《My Glasses Will Be Able to Conquer the Whole World, I Suppose》 Prologue The Day of Determination. This is the day of the ceremony that turns children into adults. In this world is something called ¡®Talents.¡¯ Every single person is born with a Talent. It might be easier to understand it as an ability. Be it sword or spear or what have you, there is a huge range of talents. And today is the day when that is confirmed. The best ones are Talents related to magic. People without Talents in the sword or spear can still learn them. Even if they have no talent, there is a large range of growth that can be attained through effort and nurturing. However, it is not so for magic. To be blunt, it is absolutely impossible for someone without a magical Talent to use magic. People who possess a magical Talent¡­¡­ in other words, magicians, are very few in number. So they are given high salaries and offered extremely favored positions. I actually think that a side goal of this Day of Determination is to find children possessing magical Talents. Or perhaps they are even looking for Talents that rank even higher than normal magical Talents. There probably are Talents like ¡®Hero¡¯ and ¡®Champion,¡¯ but well, it¡¯s none of this countryside village¡¯s business. ¡°Line up.¡± We don¡¯t even have enough kids to need a line. The soldiers who¡¯ve come from the city sure are serious about their job. This year¡¯s Ceremony of Determination at our tiny village of Albat involves me, my friend Nahbal, and Shieron, who¡¯s one year older. Just us three. Children who reach 15 years old have to go through this Day of Determination before they are considered adults. But in the case of our village, there are very few children. So that¡¯s why the Ceremony is hosted only when there are at least 3 children of age. It¡¯s either go to the city personally or wait until a year when there are 3 children. That¡¯s why Shieron is one year older than us. In this country, undergoing a Ceremony of Determination is mandated by law, so every single person has to do it once. Our Village Chief and the two soldiers who¡¯ve come from the city are standing together in the center of the square. Adults aiming for the alcohol and children aiming for the food that will be served in the Coming of Age Banquet are watching over us. ¡ª¡ªI don¡¯t really like standing out, so I¡¯d be grateful if this would be over soon. Though I admit it might be partly just my disposition, but I am quite sensitive to other people directing their attention towards me. And with such a large crowd¡­¡­ Oh well, this will probably be the last time in my life that I gather so many people¡¯s attention at once. Let¡¯s just quickly get the Ceremony over with, eat some good food, go to sleep, then return to my solitary inconspicuous life from tomorrow onwards. ¡°Oi, Eil.¡± While Village Chief is going on and on about the meaning of becoming an adult or the significance of it or whatever, Nahbal whispers to me from my side. ¡°I¡¯m definitely going to draw a Talent even more amazing than Horun¡¯s.¡± Horun. My elder sis, huh. ¡°Do your best.¡± Is all I can say, so I said it. Though this isn¡¯t something that can be affected by effort. ¡°I wonder what Horun-chan is doing right now?¡± Now even Shieron has joined in on the conversation. So I wasn¡¯t the only one who was feeling bored. Of course, of course. Our Village Chief is pointlessly long-winded, after all. No one ever really listens seriously to his pointless speeches anyways. I think. ¡°Beats me. Probably just doing something random in the capital.¡± My older sister Horun drew a rare Talent, Shadow Hunter Warrior, two years ago during her Ceremony of Determination. Receiving holy blessing from birth, a warrior that possesses the strength to resist and fight against evil¡­¡­ is where her talent lies, apparently. Talents are, at the end of the day, only what the person is talented in. Whether or not to use and nurture that talent is entirely up to the person. It was a rare Talent that we had never heard of before in our village. A child with such a rare Talent was naturally taken to the capital by the soldiers who¡¯d come to perform the Ceremony. The aim was to have her meet directly with someone of power in the royal palace, and if she is determined to be of use, then they¡¯ll employ her at the palace. After leaving for the capital two years ago, Horun has never come back. Based on her infrequent letters, apparently she¡¯s not employed at the palace, but has become an ¡®adventurer¡¯ and is getting by as a jack of all trades with daily employment. Completely opposite to me, my elder sis is active and conspicuous and energetic. Too energetic. So energetic that she¡¯s just annoying. All the adults who were looking at Horun being Horun were all whispering, ¡®Horun is definitely too big to be contained within such a small village.¡¯ I think so too. Probably even this country is too small to contain my elder sis. That¡¯s how capable she is. I totally agree that she¡¯s so not suited for working in the palace. ¡°Shieron of Albat! Step forward!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Before I knew it, Village Chief¡¯s speech is over, and the Ceremony is finally beginning. Shieron of Albat is called first, and he steps forward. ¡°Your hand, please.¡± What one of the soldiers is holding is an unpolished lump of crystal. It¡¯s around the size of an adult¡¯s head. It¡¯s the Stone of Determination. By placing one¡¯s hand on it, the name of that person¡¯s Talent would appear within the depths of that crystal. It¡¯s already the nth time that I¡¯m witnessing this scene. The other kids who used to play with me have all turned into adults in this way. And now, it has become my turn to become an adult as well. Nahbal seems to be holding huge expectations of drawing a Talent more awesome than my elder sis¡¯s. He¡¯s said again and again that he wants to leave this tiny and boring village. I don¡¯t really care though. Regardless of what comes out, I plan to continue living as a hunter. I¡¯m already doing work that no way pales in comparison to that of an adult¡¯s, and meat from prey is delicious. This profession that I can do by myself and at my own pace is great. In place of my aging mentor who will eventually quit being a hunter, I intend to become this village¡¯s hunter. Regardless of whether my elder sis wished for it or not, she will become someone amazing. But her younger brother only wishes to live in a tiny village like this, out of people¡¯s sight. If possible, it¡¯d be great if it turns out to be a Talent useful for hunting. Shieron got the Talent of Nursing. Nahbal got the Talent of Woodcutting. ¡°Pretty much as expected, I guess¡­¡­¡± ¡°So not interesting at all¡­¡­¡± Shieron¡¯s mother is an herbalist, and Nahbal¡¯s father is a woodcutter. It really is reasonable if you think of it as them having inherited their parents¡¯ Talents. It¡¯s so reasonable that it¡¯s just plain boring. But that¡¯s just how Talents are. Most likely I¡¯d just get a totally boring Talent like my dad¡¯s ¡®Relatively Good Chef¡¯ or my mom¡¯s ¡®Superstrength Farmer.¡¯ My sister? She¡¯s just, you know, mutation. ¡°Eil of Albat! Step forward!¡± Shooting one last look at the two guys who look like the world has just ended, I step forward for my turn. For the sake of this day, Shishou had brought down a fine specimen of a black mountain goat. That¡¯s definitely gotta be delicious. That is the only thing I¡¯m looking forward to today. (T/N: Shishou = ¡®mentor¡¯. The person he¡¯s apprenticing under.) Let¡¯s get this troublesome ceremony thing over and done with already. ¡°¡ª¡ªme, ga, ne¡­¡­? It says ¡®megane,¡¯ right¡­¡­?¡± Both soldiers and Village Chief are all squinting their eyes. The unpolished crystal is lumpy and has an irregular shape. In other words, it¡¯s kind of hard to see inside. But the words floating up from the bottom of the crystal are, to my eyes also, as such. Me, Ga, Ne. Megane. Glasses. What does it even mean that my Talent is Megane. CH 1 My earliest memory is from when I was 4. I was on a stroll inside a forest with adults, then I was left all alone. That moment, I definitely thought it. I thought that I was going to die. That is the oldest memory that I can recall. It was nighttime, and there were wolves howling in the distance. The eeriness of the forest with its rustling leaves had me shivering in fear. And thinking about how I was deep within that target of fear, I had resolved myself for death. The only thing that my little child mind could think of was to get home by myself. Adults and the older children that I could rely on were all gone. There was only me. Thus, I had to do something about it myself. That, I fully understood. What I learned at that time was ¡®hide your breathing, move without getting discovered by beasts, search for clues.¡¯ I really, really wanted to cry, but held it in. Well, the truth of it was that I cried a little bit in muffled sobs. Just a tiny bit. With a slight trail of sweat flowing from my eyes, I calmly, very calmly, went back the way I thought I¡¯d come from. I was actually not that far away from the village. After all, I had gotten there by my own two feet in the first place. There were no footprints on the ground. However, there were areas where the grass was slightly flattened. That was likely the traces of my having passed there. Having been convinced so, I followed that, and was able to safely return home. Thinking about it now, I was only in a grove quite close to the village. It wasn¡¯t even a forest. No man-eating beasts lived there. It only seemed so frightening through the eyes of a four year old. ¡ª¡ªFurthermore, of the leading adults and other kids who had been coming along, not a single one had even realized that I had been left behind. I was not a conspicuous child in the first place. More like, I was quite the quiet child. I grew up frequently being told ¡®I didn¡¯t even know you were here,¡¯ or ¡®you have no presence, ¡® or ¡®speak up if you¡¯re there,¡¯ and other such. As a result of that experience in the forest, perhaps in readiness for if I find myself in a similar situation again, the consciousness of ¡®don¡¯t let yourself get found by the enemy¡¯ strangely stuck to me. The ¡®enemy¡¯ was the adults after I took part in a prank with friends, the boss of the kids that was my elder sister, and my mother when she was coming after me with the vegetables that I hated in hand. It was not that I had no presence, but that I purposely erased my presence. In this way, I became ¡®the child with a weak presence.¡¯ After that, time passed uneventfully, until that incident that happened when I was 10. In the village where I was born in, population is low and everyone is poor. Therefore, even kids are considered a source of labor, to some degree. When I became 9, ¡®it¡¯s about time¡¯ began being brought up every once in a while. By that time, Sis was already tilling fields at full strength, then in her free time playing around with, again, full strength. She was the complete opposite of me, always conspicuous and active and energetic. But it was then that intervention came in from an unexpected source. It was from the hunter ossan who lived in the same village, Bekt. It seemed like my parents wanted me to help out at our family¡¯s farm, but I ended up working under the hunter living in the village. It was all because of the weakness of my presence¡­¡­ no, it was because of my habit of purposely hiding from various things. Bekt noticed that, and saw the potential in it. The ability to sneak up to prey. The ability to not be sensed by prey. Apparently that was very suitable for becoming a hunter, so he went to convince my parents to let me become his apprentice. My will? It seemed that I would get to eat the meat that I love much more frequently if I agreed, so I said yes on the spot. My motive was the meat. Just as Bekt had predicted, I very quickly awakened my talent as a hunter. Only three days after starting my apprenticeship, I was already able to bring down rabbits and birds with my child-sized bow. It was the beginning of a mind-whirling meat festival. My parents, and also my unnaturally active sister, were all delighted at the meat that began to grace our dinner table every once in a while. Naturally, I was delighted too. ¡°Ya~HOOOOO¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!! It¡¯s meat, IT¡¯S MEAT¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Everyone might have been creeped out by how ecstatic Sis was, but I was the most ecstatic. I was more ecstatic than everyone else. I just didn¡¯t show it on the outside, but I was very ecstatic indeed. Then that incident occurred about a year into my apprenticeship. ¡°Ah.¡± When we were in the middle of searching for prey in the forest, Bekt the hunter farted. Oh, that was some fart indeed. The sound was so explosive that it actually sent all the neary birds flying off in startlement. Well, it¡¯s human physiology. It can¡¯t be helped. Even kids understand that what needs to come out will come out. But I really wish he had given it more thought. That¡¯s right. It was a direct hit. The face of the apprentice who was closely following behind his mentor received a direct hit of lethal gas. ¡°Ugh, so smel¡ª¡ªah¡­¡­UWAAAHHH!!¡± I attempted to back up in evasion, but then realized that there was nothing underneath my feet. Yep. The direction that I was trying to escape towards had no ground. Cus the only thing there was a steep slope. So I slipped on dead leaves, crashed into trees, and basically just fell. I fell very hard. ¡ª¡ªAnd that is where my memory blacks out. According to what I was told later, apparently I had hit my head. My consciousness did not return even after a full day, and I had been toeing the very fine line between life and death. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry! I¡¯m really sorry that my fart almost killed you!¡± Bekt, the hunter, my mentor, cried while apologizing to me. I answered with ¡°That was my mistake.¡± I knew that it was a steep slope next to me. That was the terrain that I was traversing, following Shishou and killing the sound of my footsteps. Upon suddenly being assaulted by a world-ending roar and poison gas, it was me who dodged towards that side without thinking. It was my mistake. However. If I am to really speak my mind, what I wanted was not an apology for farting, but an apology for the fart directly hitting me and its smelliness. Well, perhaps the smelliness was not something that he could have done anything about. But at the very least, the accuracy of the hit was definitely on purpose. Premeditated, even. That¡¯s the kind of ossan that Bekt is. The kind of ossan that likes to tease and prank kids. That¡¯s why I am 100% sure that he was targeting my face when releasing that attack. But before the sight of a grown man bawling while apologizing, I could not bring myself to say that out loud. And that is how that incident drew to a close. ¡ª¡ªLeaving behind just one problem. Was it because I hit my head? Or was it because I had injured my eyes during that fall? After that incident, my eyes became just a little bit worse. I can still see close things clearly, but faraway things I can no longer see as clearly as before. What I could see normally before, I now can only see vaguely. Well, it¡¯s not that serious a problem, so it¡¯s fine, I suppose. I, Eil, apprentice hunter of the village of Albat, became 15, and came to greet my Day of Determination. And I gained a Talent that I don¡¯t know how to make heads or tails of, ¡®Megane.¡¯ I can¡¯t make heads or tails of it, but I can just think about it simply. For me, whose eyes had gotten worse after the farting incident, this was perhaps, above anything else, the power that I would be most grateful for. In the city, there is indeed a sight corrective item called ¡®megane.¡¯ But for a poor child of a poor family living in a poor village, it is as far away as the physical distance to said city. Could this be, exactly as it reads, that ¡®megane¡¯? ¡°¡­¡­ Megane?¡± I remove my hand from the Stone of Determination, look at that hand, then murmur softly. At which¡ª¡ª A whole bunch of strength abruptly drains out of me, while at the same time a mysterious item appears on my hand. ¡ª¡ªI can tell instinctively. ¡ª¡ªThe strength that was drained from me just now is contained within this item. I suddenly remember seeing a traveling merchant from the outside wearing something that looked exactly like this on his face. It was troublesome so I didn¡¯t ask him what it was, though. But for sure, that was ¡®megane.¡¯ If that¡¯s the case, then the way to use this item in my hand is¡ª¡ª ¡°¡­¡­ Oh.¡± The two stems are supposed to rest on my ears. The clear lens settle right in front of my eyes. Then what I see through the lens, is a brilliant world. The cloudy sights, the world, that I had been seeing vaguely up to now, suddenly appears so very vivid and clear through the glass. ¡°M-, materialization¡­¡­?!¡± ¡°Eh?! That was Materialization?! But it¡¯s megane!!¡± The soldiers are bewildered, and that spreads to the villagers. Everyone is repeatedly murmuring ¡®megane¡¯ with question marks almost visible above their heads. While clearly and vividly and distinctively looking around my surroundings, I come to terms with it. So what I had is ¡®the Talent to create glasses.¡¯ ¡­¡­ What is with that. What is the point of that. I mean, I needed glasses, so I welcome it though. Materialization. With ¡®a magical Talent¡¯ as the base requirement, it is a form of magic. Just as the word says, it is the power to create something material. In terms of the Ceremony of Determination, it¡¯s jackpot. Materialization is ¡®a magical Talent,¡¯ after all. The issue, however, is that the item being materialized is glasses, an item that has very narrow application. The soldiers, Village Chief, and all the villagers too. Even if it was just ¡®a small knife,¡¯ or simply ¡®can produce fire,¡¯ then everyone would surely have leaped with excitement. The fact that a magician has been born in this entirely unremarkable village would have been honestly received with joy. Just as it did for my sister, Horun. But, it¡¯s glasses. My Talent is glasses. To be even more specific, it is the birth of a magician who can create glasses. Even I can¡¯t bring myself to blame them for their bewilderment. Probably the only person who is honestly happy about this is me. Because I needed glasses. A so-so ability? Perish the thought. It is what I wanted beyond anything else. At first glance, I might appear to be calm, but I am very happy right now. The happiest I¡¯ve been in years. As happy as I was when I hunted my first rabbit. As moved as the moment I ate the first rabbit that I brought down by myself and thought it delicious. Really. With this, I can now aim for prey at mid-range and even long distance. I no longer have to get close enough to prey to see clearly. My hunting is going to be way more effective than it ever has been. ¡ª¡ªIt seems that an air of bafflement has been cast over the village. Nobody seems to know whether to be glad about the birth of this shabby magician or to just make a joke out of me. But I am happy. Even if I may not look like it on the outside. CH 2 With the strange mood over the village remaining unaddressed, the Ceremony draws to a close and proceeds into the feast to celebrate our coming of age. Well, it¡¯s a village in the countryside with no entertainment whatsoever, so everyone kinda just livens it up themselves with just alcohol and food. It might have been mundane, but the Talents that Shieron and Nabhal drew were easy to understand. So just like all the other years, the two of them are welcomed into the ranks of the adults. As for me, who drew a Talent that is so unique and hard to understand that it¡¯s almost bordering on being a joke, well, I¡¯m treated like a tumor. Tons of adults came over to offer me words that may or may not have been consolation. I found it so bothersome and uncomfortable that I quickly erased my presence and chose to devote myself towards my sole source of enjoyment ¨C the food. Oh yea, this is good. As expected of meat¡­¡­ is what I¡¯d like to say, but I actually don¡¯t hate vegetables. The large onions grown in Albat are just amazing. Put it over the fire for a while and it becomes sweet, grill it for a while and it becomes good to eat as is, boil it for a while and it turns into the perfect sweet, gentle-tasting, harmonious accompaniment to any other ingredient. I hated it when I was a kid, but now I love it, having grown used to eating it. It¡¯s the best when it¡¯s boiled together with meat. ¡°Oi.¡± The only person capable of finding me eating by myself under the shade of a tree removed and out of view from the open square where the feast is being held is my Shishou. He normally wears pelts like he¡¯s a barbaric hunter trying to hide his humanity, but today he¡¯s wearing normal clothes. Bekt the hunter. He¡¯s a giant man that looks like a bear sporting a thick beard. From afar, he looks like a coarse and jovial ossan. But in reality, he is a highly skilled hunter capable of hunting down prey with delicate and precise movements. I think myself still far from having reached Shishou¡¯s level. Of course, in terms of height, I have to look up to him. But in terms of skill also, I look up to him. Would I ever be able to catch up? ¡°At least for a day like this, go mingle with the others.¡± He sits next to me. Shishou has also secured for himself a plate piled with food before coming over. ¡°Here¡¯s fine for me.¡± I don¡¯t want to stand out, don¡¯t want to be seen. I might even venture to say that I don¡¯t want to be found. That sort of skill is sought after during a hunt. That¡¯s why being a hunter suits me. ¡°Haah, what a boring kid you are. Haven¡¯t you ever had thoughts of wanting to make a name for yourself in the city? Back when I was your age, that was all I could think about.¡± This talk from Shishou, I¡¯ve already heard countless times. Normally I just casually brush it aside with a ¡°good for you.¡± But for today at least, maybe it won¡¯t be so bad to hear him out a bit. Cus today I¡¯ve become an adult too. ¡°Did you actually, though?¡± ¡°You bet. I did my very best in the city for ten whole years.¡± ¡°And the result?¡± ¡°The city didn¡¯t suit me. Then someone told me about a village that needed a hunter and introduced me, and so here I am.¡± Heeh. ¡°That time, I invited this woman that I was interested in. In other words, I proposed to my wife, and we moved together.¡± Ah, I¡¯m good on this topic. ¡°I¡¯m just going to lay this out first, but I was only on the level of being interested, and it was her who fell in love with me first, alright? But you gotta keep that a secret, yea?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­ You aren¡¯t going to listen to me even at a time like this?¡± Seemingly having given up upon seeing my lack of a reaction, Shishou ends the conversation that I have zero interest in. ¡°So, your glasses. How¡¯re they?¡± ¡°I like them.¡± I can see really well. I can see Shishou really well. But I could have done without seeing him really well. There¡¯s nothing to be gained from seeing an uncle clearly and vividly and distinctively, and for some reason it makes me feel depressed. And his forehead seems larger than I had expec-¡­¡­ no, let¡¯s not have anymore discoveries. ¡°Still, it sure is an incomprehensible Talent.¡± So it would seem. For others, it just comes across as questionable. But for me, it is an item that I cannot be more grateful for. ¡ª¡ªIt was supposed to be a special day, but here I am, eating and chatting about things that I couldn¡¯t care less about with Shishou as usual. Around when I am about to start dozing off from my full stomach, Shishou stands up. ¡°Eil, come with me for a bit.¡± Shishou¡¯s house is at the outskirts of the village. He cuts apart the prey that he hunts, he tans leather, and he processes meat. It was with consideration of all the smells that this arrangement came to be. The meat and leather he either uses to barter with the villagers for vegetables, or sells to traveling merchants. I, too, have saved up a bit of money with the prey I hunted. Well, there¡¯s no way to use money in a village like this, with buying things from traveling merchants being the only exception. But there¡¯s nothing that I particularly want. Right now, I would have thought ¡°if I can buy it with money, then I¡¯d want glasses.¡± But even that I¡¯ve gained without having to spend money. ¡°Wait outside.¡± Shishou disappears into his house. Incidentally, his rumored wife is currently at the feast. In front of his house are pieces of leather in the middle of being tanned and pelts laid out to dry in the sun. Apparently he has no intention of going out on a hunt today. ¡°Here ya go. Gratz on becoming an adult.¡± It didn¡¯t take long before Shishou returns and thrusts a bow towards me. I know Shishou owns several bows, but I¡¯ve never seen this one before. ¡°You made it? For me?¡± ¡°¡®Course I did. You¡¯re my apprentice. Like there¡¯s a mentor who wouldn¡¯t congratulate his apprentice upon coming of age.¡± I accept the bow. It¡¯s a composite bow. It¡¯s light, yet tough. It¡¯s probably made from Spectre Tree wood. It is reinforced with the horn of a black mountain goat that has been carefully shaved down, curved, bent, and thoroughly polished with resin. It¡¯s a brand new bow that has yet to be broken in by anybody. It¡¯s a shortbow for adult use. Furthermore, it¡¯s one that can generate quite some power. As my body is not that big, I¡¯ve had no problem using the child-sized bow that I received when I was a kid all the way to up today. Due to my eyes being bad, I had to get close to my prey anyways. That¡¯s why what I¡¯ve been training was not strength, but the accuracy to hit a prey¡¯s weak point without fail. As can be expected, large prey is beyond me. Medium-sized ones, however, I¡¯ve already brought down a ton. But having obtained this composite bow, now I am able to handle large prey as well. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can draw a bow of that level, right? Give it a try.¡± Upon being prompted, I take out the bowstring that I keep on me at all times, and string up the composite bow. I make sure to string it as tight as it can go without bending the bow. I do it again and again, just as taught. The way to string the longbow that Shishou uses is so complicated that I still can¡¯t do it, but this one I can string just like I do my old one. I pluck the bowstring to confirm that I¡¯ve strung it properly. A dry note rings out. Well, yea, that should do. It probably doesn¡¯t need to be said, but this bow is different from the one that I¡¯ve been using up to today. The weight is different, the length is different, the strength needed to draw it is different, the overall balance is different. It¡¯s going to take some time for me to get used to it. ¡°Try aiming at something.¡± The arrow that he hands me is of a length that I¡¯ve never used before. The weight is also different. It¡¯s an arrow that can fly much further and pierce much deeper. Surely it would not fly like I expect if I loose it like I¡¯ve been doing so far. This, too, I will need to accustom myself to. I plant my feet, bring up the bow, draw, and loose. ¡ª¡ªFast. With speed beyond what I¡¯d expected, the arrow pierces into the piece of leather being tanned that¡¯s hanging from a scarecrow. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re already hitting the target.¡± No, that was a miss. I was aiming at the corner. But the arrow is standing smack dab in the middle. It¡¯s no good if I¡¯m missing at such a close distance. I can¡¯t use this yet in real combat. I need more practice. ¡­¡­¡­¡­Ah. ¡°Shishou.¡± ¡°Yea?¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m very happy.¡± I am happy about the glasses, but I am even happier about receiving this present. ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s fine that you¡¯ve taken a liking to it.¡± Shishou laughs embarrassedly. As I thought, this really isn¡¯t something I want to see clearly and vividly and distinctively. His forehead¡­¡­ no, let¡¯s just stop looking. ¡°Well, if you said that you don¡¯t need it, then I woulda socked you good though.¡± Ahh, right. Every time he brought up ¡°it¡¯s about time for you to get a new bow,¡± I did refuse and say I didn¡¯t need it. ¡ª¡ªBecause I thought that if I got a bow that can hit far away, my bad eyes would get found out. The fact that my eyes got worse after that incident of near death due to Shishou¡¯s fart, I haven¡¯t told anyone. And I don¡¯t intend to ever tell. It¡¯s not something that anything can be done about even if I do tell, and would just bother whoever it is that I tell. My eyesight might have dropped a bit, but I have all four limbs and am in perfect health, so that¡¯s good enough. It would have been fine if Shishou didn¡¯t know my original eyesight, but he did test me when he accepted me as his apprentice. Well, I mean, of course he would. Eyesight is directly tied to range, after all. If I changed to a bow that can aim far away, he would immediately become aware of the fact that my eyes had gotten worse. And then, judging by how I haven¡¯t had a serious injury ever again since, he would realize that that incident was the cause. In the first place, that incident was partly my fault. I don¡¯t want Shishou to bear the full burden by himself. Though I still do want him to apologize for the smelliness and for purposely targeting my face. On that front, I am holding a rather deep grudge, actually. That moment was definitely the worst possible timing for Shishou to release all the ill will that¡¯s been fermenting inside his body. But well, even that¡¯s now been pretty much resolved thanks to my glasses. I immediately throw myself into practice to familiarize myself with my new bow. Perhaps due to having used the same bow for so long, the new one still feels kind of strange in my hands. I need to make my hands, body, eyes and ears, and sense become used to it as soon as possible. ¡°Eil, you will surely leave the village tomorrow.¡± What? After seeing me shoot about ten arrows, Shishou suddenly says something weird. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because of your glasses.¡± ¡­¡­? What about them? Though they are incredibly handy. ¡°To be honest, even I¡¯m not sure what your ¡®Talent for Megane¡¯ is. I¡¯ve seen my fair share of the world, but it¡¯s my first time even hearing of it. Part of me feels like it¡¯s just a practical joke, but part of me feels like it surely has its own meaning and usage. However, what I can say for sure is that it was created through Materialization. In other words, you do have the talent to become a magician.¡± Well, I suppose that¡¯s so. ¡°That¡¯s why you will go to the city at least once. Just as Horun did.¡± Ah, I get it. Even if it¡¯s an incomprehensible Talent like ¡®creating glasses,¡¯ Materialization still lies within the realm of magic. ¡°So tomorrow, I will be departing together with the soldiers who¡¯ve come to Albat?¡± ¡°That¡¯s about it, yep.¡± ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll go, wrap things up in a flash, then come back as soon as I can.¡± Just as I turn away to resume my practice, Shishou calls me back to continue the conversation. ¡°It¡¯s a good opportunity for you. Go take a good look. Not just at the capital, but also at the world.¡± ¡°Eh? Why should I?¡± ¡°Because you are talented with the bow. Far more so than me. Surely there is a mountain of people who would need your skill, people who are waiting for you to enter their lives. And for you, it would be an opportunity to grow. You can return to the village if you want. It¡¯s your freedom to choose to live in this village for the rest of your life. However, there are many things in life that you can only do in the moment. I won¡¯t tell you to force yourself to find something. But at least make the effort to look. You haven¡¯t even tried doing that yet. Search for your own potential.¡± Potential. Potential, huh. ¡­¡­ How am I even supposed to respond here? ¡°All I want is to just get by without being found by anyone, though¡­¡­¡± I hate being on the receiving end of attention, and I hate being conspicuous. If possible, I¡¯d very much like to continue living quietly in this village. The next day. Bright and early, the soldiers who came to conduct the Ceremony of Determination knocked on the door to my house. ¡°We did deliberate for quite a while, but¡­¡­ we have determined it to be indeed ¡®a magical Talent,¡¯ so we are ordering Eil of Albat to present himself at the royal castle. On authority of the king.¡± At the very edge of his words, I can really tell how conflicted they had been. But well, the final decision seems to be to bring me along. Departure would be immediately after breakfast. I would be riding the carriage that the soldiers took to get here. On authority of the king. On orders of a guy that I¡¯ve never even seen before. Two years ago, this was what happened to Sis. But that time, the entire village came out to see her off. In my case, the village do come out to see me off too, but everyone is still puzzledly going ¡°Megane?¡± ¡°Megane¡­?¡± ¡ª¡ªAnd it is in this way that I leave the village that I had been born and grew up in. CH 3 The trip from Albat to the capital, Nastiara, took 2 days by carriage. During the eventless journey, I had nothing else to do, so I spent it testing my glasses in various ways. It¡¯s an incomprehensible Talent, but I like it. Furthermore, I also have the bow that Shishou gifted me for my coming of age. Without time to gather my bearings, I was brought out of the village the very next day. On authority of the king. On orders of a guy that I¡¯ve never even seen before. He¡¯s probably just some old guy who¡¯s never known a day of hardship in his life. So this is my first time since to have this much free time to examine and test my glasses. After a simple self-introduction and brief chat with the soldiers, I tell them ¡®I want to sleep¡¯ and retreat to the roof of the carriage. Having someone sit next to me does bother me, but what bothers me even more is having someone sit across from me and staring at me. I am a guy too, so especially now that my eyesight has improved, I have absolutely no interest in seeing another guy clearly and vividly and distinctively. And I personally don¡¯t want to be looked at either. The jolting of the carriage transmits quite directly to the roof, but it¡¯s still much better than being stuck inside a small space with ossa¡ª actually, the soldiers are quite a bit younger than I¡¯d expected ¡ª with dudes that I don¡¯t know. With my luggage pack as a pillow, I lay face up on the roof. ¡°¡ª¡ªWhen I get home, I¡¯m going to propose.¡± ¡°¡ª¡ªGood luck with that. As for me, I have to think of a name for my newborn child.¡± I hear the soldiers talking with each other below me. For some reason, I feel a sense of foreboding from the content of their conversation, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯m just imagining it. While looking up at the clear blue sky, I fiddle with my glasses. Hmm¡­¡­ so the lens is curved. The curvature curves the sight in a way that makes everything focused. If I adjust the curvature of the lens, would I be able to see even further? Or should I overlap them? ¡ª¡ªAfter various tests, I learned three things. Firstly, I am only able to make 3 glasses in one go. The strength that gets drained out of my body ¡ª that¡¯s probably what people call magic power ¡ª is expended, such that after the third one I get dizzy and cannot move properly anymore. Secondly, I can return my glasses into magic power. After returning, I can then create it again. Rather than saying that my magic power is expended, it¡¯d be more accurate to say that my glasses are my magic power. When I return my glasses, my magic power returns. And lastly, it becomes a physical existence separated from me. Simply put, with time, I can increase the number of glasses. The first pair that I made, I¡¯ve been wearing the entire time. Aside from when I sleep, of course. But even when I sleep, I didn¡¯t return it into magic power. During that time, the ¡®magic power worth 1 pair of glasses¡¯ recovered naturally. In other words, the glasses that I am wearing right now are no longer a magical creation, but a physical object that exists on its own. I can probably give it to other people too. According to what I heard from the soldiers, glasses are considered a high-class item in the royal capital. If I sell them, then I may be able to earn quite a tidy sum. ¡®Sell glasses and earn money,¡¯ huh. On paper alone, it looks really stupid. In the first place, it may be a high-class item, but there¡¯s no point if there¡¯s no demand. Are there many people with bad eyes? Or are there only a few? In the first place, are there even people aware of it? I was aware because my eyes went from fine to bad, but if someone was born like that, then would they even realize that what they see is different from what others see? And even if they realize, would they even give it thought? Moreover, if it is the curvature of the lens that corrects eyesight, then I think each person would require curvature specific to that person alone. I think that each pair of glasses would need to be tailor-made to each person. Just as everyone¡¯s ¡®glasses in their heart¡¯ is different, surely their physical glasses would be different too. Incidentally, what does ¡®glasses in the heart¡¯ even mean. Though well, glasses have indeed already secured a living space inside my heart. They¡¯ve become an existence that I can never ever live without again. ¡ª¡ªUpon mulling so deeply upon glasses, I find myself slightly excited. Regardless of how everyone around thinks ¡®glasses summoning¡¯ is just meh, I like it. Now I want to know even more about my glasses. In addition, I also learned that ¡®the shape cannot be changed¡¯ and ¡®the color of the lens can be changed.¡¯ Well, in regards to the shape, it might simply be because I lack the imagination or visualization to make it happen. If I have a clear image that I think ¡®I want it to look like this!¡¯, then perhaps I can make it. ¡®The color of the lens can be changed¡¯ I discovered because I realized how bright the sun is. Because I¡¯m lying face up on the roof, the sun comes into my view whether I want it to or not. When I am wearing glasses, it concentrates light, so everything becomes even brighter. The sun isn¡¯t bright when it¡¯s covered by thin, dark clouds. If my glasses provide me vision through the lens, then could I make the lens more clouded, so that the sun won¡¯t be so bright according to the previous reasoning? So thinking, I mentally willed it to become as dark as night, and it worked. The world that I am looking at right now is ¡®night.¡¯ Despite it being high noon, everywhere is dark like it¡¯s night time, thanks to me looking at the world through black lenses. I can look right at the sun and it¡¯s not bright at all. It even looks kind of like a yellow spot. ¡­¡­ Ok, I thought that it¡¯s not bright, but when I stare at it for a long time, it turns out to be bright after all. The sun is strong. My thought that glasses may perhaps be the strongest thing in this world is dispelled immediately. How I arrived at that thought is completely beyond me. On the first day, as well as the second, I stayed on the roof of the carriage. I pondered upon my glasses, napped every now and then, and fiddled with the new composite bow that I¡¯d received from Shishou. ¡°¡ª¡ªI¡¯m almost home.¡± ¡°¡ª¡ªWhen I think of how my child is waiting for me, I just can¡¯t sit still.¡± In the evening of the second day on this journey that even the soldiers have gotten tired of, we finally see castle walls far off in the distance. So that¡¯s the royal capital. It¡¯s huge. I only know my own village, so I can¡¯t even imagine what kind of place the royal capital is. ¡­¡­ Sooo, first I¡¯ll be going to the castle to meet somebody important, then I¡¯m going to look for Sis. Because my parents told me ¡°go take a look at your sister¡¯s face.¡± I too ¡ª well, I¡¯m not that worried about her ¡ª am kind of curious about how she¡¯s been these past two years. To be honest, I only wanted to go back as soon as possible at the start of the trip. But now I¡¯ve changed my mind just a little. When I reach the royal capital, I want to look more into glasses. According to the soldiers, there is a place called a ¡®library¡¯ where there are a whole ton of books. Apparently that¡¯s the place to go to look something up. I can only do simple reading and writing, so I won¡¯t be able to read difficult books. But I think there¡¯s value in at least going to check it out. CH 4 ¡°¡ª¡ªmega, ne? Eh? Megane?¡± It is the second day after my arrival at the royal capital. Having arrived in the late evening, I was bundled off into an inn first thing. I spent the night there, and now it is the morning of the next day. Before I was even able to eat breakfast, the soldier bro who said he¡¯d propose after getting home came to pick me up, then promptly escorted me to the castle. Due to the early hour, the streets still seem a bit empty. But I¡¯m just amazed at the quantity and size of the buildings everywhere. Last night, I was tired from the journey, I was brought directly to the inn, and I was even told expressly not to go walking about, so I had just eaten dinner then bathed then went straight to bed. That is why this is my first time taking a good look at the townscape. This is so different from my village. The city is amazing. By going down the wide road that connects directly with the highway outside the walls, we eventually arrive before a splendid-looking castle paved entirely with stone. I¡¯ve only ever heard of a place like this from children¡¯s tales and fairy tales. It feels so overwhelming to see it in person. Well then. The soldier bro shows some kind of identification to the guards who are already standing in front of the gate this early in the morning, then he is allowed to pass through. I follow along behind him. With the guard scrutinizing me from head to toe. I really am bad with people looking at me. And then. Almost immediately after passing through the gate, there are two people standing in our way. One is a bearded ossan wearing top-quality clothes who looks to be in his forties, while the other is a pretty girl who looks to be two or three years older than me. Ah, the girl is wearing glasses. She¡¯s my first megane person in the royal capital. ¡°Welcome to Nastiara Castle, oh child of a sublime Talent.¡± So says the girl in welcome. The ossan looks neither moved nor welcoming, and just stands there with an unreadable face. Being welcomed with a smile is well and all, but the very fact of being welcomed out here means that I¡¯m not allowed to step foot into the castle, right? Since we¡¯re technically not inside the castle yet. This place is literally just the other side of the gate. In other words, this place isn¡¯t indulgent enough to allow bumpkins inside willy-nilly. Not that I particularly want to go in, though. There¡¯s probably a ton of people inside, after all. Soldier bro tells the girl and bearded ossan my Talent. Which brings us to¡ª¡ª ¡°¡ª¡ªmega, ne? Eh? Megane?¡± Let alone a second look, both the girl and the ossan take even a third look. ¡°¡­¡­ Eh, ¡®megane¡¯? By ¡®megane,¡¯ you mean glasses? Like those? Like these?¡± The girl points towards the glasses that I¡¯m wearing (¡®those¡¯ glasses) and the glasses that she¡¯s wearing (¡®these¡¯ glasses) repeatedly for confirmation. The soldier nods again and again upon being asked, confirming that their bewilderment is not misplaced. Ummm. So I¡¯m going to get those faces even here, huh. The girl and ossan, both of whom are surely people with great authority, are making the exact same faces as the villagers who watched my Ceremony of Determination. This awkward air is also exactly the same. ¡°Wha-, what does that mean?¡± Who am I to ask if you ask me? I¡¯m the one who is the most desperate to know what a ¡®Talent for Megane¡¯ is all about. I¡¯ve already made my peace with it ages ago, but the mystery behind it is only growing deeper by the day. At any rate, it¡¯s probably best to just show them directly. The ¡®Talent for Megane.¡¯ I directly stick out a hand¡ª¡ªthen create a pair of glasses on top. ¡°Ah, glasses¡­¡­!¡± Yes. These are glasses. ¡°Materialization¡­¡­!¡± The bearded ossan opens his mouth for the first time. Unlike the girl, he seems calm, but I suspect that he¡¯s even more bewildered than she is. It is ¡®megane¡¯ after all. ¡°Eh? Eh? Are you giving them to me?¡± Eh? ¡­¡­ I had no intention of giving them away, but if she wants them then I might as well. She¡¯s a megane comrade, after all. Despite it having been only a few days, now I am also a splendid megane-user. You may even call me a megane-man. I nod, then the girl accepts the glasses. She puts them on in exchange for hers. ¡°Uwah¡­¡­ th-, the clarity is totally different! These are lenses of the highest quality¡­¡­!¡± Hm? I don¡¯t quite get it, but the girl seems quite moved. Clarity¡­¡­ huh. Now that she¡¯s brought my attention to it, the lens of the glasses that she had been wearing do look slightly clouded. Is that what¡¯s normal? ¡°U~wah¡­¡­ I can even clearly see Leoud-san¡¯s pores. These are amazing!¡± ¡°Shut up. Don¡¯t look.¡± The ossan looks annoyed at the girl¡¯s delight. Seemingly bothered by having it brought up, he¡¯s covering his nose and mouth with a hand. I myself don¡¯t really want to look directly, but it seems that being able to clearly and vividly and distinctively see a middle-aged man does not bother this girl much. I don¡¯t know if this is true only for this girl, or if this is true for all females in the world. ¡°¡®Megane¡¯¡­¡­ what a difficult Talent to make use of¡­¡­¡± Placing his other hand on his forehead, the ossan sighs heavily. I personally love it, but I suppose this is the normal reaction from everyone else. ¡°¡ª¡ªkun, stay in the royal capital for a while.¡± Eh? I want to go back to the village soon, but have just heard something unbelievable. ¡°If my memory serves me correctly, I have never even heard of a Talent called ¡®Megane.¡¯ It is surely a very rare Talent, one that even this country with its long history has never come upon. However, I can¡¯t discern right now whether it is important to us or not.¡± Which reminds me, if it¡¯s honestly accepted as ¡®a magical Talent,¡¯ then the country would personally employ me, right? This is the interview to decide that, right? That, and ¡®rare Talents.¡¯ In other words, he cannot determine on the spot whether or not my Talent is one that is worthy of direct employment by the country. That¡¯s why he needs some time to discuss it with other people in power before making the final decision, is the general meaning. I get it. Judging by this super awkward atmosphere. The bewilderment of whether to welcome me or to chase me away on his own judgment is so palpable as to almost stab my skin. ¡°I don¡¯t mind staying for a while, but working at the castle¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°That talk will be at a later date. For today, just go back. You, hand him funds for several days of stay.¡± ¡®Working at the castle is something I have no interest in¡¯¡­¡­ is what I wanted to say though. But without properly listening to me, the ossan just says what he wants to say, then drags the girl back into the castle with him. Left alone with me, the soldier bro tells me ¡®from today onwards, continue staying at last night¡¯s inn.¡¯ He hands me some money, then drives me out. Ummm¡­¡­ after being jostled by the carriage and coming all this way, this is my treatment? It seems that people in power treating country bumpkins unceremoniously really is true. Well, whatever. I have things I want to do in the royal capital anyways, so I actually don¡¯t mind having to wait for a few days. CH 5 Since I was told to wait for several days, it means I can¡¯t move from the royal capital for several days. On orders of the king. Not that I know how much of an old guy it is that gave the order. Nor how much hardship has the old guy that gave the order known. In any case, since I can¡¯t move, I might as well do what I need to do during this time. Firstly, let¡¯s go look for Horun. My sister. Looking into glasses can wait. It is an amazing construct of technology, but anyone can tell with a single glance that its structure is simple. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to learn much from cursory research. For sure I would have to go into technical specifics. It will take quite a lot of time if I am to begin. Sis has become, according to the letter she sent, an adventurer based in the royal capital. Adventurers did stop by our village every once in a while, so I have a general idea of what kind of occupation it is. To summarize what all the villagers were saying, if I remember correctly, adventurers hunt magic beasts and gather herbs and mess with promising newbies to enforce a pecking order, and in spite of their large bodies and attitudes are actually just a reserve army of mean-spirited and selfish criminals. They don¡¯t have a specific job to do, instead relying desperately on commissioned jobs to scrape together enough spare change to make ends meet day by day. Also, they eat things that they pick up off the ground, and frequently fail because of being drunk. They go broke because they gamble, and sometimes end up foolishly accepting highly dangerous jobs because of a debt they have to pay back. There is surely no other profession that suits my sister so well. Ever since I can remember, Horun has always been of a caliber that cannot be bound by concepts within common sense such as ¡®ordinary¡¯ or ¡®stable.¡¯ Generally, she often ate things she picked up off the ground. When eating meat, she would unfailing always gnaw on the bone afterwards. That time when she buried a bone saying ¡°it might turn into a tree of meat,¡± I seriously doubted her sanity. How I pretended to be unrelated to her while watching her later get into a fight with a dog that dug up the bone is a rather treasured memory of mine. ¡°¡®Scuse me~¡± My objective has been decided. Let¡¯s ask this gate guard who is looking at me warily with a solemn face the location of the nest of adventurers. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡®Scuse me~¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡®Scuse me~, there¡¯s something I want to ask you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡®Scu¡ª¡± ¡°Goddamn you¡¯re annoying! I¡¯m in the middle of work, don¡¯t talk to me!¡± U~wah, how scary. He got mad. ¡°And here I was thinking that you were ignoring me because you¡¯re in the middle of work.¡± Since he didn¡¯t even flinch. I couldn¡¯t help taking one step closer to him every time I called out again. I¡¯m already close enough to touch him with my hand. ¡°That is exactly what I was doing! I was ignoring you on purpose! ON. PURPOSE! If you get it then leave me be!¡± ¡°Ah, is that so. So then, where can I find them adventurers?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me when I¡¯m in the middle of work!¡± ¡°That way? This way?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Follow the large avenue in front, you¡¯ll find the Adventurer¡¯s Guild near the city entrance.¡± Even though he clicked his tongue, the gate guard still properly answered my question. What a relief. People from the city have this cold and uncaring impression, but I guess it¡¯s not actually true. ¡°Thank you~¡± I say my thanks, but he doesn¡¯t respond to me anymore. He must be shy. Alright. I got the information that I needed. Adventurer¡¯s Guild, huh. I¡¯ve heard of this as well. Let¡¯s go check it out. As I proceed down the largest road amongst all the roads, I spy a building from which people wearing armor and carrying swords and axes and whatnot are coming in and out. I can tell immediately. That is the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. It says so on the sign too. As if they¡¯re trying to flaunt it. But that sure is a lot of people¡­¡­ can I not go in? ¡­¡­ But I can¡¯t very well not go in, right? It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t care about Horun, even though I haven¡¯t seen her for two years already. There¡¯s no helping it. Let¡¯s slip in sneakily. I wait around for a while, until I spot a large man wearing jangling armor who completely looks like an adventurer. Right before he enters, I erase my presence and follow behind him into the building. Then I smoothly proceed inside with an innocent face and grab a seat. Not at a table that can seat several people at once, but at the counter seats, which is for people who come alone. I wasn¡¯t seen. I did not feel a single gaze on me. It seems that my infiltration was successful. ¡ª¡ªNo, that¡¯s incorrect. There is one person looking at me. I feel a gaze on my back. ¡­¡­ Hmm¡­¡­ oh boy, that¡¯s strong. The person who¡¯s looking at me, I mean. Definitely much stronger than I am. If it is a wild animal, then it would not be my prey, but a predator looking to prey upon me. Those eyes are looking straight at me, out of the sea of people armed to the teeth. Even taking my personal feelings out of the equation, this is definitely not a good thing to happen. ¡°¡­¡­ Eh? Welcome¡­¡­?¡± There is a female wearing an apron looking at me with a ¡®since when has he been there?¡¯ face. So that¡¯s a waitress, huh. We didn¡¯t have those in our village. The waitress who was busy going in and out of the kitchen carrying dishes and drinks finally noticed me when going behind the counter to grab a bottle of something. Our eyes did meet over the counter, after all. This person definitely feels like I¡¯d appeared all of a sudden. Even though she passed right by me just now. She didn¡¯t notice at all that time. I don¡¯t really have anything I want to order, but¡­¡­ oh right, I haven¡¯t had breakfast yet. Might as well eat here then. ¡°Please give me something bread-like and something soup-like.¡± I don¡¯t know what they actually serve here, so I give a vague order. ¡°Bread, -like¡­¡­?¡± As I can¡¯t imagine most of the adventurers that are going in and out possessing any substantial wealth, the menu here shouldn¡¯t be that expensive. It should be fine to just let the waitress decide for me. But I am on the lookout for rip offs. If it seems expensive, then I¡¯ll just run away. ¡°Ahh, umm, would the breakfast set be fine? It comes with bread and soup and fruit.¡± ¡°Ok, give me that, then.¡± So then. For now, I¡¯ve gotten the ordering out of the way, so I can look for Sis¡­¡­ but it seems that she¡¯s not here at the moment. Keeping my eyes forward, I probe for presences. Right now, there are a total of 20 adventurers inside the guild. Of the six tables, five are in use, and the flow through the doors is high volume. Seeing as how after they gaze at the papers stuck on a wall they then turn to talk with their friends or head straight out of the guild, I deduce that those papers must be the request forms that detail the daily employment jobs. Yep, Sis¡¯ presence is not here. And, same as before, there is still one person looking at me. I don¡¯t know what their intention is, but they are stronger than me, so I have no intention to engage. Dammit, I feel that person approaching me. ¡°¡ª¡ªYoung man.¡± I think I just heard a woman calling out to someone. But well, there¡¯s no guarantee that it¡¯s directed towards me. ¡°¡ª¡ªYou there, young man.¡± She¡¯s grabbed the counter seat next to mine and seems to be looking in my direction though. No, no, no, there¡¯s still no telling with that alone. That¡¯s not enough to be sure that it¡¯s me that she¡¯s calling out to. There is still the possibility that she¡¯s calling out to someone on my other side. There is no one suitable to be called ¡°young man¡± on that side though. ¡°¡ª¡ªThank you for waiting.¡± As I keep up my ¡®it¡¯s no concern of mine¡¯ attitude, the waitress comes back with my food. Oh, this looks good. The bread doesn¡¯t seem all that different from what I was eating back in my village, but it¡¯s my first time having a soup that smells like this. Did they put in a spice that I don¡¯t know? And there¡¯s even meat inside. What a feast early in the morning. Thank you for the food. ¡°¡ª¡ªOh hi there, Lorobel. What¡¯s the matter?¡± I maintain my ¡®it¡¯s no concern of mine¡¯ attitude even while picking up my bowl of soup, but the waitress calls out to the woman sitting next to me. Let¡¯s casually listen in. Why is she looking at me, and why did she call out to me. That¡¯s what I want to know. Though well, it¡¯s still not confirmed that it¡¯s me that she has business with¡­¡­ Haah, I guess that¡¯s too large of a stretch, huh. Since she¡¯s even gone and sat next to me. ¡°Oh, I get it. You¡¯re trying to hit on him? But isn¡¯t he a bit too young to hit on? Even though he does have a cute face.¡± ¡°What, no. It¡¯s just that there¡¯s something I¡¯m curious about.¡± I would very much like for you to not be curious though. ¡°You know this kid?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s my first time seeing him. Hey, we¡¯ve never met before, right?¡± The waitress looks at me. But there¡¯s no guarantee that it¡¯s me that she¡¯s talking to, so I don¡¯t say anything and don¡¯t look at her and just continue sipping at my soup. Mmm, soup in the city is delicious. I wonder what they put inside. Is it really an unknown spice? ¡°¡­¡­ He¡¯s been like this the entire time I¡¯ve been calling out to him.¡± ¡°He probably doesn¡¯t want to get involved with other people. It¡¯s not that rare to see adventurers who don¡¯t want other people interfering with themselves, right?¡± Hear, hear. Adventurers who don¡¯t want other people interfering with themselves is not rare, you hear? Not that I¡¯m an adventurer, though. ¡°Ahh¡­¡­ I think you are listening, so I¡¯ll just tell you what I want.¡± Having understood that I have no intention of responding, the woman next to me has apparently decided to tell me the reason why she¡¯s been calling out to me. ¡°Young man, your glasses. I was wondering where you got your hands on those.¡± Glasses? ¡­¡­ My glasses, huh. I see, so it¡¯s my glasses that she has business with. After enduring the gazes of the waitress and the woman next to me for a while longer, I think about it for a bit, then turn my face. ¡°What is it about my glasses?¡± I dislike getting involved in troubling things, but since it¡¯s my glasses that she has business with, then I feel willing to at least hear her out a bit. In any case, I¡¯d need to ask someone for information about Sis. This woman next to me¡ª¡ªher name is Lorobel? Yea, let¡¯s ask her various things, then. CH 6 ¡°My name is Lorobel Loran. What¡¯s yours?¡± With politeness that I did not at all expect from an adventurer belonging to the rumored reserve army of rowdy criminals, the woman next to me introduces herself. Her age is probably in the twenties. She has a medium build, and is taller than me. Her intelligent yet willful green eyes and blond hair cut short at her forehead is what makes her distinctive. Even though she is wearing normal clothes with not a single visible weapon on her, she really is giving off the smell of a strong person. Among all the adventurers currently present in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, I think she¡¯s at least a head above them all. That is what my instinct is telling me. The instinct that was honed from the experience of facing off against countless numbers of prey and demon beasts. ¡°I am Eil.¡± ¡°Eil, huh. You¡¯re not from this city, are you?¡± ¡°Sorry, private information.¡± I don¡¯t want to talk about myself. The more people know about me, the higher the chance I get involved in something troublesome. To be honest, I¡¯m not even sure that I should have given my real name. But Lorobel gave hers, so I had no choice. ¡°You sure are wary despite being so young.¡± Cus otherwise I would never make it as a hunter. ¡°I¡¯ll be here for only a few more days. So pay me no mind.¡± I don¡¯t intend on staying in the royal capital for long, and neither do I intend on making any new friends. The moment I finish all my business, I¡¯m going straight back to the village. I have no aim that requires me to be in the royal capital. Though Shishou¡¯s ¡°search for your potential¡± is still somewhere in my head¡­¡­ But in the end, everything that I want to do, I can do in the village. Such as practicing with my new bow, or doing what a hunter does. There¡¯s not a single thing that requires me to be in the royal capital to do. Above everything else, there are just too many people in the royal capital. It doesn¡¯t suit me. ¡°Hmm¡­¡­ though, well, I can guess the gist of it.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°Ceremony of Determination. Right?¡± Oh boy. To deduce the reason why I¡¯m in the capital based on just that little bit of information. Kids who¡¯ve been brought to the capital from some village in the countryside. On orders of the king. Surely Lorobel has seen enough kids in the same situation as me to be able to immediately guess that it¡¯s the same for me. ¡°Are there actually a lot? People like me, I mean.¡± ¡°To be honest, not really. Those who possess a Talent worthy enough to be summoned to the castle are actually quite rare.¡± Which means they¡¯re rare, but not entirely unseen. ¡°So then, about those glasses of yours.¡± ¡°Can I make it my remuneration?¡± ¡°What? Remuneration?¡± ¡°Answer my question first. Then I¡¯ll answer yours.¡± As a hunter, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll easily give other people information about myself. Even Shishou taught me what he taught me because I¡¯m his apprentice. It¡¯s not like he would teach his techniques to any random person passing by. I don¡¯t really want to talk, but I suppose I can bear with it if I think of it as an exchange of information. ¡°I see, so you¡¯re making it a bargaining chip. Alright, if it¡¯s something that I can answer, then I will.¡± Good, I¡¯ve acquired an information source. Seeing how strong Lorobel is, her history as an adventurer is surely quite long. At the very least, there¡¯s no way she¡¯s someone who¡¯s just stepped into the guild for the first time today or yesterday. In that case, chances are high that she knows something about Horun, who started here two years ago. Let¡¯s get right to it. ¡°I¡¯m looking for an adventurer named Horun. Do you know her?¡± ¡°Horun? You mean¡ª¡ª¡± Then shocking words come out of Lorobel¡¯s mouth. ¡°¡ª¡ªthe Saintess of Demon Exorcism?¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡°No, not that one.¡± My sister is not made for a title as sublime as ¡®Saintess.¡¯ A title that alludes to matting or straw or untanned beast leather suits her way better. Something more uncouth, more rough, more violent¡­¡­ that makes you conflicted whether it is edible or not¡­¡­ whose whole selling point is ¡®wildness¡¯¡­¡­ is the only way that I can describe what she is. ¡°So it¡¯s not? Someone else named Horun aside from the Saintess of Demon Exorcism¡­¡­ no one comes to mind.¡± Hmm, is that so. ¡°Incidentally, the Horun that I¡¯m looking for probably has a face similar to mine.¡± Two years ago, Horun and I still looked pretty similar. To the point where no one could doubt that we are siblings, that we are connected by blood. To be honest, every time someone said that about us, I got a bit offended. It didn¡¯t make me happy at all. Now that two years have passed, I may not know what¡¯s happened to her, but I can¡¯t imagine her having abruptly turned into someone entirely different. ¡°Ahh, so that¡¯s what it was.¡± Lorobel nods as if something¡¯s come to mind. ¡°When I first laid eyes on you, I was thinking that you look like someone I know, but couldn¡¯t remember who it was. Yes, you look very much like Horun the Saintess of Demon Exorcism. The hairstyle is different, but the face is really similar. Now that I¡¯m thinking about it, the color of your hair and eyes is also the same.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡°But the Horun that I¡¯m looking for is not that one, you see.¡± I don¡¯t want to acknowledge it. My sister is no Saintess. Now, if there is a poor girl who caused a ton of problems at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and got banned from the premises, that would definitely be Horun. That¡¯s just the kind of person my sister is. ¡°No, hold on. Going by the flow of the conversation so far, it¡¯s pretty much a confirmed fact that the person you are searching for is Horun the Saintess, right?¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­ I don¡¯t want to acknowledge it. I don¡¯t want to acknowledge it, but¡­¡­ After that, I bring up several more detailed specifications. It seems that contrary to what I would like to think, chances are high that this Saintess of Demon Exorcism is indeed my sister. ¡°To sum things up.¡± I don¡¯t want to acknowledge it and neither do I want to sum up the conversation, but I suppose even I can¡¯t hold onto the conviction that it¡¯s the wrong person anymore, not when so many details are a match. ¡°I find it extremely hard to believe, like, really super ultra hard to believe, but it seems that Horun has became an adventurer in the royal capital known as a Saintess. She then became the youngest member to join the adventurer¡¯s team Black Swan of Dawn that¡¯s made up of ten-odd Three Star adventurers. She then immediately distinguished herself, and is skilled enough to now be known all around as the Saintess of Demon Exorcism.¡± Lorobel nods to indicate that I generally got it right. I really wish that I had gotten it wrong. It¡¯s impossible, huh. ¡°To add to that, Black Swan of Dawn is a top-class adventurer team even by royal capital standards. The requirement to go higher than Three Star is to defeat a demon lord class, so in practicality Three Star is the highest possible rank.¡± Ugghhh¡­¡­ ¡°So basically the more Stars you have, the more awesome you are?¡± ¡°Yep. The ranks go from No Star to Five Star. Individual and team rankings are separate. Incidentally, I¡¯m a Two Star.¡± Two Star. If Lorobel is only a Two Star even though she¡¯s this strong, then it means Horun is in a team with people who are even stronger? ¡°Are you from the same birthplace as Horun? Or are you actually related to her?¡± Well, after having heard so much detail, I can understand how she¡¯d suspect me to be relat¡ª¡ªhm? ¡°Lorobel! Team up with me!¡± A man is rushing over with loud footsteps while raising his voice. Hmm¡­¡­ he seems like the annoying insistent kind of ossan that I¡¯m bad with. He even has a loud voice, to boot. Ah, I don¡¯t think it needs to be said, but I don¡¯t turn around. I¡¯m not related, I¡¯m not related. I don¡¯t even want to look. Do not get me involved. I¡¯m already disliking him from the get-go, but even Lorobel who seems to know him is frowning in distaste. ¡°Galiv, huh. I clearly remember having turned you down though.¡± ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be like that. If us Two Star team together, we¡¯d be able to take on even bigger jobs!¡± Eh? That¡¯s a surprise. Don¡¯t you have to be as strong as Lorobel to be a Two Star? That ossan doesn¡¯t seem so strong though. The only thing big about him is his voice and attitude. Does he have any actual achievements under his belt? Well, it¡¯s not like I care, so, whatever. ¡°I¡¯m in the middle of an important conversation. Go away.¡± ¡°Important conversation? You mean, with this beansprout kid?¡± Uwahh, he¡¯s looking at me. I feel an unreserved gaze on the back of my head. There are even others who¡¯ve begun looking this way because of the commotion. U~wahh, so they¡¯re so looking. Let¡¯s just eat this apple from my breakfast set first. ¡°Oi, stinky brat. What business do you have with Lorobel.¡± Whichever brat that is, someone¡¯s calling out to you. Hurry up and answer the guy. ¡°Stop it, Galiv. It¡¯s me who has business with him.¡± Lorobel tries to stop him, but¡­¡­ this kind of guy probably won¡¯t stop with something of that level. ¡°How about showing some respect and at least greeting your senpai, huh? As a rookie, huh?¡± I am not a rookie. Cus I have zero intention of becoming an adventurer. ¡ª¡ªAlright, I¡¯ve finished my breakfast. So now I can¡ª¡ª ¡°You little shit! How about turning this way an¡ª¡ªoh?!¡± Beat an emergency retreat immediately. The instant the ossan reaches a hand towards me, I get down from the chair, dodge the ossan¡¯s hand, slip past him, then dash right out of the guild at full speed. Ah~h, I¡¯ve gone and done it. I really did get messed with. Including Lorobel, I got messed with by two people in the span of time it took me to finish my breakfast. I really don¡¯t like them, the kind of people who can¡¯t take ¡®no¡¯ for an answer. But I didn¡¯t have time to take out my money, so it¡¯s completely become a case of dine-and-dash. I¡¯ve got to return later to pay for the meal. Let¡¯s go back again only after the whole commotion has subsided. For now, well, I guess searching for, um, Horun the Saintess of Demon Exorcism?, should be my next priority. According to the information from Lorobel, the characteristics of this Saintess person is almost an exact match for my sister. But I¡¯m still holding out hope that it¡¯s a completely different person. I¡¯m still hoping that it¡¯s just a really coincidental accidental resemblance. I considered waiting for her at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, but I¡¯ve had enough of being messed with. I don¡¯t want to go there any more than I have to. If I can get in contact with a member of the aforementioned Black Swan of Dawn team, then could I meet her through them? ¡ª¡ªAnd by the way. What was with that number floating above Lorobel¡¯s head anyways? It read 52 the entire time though. CH 7 If asked what I¡¯d associate the word ¡®adventurers¡¯ with, then the answer would have to be ¡®equipment.¡¯ I should probably go to a weapon store or armor store next to ask around. Since the way I understand it, adventurers have an inextricably close relationship with these places. It seems that Horun has joined some famous adventurer team, so I feel like I would be able to at least hear some rumors about them. It¡¯s not like the information I want is anything personal or private, so I expect the other side would answer my questions quite readily. Also, I am slightly interested in what kind of bows there are in the city. ¡ª¡ªOr at least, that¡¯s what I¡¯d thought. ¡°What business do you have with us?¡± On my very first try, I¡¯ve already bumped into a member of the Black Swan of Dawn. I went into a store that deals with weapons located relatively close to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild that¡¯s facing the main avenue. There were three adventurer-like customers in the store, and it¡¯s quite spacious. I suppose it¡¯s on the better side in terms of product lineup? While gazing at the large variety of weapons lining the shelves and walls and tossed into barrels, I look for anything resembling a bow. To my slight disappointment, there is none. Well, there¡¯s nothing to be done about something that isn¡¯t here, so I proceeded deeper into the store and call out to the salesperson-like grandpa who¡¯s polishing a sword. Like, do you know anything about Black Swan of Dawn. At which, I got a response from the customer at my side. ¡°What business do you have with us?¡± she said. ¡°Eh? You¡¯re a member of Black Swan of Dawn?¡± She turns out to be a red-haired girl who looks younger and weaker than I¡¯d expected. She¡¯s probably similar in age to me. And she¡¯s not even wearing armor. ¡°I am. What about it?¡± ¡­¡­ Ehh? I don¡¯t get it. Wasn¡¯t Black Swan of Dawn a team of Three Stars? With Lorobel as the standard for a Two Star, then it would mean everyone on the team should be at least as strong as her, or even stronger. What¡¯s going on? Am I misunderstanding something here? ¡°What? ¡­¡­ Weird Megane.¡± Because I was staring at her too hard, it seems that¡¯s made her a bit miffed. It¡¯s not like her face is even that¡­¡­ no, that¡¯s a rude thing to say about girls. It¡¯s not a face that¡¯s particularly problematic for staring at for an extended period of time. No, I mean, who can fault me for being confused? From every which angle, she only looks like an average teenage girl. I don¡¯t feel strength on par with Lorobel¡¯s from her either. Her presence is also exactly that of a simple villager, and she¡¯s full of openings. In spite of all that, she¡¯s a member of a top class adventurer team? Why? ¡­¡­ No, it doesn¡¯t matter. That adventurer team can be whatever it wants to be All I have business with is my sister. There¡¯s no point dwelling on things that seem unnatural or incomprehensible. The question did come up in my mind, but it¡¯s not like I¡¯m actually curious about it. So I don¡¯t have to understand. ¡°Umm, I want to meet a girl called Horun, who should be in the same team as you. Where is she at the moment?¡± ¡°HAAH?!¡± The girl¡¯s face abruptly changes from miffed to whatever you call it when her eyebrows are raised as high as they go. What¡¯s with this reaction. ¡°You want to meet Horun onee-sama?! A poor-looking brat like you?! Why?!¡± ¡®Onee-sama¡¯? You¡¯re her younger sister? I¡¯m her younger brother. What do you mean by ¡®why.¡¯ (T/N: ¡®Onee¡¯ usually means ¡®elder sister.¡¯ But in this case, the girl is calling Horun so out of respect for her, not because of blood. And Eil is riffing on that.) ¡°¡ª¡ªSo noisy.¡± The instant she opens her mouth as if she intends to say something else, a low voice reverberating from the diaphragm interrupts. ¡°Don¡¯t raise a fuss in my store. This isn¡¯t a playground for brats.¡± The salesperson grandpa is glaring daggers at us. Ahh, those eyes are bad. Those are ones belonging to a person who wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill at the drop of a hat. How scary. But well, the person largely responsible for the fuss is not me, so his gaze is mostly directed towards the girl. She seems to be taken aback and is faltering under that gaze. ¡°Oi, brat.¡± Eh? Don¡¯t tell me, flying sparks? Is he gonna come for me too? ¡°If it¡¯s Horun you¡¯re looking for, she¡¯s currently away on a demon beast subjugation. It¡¯s gonna be at least 3 more days before she returns to the capital. That answer your question? If you don¡¯t intend to buy anything then get lost.¡± Ahh, is that so. I see, so she isn¡¯t in the capital right now. So it¡¯ll be at least 3 days before she returns. ¡°Thank you very much, gramps. By the way, are you selling any bows?¡± ¡°We specialize in blades, so we don¡¯t even have arrows. If it¡¯s bows you¡¯re looking for, then visit Joseph¡¯s Shop in Area Six.¡± Ah, so he really didn¡¯t have any. ¡°I sincerely express my thanks.¡± His eyes are scary, but he turns out to be surprisingly kind. It¡¯s a great help that I¡¯ve learned all the information I want to know in one go. It¡¯s not exactly an expression of thanks, but I think I might as well buy something from him. But I don¡¯t really use blades¡­¡­ oh right, let¡¯s buy a knife for dismantling prey then. The one that I¡¯ve been using habitually is almost nearing the end of its lifespan. It¡¯s not a bad idea to replace it now. And it can even serve as commemoration for me having come to the royal capital. With all that in mind, I exit the store. ¡°Wait up.¡± So then. Since he¡¯s told me about it, I might as well go pay a visit to ¡®Joseph¡¯s Shop¡¯ in that ¡®Area Six.¡¯ I really do want to take a look at bows in the city. ¡°I said, wait up.¡± If it¡¯s going to take at least 3 days for Horun to come back, then I¡¯m going to need to stay for 3 days. I have the inn fee that the castle gave me, but it¡¯s not actually that much. I¡¯ve got to remain frugal. ¡°Wai-¡­¡­ I SAID, WAIT UP! DO YOU HEAR ME?!¡± For what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯ve also brought the money I¡¯ve saved up from my life as a hunter. But again, it¡¯s not really that much. Two years ago, when Horun departed for the royal capital, I gave her all of my savings as my farewell gift. If I hadn¡¯t done that, then I would have quite a tidy sum at the moment. I mean, it¡¯s Horun after all. I was thinking that she probably wouldn¡¯t come back to the village any time soon, and would definitely stuff her face with food and splurge money on other random things in the royal capital. I myself didn¡¯t really have any way to use the money, so that money was actually quite worthless to me at the time. ¡­¡­ But I do remember clearly that I told her ¡°this is for buying us souvenirs¡± when I handed it to her. The all-important souvenir has yet to reach any of us, and even the person herself has yet to come home even once after that. ¡°Megane! ME¡ªGA¡ªNE!!¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Alright I give up, even I can¡¯t ignore someone who¡¯s grabbed my arm and is shouting literally in my ear. ¡°You referring to me?¡± ¡°Do you see anyone wearing glasses nearby aside from you?!¡± ¡°I was really wishing that it was someone else. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?! Now look here! You might have forgotten already! But it was you who first started asking about Horun onee-sama alright!¡± I have nothing to say in response to that. She¡¯s right, after all. ¡ª¡ªAfter leaving that weapon store, this red-haired teenage girl who claimed to be a member of Black Swan of Dawn has been following me the entire time. If I bring along something so noisy, then I¡¯m going to stand out. And there¡¯s already quite a lot of people on the streets now. I don¡¯t like the gazes directed my way. I can¡¯t put it off anymore, so let¡¯s just quickly deal with this and be on my way. ¡°But that being said, my question has already been answered.¡± That grandpa from the store has already told me everything I wanted to know. ¡°So frankly speaking, I have no more use for you.¡± ¡°Well I have!¡± You would, wouldn¡¯t you. Otherwise you wouldn¡¯t be chasing me all the way here, right. ¡°Where is Area Six?¡± ¡°Why would you ask me that now?! I¡¯m not going to let you go until our conversation is finished, alright?!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s walk and talk. So, which way?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to escape the moment I tell you, right?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t escape. But I do want to go there in a hurry so I¡¯m only going to run as fast as I can. Calling that ¡®escaping¡¯ is just insulting. You have cut me deeply, truly.¡± ¡°Your real thoughts are?¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna escape at my top speed.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Haah.¡± She sighed at me. She sighed a tired sigh at me. ¡°I¡¯m asking you, so would you just listen to me? It¡¯s not like I have a lot of free time either, and it¡¯s not like I want to make a fuss either.¡± ¡­¡­. Now she¡¯s actually asking me. ¡°Alright then.¡± It¡¯s definitely nothing good anyways, but I might as well listen for what it¡¯s worth. ¡°This time I won¡¯t run away, so let¡¯s walk and talk.¡± ¡°Really? You said it, alright?¡± ¡°Yep. So, which way?¡± ¡°That way, beyond the main avenu¡ª¡ªOI DUUDEEEE¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!! MEGANEEE¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± ¡ª¡ªEil of Albat, clinching his second perfect escape of the day. I had thought that I would have no business in the royal capital and thus would be returning to the village soon, but as I walk around the place looking at this and this, I realize that I¡¯d spent the entire morning sightseeing in the royal capital. After enjoying Nastiara Kingdom¡¯s specialty ¡®Soup Pasta with Radish and Green Duck¡¯ for lunch, I head back to my inn. Green duck turns out to be really good. When combined with radish, it becomes so delicious that it¡¯s almost criminal. Little wonder that that dish became known as a specialty. My luggage and bow are still in my room. I had originally planned on staying for only one night, but since the castle has ordered me to stay a few more days, I¡¯ve got to do the paperwork for extending my stay. Once I¡¯m done with that, then let¡¯s find a place to practice my b¡­¡­ ¡° ¡°Welcome back.¡± ¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­ My escape route has been cut off. The moment I set foot into the inn, two females had stepped forward to block the entrance that I¡¯d just come in from. It¡¯s blond mushroom head Lorobel and the annoying teenage girl from the weapon shop. CH 8 Now that they¡¯ve even come to my inn, I can¡¯t very well ignore them anymore. But wait a second. ¡°I can imagine why Lorobel-san is here, but you I can¡¯t.¡± It¡¯s not that I¡¯ve forgotten my promise. It did bother me a bit. Since I did promise to exchange information with Lorobel. But this red-haired girl I don¡¯t get. We¡¯re not involved in any way. ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I?! That I have business with you! I¡¯m begging you already so would you hear me out already?!¡± ¡­¡­ Well, they even know where I¡¯m staying. Guess I don¡¯t have much of a choice. ¡°Once again, I get it with Lorobel-san, but how did you figure out where I¡¯m staying?¡± ¡°Because of the same reason, I¡¯d think.¡± Ah, is that so. In other words, everybody brought to the royal capital because of their Ceremony of Determination results are made to stay here. And they both knew that. ¡°I¡¯ve never met an adventurer as shameless as you, so I thought that you¡¯re probably somebody from the countryside brought here because of the Ceremony of Determination. Since you didn¡¯t know about me either.¡± I¡¯m not an adventurer and I have no intention of becoming an adventurer and I am not shameless, but¡­¡­ oh well, let¡¯s leave it. ¡°Give me a moment. I have to first do the paperwork to extend my stay.¡± I no longer have any reason to escape, so let¡¯s listen to them properly. Since I did promise Lorobel. As for the girl, well, if it¡¯s not something troublesome, then let¡¯s just listen for what it¡¯s worth. After completing the paperwork, I bring both of them to my room. Though it¡¯s just a tiny room with nothing but a bed, obviously meant for sleeping and nothing else. It doesn¡¯t even come with food, but it has a bath, so¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ Ahh, now that I¡¯m thinking about it calmly, I can see how this is an inn specialized for those who¡¯ve been brought over because of the Ceremony of Determination. Baths are a huge luxury. In the village, we only had a small public one for everyone to use. I did spot several public baths in the city, so I suppose it¡¯s not like every household here has one either. When such a small inn that doesn¡¯t even provide food does provide a bath, then it¡¯s just too obvious. There can¡¯t be any other reason than to make sure that dirty little brats and dirty little lasses coming from the countryside make themselves presentable. For the time being, I invite the two to sit on my bed, while I stand up and lean against the wall. Naturally, it¡¯s so that I can dash away at the first sign of anything fishy or dangerous. Redhead I think I can handle somehow, but Blond Mushroom is bad. ¡ª¡ªAnd, well, there¡¯s that too. The moment Lorobel enters my room, a number appears above her head again. This time it¡¯s 31. I remember it being 52 when I saw her in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. But now it¡¯s 31. What is with these numbers? No, wait a second. Is it me that is seeing it, or is Lorobel projecting it? I did look around quite a bit during the morning, but I didn¡¯t spot anyone with a number like Lorobel has. In other words, it¡¯s only over Lorobel that I can see a number. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ I don¡¯t get it. Redhead next to her doesn¡¯t have it, so could it be that it¡¯s not something with me but it¡¯s her that¡¯s doing something? Wait, what about the possibility that Redhead is also seeing Lorobel¡¯s number? It could actually be something well-known in the adventurers¡¯ world and I¡¯m the only one ignorant about it. I don¡¯t get how it would work, but could it be that she¡¯s got a Talent for Numbers like I have a Talent for Megane? Though I really don¡¯t get how that would work. At first, I¡¯d thought it to be age, but there¡¯s just too much difference between 52 and 31. And from her appearance she really does look like she¡¯s in her twenties. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ I really don¡¯t get it. Just like that time in the Guild, let¡¯s just pretend that I don¡¯t see anything. If it turns out that it really is Lorobel projecting that number, I have no obligation to let her know that I can even see it. ¡°Lorobel-san, let me apologize first. I¡¯m sorry for running away.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I understand why you did that. I¡¯m sorry too for almost getting you involved in my problems.¡± Great. It seems she didn¡¯t misunderstand. The reason why I ran away that time is because it seemed I was about to get caught up in Lorobel-san¡¯s quarrel. There was nothing else that I could have done. ¡°But still, your feet sure are fast. Not a single person managed to catch with you. Then again, nobody imagined that someone would dine-and-dash at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡± That¡¯s the sort of thing that everybody jumps on board with in hopes of a reward, she continues with jovial laughter. ¡°It was quite early in the morning, so perhaps everybody was still sleepy.¡± Shishou told me before that when we completely erase our presence, animals have difficulty seeing us with their eyes. But in exchange, there is smell and hearing and the feeling of vibrations in the air and ground that could give us away. That¡¯s the way it is for animals, but humans rely very heavily on sight, so I¡¯m sure they had quite a hard time finding me indeed. In actual fact, Shishou is amazing at erasing his presence. Despite being big as a bear, the moment he does it, his presence becomes unbelievably thin. When we go out on hunts together, ¡®oh wait, what, he¡¯s there?¡¯ happens quite often. But then those in around that realm have honed all their senses aside from sight. Such as Shishou. Such as Lorobel. Me? I am so-so. ¡°Well, let¡¯s just leave it at that, then.¡± ¡°I will properly go back to pay the money.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. I paid for it already.¡± ¡°Debts and favors have a tendency to increase in value over time. I¡¯ll pay you back.¡± ¡°What is this? You don¡¯t have to be so reserved, you know?¡± No, it seems I definitely need to be reserved. Otherwise I feel like I might get roped into doing a job in exchange for the cost of a mere meal. After accepting the money for breakfast that I hand over, Lorobel says, ¡°Alright then, onto the main topic.¡± Right, my glasses. That was the reason she called out to me in the first place. ¡°I have an acquaintance who has bad eyes. Even the glasses that she¡¯s using right now, apparently they aren¡¯t of much help. More like, the way I see it, the quality of her lens is bad. From the very start it¡¯s already kind of blurred or murky, I guess you could say? Which brings us to, your glasses. Those lens that seem as clear as water, with not a single trace of murkiness in it¡­¡­ I¡¯ve never seen anything so beautiful before. I want a pair.¡± Hmm. That does sound quite reasonable. ¡°Would you tell me where you got yours from?¡± The right answer to that question would be, I made it myself. But I don¡¯t want my personal information to leak out. Leaving aside its practicality, I understand now that it¡¯s a very rare Talent. If it becomes known, then I might get roped up into troublesome matters. ¡­¡­ I don¡¯t want to get roped in, but I did promise Lorobel that I¡¯d answer her. Which means that I have to do so in a way that doesn¡¯t touch on my Talent. ¡°I have a spare, so I¡¯ll give it to you. The source is a secret. That was the condition on which I got these.¡± ¡°You¡¯re willing to just give them to me? I can pay you for them.¡± ¡°Consider that the hush money. So don¡¯t tell anyone.¡± Then I turn to stick a hand into my luggage as if it really is in there, make a pair in my hand, then take it out for her to see. ¡­¡­ That¡¯s the second pair today. That¡¯s my limit for today. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°Ohhh, thank you! This would be a great help!¡± I think I can probably alter the lens. The curvature is supposed to match the user personally, so it¡¯s probably better that I do so. But of course I¡¯m not going to reveal that I can do that. The pair that I handed the important girl at the castle this morning, and also the pair that I just handed Lorobel, both of them are made based on me as the standard. There is a part of me that wants to hand over a pair with curvature that properly fits them, but revealing my Talent is completely out of the question. Not that I even had the time to talk to the girl at the castle properly. By the way. ¡°Why are you putting them on yourself?¡± For some reason, Lorobel has nonchalantly put them on herself. Didn¡¯t you want it for your acquaintance? ¡­¡­ Uwah, it makes her look really smart. Blond mushroom hair and glasses. It needs not be said that this combination gives off an almost needlessly high sense of intelligence. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s just that it¡¯s my first time getting my hands on something like this¡­¡­ Indeed, it really does completely change what I see.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s actually Lorobel-san who needs them?¡± (Redhead) ¡°Nah, these really are for my acquaintance. I just wanted to try them on for a bit.¡± After saying that, Lorobel passes the glasses to Redhead, who¡¯s sitting next to her. ¡°Eh? What is, why?¡± ¡°Cus you looked like you wanted to try them on too.¡± Yep. The entire time ever since the beginning of the conversation about glasses. She was keeping quiet to not interrupt our conversation but it was so obvious to see from her face. ¡°N-, no, I¡¯m fine, really. Rather than that, can I talk now?¡± No you may not. I have no reason to listen. But it¡¯d be troublesome if she follows me around even more persistently, so let¡¯s just hear it and be done with it. ¡ª¡ªNevertheless, when I noticed it, the number has changed again. Now it¡¯s 74. That number above Lorobel¡¯s head really does bothers me. CH 9 ¡°It might be a bit late to ask this, but do you two know each other?¡± Lorobel and the girl don¡¯t seem to mind each other too much. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re automatically getting along just because they¡¯re both adventurers. ¡°It really is a bit late, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t really care, so.¡± ¡°Hold up! Care! Ah, that¡¯s why you can run away like it¡¯s nothing!¡± As a matter of fact, that is entirely true. So there¡¯s nothing for me for say. The reason why I¡¯m asking now is because Lorobel and the girl are currently in a situation where they¡¯re sitting together with someone unrelated. But despite that, they seem fine with bringing up their personal matters. So I was bothered about whether it bothers them or not. ¡°We¡¯ve yet to take on a job together, but we at least know each other¡¯s name and face. She¡¯s especially famous, after all.¡± In place of the girl who¡¯s still fuming, it is Lorobel who answers me. ¡°Her name is Laila. It was not so long ago that she was brought to the royal capital because of her Ceremony of Determination. Just like you.¡± Heeh. So in other words¡ª¡ª ¡°She has ¡®a magical Talent¡¯?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s why the adventurer teams scrambled to recruit her. That¡¯s how she became famous.¡± Ah, I get it now. No wonder she seems so weak. She is one of those rookie adventurers that can use magic. Before her Talent was determined, she had been living as a normal village girl who didn¡¯t really have a need to train. Becoming a magician all of a sudden wouldn¡¯t resolve her lack of skill and technique, so she should be weak still. ¡°Magicians are valuable. The presence of a single magician can greatly change the way an entire team operates. That¡¯s why the demand for her was huge.¡± Well, it¡¯s enough to get a countryside kid considered for direct employment at the royal castle, so I can gauge how valuable they are indeed. ¡°And so I chose Black Swan of Dawn, where Horun onee-sama is.¡± Hmm. ¡°Good on you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ It¡¯s the first time in my life receiving words of commendation with such an absence of emotion.¡± There¡¯s no helping it, alright? She¡ªLaila can be a magician or whatever she wants to be. It¡¯s of no consequence to me whatsoever. ¡°Alright, now it¡¯s Megane¡¯s turn.¡± Hm? ¡°Me? What do you want me to say?¡± ¡°You have business with Horun onee-sama, right? What is it?¡± Laila directs sharp eyes towards me, as if to not let me get away with any lies. I really don¡¯t want to say that we¡¯re family. If I do, then chances are high that I might get told ¡°the younger brother also shares responsibility with the sister¡± or ¡°if you¡¯re her brother then look after her properly¡± for all the problems that Horun¡¯s definitely perpetrated. ¡°To sum it up in a phrase, she¡¯s an acquaintance.¡± ¡°How about two phrases?¡± ¡°Acquaintance, from the same village.¡± ¡°And more specifically?¡± ¡°Eh? Specifically? Umm¡­¡­ her family told me to check up on her. Since we¡¯re acquaintances from the same village.¡± None of that was a lie. It¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t said that I¡¯m part of her family too. Come what may, I have no intention of revealing anything more. This is the limit of what I¡¯m willing to tell someone who isn¡¯t involved. Once she knows that Horun and I know each other, that I¡¯m not an enemy, then surely Laila would back off. ¡°¡­¡­ For some reason, this Megane seems really suspicious.¡± (Laila) ¡°Is that so? I think you¡¯d be pretty hard-pressed to find someone as honest as me.¡± (Eil) ¡°You¡¯re saying that about yourself? Seriously?¡± (Laila) There¡¯s no one present who knows me, so I think I should be at least given the freedom to justify myself. I mean, I really do think I¡¯m honest. After all, I¡¯m reputed for clearing showing my disinterest in things that I really have no interest in. ¡°You really are her acquaintance, right?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Let alone acquaintance, I¡¯m related to her by blood. ¡°I see¡­¡­ I¡¯m asking just in case, but it seems that you don¡¯t know Horun onee-sama¡¯s current circumstances, right?¡± ¡°Completely in the dark. Two years she¡¯s left the village, and not once has she come back.¡± Upon hearing my answer, Laila¡¯s atmosphere changes drastically. Her restless air has gone, replaced by a brooding serious face. Eventually, her eyes focus as if she¡¯s drummed up the resolve for something. ¡°If you¡¯re searching for Horun onee-sama, then I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll hear about it somewhere on the way. So I might as well tell you now.¡± For an instant, ¡°ah, never mind, I don¡¯t want to hear it after all¡± flashes through my mind. From this change in mood, I can tell. My sister has definitely gone and done something. ¡­¡­ Well, let¡¯s just listen to it first. If it turns out to be something dangerous then let¡¯s run away immediately. ¡°Horun onee-sama currently has a heavy debt.¡± Ah, turns out to be something I indeed didn¡¯t want to hear. ¡°What did she do? Did she hit someone in authority? Did she throw away someone¡¯s sword? Did she over-splurge on expensive food? Ah, I got it. She broke something and now has to pay it back, right? Or wait, did she fall for a scam? I¡¯ve heard there¡¯s lots of those in the city, right?¡± ¡°Wh-, what¡¯s with you. Now you¡¯re talkative all of a sudden.¡± I would, why wouldn¡¯t I? It¡¯s a topic that I have an interest in. Depending on what it is, it may involve me and our parents and maybe even our entire village. ¡°To put it really simply, she requested a job from Black Swan of Dawn. Then the fee from that job became her debt. So her being in Black Swan is also part of returning that debt.¡± ¡­¡­ Money for a job request, huh. So it¡¯s not overspending nor compensation for damages. ¡°What was the job? How did it end up that way?¡± ¡°There was a village that was under attack by demon beasts. But the village was poor, so they could only offer a very small amount as compensation. As a result, not a single adventurer was interested. The country also couldn¡¯t move immediately, citing formalities and paperwork and whatnot. In short, nobody strong was going to help the village in time. Then at that moment, Horun onee-sama, who just happened to be there, spoke up.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡°She said that she¡¯d bear the entire amount of however much it would take. And so that got processed as a proper job request.¡± ¡­¡­ Ahh, I get it. ¡°And so that was what convinced the famous adventurer team Black Swan of Dawn to move?¡± ¡°Yes. The adventurer team jostling for second place in the royal capital moved. Thanks to that, the damage to the village was kept to a minimum. Some livestock died, but all the villagers were saved. There¡¯s no doubt that that really was the lowest minimal damage.¡± I see. Thus, the debt. I knew it. My sister¡¯s caliber really is enormous. ¡°So that¡¯s what happened.¡± (Lorobel) For some reason, even Lorobel, who¡¯s sitting next to Laila, is looking enlightened. ¡°I¡¯ve also heard some of the rumors about Horun, but it¡¯s my first time hearing the full story.¡± Apparently she also knew that Horun is in debt. ¡°But from what I¡¯ve heard, afterwards Black Swan told Horun that they don¡¯t want the payment.¡± Hmm. Is that so. I may not know what the leader of Black Swan was really thinking, but I suppose it would probably affect the dignity of adventurers as a whole to demand a large sum from a teenage girl who¡¯s only recently turned 15. Cus, well, if he accepted it, then his reputation would definitely take a hit. Once a job becomes so tied in with empathy and whatnot, taking profit would definitely be a loss. But I can all too easily imagine Horun¡¯s actions after being told that she doesn¡¯t need to repay the money. ¡°She probably said something like ¡®something that I¡¯ve already promised, I will carry out even if I die doing so¡¯ and turned it down, right?¡± That¡¯s the kind of person Horun is. ¡°Ah, so you really do know her. Yep yep, she said that and turned down the offer entirely.¡± I can go on even further. ¡°And for the same reason, she also refused money from the village, right?¡± ¡°Eh, you can even predict that?! A-, as expected from someone from the same village¡­¡­¡± Thus the large amount of debt, huh. Horun being Horun, she¡¯s probably also decided to not return to the village until she¡¯s done repaying the debt in full. Thus the two years, huh. ¡­¡­ Haha. What an idiot my sister is. She¡¯s a complete idiot and so gah that she can¡¯t be helped, but she really is my prided sister in the end. CH 10 From the way Laila is acting, it seems that Sis hasn¡¯t changed much in these two years. The reason why Laila was so on edge and why she chased me all the way to my inn is most likely because Sis is still a handful and still easily deceived. The people around her would go sick with worry if they don¡¯t stay on edge and always keep an eye out for her like Laila is doing. It was the same in the village as well. I¡¯m sure that even now, it is the same in that adventurer team. Although my sister is someone who would definitely get something done once she puts her mind to it, she¡¯s just, y¡¯know, on everything else. To put it mildly, she¡¯s completely hopeless. She¡¯s just hopeless. My sister is hopeless and foolish. And this is all putting it mildly. In this big city, she¡¯s definitely been falling for little scams here and there, causing trouble and worry for everyone around her. I can easily picture it in my mind. And Laila probably thought that I was a suspicious megane swindler looking to once again trick Horun out of her money. What a terrible woman she is. Though, well, I might be wrong. ¡°Well, I¡¯m leaving now.¡± ¡°Me too. Thanks for the glasses.¡± Since our talk is over, Laila and Lorobel both stand up. It became decided that I¡¯m to meet up with Laila again three days later in the evening. She promised to bring me over to meet Horun once she¡¯s back in town. So then. I¡¯ve repelled the unexpected guests, and the sun is still high in the sky. It¡¯s still only slightly after noon. The reason why I returned to the inn is to retrieve my bow. When I had checked out ¡®Joseph¡¯s Store in Area Six¡¯ as introduced by the weapon shop along the large avenue, I learned that the store has a shooting range in the back. Apparently it¡¯s for customers to try out their products. In the case of bringing in my own bow, I would be charged an entrance fee. But that seemed like the only place close by where I can practice my bow in safety, so let¡¯s use that for now. And then, well. After listening to Laila, I¡¯ve vaguely decided what I¡¯m going to do. Since I can¡¯t move for several days, I might as well earn a bit of money in that time. It could very well go towards Horun¡¯s repayment, or it could go towards my purchasing of a hunting knife in commemoration of my having come to the royal capital. My pockets are quite light at the moment, and it¡¯s not like having a bit more purchasing power would be a bad thing. I¡¯ve still yet to fully accustom myself to the new bow I received from Shishou, so today I can¡¯t though. My goal today is to familiarize myself with the bow, so that tomorrow I can go out on a hunt. ¡ª¡ªAlright, let¡¯s go. The next day. After slowly eating breakfast, I wait the entire morning for an envoy from the castle. Upon confirming that no one is coming today, I shoulder the luggage that I¡¯d packed yesterday, then head towards the city entrance. ¡°You may pass.¡± Thanks to my preparations yesterday, I was able to easily pass through the gates without any fuss. Having learned various things from Joseph, the store owner of Joseph¡¯s Store, I realized that I had no identification papers. That meant that I would be charged an entrance tax whenever I re-enter the city. The fastest way to get identification is to register myself with the city government or a guild in the city, so that¡¯s what I did. Yep, I got my identification papers from the Hunter¡¯s Guild. It¡¯s smaller than the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, its scale is small, there¡¯s nothing conspicuous going on in there, foot traffic is low, and even the number of requests it gets from the city¡¯s inhabitants is low, because it¡¯s an organization that only deals with the hunting and observation of living creatures. From every which way, it seems just like a more inferior version of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Thanks to that, almost no one ever visits. That¡¯s the Hunter¡¯s Guild that I registered at. It fits my preference to a T, so that¡¯s why I thought it a great idea to register there. The building is tucked away, and is only large enough for 5 or 6 people. There¡¯s only a receptionist inside, and she doesn¡¯t even look like she wants to be there. That¡¯s a big plus in my book. If she¡¯d been the inquisitive type and peppered me with questions, I would have turned my heels right there and then. However, the information that it handles, such as the distribution and behavior of living creatures in the vicinity, seem to be real and accurate, so that turned out to be a happy surprise. In other words, its scale may be small, but it¡¯s definitely functioning, even if it¡¯s only barely. By no means is it going bankrupt. Surely there are quite a few people who wish to stay inconspicuous like me using its services. After passing through the gate, I spread out the map of the vicinity ¡ª which I had copied out myself ¡ª to confirm where I¡¯m going. My destination is a forest frequented by newbie adventurers. As long as I don¡¯t dive in too deep, apparently it¡¯s quite safe. ¡°That way.¡± What I¡¯m looking for is rabbits or deer or other such easy prey. The forest in the south that I can see in the distance seems the most appropriate place for that. Yea, I don¡¯t think I would have been able to see it without my glasses. What with everything being fuzzy and all. Judging by the distance, if I take my time walking, I should reach it around evening. Having determined my place of destination, I take off at a small run. Close by the city entrance gate, there are many traveling merchants and carriages in sight. But as I gradually veer off from the highway, I begin spotting adventurer-like types here and there. I pass some by and overtake some as I hurry towards my destination. ¡ª¡ªAround here seems good. On the other side of a small river spreads a verdant forest. I string up my bow, and make my final preparations to go hunting. ¡°¡­¡­ There are several people nearby.¡± Everything seems quiet, but when I probe around with my presence, I find several people in the forest. They seem to be staying near the edge of the forest. What might they be doing? Actually, never mind, I don¡¯t care. They¡¯re probably just adventurers picking herbs or something. But because of their presence, there are no prey nearby. All the animals have probably fled deeper into the forest. ¡­¡­ Wait, no, there¡¯s one. A bird. I draw my bow, then loose an arrow towards the forest. ¡°¡ª¡ªGi.¡± I hear the sound of metal scraping. The arrow that flew in a straight line had landed exactly where I¡¯d aimed. Hopping over the small river and diving into the forest, I find a ridged pheasant with brown plumage lying on the ground, pierced with an arrow. It¡¯s a common wild bird that tastes great. Wonderful, I¡¯m off to a good start. ¡°Is abovehead a surprisingly profitable blind spot?¡± I cut open the bird¡¯s neck and hang it up somewhere random to drain all the blood. Animals see humans as enemies and run away immediately upon sensing one of us nearby. It should be the same for birds too, but¡­¡­ It seems that that¡¯s not the case in this forest. From what I can sense, there are already two within the range of my bow. Perhaps it¡¯s because the adventurers active in this area only show interest in animals and demon monsters at the ground level. That¡¯s why the birds up above aren¡¯t particularly wary of humans. They don¡¯t get attacked, so the birds just ignore them. Well, that¡¯s just my theory though. I just can¡¯t see them well, but there¡¯s prey. Furthermore, the prey is not vigilant. I can¡¯t imagine better hunting conditions than this. Alright, let¡¯s focus on birds near the edge of the forest for today. I still want to familiarize myself with my bow a bit more, and I also don¡¯t want to dive too deep into a hunting ground that I¡¯m visiting for the first time. Let¡¯s settle for slowly learning the terrain. ¡ª¡ªAs a result, with the war trophies of five whole birds in hand, I turn back towards the royal capital. ¡°But still, these glasses sure are mysterious.¡± As I focus on prey hiding behind obstructing trees and on the other side of branches and leaves, it almost seems to me that the trees and branches become kind of see through, allowing me to accurately see the prey¡¯s status and posture¡­¡­ I think. I¡¯m not actually seeing it, but I kind of feel like I¡¯m seeing it. It may be because my sight has improved that my presence sensing has become more precise. Though I myself can¡¯t see the relationship between the two, to be honest. In any case, there¡¯s no doubt that it¡¯s thanks to my glasses that I was able to nab this many prey in such a short period of time. I¡¯m beginning to appreciate my Talent more and more. CH 11 Megane-kun, Receiving a Designated Request The messenger from the castle never arrived. Instead, I just went on a two-day hunting trip and exchanged the spoils for gold in the Hunter¡¯s Guild. The sun setting soon, I set off towards the Hunter¡¯s Guild under a sky half dyed in darkness. Today is the third day after I met Laila, and it¡¯s already evening. If Sister were to return, today is the day I would have met her. However¡ª ¡¸She has yet to return.¡¹ Despite knowing Laila for two days, it seems that Horun has yet to return to the capital. The old man at the weapons store had certainly said, ¡¸At the very least it will be three days. ¡¹. So she is either taking it very slowly or something had happened on her mission which has forced her to be late. To be frank, there have been times when things didn¡¯t go as planned and she didn¡¯t even go on her journey. The messenger from the Castle did not come either. Therefore I have nothing to do, and so her lateness doesn¡¯t really inconvenience me. ¡¸Understood. I will wait for her.¡¹ ¡¸Huh? Are you leaving already?¡¹ Pretending not to hear Laila¡¯s voice, I hurriedly left the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild has a lot of people, and it is really bustling with activity. It really is a no-brainer to get away from Laila and co and those troublesome, drunk, narrow-hearted adventurers before I get too close to them. It is almost nighttime. As such, it seems like this is when all the adventurers start returning from their work. The guild is packed with people, the tables, as well as the counter, are overflowing. Also, it seems that Laila¡¯s friends have arrived at the table as well. Thus, I can¡¯t really stay for long in this situation. I bought dinner and hurriedly went back to my lodgings. The lodging where I stayed in does not serve meals and is narrow. It felt as though its only purpose was to stay the night. However, it unexpectedly has a bathtub, so I was happy about it. Let¡¯s return quickly back to the village. Resting my body at night, I await my orders from the day before till now. I brought my hunting equipment with me, and after confirming that no one is going to turn up, I would head to the Hunter¡¯s Guild in the afternoon. ¡¸¨D¨DAhh E..e¡­ Megane-kun¡£There is a request for you.¡¹ She tried calling my name and failed. The receptionist girl in the Hunter¡¯s Guild, who certainly was unable to remember my name, called me out by my facial features. She does not feel motivated today as well. She seems to be a young girl with an attitude that is totally lacking ambition and youth. It can¡¯t probably be said that she wants to work peacefully. From now on, I hope that you do not remember my name. By the way, my name is Eil from Albat Village. It is fine to forget them. ¡¸A request£¿¡¹ The value of spoils is changing. To put it simply, if there is a shortage of a certain spoils/trophy, it will be sold at a high price. Likewise, the price will drop if there is an excess supply. The reason I pop by the Hunter¡¯s Guild is to determine the prices of the spoils for today. Since I have gotten used to the forest, I believe it will be fine even if I venture slightly deeper into the forest. One must consider the efficiency of earning money when it comes to hunting and battle¡­. That¡¯s what my Master said. As for me, I clearly understood the example of using the minimal amount of effort to hunt large games ¡¸Recently, there are rumors that a young hunter has come to hunt birds. As such, someone has requested to hunt a certain bird.¡¹ Hu~n ¡¸Is it fine to just hunt them?¡¹ ¡¸Of course, it is fine to bring them here as per usual. If it is Megane-kun, even if it is only 1 bird, the remuneration will be greater than exchanging it normally with money. ¡¹ Haa, I see. ¡¸What should I hunt£¿¡¹ ¡¸Ankuru Bird¡¹ Ankuru Bird. Aka, the night bird. It is a small nocturnal bird. The meat tastes bad so it is not meant for consumption. However, the feathers fluttering in the darkness is really beautiful and it is used as a decoration for lucky charms ¡¸¡­¡­Night huh¡¹ What should I do now? During the time where I do not have my ¡¸Megane¡¹, I have poor eyesight, so I am not particularly good at night hunting. I was with my Master at that time, and we are able to pursue and corner large animals. However, if it is a small bird, I have a little doubt in my heart. I have seen that bird before, but I have not tried aiming at it even once. With this new ability ¡¸Megane¡¹, will my vision in the dark become clear? ¡­.I guess there is no harm trying it out ¡¸I¡¯ll give a try. However, don¡¯t hope too much for it.¡¹ ¡¸That is fine. While it is a request, it is but a commission for delivery of goods. If you are able to bring in Ankuru bird, it will be sufficient.¡¹ I see. If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s trying hunting it. I¡¯ll have to wait until nightfall, it¡¯s a nocturnal bird after all. For today, I¡¯ll head to the hunting spot leisurely. The distance I usually cover with running, today I took it with a walk. It was the location close to the forest and the river. There is no clear path into the forest. Therefore, one must set this own hunting spot and move off from there and explore the nearby terrain. Thus, in my opinion, this is the entrance to the forest. From the looks of the ground, this area is deserted. Just fits my preference. I took my time coming here, so the sun is already setting. On the way here, I have also foraged some edible wild herbs and captured some fishes in the river. With my jerky as well as my bread, I have an early dinner. Although meats are good, but fishes are tasty too. With that, it is time for exploration. I make a round checking on the bushes with berries that wild birds like to feed on, along with nests and holes drilled on the trees. I learned all the things around here by myself in the past few days. Ankuru birds live deep within the woods. They¡¯re active and hunt for food in the evening where their enemies, animals and monsters, are scarce. Their staple food should be insects and berries. Their vigilance is sharp, so they¡¯ll perceive you as soon as you get too close to them. I¡¯d like to aim at a medium distance. If my memory serves me justice, Shishou said that they can be lured in. I tied up berries on a casually hidden branch on the trees as the bait, whereas the line of fire is clear, then I returned to the riverside. I can confirm that there¡¯s nothing weird. There are some aimable birds fluttering around today too, but I¡¯m afraid the blood stench might drive my prey away, so I have to abandon them for today. All that is left is to wait until nightfall. Speaking conclusively, the results of Megane is more evident in the night. ¡¸As I thought, I can see.¡¹ I thought¡­ I was delusional, but it turns out I can see more clearly in the night¡­ Despite it being very dark due to the huge thicket of trees, it pales in comparison to the darkness of the night. If I were to carry sources of light, the animals will be able to notice me. Therefore, I can only get used to the darkness. Shishou¡¯s night vision is remarkable too, but even he prefers the spot with fewer trees. I bet he wanted to get even a speck more starlight to look around. However, for me ¡­. Yup. I can see just fine. The dense forest is really dark that I could only faintly see the things before me. Probably only people whose eyes already used to the darkness that can see. The problem is, yeah, that. Even when I am in the midst of the dark forest, I was able to see the creatures glowing in red. If I concentrated my awareness in the direction the presence I detected, I could see through the trees and thickets. The location, situation, and posture of the animal are also clearly visible. Surely, aside to my influence, there¡¯s no way the animals are just glowing in red only in this specific time and occasion, and considering they can¡¯t be seen when I take off my ¡¸Megane¡¹, it¡¯s definitely due to it. ¡­..It is an absurd ability that I felt that relying on it too much will bring more harm than good to me. This is seriously groundbreaking. Despite the relatively unknown nature of ¡¸Abilities of Megane ¡¹, this incident alone will result in huge significance as well as value to ¡¸Megane¡¹. Let¡¯s keep it as a secret. Nevertheless, isn¡¯t this what you¡¯d call ¡¸Night Vision¡¹? ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Ah, that¡¯s right. I already knew I could ¡¸change the color of the lens¡¹to begin with. Right, I could darken it and make it ¡¸Night time¡¹. Thereby allowing me to stare into the Sun with it. The sun was really blazing, though. Then, what about the other way around? ¡¸For example, if I were to wish for it to be ¡ºDaytime¡»¨D¨DAh, it did change.¡¹ The lens is evolving, I can¡¯t say it thus it seems. The forest that previously could only be seen faintly with my dim field of vision is reasonably visible by now. Un. This is super convenient for me. I¡¯ll keep it as an absolute secret. CH 12 12 Megane Kun, Corresponding with the Visitors Since I was hunting at night, I returned to the capital in the wee hours of the morning the following day, after successfully hunting the Ankuru Bird. I stopped by the Hunter¡¯s guild, but they were unable to process payment due to the early hour of my visit. Either way, I have successfully passed over the goods. Afterwards, I slept. When I woke later on, it was already well into the morning. I then washed myself in the bathtub that was prepared for me, and ate breakfast at a nearby shop. Then came the usual, waiting at the inn for orders. I had planned on going hunting today as well, but before doing so, I wanted to go to the Hunter¡¯s guild and Joseph¡¯s shop. I plan to confirm the delivery of the spoils from last night, as well as the payment for them. At Joseph¡¯s shop, I need to buy some more arrows. Even having ¡¸Magical Megane¡¹, it only makes it easier to aim at prey. It doesn¡¯t supplement my skill with the bow in any way. I still need to handle the bow and arrows myself. And this bow, I¡¯m not yet used to it. Also, hunting in the dark, not used to it. Hunting small birds. These minor inconveniences piled up, and as a result, I wasted 5 arrows with nothing to show. Although outsiders might not understand, my Master has a rule that ¡¸Since the arrows have become your baggage, the number of arrows must match the number of animals you aim to catch.¡¹ When a hunter is hiding and moving around, the main cause of alerting the prey is usually the sound of the bow hitting some object or their baggage bumping into something. To that end, if I were to hunt the usual animals or birds, I would carry only 15 arrows, no more nor less. It¡¯s not about hunting monsters, nor having a predetermined number of prey to hunt for money. It¡¯s just about the nature of hunting. In addition, it restrains myself from going out too deep into the forest. If one loses arrows, there is no other way, but to stop hunting. And today, I have lost 5 arrows. To be frank, this is at the level where I would be beaten by Master. I plan to not tell anyone about the incident last night. Today, I am preparing to hunt later in the evening, but then, a messenger from the castle arrived. ¡¸¨D¨DEil of Albat Village, come and receive your royal orders¡¹ Today, they came. It was some time between Morning and Noon. The people who turned up in front of my room are the group of mister soldiers that accompanied me in the carriage. Perhaps, it¡¯s due to the small room I¡¯m in, they seem intent on not stepping into the room. ¡¸Yes, I understand. Should we go?¡¹ I had prepared to leave beforehand. Honestly, it¡¯s not like I care what some geezer reclining on the throne has to say to me, but I won¡¯t do something like publicly resisting the authority, so let¡¯s just go with it. I mean, I haven¡¯t seen what a King looks like. I¡¯m even curious if he really exists or not. ¡¸No, you don¡¯t need to come along¡¹ Eh? Come again? Is that really okay? ¡¸The order is to ¡ºHand over 23 pairs of Megane¡». Produce those ¡ºMegane¡»as fast as possible. In addition, you can treat this as an item request mission with remuneration. That¡¯s all.¡¹ ¡­ ah, okay. ¡¸In other words, they¡¯re commissioning them, right.¡¹ ¡¸Call it an offering. It¡¯s a Royal Decree.¡¹ Even if they say that, since they request such an odd number of them to be made, I can¡¯t be wrong. Most likely, they counted the number of big shots who wanted my Megane, and the total came to 23 pairs. Since the contents of order is like that, they probably judged that I don¡¯t need to be at the castle. You can go home, just leave your ¡¸Megane¡¹ here. Something like that. Well, how do I say it¡­ I¡¯ll probably decline even if they tell me to serve to the Castle. It¡¯s a matter of my feelings. After bringing me to the Royal Capital using the King¡¯s authority then they tell me to go home since I¡¯m not needed. I can only imagine I¡¯ll carry out the order of some geezer whose face I don¡¯t even know without putting any effort into it. ¡­Thinking about it won¡¯t get me anywhere, though. ¡¸With the capacity of my Magic Power, I can only make two pairs of ¡ºMegane¡» a day. So, preparing 23 pairs of them will take a considerable amount of time.¡¹ ¡¸What, is that true?¡¹ In the meantime, it would be a waste of magical power if I don¡¯t do anything with it. I¡¯ll make an extra pair each day and keep it stashed as a reserve. Even so, it¡¯ll still be far from fulfilling the amount ordered. ¡¸For the time being, I¡¯ll hand over as many as I have on hand right now. The rest will come later.¡¹ ¡¸ ¡­ Understood. Well then, we¡¯ll come to visit in five days, so be prepared. Also, I¡¯ll pay the rent for the next five days. Oh, and this is for your food expenses.¡¹ ¡¸Ah, thanks.¡¹ I received a modest sum of money, which was by no means sufficient, in exchange for handing over three pairs of ¡ºMegane¡». Afterwards, the soldiers withdrew. ¡¸Yo. I¡¯m here.¡¹ Immediately after the soldiers left, another guest came crashing in. ¡¸The exit is over there.¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s with you? Why¡¯s that the first thing to comes out of your mouth?¡¹ It¡¯s a member of the famous Adventurer¡¯s team ¡ºBlack Swan of Dawn¡» based in the Royal Capital, Laila the redheaded girl. How strange. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re friends. We can barely call each other acquaintances, our relationship status is just two people who often see each other¡¯s face. I don¡¯t get why she bothers to be concerned with me. ¡¸I came to invite you on an adventure, you know.¡¹ ¡¸The exit is over there.¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s with you!? Hear me out!¡¹ I desperately defend my room from being intruded upon, but Laila is strong. She pushes me aside and briskly steps into the already cramped room, as if to say she doesn¡¯t care for my opinion. So this is the strength of an adventurer¡¯s presence, or so they say. Wait, can I call the soldiers for her trespassing? Will they take her away? ¡¸I heard the rumor. You¡¯ve been hunting recently, haven¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡¸Rather than that, wanna grab some lunch? Soup Pasta with green onion and radish is what I recommend.¡¹ ¡¸Your response to the conversation is weird from beginning to end! In the first place, that dish is this kingdom¡¯s specialty so I¡¯ve eaten it! ¡­Ah, hold on! Don¡¯t tell me you try to avoid the bill and dine-and-dash!?¡¹ U~n¡­ despite her brain power being a bit lacking, her intuition is sharp. Laila, with her bullheaded intrusion, is already seated on my bed. I¡¯m afraid of what could happen in a closed room with just two of us, so I leave the door open. If she starts to suggest something like that I¡¯ll shout to the people in the lodgings to call the soldiers. I¡¯ll indict her while playing the victim. ¡¸If you really want me to go home ASAP, why don¡¯t you stop grumbling and hear me out? It¡¯ll be faster that way.¡¹ Before that, we should talk about the lack of reasons to associate with each other¡­ But, since I¡¯m dealing with someone who just forcefully stepped into my room heedlessly, hearing her is indeed a faster to deal with her. ¡¸It can¡¯t be helped¡­ what was it? An adventure? I¡¯m not an adventurer so I won¡¯t go.¡¹ Just after I give up and respond, Laila smiles delightfully. I¡¯m not delighted at all, though. ¡¸I know that, you know. You joined the Hunter¡¯s guild, didn¡¯t you? Rather, I didn¡¯t know Hunter¡¯s guild existed. First time I¡¯d heard of it.¡¹ Before I could even inquire why she was so familiar with my situation, Leila just continued to blabber about it all on her own. Simply, it¡¯s because there were eyewitnesses. Eyes that witnessed me going to the hunting spot every day, and the eyes that witnessed the game I brought back. Come to think of it, while I indeed didn¡¯t see anyone in the forest, I crossed paths with some adventurers along the way there. The eyewitnesses could be them. It¡¯s especially unusual to see an ¡¸Adventurer with Megane¡¹ in the Royal Capital, so it seems I became something of a rumor around the neighborhood of Adventurers. Something like: he¡¯s a remarkable hunter who goes into the forest before evening and comes back with spoils in hand. Something like: I can¡¯t believe he hunted so much in such a short time. Far from being remarkable. It¡¯s all due to the ¡¸Megane¡¹. So, each of the eyewitnesses¡¯ reports were rounded up, then they arrived at the fact that ¡¸There is a Megane wearing hunter going in and out the Hunter guild¡¹ ¡ª which then they connected it to me. ¡¸You can focus on your game with composure. In other words, you have some good skills with the bow. I think you have what it takes to be an adventurer.¡¹ ¡¸Precisely but I have no intention to become one, so I joined the Hunter guild.¡¹ ¡¸I thought so. Despite not knowing you well, I doubted four-eyes would ever do anything in a group¡­¡¹ If you understand that, then the talk is over. ¡¸The exit is over there.¡¹ ¡¸The conversation isn¡¯t over yet.¡¹ It¡¯s completely over for me, though¡­ CH 13 13. Megane-kun, Makes a Promise to Depart In other words, it¡¯s that. ¡¸You want to do a Magic Beast hunting job while also doing independent training. However, the difference in strength between you and your teammate is so big that it makes you feel awkward to invite them. So, you¡¯re currently seeking for another someone to go to an adventure together.¡¹ Summarizing Laila¡¯s story, who is sitting on my bed, to a conclusion. Yeah, that¡¯s pretty much it. Well, I can be convinced. Judging from her presence, Laila is weak. Frankly speaking, she¡¯s at the level of ¡¸just another person who can use magic¡¹. From here on, she¡¯ll accumulate experiences, train, and become stronger¡­ under such conditions, she will be welcomed as one of the team members. ¡¸You plan to go with only two people?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s what I¡¯m worried about.¡¹ Ah, so she¡¯s saying there is no other person. She continues explaining: ¡¸You use bows, don¡¯t you? In other words, you don¡¯t fight in close combat, do you? I¡¯m the same as you, so it¡¯ll be worrying if there isn¡¯t vanguard for us.¡¹ For me though, I¡¯m more concerned that Laila is continuing the conversation as if I already agreed to go with her. To be honest, I don¡¯t want to go at all. Even if I did learn her circumstances, I¡¯m not interested in it. If the act of assisting someone falls under humane or ethical reasons, I will probably consider it. However, this one just doesn¡¯t strike my interest. In the first place, I believe that training should be done on your own. ¡¸What do you think?¡¹ ¡¸The exit is over there.¡¹ ¡¸You want at least another person, right?¡¹ ¡¸The exit is over there.¡¹ ¡¸If only Lorobel-san joined us I¡¯d feel safe, but that person is a Two Star. She just won¡¯t mingle with Starlesses like us, will she.¡¹ ¡¸And the exit is just over there, isn¡¯t it.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m tired of hearing that sentence. Try saying something different.¡¹ Hmm, I see. But, to me, Laila isn¡¯t someone I need to be careful with my word selections around. ¡¸Fine, I¡¯ll formally file a complaint to the leader of ¡ºBlack Swan of Dawn¡». Something like; One of your members is trespassing and being an annoyance.¡¹ ¡¸Oi, wait a sec! S-stop that, for real!¡¹ ¡¸Then I¡¯ll file it to the Adventurer Guild. Something like; one of your members forcefully intruded into my room, she forcefully isolated us, then she made me so scared I couldn¡¯t tell when she would attack me, I felt like crying. I¡¯ll file it now.¡¹ ¡¸Just which part of that cold face of yours is scared and about cry!? ¡­No, wait up!? Aren¡¯t I the one who is getting attacked in this situation; rather I¡¯m in the weaker position aren¡¯t I?!¡¹ ¡¸I tried saying something different.¡¹ ¡¸There are limits to things! Those words are filled with nothing funny!¡¹ I really don¡¯t care if it can be taken as as humorous or not. ¡¸As I said from the beginning, I¡¯m not an Adventurer, you see. That¡¯s the reason I joined the Hunter¡¯s guild. If you want to go on an adventure, don¡¯t come to me ¨C look for other adventurers.¡¹ ¡¸¡­You don¡¯t want to, no matter what?¡¹ ¡¸At the present time I don¡¯t find any reason to go with you. If you really want me to join at any cost, then give me a reason to. I¡¯ll say it again, I¡¯m not an adventurer after all.¡¹ Let¡¯s get first things first. So I continue: ¡¸Why me? There are actually other people, aren¡¯t there? There are many dozens of people going in and out everyday in Adventurer¡¯s Guild, right? Some Starless beginner should be there, right? Why don¡¯t you call them out?¡¹ ¡¸I can¡¯t do that.¡¹ ¡¸Is that due to your team¡¯s policy? Is teaming up with people outside the group prohibited? Ah, if so then you can¡¯t invite me too huh.¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡ªMagicians are being targeted, you know.¡¹ ¡­Nn? She means her words literally. Yes, the demand for magicians is high. Even in the Royal Capital, there are only a handful that are registered to Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and all of them belong to some other teams. And those magicians are even being scouted by yet other teams, as well. If you come to our team, we¡¯ll give you the best treatment, we¡¯ll increase your part in rewards, we¡¯ll let you to choose the jobs to take, etcetera, etcetera. They¡¯re preparing a warm welcome to those magicians, it seems. And in the midst of all that, Laila, the newbie magician, arrived in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in the Royal Capital. They can do anything they want against such a weak little lass¡ª and some people with such a lowly mindset are pressing her forcefully, apparently. It¡¯s still better that she¡¯s dealing with people from Royal Capital, if she got tangled up or hunted down by some foreign troublesome enemy when she was adventuring, it wouldn¡¯t be something so simple. So, if Laila wants to invite out someone outside her team, she¡¯ll have to choose the person carefully. And, the one who had to bite the bullet this time is me. ¡¸Then the answer is obvious.¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸Ask someone from your team to go along with you. You¡¯re going to a place filled with danger after all, asking someone you can trust to go with is the best option.¡¹ Even I wouldn¡¯t want to go to the hunting ground with someone I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know what kind of danger they can bring if they fail. At the same time, I don¡¯t want to inconvenience the one I go with. In that sense, I think I also had brought a great inconvenience to Shishou. In truth I had been injured so severely that I had been bedridden. The accident was brought by the malignant gas Shishou made, though. ¡¸¡­It¡¯s hard, okay!¡¹ Ah, Laila suddenly got angry. ¡¸It¡¯s hard to ask my team members to babysit me. I¡¯m only a deadweight and incompetent and I can only do weak jobs when my team is filled with nothing but Star Adventurers! Even after I searched for those without Stars, I got nothing! Once I found someone who fit the criteria, they said they already teamed up with someone else! I just can¡¯t find anyone!¡¹ O, ooh. ¡­Un. Is that so. So she did try, and she did some research before she called out to me. ¡­An adventure, huh. Magic beast hunt, huh. ¡¸Incidentally, what are you aiming for?¡¹ Demon beasts are strong. While killing them is similar to hunting, it¡¯s only similar at most. Most animals won¡¯t get closer to you, they won¡¯t attack you either. ¡¸They said there¡¯s a Redbear showing in the southern forest recently. I want to hunt it.¡¹ Redbear, is it. They¡¯re strong too, aren¡¯t they~. ¡­I see, Redbear it is. Yosh. ¡¸I demand 4/5 of the reward. I¡¯m okay if that¡¯s the deal.¡¹ I also think it¡¯s time to hunt something other than birds, Redbears are also worths 30 pheasants. This request meets with my objective: to make money. ¡¸Four from¡­. Aren¡¯t you asking too much?¡¹ ¡¸The exit is over there.¡¹ ¡¸¡­I got it! In exchange, I won¡¯t pay you a penny if you become a hindrance!¡¹ CH 14 14. Megane-kun, being Led Deep into the Woods With the talks concluded, Laila got up from my bed¡ªat the same time, I asked one thing that bothered me. ¡¸I don¡¯t have to go to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, do I? You¡¯ll receive the request, right?¡¹ I don¡¯t want to go there for the second time. They will pick on me. Attention will be centered on me. Since I accepted the deal, I¡¯ll go if I really have to, but if possible, I¡¯ll avoid going there. That¡¯s what bothered me. ¡¸Eh? ¡­Aah.¡¹ Laila thought it a bit, then tilted her neck a little. ¡¸For the time being, there¡¯s a rule that when one is accepting a request, one must write the participating members on the request. However, for people who joined the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, they only have to write their name or number.¡¹ I see. So it¡¯s prevention against accidents or injuries in the place they ventured. In the worst case, e.g. when nobody came back, it¡¯ll be a clue to their whereabouts. It also can be an opportunity to warn that an obvious danger lays await ahead in this quest. Also, it can assist when a determining where to send rescue. There is no demerit in it for any reason. As expected of a big city. They¡¯re doing something clever~. ¡¸I wonder how about yours, Megane. Is there any relationship between the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and Hunter¡¯s Guild?¡¹ Aah, right. Good thing to ask. ¡¸Then don¡¯t write my name.¡¹ It doesn¡¯t seem that good to have my name known. Rumors of my spoils seem to be spreading around, it seems. I already have enough adventurers who chase me to my room and invite me out with Laila alone. ¡¸If you put it as me tailing you on my own, then it won¡¯t be a problem. Just say that there will be someone coming with you, but he¡¯s not an adventurer.¡¹ ¡¸U~n¡­ Well, it is like that.¡¹ Yep. It indeed is like that. ¡¸By the way, Megane¡¹ Hm? ¡¸What¡¯s your name again?¡¹ ¡¸Megane is fine.¡¹ Huh, it seems that I¡¯ve not told her my name. Anyway, I answered her halfheartedly intentionally. If my name were to spread, it seems that troublesome things will come to me, so let¡¯s stop giving my name as much as possible. The departure is early in the next morning. We plan to meet up in front of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild while it¡¯s still dark. After making that arrangement, I did not go hunting in the afternoon and started preparing to fight against a redbear. I won¡¯t be using arrows made from light wood; I¡¯ll bring iron arrows. This will penetrate the thick fur of redbear. ¡­Well, since my experience on the new bow is still insufficient, all I can do is pinpoint aim from close range. I made some additional purchases of medications and medical plants, also the bag to contain the redbear after we dissect it. I swiftly finish my preparations and to further the cause for tomorrow, I slept early. The next day, I joined Laila in the appointed time. As the sky is still dark, there are but a few visitors to and fro the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. It¡¯s the perfect time for me. ¡¸I received the request. Shall we go?¡¹ A short sword is hanging on her skirt-based one-piece dress, which is reinforced with hard leather at every vital point. So this is her in an armed situation. Thus, the two of us headed to the southern woods. Well. There are a few things I want to make sure of. ¡¸Are you able to use a sword?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t make fun of me. Even if I look like this, I have all the foundations¡­ sorry. I have no confidence after all.¡¹ Thought as much. How do I put it, she looks inexperienced and burdened by it. ¡¸You a magician, right? I have never seen magic before, what can you do with it?¡¹ I learned that the sword is only at the level of an ornament, so this one is the main question. As long as Laila can¡¯t use the weapon on her waist, her only means of attack is limited to magic. I¡¯d like to ask her what kind of thing she can do with it, and to which extent the battle prowess I can estimate. ¡¸I can only use two kinds of magic though.¡¹ With those words as the opening, Laila talked. First, ¡¸Flame Sphere¡¹. It¡¯s a thing that launches a ball of fire which explodes upon hit. It¡¯s something famous enough that I at least know the name. Never seen it in action though. Next, ¡¸Wind Slash¡¹. It¡¯s a magic that generates a blade of wind then launches it, simply put, she said it¡¯s something like ¡¸firing an invisible blade then kill¡¹. I also have heard of this a bit. Though I have never seen it in action either. ¡¸Since the battle might take place in the forest, using that will be dangerous.¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­ you¡¯re right. It¡¯d be scary if a forest fire happened.¡¹ Thereby, ¡¸Wind Slash¡¹ will be her main attack. ¡¸How deep this ¡ºWind Slash¡» can cut? Can it loop off a redbear¡¯s head?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve never tried it so I don¡¯t know, ¡ªAah, it can sever a tree around that thickness.¡¹ Saying so, she pointed a tree we saw along the way. ¡­How thin. Far from the neck, it looks like impossible to amputate even one limb of it. For some reasons, she was showing a smug look to me, so I give her ¡¸Wow~ How cool~¡¹ in return. For some reason, she got sullen instead. Many magical beasts often have big builds, the redbear we¡¯re going to face is not an exception to that. If it¡¯s big, then it should be at least twice my height when it stands. Naturally, its width is proportionally as wide, and the bones and muscles that supported it are also absurdly tough. Additionally, its fur is thick, so an inferior blade can¡¯t even inflict wounds to it. Incidentally, I also did my own research in the Hunter¡¯s Guild yesterday. Redbear is a magical beast that is often used in a promotion test from Starless adventurer to One Star adventurer. It seems like in the city it¡¯s recognized as a magical beast with considerable strength. ¡¸Let me say this beforehand! Great people can split anything in half, be it a big tree or a rock!¡¹ When I responded with ¡¸Wow~ That¡¯s cool~ ¡¹, she kicked my butt. A woman¡¯s heart is hard to be understood. As the sun rose and the dawn completely broke, we arrived at the southern woods. As this is also a location I often do my hunting, I¡¯m not unfamiliar with it. It¡¯s just, redbear¡¯s location is quite deep, it¡¯s reaching a place I¡¯ve never stepped into. From the talk I heard along the way, Laila has traversed to this forest many times before, and she also anticipated the location of the redbear from the information she gathered from the eyewitnesses. ¡¸This way.¡¹ I walk along the forest, led by Laila. There is no road, but there¡¯s something like a footpath that the adventurers surely have passed over many times before, and Laila is unhesitantly following it. After passing through several old and new remains of bonfires, we proceed into the deep parts of the forest that I¡¯ve yet to investigate. ¡­Hmm. It¡¯s a good forest after all. The thick scent of the woods, the scent of the flowers, the scent of the matured fruits that have fallen from their trees, and the scent of the beasts. This place is abundant with life. ¡¸¡ªThey say it¡¯s around here.¡¹ After we walked for a short while since, entering, it seems like Laila has arrived at the place she¡¯s aimed. There are some old remains of a bonfire. Although I have passed some of them, I just realized that these remain of fires perhaps the landmark for the adventurers. If you write them on a map, it¡¯ll make sharing information easier. Now then, we¡¯ll search for the redbear with this place as the base point, but before that. ¡¸I¡¯m just making it sure, but you¡¯re carrying the ¡ºStink Bag¡» right?¡¹ ¡¸Of course. You should expect that I wouldn¡¯t come here with just two of us without that.¡¹ Glad to hear it. So she came while having the basics down. Redbears are strong. Strong enough to be chosen as the monster for promotion test from Starless to One Star, and would be too hard to chew for rookies. Or rather, I think they wouldn¡¯t even make a fight. However, the most eminent factor is that redbears have an exceedingly excellent sense of smell. That¡¯s why they¡¯re selling a powdered medicinal herb namely ¡¸Bear-warding Grass¡¹ that exudes a smell the redbears hate, redbears, in general, will run away when you throw it at them. Basically, you put it into a small sack, you open it, then throw it at them. Smearing it on your body is also effective, but it¡¯s not recommended simply because it¡¯s smelly. For someone like me, I¡¯ve learned something like lacquering my coat to erase the smell of human when I was chasing down a game with a sharp sense of smell from Sishou. However, I won¡¯t do it on my own accord. It¡¯s smelly. The ¡¸Stink Bag¡¹ is for the last ditch escape since it is extremely effective. Laila chose the redbear as her opponent with training in mind knowing this. ¡¸Then, let¡¯s find it.¡¹ After confirming that we have the card to deal with the emergency in hand, we split and began to look for the redbear. CH 15 Megane-kun, Surprised by Laila¡¯s Competency After dividing up the work with Laila, we started searching and managed to find some clues. Patches of folded grass. These are remnants of someone passing by. The width is wider than that of a human. Precisely, it¡¯s a trace of something huge, like a bear, had passed through. Four fine lines that faintly gauged the soil. These are footprints. It¡¯s a sign that the quadruped beast walked with its claws stretched out. And then, the smell of undried blood. Something must have been eating an animal around here. It¡¯s an indication of a predator having eaten its meal. We still can¡¯t conclude if it¡¯s a redbear or not, but there is no mistake that it¡¯s something bear-y. ¡ªRather, I think we¡¯re on the right track. It¡¯s only just an intuition of mine, though. ¡¸It must be this one. Shall we chase after it?¡¹ Laila nods. It seems her nervousness is finally kicking in, considering that the fight is close at hand. It¡¯s still too soon to get stiffened up, though. From this point onwards, I¡¯ll be the one who leads. We then erased our presence, tracking the animal as we went even deeper into the forest. Well, I am erasing my presence, but Laila is still completely exposed so I don¡¯t know how effective my effort is. After proceeding for a while, I began to feel a presence that fits our criteria. It feels like it¡¯s the middle of moving to some other place slowly. ¡¸Be careful of making noises¡¹ It¡¯s fine even it¡¯s still far, I want to get closer until it¡¯s in my view. If I don¡¯t move to ascertain my prey with my own eyes, there¡¯s a possibility of misfire and the prey might run away for real. As of now, there¡¯s still a possibility that it might be a normal bear. I assume that it¡¯s the redbear itself, but hunting requires prudence. Rather, one should always careful before entering the fray. If I was not with Laila, I would have certainly approached the target until it enters my range. This time, however, her training takes precedence. ¡¸Is it there?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll go to confirm it.¡¹ It¡¯s walking with its guard completely up¡ªThat¡¯s how it looks like. The creature was larger than an adult human. Its red hide was blurred with dirt as it walked away, not noticing our presence at all. It¡¯s a Redbear. I see it at a glance. Let¡¯s refrain from approaching it any further since our position could be uncovered if it caught a human smell or noticed Laila¡¯s exposed presence. ¡¸Laila¡¹ I hide in the shades as to get out of the redbear¡¯s sight, then pulled Laila¡¯s arm. ¡¸I found the target.¡¹ ¡¸U, un, ¡­I-, is it close?¡¹ As it¡¯s hidden behind a tree, it¡¯s certainly close. However, I don¡¯t think that that¡¯s what we should be concerned with. Were I to carelessly attack it now, it¡¯d maul me and kill me within seconds, so I can¡¯t exactly worry about it being close. This matter must be because I¡¯m still inexperienced. My life is more important that Laila¡¯s request, so I¡¯ll continue without minding it. ¡¸Go back to the bonfire remains, the place where we began our search.¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸The trees are dense around here. It¡¯s hard to use projectiles.¡¹ If the battle environment isn¡¯t in a somewhat open area, it¡¯s unsuited for us. But, if the place is too open, then we¡¯ll lose our cover, so that¡¯s unsuited also. It¡¯s a bad matchup to fight head-on too. I can¡¯t do such a hunt. ¡¸Go back to that bonfire remains, then wait on top of a tree. I¡¯ll draw the redbear to you.¡¹ If I say it that far, even Laila will know what to do. ¡¸And I¡¯ll be the one to target the redbear while you draw aggro, right?¡¹ That will be so. After I nodded, Laila replied¡¸Got that¡¹ before swiftly returning back the way we came. Her movements aren¡¯t bad. Her physique is fit enough that she doesn¡¯t have shortness of breath despite having been walking all morning. The rest, after all, depends on her experience. And that too, she¡¯s doing what she¡¯s doing because she wants an actual battle experience. Well, that¡¯ll be fine as long as she does her best in the future. ¡ªNow then. I waited until Laila¡¯s presence went far off, before wielding my bow. I don¡¯t like to torment my prey, but this time it¡¯s Laila¡¯s practice and not a hunt. I hope to respond to her request as much as possible. I nocked a wooden arrow without drawing the bowstring so I could set it off anytime, then I made my move. When I caught the redbear in my sight for the second time, without a moment¡¯s hesitation, I exposed myself from the shade and drew my bow¡ªhesitating for a moment, before hiding behind the tree¡¯s shade again. ¡¸¡­?¡¹ I felt the redbear turn its head around. It snorted as if smelling something. This is bad. I might get found if it continues like this. Looks like the preemptive strike failed, huh. No, before that. ¡¸Those digits¡­¡¹ Again, I see those digits. It¡¯s not like I forgot them, but those digits that I haven¡¯t seen since Lorobel¡¯s case are showing on top of the redbear¡¯s head. They¡¯re the same digits that appeared on top of Lorobel the blonde mushroom¡¯s head. This time it showed ¡¸11¡¹. ¡¸¡­¡º5¡»?¡¹ In order to affirm what I saw, I sneakily stole a glance with only one eye, then¡ªit showed me a¡¸5¡¹ this time. ¡¸GROAAAAAAA!!!!¡¹ And our eyes meet to boot. I¡¯m found out. The redbear raises a heavyweight-class roar that would petrify those who heard it, then broke to a run after me. At the same time, I also started my escape. I¡¯m fleeing in a zigzag manner as if I was sewing the trees. The redbear is faster in a straight chase, so I can¡¯t let it chases me in a straight line. ¡¸Yotto¡¹ At times it caught up to me and swung its forelegs, but I avoided them. I turned my head as I avoided it, I drew the bowstring to 60% of its limit then swiftly shot a diversion arrow. ¡­Ah, as I thought, wooden arrows won¡¯t penetrate deep. Well, I¡¯m not expecting damage in the first place. If I must say, the purpose is making it agitated and chase me. Incidentally, the digits turn into ¡¸3¡¹. I¡¯m not pleased how it reduces as if it¡¯s a countdown to my death. I feed it wooden arrows again and again without giving it a chance to recollect itself until I successfully pulled him to the place where Laila is waiting. ¡¸Laila!¡¹ I shouted to inform her of my arrival, then subsequently ran into the open area¡ª- ¡¸¡ª¡ºWind Slash¡»!¡¹ From atop a tree somewhere, an invisible blade was launched. It caught precisely onto the neck of the redbear that was just a few steps away from me. ¡¸¡­Grrrr¡­!!¡¹ However, it was ignored. The redbear raises a groan, growling at the me who had stopped for a second to see what happened. It paid no mind to its neck that should have been lopped off just now. It doesn¡¯t even give its attention to Laila that just threw something at it. Ignored, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s completely being ignored, isn¡¯t it? I knew it would be like this by the time I heard it could only cut such a thin tree. Laila¡¯s magic holds no effect toward the redbear. To put it nicely, it only cut some of its red furs. Despite cutting some of the furs, it seems like a failure. ¡­How do I put it, yeah. That¡¯s about it. It is a similar problem even during practice. Isn¡¯t an actual battle still too early for her? Rather than battle experience, isn¡¯t she still at the stage of self-training? ¡¸¡ºWind Slash¡»!¡ºWind Slash¡»! Haa, haa, ¡ºWind Slash¡»!! UOOOOOOOOHH!! ¡ºWIIND!! SLAAAAASH!!!!¡»!!!!¡¹ So this is what magic is. I¡¯m surprised. As I¡¯m confronting the redbear, avoiding its attacks, firing off arrows, trying to make it stay in one place, Laila is swarming it with a storm of magic attacks. But of course, none of them yield any effect. The redbear doesn¡¯t even turn around. Please turn around, you. She¡¯s desperate, you know. Be considerate. Give her some attention. In this situation where the barren hair-dressing is the only thing that makes progress, my patience is finally running out. I was planning to be patient, but I have come to think that I am an extraordinary fool who makes money by exposing myself to a danger that might kill me in one hit. It would be fine if she inflicted some damage. If some critical blow delivered from all those attacks, the redbear could¡¯ve been weakened by a large quantity of bleeding. Even if she can¡¯t give any fatal wound, if the attacks piled up then it¡¯s also a threat. But, if nothing piled up, then it means nothing. As expected, is there any difference of bringing the prey to the safety zone, allowing her to loosely release her magic, versus practicing magic on an immovable object in practice. Obviously, there is no need for actual combat. if that¡¯s the case. ¡¸Oi~ Laila~¡¹ I look up to the place where Laila might be and raise my voice, all the while facing the redbear. ¡¸W-, wh-, what!? Even if it looks like this, I¡¯m giving my all, understand?! Look what will happen next!!¡¹ No, no, it¡¯s fine already. I get it already. ¡¸Can I bring it down yet?¡¹ Or rather, I¡¯ll do it even without her permission. I lowered my quiver and threw away my wooden arrows, leaving only iron arrows in their place. From now on, I¡¯ll attack with killing in mind, not diversion. ¡¸¡ª¡ªHmm? ¡¹ As I shifted to iron arrows, the digits above its head changed. It was ¡¸3¡¹ all this time before, but now it becomes ¡¸96¡¹. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Don¡¯t tell me, that¡¯s¡ª¡ª CH 16 16. Megane-kun, Solved the Digits¡¯ Mystery Those digits bother me, but first I¡¯ll have to bring down the redbear. If my prediction is correct, the digits will only get higher from now on. Nocking the arrow once more, I then draw the bowstring. ¡ªFirst step, seal its offenses. ¡¸Rrroaaaaar!!¡¹ It raised its upper body and shook its whole body down, packing a blow with the weight of its body from its right foreleg. I look up at the same time it swings its foreleg downwards at me, and I sent an arrow flying towards it. ¡¸Gugyao!?¡¹ The arrow flew exactly towards the stop as intended, pierced through the attacking right foreleg. ¡ªSecond step, restrain its feet. I prepare the second arrow right in front of the redbear whose assail was interrupted by pain. The target is the knee of its left hind-leg, where its balance is bad while it¡¯s still standing. ¡¸Guuh!?¡¹ ¡ªThird step, ¡­is, well, not needed I guess. His upper body folds just as his knee is shot through, with the head of the red bear falling down as though it collapsed. The distance between me and the redbear is nil. In the scenario where I can touch its nose if I extend my hand, I had already prepared the third arrow. Anger, upset, and fear. Within the redbear¡¯s eyes which are in line with mine, many emotions flashed by in an instant. It¡¯s forecasting its own death. The moment it realized that it had lost, the iron arrow pierced its head through its right eye. ¡¸¡­Yosh, it¡¯s over.¡¹ After I shot the third arrow, the digits above its head turned to ¡¸100¡¹. And then, they slowly vanished from the collapsed redbear. Those digits, most likely, represent my winning percentage. I don¡¯t know how and what it calculates, but I think that¡¯s probably the case. Considering the time I used the wooden arrows, to the time it found me, and until the time I confronted it. It also explains why they fluctuate according to the movement of the redbear. The reason why I only saw them above Lorobel up until now is that I¡¯ve not met anyone besides her for the last few days as an opponent to put my guard up with. Lorobel is strong. From our very first meeting, I had judged her to be stronger than me. That¡¯s why I¡¯m vigilant towards her, calculating whether or not I could win against her. That was when those digits appeared. At first, when she was sitting next to me, the digits were ¡¸52¡¹. Those digits must be representing ¡¸winning percentage by commencing surprise attack¡¹. Conversely, there was a 50% chance of not winning even with the element of surprise. My intuition also told me so. When talking about her, I still couldn¡¯t see my victory even if I fight her with a surprise attack. Moreover, at that time she was not putting up any guard. Nevertheless, the winning percentage was 50% only. She¡¯s an opponent I can¡¯t face head-on. Next is when she was in my room. Lorobel¡¯s digit when she was sitting side to side with Laila was about ¡¸31¡¹, I guess? Simply put, that was because she and I were facing each other. The reason why it was lower than when I was beside her is simply that I was right under her nose. Any suspicious movement was out in the light. And lastly, the time she wore the Megane. The digits jumped to ¡¸74¡¹. Thinking it normally, it must be because she was overjoyed when she got the ¡¸Megane¡¹ that she lowered her attention from me. If I think of it like that, all the dots connected. ¡ªI mean, if I put my mind into Laila who just got down from the tree, the digits over her head show ¡¸99¡¹ after all. Un. If it is Laila, I have confidence that I can win against her in any circumstance. In that manner, it won¡¯t work against the target I don¡¯t recognize as an ¡¸opponent¡¹, but if I¡¯m conscious of it, maybe they will show up on every living being. ¡¸¡­Y, you see! I¡¯m more skilled at ¡ºFlame Sphere¡»! If you think that that was all that I could then¡­ How do I put it¡­ it¡¯ll feel like I¡¯m, you know¡­ that!¡¹ Lalia is blabbering something. I wanted to test out a few things about those digits, but let¡¯s put them aside for now. ¡¸Un, got that. Then, help me disassemble it.¡¹ ¡¸Deny what I said, will you! Give me your thoughts!¡¹ No, I don¡¯t have any thoughts about you. ¡¸Since you can use magic, it¡¯s so cool.¡¹ ¡¸Those words alone are filled with sarcasm, but you put no heart into them, didn¡¯t you!?¡¹ ¡¸Ah~, the fur is wasted~¡¹ ¡¸Hear me out! Show me some interest, will you!? Sarcasm is fine, just say something!¡¹ When the redbear¡¯s fur is washed, tanned, and finished with a softener, the bristle that could stop blades will become as smooth as a baby¡¯s butt. It¡¯s said that it is the most valuable part of the redbears. If the fur is cut so meaninglessly and randomly like this, then the reward amount is sure to fall. What a waste. ¡¸¡­You see, even though the outcome is like this, I¡¯m glad that I came.¡¹ Behind me who had already pulled out my disassembly knife and started to skin the redbear, Laila spoke something. ¡¸Look, the people from my team, you see, they¡¯re quite strong. Something like redbears could be cut down with a single swing. They also can defeat stronger magic beasts easily. Thanks to that, I had been misled that redbears are weak. I was wrong. They¡¯re actually strong.¡¹ Hmm, I see. ¡¸Isn¡¯t it a good thing I can learn something out of this?¡¹ Rather than that, I wish you¡¯d come and help me disassemble this already. ¡¸I still can¡¯t be associated with the strong. I haven¡¯t reached that stage yet.¡¹ U~n. Won¡¯t you fetch me a pail of water~? ¡¸T-, that aside¡­ Megane sure is strong, huh.¡¹ Aah, un. ¡¸I think ¡ºthis Megane¡» is amazing.¡¹ ¡¸¡­?¡¹ The words may come out unnaturally, but you don¡¯t need to understand them. If I have this ¡¸Megane¡¹, anything might really possible for me. I might etch my name as a world renown hero. Although, It sounds like a bother, so I won¡¯t do that. I briskly pull the fur off the redbear, then harvested the magic stone that every magic beasts have without exception. These two are the most important parts, as they could be sold for a high price. Next, I cut out the delicious portions of its meat. These are also the objects of reward. This redbear is a heavy-class as it is, so Laila and I alone can¡¯t bring all of it back. The parts we can¡¯t sell and the parts that would sell cheap are to be left behind. The rest¡ªAh, right. There¡¯s something I can¡¯t forget about. ¡¸Do you know about meat patty[1]?¡¹ Laila who was blabbering something joined me to dress the redbear, and the process finally ended. It¡¯s such a scene where enormous lumps of meat and offals are presented, but we can¡¯t leave it be. The smell of the blood might allure beasts from afar, so let¡¯s dig a hole to hide them. However, before that. ¡¸ Meat patty? What¡¯s that?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a cuisine where you finely mince the meat, mix and lump them together, then grill it.¡¹ ¡¸¡­No, never heard of it.¡¹ It seems that, despite imagining what I had explained to her, she couldn¡¯t think of any dish that fit the description. ¡¸Is that so.¡¹ Then, is it really Shishou¡¯s original dish? Not only Shishou taught me the how-to with a smug, ¡¸I invented it, you know¡¹ was what he said so proudly, I hardly could believe it though. Far from looking smug, he looked so suspicious instead. Well, putting its authenticity aside, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve eaten a patty. As I thought, it¡¯s something I can¡¯t miss out on when I hunt a redbear. ¡¸Wanna eat?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t get what you¡¯re offering, but¡­ Can I call it a meal?¡¹ ¡¸Sure.¡¹ ¡¸Then count me in.¡¹ Yosh, two person¡¯s portion it is. I carve out the lean meat from one of the redbear¡¯s rib. Because redbears¡¯s meat is tough and rubbery everywhere, I was taught that this part is the most tender. I take enough for two, wrap it with the leaf that has the odor-removing effect, then bring it with me. This will do. After burying the rest of the redbear, like the bones, viscera, and etcetera, we leave that place. As we enter the vicinity of the river where I usually do my hunts, I wash off the blood from my hands, disassembly knife, and the like in the river. I also wash the rib meat that is wrapped up by the leaf. Since it¡¯s noon, let¡¯s have a meal here. ¡¸Could you boil some water?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, un.¡¹ While they¡¯re indeed small, a set of cooking utensils is an indispensable item for Adventurers. For the record, I was the one who brought them, but Laila used her own pot to boil the water from the river. In the meantime, I prepare the food. I mince the well-washed rib meat finely, chop the odor-removing leaf, slice up the big green onion [2] I brought, then mixed all the ingredients into one clump and added just enough salt. The trick is to knead it with your fingers. One for each person¡¯s portion. The patty that had been made into a circle and flattened is plunged into the boiled water¡ªwith the boiled water being thrown away soon after. ¡¸Eh, you¡¯re throwing it away?¡¹ ¡¸Un. It¡¯s only to remove the fat.¡¹ Removing the water from the patty with a dry cloth, I then grill it carefully. When it¡¯s finished grilling, it¡¯s complete. The delicious smell of the melted fat then entered our nose. ¡¸I also have some bread.¡¹ Eating it between two slices of bread is delicious. ¡¸Your prep is good¡­ And yet you give no attention to me.¡¹ It¡¯s different between this and that. Though it¡¯s just me wanting to eat some tasty meat. ¡¸Redbears¡¯ meat, huh¡­ I don¡¯t really like it. Should I say, the beast¡¯s smell is too strong.¡¹ ¡¸Aah, I got that. I also thought the same¡¹ I put the well-baked patty that had a clear burn mark between two slices of bread, then give it to Laila. My own share will be grilled right after. The saucepan is small, so I can¡¯t grill two at the same time. ¡¸I¡¯m not expecting much from this¡­. Hmm? Eh, tasty!? Eeh, is this that redbear¡¯s meat!?¡¹ That¡¯s right. You surprised? I also got surprised the first time I ate it. It seems that if a chef properly cooks it then it¡¯ll become even tastier, but such a refined way of food preparation can¡¯t be found in my village. The redbear I ate in my childhood was tough and smelly and left me with a bad impression, but after I ate this patty Shishou taught, it became extremely delicious. ¡¸The smell will completely disappear if we let the meat sit out in the leaves a little bit more, though.¡¹ ¡¸Un, it still lingered a bit, but it¡¯s so weak that I take no mind to it! The meat¡¯s flavor is decently felt! It¡¯s delicious!¡¹ Is that so. Glad to hear it. I¡¯ll eat one too. Thus, the redbear hunt has come to an end. I¡¯m planning to investigate those digits further after this. Translator¡¯s Note CH 17 17. Megane-kun, Goes to Joseph¡¯s Shop. By the time we reached the royal capital, it was somewhere before evening. The redbear¡¯s fur, meat, and the like are brought to the warehouse where the Adventurer¡¯s Guild disassembles and gives out rewards for large beasts. As there aren¡¯t many people from the Guild here, I also went there and unloaded our baggage before heading out again. Since it¡¯ll take time to turn it into money, I¡¯ll have Laila deliver it to the lodge where I stay. The pretext is ¡¸If you¡¯re not being useful, then at least do this¡¹. Apparently, she doesn¡¯t want to one-sidedly owe me a favor as an adventurer. Honestly, it¡¯s just as I wished, so I¡¯ll leave it to her. I parted with Laila in the warehouse, then headed to Hunter¡¯s Guild to show my face. It¡¯s something about¡¸I want you to report in if you hunted a large game¡¹ they told me, so I¡¯m here to do that. ¡¸I see. So you have enough ability to hunt a redbear.¡¹ In the ever small and inactive Hunter¡¯s Guild, the unspirited receptionist said that with an unspirited voice, but¡­ ¡¸Not me, but it¡¯s the adventurer who accompanied me who did her best. I was only a decoy.¡¹ I denied it immediately. It¡¯s the truth that Laila did her best, it¡¯s also not a lie that I was a decoy. ¡¸Just tell them that if they asked what happened¡¹ , thus I also had arranged Laila to tell the same story beforehand. I¡¯m not an adventurer. There¡¯s no benefit to me even if my name is widely known. In addition¡ª ¡¸Thank you for the report. I¡¯ll buy it as information on animals territory. The reward is only small change, however¡¹ After I receive the reward that was really only a small change, I left the Hunter¡¯s Guild behind. ¡ªIn addition, that receptionist, as I expected, is not your ordinary person. Once I concentrated my awareness, the digit above her head was ¡¸3¡¹. Even though she was sloven, careless, resting her chin on her hand, having a listless spirit, and roughly speaking did not put up any vigilance or anything. Despite all that, the ¡¸Megane¡¹ indicated that she was by no means an opponent I can win against. Precisely, taking those digits into account alone, she¡¯s someone who¡¯s far stronger than Lorobel. Though I feel like she¡¯s vaguely like ¡¸I¡¯m full of openings but not really¡¹, but who is she really¡­ Nay, not my business. No matter who she is, I have no intention of getting closer to her. It is just that the girl is not really interested in me. She gave me the vibes that I¡¯m judged as someone who can be ¡¸used¡¹. If possible, I¡¯d like to return to Albat village without getting to know her too much. ¡­¡­A bad premonition struck me from the moment I thought of it. Let¡¯s pray that the premonition won¡¯t realize. The day after I hunted the redbear. I didn¡¯t go hunting today, I spent the entire morning sightseeing the royal capital. There are many places I haven¡¯t visited. One reason for it may because I have enough money to spend, but most of all, it is to avoid to make the ¡¸Megane Hunter¡¹ becoming more famous than it already is. Up until now, I haven¡¯t the slightest intention to get famous, but I decided to not go to the hunting ground as to be more careful from doing anything too conspicuous. I cannot leave the royal capital due to the order of 20 pairs of ¡¸Megane¡¹ from the castle. In addition, there¡¯s also my Sister, Horun, who has yet to come back. Since I can¡¯t leave anyway, I can¡¯t afford to be weirdly standing out. ¡¸¡ªMy, Megane-kun. You¡¯re here again? This Joseph is H~A~P~P~Y~¡î ¡¹ ¡¸Joseph¡¯s Shop¡¹, a specialty shop for archery and projectiles, was still as empty as ever. The drag queen uncle, Joseph, is shaving wood to make arrows with a bored look on his face. Well, after I made my appearance, he becomes so delightful though. ¡¸I¡¯m only here to borrow the practice ground.¡¹ Not being conspicuous means being restricted. Meanwhile, I decided to go sightseeing and practice my archery. ¡¸It¡¯s okay~ shoot as much as you want~. It¡¯s okay to shoot out at my heart too while you¡¯re at it, you know~ Ah, maybe actually you have shot it already? Just kidding¡î¡¹ The brawny, muscular middle-aged man Joseph¡ªthe person with thick makeup who introduced himself with¡¸Call me Jo~ Se~ Phi~ Ne~¡î¡¹ and coerced me to call him that in our first meeting, his default body manner when he¡¯s talking to me is wriggling. There really are many kinds of people in the big city. I don¡¯t know how to handle him, so I ignored him though. If I let it get into my head, I possibly won¡¯t be returning here again. It¡¯s just, even though Joseph is kind of like that, despite his thick makeup, his merchandises are still of top quality. Especially when he showed the best bow in the store, that one was really amazing. And though I have yet to know much about the type of bows, I could tell it was not something to scoff at in a glance. It¡¯s a beautiful pure white bow, not made from your ordinary trees. Instead, it¡¯s a bow made of dragons¡¯ bone and harnesses a special magic effect. The price seems to be as high as I could earn within my entire lifetime. Although he didn¡¯t tell me the details, it might be more expensive than I could even imagine. ¡¸Honestly, you¡¯re too kyute to be that filthy Bekt¡¯s disciple~¡î Kyute enough that I want to gobble you up~¡î¡¹ Furthermore, Joseph is acquainted with Shishou as both parties are connected with bows-handling. Though they don¡¯t seem too chummy with each other. Despite having thick makeup, this drag queen certainly is knowledgeable on bows and is remarkably skilled. I didn¡¯t mention a thing about Shishou. It was Joseph who saw my bow and recognized it as Shishou¡¯s made goods. I can¡¯t understand it, but apparently, the creators¡¯ habit shows in the bows they make. Maybe I¡¯ll understand how to recognize it if I handle more bows in the future. ¡ªYet, despite wriggling his body this much, the digits above Joseph is ¡¸41¡¹. It means that this Ossan is quite strong. In any normal case, the numbers should¡¯ve been in my advantage namely by¡¸Commencing Suprise Attack¡¹, so if they¡¯re not around 90s then the surprise attack itself holds no meaning. And I think I¡¯ll certainly lose if the surprise attack fails. Ordinary people out there are mostly showing 90s, so I think my judgment isn¡¯t too far off. ¡¸Ahn, no need for your money~! For realsies~! Just have dinner with me, you won¡¯t need to worry about money, I¡¯ll give you pocket money even~! You¡¯re already an adult, right? I¡¯ll bring you to a shop where you can drink~!