《Reborn as the Hero鈥檚 Daughter! Time to Become the Hero Once More!》 Chapter 1 Dont die! With dripping nose, saliva and tears on the whole face, the elf child was shouting. A small hand like an apple was pressed against the chest of the young man. From there, a lot of blood is gushing out, and from the cut that extends until the abdomen his internal organs were partly protruded. To stop it, the child was struggling to hold down the mans life even for a little bit. Dont die Raid-sama! As the young man tries to wipe the childs tears He gives up. His left arm is already broken and will not move. He wipes the little girls cheek with his remaining right arm. Now instead of tears, its blood thats smeared all over. That was the blood of the young man, and also the blood of the fallen enemy. In the corner of the young mans vision was the dead body of the defeated Devil. On the other side, the children who have lowered to their waist. Children who barely escaped from being sacrificed for a ceremony. Among them, only this little girl ran towards the young man to treat him. Furthermore for being toote there were sacrifices in another direction, breathless children and the figure of the main culprit, a priest. Donotcryitsalright Theres no way its alright. The young man was already prepared to die. Nevertheless there was one reason to im it was alright. Its because hispanion who was in this ce before her figure disappeared. A girl who always followed the right answer and was called a wise woman. That girl disappeared. But it was not pointless. Then theres only one thing to think about. She went to call for help. Because I ordered so. Shes not very talented at magic. Even so,pared with the average person shes skilled, but she doesnt have the ability to save the young man from the verge of death. Thats why she left this ce, so she can call for someone who can help. She was allowed to leave. Thats why Its okay right? I squeezed the strength to spit up blood-Actually a massive hemoptysis[1]-andforted the girl. Ill probably die. My friend who went to call for help betting in that one possibility most likely will not make it in time, right? Thats why I wanted to reassure this girl. Iwontdie A promise that I couldnt keep. Leaving the girl behind, the young man-One of the heroes who were called Shadow Feather Raid isdead. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemoptysis Chapter 2 There was a bright, mysterious and unfamiliar ce before me. I cant recognize ck or white, and yet the color is not grey, neither can I distinct between top and bottom or grasp the room my field of vision is filled up with. For a long time I worked as an assassin, but in my final years I spent my daily adventures days along with the other heroes, I mastered the scout upation. My perception ability is normal, but I cant grasp the circumstances at all. Hello~ Whos there?! I heard azy voice all of sudden. I cant tell whose voice is that, nor from where it came. But the voices owner appeared right before my eyes. As if pushing aside the white and ck clouds, a small shadow appears in front of me. Though shes standing right before me, I really cant feel her presence at all. No, on the contrary I can understand shes a woman, but I cant recognize her face at all. I see her face. Her silver hair, her red eyes and her beautiful white skin. But Im not able to recognize thosebinations. Who are you Me? Im god. She introduces herself as god, her voice without an ounce of dignity at all. No, I dont remember the nature of her voice. I can only understand its a beautiful voice, but I have no memories of it. Whats the meaning of this? Why cant I remember? Ah, that? Thats my doing. Im god after all. Itll result in a SAN check[1]if you look directly at me? SanWhat? No~, dont worry about it. In other words, its good if you think Im obstructing your recognition in this manner. This is space too? Why yes, of course. The existence that imed to be god is obstructing my perception. Normally I wouldnt have an ounce of trust that what she said is true, but I somehow believe her. After all I was on the verge of death. Itd not be strange to meet god after dying, right? In other words, Im dead, is it right? Nn, thats right. You are unmistakable,pletely, perfectly dead, nothing more than that! Perhaps I didnt want that affirmation If I hadnt died, my formerpanion Maria whos a master of healing magic would be able to heal me. However, resuscitation of the dead is designed as a taboo and was sealed. The soul is always intended to be circting, as the doctrine says its not permitted to unnaturally stop it. Also, Maria doesnt know this technique anyway. In short, its impossible to revive me. I see, that means Ill return to the circle of the soul. Well, you can think of it that way. While singing in high spirits, *whirl* *whirl* god danced, whirling and hopping. However, the words I heard after that made me feel it was really deep. What is it. You say as if its possible to be resuscitated somehow. Indeed, resurrection is impossible. But that doesnt mean there isnt a different way. You have quite an excellentpanion. Hah? As a question mark floats above my head, god puts her hand on her mouth and *mufufu* let an unpleasantughter out. No, its nothing. But let me just say one thing. What? Wee to a new horizon! Lets wee it magnificently! Haa? Speechless, I wanted to punch this crazy god on her inexistent face. However, immediately after that, dizziness suddenly hits me and my vision became dark. Am I standing? Am I sitting? I cant understand, but my vision delineated a marble pattern[2], like a dribble of milk in a cup of tea. W-What? It seems the technique will begin soon. Well, I also like to use this kind of unfair means. Thats whyMy body, what?! Youre going to return to the original world. Well, Ive interfered with the sess rate just a little bit. Thats why Ah, speaking of interference, theres one bonus Ill just give you. The self-proimed god continued to mutter ambiguous things. That way my consciousness was cut off, and I sank into the darkness. Chapter 3 The world was once in a crisis. There were nine kingdoms in one continent. It was a temporary peaceful world built thanks to its perfect military bnce. But it copsed only ten years ago. It was around that time that the evil dragon appeared on the farawaynds of the north. Heading towards one northern country, the feared evil dragon was called Colchis. That dragon easily ate people as if mowing rice, forcing that kingdom to a downfall crisis. Several countries joined forces, sending an army of subjugation. But simply speaking, the evil dragon was an invincible existence. Its ck and shiny scales were harder than steel, even ballista arrows and battering rams were repelled. And then, from heights that neither swords nor spears could reach, the dragon breathed a red hot breath capable of melting steel and burned people like charcoal. The battle was too much of a one-sided trampling, the evil dragon was infuriated in this case. People who are just food and toys tried to attack it. That fact was unforgivable. The evil dragon immediately aimed to the kingdoms capital, frying its castle together with every single statesman. Furthermore, spreading its wings to the neighboring countries, all towns saw theirst day as they were vited. In this messed up matter, the three northern countries were wiped out in a sh. Like this, the other six countries finally understood the world crisis that was happening. However, there was nothing they could do. Even with arge army, it wasnt possible to give even a single scratch on the evil dragon. In that case, what they could do to subjugate the evil dragon? Moreover, if they fail all countries would be burned down in retaliation. If they move the armed force, there will be retaliation. Thats not to say, without the army, the military strength will be insufficient. The worried countries leaders finally found a solution to this problem. They selected the biggest fighting strength from each country, making a team of unrted vagrant, and attack the evil dragon. Because there isnt any country involvement, theres no need to worry about retaliation. Also, because the army isnt moving, its easy to induce carelessness and they can secretly move. The disadvantage of having a small number of people can also bepensated if its inside the cave that became the evil dragons den. Rather, they thought itd be better if its inside the cave so it cant turn the tides flying into the sky. Thus, each country selected one of the six heroes. One country, a human hero holding the holy sword, Lyel. One country, a dwarf warrior holding the sacred shield, Gadols. One country, an elf whoprehended every magic, Maxwell. One country, a human saint that heals any wound as long as youre alive, Maria. One country, a wise woman of the cat people that took down a thousand lives with one mouth, Cortina. One country, a half-demon whose name is famous as an assassin of the Shadow Feather, Raid was picked up. ording with expectations, those powerful people ended this fierce battle, the evil dragon Colchis was shown subjugation. Without losing even one person, they raised unprecedented achievements-However, that was too much for their home countries. Lyel and Gadols fame shake the throne, Maria and Cortina poprity exceeded the Popes powers. With the exception of Maxwell, who was the prince of the Elf Country, all five heroes positions were beyond control. The powerful people feared retaliation by the heroes. And then there was the hero Raid Among the six heroes, the hero Raid was a heterogeneous existence. He was an assassin, but he wasnt evil. He who fought and killed ording to his justice, was feared. The criteria of good and evil were purely based on himself, that draw a line between him and other powerful people. Originally such reckless action would not be permitted. But his fighting strength was enough to push through it. For this reason, as a heroit can be said that they were selected as mankinds trump card. In the end, they were expelled from their hometown under the pretext that was for the revival of the three ruined countries. However, it was an assumed event to them. The wise woman Cortina had already predicted that circumstances in advance. Of course, so as to not get antagonized, each country gave them rewards as a mean of holding down their spirits of rebellion. The heroes knew the real intentions of those powerful people, but they went to the remote region obediently. That conflict was useless, they were not interested in political power, and just wanted to spend the rest of their life peacefully. But the heroes eventually approached the end. Everything started with Lyel and Maria marriage. As they got together, the party was disbanded. There was no problem in their rtionship, the problem came afterwards. The superior ability they carried was too much big of a power for the other adventurers to adapt. Moreover, Gadols realized his dream of owning a store and retired. With all main forces retired, Maxwell returned to his hometown already as a king. Losing their destination, only Raid and Cortina continued being adventurers. But eventually, there was an event where Raid had to fight against the Devil alone and ended up losing his life. Rescue did not make it in time, and Cortina now all alone, also retired in despair. Maxwell decided to settle down teaching at his newly opened magic school. And then time passed Ten years have passed. Chapter 4 From the middle of a deep darkness I slowly woke up. I woke upOr that was the expectation. As I opened my eyes, no image connected at all, the world waspletely blurred and distorted. And not only that. My limbs dont listen to what I say, I dont have the strength to move them. No, its not only my limbs. My head My whole body wouldnt move at all. Now that I think about it, my situation before I lost consciousness was really terrible. The orphanages priest started summoning the Devil, and obtained sess by sacrificing a lot of children. However, as we came to interrupt him, the priest failed toplete his goal and was killed by me. That was good, but I couldnt leave the Devil who became free after losing its summoner alone. At that time, behind me was the cowered children and Cortina, who didnt know close distancebat. I didnt go to fight. I ordered Cortina to run away quickly, so that I could enter into a battle with the Devil alone. As always, she also grasped the situation instantaneously and left saying shed call for help. Shes powerless, so itd be hard to escape while carrying the children. Because about ten children had survived. I could barely defeat the Devil, but I broke my left arm and right leg and got arge cut from my chest to my abdomen as a result. In that stateStill breathing was a great luck. ording to the words of that self-proimed god I should have returned to this world again, but My voice doesnte out and I cant move my limbs either. What happened?! Fugyaaaaaa! I tried to voice words, but could only raise an odd scream that was like a kittens cry. Before long I felt like my face was wiped with something warm, and then something soft was pressed against my mouth. I instinctively sucked from it and swallowed something sweet. And then, with my stomach full, I sink into sleep once again. I could finally understand what happened a few dayster. I wasreborn as a baby. This was the unfair means that god said. In other words, it was a taboo to resurrect, but starting a new life reborn as a baby was eptable, right? Moreover, I realized my vision is stabilizing Good morning, Nicole. You woke up early today. Opening my eyes as I woke up, I noticed a beautiful woman bringing my mouth close to her chestThat was Maria. Yes, mypanion who was once called a saint. And the person she called Nicole isme. That is to say, I was reborn as my formerpanions child. Reincarnation magic is the highest rank sacred technique. However, the person himself can only confirm if the magic worked, and its a magic that has the questionable effect that you dont know where you will be reincarnated. That means, Maria would never know I am her formerpanion, Raid. Thats why, she pushes her vulnerable breast against me. If she knew that I am Raid, shed give an unthinkable action. If I was careless, Id be sent flying with one p. Her sense of virtue is very intense. One time when I was trying to peep with Lyel she gave us divine punishment with a magic attack called Vanishing, I seriously though Id die. Besides, Coltina was waiting exactly on our escape route so we easily experienced arrest. Its a thing called youthful indiscretion. Fugyuuuu I raised a groan, refusing to eat. I still dont have enough muscle to move my neck. And, no matter how much I suck my formerpanions breast, I cant maintain a shameless face. More than anything, Im afraid of being exposed. Ugyuu. Fuaaaa Ara, is your stomach okay? Nicole isnt eating much. Im a little worried. Since I reincarnated as a baby, I havent taken enough meal from this person. No, Maria is honestly an extraordinary beautiful woman, but it cant be helped since my ego has wakened. If it was an unknown woman, I might really suck it while feigning ignorance. But its me. Shes apanion who has gone through a lot with me before the death line. And while we are at it, her husband is that Lyel. Apanion who fought together, a rival, and a man who embodied the figure of a hero that I couldnt reach. With which face Id suck his wifes chest? Thats why I entered a hunger strike voluntarily. As I didnt drink Marias breast milk, she got in a dire situation with my childcare. I think its bad, but I cant give in. After all, she managed to barely maintain my life by giving me moderately warmed cows milk. Today as well, I was being feed up with a wet cotton in milk in my mouth, meanwhile Lyel got up. Good morning, Maria. And Nicole too. Saying that, he embraced Maria who was holding me, and exchanged a passionate kiss with her early in the morning. And then a simr kissReally ufortablein my cheek. Fuaaaaaaaaauuuu! Ara, are you angry? Perhaps Nicole dislikes Papa? Wha-What?! As I showed intention of resistance, Maria tells the cruel truth without malice. In fact, I didnt like Lyel. After all, it can be said my position as a hero was not yearned for. Instead, he had a far more strong admiration than most people. Strong and resolute swordsman who was representative of the heroes. That admired strength was something I wished for. However, I didnt have that talent. Even so, I couldnt give up. Thats why I fight without relying on the sword, and built my way of fighting using creativity and scheming. For someone like me, Lyel who embodies the image of my ideal hero, was a man that stirs up veryplicated emotions in me. He who is someone I rely on, he who is someone I admire, he who is thepanion whose I hold unpleasant feelings. Receiving a kiss on the cheek from suchpanion, I remember feeling like my spine foamed. After the shock he received, Lyel went out to the garden with a dejected face to swing the sword. From the window, I can see a type of daily routine flowing there. The moves were powerful, elegant and sharp. There was the figure of a hero that was my dream. In my other life, I was powerless andcked endurance, I couldnt fight that way. But now, an electric current dashes over my body and makes me tremble. Thats right, this body is Lyel and Marias child. In other words, I may inherit Lyels strength and Marias magical power. If its the actual me, I may be able to be a swordsman. The existence that could be my guide is right in front of my eyes. I might be able to follow the path of a swordsman that was once my goal and I failed to reach. No, if I inherit Marias magical power, theres also the possibility of the path of a magic swordsman opening up. Nyaaauuu! I raised my hand while expressing joy. However, I have too little strength, so I was barely able to bring my short arm in front of my face. Oh, maybe Nicole likes to watch your fathers sword? Actually you want to depend on him, right? Misunderstanding my attitude, Maria pokes my cheek *Puni* *Puni*. Speaking of which, she was the kind of person who constantly misunderstand things like this. Chapter 5 I fill my stomach with milk and train my muscles while sleeping. I want to stand up with my own legs as soon as possible. *Pico pico* Moving my short legs and swinging my hands up and down. When speaking of exercising thats about what I can do, I cant even turn around. But Im different from an ordinary baby, I got nutrition from cows milk. In other words, its an unbnced unusual nutrition. That is, it leaded me to haveck of stamina. I easily fall into overwork and ends up sleeping as if I had fainted. As I continued to do that every day, I was finally able to roll over and *mozo mozo*[1]it became possible to move. Little by little I got both my hands and my legs to move as I desired. So I, in order to realize another dream of mine, decided to take action. That is magic. In my previous life, unfortunately my talent to magic was really inexistent. Although I studied under the magic expert Maxwell, he reached the conclusion that I waspletely talentless and told me to give up on all my experience in learning magic. However in this life, Im the child of Maria. That is to say, theres a high possibility that I have a hidden talent for magic. Maria masterized sacred techniques based on her religious beliefs, but sacred magic is still magic. I never studied under Maria, but all the knowledge I got studying with Maxwell still remains. Closing my eyes to enter in a meditative state, I started to explore the existence of magical power inside of myself. Then I was able to feel something simr to a hot energy somewhere in the interior of my body, under the belly button. -Oh, is this magic power? Before I wasnt able to feel it even if I forced my senses, so naturally I felt my tension rising. To transform it I drew a magi symbol form in my mind, as magic is manifested by adding a spell designing power and range, but I had a hard time manipting this. As I try to extend the hand of consciousness to the magical power at the bottom of my body, the magical power escapes and disperses. But I wont give up with just this. In the first ce, my tenacity is unusual. Since I cant move my body skillfully yet, the only thing I can do is magic training. Different from before where I couldnt even feel my magical power, at least I should be able to manifest magic. And then, I should have inherited the talent to use swords from Lyel, and I also have my own fighting experience in this body. Thinking about it, I have the potential to be stronger than anyone, I cant stop my training here. I kept receiving warm milk from Maria, though there was a humiliating story where she changed my diaper, at least half year had passed, I cursed that self-proimed god. I was seated and moved my neck to look around, putting power into my body I was able to use my upper body, on that day I saw my lower body for the first time. What appeared from under the diaper Maria was exchanging with her hands..No, what didnt appeared was the little male genitalia appropriate for my age Nothing, simply nothing. No, there had a valley. In other words, what I want to say is that Im a girl. AUUUUUuuuuu?! Kyaa! What happened, Nicole? Screaming all of sudden To me who suddenly falls into panic, Maria came to look at me with a worried expression. However, theres no problem with my body itself. No, for me theres all kind of problems, but for her its just a normal urrence. Exchanging my diapers in a hurry, I was lying face down while sobbing. A feared assassin who was once called to a girl? What kind of funny story is that?! I who freely control mythril steel threads, which are said to be sharper than the Holy Sword, I even caught Colchis that way DAAAUUUUUuuuu. I dont quite understand, but Are you crying? *Pon Pon* Maria taps my back and try tofort me. Its the same as in my previous life, this kindness now is sad. Speaking of that, Nicole is a name that is used both for men and women, but its also used a lot more for women. Im really stupid for not noticing until now. No, I couldnt confirm my own gender by myself looking at this babys story. In other words, this was an act of god. Being born as a girl, that is. For half a year, I didnt notice this fact. In my previous life: Born as a man, talentless and a failure with the sword, choose to masterize the steel thread art as my fighting style. In my current life: Born as a woman, inherited my extremely talented parents blood, and will receive gifted education from heroes. I can say mypletely opposite life started from this moment. [1]Something moving, to snuggle up to someone. Chapter 6 Since then, I short amount of time has passed again. I finally recovered from the impact of knowing I was born as a girl. Im certainly a girl. My chest is growing merely a little bit, itll not grow that much will it? Half forcing myself to ept that, I returned to my daily training again. *Pico Pico* Moving my limbs to build my muscr strength, and then training my magical power control before sleep. Talking about magical power, there has been no response as usual, but I once had received a warning from Maxwell: It wont happen in a day. To begin with, in my current stage Im already far ahead my previous life since in that time I couldnt even feel my magical power. Uuu~Dauu~ Jeez Nicole, your eyes are firm today. If you dont go to sleep soon, youll feel sleepyter. At night, I was practicing magical maniption before going to sleep. Somehow I felt like it was going to work today, so I put a little bit more of fighting spirit. However, to such me who was not thinking in going to sleep, Maria takes me doubtfully. Thats right. If I dont go to sleep soon, therell be a lot of troubles. Ara, dear. I was taking a look at Nicole. If its about this, she probably wont care right? While Maria was carrying me on the double sized bed near the crib, Lyel leaked such lovers talk. You guys[1] Are you going to do that here in this bed? If it got like this, I obstinately wont go sleep. Couples shall die, theres no mercy. Im really determinedWhen I realized, it was already morning. That time I realized, a babys body cant stay up untilte at night. Before I died, Maria was doing missionary work at a church in a remote region. Because of thepletely wreckage the evil dragon did in the three countries, it was not possible to establish them as a country anymore. So we decided to unify the three countries into a single one, excluding Maxwell the five of us would govern it. Of course, no one of us was indifferent when talking about power. Fortunately, we confirmed the survival of a boy who draws the kings blood line of one of the three countries, for that reason the boy was pushed to be the king, the nobility that survived joined as his assistants and the nation rebuilding was abandoned. But even for us, we werent cold-hearted enough to just pretend nothing happened. When they asked for rescue, we ran to lend our power to them right away. Even though Maxwell was in his own country, we could deal with any circumstances with just the five of us. In the first ce, it can be said that doesnt exist an unsolvable problem when showing our names. The inspection of the orphanage which was the cause of my death was the only job that ended with this kind of circumstances. But its different now. Receiving the shock of my death, Cortina went away from this territory, Maria gave birth, and the heroes party almost got destroyed. However, the young king had barely reorganized the national identity[2]until the end of the year, so Lyel and Maria were able to retire without worries. Now they are fully enjoying their in ordinary retirement life.[3]Without even knowing my feelings. Brace yourself, me. If I dont stand up here and now, when will I stand up?! Right now I was on the fence of my crib, desperately trying to stand up while my legs were trembling *Kaku Kaku*[4]. *Hai Hai*[5]Its the results of the Sparta physical training working out. Its not like Maria is watching me all the time. Right now, she went out to buy meal. Of course, ensuring that not happens to me in the meantime, she reduced the burden of childcare by hiring a servant. She was a beautiful, strange elf girl of about 15 years old disguised as a servant in such a remote ce. When Maria must take her eyes off me, she dedicatedly takes care of me. However this girl too, is washing my diapers right now, so Im all alone. As a babysitter, shes not that much praiseworthy, but now Im thankful for that. I dont want anyone seeing that Im able to walk now. Auaa, nuaa! With my fighting spirit shing, I stood erect and firm on my feet. It has already been almost one year since I was reborn in this world. Crawling is all I could do up to this point, I was a little slower than an ordinary baby since I couldnt stand up yet. Although I started training to acquire strength from a far early age than a normal baby, it was all useless. All because of my decision to make an unbnced diet. Since I had reborn, I stubbornly refused Marias milk, my body was very frail and my growth became a littlete. Thanks to my frequent repeatedly fever, both my parents got really worried. That Lyel bastard didnt matter, but I had worried about hurting Marias heart. While my physical condition was finally bing in order, they also decided that it was alright to leave it to another person, taking the final steps to employ a servant. Anyway, I have no doubts theres no one watching me right now. Though Im staggering, I was able to stand up so I raised my short arm above my head and let out a victory cry! Dau! But this is only my first step. Literally. From here I have various missions waiting. First of all, I need to go to Marias private room to read her grimoires and bible, its necessary to umte study of magic. Half a year after sensing my magical power, I still havent seeded in manipting it. Perhaps there is a mistake in my training method. Perhaps there is a problem with my magic aptitude. I have to know a method to investigate those. I walked while holding the edge of my crib, I started practicing to stand supporting myself. [1]Nicole-chan says this in a really rude way. [2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokutai [3]Nicole-chan rude speaking manner strikes again [4]Wobble, wobble [5]*Crawl, Crawl* Such as a baby crawling on the floor. Chapter 7 < .. > There is a sharper thing than an adults imagination and that is a babys hearing. I listened to the footsteps walking down the corridor and instantly pretended to lie on the bed and to be asleep. After a while the room door opened and the elf girl looked inside. Perhaps she had finished doing theundry, so she probably came to check on me. As grateful as I was, I wanted her to stop checking on me for a while. But the timing might not have been bad. It took about thirty minutes to walk, but my feet trembled with pain. Huh, sleep well, Nicole. The elf girl walked up to me, looked at me and checked if I was asleep. Of course I was pretending to be, but there was no way for her to know that. By the way, what was her name, what was it? Although Maria had hired her to look after me, the elf girl did not introduce herself to me. No, it may be funny to introduce yourself to a baby who does not even understand thenguage Ordinary is it not? The elf girl gently kissed my cheeks with Funi Funi which gave me a feeling of satisfaction. As I kept pretending to be asleep, the elf girl looked around her surroundings, and confirmed that no one was there. There was no one in this mansion now. Even though I knew that, I repeated the same behavior humorously. And after I was convinced that nobody was there, I gently touched my cheeks, and started stepping out of the room with a tter of footsteps. I wondered why she ran away If you think about it, one may be disqualified as an employee if one kisses the cheeks of ones employers daughter. I was a man . Because I was mentally a man, I was pretty happy that the elf girl was so loving. From that day I kept training until I managed to walk on my own. And there was another thing you had to do if you were a baby at that time. I decided to do just that today in front of my parents. Maria, I came back home Lyel said in a slightly sluggish voice, when he came back to the mansion. Lyel was hired as a knight by the lord who governed this district. This district was particrly terribly infiltrated by the evil dragon, so the monsters breeding was so intense that his assistance was necessary. With the money he was paid, he got a mansion and raised me. Maria, stopped her preparing meals in the kitchen, and headed to greet him. I was observing the situation from the living room. Then the elf girl picked me up and headed for the entrance. She seemed to have been assisting Maria with the dishes. Wow? Lets receive Lyels greetings, Nicole-sama. The girls smile blew me away. I lost my words without thinking of that smile. No, I could not talk. Oh, Nicole came out to meet you, Finia too? No! I cant do much work yet! Im just bothering Maria. Thats nonsense; shes a big help. Indeed, was this girl named Finia? The heartwarming atmosphere looked like it was going to go away at this rate, so I decided to make the decision. I had to do it so it didnt be all formal. I focused myself with full intent. maa maa eh!? Then I squeezed out my voice from my throat and called Maria mama. Maria seemed amazed at my voice. It might be quite unusual for her to be so surprised. Nicole just now did you call me mommy, Mommy? Maaama Oh, Lyel! This child is Nicole! Nicole, I am daddy, Papa - Lyel, close, too close! The chest of the elf girl called Finia who was beside me was rippling and Lyel was pressing against it. This bastard was already over thirty. A first-rate old geezer! Besides, I could not make them misunderstand. I hated him. So Fiinia? Oh, have you heard, Maria, now, Nicole, was that my name? Yes, Ive heard it firmly! This kid called the name of Finia first By the way, did they hear the name of Maria yet? This might have failed. Lets rectify this mistake instantly. Mariamama? Nicole, how smart you are! Maria was delighted as if she was impressed. Here, Nicole. What is papas name? Dau! Uu, Maria Nicole isnt saying my name. Because your name is hard to pronounce, she cannot suddenly just say it. It was very unusual for Maria to say so, but she experienced a feeling of superiority emerging. With the words from Maria, Lyel nodded restlessly. Ah, there, Lyel, Nicole will eventually say your name! Really, really! Oh,forting me, Finia is a good girl. Oh my, are you perhaps thinking about cheating on me? Stop joking! She may be a good kid, but shes not my type. Fufu, of course I understand. Maria encouraged while striking Lyels back. He went to the dining hall and proceeded to have dinner. Incidentally, that evening meal was a bit no, lets just say that it was pretty amazing. Chapter 8 A couple more years passed since I began to speak. In the meantime there were many things I learned. For example, my appearance. When I was a baby I didnt know because I couldnt even move of my neck, but my hair was blue silver with the texture of a thin silver thread. Moreover, as seen in the mirror, the color of my skin was white enough to say that it was deathly pale, and the color of both eyes were different, giving me a very distinct and characteristic look. My right eye is red, and my left eye is blue. Lyels blue eyes and Marias red eyes were both handed down. Coupled with its characteristic appearance, it could be said that its quite the conspicuous appearance. While looking at my facial features, theyre very adorable, I could see the promising future ahead of me, although Im young. Of course, my body itself is growing. However, I tried hard to train magic and my body, but the effect was not a very pleasant thing. Although magic still exists in my body, it is hard to control, it is rampant in the hand of my consciousness, and it cant operate like you think. This body seems to be simr to Maria and is somewhat frail aspared to children of the same age. I was a fierce man who overcame the harsh adventure with Maria. My physical ability was much stronger than the ordinary person. Still, among us who experienced the same adventure, I was weak. It seemed that if I wanted to resemble Lyel who was as brave as me and even stronger, my mother shouldnt have been Maria. Today, I sneaked throughout the day training and gathered in front of the firece with my family and enjoyed the party. Im going to be three years old soon, and because my walking legs have be pretty solid, I am able to walk freely in my house. But I sat down on the floor this evening and was struggling to stretch my fingers. Physical fitness has already been done today, but if you stretch such a small part, your physical fitness will be low. Wow ~ Lyel sitting on the sofa behind me looked at me smiling and stretching my fingers. I secretly spread my left foot and kick my right foot a little. With a few centimeters in this, Im off to the left. I repeated this several times and was moving to the left for a while. But Lyel picked me up from behind and put me on hisp. Ya, huh no ! Dont hate me, Nicole Cant you y with dad once in a while? Muu ~ I twisted my body and jumped out of Lyelsp. Im going to pronounce it more clearly, Stop it, please release me, but as my vocal cords are still underdeveloped, I will definitely say it babyishly. I will instantly identify the point of protection as it is. Maria looked at me jumping off, and Maria opened her hands and was about to pick me up. But truly, to jump into the brethren of the formerpanion. So I jumped to Finia. Because she is a small and petite, I could jump up to her chest. Finia hurriedly raised me who jumped suddenly. Shes an elf, has a thin body but had a thin waist and a fluffy soft chest. And, the fragrance of a flower drifted slightly around her; it wasfortable. I followed the source of the smell, it was drifting from a small bag hung around her waist. Perhaps it is an odor bag made with wild grass. She is wearing such a rustic scent better than a child of a nobleman with perfume. I stretched out my hand to her waist, tried to check the inside the bag by taking a sniff. Apart from that, I was not trying to have any intention. I just wanted to see the origins of this rustic scent. But, looking at my behavior, Maria was smiling with couscous. Nicole is still a girl, she responded to a smell bag Its not that much rare, Even so, I do not mind what smells good, I did not want to wear skirts, I asked Lyel to tell me the sword, i was like a boy Nicole is pretty, she is like a child of a noble Finia emphasizes it while holding me. Certainly my appearance is simr to Mary, it has a very neat appearance that is neat and clean. Moreover, because I am considerably smaller and less powerful than the average child , I seem to be as adorable as a child of a nobleman. But what I am aiming for is the hated Lyel style there. A figure of the brave who freely uses the swordparable to the length of the body. A form that I was aiming for and I did not reach. However, with this body, it seemed impossible to reach that figure even now. Yes, finia. Are not you going to make smell bags tomorrow? Everyone, is it? Yeah, the west of the vige is bing a grassy plot? It is getting warmer soon, so the flowers are blooming, Surely it is almost time . Is not the vige dangerous? Maria was not a priest warrior but a pure shogunate. Itsbat ability was the lowest among the six heroes, and even during the refuge, even Beethovens Cortia and elven Maxwell did not reach. Needless to say, I still have something that surpasses ordinary people. Well, now I am far worse. Conclusion, right? Well then tomorrow bring lunch . Huh, I understand. Since there is a ceremonial baptism soon, lets take a break before that The ceremony of baptism is a ceremony received by a child three years after the birth, and is also a ceremony to examine the ability of the child. In this world there are children who are given the ability called blessing, the benefits of that gift give the owner overwhelming effect. For example, from a mythical grade ability like a foreign air space with a different space that can store objects unlimitedly, elderly immortality as the name suggests, and a heterosexual ability that attracts just by eye-catching, the blessing that Lyel and Maria possess There are things that are useful in battle like arts and high speed chanting, in other words, it seems not to be useful as a talent for Janken. Of course, those that give you different abilities, but even having skill like fencing, the effect is great. Just with a gift there are things that an ordinary person reaches in about a decade to reach the heights arriving in a year. Of course, you can use the sword without gifts. However, depending on the presence or absence, the growth rate obtained by training will differ step by step. As a ceremony to investigate it, residents of this world will challenge baptism with a very serious look. By the way, Lyell s gift isbat art and toughness. This improves the skills ofbat and the high endurance. By doing this, he can continue to fight with inexhaustible physical strength. Gaduls s gift is shield technique and robust. It can take an enemys attack with a shield and also can attack with a shield to repel enemies. And robustness is the ability to endure enemy attacks. With these two gadulss were able to demonstrate the defensive power which can be said as the life line of the party. Maria had a miracle of God and fast casting. This is a talent from sacred magic and the ability to activate it instantaneously. This allows her to quickly fly sacred magic. In the battle that fights against less than a second, her magic is a life line aligned with Gadols. Maxwells gift enhances all attribute magic properness and magical power. Its the ability to master all kinds of magic and the ability to enhance that magical effect. Maxwell, who releases the range attack with a mighty magical power, was a key to attack against Gaduls. Cortina is a high-speed operation with counterargon. The defeat is the ability to see the strategy of the enemy, to derive the optimal solution of strategy and tactics, the high speed operation is the ability to calcte instantaneously as its name. With thebination of these two gifts, we instantly handled the information in sight and instructed us the best action. Because she is such a thing, I understand why I can not help earlier than anyone at the time I died. And I could not forgive Gadrus who brought such a request, I could not forgive myself who could not bring out the measures to help me more than anything, I left this ce. Compared to them, I was a really gifted . What I had was a yarn and covert. An assassination style that acts without being noticed by anyone, stops enemys breath by attack with steel thread. That is why there are many things bad in battle standing right in front of you. It can be said that he was fortunate to be able to draw with the devil. I do not yet know what happened to that gift, but it seems that the scales are inherited from the point that they have been able to train your body without being found by the fingertips dexterity and the finians. Chapter 9 The next day, we decided to bring a lunch box and go out for a hike to the west meadow. But only Lyel could note with us because of his patrol job. Lyel, whose tears drifted down in the morning and who cried out loud, was extremely hot. Nicole, Im sorry Papa cannot follow. No, Pretending to be strong. Misunderstanding my attitude, Maria had the usual smile. In her eyes, my attitude was that I wanted to go out and y with my father, and it looked like I was sulking. Actually, I was sulking because I could not train my daily routine. Howevere to think of it, it was true that fatigue had been umted by recent training. Maria was a formerpanion, and of course, Finia was a pretty girl. If you did not consider that Maria was a married woman, the current state was a harem nked with two beautiful women. Of course, I was also a woman, but that was a difficult point to admit. Look, Nicole, this is the flower I used for my sachet. Finia plucked a small purple flower and brought it to my nose. Then, the flower fragrance from yesterday came drifting stronger than yesterday. When you dry it and pack several flowers in a bag together, it will be a sachet. Wow. I was not interested in potpourri too much, so I replied half-heartedly to Finias exnation. However, just by looking at her happy expression, I became happy. Ah, Maria-sama! Hello Maria, good morning! Several kids came rushing towards Maria from the direction of the vige. Maria was surrounded in a blink of an eye, and her hand was pulled and spun around. Finia, too, was a victim of the children. Oh, who is this child? Onee-chans little sister? Her hair is beautifulll. Her arm is thinnn. Wow, wow!? The kids flocked to me this time. I was swallowed in a blink of an eye, and my hair was dishevelled. My silver-blue colored hair was inherited from Maria, and it was glossy in the light. Moreover, my eyes inherited Marias red and Lyels blue at the same time, the color was different on the left and right. It was a sufficient thing to stimte the childrens unexpected curiosity. Her eye colors are differenttt. Thats weirddd. Lettt gooo! I was going to be resistant if I got pulled up to my cheeks at my end. I brushed off their hands and hid behind Finia as I went past them. Hey, dont get naughty, this girl is my daughter Nicole, everyone get along well? I was pulled away from Finia by the outrageous children. I was mercilessly and relentlessly dragged. I could not make light of the physical strength of the children, even though I was also a child. There arevender flowers, youre making smell bags, arent you? Ehh, lets go raspberry gathering over there! Itll be our snack. Because the boys are running for food immediately, Nicole will hate that sort of thing. Why are you like this? You guys also like sweet things! Thats that, this is this. My opinion no longer mattered. In this way I was forcibly taken over and I dragged around the field Chapter 10 From the next day onward, I was attacked by the children daily. For the vigers of the unchanging vige, the adorable appearance from my eyes with different colours and silver hair seemed to be an article for stimting curiosity. Besides, there were only a dozen children in this vige. Of course, if you considered the parish that governed these several vige, there were several times more, but it was not close enough for free movements back and forth between the viges. All because my vige was such a closedmunity, I, as the new member, could be said to an existence that people wanted to get involved with by all means. The residence where I lived was the biggest house in the vige. But it could be said that it was a modest home for the heroes of salvation, Lyel and Maria. A two-storey stone building. Four rooms on each floor. Apart from that, there were also a dining room, a living room, a kitchen, a bath and a study on the first floor. On the second floor, instead of the rooms on the first floor, a balcony was installed, and it became possible to dry theundry there. There was also a small inner garden; a stable was set up in the corner, and two horses were tied to it. In the garden, traces of Lyels training were left as solid firm footprints , which proved his serious character. Everyday, he would tread down on the ground by sinking the mould here and there. The boundary between the garden and the street was separated by the low thicket and a fence, and it was to the point where even children can cross it if they felt like it. Because it was a safe vige, it had rough measures. The children went under the fence and the children began to attack. Until then, it was said that there no children were allowed to sneak into the heros house. Besides, I also trained to avoid eye contact, so the vigers did not know I existed. Anyways, once they found out that I was the same as them, they removed their walls of wariness. They climbed over the wall openly during the day, and came to invite me. Nicole-chan, lets yyy. A tree outside the vige grew cherries, lets go to eattt. Come on! The boys instantly start talking about food. Sure enough, the children had attacked secretly while I trained in magic maniption. Lyel, the owner of this house, was not at the residence during the day because of his patrolling work. At the same time, Maria also had church work, so she was not at the residence. Recently, my care was not needed anymore, so she resumed work at the church. Of course, it was impossible to leave a 3 year old child alone in the house so the servant Finia was taking care of me. As for Finia, she was cleaning the residence, so she took her eyes off me. As a servant, she was not praised much, but because she managed the mansion and took care of the child at the same time, asking too much was an excessive thing. In the first ce, an ordinary three year old child like me did not actively move around. Even if she took her eyes off somewhat, there should be no problem. As far as the childrens invitation was concerned, its an unwee favor. But I was far more delicate than the average child. Just ying with them, it would be plenty of stamina training. Sure. Then let me tell Finia, I understand, well be waiting. Making the most childish voice that I could, I answered. ying with them led to reassuring parents who were worried about me who liked loneliness. Regardless of Lyel, I did not want to worry Maria who took care of me in my previous life. In addition, when getting tired from ying, I could go to sleep early in the night and avoid Lyel who would tease me enough to cause irritation when he returned home. However, no matter how much I thought I was okay if I quietly disappeared, Finia would be worried. If I did something untactful, she would get in contact with Lyel, and it might even cause a more serious situation. So it was necessary to contact her beforehand. Finia looked a bit worried, but since I said I was going with the other children, so she allowed us to go out. Of course it was strictly prohibited to go outside the vige. Together with the five children, we came up to the tree at the outskirts of the vige. Various trees were nted around this vige, and seasonal fruits could be gathered. Because this tree did not belong to anyone, it often became an option for the childrens snack time. The cherry tree was one of the target of the enjoyments for the children. The cherry trees were not so tall and they also had a good shape, so it seemed like the kids could easily climb them. A small red fruit was peeping into the face from the gap of the lush leaves. Since the undergrowth was also thick, it was unlikely to be injured even if one fell. Now, there were only six children, so only two teams could be formed. I picked my cherries with the children of the same age. Well, oh, Ill climb the tree and drop the cherries. Oh, Nicole, are you fine with that? Its okay, even if I look like this, my body is on the lighter side. Even before I was reincarnated, I was one of the heroes. I had had problems with muscr strength and stamina from my previous life, but I had confidence in my reflexes and my body lightness was above average. Tree climbing was a piece of cake. I stretched my limbs as much as I could and I climbed the branches casually. That speed was impossible for a 3 year old child. However, stamina remained a fatal problem. I was out of breath when I climbed the branch. Hey, Nicole, are you really fine? Okay, Im fine just leave it to me. It was pitiful, but my breath had risen and my fingertips were trembling. However, there was no problem in picking fruits. I slowly moved to the end of the branch, tore off the cherry fruit and dropped it to a child on the ground. Finally, I finished all the ces that I could pick easily, and descended to the ground. Then, we tasted the sourness of fresh cherries together and enjoyed the taste of spring. My belly was satisfied enough. There were quite a few cherries at the start, but they seemed to be a bit insufficient to satisfy the belly of the six children in the group. Well, that tree over there is also growing some too, so lets go fetch some? Oh, that tree is beyond the fence, right? One of the boys pointed to a big tree and said so. There was a big tree of cherries on the other side of the fence that warded off monsters. Perhaps it budded before the birds could eat it. However, the tree was outside of the vige, although only a little bit. Its dangerous. My dad will get angry Its alright! After all, up to there, its only a few feet, right? Even if a monsteres out, if you run back, youll get away. Is that so? One of the girls and I began were pushed by the boys force. However, this was a bad idea. No, I came here on condition that I stay in the vige Tsk, then fine, well go alone! The boys, who lost their temper at the girls indecisive attitude, passed under the fence. The fence whose purpose is to ward off monsters had arge gap, so children could pass under it. Ah,e on! No matter how you put it, I could not overlook the reckless action of the children going outside, could I? After I kicked the ground and expressed frustration, I chased afterwards. Chapter 11 I went outside the vige the other day with Maria and Finia; the feeling outside was different from that in the vige where the atmosphere is obstructed. Not to mention the fact that if there were sweet and sour fruits the children would rush to it. In the blink of an eye, we finally arrived at the tree and the children scrambled to be the first one to pick the fruits. Wait a minute! You can climb too, Nicole? Get up there! I was beginning to climb the tree quickly while bouncing up a little bit for the boy who provoked me. I proceeded quickly to the end of the branch and tried to reach out to the fruits. So, I noticed a moving shadow at the edge of my sight. It moved to hide behind the west prairie, close to the vige. Is that a kobold? Kobolds were the weakest monster in this world. It looked like a biped dog, but its essence was closer to a wild beast. Nevertheless, because it had the same degree of intelligence as a stupid person, it was quite dangerous. Can you imagine a dog with human dexterity and a cruel murderous demons temperament? Such monsters formed a herd and were approaching the vige. It was not too dangerous for adults to drive them away. But the problem was that their physique was not much different from that of children. If it was like normal, we would head back and enter the vige, but the vegetables in the fields and in front of the houses were totally destroyed. So I was right,we were only children it would be dangerous for us. Fuck its kobolds! Everyone, let the adults know! I could observe it because I had a high viewpoint on the tree, and if not, it would have been a surprise attack. Because there was a final weapon called Lyel in this vige, there would be no major damage. But that was only inside the vige. We now had no ability to drive back the kobolds. When listening to my words, the children of the vige panicked and ran away. It was doubtful whether it was true or not, but in this vige the appearance of monsters was the danger that we faced on a regr basis. You could not gain anything by telling such a lie. Uncle, kobolds are outside the vige! Call Lyel! Although it was a little off the vige, this ce was still near. If the children kept running for a while, they would surelye across the vigers who would oftene and go . I understood the voices of the children who were calling out to those vigers. But I had not descended from the tree yet. Obviously, the kobolds were trying to not be seen. If you lost sight of them, it might be troublesome. Nicole, lets run away soon No, no, because I will monitor here, you must flee to the vige soon. You cannot do that! One girl among the children said that stubbornly and refused to evacuate. Did it mean that she could not abandon her friends, or did she fear Maria and Lyel, my parents? In any case, she decided to stay here for me. Chi I kept my voice down to a minimum so that I could hear the child the little girl. The tree was located outside the vige, the closest to the kobolds. If it were attacked by the kobolds, she would be attacked first since she was waiting under the tree. Can you climb this tree? No Well,e up. It would be dangerous if you stay down. Kobolds had properties of the canine family. I was not good at putting out nails and could climb trees. It should be safer than underneath. The girl began to climb the tree with the surprising gesture. But in response to the voices of the children, the kobolds seemed to have noticed us here as well. They stopped hiding themselves, let out loud a roar and rushed over to us . Quickly! Wait, wait I am not good at climbing trees. The enemy will not wait! It was clear she would not make it the way she was climbing. If I didnt stop the kobolds advance, she would soon be dead . Continue climbing! I said so, jumping over the branches and onto the ground. The deep undergrowth formed a cushion, and I was not injured from the jump. I was aiming at bing a hero. I could not abandon this girl . With the body I had now, it would be impossible to beat down the kobolds. However, there was no need to defeat them. If I stalled for time, Lyel and Maria woulde. I was worried since I had no weapon, but I had brought a small knife to chop nuts. You can do anything to fight with this. The kobolds got here before any viger coulde running. Their mouth dropped open drooling and their tongues were hanging out . There were three kobolds. Then, there were two more kobolds were behind the three. The girl on the tree screamed at the closest kobold. Although the kobolds seemed to have noticed her, they did not have the means to get there. In other words, if you are stuck here, you cant destroy the vige anymore. I remembered my eyesight before and I lifted the edge of my mouth. At the same time the first kobold started its attack. With my current physical strength, I couldnt catch the kobold from the front, so I ran the knife along its neck while striking the side. But I couldnt cut its hard fur because my grip strength was weak. Still it seemed that it hadnte out unscathed; the kobold scowled in pain and howled. Respond to another one in the gap that frightened. When I hit the first kobold, I fought it in the direction away from another kobolds, so there was a dy before the others could attack. Using that gap, I swung the knife again. Again the attack couldnt cut through its fur. I could still stall for time. That was my present purpose. But there were five opponents. I was only one person. There was a limit to how much I could do, even though I said I could still stall for time. I was already being surrounded. I adjusted my positioning against the cherry tree so as to avoid a blind spot. The kobolds were also attacking and suffering an unexpected pain. Gurururu . One kobold raised a growl to intimidate. Even this time ofpare, I appreciate it. My limbs were already beginning to get tired beyond their limits. As it was, I wontst long. Although it is impossible, I have to stall for longer. Do not miss the one who lowered the position, kicking up the grass of the feet and crushing the sight. A deep grassy pond worked favorably for me. I would do my best to take on the kobold in the opposite corner during that gap. Breaking the enemys siege would help stall for time time, while waiting for reinforcement. But my thoughts crumbled away in an instant. I was too young to be able to defeat the kobolds with my small body. On the contrary I bounced back and rolled on the ground. The kobolds were not stupid enough to miss that gap. The kobolds surrounded and overwhelmed me preventing me from escaping. Chapter 12 A kobold sprang towards my fallen self. It looked the same as an upright dog. And that upright dog rushed at me, jaws wide open. At that moment, my vision was only filled with one thingkobold flesh. At this rate, I would be ripped apart and eaten, dying a horrible death. But, I had been drowned in life-and-death experiences. I was not some kid that could only shiver in fright and die. For my survival, I dodged. With my left foot, I kicked off the ground, and I punched at the forest soil with my left hand. At the same time, the right half of my body went under the kobold and escaped the entrapmentor thats what shouldve happened. Crack, and my arm lost its force. Slip, and my leg slid across the ground, doing nothing. The attack I should have dodged hit me right in the face. Given the situation, my stamina would get used up much faster than I expected. And because of my limbs slipping, the koboldnded the attack on me. The kobolds gaping jaws, jaws muchrger than mine, could easily snap off my neck in one bite. Thanks to me slipping, I just barely missed receiving a fatal wound, but that maw still took a huge bite out of my left shoulder. That kobold ate into my shoulder. Moist, disgusting eating sounds came from my flesh as it was being chewed up, all the way until the beast hit bone. And then, my bone begun emitting a horrible grinding noise as it was slowly being chiseled apart. That noise, that feeling, that painit eroded me. AAAAAAAAAGAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! In my previous life, I had felt this pain many times. With something like a kobolds bite, I used to be able to continue the fight, ignoring the bite. Even so, this body could notendure such pain. My child body seemed to not have any resistance to it. Even though my knife was my sole weapon, I let go and struggled wildly, limbs iling all over the ce. Nevertheless, my bitten left arm could not move. AAAAAAAA UWAAAAAAAaaaaaAaaaaa! I cried, I fought Yet, the kobold would not let go. The sound of wet, warm blood flowed from my arm. No, it gushed out. An artery was obviously punctured. My time left was short. As I epted my iing death, a rock was thrown to the kobolds back. It did not damage the beast at all. However, a second, a third rock was thrown. Yes, the children, huddling in the treetops were throwing these. W-Whyyyyy Let Nicole goooooooo! While screaming and yelling, they were throwing rocks with all their might. Gururuaaaaaaa! Kyaaaaaa! A girl was attacked by the kobold. She managed to not have her head chewed off by blocking the kobold with her arm like me. Whether it was a good idea or not, at least she avoided any fatal injuries. Even so, being pressured like that, her voice was soon stifled. Does this mean that shes dead? No, I will not allow that. In order to keep her life, I had to hang on to mine. And yet, are my efforts futile? No, am I just going to watch this girl die? That is unforgivableeee! GaAAaaaaa!! She might die at any time now. Therefore, I must save her now. If I cant even do that who am I for trying to be a hero? With my only movable arm, I pierced the kobolds right eye with my fingers. Gyap!? My fingers inside its eye socket, I pulled the kobolds head back. UAAAAaaaaa! GyaAARUURUUAAAAAaaaaaa!? My head was still swimming in the dizziness of the crash, but I had no time to worry about that. Fortunately, I could still move my legs. I could still save her. Let her go! One of the rocks that the girl threw to help me rolled over, so I picked it up and did the obvious. I used the stone in the same way the girl did, so I could help her. And again, it did the same amount of damage that it did when it was first thrown. I clung on the back of the beast attacking me and continued to aim at its eyes. Eyes are a