. Everyone else also changed gears and prepared their weapons. ©`©`okay¡­..let¡¯s go! <<<<>>>> I kicked away a Raging Rabbit who was trying to bite my leg, and sent a [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Restrain] {Katerno} Magecraft to trip 5 Charging Bulls heading our way from the right. In front of us, I stopped a few Demonic Apes who were charging at us at the same time. Cyril: (Everyone, I¡¯m ready!) Henry: (Okay!) And through the [Link Ring], Cyril let me know her Spell was ready, and I quickly jumped away. Cyril: ¡°{Meteo?Flare}!!¡± A total of 10 balls of fire moved as if it had a will of its own. The Demonic Ape and Charging Bulls I was facing were burned to ashes by 3 of those balls of flames. The remaining 7 headed to the other 3 who were also holding off their own set of creatures¡­¡­and every creature around us was destroyed. ¡­¡­Cyril¡¯s Spell¡¯s strength was frightening as usual. And since the training at the Mages Tower, her control of her Spell has gone up. Before the training, she could not have sent Spells towards 4 different battle fronts. But there¡¯s no time to be impressed. As soon as we got rid of the creatures around us, we heard the heavy flapping of wings, and a flock of Wyverns were heading our way. They look like Dragons, but they are a sub-species that stand around Mid-Tier Upper-Class to Upper-Tier Lower Class. They are hard to deal with since they fly and©`©` Henry: ¡°They¡¯re using their Breath Attack!¡± From the sky, they can fire their Dragon¡¯s breath long range. Henry: ¡°Ferris, I¡¯m leaving the defenses to you!¡± As I spoke, I changed the shape of my Nyoiten Spear to a throwing spear and braced it above my head. Ferris: ¡°Got it! ¡­¡­Shield, prove your vow to defend!¡± Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac}!¡± I glanced briefly at the symbols on Ferris¡¯ shield geometrically changing shapes¡­¡­and then threw. The spears split and multiplied on the way up, and wounded at least two thirds of the Wyvern flock. ¡­¡­.and the surviving Wyverns¡¯ Flaming Breath Attack poured down upon us. The attack came as I finished throwing so I couldn¡¯t©`©`well, I could still dodge, but I didn¡¯t need to. Ferris: ¡°{Great Wall}!!¡± Ferris¡¯ voice rung through the air and at the same time, a wall as thick and tough as the city wall appeared in front of me. The wall easily blocked the Wyvern¡¯s Breath attack. Ferris: ¡°.....fwew!!¡± ¡­¡­.as soon as the attack was over, the wall disappeared. It takes a good amount of Magic to keep the wall going, so that was only natural. She used the Ningel¡¯s Hands¡¯ Defensive Magecraft Spell {Great Wall}. ¡­¡­normally, it would be impossible to use this Spell on a Spell Call Stone carried by individuals. In fact, it¡¯s more of a Military Spell than it is an Adventurer¡¯s Spell. Normally, a few Mages would use this on a battlefield to create a defensive wall. It was that kind of Spell. It was the Legendary Hero, Mr. Gordon¡¯s Spell Call Stone slash shield that used a significant amount of Free-Form Metal (the same material the Nyoiten Spear is made from) and has 4 Major Magecraft Spells inscribed on it. We rehearsed the Spell many times on the practice field, but this was the first time she used it in an actual battle. Henry: ¡°Teo!¡± ¡­¡­.but as I raised my voice, an arrow already flew past me. This time, the Wyverns who had just finished firing their Breath attack were susceptible to attacks. That¡¯s why I was going to tell Teo to fire, but she already beat me to it. 3 Wyverns had their thin wings pierced and fell to the ground. Now, only 7 remain in the sky. Henry: ¡°......Jend, I¡¯ll leave those 3 to you! I¡¯m going to stop the ones still in the air!¡± Jend: ¡°Okay!¡± But the Wyverns in the sky had scattered, so I wouldn¡¯t be able to take them out with a single throw. Now, they would be more wary of my spear, and at this distance¡­¡­it will be difficult to hit them with a regular throw. Henry: ¡°[Light Ledge] {Plateau}¡± And this is where this Magecraft Spell that creates footing in midair comes in handy. I jumped as high as I could and with another [Light Ledge] {Plateau}, I jumped again in midair. ¡­¡­.before they knew what was happening, I was flying higher than the Wyverns. Henry: ¡°There!¡± I threw my spear, and as soon as I pierced one Wyvern, I made another [Light Ledge] {Plateau} and jumped towards another Wyvern. As I flew in the air, I called back my Nyoiten Spear, and I shoulder charged the 2nd one, and thrust the spear through its heart. As the second one fell, I jumped off of it, and threw my spear at the closest Wyvern. Henry: ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡­..after my spear throw, I was surrounded by the remaining four. They had prepared their Breath Attack, and if they fired while surrounding me, it would be hard to avoid a direct hit. I probably need to use the [Light Ledge] {Plateau} to jump up or down quickly to©`©` Cyril: ¡°{Bright Ray}!¡± ©`©`but before I was able to execute my escape©`©` Four beams of light were fired from the ground and struck the Wyverns with deadly accuracy. After finishing her Spell, I saw Cyril wave her hand and give me a peace sign. Henry: ¡°.......they¡¯re definitely not acting like newbies¡­¡­¡± But it was one less thing to worry about as I fell towards the earth. Jend had just finished taking out the last one that fell to the ground. And¡­¡­.even though the Wyverns¡¯ greatest advantage is their flying, he did that really fast. Since I was in the air, I took a quick survey of the area, and¡­¡­.good, there¡¯s no more creatures. The whole area was empty. We¡¯ve been fighting non-stop for 30 minutes, so it was nice to finally have a break. Henry: ¡°Alright! Grab the Drops quickly! Ignore the cheap ones! Someone will pick it up eventually!¡± ¡­¡­and as sad as it may be, even in Ligaleo, you have to pick up Demonic Creature drops for the record and exchange it for money. There¡¯s no way I would work this hard for free. I heard the groan of my Party as I resent my orders, and we quickly began gathering what we could. CH 179 Ch. 179: The End of the First Expedition Cyril: ¡°U©`Ughhhhhhh¡­..w©`we¡¯re finally home¡­¡­¡± Cyril leaned on her staff as she staggered weakly forward. Seeing the Cries of the Stars Inn ahead, she let out a cry of relief. They were all fighting very well at first¡­¡­.but after about 4 hours, they all reached the peak of their fatigue. We probably should have returned before they reached this point. Jend: ¡°.........yeah, my muscles hurt all over. To be honest, I thought it would be easier.¡± Teo: ¡°...............¡± Even Jend, who has the 2nd most stamina in this Party is barely standing. Teo, who carried her small body all around the battlefield, didn¡¯t have any strength left to comment. Henry: ¡°Oh©` I know you all want to jump into your beds and sleep, but that will have to wait till after we eat. Otherwise, you won¡¯t recover.¡± Cyril: ¡°.......Henry, you seem awfully energetic.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, we only fought for half a day, so of course I am.¡± We even had a break to collect drops at least once an hour. Henry: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If you survive for 3 months, you¡¯ll get used to it. If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll die anyway.¡± Well, not that I would really allow that to happen. Cyril: ¡°.......now I understand how you have so much stamina, Henry.¡± Jend: ¡°I know, right? I rarely seen him out of breath¡­¡­..and growing up in this kind of environment, I can understand why.¡± Well, yeah. But all the 1st Liners are like this, and among them, I probably have high stamina in comparison. Ferris: ¡°.....oh, Jend. Blood. There¡¯s blood running down your head.¡± Jend: ¡°Hmm? Oh.¡± Blood trickled down from his head down one of his cheeks, and Ferris began casting a Healing Spell on him. There may have been a small cut still left over from the fight. She quickly patched him up¡­¡­and earning the Party¡¯s MVP today, Ferris sighed deeply. Ferris: ¡°I think I¡¯ve used this much Healing Spells only with the fight against the Hanuman¡­. Even at the top area of the Altohern Mountains, I haven¡¯t had to treat many injuries.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, thanks for letting us rely on you. You really helped us out a lot out there.¡± I genuinely thanked Ferris. Because she was with us, I was able to charge in more recklessly than usual. I took some injuries, but in exchange, the pressure on everyone else lessened. This was the same fighting style I did with Yuu, so I was very comfortable with this strategy. Ferris: ¡°Knowing that you would get injured, isn¡¯t that being too careless, Mr. Henry? I don¡¯t think Miss Eustacia would approve of this.¡± Henry: ¡°No, if you look at the overall results, this tactic is safer. If you try to avoid small injuries and take a big one, it would all be for nothing. Yuu¡¯s pretty brutal when it comes to this logic.¡± If Yuu saw another swarm of Creatures heading to us from behind, and if they were able to join the ones we were fighting on the front, they could take us out. ¡­¡­.that¡¯s when Yuu would tell me, ¡°Henry, stop those guys behind us no matter what! If you¡¯re not dead, I¡¯ll fix you back up!¡± That¡¯s the kind of order she would give without hesitation. Ferris: ¡°That¡­¡­.is something else.¡± Henry: ¡°Ferris, if you can learn to send orders, that would help a lot. I can handle it on the 3rd line, but on the 1st line, I may not have the band-width.¡± We place Ferris in the position with the least amount of pressure. Of course, losing your Healer would mean the danger level of that expedition just shot up a few notches¡­¡­¡­but because she¡¯s on the backlines, she would have a better view of the battlefield. Ferris: ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not something I¡¯ve done before, but I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Henry: ¡°........oh©` that¡¯s my bad. I forgot to teach you those things.¡± Ferris: ¡°No, I¡¯ve learned a lot from you, Mr. Henry. You don¡¯t have to blame yourself.¡± Even so¡­¡­¡­.hmmmmm, wait. I got it. Henry: ¡°Then let¡¯s have Yuu teach you. When she¡¯s working with a Party, she¡¯s usually the one giving out the orders.¡± Of course, it¡¯s because she¡¯s in the same role as Ferris. Ferris: ¡°But¡­.isn¡¯t Miss Eustacia incredibly busy¡­..?¡± Henry: ¡°Do you know how many favors she owes me?¡± Although I may owe her just as many favors, but putting that aside! ¡­¡­..and well, if she could just spare 5 minutes every day to just teach Ferris one tip, Ferris is really smart and is very aware of her surroundings, so she¡¯ll learn in no time. Ferris: ¡°Y©`You think so?¡± Henry: ¡°Yup.¡± Now then, I better speak to her about this during dinner. <<<<>>>> Once we were back, we headed straight for the Cries of the Stars Inn¡¯s public bath house. It¡¯s not as fancy as the inn we stayed at in Rishu, but we¡¯re very thankful as an Adventurer. Being able to take a hot bath in such a large tub helps wash away the fatigue. And after we were all clean, we ate dinner in the dining hall. That was the normal routine for Adventurers here. Henry: ¡°Oh, chicken steaks today.¡± I heard the sound of meat getting grilled, and my stomach answered with an angry growl. The side dish is¡­¡­.bread and salad. ©`©`wow, the supply chain really has gotten better. Just seeing today¡¯s menu was breathtaking. If you wanted to know what we ate in Ligaleo, it was all things with a long shelf life. Meat would be preserved in salt or made into jerky. And most of it would be way too salty or smoked too long. And as far as fresh vegetables, when I was here last, Mrs. Patricia would sometimes get a few things from her garden, but most of it would be pickled, and they would go to extremes with the vinegar. The bread¡­¡­..judging from the color, was made from mostly one ingredient. Jend: ¡°Oh, Henry, you warned us so many times to prepare for the food here, but it¡¯s just normal. I was expecting something worse. I guess last night wasn¡¯t an exception.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, it is a little salty for my taste, but this is great after coming back from an Expedition.¡± Jend and Cyril sat down and immediately started cutting up and eating the chicken. Henry: ¡°......you guys better be grateful to Lana.¡± I made sure that they understood that. Mrs. Patricia is an excellent cook, but the problem was always with the ingredients. When food was scarce in the winter, we would have to take watered down ale to wash down whatever was available. In those times, we would be so desperate to eat meat that we would go after any Creatures who dropped meat. But those kinds of drops are rare, so we ended up empty handed most of the time. Harold: ¡°Oh, Henry. That¡¯s right. Weren¡¯t you at the inn of our Goddess?¡± Henry: ¡°.....yeah, that¡¯s true. But Harold, what¡¯s that¡­¡­goddess stuff?¡± Harold: ¡°That¡¯s what everyone is saying. We finally had a saving Goddess come down and save Ligaleo.¡± ¡°Right? ¡­¡­.no, really. It changed everything around here. We¡¯re really thankful.¡± And everyone at the Star Nights table began expressing their gratitude and praise for Lana. What¡­..? I mean, yeah, I¡¯m happy for this change too, but I didn¡¯t think people would go this far with Lana¡¯s public praise. Henry: ¡°Bianca¡­¡­..are they serious?¡± Bianca: ¡°Yeah.¡± She was the final member of the Star Nights. She took the day off and didn¡¯t go on an Expedition, and she answered without hesitation. Was all the members of the Star Nights trying to pull one over on me? Wait, really? I guess¡­.that makes sense? Looking at what we were eating, it was more than enough of a reason¡­..but still¡­. Bianca: ¡°I¡¯ve even thought about changing my religion to this girl. The stupid War God doesn¡¯t give me any good godly equipment anyways¡­..oh, that was a joke, by the way.¡± Henry: ¡°.........so, Miss Bianca. Since I left, you haven¡¯t drawn any good godly equipment?¡± Bianca: ¡°Henry, do you want to die tonight?¡± And I immediately backed off the subject. ©`©`she was the Star Nights scout, Bianca. No one would ever mention this around her, but her nickname is ¡°Bad Luck.¡± For some reason, every draw from the Heaven¡¯s Treasure Vault so far has been a complete miss. First, even with all her attempts, having a 90% Common draw is beyond strange. She drew an Epic Short Sword once, but the abilities were¡­¡­[Edible], [Delicious], and [Indestructible]. Although it was for consumption, the [Indestructible] trait made it inedible, so nothing about it made sense. ¡­¡­.and although most godly equipment that had the [Edible] trait were beyond gross as far as taste, this one actually had [Delicious] as a trait. If it wasn¡¯t [Indestructible], we could have all had a good laugh. Teo: ¡°.......Lana is really famous here.¡± Teo, feeling incredibly hungry from the Expedition, continued to cram and chew food as she spoke. Her expression didn¡¯t change much, but I could tell that she was proud of hearing all the praises about Lana. Harold: ¡°Yeah, of course. It¡¯s only because of her that we can eat such great food every day. Umm, was it Teo? If you ever take a trip back, can you relay our gratitude to her?¡± Teo: ¡°Yes.¡± Nodding at Harold¡¯s request, Teo took her plate and headed for the kitchen for seconds. At the Cries of the Stars Inn, you only saw a change in the main dish, but you could have as many seconds as you like. Before, no matter how bad it tasted, Ligaleo made sure to at least provide quantity. Considering how most of us here were soldiers or Adventurers, we needed the calories. ¡­¡­and on this one aspect, the Grandes Church pitched in a great deal to secure enough food. I had about 2 more servings, and once we were all done eating¡­¡­we drank coffee and began our meeting. Henry: ¡°So, we were asked by the Church to take care of this as soon as possible¡­¡­but what should we name our Party?¡± We were done with our Expedition today, and we had the Grandes Church purchase all the Drops after we came back. When we were at the Church, Miss Nicole caught me and ordered me to come up with a name. Jend: ¡°Well, that¡¯s true if you think about it. If you have this many Adventurers, it would be hard to manage. If you have Parties formed, it¡¯ll be easiest to manage by their Party names.¡± I nod at Jend¡¯s words. And I¡¯ve forgotten about this rule, but if you form new Parties, disband Parties, or switch out Party members, you have to report that change to the Church immediately. Cyril: ¡°Okay©`! Then this humble Miss Cyril has an idea for a name!¡± Henry: ¡°.......so, what kind of name do you think is best? I don¡¯t want the name to be too crazy, but I hate to be lazy about this too.¡± I ignored Cyril and continued our conversation, and Cyril started hitting me from behind. It didn¡¯t hurt. It actually tickled¡­¡­but it was still annoying. Henry: ¡°Fine, fine! What¡¯s your idea. ¡­¡­..wait, you didn¡¯t put your name in it, did you?¡± Cyril: ¡°*COUGH* What?! Ummm, so©`......is that not allowed?¡± I flick my finger into her forehead. I¡¯m sure it was something like ¡°Miss Cyril and her Wonderful Friends.¡± No doubt about it. It¡¯s long, hard to say on the spot, and way too self-centered. Jend: ¡°Party Name? I¡¯m not really good with these kinds of things¡­¡± Ferris: ¡°Me neither.¡± Both Jend and Ferris groan as they think of a name. Teo: ¡°.....all that¡¯s important is that it distinguishes us, so why not just use a number?¡± Cyril: ¡°Teo, even I think that¡¯s a little too dry.¡± We debate this and that. Though we continued to discuss names, none of it felt right. Jend: ¡°Well, our Leader is Henry, and he uses the Spear, so let¡¯s go along with the godly equipment and call ourselves ¡°Heaven¡¯s Spear¡±. How¡¯s that?¡± Jend spoke up with a suggestion. Henry: ¡°Well, our strongest attribute is Cyril¡¯s Magic, so taking the Magic Style, we could call ourselves [Ende]. How about that?¡± I didn¡¯t want to be the center of the Party name, so I tried to suggest something different. Ferris: ¡°Well, there¡¯s five of us, so how about [Pentagon]?¡± Cyril: ¡°Urghhhhh, ummmmm¡­..[The 3 Beautiful Princesses and the 2 Knights]?¡± Teo: ¡°.......[Whiskey].¡± There¡¯s a lot of suggestions, but none of them seem right for us. ¡­¡­.Cyril¡¯s is way too embarrassing, so it was rejected. Teo¡¯s¡­¡­.was just something she wanted to order. Henry: ¡°Well, we have a few days to come up with a name, so let¡¯s all come up with suggestions on our own and¡­¡­yeah, let¡¯s meet up the day after tomorrow to determine a name.¡± We ended with that conclusion, and the meeting was over. <<<<>>>> CREDITS Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely Written by Hisagushien Translated by: ChonkyTranslator Japanese Title: ¥»¥ß¥ê¥¿¥¤¥¢¤·¤¿Ã°ê“ÕߤϤΤó¤Ó¤êĺ¤é¤·¤¿¤¤ ×÷Õß: ¾Ã™±¾v£¨¥Ò¥µ¥°¥·¥¨¥ó£© Original Source: Book 11 Preparation for the Journey Ch. 119 - 135 Book 12 The Mages Tower Ch. 136 - 155 Book 13 - Before Departure Ch. 156 - 171 Book 14 - Ligaleo Ch. 172 - 184 CH 180 Ch. 180: The Battle Report with Old Comrades 2 days passed since our first Expedition in Ligaleo. It was the day when we were going to decide as a Party our official Party name. It was late afternoon when I faced off with 3 Dragons. Henry: ¡°.......UGH!! GAH!! ¡­¡­¡­RAH!!¡± (*sfx yell) Using their incredibly hard Dragon scales, they used another Dragon attack that is just as powerful, the Dragon Dive. I deflected the attack with all my strength. Henry: ¡°Hey! It¡¯s coming your way, Ageha!¡± As I yelled, I threw my Spear into the air in anticipation of the next Dragon¡¯s attack. Even without Magecraft Spells supporting the throw, if I simply pour raw Magic into the Spear, it¡¯s powerful enough to wound a Dragon. The Spear split into multiple clones, struck the Dragon, busted holes in its wings, and sent it crashing down to the ground. Yuu: ¡°Henry! 