¡¹ I paid the fee because I¡¯m determined not to own a debt towards such a drag queen like Joseph, before heading to the backyard where the practice ground is. For some reason, Joseph tagged along. Just like always. I really hope that you would return to the shop. While you¡¯re at it, I hope you go and fix that makeup too. At the end of the course¡¯s long and narrow space, there¡¯s a scarecrow target that stood erected. In this space, one can practice up until middle-distance shoot. Since the wooden arrows start to fly just as I want them to, from today I¡¯ll practice using steel arrows. They weigh more than wooden ones, so the trajectory falls quickly. If I¡¯m aiming for distant prey, I have to shoot a little higher. I have no choice but to let my body remember it. Putting animals aside, I must use steel arrows when facing Magical Beasts to do damage through. As a hunter, I want to be able to guarantee a hit at middle distance. ¡¸Young people these days don¡¯t use bows~ Thanks to that the shop is lonely~.¡¹ Using bows or not aside, I have a feeling that the shop is desolated because there¡¯s this drag queen. Giving no mind towards Joseph who¡¯s murmuring beside me, I continue my training. Just as always. Thanks for the comment~ We¡¯ll keep using Meat Patty and Big Green Onion in the future. Also, since the new semester is starting for me, we¡¯re going to post less fast than the current pace. I can¡¯t guarantee you anything, but I¡¯ll do my best to finish at least one chapter in three days. Well then. CH 18 I¡¯m terribly sorry for being so inactive for the last weeks despite what I have said before. There are many reasons behind it, like constant power outage every 2 PM (the time I get home from campus) or entirely losing internet connection because I can¡¯t pay the package. However, the fact that I haven¡¯t uploaded anything still doesn¡¯t change. In exchange for losing the civilization known as the Internet, I gained a little bit of something called story ideas. If you don¡¯t know it, I write one-shots and short stories that I posted here in RTD. It¡¯s called MOSS. Please pay it a visit! (Shameless Advertisement) This chapter is brought to you by our translator, translation checker, editor, and proofreader in that order. Mabbo, Fairy, Schwarz13, Quantum Nekomata Enjoy~ 18. Megane-kun, Reunion with Older Sister After silently firing my arrows, Joseph who was mumbling to himself gave out a comment that I cannot ignore. ¡¸Megane-kun. You hunted a redbear, right?¡¹ ¡­Nn? He sure has a sharp ear. ¡¸What are you talking about? ¡¹ ¡¸Unlike the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, the Hunter¡¯s Guild is small. Rumors will spread as soon as something happened.¡¹ Aah, is that so. Since the products that his store deals with are mainly hunting gear, he may have a kind of partnership with the Hunter¡¯s Guild. If that is the case, then it¡¯s no wonder the information is fast to travel. ¡¸The adventurer I accompanied did her best. I only tagged along behind her.¡¹ ¡¸Really? What about the traces of the uselessly trimmed fur, despite having no scar of those trims?¡¹ Oh, so the information has gone that far. ¡¸There¡¯s also a little something too~ From the damage on the furs~ Why is there a trace of something long¡­ on the redbear that delivered the fatal wound?¡¹ ¡­Hou? I look over my shoulder then stare at the drag queen ossan who¡¯s been grinning. ¡¸Where did you hear that?¡¹ In order to reveal the true motive behind that statement, I revealed thus; ¡¸I had dismantled in a way such that no one will be able to find out what had dealt the fatal blow.¡¹ ¡¸Ara, is that so. You must¡¯ve been really careful.¡¹ ¡¸Or was that some sort of a leading question?¡¹ ¡¸Half of it¡¹ I see. So half of it is just a guess. ¡¸And the other half?¡¹ ¡¸Foolish question. Megane-kun, I¡¯ve been observing your ability, you know?¡¹ Just a mere redbear won¡¯t stand against you, or so he hinted. Joseph laughed as if he was there watching the scene. His lipstick is so red it becomes venomous. ¡¸How many arrows did you use?¡¹ ¡¸Three¡¹ ¡¸Ara, is that so. It¡¯s considerably less than I expected. So, your skill with bows are good, but you¡¯ve also used to actual battles, huh~¡¹ Well, before that. ¡¸It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll admit I¡¯ve hunted a redbear, though.¡¹ ¡¸Hu~m? Well, shall we just leave it like that?¡¹ Is he just trying to make small talk, or is he trying to get something out from me? It¡¯s a little hard to tell when this ossan just keeps smiling. ¡­Should I make this the last time I visit his shop? It¡¯ll be troublesome if he digs something out even more than this. ¡¸Hey, hey? Rather than that, how about having dinner together with me?¡¹ ¡­I feel a foreign danger I¡¯ve never experienced before that that is neither malice, nor hostility, nor bloodthirst, from this drag queen ossan. . As I put an end to my practice and return to the lodging, Laila is standing in front of it. ¡¸¡ª-Oi, wait up! Why are you running away!?¡¹ Tsk, I was caught off guard. When I turned on the corner from the back alley, this girl was right just right before me. How could such an encounter be even possible? I reflexively turned around and tried to escape, but, of course, I was busted. ¡¸Oh, so you were there. I didn¡¯t notice.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s a lie! Our eyes met, right!? And you avert them as soon as they met, didn¡¯t you!?¡¹ Yeah, well, it¡¯s exactly like that so I can¡¯t refute. ¡¸Sorry. Frankly speaking, I think it¡¯s because I don¡¯t want to associate with you too much.¡¹ ¡¸That was really frank, hey! I¡¯m surprised! ¡­Eh, wait! I was really surprised you know!¡¹ Contrary to my expectations, Laila was actually surprised. Though I think that was quite an appropriate judgment. ¡¸Then, if you were to excuse me~¡¹ ¡¸No, stand right there! What makes you think that I¡¯ll let you go with this flow of conversation!? ¡­Sure I was a little bit shocked and uneasy after receiving this kind of deceptive treatment from you, but just wait up for a sec!¡¹ So she¡¯s really shocked. Laila patted her chest then repeated something along ¡¸At any rate, wait, just, wait¡¹. Honestly, I don¡¯t want to wait, but if I leave her as is, then she will surely chase me to my room. ¡¸You still have a business with me?¡¹ I don¡¯t want to wait in silence either, so I give her a wake-up call so I could listen to what she has to say. ¡¸¡­I still can¡¯t accept it, but fine.¡¹ Though the feeling of being dumbfounded appears in her face and attitude, Laila speaks of the main subject. ¡¸I came to tell you that Horun-oneesama has returned.¡¹ Aah, is that so. So she has finally returned. ¡¸Where¡¯s she now?¡¹ ¡¸She¡¯s drinking in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¹ Is that so. It¡¯s still past afternoon, so it must be crowded inside the guild. Additionally, it¡¯ll get even more packed from evening until night, since the adventurers who went out to do their quest will be returning from now on. Horun must be with her companions anyway, she won¡¯t have time to talk with me right now. If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s meet her later. There¡¯s no real reason that we have to meet right away. ¡¸Laila, I want to make a request to you.¡¹ ¡¸To me whom you don¡¯t want to meet?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. To you whom I don¡¯t want to meet.¡¹ ¡¸¡­Megane, your mental fortitude is quite strong huh. ¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve been told that. Rather than that, it¡¯s about my request.¡¹ I¡¯d hope you to bring Horun to this lodging tomorrow noon. When I told her that, she goes ¡¸Eeh, but Megane, you don¡¯t want to meet with me, don¡¯t you~? And despite that, you¡¯re giving me a request~¡¹ complained, I leave her be then returned back to the lodge. ¡¸I¡¯ll say this first, I¡¯m older than you, Megane!¡¹ She gives such a sharp parting remark that I can¡¯t tell if there¡¯s a meaning behind it or not then took her leave. . And then, the day after. I spent the whole morning doing random stuff, then return to the lodge when noon comes. ¡ªFinally, I accomplished my reunion with Sister after two years of not seeing each other. ¡¸Nn?¡¹ Bright tea-colored hair, and a pair of olive brown eyes. Her color scheme is the opposite of mine, where I have hair close to black and an amber colored pair of eyes. Her hair that was as short as mine two years ago became longer than before. But, like me, she¡¯s still indifferent with her hair. She let it grows artlessly that both of its sides are curving upward. U~n. My image of her remains the same whereby she dashed out from our small village, ate what she found in the ground, and made her stomach upset. As expected, my sister whom I had not met in two years has matured for the last two years. She is wearing a worn out leather armor and has a sword on her waist. No matter how I look at her, she gave an image of a competent adventurer.. If I have to say, she also has the atmosphere of the talented. Horun who has come by my room crossed her arm then tilted her neck and looked at me. ¡¸¡­Eh, who is he again? I think I¡¯ve seen him before.¡¹ I bet. I¡¯m your brother after all. I could recognize her at first glance, but, apparently, she can¡¯t tell that it¡¯s me. Well, my sis never cared for details nor anything in general, she has the caliber of big-shots that she¡¯ll only notice something eye-catching. Her look has matured, but what is inside didn¡¯t change that much. TLN: Horun is talking to someone else besides Eil. CH 19 19. Megane-kun, Reunion with Childhood Friend as well ¡¸¡ªHorun, who is the villager that arrived¡­ Ah.¡¹ Ah. From behind Horun who¡¯s drowning in doubt, a face I know of came out. ¡¸You, aren¡¯t you Eil!?¡¹ His name is Lexton. After the Ceremony of Determination three years ago, he left Albat village right away, such is my childhood friend. Lexton has a big build and is strong since he was a child. He was the boss of the brats from the small village. That was up until my sister meddled, however. He made a pass at my sister, who was only a little girl back then, and bullied her, but, instead, he got beaten black and blue and became her henchman no. 1 ever since. Horun is strong since she was a child after all. How I put it, she wasn¡¯t a human but more like a beast whose wildness is uncontained. I wonder if her atmosphere has changed by now. Ever since they became the village¡¯s two top idiots, they did idiotic things together and reaped what they sow together. Must be because I took no interest in them, I¡¯m not familiar with the details of what happened. Horun and Lexton started to hang out in a flashy manner, and I became more and more reclusive. Not long after, I became a hunter¡¯s disciple. Maybe he knows Horun more than I do because of that. He¡¯s a giant just as ever. However, as he¡¯s more burly than before, he gives out the feeling of a young muscular adventurer. Unlike Horun, he¡¯s dressed lightly without any armor, so his steel-like bulky muscles inside his shirt are showing. ¡ªFrankly speaking, while both are the village¡¯s idiots, Lexton is still better than Horun after all. I suppose. Is there really someone in this world who has a talent that exceeds my sister? If there is, I am pretty sure that person will not be born in the same village. ¡¸Eil? ¡­He has the same name as my brother.¡¹ That was a shocking statement. To think she won¡¯t realize even after my name was mentioned. I thought my sister didn¡¯t change, but is she not a little more polished than before? ¡¸Not the same name, the same person! He¡¯s your brother!¡¹ The second most idiot person from the village stands to correct her. I¡¯m speechless. I don¡¯t want to be seen as a person involved with them so I won¡¯t say anything. ¡­Well, everyone here is involved, so there goes my resistance. Horun laughed heartily, then looked up to the giant. ¡¸Idiot aren¡¯t you, Lex?¡¹ Isn¡¯t it infuriating when an idiot says you¡¯re an idiot? It¡¯s not addressed to me, but I still got furious. It¡¯s like; look who¡¯s saying. Naturally, Lexton who was told that is also furious. ¡¸My little brother doesn¡¯t grow something weird like that on his head.¡¹ Don¡¯t say Megane as something that grows. It doesn¡¯t grow in the first place. It¡¯s not a part of my head. It¡¯s already a part of my heart, but still, it doesn¡¯t grow. ¡¸Horun.¡¹ As expected, I don¡¯t want to see any more of my relative¡¯s disgraces. I take off my ¡¸Megane¡¹ then called out to her. Just like two years ago. ¡¸Ah, it¡¯s Eil.¡¹ I put on my ¡¸Megane¡¹. ¡¸¡­Are you really Eil?¡¹ I take off my ¡¸Megane¡¹. ¡¸It¡¯s Eil.¡¹ I put on¡­ ¡¸Don¡¯t play around with it! What are you two doing!?¡¹ No, I think that was me who was being played around with. ¡¸In the end, who is he then?¡¹ If only my sis had the self-consciousness, though. ¡¸Horun, it¡¯s me.¡¹ I stand up, then face my sister whose height is a little bit taller than mine. ¡¸Your brother whom you bid farewell in Albat village two years ago.¡¹ All the while thinking something like; what kind of reunion with a relative that requires me to say that far. If this continues as is, I¡¯ll keep on exposing my relative¡¯s shame, so, with no other choice, I speak it out clearly. I say something obvious. There was no other choice. ¡¸Ah, so you really are Eil? You came to play in the royal capital?¡¹ She finally recognizes me, it seems. Phew¡­ dealing with my sister after two years is, well, tiring. The reason why I don¡¯t handle people properly is that it¡¯ll only tire me out if I do otherwise, and that was something I learned from sister, wasn¡¯t it? ? Laila, who brought Horun here, together have thought up a plan. The one who has an empty schedule is Lexton. Since my room is narrow, we meet up with Laila who¡¯s waiting outside then go to the diner around here. As we reached our table, Lexton smiled at me ¡¸Long time no see, Eil¡¹. ¡­Hmm. He¡¯s Lexton the village¡¯s number two¡¯s idiot, yet his impression of being an idiot is mostly gone. He looks like a young man with a refreshing smile. An intellectual¡­ or not, I can¡¯t tell, but he has a calm demeanor. He¡¯s a year older than my sister, so either 18 or 19, huh. It might be because he has experienced many things in the royal capital, and has grown mature as a person. ¡¸What¡¯s with that megane? You¡¯ve been doing good?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t mind the megane. You too, seem to be doing fine.¡¹ Lexton had been training since he was a child, saying that he wanted to be an adventurer. Although he drew a normal ¡¸talent¡¹ in the Ceremony of Determination, he left the village in that very day for the royal capital. I think he returned to the village once in the last three years since he left. However, while indeed he¡¯s close with sister, he isn¡¯t as much close to me, so I didn¡¯t see him nor talk with him when he returned. I was also busied with my learning to be a hunter back then. ¡¸I didn¡¯t expect you would join up with Horun.¡¹ ¡¸Neither did I. I didn¡¯t expect we¡¯ll hang out together even after I went to the royal capital.¡¹ Although, the Horun in question is currently browsing the menu with a dead-serious face on her. She was certainly wondering which dish has the most meat in it, or which meat she¡¯ll eat. She¡¯s always been such a serious fellow when it comes to food since the past. ¡¸Are you also a member of ¡ºBlack Swan of Dawn¡», Lexton?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. That being said, I¡¯m still treated as an underdog tho. I finally become a One Star adventurer just recently. ¡¹ Heeh. Well, with his physique being like that, he¡¯s also quite skilled, so they must have been anticipating growth from him. Well, let¡¯s put the matter with Lexton aside. As a relative, I¡¯m more curious about my sister¡¯s condition than his. ¡¸Why does Horun have a second name like ¡ºSaintess¡» that doesn¡¯t suit her?¡¹ That¡¯s what I¡¯m most curious about. In the end, what is this ¡¸Saintess of Demon Exorcism¡¹ thing? Is it a cynicism that caused by misinformation? ¡¸It¡¯s because she¡¯s been accepting every request that comes from people in need of help. She doesn¡¯t hesitate to accept a difficult job without giving a glance to the reward, you see. She¡¯s always like that.¡¹ That¡¯s right. Horun is always that kind of person since the beginning. She¡¯s the type that will come to help anyone in trouble, even if she is told as being meddlesome. She¡¯s the person who will give ¡¸Shut up, idiot¡¹ as opposed to someone who says it¡¯s something tough or annoying. She¡¯s someone who will offer hands and help the elderly every here and there then go to play around soon after as if she doesn¡¯t know fatigue. That¡¯s why I say she has the caliber to be a big-shot. She¡¯s too honest with her desires and instinct to a fearsome degree that the conclusion of her being an ¡¸idiot¡¹ is wasted on her. I see, so she does the same thing even in the royal capital, then got called a ¡ºSaintess¡» huh. ¡­Though I think calling her as a simplistic beast is definitely more fitting. ¡¸I know saying this now is a bit useless.¡¹ While we¡¯re in the middle of talk between fellow villagers from the same hometown, Laila who had been minding not to intrude joined us. ¡¸You see, my village was facing trouble last year. We sought help from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. It was Horun-oneesama who took the initiative and made a move for us.¡¹ Aah, is that so. If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s no wonder she¡¯s calling her Onee-sama and yearning for her. ¡¸Right, Horun-oneesama?¡¹ ¡¸Shut up. Talk to me after I¡¯m done choosing the meat.¡¹ Unchanging as ever. The part where she takes no notice of Laila¡¯s smile or the part where meals take more priority than talking to her brother she hasn¡¯t met in two years. ¡¸Dad and mom are worried¡­ not really, but they are thinking about you. You never come home in the last two years after all.¡¹ ¡¸Shut up. Talk to me after I choose whether goat meat or deer meat to eat.¡¹ Yeah. There is no doubt, she¡¯s my sister. CH 20 20. Megane-kun, Listening to Sister¡¯s Circumstances My older sister who is unchanging to a fearsome degree is still the same in the part where you can¡¯t talk to her in her mealtime. If she¡¯s dead-serious when she decides her dish, she¡¯s dead-serious all the way while being fidgety when waiting for her ordered food to arrive, and, of course, when she enjoys her food. If one interrupted her or letting out an obstinate voice in the middle of her meal, one would be beaten, therefore one must exercise prudence. Damn beast. Since I can¡¯t expect a decent reply if I talked to her, I ask Lexton and Laila the things that have been bothering me in the meantime. First of all, of course, about that. ¡¸I heard she fell to a debt.¡¹ I have collected some sum of money thanks to the redbear hunt the other day. Even if it¡¯s not enough to clear up everything, it should help even a little. ¡¸She did if I have to say, but I think you don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡¹ According to Lexton, Horun did take charge of the request fee, just like what I heard from Laila, but it seems she hasn¡¯t repaid even a penny at all. ¡­Oi. ¡¸She hasn¡¯t repaid? At all?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s Horun after all. If there¡¯s an income, it¡¯ll vanish to something else.¡¹ Despite that it¡¯s supposed to be a reason one couldn¡¯t accept, I hate the fact that I can accept it. It¡¯s true, it¡¯s Horun after all. ¡¸She donates it an orphanage, or lends it to some broke people, or paying the installment for her equipment, etcetera, etcetera. Though most of it drained by her food expense, even I can¡¯t grasp exactly where it goes.¡¹ Her way of spending money is awfully messy. Well, it¡¯s quite expected though. I knew it since there was nothing to spend on in the village, she was indifferent with money management, so it was clear. If there¡¯s something unexpected out of that is that it¡¯s way messier than I expected. ¡¸She basically doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong about borrowing or lending money, to begin with. Even if she¡¯s pressured to pay her debt, she¡¯s already penniless when we realized. I just don¡¯t know what to do.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Laila should be alerted. As she¡¯s my older sister, she also can only be described as foolish. ¡¸But, it¡¯s really strange.¡¹ Lexton gazes at sister who¡¯s been fidgety with a smile on his face. Sister is watching the meat on the table beside us intensely. That¡¯s right, it looks delish, isn¡¯t it. Do give a little care to us. ¡¸In the one year I spent here before Horun came, I gained experience as an ordinary adventurer. The adventurer team ¡ºBlack Swan of Dawn¡» I knew back then was a team that couldn¡¯t make into first-rate. They had the ability, their members underwent careful selection, both their job performances and achievements rate were always the first, if not the second, within the royal capital. ¡¸However, something was missing. ¡¸That was why it felt like they would never reach Three Star, it felt like, they were an eternal center fielder. I couldn¡¯t exactly put that into words though..¡¹ [ED: It¡¯s like a sport team that has never won the league, but has never been at the bottom either.] An eternal center fielder, huh. ¡¸I think I understand. There are things like that, aren¡¯t there.¡¹ Maybe I¡¯ll put it like, despite they have both the ability and actual result, it feels like you just can¡¯t leave everything on them. Like, you can¡¯t put all your faith in them. Like, they¡¯re overshadowed by something else. Like, they just can¡¯t be the main character of a story. Bluntly speaking, it feels like the status is different. I think the reason may vary from one another, so I can¡¯t say it unconditionally, but there¡¯s something like that. ¡¸Recalling it back, it was after Horun joined in. With her becoming a member of ¡ºBlack Swan¡», the hole they had was filled. As the outcome, the team obtained the Three Star rank, and now it¡¯s called the best adventurer¡¯s team in the royal capital. ¡¸If there¡¯s something that changed, it would be the atmosphere. Before, ¡ºBlack Swan ¡» was like a top-notch team with high pride that won¡¯t accept cheap jobs, but now we¡¯re doing relatively anything. Thanks to that, we become popular.¡¹ Hmm. ¡¸Ah, by the way, I joined ¡ºBlack Swan¡» relatively recently. I received the enrollment exam, you see. Though, before that, Horun and I often went out to do some adventure.¡¹ It¡¯s a team I want to join, after all, said Lexton. I see, so the ¡¸Black Swan¡¹ has changed that much. Well, that¡¯s understandable. I mean, if you meet my sis, you¡¯ll want to tell her ¡¸be more proper¡¹ or ¡¸have some pride¡¹, but you¡¯ll be tired of saying them then start to leave her with her own device. ¡¸So, in general, while you kept company with Horun in order to look after her, the members of ¡ºBlack Swan¡» got involved with both of you.¡¹ That¡¯s why she can¡¯t be taken light of. The conclusion of her being an idiot is wasted on her. ¡¸That¡¯s right. Just like what happened to me.¡¹ The village¡¯s number two¡¯s idiot is saying something, but I believe that¡¯s something I can ignore. ¡¸¡ªFirst time I heard this Megane is Horun-oneesama¡¯s little brother. ¡¹ Brushing off Laila¡¯s fault-finding, let¡¯s eat the meal they brought to us. I also didn¡¯t know my older sister has a little sister, so it¡¯s a tie-tie situation. Rather than that, let¡¯s return to the debt talk since the convo was derailed. ¡¸Aah, the debt, is it? The leader also doesn¡¯t look like he wants to collect it. Should I say he gave up on it, or should I say he instead doesn¡¯t want to collect it?¡¹ [TL: Assuming that the leader is a male. Subject to change.] ¡¸He doesn¡¯t want to collect the debt?¡¹ ¡¸Some of the members are worried that Horun would leave ¡ºBlack Swan¡» if her debt is cleared¡¹ Ah, I get it. That¡¯s why they let the debt as is, or they want to leave it be. ¡¸Now, Horun is also a famous adventurer in the royal capital. The rumors around her are good, while she¡¯s indeed an idiot her character isn¡¯t bad, and since she¡¯s easy to be deceived everyone thinks she¡¯s docile. She even got scouted by other teams, she also made connections with many big wigs. ¡¸And, I mentioned this before, there are times when Horun filled the part ¡ºBlack Swan¡» lacked. That¡¯s why, if she left the team for too little a reason, ¡ºBlack Swan¡» might be disbanded. ¡­Well, it may be just me reading too far into it.¡¹ That, too, is understandable. The two years after Horun left, the ¡¸hole left by Horun¡¹ in the village isn¡¯t small. The elderlies who had their work burdened by the other, now they look way less energetic, and the number of children rented by them to do every little chore is increasing. Horun and Lexton alone did all that much work or something like that. It was something that everyone noticed at the later hour. And, apparently, the whole village fell to a dispute to find a way to fill the gap they left. Truly, as she is my older sister, she¡¯s someone troubling that has no common sense in her. ¡¸Phew¡­ That was delish.¡¹ Her meal is finished, and Horun is finally relaxed. That was two helping of goat meat stew and two pints of draft beer. She could eat, really~. ¡¸And then, Eil, did you come to play in the capital?¡¹ And she suddenly took interest in her relative. Too late, you. That kind of question should be asked when you first see my face. ¡¸It¡¯s due to the Ceremony of Determination. Just like you, Horun¡¹ ¡¸Nn? ¡­¡­¡­Ceremony of Determination?¡¹ Wait. ¡¸Of course, you¡¯re not forgetting that, right?¡¹ What a face to make when you could not remember. She won¡¯t tell me that she forgot even the Coming of Age Day, will she? ¡¸¡­¡­.Ah.¡¹ And there she remembered. ¡¸That¡¯s right. I was brought to the royal capital because they said my ¡ºTalent¡» is rare, wasn¡¯t I? And then I continue to live here after that.¡¹ She¡¯s just as amazing as always. Did she try to erase the circumstance why she¡¯s here to oblivion? How do I put it¡­ amazing, huh. ¡¸Then, Eil, do you have a rare¡º talent¡» too? Is that why you¡¯re brought here?¡¹ Here it is. She nonchalantly asked something that any ordinary people would hesitate and careful to ask. That¡¯s why Horun is¡­ nah, it¡¯s fine. Generally speaking, it¡¯s common sense not to ask about ¡¸talent¡¹ lightly. That¡¯s why Laila never asked me about it so far, that¡¯s also the reason why nobody asked about that to me since I came to the royal capital. It¡¯s just common sense. For Horun who has no common sense, asking that isn¡¯t something unnatural. ¡¸I have a little bit of ¡ºMagician talent¡».¡¹ ¡¸Eh, for real!?¡¹ The one who got surprised was Lexton. And Laila, as an addition. Horun only gives out ¡¸Heeh¡¹ kind of indifferent feeling. Therefore, Lexton and Laila¡¯s responses should be the norm, socially speaking. Being a magician is that much of rare ¡¸talent¡¹. ¡¸But it¡¯s not some great ¡ºtalent¡», I received a refusal treatment from the castle. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll go sightseeing the royal capital for a little while then return to the village.¡¹ I didn¡¯t tell a lie. Materialization like ¡¸summoning a megane¡¹ means I could use magic. That¡¯s why that category is also applied to me. Hiding a truth doesn¡¯t mean telling a lie. ¡¸I see. That¡¯s unfortunate.¡¹ ¡¸Not really. Conversely, even if my ¡ºtalent¡» was estimated, I have no intention to work for the castle. No matter what¡¯s the end result, I just want to go back to the village as soon as possible.¡¹ Now that I¡¯ve met with Horun, I only have to fill the order from the castle, then I¡¯ll have no reason to be in the capital. Should I say it¡¯s as expected, despite she has difficulties at having a conversation, she¡¯s doing well, so I¡¯ll just tell our parents that. For how things are currently going¡­ asking Lexton that will be way faster than asking Horun. The rest is, of course, that huh. ¡¸I want to greet the leader of ¡ºBlack Swan¡».¡¹ There¡¯s a person who looks after this sister of mine, a task that definitely takes mental fatigue. As her relative, I want to greet him. This isn¡¯t a matter I can let slide with the thought that I don¡¯t want to meet or associate with people. It never is. I believe with my all that if our role reversed, then he would at least come to greet me. It¡¯s someone who looks after Horun after all. Well, I¡¯m heavy-spirited to do that, though. ¡­As expected, he isn¡¯t someone I can ignore if he spoke of Horun¡¯s faults. ¡¸Rather than that, Eil.¡¹ As I was bummed out, Horun¡¯s upper body approached me. Her shining olive brown eyes seized mine as if she¡¯s seeing through me. ¡¸That thing that hanging on your head, that¡¯s something good right? Gimme.¡¹ And there she suddenly says something again. ¡¸This is something unnecessary for someone who has a healthy eye. Horun, your eyes are good, aren¡¯t they?¡¹ I stared back at my sis through the lenses. Facing with my gaze, sister shows no change at all¡ªmost likely, she¡¯ll say ¡¸I just think that¡¯s the case¡¹. ¡¸That thing, it¡¯s not something as simple as that, right? That¡¯s why, gimme.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Something like ¡¸How did you know¡¹ or ¡¸What gives you the idea¡¹ is a foolish question for my sister. Generally, it¡¯s all because of ¡¸Because I think it¡¯s like that¡¹ is going in that mind of hers. By some chance, maybe I¡¯ve learned it sometime before my oldest memory of ¡¸being left behind in the forest¡¹. Maybe I learned it from my sister, that a creature who lives with intuition and instinct is terrifying. Mabbo here. Blame me for the late chapters. It¡¯s my fault. I found some good novel that I can¡¯t wait for the translation so I read the RAW. It got a load of expositions and world building. Also, I bumped into Azur Lane. Laffey¡¯s too cute to be abandoned, so I can¡¯t help it. For my defense though, I¡¯ve preserved future chapters beforehand, including this one, so you can expect the next two chapters to be released soon. Also, my life; College sucks, I¡¯m broke, phone wrecked. CH 21 21. Megane-kun, Moves ¡¸When mentioning about something mythical, then it has to be this. In the unexplored region deep inside the forest, a lake is there. In the middle of the lake, there stands a sacred tree. When looking at the swaying surface of the lake, the big tree that was basking in the filtering sunlight, I was made to feel a mysterious life force, my goodness was that not a spectacular sight. So beautiful I forgot to breathe, so spectacular that the thought of it being in a dangerous backwoods left me altogether. And then, there were animals who drank the lake¡¯s water. Maybe because the sacred tree keeps the magical beasts at bay, the air in that place was obviously different. Should I put it as it was being protected by a holy being¡­ anyway, it was such a mythical place.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡¸Among the crowd of animals, it was there. A rabbit with golden furs, faintly standing out. ¡ªThat¡¯s right, the rumored endangered, legendary even, Golden Rabbit. There was a legend right in front of my eyes.¡¹ My sister who¡¯s been telling a story in a small voice opens her eyes in great vigor. ¡¸And I ate it! I hunted it down by force! Like, there¡¯s nothing else to do than eating it, right!?¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ That will make the fifth time I heard that line. The first time I heard that line, it was about the Phantom Deer that was once hunted too much until their number drastically dropped, nowadays report of their sightings is never heard again. ¡ª¡¸And I ate it~!¡¹ Said her. The second time I heard it, it was about the Large Silver Fish that is said to bring luck if you meet it even once in a lifetime. ¡ª¡¸And I ate it~!¡¹ Yet again. The third time I heard it again, it was about the Laggard Dragon, known as a giant frenzy beast that even Three Star adventurers avoid. ¡ª¡¸Most of its meat tasted superb once I grilled it~!¡¹ And again. The fourth time I heard it yet again, it was about the Silver Bird, a migratory bird that isn¡¯t rare to be found but impossible to hunt. ¡ª¡¸I ate it like it was a yakiniku~!¡¹ And again. And, the fifth time was this, the Golden Rabbit. I was wondering why sister suddenly telling us a story, well, it was that. Bragging. For Lexton and I and many other people who live in a poor village, meats are fundamentally a feast. A feast that we can only eat if there¡¯s a festival or celebration. Even I like meats. Even though I¡¯m overshadowed by her delight, I¡¯m boasting the fact that I¡¯m more of a meat-lover than my sister. I like them way more than she does, it just doesn¡¯t show. Even the reason why I become a hunter is that my judgment says being one will allow me to eat meats outside festivals and celebrations. ¡¸How is it, Eil? Onee-chan has eaten a lot you know.¡¹ Un¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Honestly speaking, I¡¯m unbelievably envious and frustrated. Those five preys she told just now could be said as legends that even bumpkins like us know. They absolutely won¡¯t be found in the forest near Albat village. If I have to, I¡¯ll even say that it¡¯s hard to tell whether they truly exist or not. I see. I thought anything I want to do could be done in the village, but I was wrong. I also want to meet a prey which name is known wide but hard to encounter. I also want to eat the meat of rare animals. ¡¸Or, rather¡­ umm¡¹ Laila who listened in silence like I did, opened her mouth nervously. ¡¸It¡¯s rather a miracle to meet so many rare animals in just two years¡­¡¹ Eh, is that so? I thought in the city I could meet the preys that I couldn¡¯t find in the countryside. But is that wrong too? ¡¸Listen¡¹ Horun declared thus tensely; ¡¸Go to a place where nobody comes. They won¡¯t go to the place where there¡¯s a human nearby.¡¹ Well, that¡¯s the standard ironclad rule for hunting. If a human, or rather, any foreign enemy gets closer, the prey will escape. ¡¸But, it¡¯s dangerous to go to the place where nobody comes¡­¡¹ ¡¸What would an adventurer do without adventuring.¡¹ What an extreme opinion. ¡­Though, for some reason, Laila seems impressed. ¡¸You just won¡¯t get settled even after becoming an adult, huh.¡¹ The one who said that was Lexton who doesn¡¯t know anything about those encounters Laila had, but rather than saying he¡¯s tired of hearing it, he¡¯s half-impressed. That reminded me, Horun is always going off to some place somewhere ever since we were in the village. It seems like the scope of her activity has remarkably expanded after her Coming of Age Day. ¡¸But Lexton, if there¡¯s meat in front of you, then you¡¯ll eat it too, right?¡¹ That¡¯s not the problem. I guess I¡¯ll eat it, but that¡¯s not the problem here. ¡¸If the meat is fallen on the ground, you¡¯ll eat it too, right?¡¹ That, I won¡¯t. Normal people don¡¯t go scavenging for food. ¡¸Even vegetables are fallen on the ground, aren¡¯t they? And you eat them, don¡¯t you? What¡¯s the difference between vegetables on the ground and meats on the ground?¡¹ I¡¯ve been hearing that logic since I was a kid. Those are words she¡¯ll use whenever I or our parents or anyone from the village tried to stop her from eating things from the ground. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯ll hear that even after we become adults. In the first place, just how many times I have to tell her that the vegetables are grown not fallen on the ground until she understands? ¡¸But, as expected, I have stopped eating anything that has fallen.¡¹ I know that it¡¯s something obvious, but as someone who has known Horun since infancy, that¡¯s a big step for her toward adulthood. ¡¸I eat them after I wash them.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ I wonder if it¡¯s okay to stop taking her seriously. I¡¯m tired. Let¡¯s report this to our parent; ¡¸Horun is doing fine and being carnivorous. Some small footsteps towards adulthood are showing. Maybe in a few years, she¡¯ll understand the common sense of normal people¡¹. ¡¸Horun¡¹ ¡¸Nn?¡¹ ¡¸Thanks for the hard work.¡¹ I¡¯ve confirmed that she¡¯s doing good, and I¡¯ve heard her current circumstance from the person herself as well. I also have heard our childhood friend¡¯s story. I no longer have business with her. ¡¸Return my ¡ºMegane¡»¡¹ I collected my ¡¸Megane¡¹ that she took from me, then I leave my seat. I thought she¡¯ll get mad at me, but my sis just looked at me as if nothing happened. If she did get mad though, I¡¯ll run away right then and there. ¡¸You don¡¯t change, Eil. You never cared about onee-chan even for a little bit.¡¹ Caring about you will only tire me out, after all. That¡¯s from long ago. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ If my sister doesn¡¯t change much, then perhaps I too don¡¯t change that much either. I can¡¯t accept it, but maybe you can say it¡¯s because brother and sister are similar to each other. Either way, sister has an arrangement, and it seems she¡¯s about to leave soon. ¡¸It¡¯s a request to attend on some newbie adventurer team going through the One Star promotion exam.¡¹ It¡¯s just yesterday she returned from a job that took her several days, and today she¡¯s going to go for a job again. Her nature of can¡¯t settle down is unchanged as well. By the way, it seems Lexton is planning to accompany her. Apparently, he¡¯ll recover his armor and sword that were under maintenance today, then go together after having it equipped ¡¸Thank you for the treat.¡¹ ¡¸Sure. You¡¯re still in the capital for a while right? Let¡¯s meet up when we have the time.¡¹ As your senior, leave this one to me, said Lexton as he paid our bill, so I gave him my gratitude and see him off outside the diner. ¡¸Then, little brother. Next time give me that Megane, okay.¡¹ Ou, good luck sis. I won¡¯t give you ¡¸Megane¡¹ though. I also saw off my sister who doesn¡¯t show growth more than I expected. Now then, I turn over to Laila who¡¯s there next to me. ¡¸I want to greet the leader of ¡ºBlack Swan¡», can I ask you to guide me?¡¹ ¡¸ ¡­Guiding you is fine and all.¡¹ Laila shows me a difficult expression on her face. ¡¸Rather than that, why you didn¡¯t tell me you¡¯re Horun-oneesama¡¯s brother?¡¹ So she¡¯s still stuck there. Well, I haven¡¯t explained to her anything in regard to that after all, so she must want to hear why. ¡¸First of all, I don¡¯t know if you really are Horun¡¯s acquaintance or not. I don¡¯t want to tell the public I¡¯m Horun¡¯s acquaintance nor want to declare it out that I¡¯m related to Horun. As long as I¡¯m not familiar with the current circumstance of my sister, I don¡¯t want to get rolled up with some funny business if they learned of our relationship. I could bring trouble to my sister as well, so that¡¯s also a reason for it. Do you think that sounds unnatural? Even a country bumpkin knows how to be vigilant, you know.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­So, you understand yet? ¡¹ ¡¸S-, surprisingly, you have a proper reason there¡­¡¹ Is that proper, though? I think that¡¯s just normal. I also think that making a fool out of myself and going around announcing ¡¸I¡¯m Horun¡¯s brother~¡¹ won¡¯t bring anything good. Both for me, and for my sis. ¡¸I thought you did that because you¡¯re not interested in me.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡¸Eh? Why are you going silent? ¡­Oi, wait. Why are you not saying anything?¡¹ Well, yeah. ¡¸90% of the reason is as you said, so I think I don¡¯t need to answer anymore.¡¹ ¡¸Like hell that¡¯s okay! Answer me! ¡­.Eh, so that proper reason only makes up 10% of the whole reason!? And the 90% of it is because you¡¯re not interested in me!? Is that much you hold no interest in me!?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m interested in you.¡¹ ¡¸No, that¡¯s a lie! That has to be a lie!¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s partly the reason. By the way, isn¡¯t it about time for you to guide me?¡¹ ¡¸What the hell with ¡°partly the reason¡±?!! I know enough that your responses become half-hearted whenever the topic doesn¡¯t concern you, four-eyes!! Have more interest in me!!¡¹ Hmm. Interest is not something people can tell me to have. Though she¡¯ll get angry if I told her that, so I won¡¯t. I don¡¯t want to make a racket and draw attention anyway, so I decided to move first and calm this raging redhead down. TLN: Okay, this is tricky. ¡°Ochiteiru¡± means the object is in the state of ¡°falling¡±. Not ¡°currently in the mid-air¡±, but ¡°fallen and hasn¡¯t picked up yet¡±. For example, your eraser is fallen from the desk. The ¡°normal¡± state of the eraser is ¡°being on the desk¡± or ¡°aboveground¡±. If the eraser falls, it¡¯s ¡°ochiru (present tense)¡±. If you picked the eraser from the ground, it¡¯s ¡°ochita (past tense)¡±. But, if the eraser hasn¡¯t picked up yet, still on the ground (not in the ¡°normal state¡±), then it¡¯s ¡°ochiteiru (continuous present tense)¡±. Incidentally, if the eraser was fallen and you picked it up then tell your friend about it, you¡¯ll say the eraser was ¡°ochiteita (continuous past tense)¡±. Confusing, I know. So, here Horun said the vegetables are fallen to the ground (ochiteiru), meaning she thinks vegetables are not meant to be on the ground. Perhaps she thinks vegetables grow on trees or maybe walk with feet (considering how big an idiot she is), that¡¯s why she associates vegetables that grow from the ground with meats from animals and think they¡¯re from the same source/have the same ¡°normal state (of not being on ground)¡±. Anyway, Mabbo here. No, I won¡¯t pull any April Fools joke. I¡¯m sick of it, and I bet you guys are as well. That¡¯s it. CH 22 22. Megane-kun, Goes to ¡¸Black Swan of Dawn¡¹¡¯s Quarters I urged Laila who somehow got all grudging, and she led me to the¡¸Black Swan¡¹¡¯s base. I thought I have covered enough ground on the royal capital, but I¡¯m taken to a warehouse district I have yet to go. Whatsoever, it seems like they rented a large warehouse and decorated the interior of it, and all their leading members are living in it. ¡¸A newcomer like me lives in another place, though.¡¹ According to Laila, famous adventurer teams and the like can be introduced to a place to live by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, the Commercial Guild, and many other influential people. Putting it simply, aren¡¯t they given a fixed place to live so it¡¯ll be easier to get in touch with them in case of emergency? Although, I think it¡¯s a mutual benefit since it¡¯s also cheaper for the adventurers than staying in an inn. It¡¯s a big family consists of 10+ people after all. If they rented an inn, the expense would be too high to be a joke. Incidentally, Horun also lives here. As a relative, won¡¯t they tell me not to leave my sis alone, since they have to keep eyes on her due to her problematic conduct? ¡¸Wait a minute¡¹ As we reached a particular warehouse, Laila left me here then entered alone. It¡¯s a two-leaf door big enough to let a horse carriage pass through, but it¡¯s not as heavy as it appears for Laila pushed it open quite easily. ¡¸ ¡­¡ºAdventurer Black Swan of Dawn¡», huh¡¹ That is written on an old and aging board above the double door. It seems that there¡¯s no mistake that this is their base. And, I feel the presence of several people from within. About three people. Omitting Laila. ¡­Un, every each of them is strong. Seemingly, all of them is as strong as Lorobel. Then, um, Two Star huh. All three of them are Two Star adventurers huh. The top adventurer team in the royal capital it is. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Nn, getting a little bit nervous like this, I¡¯m not being me, aren¡¯t I? Let¡¯s move around my jellified knees and stiffened legs, and stretch out the muscles on my upper body. Even though I believe it¡¯s not necessary to do so, and the situation won¡¯t turn into a fight, let¡¯s just ease myself up so I¡¯ll be ready to flee anytime. As I was doing that, Laila that went in first comes back. ¡¸Come in. ¡ªAh, the Leader isn¡¯t present right now, it¡¯s okay with the vice-leader too right?¡¹ Eh? Yeah, well, ¡­yeah. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ I hope you¡¯d tell me ¡¸the leader is absent¡¹ before I get going. One foot of mine has stepped into the building now. At the present time, I came to greet the person most inconvenienced by my sister, her leader. Even if I greeted his representative instead, it¡¯ll be hard to convey my sincerity. It has to be conveyed to the person himself and not his representative, after all. Apology and gratitude that traversed through hearsay wouldn¡¯t contain enough eminence. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re nobles or royalties. If they¡¯re not here, I¡¯m the one who has to approach them when they¡¯re around. ¡­It¡¯ll bring them nuisance instead if I retraced my step, so let¡¯s just proceed. And, if the members¡¯ manner is virtuous, then let¡¯s come back here again before returning to the village. Next time, I¡¯ll greet the leader for sure. For now, it¡¯s the vice-leader. She most probably has caused a lot of trouble for the vice-leader too, anyway. Though it looks like a big warehouse from the outside, it looks like an inn from the inside. As soon as I entered, a big long table and couples of chairs welcomed me. I suppose this place is for eating and relaxing. On the second floor, ascending the staircase on my left, there¡¯s a corridor with a handrail and some doors. Those doors must be private rooms. Nearing the entrance, there¡¯s a weapon rack. There are some indications of post-fight all around, but it¡¯s generally peaceful inside. And then, there are two people on the table. In the innermost part, someone¡­ It would be the person who is right in front of me who just entered, snarling hands and waiting for me at the other end of the long table. From the sitting position, this person should be the vice-leader. ¡¸Over here is Horun¡¯s little brother.¡¹ As Laila introduced me, the vice leader before me nods. ¡¸Welcome¡¹ It¡¯s a woman. She¡¯s in the middle of her twenties. She¡¯s a beauty wearing a lightweight garment and covered with a red hood. ¡­It¡¯s obvious that she is strong, but I feel something else other than that from her. Also, there¡¯s another person seated in the middle section of the left seats. It¡¯s an unshaved beardy ossan, with his blonde hair pulled tightly to his back in a bun. ¡­No, is he surprisingly young? Does he look like much older due to his beard? He feels like a warrior through and through. Naturally, he¡¯s strong also. ¡ªPutting the observation aside. ¡¸I¡¯m Eil from Albat village. I heard my older sister Horun is under your care, so I come to say my greetings. Most probably, in all likelihood, beyond doubt, my sister has brought great inconvenience to everyone here, but I kindly hope of you to keep treating her well from here after.¡¹ I bowed neatly. And that too, I do without a slight error. As if I¡¯m showing them my skullcap. ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­Eh? Did they hear that? I certainly stated my greetings, right? What¡¯s with the silent treatment? ¡¸¡­Ah, eh?¡¹ Eh? The woman in front of me leaks a strange voice, so I involuntarily raise my head. ¡­She has such an awful shocked expression on her. The ossan too. And for some unknown reason, Laila that is next to me too. ¡¸Err¡­¡­ you, are you really Horun¡¯s br-, brother? Her brother that is a member of her family? Her brother that is a member of the family that related by blood and has spent time with her since childhood? ¡­Ah, you¡¯re her brother that isn¡¯t related by blood, right!? ¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ That reaction. That way of recognition. Perhaps I just betrayed their prejudice for being ¡¸that Horun¡¯s little brother¡¹. While it¡¯s implicit how sister usually abuses this adventurer team and how she brings trouble to them, it¡¯s vividly transmitted to me. Apparently I definitely also have to meet and greet their leader. This means she utterly, and more than I expected, has brought a great deal of inconvenience to them. I should have brought at least souvenirs. This is an atmosphere where I could take them out. I also plan to pay her debt depending on the situation, so I haven¡¯t prepared anything else. ¡¸¡­O, ou¡­ for the time being, take a seat.¡¹ I¡¯m also puzzled, but the unshaved beardy offered a seat for me. ¡¸¡­Even though you can do such a proper greeting, why you didn¡¯t do it to me¡­¡¹ Laila is muttering something in a whisper, but that¡¯s not something important so let¡¯s just not answer her. CH 23 23. Megane-kun, Paying Respects For the time being, I sat in front of the vice leader who¡¯s still deep in confusion and corrected her ¡¸No, I¡¯m her real brother¡¹ three times. I was right. Even in the villages, we are often told things like ¡¸It¡¯s hard to say you two are siblings despite your faces are similar to each other¡¹, and I agree with them. And this was the moment where it¡¯s proven that indeed was the case even when applied to the sophisticated common sense of the people in the big city. Well, I feel indifferent about it, though. Each person is different from one another, so even siblings or family members are unique from each other. ¡¸¡­Aah, I sure was surprised. Each time Horun caused trouble, I always want to see what kind of parents did she come from or what kind of family she has, but to think¡­ No, forgive my rudeness. ¡¹ ¡¸Pay no heed to it. Even as her relative, I can totally relate to that.¡¹ The vice-leader finally started to recognize me as that troublemaker¡¯s little brother. Even when she spilled some rude remarks unintentionally, it was me who had to approve it this time. ¡¸¡­If I may then, how are your parents like?¡¹ If she even got curious about mine and that troublemaker¡¯s parents, then she must¡¯ve been causing so many problems. In all honesty, I really don¡¯t want to ask about her deeds. ¡­No choice but ask, huh? There really isn¡¯t any other alternatives but to ask about her deeds in this circumstance, huh? ¡¸I believe they¡¯re normal. However, we came from a poor village, so I think they¡¯re kind of letting her on the loose.¡¹ Albat village is a poor village; while we don¡¯t have trouble with food, if the harvest from the crops is diminished by natural disasters and the like, we¡¯ll starve. We don¡¯t have any specialty products, and our crops aren¡¯t exactly the best. Tentatively, we could save a small number of crops every year, if there¡¯s a shortage of ingredients we buy them in the town. With that as the measurement, we could ration out and survive on. I didn¡¯t pay attention to it before, but if I think it again, our village chief¡¯s capability maybe isn¡¯t that bad. ¡¸I believe you have heard most of it from Lexton. It¡¯s as what he said, by and large.¡¹ Lexton is the village¡¯s idiot number two, and he isn¡¯t the type of person who tells a lie. He might deceive people, but I believe he won¡¯t spew lies out of nowhere. ¡¸Sigh¡­ That being said, to think that this kind of person is that Horun¡¯s actual blood-related biological brother from the same family tree¡­ ¡¹ I wonder how long you¡¯re going to be surprised for. ¡­Eh, that much? You¡¯re surprised for that much? ¡¸I¡¯ve heard that she has a little brother.¡¹ The unshaved beardy, who¡¯s just a little bit calmer than the vice leader, opened his mouth. ¡¸Lexton also said that Horun and her brother don¡¯t resemble each other, but¡­ how do I put it, I can feel something like cultured atmosphere from you. Are you two really from the same village¡­ no, you two growing from the same household itself is an enigma of its own.¡¹ I see. Cultured. ¡¸I don¡¯t know if I can consider myself educated or not, but as the disciple of the village¡¯s hunter, Shishou has taught me many things. From simple alphabets, numbers, arithmetic, to general knowledge and the likes. If there are differences between me and my sister, it should be around that part.¡¹ A hunter¡¯s work is not limited to hunting preys alone. We distributed the spoils to those in need¡ªWhile a barter system is applied in the village itself, we can use it for trade with the peddlers that visited. It¡¯s because you are not fit to be a hunter if you can¡¯t read the alphabet, don¡¯t understand numbers, and can¡¯t do calculations, taught Shishou. You¡¯ll be tricked, you won¡¯t be able to make a fair transaction, you¡¯ll be told to just count the losses, so I was taught by Shishou all the while hearing him spinning a yarn. Thereby, I took the common sense¡­ the small talk that Shishou told me with a grain of salt and ignored him. Something like the girl he dated or how he met her wife, I can no longer count how much I heard those. I have had enough. In the first place, it¡¯s hard to imagine that that man-bear was popular. Although, I think his wife knows how to choose a man. Shishou is someone respectable, and I respect him for it. ¡¸A hunter, huh. Then, that means you¡¯re using bows, right? ¡­Indeed, I can somehow tell that from your armor. The way your physique is built is also different from normal people.¡¹ Unshaved beardy is openly analyzing me. ¡­U~n. I don¡¯t want to talk much about myself, so I hope he¡¯d stop observing me¡­ But, it¡¯s not like I can escape. I want to switch the topic from myself to Horun, but I can¡¯t find the gap to do so. ¡¸Bows, you said. ¡­Come to think of it, there are rumors about a megane-wearing hunter going around lately, aren¡¯t there?¡¹ As I was dealing with the unshaved beardy, the vice-leader is regaining her composure. It¡¯ll be hard to find a gap in the conversation if I¡¯m facing with both of them. And Laila who poured tea then took a seat next to me doesn¡¯t say anything and just becomes a room decor. The talk is progressing towards a troublesome direction. Furthermore, it¡¯s going to a direction I don¡¯t favor. Come to think of it, Laila also contacted me because she heard about those rumors. It¡¯s natural for adventurers to be sensitive to rumors about strong or skilled people. Even more so for a skilled adventurer team. If this continued, I¡¯m going to be asked questions like what I can do and what I can¡¯t do, they might even ask my hunting itinerary. I don¡¯t want to answer them, I don¡¯t want to, but¡­ I can¡¯t dodge their questions forever. I¡¯m okay answering, but can I muddy up the answer vaguely? Can I lead them to that direction? Now then, what do I do? Should I forcibly retreat first here? As I was thinking along that line, a helping hand appeared. ¡¸¡ªHooaa¡­ aahm ¡¹ From one of the private rooms upstairs, comes down a reddish-blonde woman with a big yawn on her. She¡¯s dressed quite lightly. She seemed to have asleep until this late hour in the afternoon. Which reminds me, omitting Laila, I sensed three people inside the warehouse. So she¡¯s the third presence. Although she looks nothing but sluggish, she still has the aura of the strong. ¡¸¡ªHey~ Horun~. Let¡¯s grab some meal~¡¹ With a sleepy face, a drowsy voice, and a weird way of walking, she descended the stair. She wears a tank top and¡­ Oi. She only wears a piece of underwear below. She¡¯s completely in her undergarment. Isn¡¯t that just a pair of panties. ¡­A blue and white striped pair? So undergarment in the big city is like that. It must be a design polished by the great city. ¡¸Hold on! Hold on, Ain-san!¡¹ Laila who sat next to me stood hurriedly then rushed over the woman who descended the stairs. She¡¯s blocking her to prevent that woman from going forward any further. ¡¸Oh, Laila¡¯s here too, huh? Yosh, let¡¯s grab a meal.¡¹ ¡¸Before that, we have a guest! Wear some clothes!¡¹ ¡¸Clothes? I properly wear¡­ eh? Where are my shorts? Did it come off when I was asleep? ¡­Oh well, that¡¯s fine.¡¹ ¡¸No that¡¯s not! We have! A guest! A guest, I said!¡¹ A woman who doesn¡¯t mind being in underwears. A sighing vice-leader. An unshaved beardy who¡¯s at wits¡¯ end. And then, I¡¯m here the guest to complete. Probably Laila¡¯s reaction is the most correct amongst us. ¡¸But I¡¯m famished¡­ I have to eat something.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t! Wear! Something!¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡ªIs there another troublemaker in this team other than my sister? I wanted to ask it straightly, but of course, I won¡¯t. Hey, Mabbo here. So, exams week passed. I thought the holiday would take 2 weeks, but I got it wrong and missed 3 days of classes. And my attendance is already in danger even without that. With my phone basically being an overpriced brick, I have no means to contact my classmates. Let¡¯s just completely omit the fact that I¡¯m not that social to begin with, shall we? On a completely unrelated note, it really is unrelated, I bumped into Azur Lane! It¡¯s a game about bonding with boats, marrying your shipfus, and decorating the perfect love nest for you and your floating harem! Just kidding, it¡¯s all about farming if not more farming. Though, I like how it isn¡¯t p2w. You earn your strength not with money but with diligence. The characters are diverse and fun to interact with. Not to mention, it really references to the actual history of naval a lot. I won¡¯t say you guys have to play it, I¡¯m just telling you my self-justification reason. Oh, and I play it using an emulator if you ask. CH 24 24. Megane-kun, Suggesting for a Fresh Start ¡¸¡­¡­We have shown such an inappropriate sight to you. I¡¯m sorry for what our member have caused.¡¹ In the end, Laila pushed the underwear woman who complained about being hungry back to the room she was from. After a round of silence, the vice-leader spoke with a grim expression on her face as if she just swallowed a poisonous bug. Forgive us, she said. ¡ªHowever, it was a chance for me. Maybe it¡¯s because the talk was interrupted a few moments ago, the weight of the air feels like it¡¯s crushing us. ¡¸It¡¯s me to blame for visiting so suddenly. I have no excuse.¡¹ Saying thus, I naturally, oh so naturally, stood up. No matter who saw to judge what, it was such a natural way to leave my seat. Such a naturalness that one can¡¯t find anything to object. Aah, was it not natural? It was natural, indeed. ¡¸I should¡¯ve come after I made an appointment, after all. Please excuse me for today. Before long, I shall come again later when the Leader is around.¡¹ ¡¸¡­You¡¯re, right. The atmosphere somehow isn¡¯t suited to hold a conversation anyway, so let¡¯s make a fresh start later.¡¹ Excellent. My suggestion is accepted. ¡¸Tomorrow night¡­ no, that¡¯s a dicey time. He should be around in the morning day after tomorrow. I¡¯ll let him know.¡¹ ¡¸Well then, I shall come again in the morning the day after tomorrow.¡¹ After I bowed and said ¡¸excuse me¡¹, I made my escape from the ¡¸Black Swan of Dawn¡¹¡¯s base. As soon as I got out of the warehouse, I ran as fast as I could as to shake off any possible pursuer and finally could catch my breath after I had reached the main street. Yosh, it seems I managed to retreat safely. Though it felt like a useless effort since it was such a short visit and I have to visit them again in the future, measuring the ambiance there is a huge step to me. Especially, that reaction. From the reaction of the vice-leader and that unshaved beardy, as expected, the trouble my sister has brought can¡¯t be paid off with mere empty handed greetings. A gift is a must. Absolutely a must. A simple apology won¡¯t do, the sincerity won¡¯t reach. My feeling as her family can¡¯t allow it. They¡¯re the people who are looking after that sister, after all. Even if I shoved my head deep into the ground, that still be lacking. I need the utmost sincerity. We¡¯re talking about that Horun. The fact that that sister of mine is bringing trouble to people being slapped to my face. Thinking about it makes me go beyond depressed and holed my own stomach with stress. It¡¯d be better if their response was something like, we¡¯re used to her already~, but that was¡­ yare yare. Horun is, in the end, Horun. Therefore, the gift should be a hunted spoil. We¡¯ve talked about my hunting career, so the gift can¡¯t be something that anyone can buy from a nearby shop or what run-of-the-mill citizen have. I won¡¯t say it would be a big game. However, small games won¡¯t be fulfilling either. It¡¯s a household that accommodated ten-odd people, so two or three green pheasants can¡¯t fill their belly. ¡ªShould I aim for a bigger game? I lead my feet towards the Hunter¡¯s Guild as I revise the plan for future directions. If I aim for a mediocre game, deer or rabbits sounds good. It¡¯ll help me out if I have the necessary information. ¡¸¡ªExcuse me¡¹ Oops. The moment I about to step into the Hunter¡¯s Guild, I almost bumped with the person who comes out. From his looks, he was a refined gentleman with a black felt hat, black vest, and black trousers. Both his neatly trimmed beard and his eyebrows are white, so he must be elderly. His slender physique is tall. Although we only connected eyes for a moment, the elderly gentleman swiftly took my side to pass through. ¡­This was a first for me to meet anyone besides the receptionist in this deserted Hunter¡¯s Guild. Nevertheless, that atmosphere¡ª ¡¸Welcome¡¹ While my feet were stopped due to the wonder that person left me with, the receptionist¡¯s sloven voice greeted me yet again. That person from before, he made me a little bit curious. Curious, but¡­ let¡¯s just wipe it off my mind. Things like how I couldn¡¯t detect his presence until the right before we bumped for one, or like how his presence vanishes as soon as he turns into that alley for another. Or how his steps are dead silent. I indeed am curious but I won¡¯t let it get into my mind. If you rethink it carefully, it¡¯s not that weird if that elderly gentleman is a hunter too. It¡¯s nothing special that a hunter is going to and fro the Hunter¡¯s Guild. I, a hunter, do that. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Come to think of it, was it the first time I see another hunter besides Shishou? Maybe it¡¯s a natural thing for a hunter to be curious about another hunter. Well, it¡¯s no longer in my mind though. After I step into the Guild that has nobody inside just as usual, I said to the receptionist who¡¯s resting on her chin. ¡¸I want to acquire information regarding Magical Beasts. Deer or rabbit ones.¡¹ Not normal animals, but magical beasts. I thought it¡¯d be doubtful whether she could catch what I said or not, but the receptionist actually responded immediately while not looking sharp at all. ¡¸Either a Hexagon Deer or Splinter Fang Hare would be fine? Wait for a second¡¹ Ah, she caught that. The receptionist that said the very thing I aimed spread out a map. ¡¸We received information about a Splinter Fang Hare. However, it¡¯s located quite deep inside the forest.¡¹ Yatta. There¡¯s a rabbit to hunt. It¡¯s the map of that forest I¡¯ve delved to its surface for many times over. I haven¡¯t gone to its deep regions, but the current me can read it one way or another. The river I made into my personal hunting spot is over there. Once I know the starting point, I know where to go. And then, the bonfire remains. When I went with Laila, she proceeded while following those remains. There are those bonfire remains marks on the map, so true to what I assumed, they are the landmarks in the forest. ¡¸Apparently, they¡¯re around this area.¡¹ It¡¯s a deep place I haven¡¯t gone to. Even deeper than when I faced that Redbear. ¡¸Can I write it down?¡¹ ¡¸Help yourself¡¹ I added the bonfire landmarks, cliffs, boulders, etc that are conspicuous enough to be included in a map, and infrastructures like bridges to the map I transcribed myself. ¡¸Will you be okay? Splinter Fang Hares is a game that required several One Star Adventurers.¡¹ ¡¸Perhaps.¡¹ Just like Redbears, Splinter Fang Hares is a prey I usually hunt in the forest near the village. As long as I keep my vigilance up, I¡¯ll do just fine. Well, the biggest problem is that they¡¯re more likely to be deep inside the woods, so finding them will be a chore. Also, they¡¯ll escape as soon as they realized their enemy is stronger than them. While there¡¯s their individual strength to take into account, but above all the fact that they¡¯re ¡¸Hard to find¡¹ and ¡¸Fast to Escape¡¹ makes Splinter Fang Hares¡¯ hunt ratio becomes all over the place. The reason why you need several adventurers to hunt them too because you need to cut off their escape route, attack them all at once before they can get away, chase them inside the forest, and even looking for them would take more effort since naturally encountering them is nigh impossible. ¡¸Are you aiming for it? Will you sell it to the Guild?¡¹ ¡¸Sorry. This one¡¯s a gift.¡¹ ¡¸Oh. That¡¯s unfortunate.¡¹ The receptionist then laughs feebly as if denoting that there¡¯s nothing really unfortunate about it. ¡¸Just like the Redbear, we¡¯ll buy the information even if you hunted it~¡¹ With that voice to send me off, I stepped out of the Hunter¡¯s Guild. The time limit is the day after tomorrow at noon. The time I¡¯ll use to move, my scope of action, and going to the region I never went before. With all of that to take into account, making a move today is better. It¡¯s still just a little bit over noon. There¡¯s still time. Let¡¯s finish the prep today, spend the night inside the forest, then hunt the rabbit tomorrow morning. As long as there isn¡¯t any trouble along the way, I should be able to return after half a day¡­ tomorrow evening. CH 25 25. Megane-kun, bewildered by the glowing Megane. ¡ªFound it. Half a day since I delved into the woods and I finally discovered the hare¡¯s nest. I did my prep then headed towards the woods. I spent a night outside and made my move at dawn, treading into the untrodden regions of the forest. I ignored every animal and insect I could harvest and continue on my quest for the Splinter Fang Hare. Although they appeared to dwell around this vicinity; as I could find their gnaws on the grasses and their still-warm excrements, it was hard to chase after their footprints. They cover their latest tracks with even newer traces, obviously bedeviled any possible pursuer. However, I managed to find a cave¡ªa nest on the feet of a small cliff. After I made sure that there is nobody inside, I invaded the cave to look around. From the littered blades of grass, the color of the shed fur, and many other aspects, I could tell that this is a splinter fang hare¡¯s nest that is still being used up until a little while ago. The hares are a rare example of herbivore magical beast, so there¡¯s no fleshy or boney leftover here. That established one thing. Once I¡¯ve learned thus far, it means the same as if I¡¯m grabbing its tail. After I rip and scatter about the deodorizing leaf as to expunge my presence from the nest, I climb a tree and station myself on its branch. Splinter Fang Hares are diurnal creatures. They¡¯ll return to their nest once the sun sets. I waited for a little while. As the sun goes down and the trees cast their shadows, the forest is now enveloped by darkness, and the hare is coming home. It has white fur and ashen speckles. Its long ears possess sharp hearing. And on its mouth, there are a pair of unbefitting fangs that resembled canine teeth. Yeah, that¡¯s a splendid rabbit. These hares are big for a rabbit, but they¡¯re smaller than a bear. Approximately, about as big as a wolf. However, they¡¯re more sly than a wolf could be. On top of that, they¡¯re quite the battle crazed that they tend to attack animals, magical beasts, even humans. And yet, when they judged they couldn¡¯t win, they¡¯ll flee as fast as a rabbit could. So, if one is to kill it, one has to kill in one attack, not giving any chance to escape. Ideally, that¡¯s how it should be¡­ ¡ªWell, I should be able to do it like a walk in the park, though. I¡¯m a hunter, why would I face my prey eye-to-eye? ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ The hare checks its surroundings, flinching its ears to probe any noise. Once it confirmed there¡¯s no enemy nearby, it slowly crawls into the nest. I grab a single arrow from my quiver then insert its arrowhead into a leather bag that I have prepared beforehand, smearing it well with the powder that stored within. It¡¯s a fine powder of dried Hozu mushroom, a paralyzing mushroom. As it works fairly quick, it kicks in no time if you shoved it into the body. Another trait of this mushroom is that its effectiveness wears out proportionally fast as well. The liquified version actually works better, but the powdered one is what needed if the prey has to be ready on the next day. And it has to be, since it¡¯s a present. Of course, I have no intention to just sit around when the paralyzing toxic is on the effect. A rabbit with a dulled movement is nothing more than a sitting duck. In other words, it¡¯s my win if this arrow goes through. Although, that hare most likely will flee if it misses. But, I¡¯m very sure that Shishou will pounce at me if I missed even with this circumstance at play. I have no intention to let it miss, though. ¡­Yosh, it¡¯s a contest. I pair my bow with the paralyzing arrow and hold them with my left hand while my other hand picks another leather bag that hangs on my waist. This one is ¡ºStink Bag¡», the one to ward off Redbears from the day before. I switch my ¡¸Megane¡¹ to night vision mode as it¡¯s getting darker then throws the ¡ºStink Bag¡» into the nest. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Yeah, it stinks. It stinks even to up here despite there¡¯s quite a distance between. No need for me to wait, the hare jumps out of the nest on its own. Though its nose isn¡¯t as good as a Redbear, that stench is too much. It leaps out full alerted, as to find where did the attack come from, looking around. I fired the arrow, aiming at its neck. ¡¸Gyuu!?¡¹ Good, it went through. I jump off the branch after it¡¯s confirmed that the arrowhead pierced the hare¡¯s neck. ¡¸¡ªGyooooooo!! ¡¹ As it discovers the enemy, the splinter fang hare raises a wrathful shriek. All that¡¯s left is to chase me around until the paralyzing toxic kicks in, at best it¡¯ll just quicken the toxic circulation. I carried the dead hare with one shoulder then retreat to the river, bloodlet it there. The sun has set. As I¡¯ve predicted before, it¡¯ll be midnight by the time I reach the capital. After I fill my belly with a simple dinner, I take a light nap. After the world is completely blanketed by the starry sky, I open my eyes and continue my activity. I spot rain clouds stretching out on the starry sky. It seems like it¡¯ll rain either tomorrow or the day after. It¡¯s been a while since the last rain, so it may as well rain right now. While thinking something like that, I end the bloodletting then carry the hare on my shoulders, jog until I found the way back. ¡ªIt was then, a problem arises. That took me off guard. That really surprised me that I almost tripped. The rabbit almost fell out as well. As a hunter, one shan¡¯t handle their game crudely. That was dangerous on many levels. ¡¸What is it now?¡¹ I fixed the rabbit¡¯s position on my shoulder then take off my ¡¸Megane¡¹. ¡­Yeah. Glowing, aren¡¯t they? The lenses. Flickering aren¡¯t they, just like the stars twinkling? A phenomenon that could harm my eyes just happened, didn¡¯t it? I was really surprised when I suddenly got blinded. I thought I received some kind of attack or my eyes just went weird for a second. In truth, the lenses are glowing. Just what does this mean? It¡¯s more understandable if it was an attack or oddity in my vision instead. ¡­I never said I prefer them to happen, however. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ For the time being, I should try wearing it again. ¡­I can¡¯t see, I¡¯m telling you. It¡¯s too bright. ¡­Ah, I can see. The burst of light appears to settle down. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡¸¡­£¿¡¡¡­¡­£¿¡¹ The sight I¡¯m seeing¡­ is different? The sceneries that show with my naked eyes are the starry sky, the road I take, and a blurry scene of the royal capital. The scenery I saw through the ¡¸Megane¡¹ until a while ago. However, the scenery that shows behind the ¡¸megane¡¹ looks totally different. The starry sky is on the right and on the left is¡­ ground? It¡¯s dark, so I can¡¯t quite grasp it¡­ Judging from the sight alone, I can say it¡¯s a ¡¸scene that is seen when you¡¯re lying on your side¡¹ in a place somewhere. It¡¯s outdoor, and at least not inside the capital. It¡¯s hard to say that it¡¯s within the capital when I can see so far into the horizon without being obstructed by buildings. Not to mention, I can perceive the trees in the view. ¡¸¡­Nn?¡¹ Something entered this phenomenal sight. It¡¯s far away, but¡­ is that a human figure? They¡¯re moving around among the woods. Probably just one person. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Seeing through this scenery alone gives me nothing but bad omens. Is this a live vision of another person¡¯s? No, there¡¯s only one answer. It¡¯s this ¡¸Megane¡¹. This ¡¸Megane¡¹ is the key to every answer and every phenomenon that occurred is under the category of ¡¸Gift of Megane¡¹. If this ¡¸Megane¡¹ wants to convey something to me, then there¡¯s no way I can¡¯t tell what it is. It¡¯s ¡¸my Gift¡¹ after all. ¡­So I thought, but the situation itself doesn¡¯t change. I am being used around by the ¡¸Megane¡¹ instead of me using the ¡¸Megane¡¹. What the heck is this Megane? I¡¯m aware that something is happening. I can comprehend that the ¡¸Megane¡¹ is telling me something. The big question is I don¡¯t know ¡¸where¡¹ is it happening. ¡­For example, like, will I know in which direction the ¡¸shown scenery¡¹ is at if I look around¡ªAh, I know. I just know. The sight returns to be from ¡¸my perspective¡¹ when I turn towards a specific direction. It returns to be the sight I would normally see. And then, a speck of light appeared beyond my view¡­. no, beyond the ¡¸Megane¡¯s sight¡¹. It¡¯s quite far from where I am, a small speck of light. I¡¯m sure the ¡¸Megane¡¹ is telling me to go where the light is. I haven¡¯t the slightest idea as of what is happening, but I can acutely feel the premonition of someone being involved in a disaster. There are doubts, but I can still make a swift decision right now. ¡¸¡­I have to prioritize lives above all, don¡¯t I? ¡¹ There¡¯s nobody near me. If only there was a peddler, I could pay him some changes to look after my game or even hold a trade¡­ there isn¡¯t, so there¡¯s no helping it. I put down the hare from my shoulder then run towards the light as fast as I could. CH 26 26. Megane-kun, Accomplished an Unexpected Reunion. ¡¸¡­Hmm¡¹ It smells like trouble. Roughly speaking, there are four highways that meet into a crossroad and lead toward outside the walls. Commoners use the northern and southern gates to come and go, while the Royal Family, their purveyors, nobles and the like utilize the eastern and western gates to access the country. Eastern and western gates are, so to speak, the gates for the big wigs. That is why commoners who get close to those gates will be redirected to either the southern gate or the northern gate before they can get inside. By nature, I also am using commoners¡¯ gates myself. The place where I did my hunt is in the southern forest. I only need to go out from the southern gate and tread the southern highway. When I keep chasing the flickering orb of light the ¡¸Megane¡¹ is beaconing me, I found myself on the eastern highway. While it is a foreign road for me, I know it¡¯s a highway due to the width of the road. As I keep walking down the road¡ªthe flickering light grows in size along with a bad premonition that starts to seep in. First to attract my attention is the tumbled wheel on the road. The highway that is sandwiched by the forests has a mild slope on my right. The speck of light is sitting beneath the slope. ¡¸A carriage accident¡­?¡¹ Looking from above the slope, I spot a big square-shaped figure down below, most probably a horse carriage. From what I see, it went like, the wheel came off when the carriage was running and thus it fell into the slope? Though it¡¯s not a steep slope, it would be quite the accident if the carriage is speeding. There¡¯s also a possibility that it rolled sideways. I change the ¡¸Megane¡¹ to ¡¸Night Vision¡¹ mode then observe the tumbled carriage and its surrounding. A reddish light dimly emerges. It¡¯s not the light from the animals, it has the outline of a human. Two humans. One is collapsed in a place far from the carriage. The other one is also collapsed, but one of their feet seems to be pinned under the carriage¡¯s frame. Apparently, the light I was chasing led to the person pinned by the carriage. ¡­Although, perhaps because I¡¯m seeing it in person right now, the light has long gone. E~to. I probably should help them, shouldn¡¯t I? Both of them aren¡¯t moving at all. It¡¯s obvious that they can¡¯t move due to the injury they received from the accident. But, I can feel various presences in the forest in the opposite direction. Even if I go down, I can¡¯t do anything for the two over there. Perhaps it¡¯d be more efficient if I just deal with the trouble in the forest. ¡­No, the one who called me is the person below, isn¡¯t it. I guess I should go there first. I might solve the mystery behind the ¡¸glowing Megane¡¹ too. The mystery is solved pretty fast. ¡¸¡­I see, so we¡¯re connected by the ¡ºMegane¡».¡¹ The person who is pinned by the carriage¡­ a girl about my age is wearing a ¡¸Megane¡¹ I made. It¡¯s exactly the ¡¸Megane¡¹ I produced. There¡¯s no mistaking it. Hmm. In short, there might be a resonance between two¡¸Megane wearer¡¹ like me and her. To put it extremely bluntly, they¡¯re ¡¸Magic Megane¡¹ in the first place. ¡­It sounds pretty stupid, but they literally are that kind of object. If that wasn¡¯t the case, then it shouldn¡¯t be able to change colors, or showing the winning percentage while taking the element of surprise into account, or showing animals as red light and pass through other obstacles. Just like all those features, this time it¡¯s just a ¡¸Magic Megane¡¹ synchronized with another ¡¸Magic Megane¡¹. Then why¡­ was it glowing? Because the ¡¸Megane¡¹ sensed it was about to be broken and thus yearned for help, maybe? ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Rather than to think it¡¯s the ¡¸Megane¡¹, it¡¯d be way natural to think it¡¯s the ¡¸person who wears that megane¡¹ who yearns for help. Doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s ¡¸Magic Megane¡¹ or not, there¡¯s no way it has a mind of its own. ¡¸¡­¡­U¡¢ugh¡­¡­¡¹ Ah, is she regaining her consciousness? ¡¸Are you okay? Should I lend you a hand?¡¹ With that, I crouched down near the girl who wears ¡¸my Megane¡¹ she obtained through an unknown method. Aah, blood is oozing from her head. I knew it, an accident. She¡¯s injured. Since she hit her head, it¡¯s best for her not to carelessly move around. ¡¸¡­eh¡­ who¡­? ¡¹ Her head seems like in the clouds still, but at least she¡¯s able to hold a conversation. ¡¸Just a passerby. If you don¡¯t need my help then I¡¯ll go home, though.¡¹ If the person in question said they don¡¯t ¡¸need¡¹ it, then I have no reason to help. Shishou did say that I have to¡¸save as much as I can¡¹, he did not tell me to handout and sell kindness dirt cheap. I also can¡¯t neglect the Splinter Fang Hare I hunted. It¡¯s a game I spent more than a day to bring down. I can¡¯t give up on it that easily. It hasn¡¯t been long since I left it. I think I¡¯ll make it in time. It won¡¯t be late if I go and pick it up later. For sure. My heart doesn¡¯t give it up yet. Miracle yields upon a stubborn heart. However, the girl instead points her finger at the forest on the opposite side of the highway. ¡¸Th, there¡¯s, escort¡­ help¡­ ¡¹ Ah, the trouble over there, huh. Judging from the presence alone, I mark some number of wolves and one person who fights against it. They must be the escort she addressed. ¡­Escort, huh. Well, it should be the case. A considerably skilled one too at that. ¡ªI knew that because apparently, as said escort noticed my presence, they went rushing over here tremendously fast. ¡¸Freeze! State your name! What are you doing there!?¡¹ Their voice is sharp, and their clear killing intent is addressed to me without hesitation. The woman who posed as the escort that fought against the wolves returns to see if the unidentified person¡­ me, that is, an ally or an enemy. I raise my hand and slowly get to my feet, denoting that I mean no harm. ¡¸I¡¯m just a passerby. If I get in your way, I¡¯ll disappear¡ªAh¡¹ As I look back in the middle of my sentence¡­ what comes into my view is a pretty distinguishable blonde I¡¯ve seen before, even when it¡¯s under the starry sky. ¡¸Don¡¯t tell me, Lorobel-san? Long time no see.¡¹ I secretly thought that perhaps people in the great city fancy this kind of hairstyle, or maybe that¡¯s the style the great city¡¯s culture has refined, but after I loitered around the city for a few days, I realized that such a hairstyle isn¡¯t common to see. I have no idea why she has that hairstyle, but¡­ well, at any rate, it¡¯s just that rare. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any other woman who has it and is affiliated with violence. ¡¸¡­Who are you?¡¹ I hit the bull¡¯s eye. Maybe because her name is called, her killing intent that was clear enough to be felt like a naked blade is settling down. Ah, right. Although it¡¯s not very dense, this place is veiled by the shadow the trees are casting. It¡¯s quite hard to grasp my figure if seen from the other side. ¡¸I¡¯m Eil. The ¡ºMegane¡» one. I¡¯m the one who dined and dash in Adventurer¡¯s Guild and made you pay it for me..¡¹ ¡¸¡­Ah, that Eil! ¡¹ Yes, that Eil. ¡¸So, what are you doing here? Sorry to say this, but, depends on your answer, I won¡¯t let you off that easily.¡¹ That¡¯s a remark befitting for an escort. Certainly, it¡¯s reasonable to suspect that there¡¯s a third party in this kind of situation. There¡¯s no helping it if I¡¯m being thought as a thief who takes advantage of the accident. How do they call it again, taking advantage of someone¡¯s misfortune? ¡¸As I said, I¡¯m just passing by.¡¹ However, my reply won¡¯t change. In fact, either saying something that needs a long and wide explanation like ¡°I¡¯m being led by my ¡¸Megane¡¹ that suddenly glows¡± or not won¡¯t help much in this situation; it¡¯ll just mud things up further. I have no intention to talk about it too, in the first place. ¡¸At this time? Just passing by at this time of day?¡¹ I admit it, it¡¯s a time where no normal Joe would go out. It¡¯s still better if it¡¯s inside the walls, we¡¯re outside the city where the magical beasts roam about nonetheless. ¡¸I¡¯m a hunter after all. I¡¯m in my way to the city after I hunted my game.¡¹ ¡¸Hunter? ¡­Now you mention it, I remember seeing a bow and quiver in your room¡­¡¹ She¡¯s about half-convinced, I guess. ¡¸Being lost in your thought is good and all, but I think we both don¡¯t have the time for it.¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean.¡¹ ¡¸As you can see, there are injured people. Isn¡¯t it best if we quickly treat them?¡¹ Besides, I also want to pick up the Splinter Fang hare ASAP. It¡¯s still not too late. It should be. I want to return before those wolves over there or whatever else snatch it. ¡¸If I¡¯m being a hindrance, I¡¯ll just go away. What do you want me to do?¡¹ ¡¸¡ªLend me a hand.¡¹ ¡­Swift judgment, now? I kinda hoped you¡¯d just say ¡¸you¡¯re a hindrance, go¡¹ for a bit. ¡¸Understood. Leave the wolves to me. Lorobel-san, please take care of the injured.¡¹ Let¡¯s get rid of these wolves swiftly and head back to where the Splinter Fang Hare is. Mabbo here. Yay, finally, Ramadhan break! Fasting is pretty rough when you¡¯re constantly coughing like I am. Remember, treasure your health more than anything. On a side note, why I can¡¯t get Bismarck!? Oh, RNG god!! Is my soul not enough for you!? What else should I sacrifice!? CH 27 27. Megane Kun, taking his leave after fulfilling his role as a passerby After swapping roles with Lorobel, I left the accident site and head towards the forest. The number of the wolves is, six at most? It¡¯s a number that will be difficult to face against if you¡¯re just using your sword. Wolves are clever. In addition, they utilize their number to hunt their prey. For example, if they can¡¯t win individually, they¡¯ll use quantity to turn the tide. These wolves must have noticed Lorobel¡¯s strength, thus they won¡¯t challenge her upfront. They¡¯re keeping their distance where they can¡¯t be ignored but also can¡¯t be earnestly dealt with, waiting until Lorobel is exhausted and holding onto their chance to win. A hunting method befitting wolves. As Lorobel is equipped with a sword, the wolves won¡¯t enter her attack range. That¡¯s the reason it¡¯s hard for her to bring them down. To top it up, the forest isn¡¯t the best place for her fighting style. For example, if she closed the distance with a sharp rush or something else, she might able to momentarily overturn the wolves¡¯ keen mind. However, with the trees being the obstacle, her chance to attack is simply diminished. Had she recklessly launch an attack, she could as well hit a tree and get mauled by the wolves in that short opening. In addition, Lorobel herself had to repel the wolves from the accident site. Why, there are two people who can¡¯t move after all. She judged that rather than fight while protecting them, it¡¯d be better if she first drives the wolves away then bring the two into a secure place. ¡ªIn a nutshell, her weapon isn¡¯t suited for this. If it¡¯s a bow and arrows, you¡¯ll have more room than to just aim at them. ¡¸¡­That¡¯s it? ¡¹ After three heads are down, the wolves judged that they no longer have a winning chance before they went far off. Back in the village, as to prevent any potential victim from domestic animal and villagers alike, I used to chase them down. For now, this should suffice. I swiftly recover the dead wolves then line them up on the highway. Wolves meat are edible and their furs will sell, so this also poses as a handsome loot. However, that doesn¡¯t mean I give up on the Splinter Fang Hare. It¡¯s pretty bad to compare one life to another, but the hare is more valuable than the wolves, and its meat is tastier. And, above all, it¡¯s a gift. A stubborn dream will yield its result. ¡¸Lorobel-san, how¡¯s your part?¡¹ Saying thus, I cast my gaze upon the carriage accident site. ¡¸They both only suffer light wounds. They¡¯re still unconscious, though.¡¹ Lorobel who lined the collapsed two and examined their injury replies to me with a slightly brighter tone than before. Well, I¡¯ve checked that their lives aren¡¯t on the line. I see, just minor injuries. Good for them. ¡¸You¡¯re done with your part? That¡¯s fast.¡¹ ¡¸Un. Can I go now?¡¹ ¡¸Lend me your help for a little more. I want to bring them up.¡¹ Well, if it¡¯s just that much. ¡¸The carriage¡¯s horses are gone. They perhaps have gone back to the city. Someone would drop by if they sensed something is off.¡¹ Oh, so, help is coming. I didn¡¯t need to be involved in the first place, then. One by one¡­ we carry the primly dressed Ossan and the girl with well-tailored garments and lay them down on the road. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡¸Though it has a different connotation, you better don¡¯t look at a girl¡¯s sleeping face that much.¡¹ Nn? ¡¸This ¡ºMegane¡» is the one I gave to you, isn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸¡­That¡¯s right. By the way, about the sleeping face¡­ forget it.¡¹ ¡­¡­£¿ ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t hear it. What about the sleeping face? Were you saying?¡¹ ¡¸I said nothing. ¡­Nothing!¡¹ Ah, is that so? It doesn¡¯t matter then. ¡¸Well then, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re returning already? Since you¡¯re here, come accompany me until the end. I still haven¡¯t explained the situation, and we don¡¯t know what might happen next. It¡¯ll be reassuring to have another person to watch my back.¡¹ I know how she feels but now¡¯s my chance to go. If I stay with her any longer, I¡¯d be treated as an involved party. I¡¯m not a fan of troubles and predicaments. I don¡¯t like being stand out as well. And, above all that, I still haven¡¯t given up on the Splinter Fang Hare. I haven¡¯t discarded this dream of mine. In addition. ¡¸It¡¯s okay. There are people heading here.¡¹ Three little flames can be seen at the end of the highway where the city is located. Must be torches of some people on their horses. Soldiers, maybe? ¡¸Seems like your ride has arrived.¡¹ That¡¯s why, my role is over now. My duty as a passerby has been carried plentily. ¡¸You can have the wolves. Till next time.¡¹ ¡¸Oi, wait! I haven¡¯t repaid you!¡¹ I let Lorobel¡¯s voice fell on a deaf ear while I enter the forest, slipping into the darkness. Yosh, let¡¯s pick up the rabbit ASAP. ¡¸¡ªYatta!¡¹ When I reached the southern highway after I rushed, I have the hare still in its place. Ooh, yatta. I somehow am happier than when I hunted it. The time taken for moving and involved in Lorobel¡¯s case wasn¡¯t that long in total. After I refix the prey¡¯s position on my shoulder, I run towards the city. And then, the day after. ¡¸I¡¯ve come, young man.¡¹ Lorobel intrudes into my room so early in the morning. I had guessed she would come, but¡­ she actually did. ¡¸Ah, I have to take a bath, change my clothes, then go out after this. I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t accompany you today. Excuse me~¡¹ ¡¸Just meeting someone and have a meal with them won¡¯t take you long. Choose, do you want to lie or tell me the truth.¡¹ Well, I did predict you¡¯ll come over. That was a line I have prepared beforehand through and through. Lorobel gives me her smile. ¡¸I¡¯ll wait. Forever. In this place.¡¹ ¡­Strong, that Lorobel. Not only physically strong, but she¡¯s also strong in negotiations. She¡¯s stubborn and bold. ¡¸Well, jokes aside, it¡¯s not some kids¡¯ errand. It¡¯s a summon from the Leavant household.¡¹ ¡¸Ah, I¡¯ll set time aside for that. Do excuse me~¡¹ ¡¸Hold it.¡¹ Tch¡­ she even inserted her feet to prevent me from closing the door. ¡¸I said it, didn¡¯t I? It¡¯s not some kids¡¯ errand. I won¡¯t let you off that easily.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡­I don¡¯t like troubles though. Double post! Well, it¡¯s just a short chapter, though. CH 28 28. Megane-kun, with Blonde Mushroom Clinging to Him ¡¸I bet you wouldn¡¯t like to hear a lengthy speech. Let me explain it in brief. ¡¸Last night, The Carriage accident happened because the horses ran amok as a result of being chased down by wolves. Due to that, the wheel slipped off and we fell out of the road. Thanks to it, the coachman and the passenger were injured. I, as an escort, was sitting beside the coachman. The moment I jumped off from the coach to ward off the wolves, the accident happened. There was nothing I could do. ¡¸You know the rest¡­¡¹ Lorobel who forced her way in attentively talks about something I¡¯m not interested in. And that¡¯s the shortened version? Please spare me the whole story, I beg you. ¡¸I bet you have lots in your mind, but you can¡¯t get much from me. Sorry about that.¡¹ Ah, not at all. Rather, it quite fits to what I hoped, it went just how I wanted it to. ¡¸I understand your circumstance. The exit is over there.¡¹ ¡¸Continuing. Just as I told you before, the passenger¡­ the girl is the daughter of an aristocrat. She¡¯s the daughter from the Leavant household and she wants to convey her gratitude to you. ¡¹ ¡¸I understand your circumstance. The exit is over there.¡¹ ¡¸Then, let¡¯s depart together.¡¹ ¡¸Ah, why are you grabbing my arm? Should I shout here? I¡¯ll call men over, you know?¡¹ ¡¸Me attacking cute boys, huh? Never experienced it before, but¡­ it doesn¡¯t sound that bad.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡¸I might enjoy it instead.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡¸Want me to try?¡¹ ¡¸No.¡¹ TLC: Megane kun speak in a very polite manner unlike Lorobel. Lorobel is seriously strong, I knew it. I¡¯ll be the one who¡¯s in trouble if she says it doesn¡¯t sound that bad. I will be troubled if she were to assault me ¡­So this is a strength of a woman with weird hairstyle from the great city. How terrifying. ¡¸Lorobel-san.¡¹ With that, I removed her hand that¡¯s been grabbing mine. ¡¸I really have a business after this. I think it¡¯ll hold me throughout the morning.¡¹ Although she said she doesn¡¯t know if it¡¯s a lie or not, it¡¯s the truth that I need to take a bath, change my clothes, then head out. Last night, I slept like a log once I reached the lodging. Sleeping outside to hunt really wear me out. Also, there are other things I have to take into account. I have to go and pay my respects to the ¡¸Black Swan of the Dawn¡¹ for one, solving how ¡¸a connection is made between two megane wearers¡¹ for another. Especially for the latter, I need more investigation and experiments to understand. It¡¯s a troubling story. ¡¸I see. Well, frankly speaking, they have many things to ask you. Things like why you were passing by there at that time, or things like your particular skill as a hunter. Though, in the end, there¡¯s no mistaking that we got saved by you, there are still many parts they can¡¯t just brush off.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡¸Why, for example, did you, who should be hunting in the southern forest, pass by the eastern highway? There are many chances for us to meet either at a specific place or a specific time, but for us to meet in that particular place and time is inevitably suspicious. They¡¯ve got many things to ask, including those that I¡¯ve told¡­That¡¯s what the Leavant house is thinking.¡¹ Hmm. ¡¸Is it okay to tell me that at this point of time? Suppose it wasn¡¯t a coincidence and I was there for some purposes, wouldn¡¯t telling me that will give me enough time to make a lie?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s okay. Though it¡¯s just a baseless assumption, I for one don¡¯t suspect you. ¡ªIf anything, there¡¯s one thing I want you to know; In this world, there are people who hold ¡ºGifts to see through lies¡». If you want to make something up, make a reason that doesn¡¯t rely on lies.¡¹ ¡­Heeh? ¡¸Bringing up such a ¡ºGift¡» at this time will instead change the main topic to it, don¡¯t you think?¡¹ At a glance, it sounds like a kind remark, but in reality, it¡¯s not from kindness nor she is telling a joke. I can feel that she said that with meticulous calculation beforehand. I mean, if you gulp Lorobel¡¯s words just as is, then it means I¡¯ll be suspected ¡¸if I tell a lie¡¹, and I¡¯ll be suspected as well if I tried to divert them from that lie. Either way, ¡¸anything that involves a lie¡¹ will be out in the light. As a result, her words could pretty well be interpreted as ¡¸if you said anything that isn¡¯t the truth, your everything will be suspected. What will you do?¡¹ If you think of it that way, Lorobel explicitly told me something along the lines of ¡¸things will be settled quickly if you didn¡¯t lie or deceit in the first place.¡¹Something like;¡¸don¡¯t turn it into a useless interview.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll leave that to your imagination.¡¹ Which means, she doesn¡¯t deny it. ¡­It seems like it¡¯ll be more troubling than I initially thought. ¡¸By the way, what¡¯s your plan for the morning?¡¹ Presumably speaking, it¡¯s *that*. ¡¸You plan to cling to me?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t flee on me, okay. It¡¯ll take great effort for me to go after you.¡¹ Hmm. It becomes clear that it involves aristocrats. Fleeing is a no no. I can¡¯t not go. ¡¸I¡¯m heading to the ¡ºBlack Swan of Dawn¡»¡¯s base after this.¡¹ ¡¸Aah, come to think of it, you were looking for ¡ºHorun the Saintess of Demon Exorcism¡», weren¡¯t you? Wasn¡¯t the talk at that time was about how you¡¯re from the same village as her? ¡¹ I knew it, her being called as a ¡¸saintess¡¹ really doesn¡¯t sit well with me. Though the nuance is different, the ¡¸demon¡¹ part really suited her well instead. ¡¸I made an appointment to visit them this morning, after all. In preparation for that, I went hunting the day before yesterday and caught a rabbit last night¡­ Then I met you, Lorobel-san, when I was in my way home.¡¹ ¡¸I know that. Though it¡¯s simple, I did my research on your activities.¡¹ I see, you investigated me. That really slaps the aristocrat¡¯s involvement to my face. Well, it¡¯s not like I made a lengthy effort to hide my traces, so it¡¯s quite simple if someone wants to know my tracks. I show up in the Hunter¡¯s Guild every now and then, people know where my lodging is, I surprisingly have to stay in the capital for a long period of time, and I also found a diner I often to go to. Although I don¡¯t want to increase its number, I had made some acquaintances here. Lorobel is more or less one of them. By the way, for the Splinter Fang Hare, since I obviously can¡¯t bring the whole thing to my room, I entrust it to the lodging and it is in the preserving warehouse for now. Using that service requires additional cost.In the big city, everything requires money. ¡¸Well then, I¡¯ll wait at the ¡¸Black Swan¡¹¡¯s base. You have to prepare things first, right? We will go our separate ways for a while.¡¹ ¡¸You can¡¯t blame me if we¡¯re separated for good and never crossed ways again.¡¹ ¡¸Hahaha. If that happens, I¡¯ll fetch you in your village.¡¹ She¡¯ll chase me down even to my own hometown, I¡¯ve been thoroughly warned¡­ Mabbo here. I think I just missed the 27th night¡­ Now that I¡¯m having too much free time, I thought I finally have time for myself. Oh boy, how wrong I was. Event Farming, handling 4 translation projects, practice for Sakubun competition, and taking care of my 2 y.o curious nephew while at it. I hated going to college every morning, but now I want to go so bad. On a side note, having a TLC to correct your translation is a must. Can¡¯t tell how many times I got confused by the marvelous Japanese grammar. Glad to have Fae back to business. CH 29 29. Megane-kun, Visiting ¡¸Black Swan of Dawn¡¹¡¯s Residence Once Again ¡¸Yeey! This rabbit is tasty, isn¡¯t it!?¡¹ ¡¸Hold up. Well¡­ I said, hold up!¡¹ With my fruitless resistance, the Splinter Fang Hare that sat on my shoulder was plundered by my sister. Un, well, it¡¯s a gift I bring for the greetings in the first place, so I won¡¯t mind if she snatched it from me like that. It¡¯s something I brought with that in mind. Something I brought so I can give to them. ¡­It should be something like that. But, that¡¯s no good. I supposed to show it to the upper echelons, the leader while hinting it within my conversation with him before they could receive it from me. The conversation hasn¡¯t even started, not even a single soul has uttered anything, and yet for some reason, Horun made her move first. What move should I take now? ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Just look at their faces, the bitter expressions of both the leader as well as the vice leader. How can you be so calm when you made your elders show such a bitter expression? How can you act so unconcerned? Can you even call yourself a human being? ¡­Wait, no, you¡¯re my sister huh. ¡­Horun turns her heels without even looking back then goes out of the warehouse with the rabbit under her arm. What¡¯s wrong with that sister. ¡­Ah, she¡¯s my sister huh. How terrible. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ In front of about a dozen adventurers¡ªRoyal Capital¡¯s best adventurer¡¯s team ¡¸Black Swan of Dawn¡¹ who gathered, I who came to greet them just lost the very reason for my visit. What¡¯s with this wonderful play of negligence. I want to give it a name, but I can¡¯t think of any. However, whatever happens, happens. ¡¸Nice to meet you. My name is Eil, I¡¯m from Albat village. As I heard that my sister Horun has been under your great care, I came to pay my respect.¡¹ As natural as possible. As if nothing happened. ¡¸In this occasion, I brought a rabbit I hunted myself. If you may, please accept it.¡¹ Precisely, do it as if my sister was never even here in the first place. ¡ªThe members of ¡¸Black Swan¡¹ sensed my guidance of ¡¸let¡¯s just advance it like this¡¹ and played along. ¡¸Thank you for coming. I am¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Ain! Oi, Ain! Why aren¡¯t you coming yet, come on, hurry up! Chop-chop!¡¹ My sis, returns. Most likely, the one she called is that red-blonde mix woman. She replies Horun at her leisure. ¡¸I¡¯m in the middle of something now~. I¡¯ll come right away, so bring a kitchen knife with you~¡¹ ¡¸Got that! Come quickly, okay!¡¹ And thus, my sister vanished yet again. ¡¸¡­rather, shouldn¡¯t she be in the middle of something as well?¡¹ When such a remark is addressed towards her vanished figure, some of the members nodded their head. What a lass. After she interrupted the leader, she went and gone in no less than a minute. From her timing alone, it can only be taken as harassment. ¡­What should I do with this awkward atmosphere. The leader who couldn¡¯t finish his words showed such an unpleasant expression. What do I do? ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Well, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. ¡¸¡ªNice to meet you. My name is Eil, I¡¯m from Albat village. As I heard that my sister Horun has been under your great care, I came to pay my respect.¡¹ Since there¡¯s nothing I can do about it, I repeated it. While apologizing about my sister in my head. . As I promised before, I visited ¡¸Black Swan of Dawn¡¹¡¯s base. In the seat facing the entrance, where the Vice Leader in her hood sat the other day, today a man with black hair with some white hair mixed among it is seated there. Most likely, he is the ¡¸Black Swan¡¹¡¯s leader. His age should be well over 40. Not only his build is huge, his most certainly tampered muscles are bulging over his outfit. In addition, he also has dignity in him. His long hair is tied and thrown to his back, his beard is orderly, and the deep blue glint in his eyes are sharp. However, he doesn¡¯t give off an impression of a brutish adventurer, he feels like a Knight from a faraway country. Well, it¡¯s just the impression. I don¡¯t need to see him¡¸ through the Megane¡¹, he is strong. I think he is the strongest creature I have encountered thus far. By nature, that also includes all the Magical Beasts. ¡¸Ahem¡ª¡ª¡¹ The leader clears his throat with a bitter expression on his face, judging the meaning of my greeting that was done twice. ¡¸Thank you for coming. I am the head of ¡ºBlack Swan of Dawn¡», Rickstein. I welcome you as my sworn friend Horun¡¯s family.¡¹ ¡¸Really?¡¹ Without thinking, I asked him back. Since it¡¯s right after that, right after something like that. That made me said something I have in my mind, despite it¡¯s not the time to do so. ¡¸Do you really welcome me? I am that sister¡¯s brother, though?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­ Most certainly, I do.¡¹ Although I feel like he¡¯s kind of hesitant, Rickstein the leader nods his head. ¡¸However, let me say this beforehand.¡¹ It seems like the Leader has something he has to say to me in advance. I wonder what it is. A complaint about my sister, maybe. ¡¸I don¡¯t know what you might have in mind, but we treasure Horun as our own, we welcome her, and we keep her close to us. Excessive presents and greetings are not needed¡­ For the rabbit this time around, well, we¡¯ll have to accept it without reserve, however.¡¹ Rather than accepting without reserve, it has already been taken from me. Well, of course, there would be a moderate amount of awkwardness left if they said ¡¸we have received it¡¹ right after they said they have no intention to take it. To make it worse, it was done without the leader¡¯s order. Well, it¡¯s my sister who did that, though. As I feared, some dicey atmosphere is left hanging. ¡¸Well, take a seat. Everyone cleared their schedule when they heard that Horun¡¯s relative is coming, they were waiting for you.¡¹ Ah, is that so. It seems like they all have many things in mind, things like; curious about how her parents look like, rubbernecking about her little brother that will come, wanting to ask about the environment she grew in, among other things. I think 10 people coming to see me out of 10 odd members of an adventurer team is quite a number. Good grief. I apologize on behalf of my sister. After that, I talked with various people. Well, a big chunk of them is looking at me as that Horun¡¯s brother with inquisition. Should I say¡­ it¡¯s unexpected, or should I say it¡¯s exactly as Lexton said, but astonishingly they¡¯re accepting Horun as one of them. For example, quoting what they said, ¡¸Though she¡¯s real trouble, but that¡¯s fine. That¡¯s who she is.¡¹ So I feel like they accepted Horun along with all the trouble she brings. That was also like that back in the village. I think it¡¯s like they¡¯re looking after her like a troublesome pet instead of a human. From what the Leader said, ¡¸it¡¯s because she has already become a part of our family¡¹. Horun sure has been picked up by nice folks. Amidst all that, ¡¸She¡¯s been telling me she has a brother who¡¯s similar to me, but to think it¡¯s true~¡¹ Ainliese¡ªthe woman in undergarment who appeared right after her nap. It seems like she has a good relationship with my sister. Although she carries the air around her quite lenient, I can tell that she¡¯s strong, as if that¡¯s the most natural thing ever. Well, in that regard, everyone here except Laila has remarkable strength. ¡¸Ain-san, isn¡¯t Horun waiting for you?¡¹ And that one was, tentatively, my childhood friend Lexton. He informed her about the conversation she held with Horun. ¡¸Now that you mention it. She¡¯ll even gnaw on raw meat if you don¡¯t watch her, after all~ ¡­She should at least eat it when it¡¯s half-cooked¡¹ I think you shouldn¡¯t eat it half-cooked either, though. Adventurers sure are sturdy. CH 30 30. Megane-kun, Heading to Leavant Household Hurrying up my conversation with the adventurers, I stood from my seat. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, I have another business after this.¡¹ I said so because the talk was slowly heading towards ¡¸let¡¯s have lunch together¡¹ direction. Also, another reason is that it¡¯s extremely displeasing to be the center of attention of this many people. Although I know I have to put my mind into it because I¡¯m the guest here, that¡¯s a different thing altogether. Well, in that regard, even though I am trying to bear all these displeasure, ¡¸I did have some leisure for this morning, but an urgent appointment slipped into my schedule.¡¹ I really have a business to attend to, so I can¡¯t do anything about it. I didn¡¯t see her when I came here, and when I did have doubts, I did not see her inside the ¡¸Black Swan¡¹¡¯s base either. That¡¯s why, for sure, Lorobel is just waiting for me somewhere in the vicinity. Although the appointment time isn¡¯t designated, she did say it¡¯s an Aristocrat¡¯s summon. A party that shouldn¡¯t be kept waiting. Even a bumpkin know that much. By no means they¡¯re someone you can just retaliate with ¡¸You got business with me, you come to me¡¹. Even if it¡¯s just in my mind, let¡¯s stop that thought. Taking that into account, it would be better if I answer the call before noon. ¡¸Understood. Everyone here has memorized your face and name. Come again anytime.¡¹ Receiving Rickstein¡¯s, the leader¡¯s dignified words, I stepped out from the ¡¸Black Swan¡¹¡¯s base. By the way, my sister, and Ainliese who chased after her, didn¡¯t return until the end of my visit. Well, it¡¯s not like I have anything to say to her, so no problem there. No, they said Ainliese, in particular, has a good relationship with my sister, didn¡¯t they? I guess it¡¯s better to convey apologies and gratitude to the members as well, especially to Ainliese who seems like has been troubled by her the most. But, well, can¡¯t be helped if we don¡¯t cross our ways later. After getting out from the warehouse then looking around¡­ I can see a familiar blonde kappa dazing off, leaning against the wall on the other side of the street right in front of me. As I expected, Lorobel is just waiting for me. ¡¸¡ªWhy, that was settled pretty quick.¡¹ She noticed me then comes over. It wasn¡¯t settled fast, I ended it early. Although, it¡¯s meaningless to say it to a mere messenger, so I said nothing. If I wanted to say it, I¡¯d say it to the person behind her. But, that person is supposedly an aristocrat, so I won¡¯t say it either. ¡¸I believe it¡¯s better to end doing something you don¡¯t like early on.¡¹ ¡¸Un. You shouldn¡¯t say things like that to people other than me, it¡¯ll raise troubles.¡¹ That¡¯s an adult¡¯s consideration right there. But I was being true to my feelings, though. If I know it¡¯ll become this troublesome, I shouldn¡¯t have helped them¡­¡­. I shouldn¡¯t think that way, huh. Of course. Even if the possibilities were low, it was a situation where people¡¯s lives were on the line. Also, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t know why I was being summoned. It¡¯s too farfetched to say I was ¡¸Passing by¡¹ and met them at that time, at that place. All the more if they investigated my course of actions. It¡¯s too unnatural. There is no way I can explain it straight like ¡¸Our Megane synchronized and thus alarmed me about the danger¡¹, is there. If they knew about it, and this is undeniable, trouble will come to me. ¡ªIn addition, I haven¡¯t tested anything since it just happened yesterday. Perhaps, if I want to, I can connect with other ¡¸Megane¡¹ in various places and see through their lenses, that¡¯s how I feel. In fact, I think the phenomenon from yesterday night is similar to the one I have in mind. If I process it with a cool head, then that means if I, from now on, distribute 27 ¡¸Megane¡¹ I would be able to synchronize with the people within the highest echelons of this nation. Rather, some have already been distributed. Most likely, the people who wear the ¡¸Megane¡¹ I submit are bigwigs who work in the castle. Which means I can ¡¸see¡¹ things these bigwigs are seeing through the ¡¸Megane¡¹. ¡­Even for someone like me who doesn¡¯t work for the government, or even knowledgeable about their circumstances, I am fully aware just how grave this matter is. Highly classified information a country is holding isn¡¯t something that can be accessed easily. It makes it like I can feast my eyes with these secrets as much as I want. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ It will be terrifying if this matter came out to light. I have to make sure not a single soul know about this. I want to draw back to the village ASAP, if possible at all. Since there are people who possess ¡¸Gift to See Through Gifts¡¹, it¡¯s better to get away from the great city before that kind of people learns about this. So I thought while I was being guided. Let¡¯s see it from the outcome alone. I, due to some circumstances, won¡¯t be able to return to Albat village. And quite the unforeseen circumstance at that. Along the way, I was taught about the Leavant Household. I have no idea about aristocrat stuff, but it seems like the one behind my summon is an Earl who lives inside the capital and of high position. I was also told about how it¡¯s a household with quite the history behind it and stands in the middle spectrum in the high society. Though I still am in the complete dark even after she explains all that. However. While I am ignorant about nobles and authorities and whatever it is, I know enough about how loaded the aristocrats are when I stepped into their district and see their houses¡­ no, Manors lined up. The bigger the Manor is means the bigger the authority the owner has, and the older the Manor is the deeper their history goes and the higher the maintenance cost, I think. Well, that¡¯s the extent I can estimate. The number of people on the street dropped sharply as a conspicuous horse carriage is downing the road with leisure. Unlike the shabby carriage that brought me from the village, it¡¯s a luxurious horse carriage with gleaming black paint and even decorated with curtains. The people who ride it are also dressed elegantly. Among these Manors where such aristocrats reside in, the one Lorobel guides me to is a somewhat antiquated Manor. I judge its front yard is taking up quite a lot of space judging from the position of the main building, but since the walls are covered with ivy and bushes, I can¡¯t peek inside. There is a huge wooden gate, enough to allow horse carriage to bypass it, and that¡¯s where Lorobel stopped her track. There are Mansions with gatekeepers in the area, but apparently, this one doesn¡¯t have any. ¡¸Lord Leavant is a man of gentle personage. He will tolerate it even if your manner is a little bit ugly. Rest assured.¡¹ Ah, is that so. ¡¸But I completely have no clue about manners. You think I can go home before I provoke someone?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know about that¡­ But, well, I think they won¡¯t do anything bad to you. Considering the reason behind your summon.¡¹ Let¡¯s hope that to be the case. It¡¯s too ironic if I met an unfortunate fate just because I saved someone¡¯s life. In the first place, I don¡¯t need any gratitude or compensation precisely because I would have them to leave me alone. I hoped them to forget about me from last night. I wish they would just think of it as being lucky that someone just happened to help them. ¡¸Will you stand for me when the push comes to shove?¡¹ ¡¸I really wish I could do that, but I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be here by the time you meet with lord Leavant. Even if I wanted to help you, can¡¯t do anything if I can¡¯t reach you out.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Eh? Don¡¯t tell me, am I in a pretty dangerous spot? I, who unmistakably will lie when it¡¯s about the ¡¸Megane¡¹, am in danger, aren¡¯t I? ¡¸¡­Lorobel-san, do you know Lese Majeste? ¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s that, right? Man of power giving punishment toward insolent fools?¡¹ If she knows about it, then does that mean those bullshit Shishou was spewing was true? ¡¸You know what Lese Majeste is? With that, big shots can loop our head off to their whim, you know? Flatter those with authority as much as you can. Oh, but, don¡¯t go overboard. Suggestive flatteries usually hurt for those who have high pride. You have to flatter them casually, you got that? By the way, your Shishou¡¯s mood will also be elevated if you flatter me casually. Wanna try it?¡¹ Such words of his suddenly have a trace of truth within by now. And thus, I didn¡¯t flatter him back then. I ignored him. He made a sad face. Putting aside Shishou¡¯s inconsequential bullshit, apparently. Lese Majeste actually exists. ¡¸Do you think lying counts as being disrespectful?¡¹ ¡¸Hahaha. ¡ªIt¡¯s me, Lorobel Lauran! I brought him!¡¹ ¡¸Oi. Why did you laugh? Where¡¯s my answer?¡¹ Lorobel disregards the misgivings that slipped out of my mouth then opened the gate. CH 31 31. Megane-kun, Surrounded by Sense of Danger Not even a frame of a second after she knocked, the gated opened immediately. ¡¸I appreciate your effort, Lorobel-dono.¡¹ An old man, aged well over 50 years old, appeared inside his black tailcoat. First, he looks at the messenger, Lorobel. ¡¸This fellow here is the person who helped out in the accident last night on his way home. I have delivered him without doubt.¡¹ ¡¸Indeed. The payment will be the usual amount.¡¹ ¡¸Got that.¡¹ Ah, so it¡¯s like that. Bringing me to this place is her job, so she won¡¯t be here when I meet with the lord. ¡¸Ah, right. The boy is quite suspicious on his own, so should I be present as well?¡¹ Ah, she said it. So she didn¡¯t forget that. ¡¸That will be difficult to grant. Master is thinking to hold a private discussion, after all.¡¹ Her proposal didn¡¯t go through, though. The gramps rejected it in a heartbeat. What is this private discussion he mentioned? I only hoped they¡¯ll leave me alone. ¡¸You heard him. Sorry bout that, Eil.¡¹ Can¡¯t you hang on that proposal for a little bit more? Didn¡¯t you retreat too easily? ¡­Well. at least she tried to be present for me, so that¡¯s fine. After Lorobel turned her heel and started her steps, the gramps turned over me. ¡ªAh, dangerous. ¡¸Eil-dono, is it correct to name you so? Master is waiting for you. Please, come in.¡¹ The gramps pressed me to go inside with an innocent look. A really, truly innocent look. I can tell when we met our eyes. This gramps is dangerous. He¡¯s considerably strong. And he isn¡¯t at the level of just another strong man¡­ right, he¡¯s threatening. What I feel more acutely than his strength, is the impending sense of danger. It feels like encountering a Magical Beast when I don¡¯t have my bow and arrows, there is no escape route, and I have no alternative weapon. It¡¯s that kind of crisis. Although, it feels like the strength of someone who is the same as us¡­ ¡ªIs he a hunter? Or is he something else that shares the same wavelength? ¡¸¡­Pardon my intrusion.¡¹ There are three things that I can derive from the time we met our gaze. First, I absolutely cannot win against this gramps. Second, I already am inside the gramps¡¯ attack range and I cannot escape. And the last, this gramps, for sure, can kill someone without any hesitation. What do I do¡­ I¡¯m still at the entrance, but I already regretted I¡¯ve come here¡­ What first caught my attention when I stepped into the Leavant Earl¡¯s grounds, was a broken horse carriage. It must be the one that met the accident. Seems like they retrieved it. One of the wheels is disconnected, scratches covering the frame, and there are many other parts that got broken. It¡¯s no longer keeping its original look. ¡¸Eil-dono, are you a hunter?¡¹ I am listening to the gramps who guides me ¡­Why do I feel like he¡¯s looking at me even though his back is facing me? It¡¯s not something as simple as elevating his guard because I¡¯m behind him or he¡¯s just paying attention to places he can¡¯t see. How do I put it, despite him moving forward, he¡¯s already prepared to attack me anytime, and I¡¯m already set up inside his aim? If I have to put it into words, then that maybe it. ¡¸I¡¯m still nothing but a half-baked one, though.¡¹ If I¡¯m to be compared to you, then I¡¯m just a baby. Not even half a man. I¡¯m at the level of a novice who has just been introduced to bows and arrows. ¡­The big city is scary. It¡¯s easy to tell if they¡¯re armed like adventurers, but there are many more strong people who aren¡¯t featured with weapons. They¡¯re far more terrifying. Especially, people whose strength can¡¯t be seen through, they¡¯re frightening. That receptionist from Hunter¡¯s guild, for one. For that person, I can¡¯t even tell without wearing the ¡¸Megane¡¹. Maybe it¡¯s just me who isn¡¯t aware, and in truth, there are much more strong people out there. I know it, an unknown danger is the most terrifying danger. ¡¸Please, don¡¯t humble yourself. I heard you hunted three wolves in an instant.¡¹ And you can massacre all the six in the same frame of time, don¡¯t you? And if you like, you can do it even faster, don¡¯t you? ¡¸It was a task handed over by Lorobel-san after all, the wolves¡¯ movement was sluggish by their exhaustion.¡¹ ¡¸Three. Each shot for each, right on their head without a miss. This fact alone tells me how skilled you are.¡¹ And for you, you can do it with bare hands. Once I stepped inside the mansion, I can feel I am being surrounded by impending dangers, more dangerous than ever. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ And yet, it¡¯s oddly lacking human presence. My mind tells me there are five people, but my instinct amends that there definitely are more. There is no killing intent. I can¡¯t sense the gazes either. I don¡¯t feel any presence from a human nearby as well. And yet, this sense of danger that encircled me from every possible direction. Just what is this? Gramps turned his head to me who stopped my feet, refusing to enter. ¡¸Be at ease. If we really want to do it, then it should have been done by now.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ It, which means, that, huh. ¡¸Should I interpret this as this mansion¡¯s way to welcome me?¡¹ ¡¸It shouldn¡¯t be a problem if you do so.¡¹ ¡­I can¡¯t see through his words. This gramps is totally testing me since the first time we met. This eerie sense of danger that¡¯s pricking me too, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s also one of the tests. By someone¡¯s intention. If I thought about again, though thin, he did say that he is ¡¸testing¡¹ me. If they really wanted to kill me, then it should¡¯ve been over by now. Just what does that mean, I wonder? It¡¯s nothing but a bad premonition. ¡¸¡ªAh, you¡¯ve come! ¡¹ Nn? ¡¸Thank you very much for what you have done last night!¡¹ The one with disarranged golden hair who¡¯s running over is a girl with ¡¸Megane¡¹ on her. Precisely, it¡¯s that girl who wears ¡¸my Megane¡¹. ¡­If I recall correctly, Lorobel said that this girl is a daughter of an aristocrat, didn¡¯t she? If I don¡¯t watch what I said, she¡¯ll impeach me blasphemy, huh. Scary. ¡¸Aah, yes. ¡­Are your injuries fine now?¡¹ Although Lorobel did say she just suffered minor injuries, it was a fact that she fainted while being pinned under a carriage yesterday. I don¡¯t think trotting like that is a clever move. ¡¸Yes. Not only it was just minor injuries, but it¡¯s also cured without a trace by recovery magic. ¡¹ Ah, recovery magic huh. That¡¯s aristocrats for you, they can request a Magic Doctor as long as they have the money. This art of healing with instant effect namely recovery magic is also a reason why magicians are precious. What we¡¯re talking about is injuries being healed right in front of your eyes. Magic is awesome, isn¡¯t it? I haven¡¯t seen any magic in my life except that weak flying slash ¡­Ah, ¡¸Megane¡¹ is also magic, for once. ¡¸ You have come in a good time. I was about to call you. ¡ªWell then, you two. Please meet Master right away.¡¹ Eh? Why the two of us? ¡­The bad premonition is worse than I expected. This is, how do I put it¡­ a premonition that tells me I can¡¯t return to the village for a while. 3/3 Mabbo here. My deepest apologies for being inactive for the past month. I know this doesn¡¯t justify my absence, but I have my reasons. Simply put, I was extra busy. Literally only stopped at my house to shower before I departed again. Assignments, contests, practices, exams, my dead phone, it was hard for me to even spare a little time to care about my shipfus in Azur Lane in-between my tight schedule (I missed an entire event!) I hope you understand. Now, for MOSS readers (if there is any), I¡¯m sorry I haven¡¯t posted new stories in, like, ages. Along with the reason above, I also decided to continue my long-dead series. It doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m dropping MOSS altogether, however, I just shifted my attention. I¡¯ll post MOSS out of the blue every once in a while. Well then. CH 32 32. Megane-kun, Invited I wonder, is it the inner parlour where I¡¯m being led to? There¡¯s a coffee table in the heart of this spacious room, paired with it are a couple of leather sofas. The carpet is luxurious, they even have a fireplace even small and detailed decorations are seen every here and there, but¡­ why does it feel off? Something feels empty. Just how should I put it into words? It¡¯s like, they¡¯re borrowed goods, or like, new furniture. ¡­Right, it doesn¡¯t feel like they have the trace of being used. Maybe this room doesn¡¯t get that many guests. Well, that¡¯s all that I have in mind. Maybe the cleaning is just too thorough. ¡¸Please wait here. I¡¯m going to call Master.¡¹ I seated myself in the chair as to what the gramps told me. And then, when the gramps exited the room¡ªmy spine froze over. ¡¸Eeek¡¹ The blonde girl who sits beside me shows her fright as clear as day. That would be so. Naturally, that would be the obvious outcome. I too almost showed it. ¡¸¡ªDear me, what a cute visitor.¡¹ Since when you were there? An auntie dressed in a maid uniform appeared from the space behind us, with her are cups of black tea and a plate of cookies which she sets on the coffee table. ¡ªThis auntie is just as dangerous. Despite the smile plastered on her face, she doesn¡¯t look like smiling at all. Too dangerous. That gramps for one, this auntie for another, just what the hell is all this? ¡¸¡­What is it?¡¹ I asked the auntie with a creepy smile who keeps looking at me. ¡¸Nothing.¡¹ However, auntie¡¯s answer was too dull for me to comprehend fully. If she¡¯s got nothing against me, can I ask her to stop staring? It¡¯s quite eerie. I can feel the same sense of danger just like the one I felt from the gramps from her. ¡£ Just what the hell is this mansion? It¡¯s filled with monsters. Is there any normal person here? ¡­Right, there is one, and she¡¯s beside me. How sad, she¡¯s got all trembling. That would be so. Normally, anyone would shiver. This place isn¡¯t normal, right? Look, even the very daughter of this house became like this. So this is how an aristocrat does things. My head is filled with question after question, but first, let¡¯s cool it down. I take the teacup then put it on my lips¡ªbefore I put it down without a sip. ¡­There was a tinge of a familiar fragrance. Sorry, why is there a paralyzing poison in this tea? Since I think it¡¯s the kind I am familiar with, it shouldn¡¯t be lethal. However, as it would still affect my movement overall, I didn¡¯t drink it. Or, rather, I won¡¯t drink it even without such reason. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ The auntie retreated. She went towards my back, where I can¡¯t see her. Her dangerous presence vanished at the same time. When I slowly looked back, she¡¯s already gone. ¡£ I think she went into the door over there, but there wasn¡¯t even a sound of it being opened, nor any change in the flow of the air. Really, what the hell? ¡¸Sc, scary¡­¡¹ The girl next to me, with her still-shivering hands, took the cup then brought it to her mouth ¡­She went and drank it. ¡¸How does it taste?¡¹ ¡¸Hm? It¡¯s tasty just like usual¡­ Eh? Somehow, it makes me feel ticklish.¡¹ I knew it, paralyzing poison. Eh, isn¡¯t this girl the manor¡¯s precious daughter? The daughter of the aristocrat who owns this manor? Why did she get poisoned so casually? ¡­Well, it¡¯s not the lethal variation of it, so it should be fine. In the first place, I have no intention to comment on how a household educates their members. An aristocrat¡¯s household, to boost. Maybe it¡¯s a custom in the world of aristocrats. Aristocrats are scary. ¡¸Ah, this one is also tickly¡­¡¹ Even the cake for the tea is poisoned ¡­There is a case where a daughter of an aristocrat casually gets poisoned in her own house here. Just what the hell is this Mansion. . . Not long after that, the person we waited for finally appeared. ¡¸My apologies. I made you wait.¡¹ The person who talked while entering the room was¡­ an elderly gentleman I¡¯ve seen before somewhere. His hair and beard are dyed with white hair, complementing them is a leather vest gracefully resting upon his body. He feels familiar. The elderly gentleman looks over me and the girl, takes his seat¡ªthen speaks so. ¡¸My name is Wise Leavant. I am the head of Leavant household. Nice to meet you.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Well, I have expected it. This person is dangerous. So, aristocrat houses are filled with such scary people¡­Can I return home with my body intact, I wonder? ¡¸First of all, you. Eil-kun.¡¹ Yes, what is it? ¡¸I¡¯m sorry we have placed various tests on you. Leavant household is quite unique, you see.¡¹ ¡­Sigh. So, you meant those ¡°receptions¡± from before, right? ¡¸In the end, what is the purpose of all that?¡¹ I¡¯m fine with being tested and all, but the reason behind it really bothered my mind inside out. I haven¡¯t a clue why I am being tested for. ¡¸In all honesty, we wanted to know what kind of person you are.¡¹ How do I put it¡­ it means just as is, huh. At the end of the day, being tested means placing problems on someone to observe how they respond accordingly. It was such a definite answer to my question that I already figured it out long ago, however. Well, if that was the reason, then I couldn¡¯t help but accept it. Even if I investigate whether there was any ulterior motive behind it, the answer wouldn¡¯t change. ¡¸And then, what do you learn out of it?¡¹ ¡¸I learned how talented you are. That was such a fantastic expression control. Even when you were under such a big threat, not a single line on your face changed. On top of that, your judgemental ability also exceeded my expectation. To consider entering the territory knowing that you would face certain death if you step inside the mansion leading to your hesitation as you went through your possible choices. And aren¡¯t you well versed in poisons too? That was outstanding for someone your age¡­ ..I already desire you by now.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Ah. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. As expected, it would be hard for me to develop feelings toward a grandpa.¡¹ ¡¸Aah, I also am not planning to have any such feelings towards you. Please be at ease, I meant no such thing.¡¹ Oh, is that so ¡­Ever since coming to this mansion, that one was the scariest by far. My spine froze over. I hesitated when I was about to reply to him, too. Aristocrats sure are scary. ¡¸Then¡ªCherry¡¹ The Elderly gentleman¡­ Wise shifted his gaze to the girl next to me. ¡¸Ah, yes. Wise-sama.¡¹ ¡¸Call me grandfather.¡¹ ¡¸¡­Yes, grandfather.¡¹ Nn? These two aren¡¯t father and child? ¡­Better not involved with the twist and turn of an aristocrat¡¯s family matters. Let¡¯s stop minding it. ¡¸Very well. ¡ªThis will be my last confirmation. Does your intention really have not changed?¡¹ Facing against his straight gaze, the girl beside me returned his looks then answered. ¡¸Yes. I, this Cherry, shall be an assassin under grandfather¡¯s guidance.¡¹ Eh, wait a second there. Wasn¡¯t there a remark I can¡¯t brush aside just now? Wasn¡¯t it? ¡¸Splendid. I shall approve of you.¡¹ No, not splendid. Not approve. Did miss daughter just say she¡¯ll become an assassin? ¡­Eh, she said assassin right? Did I mishear it? Or is there a country with the name like Ashasin and she was mentioning it? Please be so. I want it to be so. ¡¸Eil-kun.¡¹ Uwah, he looked back to me. Or rather, I¡¯m still shocked when I heard the word Assassin. Though I¡¯m sure it doesn¡¯t show on my face, my heart is still a mess. If I read between the lines, everything started to make sense. Like that gramps or that auntie or this Wise person, if you said that they work as an assassin in the underground society, then I by instinct can no longer think of it as mere joke or lies. ¡¸Thank you for saving my granddaughter. As a token of gratitude, I want to invite you¡¹ No, I¡¯m fine even if you didn¡¯t invite me. ¡¸¡ªto the Assassination Training School.¡¹ See. Even though it¡¯d be better if you didn¡¯t invite me. Even though I¡¯d be happier if you didn¡¯t invite me. Just what is this person saying, really? . ¡¸Ah, I¡¯ll have to refuse. Well then, excuse me.¡¹ There¡¯s no more room to consider, you know. Why would someone who saves lives enter the world of murder? CH 33 33. Megane-kun, Unwittingly gets Interested ¡¸Well, hold your horses.¡¹ I thought I could nonchalantly leave this mansion just like that, but I got stopped just as expected. I wanted to put it off my mind, but I couldn¡¯t help but notice that the gramps and the auntie have been on my back without alarming me. They¡¯re lining up just behind me¡­They¡¯re an expert when it comes to erasing their presence, it seems. I didn¡¯t notice at all. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡¸Are these two assassins as well?¡¹ Despite my question that was voiced involuntarily, the elderlies didn¡¯t say a single word to answer me and told me to sit back. ¡­Wise, who is right before me, is dangerous, but these two are just as dangerous. I am sandwiched with danger unknowingly. If the situation wouldn¡¯t change, it would be impossible for me to get away. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ My options are extremely limited. ¡ªRight, for example, what if I made an escape while taking the normal girl beside me as a hostage¡ª When I was plotting so, Wise¡­ no, all three present elderlies laughed at the same time. With such good humour. The auntie too, laughed from her heart this time. ¡¸If you think you can accomplish so, then I¡¯d like to see you try¡¹ Say what? Is he able to look through my actions? It shouldn¡¯t be shown on my face. I don¡¯t even shift my line of view. And I keep my presence still. Even so, the elderlies could discern what I was about to do. All three, at the same time. Did it get exposed due to some kind of ¡¸Gift¡¹? Is it the ¡¸Gift to see through lies¡¹ Lorobel told me? No, it¡¯s different. If so, then it should be impossible for all three at the same time. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Yeaah. No way. In the first place, I wasn¡¯t really seriously trying to take any hostage. It was just an option for my means of escape. Why, the current me is completely unarmed, I didn¡¯t even bring my dismantling knife. Even without this condition at hand, it would be hard to hold a hostage for my option. Even the things near to me, what seemed to be useful would be the cookies laced with paralysing poison. As expected, you wouldn¡¯t be able to threaten even a girl with something like this. First and foremost, I don¡¯t think I can do something I have never done before. ¡¸We knew what action you would take, and do you know the reason why? Or mayhaps you don¡¯t know?¡¹ Wise spoke so. By the way, the girl next to me seems like she completely has no idea of what happened, as she alternates her eyes to Wise, then to the gramps on the back, then to me ¡­I¡¯m certain that she¡¯s completely oblivious of the situation, but I envy her for that just a little. ¡¸If you don¡¯t know, then at least hear what I have to say. There shouldn¡¯t be any loss for you if you do.¡¹ There is, you know. ¡¸If I heard, ¡­No, if I learned more than this, you won¡¯t let me go alive and well, do you?¡¹ Or rather, it was already too late. I¡¯ve heard about the assassin thing, after all. I¡¯ve reached the main problem, after all. ¡¸That is not true.¡¹ ¡¸Can¡¯t believe it.¡¹ I refuted him loud and clear, but Wise didn¡¯t get agitated and just continue on. ¡¸You won¡¯t tell this to anyone. That is because you tend to avoid trouble. You hate standing out. You¡¯re afraid to be here because you¡¯ve learned about our abilities half-baked. That is why, even if you left this place, it¡¯s natural to think that you would never tell anyone fearing retribution from us. In addition, you treasure your hometown. It¡¯s easy to imagine what would happen if you made us your enemy. You are clever, after all. With the reasons above, it would be impossible for you to tell about us to anyone. If so, there is no need to seal your mouth either. Well, in the first place, I proposed this talk because you are such a character. We wouldn¡¯t invite you if you¡¯re a tattletale. How about it? You want to lend your ears now?¡¹ ¡­I don¡¯t want to, but I learned that they won¡¯t let me go until I do. ¡¸L, let¡¯s become a first-class assassin with me! Okay!?¡¹ The girl beside me was spewing something, but I hope she just stays shut since that was way off the mark. This man investigated me deep and thoroughly. And he analyzes my character, on top of that. It was not an afterthought or whimsical idea, he really is seriously trying to invite me to this School for Assassins thing. ¡¸You have my words, Eil-kun. Whatever answer you have, you can go home.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Putting aside if I can trust him or not, there is nothing I can do but listen to him in this situation. As it seems like they won¡¯t release me otherwise. Though I think my decision won¡¯t change even if I listen to him. Maybe he doesn¡¯t get that. ¡­Can¡¯t be helped, huh. With a single breath escaped my mouth, I seated myself back on the sofa. ¡¸I¡¯m glad! Let¡¯s get along and be assassins together!¡¹ Also, can you make this girl stop trying to talk to me? I am not her associate. . . ¡¸First, in order to avoid misunderstanding, let me say these two things beforehand.¡¹ Wise raised his right index and middle fingers, acting as if nothing had happened. ¡¸Assassination Training School is a school designed to foster new assassins for the Kingdom of Nastiala, whereas young people¡¯s lack of interest in the assassination world has become a serious problem. Its existence is being hidden from the society¡¯s eye, and the ones who know about it are just a select few even among the aristocrats. On a related note, this Leavant household is a safe house for assassins like me, the head of the house. As I am also someone from the parliament, reporting this to the kingdom won¡¯t bear any fruit. Well, on paper, we are a private organization that has no involvement with the state. In the case that an international issue has occurred and our existence became known by other countries, the kingdom won¡¯t save our neck. We are essentially disposable pawns.¡¹ Disposable pawn¡­ Un. Many aspects of it incurred questions in me, but let¡¯s just shut these thoughts off. ¡¸The lack of young people in the world of assassination is a serious matter, you see¡­ From what I heard, despite the assassins are becoming older with age, the amount of their successors is alarmingly small.¡¹ Hearing the words of the girl, Wise nods his head affirming it. Or, rather, I also have no clue what¡¯s her standing on this. Is she in the know since she volunteered herself, or is she in need to listen to this explanation as well? ¡­In the first place, what does he mean young people¡¯s lack of interest in the world of assassination? So is it like a normal job appliance? It¡¯s haunting my mind, but I won¡¯t let it haunt it further. I feel like I¡¯d lose if I let it hinge on my head. ¡¸Second, none of you two will be an assassin known by the general public. It is because the training that goes toward that direction is no longer supported.¡¹ ¡­Nn? ¡¸Understand? Generally, when the word assassin is mentioned, you will think it¡¯s about someone who eliminates his target. However, in practice, there are many walls to overcome until an assassin can come close to kill his target. Time, place, occasion, means, instruments¡¯ presence or absence, in addition to information gathering and preparation for a weapon. If you enumerate it, there would be countless options to take, and you would need the necessary skill to execute it. All you need to do is kill. No, a professional doesn¡¯t work that way. An assassin is not a crook, after all.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡¸Assassination is subtle and delicate work. A single misstep may result in failure. You do it with prudence as if you were threading atop a single sheet of wet paper, leaving no trace behind. Just how far can you master your weapon, that is your body? Just how far can you utilize your intelligence and imagination? Even for a single job, there lay hundreds and thousands of options for you to take, and you have to choose the correct one and act accordingly. That is an extremely hard task to fulfil, and is worthwhile.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Shoot. ¡­I¡¯ve got absorbed to the talk. Or, rather, it¡¯s very similar to a hunter¡¯s job. There is the necessary to prepare the instruments according to the targeted game, the more thorough your preparation is the more likely you will succeed, the way to hunt the game without giving it defects, and, by doing so, you can recover your game just as fast. Furthermore, if you don¡¯t properly clean up your hunting place after the deed, you might encounter magical beasts or carnivorous animals outside your schedule. Recovery of the spoil and the withdrawal after it are also skills that play a big role. ¡­¡­But, in the end, the context of Wise¡¯s talk is about killing a person. If this was a talk between hunters and I was offered to go to Hunter¡¯s school, maybe it would stir my mind. ¡¸Eil-kun, it sure interests you, doesn¡¯t it? I called out to you because I know it¡¯s your character. It should be similar to what you are doing and what you¡¯re hoping to reach.¡¹ Un, similar. That is why I was so invested in the talk. Crap. ¡­Seems like I fell for its attractiveness. But, no. No can do. This is a big NO with no room to debate. ¡¸What I learnt from Shishou was not the skill of murder. What I learnt was the skill of hunting. I cannot use my Shishou¡¯s technique in a way that deviates humanity.¡¹ Shishou raised me as a hunter. He didn¡¯t teach me his techniques for me to commit murder as an assassin. Maybe I am not a good disciple, but I won¡¯t become a disciple who throws mud to my shishou¡¯s face. ¡¸¡ªThat is why we get back to the second point.¡¹ Eh? ¡¸I mentioned it before, that none of you two will be the type of assassin known by the general public. Assassins whose skills have been etched deep into their very core like us are trained from a very tender age. It is because children have the necessary potential. If they have what it takes to grow, they will grow. If they don¡¯t, they only need to be expelled from the assassin training classroom. I believe that both of you still have room to grow. However, you will surely fall behind the progress of those children who have the initial talent. Assassination is a subtle and delicate work, and even a single failure is not allowed during the job. You two are well past the age to be trained as an assassin.¡¹ ¡­Well, I understand what he¡¯s trying to say. In short, being an assassin means being raised within a special education for gifted children since they¡¯re young. ¡¸Then, the place you¡¯re recommending me¡­ this Assassination Training School, what about it?¡¹ Isn¡¯t the talk all about how I¡¯m no longer in the age fit to be trained as an assassin. That talk just now. Then what¡¯s the purpose of calling me here? ¡¸There are two kinds of assassin we cultivate, the first one being the genuine assassin trained from a young age. What the two of you will be learning to be, is the kind of assassin whose scope of work is wider.¡¹ The kind of assassin whose scope of work is wider¡­? ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Un. I don¡¯t understand a thing on what he¡¯s trying to say. CH 34 34. Megane-kun, Made his Decision When I honestly asked him ¡¸What kind of assassin with a wider scope of work do you mean?¡¹, Wise smiled to put on airs. ¡¸I meant it the way it is. Their scope of work is wide.¡¹ As I said, that¡¯s what I don¡¯t understand¡­ Eh? Wait. ¡¸With wide scope, you mean, doing work other than assassinating?¡¹ ¡¸Exactly¡¹ Wise nods then continued on. ¡¸I believe you understand. If I ask you whether the skills of a hunter can only be used to hunt, then your answer would be no. An assassin is just the same. What you will learn is not the skills that only can be used for an assassination. Even if you only take those skills into account, your potential is unlimited¡¹ In other words, he¡¯s saying that I should fulfil that ¡¸potential¡¹? ¡¸You mean an assassin that doesn¡¯t assassinate?¡¹ ¡¸¡ªIn the first place, they¡¯ve been long out of commission. The assassins whose speciality is to kill, I mean.¡¹ Un? ¡­Un? That¡¯s a little bit puzzling. ¡¸For the last few hundred years, The Kingdom of Nastiala and its neighbouring countries have been maintaining peace. [Note: this is a Japanese proverb] Back then at the time of war, jobs used to drop onto us assassins like leaves in the autumn, but now we¡¯re anticipating one job in half a year at most. Even those that do come, they are mostly about dealing with troubles without the spill of blood, for instance, ¡ºsecure the evidence of injustice without killing anyone¡» or ¡ºdetain the members of a certain mansion without killing anyone¡». I personally don¡¯t want to admit it, but I have to. For this country, for this age, assassins are no longer needed.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­Ah, okay. Just now, what did I listen about? A story of how the assassin industry has declined? ¡­No, wait. Declining, huh. So it¡¯s a story of how the whole industry is facing termination because they¡¯re no longer in demand and cannot fit with the current age. In that aspect too, they¡¯re quite similar to hunters. Shishou said this too. An apprenticeship that takes up a lot of time and troublesome are now considered outdated. In recent years, not only the amount of hunters is declining every year, the case that matters that usually need a hunter¡¯s assistance are requested towards the adventurers is also going up. Different from adventurers, in general, hunters are people trained within a teacher-student relationship. They¡¯re learning techniques that require years to master. In contrast to that, everyone can be an adventurer as long as they register as one. They don¡¯t need to discipline themselves for how many years long. They cover the lack of technique with quantity. I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s a bad thing¡­ but, aren¡¯t there so many who fell victim during their job? Well, I can¡¯t say that a Hunter isn¡¯t a dangerous line of work, either. I can¡¯t estimate how sharp the decline of assassination industry is suffering since it¡¯s now shown in the public, but for hunters, it¡¯s tremendous. It¡¯s as clear as day if you give a look at the Hunter¡¯s Guild in here. If you compare it to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, you can see just how tremendous the decline is. The extent of the decline is so tremendous that Ms Receptionist¡¯s eagerness is nil. I even wonder if she¡¯s there out of her own violation. ¡¸¡­Um, I¡¯m sorry if I get this wrong.¡¹ ¡¸What is it?¡¹ ¡¸You want to leave your skills as an assassin onto the next generation. It will be wasted if your skills are lost with the change of age. Now it comes to this, even if they¡¯re not full-fledged assassins, you want to pass your skills to as many youngsters as possible. ¡­Can I interpret it as such?¡¹ ¡¸Excellent¡¹ Wise laughs. ¡¸Precisely, there are other reasons that accompany it, but, in the end, that is the conclusive idea. There are up to seven curriculums in total, but our generation is the last generation to dedicate ourselves to learn all seven. With the decline, those who can only dedicate themselves to learn 3 to 4 curriculums at most cannot be deployed to the field. Although I do feel sad, we are in such a time after all. Even if they do master the skills, they have no place to express it. The school I recommend you to is a school which curriculums keep being reduced. I am sure that you can master a number of it to your liking, but you can take just one curriculum if you want. Well, with your talent, you should be able to learn more than that. Please inherit our skills, as we want to pass it down to the next generations. Someday, it will serve for the good of this country, one way or another. Our age has caught us up. Not only we should have retired ten years ago, but we are also old enough that it is a marvel how we still live to date. However, if we keep things as is, we can¡¯t die even if death comes to us. There are many things that we want to leave behind in this world. And we cannot leave those to just any random people. Assassins are no longer needed. However, we want to leave our assassination skills to someone. That is how it is.¡¹ And after that, silence comes in. With this, for once, Wise has brought to an end what he wants to say. If the conversation ended, then I¡¯d like to go back. However, there is a little something¡­ that haunts my mind. They want to leave their assassination skills onto the next generations. This also applies to Hunters. Shishou found me then raised me, but what about me? Can I find someone then raise them as my successor? Can I nurture them as my disciple as Shishou did to me? Personally saying, it¡¯s hard to imagine. I don¡¯t think that I have the factor to do so. In the first place, I was interested to be a hunter was because it was something I can do alone. As there are dangers lurking, it¡¯s not a work where I can place someone else on my side. That¡¯s why I think Shishou is amazing. That person can do the work all the while keeping me safe. In the end, I don¡¯t have the confidence to do the same as he did. However, will the hunting skills Shishou passed to me end in my generation then? Naturally, that question lingers in mind. Even Shishou inherited his skills from his Shishou. And even Shishou¡¯s Shishou inherited their skills from someone else. Will I let the skills that ride and overcome generations after generations face their end in my generation? I am sure that the same line of thought is running among the assassins. Facing the same problem, having the same demand, they look for and reach out to people to inherit what they have. And they keep looking. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ With just understanding their position, it makes me hard to flat-out reject it¡­ In addition, from what I collected, it is undeniably a good deal. ¡¸Can I ask a few things?¡¹ Wise opens his arms, prompting me. Then, I won¡¯t hold back. ¡¸Can I see it as an opportunity to learn an assassin¡¯s a skill that cannot be found with normal ways to make myself stronger?¡¹ ¡¸Precisely so. I did say that you won¡¯t lose anything from this talk. As it seems that you refuse to kill humans, we have no intention to make you so. A half-baked assassin won¡¯t be given any job, you see.¡¹ Even more, nowadays we don¡¯t even have enough jobs to give to everyone here, hahaha, thus he laughs with self-damage. ¡­That was a laugh with a sad undertone. This old fellow¡¯s self-damage is quite heartbreaking. ¡¸Then, for example, I graduated from Assassination Training School, am I allowed to return to my hometown?¡¹ ¡¸That is up to you.¡¹ Eh, I can? I thought I would automatically be attached to some Assassin organization once I did graduate. ¡¸I also have mentioned it before. This country, at this time and age, is no longer in need of assassins. It¡¯s up to you if you want to be affiliated with us, but even if you do, there won¡¯t be any jobs coming. There are jobs other than assassinating, but these jobs are by no means many in number.¡¹ Hmm¡­ ¡¸By the way, what are these jobs you speak of?¡¹ ¡¸Mainly becoming a bodyguard or an escort for big fishes. There are also espionage and background checking for certain individuals. Also, we also do some magical beast extermination in case of utmost urgency. Mostly, these three.¡¹ It won¡¯t be long until we start to open a business of looking for missing pet, haha. It was a laugh with quite painful self-damage. ¡­Seems like, the decline is so unstoppable that they can only laugh it off now. ¡¸Eil-kun. It¡¯s just one year.¡¹ ¡¸One year?¡¹ ¡¸Assassination Training School only takes one year. Please, give just one year of your life to it. I want you to inherit our skills. If it¡¯s you, I¡¯m sure you can learn many skills. And those skills will surely be connected to your own growth. You definitely are going to be stronger within this one year.¡¹ Ah, so it¡¯s like that. I heard that schools usually last for many years long, but this one just takes one year span, huh. ¡¸In addition, your ¡ºMegane¡».¡¹ ¡­£¿ ¡¸I have heard the report from the state. Your ¡ºGift¡» can develop. Maybe you can find another way to utilize it as you learn our skills.¡¹ Another way to utilize, huh. But, it already has other functions than ¡¸being a Megane¡¹, so¡­ I feel like, now of all times? But I do feel the charm, that I may be able to increase the number of things I can do with it. ¡¸¡ªIs that all your questions? You may go home now.¡¹ Ah, really? ¡¸Listen, Eil-kun. If you really are interested¡ª¡¹ I listened to Wise until the end of his sentence, then I was given a letter namely Introductory Letter. If I don¡¯t want to receive it, just burn the letter then forget everything. If I do want to receive it, then I should bring it to a particular place. Or so I was told. Being led by the gramps who guided me before, I managed to escape from the territory of Leavant household safely. Aah, ¡­ is that freedom I feel? I didn¡¯t feel much alive in there, after all. ¡¸¡ªWe are waiting for your next arrival.¡¹ The moment the gate closed, I was told such words. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Maybe, that person has already seen through what I have in mind. After all the shocking stories I heard in there, my gait, when I leave the Leavant household, is not particularly light nor it is heavy, just normal and ordinary. The day after. I go to the Hunter¡¯s Guild so early in the morning. ¡¸Oh my, welcome. You¡¯re early.¡¹ The unmotivated receptionist is there. ¡­Most likely, this person is also included. That explains why she¡¯s so strong. I walk over the Hunter¡¯s Guild that has nobody else within, heading straight towards the receptionist, then turn in the introductory letter to her. ¡¸It¡¯s an introductory letter from the Leavant household.¡¹ ¡¸Ara. Your decision is quite early too.¡¹ The receptionist laughs halfheartedly then takes the letter from me. ¡¸¡ªWell then, let me redo my introduction¡¹ She inhales. Her languid atmosphere, presence, and attitude are gone, in their place is now an intimidating aura, stirring me up like a bundle of thread. Her relaxed expression tightened into one that shows ruthless. It was as if she was a different person from a while ago¡­ no, from all the time before. ¡¸ ¡ªWelcome to the Assassin¡¯s Guild.¡¹ Updates 3/3 Mabbo here. It¡¯s been a month since we last updated, and I¡¯m terribly sorry about that. You ever heard of KKN? Simply put, it¡¯s a mandatory Community Service for college students. You put a bunch of college students in some rural area then tell them to somehow improve the livelihood there. Not only you can gain life experiences, it serves as a way to advertise your institute as well. Yeah, I was doing my KKN. Also, for Indonesian readers, I bet most of you know Desa Penari. Well, though luck, the house my group stayed for a month was just as haunted. Snakes appearing in the bedroom, someone knocking the bathroom window on the second floor, whistles you can hear every so often at the dead of the night, and worst of all, bad internet connection. I couldn¡¯t play Azur Lane because my shi*ty internet wouldn¡¯t let me to update the game! Oh, I also participated in a speech contest even in the midst of all that. My pants¡¯ fly broke before I went on stage, so I had to go to the bathroom couples of times to fix it with whatever tool available; my teeth. Yeah, when other participants were nervous about their speech, I was biting my own pants for 30 minutes in the bathroom. That was quite an experience. Well then. CH 35 35. Megane-kun, Sways In the Carriage The horse carriage is swaying. Enveloped in heavy silence, the carriage continues to rock. To be very honest, it¡¯s uncomfortable. Since we are going to spend seven to ten days sharing the same carriage, it would be normal to consider opening up a little to each other. I¡¯m pretty sure the people behind this trip also don¡¯t want the atmosphere between us to be like this. I lay my eyes upon the man gazing outside, looking as bored as he is. His name is Chace. A man with ruffled up short indigo blue hair and bad-looking eyes. While his figure was overall thin and not really that big, he¡¯s still bigger than me. Or, rather, I probably am just too short. That being said, no matter how you put it, from whichever angle there be, isn¡¯t he just some small-time bully from the back alleys? ¡¸Aah? The fuck you¡¯re looking at?¡¹ See, bully. Just some bully who can¡¯t say anything without including hostility in his speech. I can tell he¡¯s just a bully with a single glance. ¡¸Umm¡­ your hairline on the forehead?¡¹ ¡¸Where are you looking at!?¡¹ As I said, the hairline. On your forehead. Rest assured, it¡¯s still doing fine. Since any further meddling with him will be troublesome, I shifted my eyes towards the figure next to him. The one there is, of course, another bored-looking person. A taboo child* just sitting there. Yes, a taboo child. First time seeing one. Ashen hair and velvet pupils, children born of one in thousands of cases, those called as the incarnation of the devil¡ªthe people known as taboo children. It¡¯s common knowledge that even I, a bumpkin, would also know. Her name is Florentine. A small girl, just barely reaching the age of 14. However, her eyes are even sharper than the bully next to her, and those blood-like velvet pupils glistering in the light. She must be a juvenile, no mistaking it. Hanging around in the back alleys, just like the bully next to her. Yeah, no mistake in it. ¡¸¡­Ah? What¡¯s so interestin?¡¹ In addition, her dialect is terrifying. Perhaps, due to it, her words packed authority inappropriate for her age. I couldn¡¯t be any more mistaken, she must be a juvenile who controls other juveniles under her thumb. That, or she could be the daughter of some underground company¡¯s bossman. That must be it. How terrifying. ¡¸Umm¡­ do you prefer your meat raw or cooked?¡¹ ¡¸Hah? ¡­Normally, you don¡¯t eat it raw, no?¡¹ ¡¸So, you¡¯re the type who doesn¡¯t eat, instead?¡¹ ¡¸I find it hard to understand you.¡¹ I see. So even a big boss¡¯ princess doesn¡¯t eat her meat raw. This is news to me. ¡¸Heeh. Isn¡¯t eating raw meat pretty much nothing to taboo kids like you? Tell me the truth, that you actually eat ¡®em raw, cats and dogs alike. I betcha must be a murderer or a big sinner in your previous life, amirite?¡¹ ¡¸Shut your trap, lad. I hold no interest in talking to you.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m the older one here, you shitty brat.¡¹ ¡¸True, though your mental age is of an infant. What a childish lad.¡¹ The bully and the daughter of a bossman are glaring at each other. ¡­Un, I expected so. This bad atmosphere, this uncomfortableness, all of them are due to you two. Without a doubt. The blonde with glasses who sits next to me is the one who gets affected by this atmosphere the most, as by now color has escaped her face. ¡­Or, she could simply be suffering from motion sickness. The girl next to me is Cherry Leavant. It¡¯s the assassin-wanna-be girl I met in that Mansion of Assassins. Her long blonde hair is beautiful and her sky-blue eyes are crystal-clear. Unlike the bully, the boss¡¯ daughter, and me, she¡¯s not wearing tattered rags we call clothes on her, but instead a prim and tailored one piece. She is a proper aristocrat¡¯s daughter, no matter from which angle you see. But, well, it can¡¯t be any more obvious that it¡¯s her who looks out-of-place. ¡¸¡­Umm, Megane-kun, do you have some disposable bags with you¡­?¡¹ So she whispers to me whilst holding her mouth back. Yeah, it could be just motion sickness. Chace the small-time bully. Florentine the Underground Boss¡¯ Daughter. Cherry the Assassin-wanna-be girl. And me. These four people would be the students enrolling the Assassination Training School this year. Tentatively speaking, I guess Chace is the oldest of this batch? He¡¯s 16 year old, Cherry and I are 15 year old, and Florentine is 14 year old as the youngest. . . A little time has passed since when I decided to enroll and passed the introductory letter into the Hunter¡¯s Guild cum Assassin¡¯s Guild. ¡ªBy the way, apparently Assassin¡¯s Guild is the second business that the Hunter¡¯s Guild runs. Something like one being the front face and the other being the back face. Either way, since I still had to wait for other enrollees to gather from various places, I used the time to write a letter to my parents and Sishou back in the village, I also visited the Black Swan team for the third time to give my greetings. The motive behind them was to tell them that I would be leaving the capital for a while to do some sightseeing outside. Since one year from now , I will be fully committing to the Assassination Training School, after all. So that my relatives wouldn¡¯t get worried over me, I had to make it clear that I couldn¡¯t go home for a while. . And then, by the time I delivered the ordered ¡¸Megane¡¹ to the castle, I was informed that the other enrollees had assembled. It was yesterday when we met face-to-face and decided to depart for the school. And the result of all that, is this mess. Being crammed into a small carriage, having to bear the bad atmosphere inside the carriage all day. From what I learned from the old coachman who¡¯d been staying quiet this time, it seems like we¡¯ll reach the Assassination Training School in seven to ten days time. By the way, apparently the coachman is also a person affiliated with the Assassination world. It¡¯s already this bad in just a day, and we aren¡¯t even halfway there, what a nightmare. At my roots, I don¡¯t really care about other people, but still, this heavy atmosphere is really hard to bear. Now, what should I do? If we don¡¯t break the ice for just a little bit, the coldness of it will surely sting. The multiple day journey will definitely become hellish. ¡­¡­hmm ¡­¡­¡­¡­ For now, let¡¯s hand over my unused leather bag and hit the sack. I could use some sleep before I start using my head. ¡¸¡­¡­I¡¯ll wash it before I return it, okay¡­¡­¡¹ Ah, please, don¡¯t bother to return it. You can use it as much as you want. . The worst journey by carriage in my life has only just began Mabbo here. 2 years! 2 years since the last update, and I¡¯ll be surprised if there¡¯s anyone who still waits for this series. My life has been hectic ever since then, but honestly, who doesn¡¯t? I was actually taking a year-long break from college last year, and I believe I made the right call. With what hit us, we needed time to familiarize with our new everyday, and things have cooled down after a year¡­ I think. So anyway, I¡¯ve moved out of my parents¡¯ house and I¡¯m earning my own penny while also swamped with college classes and assignments at the same time. I don¡¯t even know when was the last time I felt bored! (this is a distress call someone please save me) I know 2 years is such a long time, but rest assured, I promise we¡¯ll update OreMegane at least once a week¡­. hopefully. Well then. CH 36 36. Megane-kun, on His Fourth Night ¡¸About halfway there¡¹ Apparently even the worst carriage trip ever has a turning point. The coachman who¡¯s affiliated with the assassins¡­ he doesn¡¯t disclose his name, saying ¡¸I don¡¯t talk about my profession¡¹ as his reason, though he does tell us about the distance of the trip. The sun has sunk. The sky is completely dark. Since we use the night to let the horses rest and catch some sleep, this is as far as today takes us. We¡¯re leaving on the first sign of dawn. ¡¸My hip is killing me¡­¡¹ Everyone got off the carriage. As Chace, the small-time bully, stretches his body whilst sitting, his bones make cracking sounds. Oh, I know that feeling. After all, everyone here swayed back and forth inside the carriage together. If you ask me, I¡¯d rather be on foot. Or I would have given up early. One thing is for sure though, I don¡¯t really like it when I¡¯m with people I¡¯m not that familiar with. ¡¸Ah, Chace-kun. Should I fix you?¡¹ ¡¸¡­yeah, please do¡¹ Being offered so by the assassin wannabe Cherry, Chace decided to pick the fruit rather than the facade. Even though he made a strong impression by showing his backbone on the first day, when the second day rolled in, he became more open. Well, I get that too. What a really tiresome person. Cherry emits a soft light with her right hand then presses it on Chace¡¯s waist. ¡ª¡ªRecovery magic. Apparently, Cherry has a ¡¸Magician Gift¡¹ and can already use some spells on her own. Well, it¡¯s common sense not to inquire of someone about their ¡¸Gift¡¹, so that¡¯s the extent of what I know. By the way, she¡¯s extremely weak with carriage due to motion sickness, but it seems like she manages with her recovery magic. She sure looks refreshed when she¡¯s off the carriage. I took a turn after Chace. Since my whole body is also aching, I could really use some of her time. After all, Getting treated by her magic makes a whole lot of difference. And yet again today, we camp out on the side of this endless road. The place is chosen by random, but at least we have a place to rest. The view is clear around here and we can spot a magic beast right away if they showed up. There¡¯s also a river nearby, so we can get a supply of drinking water immediately. ¡¸Oh, Eil¡¹ The daughter of the underground boss Florentine, with a big bucket filled with water she drew from the river on her hand, calls out to me who¡¯s preparing my bow next to the bonfire the coach uncle set up. ¡¸Won¡¯t you hunt something other than birds? I¡¯m already starting to crave for rabbits.¡¹ On the fourth day, everyone has their own roles to perform. The coachman takes care of the horse, I¡¯m the one in charge of looking for food, and that pretty much explains it. Or rather, the uncle has been driving all day, so I think he should just get his rest at night. Chace, for a hoodlum, he¡¯s surprisingly good at cooking. He¡¯s thorough with his work and his foods are tasty, so we leave the Chef¡¯s work to him. Florentine is the one in charge for drawing water and all the muscle work. For someone her size, she packs quite an unbelievable strength. I¡¯m pretty sure I can¡¯t lift that bucket she¡¯s carrying with her arms. Cherry is the most worn out person from the trip, with her serious motion sickness torturing her. It¡¯s really painful just looking at her. She can fix the symptoms with magic, but it seems like she can¡¯t recover her stamina. Her recovery magic is all we can ever ask from her. And, the thing that they demand from me is of course, my capacity as a hunter. In this long journey where our food is basically preserved foods like dried jerks and hard bread, it seems like the request of having a plate with fresh meat in it is pretty high. Well, even without them asking me, I alone would still hunt for meat. I like meat, after all. But well, they were the one who came to me with their eyes burning red. ¡¸Birds are easier targets though.