soft spot in most living creatures, and the kobold is not an exception. A person attacking it from behind in such a vital area would be difficult to ignore. I ripped its mouth off my left arm and scratched at the kobold with my right. And in that moment of confusion, I rolled under it. That opened up a chance, and I took it. I swept at its legs, and it started to fall. Even with my meager strength, I was able to push the kobold off me as it fell. I looked over to the girl some ways apart from me. She was heavily bleeding and unconscious, but that was it. There were no apparent fatal wounds. However, this did not mean that we were all fine. The kobold is still very much alive. And carrying the girl to safety was impossible for this body. I had to wait this out. This situation is honestly hopeless. Itd be easy to escape alone. Naturally, that would mean leaving the girl behind. Well isnt this f*cked up. I cannot move my left arm. I have no weapons. I am greatly wounded. Even so, I cannot leave. Until helpes, I must protect the girl. Fighting is harder than dying, huh. I cant just fight. I cant just run. I have to hold my ground and keep fighting. Like thest battle I had before I died in my previous self. Come, you b*tch fucker! I yelled to steel my resolve. Chapter 13 Seeing the kobold half stained in blood, I felt disgusted. The kobold seemed to blink for a moment. Kobolds are among the lowest tier of monsters. Nevertheless rethinking, the kobolds surround me and prepare to attack.. Responding to their movements, I lower my posture. At that moment I attempted to distance myself, and a shadow jumps between us. What are you doing to my daughter! (Lyel) With a cry, there was a sh of silver light. With its overwhelming mass and destructive power, the light sent a kobold flying and crushed it into pieces. The back of that figure that is blocking me is the kind of hero i am to be. It was my current father, Lyel, who rushed here. Lye Dad? (Nicole) Are you okay, Nicole? (Lyel) Well, yeah behind you! (Nicole) The kobolds attacked Lyels back, he casually turned around. This is just a matter of course. There is no honorable retreat in battle. But there was a clear difference in ability between Lyel and the Kobolds, to the extent that it did not matter. Although the kobold bit his shoulder, he was fine seeing im still alive, he sighed a breath of relief. Then he grabbed the head of the kobold with his left hand and mmed it into the ground. The kobold which was thrown onto the soft ground, however, was crushed by the force exerted. Lyel was so strong that it did not matter. The kobold had its head crushed and breathed for thest time. When Lyel came, the kobolds finally realized their difference in ability. We watch as the kobolds start trying to flee all at once. Even so, the kobolds cannot be forgiven. Suddenly a wall of light surrounded the area and prevented the kobolds from escaping. I am familiar with this magic. The is Marias sacred magic cage, Holy Jail. This skill encloses the enemy in an energy field. She has no physical abilitypared Lyel, thus she enclosed the enemy with magic from a distance. She approached as usual, with arge smile, but she felt different from usual. When she saw the body dyed in blood, that smile became darker. However, it was filled with a great deal of murderous intent. Ma, mama (Nicole) Are you okay,Nicole? Wait a moment (Maria) With a single chant, Maria instanly activates magic and light attaches to me and the girl. Seeing that my wounds are closing, this is Marias healing magic. Her magic is activated faster than anyone, due to the gift of high speed chanting. Only three kobolds left, yes? (Maria) Yup (Nicole) Well then, please take care of it. (Maria) Oh, lets torture the dog who bit my daughter firmly in hell (Lyel) Grasping his sword with both hands, ge gives it a swing. That alone split the grasnd, the ground below was bare. A swing to clearly demonstrate the power of Lyels sword. Ga Garru - (dog noises) Wa~u kyaun (dog noises) The surviving kobolds held their tails between their legs and their hair was standing on end. Of course, Lyel cannot forgive them even if they show such a figure. He raises a shout that equivnt to aroar and shed them, knoking them down and trampling them. That figure is exactly that of a demon. It was what Im unable to achieve the valiant figure of a hero. When I see this, I ponder. In order to reach such figure, I would still have to train. It is impossible with my own strength. I was totally trained in the ways of an assasin in my past life. But that was not what I wanted. That figure of Lyel is the figure of a hero I want to be. As a matter of fact, I will start by studying from him. An idea came to me, and I was able to get it out of my mind. Immediately after that, my visibility started to fade. The wound has already been cured by Mary. Whatever ? Ah, Nicole Because healing magic is fundamental, it is unable to recover blood loss, so please rest properly for now. (Maria) why (Nicole) When you forcibly regenerate your organs, there are cases in which bad things can happen in various ways, so you have to recover yourself as much as you can (Maria) Where I heard that, my consciousness shut off steadily. When I woke up, I was being brought to my room. Lyel was there by my side, but there was no figure of Mary. And I cannot see the figure of that girl. Were you awake, Nicole? (Lyel) Papa (Nicole) Maria is very spartan, I wish she could have used regeneration magic. (lyel) Reneration is the highest grade of healing magic that will heal all injuries. If this is done, even lost blood can be recovered. However, Maria tended to apply only the minimum necessary healing techniques and rmend self healing. This is because if there was some misalignment in the healed part and the surrounding parts as a result of excessive healing magic, certain problems would arise. But she cured it properly, she cannot possibly go wrong. (Nicole) Maria never abandons an injured person. Closable wounds cured properly until the end. She refrains from regeneration as it is safer. Of course, I know Lyel well. It is unusual for him toin about Mary because his beloved daughter is injured. Oh, I know that, I do not me Mama. (Lyel) Yeah, thats right, Papa, I have a favor to ask of you. (Nicole) I try to break out my sure kill technique, upturned eyes that I fully practiced in thest three years. Sure enough, the effect is outstanding. Lyel fell as quickly as possible. Anything! If you tell Papa, Nicole, you can ask me anything! (Lyel) To the daughter who has an unusual request, Lyel answered immediately in vain. Since he is ready, I present my request. Although I was a little mean, I said so without losing any of my excitement. Can you teach me how to use the sword? (Nicole) In response to my request, Lyel seemed as though a pigeon shot by a peashooter. Chapter 14 One of the ultimate techniques I have learnt in this body, that is to face Lyel with upturned eyes. Lyel looked down at me with a troubled expression. That request I can not fulfil you (Lyel) Why? Why wont Papa listen to my request? (Nicole) I raised my body into a sitting position, while Lyel rests a firm palm on my head. Its hardness is also a proof of constant daily training. Nicole is still small, and do not have physical strength. Furthermore your body is still weak, it is difficult to learn swords in such a condition. It is as Lyel said, my body is weak, without sufficient stamina or strength. Thus Lyel hesitates to teach me swordsmanship. Needless to say, that concern is valid. It is not possible for this body to even lift a sword. Even if I lifted it, I cannot hold it steady. In other words, I was not even qualified to stand at the entrance to the art of swordsmanship. No matter what? (Nicole) Well In any state where the body has not grown, I will not teach you. But, once you are five years old, your hands and legs may grow and you may be able to swing a sword, so until then, Nicole can exert your strength. (Lyel) Two more years I understand! (Nicole) As fast as I wanted to learn the sword, but if I rush and break my body I have neither the origin nor the result. Just as Lyel says, I should build up my strentgh. Later, Mama is going to lecture you about the reckless thing that you did. She is scary when she is angry. (Lyel) Mama is angry? (Nicole) She already is. For sure there will be a crash of thunder and lightning toe. (Lyel) Ugeh. (Nicole) Lyel tells me so with a frown. Marias smile when she is angry gives off many chills, and of this I am familiar in my previous life. It was when I peeped into the womens bath with Lyel, her anger transcending another level Incidentally, the mission failed due to the defense of Cortinas steel wall. That cat-eared guard youll see someday. I will go check on Michelle-chans condition now, I will be backter. (Lyel) Michelle-chan? (Nicole) NIcole risked her life to save that girl. Although it is no good to be unreasonable, I will praise you only for saving that girl. (Lyel) By the way, I have not even introduced myself to that girl. Did you say Michelle-chan? Any scars. no problem? (Michelle) In no way would Maria do a bad job, leaving scars on Nicole. (Lyel) Of course, Michelle-chan. (Nicole) Oh, Im fine, because Maria was there. (Michelle) That child is still girl for the time being. It will be sad to leave scars at this age. If it can be cured by Marias healing magic, there is nothing better than this. When I breathed a sigh of relief, the door of the room was knocked conservatively. Maria looks in from the narrow opening. Oh, Nicole has already woken up. (Maria) Yeah. Thanks for healing my wounds. (Nicole) You are wee. How are you doing? (Maria) All okay, there is not a single painful ce, none at all. (Nicole) I lifted both hands and showed a gut pose. My left arm, which had been bitten, moves without problems. It is thanks to the sacred magic of Maria. Okay, now I can preach you without hesitation. (Maria) Maria said so with a bright smile. Words cannot describe it, but there is most certainly a force in the background. I can only reply with a nod. A few dayster. Both I and Michelle-chan were recovering without any scars. Safely we introduced each other and held hands. My first friend ever since i was reborn in this body. But I did not get to y with her. We are already 3 years old. In other words, it was time for the ceremony of baptism. It is a ritual for the vige children. No special preparations are necessary. Still, there was a custom of dressing up, somewhat dressing up for presentation. So, I think that this dress will suit Nicole. (Maria) No, Maria, Nicole is not strong and Im sick, costly costumes wont do. So how about this China style outfit (Lyel) No, No, her chest will be seen if she raises her hands. (Maria) Surely there arent people who care about that as they are still children? (Lyel) No, I usually wear shirt and pants (Nicole) No good! (Maria/Lyel) Costume matching was as if done almost every day. I think that it is stressful for kids to be unable to y, but parents definitely are going to continue losing control. Even though I wanted to train my body as soon as possible, it has to be restricted. This continued for several days, and then the time for the ceremony of baptism arrived. Chapter 15 The baptism ceremony is held at the local church, where a magic formation is used to identify each individuals gifts. Since there once was a problem of privacy, the gift can only be known by the specific individual. However, it is basic to identify gifts at three years old. Gifted children would report to their respective parents with glee. The highest priest in the local church, will make a speech on future choices avable. In the vige church, Maria is the highest priest, thus she will make the speech. I was listening to the speech with the vige children in the square in front of the church. With the help of this magic circle, if you are blessed by God, you would be able to recognize your individual gifts. (Maria) Gifts are at most only present in one out of a hundred people. Among this small group of children, there would at most have only one gifted child. Still, this ritual is performed to expand the potential of the children, and to confirm the strength of those who are gifted. Judging from the size of the mage circle, there is about five candidates here today. There is only a few children this year. With this number there is little possibility that gifted children will be found. Sure enough, there seems to be no children in the first few groups who are gifted. And finally its my turn no, its me and Michelles turn. Maria forced a frilly dress with ribbons on me. This is just one of the reasons why I will never mention my past as Reid. The hem of my dress rustled as I step forward to face the mage group. My gifts in my previous life were thread maniption and stealth. I do not know whether these gifts are inherited, but I was good at averting my eyes. Besides, although I can feel the flow of magic power from half a year old, it would be useless if I had no element affinity. At the end when I entered among the magic formation, Maria starts chanting magic. Three words appeared in my mind in response to the magic. That is, thread maniption, stealth and inteference magic system. There are several magic systems in this world. There are elemental based magic including four major attributes like Maxwell, or holy magic based on faith like Mary. Other spiritual attribute magic includes necromancy, and the priest who killed me used demon summoning magic. The interference magic that I had is magic that mainly maniptes matter. It is a magic that can strengthen the power of weapons temporarily and can also strengthen armor. Of course there are things that are merely called magic, there are things that have a terrible effect that kicks outmon sense if it is extremely, but only those who have talent to exercise magic in addition to this magical qualities can reach that area. I seem to be able to use magic better than an ordinary person, but it will be said that we need considerable training to reach that area. Compared to my previous life, the number of gifts i had increased by oneperhaps it is the [service] that god gave? When I looked at Michelle-chan, her eyes were sparkling. Did you get something, Michelle-chan? (Nicole) Yeah, marksmanship! Without considering the risks of saying so, she blurted the name of her gift. Come to think of it, she threw a stone urately at the kobold in the previous encounter. That uracy may be due to her gift. Well, you should not tell your father about your gift. Huh? Why? The gift of Marksmanship is too strong. Her stone-throwing was good. Markmanship probably involves all acts ofunching a projectile. In other words, other than stone-throwing, her gift would also apply to using bows and crossbows, including castle-destroying ballistas. It is a gift for attacking enemies from long distances. If such things are made known, the country will not let her go. If so, she will never be able to obtain a normal childhood. There is no doubt the country will force training, until the extent of vomiting blood. Of course, it is not possible to hide it forever, but it would be best for her to be able to continue leading a normal life with her parents. I see. Then lets keep it as a secret! (Nicole) Yes, I promise! (Michelle) Yeah, promise! (Nicole) Michelle and I made a finger promise. Because it is something done by a three-year-old, it may not be reliable, but at least it will gain me some time. Meanwhile, Ill make Maria and Lyel do something to protect her. At dinner , Maria asked me about my gifts. I have inherited the gifts from my previous life, having three gifts, in a sense it can be said to be out of the norm. Particrly, these two people know me in my previous life. There is a possibility that they will know my actual identity based on abination of the gifts of stealth and thread maniption. As such, I cannot tell them about these two gifts. The problem is the gift of interference attribute magic. This magic has many qualities, and it ismon in the magic system. Therefore, even if I tell them, it will not be too risky. Rather, they would provide optimal education and protect me. Hey, Nicole did you get any gifts? (Lyel) You, I told you to stay silent! (Maria) Maria reproaches Lyel unusually sharply. There is a narrow chance of getting a gift. However, being the daughter of the heroes, there is naturally a high expectation. Thats why Maria reproached Lyel, thinking that I did not have a gift. Yup, interference attribute magic (Nicole) Oh, thats good, Nicole (Lyel) Interference magic huh? I do not know much about it, but Maxwell is familiar with it. (Maria) He is also the leader of the country of the elves, I will not go on to stay long in the northern part. (Lyel) Would you rather I visit with Nicole? (Maria) That magic addict? If a excellent disciple is found, you may not be able toe back. (Lyel) If I remember Maxwell correctly, it is entirely possible. However, there are things that I have to say. Besides that, regarding Michelle-chan (Nicole) Well, what happened to her? (Lyel) She got the gift of marksmanship. Its amazing, is it not? (Nicole) I told them that as innocently as i could. Her parents will definitely give in to those in power. But if these two protect her, there should be no one who would try to seperate her from her parents. Because any of the heroes are able to match the strength of an army. Marksmanship that is amazing. (Lyel) Its a skill that can unterally attack from a long distance, the nobles definitely wont stay silent if they know this. (Maria) It would be cruel to seperate her from her parents at this age. (Lyel) What will you do, hide it? (Maria) . Yes, but it will be known after some time. By then, she should be able to defend for herself. (Lyel) Well (Maria) Oh, Nicole also said that she wanted me to teach her swordsmanship, lets train them together. (Lyel) Well, that should be fine. (Maria) Maria also knows that Michelle and I are on good terms. It would be more encouraging to train alongside friends rather than do it alone. Thus, I began my physical training under the guidance of Lyel. Chapter 16 TL: Yuki From here I will be 5 years old. _________________________________________________ Two years have passed since the baptismal ceremony and the examination of Gifts. Meanwhile, Michelle who was under the protection of Lyell was doing her best improving her physical strength. No matter how valuable a gift a person would be holding, there would be no nobles who would dare try to underhandedly take away those who are under the protection of the Heroes, and because of our calm days continued. And that girl also became my best friend and rival, and we were even havingpetitions during our daily training, and because of that we were able to easily achieve good results. Then two years have passed since then, I am now finally 5 years old. I will now finally start learning swordsmanship from Lyell. Me and Michelle is now in the courtyard of our mansion, and there were also a few children from the vige that entered the training for swordsmanship. The first thing you have to make sure is to keep your grip on the sword. The main role of a vanguard is not to defeat the enemy but to stall them and make sure they stay put While listening to Lyells lecture, children started lifting their swords. I also tried to follow it but- Fuuunnnuuuu-gununununu!! In my hand is the two handed sword that Ive longed for. But the one we use are smaller which was made for children. Despite saying that its a two-handed sword, the actual size is only as big as a normal one-handed one, and because it was made to be a pseudo two-handed sword, its handle is much longer than a normal one handed one. That also includes its weight which is only a little heavier than a one handed sword Was it a bit too heavy for you Nicole? Nyow-ish not, I can handle thish[TL: Strugling so the way she talks slurred] Despite training my body with everything Ive got, it seems like my strength barely increased. Its not totally useless, because it did increase my stamina and endurance. But this seems to be more inclined to Marias than Lyell. Still, I wont give up. I cant just give up, I dont especially want to, in front of my former Rival. My hands were terribly trembling as I force myself to lift the sword with everything Ive got, and was slowly able to lift it up. Ha, how isit! Oooh, Amazing, amazing. You have guts Nicole Fufu~nn~ It is really something that I wanted to boast off and be proud of, but if I got distracted the sword will easily fall down in front of me with ease. By the way, Michelle-chan easily swings her sword which was also the same size as mine. Well then, first of all, we will start with the basics. Dont thing about anything else for now. Just lift it up and swing it straight down This is the basis of all downward swing. Instead of thinking about other things like where to sh, we just now focus on lifting it up and swinging it down continuously. In this process, we will be able to exercise our muscle strength needed to swing the sword. The other kids were also swinging it happily although its their first time having a sword practice. Uooooohh!! I lifted it up high over my back, but I only got dragged down along with it when I lifted it over my head. When the surrounding children saw it, everyone was pointing fingers at me. I didnt really want anyone to see that, my blunder. Nicole, are you OK? Un, yeah, Im fine When she saw me fell down, Michelle-chan immediately stopped her own swing and came towards me. She truly is a nice friend, the nicest one you could ever have in this world. I rose up in order to show her that Im fine, and then I held my sword once more. Probably feeling relieved after looking over me, Michelle went back and returned to her stance. Nicole, dont push yourself too much, its because your body is not of the strong type Hai, Im fine! I was probably also influenced by the condition of my body in my previous life, thats why my physical strength didnt really develop well just like before. And it seems like my body condition from before is being reflected in my current training. However, my goal is to be a strong Hero, I wont sumb to frustrations from here on. Its still too early. But well, even though the strong determination is there, the muscle growth doesnt follow. I am able to lift it, but when I bring it over my head, I always got dragged down. I tried using my weight and bnce to lift it and slowly bring it behind, but the results were also futile, and I was dragged down once more. Gyaaa Nicole, I think its much better for you to use a light Lyell tried offering me something else out of pity towards me who was struggling like a frog trying to jump out of a well. But I wont ept your pity, not by you, never. No, Im fine, this is OK No, but you are I am fine with this! I became emotional, I also cried, but I still stood up. Then, I wielded the sword once more and tried to swing with everything Ive got. Then suddenly I felt that my arms were as light as air. Ugyaa!! At the same time I heard a strange scream. I then saw the sword used for training stuck on the ground behind him. No, it was more like the sword flew passing close to face almost hitting it and then got stuck behind him. And that feeling of weightlessness was because the sword literally disappeared from my hand. Nicole You have to switch to a lighter sword after all But I No, you are switching, do you understand? Hai Chapter 17 TL: Yuki _________________________________________________ It was two hours of training before everyone disbanded. It seems short, but its not good for children to be too be trained more than this and it will just be dangerous, because at this point, both their concentration and physical strength would start to rapidly decrease. Although its just meant for training, it is still a weapon that should be carefully handled. If they lose concentration and begin ying around, an ident might just ur. After the training, I was told to take a bath to wash off the sweat and am now being washed by Finia. Although Im starting to get used to it, it is still embarrassing for me to be washed by a beautiful girl at her age. With that being the case, they still consider that it would be dangerous for children my age to be left alone to take a bath. From before until before this, it was Maria who actually takes care of me, but at those times, I really insisted that I wanted to go alone. No, you see, about that I was being crushed by feelings of guilt, thats why I insisted so much to do so. As a result, it decided that Maria wouldnt bath with me anymore, but it was dangerous to leave a child taking a bath alone. And then, it was decided that I will be taken care of by Finia, and thats how the current situation hase to be. Well, I might probably get used to something like this someday. I immediately fixed my hair up, then gently rubbed soap on a towel and rubbed it on my hands and feet. My arms that kept on swinging the sword for two hours was so tired that they were starting to painfully convulge. Nicole-ojousama, isnt it a little too early for you to start practicing swordsmanship? But they said it was fine for me to start at five, LyeDaddy said so Is what I replied to her while saying it in a childish tone. Mastering the sword was one of my ambitions. In the end, what the image of a Hero should be is one who wields a sword just like Lyell, I wonder if it really is impossible. But the training to attain that wont really be a waste. From my point of view, I think Nicole-ojousama is more suited to magic than swordsmanship though? Didnt you have gifts suited for magic? Certainly, judging based on aptitude, my attribute is certainly morepatible with magic. I do understand that but I dont want to admit it, and so I diverted the conversation to something else. First of all, lets see if there are things she would like to ask. This might just be the right opportunity to do so. I understand that but I would like to give it a try and do my best that to give up, but more than that, I would like to know why Finia ended up working here though? To this house, isnt it? She has been working in this ce since she was young, and yet Ive never really seen her receiving any form of sry. Maria and Lyell despite their titles wouldnt also be shameless enough to hire someone without giving them a proper sry. Her existence here is still a mystery to me. Well, you see. I have an obligation towards the two of them Obligation? Yes. It I was the reason that one of theirrades died in battle That story is a first for me to hear. No, with those lines, I could recall something. Thatrade, wouldnt that be me. 15 years ago, Lyell retired from being an adventurer and applied as a vige guard, and Maria who was a priestess had only done the job of an educator, teaching children how to read and write while helping at the church. After that dissolution of the party, they wouldnt be able to be calledrades in arms anymore. Right, it was from that 15 years ago Listening to her words as she continues to speak, I was definitely convinced. It was exactly that 15 years ago that I died. The orphanage I was at was managed by the state. However, the priest managing that orphanage used his position in order to prepare for a demon summoning E, Eh The confirmation was then transformed into an unpleasant premonition. I am very sure now that it was the exact time when I died. In other words, Finia was one of the children that got tangled up in that case. She still currently look like shes around early tote teen, but this is due to her characteristics as an elf. Elves would grow at the same time as humans would until they reach 15, then from that point they would slowly age and grow until they look like in their 20s and then stop aging in looks from that point on. And normally, they have a lifespan of over 500 years. In other words, Finia who currently looks like a young teen was probably aged at around 5-10 years old at that time. The n of that evil priest was initialized, and they were able to sessfully summon a demon. Everyone was so scared at that time and wasnt able to move from too much fear, some manage to try and attempted to escape only to be ughtered by the demon that appeared from the summoning No, that is Its fine, you dont have to be afraid about it anymore. The demon was sessfully defeated Well, what I want to say was different but Finia probably assumed that I was scared. The children were so afraid and couldnt move because they were too intimidated by the demons ability. The only ones who were able to move in that situation was only me who got abilities of a Hero, and Cortina who was mypanion. Or rather, that girl who to over me after the battle started was more abnormal. Nn? In a moment, memories from my past made a shback. There was a wounded girl crying, and her face of that girl that I saw at that moment ovepped with Finia. Then Finia hugged me from behind. But then although just a coincidence, Reid-sama came Reid It was definitely me from my previous life. And that crying girl I found was actually Finia. He instructed us that he would be facing that demon alone, then instructed the other to flee while they can Hee, Heee He should have been able to flee and left us behind, but instead he stood up against the demon all by himself. At that moment, he had the figure of a Hero who would be able to defeat that Evil Dragon. Well, all I could say is that, at that time, I had no other choice than to do that. So for her to praise me so much was just misced worship. Actually, I only had about 30% chances to defeat that guy even if Cortina and the others who were there are included. At the same time, if we lose that match, then all of the children would be killed. On the other hand, even if Lyell or Gadius would havee they might have been overwhelmed and be caught in a surprise attack from such a demon suddenly appearing. Thats why someone needs to be left behind in order to hold it off. But, even with a huge disadvantage at that time Reid-sama still tried his best to hold it off in order to protect us who were escaping. And who should have been the who was killed during that fight was saved and in exchange it was Reid-sama who died. I wanted to argure with her biased opinion, but well I couldnt really do so. No to mention, to this girl who was hugging me naked from behind, how would she react if I suddenly say that In truth, I am Reid and was reincarnated in this body. Yo I we only have immediately escaped that ce, then Reid-sam might have survived. It was our fault that Reid-sama died so as atonement for that, I approached Lyell-sama who was Reid-samas friend. Because it was our fault that Lyell-samas friend died No, you see, about that This is a responsibility for me towards Lyell-sama. Thats why Im currently here serving in this house and those people. But I havent really done anything much for them inparison Her background that she spoke of was really heavy, but she only showed me a teehee face to wash it all off. Despite being an inexperienced babysitter, she was definitely doing her best in ways that she can do with great tension, but all of that was definitely not her fault. And that determination of hers, it was me who the cause. Somehow, it was quite heart rendering for me. But, but stillI didnt think that something like that should be a reason not to receive sry Nicole-ojousama sure is kind. But that is something I imposed on my own. I not getting a sry is for my own atonement. Maria-sama would also sometimes try and give me some allowance though, or more like forces to I would really like to apologize, that would have been quite awful for Finia. Ah, this is no good. Any more than this and my character might actually pop out, and its a fact that I cant disclose my current being yet. Right now, I could only bear all the shame making my face turn red. bu, butthe other children should have been living normally right? Certainly, I also cannot deny that Im the only one thinking that much of Reid-sama Maybe, just maybe, were you actually attracted to him? I asked that in order to flush away this heavy air. There was also the intention of joking around. But UmThat, that might probably be the case What came back was actually quite a positive answer. Chapter 18 TL: Yuki _________________________________________________ A few days have passed since Finias Confession. As for me, I dont really feel bad being favored by such a beautiful girl. But that is assuming that it was not the me in this body. To honest, the current Me is much more adorable than Finia. Having a bluish silver hair and different colored eyes that gives off a mysterious atmosphere, plus the frail structurethat I inherited probably from my previous life, giving off a feeling as if I would break if touched. With slender limbs that stimtes a persons protective nature, and a face that closely resembles Maria showing her future prospects to be great. Because I only had average looks as a person on my previous life, my present appearance somehow gives me a different sense of achievement and confusion at the same time. It is also slightly a fact that my current look is actually what an Ideal woman would look like for Reid. In this way, its another reason for me not to tell anyone that I am indeed that person. Then one day, while I was living my peaceful daily life while subconsciously paying attention to Finias gaze, a strange event happened The day that Lyell returned home, he was showing a really disgusted face. But the moment I and Maria greeted him, he quickly reverted it and showed a smiling face, but soon enough returned to the extremely annoyed look. That situation continued even until meal time, and Finia who was taking care of our meal fell in a slump. Due to his good nature and mild personality, Lyell, whom I have known since my previous life, rarely shows such an expression. No matter how badly he is treated, he would either pass it with a smile or lookpletely depressed. Its very obvious right now that hes in a really bad mood. Then Maria asked Lyell as to why he was acting that way to know the situation. Darling. What happened today? You seem to be really upset about something Nn? Ahh was it showing on my face? Yeah, it really do Sorry about that. Its just that, a little unpleasant deal came upAh, wait, you are also not a stranger to this Hmm? When he says that Maria is also involved, is this something that involves the whole family? While I was thinking about that, Lyell continues. Today you see, the King contacted me From the Capital? You mean the now King, Prince Elliot? Yeah. He was already crowned now as King. So you also have to address him properly I suppose Well, thats right That King you see, is going to be 20 years old soon. And with that, the question of who to be the future queen have been raised At the time that Ive died, Prince Eliot was just born from the Royal Family and was a little younger than Finia. After hearing that hes now 20 years old, it made me felt intrigued by something. A queen huh, certainly with how the kingdom was devastated before, it will have a great meaning to have a sessor. In any case, they wouldnt know when they will be attacked by monsters. So given the danger, they want to immediately raise a sessor in the worst case. And for the first choice, he decided as queen Un Seems like he took a liking to Nicole Buuffoo!!?? I was kind of pretending that I didnt understand the situation, and I was happily eating soup, but then my name was suddenly called out and nothing more but a burst of soup came out of my mouth from reacting to that. What, queen candidate? Me? Is he serious? Yeah. Even I doubted my sanity when I heard the news It seems like Lyell has already protested against it, but at the same time felt remorse for doing so. But their reply seems to disagree and want to go into it. One month ago, there was a time when I boated to everyone about Nicole and showed them a picture of her, and at that time, it seems that it caught his interest Is the current king, A pedo? No, its not that He says that it was Nicoles eyes which were mystifying that caught his attention because of the different colors it have Listening to all of that, Maria made a full swing of her hands. I could certainly understand if its A characteristic not normally found for people to be attracted to it. But they also have to consider that the one they are dealing with havent even reached the right age. Not only with that rare temperament thates along with it, but it was also a non-standard person born out of two heroes. Since Nicole is about to reach 15, we could say that hes a little too old but also not far too old. It could also be said that the difference could be bnced after reaching the proper age in ten or so years. Thats just being ridiculous I agree Maybe because of understanding it, Marias tone seems to be getting a little ticked off more than usual. This is only a premonition of what terror awaits. They wanted to take away are angel is it, from us then, should we destroy a country for now? Yup, Im good to go if you are No, please dont you two! Please return to sanity, Maria-san Lyell-san!! The two people just muttered something really dangerous, and Finia hurriedly try to calm them down. Do your best, because if its for me, then this two would definitely do something that insane. Urg, it would also hurt my conscience if they so. But you know Finia. If you let them take Nicole away, then you wont be able to see her anymore, you know? Eh, ah, but It is true that Nicole didnt seed in any Noble position, but there are our achievement that is to be considered If you are able to take Nicole under you, then you could also say that you could have a really solid credibility Certainly, if you are able to take the daughter of the two Heroes who saved the kingdom as your wife, then there will definitely be few nobles who would dare to oppose you. After all, Lyell is a hero that could rival even a whole army alone, Maria also is in the same situation. There would definitely be expectations for me, their daughter, and even without that, it is still true that I could solidify the have connection to the two of them. Its not only that. There were other problems too What is it? Its about Michelles gift. They were somehow able to sniff it. They were even offering to be Nicoles aide About that, is it Maria sighed unenergetically. It is indeed and exceptional offer for Michelle. Although she possesses an excellent gift, she was nothing more than amoner. It was such an impossible story for amoner to be assigned as a Royal Princesss aide. This is of coirse only on the front, and she will probably be used as a secret force, or maybe be assigned as Royal Guard. Still, she wasmoner from a frontier vige, it would be better for her to continue living just as a normal viger. Or more likely, they were probably searching for people with valuable gifts to use as soldiers. If that is the case, then that child would be nothing more than a soldier. With that in mind, it wouldnt be a bad offer for her. But it would still be leading to giving up Nicole With that, it will definitely involve you in the countrys power struggle. That will indeed definitely be the case I am against it I am against it too The two people concluded their agreement that they will definitely do something about it. The topic for dinner has been a hot topic for a moment but had now seemed to cool down. Chapter 19 TL: Yuki _________________________________________________ The two of them continued eating their food while frowning. The two of them seems to trying to think of a better Idea to deal with this. Also, as the main party rted to this, I just couldnt pretend to be someone uninvolved. I guess. I wonder if theres is no choice but to make those two go abroad Abroad? Yes. Fortunately enough, Nicole has talent in Interference Magic right? And that we have acquaintances that are known to be the best in the field of magic, and they will also be the best teachers. Are you talking about Maxell and Cortina? Yeah But, doesnt that also mean that Nicole have to leave our side Maxwell is a heavyweight from the Country of Elves surrounded by arge forest in the western area of the continent. And at the same time, he is also running a Magic School over there. It would certainly be great to receive the teachings of someone who was known as the greatest magician in the world, but it a ce very far away from here. Working as a guard for this vige alone, Lyell just cant easily leave for his own convenience. The same thing goes for Maria. We also want to confirm your intentions regarding this Well. What do you think, Nicole? Do you want to go and learn magic from Maxwell? Well, About that If it was only me, then learning magic is definitely one of my aspired goals. First is to be a Swordsman, second is a Magic swordsman. And unfortunately, this body wont be able to handle the first one. However, magic can be used as supplementary to weakness, so the path to being a swordsman is still open and wont be a dream. And two of the highest legendary figures in terms of magic, Cortina-san and Maxwell-san will be teaching there. In regards to Cortina, although could only be ranked half as a magician, but her speed of invocation and scope of variety in the application of Arts are of no equal. And Maxwell is also known as the best Magician in the world without even anyone to match. If it was to be able to learn from these two, there will be many magicians scrambling to apply no matter how much the price they need to pay. And I have people who could give me the prevge to do just that. But I cant just answer them immediately. A decision like that shouldnt be something left to a 5 year old child. Such decisions actually cannot be decided by just openly epting it, so this time I will leave it to my parents. Hmm? And so, I leaned my head to the side trying to look as if Im really thinking about it. Seeing me like that, Lyell runs towards me at a terrible speed, and then violently assaulted me by rubbing his beard on my cheeks. Gyaaa! Ahhh, nooo, I dont want to end up separated from Nicole!I will be sure to stay with you forever! Darling, arent just being sly? Maria also moves to my other side, and then embraces me. Maria aside, having Lyell brush his beard on my cheeks is just in annoying and awkward. My body instinctively stiffened and goose bumps are starting to pop out. LetGoOfMe! Hahahaha, why so awkward! Funnnnuuu!? I pushed Lyell away with everything Ive got, butparing our basic stats would make it look like a baby fighting a dragon. My resistance was pretty much useless, and the rubbing assault continued. Fine!Ill go!Ill go and stay at that ce! Eh, why! Well, isnt that your fault doing crazy things like that to Nicole It was my fault!? In this way, it was decided that I will be going to Maxwells ce to study Magic. However, I will need to be at least 7 years old in order to enroll in Raum. Two more years are needed to enter. If its only that amount of time, then we can safely escape the request of the Royal Family, is what Lyell thought of. But even though my training has already been decided, I still need to confirm things with Michelle. And so, on the next day, I came to visit Michelles home and invited her to join my training. Lyell and Maria also followed to persuade her parents. My role is to persuade her to join me. Right now, Im in her room trying to persuade her. Ne? do you want to go with me to Raum? Raum is the Elf Country right? Is Nicole-chan going there? Un. Ill be going there to study Magic Well, I cant really go on my own. AS a precaution, Finia will being along as my guardian. Also in Raums school, there is a facility which fosters adventurers. She should only be able to study basic shooting techniques over there. Thats because she too would be someone who would get involve in difficult things if she continued staying in this country. But mom and dad cante together with me There is a dormitory in Raum. We will probably be living together there with Finia Hmm, but As expected, this would be the legitimate reply of a typical 5 years old. Michelle-chan is having difficulty on what to do. But I cant back out in this too. It is already of certainty that I will be studying abroad. Theres also the situation that if shee back after being trained, she will definitely be recruited, is a situation that would likely happen. She is my first friend in this new life. I want to avoid the worst situation to happen to her. ButBut um Not able to decide on what to do, tears were starting to form on Michelle-chans eyes. Despite having abat based gift, she is just a very timid child. As long as this innocence is present, it will really be a concern if she was to be used in war. We will being, Michelle The thick voice of a man broke in our conversation. From the entrance of her room, Michelles father and Lyell came in. Eh, but You dont have to worry about it, you know? You wont be going alone Umu. Lyell-san has firmly persuaded us the Michelle has to study there. And because we cant just let children go there on their own we will too also being along Really!? Michelle-chan finally shows a convinced face, but wont this really be bad for them financially. Her father turned to me who was showing a worried look and smiled realizing what I was worried about. We will be getting financial support from Lyell-san. I am also tasked to watch over you Franco is a hunter, as long as there are forests around, he could live Maria, who moved from behind Michelles father Franco, shows herself supplementing about details. If its about that, then he could certainly make a living by hunting around the area. Especially since the country of Elves is surrounded by forests, and he would definitely be able to make use of his skills. When thinking about being able to travel with her parents, Michelle-chan who was sad suddenly became filled with joy. Well, it doesnt mean that we will be leaving immediately though. We still need to train and learn about the basics of what will be needed precisely in the next two years. Still, we wont really be forcing her if she were to decide what she would choose in the future with her own will. Chapter 20 TL: Yuki _________________________________________________ The prospects for the future have been prepared but first. It would be two yearster, that my entry for the Magic Academy have been decided in the Kingdom of Raum. I have a gift for interference magic. This belongs to the so-called support magic group, and is a system which mainly focuses on the weakening or strengthening of attack, strengthening the weaknesses or reduction of defense. There isnt any strong magic included in the system, and the time duration wouldst from a few minutes to a whole day at most, so its not really that reliable. The benefit is that its an easy to use system that can be used by a user with a small amount of mana. That is what mainly the interference system is. Thats why you shouldnt consider that as useless magic. In a one on one fight, the effects of this magic system could be a fine line between life and death, and the higher its level the more prominent the effect will be. Maria, who was standing in a teaching tform, exined it enthusiastically. We are currently in one of the free rooms in our house where we are being taught about sorcery. She is not as proficient as the teachers in the magic school, but she knows and teaches us the basics and we are also taught in the Adventurer School how to be proper adventurers, where the head of that institute is Maxwell-sans nephew, which also teaches magic. Is that so? Michelle would have great benefits from this system you know? It is possible for Nicole to strengthen Michelles bow, at the same timebine it with weakening enemies making it easier to defeat them Thats amazing! I want to do it with Nicole-chan! Swinging her arms in excitement, Michelle-chan energetically asserts her enthusiasm, and with this I will definitely have to do my best to master Interference Magic. I am now able to sense magic, but its still not in the stage where I could effectively use it. But Mama Were in a lesson so call me Sensei, Nicole She was poking my forehead as she corrected me. She would change like this during times like this. Strangely enough, our skinship levels drop during times like this to the point where we are only like we were familiar with each other. She is in a position known as Healer from the rear guard, and it was quite unusual for someone like her to take the lead in guiding others. Sensei~, if we can only improve our basic skills, wont there be that much of an effect? Thats a good point there, Nicole. But you see, there are wide variety things we can think of in terms of Interference. Some of them are things that could even interfere with the very existence of the target Existence of the target? Yes, for example, an interference which can transform you into a monster Monster!? I was utterly surprised. I have seen Maxwell using that system too, but I have never seen or heard of him transforming into a monster. And then Maria continued. Of course you cant just transform into anything other than those you know of. Those I know of I see, if its transforming into something Im familiar with. Then theres one I am most familiar of in the world, and that is Turn into ReidIs it possible? Reid? Ah, the one you heard from Finia. An old friend of your mom Eh, hmmm. Maybe possible Though I identally blurted it out, the possibility did exist. Though I ended up in a womans body, there was actually a chance for me to turn back into a man for a bit. , Transformation Magic, I also want to know about it! That is very difficult, you know? Its one of the highest tier in terms of Interference Magic But I will do it! Um, how long does it usuallyst? Well, since that magic creates a lot of burden for the body, it seems that the effective time isnt really that long. At most, it would probably reach for about a day I guess? A day long! In other words, I could return to my old self for about a day, it also doesnt mean that I have to stay like that for the whole day. That would basically be returning to my former self. Hai hai. Anyways, lets return to the topic now. First we will be learning how to sense magic from within the body pping her hands to get our attention, Maria returns the lesson to the basics of Magic Theory. But my excitement still havent calmed down. With my current body, I wont be able to use proper sword techniques nor use heavy swords. However, if I were to learn sword techniques using Lyells sword techniques with Reids body I might probably be able to reach the height that I have dreamed of. After a while, I was able to learn how to detect magic, then after that were long time consuming training, and I did my best to be able sessfully cast magic. Maria was also pleased by the speed results, and then we were talking about various things regarding the lessons, and after confirming, it was decided for me to move to the next phase. By the way, Michelle-chan wasnt able to immediately learn how to detect magic, so it was decided that I would be moving to the next phase first. Chapter 21 TL: Yuki _________________________________________________ The next day, Maria went out of the courtyard of the mansion and instructed Michelle-chan to shoot arrows on a target board. Michelle-chan though tilting her head in confusion, still followed Marias instructions. She stretched the string of her small hunting bow created for little girls nocking an arrow on the string and stared on the target with a serious look and released it. Despite theck of power the arrow flew over the mountain area, and though not hitting the bulls-eye it was able to hit the lower area of the target. Hou, It sure is amazing that you could reach such a long distance at this age. As expected of someone who has a Marksmanship Gift Ehehehe~ Maria, after patting Michelle-chans head and praising her, took us to the target in order to confirm the results. The arrow that hit slightly off the bulls-eye mark was buried deep into the target by almost half of the arrow. With this amount of power, it should be good enough to hunt small beasts. Hmm, its still a little too shallow That couldnt be helped, you dont have that much power yet. You should boast a bit more reaching this level at this age though Thats right, Michelle-chan is great! As a matter of fact, the distance where she fired her arrow exceeded 10 meters. It was quite surprising for a newbie like her to reach this amount of distance. Adding to that, is the fact that she only used a crude hunting bow made for children. Lets go back to the ce where we were before. Michelle-chan, do you want to continue with some more practice? Ah, Hai~! Returning to where they started, Michelle-chan fired an arrow again. But this time, the difference is that Maria applied strengthening magic on her. Maria who is a back support guard also has some knowledge in interference magic like boost and enhancements. Of course, her skill isnt that great ifpared to Maxwells level of mastery. The arrow draws the same trajectory as before, hitting the lower left area of the target. However, this time, unlike how it only got buried on the previous one, the lower left area of the target broke and the arrow pierced through. Ah, Ahhh!? Seeing that, you dont even need to check, right? With that, dont you think that the interference system is also great? Uu, Un If Nicole is able to use such effects, then you can more than just this I rush up on the target with quick steps, and then I confirmed that the target definitely broke. There were scattered fragments of the board that was pierced, and I could clearly see how much the power has improved. The small arrow that she fired was actually able to pierce through such a hard looking target. This shows just how much power enhancements from the interference system could do if properly used. Amazing, this I was also able to receive enhancements from the interference system before. However, because I was originally a skilled person, I already have many powerful attack variations at that time. It was quite surprising that I only realized how beneficial it would be without the opportunity to actually apply it before. You understand, right? If Nicole-cha do her best, then you would reach this level soon Un Ah it ended? We could hear Michelles voice from where she was. She was staring at her hand holding the bow. Perhaps, she felt that the presence of strengthening magic has disappeared. Strengthening doesntst long but is quite effective. It would usuallyst for about a minute. When you use it, you should always think of the best time and ce to do so. Fu~n Though the effect of strengthening was able to let the arrow pierce through a wooden board, the effects would definitely be lowered it its against metal armored opponents. But it will still be a very useful magic when starting as an adventurer. Un, thats how it is The power to pierce through a wooden board would already be strong enough to prate human skin and body. If you can precisely use this magic and utilize its full potential, then you could even use it as a trump card. Though transformation magic which was mentioned earlier is still my main aim, and will be a magic that I want to learn. After all that happened that day, I still wasnt able to use magic. It feels like my memory of not being able to use magic is interfering with how I activate it. I could probably go on without magic, but it will be a really high wall to climb if I couldnt learn it. And in the meantime, Michelle-chan was doing her best training to shoot arrows. Her hit rate was so high that you wouldnt even consider her as a child if you only focus on the results. However, a beginner is still a beginner. Adding to that is because she is just a child. But in the future, she will definitely be a good partner if I can properly strengthen her bow prowess. Fue~ After the training, I was now so tired and is flopped on the bath. The bath inside the mansion is so wide. And there were even massage chairs prepared inside. I lied down on one and asked Finia for the usual massage. To be honest, having a naked girl massage another cute little of young age would have been an eyesore for me if it was my previous life, but now I am that girl being massaged and we are of the same sex so its fine. There is no need for me to hold back, since Finia is serving as an exclusive servant for me after all. And thus, the amount of dangerous secrets that should not be revealed steadily piled up Eh? Were you umting stress because of me? But Nicole-sama is just a young child, and there is no reason for you to be ashamed of anything Iyaiya, thats not what Im trying to say Despite myments, I cant actually exin it in detail. While flopped on the massage bed, I sneakily peeked through my fingers covering my face, taking a quick nce at her body as she continues the gentle massage with her smooth fingers. Then I soaked myself in warm water after the massage. Unnn~, It was such a bliss. But, was it fine? Nn~, what do you mean? Its about going to Raum. 2 yearster, Nicole-sama would only be 7 years old But wont Finia alsoe along with us Wont you be lonely leaving your parent behind? Um, well, I wouldnt say that I wont be For the past me, Lyell was considered a rival, but I dont hate him that much. And in the case of Maria, I have received a lot of favor. Even if I have my secrets, I dont really feel bad living with the two of them together. I would also feel sad leaving behind the two of them. But because I also considered the two of them as goodrades that the impression is is different. I have already prepared myself to leave them behind at some point. The problem is how a 7 year old like me can do so. If I made a lot of excuses, then it would only end up bing too suspicious. But well, If we dont go, then I will still be forcibly separated from mom and dad. If I ever had a long vacation, I think it would be better to return home though That, I agree. Certainly, if you got taken in by the royal pce, then everyone wont be able to easily meet you anymore And thinking about such consequences in other to be able to freely meet people I want to meet, then going to Raum would be the only choice, right? Thats why I choose that option Nicole-sama, there are times when you easily speak of such difficult stuff, right? We, well, its not really that difficult, you know? Maybe because Ive been studying with a lot of things during Moms ss When I am cornered like this I could only use studies as my reason, she reluctantly epted my answer. Hue Nn, whats wrong? Finia who massaged my back, made me raise a weird screech out of surprise. She then proceeds with massaging me again focusing on my back. It was kind of ticklish. Nicole-sama, did you somehow add some muscles? Really!? It is quite disappointing for because the squishy feeling is starting to disappear Finia, your real intensions are leaking out Though neither sorcery nor swordsmanship progressed, Im still happy that Im finally regaining some muscles. And so gradually, I continued growing little by little, and that is until my childhood days are over. Chapter 22 TL: Yuki From here on I will be 7 years old _________________________________________________ Two more years have passed. I wanted to enter Raum Magic Academy, and focusing on learning magic, I spent my daily life training. Of course, I also didnt forget to train my body. Though I wanted to improve my strength, it just couldnt be helped and only my endurance improved, but if its about instant use of force then I could somehow manage it. It was one month before the entrance exams, and right now Michelle-chan and I are currently hiding in the woods. Hanging on my waist is a short scimitar like sword which I was rmended to use two years ago, and this is the result of giving up on the two-handed sword and giving priority on sharpness. On the other hand, Michelle-chan was standing away from me holding a big hunting bow and was wearing leather armor. By the way, I was considerably so weak that I couldnt even wear leather scraps. And beyond our sight was a Strike Boar, a kind of monster boar which is happily eating the bait we set up. This is one of the animal based monsters that have edible meat suitable for consumption. Moreover, its fur is a good material for making cold resistant clothing, and its fangs are considered to be popr decorative items. In other words, it was a Delicious Prey that its whole body could be considered as materials for consumption and use. However, that would only be the case if we could actually hunt it. I looked back and forth to Michelle-chan and the target in front. This will be our opponent to see the result of our training for the past 2 years. Right now, with just a nce, we could understand what we need to do. Crimson First, Azure First, Gold Third. Grant Power to my Partners Bow. In response to my casting, Michelles bow glowed for a moment then the light vanished. Though the light has disappeared, this doesnt mean that the effect vanished and her bow was granted some power. Crimson is for strengthening, Azure is for tracing, and gold is for time of effectiveness. In this case, it will be minimum effects granted to one person for three minutes. And if I further increase the amount of magic used, the color density andposition also changes. This level of enchantment could be silently activated by Maria, but its still impossible for me to do so at my current level. Even if I say that, this amount is what my current magic capacity could currently use. If I go for Crimson Second, Azure