3 Hellhounds coming at you from the right!¡± Henry: ¡°©`©`[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Secure] {Isu} + [Launch] {Velos}!¡± Just like she warned, I caught the Hellhounds in my peripheral and blasted a Spell to keep them occupied. Luckily, they ran straight into my Spell, and they stopped in their tracks. By then, my Nyoiten Spear came back, and I headed to finish off the Dragons that fell to the ground. By that time, Ageha, who was in the back, cut off the first Dragon¡¯s head. Yuu followed that up with swinging her morning star-like godly equipment, [The Star of Destruction], and crushed the heads of the tied up Hellhounds. Ageha: ¡°Okay, Henry, I¡¯m going to stop those lizards in the back, so I¡¯m leaving those to you!¡± Henry: ¡°Got it! Don¡¯t be too reckless!¡± There were some Dragonkin that circled around us to attack us from behind. Ageha took those on as I continued to pursue the remaining Dragon. Dragon¡¯s have unbelievable regenerative abilities. We were able to catch it off guard and wound its wings, so I didn¡¯t want to waste this opportunity. With Yuu¡¯s enhancement Spell, I should be able to take on several Dragons¡­¡­.well, actually, that¡¯s probably too much, but I won¡¯t have too many problems dealing with this one. I ducked to dodge the Dragon¡¯s claws, and thrust my Spear straight into its heart to take out one. The other one tried to take me and the dead Dragon both out with a Dragon¡¯s breath, but I threw my Spear through its skull. I turned around to survey our situation. ¡­¡­there were no more Dragons in sight. I heard several yelps as I swept my Spear in an arc to take out Plains Wolves and returned to where Yuu was standing. Henry: ¡°Fwew. Was that the 14th Dragon? There¡¯s quite a lot today, isn¡¯t there?¡± Ageha: ¡°Ha! I don¡¯t mind fighting more. It¡¯s always fun chopping off Dragon heads.¡± ¡­..besides the two I took down, the rest had their heads cleanly chopped off by Ageha. It¡¯s an unusual sight even here to see Dragon¡¯s head fly around through the air so much. Yuu: ¡°Henry, you must have fractured your arm when you deflected that Dragon¡¯s charge, right? Let me see.¡± Henry: ¡°Okay©`¡± I had cast [Heal] {Teol} to stop the pain, but my left arm was messed up a bit. I showed Yuu my arm, and she began her Healing Spell¡­¡­as soon as it was done, I let out a breath of relief. Ageha: ¡°Oh, what¡¯s that? Henry, you out of breath already? If you can¡¯t handle any more, you can just sit back and watch me fight. My my, I¡¯m so kind to poor wittle Henry©`¡± Henry: ¡°Idiot. You¡¯re more fragile than me. If you get surrounded by several Dragons, you could get into an accident, so stay back there where you belong.¡± Ageha: ¡°What?¡± Henry: ¡°What?¡± I fought back word for word. Since there were no Creatures around us at the moment, Ageha and I clashed, having nothing else better to do. Yuu: ¡°....ah, I see that you both really want your treatments with maximum amounts of pain.¡± Yuu¡¯s voice lowered an octave. If she wanted to, Miss Saint could heal us in a way that would make us wish we were better off dead. As she intervened, both Ageha and I bit our lips and held our tongue. ¡­¡­hmph. Whatever. Ageha: ¡°Tsch, I won¡¯t forget this.¡± Henry: ¡°*spat* Like I care.¡± Yuu: ¡°........shut up, you two.¡± Hearing the threat in Yuu¡¯s voice, we both quickly retreated. Yuu: ¡°But Henry, I¡¯m not trying to tease you like Ageha, but are you really okay? You didn¡¯t fight like this back to back in Flowtier, right?¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? ¡­¡­.well, yeah, I feel it a little bit, but I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m starting to get the hang of things again. ¡­¡­..but it will probably take more time for my gang to catch up to me.¡± ¡­¡­..yesterday and the day before, we went out two days straight into the fields of Ligaleo©`©` ©`©`and today, they have all happily collapsed from exhaustion. Well, they did well. They could have collapsed after day 1, so they definitely showed their potential. But there was no reason to push through their fatigue today and risk getting injured. We decided to take the day off as a Party. The Grandes Church will assign Expeditions as requested, but they do account for our health and well-being, so they won¡¯t force us to go out there. So, because of that©` Since I was the only one with energy left, I could have taken the day off too. But Ageha came up to me and said, ¡°Then why not hunt Dragons with me. There seems to be a lot today,¡± and we invited Yuu and came to the 1st Line. Normally, Dragons don¡¯t travel in packs, but during their mating season, Ligaleo becomes an exception. Dragon¡¯s Drops are expensive, so we were sure to make quite a profit just from today. Ageha: ¡°Oh, we got seconds incoming. Oh looky there. There¡¯s 7 this time.¡± Henry: ¡°Looks like they¡¯re mainly Wind Dragons. ¡­.I can fight in the air now. I can meet them up there.¡± Ageha: ¡°That [Light Ledge] {Plateau} thing? I¡¯ll show you that the Bound Inscriptions of the Cloudy Plains Style is much better than that.¡± With a challenge from Ageha, I glared up at the incoming Dragons. Yuu: ¡°Sigh¡­¡­.okay, stop bickering you two. ¡­¡­Henry, distract them. Ageha, take out the isolated ones. Alright, go©`¡± Ageha: ¡°¡®kay!¡± Henry: ¡°You got it!¡± And with Yuu¡¯s orders, we both charged into the sky. <<<<>>>> We took down a little more than 50 Dragons. Unfortunately, we found no Rare Drops, but we picked up the typical scales, claws, and fangs, and selling those to the Church. I was returning to the Cries of the Stars Inn with Yuu and Ageha with much thicker wallets. Yuu: ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have a Party name yet? But hasn¡¯t it been more than a year since you formed the Party?¡± When I return, we¡¯re going to officially choose a Party name. I mentioned this to Yuu, and she looked quite surprised. Henry: ¡°I mean, there weren¡¯t many Adventurers in Flowtier, so there was no reason to pick one. Besides, I was planning on dropping out of the Party when they departed for Ligaleo.¡± Ageha: ¡°And now, you came all the way back for a girl you like. Henry, I never thought you were that type.¡± Henry: ¡°What, you got a problem with that?¡± Ageha: ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was anything bad. In fact, I¡¯m a little impressed.¡± Though it felt like she was teasing me, was she¡­¡­complimenting me? Yuu: ¡°And so everyone had time to think about it to discuss it again today? What name did you come up with, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°Huh? ¡­¡­..w©`well, it¡¯s a little embarrassing now that you¡¯re asking about it.¡± Yuu: ¡°Embarrassed about what? If it gets chosen, it¡¯ll be your official Party name right?¡± I©`I guess that¡¯s true but¡­.. ¡­¡­wait, argh! Whatever. It¡¯s just like Yuu is saying. Why be embarrassed now? Henry: ¡°[Song of Victory]. ¡­..because we weren¡¯t even in Ligaleo, and we took down 2 Highest-Tiers. Cyril¡¯s Magic was key to taking down both of them.¡± Yuu: ¡°Ah, that¡¯s why you were so embarrassed.¡± Urgh! Just leave it alone! Yuu: ¡°But I think that¡¯s a nice name. Miss Cyril¡¯s Spell is quite flashy and leaves a strong impression.¡± Ageha: ¡°You think so? I think it¡¯s a little bland. You need one with a little more umph(!) in the name. Like¡­..[Team Kill You All].¡± Definitely not. I would never want to be called by that name. Ageha: ¡°But I wonder what names the others are coming up with.¡± Yuu: ¡°Your personality plays a big part in these cases. When we were together¡­¡­was it [Silver Blade]?¡± At the time, the Party leader¡¯s godly equipment was a shining silver sword. ¡­¡­¡­and that was all. It was a very simple name. Ageha: ¡°Yeah, we should have been the [Head Choppers], don¡¯t you think?¡± Henry: ¡°That was so long ago. And what, ¡®Choppers¡¯? You¡¯re the only one chopping heads.¡± Ageha: ¡°Everyone else can do it too!¡± Henry: ¡°Like we could!!¡± The neck is a critical weakness for most living creatures. And yeah, if you can hit it from the beginning, taking them down would be faster, but in most cases, you have to wound the Creature to a certain degree before you can strike their neck. That¡¯s because the Creature knows their own weakness too and will be weary of attacks to the neck. In other words, the fact that Ageha can do it is a testament to her incredible battle instincts, but don¡¯t demand the same level of skill from the general public. Ageha: ¡°Fine©` oh, we¡¯re here.¡± And before we knew it, we arrived back at the Cries of the Stars Inn. It takes a little time to get back from the 1st Lines, so the majority of Adventurers had already returned and were relaxing in the main living room. Yuu: ¡°Then Henry, we¡¯ll head to the baths.¡± Henry: ¡°¡®kay, see ya.¡± I wave goodbye to Yuu and Ageha who head towards the Inn¡¯s bathhouse. I had already washed and rinsed the blood and sweat off with [Fire] {Ignis} + [Water] {Eedle}. ¡­¡­¡­because when you come back late, the bath water in the bathhouse gets pretty dirty. And this is especially true because men tend to be the vanguards of the Party. Usually, they switch out the bathwater at least twice in the evening, so I¡¯m waiting for the next switch out. Both the Innkeeper and his wife are incredible Mages, so we are being spoiled. I decided to wait in the living room and just chat with whoever when©`©` Cyril: ¡°Oh, Henry, welcome back©`¡± Cyril, who was sitting at one of the tables set out in the living room noticed me and waved towards me. I raised a hand back in answer and headed to where she sat. I wondered if she thought it was around the time I should be back and came downstairs. ¡­¡­.? There was a crowd of onlookers surrounding the table. Henry: ¡°What? Oh, you¡¯re playing some Shogi?¡± I join the onlookers and see Cyril playing against Ferris, and Jend playing against Teo. One board was the new one we bought in Rishu. ¡­..ah, so everyone was just watching their match. I joined them and began looking at the boards as well. Henry: ¡°.........oh.¡± Jend¡¯s game was too complex even for me, but Cyril and Ferris¡¯ game was pretty easy to understand. And surprisingly, Cyril had the advantage. Vincent: ¡°Henry, glad to see you back. How¡¯d it go today?¡± Vincent looked up from studying the Shogi games and began chatting with me. Henry: ¡°Lots of Dragons today. Took down around 50.¡± ¡­¡­.oh, some of the onlookers looked shocked. They were mostly the ones I haven¡¯t met before. And yeah. I said it like it wasn¡¯t a big deal, but for the top rankers in Ligaleo¡­..the ones fighting on the 1st Lines, it¡¯s not a battle report you hear often. Vincent had a hard time keeping his smile, but he was still impressed. Vincent: ¡°......when you and Yuu tag team, you guys really are unbelievable.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, as you already know, Ageha was the one who finished them off though.¡± And the crowd murmured with understanding since a Hero of Legend was in my Party. ¡­¡­..it was a little annoying to see that, but those two definitely have amazing skills. And since Yuu and I are in completely different roles, it¡¯s hard to compare, but if you put Ageha on the vanguard like me, I would come out on top if we fought her head to head. Well, anyways, they¡¯ll see me fight sooner or later, so maybe they¡¯ll reconsider my strength and skills then. Henry: ¡°So Cyril, did you come up with some ideas about our Party¡¯s name?¡± Cyril: ¡°Of course I did! Hehehehe, you¡¯ll be blown away by Miss Cyril¡¯s amazing taste with names!¡± ¡­¡­.blown away? Is that a good thing¡­¡­.? ¡­¡­.well, we¡¯ll talk about it during dinner. For now, I continued to watch the Shogi matches. <<<<>>>> CREDITS Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely Written by Hisagushien Translated by: ChonkyTranslator Japanese Title: ¥»¥ß¥ê¥¿¥¤¥¢¤·¤¿Ã°ê“ÕߤϤΤó¤Ó¤êĺ¤é¤·¤¿¤¤ ×÷Õß: ¾Ã™±¾v£¨¥Ò¥µ¥°¥·¥¨¥ó£© Original Source: Book 14 - Ligaleo Ch. 172 - 184 CH 181 Ch. 181: And the Party Name is¡­ We were eating dinner in the Cries of the Stars Inn. Today, the main dish was saut¨¦ed white fish. Mrs. Patricia used her herbs from her garden, and it was a very popular dish. And today, I was especially hungry after fighting against so many Dragons. Put together a great dish and an empty stomach, and you can guess what followed. After 3 servings of the main dish and 3 servings of bread, I finally felt satisfied. Henry: ¡°Now that we all got enough food, let¡¯s begin.¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry, you ate way too much.¡± Henry: ¡°I work off what I eat. ¡­..but anyways, let¡¯s pick a name for our Party.¡± I brushed past Cyril¡¯s comments and began the meeting. Henry: ¡°Then to get started, let¡¯s just go around and say what we came up with. So¡­..who wants to go first?¡± Cyril: ¡°Hehehehe¡­¡­I¡¯ll go last!¡± I answered, ¡°Fine,¡± to Cyril¡¯s confident gesture and looked around the table. Teo raised her hand first. Henry: ¡°Okay, Teo. Go ahead.¡± Teo: ¡°Yes. What about the name, ¡®Hidden Leaf¡¯? It is the name of a famous book written by a Rishu Warrior about the true natures of a warrior.¡± And Teo puffed out her chest with pride. ¡­¡­..? Henry: ¡°Wait, before that, can you tell me how you came up with that name?¡± Teo: ¡°I just like the way it sounds.¡± That¡¯s it?! I mean, yes, determining a name by how you feel is important, but¡­¡­look, shouldn¡¯t there be a slightly deeper reasoning? We are going to go by this name for a while after all. Henry: ¡°Okay©` then¡­.let¡¯s put that down as a potential candidate. Let¡¯s choose after everyone has gotten their turn.¡± Teo: ¡°Okay.¡± Teo didn¡¯t mind postponing our decision and simply nodded. Henry: ¡°Who wants to go next?¡± ¡­¡­..silence. Teo, who does not hesitate about these things, already went, and now Jend, Ferris, and I looked at one another awkwardly. ¡­¡­and¡­.it¡¯s not like the order really matters, but we were all hesitant just the same. Jend: ¡°Ummm, okay. I¡¯ll go next then.¡± Jend smiled awkwardly as he broke the silence. Henry: ¡°So, what did you come up with?¡± Jend: ¡°So¡­¡­well¡­¡­.since we¡¯re all believers of the god, Grandes, since our leader Henry uses a spear, what about ¡®Grand Spear¡¯?¡± Jend¡¯s style was actually very common. I¡¯m a little embarrassed that it centers around my weapon, but otherwise, it¡¯s spot on, and a very direct way of naming our Party. But¡­¡­..there was one problem. Henry: ¡°......Jend, sorry. I know you thought a lot about your name, but there¡¯s a lot of Parties who base their name on the god of battle. So there¡¯s a ton of Grand somethings, and we¡¯ll probably overlap with other Parties.¡± Jend: ¡°Ah¡­..oh¡­¡­th©`that makes sense¡­..¡± And the leader of Heroes of Legend is ¡°Grand Ezeal.¡± Wanting to someday become like the hero, the word ¡°Grand¡± is incredibly popular. I¡¯m sure in different towns, you will see a lot of overlap in Party names, but the reason why we need a name now is to make it easier for the Church to manage. ¡­¡­..if there¡¯s multiple Parties with the same name, it¡¯s bound to cause confusion, so I had to say no to this suggestion. Ferris: ¡°I see¡­¡­¡­yes, and I don¡¯t believe my name would have overlapped as much, but I was careless on that point as well.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, what did you come up with, Ferris?¡± Ferris scratched her cheek with embarrassment before answering. Ferris: ¡°I thought since it¡¯s the five of us, the ¡®Five Stars¡¯. ¡­¡­but now that I think about it, if we recruit more people, it wouldn¡¯t make as much sense.¡± Ohhhh¡­. Henry: ¡°.......yeah, you¡¯re right. Right now, we¡¯re pretty sure the 5 of us will stick together, and we probably don¡¯t need another member at the moment. Even so, I don¡¯t recommend putting the number of members in the Party name.¡± Not only will it be awkward when you add members, but¡­..I don¡¯t want to think about this, but if someone gets hurt or¡­¡­¡­dies, then we¡¯ll be down to 3 or 4. I used to be part of a Party called the [Bright Six], but when we disbanded, there was only 3 of us left. ¡­¡­.but I won¡¯t mention that here. Jend: ¡°Then in that case, Henry, your suggestion¡¯s going to be pretty important. What name did you come up with?¡± Teo¡¯s name isn¡¯t bad, but unfortunately, it¡¯s not relatable to our Party. And I really, really doubt Cyril is going to come up with anything good¡­¡­. I¡¯m pretty sure Jend was thinking the same thing as me, and clearing my throat, I decided to present my idea. Henry: ¡°So¡­..for me, when you think of our Party, Cyril¡¯s Magic comes to mind first so¡­¡­.what about ¡®The Song of Victory.¡¯¡± ¡­¡­..that was really embarrassing announcing your idea out loud. I glance up to see everyone¡¯s reaction. Jend: ¡°Oh, I like it. We¡¯ll stand out with someone singing on the battlefield, and I know the Adventurers¡¯ nearby were drawn to Cyril¡¯s singing last time.¡± Ferris: ¡°Yeah, I agree. I think it¡¯s a good name. It sounds very courageous too.¡± Jend and Ferris both had good impressions. ¡­¡­.thank goodness. I¡¯m glad it wasn¡¯t a total flop. Teo: ¡°If the two like the name, why not go with that? Since Mr. Henry came up with the name, that¡¯s more than half the Party. I don¡¯t mind either.¡± Teo also agreed with the name. It¡¯s a little embarrassing to have your idea getting accepted, but it makes all the time and effort thinking about it worth it. Thank goodness. And we were just about to make the decision when©` Cyril: ¡°Wai-wai-wai, WAI©`T just a moment! Mine! You haven¡¯t heard my idea yet!¡± ¡­¡­¡­and it¡¯s not like we forgot. And Cyril stood up with her hand in the air to get everyone¡¯s attention. Teo: ¡°.......I thought Miss Cyril¡¯s name would be based on her own name.¡± I thought so too. Cyril: ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like Henry¡¯s idea, but this Party isn¡¯t just me, right?¡± Henry: ¡°......yeah, you make a good point, but then, what name did you come up with?¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry, have a little patience. Teo, do you remember the drink we were going to have to celebrate our name? Can you bring out the bottle?¡± Teo looked confused as she reached into the godly equipment bag and brought out a wine bag. Inside the bag, there was one bottle given to us by the Governor before we left Flowtier as a special gift. We were planning on opening it when there was something to celebrate about. We thought finally settling on a name was the perfect occasion, and we were planning on toasting to our new name with it. The wine bag is a Magecraft tool designed to preserve wines, but compared to an actual wine cellar, it¡¯s not as effective, so the sooner we drink the better. I was wondering why Cyril had the bottle brought out first, when she placed a hand on her chest as if to make a speech. Cyril: ¡°I thought about this a lot. Like, how I wanted a name to reflect how hard we would work and how successful we wanted to be. So a name like, ¡®Hard Success Group.¡¯¡± If she suggested that, I would have immediately turned it down. Cyril: ¡°And I was wondering if there was anything else¡­¡­and then it came to me. What do you think about this?¡± She pointed. She pointed to the bottle of wine Teo brought out. She pointed to the label that explained how the wine was made using the grapes that can be picked near the town it was named after. Henry: ¡°[La Flowtier], huh.¡± Cyril: ¡°We have a lot of memories there, and by naming our Party after the name where we came together, I didn¡¯t want us to forget our origins, or something like that!