¡¹ At night, birds stay on trees and sleep. Since I can see them with this ¡¸Megane¡¹¡¯s ¡¸Night Vision¡¹ , they¡¯re basically fish in a barrel to me. Really, what a super convenient Megane. ¡¸Bored of birds?¡¹ ¡¸I won¡¯t beseech luxury. I like birds too. However, I like rabbits more.¡¹ Aah, is that so. I got it. It¡¯s a matter of preference. ¡¸I can get one or two if it is at least dusk, but it¡¯s night already. If I start looking for rabbits now, I¡¯m not sure I can make it back in time for dinner. Willing to wait?¡¹ There¡¯s the hunting part, the skinning part, and the bloodletting part too, so it would really take a lot of time. I¡¯m pretty hungry already, I want to take a grub as soon as possible. In addition, for all that swaying in the carriage, i¡¯d really like to rest my beaten body ¡¸¡­¡­Nnu. My hunger can¡¯t wait.¡¹ After stroking her belly and being torn between eating bird meat now or rabbit meat later, Florentine decided that she can¡¯t wait that long. ¡¸Oi¡¹ Ah, Chace came. ¡ª¡ªAs expected. tired from the trip, the hoodlum and the boss¡¯ daughter stopped being at odds with each other. I understand that, you two. bickering would only result in more fatigue, right? ¡¸It¡¯s disgusting having the same opinion with this thing, but I also want to eat some rabbit. So, how about we do it like this?¡¹ After listening to Chace¡¯s suggestion, I can see his point. If so, maybe I can exert some effort on this one. ¡¸You have a good head. Your crafty nature at work, eh?¡¹ ¡¸Zip it red eye. ¡ª¡ªSo? You think that¡¯ll work?¡¹ Yeah. ¡¸In the first place, I chose birds because they aren¡¯t that hard to get. I¡¯ll go and try to hunt some.¡¹ Upon finishing the hunting plan and listening to their request, I stood on my feet. If we go to the woods some distance from here, there should be at least birds to get. I still don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a rabbit there, but that¡¯s why I¡¯ll have to go there and check. . Right after we reached the woods, I let an arrow loose for the pheasant on top of a tree. ¡¸That¡¯s some skill you got there. I can¡¯t see shit out here.¡¹ Chace is impressed albeit half dazed. Rest assured. Without ¡¸megane¡¹ at hand, I won¡¯t be able to see anything as well. How else would I detect something like a bird sleeping soundly? ¡¸Just one for today?¡¹ We usually hunt down two with the number of people in our traveling group, but today we have other plans. ¡¸Yup, gotta make some room for the rabbit. Then, I leave the rest to ya.¡¹ Stating these words before immediately returning to the campsite with the pheasant on his hand. All the while foraging the grasses on his way. It seems like he¡¯s familiar with edible wild plants, perhaps because he can cook. Even though he looks just like some hoodlum. What is that if not a surprise? ¡¸¡­Well, then. Is there any rabbit?¡¹ Taking the opposite direction from him, I delve even deeper into the forest. Chace¡¯s suggestion was simple; Hunt a bird, dress and blood it so it can be cooked. While the meal is being prepared, I¡¯m going for the rabbit so it can be cooked later. Something like that. So first, get tonight¡¯s meat, then search for the demanded meat. In other words, it¡¯s a two stage preparation. ¡ª¡ªJust my luck, it was within my ¡¸sight¡¹.This time I went for the normal rabbit instead of a Splinter Fang Hare, and with that we could have a hearty dinner. I¡¯m grateful for the life it gives. Mabbo here So, offline classes started earlier this week. How did it went? I wouldn¡¯t know, since I actually scheduled this post from a week ago. Nothing much to say here, since I don¡¯t know what happened in the¡­ future? Past?? If I write this note in the past and it¡¯s posted a week from then, which is now, how do I address the things that happen in between? Is it my past as I am the narrator, or is it my future as I am the author?? No use thinking about it, huh. Well then. CH 37 37. Megane-kun, Genuinely Thinks it¡¯s Messed up Afternoon on the sixth day. The atmosphere inside the carriage isn¡¯t as bad anymore, perhaps since it¡¯s been six days since we practically lived together. Both Chace, the hoodlum, and Florentine, the boss¡¯ daughter, understand that they¡¯re only digging their grave if they don¡¯t cooperate with each other, no matter how much they hate one another. Well, I¡¯m the one who usually gets burned from all the sparks they scatter around though. As for Cherry, the assassin wannabe, she has been tortured by the carriage sickness that she doesn¡¯t have time to mind the atmosphere. In a way, she¡¯s the one who weighs the mood the most. She¡¯s completely limp, just like a walking dead. That¡¯s why, the one most affected by this bad atmosphere is me, alone. Geez. Things would¡¯ve been a lot worse if I were the type that meddles with other¡¯s business. It¡¯s good that I¡¯m someone who doesn¡¯t mind this kind of thing. As for the trip, there are two more days ahead of today. If all goes well, we will reach the Assassination Training School the day after tomorrow. Still, I don¡¯t know which direction we¡¯re heading to, and we¡¯re not told about it either. I want to think it¡¯s northeast from the Royal Capital of Nastiara, but since I¡¯ve been packed inside the carriage all the time, there¡¯s a chance that it¡¯s not the case. The carriage stops during meal breaks, but we¡¯ve just finished today¡¯s lunch. The carriage won¡¯t stop from now on¡­ not until the night arrives. At this time, the hoodlum made a ruckus. ¡¸Aah! I¡¯m bored to death!¡¹ I get you. That makes all of us, except Cherry who¡¯s struggling with her own problem. Even if we have breaks, we¡¯re essentially in the carriage all day long. My body aches all over. What¡¯s more, the mood here doesn¡¯t help to alleviate it. It¡¯s so constrained and boring that impulses like wanting to just run around for no reason at all show up. ¡¸EIl! Tell us some funny stories you got!¡¹ Eh, what¡¯s with that impossible request. We couldn¡¯t even hold a small talk just a while ago, this was too sudden. ¡¸Hmm. I do have a story about a hoodlum who meets the daughter of a mafia boss.¡¹ ¡¸Ah? ¡­What¡¯s that, a romance?¡¹ ¡¸I wonder. I think it¡¯s up to how you interpret it.¡¹ ¡¸Hmph. Don¡¯t make that weird face, shithead. Fine, go tell us that.¡¹ I see. Then, let¡¯s talk about it. ¡¸Their meeting was just around a few days ago. The hoodlum who usually hung out in the back alley, making troubles right and left, annoying, badmouthed, bad-mannered, doesn¡¯t have a dream, and pretty much the scum of society, one day he met a girl.¡¹ ¡¸Hou¡¹ ¡¸The girl was younger than he was. She was born with an oddity, also known as a taboo child. The girl¡¯s name is Flo¡ª¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Ain¡¯t that me and this shit!?¡¹ Ah, busted? ¡¸But I think it¡¯s quite funny.¡¹ ¡¸Funny your ass!¡¹ ¡¸Agreed¡¹ Next to the lashed out Chace, Florentine also made her comment with an astonished look. ¡¸Annoying, badmouthed, bad-mannered, has no dream, and overall a scum of society, that part I do agree, since they¡¯re on point. But don¡¯t spell my name along with his. It¡¯s unpleasant.¡¹ ¡¸Fuck you said!?¡¹ ¡¸They are all true. So what?¡¹ Oi oi. ¡¸You two, don¡¯t fight.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s your fault to begin with!¡¹ ¡¸Yer the one to blame!¡¹ I don¡¯t think so. ¡¸I was told to tell a funny story out of a sudden. I tried to tell one that I personally like. Result? I¡¯m being criticized. And now I¡¯m being blamed for you two¡¯s fight. I wonder if I¡¯m really the bad one here.¡¹ I tried to refute by twisting the words. In addition, I¡¯m already finding this whole thing bothersome. The cause of their fight? Why, it¡¯s me of course. ¡¸This hoodlum¡¯s at fault. That ain¡¯t something you can just ask someone out of the blue.¡¹ ¡¸You could¡¯ve stopped me if you don¡¯t like it! You sure say much for someone with a tight lip!¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m hella bored here!¡¹ ¡¸Well, me too!¡¹ ¡¸Ah, me too.¡¹ ¡¸Uugg¡­ Me too, you know¡­¡¹ In short, everyone is bored. Even Cherry who¡¯s dead limp feels the same. ¡¸Eil-kun¡­¡¹ The dead limp Cherry, then, called me out. ¡¸Once again, just, tell us something¡­ I just wanna divert my mind¡­¡¹ Eeh¡­ Even this girl says something like that to me. ¡¸She¡¯s right, Eil. Really, anything¡¯s fine. I care not even if it¡¯s not interesting, just tell us. I¡¯m so bored I¡¯d rather die.¡¹ And now Florentine. Why me? ¡­Ah, since there¡¯s nobody else other than me who can talk, huh. The hoodlum has a bad mouth, the boss¡¯ princess is bad with words, Cherry is pretty much dead. Between the suffocating atmosphere and this pressure to talk, why am I the one who kept pulling the short end here¡­ Well, fine. Let¡¯s not put my mind there. In the first place, I¡¯m just as bored. Even if I wanted to sleep, I¡¯ve slept so much that I can¡¯t even close my eyes. Perhaps I can get some distraction if I talk about something. Hmm. Well, let¡¯s see. ¡­Ah, there¡¯s always that to talk about. ¡¸Rather than me talking about it, I have things I want to ask you, Florentine. It¡¯s something I always have in mind.¡¹ ¡¸To me? What is it?¡¹ ¡¸Before that, let me tell you this. I have no idea about taboo children like you. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you this. I absolutely have no intention to make fun of you or look down on you. While at it, let me also say that I¡¯m not a believer and I hold no prejudices against taboo children. With that in mind, will you answer my questions?¡¹ When told her to anticipate my sensitive questions, Florentine furrowed her brows uncomfortably, and yet¡ª¡ª ¡¸Well, it¡¯s fine.¡¹ She didn¡¯t refuse me. ¡¸You never give me any weird looks all this time, after all. I know you hold no bad intentions. Hate it or not, we¡¯ll spend a year together from now on anyway. Ask away, I¡¯ll answer.¡¹ Okay, then, let¡¯s ask. ¡­Ah, one more thing. ¡¸Don¡¯t comment, Chace. You¡¯ll just fight and tire all of us out. Also, I won¡¯t stop her next time.¡¹ ¡¸Ahn?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m pretty sure Florentine is stronger than you are. You see her strength. You¡¯ll die if she hit you. Where do you want to escape, in this small carriage? I won¡¯t stop her, I tell you.¡¹ ¡¸¡­Tch. I got that. I¡¯ll zip my mouth.¡¹ ¡¸I also won¡¯t give you meat.¡¹ ¡¸I told you I got that! ¡­Give me meats. Dinner is the only thing I can look forward to in this shit hole of a carriage.¡¹ Not only he shows his exhaustion, he even lets out a whine. Well, fine. Either way, Chace¡¯s mouth is now sealed. ¡¸What¡¯s the difference between a taboo child and us? It¡¯s my first time seeing one.¡¹ White hair and red eyes. That is the characteristic of a taboo child, the so-called Devil¡¯s incarnate. Well, Florentine¡¯s hair is more ash-colored than white, if anything. When normal kids inherited the color of their eyes and hair from their parents, it is told that taboo children are the only exception, as they born with different colors as if they¡¯re babies not belonging to their parents¡­ for that reason, they are told to be the symbol of bad luck, the offspring of the devil. Or so I heard. However, looking at Florentine, while I do think she¡¯s unique, I find nothing out of the ordinary. It¡¯s not like her presence isn¡¯t of a human either. ¡¸I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any real difference. I have been labeled as evil and antagonized by your people, abused and gossiped and beaten around. What wrong did I do? That question haunted my childhood.¡¹ ¡¸Then, you only look different?¡¹ ¡¸I guess. Though I think everyone is different from one another. Things like your favorite food and color.¡¹ I see, I see. ¡¸Do you eat raw meat?¡¹ ¡¸You asked me that before. I do not. Normally, you don¡¯t.¡¹ ¡¸Do you think a meat tree will grow if you plant a bone?¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s that, a fairy tale? No way that¡¯s true. ¡­That¡¯s quite the creepy fairy tail, though.¡¹ ¡¸Do you take a gamble and eat a poisonous mushroom, even if you know it¡¯s poisonous?¡¹ ¡¸You take me for a fool? Why would anyone eat it when they know it¡¯s poison. You¡¯ll die.¡¹ ¡¸Your first time defeating a demon beast is when you¡¯re 8 year old?¡¹ ¡¸Impossible. I haven¡¯t even hit a demon beast in my life.¡¹ ¡¸Have you ever stole a vegetable while making a forceful strained interpretation, like that the vegetable is fallen on the ground?¡¹ ¡¸¡­That, I have. However, I did no interpretation. I was simply a vegetable thief.¡¹ ¡¸Are you really strong in fights?¡¹ ¡¸Well, I am strong. I was always being treated unreasonably, but one day I flipped out and whack ¡®em back. I hold nothing back now. You get on my nerve, you get my punch.¡¹ ¡­¡­.I see. I see. Ah, is that so. ¡¸It¡¯s been on my mind, you see.¡¹ ¡¸Ah? That it? That¡¯s some weirdly specific questions. Is there even someone like that? Sounds so idiotic.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­yeah. ¡¸That, all of it, was about my sister.¡¹ ¡¸Hah? Sister¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Everything. Was about. My sister.¡¹ ¡ª¡ªThat¡¯s right. I don¡¯t know since when, but I¡¯ve been suspecting that my sister is actually a taboo child. After all, she¡¯s an entity that can¡¯t be measured with common sense. Everything about her is out of spec, or should I say, she¡¯s just out of norm.. It¡¯s hard for me to say this, but I can¡¯t think of her as a normal human, or even someone related to me. That¡¯s why, I assumed her to be some kind of mutation¡ª¡ªsomething like a taboo child. Only her look was normal, she might be a taboo child inside. I thought taboo children eat raw meat, or even obsessed with meat, they eat poisonous mushrooms again and again no matter how much you explain that it is poisonous, telling you back bullshits like ¡°you could gain poison resistance if you eat it¡± then continue to devour the poison with a calm face. So I was wrong. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ If I put myself in Florentine¡¯s shoe and heard my own story, I¡¯m pretty sure it sounds like this. ¡¸My sister is more of a taboo child than a taboo child¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡¸What do you think about this?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹ Chace averted his eyes from mine. ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹ Florentine, too, averted her eyes from mine. ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹ Cherry is dead. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ She¡¯s my big sister you know. ¡­¡­My big sister. The inside of the carriage is now filled with an even heavier atmosphere, more than ever before. The carriage sways with the hooves of the horse. CH 38 38. Megane-kun, Spending the last Afternoon Break ¡¸We¡¯ll arrive by tonight¡¹ On an afternoon break on the eighth day, the coachman told us that. Despite the slight drizzle, the weather is great. Today is another sunny day. A strong rain can drain the horse¡¯s stamina, and it might get sick at worst. In addition, if the ground is worsened by the rain, our speed will drop no matter what we do about it. I assume, if that happened, we would have to stop by the nearest village or town. Not only wouldn¡¯t we be able to make progress, but the ground also wouldn¡¯t provide a good resting spot, so camping out wouldn¡¯t work. Although the environment inside the carriage was bad, there was no obstruction from outside, like magic beasts and such, so we progressed without much trouble. ¡¸Finally¡­¡¹ Chace¡¯s voice has no spirit in it. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s more relieved than glad when he heard that the trip is finally over. I feel you. After all, we¡¯re all burnt out from the long trip with this carriage. Me? Me too, of course. I¡¯m as tired as everyone is, I¡¯m just the type that doesn¡¯t show it on my face. By the way, we don¡¯t take an afternoon break often. There won¡¯t be enough time to hunt, so Chace¡¯s cooking will be out of the schedule as well. Around the fifth day, I asked the uncle if the horse would be fine if it kept being worked like this, but the uncle only told me I don¡¯t need to worry about it. At the end of the day, the horse who had worked the most does not seem to be affected nor physically drained. Even right now, it is eating grass like a boss. It is just a thought but¡­ similarly to Cherry, the coachman can probably use healing magic. Looking at the condition of the horse, it is evident that it has recuperated well. However, that is not something I will trouble myself with. Even if I were to inquire, he would probably not tell me as well. ¡¸There is one thing I must say in advance.¡¹ Eh? The uncle starts to talk? Whenever we start a conversation, his two main replies would be ¡¸I can¡¯t answer it¡¹ or ¡¸you don¡¯t need to know it¡¹, the only things we could squeeze out of him were the trip¡¯s schedule and its progress. Naturally, the other three are just as shocked as I am, and we give him full attention. Thoughts like ¡¸this guy¡¯s speaking, he¡¯s speaking with his mouth¡¹ or ¡¸what is he going to say¡¹ are shared among us. ¡¸At the place you guys are going to, everything is self-sufficient. Daily necessities, household items, and furniture are all not available. There is no distribution of food as well. In the first place, there are no shops at all so you cannot make any purchases.¡¹ Hmm. So that¡¯s how it is. ¡¸Eh? Even though it¡¯s a school? It is a school, right?¡¹ ¡¸Oh, so a school is like that¡¹ I thought to myself, but Cherry next to me seems to be shocked by it once she¡¯s healed from motion sickness. ¡¸In the school I went to, other than class materials, the school provides the students everything they need¡­Ah, naturally, we pay them in the form of tuition.¡¹ That¡¯s a noble daughter for you. She has gone to a school before, the place only the riches can enter. ¡¸You should¡¯ve learnt along the way.¡¹ However, the reply from the uncle is very direct and cold. ¡¸Assassins are fundamentally secluded. Renting lodgings, staying in a town, going out in public; as an assassin, those conducts should be avoided unless necessary. Self-sufficiency is a necessary skill to keep yourself alive under those conditions. And that, too, is nothing but the minimally required skill. If you can¡¯t sustain yourself, you can¡¯t stay in the school.¡¹ I see. I understand why we did not stay in any lodgings throughout this wagon journey. We¡¯re always camping out. We have not passed through a single village or town. On the contrary, we have not even seen them at all. I am very certain that we¡¯ve detoured around it. ¡¸Well, I got the whole self-sufficient stuff. And so¡­ what? This our last pit stop?¡¹ The uncle only nodded to Chace¡¯s question. ¡¸That¡¯s why I told you about it. After all, this is part of my role. That¡¯s all from me.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Ah, so that¡¯s what. ¡¸Florentine, let¡¯s go hunting.¡¹ ¡¸Oh?¡¹ Florentine, who is munching on some jerky while listening to the coachman, turns over to look at me. ¡¸What was it? Hunting?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. Basically, we¡¯re gonna prepare tonight¡¯s dinner right now. I don¡¯t know what awaits us after we reach the school, but I¡¯m sure we need to get our own food.¡¹ That must be why we¡¯re not given any provision for the trip. If so, then we have to provide it ourselves. We may be able to go hunting after we reach our destination, but unless we know the circumstances around there, we won¡¯t be able to go out right after we reach there. There won¡¯t be any hunting grounds in the school¡¯s vicinity and we have to go out far to find a spot with prey, for all I know. Fortunately, the place we are resting right now is near a mountain. The hunting ground is right beside us. It won¡¯t take much time to gather what we need if we hurry. ¡¸And why¡¯d you call for me?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because I¡¯m going for a big game so there won¡¯t be any food shortage for the next few days. I want you to help me carry it.¡¹ ¡¸Ahh, that so¡­ Okay, that sounds good. But I get my share, of course?¡¹ ¡¸I got it.¡¹ Florentine throws the rest of her jerky into her mouth and stands up. Following her, Chace also gets on his feet. ¡¸Leave the meat processing and wild herb foraging to me. I¡¯ll do the cooking too. In return, gimme some of that meat.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll help Chace-kun. Please share the food to me too.¡¹ The other two who¡¯ve understood the outline of the topic seem to think they need to provide themselves too. ¡­Well, even if they don¡¯t say anything, I am aiming for a huge game so the four of us can survive for a few days. . ¡­But, considering the school¡¯s self-sufficient policy, perhaps I¡¯m the one in the wrong here. From now on, no more free sharing. Otherwise, we¡¯ll never be able to learn to be self-sufficient. . As soon as we entered the mountains, I killed a magnificent wild boar. In fact, I could spot it from our resting place with the megane¡¯s ¡¸Night Vision¡¹. While the bloodlet is taking progress, I am gathering some wildflowers and fruits. We don¡¯t have any information about our destination anyway, it won¡¯t hurt to be prepared. ¡¸Eil.¡¹ Florentine, who is foraging like me, opens her mouth. ¡¸I¡¯ll let ya in on it.¡¹ ¡¸Hm? What is?¡¹ ¡¸My Gift, it¡¯s called ¡ºAnomalous Ogre¡». In short, it¡¯s a physical enhancement¡­just say my body got stronger, some type of magic what-have-you.¡¹ Heeh. ¡­Aah, that explains why she can lift those heavy stuff so nonchalantly. After all, she did carry a huge wild boar with just one shoulder. ¡¸And here I thought you were born with it.¡¹ ¡¸So did I. Up until I went to a Ceremony of Determination, I thought I was simply born strong. But it seems like I¡¯ve been using magic subconsciously all this time.¡¹ Subconsciously, eh. So there are cases like that, huh. By the way, I¡¯ve never heard a Gift by the name ¡ºAnomalous Ogre¡», but having a ¡¸body strengthening Gift¡¹ is wonderful. My mother has a Gift named ¡ºSuperstrength Farmer¡», which means she is strong and suited for farming. Her slender arms are even stronger than the most robust men¡¯s, and whenever she plows the fields and plants seeds, the vegetables she grows grow a bit faster and are of better quality. But, now that I heard Florentine about her Gift, I¡¯m beginning to think that Mom is perhaps someone who subconsciously uses magic too. I mean, putting aside her supernatural-ish strength, her effect on the vegetables she plants feels like magic. ¡¸So, why did you tell me?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m just seeing up ahead. Get me on ya when you¡¯re out hunting big games. I can¡¯t help with the hunting stuff, but I can carry things around.¡¹ ¡­I see. It sounds like a simple verbal promise, but this is a bit closer to terms for a contract. That, or perhaps she is offering herself as a ¡¸porter¡¹. If I have a job, make it hers too, is what she essentially said. And I only need to pay her with meat. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Well. That doesn¡¯t sound too shabby. There will inevitably be some parts that I have to throw away due to weight whenever I hunt for big games. But if I have Florentine with me, she¡¯ll be a huge help. I can retrieve every single part without any waste. Besides, retrieving the games after dressing them is completely different from dressing the games after retrieving them. Normally, you shouldn¡¯t dismantle your prey in the hunting ground as much as possible. The smell of blood can attract the magic beasts. It is only ideal to reduce as many dangerous factors as possible. ¡¸I got it. I¡¯ll rely on you.¡¹ ¡¸Good. Don¡¯t forget the meat.¡¹ Yup, eyes on the meat, after all. She does look like a carnivore, after all. Well, as two meat-lovers, I understand how she feels. I, too, a lover of meats. I just don¡¯t show it on my face. ¡ª¡ªWith that, the last afternoon break of the wagon trip is over. CH 39 Chapter 39. Megane-kun, Arriving to the Assassination Training School The last stretch of the trip went smoothly, and by the time the sun is set, the carriage is stopped as scheduled. ¡¸We¡¯re here. Get off.¡¹ Following the old coachman¡¯s words, we get off the carriage and then¡ªWe¡¯re struck dumbfounded. ¡ªWhat we see before us, is a village. And that, too, is a very desolate one. It¡¯s probably populated with less than 30 people. While there are some houses every here and there, they don¡¯t seem well-off at all. There are fields, cattle sheds, and a few more. Feels almost exactly like my own village. ¡¸This is the Assassination Training School¡­?¡¹ Against her better judgement, Florentine murmured. It¡¯s probably a tad too different from the school she has in mind. Well, yeah, I didn¡¯t expect this myself. ¡¸I didn¡¯t really expect some magnificent rows of buildings, but¡­ to my eyes, this is nothin¡¯ but a village. It ain¡¯t a school at all.¡¹ Chace seems to be in the same opinion. And so do I. ¡¸What about you, Eil-kun? What do you feel about this village?¡¹ Asked Cherry to me after she relieves herself from her motion sickness. There isn¡¯t really anything I want to say, though. ¡¸It¡¯s just a bit scarier than the Leavant manor, I think.¡¹ And even more so, since it looks like a run-of-the-mill poor village like any other. And that¡¯s why, the weapons hidden in various spots attracted my attention even more badly. For example, there¡¯s a knife hidden in a crack in the wall of that house over there, or the small, needle-shaped weapon hidden in the rickety of the too-thin wooden fences that look too fragile to protect the village. That¡¯s all I can spot from outside the village, but I believe there are a ton more similarly hidden armaments inside the village. In my case, thanks to my ¡¸Megane¡¹ I can see quite clearly even at night, but I don¡¯t think the eyes of any normal person can tell. I doubt they can even during day time. After all, those weapons are so cleverly hidden. If you ask me what¡¯s so scary about it; almost all of those weapons are designed to be used against people. They are too frail to kill a beast. Small armaments that can be slipped inside some cracks like those basically have minimal durability. They are disposable, one-time use only. And while those frail weapons are useless against animals, they can be used to kill people easily. Against someone wearing an armor, for example. Those weapons can easily slip through the shin of the armor. ¡¸Isn¡¯t everyone in this village an assassin?¡¹ ¡¸¡ªCorrect.¡¹ My assumption is answered by the coachman. It seems like he¡¯s more open now that we¡¯re here. ¡¸That being said, they are all retired assassins. Either due to an injury, old age, or other colorful reasons behind their retirement. None of them are on active duty. That includes me.¡¹ We are not exactly here to become assassins, but we are here to inherit the skills of the assassins. If so, there is no reason to be concerned whether the assassins are on active duty or not. Also, it¡¯s not always true that skilled people are necessarily good at teaching others. Teaching needs talent too, or so I think. ¡¸All of you will live here for a year. You will sustain yourselves. How you spend your time is none of our concern. Extremely speaking, you can even sleep for the whole year and we won¡¯t mind. If you can escape from here, go and flee for it, we won¡¯t even care. You are free to spend your time however you wish. That¡¯s the only rule here.¡¹ ¡­I see now. I think I know how to spend my time here. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ I was expecting to hear at least one complaint or grumble, but both Chace and Florentine are silent as if they have something in mind. Well, they must have. None of us came here to play around. Each of us has our own circumstance that leads us here. If not, I don¡¯t think we could have endured the worst carriage trip ever to get here. Ah, now that I mentioned it, my backside hurts. Must be because I didn¡¯t ask Cherry to heal me. Let¡¯s ask later. ¡¸Before we enter the village, one thing I want to ask to each of you.¡¹ In other words, he said ¡¸This is my last words for you, so listen closely even if you¡¯re tired or sleepy. You can rest after that.¡¹ With that as the opening sentence, the uncle passes his eyes around us. ¡¸What do you think you need to be an assassin? Let me hear each of your answers.¡¹ What I need¡­? ¡¸Chace. What do you need to be the assassin you aim to be?¡¹ The hot ball is thrown to him, but Chace worked out an answer without a pause. ¡¸The ability to fight. I come here to get stronger. The power to defeat everything¡­well, I maybe can¡¯t get that here, but I want strength that lets me defeat a really strong Magic Beast and get to live playing around from its reward.¡¹ Hou. Strength, huh. That¡¯s nice. Simple. ¡¸Florentine. What about you?¡¹ Without approving or denying Chace¡¯s answer, the uncle shifts his gaze to Florentine. ¡¸Me¡­ I got no idea. I just thought I couldn¡¯t stay weak, so I jumped at the invitation. I just think I can find what I want to do while I live here. Well, it grinds my teeth that I got the same motive with this bird-for-brain punk, but I seek strength too. I want the power to strike the people that get on my nerves.¡¹ She doesn¡¯t seem to have a clear idea of what she wants just yet. Well, different strokes, as they say. I¡¯m sure she has a lot in her mind. ¡¸Cherry. What do you seek?¡¹ ¡¸Everything that will be of help to Wise-sama¡ªmy father.¡¹ Having seen her in the carriage accident and getting motion sick, Cherry who¡¯s already left an impression as someone who is weak against vehicles in my eyes, now she looks very gallant as she makes her announcement. I knew it, people with strong purposes are different. ¡¸Lastly, Eil. What do you need to be the assassin you want to be?¡¹ Hm. ¡­Hmm. ¡¸I never wanted to be one in the first place, so I can¡¯t answer that.¡¹ After all, I¡¯m here to learn their skills, not to join their assassin ranks. ¡­Uwah, everyone¡¯s eyeballing me. Their eyes blank, and they¡¯re staring at me hard! Okay, let¡¯s just not pay them any heed. ¡¸¡­Then, what do you want to learn here?¡¹ Ah, he changed the question. Well, I guess that answer was just unacceptable, after all. ¡¸Let me see¡­If anything, basically everything that they said before me. Ah, not for the same reason as Cherry, though.¡¹ Aside from our motives, the reason why I decided to come here is the same reason why Chace is here, to get stronger The first thing I learned when I came to the Royal Capital was that there are so many people stronger than I am. Like Lorobel for one, or the ¡¸Black Swan of Dawn¡¹ for another. The last straw was on the Leavant Manor, though. If any of these individuals attacked Albat village, none would survive. They are all stronger than me, and they seem to be stronger than Shishou too. But that isn¡¯t always the case for people, as it is also applied to Magic Beasts. Poor villages deep in the sticks are always under the threat of Magic Beast assaults. The man who invited me here, Wise, told me that I could get stronger in a year¡¯s time. So I believed him. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. However, while I know my idea of getting stronger is vague, I don¡¯t know what kind of strength that I want to acquire. Do I want to be a hunter, or do I want to find another path to go down altogether? Just like Florentine, I¡¯ll probably find it out during my time here. And just like Cherry, I want to learn everything I can learn here. While it doesn¡¯t really drive home to me, I know for a fact that this place is a specialized school, a place to learn a specialized set of skills. Perhaps even nobles can¡¯t come here even if they wanted to. This might turn out to be such a valuable page in my book. After all, you may only pass that gate after an assassin sees a prospect in you and personally invites you to it. What we will learn here will be valuable knowledge and experience that isn¡¯t generally known to the public. So long there¡¯s the opportunity to learn it, I want to absorb it without wasting anything. ¡ªWell, I¡¯m not going to say all of that for my answer, since it¡¯s long and troublesome to say. ¡¸Anything I can learn, I will learn it.¡¹ So, I summed it up concisely. ¡¸Good.¡¹ I don¡¯t know if he approves of what I said or not, but the coachman nodded his head. ¡¸Then, I permit you to live here. Make the most of your time.¡¹ ¡ªThus starts our lives at the Assassination Training School. CH 40 Chapter 40. Megane-kun, Looking Around the Assassins¡¯ Village The house we are led and loaned to is a bit bigger than the other houses in the vicinity. It¡¯s a two-stories house, it looks like a cheap lodging from the outside. It makes you feel that it¡¯s just a place for nothing but to rest. Well, so does the look from the inside, though. The inside consists only of a row of small private rooms separated by thin planks. Exactly as the uncle said, there is nothing inside. At the very least, the house is kept clean, but that is all. After which, the old coachman leaves us without saying much. I was shocked that there was a room even narrower than the one on the lodgings I stayed at in the Royal Capital, but my travel-weary body readily accepts this rest. Even without a bed, without any daily necessities around, or even if I have to sprawl on bare ground. After each of us decided on our own room, we found out that we can¡¯t even cook in this house, as there is no kitchen. We go out front and spread out our camping gear and finish our dinner. We are really, literally, only given a place just to live. There are a lot that we have in mind, and there are more that we critically need. But, only for today, we don¡¯t say our mind out and we don¡¯t pick what we need. We simply nod off under the roof that protects us from the elements, in the complete safety of the village, whose real face only makes us feel more secure. The next day. A hunter always starts his morning early, and yet for me who was exhausted out of my mind, I overslept a bit. It seems like my body longed for rest more than I thought. Well, I did sleep on a hard floor, so my joints are cracking all over. I stretch my aching body, put on my ¡¸Megane¡¹to go out to wash my face, and take another look at this village now under the sun. ¡­Yeah, it¡¯s a normal village. Its outward looks, at least Some people have started working in the fields this early, some others are practicing swinging with wooden sticks, and there are some women as well who are doing laundry. Each one of them has their respective job. There seems to be a smithy just on the outskirts of the village, as I can catch the faint sound of metal hammering metal. It¡¯s probably just a small smithy. Maybe they can forge something simple for us. I don¡¯t know if this is surprising or I should have expected it. But there are also people who are obviously not assassins¡­ as in, they¡¯re just normal people. I wonder what their roles are in here? Although, I¡¯m pretty sure they, at least, know that this is a village of assassins. Well, I guess I just need to find out more about that later. I draw water from a nearby well, wash my face, and then moisten my throat. ¡ªWell, then. I¡¯ve been living together with Chace and the other two during the journey, but from here on, we¡¯ll be on our own. Do as you please, is what the uncle told us. We can just indulge ourselves and sleep all day long. Though, obviously, that means we won¡¯t learn anything at all. We can also try our best to make a living here. But, seeing that self-sufficiency is the fundamentals of the livelihood in this village, if we only focus on learning while neglecting the rest, our livelihood will be a mess. Without the minimum amount of nutrition intake, we will get sick. And if we do, then we¡¯d better forget trying to learn anything. In short, it¡¯s up to each of us to decide what we want to learn and the pace we are going to learn it. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what the villagers¡­ex-assassins that live here want to teach us. As for me¡­ I¡¯m not sure yet. Before I can steady my livelihood bases and become used to living here, I¡¯m not going to ask anyone to teach me anything. I need to be able to live first and foremost. That¡¯s my top priority. I need a stable supply of food and I want a bedding¡­ Well, perhaps a bedding is too much, but at least a rug, or else I¡¯ll have trouble sleeping. Not to mention, while the weather is good right now, the seasons will change and the cold will come. At the very least, I need to prepare for winter fall. I want stability first, after all. Learning can come after that. ¡ªOkay, I see my prospects now. First, let¡¯s take a look around the village. There are people who are obviously experts at¡­ their line of work roaming around in the village, but there are also people who look perfectly like any normal villager. And then, there are the real normal villagers too. And there are children as well. This village really seems like a normal village. Its appearances alone, that is, that looks like a normal village. ¡­Well, I¡¯ve already found the most dangerous person in here right away, though. In front of a certain house, a grampa is sitting on a simple chair that looks like a log cut into a cylinder, dozing off, head nodding up and down. He is bald, his hands wrinkled from age, and he looks perfectly like an ordinary grampa, no matter how you see him. But that is what frightens me the most. His presence is just ordinary, and it¡¯s not like he doesn¡¯t have any openings either. However you look at him, he¡¯s just an elderly sitting on a chair. But that, is dangerous. I don¡¯t have any valid reason to say why that is dangerous¡­ no, perhaps it¡¯s some kind unnamed wariness in me that tells me of it. My survival instinct is cranked to eleven, telling me that I must not get close to that thing. Tentatively, I try to see the ¡¸Number¡¹ on his head with ¡¸Megane¡¹ and¡­ As expected, it¡¯s ¡¸0¡¹. That is an opponent I can never win against whatever I do. ¡¸¡ªYou have good eyes.¡¹ Oops. I couldn¡¯t sense him up until he opened his mouth. Surprised, I turn around and see the uncle that had been on the same trip as me until yesterday standing there. Come to think of it, he¡¯s a residence too, huh. ¡¸Isn¡¯t that gramps too strong?¡¹ ¡¸You can tell, huh. He was once said to be the most skilled assassin in the long history of assassins in Nastiara. There¡¯s an anecdote that says he even once nonchalantly assassinated a dragon.¡¹ Is that for real? ¡­It seems to be, huh. Somehow, when I see that grampa, I feel like I can understand where that comes from. ¡¸By the way, Eil. Are you out to hunt?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? I am, why?¡¹ I don¡¯t know any other method to secure food. I can¡¯t stop hunting either. ¡¸I see. I won¡¯t stop you, but I must warn you that the Magic Beasts around here are strong. Be wary.¡¹ After that, the uncle teaches me about the hunting grounds nearby. We are at the foot of a mountain. The nearest spot will be the mountain, though it¡¯s very clear from here. But, there seems to be other places with a lot of prey to chase. ¡¸Also, look at this.¡¹ Saying that, the uncle produced a book from his pocket. ¡­Magic Beast Field Guide? ¡¸This book contains information on Magic Beast that tend to appear in the vicinity and¡ªYou can¡¯t have it yet.¡¹ When I went to receive it, the uncle put the book aside. What¡¯s with you? Why did you show it to me then? ¡¸Edible Magic Beasts and how to dress and cook them, those are written here. I believe this is something you absolutely need.¡¹ Well, I guess it is. It will be immensely useful to have the knowledge of the Magic Beasts before I go out to hunt them. Give that book to me already. ¡¸However, being self-sufficient is the ironclad rule here. You can¡¯t be given something arbitrarily, and I can¡¯t give you something arbitrarily either.¡¹ ¡­Aah, I see now. In short, he doesn¡¯t mind giving that book to me, but I need to give something to him in return. So, that¡¯s how it works. ¡¸How about the hide and meat of the wild boar from yesterday?¡¹ ¡¸Deal.¡¹ Ah, thank you for your patronage. That¡¯s concluded quite fast. ¡¸Let me say this once again; be careful when you¡¯re out hunting. We don¡¯t want to have a casualty so soon.¡¹ I can¡¯t be sure with that unless I see the hunting grounds in person, but¡­. Well, I¡¯ll be as careful as I can be. CH 41 Chapter 41. Megane-kun, Going to the Mountain to Check After parting with the coachman uncle, I returned to the inn¡­dorm? they allocated to us, only to find two girls frolicing around in front of the building, one has blonde hair the other white. They are Cherry and Florentine. Apparently, they¡¯re playing with a cat. ¡­A cat, right? A really huge one at that. ¡¸Ah, Eil-kun. Good morning.¡¹ Cherry greets me nonchalantly, but I¡¯m more interested with the cat that remains seated and meekly gets stroked. It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s against their treatment, but¡­ ¡¸Morning. Can I assume that¡¯s a cat?¡¹ I just can¡¯t see as a normal-sized cat. How do I put it¡­ It¡¯s as big as large-breed dogs. It has beautiful white fur with black spots and green eyes. For the cat it is, its fur is lustrous perhaps due to its nature to keep things clean. ¡­Well, is it really a cat? Even while sitting, it¡¯s on the same height as the small-statured Florentine. Isn¡¯t it a tad too big to be addressed as a cat? ¡¸Umu. Ain¡¯t it just a big cat?¡¹ Affirmed Florentine. With her hands still petting it. I wonder, how can she be so affirmed? I just can¡¯t see it as a cat. Well, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s a problem. Since the cat is here, that only means this cat belongs to the village. Which means it shouldn¡¯t be dangerous. There are children in this village too, so they wouldn¡¯t just leave it be if it posed any harm. ¡­Still, is it really a cat? I think it¡¯s at least a feline, but I¡¯m not too sure if it¡¯s a cat at all. Well, whatever. Let¡¯s put the cat business aside. Let¡¯s see my immediate schedule; I¡¯ll eat breakfast first, then flip through the guidebook the uncle gave me, then check the nearby mountain for any good hunting spot. I hurriedly start the breakfast prep. The two girls look at me as I skewer the thinly sliced wild boar meat. ¡¸Do I have any?¡¹ I answer Cherry¡¯s question without looking back at her. ¡¸I¡¯ve also adapted the self-sufficient policy here. I can¡¯t give you anything for free.¡¹ Next, Florentine raises her voice. ¡¸I¡¯ll give you this cat. Give me something to eat in return.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not your cat, Florentine. Or rather, you have a share in it. Should I grill it for you?¡¹ ¡¸S-, sure. So I got mine. Then please.¡¹ ¡¸Eeh, why does only Florentine-chan?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because she carried the wild boar yesterday. Her share from that isn¡¯t run out just yet.¡¹ I would like to divide the shares a bit more precisely, but Florentine doesn¡¯t know how to dress an animal or how to cure raw meat, so I manage them myself. For the time being, let¡¯s secure the meat and hide from my breakfast share for the old man. Which means, the hunting becomes rather urgent. After all, I don¡¯t have meat now. I can¡¯t bear to live without meat. ¡¸That¡¯s a surprise, it feels like we¡¯re bullying her for not sharing meat. Ou, give some of my meat to her.¡¹ ¡¸Is that so. Okay.¡¹ If that¡¯s what the meat¡¯s owner wants, what can I say? ¡¸Thank you, Flo-chan.¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t mind. You¡¯re just owing me one now.¡¹ ¡¸¡­Ah, so that¡¯s how it is. You¡¯re strict.¡¹ ¡¸Ou, I know how hard reality is. Though, I¡¯m sure a daughter of a noble won¡¯t understand that.¡¹ Well, that¡¯s how things are. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s as hard as Florentine makes it, but the world isn¡¯t a kind place. Half of her share of the meat has gone. ¡¸So just eat¡­¡¹ After all, she also gives it to the cat who seems to want the meat too. ¡­So it¡¯s happy when given wild boar meat. Is that thing really a cat? Done with our breakfast, I retreated to my room. Small that it is, it¡¯s still my own private room. I feel home the most when there¡¯s no one around me, after all. I should be able to read the book in peace here. Well, maybe the fatigue from the trip still lingered, I admit I fell asleep for a little. Even so, I flip through the book energetically. Two things that I noticed. First, there are certain pages that are easier to open compared to the rest. Second, those pages are more worn out and have more finger marks. My guess is that someone must have gone through these pages over and over again, to the point where they would leave finger marks behind. These stains are their vistage. This book may have been handed down through several generations of Assassination Training School students like us. If these particular pages are easy to open, or there are traces of them having been looked at many times before, that means that, for those people who got a hold of this book before, the information contained within these pages is important enough to be checked at often. Perhaps, these pages contain the information of Magic Beasts that can be found in the vicinity. ¡ªUnfortunately, I can¡¯t read half of them due to the difficult characters they¡¯re written in. I guess it¡¯s best to learn how to read a little bit better. Some time after midnoon, I decided to get ready and head for the mountain. I¡¯m just testing the water for now, but I need to see the hunting ground by myself at least once anyway. Hopefully I¡¯ll be able to get some birds or rabbits while I¡¯m at it. After all, I can¡¯t live without meat. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Still, there are so many Magic Beasts. I just entered the mountain. And yet, as far as my ¡¸Megane¡¹ aided eyes can see, there¡¯s already so many Magic Beasts. I wonder how they manage their territories. Do they coexist with each other? Not to mention, when these Magic Beasts wander off in the direction of the village, they will suddenly back away and hastily run off into somewhere else. Clearly, they are afraid of the village of assassins. They don¡¯t want to get any closer than a certain distance. Well, it is the truth that there are many dangerous individuals residing there. Maybe they can feel it with some sensation that humans don¡¯t have, an instinctive fear. Putting that aside, as expected, there¡¯s no prey around here. The presence of the Magic Beasts drive the animals away. Sometimes, the Magic Beasts feed on them, some other times, they¡¯re seen as foreign enemies. A hunter¡¯s rule of thumb: Where there is a Magic Beast, there won¡¯t be a game to hunt. ¡­Still, though. There really are a lot of Magic Beasts here. I¡¯m sure there are edible Magic Beasts among them, but, well, I still can¡¯t read half of the guide book. There¡¯s a Magic Beast with the comment ¡¸meat is tasty¡¹ on its page, so I might look around and see if I can hunt it down. As a test, I look up to the ¡¸numbers¡¹ of the nearest Magic Beast to me¡­ a large insect-like Magic Beast. ¡ªAnd to my horror, I learned it. ¡¸Oi oi¡­¡­¡¹ What these ¡¸megane¡¹ aided eyes can see is a single number spelled as ¡¸1¡¹. In other words, there are almost no Magic Beasts that I can hunt on this mountain at all. CH 42 Chapter 42. Megane-kun, Acquires Poison To be a hunter is to take different measures when one can¡¯t hunt in a fair way. Humans aren¡¯t that strong of a creature to begin with. Animals and demon beasts are fundamentally more physically capable than humans. If we are to fight them naked and without a weapon, we probably couldn¡¯t even defeat the herbivores. It¡¯s our wit that bridges and overturn that gap. We devise tools to gain an advantage, hone our skills, do everything we can to come up with the best possible solution before we go and hunt them. This is how hunters have been fighting for centuries. After I descended the mountain, I looked around the village of assassins, thinking of ways to contend with those powerful demon beasts. ¡ª¡ªFirst, let¡¯s look for a poison user. There has to be one here. After all, poison and assassins are such an ironclad combination that it paints the image of what an assassin is. Well, that¡¯s just a generalization, though. I haven¡¯t decided yet if I¡¯m going to seek knowledge about poisons or just want to get some poisons to hunt, but it¡¯s best to talk with a poison expert to consult about that, too. All poisons that I can use are fairly well known and easy to obtain. Because of that, I don¡¯t know anything about hard drugs or powerful poisons. I can make simple poisons myself, but Shishou never taught me how to craft anything that could kill me if I blundered. Shishou himself said he wasn¡¯t very good at compounding, so I guess he isn¡¯t very keen on the varieties of poison. I asked an uncle ploughing the field ¡¸Is there someone who deals with poison?¡¹, and he immediately gave me an address. Apparently, you don¡¯t need to compensate if you¡¯re just asking for a place to go to. I wonder if that uncle was an assassin or some kind too. I¡¯m not very sure. I went around a large barn while my mind was still wandering¡ª¡ªand I found my destination. It¡¯s an ordinary-looking house with a signboard with a picture of a medicine bottle on it. Indeed, this is a pharmacist¡¯s house. ¡¸Good afternoon¡¹ I opened the door. ¡¸Hold on. You mustn¡¯t open the door so suddenly like that, you know. What a naughty boy you are.¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ The granny, who must be the owner of the house, is in the middle of changing clothes. Well, it doesn¡¯t really bother me. ¡¸I¡¯m looking for poisons.¡¹ ¡¸Aah? I¡¯m still half-naked, though. Can¡¯t you get out for a while?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, I¡¯m not interested in seeing it or anything, so I don¡¯t mind.¡¹ ¡¸I do!¡¹ ¡¸Just wear your clothes then.¡¹ ¡¸I am changing into it so shoo! Off you go already!¡¹ Ah, crap. Granny throws a wallet, a jar, some herbs, and a strange shaped stone-like object at me, so I close the door and flee. The things she threw out the door, let¡¯s pick them up from the ground. The contents of the jar are probably disinfectant. I¡¯ve seen herbs tied up in bundles with a string like this often. She even threw her wallet¡­ I¡¯m not going to see the contents, though. The question is, what¡¯s with this stone? Just what is this thing? It¡¯s star-shaped¡­¡­but it¡¯s just a stone, after all? At least I think it¡¯s made out of stone materials. I still don¡¯t know what it is, though. ¡¸Come in¡¹ Ah, there¡¯s the permission. ¡¸Pardon my intrusion¡¹ Gathering up all these items, I once again step inside the pharmacist¡¯s house. ¡¸¡ªEek ke ke ke ke¡­Welcome to my path of pharmacology.¡¹ The granny wears a black robe and hood, looking like a witch skilled in curses and black magic. Her house is set to dimly lit. There¡¯s no service counter, but there are many shelves lined with chemicals and whatnot. Perhaps the room is set to be dark to prevent these chemicals from deteriorating. They are all medicinal herbs from the looks of it, but I guess a pharmacist would handle poisons as well. Poison and medicine are closely related, after all. ¡¸Ah, were you changing into that robe before?¡¹ When I asked her that, she heaves out a noticeable sigh, before she goes to lit up a candle. ¡¸I was. There¡¯s such a thing called a character a teacher should perform, you know. What kind of person opens a door without knocking?¡¹ ¡¸Huh, I¡¯m sorry. I had something else in mind.¡¹ Apparently, granny knew I was coming somehow, and she had just started to change her wardrobe to assume the figure of a brooding and suspicious poison hag to set up the mood. Also, I won¡¯t say it since I¡¯m the one at fault here, but I¡¯m sure the whole thing was a huge disaster for both her and me. The granny didn¡¯t want me to see her changing clothes, and I, by all means, never wanted to see her either. ¡­Well, I won¡¯t say it to her though, since she may actually throw poison at me next time. ¡¸Atmosphere is very important, you know. Where¡¯s the integrity if we are to exchange poisons in a bright, cheerful atmosphere?¡¹ Integrity. ¡¸I don¡¯t think poison and integrity go hand in hand.¡¹ ¡¸Aah, that so? Well, I¡¯m sure they don¡¯t. Young people nowadays can¡¯t see the beauty in assassinations. Listen, assassins are supposed to avoid the sun. Assassins are supposed to be secretive and work in the shadows. You are only an assassin once you¡¯ve melted into the shadow. And yet, youngster nowadays¡­¡­they closed in to the target to slice their neck in a flash, or pretending to be just passing by before they slip in a knife to the target¡¯s heart, or devoting their all in just one aspect then boast off their speed, saying stupid things like ¡ºOh ho ho! Can you keep up with my speed!?¡», et cetera, et cetera¡­¡­They¡¯re all only training to show off their skills. What a shame.¡¹ Sigh. Okay. ¡¸So, about the poison.¡¹ ¡¸You don¡¯t listen to people, do you? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been told that a thousand time before.¡¹ Well, I have. Quite a lot, actually. ¡¸You must be one of the newcomers that came yesterday, right? Aah, save your name to yourself. Newcomers keep dying each year. You¡¯ll just end up dead too anyway. There¡¯s no need for me to remember your name.¡¹ Oh, I see. Well, it is the truth that this village is dangerous, and so is the mountain nearby. Not exactly the safest environment to be in. ¡¸So, anyway, I want some poison.¡¹ ¡¸Get agitated a lil¡¯ bit, will you? Look, I¡¯m threatening you, okay? You should be scared witless by now.¡¹ This granny is a real piece of work, huh. ¡¸This is that, you know? I¡¯m just too scared that my psychology is reversed and now I¡¯m in the offence, kind of thing. I went over the peak of my scaredness when I heard this is a village full of assassins, and now it¡¯s all downhill.¡¹ ¡¸Quite the dramatic liar we have here, eh¡­¡­You aren¡¯t even that scared to begin with, aren¡¯t you?¡¹ Shrugging her shoulders,¡¸Sure, sure, let¡¯s just go with that.¡¹ said the granny further. ¡¸So? Poison, you ask? Poison, eh. There¡¯s a wide range of poisons here, from those that kill you instantly, to those that kill you instantly after a few moments. What kind of instant death poison that you seek?¡¹ Wow, she¡¯s sure pushing a lot of instant death poisons on me. Must be her specialty poison. ¡¸What I want is more into paralysis kind.¡¹ ¡¸Hah. You want some old, boring paralyzer.¡¹ First time I heard someone say a paralyzing poison was boring. She¡¯s requesting integrity in terms of poisons, saying that paralyzers are boring, and even picking a quarrel with someone she just met. I wonder if I¡¯d become this kind of weirdo if I mastered the way of poisons. ¡¸How much paralyzing poison will result in the instant death that you want?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t need it to kill. I want a paralyzing poison that works on the demon beasts around here.¡¹ ¡¸¡ª¡ªGive up.¡¹ The granny¡¯s eyes, invisible under her hood, turn serious. ¡¸Demon beasts around here aren¡¯t something a newborn chick can mess with. They¡¯re not like bears or rabbits.¡¹ ¡¸I know. I¡¯ve gone and seen them myself.¡¹ After saying that, I show her the Demon Beast Field Guide Book that I received from the coachman uncle. ¡¸If I really couldn¡¯t take on them no matter what, then this book wouldn¡¯t be in my hand by now.¡¹ ¡¸Not sure ¡®bout that¡¹ says granny before she sighs again. ¡¸Haah¡­¡­I don¡¯t know how good you are, but at least you got some fight in you.¡¹ Indeed. Even if this school has a policy of not helping us, I don¡¯t think they would just leave us completely to our device. If I had been deemed as too incompetent to enter the mountain, then this book wouldn¡¯t reach me, and I¡¯m sure someone would have stopped me before I could enter the mountain. Which means that they acknowledged me. The question now is whether or not they will acknowledge me from hereafter. ¡¸Fair enough. In that case, I¡¯ll give you a powerful one. In return, you bring me your kill.¡¹ ¡­¡­Heeh. While not as strict as Cherry¡¯s treatment this morning, granny sure is strict. The exchange condition granny gives me just now means that I must kill something because she gave me the paralysis poison. If I couldn¡¯t kill anything¡­¡­if I couldn¡¯t fulfill the condition she set, she probably wouldn¡¯t do any business with me ever again in the future. For now, let¡¯s get the poison. Then, let¡¯s properly read the Field Book. I won¡¯t be entering the mountain until tomorrow. I should be well prepared and have a plan in place. CH 43 43. Megane-kun, Looking for Someone to Read Him the Field Guide The pharmacist granny gave me a bottle of liquid paralytic poison. Touch to the skin is safe, but it can spread throughout the body if it gets into the eyes, mouth, or wounds even for a small amount. It¡¯s very powerful. And since the toxic is extracted from a plant, that means plants can be quite terrifying too. She said this poison can¡¯t kill you, but being unable to move within the hunting grounds means you are as good as dead. I have to be extra careful with it. Conversely speaking, if the poison isn¡¯t as strong as this, it wouldn¡¯t be effective against the Demon Beasts around here. Demon Beasts have something called Magic Core in them. It¡¯s usually located in the center of their body, around their heart. Shishou, who taught me about it, apparently doesn¡¯t know much about Magic Cores, but it seems that the Magic Core is the source of the Demon Beast¡¯s mana, maintaining the Demon Beast¡¯s strong physique, and giving it life force and resistances. It is the source of their various abilities unique to Demon Beasts, such as healing wounds at a visible rate, making them immune to poison, maintaining the strength of muscles and bones that keep their huge body intact, and, the most famous example, the source of a dragon¡¯s Breath Attack. And when a Demon Beast loses its Magic Core, its body will begin to break down and decay. Even if a Demon Beast lost all of its life signs, it will not deteriorate for a day or two as long as its Magic Core is still intact. They don¡¯t show many signs of rigor mortis either. There are limits to how long they can last, but they can last for quite a while. The Splinter Fang Hare that I hunted before had retained its Magic Core, so it was still fresh even if I didn¡¯t dress it for half a day. Incidentally, the line that separates a Demon Beast and an animal is based on whether or not they have a Magic Core in them. There are some Demon Beasts that don¡¯t attack people too, so you cannot say that everything that attacks people is a Demon Beast. Then, back to the topic at hand. Strong Demon Beasts have large Magic Cores. In other words, they have more mana in their Magic Cores. And because of how their Magic Cores function, they are resistant to physical attacks and poisons rarely stick on them. That is the difference between strong Demon Beasts and weak Demon Beasts. Their strength is not determined simply by how strong or weak they look or how much muscle mass they have. Ah, come to think of it, that¡¯s also the case with Florentine, huh. Appearance-wise, she looks nothing more than a small girl, but she is actually much more powerful than I am. I recall she said it¡¯s because of her ¡¸Gift¡¹ called ¡¸Anomalous Ogre¡¹ or something that utilizes her mana. In short, it would be much easier to understand if we think that Demon Beasts have ¡¸Gifts¡¹ that can strengthen their body or make them resistant to things. . Talk of the devil, Florentine is currently sitting in front of our dorm. The large cat is lying idly next to her. That thing is still around, huh ¡­¡­I still can¡¯t see it as a cat, after all. It¡¯s sleeping soundly like a cat, but it can¡¯t be a cat. ¡¸What are you doing?¡¹ ¡¸Can¡¯t you see?¡¹ ¡¸Hmm. ¡­¡­A statue of God that you pictured in mind?¡¹ ¡¸Like hell I¡¯d pick a fight with the faith of this world. ¡®Tis but a wood carving, no matter how you see it. I¡¯m sculpting a cute lil¡¯ doll.¡¹ I see. ¡­doll? It looks like some kind of animal¡­¡­No, that ominous shape, I can only see it as some kind of evil god¡­¡­Well, I won¡¯t pry further. My taste in art isn¡¯t that refined for me to comment about others¡¯. Exactly. Sitting on a huge enough log of timber for her to sit on, with one of her hands actively carving it out with a knife, what Florentine is doing is wood-sculpting. ¡¸Why? Your hobby?¡¹ ¡¸No. It¡¯s about controlling my power. I¡¯m actually just a liil¡¯ bit not good at controlling my ¡ºGift¡». I can only do three things with it; Full power, Half power, or no power at all.¡¹ Oh, I see now. So she wants to be able to use it in a more refined way? ¡¸Does doing that help?¡¹ ¡¸No idea. I only do what¡¯s told. ¡®Tis a bit hard, y¡¯see.¡¹ It¡¯s very evident from the sweats on her forehead. She must have been working very seriously, very carefully, and with a lot of concentration. Well, this only means that Florentine and the other two are starting to move as quickly as possible, like how I started my agenda just as early. After all, none of us came here to play around. ¡¸What about ya?¡¹ ¡¸Getting reading to hunt, I guess.¡¹ ¡¸Call me out when you¡¯re hunting big games. I¡¯ll at least carry it around.¡¹ Will do. There are lots of Demon Beasts on that mountain. If I were to dress my game on the spot, the surrounding Demon Beasts would immediately storm me. The flow between killing my prey, collecting them, and retreating immediately has to be definite without a lot of room to think. ¡¸Have you seen Cherry or Chace?¡¹ Cherry had breakfast with us this morning, but I didn¡¯t see Chace the bully. Well, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s already on the move like the rest of us. ¡¸Aah, Cherry is out looking for a magician. She said she wants to practice magic or something.¡¹ Training magic, huh. She does have a valuable ¡¸Magician¡¯s Gift¡¹, after all. So she¡¯s thinking of expanding it. ¡¸For that punk, I believe he went to the smithy on the outskirts. Didn¡¯t ask why.¡¹ Perhaps he¡¯s looking for a weapon. He did say he wants to get stronger. ¡¸By the way, Florentine. Can you read alphabets?¡¹ ¡¸Alphabets? I can¡¯t. I remember numbers, but I had no chance to remember words.¡¹ I see. I wonder what I should do with the Field Guide. Maybe I can ask someone from the village. ¡¸Go and ask Cherry for it. She a noble, she must be able to read.¡¹ ¡¸But she¡¯s training right now, isn¡¯t she?¡¹ ¡¸Nah. Thar she is.¡¹ When I look at the direction Florentine¡¯s chin pointed, I see a blonde with glasses walking to us. That¡¯s some subtle look she has. ¡¸Ou. Have you found a magician yet?¡¹ Being called by Florentine, Cherry only responds with a sigh. Apparently, she didn¡¯t notice us here. ¡¸Yes. ¡­¡­I was told to keep using magic until I collapse for two to three days¡­¡­¡¹ Apparently, Cherry has been thinking about it on her way here but still unable to find why. That being said, until you collapse, huh. I can only produce three pairs of ¡¸Megane¡¹ a day. Once I make three, I¡¯ll lose my consciousness. I guess the instruction Cherry received was to experience that state over and over again. I¡¯d hate to do that. ¡¸I don¡¯t get it. What¡¯s the meaning behind that?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know¡­¡­ ¡°You can do it on your own, so do it yourself¡± is all I was told. That¡¯s why I came back. By the way, what are you doing, Flo-chan?¡¹ Asked Cherry, and then Florentine repeated the same answer she gave to me. ¡¸Control, is it¡­¡­I hope you can get better.¡¹ ¡¸Ou.¡¹ ¡¸By the way¡­¡­What is that Great Devil-like statue supposed to be?¡¹ ¡¸Tis a cute lil¡¯ doll no matter how you see it.¡¹ ¡¸Eh? That is¡­¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Haah? Got a problem?¡¹ ¡¸No¡­¡­¡­¡­not really¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Well, everyone has their own tastes in things. ¡¸Cherry, can you read alphabets?¡¹ Since there¡¯s this inexplicable feeling of uneasiness creeping between them, I intervened. I would have left them alone and run away normally, but I have my businesses. ¡¸E¡­¡­Yeah, I can. Although, I obviously can¡¯t read ancient alphabets or ciphered codes.¡¹ ¡¸How about these?¡¹ When I handed her the Field Guide, Cherry flips through the pages and replies to me ¡¸These are okay¡¹. That¡¯s great. ¡¸Can you read it for me? I want to know what it says.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s alright. ¡ª¡ªI¡¯ll get my dinner, of course.¡¹ Seems like Cherry has also been baptized by the self-sufficient policy. But, well, that¡¯s a small price to pay. CH 44 44. Megane-kun, Heading out to Hunt Fearing that she might be mauled if we leave her alone, we move a short distance away from Florentine who¡¯s sculpting her cute Evil God doll (temp name) before I have Cherry read the book for me. Our rooms are also a bit dim anyway, so it¡¯s better to read outside at this time of the day. I ask her to focus on the pages that are easy to open and have hand marks all over. I have her repeat the words and such that I don¡¯t understand to make sure I have the contents drilled into my head and I can read the letters to an okay degree. For the time being, I memorized letters that said ¡¸super delicious¡¹ and ¡¸you have to get these parts¡¹ and ¡¸its heart¡¯s location¡¹. In other words, whether it¡¯s edible or not, parts that will sell for the highest amount, and its weak point as a living creature. I can tell the weak points for mammal and humanoid types, which are their heads and the center of their body, but I¡¯m not experienced dealing with insect or reptile types, and there¡¯s a lot of things I don¡¯t know about them. They don¡¯t show up often near Albat village, after all. I have her read it until the sun goes down and the book can¡¯t be read, and that¡¯s all I get for now. ¡¸I think it¡¯s time for dinner. I¡¯ll be right back.¡¹ I leave the village for a while and return right after. I killed a migratory bird called Blue Feather that was resting near the entrance to the mountain and bring it with me. The power of ¡¸Megane¡¹ is really astonishing. It never misses any prey, no matter how small. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Uwah, the cat just plodded right up to me. Or rather, it¡¯s really been here since this morning, huh. The cat-thing is looking at the bird in my hand with a curious look. This guy¡¯s definitely not a cat. Its eyes are looking a bit downwards when it¡¯s full up straight¡­¡­which means it¡¯s as tall as I am. This is its height when it¡¯s on all four legs, so if it stood on its hind legs alone, it¡¯d be twice as tall. Cats have long bodies, after all. ¡¸I don¡¯t have any for you.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ When I said that, implying shooing it, the cat gives me a somehow sad look. I don¡¯t think it understands words, but¡­¡­or rather, while it¡¯s not a cat, I wonder whose pet cat it is? Go and have your meal in your own house. ¡¸Aah, you poor thing. So cruel to an innocent kitten.¡¹ Florentine, who¡¯s watching the whole thing unfold, guilt trips me by hugging the cat¡¯s neck. Wait, did she say kitten? That¡¯s already even more impossible to consider than calling it a cat. ¡¸Any sensible person woulda given you some meat. I feel sorry for you. Aah, do we humans have any decency or goodness in us at all? Truly a terrible age we live in.¡¹ I don¡¯t think the age we live in has anything to do with it. ¡¸You should just give it your share of boar meat, then.¡¹ ¡¸No.¡¹ Hmm. That¡¯s a reply that came from her heart. ¡¸But, I want to give this little one some meat. That¡¯s what it means to be a parent.¡¹ Yeah. You¡¯re no parent. And, I¡¯d say that this cat hardly passes to be called ¡¸little one.¡¹. Or rather, it¡¯s not a cat, fundamentally speaking. ¡­¡­Florentine¡¯s grumbles and the cat¡¯s gazes are getting tiresome to deal with, so I decided to hunt another in the end. Or rather, I¡¯m pretty sure this cat is capable of hunting on its own. It¡¯s not a cat, after all. . After I finished dinner, I retreated to my room. I lit my own resin candle and looked at the field guide under its illumination. While jogging up the information about the Demon Beasts in my head, I¡¯m conjecturing the possible movements of these Demon Beasts based on their shape, and repeat it with mental rehearsal. It¡¯s never a good thing to do everything at the spur of the moment. It could lead to confusion in making snap judgements. While it¡¯s not possible to actually gain experience, I can still imagine how the hunt may unfold. The night passed as I deepened my understanding of the information I had been fortunate enough to obtain beforehand. . I woke up while it¡¯s still dark outside. It¡¯s the second day since we arrived at this village. Our traveller¡¯s exhaustion has naturally subsided as well. While nobody else is awake¡­¡­No, one of them is awake, huh. I leave the dorm while two of our group are still asleep, and prepare for this morning. I draw my bow and have some light practice before I get something for breakfast. It¡¯s still early in the dawn. The village hasn¡¯t awakened just yet. The cat isn¡¯t here, either. It wasn¡¯t a cat, though. ¡ª¡ªThe demon beast that I¡¯m after is active day and night, though it¡¯s basically nocturnal; it sleeps at sunrise and resumes its activity comes midday. Well, it¡¯s written that it¡¯ll attack their prey even in the daytime if it¡¯s hungry. So, its nocturnality is fundamentally just its habit. Or rather, it seems that it¡¯s much stronger at night due to its physical characteristics. Which is why I¡¯m going to hunt it just as it¡¯s getting tired and going to rest. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­whoops¡¹ When I looked up after sensing a gaze on me, I see the giant cat peeking its face out from the dorm¡¯s roofs. No, it¡¯s not a cat, though. It seems like it spent the night up there. And down it goes. The thing¡¯s aiming for my mealtime. Must be someone¡¯s pet cat. It should¡¯ve gone back to its owner¡¯s house already. Well, it¡¯s not a cat, though. Having a meal by myself feels a bit wrong, so I reluctantly throw it some bird meats I hunted yesterday. While it eats, I kill some time by checking through my hunting gears. ¡­¡­Nevertheless, seeing that I bothered to pick out the bones and put the meat on a leaf before I gave it to the cat, I can¡¯t help but feeling like I¡¯ve gotten soft. Now I¡¯m not much different than Florentine who¡¯s advocating for this cat. ¡­¡­Oh well. As the sun begins to peek out in the horizon and the world is illuminated, I stand on my feet. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ After it¡¯s finished the bird meat without reserve, the cat, who¡¯s sitting next to me, sees me off as I head down to the mountain¡ª¡ªthen I stop midtrack and look back. ¡¸You¡¯re not a cat, aren¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ The cat starts licking its paw as if to say ¡¸Whaddaya mean?¡¹¡­¡­While its gesture is very cat-like, it can¡¯t be a cat. . This hunt is a short and decisive battle. It must be done while the paralyzing poison is still in effect. If blood is spilled, more demon beasts will come. If I make a ruckus, demon beasts will come also. In some cases, wounded demon beasts may call for help as well. For these reasons, I plan to finish the game, collect it, and bring it to the village as soon as possible. In addition, the last reason is not written in the field guide, as it is nothing but a guess from me. I am just hypothesizing that perhaps there¡¯s a connection between demon beasts of the same species. Of course, I¡¯m hoping that¡¯s not the case. There are many candidates that I consider, but there aren¡¯t many demon beasts that I can retrieve safely by myself. I decided to go after this one by a process of elimination. And, it¡¯s also one that I completely rely on ¡¸Megane¡¹. As soon I entered the mountain, the demon beast is already in sight. ¡ª¡ªI knew it, this is amazing. I can feel the presence of other demon beasts, but I can¡¯t feel this one at all. I didn¡¯t expect that there¡¯s a demon beast that breathes even quieter than an insect and is more concealed than a copper pheasant. Sky Lizard. Aka, the Dark Night Hunter. CH 45 45. Megane-kun, Winning via His Mental Trainings Sky Lizard. It was there, on top of some branch. Looking at it with the ¡¸Night Vision¡¹, it appears red in my vision. Its size and its shape match the description from the Field Guide, so I¡¯m pretty sure this is my prey. Still, I¡¯d be damned. I know it is there, but I can¡¯t feel even a shred of its presence. I¡¯ve never met a creature like this before¡­.. no, I have. I do have, haven¡¯t I. In fact, I just did meet some recently. After all, such creatures are everywhere both in the Leavant Manor and this Assassin Village. People with no presence whatsoever. Like an auntie that just showed up right behind you. Mainly, old people. Just thinking that creatures like that suddenly jumped on you from above¡­¡­well, no wonder they call this Demon Beast a ¡¸Hunter¡¹. On a completely unrelated note, I think that auntie can kill people just by shocking them to death via suddenly showing up behind them. I¡¯m just that much terrified of her. For this lizard¡¯s case, however, it appears to have melted. It¡¯s still some distance away, alas, I put a guard up and ready myself onto the aggression from where I am. I take my bow, apply the paralyzing poison onto the arrowhead, and nock it. Ready to launch. I move as little as possible, snuffing out any sounds I may make, and take a position where there is an open straight line between me and the beast. ¡ª¡ªSilently, the arrow is released. ¡¸Gyii?!¡¹ It hits squarely. The Sky Lizard squealed at the sudden attack, falling off the tree it rested upon. I already ran to where it fell before I could even confirm the hit. I¡¯ve already anticipated this to happen during my mental training. The paralyzer takes effect immediately. The question is how quickly can I retrieve it and return to the village. Its blood is already spilled. It¡¯s also making a lot of noises. I need to finish it fast before a new Demon Beast enters the fray. Sure enough, at the spot where the lizard fell to¡­. there¡¯s nothing. No, wait, there is. An arrow quivering, floating in the air, and some red liquid flowing out of something and hitting the ground. This is surprising. It¡¯s really melted. This Demon Beast, Sky Lizard, has a mimicry ability that lets it ¡¸melt into the background¡¹. It becomes as transparent as water. While it is a dreadful ability even during daytime, due to refraction of light and many other factors, I can still vaguely make out its shape. But, it¡¯s a different thing altogether if it¡¯s nighttime. At night, where light is scarce, it is said that this Demon Beast becomes truly invisible. It¡¯s written in the Field Guide that you¡¯d better be prepared to die if you encounter one at night. Also, on a completely and perfectly unrelated note, the author of the Field Book closed the segment with a comment ¡¸I wish I could be like the Dark Night Hunter and drop myself onto pretty girls at night¡¹. Really makes me wonder how this book managed to get published at all. Indeed, you can tell that there is something there if you stare at it hard enough. Something that is more like a haze. The scenery looks a little distorted, and even if it¡¯s gone transparent, it can¡¯t avoid crushing down the grass and such under its body weight. No. This isn¡¯t time to marvel at it. The fact that I can¡¯t see it means that it¡¯s still alive. The Sky Lizard¡¯s special ability, mimicry, is still active. The arrow is lodged near the neck, just as I aimed. It¡¯s a good firing point to kill in a single shot, and yet the beast is not dead yet despite it hit the bullseye. This means the arrow didn¡¯t penetrate deep enough to cause a fatal wound. Probably due to its strong Magic Core. Its defence is simply too solid. Thinking that killing it with a bow and arrow may prove impossible, I pull out my dressing knife. I¡¯ve anticipated that this might happen. I choose my next action decisively, all thanks to the elaborate mental training I did just in case things went this way. I use Night Vision to see the invisible and aim at the area where my arrow hit. I hold my knife low at the level of my waist and stab the Demon Beast from underneath with the entire weight of my body. ¡¸Gi, gugg¡¹ What I aim for is its throat. While there is some resistance, my weight helps the blade to go all the way to its handle. I knew it, this part has to be one of the softest of various living creatures, animals and Demon Beasts alike. It¡¯s probably because it needs to be elastic during feeding time. The paralyzing poison has taken effect, so it can¡¯t move around that much, and yet I can tell through the knife that the beast is still flailing around as hard as it could. Its vitality, its very will to survive, is unbelievably strong. Still, my mental training is perfect, just in case this might happen. I put all of my strength into it and push the knife even deeper. ¡ª¡ªTHUNK A most disagreeable sound is heard. I can no longer feel my game¡¯s resistance from the knife that I hold in both hands. When one of the forces between this lizard and I disappeared, I lost my balance and tumbled over the Demon Beast. Yeah, I basically fell so spectacularly. But still, I had anticipated this to happen in my mental training. I regrouped with a front roll, bearing not even a scratch. While the knife in my hand¡ª¡ªAh, so that¡¯s why. That¡¯s how it comes to be. My knife is broken at its base. There is only fresh blood and the handle of the knife in my hands. I thought it would last me my lifetime, but to think my knife ended its term first. I guess it couldn¡¯t withstand both my weight and the Sky Lizard¡¯s resistance at the same time. Nevertheless, this level of an accident is still well within the anticipation of my mental training. I throw the handle away, take up my bow, and fire three consecutive shots at it at a close distance. My target is its head ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ When I¡¯m at my fourth arrow, things have gone quiet¡ª¡ªI can no longer feel the soundless pulse of life from it. I stopped moving, staring at where the Sky Lizard lays. ¡ª¡ªAnd then, the invisible beast is quickly dyed in various colors, enabling me to finally see its body. A huge lizard, one speckled in scales the color of soil, dead trees, and dead leaves¡ª¡ªocher, appeared in front of me. Its eyes downcast and languid, as its life has ceased to be. After making sure the ¡¸Megane¡¹ doesn¡¯t show any number on its head, I put away my bow and arrows, then line up the upper half of my body with the lizard¡¯s back. ¡¸Easy-goes, up¡¹ The hunt is still on until I return to the village with my spoil. I can¡¯t let my guard down just yet. The lizard weighs just around what I assumed it would be in my mental training. About the weight of an adult¡ª¡ªa little lighter than me. Just barely at the limit of what I could carry. Again, just like how I did it in my mental training, I turn the dead lizard upside down, lift it up, and carry it with its belly on both of my shoulders. What I struggled with in my mental training is just how fast I could go to the village from here. I redid my mental training again and again until I reached a conclusion. ¡ª¡ªJust run for it. If I follow my mental training, which I¡¯ve revised mercilessly until nothing else can be gained, I should be able to make it back to the village with no hitch. . After a few falls, drops, and throwin down Stink Bags at the first sign of danger, I managed to escape from the mountain by literally rolling away from it. It was a very close call. I was definitely being chased and targeted by a few Demon Beasts back there. I leave the mountain, and only let out a sigh when I no longer feel any presence of pursuers. I succeeded, somehow¡­¡­Still, this kind of close-call hunting style is not good at all. I will definitely flop it if I keep doing something like this time and again. No, just failing is still better. Most probably, I¡¯ll die. I managed to cover up what I lacked by going through all sorts of mental training that was ridiculous even by my standard, but I¡¯m not that much of a ridiculous character to think up such a ridiculous method again and again. The hunt went well. But it was a hunt that left a lot to be desired. The issues that came to light from this hunt are exactly what I need to overcome by studying in this Assassination Village. . I¡¯m not very happy with the success of this hunt. My footsteps are heavy when I hurry home, carrying the lizard by me. CH 46 46. Megane-kun, Picked a Fight with the Bully ¡¸Uwah, gross¡¹ It was transparent when it was alive, but now it¡¯s in the brownish color of the ground and dead leaves. Taking that into account, appearance-wise, it looks nothing more than just a huge lizard with a plain color scheme. If I have to pick what sets it apart from a normal lizard, there are some short hairs growing on some of its scales. Hmm¡­¡­.If I take a careful look at it, those short hairs look like a huge mess of bald spots. Nothing on this lizard makes it attractive. Though, the hairs do make it look like it has a comb. Seeing me coming home while carrying such a heinous thing, Cherry who¡¯s preparing breakfast gags a bit. That¡¯s quite an honestly bitter response. I thought she was the sweet and dainty type. Seems like she¡¯s harsh on lizards. Well, not that I mind. ¡¸Do you have a knife?¡¹ After losing my dressing knife, I¡¯m unable to dismantle the Sky Lizard that I hunted. The dressing method is also written in the Field Book, so I would like to do it myself to get a feel of it if possible. Well, ideally, it would be easier to understand and quicker to learn if I could do it under someone¡¯s instruction. ¡¸I don¡¯t. Ah, you mean a cooking knife?¡¹ ¡¸No, a dressing knife.¡¹ ¡¸Then no, I don¡¯t.¡¹ She answered decisively. And I got a no twice. I feel like that, even if she did have it, she wouldn¡¯t want to lend it to me, considering what I would do with it. That¡¯s okay, though. ¡¸Uwoah! The hell¡¯s that!?¡¹ Ah, and here comes Florentine. With the cat in tow. Well, it¡¯s not a cat, but I wonder if they¡¯re really that close. She¡¯s been letting it hang out around here since yesterday. ¡¸I hunted it.¡¹ ¡¸Why would ya? Shoulda hunted something more appetizing. What the hell is this? A lizard? Looks yucky.¡¹ Yeah, it¡¯s a lizard. ¡¸Apparently it¡¯s lip-smacking good.¡¹ That¡¯s what is written in the Field Book. It¡¯s also written that both its leather and its Magic Core are deeply valuable. Also, the leather of its soles, which has a very sticky property, is also high in demand. After all, that is the reason why its huge body is able to climb on trees easily. Or rather, this Sky Lizard is probably a much worse Demon Beast than I thought. It has a bad disposition, it¡¯s hard to hunt, and even a Two-Star adventurer won¡¯t be able to defeat one by themselves. First, you can¡¯t find it. It¡¯s as quiet as a small bird sleeping at night. The fact you can¡¯t sense its presence despite its huge size means just finding one will prove difficult. And even if you¡¯re lucky enough to find one, it will be transparent. Although, it¡¯s written in the Field Guide that you can have an easier time spotting it for a while if you tag it with some kind of paint or coloring agent. However, transparency is not a physical ability in the first place, but rather a special characteristic driven by mana¡­¡­Which means it¡¯s a ¡¸Magician¡¯s Gift¡¹ in human terms. To be frank, if it¡¯s just some paint, the Sky Lizard will get used to it and the paint will become transparent along with it. Which is why this method is short-term. Furthermore, it flees when it feels it¡¯s in a predicament. This is probably what¡¯s so troublesome about the Demon Beast. I mean, something invisible is running away from you. Not to mention, it goes up on trees and jumps from branches to branches to escape. It flees along routes normal people can¡¯t follow To be honest, if the Sky Lizard is already going for the run, then all is over. The difficulty of tracking them is incomparable to Splinter Fang Hare. Perhaps, it might be easier if I tag them with some odor agent rather than paint, or so I thought during my mental training. However, fundamentally, with my current abilities, it¡¯s better for me to give up if I can¡¯t get a decisive blow on the first hit. I¡¯ll lose if I have to face it. After all, this hunt is definitely one that relies heavily on the ¡¸Glasses¡¹. Whether in the discovery or on the surprise attack. It¡¯s not directly tied to my skill as a hunter. That¡¯s why it left so much more to be desired. In short, it¡¯s like ¡¸it¡¯s so strong against normal people but so weak against me¡¹ kind of thing, and ¡¸my Glasses¡¹ just happens to be very effective for confronting it. Something along that line. ¡¸What¡¯d ya say? It¡¯s edible?¡¹ ¡¸Apparently.¡¹ ¡¸Then we¡¯re talking. Let us eat.¡¹ Florentine, I said nothing about giving it to you, okay? And why are you already thinking of putting it in your stomach? I¡¯d rather not have you staring at it with such a gleam in your eyes, though? Also, you, cat. Don¡¯t come near me sniffing around like you¡¯re interested in it. I uncharacteristically showed a sweet side of me to you this morning, but I¡¯m definitely not going to spoil you. I might if you just a normal cat, but I won¡¯t feed a not-a-cat cat like you. Not to mention, you eat so much. And you¡¯re not even a cat in the first place. But, before anything else, it needs to be dressed. I asked Florentine if she has a knife, and she doesn¡¯t have one either. Leaving no further choice, without having even a break time to put the lizard down, I head to the place where I¡¯m sure I will be able to find a knife. Hopefully, they can teach me how to dress this lizard as well. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve come around this area. Today too, at some point, the high-pitched sound of metal hitting metal has been ringing. The place I go to¡­¡­is the smithy on the outskirts of the village. What finally enters my vision is a small isolated house with a small forge attached to it on the side. Even from a distance, I can see various blacksmithing tools worn down by time; the furnace for melting worn down metal, the anvil, the hammer, so on, so forth. And a brawny man working there. Still, what caught my curiosity the most is this blue-haired head. ¡¸What are you doing?¡¹ This spiky, albeit looking a bit weary, head that¡¯s been sitting in front of the smithy definitely belongs to Chace the small-time bully. ¡¸Ah? ¡­¡­Uwoah, the hell?¡¹ When he turns around to look at me, the sight of the lizard surprised him. The villagers I had passed up until I reached here didn¡¯t show any reaction at all. That¡¯s people related to the assassins for you. That being said, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d meet Chace here, considering I didn¡¯t see him yesterday and this morning. Even though I was up pretty early. ¡­¡­Didn¡¯t see him? ¡­¡­Since yesterday, up until now? ¡­¡­Don¡¯t tell me, he has been here since¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Well, whatever. Not my business. Putting Chace aside, I walk up to the smithy and approach the working uncle. ¡¸Excuse me. Excuse Me. HELLO¡¹ I think he didn¡¯t hear me over the sound of him hammering metal. After greeting him a few more times, the uncle finally turns to see me. ¡¸Don¡¯t bugger when I¡¯m working!! ¡­¡­Wait, that¡¯s a Sky Lizard?!¡¹ He shouted at me, then asked questions at me. Not to mention the sweat he had to splatter to my face. This man¡¯s busy. ¡¸I need a dressing knife, do you have one? Also, I¡¯d like to be taught of how to dress it too if possible.¡¹ ¡¸Y-, yeah¡­¡­As you see, I¡¯m still in the middle of something now. Wait a sec. I¡¯ll get you the dressing knife.¡¹ That¡¯s all he said before he returned to his work. I have to wait a sec, it seems. ¡¸Oi. I said, oi!¡¹ And of course, Chace will call out to me. Well, it¡¯s a good way to pass the time while waiting a sec. ¡¸What are you doing?¡¹ I¡¯m not that much interested but, once again, I asked the question to fill the space. ¡¸I asked that old pops to make a weapon for me. He ain¡¯t budging for shit.¡¹ Ah, yep, knew it ¡¸And so, you¡¯ve been sitting here since he refused, is it?¡¹ Chace has probably been here since yesterday, not even returning to the dorm. The dorm lacked one presence that morning, despite me waking up quite early. It was Chace that wasn¡¯t there. ¡¸Pretty much. Hey, you give him some words for me too.¡¹ No, look. I¡¯m pretty sure I can¡¯t be of help. I¡¯ve never met him before, and I don¡¯t think me recommending you will work at all. Don¡¯t you see I got yelled at out of the blue? He even sprayed his sweat on me. ¡¸That said, damn that lizard¡¯s big. A Demon Beast? Did you hunt it? You¡¯re pretty skilled, huh.¡¹ If I could hunt it purely with my skills, then yes, I would be. Unfortunately, I¡¯m more dependent on my ¡¸Glasses¡¹ than my skill. ¡¸If only I had a weapon too, I¡¯ll hunt Demon Beasts left and right.¡¹ Aah¡­¡­.I see now. ¡¸So that¡¯s why he refused to make you a weapon.¡¹ ¡¸Ahn?¡¹ ¡­¡­Crap. My tongue slipped. I wasn¡¯t supposed to say that one out loud. ¡¸What did ya say?¡¹ ¡¸Do you know about ArmGirls? You see, there¡¯s a sudden spike in weapon fangirls in Nastiara, they¡¯re known as ArmGirls, or weapon girls, and they¡¯re pretty messed up. What a strange fact to learn, huh, Ahahah¡­¡­ that is what I said, why?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s more words than what you said before!¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not true. Well, I¡¯ll take my leaaaggh¡¹ When I tried to walk away from him, he clings to both of my legs. My hands are still holding the lizard¡­¡­.or rather, my upper body is heavy since I have it on my shoulders, so I am not balanced at all, and he has to trip my legs like that. I am totally hitting the ground face first. What¡¯s wrong with him? ¡¸You ain¡¯t going nowhere! Explain what you said before!¡¹ ¡¸You let me go first.¡¹ I actually fell face first, okay? And there¡¯s a huge lizard on top of my head that made the hit heavier, okay? I¡¯m basically sandwiched by the lizard and the ground, okay? This is really dangerous for my neck bones. If I were to die, I¡¯d rather die in a hunting ground. I don¡¯t want to die over an accident like this. CH 47 47. Megane-kun, Watching the Duel in front of the Smithy My neck is in danger at this angle, really¡­¡­But well, I¡¯m fine, so that¡¯s okay. My face obviously hurts, though. With the disgusting aftertaste of a brush with death still lingering, I choose to sit next to Chace since he won¡¯t let me go anywhere anyway. I let the lizard sprawl nearby. ¡¸What¡¯s the meaning of what you said before?¡¹ Don¡¯t stare at me, it¡¯s troubling. ¡¸About the Armed Girls? Isn¡¯t it just a fad?¡¹ ¡¸Not that one! I can¡¯t give a crap about that! I can¡¯t even understand why that is a fad at all!¡¹ Even if you tell me that. It¡¯s true that it has come into fashion nowadays. The Armed Girls. ¡¸It¡¯s about why the old pops won¡¯t make me a weapon!¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t that just what the pops decided? How can I possibly know that?¡¹ ¡¸But you basically said ¡ºI knew it¡» before, didn¡¯t you?!¡¹ ¡¸I did?¡¹ ¡¸You did!¡¹ ¡¸Aah, you mean the Armed Girls. Well, if you want to know more¡¹ ¡¸Not that fucking one!! For fuck¡¯s sake, this is going nowhere!! You¡¯re not going anywhere until we¡¯re done, you got that?!!¡¹ That¡¯s troubling. I have a lot of points I need to review from the hunt I did this morning. I want to tackle them as soon as possible. ¡¸I can¡¯t be halted here. A year will pass in no time at all. I have to get stronger, every second count.¡¹ ¡­¡­While there are some differences, I¡¯m sure both Chace and I aim for the same peak. Can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s confront him seriously for a while. After all, I can¡¯t afford to be halted here either. ¡¸A short answer or a long answer, which one do you want?¡¹ Personally, I think I¡¯d have to give him the long answer if he were to choose the short answer anyway. ¡¸Short one.¡¹ Sure, sure, let¡¯s go with the long-winded one. ¡¸Don¡¯t get mad when you listen to it, okay. This is just what I assumed it is. The pops might have other reasons.¡¹ ¡¸I got it.¡¹ ¡¸Maybe he just didn¡¯t like you and chose not to make a weapon to harass you; maybe he refused because he thought you¡¯d use it for no good; maybe he just didn¡¯t like your type.¡¹ ¡¸Enough preamble! Just tell me what you think already!¡¹ Okay, I¡¯ll say it, okay? ¡¸It¡¯s simply because you¡¯re weak.¡¹ ¡¸What did ya say, cunt?!!¡¹ Hey. You got mad right after I said it. Now all those preambles turned meaningless. Really, what a predictable bully. ¡¸Isn¡¯t it because he assumes you will meet your death soon if he gave you a weapon? A weapon is, in the end, just a medium to fight, it¡¯s up to you how it¡¯s used. If you, the user, are weak, any powerful medium will just become moot.¡¹ ¡¸You sure said it! Wanna try it yourself?!¡¹ The predictable bully predictably grabs me by my collar. And I¡¯ve already told him not to get mad. And I¡¯ve gone through all those preambles. He¡¯s just as forgetful as he is predictable. ¡¸The strength that is being sought is different, you and I. Just say we fought, you¡¯re probably stronger than me, aren¡¯t you? But, if it is a battle with lives on the line, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll lose. If it comes down to it, I could kill you without hesitation. But you, can you kill me? That is what it means to fight a Demon Beast. You are not picking a quarrel, you have to think how to kill your opponent. You have to figure out ways to kill your enemy as efficiently as possible. You can¡¯t just punch them in the face and call it a day. You can¡¯t just stop when you¡¯re satisfied. Either one of you loses your life, or you flee. The conclusion is always simple, and you strive until you reach it. It¡¯s not something you can do half-heartedly.¡¹ That was a long sentence, for my standard. It seems to have gotten through him, enough to snuff out his anger. I guess it was worth saying it. And then, an addition. ¡¸Don¡¯t make me say these things too often. I¡¯m not someone who can preach to others high-handedly like this. I¡¯m not yet a full-fledged hunter who¡¯s allowed to do it¡¹ Tentatively speaking, Shishou has given me his seal of approval for being a full-fledged hunter, but I don¡¯t think that means I¡¯m on par with him, and I still have more to learn. I guess that¡¯s why I am where I am right now. To become even stronger. . ¡¸¡ª¡ªWhat are you two frolicking about.¡¹ The smithy old pop finally pops out, right when I¡¯m wondering if Chace is going to hit me or let me go. He¡¯s a huge man. Not so much for his height, but he is generally thick. The muscles on his arms are incredible. His sweat-soaked singlet doesn¡¯t even hide all the bulges of muscle his body has been forged to the limit. Appearance-wise, he looks strong. Or rather, he must be. There isn¡¯t a single strand of hair on his scalp; it¡¯s shiny and smooth. Though, I can¡¯t tell if he shaved it or if he¡¯s just bald. His bushy eyebrows are brown, there are some beard stubbles too. This brawny old pop exudes masculinity. ¡¸Oi, old pops.¡¹ Chace lets go of my collar, stands up, then walks closer to the old pops. ¡¸I didn¡¯t allow you to call me old pops. Go home now.¡¹ ¡¸Pops. You wouldn¡¯t make me a weapon because I¡¯m weak?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹ The pops¡¯ gaze is looking down at me, who is still seated on the ground. ¡¸You said something uncalled-for, didn¡¯t you?¡¹ I guess. Even despite myself, I do think that I said a lot of uncalled-for things. I got into trouble due to that. I was also made to talk lengthy due to that. ¡¸He asked, I had no other choice. He threatened to hit me if I didn¡¯t tell, you see.¡¹ ¡¸Hah! As if a guy like you can be threatened by this brat who¡¯s all bark no bites!¡¹ You¡¯re overvaluing me. Even like this, I don¡¯t want to get hit. ¡¸Oi, pops. You¡¯re talking with me before you him.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not talking to you in the first place. Or rather, that brat over there is my customer.¡¹ I guess. That brat over here that is me is, technically speaking, old pops¡¯ customer who is being made to sit and wait. ¡¸You didn¡¯t make it because I¡¯m weak, right? Then, you¡¯ll make it if I prove you I¡¯m strong, right?¡¹ ¡¸Haah? I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯m not talking¡­¡­tsk, what a pain. Then prove it if you want.¡¹ Saying that, the old pops walks back to his forge, then comes back out with a wooden sword. ¡¸Try landing a hit on me. Then I¡¯ll make your weapon. But, you lose if I snatched your wooden sword. You go home then, period. I won¡¯t tolerate you sitting in either this time. That¡¯s a promise.¡¹ ¡¸Sure, I promise¡ª¡ªI will make you regret that¡¹ Chace confidently takes up the wooden sword. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Ah, looking at this flow, seems like I need to wait for a bit more, huh. I got it. . The conclusion is reached in an instant. ¡¸SHIT!¡¹ Obviously, Chace lost. He lost, but. Regardless of the outcome, the duel itself went outside of what I had expected. ¡¸I¡¯ve heard¡¹ The old pops, who snatched Chace¡¯s wooden sword in just a moment, speaks to Chace, who himself is punching the ground in frustration. ¡¸That your ¡ºGift¡» is ¡ºFast Boots¡»¡­¡­a body enhancement Gift that lets you move over a short distance instantaneously. A really excellent ¡ºGift¡» in terms of combat. Still, it¡¯s easy to deal with once it¡¯s already known, you know that? Even if it wasn¡¯t known, people who can handle your speed are everywhere in this village.¡¹ Heeh, covering a short distance in an instant, huh. If so, I can understand how the duel ended like that. Chace was fast. Really, he was so fast my eyes couldn¡¯t follow him when he ran towards the old pops. While the pops, he very easily stepped aside and put his foot out while also snatched the wooden sword. With the momentum of his own speed, Chace tripped and kissed the ground. All of that happened in a blink; a duel with a very, very narrow window of time. Hmm¡­¡­I thought it would be a match with an all-too-obvious conclusion, but I saw something better than I expected. Sorry, Chace. You¡¯re not weak. You¡¯re just facing the wrong opponent. I believe he can get a clean hit against most opponents, regardless of whether he¡¯d be able to emerge victoriously or not. He is just that fast. Even if you know he¡¯s coming, he¡¯s too fast to avoid. It¡¯s just that, the residents of this village is just out of the norm. That includes this smithy old pop. ¡¸You promised, now go home. ¡ª¡ªSorry for the wait, boy.¡¹ Ah, yes. ¡­¡­.Ah. ¡¸¡ª¡ªOuch! ¡­¡­Goddammit, you punk!!¡¹ Chace kicked the old pops in the butt and used his ¡¸Gift¡¹ to flee like a gale. Nicely done, bully. That was a good kick. There wasn¡¯t even a hint of movement that forewarned that kick. Even the old pops couldn¡¯t avoid it. ¡¸The hell¡¯s wrong with that brat!¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, but he seems surprisingly gutsy. He¡¯s got a promising future.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Who do you think you¡¯re talking as?¡¹ Of course, I¡¯m speaking out your true feelings, old pops. You don¡¯t seem to notice it, but your face is showing joy. You¡¯re basically expecting him to return back here. Well, putting that aside. ¡¸Then, pops. Please tend to my errand.¡¹ ¡¸Ou. Though I don¡¯t remember ever allowing you to call me pops either. I¡¯m in my twenties, to begin with.¡¹ Ah, is that so? I thought you¡¯re in your forties or something; you¡¯re unexpectedly young, huh. But well, you have the atmosphere of old pop, so I¡¯ll continue to call you old pop. CH 48 A visitor came in while he was cleaning the stables. ¡°Horse, are you there?¡± A rough voice, along with an intimidating presence¡ª ¡ªand the smell of fresh blood. Even though usually, he¡¯d only smell of iron and sweat. ¡­Perhaps, that was why he was there. ¡°Iron Bull, you came at an unusual time.¡± The inconspicuous man called Horse answered while carrying on with his work with the fork. The space was large enough for two horses. Since the work itself wouldn¡¯t take long, he opted to just continue as he listened. That way, whether the story was convoluted or not, he¡¯d still get the job done. ¡°It¡¯s an emergency. I have something to talk about.¡± ¡°Is it about the newcomer?¡± ¡°Yes, that ¡®glasses boy¡¯ you were mentioning.¡± ¡ªDid he do it? Horse guessed why Iron Bull had come here. ¡°Did he subjugate the mountain monsters?¡± ¡°Yes, and¡ª¡± And? It was to be expected for the glasses boy to hunt the mountain monsters. However, Horse soon stopped his hand and turned around due to the next, unexpected words. ¡°He managed to kill the Sky Lizard. This is just too unexpected¡­¡± ¡°¡­What.¡± Both his attention and consciousness were blown away. Apparently, it was indeed an emergency. Quickly finishing his work, Horse invited Iron Bull to his home. After all, it wasn¡¯t something they could do outside. To begin with, it wasn¡¯t a large house, but the moment such a huge man entered, the oppressiveness was overwhelming. Horse offered Iron Bull to sit on a chair. Soon, another guest arrived. ¡°¡ªThis is bad, Horse! That boy has¡ª¡­ ah, Iron Bull¡­¡± ¡°Oh, Owl. That¡¯s right, you mentioned that you¡¯d be coming as well, didn¡¯t you?¡± The one who had barged in without knocking appeared to be an old woman. She was clad in a black robe, and her eyes were concealed by her hood¡ª ¡ªNo, her voice sounded too youthful for being old. ¡°Did you go there, too?¡± ¡°In terms of timing, I believe I arrived first. It¡¯s because I taught him how to dismantle at my place.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so? Because there are some parts that I couldn¡¯t quite explain¡­¡± As she entered her friend¡¯s dwelling without permission, Owl removed her hood¡ª ¡ªInstead of an old woman, the face was that of a beautiful woman of mysterious age. ¡­Once, she was hailed as the ¡®Poisonous Temptress of a Toppling Country.¡¯ Her beauty still hadn¡¯t faded at all. Although, due to her makeup-free face, it¡¯d be difficult to call her a poisonous woman. Not to mention, her skin also seemed vibrant, albeit her eyebrows were thin. ¡°How long have you been talking?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t talked about anything. We¡¯re just about to start.¡± ¡®Did I make it this time¡­?¡¯ Muttered Owl. ¡°¡­That kid has really awful timing. We don¡¯t seem to be compatible. It¡¯s unbearable, really¡­ He always barges in whenever I am changing. Not to mention, two days in a row? Why didn¡¯t he knock¡­?¡± In the past, she used to be a woman who¡¯d deceived influential figures, and was said to have poisoned an entire country and led it to ruin if she went as much as got angry with them. Therefore, it was doubtful that she¡¯d care if she was seen naked. At the same time, she probably didn¡¯t want to show off either, because she wasn¡¯t lecherous. However, she was a visitor who came to that village, and had to conceal her identity. Her black robe had a magical property to it, giving the wearer a considerably older appearance¡­ In short, it could make the wearer look older. Since it could be turned on and off at will, it was a pretty handy disguise item. ¡­However, someone accidentally saw her get changed, and not to mention, two days in a row. Before she had any time to get dressed, her true appearance was revealed¡ªand again, two days in a row. ¡°¡­In the first place, why does Megane-kun always hide his presence? What, is that supposed to be a habit? Is this some kind of a prank?¡± Many of the villagers may be able to overlook it, but for Owl, who specialized in poisons and espionage, it¡¯d be a hassle. Well, she could still sense the presence of ordinary people, but¡­ ¡°Well, do your best.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s your fault for not training and skipping some practical skins.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, of course, as expected of the competent ones.¡± Horse and Iron Bull were the experts in terms of violence. Hence why they were good at detecting people without any traces of presence like that. In fact, they could even handle it. ¡ªThey were getting off topic. ¡°Speak.¡± Said Horse, who was in charge of that village. Thus, Iron Bull and Owl explained the recent emergency. As expected, it was an emergency, to the extent that the two came running. ¡°¡­Even though he had just arrived in the village, he already subjugated the Sky Lizard, huh?¡± Horse listened to every detail of Iron Bull¡¯s story. After leaving Iron Bull, the glasses boy apparently brought the head of the Sky Lizard as a token of his subjugation and showed it to Owl. ¡°A terrifying person has appeared.¡± He hadn¡¯t told the students yet, but the nearby mountains were inhabited by monsters that two-star adventurers would struggle with. In that village, which had been training assassins, there existed a custom. After the students had arrived in the village, each of them was expected to discover their own assassination techniques, train for about half a year, before honing their skills against the monsters of the mountain. At that time, the student would be assigned with an instructor, who¡¯d also serve as an escort, and would be thoroughly taught. After all, there were skills and experience that could only be earned through actual combat. Later, the subjugation of the Sky Lizard would become the final test, which¡¯d also serve as a mark of passing. Not only was a Sky Lizard difficult to find, it was also a tough opponent, and was quick to escape. As such, high fighting prowess wasn¡¯t enough to defeat one, while superficial skills would hinder one from delivering the decisive blow. Basically, it was a monster that couldn¡¯t be hunted just by improving one¡¯s technique. However, despite being the main target of the final exam, it wasn¡¯t a deadly opponent. While the Sky Lizard could only bite or pounce, its skill to turn invisible made it a threat. Furthermore, the Sky Lizards were omnivorous, so they¡¯d eat anything. Nevertheless, they¡¯d only attack prey that they could eat whole. Unless people invaded their territory when they were very hungry, or when they were crazed due to the breeding season, it was unlikely for the Sky Lizard to attack people. By subjugating such a lizard with all the assassination techniques he had learned in the village, the student would then graduate from the assassin training school. Hence why it was an emergency. After all, it wasn¡¯t supposed to be a monster that a newcomer could slay without learning any assassination skills. ¡­But that kid did anyway. In the last twenty years, Horse had been able to live as a villager, while also raising the next generation of assassins on the side. In all those twenty years, not a single student had ever come close to such a feat. ¡°From the beginning, I knew he had potential.¡± Horse monitored the movements of the students along the way. If it was an ordinary student, he¡¯d be exhausted from the long carriage trip. Not only that, due to the stress and the physical debilitation, they might even lash out and quarrel with each other. However, this year, the students managed to overcome the trial with plenty of time to spare. After all, amongst them, there were budding magicians and hunters with foraging expertise. In that regard, this year¡¯s students were a bit different. Nevertheless, the glasses boy was especially eye-opening. ¡°Weiss found that glasses kid himself and recommended him to us.¡± Even though Horse hesitated to divulge that, an unexpected crisis had arisen, so he had no reason to hide it anymore. As a matter of course, recruiting the glasses kid as a student was never part of the plan. Weiss Levant included that boy at the last minute. ¡°¡­Weiss himself?¡± ¡°¡­Haa, considering his age, why is he still acting unreasonable?¡± Weiss was the leader of a group of assassins owned by the Kingdom of Nastiara. In the assassin industry, there was no such thing as heredity, and only those with skills may rise to the top. In other words, only those who were recognized and respected by everyone could rise to the top. The current leader, Weiss, was the only one not referred by code, but by name. ¡°¡­So, what are you going to do, Horse?¡± The assignments differed from person to person, but the glasses boy had completed the one intended for graduation exam. For that reason, it¡¯d be impossible to give the same assignment to other students for the graduation exam. Otherwise, they¡¯d definitely say, ¡°But he did it as soon as he arrived, didn¡¯t he?¡± In fact, it might even severely damage the self-esteem of some people. An assassin was a solitary business. Without a certain amount of self-esteem, one couldn¡¯t continue. Thus, the only solution he could come up with was to raise the hurdle of the graduation exam to match the level of the glasses boy¡­ ¡­However, if he did that, there was a possibility that no one would graduate. In the face of such an emergency, Horse¡­ ¡°¡ªDunno, I¡¯ll think about it.¡± ¡­Put it on hold for the time being. CH 49 ¡°It¡¯s delicious!¡± ¡°Yummy!¡± ¡°How delish!¡± The meat of the Sky Lizard was scrumptious. Just like chicken meat, it had protein, but it was also tender and juicy. According to the encyclopedia, the best cooking method would be to slice it thinly, before grilling it several times, rather than slicing it thickly, causing the meat to harden as it was baked. After baking it as per the instructions, I ate it¡ªand it was totally delicious. The juice was very sweet. The taste of the sprinkled salt was also irresistible. Because the meat was roasted on a fire, there was a harmony of sweetness and saltiness. Also, even though it was a lizard, the meat itself had a refined taste. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Before I knew it, Cherry, Florentine, and I had grown silent. In the end, we surrounded the fire and silently grilled the meat, before eating silently. Meanwhile, the cat had already finished eating, and was rummaging around. At the end of such a lunch, Cherry raised her hand. ¡°¡ªThen, as promised, please clean up afterwards.¡± ¡°Of course! No, wait, I¡¯ll do it, but I¡¯d like to ask your opinion about something. Therefore, please sit down! Sit down, please!¡± When I stood up, Cherry pulled my hand and urged me to sit. ¡­Opinion about what? If possible, I¡¯d like to avoid any trouble¡­ In exchange for the meat, I asked Cherry to clean up after lunch. As for Florentine, she helped me with preparing the lunch. As for the cat, I felt bad and ended up giving it some meat. After all, it kept staring at me. It kept staring at me, I repeat. But never again. I¡¯d never be such a softie again, absolutely. ¡°Since Eil-kun did his best with the food, I believe that we¡¯ll manage in the future.¡± Ah, about that, okay¡­ It had only been two days since I started this life, but she probably had a point. Except that we ignored the law of survival. But still, I thought that food wasn¡¯t a problem. I had explored the mountains. As such, I had experienced the difficulty first-hand. Hence why it was too early for me to start hunting in that mountain. From now on, I¡¯d do my best in a different hunting ground. If possible, I hoped that I could start hunting in the mountains again after half a year. Hence, I¡¯d like to train hard until then. ¡­I was sure that there were people in that village that¡¯d make me stronger. After all, it was ¡®that¡¯ kind of village¡ª ¡ªBut well¡­ Suddenly, I saw a spiky, blue-haired thug single-mindedly brandishing a wooden stick at a distance. He¡¯d been having a fit that morning. Probably, he was letting his anger dissipate with such gestures. If I could work together with Sash, I¡¯d probably be able to venture into the mountains right now. Perhaps, even with Florentine. Ah, but I wonder if what she¡¯s aiming for is slightly different from me. Most probably, the next issue was the daily necessities. Well, maybe. We had just arrived in the village. Each of us was substituting daily necessities with travel tools, but in a week, we¡¯d be unable to do so. I¡¯d need a candle and a change of underwear. I¡¯d like to do some laundry, as well. The salt was getting scarce. I wanted some seasonings¡­ The daily necessities themselves could surely be obtained by bartering in the village for games. If that wasn¡¯t possible, one way to go about it was to go shopping in a nearby town. I was told that I could spend my time freely. Not only that, they also didn¡¯t advise me against leaving the village. The magic core of the Sky Wizard itself should sell well. Even for training, the foundation was important. Moreover, training would require nutrition and rest. If I didn¡¯t eat, I wouldn¡¯t get stronger, and if I didn¡¯t rest, my body wouldn¡¯t last. At the same time, I considered a life without inconvenience as important. ¡°Are you talking about buying some stuff? We don¡¯t have any money, though¡­ Will this cute doll sell?¡± Florentine picked up the cute wooden statue of the evil god (provisional) beside her. If it had a menacing appearance that¡¯d intimidate the viewers, it was likely to sell well, but I felt like selling it in itself was a problem. Even if it came from a strange religion, it was still a huge deal. ¡°Don¡¯t sell it.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Yes, don¡¯t. You also can¡¯t hand it to someone else, isn¡¯t that right?¡± Cherry, who seemed to be thinking the same thing, asked for my consent. Well, there was no reason not to nod. ¡°Yes, if possible, it¡¯d be better not to sell it.¡± In all actuality, I wanted to fling it into the fire at this very moment. Since it was made of firewood, I¡¯d like it to fulfill its original purpose, while also providing a memorial service. Better that than waiting for an actual evil soul to dwell in it¡­ ¡°But why? I carved it with all my might¡­¡± No, in the first place¡ª ¡°What is it exactly that you carve? How can you call it cute? What is it specifically? What kind of cute thing has six arms? Last but not least, why does it look like a carnivorous plant-type monster with tentacles?¡± At last, I blurted it out. Maybe, because the statue of the evil god was nearing completion, my curiosity was piqued. I dared to say that I was very curious. ¡­In a bad way, anyway. While the wood carving itself was rough, the shape itself was easy to tell. Hence why I said that it was full of evil. I hadn¡¯t seen or heard of it, but if they said it was one of the evil gods slumbering in the depths of the abyss, I wouldn¡¯t doubt it. ¡°Dunno.¡± However, the artist herself admitted that she didn¡¯t know. ¡°I carved it willy-nilly, hoping that it¡¯d become a cute doll. This wood wanted this shape, if I dare say so myself.¡± Oi. ¡°Aren¡¯t you talking like a first-class craftsman?¡± When asked if it was an old hobby, she said no right? Wasn¡¯t that strange that she already spoke like that when it was only her first carving? Besides, if what she said was true, then the devil made her do it. Carving such an evil god like that¡­ Then, was it really an abomination? It wasn¡¯t just its look? ¡°Uh, uhm¡­¡± Even Cherry smiled wryly at that¡ªno, it was a bitter smile. Apparently, she couldn¡¯t even laugh. ¡°For now, let¡¯s keep an eye on the progress¡­ Right, we were talking about daily necessities.¡± ¡­We¡¯re already so far off from the original subject that I don¡¯t care anymore. ¡°Let¡¯s keep talking!¡± As if to change the atmosphere, Cherry raised her voice. ¡°For the time being, may I ask about your future plans?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep carving this cute doll.¡± While I seriously wanted her to stop, we decided to just let Florentine do as she pleased for the time being¡­ After all, the shape itself might be a coincidence. Although it was also scary to think that it happened by chance¡­ ¡°I¡¯m thinking of looking for an archer or a hunter.¡± I thought that in order for me to become stronger, I still needed someone to teach me. As such, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to learn from a hunter other than my Shishou. Shishou said that depending on the region and surrounding environment, the skills and methods of hunters differed considerably. Surely, I¡¯d learn a lot. ¡°A, as for me, I¡¯d like to take a bath¡­¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­ A bath. A bath¡­? Oh, I see, a bath? It reminded me of the time when I used to stay at the inn in the royal capital. At that time, I could take a bath whenever I could. As such, I¡¯d bathe every day. Recently, all I could do was wipe my body with a damp cloth like I used to¡­ If it was possible, I¡¯d like to take a bath too. However, if it didn¡¯t exist, then there was no choice but to create it. ¡°Cherry, I want to take a bath, too.¡± I see. Cherry must¡¯ve wanted a collaborator. A collaborator that¡¯d make a bath together. Florentine didn¡¯t seem to care about it, but in that regard as well, Cherry and I agreed. I tightly grasped her extended hand. ¡ªNow, the alliance of two people who¡¯d like to build a bath had arisen. CH 50 Now that we had reached a conclusion, it was no problem¡ª ¡ªBut before that, there was something I¡¯d like to confirm. ¡°Does this village have a bath?¡± In the village of Albat, where I grew up, there was a small communal bath that all the villagers could use. Every few days, there¡¯d be hot water in it. In my case, I often missed it due to my hunter profession. As such, I rarely made it in time, and when I had time to take a bath, the water had already grown cold. ¡­However, I saw that there were several private, spacious baths that could be used in the royal capital as well. Nevertheless, for a fee. It¡¯s the so-called public bathhouse. Although, come to think of it, there was also a mixed bath, where a man and a woman could take a bath together. ¡­But when I thought about it calmly, it wasn¡¯t like I could choose who came in. It¡¯s a big risk, isn¡¯t it? I wouldn¡¯t admit that out-loud, though. As I was pondering about various things, the face of that person from Joseph¡¯s Shop flashed. For some reason, I felt chills, and refused to think any further. I object. I firmly object. Apparently, it was quite uncommon for an inn to come with a bath, making it a luxurious service that only expensive inns could provide. As I thought, it¡¯s ¡°that.¡± Usually, before the plebeian villagers from unknown countryside were to meet the castle¡¯s bigshot, they were expected to come clean and proper. Assuming that there was such an intention behind the scenes, and would be forced into said inn. ¡°It seems that there are baths in this village as well. However, if you want to use it, you¡¯d have to trade something.¡± I see. Just like in Albat Village, I wondered if I¡¯d have to make an appointment to use the bath. What was more, if I didn¡¯t bring anything, would I have to pay the bath fee? ¡°In the long run, it seems that it¡¯ll be better to make our own bath.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Besides, if we were to make it ourselves, we¡¯ll be able to use it whenever we want.¡± I see. At this rate, if I¡¯d like to use the village¡¯s baths, I¡¯d have to contribute each time. Even if it was only a small contribution, it¡¯d build up overtime. Considering that we¡¯d be using it until next year, it¡¯d be cheaper to build it ourselves. Did Cherry consider that? ¡°¡ªMoreover, it¡¯s just right.¡± ¡ªEh? ¡°Just right¡±? ¡°After all, I have to unleash my magic for a few days, so I thought of magically creating a bath.¡± ¡­By magic? Can you¡ª? When I asked Cherry about her sudden decision, she explained that she¡¯d use ¡°magic circle.¡± ¡°First, let me explain, I have the Gifts of the Principality Magician.¡± ...Oops, she suddenly revealed her gifts. Usually, I¡¯d rather not listen to such a story. But in case of Cherry, I already knew that she was a magician right off the bat. ¡­Principality, as in ¡°law¡±? ¡°Then, is it related to the magic circle or something?¡± While I wasn¡¯t knowledgeable about magic, I at least knew that much. Other than that, I didn¡¯t know what she was capable of, or how she differed from an ordinary magician. ¡°That¡¯s right. To put it simply, it¡¯s a gift to form a magic circle with a lasting magical effect. That said, even a magician doesn¡¯t have a background in Principality Magic Gifts, I believe that they can do it to an extent.¡± According to Cherry, there were several types of magic, and one of them was a talent for magic circles. However, if asked for details, then I¡¯d put it like this. To put it simply, Cherry could use various magic with 50% output, but when it came to magic circles, due to her gift, she could give a 100% output. In terms of magic, magicians had a lot of strengths and drawbacks. However, it seemed that only a few magicians could use one type of magic. But Sherry had just revealed that she was able to use both types of magic¡ª¡°formal magic¡± and ¡°common magic.¡± ¡­That healer guy seems to be an ordinary magician. After all, his recovery attribute falls under the common type. ¡°It¡¯s so complicated, you lost me.¡± Perhaps unable to keep up with the explanation, Florentine stood up to pet the cat. It wasn¡¯t a Well, I¡¯m relieved that she doesn¡¯t really mind. ¡°Now that I know of your background, how are you going to make the bath? What are you going to do?¡± Even though Florentine had left, it didn¡¯t matter because no important discussion had taken place so far. ¡­While I wouldn¡¯t say that I was uninterested in magic, I wondered if now was the right timing to discuss that. After all, it was still noon, and I had many other things to prioritize. If she merely wanted to tell me the concept, it¡¯d be better to do so at night. ¡°Did you go to the blacksmith shop?¡± I did this morning. ¡°I want you to negotiate with the blacksmith about the bathtub. Since only one person can enter at a time, the size will be small, like this¡ª¡± Cherry drew a picture of a rectangular box with an open top on the ground. ¡°Ask the blacksmith to make something like this. If the material is iron, it should be completed soon. The bathtub itself doesn¡¯t need to be particularly thick, as long as it doesn¡¯t leak. No additional flair is required.¡± Hoo¡­ ¡°But is iron really alright? Won¡¯t it rust?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll apply the ¡®Negate Degradation¡¯ magic circle. It¡¯ll be fine until the magic effect wears off.¡± Oh, I see, so this is where Cherry¡¯s knowledge makes an appearance. ¡°Also, I can make something like this.¡± Then, she took out a first-sized stone and handed it to me. ¡°Hmm? It¡¯s warm¡­¡± When I took it in my hand, it was very warm. It was warmer than even body temperature, so Cherry probably didn¡¯t transfer her heat to it. At first glance, there was nothing unusual about the stone. However, when I casually flipped it over¡­ ¡­Ah, a magic circle. Like a slow heartbeat, green light repeatedly flickered on the stone. ¡°As long as we have this, we don¡¯t need to fill the bath with hot water. Instead, we can just use normal water.¡± Ah, I see. ¡­That¡¯s right. Back in my village, preparing a bath was a chore, so it was only prepared once every few days. The male adults in the village would usually be tasked with that. However, after the hot water had been added, it¡¯d eventually cool down. Not only that, when the hot water had just been added, it¡¯d be extremely hot. It was so hot that only the elderly could enter. Moreover, the elderly would have long baths. Due to those issues, I was in a bit of a rush. ¡°Which means, the bath will be easy to maintain, manage, and use.¡± ¡°Yes, and I¡¯ll take care of it. In exchange, please take care of the food supply, Eil-kun.¡± I see. I could take a bath freely, but in exchange, I¡¯d be taking care of her meals. I thought that it was a completely unrelated topic, but it was all part of a negotiation. ¡°That works.¡± After all, using wisdom was also part of survivability. In short, Cherry would take care of the bath, and in exchange, I¡¯d feed her. Besides, if I were to use the village¡¯s bath, I¡¯d also have to pay. In that case, I should just pay Cherry. While it had its limitations, I was already thankful that it could be used at any time, without having to worry about the temperature of the water. Moreover, the pros of Cherry¡¯s bath outweighed that of the village. Above all, I¡¯d like to take a bath alone. In Albat Village, I couldn¡¯t do that, and at the inn in the royal capital, it was very comfortable. I thought that it was nice to be able to take a relaxing bath by myself. After all, I¡¯d rather not enter a bath with a jerky old man like Joseph¡­ As such, there was no need to second guess myself. CH 51 ¡°Heave, ho, heave, hooo¡­¡± Except for fairy tales, old folk tales, and epic ballads, I didn¡¯t know anything about magic. Nevertheless, I envisioned it as the so-called miracle. A fire that could be conjured from nowhere. A magic that could heal someone in a matter of seconds. No wonder that I, who couldn¡¯t use magic, perceive them as ¡°miracles.¡± ¡­As such, there was no way that something as unrefined, barbaric, and without a shred of grace like this was magic. ¡ªBut this is the reality, isn¡¯t it? Leaning against the wall, was a large, thin, iron plate where a magic circle was drawn with a brush. ¡°¡­Oeee¡ª¡± The magician, who was supposed to perform a miracle, was seemingly dead tired from a relatively unseen level of crippling exhaustion, that she even leaned against the nearby cat. ¡­Look, the cat¡¯s annoyed. Not like it¡¯s really a cat, though. ¡­A miracle that existed in reality was, in fact, the result of such a desperately burnt-out figure. Well, I guess it makes sense. After all, magic could be considered an unnatural power. ¡°Magic sure is difficult.¡± ¡°It sure is.¡± To sum it up in one word, it was a spectacle that reduced my admiration for magic. Three days had passed since the bath-making plan was launched. I had asked the old man at the blacksmith to make a bathtub, while Cherry drew a magic circle on a plate of iron to prevent degradation. By the way, the bathtub and the iron plate were negotiated in exchange for the meat of the Sky Lizard. Meanwhile, while I was asking the villagers if there were any hunters or archers, I went to a different hunting ground other than the mountain to test the water. There, I hunted prey, picked wild grass, and ate the vegetables the villagers were growing, and so on. The meat of the Sky Lizard itself seemed to be popular, and I received a lot of requests for it. Well, I could say that I had been building a foundation for the past few days as a trader. Because I¡¯d often bring in meat, I was already known as the ¡®Meat Guy¡¯ to the children. While I wasn¡¯t particularly happy about the title, it was true, so I wouldn¡¯t deny it. For some reason, whenever I was referred to as such, Florentine would give me a look of respect, admiration, and excitement. ¡­And so, when Florentine was tired from carving wood and was taking a break, I taught her how to handle birds. Then, I had an opportunity to take a look at Cherry, who had drawn a magic circle using her magical power. All she needed to do to draw a magic circle was to ¡°see.¡± ¡­I didn¡¯t know, she appeared to have drawn a magic circle using the invisible power called magic. Since it didn¡¯t actually use any paint, she could draw it within a few seconds. It was a matter of personal taste, but in the case of Cherry, her method seemed to be forming the magic power according to the magic circle drawn in her head, and stamping it instead of drawing it. To make it easier to understand, it wasn¡¯t a pen type but a stamp type. However, Cherry was given instructions to use magic to the limit over and over again by a magic instructor she found somewhere. As such, instead of pouring all her strength into the stamp-type magic circle like usual, she opted to transfer her magic little by little. ¡­Then, she went limp. I saw it for the first time, but according to Florentine, Cherry had already been in this state several times in the past three days. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t rest your hand. Don¡¯t mind her, there¡¯re plenty of people like that in town.¡± ¡°¡­That can¡¯t be true.¡± Indeed, I had never seen a human being so weak that even sleeping people were still more energetic than her. Or that people could shrivel like dried fish¡­ ¡­But that¡¯s that, this is this. ¡°Teach me how to handle birds.¡± Said Florentine, who didn¡¯t seem to be very skillful. However, because I knew the mysteriousness of her hands, I agreed. Yeah, it¡¯s worth teaching. Not only was she good at controlling her strength, she was able to improve the dexterity of her hands. That wood-carving might not be a bad thing after all. In addition, it seemed that the cute Evil God (provisional) statue would be completed soon. While I felt bad about her, once she did finish it, I¡¯d like to orchestrate an accident. Like maybe, ¡°accidentally¡± flinging it to the fire, saying that my hand slipped. Or shooting it during archery practice, claiming that my hand panicked. ¡­Again, before a truly evil presence resided in it. ¡°So, what¡¯s going on over there?¡± ¡°Over there?¡± ¡°That thug?¡± ¡°Ah, Sash?¡± Since that day, Sash had been brandishing a stick in the distance. I thought he was just going to train. Ever since then, I hadn¡¯t talked to him, or forced a conversation. Recently, he seemed to be training relentlessly from early in the morning until late at night. His physical strength, fighting spirit, and guts may be extraordinary. ¡°Who knows? Are you curious?¡± ¡°Not really¡­ Is what I¡¯d like to say, but I¡¯m a bit concerned.¡± Yes, as expected, I¡¯m a little concerned. In a different meaning than Florentine, I was interested. ¡°Recently, haven¡¯t you been eating meat together with him? Does he eat well?¡± ¡°I wonder about that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing how indifferent you are.¡± That¡¯s just how I am. But I didn¡¯t think that I could be considered as indifferent just because I didn¡¯t let it show. ¡°¡­Oh, hey, I just thought about it¡­¡± Hm? ¡°We¡¯re friends now, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a misconception.¡± ¡°Just now, we ate meat together didn¡¯t we!? Say yes or no!¡± ¡°But you were the one who wanted to eat it, right?¡± ¡°Well, of course!¡± She agreed so readily¡­ Besides, I didn¡¯t remember saying that I¡¯d eat together with her. ¡°More than that, do something about that thug.¡± ¡°What should I do? And how?¡± ¡°But the two of you are good friends. If you don¡¯t do something about his twisted, cruel personality, he¡¯ll just worsen. Shouldn¡¯t that be obvious?¡± ¡°Eh? Me? Good friends with Sash?¡± ¡°Why, do you dislike that notion?¡± ¡°¡­Hmm, not that I dislike it. I just never thought about it.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re on good terms, right?¡± I don¡¯t think so, thought? I think that¡¯s too far-fetched. ¡°He¡¯s completely in the dumps, and will eventually ruin himself. It¡¯s not like I dislike him, though. I just don¡¯t know much about him. However, it¡¯s true that we¡¯ve traveled and shared a meal, so it¡¯s not black and white. But I still think it¡¯s impossible, our relationship isn¡¯t like that.¡± ¡­Fuun. ¡°I ended up overthinking.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on that thug. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be pretty interesting.¡± Hm. I spoke. ¡°It does bother me, but probably not because of the same reason as you.¡± ¡°Not the same? ¡­Well, if you¡¯re even a little worried about him, just go. We¡¯ve shared a meal, so let¡¯s not abandon him. I wouldn¡¯t want to lose sleep over some thug breaking his arm or something. Please stop him while you can.¡± ¡­ ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly kind.¡± I said. ¡°Rather than kind, I was just concerned. If he died somewhere I couldn¡¯t see, I probably wouldn¡¯t care. So, hurry up and go.¡± Alright. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t understand what Florentine was getting at. While it was true that I was curious, I didn¡¯t hate the idea of stopping him before something happened. Besides, I knew exactly why Sash became like that. If someone had to go, I was sure that person was me. Now that I was somewhat uplifted, I decided to go see him. CH 52 Chapter 52 ¨C Glasses boy doesn¡¯t hold back Translator¡¯s Notes: I¡¯m picking up this series for the foreseeable future, so I figured I¡¯d note some changes from the previous translation here. Sash -> Chace ¨C This is how his name was originally translated. I¡¯m just moving back to it. Levant -> Leavant ¨C This is how Cherry¡¯s surname was originally translated. I¡¯m just moving back to it. Cherry¡¯s Gift: Principality Magician -> Magic Circles ¨C It¡¯s a bit hard to explain this one without getting into the nitty-gritty of Japanese, but the gist of it is that ¡°Principality¡± is a part of what creates the word ¡°Magic Circle¡±, and the previous translator didn¡¯t notice that this is what was being referenced on her Gift (because only a part of the word ¡°magic circle¡± is in her gift). The exact translation would be ¡°Magician of Magic Circles¡±, but that would sound lame, so I¡¯m gonna translate it as the Gift of Magic Circles. Demon Beasts/Magical Beasts -> Demon Beasts ¨C The translation for this has gone back and forth between those two terms, and both translations are right due to the way Japanese works. In this novel it is particularly hard to decide on which translation is ideal, because the beasts drop Magical Stones and have Magical Cores (so they feel like Magical Beasts), but Horun is the Saintess of Demon Exorcism (so they feel like Demon Beasts¡­ And well, Saintess of Magic Exorcism doesn¡¯t sound right), which creates a messy situation, as the author is basically using both Japanese meanings, but in English we can only choose one. I¡¯m going with Demon Beasts because I want to stay consistent with Horun¡¯s title. Megane-kun -> Glasses Boy ¨C All titles of this novel start with ¡°Megane-kun¡± and then list something else, and I¡¯m not one to keep honorifics, so I¡¯m changing it to Glasses Boy. This is more of a thing for the titles than to the chapter itself though, on the chapter itself I might translate it differently based on context if it comes up. That¡¯s all for the notes. Any future notes will probably be put on the end of the chapter instead of at the start (and they¡¯ll probably be much shorter if they do appear), but I figured I¡¯d list this at the start since I¡¯m picking the novel up now. Anyways, onwards to the chapter proper. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C When I got closer to Chace, I couldn¡¯t help thinking, ¡®It¡¯s rough¡¯. Chace was there, swinging a wooden stick as if it was a sword. There were visible signs of anger, and his movements were quite sloppy. He didn¡¯t seem to be thinking of anything. Repeating movements without thinking is important, but that¡¯s only effective after you already know what to do. There is no point in repeating it if you aren¡¯t doing it in a proper pattern. Chace was sweating so much right now, that his body was covered with sweat, and the cloth around his hand was soaked with blood, which probably came from blisters. He is clearly serious about it, and his motivation is genuine too. He said that he wanted to become stronger, and he surely meant it. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to push himself this far. ¡­ But I¡¯m still curious. I couldn¡¯t help it, so I decided to call out to him, ¡°Hey, Chace. Hey, hoodlum. Hey, hey, Chace whose hair is shriveled up. Chace who looks like a thug of a back alley. Chace who is a scoundrel with a foul mouth and evil eyes. Chace whose skill with the sword isn¡¯t that great. Chace whose sword abilities are quite questionable. Or rather, as far as I have seen, you don¡¯t seem to know how to handle a sword at all, Chace. To put it bluntly, you don¡¯t have any skill with a sword, so this is all a waste of effort-¡± ¡°Shut up, you bastard! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Chace turned towards me and threw his wooden stick in my direction. Oh, that was dangerous. Chace isn¡¯t good at throwing though, so I was able to avoid the stick. ¡°I was calling out to you because it would be dangerous to approach during training. Did you finally hear me?¡± I asked him. ¡°I heard you from the beginning! I heard and ignored you as you kept disparaging me! Why do I even have to explain that!?¡± Chace exclaimed. ¡°I don¡¯t get what you¡¯re saying, but I guess it¡¯s all good now?¡± I asked. ¡°You totally get what I¡¯m saying! I¡¯m mad at you for belittling me! What else!?¡± Chace replied. Well, he seems to be angry for some strange reason, but that¡¯s fine. ¡°I wanted to tell you a thing or two.¡± I told him. ¡°You said way more than a thing or two, yet you still want to say more!?¡± Chace asked. Well, none of those were related to the main point. Chace sighed, wiped the sweat from his face and asked, ¡°What is it?¡± he seemed to have calmed down a bit. ¡°There¡¯s something I have been wondering about for a while now, so I came here to say it.¡± I told him. ¡°Huh? And what is it anyways¡­? Isn¡¯t it what you said earlier? About being a hoodlum with a foul mouth, evil eyes and lack of talent for the sword?¡± Chace asked me. No, ¡°Those things are obvious to anyone that looks at you, so there is no need for me to say it again.¡± I replied. ¡°¡­ You really aren¡¯t trying to pick a fight, are you? You really didn¡¯t come here for fighting, right? You¡¯re just saying that bluntly, aren¡¯t you?¡± Chace asked me. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to pick fights with people.¡± I told him. ¡°You¡¯re amazing¡­¡± Chace replied with a dumbfounded face. I think it¡¯s normal though? But I guess Chace might struggle a bit with understanding that. Chace took a deep breath, ¡°So, you think I have no talent to use a sword.¡± ¡°I think you don¡¯t. No talent at all.¡± I told him. ¡°You could mind your words a bit¡­¡± Chace sighed. ¡°I was just doubting your sanity while seeing you practice on your own without anybody teaching you when you have no talent at all, you know? Isn¡¯t that the definition of insanity?¡± I explained. ¡°Choose your words more carefully and stop spewing poison naturally. Why are you like this?¡± Chace asked. Well¡­ I guess it¡¯s unusual for me to talk this much. ¡°I don¡¯t think I would be talking like this if it was to someone I didn¡¯t care about.¡± I told him. I¡¯m not sure what I think of Chace, but it¡¯s true that I am curious about him, so he doesn¡¯t qualify as someone I don¡¯t care about. So that¡¯s why I have something to tell him. He told me to choose my words more carefully, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯re in the kind of relationship where I can choose them. At the end of the day, my relationship with Chace¡¯s may not be like the one with Florentine, but I still feel some emotion towards him after going towards that tough carriage trip and eating together. ¡°¡­ So? What is it that you wanted to say?¡± Chace asked me. Oh right, my analysis of my relationship with him isn¡¯t relevant to him. ¡°At that time, I told you that the blacksmith wasn¡¯t going to make you a weapon because you¡¯re weak.¡± I said. ¡°Aah¡­ I already told you that this hurts my feelings.¡± Chace replied. ¡°Yeah, but that doesn¡¯t matter.¡± I told him. ¡°¡­ You really don¡¯t care about me, do you?¡± Chace asked. I already told him that I do care, so I don¡¯t need to repeat it. ¡°Let me revise that. You are not weak. I think you¡¯re strong, actually.¡± I told him. ¡°Huh¡­? You know, I lost to the old man. I¡¯m weak, just like you said. I¡¯ve already accepted it.¡± Chace replied. That was the way Chace judged it, but I have a different opinion. To put it simply, ¡°You¡¯re strong, but you¡¯re also stupid.¡± I told him. ¡°Oh, alright. You really came here to pick a fight.¡± Chace said. ¡°Well, that¡¯s all I wanted to say, so excuse me-¡± I turned around and started leaving. ¡°As if I could let you go now, bastard!¡± Chace grabbed me by my neck. Why are you still getting me involved? This is annoying, ¡°What? I already said what I wanted to say. I¡¯ve finished my business here.¡± I told him. Really, I don¡¯t want to hear anything else from him either. ¡°You know it would be really easy to beat you up right now.¡± Chace said. ¡°Mmm¡­ Yeah, I agree. Especially when considering your Gift, it would be really hard for me to escape. So, in these conditions, I don¡¯t think it would be possible for me to win.¡± I replied. ¡°However, I don¡¯t think you came here just to pick a fight. So tell me why.¡± Chace said. ¡°Eh? Why I think you¡¯re stupid, you¡¯re asking?¡± I asked him. ¡°Not that, you idiot! I already know I¡¯m not educated or anything like it, so tell me why you decided to tell me that!¡± Chace exclaimed. Oh, I see. So that was the problem. I didn¡¯t notice it at all. ¡°Because a sword is no good.¡± I told him. ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± He seemed confused. ¡°Your gift fits a spear better. You move fast, so why not use a weapon that can fully benefit from your speed?¡± I explained. Chace went quiet, let go of my neck, then grabbed my shoulder and forced me to turn around. Hey, I don¡¯t have a habit of staring at men, you know? ¡­ Ah, he looks serious. I don¡¯t think I can escape this. ¡°A spear? You think a spear is best for me?¡± Chace asked me. ¡°In my opinion, you¡¯re a total amateur with a sword.¡± I told him. Or rather, just thinking about the battle with the old man already makes this much clear. It¡¯s obvious if you see him move from the side, but maybe Chace himself is the only one that doesn¡¯t notice it. ¡°Basically, there are three stages for an attack. ¡°In the first you ready yourself up, positioning yourself appropriately. ¡°Secondly, you deal with the attack range. You move or intercept your opponent. ¡°Third, the attack itself. ¡°How fast you do it, and how smooth is your transition between those steps are what separate a good warrior from a bad one.¡± I told Chace. I experienced this myself from my training with my master back in Albat Village. Then I had to practice it over and over again. ¡°On the other hand, if we try looking at your actions when you faced the old man, they would be like¡­ ¡°First, you readied your stance. ¡°Second, you closed the gap between you and the enemy. ¡°Third, you readied your stance. ¡°Fourth, you attacked. ¡°You slowed down in front of the old man to prepare your attack, essentially losing the advantage created by your fast movement. ¡°If you want to make full use of your Gift, then the simplest way to do it would be to attack and move at the same time.¡± I explained next. And that¡¯s why a spear would be ideal. I looked at the place where the old man made Chace trip. Chace did not teleport to that location, there was weight in his movement as he dashed there. So, if he can collide with the enemy while holding a sharp protrusion ahead of himself, that alone will already be an attack, as his movement speed will be added to his attack. That¡¯s what is frightening about spears. Even an inexperienced user can already deal enough damage to inflict fatal wounds on monsters if they try. To put it simply, a sharp, heavy and fast spear blow can be easily aimed from before he starts moving, and can also be quite deadly. Moreover, if he improves the way he uses a spear, then he can become even stronger. A novice spear wielder can already be deadly, but an experienced one is much more dangerous. Even if Chace doesn¡¯t have talent for the spear, just like how he doesn¡¯t have talent for the sword, he still has a real desire to become stronger. If he can use this determination and find a good master who can teach him how to use the spear, then he¡¯ll definitely become stronger. In the first place, Chace is already weak now, so there is no way he¡¯ll become any weaker from training. It was a bit troublesome, but I tried explaining all that to him. That¡¯s what I was curious about. Why didn¡¯t Chace choose the spear, when that weapon was much more suited for his Gift than the sword? ¡°From what I have seen, you have no talent for the sword¡­ You just swung it around with all your strength and simply harmed your own hands in the process. ¡°I would feel sorry if I didn¡¯t say it clearly, but if you are going to keep trying to use a sword, then think about efficient movements and try to put your entire body¡¯s strength into your sword attacks.¡± I told Chace. ¡°Enough talking about the sword! I know I have no talent for it, so that¡¯s enough!¡± Chace exclaimed. ¡°I think you¡¯re honestly stronger with your bare hands. With them, you should be able to move and attack at the same time. ¡°Haven¡¯t you done it before, actually? Used your Gift to win fights? Considering how short-sighted your thinking is, I think you should be able to use a spear for the same reason. You can just thrust your spear in a straight line while you move forward with all your speed. That¡¯s suitable for someone like you.¡± I told him. ¡°Since when do you talk this much!? And why do you keep being expressionless and nonchalant while you¡¯re at it!? Is this how you¡¯re actually like when talking!?¡± Chace exclaimed. ¡°I thought I should say this much, because I dunno when I¡¯ll feel inclined to talk to you again.¡± I replied. ¡°So you actually want to keep going!?¡± Chace asked. ¡°You have a foul mouth, so if I speak in a straight-forward manner, you might get annoyed.¡± I told him. ¡°Your mouth is being pretty foul right now too! You¡¯re politely cursing me here! Can¡¯t you stop doing that!? Don¡¯t you know how to stop using abusive language!?¡± Chace replied. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t like talking to you that much. I think you¡¯re too troublesome, so I¡¯d prefer to keep a reasonable distance from you in the future. I¡¯d be grateful if you could cooperate on that.¡± I said. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m really going to kill you someday.¡± Chace told me. Finally. Chace seemed to have return to normal. To the same behavior he had back when we were in that hellish carriage journey. This conversation must have eased some of his strained feelings then. Normalcy is important, so I¡¯m glad this worked out. Hopefully he won¡¯t repeat this kind of behavior even if he gets too emotional again. At the end of the day, unreasonable training that wastes your own body is no good. Good grief, I feel tired. I said a lot of things that I didn¡¯t really want to say. CH 53 Chapter 53 ¨C Glasses boy wants to keep an appropriate distance ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± Chace told me. We had basically finished talking by now, but then he suddenly said this. I don¡¯t understand Chace¡¯s recent eating habits, as he has been pushing himself a lot and training in vain, and yet, we haven¡¯t been eating together. Maybe he was eating things like wild herbs, fruits and other things that can be picked at the foot of the mountain, which should be enough to overcome his hunger. Well, it¡¯s not something that matters much to me, so I don¡¯t ask about it. ¡°Hey, give me some meat.¡± Chace told me. ¡°Huh? Me?¡± I asked. ¡°You ranted way too much just now. Give me at least one meal to compensate.¡± Chace replied. That¡¯s not a very convincing argument¡­ But I don¡¯t really want to get tangled up with him any more, so let¡¯s just give him some meat and take him out of today¡¯s schedule. He already took way too much of my time. That said, as we were walking towards our dormitory, which had basically become a camping site, I remembered something, so I figured I¡¯d mention it to Chace, ¡°Florentine told me that she was very worried about you.¡± ¡°Huh? She? About me?¡± Chace seemed to be absolutely astonished by my words. He must have thought that he was completely hated by her, which is understandable, since I had thought the same thing. ¡°Since we traveled together and ate together, Florentine told me that she didn¡¯t want to abandon you. However, you wouldn¡¯t listen if she was the one talking, so she asked me to do it instead.¡± I explained to him. Chace went silent at that. ¡°You¡¯re an adult already, right?¡± I asked him. ¡°¡­ Yeah.¡± Chace replied. ¡°You¡¯re a mature man who doesn¡¯t like bullying younger girls, right?¡± I asked next. ¡°Shut up. I get it¡­ I get it.¡± Chace muttered. As for Florentine, she was, as usual, working on doing the finishing touches for her evil god statue (tentative name) near the camp site. Her face was quite serious as she carefully carved that grotesquely evil statue. As for Cherry, she seemed to be completely exhausted, so she was resting on the giant cat, which seemed to be a bit annoyed at it. The cat is a bit nice, as he puts up with it even if he makes an annoyed face¡­ This is really not a cat though. As we passed by Florentine, Chace seemed to be about to say something, but he seemed to be unable to be honest with himself, so he passed by her and sat in front of the remains of our bonfire. Basically readying himself to eat. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare the meat. I¡¯ll leave the fire to you.¡± I told him. ¡°Okay.¡± Chace nodded. ¡°Oh? Are you cooking some meat?¡± Florentine, who should have finished her lunch just a small while back, approached the fire. Eh? Why is she coming? ¡°What kind of meat are you cooking? Is there anything left of the lizard? That one was delicious.¡± Florentine asked. Hold on a second. ¡°You ate just now, didn¡¯t you? Do you want to eat again?¡± I asked her. I turned around to talk to her as I was about to cut the preserved meat. I try to ignore other people¡¯s conversations most of the time, but this one I couldn¡¯t ignore. ¡°I¡¯m a bit hungry. Just a bit. Think of it as a snack.¡± Florentine replied. Is she telling me that she¡¯ll eat meat as a snack? As expected, my sister too must be a Taboo Child, just like Florentine. ¡­ No, Florentine may be strange in many ways, but her personality is surprisingly decent. On the other hand, my sister is even weirder, and her personality is terrible¡­ Yeah, my sister is¡­ My sister is¡­ Well, whatever. She is weird. As for the conditions for the exchange, I¡¯ll ask them to do something for me in the future, so as to pay me back for the meat. And so, while I resumed my cutting of the meat, Chace opened his mouth, ¡°Hey.¡± He called out to Florentine. ¡°Huh? What is it, thug?¡± Florentine asked him. ¡°¡­ Sorry, Florentine.¡± Chace muttered. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± Florentine muttered. That¡¯s the first time Chace called her by name, isn¡¯t it? ¡°What¡¯s up with that!? That¡¯s disgusting! Why did you call my name!?¡± Florentine exclaimed. ¡°A¡­ Aah!?¡± Chace seemed to be confused by her reaction. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a bastard child of nobles or royalty or something!? It¡¯s gross! I don¡¯t want a relationship with a thug like you!¡± Florentine said next. ¡°Why are you treating it as if I was asking you out!? Is this you dumping me!? I didn¡¯t ask you out in the first place!¡± Chace exclaimed. I turned around, ¡°Cheer up, Chace.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to comfort me!¡± Chace replied. ¡°Even if you have no talent with swords, you¡¯ll surely find a woman who likes you one day.¡± I told him. ¡°Enough about my talent with swords! And don¡¯t try twisting the conversation to make it seem like I¡¯m dejected! ¡°And don¡¯t think I¡¯ll forgive you for treating this as someone else¡¯s problem when you were the one that created it in the first place!¡± Chace exclaimed. Oh hey, stop it. Don¡¯t shake me while I¡¯m holding a knife. That¡¯s dangerous. In any case, for the time being, I served some meat to Chace and Florentine. Now that the preparations are completed, the rest is up to them as they cook the meat, eat it, then clean everything up. I¡¯ve finished my part here. That said¡­ I guess I could say one more thing, ¡°Chace.¡± I called out. ¡°Huh?¡± Chace, who was watching over the meat as if he was competing with the boss¡¯ daughter, looked at me. ¡°If you don¡¯t train with a heavy weapon, then your practice won¡¯t do you any good. ¡°The blacksmith old man might not make you a weapon, but he might make something you can practice with. You should hurry up and ask him to make something for you.¡± I told him. ¡°He¡¯ll just refuse me again.¡± Chace replied. I don¡¯t think so. The old blacksmith knew of Chace¡¯s gift. In other words, the villagers are sharing information about us. If the other party is convinced that one of us will grow, or that we might need a bit of help in a given area, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll help us. Chace may not be allowed to get a weapon yet, but he¡¯ll need something for practice. And if he can find someone to teach him how to handle and properly use a spear, he¡¯ll surely be able to grow. ¡°If that happens, just kick him again and come back.¡± I told Chace. If the blacksmith really doesn¡¯t make a practice weapon for Chace, then we might need to go to a nearby town to purchase it. I think it¡¯s necessary for Chace, so I won¡¯t hesitate in recommending him to go after it. That said, I¡¯d prefer if we could busy ourselves with our own things and keep a reasonable distance from one another. ****** It was evening now. I hunted a few birds, then returned to the front of the dormitory. On the way there, some kids shouted, ¡®Meat guy!¡¯ but I ignored them. In any case, once I arrived at the dormitory, I saw Chace swinging an iron pole in the same place he was wielding a stick before. The swings weren¡¯t as reckless as the previous ones though. This time, he was using the iron pole as a makeshift spear. Apparently, the old man did make it for him. At this moment, Chace noticed me, so he ran towards me, ¡°Hey, look at this! That old bald man made it for me!¡± ¡°Good for you.¡± I replied. It¡¯s a simple stick that has no intricacies to it. It¡¯s pretty long though, longer than Chace¡¯s height even. It¡¯s a good practice weapon. ¡°Oh, and the bath is done now. Go take a look.¡± Chace told me. I see. Seems like it has finally been completed. CH 54 Chapter 54 ¨C Glasses boy, let me show you my magic When she heard that the bathtub was completed, Cherry hurriedly finished the Deterioration Prevention Magic Circle. She was making a uselessly elaborate magic circle for the sake of spending mana, but it seems like it was actually pretty easy to just finish the circle. However, a problem arose on the next day. ¡°It¡¯s raining¡­¡± I muttered. When did it even start? Probably in the middle of the night, I suppose. It wasn¡¯t raining heavily, but it certainly wasn¡¯t a light rain either. The four members of our dormitory group gathered at the narrow entrance early in the morning. We looked up to the dark sky, which was completely covered by clouds. The rain is showing no signs of weakening or stopping¡­ I feel like it might even keep going for a few days. Also, as soon as I opened the dormitory¡¯s door, the cat, who was taking shelter from the rain by staying under a tree, immediately rushed inside our dormitory. I wish it could go back to its home. It must be someone¡¯s pet cat¡­ Though well, it¡¯s not a cat. In any case, it hasn¡¯t rained in a while, so I had forgotten about the possibility. The life I have been living so far didn¡¯t take rain into account. There¡¯s no kitchen in this dormitory, which was why we made a bonfire outside, creating a simple and functional space where we could sit and cook. Or rather, we were forced to make it, as there is no kitchen in this dormitory, and there is no space to make one. We can¡¯t even repurpose one of the private rooms for it, because they¡¯re extremely narrow and don¡¯t even have a bed in them. ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡­¡± Florentine lamented. Right now, the village seemed to be completely abandoned and deserted. I suppose it¡¯s to be expected that people aren¡¯t going outside during the rain. But for us¡­ We can¡¯t really take a day off. Even if we don¡¯t do anything, we¡¯ll still get hungry. And if we eat all of our reserves, we¡¯ll run out of food. Also, if we don¡¯t work, we won¡¯t get food. And in the first place, we can¡¯t even use the fire in the middle of this rain, so we have no choice but to eat things that can be eaten without cooking. However, I don¡¯t think the four of us, me included, who have been eating a life filled with meat, can now endure something like this. Or at the very least, I can¡¯t stand it. I want to go to a house in the neighborhood and rent their kitchen. ¡°The bath is¡­¡± Cherry lamented the sudden change in today¡¯s schedule. Today, we were planning on going to fetch the bathtub that the blacksmith old man made for us. It was finished yesterday, but we couldn¡¯t use it right away, because the girls wanted a partitioned dressing room where they could safely undress without being seen. Therefore, even if I didn¡¯t care about it, they were planning on making a bathroom over the next few days, and today would be when the bathroom construction would start. ¡°The training¡­¡± Chace lamented his inability to train. That said, he had already promised to help with the bathroom construction today, so I don¡¯t think he would have been able to practice even if the rain wasn¡¯t here¡­ Well, maybe if he tried practicing after he finished working on the bathroom. As for me, I had already finished scouting the remote hunting grounds, so I was thinking of starting to study under the guidance of someone from this village. I was planning on just doing the negotiations for now though, since I¡¯d be spending the next few days building the bathroom. But well¡­ It¡¯s impossible to do that today. In any case, as everyone was going to dedicate some time to making the bathroom today, I would be loaning meat to them again. They didn¡¯t even complain about it, and just accepted the proposition easily. But right now, none of it is possible. And I can¡¯t simply stay here, looking at the rain doing nothing. Regardless of us doing something or not, we¡¯ll get hungry. And I want to eat meat. ¡°Then, I¡¯m going.¡± I decided and was about to go out into the rain. ¡°Wait.¡± Both the thug and the boss¡¯ daughter stopped me when I tried running out into the rain. Why? I¡¯d like them to let go of my collar and my arms. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Chace asked. ¡°What are you going to do with my meat?¡± Florentine asked. There¡¯s a lot of stuff I want to say, especially to Florentine, but it¡¯s fine. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of visiting the biggest house in the village and rent a kitchen there.¡± I explained. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Chace and Florentine said together. There¡¯s really a lot I want to say to those two, but it would be useless anyways, so it¡¯s fine. ¡°Cherry, are you coming too?¡± I asked her. ¡°Ah, yes¡­ I wanted to take a bath first, but¡­¡± She replied. I feel the same as her. ¡°But before that, can you wait for a bit?¡± Cherry asked. Mmm? ****** Cherry then explained to us that she could make a Rain Shelter Magic Circle. ¡°This is it.¡± Cherry showed us a stone. She had apparently picked out some stones in the surroundings and put Magic Circles on them. Well, to me it looked like the circles had been drawn immediately. Either way, she gave one of the stones to me, then told me to go outside, and I did just that. ¡°Oh, amazing.¡± I commented. It¡¯s certainly repelling the rain. My feet still got wet though¡­ Apparently, this doesn¡¯t protect against muddy ground, or from water that has already bounced on the ground. However, the rain falling from above is definitely hitting an invisible wall around me, and is being repelled. ¡°It¡¯s a raincoat-like protection. It can prevent a small amount of water that falls from above, but it can¡¯t handle large amounts of water, or water flooding from below, so be careful.¡± Cherry explained. I see¡­ It seems to have some drawbacks, but it¡¯s still very convenient. Magic is amazing, right? It¡¯s completely different from those Wind Slashes that gave nothing more than a haircut to the Redbear. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be possible to work with this?¡± I asked Cherry. From what I can see, with this Rain Shelter Magic Circle, we should be able to start working on making the bathroom. ¡°No. Our scaffolding is still bad, and accidents during the construction can lead to serious injuries. I think it¡¯s better for us to prioritize our safety for now. ¡°Moreover, you might catch a cold if you work on this kind of environment, and that would definitely push back our schedule way more than the rain.¡± Cherry replied. Well, that makes sense. We do have enough of a stockpile of food, so I guess I don¡¯t need to go hunt for a few days. Maybe it¡¯s fine to take it slow for now. ¡°Also, renting a kitchen seems like more of an emergency measure. I think we should prioritize the food problem during rains over the bathroom.¡± Chace said something surprisingly decent. That¡¯s rare, ¡°It would be helpful if we could get a small hut of sorts, it could protect us from the rain, and we could try making a kitchen inside it.¡± I think he is right. We can¡¯t simply stop our life altogether every time it rains. ¡°We can talk while we eat meat. I¡¯m hungry.¡± Florentine stepped into the rain, then grabbed my arm, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Meat Guy.¡± Yeah, I really want to tell a lot of things to her, but first things first, don¡¯t refer to me by that nickname. ****** After going through the muddy path, we visited the house of an old man. In exchange for renting his kitchen, we had to help out with the stables and cowsheds, but we were able to eat breakfast and lunch in that place. Then, we returned to the dormitory afterwards. Of course, after we grilled the meat for the night that is. Then, figuring that this was as good of an opportunity as any, the four of us talked about our future plans. For some reason, the gathering was done in my room though. And the cat followed us inside as well¡­ This room is already small enough for one person, but we now had four people and a giant cat inside it. It was really cramped. But in any case, our discussion revolved primarily on the creation of the bathroom and the kitchen. Specifically, we were talking about what materials to use and how to prepare them for usage at the construction. In the end, we came to the conclusion that we should ask a magician to prepare the building materials for us. Magic is quite convenient, so it seems like the best way to go about it, would be to consult a magician. At the very least, they won¡¯t ask anything out of us from just talking, and that might be all that we need to obtain the necessary knowledge to build our kitchen and bathroom. We did ask Cherry if she could make the construction materials herself, but she said it was no good. She could use earth magic to create something that resembled construction materials, but the quality would be poor, and it wouldn¡¯t be strong enough to last us for months. So it was impossible to rely on her for that. On the rest of the time, we basically lazed around so¡­ ¡°Can you teach me about magic?¡± I asked Cherry. I was intrigued by the spells that she used. I wasn¡¯t interested in the Wind Slash that could only give a haircut to the Redbear, but Cherry¡¯s magic seemed to be much more amazing than that. ¡°Sure.¡± Cherry readily agreed to my request. She already needed to keep on using magic until she went limp anyways, so she didn¡¯t mind showing the spells to me. And so, she kept on using it until she was completely exhausted. At this point she rolled herself and laid right next to the sleeping cat¡­ This room really is way too small. ****** On the next day, the rain stopped. As planned, we consulted with the magician who was instructing Cherry. They told us, ¡®If you want to use wood as a construction material, I can help you a little. I¡¯ll dry it and prevent it from decaying by waterproofing it. You¡¯ll have to do the rest.¡¯ As such, we decided to go cut wood. Normally speaking, felled trees can¡¯t be used immediately, as you¡¯d need to dehydrate them and waterproof them, but since the magician will do that part for us, the process will be much faster. In exchange, I had to give them some of the remaining Sky Lizard meat though. But thanks to Florentine¡¯s help, we were able to very quickly obtain all the construction materials, so we asked the blacksmith old man to help us design the kitchen and the bathroom, and we also asked him to supervise our work on site to make sure we didn¡¯t mess up. He seemed to like rabbit meat quite a bit, so that¡¯s what he got in exchange for the help. And so, two days passed since everyone started working together, and we were finally able to complete both the bathroom and the kitchen. However, I didn¡¯t have many opportunities to use those, and it seems like it will take a while before I can use them again. Because I was told the following, ¡°Eil, you should leave the village.¡± CH 55 Chapter 55 ¨C Glasses boy receives a verdict ¡°Cheer up, Eil. Here, this is a farewell gift.¡± Chace gave me a familiar small bottle. It was something with a delicious seasoning that could be sprinkled on meat. It¡¯s a bit rare and expensive though. In fact, Chace said it was the most expensive thing he owned, but he just kept it with him without actually using it. However¡­ ¡°It is a bit past its expiration date, and it smells a bit weird, but the taste should be okay.¡± Chace told me. ¡­ Chace seems to be the type to waste food without actually eating it, because he feels like it would be a waste to eat something this expensive. I do understand the feeling, as I did that in the past, but whenever that happened, my sister always ate the expensive food that I got. I regretted all the occasions where this happened, so I started eating my favorite foods first. As for this seasoning that Chace gave me¡­ If I eat it, I think it¡¯ll do something terrible to my stomach. But it¡¯s an important seasoning that Chace gave me¡­ I¡¯ll put the thought on it aside for now. To throw it away or use it¡­ I¡¯ll figure it out later. Maybe it can still be used for cooking. ¡°Come back healthy. This is my farewell gift.