Second and Gold Fourth, then my current magic power would bepletely emptied. But despite that, theres still some merit in doing this. My partner would be able to know what magic was used and how long it will be in effect. Despite the noise from casting, the Strike Boar wasnt able to notice us yet. After nocking an arrow and stretching the string to the limit, Michelle-chan released the arrow. It flew straight and pierced deep onto the Strike Boars neck. At her current power, she could only prate it half way burying half of the arrow into the boars neck. Bukkeeee!? We could then hear the scream of the boar suffering from severe pain. Then it set its sight towards us. But at that time, Michelle-chan was already hidden in a tree. Nicole-chan, Ill leave it to you! Yeah Removing her scimitar from her waist, she prepares for a direct assault. As the name implies, a Strike Boars main attack is a powerful charge. On the other hand, if you are able to dodge its main attacks, then it will be an enemy that could they could easily cope up with. Most adventurers would hunt one as a source for emergency ration when on a hunt. But it doesnt mean that they were an easy foe to hunt. Bummmoooo!! With minimum movements barely grazed by the attack, she moves in a side step to dodge. Theres no need for her to worry about Michelle-chan who disappeared in the shade of the trees. Then in gap of the attack, she made sure that her scimitar delivers a sharp strike. As expected, the damage she inflicted was minimal because of her weak strength. The best she could do was scraping of the skin and inflict shallow scratches. But that alone is fine. As long as she is targeted and the boars rush attacks are aimed at her. Luring and provoking the strike boar is only part of the act. In other words Bukkeeeee!? Another arrow was shot by Michelle-chan without being noticed, and that arrow prated its leg and its movement stopped. Not missing the moment she nocked and shoot and arrow prating its neck for the second time. Finally noticing Michelle-chan the boar aimed at her, but an attack with the scimitar strikes it again. Participating in the joint attack, she thought that it would have been great if she could also enhance her strength, but right now there was no room to do so, she did not have enough Magic Power. Seiyaaaah! The attack didnt mean much and the de didnt stab that deep. However, it was good enough to draw the attension of the boar back to her. If this was an intelligent creature, it would have ignored her and aimed for Michelle-chan, but the Strike Boar is just a beast moving on instinct. Its not intelligent to think about who to attack and would only focus on thest opponent that attacked it. The attacks, though powerful, was linear and was easy to dodge. And with this, they continued inflicting damage, and this time, the arrows were aimed at its thigh. Because the main aim is to stop it by disabling its legs, most of the arrows were aimed at that spot. They continuously repeated the attack, until it was defeated. And then, after three minutes, the two of them sessfully defeated the strike boar with their own power. Chapter 23 TL: Yuki ED: Chinozuku _________________________________________________ cing a rope over a thick branch, we managed to hang the Strike Boar to drain its blood. Carrying the boar for several hundreds of meters would be impossible to do with a childs strength, thats why, with the principle of pulleys, we managed to pull it up and hang it on a branch. We tear up the major arteries on its front legs and neck, cutting deep its muscles in order to remove the blood. During that time, Michelle-chan was scouting around, because there is a possibility that the other beasts would be attracted by the smell of the blood. After draining the blood, we cut open its belly and process its internal organs, then I separate edible parts and not, then bury all the inedible in a small pit that I dug up. The meat was then dropped down from the branch and was processed into small pieces to make sure that it fits properly into our small cart to carry them back to the vige, and when we were preparing ourselves to depart, someone called on to us. Ok, that should be good enough. The challenge is passed. The overall process took a while, but theres no problem. Well, I didnt expect Nicole-chan to be quite familiar with it though. Well, I also did my best, mou Well, it was simply because of my experience in my previous life, having repeatedly doing this made me quite familiar with it. However, because of myck of muscle strength, it took a lot of time and effort to peel off the skin. That battle we have performed so far was actually a graduation test for us. Together, we need to defeat a Strike Boar or a monster of the same level and harvest food ingredients and materials from it. The process was also checked. Whats the result? Well, before that, Michelle-chan, why were you focused on aiming at its neck? Certainly, with her Marksmanship gift, its also possible for her to aim at other spots like the head, but she only focused on the neck, not the body or the head. Umm, well, if its the head, it might be repelled because of its skull, and if its the body, I might not properly hit a vital point Certainly, if its in the head, then there would be a chance of being repelled, but I dont think that hitting the body would be bad though If it was a strike to the body, the pain it received might actually inhibit its movements, and if you could also manage to hit a vital spot, then that alone would be fatal. It would have also been easier for me to dodge its attack if its movement was slowed down. That is what Maria is trying to say. Ummm, its because the neck is more of a fatal spot True, but you didnt really have to force it. A Strike Boars neck is actually quite tough. If majority of its attack is based on front charges, dont you think that it would need a strong neck to support it? Ah, I see It was charging with a huge body and moving at a fast speed. It would need a neck strong enough to support that. It could also be said that the thickness of the muscles in the neck is higher than on any part of its body. ThenUmm, am I not qualified? Thats not really the case. Of course, you passed! You have definitely hunted a Strike Boar. This is only a rmendation, that way you may have more means of finding weaknesses in the future. Really! Im d Next, Maria turned to me. Next is Nicole-chanThough you did well on making it focus on attacking you with meager power, strengthening yourself would have also made it much easier. Ugu Thats right. At that time, I was certainly able to avoid the Strike Boars attacks and counter. And at that time, if I have properly enhanced myself, I would have also been able to deal more damage. But well, when I was in front of my opponent, I was a bit nervous. I immediately lost the thought of using support magic, and fought it head on with my current status. If Nicole-chans damage was also effective, the battle would have ended earlier, and the burden on Michelle-chan would also be lessened. Un Thats why, think carefully about it from now on. The shorter the time you fight, the better it will be. Well, if it was Cortina, it would have already been dealt with even before the fight starts And finally, Mariaments about how it would end up if it was with herpanions. If its that woman, then certainly she would set a trap on its movement path, reveal herself on the target to lure it, then kill it with the trap or any kinds of methods she could think of like poison. Well be careful in the future Un. But still, this is quite unexpected. You two were able to defeat it on our own, despite being seven years old children Ehem I and Michelle puffed our chest filled with confidence. However, on my part, its more of trying to puff up my chest though since there isnt any to puff up. Shall we go home then. Michelle-chan can carry half of the meat back hometer Yey! You dont need to celebrate that much about it, its simply because Michelle hunted this together, you know? I wont even mind if you have more Eh? But I wouldnt be able to hunt it if I was on my own. If its only me, I wont be able to attack it directly I also wont be able to beat it on my own. Thats why were splitting it in half. You dont have to hold back in times like this. It also wont be bad if you request for more Yes And so after tying it down properly, were about to grab the rope, but Maria took it from us and pulled it on her own as if it wasnt heavy at all. As expected of a High-Ranking Adventurer. Even though she didnt train as much as vanguards, she still had enough strength that far surpassed normal people. Seeing Maria who had an image of a young wife carrying a huge pile of meat as if it was nothing, made us stare with nk eyes and dumbfounded. How to say this, I think I just actually saw a glimpse of just how strong-willed and powerful my mom is. Our dinner for that day was avish one with arge amount of meat dishes being served. After hearing about us hunting all the meat, Lyell ran out to show off with a teary face. He seems to be really proud about it. And with the fact that we were able to defeat a Strike Boar is more than enough qualification on ability for us to enter the academy. At the same time, it will also be proof that our time to depart will be arriving and the time to say our farewell to our parents is closing in. I then started knitting something in front of the firece with the whole family after dinner. The season is approaching spring, yet I am currently weaving a scarf made out of wool yarn. The reason for this is because Ive be more feminine, but it is part of my training to improve my other hidden gift which is thread maniption. Well, in actuality, I am also going to use the product as a gift for my parents. Nicole, are you sure that its fine to knit a muffler during this season? Its fine But Mama want to wear something cooler, you know? Then, Ill make a Summer Cardigan So happy What about Papa? A Sweater After my cold and cruel decree, Lyell made an orz pose depressed about it, but he still ept it happily. If its a gift from his lovely and cute daughter, something like that wont matter. Even a Sweater in the hot seasons would be great. Well, hes saying that it was his Policy as a Hero. I will be away for many years from now. So giving them gifts before I leave should be fine. Well, if its Maxwells magic, I could actually go back home several times a year. Then, probably remembering about something, Lyell stood up from the couch ran out of the room. Mou. Nicole, you shouldnt be so mean to you Papa, you know? U, unn It just cant be helped. He is my former Rival after all. I am showing him enough affection as a daughter, but I want to be spared from anything other than that. Well, this sense of distance is kind of offsetting me from bing closer as a daughter after all. After a while, Lyell returned to the room carrying a sword. No, it was too thin to be called a normal sword, and it was wrapped in cloth. It was a kind of sword that was called a Katana. Nicole. If its this sword then maybe you can handle it? I really wanted to present it to you a littleter, but well, you are now strong enough to hunt a Strike Boar, so there probably wont be any problems Eh? Because you are knitting a scarf to give to Papa. Think of it as a return present I held it in my hand and see it directly. This, this is a really good sword. When I pulled it out, I could see my cloudy reflection on the de along with the light from themp. Its not a magic sword, unfortunately, but its a sturdy one. Its the type of sword that wont be dull easily even with little maintenance, I think? Th, thank you Listen, Nicole. Unfortunately, you dont have the aptitude to be a vanguard. Please avoid doing so if possible, and use it as ast resort if really necessary Un, I understand Though he says that, I dont intend to follow that advice. I am aiming to be a magic swordsman as myst resort after all. This time, I wont be feared as an assassin but will be hailed and loved as a hero. Only that will of mine stays strong even now. Then after taking some more exams, the day we leave for Raum finally came. Chapter 24 TL: Yuki _________________________________________________ And finally the day to start out travels began. It will only be me and Michelle-chan who will be taking the exams to enter Raum Academy. In the first ce if you are not eligible enough, you wont even have the chance to take the exam of that school. In other words, its a narrow path even for the chosen ones may enter. After loading my luggage near the entrance of the vige, I finally said my sad farewells to my parents At the moment, Finia was loading other luggage that we would need for travelling. The amount of luggage was kept to the bare minimum since everyone was already used to travelling, or more like it Finia who had a lot of extra luggage. Well then, NicoleIm really sad to say goodbyeI will be really lonely ah forget it, Im also going! Darling, please keep it a t that With his face sloppy from tears, Lyell who was trying to stop me and even attempted to board was thrown back by Maria without hesitation. In recent times, I could certainly feel that Marias Iron Mom toughness ising out more often. And Lyell where did that handsome full of confidence guy go? Nicole, please take care of yourself. You have that potpourri to help you with nausea right? Un, Ill be fine Please understand that you are physically weak, so be careful, okay? Also, feel free to tell Cortina or Maxwell if you have any troubles, okay? Un There are reasons why Im allowed to go to Raum. One of them is that Maxwell and Cortina will take on my guardianship. Well, Finia will alsoe along but she is only amoner. If things be difficult, it would be hard to rely on her for help. Michelle-chans parents all followed along, but they are just ordinary hunters. They wont be able to help against children with high social status that will also be attending the school. Dont worry, they will definitely help when you are in need Did you use something that would make them remember something embarrassing from their past? No Comment Oi, Maria What are you trying to teach her As a trump card, Maria told me something that would force Maxwell to cooperate in times of need. Well, what she thought me were mostly embarrassing moments of the two from the past. I knew a bit about Maxwells pastand yes, Cortina is included but what Ive learned from Maria was even more surprising. Or more like, it was something I wouldnt really want to know if possible. Lyell who was listening to what we were talking about from that side was covered in cold sweat. It seems like he was shocked discovering how absurd the dark side of her wife was like. Honestly, even I draw back for a bit. Wel, never mind thatNicole, do you have your Katana? Un, from now on I will be swinging this Then, keep this in your mind. If things be dangerousbe sure not to hesitate to kill This time too, Lyell made a serious look as he gives the advice. With Lyell and Maria around, the protection of the vige was quite secure. There are monsters that asionally invade, but they were killed by Lyell before they could even cause any damage. But if its outside of the vige, then that would be a different story. Three of the northern countries have suffered a lot during the fights and united together to bring back security. But because of that, there was ack in terms of human resources. Other than strategic areas of the country, the security on other ces was not that good. Farmers were being devastated by monsters, some fallen mercenaries became bandits. And in order to cope up with those threats, it is necessary for one to be able to kill or they will be killed. Even Michelle-chan did her best in order to be able to kill monsters. During these times of confusion, the chance of encountering that is high. Thats why Lyell gave that advice. But well, that advice is useless for me, after all I am one of the six Heroes, not to mention that I am one of the most ruthless of them. By the way the top one for most ruthless was Cortina. In worst case scenario, she would even cut off allied soldiers and use them as bait. Thats why there is no one else who stands above in terms of ruthlessness other than her. After they finished loading their luggage, Michelle-chan and her parents boarded the carriage. Finia also finished loading our luggage. Well then Finia. Ill be counting on you in taking care of Nicole, okay? Please leave it to me Maria-sama. I will be sure to protect her even at the risk of my life! Oh, and I forgot to mention this before butNicole seems to be so tomboyish and was missing a few things to be moredylike, be sure to teach her well, understand? Yes, I will be sure to make her into a finedy! No, thats no good Is what I whispered behind Finia, and of course I made sure that she didnt hear it. Its not really like Im avoiding it, but it just didnt sit well with me. In this case, I really have to make use of my covert skills to try and escape. Remember about what you have learned from Lyell. Your own safety is a first priority, okay? Hai Finia too? Eh, me too? Of course you are included, you are part of the family? Thats why be sure to also protect yourself But Finia started to murmur things. She was still probably concerned about the fact that she was the cause of Reids death. Thats why Maria was insisting that she should also protect herself. As for me, if I was driven to a corner and have to save someone, then I would probably offer my life in order to protect someone. I understand. If Maria-sama says so Even though she was still confused, she still swears to Maria to fulfill that promise. Seeing her like that, Maria puts her hand on Finias shoulder. You know? I have told you this many times now, that Reids death wasnt your fault. It was the fault of that idiot for messing things up and ends up dying But! Reid-sama was Gufu I who was treated like an idiot by Maria, was secretly coughing behind Finia while I listen. However, this is not a really good ce for me to act strange while holding my mouth. That idiot, in order to save and also in order to save Cortina, sacrificed his life. That was a decision he made during that situation and what he thought was necessary. Thats why there is no need for you to me yourself over this Still, because of me His death was the result of his own judgment. To go against his judgment and force your belief would beparable to sphemy by denying what he believed in I also agree with what she was pointing out. There was no reason for Finia to me herself. Probably because of the shock seeing someone dying before her, it ended up bing a trauma and was haunting her making her me herself. Though I feel like a lot of beautifications were applied to filter the things that she believed in I really wanted to tell her that it was my own mistake, and that there is no need for her to be med. Please do you best to forgive yourself during this long journey Was that the reason That you have assigned me? There is also that included. But its because Nicole was the most at ease if its with you. You could also think of it as a sign of atonement for Reid, so please do try to do it After telling her all of that, she gently hugged Finia. After clearing up all the tears after responding to the hug, we finally started our journey. Chapter 25 TL: Yuki While being shaken by our carriage, we continue our journey towards Raum. On our way, we didnt really have to worry about any raids more than that uugh Uhhhgg, I feel sick Are you okay, Nicole-sama!? Finia couldnt hide her surprised after I became sick for the second time today. The journey itself was fine, but my physical condition was not. Knowing I would end up like this, Maria made sure for me to carry potions that would help relieve the intoxication. But even with that, it didnt really help much due to m frail constitution. Seriously its not really working. On the other hand, my best friend Michelle-chan couldnt even hold herughter while looking at my condition. However, stopping the carriage in order to mend my physical condition would only end up dying our journey. Right now Finia was letting rest on herp and took out a potpourri on her pocket to relieve me of my dizziness. The carriage we were using is not something with passenger seats but much closer to a covered cart that could only stop wind and rain. Although the ride we have is not the best, there are also advantages to it like being able to stretch out like this. cing my head on Finiasp, a refreshing scent was brought to my my nose from the potpourri that she brought. The potpourri she had contains mint and a mix ofvender, thats why it was giving off a refreshing scent. That refreshing scent was healing the damage from my senses and is making me rx. Funyaaa~~ Kukuku, right now Nicole-sama you are acting like a spoiled kitten Un, Nicole-chan turned into a cat Oi! Michelle and Finia were teasing me at my current condition, and Michelles mom couldnt help but smile at them. Though I am like this, I am still the daughter of heroes and was considered to be a respectable noble. Although her mom knows that despite all this Maria wouldnt really mind them if they were a little disrespectful, still, the thought of angering Maria is something that is really scary. She will also be helping us in supporting our daily life at the academy, but they still have no idea on what they should do. Uuugh, its finally subsided a bit. The fact that my body is really weak is reflects with this I also feel kind of weird being more feminine than usual, but I have now gotten used to calling myself watashi [TL: how females address themselves]. In this carriage headed towards Raum, there are also several merchants that joined us on the trip other than Michelle-chan and her parents. Some of them were also here to return to Raum after trading with the vige. There are currently three escorts and there are people carrying huge amounts of money. They are kind of a little tense due to the presence of a person that should not be in this carriage. Thats right, Adventurer Nii-san, can I ask you something? Nicole-sama that is They are also in charge of escorting us. Theres no need for them to listen to a childs request, well they can at leasty low for a bit. Well, keeping their eyes on the surrounding all the time would wear them out more than necessary though. After all, I have also experienced being an adventurer. Its fine you know, there are no monsters in the surroundings at the moment Eh, how do you know about that? I can somehow tell This is one of my skills, being able to sense life, since this skill doesnt require physical ability. I was able to learn it almost at the same level as I had before. And right now, there are no strange presences or enemies within my range of sense. Even if they want to continue, they still need to stop the carriage to take a break. Though everyone should be alert, it is not good to stay alert all the time. If they are too strict about this, they would only end up tired and would loosen their focus and might end up making a mistake. Is thatis that really true? Well there are no enemies within my detection range Hearing that, Finia tried asking one of the adventurers, but a simr answer came back from them. Well, we dont really have to rush our trip. You know? I also have a good pair of ears Is that so, fine thenwhat is it that you want to know? And with this, the adventurers told us stories about their adventures. It was something that a normal viger wouldnt know of. Everyone was listening intently to their stories, other than me that is. From my point of view, after hearing about their adventures, I couldnt help but think about how sloppy and careless they are as adventurers. Still it is interesting enough as form of entertainment on this long journey. Well it is better than umting fatigue and staying silent all journey long. Then suddenly a troll jumps out of a shade Whaa!? But you know, it wasnt a troll that came out right? A troll is a huge monster about 5 meters in height. From what they were talking about before, they said that they were inside a cavern with a ceiling of about 3 meters in height. UghTha, That is Mou, Ill continue the story it was goblins that came out from that ce The three adventurers were two men and one woman. The female adventurer contradicted the exnation of the man. Well, as for me, I dont really know how the general public would see this, but Im still listening to this as well, so Id like you to forgive me from doing a tsukommi from all this. Well, despite being cramped in a small space like this, the other passengers wereughing out loud. Though everyone isnt rted, their bonds were bing stronger. From my past experiences, over-skilled experts tend to be admired without their notice. While watching adventurers having fun with the passengers, the journey continued while gaining such fun memories. Chapter 26 TL: Yuki _________________________________________________ The first two days of the trip went smoothly well. If a problem is to be mentioned, then it would only be about my sickness. But on the next day, things have changed. Its from the time when most of the passengers have been reduced and the escort adventurers have settled down, and its also the time when tension has been lowered. If it is now, then it would be the best time for something to happen. When the carriage entered the woods were the highway continued, something got caught in my presence detection. However, there was no sense of hostility to it. It was more of a sense of incongruity that Ive felt. Nn? Is something wrong, Nicole-sama? Nn? If its like this, they I have experienced something like this several times before. At that time, the enemy was cautious and didnt show their intent or hostility. I can feel something. For now just be cautious what is itcan you grasped their number? Probably, an artificial life form. I couldnt feel any kind of intent from it Hearing my exnations, Finia immediately informed the adventurers. It was good that I was able to immediately notice it and help them prepare. Enemies without any sense of hostility do exist. Gargoyles, Slime, Golems, other than that would be nt based monsters. Monsters like these dont show any form of hostility since most of them move by instinct, thats why its difficult to detect them if they are camouged in the surroundings. Well, you could say that you wont be a good scout if you are not able to detect them. Detecting that there are enemies, are you sure about this!? After hearing Finias report, most of the adventurers came to me. Suspicion could be seen in their eyes, and their face shows disbelief in my words. There is a high mortality rate when ites to encountering monsters with a good camouge. Adding to that is if you cant detect their presence which adds up to the difficulty. Thats why I informed them, and with this they would be more cautious about their surroundings. Un. Its in a bit of distance fwom hewe. Its pwobably hiding in the woods. Its not that Im trying to talk in childish way, its just that I cant speak properly because Im still not used to talking and my tongue wont move the way I want to. Adding to that is my cute and clear voice which makes it even more childish, the impact it shows is quite the opposite. As if responding to my words, one of the adventurers looked at a female adventurer. Then as a silent response, she immediately headed to the coachmans seat. You said that it was in the woods, right. Then its probably something that would be waiting for us to pass by its range Well, I also wont mind if they only thought of it as a childs prank. But in the two days that we were travelling together, they have certainly recognized my detection skills. Thats why the adventurers seriously believed what Ive said. One of the adventurers who went to confirm the situation came back, and after a bit, the carriage stopped. So, whats the situation? It was true. There was two slime, they were hiding on a grassy are close to the road I was surprised. I didnt expect that her detection range would reach that far ahead Ehhem My look right now is definitely quite childish, but still, being recognized for your skills is always a pleasant thing. Even if my nose grows pointy like that of a tengu, it is still a fact that I did great. A Blobs movement is quite sluggish. As long as you dont get caught, then it wont be a difficult monster to handle. We will get rid of them first, so please patiently wait for us to return. Is it really okay? Yeah. Even if we face them up front, they wont be much of an opponent What if they melt your weapons Hmm, if that happens, then we still have to use our reserves on hand A strong acid attack is one of the mostmon form of attack that Blobs use. Because that same fluid is something that is contained in its body, the weapons they would use to attack would also suffer some damage. Also, if they left they weapons unchecked, it would continue to corrode after several hours and would render it useless. Thats why most adventurers hated fighting against Blobs. In order to prevent this, they need to sterilize their weapon with strong alcohols. Thats usually one of the reasons why adventurers carry strong liquors. We still dont know if its a strong one, so it might take some time before you are able to return, will it be fine for us to only stay behind and wait? If we are not able to return after two hours or more, then it would probably better for you all to leave us and return Ah, yeah Dont worry. This is only in the worst case scenario The adventurers then rushed out after talking to the merchant that was leading the carriage. Watching over their backs as they slowly disappear from view was Michelle. Will they really be okay?Hearing their talks, felt like they would be in a dangerous situation Its about time huh. I think they would be fine but it will definitely take some time for them to return because it is definitely a tough enemy. If itsparing to my experience, they would be about as strong as those Blobs. But then, a new presence got caught up in my detection. Ah What happened? Something ising, and at a great speed. This one is also hostile Enemies!? Its probably a wild beast that was aiming for this carriage. I presume that it also has a wider detection rangepared to my own, thats why I didnt know until it attacked and entered my detection range. The adults who heard what Ive said panicked for a bit. Michelles father also prepared his bow ready to defend his child. Finia also took out her dagger and went down from the Carriage. I, I will help too! You dont need to get out of the carriage Michelle-chan. Shoot it from there Is, is that fine? Un After giving her proper instructions to prepare, I also jumped down from the carriage and took out my Katana. Chapter 27 TL: Yuki _________________________________________________ They are still out of sight No wait Vultures! What appeared wererge Vulture-like monsters, and there were three of them. The reason they were outside my detection field was that, of course they aimed for the carriage from above. Flying along the highway high in the sky allows them to avoid obstacles, making their attacks quick. Intercepting! In response to my warning, Michelle-chan and her parents shoots arrows towards them. Still, aiming for Vultures flying in the sky is not an easy feat. The more they aim upward, the more the difficulty increases after all. I and Finia was standing in front ready to intercept the three approaching birds. Guuuaaaaa! Along with a strange screech, they descent with their talons aimed at us. I swing my katana matching up the attack. The weapon called a Katana has a much thinner and lighter depared to a normal sword. The de was specifically made to greatly increase its sharpness, and topensate for its light weight is its tremendous killing power. Even with my current strength, I could swing it with enough power to kill. While dodging to the bare minimum, I aimed at a part that has lighter amount of feather well, thats what I intended, but. With my current speed, I was not able to properly hit it. Tsk! Nicole-sama, please withdraw! I dont think Ill be able to! Answering back to Finia, I prepared for the next iing attack from the Vultures. Because I focused on training with melee attacks, Michelle-chan who was behind me was not able to properly train fighting in close ranged attacks. If we are talking about her father, then he is not well versed in battles like this. Right now Im standing in front of them luring the Vultures, but if they draw the attention of the vultures, then things might be a bitplicated. Because Finia was only have knowledge about self-defensive techniques, shes not able to cope up properly with the attacks from the vultures. Luckily, the vultures are only using straightforward attacks. We should be able to deliver an attack if we wait for a chance. The Vultures dive down once more to attack I hold my sword in a straight stance and wait. Making sure to put all of my weight on the katana, I prepared for a forward strike. A vulture approached me who was in a stance and aimed its talons towards me once more. Waiting for thest moment to dodge its talons, I made sure to put all my force in hitting the vulture as I dodge its attack. After the exchange, the vulture fell down to the ground. Thats one down. Theres still two more to go. It would be great if they continued this way, but they probably would change tactics. Even if they are bird-brained, they would still be able to remember attack patterns and change it depending on the situation. Well, if that did happen they all I could do ise up with another n. One Crimson, One Azure, One JadeEndure Like Strong Steel! Its a technique to strengthen my yarns. Jade represents distance, one is means zero distance. With this effect, I can strengthen both myself and my equipment. Just like what I have experienced earlier, my current agility is not enough to catch up to the vulture. Thats why I n to receive its attack in full to slow it down, even if its attack hits, it wont be a fatal one. And because of that, I need someone who will strike at that moment. One Crimson, One Azure, Two Jade, Three Gold. Unleash and Improve the Power of Bows This time I added an enhancement to Michelle-chans bow. Because the Distance between us is a bit far, I needed to add extra magic power to activate it. But this time, I properly adjusted it, its not the same as that time where I clumsily used magic power and exhaust myself. Probably provoked by the flow of Magic Power, the vultures started their assault once more. This time, its one for me and one for Finia. I took off my jacket and covered my hands with it. This will be used as a cushion in order to receive the vultures attack. Needless to say, it is impossible for childrens clothes topletely block the attack. It easily prated the jacket and damaged my arm. Guuu! I clenched my teeth from the severe pain and made sure to prevent it from releasing its means of attack. But if its a neer in a battlefield, they might just release it immediately. But none of that matter right now. The talons that got stuck in my hold was harder to remove than it expected. With my lightweight body, it was possible for the vulture to actually lift me up. But I have also prepared methods to stop that. These vultures are probably aiming to gather some food. And even one with the lightest weight should be good enough for them. That why, it will assume that it would be good if it just lifted the light meal stuck on its talons. Nicole-sama!? Seeing me slowly being lifted to the sky, Finia raised her voice in panic. She was about to rush towards me and pull me down, but before that happened, the other vulture attacked her which stopped her attempt. Its fine, you know. If you came over here, then my calction would bepletely in disarray. The vulture did its best trying to lift me as high and fast as possible. But suddenly, it stopped ascending. I was held down by a thread that was tied to the carriage. It was the Yarn that I reinforced earlier. I tied this to the carriage in order to hold down my body. The vulture was confused and didnt understand what happened making it stop its movements for a moment. Using that gap, I pierced my de at the base of its wings delivering as much damage as I could do. But since Im only using one hand to attack, it was not really that effective. However, that ok. My attack was only a bonus as to what the real attack will be. Thats because during that moment, an arrow pierced through the skull of the vulture which was delivered by Michelle-chan. Strengthening the attack power of the arrow, it easily pierced through the hard skull of the vulture. And as a result, the two of us are now falling down from the distance it ascended. Even the earlier attacks were not really that meaningless. Also, although the height of the fall is not that high, I dont know if my body could withstand it. As a measure to at least break the fall, I pulled out the katana and pulled the vulture close in a tight grip. I then aimed the corpse to the ground using it as a cushion. Guha The impact from falling squeezed out air from my lungs. My body especially my right hand hurts, but its not painful enough to immobilize me. Thats because most of the impact was received by the vultures body during the fall. The impact was sessfully reduced and I was able to survive the crashnding. However, its not yet time to feel relieved. There is still one more and is currently fighting against Finia. Looking at how their battle goes, Finia using her daggers was able to properly block the attacks of the vulture in a defensive parry. During those moments, Michelles Father hits it with arrows steadily doing minor damages. Doing it this way, they will probably be able to defeat it before I join the fight. Rather than that, I think the situation would end up getting worse if I suddenly join the fight. As a human resource, Finia is still quite capable as a servant of Heroes. Although I did train with Michelle-chan as a specialist but not as good as her, I still had my knowledge and fighting experience carried over from the past me to help. After a while, thest vulture was finished off by Michelle-chan with a headshot immediately killing it. Nicole-sama, are you alright!? Un, Im alright Thats only what you are thinking! Please let me examine your hand! Immediately after the vulture was killed, Finia rushed towards me to check on the damage I received. There were tears falling from her eyes and probably a mix of anger and self-loathing was causing it. Ahh, to let you be hurt like this Nicole-samas pure skin While leaking a coarse voice, she applied medicine on my arm and wrapped it in a bandage. As a half elf, she has a deep understanding of herbs and their effects. A wound like this would not be considered deep, but with this degree, it might probably leave a scar. If only I was more useful, I would have been able to prevent it Uhhh No, its okay, you know Please dont do that again! That way of fighting dangerously! If you dont, then I will really be sad and cry!? Ack, fine, I will definitely be troubled by that Looking at Finia who is crying and not knowing if its from anger or sadness, I decided to never again do something that would make her be this worried. Chapter 28 TL: Yuki _________________________________________________ While I was still being treated by Finia, the advenutrers finally returned. Because of the scattered corpses of the vultures, everyone shows an astonished expression. What happened here!? Ah, Leon-san! I was a close call here you know, right after you guys left to fight the chimera blobs vultures came! Seriously! His surprised voice was raised furthermore, but a question mark popped on his head when he realized that creatures in question were already defeated. who defeated this things? Cant you understand seeing the situation! Nicole-chan, are you ok? Un The adventurer Leon was supposed to be their leader, but a female adventurer rushed towards me after understanding the situation. On the other hand, the merchants were too excited about retelling the battle that happened a while ago to the other adventurers. Temuru-san, will please calm down for now. Ellen, how is her condition? The merchant Temuru-san was asked to be silent, and the other female adventurer asked Ellen about my condition. She looks at my scar and checks the first aid treatment done by Finia, she then nodded. Un, the wounds are not that deep. The first aid was also properly applied. In this condition, there probably wont be a scar left behind when it heals That is a good thing to know. Nicole-chan, did you fight them on your own? Um, with everyone I did stand up first to fight and was able to defeat one, and Finia only followed holding back the in order to protect me, and then two of the targets were finished off by Michelle-chan. I would have never been able to defeat all of them it was me alone, not to mention having a powerless body. I was able to defeat only one though Its not about being able to defeat one, considering your age, just killing one could already be considered a great feat Vultures are not really that strong as a monster. There are many adventurers that hunt them for their meat. But that is only to those that are physically capable ones. It could certainly be said that for a powerless child like me to be able to defeat such a monster is a feat that cant normally be achieved. How did you defeat them, could you tell us the methods you used? Hmm, with Michelle-chans help, I guess. I probably wont be able to do it on my own Wait a moment! Would you please let Nicole-sama rest and do thister, she was badly hurt from the fight after all Ah, right. Sorry for not being considerate about that Finias words were right on the spot, but I also want to honestly tell them what actually happened. Well, when I was fighting against the first vulture, I did my best to support the katana to press it against the target, and as a result my right wrist really hurts. Adding to that, when I was lifted up by the second vulture, the yarn used to anchor myself was held by my right hand. Right now, my right hand was on the verge of being broken due to the heavy burden that it suffered. There was also the impact that my whole body received and had to endure when I fell. Nicole-sama, over here On a spot inside the hooded carriage, Finia prepared a small space for me. After entering the carriage with the adventurer Ellen, they took off my clothes and thoroughly checked my whole body for injuries. The hood was ced not only for rain and wind, but was used to block sight by folding a part of it. When travelling with women, this mechanism is on of the necessary features. Oh my, your right hand is in tatters. What exactly did you do to end up this way? Well, First after blocking an assualt, then when anchoring myself to the carriage, then when breaking my fall. Isnt that too reckless for letting you do something like that when you were out of our sight were really sorry for that, ok? You dont have to. The vultures attacked knowing that there was no adventurer present on the carriage after all. You guys also needed to defeat those Blobs so it cant be helped. No, whats more worrying is what reckless things you would do if you were out of our sight. It might have been much better if we let everyonee with us when we were fighting against those Blobs. That probably wont be a good thing though They wont know what would happen if they brought amateurs to a battle field. Thats why when Leon-san decided not to bring us along was not a mistake. Speaking of which, it would have been better if at least one of them was left behind though. Ahhh, Nicole-samas body was full of Im really sorry, if only I was a bit stronger Finia what you did was good enough. I was saved because you were able to hold back the enemies, so dont me yourself I was able to defeat two of them because she was holding one of the enemies. If it was only me tanking, I would have not been able to support the front line. After all, despite only having knowledge of defending herself, she was still able to hold off one of the vultures. Because Finia was able to hold off one of them, I was able to fight properly against the others. Thank you But, but Tears started forming on the corners of her eyes as I started to praise her. Its also interesting watching her ears droop as she bes more emotional. It makes me want to touch those drooping ears. After applyingpress, my hand was wrapped with a bandage up the same way as my left hand was wrapped. After finishing, she sped her hands then blurted out something really outrageous. I have decided! I also want to learn how to fight! Wha!? Due to Finias sudden deration, I could only respond in shock from the sudden event. Chapter 29 TL: Yuki Certainly, Finia had some battle knowledge. It was the least she could have in order to protect an important person like me. But when ites to fighting seriously, she didnt have a way to do so. I have mainly been studying housekeeping in order to serve Lyell-sama. Also it because Ive thought that if I will be serving them, then I wouldnt need to be too strong in order to be useful. Even if I did have some odd skills, it would still pale inparison to the two of them That is true. Fighting battles on the level of me or Lyell would be likeparing normal people against strong people capable of saving the world. It would be too absurd if they did ask her to be at least be on the same level as they are. But if I dont want to be a burden and be Nicole-samas support, I would like to at least be able to fight alongside her! That, are you implying that I am that weak? N, No, thats not it, its just Well, right now, I am indeed not in a very good state. Even if I did learn swordsmanship seriously and have a lot of past experience backing me, I can only fight for a short amount of time beforepletely exhausting myself. I guess, its not really that bad if you want to get stronger, considering what the future may hold Thats right! In Raum, theres no Lyell of Maria. There is Maxwell and Cortina In exchange though. If theres really a problem about, it would be that they are both Rear Guards. Cortina is a Beastman which makes her possess higher physical ability than most people, but that would still pale inparison to professional vanguard sses. As for the old elf Maxwell, It wont even be strange if an average person would be able to defeat him. Wait, if I think about in elf years, maybe it would be bad to consider his age as old? Then I will consult Leon-san about it! Im sorry, its because I dont really have any knowledge in regards to teaching swordsmanship, I wont be able to teach you Eh Ellen inted her cheeks a little when I show her a disappointed look in my reaction. I understand that he doesnt have talent for Swordsmanship, but he has been working hard despite theck of talent. You do know that the experience he umted would still be able to help, right? Well, I guess so Now that I think about it, my and Lyells experience when ites to fighting is just too abnormal, and it would certainly be useless if it was taught to Finia who is an ordinary person. Another thing is that, most masters of their fields have grown too much when ites to their specialty and that most of them are really bad at teaching. I have been learning concealment from Cortina before, but I was not able to properly teach it to someone else. Well, can I also join Finia in learning the basics? Nicole-chan already knows how to fight, right? Well, Ly I mean I was trained by Daddy after all DaddyAh, Lyell-sama! Im envious. I would have also liked to be trained by the Hero Well, it would certainly be an advantage Although unwilling, Lyell was actually good at teaching people despite holding a gift forbat. Well, its probably because he was basically calm and patient which is a good attitude for a teacher to have. As for me, Im not that patient enough. Thats why instead of patiently following the path of the sword, I abandoned it and moved into the use of steel threads which I was more proficient with. Well then, Ill be resting now With my right hand in this condition, it is unlikely that I would be able to swing a sword anytime soon. I will probably have toy low for a while. Also, I cant really force myself to do things that I cant do. Just like what I have experienced in my previous life, I know that I wont like the results if I force myself. If I need to rest, then I have to rest. Its one the tips in order to improve myself. Oh, thats right. Lets see well, your right wrist is certainly in a bad statepared to your left. It will recover by just letting it rest for a while since there are no other damages or fractures My findings were also the same Then we could rest assured. And since there are no heavy wounds or damages in your left hand, it will definitely recover in a short amount of time. The same goes for your worn out right hand Then lets do a bit of a fix for now Finia applied apress on my right wrist and then Ellen fixes it with a splint wood. After cing the support and positioning it in ce, I could feel the pain slowly fading away. Fuuuu~ The cool feel of thepress prating my skin made me unconsciously sigh in relief. Hearing me reacting like that, Finia couldnt help but giggle a bit. Kuku Nicole-sama, when you sigh like that feeling and was feeling good, you somehow look like a spoiled cat Fue? It has been a long time since somebody said that my emotions are showing on my face, since it does show that often when it was in my previous life. When I go on missions, I usually leave a cold expression, as if all my emotions are paralyzed Hai, Nicole-sama. Please cover yourself with this nket and take a proper rest Ha~i Iy myself on a pseudo bed that Finia prepared. Then, Ellen and Finia went out since there are still things to clean-up like the dismantling the Vultures. For Vultures, their feathers could be sold along with their meat , and it also takes time topletely strip it all off. Then, from supper of that day, my trials started. It takes a lot of time for me to finish meal since my right hand is currently firmly fixed and could not move. Seeing my state, Finia and Michelle-chan came to me and started doing the Ahhhn to me. I wanted for them to stop. Adding to that, it was extremely awkward since Ellen was also joining us to check on my condition. Okay, now please open your mouth. Nicole-sama Say ahhhn, Nicole-chan Ah, wait, let me join too! Nicole-chan, over here, please say ahhh Mugumugu!Mugu!? I was assaulted by soup, dried vegetables and other foodstuff being forced into my mouth without a break. Whats worse was the soup that Nicole-chan is feeding was not cooled down, it was almost turning into torture for me if not to the fact that they are doing this out of concern. He, hey, Im already full Eh, but you havent eaten that much yet! Thats not it Michelle-chan. Nicole-sama has a very light appetite I think the amount she has eaten today could already be said to be too much? Michelle and Ellen were quite shocked to the fact that Finia informed them. Is, is that so? Even though she is indeed a child, is that really too much for her already? No, thats just how she is. Even when she was a baby, she doesnt drink Marias Milk that much, and even I was really worried at that time Isnt that a little bit too dangerous! Ellen was really shocked about what Finia told her. It is certainly a really bad situation if a baby refuses to drink her mothers milk. Maria felt as if the world had ended that time until it was time for her to substitute with cows milk. Lyell was also included as a bonus. Well, in that time, I cant really do anything about that. I was too concerned about how I should react at that time. We cant but feed her that time with only cows milk, but it certainly put us at ease when she finally started to drink milk Thats probably why her body didnt develop that much But Nicole-chan is cute, so that doesnt matter! From the side listening to the two, Michelle-chan inserted herself to the conversation and hugged me. I dont dislike her honest expression of love, but its really hurting my right hand that was caught in between. Michelle-chan, right hand, thats going to hurt, you know? Ah, Im sorry! After Finia pointed it out, Michelle-chan immediately released me. After realizing her mistake and showing an apologetic face, she apologized to me for the sudden impulse. Although it was somewhat inconvenient, I didnt really have much of a hard time because of the people supporting me. Well, when ites to other private matters, it was really a pain, but other than that, Michelle-chan and Finia always helped. And then, when the pain in my right hand finally started to fade, and along with my left hand finally recovering. We have arrived at the forest of elves and the elven country Raum. Chapter 30 TL: Yuki _________________________________________________ As wee closer to the city of Raum, its dignity was shown before our eyes. I have visited before, and one of the citys most notable structures is the spire of the Magic Academy which was farrger ifpared to arge castle. Is it just me, or is the tower much higher than before? Nicole-chan, Nicole-chan! Look, its a really tall tower! Ye, yeah, I see it. Please dont move too much. Youre making the carriage sway more han it shouldUgh Ah, Im sorry? Nicole-chan, are you feeling seek Again? Implying again is just overstating it Ive only been sleeping and eating since the time I received my injury, but its not really that rxing as could it could be imagined since Im receiving the vibrations directly from the floor as the carriage moves. For someone like me who is physically weak, and have no resistance to motion sickness because of my weak vestibr system, it was mostly suffering that I received instead. Umm, are you still not feeling well, Nicole-sama? Hmm, I feel a bit better now. Thank you Finia Now that there is more space in the carriage since most of the baggage was already cleared out, a small hammock created using nkets where I am currently resting. This cut off most of the vibrations and made the trip morefortable, the demerit is that it swings around for a while when big vibrations were deliver in the carriage. There were also times when I decided to get off the carriage and join the adventurers walking for a change of pace. It stings my right hand a bit because of the motion but it was way much better than suffering nausea when Im riding the carriage. Nicole-sama, if you are like that you wont be able rest properly If I keep sleeping all the time, I will lose my hard earned muscles. Wont Finia be more anxious of me instead if I be too weak and would affect your training? But that is During this trip, Finya was also trained in sword fighting by the adventurer Leon. It would have been much better if she learned from Lyell, but it was toote since we already left the vige. But still, she was studying the way of the sword so enthusiastically and was slowly but surely improving as the training goes. I even thought that she might actually possess a gift for it. Well, since I who is her master is walking outside, she just couldnt let herself stay inside the carriage and would join me instead. And even if she is tired from training, she would still continue taking care of me. Also, because my bnce is currently bad because I could only use one hand, there were times when I feel like I would stumble or fall. Sorry about this? Dont worry its part of my work. Besides, it was originally my I wont ept that. You dont really have to me everything on to yourself, you know Finia? What is really fine? She became a person who would always want to carry all the me to herself because of her past experience. The correction of this character of her is something that I would like to fix during this trip. When I changed my view to look over the town, I realized that there was a woman standing by the gates. Usually, it was gate keepers that would receive visitors, but from the distance I could see the gatekeepers and it seems like it was her who instructed them to stay back. That is? What happened? Over there Maybe, that person is By the way, in the moment that I noticed her, it seems like they have also noticed us. And then, before we noticed it, a bob-cut woman with bug golden cat ears on her head dashed towards us at with tremendous speed. Taking advantage of the physical ability of a beastman, she was dashing full of energy heading towards us and was leaving clouds of dust behind her. Seeing that, Leon and the others were on alert, but she easily slipped behind then them before they could even prepare. Due to the surprise of a human suddenly appearing before it, the horse of the carriage was surprised. Noticing it, she immediately activated magic. Vermillion one, Ultramarine two, Jade one. Tranquility Normally, you would need to prepare a lot of things before activating magic and there were only few who could quckly activate it like Maria. This means that before she arrived, she has already read through the reaction of the adventurers along with the surprise of the horse. The Cat eared girl No, the beautiful girl opened her arms wide and hugged me. Wee! You are Nicole, right? Just like what Ive heard, you really look like a doll and is really cute In battle, she is not hesitating to make cold decisions, on peacetime she is usually indifferent to people. A former friend of mine That is Cortina, A warlord that with only her own plunging into arge army would create thousands of victims. But its the first time for me to meet her in this body. I have to make sure that she doesnt notice that I know her as much as possible. I have heard from Maria about her before, but the difference from that and what I know is very different. You are Cortina-san? Thats right. You sure know your stuff?Did hear about us from Maria? I dont think Lyell would be someone who even mention about us Yup Eh, Cortina-sama!? One of the 6 Heroes? Hearing my words, Michelle raised an astonished cry. Well, it would only be natural that she or Maxwell would pick me up, after all it was the daughter of Lyell and Maria that came to visit. The adventurers and Michelle-chans parents were also shocked from the sudden event of meeting one of the legendary Heroes. Even so, its really hard to pretend in front of Cortina and her sharpness, and I need to be careful not to blurt out things that I havent heard from my parents. But well, the softness of this hug squeezing my cheeks also isnt that bad. There was also a time that I actually confessed to her. And yes, I was utterly rejected. At that time, Lyell and Maria was about to get married and I was desperate that is now a part of my Dark History. And that secret is what I would definitely defend no matter what. Hmm, that right hand, were you injured? Were you caught up in a battle with monsters along the way? Ah, hai. Vultures She then aimed her looks at the adventurers after hearing my words. It was certainly because of their carelessness that the people they escorted have to engage in battle, but because it was also a close call for them, all I could do is pity them instead of ming them. For now Ill take over the mistakes of those adventurers who were literally shivering from fear from being red at by a Hero. Actually, it was because they were dealing with chimera blobs that were waiting to ambush us. So its not Leons fault Is that so? Well if you say so then I wont pursue it Cortina then nces at Finia as if to confirm what happened after only receiving a small nod from her. My words alone couldnt show that much legitimacy of what happened, thats why she turned to Finia who is acting as my guardian to very what happened. Then after affirming everything about the situation, it was decided to put a stop on the things mentioned. Well, I guess it couldnt be helped. Orange Two, Ultramarine One, Gold One, Cover it healing wind. Recovery Cortina may have high physical ability, but she is not well versed in directbat. Even in terms of Magic Ability, she doesnt reach the spot of Maxwell or even reach Marias level. If I were to describe her skills, it would be broad and shallow. Even if she has high dexterity in using her skills, it would still be iparable to the people focused skills. But well, her true ability is not in because of her broad skills. After a while, the pain in my right hand slowly diminished as I watch Cortinas healing magic activating. That should be okay now? If its only on that level then it wouldnt be something that I cant deal with Thank you Oh, you can properly say your thanks. Good girl, good girl That is a matter of course Well, you see, there are many children here who is feeling too proud of themselves, you see? And because of that, the first job of teachers it break their swelling pride and putting them in ce Now that I think about it, she was also a teacher in the academy. Because there are a lot of noble children who were deemed to be geniuses by their houses to receive education, they are probably having a hard time. Even adding to that is Cortinas vague set of skills that is not really that prominent if one only witnesses a side of it. Chapter 31 TL: Yuki Finia was grateful to Cortina who immediately took care of my wounds. Thank you for taking care of that, Cortina-sama Dont mind it. After all, I also consider Marias daughter as my Daughter from now on There are only two women in the Heroes Party. In that sense, Maria and Cortanas rtionship is not bad. Even at the time of Marias wedding, it was her who blessed their marriage but actually was the most sad when they announced their retirement. Thats why, I made sure to meet her first here Now that