¡± And yeah, naming your Party after your home town is quite common too. I mumble the name, [La Flowtier] to myself a few more times. Henry: ¡°.......that¡¯s¡­..really good. What does everyone else think?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a little surprised that Cyril came up with it, but I like it too.¡± Cyril did not like Jend¡¯s comment at all and is protesting vehemently, but she should reflect back on her past actions and words. Ferris: ¡°Yes, I like it too. I thought Mr. Henry¡¯s suggestion is good too.¡± And Ferris also placed her vote with a smile. Teo: ¡°I think it is good too¡­¡­but it¡¯s strange. How could Miss Cyril come up with a decent name?¡± Cyril: ¡°Teo, you too?! I can¡¯t let this kind of unjust appraisal pass!!¡± I intervened to try and help Cyril calm down. Once they settled down, I look into each member¡¯s face to confirm. Henry: ¡°........there was a bit of a fuss, but everyone, are we good with Cyril¡¯s name?¡± Everyone nodded at once. Henry: ¡°Then, well¡­¡­..from today on, we are [La Flowtier]. It seems a little silly to say it now, but¡­let¡¯s all work together!¡± Everyone answered with a loud affirmation. The other Adventurers sitting around the other tables noticed our celebration and threw in a few celebratory comments too. ¡­¡­.and taking the wine, ¡°La Flowtier,¡± we filled up our glasses and toasted. This was the beginning of [La Flowtier], our Party. <<<<>>>> Henry: ¡°Miss Nicole, we have a new Party name.¡± It was the next day. I headed to the Grandes Church, and I made the report to our Priest, Miss Nicole. Nicole: ¡°Yes. Thank you for deciding on a name so quickly. And what will your Party be called?¡± Henry: ¡°We took the name from the city of Flowtier where we first formed the Party. We are calling ourselves [La Flowtier].¡± Nicole: ¡°[La Flowtier], is that right? Thank you. I will have the name entered into our records.¡± Miss Nicole repeated the name back to me, but the name still felt foreign to me. I guess I¡¯ll get used to the name eventually. Nicole: ¡°......yes. In that case, for the members of [La Flowtier], please head to the front of the 3rd lines¡­¡­.this area here. There should be no surprises with the Creatures that appear there, but there will be quite a large number. Please be very careful.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Miss Nicole pointed out our position on the map, and Teo, who handles the maps, made a note. I also made sure to memorize the position in my head. Henry: ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s head out.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, [La Flowtier], let¡¯s go!¡± Cyril answered me with a fist in the air. Now then¡­ Let¡¯s see how today¡¯s expedition goes. CH 182 Ch. 182: The Meeting with the Heroes of Legend Under the name ¡°La Flowtier,¡± we continued our activities in Ligaleo. For now, we went out on Expeditions for two days and then rested for a day. This seemed to work best for us. I planned to extend the Expedition schedule once the Party toughened up more and got used to the fighting here. Well, it might take a few months, and there¡¯s no point rushing. The Magecraft Barrier was working effectively, and in Ligaleo, we were actually working harder than the average Adventurer. If you think about it, the number of Demonic Creatures did not lessen, so I worried if fighting so leisurely would work out¡­¡­.or I thought so in the beginning, and then realized why. If you couldn¡¯t get a good night¡¯s sleep and even eat a decent meal and fought under those conditions, compared to those who got plenty of sleep, ate delicious meals, and got to take breaks on top of that, who would be fighting more efficiently? That¡¯s why I wasn¡¯t surprised to hear that the rate of Demonic Creatures being hunted had significantly improved since the last time I was here. ¡­¡­..I was glad that we no longer relied on fighting until you couldn¡¯t move, being dragged away before you passed out, rested for a brief moment, and then charged in soon afterwards - those were standard tactics. Well, it was standard for the top class Adventurers. Regardless©` That¡¯s why my Party had the day off. I was nearby Ligaleo¡¯s south gate. ¡­..and right next to Yuu¡¯s Clinic, there was a building nearby, and as I entered, they guided me to a certain meeting room. ¡°Well now. Has it not been quite some time, Henry?! Wasn¡¯t that when our Order was on holiday in the Capital? We have exchanged a few letters, and I heard the recent report from Eustacia and Sagiri about your fight with the Demon General! I¡¯m relieved to see you looking so well!¡± Henry: ¡°Haha¡­¡­thank you, Sir Ezeal. It has been a while.¡± The man¡¯s presence was overpowering as usual and feeling a bit intimidated, I politely greeted the giant of a man - the Great Hero of Legend, Gran¡¯ezeal Vandelstein. This was the Black Dragon Knights Order¡¯s barracks in Ligaleo. In case Demonic Creatures breached the city walls, they were assigned to this location that was most likely to be attacked. This was the headquarters of Alvenia¡¯s greatest Knights Order. And as far as I know, they had this place rebuilt at least 10 times. I owe a great debt to Sir Ezeal, and it would be rude if I did not come say hi after arriving in Ligaleo. And yes, making my presence known, having ties to the Great Hero of Legend could have some perks. Along with Sir Ezeal, I also bowed my head deeply to the person sitting next to him. Henry: ¡°Good day, Mr. Riol. I wanted to thank you again for helping us get to Eastflair last time. My Party and I thank you deeply.¡± Riol: ¡°Why, you were the one who introduced me to Miss Lana - that amazingly talented being. A thing like that hardly returns the favor.¡± Since we were indoors, he had taken off his trademark hat, but he still had on his robes he used for formal wear and for war. He kindly smiled back at me. And as he spoke to me, he continued to control the Spell with one hand. On top of the meeting room¡¯s table, I saw the coffee beans dance inside a heated sphere. ¡­¡­this was Mr. Riol¡¯s famous Kroseid Style Coffee Bean Roasting. Within minutes, we sat around the table with a hot cup of incredibly aromatic coffee. As he took a sip, Sir Ezeal smiled happily and nodded. Ezeal: ¡°......ah¡­.so good. Your coffee is amazing as always, Riol! Nothing even comes close!¡± Riol: ¡°Ezeal, I appreciate your compliment, but please reduce the amount of sugar you use. The sugar I prepared is sublime for coffee, but with six spoonful''s, there¡¯s no way you can still taste the coffee after that.¡± Ezeal: ¡°I need my sugar or it will be too bitter otherwise!¡± Mr. Riol grunted in dissatisfaction and sipped his coffee which had one small teaspoon of sugar. ¡­¡­..and it may surprise you to hear that Sir Ezeal has a sweet tooth, and instead of beer or ale, he prefers fruit liquor, and in comparison, Mr. Riol loves his coffee. This was a common argument between the two. Before Sir Ezeal became a Knight, these two have been together since their Adventurer days, so they got along really well. And I also heard that they formed a Party with Ms. Lotte at one point. ¡­¡­..when I went on an Expedition with Yuu and Ageha, I thought I was pretty strong, but I was too full of myself. I could not think of anything that could beat those 3 teamed up together. Yuu and Ageha are amazing too, but they only became Heroes of Legend for a single talent. Realizing how far up these two are, I chuckled quietly and sipped my coffee. That¡¯s when I noticed Sir Ezeal staring right at me. Ezeal: ¡°........ah, Henry. Compared to last time, you are much more composed today.¡± Henry: ¡°Huh? R©`Really?¡± Ezeal: ¡°Indeed. Now that you have someone you love, you are much more grounded. To be frank, after we defeated Gilverte, you were incredibly floppy and flimsy.¡± ¡­¡­though he was trying to be nice, his words still stung. Being aware of how I was back then, he really hit a sore spot. Ezeal: ¡°And you chose Lady Cyril. I only got to meet her briefly during your stay at the Capital, but I remember her well. She looked a bit fragile, but she had an ironclad, courageous heart underneath! Henry, you are indeed a lucky man.¡± Henry: ¡°........I¡¯m not sure about ironclad. I think she¡¯s just incredibly reckless. Recently, she¡¯s had me on my toes.¡± Now that I think about it, she didn¡¯t back down even against Sir Ezeal. I really need to talk to her about that¡­¡­but before I could say anything, Mr. Riol spoke first. Riol: ¡°Yes, it is indeed as Ezeal says. When I met her, she immediately announced herself as my rival. That was very bold indeed.¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m so sorry about that time©`¡± Though Mr. Riol didn¡¯t seem to mind, it¡¯s not something a hatchling with barely 3 years of Adventuring experience should say to a Hero. With Cyril¡¯s talent, she could©`©`given 10, 20 years©`©`potentially become something amazing, but that¡¯s then. This is now. Henry: ¡°You two regard her quite highly, but in all honesty, she really isn¡¯t.¡± Ezeal: ¡°Do not speak so ill of your lover. ¡­¡­.hmmm, but now that we¡¯re on the subject, I am very curious. Now then, Henry. You must tell us about you and Lady Cyril.¡± Riol: ¡°I agree with Ezeal. There is nothing more entertaining for us elderly than to hear about the budding romances of the young. Now, now. Don¡¯t be embarrassed.¡± They both smiled teasingly, and two renowned Heroes were teaming up on me. Ugh¡­ Henry: ¡°Oh! We can talk about that another time. Can you tell me about what two have been up to? How did the Foreign Campaign go? How far were you able to get?¡± And I immediately changed the subject. Though it was a little too obvious, they both realized that I had no intention of touching that subject, and surprisingly, they did not press me any further. Ezeal: ¡°Hmmm, well, as Henry says, we have more opportunities to come.¡± Riol: ¡°Yes, he seems pretty tight. I¡¯ll go collect some stories from Ruby the next time I see her. She¡¯s quite a capable information collector.¡± ¡­..and I know already that I¡¯m just postponing the inevitable. But I¡¯ll let future me handle that and decided to listen to their report. Ezeal: ¡°Good. And you wanted to know about the Foreign Campaign? This time, we were able to enter your former homeland, the Fezard Kingdom. ¡­¡­unfortunately, we were unable to reach your hometown which was said to be near the border. I wished that we could have brought back something from your native land.¡± Henry: ¡°Please don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s all completely destroyed with nothing left.¡± ¡­¡­.and the reason why I couldn¡¯t come see these two earlier was because they were out on a Foreign Campaign. Foreign Campaigns. You entered into Demon Kingdom territory, and took out the Demonic Creatures you ran into. By doing so, you lessen the pressure that¡¯s on the 1st line. With Mr. Riol¡¯s ability to wipe out huge groups and Sir Ezeal¡¯s ability to deal with any situation, these two make an incredible team that effectively tackles these campaigns. When these two go out, they say a third of the Creatures are demolished. And there¡¯s another goal for sending out Heroes of Legend on these campaigns. ¡­..surveillance of the Demon Kingdom¡¯s territory. For that reason, they would actually carry themselves deeper into the Demon Kingdom¡¯s territory than other campaigns. They crossed the northernmost Kingdom of the Southern Continent, Hekisa, and they managed to reach the neighboring country of Fezard. Ezeal: ¡°Ergh¡­..but it¡¯s such a shame. If the Creatures dropped more meat, then we could have gone farther.¡± Riol: ¡°But that all depends on luck. Do not be discouraged, Ezeal.¡± But even if they are Heroes of Legend, they are still¡­¡­¡­.human? ¡­¡­¡­.yes, I think they still barely qualify as human. You can produce water with Magecraft but not food. You can try collecting food on the way, but your time in Demon Kingdom territory is very limited because of that. And that¡¯s why Teo¡¯s godly equipment is so amazing. She can practically negate that condition. Sir Ezeal does have a pouch like mine. A human craftsman made it with [Space Expansion], but it pales in comparison to godly equipment. ¡­..and maybe Teo could tag along these two to solve that problem, but she wouldn¡¯t last long. Others with [Space Expansion] godly equipment are the same. So no matter how amazing Sir Ezeal and Mr. Riol are, it can¡¯t be helped. Sir Ezeal understands that better than anyone else, but he continued his argument with a, ¡°But.¡± Ezeal: ¡°......with the barrier now working just fine, we have flipped our situation. It is regrettable not being able to gain anything from this campaign.¡± Riol: ¡°There¡¯s no need to hurry. As you said, the situation is now in our favor. But if we push ourselves now, and something happens to you, we would be in a worse state than before.¡± So apparently for Mr. Riol, invading the Demon Kingdom, crossing through at least one Kingdom¡¯s territory is not an unreasonable goal. Riol: ¡°Besides¡­¡± And he suddenly switched gears here and looked at me with curious eyes. Riol: ¡°We now have ¡®useful¡¯ pieces back on the board.¡± Ezeal: ¡°Ohhhh, yes, you¡¯re absolutely right.¡± ¡­..I¡¯m glad they think so. But right now, we¡¯re barely thinking about joining the 2nd line. The 1st line or foreign campaigns haven¡¯t even crossed our minds. Riol: ¡°And with the city becoming safer, the younger ones have more opportunity to take the lead. The future is bright, Ezeal.¡± Using me as ammo, Sir Ezeal began nodding his head slowly in approval to Mr. Riol¡¯s reasoning. Ezeal: ¡°....yes, I was burdening too much of this on my own. Compared to Elves, I have already long surpassed my prime days.¡± ©`©`says the man who is still the strongest living human being on land. But feeling something rise inside of him, Sir Ezeal stood up with excitement and placed a hand on my shoulder. Ezeal: ¡°In that case, we must gauge our younger one¡¯s strength! Henry! Let¡¯s head to the 1st line immediately!¡± Henry: ¡°W©`Wait! Sir Ezeal! Did you just return from the campaign last night? Don¡¯t you need to rest?¡± Ezeal: ¡°A single night of sleep is all I need! I am completely recovered!¡± Weren¡¯t you deep in enemy territory for 2 weeks without a moment of respite?! Riol: ¡°I see. Good luck to you both.¡± I heard my boots drag against the floor as Sir Ezeal dragged me away. In answer, Mr. Riol, the source of this mess, happily saw us out. A while later¡­. Ezeal: ¡°Hmph!! Today, there¡¯s nothing good on the 1st line! I wonder if 3 or 4 Highest Tiers would show up for us!¡± Henry: ¡°If that happens, I¡¯m running, okay?!¡± I watched Sir Ezeal cut down the Upper Tier, Upper Class with a single swing of his sword, and rampage across the field. I followed and swung my spear as best as I could next to him. ¡­¡­¡­really, this man can be so tiring sometimes¡­. CH 183 Ch. 183: The Night Watch Henry: ¡°So©`©` I went hunting with Sir Ezeal on the First Lines, and he asked me to relay a message to you, Jend. He asked for you to come around to the Knight¡¯s Barracks. He said, ¡®I will see how much he¡¯s grown!¡¯ Like that.¡± Jend: ¡°That¡¯s great. It¡¯s a great honor to have a sword lesson from someone like Sir Gran¡¯Ezeal.¡± Jend seemed really happy to hear Sir Ezeal¡¯s message. I guess any swordsman would be happy to have that famous swordsman ask about them. Jend: ¡°But Henry, are you okay?¡± Henry: ¡°? Okay? What do you mean?¡± Jend caught me off guard, and I didn¡¯t understand his question. ¡­¡­.what was he worrying about?¡± Jend: ¡°Well, you were just fighting on the 1st Lines, and now, you¡¯re doing the Night Watch? I only took this position because I had the entire day off.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©`! You mean that.¡± Right now, Jend and I are positioned right outside the South Gate. The sun had gone down, and several torches were lit on top of the wall. With Magecraft items also lighting the area, it was quite bright. Jend: ¡°........I knew the rumors¡­..but I didn¡¯t think that much would come during the nights.¡± And from where the light shined, we could see the Adventurers, Knights, and Soldiers fighting off the Demonic Creatures swarming the area. This was the Night Watch in Ligaleo. In short, you were responsible for repelling the Creatures during their night raids. Since the Magecraft Barrier is working, it¡¯s become a lot easier, but it doesn¡¯t mean that the night raids ceased. With lights all over the City Walls, we will be fighting through the night. Even so, the Night Watch really grinds through your nerves. We were separated into the front and back lines and were expected to switch periodically. The reason why I could talk with Jend was because we were currently set on the backlines. Jend: ¡°......well, not that I doubt your stamina. But the Night Watch seems pretty tough alone, so I was worried.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah? Well, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not pushing myself that hard.¡± I was glad for Jend¡¯s concern. But even the Night Watch shift did not last all night. Our shift will end around 2 AM, so that will give us plenty of time to go back and sleep. Henry: ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m starting to get a hang of the pace around here. My body¡¯s feeling a little tired, but I¡¯ve trained to be able to fight even with fatigue.¡± Jend: ¡°If you say so¡­..but don¡¯t get accidentally hurt and make Cyril cry.¡± And I had no intention of doing so. So while we¡¯re still getting used to things around here and taking it easy, I wanted to push myself to get the rust off my senses. Henry: ¡°I know, I know. ¡­¡­.oh, Jend, were you able to rest today? Were you able to recover from yesterday¡¯s expedition?¡± Jend: ¡°I¡¯m a little sore all over but¡­..I should be fine. ¡­¡­.well, compared to Ferris and the rest, they all looked still worn out this evening.¡± My Party was finally getting used to 2 days of Expeditions and 1 day of rest. Jend and I adjusted quickly, but the women in the Party definitely needed the rest, or it would affect their performance on the following day. That¡¯s why it was only Jend and I who were participating in the Night Watch today. ¡­¡­well, traditionally, in Ligaleo, the Night Watch¡¯s responsibility fell to the men. There¡¯s no rule saying women can¡¯t participate, but men just had more advantages in regards to stamina overall. But there was also one other reason¡­¡­oh. Henry: ¡°Jend, we¡¯re about to switch.¡± Jend: ¡°......got it.¡± Jend lifted up his broadsword ©`©` the sword that Mr. Gordon refined ©`©` the [Dual Flame] Blaze Blade. I stretched and loosened up my shoulders too and changed the Nyoiten Spear to a short spear. I paused and quietly took a deep breath. ¡­¡­I glanced to check behind us. A solder on top of the City Wall stepped next to a large, bronze gong. He then hit the gong loudly 3 times. ¡°Front lines! Back lines! SWITCH©`©`!!¡± The Commander of the area gave a loud order that rang across the field. Henry: ¡°Let¡¯s go, Jend!¡± Jend: ¡°Okay!¡± We both nodded at one another, and switching with the front lines, we ran out to meet the Demonic Creatures. <<<<>>>> Afterwards, we switched 5 times. Finally, our shift as a Night Watch was over. We dragged our heavy bodies back through the South Gate. The others who worked the same shift also sat around us in groups. Henry: ¡°........haaaaaaah *exhale* that was pretty tiring. Hey, Jend, you okay?¡± Jend: ¡°.....haaaaaah *exhale* haaaaaah *exhale* haaaaaah *exhale*....