¡± Florentine held out a carved wooden statue. It looked familiar¡­ It was the so called ¡®cute¡¯ evil god statue, that she finally completed. ¡­ It¡¯s definitely an evil god statue now. I can no longer use that as a tentative name for it, because it is in its supremely evil final form now. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for your return, Meat Guy.¡± Florentine told me. Don¡¯t call me meat guy¡­ Also, I don¡¯t need your evil god statue. ¡­ Well, maybe I can make a memorial service for it along the way. I can¡¯t help thinking that this is something that shouldn¡¯t exist in this world. I don¡¯t want to touch it any more than I need to, so let me just throw it in my luggage backpack already and take it out of my sight. ¡°Have a nice trip. This is from me.¡± Cherry then took a pendant that was hanging from her neck and hang it around mine. This too was familiar. It was a simple wooden tag held in place with a leather strap, but it was something that Cherry showed to me on that rainy day, while she talked to me about magic. Cherry said that it was thanks to this amulet that she survived the carriage accident on our first trip. ¡°I¡¯m just lending it to you. Please return it when you come back.¡± Cherry told me. On the back of the wooden tag, there is a magic circle that she drew back when she was still a child. It was a memento made together with her father, Weiss Leavant, and it seems like its effect is sustained by infusing it with magical power from time to time. * Although its effect is weak, it seems to be a magic circle that protects you from incoming attacks. Therefore, it may not be wrong to say that it was thanks to this that she was not seriously injured in the carriage accident. After all, I heard that Cherry was thrown out of the carriage in that accident. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for her to suffer some major injuries from that, especially as she was stuck under the carriage¡­ And yet, she didn¡¯t suffer anything major, so the amulet must have surely done its part. And so, I picked up the seasoning with questionable expiration date, the evil god statue that I really didn¡¯t want to carry, and an amulet. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be going.¡± I said. Then, while taking those unique farewell gifts that may or may not be heartfelt, I left the assassin¡¯s village. ****** It was last night that things changed dramatically. After all the hard work, I had finally got out of the bath, and was currently in the changing room, wearing only my underwear. The night breeze felt nice after spending a while on the hot water. After all, a bath really is good. I¡¯m glad that we made it. I wiped my forehead while thinking it would be nice to enter it every day from now on, and looked up at the sky for no reason in particular. ¡°Eil.¡± Someone suddenly called out to me. I didn¡¯t notice him approaching. I heard no footsteps. I was quite surprised at it, even if I may have looked calm on the outside. That¡¯s what I have always been training for. I have been taught many times that, if you lose your sense of normalcy while in the hunting grounds, then your life will be at risk. ¡°Old man?¡± I asked as I recognized the voice. It was the coachman that drove us to the assassin village. I don¡¯t know his name, but I can remember his face. He looks like an ordinary villager without any distinctive features. But I¡¯m sure he too is an assassin. ¡°I have something to tell you. Come to my house after you get dressed.¡± He told me, then left without even hearing my reply. And I could still hear no footsteps. Even my glasses, which were supposed to make things easily visible at night, could not follow the old man as he moved away. If this was something related to Chace, I think I would have rather ignored it, but this is probably something important. Or rather, if I ignore it, it¡¯s likely that this old man might come to my room in the middle of night. It would be way too creepy to have this bald old man sneak up on me. My lifespan would be shortened by that. It¡¯s better to just quietly follow him then. ****** ¡°The cat came too.¡± I said as I entered the house. For some reason, that giant cat which is often near our dormitory, followed me as I moved. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡± The coachman replied as he invited me and the cat into the house and closed the door. ¡°I guess I should just ask this, but this isn¡¯t really a cat, is it?¡± I asked as soon as we got inside. Or rather, it can¡¯t be a cat. It¡¯s too big to be one. The old man calmly replied, ¡°It¡¯s a Demon Beast called the ¡®Sand Walker¡¯.¡± That was shocking. I knew it wasn¡¯t a cat, but to think it¡¯s a Demon Beast¡­ ¡­ Well, if you look at it calmly, you can notice that it¡¯s definitely not a cat, but a dangerous carnivore instead. That¡¯s certainly the case, so why would anyone think it is a cat? It¡¯s strange. ¡°There is someone in the village who has tamed the Sand Walker. It won¡¯t attack people unless it gets very angry.¡± The old man told me. So it was tamed by a villager? Is this even possible? Well, more than that, then this means the ¡®cat¡¯ definitely has a home here. Why doesn¡¯t it live there? And this ¡®cat¡¯¡­ Or rather, the Sand Walker, just laid there uninterested. It really sleeps a lot, just like a cat, even if it really isn¡¯t a cat. ¡°Why would someone call it a cat? No matter how I look at it, it¡¯s not a cat¡­¡± I muttered to myself. Yet Cherry and Florentine refer to it as a cat anyways¡­ In any case, I sat down at the table like the old man asked me to, and he sat down across from me. ¡°Eil, you should leave the village.¡± The old man gave me a direct verdict. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- * Translator¡¯s Note: Weiss has been referred to as both Cherry¡¯s father and grandfather on previous translations. The correct translation is Father. CH 56 Chapter 56 ¨C Glasses boy is banished from the village Should leave the village. I thought about the meaning of those words for a while, but I could only think of one conclusion from it, ¡°Huh? You mean I¡¯m banished?¡± I asked. It was quite unexpected to hear this from the old man. But he nodded, ¡°Temporarily though.¡± and added this incredibly important word. What¡¯s up with that? Say this kind of important thing first. I mean, it would just be too weird to be kicked out now, like, why would I have even come to this assassin village then? So far, I have yet to learn anything. We were just preparing the foundations to get our daily life here established, and I was just planning on getting started on learning proper assassin skills. ¡°A lot of unexpected things happened, and most of them were related to you, so I decided to temporarily push you away.¡± The old man explained. Unexpected things? ¡°I have good reasons for it. Listen to me first, then I¡¯ll answer your questions.¡± The old man told me, stopping me before I asked anything. He emphasized that this banishment had a good reason behind it. He then started explaining things to me. First of all, the long carriage trip. Apparently, it is set up in a way that will cause the students to get along very badly. Each student should not feel like cooperating at all, so they¡¯d try learning how to survive on their own. And so, once they arrived at the village, they¡¯d already know which wild herbs can be eaten, and they¡¯d immediately start thinking about how to catch prey. We were told that we could do whatever we wanted in the village, but the first thing was naturally decided in advance. No matter what we do, hunger would definitely come to us. If we don¡¯t eat, we can¡¯t live, so that would be the first priority. So, the first goal of the village was to teach the students how to live a self-sufficient life. However, this year, thanks to Cherry using recovery magic on us, and me easily obtaining food, we were able to maintain a decent relationship during the carriage trip. But that was not all, the problem only grew from there. In particular, I seem to be the problem, because I¡¯m responsible for obtaining food, so the other students won¡¯t learn how to take care of themselves. If they don¡¯t even try learning it, then they will never learn it. ¡°I suppose there is a difference between not doing something because you don¡¯t want to and because you can¡¯t¡­¡± I muttered. Even if we had exchange conditions for the meat, it didn¡¯t change the fact the meat was being given to people who couldn¡¯t obtain it in the first place. Now that I think about it, lending them food might have actually been a bad idea, even if they would have to pay me back for it later¡­ Even if we don¡¯t take the village¡¯s educational policy into account, them being unable to live without me would definitely be trouble. I think Chace might be able to obtain food for himself, but Cherry and Florentine probably can¡¯t. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to be together forever, and I¡¯m definitely going to prioritize myself doing those assassin studies. It¡¯s not bad for us to rely on one another, but this shouldn¡¯t become excessive. Even if things are fine to me now, it won¡¯t be good for them in the long run. ¡°Also, you already hunted a monster in the mountain. It¡¯s too early. It would be very troublesome for other students to try imitating you and enter the mountain¡¯s forest.¡± The old man told me. I was keenly aware of that myself though, which was why I refrained from hunting in the mountains again. That mountain is too dangerous. ¡°And the most important issue, is that you are stopping others from thinking. You¡¯re talking too much. Encouraging growth too much.¡± The old man told me. Ah¡­ This was about the thing with Chace? Is it something he should have learned on his own¡­? I guess the old man wanted Chace to climb the stairs of growth by himself, because my interference forced Chace to climb them ahead of time. I can understand that much. If you think for yourself, notice your strengths and weaknesses, then draw your own conclusions, you¡¯ll naturally grow. That¡¯s the best way to learn. However¡­ ¡°We can only stay here for a year though? Since we only have this limited amount of time available, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a waste to spend our precious time doing trial and error?¡± I asked. Our time is limited, so we should hurry and grow as much as possible now. ¡°If someone stops growing, then a person from the village will contact said person and encourage them. That¡¯s also a part of the role of this village. Until that point is reached, we let people progress on their own.¡± The old man replied. I see. So, if Chace kept on going with his unreasonable training for a while, then someone from the village would intervene? In that case, I guess me speaking up might not have been that great. ¡°At this rate, the other students will end up relying on you for the rest of the year. Even if we tried stirring up discord now, it wouldn¡¯t solve the problem, and would only drain the spirits of all four of you. ¡°Therefore, you should leave the village. Cut ties with the others and wait until they have grown up a bit more.¡± The old man told me. I understood his point. It was true that I might be hindering their growth, and maybe they¡¯re hindering my growth too. It¡¯s probably due to a difference in experience. I had already been working as a hunter for a while before coming here, while the other three are still amateurs. Due to that, our paces are different, and there is a lack of balance between us. The only ways to solve the problem while I stayed here, would be to either have me hold back, or force them to speed up their growth. ¡°You should visit the assassin¡¯s guild of a different town. They¡¯ll introduce you to someone who will be your mentor. ¡°Right now, there is nothing that you can learn at this village. Train at a different place.¡± The old man told me. That seems to be the conclusion that the old man reached. Let both me and the other three grow at our own paces. To do that, I need to be isolated and learn in a different place for a while. In the meantime, Chace, Cherry and Florentine will gain experience in supporting themselves. Once both sides have made enough progress, we¡¯ll reunite. And thus, my banishment was decided. ****** For some reason, I spent my last night in the village with the cat¡­ Well, with the Sand Warg. Then, in the next day, ¡°My family got in touch with me. It¡¯s an emergency, so I¡¯ll have to meet up with them for a while.¡± I told this, during breakfast, to Chace, Florentine and Cherry. CH 57 Chapter 57 ¨C Circumstances on the other side ¨C Second part (Part one was in chapter forty-eight) [Horse¡¯s Point of View] I, Horse, who am in charge of the Assassin¡¯s Village, resolved the problem of the glasses kid by temporarily banishing him. Life in the village has just begun. I decided that this correction would be effective now. If half a year had already passed, the students may have decided to devote themselves fully to training, as opposed to focus on supporting themselves first. That¡¯s quite some time away, but I realized it was a real possibility if I took too long to act, so I decided to intervene now. The plan worked, and the remaining three tried procuring food today. The children of the village have been escorting those three, teaching them how to take care of themselves, while also helping these new recruits discover what they¡¯re good at. The children of this village have not been trained in practical skills yet, but they still received a special education since they¡¯re born. They are not just children. And with this¡­ ¡°Today, Chace captured a prey for the first time.¡± Buffalo told me. * It was the night of the day that the glasses kid left the village. Buffalo came to visit my house. In this village, the villagers naturally act as instructors for the students according to the relationship that each student builds with us. The blue-haired boy has been under Buffalo¡¯s jurisdiction. And until he takes the next step forward, he will be taught by Buffalo. ¡°It¡¯s early.¡± I commented. Edible herbs, fruits, river fish, wild vegetables that grow on the ground¡­ Learning how to pick them, which can be eaten, how to eat them. It should take them at least three days to learn all that. As for the meat of animals that can only be obtained from hunting, that should have been quite the challenge for them. It¡¯s much more difficult than harvesting herbs. Unlike harvesting, the target runs away, hides, and may even bare its fangs. ¡°Well, it took him a whole day to get one bird. He said he honestly wasn¡¯t happy with it.¡± Buffalo told me. It¡¯s still admirable though. The blue-haired boy must be comparing himself to the glasses kid. When using that kind of standard, it¡¯s natural for him to think the results of his hunt are small. However, he is an amateur that is quite unfamiliar with hunting. Getting results this quickly is admirable. ¡°It seems like he had been doing odd jobs as a trainee adventurer before, that¡¯s why he decided to already attempt hunting.¡± Buffalo told me. I see. ¡°How did he hunt though? I heard you made him a practice spear.¡± I asked Buffalo. ¡°He used the practice spear, and found a bird that was within the spear¡¯s reach, so he simply stabbed it as hard as he could.¡± Buffalo replied. And then, the blue-haired boy fulfilled the promise that he made in exchange for receiving the practice spear. If he showed good results from his training, he¡¯d be allowed to keep it. With him hunting the bird and showing it to Buffalo, the blue-haired boy fully met the conditions of the deal. To be able to accurately attack a small moving target is certainly an important growth that came from his training. Weapons become a part of your body as you get more used to them. As your movements become more precise, you¡¯ll be able to start attacking in ways that you previously thought that weren¡¯t physically possible. Well, that boy will surely grow even more from now on. And well, it would certainly be a problem if he wasn¡¯t growing. We¡¯re still in the early days of training. ¡°What about the two women?¡± I decided to ask. They don¡¯t seem to have done anything particularly noticeable, as I received no report from anyone, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to ask. It¡¯s only been one day since the glasses kid left. I don¡¯t think there should be any drastic changes at the performance of the other children. Or rather, the results of the blue-haired boy are the outlier here. ¡°I heard nothing noteworthy. They seem to just be busying themselves collecting herbs for now.¡± Buffalo replied. Then, it¡¯s business as usual from now on. But then, while we were talking, a one-armed man entered my house, ¡°Please excuse me.¡± he said. The man who entered without even bothering with knocking was an old friend. He sat down on a chair, right next to Buffalo. He was Scorpion. A middle-aged man that came from the desert, and that has dark skin. He has a bit of an exotic feeling, and can easily be considered handsome, even by other men. It¡¯s been almost ten years since he lost his left arm, which is why he retired as an assassin. ¡°My Asan is not coming home¡­¡± He muttered. How many times have I heard those words¡­? Both me and Buffalo sighed. ¡°Are you fighting again?¡± Buffalo asked. ¡°How many times are you going to fight with your contracted beast?¡± I asked. Truly, this discussion was held over a hundred times already. ¡°Good women are capricious. Asan especially so.¡± Scorpion replied. So the cause of the fight was the same as always. The way that Scorpion stroked her. She got offended, and hasn¡¯t been back home for days, leaving Scorpion alone. ¡°That Asan, she¡¯s been hanging out with the new kids¡­¡± Scorpion muttered. ¡°We know.¡± Buffalo bluntly replied. ¡°Asan is a sweet woman. She is taking care of the children while playing hard to get for me.¡± Scorpion said. ¡°She wants meat.¡± I stated. ¡°Wrong.¡± Scorpion rejected the truth. ¡°Your woman is a glutton.¡± Buffalo said. ¡°Don¡¯t say a single more word, you bald man.¡± Scorpion warned. ¡°My head is shaved.¡± Buffalo told him. ¡°Then I¡¯ll pluck off your beard, baldie.¡± Scorpion said. ¡°I shave my head, but if you touch my beard, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± Buffalo replied. Turns out he isn¡¯t actually bald? Well, I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to tell you this for a while, but isn¡¯t your overbearing attitude what makes Asan keep running away from home?¡± I intervened in their quarrel. ¡°Why would she? I love her so much.¡± Scorpion replied. His love is too heavy. It annoys her¡­ Even without love, Scorpion is already quite troublesome. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible for anyone to stay with him all the time without getting annoyed. And with Asan, he is especially obsessed and has an overbearing attitude. There¡¯s no way she doesn¡¯t find it to be too much. I sighed, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll tell Asan to go home.¡± ¡°Thank you, Horse! I knew you¡¯d listen to reason. With your words, I can even forgive this bastard.¡± Scorpion stared at Buffalo as he said that. I don¡¯t think there is anything that requires forgiveness here in the first place, but if we comment on this kind of small thing there will be no end to the conversation, so it¡¯s better to just leave it be. In any case, Asan is whimsical, difficult, kind and innocent. She is currently being referred to as a cat by the new children, but she is much more than that. ¡°By the way, since you¡¯re here, I figured I¡¯d ask you. How is the Taboo Child doing?¡± I asked Scorpion. We¡¯ll find out about her eventually, but since Scorpion is the one who is interacting with her the most, it might be good to hear what he has to say. As he heard my words, Scorpion changed from being a lamenting adult that is sorrowful about his ¡®lover¡¯, to someone that was actually thinking about things seriously. Scorpion has the Demon Beast Tamer gift. He can tame both animals and demon beasts. He might be the person best suited to analyzing if the Taboo Child has any similar talents. Although it is not known to the public, for some reason, many of the so-called Taboo Children, who are only born once for every tens of thousands of children, tend to have extremely rare gifts. Something like a gift to rule over others is a real possibility for Taboo Children, which is somewhat similar to the power to tame Demon Beasts that Scorpion has. The reason why the public doesn¡¯t know it, is because Taboo Children are often killed immediately after birth due to customs and prejudice. In Nastiara, where peace has continued for a long time now, the country has been strongly encouraging Taboo Children to be raised as normal human beings. This effort is finally giving results, but the Taboo Children still struggle a lot with prejudice and discrimination due to their unique appearance. Due to that, many don¡¯t live long enough to reach the Determination Ceremony. Since it¡¯s rare for Taboo Children to be born in the first place, and many die before reaching adulthood, there aren¡¯t many precedents regarding their Gifts. However, it is known that they¡¯re special. Especially because humans are not limited to having only one Gift. Most people have only one, but there are cases where one in tens of thousands of people have two. And it has already been found out that the majority of the Taboo Children do have more than one Gift. According to the records, ten out of thirteen Taboo Children have two Gifts. With so many of them having two Gifts, it is reasonable to assume that the last three do have two Gifts too, but they haven¡¯t been able to identify their second Gift. In other words, it might be possible to say that all Taboo Children have two Gifts. However, normally speaking, the only way to figure out your gift, is to touch the Determination Stone, and that only shows a single Gift. Therefore, we have to figure out the second Gift of Taboo Children by observing them carefully. And I¡¯d like that to be done as soon as possible. Gifts are certainly quite mysterious, and they can naturally appear once a child reaches a certain age. Some researches hypothesize that instead of heredity, the things that influence the Gift that a child may have, are actually the education that the child received, the way that they grew up, their environment, the child¡¯s own thoughts, and other similar things. All of that may help shape the child¡¯s Gift once they come of age. I think we¡¯ll figure out her other Gift eventually, but I would still like to know it as soon as possible. ¡°From what I have seen, she looks promising, but she doesn¡¯t seem to be affecting Asan in any unusual way.¡± Scorpion replied. In other words, the Taboo Child probably doesn¡¯t have something that is similar to Demon Beast Tamer gift, but perhaps she still has something related to ruling over others. The Gift to rule is something that was once possessed by the heroes who founded the country. It¡¯s an enormous power that anyone would want. It¡¯s certainly one of the best possible Gifts one might have. ¡°Understood. Please continue watching over her.¡± I told Scorpion. It¡¯s the first day since the glasses kid disappeared. The village finally began to move in its natural pace. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- * Translator¡¯s Note: I¡¯m changing ¡°Iron Bull¡± to ¡°Buffalo¡±. The author provided specific readings for the codenames of the assassins. While the codename means ¡°Iron Bull¡±, the reading is ¡°Buffalo¡±, so that¡¯s what I¡¯m going with. Similarly, the meaning of ¡°Horse¡± is ¡°Mist Horse¡±, but the reading is ¡°Horse¡±. I decided I wanted to be consistent and translate all codenames based on reading and not on meaning, hence the change. CH 58 Chapter 58 ¨C Glasses boy, before arriving at Haidiga Visit the assassin¡¯s guild of a different town. It¡¯s been two nights since I was kicked out of the assassin¡¯s village. It was now, on the third night, that I finally saw a city in the distance. The town that the old man instructed me to go to, a place called Haidiga. It¡¯s big enough, but it¡¯s also quite close to that dangerous mountain, so it¡¯s a place where adventurers often come to test their skills and raise their rank. Haidiga is almost directly across the mountain where the assassin¡¯s village lies. The old man said it would be possible to cut through the mountain and arrive at Haidiga in less than a day, but I decided to take a detour through a relatively safe route. The mountain is too early for me, and I don¡¯t feel comfortable with traveling through it during the night. In any case, with the city now being visible, I decided to make a small fire for my last break. Even if I hurry, I¡¯ll still be arriving in the middle of the night, so there isn¡¯t much of a point in doing that. Therefore, I¡¯ve decided to rest for a bit, as I¡¯ve been running for three days. I¡¯m tired. After I eat and rest though, it will be time for the last spurt. I¡¯ll be renting an inn room, and have a good night sleep before tomorrow. That said¡­ It¡¯s now time to settle things. After making a small fire on a clearing, I sat down with my back to a rock that was as high as me. The food was soup with dried meat and leftover wild herbs. This is the end of the camping trip, so I¡¯m going to use up all the preserved food that won¡¯t last much longer. The dried meat is already salted, so there is no reason to put any more salt in it. And today, tonight, right now, in this evening, in this very place¡­ In this soup, the slightly rare and expensive farewell gift. This seasoning¡­ ¡°It¡¯s no good¡­¡± I spoke to myself. My will, instinct, desire and curiosity that wished me to add the seasoning were stopped by something unmistakable¡­ Logic. How many times have I tried to add the seasoning during this short journey? How many times did I give up on it? How many times did I wish to turn the usual delicious meat into something more special? However, I hesitate. I always hesitate with this¡­ Because it smells. This seasoning smells completely rotten¡­! I¡¯m not my sister. I¡¯m not my sister. I can¡¯t simply say ¡®even if it¡¯s rotten, it¡¯s meat¡¯ like she did, only to then start crying as she realized that it was impossible to eat that. I¡¯m not my older sister who trembled and shamefully spat out the rotten meat that she had just eaten. I don¡¯t want to imitate her at trying to do something that was obviously impossible from the very beginning. Rotten meat is not food. Humans cannot eat rotten meat. Chace said that it was still eatable, even if it smelled like that. So maybe, it might still be fine. ¡­ But it smells completely rotten. There is not a semblance of freshness in this smell. If I eat this, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll break my stomach. But maybe it¡¯s just the smell? Perhaps the taste is still safe¡­? ¡­ I have had those conflicting thoughts run through my head throughout the entire trip. I won¡¯t know the answer unless I put it in my mouth, but when I think about the risks behind it, my logic can¡¯t agree with the idea. ¡­ In the first place, when Chace showed this to me, it was already a liquid that felt too thick to be safe, but¡­ Right now, it¡¯s even thicker, darker, stickier¡­ It feels absolutely dangerous. ¡­ Alright, it¡¯s decided. Let¡¯s stop this. I¡¯m not my sister. My older sister had an unusually strong body that seemed to have undergone special training since she was a child, but I¡¯m just a normal, healthy person. It would be fine if it just gave me a stomachache, but this seasoning might kill a normal human. I¡¯d hate it if the cause of my death was that I put something rotten in my stomach and died. It would be something that even my sister¡¯s actions would pale in comparison to. I don¡¯t want to put my life on the line for this kind of thing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Chace.¡± I muttered, then buried the sticky liquid, which was once a seasoning, inside a small hole that I dug on the ground. It was a special parting gift, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. ¡­ Though coming to think of it, could Chace have maybe felt too bad about throwing this away himself, so he instead forced it onto me, so as to make me handle it? ¡­ No, I must be overthinking it. Let¡¯s stop worrying about the, now buried, sticky seasoning. Next, comes this thing. ¡°¡­ I really don¡¯t want to look at it.¡± I muttered. It¡¯s evil. This thing can only be thought of as the embodiment of evil itself. Thinking about calmly, I don¡¯t know why Florentine gave me this, but unfortunately, this ¡®cute¡¯ evil god statue that she gave me still exists in this world. And that¡¯s because no matter how many times I tell myself that I should throw it away, destroy it or throw it into the fire, my hands always stop. ¡­ Because I saw Florentine working hard at carving it, many times. She was really serious about it. She put her all into it. She wasn¡¯t trying to make an evil thing, she just carved this with all her heart. The completed product looks way too evil though. I have to wonder what kind of heart she put into it¡­ Did she carve it while cursing the world? This is too troublesome¡­ What should I do? I feel bad for her, but I really want to throw this away, but I haven¡¯t been able to do it, so¡­ I keep on holding on to this ominous symbol that I really can¡¯t let go of. I sighed, and stared at the evil god statue. ¡­ It¡¯s absolutely evil. I¡¯m finally starting to get used to seeing it, but no matter how I look at it, it¡¯s evil- Huh? I put the evil god statue into my backpack, got up, then quickly climbed on top of the rock I was resting my back at until just a second ago. I crouched on top of it, then focused my attention to the depths of the forest, paying attention to the noises that weren¡¯t common to a forest. ¡­ Is there someone fighting? No¡­ Someone is running. I searched for signs¡­ There were three people being chased by a large monster. They were somewhat far, but they seemed to be fleeing through the woods, running towards Haidiga. Perhaps they¡¯re adventurers? They feel stronger than normal people. Then this should be the end of it. There¡¯s a rule that says that you shouldn¡¯t mess with adventurers who are engaged in battle. You¡¯ll get in trouble if you steal their prey. I remember one time that adventurers were fighting near the village of Albat, at the hunting grounds that me and my master often went to. At that time, my master told me to not interfere. That one should only participate if the other party asks for help. ¡°Help me! Someone!¡± One adventurer exclaimed. ¡°Aaah! I¡¯m gonna die! I¡¯m gonna die!¡± Another adventurer shouted. I did notice they were shouting something for a while, but I couldn¡¯t hear them clearly until just now, as they were fairly close to my position at this moment. ¡­ If they run and shout while being near my position, I can¡¯t help hearing it. ¡­ I suppose it can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s go. CH 59 Chapter 59 ¨C Glasses boy arrives at Haidiga After clearing up the fire, I poured down the water from my water bottle into the soup, forcing it to quickly cool down, then started pouring it all into my mouth at once. That was something master taught me how to do. At times, when you¡¯re eating at hunting grounds, you¡¯ll have to quickly finish eating and start moving. So, I had cut the dried meat and the wild herbs into very small pieces, so that I could swallow them without chewing much, in case an emergency happened. Seems like the incoming Demon Beast is big. There is an unusually strong presence approaching, and it¡¯s not a presence I remember seeing before. It is still out of my sight, but after using Night Vision, I could see a large red light beyond the obstacles. The adventurers, who are running from the monster, are still not visible though. As if to show the difference between the strength of their life force and the one of the Demon Beast. Mmmm¡­ This seems to be too much for me. I quickly packed my things, prepared my bow, then put the backpack on my back. I still had a bit of the paralyzing poison that I used when hunting the Sky Lizard, but against such a large enemy, I don¡¯t think this much poison will be enough. How much can I do with a bow? The problem with hunting big games with a bow, is that there are many situations where I won¡¯t be able to hit a fatal wound no matter where I aim. Though well, for now, I should just help those three adventurers escape. There is no need to hunt the Demon Beast. All I need to do, is get the attention of the monster, then flee. As I decided that, I started running. It didn¡¯t take long to see the three adventurers in question, so I shouted to them, ¡°Keep running! I¡¯ll distract the enemy!¡± ¡°W-who¡¯s there!?¡± ¡°Is help here!?¡± ¡°We¡¯re saved!¡± I heard the adventurers say. They seemed to be able to hear my voice then. Though they haven¡¯t been saved yet, since I can¡¯t hunt this monster. Still, after I passed by the three adventurers, who seemed to be out of breath, I saw a large figure through the gaps in the trees. ¡°An Ironhead¡­?¡± I muttered. Basically, it¡¯s a huge man. About twice as tall as me, and its body is so muscular, that arrows can barely penetrate it. Like a monkey, its whole body is covered with black short hair, but its silhouette is similar to that of a human. However, the Ironhead does not have well-developed hands and cannot climb trees. It is closer to being a hairy person than a human. And its most bizarre aspect, is its head. It is the head of a cow, with splendid horns in it. I remember seeing its description on the book that the old man from the assassin¡¯s village gave me. It was written that this monster closely resembles the ¡®Minotaur¡¯, that inhabits a faraway land. And as expected of a monster from this mountain, it¡¯s a big shot. I realized it even before seeing the real deal, but I can¡¯t win against this Demon Beast, there is no strategy that will lead to my victory. Well, guess I¡¯ll just distract it and run away, then? I quickly set up a trap, then hid behind the shadows of the forest trees. Due to its weight, this monster is kinda slow. Its heavy footsteps passed right beside me, at a speed that was just barely enough to let the adventurers escape. And then, it was caught. As expected, the Ironhead¡¯s body was thrown forward, and it fell down. It tripped on a simple trap that was made by tying ropes to two trees at around shin height, and this trap splendidly caught the Ironhead. Even if it has a humanoid form, this kind of primitive trap works on it. Without missing this chance, I quickly ran to the front of the Ironhead, standing right in front of its head. The cow head, which crashed onto the ground as it fell, met eyes with me. It has truly clear eyes¡­ They feel pure and they sparkle, just like what you¡¯d expect of a cow. This is a Demon Beast that doesn¡¯t seem to be wary of people at all, just like a ranch cow who is loved by its owner. The monster roared. Well, I¡¯ll still shoot it. I didn¡¯t hold back and shot a few iron arrows at it. The first stabbed it right in the eye. The second grazed the cheek. The third was¡­ Blocked. The Ironhead put its arm in front of the arrow. Well, this should be enough. I hid myself in the shadows of the trees before the Ironhead stood up, then I started running¡­ Towards the opposite direction of Haidiga. Then, I shot one more arrow. A wooden arrow with a simple clapper attached to it, aimed far from me, Haidiga and the Ironhead. The Ironhead let out an angry roar as it stood up. The air trembled, the trees themselves seemed to tremble, birds in the distance flew away, and the forest rustled. And then, the Ironhead followed the sound of the clapper attacked to my wooden arrow. After falling to my rope trap, it fell to this trap too and, completely enraged, ran towards the bushes. In the meantime, I quickly left the place without even letting out a breath. Only after some distance was gained, I could sigh in relief. Seems like the emergency has passed. ****** I returned to the road from the place where I encountered the Ironhead. This time, I headed to the city of Haidiga without taking a break. The three adventurers seemed to have safely escaped. Their team consisted of two men and one woman. As expected, neither of us had time to look at each other¡¯s faces, so we might not even notice it if we meet again. ¡­ No, not really. ¡°We were being chased by an Ironhead!¡± I heard a man shout. The three adventurers from before now seemed to be talking to two gatekeepers of Haidiga. I suppose it¡¯s not surprising. We were all heading to the same place. ¡°You said you were being chased, but I see nothing chasing you.¡± The gatekeeper replied. The speaking adventurer swordsman was quite panicked, but the guards had a fairly dull reaction to his words. They must be sleepy and tired right now. ¡°Someone interrupted it! He said, ¡®Keep running! I¡¯ll distract the enemy!¡¯ That person must be fighting the Ironhead right now!¡± The adventurer said. ¡°You have to help him! He¡¯s going to die!¡± Another adventurer said. No, they don¡¯t have to go. I¡¯m right here. ¡­ Well, I won¡¯t say it though, that would be trouble. So, I quietly moved past the adventurers without meeting their eyes, approached one of the soldiers and asked, ¡°Excuse me, may I come in?¡± while presenting my Hunter Guild¡¯s card, which is the only form of identification I have. ¡°Hey, you! You came from over there! Did you see the Ironhead!?¡± The adventurer asked me. ¡°No.¡± I instantly denied it. I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s a lie. I looked at the adventurer in the eye, and unexpectedly, found some innocent looking eyes staring at me. I crushed his innocence with such a lie, I suppose. ¡°I heard some noise, but I was scared and ran away, so I don¡¯t know where it is.¡± I lied a bit more. ¡°Hey! I heard your voice!¡± The adventurer shouted. The guard sighed, ¡°Alright, alright. We¡¯ll send out a search party. ¡°You three report to the guild and ask for further instructions from them. ¡°And boy.¡± The guard turned towards me, ¡°I¡¯m busy right now, so just pay the entrance fee and get in.¡± Oh, certainly. That¡¯s easy enough. I paid the fee, and moved past the gate. Like this, I was able to safely enter the city of Haidiga, even if some unexpected things happened on the way. CH 60 Chapter 60 ¨C Glasses boy finds a bath I also asked the gatekeeper soldier where I could find a cheap and reputable inn. ¡°If you go straight down the main street, you should see an inn to the right before long. ¡°Alternatively, if you just want a cheap place to sleep in, you can rent a cheap room at the adventurer¡¯s guild.¡± The guard replied. I wondered if the adventurer¡¯s guild would let me rent a room when I¡¯m not an adventurer, but apparently even non-adventurers can rent it for short-term use. Basically, instead of having some empty lodgings that nobody is using vacant, they prefer to let ordinary people use those too, so as to make more money. It¡¯s a smart way of going about it. But well, things are going to be hectic from now on, so since I had already paid the entrance tax, I entered the city of Haidiga. First things first, I hate being involved in troublesome things, so I¡¯m not gonna get close to the adventurer¡¯s guild. Let¡¯s go to the inn instead. Luckily enough, I still have money with me. I was saving money back when I was in the royal capital, as I wanted to eventually pay my sister¡¯s debt, but I didn¡¯t start paying it yet. And since the Black Swan of Dawn didn¡¯t really try pressuring me into paying it either, I was easily able to buy some supplies for the carriage trip that took me to the assassin¡¯s village without any worries. But even then, it¡¯s not like I spent much on supplies, so I still have plenty of money left. For as long as I don¡¯t buy anything luxurious, I should be able to live for twenty days without doing anything. It¡¯s already late at night. There are very few people walking down the streets. The people I could see are either drunkards who have yet to go home, or merchants who are quickly walking with a sense of purpose. This isn¡¯t the time for ordinary people to be walking around. I went to the inn I was told about, asked the price, then paid in advance for two nights without meal. As for the room I was guided to¡­ Well, it was larger than the inn room at the capital, and also larger than the dormitory in the assassin¡¯s village, but it was still a simple room with just a bed in it. There isn¡¯t any particular problem with that though, so I decided to go to sleep without thinking about anything else for today. I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve eaten much, but since I ate not that long ago, I don¡¯t feel hungry for now. I¡¯m also pretty tired from the trip, so my first priority is to rest and heal my body. I took off my heavier clothes and crawled into the bed. Soon, my consciousness faded and I fell asleep. ****** So this is what the town of Haidiga is like. It was the day after I reached the city. I slept until early afternoon, got ready, then went outside. After walking through the main street a bit, it seemed safe to conclude that it was just like what my previous information told me. Basically, it¡¯s a town filled with adventurers, and many people walk around while armed. Even the unarmed people are often times looking pretty strong, so maybe they¡¯re adventurers too. This city may be smaller than the capital, but it seems to have about as many adventurers as the capital has. Also, it¡¯s quite the lively place. I could easily hear calls coming from food stalls, restaurants and the like non-stop. Perhaps because they¡¯re dealing with somewhat rough adventurers, they can¡¯t do business in an elegant and quiet style¡­ I¡¯m not good with this. I don¡¯t like places that are noisy and filled with people. ¡°Welcome! It¡¯s Haidiga¡¯s specialty meat roll! The perfect portable meat roll to fill your stomach! Get the original here!¡± A shopkeeper exclaimed. I heard that while casually walking around, and I couldn¡¯t ignore it¡­ What¡¯s that? A meat roll? As a meat lover myself, I cannot ignore the call of meat. I may not show it much while eating, but I love meat even more than my sister. Of course, she is insane though, so she isn¡¯t compared on the same standards that an ordinary meat lover would be. In any case, the voice came from a small restaurant along the main street. However, it had a structure that I had never seen before. The meat roll in question was being sold at a stall-like portion of the store that was facing the road. It¡¯s like, the sales floor of the restaurant is facing outward? It¡¯s a food stall inside a store? It¡¯s strange. Oh well, whatever. It seems to be selling well, and while there is no line to get the meat rolls, customers are quickly coming in, buying it, picking up the meat roll and leaving. The flow of people is very fast. Alright, let¡¯s go. ¡°Hello, how much is one?¡± I asked. ¡°Thank you for your patronage.¡± The shopkeeper told a customer before turning towards me, ¡°Huh? Are you a rookie adventurer? I don¡¯t remember seeing you before.¡± She was a woman who seemed to be on her twenties and was staring directly at my face¡­ I don¡¯t want to be seen too much¡­ ¡°I¡¯m not an adventurer, but I just arrived at the city. Is this the city¡¯s specialty?¡± I asked. If I recall correctly, the capital¡¯s specialty was a soup pasta with large onions and blue duck. Or to be more precise, the large onions seem to be a specialty of the entire kingdom of Nastiara. I don¡¯t get how exactly it works, but I remember hearing that the country encourages the cities to make plenty of dishes using the special large onions. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter either way. Anything is fine as long as it tastes good. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a delicious dish that you can easily eat while walking. With thin bread wrapped around pork that was grilled with a special sauce and plenty of fresh vegetables.¡± The shopkeeper explained. A special sauce? Is this the selling point? Well, as a meat lover, I should try it at least once, so I bought it without hesitation. ¡°By the way, I would like to ask you. Where is the hunting guild?¡± I figured I¡¯d ask. ¡°Huh? Hunting¡­ Guild?¡± She replied. Ah, this reaction alone is plenty. There is no need to wait for an answer, so I grabbed the meat roll and started walking away. At that moment, someone had already appeared behind me. He seemed to be strong, so he was probably an adventurer. ¡°Good morning, Jeri! You look very cute today too!¡± The man said as he stood on the same place I was at just a second ago. ¡°Good morning? It¡¯s already past noon.¡± The shopkeeper, Jeri, replied. The man laughed, ¡°I had to go work last night, so I was asleep until a while ago. ¡°I was woken up in the middle of the night because some poorly behaved kids pulled an Ironhead to the vicinity of the city, so I had to go subdue it.¡± Oh? Maybe he knows something? I was planning on leaving this place as soon as possible, but I now got curious about their conversation, so I decided to overhear them for a bit. ¡°So, by the time morning came, I was still way too tired to leave bed.¡± The man said. ¡°I see. So what happened to the Ironhead?¡± Jeri asked. ¡°I killed it, of course.¡± The man replied. I see¡­ Is this guy strong, then? Well, I¡¯m not that interested in the first place. ¡°Thank you for the hard work. Well then, you¡¯re gonna buy one, right? Of course you will, right?¡± Jeri asked the man. ¡°What should I do¡­?¡± The man feigned to think for a second, but then he laughed, ¡°That¡¯s a lie. If it comes with your smile, Jeri, then I¡¯ll gladly buy it.¡± Jeri giggled a bit and said, ¡°Oh, stop it.¡± but she didn¡¯t seem to be serious. I don¡¯t know much about women¡¯s minds, but I get the feeling she¡¯s interested in him. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter to me. Let¡¯s eat this meat roll while it¡¯s warm. As a meat lover, I want to eat it while it tastes the best. Everyone prefers to eat food like this, in fact, even those who aren¡¯t meat lovers. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s good.¡± I said to myself. Leaving aside the vegetables and thinly baked bread, the pork was grilled with a sweet and spicy sauce¡­ How does one make a sauce with such an indescribably complex flavor? It¡¯s even a bit fruity¡­ I¡¯m so curious. Well, they won¡¯t tell me even if I ask, so there is no point. Meanwhile, the man was blatantly wooing the female clerk and is no longer talking about anything related to me, so I left the place while biting into the meat roll. I didn¡¯t come here for sightseeing, and I don¡¯t really want to waste time doing it either. The first priority is to find the hunter¡¯s guild, which should also be the assassin¡¯s guild, then listen to their instructions. I don¡¯t want to waste this year that is blessed with so many precious opportunities. I did need to take a break to relax, but I can¡¯t play around, or waste my time doing nothing. So, just like in the royal capital, I went to a weapons store, asked about a store that sold bows, then in the bow store I asked about the location of the hunter¡¯s guild. Although I was a bit surprised by the information I got and had to do a fair bit of walking, I ended up being able to find my objective. I¡¯m finally, ¡°Here¡­¡± I muttered. I looked at the splendid building in front of me¡­ Goertz¡¯s public bath. A public bathhouse that was purchased by the Goertz company, whose president is a large merchant who loves baths. It was in this place that the hunter¡¯s guild used to be. The hunter¡¯s guild had poor performance, so it was dissolved, its building and land were sold, and now this is the result. The hunter¡¯s guild of this city no longer exists. There¡¯s nothing I can do about it, so let¡¯s think about the next move while taking a bath. CH 61 Chapter 61 ¨C Glasses boy distractedly thinks ¡°One set of grilled duck with herbs incoming!¡± A waiter said. I slowly soaked in the hot water, washed off the fatigue and dirt from the trip, then thought about various things. Like yeah, duck meat is good too. Sauce made with herbs and chopped onions is also great. After I had enough of the bath, I left it, put my clothes on, then went to a restaurant, sat down at a table and ordered some food, which arrived shortly after. As I ate it, I started thinking about my current circumstances. I was told to visit the assassin¡¯s guild, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible for the guild to not exist here. I¡¯m not in a distant foreign country that is half a year away from the assassin¡¯s village, but at a nearby town that can be reached in two or three days. There is no way the village is behind on what is happening here. I think it¡¯s quite possible that they knew that the hunter¡¯s guild had collapsed even. Mmmm, vegetables go well as a side dish. When I was young, I didn¡¯t really like vegetables, but now¡­ Well, I still don¡¯t like them, but I can eat them normally. There aren¡¯t many ingredients in this dish, but the herbs make it smell particularly nice. The pale amber soup, which is of the same color as my eyes, is also quite delicious. Is this just seasoned with salt? But there is a faint taste of something else¡­ Fish, maybe? Perhaps. Maybe it was a fish that changed the soup¡¯s color. The amount of information I have is limited. Both for the soup and for the assassin¡¯s guild. I know the hunter¡¯s guild has collapsed. But I also know the assassin¡¯s guild exists. If I were to connect both things without creating a contradiction, then it means that the assassin¡¯s guild exists without the hunter¡¯s guild working as a cover. Maybe they use some other establishment as their cover now? Or are they proudly working alone at the underworld in here. ¡­ Well, working proudly in the underworld doesn¡¯t sound right. Also, this possibility is unlikely to be true. While I sunk the hard bread into the soup, I listened to the conversation of two women sitting next to me. ¡°Oh, this fruit gelato is quite different!¡± One woman said. ¡°Eating this after a bath feels perfect!¡± Another woman said. A fruit gelato¡­? I¡¯m curious. In any case, I think the assassin¡¯s guild does too little to be existing only in the underworld. Weiss said that there are almost no assassination jobs these days, after all. I don¡¯t think this kind of organization can proudly stand over the underworld. My master told me that the underworld is more about connections and how much money you can make, than about ability itself. Master said that he had interacted with the underworld before, but his skill alone wasn¡¯t enough to survive there, so he gave up on it¡­ I thought that it was all just nonsense though, so I ignored him, but maybe there was some truth in his words. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter if it was true or not. In any case, the current group of assassins are people who originally worked for the country, but were, at least on paper, dismantled. Right now, the assassin¡¯s guild is an organization formed by Weiss and other assassins, who have been unable to find work from the kingdom, so they started getting work from the private sector instead. So, in that case- ¡°Excuse me, one gelato please.¡± I asked a waiter who was passing by. I mean, I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll have another chance to eat this, so it¡¯s fine to splurge a bit. So, in that case, since the assassins aren¡¯t making money due to a draught of work, it¡¯s not possible for them to be ruling over the underworld, as there are simply no jobs for them there. Besides, if the assassins were in charge of the underworld, then there would be no reason to create an assassin¡¯s village. They¡¯d definitely train new assassins within the city itself, instead of in a remote village, if they had this kind of power. In other words, assassins don¡¯t have much money nor jobs, so they can¡¯t rule over the underworld. Therefore, they certainly have something, that is not the hunter¡¯s guild, working as a cover for them. As soon as I finished eating the meal, the fruit gelato was brought to me. Is this an ice-based sweet? What even is this? I scooped some colorful fine ice and brought it to my mouth, ¡°¡­ Sweet.¡± A cold feeling permeated my body that had been warmed up in the bath¡­ Yeah, this is good. How do they prepare the ice though? We¡¯re not in the season for snow or frozen lakes. ¡°Excuse me.¡± I asked a nearby waiter about it as I thought about the assassin¡¯s guild. If they¡¯re hiding under something that isn¡¯t the hunter¡¯s guild, how do I expose them? Huh? The ice comes from a magic core? How come? ¡­ The waiter couldn¡¯t share the details, but there is apparently a monster called White Spider, whose cores can be used to make the sweet. Well, as long as my direction has been decided, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to find them. I just need to find an informant, someone familiar with what happened since the hunter¡¯s guild was dissolved. And I already know where an informant might be. While tasting the cold dessert, I decided to go there as soon as I finished eating. ****** After eating another serving of the dessert, I left. Seems like thinking while eating ends up distracting me a bit too much. But well, after thoroughly enjoying Haidiga¡¯s cuisine, I left the restaurant. Right now, the sky had started to darken. It¡¯s almost night. I don¡¯t know if this time is convenient or not, but it should be fine to go take a look at least. Let¡¯s go to the place where an informant should be at. My destination is the slums. This is the perfect time for people who want to start drinking, so plenty of people are coming and going through the streets. It¡¯s also a bit too early for most stores to close, while taverns are starting to get filled up. Today I ended up having to walk quite a bit to get the information I wanted, so I now have a rough map of the city in my head. I walked through a lively street, made a turn, and gradually moved in the direction where there were no stores. Once I reached a point where the hustle and bustle had completely subsided, I started seeing people sleeping in shabby rags. Yeah, there is no doubt about it. The informant is here. When I was in the capital, as soon as I understood the meaning of the numbers that the glasses showed me, I started looking around the capital to see people¡¯s numbers. The reason behind it was¡­ Well, I think it was mostly curiosity. That number was my winning percentage when using a surprise attack, most likely. It¡¯s interesting to compare the high numbers of ordinary people with the extremely low numbers of skilled people. Sometimes though, people that appear to be skilled actually have fairly high numbers. But more interesting than that, is when I look at someone that seems to be perfectly ordinary, but that has an extremely low number¡­ To put it simply, some strong people are concealing themselves. This is particularly noticeably in the slums, as the people here live only in the extremes. I either see ¡°99¡± or ¡°1¡±. The 99s are undoubtedly hungry people who are tired of life. But the 1¡­ ¡°¡­ Huh? What is it, boy? Will you help me?¡± A man asked me. He had long hair and beard, and he was laying on a tattered rug that seemed to be have been originally made of leather. It¡¯s hard to be sure of how old he is. He is thin, skinny, has a lifeless face, smells bad, and absolutely looks like a homeless man. But his number is 1. I showed him a bit of bloodlust, then the man instantly stood up and gained distance with an unbelievably fast speed. It was amazing how fast he was. Had I played poorly here, I would surely be in a bad spot now. The man laughed creepily, ¡°What is it boy? Won¡¯t you greet me at least?¡± Seeing that I didn¡¯t do anything else, the man just gave me a wild and terrifying grin¡­ Oh, wow, scary. This person is undoubtedly strong. His number also changed to 0. I don¡¯t know if he is an informant or not, but this person is surely someone who lives in the underworld. Therefore, he should at least know who is the informant. CH 62 Chapter 62 ¨C Glasses boy meets the type he likes the least ¡°I¡¯m looking for an informant that can tell me information about what happens behind the scenes. Do you know anybody, old man?¡± I asked. There may be some negotiation methods that are unique to the underworld, but unfortunately, I don¡¯t know anything about them, so I just asked him straightforwardly. Fortunately enough, I do have some money on me. I don¡¯t know what is the price for information fees, but I think I can at least negotiate a bit with what I have. ¡°Heh. An informant, is it?¡± The old man sat down on the ragged leather rug, giving off a completely different impression from when he was ready for battle, ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t tell you about it this easily.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll ask someone else then.¡± I turned around and started leaving. ¡°Wait, hold on a second.¡± The old man called out to me. What is it now? ¡°Are you going to give up so easily? You think I know something, right? If what you want is right in front of you, then how can you give up this easily?¡± Yeah, that¡¯s true, ¡°But you can¡¯t tell me about it easily, right? Then I¡¯ll just find someone who can tell me about it easily. So it¡¯s alright.¡± I replied. The search for an informant has just begun. This person is not the last candidate. Or rather, he is the first one. If he tells me that what I¡¯m asking is too much, then I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll extort me for the information. I¡¯d rather finish the negotiations before they even start in that case. Besides, it¡¯s dangerous to go too deep into the underworld. ¡­ Though it¡¯s kinda strange that someone who wants to learn the skills of an assassin doesn¡¯t want to go deep into the underworld. Assassins are the people who work in the underworld, after all. ¡°Alright, alright. Listen up, kid.¡± The old man laid down on the rug. Is he unmotivated? Well, I guess he can be when he is as strong as he is. ¡°I¡¯m not an informant, but I know behind-the-scenes things and I also know people who are informants, and I¡¯m not against introducing them. ¡°What about it, kid? If I can answer what you want to know, I¡¯ll answer. ¡°As for the informant, those people are expensive. It costs money to introduce them, and the information itself will be even more expensive. Especially if you want to know information about what happens behind the scenes. You don¡¯t have that much money on you, do you?¡± The old man told me. As for money¡­ Well, I do have some, but it¡¯s certainly not a lot. Learning what happens behind the scenes is expensive though¡­ In other words, information about the underworld is expensive. In that case¡­ Ah, right, how about this. ¡°Then can I ask you something? It¡¯s not information about what happened behind the scenes.¡± I asked the old man. ¡°Not behind the scenes? Well¡­ That¡¯s fine, say it.¡± The old man replied. I¡¯ve been thinking about it. The contact point here must be the same as the one in the capital. If each city has a different contact point, it would cause unnecessary confusion for the assassins. Also, if one hides too much, it may be hard to completely protect yourself from the outside world. If you work completely unknown, then you might get unexpected contrivances during work, and anyone looking for your services would struggle a lot to find you. And if an assassin avoided public view and always acted suspiciously, like buying poison under a secret connection, it would probably be inevitable for them to be eventually found, and that would become a weakness that could be used as blackmail. Therefore, assassins would get in trouble if they hid themselves too much. On the other hand, if you are known to some extent, like being connected to a certain low-key organization, then the unrelated people will shy away from you. I think it¡¯s better to create a public organization that can serve as your face, instead of being only an assassin. Especially back when the kingdom was actively supporting the assassins, as there would never be any worry of the small organizations being crushed by the people in power. Therefore, I think it¡¯s quite likely that the contact point for the assassin¡¯s guild was the same in all cities at some point in the past. With this in mind, there is only one question that I need to ask this man, ¡°I¡¯m looking for an employee of the old hunter¡¯s guild that existed in this city. Someone that worked there ten or so years ago. Do you know anybody?¡± I don¡¯t know who the contact point is now, but if they¡¯re related to the old hunter¡¯s guild, then I should be able to find them, as I¡¯m sure this person is living a normal life on the surface. And even if this guess is wrong, then all I need to do is to restart my searching. ****** I returned to the inn and stayed the night there. On the next day¡­ ¡°Welcome! How about the original meat roll! This is the best breakfast of Haidiga!¡± One salesperson exclaimed. What, meat? As a meat lover, I can¡¯t simply ignore meat, but¡­ Wasn¡¯t the meat roll I ate yesterday the original one? Yet this is the original too? I wonder if there is any difference in their meaning¡­ Maybe there is no meaning in the first place. In any case, I bought it from a young man at a stall, then walked while eating it. Mmm¡­ The pork has a simple salty taste, but it¡¯s sprinkled with citrus juice and has a very refreshing aftertaste. There are also some crispy vegetables accompanying it, which were fairly nice. In terms of taste, I preferred the meat of the first one, but the vegetables of this one are better. Overall, both are good. I may choose which one to eat depending on my mood on the day. But in any case, it was now early morning, and there were only a few people on the main street. I also booked another day of accommodation at the inn I¡¯m staying at, on top of the two days I paid for initially, and I left my luggage there today. I had to walk around a lot yesterday, so I have a good idea of where is each thing in Haidiga. And the arranged meeting place, was in front of a small tavern near the slums. It¡¯s a cheap tavern that was open from dusk to dawn, but that stayed closed during the morning. Last night, when I asked the old man about the staff of the old hunter¡¯s guild, he told me he¡¯d investigate it, and that I should wait in front of this tavern on the morning of the next day. It might be too early, but I¡¯d rather wait a bit long, than to be ambushed at arrival, so I decided to go there early. And well, if things start looking troublesome, I can always run away. And in front of the tavern I saw¡­ The old man wasn¡¯t there, but there was a girl. She was slender and had short bright red hair. Her eyes were also quite intense. She didn¡¯t seem to be as intense as Chace and Florentine though, so I wasn¡¯t bothered that much¡­ And in the first place, I don¡¯t care for this girl. She stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the building right across the tavern. This girl is¡­ An adventurer, I guess? Her age, stature and physique are similar to mine. I don¡¯t know how powerful she is, but she seems to be fairly strong. ¡­ Ah, our eyes met. She¡¯s glaring at me. Or is that just what her eyes are normally like? It¡¯s hard to be sure. ¡­ Well, I don¡¯t care. I just stood next to the girl and waited for the old man. ¡°Hey you.¡± The girl called out to me sharply. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m waiting for someone. I don¡¯t want to be hit on.¡± I replied. ¡°Hitting on you¡­? Hitting on you!? Me!? Hitting on you!?¡± The girl strongly denied it. Just like her hair color, she seemed to be a fairly fierce person¡­ The kind of person I really don¡¯t want to get involved with. I¡¯m really bad with those types. ¡°That¡¯s not it at all! You-¡± She started saying. ¡°Oh, hey, a cat.¡± I said as I stared at a cat passing nearby. ¡°Listen to me! Don¡¯t go! Don¡¯t chase the cat! Look at me!¡± The girl screamed. ¡­ The cat ran away because of her shouts. I¡¯m getting entangled with the type of person that I really don¡¯t want to get entangled with¡­ if this wasn¡¯t the meeting place, I would have definitely run away already. Run away with the cat. ¡­ I wonder if the cat at the assassin¡¯s village is doing well¡­ Though it¡¯s not a cat. ¡°Hey, you! You wanted to meet an informant, right!?¡± The girl shouted. Eh? As expected, I couldn¡¯t ignore those words. ¡°Could you be the informant?¡± I asked. ¡°No, but-¡± She replied. ¡°Then this is pointless.¡± I said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you listen to what people have to say until the end!? Why are you so quick to shut others down!?¡± The girl shouted. It¡¯s just that I really don¡¯t want to get involved with you¡­ But considering that she knows the circumstances, then I think I have no choice but to deal with her properly¡­ How annoying. ¡°You met the old man yesterday and negotiated, didn¡¯t you? I came here as a substitute for him.¡± The girl told me. Ah, a substitute for the old man. ¡°I was only asked to guide you to a certain person. I can¡¯t answer any of your questions.¡± She told me. ¡°Alright.¡± I replied. Seems like the employee of the old hunter¡¯s guild has already been found. The old man works fast. ¡­ Or maybe he already knew of the staff¡¯s whereabouts from the beginning. ¡°If you try taking me to a strange place, I¡¯ll shout.¡± I told her. ¡°Isn¡¯t that my line!? Isn¡¯t that the woman¡¯s line!?¡± The girl replied. ¡°But you¡¯re the one who is taking me. I swear I¡¯ll call a man.¡± I said. ¡°The hell is wrong with you!? The hell!?¡± She shouted. After saying that, the girl started running while muttering something about how she was absolutely going to shake me off. CH 63 Chapter 63 ¨C Glasses boy starts his life in Haidiga We entered narrow alleys, passed through a place that looked like a private property, ran up a wall, climbed over a roof, and did other similar things to reach our destination through a path that can¡¯t really be called a road. The red-haired girl was leading me along the road at a fairly high speed. In terms of direction, I think we are headed towards the market district. Her speed slowed down before long, and she stopped at a corner of the market district. The girl looked at me with a bored expression, ¡°Aren¡¯t you pretty fast?¡± Yeah, though it was easier to run in the city than in the woods. ¡°Have we arrived?¡± I asked. In response to my question, the girl pointed to a small store in front of us. It was a store that looked like a messy arrangement of miscellaneous goods. The girl entered the store, and I followed her inside. ¡°Welcome back.¡± An old man, who was probably the store owner said. Inside this store that was filled with junk that didn¡¯t seem to serve any purpose, this old man was polishing something at a small counter in the back. To someone who couldn¡¯t read the signs, this old man probably felt quite ordinary, but I knew that he was pretty strong. He definitely gave off the feeling of an assassin. A feeling similar to that of the people of the assassin¡¯s village. In other words, this store is the current contact point for the assassin¡¯s guild? It feels¡­ Underwhelming. Without exchanging any greetings with the store owner, the girl passed by him and headed further inside. The old man let us through without batting an eye. Neither at the girl, nor at me, the newcomer he never saw before. As she made her way to the back of this extremely cramped store, the girl said, ¡°Here.¡± and pushed aside a waist-high shelf, revealing a passage cleverly hidden behind it. Oh? That was unexpected. Without hesitation, she walked into the darkness. When I followed her inside the passage, the shelf behind us returned to its original place without a sound¡­ I don¡¯t understand how it works, but it¡¯s certainly interesting. I crouched down as I walked, and then I noticed that there was a staircase leading downwards ahead. The girl descended the narrow staircase while holding a lantern in her hands, which she seemed to have already prepared in advance. And before long, we arrived at a wide room made of stone, with a table and chairs near its middle. What stood out the most in this room, was a large map pasted on the wall. It had the entire kingdom of Nastiara elaborately drawn in it. This certainly feels like an assassin¡¯s hideout¡­ Wait, no, not quite. It¡¯s too lacking in things to be something that is used on a daily basis. It¡¯s way too barren. So, maybe it¡¯s one of the bases used for assassination work? Perhaps a meeting room of sorts? Also, there were three people here. ¡°Yo. Boy.¡± One of them called out to me. It was the old homeless man that I met on the slums the other day. Right now, his hair was pulled back, and he was wearing new clothes instead of rags, so he looked a bit neater than before¡­ To some extent at least. ¡°Ooh? Ain¡¯t this quite¡­ Mmm.¡± Another man said as he stared at me. He was a blond, light-hearted, seemingly frivolous young man. He seemed to be judging me with his stare and¡­ I think I heard his voice before? Do I know him from somewhere? ¡°Ru¡­ Ru¡­ Ru¡­¡± A woman was muttering. ¡°She¡¯s not a ghost.¡± The girl next to me whispered. I thought I had only taken a quick glance to the woman, but I guess my eyes had been glued to her, as the red-haired girl felt like she had to make this comment¡­ I suppose I was a bit frozen in place as I stared at the woman. I mean, is she really not a ghost? She stood in a corner of the room. Her long hair dimly shone, and a small blue light drifted around her with an erratic pattern. Moreover, this woman seemed to have no presence, and she looked far from human¡­ I mean, why is she shining? Why didn¡¯t she move at all since we arrived? Why is she staring at the floor? Why is she muttering, ¡®Ru¡­ Ru¡­¡¯? What is this person? ¡°Is she dangerous?¡± I couldn¡¯t help asking. She¡¯s way too ghostly. She doesn¡¯t feel human at all. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ve never really talked to her¡­ But from what I¡¯ve seen, she¡¯s harmless to both humans and animals.¡± The girl replied. That woman doesn¡¯t look harmless at all¡­ But well, if she isn¡¯t going to attack me, then I guess it¡¯s fine? She¡¯s really creepy, but let¡¯s try not worrying about her¡­ I wonder if I can do it. It¡¯s hard to ignore someone who is shining. In any case, this seems to be it. The final point of the tour. I guess I should say something now, so, ¡°Old man, so you were involved, after all?¡± I asked the old man I talked to yesterday. Our connection was very shallow, but it was still reassuring to have an acquaintance here. ¡°Yeah. In the slums, I quietly gather information, deter crime and protect children. I was also one of the employees of the old hunter¡¯s guild.¡± The old man replied. Oh, I see. ¡°So the person I happened to talk to was actually the person I was looking for all along.¡± I commented. Isn¡¯t this quite the coincidence? ¡°It¡¯s not a coincidence.¡± The old man denied it, as if reading my mind, ¡°You were looking for someone with a certain set of characteristics and called out to me, right, boy? You didn¡¯t choose at random, you chose your candidates properly¡­ When taking this into account, the chance of you finding the right person wasn¡¯t that low.¡± Well, that¡¯s one way of looking at it, I suppose? ¡°But the one in charge of this place isn¡¯t me, but this blondie, so why don¡¯t you greet him first?¡± The old man told me as he turned towards the frivolous man. I see, so even if the old man is older, the frivolous man is of a higher position? I guess seniority isn¡¯t the only thing taken into account when choosing representatives. ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Eil. I was banished from the assassin¡¯s village.¡± I told the frivolous man. ¡°I heard of it. You got here pretty quick¡­ Ain¡¯t you quite the excellent rookie?¡± The frivolous man replied. He seemed to be someone who takes things easy. ¡°I¡¯m Roda. Officially, I¡¯m a two-star adventurer. Nice to meet you, Eil.¡± The frivolous man told me. Roda, an adventurer. I¡¯ll remember it. ¡°That dirty old man is Zant. As he just said, he works in the slums to gather information.¡± Roda told me next. Zant, a dirty old man. I¡¯ll remember it. ¡°As for that woman¡­ Well, if she needs to, she¡¯ll introduce herself, so don¡¯t worry too much about it.¡± Roda said. Ghostly woman is on hold. I¡¯ll remember it. ¡°And the red-haired girl next to you is Lisse. She¡¯s an assassin trainee, just like you.¡± Roda told me. Lisse, red-haired assassin trainee. Has the worst type of personality. I¡¯ll remember it. ¡°Roda, I¡¯m still not convinced.¡± Lisse pointed at me, showing visible annoyance, ¡°Why would such an amateur receive the same training as me? Assassins are an elite group, and even trainees need the right qualities and skills to be able to endure it. Why would such an amateur be here?¡± She called me an amateur twice now¡­ Well, I haven¡¯t received any training yet, so I can¡¯t really deny it. ¡°I dunno.¡± Roda¡¯s answer was very brief and frivolous, ¡°The village asked me to train him, so I accepted it. That¡¯s enough of a reason.¡± ¡°Are you okay with that!? Why is this much enough!?¡± Lisse asked him. ¡°I¡¯d like to turn the question around. What is the problem?¡± Roda calmly asked the emotional Lisse, ¡°My comrades entrusted this boy to me. Is there any problem in accepting him? ¡°In the first place, we are a group with a hierarchical relationship. Orders from above are absolute. ¡°If the people from above have decided it, then we don¡¯t need to know their reasons. ¡°So? Do you have anything else to say?¡± Lisse glared at me with a frustrated expression, then turned away from me. I¡¯d like to tell her that I have nothing to do with this decision. I came here not because I wanted to, but because I was banished from the village. ¡­ I won¡¯t say that out loud though, because I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get a violent retort if I say it. ¡°Eil, you¡¯ll be training under us for a while, so do your best.¡± Roda told me. And with that, a new life at Haidiga began. CH 64 Chapter 64 ¨C Glasses boy¡¯s training starts After the brief introduction, Roda said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to Zant.¡± and got up from his chair, ¡°Lisse, Eil. You should learn from Zant for a while. ¡°From now on, unless you receive orders for it, we should not contact one another. If you see me somewhere, just ignore me and pass by.¡± Seems like the people here hide the fact that they¡¯re acquaintances. And from today onwards, I¡¯m also included in this group. Roda left the room, and before I knew it¡­ The ghostly woman had suddenly disappeared. It was so sudden, that it made me wonder if she really existed. Well, let¡¯s try not worrying about it as much as possible¡­ I wonder if I can do it though. Her eerie appearance is so imprinted in my mind, that I think I might have nightmares with her. ¡°Then, I will take care of you for a while.¡± Zant told me. After Roda and the ghostly woman left, the only people left in the room were Zant, the so-called instructor, as well as me and Lisse, the students. ¡°Lisse, go ahead and proceed as usual. ¡°Boy, where is your luggage? We¡¯ll give you a place to live at, so go fetch your luggage.¡± Zant said. Oh? So I¡¯ll be getting a place to live? I paid for one extra day of lodging at the inn though¡­ I guess that will be wasted, but it can¡¯t be helped. Unless the inn can give me a refund that is? I mean, it seems unlikely, but¡­ It doesn¡¯t hurt to ask? For now though, this was the end of the meeting, so we left the room, and I went back to the inn. ****** I didn¡¯t have any real hopes for my refund request to be accepted, but the inn clerk gave me back my money just fine, since it was still early in the morning. So, with my luggage on my back, I returned to the shopping district and met up with Zant in the junk shop. ¡°This way.¡± Zant told me, then led me to a small house nearby, ¡°This is one of our hideouts. Only Lisse is living here right now, but from today onwards, you¡¯ll use it too.¡± Oh? ¡°So I¡¯m gonna be living here with Lisse?¡± I asked. ¡°Don¡¯t try assaulting her. You¡¯ll be the only ones living here, but there are lookouts and patrols. We¡¯re watching you.¡± Zant told me. ¡°What if she tries assaulting me?¡± I asked. ¡°Huh? What if a man is assaulted by a woman?¡± Zant asked back. This kind of prejudice and stereotype has been completely destroyed by my sister. Women being fragile; women needing to be protected by men; women absolutely requiring some frilly tea time¡­ I don¡¯t buy any of that. ¡°I don¡¯t trust any women who are my age or older.¡± I replied. Because of my sister, I had to learn how to be vigilant in all sorts of ways. It¡¯s not something backed by logic anymore, but something natural. Something that was carved inside my skull. Don¡¯t trust women. They¡¯re the same kind of creature as my sister. My sister hasn¡¯t been trustworthy since she was a child. Ordinary women should be no different. Though when I think about it, Florentine, who was the only woman I met recently and that was younger than me, must have been treated differently in my mind. Differently from my older sister, Florentine also seems to be sane, so I¡¯m fine with her. ¡°Oh, yeah, sure sucks to be popular.¡± Zant said with a somewhat astonished tone. To me this is a serious issue though. I have been with that older sister of mine for thirteen years, after all. There were so many things that happened and that I was forcefully involved on. So many bad and unpleasant things that I often had to run away from¡­ Well, there is no need to force myself to remember all that though. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll be leaving the house to you two. ¡°You should prepare your own food, as we won¡¯t be contacting you aside from training. Talk to Lisse and figure out how you¡¯ll live together. ¡°Alright then, now drop off your luggage somewhere, and then I¡¯ll guide you to the training ground. Lisse should already be there.¡± Zant told me. ****** The next place Zant brought me to was¡­ Huh? ¡°The old location of the hunter¡¯s guild?¡± I asked. We were now at Goertz¡¯s public bath. The place I used yesterday. I looked at its signboard, and it seems like they¡¯re still preparing things, as they only open after noon. ¡°Goertz is the face, but the training facility is still here. Underground.¡± Zant told me, then moved to a side entrance of the public bath that had a sign reading ¡®for employees only¡¯. He used a key, and went inside it. There were employees who were busy preparing the bath nearby, but they paid no attention to Zant, so I guess they¡¯re connected to the assassins in some way too. I glanced at them, then followed Zant inside, then to a courtyard, and then we entered a barn-like building. Inside it, there were mostly cleaning tools, but there was also a hidden trapdoor that Zant opened, leading underground. After following him down the stairs, we reached a facility. In a large room made of stone, I could see various tools. Some whose use I understood, and some that I didn¡¯t quite understood the purpose of. There were some wooden dolls with red markings at their vital spots, and there were also leather rags spread around, which seemed to be there for cutting practice. And then there were also some things related to education and that didn¡¯t seem to fit this place at all, like tea sets and bookshelves. There seemed to be no uniformity in this facility. Or well¡­ Maybe there is some uniformity? It¡¯s a facility that teaches you how to kill someone. In addition to the stairs that we just came from, there were several other exits in this room. Doors that should all lead to different places. Even though the room is large enough as is, the entire place seems to be even larger. ¡°Lisse is on ¡®the road¡¯.¡± Zant told me. As far as I could see, Lisse, who was supposed to already be here, was nowhere to be seen. ¡°The road?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s a place where you can hone your skills for moving through areas with poor footing. We call it ¡®the road¡¯.¡± Zant replied as he opened one of the doors. I instantly felt some wind blowing towards me. ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± Zant shifted to the side and let me see it. Well¡­ This is certainly a ¡®road¡¯ alright. It was a stone underground passage. The walls were filled with lights, so even though we were in a basement, this place was still well-illuminated. The passage continued on for so long, that it seemed to be endless. And what worried me the most, were the various things placed in the passage. Stakes, stone slabs, ropes connecting stakes. Even the walls were embedded with a variety of things. ¡°Would you like to try it? Go all the way to the other side without touching the ground.¡± Zant told me. Oh, I see. So that¡¯s what he meant with honing your skills for moving through areas with poor footing. So Lisse must be on the other side of this place right now. ¡°Can I become stronger with this?¡± I asked. ¡°I dunno.¡± Zant replied. Hey. I said it clearly. I¡¯m here because I want to become stronger, as my time here is limited. I don¡¯t want to waste it. ¡°But-¡± As Zant said that, he jumped on top of a nearby stake. It was a very thin foothold that could only hold the tip of his foot, but Zant was standing stably on one leg, ¡°This is a very basic technique for an assassin. If you can¡¯t even clear this, you might as well go home.¡± Zant grinned, then nimbly¡­ No, while moving as lightly as a feather, he quickly crossed the scaffolding ahead. I was really surprised. Surprised not only at how fast he was, but at how smoothly he shifted his weight. How does he move in this way that makes it feel like he weights nothing? Is it even possible for a human to master their body like that? More agile than an animal, quieter than a bird, with less presence than an insect¡­ But he is a human. And an assassin. I used to be quite surprised by the lightness of my master, but even with this kind of appearance, Zant is leagues above anything my master could do. I¡¯m glad I came. I feel like I was forced to do a lot of things I didn¡¯t want to in this assassin training school. But finally, I seriously thought that I wanted to study here. CH 65 Chapter 65 ¨C Glasses boy runs through the road ¡°Finished!¡± Me and Lisse said at the same time. Both of us were drenched in sweat right now, and we arrived at the end of the road at the same time. Or well, there is maybe a small difference on who arrived earlier or later, but the result is clear. Both me and her are about as fast as the other. ¡°That was quite slow.¡± Zant told us. And then there is this special case¡­ If we are acorns, then Zant is a tree so tall that we can¡¯t even see the top of. I exhaled a sigh, then tried relaxing my tense body. I¡¯m not that tired yet, but both my thighs and knees are hurting a bit. It¡¯s proof that I¡¯m straining myself in this training. ¡°¡­ Aren¡¯t you pretty fast?¡± Lissie asked me. It¡¯s the second time I¡¯ve heard her say those words. But I could say the same to her. ****** It was now the third day since I started training in Haidiga. For the past three days, both me and Lisse have been running side by side on the road. According to Zant, who is serving as our instructor, we can only reach the next stage of our training after we get a passing grade here. The training in the road is to run through the scaffolding scattered across the long corridor without ever touching the ground. It requires plenty of strength, balance, and good judgement to choose what foothold to step on next. Furthermore, we must proceed while taking care to not collide with the person right next to us. It¡¯s relatively easy for me, as I have been running on forests with poor foothold for a long time now. Moving through tree branches, roots and other similar things provided a practice ground that was very similar to the road. But the problem is how to speed up. Which scaffolding to choose in order to advance faster? What stride gives more speed? The more I do it, the more I discover. It¡¯s quite interesting. And besides, there is a role model right in front of me. ¡°I¡¯m still just playing around, you know? Try harder, kids.¡± Zant told us. It¡¯s early in the morning, and Zant is watching our training. In contrast to his ragged appearance, Zant moves incredibly smoothly. It feels more like he is sliding than running. Even if start running at the same time as he does, in the blink of an eye he ends up being so far ahead, that we can no longer see him. To be honest, it¡¯s truly impressive. I would never imagine him being this capable when looking at his usual dirty appearance. Also, in contrast to us, who are sweating and breathing raggedly, Zant shows no fatigue at all. Well, I guess that¡¯s what we should expect of a professional assassin. Though Lissi is pretty amazing too. In this road¡­ Or rather, as an assassin candidate, she is my competitor, and in all of our attempts of beating each other on the road, we have yet to reach a clear conclusion on who is better. We have run four times today already, but the result is still tied. Our stature is similar, so I suppose it¡¯s natural that our physical abilities are about the same? At first, while trying the road out, I slowed down to see what it was like, but after that, I picked up speed, and since then, we couldn¡¯t see a clear difference on our speed. Sometimes I¡¯d arrive a bit earlier or a bit later, but in the end, that doesn¡¯t really matter. Because Zant was still many times faster than us. Both of us seem to be aware that there is no point in winning by a small margin when Zant is so far ahead of us. Well, I don¡¯t care that much about winning or losing in the first place, but I think I can improve with competition, so I try being conscious of her. ¡°Then, I¡¯m going home now. Take care of yourselves, kids.¡± Zant told us. As usual, he left early. Today, me and Lisse were unable to meet his standards either¡­ Good grief. ¡°What have you been doing until now, Eil?¡± Lisse asked me. Although Zant has left, we are still training. We are basically free to do what we want. We can decide when to start and when to finish, but¡­ Well, competition is effective here. If I start thinking about what she is doing while I¡¯m resting, I end up getting impatient and decide to practice for as long as I can. And so, while I was recovering my breath and wiping out the sweat off my face, Lisse spoke to me. ¡°I¡¯m a hunter.¡± I told her. ¡°Huh? A hunter? Like, you hunt birds, wild boars and rabbits? This kind of thing?¡± She asked me. ¡°Pretty much.¡± I replied. ¡°Isn¡¯t that basically what an adventurer does?¡± She asked me. ¡°Yeah, I guess so.¡± I said. There aren¡¯t many hunters around these days, because our prey and role has been taken away by adventurers. ¡°Mmm¡­ I don¡¯t quite get it, but I can see you do well on training.¡± Lisse told me. Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be able to work as a hunter. And then, the both of us went silent. After a while like that, ¡°¡­ Aren¡¯t you going to ask about me?¡± Lisse asked me. ¡°Eh? Not really?¡± I replied. ¡°In this flow of conversation, you should ask, ¡®what about you?¡¯ or something, you know?¡± Lissi said. ¡°No, I¡¯m not really interested.¡± I replied. I don¡¯t really know about Lisse¡¯s background, but I don¡¯t really want to know it either. It seems less troublesome to not know it, in fact. ¡°I really don¡¯t like you.¡± Lisse glared at me, ¡°For the record, I-¡± ¡°Shall we go again?¡± I interrupted her. ¡°Listen to me!¡± She shouted. ¡°I¡¯m off! See you lateer!¡± I started running the road. ¡°Wait! I¡¯ll run too!¡± She started running after me. ****** After doing a total of fourteen runs today, we reached the limits of our physical strength. To run from the starting point near the entrance, put our hands on the wall of the other side that is so far away that we can¡¯t even see the end from the start, then come back¡­ Even the one-way run was a considerable distance. In the last two runs, both of us started making a lot of mistakes due to fatigue, which led us to lose our balance and fall from our footing. At this point it was no longer a competition, so we decided to stop training for the day. I left the training grounds, went home, grabbed a change of clothes, then went to the bath. I was seriously exhausted, to the point I almost fell asleep on the bathtub. I haven¡¯t felt this tired since I became a hunter apprentice. The last three days have all been like this. I was about to fall asleep, so I left the bath and ordered the cheapest meal, at the cafeteria where I ordered the gelato before, and I stuffed myself with it. If I had a bit more stamina, I¡¯d make the food myself, as the house that Lisse and me were living at had a proper kitchen. I still have some money now though, so it¡¯s fine. That said, if I keep eating out all the time, I will soon run out of it. ¡­ Well, let¡¯s just say that it can¡¯t be helped for the time being. For the past few days, I have been so exhausted that I almost fell asleep while eating. I really don¡¯t have the energy to do anything else. So, after finishing eating without even having the time to taste it, I left the cafeteria and went straight home. I guess my life will keep on being like this for a while¡­ I wonder¡­ When will Zant give us a passing grade? CH 66 Chapter 66 ¨C Meanwhile, the Black Swan of Dawn ¨C part one (Rickstein¡¯s PoV (Leader of the Black Swan of Dawn)) ¡°Rick, it¡¯s finally here.¡± A woman entered the base of the Black Swan of Dawn. She was wearing a red hood, and she is the sub-leader of our adventurer team, Anemoa. Right now, it was still early morning. I, Rickstein, the leader of the Black Swan of Dawn, was the only person sat at our long table right now. Some people may think of me as elderly as I¡¯m already on my forties, but I¡¯m still in charge of this team. I was currently eating breakfast and reading a book, and I grinned once I saw Anemoa return, ¡°So, how was it? What is the prey?¡± ¡°The Obsidian Wolf.¡± She replied. * ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a big deal.¡± I said. The two of us were waiting for more information until now, but this was out of our expectations. A monster famous enough that everyone would know what it was just from hearing the name. ¡°So, who are we taking?¡± Anemoa asked me. When it comes to subjugating big monsters like this one, things are handled on a first come, first served basis. There are some limitations though. Once the adventurer¡¯s guild submits a subjugation request for the monster, you would only be allowed to hunt the monster if you were of a certain rank or above. The restriction exists to make sure that no newbie adventurer, that is too full of themselves, pointlessly wastes their lives trying to hunt something that is too strong for them. However, it¡¯s not prohibited to hunt monsters without going through the guild. If someone claims that they accidentally met up with the target, fought it and subjugated it, then nobody would be able to blame them. In the first place, this isn¡¯t a violation of the guild¡¯s rules, nor is it illegal. Not to mention that monsters can be killed by people who aren¡¯t adventurers too. It¡¯s rare for non-adventurers or low-rank adventurers to hunt big monsters, but it¡¯s not unheard of. Therefore, if you want to subdue this kind of big game, you need to prepare and depart quickly. ¡°If it¡¯s the Obsidian Wolf, then it¡¯s not necessary for neither me nor you to move. I think I¡¯ll send Glock as a commander, and have Ainliese, Horun and Lorobel accompany him.¡± I replied after thinking about the monster¡¯s capabilities. ¡°Horun?¡± Anemoa asked me. As the leader, my opinion should be absolute for most members, but that¡¯s not the case for Anemoa, the vice-leader, as she is the one who acts as the leader when I¡¯m absent. Both of us have full trust in each other¡¯s judgement, so that¡¯s why we often exchange opinions and speak our thoughts openly to one another. Of course, Anemoa would never contest my decision in front of others. She only does it when the two of us are alone. ¡°Isn¡¯t it too early for that girl?¡± Anemoa asked me. Horun often chooses to clear difficult requests without minding the payment of it. She became a famous adventurer who is referred to as the Saintess of Demon Exorcism. Although everyone recognizes her ability, she still has only been an adventurer for two years. It¡¯s not wrong to refer to her as a rookie, so I can understand Anemoa thinking that it¡¯s too early for Horun to face a big game. However, ¡°No, not really.¡± I grinned widely at Anemoa, ¡°She¡¯s already on the top 5 of Black Swan of Dawn.¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± Anemoa was visibly surprised by my assessment. ¡°Glock sometimes loses to her in spars, you know? And even I get the chills when practicing with her.¡± I told Anemoa. The Black Swan of Dawn is an adventurer team that stands out amongst the others that are based on the capital. Our members are by no means weak. I am considered the strongest adventurer of not only the Black Swan of Dawn, but also the strongest one in the whole capital. After me, Veronica with her dual swords, and Glock with his short spear, are both competing for second place. I haven¡¯t really made that public, but if any of them surpass me, I will retire¡­ However, I don¡¯t think the time for me to give up on my post has come just yet. That said, someone else has started to threaten my position¡­ And that someone is Horun. Therefore, ¡°I want Horun to gain experience. And Ainliese too.¡± What Horun needs right now, is experience fighting strong opponents. I can¡¯t help wanting to hone the terrifying talent that she has already achieved while still being 17 years old. Besides, Ainliese is already Horun¡¯s close companion. While the both of them are already strong enough separately, their strength really shines when they fight together. I¡¯m not sure if even I can beat those two when they¡¯re cooperating. Though well, a good chunk of what Ainliese does, is simply taking care of Horun. Everyone recognizes Horun¡¯s ability and Gift, but we also are very well-aware of her free-spiritedness and her troublesome behavior. ¡°¡­ Well, I guess it might be fine if Glock is accompanying her.¡± Anemoa said after thinking for a while. Glock is a very strong and reliable member who entered the team together with Anemoa. If he is with Horun, I feel comfortable with sending her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for separating you two again.¡± I told Anemoa. ¡°What¡¯s up with that? I¡¯m not a youngster anymore. I¡¯m not sticky enough to complain about this kind of thing.¡± Anemoa replied. Anemoa and Glock have been dating for a while now, so I feel bad about separating them, but it¡¯s nice that Anemoa is understanding about it. Youth¡­ Makes me remember the time from before I got married and had my first children. In any case, with the decision made, Anemoa immediately started working on preparing a schedule and she will soon give out instructions to the appropriate members. With this out of the way, I went back to eating and decided to change to a simpler topic, ¡°How is Laila doing?¡± We have three magicians in Black Swan of Dawn. One is Anemoa. Another is currently away doing some work. And the third one is Laila, a newcomer. ¡°She won¡¯t get noticeable improvements that soon, but she is trying her best.¡± Anemoa replied. The other day, Laila spoke directly to me. She said that she was not at the level where she could act with everyone, so she was going to focus on training for now. Maybe I¡¯m old-fashioned for thinking that practical combat would be more effective than training. I mean, I think she should be fine if she practiced while subjugating Demon Beasts near the capital. For as long as she was accompanied by other members of our team, that is. It shouldn¡¯t be dangerous like that. However, before I had a chance of saying what I thought to Laila, Anemoa gave her a reply. Saying that she would teach Laila how to become a good magician. So, Anemoa started training this promising newcomer. Laila is still lacking in many aspects, but I¡¯m sure she is doing her best. She doesn¡¯t raise her voice even when under rigorous training. She surely wants to improve, and her attitude shows that. ¡°Right now, Laila¡¯s current goal seems to be, becoming strong enough to hunt a Redbear by herself.¡± Anemoa told me. ¡°I see. That¡¯s a good goal.¡± I replied. A Redbear is a strong Demon Beast. Being able to defeat one alone is certainly enough to make one be qualified as a fully-fledged adventurer. I remembered the past. Back when I had first set that same goal for myself¡­ It¡¯s nostalgic. ¡°Mmm¡­ Morning!¡± Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice come from above. Seems like leisure time is over. Horun, who was sleeping in her room on the second floor until just now, greeted us with a sleepy voice as she leaned on the railing of the second floor. ¡°Uncle, where¡¯s Ain?¡± Horun asked me. Most people view me as strict and stern. They say I have a terrifying face. A veteran warrior that even adults have a hard time talking to. A scary man that makes children cry when he smiles. ¡­ And Horun calls me ¡®uncle¡¯. That¡¯s just the way this girl is. ¡°Good morning. Isn¡¯t she still asleep?¡± I replied. That impertinent girl was still leaning over the railing, but as the leader, who have already gotten used to her behavior, I answered her normally. Yeah, I¡¯m used to it. I¡¯m used to being rudely treated by this girl. ¡°Got it.¡± Then Horun turned around and started walking, ¡°Heey. Aiiiin.¡± and entered Ainliese¡¯s room without even knocking. ¡°Nyaga!?¡± I then heard this screen, that felt more like a cat who just had its tail stepped on, than an actual human scream. ¡°Uooh¡­ It hurts¡­¡± Horun muttered. ¡°Shut up. I already told you to wake me up gently.¡± Ainliese replied. I don¡¯t know what exactly happened, but Horun came out again. This time though, she had a red mark on her face, as if she had been punched. As for Ainliese, instead of her usual carefree attitude, she seemed to be feeling quite sullen. The problem child has woken up. Seems like things are going to be hectic today too. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C * Translator¡¯s Note: The reading for this is ¡°Obsidian Wolf¡±, but the name¡¯s meaning is ¡°Black Emperor Wolf¡±. I figured I¡¯d mention it for this Demon Beast, since it¡¯s a pretty strong monster, and ¡°Obsidian Wolf¡± by itself doesn¡¯t give off the feeling of an imposing and dangerous monster. CH 67 Chapter 67 ¨C Meanwhile, the Black Swan of Dawn ¨C part two (Ainliese¡¯s PoV) ¡°Huh? Subjugation of an Obsidian Wolf?¡± I asked the leaders. They caught me when I was about to leave to eat, saying that I don¡¯t always come home right after breakfast, so they wanted to tell me now instead of later. Horun was clearly dissatisfied at it though, so I just told Horun to go ahead and order the food, as a hungry Horun is just a hindrance¡­ And honestly, even when she is not hungry, it¡¯s still hard to have a proper conversation with her. I may move at my own pace too, but I at least listen to things properly when it comes to work. I was in a bad mood after being forcefully woken up by Horun, but since the leaders wanted to talk about work, I forced myself to calm down. ¡­ Not like I¡¯d stop being carefree and laid back though. ¡°Isn¡¯t it too soon though? Honestly, I¡¯m not that confident on it.¡± I commented. I mean, I did participate on the subjugation of an Obsidian Wolf a year ago. I know how strong this monster is, so I¡¯m not sure if me and Horun are enough for it. It¡¯s still too early. ¡°It¡¯s alright, because you won¡¯t be the one commanding the operation. I¡¯ll leave that to Glock.¡± Anemoa explained. ¡°Ah, got it. In that case, it¡¯s fine.¡± I replied. I do have plenty of trust in Glock for sure. If he is with us, then we have a good chance of winning. ¡°We¡¯re also getting Lorobel to participate.¡± Rickstein added. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s pretty good.¡± I nodded. Lorobel Loren. She hasn¡¯t joined any adventurer team, but she often lends a hand when people request for her help, and she is definitely quite skilled. Though honestly, she¡¯s probably an envoy of the kingdom, actually. Or maybe a spy working undercover or something like it. Nobody knows what her exact role is, but Rickstein is fairly sure that she works for our country. Of course, almost nobody ever tried asking Lorobel about it. And when someone asks, she always denies it. Still, Lorobel maintains a unique relationship with other adventurers. Sometimes she lets herself get taken advantage of, and at other times she takes advantage of people. She lends a hand at times, and at other times requests people to land her a hand. She creates connections by using this kind of borrow and take strategy. She is also someone who has connections with the higher ups of Nastiara. She was seen communicating with nobles many times, and she also seems to have a lot of persuasive power when talking to the adventurer¡¯s guilds¡­ And of course, she is also an excellent adventurer, so it¡¯s always nice to have her around. So, if they are inviting Lorobel to this¡­ Well, I can think of many reasons why, but there is one reason that is more likely than the others. ¡°Is the Obsidian Wolf close to the country¡¯s border?¡± I asked. It¡¯s not uncommon for someone to chase a Demon Beast into the neighboring country. In those cases, the adventurers often times have to give up on the spoils of their hunt to the people of the other country. We¡¯re told things like, ¡®If you hand over your prey, we¡¯ll turn a blind eye to your illegal immigration¡¯. Weak adventurers in particular are basically unable to retort to this kind of threat. And well, this kind of thing can happen very easily with big Demon Beasts. It¡¯s basically impossible for big game near the borders to not be under constant monitoring from both countries. At times like this, having an ally like Lorobel is invaluable. Since she is involved with the higher ups of Nastiara, and with the Adventurer¡¯s guild, she should be able to negotiate better, as just mentioning her name should be enough to keep foreign nobles in check. ¡°It¡¯s not close to it, but just in case.¡± Rickstein replied. The Obsidian Wolf¡¯s action range is quite wide, so I suppose this kind of failsafe doesn¡¯t hurt. It would be nice if we could carefully choose the time and place to fight against Demon Beasts, but that¡¯s pretty hard to do when we¡¯re talking about this kind of big game. ¡°Also, this is probably going to be a joint operation.¡± Anemoa added. The people from the adventurer¡¯s guild of the town nearest to the Obsidian Wolf¡¯s location will surely want to participate too, I suppose. I guess we¡¯ll have twenty or so people involved then. If it was closer to the capital, then the Black Swan of Dawn should be able to monopolize the prey, but the same can¡¯t be held true when the monster is close to another city. There¡¯s no way they¡¯ll easily hand over a big game to an adventurer team of the capital. That¡¯s another reason to why having Lorobel participating is useful. She can talk to whoever is in charge of the adventurer¡¯s guild of that city, making sure that everyone gets their fair share of spoils. Otherwise, the locals might try prioritizing keeping the best loot to themselves, and only giving the leftovers to the outsiders. So well, having Lorobel with us is certainly a nice reassurance. ¡°Well, Glock will be taking care of all the complicated business this time, right? In that case, I just need to look over Horun, right?¡± I asked just to be sure. ¡°This time, yeah.¡± Rickstein nodded. Since I¡¯m not gonna be the commander, I just need to do what Glock asks me to without worrying about any unnecessary things. ¡°Roger that. When do we leave, then?¡± I asked. ¡°It depends on when Lorobel replies. The sooner the better though.¡± Anemoa said. After all, the prey is first come, first served. And at this point, Rickstein looked directly in my eyes and stated, ¡°Failure is forgiven. Death is forgiven too.¡± Newcomers often get scared when hearing this kind of thing, but I just laughed at it, ¡°Yeah, yeah, same as usual.¡± Those words from Rickstein, they were just a clumsy way of telling us to not worry too much and try our best. Basically, a terrible cheer up attempt from an old man. ****** Lorobel¡¯s response was quick. By the time me and Horun finished eating breakfast, she had already answered the invitation. She said that she could leave whenever we were ready, so we decided that we were leaving this afternoon. Today we had been planning on taking it easy, but now the schedule suddenly became quite tight, and I had to run around a lot throughout this morning. Glock, a man with a small stubble of a beard, and long tied blond hair, is the one who will act as our commander. He came back with Lorobel to the base, then we set off. We went to the Land Dragon stables near the north gate and rented four Land Dragons. Land Dragons are Demon Beasts that look like bipedal lizards. Their color ranges from green to brown, so wild Land Dragons can easily blend in to the woods. It¡¯s a Demon Beast that replaces a horse that was going to carry only one person. Mostly because the Land Dragon can easily keep on running for a whole day. Also, since it doesn¡¯t sway up and down much, it¡¯s much easier and more comfortable to ride than a horse. Also, as it is a smart Demon Beast, it can easily listen to instructions, so even amateurs can ride Land Dragons without trouble. Their only problems are that their face can be quite scary, and that they¡¯ll flee if they encounter a Demon Beast that is stronger than them. Also, as they have an owner, if you leave them alone for half a day, they naturally go back to their owner on their own. Essentially making the Land Dragons useful only for one-way trips. Though well, they¡¯re still great if you want to quickly reach a different city. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Meat Dragon. You look wonderful today.¡± Horun said as she approached one of the Land Dragons and started stroking its neck. She always chooses the same Land Dragon when going to rent them. However, for most people, all Land Dragons look the same. You can only tell them apart by the color and pattern of their scales, so I certainly can¡¯t see any difference between them. However, Horun somehow knows which one is which with her wild intuition or whatever that is. ¡°Hey miss! Don¡¯t refer to her with such a selfish name! She¡¯s not a Meat Dragon!¡± The middle-aged man who owns the Land Dragon shouted. He always gets annoyed at Horun due to the nickname she gave to this particular Land Dragon. Apparently, this one was raised with lots of love and care from the middle-aged man. He has a lot of pride in that Land Dragon and it¡¯s the one he has the longest relationship with. He is really attached to that one. So, he really can¡¯t stand having his partner of over 20 years being referred to as Meat Dragon. He gave her the name of Sarina, which was the same name that his first love had. However, the Meat Dragon really enjoyed being stroked by Horun, to the point she purred. I guess that would disturb the middle-aged man for sure¡­ I mean, his long partner is easily purring when being stroked by someone who just came here to rent her. I wonder if he thinks that the Meat Dragon will one day abandon him. ¡°Then, let¡¯s depart!¡± With Glock¡¯s order, the quarrel with the middle-aged man ended, and the four Land Dragons started running. Our goal is the city of Haidiga. CH 68 Chapter 68 ¨C Glasses boy worries about the next step ¡°In the first place, people can be killed easily. Think of that as a foundation.¡± Zant told us. This ugly old man started telling us something important while we were panting and at the limit of our physical and mental strength. Honestly, I wish he could look at the condition of the other party first before he started talking. However, from Zant¡¯s point of view, lecturing me and Lisse while we are physically and mentally tired is just an efficient usage of time. ¡°You want to be strong? If you ask me, assassins don¡¯t need to be strong. ¡°Or rather, as you raise your skills, you¡¯ll inevitably become stronger, but even then, a ¡®strong assassin¡¯ is synonym to ¡®incompetent¡¯.¡± Zant told us. Yes, I do want to be strong. When he asked me and Lisse about what we were looking for, Zant said that with a flat smile¡­ A strong assassin is an incompetent one. ¡°In the first place, ¡®strong¡¯ is a unit of comparison. ¡®Stronger than him¡¯, ¡®weaker than him¡¯, ¡®can beat that Demon Beast¡¯, ¡®can¡¯t beat that Demon Beast¡¯. ¡°This isn¡¯t the right way to think about it. Assassins don¡¯t live while working with this kind of banal logic. ¡°Assassins don¡¯t compare. We just do one-sided killing.¡± Zant told us. One-sided killing, huh? How to say it¡­ The way that Zant is referring to assassins¡­ Makes me really think of a hunter. ****** My fast-beating heart started to slow down, and my breathing started stabilizing. Me and Lisse ran through the road ten times today. We were finally starting to be able to barely see Zant¡¯s back as we ran. He was still too far ahead, but we could see him at least. Though we are putting our all into this, while Zant doesn¡¯t seem to be serious yet. Moreover, me and Lisse have yet to make any progress in our competitions. We are still at about the same speed. It¡¯s been two weeks since we started training, yet neither me nor Lisse have been able to move to the next step, so we just kept on moving through the road. Our physical strength, running speed, and technique to move through the road have all improved, but we have yet to get a passing grade. I don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll get it, but I know it¡¯s not gonna come today. And on a side note, I¡¯ve recently noticed that the scaffolding of the road changes position each day. Even if we learn the placement of the scaffolding and figure out what is the ideal route to move faster, that knowledge won¡¯t carry over to the next day, as the positions will be changed. Essentially, we¡¯re forced to keep on adapting to the new environment with each passing day, forcing us to keep finding new routes. And today, Lisse asked Zant, ¡°How long are we going to keep on doing this? I want to get stronger as soon as possible.¡± Lisse wants to move ahead to the next step. Zant then asked what I thought about it, and I agreed with her. Though at the same time, I¡¯m also fine with the road for the time being. We have yet to get a passing grade on this, after all. I¡¯m not satisfied with my running just yet. I still have yet to learn how to make use of some of the scaffolding options available. That said, I have noticed that my speed and running skills have improved dramatically when compared to when I started out. As long as I can see improvement, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a waste to keep on running. But because of our comments, Zant started his lecture on what being an assassin meant. We were near the entrance of the road. I was sitting on a wooden stake that is used as scaffolding, Lisse was sitting on a rock, while Zant was leaning next to the entrance door. He seemed to still have plenty of strength to spare. He surely has an amazing stamina, even if he¡¯s horribly skinny. ¡°If you need strength, then you¡¯re already in a situation where you¡¯re on even ground with your opponent. ¡°A first-class assassin won¡¯t let that happen. You¡¯ll defeat your opponent on your own terms, not on theirs. ¡°Kill them without fighting. Unilaterally. Don¡¯t let them even realize what happened. ¡°That¡¯s what an assassin¡¯s strength is all about.¡± Zant told us. ¡­ How to say it¡­ This seems more philosophical than practical? ¡°If that was possible, then nobody would ever struggle with anything.¡± Lissi commented. I agree with her. I can¡¯t do that, so I have to think of a way to get stronger. Zant laughed at her reply, ¡°I know. This is just an ideal. I can¡¯t do it either. ¡°If there was ever an assassin like the one I just mentioned, then the world would have surely been unified by that person already. ¡°In short, the ideal assassin doesn¡¯t exist. Neither in the past nor the present.¡± I guess that makes sense. If an assassin could win without ever fighting, then that person could easily kill as many important people of as many countries as they wanted. ¡°However, I want you to aim towards reaching that ideal, even if it may seem impossible. ¡°Essentially, what I want to tell you, is that different types of strength exist. ¡°Will you seek out your own strength? Or the strength that can be applied to a wide range of people? From third-rate adventurers to the so-called heroes? ¡°Lisse, what kind of strength are you seeking?¡± Zant asked her. ¡°Strength that is second to none. No matter the method.¡± Lisse confidently replied. ¡°So you¡¯re looking for a wide range of strengths and for your own strength too? Well, that much is normal.¡± Zant said. ¡°Eh?¡± Lisse seemed to be shocked by Zant¡¯s reply. However, I think he is right about that. It¡¯s a normal way of seeking strength. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if most adventurers had the same mindset as Lisse has. ¡°What about you, boy? What kind of strength do you want?¡± Zant asked me next. Me? Well¡­ I have been thinking about it for a while, and there is one thing that I¡¯ve noticed that I am severely lacking at. ¡°What is clear to me, is that I lack firepower.¡± I told him. ¡°Ooh?¡± Zant gave me an amused smile, ¡°You use a bow, right? When you say you lack firepower, does that mean you want a way to kill stronger Demon Beasts?¡± That¡¯s the gist of it. ¡°As you said, I can already kill people. Killing people is easy.¡± I said. Killing strong people is still hard, but I already have what is necessary for killing people. Of course, even if I can do it, I don¡¯t really want to. I¡¯m still a hunter, not a killer. However, my hunter skills aren¡¯t enough to handle Demon Beasts. Demon Beasts are strong. There are only a handful of them that I can beat. Even the Ironhead that I encountered just before I arrived at this city. All that I could do was stealing one of its eyes. I can¡¯t hunt it with my skills. And I don¡¯t think this is something that can be solved by getting more skilled either. Because I¡¯m unable to land a fatal blow no matter where I aim my arrow. That¡¯s because I have a fundamental lack of firepower. ¡°You¡¯re noticing the limits caused by using a bow, then? You¡¯re right. The power of a bow is limited by the bow itself. ¡°The wielder¡¯s skill can increase its effectiveness, but there is still a fundamental limit on the firepower of a bow.¡± Zant commented. That¡¯s exactly it. Due to the structure of the bow, there is a limit to how much power can be put behind an arrow. No matter how skilled you are, you can¡¯t put more power into your shot than what the bow can handle, otherwise it will break. ¡°So, you are trying to find a way to raise the firepower of your bow, is that it?¡± Zant asked me. ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded. I have no intentions of giving up on the bow, but there are limits to the bow¡¯s firepower. No matter how much I train my body, the bow will not become stronger. In that case, I need to obtain firepower with different tools. There are plenty of ways to do it. Poisoning, setting fire to arrowheads, using traps that make use of the environment, using specific tools on the right circumstances and so on. ¡°I can think of plenty of ways to do it. Do you want to hear about it?¡± Zant asked me. I hesitated for a bit, but, ¡°¡­ Not yet.¡± I declined his offer. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s time to discuss that yet. Although I can¡¯t help thinking about it right now, I know that our current focus should be on the road. After we pass this stage, I can ask him about the method. ¡°Fine. Ask me when you¡¯re ready then, boy.¡± Zant told me. Normally, I would be thinking about and testing various things on my own, but¡­ I¡¯m currently enrolled on the assassin training school. It would be a waste to throw away this precious time by worrying about things on my own. So, I won¡¯t hesitate and will ask people to teach me ideas, methods, or means that I can¡¯t figure out on my own no matter how much I think about it. It¡¯s just that we didn¡¯t reach the right moment yet. ¡°Alright, this should be enough of a break. Go again, kids.¡± As Zant told us that, me and Lisse started running through the road again. It was three days after that, that we finally got a passing grade. CH 69 Chapter 69 ¨C Glasses boy covers his ears ¡°Mmmm¡­ Well, I guess it¡¯s alright.¡± Zant commented as we just finished the 33rd sprint of the day, ¡°You two still need to properly learn how to use your body, and I honestly want to get you to keep doing this a bit more, but¡­ I guess this is barely enough. ¡°What comes next is specialized training.¡± I was at about the limit of my stamina, and was wondering if I should run one last time today. Me and Lisse were on our knees¡­ It was hard to understand what Zant was talking about. He looked at us with what seemed to be an exasperated look, then told us plainly, ¡°You pass. Starting tomorrow, you¡¯ll be doing something different.¡± ¡®You pass¡¯. These words that I have been wanting to hear have reached my ears, but no emotion came out. Their weight did not register on me. I understood the words, but I had a hard time realizing what they meant¡­ ¡°¡­ Did it! I did it!¡± Lisse exclaimed. She seemed to have finally realized it. And me I¡­ Don¡¯t feel it yet. I¡¯m not feeling happy or anything like it. I wonder if the realization will slowly come to me. ¡°Well, that¡¯s all for today. Go rest now.¡± Zant told us. With his instructions, today¡¯s training came to an end. ****** We left through the employees¡¯ entrance for Goertz¡¯s public bath which I had already become familiar with. It seems like today¡¯s training ended a bit earlier than normal, so I was able to see the sunset for the first time in weeks, as our training usually ended late at night. ¡°¡­ Ah.¡± Lisse suddenly spoke up. She had been quite happy until now, but now she seemed to have noticed something. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go home first.¡± I said those words and started leaving, as I had a bad feeling about whatever it was that she wanted to say. ¡°Wait.¡± She said. ¡­ I was caught. ¡°I want to take a bath and eat as soon as possible.¡± I told her. ¡°I feel the same way.¡± She replied. Both of us were drenched in sweat, and our bodies were also quite dusty as we fell down several times during practice. After all, as fatigue accumulates, mistakes will naturally happen¡­ Though well, that¡¯s fine. ¡°What is your financial situation?¡± She asked me. Huh? My financial situation? ¡°You¡¯ve basically been eating out every day, haven¡¯t you, Eil? You aren¡¯t really using the kitchen, are you?¡± She asked me next. Yeah, I don¡¯t have the time to use it, after all. However, I¡¯m only eating one piece of bread and drinking water during the mornings, skipping lunch, and eating a cheap set meal at night, so I¡¯m not spending much. ¡­ Coming to think of it, I am living with Lisse. ¡°Are you using it, Lisse?¡± I asked her. We do live together in a small house, but our life rhythm doesn¡¯t really overlap¡­ Wait, that¡¯s not right. Our schedules overlap way too much, and neither of us spend any time at the house, so that¡¯s why it¡¯s easy to forget that we¡¯re actually living together. And in the first place, I never cared about where she was or what she was doing. She sleeps when I sleep, and she trains when I train. We have basically been together the entire time when we aren¡¯t inside the house¡­ Though well, that really doesn¡¯t matter to me. I did worry about the food expenses to some extent, but I simply don¡¯t have the time nor the energy to use the kitchen. At night, I¡¯m extremely exhausted, after all. To the point I almost doze off while eating. It would be way too dangerous to handle fire and kitchen knives in that state. ¡°No, not at all. I can¡¯t handle cooking at night due to being completely exhausted, so I inevitably eat out. ¡°I think it would be cheaper to cook for myself, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be physically able to stand up and handle kitchen utensils at night. Not to mention it would be too dangerous to wield a fire in that state, and I could risk burning the food that I would be trying to cook.¡± Lisse told me. Oh? So both me and her feel the same way about this? Seems like we¡¯re really similar on that end¡­ I guess it can¡¯t be helped that we couldn¡¯t reach a conclusion on who was better on the road. But well, as a result of trying to spend as little as I could on food, I ended up still having plenty of money with me. I also purchased a monthly pass for the bathhouse, which allows me to use it once each day of the month. It was a pretty good deal, and Lisse seemed to have gotten it too. The both of us seem to have quite a few similarities, but considering that Lisse started this conversation, then differently from me, she is probably struggling with money. ¡°I have enough money on me.¡± I told her. I have a decent amount remaining, and I still have the magic core of the Sky Lizard that I hunted a while back. It is a pretty expensive magic core, so I should be able to sell it if I really need to. ¡°Hey, you said you were a hunter, right?¡± Lisse asked me. ¡°Did I say that?¡± I asked back. ¡°You said it. You definitely said it. You absolutely said it.¡± Lisse replied. ¡°Well, fine, but what about it?¡± I asked. ¡°Help me hunt.¡± She requested. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not doing that. Please excuse me.¡± I tried taking my leave. ¡°Wait.¡± She stopped me again. What is it¡­? I wanna take a bath already¡­ ¡°I need a lot of money quickly. In that case, hunting a Demon Beast is the fastest way to go about it.¡± Lisse told me. ¡°Yeah, good luck with that.¡± I replied. ¡°Help me.¡± She said. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not doing that. Please excuse me.¡± I tried leaving one more time. ¡°You already said that one!¡± Lisse exclaimed. Oh, did I? ¡°I¡¯m obviously reluctant about it, but even as you¡¯re aware of it, you¡¯re still trying to push me like that?¡± I asked her. ¡°That can¡¯t be helped. There¡¯s no one else that I can ask.¡± Lisse told me plainly. In other words, I was chosen through an elimination process? I¡¯m even more reluctant to participate on this now. ¡°Do you remember the talk we had a few days back? Zant asked me what kind of strength I wanted, and I told him that I didn¡¯t have enough firepower. ¡°Basically, I cannot fight Demon Beasts, as I cannot kill them.¡± I told Lisse. If it¡¯s something like a Redbear or a Splinter Fang Hare or other weak Demon Beasts, then I can handle it, but that¡¯s not the case for the Demon Beasts near Haidiga. Those are way stronger than the Demon Beasts I have hunted so far. I even struggled to hunt the Sky Lizard, and I was not only able to land a one-sided preemptive strike on it, but I also had a strong paralysis poison with me at that time. My ideal as a hunter is to kill with one blow. But I cannot do that yet. I lack something that allows me land a decisive blow. That¡¯s why I¡¯m planning to find a way to make up for this, to acquire firepower on my training that will start tomorrow. The current me is too weak to handle Demon Beasts. I properly explained that to Lisse and told her that, even if she wanted me to go, it would be impossible, but¡­ Lisse did not back down, ¡°Just look for the Demon Beast. I¡¯ll be the one to hunt it.¡± Huh? ¡°Can you do it?¡± I asked her. She snorted, ¡°Just who do you think you¡¯re talking to- ¡°Hey! Wait! Come on, listen.¡± Once again, I was stopped. How annoying. I was going to take a bath because I don¡¯t want to listen to Lisse. I¡¯m sure this is going to be troublesome if I hear any more, so I don¡¯t want to. ¡°Are you really going to force me even though I don¡¯t like it? You beast.¡± I told her. ¡°W-why are you saying it like that!? T-this is wrong¡­ It¡¯s not supposed to be like this, is it¡­? ¡°H-hey, wait!¡± Lisse exclaimed. I don¡¯t like this. I don¡¯t want to heat any more of it, so I¡¯m not waiting. I covered my ears with my hands, ignored Lisse, and started walking away at a brisk pace. ¡°Don¡¯t cover your ears! Don¡¯t go home yet! Listen! Hey, listen to me!¡± Lisse shouted. I don¡¯t like this. I absolutely hate this. I¡¯m just training now. Hunting is no good. ¡­ Well, in the end, I gave in to her, but only if she agreed to one important condition. CH 70 Chapter 70 ¨C Glasses boy and the cute evil god statue ¡°You¡¯re regretting it, aren¡¯t you?¡± I asked Lisse. She stayed silent. ¡°You¡¯re regretting it now, right? You¡¯re thinking that you shouldn¡¯t have promised that, right?¡± I asked Lisse. She remained silent. ¡°How do you feel? Hey, how do you feel? How does it feel to be pushed to the bottom right after you convinced yourself that you¡¯ve won, after you used filthy means to forcefully win over a man that you dislike?¡± I asked her next. ¡°Shut up! I¡¯ll take it properly!¡± Lissi shouted. Alright. I think I have gloated enough over her. I refused her many times, but Lisse persistently stuck to me, so in the end, I gave up. But I couldn¡¯t simply accept it for free. There was a very real risk that this could become a recurring offense, so I had to emphasize that this would be a one-time deal. ¡­ And also, it was a way for me to get rid of that trouble. ¡°So, uhn¡­ Eil, this is¡­ What is it?¡± Lisse asked me. For a moment, she seemed to be taken over by anger, but then it passed just as quickly as it came. After all, there was a stronger feeling going over her right now¡­ It was anxiety. It was understandable. This thing made me feel anxious during each second that I looked at it, and now I was not only looking at it, but holding it. ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s a cute doll.¡± I replied. Lisse insistently asked me to accompany her on the hunt, and I eventually gave in, but with one condition. The condition was that she¡¯d take over the cute evil god statue. And that she could not throw it away, couldn¡¯t destroy it, and she had no choice but to keep it. When I told Lisse that I¡¯d go with her if she took over my cute doll, she happily agreed to it, but this surely exceeded anything that she could have imagined¡­ ¡°You said it was a cute doll, right? But this isn¡¯t cute! It is¡­ What it is!? Just what is this!? It¡¯s definitely a demonic wooden statue, isn¡¯t it!? This is way too terrifying!¡± Lisse protested. I agree with all of her words. But unfortunately, the reality is different. ¡°Its creator said so, so there is no doubt it. This is just a cute doll.¡± I told her. ¡°What weirdo made this!? ¡°¡­ Eh? Am I really going to take this over¡­? Won¡¯t I be cursed if I keep it with me¡­?¡± Lisse wondered out loud. ¡°You made a promise. You can¡¯t break it.¡± As I said that, I snatched the cute evil god statue from Lisse¡¯s hands, then muttered, ¡°An assassin that easily breaks a contract that they already signed¡­ That¡¯s a pretty big problem, isn¡¯t it?¡± Then, I once again offered the cute evil god statue to Lisse, as I really don¡¯t want to keep on holding it, ¡°You understand what I¡¯m saying, right? ¡°And you cannot throw it away, destroy it, nor sell it. That¡¯s part of the promise.¡± ¡°¡­ I-I know. ¡°¡­ I-I-I¡¯ll take it over¡­ ¡°¡­ Uugh. The more I look at it, the more cursed it seems¡­¡± Lisse muttered as she took the statue from my hands. Hooray! I finally succeeded in pulling the cute evil god statue away from me! I was very happy with this result. Way happier than I was when I received a passing grade from clearing the road. But well, that¡¯s enough of this topic. Let¡¯s go over my end of the deal, ¡°So, when and what are we hunting?¡± Before we returned home to have this discussion, both me and Lisse bathed at Goertz. Right now, we were sitting down at the living room¡¯s table for the first time since I arrived at this house. I¡¯m going to eat dinner after we¡¯re done, but I¡¯d like to talk about work first, as I might need to do some preparations and buy things, so I¡¯d rather do that before eating. ¡°Alright¡­¡± Lisse, with a visibly uneasy face, put down the cute evil god statue on the table. Then, her expression turned to a serious one, and she stared at my eyes, ¡°I think the Chalk Chicken is a good target. Do you know of it?¡± ¡°I know a bit.¡± I replied. I saw a picture of it in the encyclopedia that I got in the assassins¡¯ village. It¡¯s a flightless bird that looks like a huge plump parrot. It was written that the Demon Beast was huge, but unable to fly. However, it is a Demon Beast that can jump incredibly high, and that moves quickly and is hard to predict. And its meat is quite tasty. ¡°It lives in the forest at the foot of the nearby mountain. It¡¯s a Demon Beast that is active early in the morning. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of leaving tomorrow before dawn. This way we can return to the city in the morning. ¡°What do you think?¡± Lisse asked me. ¡°It seems good enough?¡± I replied. The nearby mountain must be that mountain. The mountain that has the assassins¡¯ village on its other side. It¡¯s certainly way too dangerous to try going there at night, but if we start hunting after sunrise, then she won¡¯t be depending entirely on me at least. ¡°Let me just make sure of it. I just need to find this Demon Beast, right?¡± I asked Lisse. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll defeat it, so you just need to find it.¡± Lisse replied. ¡°And what if you fail?¡± I asked. ¡°You can abandon me and run away.¡± She replied. Lisse then averted her eyes from me and poked the cute evil god statue. She made a visibly disgusted face as she stared at it. ¡°Look, it¡¯s not a bad idea for you to accompany me. We¡¯ll be splitting the loot equally, and even if our interests don¡¯t match, I won¡¯t be unilaterally making use of you. I can take care of myself. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s much better to partner with someone that you know, than with an adventurer you don¡¯t know anything about. Things can go really wrongly if you work together with someone that you can¡¯t trust.¡± Lisse told me. But that¡¯s the problem. I don¡¯t trust Lisse. Though well, I guess it can¡¯t be helped. If she is going this far, then I can¡¯t really complain about what she wants to do. ¡°Okay, but just to be clear. I really can¡¯t fight this Demon Beast. In case of an emergency, I¡¯m really going to abandon you, because I really can¡¯t help you.¡± I told Lisse. ¡°I know.¡± She replied plainly. I really wish she understood it. I sighed, ¡°So, let me be clear. Because it might be the last time we talk¡­ I don¡¯t think you¡¯re strong enough.¡± Our physical abilities, stature and lifestyle are all similar. Lisse and me should probably be around the same in combat capability. That¡¯s the conclusion I obtained after competing with her on the road. Essentially, I don¡¯t think someone as weak as me is able to hunt the Demon Beasts here. The reason why I don¡¯t want to go to the hunting grounds together with her, is because I think the chances of us both dying are way too high. I did say that I would abandon her in case of an emergency, but¡­ I know myself enough to know that I would try helping her if needed. That said, if it did become impossible to help her out, then I may have no choice other than abandoning her. But if I do abandon her, I¡¯ll definitely regret it and sleep badly because of it. I tried moving the conversation forward, but the feeling of not wanting to go did not disappear in the slightest. ¡°Hmph. Just who do you think you¡¯re talking to?¡± Lisse asked me. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t want to know, and I don¡¯t need to know.¡± I replied. ¡°¡­ Well, you made this much clear.¡± Lisse sighed. This really might be the last time we talk. There is no need to hold anything back right now. ¡°It will be fine, so leave it to me. I have a Gift that is good for this.¡± Lisse told me. ¡­ I see, alright. I suppose I really have nothing else to say. ****** After dinner, I got everything ready, slept a bit, then left the city before morning, while the sky was still dark. The outline of the mountains were shining in the distance. It looked like the sun was about to rise. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry.¡± Lisse told me. Lisse was wearing light clothing and had two swords at her waist. I was also wearing light clothes, and I carried my bow in my back, as well as some simple luggage. It was not gear for a big trip or for hunting. It was the minimum necessary gear to let me find and lure a prey. And right now, Lisse seemed to be extraordinarily confident in herself. ¡­ Though I can¡¯t wipe away the feeling that she has no idea about what she is getting into. It¡¯s almost dawn. If we¡¯re planning on coming back in the morning, then we need to hurry, as I want to train today. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± I told Lisse. Then, the two of us started running towards the mountain. CH 71 Chapter 71 ¨C Glasses boy confirms it for the last time As we ran under the sky that was gradually brightened, Lisse kept on talking to me. Apparently, Roda, the representative of Haidiga¡¯s assassin¡¯s guild, took Lisse with him to subjugate Demon Beasts a few times in the past. ¡°So, you two are officially acquainted?¡± I asked. Roda clearly told me that I was supposed to pretend we didn¡¯t know each other, even if met on the streets perchance, so this was unexpected. But coming to think of it, I haven¡¯t seen neither Roda nor that ghostly woman since our first meeting. Even if I still meet that filthy old man, Zant, every day. ¡°No, because he secretly took me.¡± Lisse replied. Oh, I see. ¡°I¡¯m a bit jealous.¡± I told her honestly. To get firsthand experience watching the strong hunt Demon Beast? That¡¯s a great opportunity that doesn¡¯t come up often. I¡¯m envious of that. In response to my words though, Lisse gave me a smug grin. Why is she looking so triumphant and proud though? You can¡¯t become stronger just by looking at what the strong do. If it was this easy, then nobody would need to put any effort. ¡°I think there is a big difference between simply watching, and being able to take the experience in, digest it properly, then apply it to your own hunts.¡± I commented. ¡°Don¡¯t try being condescending.¡± Lisse replied. I guess I won¡¯t. It would certainly be a problem if I tried acting proud just from seeing others hunt. And in the first place, this is not the place to act arrogant. We¡¯re hunting in a high-risk area. Arrogance is deadly here. Especially because I¡¯m not confident on Lisse¡¯s abilities, so I really can¡¯t let my guard down here. Not on this hunting ground. ¡°By the way, are you familiar with these hunting grounds?¡± I asked Lisse. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve been here two or three times, so I guess I¡¯m moderately familiar?¡± Lisse replied. Unbelievable. This level of naivety. To think she can say she is moderately familiar after coming here two or three times¡­ That¡¯s an absurd lack of self-awareness. Two or three times is enough to find the hunting ground¡¯s entrance. What do you mean moderately familiar? Apologize to the people who are actually moderately familiar. ¡°I guess that is what it is.¡± I muttered. I don¡¯t like this, and I can¡¯t trust her. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to go on this hunt. I don¡¯t wanna hunt with someone that is this na?ve. ¡°¡­ What?¡± Lisse asked. And what¡¯s most troublesome is that she doesn¡¯t even realize she is conceited. Complacent adventurers who come to this kind of hunting grounds are the first to be killed. And you¡¯re even involving your comrades in this. Apologize to your comrades. ¡­ The anxiety that I forced myself to swallow yesterday, was now coming back in full force. Is this really going to be alright? I couldn¡¯t help feeling anxious about it, but it was about time. The road continued into the mountains, but we were already surrounded by trees on both our left and right sides. If we walk a few dozen more steps, we won¡¯t even be able to see the road anymore. I¡¯ve started feeling the presence of Demon Beasts here and there, and also the presences of adventurers, who likely came to hunt early in the morning, just like us. Our destination was the forest at the foot of the mountain, so this area is good enough¡­ Though there are really a lot of Demon Beasts here. It¡¯s honestly amazing that they can coexist. Don¡¯t they fight over territory or anything? ¡°It¡¯s fine around here, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lisse suggested, probably thinking the same as me. Then, she started quickly moving around as she explored our surroundings. The sky was getting brighter and brighter, and I could faintly see the city of Haidiga from here. It¡¯s a good time to start an early morning hunt. ¡°So, can you feel the presence of the Chalk Chicken?¡± Lisse asked me. I pondered for a bit before answering, ¡°I can sense the presence of some Demon Beasts, but I don¡¯t know which one is the one we¡¯re looking for.¡± Chalk Chicken. It¡¯s a Demon Beast I never met before, so it¡¯s natural to not be able to find it through presence alone. ¡°I think it should still be active now, but not for long. It¡¯s a nocturnal Demon Beast, so it should be going to rest soon.¡± I told her. Which is why we need to act quick. ¡°I¡­ Can vaguely notice the presences. I know something is there, but I¡¯m not even sure if it¡¯s a Demon Beast or not.¡± Lisse said as she strained her eyes and looked around. She seemed to finally start to understand what things on the forest were like as she concentrated. But well, that¡¯s why I¡¯m here. Lisse asked me to help her find the Demon Beast. I held my bow with my left hand, then looked at Lisse in the eye, ¡°I¡¯m just gonna ask one last time. Are you sure this is alright? I really can¡¯t do anything other than finding this Demon Beast.¡± ¡°Yeah, do it.¡± Lisse nodded. I figured that asking the question again wouldn¡¯t change the answer, but I couldn¡¯t help asking it anyways. If we were to turn back, this was the final chance. ¡­ Though well, I guess she wouldn¡¯t come all the way here and give up. It can¡¯t be helped. I swallowed my anxiety, changed my glasses to night vision, then started looking at the vaguely glowing red silhouettes. Well¡­ I need to find something that is bird-shaped. Let¡¯s see¡­ Oh dear, this is bad. ¡°Stay here. I¡¯ll bring it to you.¡± I told Lisse, and without waiting for her reply, I plunged into the forest to my left. A huge bird-shaped Demon Beast, and the lights of five humans surrounding it. They were probably adventurers that were trying to hunt it. And now, the bird came into contact with one of the humans. The human was instantly knocked away. They must have been hit by a direct attack. Perhaps rammed. If that adventurer isn¡¯t dead yet, then there is a risk that the next blow would be fatal. It would be nice if someone moved-in quickly to cover their comrade, but it seems like that single hit was enough to create confusion and cause panic to the adventurers. That made me hurry up. Roots crawling over the ground, uneven terrain, stones that are hidden by the grass¡­ There are too many hindrances to my running, so I quickly climbed a tree and continued my sprint by moving through tree branches. Moving through the roadless forest road. This was the result of the special training in ¡®the road¡¯. I could now instantly see where my next foothold would be, and could fly through the trees like a wild animal. Covering the distance at the same speed that I would when running at the ground. ¡°Kyaaa!¡± One adventurer screamed. ¡°S-someone get its attention!¡± Another adventurer shouted. ¡°Let¡¯s run away! This is too much!¡± A third adventurer exclaimed. I got close enough to hear their panicked voices, and now I finally saw the Demon Beast. Yes, this should be the Chalk Chicken. A huge bird covered with white plumage. And it was¡­ Definitely a chicken-like Demon Beast. The book from the assassins¡¯ village said it was parrot-like, but this is definitely a chicken. A huge chicken. Bigger than an adult man. And this Demon Beast was chasing the fleeing adventurers as it bumped into the nearby trees¡­ Wow, this is scarier than an angry wild boar. There¡¯s no way I can manage this kind of Demon Beast. And no matter how I look at it, the adventurers have lost their will to fight. They threw down their weapons and are simply running at full speed. They won¡¯t complain if I interfere here. They haven¡¯t even injured this Demon Beast in the first place. They just got themselves injured. And so, as I had the Demon Beast in my sights, I held my bow tightly, and quickly shot an arrow towards it. The Chalk Chicken made a chicken-like shout as my arrow pierced its neck¡­ However, just as I expected, the arrow didn¡¯t pierce deeply. Or rather, no damage was dealt at all. I only tingled it at most. I aimed at a location that would deliver a fatal wound if it pierced deep enough, but¡­ My firepower is truly lacking. However, even as I thought of such things, I didn¡¯t stop moving. I doubt they¡¯ll be able to help much, but I switched to the heavier iron arrows, as they can pierce deeper. Then, I shot, two, three, four arrows in quick succession. ¡­ Only one of them hit. The first shot at the neck, and another near the eye. All others were avoided¡­ How can this Demon Beast move so fast while having such a big body? ¡­ As expected of a Demon Beast with the number ¡®1¡¯ above its head. But I drew its attention anyways. I shot all arrows at its head. Aiming at the eyes, making it impossible for the Chalk Chicken to ignore me, even if it was in an enraged state. Because it¡¯s difficult for living creatures to control their reflexive defensive reactions, that are triggered when something comes close to one¡¯s eyes. But now, the Demon Beast noticed where I was hiding. It accurately turned its head towards me, even if it shouldn¡¯t be able to see me while I hid amidst the foliage. This was bad. The dark eyes of the Chalk Chicken looked at me and- It jumped. The Demon Beast jumped while making a chicken-like roar. In an instant, the comfortable distance that I had from my prey, was covered by a single jump of that humongous chicken. CH 72 Chapter 72 ¨C Glasses boy really wants firepower I let my guard down. ¡­ No, that wasn¡¯t it. This is the result of encountering a creature that defies all my experience and common sense. A Demon Beast with so much physical prowess, that it could instantly crush the distance that existed between us. Even if the Chalk Chicken¡¯s aim is poor, it¡¯s still impossible to avoid the ramming of such a large body when it¡¯s coming directly my way. This enemy¡¯s leg strength is truly outstanding. Despite being such a heavy-looking giant, this Demon Beast was able to cross through the distance and height between us with just a single jump. Its legs are undeniably a deadly weapon. A single kick would surely be fatal. And so, the pure white feathers of the Chalk Chicken loomed in front of me. I had only an instant to make my decision. I decided to grab the enemy¡¯s feathers and stick as closely to them as possible, even if it meant taking a direct hit from the ramming. The impact was tremendous, but the damage I took was not big, as the feathers mostly cushioned the impact. I was on top of a tree branch until just now. My footing was poor, so I wasn¡¯t able to avoid the attack. Usually speaking, one should always prepare their escape route before they start a battle, but I simply had no opportunity to escape when faced with such a fast attack, so I gave up on trying to avoid it and took it head on. After all, if I wasn¡¯t able to dodge it properly, then the impact would throw me on the ground. And if the fall didn¡¯t kill me, then the second attack of this Demon Beast surely would. So, I instead clung to it as my evasive maneuver. It was dangerous, but it worked out. And its feathers were as soft as I expected. I had seen this Demon Beast chasing adventurers while lounging forward and colliding with trees, and yet it didn¡¯t seem to take any damage. I figured that the Chalk Chicken probably had thick and soft feathers that cushioned those impacts, so as to let it ram into hard objects without worries. But I couldn¡¯t have imagined how soft and comfortable this Demon Beast really was. It was strange to be thinking about it after I just avoided a deadly blow, but those feathers would surely sell wonderfully well. The Chalk Chicken could cut through the forest with large leaps, snapping leaves and branches in its way¡­ It¡¯s definitely a bird that can¡¯t fly, but it quite frankly doesn¡¯t need to, not when its jumps are this powerful. And once this Demon Beast fell on the ground from its latest leap, I, who was buried in the feathers of this enemy, managed to land on the ground unscathed. These feathers surely feel nice¡­ I want them for my bed. I want to wrap myself around them and sleep in the comfiest bed in the world. ¡­ I almost forgot about my current situation for a second. The comfortableness of this Demon Beast made me get assaulted by sleepiness. The only thing that kept me awake, was the smell of wild animals that was clinging to me¡­ Which is a bit troublesome, but I can always wash it down later. Still, if it wasn¡¯t for this smell, I might have ended up accidentally fallen asleep. ¡­ To think that the cause of my death would have been sleepiness¡­ That would have been a stupid death, its tales would be handed down to future generations¡­ This was dangerous. But with my mind back on track, I quickly let go of the Chalk Chicken and hid behind a nearby tree. The Demon Beast instantly started searching for me when this happened. It seemed to be fully aware that I had clung to its feathers during its last attack, so it knows that I am nearby, but it doesn¡¯t know where exactly I am. This was way too dangerous. I¡¯m sure I would be dead by now if the Chalk Chicken tried kicking me instead of ramming me. Also, the arrow on its neck is gone already. It must have fallen out when this Demon Beast¡¯s ram collided with some tree branches¡­ And most importantly, I can¡¯t see any bleeding come out from where the arrow hit. Considering how white the feathers of the Chalk Chicken are, there¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t be able to see bleeding. Therefore, my arrow must have not even made a wound. Never mind a fatal wound, I couldn¡¯t even pierce its skin. I dealt no damage at all. In the end, my bow is unable to hunt this Demon Beast. ¡­ So how is Lisse going to kill it? No matter how I look at it, it seems impossible. My arrows don¡¯t pierce it at all, so there should be no way a half-baked sword slash will do any better. The blade won¡¯t be able to cut this enemy. And unlike bows, a sword must be swung from close quarters. Regardless of how dangerous it feels, one has to enter the Chalk Chicken¡¯s attack range if one wishes to cut it. It¡¯s insane to even consider getting close to a Demon Beast of this size, weight and speed. Especially when its feathers are so thick, that normal attacks can¡¯t wound it at all. Like how it happened to the adventurers I saw earlier, I can¡¯t imagine this going well. ¡­ It¡¯s too late though, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m in the middle of hunting, so I have to forcibly swallow down my anxiety, even if I don¡¯t like what this implies. I don¡¯t know what will happen next, but I just have to leave everything to Lisse. This is what I promised her. ¡­ I still have a bit of paralyzing poison left from my Sky Lizard hunt, so I guess I can prepare it a bit for the sake of helping out, but¡­ I¡¯m not sure if that will even work. I¡¯ll just have to do what I can. Well, my part on this is easy. I don¡¯t have to fight. I just need to lure the Chalk Chicken back to the highway. This is a fairly simple job. Okay¡­ Let¡¯s get started. I started running, letting the angry Chalk Chicken see me, and start chasing me. It seems to be quite easy to angry, and its hostility doesn¡¯t fade easily. As expected of a Demon Beast. However, due to its large size, it¡¯s too hard for the Chalk Chicken to properly run through this dense forest. It keeps on hitting trees and slowing down because of that, yet it keeps chasing me¡­ Just as I thought, these thick feathers serve as an armor to protect it against the clashes against trees. I suppose this is a form of evolution. If we were in an environment where the Chalk Chicken could chase me in a straight line, with nothing blocking its way, it would surely be able to quickly cross the distance and ram me, but that¡¯s not the case in this forest. And so, with some leeway, I was able to successfully lure this Demon Beast to the highway. ¡°Lisse!¡± I shouted. ¡°Over here!¡± She shouted in response. She had one of her swords drawn out, and stood out in combat stance, holding her sword with both hands. I¡¯ll bring the prey there, and that will be it. Though Lisse is only using one of her two swords¡­ I thought she would be wielding both swords together, but that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case? This is strange¡­ Her swords are normal long swords, they aren¡¯t made for two-handed wielding. Well, let¡¯s leave the questions for later. There is nothing to block the Chalk Chicken¡¯s path in the highway. It¡¯s a place where this Demon Beast can fully demonstrate its menacing size and physical prowess. I shouldn¡¯t stay here for long. I passed by Lisse and handed over the prey. It¡¯s possible that the Chalk Chicken will ignore her entirely due to how angry it is, but no matter what, for as long as this enemy keeps chasing me in a straight line, it will have to pass by Lisse to reach me. And Lisse won¡¯t let her prey pass by her easily, so this should end my role. Therefore, I decided to run to the forest on the other side of the road and hide behind a tree to watch the situation. However, the match was over in an instant. I had no time to even show how anxious I was. The Chalk Chicken ran at a maddeningly fast speed, dashing through the highway, trying to enter the other side of the forest to keep pursuing me. It did not pay any attention to Lisse, who was standing in its way. Perhaps it didn¡¯t even realize that Lisse was there. And then, as soon as the Chalk Chicken came into contact with Lisse, its momentum broke down and it started rolling down the road with great momentum. ¡­ What was that just now? I¡¯m sure I saw what happened there¡­ Did my eyes fool me? No, that definitely happened. There¡¯s no doubt I saw it. When the Demon Beast was about to make contact with Lisse, she swung her sword¡­ And the sword was shining. The shining blade easily cut off the right leg of the Chalk Chicken, making the Demon Beast lose balance and roll on the highway, while blood started gushing out of the lost limb. Lisse then ran in pursuit, and quickly stabbed the neck of the writhing Chalk Chicken with her shining sword. As I watched it happen, I really thought from the bottom of my heart¡­ I want firepower. Lisse already had it, but I don¡¯t have it. I want to have more firepower. Firepower that will let me hunt even the strong Demon Beasts. CH 73 Chapter 73 ¨C Glasses boy feels troubled There is a saying that I heard from my master, who heard from his master, who heard it from their own master. Hunting is not just about the prey. A hunt isn¡¯t over until you return. Hunting the prey is just the first step. Being able to bring the hunt home is equally important. A hunt isn¡¯t truly over until you get back to the place you were supposed to return to. That¡¯s the first thing I was taught once I became an apprentice. It¡¯s a very simple concept, so I was able to memorize it immediately. However, I have also tasted the meaning, weight, depth and bitter irony of this simple and easy-to-remember concept many times over. ¡°How about it, Eil!?¡± Lisse proudly exclaimed. I don¡¯t want to hunt with someone who doesn¡¯t understand this basic concept. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wrong for Lisse to feel proud of her achievement when she literally killed the Chalk Chicken in an instant, but¡­ It¡¯s too early to be proud. This is a serious problem, and we need to act fast. The hunt isn¡¯t over yet. It only ends once we return. I watched Lisse¡¯s movements for a short while, then started moving. I covered the cut-off leg of the Chalk Chicken in a waterproof bag and tied it tightly with a rope. Then, I spread the powder of my stink bag on the blood that was sprayed on the ground, making a terrible odor permeate the air. Alright, this is enough for now. I hurriedly joined Lisse with the Chalk Chicken¡¯s leg on my shoulder, which went all the way below my waist. ¡°Hurry up and cut off the magic core and whatever other parts you wish to bring with you.¡± I told Lisse. ¡°Eh?¡± She seemed to be a bit confused. ¡°The smell of blood will attract other Demon Beasts.¡± I told her. I didn¡¯t expect to hunt with such flashy splashes of blood, so it¡¯s impossible to properly hide the smell anymore. I managed to handle the leg somehow, but there is no way to completely cover up the blood that splattered from the head and body. Demon Beasts will soon come to eat the Chalk Chicken. We can¡¯t stay here for long. That¡¯s why we fought on the highway. And well, this isn¡¯t a highway where peddlers and travelers move through, as this mountain is way too dangerous, so at least they won¡¯t be troubled by the incoming Demon Beasts. ¡°I¡¯ll wrap up the head. Get started on doing your part.¡± I told her. ¡°W-well¡­¡± Lisse murmured. I ignored Lisse and her confusion, then rushed over to the Chalk Chicken¡¯s head, which had been flashily cut off, then stuck it in a large leather bag that I brought with me. ¡­ This is already too much weight. I can¡¯t carry anything else. Then, I sprinkled more powder from the stink bag on the blood pool and that was the end of my part. It¡¯s not like I can cover everything up, so the stinky powder will only buy us a bit of time, but it¡¯s better than nothing. Especially because it takes almost no time at all to sprinkle the powder on. Now, let¡¯s retreat and¡­ ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up!¡± I asked Lisse, who was sitting beside the headless bird with her sword in hand. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ How do I¡­?¡± Lisse looked back at me with an apologetic face. ¡°¡­ Eh? You can¡¯t do it?¡± I asked in disbelief. The forest has been noisy since a while ago, and my heart has been beating extremely fast too. I¡¯m way too upset at Lisse today. Her actions have left an even bigger impression than her shiny sword did. The surrounding Demon Beasts have already smelled the blood of the Chalk Chicken. They are still a bit far, but they¡¯re coming our way. ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t done any serious Demon Beast subjugation yet, so¡­ I have yet to study how to properly dismantle them¡­¡± Lisse muttered. ¡°¡­. I have way too many things I want to say, but this is not the time.¡± I pushed Lisse aside, who had become quite meek, and began dismantling the Chalk Chicken. Though this isn¡¯t actual dismantling. We¡¯re running out of time, so all that I can do is retrieve the Magic Core. It¡¯s the first time I have fought this Demon Beast, the first time I¡¯ve dismantled it, yet I have to find its Magic Core while being this pressed for time¡­ I don¡¯t want to ever hunt with someone who doesn¡¯t have a proper plan again. Having only one life isn¡¯t enough for taking this kind of risk. Fortunately, like many other Demon Beasts, the Chalk Chicken¡¯s magic core was located near its heart. The internal organs were placed in a similar arrangement to normal chickens, so, while dying both my hands red, I forcibly cut out the heart and other surrounding organs, and put them in a leather bag together with the Magic Core. The amount of space this all took was amazing due to how big this Demon Beast was- This is bad. Demon Beasts are coming. ¡°Retreat! Hurry!¡± I shouted as I handed the bag with organs and Magic Core to Lisse. ¡°W-whoa! H-hold on! Wait!¡± Lisse exclaimed as she held the bag, but I didn¡¯t wait for her. I was already running at full speed towards the city. I¡¯m not sure if this day has been fortunate, or incredibly regrettable¡­ ****** Due to how rushed the dismantling work was, the result ended up being too sloppy, and now, both my hands and clothes were reddened with blood that hasn¡¯t dried yet. The gatekeeper was taken aback by my appearance, but once I showed him the parts of the Chalk Chicken, and told him we were hunting Demon Beasts, he let us inside the city right away. It may be early in the morning, but it¡¯s been a small while since the sun rose, so Haidiga is already crowded. Well, this is a town filled with adventurers, so this much is expected. A guy bringing monsters parts while being covered in blood isn¡¯t that uncommon here. And now that we were back in the city, the hunt was finally over. ¡°Where do you want to exchange this for money?¡± I asked Lisse. ¡°Ah, at the adventurers¡¯ guild¡­ Please.¡± Lisse meekly replied. So, I decided to help her carry things to the adventurers¡¯ guild. That¡¯s where my work ends. I literally want to take this load off my shoulders, so that I can go wash away all this blood and change my clothes. ¡­ Though I might need to throw this outfit away. It¡¯s not too hard to wash small blood stains until they come off, but¡­ There is way too much blood in here. I doubt it¡¯s possible to clean this. ¡°Uhn¡­ Are you angry?¡± Lisse asked me. She was being quite meek for some reason. ¡°Not particularly.¡± I replied. I don¡¯t think this will ever happen again, so it¡¯s fine. I thought I¡¯d say something to her once I calmed down, but there is no point in complaining about something that won¡¯t ever bother me again. It¡¯s just too much trouble to do that. When we arrived at the adventurers¡¯ guild, I was finally able to take this weight off my shoulders. This wasn¡¯t a good hunt, but it has ended now. Good grief, I¡¯m tired¡­ This hunt really was way too rough. A really bad hunt. ¡°Goodbye.¡± I told Lisse. ¡°Ah¡­ T-thank you for your hard work!¡± Lisse, for some reason, bowed deeply to me. Should I go home now? Or maybe I should go to the bath instead¡­ It will probably be faster to wash my whole body instead of washing just my hands on the well. CH 74 Chapter 74 ¨C Glasses boy has a small mystery solved After completing various tasks in the morning, we went to practice in the afternoon, as usual. Though we were told that our training would be different starting today, and I was really looking forward to that. Lisse forcibly inviting me to go hunting with her first thing in the morning was bad, but let¡¯s forget about this bad experience and focus on the good things coming next. That¡¯s how I was thinking at least. In the underground training facility, the filthy old man Zant, who was our instructor, said, ¡°This morning¡¯s hunt. Tell me about it.¡± Lisse, who had arrived before me, turned my way and said, ¡°Eil?¡± She didn¡¯t seem to want to explain it herself, so she was pushing the job of telling Zant about it to me. And well, from my point of view there were plenty of mistakes in the hunt, but I don¡¯t really want to point out other people¡¯s mistakes. She can talk about them herself if she wants. ¡­ Unless she isn¡¯t aware of her own mistakes? Well, it¡¯s already in the past, so there is no point in saying it. There will be no next time anyways. So, I stayed silent too. Neither me nor Lisse talked about the hunt. Zant sighed, ¡°So, Lisse, did you tell the boy about your Gift?¡± ¡°Eh? No, not really.¡± Lisse replied. ¡°Huh? Didn¡¯t you show it though? You must have talked about it afterwards.¡± Zant seemed to be in disbelief. ¡°Well¡­ If he asked me about it, I would have answered, as there was no way to hide it at that point, but he didn¡¯t ask me at all¡­¡± Lisse told him. Yeah, I didn¡¯t ask anything. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask, boy? Didn¡¯t you see it? You must have gotten curious about it.¡± Zant asked me. Well, I certainly was curious, but¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t care about it. I don¡¯t really need to know its details.¡± Even if I did understand how her Gift worked, we are not going to hunt together again in the future, so it¡¯s fine if I don¡¯t know. Or rather, I¡¯d prefer to not get involved in troublesome things. My curiosity isn¡¯t stronger than my desire to maintain a moderate distance from her. ¡°¡­ Did something happen between you two?¡± Zant asked. ¡°Nothing really.¡± I replied. ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­¡± Lisse mumbled and averted her eyes. Zant must have noticed there was something wrong, so he sighed, ¡°Youths¡­ ¡°Well, never mind. Let¡¯s move forward with this. You two can handle conciliation in one way or another. Dunno how.¡± It¡¯s not something that requires conciliation, and I don¡¯t feel any need to repair our relationship, so I refuse. Not knowing my thoughts, Zant continued, and said something quite disturbing, ¡°Listen, boy. Lisse¡¯s Gift is the Shadow Hunter Sword. ¡°To put it simply, it¡¯s the power to increase her effective firepower when facing Demon Beasts.¡± Oh, Shadow Hunter. ¡­ Wait, hold on, ¡°Shadow Hunter?¡± I asked. Zant then started explaining it, ¡°Demon Beasts are creatures whose physical abilities are enhanced by the power of the Magic Core within their bodies. ¡°Basically, thanks to their Magic Core, Demon Beasts are in a constantly enhanced state, where their physical strength is greatly increased, and their bodies become much tougher. It¡¯s something that goes beyond what you can see with your eyes, so don¡¯t think of it as getting more muscles or larger bones. ¡°As for Lisse¡¯s Shadow Hunter Sword, it forcibly cancels the strengthened state of the Demon Beasts, allowing her to bypass their usual resistance. ¡°Also, the sword itself is strengthened to some extent, becoming much sharper than what you¡¯d expect.¡± ¡­ Oh, I see. It¡¯s a special attack against Demon Beasts. I can now understand why my sister, who also has a Shadow Hunter gift, is so strong. Even when Horun was a child, she was already able to hunt weak Demon Beasts by doing something as simple as throwing stones at them or piercing them with tree branches on the ground. That¡¯s why I had my suspicions of her maybe being a Taboo Child, but¡­ After a while, I came to the conclusion that she was a normal human being. And now I finally got an answer to one of my sister¡¯s mysteries. Horun simply had a Gift that made her strong against Demon Beasts, that was it. ¡­ Mysteries involving her personality, disposition and ecology still remain though. I wonder if a day will come where I¡¯ll be able to solve them. ¡°And that¡¯s how it is.¡± As Lisse said that, she pulled out one of the two swords that were attached to her waist and showed it to me. The blade was chipped¡­ No, that¡¯s not enough to describe it. There is a crack on the blade. Even an amateur like me can understand that this sword can no longer be used. ¡°My gift increases the power of my sword, but the sword is greatly damaged in the process. ¡°After using it just once, the sword already reaches a state where it is barely usable, so¡­ This Gift is quite tough on my wallet.¡± Lisse explained. Oh, so that¡¯s why she brought two swords with her. The other one was a spare, since her swords break too easily. This certainly feels like a power that is tough on one¡¯s wallet¡­ ¡°So, what do you think, boy?¡± Zant asked me. What do I think about what? ¡°This is also one of the answers for firepower that you were looking for, right?¡± Zant explained. Ah¡­ He¡¯s right on that. If the power of the Shadow Hunter can be put on arrows, then the arrows would become effective against strong Demon Beasts. The reason my arrows can¡¯t pierce those enemies is because of the strengthening caused by their Magic Cores, after all. Redbears can be pierced easily due to their Magic Cores being weak, but I was hopeless when facing the Chalk Chicken. Certainly, this is one answer to the firepower that I seek. Instead of strengthening my arrows, I can reduce my enemy¡¯s resistance. That is certainly a valid option. ¡­ However, I cannot use this power. ¡°Lisse, you need to improve your usage of this power, by the way. ¡°There will be situations where you¡¯ll be forced into an unexpected series of battles. How will you be able to succeed if you can only land two or three blows on your enemies? That¡¯s a fatal weakness! ¡°You won¡¯t be able to do anything to your enemies once you¡¯re out of weapons to wield.¡± Zant told her. ¡°Well, that¡¯s why I¡¯m here, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lisse replied. I don¡¯t like many things about Lisse, but I think her response makes sense. Just like me, she is here because she wants to become stronger. A part of that is to overcome one¡¯s weaknesses and further develop one¡¯s strengths. ¡°By the way, what is your Gift, Eil?¡± Lisse asked me. Wow, for real!? Has she never heard that it¡¯s rude to ask that? ¡°We¡¯re not in a relationship where I feel the necessity to talk about such things.¡± I replied. ¡°Eh? You just heard mine, didn¡¯t you?¡± Lisse said in disbelief. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask about it though. Zant just talked about it on his own.¡± I told her. That¡¯s exactly why I didn¡¯t want to ask her about her Gift. I didn¡¯t want her to feel comfortable enough to ask about mine. Zant most likely told me about Lisse¡¯s gift because he thought it was necessary. ¡­ Or maybe Lisse told him directly that she thought it was fine to tell me about it. That¡¯s probably why she was willing to show me her shining sword. But this is this and that is that. Even if Lisse is comfortable with sharing her Gift, I have no reason to talk about mine. ¡°Hey, Zant! Look at what this guy is saying!¡± Lisse exclaimed. Wow, such a childish reaction! Zant smiled wryly at her words, ¡°Well, I can¡¯t force him to talk if he doesn¡¯t want to. ¡°However, from now on, we¡¯ll start training on improving your own abilities, strengths and your Gifts. ¡°Also, for as long as you two train together, I think it would be better for you to reveal your Gifts to one another, and to improve said Gifts while using them without any hesitation. ¡°But at the same time, I can understand why the boy doesn¡¯t want to reveal it. I won¡¯t force him to do so.