you mention it, how did you know in advanced that we would be arriving Well, its from calcting the distance from the vige where Maria is, assuming the average speed of the carriage along with dys in case it was attacked, also the condition of the highway due to the weather and Is, is that so, that, that should be enough already Finia immediately stopped Cortina who began to show off all of her calctions. After all, she always had a habit of not stopping when you let her exin something. That was a nice cut there. Muu, is that so? We are ready to wee you any time, so lets move there immediately Are we going to your house? Yeah. I consider Nicole-chan as my daughter, you know? Thats why you are also going to live in my house! Wha? This was a little unexpected even for me. Probably, even Maria and Lyell didnt expect such a thing to happen, and although it might have certainly been misleading, what it actually ended up was this. But if Im living with Cortina who is also blessed with a lot of gifts, then there will definitely be a point that she would end up knowing who I really am. It is something that I would really like to prevent if I possibly could Maxwell was also convinced that it would be safer this way! He has already given his support to this, you know? Guhe Its no good, if she already has been given his full support, it would only be more troublesome if I reject Cortinas Offer. Well, because it was decided by both Cortina and Maxewell and with them being my guardians, theres no way I would be able to refuse. Also, if I strongly oppose, there is a possibility of some misunderstandings to pop up instead. Cortina is one of the Heroes. Nevertheless, she is a star of hope formon people who contributed not by pure talent and ability but by being able to use her ingenuity. It is impossible and would be seen as strange if you actually decline her request of living with her. If you could sell this way of treatment, it would probably be priced with a worth to cover enough money for a small town to operate or even more. Auu I, I will be in your care Eh, is it alright for me toe along too!? That, Michelle! When Michelle insisted so, I was expecting that her mother would revoke her. Also, even Cortina had an unusually troubled expression. Hmm, Im sorry. My house is not really that big enough to include a whole family, but if its you alone But, but Michelle!? Her mothers face started to pale because of her attitude, which was certainly a little too bold. Well, I also know that Cortina doesnt have the character that find that rude or react to it. That cant be helped. Instead, I have another house nearby, so do you want to use that instead? We will be neighbors We will be neighbors with Cortina-sama! Michelle-chan expresses her delight with a banzai to her mother, and on the other hand her mother could only bow her head down because of her daughter. It is also true that with her gift, she might also be in danger because of the nobles staying in this town. I also need to be careful when I go there in the future. But this brightness, or rather the atmosphere it creates is rather bright. I need to make sure to make thisst. At some point, there will also be a need to bnce it. After such exchanges, we set foot to the city center of Raum. There are no needed qualifications to enter as an adventurer, but there is a strict examination and confirmation before you could enter the city, but for us, we didnt need to do that because they know that we are Cortinas acquaintance and that I am the daughter of a Hero so we were easily able to get inside without the usual checks. The Magic Academy that Im going to attend resides near the edge of the city. A reason for this not being ced in the center of the city is because there will be actual test of many dangerous spells during ss. Cortinas house was ced close to the huge school on its outer edge. It was an extremely small and frugal house that you wont normally expect for a Heros residence. The size of the garden is also small enough that it could only be able to manage two horses. It was a really modest residence ifpared to our ce. Next to it was a house of the same size. This is my house. It is a bit on the small side, but please bear with it. Michelles ce will be that neighboring house over there This is Compared to Maria-samas that is Well, I understand what you are trying to say. Its just me trying not to be too extravagant. On the other hand, Maxwells mansion is really amazing, you know Well, that is to be expected due to the fact that Maxwell is a Royalty of this country. But, didnt he go back to being an adventurer? He is now the director of the Magic Academy though. Because he also had the qualifications to be a king, his connection to politics is not broken either. It seems like because of his status, his residence was made to be more extravagant as the heavyweights of the country would oftene to visit him to ask for a consultation. Well, more than that, lets discuss as to how you will live in this city. Maybe, we could go to Maxwell after dropping off your luggage? It is too troublesome though, so maybe we can do itter While pushing me inside the house, Cortina winks at me then show me around her house. Chapter 32 Brought along by Cortina, we headed towards Maxwells residence. Unfortunately, Michelles parents were not able to join us because they will be unloading and arranging their luggage. So right now, theres only me Cortina, Finia and Michelle-chan. Although he was supposedly of royal bloodline, but he abandoned all of that along with his title of nobility when he started out as an adventurer. But even with that, it still didnt change the fact that he was still a big shot of this country. Especially after finishing the extermination of evil dragons, he was offered to return to his position when he finally returned to his country. However, even with all of his present achievements, especially the subjugation of evil dragons, there would still be various legal problems in bringing back nobility who once abandoned their position. Thats why he was given authority, but was not posted on public office. And with his vague position, he was then appointed as the director of the Magic Academy. He was Former Royalty and a Hero who subjugated Evil Dragons. Not to mention being a renowned Magician. It would be impossible for Maxwell to reside in a in looking house, thats why his residence is now a splendid mansion. Cortina simply walked straight inside the mansion without being questioned by the guards. In my previous life, I have also visited ces like this before so it didnt bother me much and I have a more rxed atmosphere. And although I didnt live in such a mansion, I got ustomed to the fact that I would usually do business in such ces. Maxwell, I have brought them! Come, on let us enter! Unlike us who are stuck to her waist, Cortina was knocking on the door forcefully without any hesitation. On the side though, I could see Finia whose face have started to turn pale. Michelle-chan also had a surprised look, when the Friendly Older Sister took on a crude and hostile attitude. Seriously, you are as noisy as always. Just wait for a second I also want to take my time leisurely from time to time, you know An old man opened the door at his own pace without even being bothered by how noisy Cortina was. He still has the same figure and ears simr to a dwarf that havent changed 17 years ago. Now that I think about it, Cortinas short cut hair also didnt show any form decline since that time too. Well, although its not as long as how elves lived, cat beast-men also have a considerably long lifespan. Her current age should be over 30 years old, but if based on the lifespan of her tribe, then she could still be considered as a young one. You finally came out. Why dont you take advantage of that short life you have left and do things a little faster? I dont really care about that stuff. I will leave it to my sessor to do things for if I really need to dont, it would be a annoying After doing their strange arguments andpletely rejecting Maxwells im, Cortina suddenly held me up. Never mind that look here. Its Marias daughter, Nicole-chan! Isnt she cute? After holding me up, she then held me close and hugged me from behind. She then without restraint rubbed her cheeks on me to the point that I felt like my cheeks would be deformed and was a bit painful. Noticing my situation, Finia attempted to move her hands, but stopped and was not able to do anything. After all, the one in front of her is Lyells colleague. She cant just move on her own following strictly her own view of the rtionship between everyone. Hohou, so her eyes have unmatched colors. People with such eyes usually have a lot of potential in magic and their foundations are strong Um, I have a gift on Interference Magic I did hear about that, but I didnt know that you have such eyes. This is something I would look forward to! For now,e in. Do not act so reserve and have some tea Maxwell invited us and guided inside his mansion. As I was walking inside the mansion, I made a furtherment. It was dirty. Dust were umting all over the ce, and some garbage or documents were piling up. Thu, this is I havent been here in quite a while. You could have at least hired a servant Well, there are a lot of confidential documents lying around. So hiring a servant would be kind of troublesome if its not from a reliable ce If its just that, then clean it up yourself Its a bother. Would you like to do it instead? And why do you think I would Finia who was watching the two bickering at each other is now even more pale and confused not knowing what to do with the current situation. Seeing the two of them argue like this gives me a sense of nostalgia. The Magician and the Master Tactician, the two of them would also quarrel a lot in the old days. I was thinking at first that Cortina might have settled down after all those years because of how she conducted herself when we met her, but well you cant easily change a persons character even after a long time has passed. After guiding to what seems to be a living room, Maxwell attempted to leave the room again. Stay here for the time being. Ill go and prepare some tea for everyone Thats not it! Didnt you remember what we came here for, Old Man! Nn? Ah, thats right. It was for Magic Power Analysis. Then Ill go fetch the measuring tools And just as easygoing as he usually is, Maxwell went out of the room. In the meantime, we cleaned a sofa for everyone to settle down. Were you surprised? Especially at how different our interaction was No, I could understand from how he reacts that maybe, he is just an easygoing person? You are somehow acting like you have actually seen that person before. Thanks to that, I feel like I dont to hold back Just like from the past I involuntarily and immediately covered my mouth. There should have been no way for me to know the Cortina from before. But Cortina never missed mu grumbling. Nn? Why do you know about how I was from the pastAh I see. Maria told you about me, right! Seriously, did she want to betray our Womens bond? Eh, ummis, is that so? Right now, Maria is closing to her 40s. But her appearance is still very youthful, enough that she would even pass if she says that she was still in her 20s. On the other hand, Lyell is aging normally the as his age soon enough, he would probably look like a grumpy old youkai. Also, it would be horrible topare humans to other races like the Elf Finia and the Cat Beast-man Cortina. I have kept you waiting. I took a bit of time because I was brewing some good tea leaves After a while, Maxwell finally came back holding a tray with a tea set ced on it. He arranged it on the table near the sofa where we were seated normally without even showing any form of elegance that you would expect from a Hero. But despite that, I know very well just how much of a master he is that is able topete against an evil dragon. Also the same with Cortina, even if she shows annoyance to him, she doesnt really dislike his ways. He quickly arranges everything in the table and offers us tea. You know, I dont mind the tea, but where is the tool for measuring Magic which you should have prepared first! What happened to the measuring board? Its fine, I didnt forget about it. I brought it along. See, its here After saying that, he turns over the tray that he was using and showed it to us. No, thats not it, that was not a tray but a magic tool, and it was the magic measuring tool itself. You dont just use expensive tools like that as recements for tools you use or making tea! Cortina couldnt help but put a tsukkomi to how he treats expensive magic tools. Maxwell Sorry, but I alsopletely agree to Cortina. Chapter 33 No matter how much Cortina retorted, Maxwell has the same nonchnt air around him. She retorts and reprimands him without any sign of hesitation, while the otherpletely ignores it and moves at his own pace. Whats wrong, did I do something wrong. You were always telling me about what mistakes Ive done Its because we have first time visitors over here, cant you even act decently in front of them! Continuing hi preparations for tea, Maxwell continued listening to Cortinas remarks without caring about it. Well then, Nicole right? ce your hand over here Hey, Im still not done talking Shut it already, Cortina. Its because of you acting like that, which made Reid misunderstand Yo, You! That has nothing to do with this situation!? You should have cleared it up that time while youve had a chance. Well, I guess it was already toote No, wait. If I remember correctly, I should have been rejected at that time. Why does it seems like Cortina is bothered by that? Ummm Nn? Ah, you didnt know about this story? Well, its sjust that she was hiding her real feelings for Reid, it seems like she was really reluctant about it Oi, what are you trying to teach the children! Cortina who seems to have finally got fed up went straight to Maxwell and attempted delivered a pound on his head. However,paring the tall Maxwell and the small stature of the cat tribe, her protest was not that effective. Well, Im really interested in the continuation of this story. Well, Reid was a really serious person. He often gets misunderstood though, and because of his nature, he sometimes creates misunderstandings instead. One of those misunderstandings involves her you see. Hahaha! Maxwell! You, you still remember about that!? What is he saying? Though Im only guessing. If I actually attempted to continue and didnt give up, was there a possibility that have epted!? I was convinced at that time that continuing was futile so I gave up, but apparently I still had my chances if I actually continued. She shows an unexpected look, Cortina was showing a really lovely smile for some reason. Even I couldnt me her because of my actions. Ah, wait Nicole-chan? Why are you having an expression as if you were having troubles? Eh? Eh, that is probably, that? Mou, sometime you really act like an adult, you know? Such failure happens once or twice in a lifetime! In the case of that person, he died though. But still, for a person with a title of God of Death to confess to the Warlord, thats something that I wasnt able to predict Thats just because Reid didnt any Guts Un, thats not it Cortina who was in high spirits a while ago is now embarrassed. Seeing her figure, I could somehow understand the cause. She is also one of the people whose life changed because of my death. After all, in order to face the demon, it was me who told her to escape to call the others. That would have probably been traumatic. Uuu, okay, enough of this. The story ends here! Now start with the measurements already After shaking her head as if to shake something off, she urged everyone to proceed with the measurements. However, the vision of me facing that unreasonable enemy pops out of my head. It was an enemy that I know I wouldnt be able to defeat on my own. If it was from the time before I was hailed a hero, I would have done my best to escape that situation. She definitely continued living while carrying that burden on her back. Un Though I thought about it, I dont have any n to reveal my identity right now. Even if I am able to return to my original self, I would only make her feel burdened by my situation. If I was born as a man, I might have been able to inherit that name but right now, Im a woman. Also, I was often hugged and cuddled. When I ced my hand on the tool, my magic aptitude was disyed on the tool. After reading the results, Maxwell leaks out a surprise. Hou. Your magic value seems to be extremely high. If this is the case, then you wont have any problems in regards to magic Eh, but I cant handle my magic that well and its effect is really short Thats because your magic control is not that great, so it wont be able topletely manifest your potential. The release amount you can control also seems to be low. Honestly speaking, this is something I will be looking forward to There are three important factors that is measured when evaluating magic power. That is Potential, Release and Control. Potential is the total value of magic power contained within a person, it could also bepared to a tank. Release is the amount of magic power that you could extract from inside you at one time. Itsparable to a faucet. Control is the ability to manipte the magic power that was taken out and turn it into magic. If you dont have the potential, your magic wontst long, if you dont have a high value, you wont be able to pump out more magic to power it up. It would also be useless if the amount you could pump out is not enough to supply the magic. Then if you dont have control, you wont be able to properly mold the magic power to for magic. These three factors are all important factors. And as for me, I am the type that has problems in regards to Release and Control. Dont be impatient. Magic Release will improve as you grow up, along with that is on how much you train. Control is in the same way. Or rather, Potential alone is the main factor above everything else is what I would say. Is that really so? Well, if we really push the pace. You would be able to reach above Reid and Gaddus on potential alon. I would deem you to be a better disciple than those two For some reason Maxwell is doing his best to encourage me. Isnt his attitude a little different than how I used to know him? The time when I realized that my potential is zero, I cant forget about how depressed I was andugh it off. If you have this much magic potential, it definitely wont be a problem entering the Magic Academy Then, that means! Yes, youve passed. Wee to Raum Magic Academy As a heros daughter, I in a sense could be said to have a firmer connection to anyone else. There wouldnt have been a problem in admission even if I only have a small magic potential. In this way, I finally acquired my qualification for admission to the Magic Academy. Chapter 34 TL: Yuki _________________________________________________ After my magical measurements have been finished, I was given sweet treats with plenty of sugar. Apparently, it seems like such behavior of Maxwell is very unusual, but he dered that its because he would also like to care and spoil me. I wonder, will all of my old friends treat children of our group like this as if they were all rtives? Sweets and confectionaries were also a favorite of mine in my previous life, so Im really grateful to be treated like this. I was also able to witness Finia and Michelle-chans happy faces, and they also praised Maxwell for the treats despite knowing how mischievous he could get. Whats mostly rare in particr is Finias current state. She is not that unfriendly, but most of the time she always shows a serious expression. Thats why seeing her show a natural smile is really cute. After a while, Cortina and Maxwell talked about how they would nurture my abilities, and then then it was decided to continue discussions at ater time and we were dismissed. When we were about to leave, Maxwell got out of his mansion and calls Cortina. Cortina, its a bit troublesome but there is a little talk that we need to attend with the Lord. Can you join me for a bit? Why now? Are you telling me to just leave these children on their own going back home? Theres also that, but its about That Case you see It couldnt be helped but wont the children be in danger leaving them on their own like this? They will probably be fine reaching your house. Your house is close and theres still a lot of traffic at the moment Maxwell who is usually aloof and free spirited says that with a serious expression, the atmosphere around him tells us that he also didnt really want to do this. Cortina then looked back at us. My bad, will you guys go home first? Here is the key for the hows Eh, ah yes? This is a problem that involves the city and we will probably have to discuss about it. Sorry but I couldnt speak about the details to outsiders Oh, is that so. Understood! Well, technically they would be deemed as heavyweights in this country. No, its not only this country but in the whole world. Though Cortinas position right now is only that of a teacher, that doesnt change her reputation from the achievements she obtained. If it involves this two and probably not including outsiders, then it will definitely be something really bad. Me and Finia didnt bring much baggage, and Michelle-chan brought only enough baggage not to hinder her movements. Unlike me who is used to travelling, it is natural for them to have the need to adapt to their new living environments from scratch. On the way back, Finia and Michelle-chan expressed their feelings of excitement being able to face the great heroes up close. Although people in our vige are quite resilient in regards to their admiration to heroes because of the fact that Lyell and Maria living close to them, but the situation from before is not something a normal civilian would be able to encounter. Of course, the same goes to the people of thisnd having tolerance because of the existence of the two heroes living in this ce. But you know, Maxwell-sama and Cortina-sama were much kinder than I have expected! Thats right. They were really friendly and I was thinking that they would be really strict From now on, I will be learning a lot from Cortina-sama. Im really looking forward to that! Yes, I would also like to ask a lot about the old days Finia, what you really want to know is stories about me, right? Even so, Cortina-sama and Reid-sama. Nufufufu, I could smell the scent of romance! Is that so? I dont really know what to say Unlike Michelle-chan who was having a bright atmosphere around her talking about the heroes, Finia cant hide her shock from those facts and was having aplicated expression. Well, I dont really hate Cortina. But in the same way, I also consider Finia and Michelle-chan to be important people. It has only been seven years since I was reborn. Right now, regardless of the length of time Ive spent with everyone, I see everyone the same way as Cortina now thats right, just like my family members. Ara? During that time, Finia reacted to something. Nn, whats the matter, Finia? Well, earlier No, maybe it was just my imagination What is it? Finia was disturbed about something and I feel worried about it. Evening is approaching. There were still a lot of traffic in the streets, and wagons could be found doing round trips. There are also carriages carrying thick lumber that seems like it would fall off if they were not careful. no, you see, its about a carriage that passed by, but Ive heard something differenting from it Sa different sound? Yes, it sounded like some kind of musical instrument As she says that, her ears twitched. That gesture was like that of a small animal trying to hear something. Elves are sensitive to sound because of theirrge ears. Thats why many of them use this advantage and enter the path of music. Like the so called Bards. That Was that something to be concerned about? The wagon that passed us by was carrying thick lumber. Because the capital of Raum is surrounded by forests, seeing carriages carrying lumber is a frequent sight. Forestry is one of the major industries in this country after all. But for the sound of a musical instrument to be heard from that could it be that the timber they carry is hollowed out? If so, Im a little curious as to what they were going to do with that. Ill check it out for a bit. Finia, please send Michelle-chan home? Eh, but Nicole-sama!? I also want to go Its no good at the moment for Michelle-chan to follow. You wont be able to move properly with your luggage Auuu Michelle-chan currently carries some luggage. She is still not used to travelling so she carries move luggage than the bare minimum. The same could be said to Finia. Finia is also the same carrying a many stuff. You need to unpack all of that quickly, or else we wont be able to rest properlyter, right? Uuu, but the same could be said to Nicole-sama I only need a sleeping bag though After leaving everything to her, I went to follow the suspicious carriage. Well, the fact that we have just arrived at this city and would need to organize our luggage would remain the same. If it was the usual, Finia would probably follow me. But right now, she also needs to guide Michelle-chan. She just cant abandon her after all and have to bring her to her parents soon. Because of that, she was not able to follow. Immediately after all that, I melded within the crowd. This was just based on my intuition, but I could sense that something really bad is happening. Chapter 35 TL: Yuki _________________________________________________ Letina felt like she was floating. It was her long awaited entry to the Magic Academy. That was because she was able to pass the magical power measurements, which is one of the main requirements in order to enter the academy. Thats why when she was walking around the city, she was in an ted mood and then she finally noticed that she was separated from her mother. Eh, where am I? By the time she noticed it, her mother was already nowhere to be found. In search for her mother, she ran around the city in order to find her until she ran into an alley without any people around. This capital city was called the city of elves, and that is because the ratio of elves in the city is much higher than anywhere else. Other than that, it didnt really differ from other cities. The same could be said to alleys without any traffic. Mom? Where are you? She went deeper inside the back alleys while calling out. She was a youngdy from born in a family rted to elven politics, and not only was educated but has been deemed to be gifted which made her more prideful. It cannot be denied that because of that, her pride soared to the point that she became ignorant of everything around her. As a result of that, even if she was separated from her mother, she was confident that she would somehow find her mother immediately. MamaMama! Eventually she began to cry, and because of her cries, someone noticed her presence. It was a man who smelled bad and reeked of alcohol. Whats wrong youngdy. Why are you crying out here, it will ruin that cute face of your, you know? Hii! She was so overwhelmed that words couldnte out of her mouth. Letina wanted to ran away immediately, but her legs were shaking out fear and she was not able to even step away. The shipment we have should be enough, but theres wont be any problem having some surplus added, right? After saying that, the man put his hand inside a dirty leather bag and took out a dirty piece of cloth inside it. The stimting scent from the cloth somehow made her return to her senses and she immediately tried to escape. But the man was one step ahead of her. The cloth that was taken out was then pressed on her nose and mouth where a very noxious odor irritated her senses. She attempted to scream, but her whole body suddenly weakened and she was not able to do anything anymore. Immediately, Letinas consciousness faded and her vision sank into the darkness. Now then, where did I put spares for those Caskets? The man then wrapper her in a cloak and disappeared in the back alleys. I followed the carriage that was carrying timber which came to a ce close to the gates. It went into a seemingly unpopted timber store and stopped. Now this is definitely strange. The timber theyve brought in should originally be carried out of the carriage, but nobody even bother toe in contact with the carriage. The logs they carry is also much thicker than one that was normally used. Well, that doesnt really mean that there werent any use for such a thick log. They can not only be used for makingrge houses, but also for making wooden statues. Thats why theres no problem for such logs to be bought. And yet, theres no sign of them unloading it. I went into the carriage while making sure that the man moving the carriage doesnt notice me. I then took a quick look at the carriage, but I didnt see anything suspicious about the carriage itself. However, Im feeling a little ufortable about the loaded logs itself. Looking closely, I could see that all of the timber seems have been carved and have a cut at the center, no in this case, it could be said to be two split logs ced together? I tried my best peeking inside the timber by widening the gap, but Funnnnnuuuuuuuuu! Un, as I have expected. I couldnt lift nor make a gap on the timber even if I used all of my strength. Because that couldnt be helped, I tried tapping the surface with something hard. I should be able to tell if the inside is hollow from the reverberations. Perhaps the cause of that sound was because of the logs colliding at each other from the vibrations of the carriage. Thats also why Finia, who is an elf and is sensitive to sound were able to notice that something is strange with it. Hmmm? When ites to hollowing the insides of a log, I could only think of two main reasons. It would be to either enclose something inside it, or inly reduce its weight. In any, I currently have no way of verifying what is inside these logs. Its inevitable that I wont be able to verify its contents. Then theres only one other way for me to know. That is to investigate the people who were in charge of these suspicious timber thats why I went towards the ce where the men were stationed. The man I tailed entered a yard in the corner of the storage area, and then closes the entrance of the station as soon as he went inside. Because it couldnt be helped, I turned around and made my way through an open window. Considering that its currently summer, it was necessary to open the windows during this season. Though I call it a window, its not the type that was covered by expensive transparent ss, but was made entirely out of wood. When fall arrives, such windows are usually closed because that is the start of the cold season and would usually be left closed untilte spring. Also, if it has an opening, I would be able to slowly widen it without making any sounds that would reach inside the room. So, hows the merchandize? No problems with it. There were all sound asleep. If we dont transport them immediately, some of them might end up dead, you know Whats wrong if they end up dead. They are only elven children anyway Haah, elven children are different. There are people with some really strange hobbies out there you know Well, there are many ways to use them. Like using them as sacrifice Hearing what the people inside were talking about made me feel as if cold water was poured on my back. I dont know the details, but Luggageand Sound Asleep clearly states that what was contained inside were living beings. Casket definitely refers to those logs that have been hollowed inside to be used as a disguise. Also, with thetter conversation, I could infer that there were elven children included. Adding to that, the words Usage and Sacrifice also followed. With all of those information, conclusions could be drawn already. Those people they were human traffickers. Not to mention, they are specialized in trafficking elves I only speak in whispers in order for my voice to be unnoticed. If I dont report this immediately judging from the talks of the people inside, they might make their moves soon. Its about time for the gate to close. After a little break, lets move out The ve merchants are probably waiting outside already In this world, the existence of ves is supposedly not recognized. However, there are people who have been turned intobor force which is considered to be indispensible, and people that were turned into ves are being handled as workforce. Thinking about it, this side of business talks could be said to be barely gray zone and almost reaching the dark side, this includes business being held outside of the city walls. In this times case, it seems like they are using such measures. One of the reasons for them leaving before the gates are closed is because at this time the security isx and the gatekeepers dont closely check packages that are being sent outside. The main reason for this is because the gatekeeper were already exhausted after a whole days work so they couldnt help but ck off a little. I probably wont have enough time in this case. However, I surely wont abandon this mission If I let them go this time, they will be able to escape from the city and their goods will be handed over to ve merchants, I also wont be able to track them anymore. Elven children are about to be abducted after all, I just couldnt abandon them nor miss this chance to help. I am aiming to be a Hero after all. Chapter 36 For the time being I went back to where the carriage was parked, then thought about what I should do in my mind. Should I inform the guards, and have them get caught. Or maybe I should inform Maxwell and Cortina directly, they will probably handle this with ease. However, I wont have enough time to do that. They were talking about leaving right before the closing of the gates. Theres only a small amount of time left before that happens. Even if I sneakily try to rescue them, its impossible for me to open these Caskets with my meager amount of strength. It would be close to impossible for me to help them on my own. Then, should I try defeating them? Thats an option but it will be quite difficult. Not to mention that theres three of them. If its one on one then I would have a higher chance of winning, even in my current state, however more than that would be really difficult. Then I only have one choice left (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) They were supposed to leave during the night, because at that time the gatekeepers would be morex. In other words, they wont be able to do anything if the guards were stricter. If they knew that the guards were more vignt, they would also hesitate to leave. And if the gates were closed, they wont be able to leave the city until morning, and then I would have enough time to report to Cortina about the situation. Then should I break the carriage. That would at least earn me some time They were carrying big trees even if the insides were hollowed it should still be quite heavy. If the current carriage loaded with that breaks, then they would have no choice but to unload and transfer it to another carriage, and even if there were three people to do that, they wont be fast enough and would barely be able to finish before the closing time. The next morning, busy merchants would already be going back and forth doing their business so they will definitely have to avoid that. As a result, it would lead to increasing their waiting time until the next evening. Well, theres also the choice of driving the carriage and leave this ce. If I was actually able to do that then it would have made things a bit easier, however I dont have the skill to even at least drive one out of this ce. I could at least ride a horse, but driving a two horse carriage is out of question. I dont have any confidence that I would be able to pull it off. Not to mention that if I use that method, those people would definitely be able to escape. I look around the area, and there I found a tool that is probably used around here. It was known as an Eel hatchet, a ded tool where part of the tip is bent in an L shape. It probably a tool they use during their regr transactions. With that, I definitely would be able to cut off those ropes, and its probably used that way. Is it only this that I could use around here. If only I had brought my Katana at least After all our original purpose was to visit Maxwell, thats why we came unarmed. But well, this should be good enough for the time being. First I cut off the ropes holding theCaskets, even that alone would take a bit of time to fix. However, that alone wont be enough. I need to do some damage that is more time consuming. And so I decided to dive under the carriage and took off brackets that fixed the axle. If the axle is loose, the carriage wont be able to run for a long time, and they will definitely notice this malfunction. I immediately started the procedures to hinder their work, which would also save a lot of time for me. I position the hook tip on the metal fittings then rip it off. Even if I dont have the strength, the L shape tip made it possible for me to use it like a level. It took me a bit of time to do so but I was able to properly remove things. Even if only one of the axles is unhooked, it would hinder them a lot and should only allow them to run for several meters. And then the moment I crawled out of the carriage I met one of the men who came out to check the station. It seems like it took me more time to do it than what I have expected. Iya, it was really a mistake of mine not activating my special gift when I came out. Probably because of the long time that I havent been in battle, it seems like I have been cking more than usual. What, whos this brat! Ah, ummm, Im I mean In the short time that I was trying to find a good excuse, it seems like another man decided to take a different approach. Wa, wait. I dont know if shes trying to do a prank, but in this situation, isnt she also a lost one? Aah? Look carefully. Although shes a little dirty, isnt she a good merchandize Haaah? Hmmm, certainly, someone with different colored eyes would definitely be high priced I immediately tap off the dust on my short skirt, along with the ones caught up on my socks. Now now, just quietlye over if you dont want to be hurt dont decide things that early old man! Without listening to the mans words, I immediately closed in to attack with the eel hatchet. Even though its just a simple sword and may not do that much damage, but if I utilize the L shaped tip properly, then I would definitely be able to injure them. Uwah!? However rather than letting that man sit down to dodge, he took one step forward and tried to prevent the attack. Because of moving forward to block, the man suffered from the strong impact. The other man immediately pulled the sword on his waist, but he didnt expect me to attack before he could do so. Probably hearing the sh from the cabin, another man rushed into the the station. This brat wont quietly surrender! She suddenly attacked me you know, what do you think should I do in return!? You idiots, and to think you were both kidnappers! I do want to insert a tsukommi to these idiots who were like doing a skit, however I refrained Other than that, right now Im in the worst possible situation. It would have been a better idea if I would have managed to escape from these idiots before. I would probably be able to run away if I only focused on that, and would be an easy feat but well, right now would probably be impossible. I need to get away if possible somehow, I would probably have enough time to save those elves. Someboooooodddddyyyy! Please heeeeelp meeeeee! I tried calling out for help if possible to escape from these men. If only they would be scared and flee away on their own. If people from outside somehow managed to gather, the situation would have worsened for these people. However, it seems like my options were for naught. Even though I was screaming out loudly, there were barely any reactions from outside. The men who were observing the situation were grinning. Then one of them started speaking to me. Its a shame isnt it. Did you think we were sloppily doing our jobs? Theres a soundproofing magic tool installed in this ce. This is that kind of ce after all so installing and deploying one is necessary With that exnation I finally realized what happened. My voice just didnt reach outside. Now that I think about it, this ce would definitely bother others with its cement but it was strange for such a ce to be selected and its also close to the gates. After all if wood processing is done within the city, the noise it would cause will definitely cause issues. Thats why it is also natural for such magic items to be possessed especially those that automatically activates. A silencing field magic tool might have been deemed to be used suspiciously if it was an average person that purchased it. However, that would not be the case if it was a cksmith or a processing center that purchased it. So in other words, I will have to expect not receiving any external help. Chapter 37 There are only two other opportunities for help to arrive. One is for Finia to send home Michelle-chan ande looking for me, and the other would be Cortina detecting the abnormalities. However, I couldnt rely on those as expected. Although Finia would certainly look for me, her strength is only at the level of a regr person. At worst, she could even get caught and be used as a hostage instead. Stop struggling already, brat! I wont let you! The man attacked me aiming for my limbs, but I parried the attack and counters. What they didnt know was that I have String Maniption Gift and this gift have saved me from many predicaments Ive faced in my previous life. After putting out a good amount of thread, I returned the yarn ball in my pocket. The de I am using now doesnt have much of a reach, and that would be the case even if I used it with one hand. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) The man attacked again, but it was easily parried. However, what I wield is not a simple sword but a de with an L shaped tip. Just by redirecting the attack and separating broke the mans stance. Because of the sudden change in force applied, the man flinched and I was able to close in on him. I then swing the de on the mans leg. The man who was not able to react in time was not able to follow my movements or dodge. Right then the tip of the de pierced his thigh and were deeply wounded. Gyaaaaaaa!? A sharp cut was made, though it wouldnt be as clean as how a sword would cut. The meat was churned out as if it was bitten by fangs, and blood sttered as I took out the de. I immediately took some distance so I wont get hit by the blood. It was supposed to be an attack that would at least give me time to escape, however another person prevented those actions. As I was about to counterattack the man who approached me, my arm was caught and I was mmed on the floor. He then twisted my hand a bit and have me release my weapon. It hurts, let go! My arm was still twisted in a lock and is now unarmed. For a swordsman, your grip is also your lifeline. If you drop your weapon in the middle of a fight, your survival would drastically drop. However, that would depend on the actual situation. Seeing that I dropped my weapon, the man also sheathed his sword while taking out something on his pocket. I dont know what hes trying to take out, but it is a fact that hisbat power have drastically dropped. What he didnt realize is that I havent lost my will to fight yet. It was a misjudgment of fatal proportions for my opponent. Manipting the yarn on my side, I wrap it in a stone and swing it immediately. The amount of strength the yarn manipted by thread maniption possessed is about as strong as my strength. Because what I used was just a small stone, it was not strong enough to neutralize the man. However, there are other targets here besides these men. Unfortunately, they were not humans. It was the horse that was connected to the carriage. The carriages axle was already broken and disconnected, so the carriage itself wont be able to move that far. But within that few meters, the man was there. As soon as the stone hit it, the horse was startled and moved in surprise. And it reacted more vigorously than expected. As a result, the man immediately moved away to avoid being hit by the carriage. It was also at that moment that my arm was released. Just before it passed by the man, the axles reached their limit dislodging and creating strange noises, then rolls over along with the horse heading towards the man who tried to escape. Uwah!? Ugyaaaaaah! Hollow may they be, it was loaded with manrge trees. And yes, he was not able to properly dodge the crash. After the crash, a pool of blood streamed under the copsed carriage and flowed towards me who barely escaped the crash. With this amount of bleeding, he would probably die in a short while. This, this brat I will definitely kill you At that time, the man that I attacked first stood up. However it was already a game over for him. Watching the wound on his leg squirting outrge amounts of blood, I realized that it seems like I have sessfully hit a major blood vessel. If I leave him as is, he would also probably die soon. However, I also couldnt just leave him like that without finishing him off. The man was standing unstably with just on undamaged leg. Using a bit of my tricks, I would be able to win this immediately. Without being noticed, I manipted the yarn and tied around the mans leg. I then tied the other end on the struggling horse. As the horse continued to struggle, it also continued to tangle more yarn. Eventually, the mans leg was pulled and he was dragged away. WhatGufu!? I took the weapon I used before and cut off the remaining thread connected to me. Though its sharpness is not that great, it was good enough to cut off the yarn. After all if I didnt cut that off immediately, I would have been dragged along. I then approached the struggling man and hit head with the back ed of the weapon for him to lose consciousness. Guho!? That was thest of that man before losing consciousness. With this the immediate threat should have been neautralized. Now if only, Fuho what the heck happened here Yes, if the three of them fought against me, it would have been really dangerous. However, I was able to survive because the 3rd person returned to the station when the battle started leaving the two to handle me. Thanks to that I was able to dispose of the two with a bit of a struggle. The two were probably quite confident and looked down on me. However, thanks to that I was able to neutralize both of them leaving thest one behind. Now then, shall I make an escape Ooops, you think Ill let ya escape that easily? The moment I tried to escape, the third person came out of the station and blocked my way. The man was armored and equipped arge shield and sword and was seemingly more preparedpared to the previous two. However, even if he tried to block my way, there was quite the distance between us. It was a wide open space where I could easily escape even if blocked by one person. My escape couldnt be prevented is what I thought. Of course I will be able to escape. With this distance, I would be able to move faster idiot Haaah? You sure are a foul mouthed brat. Well, whatever. However, if you do that, I will burn down all of these Caskets along with everyone over here Wha!? I could smell a strange chemical from the defeated men. Its probably something they used to kidnap those elves and also have them stayed in a fainted state while trapped in that tree. And if fire was set on that ce, Are you trying to kill everyone!? Of course. They have already seen my face so why not. Theres no reason for me to keep them alive. However if you stay behind then it would be a different story So that means you wanted to fight me Its also fine to Surrender like an adult you know? I definitely refuse to do so! It couldnt be helped, I shouted and stepped forward to fight the man. Chapter 38 First of all, Ill deliver a sh from above to see check the situation. Of course, with my meager strength, the power of the sword wont be that much. However, if Im able to slip in the L part de of the sword to his head, theres no doubt that he would be in trouble. However, the man easily blocked the attack with his shield. Because of the recoil, I fell down, it seems like hes using the stance of Strong Style. Its a counter type tactic that has a strong emphasis on defense. Thats probably his way of fighting. After deflecting his attack, I immediately made a back step. However, following my back step, he aimed to attack me the moment Ind. Of course, I was also prepared to counter that. And so I received his attack, at the same time countered. The man was using solid defensive style despite topensate for hisck in power, and its quite a challenge to breakthrough. My feint attacks and yarn attacks were also blocked, so its not really a match that I could let my guard off. Adding to that, there is a big disadvantage with the current me. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Nevertheless, my current opponent is a defender type. If its only about running away then I will definitely be able to, however I cant run away with the current situation at hand. If I run away now, other childrens lives would be endangered. Whats wrong, getting tired already? What happened to that momentum of yours! Seriously, this is really quite an unpleasant opponent! The man was definitely provoking me. After all if I get provoked then I would y by the opponents hand. In order to ovee the current situation, I need to at least be able to bind his feet with string. That is if I could deceive him. It seems like he also understood a bit about this ability. Perhaps he was able to understand it after seeing the other two getting disposed of. You too, it seems like you were quite careful in even when faced against a child Are you talking about me being equipped? Well, lets just say that I assuming that you were able to call the guards. Apparently, it seems like you were not able to so I feel relieved. I will definitely call them first from now on! It is exactly as the man said, however I ran out of time to do so, thats why it couldnt be helped. After a continuous assault, I stopped the sh and a breath for a bit. However, the man was not as nave enough to let this opportunity go. After lowering his stance, the man rebuilds his posture and like skating on the ground moves to chase after me. At this moment, I also stopped my movement and went to poke him instead. Tsk, you are too persistent! That is what Im proud of after all Its really annoying to fight this kind of battle, so I show him a bleee~ to annoy him. I dont really need to do any big attacks, however it would still be more taxing for a defender even if I just send some feints. I dont see him a warrior who fights directly after all. Even though you were quite skilled, why are you doing things like this! Of course it would be for money. Elves are quite high priced after because of their beauty. They have also many uses other than just being sacrificed. You disgusting ******* You are not an elf, but you are quite amazing yourself. Selling you definitely could be sold for quite a hefty price too ! So thats why hes precisely aiming at disabling me, he was probably considering to turn me into merchandise. Well he probably wasnt expecting that I would be able to get rid of his tworades. However, my advantage is also be unstable. My knees are starting to shake from fatigue. My stamina is also reaching a really dangerous level at the moment. Then something happened that even made the situation more confusing. Nicole-chan!? Michelle-chan? Why are you here! Suddenly, Michelle-chan appeared in the storehouse. She was carrying a bow and quiver, but shes not wearing her usual hunting gear. Shes probably carrying her weapon only for self defence. After returning home I immediately search for Nicole-chan but what is this? Kidnapping! Hurry, let the guards know! Michelle-chan stops after hearing the mans words. That man will definitely do it, and then my hard work would also be for nothing. Understanding the current situation, it was not a surprise that she was not able to proceed. However, if she stays here, I would also be troubled. It would be much easier if she escapes and call the guards as soon as possible. But the man also understands the situation. He immediately approached the carriage and breaks after putting down his sword. Right then one of the timbers fell and broke in half revealing a fainted girl from inside it. It was definitely and Elven child seeing their distinctive sharp ears. Moreover, her hair was like golden threads, definitely a beautiful girlwell, it was a beautiful little girl. It might take some time to get rid of that kid, however stabbing the ones over here would be much easier to do even if they were inside of these wooden caskets Wha Stop it! This is bad, hostages have beenpletely seized. If either of us runs away, hostages will definitely be killed. The hostage girls definitely have also seen the mans face so he will definitely get rid of them. As expected, with the current situation at hand, theres no choice but to try and defeat this man on our own. Theres no choice but beat him. Michelle-chan, lets do this! U, un! With my encouragement, Michelle-chan also prepares herself and loads her bow. The problem is with her current weapon, she wont be able to pierce through that mans defenses. The arrow she released was easily deflected by his shield. The steel shield was probably enchanted by something, thats why it couldnt be prated that easily. But well, keeping him busy might give me a chance to change the situation so I would like her to keep it up for the time being CrimsonUltramarine As if Id let you! Guh! While hiding from the shadow of the shield, he managed to stop me from chanting by quickly closing in but I was able to avoid. However the magic power that I was processing also dispersed. After that the man chased Michelle-chan while making sure that he doesnt move too far away from the hostages. I wont be able to do anything if he continues to stay in that position. There were fourrge timber loaded in the carriage. Assuming that all of them were loaded with children, that makes his hostage count to 4. I do have the option of abandoning them. However, if I abandon those children, my ambition to be a hero will bepletely shattered. Although we were now on a bit of an advantage with Michelle-chan adding to thebat force, it doesnt improve the situation at all. My body was also starting to reach exhaustion. With my current state, I could barely dodge the sword attacks aimed at me. My breath is haggard and my vision is also starting to fade. My limitits definitely close to breaking point. I could only clench my teeth and maintain the current status of the fight, but I still couldnt find a way to break this situation. In cases like this, Cortina would probably know what will be the best way to deal with the current situation And finally my limit has been reached. When I attempted to evade an attack that I thought I could. My movement shifted differently from what I am supposed to do. I did manage to not get hit in a vital part, but the sword reaches my upper arm and blood sshes around. Kuuh! Nicole-chan!? The damage was not that deep. But bleeding elerates fatigue and the pain would definitely hinder my concentration. If only one the girls wake up, then there will be a chance to change this situation. Not, yet Im not giving up yet! In order to inspire myself, I shouted as I shed back at the man. It was the start of a hopeless struggle. Chapter 39 Her best friend was injured right in front of her. Michelle knows that even though that girl was an unfamiliar girl, she wont be able to abandon her. Thats why she decided to stay and fight together with her. However, the difference between an adult and a child is easy to understand. I need to do somethingI mustdo my best! While cleanching my teeth, I loaded arrows one after another, however the power gradually weakened. Although what Im using is a hunting bow especially tailored for me a little girl, it still required quite a bit of strength to draw it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Only three left what to do It was usually Michelles role to deal damage effectively to the enemy. Because she was not able to y that role, she felt frustration that she has never felt before. However, if she careless do something, it will only be blocked by the mans shield. She knows that if she bes impatient then her aim would also be affected. There might even be a chance that she would hit Nicole-chan. What should I do Is there something I could do! Do you want power?