¡± Jend wasn¡¯t able to reply. Though we were upright and alert during the shift, as soon as it was over, the relief washed over us and brought out the fatigue building inside of us. Though they lit up the night with different light sources, fighting during the night is just different. The Night Watch was simply more tiring than fighting during the day. ¡­¡­¡­hmmmm. Henry: ¡°Hey, should we delay our departure tomorrow to around noon?¡± Jend: ¡°........I¡¯m goo©` ¡­¡­.actually, sorry. Yeah, let me see how I feel tomorrow.¡± Henry: ¡°Sure.¡± The fact that he didn¡¯t try to blindly move forward means he¡¯s able to assess his status objectively. Those who fail to do this are the first to die, so I¡¯m glad to see Jend grow in this area. ¡­¡­¡­well, not that I¡¯m one to speak. I had my Party members stop me from killing myself for pushing too hard numerous times. I was able to start drawing that line¡­¡­¡­wait, when did that start happening¡­? Jend: ¡°.......*sigh* Looks like things are settling down. Okay, let¡¯s head back.¡± Henry: ¡°Wait, wait.¡± Jend finally caught his breath and was getting ready to leave. Jend: ¡°? What?¡± Henry: ¡°You¡¯re going to miss the best part.¡± Jend: ¡°What? ¡­¡­oh, why isn¡¯t anyone else going home?¡± On the inside of the South Gate, there is Yuu¡¯s Clinic and the barracks of the Black Dragon Knights, but all in all, it was just one big, open plaza. There, all the people involved in the Night Watch returned, and the next Night Watch shift left in exchange. ¡­¡­..and there was another group coming towards this mass group of sweaty men. Jend: ¡°Hm¡­..? Is that¡­¡­.the people from the Ningel¡¯s Church?¡± Henry: ¡°Yup.¡± Ligaleo was made up of all the major political forces in the northern continent. The main ones are the 3 Major Countries military and Knights Order. Next is the Adventurers from the Grandes Church. ¡­¡­.and finally, the third is the second largest Church in the continent, the priests of Ningel. There are some like Yuu and Ferris who use the Ningel¡¯s Hand Magecraft, but most of them are non-combatants. There are medical personnel and food supply chain workers as well as janitorial workers and administrative workers for the various other organizations. Putting that aside©`©` Our group was getting rowdier with more excitement with the night¡¯s work done, and we began lining up towards the Ningel¡¯s priests. Jend: ¡°.......wh©`what¡¯s going on here?¡± Henry: ¡°? Did I not tell you? For those who work the Night Watch gets something for their hard work by a Ningel priest. Usually, it¡¯s like tea or snacks.¡± It¡¯s because it¡¯s difficult enough trying to collect Drops during the night, and the Night Watch is compensated slightly more for that reason, but it¡¯s not that much. Of course, without the Night Watch, there would be no one to stop the Creatures from breaching the South Gate, so they had to do something special for those risking their lives. I was sure that the people above us had many talks about this. As I was explaining all this to Jend, he looked at me questionably. Jend: ¡°I¡­..appreciate that¡­¡­but is that all it takes for people to want to do the Night Watch? Honestly, even with that, it doesn¡¯t seem to add much motivation.¡± Henry: ¡°That¡­..you¡¯ll have to see.¡± This is not something advertised publicly. But it wasn¡¯t something I should say out loud, so I poked my head closer to Jend¡¯s to whisper. Henry: ¡°Jend, I know this is changing the subject, but you know that there are many female priests in the Ningel Church, right?¡± Jend: ¡°? Yeah, I know.¡± On the other hand, there are more males in the Grandes Church. Since it¡¯s a difference between a God of Battle and a God of Mother Earth, that is a natural trend. Regardless©`©` Henry: ¡°.......for those greeting the men of the Night Watch, there¡¯s an unspoken rule to choose someone that¡¯s¡­.prettier.¡± Jend: ¡°.......hey, you¡¯re not saying©`©`¡± Henry: ¡°The reason why so many men work hard to do the Night Watch is because at the end, a beautiful girl will tell them, ¡®Thank you for all your hard work,¡¯ and hand you a small gift.¡± Jend¡¯s smile strained with disbelief. Jend: ¡°Just for that?!¡± Henry: ¡°Just for that.¡± I know it sounds stupid. Anyone would think so. ¡­¡­¡­but the men of this city aren¡¯t that stupid either. Henry: ¡°Otherwise, someone has to do it anyway, so¡­¡­.isn¡¯t it the men¡¯s job to stand out in front to take the brunt of the weight?¡± And yes, this is also the petty pride of men. Jend: ¡°I©`I see¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s how it is. And the Priests of Ningel also know this. Hey, let¡¯s get in line.¡± Jend: ¡°S©`Sure. B©`But¡­.after hearing that, I don¡¯t know what Ferris will say later.¡± For crying out loud, this guy. Henry: ¡°Look, we¡¯re just getting a snack. It¡¯s nothing more or less than that.¡± Jend: ¡°I©`I mean, sure, you¡¯re right but¡­¡± Henry: ¡°Besides¡­..Jend, you¡¯re not going to tell me that it doesn¡¯t feel good to have a beautiful woman smile and hand you a snack, right?¡± Jend was unable to answer me. ¡­¡­.he¡¯s a man in the end. And, of course, I¡¯m happy too. Yeah, there¡¯s Cyril, but that is that. This is this. Henry: ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s go©`©`¡± I pushed Jend forward, and we headed towards the line that was getting slightly shorter. Since we were late, we headed straight for the back of the line. Henry: ¡°Now then, I wonder which Priest is responsible for this line.¡± Each Priest had a line formed in front of them, but there were too many people to know which line went to who. Only those who were first in line knew who the priest would be. I haven¡¯t seen Miss Financier in a while, so I¡¯d like to see her but©`©` ¡°Thank you for your hard work. Please take this.¡± ¡­¡­..I heard an all too familiar voice. Though it was in the middle of the night, the Priest greeted each person warmly. That tone of her voice was also incredibly familiar. Jend: ¡°Hey, Henry. Isn¡¯t that¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°.........nooooooooooo¡­¡­.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but feel my hopes busted and scratched my head. The Adventurer in front of me took the cup and left the line¡­¡­..and I felt the stabbing glare of the Saint of Salvation from underneath her business smile. Yuu: ¡°What were you saying, Henry? ¡­¡­.You need some sense knocked into that thick skull?¡± Crap. She heard me. Henry: ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing. C¡¯mon, Yuu. There¡¯s people behind us.¡± Yuu: ¡°........fine. Good work, Henry.¡± She violently scooped liquid from a large pot into a sturdy looking cup and quickly handed it to me. Yuu: ¡°Mr. Jend, thank you for all your hard work. I¡¯m glad to see you get through your first Night Watch. Please accept this as a token of our gratitude and sleep well tonight.¡± Jend: ¡°Y©`Yes, thank you very much!¡± Her greeting to Jend was nothing like mine. She used her Saint of Salvation smile and voice as she handed the cup to Jend. ¡­¡­.and though Jend has traveled with Yuu before, he blushed as he took the cup. ¡­..well, it¡¯s true that as far as meeting the bar for beauty, Yuu was perfect for the role. I chuckled seeing the gap between her public image and the girl inside as I sniffed the contents of the cup. Henry: ¡°......oh, tonight is hot wine.¡± By heating the wine, they took out some of the alcohol and added some spices to help heat you up on a cold night. With a small sip, I felt my body relax as the liquid went down. Jend: ¡°Oh, this is really good.¡± Jend took a sip from his cup and smiled with surprise. Looking around, the others who finished the Night Watch shift were also equally delighted. ¡­¡­.after a Night Watch, the moment you relaxed with the group like this was something special. And looking up, being able to have a warm drink while looking up at the night sky was also something else. Henry: ¡°.........yup, alright.¡± It was a tiring job©`©` ¡­¡­..but this was for the people in the city and for my friends. I was refreshed enough to do this again when the time came. CH 184 Ch. 184: The Daily Routine in Ligaleo ¡°¡«¡«?¡¡¡«¡«¤Ã¡¢?£¡¡± We were assigned to the 3rd Line. On the battlefield, a song rang cheerfully to all those around. Henry: ¡°....! Hah!¡± (*sfx exhale) A Bear-like Creature, a Mid-Tier Top Class swung its claws, and I quickly ducked to avoid it. I swung my spear as hard as I could to bash it away. It flew back and took two more in its group with it as it rolled backwards. Ferris: ¡°Mr. Henry! Please go support Jend!¡± Henry: ¡°Got it!¡± Seeing that I was available, Ferris sent an order. I look and see that Jend was facing a Water Fairy, an Undine- a disadvantageous Creature Type for his Fire Sword. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Strengthen] {Hazac}!¡± Jend: ¡°Oh! Wait 3 seconds, Henry!¡± With his sword blazing, Jend cut the air between him and the Undine to make it flinch, and then immediately retreated. A moment later, I threw the spear filled with my power. ¡­¡­.as a result, my spear split into 5 and struck all 5 Water Creatures and watched them explode. Teo: ¡°......Earth Charm!¡± Teo jumped in and with a Magecraft Spell inscribed on a small piece of paper, she mixed the remains of the Undines¡¯ bodies with the earth. For Spirit Type Creatures, you cannot defeat them by simply tearing them apart. The standard approach is to use another Magic Type to completely erase them, but as long as they are not Earth Types like a gnome, mixing their bodies with dirt is also an effective strategy. For the pure Spirit Types, being surrounded by another Magic Type will significantly delay their recovery. So if you are able to weaken them enough, you can finish them off. Ferris: ¡°Jend! Spin them upwards!¡± Jend: ¡°Sure thing!¡± Following Ferris¡¯ order, Jend thrust his broadsword into the ground and threw up dirt into the air. ¡­¡­..the dirt mixed in with Undines¡¯ water flew towards the Bloody Bears I encountered earlier. [Give me 5 more seconds!] ¡­..and Cyril sent a message telepathically through the Link Ring. Good timing. Henry: ¡°[Strengthen] {Hazac} + [Restrain] {Isu} + [Launch] {Veros}!¡± Teo: ¡°Restrain Charm!¡± I catered my Spell to cover and restrain Creatures in a wider area, and Teo, who began using her Magecraft items more frequently, used her restraining Charms. Bloody Bears are strong though, and they would be able to break out of this quickly but©`©` Cyril: ¡°{Bright Flood}!¡± ¡­.our Cyril, who spent two minutes building up this Spell with her song, swallowed up the Bloody Bears and the Undines who were regaining their former shape. A whirlwind of light passed by the area, and we did not see a single Creature remain. All that was left was a dark cluster of swirling black fumes that were turning back into Corrupted Magic. Cyril: ¡°Hehehe¡­.a grand victory! YES!¡± And Cyril let out a victorious shout. ¡­..she¡¯s always so energetic in the beginning. Just in the beginning though. Henry: ¡°Cyril, sorry to burst your bubble, but we got some nasty company. Incoming Zombies, Rotten Dogs, and even Dead Birds.¡± These types were famous for being extremely unpopular with the Adventurers - the Undead Type Demonic Creatures. ¡­¡­..ughhhhhh¡­..they¡¯re still quite a distance away, but I can smell them already. Cyril: ¡°Ugh?!? I©`I, I, I can do it!! Don¡¯t underestimate Miss Cyril!!¡± Cyril pinched her nose with one hand to avoid the smell and began singing. ¡­¡­.and well, I chose this location on purpose, because my Party needs to get used to these Types of Creatures quickly. Though they all freaked out in the beginning, they¡¯re finally getting used to it. Henry: ¡°Jend! I know you know this already, but be careful! If they scratch you, you¡¯ll be sick for a few days!¡± Jend: ¡°I know!¡± And for close-combat fighters, the Undead are difficult enemies. The Creatures know no fear, and even if they don¡¯t wound you badly, a small scratch could be problematic later on. Henry: ¡°[Fire] {Ignis} + [Fire] {Ignis}¡± I envelope my spear in flames. Jend also poured his Magic into his broadsword as it roared with flames and readied his stance. Burning the Undead with flames is a standard tactic. Occasionally, one of them would be full of gas, and it would ignite though. I nodded to Jend, and hearing Cyril¡¯s singing behind us, we dashed towards the Zombies. <<<<>>>> Cyril: ¡°Ahhhhh©`©`©` today was another exhausting day¡«¡± Cyril laid her head on the table. We came back to the Cries of the Stars Inn and took our routine baths. ¡­¡­.once we were done, Cyril came over to the table in the inn¡¯s living room where I was sitting and laid out her complaint as soon as she saw me. Henry: ¡°Hey, good work today.¡± Cyril: ¡°Henry, compliment me more. I worked so hard!¡± As she laid her face against the table¡¯s surface, she peeked her hopeful eyes up towards me. I patted her head gently with a few more compliments of ¡°Good job. Good job.¡± Cyril: ¡°Hmph. I don¡¯t think you really mean it, but I¡¯ll take it for now.¡± Henry: ¡°You know I¡¯m the Party Leader and a Heroic Warrior class, right?¡± But after our expedition was done, the Party members now have energy left over to sit around and chat. Earlier, they would return, bathe, eat, and then go straight to sleep. Compared to those days, they¡¯ve improved a lot. But it¡¯s not that they somehow gained more stamina in such a short period of time. They quickly adjusted to this environment and tweaked their fighting style to match it. And this is the result. Jend: ¡°But in all honesty, we¡¯re really thankful for your Magic, Cyril. Seriously, your Magic reserve is your one incredible talent.¡± Cyril: ¡°Jend©`©`©` what do you mean my ONE talent, huh? What do you mean by that?¡± Jend: ¡°I¡¯m joking. I¡¯m joking.¡± Jend brought it up lightly, but as a matter of fact, Cyril¡¯s Magic has been incredibly effective even here in Ligaleo. Jend, Teo, and I have stopped focusing on taking down our enemies, and rather, we made sure to stop them from running by us. We also made sure to gather them as close to one another in a group¡­¡­¡­and Cyril¡¯s Spell would blast them away. This was our most effective fighting tactic, and it allowed us to fight more leisurely. There is one problem. Normally, we would be faced with the issue of Cyril¡¯s Magic reserves depleting, and then we would have to retreat. But©`©` Teo: ¡°.......Miss Cyril, are you sure you¡¯re not taking some sort of Magic increasing pills? You¡¯ve fired off at least 100 large Spells per day, and you even lent us your Magic through the Link Ring. ¡­¡­.and even then, you still have more than enough Magic reserves to spare. Quite frankly, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re human.¡± Cyril: ¡°T©`Teo! What do you mean?! And besides! Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m worn out! I¡¯ve sung so much, my throat hurts!¡± Ferris reached inside her pocket to bring out a candy and handed it to Cyril. Ferris has been studying medicine, and this candy was handmade to help with sore throats. I tried one before, and it had honey mixed in so it tasted great. I didn¡¯t have a sore throat then, but tasting the other medicinal elements, I figured it had to be pretty effective. Cyril happily rolled the hard candy inside her mouth as Ferris chuckled. Ferris: ¡°Since we began in Flowtier, I¡¯ve seen you run out of stamina but never out of Magic. We¡¯re impressed, but the more we rely on you, the more we get worried, Cyril. We can¡¯t imagine the strain we¡¯re putting on you.¡± Cyril: ¡°.......hmmmm, well, I do appreciate everyone worrying about me, but I¡¯m not sure myself. I know I¡¯ve used up quite a bit of my reserves, but I can¡¯t tell how much.¡± Yeah¡­¡­¡­.in regards to just Magic reserves, she outranks even Mr. Riol. Cyril: ¡°Well, I come from a long line of Magicians. The original Magician of our order used their Spells to develop farmland, apparently.¡± Henry: ¡°Ohhh, yeah. I¡¯ve heard about that too.¡± We were leaving out a lot of details, but Cyril is a daughter of the former Fezard Royal Family. There was a time before godly equipment and Magecraft. People were pretty helpless, and it was the rare Magician who defended humanity. Among the Magicians, the founder of the Fezard Kingdom was born with enormous Magic power and built up the Kingdom. ¡­¡­is what I learned when I was a squire in the Knights Order. And in fact, it was said that many in the Royal line were born with great Magic reserves. ¡­¡­and even then, I still think Cyril must be in the upper tier of the highest tier. Cyril: ¡°So that¡¯s why you can place all©`©` your faith in Miss Cyril! It¡¯s the first time in my life that I was able to blast so many spells. It¡¯s so much fun!¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. When we were hunting in the Flowtier forest, you didn¡¯t use any big Spells. ¡­¡­.man, that seems so long ago now.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yeah, it was just me and you in the beginning. In our first expedition, I almost wiped you out with a Spell, right?¡± Jend: ¡°......since I have some resistance to fire, I didn¡¯t die from that Fire Spell, but because of that, we began signaling each other, right?¡± It was the time before I met the two. They both looked back nostalgically, and I felt a slight rush of jealousy. Yeah, I know, I know. They¡¯re just childhood friends. But Jend is a good guy, and he won¡¯t make a go at her. Even so¡­¡­¡­.there¡¯s¡­¡­just this slight flutter of worry and concern. I glanced at Ferris, and she also looked disgruntled with the situation like me. She did notice my stare and wiped the frown from her face. And of course, I¡¯m not going to throw a fit over this and ruin our Party¡¯s dynamic. It just bothered me a little. Henry: ¡°Cyril, can you come over here?¡± Cyril: ¡°? Okay©`©`¡± As they wrapped up the discussion about their first expeditions, I called Cyril over with a wave of a hand. She scooted her seat over to where I was sitting, and I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her near me. Cyril: ¡°!! What is it all of a sudden?!¡± Henry: ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Looking next to us, Ferris was also talking to Jend. ¡­¡­¡­feeling her against me, I felt the worries drift away. ¡°Here¡¯s the coffee you ordered.¡± As I was watching all the jealousy inside me vanish, a shadow crossed over us. A boy ©` or rather, someone who resembled a very young man ©` spoke with a gruff voice. It was the owner of the Cries of the Stars Inn, Mr. Chris, holding steaming hot cups of coffee. Henry: ¡°Oh! I almost forgot that we made those orders.¡± In the Inn¡¯s living room, Mr. Chris serves tea and other beverages. Since it¡¯s Mr. Chris who makes the drinks, if there¡¯s too many orders, he would flat out refuse. Chris: ¡°Hmph. Henry, you wanted your coffee black, right?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± I took the cup from him¡­¡­..and Mr. Chris remained standing there looking between Cyril and I. Chris: ¡°.......to think that a turd like you would fall in love¡­¡± Henry: ¡°W©`Wait, Mr. Chris? What are you¡­..?¡± Chris: ¡°I¡¯ve looked after you since you were a wee little brat. I can¡¯t help comment if you¡¯re flirting with a girl like this.¡± Well, yeah, and I¡¯m really grateful for all his help then. But I really wish he wouldn¡¯t tease us like that. Chris: ¡°But, as you well know, sex is prohibited in the inn. It¡¯s a pain cleaning the rooms, and there¡¯s still concern about night raids ©` albeit, not as often. If you want to do it, go to one of those establishments made for it.¡± Henry: ¡°*COUGH*!!¡± I accidentally spewed the coffee I was sipping. ¡­¡­..looking over, Cyril¡¯s face was bright red too. Henry: ¡°Mr. Chris, aren¡¯t you being too direct?¡± Chris: ¡°If I don¡¯t, there¡¯s idiots around who tend to forget. ¡­¡­oh, and Jend and Ferris, was it? This applies to you two too. Break these rules, and I¡¯ll throw you out.