¡± Zant then lifted two fingers of his left hand, ¡°Now then. Let¡¯s talk about Gifts. ¡°Roughly speaking, they can be split in two categories.¡± CH 75 Chapter 75 ¨C Glasses boy gets serious ¡°Roughly speaking, Gifts can be split in two categories,¡± Zant¡¯s explanation was easy to understand, ¡°They¡¯re either practical or informational. ¡°Lisse¡¯s Gift is a practical one. It¡¯s a Gift that has a direct application, which is often times related to combat. ¡°The other Gifts are the information-oriented ones.¡± Practical and informational Gifts¡­ Got it. I don¡¯t really need to ask at this point. I¡¯m sure Zant and the other instructors have already known about my Gift from the start. The Gift of Glasses, or specifically, the power to physically summon glasses. I don¡¯t know all of its details yet, but I know that I can obtain information as I see things through the lens of my glasses, so according to Zant¡¯s classification, this should be an informational Gift, as it doesn¡¯t have a direct application in combat. At most, I can obtain information through it, then use that information to help me out in combat. On the other hand, my sister and Lisse have practical Gifts with an easy-to-understand application. They¡¯re Gifts that make them more effective when fighting Demon Beasts. ¡°With this kind of classification, where would you put magicians?¡± Lisse asked. ¡°Magicians have practical Gifts. They may be able to obtain information through magic, but I think of them as practical, as they can still use their spells in combat. ¡°Think of informational Gifts as Gifts that have no combat application at all.¡± Zant explained. I see¡­ My Glasses should still fit into informational though, as I can¡¯t think of any method to use them directly in combat. Is the point of this categorization to decide on how to train with the Gifts? Is it because informational systems need to practice in a different way than practical ones? I suppose that might be a part of it at least. ¡°In cases like yours, Lisse, if there is any moment where you wish to use your Gift, the people near you will naturally find out about it. ¡°On the other hand, the advantage that informational Gifts have, is that no one will find out about them even if they do use it. ¡°However, they¡¯re also in great disadvantage if someone does figure out what their Gift is. ¡°Of course, there is no way to hide Gifts that require proper preparation and tools, such as fortune-telling, but that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case for the boy. ¡°He understood this much, so that¡¯s why he doesn¡¯t want to talk about his Gift, as he¡¯d lose his advantage and expose his weakness if he did.¡± Zant told Lisse. He got it right. If I can help it, I¡¯d like to not tell anyone about my Gift for the rest of my life. However¡­ ¡°You said too much.¡± I told him. He already shared that it¡¯s an informational gift and that it¡¯s not a Gift related to fortune-telling. I¡¯d prefer it if he didn¡¯t leak any more information about my Gift to Lisse. Zant laughed, ¡°This much is fine. You don¡¯t need to tell her everything, but Lisse already shared her Gift with you, you know? ¡°Keep in mind that if the information share is completely one-sided, the other party might get a bad impression of you, so talking a bit shouldn¡¯t hurt.¡± I don¡¯t care about her impression of me though¡­ Well, no, that¡¯s not right. If she hates me too much, then it might lead to her becoming a hindrance or start harassing me, which would be no good. A relationship that is neither good nor bad is the ideal one. ¡°In any case, regardless of what one¡¯s Gift type is, the important part is to get used to it first and foremost. ¡°Just like breathing, you should be able to use your Gift as a completely natural act. ¡°If you can¡¯t use it without being conscious of the act, then you¡¯ll create slightly openings each time you try activating it. ¡°A strong enemy will make use of those openings and obtain victory at those instants, so you have to make sure to reduce your wasted movements to the minimum. That¡¯s how you become strong.¡± I understand what he is saying. It¡¯s something I learned from hunting wild animals. To hunt the strong ones, you need to eliminate the wasted movements. You have to polish your abilities and pursue the enemy without slowing down or making too much noise. And on that matter, Zant¡¯s skills are beautiful. He himself may be ugly, but the way he moves is truly beautiful, even if he looks like that. From Zant¡¯s point of view though, I still probably make plenty of wasteful movements and have to think too much before I act, further wasting time. ¡°You¡¯ve already been doing it for a while, haven¡¯t you, Lisse? For how long have you been able to?¡± Zant asked her. ¡­ Doing what? ¡°If it¡¯s just keeping it up, then half a day is fine.¡± Lisse replied. ¡°That¡¯s pretty good. What if you do some practice swings in that state?¡± Zant asked next. ¡°¡­ Then it won¡¯t last even from morning to noon.¡± Lisse told him. ¡°Then you still have a long way to go. You need to improve your usage.¡± Zant said. At that moment, I finally decided to ask what they were talking about. Lisse then explained that they were talking about her Gift. She was practicing using it on a daily basis, trying to keep the Gift active at all times. ¡­ I didn¡¯t notice it at all. She was using her Shadow Hunter gift the whole day? ¡°Then, you can practice your swings over there,¡± Zant pointed to a location in the training grounds, ¡°I still need to talk to the boy about something.¡± ¡°You mean about his Gift?¡± Lisse asked. ¡°Indeed.¡± Zant nodded. ¡°Tell me.¡± Lisse asked me. I didn¡¯t feel like answering her, so I ignored her request. After a few seconds of silence, she walked away while grumbling, ¡®Just what is it¡­?¡¯ Then, once she reached the location, she pulled out her sword and started swinging it¡­ Ain¡¯t she actually good at swordsmanship? I¡¯m surprised. ¡°Don¡¯t hate her too much; having competitors is a good thing, as friction with others can let you grow in ways you wouldn¡¯t be able to alone. ¡°And also, remember that: Lisse is not your enemy.¡± Zant told me. ¡°¡­ I get what you mean, but a lot happened this morning.¡± I muttered. After all that, I really don¡¯t want to be near her. ¡°Typical inexperience, right?¡± Zant asked me. That¡¯s exactly what it was; Lisse was only thinking about killing the Demon Beast. She didn¡¯t think about anything else that would happen before or after the kill; she splattered blood on the highway and didn¡¯t even think about how she¡¯d dismantle the enemy. It was a series of blunders that fit well into the definition of ¡®typical lack of experience¡¯. Perhaps Zant has a rough idea of what happened, or maybe he just assumed that this was the problem. ¡°Lisse has only practiced her foundations so far.¡± Zant told me. ¡°Foundations?¡± I asked. ¡°Endurance, athletic ability, the capability of making quick decisions and basic sword skills. Those are just the foundations. She¡¯ll start learning how to apply those things to real situations now. ¡°And from my point of view, you too have only foundations for the most part.¡± Zant replied. Mmm? Just foundations on me too? ¡°Of course, the way Lisse was raised is different from yours, so it¡¯s inevitable that you two have different foundations. ¡°Still, everyone needs to learn the basics. That¡¯s why the two of you had to practice together at the road.¡± Zant said next. I understand what he is saying, but¡­ ¡°I think I have already accumulated plenty of knowledge.¡± I replied. Not just the foundations, but I also have my experience as a hunter. I can¡¯t say I have enough experience to call myself a full-fledged hunter, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m lacking in experience like Lisse is. ¡°Our way of accumulating knowledge is different from that of the general public. You understand this much, right, boy? ¡°The things you experienced and what you¡¯ll experience will be piled on top of each other. That¡¯s why you still have only the foundation. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of calling it for what it is. You can grow further like this. ¡°You already have the foundations, so it¡¯s now time to move forward.¡± Zant said next. ¡­ I still think hunters and assassins are pretty similar to one another though. ¡°Well, let¡¯s stop with all this theory thing. What you want isn¡¯t understanding my logic, but firepower.¡± Zant told me. I agree. It¡¯s enough to understand where he is coming from, even if I don¡¯t agree with everything. ¡°So, your glasses are a Gift related to visual power, right?¡± Zant asked me. A-amazing¡­ ¡°You got it.¡± I told him honestly. The people who know what happened to me since I arrived at the capital should only know my power as the ability to create glasses. I¡¯m the only one who should know that this isn¡¯t the limit of my abilities. I haven¡¯t told anyone about the details of this Gift, and I have no intention of doing so. However, Zant guessed the true nature of this Gift¡­ I could try deceiving him, but that will only reduce how much I can learn here, so I decided to acknowledge his guess, so as to let things move forward. ¡°There are plenty of ways to obtain information from sight. The Evil Vision, Magic Vision, True Vision, Dragon Vision, Guardian Vision¡­ And the very famous Appraisal Vision.¡± Zant said. I¡¯ve heard of the Evil Vision in fairy tales, but I don¡¯t really know about most of the others. The only other one that I know is the Appraisal Vision, as it¡¯s something that plenty of merchants have¡­ Or rather, I wonder if they became merchants specifically because they have this kind of Gift. ¡°There are quite a few of those.¡± I commented. I thought my Glasses were special, but it seems like there are plenty of ways to obtain information through sight. I suppose I don¡¯t have enough knowledge. ¡­ And that includes knowledge on my Glasses. ¡°Aren¡¯t your Glasses similar to one of those categories?¡± Zant asked me. Mmmm¡­ I wonder¡­ ¡°Well, just like I said before, the first thing you need to do is to get used to your Gift. ¡°Use it on a daily basis; make it something natural. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to find out the true nature of your Gift if you do that.¡± Zant told me next. Alright. Let¡¯s start consciously using it the whole time then. ¡°From now on, we¡¯ll be teaching you more about Gifts that obtain information through sight. ¡°In the meantime, you should also be trying to use those different abilities to figure out where your own Gift fits. ¡°The first thing one needs to know about their informational Gift, is figuring out the limits of what one can and can¡¯t do. ¡°Pursue the possibilities. Be through with it. ¡°That¡¯s how you¡¯ll obtain the firepower that you seek.¡± Zant told me. ¡­ Alright, ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± I¡¯ve put this kind of experimentation off because I was focusing on other things, but¡­ It¡¯s time. From now on, I¡¯ll get serious about exploring the true power of my Glasses. CH 76 Chapter 76 ¨C Glasses boy makes a mistake while being cautious According to Zant, sight-based Gifts can be divided in three categories. ¡°This is just the way I learned it, and different people may have different theories that make more sense to you. ¡°So, if you don¡¯t agree with my explanation, then come up with an easy-to-understand explanation of your own that you can feel satisfied with.¡± Zant told me. So, essentially, this is just one possible interpretation of the sight-based Gifts? I¡¯ll keep that in mind. ¡°So, boy, what do you think a human being is?¡± Zant asked me. Huh? ¡°¡­ A creature?¡± When faced with such a vague question, I could only give this kind of vague response. ¡°Then what about that chair over there? Or that table?¡± Zant asked next. ¡°Material¡­?¡± I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything else I could say to this kind of question. ¡°No. Everything is a collection of information.¡± Zant told me. A collection of information¡­? ¡°Keep this in mind and listen. ¡°Sight-based Gifts can be divided in three basic categories. ¡°The first gets information from sight. ¡°The second gives visual information to others. ¡°The third rewrites information from sight. ¡°We call the first type as the Magic Eyes, the second one as Telekinetic Eyes, and the third one as Evil Eyes. ¡°As far as your Gift goes, you¡¯d probably fit into the most common category, the Magic Eyes.¡± Zant explained. Mmm¡­ I see. I¡¯m quite curious about plenty of things from this rough explanation alone, but I¡¯m sure Zant will explain it even if I don¡¯t ask, so let¡¯s just wait for him to continue without interrupting. ¡°The Magic Eyes obtain information from sight. I don¡¯t think this need any explanation, as it¡¯s fairly intuitive.¡± Zant said. I nodded. There are plenty of ways this can work, but my Glasses definitely give me certain types of information. ¡°As for the Telekinetic Eyes, they¡¯re something that give information to a third party. Like showing your memories to other people.¡± Zant told me. I see, so that¡¯s what he meant with giving visual information. ¡­ Doesn¡¯t that fit into what my glasses can do too though? Them being connected to one another definitely seems to fit into this kind of description. After all, my glasses certainly reflected the scenery seen by Cherry when she got into that carriage accident. That is¡­ Well, let¡¯s see¡­ It certainly feels possible to create a communication between my glasses. Or rather, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s possible, but I don¡¯t know how to create it. Still, if I feel like it, I can probably figure out a way to recreate that connection. ¡­ Alright, I¡¯m feeling motivated, so let¡¯s try it out later. ¡°As for the Evil Eyes, that¡¯s the power to rewrite information.¡± Zant started speaking. This one is what was bothering me the most. I can¡¯t even imagine what it means just from the words alone. I can understand the term ¡®Evil Eyes¡¯, but what is this power to rewrite information? ¡°The kind of thing that can put the viewer in a temporary hypnosis. To get them to sleep, then start rewriting their information in an abnormal way.¡± Zant explained. Oh, I see¡­ This is actually something I did hear about before, ¡°So, like the Devil¡¯s Eyes?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s how fairy tales refer to this kind of power.¡± Zant nodded. In old tales that I heard from the village¡¯s elders, I heard about demons who could drive people crazy or seduce people from simply looking at them. If you think about it carefully, this kind of phenomenon can be classified as ¡®rewriting information¡¯ like Zant said. ¡°Also, the famous Demon Beast that can turn people to stone if you look at its eyes? You heard of it, right? That too is a type of Evil Eye Gift.¡± Zant told me. Yeah, I certainly heard of that one before. ¡°This Demon Beast does exist, though it¡¯s quite rare. ¡°And well, this kind of Gift is why this country created the system of the Day of Determination. ¡°If someone has a Gift that is dangerous enough to shake the whole country, then out kingdom wants to know about it as soon as possible, so as to be able to take appropriate measure. ¡°Also, this is a bit too theoretical, but if you think about it, Gifts are also a form of magic. Both yours and Lisse¡¯s Gifts feel quite magical, don¡¯t you think so? ¡°Of course, if you don¡¯t know your Gift, then you probably won¡¯t be able to use it properly, but¡­ Ah, I digress.¡± Zant suddenly stopped speaking. I understand what he was getting at though. It makes sense. After all, I would have never realized that I could create glasses if it wasn¡¯t for the Day of Determination. If I didn¡¯t find out about my Gift at that day, then I would have never figured out how to use it. By touching the special crystal that they provided me, the Determination Ritual let me understand my Gift. If that hadn¡¯t happened, then I would have most likely spent my entire life without ever figuring out what my Gift is. Even if I had the idea of wanting to wear glasses, I would have never tried to actually create them out of nowhere, that much is certain. ¡°In any case, your Gift doesn¡¯t seem to be an Evil Eye type of Gift, so there is nothing to worry about.¡± Zant told me. Yeah, I can understand this much intuitively. My glasses can¡¯t do that. However, there is one thing bothering me¡­ ¡°Strictly speaking, my Glasses don¡¯t quite fit into the Magic Eyes category, do they?¡± I asked. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Zant nodded with a serious expression, ¡°Your Glasses aren¡¯t a Magic Eye, for they are a physical substance. ¡°You don¡¯t have the ability to obtain information through matter, but the ability of giving power to matter itself. ¡°Thinking about what are the exact limits of this kind of Gift is the work you¡¯ll have to do yourself, boy.¡± Seems like Zant has finished the rough explanation about the Sight-related Gifts, then. ¡°From now on, it will depend on your own intuition, so I can¡¯t really give you a detailed explanation. ¡°Essentially, try ¡®seeing¡¯ as many things as you can. If you do that, your understanding of your own Gift will surely grow. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you more about the different types of Magic Eye gifts though, so you can try them out and see what works and doesn¡¯t work for you.¡± Zant said. This seems good enough. ¡­ Wait, before that. After listening to all this explanation from Zant, something came to my mind, and now I really want to try it. Humans are a collection of information, he said¡­ And my glasses can see this information. So, for example, if I tried to see the information hidden within this dirty old man, then I should be able to obtain something, right? Just like how I can see the numbers that show my chance of defeating someone. It might be possible to obtain more information than just that¡­ Like this old man¡¯s Gift. ¡°Ah¡­¡± I muttered. It worked. I tried it out on a whim, but it worked. ¡°Oh? What¡¯s wrong-? ¡°Did you see something about me, perchance? What a bad boy you are.¡± Zant said with a wry smile. ¡­ Is it better to say it or not say it? ¡­ Well, it might be quicker to say it. He is an instructor after all, and I will learn more if I explain things properly to him. However, as a precaution, let¡¯s hide part of it. ¡°I¡¯ve just seen your Gift, Zant.¡± I told him. While saying that, I also stared at Lisse, who was glancing our way and¡­ Yeah, I can see her Gift too. Or rather, I can see her Gift clearly. ¡°You saw it!?¡± Zant¡¯s composed wry smile instantly disappeared as he said that. Right¡­ This really isn¡¯t something one should do. I¡¯ll definitely get strangled if other people find out about this, so I¡¯m definitely not telling anybody else. But well, this much is fine. ¡°Not exactly. I can see it, but I don¡¯t understand it.¡± That was both true and false. I¡¯ll keep a part of it hidden, but I¡¯d like to convey that I¡¯m able to see the invisible. ¡°I know there¡¯s something written on it, but I can¡¯t read it because it¡¯s hazy.¡± I explained. It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t read it because of something like not knowing how to read, but because the text itself is foggy. If I could see it properly, even if I couldn¡¯t read it, I would be able to write it down and ask someone to read it for me, after all, so this wouldn¡¯t solve the problem. ¡°¡­ I see. You can see, but can¡¯t comprehend it. I feel both relieved and disappointed at that.¡± Zant seemed to relax as he said that. Alright, that was a nice start¡­ The real problem starts now though. ¡°Zant, do you have two Gifts, perchance? There are two lines of text that I can¡¯t read.¡± I told him. I hid it from Zant, but I was actually able to read one of the lines. His Gift is one that any hunter would like to have. It¡¯s the Hit Correction gift, which helps you aim better. If I recall correctly, my master had a Gift that was similar to this one. I had asked him once about it, and he told me that his Gift was something akin to Hit Correction. However, my master did not make a clear statement about his Gift, and I did not pursue it any further. At that time, my master told me that I was too quick to give up, and that he would tell me if I tried pressing him a bit more, but I refused. Even as he told me to not give up and be more interested in my master, I decided to not press any further, as I wasn¡¯t particularly interested in my master¡¯s Gift. And now, I feel glad that I didn¡¯t press any further, but for a different reason than what I felt back then. But in any case, after a while of silence, Zant, with a serious expression, told me, ¡°I only knew of one of my Gifts. But you¡¯re telling me that I actually have two?¡± Ah¡­ After all, it might have been better to not say this much. CH 77 Chapter 77 ¨C Glasses boy meets the next instructor ¡°Alright, that is enough. Let¡¯s end this talk here.¡± Zant suddenly said. ¡­ Huh? Really? Just like that? ¡­ It feels about as sudden as the time I was kicked out of the assassins¡¯ village. ¡°Your Gift is more complex than I had originally thought, so I don¡¯t need to know any more. I¡¯ll leave the rest to the instructor specialized in informational Gifts.¡± Zant told me. Oh, I see. So Zant is gonna ask someone else to continue instructing me. ¡°By the way, you understand why, don¡¯t you?¡± Zant asked me. Ah, yeah¡­ ¡°It¡¯s because ¡®knowing¡¯, ¡®hiding what you know¡¯ and ¡®not knowing¡¯ give out different feelings to the listener.¡± I replied. I was just thinking about it. About how I think it¡¯s better to not know my master¡¯s Gift, as I don¡¯t need to try lying about it. I wasn¡¯t interested in it back then, but now I think that I did the right choice in not pursuing the matter any further. ¡°You¡¯re good at detecting lies, aren¡¯t you?¡± I asked Zant. Back when I was in the capital and met with Lorobel, she seemed to see through my lies very easily. With people like her, knowing about things can be a hindrance. It¡¯s much better to be able to truthfully answer with, ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ in those cases. You usually have different ways of answering questions about how much one knows, but if the truth is found out in an instant, then that can be quite detrimental for a group of assassins that is working undercover. Zant seemed to be satisfied at my answer, as he nodded to my words, ¡°If you understand this much, then it¡¯s fine. ¡°The information-oriented instructor is the one who is going to be in charge of your teaching next, so remember to not say unnecessary things or probe too much¡­ Though well, you¡¯ll probably be fine when considering how indifferent you are to others.¡± I certainly hope things will go well, though it¡¯s not like I¡¯m completely indifferent. I just don¡¯t show my curiosity much. ¡°Lisse! Come here for a second!¡± Zant called her, and she quickly came over. Lisse had been swinging her glowing sword while intermittently glancing at us until just now. She seemed to be kinda distracted, but her swings seemed to be serious, as she had already warmed up and I could see sweat on her forehead. ¡°From now on, try attacking the boy. With killing intent.¡± Zant told her. ¡°Huh?¡± Lisse said. ¡­ Huh? ¡°Well, avoid hitting the boy directly, so as to not kill him.¡± Zant told me. Eh? ¡­ Eh? Seeing both me and Lisse look at him as if we were questioning his sanity, Zant shook his head, ¡°What are you two not getting? I¡¯m going out to call an instructor for this boy, so the two of you should train together until then.¡± ¡­ Eh? ¡°Do you want me to kill him or to attack in a way that he doesn¡¯t die?¡± Lisse asked, trying to get clarification on Zant¡¯s confusing instructions. In response, that dirty old man said, ¡°If you aren¡¯t serious about it, then it won¡¯t count as training. This isn¡¯t a swordsmanship dojo in the city, so you should fight with enough seriousness to make him feel your bloodlust. ¡°But well, if you don¡¯t wanna do it, then I don¡¯t mind it either way. ¡°I already know how it¡¯s gonna end, after all.¡± With a shrug, Zant quickly left the training grounds. ¡­ Well, he surely understands me well. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± I told Lisse. ¡°Huh? Are you sure?¡± She asked me, completely bewildered. I firmly nodded to her question, ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll lose to you.¡± ¡°¡­ Ooh?¡± Lisse replied, seemingly biting my taunt. As Zant said, if we don¡¯t do it seriously, then it won¡¯t count as training. If we¡¯re gonna do it anyways, then we might as well put our all into it. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re okay with it, then I don¡¯t mind it either. ¡°However, I¡¯ll be changing my weapon just in case. Being too serious won¡¯t let this be training either.¡± Lisse replied. The sword she had been swinging until just now was her own longsword. It may not be a very good one, but it still has a functional blade. It¡¯s definitely good enough to cut a human¡¯s body. Therefore, she changed it to a wooden sword for the sake of training. It¡¯s true that being too serious about training would just lead to us killing one another, so this kind of thing is the bare minimum of a compromise that we must make. The wooden sword she took was on a shelf in the walls of this training room. This place really has a lot of tools available, doesn¡¯t it? ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this.¡± I said as I grabbed a wooden dagger from the shelf. ¡°Can you even use this?¡± Lisse asked me. ¡°Just for defense.¡± I replied honestly. Sometimes, I might not be able to use my bow when facing Demon Beasts. Due to that, my master taught me how to handle my ground without dying while using a knife to protect me. The goal in those situations is to either find an opportunity to escape, or to deliver a finishing blow when the enemy shows an opening. It¡¯s a style focused on defense and counterattacks, essentially. ****** ¡­ This practice session was way too hard. I was hit by Lisse¡¯s wooden sword way more than once or twice, and I definitely suffered some moderate injuries from it. Though well, I also think I learned plenty from this, so the pain was worth it. ****** For a while, we both played it carefully as we tried hitting one another, but once Lisse saw that I was defending better than she expected, the speed of her sword swings started increasing. While I¡¯m not sure if this was useful to her, it has certainly been a pretty good practice session to me. There¡¯s a visible difference in ability between the two of us, to the point I can only barely hold my ground while defending against her attacks, so this is definitely useful training to me. I don¡¯t have a shred of leeway and I have been feeling her killing intent for quite a while now too¡­ As expected, Lisse is much better than me at this kind of thing. Moreover, each blow of her shining sword is very heavy. If I block any attack with a poor stance, then my arms will instantly go numb and I will drop my wooden dagger. Also, while I was sweating cold, Lisse was still only sweating moderately, even if she was trying to control the power of her Gift, which she is still unused to, throughout the entirety of the practice session. And like this, time passed, until Lisse said, ¡°¡­ That¡¯s the limit.¡± Then, her sword lost its light. After that, it slipped out of her hand, and she fell on her knees, breathing heavily¡­ This isn¡¯t just the limit, is it? It has long exceeded the limit. To the point you can¡¯t even talk anymore. I¡¯m not much better though. I¡¯m completely out of breath, and my knees are shaking heavily due to being exposed to bloodlust for such a long amount of time¡­ Yeah, I pushed myself too hard too, but it was a good practice session anyways. I have to do this kind of thing once in a while, or I won¡¯t be able to move in an emergency. ¡­ I don¡¯t wanna practice like that regularly if I can help it though. ¡°Weak.¡± I heard a voice whispered in my ear. Huh¡­? W-whoa! That was surprising. There¡¯s a woman¡¯s face right next to me. ¡°W-whoa! W-who!? W-when did you come here!?¡± Lisse shouted. She wasn¡¯t the one who had a whisper on her ear, but she seemed to be more surprised than I was. Though well, I was pretty surprised too, I just didn¡¯t show it. ¡°Oh, could you be the instructor on informational Gifts?¡± I asked. This was the ghostly woman that I only saw once since I came here. ¡­ Instead of answering my question though, the woman whispered something to me. And I did as I was told. And then¡­ This time, I was seriously surprised by what happened. What the woman whispered was, ¡®Can you see spirits?¡¯ With her prompt, I activated my Glasses with the condition of ¡®seeing spirits¡¯. And then, I could see them. Three spirits were surrounding this woman. ¡°Sorichika. My name.¡± She told me. And that¡¯s how I met my next instructor. CH 78 Chapter 78 ¨C One month since then ¨C Part one (Cherry¡¯s Point of View) Right now, I was wiping my glasses while remembering what happened at that time. Something involving his family happened, so he had to leave in a hurry. By the next morning, Eil had left the village. I can remember it as vividly as if it had happened yesterday, but it was actually a month ago. Yeah, before I realized it, a whole month passed by. ****** ¡°We can¡¯t stay like this, Cherry.¡± Florentine told me. She was the first to notice. ¡­ No, that¡¯s not right. Thinking about it now, I was probably the last one to realize it. The day after Eil left, Chace immediately started hunting for food, even if he wasn¡¯t used to it. For about three days since Eil left, I lived with what we had stocked, but Florentine realized that this was no good. We need to secure our own food and obtain what we need to survive. It was easy to put those thoughts into words, but it wasn¡¯t as simple to actually do it. After a week trying to become self-sufficient, I realized how much I had relied on Eil. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say I was completely dependent on him. He didn¡¯t say much. He didn¡¯t approach us any more than necessary. He pretended to be indifferent to others and always left as soon as we stopped paying attention to him. ¡­ But when we needed him, he was right there by our side. Our relationship may have felt a bit estranged, with him only talking when he felt it was necessary, but¡­ He made a big difference. Even while not saying anything more than what was necessary. It was only after he left that I realized all the roles he played in his silence. He hunted, dismantled and cooked the game. He foraged herbs and fruits on the forest too. If I felt a bit troubled, I could talk to him and immediately get some advice. And most importantly, him being here gave me a sense of reassurance. I naturally thought that, no matter what would happen, if he was here, everything would be alright. Without me realizing it, I started thinking this highly of him. He had become a huge pillar that kept my life stable. The things I¡¯m doing now are quite tough and I struggle a fair bit to get them done right, yet he was always so calm when doing it, it always felt like it was easy when he was at it. Now that I¡¯m trying things for myself, I learned a lot about how hard it really was. ****** A month has passed since then. I, who had unknowingly relied heavily on Eil, am now able to support myself. I may still be lacking in many areas, but I got used to living in a self-sufficient way with some comfort. After I finished wiping my glasses and putting them back on, I knocked on the door in front of me. Once I got an answer, I stepped inside. ¡°Welcome to my medicine home.¡± An old woman replied while laughing creepily. She looked just like an evil witch, and the dimly lit house filled with the unique smell of medicinal herbs certainly helped strengthen that image. ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Cherry.¡± I told her. This old woman is the poison specialist of the village. The children here, who I became friends with as they taught me a variety of things, told me about her. She seems perfectly fit for an assassins¡¯ village. ¡°I have a little plan, and I¡¯d like some poison for it.¡± I told her. ¡°A plan? Do you wish to instantly kill some hateful man out there?¡± The woman asked. ¡°No.¡± I instantly replied, then explained what I actually wanted to do. I already understood that it¡¯s better to not keep secrets from the people here, because even the children know more than me in this village. The woman gave out another creepy laugh as she listened to me, but this much was fine. The important part is that she was listening. If she didn¡¯t agree with the idea, she¡¯d just cut me off and push me away. That¡¯s how most people in this village act. ¡°It¡¯s still a bit early, but if you¡¯re motivated, then I won¡¯t stop you. It¡¯s not a bad idea to focus on using poison.¡± With a blatant witch-like laugh, the old woman took out a bottle from a nearby shelf, ¡°So, you want paralyzing poison instead of an instant death one?¡± ¡°Yes. This is something that people will eat, so it¡¯s better if it¡¯s something that isn¡¯t harmful to our bodies.¡± I replied. This is also something I heard from Eil. Hunters have to dismantle and eat their prey, so it¡¯s better to use something that doesn¡¯t have an adverse effect on humans, and preferably something that is easy to detoxify. He also said that he would never use a drug that is powerful enough to kill someone just from touching it. In the first place, he said he didn¡¯t even know how to handle this kind of poison, after all. So even if he wanted to, he would be unable to use it. Also, we have to think about why we¡¯re killing our target and what we¡¯ll do after we kill it. It¡¯s easy to get passionate about the act of killing in itself, but the preparation and post-processing are important things that cannot be ignored either. ¡°So, what are you going to kill?¡± The old woman asked me. Apparently, the effectiveness of each poison varies depending on what enemy we¡¯re hunting, so she needs to know the specifics. I replied without hesitation, ¡°An Ironhead.¡± That is our plan. The three of us, assassin candidates, are going to hunt a Demon Beast within the forest. CH 79 Chapter 79 ¨C One month since then ¨C Part two After successfully obtaining the paralyzing poison, I returned to the front of the dormitory. Now it was no longer a place with just a bonfire in it, but we also added some other things over the past month. After all, the dormitory has no kitchen and is a place only for sleeping. It was inevitable that the area in front of the dormitory would become our living area, so this was the result of adding what we needed. Though well, it¡¯s not like we added much. We mostly got some iron plates, iron pots, and other small items for our convenience. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± I told Florentine. ¡°Yo.¡± Florentine, who had been flicking a stone with her finger, turned my way. Even small stones have a large destructive power when thrown by Florentine. This too was part of the training she has been doing since she arrived at the village. Training to control her overwhelming strength. It was something that was essential for Florentine without a doubt. ¡°How was it? Did you get it?¡± Florentine asked me. ¡°Yep. No issues there.¡± I replied. The old woman also gave me some herbal powder to ward off monsters. Both this and the paralyzing poison were given in exchange for a portion of the Ironhead¡¯s meat. I had already expected those exchange conditions, so I easily accepted them. That was all part of the plan. ¡°The Ironhead seems to be quite large, so if we hunt it, we should have enough meat for a whole month.¡± Florentine said. This was something I heard many times since we started working on this plan. That¡¯s because Florentine is seriously fed up with our recent meat draught. Hunting is hard for me and for her. It has become easier for us to obtain nuts, fruits and fish, but wild animals are still pretty tough. Florentine is quite eager to train her projectile throwing now that she has the goal of hunting ahead of her. Personally speaking, I¡¯m mostly relieved that she stopped carving that creepy wooden statue¡­ Florentine¡¯s seriousness about it was really tough to handle. ¡°What about Chace? Is he still training?¡± I asked. ¡°As usual.¡± Florentine replied. In terms of hunting, Chace is the one who gets the best results. However, these days he spends all his time training with the spear under the guidance of a master within the village, so he doesn¡¯t have time to go hunting. In other words, the three of us have been completely out of meat in recent times. ****** This plan was made by our two meat-lovers who were frustrated about our current situation and wanted to find a solution. No, that¡¯s not quite right. This all started with Florentine. A small while ago, while we were eating some wild herbs and fruits, she suddenly burst into tears and shouted, ¡®Meat is good!¡¯ I was really surprised at how suddenly she started crying. She is usually strong-willed, but at that moment her meat craving was so powerful that it brought her to tears as she ate some fruits. It was a sight that completely stunned both me and Chace. With Chace muttering, ¡®What the hell is this?¡¯ in response. I was also at a loss in that situation, but fundamentally speaking, a younger girl was crying in front of me as she ate some fruits. We may still be a bit unfamiliar with one another, but we¡¯re also friends who have supported each other thus far. It was natural to want to do something about it when seeing the state that Florentine was at. Even Chace, who was seemingly on bad terms with Florentine, also had some sense of camaraderie. Our feelings may be fundamentally different, but he still wanted to help out the crying Florentine. And also, he wanted to eat meat too. Thus, the plan to hunt a Demon Beast was born. Chace¡¯s enthusiasm for meat was strong, but Florentine was absolutely obsessed with it. However, hunting animals was no good, because we can¡¯t quickly catch them if they try running away. Chace was prioritizing his training, and me and Florentine are bad at hunting, so hunting animals was not an option. Therefore, we decided to aim for a prey that wouldn¡¯t run away. As in, we needed to go for Demon Beasts. We gathered plenty of information from both the villagers and the Demon Beast encyclopedia that Eil left behind. Then the three of us discussed plenty while figuring out what would be the ideal target and how we¡¯d go about hunting it. Chace was disappointed as he muttered, ¡®I liked that lizard, but it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ His disappointment was justified, as both me and Florentine thought the same thing. The Sky Lizard was a Demon Beast that Eil hunted shortly after arriving at the village. It definitely looked like a lizard. Something that wasn¡¯t appetizing in the slightest. ¡­ However, its meat was delicious. It was way better than any animal or Demon Beast meat that I have ever eaten. Personally speaking, I prefer fruits over meat, but that Sky Lizard was an exception. Regardless of the appearance of its main body, I absolutely wanted to eat it. However, according to the information we got from the villagers, Sky Lizards are extremely hard to find, and even the people of this village, where assassins gather, struggle to find and hunt this Demon Beast. Some even told us that it was honestly miraculous that a student that had just arrived was able to hunt it. In other words, since this wasn¡¯t a prey that came our way, but one that fled instead, we came to the conclusion that we couldn¡¯t aim for it. It was a pity, but we had no choice but to give up. ****** Once Chace returned from his training, I told him that the preparations for our plan were complete. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s do it tomorrow then.¡± Chace told us. Then, even though he was drenched in sweat, covered in dust, shirtless, and had bruises all over his body, Chace started moving away again. ¡­ His training must have been quite tough today. Though this plan is also important for the sake of his training, as it meshed well with the goals of Chace¡¯s master, who wanted to give him some real combat experience. In other words, Chace¡¯s spear teacher will accompany us to the hunting ground. Moreover, the teacher will be the one to lure out the Ironhead to our location, so as to let us execute our plan. Also, if things go awry, the spear master will also help us out¡­ For as long as we aren¡¯t killed in a single blow, that is. In other words, this is a Demon Beast hunt with a guardian accompanying us. The three of us are finally going to take on the challenge of what Eil did alone as soon as he arrived. Moreover, we¡¯ll do it with a guardian by our side. ¡­ As I thought, Eil¡¯s presence really had a tremendous impact on our lives here. CH 80 Chapter 80 ¨C One month since then ¨C Part three (Chace¡¯s Point of View) ¡°Hello, misses, nice seeing you today.¡± My spear master said. It was early in the morning, and we were getting our preparations for the hunt ready. It was at this moment that my master arrived. A girl named Swallow, who has recently become ten years old. While her long light brown hair, which is tied to her back, is fairly common. The deep dark eyes that she has are actually pretty rare. She probably has some oriental blood in her. At first glance she has a bit of a boyish face, and she still lacks the characteristics that would make her visibly a woman, but she is definitely a girl. And even if she is a kid, she is unbelievably good at fighting. She is good at all sorts of weapons, but she is particularly great at spears. To put it simply, Swallow is the village¡¯s number one spear wielder apprentice. The person she looks up to as her master is currently out due to a job, so Swallow is filling up for her master. Right now, she was carrying a crude spear with her. A simple iron bar without a blade on its tip. The weapon that she always uses on our practice sessions. ¡°Hey, master, are you going to hunt with that?¡± I asked her. I am beaten by this spear daily, but I still don¡¯t think it¡¯s right for her to bring this with her today. After all, we¡¯re going on a real hunt this time. I really thought she was going to bring an actual spear with her today, but she still brought the training spear. I don¡¯t doubt my master¡¯s skills, but I¡¯d prefer it if she didn¡¯t let her guard down. ¡°For an Ironhead, this much is fine.¡± Swallow smirked as she tapped the iron bar on her shoulder, ¡°You can kill them with a single good stab, so I don¡¯t need more than that.¡± She giggled as she said those words, but what¡¯s frightening about her, is that this isn¡¯t pointless bravado. Master is saying this because she knows that this much is enough. ¡°You¡¯ll be using a real spear though, Chace.¡± Swallow told me. I nodded, ¡°Because I¡¯m still weak, so I need one.¡± She nodded too, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re aware. ¡°Remember that this isn¡¯t practice where I can hit you two or three times with no repercussion. In a real battle you can die with a single hit. ¡°Don¡¯t forget it. You¡¯re still weak, so you cannot let your guard down until you return here.¡± ¡°I heard that yesterday too.¡± I told her. ¡°As your master, I¡¯ll say it again and again. You¡¯re an idiot, Chace, so I need to repeat it.¡± Swallow told me. Despite her age, she really is my master, so I can¡¯t complain too much about that. ¡°So, is it okay to move as planned? Or were there any changes in plan?¡± After nagging me enough, Swallow asked this to Cherry and Florentine. Cherry replied by saying that there were no problems nor changes to the plan, so we could move forward. ¡°Things will probably work out if you all follow the plan, but I¡¯ll be there in case anything happens. Let¡¯s go.¡± Swallow told us and started moving. And so, while being accompanied by this very reliable escort, who was smaller and younger than Florentine, the three of us headed to the mountains. ****** Assassin trainees were forbidden from entering the mountain. It¡¯s fine to go to the mountain¡¯s foot to gather food, but we cannot go any deeper. Someone always stopped me if I tried. Either the children accompanying me, the villagers who happened to be passing by, or even that giant cat. That said, as I was being trained within the village, I didn¡¯t really have many chances to try wandering deep into the mountains anyways. There were things that I had to focus on that were more important than the mountains themselves. However, when I talked to Swallow about this plan, she straight up told me that we were forbidden from entering the mountain by ourselves. When we arrived at the village, we were told that we could do whatever we wanted, but apparently, there are plenty of unspoken regulations. The restriction about entering the mountain is about our safety, apparently. However, Eil started hunting in these mountains as soon as he arrived, and the villagers didn¡¯t really stop him. Still, according to what master said, the Demon Beasts in this mountain are incredibly strong. Three trainee assassins would not be able to survive here for even half a day. And on a side note, the village seems to have a way of pushing Demon Beasts away from it, because the Demon Beasts never come close to the village. Though well, it¡¯s not as if those Demon Beasts are dangerous to the assassins, as there are many people who are stronger than Swallow living in this village. ****** Guided by Swallow, we entered the mountain, and I almost instantly let out a groan, ¡°This mountain is even more dangerous than what I thought¡­¡± Cherry and Florentine don¡¯t seem to have noticed it, but I could sense something¡­ Perhaps the presence of the Demon Beasts? Or maybe I¡¯m just sensing how dangerous this place is? ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it. In one year time you¡¯ll be able to walk by this place while whistling.¡± Swallow told me. ¡°Can that really happen?¡± I asked. ¡°Sure, sure. I¡¯m training you so that you can reach that point eventually. Look forward to it.¡± Master replied. ¡°¡­ So you¡¯re gonna be even harsher than you have been so far?¡± I asked her. ¡°Harsh? My training? I haven¡¯t been harsh at all though?¡± Master tilted her head. And so, with master¡¯s strangely reliable presence guiding us, the three of us arrived at a small clearing near the mountain¡¯s entrance. While the trees here were densely packed, and there were quite a few slopes nearby, the soil of the clearing itself seemed to be flat. The grass here was also short, and there were almost no stones that we could trip on in this area. It seemed like a fantastic place to fight the Ironhead on. Almost too good to be true. ¡°This is a training spot for people who want to get experience with actual battles, isn¡¯t it?¡± I asked. Florentine heaved out a sigh, ¡°Lots were killed here.¡± ¡°Mmm?¡± Cherry tilted her head. ¡°I can¡¯t quite explain it, but I can somehow feel where big presences have died. ¡°Humans¡¯ presences quickly fade and disappear, but the presence of strong Demon Beasts last for quite a while.¡± Florentine explained. ¡°Oh? So you feel their residual thoughts?¡± Cherry asked. ¡°Residual¡­? I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not sure.¡± Florentine replied. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything then¡­¡± I muttered as they talked about those creepy things. Florentine and Cherry ignored me though. At this moment, Swallow told us, ¡°I¡¯ll go find the Ironhead and bring it here. Prepare everything, girls. ¡°And Chace, prepare yourself mentally for it.¡± CH 81 Chapter 81 ¨C One month since then ¨C Part four (Cherry¡¯s Point of View) We readied ourselves for the fight as we waited. That was because Swallow, who went out to search for the Ironhead, had yet to return. The three of us were waiting, confirming that everything was ready, and trying to relax our tense bodies. ¡°¡­ I wonder if he always felt like that while hunting¡­¡± Florentine commented. She had almost no experience fighting Demon Beasts, and she had never come this deep within this mountain¡­ She seemed to be really restless. She was constantly looking left and right as she tried to stay in place. As for who ¡®he¡¯ was¡­ There was no need to voice it. It was definitely Eil. ¡°No. He has surely gotten used to this by now.¡± Chace replied. He was holding a real spear that had been finished just a week ago. Chace carefully and slowly stretched his body, warming himself up in a seemingly calm fashion. Most likely though, Chace must be the one who is most nervous among us. For he is the one who will directly fight against the Ironhead. But from a cursory glance, he seems calm. ¡°We need to get used to this quickly.¡± Chace said. Instead of just looking like we¡¯re calm, we need to be able to be calm for real here¡­ Chace is right. I have to get used to this tension. This anxiety; this fear that makes my whole skin tingle, that makes me feel like my organs are being lifted from below and squeezed¡­ This time we¡¯re accompanied by a guardian, but¡­ One year from now, I¡¯d like to be able to walk down this mountain while whistling. For today¡¯s battle, the emphasis is on Chace¡¯s training, but I should start fighting by myself soon. After all, this is just a stepping stone towards my real goal. ****** It came without warning. Swallow¡¯s voice popped out of the forest in an instant, ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± she said. ¡­ Isn¡¯t she late? Did something happen? She may be a spear master, but she¡¯s still a child. We shouldn¡¯t have let her go alone to such a dangerous place¡­ Could she be wounded? Anxiety filled me as unfortunate event after unfortunate event flashed through my mind. But then, the person we were waiting for came. She was unharmed. ¡°Sorry, sorry. It took me a long time to find the Ironhead. ¡°Well, get ready, it is coming.¡± She told us. The three of us reacted quickly and got into position. Chace in the front, with me and Florentine behind. Swallow was standing behind me and Florentine, ready to intervene if the need arose. And then, it came. The grass and the trees rustled. The low branches were snapped¡­ And a giant cow-headed giant, covered in black hair, appeared in front of us. The Ironhead. It truly is a giant¡­ I had heard about it, but this Demon Beast is truly big. It was more than twice my height, and it was evident that it was incredibly muscular, even if its arms and legs were completely covered by black hair. For a moment, the Ironhead stopped its charge as it mooed. It seems to be somewhat intelligent. It saw that there were four people in front of it, even though it was only chasing a single prey until just now. However, it was only for a second. The Ironhead then roared, seemingly to simply acknowledge the extra people as prey. It doesn¡¯t seem to even consider that we could be the hunters, and it could be the prey. Either that, or its roar was meant to threaten us¡­ Regardless of the real reason behind it, the Ironhead charged forward, running in a straight line. And then it groaned¡­ Caught. It stepped on the magic circle that I had prepared in advance. I had set up a trigger for when enough weight had been put on top of the magic circle, and the Ironhead did just that. Sure, I can use normal attack magic, but my specialty is on setting traps with my magic circles. The effect I chose was binding. A strong invisible force that pulled the Ironhead¡¯s feet towards the ground. Its right foot didn¡¯t leave the ground like it wanted, and then its left foot also got stuck within the magic circle¡¯s bindings. It was only its upper body that kept moving forward, without the feet accompanying the rest. I thought it was going to fall flat on its face, but it seemed to have minimized the damage by putting both hands on the ground. I thought that it would be damaged if it fell when considering how large its body is, but it was able to protect itself just like a human would. Though well, this much was within our expectations. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this!¡± Florentine exclaimed. She started throwing stones, that she had previously prepared, with her gloved hands. The strength of the stone throws was enough to pierce through the hide of the Ironhead and start wounding it with vicious hit after another. If she was targeting a human, she would have surely broken its skull by now. However, our opponent was a Demon Beast that was much tougher than a human. Even if those rock throws could crush skulls, all that they could do to the Ironhead was create some bleeding wounds. Though well, this seems to be quite painful to the Ironhead at least, as it seems to be trying to avoid or block the stones. Also, the effect of my magic circle was short-lived. In exchange for reducing its duration, I was able to create a strong enough effect that could even stop an Ironhead in place. ¡­ At least for a few seconds. But a few seconds was all that we needed. Just enough to let Florentine throw enough stones that were coated in the paralyzing poison that had an almost immediate effect. The magic circle faded. The Ironhead groaned and stood up. But some blood was flowing from its head, and its legs were trembling. Our attack was effective, and the poison was surely taking effect. Now, time to finish it. ¡°Take thiiiis!¡± Chace shouted. The chance for victory was right in front of us. Everything was going according to plan. Chace used his Gift to charge at full speed against the Ironhead, using a simple and deadly trust of his spear against it. It was certainly a deadly blow. He put all his weight, speed and skill into that attack. He closed the distance in the blink of an eye, and pierced the abdomen of the Ironhead. It pierced, but¡­ ¡°Unskillful!¡± Swallow shouted. It happened just as she shouted that. Chace was staying true to the basics. He had to pull back now¡­ But he stopped for a moment. His retreat was stopped, for the muscles of the Ironhead kept his spear in place. He was sticking to the basics. Keeping his weapon in hand. Trying to retreat while holding his weapon¡­ Due to his inexperience in actual combat, Chace was unable to abandon his spear and escape. And then, despite the effect of the paralyzing poison, the Ironhead raised its right arm and hit Chace with a direct sideways blow. The retreat failed. A fatal mistake¡­ Chace was hit. The sound of the blow echoed loudly. Louder than anything I ever heard before. It was a sound that echoed in my ears together with the sound of Chace flying into the depths of the forest, holding the spear that he did not let go of. Everything had gone according to our plan. However, a single moment of hesitation. A single thing that we didn¡¯t expect¡­ And now the situation had been overturned. This is the dreadfulness of real combat. CH 82 Chapter 82 ¨C One month since then ¨C Part five (Cherry¡¯s Point of View) ¡°Moooooo!¡± Death howled. Loudly. It split the ground, dragging into the abyss. That shadow that lurked in my mind, I managed to keep it from being spoken. Because some things aren¡¯t meant to be said. Bad things become reality when they¡¯re put into words. When it comes to actual combat, there is one shadow that is inseparable from it¡­ Death. The worst possible outcome. The worst was happening right in front of my eyes. Chace was alive until just a few seconds ago, but now¡­ ¡°Cha-¡± I tried shouting. I was about to run after that blue-haired boy who had been beaten away and disappeared from my sight. ¡°Hurry up and stand!¡± Swallow roared. Her voice echoed more loudly than the Ironhead¡¯s own roar, ¡°I did not say you could rest yet! Get up and fight!¡± The forest became noisy. Birds flew away, nearby animals and Demon Beasts both started running. The angry voice of Swallow carried such a weight, that it triggered all the survival instincts of the nearby animal and Demon Beasts, forcing them to flee. Even the wounded Ironhead, which was filled with fighting spirit, stopped in its tracks when faced with Swallow¡¯s shout. But it was only a momentaneous hesitation. The Ironhead recovered, then took a step forward, in our direction. And it was at that moment. The Ironhead screamed in pain. Chace¡¯s spear pierced it. Moving as fast as the wind, from the same direction he was blown away to, Chace came back and stabbed it. The tip of his spear splendidly pierced the torso of the Ironhead, going from its left rib all the way to right one. ¡°¡­ You did it.¡± Swallow softly muttered, with a tinge of relief on her voice. Chace, who seemed to have used the last of his strength, collapsed on the spot. Then, before I realized it, Swallow was standing in front of the Ironhead, who had already been mortally wounded. Chace¡¯s movements were too fast for me to follow, but Swallow was just as fast. ¡°Good hit.¡± She said. She then ran up the body of the Ironhead, which was twice her size, flew out of my line of sight with a movement that didn¡¯t feel heavy in the slightest, then the Ironhead¡¯s body shook. I heard the sound of something hard being crushed. I didn¡¯t see the exact movement or the attack itself, but judging from how the body of the Ironhead bent, Swallow must have struck the neck of this Demon Beast with the iron bar that she uses as a training spear. And then, as Swallow readjusted her posture, the Ironhead fell. ¡°Good job, good job. You did your best.¡± Swallow stroke the head of Chace, who was on the ground. However, Chace himself swept her hand away, ¡°You may be my master, but you¡¯re also a girl that is much younger than me¡­ Don¡¯t caress my head this carefreely¡­¡± Chace muttered. His breathing is rough, but he is still conscious and has enough strength to talk, so his wound is probably not life threatening at least. Swallow must have also reached the same conclusion, as she happily smiled at him, ¡°Aren¡¯t you cute?¡± No life was lost. Somehow, we were all able to survive. Then, let¡¯s keep working. It¡¯s not over yet. I moved closer to Chace and started using a healing spell on him. ¡°The moment I was hit, I was barely able to protect myself.¡± Chace told me as I healed him. As soon as I started healing him, I immediately noticed how bad his situation was. His left shoulder, left clavicle, left arm, and several ribs on the left part of his body were completely broken. It¡¯s just as he said. In order to avoid a fatal injury, he used his left arm and was able to barely protect himself. That¡¯s just how heavy the blow of the Ironhead was. But more importantly than that¡­ ¡°You did a good job.¡± Swallow told him. He survived. And his second attack completely penetrated the body of the Ironhead. It was a truly deadly blow, and Chace delivered it while being this wounded. He truly did a great job. ¡°¡­ I just reflexively moved my body. If someone tells me to stand up, I¡¯ll stand up even if I don¡¯t really want to.¡± Chace told her with no energy in his voice. Seems like he has acquired a pretty sad habit¡­ And it doesn¡¯t seem to be something obtained through training. It seems like the kind of thing one acquires after being physically and mentally cornered day after day. This is how one develops this kind of reflex. ¡­ Well, maybe it¡¯s not just that. Chace¡¯s stamina was pretty astonishing alright, but also¡­ His guts, his tenacity¡­ The ability to keep fighting after being cornered. That¡¯s something that really stands out about him. Chace is strong. The kind of person whose mind can surpass their body. ¡°Are you ready to move?¡± Swallow asked. In order to carry the Ironhead, Swallow whistled loudly, which was a signal to bring six men of the village to come here. Of course, they¡¯ll get a share of the spoils, since they¡¯re helping us, but that¡¯s not a problem. And on a side note, Florentine is helping them out too, and she¡¯s the one leading the transport team. ¡°Oh, I can walk.¡± Chace replied. Yeah, no. It would be outrageous to let Chace move before I finish re-attaching his bones. In the first place, he must be in way too much pain. I don¡¯t think he can walk. ¡°That¡¯s good. I want to withdraw as soon as possible.¡± Swallow replied. I was thinking of asking her to help carry Chace, but her words and demeanor gave off a strange feeling¡­ As if she was impatient about something. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± I asked her. ¡°Mmmmm¡­ I feel like there is something strange with the mountain. ¡°There are fewer Demon Beasts than normal here, which is why it took me a while to find the Ironhead. ¡°I have a feeling that something is going on here.¡± Swallow replied. Something strange about the mountain¡­ Fewer Demon Beasts¡­ A feeling that something is happening¡­ All this information is way too vague. However, I don¡¯t really know what the mountains normally feel like, so it¡¯s not like I can say anything about Swallow¡¯s assessment. Though when I consider how wary Swallow is¡­ Then this probably isn¡¯t anything good. ¡°What is it then?¡± Chace asked her. Swallow shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know. ¡°Though well, I may be overthinking it, so it¡¯s fine. ¡°If something is actually happening, then we¡¯ll be getting information about it soon.¡± She then held out her hand to Chace, ¡°Your master will help you out, alright? Let¡¯s go home and eat the Ironhead. Its meat is quite delicious.¡± ¡°¡­ Fine, I¡¯ll borrow Cherry¡¯s help.¡± Chace said. ¡°Eh?¡± That surprised me. I never said I¡¯d lend him a hand. ¡­ Well, I don¡¯t feel like refusing the request of an injured person, so I helped Chace get up. His body was trembling a lot, and he had to cling to me just to stay on his feet¡­ Without a doubt, he is in severe pain. At this moment, Swallow, with a serious expression, told him, ¡°You truly did a good job. The scariest thing about actual combat, is that it can break your heart.¡± ¡°The heart¡­?¡± Chace asked. ¡°Yes. Wounds may heal, but scars in the heart are a completely different matter. ¡°Once you get seriously hurt, you may become too terrified to approach Demon Beasts. ¡°This is why there are so many adventurers who retire early in their careers. ¡°As in, once they truly learn how strong and scary the Demon Beasts are; how painful fighting against them can be, their hearts come to the conclusion that they should no longer approach those beings. ¡°That¡¯s what it means to have one¡¯s heart broken. ¡°If you¡¯re going to engage in dangerous work, then this is a wall that you must inevitably overcome one day, and you just did it.¡± Swallow explained. This isn¡¯t something I¡¯m strange to either¡­ Her words make sense. ¡°But you¡¯re stupid, Chace, so you were able to overcome it in no time. ¡°You fought well. You got up immediately after being hit¡­ Well, you¡¯re really stupid though. You¡¯re probably too stupid to learn fear.¡± Swallow told him. ¡°¡­ If you were older, I¡¯d seriously listen to you.¡± Chace told her. Those words were unexpected. ¡­ Chace must be feeling so tired, that he accidentally leaked out his real thoughts. And when Swallow heard those words, she grinned and snickered at him, ¡°Alright then. Keep thinking like that. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you the greatness of your master soon enough. I¡¯ll prepare some truly gruesome training for you, so please look forward to it.¡± ¡­ Well, I may not be her apprentice, but I have to admit that she is a truly good master. It¡¯s hard to believe that she is really a child. CH 83 Chapter 83 ¨C One month since then ¨C Part six (Horse¡¯s Point of View) ¡°Hello.¡± I heard a girl¡¯s voice. The sun was still high up in the sky. I was currently taking care of the horses, and I was approached by a villager, who was currently smelling of blood, with a report. ¡°Swallow?¡± I asked. I didn¡¯t need to turn around to know that it was her. Her voice was that of a child, her presence was that of a child, and she moved like a child¡­ Unsurprisingly, since Swallow really is a ten years old girl. Even at this age, her combat prowess is quite high though. She¡¯ll surely grow even more in the future. But from the perspective of the people who live here, she¡¯s still quite inexperienced. ¡°We finished it.¡± She told me. As the person in charge of this village, I should hear people¡¯s reports when something worth-note happens. Swallow came to report that the Demon Beast subjugation planned by her student and the other two trainee assassins had been completed. I heard of the plan in advance, and Swallow had asked for permission to take the trainees to the mountain, so as to let them execute their plan. And I allowed her to go. It is still too early to have the trainees practice in the mountain, but if Swallow, who is being Chace¡¯s master, judges that he can go while she accompanies the three of them, then there was no reason to not allow them to execute their plan. ¡°It was a great success. And I brought a souvenir, meat from the Ironhead.¡± Swallow told me. ¡°Oh? Thank you very much. Please wait for a bit.¡± As I replied to her, I finished giving one final brush to the nearby horse, then closed the stables. Then, I received the large chunk of meat wrapped in leaves from Swallow, and started walking towards my home. This meat still smells of blood though, so I won¡¯t eat it just yet, and will instead eat preserved meat. Also, while our rules aren¡¯t as strict on one another as they are on the students, the villagers here still live with bartering as our main rule, so I¡¯d like to offer her something in exchange. Once we arrived at my home, ¡°Do you want to eat?¡± I asked Swallow. I was about to eat lunch anyways. ¡°No. I¡¯ll be eating with my apprentice, so I¡¯ll pass on your offer. ¡°I¡¯ll go to him as soon as I¡¯m done with reporting.¡± Swallow replied. ¡°Alright. Take this then.¡± I put some preserved meat on the table, then sat across Swallow, ¡°You said it was a great success, right? What happened?¡± She didn¡¯t just say it was a success, but a great success. Something happened that was better than expected. When I asked for details, the answer she gave me was simple, but also very meaningful. Once her explanation was finished, I asked, ¡°I see. And he is going to eat it?¡± ¡°Yep. He fought it, recovered from the blow, and is going to eat it now. That¡¯s huge, isn¡¯t it?¡± She replied. Just as Swallow said, this was huge. The strong aren¡¯t necessarily strong after they¡¯re struck down. It¡¯s not uncommon for warriors to receive an unexpected blow from a Demon Beast and lose their will to fight. It is one of the walls that all students who come here need to overcome. And I¡¯ve seen many who, in the end, couldn¡¯t overcome this wall and changed their paths as assassins. Owl, our pharmacist, was injured during a training battle and distanced herself from combat after that. She went from being a strong assassin who can do anything, to an assassin specialized in poisons. Though in her case, her Gift was already related to medicine, so even without that, her final path might have not changed much. ¡°Did you lend them a hand?¡± I asked. ¡°I opened my mouth.¡± Swallow replied. And also delivered the final blow. An attack on the neck of the Ironhead, that broke its bone and made it collapse on the spot. Because otherwise, the Ironhead would have fallen on top of Chace, who was right in front of the Ironhead. Chace¡¯s spear pierced the ribs of the Ironhead from left to right. There was no doubt that the match was over after that. Swallow¡¯s push was unnecessary. She reaped the life out of the Ironhead when it had already been defeated. However¡­ ¡°This was good enough.¡± I said. It¡¯s only been a month since the trainees arrived. It¡¯s still too early for them to go to the mountain, but they still succeeded in their hunt. Even if Swallow had to interfere by saying something, this is still good enough at their current stage¡­ And the result of this training exercise can absolutely be called a great success. ¡°It¡¯s strong. The Fast Boots gift.¡± Swallow commented. I nodded, ¡°Indeed. As expected of a Gift that heroes were said to possess.¡± Chace¡¯s gift is said to be a weaker version of the Lightning Fast Boots gift that a hero of an old fairy tale supposedly had. Like lightning running through rain clouds. A gift that lets one run at the speed of light. The Lightning Fast Boots. The Fast Boots may be slower than that, but the way they¡¯re used is still the same. The reason we discovered Chace was due to his Gift in the first place. We realized how much potential he had if he had a chance to grow. However, properly honing your skills is more important than growing solely your Gift. If you rely on your Gift excessively, then you¡¯ll surely die due to a careless mistake. Like challenging a strong Demon Beast when you aren¡¯t prepared to do so, then getting easily defeated. To have someone with such a rare and strong Gift die this kind of meaningless death would absolutely be a national loss. These people should be given the opportunity to grow and nurture their skills and their Gift instead. ¡°I knew that Chace was stupid, but it really became clear with today¡¯s training. I was quite surprised.¡± Swallow commented. Swallow, Chace¡¯s master, was the one who was most pleased with the results of this training¡­ Or well, perhaps the strongest feeling for her right now isn¡¯t pride on her student, but relief that he is still alive. ¡°I really didn¡¯t think he was going to aim for the Ironhead¡¯s abs with his first attack.¡± Swallow sighed. ¡­ It seems like he didn¡¯t think of anything and just charged straight ahead. Aiming at the part of the Ironhead that you want to avoid the most. ¡°¡­ He really aimed for the abs?¡± I asked just to be sure. It was hard to not show the surprise. This was unbelievable. ¡°Yeah. Chace¡¯s stab went deep into the Ironhead¡¯s belly, so the spear got stuck inside it. This was why he couldn¡¯t get the spear out in time, and why he got hit. ¡°If he aimed for the heart though, the battle would have been over then and there. ¡°¡­ Why did he aim for a place where the Ironhead wouldn¡¯t die even if he was able to completely pierce through it? ¡°Did he even understand why paralyzing poison was used? To slow down the enemy¡¯s movements and expose its weak spots¡­ Chace doesn¡¯t seem to have understood the plan at all.¡± Swallow grumbled. That was awful. Terrible indeed. It was so bad that even the usually optimistic Swallow was now lamenting. ¡°The result was a great success, but it seems like it was still too early.¡± I commented. ¡°You¡¯re right. He is already strong alright, but he needs to train his head more.¡± She replied. Truly, there are quite a few unusual trainees this time around. ¡°By the way, what about the mountain?¡± I asked her. The report on the students¡¯ training was finished, so now I wanted a report on the state of the mountain, which I had asked her to examine too. ¡°It¡¯s just as you heard. The number of Demon Beasts seems to have decreased a bit. ¡°Maybe there was some overhunting by adventurers? Though I couldn¡¯t find any traces of that.¡± Swallow suggested. ¡°No. We got no such report from Haidiga.¡± I replied. If an excellent adventurer hunted a lot of Demon Beasts within this mountain, then they¡¯d surely be based on Haidiga. However, no such report came from the assassins hiding within that city. In other words, there are no abnormalities in the city itself. Therefore, ¡°A big game might have come.¡± I said. It¡¯s something that happens once every few years. A Demon Beast that disturbs the ecosystem of the mountain can sometimes enter it from outside. The current state of the mountain is very similar to what usually happens when such big game arrives. ¡°Is that how it is?¡± Swallow asked me. ¡°If it is, then we¡¯ll surely get a contact from Haidiga.¡± I replied. And a few days later, we received our contact. We received information about the Obsidian Wolf. CH 84 Chapter 84 ¨C Glasses boy casually thinks at the end of the training Maybe my Glasses can actually conquer the world. That¡¯s the conclusion I reached after about a month of thinking and experimenting with my Glasses. ¡°That¡¯s all I can teach you.¡± Sorichika told me. We were at the underground training room, sitting at a table, across one another. ¡°Well, what do you think? Do you understand your Gift better now?¡± Sorichika asked me. I didn¡¯t answer her, but I definitely understand my Gift better now. To the point that I thought that this power might be enough to conquer the world. Though at the same time, this kind of goal is way too high for me. What would even be the purpose to try conquering the world? I don¡¯t have the talent nor the ambition to try something like that. So that¡¯s how it is. Besides, being able to conquer the world doesn¡¯t mean strongest in the world. No matter what kind of Gift one has, nor matter what kind of weapon one has, if you use it incorrectly, you¡¯ll just be wasting your treasures. Furthermore, trying to achieve more than you¡¯re capable of will inevitably lead to self-destruction. History speaks for itself on that regard. And in my case, the Glasses can only show their true worth if their details aren¡¯t known to anyone. I need to be careful and make sure nobody can understand how they truly function. Because if someone finds out about it, they might seriously try erasing me. And so¡­ ¡°Is this enough for you?¡± I asked Sorichika, who was looking at me with such an unfocused gaze, that I couldn¡¯t actually tell if she was looking at me or not. That¡¯s how she always was. Sorichika is a terribly skinny woman on her twenties. She has pale blond hair that flutters gently even without wind, and her dim blue eyes are always unfocued¡­ That¡¯s Sorichika. The woman who is always in a half-asleep state. ¡°What do you mean with enough?¡± She asked me. She didn¡¯t seem to understand my question, so I decided to rephrase it, ¡°As in, are you okay with not knowing the details of my Gift?¡± I don¡¯t think she¡¯d leave me alone if she knew its details. My Gift is too dangerous to leave unattended. Sorichika taught me about informational Gifts, but I hardly talked anything about my own Gift. In other words, she shouldn¡¯t know what I¡¯m capable of doing even though she is my teacher. She never asked me about it, and I never spoke about it either. I don¡¯t think she has fully grasped what I can do. ¡°I don¡¯t mind it.¡± Sorichika replied with her usual unfocused gaze, ¡°The spirits don¡¯t hate you. You have little evil in your heart. You can be left alone.¡± Little evil in my heart, huh? I¡¯m not sure. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m a good person¡­ ¡°Besides, I can kill you at any time, so there is no reason to be alarmed.¡± She told me. Oh, so that¡¯s how it is¡­ If I get carried away and abuse my powers, she¡¯ll kill me. I¡¯ll keep that in mind. ****** And thus, the short information-focused training was over. I learned a lot from Sorichika, but I think all that she taught me were the basics. From here on, I¡¯ll have to learn on my own and improve my Gift. I guess that was her goal all along though. That¡¯s probably why she asked no details about my Gift. Over this past month, I was able to notice something¡­ Sorichika is a similar type of person to me. She didn¡¯t ask me what she didn¡¯t need to, and she didn¡¯t say more than she needed to. Just like me. She doesn¡¯t want to talk about herself or to have others know about herself. She¡¯s definitely a person with an informational type of Gift. She told me no details about her Gift either. Presumably, all I should have known was that it was somewhat related to spirits, as I didn¡¯t ask about her Gift either. However, I did look at it with my Glasses. The name of her Gift is Spirit Possession. She can let herself be possessed by spirits and become something that transcends a human being. How exactly her characteristics change depends on the type of spirit possessing her, but things like flying, passing through matter, and assimilating with water on the ground are all possible. The reason why she was glowing back when I first met her was probably because she was being possessed by a spirit too, though I can¡¯t say it for sure. And well, when considering how far she is from being a normal human, I doubt I¡¯d be able to do anything about it if she tried assassinating me. So, when she told me that she could kill me at any time, that was probably not a threat. She was just speaking the facts out loud. ¡­ And well, I suppose that¡¯s fine. ¡°So, are we not going to meet each other tomorrow?¡± I asked her. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to keep on meeting. My work is done.¡± She replied. I understand this much. Just like me, she doesn¡¯t want to appear in front of people, if possible. I can definitely understand this feeling. ¡°Can you eat properly by yourself though?¡± I asked her. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± She replied. But this was the problem. Even I, who don¡¯t want to get involved with other people, can¡¯t really leave Sorichika alone. ¡°For now, I¡¯ll take you with me.¡± I told her. She doesn¡¯t eat much. She seems to have been living a life almost completely detached from reality. Spending most of her days on nothing but water. It¡¯s no wonder that she¡¯s this skinny, for she is completely malnourished. She claimed to eat the bare minimum, but eating once a week is far from that. I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯d live for much longer if things kept going like that. It¡¯s been less than a month since I became her apprentice. Even if it costs me money, I¡¯ve taken on the responsibility of making sure she eats properly. Thanks to that, her complexion has gotten considerably better, especially when compared to the ghostly feel that she gave out on our first meeting. When I asked her if she wouldn¡¯t collapse if she kept living the way she did, she replied that she collapsed like normal people did. ¡­ I really thought that it would be no good to leave her alone. I¡¯m confident that most things will work out without my intervention, but Sorichika is a troublesome person in a completely different way from my sister, so she can¡¯t be left alone. Basically, this person spends way too little energy in trying to live. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go. Lisse¡¯s training will be over soon.¡± I told her. Sorichika remained silent, as usual, so I forcibly took her hand and started moving. She doesn¡¯t follow if I don¡¯t do that, so it can¡¯t be helped. ¡°Zant, I¡¯m leaving for the day.¡± I told him. That dirty old man was a bit further away within the training room. He was beating Lisse with his wooden sword right now. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s about time we finish here anyways. Good work today.¡± Zant replied. And even though he looked away to reply to me, Zant¡¯s sword was still able to hit Lisse¡¯s leg. And Lisse, who was already wobbly and tired after the training session, fell on the ground after having her leg hit. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± She muttered. Yeah, seems like she has reached her limit. Let¡¯s go home. ****** So, I took my troublesome teacher with me, to the house that Lisse and I have been living at. I have had enough energy this past month, so I have been in charge of cooking dinner for me, Sorichika and Lisse. With Sorichika sat at the table, I stood at the kitchen, thinking about things as I cooked. It seems like the training on informational Gifts has now ended. I wonder what will we do from tomorrow onwards then¡­ Will I be joining Lisse in training with Zant? CH 85 Chapter 85 ¨C Glasses boy thinks about his future ¡°Eh!? Your training is over!?¡± Lisse asked me. After today¡¯s practice at the underground training room was over, Lisse went to the bath to wash off all the sweat, dirt and fatigue. When she came back, I told her about the current situation. As for me, I¡¯ll go to the bath after dinner. In any case, Lisse returned just as I had finished preparing the meal, so me, Sorichika and Lisse sat at the table. Today¡¯s dinner was a large piece of bread and meat stew. Since I bought the bread, the only thing I made was the stew. Well, that¡¯s about the limit of what I can make. We don¡¯t have much variety in our food due to me not wanting to spend too much money, so I don¡¯t make anything fancy. ¡°This feels a bit different from normal.¡± Lisse said as she ate. She seemed to be liking it. I tried using a few vegetables to season the meat this time. Sorichika said nothing about the food, so I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s liking or disliking it¡­ Though she often times says that she dislikes the food in front of her. But well, it¡¯s not bad enough to the point that she doesn¡¯t eat it, so it¡¯s fine. In any case, Lisse went back to the previous point, ¡°Isn¡¯t it too early? It¡¯s only been a month.¡± It¡¯s already been one month¡­ After a while of training on the road, I started training with Sorichika to learn more about informational Gifts. Lisse and Zant worked on the combat-focused training on the other hand. Both me and Lisse were at the underground training room, but the focus of our practice sessions was quite different. Well, we still ran together in the road in the mornings, but we trained separately with our respective instructors in the afternoons. Considering the difference in ability between her and Zant, I guess she can¡¯t believe that my training ended this quickly, because she¡¯s probably under the impression that I caught up to Sorichika after this time. Of course, the reality is completely different. ¡°I was just taught the basics. I should do the rest myself.¡± I told Lisse. I then looked at Sorichika, who was silently sipping her stew, and she nodded to my comment, ¡°Everyone with informational Gifts can do different things, so there is no point in teaching things in detail. Eil now has to find his own path and train himself.¡± She explained. That¡¯s how it is. ¡°I hate carrots.¡± Sorichika then said. ¡°Eat them.¡± I flatly refused my master¡¯s selfishness. With blank eyes, she brought the carrot, that was on the edge of the stew, to her mouth. It was such a smooth movement that made me wonder if she really hated them. Over the past month, Sorichika also said that she hated meat, bread and onions. She seemed to have so many types of food that she hated, that it made me wonder if she liked anything. However, she still eats it normally, so I don¡¯t really understand how she works. But well, it is what it is. I guess I simply shouldn¡¯t take her words seriously. I¡¯m similar to her in some aspects, so I can understand it. ¡°So, Eil, what are you going to do from tomorrow onwards? Will you join us?¡± Lisse asked me. That¡¯s the first thing I thought of, but, ¡°If I join you two, I¡¯ll just get in the way.¡± I replied. Right now, Lisse is being thoroughly trained by Zant. He beats her up from morning to night, but that¡¯s a necessary part of her training. There¡¯s no room for me to enter such a deep master-student relationship. Besides, I don¡¯t even use a sword, so I won¡¯t get much benefit from swordsmanship training. I will just get in the way as Zant will need to dedicate some attention to me instead of Lisse. ¡°Eh? No, it¡¯s okay. You can come in just fine.¡± Lisse told me. ¡°¡­ Because you want a break?¡± I asked her. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s really tough.¡± She replied honestly. I knew it just from looking at her expression. That old man is really overdoing it. He isn¡¯t getting her seriously injured, but he is definitely getting her real sore as he beats her up. Though well, I think it¡¯s amazing that Lisse can keep on persevering like this. It¡¯s not easy to have enough guts to keep going along with this kind of training without any complaining. ¡°I¡¯m a bit curious about how this training feels, but no matter how you look at it, I¡¯m not fit for sword fighting.¡± I told Lisse. I don¡¯t have a good physique and am somewhat weak. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to use a sword well even if I went through a hellish training. At most, I¡¯d be able to reach an average level. I¡¯d much rather spend my time improving my skills with the bow instead of that. ¡°¡­ Ah.¡± I muttered. That¡¯s it. I remembered it. This was why I joined this assassin school; it was because I wanted to hone my skills with the bow and improve my firepower. In that case¡­ ¡°Sorichika, can I go back to the village now?¡± I asked her. It¡¯s been over a month since I left the assassins¡¯ village. The reason I was kicked out was because Chace, Florentine and Cherry would not learn how to procure food and survive for as long as I was there, since I procured enough food for everyone. A month might have been enough for them to gather the necessary knowledge and skills to become self-sufficient though. And there is a bow master in that village. I was only able to meet them once before I was kicked out, so I¡¯d like to start practicing it for real. I also want to learn how to better handle poisons. I was planning on asking that old lady to teach me about it. And finally, my Glasses. I can see that they¡¯re more than what I can handle right now. It¡¯s too much power for me. It¡¯s not enough for me to kill myself, I think, but it¡¯s still necessary for me to further train my usage of my Glasses. However, I already finished my training on Informational Gifts in Haidiga, so I think I¡¯m done with what I had to do in this city. That¡¯s basically it. ****** ¡°What are you talking about? Where are you going?¡± Lisse asked me. Oh. Coming to think of it, I didn¡¯t tell Lisse about it. I didn¡¯t like her much ever since the Chalk Chicken incident, but I think I calmed down after a month of eating dinner together. Though it¡¯s only to the extent of us being friends. In fact, there are plenty of things I didn¡¯t talk about, and Lisse also didn¡¯t talk about her personal life either¡­ I¡¯d say our friendship is pretty superficial, overall. ¡°To put it simply, this wasn¡¯t the place I was originally supposed to train at, but there was an issue that forced me to temporarily leave, so I came here.¡± I explained. I¡¯m not sure how much I¡¯m allowed to say, so I limited myself to only this much. Especially talking about the assassins¡¯ village itself. It might be a bad idea to expose its existence without permission¡­ Bad enough to endanger my life, even. ¡°Do you mean the Tower of Bryne?¡± Lisse asked me. Eh? Bryne? ¡°What is-¡± I was about to ask what that was. But without any knocking being done, the door to our place was opened from the outside, ¡°Is Eil here? Oh, here you are are.¡± Ah¡­ This person is Roda. The two-star adventurer, the representative of the assassins in Haidiga that I have only met once, more than a month ago. CH 86 Chapter 86 ¨C Glasses boy has a terribly bad feeling ¡°Just the right person, can I go back to the village now?¡± I asked Roda. He appeared quite suddenly, but he was the person in charge of the assassins here. There was no better person to ask this question to. ¡°Ah, that? Let¡¯s leave that matter for later. Listen to me first.¡± Roda replied. I see¡­ He wants to push my wishes to later and instead focus on his own troubles first? ¡­ He wants me to listen to him quietly, I suppose. He came without warning and directly mentioned my name, after all. He definitely came to tell me to do something, taking advantage of the fact that his position is above mine. ¡­ It¡¯s certainly a valid way of doing things. In this case, I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t want to listen like when I was invited to hunt by Lisse¡­ Though well, in the end, I wasn¡¯t able to refuse Lisse either. Roda quickly sat down on the empty chair across from mine and stared at me, ¡°You¡¯re good at finding Demon Beasts, aren¡¯t you, Eil? There¡¯s a Demon Beast that I really want you to find.¡± Oh, so that¡¯s what it was¡­ ¡°That¡¯s not true. I don¡¯t know what you heard, but I¡¯m not particularly good at it. I¡¯m just a countryside hunter.¡± I replied. ¡°I don¡¯t get what¡¯s the point of trying to lie here. I heard about the Chalk Chicken. You searched for it and Lisse killed it.¡± Roda told me. Ah, so it all started with that one incident¡­ I turned towards Lisse, ¡°I really should have refused you.¡± ¡­ She ignored me. She continued devouring her stew without even looking my way. ¡°Even if you had refused it, things would still be the same.¡± Roda told me. Eh? ¡°The reason you¡¯re here is partially because you hunted the Sky Lizard, after all. Or rather, that¡¯s the biggest reason.¡± Roda said. Oh¡­ So it wasn¡¯t just the Chalk Chiken, but also that previous incident. ¡°Eh!? You can find the Sky Lizard too!?¡± Even though Lisse had previously ignored me, she now interrupted the conversation, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me!? A Sky Lizard is worth twice as much as the Chalk Chicken!¡± Eh? That lizard is this valuable? ¡°I guess its meat is quite tasty¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°It¡¯s not just the meat! Everything about that lizard is valuable! From the leather to the bones, it¡¯s all useful!¡± Lisse told me. Oh, is that so? ¡°Well, it¡¯s certainly very good. I can understand that.¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not talking just about eating it!¡± Lisse shouted, seeming to understand what I meant. At this moment, Roda intervened, ¡°Calm down, calm down.¡± by telling Lisse that. He seemed to realize that the conversation wouldn¡¯t progress if we stayed at that topic. And he was definitely right on that. He then turned towards me again, ¡°I want you to use this ability of yours to help me in my next Demon Beast hunt.¡± Hold on a second, ¡°I wasn¡¯t kidding when I said I was just a countryside hunter. I¡¯m no Demon Beast specialist, you know? ¡°This kind of thing should be under the jurisdiction of adventurers, soldiers and knights, not me.¡± I told him. ¡°That¡¯s just about killing. Searching is a different story.¡± Roda replied. Is that so¡­? This looks terrible¡­ ¡°I have a horrible feeling about this.¡± I commented. ¡°Mmm? Why? How?¡± Roda urged me to talk, though his expression made it seem like he already knew what I was going to say. I started replying, ¡°In the first place, this issue is big enough to make you move. It¡¯s definitely something involving a really strong Demon Beast. ¡°You¡¯re also going specifically after me, even if you know that I would not want to participate on this. Not to mention that there are surely plenty of strangers available that could help you with this hunt. ¡°The conclusion I can take is that the Demon Beast we¡¯re targeting is by no means an ordinary one.¡± Roda remained silent after I said this much, so I decided to continue, ¡°It might not even be just an absurdly strong Demon Beast, but maybe we¡¯re also seriously constrained by time, or perhaps it¡¯s in a really hard to reach place where people can¡¯t usually go to. ¡°This is, without a doubt, going to be an extremely difficult hunt, isn¡¯t it?¡± Roda smiled widely after I said all this. He seemed to be extremely satisfied by my answer. I¡¯m not sure if one of the theories were right, or if all of them were¡­ But in any case, just go and say something. You surely didn¡¯t come here just to smile. ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡± Sorichika quickly finished her meal, including the bread, meat and carrots, then rose up from her seat, ¡°Lisse, I¡¯ll be staying in your room tonight.¡± ¡°Huh? Eh?¡± Lisse said, with visible confusion. Sorichika did not reply, and quickly walked towards Lisse¡¯s room. ¡°H-hold on! What¡¯s going on!? Why all of a sudden!?¡± Lisse exclaimed, then hurriedly stuffed the rest of her dinner into her mouth, and followed after Sorichika. Well¡­ ¡°Sorichika is a bit strange.¡± I commented. ¡°I¡¯m surprised though. I didn¡¯t expect to see that woman caring about others.¡± Roda told me. Oh, I knew it. Sorichika took Lisse away so as to not let Lisse hear the rest of the conversation. She never said she¡¯d be staying in someone else¡¯s room before, after all. I suppose this is Sorichika¡¯s clumsy way of caring. ¡°A good teacher raises a good disciple, but good disciples can also raise good teachers. Perhaps Sorichika has changed a bit due to her interactions with you.¡± Roda said. Well, I don¡¯t know what Sorichika was like before I met her, so I can¡¯t say anything. I¡¯ll be happy as long as she continues to eat properly though. ¡°You can eat if you want, but listen to me.¡± Roda told me. ¡°I don¡¯t want to listen.¡± I replied. He laughed, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. If I really want to, I can go and talk to Sorichika. What you¡¯d do if your master ordered you to listen?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a disciple that listens to his master.¡± I sighed. ¡°If you know it, then let¡¯s skip it. It would be a waste of time.¡± Roda said. Seems like there¡¯s really no escaping this¡­ ¡°Let me tell you though. I really have no guarantee that I¡¯ll find your target. Don¡¯t get mad at me if I¡¯m useless.¡± I told him. ¡°Oh, I can promise you this much. ¡°The target might not necessarily be in the area anymore. If you can¡¯t find it, we¡¯ll assume that it fled to some faraway place where your detection can¡¯t reach.¡± Roda replied. I certainly hope that this is the case. I would really appreciate it if I couldn¡¯t find this Demon Beast. It¡¯s an enemy that is strong enough to move to head of the assassins of Haidiga, after all. It is, without a doubt, a tough opponent that I cannot compete with at all. ¡°So, Eil, do you know of the Obsidian Wolf?¡± Roda asked me. Seriously¡­ To think I¡¯d hear the name of this kind of mighty Demon Beast. An enemy that is strong enough to destroy a large city with complete ease. ¡­ Good grief. CH 87 Chapter 87 ¨C Glasses boy grumbles, but resigns himself to it The Obsidian Wolf. A huge black wolf with fur as hard as black iron. In the old tales about heroes, this is almost always a Demon Beast that they face. It¡¯s probably because the Obsidian Wolf is not only strong, but also quite cool, for the appearance of Demon Beasts is very important in a heroic tale. Something that is eerie won¡¯t have the same impact as a dragon, even if it¡¯s pretty strong. When you put something for the heroes to face up against, you want to get an awesome image on the heads of the listeners. In fact, the Obsidian Wolf is so cool, that some knight orders even use it as their crest. As far as physical appearance goes, the Obsidian Wolf is a huge black wolf. I¡¯ve never seen one myself, but I heard that it is large enough to destroy a house with a single ram. That would definitely be a really cool Demon Beast. Normal wolves naturally look pretty cool, but this one is huge and black¡­ Well, maybe my taste is weird for thinking so, but the Obsidian Wolf definitely feels cool to me. Its name is very famous due to the heroic tales that it appears on, but it¡¯s actually a very rare Demon Beast. It¡¯s not something you should be able to find in the forests near here. However, even in my village, there were people who claimed that they saw an Obsidian Wolf running in the distance. This Demon Beast isn¡¯t rare enough to be impossible to find. Its size is its most notable aspect, but the real issue lies in how agile the Obsidian Wolf is and how wide is its range of action. Just like the Chalk Chicken I encountered before, the Obsidian Wolf is huge and fast¡­ Though well, it¡¯s probably even faster than the Chalk Chicken, and its strength is, without a doubt, many times higher. Moreover, I heard that its fangs are so tough, that they can even be turned into weapons. And on top of all that, it¡¯s hard to predict what it is going to do and where it will be. The Obsidian Wolf doesn¡¯t have a specific territory. It¡¯s a Demon Beast that constantly roams the forests. That¡¯s why it can suddenly appear in one place, then not be there anymore by the next day. It moves around often. A small village like my own doesn¡¯t have the same kind of military power that the royal capital has. If an Obsidian Wolf came near, the village could be completely destroyed. However, the Obsidian Wolf is incredibly proud. It doesn¡¯t pick on any prey. It feeds on Demon Beasts and large animals. Humans are not considered a threat nor a meal, so the Obsidian Wolf doesn¡¯t attack us out of its own initiative¡­ Unless something happens, that is. Like it being attacked or wounded by humans first. If it gets angry at the attacking humans, or resentful after being injured, then the results to the nearby settlements may be disastrous. Well, that¡¯s all I know about it. ¡°All of that is true.¡± Roda nodded to me, after I finished explaining what I knew of the Obsidian Wolf, ¡°And I agree that it¡¯s pretty cool, by the way.¡± It is, isn¡¯t it? ¡°Wolves are definitely quite cool.¡± I commented. ¡°Yeah. In fact, I¡¯m planning on keeping a wolf-like dog in the future. Don¡¯t tell anyone though.¡± Roda said. I¡¯m not interested in that in the slightest, so I¡¯ll soon forget about it, Roda does not need to worry about me sharing it¡­ In fact, it¡¯s not even a worthwhile information that is worth keeping a secret about. I have no one to tell this to anyways, and I have no idea why he told me that. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s a wolf. I got it. I¡¯ll go take a bath then.¡± I got up from my seat. ¡°Yeah, no. Sit down.¡± Roda stopped me. Tsk, no good¡­ Leaving the conversation casually did not work. ¡°Or rather, even if you were able to fool me now, I¡¯d still chase after you, you know?¡± Roda said. ¡°Well, you already have me here now, but we can¡¯t be sure that we¡¯ll meet again until we actually meet.¡± I replied. ¡°Like a gambler¡¯s bet, huh? Even if you lose now, you might win next time, so you don¡¯t give up.¡± Roda stated. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± I said. ¡°Well, I get what you¡¯re doing. You don¡¯t want to seriously talking to me about this, as you don¡¯t like the topic, so you¡¯re playing around.¡± Roda said. Well, it¡¯s an emotional reaction, but yes. This is just too troublesome. I don¡¯t want to get involved in troublesome things, so I want to escape. ¡°But you have no way out of this, so listen.¡± Roda stated. ¡°¡­ To be honest, I really don¡¯t want to get involved with a Demon Beast as dangerous as the Obsidian Wolf. That¡¯s basically it.¡± I told Roda. If I met the Obsidian Wolf now, I¡¯m sure I would be instantly killed. I would, without a doubt, have no chance of winning. Even if it¡¯s just searching instead of fighting, I¡¯d still prefer to not participate. I don¡¯t have a hobby of approaching danger, after all. ¡°I know how you feel, but doesn¡¯t it bother you to hear about this situation?¡± Roda started saying. What would bother me¡­? ¡°Listen, the Obsidian Wolf has recently entered the nearby mountain. ¡°Because of that, the Demon Beasts who live in the region started descending the mountain and scattered to all sorts of places. ¡°What would happen if the Demon Beasts who are fleeing the mountain, met up with travelers, merchants, or small settlements? ¡°The Obsidian Wolf doesn¡¯t attack humans, but the Demon Beasts that it chases away are different. We don¡¯t know what kind of damage will be caused if we leave it alone. ¡°As a person who lives in this kingdom, I believe that hunting the Obsidian Wolf is a job that needs to be done. ¡°And,¡± Roda took a small pause and stared directly into my eyes, ¡°I want to do everything that I can, so as to make sure that this operation is not a failure. That¡¯s why I want to borrow your power. ¡°So, what do you think after hearing this much?¡± Ah, I see¡­ ¡°You look quite frivolous, but you can actually be serious when you want to, can¡¯t you?¡± I told him. ¡°That¡¯s not it! I didn¡¯t ask you about your impressions of me!¡± Roda exclaimed. Well, I can¡¯t escape this, so I suppose it can¡¯t be helped. If I keep going, Roda might get angry for real, so let¡¯s talk on topic. ¡°My role is to search for the Obsidian Wolf, right? Then what do I need to know? When is the hunt happening? Tomorrow? What am I expected to do?¡± I asked him. ¡°O-ooh¡­ You suddenly became serious.¡± Roda commented. Yeah. No matter how hard I try, I won¡¯t be able to escape, after all. Besides, I understood Roda¡¯s point. I can spare some effort into this, if it can minimize the chances of other people getting hurt. ¡°Right now, we¡¯re gathering strong people who can subdue the Obsidian Wolf. ¡°By tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, the last helper should join us, so the hunt should happen in either the day after tomorrow, or in the following day. ¡°All you have to do, is to be ready to leave at any time.¡± Roda told me. So the hunt is, probably, on the day after tomorrow¡­ Will I be ready by then? ¡°Are we staying overnight at the hunting grounds? Should I prepare food and snacks?¡± I asked. ¡°S-snacks¡­? ¡°Well, the hunt most likely won¡¯t take long. It would be troublesome if we got involved in an endurance battle against a quick-footed enemy and let it get away. ¡°Please adjust your food and luggage while taking that into account.¡± Roda explained. I see, so they¡¯re going for a short-term decisive battle. ¡°However, there is a high possibility that the Obsidian Wolf is in the depths of the mountain, where people don¡¯t normally set foot at. It¡¯s possible that the search itself might take several days to be completed. ¡°Though well, the better you are, the shorter the hunt will be.¡± Roda said. Mmmm¡­ ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I need to know that, but are there any other search personnel?¡± I asked. This is a town where adventurers gather. It¡¯s not uncommon for hunters to become adventurers, so there are surely some people here who are specialized in finding Demon Beasts. They might even have Gifts that are particularly useful in that regard. ¡°We¡¯ve already called a few people over, but from what I heard about your hunts of the Sky Lizard and of the Chalk Chicken, you seem to be the most talented person available. ¡°It didn¡¯t take long for you to find those Demon Beasts after you started searching, did it?¡± Roda said. That¡¯s because I can ¡®see¡¯ beyond obstacles. And now¡­ Well, it¡¯s not something I can talk about, so I won¡¯t explain it. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be ready.¡± I told Roda. I don¡¯t want to do it, but I have to, so I¡¯ll just do it. CH 88 Chapter 88 ¨C Glasses boy talks about how jokes can hurt people A follow-up report arrived on the next day. ¡°Roda left a message. He said you¡¯ll be leaving tomorrow, early in the morning. He¡¯ll come pick you up by then.¡± The old man, Zant, notified me while I ran on the road. I don¡¯t have a training schedule right now, since my training with Sorichika has ended, so I have been running on the road since the morning. ¡°Are you done already, by the way?¡± I asked Zant. ¡°Yeah. Lisse already left.¡± He replied. Seems like Zant trained Lisse as usual and already finished beating her up. Zant is quite strong, and apparently his main profession isn¡¯t even that of a swordsman, so he is quite terrifying. Anyways, if they already finished, then it should be evening by now. It¡¯s inconvenient that I can¡¯t know the time while within this underground training room. I was too absorbed in running, so I lost track of time. Had I been left alone, I might have kept on running throughout the whole night. I took a deep breath, ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯ll be going up too, then.¡± wiped out the sweat in my face, then started making plans for the future. The hunting preparations are mostly complete. When I hunted the Chalk Chicken a month ago, I had made some preparations, but I hardly used any of them, so they¡¯re still there. The next hunting spot is also in the nearby mountain, so if I estimate that the hunt will take two or three days at most, then I might not need much preserved food. If we¡¯ll be there for just a few days, then I should be able to survive with what I collect in the forest. That¡¯s why, I don¡¯t have to force myself to carry too much luggage. ¡°Be careful out there.¡± Zant told me. Of course, I will be. I¡¯m determined to not face the Obsidian Wolf head on, for I¡¯ll definitely be killed if I¡¯m hit even once. ¡­ Ah, right. I gotta remove the Physical Reinforcement. ****** ¡°Ah.¡± Lisse said. Oh. I practiced plenty today, so I went straight to the bath after I was done with training. When I came out of the bath, I ran into Lisse. Mine and Lisse¡¯s life cycles are pretty similar, but this is, surprisingly, the first time that this happened. ¡°You left the bath now? What about dinner?¡± Lisse asked me. Wait, was I in charge of making dinner today? Now that my training with Sorichika is over, my life cycle will also change¡­ Well, we haven¡¯t negotiated anything about that, so cooking is still my job, I suppose. ¡°I¡¯ll make it after we get back home.¡± I told Lisse. It¡¯s a fairly simple meal anyways, so if I buy bread and start making it as soon as I get home, it shouldn¡¯t take long to get it done. ¡°Oh, right, there¡¯s something I want to ask you. Are you familiar with any good restaurants in town, Eil? Preferably one with something unique in it.¡± Lisse asked. A good restaurant? ¡°I don¡¯t know of any, but the gelato was quite delicious.¡± I replied. I mean, that¡¯s the only meal that was somewhat unique within this town. Well, that, and the meat rolls, but those aren¡¯t sold on restaurants, they¡¯re sold on stalls. ¡°Gelato? What¡¯s that like?¡± Lisse asked. I don¡¯t understand it well enough to explain, so I gave her a simple answer, ¡°It¡¯s an ice-based sweet.¡± then pointed her towards the restaurant that sold it. ¡°Got it. Then wait a minute.¡± Lisse told me, then turned back towards the bath. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go home first.¡± I replied. ¡°Listen to me! I said wait, okay!? Wait for me! Absolutely, wait, alright!?¡± Lisse exclaimed, then went inside the women¡¯s bath. I really want to go home already, but she¡¯ll definitely complain if I do, so I guess I¡¯ll wait for a bit. I wonder if Sorichika ate already¡­ Will I be in the mountain by this time tomorrow? Or will I be back by then? The Obsidian Wolf is a Demon Beast that heroes face¡­ If possible, I¡¯d like to spend the rest of my life without ever meeting it. Ah, I don¡¯t want to die. I really don¡¯t want to die. ¡­ Okay, this should be enough waiting. Let¡¯s go home. I had just taken the first step when Lisse came back, ¡°Oh, hey! I told you to wait! Just where are you going!?¡± She exclaimed. She was faster than I expected. She said wait a minute, and she really meant just a minute, after all. ¡°I waited for a while, so I figured that much was enough.¡± I told her. ¡°You should wait until I return!¡± She exclaimed. I do think she¡¯s right, but it doesn¡¯t matter much, does it? ¡°Is there anything else? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a reason for us to go home together, as we¡¯ll be meeting up once we get home anyways. We¡¯ll also have dinner together, so we¡¯ll have time to talk.¡± I told her. ¡°Eh? Ah, well¡­ I guess you have a point.¡± She muttered. Did she not think that far? So there wasn¡¯t anything she needed me for? ¡­ Well, it¡¯s true that we¡¯re going back to the same place, so it¡¯s understandable that one would naturally want to go home together if the chance arises. ¡°In any case, I wanted to talk about tomorrow. I thought it was a good opportunity, since this is the only time we¡¯ll have to prepare, right?¡± Lisse told me. Talk about tomorrow? Hold on a second, ¡°You have anything planned for tomorrow?¡± I asked her. ¡°Eh? Yeah? Like, the stuff Roda talked about, you know?¡± She replied. ¡°The Obsidian Wolf?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± She nodded. Wait, for real? ¡°You¡¯re going with me?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh, right. We didn¡¯t talk about it yet. ¡°It wasn¡¯t part of the plan at first, but Zant persuaded me to go, because I won¡¯t have many opportunities to see a big game getting hunted. ¡°He made me promise that I wouldn¡¯t interfere in any way, and this was enough for Roda, so he allowed me to accompany him.¡± Lisse explained. Oh, I see¡­ Lisse has a Gift that is focused on hunting Demon Beasts, so she¡¯ll most likely be participating in this kind of thing in the future. Roda is certainly aware of that. The experience you can gain from the subjugation of a rare Demon Beast is tremendous and is also quite difficult to obtain, so I can understand why Zant would like her to see it, even if she can¡¯t participate. If you think carefully about it, Lisse is someone who has much more of a reason to be participating in the hunt for the Obsidian Wolf than I have. She has much more to gain from this than me. ¡°Why are we going together¡­? I thought we would be separated¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°Why do you look disappointed!? Hey, why!?¡± Lisse exclaimed. Regardless of the reason, my motivation for this was really low already, and it now seemed to have completely disappeared. While we were talking like that in front of the bathhouse, two women came out of the women¡¯s bath. They were both young, somewhere around their twenties, probably. Considering their presence and the way they move though, they¡¯re probably strong adventurers. One of them was a fair-skinned woman who shone under the dark sky, and the other was a strongly tanned woman, who seemed to melt into the darkness. ¡°Ah, the girl from earlier.¡± The tanned woman looked at Lisse. ¡°Ooh. Thanks for earlier.¡± The fair-skinned one said. They seem to know each other¡­ I really should have gone home first. ¡°Oh?¡± The fair-skinned woman then stared at me, ¡°Did you have an appointment with your lover?¡± ¡°Eh? Him? No, that¡¯s not-¡± Lisse started saying. In response to those outrageous words, I reflexively punched Lisse on the side, ¡°Don¡¯t make this kind of joke! Ugh!¡± ¡°Why are you so angry and gave such a strong refusal!? She was just joking!¡± Lisse shouted, even if she was surely in pain after the punch on her side. ¡°Sometimes jokes can hurt people! It¡¯s painful-!¡± As I shouted that, I got punched in the face. Damn¡­ As expected of a swordsman who is good at close combat. That speed was completely unavoidable. ¡°Tell me who was the one hurt by the joke! How come this is the first time I ever see you get emotional!? What is wrong with you!?¡± Lisse exclaimed. Then, the tanned woman intervened, holding Lisse in place and saying, ¡°I understand how you feel, but violence is no good¡­¡± Then the fair-skinned woman looked at me with an awkward expression, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It seems like what I said has troubled you¡­¡± ¡°It did indeed! There are things that shouldn¡¯t be said!¡± I replied. It¡¯s really been a long time since I¡¯ve been this angry! I¡¯m confident that I can let most things slip by with ease, but I never thought I¡¯d be told that Lisse and I were lovers! My uncontrollable anger exploded! ¡°What does that even mean!? Let go of me! I wanna punch him one more time!¡± Lisse told the tanned woman. And like this, the time kept ticking towards tomorrow, while further fueling the anxiety about what was yet to come. CH 89 Chapter 89 ¨C Glasses boy compares ¡°I¡¯m not sure I get what happened here, but I think the boy is in the wrong.¡± The tanned woman, who was holding Lisse, turned me into the villain even if she said she didn¡¯t understand it. That¡¯s what woman do! They always assume that the man has done something wrong! Women just like my sister! ¡­ My sister has nothing to do with this! ¡°She¡¯s cute, isn¡¯t she? If someone says you¡¯re the lover of a cute girl, you should just be happy.¡± The fair-skinned woman said. Lisse eagerly agreed with those words, then said, ¡°Yeah¡­! Y-you should have been d-delighted! Because I¡¯m c-c-cute¡­ I¡­¡± Putting aside the success or failure of her self-defense, she shouldn¡¯t say anything if she is this embarrassed. But in any case, I stared at the tanned woman, the fair-skinned woman, then at Lisse and said, ¡°I think the more beautiful something is, the more poisonous and the more thorns they have.¡± I stared at the tanned woman, ¡°You¡¯re like Maze Ivy.¡± They are thin brown ivies that spread all over tress and rocks, and spawn black flowers. Although they spread around freely without any regularity, its intertwining pattern often creates something artistically beautiful. There is no planning involved in its growth, yet the random patterns, especially when hit by the sunlight that is passing by the tree branches, will often give out a mysterious and aweing feeling. However, this ivy has hard thorns. You¡¯ll definitely get hurt if you try touching it with your bare hands. And as it¡¯s thin and withered brown, it¡¯s hard to see its thorns, so someone that doesn¡¯t know about them may easily get hurt when getting close. ¡°It¡¯s similar to you, isn¡¯t it? A work of art born from a miraculous balance between mysterious charm and dangerous thorns. The mazy ivy.¡± I told the tanned woman. Her tall, slender body must have surely gone through plenty of training to reach her current figure. She has tanned brown skin, long bright hair and dignified, sharp indigo eyes, though it¡¯s hard to see her eyes in the dark. She may not catch one¡¯s eye at first glance, but looking at her closely definitely makes her feel like a work of art. All the different elements create a unique angle of beauty that isn¡¯t easily found. Mazy Ivy is just ivy when viewed alone. But the way it spreads, the things it entwines with, that¡¯s what creates a truly beautiful natural work of art. That¡¯s what my master told me. He also told me that some noble houses grow maze ivy in their gardens for this exact reason. At the same time, Maze Ivy isn¡¯t too hard to find. It¡¯s common even near my village, you just need to go a bit deep in the forest to find it. If you¡¯re an adventurer with plenty of experience, you must have surely seen it a least once. The tanned woman was silent, but she seemed to understand the comparison. She must have seen it at some point and surely thought it was beautiful, just like me, my master, and many others. Next, the fair-skinned woman, I guess? ¡°You¡¯re like a Phantom Lamp.¡± I told her. It¡¯s a white flower that blooms at night, and it has a unique characteristic of emitting faint light. The sight of them growing in clumps and spreading out under the moonlight is fantastic, breathtakingly beautiful. ¡°Quite similar to you, isn¡¯t it? Alluring, but terrifying dangerous.¡± I told her. The light it emits is the problem, for the luminescent material is actually pollen. And this pollen has a powerful hallucinogenic effect. Just getting close to it should be enough to make you stop thinking properly, and eventually faint. Since it only blooms at night, you should be able to wake up by the morning, but staying unconscious for a whole night, while outside, is nothing short of dangerous. So, I was taught by my master to never approach shining flowers. I¡¯ve only seen it once, but it was truly beautiful¡­ And well, it¡¯s fine to look at it, you just can¡¯t get close. The fair-skinned woman is truly worth of being called a Phantom Lamp, she might even be more beautiful than that. Like the tanned woman, she is tall and slender, probably because she spends many hours training. Her radiant blond hair is cut short, her eyes are sky blue, and her features are truly well-formed. And that¡¯s why they¡¯re dangerous. Why I don¡¯t want to get close to them. ¡°Oh, well¡­¡± The fair-skinned woman muttered. She seemed to be happy, though also comfortable with receiving this kind of compliment. She must be tired of hearing this kind of praise over and over again. Well, she has the looks to deserve it. ¡­ And then there is Lisse. ¡­ I stayed silent. She was silent too. Our gazes crossed. There was some visible anticipation on the eyes of the red-haired girl. They were sparkling as she waited for my words. ¡­ More silence. Yeah, well¡­ ¡°You¡¯re okay, aren¡¯t you?¡± I told her. ¡°What!? No! Say it like you did to them! Compare me to beautiful flowers and plants!¡± She exclaimed. Well, let¡¯s see¡­ I don¡¯t know? This isn¡¯t something that is forced. It just came naturally to me when looking at the other party. ¡°But you hit me just now, you know? At an unavoidable speed even. It wasn¡¯t like your hand slipped or anything, it was a very conscious and planned punch.¡± I told her. ¡°Even if you started it, you still complain!? Fine, whatever! I¡¯ll apologize, so say it!¡± Lisse replied. ¡­ It can¡¯t be helped. ¡°You¡¯re like the edible flowers growing over there.¡± I pointed to some nearby flowers. ¡°Why are you talking about practical things!? What about the looks!? You were going about how beautiful plants have poison and thorns, right!? Then compare me to something beautiful!¡± Lisse exclaimed. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re getting at.¡± I replied. ¡°You totally do! You definitely understand!¡± Lisse shouted. I mean, what¡¯s up with this unproductive waste of time? My anger has already subsided, so I want to go home now. ¡°Then you¡¯re like grass that the cats eat and vomit later.¡± I told her. ¡°That¡¯s also a practical thing! And it¡¯s less beautiful than flowers too! Come on! How am I grass that cats eat and vomit!?¡± She exclaimed. I made two comparisons for her. It¡¯s good enough. So, I turned to the two older women and said, ¡°And that¡¯s how it is. Even if you¡¯re cute or beautiful, I don¡¯t want to get close to you, for you have poison and thorns within you.¡± Putting aside puke Lisse, I am quite wary of these Maze Ivy and Phantom Lamp. ¡°Such a pity.¡± The tanned woman said, releasing Lisse, who was still in a fighting stance, ¡°though it seems like this girl was wrong about the problem.¡± ¡°Huh!?¡± Lisse said. ¡°Yes, he is definitely right.¡± The fair-skinned woman agreed. ¡°W-what the¡­!?¡± Now that she lost her allies, Lisse seemed to be in disbelief, ¡°Just because you got some compliments¡­ You¡¯re so easy¡­!¡± The two women gave a gentle smile to the stunned Lisse. No, that¡¯s not quite right. Those were the smiles of ¡®the ones who have won as women¡¯. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m being praised for being a work of art, I don¡¯t think the boy¡¯s view on women is wrong.¡± The tanned woman said. ¡°Yes, definitely not just because I was compared to a Phantom Lamp, but as a woman, I think his judgement is correct.¡± The fair-skinned one said. Lisse went silent. What a splendid way of throwing away your previous ally. That¡¯s why women can¡¯t be trusted. A good-looking woman can never be trusted. They always have poison or thorns. ****** The mood became indescribable, so we naturally split up after that. Well, in the first place, those two older women are almost complete strangers to me, so there was no reason to continue talking to them¡­ Well, they did invite me and Lisse to dinner, but we politely declined, as they have poison and thorns. On the way home, Lisse opened her mouth, ¡°Hey, Eil.¡± ¡°I have no more comparisons.¡± I told her. ¡°Enough of that.¡± Lisse replied. Her fist was closed though, so I stayed one step away from her, so as to not get hit by an unavoidable fast attack. Though well, if she wanted to kill me, I¡¯d probably be dead already. ¡°More importantly than that, It¡¯s about those two we met earlier.¡± Lisse then started saying her thoughts about them. To put it simply, she said that they were likely knights from the neighboring country. Lisse couldn¡¯t say it for sure, but judging from their presence, the way they moved, and from piecing together the information that she collected, it was highly likely that those women were knights. ¡°I just met them on the bath perchance, and I immediately noticed something unusual about them. ¡°I know all the renowned adventurers in this city, yet I had never met those two. That¡¯s why I called out to them and asked a bunch of things.¡± Lisse told me. I see¡­ ¡°So those two are knights, then?¡± I asked. ¡°Most likely. Probably knights from the neighboring country, because they said things about how they came here on horseback, arrived at noon, and slept until just now. ¡°But then, after I asked them quite a few questions, they asked one to me too. They asked if there was a good restaurant in this city.¡± Oh, so that¡¯s where that question came from. ¡°If they rushed here on horses, then they surely came here for some business, right? And with that big game in the mountain¡­ ¡°The timing is too coincidental. What do you think, Eil?¡± Lisse asked me. She¡¯s most likely right, ¡°It¡¯s possible that they might accompany us on tomorrow¡¯s hunt.¡± I concluded. Well, I don¡¯t think it matters much. As long as they¡¯re skilled, we should be good, and Roda did say that he was gathering people who were strong enough for this hunt. ¡°Is something bothering you, Lisse?¡± I decided to ask her. ¡°A knight from a neighboring country came for this¡­ It¡¯s strange. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be unusual for a knight of our kingdom to come, but instead, the ones that came were from outside. ¡°If they came all the way here after crossing the border, then it was probably because they want to take credit for the kill. Or perhaps they want the materials of the Obsidian Wolf. ¡°But why would our own knights not be moving? It feels like there is some political reason behind it¡­ Though well, the people of our kingdom are moving, even if our knights aren¡¯t.¡± Lisse replied. I see¡­ ¡°Well, if there¡¯s a reason behind it, then either Roda or Zant probably know about it. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something we need to worry too much about.¡± I told her. ¡°¡­ I guess you¡¯re right. It¡¯s useless to worry about this.¡± Lisse sighed. ¡­ Knights from the neighboring country, huh? I wonder if there is something more to this hunt¡­ CH 90 Chapter 90 ¨C Glasses boy gets anxious about the early meeting ¡°Huh? What is this meat? Are you buying that?¡± Lisse asked me. ¡°I am.¡± I nodded. After parting with the two women who are probably knights, I went to some stores with Lisse, who wanted to prepare for tomorrow. However, since we¡¯re just accompanying the hunting team, we don¡¯t need any real tools. This is especially true in Lisse¡¯s case. She¡¯s not used to hunting yet, so it¡¯s better to not have her carry unnecessary things. If she¡¯s carrying something unnecessary, she can do something unnecessary. If she can do something unnecessary, she might do something unnecessary and become a hindrance. At this point, she wouldn¡¯t be ¡®just watching¡¯, but would instead be getting in the way. I would feel sorry for everyone around us if she became any more of a hindrance. So, I decided to accompany her while shopping, partially to monitor what¡¯s she¡¯s buying, even if this was troublesome. And while shopping, I used my own money to buy a nice piece of meat. It¡¯s the aged tongue of an Ironhead. It seems to be the softest and most delicious part of an Ironhead, who is filled with hard meat. Some time back, Zant told me during training, that I should try eating an Ironhead¡¯s tongue at some point. So that¡¯s why I decided to do it now. It¡¯s a rare delicacy though, as you can only get one per Ironhead, so its price is high. But I splurged and bought it anyways. Besides, when considering that this is large enough for both me and Lisse, with some spare, then the price doesn¡¯t feel that unreasonable. ¡°Before a dangerous hunt, eat something good. It¡¯s a bit of a hunter¡¯s charm.¡± I told Lisse. ¡°Eeh? Is there a rule like that¡­?¡± Lisse, who had been replying carefreely so far, gradually clouded her expression, ¡°Is it like a last supper? Because you might die?¡± Well, she is right on that. ¡°Yes, but there is another reason. ¡°Let¡¯s eat this again later. So, for now, let¡¯s do our best to survive, and leave without any regrets.¡± I told her. I don¡¯t know how effective this actually is though. My master said that this was a form of comforting yourself, but it also means to be confident and aim high. ¡°So, let¡¯s eat this and do well tomorrow.¡± Lisse smiled a bit. After all, the opponent is the Obsidian Wolf. An incredibly powerful Demon Beast, which is seen as a stepping stone for heroes. And of course, a stepping stone for heroes means that it¡¯s incredibly threatening for non-heroes. Tomorrow¡¯s hunt is not someone else¡¯s problem. I¡¯ll have to be careful. ****** We finished the shopping and went home. ¡°Welcome back.¡± A woman with empty eyes stood idly in front of our home. She was Sorichika. My former master, who dissolved our student-teacher relationship yesterday. ¡°I came to eat dinner.¡± She told us. Oh, is that so? ¡­ Well, as her former disciple, I¡¯ll at least look after my former master. If a meal is requested, then in the worst case, I¡¯ll at least serve her some bread crumbs. ¡°Will you eat the tongue of an Ironhead?¡± I asked her. ¡°I hate meat.¡± Sorichika replied. ¡°But will you eat it?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ll eat.¡± She replied. ¡°Are you sure? It¡¯s expensive meat. If you don¡¯t like it, you don¡¯t have to eat it.¡± I told her. ¡°I will eat.¡± She replied. ¡°Do you really hate meat?¡± I asked next. ¡°I hate it, but I¡¯ll eat it.¡± She replied. ¡°Do you truly dare to eat it?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, I dare to eat it.¡± She replied. ¡°But is that feeling really true-?¡± I started asking. ¡°Is there any meaning to this exchange!? I¡¯m quite hungry now! And also exhausted and sleepy! Let¡¯s go eat!¡± Lisse interrupted us. Ah, she¡¯s right. I knew that the whole exchange was useless, but I¡¯m glad I wasn¡¯t the one who had to point it out. After this pointless exchange, we entered our home, finished our meals, then went to bed early. To prepare for tomorrow, and to be in a good physical condition for the hunt. ****** The next morning started earlier than I expected. Roda came to pick us up while the sky was still dark. I was asleep until the moment he entered the house, but when I sensed his presence, I hurriedly jumped out of my room. ¡°I know it¡¯s early, but we¡¯re about to leave.¡± Roda told me as soon as he saw me. My biological clock too said that this was pretty early, but judging from Roda¡¯s tone, it doesn¡¯t seem like this was a last-minute change. They were probably planning on leaving at this time from the beginning. ¡°Mmm¡­ I¡¯m still sleepy. Isn¡¯t it too early?¡± Lisse, who woke up a little later than me, said. She truly looks to be quite sleepy, though I¡¯m pretty sleepy as well. ¡°No, it¡¯s just as planned. We¡¯ll meet up and leave the city. ¡°It would be troublesome if we were seen by others, so we have to leave before the rest of the city wakes up. That¡¯s why we¡¯re going at this hour.¡± Roda explained. So that¡¯s how it is¡­ ¡°The Obsidian Wolf¡¯s presence has been kept secret, hasn¡¯t it?¡± I asked. A gag order must have been issued, so as to let neither the adventurers nor the rest of the city become aware of the Obsidian Wolf. ¡°If the people who live here find out, it will be a big, festive, mess. ¡°Adventurers who are hungry for glory will all attempt to face the Obsidian Wolf, and most will die trying. ¡°Adventurers of this city have done this kind of stupid thing time and time again. I¡¯ve seen it myself.¡± Roda explained. So, he gathered strong people to hunt the Obsidian Wolf down, before its presence was exposed. Though if this hunt fails, then the festive mess that Roda mentioned will certainly become true, as the restriction on the information will be lifted. The weight on this hunt is heavy¡­ We truly cannot fail. The Obsidian Wolf does not see humans as prey¡­ At least until it is harmed by one that is, at that moment, we¡¯ll be seen as enemies. If that happens, anyone that is seen by the Obsidian Wolf will end up being attacked. Human settlements that it comes across will be utterly destroyed. I have no idea how much damage would be caused by this, but it would certainly be huge. If a small village like mine was attacked by an Obsidian Wolf, then it would surely be destroyed in less than half a day, without being able to put up any resistance. There are many stories of this kind of thing happening in the past. ¡°Ah, by the way, are knights participating on this?¡± Lisse asked Roda. She must have woken up from her sleepy state by now, as she remembered the two women that we met yesterday. ¡°Did you meet them somewhere? Well, it doesn¡¯t matter, but the other party is hiding their identity. Don¡¯t point it out, alright?¡± Roda replied. It seems like Lisse¡¯s reading was correct, then. As for me¡­ I don¡¯t know what the goal of the knights, so I have no opinion on them. ¡°Huh? So this is actually going to be a united front with the neighboring country?¡± Lisse asked him. ¡°Oi, oi. Don¡¯t worry about the internal affairs, alright? There¡¯s nothing for you in there.¡± Roda told her. Yeah¡­ What matters is that we hunt the Obsidian Wolf down, not what the reason behind foreign knights coming here is. This is especially true for Lisse, who is only going to watch this. ¡°Understood. You don¡¯t need to worry about it then, Eil.¡± Lisse said. ¡­. Why did she mention me? Differently from her, I don¡¯t mind this at all. Or rather, if those two from yesterday are really knights, then I really don¡¯t want to know anything else, because they¡¯ll surely be filled with poison and thorns. I definitely want to stay away from them. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not as interested in them as you are.¡± I told Lisse. ¡°Oh. So you are a bit interested in them then, aren¡¯t you?¡± Lisse replied. ¡°Are you still half-asleep? Why don¡¯t you wash your face after waking up? The drool marks on your face are amazing, yet you¡¯re still going out like that? It¡¯s embarrassing to be by your side, so walk a bit far from me, alright?¡± I told her. ¡°Eh!? You should have said that earlier!¡± Lisse exclaimed. Well, it was actually a lie. A lie to see if she would wake up, because she seemed to still be half-asleep. ¡°What about this bed-hair of yours!? How can you talk to people like that!?¡± Lisse told me after putting her hands on her face. She seemed to have realized that I was lying. ¡°Bed-hair? That¡¯s my charm point. My charm point, understand?¡± I replied. ¡°Eh!? That!? Are you for real!? A¡­ Charm point¡­?¡± Lisse seemed to be in disbelief. Don¡¯t look at me like that. I was lying this time too. I simply don¡¯t care about my hair. ¡°You guys really are good friends, huh?¡± Roda commented. Seems like Roda too is half-asleep. Is he alright? ****** Instead of having plenty of time to sleep, we had to unexpectedly get ready in a hurry, then leave the house. ¡°Lisse, Eil, you two are supposed to be accompanying me to carry my luggage. I¡¯ll ask you to behave according to that scenario.¡± Roda told us. Carry his luggage? Nice, that is an easy role. In other words, Roda is going to take the brunt of everything, and we just have to follow him from behind. I don¡¯t want to interact with other people much, so this is welcomed. ¡°Huh? Luggage carrier? Are we your maids or something?¡± Lisse seemed dissatisfied by the idea. Roda laughed at that, ¡°It¡¯s easy to just watch things like that, don¡¯t you think so, Eil?¡± ¡°Certainly.¡± I nodded. I wish I could do just that. Keep my distance and follow you from somewhat far away. I really wish I could limit myself to that. ¡°Also, it goes without saying, but don¡¯t reveal anything personal. Not about me, nor about the assassins, alright? ¡°Worst comes to worst, I might have to silence you.¡± Roda told us. He said it in a very casual way, just like a normal thing you¡¯d say while chatting. But there was a very real cold undertone behind his words. He was serious. And like this, both me and Lisse followed after Roda. CH 91 Chapter 91 ¨C Glasses boy goes hunt the Obsidian Wolf The moment I entered the room, I was met with loose gazes that made me very self-aware. As expected of masters. They hide their claws and fangs well. This is different from the adventurers¡¯ guild that I stopped by back in the royal capital. This isn¡¯t a crowd of people crammed together, but a room filled with professionals. Even if I try sneaking around here, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be able to see through me. It¡¯s a situation where I can¡¯t deceive anyone. ¡°Oh, did I make you wait? Are we the last ones?¡± Roda casually said. It¡¯s still early in the morning. It even feels like it¡¯s still night. Roda brought us to the adventurer¡¯s guild of Haidiga. Here, the people who will be participating in the hunt for the Obsidian Wolf have gathered, with each group waiting at their own table. There were eight people in here, not counting us. One team had four people. Two strong men and two strong women sat at their table. The women in this team were familiar. They were the poisonous and thorny one, and they were visibly surprised to see me and Lisse. The men were using partial metal armor, instead of full knight armors. The women were using light-looking leather armor. They definitely seem to be hiding their identities then. Otherwise, they¡¯d be using full knight armors with crests that revealed their identity. Their equipment is well-maintained, but it also seems like something that was used many times. Overall, their appearance is certainly that of battle-hardened adventurers. Had I not known they were knights, I would have definitely believed that¡­ Well, it¡¯s not like this matters anyways. And there were four people at the other table. ¡­ Oh, those people. I don¡¯t need to ask why they¡¯re here. They¡¯re here because they¡¯re strong. That¡¯s definitely the only reason. However, it was certainly surprising to see four people that know me sitting at that table. Three of them were members of the top adventurer team of the royal capital, Black Swan of Dawn. The fourth person was a blond woman whose hairstyle I remember well. One man and three women, with one of them being my sister. If I recall correctly, the man with his hair tied is Glock, the woman that is slightly older than me is Ainliese, and the other is my sister. And the blond woman, who is not a member of Black Swan of Dawn, is Lorobel. And as expected, the members of Black Swan of Dawn showed a small reaction when seeing me, but they refrained from doing anything else. It was surprising that we met again here, but knowing me has nothing to do with work. They know how to keep things separate. I¡¯ll also pretend that I don¡¯t know them. It will be less of a hassle this way. ¡°Mmm? Have I seen him before¡­? Hey, Ain, he-¡± Horun started talking as she stared at me. ¡°Shut up and wait. Don¡¯t stare at people. ¡°Also, don¡¯t touch my clothes with your hand that just grabbed meat¡­ Where are you wiping them!? Why are you rubbing them here!?¡± Ainliese exclaimed. Only my sister showed a strange reaction when she saw me, but I¡¯ll pretend I don¡¯t know her. ¡­ Though in the first place, how were you unable to recognize your own brother? We met a small while ago, alright? Just what is the problem with my sister? ¡°You¡¯re always in a bad mood when you wake up, Ain.¡± Horun commented. ¡°I¡¯m angry about this even without the waking up matter¡­ How can you dirty the clothes I just bought with oil so quickly¡­? You are a complete moron, you know that?¡± Ainliese replied. ¡°You¡¯re here, Roda.¡± A person appeared from the door behind the counter. I was feeling refreshed when seeing Ainliese reprimand my sister like that, but the mood suddenly changed now that this elderly man has appeared. Now, the hunt has begun. ****** ¡°The advance party has already left. You all are the last ones. The rest is up to you.¡± The elderly man told us. This strong elderly man was the head of the adventurer¡¯s guild of Haidiga, and he briefly explained how this operation would work. First, we¡¯ll use a horse-drawn carriage to take us to the foot of the mountain. There is one outside the city that is already waiting for us. Then, we¡¯ll join up with the advance party, with the adventurers who have been leading the investigation to figure out the rough location of the Obsidian Wolf, and we¡¯ll begin the search in earnest. The search is scheduled to last the whole day. If we can¡¯t find the Obsidian Wolf by then, we¡¯ll have to assume that our prey has already left the mountain, and will therefore have to investigate what else could be causing the decrease in the number of Demon Beasts within the mountain. That was the gist of it. ¡°The reward will be basic one for this kind of hunt, plus extras based on the condition of the prey. Detailed negotiations can be done later. ¡°That¡¯s all for now. Do you have any final questions?¡± The elderly man asked. One man, at the table filled with people who are probably knights, raised his hand. He is an old man with a scar on his face, and he looks to be as strong as a guild leader, ¡°What about those younglings. I haven¡¯t heard about hindrances participating.¡± Younglings obviously refer to me and Lisse. This man stared directly at us, with a stare that would even scare adults of. ¡°Huh? Do you have any complaints- ¡°Uuh¡­¡± Lisse started replying, but I punched her at the side to get her to shut up. She was now about to start complaining to me, but I silenced her with my gaze¡­ Good grief, this too is included on the list of unnecessary things that she shouldn¡¯t do. The hunt has already begun. Right now, they¡¯re sorting out what they need and what they don¡¯t need. They can still change things as needed before they leave. It¡¯s only natural that they wish to eliminate factors which will reduce the success chance of the hunt, which means eliminating us, who are still too weak to participate. ¡°They¡¯ll be carrying my luggage. I¡¯ll take care of them. ¡°And well, you can think of them as a last reserve force in case of an emergency.¡± Roda, who brought us here, casually explained. The other side doesn¡¯t seem to be content with this explanation though, ¡°They¡¯ll get in the way. Leave them.¡± ¡°Is that so? Shouldn¡¯t something like the Obsidian Wolf be easy to you though? Did you overrate your abilities before joining us perchance? ¡°If you can¡¯t actually hunt it with this level of interference, then why don¡¯t you just leave through the door there. ¡°This city has its own way of doing things. If you don¡¯t like it, get out.¡± Roda¡¯s attitude and tone are light, but his words really drove the point across. The old man glared at Roda for a while, then snorted and stood up. That was the signal. We¡¯re departing. ****** Everyone walked out of the room. With Roda, me and Lisse being the last ones to leave. Once we were outside, ¡°Lisse.¡± Roda called out to Lisse, ¡°About the old man a while back¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m not scared of his scarred face. I¡¯m just angry that you punched me.¡± Lisse glared at me. I don¡¯t care if I angered her though, ¡°He¡¯s the kindest man in the group. Don¡¯t bother him.¡± I told her. ¡°Huh?¡± Lisse said. He talked like that because he judged that it was too early for us to participate in this hunt. He wanted to kick out the people who would be instantly be killed if they faced the Obsidian Wolf. The decision to not bring hindrances is not only for one¡¯s own sake, but also for the other party¡¯s sake. If someone is truly thinking only about themselves, then they¡¯ll look at weak people not as a hindrance, but as a decoy. Trying to push us out of this hunt was his way of showing kindness. Personally speaking, I wouldn¡¯t trust anyone who welcomed our participation. ¡°I agree with Eil.¡± Roda commented, ¡°Don¡¯t get too close so as to not get in his way. ¡°That kind of person says whatever he wants without holding back. That¡¯s his way of stretching his arms to save as many people as he can. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it would leave a bad aftertaste? To see someone dying because of your inactivity?¡± Bad aftertaste, huh? I never experienced it myself, but just imagining it makes my heart ache. ¡°Though I was more surprised by how well-known your face is, Eil.¡± Roda said. Ah¡­ Did he notice it? That I have a connection to Black Swan of Dawn? ¡°Coming to think of it, a strange woman reacted when she saw you.¡± Lisse commented. Seems like she didn¡¯t notice anything else. It was only my sister that called her attention. After all, she was the only strange woman there. ¡°I think that must be a misunderstanding on her end. I would never be friends with a woman who wipes her hands on an acquaintance¡¯s clothes after eating meat.¡± I told Lisse. Yeah, we¡¯re not friends. We¡¯re family. ¡­ Unfortunately, we¡¯re family. ¡°As expected, even you, Lisse, wouldn¡¯t do that kind of thing.¡± I told her. A friend of mine truly wouldn¡¯t ever do something as outrageous as what my sister did, after all. ¡°What do you mean with ¡®as expected¡¯? How can you be sure I won¡¯t do it?¡± Lisse grinned. ¡°If you do that, I¡¯ll ask Zant to create an extra hard training course for you.¡± I replied. ¡°P-please don¡¯t! I¡¯m already at my limit here!¡± Lisse exclaimed. Then don¡¯t do it. You¡¯re not my sister, so please listen to what I say. ¡­ And in the first place, I don¡¯t even want to imagine what it would be like to have many people similar to my sister near me. CH 92 Chapter 92 ¨C Glasses boy thinks about Glasses There were three carriages, each pulled by two horses, parked outside the town. Without any discussion being done, each group boarded a different carriage, as if they already knew which one was theirs. We, led by Roda, also boarded one, and as soon as we got inside, the carriage immediately started moving. The carriage was shaking quite a bit. It must be moving at a pretty fast pace. ¡°It will take some time to arrive, so if you¡¯re feeling sleepy, you may sleep.¡± Roda told us. I appreciate the offer, but after unexpectedly meeting my sister in this kind of place, I have completely woken up. ¡°Yesterday, Eil treated me to the tongue of an Ironhead. Did you eat it before, Roda?¡± Lisse asked. ¡°Oh, yes. It¡¯s quite good. Zant liked it a lot too.¡± Roda replied. ¡°I know, right? It looks a bit gross, but its unique texture more than makes up for it. It was a bit elastic, but it wasn¡¯t hard at all, nor did it smell bad. It was quite something.¡± Lisse said. Seems like her drowsiness has passed already as well, so she started chatting with Roda. I agree with her that the tongue of the Ironhead was good, though the Sky Lizard was also great, so it was hard to decide which one was my favorite. But putting that aside, I¡¯d like to clear my mind a bit before we arrive. ¡°Hey, Eil, when we finish this job, I¡¯ll treat you to something¡­ Are you sleeping already?¡± Lisse asked me. I¡¯m not sleeping. I¡¯m just closing my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep for a bit, but I¡¯ll remember the treat.¡± I told her. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll sleep¡­ Can you even sleep here?¡± She asked me. ¡°Not if you keep talking to me¡­ I¡¯ll ask for something extravagant, by the way.¡± I replied. ¡°Oh, alright. Leave it to me.¡± She said. ¡°Maybe the Ironhead¡¯s tongue would be good. It can be quite expensive, but since you¡¯re splurging, I¡¯ll be looking forward to it.¡± I told her. ¡°Eh? That is¡­ Eil, you do know that I don¡¯t have much money, right?¡± Lisse replied. I said only what I needed to say and ignored Lisse¡¯s remarks. She shook my shoulders, but I ignored her. Even after he shook me violently, I still ignored her. Even after my glasses were taken off, I ignored her. And after she put my glasses upside down, I still ignored her, though I silently fixed them and put them back in place. I also ignored her clicking her tongue. ¡°Come on, now, just stop this. It¡¯s annoying to watch.¡± Roda said. ¡°But a whole tongue is too expensive¡­ Hey, Roda, can you lend me some money?¡± Lisse asked him. He sighed, ¡°¡­ I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡± ¡°You can give it to me.¡± I commented. ¡°Give money to you?¡± Roda said, ¡°¡­ Look, I wouldn¡¯t mind if it was just pocket money, but I¡¯m not giving a considerable amount to any of you.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you think of it as a special tribute towards the happiness of a cute and beautiful girl?¡± Lisse told him. Both me and Roda stayed silent. She clicked her tongue, ¡°Guess I¡¯m just cat grass, after all.¡± ¡°Well, calm down, okay? I don¡¯t even know what that means.¡± Roda replied. Lisse finally stopped talking after that, so my consciousness got buried in my thoughts. ****** In this last encounter, I was able to register three Gifts, one of them was Roda¡¯s. Flower Bolt, Life Absorption and Blue Map. Flower Bolt was from Roda; Life Absorption from the tanned female knight; Blue Map from the carriage¡¯s driver. Flower Bolt was a type of magic that allowed you to emit lightning from your hands. In other words, Roda was a swordsman who could also use magic¡­ No, he¡¯s an assassin. Life Absorption was a type of physical strengthening ability that was activated by collecting life force from your surroundings. It drains more energy from those who are close to you, and you can even make this Gift collect energy from only specified targets¡­ However, it seems to not be able to drain enough life force to the point that it would extinguish one¡¯s life. Blue map searches for something specific in your surroundings. You can specify what exactly you¡¯re searching for, and the range of the Gift is influenced primarily by the power of the user. This was the Gift I was most satisfied to register, as it is very practical and can be used at any moment without any worries. Though Flower Bolt is quite something¡­ I¡¯ve seen lightning fall down from the skies before. It can knock down trees and put them on fire¡­ It¡¯s a terrifying power. But I don¡¯t know the details of this Gift. And if I don¡¯t experiment with it, then I won¡¯t be able to use it in actual combat. Or rather, it¡¯s scary to imagine handling the power of something that can knock down a large tree. But asking Roda about it is¡­ Not an option. There¡¯s no way I can tell him that I can use the Gifts that I have seen with my glasses before. ****** Through trial and error, Sorichika¡¯s lectures, and some training, I was able to figure out more about my Glasses. The power of my Gift is similar to the Evil Eye that Zant had previously mentioned, but it doesn¡¯t quite fit into the definition either. If I had to give it a name, I¡¯d just go with Magic Glasses, for simplicity¡¯s sake. I have the ability to register, duplicate, and reproduce the Gifts that have been seen by my Glasses. It¡¯s an extremely useful and versatile ability, but it also has many restrictions. First of all, it¡¯s impossible to perfectly duplicate the registered Gift. Anything I copy is always inferior to the original. I seem to be able to reach only about half the original¡¯s power. Moreover, I can only register a Gift when I see someone using it. Or rather, I can¡¯t even see someone¡¯s Gift if it is not in use. ****** In Zant¡¯s case, which was the first Gift that I registered, I could only see one of his Gifts, the Hit Correction. This is something that seems to be constantly in use, and that is activated automatically without Zant needing to do anything. Perhaps he is not even able to deactivate it. However, I was unable to learn anything about Zant¡¯s other Gift, as he has never activated it himself. And well, when considering that he didn¡¯t even know he had two Gifts until I told him about it, I don¡¯t think he knows how to activate his other Gift either. Perhaps it is something as special as my Glasses. Nonetheless, I tried watching various people in the city and registering the Gifts that I could see. This kind of power might even be something that allows one to conquer the world if one wants to¡­ Though I think that¡¯s way too much of a goal for me. Ah, and I also don¡¯t seem to be able to register a Gift that I don¡¯t know anything about. Due to that, I¡¯ve read quite a few books on Gifts, so as to be able to register most Gifts that I see. Right now, I should be able to register anything from a common Gift to a somewhat rare one. And on that note, Roda¡¯s Flower Bolt and Lisse¡¯s Shadow Hunter Sword both seem to be fairly rare. ¡­ Since I was able to register Roda¡¯s Gift, then this means he has been using it for quite some time¡­ But what is he using it for? How can it be used? What is the Flower Bolt really like. ¡­ I really can¡¯t ask him any of that. CH 93 Chapter 93 ¨C Glasses boy talks about the rewards Now that I think about it¡­ ¡°Am I getting any reward from this?¡± We had been talking about money, so this came to mind. ¡°Oh, you woke up.¡± Roda commented. I didn¡¯t sleep in the first place. I was just thinking. ¡°What about me? Will I get a reward too?¡± Lisse asked. Lisse won¡¯t get anything. She wasn¡¯t even part of the original plan. ¡°You¡¯re not getting anything, Lisse.¡± Roda told her, as expected. Lisse seemed to have expected that too, as she didn¡¯t seem to be particularly dejected by his words. I suppose she understands that she¡¯s just here to carry luggage. But that¡¯s not the case for me. ¡°You¡¯re not getting anything either, Eil. As you¡¯re, officially, only here to carry my luggage. ¡°However, I called you here because I decided that I needed you, so I have essentially commissioned your work. ¡°Therefore, while you won¡¯t be getting any direct reward from the hunt itself, I¡¯ll still personally pay you for your help.¡± Roda told me. Oh, is that how it is? I¡¯m glad I asked then. It¡¯s only natural for a disciple to help their master, so I thought it couldn¡¯t be helped if I got no reward at all. After all, what I have learned from my master isn¡¯t something that can have a monetary value assigned to it. Even if I tried to forcefully convert the worth of my training to money, the final value would be absurdly high. Moreover, what I¡¯m learning now are the special skills of the assassins, something that is completely hidden from the general public. This is something that is simply impossible to be learned with money alone. It¡¯s the kind of thing that makes me really appreciate the master-student relationships that I have. Which is why I thought it was normal to get no reward. I don¡¯t know if Roda is just being generous, or if this is the result of his professionalism, which makes him want to pay a fair reward for whoever he hires. In any case, I don¡¯t know if it will be little or a lot, but it seems like I¡¯ll get a reward. ¡°Good for you. Then I guess there is no need to pay you back for the Ironhead tongue, right?¡± Lisse told me. ¡°If you think that¡¯s fine, then it¡¯s fine. But I will despise you very much if that¡¯s how you handle this.¡± I replied. ¡°I still don¡¯t think it makes much sense for me to pay you back for a gift, but I¡¯ll just get angry if I try arguing with you about this, so¡­ Roda, lend me some money.¡± Lisse said. Roda smiled wryly in response, ¡°Let¡¯s take this slowly and calm down, okay? ¡°To get back on topic, you¡¯ll get a reward Eil, but please understand that you most likely won¡¯t be getting any material from the Obsidian Wolf itself.¡± I suppose it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯m here just for searching, so it¡¯s inevitable that the people doing the extermination will be the ones who get the materials. Fur, fangs and bones of an Obsidian Wolf are all very valuable and can be sold at very high prices. The extra rewards that the guild leader mentioned were probably taking into consideration the value of the Obsidian Wolf¡¯s materials. ¡°I wish I could at least get a small fang¡­¡± Lisse commented. A fang? That would be great. It could end up making a pretty good knife. Now that Lisse mentioned it, I kinda want one too. After all, when I hunted the Sky Lizard before, my dismantling knife broke. Sure, I did get the blacksmith of the assassins¡¯ village to make a new one for me, but it¡¯s just a normal knife. It works fine for wild animals, but I want something better if I am to dismantle Demon Beasts. And a knife made from the fangs of an Obsidian Wolf would be perfect for that. A large fang of this Demon Beast would be good enough to make a fantastic sword, even. In fact, old folk tales often mention heroes who used swords forged out of the fangs of an Obsidian Wolf. ¡°That¡¯s still a tough request. The hunt this time isn¡¯t being led by Haidiga.¡± Roda told us. Mmmmm¡­? ¡°Not led by Haidiga? What do you mean?¡± Lisse asked. I was curious about it too, but I decided to not ask¡­ However, Lisse asked it anyways. I¡¯m a bit envious of this bluntness of her, even if I would never try to imitate it. ¡°Ah¡­ Well, I guess it¡¯s fine.¡± Roda seemed to be unsure if he should talk about it or not, but he decided to tell us about it anyways, ¡°The knights you saw seem to really want the kill for themselves. ¡°They apparently came here from a different country while chasing the Obsidian Wolf. ¡°However, wanting to kill it isn¡¯t enough to let them take our prey within the kingdom of Nastiara, especially the prey of a city where adventurers gather, like Haidiga. ¡°However, denying them could lead to an international issue, so¡­ Even if they¡¯re hiding their identity, we can be fairly sure that there is something going on behind the scenes, so we can¡¯t reject them altogether. ¡°Therefore, the guild leader decided that he wouldn¡¯t leave everything to the foreigners, but he would let them lead the hunt. That¡¯s how this operation was organized. ¡°So, right now, the people of Haidiga are serving as backup. ¡°In terms of who is in charge, the knights are first, then the adventurers from the capital come after, and then us, the adventurers of Haidiga. ¡°Even I am just on standby. If I am not needed, I should not intervene.¡± I see, so that¡¯s how it is? ¡°In other words, from Haidiga¡¯s point of view, the knights who came from outside just came here and snatched the delicious prey?¡± Lisse asked. In response to her plain words, Roda gave a plain response, ¡°That¡¯s absolutely true. ¡°But honestly, I think that¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Is that so? I think I would be annoyed if a prey was stolen away from me. ¡°What about you, Eil? Wouldn¡¯t you be annoyed?¡± Lisse asked me. Me? Well¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll despise you if you don¡¯t pay me back for the Ironhead tongue.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about, and I¡¯m still not convinced that your logic makes sense, but that¡¯s not the point here. ¡°Tell me if someone stealing your prey would get you angry.¡± Lisse replied. Stealing my prey? Well¡­ ¡°I think I have a similar opinion to Roda, though my reason might be different.¡± I told her. ¡°Huh? How come?¡± She asked. ¡°If someone else wants to do something dangerous, then it¡¯s fine to leave it to them. There¡¯s no reason to go out of my way to fight scary monsters myself.¡± I told her. Roda laughed at my reply, ¡°I have a similar line of thought. ¡°If Haidiga leads this hunt, then I¡¯m sure some people will die in the process. ¡°It¡¯s better if we can avoid shedding people¡¯s blood.¡± I suppose that is true. I certainly don¡¯t want to hear that an acquaintance died in a hunt. ¡°But it¡¯s you that we¡¯re talking about, Roda. Can¡¯t you hunt this Demon Beast by yourself?¡± Lisse asked. I¡¯m not sure if it was okay for Lisse to say that. She may have not said anything about Roda being the main assassin of Haidiga, but this is still a bit too much information. We don¡¯t know if the carriage¡¯s driver is listening, so it would be better to not say this kind of thing. Though well, when considering how much Roda already told us, it should be safe to assume that we don¡¯t need to worry about this kind of thing. ¡°I¡¯m strong against people. Originally, Demon Beasts were outside of my jurisdiction.¡± Roda replied. Oh¡­ Of course, he is an assassin. And shortly after that, the carriage started slowing down. Seems like we have arrived. CH 94 Chapter 94 ¨C Glasses boy belatedly says hello When we got off the carriage, I could see that we were in the middle of the mountain road. The forest to the left and to the right were quite dense, so we should be fairly deep within the one road that goes from Haidiga to the mountain. A month ago, when I came here from the assassins¡¯ village on the other side of the mountain, I took a safe detour, so I haven¡¯t been here before. After all, even the area around the foot of the mountain is filled with powerful Demon Beasts, so even though this is a road, it¡¯s not really suitable for traveling. As for the hunt I did together with Lisse, we didn¡¯t go deep within the mountain, so this area is still new to me. In any case, it seems like the people who had come here earlier to scout have joined up with our group, so there is a decent number of people here now. Currently speaking, there are the four knights, the three members of Black Swan of Dawn, Lorobel, me, Lisse, Roda, and a few dozen adventurers who seemed to be the scout team. Right now, the knights, the leaders of this expedition, were quietly discussing things with the adventurers that came earlier. It was early in the morning, before sunrise, but it was just bright enough to let us know that dawn was soon coming. In this quiet time of the day, the knights seem to intend to finish this hunt as secretly as possible. Otherwise, they should probably be able to lure a Demon Beast as strong as the Obsidian Wolf by simply making a big fuss. It¡¯s the kind of thing that tends to attract strong Demon Beasts. But I guess that¡¯s not the plan here. That said¡­ There are really few Demon Beasts here, aren¡¯t there? I¡¯ve been looking around, and it¡¯s way less crowded than the area I explored with Lisse. And there aren¡¯t many animals here either¡­ Though well, it¡¯s natural that there aren¡¯t many animals in a region filled with Demon Beasts, as those animals tend to be prey for said Demon Beasts. ¡°Then, we¡¯ll be waiting for you near the city.¡± One of the drivers said to Roda. Then, a few adventurers, who were going to serve as guards, boarded the carriage. The carriage left right after. The carriages that arrived with the knights and with Black Swan of Dawn seemed to also be leaving. I suppose this isn¡¯t the kind of place that they want to stay at for long. ¡°How about it? Did you find anything?¡± Roda, who was standing next to me, whispered. ¡°Oh, sorry. I¡¯ll start looking now.¡± I replied. I was brought here to find the Obsidian Wolf, after all. This comes first, looking at the surroundings can be done later. So, I activated Night Vision¡­ Or rather, Body Heat Vision. A power of my Glasses that allows me to see the body temperature of living things. It makes me see things like Demon Beasts glow with red light. This function that I had called Night Vision, is something that actually looks at the body temperature differences, allowing Demon Beasts and animals to stand out. I can¡¯t see too much detail though, so this power is useless in a place with lots of fires. It¡¯s also useless in places like hot springs. Even if there are people inside, the red lights will mix up with one another and I¡¯ll be unable to notice anything. Similarly, this is also useless in highly crowded areas, as everyone¡¯s lights will mix up. Essentially, it¡¯s the kind of ability that is mostly useful in unpopular hunting grounds, like this one. However, after looking around with Body Heat Vision, I was unable to find anything that looked like the Obsidian Wolf. Or at least, it¡¯s not within my visible range, so¡­ Let¡¯s broaden the scope a bit. I set the registered Gift, ¡®Hawk¡¯s Farsight¡¯ in my Glasses, then looked around again. Responding to my will, the words ¡®Hawk¡¯s Farsight¡¯ briefly appeared on the lens, then they melted and disappeared. This completes the setup. Hawk¡¯s Farsight is a Gift that lets me see farther than normal. Essentially improving my eyesight. Normally speaking, I can only use one registered Gift at a time with my Glasses, but¡­ Body Heat Vision and Numbers are powers that are inherent to the Glasses, so there is no conflict between them and registered Gifts. Essentially, I am able to use a registered Gift to enhance the natural characteristics of my Glasses. Hawk¡¯s Farsight can be used together with Body Heat Vision. Well, I think there is a lot more that I can do with my Glasses than just this though. I don¡¯t think I have fully explored the limits of my Gift. It¡¯s not an omnipotent Gift though. And definitely not the strongest one out there. In any case, with the aid of Hawk¡¯s Farsight, I looked around again and¡­ Ah, there it is. This must be it. ¡°He¡¯s in that direction, probably.¡± I told Roda. ¡°Probably?¡± He asked me. ¡°Yeah, probably. To be precise, I know that something huge is over there, but I can¡¯t say for sure if it¡¯s the Obsidian Wolf or not.¡± I explained. It is quite far from here though¡­ About halfway up the mountain. Still, I can see a really big red light over there¡­ As expected, I can¡¯t guarantee if it¡¯s truly the Obsidian Wolf or not. However, there are no living creatures near it, so I should be able to assume that the nearby Demon Beasts are avoiding this being, which makes it likely that it is the Obsidian Wolf. I didn¡¯t really explain what I was doing, but I think Roda probably understands that I can see the prey with my glasses to some extent. After all, Zant had figured out what my Gift was to some extent, and he probably reported it to Roda¡­ Either that or Roda just understood it on his own. But well, even if he asks me about the details, I won¡¯t really share them with him. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be there for a while then.¡± After saying this, Roda went to the knights and joined their conversation¡­ Is it okay to just blindly believe me like that? ¡°Ah, I get it.¡± Lisse commented. Mmm? Why did she suddenly say that? ¡°You can see them, can¡¯t you? The Demon Beasts.¡± Lisse asked. I stayed silent. Lisse was silent too. We stayed like this for a small while. ¡°¡­ Say something. Why are you staring at me with a blank face? Don¡¯t look at me like that.¡± Lisse told me. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Were you talking to me?¡± I replied. ¡°There¡¯s no one else here.¡± She stated. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just couldn¡¯t help wondering what was it that was talking.¡± I said. ¡°Eh? What was talking¡­? Are you saying I¡¯m grass again!? Why are you suddenly bullying me now!? Am I only cat grass to you now!?¡± Lisse exclaimed. Bullying the listener is bad. I simply want you to let me choose to not to talk. I don¡¯t want to talk, so I will ignore this. ¡­ Ah. ¡°Sorry, Lisse. I¡¯ll be on my way too.¡± I told her and started walking. ¡°Huh? Eh?¡± She said, but I ignored it. ****** ¡°Why are you this dizzy¡­? ¡°Hey, Horun. Where are you going?¡± Ainliese asked. When looking at the team of people from Black Swan of Dawn and Lorobel, I happened to see my older sister, Horun, staggering away from Ainliese. She seemed to be quite dizzy for some reason. ¡°Hey. If you go too far, I might leave you alone. You¡¯ll be lonely, won¡¯t you? Can you even go back home alone?¡± Ainliese told Horun as she staggered away. This is the only chance. It has to be here. I called out to Ainliese, the woman who was about to chase after Horun, who had already wandered into the forest. ¡°Sorry about my sister.¡± I told her. ¡°Oh¡­ Oh, the little brother.¡± Ainliese, who had a pretty sour expression on her face, stopped chasing after my sister and smiled. She had the same kind of carefree and gentle smile that she had back when I saw her at the Black Swan of Dawn¡¯s residence. ¡°What¡¯s up? I thought you had forgotten about us since you didn¡¯t come to say hello.¡± Ainliese said. I couldn¡¯t forget them. In some ways, they¡¯re more remarkable than the assassins. ¡°I thought it would be a bit troublesome if I got involved with my sister, so I came to say hello when I saw a chance.¡± I told her. ¡°Oh, yeah. Got it.¡± Ainliese nodded. That¡¯s good. She doesn¡¯t seem to be angry that I didn¡¯t come to say hello right away. ¡°I wanted to use this opportunity to say hello to Glock too, but he seems to be busy.¡± I said. Glock seemed to be the leader of the Black Swan of Dawn team, and he was currently in a meeting with the knights. ¡°The air here is tense. It¡¯s not a very good atmosphere.¡± Ainliese commented. That¡¯s because we¡¯re about to start hunting. A hunt against a big game that can easily take our lives if we let our guard down. It¡¯s natural that everyone is tense now. Though my sister being wobbly like that is strange¡­ But well, she¡¯s that sister of mine, so I guess it can¡¯t be helped. ¡°Let¡¯s eat dinner together after we get back to town. ¡°We¡¯ll probably be staying in Haidiga for a while though, so the dinner can wait a bit if needed.¡± Ainliese suggested. Oh, they are? Well, if they are staying for a while, then I guess we can eat together later. ¡°Then, can you tell everyone, other than my sister, that I came to say hello?¡± I asked Ainliese. ¡°Roger that. Let¡¯s do our best to not die here.¡± She replied with a very carefree smile. It was quite contrasting with the tense mood of this place¡­ ¡°See you later.¡± As Ainliese said that, she disappeared into the forest, chasing after my sister. That sister of mine¡­ Well, maybe Horun smelled something good. She has always been the kind of person to pick things from the ground and eat them. In any case¡­ It was just as I thought. I had only seen her briefly at the Black Swan of Dawn¡¯s residence, so I couldn¡¯t be sure, but I now got confirmation. From the calluses on her hand, I had assumed that Ainliese was a bow user, and I seem to have assumed correctly. Because right now, on top of her light leather armor, Ainliese was carrying a powerful longbow on her back. CH 95 Chapter 95 ¨C Glasses boy prepares for battle while thinking it¡¯s fishy ¡°Attention!¡± The knight with a scar on his face shouted. After seeing Ainliese off, who had gone out to look after Horun, I returned to Lisse¡¯s side, who was waiting alone. ¡°We¡¯ll now start searching, and then defeat the Obsidian Wolf!¡± The knight exclaimed. Seems like they finished deciding on the plan. ¡°We will split into three groups and head to the mountain¡¯s summit through different routes while searching for the prey! ¡°Move quickly and raise the smoke signal as soon as you spot the target! And make sure to help the adventurers guiding you evacuate!¡± The knight told us. So that¡¯s the plan¡­ I suppose it¡¯s more efficient to move like this than to have everyone work together. We have over thirty people, after all. ¡°Isn¡¯t it safer if everyone sticks together? Once the battle started, our forces would be concentrated.¡± Lisse whispered to me. She really is inexperienced. She thinks it would be better to move together in such a large group¡­ Well, there are times where moving together is the right decision, but it depends on the situation. ¡°If that¡¯s what you think, then go ahead and suggest it. Maybe you can convince them.