¡± ¡° ¡° Y©`Yes sir¡­ ¡± ¡± The two nodded towards Mr. Chris. Chris: ¡°Well, I won¡¯t stop you from flirting. Anyways, see ya.¡± Leaving it at that, Mr. Chris finally left. ¡­¡­¡­.*sigh*. Well, it¡¯ll take some time before the Party has enough energy remaining after expeditions. ¡­¡­¡­¡­..I felt Cyril¡¯s quick glances in my direction. ¡­¡­¡­.ughhhhh, it feels so awkward now! In that way, as we dealt with these kinds of small concerns, our days in Ligaleo continued. CH 185 Ch.185: The Hero Ligaleo was composed of an outer wall and an inner wall, and today, I was inside the inner wall. Here, non-combat residents set up their residents and many of the city¡¯s main infrastructure stemmed from this area, so there were many critical areas such as the food supplies that had to be heavily protected. If you¡¯re an average adventurer, you might come here on a rare off-day or come here to treat your wounds or an illness, but besides that, it was foreign territory. ¡­¡­.and among all the important facilities, the Central Government Office was the most critical. Normally, you would finish all the government paperwork in one of the branch offices, so I could count with one hand the number of times I visited this place. The reason why us adventurers could focus on fighting was because the local government handled all the politics with the related countries. And yes, I¡¯m very grateful to them for that. ¡­¡­..since 3 major countries sent their government officials here to represent their respective interests, there is a slight problem with stark political division among the local officials. We¡¯ll just say it¡¯s minor and leave it at that. Henry: ¡°*fwewwwwww*.........ugh.¡± We had business at the Central Office, but as soon as it was done, and I stepped outside, I felt my knees suddenly weaken with relief sweeping over me. Cyril: ¡°Ack?! Henry, are you okay?¡± And seeing me almost fall to the ground, Cyril, who was with me, looked me over with concerned eyes. Henry: ¡°No, I¡¯m okay. ¡­¡­..I¡¯m okay, but that was mentally draining¡­..¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh©` I see. Then, shall we rest in that park nearby?¡± Henry: ¡°.......yeah.¡± They constructed a small park in front of the Central Office, and there were benches set up too. We found an unoccupied bench, and sitting down, I blew out a long, long sigh of relief. Cyril: ¡°Were you that nervous?¡± Henry: ¡°........it was a meeting with the top 3 representatives, you know. You¡¯re not tired at all?¡± It was a meeting with the official representatives governing Ligaleo. Each was a representative of one of the 3 major nations. Because it was agreed to perform joint governing, they had reputations to uphold, and each came from a Noble¡¯s family. ¡­¡­this wasn¡¯t a random or sudden meeting. We had made an appointment, and they finally made time for us. And I¡¯m not a nobody on the lowest rung of society, but even as a Heroic Warrior, they don¡¯t have time for the likes of me. Cyril: ¡°Of course. I was sent on behalf of Sir Alvare, so it was important to give a good impression. But our goals did not conflict, so as long as I acted properly, there wouldn¡¯t have been any issues.¡± Henry: ¡°I©`I see¡­¡­..¡± She did not consider it to be such a big deal, but that took me by surprise. ¡­¡­..so yes, we©`©`or rather Cyril, came to meet the representatives of this city with the help of Flowtier¡¯s Governor, Sir Alvare. The purpose was to apologize for the lack of contribution in providing soldiers and Adventurers. Due to the peaceful nature of the Flowtier region, the strength and quality of the troops would be lacking. This was all explained in a letter, but it was better to explain these things in person. But this was not urgent by any means, so they made us wait quite a bit. But we also had one more agenda in mind¡­¡­we also told them about why Cyril was chosen as a representative. She was one of the surviving members of the former Fezard Kingdom, and she is a sister-in-law to Sir Alvare. Our ultimate goal was to revive the fallen kingdom, but it is actually difficult to gain support for these kinds of things as we succeed here in Flowtier. Before leaving Flowtier, we discussed this in depth with Sir Alvare, and it was decided that the best course of action would be to share the details of our goals a little at a time. Cyril just mentioned how nice it would be to see the former Fezard Kingdom revived while exchanging pleasantries. ¡­¡­even so. It would be different if this was a quest as an Adventurer to guard a representative, but just as someone tagging along, meeting these Nobles was really nerve wrecking. But¡­.. Cyril: ¡°Wh©`Why are you staring at me like that?¡± Henry: ¡°No¡­¡­.I was just surprised to see you handle that so well.¡± Cyril did not look out of place the entire time. We did not relay Sir Alvare¡¯s apology and call it quits. The discussion went on in an elegant fashion, and there was no way I was going to poke my head in when they started talking about politics. I can¡¯t explain it well, but Cyril just talked differently with Nobles. Cyril: ¡°Well, you know where and how I was born. I was even trained in my days in Flowtier.¡± Henry: ¡°R©`Really?¡± Cyril: ¡°I mean, our goal is far-stretched. Besides, if Sir Alvare saw that I gave up on the Kingdom¡¯s revival, he was probably going to use my royal lineage in some manner. So either way, I would have to be comfortable in dealings like these.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.well, Sir Alvare was a very peaceful and kind-hearted man, but as a Governor, I was sure that he had to play these kinds of politics too. This is not something I could ever do¡­¡­¡­.well, I might be required to do it anyways. If the revival of the Fezard Kingdom becomes a reality, I would most likely be pulled into the politics too. Henry: ¡°But man, I had nothing to do the whole time today.¡± I spoke to introduce myself and to excuse myself when we left. Cyril: ¡°I¡¯m glad you were here though. As a representative of a Governor, it would have looked bad to not have at least one companion standing by. Besides, they complimented you too. I was so proud when they mentioned it.¡± It was concerning the two times where I had to face off with Demonic Generals. Though the fame of the Heroes of Legend completely overshadowed my involvement in those stories, the representatives were aware of my accomplishments. Henry: ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure they were just being polite.¡± Cyril: ¡°I¡¯m pretty certain that¡¯s the case too, but at least they knew you by name!¡± I appreciate the honesty, but I wish Cyril could have softened that blow to my pride. Cyril: ¡°So what should we do now? We are in the inner city walls, so do you want to take a tour?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©` let¡¯s see¡­.¡± If we followed our usual schedule, we would have gone on an expedition today. With the meeting with the representatives, we canceled our schedule with the Party, everyone besides Cyril and I are doing different jobs. Jend is doing security duty at the South Gate. Ferris is working as a Ningel Church¡¯s Healer at Yuu¡¯s clinic. Ageha came to pick up Teo for training. Ferris is around some familiar faces, and I¡¯m not worried about Teo and Ageha. Hmmmm¡­. Henry: ¡°I¡¯m going to go check on Jend. He¡¯s really sociable, but he doesn¡¯t know many people here in Ligaleo.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ahhhh, I see. Yes, please do. I¡¯d hate for him to be forgotten and all alone!¡± Henry: ¡°.......wait, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s in that bad of a situation¡­¡± But since it¡¯s his first job alone, I should check up on him. Henry: ¡°Oh, Cyril, you should return to the Cries of the Stars Inn. I know you¡¯ve been getting more and more tired lately.¡± Cyril: ¡°.......hahaha, could you tell?¡± She¡¯s doing a good job with keeping up with us, but on this 2 days on, 1 day off schedule, we¡¯re getting to the point where she¡¯s going to have trouble fully recovering just with a single day of rest. It¡¯s a good opportunity to let her take a break. As we decided, we left the park in front of the Central Office. <<<<>>>> At the South Gate. This is the final line of defense before Demonic Creatures can enter the city. This also serves as a safe resting point for Adventurers retreating from Creatures, so it¡¯s a pretty important post. It also has many other purposes, but that¡¯s why you will see the same quality of people as you would on the 1st Line. Also, people who had Party members taking the day off also participated in guarding this area. There are days when nothing happens, but if something does go down, it¡¯s usually pretty crazy. You can have a stampede of Creatures appear on the 3rd line for instance. ¡­¡­putting that aside. I walked with Cyril back to the Cries of the Stars Inn, and then headed to the Number 7 Church to accept the afternoon shift for the South Gate security duties. After I arrived, I was looking for Jend when©`©` Jend: ¡°Hm? Oh! It¡¯s Henry. Are you all done with your business at the Central Office?¡± ¡­¡­..he was next to someone who stood out like crazy, so I located him very quickly. All of that is fine but©` Henry: ¡°Y©`Yeah¡­¡­well, it wasn¡¯t going to take too long anyways. ¡­¡­¡­so¡­¡­.¡± I glanced briefly at the man Jend was speaking with. He wore a slender full plate armor and wore a masked helmet. The swordsman carried a very famous sword that anyone would recognize. Contrary to his intimidating armor though, the aura from the man was rather peaceful and pleasant. Henry: ¡°Oh, Mr. Cecil. This is Henry, our Party Leader that I mentioned earlier.¡± Cecil: ¡°Ah, so it was about you.¡± Jend introduced me, and as Cecil looked my way, he nodded with understanding. Jend: ¡°Mr. Cecil, did you know Henry?¡± Cecil: ¡°Yes, we are somewhat acquainted. We served at this post a few times, and we have stood on the battlefield together. Yes, it was Henry, correct? My apologies. I¡¯m sure we have been introduced, but I was unable to place a face to the name until now.¡± Henry: ¡°N©`No sir. I do not believe that we were formally introduced¡­¡­there is no offense taken.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but feel the edges of my lips twitch nervously as I responded to the man. ¡­¡­in some ways, this was far more nerve wracking than meeting with those representatives. Cecil: ¡°Is that so? Then allow me the courtesy. My name is Cecil Lowlight. It is a pleasure making your acquaintance.¡± Henry: ¡°H©`Henry, nice to meet you.¡± Cecil: ¡°Okay, now I have memorized your face and name. I wondered where you went lately, but I guess you were somewhere in the backlines. Mr. Jend here told me about it.¡± Henry: ¡°I©`It¡¯s an honor to have you know of me.¡± I was becoming increasingly nervous. Cecil: ¡°If I remember correctly, that youngster Ezeal and lil¡¯ Miss Lotte, Mr. Riol, and oh! You also had ties to Miss Saint of Salvation and Miss Head Chopper, yes? You are so familiar with so many of the Heroes of Legend. I would be pleased if you would add me to your list of friends.¡± Henry: ¡°O©`Of course, sir. I©`I would be happy to do so, Sir Hero.¡± Cecil: ¡°No need to call me a Hero.¡± He made a scratching gesture over his cheeks on top of his helmet, but this was the [Hero] Cecil Lowlight. From the way he addressed Sir Ezeal and Ms. Lotte, his voice sounds young, but he descends from a long-lived race. For reasons I won¡¯t go into right now, he has allowed Sir Ezeal to take the Head of the Heroes of Legend, but in a one on one fight, I didn¡¯t doubt that this man would come out on top. Well, I guess that depended on the circumstances of the fight too. Henry: ¡°S©`So Jend, how did you end up speaking with Mr. Cecil?¡± Jend: ¡°Hm? Ohhhh, well, I didn¡¯t know anyone here, so I was pretty bored. Seeing that I was alone, Mr. Cecil was kind enough to chat with me.¡± As Jend explained, Mr. Cecil also added his own comment. Cecil: ¡°Well©` when you have been a Hero of Legend as long as I have, people seem to have a harder time speaking with you casually. I especially have difficulty because I rarely form Parties with anyone. I was very glad to find Jend here willing to speak with me.¡± Jend: ¡°Hahaha, I learned so much from just speaking with you. Thank you very much.¡± Jend seems to be very relaxed, but Mr. Cecil has the longest record as a Hero of Legend, and he has saved towns, cities, and even nations many times over. He is the epitome of all Heroes of Legend. He is gentle in nature, but once a battle begins, he becomes the most brazen and courageous man who grasps victory no matter what. Since he does not stick out too much, he is less well known than other Heroes of Legend, but for those who have witnessed him fight, everyone who has done so walks away as an admirer. I couldn¡¯t believe how casual Jend could be¡­¡­¡­..but I guess in hindsight, that was expected. Jend hasn¡¯t been in Ligaleo for too long. And on top of that, he has met Sir Ezeal, Ms. Lotte, Mr. Riol, and Mr. Gordon. Oh, and Yuu and Ageha. He¡¯s met a lot of Heroes of Legend in his short career. If he was a true newbie in Ligaleo, the nervousness of meeting a Hero of Legend would crush most newcomers, but because he had so many encounters prior to Ligaleo, he might have been desensitized too much. ¡­¡­but Mr. Cecil seemed pleased, so I decided not to say anything. Cecil: ¡°Then Henry, let¡¯s chat. You were working hard at a town called Flowtier?¡± Cyril: ¡°Y©`Yes¡­..I was.¡± Argh! It¡¯s time to suck it up as a man. Yes, Mr. Cecil is one of the Adventurers I admire most, but it¡¯s also true that we both work the same occupation. I just need to speak to him normally. Henry: ¡°Yes, I grew up in Ligaleo, so going to Flowtier, there was a lot of new experiences.¡± Cecil: ¡°I see, I see. Tell me more.¡± Mr. Cecil was genuinely excited like a child, so as he pressed for more information, I began talking a lot. Henry: ¡°.........hm?¡± ©`©`and the peace was suddenly broken with the sound of a ringing bell. My hand reached for my spear as Mr. Cecil reached for his sword. ¡­¡­..the bell signal was for sudden emergencies. ¡°6 o¡¯clock, 3 kilometers out! A Highest-Tier identified¡­¡­! Fenrir!!¡± One of the soldiers on the watchtower yelled through a Magecraft tool that magnified his voice. ¡­¡­in Ligaleo, even on the 3rd line, a Highest-Tier will occasionally appear at least once a month. Though it is better than the 1st line where they spawn, once, twice, or occasionally 3 times a week, Adventurers on the 3rd line are typically weaker than those on the 1st line. If things go bad, there¡¯s going to be casualties but©`©` Cecil: ¡°A Fenrir, huh. It¡¯s been a while since the last one.¡± With just that, Mr. Cecil disappeared like the wind. ¡°Those with experience against a Fenrir follow Mr. Cecil! ¡­..even if it¡¯ll be over when you get there!¡± Everyone chuckled quietly at the end comment as they all nodded to one another. But if in a one in thousand, no, one in a million chance, there was always the possibility that even something could happen to Mr. Cecil. So just in case, a few followed after him. ¡­¡­.I thought about going, but I saw Jend fidget in place, so stayed back to make sure that he didn¡¯t go. Jend: ¡°H©`Henry, isn¡¯t a Fenrir that thing you fought with Ms. Charlotte?¡± Henry: ¡°Yup.¡± Jend: ¡°.......I know Mr. Cecil is a Hero of Legend, but will he be okay alone?¡± It¡¯s way too soon for you to be worrying about him, Jend. Henry: ¡°He¡¯s absolutely fine. A freshly spawned Highest-Tier would only last about¡­¡­30 seconds against Mr. Cecil.¡± ¡­¡­.and apparently, this Fenrir was pretty tough and survived a full minute against Mr. Cecil. But the fact that it didn¡¯t take him longer than a minute is why he¡¯s called a [Hero]. CH 186 Ch. 186: A Night Celebration with the Hero We finished our shift guarding the South Gate. Jend and I returned to the Cries of the Stars Inn. ¡­¡­¡­.with one really famous guest tagging along with us. Cecil: ¡°Ah! So this is your inn! What a wonderful place to stay!¡± And nodding approving next to us was the [Hero], Mr. Cecil. It was impossible to see his expression underneath his full-face mask, but we assumed he was smiling from his voice. Jend: ¡°Yes, and Mr. Cecil, what inn do you stay at?¡± Cecil: ¡°Oh, I actually own a house. I had a small hut built right next to the South Gate¡­¡­.it¡¯s beside the Alvenia Black Knights¡¯ barracks.¡± Jend didn¡¯t know this, but this is a well known fact. Mr. Cecil asked to have his residence built close to the gate so that he can respond to Creature attacks anytime. And this was exactly as Mr. Cecil described. It was indeed a poorly built hut. It was just sufficient to avoid the wind and rain during the nights. All he had to do was ask to have a beautiful mansion built, but he refuses those offers and says there¡¯s a lot of benefits in living in a place like that. Jend: ¡°........isn¡¯t it uncomfortable living in a place like that?¡± Cecil: ¡°Haha, well, living creatures are all highly adaptable. You get used to it after a while, and just a little while back, we had many Night Raids quite frequently, and I could not sleep that well, but¡­¡­¡­lately, I¡¯ve been able to sleep through the night.¡± Of course, he was referring to Ligaleo¡¯s Magecraft Barrier now working sufficiently - and this was all thanks to a girl we know. Cecil: ¡°I was shocked when I heard that you knew of her, but I have nothing but gratitude towards that girl named Lana who invented that mechanism.¡± Henry: ¡°Haha¡­¡­well, she¡¯s just like any other ordinary-looking girl, really.¡± And Lana¡¯s fame has even reached our Mr. Hero. The topic came up while we were on duty, and he was quite shocked when the connection was made. Cecil: ¡°Though they call me a Hero, I can only protect only as far as my sword reaches. So for those who make these breakthroughs in technology are far more impressive to me.¡± ¡­¡­..well, to be frank, the reach of his sword covers an incredible amount of area. He even got to the newly spawned Fenrir in seconds and crushed it. Cecil: ¡°Oh, I¡¯m keeping you all from going in. Now, now, let¡¯s enter.¡± Jend: ¡°Yes.¡± The door to the Cries of the Stars Inn creaked as it opened. As we step inside, a few Adventurers chatting in the living room peer towards us. ¡°........oh, isn¡¯t that Mr. Cecil?¡± ¡°What?! The Hero?!¡± And the murmurs spread quickly with recognition. ¡­¡­.but a Hero of Legend in Ligaleo is not a rare sight. Sir Ezeal would be with several Knights at a tavern often, and Mr. Riol would go try the coffee at a newly opened cafe. And even here, we have Yuu and Ageha staying at this inn. That¡¯s why most would not stir if a Hero of Legend appeared, but¡­¡­.the [Hero] was different. He¡¯s not the type to go out much. But when Jend asked, ¡°Mr. Cecil, would you like to come have a drink with us?¡± And he agreed without any hesitation. I guess if he wasn¡¯t alone most of the time, he would appear at most events. And as we were standing at the living room entrance, Cyril, who was speaking to Ruby and Bianca from the [Star Nights], trotted over to us. Cyril: ¡°Welcome back, Henry, Jend. ¡­¡­..and ummmm, you guys caused quite a fuss, but who is with you? Oh, that tag.¡± And Mr. Cecil tag was the Heroes of Legend tag made of orichalcum. Mr. Cecil politely bowed towards Cecil. Mr. Cecil: ¡°A pleasure making your acquaintance, young lady. I am Cecil Lowlight. I am considered as one of the Heroes of Legend.¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes, thank you for your polite introduction! My name is Cyril. I am in the same Party as those two.¡± And Cyril¡¯s reaction was the same as Jend. She was not nervous at all. But well, I don¡¯t think Cyril would ever be nervous speaking with anyone. Cyril: ¡°But, ummm, since we are indoors, I think it would be better to take off the helmet. Cecil: ¡°Ahh, yes. You¡¯re right.¡± Though Cyril does have a point, even so¡­¡­.. Henry: ¡°Mr. Cecil, you don¡¯t have to.¡± Cecil: ¡°Now, now. If you live here, you¡¯ll eventually come to know. Mr. Jend, Miss Cyril, I apologize in advance if I surprise you.¡± And with a *click*, Mr. Cecil began loosening his helmet. As he took it off, they saw a very attractive silver-haired man. But though most women would get very excited in a meeting with a man like this, he had two very noticeable characteristics. His skin had a blue-ish tint, and his eyes were scarlet, the color of blood. ¡­¡­..and the former characteristic held a very specific meaning to us all. ¡°A Demon Race?!¡± And one of the Adventurers in the living room abruptly got up¡­¡­.but the Adventurer next to him held him back to try and calm him. It was probably a newcomer who didn¡¯t know about Mr. Cecil. Cyril: ¡°Ah©` my apologies. I did not realize that others besides you two were unaware.¡± Embarrassed, Mr. Cecil scratched his cheek. ¡­¡­and he probably encountered the same situation countless times before. He didn¡¯t seem to mind that Adventurer¡¯s reaction. Cyril: ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re a Demon Race. It¡¯s the first time for me to meet someone like you.¡± Jend: ¡°Me too.¡± Cecil: ¡°That¡¯s not a surprise. There¡¯s hardly any living in the northern continent. ¡­¡­and the Demon Kingdom is at war with the North¡¯s 3 greatest nations, so none of my brethren can travel here either.¡± And the fact barely registered with Cyril and Jend, but for those who have been beaten down on countless occasions by Demon Generals, the public opinion against the Demon Race was honestly terrible. And even if the war ended tomorrow, our relationship with the Demon Race would be highly questionable. ¡­¡­.and it was Mr. Cecil who was carrying that relationship all by himself. Because he¡¯s on our side, it was hard to deem all Demon Races as a public enemy. Cyril: ¡°Ummmm, so, I¡¯m not sure if this question is appropriate or not but¡­.¡± Cecil: ¡°Ah, yes. So you want to know why I do not fight on the Demon Kingdom¡¯s side? That¡¯s simple. If you¡¯re fighting a war where one side¡¯s soldiers are Demonic Creatures¡­¡­.then it¡¯s apparent to me whose side I should be fighting on.¡± ¡­¡­and yeah, no one really talks about it, but it¡¯s obvious that this is not a typical war. Other than Demon Generals who [spawn] Demonic Creatures and lead them into battle, you do not see any other Demon Race on the battlefield. Other than the Demon Generals, we have no clue about other Demon Races. The Demonic Creatures are completely blocking our path for us to go see, and none of our communication Magecraft devices work due to the Corrupted Magic. ¡­¡­.and though the war is officially against the Demonic Kingdom, I don¡¯t really know who or what we¡¯re fighting against. Information like this wouldn¡¯t be passed down to an average Adventurer like me, so I¡¯m certain that the people higher-up are trying to find out. People like Sir Ezeal, and Mr. Cecil might know¡­¡­.but they probably can¡¯t answer any questions like that. Yuu and Ageha are Heroes of Legend, but they are probably still too young to know.¡± Cecil: ¡°Now then, let¡¯s drink! It¡¯s been a while since I had my last drink.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, yes. Then let¡¯s head to the dining area.¡± Though the inn has a schedule for when meals are served, there is no problem if you bring food and drink yourselves and eat there. We brought several snacks and ale for this occasion. Cyril: ¡°Sheesh, I know we have the day off tomorrow, but don¡¯t drink too much, okay?¡± Henry: ¡°We know, we know.¡± I wave off Cyril¡¯s concerns. ¡­¡­..and in truth, it would be foolish to get wasted when we¡¯re not even inside the inner wall. At the very least, we need to be able to make judgements and run if a Creature breaches the wall. That is the minimum expectation placed on Adventurers. Jend: ¡°Henry, I¡¯m going to go drop our stuff in our rooms.¡± Henry: ¡°Thanks. We¡¯ll be in the dining area.¡± Jend: ¡°¡®kay.¡± I watched Jend leave, and as we entered the dining area¡­..we saw the inn owner, Mr. Chris, use his Magecraft to clean the room. Several rags were wiping down the table. After a while, they would leave and dump themselves inside the buckets and wring themselves dry. The brooms were also energetically sweeping and picking up small dust and dirt together. ¡­¡­.this is the Rhys Style Magecraft. To be frank, it¡¯s a whole lot more difficult than those crude Battle Magecraft styles, so it¡¯s a very minor style over all. The more equipment you try to manipulate the harder it gets¡­¡­..and looking at all the rags, brooms, and dust pans, Mr. Chris was moving at least 20 ©` something only the best of the best can do. Chris: ¡°Hm?¡± Mr. Chris was focused on his Cleaning Spell, and noticing us, turned around. Chris: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Henry. And¡­¡­..hmph, well, well, well. If it isn¡¯t the honorable and famous Mr. Hero.¡± Cecil: ¡°Hello, Chris. So this was your inn.¡± And Mr. Cecil greeted Mr. Chris warmly. Henry: ¡°Oh, you two know each other?¡± Chris: ¡°When I was an Adventurer, we were in the same Party for a short time.¡± I knew that Mr. Chris was a Heroic Warrior back in the day, but I didn¡¯t know that he was in the same Party as Mr. Cecil. Henry: ¡°.........oh, but Mr. Cecil, in that case, why didn¡¯t you know about this inn?¡± It¡¯s an inn owned by one of his old friends after all. Chris: ¡°Hmph, well, this guy here is someone who won¡¯t visit you for years if you just leave him be. He¡¯s only been to this inn once on its grand-opening. ¡­¡­when it was built for the first time.¡± Oh©` I¡¯ve been at the Cries of the Star Inn for quite some time, so that¡¯s why I never met him here. Cecil: ¡°Hahaha, yes, that is true. I did not realize so much time has passed. Is little Miss Patty doing well?¡± Chris: ¡°She¡¯s making dinner in the kitchen for our guests.¡± Cecil: ¡°I see.¡± And Mr. Cecil was also acquainted with Mr. Chris¡¯ wife, Mrs. Patricia. Chris: ¡°And so¡­¡­.¡± Mr. Chris observed the food and drinks we brought and spoke. Chris: ¡°I see you brought food and ale. Planning on celebrating tonight?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, we just finished our shift and met there. We were going to have a drink together with Jend too. Which table can we use?¡± Chris: ¡°Just use any table I just cleaned. I¡¯ll bring you guys some cups and plates.¡± I thanked Mr. Chris and bowed my head. We went around to different food stands on the way back, so having plates would be very helpful. Henry: ¡°Oh, and we¡¯re hoping to eat dinner too if that¡¯s possible.¡± We were hoping to just get some side dishes to add to our meal. We did that pretty often before. Chris: ¡°I know, I know. Hey, Cecil. If you¡¯re going to eat, you better pay up.¡± Cecil: ¡°Yes, please. I¡¯m looking forward to it. Little Miss Patty¡¯s cooking is the best.¡± Chris: ¡°Don¡¯t Little Miss someone¡¯s wife, but¡­¡­.whatever, I¡¯ll put in your order.¡± Mr. Chris turned to enter the kitchen to add our orders. A moment later, we heard a loud, ¡°We got an order from that idiot, Cecil!!¡± echo across the room. Cecil: ¡°Chris hasn¡¯t changed at all. I think he¡¯s quite upset that I haven¡¯t visited in a while.¡± Henry: ¡°Has it really been that long?¡± I guess it had to be at least 10 years ago. The Demon Race is similar to the Elves in that they all have extremely long life expectancies, so they tend to be more lax about time for that reason. As I was thinking about those things, we saw plates, cups, and a set of knives and forks float by and land on our table. The ice pale was empty at first when it came, but as soon as it landed, the ice was created inside. This was, of course, all done through Magecraft. ¡­¡­.the Rhys style really is convenient. Jend: ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting!¡± And around that time, Jend came back wearing his casual clothes. But as an Adventurer of Ligaleo, he brought his main weapon with him. We quickly filled the cups with the whiskey we brought and raised it in the air. We had the eldest, Mr. Cecil, do the honors. Cecil: ¡°Then a toast to new friends and new beginnings. ¡­Cheers!¡± ¡° ¡° Cheers ¡± ¡± And clinked our cups together. ¡­¡­¡­the night continued with our festivities. With the famous, Mr. Cecil, in the area tonight, the others joined in on our celebration, and the whole inn erupted into one festive occasion. Teo came back, and tragedy struck when¡­¡­¡­she decided to serve all the remaining Flowtier Ale I was going to drink carefully. B©`But well. If it was to build ties with Mr. Cecil, then it was not wasted. ¡­¡­not wasted at all¡­¡­. CH 187 Ch. 187: The Two Top Leaders I thrust the end of my spear into the heart of the remaining Creature. The Demonic Creature cried out its last breath¡­¡­and looking around, the group of 10 Demonic Apes had been wiped out. Henry: ¡°.........Demonic Apes completely annihilated, good.¡± We were on the 2nd Line. Our job was to stand behind the 1st Line and take care of the Creatures that slipped by them. It was La Flowtier¡¯s first 2nd Line assignment¡­¡­.and we actually had a lot of time on our hands. Well, we were fighting, but once we wiped out the Creatures, there was plenty of time to take a breather. There weren¡¯t that many Demonic Apes just now¡­¡­.but as I reflected on our situation, Cyril spoke up. Cyril: ¡°........Henry, didn¡¯t you say that the 2nd Line is tougher than the 3rd? I can¡¯t tell the difference between the two right now.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, of course it is. I specifically chose today because of that. I told her before we left, right?¡± The Corrupted Magic was dense here, so Creatures naturally spawn here. But besides that¡­¡­..we only encountered the Creatures that flow from the Demon Kingdom twice today. And they were already severely wounded as they met the 2nd Line, so taking care of them was quick and easy. Cyril: ¡°I know but©`©` ¡­¡­awwww, look at that over there. I¡¯d like to really some big Spells too.¡± And looking ahead of Cyril¡­¡­we looked up at the sky right above the 1st Line. There was quite a distance between the two lines, but we could see that from here very well ©` it was at least several dozen meters wide. Jend: ¡°......the Heroes of Legend are really out of this league. I¡¯ve never seen Magecraft on that scale, ever.¡± Ferris: ¡°Me neither. There are some Attack Spells in the Ningel¡¯s Hand¡­¡­..but I don¡¯t know of any Mage who can use Spells on that scale.¡± Jend and Ferris looked up into the sky in awe. They were looking at the Magecraft Inscription that was created above the 1st Line. It was hard to tell the details from here, but the bright lines of light combined several times to make a Kroseid Style Spell. The Astra Style wrote inscriptions made of light into the air, and usually, there is no way to use this in actual combat. But using this Style, he created Spells of another Style with it¡­¡­.to be frank, it was not an elegant solution per se. The inscription of light floating in the sky would flash, and the next instant, several hundred Magic Arrows would come raining down. Arrows were fired as Creatures arrived on the scene. This was the Large-scale Light Annihilation Area Attack Spell, {The Piercing Meteor Rain}. This was Riol Kroseid¡¯s Magecraft Spell used for protecting Ligaleo. And Mr. Riol was flying above us using the {Bird of Guidance} which we rode on before when traveling with him. With that, he was maintaining both Spells and timed his attacks. Teo: ¡°With that kind of Spell, we would certainly expect to see a lot less Creatures. ¡­..but I have to admit that I am feeling bored as well.¡± Henry: ¡°Well, that Spell takes a lot out of Mr. Riol, so you won¡¯t see it that often.¡± I clarify Mr. Riol¡¯s limits to reassure Teo. ¡­¡­and the Adventurers on the 1st Line are top class at Ligaleo. Even then, you will see quite a gap between the strongest and weakest serving on the 1st Line. And sometimes, the Parties sent to the 1st Line would have scheduling conflicts, and inevitably, this leads to days where there just isn¡¯t enough people sometimes. So on those days, Mr. Riol comes out to help with his Spell. By wiping out waves of Demonic Creatures that travel from the Demon Kingdom, he decreases the pressure on the 1st Line. If the Creature is weak, they will be taken out by the Spell. The tougher ones may survive, but typically, they can¡¯t avoid injury¡­¡­..and even without enough people, the 1st Line would take care of the rest. So periodically, when Mr. Riol uses his {Piercing Meteor Rain}, the 2nd Line has an easier time. We were lucky that Mr. Riol appeared near our area assignment, so that¡¯s why today felt lukewarm. This was, however, all according to plan to help us adjust to the 2nd Line. Cyril: ¡°Grrr, well, I think I can do something similar with my Spell but¡­..it would be more difficult to be able to maintain a Spell that long and only fire it as needed¡­¡­¡± ¡­¡­¡­the fact that she can do something similar is already unbelievable. And it would be difficult to create a Spell that you can fire at will with Cyril¡¯s singing and dancing Magic Style. Cyril: ¡°But I¡¯m getting better and better with each fight! As someone who will be Mr. Riol¡¯s rival, I¡¯m going to surpass him in the near future!¡± Henry: ¡°......by the way, even if Mr. Riol was attacked by flying types, he would be able to take care of them with that Spell. Even if a Dragon-Class came, he would combine multiple arrows together to take it out. ¡­¡­¡­Cyril, even you won¡¯t be able to do that solo.¡± Cyril has a lot of talent and potential. Give her about 10 years, and she may be able to annihilate all Creatures on a battlefield by firing off Spells as she dances and sings¡­¡­but as she is now, it¡¯s an enormously tall order. Cyril: ¡°Ugh¡­¡­b©`but there¡¯s no reason for me to fight alone! I have the bonds of friendship! Yes, isn¡¯t that what¡¯s most important?¡± Henry: ¡°Sure, sure. Then with that bond, let¡¯s take out the next group, shall we?¡± ¡­¡­.and even though it is much easier today on the 2nd Line, it¡¯s still a battlefield. I readied my Spear to welcome the many types of Golems that just spawned in the area. <<<<>>>> Four hours passed working on the 2nd Line. As we were getting ready to retreat, we felt¡­¡­¡­a huge¡­..presence approaching us from behind. Teo: ¡°........?!¡± Jend: ¡°........wh©`what is that?!¡± It only took a few seconds before Teo and Jend also noticed and immediately turned around. The only reason why I was able to sense it faster than Teo who had higher scout abilities than me was because I knew this presence better. Henry: ¡°Oh©` Teo, Jend. Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s just him.¡± Jend: ¡°Him¡­¡­?¡± Eventually, seeing the giant man in black armor, Jend¡¯s eyes widened. Although it had to be his imagination, Jend felt a small earthquake as the man took one proud step after another. But surprisingly, there was zero animosity towards people¡­..so to put it simply, this was an invitation to all the aggressive enemies in the area saying, ¡°Come and fight me. I¡¯m right here.¡± And even in Ligaleo, there is only one person who can get away with doing that. Jend: ¡°......it¡¯s Sir Grand¡¯ezeal.¡± The leader of the 8 Heroes of Legend. Holding the infamous title of ¡°Grand Hero,¡± Grand¡¯ezeal Vandelstein came walking towards us. Each step he took was firm and precise as he made his way over. Ezeal: ¡°Oh!! Well if it isn¡¯t La Flowtier! I saw Lady Cyril¡¯s Spell from afar, and I presumed as much. You all look well!¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, hello Sir Ezeal.¡± Everyone also greeted Sir Ezeal one by one. Ezeal: ¡°Yes, hello to you all indeed! ¡­..oh!¡± Sir Ezeal swung his broad sword once towards a creature that spawned 10 meters to the right. His slash carried through the air and cut the creature in half. ¡­¡­.he made it look so easy. I believe that was an Evil Serpent. ¡­¡­it¡¯s a Mid-Tier Upper-Class creature. Ezeal: ¡°Ah! My apologies. I did not mean to take your prey.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, we don¡¯t mind. It was just one.¡± Besides, lizard types are pretty gross and difficult to fight against. Ezeal: ¡°Ah, I see. ¡­¡­hmmm, it is such a coincidence to meet you all here. I would love to sit down and chat but©`©`¡± Sir Ezeal glanced towards Mr. Riol¡¯s Magecraft Inscription in the sky where the 1st Line was still fighting. Ezeal: ¡°I must go relieve Riol! Now then, you all, be careful of injuries and fight well!¡± And without another word, Sir Ezeal continued walking towards the 1st Line. ¡­¡­he cut down a Giant that spawned on the way like it was nothing. Jend: ¡°........it¡¯s my first time seeing Sir Grand¡¯ezeal on the battlefield, but the way he swings that sword is unbelievable.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, Jend, you noticed?¡± Jend: ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Natural¡± is the only way to describe Sir Ezeal¡¯s sword swing. Ms. Lotte once told me it¡¯s because he swung with no will behind the sword. If you ready a weapon to face Demonic Creature, you will carry some animosity towards the creature¡­¡­.something like, ¡°I¡¯m going to take you out¡± type of feeling, but Sir Ezeal doesn¡¯t have any of that. That¡¯s why creatures have a difficult time responding, and since he is not putting any effort to his swings, it significantly reduces his fatigue. Of course, when he has to put some fight into his swing, the aura that emits from him is frightening. Cyril: ¡°Huh¡­¡­.those two seemed to understand each other, but what about you, Teo? Miss Ferris?¡± Teo: ¡°........I think I understand what they¡¯re saying. There¡¯s a similar teaching in the Cloudy Plains Style.¡± Ferris: ¡°It¡¯s probably a difference with close combat talent. I don¡¯t get it at all.¡± Teo nodded a little, and Ferris shrugged her shoulders. ¡­¡­.well, in Ferris¡¯ case, her role as a Healer prevented her from stepping out in front for most of the time. We continued to chat as we rested between the waves of Demonic Creatures when the Magecraft Inscription in the sky disappeared, and Mr. Riol flew down with Magecraft wings protruding from his back. ¡­¡­.the next moment, a flash of brilliant light struck upwards and pierced the heavens. Cyril: ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same as what we saw before?¡± Cyril remembered it well. ¡­¡­when we escorted Lana as her guards, we participated in the Black Dragon Knights¡¯ training, and Sir Ezeal forced me into a practice duel against him. Although there was no reason to go that far, he went all out using his {Luminous Blade}. By pouring Magic into the core of the sword, it was one of Sir Ezeal¡¯s biggest moves that extended the magic blade outwards and cut down his enemies. And concentrating on distance rather than power, the magic blade wavered in the air. Jend: ¡°....!! Wait, wait, wait¡­..is he going to¡­¡­?¡± Jend¡¯s jaws dropped as he watched. The magic blade was carefully positioned to not hit any of the Adventurers or Soldiers nearby. The wind was abruptly cut as the {Luminous Blade} arced and raced horizontally across the field¡­¡­.but from here, we couldn¡¯t see that. But it was something I¡¯ve seen many times. But it served the same purpose as Mr. Riol¡¯s {Piercing Meteor Rain}. Sir Ezeal cut down anything in a half-arc several hundred meters in front of him. The large-scale annihilation sword skill {Mountain Splitter?Horizontal Slash} Jend: ¡°......can you really do that with a broadsword?