¡± I told her. ¡°What¡¯s up with this expression? Isn¡¯t it too early to start despising me? Even if I still don¡¯t think your logic makes sense, this isn¡¯t the time to be thinking about the Ironhead tongue.¡± She replied. Oh, right. I don¡¯t have to despise Lisse just yet¡­ I guess I brought out my contempt too early. Even if it was not time to despise her yet, I could still despise her way too easily. ¡°It¡¯s important to cover ground quickly this time, and big groups inevitably end up progressing at a slower pace than a smaller one. ¡°Also, it¡¯s not a good idea to fight in a large group either. ¡°If too many people are crowded together when they encounter the Obsidian Wolf, one person may interfere with the movements of the other. ¡°You¡¯ll be attacking while trying to avoid your allies¡¯ blows, and you may also accidentally hit them with your own attack. ¡°In this kind of situation, we could end up killing one another.¡± I explained. The more people there are in the group, the more confusion will occur, and the higher the chances of total collapse will be. Moreover, the people who are farther away might not even be able to properly grasp the state of the battle. This kind of confusion, with the situation unclear, can easily create fear. On top of that, the Obsidian Wolf is famous for its incredible size and speed. If the fighters are staying together in a tight group, then the Obsidian Wolf might be able to crush them all with a single blow. The knights though¡­ They¡¯ll probably be fine. They are people who are highly proficient at fighting in groups. Their skillset is much different than the Adventurers¡¯, who primarily hone their own individual skills. Master has always told me to be careful when hunting with others. Especially in a large group battle, as archers will have a hard time finding a safe place to shoot from, and we need to make sure that we don¡¯t accidentally hit our comrades¡¯ back. ¡°So basically, doubling numbers doesn¡¯t necessarily mean doubling powers, so one big group isn¡¯t ideal?¡± Lisse commented. ¡°Basically that, though that applies only to hunting grounds.¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s limited to just that.¡± Lisse said. ¡°Well, it can also be applied to beautiful women.¡± I commented. ¡°Huh? Eh? What? I¡¯m limited? You limiting me from participating?¡± Lisse asked. I stayed silent. ¡°Silence is your answer, then? Then I can hit you the next time you say anything about it, right?¡± Lisse stated. I don¡¯t want to get hit, so I decided to remain silent. Lisse¡¯s hits are extremely fast though, so maybe I should keep some distance? ¡­ For some reason, every time I took a step away from her, she stepped closer to me right after. ****** ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s depart then.¡± Roda told us. Once the knight finished giving his instructions, each group started moving. Roda rejoined with me and Lisse, as well as five adventurers of the scouting team. The eight of us started moving towards the summit, while taking a detour towards the east side of the mountain. The Black Swan of Dawn team will be heading to the summit while taking a detour to the west, and the knights will take the shortest path to the area I pointed Roda towards. Essentially, the knights are taking the route that will lead to them encountering the Obsidian Wolf first, and then they might or might not raise the signal before engaging the enemy. ¡­ When considering that they came all the way here to hunt this Demon Beast, I have a hard time imagining that they¡¯ll give up their prey to adventurers. They probably value their honor too much for that. ¡°I don¡¯t like this.¡± One adventurer commented. ¡°Why should we give our prey away to a stranger?¡± Another adventurer grumbled. Roda then started soothing them with lighthearted talk, ¡°Come on, it¡¯s the guild master¡¯s request, don¡¯t mind it too much.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a drink when we get back home, alright?¡± Roda said after an adventurer grumbled a bit more. ¡°Ah? Women? Okay, I can help setting you up with someone.¡± Roda said after another complaint from an adventurer. Roda is still fairly young, but the adventurers seem to respect him quite a bit¡­ Well, he is pretty strong, so it¡¯s understandable. That said, the blatant nature at which the knights are acting bothers me¡­ Just like what Lisse said in the carriage, it really feels like they¡¯re stealing our prey. ¡­ I wonder if that¡¯s really the case though? ¡°Oh, me? I¡¯m carrying Roda¡¯s luggage.¡± Lisse replied to an adventurer. ¡°Oh, I see! You¡¯re a rookie then? Nice meeting you!¡± The adventurer happily replied and started having a friendly chit-chat with Lisse. This woman had a really suspicious smile on her, and I never saw her before¡­ Fishy. I naturally positioned myself at the back of the group while staring at their friendly chat¡­ Who is this refreshing and cheerful person? Well¡­ I guess it¡¯s fine, even if she¡¯s fishy. In any case, we kept on walking, with me serving as the rear guard, through this mountain that was mostly deserted of Demon Beasts. ****** From now on, a battle may start at any time. I¡¯m not counted as part of the fighting force, but in an emergency, I might need to take action before it¡¯s too late. Of course, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m a force to be reckoned with, but it¡¯s still important to act at the right moment. It will be too late if I decide to act after someone has already been killed. If no one can move in a deadly situation, I¡¯ll have no choice but to act. I¡¯ll have to stop the Obsidian Wolf¡¯s attack. I may not be able to kill the Obsidian Wolf, but I should be able to create a momentary gap to help the main fighters. If I can¡¯t do even that much, then there would be no point to all the training I have done so far. I have been accumulating power exactly for this kind of emergency. Moreover, it doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re still training or are inexperienced. Once you¡¯re at the hunting grounds, you have no excuses to hide behind. As a single hunter, I¡¯ll do what I can. So, I need to rely on the powers of my Glasses. For now, I willed my Glasses into showing the list of registered Gifts. Physical Reinforcement; Speed Reinforcement; Hit Correction; Enhanced Hearing; Sight Enhancement; Olfactory Enhancement. Those are the Gifts I have that are related to direct enhancements. The people who had those Gifts had them always active, so it was easy to register them. I have other types of Gifts available though. Flower Bolt; Life Absorption; Blue Map; Spirit Possession; Shadow Hunter Sword; One Point; Red Hot; Funny Fake; Sound Bomb; Dark Bellows; Medical Vision; Appraisal Eye; Hawk¡¯s Farsight. There are all sort of strange names there, but¡­ Well, all those Gifts are powerful and useful in their own ways. CH 96 Chapter 96 ¨C Glasses boy talks to Roda Due to the restriction of me being able to register Gifts only when they¡¯re being used, while I was in the city, I had no opportunity to register Gifts that would only be used in battles. After all, those types of Gifts won¡¯t ever be activated within the city itself. Due to that, I don¡¯t have many registered Gifts that are useful in direct combat. Putting aside the Gifts that strengthen the person directly, the ones that I can use that would be actively helpful in battle would be¡­ Flower Bolt, Shadow Hunter Sword and Sound Bomb. Amongst those, Lisse¡¯s Shadow Hunter Sword is definitely the best. It can enhance the power of my bow and arrows and weaken Demon Beasts, so it¡¯s quite easy to use too. However, as a Gift focused on swords, its effectiveness is limited when used with a bow. Moreover, the target this time is the Obsidian Wolf. I can¡¯t expect to deal any meaningful amount of damage to it. Not to mention that it¡¯s extremely hard to aim for a fatal wound when facing a prey that is this big. The arrows would surely stop penetrating long before reaching a vital organ. There is the Flower Bolt though. Which is a Gift I have been curious about for a while now¡­ However, I can¡¯t really this Gift in a real battle. Not before trying to experiment with it at least. ¡­ Should I try it out now then? I¡¯m at the back of the group, so nobody is looking at me. And there are no animals nor Demon Beasts around us. If I use this secretly, nobody should be able to notice it. Perhaps this Gift might be an immediate asset to my fighting prowess. If I can try it out at least once, I should be able to use it in combat. ¡­ Alright, let¡¯s try it. I set the Flower Bolt Gift to my Glasses, then, since this is a type of magic, I activated it with magical power- A sharp sound echoed. A numbing shock ran through my right hand that shot out thunder. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± It was hot¡­ It hurts. There was a bit of smoke coming out from my hand even. It¡¯s really hot. ¡°¡­ What happened?¡± Lisse asked me. Both she and the female adventurer that she was talking to turned around after hearing the sound. ¡°I just got hit by a branch.¡± I replied. We are moving through a route that¡¯s most likely an animal trail, and there are a lot of trees and plants around us. Moreover, we are moving quickly, so this kind of excuse should work. ¡°Oh, alright.¡± The two of them looked forward and continued moving. Seems like I tricked them. That¡¯s a relief¡­ But this is painful. It¡¯s seriously painful. It reminds me of the time when Horun beat me up with all her might back when I was child. It was this kind of intense pain that the shock gave me. ¡­ Why was it that I was beaten again? ¡­ The animal bones that she was collecting? I think¡­ Was it because I threw them away without permission? Oh, right, I didn¡¯t even throw them away. I gave them to my master¡¯s wife, because she wanted to make a soup with them. What did it taste like though? I¡¯m sure I have eaten it, but I don¡¯t really remember¡­ I only remember the pain from the beating and how furious Horun was. She told me¡­ She told me that she no longer had any bones to chew on. Yes, that was it. Horun had realized that no meat would grow even if she buried bones, but she was old enough to bite the bones, so she wanted to chew on them. ¡­ She really was a horrible sister. But anyways¡­ Does the Flower Bolt create thunder? Though it seems more like a self-destructive power than anything. I mean, what even is this? The power to make you explode yourself in front of the enemy? This is far from being usable. ¡­ Well, maybe there is a proper way to use it. I just don¡¯t know it yet. I suppose it¡¯s impossible to immediately master a Gift that I have just acquired. Never mind being able to use it in actual combat. ¡°You really stole it from me, didn¡¯t you?¡± Roda commented. ¡­ Amazing. Truly amazing. Unlike the city, this is a hunting ground. A place that I¡¯m extra careful at and pay constant attention to my surroundings. And yet. I didn¡¯t feel anything. Before I realized it, the assassin, Roda, was behind me. ¡°Well, from your attitude and demeanor, I figured that you must have had this kind of Gift.¡± Roda lined up next to me. ¡­ He was smiling. He doesn¡¯t seem angry. That¡¯s¡­ Good? ¡­ I don¡¯t think this smile is real though. Roda may give off the impression of a gentle big brother, but he is probably the strictest assassin of Haidiga, and the one most willing to get his hands dirty. If it ever came to it, I think Roda would be more unforgiving and hesitate less than both Zant and Sorichika. Even if he received an order as crazy as destroying the whole city of Haidiga, I¡¯m fairly sure he would do it without hesitation. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have ended up becoming the representative of this city. So, well¡­ I don¡¯t want to get him angry. ¡°Your Gift replicates Gifts then? Or imitates them perhaps? That¡¯s basically what your Glasses do, isn¡¯t it?¡± Roda commented. He really saw through it¡­ I tried not to show it in my attitude, but I guess the viewpoint of a professional must be truly different. Lisse also noticed that I had something related to sight as my Gift, though¡­ She¡¯s sharp. But then¡­ Maybe¡­ ¡°Were you using it to make sure?¡± I asked him. Since he already knows it, then I have no reason to hide, so I just asked him directly. Because Roda is still using his Flower Bolt. It¡¯s still visible to me. ¡°No, I¡¯m using it because it¡¯s necessary¡­ And honestly, I don¡¯t really need to find out any more details about your Gift.¡± Roda explained. Ah, right, the same as Sorichika. ¡°Because you can always kill me if something happens, right? Sorichika told me about it.¡± I commented. No matter what I do, I¡¯m not a threat to them, so they don¡¯t need to force themselves to find out the details of my Gift. That¡¯s just how it is. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a part of it.¡± Roda said. Just a part? ¡°You see, if I know too much, I may not want to let you go. ¡°After all, your Gift is very rare. It would be nice to keep it handy.¡± Roda continued. Eh¡­? ¡°But I can¡¯t do that. It¡¯s fine if you choose to stay with us, but I can¡¯t force you to.¡± Roda told me. ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah. Our organization is barely standing as is. We can¡¯t simply take promising children and force them to work for us, this would be no good for the country.¡± Roda replied. ¡­ Right. This matches with what I heard in the capital from Weiss Leavant. The noble old man that introduced me to the world of assassins¡­ He said that assassins were running out of jobs. That they were no longer needed in current times. I was skeptical about his words, but he did say that I could do whatever I wanted in the future. That I didn¡¯t need to become an assassin even if I joined the assassins¡¯ school. Well¡­ I¡¯m not sure if he will abide by those words though. ¡°Alright, Eil.¡± Roda wrapped his arm around my shoulder and whispered in a very small tone, so that only I could hear him, ¡°I will say it only once. I have never said it to anyone else, and I have no intention of telling anybody other than you. Take this knowledge to the grave with you. ¡°Now listen. This is how you use my Flower Bolt.¡± ****** After finishing a very precious lecture that I would never have the chance of hearing or asking about again, Roda let go of me and went back to walking by my side normally. He really is trusting me with way too much. He told me the details of his Gift. An incredibly important piece of information¡­ He revealed his hands for free. I suppose he feels a bit safer when teaching ¡®a boy who knows how to keep his mouth shut¡¯, but still¡­ ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it works. It¡¯s probably impossible for you to master it right away, but with practice, you should be able to manage it somehow. Good luck.¡± Roda told me. I hope so¡­ Well, I guess I¡¯ll have to practice plenty with it. That said¡­ ¡°I stayed quiet and listened to the end, but¡­ Why did you tell me? I would never talk about my Gift like that.¡± I asked him. ¡°There are many reasons, but the main one is accident prevention.¡± Roda replied. Accident prevention? ¡°Just like you did earlier, I made the same mistake once.¡± Roda waved his leather-gloved right hand, ¡°The thunder burned my hand thoroughly. It basically became cinders, burnt completely from inside. ¡°Thanks to that, I once had to say goodbye to this hand.¡± Eh? ¡°The Flower Bolt is this dangerous? But then, what about your right hand? Did you heal it somehow?¡± I asked. ¡°It was healed with magic. We had to cut off the charred hand, then regenerate it with magic¡­ It hurt so much that I cried, you know?¡± Roda replied. I see¡­ That would definitely be painful enough to make one cry. Or rather, if crying was all that it did, then that just attests to how much mental strength Roda has. ¡°Be careful when using it at its strongest. Never try it until you¡¯re completely used to it, or you might really die from the attempt.¡± Roda told me. I see¡­ Accident prevention¡­ Yeah, I can see why he would want to do that. ¡°By the way, Eil. What kind of relationship do you have with Lisse?¡± Roda suddenly asked me. Eh? ¡°Why are you asking such a question? Don¡¯t try asking if we¡¯re lovers, okay? I do not react well to this kind of thing.¡± I replied. ¡°Ah? Rejection?¡± Roda said. It¡¯s out again. That intense anger that I felt yesterday¡­ ¡°Well, honestly, I don¡¯t really care about whether or not your relationship is that of lovers.¡± Roda¡¯s words helped me calm down a bit, ¡°But it has influenced Lisse.¡± Lisse? ¡°I spoke to her in the carriage today for the first time in a while, and I was surprised. She was a lot brighter than before. As if she was a completely different person.¡± Roda told me. ¡°Really? Hasn¡¯t she always been like that?¡± I replied. ¡°Are you interested?¡± Roda asked. ¡°Not really.¡± I instantly replied. ¡°I supposed that¡¯s fine. I guess this kind of unpretentious friendship is positive enough as is.¡± Roda said. I stayed silent. ¡°From now on, please continue to getting along the way you have. I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡± As Roda said that, he patted me on the back. No, please don¡¯t touch me like that, and I don¡¯t want to do that either. ¡°I¡¯m actually thinking of going back to the village after this is over.¡± I told Roda. ¡°Eh? You¡¯re going back to the other side?¡± He asked. Because there is nothing left for me to do in Haidiga. ¡°By the way. I¡¯d prefer if you didn¡¯t say things like, ¡®I¡¯ll be counting on you¡¯ before a dangerous hunt. This gives off a very ominous feeling. It sounds like a will.¡± I told Roda, ignoring his question. He laughed, ¡°I don¡¯t believe in this kind of thing.¡± ¡­ Well, I don¡¯t believe in it either, but I still prefer to not take the initiative to bring any sinister fate upon us. I prefer to play it safe. ¡°Besides, I can¡¯t die yet. I have been invited to participate on the wedding of an adventurer friend, and to come up with the name for a child, then there is a woman that I like and that I think I might win over soon¡­ ¡°Oh, and did you see those two women amongst the knights? Wouldn¡¯t it be a waste to pass away before having more time to admire them? I¡¯m thinking of asking them out after this hunt is over. I think the white one might be open, don¡¯t you think so?¡± Roda started spewing one sinister phrase after another¡­ Stop¡­ Don¡¯t go any further¡­ He stopped. Roda did stop talking. Not because he read my mind or anything though. Now was it because we had a bad premonition. ¡°That¡¯s the smoke signal! Everyone, evacuate! Eil, Lisse! You two with me!¡± Roda ordered. He stopped, because we could now see red smoke rising from the area where I had seen the Obsidian Wolf. CH 97 Chapter 97 ¨C Glasses boy encounters the Obsidian Wolf He¡¯s fast. Me and Lisse were doing our best just to try chasing him, yet Roda was already far ahead of us. ¡°Hurry up! Don¡¯t be late!¡± He shouted. I couldn¡¯t even reply¡­ He was running at such speed, that any slight disturbance on my breathing would be enough to make me lose sight of Roda. We were running as fast as we could, but Roda was probably still holding back a bit. ¡­ And yet, it didn¡¯t take long for us to lose sight of him anyways. The smoke signal was raised around halfway up the mountain. It¡¯s somewhat far from here, but we should arrive soon if we keep moving at this speed. The adventurers who were serving as our guides have already been left behind, but they should be evacuating to the positions that we had agreed upon in advance. After the Obsidian Wolf is subjugated, those adventurers will be the ones responsible for carrying its body. Just like the carriages that we used to come here. ¡­ Well, me and Lisse will probably have to do that too, since we are officially here as luggage carriers. In any case, I set the Sound Bomb Gift at my Glasses. The Shadow Hunter Sword gives greater offensive potential, but I don¡¯t think attacking is the best thing I can do to help with this fight. ****** After a while running up the roadless slope, we finally saw Roda¡¯s back again. We finally arrived at the scene¡­ It was there¡­ This is it! The moment I saw it, I quickly hid behind a nearby tree and started analyzing the situation. How to say it¡­ Well, it¡¯s just a big black wolf. An extremely large wolf with glossy black fur. A wolf so big that it could swallow a human whole. Its indigo eyes set it apart from the other Demon Beasts of this mountain. Those eyes were intelligent, ferocious, and somewhat noble. I could understand it from a glace¡­ This Demon Beast is strong. It¡¯s on a whole another level when compared to any other Demon Beast I have ever seen. Its appearance was about the same as the rumors, but¡­ After seeing it with my own eyes, it was even more incredible than what I expected. A person was so small when compared to the Obsidian Wolf¡­ And this is¡­ A stepping stone for heroes? You have to be kidding me. No matter how I look at it, this is a proud lone wolf that can easily crush any heroes that stand in its way. ¡­ And yet, the four knights were already fighting it. They were¡­ Quite amazing. Those people from the neighboring country have taken the initiative to start the battle, even if the people from Black Swan of Dawn have yet to arrive. I knew it on the moment I saw it. I cannot win against the Obsidian Wolf¡­ Or rather, if it targets me, I¡¯ll be instantly killed. That¡¯s just how strong it is. I know basically everything there is to know about wolves, but there¡¯s no way I could keep up with the Obsidian Wolf. It is just too big. Too fast. A nightmarish Demon Beast that is much larger than the Chalk Chicken, and faster than it too. ¡­ And yet, the four knights are handling it. That is amazing in itself, but they¡¯re also inflicting wounds on the Obsidian Wolf too. Led by the old man with a scarred face, the young male knight and the two female knights were not only fighting with amazing individual strength, but with incredible coordination that made it seem like they were toying with the Obsidian Wolf. The dexterous old man with his scarred face swung a huge sword vigorously, sometimes for offense and sometimes for defense. The young man wielded a simple long sword with both hands. And the two female knights flexibly responded to the situation with a sword and shield. Each one of them was doing a great job at constantly distracting the Obsidian Wolf and making it unable to land clear hits on their allies. Moreover, their blades often times connected with the Obsidian Wolf, creating more and more wounds on its large legs and on its mouth. None of them were fatal, but he was seeping blood from many places. The knights are definitely damaging it. It would certainly be a hindrance for them if more people joined the battle. We would get in the way of their cooperation. In any case, I was able to look at their Gifts now that they were in battle. The old man had Sword Specialization; the young man had Quick Edge; the fair-skinned woman had Tree Wind; and the tanned woman had Life Absorption, which I had already registered before. I don¡¯t use swords, so the first two Gifts are useless to me, and the Tree Wind is not something that I can make use of right now. I¡¯d need to figure out how it works before trying anything with it. ¡°Roda!¡± The knight leader shouted. Roda must have thought the same as me, that participating would hinder their cooperation, so he was not interfering with this battle. However, now that the knight leader noticed Roda, ¡°Help us! Don¡¯t let it escape! Kill it here!¡± he directly asked for Roda¡¯s intervention. A direct nomination, huh? Roda had told us that he was more of a backup, so this was a bit unexpected. It was probably something that the knight leader decided on the spot after judging the current situation. I feel like the knights might still be able to win even without help, but if they want to kill the Obsidian Wolf quickly and without leaving anything to chance, then getting extra fighting power should be very important. After all, like the old man just said, there is a chance that the Obsidian Wolf might try escaping. Besides, Roda should be able to fight in a way that doesn¡¯t hinder the knights¡¯ cooperation, even if they¡¯ll have to adapt to each other¡¯s fighting style on the spot. Because that¡¯s just how good Roda is. The knight asked for his help probably because he is aware of that too. ¡°Eil, I¡¯ll leave you in charge. Take care of Lisse. ¡°Lisse, listen to his instructions. Don¡¯t try joining the fray without permission.¡± Roda told us as he unsheathed his longsword, ¡°Also, Eil, you don¡¯t really want to sit around in the sidelines doing nothing, do you? ¡°I¡¯ll leave it up to your judgement, so do whatever you want. ¡°However, I won¡¯t be held responsible if you die.¡± He really is amazing¡­ How can he see through people this well? ¡°Then, let¡¯s go! I will not let you taste human flesh, dog!¡± As Roda shouted that, he joined the battle. Truly¡­ He had to say this kind of ominous thing even now? It¡¯s the exact type of phrase that someone would say when they¡¯re ready to fight to their utmost, yet gets easily killed in no time¡­ Well¡­ Roda is fighting now. I started preparing my bow too. ¡°Eh? Are you really going?¡± Lisse asked me. I had completely forgotten about it, but Lisse was right next to me. We were hiding together. And I¡¯m¡­ Not sure if I should go. This Demon Beast has an overwhelming presence. The kind that I have never seen before. I was so shaken up from simply seeing it, that I completely forgot about my own surroundings. It was only now that I realized how stiff I was. This is no good¡­ I started moving my shoulders a bit, loosening them. Some tension is necessary in a battle, but excessive tension hinders one¡¯s movements. Calm down. Act just like usual. I just have to do what I can. ¡°Lisse, you should wait here.¡± I told her. ¡°Are you really going? It¡¯s impossible for you to handle this kind of enemy, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lisse asked me. Yes, it¡¯s impossible. We have been training together for quite some time, so we understand the level of each other¡¯s abilities well. Neither me nor Lisse are able to directly participate in the fight. We¡¯ll just die in vain if we try. But if you ask me if there¡¯s anything that I can do to help, then I¡¯ll have to say that there is. My contribution will be infinitely small though. ¡°Just watch it properly, Lisse. An opportunity like this one is rare, so it will surely be a valuable experience.¡± I told her. ¡°Are you really going? But that would be-¡± I punched her in the stomach, not letting her finish. She punched me hard on the face. An extremely fast an unavoidable blow that was at least twice as hard as my own punch. ¡°What¡¯s up with that!? Isn¡¯t it better not to go anyways!?¡± She exclaimed. ¡°It hurts¡­¡± I muttered. Lisse¡¯s expression had just been really pained until just now. It seemed like her heart was aching, so I punched her, and then she punched me back. The both of us stayed silent for a small while. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m going. You stay here.¡± I eventually told her. ¡°Shut up. Get going already.¡± She replied. Well¡­ That¡¯s it then. It¡¯s better to be sent off like this, than with that kind of pitiful face that showed how uneasy she was. Alright. Let¡¯s go. CH 98 Chapter 98 ¨C Glasses boy wants to apologize Before I realized it, dawn had arrived. It was still early in the morning, but the sun was now properly shining through the mountains, highlighting the jet-black Demon Beast. I could now clearly see the Obsidian Wolf. It looks strong. It¡¯s big. And it¡¯s really cool. Black wolves are really cool. ¡­ This isn¡¯t the time to be thinking this kind of thing. This is an extremely dangerous situation where people could die at any moment¡­ Still, it is cool. In any case, the knights chose a small clearing as their battlefield. It¡¯s pretty close to the forest itself, but not directly within it. They probably decided that it would be better to fight in a place with solid foothold and clear visibility, even if it meant that the Obsidian Wolf could move around more easily too. It certainly wasn¡¯t their intent, but they chose a location that was perfect for me. The knights and Roda are on the frontline, on the center of the clearing. In this situation, I can snipe the Obsidian Wolf while hiding within the forest. Well, this bow and arrow won¡¯t even be able to pierce the fur of the Obsidian Wolf though. No matter how I look at it, it¡¯s definitely tougher than the Chalk Chicken. Even the huge sword of the old man is only delivering shallow wounds to the Obsidian Wolf, in fact. However, I don¡¯t need to deliver any damage. I just need to hit it. The Obsidian Wolf is a quick enemy. Moreover, as it is four-legged, it always has very stable footing. It can easily move backwards, sideways and forward without losing balance. This kind of stability lets it easily link one action into the next one. The damage that the knights accumulated on its legs are most likely the first step towards limiting the movement of this enemy. It may not be making a big difference now, but it will gradually weaken the Obsidian Wolf for sure. Also¡­ A hunter who can¡¯t hit a prey, simply because it¡¯s fast, is a useless hunter. Especially when dealing with a prey that is this big and hasn¡¯t even noticed me. It¡¯s a prey that is moving, but it¡¯s fine, because it is still within my range. If I can¡¯t hit it, my master would definitely get angry at me. ****** I left the place where I ordered Lisse to wait, climbed a tree, then started patiently waiting. Not just waiting though. I paid attention. I stared at the fight, getting used to following the movements of the Obsidian Wolf with my eyes. I observed the cooperation of the knights and started identifying their offensive and defensive patterns. And Roda, who is poking through the gaps in the Obsidian Wolf¡¯s movements and creating distractions¡­ I gave up quickly. I can¡¯t read him. After all, Roda is moving according to the situation, adapting on the spot depending on what the knights and the Obsidian Wolf are doing. There is no pattern in Roda¡¯s actions. ¡­ Or rather, he is doing exactly the kind of thing that I would like to do in his place. To switch back and forth between losing the attention of the Obsidian Wolf, then becoming a distraction when needed. Roda is skillfully toying with the Obsidian Wolf like that. ¡­ Well, the main difference between me and him, is that he has a lot of leeway with this fighting style, while I would instantly die if I tried it. In any case, after observing the fight for a while, I came to the conclusion that I should aim for the moment when the Obsidian Wolf approaches one of the two female knights. Their roles in this battle are to be the people who take the brunt of the Obsidian Wolf¡¯s blows. That¡¯s why they¡¯re carrying shields with them. They either receive the attack head-on, or parry it, creating opportunities for the male knights to attack. That¡¯s the main pattern that they are working with in this battle. The fair-skinned knight uses a small shield and the Tree Wind Gift to skillfully parry the blows of the Obsidian Wolf, so she seems to have enough leeway to handle its attacks. The problem is the tanned one. Differently from the fair-skinned one, she uses a large metal shield that was obviously chosen for its high defensive power. And because she uses this kind of shield, she often receives the attacks head-on. A fighting style that puts a lot of strain on her body. The impact from multiple blows would accumulate over time, which might lead to her posture eventually collapsing. At this point, the shield would become useless. The attacks of the Obsidian Wolf are extremely powerful, and as it is also a very fast Demon Beast, it attacks often. Even if the tanned knight has the Life Absorption Gift, that helps her sustain her stamina and gradually heals her from the impact of the blows, it is most likely not enough to let her withstand the attacks of a foe as powerful as the Obsidian Wolf for a long period of time. It would be best if I never had a turn in this battle¡­ With this wish that was basically a prayer, I hoped for the best. ¡­ But my turn came unexpectedly early. The lounge of the Obsidian Wolf clashed with the tanned knight, like it had done many times before. This time, however, the body of the tanned knight was flung away. The Obsidian Wolf is a smart foe. It learns. If a simple leg swing doesn¡¯t work, it starts adjusting the angle of the attack, it starts getting momentum on its charge to deliver more powerful blows. Delivering attacks that look the same, but that are more damaging. Pair that up with the damage that had already been accumulated on the body of the tanned knight, she eventually couldn¡¯t withstand it and was thrown backwards by the attack. However, she seemed to have expected this to eventually happen. She quickly rolled as she fell, then stood up immediately after. She had clearly lost her balance, but without dropping neither sword nor shield, she stood up once again. It surely showed how skillful those knights were. However¡­ The Obsidian Wolf roared and charged forward. It didn¡¯t lose any momentum and moved towards the tanned knight that was still recovering her foothold. And, the Obsidian Wolf had its mouth open. ¡­ A bite. A direct bite that she could not stop. An extremely primitive movement that anyone can see coming, and yet, it¡¯s probably the most threatening attack of the Obsidian Wolf. If a Demon Beast as big as this one bites you, it won¡¯t let go until you die. Well, a human will probably die as soon as they¡¯re bitten. But even if they are lucky enough to not die, they¡¯ll be immediately thrown to the sides of the mouth and be completely minced by the molar teeth in instants. Demon Beasts have a tremendous advantage over humans simply from being big. This is why they¡¯re so strong. But that¡¯s why people come up with lots of plans to handle this kind of enemy. Just as the Obsidian Wolf started its charge, both the old man and the young man swung their swords at its leg. However, the Obsidian Wolf ignored their attacks. Perhaps it remembers being played with throughout this battle, so it decided to focus on one person at a time. Killing its enemies one by one. I thought this would happen eventually. And I thought that if the Obsidian Wolf used this kind of plan, it would aim for the tanned knight. I was ready for it. So, on the moment that the tanned knight was blown away, I immediately readied my bow, then shot an arrow from the tree branch that I was positioned at. Even if the knights got in the way of the Obsidian Wolf, they wouldn¡¯t be hit by the arrow, as I¡¯m aiming it from above. So, my arrow traveled in a straight line. No obstacles got in its way and it was able to hit the side of the Obsidian Wolf, who was caught completely off guard. [Look at that boing boing! It¡¯s super big!] Everyone stopped moving as those words resonated throughout the battlefield. ¡­ Eh? Look at that¡­ Boing boing¡­ Boing boing¡­ Super big¡­ The roar was far louder than I imagined. This outrageous sound echoed to the distant sky. ¡­ That was the Sound Bomb. A type of magic that can be added to matter. When the infused matter touches something, it makes a specified sound. That¡¯s all that this Gift does. The sound was added to the arrow, creating a gap on the Obsidian¡¯s Wolf¡¯s assault when it was frightened by the sudden large sound that echoed directly in its ear. That was my plan. Cover fire to protect someone, stopping the Obsidian¡¯s Wolf attack. I figured that this was the only thing that I could do here. That exclamation about boing boings was something I heard in the royal capital once. Someone shouted that, and I realized that this was probably the loudest scream I had ever heard in my life. So, I used it in the Sound Bomb. If the noise wasn¡¯t loud enough, the Obsidian Wolf wouldn¡¯t be surprised by it. Then, added together with the Sound Bomb at maximum volume, it created this thing¡­ I truly didn¡¯t expect it to end up being this loud. Also, I think it was a bit of a problem that I focused on the practicality of making the sound as loud as possible, and neglected to pay attention to the content of the sound itself. It was not intentional, but I can¡¯t help thinking that I did something bad here. I mean¡­ I have no idea who said this, nor what they meant with these words. Judging from the voice, I can assume that it was someone around my age, but I don¡¯t know anything more than that. It was just something that I happened to hear on the first time I ever went to a big city. And well, while the Obsidian Wolf did suddenly stop moving because of the loud noise in its ear, everyone else also stopped moving. They seemed shaken¡­ Probably due to the contents of the noise. Even Roda, who had been highly responsive and moved flexibly throughout the battle, had stopped moving and had a puzzled, but stern expression in his face. But well¡­ It worked out. The Obsidian Wolf was so surprised that it interrupted its attack. It jumped away from the tanned knight and started looking around, trying to understand what was that noise that it just heard. My cover fire was a complete success. It saved the tanned knight from a dangerous situation. It was a perfect shot that can only be described as spectacular. Something nobody could possibly complain about. ¡­ I¡¯m sorry. In the midst of such a serious and dangerous battle, I did something silly and funny. Maybe I should apologize later. ¡­ Or rather, I want to apologize. ¡­ I have a feeling that they will never forgive me for this though. CH 99 Chapter 99 ¨C Glasses boy catches a glimpse of the power of the Saintess of Demon Exorcism ¡°Don¡¯t falter!¡± The knight leader shouted. In this battlefield that had been taken over by the awkward atmosphere caused by the boing boing, the scream of the old man echoed. ¡°The target is still alive! Do not let your guard down!¡± The knight leader exclaimed. He¡¯s right. For a moment, the tension had completely disappeared from the battlefield, but thanks to the old man¡¯s words, everyone started moving again. Of course, from the point of view of the Obsidian Wolf, who did not understand the words that echoed in its ear, the battle just continued its normal pace. Even if the motivation of the attacking humans had decreased drastically for some reason, it still had no reason to hold back or hesitate. To me, it felt like the embarrassing awkward moment lasted for a very long time, but in reality, it was only for a few seconds. Enough to let everyone recover from the shock before the Obsidian Wolf recovered from the surprise. The battle now continued as if nothing had happened. I could finally feel a bit relieved. ¡°Supporting fire!¡± The knight leader shouted. Ah¡­ He is talking to me. ¡°Your decision was not wrong, keep at it! Just change the words!¡± He ordered. Oh, alright. It seems like he recognizes the loud noise as supporting fire. He understood that it was not a joke, but a practical way of helping. The message has gotten across, so he¡¯ll surely forgive me if I apologize, right? Right? ¡­ Will he ever forgive me¡­? I couldn¡¯t reply to his words though, as the Obsidian Wolf would notice me if I did. Nonetheless, I will now act according to the old man¡¯s instructions. They understood that I was hiding nearby, so if something happens, they¡¯ll give me appropriate orders. Then, let¡¯s prepare to quickly respond as needed. The Obsidian Wolf has not yet noticed that I am hiding within the forest. So, I immediately moved to a different location after shooting the first arrow. I am now waiting on a different branch of a different tree, watching the situation so that I can shoot at any time. The problem, however, is that the Obsidian Wolf learns. The supporting fire brought by the Sound Bomb simply makes a loud noise. From the point of view of the Obsidian Wolf, it would be something akin to hearing an explosion right next to its ear. Maybe it recognizes that it was the voice of a human, that someone was saying something at its ear even though there was nobody there. That¡¯s why it was surprised and became wary after my attack. But it will soon understand that it was nothing but sound. If I had hit a human, the sound would have probably been loud enough to wound their ears, but the Obsidian Wolf doesn¡¯t seem to have been harmed by the Sound Bomb in any way. Therefore, I should probably assume that I might only be able to support them two or three more times. As in, I can only save someone who is on a pinch two or three more times. If the battle isn¡¯t settled by then, someone might die. ****** While it felt like the battle was taking a long long time, it was actually fairly short. The Obsidian Wolf moves quickly and attacks often, and the humans move just as quickly, blocking and counterattacking multiple times. All those things together, happening at the same time, resulted in many things happening in a very short period of time. Therefore, I had to shoot two more times in a short period of time. [Old men! Are truly sad creatures!] A sad shout roared through the skies, but nobody responded to it. This was also something that I heard in the royal capital. The cry of a middle-aged man whose heart must have been filled with sorrow. I never thought that old men were sad existences, so I can only assume that the circumstances this person went through were extremely sad. I don¡¯t really know what they were though, nor do I want to know. I would just be sad if I learned of it. [For this much money! Your faces and body! I want both of you!] And nobody responded to the worst of the declarations that resounded through the sky¡­ No, wait, there were reactions. I couldn¡¯t hear it, but I saw it from the movement of their mouths. The two female knights were saying, ¡®disgusting¡¯¡­ The young male knight and Roda both looked a bit awkward too. This may be supporting fire, but the results were¡­ Well, this is terrible. In any case, this too was something I heard in the royal capital. Immediately after this though, I heard screams, so the speaker was probably dealt with. ¡­ Thinking about it calmly, the city is truly a scary place. Why would anyone ever say this kind of thing out loud? A country guy like me just can¡¯t understand it. But well, putting that aside, after the big boing boing shot, I fired two more supporting shots, and the reaction of the Obsidian Wolf has been smaller and smaller with each shot. It will probably work only one more time at most. After that, it will probably ignore the sound in its entirety. But¡­ We bought enough time. ¡°You¡¯re saying some really silly things, aren¡¯t you!?¡± Glock shouted. The Black Swan of Dawn team has finally joined us. As soon as he entered the battlefield, Glock started complaining, ¡°Luheintz, you bastard! This isn¡¯t the kind of opponent you can kill while playing around!¡± As Glock yelled that, he stood up against the Obsidian Wolf, without any hesitation, while holding his short spear. And is response to this shout, Luheintz, the old man with a scarred face, replied, ¡°It was not me!¡± while brandishing his huge sword. ¡°Where else can I find a middle-aged man in here!? What do you even mean with sad creatures!? Just you wait until I¡¯m finished with this stupid wolf!¡± Glock exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s the Sound Bomb of the person supporting us from the forest! Nobody else said anything!¡± Luheintz responded. Ah, yeah, that¡¯s me¡­ Sorry, I got you falsely accused. Glock clicked his tongue, ¡°Alright¡­ You at least weakened it! Even if you¡¯re playing around!¡± ¡°Nobody is playing around! Only the forest guy is doing it!¡± Luheintz responded. Hey, old man, I¡¯m not playing around either, alright? I really ain¡¯t. I¡¯m just doing the best I can. Or rather, I am the one person in this battle who can be killed instantly by anything that the Obsidian Wolf does. I want you to praise me for providing supporting fire against an opponent that is way beyond my capabilities. Well, he did understand what I was doing at least¡­ Still, it¡¯s no good. Let¡¯s not meet them face-to-face ever again. They¡¯ll definitely be angry. There¡¯s no way they¡¯ll forgive me. ¡°Let¡¯s finish it off at once! Pull out, everyone! ¡°Horun, slam it on him!¡± Glock shouted. ¡°Okay!¡± Horun replied. Oh, my sister. She moved forward with a short sword in her left hand and a somewhat long dagger in her right hand. It seems like her fighting style emphasizes speed. At the same time, the knights, Roda and Glock all stepped back a bit. Due to that, Horun stood alone in front of the Obsidian Wolf. And the Obsidian Wolf groaned. Its legs were filled with wounds, and the blood from those wounds have already made a huge stain on the ground. The Obsidian Wolf was wary of the newly arrived humans. It was glaring at them. It must have learned enough from this battle. That the people here are not weak. His eyes were not looking at Horun as a prey, but as a strong enemy. So, he was being wary, and didn¡¯t immediately jump at her. And when faced with this careful Obsidian Wolf, Horun¡­ ¡°Hey, hey, hey! Come on!¡± Started blatantly provoking it, ¡°Hey, hey! Hey hey hey! Hey hey hey! Oi! Oi! Hey hey heeeey! Hey¡­? Heeey! Hey hey hey!¡± She coughed, ¡°Hey! Hey hey heeeeeeey!¡± ¡­ Everyone else was silent. ¡­ This sister of mine¡­ This is not a human that you¡¯re trying to provoke¡­ ¡°Shut up, Horun! You¡¯re a complete idiot! An absolute moron!¡± Glock shouted at her. ¡°What¡¯s up with that!? How would you do it, old man!?¡± Horun shouted back. You idiot! Don¡¯t look away from the enemy! It took just an instant. A moment that was faster than a blink. In front of the enemy that looked away from it, the Obsidian Wolf opened its jaws and swallowed Horun whole. Horun disappeared. She was just there, but now she isn¡¯t. The Obsidian Wolf closed its jaws and raised its head, seemingly proud of its victory. And fresh blood was spilled. ¡°Too slow!¡± ¡­ It was Horun¡¯s voice. There she was. Covered in flesh blood. Wielding a bloody sword. A mad counter-attack. Horun cut the Obsidian Wolf¡¯s mouth from inside as soon as she was eaten. She might have even been eaten on purpose. ¡°Don¡¯t let it escape! Slam it on him!¡± Glock shouted. Horun had jumped from inside the mouth of the frightened Obsidian Wolf and was now below its neck. She had put her shortsword back at its scabbard so quickly that I didn¡¯t even know when it was done. Then, before she could reach the ground, she grabbed the fur of the Obsidian Wolf with her left hand, and slammed her dagger in with her right hand. Right under the neck. On the throat. A place that had yet to be damaged. It was a vital point for many creatures¡­ A vital point that now had a shining dagger stabbed deep into it. An adventurer known as the Saintess of Demon Exorcism within the royal capital. My sister may be incredibly stupid, but she¡¯s definitely strong too. CH 100 Chapter 100 ¨C Glasses boy witnesses the subjugation of the Obsidian Wolf My sister¡¯s movements aren¡¯t that different from what I have known for a long time. She has no form nor skill. She simply fights with the aim of defeating her enemies efficiently¡­ Or rather, she fights on pure instinct. She has extremely sharp intuition and reflexes. Everything she does is extremely fast. Her movements are unusually fast because she skips the time to think about the situation. I don¡¯t think much has changed since we were younger. However, in the two years that we have been away from one another, she seemed to have learned how to use weapons. And how to fight Demon Beasts. ¡°Old man, I slammed it on him!¡± Horun told Glock. She had taken some distance from the Obsidian Wolf, as it was currently thrashing about. However, she left her dagger in its throat. Judging from the length of the blade, there is no way that it was possible to aim for a fatal wound with that attack. She slammed it on him¡­ As in, she infused the power of the Shadow Hunter on the Obsidian Wolf? Demon Beasts strengthen their bodies with the power of the Magic Cores that lie within them. It works just like a physical reinforcement Gift. The reason blades and arrows can¡¯t easily wound strong Demon Beasts is because of this physical strengthening. However, the power of the Shadow Hunter that Horun and Lisse possess can nullify the natural reinforcement of the Demon Beasts. I had already registered the Shadow Hunter Sword gift of Lisse, and now I registered Horun¡¯s Shadow Hunter Warrior too. And right now, Horun has left a dagger with the power of the Shadow Hunter within the Obsidian Wolf, nullifying its natural physical reinforcement. With this, everyone¡¯s attacks should be more effective. ¡­ Can Horun even use the power of the Shadow Hunter in such a way? It¡¯s hard to believe that it was my sister that did that. She learned how to rely on her comrades, it seems¡­ Back in the day, the more dangerous a fight was, the more she wanted to do things alone. So even Horun can change, huh? ¡°Luheintz! We¡¯re going to knock down the wolf! You aim for its throat, I¡¯ll go for the heart!¡± Glock exclaimed. ¡°Alright!¡± Luheintz nodded. ¡°Ain! Left front leg!¡± Glock shouted. As soon as those instructions were given, an arrow sharply ran through the battlefield. It was so fast that I could still hear his voice when the arrow started flying. Like me, Ainliese must have been hiding in the forest and aiming at the Obsidian Wolf. It was amazing¡­ I had no idea she was here. She¡¯s truly great at hiding. Ainliese may not be a hunter, but her skillset seems quite similar to mine. And then, a loud noise echoed through the battlefield. The arrow hit the left front leg of the Obsidian Wolf, just like Glock ordered. But this was not the sound of an arrow hitting. Arrows don¡¯t make this kind of noise, nor do they create shockwaves that make the air tremble and send dust flying. With the loud sound of the collision, the left front leg of the Obsidian Wolf was swept sideways, intersecting with the right front leg. I immediately looked at the direction where the arrow flew from while using Body Heat Vision. I saw a red light there, which must be Ainliese. She was not moving, she had already nocked the next arrow on her bow. Inspect. Her gift is¡­ Full Impact. A type of magic that adds impact to your attacks. ¡­ That¡¯s certainly a Gift that goes really well with bows. It¡¯s probably why Ainliese chose the bow as her weapon. And it also synergizes well with Horun¡¯s Shadow Hunter Warrior. Once the power of the Shadow Hunter is active, bows and arrows can function at full power. Therefore¡­ The Obsidian Wolf roared in pain. Full Impact can bypass all resistances that the Demon Beast would have. With this kind of power, even a Demon Beast as large as the Obsidian Wolf can be knocked down. The damage that the knights had accumulated on its leg, paired together with Horun¡¯s and Ainliese¡¯s attack proved to be too much for it. The Obsidian Wolf was knocked off its front legs, and fell on the ground with its left shoulder. It tried getting up quickly, but its left front leg didn¡¯t seem to be responding properly. Either because the impact left it numb, or because the accumulated damage was too much for it. No one here would miss the defenseless state of the Obsidian Wolf. Luheintz roared as he ran forward, quickly closing the gap between him and the Obsidian Wolf. Then, he made a giant swing, using all parts of his body to increase its power, legs; calves; thighs; abdominal muscles; back muscles; shoulders. His whole body moved in a way to deliver a strike with as much power as possible. With all his strength, he aimed at the Obsidian Wolf¡¯s throat. A swing of his greatsword made with all his heart and soul. And similarly, Glock roared too. He charged with his short spear, and delivered a precise and powerful thrust at the heart of the Obsidian Wolf. That was not just power, but also skill. It may have looked like an ordinary thrust at first glance, but it¡¯s not that simple to quickly stab the heart of a prey that is thrashing about. It really takes a lot of skill to do that. The bluntness and smoothness of his attack just show how skillful he is. This was truly the culmination of all his finely-honed techniques. Other people were also trying to attack the Obsidian Wolf, but I¡¯m fairly sure that it was one of those two that delivered the finishing blow. Or perhaps both. And thus, the subjugation of the Obsidian Wolf was concluded. ****** I sighed in relief. I wasn¡¯t there on the front line, but I really felt like I could be instantly killed as soon as I was targeted. I can finally relax now that this has safely ended. And I¡¯m also happy that nobody has died. I simply can¡¯t rejoice over a victory with sacrifices. And well, I think I contributed enough to the hunt. I¡¯m fine with this much. Lisse must have also learned plenty just from watching it. It was surely a learning experience. Also, this also gives me a bit more confidence for the future. If I ever encounter an Obsidian Wolf again, I think I should be able to deal with it calmly, regardless of me being able to win or not. Not to mention that I got plenty of useful Gifts from this hunt. Most notably, Ainliese¡¯s Full Impact is the exact kind of firepower that I desired. I think it was worth it to participate on this hunt even if it was just to register this Gift. Alright then, let¡¯s get off this tree. ¡°Support fire! Hurry up and come out!¡± Luheintz shouted. ¡­ He is calling someone who has provided support fire. Moreover, a very angry Glock is standing right next to him. ¡­ Alright. I nodded to myself. My work here is done, my fight here is over. If they aren¡¯t planning on forgiving me even with an apology, then there is no need to apologize in the first place. I already contributed to the search of the Obsidian Wolf, and I helped with the fight too. I¡¯ve done plenty. Even if I get scolded here, nobody will gain anything. Not to mention that I have already reflected on my actions and I regret them. Dealing with angry people won¡¯t change the conclusion, so let¡¯s just leave. ¡°Seems like they¡¯re calling you.¡± I heard a woman¡¯s voice. I stopped moving. ¡°¡­ For how long have you been here?¡± I asked her. ¡°Since a while back. Around the time Horun started saying ¡®hey hey¡¯.¡± She replied. Truly amazing¡­ Adventurers who can participate in the hunt for the Obsidian Wolf are on another level. Is she even a human at this point? She¡¯s quieter and has less presence than even the sneakiest wild animals. ¡°Long time no see, Lorobel.¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. Glad to see you¡¯re doing well, boy.¡± She replied. Coming to think of it, she did come together with the members of the Black Swan of Dawn to this battle, but she didn¡¯t engage with the Obsidian Wolf directly. ¡­ Apparently, she was right behind me this whole time, sitting on the same tree branch that I was. ¡°Lorobel, could you be¡­ No, never mind.¡± I stopped myself. I wondered if she could be an assassin too, but I can¡¯t ask this kind of thing. If I¡¯m wrong, Roda might need to silence me. It¡¯s better to not gamble with this kind of thing. I don¡¯t need to know the answer to this question. ¡°I came here to protect you in case the Obsidian Wolf noticed your location, but it seems like I didn¡¯t need to worry about that.¡± Lorobel explained. Oh, I see. Thank you for the help. Even if your actions weren¡¯t necessary, it¡¯s certainly good to have someone to back one up. Besides, the best position in this kind of battle is the position of someone who doesn¡¯t need to act at all. ¡°We can talk more once we return to Haidiga, then? I think I¡¯ll be leaving for now.¡± I told her and tried to get off. ¡°You¡¯re being called though? Aren¡¯t you going?¡± She grabbed me by the shoulders. ¡­ Could it be¡­ ¡°Maybe you¡­ Don¡¯t want me to escape?¡± ¡°You¡¯re correct.¡± She smiled, ¡°I think you need to be properly scolded. Do you understand why?¡± ¡°Eh? What are you talking about? I don¡¯t really understand.¡± I replied. ¡°Boing. Old men are sad creatures. Wanting two people¡­ ¡°Let me ask you again. Do you understand why?¡± Lorobel asked. Ah¡­ I see¡­ CH 101 Chapter 101 ¨C Glasses boy gets assaulted while being in an unfavorable situation I was forcibly taken by Lorobel to the front of the knight old man, and the old man with a stubble from Black Swan of Dawn¡­ As in, Luheintz and Glock. On top of that¡­ Oh dear. The two female knights lined up behind me, blocking my way out. Lorobel was already gone. I wish she could stay to protect me¡­ But I guess that¡¯s impossible. Glock glanced on Luheintz¡¯s way for a second, and after Luheintz remained silent, Glock opened his mouth first, ¡°You! Brat!¡± On a side note, while I was categorizing them both as old men, Glock is probably ten or so years younger than Luheintz. Luheintz must be on his forties already, and gives more of an uncle image. Glock should still be on his thirties and feels more like an older brother. I¡¯m sure he would look younger if he shaved his beard too. ¡°I¡¯m usually lax with people. I can forgive most things that they do. ¡°But I hate people who joke around on the battlefield! This kind of person drags down their comrades! They kill their comrades! They not only die, but they don¡¯t even die alone!¡± Glock exclaimed. Yes, I completely agree with him. I too would get very angry if someone tried making jokes while I was in the middle of a hunt. ¡°So¡­? Any excuses?¡± Glock asked. ¡°None. You are right. I apologize for my thoughtless actions.¡± I replied. If I knew I would get in this kind of situation, I would have tried to find a different way. I¡¯m still unfamiliar with the Gifts I have available. I lack experience and knowledge on them. I haven¡¯t made enough experiments. In order to use these Gifts in actual combat, I need to learn more about them. Because I didn¡¯t know about it, I wounded myself with Flower Bolt. Gifts aren¡¯t things that are so simple that they can be easily handled by someone on their first attempt. I can¡¯t keep on making those mistakes. I have to learn from them. ¡°¡­ I guess you¡¯re still not used to Sound Bomb yet.¡± With a low, but intimidating voice, Luheintz spoke, ¡°The balance between your skill and your ability with your Gift is terrible. ¡°You are skilled enough to shoot arrows at a moving Obsidian Wolf without missing a single one, yet you use your Gift in such an absurdly crude way. ¡°One always needs to be calm and cool-headed to wield a bow. Always plan ahead and predict where your opponent will be, otherwise you won¡¯t be able to hit. ¡°It¡¯s different from people like me, whose brain is made of muscle. ¡°Are you simply unfamiliar with it¡­? Have you only learned about your Gift recently? ¡°Essentially, you lack experience, right? You seem to have just become an adult, so I assume you have yet to get properly familiarized with your own Gift.¡± ¡­ After all, this person may have a scary face, but he is really kind, isn¡¯t he? I told Lisse to not cause him trouble, yet I ended up bothering him anyways¡­ ¡°First of all, let me thank you for helping me comrades.¡± After Luheintz said that, he turned to Glock, ¡°And Glock, please forgive him. This whole thing wouldn¡¯t have happened if we hadn¡¯t put ourselves in a dangerous situation where we required outside aid.¡± ¡°I should tell it to him properly. It¡¯s my duty as a senior adventurer.¡± Glock replied. ¡°However, no matter how you look at it, he is already reflecting and regrets his action. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to be stupid enough to not understand why you¡¯re angry, so there is no need to go any further.¡± Luheintz stated. Yes, I do regret it and am reflecting on it. It¡¯s true. I¡¯m not an adventurer though. ¡°¡­ He acted poorly, but this much is enough.¡± The tanned woman spoke and moved to my side. Huh? The tanned woman continued, ¡°It¡¯s my fault that this happened in the first place. ¡°This boy is my benefactor and helped me three times. Please don¡¯t scold him any further.¡± ¡­ Huh? Wait, this is¡­? No¡­ Ugh¡­ ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it is.¡± The fair-skinned woman stood on my other side. ¡­ While stroking my butt. Eh? Why!? I¡¯m not imagining this, am I!? It¡¯s not like she accidentally hit her hand there, right!? She¡¯s really stroking it right now, right!? Is she doing it because she knows I can¡¯t say anything in this kind of mood!? Is she really taking advantage of my moment of weakness like that!? What¡¯s wrong with her!? She¡¯s despicable! This act is absolutely despicable! She¡¯s assaulting me! ¡­ Well, it¡¯s much better than being touched by a man, like what I feared that might happen in a certain bow store at the capital. Glock clicked his tongue, ¡°If you all are okay with it, then I have nothing more to say. This is enough!¡± then turned around and started leaving, ¡°Eil, do come say hi when you return to town! I will be waiting!¡± Ah, sure, I¡¯ll be going alright. I always feel sorry for my sister¡¯s actions, after all. It¡¯s important to talk to her companions. ¡°Also¡­ If you don¡¯t like it, you should say so. This kind of woman won¡¯t stop otherwise.¡± Glock said those words, then walked away leaving me and the knights alone. Glock now reunited with the other members of Black Swan of Dawn, who are preparing to carry the Obsidian Wolf. ¡°¡­ So, as he said, please stop.¡± I told the fair-skinned woman, who was still stroking me. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t like it? I never thought there would be a man who didn¡¯t like getting touched by me. ¡°I was doing it as a small thank you for helping my companion, you know? ¡°Please excuse me then.¡± Only after she said all this, did she finally stop touching and stepped away from me. This woman¡­ Is this the kind of person that Roda deals with often? People who are used to playing with others? Is this how city women are? ¡­ Terrifying. ¡°Boy.¡± The tanned woman said in a cold voice, ¡°The next time that white thing touches, strokes, hits, gropes, pranks, or asks anything of you. Tell me. I¡¯ll kill her.¡± The tanned woman was glaring at the fair-skinned woman with a murderous gaze. However, the fair-skinned woman remained calm. ¡­ I¡¯m kinda afraid of them both. Those women are way too scary. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough teasing.¡± The young male knight interrupted. Until just now, he had been preparing the fire signal to call back the adventurers who were waiting nearby. The smoke was rising now though, so the adventurers would soon be here. ¡°Lord Luheintz, what about that thing?¡± The young knight asked. ¡°Right¡­ I¡¯m still a bit troubled about it, but I suppose it should be fine.¡± As Luheintz said that, he turned his face towards me, ¡°Boy, I have a request.¡± ¡­ I don¡¯t like this. It is early in the morning, Glock scolded me, I had my butt stroked, and I want to go home already. ¡­ And yet, I can¡¯t say anything. I¡¯m surrounded and I caused them a lot of trouble. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I can do anything. It would depend on the content¡­¡± I replied. And with some luck, I will receive a request where I can easily find a reason to refuse it. ¡°I understand this much. For now, just listen.¡± Luheintz told me. He says that, but I don¡¯t think he has any intention of letting me refuse¡­ ¡°Robin, Seriara, step back. Aroro, keep an eye on the surroundings.¡± Luheintz ordered. ¡°Sir!¡± The three knights said that in unison, then started moving. Robin is the young male knight, Seriara is the fair-skinned woman, and Aroro is the tanned woman. The three of them immediately started acting on the old man¡¯s orders. ¡­ Well, Aroro remained right by side, motionless. ¡°To be direct, we¡¯re knights from a different country.¡± Luheints told me. Ah, I know this much¡­ Well, I stayed silent and kept on listening. ¡°We came to this land to pursue the Obsidian Wolf.¡± Luheintz continued. I know that too. ¡°But the Obsidian Wolf that we fought earlier was not the one we were chasing.¡± Luheintz said next. ¡­ Huh? Eh¡­? I couldn¡¯t quite comprehend the meaning of his words, but¡­ Even if I tried calmly thinking about it, I could only come to one conclusion. ¡°No way¡­ There are two? There is a second Obsidian Wolf here?¡± I asked. The information was as shocking as having my butt stroked. ¡­ Oh, this really made me realize how troubled I was by having my butt stroked. She really did it for as long as she could¡­ I¡¯m sure that this is a very serious topic that I should be paying full attention to, but I can¡¯t shake off the horrible discomfort that remains on my butt right now¡­ ¡°I heard it from Roda. You were the one who figured out the rough location of the Obsidian Wolf. ¡°My request is to have you help us find the other Obsidian Wolf. Please lend us your strength.¡± Luheintz said. CH 102 Chapter 102 ¨C Glasses boy searches for the second one First of all, one thing is clear. There is no second Obsidian Wolf on this mountain. Body Heat Vision allows me to see through matter. That was how I found the first Obsidian Wolf. But that was the only one. Even here, at the halfway point up the mountain, I tried using Body Heat Vision and Hawk¡¯s Farsight again to try finding the other Obsidian Wolf, but I found nothing. If looking at all directions from this location lets me see no light that is representative of an Obsidian Wolf, then there shouldn¡¯t be one here. ¡°Are you sure that it is on this mountain?¡± I asked. ¡°I have no doubts about it¡­ Is what I would have said. At least until I met this one.¡± Luheintz stared at the fallen Obsidian Wolf, ¡°Right now, I can only say that I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s why I disclosed the information with you.¡± Ah, right, he¡¯s asking me for help¡­ ¡°For reasons of pride and face, we had to finish off the Obsidian Wolf that we were tracking. ¡°But now, we seem to have lost sight of our target. ¡°From now on it is no longer a question of pride or face. It¡¯s our responsibility as warriors speaking. We are taking the necessary actions to minimize the potential damage.¡± Luheintz told me. Responsibility¡­? Ah, so that¡¯s what it is. I¡¯ve heard that knights are very good at tactical combat even with large groups of people. Moreover, their training is focused not on killing Demon Beasts, but on killing people. It¡¯s not something I think about much as our country has been in peace for a long time now, but knights prepare for conflicts between countries¡­ They train for war. Therefore, when it comes to dealing with Demon Beasts, they¡¯re slightly inferior to adventurers, who are specialized in hunting those. In other words, those four knights simply lacked the strength to hunt down the Obsidian Wolf. That¡¯s why the tanned woman had multiple close calls during the battle. And he said that this is not really about face anymore, but about responsibility¡­ There¡¯s only one thing that all this could mean. ¡°It was injured, right?¡± I asked. The Obsidian Wolf that they were chasing was in a condition that they could hunt even with this small number. Essentially, they fought the Obsidian Wolf somewhere, but failed to subdue it. It escaped, so the knights pursued it. The reason they¡¯re moving with such a small group is because they wanted to move as quickly as possible, and large groups inevitably move slower than smaller ones. It would be a disaster if they lost sight of the Obsidian Wolf that they were chasing, and they absolutely wanted to be the ones leading the hunt to subdue it. Because of their pride as knights, they want to take care of it with their own hands. Because of their failure, the escaped Obsidian Wolf will attack people in the future. The Obsidian Wolf doesn¡¯t attack humans, usually, as it doesn¡¯t consider them worthwhile enemies¡­ But now that it was wounded by humans, it will attack any that it sees on sight. ¡°The Obsidian Wolf that we were chasing had already lost both its right ear and its right leg.¡± Luheintz told me. Just as I thought. The missing ear may not impact its combat capabilities much, but the missing leg is a severe wound. The Obsidian Wolf would move much slower like that, so the four knights should be able to subdue it on their own. ¡°We have been following its sightings. We were sure that it was near here. ¡°However, when we arrived, we encountered a completely different Obsidian Wolf. ¡°Even if it was a coincidence, it was a terrible coincidence. I almost lost my friends because of it.¡± Luheintz explained. It¡¯s certainly something that would surprise anyone. From the knights¡¯ point of view, they were chasing an injured Obsidian Wolf, yet the one that they found was in pristine condition. The realization that they had lost their prey must have made them extremely impatient, which is why they started fighting alone. ¡°If we had found the prey that we were targeting, we would have subdued it without even raising the smoke signal.¡± Luheintz told me. Oh, I see. So he really had no plans of raising the smoke signal all along, huh? Well¡­ Now that I know his circumstances, I can understand why he would do that. ¡°However, once we realized what happened, we understood that we must prioritize human lives over our pride. ¡°Before it starts attacking humans, we must hunt the second Obsidian Wolf. ¡°That¡¯s why I revealed my identity to you. That¡¯s why I explained the circumstances. So please lend us your strength.¡± Luheintz requested. ¡­ I think that the decision of asking a completely unrelated civilian boy for help is already something that he should be proud of. It is a very noble act to prioritize human lives over his pride and face. To put it simply, they came here to make up for their mistakes. They wanted to clean it up themselves. But now they realized that this isn¡¯t possible, so they¡¯re asking for help. ¡°I understand the circumstances, so can you excuse me for a moment?¡± I asked him. ¡°Huh? Is something the matter?¡± He asked back. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m here as Roda¡¯s luggage carrier. I can¡¯t act without his permission.¡± I explained. Now that I understand his circumstances and how he feels about it, I already want to help. I want to sincerely respond to the proud decision that Luheintz made. Besides, even if I ignore the circumstances of the knights, this is still not a matter that can be left be. There is another Obsidian Wolf. An injured Obsidian Wolf who will attack people on-sight. The range of action of the Obsidian Wolf is wide. In the worst case scenario, it could go all the way to my village, Albat. I want to stop this kind of disaster from happening. I want to pluck this problem from the root. ****** I started walking towards Roda, who was watching the situation alongside Lisse from a little further away. While I was talking to the knight, the adventurers had already arrived and started working on the Obsidian Wolf. It was too big to be carried as is though, so they were dismantling it here¡­ But as expected of people whose main job is exterminating Demon Beasts, they were quite skillful at it. It shouldn¡¯t take long for them to finish this. ¡­ Oh, right. I almost forgot. I made a sudden turn and started moving towards the head of the Obsidian Wolf. Its face, in death, is calm. There were many lacerations, large and small, around its mouth. It was evidence that it fought for life with all its might. The head of the Obsidian Wolf¡­ I touched the area between the eyes, which were now laying sideways. Its fur was hard. And it still emanates the heat that it had when it was still living. ¡°Hey, boy. What are you doing¡­ Ah, it¡¯s nothing.¡± An adventurer, who was working on the dismantling, called out to me. He stopped midway through and went back to what he was doing though. A prayer of respect. And of gratitude for the life that was taken. It was something that my master taught me. Be grateful for all the lives that you take. It¡¯s not a formal requirement for a hunter, but it¡¯s something that I prefer doing whenever possible. There are some adventurers that do it too, so the adventurer that called out to me must have understood what I was doing. After I finished my prayer, I went to Roda. ¡°Oh, you done talking?¡± He asked me. Yes. We¡¯re done. ¡°That anger was quite impressive.¡± Roda commented. Glock¡¯s, I assume? He was certainly scary¡­ As expected of someone who can lead an operation with my sister. He is a person with a very strong will, and with strong morals too. ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped that he got angry at you though. ¡°I was more astonished than anything, but if he hadn¡¯t done an angry scolding at you, I would have.¡± Roda told me. Well, I was astonished too, to be honest. I was really surprised by the results of the Sound Bomb. ¡°What even was that? Boing?¡± Lisse stared at me with a cold gaze. She seemed to be looking at me with contempt. I can understand how incredibly annoyed she must be at me right now, so I need to clarify something. ¡°Lisse.¡± I said. ¡°Hah? What?¡± She replied. ¡°I think it¡¯s really embarrassing to say boing.¡± I told her. ¡°Huh?¡± She said. ¡°I would say boobs.¡± I stated. She stayed silent. ¡°I would clearly say boobs.¡± I stated once again. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t really get it, but alright. You don¡¯t need to say it twice.¡± She replied. ¡°Tits.¡± I said next. ¡°Why did you say it three times? Or rather, why did you abbreviate it for the third time? And why are you saying this kind of thing with a serious face?¡± She asked. Well, it¡¯s fine for as long as she understands. I wouldn¡¯t want her to think I speak like that. ¡°I agree. Boobs is better.¡± Roda commented. Roda, that¡¯s unnecessary. I was not asking for your agreement. ¡°You men¡­ Just what¡¯s wrong with you? Seriously¡­¡± Lisse heaved a deep sigh. I also have something to say on this matter though. ¡°What about you woman though? I was stroked on the butt hard just now, you know?¡± I said. ¡°Oh, so I wasn¡¯t just seeing things? I was watching how she really stroke you¡­ That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen someone so bluntly touch someone else like that.¡± Roda commented. You were watching? You were watching that humiliating moment when I was being assaulted and you did nothing!? ¡°Why was she even touching him? Did you do something, Eil?¡± Lisse asked. ¡°She said it was a thank you for helping her friend.¡± I grumbled. ¡°What? A thank you? That¡¯s what¡­ Ah¡­ Uhn¡­ I see? That beauty must know many men who want to have their butts stroked by her¡­ I guess this argument has a strange kind of persuasive power¡­¡± Lisse muttered. Yeah¡­ She can use this kind of argument. That fair-skinned woman is disgusting. She can hide behind this kind of lie, and pretend that she didn¡¯t know how I felt about it. But why would she even want to assault me like that? I don¡¯t get what¡¯s fun about stroking a man¡¯s butt like that. ¡°To be honest, I was jealous of you there. I wanted to be touched like that.¡± Roda commented. Yeah¡­ Looks like Roda is too tired to think properly. We should wrap up for today, so let¡¯s quickly talk about the pressing issue. ¡°Roda, do you have a moment?¡± I asked. ¡°How do you feel? You happy with it?¡± Lisse asked after punching Roda¡¯s butt. ¡°Stop it, Lisse. My butt is delicate. If you were to touch it, it should be a bold, but delicate¡­ Oh, what is it, Eil?¡± Roda said. Sorry to interrupt you playing around. I won¡¯t take long though. ****** I got permission from Roda to do whatever I wanted, so I returned to Luheintz. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can, but I can¡¯t guarantee that I will find it.¡± I told him. Now, I have to think for a bit¡­ Where is the second Obsidian Wolf? And how can we find it? I need to look at the information available to try figuring out the best search method. CH 103 Chapter 103 ¨C Glasses boy finds the second one and hears angry words again There is something I need to confirm first and foremost. ¡°Let me ask you a question. Do you have any idea where the first and second Obsidian Wolves switched places? Do you think it might have happened while you were chasing it perchance?¡± I asked. If it happened at a random point during the chase, then it¡¯s quite possible that their target isn¡¯t near this mountain at all. Or rather, it might not even be in the Nastiara Kingdom. It¡¯s even possible that they went in the opposite direction that their prey went to. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think the switch happened during the chase¡­ Though well, after looking at the results of this hunt, it might be possible.¡± Luheintz replied. So, even though they have been chasing this Demon Beast for a while, they do not know of any moment where they might have switched places? Or rather, until they met the first Obsidian Wolf, the one we just subdued, they were convinced that this one was the prey that they have been chasing. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything that would create the possibility of a switch. We haven¡¯t been able to find traces of the blood of the Obsidian Wolf, so we came here relying only on sightings. ¡°But if we believe the reports of the eyewitnesses, there is just no point where the Obsidian Wolves may have been replaced. ¡°Humans might be able to pull this kind of trick to mess with their pursuers, but the Obsidian Wolf isn¡¯t smart enough to do that. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible.¡± Luheintz explained. That makes sense¡­ The Obsidian Wolf may be smart, but it¡¯s still a Demon Beast. It isn¡¯t wise enough to carefully create a situation where it could trick human pursuers. ¡°Aroro, do you have any opinions? Anything that you can think of is fine.¡± Luheintz asked her. The tanned woman wasn¡¯t participating in the discussion so far, and was instead just following his order of paying attention to the surroundings, but now that he asked her directly, she replied, ¡°I¡¯m of the same opinion as lord Luheintz. From what I have seen, there is just no place where the Obsidian Wolves could have been switched. ¡°It doesn¡¯t even seem possible that there was another Obsidian Wolf in the route that we were following. ¡°¡­ To be honest, I still have a hard time believing what is right in front of my eyes. ¡°Why is this Obsidian Wolf not the one we were chasing? What kind of coincidence could even lead to this happen? ¡°¡­ It¡¯s so absurd that I¡¯m starting to wonder if it even was a coincidence. Perhaps there is a reason behind this happening? The result of this was just too bizarre.¡± Mmm¡­ Perhaps not a coincidence? I think I can understand that line of thought. Rather than assuming they were replaced by chance, it would be more natural if they were replaced with a clear reason. After all, Obsidian Wolves are extremely rare Demon Beasts. It¡¯s strange to think that two of them just happened to be near each other. Instead of that, wouldn¡¯t everything make much more sense if there was an explanation about why the two Obsidian Wolves were so close to one another? A replacement that was not a coincidence¡­ But then, what would the reason be? Just as I started thinking about it, I had to do an emergency side-step. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Luheintz asked the incoming threat. The fair-skinned woman had just tried to naturally hug me, and I was barely able to avoid it. The tanned woman clicked her tongue and glared at the fair-skinned woman¡­ Please don¡¯t do anything while I¡¯m near you two, alright? ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Seriara? Did something happen?¡± Luheintz asked again. ¡°Everyone is waiting for your order to leave, lord Luheintz. Some of the adventurers have been on watch for days and really want to return to town. ¡°They¡¯re saying that, if the hunt is over already, then they want to leave and go home.¡± Seriara replied. ¡­ Huh? ¡°I see. What about the dismantling? Is it done yet?¡± Luheintz asked her. From what I can see, they¡¯ve made a lot of progress, but the torso and head of the Obsidian Wolf are still intact. ¡­ But oh? Is that the Obsidian Wolf¡¯s magic core? It¡¯s big¡­ It¡¯s about as big as my head. This would surely sell for a very high price. ¡°Well, tell them that they can return once they have enough materials to carry with them.¡± Luheintz told Seriara. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll tell them that.¡± She replied. Wait, hold on. ¡°Is there anyone who hasn¡¯t been home for days?¡± I asked her. ¡°Eh? Yes, there are some. It seems like the adventurers who have been investigating the movements of the Obsidian Wolf have also been standing watch, so as to make sure no Demon Beasts who live in this area leak out to the city.¡± She explained. ¡°¡­ Do you know exactly how many days ago they have been here?¡± I asked next. ¡°The person that I was talking to said that he has been here for three days. He said he would get a lot of money from this, so he asked me out to drink with him once he got home.¡± Seriara giggled. Ah, do as you like. You don¡¯t need to tell me about those things or give out these strange giggles. ¡°How about it? Don¡¯t you want to come with me too?¡± Seriara asked me. I immediately started hearing a fast sequence of loud tongue clicks coming from behind me. ¡°¡­ I guess that¡¯s no good, so I¡¯ll refrain from inviting you.¡± Seriara said. Aroro really seemed to be angered by Seriara¡¯s words, yet they seemed to be on good terms with one another when we first met¡­ I don¡¯t get the relationship between those two. ¡°Oh, right. I was also told that the watch itself started seven days ago, which was when they were told to keep all information about the Obsidian Wolf hidden.¡± Seriara added. Seven days ago? That¡¯s quite a while back. ¡°How far behind were you when compared to the Obsidian Wolf that you were chasing? In terms of time.¡± I asked Luheintz. ¡°We had a bit of a delay when we entered this country, but we were only two or three days behind it at most.¡± He replied. Mmmm¡­ ****** Luheintz sent Seriara off to deliver his message to the adventurers, while I started thinking about this new information. Seven days ago, the watch over the Obsidian Wolf started. After two or three days, the knights resumed their pursuit, and after following the reports of eyewitnesses, they arrived at Haidiga yesterday. And judging from what they heard from the eyewitnesses, there was no time when the first and second wolves were switched. ¡­ Yeah, there is something off about this. ¡°When thinking about this from the perspective of time, the Obsidian Wolf has been in this mountain since seven days ago. ¡°However, the eyewitness reports said the Obsidian Wolf you were chasing have entered the mountain two or three days ago.¡± I commented. ¡°Wait, you mean¡­ The Obsidian Wolf we just fought might have been at this mountain from the beginning!?¡± Luheintz said. Yes, I think the possibility is high. Since the adventurers have been on lookout for seven days already, then I don¡¯t think they would have missed the Obsidian Wolf leaving the mountain. And well, Demon Beasts have been fleeing the mountain itself due to the presence of the Obsidian Wolf, so they have been paying attention to the movements of the Demon Beasts. ¡°But if the second Obsidian Wolf came to the mountain while the adventurers were already keeping watch, wouldn¡¯t they see it entering?¡± Aroro asked. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessarily true. ¡°The wolf was injured, right? An injury that was serious enough that made it lose a leg, even. ¡°In this state, I think the Obsidian Wolf would naturally try avoiding humans, as it had been wounded by humans previously. ¡°At the very minimum, it would try to avoid getting any more wounds until it had recovered. ¡°With this in mind, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s impossible for the Obsidian Wolf to have secretly invaded the mountain while avoiding the lookouts.¡± I explained my thought process. If we think of it like this, then the coincidence of having two Obsidian Wolves in the same location becomes an inevitability instead. ¡°The injured Obsidian Wolf may have come here because it knew that there was a companion in the area. It was searching for help, so that might be why there were two Obsidian Wolves here.¡± I told the knights. There might be some holes on the theory though. I¡¯m forcibly drawing a conclusion by gathering circumstantial evidence. However, when putting together everything we know, I don¡¯t think this is an unlikely conclusion. Besides, if the reports of the eyewitnesses are incorrect, then we don¡¯t have anything to work with here. We won¡¯t even be able to speculate where the second Obsidian Wolf might be. We just have to work with the assumption that the information we have is right. Also, there is one thing that we do know for sure. The second Obsidian Wolf suddenly disappeared. Moreover, if it did enter the mountain, it¡¯s unlikely that it left. After all, the adventurers keeping watch were primarily paying attention to the Demon Beasts that were trying to leave the mountain. Even if they missed an Obsidian Wolf entering it, it¡¯s unlikely that they¡¯d miss one leaving. So, maybe¡­ ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll try finding some traces of it.¡± I told the knights. Since I now had an idea of what might have happened, I decided that it was time to try looking for direct evidence for this theory. ****** The tanned woman accompanied me, but I didn¡¯t mind it too much and instead tried to focus on imagining what was the path that the second Obsidian Wolf took. There is a chance that this area is already close to its bedding. If the injured Obsidian Wolf asked its companion for help, then they were most likely resting at nearby locations. We may not fully understand the ecology of Obsidian Wolves, but we do know that wolves live in packs. They¡¯re different species, but they¡¯re still similar. I don¡¯t think their habits are that different. We also have some information about the children of Obsidian Wolves spending their time with their parents, so they do have some sense of group¡­ Though well, we still can¡¯t be certain of their exact behaviors. Nonetheless, when taking this into account, I don¡¯t think an Obsidian Wolf would turn its back to an injured comrade. And yet, with my Body Heat Vision, I still can¡¯t see any red light that would indicate an Obsidian Wolf. But if the injured Obsidian Wolf still hasn¡¯t left this mountain, then¡­ I set Blue Map on my Glasses. It¡¯s a Gift that lets me search for something specific in my surroundings. I have to specify exactly what I¡¯m looking for. Due to the Boing accident, I can assume that there are more detailed restrictions on how this Gift works, but for now, let¡¯s try using it just like how it is described in books. What I¡¯m looking for is a magic core. The magic core of an Obsidian Wolf, just like the one I saw earlier. ¡­ I see it. I can see blue light below the ground. I cannot see it with Body Heat Vision, but the Magic Core is still within the mountain. The answer to this contradiction¡­ Is probably that the injured Obsidian Wolf is already dead. It has lost a leg. On top of the heavy bleeding, it also needed to constantly keep on moving to flee from its pursuers. It couldn¡¯t rest properly to recover, so the injuries would have only gotten worse. It mustered all its strength to come this far, but it wasn¡¯t enough. It¡¯s certainly not impossible that this is the case. ****** I tied a rope to myself, then used it to help me descend a cliff near the blue light. By doing this, I found a cave buried within the forest. One that I couldn¡¯t see from above. ¡°It smells of blood¡­¡± The tanned woman commented. She came down together with me and immediately noticed how strong the stench of blood was. I can¡¯t see the depths of the cave from here, but I¡¯m sure that there is a large corpse in this place. ¡°It¡¯s probably inside.¡± I told her. ¡°Inside¡­? The Obsidian Wolf?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded. Body Heat Vision cannot see it. But Blue Map can see the Magic Core. It probably ran out of strength here. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m going. Stay here, boy.¡± She said that, then left without even waiting for a reply. She came back soon. In her hand, she was carrying a bloodied Magic Core that was as big as my head. ¡°It¡¯s here. That¡¯s the one we were chasing.¡± She told me. That¡¯s nice to hear. It would be embarrassing if all the thinking I did amounted to nothing. ¡°That was quite something. You really got everything right.¡± She said. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t right with this theory, I would have given up. There was nothing else that I could do.¡± I told her honestly. Or rather, it was precisely because the knights were so confident that the Obsidian Wolf that they were chasing was in this mountain, that I was able to come to this conclusion. If they didn¡¯t have this kind of confidence, I don¡¯t think I would have even been able to think this far. They said that they were following the sightings of eyewitnesses. The knights were in a hurry, yet they made sure to gather as much information as they could, in order to make sure that they didn¡¯t lose their prey. Those knights aren¡¯t just strong. They¡¯re also incredibly talented. ¡°By the way, boy.¡± The tanned woman called out to me as she put the Magic Core in a leather bag. It seems like they¡¯ll only be bringing the Magic Core with them, as proof of the subjugation of the Obsidian Wolf. Everything else will be handed out to Haidiga. Apparently, that was the agreement that they made with the guild master. ¡°Yes? You ready to go? Let¡¯s go back then.¡± I told her. ¡°No¡­ I mean, I haven¡¯t said it yet, so I think I¡¯ll just say it now. ¡°Thank you. Thank you for helping me. You are truly a lifesaver.¡± She said. Ah¡­ Alright. ¡°I just did everything that I could, just like everyone else was doing, so don¡¯t worry about¡­ I mean, I¡¯d actually prefer if you didn¡¯t think about it much.¡± I told her honestly. I don¡¯t want to remember much about that matter¡­ I messed up, and Glock got angry at me. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go back.¡± I said. I feel uncomfortable with people that I don¡¯t know well. Moreover, this is a beautiful woman who has poison and thorns on her. I don¡¯t want to get too close. ¡°Eh? I mean, isn¡¯t it too early¡­? Why don¡¯t we walk around for a bit first¡­?¡± She said. I giggled, ¡°That¡¯s a funny joke alright. Let¡¯s go back.¡± No matter how few Demon Beasts are in this region, it is still a very dangerous place. Though to be able to take a walk in this kind of place¡­ Knights are truly amazing, aren¡¯t they? But well, I can¡¯t do that. Moreover, since we found the second Obsidian Wolf, we need to report about it so that people can start dismantling it too. So, we must go back quickly, report about it, then withdraw. Yep, that¡¯s a good plan. ¡°Ah! Uhn¡­ Well, I just, I wanted to thank you again! Can¡¯t we meet up once we return to the city?¡± She asked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m planning on leaving Haidiga soon, so I don¡¯t really know my future schedule. I can¡¯t make any promises.¡± I replied. Roda didn¡¯t give me any specific instructions, but I did tell him that I wanted to return to the assassins¡¯ village. So, I really can¡¯t make any promises. I don¡¯t know what will happen once I get back. Well, no matter what, I will at least make time to say hello to the members of Black Swan of Dawn. They¡¯re people that my sister is indebted to, so I can¡¯t ever neglect them. Never. ¡°Then what about tonight!? We can eat together!?¡± She asked. ¡°I¡¯m planning on eating a tongue of an Ironhead with a relative today, so I¡¯m a bit busy.¡± I replied. ¡°What is wrong with you, boy!? Just when are you free!?¡± She suddenly exclaimed. Eh? Eh¡­? I mean, it¡¯s true that I refused her many times, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right to get angry at this¡­ ¡°What¡¯s more, all of it was answered immediately! At least be hesitant or worried before refusing! But you answered it all instantly! Instantly! And the excuses were all smooth too! You didn¡¯t even stagger!¡± She complained. Eh¡­? Even if you say that¡­ CH 104 Chapter 104 ¨C Glasses boy returns home I left the cave and climbed up the mountain under a very uncomfortable atmosphere, as the tanned woman had suddenly become angry. The work to dismantle the Obsidian Wolf was still ongoing. Parts of it were already packed in bags and carried down the mountain though. According to what I heard from the adventurers in the area, it was faster to carry the bags down the mountain and then put them on a carriage, than to call a carriage to climb all the way here. ¡­ Yeah, that makes sense. This may be a road, but it¡¯s usually way too dangerous. Not to mention that the road isn¡¯t well-maintained. It looks more like an animal trail than a proper road. Someone must have decided that it was better to let the horses wait in a place where they can move comfortably, than to have them walk through a road where their footing was far from stable. Well, it was probably a decision made by the knights¡¯ leader. He is the one leading this hunt, after all, so he is probably organizing the return trip too. ¡°Lord Luheintz.¡± The tanned woman said as we approached him. ¡°You¡¯re back. How was it? Did you find it?¡± He asked. Luheintz seemed to be numbering the bags and writing down their contents, but he stopped doing that now that we returned. The tanned woman said nothing at first. She just opened her bag and showed the Magic Core inside it to the old man. Then, after closing the bag, she spoke, ¡°The prey was already dead. The cause of the dead was probably excessive bleeding.¡± ¡°I see. I see¡­¡± The old man closed his eyes tightly enough that his eyebrows even wrinkled, ¡°We haven¡¯t finished everything yet, but¡­ The biggest burden has been lifted off our shoulders.¡± ¡°It has.¡± The tanned woman nodded. The knights have spent many days chasing the Obsidian Wolf all the way from the neighboring country. It must have surely been a pretty tough journey. And perhaps, it was much more taxing on them mentally than it was physically. ¡­ Well, I¡¯m glad it¡¯s over at least. ¡°Then, this is it for me.¡± I turned around and started leaving. I don¡¯t think I have any more errands to do, so I casually started distancing myself from the knights who were visibly emotional¡­ Or rather, I really wanted to leave already. ¡°Wait. Thanking you isn¡¯t enough. By all means-¡± The knight leader started saying. ¡°No, as I said earlier, I¡¯m here just as a luggage carrier, so please bring all your thanks and complaints to Roda. Especially the complaints, make sure to take them all to him.¡± And as I said that, I started running away at full speed. I¡¯ve worked enough for the day. I don¡¯t like being in crowded places like this, and I don¡¯t want to risk getting spotted by my older sister. I¡¯ve also gotten scolded and had my butt stroked. I¡¯ve had enough. I want to go home. Or rather, I am going home. ****** The old man had no time to chase after me. Instead, he announced to the adventurers that the second Obsidian Wolf was found, and the adventurers cheered as they heard those news. From their point of view, this simply meant that they¡¯ll be getting extra rewards from this trip, so they¡¯re surely excited¡­ Well, it also increases the amount of work they need to do though, as there is a whole another Obsidian Wolf to dismantle. However, there aren¡¯t many Demon Beasts in the surroundings, so it shouldn¡¯t be hard for them to do it. ****** ¡°Roda. Can I go home now?¡± I asked him. He was currently standing around doing nothing, right next to Lisse, who was observing the dismantling work. ¡°Sure.¡± Roda immediately replied. As for Lisse, her complexion was quite pale, as she was looking at something pretty gross¡­ Well, it¡¯s understandable. It¡¯s hard to handle the blood and internal organs when you¡¯re not used to it. Also, I prefer to work alone rather than in a group. Especially when hunting. I really prefer hunting alone. And something like this? Dismantling together with a group of twenty or so people? It is¡­ Unsettling. It¡¯s normal to feel uncomfortable with it. ¡°Eh? You¡¯re going home?¡± Lisse asked me with her pale face. I nodded, ¡°My job here is done.¡± All that is left is to carry luggage, but it should be fine if I simply carry a bag stuffed with parts of the Obsidian Wolf with me and bring it to the carriage. ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you leave early, but I think we¡¯ll be returning pretty soon either way.¡± Roda told me. Oh, is that so? They were working on dismantling a Demon Beast as big as the Obsidian Wolf, and they¡¯re almost done with it already? As expected of professional Demon Beasts exterminators. They¡¯re really skillful and work fast. Though there is also the second Obsidian Wolf at the bottom of the cliff, so they won¡¯t be done with it this soon. ¡°Do you still dare to go home first?¡± Roda asked me. ¡­ I¡¯m a little confused about why he phrased it like that, but yes, I am. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I had the time to do it, so I was planning on going home while hunting a bit.¡± I replied. Somehow, it really has been a while since I last hunted. I¡¯ve been training, so my skills with the bow haven¡¯t deteriorated, but I want to go back to the basics and hunt some small animals. And I want to eat meat too. Ever since I¡¯ve noticed the special functions of the Glasses, my training has been fully focused on those. Right now, I just want to act like a normal hunter though. That¡¯s how I feel at this moment. ¡°I see¡­ Then Lisse, you should go home with him.¡± Roda said. ¡°Eh? Okay, I guess?¡± Lisse replied. ¡°Eh? Together?¡± I replied. Lisse seems happy that she doesn¡¯t need to look at this gross sight anymore, but I¡­ Well, I won¡¯t say anything. I¡¯ll definitely be punched if I say something. That¡¯s just how women work. They get unreasonably angry after you say what you¡¯re thinking. They¡¯re beings that are beyond my understanding. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong with your face, Eil? Why are you showing disgust so visibly? Do you dislike being with me this much?¡± Lisse asked. How bothersome¡­ Even if I said nothing, it seemed to still show on my face. ¡°I can¡¯t help it. I can¡¯t be together with someone who behaves badly on daily basis.¡± I told her. ¡°I see, then I should not be a problem. Let¡¯s go home together.¡± She replied. Ah, is that how it is? How nice. To be someone who can talk like that about yourself. This surely sounds like a fun way to live. How nice, I envy you¡­ Well, I won¡¯t say any of that. She¡¯ll definitely hit me if I do. ¡°After this, we¡¯ll be having a drinking party and discuss the distribution of the rewards. If you fail to get out in time, you might get stuck there all night. ¡°So well, it¡¯s better if you kids go home early. From now on you¡¯ll only be seeing the bad sides of adults, and it¡¯s a bit too early for you to get disillusioned with us.¡± Roda told us. ¡­ Are you a useless adult? I feel like I have seen plenty of those and I have become completely disillusioned with this kind of adult¡­ Roda included. ¡­ Well, I guess Lisse is better than strangers, so let¡¯s just go home. ****** We went down the mountain while carrying bags that were stuffed with parts of the body of the Obsidian Wolf. The carriage we arrived at was the same one that brought us here this morning. Among the three carriages, one was already fully loaded, but it seemed like you could cramp in a few more Obsidian Wolf parts if you really tried. Good luck, horses. You¡¯re gonna need to work hard. Neither us nor adventurers could enter the carriages though, because there was no space inside them anymore. We all had to go back home on foot. In any case, the Obsidian Wolf will be first delivered to the adventurers¡¯ guild, then a detailed appraisal of the parts will be done, followed by a distribution of rewards. The drinking party that Roda was talking about will probably happen in the middle of the distribution discussion. They¡¯ll probably start making decisions while drunk, which will surely make the environment only become worse and worse. Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter to me, since Roda will reward me directly. Though I shouldn¡¯t expect much from him. On the way home, Lisse and I did some hunting along the way. After killing two pheasants we returned home. And in the afternoon, we returned to our normal training routine. ****** By the time we left the underground training room, it was already evening, and the whole town was in uproar, as if a festival was going on. An Obsidian Wolf was killed. A gigantic Demon Beast that everybody knows about. Moreover, there were two of them. Even in Haidiga, a city filled with adventurers, only a few people have ever been involved with the hunt of an Obsidian Wolf. In other words, this incident is large enough to raise a huge fuss. Useless adults who just wanted to drink alcohol, useless adults who just wanted to make a fuss, and adults who weren¡¯t necessarily always useless were also shouting all over the city, screaming with strange voices. And as the night progressed, things just became noisier and noisier. However, we woke up really early in the morning, and I was tired from training, so I was able to easily fall asleep while completely disregarding the noise outside. I fell asleep, while remembering the delicious taste of the Ironhead tongue that filled my stomach. CH 105 Chapter 105 ¨C Glasses boy judges the useless adults ¡°Good afternoon, good afternoon, good afternoon, good afternoon, good morning, hello, good afternoon, I know you¡¯re there, good afternoon, I¡¯m absolutely sure you¡¯re there, good afternoon, good afternoon.¡± I said as I knocked. I knocked hard. I knocked patiently. I knocked persistently. I knocked while emptying my mind of everything. Anyways, as a result of my continuous knocking, the owner of the room finally came out, quietly and sluggishly. ¡°It¡¯s early¡­ Too early to come¡­¡± He muttered. That was Glock. The old man of Black Swan of Dawn with a beard stubble. His complexion was as healthy as burnt earth. He smelled like alcohol and his eyes were dull. He looked like a living corpse. ¡°It¡¯s not early. It¡¯s already noon.¡± I told him. One night has passed since the Obsidian Wolf has been subjugated. The city is still quite festive, but that has nothing to do with me. Or rather, that only concerns useless adults. Serious adults are still doing their jobs, and ordinary adults are either cleaning up after useless adults or doing business with useless adults. And it looks like the useless adults are still useless today. The old man in front of me too. He looks like a somewhat useless adult, at the very minimum. ****** As I had promised, I came to greet the Black Swan of Dawn. I had asked Ainliese where the inn was, so it was easy to find it. It¡¯s an expensive and very functional inn. It¡¯s quite different from the cramped inn that I stayed at in the royal capital, which was there only for sleeping¡­ Well, for that, and for the bath. I asked the receptionist about the room that Glock was staying at and came to visit. I heard that there was a lot of drinking yesterday, so I expected him to have a hangover from it. Due to that, I decided to visit early in the afternoon instead of in the morning. For those who live a normal life, it was a little past lunch right now. However, it seems like my prediction was too na?ve. ¡°Noon¡­? It¡¯s already noon? Seriously¡­¡± Glock groaned. It was hard to understand what he was saying, but what I picked up from his deathly drunk whispers, was that he had been drinking until morning, and before he realized it, he was sleeping at the inn room that he rented, which was here. Yesterday, the adventurers returned to the city at about noon, and they apparently have been drinking since then until today¡¯s morning. Glock and the knights both seem to be very strong with alcohol. But the amount of alcohol, and the time they spent drinking, have far exceeded my expectations. Specifically, they exceeded it by more than half a day. At the worst-case scenario, I expected that the drinking would have ended by night, so I figured that it would be fine if I visited in the afternoon. But no, my worst-case scenario was horribly na?ve. They drank all the way from yesterday noon until today morning. If one drinks this much, no matter how strong they are with alcohol, they¡¯ll surely be knocked unconscious and get a hangover. Well, I have never tasted alcohol myself, so there are many things that I don¡¯t understand. Still, for people to go out of their way to pay large sums of money to drink liquids, only to wake up on the next day by saying they drank too much, then start throwing it up as if they were about to die? Come on¡­ Don¡¯t go drink if you¡¯re gonna throw it up later. It¡¯s a waste. Which is why I don¡¯t drink. ¡°I just came to say hello, like I promised, so I¡¯ll be going now. Take care of yourself.¡± I told Glock and started walking away. It would be a problem if he threw up in front of me. If I saw it, I would have to clean it. There is no choice but to immediately run away. ¡°Wait. Come tonight.¡± Glock told me. Eh? I turned around to look at him once more¡­ ¡°You look pretty sick¡­ Are you sure about that? Wouldn¡¯t it better for you to sleep than to see me?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll be fine. If I rest until the evening, I¡¯ll recover. Let¡¯s have dinner together.¡± Glock replied. ¡­ Well, his eyes seem to have regained their vitality, and he seems to be conscious and aware of his actions right now¡­ I think he might be able to remember a promise made in this state? ¡°Ah, well then, shall we meet at the bath in the evening then? We can go eat dinner after feeling refreshed from soaking into the bath.¡± I suggested. ¡°Oh? Is there a bath nearby?¡± He asked. I then told him about Goertz¡¯s bath house. ¡°That old man¡­ He has a bath in this city too¡­¡± Glock muttered. That old man? Does he know him? From what I heard, Goertz is the owner of the Goertz merchant group and he loves baths, so he purchases large pieces of land and builds baths there. Well, the Black Swan of Dawn is the best adventurer team of the royal capital. They have probably worked with rich merchants a fair number of times already. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s meet up in the bathroom then, from evening to night.¡± Glock agreed to my idea. After making this promise, I was about to leave, but then I remembered something, ¡°By the way, what about Ainliese and my sister?¡± ¡°They were also eating and drinking loudly, but¡­ I¡¯m sure they returned late at night. They¡¯re probably still sleeping, I think? They should both be in the room next to mine.¡± Glock replied. Both in the next room? In this double room? ¡­ I can sense two presences of people sleeping there, so Glock should be right. I just came to say hello though, so if they¡¯re sleeping, it¡¯s fine to leave it at that. Let¡¯s go back. Anyways, my sister seems to have started drinking too, huh? I¡¯m an adult now, so I should be able to drink, but¡­ I don¡¯t think I want to. I don¡¯t want to end up like those useless adults that commit a bunch of blunders while drunk. I really don¡¯t want to be like that. ****** In the afternoon, I practiced like usual. And since my training with Sorichika is already over, I had no teacher looking over me, so I just ran along the road for a while, until I decided to wrap things up a bit earlier than normal. The dirty old man Zant was as dirty as usual, and he was here to train with Lisse. On the other hand, Roda didn¡¯t even show his face. Perhaps he drank as hard as Glock, so he is basically dead too. In any case, I left the underground training room and headed to the bath. Once inside, I heard a man laugh loudly, ¡°This is how I, a heavy drinker, drink!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°Whaat!? I won¡¯t lose to you!¡± Another man shouted. ¡­ There were plenty of useless adults being noisy outside, but there are some of those in the bath too? Two of them were competing on drinks, while two others had already passed out. The way one of them was standing up, drinking a whole bottle of liquor, while letting it freely hang around was just¡­ Unbearable. ¡­ If it was someone I didn¡¯t know, I would have surely pretended to not see him. I would ignore the situation in its entirety. ¡°Glock, what are you doing?¡± I asked him. His strong body, which must have been hardened over many years of training, now had nothing covering it. He was boldly exposing it all. The number of scars made one feel like his life has never been easy. It¡¯s proof that his work has always required the utmost of him. The blond hair that he usually has on a ponytail was now freely flowing down his back, so the impression that he is giving is quite different from his usual. The beard stubble is still the same as always though. Ruining the cleanliness that he could otherwise have. This was the man that I promised to meet. And he was letting it hang around, because he is naked. He was letting it hang around. He was not hiding it with anything. He was letting this thing I never wanted to see freely hang around. The majestic figure of someone clutching a bottle of sake and pouring it down their throat without any hesitation would be¡­ Well, manly, probably. But right now, I can¡¯t think of him as anything other than a useless adult. Because he scolded me yesterday, I thought he was a very firm person, but it seems like he is actually a really useless adult. ¡°If you ask me like that, then the only answer I can give you is, welcome sake!¡± Glock replied and winked to me. Yeah, no. Please don¡¯t wink. It¡¯s not cute, it¡¯s gross. What a mess¡­ I¡¯ve decided it. He is manly and useless. Not one or the other, he is both. ¡°Sorry to bother you to come all the way here, but if you want to drink, I¡¯m going home.¡± I told him, then turned around and started walking away. But then I felt something soggy on my back¡­ Old man Glock¡¯s wet body was touching my back, sharing his humidity with me. The temperature of his body was high, whether it was because of the bath or because of the alcohol didn¡¯t really matter. It just felt incredibly uncomfortable and it disgusted me to be touched like that. ¡°Wait, wait. It¡¯s a coincidence that we met, but there are two things that I want to talk to you about.¡± Glock whispered on my ear as he put a hand on my shoulder. Ugh, I can smell the alcohol. This is absolutely disgusting. To think I¡¯d be in this kind of close contact with an old man whose skin is completely bare¡­ ¡°And one of them is about your Glasses, which is something you¡¯d like to hear about, right?¡± Glock whispered. ¡­ Oh, right. It seems like I can¡¯t leave yet. I haven¡¯t taken a bath, after all. I ran plenty at the road today, so I can¡¯t go back without a bath at least. CH 106 Chapter 106 ¨C Glasses boy is surprised by the unexpected reunion, by the unexpected proposal, and by the unexpected words For now, I took a bath. After a long slow soak, I left the bath together with Glock, who is still drinking. During our time there, he told me that the friends he was drinking with were strangers that he had just met in the bath. ¡­ To be able to get excited like that while dealing with people that he doesn¡¯t know¡­ It¡¯s impossible. I cannot comprehend how someone can do that. ¡°There¡¯s a nice place where we can drink good sake. Let¡¯s go there.¡± Glock told me. ¡°I¡¯m not drinking.¡± I replied. ¡°That¡¯s okay. The food there is great too.¡± He said. ¡­ Is it really? If it wasn¡¯t for the remark related to my Glasses, I would definitely be running away already, but¡­ I suppose it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll hang out with him for a while longer. ****** It was dark outside, but it was still too early to say it was night. It was some time in-between evening and night. Glock, with his hair still down, led me down the main street to a tavern¡­ A tavern that looks quite expensive. And it¡¯s a tavern, not a cafeteria. The sign also shows a bottle and a glass, which further reinforces the expensive impression. I¡¯ve seen taverns with mug signs before, but with a bottle and a glass? This looks like the kind of place that would serve expensive wine¡­ Also, the building is very large. It¡¯s about three or four stories high, and the upper floors seem to also function as an inn. It¡¯s a big store on the main streets that has bright lights illuminating it. ¡­ This place is way too big for me. I¡¯ve only ever been to restaurants aimed at commoners. This kind of place is something that I wouldn¡¯t ever approach. Its price alone is more than enough to scare me away from it. ¡°I¡¯m telling you now. I don¡¯t have any money.¡± I told Glock. Yesterday I bought the tongue of an Ironhead, so I don¡¯t have much money left with me. It was something that both me and Lisse had to pool our money together to purchase, and we only purchased half a tongue instead of a full tongue. It was the result of making adjustments, so as to let even Lisse, who has very little money, be able to pay for it. Of course, I still despised her for it, but after thinking about it carefully, I came to the conclusion that the other party was Lisse, so it couldn¡¯t be helped. She wasn¡¯t worth despising, so this much was fine. Sorichika also ate it with us, so we were sharing half of an Ironhead¡¯s tongue between three people. And even then, all of us could still eat plenty, and it was truly delicious. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the money. You¡¯re younger than me, so I¡¯ll treat you. Eat whatever you want.¡± Glock told me. I¡¯m not gonna believe those words in their entirety, but I¡¯ll let him treat me. If I ask for too many expensive items and make Glock¡¯s reserves take a considerable blow, this will become something that will eventually come back to bite me. I would have borrowed too much money from him, so I¡¯d need to give it back later. So, let¡¯s eat sparingly and leave early. ****** ¡°Ah.¡± I heard a familiar voice. Ah¡­ It happened as soon as I entered the tavern. I immediately noticed them. Even if they¡¯re unarmed and in casual clothes, they still pull way too much attention. The two female knights were here. Since it was dinner time, they seemed to just be eating at their table normally. Their good looks are still very present today, and I could see a few somewhat-well-dressed men from the other tables staring at the two knights. And then, one of those attractive women, the tanned knight, stood up with an incredibly offended expression on her face, and immediately started walking towards me. ¡°You refused my invitations, but came here together with this ugly old man.¡± She stated. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Glock said, but I ignored his protest. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have a previous appointment with Glock.¡± I told her honestly. ¡°Really? You¡¯re lying to refuse my invitations again? You¡¯re truly prioritizing this old man who can keep on drinking alcohol non-stop without feeling any semblance of guilt? This ugly old man with this terrible beard stubble that makes him look absolutely pathetic?¡± The tanned woman asked me next. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Glock complained, but was once again ignored. And I never lied to her. I did not need to lie to refuse her invitations. ¡­ Though there was an underlying reason behind me being reluctant. ¡°I can assure you that I am not lying. I would much rather have dinner with a woman than with an old man who smells like alcohol and who has a stubble that never feels clean.¡± I told her. ¡°Hey¡­¡± And once again, Glock¡¯s complaint was ignored. This too, that I just told her, was not a lie either. ¡­ But if I were to say my ideal preferences for eating dinner, the number one would be me eating slowly and by myself. It¡¯s just that eating with her is preferrable to eating with Glock. ¡°We¡¯ll go talk to you later, so you can return to your table for now.¡± Glock said. Eh? We had been ignoring him so far, but suddenly, Glock said some things that I could no longer ignore. ¡°Eil, this woman has been wanting to thank you since yesterday, to the point that she got angry at you for rejecting her invitations, you know? ¡°Regardless of the reason behind it, you did save her life. ¡°If you were in the opposite position, you wouldn¡¯t stay quiet either, would you? You would like to properly thank your savior, right? I¡¯m sure that this is what this woman is thinking. ¡°So, she can¡¯t sit still and do nothing.¡± Glock told me. ¡­ Damn it. I understand what he is saying, but this is just making it harder for me to refuse her¡­! ¡°But it¡¯s also true that we do have a prior appointment. ¡°There is something I want to talk about with this boy, so please wait until we¡¯re done with our meal.¡± Glock tapped the tanned woman¡¯s shoulder. She quickly brushed his hand aside, stared firmly at my eyes, for some reason, and said, ¡°You will come talk to me.¡± Then, she returned to her table. ¡°¡­ This didn¡¯t look like the face of someone who wanted to say thank you.¡± I commented. ¡°How unusual. To me, that was the face of a serious person, of one who is willing to bet their entire fortune on a gamble.¡± Glock replied. ¡­ An indescribable anxiety started weighting on my mind, but I somehow managed to recover my composure and move to a table on the corner of the tavern. ¡­ Still, even after sitting down, I could still feel the strong gaze of that tanned woman being locked on me. ****** This was a large tavern, so it had plenty of tables. A few of the seats are currently vacant, but as this is a tavern, it¡¯s probably because we aren¡¯t at the peak hours yet. In terms of time, it is still a bit too early to drink. But well. As someone who would never come here to eat anything due to how expensive this tavern is, I can only say that the dishes look great. And that there is plenty of variety to choose from too. A single dish costs way too much money though, and I didn¡¯t even look at the part of the menu that showed appetizers. Instead, I just ordered the simplest Dinner Set that they had available. Which was what I decided that I would eat since the beginning. As for Glock, he ordered more alcohol. He really does drink a lot, doesn¡¯t he? Where does all this liquid even go to? ¡­ But well, I think this is enough waiting, right? ¡°I¡¯ve got plans for later, so I¡¯d like it if you could get to the main topic already.¡± I told Glock. I wonder if it was truly a coincidence that we met the two female knights here¡­ That Glock just one-sidedly decided that we would go talk to them later. Nonetheless, I¡¯m still stuck here until the important matters are taken care of. I can¡¯t go home yet, so¡­ I guess I¡¯ll have to hang out with Glock for a while longer. Therefore, I¡¯ve decided to put aside my worries about what will happen once our conversation is done. At least for now, that is. After all, there is something important that we need to talk about first. Anything related to my Gift is a topic that is important enough to let me leave my worries about those women for later. So, we should talk about it now. We won¡¯t have the chance to do so if the women are sitting together with us. ¡°Oh, alright. It would be troublesome if other people heard about it anyways, so it¡¯s better to if we get to the main topic quickly.¡± Glock¡¯s eyes shone with a rational light. He was finally giving off that same serious impression that I had seen at the hunting grounds yesterday, ¡°I don¡¯t think I would have told you anything about it if I hadn¡¯t met you perchance, but now that we did meet, there are two things I want to tell you. ¡°The first, is that you might have a bounty on you.¡± ¡­ Eh!? A bounty!? Eh!? ¡°Truly¡­ Just like what I expected. You stayed calm without even moving an eyebrow, huh? ¡°Hunters are truly capable of always maintaining their calm, I suppose. You¡¯re still a kid, yet you¡¯re a hunter through and through.¡± Glock said. No, no, not at all! I¡¯m extremely surprised! ¡­ Well, I¡¯m not the type of person that shows my surprise on my face though. Still, I am thoroughly surprised. CH 107 Chapter 107 ¨C Glasses boy feels a bit relieved While pouring the liquor on his glass, Glock continued speaking, ¡°This isn¡¯t a particularly complex issue. It¡¯s just that Black Swan of Dawn got a request to search for you.¡± Oh, it truly is simple. ¡­ The meaning behind this doesn¡¯t seem that simple though. I was brought some salad and it was placed in front of me, but I didn¡¯t feel like eating it right now¡­ Ah, fresh vegetables topped with crushed nuts and shredded bacon. This looks delicious. ¡°Black Swan of Dawn is the best adventurer team in the capital, right? So, if they¡¯re making a request there¡­¡± I started saying. ¡°Then this client absolutely wishes to find you.¡± Glock confirmed my thoughts. It is certainly quite expensive to hire a top-class adventurer team of the royal capital. An adult¡¯s pocket money isn¡¯t close to enough for this. In other words, the client is serious about this, and is willing to spend plenty of money to get this done. Therefore, it leads to Glock¡¯s prediction that I may have a bounty on me. It is certainly not impossible that this may have happened. ¡°Have you finished this request already?¡± I asked Glock. ¡°Yes. In fact, we have a duty of confidentiality, so I cannot talk about unfinished business. ¡°I simply told the client that you were no longer in the royal capital, and they seemed to end the request with that.¡± Glock explained. So the question is whether or not the client would have given up with just that¡­ And if they haven¡¯t given up, then they may have put up a bounty. ¡°This client¡­ You wouldn¡¯t tell me who they are, would you?¡± I asked just in case. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t even know who they are. But I wouldn¡¯t tell you even if I did know. ¡°Rick, our leader, controls information in regards to requests that may become a bit more complicated if word about them spreads. He doesn¡¯t tell the other members what we don¡¯t need to know.¡± Glock replied. Rick¡­? The leader, Rickstein? Well, as a first-class adventurer, he is probably very strict with the confidentiality of the jobs that he receives. Even if I asked him directly, I¡¯m sure he would never tell me. ¡°So, that¡¯s the first thing. Do you understand the meaning of it?¡± Glock asked. Well¡­ To some extent. ¡°But I¡¯m unsure about what to do now that I am aware of this¡­¡± I told him honestly. Should I become more vigilant? Or should I instead try contacting the client directly? So as to listen to their request, then dissolve our relationship in a way that guaranteed that no trouble came from this? Or maybe I should desperately run away? That does sound a bit appealing, but¡­ If there¡¯s a bounty on me, it would be hard to do so. To put it simply, once a bounty is up, I have to assume everyone around me is a possible pursuer. Even if there was a clear way to figure out who was and wasn¡¯t after the bounty, I would still have to act like a wanted person. ¡°I want to make something clear though. This request was accepted by Black Swan of Dawn, and we only accept clean work. ¡°We may handle some grey stuff, but never black work that violates the laws. ¡°Some people don¡¯t know about it and try asking us to commit crimes. In those cases, we hand those people over to the soldiers. ¡°In other words, as this is a request that we have accepted, it is almost guaranteed to not be something related to a crime. ¡°This is not the kind of thing that Rick would accept without first looking up the reputation and the intentions of the requester. ¡°So, if you try finding this client, it may not be something bad for you¡­ Though well, I have no guarantees.¡± Glock told me. I see¡­ It is useful information, but without guarantees, I¡¯m too scared to try getting involved with this. Because this person is someone who wants to meet me so much, that they are even willing to spend a large amount of money on the search. And who would even want to meet me this much¡­? ¡­ I think it¡¯s normal to scared of it. At the very least, it¡¯s not something I feel comfortable with. While I thought about that, Glock refilled his glass, then started saying, ¡°Now, on to the second topic. The one I mentioned to you first, about your Glasses.¡± There it is. I was curious about the bounty alright, but the Glasses were much more meaningful to me. ¡°How do you know about it, Glock?¡± I asked. And I¡¯ve also suddenly realized something. I do not know Glock¡¯s Gift. I can¡¯t see it now, nor could I see it during the fight with the Obsidian Wolf. So, he either hasn¡¯t used his Gift in neither occasion, or his Gift is one that I do not know anything about. It has to be one of those. And if it is the latter, then his knowledge must be an incredibly rare one, which is a highly unlikely occurrence. During my training with Sorichika, I read a lot of books on Gifts. To possess a Gift that is rare enough that it wasn¡¯t listed in any of those books¡­ Honestly, it needs to be something about as rare as my Glasses. Unsurprisingly, I can¡¯t ask him about it. I¡¯m not close enough to him to ask this kind of thing. ¡°I have to ask you to keep quiet about this, alright? This has to stay between the two of us.¡± Glock told me. I mean, I was working with this kind of assumption from the start. It is something directly related to me, so of course I have no intention of telling anyone about it. So, I silently nodded to Glock¡¯s request. Then, he made a shocking statement, ¡°It was an information leak from the castle.¡± ¡­ Oh, alright. If that¡¯s the source, then I guess him knowing it isn¡¯t that strange. But¡­ The information came from the country itself? Like, from the royal castle? Did the country actually sell the information about my Glasses? The country¡­ The country¡­ ¡°It¡¯s not something that can be talked about openly, but Black Swan of Dawn pays bribes to find out the Gifts of children who are brought to the capital from the countryside, like you and Horun.¡± Glock explained. I mean, it¡¯s certainly something that can¡¯t be talked about openly. After all¡­ This is dirty. ¡°Wasn¡¯t Black Swan of Dawn clean?¡± I asked him. Didn¡¯t he just tell me that they won¡¯t commit crimes? That they would turn clients that request crimes over to the soldiers? Where did all this discourse go to now? ¡°It¡¯s not exactly black, but more of a grey thing.¡± Glock told me. Is that so? Is it really? It is completely black to me though. It may not be pitch black, but it¡¯s definitely a light black at the minimum, isn¡¯t it? ¡°Think of it as a necessary evil. ¡°Not everyone is as smart, cautious or skilled as a hunter. ¡°There are kids that are brought to the capital from the countryside while being completely lost. Children that do not have any clue about what they should or shouldn¡¯t do. A lot of them can easily be deceived. ¡°Before they realize it, they may be scammed and forced into a huge debt. They might not be able to find a way out of the situation, which would force them to use their Gifts for criminal acts. ¡°To stop this kind of thing from happening, we try guiding and introducing those children to people that they can trust. ¡°And of course, we may offer some direct help if we see that the kid is about to get involved in a crime. ¡°Though well, I will say that this isn¡¯t something done purely on good intentions. If someone has a desirable Gift, then Black Swan of Dawn will try securing this person as quickly as possible.¡± Glock explained. Ah, a necessary evil, huh? ¡­ From my point of view, having my Gift leaked without my knowledge is a huge deal. But at the same time, there are people who can be saved by this kind of action, so¡­ Could it actually be okay? Is this maybe a good thing? ¡°Let me just confirm this with you. You don¡¯t spread this information, do you?¡± I asked. ¡°Obviously not. It¡¯s hard to call this clean, and we would definitely get in trouble if we were caught.¡± Glock replied. I think this reply is enough of an admission that what they¡¯re doing is not grey. ¡°Only a handful of people within Black Swan of Dawn know about it though. ¡°Since I¡¯m a veteran, I¡¯m sometimes consulted about whether or not a given Gift would be worthwhile for Black Swan of Dawn. That was when I learned about your Glasses.¡± Glock told me. I see¡­ ¡°And did Black Swan of Dawn want my Gift?¡± I asked. ¡°We didn¡¯t understand what it did, so we didn¡¯t want it.¡± Glock replied. Oh, alright. That¡¯s a very reasonable answer. After all, even I didn¡¯t understand this Gift properly when I first found out about it. So, basically, they don¡¯t know my actual capabilities. They don¡¯t know anything other than the power to create glasses. They do not know that I can register Gifts, nor do they know that I can see the Gifts of others. Then, this is fine. It¡¯s okay if they know that my Gift is Glasses. The problem would be if they knew the actual powers of this Gift. Because it is unique. Because it is versatile. If Glock knew everything about my Glasses, then he¡¯d surely want to have me. Because this Gift is incredibly convenient. Even at its basic level, it is very helpful to me, who have bad eyesight. I honestly can¡¯t even imagine living without these glasses anymore. Even without taking all the other abilities into account, just the sight correction is incredibly important to me. So, for now, I felt some relief. Glock must currently assume that I have two Gifts. Sound Bomb and Glasses. This isn¡¯t a problem. After all, while it may be rare for someone to have two Gifts, it is not unheard of. So, he shouldn¡¯t be able to conclude that this is part of the powers of my Glasses. And that, is the one thing that I don¡¯t want anyone to find out. It would be the worst possible outcome for me. No matter what happens, this knowledge must not be known to anyone. Glock grinned, as if he had seen through my inner relief. ¡°Your Gift isn¡¯t just about making glasses though, is it?¡± Glock asked me. Ooh? ¡°Well, what about you, Glock? Can you tell me what your Gift is?¡± I asked him back. For just a moment. For just a single moment, my animosity and Glock¡¯s directly clashed with one another. What I said was revenge. You don¡¯t ask someone about their Gift if you don¡¯t want the other party to ask about yours either. That¡¯s basic. It¡¯s good manners, it¡¯s common sense, it¡¯s an unspoken rule to not ask people about their Gift. It¡¯s natural that Glock got annoyed when a younger kid pointed this obvious fact to him. Well, I was irritated too though, so this was payback. ¡°¡­ Hmph. You¡¯re a truly terrible brat. As expected of Horun¡¯s younger brother, you¡¯re truly a crook.¡± Glock said. Now that is something I cannot agree with. Please don¡¯t try putting me on the same level as my sister. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get back to the point. ¡°The second thing I wanted to tell you about is directly related to the first one. The client that I mentioned, that was searching for you, this person was looking for your Glasses. ¡°It¡¯s important to know what the other party¡¯s goal is, right?¡± Glock told me. ¡°Yes. I appreciate your help.¡± I nodded. A client has tried to find me even if it cost them a lot of money. And what they wanted, was my Glasses. Those two things are incredibly valuable pieces of information whose worths cannot be ignored. CH 108 Chapter 108 ¨C Glasses boy openly shows his distrust ¡°That¡¯s all from me. The rest is up to you.¡± After Glock said that, he ordered an additional bottle of alcohol, as his previous one had already been emptied¡­ Isn¡¯t he drinking too much? While thinking about all this information that Glock told me about, I brought the salad to my mouth¡­ Oh, the vegetables are fresh, and the crushed nuts are really well-complemented by the bacon. I¡¯m not sure how to describe the taste. It¡¯s not exactly sour, but also not fruity either¡­ So, there¡¯s a person who tried to find me, and they paid a lot of money to do so. And they were doing it because of my Glasses. Mmmm¡­ So, I guess the first question is, when did the client learn about my Glasses? There are two possibilities that I can think of. ¡°Oh, hey. Give me some additional sausages please.¡± I returned the empty salad plate and received a thick stew that was brought together with Glock¡¯s sake. Wow, this smells good. It¡¯s very different from the stews that I make¡­ Or rather, this isn¡¯t really a stew, it¡¯s more like a soup. Oh, what¡¯s this? It¡¯s sweet. It tastes like sweet corn. Since I made Glasses deliveries to the castle, there should be some glasses within the castle itself at the very minimum. Even if all the requested glasses were distributed to people from faraway places, there is at least one pair of glasses in the castle, as I gave one to a woman that I met there. The client must have seen one of those glasses, and also knew that I was the one who made them, so they¡¯re looking for me. In that case, the person looking for me might be a pretty high-ranked person. A noble, possibly. At the very minimum, someone who can enter and exit the castle. The other possibility, is that this client also paid a bribe to the castle, so they obtained the information on my Glasses like that. Mmmmm¡­ This is still way too vague. I can¡¯t try narrowing it down with just this much. ¡­ Wait, hold on. I should be able to narrow this down. At the very minimum, the client must be rich. Because they have enough money to request a job of Black Swan of Dawn. Moreover, even if they did get the information on my Glasses through bribery, then it must have costed them a lot. I seriously doubt that this kind of information is cheap. However¡­ If they were just an ordinary rich person, then I feel like they should have enough people working for them that could handle this kind of search. People who would be able to execute the job without even needing to worry about it being grey or not, differently from Black Swan of Dawn. So, why would this kind of person go out of their way to hire Black Swan of Dawn for the search? Couldn¡¯t they just ask their own private personnel? Moreover, since they have only searched the capital itself, they don¡¯t really need the help of an adventurer team. It¡¯s not like they¡¯ll be fighting Demon Beasts or anything. A group under this person¡¯s direct employment should be more than enough. In that case¡­ The person being a noble might be more likely? Or rather, a noble who lives outside the capital, perhaps? If you¡¯re a powerful person who lives in the capital, you wouldn¡¯t limit your searches to just that city. You¡¯d use your connections to cover a much larger area. Though wouldn¡¯t they have already set up a bounty then? They have even asked for the help of Black Swan of Dawn, an extremely skilled group of adventurers. Something that proves that they are seriously searching for me. Perhaps¡­ A bounty might not be used, because there is something getting in the way? Perhaps they want the search to be as secretive as possible? ¡­ This is no good. I just don¡¯t have enough information to reach any conclusion. I can keep on imagining all sorts of circumstances, but this isn¡¯t really leading me anywhere close enough to guessing who the client might be. And well, this has nothing to do with the fact that I¡¯m fascinated by the smell of the beautiful sausage that is in front of me. I have never seen such a big one before. And it¡¯s white, yet it¡¯s meat? What kind of what meat is this? Let me try one. The skin cracked with a pleasant sound. Hot juice burst inside my mouth. It was hot, but good. It had a light citrus scent that complemented the strong fat smell well. And this isn¡¯t using just salt for its spice. What is in here is a bit more complex, it¡¯s a bit spicy, and fundamentally, it¡¯s delicious. As I slurped the dripping fat and chewed on the sausages, I came to a conclusion. The expectations I must have regarding the client. The most influential people are the people in power who have access to Nastiara castle. I don¡¯t have enough information available, so I should mentally prepare myself to dealing with someone that has this kind of outrageous power behind them. Though ideally, I would never find out who this client is. ****** After I finished eating, the two female knights seemed to have run out of patience, because they came to our table and sat down on empty seats. Me and Glock haven¡¯t called them yet though¡­ They must have seen me finish my dessert¡­ Or rather, I noticed their gazes upon me, so I¡¯m sure that they saw it. At this round table, I was sitting opposite to Glock, with the tanned knight at my left, and the fair-skinned knight at my right. The tanned knight moved her chair slightly closer to me, but¡­ Well, I guess this distance is still fine. ¡°What do you want to do? Do you want to drink something? How about corpse sickness?¡± Glock suggested. ¡°Can¡¯t you choose a more fashionable drink?¡± The tanned woman asked him. ¡°Corpse sickness is a cheap and strong alcohol. Its name means that even zombies can buy it and get drunk on it. It¡¯s not a drink that is appropriate to ladies.¡± The fair-skinned woman told him. Glock¡¯s proposal has been truly shot down¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know anything about alcohol and I don¡¯t even drink, so I can¡¯t really participate in this discussion in any way. Oh, I¡¯d like to get some more sausages though. ¡°I like its taste too, you know? Any full-fledged adventurer should be able to chug a bottle or two of those.¡± Glock told the women. ¡°Truly old customs, huh? I can see the mold growing on you.¡± The tanned woman told him. ¡°This kind of imposition from veterans is not well-received by young people these days.¡± The fair-skinned woman told him. Sorry, I just can¡¯t take sides here. Why don¡¯t we get some extra meat? ¡°¡­ Please order what you see fit.¡± Glock sighed. ¡°Oh, is that alright? Then please, bring us a white snake incense. It¡¯s his treat.¡± The fair-skinned woman said. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Glock didn¡¯t seem very happy. ¡°And a black butterfly to me. His treat too.¡± The tanned woman said. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Glock repeated. The two women quickly asked passing clerks to start bringing us drinks, and when considering Glock¡¯s reaction, those drinks were probably quite expensive. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t do anything, but can we get some more sausages, please? ****** The conversation was struggling to flow at first, but once the alcohol started coming, the talk of the adults quickly picked up momentum. Like this, I ended up hearing that the knights were staying at the inn located in the floors above this tavern. I think it¡¯s a nice place for a knight. It has delicious food, feels like a luxury restaurant, makes me feel absolutely out of place. It¡¯s the kind of establishment that scares me and that I would never come by myself. ¡°I see, so you¡¯re already going back to your country tomorrow? You¡¯re quite busy.¡± Glock said. ¡°What about you, Glock? You were talking about your next job?¡± The fair-skinned woman replied. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s a merchant group who wants to bring materials of the Obsidian Wolf to the capital. ¡°If they win them at the auction tomorrow, then we¡¯ll be escorting them to the capital. The merchant group must be negotiating for the materials right now.¡± Glock replied. ¡°So, you¡¯re leaving soon too?¡± I asked. ¡°Probably the day after tomorrow, in the morning. The materials come from a living thing, and the path to Nastiara is long. We can¡¯t wait much for this.¡± Glock said. I see. So both the knights and Black Swan of Dawn are planning on leaving Haidiga much sooner than I expected. The Obsidian Wolf was defeated just yesterday, yet they¡¯re already planning on their leave. ¡°Uhn¡­ Boy¡­ What do you¡­ Well, do you want something? His treat.¡± The tanned woman asked me. Is she trying to be considerate? I¡¯m not sure why she keeps trying to talk to me, and¡­ It¡¯s weird to try starting a conversation by saying Glock can pay for more food. I mean, in the first place, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m bored because I¡¯m not participating in the conversation. I prefer to be on the side of listening, without the need to speak. Also, I wanna go home already. It would be nice if I could just find a quiet and inconspicuous timing to leave¡­ ¡°I¡¯m okay, I-¡± I was about to tell her that I was plenty happy with eating those sausages. ¡°You¡¯re really bad talking, huh?¡± The fair-skinned woman told the tanned woman with a reproachful expression. ¡°I-I can¡¯t help it. I¡¯m not used to this kind of thing¡­¡± The tanned woman replied. You don¡¯t really need to get used to it though? You¡¯ll be leaving soon anyways. ¡°You. You have a cute butt.¡± The fair-skinned woman said. ¡­ Ah, was this directed at me? I had just forgotten about it, yet you had to remind me¡­ Why did you have to do that? ¡°You¡¯re an adult already, aren¡¯t you?¡± She asked me. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± I replied. ¡°Then this a good opportunity. Why don¡¯t you have a drink?¡± The fair-skinned woman suggested. Eh? A drink? ¡°Fortunately for you, we are here. There are three people who can take care of you if you get drunk, so I think it¡¯s a good opportunity to try it out.¡± The fair-skinned woman said. Eh¡­? ¡°It may sound like advice from a moldy veteran, but there is a surprisingly high amount of occasions where you have to drink while socializing.¡± Glock said. ¡­ It¡¯s hard to take his advice on social drinking when he drinks the way he does though. ¡°You might struggle if your first time drinking alcohol is in front of a public, you know? It¡¯s not a bad thing to get used to it. ¡°Today is my treat, remember? So why don¡¯t you just give it a try?¡± Glock said next. ¡­ Eh¡­? More than drinking alcohol, I want to go home¡­ I do understand what Glock is saying though, to some extent. My master did tell me about how there were some moments where he had to drink alcohol. ¡­ And after those occasions, he returned home drunk, and crying. His wife scolded him about it looked like he had relationships with men. Truly. I have seen a lot of bad drunkards. I really, from the bottom of my heart, don¡¯t want to be like that. ¡­ But in this mood, it really doesn¡¯t seem like I can refuse¡­ ¡­ I suppose it can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s drink just one cup to please them, then I can go home. ¡°Alright. Just one drink.¡± I said. As soon as I said that, the tanned woman immediately moved her chair right next to mine, ¡°How about this one? It¡¯s a sweet and easy-to-drink sake. It¡¯s recommended for beginners!¡± She opened the menu and said, ¡°This! This!¡± while pointing to a drink. I¡¯m not sure¡­ ¡°The¡­ Flower dragon killer?¡± I read its name out loud. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s certainly sweet, but it¡¯s also kinda strong-¡± Glock started saying. ¡°Shut up.¡± The tanned woman glared at him. ¡­ Both him and her stayed silent for a while. ¡°O-oh! I recommend that one! She¡¯s right!¡± Glock said. ¡­ What are they even planning on doing after getting me drunk? Looking at what she just did, leaking out murderous intent to make Glock shut up¡­ Does she really think I¡¯ll just go along with what she suggested? ¡°I¡¯ll take something that Glock chooses.¡± I decided. ¡°Eh? Why!?¡± The tanned woman asked. Why else? Because I don¡¯t trust you. CH 109 Chapter 109 ¨C Glasses boy went through a critical situation without realizing it ¡­ I regained consciousness. My consciousness that had sunk deep into the world of sleep has now returned. The first thing I felt, was a sense of incongruity. There were a lot of strange things¡­ ¡­ Huh? Am I naked? But I¡¯m a hunter. I try to be as prepared as possible at any given moment, so as to let me react if a prey ever enters my range. If the prey moves away while you¡¯re preparing, it escapes. Hunters don¡¯t have the luxury to be unprepared. Therefore, as I never know when I will need to pick up my bow and head to the hunting grounds, I make sure that even if I¡¯m resting, some minimum preparations will be ready. It¡¯s impossible for me to sleep naked when I was taught all that. Also, clothes not only protect you against the cold air outside, but they also serve as a light layer of armor. It¡¯s not much, but it is better than nothing. And yet¡­ I¡¯m like this. I¡¯m curious about my nakedness, but¡­ Where is this place? I raised my upper body and looked around¡­ I was in a large room. There was some furniture here, such as tables and a storage box, as well as some wall decorations, like paintings and tapestries. It is a nice room. It¡¯s spacious. The place I sleep at is much smaller. ¡­ This is obviously not my room. Nor is it a place that I know. ¡­ Where? Where am I? What was I doing? ¡­ I heard someone. Someone was breathing. A slow, but steady breath. The person must be sleeping. I don¡¯t want to see it. I don¡¯t want to know it. I want to run outside naked and run away from this as fast as I can. That¡¯s the impulse that came to me. But¡­ I endured it. Running won¡¯t benefit anybody, not even myself. So, I have to see it. The reality. Without running away. And I must deal with it calmly and coolly. ¡­ Alright. I made up my mind, and looked to my side. There was a naked person lying there, just like me. But it was not the tanned woman. ¡°Eh¡­? Who?¡± I muttered. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t the fair-skinned woman either. It wasn¡¯t even the stubble-bearded old man, Glock. It was a large young man. Probably on his mid-twenties. He had a bright blonde hair and slightly long bangs. His body was just as well-trained as Glock¡¯s, or perhaps even more. His eyes were closed because he was asleep, but he still has a fearless face. ¡­ Huh? After looking at him closely¡­ Have I seen him before? ¡°Oh, you woke up?¡± The young man opened his eyes. They were of a beautiful green color. They gave off a sense of sincerity and seriousness that matched well with his fearless facial features. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I apologized. ¡°Hmmm?¡± He muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened last night, but I really do like women. I don¡¯t want to know what happened, nor do I want to hear about it. I¡¯m sorry, but please forget about me.¡± I told him. The young man paused for a moment. While maintaining his calm face, he stood still without even blinking. Perhaps he was trying to process what I just said. ¡°Rest assured, for I like women too. ¡°I fact, I am a newlywed, and will be a father soon. ¡°I understand that such a world exists, but I have nothing to do with it. ¡°You should be wearing your pants, by the way. I¡¯m also wearing mine. It¡¯s proof that nothing happened.¡± The young man told me. Oh, i-is that so? Ah, I checked it now, and I really was wearing my pants¡­ That¡¯s a relief. I truly am wearing them. I did not make a mistake. ¡­ No, that¡¯s not right. I¡¯ve already made a mistake. I am sleeping next to someone that I don¡¯t know in a situation that I do not understand. This was an unbelievable failure. ¡°Do you recognize me? It¡¯s not the first time we¡¯ve met.¡± The young man asked. Mmm? Let¡¯s see¡­ ¡­ Ah. Maybe¡­ ¡°You¡¯re a knight?¡± I asked. There were four knights chasing the Obsidian Wolf. The old man with a scar, the two women, and a young man that I had no contact with at all. It must be this person. ¡°You¡¯re right. We didn¡¯t have much of a chance to talk, so it¡¯s no wonder that you don¡¯t remember me.¡± He told me. I¡¯m sorry. I really don¡¯t remember you. ¡°Do you remember what happened last night?¡± He asked me. Eh? Let¡¯s see¡­ Oh, coming to think of it¡­ ¡°Did I see you last night?¡± I half-asked half-answered. ¡°I introduced myself at that time, but it seems like you were too drunk to acknowledge it. ¡°I¡¯m Rowae Vitan. But you can just call me Robin, most people do.¡± He told me. Rowae, also known as Robin, raised his upper body. The blanket that was on top of our bodies fell, revealing his well-trained and muscled body. A truly splendid body with no waste in it. His Physique is about as good as Glock¡¯s, but it¡¯s also¡­ Sophisticated. Unlike Glock, who felt wild, this man seemed to have a carefully built body. How can I describe him¡­? He is classy. A big, but pretty man. ¡°Also, let me apologize for Seriara¡¯s and Aroro¡¯s actions. They made you drink way too much. ¡°You became completely oblivious to the situation you were in, and started taking off your clothes.¡± Robin calmly said something that I did not want to hear. ¡°¡­ No. That was my own fault.¡± I replied. It¡¯s true that I did drink what they recommended to me. I definitely have memories of drinking. And luckily enough, I don¡¯t seem to have any of the sickening symptoms that come with hangovers. However, after gulping the first glass, I started feeling light-headed and also¡­ Strong? For some reason I thought something as absurd as, ¡®I can even win against my sister now!¡¯ this was definitely my fault. I don¡¯t even know why I would think that I could beat my sister. I don¡¯t have to win against her, I don¡¯t have to even try. She is not a being that can be compared to normal humans, she is more of a beast than anything. ¡­ And now that I¡¯m looking back at what happened carefully¡­ I think I can conclude that I must have gotten completely drunk after my very first glass. I don¡¯t want to think about it, but it really did happen. I never wanted this to happen, but I truly acted like a useless adult. ¡°I drank for the first time yesterday¡­ Apparently, I¡¯m pretty weak to it.¡± I told Robin. And the most troublesome thing about all this, was that I didn¡¯t hate it. My head felt light. I could forget my unpleasant thoughts and worries. I felt liberated under the alcohol. ¡°So that was your first time¡­? Well, I guess it was quite the stressful experience.¡± Robin said. Well¡­ Possibly. But that¡¯s fine for now. ¡°Uhn¡­ My memory is still quite fuzzy¡­ Did I really take off my clothes?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah, yeah. I even went along with you at first, but then we all had to stop you when you started trying to strip the bottom part.¡± Robin replied. What the? What the¡­? I don¡¯t remember any of this, but there is no reason for this person to lie to me. This must be the truth¡­ Somehow. ¡°After that, to stop Aroro from giving in to her strong desire of taking care of you, I secretly brought you here as soon as I had the chance. ¡°And now we¡¯re here. Do you understand the situation?¡± Robin told me. Oh, I see¡­ So that¡¯s how it went. ¡°Thank you for saving me from this crisis. I am truly sorry for causing all this trouble.¡± I told him honestly. ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to apologize. ¡°Or rather, I am the one who am sorry for my colleagues¡¯ actions. And apologizing just isn¡¯t enough to make up for what they did.¡± Robin replied. ****** Later on, I learned that, when the tanned woman noticed that I was gone, she went on a rampage, and Glock ended up being the victim of it. He was knocked down by the tanned woman, and was beaten over and over again until he lost consciousness. The old man with a scar arrived just as Glock fainted though, so he was able to take him and bring him to safety. ¡­ Which led to Glock waking up in the exact same situation as me, but next to the scarred old man instead of Robin. He was truly shaken as he saw himself like that. He thought that he had lost something important of himself, as a man. Because right after Glock woke up, the knights left the inn, then left Haidiga right after. The scarred old man did not talk much, so Glock did not receive a full explanation of the events of the previous night. ****** As for me, I ended up creating a bit of a strong bond with Robin at the end of his stay in Haidiga, so we somehow ate breakfast together, and then I saw them off. They walked quickly. And the scarred old man seemed to be constantly scolding the tanned woman, who kept on looking my way, over and over again. ¡­ Alright. Let¡¯s forget about yesterday¡¯s blunder. Forget it already. Let¡¯s forget. CH 110 Chapter 110 ¨C Glasses boy hears about the Tower of Bryne Well then. Glock was terribly depressed. He was muttering, ¡°I made mistakes¡­ Overnight with an old man¡­¡± and other things like it. It took him a while, but eventually, he forced himself to leave. The knights had already left too, so I was alone now. Let¡¯s forget everything about yesterday and start moving forward with today¡¯s schedule. It was still early in the morning. I may not remember what exactly happened yesterday, but the important part is that it doesn¡¯t seem to have affected my body. So, I should be able to have plenty of time to train today. I didn¡¯t have a hangover, and my body was feeling much better than normal, probably because I slept more soundly than usual. So, I have no reason to rest. Let¡¯s go to Goertz¡¯s right away. ****** ¡°¡­ Ah. The man that comes home only in the morning.¡± Lisse glared at me. Uhn¡­ I just arrived at the underground training room, and Lisse, who arrived earlier, gave me a freezing cold gaze. ¡°You¡¯re still only a trainee, yet you¡¯ve already created the habit of coming home only in the morning, huh!? You surely have gotten a lot better at playing with women this last night, haven¡¯t you!?¡± Lisse exclaimed. How to answer that¡­? Mmmm¡­ ¡°On that matter, my sleepover was with a man, actually.¡± I replied. ¡°Huh? A man¡­ Eh!? Eeeh!?¡± Lisse seemed confused. Somehow, after all that happened, my final landing point was with Robin. It was incredibly dangerous to say this out loud, but I think this was actually the safest possible way for me to spend that night. ¡°A man? A night with a man? Eil is a man, right? The other party a man too? A man and a man. A man with a man¡­ A man and man¡­ A man with¡­ Eh? W-what does that even mean!? What¡¯s this all about!?¡± Lisse was extremely troubled by this somehow. Or rather, she seems to really want to know what actually happened. I wonder what is she thinking¡­ And what does she want to ask of me? ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the details if you say, ¡®I¡¯m a very bad girl. Please teach me¡¯.¡± I told her. ¡°W¡­ Wh-what was that¡­!?¡± Lisse said. ¡°If you don¡¯t say it, then I won¡¯t ever tell you. Never.¡± I replied. ¡°¡­ What a crazy ultimatum¡­!¡± She exclaimed. And then¡­ Silence. Huh? How come? I made this joke while expecting her to hit me, but she seems to be seriously pondering about it¡­ ¡°¡­ I-I¡¯m a very-¡± Lisse actually started muttering it¡­!? But then, Zant, accompanied by a blond man, came down from the stairs above, entering the basement. ¡°Ah, Roda.¡± I said. Roda was the one accompanying Zant. How rare, he doesn¡¯t come here often. ¡°I need to talk to you two. Listen to me before you start training.¡± Roda told us. I wonder what this is about. Well, for now, me and Lisse followed his instructions and sat at the table. It was the same table that I used during my lessons with Sorichika. There really were a lot of weird things near this table, though they all had some purpose to them. They were all here to help assassins hone their skills. Roda and Zant sat down, across from me and Lisse. Roda was wearing his usual adventurer outfit, so maybe he¡¯ll have some work to do later today. And Zant was as dirty as always. ¡°Let¡¯s handle this first.¡± Roda placed a small leather bag in front of me and Lisse. He urged us to open it with his eyes, so we picked it up and- ¡­ Ah. ¡°Are those fangs of the Obsidian Wolf!?¡± Lisse exclaimed. Unlike me, who was quietly surprised, Lisse openly raised her voice. That is probably a fitting reaction to this kind of gift. I don¡¯t know how to react like that though¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not showing it on the outside, but this has truly surprised me. They were solid white pyramids that were larger than the palm of my hand. The tip was not sharp, but slightly rounded instead. It was a weird shape that was barely fang-like, but it was definitely the fang of the Obsidian Wolf. After all, Roda did not deny Lisse¡¯s exclamation. This has to be it. ¡°You can make a knife with a fang of this size. You¡¯ll have to pay for its processing with your own money though. ¡°Well, you can also sell it, but you better what your step if you do that.¡± Roda told us. Wait, hold on, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that we wouldn¡¯t be getting materials from the Obsidian Wolf?¡± I asked. That¡¯s why I really wasn¡¯t expecting anything like this at all. But if I can really get this fang, then I would finally get the high-quality dismantling knife that I have been looking for. ¡°Because we got two Obsidian Wolves downed, there was some extra loot to split. ¡°Well, you two can still only get this much. ¡°¡­ That said, Eil.¡± Roda stared me in the eyes, ¡°The people who know of your contribution have said that it was natural that you got this as your reward. ¡°You have put on the work, and these are the results, so don¡¯t hesitate to accept it.¡± ¡­ I see. If it was someone other than Roda that was giving this to me, then I would have refused. But Roda was the one who was directly delivering it, so I think I should just accept it. It was just a small detail, but at that time, I said was acting as Roda¡¯s luggage carrier. This was worth a lot of money. And when bargaining with adventurers, they would need to make concessions while still keeping their face somehow. It was just a small detail, but it was also a very important one. ¡°If that¡¯s how it is, then I can¡¯t take it.¡± Lisse said. It is true that she didn¡¯t do anything, but¡­ ¡°This is your reward for carrying my luggage, and also an investment in the future.¡± Roda told her. ¡°An investment?¡± Lisse asked. ¡°If you become an adventurer who can kill big games, go for it. ¡°Then, when you come back, treat me to something, alright? That¡¯s my investment. ¡°This isn¡¯t something that you can get your hands on easily, so take it as if you had done everything that you could to deserve it.¡± Roda told her. ¡°¡­ Understood.¡± Lisse didn¡¯t seem to entirely okay with this, but she accepted it. ¡°And Eil. This is the reward that I said I¡¯d give you.¡± As Roda said that, he handed me a bag. Oh, this is¡­ Money? ¡­ It¡¯s a surprisingly large amount. ¡°Don¡¯t go wasting it¡­ Like in alcohol.¡± Roda grinned. ¡­ Zant too was grinning. ¡­ It seems like those two know exactly what happened last night. ¡°Eh? Do you drink, Eil?¡± Lisse asked me. She¡¯s the only one who doesn¡¯t know about it. That¡¯s alright. She doesn¡¯t need to know. ¡°Well then.¡± Roda started saying. I thought this was the end of the conversation, but apparently, he still had more to say. ¡°Eil, you said you wanted to go back to the assassins¡¯ village, right?¡± Oh, so that¡¯s the next topic. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think there is anything left for me to do here¡­ Or rather, I can do it better if I¡¯m not here.¡± I told him. If it¡¯s just bow training, then I should be able to do it here, in Haidiga. But there is no need to practice in this city. In fact, it would be easier to do it in the assassins¡¯ village. After all, there are no outsiders there. No people who are unrelated and unaware of the situation. In the village, I can train openly. Besides, I already searched for an archer in that village. ¡°So, are you interested in the Tower of Bryne?¡± Roda asked me. Tower of Bryne? Oh, right. Lisse did mention this name at one point. ¡°What is it? What is this tower?¡± I asked. If I were to say I wasn¡¯t interested in it, I¡¯m sure Roda would go ahead and tell me about it anyways, so I figured I might as well hurry it up. And when considering the timing that Roda chose to bring this up, then this tower must be related to my future as an assassin. ¡°It is a place to train assassins¡­ In other words, the assassins¡¯ school. The place that you were originally meant to go to.¡± Roda explained. ¡­ Mmm? ¡°What about the assassins¡¯ village? Isn¡¯t that the school?¡± I asked. Weiss Leavant invited me to join the assassins¡¯ school, and after the hellish carriage journey, we arrived at that village. But from what Roda just said, it seems like that wasn¡¯t the actual assassins¡¯ school? ¡°It is definitely a school, but its purpose is to teach you the basics. ¡°It¡¯s fine to train there though, and you will surely grow if you get a good master.¡± Roda replied. Ah, so the village too is treated as a school, then? ¡°At the Tower of Bryne, assassin trainees, like you two, are gathered together to enhance their skills and to improve their knowledge through friendly competition. ¡°You surely experienced it here for the past month. Studying under a master may be good, but there is a lot that can be learned by standing side by side with a rival. ¡°In the village you may learn from a master, in the tower you may learn from competition. You should choose the teaching method that best suits you.¡± Roda explained. I see¡­ There¡¯s no need to hesitate then. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ll go to it. I know some people who have already reached the Tower of Bryne.¡± Lisse proudly told me even if I didn¡¯t ask. ¡°Oh, alright. Enjoy the trip.¡± I told her. ¡°¡­ Annoying! Annoying!¡± Lisse suddenly shouted. I don¡¯t really get why, but I seem to have gotten her angry. She grabbed me by the chest and shook me violently. ¡°You like men! You like men!¡± She exclaimed. Hey, this isn¡¯t even relevant to this conversation. And I don¡¯t like them in the first place. I just spent one night semi-naked with a man. ¡­ Yeah, no good. I can¡¯t really say that. ****** Once Lisse calmed down from her angry and violent outburst, we could resume our conversation. I stared at Roda and said it clearly, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go to the village to-¡± I wanted to finish the phrase by saying that I was going to study with a master. ¡°By the way, from my point of view.¡± Roda loudly said. Eclipsing my voice with his. As if he was already expecting my response, ¡°You will most likely choose the village, but you¡¯ll grow a lot more if you go to the tower, so please go to the Tower of Bryne.¡± ¡­ I was completely rejected. Flat out denied. ¡°May I ask why?¡± I asked him. If Roda can tell me something that can bend my will, then I might maybe reconsider. Well, that¡¯s only if he can, that is. Please do try. Let me see if you can get to me. Roda stared at me. He seemed to notice the challenge within my eyes. He grinned, ¡°It¡¯s because you don¡¯t have anyone worth calling an enemy at your age group. ¡°You¡¯re just that strong. That¡¯s why. ¡°If you were serious about it, I¡¯m sure you would be able to easily outsmart Lisse. If you tried to kill her, you¡¯d kill her. ¡°And I¡¯m also aware that the reverse is not possible. ¡°What you need is a rival of your age who is above your level¡­ Or perhaps, a friend. ¡°When you find this person, you will be able to go higher. Both as a hunter and as an assassin.¡± CH 111 Chapter 111 ¨C Glasses boy laughs after hearing Lisse¡¯s true thoughts ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it is.¡± Roda stood up, ¡°Think carefully about what you¡¯re going to do. You have a few days to decide, so I¡¯ll see you later-¡± ¡°Roda.¡± I interrupted him before he could leave, ¡°Can I go back to the village now?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Lisse, Roda and Zant said in unison. Eh? Why were they so surprised? Their surprise was such that it even surprised me. ¡°Did you even hear anything I said!?¡± Roda, who was unusually upset, approached me. ¡°I heard you.¡± I replied. ¡°Lies! Why didn¡¯t you take any time to think, then!?¡± He asked. Well, I thought enough? I mean¡­ ¡°The educational policy of the Tower of Bryne, you said it was about training assassins, right? ¡°To put it simply, it¡¯s a place where you improve your interpersonal combat skills, isn¡¯t it? ¡°I know that¡¯s not what I¡¯m looking for, so I¡¯d rather go to the village.¡± I explained. Roda told me that I¡¯d compete together with rival assassins and grow with them. But I don¡¯t want techniques tailored towards killing people. My goal is to become stronger. This hasn¡¯t changed since I entered the assassin school. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m not interested in reaching the peak of what I can be as a hunter, but I am not particularly interested in becoming an assassin. Because I have no intention of killing anyone. Because I would never use the hunting techniques that my master taught me to kill someone. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s it? Then you should have no problems there.¡± Zant, who had been silent until now, spoke, ¡°As you¡¯ve already heard, we don¡¯t get many assassination jobs these days. We¡¯re out of work. ¡°Therefore, there is no point in raising a perfect assassin. ¡°In the first place, if our goal was to teach you to kill humans, then Lisse wouldn¡¯t even be here, as her Gift isn¡¯t particularly suited to this kind of job.¡± ¡°The Shadow Hunter Sword?¡± I asked. It¡¯s true that her Gift, which is highly effective against Demon Beasts, wouldn¡¯t be particularly useful for an assassin. At least not for killing people. ¡°The Tower of Bryne no longer trains people to become assassins, but instead trains you to learn how to take the reins of your own lives. ¡°In fact, part of the curriculum is to have the trainees hunt a giant Demon Beast. ¡°In other words, a lot of what you¡¯ll learn there has an overlap with what you¡¯ll learn as a hunter. ¡°Though well, a better comparison would be that the skills you¡¯ll be taught there overlap with what an adventurer wants. ¡°You may have your own goals here, but don¡¯t forget about our own goals as well. ¡°We don¡¯t want our skills as assassins to be lost to time. We want to pass them on, so we brought you all here. ¡°And if possible, we would like it if you could use our skills for the country. ¡°Also, if you really don¡¯t like it, you can always come back, you know? So why don¡¯t you try checking it out at least. ¡°Or at the very minimum, think about it for a bit longer. We aren¡¯t leaving right at this moment.¡± Zant told me. Oh, I see¡­ ¡°What¡¯s the giant Demon Beast hunt like?¡± I asked. ¡°It changes every year, so who knows?¡± Zant replied. ¡­ Putting aside the other things, I am very interested in hunting a giant Demon Beast. And so, after that conversation, today¡¯s training begun. ****** I was sweating profusely. After running and pushing my body for a long time, it was already evening. I was about to start a new run of the road, but Zant called me and told me to go upstairs. So, I left the underground training room, and just outside the backdoor of Goertz, was Lisse, who was just as worn out as me. ¡°I need to talk to you.¡± She told me. Oh, really? ¡°Can¡¯t it wait until we get back? I asked. I was drenched in sweat and my body was covered with dust from the several times I fell from the road. I really wanted to take a bath already. ¡°Sorichika might come, so we won¡¯t be alone¡­ Or rather, she came yesterday too. You didn¡¯t come home, so she ended up looking really lonely.¡± Lisse replied. Ah, I did something bad. My master is easy to tease, but she also gets easily frustrated if I, her apprentice, treat her coldly. Coming to think about it, our relationship is quite strange. We were master and student, but we¡¯re now something different. We are not really family, but sometimes I feel like our bond is even stronger than that of family. ¡°Anyways, more importantly than Sorichika coming. I want to talk about me.¡± Lisse told me. I inwardly sighed. ¡°Can I go home?¡± I asked. ¡°No. Listen. You may think that this doesn¡¯t matter, but there is something important that I need to talk to you about.¡± Lisse replied. Important? A really important topic? ¡°First of all¡­ You really are stronger than me, aren¡¯t you?¡± She asked. It seems like Roda¡¯s words have stayed in her mind. He said it clearly. That I was stronger than Lisse. ¡°We¡¯re just strong in different ways. There¡¯s no way I can win against you in a fight with swords, for one.¡± I replied. ¡°But if we¡¯re talking about killing one another, then you will surely win.¡± Lisse stated. That¡¯s true. Because Lisse, at least for now, only knows how to fight with a sword. If I had to fight her, I would choose a method that stopped her from fighting with her sword, and win from there. I¡¯d essentially set things up to make the situation advantageous to me. That¡¯s all there is to it. ¡°If I had heard this last month, I would have felt nothing but frustration. ¡°Well, I¡¯m still a bit frustrated at it anyways, but it¡¯s not the only feeling.¡± Lisse said. I stayed silent and waited for her to continue. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m also a bit proud. ¡°Because my friend and rival, Eil, is stronger than me¡­ ¡°Well, that¡¯s basically how I feel right now, somewhat.¡± Lisse finished explaining her feelings. I remained silent. ¡°¡­ Say something already! It¡¯s embarrassing to just be stared at after telling you all that!¡± Lisse exclaimed. Eh? Well¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ ¡°F¡­ Fri¡­ end¡­?¡± I muttered. ¡°Why are you talking in such a broken way as if you heard the word ¡®friend¡¯ for the first time ever!?¡± Lisse exclaimed. No, I did hear it before, but this was just¡­ Surprising. Her words truly surprised me. I mean¡­ Lisse thought of me as a friend? That was truly astonishing. But me¡­ Well, I shouldn¡¯t say how I feel about it. I don¡¯t want to get hit. ¡°So, what did you want to get to, after all?¡± I asked her. Let¡¯s try urging her to reach a conclusion, before she reaches a boiling point and hits me. At this moment, Lisse stared at me with a truly serious expression. The kind of gaze she only shows during training. Under the twilight sky, she stared at me with indigo eyes that felt akin to the bottom of a deep lake. ¡°I want you to be my rival for a while longer. I want you to go with me to the Tower of Bryne.¡± She stated. Ugh¡­ She really said it straight and plainly, huh? ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s take a bath and go home now.¡± I replied. In response to my words, Lisse stayed silent for a second, before sighing and smiling a bit, ¡°¡­ Well, I guess Eil will be Eil in the end. I suppose this can¡¯t be helped. ¡°Think about it at least, alright?¡± Then, she started walking away, but after a few steps, she stopped and turned around, staring at me again, ¡°Oh, one more thing. This one probably matters more to you.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t we talked enough already?¡± I asked. ¡°Just listen, alright? You¡¯re surely gonna be more interested in this one than you were about my feelings.¡± Lisse said. Eeh¡­? I wanna go take a bath already. ¡°That demon god statue. Sorichika really wants it.¡± Lisse told me. ¡­ Eh? ¡­ Eeeh!? The image of the cute evil goddess, which I had completely forgotten about, flashed through my mind. After successfully getting rid of it by giving it to Lisse, I did everything I could to erase it from my memory, so I hadn¡¯t thought about it at all in recent days. But I never expected to hear about new developments involving it. ¡°R-really!? That evil god statue!?¡± I asked. ¡°Really¡­ Though it¡¯s a bit disappointing that you reacted this much to this topic, but barely reacted to my honest feelings¡­¡± Lisse sighed. No, hold on. It doesn¡¯t really matter which is more important between Lisse and the statue. It¡¯s just that anything related to that statue needs to be prioritized above all else. That¡¯s all there is to it, alright? Or rather, if possible, I would have liked it if the statue was broken under the guise of an accident, or maybe lost and forgotten somehow. Yet Lisse had been taking care of it properly until now¡­ That¡¯s how it is, apparently. ¡°Why? Does she like it? What does she want with it? Is she going to use it as a medium to summon evil gods, demons or evil spirits?¡± I asked. ¡°No. She said she wanted it because it is cute.¡± Lisse replied. Eh? That evil thing!? ¡°In the first place, it seems like the reason to why she comes to my room every night is because she wants to see that evil statue. ¡°You clean up and go to your room as soon as you finish eating, so you never see it, but Sorichika always comes to my room after dinner. Even if I refuse her, she still goes inside anyways.¡± Lisse told me. ¡­ I can hardly believe that, somewhere in this world, exists a person who shares the same standards of cuteness as the genius demonic sculptor, Florentine¡­ ¡­ Well, I suppose it makes sense if it¡¯s Sorichika that we¡¯re talking about. She is quite odd, after all. ¡°So, is it alright?¡± Lisse asked. ¡°What? What is alright? What about it?¡± I asked back. ¡°Why do you look upset? Or rather, I should be the one upset when my true feelings mattered this little to you¡­ Well, whatever, enough of that topic. ¡°Is it okay if I give it to Sorichika? I promised that I wouldn¡¯t sell it nor throw it away, but you didn¡¯t say I couldn¡¯t give it to someone, right? So, is it alright?¡± Lisse asked me. ¡°¡­ Give it away quickly. Immediately.¡± I told her. ¡°G-got it. ¡°¡­ And you said it in a commanding tone, huh?¡± Lisse replied. The both of us stayed silent for a small while. Then we started giggling. I had desperately tried to forget about this statue and keep it out of my sight, but now, this one big problem that had been bothering me for a long time, has finally been solved. How could I possibly not laugh at all this? It¡¯s impossible. I just can¡¯t. I can¡¯t help laughing right now. CH 112 Chapter 112 ¨C That night¡¯s story ¨C Part one (Aroro Sebasrik¡¯s Point of View (the tanned knight)) I heaved a deep sigh. Regrets, remorse, self-blame, shame, inexperience¡­ All those feelings swirled over my head, and I could only sigh as they assaulted me. The sky high above is blue. That same sky spreads all the way to the city that we were in until yesterday. ¡­ I sighed once more. I sighed every time I look up. ¡­ And my three companions stayed silent. They stared at me from far away with cold gazes. We, the knights of Belgirat, a country to the east of Nastiara, had subdued the Obsidian Wolf, and were now returning home. ****** (Luheintz Dakkedanan¡¯s PoV (the Leader)) We were currently preparing lunch while letting our horses rest. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong with Aroro?¡± I asked. After all, I just couldn¡¯t settle down while seeing Aroro like that, so I decided to ask Rowan and Seriara about it, in a tone of voice low enough that Aroro wouldn¡¯t hear. Truly, this was quite the trip¡­ My term as the commander of the fort at our kingdom¡¯s border was about to end. I was meant to return to the capital of Belgirat soon. But right before my term was over, the task of subjugating the Obsidian Wolf came. I may have failed once and let the Obsidian Wolf escape to a neighboring country, but we were able to track it down and clean up for my mistakes. I may be punished and demoted for this blunder, but I¡¯m fully satisfied with the results. No civilians were killed by the escaped Obsidian Wolf, I¡¯m fine with anything now that I have fulfilled my duty. But in any case, we were in a forest clearing a bit away from the highway right now. The four of us were taking a small break, using the remains of a bonfire that travelers often used while camping. There is also a lake nearby, and there are only a few Demon Beasts in this area, so it¡¯s a relatively safe location, overall. After leaving here, we won¡¯t have a break until the evening, so we¡¯ll have to keep pushing forward until we arrive at the city where we¡¯re planning to stay overnight. Therefore, we have to let both ourselves and our horses rest right now. However¡­ Since yesterday morning, one of our companions has been so depressed, that I¡¯m starting to get depressed just from watching her. That person is, of course, Aroro. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s just been a long time since she¡¯s been in love.¡± Seriara replied to my question. If it¡¯s Seriara saying it, then it must be true. She is Aroro¡¯s best friend, after all, so she probably understands what happened the best. Though I sometimes wonder about Seriara¡­ She is a beauty without equal alright, but she also has striking similarities to the second princess of Belgirat, to the point that I can¡¯t even joke about it. Many people assume that she is a bastard child of the royal family, even. There are also plenty of mysteries about her. Like how nobody knows where she came from. Even if you try asking her about it, she¡¯ll jokingly tell you that she forgot. Most likely though, she cannot talk about it. Where she was born or who are her family. It¡¯s undeniable that she had the ability to become a knight, but it¡¯s rumored that she only got her post due to some background connections. At the end of the day though, only Seriara herself knows the truth. ¡°With that child?¡± Rowan asked. Rowae Vitan. The third son of the Vitan family. His family has a bad reputation of being the ¡®cold-blooded earl of Belgirat¡¯. Or at least, that¡¯s what commoners say. The nobility doesn¡¯t look at the Vitans badly. Rowae became a knight with the aim of clearing the stigma of his family¡¯s name, so as to make things easier for his older brother who will eventually inherit the house. However, as soon as he became a knight, Rowae became a bit disappointed when he found out that the impression that the nobility had of the Vitan house was not that bad. In any case, he recently married his wife and will soon become a father. For the sake of his unborn child, whenever he has a chance, he always strives to raise his family¡¯s reputation by mentioning that he is part of the noble Vitan house. Contrary to what his appearance may suggest, Rowae is actually quite the hard worker. ¡°He may look like a kid, but he is already an adult, which means he is at least 15 years old. ¡°Aroro is 19, so what¡¯s the problem? An age gap of four years is not a big deal, is it?¡± Seriara replied to Rowae¡¯s question. Well, I suppose we can¡¯t say anything about that. Both me and Rowae married people who had more than a four years age difference to us, after all. Like how I married the girl that I admired since my childhood, and that was five years older than me. We have spent a long time together. And well, even if that was not the case, it would be unwise to try touching on the topic of ages when talking to women. ****** (Rowae Vitan¡¯s Point of View) While eating lunch, the three of us talked while keeping a distance from the sighing Aroro. ¡°In the first place, what even happened that night?¡± I decided to ask. By the time I had returned from my outing, the boy was already completely drunk. ¡°When I arrived, Aroro was beating Glock down.¡± Luheintz commented. He had returned to the tavern later than me, and what he saw was the shocking spectacle of our companion staying on top of Glock and hitting him continuously. Luheintz told me that he thought it was something as silly as, ¡®Glock must have stroked Aroro¡¯s butt¡¯, but this was clearly not the case. ¡°I don¡¯t know where to start¡­ I¡¯m not sure if I have enough time to tell you everything. ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you go first, lord Robin? Tell us what you saw after you entered the tavern.¡± Seriara mused. Me? Let¡¯s see¡­ From what I saw when I got there, the boy, who was apparently the root of the problem, didn¡¯t look to be drunk at all. In fact, he seemed to be perfectly sober. But apparently, he had long become completely drunk. And Aroro was crying by that point. She didn¡¯t break down crying or raise her voice though. Tears were just quietly flowing from her face. And Seriara had burst into laughter once she saw Aroro cry. She was pointing at Aroro as she laughed. I really thought those two were best friends, but that merciless burst of laughter made me wonder if they actually hated one another. And our acquaintance, the excellent adventurer, Glock, who was sitting with them, was clearly trying to escape. Honestly, he probably refrained from running away only because he must have wanted to escape together with the boy, as he wouldn¡¯t know what would happen to the boy if he was left alone. I really have no idea what caused all that. However, no matter how I looked at it, it was obvious that that was a very strange situation with a very weird mood in it. That was all I knew when I arrived. I had simply planned on taking a bath, then going to rest early, as we were going to leave early in the next morning. That was really my plan. I was just going to pass by the tavern, climb up the stairs to the inn, enter my room and go sleep there. But when I saw my colleagues drinking with Glock and the boy at that table, I just couldn¡¯t ignore it. I just had to intervene at that very strange situation. And in hindsight, I don¡¯t think I have made the wrong choice. ****** (Seriara¡¯s Point of View) At that night¡­ It all started when me and Aroro were having dinner by ourselves, when suddenly, the adventurer and the boy happened to come to the tavern. There were some twists and turns, but we were able to join their table. And then, the boy decided to accept the drink that Glock had suggested. We were trying to get the boy who had never drunk alcohol before to drink. How did we go from this to where the story ended? Well¡­ It was because of the atmosphere of the situation, I guess? And I suppose I also had some influence on how things developed. What? You think there is anything wrong with it? Just like how a man can try getting a woman drunk to do something, can¡¯t a woman also try to get a man drunk and do something to him? I don¡¯t want you to think that alcohol is a privilege that is only available for men. Besides, a bit of alcohol can be a real lubricant oil for love, can¡¯t it? I¡¯m sure you two understand. ¡­ After all, there are plenty of rumors about how lord Luheintz and lord Robin were playing around quite a bit before getting married, right? Oh, you want to hear the continuation of the story? If you have no more comments to make, then I¡¯ll continue. CH 113 Chapter 113 ¨C That night¡¯s story ¨C part two (Seriara¡¯s Point of View) Where did I leave off? Oh, right, it was when we asked for a drink for the boy. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll choose then. Since it¡¯s his first drink, then it¡¯s easier if it¡¯s something fruity. Therefore, let¡¯s go with Zombie Rum.¡± Glock decided on the drink, just like the boy requested. And that¡¯s how his first drinking experience began. To put it plainly, it was the worst. You know what Aroro is like. She has those ripe limbs. That needlessly large chest that you can easily want to rub. Skin that feels extremely comfortable to stroke. A firm butt that is perfect for slapping. ¡­ What is all that body for? Is it just a decoration? She was just so bad at using it to her favor. Well, you all know that she isn¡¯t that good at this kind of thing, I suppose. It seems like the first guy she went out with was quite nasty, so she started distancing herself from love after that experience. But still, she did have one experience at least, you know? She should be able to leverage that, as an older person with more experience than that boy. It was not an abundant amount of experience, but even scarce experience is some love experience. But slow or bad at love couldn¡¯t begin to describe what Aroro was like. She was so bad that I think even lord Robin would have had a better chance at courting the boy than she had. That¡¯s just how pathetic her flirting was. It was absolutely terrible. ¡°W-what about this drink next!? Wouldn¡¯t it be good!?¡± Aroro told the boy. ¡°I can¡¯t trust you. Once my older sister came running while trying to drag me to play, but she tripped, fell, and started crying. ¡°Her behavior made my parents suspect that I was the one who made her cry. Older women are dangerous.¡± The boy replied. He was clearly wary of her after her attempt of making him drink strong alcohol, yet she kept on trying to force herself to get closer to him anyways. ¡°Did the fourth arrow you shot at that hunting ground aim at my heart?¡± Aroro asked him. ¡°I don¡¯t get what you¡¯re talking about. You¡¯re being as incomprehensible as my sister.¡± The boy replied. I¡¯m not sure what she was thinking at that point. Even I, who wanted to support her, couldn¡¯t help feeling like those incomprehensible and roundabout pick-up lines were ridiculous. ¡°H-h-h-h-h-hey, how about it? Why don¡¯t you play with this older sister right here?¡± Aroro hugged him. ¡°Your behavior is way too suspicious. Also, please don¡¯t hug me, I¡¯ll shout.¡± He replied. I thought she was finally trying to do something useful by using her adult charm at that point, but the boy simply didn¡¯t like it when she blatantly attached herself to him. Honestly, I kinda want to complain about his reaction too. I never thought I¡¯d see a man who would actively show disgust when a woman presses her large chest against him. ¡­ Well, maybe it¡¯s just his taste, but never mind that. The point is that the whole thing was terrible. Absolutely terrible. The sight of Aroro making this kind of desperate attempt to court him was just too ridiculous. It was even hard to look at it. So, I decided that I should try intervening a bit. ¡°Why don¡¯t we have another drink?¡± I suggested. The boy had drunk the rum surprisingly easily. Apparently, he liked the alcohol. So, I decided to interrupt Aroro¡¯s clumsy attack and switched to the approach of letting the boy consume more alcohol. Even Aroro, as bad as she was at this, must have realized that it would be impossible to get things to work out the way they were going, so she agreed to my suggestion. She also drank alcohol together with him as she kept on trying to court him. Though now that I think about it, I can now understand that the boy was already drunk by that point. That is probably why he didn¡¯t react well when hit by Aroro¡¯s chest. I mean, men can be happy even with smaller ones, right? There¡¯s no way he wouldn¡¯t react to Aroro¡¯s chest at all. You two can understand when considering what your wives are like, right? Huh? Bad throat? This coughing surely came at a convenient time. Well, back to the story. While I can now say that the boy was drunk, at that time I really thought he was behaving just like normal. His behavior was mostly the same as usual, and he was able to properly answer questions aimed at him. Nothing about him overlapped with the behavior of people who drink so much that they sleep on the streets. As such, the boy continued to quietly drink, without any resistance, as me and Aroro encouraged him to. ****** (Luheintz¡¯s Point of View) I was curious about the continuation of the story, but our lunch break was over, so it was time to leave. ¡°We were just getting to the climax though. We were soon reaching the point where lord Robin appeared.¡± Seriara complained. ¡°I¡¯m curious about it, but that¡¯s all there is to it.¡± I replied. And after that, everyone followed my instructions, cleared out the camp, then moved out. Under these clear skies, our four houses galloped over the seemingly endless highway. While we moved, I could hear Aroro trying to reply to some questioning from Seriara, ¡°Eh? Ah, well, you know¡­ Uhn¡­ No, it¡¯s not like that. ¡°Not like that? Uhn.. Yeah, maybe¡­ I mean, no, not this. Isn¡¯t this too much? ¡°I think it was more like¡­ Well, maybe it was more like that? Or perhaps like¡­ ¡°But then, it¡¯s not like that, but more like, but also like, the opposite. ¡°No, not this opposite, but more like¡­¡± Seriara seemed to be attentively listening as their horses ran side by side. Undoubtedly, she was obtaining extra material for when we continue the story tonight. I couldn¡¯t quite understand what Seriara asked, and Aroro¡¯s replies came too fragmented to let me make any sense of it, so I decided to not worry about it. I will certainly find out about it tonight, after all. So, me and Robin pretended to not hear anything as we continued moving forward. By the evening, we arrived at the city on schedule, so we immediately rented a lodging. Our journey will continue for a while longer. Tomorrow we will get back on our houses early in the morning, so we need to properly heal our fatigue today, as tomorrow too will be quite taxing on us. This is especially true for me, as I¡¯m a bit older than everyone else. I can¡¯t be too unreasonable on my body. Even if my training schedule is the same as the youngsters¡¯, I¡¯m just not the same as them in terms of stamina. The slight dull pain in my back also worries me a bit, so I made sure to soak in the bath properly to heal my fatigue. I almost dozed off in the bathtub, in fact, but I was able to notice it and decided that it was about time to leave. Then, I headed to the dining room, where I had made an appointment with my subordinates. The sun had already set by now. ****** (Luheintz¡¯s Point of View) Two of my subordinates were in the dining room. They seemed to be eating and drinking already. ¡°What about Aroro?¡± I asked. ¡°She said she was going to rest early. She finished dinner and already went to her room.¡± Seriara replied. Well, she has been depressed since yesterday, so I suppose it can¡¯t be helped. I too feel like going to sleep already, actually, but for a completely different reason. I want to quickly eat, have a few drinks, then jump onto the bed. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to sleep soundly as soon as I lay down. I¡¯m way too tired right now. But that will have to wait. ¡°Lord Luheintz is here, so please continue the story, Seriara.¡± Robin told her. I usually don¡¯t show much interest in other people¡¯s love lives, but I do want to know what happened this time. ¡°Hold on a second. Let me get some cheap wine first¡­ Alright, this one is good.¡± I ordered a cheap drink from the bartender. Then, Seriara opened her mouth, ¡°Alright. ¡°Before anything else though, let me share some information that I got today. ¡°When I asked Aroro, ¡®when did you fall in love with him and what do you like about him?¡¯ She told me that she noticed that she liked him when she felt like she really needed to protect him from my poisonous fangs. ¡°Aroro definitely wanted to thank him for helping her too, so she wondered if she could teach him about what it was like to be with an adult woman¡­ From the moment she started to think this kind of thing, she became more and more conscious of him and started liking him more and more. ¡°I don¡¯t know how many times I felt like puking while hearing her say that, but I somehow endured it until the end.¡± And so, after providing this supplementary explanation to us, with a cold expression on her face, Seriara went to the climax of the story. ****** (Seriara¡¯s Point of View) Aroro and I didn¡¯t realize that the boy was already drunk, so we ordered more and more alcohol and kept on pushing it on him. ¡°Hey, hold on a second¡­¡± Glock commented. Glock had mostly been on the sidelines until now, but he decided to intervene. Probably because of his monetary situation. After all, we did give a bit too much alcohol to the boy. I had forgotten about it because the boy continued to drink without any hesitation, but this was a bit too much for someone who was drinking for the first time. But even at this point, the boy did not seem to be drunk. ¡°Alright, alright. We have all drunk a fair bit, so why don¡¯t we play a game?¡± Glock suggested. It was probably a plan to stop the boy from drinking any further, as we were only ordering expensive drinks, so Glock must have really wanted to cut down on the costs. ¡°I have a few dice here; we¡¯ll play with those. ¡°We all throw a die each. The person who rolls the biggest number wins, and the person with the lowest number loses. ¡°The person who loses must either play a punishment game or have a drink. ¡°The contents of the punishment game shall be decided by the winner, but if the loser decides to drink instead, then the winner must drink too. ¡°So, essentially, you have to make moderate punishment games, or you¡¯ll be forced to drink too. The thrill of the game is to aim for a barely passable line. The thing that is just enough to make the loser still want to do it without escaping from the punishment with the drink. ¡°As for the drink itself¡­ Of course, Zombie Rum. It¡¯s a cheap and strong drink, so it¡¯s perfect for this kind of thing.¡± It was a simple game. The one with highest number wins, lowest number loses, and winner can give a punishment game to the loser. If the loser refuses to complete the punishment game, they have to drink, but then the winner will drink too. It was fairly straight-forward and we only needed one die to play. Oh, and if a tie occurs, whoever rolled the die later ends up counting as the higher result. And well¡­ You realized it, don¡¯t you? This is where it all started. The entire situation was set. A big mess coming was inevitable. But it was only after the game started that we realized it. That the boy was already completely drunk. CH 114 Chapter 114 ¨C That night¡¯s story ¨C part three (Seriara¡¯s Point of View) The game that Glock proposed went around twice without any incidents. I was told to tell them about my history with men, and about how many men I have made cry. ¡­ Yes, I lost twice. I suppose I was just unlucky? Well, in any case, my unluckiness doesn¡¯t matter much for the story, so let¡¯s just move on. The game had been run two times. Nothing much had happened until that point. Because the boy had yet to win or lose. But in the third game, it happened. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Eil¡¯s loss.¡± Glock said. ¡°I-I won¡­! I wooooon! Woooooooah!¡± Aroro exclaimed. The boy lost and Aroro won. It was the worst possible combination¡­ Though well, for Aroro, the greatest opportunity had come. However¡­ She had been drinking for quite a bit with the boy, so I suppose it couldn¡¯t be helped that she let out a victorious roar like that one. ¡°W-we-we-well¡­ Ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-kiss. How about a kiss!?¡± Aroro asked him. I blame Aroro for this. I blame her for stuttering like this. To talk in such a clumsy way, while having such a dangerous expression that would make anyone get wary of her. However, at the time, I did think that this offense was a true winning move. It was not a bad choice. It¡¯s something that makes use of the drunken courage, and it¡¯s not particularly strange to say this kind of thing at a drinking party. Even if the other party refuses you, you can always make excuses about how you were drunk and didn¡¯t think things through, so you can keep things the same as they were before. Well, if it was me, I would have made use of the situation to kiss without even asking first though. I would not have given a choice to the other party. And then, after that¡­ Fufufu¡­ Ah, I apologize for my impoliteness. I was trapped in a bit of a lustful delusion for a moment. But this was the moment where we finally understood it. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll undress.¡± The boy said. * That the boy was drunk. ****** (Seriara¡¯s Point of View) ¡°Undress?¡± Both me and Glock tilted our heads as we repeated the boy¡¯s words. ¡°Uuuhhyoo!¡± Aroro raised a very vulgar shout as she saw the boy take off his shirt. It couldn¡¯t be helped. She was really drunk. In the first place, she¡¯s a coward who cannot woo a man without the power of alcohol. An absolute idiot who does not know how to use that splendid body of hers to seduce someone. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s hot.¡± The boy let out a sigh. ¡°H-hey, hold on¡­¡± Glock muttered as he saw the boy start his next move. For the boy had reached out for the Zombie Rum on the table. He drank the remaining half of the bottle in one gulp, then cleared his throat. Me, Glock and Aroro went silent. ¡­ After a few seconds, the boy said, ¡°Well then, shall we continue?¡± He truly looked sober. His face didn¡¯t turn red, and his tone wasn¡¯t particularly strange. But there was something weird about his behavior. Something that we couldn¡¯t clearly explain, but that we could easily understand. It was obvious that he was doing something wrong, but was unable to understand what his own actions meant. Me and Glock exchanged glances. We understood that the boy¡¯s behavior was strange, so it was about time to break up. That was our intention at least. ¡­ But there was one person at our table who could not read the mood. ¡°Alright! I¡¯m going to undress too!¡± Aroro exclaimed. It was clear that Aroro was completely drunk. She was acting like the typical drunkard who falls asleep on the streets. That kind of drunkenness was clearly visible on her face. And, she must have gotten really excited when seeing the boy take off his shirt. Her emotions must have been running wild. However, the boy stopped Aroro from undressing. ¡°No good.¡± He said. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± Aroro said. ¡°Because I¡¯m the one who will undress.¡± The boy stated. I wasn¡¯t even sure if he understood what he was saying, but the boy was saying this kind of thing with a completely straight face. ¡°While I¡¯m undressing, I won¡¯t let anybody else undress.¡± The boy said. If we don¡¯t take the meaning of the words into account, the way he said it was actually kinda cool. But fundamentally, it was just a drunkard saying nonsense to a drunkard. I really thought it was like that. I thought there was no bigger meaning behind it. I figured it was futile to try looking for logic behind the words of a drunkard. And Aroro¡­ She started crying as she heard those words. She burst into tears. ¡°You¡­ You don¡¯t like boing¡­?¡± She asked him with a thin and small voice. A voice that sounded just like a little girl¡¯s. Those unexpected words hit me hard. They just somehow made me snap, and I couldn¡¯t stop myself from bursting into laughter. Looking back on it now, I don¡¯t think it was that funny, but¡­ Well, I had already been drinking for quite a while at that point, so please understand that I wasn¡¯t thinking properly either. And it was at around that time that lord Robin joined us. ¡°Hey, what is all this fuss about?¡± Lord Robin asked us. I was laughing out loud. I tried suppressing it to explain the situation to him, but I just couldn¡¯t do it in time. The boy reacted faster than me. And as you all know, the boy was still half-naked. Aroro was looking at the boy with an expression that could only fit an adult woman¡­ She was no longer Aroro. She was now Eroro. ** ¡°Nice to meet you. It¡¯s boobs, not boing.¡± The boy said. And well, what happened next? ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Rowae Vitan.¡± Lord Robin replied. *** Lord Robin¡¯s response was quite chaotic, wasn¡¯t it? To have the courage to make a normal reply, without even changing his facial expression, while responding to someone who introduced himself in such a nonsensical manner¡­ It was truly impressive. ¡°Huh!? Do you dislike boing!?¡± Eroro shouted. ¡°Boing is no good. It¡¯s boobs.¡± The boy replied. The boy was oddly fixated on this matter related to chests. However, he was not lowering his gaze at all. He was talking to Eroro while looking her directly in the eyes. He was saying things with a clear and direct tone. I would have felt a bit more relieved if his words were lascivious in some way, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case at all. Honestly, I felt like I was seeing a glimpse of something truly horrifying. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll undress!¡± Eroro exclaimed. ¡°You can¡¯t. Undress I am.¡± The boy replied. ¡°Wait wait wait wait! That¡¯s no good! Wait!¡± Glock shouted. While saying something that was clearly grammatically wrong, the boy stood up and put his hands on his pants. Glock, who had just been watching this from the sidelines, trying to not get involved and just waiting and seeing what was going to happen, now raised his voice and tried to intervene. Lord Robin was faster and reflexively stopped the boy with force though. He had a nice timing alright. As the boy was not hesitating in the slightest, we did not have the luxury to tell him to wait without doing anything. If lord Robin had been even a second late, then the boy¡¯s pants would have fallen and¡­ Well, then Eroro would have become a wild beast. ¡°Stop it! If you take off your underwear in public, you¡¯ll be arrested!¡± Glock exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± The boy calmly said to Glock, with a pointlessly dignified face, ¡°Because I will take my pants off properly.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do it! You¡¯re seriously going to jail!¡± Glock shouted. ¡­ That was really, really dangerous. ****** (Luheintz¡¯s Point of View) ¡°After that, everything happened in the blink of an eye. ¡°I hit the boy on the head and knocked him unconscious. Lord Robin made use of the opportunity to retrieve the boy and take him away from the tavern. ¡°In the meantime, Glock distracted Eroro to let lord Robin have a chance of escaping. ¡°However, when Eroro realized that the boy was gone, she started violently attacking Glock.¡± Seriara told us. I see¡­ I nodded to her words after hearing this far. ¡°And it was at that moment that I entered the tavern, right?¡± I asked, to which Seriara nodded. At that time, I ended up having to stop Aroro¡¯s rampage, then apologize for my subordinates¡¯ misbehavior to everyone in the tavern. The people there had all gone completely silent as they stared at the fuss that my subordinates were causing. In the end, I was able to settle things by paying for the bills of all customers that were currently at the tavern. And that¡¯s the end of the story. We now know the whole story of what happened at that night. I felt a sense of accomplishment from managing to hear all that with a straight face. But I was also somewhat tired after hearing this long story, and I also felt an indescribably heavy aftertaste. It was not a feeling of despair, but it was not a happy feeling either¡­ It was just weird, and heavy. After a small moment of silence, I came to my conclusion. ¡°¡­ Well, I suppose that¡¯s it then. ¡°That boy is our benefactor, so¡­ Let¡¯s just forget it. ¡°The whole story that happened at that night,¡± I lifted my cup, ¡°don¡¯t tell anyone about it.¡± Seriara and Robin both clashed their cups with mine. Our knightly oath was now made. This story of boing and boobs shall be kept a secret. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C * Translator¡¯s Note: ¡°Kisu¡± means ¡°Kiss¡± in Japanese. ¡°Nugisu¡± means ¡°undress¡± in Japanese. Eil misunderstood Aroro¡¯s words because he was drunk and because she stuttered. This was lost in translation because kissing and undressing don¡¯t sound similar in English. ** Translator¡¯s Note: ¡°Ero¡± comes from ¡°Erotic¡±. Seriara is making a pun with Aroro¡¯s name here. *** Translator¡¯s Note: In Japanese, it¡¯s common to omit a few words when introducing yourself. If you say ¡°Nice to meet you. Eil.¡± the other party will understand that you meant, ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Eil.¡± With the way that Eil¡¯s sentence was structured, its meaning could be interpreted as, ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is boobs, not boing.¡± Which is why Robin replied with a self-introduction. CH 115 Chapter 115 ¨C Glasses boy is troubled ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t get it.¡± I muttered to myself. Why is it like this? What am I doing wrong? No matter how many times I attempt it, I¡¯m not getting any different results. Or rather, I¡¯m not getting the results I want. The extra power is too weak. The strength is definitely being attached, but¡­ I sighed. I was currently in the middle of the forest near Haidiga, right at the foot of the mountain, a place that the Demon Beasts have yet to return to. Due to the influence of the Obsidian Wolf, the ecosystem of the mountain is still considerably disturbed, but it seems like the Demon Beasts are gradually returning to their home. There are people keeping watch on the situation, and Roda said that they expect things to normalize in about a month. Today, I only trained in the morning, then went hunting in the afternoon. And right now, five wild birds were lined up in front of me. The first had an arrow stuck to its thin neck. The second had an arrow piercing through its body. The third had its neck broken. The fourth also had a broken neck. The fifth too, had a broken neck. As far as hunt results go, this was perfect. After all, the Body Heat Vision of the Glasses was just too convenient. To the point that it might even make my hunting skills go rusty if I rely too much on it. But¡­ But it just wasn¡¯t right. It was too strange. No matter how much I thought about it, this was just weird. I came here today to test the Gift that I registered on the hunt the other day. Full Impact, the Gift of Ainliese. I was sure that this Gift was going to be what fixed the problem of insufficient firepower with my bow. That¡¯s why I was trying to test it out now, so as to learn how to properly incorporate it into actual combat. However¡­ It¡¯s not as powerful as I expected. I saw it clearly during the battle. Ainliese¡¯s arrow was strong enough to knock off the huge leg of the Obsidian Wolf, who was standing still in battle stance and firmly using it to maintain its balance. If a single arrow can have that much impact. Even if I missed a vital point, I should still be able to kill a large wild boar in a single shot. At the very minimum, when the targets are light and small birds, then I should be able to hunt them with just the impact of the arrow alone. I wouldn¡¯t even need to hit them. And yet, contrary to my expectations, the generated impact was weak. Shooting an arrow at a thin tree didn¡¯t even break it. It just blew off some of its bark. No matter how many times I tried, the result only amounted to this much. I thought that maybe it would only be properly effective against living creatures, so I tried testing it against wild birds. The bones in the area hit by the impact were broken, but it was the same level of impact as hitting them with a wooden stick. Even if I aimed directly at the neck, it was only enough to break the neck bone of the bird. It was definitely enough to prove that the impact was occurring, but the level of impact was about the same as what I got when I shot the tree. There is no doubt about it. The Gift is working. I can hear the sound of the impact, and I do feel my magical power being drained when I use this. But the effect is weak. No matter how much magical power I put into Full Impact, the extra firepower gained was just way too small. Mmmm¡­ I am aware that Gifts registered by my Glasses are not reproduced at full power. Me using Full Impact should only have about half as much power as what Ainliese can produce. Basically, my Glasses creates degraded copies of other people¡¯s Gifts. Even it allows me to have many Gifts, they will never be as good as the originals. This is how the Glasses works. And well, I don¡¯t think this Gift is inferior to others, even if there are limits to the power of the replicated Gifts. That said¡­ This power loss can¡¯t be caused just by the limitations of the Glasses. Half the effect of Full Impact, when that Gift was strong enough to throw off the balance of an Obsidian Wolf? There is no way that it should be this weak. Mmmm¡­ Alright, let¡¯s do this. After thinking about this for a while, I made up my mind. Now that a decision has been made, I can quickly act on it. I tied the birds together, put them on my shoulders, then ran back to Haidiga at full speed. It¡¯s only for this year, but for now, I have teachers that I can rely on. It would be a waste to spend so much precious time pondering about this alone. I can still rely on those teachers for now. And well, while I may not want to let other people understand how my Glasses work, there is one person who, unfortunately, already knows what my Gift does. And since this person already knows about it, then I have no reason to hide it from him anymore. That said, when considering the timing of all this, I¡¯d prefer it if I didn¡¯t do anything that would lead to me owing him something¡­ Hopefully our conversation won¡¯t make anything of the sort happen. ****** I belatedly joined the afternoon training, and while I was there, I asked Zant to call Roda for me tonight. Late in the night, Roda did come to the house that me and Lisse were living in. And he was bringing snacks and¡­ Sake? ¡­ I¡¯d rather not see any alcohol near me for a while¡­ I asked Lisse to return to her room early, then I sat across from Roda and declined his invitation to drink with him. Then, I decided to talk about the main topic straight away, ¡°I tried your Gift out today, but the Flower Bolt was too weak.¡± Roda already knows a lot. Therefore, there is no reason to hide the abilities of my Glasses from him. That said, I still have no intention of openly speaking about the specific details, so I decided to lie a bit here. ¡°Oh? The effect of my Flower Bolt was too weak?¡± Roda asked me. ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded. At this moment, he grinned widely. Then, he poured the sake into his cup, and slowly took a sip of it. When he was done, he said, ¡°So, Full Impact didn¡¯t have as much power as what you saw in the battle against the Obsidian Wolf, I assume? It was even weaker than what you had expected, right?¡± ¡­ How does he know it? ¡­ Roda really is amazing. Am I showing my thoughts in my face somehow? I don¡¯t think I¡¯m showing them at least, but still¡­ ¡°Eil, let me tell you one thing first and foremost.¡± Roda grinned and pointed his index finger up, ¡°Gifts can evolve.¡± ¡­ Evolve? CH 116 Chapter 116 ¨C Glasses boy feels like he can¡¯t keep going without drinking I didn¡¯t even need to ask what evolution was, as Roda already started talking on his own. ¡°First things first, there is a difference between growing a Gift and evolving it, and that¡¯s something all assassins need to learn about at some point. ¡°That said, if something doesn¡¯t make sense to you, feel free to ask for clarification. ¡°By the way, how about a drink?¡± Roda asked. ¡°No, I¡¯d prefer if you continued talking.¡± I replied. ¡°Alright then. ¡°Before anything else, I should note that I don¡¯t need a reply from now on. You have the choice of leaving things unconfirmed and vague. ¡°I do not wish to ask about the details of your Gift. Not everything in this world needs to be clear for things to work out. ¡°By the way, how about a drink?¡± Roda asked again. I denied it again, so Roda continued. ¡°Let¡¯s use your Glasses as an easy-to-understand example. ¡°As far as I know, your Glasses probably have a power that allows you to see things in different ways. ¡°As you have used this ability more and tried exploring its limits further, this power has grown and allowed you to see more things in detail. ¡°But that¡¯s still fundamentally within the basic domains of what the abilities of the Glasses are. That¡¯s not evolution, it¡¯s growth. ¡°Evolution is about developing a completely different use for your Gift. Something beyond what people would assume or expect that you could do. ¡°The fact that you can use the Gifts of other people is definitely proof that your Gift has evolved. Nobody would associate Glasses with the ability of using someone else¡¯s Gift. ¡°This kind of tricky way of using one¡¯s Gift¡­ That¡¯s what evolution looks like. ¡°By the way, would you like a drink?¡± Roda asked. A tricky way of using a Gift, huh? I politely declined the alcohol and started thinking about it. Growth and evolution of a Gift¡­ Usage beyond what one would assume or expect of it¡­ A tricky method of using a Gift. ¡°I believe you have already understood how one thing might have led to the other. ¡°Because your basic capabilities with your Glasses have grown, you became able to do more things with it, right? ¡°What you were able to do at first and what you are able to do now¡­ Those things are proof of your growth, and those things are what led to the evolution.¡± Roda explained. He then finished drinking his cup of sake, ate a few roasted beans that he brought, then refilled his cup. ¡°In the first place, Gifts are things that each person will keep for life. They¡¯re a core part of what makes us individuals. ¡°Due to that, it may be hard to figure out what exactly you can and can¡¯t do with your Gift. It may even take your whole life for you to fully understand it. ¡°Just like how your own mind and body grow and evolve with time, so does your Gift. It requires time. ¡°Therefore, you must understand that you still have a long way to go. ¡°How many years have passed since you started using your Gift? Or rather, how many months? ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been three months, has it?¡± Roda asked me, but I stayed silent and didn¡¯t reply. ¡°From my point of view, you haven¡¯t mastered even 10% of your Gift. It¡¯s too early for you to try mastering the Gifts of others. ¡°Attempting that is like lamenting that the seed you planted yesterday has yet to sprout, you know? ¡°Don¡¯t rush it. You need to take it slowly and try different things out.¡± Roda told me. I see¡­ He might be right on that. It has been less than half a year since I started using Glasses, and I feel like there are still plenty of things that I have yet to discover about this Gift. Maybe it¡¯s just like what Roda said. I may have yet to draw even 10% of my Gift¡¯s true potential. Thanks to Sorichika, who became my master and taught me, I was able to do a lot more than what I used to be able to. But perhaps, that was just the starting point. Evolution, huh¡­? Yeah, I can see what he means. Essentially¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t simply use the copied Gift as is, right?¡± I asked. It¡¯s not about strength. It¡¯s not that simple. I need to come up with different ideas. Fundamentally different ways of using those Gifts. Just as I have found out a different way to use my Glasses, which allowed me to start unlocking its full potential. Only if I do that, will the replicated Gifts grow and evolve. Only then, will I be able to get the effects that I want. I don¡¯t need a Gift that is strong at its core. What I need is to understand how to grow and evolve the Gifts in order to draw out their full power. I can¡¯t simply use them. I have to make them mine. ¡°Also, it¡¯s important to remember that duplicated Gifts are fundamentally inferior in effectiveness and power when compared to the original. ¡°The ability to reproduce someone else¡¯s Gift is rare, but not unheard of. I¡¯m sure you have heard about it happening in the past too. ¡°By the way, would you like a drink?¡± Roda asked me. He is correct that I did hear about it before¡­ And no, I don¡¯t need the drink. When I was training with Sorichika, I did read a book that contained details about a Gift that could copy others. It is a rare and not well-known Gift, but it existed before. A Gift with the power to copy other Gifts. I learned about it for the first time after reading that book. Until then, I had never heard of it. And the book did mention that copied abilities tend to be extremely inferior to the originals, which is why important people tend to not value this Gift much. It¡¯s not the kind of thing that was used to make someone spectacularly successful or famous. It was just a unique kind of Gift that was written off in a book as a half-baked Gift that is hard to use. And that was pretty much my only contact with this kind of ability until I properly understood my Glasses. The problem with this kind of Gift is that the copies are inferior to the originals. So, when I figured out what I could do with my Glasses, I immediately decided to try it out with a simple experiment. I sought a child in town with an ability that would be constantly activated even if they weren¡¯t aware of it. Hit Correction. Then, I gave a bit of money to that child, and in exchange asked him to try using his non-dominant hand to try throwing a stone at a tree 10 times. And under the same conditions, with the copied Hit Correction active, I tried doing the same. I hit 3 stones out of 10. The child hit 8 stones out of 10. Three throws and eight throws. The conditions weren¡¯t the exact same, and the amount of tries was small. In theory, this shouldn¡¯t be to guarantee the results. However, I judged that the difference in effectiveness between me and the child was too great for two people who were using the same Gift. So, even with this small sample, I concluded that the duplicated Gift was fundamentally inferior to the original one. ¡°Since one cannot fully reproduce the power of the original Gift, and the copy is just a fundamentally inferior version, it¡¯s possible that the power of the copied version may never improve even as you grow the Gift. ¡°So, perhaps what you seek can be obtained from evolution instead.¡± Roda told me. I think I can agree with this idea. ¡°And I suppose you don¡¯t know a way to work directly on figuring out how to evolve Gifts?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t. Only you, the user, can properly understand them.¡± Roda replied. ¡­ I guess that can¡¯t be helped. ****** ¡°So, how about it? Did you get your answer?¡± Roda asked me. Mmm¡­ My answer? ¡°Not exactly, but I think I found the right direction to think towards.¡± I replied. Roda laughed, ¡°Is that so? Then it¡¯s alright. ¡°I don¡¯t know what exactly you can do, so I can¡¯t give you any specific tips. ¡°So, how about a drink?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want it¡­ By the way, there is something that has been bothering me.¡± I started saying. To be honest, I didn¡¯t really want to hear the answer to the question I had yet to ask, because it felt like I¡¯d be asking for my weaknesses to be exposed. But I think it¡¯s about time that I asked. I need to know it. My own shortcomings. ¡°Am I easy to read? How can you understand what I¡¯m thinking?¡± I asked Roda. I¡¯m remembering the time when I was invited to the mansion of the Leavant family in the royal capital¡­ I think that was the first time people actively laughed at me. It feels like the assassins can read my thoughts. Roda understood that I was asking about Full Impact just now. I had been thinking of them as ¡®people with great instincts¡¯ and tried to not worry too much about it, but¡­ When he can read me at this level, then this can¡¯t just be it. There is something else there¡­ And I think it¡¯s not something that they are doing, but more like a problem with me. ¡°Oh, that. Coming to think of it, I was told that you made Weiss laugh when he invited you to his mansion in the royal capital. ¡°I can understand how he felt at that time alright.¡± Roda giggled. ¡­ I was certainly laughed at in that day. By Weiss, and the other old assassins that were there in that room. ¡°To be honest, you¡¯re actually quite difficult to read. Very much so. ¡°It¡¯s honestly hard to believe that you were able to obtain an unchanging facial expression and an unbreakable posture at such a young age. ¡°However¡­ It¡¯s not your facial expression that is easy to read. And you¡¯re also not showing any emotions that are easy to understand. ¡°What we can read, are your actions.¡± Roda told me. My actions¡­? ¡°You¡¯re too rational. You go straight ahead with a clear goal in mind, seeking out the best results. ¡°You were worried about the lack of firepower. ¡°Full Impact is a Gift that became available to you after the subjugation of the Obsidian Wolf. ¡°Since you now had the opportunity to solve your problem, you immediately decided to put it to work. ¡°However, you didn¡¯t get the results you wanted. You were troubled about it, yet you couldn¡¯t figure out what was the problem, so you decided to ask for help. ¡°That¡¯s basically how it was, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°If you try analyzing your own course of actions, wouldn¡¯t you agree that you always try choosing the most-efficient method available to you?¡± Roda asked me. ¡­ Yeah. I agree. ¡°Is this bad?¡± I asked. ¡°Not at all. Or rather, it¡¯s more like an unexpected downside that comes from your excellence. ¡°You¡¯re a hunter. When you go to hunting grounds, you need to always be focused. If you get lost for even a moment, the prey might escape, or even put you in danger. ¡°It¡¯s a space that allows no hesitation or to waste any time. ¡°By the way, how about a drink? ¡°No good? Well, alright. ¡°In any case, when you¡¯re at the hunting grounds, you need to be precise. ¡°You find a prey, quickly decide on a course of action and immediately start working on executing it. ¡°You choose the best option without any hesitation, so as to not let the prey escape. ¡°That¡¯s just how you naturally act at this point.¡± Roda told me. Yeah¡­ That was how I was taught to act for sure. ¡°I said earlier that it was an unexpected downside, but it might actually be strange to refer to this as a downside. ¡°Because you¡¯re not choosing the wrong actions. ¡°Or rather, you continuously choose the best correct answer, time and time again. ¡°However, from our point of view, this is just way too easy to read. ¡°We know that you¡¯re always going to aim for the ideal path. The shortest and most efficient one.¡± Roda told me. Oh¡­ I see? So that¡¯s how it is? ¡°It¡¯s not surprise that you made Weiss and the others laugh back in the capital. ¡°They were already thinking about it. What would be the action that you could choose, that would have the highest chance of letting you escape? ¡°That¡¯s just the nature of an assassin. We need to predict the behavior of our prey and act around it. ¡°By the way, would you like a drink?¡± Roda asked me. He is being quite persistent with these invitations to drink alcohol¡­ I¡¯m getting a bit embarrassed already. It¡¯s a bit too much, but I don¡¯t want to drink alcohol. I¡¯d rather not go through that anymore. ¡­ But was my behavior really that easy to understand? I was trying to conceal my intentions, but it seems like it didn¡¯t work at all. ¡°Everyone in that room¡­ Well, everyone except Cherry, they were all thinking about it, you know? ¡°That the best way to escape would be to take Cherry hostage. ¡°And you reached the same conclusion that they were all thinking about. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you actually tried doing it, but you definitely decided that it was the ideal course of action, didn¡¯t you? ¡°When they realized how much we¡¯re alike, they couldn¡¯t help laughing about it.¡± Roda told me while laughing himself. ¡­ I¡¯m hurt though. Hearing that I was read this thoroughly¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re aware of it, but¡­ ¡°When you prepare to do something, your already small presence and quiet breathing become even smaller and quieter. ¡°This is usually what one would do right before they launch an attack. It¡¯s the time when one is at their most dangerous state. The time when you need to be most careful with them. ¡°In hunting terms, it would be the moment when you unleash your bloodlust. The moment when the prey has the best chance of sensing you. It¡¯s the most important moment of the hunt. ¡°And you¡¯re already quite good at suppressing this bloodlust. It¡¯s no longer something you need to actively try to suppress, but more like a conditioned reflex. ¡°We¡¯re really similar. You act in the same way that we do. ¡°That¡¯s why they laughed. Because you have already been acting like an assassin since even before you started your training.¡± Roda explained. ¡­ I don¡¯t know how to react to all that. It¡¯s just¡­ A bit embarrassing. I mean, I really thought I was hiding my thought process better, but¡­ They really saw through everything that I was trying to conceal, didn¡¯t they? It¡¯s really embarrassing¡­ ****** ¡°¡­ So, one last question. ¡°Why have you been insisting so hard in making me drink alcohol this whole time?¡± I asked. ¡°I heard you¡¯re funny when you get drunk. ¡°So, how about it? You feel like you want a drink, don¡¯t you? You feel like you can¡¯t keep going while always rejecting drinks, right? You feel like you really have to drink now, right? ¡°You don¡¯t need to hesitate. Do tell me if you want it, alright?¡± Roda told me. ¡­ You guessed it just right! CH 117 Chapter 117 ¨C Glasses boy leaves the city of Haidiga ¡°Hey, Eil, you¡¯re already done?¡± Lisse asked. ¡°I am. It¡¯s because I don¡¯t have that much luggage to begin with. ¡°What about you, Lisse? If you aren¡¯t done yet, then I think I¡¯ll just go on ahead.¡± I told her. ¡°Hah? I won¡¯t let you go, alright? I¡¯ll stop you with all my might.¡± Lisse replied. ¡°Do you know of the word, nuisance?¡± I asked her. ¡°Do you know of the word counterbalance? I think I end up matching well with your usual rants.¡± Lisse said. ¡­ I suppose it can¡¯t be helped. I don¡¯t want to reply to her on that, because I try to be as respectful as possible when speaking to others. ¡­ Well, whatever, it¡¯s not like this conversation had much going for it anyways. ¡°What¡¯s taking you so long? Are you looking for your lost panties?¡± I asked her. ¡°I have my panties.¡± She replied. ¡°Isn¡¯t it stuck between the bed and the wall?¡± I asked next. ¡°I have my panties! ¡°I¡¯m just struggling with fitting everything in my bag¡­¡± She stated. ¡°You can make your panties fit inside, can¡¯t you?¡± I asked. ¡°The panties are already on the bottom of it¡­ And it¡¯s not about panties! Stop making me say panties, panties!¡± Lisse exclaimed. ¡­ She said it on her own though. In any case, I put my elbows on the table and rested my head on top of my hands. I already finished cleaning up the rented house and packing my things. Since I arrived in Haidiga, I¡¯ve hardly bought anything. The only noticeable things were a few new clothes to substitute the ones that were soiled during the hunt of the Chalk Chicken, so my luggage hasn¡¯t increased much. Lisse¡¯s luggage seems to have been increasing quite a bit during our time here though, so she¡¯s struggling with fitting everything inside her bag. Though I wonder how she had the time and strength to buy things. I mean, the training was so exhausting that our life at this home has mostly consisted of eating dinner and sleeping. Well, in any case, today is a good day for this. The weather has been nice recently, but today is particularly clear. It¡¯s the perfect day to depart. ¡­ I suppose I am now saying goodbye to Haidiga. Since I¡¯ve been spending most of my time training, I didn¡¯t have much time to get to know this town enough, so I couldn¡¯t get a strong attachment to it, but¡­ Well, I guess it¡¯s impossible to not feel a bit down when leaving a city that I stayed at for a month. ****** ¡°We talked a bit about it a few days ago, but let me formally do it now.¡± Roda told us. It was the night three days after the subjugation of the Obsidian Wolf. The knights and the members of Black Swan of Dawn had left Haidiga, and we have now returned to our usual training. Before I could get used to it though, me and Lisse had to make a decision. After completing the day¡¯s training like usual, I took a bath to wash away the sweat and dirt, then I went to the back of a store. It was that same store that Lisse guided me to when I first met her. Lisse had taken me here, to the assassin hideout that was at the back of a store mostly filled with junk. It was my second time coming here. I¡¯d like to see the staff of this store doing actual work for once, but this most likely won¡¯t happen, it seems. So, once me and Lisse walked into the hidden backroom, we saw those three people in the same place that they were back in that day. Roda, the representative of the assassins in Haidiga. Zant, who collects information in the slums. And that bright¡­ Ghost-like figure of Sorichika, who lets the spirits play around freely and shines dimly due to that. They were strangers to me back then, but they¡¯re now my mentors. There was no doubt about it with this mood. They called us here to have a formal conversation. Probably regarding that matter of the other day. After me and Lisse sat down at the table, Roda began to speak with his usual frivolous smile. I thought he was quite the frivolous person back when I first met him, but I now know that he can be serious when needed. ¡°This invitation is not for anyone. ¡°We evaluate the performance of the assassin trainees and only select those with excellent performance and high growth potential. ¡°The three of us have recognized the talents of you two and judged you as worthy of it. ¡°Therefore, I¡¯d like to ask if you are willing to go to the Tower of Bryne. A place to for you to train more, and further grow and progress.¡± Roda told us. Unsurprisingly, it was about that, after all. ¡°The Tower of Bryne is home to assassin trainees who have been recognized for their talents, just like you two. ¡°As I¡¯ve just said, it¡¯s not a place where any trainee can go to. ¡°To put it simply, it¡¯s a place where people around your age, who can perform as well as you can, will gather. ¡°People change greatly depending on their environment. ¡°There are abilities that cannot be learned just from training in familiar places. Abilities that can only be developed through experiencing competition with people who are around your level. ¡°We decided that you two, Lisse and Eil, should go to the Tower of Bryne. ¡°That said, the final decision is up to you.¡± After saying this much, Roda looked me directly in the eyes, ¡°I¡¯ve already heard Lisse¡¯s reply. What about yours? Has your decision changed since the last time we talked?¡± I stayed silent for a few seconds, until¡­ ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± ****** After waiting for a while until Lisse finished preparing, we left the city of Haidiga. ¡°Oh? Where are you going?¡± The gatekeeper asked us. I¡¯ve seen this gatekeeper a fair number of times. Back when we returned in the morning after the Obsidian Wolf, after the hunt of the Chalk Chicken, after I hunted five birds the other day¡­ He had been there. Lisse and I have passed by this gate a few times already, so this old gatekeeper, who is usually on morning duty, already recognized us. And he asked us, probably because of the luggage bags that we¡¯re carrying. ¡°We¡¯re going on a trip for a while. Perhaps we¡¯ll come back soon.¡± Lisse replied. It was a good answer. The only thing I could come up with, was saying that I was going back to my hometown. I couldn¡¯t think of anything else other than the words of a young man who came to the big city with ambitious ideals, but then ran back home after his hopes and dreams were shattered. ¡°Oh, alright. Take care then.¡± The gatekeeper told us. He didn¡¯t ask anything else, so that was that. This was a city with many adventurers. There must be many people who come and go for all sorts of reasons. And so, the two of us moved along the highway and headed towards the mountain. ¡°Where is the assassins¡¯ village that you came from anyways?¡± Lisse asked me. ¡°On the other side of the mountain. I think we can go through it now.¡± I replied. Due to the Obsidian Wolf¡¯s interference, there are less Demon Beasts than usual in the mountain. If it¡¯s the current me¡­ Well, and with Lisse working hard at the front lines, I think we can pass through the mountain. Even if we encounter Demon Beasts, we should be able to handle them. If we take the route that crosses the mountain, it will take less than a day to arrive. It will be a much shorter trip than walking around it. Moreover¡­ ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting.¡± I heard a familiar voice. I thought she might be here. And I looked in the voice¡¯s direction, and she really was there. Lisse also seemed to be confident that she would come, so Lisse didn¡¯t show any surprise. That woman sitting on a rock on the side of the road. This woman that dimly glows¡­ That¡¯s Sorichika. ¡­ She really is shining. Sorichika talked to us once we get closer to her, ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting.¡± She repeated. ¡°Are you going with us, Sorichika?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes. I was told to go as an instructor.¡± She replied. Oh, because she¡¯s the instructor focused on information-related Gifts? ¡°Also, I want to meet the creator of that statue.¡± Sorichika told us. Statue? ¡­ Oh. Oh¡­ Oh, of course¡­ The cute evil god statue that I thought I was finally able to separate from. It now belongs to Sorichika. In other words, it must be here. That statue¡­ I really thought I had finally gotten away from it. ¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever be able to get away from that statue now¡­ Wait, no. No no no. Don¡¯t think like that. Bad thoughts invite evil omens. Bad thoughts can make bad things come true. Don¡¯t think about it. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡± Sorichika said. Lisse had a troubled expression as she saw Sorichika get up and start walking. She must be thinking the same kind of thing I was. ¡°Hey, Eil¡­ Uhn¡­ You sure that thing isn¡¯t cursed?¡± She asked. Don¡¯t say this kind of thing out loud. That might make an evil omen come true. And thus, like this, we left the city of Haidiga. CH 118 Chapter 118 ¨C Glasses boy catches a beetle ¡°Hey, Sorichika, where is the Tower of Bryne?¡± Lisse asked. The condition of the highway got worse as we climbed the mountain. This can¡¯t be helped though. The farther up we go, the more unused the road is. Even the adventurers of Haidiga don¡¯t climb this mountain unless they really have to. If they want to hunt Demon Beasts, they can usually do it near the foot of the mountain¡­ Well, not right now, since the Obsidian Wolf chased the Demon Beasts away, but that¡¯s how it usually goes at least. And so, because nobody uses it, this highway isn¡¯t properly maintained. It¡¯s probably only going to get rougher and rougher from now on. This mountain is too dangerous, after all, nobody has any reason to come here, usually. ¡­ That said, I wonder what causes so many strong Demon Beasts to live in this area. It¡¯s quite a mystery. In any case, even if the path upwards was rough, thanks to the training at ¡®the road¡¯, we were still able to progress smoothly and at a reasonable speed. Also, there were almost no signs of Demon Beasts throughout our climb, so our progress was not delayed. And well, Sorichika should be able to handle any Demon Beast that we face. I don¡¯t know how strong she is, but she is surely stronger than me and Lisse at the very minimum. So, for the time being, we decided to keep on climbing the highway until we reached the top of the mountain, then we decided to have a late lunch. We sat next to a fallen tree and spread out the lunch I had prepared. Sorichika was sitting in the middle, with me on her right and Lisse on her left. And our lunch is, of course, the famous meat roll of Haidiga. I bought it this morning just in case. Not just for me, but also for Lisse. I bought it at the store that said they were the founders of the meat rolls. I had eaten it from the store that said that they had the originals before, so I figured it was now time to experiment it from the founder. In any case, we seem to be ahead of schedule. Sorichika said we were going to arrive late in the evening or in the middle of the night, but it seems like we¡¯ll arrive at the village before that. And on the note of Sorichika, she isn¡¯t bringing any luggage with her, let alone lunch. She is just eating the fruits we find along the way. She¡¯s also wearing her usual one-piece dress. Definitely not the kind of clothes you¡¯d expect from someone climbing a mountain. Oh, and she seems to ¡®dislike¡¯ the fruits of this mountain too. I really don¡¯t know if her likes and dislikes are real or lies, but I suppose it doesn¡¯t really matter. It¡¯s the kind of thing I have just accepted as a part of her. ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± Sorichika replied to Lisse¡¯s question. Sorichika, while dimly glowing, was currently nibbling on a fruit. And her eyes looked completely blank. In this kind of state, she continued her answer, ¡°You¡¯ll find out when you get there. But until then, we¡¯re forbidden to say anything. ¡°If you¡¯re really curious, then you should just check it out when you go.¡± I suppose it¡¯s something highly confidential. Roda had said that this isn¡¯t a place that any trainee can go to, so I guess it¡¯s kept in high secrecy. ¡­ He¡¯d probably need to silence us if we decided to talk about the Tower of Bryne openly. ¡°I see¡­ It seems like I¡¯ll finally be able to go to the Tower of Bryne.¡± Lisse commented. ¡­ Me and Sorichika remained silent. After a few seconds like that, Lisse continued, ¡°¡­ One of you should ask something like, ¡®why do you want to go so much?¡¯, you know?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡± I replied plainly. ¡°Eh¡­? What did you just say?¡± Sorichika said. I¡¯m not really interested in Lisse, and it seems like Sorichika didn¡¯t even hear what Lisse said in the first place. ¡°Listen to me. Especially you, Eil. I haven¡¯t been able to talk much about myself at all.¡± Lisse told me. ¡°Even if you say that¡­¡± I muttered. I really don¡¯t want to know more about her. This isn¡¯t a topic I¡¯m interested in. ¡°When I was in the orphanage, I was taken in because I was expected to have a talent as an assassin.¡± Lisse started talking on her own, even if we didn¡¯t ask anything. I didn¡¯t want to hear it, and Sorichika didn¡¯t seem to be particularly interested either, as she started whispering in my ear. I guess that¡¯s Sorichika¡¯s way of being kind to Lisse, since she¡¯s being as quiet as she can. ¡°Eil. I want to eat a bit of that.¡± Sorichika whispered. She wants it? Meanwhile, Lisse was talking about how her talent quickly blossomed and how excited she was as she saw her abilities improve. I didn¡¯t want to disturb her story, so I replied to Sorichika in a low voice too, ¡°This meat roll? But you don¡¯t like it, Sorichika, do you?¡± ¡°I hate it, but I want to eat it.¡± Sorichika replied. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t like it? I¡¯m eating it because I like it, you know? Are you going to take it away from someone that does like it even though you dislike it?¡± I asked her. ¡°Don¡¯t play around and just give it to me.¡± Sorichika ordered me. ¡°Whoa. How outrageous. Such unreasonable commands given by a master to her disciple.¡± I commented. ¡°You really like this kind of exchange, don¡¯t you?¡± Sorichika asked. ¡°I don¡¯t like it, but I, surprisingly, don¡¯t hate it either. Being unreasonable and behaving in a one-sided manner is the privilege of the master, right? ¡°I don¡¯t mind it when I think of it like that.¡± I told Sorichika. Lisse got angry as I whispered my reply to Sorichika, ¡°I can hear you! Can¡¯t you just listen to me!? I¡¯ll make it short this time, alright!? But I¡¯ll cry if you keep on ignoring me like that!¡± ¡­ I suppose it can¡¯t be helped. She really does look like she is about to cry. So, I handed over the remaining half of my meat roll to Sorichika, and with Lisse¡¯s urging, I asked in a monotone voice, ¡°Alright, tell me about it then.¡± Lisse seemed to be tremendously dissatisfied, but she opened her mouth anyways, ¡°I¡¯ll make it short. ¡°I promised to meet up with a friend, who has trained with me since we were children, that I¡¯d meet up with them at the Tower of Bryne. ¡°This promise is finally going to come true. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s really been more than a month since I was able to talk this much about myself. It really took a long time.¡± Mmmm¡­ Yeah? ¡°For how long have you been in Haidiga, Lisse?¡± I decided to ask, since she didn¡¯t seem to be satisfied yet. ¡°About as much time as you. I arrived a few days earlier than you though. ¡°I had some problems with my friends, so I was told to separate from them for a while.¡± Lisse replied. ¡°Some problems? Ah¡­ Got it. Your performance was so bad that they decided you needed to train alone at Haidiga.¡± I commented. ¡°Hey! You do know what I¡¯m capable of, don¡¯t you? In terms of physical abilities, we¡¯re at about the same level.¡± Lisse replied. ¡°Then¡­ You were segregated due to personality issues?¡± I asked next. ¡°I think I have a better personality than you!¡± Lisse exclaimed. ¡°Eh? Really? What do you think, Sorichika?¡± I asked. ¡°I think this has a strong flavor.¡± She replied. Oh, Sorichika listens to people about as much as I do¡­ Her openness about it is truly amazing though. ¡­ I have to learn from her. ¡°Then what about you? Why were you sent to Haidiga? Wasn¡¯t it because of your capabilities?¡± Lisse asked me. ¡°Lisse.¡± I said. ¡°What?¡± She asked. ¡°There¡¯s a beetle over there. Do you want it? Mind if I catch it?¡± I asked. Though it¡¯s not like I¡¯d hand it over even if she wanted it. ¡°Hah!? A beetle!?¡± After saying that, Lisse sighed, ¡°I guess it¡¯s just like you to say that¡­ You really don¡¯t talk about yourself, do you? ¡°¡­ Go, go grab your beetle¡­ Just what is wrong with you, seriously?¡± I was already climbing the fallen tree as Lisse finished her sentence. I advanced quietly, but quickly. ¡°I don¡¯t get you at all¡­¡± Lisse muttered. Well, I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll ever get me. This isn¡¯t just limited to Lisse. I just don¡¯t want to leak much of my personal information. ****** Insects, like animals, have sharp senses. They can sense smells and quickly move away when noticing movement nearby. And they¡¯re especially good at hiding their own presence. My master once told me that, as insects don¡¯t have blood circulating their bodies, it is hard to perceive them as living beings. But fundamentally speaking, they aren¡¯t that different from animals. While remembering his advice, I carefully moved forward, reached out, and successfully caught the beetle. Whoa¡­ It¡¯s big. It¡¯s a splendid beetle¡­ It¡¯s rare to find one as big as this one. It¡¯s really cool, and its horns look great. But then, just as I returned to our lunch location, with the beetle in hands¡­ ¡°I want it.¡± Sorichika said. My master said something really unreasonable this time. ¡°No good. Absolutely no good. This is my beetle.¡± I firmly refused. Giving away a beetle is no good. No matter what anyone says, this is absolutely not allowed. Even if a noble told me to, I wouldn¡¯t give it away until the last minute. Nobody can stay quiet when faced with such an unreasonable demand. ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡­ I don¡¯t get either of you¡­¡± Lisse was holding her head. She¡¯s pretty serious, isn¡¯t she? That said, I don¡¯t think Sorichika is that hard to understand. At least I don¡¯t think she is. ¡­ In any case, in the evening, while the sky was still bright, we arrived at the assassins¡¯ village. CH 119 My Glasses Chapter 119 ¨C Glasses boy is quite unsure ¡°Eil!?¡± Cherry and Chace exclaimed. ¡°Meat guy!?¡± Florentine exclaimed. Don¡¯t call me meat guy. They seemed to be preparing dinner, as those three were currently in front of the small dormitory. For some reason, the blue-haired thug, Chace, was shirtless, exposing his toned body that was filled with blue bruises. Cherry, the assassin trainee that used the same glasses that I did, was behaving with the dignity of a noble daughter. And Florentine, the taboo child with grey hair and glaring red eyes. The girl who is a year younger than me and looks like the daughter of an underworld boss¡­ She¡¯s the one who called me ¡®meat guy¡¯. It¡¯s been a bit more than a month since I left the village. Not much seems to have changed since then. ¡­ No, that¡¯s not true, actually. All three of them are noticeably stronger than before. Chace, in particular, has become unbelievably stronger. That¡¯s quite- ¡°Meat guuuuuy!¡± Florentine exclaimed. Don¡¯t call me meat guy¡­ Huh!? For some reason, Florentine seemed to be quite excited, as she started running in a straight line. ¡­ Running directly towards me. This is bad¡­ This is bad! I sidestepped at the last second. ¡°Gyaaaah!¡± Florentine exclaimed. Due to her speed and momentum, she suddenly fell to the ground as I dodged her ram. She fell on her belly with a loud noise¡­ That must have hurt. ¡°Why did you avoid it!? You should hae taken it! Uuh¡­ I scratched my face¡­¡± Florentine muttered as she stood up. Oh, she¡¯s fine. As soon as she stood up, I could see that she had no noticeable injuries. Her face is fine too. It¡¯s just very dirty. ¡°Sorry, you were a little too fast, so I reflexively dodged it.¡± I told her. Well, not reflexively¡­ I really thought that it would be bad if I didn¡¯t avoid her. Because I was able to see, with my Glasses, that her Anomalous Ogre gift was active as she ran. I was afraid that, if I stayed in place, she¡¯d go right through my torso in a single swift motion. I didn¡¯t want to die in a place like this, and I absolutely did not want to die by this kind of thing. She probably activated it unconsciously though. It seems like she is still struggling with controlling her Gift. ¡­ Which is why that cursed statue was born. ¡°Also, the beetle was about to be crushed.¡± I told Florentine. The beetle that I caught earlier in the day was attached to my jacket. This is not my village, so even if I catch this beetle, I cannot keep it. It seems like this beetle is edible, but I don¡¯t want to eat it, so it¡¯s just a matter of letting it go after catching it. I was excited to catch it, so I figured this much was enough. I was just planning on letting it go naturally, so I kept it attached to my jacket. I figured it would be nice if this beetle could fly somewhere on its own. But the beetle didn¡¯t go anywhere. It just clung to my jacket. It¡¯s very cute. Cool and cute. Black, cool and cute. I especially like its black horns. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s big.¡± Florentine commented as she saw the beetle. Ah, got it. ¡°I¡¯ll give you this. As an apology for avoiding you.¡± I told Florentine while holding the beetle in my hands. ¡°Oh? You¡¯re giving it to me?¡± She asked. Taking care of the younger ones is important. If the youngest of our group wants the beetle, then I can¡¯t help giving it away, even if it breaks my heart¡­ ¡°It¡¯s so big¡­ Oooooh!¡± Florentine exclaimed. Ah! The beetle! She took the beetle from my hand and threw it high in the air while shouting loudly. That rhino beetle flew high up with unbelievable momentum. That black beetle that was clinging to my clothes until just now, trying to not let go with all its might, was now flying away with incredible speed. Just what is she doing¡­? It would be fine if she was just throwing it, but she also activated Anomalous Ogre when doing this! After being thrown into the distant sky, the beetle opened its wings and disappeared into the forest somewhere. The beetle that I didn¡¯t give to master is now¡­ ¡°Sorry, Eil, I¡¯m on the stag faction.¡± Florentine told me. What, the stag faction¡­!? It¡¯s certainly true that stag beetles are cool too. Their shape isn¡¯t bad, and the scissors in their head are quite romantic. They¡¯re certainly capable of earning a child¡¯s admiration. However, the stag faction is the faction that my sister, who was the stupidest person in my village, belonged to. She and the second-stupidest person both belonged to this faction. Due to that, this faction will never be compatible with me. ¡°Do you play with your nose and the stag beetles too?¡± I asked Florentine. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that?¡± She asked back. ¡°Are you going to let the stag beetle pinch your nose with its scissors?¡± I clarified. ¡°Huh? Why would I¡­?¡± Florentine asked. ¡°My sister invented it. She said it was a test of courage. A game where you¡¯d stick your nose in between the scissors of the stag beetle. ¡°She cried when doing it because it was more painful than she imagined, but it became a popular test of courage for some reason, so this hellish game became widespread for a while.¡± I explained. ¡°What the¡­ I don¡¯t think a sane person would do that. That¡¯s definitely insane¡­¡± Florentine shivered violently as she muttered that. She is right. That game was absolute madness. The stag faction is a cursed group. You still have time, Florentine. Come to the rhino beetle faction soon. ¡°Uhn¡­ Are you stupid?¡± Lisse asked. I decided to not pay any attention to her voice. ****** ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back. How was your family?¡± Cherry asked. Chace, still shirtless, and Cherry came to welcome me. Walking normally. ¡­ Why did Florentine welcome me in such an exaggerated way? ¡­ No, I understand why. It¡¯s meat. She is looking for meat. And right. The excuse to why I left the village was because I was called by my family. Apparently this misunderstanding is still around. Well, it would be too troublesome to explain it, so I¡¯ll leave it be. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to come back with a girl. What did you do?¡± Chace asked me while grinning. I did nothing. ¡°They¡¯re both assassins.¡± I said plainly. ¡°Both? There¡¯s only one person though?¡± Chace asked. Huh¡­? Ah, Sorichika isn¡¯t here¡­ She was right by our side until a small while ago, but at some point she disappeared, even if I¡¯m sure she was with us when we entered the village. And Lisse, who was the only person by my side¡­ Was staring at Cherry. ¡°¡­ I never thought we¡¯d meet here.¡± Lisse stated. ¡°¡­ Same here.¡± Cherry replied. The two of them seemed to know each other. And as far as I can see, their relationship isn¡¯t a very friendly one. Well, maybe they¡¯re from the same hometown? Perhaps they used to train as assassins together in the past? ****** For now, let¡¯s introduce Lisse and eat dinner. Since the time I left, many new things have been placed in front of the dormitory. Most notably, a small hut with a kitchen and a dining space with a table inside it. This area was originally smaller before, but they seemed to have expanded it. With this, even if it rains, we should be able to eat and cook without any issues. There were five people at the table, including me and Lisse. ¡°Oh, the Tower of Bryne, I heard about it.¡± Chace told me. When I told them why I came back, I found out that the three of them had already heard about the Tower of Bryne. Chace, who was beaten by the spear master daily, was sitting at the table while still being half-naked. I decided to not ask why he was shirtless, because it would be too troublesome to do that. ¡°But we were told that it¡¯s still going to take a while before we can go. ¡°It¡¯s still summer, but we¡¯ll only be around to go to the Tower of Bryne in autumn.¡± Cherry said. Yeah, we heard that too. ¡°What we were told, was that by autumn, we¡¯ll be good enough to go to the Tower of Bryne, but we¡¯ll have to go through a final exam to reach it.¡± I replied. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s we heard too. ¡°By the way, I¡¯m going.¡± Chace stated. Chace is going? Well, I can see that he is still growing, and he still has a lot of room to grow. It makes sense that he wants to go to an environment that will let him grow even more. ¡°I¡¯m still unsure, but I was told to accumulate life experience. ¡°Not just in training, but also in socializing.¡± Florentine told me. I see¡­ So that¡¯s how it is? Florentine dislikes strangers. Probably because of her being a taboo child, so she is worried about how they¡¯ll treat her. ¡°And I was told to not make a statue like the one I gave you. Even though it¡¯s so cute¡­¡± Florentine grumbled. Oh, really? ¡°I think you should get some life experience.¡± I told her. Don¡¯t call that statue cute. I don¡¯t know who said she needs life experience, but I¡¯m sure that person is right. ¡°So meat guy thinks so too¡­¡± Florentine muttered. Don¡¯t call me meat guy. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m going too.¡± Cherry stated. I knew without even asking. Her goal had always been to become an assassin, after all. ¡­ Huh? So they¡¯re all going, after all? ¡°You¡¯re going too, aren¡¯t you?¡± Chace asked me as if it was something obvious. But I couldn¡¯t answer it. ¡°He¡¯s still unsure.¡± Lisse answered in my stead. Yes. I¡¯m still unsure. ****** At that time, when Roda asked me, I told him that I had yet to make a decision. My mind tells me that I want to just relax and train at the village. But my instincts tell me that I should go to the Tower of Bryne. It¡¯s just as Roda said. I will grow further if I go to the Tower of Bryne. Somehow, I¡¯m sure of it. But is it really necessary for me to learn and grow in the Tower of Bryne? Do I really want the skills of an assassin? The current goal of solving my insufficient firepower problem with goal is within reach. If I train at this village, I¡¯ll probably learn how to solve it eventually. My goal can be fulfilled here. But I¡¯m unsure. No matter what path I choose, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll still be able to grow a lot and have an irreplaceable year. Logically speaking, the best choice is to train in this village. But my instincts, that I have always trusted in, tell me that the best hunting grounds are in the Tower of Bryne. I¡¯ve never been so unsure about a decision in my life. What is the best path for me? ****** Roda told me that I still had time. That it will be troublesome if I can¡¯t come to any conclusion at all, but that I have until autumn to make my decision. And then, I was told that I could spend the remaining time however I wanted. Whether it was in Haidiga or in the assassins¡¯ village, both places would be fine. I don¡¯t like cities with many people in them, so I returned to the village. I didn¡¯t know anyone in that city, so I didn¡¯t have any regrets. ¡­ Well, losing Goertz¡¯s bath was regrettable. But in any case, Lisse also decided to come train at the village before going to the Tower of Bryne, because she heard there were rivals around her age in the village too. That¡¯s why she came with me. So well, for now¡­ I guess I¡¯ll be thinking about this for a while. I¡¯m sure this time of uncertainty will also be an irreplaceable time to me. CH 120 Chapter 120 ¨C Glasses boy makes a decision ¡°Here we come, Eil!¡± Chace exclaimed. I know. From the tree that I climbed, I could feel the vibrations on the ground. I knew they were coming long before his voice reached me. Countless footsteps stomping on the ground, rumbling closer and closer to us. Seems like Chace and Lisse succeeded in driving them here. ¡°Cherry, activate!¡± I exclaimed. Lisse was leading the countless footsteps towards us. Once I noticed Lisse got close enough, I gave the signal to Cherry, who was waiting on top of a tree opposite to mine. ¡°Alright! Activating!¡± Cheery exclaimed. It was easy to see it happening from above. In response to Cherry¡¯s powerful voice, the magic circle drawn on the ground started faintly glowing. It was just in time. Right in the last second, Lisse ran out of the range of the Magic circle. And at the same time, grey things started popping out from the depths of the forest. A pack of Grey Boars. Demon Beasts that proliferate in spring, then start traveling through the forest during summer in search of food. They hoard food during summer and autumn in order to prepare for hibernating in winter. Therefore, their most active time is at the end of summer. Their appetite is voracious and they¡¯re omnivores, but they seem to mostly eat mushrooms and plants. They rarely attack animals or Demon Beasts, but¡­ They do attack humans. And the troublesome part about them, is that they always act in herds of around ten boars. A single Grey Boar is stronger than a normal wild boar, so it¡¯s already naturally troublesome¡­ But when you take into account that they act in packs of ten, then it¡¯s easy to see how they get out of hand easily. Also, by the time autumn arrives, the cubs of the Grey Boars will be big enough to act on their own, so the threat level of the packs increases considerably. Moreover, the Grey Boars of this mountain are much stronger than the ones that lived near my village. I suppose it¡¯s just something that happens with the Demon Beasts of this mountain. They wouldn¡¯t be able to survive here if they weren¡¯t strong. In any case, these Grey Boars are also bigger than the ones I was used to. These ones were about as tall as me. Also, these Grey Boars have some truly splendid fangs protruding from their lower jaw. Fangs that seem to be there just to show off the Grey Boar¡¯s strength. In my village, this would be considered an extra-large Grey Boar. But in this mountain, this is just the normal size. The Demon Beasts here are quite terrifying, alright. A pack of those Grey Boars would even be able to defeat an Ironhead, so they¡¯re definitely a force to be reckoned with. They usually fight by ramming their opponents with all their might. They move quite fast, and their weight is high enough to make them truly dangerous to humans. Especially because they hunt together in packs. And right now, chasing after Lisse, one after another, Grey Boars jumped from the forest and towards our trap. Five, six, seven¡­ The Binding magic circle started slowing down the rampaging Demon Beasts. It didn¡¯t stop them though. ¡°Florentine! Do it!¡± I exclaimed. And so, it¡¯s now time for Florentine to do her part. ¡°Roger!¡± She exclaimed. The ground quaked. A loud sound echoed. Now that Lisse had finished bringing the Grey Boars to us, I gave the signal. So Florentine, who had been hiding until now, used her superstrength to put a heavy lid on the rampage of the Demon Beasts. Florentine held a huge log that was heavier than herself, and she dropped it in front of the Grey Boars that were chasing Lisse, blocking out their path. In front of a log so tall that even the Grey Boars had to look up to see fully, the Grey Boars stopped their chase. Eight, nine, ten, eleven. The next Grey Boars quickly came, then clashed into one another. They all stopped in front of the giant log. Just according to plan. They¡¯re now within our cage. A cage to trap them, to prevent them from escaping, and to throw them into a disadvantageous situation. Now, then¡­ ¡°Attack!¡± I gave the signal. Lisse, who had run out of the cage before it was fully formed, now jumped over the log and went back inside it. While she swung her shining dark sword into the body of a Grey Boar, I shot out an arrow at the neck of another Grey Boar that was right next to Lisse. I used the power of the Shadow Hunter Warrior on my arrow, but I suppressed its light emission before shooting. ¡°Don¡¯t let any of them escape!¡± I exclaimed. And just as I said that, Chace came and attacked a Grey Boar from behind. These Demon Beasts seemed to be panicking now. Up until a few seconds ago they had been chasing prey, but the tide has already turned in our favor. From above, from the front, and from behind. The Grey Boars were attacked from three sides, and in this cramped cage, they could not fully demonstrate their ramming speed. Nor could they run away from us. The hunt was over in no time. ****** ¡°That went well.¡± I muttered. Truly¡­ Chace¡¯s Gift is really versatile. He can use his Gift in many ways during combat. Of course, I registered his Gift too, but it¡¯s harder to control than I expected, so I cannot use it in a hunt yet. ¡°The trap really was way too effective¡­ Amazing¡­¡± Chace muttered. We had prepared the location in advance. We asked Florentine to put two large logs in parallel, creating a corridor. Then, we had Chace, who is quick on his feet, and Lisse, who is strong in close quarters combat, bring the pack of Grey Boars to our trap. After that, Florentine just had to put the last log in place, and we created a ¡°u¡± shaped cage to stop the Grey Boars in place. However, if we had set it up like that from the start, then the Grey Boars might have been able to jump over our log cage. They truly have way too much strength in their legs. It¡¯s not something comparable to a normal wild boar. For as long as they had the momentum, it shouldn¡¯t be impossible for them to jump over the large log that Florentine dropped on them. Which is why we first had Cherry set up the Binding magic circle to slow the Grey Boars down, then surprised them with the giant log being dropped right in front of them. With this, it was much more likely that we¡¯d be able to lock the Grey Boars in place. ¡­ That was the plan at least. And well, it worked out quite nicely. No one was injured, no Demon Beast escaped. We defeated them all. If I were to wish for better results than this, then I¡¯d be basically asking for some divine punishment or something. ¡°Eil, Chace.¡± Lisse wiped her sword with a provocative smile on her face, ¡°Four heads.¡± In response, Chace gave her a thug-like grin, ¡°Five.¡± ¡°Eh? You¡¯re lying¡­!?¡± Lisse exclaimed. ¡°You can check. Count the spear wounds on the bodies.¡± Chace told her. It was true. Chace did kill five. Though unlike Lisse, Chace was attacking from behind, so at least one boar was killed with a surprise attack. ¡°I got two. It¡¯s my loss.¡± I stated. After hearing my words, Chace and Lisse glared at me. ¡°Damn you. You didn¡¯t get serious at all. Again.¡± Chace accused. ¡°I was serious in my own way.¡± I replied vaguely. This time, it was Lisse who accused me, ¡°I hate this ¡®in my own way¡¯ thingy of yours. I always tell you that I wanna beat you when you¡¯re giving it your all, don¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Even if you say that¡­¡± I muttered. Those two are frontline fighters who let the fight get too much into their heads, so they don¡¯t take the time to look around before acting. It would be dangerous to shoot without paying attention to their movements. I could end up hitting them with a stray arrow. ¡°I¡¯m just no match for you two, I guess.¡± I gave out a wry laugh. ¡°Stop making fun of us.¡± Chace ordered. ¡°And stop it with this expressionless smile.¡± Lisse ordered. So many orders¡­ I always put my all into it, alright? Besides, this time I was, unexpectedly, entrusted with the task of coordinating the hunt. I couldn¡¯t get too engrossed into my own shooting, as I had to pay attention to the whole fight. I could not make a mistake in this situation. If someone got hurt or died, it would be my fault. ¡­ Being responsible for people puts way too much pressure on me. I really don¡¯t like this kind of thing. My master often took me with him to the hunting grounds, and now I can understand how hard it must have been for him back then. ¡°Hey, Eil. Can we raise the signal already?¡± Florentine asked me. Oh, right. We shouldn¡¯t be wasting time on pointless banter here. ¡°Yeah, do it. Let¡¯s hurry up and leave this place.¡± I replied. We asked Florentine to secure one of the Grey Boar bodies, then we returned to the assassins¡¯ village while leaving the rest of the bodies where they were. ****** The subjugation of Grey Boars is essentially a pest extermination procedure. One that is done to limit the amount of harm that they can cause to the forest and to the mountain. It¡¯s something that the adventurers of Haidiga do every summer. Grey Boars proliferate fast. A single mother boar gives birth to about 10 cubs per gestation. If the adventurers don¡¯t subjugate enough Grey Boars, then the Grey Boars will quickly proliferate and start eating out all the food that the other Demon Beasts want to eat. This will cause the other Demon Beasts to leave the mountains in search of food. In other words, if the population of Grey Boars isn¡¯t regularly kept in check, they¡¯ll start harming the ecosystem of the mountain, leading to the other Demon Beasts moving towards areas populated by humans. So, Roda, representing Haidiga¡¯s adventurer¡¯s guild, requested us to help out with the subjugation, which led us to this trip. The people from Haidiga had reported sightings of Grey Boars on the other side of the mountain. A place that very few adventurers could go to. But well, from our point of view, those Grey Boars were right in front of the assassins¡¯ village, so they were really easy to reach. So, now that we cleared the Grey Boars out. All that we had to do was to raise a smoke signal to tell the Adventurers that we finished our part of the job. They, accompanied by Roda, seemed to be waiting nearby with a cage ready, so they¡¯ll take the rest of the Grey Boar bodies with them and leave the mountain. Oh, and the meat of Grey Boars may be quite tough, but it¡¯s also incredibly tasty. It¡¯s particularly amazing if used in a soup. That said, we won¡¯t be eating the meat of the Grey Boar that Florentine is carrying all by ourselves. We¡¯ll share it with everyone else in the assassins¡¯ village. ¡°So, Eil, did you make your decision?¡± Cherry asked me. The five of us were walking back home right now. An act that has become commonplace for us by now. As for what decision Cherry was talking about. I didn¡¯t even need to ask. It can only be that thing. The subjugation of the Grey Boars was a test to see if we could go to the Tower of Bryne. The level of difficulty of this hunt was somewhat harder than the Demon Beast slaying that we have done so far. There was no way we could handle this by improvising our hunt method on the spot, so we decided to plan out a strategy in advance, and lay out a trap that could secure us the victory against our enemies. Though I didn¡¯t expect to be entrusted with the role of commanding the operation after coming up with the idea of this trap. This made me realize that I really dislike being in charge of other people. ¡­ In any case, summer is almost over. I trained, tested out different uses of the Gifts, hunted Demon Beasts¡­ While doing this kind of thing, summer passed by in the blink of an eye. And it was more fun than I expected. For someone like me, who always hunted alone or with my master, the experience of hunting with friends of the same age was fresh, stimulating and fun. I also learned a lot from it. Watching other people fight is very educational. Both their successes and failures are lessons that I am learning from. And those are not assassination techniques. They¡¯re fighting techniques. The more I learn, the more I can use in my hunts. If I go to the Tower of Bryne, I¡¯ll meet up with more people and will be able to see a wider variety of fighting styles to learn from. I¡¯ll be able to see various methods of hunting Demon Beasts. ¡­ I was unsure about what was the right decision up until the very end, but perhaps I might have already come to a conclusion since a long time ago. ****** ¡°Eh? I¡¯m not forgiving you if you don¡¯t go.¡± Lisse told me. ¡°Me neither. When you¡¯re this strong, you just have to go. I have yet to see you get serious.¡± Chace told me. The eyes of our two vanguards were scary¡­ Somehow¡­ I¡¯m starting to feel like I shouldn¡¯t go. ¡°I¡¯ll take you by force if I need to. If you¡¯re not there, then who will provide me my meat?¡± Florentine asked. ¡­ I don¡¯t know? Hunt them yourself? ¡°I have a strong sleeping drug. We can take him while he sleeps.¡± Cherry casually commented. ¡°Good idea.¡± Lisse and Chace said in unison. ¡­ My kidnapping plan was being planned out right in front of me. If I am to run away, now might be the time. CH 121 Chapter 121 ¨C Glasses boy, and the time spent before the departure A few days have passed since I made the decision to go to the Tower of Bryne. During those days, each of us made the most of the final teachings that we could get from our masters. ****** Chace, yesterday, accepted the challenge of a little girl called Swallow, his master in spear training. They spent the whole day sparring. And today, Chace said he was going to sleep through the entire day. He must still be sleeping even now. In any case, I watched them train at one point, and it was quite impressive. If they were using real spears, she would have definitely killed Chace during that spar. From what Chace told me, it was pretty common for them to train by sparring, and it basically resulted in her beating him over and over again with her spear. And the reason Chace was always half-naked, was because, ¡®it hurts more when I get hit¡¯, apparently. As in, it hurts more if he is hit directly instead of hit over his clothes. ¡®It¡¯s because I¡¯m an idiot who struggles with remembering things. It¡¯s easier to remember things that hurt.¡¯ Chace told me. I don¡¯t think that makes much sense, nor do I know if it¡¯s effective in any way. However, I think I can understand why Chace is getting stronger at such a fast pace. It¡¯s because that thug hates losing. Even if it¡¯s against his master, he still gets frustrated as he keeps on losing. Perhaps the best shortcut to become stronger, is to be a sore loser. ****** Florentine goes to the place of the bald blacksmith old man each day, but what she does there is a bit unusual. Her Anomalous Ogre gift is apparently quite troublesome for her master. He seems to worry about it more than her, even. To put it simply, Anomalous Ogre greatly increases her strength. It¡¯s a Gift that I never heard of before, so it¡¯s probably a very rare Gift¡­ And well, this Gift increases her strength to tremendous levels. In other words, she¡¯s already way too strong. She can kill people just by grabbing them or by throwing things at them. She can also easily break objects if she holds them with too much strength, so¡­ If one were to give her a weapon and train her in its usage, would it allow her to make full use of her Gift? The circumstances of a battle are ever-changing, and she might fight enemies that her weapons might not work fully against. If she is trained in a way where she can¡¯t fight without weapons, wouldn¡¯t it be a waste? When she is already this strong with her bare hands? Would it be a good idea to make her a mediocre fighter with weapons? One that becomes uneasy without a weapon in her hands? In the first place, weapons can¡¯t withstand Florentine¡¯s superhuman strength for long. Any weapon that she wields would break in no time. When weapons are deteriorating this fast in her hands, won¡¯t they become useless during a battle? Therefore, with all this in mind, her master decided that it was best to teach Florentine to become stronger by fighting with her bare hands. That was the conclusion that he reached. On a side note, Florentine says that she is a pacifist, so she doesn¡¯t know how to fight¡­ I think that¡¯s an absolute lie. But I do think it¡¯s true that she has no specific guidelines or ideals related to when and how she wants to fight. Which is probably why she accepted the idea of training her bare-handed combat, as recommended by her master. She trains by throwing, grabbing, punching and kicking nearby objects. Her training involves the enhancement of this kind of primitive strength. That said, she has yet to learn how to fully control her Gift, so she may need to prioritize that over properly mastering a fighting style. ¡­ But I wish she would graduate from wood carving soon. I don¡¯t know who told her to do it, but please make her stop this. I¡¯m begging you. In any case, Florentine also seems to have two Gifts. The first one is Anomalous Ogre. The other, just like Zant¡¯s, is a Gift that I cannot read. I wonder¡­ Is Florentine aware that she has two Gifts? Or is she oblivious to it? ¡­ I can¡¯t really ask her about it. ****** Cherry was training as a magician, and when she was resting due to running out of magical power, she also studied poisons and medicines under the apothecary old lady. After I returned to the village from Haidiga, I also started going to the old lady¡¯s place to learn about poisons and medicine together with Cherry. I know nothing about magician training though. However, the old lady seems to like Cherry more than me, so she teaches her about some drugs and poisons that she doesn¡¯t teach me. It¡¯s a bit frustrating, but perhaps it¡¯s just because I¡¯m not suited to learning it. At the end of the day, I don¡¯t want to learn about deadly poisons, so there is part of her knowledge that I want nothing to do with. The same doesn¡¯t hold true for Cherry though, as she wants to become a real assassin. I¡¯m not sure how much she is learning about being a magician though¡­ But well, it¡¯s something related to her Gift, so it¡¯s not something I can simply ask. ****** Lisse is learning how to fight with her sword by training with the old man who was the driver of that hellish carriage trip, ¡®Horse¡¯. Zant was the one who taught her sword fighting back in Haidiga, but Zant wasn¡¯t particularly good at it. He defeated Lisse not with his skill with the sword, but with his sheer overwhelming speed and strength instead. So, Lisse¡¯s response to training here has been quite different to what it was like in Haidiga. She also seems to spar with her master from time to time, just like Chace spars with Swallow. Lisse and Chace also seem to view each other as rivals, though Lisse is the stronger one. Oh, and her control over the Shadow Hunter Sword has improved considerably. At the very minimum, she no longer destroys a sword after a single swing with it. ****** As for me¡­ ¡°Can you feel it?¡± My master asked. ¡°The second one is shaking.¡± I replied. ¡°Good. Aim.¡± He told me. Blindfolded, I aimed my bow and shot an arrow at the invisible darkness. There was a sound of an arrow hitting something. The second one shook a lot. ¡°Underwhelming.¡± My master clicked his tongue. ¡°I missed?¡± I asked. It¡¯s shaking quite a bit, so I¡¯m sure I hit it¡­ ¡°Not in the middle.¡± My master told me. ¡­ Oh, I see? I aimed at the middle, but I missed it? ¡°You¡¯re starting to hit though.¡± My master told me. I took off the blindfold and put on my Glasses. We were near the forest, at the foot of the mountain, right in front of the area inhabited by Demon Beasts. In front of me was that dense forest that I couldn¡¯t see through without the Night Vision of my Glasses. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve improved quickly. I didn¡¯t expect you to make it this far in only two months.¡± My master told me. Oh? This must be the first time he has ever praised me. In front of me was a dark-skinned man with a rare black hair and black beard¡­ A middle-aged man with the characteristics of one who came from the desert. He is quite the handsome man. And he is also my bow master, Scorpion. However, this man does not have his left arm. Like Roda, he used to be both an adventurer and an assassin. He used to be known as the ¡®Unparalleled Red Star of the Desert¡¯, due to his incredible skill with the bow. But after losing his arm 10 years ago, he became unable to use it. I haven¡¯t heard anything else, so I assumed Scorpion didn¡¯t want to delve any further into this topic. In any case, even if he could no longer teach me the technical aspects of using a bow, he was still able to teach me how to work on my intuition while wielding one. So, he has been taking care of me since. What I have learned from him over the past two months, was the ability to sense invisible targets. I have a special sight-related Gift, the Glasses. Conversely, if I lose my Glasses, my firepower will surely drop tremendously. Ever since I became able to use my Glasses, I started feeling like I may have been relying too much on them. But what if something happened? What if they were taken out of my face? Lost in a back alley? Fell off in the middle of the battle? I may be able to create new Glasses, but relying on that just means I¡¯ll become even more dependent on my Glasses. I may start panicking if I ever arrive at a situation where my Glasses are not available. Well, I might be overworrying about it, but I do think my hunting skills will drop if I start relying too much on my Glasses. So, I wanted to train my usage of the bow, relying only on the bow itself. And that¡¯s what I have been learning. The ability to perceive nearby objects for as long as they¡¯re moving. It¡¯s the ability of a hunter¡­ No, of an adventurer. The ability to sense the presence of others¡­ Slowly, I¡¯ve started getting better at understanding how to feel this. And that¡¯s why it¡¯s so frightening that there are people who I can¡¯t perceive, even though I have been practicing this sense for a long while now. It¡¯s scary to have someone stand behind me without me noticing them, or to have someone sneak up on me. Like what happened back at the Leavant mansion, or with the inhabitants of this village. What I have been learning from Scorpion, was how to sharpen these senses that I was already aware of. Furthermore, to hone these senses while still wielding a bow. It¡¯s training that lets me sharpen my senses while I am in a combat stance. Perception is faster than sight. If I can notice the target before I see it, I will be able to aim faster and shoot arrows faster than I do now. I wasn¡¯t able to do it at all at first, but¡­ Surprisingly, it¡¯s actually possible to do this. At the start, I was only able to vaguely notice the presence of things near me, but now I can sense them to some extent even while they¡¯re farther away, and I can aim at them with my bow. I couldn¡¯t see them while blindfolded, but there were targets tied to the tree branches with ropes. The goal of the training was to aim at the target shaken by Scorpion. However, I am still aiming only at targets that are straight ahead, and it takes me time to properly perceive them. This is not at the level where it can be used in actual combat. But I can practice this at any time, so all I need to do is to keep training. I already got the vague feeling of it. What comes next is to polish this skill. ¡°Alright. This should be the end of our training. From here on out, you should be able to improve by yourself.¡± Scorpion told me. I straightened my posture, then bowed to him, ¡°Thank you very much.¡± It¡¯s always important to thank and respect one¡¯s master. I won¡¯t forget to do this much. ¡°¡­ Sky Lizard.¡± Scorpion muttered. I stayed silent. ¡°My dearest Asan wants to eat one. You¡¯re leaving tomorrow, aren¡¯t you? So please hunt one before you leave.¡± Scorpion told me. ¡­ Alright. That giant cat¡­ Well, it¡¯s not a cat. It¡¯s a Demon Beast, the Sand Walker. But it¡¯s a Demon Beast that is apparently owned by Scorpion. And its name is Asan. Apparently, it means ¡®White Moon¡¯ in an ancient desert language. I ended up hearing a lot about her. From Scorpion¡¯s first encounter with Asan to all their memories together. Scorpion is really proud of her. I¡¯ve listened to him talk about her so many times, that my eyes now naturally start closing when he starts talking about her. So, when the cat¡¯s name comes up, I no longer show any response. If I give him a half-hearted agreement in response to his praises, I¡¯ll get scolded. And if I disagree, I¡¯ll get scolded too. Therefore, it¡¯s best to just nod and stay silent. Silence is the best here. Which is why I decided to quietly agree to his demand and leave. After all, I also want to eat the Sky Lizard, so it¡¯s convenient that he asked me to hunt it. CH 122 Chapter 122 ¨C Glasses boy further realizes the power of the Glasses on the day before the departure It was night. Each of us has spent our last day in the village now. Whether it was because of preparations for tomorrow, or because of particularly harsh last day assignments from our masters, every one of us immediately retreated to our rooms after dinner. Even Chace went back to sleep after he ate dinner. ¡°¡­ I won¡¯t see you again for a while.¡± I muttered. I was no exception. I was already in my room and was planning on going to bed early in preparation for tomorrow. I even turned off the lights of my room already. But besides me, there is her. Yep, that gigantic cat is here. The partner of my master. They have a troublesome relationship, it seems, but my master¡¯s partner isn¡¯t even a human, but a cat¡­ Or rather, this isn¡¯t even a cat. But well, this cat sometimes comes to my room and sleeps with me. I think she goes to the room of a different assassin trainee each night, actually. It¡¯s particularly easy to know her location when she goes to Lisse¡¯s room. I don¡¯t know why this cat comes. Maybe it has a role to fulfill, or perhaps it¡¯s just on a whim. But well, I don¡¯t mind it either way. This cat, the Sand Walker, was originally a Demon Beast that lived in the desert. Scorpion must have brought her here from the desert. And from what I¡¯ve heard, the desert is extremely hot. Which is why this cat seems to be resistant to the heat, which leads to her mercilessly coming to our rooms even in the middle of summer. And since her body temperature is higher than that of a human, when the two of us are alone in a small room, it quickly becomes quite hot. But even then, I¡¯ve been quite moved by having her by my side, so I don¡¯t really kick her out. Honestly, I can¡¯t help thinking that she is cute. She¡¯s so cute that I can¡¯t even look coldly at Scorpion when he starts bragging about her. Roda once said that he wanted to have a dog that looked like a wolf. I don¡¯t know if he was serious or not, but I think I¡¯d prefer a cat. It¡¯s not realistic to keep a cat of this size though, so a normal cat would be fine. There were cats back in my village too, but thanks to my sister chasing them around in an attempt to show affection, they all became extremely wary of humans, and started running away as soon as a human approached them. Even if the owner of the cat called them, they still did not stop being vigilant. They watched carefully, with their ears up and tails down. As such, I wasn¡¯t able to have much contact with the cats of my village. But this cat? It feels quite nice, doesn¡¯t it? Even if she isn¡¯t really a cat. She doesn¡¯t talk like a human does, she doesn¡¯t want to know my personal information like a human does, she never makes demands, doesn¡¯t hold me accountable, nor does she impose unreasonable things upon me like humans do. And she¡¯s not even a cursed stag beetle. Her only downside is that she likes meat a bit too much. And above all that, I don¡¯t need to lie to myself when near this cat. I can freely expose myself without worries. I wonder when it happened¡­ When did I allow my heart to open up to this cat? I¡¯ve never trusted humans much, not even my master, so this is a different feeling. ¡­ Pets are nice. I think I¡¯m going to have a cat in the future. ¡­ Coming to think of it, Lisse remained scared of this cat until the very last day. At first, she made quite the fuss, saying that this cat was going to eat humans, and that its head was bigger than ours and that it could use its mouth to gobble us down. Lisse seems to be a bit more used to the cat by now, but she still doesn¡¯t let her guard down. And each time Lisse made a statement about how this cat is dangerous, Florentine made a reply like, ¡®Idiot. Do you think cats eat humans?¡¯ And then she ignored Lisse¡¯s rebuttal that said, ¡®This isn¡¯t a cat no matter how you look at it.¡¯ Well¡­ I think Lisse is right though. This cat probably eats humans. Even if Asan doesn¡¯t attack humans, I still think that it is a Demon Beast that will attack and eat people. It¡¯s certainly a meat lover alright. ¡­. But well, it doesn¡¯t really matter. I laid down together with it, and then stroked the head of the sleeping cat. Its smooth fur is quite comfortable. I like this fur¡­ I want it. I wonder if I could hunt a Sand Walker if I went to the desert? Would Asan still think of other Sand Walkers as its companions? Would it hate me if I hunted one? That would be no good! Let¡¯s give up on that idea and content myself with touching this smooth fur. And while stroking her silky fur, I vaguely started thinking about the Gifts that I registered so far. ****** After returning to the assassins¡¯ village, I was able to register three Gifts from the villagers here. From Scorpion, Demon Beast Tamer. From Swallow, Float. From Horse, Mist. Also, the old lady that teaches poisons had a Gift that I couldn¡¯t identify, but she said something about it being related to poisons. Therefore, it¡¯s possible that she has a Gift that I don¡¯t know. I think I might be able to register it if I get some information on her Gift somehow. In any case, Demon Beast Tamer is the power to communicate with Demon Beasts. Some time back, the driver of that hellish carriage trip, Horse, told me about Asan, and how it was contracted to someone in the village. It¡¯s possible that the evolved version of the Demon Beast Tamer gift allows one to create contracts. I tried setting the Gift on my Glasses, but I was still unable to communicate with the cat though. As for Float, it¡¯s a Gift that manipulates one¡¯s weight. I wasn¡¯t sure how to use it at first, but after a single day of watching Swallow train with Chace, the usage of the Gift became clear. Swallow uses this Gift with fine precision and incredible speed. By increasing her weight, her attacks become heavier. By reducing her weight, she becomes more agile. And she is skilled enough with it, that she can use her Gift in a way that won¡¯t let the opponent notice that she is manipulating her own weight. She does everything in a way that makes her moves feel natural. Considering how freely she uses her Gift, Float may very well be a part of her already. There¡¯s no doubt that she is incredibly skilled. She¡¯s probably capable of easily defeating an Ironhead on her own, even though that Demon Beast is made of pure muscles. And well, she¡¯s this strong while still being a child¡­ It¡¯s truly amazing. Even without her Gift, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d still be quite strong. As for Mist, it¡¯s a Gift that allows one to turn their own body into mist, along with the things one is wearing. However, it consumes a lot of magical power. I can only maintain it for about five seconds. If I were to use it in an actual battle, my limit would probably be two or three seconds though. It¡¯s a Gift that one needs to be careful with when they¡¯ll use it. I feel very tired after using this one, so it¡¯s better to avoid using it unless it¡¯s strictly necessary. It can be used as an emergency avoid tool at least, but I feel like using it like that would basically guarantee my defeat, as I¡¯d be way too tired after doing that. Perhaps I should try thinking more about how to use it instead of when to use it. ****** I put on my Glasses and decided to check all the Gifts that I have registered, including the new ones. In the meantime, I kept on stroking the cat. Physical Reinforcement; Speed Reinforcement; Enhanced Hearing; Sight Enhancement; Olfactory Enhancement; Hit Correction; Flower Bolt; Life Absorption; Blue Map; Spirit Possession; Shadow Hunter Sword; One Point; Red Hot; Funny Fake; Sound Bomb; Dark Bellows; Medical Vision; Appraisal Eye; Hawk¡¯s Farsight; Sword Specialization; Quick Edge; Tree Wind; Full Impact; Shadow Hunter Warrior; Anomalous Ogre; Fast Boots; Demon Beast Tamer; Float and Mist. ¡­ And those are all. The number has increased, but plenty of the Gifts are hard to use. I tried many of them out over the past two months. First things first, my biggest concern, properly drawing out the power of Full Impact, was resolved without incident. To put it simply, it was a matter of directing the impact. When one activates that Gift without properly specifying the direction or scale of the impact, the effect spreads itself out as a sphere surrounding the object. As in, my arrows were even sending out impact towards their back. It would have been much more effective if the impact was focused entirely on what was ahead of the arrow, but it was instead wasting impact power above, below and behind the arrow. The Gift was weak because the impact was dispersed. The book I read did say that one could add impact to a blow with their own hands, and perhaps I would have been able to notice this problem immediately if I tried it out like that. But I had already wounded myself by using Flower Bolt on my own hands, so I decided to not try Full Impact on myself. Had I used it on my own hands, I would have surely harmed myself with Full Impact, even if it would have also helped me immediately figure out that the impact was spreading out around me. But as I didn¡¯t do that, I instead had to keep on shooting arrows, and carefully observed them, trying to understand the problem. After quite a while doing that, I figured it out once I noticed that the grass and leaves around the arrow were swaying as it flew. It took a while, but I think this was a wonderful experience. Now I have no more problems with this Gift and am able to concentrate my shot into a single point and produce a large impact. My tools have been increased by one. However, just like how I had seen during the hunt of the Obsidian Wolf, the sound of the impact is loud. I don¡¯t think I can use this ability in public. I would immediately be found out if I did. That said, Shadow Hunter is a much easier Gift to use. It¡¯s possible to suppress the luminescence of the Shadow Hunter gift, so I¡¯m able to use it in public without any worries. I have two Shadow Hunter gifts available to me. Lisse¡¯s Shadow Hunter Sword, and Horun¡¯s Shadow Hunter Warrior. Lisse¡¯s Gift further enhances a specific type of weapon, her swords. Horun¡¯s Gift isn¡¯t focused on any weapon in particular. It¡¯s not as strong as Lisse¡¯s when it comes to swords, but it¡¯s stronger than Lisse¡¯s when used with other weapons. Therefore, I use Horun¡¯s Gift. ¡­ It feels strange to rely on my sister¡¯s strength, but I should make use of anything that is available to me¡­ I still feel troubled about it though. And then there are some Gifts that can only be used with specific weapons, like the Sword Specialization that I got from the knight old man. It¡¯s completely worthless for me, even if it must be great for someone who uses Swords. ¡­ I¡¯m getting sleepy. Guess I should be saying goodbye to this cat for a while¡­ Though I may never come back to this village. I wanted to enjoy the fur of the cat a bit more, but it would be bad if I didn¡¯t sleep properly before tomorrow came. Tomorrow, I will travel again. I was told we wouldn¡¯t be traveling for long, but if I got sick during the trip, I would trouble everyone. Lack of sleep will not be tolerated. ¡°¡­ Will we meet again?¡± I asked the cat. It was still sleeping though, so it gave me no reply. But that¡¯s fine. I like it like this. So, I took off my Glasses, and decided to go sleep¡­ ****** I was planning on going to sleep. I can¡¯t quite explain what I was feeling at the time. Perhaps I was just a bit sleepy, or maybe I just wanted to play a bit with the cat that I¡¯ve grown fond of. There was no reason in particular behind my actions. But somehow, I wanted to do it. Without thinking much about it, I put the Glasses that I was wearing on the head of the sleeping cat. The size didn¡¯t fit. The cat¡¯s head was bigger than mine. The glasses were basically hanging on top of the cat¡¯s big nose¡­ And then, the lens shone. I was so startled that I almost raised my voice, but I ended up reflexively covering my mouth and stood up quickly. My sleepiness instantly flew away. It was shining. It feels like it was a long time ago that this last happened. Back in that night when Cherry got in a carriage accident. Since then, the glasses hadn¡¯t glowed again, so I forgot about it, but¡­ It did happen before, didn¡¯t it? I couldn¡¯t really test much about the glowing by myself, so I put it off for later, and ended up forgetting about it in its entirety. ¡­ But well¡­ Is this how it feels when my glasses start shining? It¡¯s not that I feel uncomfortable with it, but it¡¯s more like I don¡¯t want anybody else to ever see this phenomenon. If someone sees it, they¡¯ll surely understand that there are some secrets in these glasses. And well, this is also plain dazzling. Because the lights had been turned out, my eyes were used to the completely dark room. The light of my glasses isn¡¯t that strong, but it¡¯s not kind to my eyes that already accustomed themselves to the darkness. ¡­ Hold on. While squinting my eyes, I tried looking at the shining lens. I feel like something is being reflected on them. What is it¡­? Are they¡­? Letters? Floating letters? Oh, right. I can do this. I created new glasses and blackened their lenses, so that I could see even while looking at the sun. I never had any use for this ability, so I had forgotten about it too. With this, the shining light shouldn¡¯t be troublesome anymore. Now let¡¯s see what¡¯s written¡­ Eh? ¡°¡­ Sand Walk?¡± I muttered. ¡­ Could this be¡­ The cat¡¯s Gift? CH 123 Chapter 123 ¨C Glasses boy tries various things before sleeping ¡°Then, let¡¯s depart.¡± Horse told us. Early in the morning, we left the assassins¡¯ village, just as scheduled. The trip this time won¡¯t be done via narrow carriage, but on foot instead. And we¡¯ll be running the whole time. Running speed, and by extension, stamina are highly required of us. Being fast without stamina is no good, but having high stamina and running slowly would also be no good. We need to have both the stamina and the speed to properly function. As soon as I became a hunter apprentice, my master taught me that, and he made me run whenever possible. Later, when I started hunting in the forest, I painfully understood the importance of my master¡¯s words. Stamina is what gives you the will to live. Without it, you no longer have the energy to keep going. You feel broken. You succumb to fear. You give up on living. ¡­ That¡¯s what I was taught, and I¡¯ve actually experienced this kind of situation several times. So, stamina is important. Especially on the hunting grounds, you want to have some leeway in both stamina and raw power. It seems like assassins have this same mindset, and as such, all trainees have built our stamina under the guidance of our masters. I was a bit worried about Cherry¡¯s stamina at first, but surprisingly, she has been able to keep up. I haven¡¯t seen her do anything that showed off her physical capabilities before, but it seems like she has been working on maintaining them on a good level. And surprisingly, Florentine seems to be the one with the lowest stamina. In any case, Cherry cried tears of joy a moment ago, when we heard that the trip would be on foot instead of by carriage. She really struggled with motion sickness last time, and it was hard for us, who were watching her, so¡­ I¡¯m happy for her. And so, shortly after we reunited at the meeting spot, all of us started running in the early morning, under the guidance of Horse, right before sunrise. He¡¯s quite fast. We weren¡¯t told where we were heading, and if I got distracted and ran sloppily, Horse¡¯s back would surely move away and become out of reach. On another note, Sorichika is running at the end of our group. She seems to also be planning on going to the Tower of Bryne with us. ¡­ Anyways. While we ran, the other trainees started talking about the direction that we were going to, about how this was on the direction of the Great Empire and things like it. Meanwhile, my sleep-deprived mind was still thinking over the occurrences of the last night. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to the smoked meat of the Sky Lizard!¡± Florentine exclaimed. ¡°You just think about meat.¡± Chace commented. ¡°What you on about, thug? You don¡¯t wanna eat it?¡± Florentine asked him. ¡°I¡¯ll eat it! I¡¯ll eat it and I¡¯ll eat your portion too!¡± Chace exclaimed. ¡°Hah!? Are you going to mess with my meat!? Are you seriously planning on trying that!?¡± Florentine asked him. ¡°Now now, no need to show bloodlust. The taste is gonna be different after it¡¯s smoked, but I¡¯m sure it will be delicious anyways, right?¡± Cherry tried calming them down. ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t wait for lunch time.¡± Florentine nodded. Yeah, I¡¯m looking forward to it too. I can¡¯t wait for the lunch break. ¡­ Well, let¡¯s put the meat aside for now. Last night, while taking advantage of the fact that the cat wasn¡¯t waking up, I tried various things to better explore the phenomenon I had seen. The number of attempts was still small, and the target was only one, so¡­ This is still in the experimental stage. But nonetheless, I definitely got something out of that¡­ A new power for my Glasses. If I had to name it, it would be¡­ Forced Information Disclosure. ****** First things first, the most important thing to remember of all this, was that I didn¡¯t know anything about the Sand Walk gift. As a rule of thumb, there were three things that could stop me from seeing someone¡¯s Gift when I tried Inspecting them with my Glasses. The first was if the owner wasn¡¯t using it. The second was if I didn¡¯t know the Gift. The third was if the person I was looking at didn¡¯t have a Gift yet. This is usually the case with children. When I Inspect people whose Gifts I don¡¯t know, I can¡¯t read them, but when Inspecting children, I don¡¯t see anything at all, so they shouldn¡¯t have any Gifts yet. However, there is something about this third restriction that bothers me, but let¡¯s put it aside from now. What¡¯s important is that the cat¡¯s Gift, the Sand Walker¡¯s Gift, wasn¡¯t something I couldn¡¯t read, but more like something that didn¡¯t show up at all. After I returned to the village, I tried Inspecting all the villagers, including the cat, and what came up was the third situation. No Gift was displayed at all. Back then, I didn¡¯t really question it. I thought it was natural that no Gift was displayed because I didn¡¯t expect the cat to have any Gift. I accepted it without worrying about it in the slightest. But Demon Beasts have Gifts. I hadn¡¯t thought about it until now, so I really assumed it was natural that Demon Beasts had no Gifts being displayed. At least until last night. When I opened my list of Gifts, it was certainly there¡­ Sand Walk. It was properly registered as a Gift. There were many things that surprised me about this whole situation, but the biggest question I had was pretty simple. What does Sand Walk do? What kind of Gift is it? ****** I tried various things that night, and to make sure the cat wouldn¡¯t wake up, I kept on stroking its fur. First of all, I figured out that I could suppress the emission of light from the Shining Lens at will. Conversely, it¡¯s possible to make them light up if I wish them to. Next, I understood that the letters, Sand Walk, that emerged from the Shining Lens, could not be seen from the naked eye. I can understand that they look like letters, but they¡¯ll be blurry and unreadable. I thought it was just because they were dazzling at first, but that was not the case. Even after giving it time to let my eyes get used to the brightness emanated by the Shining Lens, I just couldn¡¯t read the text no matter how much I tried. But when I put on my glasses and stared at the text, even without using Darkened Lens, I could read the text clearly. Therefore, if I have my glasses on, and put a different pair of glasses on someone else, it¡¯s possible to extract information from the other party. ¡­ And if I can extract it from Demon Beasts, then it should be possible to get this information from people too. So, basically, if I put my glasses on someone who doesn¡¯t know their Gift, I can ignore the three core rules of Gift registration and acquire their Gift anyways. ****** Next, I learned another important thing. Since the cat was sleeping, I was able to try various things out. And in the process, I spent some time staring at the cat¡¯s mouth and saw its amazing fangs. At that moment I really thought to myself, ¡®She really does eat humans, doesn¡¯t she?¡¯ In any case, one of the Gifts I had registered, was ¡®Appraisal Eye¡¯. Normally, it¡¯s possible to use this Gift to learn information about the target, such as its name, value, usage and other similar information. How much information you obtain depends on your own pre-existing knowledge and on your magical power. However, Gifts that my Glasses reproduce are considerably less effective than the original. In the case of Appraisal Eye, it would only show information that I already knew about in advance. It was a shame, but there was no reason for me to ever use Appraisal Eye. I had thought it could be a useful type of non-combat Gift, but it had turned out to be worthless. Until I discovered Forced Information Disclosure, that is. I had never thought that Appraisal Eye would come up in this kind of situation, but¡­ Forced Information Disclosure does not depend on my knowledge. Even though I did not know about the existence of the Sand Walk gift, I could still Inspect and register it just fine. In that case, what would Appraisal Eye tell me if I were to look at information provided by Forced Information Disclosure? It was purely conjecture on my end, but I figured that in this case, Appraisal Eye might rely on the cat¡¯s knowledge instead of on my own. After all, with this ability, I can read Gifts that I don¡¯t know about. It¡¯s not my knowledge that is letting me read the Gift, but the cat¡¯s knowledge. And so, I decided to use Appraisal Eye on the cat, and when I did it, a simple explanation of Sand Walk appeared. Sand Walk: No footsteps, no footprints. That was all the information I obtained. When considering how simplistic it was, it¡¯s possible that this was the cat¡¯s own way of perceiving its Gift. ****** Taking advantage of the fact I could do whatever I wanted, I tried doing a few more tests, but that led to the cat almost waking up. It seems like I got too excited¡­ I hurried to the bed and pretended to be asleep for a while until the cat calmed down and seemed to go back to sleeping soundly. At this point, I started wondering about what were the exact rules behind this new ability. Under what conditions would Forced Information Disclosure work? Glasses don¡¯t need to be worn specifically on the face, after all. It feels like an action that is plain wrong to me, but it¡¯s possible to hang glasses on any part of one¡¯s body. So, I tried hanging it on the cat¡¯s front paw¡­ But it had no effects. I then tried the front and back legs, but it also gave no results. I could make the glasses glow if I wanted them to, but Forced Information Disclosure did not activate. I also tried hanging it on the cat¡¯s torso, but I also got no results. Then I tried the tail, the ears, base of the legs, on the neck¡­ And no matter which place I tried, Forced Information Disclosure would not activate. At this point, I came to the conclusion that the glasses had to be put on the face to activate this ability. ¡­ But do they need to be normally put on the face? How about putting them upside down? I could activate the ability this time, but the letters were displayed upside down, so it ended up just being pointlessly hard to read like that. There was no point in doing this, so I decided I would never do it again. Then I tried it on the cat¡¯s forehead and¡­ It worked. Forced Information Disclosure activated. Does it need to be near the eyes, then? I put it over the cat¡¯s head this time to test, but the result was no good. I also tried closing the glasses before putting them on the cat¡¯s forehead, and I also got no results. Therefore, the condition to activate this seems to be, to wear the glasses on one¡¯s face. So, for example, it¡¯s not possible to use Forced Information Disclosure by pressing the glasses against someone¡¯s back, then leaving immediately after obtaining the information. Forced Information Disclosure requires wearing the glasses. Mmmm¡­ It¡¯s a pretty harsh restriction. That said, the more I think about this¡­ The more I¡¯m unsure about what I¡¯d even want to do with this kind of power. Its burden is way too heavy¡­ CH 124 Chapter 124 ¨C Glasses boy temporarily puts it on hold ¡®To wear my glasses.¡¯ That was the basic thing I thought about, and I took it for granted that this was what I needed to do to use my Gift. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t think of any other possibilities. ¡®To make somebody else wear my glasses.¡¯ I never considered that making someone other than myself wear the glasses would lead to an effect. The glasses I create are connected to one another. Or perhaps, they¡¯re all connected to me. However, further experimenting with this new ability creates a troublesome necessity. It requires the presence of a third party. It requires someone who will accompany me in my experiments with the Glasses. But I do not have any intention of telling other people about my Glasses. This feeling has not changed. Or rather, this new development has only strengthened my determination to keep my Gift a secret. However, the limits of this new ability cannot be fully explored by only a single person. No matter how much I try, there is a limit to how much information I can obtain via trial and error alone. But telling someone about this is absolutely unthinkable. Because I understand that my Glasses are special enough as is, even without this ability¡­ And when considering that there is someone aiming for me, then I definitely cannot speak up about this, for my own safety. To obtain a collaborator or not¡­ This is not something I can decide right now. There are people like Roda, Zant and Sorichika who understand the situation to some extent. However, I don¡¯t know what they¡¯ll do if they end up learning too much. The will of the country may also change their behavior. Or rather, I feel like my Glasses are no longer at a level that the country will leave alone if they end up fully understanding its capabilities. The more I learn about my Glasses, the more I feel like I cannot share any information about them with anyone¡­ And I don¡¯t think I¡¯m overworrying about this. Mmmmm¡­ Yeah, let¡¯s put this on hold. For now, I¡¯ll forbid myself from using Forced Information Disclosure on humans. This ability could maybe help me figure out the second Gifts of Florentine and Zant, but I have no guarantees that I¡¯ll be safe after doing that, so there is no reason to take that risk. Therefore, let¡¯s seal this ability for a while. But when there are no eyes around me, I may try using it on Demon Beasts. For the time being, I¡¯ll try experimenting as much as I can with this ability by myself. I¡¯ve never heard of anything related to the Gifts of Demon Beasts. I might be able to register many useful Gifts if I try exploring this more. It was on the night of the second day of our running trip, that I came to this conclusion. ****** This time, unlike the hellish carriage journey, we¡¯re travelling on foot. It¡¯s tiring, but the experience wasn¡¯t that bad. It feels particularly nice to be able to sleep comfortably after renting a room at an inn. The reason why we¡¯re moving on foot is because we¡¯re ignoring the highway and are instead passing through forests, rivers, mountains and other difficulty terrain. Although we haven¡¯t been told where we¡¯re going to yet, we seem to be moving straight ahead, through the shortest possible route. On the first night, we rented some beds at a small village. On the second night, we rented some rooms in an inn of a medium-sized town and we spent the night there. Even though we have been running the whole day at a fairly high speed, being able to sleep at proper bed at night has helped me properly recover my strength. Moreover, Cherry has also been using recovery magic on us, so the trip didn¡¯t feel that bad, overall. And on the morning of the third day¡­ ¡°We¡¯ll depart at noon today. Feel free to do whatever you want this morning. ¡°You may rest, or go sightseeing, it¡¯s up to you. ¡°However, we¡¯ll leave anyone who doesn¡¯t return by noon behind.¡± Horse told us while we were eating breakfast in the inn¡¯s dining room. Our reactions were mixed. Some of us were full of energy and wanted to go sightseeing, while others were tired and wanted to sleep, but nobody objected to his words. ¡°Eil, let¡¯s go see the weapons store.¡± Chace invited me. A weapons store? I guess I¡¯m kinda curious to see what they¡¯re like in this town, and I do need to replenish my arrows anyways. Even during this journey, I still hunted prey and contributed to our food reserves, after all. And I ended up losing two arrows in this process. ¡°Oh? You¡¯re gonna graduate from the training spear?¡± Lisse asked Chace. Chace nodded, ¡°Yes. ¡°At the last minute, master gave me permission to carry a real spear, but I didn¡¯t have the chance to buy one before we left.¡± Coming to think of it, the spear that Chace brought with him on this trip is just a training spear that has no blade in it, the thing he has been using on practice since the start. Or rather, it¡¯s just a spear-shaped iron rod. It seems that he had to borrow a spear from the village¡¯s blacksmith whenever he went to hunt, but he was never lent a good spear. When Chace asked the blacksmith to give him the borrowed spear, the old man told him, ¡®Go buy one yourself. This is just a makeshift spear anyways.¡¯ A makeshift, huh¡­? Coming to think of it, the dismantling knife I got wasn¡¯t that great either. I suppose getting our own weapons is part of our duty in the self-sufficient life of the village. I still have the fang of the Obsidian Wolf with me though. I asked the village¡¯s blacksmith if he could process it, but he refused it. ¡°Do you have any money?¡± Florentine asked a very sensible question. Coming to think of it, we do need to worry about our money, don¡¯t we? I had forgotten about it while I was in the village because I didn¡¯t use money for anything while I was there. ¡°I have several magic cores with me. I don¡¯t know how much they¡¯re worth, but if I sell some, it should give me enough.¡± Chace stated. Oh, right, there was that. After returning to the village, I also ended up hunting four Sky Lizards, mainly due to Florentine requesting me to, so I have their magic cores with me. So, basically, I may not have much money, but I have something of value with me. ¡°I think it¡¯s about time I got some new swords too¡­ What about you, Eil? Are you going?¡± Lisse asked me. Lisse wants to go too? That¡¯s convenient to me. I had a feeling that, if I was alone with Chace, we could end up getting involved in a troublesome fight with some thugs in this town. But if Lisse is with us, I feel safe. If a fight happens, I can just leave it to those two and run away. I was worried about what would happen if I ran away and left Chace by himself, but things should be fine if Lisse is with us. ¡°Then, I guess I¡¯ll go too.¡± I decided. I might find a good deal if I look around, after all. Besides, if I was left alone, I would just shut myself in my room and relax, so this is a good opportunity. And well, I do need to replenish my arrows, so¡­ Let¡¯s go. ¡°What about you two?¡± Chace asked Cherry and Florentine. ¡°I want to finish my daily routine.¡± Florentine stated. Her daily routine¡­ Everyone paused as we heard those words. Florentine¡¯s daily routine was the creation of a series of cute, wooden, evil god statues. It¡¯s her way of practicing the control of her Gift. Yes, a series of those statues. It was too late. When I returned to the village, they had already multiplied. When I glanced at her room as I passed by it, I almost screamed. I will never forget that scene. In a small room, dozens of evil god statues lined up together. Each one with a different wicked form that cannot be thought of as something that belonged to this world. Even followers of an evil god¡¯s cult would surely tremble when faced with that. However, I can¡¯t deny that Florentine puts a lot of care into making those statues, and that she makes sure that no statue has the same design as the other. That said, I¡¯m sure nine out of ten people would say, ¡®The creator of those statues is mad¡¯, with the last one being someone who would shout, ¡®Someone call the priests! This is the work of an evil god!¡¯ How many times have I wanted to burn the whole dormitory down just to get rid of those statues¡­? It¡¯s not even just us. Horse seemed to also shiver a bit at the mention of Florentine¡¯s daily routine. That¡¯s how much of a troublesome behavior it is. ¡­ I don¡¯t know who told her to do it, but please tell her to stop. I¡¯d rather not be living under the same roof as someone who makes evil god statues regularly. ¡°Teacher¡­ Are you starting your new work¡­?¡± Sorichika asked Florentine. And Sorichika, who was usually quite sleepy and stared at people with blank, empty eyes, was now attentively listening to Florentine with shining eyes. For some reason, she is quite fond of the evil god statues. I want her to pay more attention to the difference between her mood and the mood of everyone else in here. Don¡¯t you get it, master? That our feelings are so contrasting, that it is as if there was an insurmountable wall separating us? ¡°A-aah! F-Flo! How about we go eat something sweet? I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find something nice if we look for it!¡± Cherry intervened. Nice one! Cherry doesn¡¯t stand out much, nor does she try to actively intervene in things often, but she is a rare existence that pays the most attention to those around her. She should be appreciated more. ¡°Something sweet¡­ Alright.¡± Florentine nodded. Yes! Florentine likes meat the most, but she can still be attracted by sugar, which is something she doesn¡¯t eat often! ¡°I won¡¯t take long to finish my daily routine. Please wait for me.¡± Florentine told Cherry. ¡­ I don¡¯t know which master told her to do this, but please tell her to stop. CH 125 Chapter 125 ¨C Glasses boy finds a new type of glasses Despite my worries, Chace didn¡¯t get involved into anything troublesome. We also got into no trouble involving the cute evil god statue, so we were able to safely reunite by lunch time. As for Chace¡¯s spear, he didn¡¯t find anything worthwhile, so he decided to pass on the best spears available. Instead, he looked at the mediocre leftover spears, and after carefully looking at the selection, he decided on buying a cheap one that seemed good enough. Apparently, he wants a sturdy spear that will last him for a long time, and none of the good spears on the store fit his standards, so he preferred to go with a mediocre spear that would be functional enough instead. I think all weapons have limited durability though, so I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s a good idea to choose one based on how sturdy it is. I¡¯d rather get something that fits me instead. But that¡¯s just how I view those things. As for Lisse, she bought a new sword. In her case, she had wanted a disposable sword from the get-go, as she doesn¡¯t expect any weapon that she buys to last for long. After that, we reunited with Cherry, Florentine and Sorichika, and went to a cafe to eat sweets. At that place, which sold baked sweets; seasonal fruits; pies and tea, we saw that the clerk was staring at Florentine with disgust. ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t mind me! You don¡¯t want a taboo child in your establishment, right!? ¡°If you tell me to leave, then I¡¯ll meekly turn around leave! Just come on, look me in the eyes and tell me!¡± Florentine boldly exclaimed. Perhaps the clerk was only able to openly show this kind of disgust to a customer because it was a small store. Nonetheless, when faced with such a bold declaration of Florentine, the clerk, surprisingly, decided to avert their eyes and not say anything. So this happens, huh? I didn¡¯t think about it much, but taboo children, like Florentine, are said to be the reincarnation of the devil and other things like it. I remembered this fact for the first time in a long while. Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter. I know that she¡¯s just an ordinary girl whose imagination overflows from within and gives birth to images of evil gods. There¡¯s nothing wrong with her¡­ Well, I guess she does have one particularly unusual aspect to herself. Nonetheless, my older sister is far more of a weirdo than a taboo child is. No matter how I look at it, Florentine is much more normal than my sister is. ¡°Meat guy, don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Florentine told me. Huh? Wait, hold on, don¡¯t call me meat guy. ¡°I¡¯ve been dealing with this kind of thing since I was born. I¡¯m used to it. ¡°So, don¡¯t worry too much about it. This heartbroken expression of yours is embarrassing.¡± Florentine continued. Huh? No, I mean¡­ I did see the interaction, but I wasn¡¯t worrying about you, I was thinking about how you¡¯re much more normal than my older sister is. ¡­ Well, this misunderstanding doesn¡¯t hurt anyone, so I guess it¡¯s fine to keep it as is. Besides, it¡¯s not like I need to worry about someone who can be as proud of herself as Florentine is. In any case, this kind of thing happened, but no major incident occurred, so we were all able to return to the inn at noon without any issues. ****** After eating a quick, light lunch, we resumed our journey on foot. Then, by the time the sun was starting to set¡­ ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡± Horse stated as he stopped moving. We were at the top of a fairly high cliff. There was a vast forest below it, but if we were to fall, we would certainly die. You¡¯re not gonna tell us that we have to go down this cliff, are you? There¡¯s no way we can do that. Even if we tied everyone¡¯s ropes together, we still wouldn¡¯t have enough to reach the bottom. The scaffoldings available at the cliff are just some exposed rugged rocks. It would be extremely hard to descend it while relying on those. ¡°Sorichika, call it.¡± Horse said. ¡°Okay.¡± Sorichika nodded, then began to glow. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Chace asked Horse. Chace was basically voicing everyone¡¯s doubts out loud. ¡°We¡¯re calling someone. They¡¯ll be here soon, so just wait.¡± Horse replied. ¡­ I could see it. The figure of the fish-like spirit that always hovers around Sorichika. That fish flew into the forest below, perhaps to send a message to someone. And a while after that happened, a black dot appeared in the skies as we waited in silence. Gradually, its shape started changing. It looked like a bird. ¡°Whoa¡­!¡± Chace muttered as the shape became clearer. ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­ A dragon!?¡± Lisse exclaimed. Yeah¡­ As the silhouette became clearer, it became impossible to misunderstand it. This was the ruler of the skies, a dragon. ****** ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Horse.¡± The being that just arrived stated. With its last flap of wings, the dark grey dragon quietly descended in front of us. And then, from its back, a man that was on top of the dragon descended to the ground too. ¡°A draconic person!?¡± Chace exclaimed. Eh? That¡¯s a draconic person? ¡­ I suppose that could be true. Draconic people are humans with the characteristics of dragons. They¡¯re said to be offsprings of humans and dragons, or simply descendants of dragons with a different form. People think of them as beastmen of sorts. They live in faraway lands that would take months of travel to arrive at, so they¡¯re basically completely unseen in this area. So, to us, people who live in this region, they¡¯re more like creatures of myth. I wasn¡¯t sure if they really existed or not. But they do exist. It¡¯s true. I was quite surprised by seeing this man. In his case, his arms and legs are dragon-like. His face is the same as a human¡¯s, but other parts of his body are not. He is wearing a short-sleeved shirt and a skirt, probably because different clothes can get in the way of the movement of his draconic limbs. He looks like a human, but he is not one. That was my first impression when seeing a draconic person. But more importantly than that¡­ What is that thing on his face? ¡°Are those glasses?¡± I couldn¡¯t help asking. It¡¯s really rare for me to speak to someone I¡¯ve just met, but I didn¡¯t even hesitate. I couldn¡¯t stay still while looking at that thing on his face. ¡°Mmm? No, those are goggles. They¡¯re there to protect your eyes. ¡°¡­ Hey, what about those!?¡± The draconic person exclaimed as he approached me. So what he is wearing are ¡®goggles¡¯? They look like glasses, but have a different, and much sturdier, design. Then, before I realized what he was doing, as I stared deep into his goggles, the draconic man used his scale-covered hands to grab the sides of my head, then started staring deeply into my glasses. Through the vaguely cloudy goggles, I could see the pupils of the draconic man¡­ His reptilian blue eyes met with mine. ¡°What is this transparency!? What kind of insect membrane did you make these from!?¡± He asked. That¡¯s how I discovered goggles. Honestly, finding goggles was more shocking than seeing a dragon and a draconic person up close. CH 126 Chapter 126 ¨C Glasses boy takes the opportunity to register a gift before being carried by a dragon ¡°Krav, leave those personal matters for later.¡± Horse stated. The draconic man, who had been holding my head while staring at me through the foggy lenses of the goggles, returned to his senses after Horse called him out. He had blue eyes, vertical pupils, and short hair that was almost white. He seems to be near his mid-twenties, but he might be older or younger than that depending on how draconic people age. His physique is similar to Chace¡¯s, so he is someone of medium build and is somewhat tall. And his Gift is Wind Resistance. It¡¯s a Gift that makes him not be much affected by strong winds¡­ It¡¯s a bit of a hard-to-understand effect, but I registered it anyways. ¡°Oh, right. Sorry for suddenly doing that, kid.¡± The draconic man told me. There was no need for him to apologize. After all, I was staring at his goggles, just like he was looking at my glasses. I don¡¯t know the material used to make them, but their lenses are thick, and they had some sort of animal skin and vines attached to the lens. And it was designed in a way to seal the area around the eyeballs, so as to protect them from dust and the like. Unlike glasses, they seem to be fixed in place with a leather band tied to the back of the head, as opposed to simply hanging around the ears. I suppose they¡¯re made like that in order to stop them from slipping in case one made a sudden violent move. Though coming to think of it, my glasses don¡¯t have any issues with sudden violent moves. It¡¯s possible that they might be fixed in place magically instead of physically. Therefore, even if I make a sudden violent move, the glasses will barely move from their place, and they don¡¯t fly off from my head if I face unexpected contact either. This is something I realized while talking to Cherry at the village. She told me that, unlike her previous glasses, these don¡¯t come off or slip out of place even if she moved around a lot. Her words made me remember that she was wearing those glasses when she suffered the carriage accident. At that time, Cherry had been moved in such a violent way, that she ended up being trapped under the carriage¡­ Or rather, she was thrown out of the carriage and fell below it. It seems like the impact must be at least at this kind of level if it is going to throw my glasses off my face. If I think more about it, back when I was not used to wearing glasses myself, I often hit the glasses with the string of the bow while shooting arrows. I didn¡¯t know anything about ordinary glasses at the time, so I didn¡¯t think too much about it, but¡­ If one thinks about it normally, glasses are simply something you put on your ear. They would easily fly away or shift considerably after being hit by a bow string. Not to mention the times Lisse punched me. It really wouldn¡¯t have been strange for the glasses to slip off my face when those incidents happened, but they have always remained on my face. Therefore, it¡¯s possible that they¡¯re kept in place magically, perhaps by an effect similar to Cherry¡¯s binding magic circles. ****** Well, putting aside the situation with the glasses¡­ The draconic man stepped away from me, moved to Horse¡¯s side, then stared at us. ¡°My name is Kravaeroshutens. You may call me Krav.¡± He stated. It was an extremely unusual name that I would definitely be unable to remember from hearing it just once. He must have been born in a place that is really far from here, one that has a naming culture that is completely different from ours. ¡°For the past few years, I have been working as courier around the areas of Nastiara, Belgirat and Kairon. ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s an upfront request or a secret request. As long as I¡¯m paid, I can carry anything. ¡°That¡¯s why I was called today to carry you all.¡± Krav told us. Oh, I see. So he is someone who doesn¡¯t ask for the details before taking the job. A not-so-honest courier who either violates the law or acts slightly out of its bounds. Well, I suppose this is the perfect kind of person for the job of transporting assassin trainees. ¡°Let me confirm your request, Horse. ¡°I shall take those kids to ¡®that place¡¯, right?¡± Krav asked Horse. ¡°Yes. And as you already know how those things work, I don¡¯t think I need to say anything else.¡± Horse replied. ¡°Of course. I fly with pride in my work. I¡¯m not gonna fall from the sky or drop my carriage. I¡¯m a first-class courier. I¡¯m not gonna fail, not with this guy¡¯s help.¡± As Krav said that, he patted the dark dragon¡¯s wings with his hand. ¡­ This dragon is a bit smaller than what I had imagined a dragon to be like, but it¡¯s still a dragon anyways, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯ve seen them flying far away before, but I never thought I¡¯d have the chance to see one from up close. Mmmm¡­ Dragons are cool too. As cool as beetles. ¡°The fee always has to be paid in advance for someone requesting my services. ¡°Also, if the luggage is lost due to carelessness, I¡¯ll take no responsibility. ¡°I¡¯m just carrying it around. I don¡¯t care for the contents of the luggage or the reason why I¡¯m carrying it.¡± Krav stated next. ¡°Sure, that¡¯s not a problem.¡± Horse replied. ¡­ That choice of words gives me a bad feeling¡­ If the luggage is lost due to carelessness? ¡°Aren¡¯t you having a bad feeling¡­?¡± Cherry whispered. ¡°I am. A really bad feeling.¡± Lisse whispered back. ¡°Hey! Hey, taboo child! Listen to this! We¡¯re gonna be riding a dragon!¡± Chace exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s amazing! It¡¯s amazing, brat! Brat!¡± Florentine exclaimed. Both Chace and Florentine seemed to be innocently excited about this. I¡¯m not sure if they understood the meaning of Krav¡¯s words, but I guess it¡¯s nice that they can have fun like that. ¡­ To think we¡¯re gonna be carried around by a dragon like luggage, with the courier being someone who doesn¡¯t really cares if we fall off or not¡­ I¡¯m very worried about how he is going to carry us. He won¡¯t carry us in a way that will actively push us towards falling, will he? ¡°That¡¯s all that I had to say. I¡¯ve already been paid the fee for six people anyways.¡± Krav stated. Mmm? Six people? Me, Chace, Cherry, Florentine, Lisse, Horse and Sorichika. That¡¯s seven people. ¡­ Ah, right. ¡°Six people, excluding me.¡± Horse stated. It made sense. Horse is the one in charge of the assassins¡¯ village, so he can¡¯t leave it for long. ¡°All right. The deal is now sealed. ¡°Hey, kids, wait a moment. I¡¯m gonna prepare the things to start carrying you.¡± Krav told us. Immediately after Krav said those words, Chace exclaimed, ¡°Popz! May I touch the dragon!?¡± Both Chace and Florentine, who seemed to already be having a lot of fun, started approaching the dragon, and seemed to be about to touch it. A dragon does look amazing alright, but I think they should be a bit more cautious. I¡¯m not sure how it will react if they approach it carelessly. ¡°At least call me ¡®uncle¡¯ instead¡­ ¡°Anyways, you may, but be careful. If he refuses, I won¡¯t be able to carry you, so¡­ Listen to me¡­¡± Krav sighed. Chace and Florentine didn¡¯t seem to have heard neither the first nor second half of what Krav said. They seemed to have only heard the ¡®you may¡¯ part and immediately rushed to the dragon, as if they couldn¡¯t wait to touch it. ¡­ I was a bit worried about it, but the dragon remained silent as they touched it. Amazing. Is it because the dragon is used to people? Or is it perhaps because of a contract, like what the Demon Beast Tamer gift can create? Either way, seemingly lured by the excitement of Chace and Florentine, both Cherry and Lisse also approached the dragon. Well, we most likely won¡¯t have a chance to touch a dragon again, so I guess they want to make use of it. But I don¡¯t really care about it. I made up my mind about wanting a cat, after all. ¡­ Wait, no, hold on. I should go too. ****** Perhaps judging that it would not be caused any harm, the dragon closed its eyes and lowered its head, letting people touch its horns and scales as they pleased. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s just used to it or if he is quite patient, but he does seem to be very intelligent regardless. ¡­ Which is quite convenient for me. I¡¯m behind Chace and the others, watching them touch the dragon. I think I can manage it with this many people. I¡¯m ready. Now I just need to wait for my chance¡­ ¡°Hey, somebody help me.¡± Krav said. Now! Everyone had their attention diverted, so I quickly approached the dragon and stroked its head with both of my hands. At that night, taking advantage of the sleeping cat, I practiced this for quite a while. This, was the result of that night of practice. Glasses activated. Lens read. Glasses canceled. By repeating this process over and over again, I was able to complete these three steps in a single second. This was the method to register the Gift of a Demon Beast in a very short amount of time. That was the conclusion I came to when trying to figure out what would be the ideal way to use Forced Information Disclosure on the other party without being found out. The first thing I realized, was that I needed to do the whole process quickly. Especially when handling Demon Beasts. I¡¯ll need to take advantage of them in the middle of a battle, so¡­ The quicker my method is, the safer I¡¯ll be while registering their Gift. Ideally, I¡¯d like to make the process even faster than this, but this seems to be my current limit. By pretending to stroke the dragon¡¯s head, I was able to set up Forced Information Disclosure while in everyone¡¯s blind spots. ¡°Oh? You were interested in that too?¡± Krav commented as he saw me stroke the dragon¡¯s head. The registration was completed in a very short amount of time, so nobody noticed it. Even the dragon itself didn¡¯t realize it. In that one moment where everyone averted their eyes, I registered the Gift of the dragon. ****** However, the only thing I could do, was to register it. I don¡¯t know what the Storm Dragon gift does. I had to register it without using Appraisal Eye. Even after practice, it still took me four seconds to complete the whole process of using Forced Information Disclosure and Appraisal Eye. It¡¯s impossible to do this here without being found out. There¡¯s no way Krav would miss it if I did something to his dragon for this long, at the very minimum. So, essentially, I increased the number of Gifts I have registered, but I do not know what it does. ¡­ Well, I won¡¯t die if I try it out later, right? It should be safe to use it, right? I won¡¯t self-destruct or anything, right? ****** Krav tied everyone¡¯s torso with a rope, then tied it to the dragon¡¯s legs. This is our lifeline. Then, we were made to sit side by side on top of a long wooden board instead of on chairs. Each end of the board was also tied to the dragon with ropes. After that, Krav covered us with a lot of heavy fabric. It was so much fabric that it even blocked our view. ¡°I can¡¯t see it like that, popz!¡± Chace exclaimed. ¡°Let us see the flight!¡± Florentine exclaimed. ¡°Say uncle at least!¡± Krav exclaimed back, ¡°Anyways, the wind is quite strong in the skies, so if you don¡¯t protect yourself from the wind like this, you¡¯ll lose your body heat, faint, and fall off the railings! ¡°Also, it¡¯s part of the job to not show you where I¡¯m carrying you!¡± So it¡¯s both a safety measure to protect us against the wind, and also a tool to hinder our visibility. ¡°Cheer up. See you all later.¡± Horse called out to us. Immediately after that, I was struck by the feeling of floating. ¡°Well, time to begin this comfortable air trip! Doesn¡¯t it have a nice view? ¡°Oops, you can¡¯t see anything!¡± Krav laughed out loud. ¡°Don¡¯t tease us like that, old man!¡± Chace exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s amazing! Flying on a dragon is amazing! I can only thank the dragon for letting me fly like that! There is definitely nothing to thank the money-grubber draconic man for!¡± Florentine exclaimed. Krav continued laughing, ¡°I can¡¯t hear you at all due to the sound of the wind, but I¡¯ll beat you two up later, blue-haired and grey-haired kids!¡± ¡­ It doesn¡¯t seem like he can¡¯t hear us. And thus, we were taken to a different land by a dragon. CH 127 Chapter 127 ¨C Glasses boy listens about Cherry and Lisse¡¯s relationship Traveling through the air without being able to see anything that is happening outside is quite scary. The flight feels a bit unstable as I keep swaying from side to side, and the sound of the fluttering fabric being hit by the wind is quite loud. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m worried about falling, but without being able to see where I¡¯m going, I can¡¯t help feeling uneasy about the whole thing. Though maybe things would be even scarier if I could see. After all, even if, in my mind, I can understand that we¡¯re flying, without seeing anything it is a bit hard to actually comprehend what it feels like to fly. It might be much scarier if I had a better grasp of how high we were. That said¡­ There was another, more pressing, fear in my mind. Not only in my mind, actually. Everyone seemed to be sharing the same fear. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s no exaggeration to say that I studied herbology just for this kind of occasion.¡± Cherry, who seemed to have noticed everyone¡¯s worried gazes, proudly stated, ¡°The motion sickness medicine is working perfectly!¡± Oh, really? That¡¯s wonderful. We were currently in an enclosed space that was covered with fabric. There was less air here than there was within the carriage that we rode together some months back. If something were to happen to Cherry in this situation¡­ It would probably affect everybody else. Of course, it would surely be tougher on Cherry than on anybody else, but still, if something were to happen¡­ Well, it could easily make things worse for everyone. It might even start a negative chain reaction in the worst case scenario. So, when I heard that we were going to be riding something, I couldn¡¯t help worrying about Cherry¡¯s constitution. However, it seems like that was an unnecessary worry. It¡¯s truly fortunate that Cherry¡¯s hard work paid off. ****** I don¡¯t know for how long we are going to be carried around, but this trip will be quite boring if it stays like this. ¡°Hey, where is the Tower of Bryne?¡± Chace asked. We had been traveling in silence for a while, hence why it was so boring, but Chace finally broke the silence. ¡°I cannot answer. You¡¯ll have to find it yourself.¡± Sorichika replied. That¡¯s basically the same thing that she told us some time back. She¡¯s probably bound by a duty of confidentiality that does not allow her to tell us. ¡°What about you, Lisse? You know a bit about it, don¡¯t you?¡± Chace asked Lisse. ¡°What I know, you already know. You heard the explanation about what the tower is, right? I don¡¯t really know any more than that.¡± Lisse replied. Other than the explanation about what the tower is, the only thing I remember Lisse saying, was that she wanted to meet a friend, that she trained together with back when they were children, at the Tower of Bryne. ¡°By the way, I have been meaning to ask you something since a while back.¡± Florentine started saying. Florentine, who always bluntly asks me for meat, seemed to have been, somehow, patiently waiting to ask something? Florentine knows what patience is? That is¡­ Shocking. ¡°Why is your relationship like that? Cherry, Lisse.¡± Florentine asked. Oh, so that¡¯s what it was. Will I finally hear about it, then? I mean, it¡¯s not like I tried asking about it before. That said, I thought that the girls would have shared what made their relationship a strained one with Florentine a long time ago. Florentine not knowing about it either is a bit shocking. I really thought this was the kind of thing they¡¯d share in girls talks. ¡­ Both Cherry and Lisse stared at each other, with indescribable expressions, while remaining silent. How to say it¡­ They seemed to be both worried and troubled, but not in a big way? It¡¯s more of a subtle kind of worry. ¡°¡­ How much have you told them?¡± Lisse asked Cherry. ¡°I haven¡¯t told them anything.¡± Cherry replied. ¡°Then, would you like to tell them?¡± Lisse asked next. ¡°We¡¯re all assassin trainees, so I don¡¯t think there is any reason to keep it a secret. ¡°I think I would have told them if somebody asked me, but nobody asked until now, so¡­¡± Cherry replied. After having this short, but profound conversation, Lisse scratched her head a bit, then muttered, ¡°Alright. Then, I¡¯ll talk first.¡± She took a deep breath, then continued, ¡°As some of you may have guessed, Cherry is an adopted daughter of the Leavant family. She is not related to them by blood.¡± Ah, I don¡¯t want to hear this kind of heavy story¡­ But we¡¯re high up in the sky, so there is no way to escape¡­ ****** Lisse was, surprisingly, quite polite as she explained things. Hearing her out was honestly a good way to kill time. ¡­ Although it¡¯s hard to use the words ¡®kill time¡¯ when considering the contents of the conversation. It seems like Cherry and Lisse were both trained as assassins at the same orphanage back when they were children. In other words, the two of them were part of the elites amongst assassin trainees, as they received special education since they were young. Lisse, apparently, had a naturally high talent. She was always achieving top-class results in both academics and practical skills. Cherry, on the other hand, was a child that was pretty average. She didn¡¯t get neither high nor low results. She did not stand out in any way, and got some fairly unremarkable results, overall. And when they turned ten years old, the two of them underwent a Determination Ceremony. Normally, the ceremony is held once one becomes fifteen years old, is officially recognized as an adult, and is able to use their Gift, but¡­ Well, I guess the people of that orphanage were able to make the orphans go through that ceremony earlier due to connections with the government. The dirty old man Zant once said that the policy of making the Determination Ceremony was probably decided upon in order to figure out which people were worth training based on their Gift. This would let the country start investing in noteworthy people while they¡¯re still young. However, I now know that the timing at which one becomes able to use their Gift varies. Basically, the Determination Ceremony exists to figure out what Gifts each person has, not when the person became able to access their Gift. It seems like there are some children who awaken to their Gifts as early as ten years old, and some don¡¯t awaken to theirs even after becoming fifteen years old. Though the latter case seems to be quite rare, and according to one of the books I read, those rare people tend to, eventually, awaken to pretty strong Gifts. Though well, I have no way of verifying if this is true or not, so it¡¯s just something I read in a book. In any case, Lisse and Cherry went through the Determination Ceremony at the age of ten. At that time, Lisse had yet to awaken to her Gift, but Cherry had already awakened to hers. This seemed to have completely changed the course of their lives. ¡°Lord Weiss made the decision to raise Cherry, who had the Magic Circles gift, as an adopted child of the Leavant family. ¡°We were orphans who owed everything we had to lord Weiss, as he was the one who took care of us. ¡°Everyone there wanted to be the best possible assassin for him. We all wanted to work for him. ¡°Me too, of course. ¡°And even if it was purely a bureaucratical thing, I still wanted to be a part of lord Weiss¡¯ family. ¡°¡­ So, Cherry was the one who was chosen. She left the orphanage and our shared training grounds, then started receiving the necessary education to become a noble lady. ¡°And now she¡¯s here.¡± Lisse concluded. Everyone stayed silent. After a few seconds like that, Lisse started speaking again, ¡°¡­ Before anything else, I want to make it very clear. I too, wanted to be adopted by the Leavant family. ¡°I wanted to be a relative of lord Weiss, and I also wanted to be his number one subordinate. ¡°And well, I was always competing for the top spot during our training, so I honestly thought I had good chances. ¡°Not to mention how I¡¯m pretty cute. Wouldn¡¯t he consider adopting me to have a beautiful daughter?¡± Three people clicked their tongues. ¡°¡­ Thanks for the unpleasant reaction.¡± Lisse muttered, without hiding her frustration. But well, it really couldn¡¯t be helped. Her words deserved nothing less than some tongue clicking. Or rather, the only reason I didn¡¯t click mine was because Lisse might slap me, but she definitely got the reaction she deserved. ¡°Seriously, even Sorichika clicked her tongue¡­ Oh well, whatever. ¡°In the end, Cherry was the one who was chosen. ¡°Her training results were not impressive, and she wasn¡¯t the kind of person to take the initiative to do things in general, but she was still the one who lord Weiss chose. ¡°I was really jealous and frustrated back then. I was not convinced that Cherry deserved it¡­ And honestly, even now, these feelings still come back to me from time to time.¡± And that was all from Lisse¡¯s side of the story. ****** So this was why Cherry wanted to be an assassin? ¡­ Well, I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t ask her about it. Hearing this kind of thing is way too troublesome. The mood was quite heavy right now¡­ ¡°Hey, Cherry.¡± Chace said, ¡°Tell Lisse that she¡¯s stupid for being frustrated over that.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t say it.¡± Cherry replied. ¡°Eh? I give you my permission. You can say it.¡± Sorichika told her. ¡°I won¡¯t say it.¡± Cherry repeated. ¡°Come on, be honest. Since you were a child, you have always thought that Lisse was a cheeky redhead, haven¡¯t you?¡± Florentine asked. ¡°I did not think that! Or rather, I don¡¯t even understand why Sorichika is giving her permission for something like that!¡± Cherry answered. Well, it seems like they¡¯re having fun at least. Meanwhile, Lisse stared at me with a stupefied face. And like this, the air trip continued. CH 128 Chapter 128 ¨C Glasses boy braces himself ¡°There are two things that I must tell you.¡± Sorichika stated. Judging from how my body feels right now, we must have been flying throughout the whole night. I don¡¯t know how fast we have been moving, so I don¡¯t know how far we have gone. However, I think we have traveled quite far. We are probably at a different country already. And quite possibly, we even crossed through a neighboring country already and are at an even farther away location. ¡­ That¡¯s how I feel at least. I don¡¯t really know how big the world is, so it¡¯s hard for me to be sure. Well¡­ Let¡¯s stop thinking about that and focus on Sorichika¡¯s words. She seems to want to tell us something important. Some of us who were sitting side by side were dozing off, some were seriously asleep, and some were just spending their time quietly. But as soon as Sorichika started speaking, everyone opened their eyes. It seems like everyone slept lightly. As expected, in this kind of situation, nobody could enter a heavy sleep. ¡°First things first. Each of you will have to look for the Tower of Bryne on your own.¡± Sorichika told us. Look for it ourselves¡­? ¡°What do you mean?¡± Chace asked. I thought Sorichika would say that she couldn¡¯t answer it, but she actually answered him properly, ¡°Seeking the Tower of Bryne is the first task of your training. ¡°Strength isn¡¯t all that an assassin needs. ¡°Figuring out how to turn a disadvantageous situation into a favorable one, or how to create a favorable situation from scratch, those are also things that you need as an assassin. ¡°In other words, from this point forth, you will enter a realm where you cannot move forward with combat prowess alone.¡± ¡­ I see. ¡°If you can¡¯t find it, you¡¯ll just be left alone for a while. It¡¯s not a problem. ¡°You can search for it by yourself if you want, or you may choose to not do it. If you give up, I¡¯ll come pick you up when the time is right. ¡°It¡¯s up to each individual to decide if you want to search for the Tower of Bryne or not.¡± Sorichika told us. I see¡­ There are many things I¡¯m still unsure about, but I can understand the meaning of this by taking everything Sorichika has just said literally. ¡°Wait a second¡­ That¡¯s worrisome. A match where we have to compete with our heads? I don¡¯t think this thug can handle it¡­¡± Florentine said. ¡°Don¡¯t go trying to put yourself above me, damn it. You and I are on the same level.¡± Chace told Florentine. Florentine¡¯s expression had turned pale, and Chace¡¯s voice had lost all enthusiasm¡­ They had quite the sad exchange just now. ¡°Uhn¡­ Judging from what you just said, it sounds like we will be acting separately? Can¡¯t we act together instead, though?¡± Cherry asked Sorichika. ¡°That¡¯s correct. Each of you will be dropped off at a different place. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean you cannot join up. ¡°You can meet up with people first, then search for the tower together, or you can decide to meet up again at the tower itself. ¡°The method you choose does not matter. ¡°Do whatever you want and search for the Tower of Bryne.¡± Sorichika replied. ¡­ So that¡¯s how it¡¯s going to work¡­ I see¡­ ¡°Are you planning on throwing us at a forest, a mountain, or some place that is filled with Demon Beasts?¡± Lisse asked. She seemed to have arrived at the same conclusion as me. Being able to lead a self-sufficient life was our first task at the assassins¡¯ village. Because I was getting in the way of the other trainees learning how to lead this self-sufficient life, I was temporarily banished and forced to go to Haidiga. Taking that into account, it makes sense that we will have to search for the Tower of Bryne while also needing to survive on our own. And well, the place that needs survival skills the most, is in the middle of a wild location. A place where we need to get our own food, find safe spots to rest, and where we need to handle Demon Beasts that may attack us. So, it can¡¯t be helped that we reached the conclusion that we¡¯ll be dropped off in the wilds. ¡°That is correct, but there will be a huge city nearby, and you will be able to see it from your drop off location. ¡°I cannot tell you if the Tower of Bryne is in that city or not, but I can tell you that the clue to find it is definitely within the city. ¡°Therefore, for as long as you wish to find the tower, you will have to go to this city.¡± Sorichika replied. ¡­ So, basically, we have to collect information from this city, then go from there to the Tower of Bryne. ¡°Any more questions?¡± Sorichika asked us. There are plenty of things I want to ask, but the outline is clear enough already. We¡¯re going to act separately and find out information about the Tower of Bryne within that city. That¡¯s all there is to it. ¡°¡­ Seems like you have no more questions, so let¡¯s move on to the second point. ¡°It¡¯s a very simple point though, so I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have any questions about it either.¡± Sorichika told us. Then, she stared at us in a different way than usual. Her eyes were not empty like they usually were. But with her usual emotionless tone, Sorichika spoke clearly, ¡°You are free to kill whoever you wish. ¡°I do not care about the reason. ¡°Whether it¡¯s for your own protection or for a single copper coin, it¡¯s irrelevant. ¡°You may kill for a prank, or simply because you disliked someone. ¡°No one will blame you, and nobody will try to stop you. ¡°Because dying is for the weak. ¡°Because those that die are those who ran out of luck. ¡°Because they were looked down upon by the strong. ¡°Because they got someone else¡¯s grudge. ¡°That¡¯s the kind of place we¡¯re going to. ¡°The lawless country, Krozheit. A city located in the middle of the wilderness. ¡°Have you heard of it? A country filled with criminals. A place where those who failed at life run away to. ¡°We¡¯ll be there soon. You should prepare yourself for it.¡± Once she finished speaking those words, silence filled the air. The lawless country. Krozheit. A criminals¡¯ paradise. There are plenty of rumors about it. Even I, a country boy, know about it, so it¡¯s surely a famous place. I didn¡¯t know if it really existed though. I don¡¯t know anybody who has ever been there. The rumors are widespread, but I was unsure if a country ruled by criminals truly existed. However, it seems like it not only exists, but is a country that we¡¯re about to enter. I don¡¯t know how everyone took Sorichika¡¯s words. The tension that is filling the air must mean that everyone accepted her words as the truth though. Still, there is a difference in how each of us perceived it. Some must have realized how serious the current situation is, while others must still be trying to grasp what it means to enter a lawless country. Nonetheless, I¡¯m sure everyone is mentally preparing themselves for the danger that we¡¯re about to face. Well, we were all picked up by an organization that wishes to train assassins¡­ I suppose the preparation period has now ended, and the real training starts now. When I think of it like that, I can¡¯t help feeling that this task isn¡¯t incomprehensible or unreasonable. Their goal is to train assassins. I wasn¡¯t quite sure what exactly it meant to become an assassin, but it¡¯s now getting clearer. Though well, that is a good thing in itself. ****** Just as Sorichika told us, the dragon soon started descending. Once it arrived at the ground, the heavy fabric that blocked our vision was removed. I don¡¯t know where this is, but the sky was getting a bit bright, so we must have really flown throughout the whole night. Tomorrow has already arrived. And in the distance, I could already see a city that seemed to be Krozheit, the lawless country. CH 129 Chapter 129 ¨C Glasses boy is given three tasks ¡°Ain¡¯t this a great treat? You can watch where you¡¯re going from here on out.¡± Krav told us. Then, while we looked around for a bit, Krav descended from the dragon. ¡°So, we¡¯ll leave one alone here, right? You done with the explanation?¡± Krav asked Sorichika. Sorichika nodded, ¡°Lisse, you stay.¡± ¡°Oh, me?¡± Lisse said. She did say we¡¯d be dropped off separately, so I guess Lisse is the first we¡¯ll say goodbye to. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the tower of Bryne.¡± Sorichika told her. Sorichika removed the lifeline rope that was tying Lisse to the wooden board. Meanwhile, Krav was unloading Lisse¡¯s luggage from the dragon¡¯s back. ¡°If you have a visible sword, you¡¯re gonna get tangled with people who brag about their skills. If you don¡¯t like this kind of thing, you better hide it somewhere.¡± Krav told Lisse. Lisse grinned after hearing Krav¡¯s words. I¡¯m not sure if she thought of it as a joke, or a taunt from him. ¡°That¡¯s irrelevant, for it¡¯s impossible for me to lose. A swordswoman will never throw away her sword.¡± Lisse replied. What a cocky statement. Though it is true that Lisse is the strongest of us in direct combat. She may be even stronger when fighting Demon Beasts, but she¡¯s still a great swordswoman in general. She¡¯s also quick to think and she makes good judgements usually. ¡­ Well, that¡¯s probably why she was dropped off first. The first person who is dropped off doesn¡¯t have any way of knowing where the others were left at. Lisse would be able to immediately join other people if she knew where they were dropped off, so this decision was probably made to stop her from doing that. Then, while Lisse was putting her luggage on her back, and her sword on her waist, Sorichika stated, ¡°Prioritize not dying. Every few years, at least one person dies as soon as they arrive at the city.¡± Ooh¡­? Suddenly, some terrifying information was told to us. And it¡¯s definitely not something I can simply ignore. ¡°Huh¡­? Just who do you think I am?¡± Lisse replied after a very short pause. Well, I don¡¯t want my acquaintances to die, so¡­ I hope she¡¯s careful while she¡¯s there. ¡°¡­ She was cheeky, but she was a nice person¡­¡± Chace commented. ¡°¡­ You¡¯re right. I never liked her, but now I realize that I didn¡¯t really wish for her to be gone¡­ It¡¯s always like this. We only realize the important things when it¡¯s far too late.¡± Florentine commented. ¡°Why are you talking about me as if I¡¯m dead!? I¡¯m still alive, you know!? I¡¯m right here!¡± Lisse exclaimed. She seemed to be particularly irritated by Florentine¡¯s long ¡®mourning¡¯ statement, so she was glaring directly at her from up close, with a demonic expression. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you feel like I¡¯m at least somewhat important!? I gave you a decent amount of meat, didn¡¯t I!?¡± Lisse asked Florentine. However, Florentine turned her head away and completely ignored Lisse¡­ Truly, that was quite impressive. Florentine has learned well. Me and Cherry had yet to say anything, and perhaps we should tell her something. After all, this might be the last time we talk. ¡­ But I don¡¯t think this is what will happen, so there is no need to say anything. Lisse will be fine. I know how strong she is. She¡¯s not the kind of person who will die in a place like this. And since we¡¯ll meet up at the Tower of Bryne, then I have no reason to tell her anything. ¡°Won¡¯t you say anything?¡± I asked Cherry. I already made my decision, but I was unsure if Cherry reached the same conclusion. Or rather, she seemed to want to say something. ¡­ However, Cherry shook off that hesitant look from her face, then stated clearly, ¡°No. We¡¯ll meet up at the Tower of Bryne anyways, so there is no reason in telling it to her now.¡± Oh, got it. ¡°I feel the same way.¡± I told Cherry. We¡¯ll meet at the Tower of Bryne. We¡¯ll arrive there safely. While making this kind of prayer, I decided to not say goodbye. With Lisse being left here, the dragon started flying again, and we started heading to the next drop-off spot. ****** The short flight was, surprisingly, absolutely terrifying. The dragon started descending as we got close to the next spot though. ¡­ Flying may be amazing, but it¡¯s also really scary. Even though I knew I had a lifeline rope keeping me safe, I was still terrified. I held on to it tightly many times, as I thought I was going to be thrown away from the dragon by a strong wind. ¡­ It was really nice to have that cloth protecting us. I¡¯d much rather feel anxious about being unable to see my surroundings, than feel worried about the fact I would definitely die if I fell. That lifeline rope was truly our lifeline. I held it really tightly this time around. ¡­ And we had to fly while helplessly sitting on an unstable wooden board instead of in something that feels safer, like a chair¡­ ¡°How was it? Did you enjoy the view?¡± Krav asked as he descended from the dragon¡¯s back. I didn¡¯t have time to enjoy the scenery at all. ¡°Chace, you get off here.¡± Sorichika stated. ¡°O¡­ Okay.¡± Chace muttered. Like me, Chace must have been scared of the flight, for he was looking a bit pale. Though he also seemed to be relieved. Most likely because he won¡¯t need to fly again¡­ I¡¯m jealous. ¡°You¡¯ll probably fit in easily, so don¡¯t worry too much. Just don¡¯t forget your purpose here.¡± Sorichika told him. Krav gave Chace his luggage, and Sorichika gave him advice. Chace received both, and stared at Sorichika with a puzzled look, ¡°I may have done some bad things, but I¡¯ve never done anything that would be bad enough to fit in with a lawless country¡­¡± ¡°I know, but that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying. You¡¯ll understand the meaning of these words later, so just remember them.¡± Sorichika told him. ¡°¡­ Oh, alright. Got it.¡± Chace nodded. I don¡¯t get what Sorichika¡¯s words meant at all. But well, Chace may be stupid, but he has the flexibility to adapt to different situations easily. The air he gave off has truly changed a lot from the time when he swinged a wooden sword around thoughtlessly. It¡¯s almost hard to believe that he is that same person. ¡°Hey, thug, will you be okay by yourself?¡± Florentine asked. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about you. If you think it¡¯s dangerous, you can look for me. ¡°You may shout for me and search for me openly, alright? I¡¯ll fly to you right away.¡± Chace replied. ¡°That¡¯s my line! Don¡¯t you dare die in a place where I can¡¯t find you! Absolutely not! If you¡¯re going to die, you¡¯re gonna have to die right in front of me! ¡°¡­ Or rather, no! Don¡¯t die! Don¡¯t die until I kill you!¡± Florentine exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m the one who will kill you!¡± Chace replied. ¡°I¡¯ll absolutely be the one who kills you!¡± Florentine exclaimed again. ¡°What a bold statement!¡± Chace exclaimed. Before I realized it, Chace and Florentine ended up becoming pretty good friends, even if their relationship was quite shaky at the start. Or well, I suppose Chace is surprisingly good at taking care of others. He seems to be the kind of person that doesn¡¯t let others get close to him too easily, but once someone does enter his heart, he starts thoroughly cherishing that person. ¡°Chace. Let¡¯s meet at the Tower of Bryne.¡± Cherry clearly stated. ¡°Got it.¡± Chace replied. This time she said it openly¡­ I suppose she still feels a bit distant to Lisse, so she was unable to say it to her, even if she said it to Chace. Then, things went silent. ¡­ Whoa. Chace is staring directly at me¡­ I wonder why. ¡°¡­ Hey, Glasses. What do you have to say to me?¡± Chace asked me. Huh? He is waiting for my words? ¡°Nothing in particular?¡± I told him honestly. ¡°Hey, you should at least try saying goodbye in case I die. Something like that.¡± Chace replied. There¡¯s no reason to do that. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll meet at the Tower of Bryne. ¡­ Though well, we certainly can¡¯t know when and where something might happen. ¡°Then, scavenge food in moderation, alright?¡± I told him. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything like that! ¡°¡­ Huh!? That¡¯s it!? Those are your parting words!?¡± Chace asked. Yes, that¡¯s correct. I have nothing more to say. And so, just like it happened with Lisse, now that Chace was dropped off, we headed to the next location. ****** ¡°Cherry, you¡¯re next.¡± Sorichika announced as the dragon started descending. ¡°Oh, alright.¡± Cherry replied. Then, as soon as the dragon landed, Krav said, ¡°Come on, get off, get off.¡± and started handing over Cherry¡¯s luggage to her in a hurry, ¡°Sorry, but hurry up. The sky is getting brighter, and it¡¯s annoying when the people in town see me.¡± The city is still quite far, but they can probably see something as big as a dragon flying around. I suppose Krav¡¯s fear is that they¡¯ll notice that what they¡¯re seeing is a dragon. I don¡¯t know where this underdeveloped land is located, but it must be rare for dragons to appear here. ¡°Cherry¡­ I don¡¯t need to worry much about her.¡± Florentine stated. ¡°I feel the same.¡± I nodded. Cherry may be a bit inconspicuous, but she is someone who can handle anything that comes her way with ease. She never stands out much, but she rarely lags behind others. ¡°I-is that so? I¡¯m a bit nervous¡­¡± Cherry muttered. Me and Florentine were pretty calm as we saw her off, but it seems like Cherry herself didn¡¯t feel this way. ¡°What you lack is confidence.¡± Sorichika told her, ¡°You¡¯re a model child who knows what you can and can¡¯t do, so just do what you think you should, within the range of what you think is possible. ¡°Don¡¯t go overboard, don¡¯t overdo it. Just keep that in mind, and you¡¯ll be fine, Cherry.¡± ¡°O-okay¡­ ¡°¡­ This is the first time you¡¯ve said something that made you feel like an instructor, miss Sorichika.¡± Cherry replied. ¡°How rude. I¡¯m always speaking like a proper instructor.¡± Sorichika said. That¡¯s a lie. And if it¡¯s not a lie, then Sorichika is a terrible instructor. After this, me and Florentine flew to the next location. ****** I¡¯m still scared, but I¡¯ve started getting used to it. And because I got used to it, I was finally able to relax a bit and start taking in the scenery. ¡­ It¡¯s big. Seen from the sky, I could see that the lawless country, Krozheit, was huge. It might be as large as the royal capital of the Nastiara Kingdom. ¡­ A country, huh? Well, it¡¯s more like a city. But when we talk about Krozheit, we talk about the lawless country. It¡¯s not a country though, because it doesn¡¯t function like one. It¡¯s just a really big city¡­ But well, when it¡¯s this big, I guess I can understand why it¡¯s referred to as a country. I guess the way it is referred to might not really matter. Some people might prefer calling it a country, while others may prefer calling it a city. ****** ¡°Florentine, you get off here.¡± Sorichika said as the dragon descended. Then, it seems like I¡¯ll be the last one. ¡°Florentine.¡± I called out to her. ¡°Mmm?¡± She muttered. Coming to think of it, Florentine didn¡¯t seem to be particularly troubled by the flight. Somehow¡­ She seems to be the most courageous one out of us. She may feel difficult to approach, but she is actually quite gentle and doesn¡¯t reject people¡¯s good intentions. The words that come out of her mouth may be bad, but she¡¯s the one that cares the most about the people around her. ¡­ And she also likes meat way too much, to the point that it¡¯s troublesome. ¡°I¡¯m not Chace, but if something happens, you can look for me. I¡¯ll be there for you.¡± I told her. ¡°You¡¯re always way too sweet to me.¡± She replied. I know. She¡¯s aware of it too. I was raised while being told that I had to take care of the younger ones. I was raised by older people who took care of me, so I just think it¡¯s right for me to do the same. ¡°But that¡¯s exactly why I don¡¯t want you to spoil me. ¡°If I¡¯m by your side, then I¡¯ll have less things to do. I can¡¯t rely more on you than I rely on that thug.¡± Florentine replied. ¡­ Oh, I see? Sorry for spoiling you then. ¡°But, as the Meat Guy, do you wanna give me some meat before leaving?¡± She asked me. ¡°Goodbye. Take care of yourself.¡± I replied. ¡°¡­ At least treat me the same as Lisse. It hurts to hear you talk like that¡­¡± Florentine said. No can do. I treat Lisse more coldly than that. ****** After parting with Lisse, Chace, Cherry and Florentine, the dragon finally arrived at its final destination. After removing the lifeline rope that was wrapped around me, Sorichika called out to me, ¡°Eil. ¡°Do you know why you were kept for last?¡± Why I was kept for last? ¡°¡­ To keep everyone from knowing where I would be dropped off?¡± I asked. ¡°Correct.¡± Sorichika replied. Oh, that was really it? ¡°Because this task is too easy for you.¡± Sorichika stated. ¡­ Huh? ¡°Can you really say that?¡± I asked. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to hide it. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to find the Tower of Bryne by the end of the day. ¡°You¡¯ll face no hardships, no obstacles. ¡°But that would teach you too little. ¡°So, I would like to give you a special assignment. You¡¯ll have three restrictions while you¡¯re searching for the Tower of Bryne.¡± Sorichika replied. ¡­ Hey, hold on a second. ¡°Are you restricting my actions within the lawless country?¡± I asked. ¡°Because you¡¯re my disciple. That¡¯s why I give you special treatment.¡± Sorichika said. It¡¯s special treatment that doesn¡¯t make me happy though. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to abide to it though. I don¡¯t want you to die, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll die even with these restrictions.¡± Sorichika told me. I see¡­ ¡°Can I hear what the restrictions are?¡± I asked. Sorichika then stared at me with her usual blank eyes, ¡°First, the use of bows is prohibited. ¡°Second, don¡¯t rendezvous with your friends. ¡°Third, be the last of the five to arrive at the Tower of Bryne. ¡°Those are the restrictions.¡± I see¡­ That¡¯s interesting alright. ¡°Ban the weapon I¡¯m best at. Don¡¯t join up with everyone. Be the last to arrive at the tower.¡± I repeated the conditions of the assignment. ¡°Yes. How about it? Do you want to do it?¡± Sorichika asked me. ¡°¡­ Alright. I¡¯ll do it, because I think it¡¯s important.¡± I decided. I may have my doubts about the teaching methods of the instructors, Sorichika included, but not once did I wish that I hadn¡¯t gone through training with them. If it¡¯s an assignment that my master gave me, even if I can¡¯t understand why it was given, then it should be something positive, overall. I trust her enough, so I believe that. ¡°I¡¯ll say it again though. If you don¡¯t feel like doing it any longer, then you can give up on these restrictions. ¡°If you have to weight your life against the assignment, don¡¯t hesitate to prioritize your life.¡± Sorichika stated. ¡°Of course.¡± I nodded. I¡¯m not gonna lose my goal there. The first priority is to protect myself. The assignment is secondary. ****** After entrusting my bow and arrows to Sorichika; Krav, Sorichika and the dragon flew away. With this, I was left mostly unarmed, having only a dismantling knife with me. Moreover, bows are prohibited. I¡¯m not allowed to get a new one in town, so it seems like I won¡¯t be able to shoot any arrow for a while. ¡­ Well, I think it will work out in one way or another. And so, I started walking towards the lawless country. CH 130 Chapter 130 ¨C Glasses boy steps into the lawless country, Krozheit As I walked towards the city, I thought about the assignment that Sorichika gave me. I need to properly assess how troublesome those restrictions are before deciding how I¡¯ll act within Krozheit. I can¡¯t really be sure of how I¡¯ll act within the lawless country until I actually feel what it is like though. It¡¯s probably a somewhat rough place, but it should also have some order in it, even if it¡¯s lawless. There is always order in places where people gather. Otherwise, people will just leave. Even in small villages, a few rules end up being naturally born, in order to make sure everyone can coexist peacefully. ¡­ Well, I can think more about how the rules of Krozheit work after I get there. For now, let¡¯s think about my assignment. First, the use of bows is prohibited. This one shouldn¡¯t be a problem. In the first place, it¡¯s surprisingly hard for me to imagine myself drawing a bow within that city. There will be many people there, and too many obstacles too. Not to mention a myriad of escape routes and back alleys. Bows excel at medium to long range attacks. They can work at shorter distances, but that¡¯s usually only possible if you¡¯re in a safe position and have multiple opponents that you can shoot against. If something happened in Krozheit, that made me want to use a bow, it would probably be a situation where I would need to fight at medium to close range combat. And against humans. Also, some opponents may dodge or deflect arrows. And a deflected arrow may also hit someone who was unrelated to the battle too. Moreover, there is a problem with the speed at which I can fire. There are way more steps into firing an arrow than there are into swinging a sword. It¡¯s a slower process, and the arrow can only fly in a straight line, so it¡¯s very easy to read the attacks of an archer in one-on-one combat. Not to mention that arrows are finite, and if they run out, I¡¯d be out of means of attack. The opponent would have the option of simply avoiding my arrows until I ran out of them. Or well, they could also wait until I shot an arrow, then either escape or try attacking me before I can shoot the next one. And there is also the problem that I cannot control an arrow once it¡¯s shot. I cannot stop it, nor bend its trajectory. So, it¡¯s possible that I could hit someone unrelated to the battle by accident¡­ And even if it was an accident, this would still be an absolutely unacceptable failure. Therefore¡­ I really can¡¯t see myself drawing my bow while I¡¯m inside the city. Instead, I¡¯d much rather run away if a fight broke out. If I really end up in a situation where I have to fight, it would better to pull back, hide, then take the opponent out with a surprise attack. It¡¯s cowardly alright. But once you¡¯re dead, then it¡¯s all over. I don¡¯t want my life to end just yet. So, this much is fine. The second restriction, was that I cannot rendezvous with my friends. I have no problems with that, for that¡¯s what I was planning on doing from the start. Though I am a bit worried for Florentine. If, after seeing what Krozheit is like, I feel like Florentine might be in trouble, I may decide to look for her. Because life is more important than Sorichika¡¯s assignment. Lisse, Chace and Cherry should be fine. I¡¯m not worried about them. In the first place, we all received permission to come to the Tower of Bryne from our masters, which means our masters deemed us strong enough to safely reach the tower. They judged us as people who have the power to survive in the lawless country. Also, while we were in the village, we exterminated Demon Beasts together often, so I have a good grasp of everyone¡¯s abilities. And so, I know that even Florentine is strong. She is very simple, but very strong. But that¡¯s not what I¡¯m worried about. What I¡¯m worried about, is that she might be caught in a trap after being lured in by meat¡­ As a meat lover like me, I can¡¯t help worrying about what she¡¯d do for meat. Even if I can get meat myself, there are a lot of things that I would do for- ¡­ Coming to think about it, I don¡¯t have a bow. ¡­ Hold on. I¡­ Can¡¯t hunt right now? I can¡¯t¡­ Secure my own meat? ¡­ A terrible situation has already happened!? ¡­ Well, I¡¯ll think more about this later. Perhaps if I use a different weapon instead of the bow¡­ Or maybe one of my registered Gifts can help¡­ I¡¯m sure there must be something I can do. I shouldn¡¯t get impatient just because my best hunting tool was sealed away. One should always be calm while hunting. And the third restriction was to¡­ Be the last of us five to reach the Tower of Bryne. ¡­ Yeah. This one is definitely the most troublesome restriction. ****** The word ¡®hodgepodge¡¯ would be an appropriate description of Krozheit. The masonry walls that surrounded the city were crumbling in multiple places. The walls don¡¯t seem to follow a clear structure, and it seems easy to access the city from wherever you want. I don¡¯t know who built it and when, but I think the wall that separates this city from the outside must be quite old. It was probably well-built at one point too, since these walls are pretty high, and I have to look up to see its top. However, there doesn¡¯t seem to be anyone working on properly fixing these walls when they collapse. And the town that can be seen from the crumbling walls clearly has no sense of unity. Some buildings are tall, and some are short. Some are made of stone and others are made of wood. Those different buildings are all crowded together inside the city. That said, even though the outer wall is crumbling apart, there are still several locations that look like they¡¯re the main entrances of the city. Though they¡¯re left open and there is no gatekeeper guarding them. Still, there is a highway leading to the city from somewhere beyond so¡­ Maybe this kind of road is used to interact with other countries and cities. I think this whole area is fairly underdeveloped, but maybe¡­ Well, I guess I can worry about it later. For now, let¡¯s think about entering the city. I could easily enter through a crumbling portion of the wall, but¡­ Let¡¯s try going through the entrance for now. So, I followed the path that looked like a highway, then entered the city through the open gates. The path was narrow. I felt as if I was being squeezed by the buildings on my left and right. This highway-like road was barely wide enough to let two carriages pass by each other. And there is a fair number of people here¡­ And surprisingly, most of them look like ordinary people. Though plenty of them seem to be a bit too poorly dressed when I compare them to the people I saw back in the royal capital. ¡°Mmm¡­?¡± I muttered to myself. As soon as I entered the city, I felt several people staring at me. The owner of those gazes¡­ Five shabby old men approached me. ¡°Boy, this is your first time here, isn¡¯t it?¡± One of them asked me. He had something that resembled an amiable smile on his face¡­ Goodness, try a bit harder to hide your ulterior motives, at least. ¡°We are the gatekeepers. You need to pay a fee to enter the city. ¡°But well, most people who come here don¡¯t have any money, so anything you have is fine.¡± The old man told me. Oh, got it. It¡¯s an extortion. Gatekeepers don¡¯t work while already being inside the city. ¡°This is the only thing I have that is worth any money¡­¡± I muttered as I took out my glasses. ¡°Glasses? These are¡­¡± The men muttered as they took the glasses from my hands and started staring at them. They¡¯re quite curious, aren¡¯t they? It feels a bit embarrassing to have them stare at my Gift so intently¡­ ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll give something else. This is important, so give it back.¡± I stated. When I told them that, as if I was in a hurry, the men quickly answered in an amused way, as if I had said something funny, ¡°No, no! This is fine!¡± They¡¯re really easy to understand¡­ Seriously, try hiding your ulterior motives a bit more. Please be a bit better at tricking people. This is so obvious that I¡¯m almost laughing at it. ¡°I told you to give it back.¡± I told them. The men laughed, ¡°It¡¯s too late, you idiot!¡± then quickly ran away without any hesitation. After that, things went silent. I looked around a bit, and saw that the people nearby were looking at me with pitying eyes. ¡­ Well, I can¡¯t see them that well, but I can feel the mood anyways. They must be thinking that I¡¯m a poor boy who was robbed of my only valuable thing as soon as I arrived at the city. So, I took out some new glasses from my backpack and put them on. Or rather, I put my hand inside my backpack and created new glasses from scratch. I just made it seem like I was taking them from the backpack. Tonight, I¡¯ll connect my vision to the stolen glasses and watch the actions of the thieves. If they don¡¯t seem useful, I can always stop looking, and if I see something interesting, I can keep spying on them for a while. Through training with Sorichika, it became clear that I could do this kind of thing. Or well, it¡¯s more like I understood that I could do it, but I didn¡¯t try it that much. Fundamentally speaking, all my glasses are connected. I can see what is projected by all my glasses. But I had no use for this ability so far. When it comes to seeing what my other glasses are projecting, the only other glasses available is the one Cherry is using, and the ones that were distributed to the royal castle. Cherry aside, spying on the castle is bad. I don¡¯t want to connect my sight to those, as I might end up seeing important things that I shouldn¡¯t be allowed to see. On another note, I can also erase my glasses remotely. However, this is limited to glasses that I remember. I cannot erase glasses that I can¡¯t clearly remember. Essentially, this means that I can¡¯t erase the glasses that were distributed to the castle. Back then, I made the glasses without thinking about anything in particular, so I don¡¯t remember them properly. From now on, I might start putting numbers on the glasses somewhere out of sight. Although¡­ It¡¯s not like I have the opportunity to hand over my glasses to other people often anyway. If it wasn¡¯t for this kind of situation, I¡¯d probably have no use for this ability whatsoever, so I¡¯m unsure if it¡¯s necessary to worry too much about properly remembering my glasses. In any case, what I want right now is information. If I can start sowing the seeds to obtain an information source without any difficulty, then I¡¯d rather do it as soon as possible. So¡­ Let¡¯s get moving. ****** I can see that the people I¡¯m passing by are warily looking at each other. They¡¯re probably being careful because of the unfamiliar new face. Mmm¡­ I don¡¯t really like being stared at like that. ¡­ That said, there really are quite a lot of people here. Moreover, many of them really feel like ordinary people, even though this is a lawless country. Things right now feel a bit tense, but also calm. ¡­ Isn¡¯t it too calm, actually? Even after I was just extorted? The nearby stores also feel quite normal and- ¡°Oh, excuse me.¡± A young man said as he bumped onto me. I didn¡¯t dare to avoid him, even though he was obviously heading in my direction. I also didn¡¯t try stopping him from grabbing the small bag in my pocket¡­ Truly, this was a very shoddy attempt. ¡°¡­ Hey, boy. You were pickpocketed.¡± An old man told me. Right in front of me, a strange old man from a street stall, that was selling a variety of disconnected things, told me that while absent-mindedly staring at the back of the young man who stole what was in my pocket. His face contained pity. ¡°Oh, really? I didn¡¯t notice it at all.¡± I told him. The old man sighed, ¡°What a stupid boy.¡± I agree. It¡¯s stupid. That person was stupid. The leather bag that they took wasn¡¯t a wallet, it was a stink bag. It was filled with a powder that can even scare a Redbear. When he opens it, that¡¯s all that he will get. If he handles it carelessly, the powder will get stuck to his body, and it might take him a few days to completely get rid of the smell. He seemed to really want to take it, even without my permission, so I decided to let him. ¡°Are you a newcomer? Do you have a place you¡¯re planning to go to?¡± The old man asked. Oh? ¡°Will you take care of me?¡± I asked. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. Being dragged down is a pain.¡± The old man replied. Oh, I agree. I may not know this old man, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯m not strong enough to drag him with me while moving around quickly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go to the brothel? Your face will sell.¡± The old man told me. Huh? Is that man trying to be kind and give honest advice, or is he trying to disrespect me¡­? ¡­ I think he is being kind. He is not smiling or talking with a mocking tone. Apparently, I¡¯m giving off the impression of being really stupid¡­ Well, it¡¯s easier that way, so it¡¯s fine. ¡°Where is this brothel?¡± I asked him. ¡°If you keep going straight ahead, you¡¯ll see a signboard. Just follow it and you¡¯ll be at the brothel.¡± The old man told me. Oh, alright. ¡­ I don¡¯t plan on working at the brothel, of course, but I do need a proper base here. It might be easier to just sleep outside than to spend the night inside the city though. After all, in just this short time, I¡¯ve already had to deal with an extortion and with a pickpocket. I don¡¯t know how many more times I will have to deal with this kind of thing in just one night. That said, I have nowhere to go, so I might as well check out the brothel. This old man took the trouble to tell me about it, and I want to believe that he had good intentions. ¡°Mmmm¡­? What is this smell?¡± The old man sniffed. ¡°Ooh?¡± I tilted my head. Seems like the pickpocket handled it carelessly. Did he throw it on the ground and spread the whole powder on himself? Well, it¡¯s his responsibility now, so please deal with the consequences. With this kind of first experience in the lawless country, I decided to head to the brothel I was told about. CH 131 Chapter 131 ¨C Glasses boy and the seventh extortion Uhn¡­ It is here, I think? I followed the instructions of the old man from the stall, and found a sign that looked to be the right one. The signboard depicts a woman¡¯s foot that is wearing high heels. It¡¯s probably here. Beyond the signboard, the narrow main street becomes even narrower, leading to a less sunny, and darker alley. It is quite the suspicious entrance. ¡°Hey, boy, give me some money.¡± I heard a boy¡¯s voice. There sure are a lot of extortions in this city, huh? I turned around and saw four boys that should be around my age. ¡°We¡¯re getting in the way if we stay here, so let¡¯s talk in the alley over there.¡± I told them while pointing to a nearby alley. ¡°Huh? You have some guts, don¡¯t you? Don¡¯t try anything, or I¡¯ll beat you up.¡± The boy replied. ¡­ This was the sixth extortion already. I have to wonder why they always go on ahead, believing that I¡¯ll quietly follow them. I¡¯m not going. Why didn¡¯t they make use of their numerical advantage? The basic rule for this kind of thing should be to not let your prey escape. Well, I don¡¯t really want to fight more than necessary, so I¡¯m grateful even if I don¡¯t say ¡®thank you¡¯ to them. ¡­ Well, it¡¯s not like they need to be thanked for being annoying. In any case, as soon as they turned their backs to me, I slipped into the brothel¡¯s alley, going away from those boys. ****** It would be troublesome if they chased me, so I ran for a while before stopping. Until, suddenly, I arrived at a wider open road. Oh, I see. From here onwards, the street seemed to be filled with night shops. Some of the larger ones seem to be luxurious places, while others seem to be fairly small and shabby. And in this kind of place¡­ Some men and women were walking around carefreely. The feeling that they give off is different from what I felt from the average person though, so they must be employees of a nearby store. ¡­ Also, for some reason, everyone here seems to have strong sex appeal and a good amount of make up on them. They have a charm that one can¡¯t see in the average people that I have seen so far. It¡¯s hard to explain what exactly it is, but the feeling that they give off is definitely different. In any case, it¡¯s kinda quiet here. There are some people walking around, but this area is not nearly as lively as the main streets. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s dangerous!¡± A man shouted. ¡°Shut up! Die!¡± A woman replied. Oh, a lively¡­ Or actually, a murderous voice. A naked man came out of a store a bit far from me, holding clothes that were probably his own as he tumbled forward while hiding his front. The woman in underwear who was running after him had a kitchen knife in her hands and seemed to be having an argument with him. Is this¡­ No way. I remembered something that my master once told me. A story about how he thought he was going to die, and that women were scary. He used this story to try bragging about how popular he was, but I, of course, completely ignored him. ¡°Don¡¯t come again if you don¡¯t have money!¡± The woman yelled that while raising her knife to the man who was running away with his ass exposed. Once he got out of sight, she shouted, ¡°Go die!¡± then turned around and started heading back to the shop. After that, even if people had been paying attention to those two until now, they all started moving again as if nothing had happened. Could this be¡­ An everyday occurrence in this place? To think this might not feel particularly unusual¡­ I was quite surprised, even if I may not show it on my expression. ¡­ Anyways- ¡°H-help! Help me!¡± I heard a woman shout. This city is truly showing me a lot of new things. ****** Should this place really be called a lawless country? Or is it more of a city filled with many stingy little villains? Or am I simply someone that looks too easy to extort? A woman in her underwear was screaming as she ran towards me. ¡°P-please! Help me! Help me!¡± She exclaimed. Oh, there are actual tears coming out of her eyes¡­ Maybe she threw something at them in advance to make tears come out easily? ¡°Wait!¡± A big man with strong arms came running after her. Ah, so this time it is like that? I wish they were more straightforward and just told me to give them money. It would be faster this way. I mean, in the first place, the flow of this story is too unreasonable. Why would this woman ask a little boy like me for help? Do I look like I¡¯m strong? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the impression I give, when considering how many people tried extorting me on the way here. There are men and women around who seem to be much stronger than me, so it¡¯s unnatural for this woman to come crying to me for help. ¡°Hey kid! Hand that woman over! I¡¯ll kill her!¡± The man exclaimed. That woman, who had been clinging to me so far, was now hiding behind me, using me as a shield. They¡¯re truly pushing this on me, huh? But well, I have no doubts about what my choice here should be. ¡°Alright, alright, go ahead. Good luck.¡± I told them, then stepped away. And that¡¯s that. I¡¯m curious about what will be their next action though. I mean, the plan must have been to put me in a position where I¡¯m forced to try protecting the woman, so after he beat me up, he¡¯d take my belongings. But without any resistance or hesitation, I stepped away, as I don¡¯t really have any reason to get involved with this. ¡°Eh¡­? W-why!? Why won¡¯t you help me!?¡± The woman seemed to be upset. Was my reaction unexpected? I don¡¯t think it was. ¡°Do you think I can actually beat him? Then you¡¯re not only dumb, but also blind. ¡°Also, shouldn¡¯t you be heading to the main street to ask for help already? Why are you stopping here? Don¡¯t you think you should have decided to keep on running as soon as I gave up on you? Why haven¡¯t you left yet?¡± I asked her. ¡°Eh-eh¡­?¡± The woman said. I was curious, so I tried asking her many questions, but she seemed to be so troubled that she couldn¡¯t answer anything. ¡°And you too. Why are you standing still? Why haven¡¯t you caught her yet? ¡°You wanted to catch her, right? Now you can easily do it, so why don¡¯t you go ahead and do it? ¡°You were going to kill her, weren¡¯t you? Then shouldn¡¯t you just do it? Why aren¡¯t you doing anything? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± I asked the man a lot of questions too, as I was quite interested on his reply. Cases of men and women being blackmailed in this kind of circumstance must happen a lot. I¡¯m very interested in learning about what one should do in this kind of situation if it happened for real. It¡¯s really rare to get caught up in this kind of scam in Nastiara, so I wanted to make good use of this opportunity and asked them plenty of questions. This seems like a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I want to make full use of it. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s coming next, but I¡¯m eagerly waiting for the next development. ¡°H-how dare you!? I can¡¯t forgive a bastard who doesn¡¯t even try to protect a woman!¡± The man shouted. Eh¡­? What a shoddy role reversal. I¡¯m disappointed. I didn¡¯t expect him to give up on the act this quickly. He¡¯s nothing like my sister, who has an unreasonably powerful persuading force. The kind of thing that makes people go along with all her nonsense, no matter how absurd it is. ¡°It¡¯s not really convincing if you tell me that after chasing a half-naked woman while shouting that you¡¯ll kill her, you know?¡± I told the man honestly. ¡°S-shut up! Shut up!¡± He exclaimed. Oh, is he going to attack? ¡°You¡¯re the one who should shut up!¡± An older woman exclaimed. The man had just raised his fist, but then this older woman raised her voice and hit him on the head, interrupting his attack. ¡°The boy saw through it from the start! Don¡¯t keep on trying to mess around after failing! It¡¯s disgraceful!¡± The older woman said. Seems like she was watching since the beginning. This older woman must be at her thirties or so¡­ She¡¯s a woman with a powerful gaze for sure. And behind her was a big man who seemed to be even bigger and stronger than the guy who tried extorting me just now. ¡­ Ah, he is strong. Very strong. The older woman is even stronger though. The man¡¯s number is 37, but the older woman¡¯s is 22. If it was just one of them, I might have been able to do something, but I don¡¯t think I have a chance of winning against both. Also, I can¡¯t see their Gifts, so they must not be activated. And above all else, what¡¯s most threatening about them is that they don¡¯t seem to have anything that resembles a weapon on them. It¡¯s almost unnatural. If I had to choose something, it would probably be the metal rod that the older woman is holding¡­ As in, her smoking pipe. ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? Don¡¯t do it in these parts.¡± The older woman scolded the two scammers. ¡°B-but-¡± The half-naked woman started replying. ¡°Don¡¯t try making excuses. I¡¯ll just kick you off if you do.¡± The older woman said. Under her sharp gaze, the two people completely withered away. Yeah¡­ She¡¯s scary. I want to run away too. ¡°Go.¡± The older woman stated. The man and woman, who had been completely immobilized, like frogs stared at by a snake, immediately started running after receiving the word of forgiveness from the older woman. And I should also run. ¡°You wait.¡± The older woman said. ¡­ It was impossible to flee, after all. As if anticipating my actions, the big man already caught me before I could run. CH 132 Chapter 132 ¨C Glasses boy has his ¡®Glasses¡¯ seen through The woman let out a sigh, then smirked. The big man grabbed me by the neck, so I couldn¡¯t move. Then, the woman scrutinized me for a bit¡­ Her gaze was quite intense. ¡°Kid, what are you here for? If you¡¯re looking for night work, I¡¯ll buy you.¡± She told me. ¡­ I feel like I heard some really terrible words just now, but let¡¯s proceed without minding them much. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in night work, but I¡¯d like to secure a room to stay the night.¡± I told her. ¡°Do you not want to be my man?¡± She asked me. I gave off a wry laugh, ¡°That¡¯s just impossible to me. A lady like you is way beyond my reach, it would be discourteous for me to even try.¡± then said something that I didn¡¯t mean in the slightest. The woman grinned. She most likely saw through my words. ¡°Got it. ¡°I like you, kid. I¡¯ll take care of you.¡± She told me. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t want to do night work. I would rather do something else.¡± I replied. ¡°I already heard that. I¡¯m not desperate enough to force myself onto a man.¡± The woman winked. Then, the big man let go of me. ¡°Follow me.¡± She said. ¡°And if I decline?¡± I asked. ¡°If you think you can get away with it, do whatever you want.¡± She then turned around and started walking away. Of course, the big man was right behind me, watching my movements. ¡­ I do have the confidence that I can run away if I want to. But for now, let¡¯s follow her. I can always run away later. However, what I currently need is information on Krozheit. This woman may be scary in terms of someone who handles night work, but she seems to be friendly at the moment, so I should be able to count on her as a source of information. Alright, I¡¯ve made my decision. Let¡¯s go for it. ****** That woman entered a large shop that was nearby. She briefly greeted an old man, who seemed to be an employee of the store, then went straight to a back door and went through it. After passing through the back door, I saw something that seemed to be a large courtyard, surrounded by large buildings on all sides¡­ And at the middle of it, there was a pretty luxurious mansion. It felt like something completely out of this world. The garden in front of the mansion was enormous. It gave off quite the elegant impression, and was filled with beautiful flowers and plants. When one is in a place like this, it¡¯s easy to forget that this is the lawless country. Amazing. This looks way more impressive than the mansions of the poorer nobles in the royal capital. ¡°Do you live here?¡± I asked her. ¡°Yep.¡± She replied. Truly¡­ Amazing. I did notice that she wasn¡¯t an ordinary person right away, but this woman might hold a more important post in Krozheit than I had imagined. ¡°Is she an important person?¡± I whispered to the big man behind me as we walked towards the mansion. He did not reply at all, and instead just stared down at me. ¡°Tyran cannot speak, due to his contract.¡± The woman told me. I thought I had spoken quietly, but apparently, she overheard it. ¡°Contract?¡± I asked. ¡°To put it simply, the contract lets one sacrifice something to gain a special power. ¡°Tyran sealed his voice and gained power. That¡¯s why he cannot speak.¡± The woman explained. ¡­ So something like this exists? It¡¯s probably tied to a Gift. While listening to this kind of interesting story, we arrived at the mansion¡¯s door. This door was as luxurious as the one of the Leavant family, so I felt quite uncomfortable when looking at it. But it¡¯s alright. This time around, I don¡¯t feel that same worrisome atmosphere that there was in the Leavant household. Moreover, as far as I can tell, the people here aren¡¯t on the same level as the people from the Leavant house. They aren¡¯t so absurdly strong, to the point that I have to worry if my senses are mocking me. Or rather, this woman and this big guy might be at about my level, more or less. Once she put her hand on the door handle, the woman turned her face towards me, ¡°I¡¯m gonna introduce you to a person, boy. Don¡¯t be rude.¡± ¡°A person?¡± I asked. ¡°The ruler of the brothel district.¡± She stated. The ruler¡­ This is truly the house of an important person, huh? No wonder the mansion is this dignified. ¡°I¡¯m a country boy. I don¡¯t really know etiquette.¡± I told her honestly. ¡°That¡¯s alright. Even if there are some pigs who fell down from aristocracy here, there are no proper noble pigs in this city. ¡°Most people here don¡¯t know etiquette. It¡¯s all good for as long as you aren¡¯t rude. ¡°I mean, in the first place, nobody expects proper etiquette from someone who came to a place like this.¡± The woman replied. Oh, I see. ¡­ Well, I think I can escape whenever I want, so it¡¯s fine to just go along with this. So, I nodded to the woman¡¯s words, and then she opened the door to the mansion. ****** ¡°Welcome home, young lady.¡± I heard multiple voices say in unison. ¡­ I may be seeing something that I might never see again in my whole life. Coming to think of it, my master once told me about something similar. About how he was once invited to the mansion of a noble man who was famous for his love of women. All the servants in that mansion were women, and they were all beautiful. Even his dog was female and well-groomed. It was something that the noble apparently cared a lot about, and my master was, at first, overjoyed to be in this kind of place. But then he noticed that the women were all staring at him like beasts that were looking down on their prey, so he started getting scared. ¡­ And I ignored him as he said all that, which made him get a bit depressed. Nonetheless, the scene that my master saw was probably similar to this one. ¡­ Though well, all servants here are men, not women. As soon as the door was opened, we were greeted by about twenty male servants, who were all lined up and bowed down to the woman who led me here. Yeah, all of them are men. And they¡¯re all good-looking. And I wonder¡­ Is it this woman¡¯s hobby that makes them dress up as women? Was she planning on having me do that too when she said she¡¯d buy me? ¡­ What a terrifying thought. As expected of the lawless country, humans do all sorts of crazy things here. This was a truly unimaginable sight. I was quite surprised. In any case¡­ Surrounded by beautiful men who give off the aura of someone who works at night¡­ I just don¡¯t know what to say. This isn¡¯t exactly a sense of crisis, but more like a disturbing feeling? I¡¯m terribly restless, that¡¯s for sure. ¡°Welcome home, young lady.¡± One of the servants said as he walked up to us. He seems to be the representative of the servants. He is tall, has a beautiful face, and has a low and elegant voice. ¡°Is the hag here?¡± The woman asked. ¡°In her office¡­ And who is this boy?¡± The servant replied. ¡°He¡¯s not a servant, but a guest. I¡¯m taking him with me.¡± She said. ¡°Understood, ma¡¯am.¡± After saying that, the servant turned to me, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of your luggage.¡± ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t let go of it just yet.¡± I replied. After immediately declining his help, the servant seemed to have turned sour¡­ Scary. He is glaring hard at me. But I won¡¯t give in. I don¡¯t want the contents of this bag to be destroyed, nor do I want them to be stolen. Moreover, I want to be able to take them with me easily if I need to run away. ¡­ But above all else, I don¡¯t want people to know that I have a cute evil god statue, that is apparently a masterpiece, on my luggage¡­ As it was forced on me, again. If I get caught, I might be treated as someone who worships an evil god¡­ Oh dear, I get depressed just by thinking about this evil god statue¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Dyna. Just leave it be.¡± The woman told him. He sighed. Then, the woman restarted moving and passed by the servant, so I followed her. ¡­ Though now I was being followed not only by the big man that doesn¡¯t speak, but also by the servant with an elegant low voice. Am I that suspicious? In any case, the woman arrived at a fancy door, then knocked on it. ¡°Come in.¡± A voice came from inside. With permission granted to us, we entered the office. ****** ¡°Who¡¯s that kid?¡± The person inside asked. A wrinkled old woman was sitting at a large desk. She seemed to be sorting out some papers and leather bags that seemed to contain money. She glanced at me for a single moment, then immediately went back to flipping through the papers, seemingly losing interest in me. This old lady seemed to be quite grumpy, and she was wearing fully black clothes. It almost looked like she was mourning something. ¡°Sevi, did you find a new pet again? This is no kennel.¡± The old lady stated. ¡­ Oh, I see. The ¡®pets¡¯ must be the good-looking male servants, and this old lady must be thinking that I¡¯m being added to the collection. ¡­ Well, whatever. If things go wrong, I¡¯ll just run away. ¡°Not this one. I brought him here to be your bodyguard.¡± Sevi replied. ¡­ Bodyguard? This time, the old lady stopped working for real. Her sharp eyes glared directly at me. ¡°¡­ Is this kid a guest of the Tower of Bryne?¡± She asked. ¡­ Oh? Some familiar words suddenly came out¡­ ¡°I¡¯m fairly sure of it. ¡°You can ¡®see¡¯ it, right? Why don¡¯t you check it out?¡± Sevi replied. She can ¡®see¡¯¡­ What? ¡°Ooh?¡± The old lady muttered as she stared at me. I don¡¯t quite get why, but this feels horribly wrong. And to make things worse, I can¡¯t see what the Gift of this old lady is. Someone with a Gift that I don¡¯t know about is ¡®seeing¡¯ me¡­! ¡°¡­ Materialization magic? That¡¯s about as much as I could get¡­¡± The old lady said. Before I could escape, I was ¡®seen¡¯ through. CH 133 Chapter 133 ¨C Glasses boy talks to the ruler of the brothel district Similarly to the man from the extortion that I met a small while back, I was stuck, unable to move. The old lady¡¯s grey eyes stared intently at me. Like a frog that was being glared at by a snake, I forgot how to move as she looked at me. Though the reason I can¡¯t move is because I feel out of options in this situation. I am not coming up with any ideas on how to turn this situation around. ¡­ Oh, was this it? Was this why Sorichika told us those words? That we could kill freely? In this case, I could kill this old lady to silence her, but there are probably other situations that may lead to one of us wanting to kill someone else. Of course, I¡¯m not going to do it. The idea just came up. I thought that it was a valid possibility. But if I kill her, then I¡¯ll have to deal with way too many enemies. Including the woman that brought me here, the big man, and the younger man with a low voice. Once that happens, I¡¯ll be stuck deep within a quagmire, and I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t be able to get out of it until I die. Or rather, even if I die, it might not be enough. They might also go after my sister or my village. Right now though, I just have a single foot inside this swamp. There must be a way to safely escape this situation. ¡°¡­ Oh? This is quite¡­ Mmm¡­¡± The old lady turned her gaze to the other woman, ¡°Sevi, this pet¡¯s fur is a bit different from the usual, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°You think so?¡± Sevi replied. ¡°You¡¯re an interesting little boy. ¡°I want to talk to him privately for a bit. The three of you may leave.¡± The old lady said. ****** And now, the two of us were alone. The other woman, the big man, and the younger man with a low voice all left. Leaving only me and the old lady in this office. ¡°Boy.¡± The old lady got up from her desk and moved closer to me. ¡­ She¡¯s small. Smaller than me, even. ¡°You were thinking about killing me earlier, weren¡¯t you?¡± She asked. ¡°¡­ Did you ¡®see¡¯ that too? Or did you just feel the murderous intent? ¡°I didn¡¯t plan on showing any murderous intent though¡­¡± I replied. The old lady started laughing, ¡°You¡¯re an interesting kid.¡± She sat down at a nearby table, that seemed to be there to let her talk to customers more easily. I sat down across from her. ¡°Hundreds, thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of people have tried to kill me. ¡°I¡¯m especially sensitive to this kind of emotion. ¡°So don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t feel anything. It was just my intuition at work here, which was something that has saved my life many times now.¡± The old lady told me. Intuition¡­ A talent that doesn¡¯t rely on logic. It¡¯s a nice thing. I want to have something like it too. ¡°You¡¯re quite something though. You didn¡¯t show the slightest turmoil even in that kind of situation. You¡¯re a genuine assassin alright.¡± She told me. I was quite troubled, actually. I just didn¡¯t show it. Also, I¡¯m a hunter, not an assassin. ¡°Is it alright to have just the two of us here though? If I was really an assassin, I might have wanted to kill you.¡± I asked. ¡°If you wanted to kill me, then there was no need to enter this place from the front door, nor was there any need to expose your face. ¡°To put it simply, if you came here to assassinate me, I¡¯d already be dead. ¡°I¡¯m alive though. That¡¯s all the proof I need, to know that you didn¡¯t come here to take my life.¡± The old lady replied. Well, she¡¯s correct. If I wanted to kill her, I would have already done it. It¡¯s just the two of us here, after all. ¡°Though you must have something set up in case of an emergency. Even if you believed that I wouldn¡¯t attack you, you wouldn¡¯t stay alone with me in a room with no countermeasures planned.¡± I said. ¡°Of course I have countermeasures.¡± The old lady replied. ¡­ But she has no intention of telling me those. ¡°Why don¡¯t you risk your life and try it?¡± She asked me. ¡°I would rather not.¡± I replied. I have no reason to do it, after all. I would just like to know what would happen if I crossed the line. ¡°So, what did come here to do?¡± She asked me. ¡°You already have an idea, don¡¯t you? ¡°Secure food, clothing and shelter until I find the Tower of Bryne. ¡°I just happened to be recommended to come to this place perchance.¡± I replied honestly. And then I made a big blunder as I came to this place carefreely, which led to my Gift being seen through. Seriously¡­ ¡®I can always escape later¡¯? How did I let my guard down this much? This was totally my fault. The extortions I went through so far were nothing. This is what the real Krozheit is like. Having my Gift seen through by this old lady¡­ There is real danger here in this city. ¡°In that case, we can solve things here quickly.¡± The old lady said. I suppose. But I think I should refuse the next offer that the old lady will make. At least once¡­ Because her triumphant smile annoys me. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about the Tower of Bryne if you listen to my request. How about it?¡± The old lady asked. A momentary turmoil went through her triumphant smile. Because this time, I was the one smiling. ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me. ¡°Maybe a kind ruler, someone other than you, will lend me a hand. ¡°Even if none does, I think I can find it on my own.¡± I told her. ¡°You¡¯re bluffing.¡± She replied. ¡°You think so? But you already gave me the hint that I needed to know, in order to figure out the location of the Tower of Bryne.¡± I said. Right now, I was remembering the words that Sorichika told me. Why did she give me a special assignment? She told me that I would find the Tower of Bryne easily. I¡¯ve started to understand the meaning of the task of searching for the Tower of Bryne. My Glasses were seen through, but I¡¯ve also started obtaining information myself. This dialogue was not in vain, nor was it one-sided. ¡­ Though well, if we compare the quality and weight of the obtained information, then it¡¯s a complete defeat on my end¡­ An utterly crushing defeat. Because the information about my Glasses is way more important than the information about the Tower of Bryne. ****** ¡°I see¡­¡± The old lady sighed, smiled wryly, then leaned against the back of her chair, ¡°You¡¯re a troublesome kid, alright. ¡°Most people break down once their Gift is seen through.¡± I suppose most do. The information behind one¡¯s Gift is extremely valuable. If one can understand your Gift, that usually means you have already lost. Because once the secret is known, you can deal with it in whatever way you want. I¡¯m no exception. Even if the true nature of the Glasses is unknown to her, I would still be unable to do anything if the power to materialize the glasses was sealed somehow. ¡°You¡¯re certainly not a stupid person.¡± I commented. ¡°Oh?¡± She said. When she saw through my Gift earlier, she said it was Materialization Magic. She didn¡¯t say the name of the Gift itself. Those words were enough to let me know that she had seen through my Gift, but at the same time, they were probably used as a stepping stone. A weapon that she could leverage during negotiations, while also serving as a reason to make me want to negotiate in the first place. ¡°Then, how about this? I can promise you that I won¡¯t tell anybody about your Gift. ¡°As a show of good will, I didn¡¯t say the name of the Gift just now, but just talked about Materialization Magic instead.¡± The old lady told me. ¡°Mmm¡­ ¡®If you don¡¯t listen to what I say, I will reveal your Gift.¡¯ ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem like the kind of thing you¡¯d say. You don¡¯t seem to be the kind of person to engage in this kind of terrible negotiation. ¡°Even if negotiations break down here, you won¡¯t disclose it, right? ¡°I can understand this much, so I¡¯ve decided to speak honestly too.¡± I told her. It makes sense to use the information on someone¡¯s Gift as a bargaining chip, but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s okay to use the ability to divulge the information as a bargaining chip. This old lady has surely done this often, so she knows how to use the information to her advantage. Essentially, we can negotiate because there is an important premise behind our conversation. She will not leak the information regardless of how the negotiation goes. If she broke this kind of promise even once, then all trust on her would be shaken. If that happened, then everyone she negotiated with in the past would suddenly become her enemies. Basically, all those people would decide to try silencing her before she can divulge the information on their Gift. It¡¯s something that I once heard from my master. Someone that constantly tries blackmailing others is absolutely stupid and will surely get betrayed before long. But this lady is not stupid. ¡°¡­ Kid.¡± The old lady stared at me with the same sharp eyes that she used before, ¡°Stay here for a while. I won¡¯t do anything wrong to you. ¡°We¡¯ll also treat you well. I¡¯ll give you whatever you want, even a woman, if you so desire.¡± ¡°You¡¯re willing to go this far for me?¡± I asked. ¡°Indeed. Because if someone else takes hold of you, you¡¯ll surely become a threat. ¡°If you refuse, then we¡¯ll have to take care of you here and now.¡± The old lady told me. ¡°¡­ Alright, I can stay here for a while.¡± I replied. ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± The old lady seemed to be surprised. Why was she taken aback though? ¡°Was my reply unsatisfactory?¡± I asked. ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t expect you to go along this easily after being threatened.¡± The old lady told me. Oh, she was expecting a rejection, so she was disappointed by me nodding along. The threat wasn¡¯t the reason though. ¡°As I said earlier, I just wanted food, clothing and shelter. ¡°If you¡¯re going to be taking care of me, I¡¯m fine with staying here.¡± I told her honestly. Besides, I think it¡¯s convenient for me to stay by this old lady¡¯s side. Though well, that¡¯s about as much of a reason as I have. This time, if something happens, I¡¯ll definitely run away properly. I will not hesitate. CH 134 Chapter 134 ¨C Glasses boy is guided to a small room while receiving abusive words ¡°He¡¯s going to be my bodyguard from now on.¡± The old lady said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you introduce yourself?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Elle. Nice to meet you.¡± I said. With the negotiations with the old lady finished, the woman, the big man and the younger man with a low voice, were called to the office again. We had already met face-to-face, but we had yet to introduce ourselves. Also, I decided to use a pseudonym. I don¡¯t think I would be able to react to it if it was too different from my name though, so I went with Elle. I don¡¯t want the other trainees to find out about me, so I¡¯ve decided to try hiding my identity. After all, if my name ends up being spread around the city, the other trainees will most likely come meet me. I¡¯ve been forbidden from joining up with them though, so I want to avoid that, if possible. And well, I also don¡¯t want to divulge any of my personal information to the people here in Krozheit. That¡¯s the main reason behind the pseudonym. I already messed up once, but this is my true goal here. ¡°First, my daughter, Seviarow. She¡¯s the person directly below me in the hierarchy of this place. ¡°Though well, you¡¯re my personal bodyguard, so you don¡¯t need to listen to the orders of anybody other than me.¡± The old lady told me. Her daughter, huh? She¡¯s a tall woman with long, dark brown, wavy hair, and she has grey eyes. She¡¯s probably in her thirties, but I can¡¯t say it for sure. Her eyes are of the same color as her mother¡¯s, and they¡¯re as sharp as hers too. ¡°The big man is Tyran. He is Sevi¡¯s personal bodyguard. ¡°He is always with her, except when she¡¯s in her bedroom.¡± The old lady said next. That¡¯s the big man who caught me. He¡¯s both tall and wide, but not in an obese way. He¡¯s just full of muscles. His blond hair is cut short, and he always has a grumpy expression. His auburn eyes also seem to be quite stern. And his age¡­ I think he¡¯s a bit older than Seviarow. ¡°The other man is the person in charge of all the chores in this mansion. In other words, our butler, Dynawood.¡± The old lady told me. That was the young man with a low voice¡­ A butler, huh? Coming to think of it, even though he is wearing a servant¡¯s outfit, his outfit does seem to be better than the other servants¡¯. His pale blond hair is cut in an uneven way, with only the left bangs being long. It looks a bit eccentric, but it also suits him well. Probably because of his beautiful face. And he was staring at me with his bright blue eyes right now¡­ He¡¯s probably in his mid-twenties¡­ A tall and slender man. He¡¯s pretty cool. Or rather, he¡¯s classy¡­ I think there must be some kind of fundamental difference between him and a country boy like me. ¡°Elle.¡± The old lady looked at me. Mmm? What is it? ¡­ Oh, right, Elle is me. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m Adyll. The one in charge of the brothel district. ¡°You can refer to me as ¡®manager¡¯.¡± She told me. Oh, alright. ¡°Then, manager, I¡¯m looking forward to working with you.¡± I said. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll be in your care. ¡°I also won¡¯t let you be inconvenienced in any way while you¡¯re here, so please spend your time as you see fit.¡± She replied. And that was how my life at the brothel began. ****** ¡°Please use this room.¡± Dynawood said after guiding me to a room. ¡°¡­ Isn¡¯t this way too luxurious?¡± I commented. The room was way too spacious.; the bed was too large; and the shelves, desks and tables were all of top quality. Even the floor was covered with carpet here. This is definitely a high-class guest room. ¡°I have been ordered to make you as comfortable as possible, lord Elle.¡± Dynawood replied. ¡­ I¡¯ve yet to get used to the pseudonym as is, but I¡¯m also being treated as a noble on top of that? It¡¯s a bit too much¡­ ¡°Uhn¡­ I don¡¯t mind it if you speak to me normally.¡± I told him. ¡°If you truly wish for that.¡± Dynawood replied. ¡°I do want it.¡± I nodded. ¡°The hell do you want, kid?¡± He asked me. ¡­ That was surprising. His change in attitude was quite sudden. Well¡­ It¡¯s interesting like this, so it¡¯s fine. I feel uncomfortable if I¡¯m accepted into a new place this easily anyways. ¡°Can you get me a new room? I¡¯ll feel more comfortable if I¡¯m in a room that is more commoner-like.¡± I told him. He snorted, ¡°Listen, kid. I don¡¯t believe you at all. You smell like a liar.¡± Ah, well, I am using a pseudonym, so I suppose I am lying. ¡°I¡¯ll be watching you, got it? ¡°Well, come with me.¡± Dynawood turned around and started moving. Oh, so he will guide me, after all. ¡°Dynawood.¡± I called out to him. ¡°What?¡± He answered without turning back. ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care.¡± I told him. ¡°Shut up and die.¡± He replied. Well¡­ It seems like the time here will be fun. ****** This time, Dynawood brought me to a small room that had only a bed in it. It was probably a servant¡¯s room. It was a clean room though, and the bed doesn¡¯t creak, so this is good enough. ¡­ It¡¯s quite the narrow room, however. Well, that¡¯s fine. I put down my luggage, sat down on the bed, then heaved a sigh. I think I have finally started calming down a bit. A lot of things have happened since yesterday. A trip on the back of a dragon, many extortions, the meeting with Adyll¡­ I had no time to rest at all. And well, I basically didn¡¯t sleep last night. I hadn¡¯t felt it until now, because I was tense while moving around the lawless country. But now that I started calming down, I noticed that I was feeling quite tired. ¡­ Should I lay down for a while? I¡¯m sure somebody will wake me up by noon anyways. ****** I woke up before anybody came. Probably because I¡¯m in an unfamiliar environment, so I couldn¡¯t sleep well. Still, I was able to get a bit of rest, so I¡¯m not as tired as I was. This short break helped clear my mind. So, I put on my glasses and set the Life Absorption gift on it, to further help my recovery as I stared at the ceiling while musing about some things. Let¡¯s see¡­ The task of finding the Tower of Bryne. I understand its meaning now. And I also understand why Sorichika gave me a special assignment. There are people here in this city who already know of our circumstances, and we¡¯ll naturally end up meeting them. All the assassin trainees that are brought to this city are quite skilled. People with a high combat prowess easily stand out, especially in a place like this, where disputes happen all the time. If you solve a problem with strength, rumors about you will surely circulate in no time. As soon as the rumors start spreading, the people who know about the situation will certainly send a scout to us, to see if they can recruit us. Like this, we¡¯ll meet up with someone in power, and this person will tell us that we should follow them if we want to know about the Tower of Bryne. And that¡¯s basically how it¡¯s meant to be. Because the flow of events was supposed to follow this mostly fixed pattern, I was given extra conditions. Sorichika knows my personality well. She must have realized that I was not going to get in trouble and show off my strength. Therefore, the chances of me being found by one of the rulers of the city were quite low. Moreover, I would probably try finding the Tower of Bryne without talking to a ruler in the first place. I did already have a good idea of what I needed to do to search for it, after all. I¡¯m fairly sure I would be able to find it if I tried. Which is why she added the third restriction to my actions. I must be the last to arrive at the Tower of Bryne. Since I can¡¯t go to it yet, there was no reason for me to start looking for it. I was not in a hurry, so I leisurely spent my first day looking around the city, trying to gather information. Which was how I ended up meeting Adyll. In other words, Sorichika wanted me to meet up with the rulers of this city. But why would she want me to meet the rulers? ¡­ Perhaps to let me get first-hand knowledge about them. About how there are people with established power in this city. People with rare, strong, and precious Gifts. People whose Gifts I do not know about. Adyll¡¯s gift is still a mystery to me, and the Gifts of the other rules are, most likely, terrifying too. There are no laws in Krozheit. Therefore, everyone here has no choice, but to go up the social ladder by using their own power. Which is why the other rulers, most likely, have very powerful Gifts too. ¡­ I would like to meet up with them. ****** What else¡­? What would each of us do if we were offered a deal, that told us we¡¯d have to follow one of the rulers, to learn the location of the Tower of Bryne? It would be up to each individual to decide what they wanted to do from there. Though well, if one is really stupid, or has no confidence in their power, they¡¯ll have no choice but to nod and agree to this deal. It would be an illusion of choice, when in practice you can only accept what you were offered. Because if you refuse, the powerful person in front of you would become your enemy. Things wouldn¡¯t be solved easily if that happened. Old lady Adyll said just that, in fact. She told me that she¡¯d have to deal with me if I refused to work with her, for she¡¯d rather get rid of me than have me work for someone else. I think she was being honest there. Taking this into account, I think it¡¯s quite possible that the rules of this city are hostile to one another. So, securing the help of strong people must be vital for them. ¡­ But the curious question is¡­ Would the rulers of this city really tell us about the Tower of Bryne? I mean, wouldn¡¯t they benefit more from having us as their subordinates, then use our power as much as possible, without ever giving us the information about the Tower of Bryne? After all, once we heard about the location of the tower, we¡¯d have no reason to remain here. So, if they wanted to keep us by their side, it would only make sense for them to withhold the information as much as possible. ¡­ Oh, of course. Now that I thought about it, I realized how meaningless my worries about Chace and Florentine were. If the rulers refused to talk, then Chace and Florentine would just go wild and force the information out of them. No matter how dangerous the rulers may be, things would still get messy if one of those two went wild. Chace and Florentine going wild¡­ That would be quite the exhilarating sight. CH 135 Chapter 135 ¨C Glasses boy remembers Weiss¡¯ words ¡°Lord Elle, lunch is ready.¡± I heard a low voice lift my consciousness from the sea of thoughts. I didn¡¯t realize I had spent so much time thinking. I arrived at Krozheit early in the morning, so it must be noon now. I was able to sleep, but not for long. Nonetheless, I got up from the bed and opened the door. ¡°It¡¯s okay to treat me normally.¡± I said as soon as I saw Dynawood, who had quite the grim expression on his face. ¡°Shut up and follow me.¡± He turned around and started walking. Alright, alright¡­ Wait, hold on. ¡°Am I not eating in my room?¡± I asked. ¡°You¡¯re the bodyguard of the manager, so unless something comes up, you should eat with her.¡± Dynawood replied. I see¡­ I feel more comfortable eating alone though. But it¡¯s true that everyone shows some gaps while eating. If someone wants to kill Adyll, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to try poisoning her food. So as her bodyguard, I should be there with her, but¡­ ¡°Is the manager being targeted by someone who lives in this mansion?¡± I asked Dynawood, who was walking ahead of me. I don¡¯t know anything right now. Not about the lawless country, nor about the brothel district. I don¡¯t know what is expected of me as her bodyguard, so I would like to obtain what information I can. ¡°You¡¯re the most suspicious person here. Everybody else are servants who have been here for a reasonably long amount of time already.¡± Dynawood replied. I see¡­ ¡°Dynawood.¡± I started saying. ¡°Call me casually.¡± He cut me. ¡°Then, Dyna, please look out for me, alright?¡± I asked him. ¡°Hah?¡± He seemed to be quite surprised by my words, for he stopped moving and turned around to look at me. ¡°If something happens to the manager, then the people here will suspect me to be the perpetrator, right? ¡°I don¡¯t like that. It would make too many people become my enemies, and it would probably force me to leave this country. That would be too troublesome.¡± I told Dyna. ¡°You wanna try me?¡± Dyna asked. ¡°No, not at all.¡± I replied. He seems to be thinking I was trying to cause trouble, but I was just being truly sincere. ¡°Then what? You trying to set me up? By using me as your alibi, so that you can throw the blame on me or something?¡± Dyna asked next. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind it if you think I¡¯m trying to do that.¡± I replied. ¡°What?¡± Dyna seemed to be confused. ¡°Regardless of what the truth is, all you can do is to keep an eye on me. ¡°Or well, will you ignore the manager¡¯s wishes and attack me? Set me up? Kick me out? You won¡¯t do any of that, will you?¡± I told him. After a second of silence, he clicked his tongue, ¡°Clever¡­¡± That¡¯s because I¡¯m a hunter. If I can¡¯t use my head properly, then I¡¯ll put my life in danger way too easily, and I won¡¯t be able to get any results. My sister might be able to do anything that she wants to do, even if she pushes forward without thinking, but that¡¯s only possible for the crazy kind of genius that she is. An ordinary person like me cannot do that. ¡°Listen, kid, I¡¯ll just say this-¡± Dyna started saying. ¡°Ah, can I have a minute.¡± I asked a nearby servant who was passing by. ¡°Yes?¡± The servant asked. He was a boy around my age, and he was wearing a maid outfit. ¡°Listen!¡± Dyna exclaimed. ¡°Is this style of clothes your hobby? Or is it more of a rule of this mansion?¡± I asked. ¡°Eh? Uhn¡­ Well, it¡¯s more of a rule.¡± The maid boy replied. The boy seemed to be quite confused at the situation, as Dynawood was right beside me and seemed to be quite angry, but the boy answered my question anyways. ¡°The young lady ordered me to wear this one. She said it suited me better than my previous outfit did¡­¡± The boy told me. I see¡­ So this really is Seviarow¡¯s hobby, after all. Well, this boy surely looks like a girl at first glance, because the maid outfit suits him really well. ¡°That person is full of lust, isn¡¯t she? She didn¡¯t even spare you.¡± I commented. Essentially, the servants of this mansion are all part of Seviarow¡¯s reverse harem, right? Maybe even Dynawood is a part of it. The maid boy laughed wryly in response, but he didn¡¯t deny it¡­ This place started feeling kinda darker now that I¡¯ve got this kind of information. Well, I suppose it is something fitting for the mansion of the manager of the brothel district. Still, to have a boy as young as this to serve here¡­ Let¡¯s stop thinking about this. If these thoughts accidentally come out of my mouth, my head might end up being sent flying. After I stayed silent for a small while, the boy said, ¡°Please excuse me.¡± then left. With this out of the way, I turned towards Dynawood and asked, ¡°So, what was it?¡± ¡°¡­ Enough. Don¡¯t interfere too much with the young lady¡¯s hobbies. You¡¯ll die.¡± Dynawood told me. ¡­ Those were quite the worrisome words. I might have really lost my head if I let my tongue slip. I¡¯ll be careful. I¡¯ll be really careful with this. I don¡¯t want to die due to this kind of accident. ****** I was guided to a large dining room. Whoa¡­ It¡¯s gorgeous. There is a chandelier on the ceiling, and the table below it is very long and is covered by a dazzling pure white tablecloth. It¡¯s a sight that really makes one wonder if this is really the lawless country. ¡°Elle, sit here.¡± Adyll told me. ¡­ Oh, right, I¡¯m Elle. I¡¯m still not used to this. Following her instructions, I moved to her left side. Adyll was sitting at the corner of the long table. Seviarow sat in front of me. Behind her Seviarow, stood her bodyguard, Tyran. And even though Dynawood was right here, exposing Seviarow¡¯s hobbies with his mere presence, Seviarow did not seem to mind it in the slightest. ¡°Please excuse me.¡± Dynawood pulled a chair for me as he said that. For a moment I wondered who this well-mannered person was, but I ignored this thought and sat down anyways. I¡¯m glad I got to hear my master talk about what it was like to eat in a fancy restaurant. He told me that someone pulled his chair for him, so I was able to react to it appropriately. It still felt a bit confusing, but I don¡¯t think my expression betrayed my confusion. ¡°This is incredibly magnificent.¡± I said. Since I¡¯m being employed here, I tried being polite, but¡­ I don¡¯t think it came out well. I was taught to be careful with my tone and words in this kind of situation, as my behavior could ruin my work, make negotiations fail, or maybe even cause fights. But I¡¯m really not good at this. I feel absolutely clumsy, and I don¡¯t want to deal with this¡­ ¡°At least try getting used to it. It¡¯s practice for when we go eat out.¡± Adyll told me. I see¡­ So this is part of my job too? ¡­ Ah. I suddenly remembered that there was a table that was similar to this one in the underground training room of Haidiga. Perhaps it was there to let our instructors teach us table manners? ¡°Elle, use the knife and spoon from the sides.¡± Seviarow told me, while also demonstrating how to use the tableware with her own hands. I can see it, but I¡¯m still quite confused about how I¡¯m supposed to do it. The difference in our upbringing is clearly visible. Differently from the awkward me, both Adyll and Seviarow seemed to be completely used to this kind of thing. They are so good at it, that they actually look elegant while eating. I had never realized that there were good and bad ways to eat before. ¡­ And for some reason, this sudden awareness of the existence of proper table manners, made me start remembering the words that I heard back then. Weiss told me that the work of an assassin is quite sensitive and delicate. There are hundreds, or maybe even thousands of ways to do a single job. How do you figure out which way suits you? How do you choose the way that is ideal for the situation? Weiss Leavant told me this kind of thing when he invited me to the assassin training school. ¡­ If I knew table manners, I could use this to plan out an assassination. If I knew who would eat what, at what order, with which tableware, then I would be able to assassinate as many people as I wanted in a single dinner. Where to put the poison? When? Which is the ideal location to put it, so as to let it take effect at the timing that I want? To make an assassination successful, one has to not only be sure to kill their target, but also to not get caught, nor to be suspected of being the assassin. ¡­ I don¡¯t want to think about this kind of thing too much, but contrary to what my feelings are telling me, the possibilities of assassination are entering my mind one after the other. It¡¯s like being in the middle of a forest. Like in those times where I was ready to move as soon as my prey came out. ¡­. Well, I won¡¯t do it. I¡¯m not an assassin. But if I think about it on the other way around, understanding how to plan an assassination allows me to figure out what kind of plan someone may try using to assassinate Adyll. I¡¯m her bodyguard for the time being, and it seems like I¡¯ll have to accompany her while she goes outside, so thinking about this kind of thing is worthwhile. ¡­ Wait, hold on a second. If I¡¯m gonna leave the mansion together with Adyll, then I¡¯ll be right next to the ruler of the brothel district. As in¡­ I¡¯ll be standing out. I¡¯ll be standing out while going to places where I might meet the other rulers¡­ Won¡¯t my face get exposed? Isn¡¯t there a high chance of me meeting the other trainees on this kind of outing? They¡¯ve probably already been found by the other rulers, after all. Moreover, if I meet Chace or Florentine, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll remember to refer to me by my pseudonym, even if I tell them to. And even if they are able to do it, will they be able to hold a fluent conversation without stopping each time they want to mention my name? ¡­ This is bad. If things keep going like this, more of my personal information will be leaked. CH 136 Chapter 136 ¨C Glasses boy develops a new tool that cannot be referred to as anything other than glasses I feel like I¡¯m being too easygoing about this. But well¡­ This is it. I was the one who came up with this. Or rather, it caught my eye, so it just couldn¡¯t be helped. This should be fine. But I just can¡¯t help thinking that I¡¯m being a bit too easygoing with all this. ¡°Uhn¡­ Are you really going to wear it?¡± The boy asked me. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s the quickest way for me to disguise myself.¡± I replied. After the awkward meal, Adyll told me that she had no plans for the day, so I could do whatever I wanted. So, I returned to my room. But on the way there, I ran into the same maid that I met before lunch, so I casually invited him to my room. And I asked him to bring a spare maid outfit. And now, that thing is loosely spread on the bed. Depending on Adyll¡¯s schedule, I may need to accompany her as a bodyguard when she goes on an outing. That is a huge deal. I would stand out way too much if I were to accompany the old lady as she moved around this city. Therefore, I figured that I shouldn¡¯t be ¡®me¡¯ while I was with her. This way, I can avoid getting entangled in a troublesome situation. That was the gist of it. Which is why I came up with the idea of disguising myself as a girl by using a maid outfit. Well¡­ Nothing will happen if I just stare at it, so let¡¯s try it on. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll help you.¡± The maid boy told me. ¡°Oh? Thank you.¡± I replied. He must have noticed that I was serious about it once I started taking off my clothes, so he proceeded to help me out with putting on the harder parts of the outfit. This size is fine. He may be a bit taller than me, but the length of the sleeves and of the hem are still within acceptable range. I¡¯m also not having any trouble moving around, nor does the outfit feel too tight, so I think I should have no issues wearing this. ¡°So, how about it?¡± I asked. ¡°It suits you quite well.¡± The boy replied. ¡°And the real answer?¡± I asked next. ¡°It really does suit you, it¡¯s true. In fact, think you should be able to start working here soon.¡± The boy told me. Is that so¡­? I¡¯m not really happy about this kind of compliment, but thank you. ¡°If I were to work here, Seviarow would start staring at me with lewd eyes though, wouldn¡¯t she?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s alright for as long as you don¡¯t mind it.¡± The boy replied. Oh, I see¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯m good at not minding this kind of thing, so¡­ No. I¡¯m good. I¡¯m never working here. ¡­ But well, back to the disguise. I don¡¯t think just changing my clothes will be enough to make a difference. I have to do something about my head and face. Taking the glasses off is out of the question though, so I need to think of something else. ¡°Do you have something like a wig?¡± I asked. ¡°I do. Because the young lady sometimes says she is in the mood for long hair.¡± The boy replied. ¡­ His comments are truly dark. And Seviarow¡¯s desires are completely out in the open too, it seems¡­ ¡°So you¡¯d like to borrow that too? Then¡­ What about makeup?¡± He asked me. I staggered a bit as I heard his words¡­ He truly is a maid, isn¡¯t he? ¡°I¡¯m not exactly recommending it, but if you¡¯re going to be doing this, then you should go all the way in. ¡°I don¡¯t think there is a point in using a half-hearted disguise.¡± The boy told me. He is right on that. I wonder if I can learn how to apply makeup, then¡­ ¡°Uhn¡­ Don¡¯t you have any resistance to cross-dressing?¡± The boy asked me. ¡°I¡¯m fine if it¡¯s only this much.¡± I replied. I did feel a bit uncomfortable wearing a skirt, but¡­ I can remember what it feels like at the hunting grounds. I can remember what it feels like to smear my body with mud and feces. Sometimes I even had to cover myself with freshly peeled fur in order to hide the human smell. Compared to that, cross-dressing is nothing. The smell of these clothes doesn¡¯t make me sick, and I don¡¯t have to worry about being attacked if the prey finds out that I¡¯m a human. Feeling safe is truly wonderful. ¡°You¡¯re right. If I¡¯m gonna do it, then I have to do it properly. ¡°Wigs, makeup, what else?¡± I asked. ¡°Eh? Uhn¡­ Chest pads?¡± He suggested. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s put some in. Let¡¯s make it unnaturally big.¡± I replied. ¡°High heels to hide what your actual height is?¡± He suggested next. ¡°I¡¯ll wear them. I¡¯ll become a big person.¡± I replied. ¡°And¡­ Feminine gestures?¡± He suggested. ¡°I can try remembering them. I need to wiggle around a bit or something?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think wiggling is the right word, but¡­ Well, underwear?¡± The boy suggested next. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll put them on. I¡¯ll put on some stripes and¡­ Wait, hold on.¡± I stopped myself midway. I was going along with his momentum, but hold on a second here. ¡°Wait, so your underwear is¡­ A woman¡¯s underwear?¡± I asked. ¡°¡­ Would you like to see it? It¡¯s difficult to explain it, so it¡¯s quicker to just show it¡­¡± The boy muttered with an embarrassed face. Honestly¡­ I have no idea what kind of underwear he is wearing. The stripes that I mentioned were just what I vaguely remembered seeing Ainliese wearing. Something I accidentally saw back in the day that I visited the base of Black Swan of Dawn. When I saw it, I assumed that that was what the underwear of the royal capital was like. My village was in the countryside, so there wasn¡¯t much difference in the design of underwear for men and women. At least not as far as I know. They were just so unremarkable, that I couldn¡¯t even tell if a given underwear was mine or Horun¡¯s. And when I arrived at the brothel district here, I saw a woman holding a kitchen knife, and a man holding his clothes¡­ Their underwear didn¡¯t seem to be that different from what we had back in the village. They were just of a different color, with slightly different patterns. Well, I didn¡¯t look at them closely, so maybe there were some different details. Ah, but coming to think about it, I do remember hearing my mom say something like, ¡®when it¡¯s the time for your match¡­¡¯ to a newlywed woman of my village, and I think she was giving her some underwear. I didn¡¯t really understand the meaning of it though. I wondered if she was going to fight something, but it didn¡¯t seem to be right. ¡°¡­ Can you show me what it¡¯s like? ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry if it¡¯s an unreasonable request. You don¡¯t need to force yourself to do it.¡± I decided I should ask the boy about it. But well, he was clearly reluctant about it. And honestly, it¡¯s pretty embarrassing to ask this, and it¡¯s probably even worse for him. But still, I want to check it out. I¡¯m now wondering what kind of underwear is popular in the brothels of Krozheit. ¡°Alright¡­ Then, please take a look¡­¡± The boy said. Then, with a clearly embarrassed expression, he slowly pulled up his skirt. ****** That was the work of humans¡­ The darkness of humanity¡­ A thing born from humanity¡¯s lust. I never imagined that I would see something so horrifying and so vivid on my first day in this city. The lawless country, Krozheit¡­ This place is more sinful than I could have possibly imagined. ****** ¡°Uhn¡­ How does that even function as underwear?¡± I couldn¡¯t help asking. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either, but the young lady sometimes lifts my skirt.¡± The boy replied. I stayed silent. ¡°If it makes the young lady happy, I¡¯m fine with that.¡± He told me. The darkness that inflicts him seems to be even deeper and darker than I had originally imagined. ¡°¡­ It might have been better for me to not know about this thing¡­ The way I view Seviarow has now been forever changed.¡± I commented. The reverse harem that I only knew about in my head, now felt terrifyingly real, painfully ruthless, and absolutely¡­ Raw. ¡°I think the young lady is a decent person though. At least when compared to the people of this city, she is quite sensible.¡± The boy told me. Is that so¡­? I honestly hope that he is right in his judgement¡­ ¡­ Though I can¡¯t imagine why there are so many holes in an underwear. What¡¯s the point of leaving so much stuff exposed? I don¡¯t think this can qualify as underwear. ¡°Ah, so, what about the underwear?¡± The boy asked me. ¡°I¡¯ll use the normal ones. In my view, this is not underwear.¡± I replied. I¡¯ve seen something that is too hard to comprehend, so¡­ Let¡¯s stop worrying about it. ¡­ Though some time later, I ended up finding out that this kind of underwear was very expensive, and I just couldn¡¯t help doubting the boy¡¯s judgement of Seviarow. ****** ¡°Asch, are you there?¡± I heard a low voice come from outside the room. I was feeling somewhat shocked and depressed after seeing that underwear. As for the maid boy, he currently had an indescribable expression on his face. So, hearing this voice come from outside felt like salvation coming to my doorstep. I could easily recognize this voice by now. It was Dynawood, the butler, who was knocking on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± I told him. He immediately came in and said, ¡°Kid, I heard you had brought one of our servants in¡­ ¡°What are you doing?¡± Seeing me in a maid outfit, Dynawood¡¯s grim expression became even grimmer than before. ¡°I¡¯m preparing a disguise, so I asked him to help me.¡± I gestured towards the maid boy. ¡°A disguise? For what?¡± Dynawood asked. ¡°It¡¯s easier to work as a bodyguard if your face isn¡¯t known. ¡°It¡¯s also easier to move around and gather information. ¡°Or at least, it will be easier for me. ¡°I think this will help me out with my job.¡± I explained. The main reason is that the disguise is helpful for me due to personal reasons, but I don¡¯t need to tell him that. Besides, all the reasons I just told him were truthful. Dynawood let out a small, muffled groan. He seemed to have reluctantly agreed with the idea. ¡°If you are going to disguise yourself, you should go all the way with it. Otherwise, there is no point.¡± Dynawood told me. While saying the same thing that the maid boy had said, Dynawood, for some reason, started helping me out with the disguise. ****** And after a while, we completed it. I checked myself in the large mirror that Dynawood brought. I struggled with choosing a suitable wig and applying makeup, but we managed to finish it by evening. ¡°Alright¡­ I think this should be fine.¡± I muttered. The one thing that still stood out were my glasses, but that couldn¡¯t be helped, as removing them is not an option. But everything else no longer looked like me. The long wig may have had a similar color to my hair¡¯s, but it still changed my impression considerably. Though what surprised me the most was the makeup. I somehow felt like the shape of my eyes had become completely different¡­ Makeup is amazing. Those two alone might have been enough, but I¡¯m also wearing shoes with thicker soles, which make me a bit taller even if they don¡¯t have heels, so they serve the purpose of helping the disguise without getting in the way of my movement. It should have been only a small change, but I really feel like the height change was noticeable. We also put a modest amount of filling on my chest. I tried cramming in as much as possible, but I was told that it looked unnatural, so we¡¯ve settled with this instead. I suppose getting them large enough to be called super big will remain a dream. Oh well, the large ones were unpopular, so it can¡¯t be helped. And the underwear was my own. I don¡¯t want to fall that far into the darkness. ¡°The rest are the gestures, but¡­ Well, yours aren¡¯t so rough to begin with, so you might not need it.¡± Dynawood told me. Asch nodded, ¡°Feminine behavior is not something you can acquire overnight, so this much is fine.¡± Since I got the approval of both Dynawood and of the maid boy, I¡¯ve decided to go with this appearance for the time being. I do look like a completely different person, so I think this disguise is about as perfect as it could be. ¡°¡­ Ah, I spent too long here. It¡¯s about time for dinner.¡± Dynawood suddenly commented. Then, he quickly put away the tools that he brought in, and left the room together with the maid boy. ¡°I¡¯ll lend you some makeup tools and a mirror. You¡¯ll have to practice it yourself from now on.¡± Dynawood told me that just before closing the door. ¡°Thank you for taking care of me.¡± I told him. I don¡¯t know if he heard it, but I said anyways. ****** So now¡­ After confirming that nobody was near my room, I stood in front of the mirror again. Then, I started imagining the different possibilities of glasses. Something that I had been thinking about since the other day. Up until now, I had been focusing only on the effects related to sight and to Gifts, but I¡¯ve since discovered another possibility that I had yet to explore for my glasses. Goggles. Glasses with a different shape. Glasses with a different design. As in, even if they don¡¯t have the shape I¡¯m used to, they may still be glasses. ****** I created new glasses. Glasses that covered my face. Glasses that covered my head. Glasses that covered all the way up to my neck. Glasses that looked more like a mask worn by a prisoner¡­ Well, they can still be called glasses for as long as they fulfill the basic functions of glasses, right? Objections to this definition are not allowed. Because I was able to do it. I was able to create this. There are lenses around the eyes of this mask-like glasses, so they¡¯re definitely glasses. I colored them the darkest I could, so as to not let people recognize my face and eyes when looking directly at me. I¡¯m not sure what kind of leather is being used to cover my face and head, but it is flexible and fits in perfectly. It doesn¡¯t interfere with movement, nor does it interfere with speaking. My mouth and nose are closed tightly, but I seem to be able to breathe normally. When I look at myself in the mirror, I look like an obviously evil person who is covering his head with a black leather bag. And the maid outfit is furthering the dangerous person impression. But if I look like this, then nobody will realize that it¡¯s me. ****** With these new glasses, even if I stand out a bit, it will be alright. Because nobody will assume that the person wearing this outfit is me. The actions done by the masked person will not be associated with neither Eil nor Elle. ¡­ But I am standing out in the opposite way that I wanted. I mean¡­ No matter how I look at it¡­ I totally look like a pervert. Someone who is wearing a black leather bag on his head, and has something that looks like metal around his eyes¡­ If I saw this kind of person in the middle of the night, I would surely run away¡­ ¡­ I think I should try to improve this design a bit. CH 137 Chapter 137 ¨C Glasses boy spends a few days not going overboard It¡¯s been three days since old lady Adyll let me stay at her mansion in the brothel district. Fortunately, Adyll didn¡¯t go out at all, so I was able to use those past three days to walk around every nook and cranny of the brothel district. ¡­ In a maid outfit. That was useful to not only let me better familiarize myself with the surroundings, but also to spread word of my role as someone who works for the person in charge of this district, Adyll. If I make people aware of my position, then nobody in this area should bother me. Because I am someone who is connected to the manager. Anybody here can easily conclude that, if they harm me, retaliation will come their way. Luckily enough, only a few people seem to know that all the servants at old lady Adyll¡¯s mansion are men. Therefore, I think I was able to successfully make the people in the surroundings think that I am a girl maid who wears glasses. That said, if someone whispers that I am a man in a girl¡¯s outfit, I might cry a bit¡­ Please don¡¯t show me the reality. I may not mind dressing up as a woman, but it still hurts to have people point their fingers and laugh at me. In any case, I currently have three forms. The first is the normal me. The hunter, Eil. This form will be on rest for a while. The second is Elle, the bodyguard and maid. This is my main form for the time being. The third is the one who uses the glasses that completely seal off my face¡­ I¡¯ve named it mask-type glasses, and I have yet to show this appearance to anyone. ¡°Come to my room tonight, Elle.¡± Seviarow told me. ¡°I refuse.¡± I replied. Since I arrived at the dinner table, on the first day with this maid outfit, young lady Seviarow started inviting me to her room often. It¡¯s not really a problem though, as I have just refused her each time. Old lady Adyll has also allowed me to act in this form. She said that it was a good idea because it made me feel like somebody who was naturally fit to work with her. Well, she¡¯s probably aware that I just want to hide my appearance though. ****** After putting on the usual makeup and wearing the maid outfit, I sat down at the breakfast table and asked for today¡¯s schedule. Then, once breakfast was over, I returned to my room, as Adyll had no plans for today either. ¡°Hey, kid. The young lady is going to go look around. If you wanna accompany her, come quickly.¡± Dynawood told me shortly after knocking on my room¡¯s door. He said he was going to keep an eye on me, so he ended up being fairly close to me. He often comes to see how things are going, and often brings me messages too. He¡¯s also the person I talk to when I need something. Perhaps the person who I talk to the most in this mansion is Dynawood. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be right there.¡± I replied. Since yesterday, I¡¯ve decided to start accompanying Seviarow on her rounds. As what I learned over the past three days, was the nature of old lady Adyll¡¯s job. She probably does more things behind the scenes, but as far as I know, she¡¯s the manager of all the brothels in this district. ¡­ Or rather, she is the one who rules them. In return for receiving a percentage of the money earned by each shop, Adyll deals with any disputes and problems that happen in the district. She seems to serve the role of an underworld leader. A role that my master once told me about. Essentially, she¡¯s not only the person behind the brothels, but also someone in charge of a forced security business. If you want to work here, you have to pay her a fee, but in turn you get protected by her. From what I have seen, the people in the brothel district have a mixed reaction to Adyll. Some welcome her protection, while others don¡¯t want to pay her fee. It was a bit relieving, to be honest. Some people welcomed me when they heard I was someone that came from the mansion, while others gave me a disgusted look. Still, they weren¡¯t giving me a reaction that was filled with fear. Therefore, Adyll doesn¡¯t seem to rule with ruthless violence or anything like it. So, essentially, most people seem to understand that the protection fee was worth the trouble. Now that I think about it, this was what made me meet Seviarow. At that time, had I harmed either the man or the woman who were trying to extort me, Seviarow would have surely become my opponent. But that was not what happened. Back then, Seviarow was wary of me. While she was on her usual patrols, she happened to come across that scene and seemed to be watching the dispute while being cautious towards my attitude. Because a man that was much bigger than me was trying to extort me, yet I didn¡¯t change my expression and handled the issue calmly. My reaction was obviously wrong at that time. When I heard about what¡¯s Seviarow role in this city, I understood it. My reaction was surely abnormal¡­ In future situations, I may try reacting with a bit more fear, but¡­ Well, isn¡¯t that way too hard? I was taught to not let my emotions show, after all. In any case, old lady Adyll is the manager of the brothel district. Therefore, unless something big happens, she will always side with the residents of this district. There¡¯s no law or anything that she needs to abide by. All she has to do, is to protect the people here. And the result of her properly fulfilling her role, is that mansion she lives in. ¡°Are there any problems?¡± Seviarow asked the person in charge of a brothel. Seviarow led the way, with me and Tyran following her side by side. The main task of her patrol, is to visit stores and ask how things are going. If something happened, then she has to deal with it. Otherwise, we go to the next one. There are many large and small shops here, and the alleyways are all very complicated. That¡¯s probably the result of new buildings being added to the city without any planning, so Krozheit ended up being a city with no sense of unity at all. It took me three days just to memorize the paths of this district. It¡¯s truly complicated. I really wish it was easier to remember the layout of this city. ¡°Hey, young lady, why don¡¯t you leave this child here? You can sell her, right?¡± The brothel¡¯s owner asked. Sometimes the manager of a brothel invites me to work for them, but that¡¯s not a problem either. ¡°No. This one is mine.¡± Seviarow replied. I don¡¯t remember becoming yours though. ¡°Oh? Did you start going for girls too?¡± The brothel owner asked. ¡°This one is special. No amount of money can buy this one.¡± Seviarow told them. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll lose something very important if I were to accept her money, after all. ¡°Look at that butt though. It¡¯s so small and cute.¡± The brothel owner said. Please don¡¯t look at me with lewd eyes. ****** After the morning patrol was over, and with nothing in particular happening during the evening, night arrived. ¡­ I think it¡¯s about time. It was midnight already. I put on a fluffy jet-black dress that was filled with frills. This was something that young lady Seviarow gifted me, and it was apparently one of her preferences. Honestly, I don¡¯t really need it, but I decided to use it because it was a good color for moving around at night. I have no plans of ever wearing it in front of her though. In any case, even the bustling brothel district falls asleep this late into the night. The mansion, which was always quiet, but lively, had now fallen asleep in a painful silence. I silently walked down the pitch-black corridor, until I arrived at my destination. ¡°Are you awake?¡± I asked as I quietly knocked on the door. I heard the person inside move, and it didn¡¯t take long for him to open the door. ¡°What are you doing at a time like this¡­ And what is up with that outfit?¡± Dynawood complained to me. He seemed to be quite surprised to see me wearing this frilly dress. Well, I was surprised too though. I mean, seeing Dynawood come out of his bed wearing only a pair of pants is quite something. ¡­ Though somehow, he still seems to be quite dignified¡­ I suppose some people are truly born different. ¡°I¡¯m going out to survey the city, in order to have a better grasp of it. ¡°If you found out about me leaving in the middle of the night, you would surely suspect me. ¡°That would be way too troublesome, so I decided to tell you about it in advance. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be going.¡± I told Dynawood. ¡°Wait, survey? What for?¡± He asked me. ¡°It¡¯s part of my job. If I don¡¯t have at least a vague understanding of this country¡¯s paths, buildings and roads, I won¡¯t be able to properly protect the manager in a situation where we need to run. ¡°I think understanding the city is a basic necessity for a bodyguard.¡± I explained. ¡°Can¡¯t you do it during the day?¡± He asked me. ¡°I¡¯ll stand out during the day, and I think it¡¯s better if I am not seen leaving this mansion much.¡± I replied. ¡°¡­ Alright, go. ¡°But get back before it gets bright. ¡°Also, don¡¯t let anyone see you going in or out of the mansion. That will make people start suspecting us.¡± Dynawood told me. ¡°Understood.¡± I nodded. As expected, even though his attitude and words are rude, he seems to be actually worried about me. Me causing suspicions to befall the mansion would be enough reason to kick me out, after all, so someone of his position shouldn¡¯t need to trouble himself with giving me this kind of advice. Oh well. Time is short, so let¡¯s hurry. ¡°By the way, you look great.¡± I told him. ¡°Leave my appearance alone.¡± He replied. I wasn¡¯t serious about it. Not to mention that I¡¯m not one to talk in this situation. I know there are clothes that suit me better, and I would definitely choose them if I had a choice. But this is all I have for now. ¡°Dyna, can you prepare some clothes for me? ¡°A dress isn¡¯t ideal for nighttime activities. It restricts my movements and is heavy¡­¡± I told him. ¡°You can handle that yourself.¡± Dynawood replied. ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care.¡± I said. ¡°You can handle that yourself.¡± Dynawood repeated. Alright, this is enough. Let¡¯s get going, quickly. ****** Once I left, I changed my glasses to the mask-type glasses. Now, all my face and head are covered with some black leather, with my eyes being hidden behind dark-colored lens. This is the first time I¡¯ll be using this form. No matter who sees me, they won¡¯t ever find out that it¡¯s me. This is the third form that is completely separated from who Eil or Elle is. ¡­ Though I¡¯ll try to not create a rumor about a pervert wearing a black dress and black mask while running around the city. Ideally, I won¡¯t be seen by anybody at all. So¡­ Let¡¯s go. ****** I rushed out into the now-asleep lawless country and started surveying the surroundings. But some time after I had started my survey, an unexpected incident occurred. ¡°A¡­ A pervert?¡± The person muttered. I was stunned. I never thought that I¡¯d run into someone who was wearing a mask that was similar to mine¡­ CH 138 Chapter 138 ¨C Glasses boy becomes a scapegoat I was appalled. The other party seemed to be taken back, but I was surprised too. This is quite something¡­ Though because of the mask-type glasses, my expression shouldn¡¯t be visible¡­ Still, under the mask, I was so surprised that I couldn¡¯t help opening my mouth agape. I mean¡­ It¡¯s a pervert. ¡°P¡­ Pervert¡­!?¡± The person exclaimed. ¡°As if you¡¯re one to talk.¡± I replied. I was surprised once more. I didn¡¯t expect to be called a pervert. What¡¯s up with this pervert? ¡­ Well, I really can¡¯t talk about them when I¡¯m wearing this¡­ No! I¡¯m using a disguise, so it can¡¯t be helped! But this person is a real pervert! ****** I was running through the lawless city under the faint moonlight. I climbed onto the roof of a building and looked around, watching for anything conspicuous while being at a slightly elevated location. As expected, there aren¡¯t many people walking outside at this hour, but there are still some. Some people who are completely drunk. Others who were beaten up by someone and have now fainted. Then there are those who are stealing the things from the person who just fainted. There are also some people who took off their own shoes and started coughing and violently vomiting, probably due to the smell that came out of their own feet. It seems like late-night crime is quite rampant in this city, so it¡¯s easier to move around on these roadless rooftops than on the streets themselves. Moreover, movement along the rooftops seems to be very compatible with the Sand Walk gift. The appraisal of the Gift told me that it left no footsteps nor footprints. And truly, this is quite the amazing Gift. It¡¯s just as the appraisal told me. No footsteps and no footprints. I should be able to walk through the mud without leaving any footprints at all. Strangely enough though, I can still feel my weight on the soles of my feet. However, I don¡¯t seem to be putting any weight on the ground that I¡¯m stepping on. I¡¯m not sure how exactly it works, but I think this Gift allows me to float just slightly above the ground. At a small enough distance that it can¡¯t be discerned by the naked eye. As in, I¡¯m not properly stepping on the scaffolding. I think a thin layer of magical power is being created right below my feet, so my weight doesn¡¯t reach the ground. That¡¯s probably why there are no footsteps nor footprints. There are many Gifts that are magical in nature, and Sand Walk, that I registered from the cat, might be another one of those. I¡¯d like to ask its owner for more details, but as that¡¯s not possible, I¡¯ll just have to try it out and figure things out myself. On another note, I haven¡¯t tried the Storm Dragon gift that I registered from the dragon yet. Nor do I have any intention of trying it out soon. Differently from Sand Walk, I don¡¯t have any information on this Gift, and I¡¯m scared of harming myself in the process of using it. So, I¡¯m only gonna try it out after things calm down. I wanna use it in a safe environment. I mean, maybe it creates a sudden storm when used¡­ What if it is such a strong storm that it bursts my arms off? I¡¯d rather try it out in an environment where I can try avoiding this kind of irreversible accident. After all, this is the Gift of a dragon. I¡¯m not sure if the body of a person can handle its power. I mean, in the first place, a Demon Beast¡¯s gift can usually be used only by the Demon Beast itself, so it might put a strain in the body that only a Demon Beast should be able to handle. Therefore, I don¡¯t want to try it out yet. In any case, due to Sand Walk, I can easily walk on top of a shabby hut¡¯s fragile ceiling. And as I leave no footsteps, I¡¯m not making a single creaking sound, so the family members below are not being alerted by my movement. Also, since the roads are mostly narrow in this city, it¡¯s easy to jump from roof to roof, never needing to go back to the road to keep moving. Though well, sometimes I do arrive at slightly wider roads, and it would normally be unlikely for me to reach the roof on the other side of this road by jumping. However, with the Float gift that I registered from Chace¡¯s master, Swallow, this becomes possible. Float lets me control my own weight. The timing is difficult, but by activating it at the right moment, I can reduce my weight just as I leave the roof, which allows me to jump much farther than usual. This is also a Gift that I need to practice more with though. I can only do this much with it, but Swallow could do way more than that. She manipulated it with much more freedom than I do. ****** By making full use of Float and Sand Walk, I was able to run around the lawless city and see many of its locations. Roughly speaking, the country¡¯s shape seems to be that of a distorted circle, and it seems to be divided into six sections. The area I entered the country, where I had my glasses and stinky bag stolen, is the commercial district. It¡¯s filled with stores, going all the way from food stalls to bigger and fancier shops. Clockwise from there, one can find the brothel district; craftsmen district; agricultural district; wealthy district; and the poor district. They don¡¯t seem to be evenly distributed. In terms of size, the agricultural district is by far the largest. I suppose that can¡¯t be helped, since it needs to provide food for the entire country. It¡¯s honestly a splendid field. It feels out of place in Krozheit. It¡¯s dark right now, and I wasn¡¯t able to see it from up close, so I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re growing there, but I could see some plants being cultivated, at the very minimum. Also, the outer wall of that area isn¡¯t crumbling as much as the wall of the commercial district. The next largest was the wealthy district. It was a quiet and beautiful place that truly didn¡¯t feel like it fit within a lawless country. It was filled with large buildings that resembled the mansion of the brothel district that I¡¯m staying at. And each of those mansions has a gatekeeper standing in front of it. Seems like the wealthy district is the most well-equipped one in terms of handling crimes. Then, the commercial district, brothel district and craftsmen districts all seem to be about the same size. However, there weren¡¯t that many crafting facilities in the craftsmen district. The number of forges and kilns that I could see wasn¡¯t that large, so I think there aren¡¯t that many craftsmen in that district. And the smallest one was the poor district. It was basically filled with ruins. It was hard to believe people lived there, but¡­ People clearly lived there. All the visible buildings were in tatters, and it was common to see holes in the walls. Moreover, there were traces of repeated reinforcements on the walls of most buildings. I could also see a decent number of people sleeping on the streets, and their clothes were all terribly shabby. It was so bad that it made Zant, a man who easily blended into the slums of Haidiga with his dirtiness, actually look decent. I don¡¯t know how many people live in this district, but their number seems to be large enough that a bit of goodwill and charity would most likely be a fruitless effort. Trying to do something good for them doesn¡¯t seem to be very feasible¡­ Also¡­ There seem to be children sleeping on the streets too. I didn¡¯t see children on the streets in neither Haidiga nor in the royal capital. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t have any desire to help, but getting involved with them is probably the wrong move. ¡­ Well, that¡¯s about it. I¡¯d like to take a closer look at everything, but I should avoid returning home late. Dynawood¡¯s words came to my mind. I don¡¯t want to make anyone get suspicious of me nor of the people in Adyll¡¯s mansion. So, this is enough for today. Let¡¯s go back to the brothel district. I can try getting more details about Krozheit tomorrow. ****** ¡­ And when I turned around, I found that pervert. Both of us stopped moving. They seem to be surprised, but so am I. The main difference in our outfits, is that their mask is white, while mine is black. Their white mask seems to be made of a leather that covers their entire head, leaving openings only for the eyes and mouth. It¡¯s probably not something that was made with a Gift like mine, but more like something specifically made for a purpose. As in, for perverted activities, most likely. From the shape of their body, I can say that this person is a woman. She¡¯s wearing a tight black leather jumpsuit that highlights her silhouette. The white cloak she is wearing on top of it is shining brightly under the moonlight. She has a modest chest, thin waist, decent butt, and a physique that isn¡¯t much different from mine. She¡¯s probably the same age as me. Her long blond hair and cloak are both fluttering behind her under the night breeze. And her eye color¡­ Blue? I¡¯m not sure, since it¡¯s dark. My head is thinking at full speed. But I cannot move. As if we were two cats who suddenly made eye contact, the two of us were unable to move nor look away. I don¡¯t know what will happen if I take my eyes away from this pervert. Though perhaps, the other party might be thinking the same thing as they stare at me. There¡¯s no way a strange-looking pervert will go out at a time like this for no reason. Especially with this kind of outfit and at this kind of place. ¡­ Ah, I see. It took me a while of thinking, but I finally realized what I should have been questioning all along. ¡­ What is this pervert doing here? Just as I thought this far, I suddenly heard a loud whistle echo through the night of the sleeping lawless country. ¡°Thief! Thief!¡± Someone shouted. It only took me a few moments to connect the dots once I heard this shout. A thief¡­ ¡­ But a moment before I could connect everything. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± The pervert said as she started moving. The distance between us wasn¡¯t particularly wide, so she quickly got close to me. Then, she swung her long legs against me with an upper kick. It was reasonably fast, but it was also easy to see through it. So, I ducked below the kick and let it pass by me. But then, just as I was thinking about what I should do next, something small flew from the pervert¡¯s fingertips. I didn¡¯t let my guard down. But I also couldn¡¯t avoid that thing. Not when it was released at almost the same time as the kick. She probably acted while expecting me to dodge the kick. And then, as soon as that small thing touched me, it emanated a faint light. At that moment, I felt a mysteriously strong impact on my chest. Something akin to being hit with the Full Impact gift. The force ran through my body, and I was blown backwards. ****** ¡­ Just what did she do? And¡­ There¡¯s nothing behind me. The road was the only thing behind me. But I was on the roof of a building, so¡­ I¡¯m falling. And since I¡¯m already mid-air, there isn¡¯t anything I can do to divert my trajectory. All that I could do, was to use the Float gift to minimize the damage from the fall. And as soon as I land, I¡¯ll chase that pervert- ¡°I found it! The thief!¡± A man exclaimed. I had just landed on the ground. I wanted to chase the pervert. But the moment I fell, I was instantly surrounded by a large group of men. CH 139 Chapter 139 ¨C Glasses boy returns home safely ¡­ It¡¯s impossible, isn¡¯t it? Although the fall wasn¡¯t that big, the perverted thief who dropped me off the roof has already run away and disappeared, leaving me behind as a scapegoat. It¡¯s impossible to track her down, isn¡¯t it? ¡°Surround them! But don¡¯t put your hands on them!¡± One of the men exclaimed. Even if I wasn¡¯t surrounded, it would still be impossible to chase this thief, most likely. So, I now have two options. Either I run now, or I gather information first and run later. I¡¯ll have to run away regardless, but I should be careful with choosing when to run. If I break through their encirclement and retreat, I¡¯ll surely be acknowledged as the culprit. I don¡¯t mind it that much, since my true identity won¡¯t be known, but¡­ It¡¯s annoying to serve as a scapegoat for that pervert. So, I would like to continue my nighttime investigation for a bit longer. I have yet to fully understand this country. And I have no guarantees that I won¡¯t encounter that pervert again in the future. Or rather, if she prepared such an unusual pervert outfit, then she¡¯ll probably use it many times. This probably wasn¡¯t made for a one-time job. Therefore, if she is moving around at about the same time as me, then we¡¯ll probably meet again. Besides, that pervert taught me something important. I want to thank her for that. ****** Let¡¯s focus on the current situation for now. Wooden sticks and kitchen knives. Shoes, belts and trousers. A book, a wooden mug and a liquor bottle. The men surrounding me seemed to have picked up anything that could barely function as a weapon. It is funny to look at them like this, but their hostility is real. The current situation was quite dangerous. It¡¯s possible that they might try beating me up at any moment. So, I raised both hands. ¡°I-¡± I stopped myself. I had just used a masculine ¡®I¡¯. This won¡¯t do, I should talk femininely while I¡¯m like this, ¡°I¡¯m not the culprit, but I don¡¯t mind being taken away if you want to investigate it.¡± Considering my future in this city, this was probably the best option. Follow them for a while and gather information. Figure out what the pervert stole and who it was stolen from. And then, when I meet that pervert again, I can at least thank her. ****** My arms and legs were tied with belts, a bag was placed over my head, and I was transported somewhere. Then, as soon as they took the bag away from my head, they pushed me inside, which made me fall down, as I couldn¡¯t maintain balance with my feet tied. Then, I heard a loud metal clang. ¡°Stay there!¡± One of the men who brought me here shouted. And then, they all left. Mmmm¡­ This was a pretty useless trip, wasn¡¯t it? I can¡¯t take action right now as my hands are tied behind my back, and my legs are tied too. All that I could do, was to twist my body a bit to look around. This is probably a dungeon. I couldn¡¯t see anything on the way here, but I felt like I was moving downstairs, so this seems likely. I¡¯m currently inside a sturdy stone cage. Moonlight was shining inside through a small window that was located at a corner of one of the walls. The window was close to the ceiling, so I couldn¡¯t reach it in my current state. And it was also the only source of light inside this dungeon, so it was pretty dark in here. Though well, I have my glasses with me, so I can still see. In any case, the window is a bit too small, so anybody brought here shouldn¡¯t be able to escape through it even if they were able to reach it. Also¡­ I think about eighty percent of this dungeon is buried underground? Wouldn¡¯t rainwater easily accumulate here? Sounds like a troublesome dungeon to maintain. And after looking at the side where I heard the metallic clang come from, I could see an iron gate. Then¡­ This is the rumored ¡®cage¡¯? It¡¯s cleaner than I thought it would be. It¡¯s surprisingly not dusty. I can¡¯t see anything particularly dirty inside here, and no bad smells fill it either. It¡¯s a bit cold, since summer has already ended, but the place seems to be, surprisingly, cleaned regularly. ¡­ Still, this whole thing was worthless, wasn¡¯t it? I thought they¡¯d listen to me if I gave in without any resistance, but that didn¡¯t work at all. They gave me no information whatsoever. However, they didn¡¯t beat me up, nor did they try searching my body for anything. They just tied me up and threw me into this dungeon. They didn¡¯t even try to take off my mask-type glasses, in fact. Therefore¡­ ¡°Are they here?¡± I heard a voice from outside. Multiple footsteps were quickly approaching. I crawled towards the wall and stood under the window, in a position that wasn¡¯t illuminated by it. Well, I wonder who is coming. ****** ¡°You! You trash that sneaked into my store!¡± A noble-looking man yelled at me as soon as he entered the cell. He had two armed men right next to him, who are probably his escorts. ¡­ Ah, they¡¯re kinda strong. I¡¯d be fine if it was only one, but I¡¯m unsure if I could beat both at the same time. I can¡¯t say for sure, but¡­ Well, I guess this development isn¡¯t unexpected. The reason why the men who arrested me didn¡¯t try doing anything, was probably because the victim asked them to not touch the culprit. And someone capable of giving such an order would most likely have some power within this country. ¡­ And now, this guy came. He was wearing fancy clothes that made him look like a noble, but his manners made him feel like a commoner¡­ I¡¯m not sure what to think of him. ¡°I don¡¯t know what was stolen, but it wasn¡¯t me.¡± I told him honestly. ¡°That stupid mask and those stupid clothes! They match the reports of the eyewitnesses!¡± The man exclaimed. The mask¡­ I¡¯m wearing my black mask-type glasses, while the pervert was using a white mask with holes for the eyes and mouth. And the clothes¡­ I¡¯m wearing a frilly black dress, while the pervert was using a tight black outfit that was made of leather, with a white cloak on top. Well¡­ If you only know about it from secondhand sources, it¡¯s possible to think that my outfit is the same as the pervert¡¯s. They certainly have enough similarities. ¡°The color is different, isn¡¯t it?¡± I commented. This was the decisive difference, after all. But a sharp counter came my way, ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of the night! As if anybody can properly distinguish the colors!¡± the noble-like man exclaimed. Ah, that¡¯s surprisingly sensible. From his point of view, it must sound like I¡¯m just making excuses. ¡°Just how many dangerous people who wear stupid clothes will be walking around in the middle of the night anyways!? It¡¯s obviously not normal! Don¡¯t try to make excuses to make you sound like a decent kind of idiot, damn it!¡± The man exclaimed. ¡­ Ah, I can¡¯t make a proper reply to that, can I? I should try though¡­ ¡°There are some circumstances¡­¡± I tried saying. ¡°Shut up! Hurry up and give back what you stole! Right now! ¡°I¡¯ll forgive you if you do it now! I¡¯ll just leave you half-dead and sell you to a brothel, so take it out!¡± The man demanded. Ah, so you¡¯re already planning on leaving me half-dead? As expected of the lawless country, I suppose. Things move fast in here. ¡°Listen, I have no intentions of asking who you are, nor do I care about confirming who is behind you. ¡°But without it, we¡¯re in a lot of trouble. ¡°My life is on the line too. I really will get you as close to death as I can until I get it back. ¡°And I will not let you die, you get it? I¡¯ll make you taste what hell is like while you¡¯re still alive. You¡¯ll suffer for the rest of your life.¡± The man told me. Oh, scary. Is he going to torture me then? ¡°Did they steal something important?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course it¡¯s important! You stole it because it was important! Otherwise you wouldn¡¯t have stolen it!¡± The man shouted. ¡­ Come on, tell me more. ¡°What was it?¡± I asked. ¡°Shut up! Strip off their clothes and examine them!¡± The man ordered. This noble-looking man gave this kind of order to his escorts. Well, I guess the time for information gathering has ended. ****** ¡°I¡¯ll say it again.¡± I said as I removed my hands and feet from the belts that were binding me. Then, I stood up normally. ¡°What!? W-what the-!? H-hey, the key! Hurry up!¡± The noble-looking man shouted to his escort. Even though I should have been restrained, the belts that were binding me were now powerlessly lying down on the stone pavement. He must have thought that I would try to escape. In theory, there is no escape to this cell though. Or rather, opening the cage would be the only way to open the exit. And well¡­ It¡¯s true that I will escape. And it¡¯s already too late to stop me. The noble-looking man hurried the guard with the key, to get him to open the iron gate and escape. ¡°I¡¯m not the criminal. I didn¡¯t steal anything. So, I¡¯m going home.¡± I told them. Then, I heard the sound of the iron gate being unlocked. As soon as the door started opening, I made my mask-type glasses emit a strong light. My glasses can glow whenever I will them to. Moreover, I had already confirmed that the light emitted was fairly strong. The noble-looking man and his two bodyguards were accustomed to the dark, so they got dizzy when they stared straight into the light. I needed this moment. One moment of blindness, where the door to the cage was open. A moment when a reasonable explanation of how someone would flee the cage was available. At this moment, where nobody could see what I was doing, I set the Mist gift on my glasses, jumped up towards the window, then turned my body incorporeal with Mist, and escaped the dungeon. ****** ¡°I¡¯m home.¡± I stated. As if nothing had happened, I returned to the mansion in the brothel district. ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± Dynawood ambushed me. ¡°Really? It¡¯s still dark though?¡± I commented. Morning has yet to come. I think I arrived early enough. ¡°Hmph. Hurry back to your room and- ¡°Hold on. Your clothes are way too dirty. What happened?¡± Dynawood asked me. Oh, that was because I fell on the ground and was thrown into the cage. ¡°I fell off the roof.¡± I told him. I was dropped off it, to be specific. ¡°You¡­¡± Dynawood sighed, ¡°Oh well, it¡¯s fine. ¡°Take it off. I¡¯ll wash it.¡± Oh, sorry for that. And thank you for the help. As for that pervert, I¡¯ll think about her tomorrow. CH 140 Chapter 140 ¨C Glasses boy and the time before his first task at his new job The night when I encountered the perverted person with a mask had ended, and it was now the next day. I was thinking about what happened last night, while going out with Tyran and Seviarow on today¡¯s patrol. The first thing on my mind, was figuring out what the pervert did to me. When we met at that roof, the pervert threw something at me while also releasing that upper kick. If she had thrown a knife, I would have desperately tried to avoid it in any way that I could. However, because I momentarily judged that thing as ¡®not dangerous¡¯, I didn¡¯t avoid it, and so, I was hit. If I had forced myself to avoid it, I would lose my balance. Once I was in such a state, I would be in a very dangerous position, so my judgement at that moment was to not try avoiding it desperately. But when I think about it carefully, that thing was thrown with some intention behind it. It didn¡¯t matter if it looked dangerous or not, I shouldn¡¯t have allowed it to hit me. I should have desperately tried to avoid it. But at that moment, I couldn¡¯t think this far¡­ This is a weak point I need to fix. But¡­ Well, let¡¯s put this aside for now and focus on the thing itself. I felt a big impact on my body when the thrown object hit me. It was strong enough to blow my body backwards. However, the impact itself did almost no damage. I did feel my lungs and ribs creak a bit, but there was no lasting damage. Was this¡­ Full Impact, but with reduced power? Then what was the thing that was thrown at me? I think it emitted a faint green glow for a second. If I were to force a connection between those things based on what I already know¡­ Then I was hit with pebbles that had Full Impact imbued on them? But then, what was that flash? Full Impact doesn¡¯t emanate a green light. Or was I mistaken, and the light didn¡¯t come from the pebbles, but from something else? ¡­ I can¡¯t come up with an answer just by thinking about this. Let¡¯s leave it at that, then. ****** ¡°What do we eat today for lunch¡­? ¡°Well, it¡¯s about time we do something to welcome you, Elle, isn¡¯t it? Let¡¯s go eat some of the local specialties then.¡± Seviarow said. ¡°Ah, please don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I replied. Then, I was poked on the side by Tyran, who was right next to me. He looked down at me with his usual grim expression. ¡­ I guess he is telling me to just accept it quietly? Alright then. ¡°Tyran really likes it too, so¡­ Do you want to go?¡± Seviarow asked both me and Tyran. The big man nodded to her question. Oh, I see¡­ It¡¯s not him telling me to not hold back, but more like him wanting to eat the specialties, so he is asking me to put up with it. That¡¯s what he meant. ¡­ Well, maybe that¡¯s not quite right either. I think both reasons might be correct. After all, I don¡¯t feel any malice coming from Tyran. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be in your care¡­ Oh, don¡¯t hold my hand though.¡± I told Seviarow as she tried grasping my hand. ¡°Don¡¯t be this unfriendly. Holding hands should be fine.¡± Seviarow replied. ¡°No. Touching is prohibited.¡± I told her. I don¡¯t care about giving an unfriendly impression to a person that makes others wear that kind of underwear. If I leave even a small opening, I¡¯m afraid Seviarow will come at me in full force. But more importantly than that¡­ Why did that pervert use me as a scapegoat? In that situation, wouldn¡¯t she have been able to escape normally? Until she met me, her thievery hadn¡¯t been exposed. Perhaps¡­ Because of the location? We met at the commercial district; an area filled with stores. In a country like this one, they surely have to deal with a lot of thieves. After all, plenty of robberies seem to happen both during the day and the night in this city. So, in a place like the commercial district, if somebody makes a fuss, family members and guards will probably react immediately. This is probably how merchants support each other. They take the crime prevention matters into their own hands, supporting one another when thieves appear. They were sleeping until the whistle sounded, but immediately after it, the sleeping men flew into action. But until that point, there were hardly any people in the streets. I guess they¡¯re used to this kind of thing. They acted quickly and rushed to help one another¡­ The merchants of this country are strong. ¡­ As for the behavior of that pervert¡­ Perhaps she used me as a scapegoat because she was wary of me? If I made a fuss, lots of people would surely come our way. And most importantly, that pervert couldn¡¯t read me. Just like how I couldn¡¯t read her. If she tried ignoring me and leaving, there was a chance that I could start chasing her. And when I think about it, I don¡¯t think I would have gone straight to the mansion after meeting that pervert. Because she was suspicious. No matter how I look at it, she was definitely suspicious. I mean, even I thought that I looked suspicious when I looked at myself in the mirror. And that pervert looked even more suspicious than me. So, even if we broke up and went through separate ways, she couldn¡¯t be sure that I wouldn¡¯t start secretly following her. Moreover, she couldn¡¯t know what I was doing at that hour while being dressed like that, so she didn¡¯t know if she could ignore me. In that kind of situation, both of us were way too suspicious, while we also didn¡¯t have nearly enough information on one another, so¡­ We couldn¡¯t predict what would be the next move of the other party. So, in order to escape safely, she left me as a scapegoat. ¡­ When I think about it carefully, I suppose I can understand her actions, even if I don¡¯t agree with them. And well, I¡¯m not sure if I wouldn¡¯t have done the same if our positions were reversed. I might have used her as a scapegoat too. Though I don¡¯t want to take actions that will make people hold a grudge on me. It¡¯s the kind of thing that is too troublesome in the long run. But it would have definitely been an option. If I put my immediate safety as the top priority, then having a scapegoat was not a bad idea. But well¡­ When you do this kind of thing, you have to accept that the other party might hold a bit of a grudge towards you. And I do have a small grudge right now. I definitely want to thank her. ****** ¡°Eh? That¡¯s the specialty?¡± I commented. ¡°Oh, right. You came to this city recently, didn¡¯t you, Elle? You¡¯re from another village or town. ¡°What are you thinking? That this is a bit too primitive or unrefined for a specialty?¡± Seviarow asked me. No¡­ How to explain it¡­ ¡°I was just surprised at how familiar it felt.¡± I said honestly. ¡°What? You¡¯re used to this?¡± Seviarow asked. The lawless country¡¯s specialty that Seviarow brought us to eat, was a food stall located in the commercial district. Or rather¡­ It¡¯s more like a store, but that was not located under a ceiling, but was under the blue sky instead. There are quite a few customers here, and there are more than ten tables in this store, with over half of them filled. The scent that spreads throughout the area must play a strong role in attracting customers. To be honest, it¡¯s irresistible. The sound that comes from here is also nice. It feels more like a campsite dinner than a lunch at a store. Especially when considering how rough the log chairs surrounding the tables are. But this feels very familiar to me. It¡¯s something we did a lot at the assassins¡¯ village. The table is a masonry furnace with a hollow interior. Two or three red-hot stones are inside it. They¡¯re basically substituting fire for magical stones that are powered by magic cores. And the upper part of the furnace is covered with a fine wire mesh. It¡¯s a pretty simple thing, really. We¡¯ll be grilling and eating the meat right in front of us, as well as the other things that are available too, like vegetables and bread. It does feel primitive, and it does lack the elegance of civilization. But I also know¡­ ¡°There is a surprising amount of depth to this, isn¡¯t there?¡± I commented. The texture of the meat changes depending on the cut, and the taste changes quite a bit depending on what seasoning you use. There is plenty of depth in this. When we were at the village, the people there taught me a lot of things. How to properly grill and eat the meat, how to maximize the taste¡­ Me and Florentine both love meat, so we tried various things to improve the taste. After all, as a meat lover, I can¡¯t lose to the people of the village. ¡°So you already know? How boring.¡± Seviarow commented. It¡¯s not boring. I¡¯m curious about how different it is over here. How unique is the way that they prepare their meat in this country. I¡¯m also curious about how much meat is commonly procured in Krozheit. So, I placed my order and proceeded to ignore Seviarow, who had already started drinking in the middle of the day, alone. I still have a lot to think about what happened yesterday anyways. Like¡­ What did that pervert steal? In all likelihood, that pervert was the thief. Otherwise, they might have assumed that I was the thief and acted accordingly. But when considering that she used me as a scapegoat and ran away¡­ That was basically a confession that she was the thief, wasn¡¯t it? I mean, there¡¯s no way she could conclude that I was the thief just because I looked suspicious. That¡¯s not enough proof. Therefore, I think I can safely assume that she is the thief. But what did she steal? That¡¯s the real question here. Considering where I found her, it was probably stolen from a store located somewhere in the commercial district. But what bothers me are the words that the noble-looking man told me. He said that I must have stolen it because it was important, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t have stolen it. As in¡­ That pervert didn¡¯t steal a large quantity of goods, or things that were worth a lot of money¡­ She just stole the most valuable thing. Or rather, she stole the thing that was most important for that noble-looking man. Also¡­ That man said his life was on the line. When I take that into account, I don¡¯t think the stolen thing was valuable for the noble-looking man himself, but¡­ More like something that he procured at the request of a powerful person? In that case, the powerful person might get really angry at the blunder of letting the item get stolen, even after asking the other person to procure it¡­ Tyran silently moved his hands towards the grill. Hey, Tyran. That meat is the one I was grilling. That¡¯s not allowed. I will not forgive you if you mess up here. If you put this meat in your mouth, I¡¯ll hit you with a liquor bottle. I didn¡¯t say anything, but I glared hard at Tyran. He had been eating through slice of meat after slice of meat with great momentum, but¡­ When I glared at him, he stopped and returned my meat to the grill. Alright, you¡¯re forgiven. ¡­ I wonder if I gave off some murderous intent? Well, that can¡¯t be helped. He did try touching my meat, after all. ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t seem to care much about most things, but you can actually get angry when the matter is food?¡± Seviarow asked. She was looking at me with quite a bit of interest, but I decided to ignore her and continue to eat the meat. And to be precise, it¡¯s not food that can get me angry, it¡¯s meat. ****** I think that¡¯s all that I can think about over the events of the last night. I don¡¯t have the means to get the answers to my questions, so there is no point in thinking about it too much. ¡°¡­ What is it?¡± I asked Seviarow. We had finished our lunch, which included grilled meat, vegetables and bread, so we were now going back to the mansion in the brothel district. But then, Seviarow suddenly smelled me blatantly¡­ I don¡¯t like this. She laughed, ¡°You smell like grilled meat.¡± Oh? Was that it? Well, that can¡¯t be helped. The smell of the burning fat would definitely cling to me and my clothes when I received so much of that smoke. ¡°You smell the same, young lady.¡± I replied. Though Tyran is probably the one who smells the strongest. He was bathing in the smoke as he ate. He too, is definitely a meat lover. ¡°I¡¯ll get Dyna to prepare the bath. ¡°Be ready by the time dinner comes around. And change your clothes by then too.¡± Seviarow told me. ¡­ Ah, because of the smell? Coming to think of it, the manager did say that she was going to eat outside today. As in, I¡¯ll start working as a bodyguard tonight. ¡°As the hag said this morning, eating out means that she has an appointment with someone, so you better take care of your appearance. ¡°Though well, Dyna and the others will surely take care of it even if you don¡¯t.¡± Seviarow told me. I guess he will. It¡¯s reassuring to have him there, to be honest. Once I return to the mansion, I guess I¡¯ll ask Dynawood about what I need to be aware of when eating out. CH 141 Chapter 141 ¨C Glasses boy gathers information I think it¡¯s about time for me to get some proper information. I returned to the mansion while being wrapped up in the smell of grilled meat. Seviarow asked me, ¡®Would you like to take a bath with me? Don¡¯t be shy. Come on, come on. Hurry up, hurry up!¡¯ and tried pulling me by hand. However, I was able to return to my room safely anyways. ¡­ Because Tyran punched her in the side with so much strength, that young lady Seviarow ended up instantly fainting. I wondered if she was okay, but Tyran carried her away as if nothing unusual had happened, so I assumed that it was fine like that. And well, it¡¯s not like there was much of a point in me worrying about it. So, like Seviarow told me to do, after returning to my room, I took off my smelly clothes and gave them to Asch, who had come to my room together with Dynawood after I called for them. ¡°What do you want?¡± Dynawood grumpily asked. And while I handed over my clothes to Asch, I answered, ¡°I want information.¡± Then I turned to Asch, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the trouble, but please wash those for me.¡± ¡°You can count on me!¡± Asch replied. Asch is the maid that helped me with my disguise together with Dynawood. Since me and Asch had already become acquaintances, Dynawood decided to assign Asch as my exclusive maid. Though well, there is hardly anything that Asch has to do other than clean my room and do laundry. On the rest of the time, Asch seems to just be handling normal chores of the mansion. Oh, and his Gift is Housekeeping. I still feel a bit bad about his circumstances, but being a maid seems to be the perfect kind of job for him. ¡°Information? What kind?¡± Dynawood asked me. ¡°The manager is going out tonight, right? Since I¡¯ll be accompanying her, it will be easier on me if I have some amount of background knowledge to work with.¡± I replied. I took out a new maid outfit from the chest under my bed and started putting it on. ¡­ I¡¯m already used to wearing skirts. ¡°You don¡¯t need this. You just need to protect the manager.¡± Dynawood told me. ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me that. I¡¯ll be the one who decides if it¡¯s necessary or not.¡± I replied. One of the worst things that can happen at the hunting grounds, is needing knowledge or tools, but not having them available because you thought you didn¡¯t need them. Being prepared has helped me many times over. And while it may be difficult to obtain tools, information can come by more easily. So, I want to hear as much as I can, in case I end up needing it later on. Dynawood sighed, ¡°¡­ What do you want to know?¡± He is clearly in a bad mood, but he is going along with me. I really do like Dynawood, after all. Thanks to him disliking me on a moderate level, he doesn¡¯t step in more than necessary, but he still listens to my requests when I need him. Essentially, he is very easy to get along with. This kind of relationship is perfect. ****** After I finished changing into the maid outfit that I got from the chest, I sat on the bed. Meanwhile, Dynawood leaned against the entrance door and folded his arms. He has a nice face and is quite tall, so he looks great. He is just classy, isn¡¯t he? His voice also reinforces his classy feeling. He is completely different from my clumsy older sister, who got stuck in the mud while chasing a frog. ¡­ On that day she was buried all the way up to her waist, and she couldn¡¯t get out of it on her own, so she was missing for half a day, until someone eventually found her. ¡°First of all, who is the manager meeting today?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m just a servant. I¡¯m not someone who knows about the friendships of the manager.¡± Dynawood replied. I see¡­ I suppose that makes sense. Then let¡¯s ask a different kind of thing. ¡°How many rulers are there in Krozheit?¡± I asked. ¡°Rulers¡­? You mean people with as much authority as the manager?¡± Dynawood asked back. ¡°Pretty much. It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a person who handles affairs in the city, or a very powerful person, or the richest person. ¡°Basically, someone important. Someone that is kinda representative of a group in the city or something like it.¡± I explained. Dynawood pondered for a while before replying, ¡°There are five. ¡°First, Adyll, the manager of the brothel district. ¡°Then the others are¡­ ¡°Beckenberg, the richest man in the glory district. ¡°Tatsunami of the Ouriz company, who manages the craftsmen of the craftsmen district. ¡°Zet, the leader of a criminal group with no fixed place. ¡°And the leader of the Tower of Bryne. An organization said to control the underworld.¡± ¡­ Oh? The Tower of Bryne? ¡°Nobody knows for sure what exactly the Tower of Bryne is or who its leader is, or if a leader even exists, but¡­ Well, the manager might actually know something about it.¡± Dynawood told me. Oh, I see¡­ Well, I don¡¯t need to know anything more about the Tower of Bryne. After all, I probably know the person above the leader of the Tower of Bryne. I¡¯m here because of that person, after all. But that¡¯s how people view the Tower of Bryne here, huh? They control the underworld¡­ That¡¯s quite amazing. ¡°You¡¯re related to the Tower of Bryne, aren¡¯t you?¡± Dynawood asked me. Coming to think of it, when I first came to this mansion, old lady Adyll did bring the Tower of Bryne up right in front of Dynawood. ¡­ Ah, so that¡¯s why he is wary of me? Does Dynawood think that I¡¯m someone from the underworld? ¡­ Well, I¡¯m actually, temporarily, currently a part of the underworld, but¡­ Well, it¡¯s still a misunderstanding on his part. Still, I suppose it can¡¯t be helped. After all, it is a fact that I am connected to the Tower of Bryne. ¡°No? I mean¡­ Tower of¡­ Brayn?¡± I tried to play innocent. ¡°Don¡¯t bother with trying to fool around like that. There¡¯s no way that would work.¡± Dynawood told me. I suppose he is right. There¡¯s just no way this would work when old lady Adyll mentioned the Tower of Bryne right in front of him. ¡°Let¡¯s end this topic here. Someone will have to be silenced if we talk too much.¡± I told him honestly. ¡°I knew it! You¡¯re gonna do something to the manager or to the young lady, aren¡¯t you!?¡± Dynawood exclaimed. ¡°I have no reason to do that. ¡°In the first place, I didn¡¯t sneak inside this mansion on my own, but was instead brought here voluntarily by the young lady. ¡°The manager hired me specifically because she knew about it.¡± I replied. After a small pause, Dynawood clicked his tongue, ¡°¡­ That¡¯s right.¡± Oh wow, his face is actually showing some sadness? He is being really blatant about wanting to kick me out today. ****** With the matter of the Tower of Bryne out of the way, we continued the conversation. ¡°I took a look around the city last night, so let me just confirm it. The glory district is the one filled with large mansions?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡± Dynawood nodded. Then, he explained some other things about the city and its rulers to me. The glory district is the wealthy district that I saw yesterday. It is ruled by a man named Beckenberg, who is extremely powerful and rich, and his family seems to have been around for generations. Beckenberg uses his financial strength to establish roots in all parts of the city, and he has many acquaintances in various places that let him obtain information on what is happening in Krozheit. His organization is probably the largest one in this country. Tatsunami of the Ouriz company rules the craftsmen district that I saw yesterday. The Ouriz company is said to be the oldest and largest store in the country, and it is apparently the store that brought all the craftsmen of Krozheit together. And its current president is Tatsunami. Then, there is the leader of the criminal group, Zet. Apparently, he leads a group of children who have no power, no place to stay, and no backers. They all gathered together just to survive. Dynawood didn¡¯t know the whole story behind them, but their current leader seems to be a boy named Zet, who is extremely strong and who cannot be caught by anybody. ¡­ A criminal group of children, huh? It reminded me of what I saw yesterday. Children sleeping outside in the slums¡­ Seeing something like that made me really feel like those children needed someone to protect them. Well, there is nothing I can do for them right now, so let¡¯s leave it at that. However, there is something that is currently worrying me. ¡­ The possibility of one of the other trainees being under the care of one of the rulers. ****** I have an assignment that Sorichika has given me. The most difficult and absurd task of it, is to be the last to arrive at the Tower of Bryne. In order to accomplish this, I have to figure out where Chace, Cherry, Florentine and Lisse are. To be the last to arrive, I have to first make sure that everybody else has already arrived at the tower. Then, there is also the fundamental question of whether or not they would even be able to find the Tower of Bryne. Though well, they¡¯re all strong, so I think they¡¯ll be fine. However, some things can¡¯t be done just by being strong. Like what happened after I met that pervert yesterday. Sometimes we may find ourselves in a situation where we¡¯re falsely accused and detained like I was. Maybe one of us might be in a situation where they need help. Because I don¡¯t think one can find the Tower of Bryne with strength alone. Which is why I want to find where everyone is. Though I need to figure it out without failing the task of not rendezvousing with any of my friends. I need to know their whereabouts so that I may avoid them. After all, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for us to accidentally meet up with one another. But well, tonight¡¯s dinner might reveal one. We might bump into each other perchance anyways.