¡± Henry: ¡°Of course you can. One day, you¡¯ll be able to do that too, Jend.¡± Smiling wryly in Jend¡¯s direction, I teased. Cyril: ¡°*sigh©`©`©`*¡± Watching Sir Ezeal slash the field 2 or 3 more times, Cyril let out a long sigh. Cyril: ¡°........he really is on a different level.¡± Henry: ¡°All the long-time Heroes of Legend have always been in a league of their own.¡± Mr. Riol, who specialized in being able to use all kinds of Magecraft and annihilating enemies with area attacks. Mr. Cecil, who is undefeated 1 on 1 and can take out anyone. Sir Ezeal, who is the all-round fighter who can handle single enemies or a group of enemies without any visible weakness. And though she¡¯s not in Ligaleo©`©` Cyril: ¡°Hmmm, but compared to them, I watched Ms. Lotte fight against a Highest-Tier, and she was strong, but she doesn¡¯t seem as strong.¡± Henry: ¡°Idiot. As for Ms. Lotte, she can buff anyone in earshot of her song. Just imagine what it would be like fighting against her.¡± As a professional singer, she has the lungs to strengthen all the people on the 1st Line. She is incredibly strong solo, but this Spell is what makes her scary. It was only our Party with her at the time, so it might be hard to gauge¡­¡­..but out of all of them, she frightens me the most. Instead of fighting 100% of your strength alone, she can settle with 70 or 80, and if there are hundred or even thousands around her, she can buff them to 2 or 3 times their strength. ¡­¡­.well, I¡¯m just throwing numbers out there, but you get the picture. Realizing this, Cyril was finally seeing the bigger picture and how far she had to go. Cyril: ¡°......I©`I¡¯ll do my best to catch up one day.¡± ¡­¡­.and even she wasn¡¯t as confident about this as usual. But being able to see someone at the very top is not a bad thing. The next wave of creatures spawned, and our Party, La Flowtier, resumed the march forward into our future. CH 188 12-15 minutes Ch. 188: The Adventurers and the Guys In the living room of the Cries of the Stars Inn, I was speaking with Harold and Vincent from the Star Nights Party when the door of the inn creaked open. We casually glanced to see who it was¡­¡­and then Jend, who looked like he had the soul sucked out of him, came limping through. Henry: ¡°Hey, Jend! Welcome back.¡± Jend: ¡°Y©`Yeah¡­¡­thanks¡­..¡± He walked weakly over to our table and crashed into an open seat. Harold: ¡°Looks like the training was pretty hard, Jend. ¡­¡­.hehehe, your dedication is impressive. I mean, it¡¯s all because your date is currently held up in Yuu¡¯s Clinic, but I¡¯m impressed nonetheless.¡± Henry: ¡°Harold¡­¡­go easy on him.¡± Lately, when Ferris has a break, she has been taking half her off days to go help at the Clinic. It¡¯s because Yuu was desperately complaining to her that there wasn¡¯t enough help available. ¡­¡­but actually, because of that, Ferris¡¯ reputation has skyrocketed. Out of all the members of La Flowtier, she is probably the closest to becoming a Heroic Warrior. Vincent: ¡°Your beloved Lady Ferris has still yet to return. Too bad for you.¡± Henry: ¡°Vincent¡­..you too?¡± Vincent: ¡°Harold and I do have a pretty lady to go out with on our off days, so you should tolerate a little teasing every now and then.¡± Harold: ¡°Hear, hear.¡± And Harold and Vincent bursted out laughing together. Jend has gotten really close to these two too. Though there is a bit of an age gap, we¡¯re all guys, and we¡¯re all Adventurers here. Stuff like this is pretty typical. Jend: ¡°Wait, huh? What about Miss Ruby and Miss Bianca? Since you¡¯re all in the same Party, I assumed¡­.¡± Harold: ¡°We knew them since we were all kids, so I can¡¯t think of dating either of them.¡± Harold replied matter of fact. But well, that¡¯s probably the reason why a Party with a mix of men and women is working out so well. For us¡­¡­.well, if any of the couples have a fight, it might be a small issue, but right now, it¡¯s not something we have to worry about. Jend: ¡°Geesh. I get how you guys feel but even still¡­.¡± Jend seemed pretty annoyed from the comments, so I decided to help him out. Henry: ¡°Jend, don¡¯t let them have the last word. Always return insult with insult. That¡¯s your duty as a man. Your duty.¡± And turning around to Harold and Vincent, I decided to show an example. Henry: ¡°You guys, you really should get a girlfriend. It¡¯s pretty nice being in a relationship. If you¡¯re going to pick on us for having one, at least prove to us that you can pick up a girlfriend or two first, you loners.¡± Harold: ¡°UGH?!¡± Harold¡¯s jaws dropped in response. Vincent: ¡°......hey, putting Jend aside, you think you¡¯re in a position to talk back to us? When you were here before, you didn¡¯t have a trace of female relationships the whole time you were here!¡± Henry: ¡°I have one now so it doesn¡¯t count©`©`¡± Vincent: ¡°Okay, you should not use that kind of annoying voice anymore.¡± Vincent lifted an annoyed fist, and I immediately waved both arms in surrender. I think I went too far. Henry: ¡°Hey, regardless though, if you wanted a girlfriend, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s more than one or two girls interested in you, right?¡± Vincent: ¡°.........for the money, yeah.¡± Harold: ¡°.........same.¡± ¡­¡­¡­since the Star Nights are good, that means they¡¯re raking in the money. And those guys usually are very popular¡­¡­¡­but of course, most women who show interest have a particular goal in mind. Personally, there¡¯s nothing wrong with having very clear goals in your relationship¡­¡­.but then again, I would not say yes to those kind of girls either. Jend: ¡°Ummmmm, what?¡± Henry: ¡°I told you about this before, right? Honey traps and stuff like that. You need to be careful.¡± As a brand new arrival, La Flowtier has been garnering more notice lately, and many know about us now. We¡¯re a solid Party working on the 2nd Line, and the amount of money we make has substantially risen. So¡­¡­that means it¡¯s around this time that we start seeing some people interested in us for different reasons. But it¡¯s also well known that Cyril and I, and Jend and Ferris are a couple. Even then©`©` Henry: ¡°Very rarely, you might see a real, good-looking girl who just wants a one-night stand - no strings attached.¡± Jend: ¡°Oh¡­¡­that¡¯s kind of tempting¡­..I mean! But Ferris is the only one for me though¡­¡± ¡­..and men are stupid creatures. Even if they have a girlfriend, if a beautiful woman asks them out, most of them would sway on their decision. Some girls are very savvy with their invitation to make it look as innocent as possible. Vincent: ¡°There¡¯s some who can go out with those girls off and on and keep floating around, but we wouldn¡¯t be able to do that. So for us, we just head to the right establishments like healthy men.¡± Jend: ¡°.......healthy?¡± Vincent: ¡°Of course it is. We only go to the ones with formal government approval.¡± But for Jend, he started dating Ferris before visiting a brothel, so it might be hard for him to imagine. ¡­¡­and for those risking their lives every day, it really helps to release some stress and anxiety. Henry: ¡°Well, putting that all aside, how did it go today, Jend?¡± Jend: ¡°He drilled me to my bones today. Sir Grand¡¯ezeal is a kind, generous person overall, but when we¡¯re training, he¡¯s turns into a complete ogre, I¡¯m telling you.¡± Harold: ¡°C¡¯mon. You¡¯re being noticed by Sir Ezeal. What¡¯s there to complain about? You¡¯re really lucky, ya know?¡± And Jend sighed at Harold¡¯s words. Jend: ¡°Like, I am really grateful and everything, but¡­..he always trains me just hard enough where it won¡¯t affect my expedition tomorrow, and he somehow knows how to push me to that very limit every time¡­¡­..and so¡­¡­man, I¡¯m just pooped. And plus, he makes me drink this special drink before I go home too!¡± Oh yeah, that¡¯s Sir Ezeal¡¯s special nutrition smoothie. Apparently, it¡¯s a recipe from his Vandelstein family lineage that¡¯s been passed down for many generations, and it¡¯s affects are amazing. It reduces the amount of fatigue you feel the next day. It¡¯s pretty unbelievable¡­¡­.but¡­¡­.it tastes absolutely horrible. And because Sir Ezeal really wants everyone to drink this, the members of the Black Knights Order have developed a phobia and find excuses every time. Jend: ¡°........but¡­¡­¡­.you know, why does he want to train me so much? That¡¯s where I¡¯m confused.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true¡­¡­¡± It¡¯s not like Sir Ezeal has a long history or ties with Jend at all, so it seems a little odd. But if I were to guess©`©` Henry: ¡°I bet he¡¯s just excited to be able to teach Broadsword techniques to someone, don¡¯t you think?¡± Vincent: ¡°Oh©`©`....¡± Harold: ¡°.......yeah, then it would all make sense.¡± Both Harold and Vincent nod in satisfaction at my explanation. Jend: ¡°? ¡­¡­.ummmm¡­.¡± Henry: ¡°In the Black Knights Order, Sir Ezeal is the only one that wields a broadsword.¡± And even among Adventurers, I only know a handful that use broadswords. The reason is simple. It¡¯s because broadswords are incredibly hard to use. First, you train with weapons from childhood. If a kid decides to wield a broadsword, they will need proper instruction and training, or otherwise, they will injure themselves easily. And even if the kid is strong, it would be hard to use a broadsword without knowing how to use {Physical Enhancement}. Plus, defending yourself with a broadsword is tricky. Finally, it takes a lot to make a broadsword in the first place, so as a new Adventurer, if you try to upgrade from your beginner¡¯s Common Rank weapon, the price is going to be much higher than other weapons. So, because of all those hurdles, it deters a lot of people from using it. If you become an average Adventurer going after Mid-Tier targets, you do want a weapon with a broader range¡­¡­..but still, changing to a broadsword carries incredibly high risks. I try to explain this to Jend as simply as possible. Jend: ¡°Ah yeah©`©` when I was a kid, I told my dad that I wanted to use a broadsword, and he immediately told me no. I remember that now.¡± Henry: ¡°I mean, it looks cool, and the Great Hero of Legend wields one, so a lot of kids like the idea, but most adults would immediately put a stop to it.¡± Jend: ¡°........but I pressed and I pressed my dad till he introduced me to my Master. It¡¯s bringing back so many memories¡­..¡± To use a giant sword, you need the proper environment, physical aptitude, and talent. Otherwise, it would be impossible to start learning as a kid. So Jend and his disciple brother Ashley are actually incredibly talented and gifted in that aspect. Henry: ¡°But if you think about it, that¡¯s why a spear is great to start with. Of course, all weapons are difficult to master, but for beginners, if they have no preference, they should all just use spears first. That¡¯s my opinion.¡± Because as long as you turn the pointy end towards the enemy, you¡¯ve already fulfilled the bare minimum as a frontline fighter. ¡­¡­..and yeah, it¡¯s my preferred weapon of choice, so I do have some bias too. Harold: ¡°Hey now. You can¡¯t use a long weapon like that in close quarters. That¡¯s why a one-handed sword is best to start off with. You can hold a shield in your other hand or use any other tools as needed.¡± Henry: ¡°Harold, I think you forget that my weapon can turn into a one-handed sword too.¡± Harold: ¡°I¡¯m not talking about your super-weird weapon. We¡¯re talking about real weapons here.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.hey, that hurts. Vincent: ¡°Ha! You can¡¯t forget that range is the most important aspect of battle. That¡¯s why the bow and arrow is the absolute greatest. Yeah, I admit that it¡¯s a difficult weapon to learn at first, but that moment when you nail your target from afar, it¡¯s the best feeling in the world.¡± Henry: ¡°Hey now, Vincent. You can run out of arrows, and what if the opponent was heavily armored? Then you need a spear. You can thrust, slice, whack, or throw! You can¡¯t say spears aren¡¯t the most versatile weapon ever made.¡± Harold: ¡°...........ha! Amateurs. Look, if you use one-handed swords¡­¡­.you can DUAL-WIELD!! HA HA HA!! Take a look at my babies. What would happen if you were to weird a Flame Sword and Ice Sword! Just think of the possibilities!!¡± What?! Henry: ¡°Hey, that¡¯s cheating!!¡± Vincent: ¡°Harold, we both know dual-wielding is actually impractical, and it¡¯s a complete tangent to our discussion right now, but¡­¡­¡­I¡¯d like to see you try that next time.¡± And the 3 male Adventurers continued to argue. As the discussion was getting more heated, Jend quietly excused himself. Jend: ¡°Hey, I think I¡¯ll go take a bath¡­.¡± And left our table. <<<<>>>> That same night, I was on the top of the South Gate. Vincent: ¡°..........Henry, 800 meters ahead. 7 O¡¯Clock a group of Creatures heading our way. ¡­¡­it¡¯s a mix of Low-Tier Middle-Class to Mid-Tier Lower-Class. I¡¯m counting 40 strong.¡± Looking through binoculars that were enchanted with night vision, Vincent gave me a quick rundown. Once I knew what I was dealing with in general, he gave me more specifics about geographical locations, and the direction and speed of the swarm. I nodded as I received the details, and in that small area above the gate, I trotted lightly and threw my spear. Henry: ¡°{Split up}¡± As I mumbled under my breath, my Nyoiten spear raced towards the direction of the Creatures and separated into dozens of clones. Tonight was a starless night and pitch black. That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t see the results but©`©` Vincent: ¡°.......alright. You got them. There¡¯s 2¡­¡­.no 3 left. We can ignore these now.¡± Vincent, who was my spotter, let me know immediately. It was another Night Shift at Ligaleo. ¡­¡­the ones who are fighting do not just fight on the front lines. For those with long-range weapons, there are these kinds of roles available too. In fact, I¡¯m far more useful in this position. Even against Upper-Tier, Upper-Class, unless they are incredibly armored, I can take them out before they arrive. Vincent: ¡°Next¡­¡­.1,200 meters away¡­¡­.urgh, it¡¯s a Ogre Tiger. We¡¯ll need to take them out completely or we¡¯ll lose some guys up front.¡± Henry: ¡°Understood. ¡­¡­¡­but Harold¡¯s there too, so we should be fine.¡± I glance towards Harold who is holding his one-handed sword, and backing up anyone who is struggling. Vincent: ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate Upper-Tier, Middle-Classes.¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯m not, I¡¯m not. Vincent should know that I take these fights seriously. Vincent: ¡°......whatever, get ready. Oh, and let me know if you need to switch. Unlike your messy area attacks, I can strike them down precisely with my bow.¡± In that case, I would be the spotter but©`©` Henry: ¡°Whatever. I¡¯ll keep throwing all night if I have to!¡± And I readied myself for the next target. ¡­¡­..and thus, another long night at Ligaleo passed. <<<<>>>> CREDITS Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely Written by Hisagushien Translated by: ChonkyTranslator Japanese Title: ¥»¥ß¥ê¥¿¥¤¥¢¤·¤¿Ã°ê“ÕߤϤΤó¤Ó¤êĺ¤é¤·¤¿¤¤ ×÷Õß: ¾Ã™±¾v£¨¥Ò¥µ¥°¥·¥¨¥ó£© http://kuontenrin.ehoh.net/ Original Source: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n1161ft/188/ Book 15 - The Strong Ones Ch. 185 - 199 CH 189 Ch. 189: The Hero and the Guard and©`©` ¡°Hey, Henry. Why did we have to come so early?¡± Henry: ¡°........who¡¯s the one who said, ¡®Hey! Let¡¯s see you can get there the fastest?!¡¯ Because of that, we have 2 hours still till our meeting time.¡± I had to let out a deep, frustrated sigh at Ageha¡¯s complaint. We were in the closest Alvenia city to Ligaleo - Southgaia. It was one of the four corner cities, and it was one of Alvenia¡¯s most flourishing and prosperous city. We were here to perform a Quest today. ¡­¡­but just as I said, we arrived far faster than our Quest giver. And two hours is too short of a time to go and do something else. Next to the gate was a small clearing, and we both stood there with nothing to occupy our time or attention. Ageha: ¡°Hmmmm, I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Henry, I¡¯m going to go hunt a few creatures nearby. I¡¯ll be back before the meeting time!¡± Henry: ¡°Wait, wait, wait, wait.¡± I tug sharply at Ageha¡¯s cloak as she tries to leave. Ageha: ¡°What? That¡¯s called sexual harassment. Don¡¯t make me punch you.¡± Henry: ¡°Like that counts as sexual harassment. We¡¯re doing a guard quest today, so you can¡¯t be going around wasting your stamina. It¡¯s bad for our reputation.¡± Ageha: ¡°I actually feel more energized after I chop off a few heads though.¡± Henry: ¡°Yeah, like that¡¯s something our quest giver would easily understand!¡± Seriously! When performing quests, the worst thing you can do is to look like you don¡¯t care or won¡¯t take the task seriously. In that case, I would also be responsible for not keeping my quest party in line. Thanks but no thanks. I can¡¯t afford that with who our quest giver is today. Ageha: ¡°Fine©`©`¡± Henry: ¡°.........wait, you just did that because you knew I was going to stop you¡­..¡± Ageha: ¡°Wha©`©`t? I dunno what you¡¯re talking about©`©` *sigh* Man, just thinking about going to a coffee shop with you just gives me the shivers.¡± Wait, what are you implying there¡­. Jeez. But as I let out another exasperated breath, I saw a familiar face. She also recognized me too and came over to where we were standing. She pinched the hems of her maid skirt and bowed very low and politely towards us. ¡°It has been a while, Sir Henry. Thank you for your service in Gungard.¡± Henry: ¡°Hello, Ricotta. ¡­¡­..but it¡¯s actually my Party that was helped by you at Gungard.¡± She was referring to the Dwarven city of Gungard that¡¯s located in the Grand Mountain of the Honorable God of Mines. Ricotta served as a maid in the main mansion of one of the Heroes of Legend, the [Hammer of God], Mr. Gordon. It was a little while back. We needed to upgrade our gear, and my Party, La Flowtier, stayed at Mr. Gordon¡¯s residence. During that time, it was Ricotta who cleaned, cooked, and did our laundry. Henry: ¡°I thought our meeting time was later?¡± Ricotta: ¡°I came to inspect our meeting location. As Sir Henry may already be aware, that takes up a lot of space.¡± Ah, that makes sense. As I realized what Ricotta was saying, Ageha glanced towards me. Ageha: ¡°Hmm? Huh¡­¡­hey, Henry?¡± Henry: ¡°Oh, Ageha. This girl is a maid of Mr. Gordon, our quest giver.¡± Ageha: ¡°Really? Old man Gordon had someone like that working for him?¡± Ageha and Mr. Gordon hasn¡¯t worked together in the past. They both knew each other because both were famous¡­¡­..but that was about it. As I was explaining to Ageha, Ricotta let out a quick excited gasped and also bowed very politely towards Ageha. Ricotta: ¡°I apologize for my belated introduction. My name is Ricotta. I presume you are Lady Ageha Sagiri? It is an honor making an acquaintance with a Hero of Legend. Your fame precedes you.¡± Ageha: ¡°Ah, looks like you already know about me, but yeah, I¡¯m Ageha. Wow, that Gordon knows how to choose his maids!¡± Ageha knows about her relatively low recognition compared to other Heroes of Legend and greeted Ricotta looking rather pleased. ¡­¡­and well, it¡¯s because the incident that turned Ageha into a Hero of Legend was an assassination. Her story itself lacks the glamor expected from a Hero of Legend. Ricotta: ¡°But if you are all already here, then we can depart early. I will go speak with my Master.¡± Henry: ¡°Oh©` sorry about that. This idiot was the one who sped all the way here.¡± Ageha: ¡°Who¡¯re you calling an idiot?¡± I didn¡¯t say anything more about Ageha. She was the one that screamed, ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you pass meeeee©`©`!!¡± and ran at full speed the entire way. We scared everyone we passed on the way here. Ricotta: ¡°No, we had all preparations already completed, so departing earlier is no problem for us. Please wait here while I speak with my Master.¡± Ricotta bowed politely and left. ¡­¡­..I guess if we get to finish this quest earlier, then all¡¯s well that ends well. Ageha: ¡°I was wondering why old man Gordon asked for guards when he can come to Ligaleo by himself¡­¡­..but it¡¯s because Ricotta¡¯s with him, huh?¡± Henry: ¡°Yup, that¡¯s right.¡± Mr. Gordon will visit Ligaleo periodically to take of the Knights and Adventurers¡¯ gear. There, he would earn another fortune, but it was the first time Ricotta came along. So he submitted a guard quest and¡­..¡±if you¡¯re bored, I already know you so¡­.¡± during the quest submission, so the job came straight to me. Ageha: ¡°....?? But Henry, why¡¯d you invite me then? You could have accepted this quest with your Party, La Flowtier, right? You already know that I¡¯m not good at guard quests.¡± As Ageha said, if it was any other regular guard quest, I would have accepted it with the Party. But there was one reason why I couldn¡¯t do that this time. Henry: ¡°Well, just wait. You¡¯ll understand soon enough.¡± Ageha: ¡°??¡± Ageha looked at me confused as I turned away. I stretched my arms and relaxed. <<<<>>>> ¡­¡­.and about 5 minutes later¡­.. That appeared running through the crowded streets near Southgaia¡¯s gates. It moved the tires using the energy generated by Magecraft and was used for carrying cargo and people - a Magecraft Wagon. Also known as a ¡°car.¡± Cars are not that rare of a sight here, but what came towards us looked completely different from other car designs. It was specially designed by one of the only artisans who climbed his way to become a Hero of Legend. With a slick silhouette, we could feel the power in its engines rumble as it slowly made its way toward us. It was one of Mr. Gordon¡¯s most precious artifacts. Ageha: ¡°Hey, hey, hey!! Henry! What is that cool looking thing?! Isn¡¯t that old man Gordon driving it?!¡± Henry: ¡°That¡¯s Mr. Gordon¡¯s car, the [Land Cruising Comet]. When we went to Gungard, he let us ride in it.¡± It was on the way back after killing the Hanuman. That was an intense fight. So, the Land Cruising Comet came to a complete stop next to us. Gordon: ¡°Hey, Henry. It¡¯s been a while.¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, it has been a while, Mr. Gordon.¡± Mr. Gordon opened one of the windows and smiled as he greeted us. I politely returned the greeting. Gordon: ¡°And that skinny one with you¡­¡­I guess that¡¯s Lady Head Chopper.¡± Ageha: ¡°Yeah, I think we¡¯ve seen each other a couple of times, but this is the first time we¡¯ve been introduced, huh? Nice to meet you, old man Gordon.¡± Gordon: ¡°Stop it with the old man¡­¡­..sheesh.¡± Mr. Gordon wrinkled his face as he brushed his fingers through his beard. Gordon: ¡°.......so, anyways, you got an idea about how this quest will go, right?¡± Henry: ¡°Yes, we will guard you all the way to Ligaleo. ¡­¡­and since you will be testing out the speed of your Land Cruising Comet, you requested for guards who can keep up - that was your condition, correct?¡± This was why I could not bring my Party along. The requirements to accomplish such a feat would be too much for the rest of my Party members. I would have to ask Jend to run while fully armed which would be cruel. Teo just simply lacks the stamina. ¡­¡­and well, if they were forced to, they could potentially get through this, but I had to focus on safety first. Henry: ¡°So out of all those who could meet that requirement, I brought along Ageha who looked the most bored¡­¡­I hope that¡¯s okay.¡± Gordon: ¡°I¡¯ve heard some crazy stories about her, but there¡¯s no way I can complain if you brought a Hero of Legend along.¡± I was glad to hear that. Gordon: ¡°......alright, so we¡¯ll be counting on you. I know the way to Ligaleo is way too dangerous to walk with Ricotta tagging along.¡± And that¡¯s why he brought the Land Cruising Comet. I see. Regular people hire guards to either walk or ride horse carriages to and from Southgaia, so it appears to be a little overprotective. ¡­¡­but regardless of how complicated the situation might be, Mr. Gordon cares a lot about Ricotta in the end. Gordon: ¡°That¡¯s why I had to adjust the Land Cruising Comet¡¯s setting to be able to run in the wilderness. ¡­¡­..he he he he, I can¡¯t wait to see how she¡¯ll do. This¡¯ll be amazing.¡± ¡­¡­..and I guess he really wanted to drive his car too. Henry: ¡°But isn¡¯t this the first time you¡¯re allowing Ricotta to come with you? Why all of a sudden?¡± Gordon: ¡°Well, about that. That town has demonic creatures constantly invading it, so if you can¡¯t fight, it¡¯s not somewhere you should be. You can¡¯t even say the inside the inner wall is safe. But¡­¡­¡± Mr. Gordon scratched at his cheek as Ricotta spoke up to finish the explanation for him. Ricotta: ¡°I overheard that since the Magecraft Barrier is now fully functioning, the safety of the city had significantly increased. ¡­¡­.when my Master leaves for Ligaleo, I could only spend the days drenching my pillow with tears, but with this change, I knew I could come along this time.¡± Gordon: ¡°.......and you can tell who won that argument. *sighhhhhhhhhhhhhh*....¡± Mr. Gordon let out a heavy, heavy disappointed sigh. I knew that Ricotta had¡­¡­..deep(?) feelings for Mr. Gordon. But seeing her more as a daughter, and there was also the barrier between a dwarf and a human, Mr. Gordon had continually refused her proposals. But Ricotta was not one to give up so easily and had continued to press her advantages. When we were getting our gear upgraded, that was more apparent as we stayed at Mr. Gordon¡¯s residence. And in conclusion©`©` ¡­¡­.nothing good comes from butting into people¡¯s romantic business, so I have resolutely committed to complete ignorance on the matter¡­¡­¡­.because Ricotta terrifies me. Ageha: ¡°Hey©`©` let¡¯s get going, huh? This car stands out, and I¡¯m tired of having people keep staring at us.¡± Gordon: ¡°Y©`Yeah, you¡¯re right. Alright, Henry, Miss Ageha, keep us well protected.¡± The car shook as Mr. Gordon turned on the engine and the Land Cruising Comet began rumbling forward. Ageha: ¡°Henry, what about formation?¡± Henry: ¡°I¡¯ll cover the front and knock away any creatures blocking our way. Ageha, you stay close from behind, and hunt any that come at us from behind or from the flanks.¡± Ageha: ¡°Got it.¡± ¡­¡­.and we departed from Southgaia. I ran ahead of the Land Cruising Comet and¡­¡­ Henry: ¡°.......fuh!!¡± (sfx *exhale*) The car roared a peculiar sound and drew the surrounding demonic creatures¡¯ attention ©`but they were soon quieted with a throw of my spear. Gordon: ¡°Ah!! The modifications are working out well! Henry! Go faster!!¡± Henry: ¡°Understood!¡± ©`©`And©`©` Later¡­¡­.there were strange rumors about the 2 Adventurers and the car that was seen racing out of Southgaia towards Ligaleo¡­.. CH 190 Ch. 190: A Chat about the Heroes of Legend It was the evening after we completed Mr. Gordon¡¯s escort quest. We made our report to everyone during dinner as we sat around a table at the Cries of the Stars Inn. Henry: ¡°........so with that, we successfully escorted Mr. Gordon to Ligaleo.¡± Cyril: ¡°Wow©` isn¡¯t the Land Cruising Comet that really fast car, right? I can¡¯t believe you ran along beside it the whole way here¡­..¡± Cyril continued to plop mouthfuls of hamburg steak as she spoke in disbelief. Henry: ¡°Well, it was a little tough. But the road from Southgaia to here has much less creatures than before, so it was do-able.¡± Jend: ¡°Mr. Gordon, huh? ¡­¡­.should we take the time to go see him? He really helped us with our gear after all¡­..¡± It¡¯s true. He gave us credit to pay him back in increments, and he even incorporated our requests in fine detail. ¡­¡­.even with the debt he owed us about the Hanuman, he went above and beyond our expectations. Ferris: ¡°But Jend, isn¡¯t Mr. Gordon planning on serving as many customers as he can in a short amount of time? Wasn¡¯t it something like doing maintenance for 100 customers in one month?¡± Jend: ¡°Oh©` yeah, that¡¯s right. I guess we shouldn¡¯t just bother him when he¡¯s so busy¡­.¡± And Jend groaned as he tried to think through the situation. Henry: ¡°Well, about that. He told me to tell you all, ¡®Hey come over tomorrow. I need to make sure that you haven¡¯t used my gear in weird ways. Oh, and there¡¯s not going to be any credit for the maintenance fees so pay up.¡¯ ©`is what he said.¡± Jend: ¡°Really? Man, we¡¯re just getting more and more indebted to this man¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°He also said the women in our Party have to come no matter what.¡± Jend: ¡°?? Why?¡± And yeah, I understand why Jend is confused, but there¡¯s a good reason for this. Henry: ¡°.....I told you that Ricotta came along this time, right? ¡­¡­.if Ricotta has friends to talk to, Mr. Gordon won¡¯t be interrupted as much, is what he said.¡± Jend: ¡°...........oh¡­.¡± Jend groaned as fresh memories of Ricotta came to his mind. Cyril: ¡°?? I don¡¯t really understand, but I do want to see Ricotta again, so let¡¯s definitely go tomorrow!¡± Teo: ¡°Yes, my weapon definitely requires fine tuning, so any assistance in that aspect would be greatly appreciated.¡± Ferris: ¡°Should we wrap our gifts? In fact, some friends at the Clinic showed me a place that sells really good cookies¡­.¡± ¡­¡­and the girls who hadn''t quite comprehended Mr. Gordon¡¯s pain began excitedly planning out their visit with Ricotta. Jend and I glanced at one another and let out a deep sigh. Cyril: ¡°But now that I think about it, don¡¯t we have a lot of acquaintances that are Heroes of Legend©`?¡± And Cyril changed the subject. Jend: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± Cyril: ¡°First, we met Mr. Grand¡¯ezeal at the Capital. Then we met Miss Ageha and Ms. Lotte who came to see Henry. Then we went to go see Miss Yuu in the Salaiz Republic and©`¡± And Cyril began counting the encounters with her fingers. Cyril: ¡°Then Mr. Riol came to see Lana. Mr. Gordon helped make our gear. And now Mr. Cecil in Ligaleo. That was a total of seven. Today, there are 8 Heroes of Legend, so with one more, we would have met everyone. Cyril: ¡°Umm, the last Hero of Legend is¡­..a Beastman, correct?¡± Henry: ¡°Hm? Yeah. The Tiger Beastman, Ms. Liza. She¡¯s the leader of the Clan, [Fields of Fangs].¡± Cyril: ¡°A Clan? ¡­¡­.you mean, that bigger version of a Party, right? There were no Clans in Flowtier though.¡± If you have a group of over 20 Adventurers, you can create a Clan. It¡¯s basically a big club to help each other out. With so many people in your group, you can take on large-scale quests, and you will have more say with the Church. But in exchange, you¡¯re managing a larger group, so it¡¯s not uncommon for group members to cause trouble, so most will question if it¡¯s really worth all that trouble. So most regular Adventurers don¡¯t bother. Plus, the Church has to review and approve your Clan before it can be made official. About half of the Beastmen in Ligaleo were members of the Fields of Fangs, I think? They are the biggest Clan, and they have a number of strong Adventurers in the group. Beastmen will carry on different animal traits depending on which tribe they belong to. Because of that, they tend to have a different type of lifestyle compared with humans, and the Beastmen who live in the same city as people will help each other out. ¡­¡­.but the Fields of Fangs are unique since they are a mixed group of different kinds of Beastmen. Jend: ¡°I see¡­¡­.and so, is that Liza strong?¡± Jend seemed really curious about this as he edged forward. Henry: ¡°Let¡¯s see. ¡­¡­I¡¯ve seen her fight a few times, and¡­¡­.if it¡¯s a 1 on 1, she¡¯s a little stronger than me after I drink all my potions, maybe?¡± Of course, it would depend on the situation too, but I would say my odds are 6 to 4 in her favor? Jend: ¡°You make it sound so easy, but Henry, you really are up there with the Heroes of Legend, huh¡­..¡± Henry: ¡°I said, 1 on 1, alright? Ms. Liza¡¯s charisma and leadership is terrifyingly powerful. If it¡¯s a fight with her and her clan, there¡¯s nothing I could do.¡± Once, she took 30 of her Clan¡¯s Beastmen and managed to repel a huge invasion force by the Demonic Army. That was really impressive. If she hadn¡¯t gained us some time, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to prepare a retaliation force, and Ligaleo could have fallen. Henry: ¡°If you think about it, most of the recent Heroes of Legend earned that by doing something big. Think about Yuu or Mr. Gordon who earned their spots using Healing and Craftsmanship. You get what I¡¯m saying?¡± Because they accomplished a huge feat, the Church couldn¡¯t just keep them as Heroic Warriors. Without a doubt, setting aside the true monsters in our organization, I do have top class strength within the Adventurers, but what I lack is that unique talent to really pull off something big. ¡­¡­and it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t want to be a Hero of Legend, but my goal right now is to help Cyril with her dream, so I¡¯m not dead set on becoming one. And yeah, both Yuu and Ageha have climbed up that step¡­¡­..but I¡¯m not jealous. I¡¯m not jealous at all. Really, I¡¯m not. Yeah¡­¡­. Cyril: ¡°Oh©` you know what? That¡¯s a great tip. Since coming to Ligaleo, I¡¯ve been thinking¡­.. I still have a ways to go, but isn¡¯t the Spell Power of Miss Cyril potent enough to become a Hero of Legend?¡± Henry: ¡°I hope we don¡¯t get into a situation where we have to find out!¡± It will take some time, but her power nearly matches Mr. Riol. ¡­¡­..and yes, she has the potential to really do something big, but that also means we would be in the middle of something incredibly dangerous. Cyril: ¡°Oh! I guess that¡¯s true too!¡± Teo: ¡°........Miss Cyril, I highly advise that you think before you speak¡­.¡± And even Teo, who is younger than her, lets out a disappointed sight. Ferris: ¡°But it¡¯s not like there are no more Demonic Generals. There are times when we see a large invasion force with many waves of Demonic Creatures. ¡­¡­and yes, it would be foolish to hope that that would happen, but the possibility will always remain. It¡¯s not unrealistic to expect it either.¡± Henry: ¡°What Ferris says is true too, but I¡¯m pretty sure Cyril wasn¡¯t thinking about that.¡± Cyril: ¡°Ugh!¡± The words seemed to poke Cyril with guilt as she became quiet¡­¡­..but now she¡¯s glaring at me and I felt a kick from underneath the table. She met the bracers on my shin and is rearing back in pain. Henry: ¡°........seriously, what are you doing?¡± I look at her as I take a mouthful of my dinner¡­¡­..oh. I saw a familiar face enter the dining hall. It was Yuu. She must have just come out off a bath and wore some comfortable clothes. ¡­¡­she was carrying a bottle in each hand and was looking around searching for an empty seat. ¡­..not finding one, she came this way. Yuu: ¡°Hello, good evening, everything in La Flowtier. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a vacant seat, so would you mind if I sit with your group?¡± Cyril: ¡°Oh! Miss Yuu. Please sit with us! I¡¯ll bring another chair, so you can sit right here.¡± Cyril stood up, and headed to another table with unused seats. Cyril¡¯s quick response took Yuu by surprise, but after a moment, she smiled as she watched Cyril and sat down in Cyril¡¯s seat. Henry: ¡°Another busy day? Thanks for working so hard, Yuu.¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes, thank you, Henry.¡± As usual, Yuu had been working at the clinic since early this morning. Ferris: ¡°Good evening, Miss Eustacia.¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes, good evening, Miss Ferris. And you two as well, Mr. Jend and Miss Teo.¡± Teo gave a brief nod of her chin, and Jend¡¯s voice gave a nervous squeak an octave higher seeing the post-bath Yuu. ¡­¡­and I get it. She is exuding some feminine aura right now. And there are other men in the dining hall glancing at Yuu. But Yuu has gotten used to these stares and ignored them. But if they were to try something, they would find their heads cracked open. ¡­¡­.oh, Jend just took an elbow from Ferris. Cyril: ¡°Sorry to keep you all waiting©` ¡­¡­.? What¡¯s wrong, Jend? Why are you holding your stomach?¡± Jend: ¡°I©`It¡¯s nothing¡­¡± Cyril brought over a chair for herself, and Jend avoided answering her question. Cyril tilted her head and wondered, and though she couldn¡¯t figure it out, she put the issue aside and sat in her chair. Yuu chuckled, but then turned her attention to the wine bottles and began uncorking them with a huge smile. Cyril: ¡°Miss Yuu, you¡¯re drinking tonight?¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes, I actually have the day off tomorrow, so it would be a shame to not have a bottle or two, right?¡± No, two bottles is too much. And they¡¯re not even the cheap kind either. She has two Ren¨¦ St?lln which taste great, but their price tags are also incredibly high. ¡­¡­.well, Yuu knows the Spell {Clear Drunk} so she can do as she pleases. Henry: ¡°Oh, Mr. Chris, what good timing.¡± As Yuu pulled out the cork from the wine bottle, a wine glass and tonight¡¯s dinner menu - a hamburg steak plate - came flying over. Mr. Chris used the Rhys Style Magecraft to serve the food. Cyril: ¡°Miss Yuu, Miss Yuu, I¡¯ll pour the drink for you.¡± Yuu: ¡°Is that okay? Well, if you insist, please!¡± Yuu nodded excitedly at Cyril¡¯s offer. Cyril poured out the crimson liquid into Yuu¡¯s glass, and Yuu quickly tilted the glass to her lips. Yuu: ¡°.........ohhhhh©` it¡¯s so good. I live just for this one drink¡­¡± ¡­¡­.if I said the same thing, people would think I¡¯m just a sad drunkard, but with Yuu, being so pretty, she makes it look like a scene from a play. And without taking a bite of her food, she finished the remaining contents in her glass. She quickly asked for a refill, and taking a bite of the pickled carrots next to the hamburg steak, she downed a 3rd glass and©` wait, wait, wait, you¡¯re drinking too fast! Cyril: ¡°M©`Miss Yuu, wait, wait. It¡¯s bad for your health to drink so fast.¡± Yuu: ¡°Oh, my apologies. It¡¯s been a while since my last drink. ¡­¡­Miss Cyril?¡± Cyril: ¡°Yes?¡± Cyril tilted her head towards Yuu. Yuu: ¡°Would you like to drink some too? You did say that you enjoyed this wine the last time we drank together.¡± Cyril: ¡°Umm¡­¡­.hmmmm, then¡­just one drink, please!¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes¡­¡­and since everyone is here, would you all care to join? It¡¯s my treat. I may look this way, but I am paid well!¡± Ah, the drinks must be inflating her ego. But it¡¯s true. Yuu¡¯s savings must be several times bigger than mine. Teo: ¡°Ummm, is that okay?¡± Yuu: ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t mind drinking alone, but I prefer to drink with friends more. ¡­¡­Henry? Please bring enough glasses for everyone, and also ask Ms. Patricia if she would be kind enough to make us more dishes to snack on. Now go©`!¡± When Yuu is like this, there is no point arguing. I got up begrudgingly as I answered her back and walked towards the kitchen. So that day©` Ageha also came in later that night, and with everyone, we all drank merrily through the night.