[TL: Wait, Kyubey?] She heard afortable and clear voice from behind her. A clear and beautiful voice as is it was the voice of a siren. And also, hidden within that voice is a feeling of amusement and intimacy. The moment she turned around, there was a girl. It was a head taller than her and was really youthful. Adding to that is the overwhelming whiteness around her. She had shiny silver hair and porcin white skin. What caught her attention though was the shining silver bow that she holds on her hand. Umm, who? You could say that Im God. By the way Michelle-chan. Do you wish for power? Eh? Ummm If you dont decide now, the both of you will be in danger you know? I, I, I want it, please! It was really suspicious, however if she was telling her that she would be able to help Nicole-chan, then would ept it even if it was a deal with the devil. That is what Michelle thought at that time. Alright, then I will lend this to you The girl presents a huge bow cing it on her hand. At first Michelle shows a frightened expression, but then her expression turn from fear to despair. After all, the strings were too hard for her to draw. This is no good, I wont be able to use it Thats why I am still here. I will help you out. Consider this a special favor, alright? Immediately after saying that, Michelle felt a surge of power from inside her. At first she thought that it was simr to Marias power, but that wasnt the case. It was so strong that it couldnt even bepared. Can you pull it out this time? However, that is probably not enough yet. Also, a normal arrow probably wont be good. Please use this arrow Eh? I dont really understand what she was talking about, but anyway, because it was such a huge bow, a specialized arrow is probably used. Without thinking too much about it, Michelle receives the arrow without doubting. The arrow that was handed to her was made out of steel, theres also a spiral ridge on its shaft. The bows name is called Third Eye. Please use it carefully from now on, ok? U, un She didnt know how long the magic applied to her wouldst. She immediately nocked the arrow on the silver bow called Third Eye. The giant bow wasparable tono, it was taller than her. It was made out of some kind of synthetic material sandwiched in between quartz tes and the string was silver probably made out of mythril that was turned into a string. It would have been normal for anyone to not be able to draw such a bow. However, because of the strengthening she received, she was able to draw the steel like string. The synthetic matrials of the bow creaked as it rubs against the quartz tes when bent. Ah right, if you use too much power, both that child and Michelle-chan will be blown away by the shockwave. So use only a little bit of it She hesitantly replied to the girl. Even she could understand just how much power the bow possessed. Thinking about what would happen if she misfired made her feel a lot of tension. Dont worry about it that much, if its about the shield of that man then it would torn like paper. Thats why calm down The girl gently put her hands on her back to reassure Michelle. She also felt like all of her fatigue disappeared. After feeling as if the weight on her shoulders has disappeared, Michelle aimed the bow once more. Right now her aim was decided. She also felt like she would be able to predict how the two would move. That feeling, thats the effect of the Shooting Gift. Believe in your power The girl whispers on her ears. Then she releases the arrow with that whisper as the trigger. Chapter 40 The wound on my left arm is not much of a big deal. However, because the bleeding doesnt stop, my body would be quickly exhausted and my body temperature would also drop. The blurriness of my vision also gradually erodes my sight slowly restricting my movements. My reaction time is also affected. And because my left had wont be usable anymore, it became a hindrance in achieving our objective. I also wont be able to parry while being attacked by the enemy because I wont have enough strength to support the weight of the attacks. Even if I was able to parry, L shaped tip of the billhook could be used by my enemy to disarm me if I am not careful. As a result, I could now only focus on dodging the attacks. These movements consume a great amount of energy and needs an extra amount of physical strength, and before long I fell down on my knees. Geho,guhokuho (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Falling down on my knees in front of my enemy would be equivalent to suicide. And worst of all, my physical strength have already reached its limits. Whats wrong, already reached your limit? Well, you dont have to worry brat, you will still be treated as a valuable goods after this, you know? Geho, dont you mess around, nna Dont worry, there are healers employed by ve traders. Im only breaking one or two of your limbs so that you wont be able to run away. Oh and dont worry about that as well, Im sure they would be able to perfectly fix you up Guuhhhwa? I clenched my teeth from the humiliation, trying to grip my sword with my trembling hands. Then at that time, no I have noticed it little earlier, it was an intense surge of fighting spirit that could be felt behind me. This is probably because of the difference in our fighting experience. Finally, the man notices an that and reacted without a moments dy. The mans eyes opened wide in surprise as he sensed the iing threat, and moved ordingly without looking back at the source of it. I also stepped aside and immediately hold myself down, while the man dropped his stance and immediately prepared his shield. You could also say that the difference between our actions decided our life and death. No, in the first ce, the trajectory of that attack was not aimed at me, so I would have been safe even without doing so. However, the man was in a different situation. A steel arrow howls as it creates drag like a gust of wind. The pressure from that gust of wind easily blows me away ending with me rolling on the ground. It was a good that I was barely able to protect the fainted girl. But the results with the man ended differently. He had a fighting style that would block any iing attacks from the front. That defensive style, which probably permeated to his body after using it for years, also led him to the end of his life. Eh? The man who had arge hole in both his shield and stomach probably couldnt understand what happened and reacted in a surprised voice. Then finally unable to support his own weight, he split in two and copses. After confirming that the girl I secured was safe, I looked back at Michelle-chan. She was standing there stunned by the storm of destruction her attack had caused. I was also barely able to see a white silhouette behind her which was probably the cause of this. But more than that, I was concerned about something else. It was the white silver bow that is held by Michelle-chan. It was a huge bow that is clearly enchanted. If that piece of equipment enters the market, you will probably have to pile up gold coins enough to buy a castle to be able to purchase it. It was that kind of expensive item that she is currently holding on her hands. Michelle-chan? Ehah, un. Are you alright, Nicole-chan? U, un. I only have a bit of an arm injury, and a bit exhausted. What is that bow? After I pointed it out, she finally seemed to remember about the big bow she held in her hand. The bow had an borate design and magical characters were engraved in various ces, and the more I look at it the more amazed I am by its design. This? Ady in white told me to use it Lady in white? where? When I asked her about it, Michelle-chan immediately looked around to check. However, she only found us two girls standing and one fainted. The others are corpses and fainted men, and horses that were still struggling while connected to the carriage. She disappeared Is that so That white figure that Ive noticed earlier, perhaps that was the person who offered help to Michelle-chan. Its a bit suspicious for her to give such an expensive item without any hesitation. What should I do. I have to return this Michelle-chan was in panic the moment I look at her, because the woman disappeared before being clear about returning the item, or not wanting it back. While I was thinking about it, I found a piece of paper stuck under my feet. Was it perhaps something that blown away by the wind. I immediately picked it up and casually looked at the text that was written in it. What was written is something like this. Ill give you that bow. I hope that you would help her with that power. And also, you are still unable to handle your gift, right? If you properly use that power, you can be the strongest, thats why you should work harder from now on. From the kind and benevolent Goddess Goddess could that person be the one who reincarnated me into a little girl. Although it was unforgivable that she turned me into a woman, she was surprisingly helpful, like giving me a path towards reincarnation, or giving this gift and helping out Michelle-chan. This time was seriously dangerous, I couldnt help but thank her for the help. It says here that shes giving it to you. Are you hesitant in receiving that? Eh, Nicole-chan, you can read? Oops Thinking about it now, it was unusual for me to be able to read letters without going to school to learn. Of course, I know how to read because of my inherited knowledge, but it should be very rare for a child my age to be able to read and write. Well, LyePapa and Mama taught me Ah, thats right. Lyell-sama and Maria-sama would be able to teach you, right? Its also a fact that if you are an aristocrat child, they would often hire tutors or teachers before entering an academy. But you know, that bow looks really amazing Un. Thedy in white also told me to be careful in using it because its too powerful I think so too A bow that can shoot arrows that are able to release that amount of shockwave is no joke. If you identally get caught in its trajectory, you would end up bing minced meat. Perhaps only Michelle-chan who has a gift for shooting would be able to use it. However, that assumption of mine also copsed in the next moment. Ah, I cant use it anymore Eh? You see, with my power alone, I wouldnt be able to draw this bow. Thats why thedy in white put strengthening enchantments on me, before I could finally use it I, I see Now that I think about it, for such a powerful bow, a normal arrow would be impossible to use, and a childs strength wouldnt be enough to draw it. Crimson 1, Ultramarine 1, Gold 3. Grant her powernow?Try drawing it? Nn, guguguguno good, I cant. Sorry Hmmm, you dont really have to apologize God giving her an unusable bow is just bad. I tried giving Michelle-chan enchantments but it was no good, my strengthening just wasnt enough to allow her to use the bow. I dont really know how much I have strengthened her though, and all I could say isAs expected of God. If you have that much power, you could have just defeated the man directly. Chapter 41 For the time being, we need to clean things up in this ce. I cant just leave this elven child here forever, and there are probably three more of them hidden inside other timbers. thats right, can you go call out to some guards? With my legs right now, I wont be able to do it Ahh, thats right. What about those children? These children were kidnapped by those people. I have to watch over those kids as well while Im waiting here eh, so those people were all kidnappers What, what did you think they were Well I dont really know what happened, I thought they were people who tried to bully Nicole-chan and was a bad guy You dont really know, you sayYou, dont point such menacing weapons at people when you dont really understand the situation!? I was quite suprised by Michelle-chans ruthless behavior, and secretly shiver upon discovering it. For, for the time being, because of the current situation, I would be d if you could contact someone to ask for help Un, Ill go tell the guards, and then Finia Nee-chanand Cortina-sama too! Eh, wa, wait!? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Wait, if you inform Finia that I have been injured again, she will definitely cry and me herself again. I wanted to stop Michelle-chan, and tried to stand up, however my legs wont listen to what I wanted it to do. She ran away so fast that it only took a blink of an eye before she disappeared from my field of view. Im jealous of that energetic spirit A bitter after that, the city guards came along with Maxwell, and he covered for us. I fell asleep from exhaustion after exining everything that happened, and by the time I woke up, I was already in Cortinas house. Ive also heard indirectly from Maxwell that there were kidnapping incidents happening in this town before, and it seems like the two of them were tasked to investigate. Because of Finia, I was given the opportunity to detect a strange incident, but I didnt know what I be driven into. Fortunately, I was safe, but that situation was indeed quite dangerous. Well, theres currently a much more annoying problem than that. Seriously! As soon as I look away, Nicole-sama would always find herself in dangerous situations! Well, um, Im sorry. I didnt expect that situation to actually end up bing that dangerous Why did you fight them head on in the first ce? You could have just escaped No, you see, there were hostages taken, so I couldnt just leave them behind Compared to all those people, Nicole-sama is more important! Nonono, Finia-chan? Didnt you hear about the daughter of a very powerful aristocrat included in those kidnapped people? While I was being angrily preached by Finia, Cortina takes over. I am thankful for the help however when she stared at me, it felt like cold sweat came rolling down my spine. Even so, facing those kidnappers on your own is also no good Nicole-chan, but dont you think its quite a splendid result despite the mess she ended up with? But thats just. If I took my eyes away from her again, she might end up disappearing again somewhere Thats because I am free spirited I stood upright, then puffs my chest forward as I dered that, but well its not really a dignified image. Its definitely a bad habit that remained from my previous life where I try to solve things in the fastest way possible. If I continue this streak of solving things at the fastest way possible, Ill just probably end up bing an assassin once again. There might have been other ways to do it, you know. So for now, reflect on your actions Please do consider how dangerous the situation isPlease dont do something so reckless again, okay? Un, I will do my best in having a more positive result as possible What did you say, why are you now imitating the words of a government official Ahaha, this child has a few screw loose in her head. Is she trying to be simr to Maria? Cortina smacks my back whileughing out loud. She still possessed the inherent ability of cat people to ease up the situation, so I didnt think much about what she did. Alright, lets all take a bath together, then lets hear about Nicole-chans epic saga At that time, I was really afraid of Marias punishment, and should really have acted more cautiously than I should. How did an amateur like Finia be able to follow my traces though? If you were thinking about how I found it, it was because I found some traces of unnaturally dug up soil in the garden when I was tending to it Uguh Ahaha, seriously, Nicole-chan, that was the best. This will really be a lot of fun! Cat people are also very cheerful individuals, and the ce bing livelier is also a big wee. For me though, I have always wanted to concentrate in training quietly since my early childhood. I was caught by Cortina and was dragged into the bathroom. This is the beginning of my life here in Raum, it was quite a turbulent start. Chapter 42 After that incident, we decided to procure for our daily necessities and roam around the ce. From the start, we didnt really carry a lot of luggage including the amount that Finia brought along with her. She did attempt to carry as much as she could, but Maria stopped her and she was only able to bring a minimal amount. Thats why we have decided to replenish our daily necessities when we arrive here. Cortina did prepare a room and beddings for us, but the sheets, beddings and curtains were not prepared the way we wanted because it was to her personal taste. Thats why it was necessary for us to buy more supplies. What do you think about this Nicole-sama. Dont you think this one is cute? Eh, what is with that heart patterned curtain? No to mention that the overall color is pink But Nicole-sama is so fair skinned to be almost white, having a variation of red would make you visible No, I am not that white you know? But it would make you more visible I am not a chameleon! When we were shopping together, Finias tension was a little stranger than usual. When I was about to go shopping with Finia, Cortina also joined us making it three people shopping. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) However, that has nothing to do with this situation, that curtain pattern is justno good. I picked up some other products and try to suggest it to Finia but I was rejected. What about this pale yellow one Wont yellow look too dazzling when hit by the sun? Then, how about this green one Wont Nicole-sama end up sleepingte because of its dark shading? I do not oversleep Thats not true at all. You were over sleeping a lot I did train my body during the day to its limits, and at night I train my magic power until I am exhausted. Its not really surprising for me to end up oversleeping with a daily schedule like that. My frequency of oversleeping greatly increased due to the extreme fatigue which is inherent to children. You two, what about this one over here? What Cortina presented was a curtain with cat patterns. It was quite childish but the color was beige and was quite calming. Finia and me looked face to face and confirmed with eye contact that we shouldpromise with this one. A few dayster, it was time to prepare for admission. There was also something called a uniform which is used in the Magic Academy. Cortina prepared a Free Size Uniform for the time being, but it was too big for me. It was a shirt with a white emblem with a dark blue pleated skirt, is what they call a uniform. It also has a feathered beret, a jacket and boots with the same color as the skirt. it was surprising in many ways. Well, even though Im just a kid, I still wear boots because of living close to the forest, and I also sometimes go to the forest for training. In doing so, I would need a sturdy boots that could protect my feet which is very essential. However, what the requirements specified was only the rough shape of the boots, and no other details were mentioned. It was probably essential for girls to insist based on fashion in such details. Something like that doesnt matter to me though. No, they are roughly rted I guess. If possible, I would like to acquire a sturdy one. Nn, this is There was one thing that caught my eye while we were in the boot maker store, and it was one long boots that was on disy. With a school designated crest, it has the same dark brown base color. What caught my attention the most is its design leaning towards practicality, with its heels and toes firmly covered and protected. It also has the simr cat pattern that I on the curtain that Cortina brought which added points to it. The moment I tried to reach out to the boots, another girl came out of nowhere. Ah, sorry Ah, do you also want those boots? I only noticed it for the first time after looking closely at each others face. It was the girl with blond curls that was packed inside the timber yesterday. Ah, youwere you safe? At that time, I was on the verge of losing consciousness and was not able to afford confirming her condition after she was left under the guards protection. They did told me that she was safely returned to her family whichpletely removed my interest from her. Am I safe? Ahh, were you also abducted by those people? Eh, no, thats not it From the words that leaked my mouth, she immediately concluded that I was probably referring to the abductions, and that I might have also been associated with that recent crisis. It was a child with swift calcting mind. Oh, is that so? Then, maybe did you hear it from someone else? Ummm, yeah Since I did hear it indirectly that she was safe from someone else, what I made her assume wasnt really a lie. The girl also seemed satisfied with that answer. Thats right. It was amazing! Eh, what is? Eh, I dont understand what is going on in this childs head, and what is she trying to be proud of. But shes boasting as if she was trying to show off. You see, the person who helped us was Maxwell-sama, you know! Heee? Eh, why so? Why so, isnt it natural for him to do so? Maxwell-sama is a Hero after all, and he moved on his own to protect the people. And most of all, the target was this me! Heee, heeeh, Isnt that great then It was stated on paper that Maxwell and Cortina were the ones who moved to save them and solve the case, after all there would be various problems if my involvement came to light. She also seems to believe this manipted information. Its that Maxwell-sama you know, Maxwell-sama! Ahhh, I really wanted to meet him directly Didnt you two encounter each other when you were helped? Unfortuately, I was unconscious at that time I think shes a good child based on how she speaks, however she seems a little too inclined to Maxwell. That bogus man is nothing more than a messy old man if not in times of emergency. And he is also a huge magic nerd. By the way Nn, what is it? Those boots, I noticed it first. Will you let me have it? Muuthats not true. I was already eyeing ahead before you Shoes and boots are mostly handmade one by one, and there arent a lot of items with of the same design. In other words, what I wanted to point out is that I want those boots and dont want to back out. However, the girl didnt want to back out either and also grabbed the boots that I was holding. That is no good you know. Look, arent there better ones over there! No way, I like these boots more Please give it up already! But I refuse Is the girl older than me? She is much taller than me after all. No, because shes also buying the same shoes, shes probably the same age as me. Why is there such a big difference in our growth rate despite having the same age The tall girl seized the boots and lifts it above me. After struggling for a while, I gave up ending with me losing the battle. Chapter 43 In the end, after I and that girl continued arguing, I admitted defeat. That girl then ran back to her mother carrying the shoes. Mama! I like these boots! Letina, didnt I tell you not to run around on your own! Her mother scolded the girl for running away on her own. Thats to be expected. After all, she has been abducted yesterday. It would be natural for her mother to worry. Yeesh. But, but look, I found some good Boots! Look, its this. It has Cortina-samas cat motif! Thats looks good indeed, but is that child added as an essory? That child? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) When the girl called Letina looked at the shoes, she found my figure still hanging on the shoes. Releasing your weapons on the battlefield would be a fatal mistake. My grip is quite stong you know, despite my age. However, my body that supports that is quite light for my age. As a result, I was abducted along with the boots and was easily dragged by Letina. Hey, why are you still holding on it!? I wont let go even if I die. Especially from you Dont look as if I was a thief! Araara. Is she a friend? Mama, no its not! I dont want to be friends with such a weird child Letina rejected her moms statement with all her will. Even though I am a girl, being clearly rejected like this still hurts me a bit. While I wasmenting from the shock of being rejected, Finia finally arrived who came chasing after me. Nicole-sama, why did you disappear out of my sight again, in a ce like this! You didnt have to implyAgain though Ara. Have we met somewhere before, it seems like thisdy here also resembles someone? The girls mother uttered after hearing Finias name. But does that mean that this girl, Letina is also a nobles child or something? If that is the case, then I could see why she is so selfish and spoiled. Yes. I am the wife of Marquis Yowi, Elizabeth Winne Yowi. Please to meet you. You may call me Aunt Eliza if you want The mother smiles with a rxed gesture. She doesnt show any strict atmosphere at all even now. It was probably because she is worried about Letina. And I am, Letina Winne Yowi, her daughter! Different from her mother, Letina introduced herself in aical way that you would feel like hearing drumrolls on the background. It ismon courtesy to introduce yourself when someone gives you their names. I am Nicole. I dont have a surname because I am amoner When they left their countries for the expedition, both Lyell and Maria have a higher status so they both have surnames. However, after sessfully subjugating the evil dragon, they both abandoned their surnames in order to break their connections from any country. Among the six of us, only Maxwell returned while not abandoning his surname. Oh, so you were just amoner Now Letty. Didnt I tell you not to speak that way Letina who probably doesnt know about things like this, probably felt a little offended after hearing my name. On the other hand, Eliza-san probably realized it. Although an aristocratic system does function here, she would still be going to the same school as me. Everyone is also going to be treated equally upon entry. After all, there is a strict rule in the school that no one should discriminate based on their social status. This is an established principle and Maxwell prioritize this above everything else. Finia returns her thanks while ignoring the parent/child reaction. thank you for taking care of her. I am Finia, an exclusive servant of Nicole-sama My, what a beautiful posture. It looks like you have receive a very good education Thank you for the praise. Im sure my master would be pleased to hear it Eliza didnt mind her formality, but Letina seems to have clicked her tongue after seeing Finias formal gesture. I feel a little scared that if it was me who was going to bow, I wont be able to properly do it. But then an entity that caused even further confusion suddenly appeared. It was the Hero Cortina. Oh, there you are. You are really quite the tomboy Nicole-chan. I just took my eyes off you for a bit and you really disappeared Co, Cortina-sama!? For a legendary figure to suddenly appear, it couldnt help for even Eliza-san to be unable to hide her tension. Her back was straightened and her expression became stiff. Simrly, Letina also froze. Y, youwere a rtive of Cortina-sama? With a faint voice, she was barely able to ask. Nn? Nope. Shes my Landlord LandlordDo you live in Cortina-samas residence? Letina ended up using strange honorifics. Well, it was probably from the shock of meeting Cortina. Un. My parents are friends with her When you speak of Cortina-samas friends, ddont tell me Its Lyell and Maria. My mama and papa Eeeehhh!? Probably from the sudden confession about my background, Eliza-san fainted from shock. Finia immediately supported her. She thenys her down on a bench. Then, looking at me and Letina conversing, Cortina asked. A friend of yours? Nope That is so! Weve just became friends! Heee, eeeh!? While I was thinking about Cortinas reaction, Letina who was waiting for a brilliant return suddenly dered that. And because of that, I have acquired my first friend on Raumas it seems. Chapter 44 There was a cave entrance on the side of the mountain range where we were currently located. At the bottom of the massive and steep rock wall, there was arge hole whereas the Evil Dragon Colchis resided. With its powerful breath, it melted that rock wall, creating a cavern which it made into a nest. Okay? Everyone remembers the n, right? Especially Reid Y, yeah This battle, if we lose even just one person as we fight, our chance to win will definitely plummet to zeroIm sorry, theres no other better options than this What are you sorry about. Just finding a conclusion for us to win against that Evil Dragon is already an incredible feat I tap Cortinas shoulder that looks like shes not confident enough about her n. However, that is also a part of our mission. Defeating the Evil Dragon is our mission after all. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) I hid behind a boulder that was probably burned to the point that it looks like ss. From here on out, there is no guarantee for our survival. If we fail this missiontens of thousands or even more will probably die. Now thenLets go Following Cortinas instruction, we went deeper into the cave. A space of several square meters were created inside the mountain, and at its center is where the Evil Dragon sleeps. His sleep seems to be shallow. If we are to make any loud noise here, it will definitely be rmed immediately. With my gift of concealment, I could turn even off my scent, so I was setting up traps by myself while moving around the nest. That is my main role in this fight. Around the time I finished, the sound of metals from their armor would resound as Lyell and the others approach. That noise immediately woke up the sleeping dragon. This move is to ensure my safety. After all, even with my gift, I wont be able topletely escape the dragons senses. Thats why their approach was in order to take away its attention from me. Grrrrruuuuuraaaaaaaaah!! Having been disturbed in its sleep, the Evil Dragon was annoyed and threatens those who disturbed it. I was moving along the walls where there was no wind so that I wont be noticed. Maria, Gadius! Cortinas voice resounded in the battlefield. At that same moment, Gadius raises his shield in front of Lyell while Maria sets up a magical barrier. Shortly after the setup, the Evil Dragon spews out a zing breath. Gadius shield and Marias barrier prevented the breath that could easily melt rocks. The shield Gadius is using is a legendary item that was made from the mythical era, and precious item made from the scales of a magical dragon called Fafnir. Adding to that is the extremely dense magic coating that the breath couldnt pierce through. However, it was only a shield. At most, it would only be able to protect a single person. Marias magic is also of the highest ss of defensive magic. Her magic barrier was strong enough to prevent the breath of an evil dragon, but it has the disadvantage of shutting out all attacks including ones from inside the barrier. Because of having such peculiar properties, precise timing is needed in pinpointing its use. And when ites to timings, it was Cortinas specialty. As soon as the breath stopped, Lyell immediately moves into action to cut the dragon. His holy sword has also been reported to be made out of Fafnirs bones, and with his incredible strength, even the scales of the Evil Dragon could be cut. However, the des length is overwhelmingly short. Lyells de alone wont be enough to damage its internal organs. Nevertheless, the Evil Dragon felt a great sense of difort knowing that the hard scales it was proud of were being cut. Because of that, Lyell has sessfully drawn the aggro and received the brunt of its ws and tail attack. This attack was easily blocked by Gadius shield preventing it from reaching Lyell. Several minutes after the battle, the stalemate was starting to crumble. Although it was only several minutes, it was also a matter of life or death in those several minutes alone. That small amount of time could also be turned into a distress if not for Cortina who controls the tactics. Reid!? It was a shout that resounded all over the cave. Then a vibration from a thread on her hand conveyed only his voice to her. Not yet, just a little bit more We dont have that much anymore. About how long will you need? Roughly 40 seconds Make it 20! Although I would usuallyin Dont mess with me but in this situation, I could understand why she needs it. w attack, bite attack, tails strike, breath. If any of those attacks is not prevented, it would have enough power to turn any of us into minced meat. But Cortina precisely calctes the damage distribution, by timing the attack and blocks. But the mental burden received by other members would be different. Thats why I need to quicken up my pace. Creating a trap to ensnare the monster on the wall with fine steel threads was my objective, which ording to Cortina, would bring us closer to victory. Alright, Im ready! I was waiting! Reiddo it! It was the one order that Ive been waiting. Maria and Gadius immediately prepared to defend the attack. Without losing momentum, I jumped from the area around the ceiling into the battlezone like a pendulum. The dragon senses my presence and looked around. But the momentum of my fall was much faster, allowing my attack reach the target first. Mythril threads stretched out of my fingertips on both hands. It strikes the evil dragons scales like an avnche. I slip underneath the Evil Dragon and moved to the other side. Feeling difort from my sudden attack, it prepares its ws in order swing towards me. Following the momentum of my movement as Ind, I immediately rolled on the rocky area to get away. A w attack was aimed towards that rocky area, but the attack never reached me. Then suddenly, the left wing of the Evil dragon was cut off and falls to the ground. The wing was in the opposite direction to where Inded. Of course, there was a reason as to why this happened. The real purpose of my attack was distraction, and the real purpose was to tie a steel thread from my arms to its wings. Along with that is to divert its attack to where I was heading to, and using the Evil Dragons own strength to cut off its wings that was tied to steel threads. Guuurrrruuaaaaaaa!? The Evil Dragon screamed as it was assaulted by the pain that it had never felt before. It then aimed its hatred towards me who was responsible for the trap. After a short rampage, it then aimed its tail towards me to attack. It is a smart move to avoid using its head or ws to attack, because its tail was on the ground, it might have thought that I didnt set a trap there. Theres also no possibility to set up strings on the ground. And so I activated another trap. I pulled down a well-prepared in advance. The spider-like web dropped from the ceiling in front of me. The other end is entangled to a nearby a nearby rock that was fixed on the ceiling. The Evil Dragon swings down its tail towards me without care. The power of the tail could easily smash boulders bringing me along in the destruction. But that attack was blocked by the. Needless to say, the rock where the was fixed wouldnt be able to withstand an attack that could easily crush boulders. And so the rock was crushed and broke into pieces causing the ceiling to copse. This trap was also ced ording to Cortinas instructions. It was up to me where it should be set up, but it seems like the setup was within her calctions. The trap was executed beautifullybut its not safe here. While barely avoiding the falling rocks, I regrouped with Maria and the others. I wont let myself die that early. After all, theres still one more tasks left for me to do. Chapter 45 In the wake of its rampage, the Evil Dragon was crushed by the copsed rock. As the dragons heart, its vital point, approached the ground, Corinna quickly called out, Lyell! Reid! Do it now! On it! Lyell made a dash without dy. He was like a hero out of a storybook. I didnt have the leeway to gaze at the captivating sight. I had to let loose some threads. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) In response to Lyells movements, the Evil Dragon took a deep breath. Judging his limbs were unusable under the copsed rock, hed intercept Lyell with his breath. That decision was not wrong, but Maxwell, wind! Maria too! Got it! Maxwell immediately responded to the instructions. He shot a strong wind at Gadius, making him catch up to Lyell. This was topensate for his slow speed since hes a dwarf. Gadius quickly overtook Lyell and raised his shield in preparation. A scorching breath assaults him. Gadius pushes forward, pushing through the heat. In the back, were protected by Marias barrier. Maxwells wind blocked it off as well, protecting against the dragon breath wasnt a problem. In fact, Maxwell was already preparing his next magic. The dragon breath is just a long breath. In other words, its only an additional effect on top of the act of exhaling. No living creature can keep exhaling forever. It only took about 30 seconds before the Evil Dragons breath stopped. Lyell took advantage of that gap and charged ahead again. AAAAAAAARGH! Along with his scream, he held his sword up and thrust with all his strength. The sharp tip pierced through the scales and cut into its flesh. But its too shallow. His sword isnt short, but its still not enough to pierce through the tough muscle holding up the Evil Dragons giant frame. The sword came to a stop after shaving off just a bit of bone, nowhere near a fatal wound. But at that, Cortina gave out herstmand. Maxwell! Its all over now! Scarlet Nine, Olive Nine, Azure Nine! ThunderStorm! With more magical power than usual, Maxwell set off his lightning magic. Normally hed direct his attack to his opponent, but by focusing entirely on maximizing the power the destructive magic was scattering out. This magic was so powerful a persons body mightve exploded at the slightest contact. But even with that kind of power, the scales of this massive dragon would defend from its effects, under normal circumstances, that is. But currently, hes pierced by Lyells holy sword, with my threads tangled around the holy sword. I let go of the threads and Lyell abandoned his sword. Maxwells lightning spell spread out and flew into my thread along the wall, it flows along the thread rushing to Lyells sword, the holy sword that pierced the scales and is stuck just above the dragons heart. Even though its the strongest monster in the world, it is still a living being. Its internal organs are driven by electrical signals, so what would happen if an ultra-high voltage lightning storm floods them. Even if its the Evil Dragon, it cant withstand this, mumbled Cortina. As she mumbled, a living being couldnt possibly handle having electricity flow directly into their body. The Evil Dragon stiffened and convulsed under the rocks it was trapped under. Eventually, its body swelled with a low explosive sound, perhaps somebustible material inside the body was ignited. Because it breathes fire, it must have had a fuel source, if lightning sparks reached that source itll likely explode. The Evil Dragon stopped moving after mes erupted from its eyes and mouth. Did, we win? Muttered Lyell as he got up from the spot where he was lying face-down by the Evil Dragon. No one could believe what just happened. A group of six people defeated an Evil Dragon that destroyed a whole country. We won? Even Cortina who had nned the whole operation couldnt believe it. But the fallen Evil Dragony before our very eyes. He had his organs burned out, his wings cut off, and was crushed under rocks, he was dead. Hah haha. We did it, we did it! Yea! I couldnt hold myself back and raised my fist in triumph. Unusually for her, Cortina reached out to embrace me. We did it! We did it, Reid! We defeated Colchis! Yea, we did it! Well done Tina! Calling each other by pet names, we hugged each other and swung around. Meanwhile, Maria rushed over to Lyell and Gadius to heal their wounds, ever the attentive priest. As expected of someone called a Saint. And with the subjugation of Evil Dragon Colchius, we became legends. Chapter 46 Having defeated Evil Dragon Colchis, each of us received enough money and materials to live in luxury for a lifetime. Simultaneously, we gained fame surpassing that of royalty and titled nobles. Excluding Maxwell who was already a royal, we were just an eyesore to the ruling ss. After all, they pushed us to restore the three northern countries destroyed by Colchis to keep us out of their power struggle. Luckily, a newborn survivor of the royalty there has been found, and somehow that country has begun to sessfully build itself up around that child by all outward appearances. At their request, we spent day-in-day-out subjugating monsters and bandits. I suppose those days of being worked like a horse are about toe to an end, its been about a year since I came to the north, hasnt it. Despite the continent having a stable climate, the northern part of the country is often locked in by snow. On those days, we would be left to our own devices to spend time leisurely locked indoors. Lyell who stood on the frontlines, and Maria who healed his wounds were already quite intimate with each other, so they spent many such days together. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Im not so dense that I couldnt tell what was going on. Cortina who had just pieced things together was the one giving them the most blessings. The problem came after. Lyell the vanguard attacker and Maria the main healer. Its obvious we couldnt ask the newlyweds out on adventures. Even we wouldnt ask them that. If we put them in a party wed just fuss over them. And so, we ended up breaking up the party with each of us going about making a new life for ourselves. Maxwell who was a royal returned to his home country to fulfill his duties as part of the royal family. Gadius started running an inn for newbie adventurers so he could nurture new talent. Maria started helping out at a nearby viges church, Lyell meanwhile moved with her to be a guard at that vige. Which left me and Cortina without a ce to belong. I think its time I retired Whatre you saying, youre still so young. I dont see what age has to do with it though? I started grumbling to him over drinks while killing time at his inn. Well, what are the newbies going to learn if you run off and exterminate trolls and have their heads roll at your feet. The trolls were too much for them though? You couldve let them gain some experience fighting one even if they couldnt win. Just have to stick around to make sure no one dies. Gadius poured some wine into my cup and pulled another ss out to pour whiskey into. I reached out to grab hold of my cup, but Gadius blocked me. As expected of the defense expert. Thats alcohol. Aint it the shops? Its the shops alcohol and the shops alcohol is mine. Aint that kinda unfair eh? Completely ignoring myints, Gadius chugged the alcohol down. BOOM!After mming down the empty ss on the table Gadius red at me fiercely. Honestly, the two of you being too good is a problem in itself. The two of us? Cortina too! Did you make her do it too? Cortina can keep up with top-ss adventurers even without having legendary skills like us. Whatd she do? Her instructions If its Tinas instruction, then they cant be wrong can they? Its only you and Lyell that can barely keep up with her demands yknow. Ah, that, maybe Cortinas instructions are determined by the enemys strengths and abilities, which means theyre often pretty hard. For a newbie, itll definitely be a tough hurdle to keep up with her. You cant do it? I dont have any talent so I cant ask others to follow my lead. Im not good at teaching others myself. I once tried to teach Cortina stealth techniques but it ended in failure. Thinking about it, maybe nows a good time. Luckily, if I retire now Ill have enough resources to get by until I die. Though I dont know how long half-demons like me live. And its not just the money, we all split the scales of the Evil Dragon up, so if we had to sell them, theyd bring in a pretty penny. The Evil Dragons corpse is itself a treasure trove you could say. The heart especially is said to be an ingredient for a potion of immortality. But since we made the Evil Dragon explode from the inside out, the only salvageable parts were the skin, nails, fangs, and scales. But just that is an incredible treasure that many countries have tried asking us to share. But just a single scale is very strong by itself, it defends from everything except the holy sword. Were worried about letting something like this circte around. So we decided to split the materials between us. That way if someones robbed the others can still use the power of the dragon to subjugate the offender. You can expect to gain considerable power by making equipment out of these materials. Or you could just earn a living defeating monsters. But it doesnt matter if Im single, I wish I had someone to snuggle with like Lyell does. Cortinas face popped into my head at that moment for some reason. The one who gave me the most hellish orders, who relied on me to always keep them safe. If youre Lyell, Gadius, Maria, or Maxwell you could easily protect yourself. But Cortina doesnt have such power. No, in general, shes a pretty skilled adventurer. Still, when ites to the battlefields we tread on, you cant deny shescking in power. Shes contributed her knowledge and walked with us through perilous hellscapes. Putting her life in my hands like that, its a testimony to her trust in us no, to her trust in me. Has there ever been another woman who trusted me as much as her Anyways shes not that bad Hm, whats up with you? Its nothing I decided to keep my decision to myself, that day I mulled over how to win her over. Chapter 47 I bought a bouquet and a ring the next morning and returned to the Inn. Yes, to propose. Its better to strike while the irons hot. Gadius Inn is a normal building with a dining room on the ground floor, Cortina should be there eating right about now. As I went in and looked around, I spotted her sitting down at a table by the wall slurping some pasta. Watching her eating with her cat ears standing up straight with her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel, she looks childishly cute. I clumsily barged towards her table to avoid losing my resolve. Gadius looked surprised seeing me approaching with a bouquet and serious look. Thats to be expected, I just made up my mindst night after all. Cortina stiffened up as she saw me approaching. She should know whats about to happen since she can see the bouquet. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Kneeling in front of her, I presented the flowers to her. Tina. Please marry me. Im not one to beat around the bush. I decided itd be better to just be direct with her. Cortina opened her eyes wide as she looked at me. The other guests were confused by my actions here. If this were any other adventurer theyd probably be whistling and jeering at them. But its me kneeling here, the famous assassin Shadow Wing. The strongest assassin said to rain down deadly threads in the middle of the darkness. If you make fun of such a guy, whatll happen Well anyone can guess. Cortina waved her hands around as if she was trying to say something. She put down her napkin on the table as she hurriedly wiped her lips in a fluster. For some reason, after looking around a bit, the look on her face said she was pissed. Y-you! She clenched her fist until it was trembling. Thats strange. Things turned out much differently in my head. I was sure she didnt hate me. She raised her fist as if to betray my expectations. You! Cant you learn to read the room a little!? At that, she swings her fist down at me, I immediately avoid it but thats what she was expecting. Before I evaded, she sent a kick flying at me. I caught it with my face and rolled onto the floor. Gadius! Heres the bill! Y, yeah She mmed some coins on the table with a smash and her footsteps could be heard as she left the inn. I was sure shed give me a positive response. However, I had no choice but to reconsider that assumption after seeing that reaction. She, hates me? For some reason, Gadius and the other guests all shook their heads at my monologue. Thats not the problem here. Gadiusforting words didnt reach me. Cortina hated me and I couldnt get over that fact. I didnt know how I was supposed to face her from now on. I tread to my room with a heavy step and locked myself in. I was depressed from that day on. Id act normally, but put some distance between myself and Cortina. Then, at night Id drown my sorrows away with Gadius out of sight of the other guests. Damnit, I hate Lyell, that ******* Youre taking it out on that guy? Gadius who is good at socializing despite his threatening face is keeping mepany on this day. Thats why the alcohol keeps flowing. Normies should die. When its you saying that, I cant take it as a joke, please stop. Its fine. Im jealous. Youre acting pitiful right now. I gulped down my ss andid t on the counter. Im a lightweight so this one ss is enough. Please dont make me keep youpany every night. Are you ready for tomorrow? My bad, Im thinking of making it a habit. Jesus, youre annoying. Tina was pretty distant, did I fail? Something like that. Consider the setting. Yeah, it might have been a bad idea to rush in during her mealtime. But its between me and Cortina, does it really make a difference if shes got some food in her mouth at this point? And yet, since she rejected me, Ive decided it means theres no hope. As I was feeling downcast Gadius handed me a piece of paper. Huh, will you look at that Im popr with the work requests. With that said, I scanned over the paper. On it was a request to inspect an orphanage. An orphanage inspection? Originally it was a request I nned on passing on to some beginners. Is that really a job for us adventurers though? Its not like that, there arent many government officials in this country and on the other hand therere a buncha orphanages. An aftereffect of the Evil Dragons rampage huh. Thats right. Many people were conscripted into the army for the sake of subjugating the Evil Dragon, but now those soldiers children are pouring into the orphanages at a number beyond the governments ability to administer. The northern countriesbined their armies to create a subjugation force to defeat the Evil Dragon and were in turn crushed. Death and retaliation. The number of dead has climbed beyondprehension and national strength has reached the peak of exhaustion. The country may have been rebuilt but there arent enough people around to manage it properly. And the orphanage cant run without funds. The request is to go visit one such orphanage and observe if theyre operating properly. Go with Cortina and try to reconcile. Go y with some kids for a change of pace. W, Wot!? What, she doesnt hate you, yknow. Is that so? I dont know if what Gadius says is true, but working with her might not be bad. I dont want things to stay like this. Itd be great if we can return to being friends and pretend that the proposal never happened. Chapter 48 Honestly! Can you believe that guy! In the Dining room early in the morning. Cortina angrily waved her knife around in indignation as she wolfed down her breakfast. You idiot, stop that, its dangerous. Gadius carefully confiscated the knife from Cortina. His motion picking up Cortinas knife so casually and fluently was very dwarf-like. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Ah, sorry. But what was with that timing? When my mouth was full of pasta? To the limit? Its Reid after all. From life on the battlefield to being adventurers. Life without manners continued and eventually Cortina got used to it. Especially when they were on a job, theyd rush to swallow their food. The time they spent eating could prove fatal. It became a habit that continued even after the battle was over. Even so, he acted like nothing happened the next day. That pissed me off! I mean, its Reid after all. Gadius who knows how depressed he really is at night feels like he has to interject. But if ites from his mouth, it just wont be right. Gadius wees the happiness of hispanions. Reid in particr is often awkward or iprehensiblepared to Lyell, even he thinks himself unpopr with the girls. To add to that since hes famous as an assassin, fear is the first thing one feels towards him. In fact, hes pretty popr in his own way with his cool appearance and there are a lot of women aiming for him. If he could tie the knot with Cortina, itd be a good ending to Gadius. Gadius wants to support Reids unexpected courtship. However, Reids already trying to change his own mind and is forcing himself to pretend everythings normal. Its a move made in consideration of Cortina so she doesnt get angrier with him. Meanwhile, Cortina is awaiting his next action. In other words, their feelings are neatly passing alongside each other, but if things are left as they are, theyll grow apart without knowing how the other really feels. Well, dont get too mad. It mightve been a blockheaded move but at least he did something, its progress aint it? It is but Anyways, take a look. Gadius pushed a piece of paper towards Cortina. Whats this? Inspection of an orphanage? Its originally a request for newbies, but I had Reid take it, how about it? Me too? And so Cortina let her mind wander. ying with the innocent children during the day, then at night under the starry sky with Reid, just the two of them Then she looks at him with serious eyes, and she Ufufufu, hey this aint bad. How about it? Such a thing is a piece of cake for me! Ill ept your request! I see, the kidsll be happy Come again? Theyll be happier to have aHerolike you rather than an adventurere visit. Oh, yeah, now that you mention it, thats right. Cortina is special among the six heroes. Shes unlike Gadius who boasts insurmountable defense, or the key yers Lyell or Maria. Shecks an overwhelming technique like Reid or Maxwell have. Her abilities are first-ss, but they stop short of top-ss. Such a girl gave instructions to a bunch of masters in their field and led them to victory. Something that would normally be thought impossible for an ordinary person without power. Being a hero without any power or magic. You could say that is what Cortina embodies. If it was her sent on the inspection, the children wouldnt be happy. Settling on that hypothesis, Cortinay t on the countertop. Hey, just the two of us is gonna be rough Well, just take it one step at a time. For now, just try to make up. Me When things didnt go well Cortina had a habit of yowling like a cat. They greeted a friendly priest at a church doubling as an orphanage, it was decided that theyd meet with the children living there. Cortina stifled augh watching Reid put on a cramped smile on his face after being exposed to the curious and admiring nces of the children. It was unusual to have the always cool Reid be theughingstock and expose his weakness like this. Lord Reid and Lady Cortina havee to visit the orphanage today. Everyone, please say hello. Hhhelloooo! The pair reflexively cupped their ears in response to the childrens deafening roar. This time the children were even louder as theyughed at the fact that the pair acted simultaneously. Ill take my leave to go prepare lunch, please mind your manners. Gggooot ittt! The children twitched impatiently like they were raring to go. The priest chuckled at the gesture as he took his leave. Oh, let me help if thats alright. Tina, wait! Are you nning on leaving me alone here? Its fine. Reid can handle it. Look this way and say that, oi! Having judged the children would give them a raucous baptism, Cortina opted to escape. As Reid tried to get her to stay, she offered words of encouragement while averting her gaze. Reid raised his voice in reproach as if hedpletely forgotten the awkwardness of their rtionship. She waved away his scream while averting her gaze and left. Reid tried to chase after her and using that as a signal the children swooped down on him like ferocious beasts. Forgive me Reid, Ill be sure to pick your bones up afterwards. Ill get you for thiiiiiisss!? Reid was ttened by the overwhelming amount of children despite them not being powerful. Turning away from him, Cortina headed to the orphanages kitchen while joined by a few of the girls. Um, excuse me! Id like to help too! Hm? You dont want to y together with Reid? No. I was hoping Father would teach me how to cook. That so? Thats nice of you, whats your name? Fi, Finia! Talking to this little girl who looked so nervous she might bite her own tongue made all the stress from thest few days melt away. She stroked her head a few times before grabbing hold of her hand. As they headed towards the kitchen, they could hear Reids screamse up from behind them. Even Reid couldnt win against kids. U, Umm Is Lord Reid okay? How many times do you think Ive worried about him dying? This much is nothing for him. I-Is that so In the kitchen, the priest was hard at work making lettuce and egg sandwiches. Its not a difficult dish by any means, but because of how many he has to make, its a struggle. Ivee to help M-me too! No, Lady Cortina! In such a ce Dont worry about it, despite how it looks my food will still be tasty. M-me too! That sounds great, then if you would please. At the priests response Cortina and Finia nced at each other and rolled up their sleeves. Chapter 49 As a result, we had a feast for lunch and dinner that day. The administration of the orphanage was sketchy, but the liveliness of the children went to show that the environment was fine. Continuing the subsidy payments shouldnt be a problem. Well not like being so energetic is an issue. I was rolling around alone in bed. In truth, I wanted to run away before dinner but the children grabbed hold of me and threw a tantrum crying all the while. It was so bad that even Cortina felt sorry and started crying as well. Eventually, Cortina persuaded me to rest in bed as she spends the night in the garden. Even so, the room we were given was pretty basic. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) But theyre the same with the priest. It was a problem to hear that a celebrity like us were going to camp out in the garden. Eventually, it was decided that another room would be prepared, I couldnt help feeling sorry about the extra burden. And then suddenly I remembered why I came on this trip in the first ce. I hade with the expectation to redo my proposal to Cortina. However, I spend the day being dragged around by the children. What the hell man, I didnt do anything! Luckily theres still time. Its past the kids bedtime but Cortina should still be up at this hour. I got up and walked to the room where Cortina was staying. I used themplight to walk down the corridor and down the stairs to the chapel. The boys rooms were on the east side of the chapel while the girls rooms were on the west. They took care to prevent childhood indiscretions by strictly marking off each genders area like this. A shady guy sneaking into the girls dormitories trying to erase his presence. If someone were to catch me in this situation, Id be in danger of losing my title of Hero. Even so, Im disregarding that danger, all for the sake of meeting her. Huh, if it isnt Reid. Wh-what are you doing here at this hour? I spot someone acting suspiciously, though its the same for me. Its like they were sneaking into someones room. Same to you Cortina, what are you doing at the chapel at this hour? Id forgotten about it earlier, but the truth is my minds been a mess after the rejection a few days ago. Thanks to the childrens frankness, I was able to not think about it at all during the day but now that its just the two of us, its the only thing on my mind. I want to make up as much as possible but for now, I just keep turning over Cortinas question. Im not that tired. Th-that so? We somehow lose our words when were together and stay silent. A dark chapel with the starlight falling through the window. Its like a scene from a y. S, Say Reid Cortina who usually gives out orders decisively started speaking bashfully. But my ears caught something else. A faint screaming voice. Hold on, something is I stop Cortina with my hand so its quiet enough I could hear a pin drop. Just then, I picked up a muffled scream. Gasp! There, did you hear that Tina!? Uh, Wha, but I didnt hear anything Cortina notices somethings up with me and tries to figure out whats going on without asking for an exnation. I looked towards where I heard the voice and saw a hidden passage under the chapels rostrum. Whats a hidden passage doing here? We thought this orphanage was fine, but this is a pretty big problem isnt it? You dont put a hidden passage somewhere unless you have something to hide. Orphanages tend to be hotbeds for things like human trafficking. They can especially be a den full of a certain type of degenerate. We have to investigate. Yeah, Ill take point. The request was an orphanage inspection so both of us only had the most basic of equipment. I was only carrying civilian clothes my favorite mythril thread and some training gauntlets. Cortina meanwhile only brought a wand to assist in her chanting. Even so, we cant just ignore the screams. There are a bunch of defenseless children here. If theyre in danger, we have to rush to help them as soon as possible. The hidden passage led underground, after moving forward a bit we found a torch set up. It seems to be set up away from the entrance so the light wouldnt leak out and the passage wouldnt be found out. I advanced forward while keeping my threads at the ready and using my stealth gift to hide our presence. I couldntpletely remove my presence since Cortina was with me. As long as were together it would be meaningless. There was a door with light leaking through the gaps out of it at the end of the passage. At that point, the childs scream rang out again. Reid! Yeah! This time it was Cortina who reacted immediately to the voice. The scream came from a girl, the same girl Cortina had spent the day with. I could only keep thinking What if shes hurt?. I couldnt think that there were the screams of a kid ying around during the day. Judging there wasnt a moment to lose, I kicked the door open and ready my threads. There I found a gleeful priest standing over a girls corpse. Chapter 50 It cant be Sir Priest? Cortina asked in a state of shock. At his feet, there was a girl with a gag shoved in her mouth and several childrens corpses. A few other children could be seen in a corner of the room by candlelight. In the middle of this dreary roomy a huge magic circle inscribed with red paint. The priest stood grasping a bloody spear in his hands. Oh my, Ive already been sniffed out? As expected of the heroes, what sharp senses you have! You- how could. The children Cortina asked while holding back her sobs. The priest in front of me didnt appear as sociable as he did during the day. In fact, I could see a hint of madness drifting onto his face. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Its a sacrifice, cant you tell? Im asking because I dont understand! How could you, to those, that child, they trusted you! The outraged Cortina took a step forward, at that I hurriedly held her back by the shoulders. Hes holding a spear. She wont lose to an amateur, but this guys still dangerous. He shrugged his shoulders yfully watching Cortinas outburst. Thats exactly why, its great. The deeper their trust, the deeper their despair. Its those kinds of souls the demon is drawn to! Demon!? There are gods in this world. But beings called demons dont belong to the gods. That refers to something from a different world. In some cases, they can even defeat a god, its possible hes trying to summon such a being. Why, something like Why, why, why! Youve got nothing but questions dont you. Well, lets answer you then! He said as he raised the spear over his head and swung it down. It pierced the corpse of the girl at his feet and skewered it to the floor. In this world theres something called the world tree, everything in this world is born of it, lives, dies, and returns to it. That is the cycle of the soul. And then the tree purifies the soul and it returns to the world again. Thats the cycle of reincarnation. A thousand years ago, however, a god destroyed part of the world tree! In the battle between god and the demon king that once existed, the world tree was split in half. And here we are in the present. That destroyed the cycle of the soul. They say souls born from the world tree seep out of the world when they die and get sucked up through the roots. The souls are sucked up by the world trees roots and return to the worlds source that way. At first nce it looks like the same process, but while moving through the roots impurities are introduced into the souls. Then there are those born with those mixed impurities, half-demons like me. Born carrying impurities mixed in by cutting corners, carrying fragments of a demon into the world. We continue to be held in contempt, its not rare that we are the subject of discrimination. You get it, dont you? How much have they oppressed us!? Shouting so, the Father grabbed at his own hair and ripped it out, no, should I say, he tore it off? A wig? The priests hair was just a wig. Under it he had a bald head with small horns. His dark skin is the opposite of my pale self, but theyre clearly there, the distinct remnants. Half-demon Thats right! Im someone persecuted by the world, just like him! The only difference is Im powerless! Ive earned the title of hero, but even before that I was publicly viewed as being strong. But even now, those whock power, who are viewed as weak, are constantly discriminated against. As someone born of this world, we should have the right to live like anyone else! Yet others wont let us! So if thats the case, well just have to make them! Stop! He roughly stabbed and crushed the corpse of the girl under his foot. Cortina screamed at the sight. But he didnt hold back, a huge shadow rose from the pool of blood spread out on the floor. A giantrger than 3 meters, its head almost hit the ceiling. A goat head and hooves, carrying two huge swords. Demon!? I never expected you lot would conduct an observation on the day of the dragon constetion, but I couldnt afford to miss this chance. Finally, Ive done it! Sure youmitted a sacrifice But still, no chant?! I shouted in astonishment. He just inscribed a magic circle and offered a sacrifice. No spell, no ritual. But just that was enough to call forth this demon? From the power I could senseing off it, its pretty strong. Cortina is intimidated by the demon and squeezes her fingers, causing her whole body to start trembling. Tina . Cortina doesnt react to my call. With just a slight nce, her body trembles and she slumps to the floor. Cortina! Eeek.? At my shout, Cortina finally regains her senses. That doesnt solve the problem though. If this demon were to get out, this vige would be done for. I dont think I could do it on my own. Go get the others! If those three are together, theres nobody that can defeat them. Its about 20 kilometers from this vige to the town where Gadiuss inn is located. Cortina is faster than a normal human as a Cat Person, and because shes trained as an adventurer, her stamina is real good. It should only take her an hour to reach them. But Cortina didnt want to listen to me. B-but with that thing. Go! I can handle it for an hour! I, If thats the case I will! And whos going to get the others if you dont go! Then lets At that Cortina noticed the problem. The children bound in the corner. They were tense, trembling, having lost control of their bowels from fear. If we were to escape, those children would surely be sacrificed. With a swing of my arm, I cut the restraints on the children using the thread Id sneaked through. Yet no one could stand. They couldnt move because of the demons intimidation. , get going. Hey! Over here! As long as the children are unmoving I have to get the demons attention. To do that, Iunched an attack at the demon. Recognizing what my intention was, the priest gave an order to the demon. I wont let you! O Demon, let none escape, annihte them all! Like hell! As soon as the priest finished speaking I swung my thread. The priest who seemed to have a penchant for summoning magic had no talent forbat, so he takes my thread shes straight on. His neck and limbs are severed and blown off. But his face was gleeful till the end. Gyaaaaaaagh! The orders the priest gave at thest second managed to reach the demon. I knew he was stalling for time so I was already trapping it with threads. I was copying Cortinas tactics. Tina, you hurry and get going too! Cortina finally started moving at my exmation. Ah, geez! You better stay alive! Ill make it back with everyone! Quickly, please! While saying that I cast a of thread to stop the attack of the demon. It was made to surround the kids. Seeing that, Cortina finally bolted from the room. Did you see that and think I could buy time with it? The mythril thread caught the demons sword, the held strong against the demons swing. It seemed to understand who was doing it. This guy might not be able tomunicate but hes not bad. Sorry, but I wont let you. Gururr Knowing his attack wouldnt reach the kids, the demon shot a look this way. I could clearly see the frustration in his eyes. Come then. You wont be able toy a finger on the kids unless you can bring me down! I put on a fearless smile on my face to psych myself up. Chapter 51 The children were protected by the thread. Its connected to the wall andid in an stic braided pattern so a half-hearted attack wouldnt be able to break through. The only thing left is the deathmatch between me and the demon. Gwooooargh! The demon yelled and raised his sword to sh at me. I slipped under the sword andunched a counterattack with my threads. Luckily the ceiling was low, leaving little room for the demon to swing downwards. That means the demons range of attacks is limited. A veritable storm of shes came at me, I jumped over and parried them with my threads. Despite being thrown about like a leaf, I avoided taking any direct hits, but I was only able tond superficial hits with my counterattacks. Ive already got one hands worth of threads dedicated to the defense of the children. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) The remaining thread is only enough for one hand. The demons attacks are easy to read since he can onlyunch his attacks sideways, so one hand should be enough. The demon howled shortly after I came to that decision. Wuuuooooooo! Along with the demons roar, an unseen force mmed into me. Pushed by the invisible power I got mmed into the wall, at that point the demon came thrusting at me with his sword. I, who had expected a sidelong sh, had to eat the unexpected thrust. I tried moving out of the way of the attack, but the timing was off. The strike gouged out a chunk of my chest and broke some of my ribs, I barely avoided a direct hit but its now a struggle to even breathe. G, Gahack!? I coughed up blood while kneeling. The pain was so sharp, but if I lose consciousness I cant save the kids. I cant win? That moment of indecision created a gap. For the sake of buying time, I gave in to the desire to defeat the demon, through my blurry consciousness. It begins to take shape then. Its aplete defeat, but I cant afford to just give in. I wont make it too long, but for the childrens sake, I have to buy time. My stamina was shaved off by a good bit, so even that would be a struggle. Well, Ill just have to crush you. I cant buy any more time, probably no more than a dozen of seconds with this injury. Theres no chance Cortina will make it back in time. If I die, the children will die. If the demon makes it out of here, the vigers will die. The demon ignored my hesitation and started attacking again. I scolded my trembling legs and lunged sideways. I then tried to seal the demons movements with some thread around the sword which it forcefully ripped off. Waaaaaaargh! The demon sent out shockwaves to counter. I already took it once, so I was able to avoid it without much difficulty this time. The timing was difficult to grasp because the flow of magic was so different, but I could still tell where it was going to hit by its line of sight. Then I wrapped some threads around its neck but not enough to actually strangle it. But with this, my preparations are done. Its all up to my preparations Once I gathered my nerve, I nted my feet. The demon was quick to not overlook that. He threw his favored sideways sh at my feet. If I avoid it, itll go back to being a test of endurance, but I dont have that kind of time anymore. For the sake of victory I wont dodge. Arge thread is pulled as it swings at my leg. Thread snagged around the sword, threads snagged around the neck. And all of that connected to the thread protecting the children. The sword swung forward, connected to the demons neck. The mythril thread was pulled by the demons own force, like someone pulling up a bucket from a well. The result was the demon severing its head by its own power. But that didnt mean the sword had lost its momentum. Since I connected the threads at thest possible second I couldnt dodge the iing strike. The sword shakily crashed against the ceiling before crushing my left arm. Then I crashed near the children. The demon was no longer keeping them in check. But that doesnt mean they could immediately start moving again. The children were still trembling in fear, leaking on the floor. But a single girl came running up to me and started putting pressure on the open wound. From all my past experiences, I knew, there was no saving me. Even so, I tried tofort her in a raspy voice. Chapter 52 After spending several days in that room, I woke up in the middle of the night. This is my room in Cortinas house. Finia kept insisting on sleeping with me, but as expected,ying down with a beautiful girl sleep never came. So I insisted on a single bedroom. Because both she and Cortina expected me to ask for a single room, they gave their permission fairly easily. In the first ce, privacy is of major importance to me since Im keeping so many secrets. Being a man in my previous life, I had various desires. Namely, alcohol, women, and gambling. Luckily I had no interest in gambling, and I was unpopr with women, so I incurred very few expenses there. Its been seven years since I was reborn, gambling and women notwithstanding, its about time I started to miss my only pleasure, booze. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) So I decided to sneak around. Up to this point in our travels, Id snuck a bottle into our luggage, so I was in the process of taking it into my room. Right about now, that Lyell ******* ought to be in a panic. I chuckled to myself. As a child, I cant possibly buy alcohol on my own. Which is to say, I snuck off with some of the good stuff that Lyell had kept hidden from Maria. Maria had told him that drinking in front of a child was bad, so he would have to settle for some light wine at home. Thats why that guy set some good stuff off to the side to enjoyter. I popped the seal and poured some into a wooden cup. I used this cup during the journey here, so its not suspicious at all for me to bring it into my room. A strong scent floated up from the cup into my nose. The faint smell of a cypress cask mixed into the air in the room. *******, holding out on me aintcha? A clear amber hue, a strong fragrance, its a good drink. You dont even need to take a sip to know. Since I considered him my rival in my previous life, I rarely shared a drink with Lyell, but I cant deny, he has good taste. Though I did drink with Gadius a lot. After enjoying the fragrance a bit longer, I slowly raised the cup to my lips. As the distance closes I feel the scent gets stronger. Before I realize, its already morning. Huh!? What was! I sprung up, and tumbled in anguish with a headache. The inside of my skull was throbbing, how many times did I have this same sensation in my previous life. You, Youre kidding a hangover? After one tiny sip!? It seems my frail body has an extreme weakness to alcohol. To think Id beid out by a single sip. The sun is already rising outside while the refreshing morning air seeps through the window. First Ive got to hide you quickly. The bottle is one thing, but most of the contents of the cup spilled out. Thanks to that, my room strongly smells of alcohol. I pop the window open to help ventte while holding my aching head. It was at this time someone knocked on my door. Its morning Lady Nicole, please get up soon. Ah, Finia. Yeah, Im up. Im changing right now, please donte in. Is that so? Then let me help you. N, Nono! Umm.. I Im fine by myself! I quickly shouted back at Finia to keep her from entering the room. By any chance Did you wet the bed? How rude! Sure, as a girl I cant hold in my business as easily as I used to. It cant be helped that girls cant hold it in the same way a guy can, their bodies are just not made the same. And if your body is young, the slightest bit of carelessness well, yea, its over. Yup. Ill admit it, there were idents in my past. But this ispletely unrted. The problem is the smell of alcohol, not piss. For the sake of my pride, I want this to be known that its not the same! Alright then. Lady Cortina has already finished breakfast, so please hurry Lady Nicole. Afterward, you can doundry in secret. I got it. But I havent wet the bed! Finia walked away with light steps. Even so, Cortina, the night owl is already up and about, when does she even sleep? In any case, if I open the window the alcohol smell will dissipate quickly. Although its a little unsafe, this is known to the townspeople as Cortinas house, theres probably few whod try to sneak in. And so I started changing out of my pajamas for real. Since I havefortable pajamas, theyre easy to take off, but the clothes Finia and Cortina got me are moreplicated and dont really fit my tastes. I wore a tight-fitting shirt and a short jacket. Below I put on some shorts and knee-socks leaving little exposed. It looks like activewear, but with my appearance of a proper youngdy, it gives off a sense of mismatching, I found it pretty surprising. As I head to the dining room on the first floor, I find Finia waiting for me as shed already finished preparing breakfast. Cortina, who already finished her food, was enjoying an after-meal coffee. Finia lets out a small sigh as she sees me. It seems she cant suppress her sorrow at my choice to avoid wearing skirts. Cortina meanwhile stared appraisingly at my thighs before throwing me a thumbs-up. On the table, there was hot milk, ham and eggs, and a piece of toastid out. Coffee was too bitter for me to drink now. On the bright side, Im aware that along with this change in pte Im weak to alcohol. After I arrived at the table and got to eating, Finia went behind me and started taking care of my hair. It may seem rude in the middle of a meal, but it cant be helped since I cant do it myself. It was decided that Michelle, Letina, and I will be shown around town after this. Ive got no time. Since were going to invite Letina, first impressions are important. Its already that time? Looking at Finia caring for my hair, I started to think we were running short on time. Theres a magic tool that tells time called a clock, but in Cortinas house, theres only one in the living room and another in Cortinas room. Its pretty expensive. No, its just I got lost for a moment looking at Lady Nicoles hair. It feels good to the touch is all. Should we stop doing this during meals? My apologies, this is my healing. Ah, sure Its quite pleasant feeling the soft touch of Finia on my hair, so please dont stop. Cortina pulls me over and sits me on herp. The soft touch on the back of my head feelsfy so I just let them do as they want. Half-eaten toast, and half-eaten ham and eggs. This is the limit of what I can stomach. BurpThank you for this meal. Youre very wee. Your hair is done. My hair is long, extending straight to the middle of my back. I can say with confidence that if I got it cut Mari and Finia would be sad. Its set so that the sideburns were tucked behind my ears and tied behind my neck. Finia would set my hair during meals without fail so far. Chapter 53 And while I was about to take a sip out of my hot milk, someone started knocking on the door while calling out to me at the same time. Nicole, lets y. Comiiing! I called back to the door and jumped out of my chair. I was still slightly hungover, but it felt better thanks to the hot milk. Cortina stood up as I prepared to leave. Do you have anything for self-defense? Both me and Letina narrowly avoided being kidnapped the other day, therefore we wouldnt be allowed to go out by ourselves, so Cortina ising along to keep track of us. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Dont you have to be at school? My role isnt major. Should be fine, probably. Cortina isnt particrly strong as a mage, so she teaches a ss on tactical theory. She usually just presents battle situations for sswork and makes students submit possible scenarios. Seems she has a lot of spare time since all she has to do is look over their submissions and grade em. I grabbed my katana and ran to the front door. Id like to carry it on my waist but with my height, the sheath would drag on the ground. Cortina meanwhile followed along with a wand to help with her spellcasting. Cortina rushed to get ready and looked at me like she couldnt wait for our girls date. When the door opened, Michelle and Letina were waiting for us. Morning Nicole! Good morning Miss Nicole. Morning you guys. Michelle was carrying Third Eye as well as her usual hunting bow. Letina had a long staff matching Cortinas design. Shes been getting acquainted with Cortina and apparently prepared something simr to her. Good morning, you guys are here early. Lady Cortina! Good morning to you. Lady Tina, morning~! After stiffening up, Letina greeted Cortina with a nervous tick while Michelle gave her an innocent greeting. Their responses were really contrasted. Cortina gave them a charming smile and then looks at Michelle slightly mysteriously. Michelle, cant you put that in a case? Err About that Michelle got slightly embarrassed at Cortina pointing it out. I dont have a case for something this huge. Oh, right, that size is abnormal. Its a powerful warbow thatpletely throws efficient hunting out the window. But I cant just keep it at home, so I decided to carry it with me. Michelle clenched her fist and was breathing heavily while saying that, it looks painful. Large bows are considerably heavy. Well, lets go look for a case for it, Ill buy it for you as a housewarming present. Is that alright!? Of course, and no cheapening out. Despite being made of high-quality materials, Third Eye also has a magical effect applied to it. Its a mythical-grade magic item, itd be a big problem for a kid to carry it around in the open. Even Cortina stiffened up in shock when she first saw it. What kinda madman would give such a thing to a kid on a whim. So, to draw that Not happening. No kidding. Michelles physical enhancement had timed out shortly after the battle. Despite the short duration, to even have a child pull the string back on this monstrosity would require a huge boost. Maybe theres something to the whole self-proimed gods im. At any rate, Michelles goal right now is to be able to use the Third Eye which is currently just a very expensive paperweight. Meanwhile, mine is to be able to give her the enhancement needed to be able to use the bow. Then, first lets go shopping. If you guys could learn your way around while were at it, thatd put my mind at ease. Its an honor to receive directions from Lady Cortina! Letina, youre so shameless. Its fine, its just a little! You guys, dont fight Letina and I kicked up a fuss while Michelle tried calmed us down, something that had be a standardedy routine over thest few days. And thats how I spent my days leading up to admission. Chapter 54 There was a weeks worth of spare time between the kidnapping incident and the Academys entrance ceremony. During that time I was reluctantly busy being dragged around by Michelle and Letina, who Id just met. Since Id visited Raum in my previous life, I had some basic geographical knowledge, but taking in the scenery from a childs perspective was refreshing. As I was dragged around Raum all week, of course, Id get acquainted with more people. Morning Nicole! Chasing after Yowis hellion again today are we? Good Morning, Mr. Wesson. I stopped to return the bakers greeting. This is why I made sure to politely deal with all the residents Ie across. It seems to have caused me to get a strange reputation though. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) I have a reputation for being Lyell and Marias polite and courteous child who just started living with Cortina. It seems my unusual heterochromia, along with my prim and proper appearance, had something to do with it too. And meanwhile, Im always wearing shorts and running all across town so I seem to be pretty active and catch other peoples attention. Hold up, Wesson! What are you trying to say, calling me a hellion! Huh? Ymean you hadnt noticed? Guh! Letina came from a Marquess household and despite her noble lineage, shes pretty frank. Shes not originally from the royal capital but held provincialnds, so when she came to the city she got lost in the back alleys and got abducted. In the past few days, weve gone around the city under the pretense of getting used to it while trying all the local specialties. Thanks to that city residents quickly got to know her and her mother, Eliza, wasfortable letting her y outside on her own now. That trust may also be rted to her having friends like me and Michelle who are the same age. My body is still weak as hell though. Ill have a donut please, mister! Michelles appetite is as healthy as ever The baker who wrapped up a donut for Michelle looked at her with a stunned expression as she wolfed it down on the spot right after paying for it with her allowance. Perhaps her good growthes from her hearty appetite, I cant do it. Michelle, if you dont hurry the reception will start without us! Ah, Right Gulp. Come on, hurry! Michelle got dragged off while holding the donut in her mouth. I gave Wesson a quick bow before hurrying after them. Its no surprise that Letina was even more hyper than normal, today the school is holding an open house. Especially now that it was right before the entrance ceremony, new freshmen were going in droves to get familiar with the school. Since its so early there arent a whole lot of other visitors yet. You can also see the regr students heading into school though. The greatest draw of this school is therge library it contains, which is said to be the worldsrgest. Add on to that was the fact that Maxwell, the greatest mage in the world, was the director here, of course, many students would gather at this academy. But I didnte so much to study new magic as to work on my already existing magic. On my own, itll take several years to reach Polymorph, the highest tier of magic in the system of Alteration Magic. But if I ask Maxwell and Cortina, who are great teachers, for help, then I should be able to drastically reduce the time it takes. It should prove to be a good shortcut to reach my end goal of returning to my original body. Today Cortina was already at work preparing for ss while Finia was so busy cleaning and doingundry she couldnt step out of the house, so only us kids came to the school. Luckily, since the schools so close to the house, permission was easily given. Woooow What arge tower. They raised incredulous voices as they looked up at the spire which had grown even more in the seventeen years since Ist visited, already exceeding the castle tower of the Royal Castle. Its even known as Raums Second Royal Castle. Nicole really knows her stuff huh. Eh? Ah, yeah, maybe I heard it from Lord Maxwell? Ive been visiting Maxwells house to take magic lessons, so they should buy that excuse, maybe. In order to get a full view of the enormous spire, I took a few steps back, until I felt myself bump into someone. I bounced forward, rolling on the ground before quickly getting back up. You could say it was an automatic reflex ingrained in me. As I was rolling, I looked back and saw a tall kid standing by himself. As I watched, the kid got a sour look on his face and made a gesture as if he was brushing off his chest. Whats with you punks. What business domoners have at this Magic Academy? Um Sorry? I decided to apologize for the moment, Id rather not get involved with a noble as it would be a bother for Cortina as well. I got up and gave a bow, and immediately made to leave. However, it seemed the other guy wasnt willing to leave it at that. Hold it,moner. You think you can bump into me and Ill let you leave with a single word? Sorry doesnt cut it. Wha? Youve got to show a proper apologetic attitude, dont you? Papa always makes the citizenry prostrate themselves before him. Wait up. The, heck. Making citizens fall prostrate? Does such a noble actually exist? That Maxwell, hes being too naive monitoring these guys. Chapter 55 Youd better hurry it up. If you do, Im willing to overlook this. I found myself bbergasted before I could even get mad at that haughty promation. Youre supposed to throw away all thought about the social position when entering this school, but perhaps its ok to be this haughty since weve yet to enter still. Michelle stiffened up at the sudden allegation. However, it was Letina and not me that reacted to this first. Same to you, shouldnt you be apologizing without dy? What was that! I dont know where youre from, but isnt it regretful you were raised like this? You mean you dont know me? Fine then, listen well. I am Donovan Stra-Salwa, eldest son of Margrave Salwa of the Stra territory! dered Donovan in a snort. Hearing his name, the curious onlookers started causing a bit of a ruckus while gathering around us. The Stra region was arge expanse in the northern part of Raum, you could argue the margrave of the region held status equal to a marquess. Here in Raum where the rank of duke is filled by the rtives of the royal family, you could say hes from the upper stratum of unrted nobles. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Growing up like that, its little wonder he grew too big for his britches. However, Letinaughed scornfully at Donovans introduction. After all, shes the same. While the margrave carried simr gravitas to a marquess, its just simr. He fell short of Letina who was the heiress of an actual marquess title. I was sure she was about to give her own name and rank in return but Do you not know before whom you stand? This person is Lady Nicole, daughter of Lord Lyell and Lady Maria of the Six Heroes! Wait a minute? Isnt this the part where you give your own name, Letina!? Huh? Why would I? Letina stared nkly at my retort. Im pretty sure this is normally the scene in stories where one gives their own name to intimidate their opponent, this is strange. Besides, Lyell and Maria are justmoners now. They have little actual authority here Wha, What did you say!? or so I thought. Rather, since I am the daughter of two great heroes, it seems the effect is twice as strong, not to mention Im actually Reid, so the heroponent is three times as strong. Well whatever. You pushed this young Lady and made her roll on the ground, do you understand the significance of your actions here? When we first met, didnt you literally drag me around with you? Its my policy to never look back on the past! Im amazed she can seriously say things like that. But Ive started to realize that being so open about things like this is one of her charms. Shes fundamentally a good person, even now shes getting mad for my sake after all. I wish I knew how to use my authority like that You say something? No, Nothing. And Im not too worried about it, if Donovan is willing to drop this whole thing Id like to move on. Eh, Oh.. Y- Yeah. Well, margrave or whatever, hes still just a noble from Raum, with no authority beyond the country. On the other hand, Im the daughter of the heroes who saved the world with authority resounding across the world. Both Lyell and Maria have enough potential topete with any army, and they are closely tied to Maxwell, Cortina, and Gadius, each of them a monster in their own right. If they felt like it, they could overthrow the country. No matter how you look at it, theyre not the kind of people that can be dealt with by a single noble. Donovan who was used to using his parents authority as a crutch understood that well enough. As long as his opponents rank is higher, his parents authority is meaningless. If he continues on its likely his family will be crushed. Pl- Please forgive my rudeness up to now. Are you hurt Yea, its fine. Im ok, so dont worry about it, I responded tly when Donovan started his obsequious apology. It seemed he wasnt as thick-skinned as Letina as expected, well, you could say shes just especially thick-skinned. However, the rubberneckers werent about to let the spectacle end there. Hey, that girl Did she just let herself get pushed and forgive that obnoxious noble brat just like that? How magnanimous. And that beautiful silver hair and heterochromia. Shes bound to have all manner of suitors in the future. You, no matter how you look at it, shes not someone you can get involved with No matter how you put it, her parents are he scary! Yeah. I have no intention of going out with any guys, not one bit. I decided it was time to leave and pulled on Michelle and Letinas arms to get out of there before our troubles increased. However, my grand escape was quickly foiled. Its impossible for arge disturbance like this to fail to catch the teachers attention. By which, I mean Cortinas. Hey now, whats with all this racket you lot. Ah, Cortina. Lady Cortina! This is, umm Eek. Cortina grabbed me by the nape of my neck, hanging me in mid-air like a kitten. At Cortinas sudden entrance, Letina started to hem and haw, meanwhile Michelle stiffened back up. Letina was self-consciously awkward knowing she had bullied the other guy. Since there was an uproar we couldnt ignore, I came out here to check it out No, umm, this is Are you interested in getting a sermon too? Ah Im sorry Letina admires the six heroes, so as expected, she cant handle being lectured to by one of them. No matter how you look at it, a kid cant handle that kind of pressure. This is, she was just trying to stand up for me, so if you could just look the other way I see, I see. Nicole, youre too kind. But its a teachers job to set kids straight when they mess up. That includes you. At Cortinas re, Donovan stiffened up just like Michelle. It doesnt look like hes able to talk back to her. After all, from the publics point of view, shes a devil capable of manipting the army with one word, producing plenty of casualties, earning her the nickname: The Reaper. Ill let you off the hook this time with just a warning, do take care from now on though, got it? Y-Yes And with that, Cortina started to take her leave. It would seem I stumbled on my first step into academic life. Chapter 56 That day, Finia was in high spirits from the get-go. Shebed and set my hair more carefully than ever. The style was the same as ever with my sideburns tucked back out of the way. But when I touched it for myself, the softness was iparable to the usual. I wore a pure white shirt with the Magic Academys school badge on it and a dark blue skirt with a white stripe along the hem to go with it, along with a jacket of the same colors. Finally, the whole ensemble was topped off with a feathered beret, and since I preferred showing very little skin, I wore knee-highs as usual. Oooh, well arent you the spitting image of a new student. Morning Cortina. Cortina who happened to be passing by in front of my room decided to peer in and gave a thumbs up in approval. Even she was dressed to the nines in a suit today. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Thats right, today was the day of the school entrance ceremony. Despite causing a ruckus during the academys open-house, I wanted to spend my days at the school inconspicuously studying. If I wasnt careful and made too much of a mess, Cortina might start to pick up on my real identity. Is it toote? What is, Miss Nicole? Um, its nothing. If you stop and think about, I made a mess of things on the very same day I arrived in the city, theres no way I can stay inconspicuous towards Cortina. I sighed and headed for the entrance. Cortinas house was designed such that you had to take off your shoes at the entrance. I changed into a pair of sturdy boots at the door. Today, Ill head out to meet Michelle first. Since shes a hunters daughter, she usually starts her day early, theplete opposite of my oversleeping self. Because of that, its be the norm that she usuallyes to meet me first Alright, I eximed while pping my cheeks to psych myself up for the day. And as I opened the door, who were there but Michelle and Letina. Ah. Ah, morning Nicole! Youre early today! Good morning to you. How rare of you to be up this early. Morning. Looks like you guys beat me again. Thatst bit was supposed to be a mutter to myself but I could hear a quiet pff behind meing from Finia. When I look behind me, she turned away in a hurry. The fact that she canugh at me like that shows just how close weve gotten. With Finia in check, I turned back to Michelle and Letina. Cortina who was a teacher should also be heading out with us, but she has yet toe out. Wheres Cortina? Seems she has a small errand to run, shell be a littlete. Hm? Well, even among the faculty, shes a bit of a special case, so Im sure shes quite busy. Like that time with the apprehension of the kidnappers, she might be involved in something involving the towns public order. In any case, please take care, Miss Nicole. Yeah, Ill see youter. Even if you see something strange or unusual you absolutely cant do anything about it you hear? I got it. Even if you look at a viin, you cant go charging at them ok? Also, please dont take any detours through the back streets. I wont, I wont. Do you have your handkerchief? Also Finia, shut it. I knew she was prone to worrying about me, but it seemed to have gotten worse since the kidnapping incident. It may be a bit mean, but I decided to cut her off and head to school. Michelles going to be attending the Adventurers Support School, so well be splitting up before going in, but her school building was right next door, so we would have plenty of time to meet with each other. When we got to the school grounds, it was pretty noisy inside. I thought it was just the result of it being the day of the entrance ceremony, but it wasnt. Everyones gaze was clearly pointed at us. Then it hit me, Oh, Letina is a marquess child. Dont even go there, this is about you. Previously during the open house, Letina let slip that I was the heros daughter to avoid some unnecessary trouble. Its that kinda thing. What a pain What are you on about now? Being those two great heros daughter, shouldnt you be used to this? It wasnt like this in the vige. In the first ce, I never carelessly wandered around outside there, so I never had everyones attention focused on me like this. But well, the rumors didnt just stop at the incident fromst time. Hey, is that? Silver hair and heterochromia, theres no doubt. After being shoved, she let the other guy off with just an apology. On the contrary, didnt you hear? The guy seemed to have tried making her grovel at his feet right before. Seriously? Its as if she were the seconding of the saint, isnt it. Crap. I was just trying to avoid any more trouble, but it seems that my habit has started some weird rumors. And Despite being so young, she still carries herself with grace, you can clearly tell she carries Lady Marias blood. Despite the entrance ceremony not even being done yet, incredible rumors about my future have started springing up. give me a break here, I clutched my head and groaned quietly. Looking at me, Letina anxiously called out, Whats wrong, did the crowd make you sick? Voice, too loud. Oh, her bodys frail. I didnt think such a person exists. Thats normal for a princess though. Speaking of which, didnt the king of the tripartite government up north ask for her hand in marriage? But Lyell shot that down. Well yeah, its still too soon. Its not like I dont get why hed have a hard time letting his daughter go. Letina is exceptionally energetic, so her voice is quite loud. That said since shed proimed the crowd was making me sick, the gossips took that as fact. Moreover, the rumor that the king asked to marry me has been spreading. Its fine. Letina lets hurry. You sure? Dont push yourself ok. You are really delicate after all. Yeah. Letina isnt a bad kid, but shes a hell of a troublemaker. Despite us starting off on the wrong foot, shes seriously trying to be my friend, and I am grateful for that because I felt isted and lonely until I met Lyell and the others in my previous life. Chapter 57 I was sat in my designated seat in the auditorium awaiting the start of the ceremony. Unfortunately, Letina sat a distance away. The girl sitting next to me kept ncing this way with sparkly eyes, to be honest, it was kinda annoying. Feeling her gaze, Im sure I put on a bitchy resting face,1but Id like for that to be overlooked. Because I wanted to avoid locking eyes with her, I forced myself to face forward stone-faced. There were seats for parents lined up along the sides of the auditorium, I noticed many of them were in use by aristocrats. For my part, Id have liked for Finia toe along, but this time Cortina was sitting there, but she looked awkward to be sitting alongside the nobles, she seemed to be acting reserved. Students are told to abandon their castes, but it seems their families didnt quite get the memo. After a short while, the ceremony finally kicks off. We got an exnation of the schedule before the teacher took the podium. Then Maxwell the chairman came up to the stage and gave a long-winded speech, midway through I was starting to yawn as my eyes zed over. But the contents of his speech were clearly fishy. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) and so, that being the case, Id like to ask you students to act without regards to social ss, as befits students of this Magic Academy. He always took things at his own pace, but hes starting to ramble on a bit like hes buying time. But why is he trying to buy time right now? Has he finally gone senile? I was dubious about it, and as I tilted my head in confusion, I noticed there was some racketing from the auditoriums entrance. Look, if you dont hurry, the ceremonys going to end already. Im so sorry. Since Im unfamiliar with this technique, we encountered some dys getting it to work. All eyes in the auditorium collectively gathered at the ones causing all the noise at the entrance. When the entrance opened, who should step in but Cortina, and following behind her were two others Oh. Youre still at it! Nice, Maxwell. My sincerest apologies to keep you waiting like this, Maxwell. All three were voices I was familiar with. Or rather, why are you here, Lyell and Maria!? My parents and current guardian came rushing into the auditorium with heavy steps. Lyell, Maria, and Cortina. Three of the great heroes suddenly appeared and the auditorium started booming. Maxwell and Cortina were already well known but suddenly Lyell and Maria popped in. The only one missing from all this was Gadius. So slow, the lot of you. Im sorry. Maria had some unexpected dys casting the spell. Oh my, werent those dys because someone needed help putting on his armor? Its all my fault? Lyell certainly seemed to be wearing an unusual piece of armor. It looked like the so-called scale armor, armoryered like scales. Whats more, the hue of those scales seems uncannily familiar. Could it be made from the processed scales of the Evil Dragon Colchis? Ah, there she is. Nicole! How have you been? Maria waved at me, failing to read the current situation. And with that, everyones gaze converged on me. Ma.. Mama? Why are you here? For now, Ill just ask her that while they find a ce to sit. And then Maria replied with an unimaginable answer as she chuckled, Well you see, I memorized Teleport. Hey wait, what the hell did you just say. I remember that being about the limit of my thought process at the time. Teleport was an outrageous spell from the Interference Magic system. To put it simply, it interferes with the individuals location data to allow them instantaneous movement from one location to another. Sure, there are simr high-level spells in the Transfer Magic system, such as Portal and Gate, but Teleport is even more difficult to master. Inparison to learning Polymorph, which Im currently aiming for, Teleport is even beyond that in difficulty, yet she learned it like it was nothing Now I cane to visit you every day! (Maria) On the contrary, please go back. (Nicole) Of course Ill go back home, I cant just leave the vige, but I can at least show up for a bit every evening. (Maria) Well, not like I cant (Lyell) Lyell, are you insinuating youll stay at a bachelorettes house? Dont you dare start doing things thatll cause weird rumors about me. (Cortina) Gulp. (Lyell) Cortina interrupted Lyells reckless statement. You wouldnt want to make her an enemy. He and I both know the feeling very well. Hahaha, taking a trip down memoryne with you guys made rambling for time worth it. (Maxwell) Our apologies for taking up so much of your time. (Maria) A teacher standing next to Maxwell grabbed his attention as he started to make small talk from the stage, Apologies Chairman my sincerest apologies to have to interrupt you here, but were pressed for time as well. Oh, thats quite right! My bad, my bad. Well, in conclusion, do your best in your studies. That is all! Despite dragging out his speech thus far, Maxwell finally ends the ceremony. The students who were seriously paying attention up to now were left bbergasted. Alright Lyell, since were both free after this, how about joining me for a drink? (Maxwell) Ill pass, Ill be busy with Nicole after this (Lyell) What the, how could you choose your daughter over your old mate! (Maxwell) Isnt it obvious!? (Lyell) This old fart always got hyped at the appearance of his drinking buddies. Speaking of, I wasnt very strong in my past life either, so I couldnt keep up with him. As a result, gramps always dragged off Lyell or Gadius with him. At any rate, my parents sudden appearance caused a great disturbance during the entrance ceremony. To add to that, I feel like my notoriety has managed to spread even more now. If this is how its going to be from the start, I cant help but feel anxious about my school life from now on. Chapter 58 Following that, the entrance ceremony was brought to a close post-haste. I garnered a bunch of attention and to be honest, Id have run away if I could, but after that I had to go to the ssroom to get some teaching materials. My parents, Lyell and Maria, were currently surrounded by the nobility. Its only natural considering their shy entrance, I kind of feel like they deserve it. Luckily, Letina shared my ss, and she served as a great screen to keep our fellow students away. Even so, she couldnt block their gazes. It felt like I had a bed of nails attached to me as I walked towards my ssroom. When we entered our ssroom, there was a piece of paper with our names and numbers, and a diagram of the ssroom on the ckboard showing each seat with a number. In other words, it was directing us to get to our assigned seats. Hey Nicole, this is your seat. Ah, thanks. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) In my previous life, I was a half-demon, and an assassin on top of that, so I never got to partake in something like a proper school life like this. I had received a basic education at private schools like churches, everything beyond that I learned from personal experience or from my peers. Because of that this whole thing with the entrance ceremony and everything is so confusing to me. I feel keenly aware of every little thing and want to do what I can to protect what I have now. It wasnt my intention to It seems that thanks to inheriting Marias beauty, no matter what I do, it causes people to feel like they need to fawn over me. Why are you feeling down? I mean, I didnt want to stand out like that Youre still not used to it? Youre their kid after all you know. Well yeah. Whatever, cant change whats been done. Anyways, my magic skill is at the worst possible level. I dont think I have a gift for it, in fact, Ill probably be the worst in the ss. Once it bes known, Im sure everyones interest in me will fade. Until then, Ill endure everyones gazes and pretend Im air. The tense atmosphere was brought to an abrupt end as Cortina walked in, roughly pushing the door open. Good morningdies and gentlemen. Hurry up now, take your seats. Eh? Ehhhh!? It wasmon knowledge that Cortina worked as an instructor at this school, but even so, having her enter a ssroom was still a bit shocking for us, of course that includes myself. Everyone seated now? Alright, lets start with introductions. My names Cortina, Ill be your homeroom teacher! Pfft!? I sputtered having heard such a grand deration from my homeroom teacher. Wha, Wh-wh-wh. Incidentally, I wont give any preferential treatment to my acquaintances Nicole. Y, yeah Cortina chuckled as she nced at her lectern. Bringing along Maria and Lyell, and bing my homeroom teacher, it seems shes enjoying herself making all these secret maneuvers. Well then, lets get down to business. First, look in your desk drawers. There should be a textbook inside, correct? As she said, I looked in my drawer, though its not a drawer like the one youd find in a chest, its more like a shelf attached to the bottom of the tabletop. Inside, there were several textbooks and several wooden tes. You have one book on grammar and another on the basic theory of magic. To put it simply, you have to learn both themon continental alphabet as well as ancient magic characters on top of practical exercises to gain a feel for your own magic power. I already did that, so it seems like Ill have some leeway here. Incidentally, mynguageprehension is perfect so I dont think Ill gain anything from this ss. Wait, was there a need to evene to school? If you stop and think, apprenticing under Maxwell may have been the better option. Just studying isnt good enough for proper growth, so Ill be having you do basic exercises as well. Ehhh..! the students let out a collective grunt of discontent after hearing Cortinas exnation. Originally, Cortina was a chief tactician. Shes been on actual battlefields more than once or twice. Even if she does poorly, shes probably still better than me. On the other hand, this ss is a bunch of bean sprouts training their magic since childhood, its likely theyre not used to exerting themselves physically. I wont indulge your whims here. Academic magical researchers are one thing, but if you n on going out on adventures, youll absolutely need physical strength! The students stop theirints after hearing Cortinas reasoning, given her experience on the battlefield. As a hero, her words held weight, and more than likely they didnt want to get on her bad side. Thats all for today, starting tomorrow well have a full ss. Be ready to get moving. Yeees! Since theyre still just young kids, it seems theyre good students who are easily persuaded to follow instructions with a little lecture. The only exception I can think of is that Donovan guy who was indescribably rude. Cortina then imparted us with various pointers before finally letting us out. Chapter 59 The following day, ss began in earnest. ording to our schedule, the first ss was meant to train basic physical fitness. We changed into athletic clothes in ss and gathered on the yground, it was then that we became self-conscious for the first time. The yground is shared with the Adventurers School, so you can see their students on the other side of the square. Cortina came out and started warm-ups with a whistle in her mouth. Letina and I started doing calisthenics alongside each other. Whoa, Nicole youre so limber. Yeah, I want to stand on the front lines. The vanguard? You dont want to be a mage? Right. I want to be a Magic Swordsman. Thats a lofty goal, isnt it. A Magic Swordsman has to be proficient with both magic and swordsmanship. Otherwise, both skills will be half-baked. I experienced in the past what happens when parties be unbnced because of inferior skills. Yup, but Ill do my best. I wont fall behind either. Hey now, you there. Dont hurt yourselves while youre busy talking. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Cortina seems more gleeful than when she was at home despite sounding heartless. That reminds me, she really enjoyed herself ying with the kids at the orphanage. Meanwhile, I just got yed by the kids. Well then, next, do threeps around Whaaa!? Teach, youre a monster! The students started raisingints one after the other, but it was pointless. Threeps around therge yground would be well over a kilometer. For younglings, its a tad extreme for an exercise. Its fine, this is to measure your physical fitness. Besides, this ss is about physical fitness, isnt it? No pain no gain. Demooon! Deviiil Sorry but Im a cat lol! Now, get going! Ugggh! The students started running while screaming. Me and Letina started running along with them. But anyway, I was training my body almost every day in the vige. Like Id lose out to some flimsy mage children. Yeah, there was a time I actually believed that. Zehiuu, hahiiuu Hold on, it hasnt even been half ap. Are you ok Nicole? Im, fu, faiiin But no matter how I look at it, you dont look fine I was following the other students closely for the first hundred meters, but by the two hundred meter mark I had stalled out. During the battle against the kidnappers, I held out longer. Apparently, exercise that consumes stamina constantly is my natural enemy. During that time, I managed to fight while repeatedly holding my breath and movement when possible, but in a marathon Im forced to keep burning my energy. That being said, since I have scant physical strength I cant keep moving for a long time. Even so. Isnt this a bit too fast? With this youre aiming to be a Magic Swordsman I, Im, fa, fine. Its still my body, can keep oof Wa, Wait! Teacher over here! Nicole gives! Immediately! We need a medic asap!? I just barely managed to gulp a sparkly liquid threatening to rise from the pit of my stomach back down. As youd expect, it was a matter of my dignity as a human being. However, the exertion robbed me of myst remaining bits of stamina, making me lose all hope of aplishing this impossible task. Ah, this Whoa whoa, wait, Nicole! Letina did her best to support me, but we were still little kids so we fell onto the ground in a tangled mess and I lost consciousness. When I next came to, I was lying in the infirmary. Looking around me, I saw a shelf with a great deal of potions and could smell the faint odor of alcohol used as disinfectant. Sitting in front of a desk installed by the window was a woman in a white robe. Oh, youre up? mmph, Thank you. Im sorry for the trouble. While I appreciate the polite thanks honestly, I never wouldve imagined a student copsing in the first ss of the day. Im very sorry. Most likely shes a health instructor. She came up to me and took my wrist to check my pulse. Hmm Its a bit fast. Is it always like that? Yes. Its a bit fast normally. Is that so. You should probably keep working out. My pulse is a bit faster than most kids my age, and currently, my body temperature is a bit high. Dr. Tricias cool hands feel nice to the touch. But honestly, that Cortina, I swear. Pushing a student to the point of copse, how unreasonable can you get. This is my bodys fault for being so frail. Its impossible to instantly grasp everyones physical limits. You know someplicated words. Well, I guess its fine this time. True she shouldnt be able to grasp the other students limits instantly, but given weve been living together, its strange for her to overlook my condition. Such a thing never happenedst time. Hm Whys that? Well, thanks to her I got to look at your cute sleeping face. Mmmm. As a former man, I have some reservations about being called cute by a beauty in the prime of her youth. But well, I guess Im pretty used to it after hearing Lyell and Maria tell me so often. Next, she opened my gym clothes to examine my chest with her stethoscope. The cold metal felt pleasant on my overheated body. Your breathing seems normal at least. Yep. Never had any problems there. Do you normally have fainting spells like this by chance? All the time. Since I was an infant who couldnt get out of bed, Id work on manipting magic until I passed out. Of course, I never seeded, but Id still fall asleep each night with mental fatigue, so in that sense, fainting is nothing new to me. Somehow, isnt that an impossible way to live? I have a goal in mind. Ill be a Magic Swordsman. I wont be an assassin, Ill gain my fame as a hero. To be a hero without the qualities of one, that was the sort of thing I was going for. While chatting with the doctor like this, the door to the infirmary was suddenly opened. Oh, Youre up? I was so worried! Are you awake Nicole? The ones intruding with noisy footsteps and questions were Cortina and Letina. Seeing me sitting up in the middle of an examination made the two of them let out a sigh of relief. Forgive me, youre always keeping up on your condition, so I thought it was fine, then suddenly you copsed! Cortina made a misjudgment? Yeah. I never expected you to get worn out so suddenly like that. Hearing Cortinas exnation made me realize my weakness. Thats no excuse. However, this fragility is a bit unusual. I suppose wed better do a thorough examination at least once just to make sure. Ive been thinking there was something wrong for the longest time. When I fought the kobold, fatigue kicked in suddenly and caused me to slip. Then again during the kidnapping incident, I started to get tired quickly right after Michelle showed up. Looking at it objectively, things dont really add up. Id always attributed my weakness due to my stunted growth, but could there be some underlying condition inside my body causing me to be like this. Chapter 60 After Dr. Tricia pointed out that I might have a physical ailment, Cortina was quick to give her approval for a thorough checkup and an appointment was scheduled. The Magic Academy was primarily a shrine of knowledge and so had the requisite medical facilities, but it would still take time to make preparations so the appointment was scheduled for another day. Dr. Tricia said that the day of the physical checkup for the new term would be a likely candidate for the examination. Well, even if I say I had a scheduled appointment, I still had to take my sses like normal until then. After finishing up our morning sses, I spent the rest of the day wandering the school with Letina. Our freshman sses were done after the morning, but we were free to look-in at the senior sses as long as we were quiet. Is your body really alright? Yeah, Im used to it. After returning to ss from the infirmary, the kids in the ss greeted me with a sigh of relief. As expected, seeing your ssmate pass out suddenly on the first day of school must have been nerve-wracking. At the time, I pretended to not hear the remarks of Of course, shes just so dainty, she doesnt have much strength. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Well, what business do you have with the special ssrooms? I just want to check them out a bit. We finally entered the area with the special ssrooms, among them we found the music club room. Arge piano was lined up along with a bunch of stringed instruments against the wall. While its just considered music here at the academy, but music has had many simrities to chanting spells since the olden days, theres even a genre dedicated to charging your voice with magic to elongate the sound. In order to study such things, the necessary equipment had to be gathered. By any chance, are you interested in learning the piano? Yeah. I gave a frank answer with a nod. During the battle with the kidnappers, I came to the realization that my determination alone wasnt enough. The thread-spinning gift I carried seemed like a cheap party trick but on the other hand, that self-proimed god guaranteed that it could be the strongest ability. No, looking back at it, was she talking about my thread maniption? Since I have three now, its hard to say which gift we were talking about. For the sake of making effective use of my thread-spinning gift, I needed to gather the right material for it. Something strong like the piano wire was what I desired for this. Wanting to y the piano is an unexpectedly girly pastimeing from you. Huh? I have no interest in that. Come again? Then, the violin? N-no way. While we were having that exchange in the hallway, the teacher who was in the middle of tuning the piano while on their tiptoes turned to look this way as if finally noticing us. Seeing freshmen standing in the hallway looking hungrily at the music room, of course she would be curious. That teacher called out to us in a friendly voice. Good day. Are you two freshmen? At her question, we both nodded. Could you be interested in instruments? Very. Then, how about ying for a bit? Right now there arent any other students around. Is that really fine!? At the teachers invitation, we entered the music room in high spirits. The teacher seemed to be expecting a musical performance, but thats not worth worrying about right now. After trotting in, I went straight to looking around the piano. Since she was in the middle of tuning the piano, there was a roll of piano wireid out. I secretly pilfered it. With a broad grin Just ording to n. What is? As she drew up behind me, Letina instantly got a violin set up. It seems that few students actively use the music room but the teachers happily take good care of it. You can y Letina? Its good etiquette for ady! I couldnt help harboring doubts even as she puffed her chest out in pride while replying. Are you serious right now? Actually its my Mamas specialty. I dont care what your motivation is. If youre interested, please just y something. Are you sure? I already told you there arent any students around. Whats more, this room has soundproofing so youre free to make some noise. At the teachers urging, Letina put on a performance with a simple etude. From my point of view, the tone quality was beyond a childs skill level. Its possible she might actually have some talent for music. But my admiration faded in the next instant. After reaching a good stopping point, Letina turned toward me with a smug look all but screaming hows that? That face futilely sparked my spirit of rivalry. I already got what I came here for so I might as well y along. I ced the violin on my shoulder the way I saw her doing it and held the bow reverently. screeeeeeeeech -no, seriously. Noooooo!? Stop, stop I say, Nicole! Uhyauwaaa!? A noise simr to some giant monsters cry reverberated around the room causing Letina and the teacher to be in agony. Receiving that mysterious sound wave at the point-nk range since I was the one ying caused me to almost pass out. Th-this is how to say this, hearing that sound after so long That bad? This surely, with diligent practice, it could be music right? I have to be careful, I tried to get the teacher to gloss over it. Yeah. I know, hearing that sound just now, theres no way I can y. Aftering to, Letina came up to me and put her hand on my shoulder. Nicole, youre as uncultured as you appear, arent you? What do you mean? Im from the boonies anyway. Yeah, considering your parents, that fact shines through. Well, any more than this and well just be a hindrance. In the first ce, she stopped working mid-way through tuning the piano. Whats more, since I snuck some of the wire into my pocket itd be a problem for her to find out. With that, we gave the music teacher a polite bow and hastily ran off. Chapter 61 That night I used my gift to sneak out of Cortinas house. Of course, its so I can practice with the piano wire I stole that afternoon. The only way out of the city is through the gates or over the wall so this will just be an experiment conducted inside the city. Namely, the lumberyard where the battle with the kidnappers took ce. The guards already concluded their investigation so it remains shut down. Thanks to that there arent many people around here and many obstacles. It was the perfect ce for some training. That god said, my gift could be the strongest. Up to now Ive used my ability to manipte the thread as it is. However, its a far cry from the strongest. Perhaps theres some way of using it that I havent considered yet. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) And so, I thought about wrapping myself in thread. So I came to this ce to test out that idea. Well then, lets First, wrap my arm in thread, and grab hold of my katana. With my own strength I cant hold the katana in one hand. However, if I use the threads to manipte myself, I can use the same muscle strength to achieve the same effect. I thought I could use the threads to support my own strength and swing the sword one-handed. If I lift the katana slowly at first, I can hold it one-handed. Oh, this is surprising? I thought it felt light so I took a swing. You have to swing the sword, not just hold it up after all. And like that, in a single swing I tore my arm. Aaah!? The sleeves of my jacket are torn with blood flowing out in a helix pattern. And its pouring out pretty violently. Fi- first I cancelled my thread maniption in a panic and tore off the piano wire from my arm. The gash on my arm was pretty deep, so much so that wrapping it in cloth wouldnt hamper the bleeding. This is bad. This How do I I cant use healing magic, hiding this is impossible. Ahh, the stronger the gift, the stronger the bacsh, do take care. Whos there! I suddenly heard a carefree voice from behind me. But it sounded somehow familiar. As I expected, standing there was the self-proimed god in white. She appeared like a peerlessly beautiful girl, the same as always. However, she gave off a strange impression wearing a slightly unfashionable pair of sses and a cor for arge dog. You Look, please hold out your hand. Normally intervening like this is bad. What do you mean? Now see here, even if I look like this, Iama God. Its not good to show myself to the public. She took my hand and gave it a light tap. And with that, my wound vanished. Without chanting or creating a magic circle. No wait, did the magic circle shine for just a split second there? Even so, to form a magic circle in an instant like that would require incredible skill. Like a normal wound, you have to avoid overdoing it. Right now youre very unstable. Unstable? Because for you whos soul couldnt use magic previously to suddenly be dropped into a body with magical power, of course there would be some growing pains. Why are you going so far to look after me? Hm~ thats a secret, replied the god with a cutesy wink. Despite looking like a little girl, that gesture was quite bewitching. Putting that aside, using thread to improve your kic power isnt the wrong idea, but isnt that just thread still? Wha? Itd be a problem to give out too many hints, so Ill leave it at that. With a hard step, she leaped back and put some distance between us. Well then, take care from now on. Reid Albain. You know myst name? Of course I do. Albain, thats thest name I had before leaving my home country to exterminate the evil dragon. Although I wasnt a noble, I came from a wealthy family, but because I was born as a half-demon, I was abandoned at an orphanage. After dropping my name correctly, the god took another leap back, and instantly disappeared into the shadows without a trace. No, you could say the recovery of my arm is the only trace left of our encounter. You might as well have repaired my clothes while you were at it, Goddess My jacket waspletely shredded by the piano wire. Whats more, its soaked in bloodstains. This wonte out with a wash, Ill have to throw it out. That said, I dont want to return home topless, so for now I tore off the sleeve and put it back on. I had to look over what the goddess just said. She said something about it not just being for thread, but Im not sure I understand. However, she said it wasnt wrong to use thread to assist my muscle movement, so it seems my train of thought is not far off. If I use wool in ce of piano wire and try to do the same thing. This time, due to the wool being much softer than the wire my arm didnt tear. I can actually swing the sword. However, on the second and third swing I could hear it start to tear and before long itpletely snapped. It seems that wools tensile strength isnt enough to use it for muscr support. I see 1 of Scarlet, 1 of Ultramarine, 3 of Gold Strengthen. After strengthening the wool with magic I gave swinging my sword another shot, twice, thrice ten times. After over 20 practice swings the wool finally started to show signs of wear and tear. This isnt good enough to go into battle with, but being able to swing my sword one-handed is a big step forward. Being able to do one-handed sword-strikes gives me freedom of movement with the other hand, that said, I have to use one hand to control the threads, so the end result is basically the same. Next up, I wrapped some wool around my leg and started doing exercises. My gift gives me free control of the thread Im in contact with, which means with one hand I can use my fingers to control up to 5 threads simultaneously. So by using my left hand to control my legs and my right hand I can exponentially increase my fighting capabilities. I increased the amount of wool threads, strengthened both legs with wool and took a light step, and then my body leapt faster than I had imagined. Whooooaaa!? I failed to put on the brakes and plunged face-first into a stock of lumber. With a loud crash, I mmed into the wood nose first and started seeing stars. The next morning, I headed down to the dining room for breakfast. I went down after washing my face and changing clothes, at which point Finia raised a shout in surprise after seeing me. Lady Nicole, whats wrong with your nose? My nose was so swollen and red that you could call me Rudolf. Seeing my face like that, both Cortina and Finia shed me looks of amazement. I just took a little slip out of bed, I replied with a glum expression and took a drink from the hot milk Finia brought me. Chapter 62 From then on I went to school while using my thread maniption to reinforce my body and kept exercising like that. After being sent to the infirmary on the first day so suddenly, it seems Ive gained a reputation as a frail sheltered girl. Lord Lyell raised her too carefully after all Hey, Ive seen her frequenting the music room after school. The music room? A short whileter you could hear a beautiful violin ring out. Ohhh? As youd expect, the heros daughter is quite refined. Somehow the violin performance Letina gave that day was redited to me. As first years, our musical education only got as far as learning the basics of a recorder, if I tried to y itd just be a mess. Fixing each of these misunderstandings would just be a pain, so I didnt. I just kept knitting in my seat. Therefore, theres a ton of scarves and sweatersid out around the house. There are even mittens in some of the more borate spots. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Well, you could say the main reason Im knitting right now is cause I lost to Cortinas greedy gaze. The cause was pretty simple, thanks to Lyell and Maria showing up suddenly and bragging to Cortina about them, she suddenly decided she wanted one too and pressured me into making her one. Of course, shes not extorting it from me, but its hard to decline a request from yourndlord. Thanks to that though, Ive been stuck knitting since the morning. Seeing me diligently knitting at my desk, Letina gave me a curious look, How strange, seeing you do something sody-like. How rude. Or rather, knitting isnt especially a feminine thing. Even in my previous life, Id always work on training my dexterity like this outside the public eye, mainly mending clothes along with Maria. By the way, this is beyond Lyell, Gadius, and even Cortina. Maxwell cant even thread a needle with his presbyopia so its not feasible for him either. Meanwhile, the whole time Ive been sitting here knitting I feel like everyones been eyeing me enviously. By the way, do you not have to get ready? Huh? What do you mean? Hearing her say that, I looked up. Thats when I realized everyone was restlessly changing out while waiting. Uh Why is everyone changing clothes? Boys and girls are changing in the same room but theyre all under 10 so its not a big deal. Letina who came over to talk was just wearing her underpants. Yup, they were a splendid pair of pumpkin shorts. Todays the day of the physical isnt it? Oh, was it? The content of our lessons were just general education, history of the country, and studying the alphabet, so I often ignore ss, I mightve skipped any mention of a physical as a result of that. I didnt want to be the onlyte one, so I quickly put up my knitting equipment into my bag and started changing. Its pretty easy since its just a jacket, shirt, and skirt. For a girl, its a slightly immodest behavior but Im a kid anyway. Since we dont even get a changing room at this age, Im not worried about it. Speaking of, dont you have your examination after school today? Examination Oooh, from the other day. After hearing about me having a full checkup, the other students started getting noisy. The girls started approaching nervously to ask me about it. Ummm Nicole, are you unwell? Err I get tired easily, so we decided it would be a good idea to get checked out at least once. She had a worried aura standing in front of me with her hands joined together, she looked like a little puppy, but not the cheerful kind like Michelle, more like a spoiled pup. Um Sorry, what was your name? Ah, right. I havent introduced myself yet. My name is Matisse Holton, daughter of the Holton group. Oh, them. Theyre a bigpany in Raum. I relied on them several times in my previous life when I visited the country. I see, this is the daughter of the young masters daughter from back then. Feels like so long ago. Huh, excuse me? Oh, dont worry. Thank you for your concern though. I offered her my right hand for a shake, she timidly reciprocated. Hmm, her pale white skin was soft, she shows great promise but for now shes out of my strike zone though. Umm, is it fine if we be friends? Of course. Id be d, my only friend so far has been Michelle? Hey, and me? Letina started kicking up a fuss behind me. If I had to say, I consider you a troublesome henchman. At this point, Cortina busted through the door. Alright, you guys. Looks like youre good and ready. Lets go take your measurements now! Miss Cortina, why are you so hyped Ill be sure to properly take you girls bust sizes. No, Im still not that big. You boys better get a good look now while you can, you wont get a chance in the future. And immediately following Cortinas statement all the boys eyes converged on me. As expected, their gaze caused me to break out in goosebumps and I reflexively covered my chest. Cortina, dont say unnecessary things. Ahaha, my bad. Shes as noisy as ever, except when shes on the battlefield. We started moving towards the ce wed get our physicals as I heaved a sigh. Chapter 63 After finishing up their height or weight measurements, the students moved on to the next one. While in line for the weight measurement, I looked at the file in my hands to check the height measurements and secretly heaved a sigh. I havent grown much. Nicole is pretty tiny. Dont call me tiny! Peeking at the file in Letinas hand, I noticed shes 10cm taller than me. Shes pretty tall in our ss, so when lined up alongside me, she seems very mature, older than her age at least. Conversely, I just give off the sense of being a doll. Well, Id be grateful if the thorough examination revealed that my poor growth up to this point was a result of some underlying problem. It wouldnt have been Marias fault, but naturally, this still makes me uneasy about the future. Standing next to Letina, who is tall for our age, I have to crane my neck up. This is fine. not, it seriously grates on my nerves. Everything should be ready for the full checkup after school today. It cant be helped that I have toe here twice. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) I hope I can at least grow as tall as Cortina, its probably asking too much to reach Maria. I dont see that happening What was that!? As a cat person, Cortina was slightly shorter than the average person. Maria had a dainty physique, but her stature was pretty average. Shes filled out fine while at the same time being eye-catchingly slender. It goes without saying Lyells physique is good. Hes tall and toned, but not to the point that he seems sinewy. Despite still being a child, Ill have to drop my expectations of reaching their heights. Wait, Letina! No way! I left the line to chase down the smart- Letina. However, I was stopped by being picked up from my armpits. Suffice to say, it was my homeroom teacher, Cortina. Hey now! Line up properly. But Letina No excuses, get going. And with that, I was lifted onto a weight scale like a doll. As expected, the numbers were below average for a child my age. Haaaa How odd. Im feeding you quite a bit at home though. You put out plenty, but my appetite cant handle it. This bodys stomach is so small. Just half a piece of toast is enough to fill me up. Its like Im only able to eat the bare minimum required to maintain basic activity. Yeah, Ive heard youve only been eating a little, but you still seemed to have put on weight. Dont call me fat! I struck my fist at Cortinas belly, but it seemed to have as much effect as a gentle breeze. It felt like a solid smack, but it just sounded like a silly thunk. And so, after school, I once again went to the infirmary. In addition to myself, I was being escorted by Cortina, Michelle, who had juste over from the adventurers school next door, and behind her was the add-on Letina. Upon entering, there were various measuring devices strewn about. Most likely everything was set up in a hurry after the physical measurements today. Wee. How about we get started immediately. As soon as she saw my face, the doctor picked up a syringe with a -eating grin. It seems she was showing an unnecessaryrge syringe off on purpose, which made Michelle take a step back. Is that on purpose? Yup. I looked at the doctor who was showing a satisfied smile from seeing Michelles reaction. Normally, kids get a little scared when I show them that but youre fine with it? Im pretty used to the pain. While impressive, isnt that pretty bad? Im aware. Pain is an important signal alerting you to life-threatening danger. Getting used to ignoring pain is like bing indifferent to death. Previously, Id grown numb to pain. The result was that brash decision the decision to face off with the demon. Oww! They say carelessness is ones greatest enemy. Sit still for a bit. At that point, I had several tests done. A blood exam, a magic power exam, and finally an eye exam. At the end of it, she seemed to mull over the results for a bit. So, how about it? Yeah, I think Ive pretty much got it. Then! What is it? Probably Magic Buildup Disease. Magic Buildup Disease? Apparently even Cortina, with her extensive knowledge, hasnt heard of it. Judging by the sound of it, an excess build-up of magic power was the cause? Its a result of storing too much magic power inside the body. In other words, youre building up more magic power than you can handle. So, how do we fix it? I urged her to keep exining. Now that I knew the cause of my poor health, I felt impatient. Ordinarily, people have a bnce between their build-up of magic power and their release rate of it. However, thats not the case with you. Uh-huh. It rarely happens in children, and normally as they grow up, their ability to release magic increases, so the symptoms naturally abate and eventually disappear as the child matures. In your case, the difference is too great to wait until you reach adulthood. Youre storing up so much up until you pass out and then bncing it out by releasing it slowly during your fainting spells. Hm, hmm? This kid is too cute. Let me have her a bit. No way. The doctor suddenly turned toward me while I clenched my fist listening to her talk. While I waspletely lost in thought, Cortina quickly blocked the doctor. At any rate, if this goes on itll be dangerous. Dangerous? She just has to expel excess mana in her sleep no? Theres no immediate threat to her life. The rate of release is greater during her fainting spells than during normal times. Then But thats the limitation. Shes more likely to increase her absorption rate than her release rate. If it keeps up she may spend all day passed out. Thats Im still young so its manageable right now. But if this keeps going itll only get worse over time. Can you fix it? Nothing cant be cured. In short, everything will be fine if we just increase her rate of release by a greater degree. If we could just do that, we wouldnt be in this mess, Cortina said with a look that seemed to scream What the hell are you even saying right now. She too was frustrated by her magical release rate. You could say her small rate of release was a major problem for her, so she knew full well the difficulties involved. Normally speaking, you only improve it by constant training and natural growth. However, thereisjust a wonder drug for this. What? Saying that, the doctor gave us a sickly sweet smile. Chapter 64 As she started to tell us about a medicine that shouldnt possibly exist, she had a look that just screamed, whatll you do? Its obvious she enjoyed watching our reactions. Hold up, wait a sec Tricia! I havent heard of a thing like that! Did I say there was only a single option? Huh? Thats a lie! Well, which is it!? Seeing Cortina being led around by the nose makes me feel like thisdy doc Tricia and her are pretty close. Before Cortina, most of the other teachers get tense, but she seems prettyid back around her. Theirck of tension with each other suggests they have been getting along each day. Thats right. There are other ways can raise your ability to release magic. Does that mean there are other options? Apprentice magicians would be all over them if so. Its not like that. As far as I know, there are three options. T-E-L-L M-E! With that Cortina started to wring Tricias neck. She too would have liked to raise her ability to release magic so that information was something shed be interested in by any means. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Guh C- Calm down! Kay? Well first off, ifmon sense fails you, just rely on something beyondmon sense. What kinda thing? Frankly, a god. No, no, it is. I mean, theres a god just casually walking around. Actually, Michelles got a giant bow gifted to her from said goddess strapped to her back. Well, thats not really a feasible option. So how about the second one? You sure like to drag this on, out with it already! So impatient. What, did you already miss your marriageable age? Oh, right, it flew on past didnt it? Oi, You! You sure know how to twist the knife Calm down already. Option two is to take a paranormal being into yourself. A paranormal being? Specifically, you could say a dragon. Bfft!? Cortina spurted out at that, but it made sense from the way the conversation was going. Dragons are the most paranormal beings you could think of, among them Evil Dragon Colchis, Magic Dragon Fafnir, and Holy Dragon Bahamut have power akin to the gods. As for taking in their power You mean, to eat their flesh? Nicoles got the right idea. Sorry, but I cant handle taking another one of those things down. Never again. They can even melt boulders you know? But having defeated one didnt you bring back some materials from it? If you put it that way Though at the end there, Colchis basically self-destructed, there was no way we could salvage any meat. The best we could do was take the horns, scales, fangs, ws, and skin. These were all distributed amongst us and kept in our private stashes which we didnt even tell each other. Though itd certainly be possible to consume it if you ground it up into a fine powder. Even so, that option is impossible. When ites to the evil dragon, its too strong. Theres no way of knowing what would happen if you ingest it. Worst case, you die, actually thats the most likely scenario. Yeah, I wouldnt want patients to take such risks either. Which brings us to option three. Geez youre really milking this arent you. And without further ado. This much is fine right. The third option is to drink the nectar of a Queen Blossom. Queen Blossom The superior variant of a Treant huh? Cortina started to contemte with her hand on her chin. Queen Blossom, also called the evolved form of a Treant, even above an Elder Treant, is the only flowering monster of the dead-tree-like Treant species. The seeds it makes grow into new Treants. But its a rare monster that few have ever actually encountered. The sightings of one is so rare, isnt that just hopeless too? On the contrary. In this country called Raum where the Elves make their home in the forest, treants are hardly rare monsters. Thats true. And theyre not all that aggressive either, so there arent subjugation requests for them Wait, theres a lot of them? Yes. As expected, your judgments good. An area where Treants propagate inrge quantities will be sure to have a Queen Blossom, and Raum has arge amount of Treants. In other words Theres a Queen Blossom within Raum The kingdom of Raum which is uniquely located in a forest is a ce where many nt type monsters exist. nt type monsters are much moremon here than in other countries. Moreover, since Treants show no hostility, theyre not priority targets for subjugation, there are more dangerous monsters that have to be taken down first. Because of that, there are a variety of passive nt type monsters in this country. For example, the Alraune, Treant, or Dryad. In other words, this country is a perfect haven for a Queen Blossom. Certainly, this country is the perfect nesting ce for it, its not even funny. Immediately after Cortina mutters that Thats what Im trying to say~! And then the door to the infirmary was thrown open with a loud thunk. Chapter 65 The pane of viewing ss in the door cracked with the force of the door being mmed open. Simultaneously, both Michelle and Letina jumped up, apparently surprised by the noise. The one recklessly doing opening the door was the bearded old fart, Maxwell. Ch-Chairman? What brings you here!? (Tricia) Hmph, I heard you were going to check every nook and cranny of Lyells daughter. (Maxwell) Whats with that lewd phrasing? Also, its rare seeing you leave your office, but please dont break the door. (Cortina) If you keepining youll just get more wrinkles. (Maxwell) You wanna die!? (Cortina) Maxwell busted into the infirmary gently riling up Cortina while he was at it. I heaved a sigh knowing gramps was just going to rouse up more trouble. Maxwell just rudely makes himself at home sliding open a cab to grab some tea leaves. Michelle and Letina just looked on astonished with their mouths agape. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Thats nothing to be so surprised about, they oftene here to rx. (Tricia) Is that so? (Nicole) If theyre seen outside it causes quite a stir, so they juste here instead. (Tricia) Honestly, you make me sound like some timid old fart. (Maxwell) Youre a part of this countrys royal family, how about you take notice!? (Cortina) Hearing Maxwell starts to quarrel with Cortina, I took the chance to speak to him, knowing from past experience, if left alone theyd just keep going on. So what brings you here? (Nicole) Hm. For now. Cmere Nicole. (Maxwell) Huh? (Nicole) I trudged along towards Maxwell who had called me while setting down his cup and pulling out a chair, before he sat himself down and picked me up. Ah, thats not fair, I thought that was for me. (Nicole) Firste, first served. (Maxwell) Um So anyway (Nicole) Ah. If its about the Queen Blossom, there should be one in the southern forest. (Maxwell) Seriously!? (Nicole) I looked up at Maxwell from hisp. Being able to grasp the whereabouts of rare species, as expected of royalty. Treants arent said to be hostile but they are still monsters. Moreover, there are many of them. Now, what would you do if by some chance they rose in revolt? Wanting to keep up with the current state of things is natural. (Maxwell) Well, that is certainly true. The Queen Blossom is said to have intelligence, so leading the treants ispletely within the realms of possibility. (Cortina) Its uncertain that they wont be hostile since were trying to get the nectar, you see (Maxwell) That seems like itd be a trigger for a revolt. Its supposed to be intelligent right, so maybe we could negotiate with it. (Cortina) Since you dont have any backings, the odds of that are pretty slim. (Maxwell) Simrly to me, Cortina doesnt have any particr backing. Gadius, Lyell, and Maria each had ties to higher-ups in the country, however, Cortina and I dont have such ties. In Cortinas case, she was deeply involved with the military, but when she left her country, that power became ineffective. Even if I say we need a backing, its not such a grand thing as that, we just need a few people. This is why personal connections are important. (Maxwell) Saying that, Maxwell tried to p his chest. Seeing as my head was currently there, I grabbed his fist in defense right before he hit me. And so, I figured Id go face the Queen Blossom! (Maxwell) Huuuh? What are you going to do about the academy? (Cortina) About that, Ive been meaning to leave it since the beginning, itll work itself out. (Maxwell) No way, no how! Theres no way youll head to battle. (Cortina) These kinds of moments are what we live for. (Maxwell) Were both rearguards! (Cortina) Cortina and Maxwell both are basically frail on the battlefield. If negotiations with the Queen Blossom break down, then they likely wont be able to withstand the full brunt of its attacks. Thats not the only problem, the Queen Blossoms nectar must be processed into medicine on the spot and administered as quickly as possible. That means (Tricia) It means Nicole will also need to be at the site (Maxwell) Thats right. So a strong vanguard will need to be there to protect us huh? (Cortina) Then we should call on Lyell, since its for his daughters sake, hell jump at the chance. (Maxwell) Thatd mean Maria would also be joining, wouldnt that be too many rearguards? (Cortina) Hmm Should we get Gadius in on this? (Maxwell) A hero who was a defensive specialist who hailed from the Matara Alliance on the eastern continent. A master of defense capable of skillfully deflecting all types of attacks. Thats (Cortina) In this case, hes perfectly qualified. However, Cortina looks grim. It seems that the pair havent fixed up the issues from ten years ago. Taking me to the scene of my death. That was something Gadius didnt know about, and a situation Cortina could do nothing about. Laying the responsibility for it at Gadius feet was irrational, and she herself knew that. However, emotions arent so easy to control. And because Gadius knows, he keeps away from her himself. Youre still going on with that? Well, its not like I dont get it, but well, its not like we can leave this in someone elses hands. (Maxwell) We No, their level as rearguards required an equally exceptionally high leveled vanguard to keep up with them. Thinking back to my death and the thought of Gadius non-participation made me tremble in fear. For someone like us who were getting by with the bare minimum personnel, it was easy for us to fall short in terms of war potential. Ill fight too. (Nicole) For that reason, I nominated myself as a vanguard. In any case, its necessary for my health that I go to the Queen Blossom. It wouldnt hurt to insist on being a vanguard from now on. Hoh, now that you mention it, you defeated the kidnappers before. Ive got great expectations for your future! (Maxwell) Thats why (Nicole) I appreciate the sentiment, but Id appreciate it if youd just settle down. (Maxwell) G- got it (Nicole) Well, I got the response I expected. However, there were a couple who jumped on the bandwagon after my outburst. Me too! Im going too! If its for Nicoles sake, Ill fight too! (Michelle) Ill head out too! Im pretty confident when ites to fire magic. (Letina) Ho, Hold up!? (Nicole) It was my two friends who raised their hands. I understood Michelles friendship and Letinas kindheartedness, but having them ask to join in danger was unexpected. As you can expect, Im not ok with this. Its dangerous, this will be a real battle. (Nicole) Theres no way I can pretend to not know about a threat to my friends life! (Michelle) Thats right, thats right! (Letina) It seems my objection simply caused them to get more fired up. The two clenched their fists in defiance. Ive started to realize Michelle could be pretty obstinate. Now that itse to this, she wont back down. And if I have to take her, I cant not take Letina. Watching their vigor, Maxwell threw his head back. I, I got it, I got it already, calm down. (Maxwell) They got reluctant permission to join us. With these two added in, the total number of people needing protection bes four, including me and Tricia. That means we need more vanguards to cover us. Ughh I guess it cant be helped, can you call up Gadius? (Cortina) You sure? (Maxwell) We cant handle this ourselves without risk, whats more, this is as good a time as any to try and get past it. (Cortina) Maxwell gave a satisfied smile watching Cortina shrug her shoulders so deeply. And like that, it was decided that wed take a trip to the south of Raum. Chapter 66 And so a 9-man expedition was organized. With five heroes, us three kids, and Tricia the female doctor. But that didnt mean wed be leaving the same day. Maria and them aside, we kids still have ss and cant just take off. Since it was meant to cure my body, Id have loved to head out immediately but Now, is there anyone who knows what this word means? Me! Meee! Teacher, pick me! Cortina cked on the chalkboard where shed written a word and asked the students to answer what it was. She had written Apple there in this case. Even if theyre elites, these are still children under the age of 10 after all. They need to be taught the basics of how to read and write. Of course, the ones whove had an elite education since their early years will already know how to read, but not everyone does, so these kinds of sses have to be included in the curric. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) And so, my homeroom teacher Cortina was teaching themon continentalnguage, but that was so tedious since Id already learned it. Despite that Alright then, Nicole. Aww, again? Youre top of the ss, so why dont you show us how its done? Cortina kept calling on me for every little thing. Thanks to my grades, I seem to be misunderstood throughout the school as an excellent new student with a frail body. Well, theyre not wrong about the frail body bute on I stood up from my seat, hurried to answer and sat back down quickly. Moreover, if I try putting on spats underneath, Cortina gets upset about it. Resistance is futile as she argued with, Trying to erect another barrier under the absolute territory is absolutely not allowed. Why are you so happy about seeing little girls panties, you *******. And so, with the expedition being scheduled for the weekend, I experienced three days of fainting in P.E. and managed to survive. Once the weekend rolled around, we gathered at Maxwells house. Maxwell is also able to freely use transfer magic, so he only has his gear, some water, and light provisions that hes carrying. If we need somewhere to stay, we can just return to the city whenever. He might be close to senile but his magic skill is still cheat-level. Well, are we all here? Eh, were just waiting on Maria and them to get here. Cortinas expression soured while saying that. Its been decided that Gadius would join for this expedition. Its not like she personally hates him, they fought off death for countless years before, so theres no way they hate each other. Are you ok? Hrm? Sort of, its not like I hate him. I put my hand on her back when I asked and she forced a smile at me with her reply. Just then, a light from the transfer magic appeared and three peoples silhouettes appeared in it. Needless to say, it was Lyell and Maria, and Gadius. Maria ran to hug me as soon as she saw me. Lyell, who waste to the party, wasining helplessly behind her. Are you doing ok, Nicole? Mama, we just saw each otherst night. After learning Teleport, Maria has beening back and forth from the vige to see me every night. Even though Interference Magic is supposed to be exhausting on your magic reserves, shes fine even with carrying Lyell around with her, as expected, this much is nothing to her. In contrast to our happy little family, the air around Gadius and Cortina was tense. Ah, umm.. Have you been well? Eh, yeah. You look well too. Death reminds everyone of me, sensing that, Gadius starts mumbling uncharacteristically. An obstinate dwarfkin who is as caring as this guy is a rare sight to be seen. Looking at Gadius, Cortina takes in a deep breath. Its fine. You dont have to apologize for my sake. I was the one being emotional back then, Im sorry. No, its fine. Its also my fault that you were expecting an easy investigation. It was just a request to investigate after all, it was our fault for packing light and not being prepared. Then lets agree that we both failed to consider the possibility. Gadius stretches out his right hand while making a wry face with deep wrinkles. For a dwarf, hes a bit out there, but hes not a petty guy by any means. In fact, hes quite sensible and is often misunderstood for it, but hes a reliable guy. Oh well. About Reid Its not like I cant forget about him anymore, but I cant leave behind my feelings. Hmph. Seems like the new generations already here. As he said that, Gadius looked my way. The second generation of heroes. In other words, they want me to be their sessor As the person in question I should take advantage of this. Chapter 67 Since we have two users of Transfer Magic, each of us is packing light. Most of us are carrying water and light afternoon snacks in the form of preserved foods. In the first ce, this isnt supposed to be a protracted battle so its to be expected. Well then munch munch Shall we get going? (Maxwell) Stop talking while youre eating dried meat. As carefree as ever arent you. (Cortina) With this group gathered up, what could go wrong? (Maxwell) Cortina yed the straight man as Maxwell started chanting the Teleportation spell while munching on dried meat. Lyell and the others looked on with nostalgic eyes. For us who had moved to this city, it had be a daily scene, but for them, itd been 17 years since they got to see this kind of scene y out. Youll get used to it right away? (Nicole) I suppose. Seeing it almost daily it bes pretty nostalgic after a while. (Maria) Maria mumbles emotionally while holding onto me. It seems she felt considerably guilty for causing the party to disband. Maxwell started exining the n moving forward, clearly unaware of our mood. Well, being unable to read the room is his special ability. After this, well be in the southern forest where the Queen Blossom is believed to be, well go by foot after teleporting in. (Maxwell) Is it impossible to go directly to the target? (Lyell) (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Lyell was the first to react to his statement. Previously, Lyell and Gadius hadined about the humidity in the forest, this time they were even d in body armor made from the evil dragons scales, so they had issues with breathability. Hearing that wed be going through the forest by foot, I nodded along with a reluctant scowl. There are treants as well, cant just carelessly go around there. In the first ce, Im limited to ces Ive been to before. (Maxwell) The Matara Alliance. A country in the eastern continent with steep mountains and the sea with many wide harbors; it was a very humid country. Gadius who hailed from there should be pretty resistant to the heat. Doesnt mean its any less ufortable. (Gadius) You guys have it easy. In my case, Ill have my hair clinging onto me tightly. (Cortina) Shave then. (Gadius) Shave the prided tail hair of a catkin!? You Just you wait. Ill shave that beard of yours. (Cortina) I wont let you shave a dwarfs identity! The beard is the dwarf, the dwarf is the beard! (Gadius) And with that, Gadius and Cortina started to try to grab onto each others tail and beard. This too was a nostalgic scene that we hadnt seen in 17 years. Lyell jumped in to arbitrate here. Now now, I know tensions are high after so long, but were right about to head out (Lyell) As Maria replied in shock, Cortina started jumping up and down trying to get a look at the top of Lyells head. Despite looking young, Lyells already approaching 50, unlike the long-lived dwarves or catkin, his age has already begun to show. Maria who doesnt show any signs of aging is the abnormal one here. Somehow this isnt anything like Id expected, Letina muttered while watching the noisy heroes. Hm? What is? (Nicole) For Letina whose ideal of the heroes was a taciturn group who couldmunicate through their eyes, the scene in front of her must have been quite a shock. But this is the reality. Lye Papa, is a pretty hopeless father. While being held in Marias hands like a doll, I point to Lyell with a snap and say as such. Sure, that guys a dependable ally in battle, but around the house, forget about it. Because hes always on call to help subjugate monsters around the vige, he spends very little time with us, let alone fixing things up around the house. We understand that he loves us, but he has a way of showing it. After a long time of not seeing each other, hell smother us and fact is, its too overwhelming for me. That doesnt seem to be the case though? Look, he seems friendlier than expected, surely hes pretty popr At my blunt statement, Letina tries to gloss over it with a hasty defense, but without firsthand knowledge, its flimsy at best and she breaks off towards the end. Meanwhile, Michelle is frantically holding back herughter at watching a sight-unseen back in the vige. Hey now, could we drop it already? Its about time we get going, itll be dark before long. (Maxwell) Its still morning, Maxwell. Could it be youve finally gone senile? (Maria) Maria, for even you to say that (Maxwell) Maxwell couldnt hide his shock at the rare barb from Maria. But I know, amongst us, the most wicked one is definitely Maria. Well fine. Lets go, Ill open the Gate. The burden of magic power for Teleport, which interferes with a persons individual location data is too high for such arge group, so instead, it seems Maxwell is using Gate, which interferes with the grounds location data instead. Its not like he couldnt use Teleport with 9 people with his level of magic power but its better to use less if possible. Thin silver fluctuations appear on the ground as proof of the Gate being opened. At this point, Lyell jumped in, followed by Cortina, Maria, and then Maxwell. Ill go inst, you lot hurry in. (Gadius) Um, got it. (Nicole) Gadius is thest one as usual. Lyell is the first to head in to deal with any threats. Next is Cortina to gather intel and make snap judgments. Then to help Lyell out if he runs into trouble Maria goes. The order is decided with that in mind. Gadius isst in to avoid putting theteers at risk. Their teamwork hasnt changed in all these years. Michelle, Letina, and Tricia jump in one after the other, finally its my turn and Gadius follows close behind. And like that, we finally reached the southern forest of Raum. Chapter 68 The scene instantly changed once I jumped into the Gate. Even though its still April, the heat is so stuffy. The humidity causes the heat to feel like its coiling around your skin. A grassy smell pricks the nose, an unpleasant smell of verdure. Maxwell who came before us checked to confirm everyone had arrived before speaking, The area around the Queen Blossom should be stable, with no dangerous monsters around since she controls the whole ecosystem. Hrmmm. While listening to his speech I strain my ears. Gyaaaa! Kukekeeke! Kukekeke! The voices of ferocious beasts are heard around us with tremors reverberating here and there amongst them. The tall trees blocking off the sunlight coupled with the dim view around us made it seem like a peaceful forest. Maxwell, no matter how you slice it, theres no Queen Blossom here. (Nicole) that cant be. (Maxwell) (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) As I point it out, Maxwell hangs his head dejectedly. If there was a Queen Blossom here and it had garnered control of the ecosystem, theres no way we should be hearing the sounds of monsters fighting each other like this. Perhaps we should take the time to search. The four nobatants group up in the center. Ill take point with Cortina following behind, Maria and Maxwell take the right and left. (Lyell) Ill cover the rear as usual. (Gadius) Ill leave it to you Gadius. (Lyell) Lyell quickly gave out orders. Previously, Id be standing next to him instead of Cortina as I searched for traps, but since Im not there anymore, Lyell has to take point on his own. Why is Gadius, the strongest defensive fighter in the rear? (Letina) Oh, thats bec (Cortina) In case of a rear attack. Because in areas with poor visibility like a forest, an attack from behind is far more dangerous. (Nicole) Letina questioned the partys arrangement. Simr to many newbies. It looked like Cortina was about to exin but I took the lead and finished her statement. Huh? (Letina) Wild animals will be wary of strong opponents so theyll almost never strike head-on. Youll need to prioritize your nks and rear instead. (Nicole) I seee. (Michelle) Letina and Michelle looked on in awe. Oi, hold up. Michelle, youre a hunter, so didnt you already know? (Nicole) I never knew the reason for it though. (Michelle) Did you coast through it? (Nicole) Seems her honest personality made her absorb the theory her dad taught her without understanding the reason for it, which is a bad habit to get into since it prevents you from adapting to new situations. Thats true, thats a bad habit to get into, also watch out, when Cortina said that, I unsheathed the katana on my back and tried to do a single strike. However, Cortinas long staff came flying faster. My reaction speed was faster, but her attack speed outstripped mine. Unnecessary! (Cortina) Wha!? (Letina) With a loud bang, a red ssh scattered about. A single snake was coiled around a branch ready tounch a strike at Letina, but Cortina splendidly crushed its head in. Like this, theres all manner of danger in a forest. (Cortina) Even so, Cortina aside Nicole was it? Your reaction was quite fast, littledy. (dius) Thats right. It startled me to see you start to move before I did. (Cortina) Originally, it was my role to scout, so I was very wary of my surroundings. Its rare to get the drop on1wildlife. In the case of the vultures, it was easier because they had to swoop in from out of range, but putting aside Letinas safety, was it bad to move carelessly here? Umm, I often go into the forest with Michelle. (Nicole) Speaking of, youre always the first to spot prey. You spot it before me, quietly sneak up and bring it down in a single strike. (Michelle) Maria puffed her chest out in pride upon hearing Gadius and Cortina praise me. I appreciated thepliments, but paying too much attention to me risks exposing my identity. As I was considering how to change subjects, I sensed slight tremors in the ground. Hm? (Nicole) The tremors kepting with regrity unlike the continuous shaking of an earthquake. Clearly, this was from arge beast walking along the ground. Id felt something simr before and while I was racking my mind trying to decide whether I should report it or not, Lyell picked up on the vibrations. Silence, seems we got an enemy approaching. And its not a snake this time its a big one. While being vignt for the enemy, Lyell drew his holy sword, ready to attack. In addition, Gadius moved up to set up his shield at the front of the party. While smashing the remarkablyrge trees aside, itsrge build finally entered our field of vision. What popped out after mowing down many forest trees was a giant with mes covering its body A Fire Giant. Chapter 69 A giant of fire in other words, a Fire Giant appeared and let out a voiceless battle cry. Its a monster that should have some semnce of intelligence, however, it seems theres no room for discussion here. Fire Giants live around volcanic areas and thus have a high resistance to fire. On the contrary, its capable of spitting up something akin to dragon breath and has a high offensive ability. It has a short temper and slight intelligence so rarely can you peacefullypromise with one. With a body towering over five meters its, in a word, strong, and can smash through boulders with a single swing of its arm. When one appears, half-baked adventurers would be no match for it. A dangerous monster that even requires the dispatch of a nations military. That is a Fire Giant. Arge body piercing the heavens. Before its majestic appearance, Gadius said dejectedly, What, its just a Fire Giant? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) I thought itd be an Earth Dragon with all that rumbling, what a shame. You dont need a strategy for this. Just beat it head-on. Its fine if I sit out, right? Lyell also let out his frustration and let his sword limply hang down. Cortina abandoned all thought and Maxwell sat down on a nearby rock. You guys, take this a little more seriously. Seeing everyone else start to ck off, I retorted at the scene in a tone simr to my past life, luckily it didnt reach anyones ears. Wha, What is Whys a fire giant here, Its too much for humans to handle. We have to hurry, lets run you guys. Letina and Michelle were trembling while holding onto each other. Dr. Tricia meanwhile fell down and couldnt back up out of fear. Well, thats a perfectly normal reaction. A cmity beyond an ordinary persons ability to deal with. Thats what a Fire Giant is. However, were not normal people, I muttered to myself. As if to prove my point, Lyell and Gadius started to approach the Fire Giant as if they were just taking a carefree stroll. The giant inhaled sharply in order to prepare its fire breath while being cautious of the two who showed it no fear. Between them, or rather on the part of the giant, the thread of tension grew taut. Before the mes could reach Lyell, Gadius stepped forward and intercepted them with his shield. The shield repelled the breath from them and caused it to branch out. The breath pushed on towards us without losing any power, but just before we were engulfed in mes, Maria activated her spell with a few words. Holy Jail.1 A spell that created a cage of light to surround us. A cage thatpletely isted the inside and outside, Marias strongest defensive spell that had previously protected us from the evil dragons breath. Despite being surrounded by mes, we never felt a shred of heat from the inside of Marias spell. Eventually, the giants breath ran out and the fire breath stopped. At that point, Lyell stepped in. Fire beath is still just a breath, once you run out of air, its impossible to keep it up. That doesnt mean the giant cant attack though. The Fire Giant still has his massive arms. As the giant swings down his fist, Lyell steps in. He even casually dodges the rocks fired off from the impact until hes right under him. With a single sh, Lyell attacks the giant in passing. After a single moments dy, blood sprays from behind the giants knee. Gwuaaaah!? The giant is stripped of the tendon behind his knee and loses the function of one of his legs. There was a heavy thunk as the steel collided with hard bone. With that, blood sttered showily from the giants head. But Gadius isnt an attacker. He couldnt bring down a giant in a single strike. Even so, the wound was hemorrhaging profusely and the blood spray was blocking its vision. With its limited field of view, the giant swung its fist at Gadius who had inflicted a severe wound on it, but Gadius easily deflected the blow. Hmph, this much dontpare to the Evil Dragon. Normally, that blow wouldve crumpled a persons body, but to Gadius, it was like a gentle breeze, and the giants stance was broken. At this point, Lyell came back for another pass and took a single swing. After a single moments dy, the giants head fell off from its body. G-Gwuooooh? The giant let out a dumbfounded roar at the sudden attack from behind after its head rolled onto the ground. The reason being that Lyells attack was so swift and sharp it didnt even know what hit him. Well, that about does it. Lyell gave the holy sword a swing to clean off the blood before sheathing it. Gadius did simrly to his axe before hanging it up on his back. These two lopped a monsters head off, one that normally required the dispatch of the military, as easily as if they were taking candy from a baby. The fire giant was not a monster that can be defeated so easily, its skin is hard, it has an abundance of strength, and honestly getting it to take a knee is difficult. But thanks to the holy swords sharpness and Lyells skill, it was easy enough. Th-this is. For a fire giant to be. Finally regaining her senses, Dr. Tricia screamed out, but knowing Lyell and Gadiuss skills, this is within my expectations. This isnt that strange. Its Lyell after all. Moreover, if Reid was here, itd never have been able to approach. Thats right If he were here, hed have cut its legs and prevented its movement before it got near us. Thats true, I could probably have cut its Achilles tendon by tying it with thread. After that, Id be free to do as I pleased with it. So this is the true power of the six heroes Its far beyond what I could have imagined Hearing Dr. Tricias impressions, Michelle and Letina nodded along in agreement. Chapter 70 After steamrolling the Fire Giant, the five heroes were raring to get on the move again, but Dr. Tricia still couldnt move on her own after her fall earlier. Isnt it a show of her willpower that she didnt wet herself identally? Michelle and Letina were also panic-stricken but they seem to have lost grasp of themselves. Wai, hold it my back Ehh, guess it cant be helped While the others were still confused, I went to go lend a shoulder to Dr. Tricia, we dont know whats going to happen in the future so the five heroes need to keep their hands free. That means the only ones who could lend Dr. Tricia a hand were us students. Th-thanks, Ni.. cole? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Dr. Tricia put her arm around my shoulders, and as she tried standing up she started crushing me. Is it impossible for me to carry an adult woman after all? Oooff Ahh! Nicole is being pushed down by Tricia! Seeing me get crushed under Dr. Tricia, Cortina gave out a dumb shout. And of course, the first to react was Lyell. What was that!? To be groping my Nicole, Im so jea- no, its unforgivable! But Dear, theyre both girls. All the more reason, I need to get a front-row seat! Dear? Even if I couldnt see his face while being crushed, I knew that Lyells tension quickly died down from the point of yelling with a clenched fist. Cortina, you carry Dr. Tricia on your back, you can still direct battles like that. Wait just a little mo no, its nothing. Please carry me. Cortina started heading towards Dr. Tricia who had quickly changed her tune just like Lyell. I knew from my past memories that when Maria used that fierce pressure, she was seriously scary. Cortina picked Tricia off me and put her on her own back, however, she was too short and the doctors toes were dragging on the ground. Aww, what a disappointing back If only I could get on Lord Gadius back. Whoa, youre aiming for Gadius? I mean, out of the six heroes Lord Gadius and Lord Maxwell are the only bachelors. No matter how you look at it, isnt that impossible!? Gadius is a Dwarf, and Maxwell is an elf, whats more, hes getting on in years. If youre aiming for a guy, theres no other choice than Gadius even if hes from a different race. Man, if only Lord Reid is still here, Id have gone after him hard. Alright, lets leave her behind. Ju-just kidding, kidding! Hearing that made me twitch suddenly. At the time, the nature of my work caused everyone to fear me, but could it be Im popr now? If only Id have stayed alive! In the first ce, when Reid died, you were only 10 years old, werent you. That age gap is toorge. Shut up you spinster. Wazzat? Despite Dr. Tricia being on her back, the two managed to skillfully pull on each others cheeks. True though, the human doctor would have a hard time matching up with us, whether its a dwarf, an elf, catkin, or a half-demon, our lifespans are much longer. Dwarves and catkin can live for 300 years, elvesst twice as long. Half-demons and gnomes have exceedingly long unconfirmed lifespans. Seeing the two pulling their cheeks like that caused Letina to finally reboot mentally. Michelle, who had been hugging her, spoke up as she came back to her senses as well. Umm Hm, what is it? Are we just going to leave the Fire Giants corpse like that? Im pretty sure we could get some high-quality materials from it though. As she said, the Fire Giants hide could be used to make some sturdy armor. The bones that supported the giants great frame could have several uses. For my part though, Im curious if I could use the hair as a strong wire-like weapon. Hm Well, skinning and disassembling a human-like monster in front of a bunch of kids. As youd expect, thats a bit Cortina and Maria both refuted the idea were standing next to each other. In other words, theyre saying were leaving the Fire Giant as-is for now for the sake of our mental health. Luckily, the Fire Giant forced most of the creatures normally living in the forest to evacuate, so we have the option ofing back for the materialster. Besides, because of our subjugation of the evil dragon, were all fairly wealthy thanks to its materials, and that includes myself. If I could reach my stash, Id have enough assets to buy a small town, however that stash is located in one of the Great Three Kingdoms in the south, the Alecmarle Sword Kingdom, but I currently have no way of getting there. Well, with this level of material, the gear I have now is far better, and any money we get from it would just be pocket change. That said, lets get a move on. Umm But this material is enough to cover several years worth of my sry Mariasment surprises Dr. Tricia, and leads her to another truth. Does that mean, youre also loaded? Lets see I guess I could buy about half thend in Raum with what I got? No way!? Even though you live in that raggedy ce!? Dont call it raggedy! I just dont feel like living in thep of luxury. So next time we go drinking its your treat? Youre suddenly mooching!? Is friendship between girls so fickle!? Cortina started moving while raising a racket and we three chased after her in a hurry. Chapter 71 We spent the next few hours loitering through the forest in search of the group of Treants. The unfortunate result, however, was that my stamina gave out before we could achieve that. Since we needed some break anyway and it was just the right time for lunch, we decided to settle down at the nearby rocky area and started munching on our preserved food. Incidentally, mine was baked grains hardened with sugar. It was hard enough to break a tooth, but I took my time to soak it with saliva and enjoyed its sweetness. Eating it took some time but it was just perfect for my small stomach. Still, theres really no sign of them. Are you sure they were around here, Maxwell? Yes. This should be where I spotted them before. I just realized this, but how long before are we talking about here? It should be about 40-50 years ago, I suppose? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Elves, who had incredibly long lifespans among all races often had carefree personalities. Maxwell was also in his 500s already, so his sense of time was vastly different from that of a human. Incidentally, races with unidentified lifespans like Half-Demons and Gnomes didnt differ that much from humans in that aspect. That was because there were few among Half-Demons who were able to live out their lifespans due to the constant oppression and the Gnomes simply didnt have a sense for it. Either way, if its a thing from 40-50 years ago, its no wonder they are no longer here. Moreover, since that Fire Giant made this area its abode, they mightve escaped somewhere else. But Queen Blossom and Fire Giant are about the same rank, arent they? And depending on how many followers she has, wouldnt she even be the stronger one? Well, they are gentle in nature, after all. She probably avoided fighting. Lyell, Maria, and Maxwell pondered on the reasons we couldnt find them. Gadius tended to keep quiet during these times, while Cortina was thinking about something on her own. Munch, munch The hard, baked food I was eating didnt seem like it was going to soften anytime soon. Moreover, it was meant for the adults so it was a little too big for my hands. As I held it with both hands, their conversation reached me without me particrly trying to listen to it. Both in the past and the present, I was in charge of the physical side of things, so it was not my style to butt in. Nicole, take this. Your hands are all sticky. Mhm, thanks. Michelle was also nibbling at her jerky, but she saw my hands getting all sticky with the melted sugar and offered me a handkerchief. Moreover, she was considerate enough to dampen it with water to make it easier to clean. What a fine bride she would be in the future. Hold on. Fire Giant might not have settled here too long ago. Oh, what did you find out? Cortina cut into their conversation while looking around. Lyell knew the importance behind her statement, so he paused their conversation and waited for her to continue. Think back on it. The Fire Giant appeared while smashing the trees in its path. Well yeah. Given its giant body, it can hardly avoid doing that. But there arent that many fallen trees around here. If it had indeed settled in these parts, there should be far more broken trees scattered around. As she pointed out that fact, Lyell and the rest also looked around. The dense forest obstructed the visibility around Meaning, the trees had multiplied to that degree. If the Fire Giantid waste to the forest, it shouldnt have been dense enough to obstruct our vision. True, I dont see any signs of devastation. Not to mention, Fire Giants should inhabit more elevated volcanic regions. In other words, it would be too unnatural for it to settle in a forest like this. We all gave a nod of consent to Cortinas point, who disyed her unchallenged expertise in the matter, while the group of ordinary citizens simply stared in puzzlement. Her insight was something that we, who had been with her since my previous life, had gotten all too familiar with, but for the others, she probably looked like a different person. In that case Could it be that it wasnt the Queen Blossom that has been driven away, but the Fire Giant instead? Are you saying that the Queen Blossom has moved to the volcanic area? The possibility of that is quite high. There was only one active volcano around these parts. It was Mount Nord located further south from here. If she had indeed moved there, then the safety zone for the Fire Giant could only be the ce where the Queen Blossom wasnt present. In other words, her old habitat. It wouldnt be strange for the Giant toe to that decision, given its intelligence. I see. Either way, theres no point in searching aimlessly for it. For now, I suppose we should confirm that conjecture. Lyell lightly tapped on his knee and epted her suggestion. Neither Maria nor Maxwell showed any opposition to this. Naturally, Gadius was the same. Eeh, is it mountain climbing now? The only one toin was Tricia, who was constantly shut inside her medical office. As she generallycked the physical exercise, the unustomed forest-trekking had her feeling groggy. To tell the truth, Letina and I were in a pretty tough spot ourselves. Setting aside Michelle, who habitually roamed the forest, Letina who studied magic in the town and me with my weak constitution werent faring so well. Indeed Setting the problem of stamina aside, we are certainlycking some equipment to start climbing now. Hmm, really? Its not like its snowing though Lyell, Ive always been thinking this, but just how much of a muscle-head can you be? There are many varieties to volcanos, and the most dangerous part of them are the gases that they erupt. Gadius,ing from the mountain district of Matara Alliance, remonstrated Lyell for his dumb statement. As he said, gases contained in smoke and such were dangerous for the climbers. Not to mention, the volcanos were for some reason filled with toxic elements such as sulfur or mercury. And since some gases were invisible to the eye, you might even fail to realize the danger. In that case, shall we return once and prepare? If I remember correctly, there should be a Magic Item that could contain gases somewhere in my residence. Maxwell, you really should clean up once in a while Magic Items that could defend you from gases were quite cheap on the market. A ce called the Labyrinth was filled with such traps, so it had quite a high demand among the Adventurers. It went without saying for Maxwell, but even Lyells residence had them. Cortinas too, of course. But we dont have enough for Nicoles group. We have to go buy some, I guess. Well, then. Lets return for now and start again. Before he even finished, he opened a Portal towards his residence. As long as one knew this Magic, camping at night would no longer be a problem for them. ordingly, It was quite a high-level Magic, but Maxwell mastered it without any problems. And thus, we decided to temporarily return back to Raum. Chapter 72 We temporarily returned to Raum and restarted our preparations. We could do this because Maxwells Portal Gate could return us to where we left off in a split second. We decided to take a short break in the living room that faced the garden, after which we went shopping. Lyell, Maria, and Gadius went to replenish their Items while leaving the totally exhausted Tricia and us kids behind to rest. Meanwhile, Cortina massaged our bodies in turns. Ahh, thats the spot. Push a little harder there. Oh shut it! Leaving the kids aside, for you to fall first, arent youcking a bit too much in exercise? I belong to desk work. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Tricia was on good terms with Cortina, as usual. Despite her impudent argument, Cortina continued to carefully loosen her body muscles. Since we kids were fast to recover, we were currently resting while sipping on hot milk with sugar. Maxwell, on the other hand, disappeared to the warehouse. Are you sure you dont need to prepare, Cortina? Yeah, I asked Maria with it so Im good. If its just some mask with Purify effect on it, it shouldnt cost that much. Huh, Im pretty sure it costs half of my monthly sry, though This wasnt because Tricia had a particrly small sry. Purify was among the beginner Magics, but because it was so convenient, items bestowed with its effect went for quite a sum. It was originally a Magic to purify water, but it also held the effects to purify minor internal toxins as well as the surrounding atmosphere on a very small scale. It wasnt only indispensable for securing water, cleaning, and washing, but also for light detoxification, and it also allowed one to move in a toxic gas-filled environment. For that reason, these Magic-bestowed Items could be said to be essential tools for the Adventurers. Being profitable yet having high mortality, they changed generations quite often. Since new Adventurers kept popping into existence, so did the demand for those items. Thus their value remained unbudged. You should also take a good rest once you are done drinking that. Well be climbing after this, so itll get quite tough. Got it. Understood. Letina and Michelle answered with big nods. I also gave a nod of my own while bringing the cup to my mouth. Honestly speaking, Michelle and Letina aside, Im so tired I just want to sleep like this. My friends were beside me, but I didnt have any energy to y with them. Finishing my milk, Iid my body to rest and discussed the previous fight with my two friends. It was a familiar scene for me, but these two saw it for the first time and were very moved. Sir Lyell looked so cool! He sent its head with a whoosh! It only took him one swing! Calm down for a bit, you are acting too immodest. Rather, Sir Gadius was even better. The way he casually shrugged off the Fire Giants breath was amazing! Ehh, Sir Lyell was the amazing one, okay? Youck discipline if you only look at whats fleshy, you know? Nonsense. Nicole, who do you think was better? Ngh? Hearing my name called out while I was half asleep made me open my eyes in confusion. While rubbing my sleepy eyes, I tried to remember their conversation that I was ignoring. Errr Its Sir Lyell, isnt it, Nicole! No, its Sir Gadius, isnt it, Nicole? Ermm Cortina? How did youe to that conclusion? She urately analyzed the power between us and the opponent and judged that Lyell and Gadius would be enough for the job. Were she not there, both Maxwell and Maria wouldve joined in, and overused the firepower where it was not needed. Among the long-term Adventurers, defeating foes with minimal battle power was an extremely important factor. But to achieve that, Cortinas presence was indispensable. In other words, if Cortina wasnt there, they might have pointlessly showered it with Magic. I suppose that is one way to look at it. Nicole, you are amazing. They started pping and praised me, but honestly speaking, I was just speaking from my past life experience. It wasnt because my insight was particrly outstanding or anything, so that act made me somewhat embarrassed. Heh, so Nicole was paying attention to where she should. You should learn from her. No thanks, Im just a public-health doctor. Cortina expressed her admiration while pping Tricia on the back of her head. Normally, someone my age couldnt understand the gravity of drawn-out fights. It looks quite lively here. Meanwhile, Maxwell showed up in the garden pulling some kind of cart with him. We could see him since the living room was facing the garden. Judging from its appearance, there didnt seem to be that many items inside that cart. Wasnt using a cart to carry them a bit of an exaggeration? Maxwell, isnt that thing a little too big for the job? Not necessarily. The luggage will only grow from now on. Even if you say luggage Oh. Cortina suddenly realized something. I see. You mean a Golem! There was a Magic called Create Golem. Using a block of wood or a lump of earth as a catalyst, you could create a simple familiar. This belonged to the system called Puppetry Magic, which didnt have many practitioners. The reason was that the Golems battle power was far inferior to even the user, and as it always needed to be given minute instructions, the practitioner had no time to use any other Magic. It was a technique with difficult practicality unless you could use Chantless or High-Speed Casting like Maria and Maxwell. Magic-Swordsmen used them in ce of vanguards or just for luggage carrying. It had no other use. But in our case, even if he nned to use the Golem to carry the cart, what was the point when there was no real luggage? As I was thinking that, Cortina started to exin. He ns to use that cart to carry Tricia and you kids. Ah, I see now. Tricia and I suffered from a severeck of stamina. There was more than enough possibility of us bing so fatigued we couldnt even defend ourselves when push came to shove. As such, Maxwell decided to let us ride the cart and carry us with the Golem. Thank god. We can climb with this! Yayy! The first raise such a cheerful shout wasnt me, Michelle, or Letina, but Tricia instead. Chapter 73 After a while, the shopping group came back so we decided to once again head for the northern forest. Us kids and Tricia got on the cart, which was pulled by the Golem. Lyell and the rest also boarded it in turns and had lunch. They made sure to keep the cart surrounded by three people, which was a proof of their skill. These kinds of adventures arent half-bad. Cortina surveyed the surroundings while munching on her preserved food. The fewer people there were, the harder it was to keep the surroundings in check. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) However, Queen Blossoms werent such hostile beings. If they controlled the area around the mountain, there was probably no need for such vignce. Before long, the green covering our surroundings disappeared, gradually reced by steep rock. At the same time, the cart started nting more and more, arousing the feeling that we were climbing the mountain. This meant that we were halfway up the mountain. Incessant tremor assaulted the cart, and our butts and semicircr canals started to hurt. Ugh. Nicole, again? Sorry, I have motion sickness. I-Its no surprise given all this shaking. The cart clunked as it advanced uphill. Being an unexplored region, there was no real road, but Lyell and others chose the path where they thought the cart could pass. Maria cast Cure on me since I was feeling sick. This wasnt like Heal that could only heal injuries, but also mental abnormalities. It showed a decent effect even when it came to a cart sickness like this. Nicole, did that help? Yup. Thanks, mommy. It made me feel kinda ufortable to be still calling Maria with mommy, but considering my age, it was more proper to do so. Seeing me in such a state, Cortina cast Levitate on the cart. This simple magic allowed one to float things up to several dozen centimeters from the ground, and it was mainly used to avoid pitfalls and simrnd traps. However, using it in our scenario allowed the cart to ignore the unevenness of the ground and advance smoothly, which decreased the shaking quite a bit. This should make it a lot easier. Thanks too, Cortina. No problem. Cortina answered with a broad smile. It was the smile that had once charmed me. Realizing that my face got flushed a bit, I shifted my gaze and pretended to survey the surroundings. Ive never had an adventure like this. Such convenient fellows they are. Tricia said something disrespectful without batting an eye. She was a rare kind of person who didnt cower before the six heroes. Perhaps thats what allowed her to share such friendship with Cortina. It consumes Magic Power, so Id rather not use it much. It is indeed useful, but it has its drawbacks when it matters the most. Maria and Cortina exined why she waited so long to use it. Levitate couldst long, but it consumed an appropriate amount of Magic Power. Moreover, while the users mind was preupied with its control, their reaction to the sudden enemy attack might be dyed. As such, she tried to refrain from using it too much. But at this rate, both I and Tricia would have gotten exhausted just by riding the cart, so she had no choice but to use it. The view is turning smokey. I suppose its about time we put the masks on. Lyell who was walking at the forefront noticed the dimness ahead and gave a warning. Just as he said, it gradually turned smokey and our visibility worsened. We put on our respective Magic Items bestowed with Purify. Although he called it a mask, it wasnt shaped to cover the whole face, but only the mouth area. Given how it was almost the end of spring, wearing it made us ufortably hot, but that was hardly a matter to address when we were climbing a volcano. It stinks. Its the characteristic smell of a volcano. Its bad for the body to smell it for too long. So thats where this Itemes into y? Michelle, you should keep this in mind too. Youd have more opportunities to climb the mountain in the future. Okay. Michelle had the Gift of Marksmanship. And that had even reached the ears of the nobles in the capital of the northern alliance. Meaning, she could potentially be taken into the army in the future. When that time came, the knowledge she gained during this adventure would prove to be useful. We all have matching pairs! She showed no concern to my warning and innocently spoke those words. They were so innocent, in fact, that it could blow away the future I was so anxious about. Yup. Not bad. Lyell, Gadius, Maria, Maxwell, Cortina. Everyone found it bothersome to return to their houses for those Items, so we just bought the same one for all of us. It gave us a sense of solidarity, different from being in a party. I responded to Michelle with a smile but thats when I noticed it. There Somethings there!? Huh? Cortina was the first to react to my shout. Instead of questioning me, she decided to inspect the surrounding presences and noticed what was out of ce. True Maxwell, release the Golem. On it! Maxwell followed her instructions and immediately called off the Golem. He then set up his staff and took a stance to be able to cast Magic at moments notice. Cortina and Maria also jumped down from the cart and remained alert. They are there Huh? Yeah, we are surrounded. Lyell and Gadius also set up their respective weapons and inspected the surroundings. As if to respond to their reaction, a giant shadow stepped out from the mist. Aberrations with the withered tree-like physiques that gave off humanoid impressionsTreants had surrounded us. Chapter 74 The Treants suddenly appeared before us. They had encircled us and were acting clearly wary. I wasnt certain about it due to smoke, but we were probably alreadypletely surrounded, making escape exceedingly difficult. Seeing the situation, Cortina started immediately issuing themands. Lyell, Gadius, prioritize defense. Protect the cart! Got it! Right! Lyell and Gadius moved and surrounded the cart, taking the protective formation. Maria and Maxwell also stayed alert, setting up their staves to be able to cast Magic at any time. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) The treants were just as vignt of us, raising alerted creaks. Their species had different ranks to them too, and their higher-ranked one was called Elder Treant. Those higher species had the ability to speak, but it wasnt so for the lower-ranked Treants. That said, it wasnt like they werepletely unintelligent either. They had means to express their intent, but they did that by rubbing their branches and rustling their leaves, and used that sound converse. However, as those sounds were impossible to be imitated by humans, the dialogue with them was well-nigh impossible. In other words If the ones surrounding us were the lower-ranked Treants, we had no means to reach mutual understanding. Should we force our way? Not yet. Treants should be gentle by nature. For them to attack us with no reason should be out of Question? Why did you word that as a question!? Lyell retorted to Cortina whose answercked the usual confidence. But given the situation, that was only natural. If they were by themselves, they could tear through the Treants like paper, but now they had us behind. No, if it was just me and Michelle, there would be no problem still. After all, we had the skill to defend ourselves. But Tricia and Letinas power remained an unknown factor. You could say they were no more than ordinary, powerless citizens from Lyells perspective. And fighting while burdened with such people put more pressure on you then you could imagine. Wouldnt it be better to make the first move and exterminate them? Gadius who excelled in defense also suggested the preemptive strike. When it came to protection, his judgment was correct. But even after his suggestion, Cortina chose to keep the stalemate. Not yet. The Treants are also simply remaining vignt. Since they arent attacking us, there must be a reason. Lets be careful until we find out what it is. We still have some leeway if its just protection. Besides, we came here to ask the Queen Blossom for its nectar, so I dont think we should aggravate the situation. Maria also took Cortinas side. She fundamentally had a moderate approach to things, so even in these kinds of situations, she often chose the dialogue. She could remain so calm despite burdened with us because she had full confidence that her Absolute Protective Wall would never be broken. We came here to ask the Queen Blossom to share some of her nectar with us. We are simply here for negotiation, we have no ns to take it by force or fight you! Cortina addressed the Treants using themon continentalnguage. The lower-ranked Treants could not understand it, but the upper-ranked ones had vocal organs and could understand themonnguage. She called out to them hoping that would be the case. Then lower your swords. Its quite absurd to ask for conversation while baring your des at us. A loud girly voice responded to Cortinas appeal. A giant flower made its way through the Treants and walked towards us. No, to be more urate, it was a giant Treant with a flower blooming on it. At the center of that flower was the figure of a small girl. Even I was familiar with this characteristic appearance. So we finally met, huh, Queen Blossom. Queen Blossom Lower them, Lyell, Gadius. Ah, huh? Are you sure? She was an intelligent monster, the Queen of Treants. The surrounding Treants ceased emitting threatening sounds. At the same time, Lyell sheathed his sword. Gadius too returned his ax to his back. Hm-hm, excellent. Now there is no need to resort to the armed might. That stands true for us too. Im d we could resolve this without force. Oh? Based on that wording, I take it you could trample us all if you so wished? Indeed so. If we felt like it, we could blow you off along with this mountain. Cortina responded with a meaningful smile. But indeed, if Maxwell went all-out with his Magic, he could easily erase this mountain and all. While the Queen Blossom was perplexed at her self-confidence, Cortina started introducing herself. I am Cortina, I have no family name. These are myrades in arms. Lyell, Gadius, Maria, Maxwell. As for the rest No need. To think the Heroes of Salvation woulde to visit me. You lot, return to patrolling. With a wave of her hand, the surrounding Treants started to withdraw. Only two Treants and the Queen Blossom remained behind. The situation is somewhat tense in this region. We couldnt show negligence towards trespassers. I thought you resided in the forest at the mountains base Did something happen? Indeed But let me hear your business first. Well Cortina exined about my illness, and that we needed Queen Blossoms nectar to cure it. Meanwhile, Michelle and I started tapping our hands on the Treants. We had fought monsters before, but we never had an opportunity to touch them like this. Touching one without any hostility was a fresh experience even for me. Letina was seeing a monster for the first time, so she was panicking with her hands raised up. Oh, its surprisingly warm? You are right. I thought it would be a lot colder. We are in a volcanic region, so the air temperature is high. It makes our barks appropriately warm too. While we relentlessly tapped on their barks, the Treants courteously exined it to us. Given that they could talk, these two must have been Elder Treants. U-Umm Thats dangerous Professor Tricia, why dont you try touching them? You wont know when youll have another chance. Thats true, but still! I wonder how many times was hermon sense destroyed in this one day. Leaving us aside, Cortina was still in the middle of her negotiations. I see, I understand your circumstances. But unfortunately, I cannot hand it over just like that. However, the Queen Blossoms reply was a definite no. Chapter 75 Hearing the words of denial from the Queen Blossom, Cortina was momentarily stumped. Naturally, she wasnt demanding for her to hand the nectar over without conditions, for she had offered appropriatepensation. Money held no significance to the Treants that inhabited forests. Hence, what Cortina offered was instead a high-quality fertilizer. To be more urate, it was the corpse of the Fire Giant from before. Strong monsters had equally high Magic Power contained within. If they let it ferment, it would turn into a magically-rich fertilizer. For the Treants, that shouldve been nothing short of a feast, a well-bnced remuneration for the nectar. Even so, the Queen Blossom refused the offer. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Why is that? That shouldve been an appropriatepensation Well, let me exin first. To start, we are currently in our multiplication season. Multiplication of the Treants. In other words, it was a season where the Queen Blossom sprouted her seeds. There were also cases where old trees turned into Treants on a Magic-filled soil, but the increase of their ranks through that phenomenon wasnt a nned activity. The sprouted saplings need the nectar. I dont have enough of it to share with others. But If you turn the Fire Giants corpse into fertilizer, would it not increase the nectar production? Of course, its possible to do that. However, the problem is the soil. It would barely show the desirable effect on these barrennds. She was right. This was a high mountain area with nothing but rocks around, hardly a ce for nts to get their nourishment. However, the question remained. What led them toe here? To even resort to taking over the Fire Giants habitat? Even I realized that inconsistency, so there was no way Cortina hadnt. Thus, she voiced that question. Then why here? If its nourishment, surely the forest below had it in abundance. It happened a few weeks ago, we were attacked by the thieves. Thieves? In the Treants territory? Cortina couldnt afford to step down here. Both sides had childrens lives at stake. Of course, it was possible to take it by force. But trampling down on someone we could converse with would leave a bad taste in our mouths. Both of us are acting to protect the young. However, we would rather avoid taking it by force. Mgh The Queen Blossom was well aware that she was talking with powerful individuals who had in the Evil Dragon before. While she left those two Treants behind as guards, we werent some vigers who could be subdued with just that. If we took a violent approach, the only fate that awaited them was a one-sided trampling. Wait, stop, Cortina. Such impatient isnt like you, you know? Eh Ah, I guess? Hearing Maxwells casual call, she finally realized that she was at her wits end. That was just how much importance she put on my life. Calm down, Cortina. Nicoles matter is naturally important, but its nothing for you to get so worked up about, is it? That may be true. I just dont want to let any of myrades die again Maria patted her shoulders and calmed her down. Her small mutter made me realize the reason behind her impatience. As expected, it was my death. It pressured her to not let anyone else die. Then Lets do this. Then, the Queen Blossom offered us another proposal. She understood full well how disadvantageous her position was. If we used force, there would be nothing she could do, hence there was no merit for her to keep up the stubborn act. She decided that proposing a bargaining point would break in the deadlock of the matter. We arent so keen on getting annihted. However, we would like to leave the nectar for our seeds. We understand that. Let me finish. I also know that you need my nectar for that child. Thats right. Then, the Queen Blossom directed her gaze towards the mountains foot. There spread the woond full of rich soil. If we return to the forest, the nectar production would increase. We have the Giants corpse too. Then- Let me finish, I said. However, if we return there so defenselessly, our seeds may get stolen once again. They already slipped past our eyes once, after all. The seeds produced by a Queen Blossom gave birth to the Queen Blossomsrvasto the Alraune. The Alraune evolved into Dryads, and one of them eventually became a Queen Blossom. However, those seeds could also be used as a medicine to prolong ones life. In other words, they could fetch a high price. Those robbers had already slipped past their defenses and stole the seeds. And since they managed to do it once, they could manage the same again. The Queen Blossom wanted to avoid that. As such, I would like you to catch the culprits. You may kill them or arrest them. Just make sure they nevere here again. I see. If the culprits are gone, then you would no longer have to worry about your seeds getting stolen and could return to the mountain foot. And if you return there, the rich soil and the Giants corpse would speed up the nectar production Is what you mean, huh? Indeed, that can be done But the time It would be good if we coulde to an agreement with this. From the start, the mey in the side that piged In other words, humans. Cleaning after someones mess was vexing, but the forceful approach wasnt what we intended either. As such,promising on this was the most sensible choice. The only problem left was whether I could hold out before the culprits were arrested, but my condition wasnt something so severe. Cortina, Im okay with that. Nicole Right, this should be a goodpromise. Understood, we will beat those culprits to a pulp then. I did not say to beat them to a pulp But I suppose it does the job the same. Cortina and the Queen Blossom shook their hands and their agreement came to a close. And just like that, searching for the culprits that stole the seeds became our next goal. Chapter 76 After hearing about the details of the theft, we ended our deal with the Queen Blossom and returned to Raum. In order to find the perpetrators, we would need to leave the mountains. We returned to Maxwells mansion, and Cortina yed the role of host by serving tea to everyone. By the way, Maria was the one who usually served the tea. But ording to the details Ive heard, the seeds were stolen two weeks ago, right? How do we find them? Wait, didnt you agree because you had a n, Cortina? Lyell, you are always leaving those things to me, please stop that already. As usual, Lyell is all muscle and has nothing to add to the n. Well, thats also the same for me. Gadius remained silent and Maxwell seems to be having fun pampering Michelle on hisp. Its like a grandfather spoiling his granddaughter. Two weeks have passed already, it will be hard to find traces of their movements. Thats right, it should be just the right time for them to reach the town, you know? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Cortina answered Marias inquiry. We were able to reach that ce in just a day because of Maxwells transfer magic, but if it was done on foot, it would definitely take us about two weeks to reach a nearby big city. And that doesnt even include the condition of going through undeveloped forest. If they wanted to process the Queen Blossoms seeds into some kind of medicine, then they would need specialized equipment and technology. Its not something that they could process in the forest. Doctor Tricia added her exnation to Cortinas opinion. For them to do that, they would need a proper facility that would normally be found in a big city. And the closest city from that ce is There are variousrge towns along the way, but if they handled it in such ces then they would be easily sniffed out. From how I see it they will definitely be making their way to Raum. By selling the raw materials, they would leave behind a lot of traces which ultimately traced back to the criminals. Thats why, in order to cover such tracks, many people would usually sell off the valuables in arge city through the backing of arge organization. With the exception of the person wanting to use it for themself, they should be aiming to return back to this city. I will instruct the guards to be alert of their surroundingsbut I probably cant expect much from them. In the woods, especially around the Queen Blossom, the number of Treants were quite high. Not to mention that because they are nts, they barely need any sleep, so their securitywork should be very difficult to infiltrate. Since they were able to breach thatwork, I concluded that one of them might have a concealment gift simr to mine but was not properly trained. It would definitely be very difficult for an average guard to find someone like that. Will Lyell and Gadius be returning to the vige? No, we will be staying at an inn and help with the search. It is for my daughter after all. Thats right, although Im a bit worried about the vige, I will still prioritize Nicole. As for me, I will also be staying here for a while. Unlike Lyells group, I have already found an Inn where I would stay. Upon hearing their discussion, Michelle and Letina pped their hands in excitement while still holding some bread. Amazing, for all the heroes to be together in one city once again! Its really amazing! Thinking about it now, its really such an unusual scene. Says the person who is currently sitting on a Herosp, right? Are you jealous? Hey, hey, you jealous? Mukkii! Letina who lunged at Michelle was deftly caught by Maxwell and passed over to Lyell. Lyell then sat Letina on hisp to calm her down. Um, why are you so quiet now. Oh my, Darling. Are you trying to have an affair in front of Nicole? No, thats not what this is, Maria! Its fine. Im sitting on Cortinasp. And so I moved to Cortinasp. Even though shes a petite woman, I am still smaller than her and fitfortably in herp. If I dont n this properly, Ill end up getting caught by Lyell or Maria after all. Then again, it felt like slight sexual harassment with Cortinawell, Ill just leave it aside. In any case, should we try to have a business talk with them first and offer money? Ill be checking the thieves guild. Leave that ce to me. Were counting on you, Gadius. When ites to the thiefs guild that is always brimming with bad guys, you wont know when your life will be targeted. Maria and Cortina cannot be appointed to such tasks. And if theres anyone who knows how to handle ces like that, it would be Gadius, who is not only sturdy but also capable of fighting back, making him the right person for the job. Then I will be going around the gates to check if I will find any suspicious people. Ill be checking the churches then. Its also a ce many peoplee and go. Lyell is the most charismatic among us all, so he would have the highest result when ites to listening to the public. Then I will be going back home to sleep Doctor Tricia, please get to work! My physical strength and stress levels are already at their limit! How many times do you think I experienced almost dying today!? Its only twice. Thats more than plenty! Doctor Tricia shouted hysterically. Well, it would definitely be impossible for an amateur to face a Fire Giant and a Treant encirclement after all. On the other hand, Michelle and Letina seem to be alright Michelle and Letina, werent you scared? Hmm? I was scared but Lord Lyell and the others were with us. Thats right. If we are with them, theres only a very small chance for anything to happen. I appreciate your faith in us, but you should still try to defend yourselves. I really appreciate the trust for my parents, but if the person doesnt even have the intention to protect themselves, then they shouldnt expect to be protected. Especially in a big city where there is danger lurking around every corner. Not to mention this isnt something that can be solved by pure brute force. After that, Michelle and Letina were lectured by Lyell for a while before being sent home. Chapter 77 At night, I secretly headed to the storage area and worked hard with my regr independent training. As usual, I wrapped the wool around my limbs with the threads to assist my muscles in running and jumping. It also kept my body warm from the coldness of the night which is very pleasant. Ive finally gotten used to reinforcing my threads so I wont be making the same mistakes again as I did on my first try. That doesnt mean that I have reached the peak of thread reinforcement though. My Gift, Thread Maniption is able to exert the same strength as my current muscle strength per thread. The thread could be manipted as long as its in contact with my body, thats why if I concentrate and manipte the threads with all of my fingers with each having the strength of one arm, I would be able to exert up to ten times my current muscle strength. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) However, what happens in reality is not that simple. First of all, with my current magic capacity, I could only reinforce the thread for three minutes. In other words, my enhanced action can onlyst up to 3 minutes. Adding to that is my weak constitution which makes me want to cry. Even if I try to enhance myself to the limit, my joints would creak and my muscle fibers would feel like they are being torn apart. Fortunately, everything ended well on the first day because I didnt go all out, but if I had gotten carried away and decided to use five threads at once, theyd have found a dissected corpse of a young girl scattered in the lumberyard. Judging from that experience, I feel like I could reasonably hold out for 3 minutes if I doubled my strength. If I triple it, I wont evenst for a minute. At four times my joints would start rupturing within ten seconds. Moreover, even if I say that I could improve my muscle strength, it would still be equivalent to the strength of a weak young girl. Five times the muscle strength of that still couldnt hold a candle to adults. Having a lighter body meant it had a better utility value, but the fact remained that I couldnt go overboard. In the dead of night, I kicked off one piece of lumber and jumped over to another. Since I was originally good at nightbat, I could easily move around without hesitation. My silver hair reflected a little bit of the moonlight which faintly illuminated my surroundings. I didnt have to worry where I nted my steps. Fuuuh! While exhaling a little, I leaped and released a piano thread to wrap around another tree, forcibly changing my direction mid-jump. I had thick gloves prepared for using these threads, but using them this way wasnt bad either. I altered course perpendicrly midswing by kicking off the ground andunching myself into the air. As I flew in the air, I did a flip andnded on top of a box. This kind of maneuver was something that I could easily do in my previous life and if I could master this movement with reinforced muscle strength, it would greatly increase mybat strength. I sat down on the box to take a short break while the night breeze seeped through my long hair, slowly draining my body temperature. I raised the muffler around my neck and slightly shivered. This scarf also hides my face and does an especially good job of hiding my eye-catching hair. Im wearing spats and a tight-fitting shirt, the muffler I mentioned earlier, andstly, a big leather jacket to cover myself. From the outside, I would look like a suspicious person. In the case of a little girl like methe suspicious element is doubled. I could certainly increase my strength and agility like this But is it enough? Will this be enough for me to be the strongest I wonder? That god, how did she expect me to improve using this ability? At most, I would only be able to maximize my mobility with this method. My attack power is not growing at all. Well, given that its much easier for me to attack someone from behind, it wont be an exaggeration to say that mybat potential increased, but not what Im really aiming for. While still pondering if there were any other uses for this skill, that was when I heard a faint cry riding the night breeze. Hmm? Someones crying And seems to be a kid? Hearing that young voice, I started to question myself. That voice was too unnatural to being from an empty lumberyard in the dead of night. I mean, Im one to talk, but still. When it came to a kid being in an empty ce, the same could be said about me now, but leaving that aside I couldnt leave a kid here. I surveyed the surroundings from the rooftop and spotted a kid crouching behind the lumber. It seems I was too preupied with my thoughts and didnt notice him approaching. That was too sloppy of me, seriously Before I called out to him, I first needed to hide my hair and eyes or my identity would be outed instantly. My silver hair and heterochromatic eyes are too conspicuous. I wrapped my muffler around my head almost like a turban and then covered my right eye. My right eye alone is already very conspicuous because it resembled Marias crimson eyes. As for my left eye, while I inherited Lyells beautiful blue eyes, its still a moremon color than my right. After hiding my conspicuous features, I jumped down with the threads supporting my body and got in front of the boy. Why are you cryingd? Although my gender couldnt be discerned from my current figure, I still tried changing my voice to sound like a man. However, no matter how much I tried to lower my tone, it still sounded like the voice of a beautiful girl. Ugh Agirl? The kid lifted his head in response to my groan. He was wearing ragged clothes and his skin was pale. His ck hair looked like the fur of an untreated dog. Despite that though, he looked like a beautiful boy with slender limbs and a well-organized appearance. It made me feel that he had enough potential to be one of those hateful beautiful men. And above everything else, there was something sticking out of his foreheadits a horn. A Half Demon? Ah!? This is The boy was surprised and immediately covered his forehead in a panic. Half Demons were usually a race that was discriminated against by everyone. However, to me who was also a former Half Demon, hes not someone that I would try to avoid. Or rather, it instead made me feel linked as if he was a part of my family. You dont have to be scared. I may not be a Half Demon, but I dont discriminate based on your race. Eh? The boy showed me a surprised expression but I wasnt offended by that. I ignored his reaction and sat down beside him. After taking a sip from the water bottle hanging on my waist, I passed it over to the boy. Want a drink? I bet youre thirsty from crying. EhUm? The boy timidly took it. And so I encountered someone from the same race as my former self. Chapter 78 The boy timidly took a sip from the bottle that I gave him. Rather than actual thirst, it felt like he did that out of fear of what wouldve happened if he didnt heed my words. His behaviour showed just how badly he had been treated. Have you calmed down now? The bottle was mostly empty already, so it didnt take him long to empty it. I waited for a moment until he stopped drinking before speaking to him again. It was then that he responded to me. Um, yes. So, can you tell me what happened to you? I dont think that this would be a good time for a kid to be loitering around. But, you tooAh, sorry. You dont have to mind me. I dont really care about how you address me. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) I answered, guessing that he was apologizing for his argument towards me, and just as I had expected, his response to my answer was a surprised look. I dont have any prejudice against half-demons. Thats why you dont have to worry about it. Is that so You are a rareAh! Okay, yeah, if you treat me as a weirdo, even Ill get angry, got it? I jumped down from the timber and quickly moved behind the boy, then pulled his cheeks as punishment. My strength was enhanced by the threads covering my entire body, allowing me to move at a speed that would have been impossible for the boy to perceive. The young boy was shocked from the sudden pinch that attacked him from behind. After having my fill with the punishment, I moved back once again. AAmazing. Nn? I was really surprised because it was really fast. Oh, you mean my movements? Well, its just something I devised. I jumped over the boys head once more. Despite having low muscr strength, my body itself belonged to a young girl. Because of how light it was, the boost in my speed and jumping power was noticeably huge. Though, it still left much to be desired ifpared to the strength of an adult That, how are you doing it? So you are going to ask that before introductions? Ah, sorryI, I am Cloud. After saying that much, I finally realized something. That is, I had already gained quite some fame in this town. If I gave my name right now, there was a possibility that they would find out about my special training. Rather, that possibility was extremely high. Lets see, ah right, my name is Reid. Reid? One of the Six Heroes? Thats right. The coolest among them! There would only be few ces where I could boast like thisbesides, theres nothing wrong boasting about it in front of a child, right? You mean the first one to die? Imma tten you. Hiii!? And so, Clouds cheeks were stretched once again. This brat sure doesnt know how to hold back, eh? Not giving my actual name turned out to be a wise move, huh? If youre a half demon, show some respect, you little! Im sorry! Im so sorry! I noticed it after pulling on them, but his cheeks could stretch quite a bit. It was quite fun. Setting that aside, it pissed me off a bit that even my fellow half-demon was treating me like that. I suppose the fact that everyone had been holding a high opinion of me as ofte made me a bit conceited. B-but that person is an exception. The Six Heroes cant be judged by the concept of races like half-demons. W-Well No one would criticize any of the Six Heroes in this world. That was just how big of an achievement it was to subjugate the Evil Dragon that had destroyed three northern kingdoms and imed tens ofnay, almost a million lives. Even if I was a half-demon, there was no one to voice their criticisms. If there appeared one that did, however, perhaps theyd have been thrown before a dragon and told, go ahead, repeat his deed then. But even if I had left such an achievement behind, that didnt improve the half-demons standing at all. I was simply deemed to be one exception. You I mean, Cloud, are you being persecuted too? Eh, yes well Cloud answered hesitantly. Though his behavior was already good enough as an answer. What happened to your parents? I, I live in an orphanage Are you being bullied by other children then. I believe the monitoring should have gotten stricter in that regard There were a lot of cases where Half Demon Children were thrown out because of disgust by their parents. Since the start, the probability was very low, only one in several hundred, which prevented it from bing a problem. However, they differed a lot from normal people and their numbers were very few. That made them perfect targets for persecution. Such were the fate of half-demons. For that reason, it wasnt that strange to find a half-demon child in an orphanage. However, ever since my incident, the orphanages of Raum had been strictly monitored, so such acts of persecution shouldnt have happened, but Well, the teacher told us to get along, but Oh, I see. Children may be innocentbut they surely dont hold back when ites to things like this. In a way, the bullying among children could sometimes be so cruel it could even give the adults cold feet. His case was probably something like that too. So, you wanted to know how I did that earlier? Yes. Is it to get revenge? Yes. Childrens hierarchy was built around things such as how nimble or how smart one was. If he could imitate what I did, he would be able to pull himself out of the bullying swamp. It was natural for him to think that. Even I could understand his feelings. I had also been the target of persecution when I was young, thus I turned my rebellious spirit into my sense of justice and sought power. My feelings ran wild and I indiscriminately judged what I thought was evil, and eventually became feared as an assassin. You could say the boy before me was the spitting image of my younger self. At this rate, he would probably recklessly chase after power just like I did. Well, this technique requires some special skill, so it would be impossible for you to learn it I see Its impossible after all Thats just how overwhelmingly unreasonable Gifts were. An ability derived from one such Gift could be dered as power unattainable for an ordinary person. Instead of letting him cling to false hopes, it was better to dere it as impossible, for his own good. In the first ce, I developed and mastered all my techniques myself, and even Lyell couldnt reach the amount of mobility that I could reach. But well, leaving Cloud down in the dumps would end up having a bad aftertaste for me. Still, if its general fighting, I can teach you that much. Really!? Hearing that, Cloud responded with a bright smile. I wonder if this intense shift in emotions was peculiar to all children, or maybe just to this one alone. After that, I exined to him the basics of using a sword, and then proceeded to lecture about the actual use. Naturally, I didnt believe that he could master my thread techniques, so I just went the orthodox, highly-versatile way and made do with a sword and shield. You could easily find swords in this town, while a shield was a good way to protect yourself. Different from armor, it even allowed children to acquire sufficient defense. Besides, after the bitter disbanding of our party, I failed to gather myrades back again. I couldnt deny that my unique battle style became a bottleneck for that. I didnt want him to repeat the mistakes I made. For that reason, I wanted to put emphasis on versatility as much as I could. After that, I promised that I would teach him again if we ever meet again at night. It was in this way that I acquired my first disciple. Chapter 79 The next day, I apanied Cortina and went to Horton Corp., Raumsrgest tradingpany. Both Cortina and I disguised ourselves and hid our hair. The reason was that since we were here to investigate illegal goods, they would just keep up appearances if someone famous showed up. Cortina hid her fluffy tail in her pants with supporters and wore a neutral looking outfit with a white shirt and dark blue jacket. Her distinctive cat ears were concealed by a beret. I also wore a blonde wig and a dress that had more frills than usual. Cortinas hair was also blonde so we could even pass off as sisters depending on our acting. Finia seemed to have enjoyed seeing me in such an outfit No, never mind, Ill leave that forter. When we passed through the entrance of thepany, the clerks greeted us with a cheerful smile. Because of how unused she was to her disguise, Cortina couldnt help but flinch in response. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Wee! We wee you to the Horton Corp.! Eh, ah yes? Tina, you dont have to return their greetings. As Cortina bowed in a fluster I warned her with a spank. Ah, uhm well There is a certain medicine that we want. A medicine you say? Then, would you like me to call a pharmacist clerk No, its a rather special kind of medicine, thats why we would like to talk directly to the Head of Commerce if possible. The Head of Commerce is it Well, to ask for a direct trade immediately to the Head of Commerce without notice would certainly be suspicious. By the way, this was the home of a kid named Matisse. Ah, speaking of which, Im in the same ss as that child, Matisse at the Magic Academy Even if we were in the same ss, the number of people was still quite high. But this shouldve been a good excuse to advance the conversation. You are Miss Matisses then the drug must be!? Please wait here for a moment! The clerk rushed to the stores back, clearly panicked. Her behavior told me the situation was actually quite serious. Somethings weird. Right. It also seems like they were frightened by that. A nce at the surroundings revealed that the other shop assistants were also on edge since thatst remark. There were even ones that would peek over here. But the customers didnt show any particr reaction. A while after being under the strange tension, a good looking man emerged from the back area of the store. However, his face was pale and didnt seem to look so good. Were you the customers? You seem to be looking for a certain medicine. You also seemed to be acquainted with Matisse. Ah, yes. I was a bit confused but still managed to reply to the man who was breaking out in a cold sweat. The man introduced himself while holding out his sweaty hand. Sorry for thete introduction. I am Heiz Horton, and I am the one in charge of thispany. I am um, Donna. I judged that there was no need to give Cortinas name now, so I just gave my own. While not exactly town-wide, rumors about me were still spread quite far. Not just Cortinas but even my name needed to be concealed now. Donovan,1sorry for basing my alias on you. Though, I suppose there is no need to apologize to him. Miss Donna, right? Yes, this is my sister and guardian Tina. P-please to meet you. Cortina was very resourceful and adaptable, but she was currently perplexed by her own getup. Bargaining with a merchant, while hiding her identity, was probably something that even a strategist like her didnt have much experience in. If I dont take the lead here, things might get a little problematic. It would be awkward to talk here, so pleasee over at the back office. Ill be serving some tea. Ah, yes. Mr. Heiz suggested we take our conversation to a separate room behind the counter. It seemed like he didnt want other people to hear our talk. It was as if he wanted to avoid all public attention. We entered a modest but tidy small room, then Heiz closed the door tightly. He locked it shut, in fact. Um, why did you lock it? A A? Are you the ones who kidnapped Matisse! Haah? Mr. Heinz approached Cortina and attempted to strangle her. Hey, wait!? To urge me to buy an illegal drug, and now kidnapping my daughter because I refused Wait, no, we have nothing to do with those people Hold it, Cortina. Mr. Heinz, can you tell us about that story in detail. Such barefaced lies! You are part of those people Hepletely snapped. At this rate, he wouldnt be listening to us, and even if he did, he wouldnt believe any of it. For the time being, I need him to calm down. No other choice then. Cortina, take off your hat. Eh? So you were disguised after all! And the real identity is Corti na ? Eh, ah yes. Not stopped by the momentum, Cortina took off the beret that she was wearing. From under it, her blond hair, and almost equally blond longhair cat ears perked up. Those Ears You are really ? Im, Im so sorry! He leaps out like a spring-loaded doll and dove down on the ground with a brilliant slide. Seeing how he was prostrating on the ground while trembling all over, it was clear that he was truly frightened. Its fine already, Im not really mad about it. On the other hand, can you tell us about that story with more details Cortina fixed her clothes then sat down on a chair. With this, I think we could now have a calm discussion. Even so, I could already get the gist of it based on what happened before. Most likely, the people who stole the Queen Blossom seeds came to Horton Corp., the biggestpany of this country, and tried to sell them off, but Mr. Heiz rejected that illegal offer. That probably pissed them off and they abducted his daughter to get back at him. Actually, this happened 3 days ago. Three men who look like adventurers brought in seeds of Queen Blossom naturally, I know that Queen Blossom was a monster that should not be approached. I also exined to them that there would be a lot of legal problems if we buy the seeds so I told them to take it back. The adventurers were quiet at that time well, they did curse, but still obediently pulled back. Two dayster, however, Matisse disappeared. That was followed by threatening letters asking him to buy the seeds of Queen Blossom. And the following day, I showed up asking for the drugs and calling myself Matisses ssmate, so he mistook me as one of the offenders. Looks like we got the right ce. Yeah. Cortina answered, with a dark smile on her face. Chapter 80 It seemed like we had the same target enemy. I told Cortina to ask Mr. Heiz to leave this case to us. Of course, that included the warning to not act rash for the sake of his daughter. The culprits seem to be the same people that we are looking for. Would you mind leaving this to us? If Lady Cortina will be handling this case My only wish is my daughters safety. Thats what she replies while patting my head. She apparently didnt like how my wig felt, so she yeeted it off in one go. My sleek silver hair that Ive inherited from Maria appeared from underneath. That hair, is that Miss Marias? Right, shes Maria and Lyells daughter. In other words, shes like a daughter to me too. Matisse is her ssmate so Ill also do my best to help her. That is really encouraging! If possible, please continue on while having a gag order in ce. Also, would you mind if I leave a familiar with you? Yes, please do. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Familiars were a kind of Golems that were created through the magic called Familiar Creation. Though unlike simple golems, it could share senses with the user, so the user could grasp the situation even from afar. It was the magic of the Puppetry System, but it was easy to master and had many uses, so it had quite a lot of practitioners. With Mr. Heizs permission, a little hamster-like talisman was created through a sufficient degree of ritual. The n was to keep track of his situation by hiding the familiar in his jacket pocket. Well then, if we stay here for too long, then our enemies might think that something suspicious is happening. Lets contact each other through that familiar from now on. This familiar, it can talk? Normal familiars didnt have vocal cords so they normally couldnt speak. However, if its a high grade familiar that was created with great precision then it was possible for it to speak. However, Cortina wasnt so versed in Puppetry Magic to create something like that. I cant make a talking familiar with my own power. Instead, Ill be sending Maria or Maxwells familiar to you at ater time so rece it at that time. I understand. Ill leave that to you. Mr. Heiz bowed with a relieved expression. Probably, he spent the entire day since Matisse disappeared in worry, and it affected his mental state. They abducted his daughter and quickly let him know, but then waited before pressing their demands. By doing that, the targets spirit would wear down, and after he had weakened, they would make their demands known. Showing him the weakened victim after a day would be quite effective. Having salvation before their eyes, their weakened minds would easily take the bait. This was a tactic that criminals often used. This time though, their trick had definitely backfired. It was because they were waiting for him to weaken that we managed to make it in time. After parting with Mr. Heiz, we went out of the shop and secretly explored the surroundings. However, we didnt find any suspicious people around. The problem was that Cortina wasnt used to this kind of situation. She was carelessly looking around while we were inspecting the surroundings. Cortina, dont look all over the ce. Uh, sorry. Although Im good atbat tactics concerning moving armies, Im not familiar with the strategy of moving around the city. Cortina who was more familiar fighting in specialbat environments had little experience in doing urban warfare. Moreover, when she was traveling with us, most of the battles that weve faced were done outdoors, and rarely did we end up fighting inside towns. If they epted us who were gathered to subdue the evil dragon, there was a chance that theyd incur the Dragons wrath. Therefore, we limited getting close to the towns as much as we could, so her experience as an adventurer was quite distorted. Even so, Nicole seems to be really calm about this. You look more reliable than me. You wont get anything out of me even if youpliment me though. I was an assassin who judged the evildoers. And to achieve that, my power was specialized for urban fights. Cortina is my direct opposite. Where did you learn these things? Is it from Maria? Eh!? Oh crud. I got a little carried away since I was in the spotlight after so long. If I showed off too much it was natural that she would suspect me. Not to mention, I was less than ten-year-old child. EH, umm I cant remember clearly if it was mama or papa who taught me I answered with ack of self-confidence in my tone, then hung my head and pretended to think. Its tantly the acting cute technique, but it was needed to dodge the topic. As proof, Cortina was squirming with her hands together while looking at me. Now, I feel like there are more reasons for me not to reveal myself. Well, never mind that! Nicole is so cute! Fugyaa!? I chose not to avoid Cortinas hug, and I was squeezed like a hugging doll. She rubbed her cheeks on the top of my head. This much was fine, considering that I managed to fool them. Not just Cortina, but also the individual that observed us from the shadows. Chapter 81 Thats right, I couldnt find a suspicious person. But the prickly feeling I felt on my skin made it clear someone was staring over here. Someone was monitoring us without a doubt. If were done here, lets go home? Everyones waiting. Well, thats true. I got the information I wanted gotta share it with the others, also, gonna have to get Maria or Maxwell to send out a talking familiar. Upon my rmendation, she started hurrying home with me following right after, but the pursuers gaze never came unstuck from us. And yet, I couldnt identify them. Theres a high probability they have a simr concealment Gift as me. Its probably impossible to nullify without the use of detection-type gifts or magic. Well, thats obvious since they managed to avoid alerting the Treants. That being the case, going home like this would be a problem, I muttered under my breath. At this rate, returning home will clue them in on the Six Heroes working on this case. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Cortina, cmere. Hm? Where we going? Umm Number one. Ah, got it. You did drink a lot of tea after all. We ducked into a nearby cafe and ordered a tea set in a seat near the back and hurried into the restroom together. As expected I couldnt feel the piercing gaze on me anymore. Well, its more urate to say the pursuer couldnt chase us into the middle of a cafe. Even with a covert gift, you cant fully hide from the view of arge crowd of people. This particr pursuer wouldve been found out the moment they walked into the cafe while observing us, so it seems they hesitated in front of the shop. Cortina. Change out immediately. Ah, got it. Everythings fine now. I couldnt change out my clothes so I just took off the wig. Cortina took her hat and jacket off. I threw on Cortinas jacket over my dress to disguise myself. The formal-looking jacket and my long blue-silver hair shouldve helped me give off a different impression. Cortina gave off a very different impression just by taking off her hat and jacket. When we left the restroom we were pierced by a different kind of gaze. But of course, next to me was the super famous celebrity Cortina. Naturally, everyone in town knew about Cortina so they didnt make a big deal out of it but they still couldnt help noticing her. I took the lead in choosing a table near the back of the store so we couldnt be peeked on from outside. We undid our disguises inside so even if our pursuer came in now, he shouldnt be able to recognize us. In any case, no one else hase in since. Incidentally, Cortina and I went to town on the cakes.1Sweets As it so happens, I liked them even in my previous life. That night, I put my covert Gift to its fullest use to slip out of the house. Just to make sure, I checked the circumference of the house for any suspicious individuals. Hmm, was it really this easy to shake them off? That said, it could also be because the viin figured keeping up the chase and getting involved with Cortina was a bad idea. Regardless Ive got a prior appointment so I headed off to the lumberyard. Cloud was waiting there for me with a piece of wood. I made sure to conceal my face and hair so he wouldnt be able to identify me. Sorry for the wait! Were you here long? Nah, I just got here this conversation feels weird. Shaddap. Were starting your training immediately. Having been waiting, Cloud finished up some warm-ups with his piece of wood. But I can see his arms trembling slightly, perhaps its a little too heavy. Ready? The key to using a sword effectively is to equip one thats suited to your body. Prick!I feel like somethings stabbing into the back of my head. Mentally that is. A heavy weapon will just ce arge burden on your body. Its also a detriment that you cant fight for extended periods. My advice is to first choose something lighter thats easy for you to hold. I see. I feel like a second boomerang is smacking into the back of my head, but Im not saying anything wrong here. Maintaining the frontlines also means securing the safety of the rearguard and thats the vanguards main job. If lugging a heavy weapon leaves you tired out as soon as the battle starts then you cant aplish that role. First, hell need to get a weapon suited to his body, only then can he stand at the starting line. Luckily were in a lumberyard, if its a piece of wood, well, were just crawling around in them. We look around and get him a suitable one and square off against each other. To maintain the frontlines means to remain standing. In other words Haaaa! When theres hardly any difference between you and your opponent, going on the attack is a poor choice. You should prioritize defending instead. HIs posture broke after swinging his piece of wood down and at that moment I lightly struck his side. Yeowch!? Launching an attack leads to a gap. So hold yourself back to avoid that and wait for your open to create one instead. G- got it. We crossed nks repeatedly, each time sharing some instruction. Being raised in an orphanage, I never had anyone I could call master, I taught myself bit by bit through countless fights. I tried to convey that knowledge to this boy through words. Up till now, I hadnt taken an official apprentice, but I wonder if this is the feeling Lyell had when he taught me swordsmanship. When I tried teaching Cortina stealth it didnt feel like teaching an apprentice, I dont really get it. Dont limit yourself to using swords as weapons. Were using this piece of wood like a sword, but its still just a piece of wood. When the timees, use whats handy. I swung the piece of wood around and started holding it like a staff. As Cloud had been so focused on using the wood as a sword, he couldnt respond to the sudden change and lost his means of attack. Taking advantage of that, I struck at his hand causing him to drop his weapon. Swords arent the only weapons. There are axes, hammers, staves, and bows as well. Finding a weapon that suits you is an important part of bing strong. Thanks to my Gift, it was easy to use thread as a weapon, but Cloud who doesnt have that advantage will require a lot of trial and error. Got it? What Im teaching you is how to fight. Ways of defeating monsters and evildoers. Youre forbidden from using what you learn to harm the other kids. Huh? I understand youre being bullied. However, what Im showing you goes beyond that level. These are skills to defend yourself by killing your enemy. Thats You dont want to kill them do you? Yeah Childish bullying can be merciless. Being able to calmlyugh off causing a serious injury as a simple bit of mischief. However, if he kills the others hell instantly be an evildoer. Even if its self-defense, hell be marked as the one in the wrong because hes a half-demon. It seems Cloud understands that, so he doesnt have that kind of hostility in him. And so from now on, Ill teach him how to defend himself, techniques that will be useful once he leaves the orphanage. Ill train him. And thus, I, or you could say the existence known as Reid, would leave behind a bit of ourselves. Chapter 82 The time was around 2 AM. I taught Cloud how to fight as an adventurer. Hell eventually have to leave the orphanage. There are bound to be times this will be useful for him. And since hes being bullied its possible hell die before he bes an adult. Moreso since hes a half-demon, you often hear talk about such investigations being buried in the darkness. I started heading home two hourster while avoiding the publics view. My height is about as short as a gnomes and since Im hiding my face and hair, anybody who sees me out thiste at night will definitely be suspicious of me. Of course, it was sote that only a few houses still had lights on and the odds of passing by other people were low. Even so, there were guards patrolling around, so its not like itd be impossible to get caught. Thus, I ran along the rooftops instead of the roads to make sure and avoid everyones gazes and as a bit of training. I was working up a good sweat and the night breeze felt great. However, if I went to bed like this Id stink of sweat, so Ill have to wipe myself down before that. As I was thinking this while running along the roofs, I suddenly heard a small scream. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Kya! Whoa!? I suddenly hit the breaks by wrapping thread around the chimney jutting up from the roof. I manipte several steel threads together and use their sticity to gently catch myself. what the? Theres nobody in my line of sight. Considering the time and that Im on a rooftop, theres no way anyone would be looking this way unless they were specifically intending to. Then is it the chimney where I wrapped the threads? Is iting from here? Listening carefully I can make out the sound of something being struck. Whats more, it doesnt sound like cloth or wood being hit, thats the sound of flesh being struck. In the meantime, a small moan echoed. I felt like I heard it somewhere before. Cant be! I dove into the chimney. It seems that the lower part was connected to the firece, and thin smoke was still hanging over the cinders from the firewood. If I let my hair or scarf droop down, theres a high possibility Ill be found out. To fix this I tightly wrapped it around my face, this also lowers the odds of me choking on the smoke. Still, how long we gotta keep her alive? We gotta be sure to keep her alive until the transactions done. Otherwise aint no telling what Hortons likely to do. Man, what a drag. Forget returning her, how bout we just sell her off to a ve trader and be done with it? You idiot! Were negotiating. If we say well return her, well return her. Oh, as expected of Boss. So honest, so diligent! But I never said anything about returning her alive! Gahahaha, so evil! I could hear such a conversation, followed by the sound of flesh being struck and soft moans. However, after that, there was no screaming, only the asional moan. Its likely the girl has passed out. The moans seem to be an automatic response when trying to breathe thanks to the strikes to her abdomen. Keep the girl alive until the deals done, and so she doesnt run away before then, Klon, Setz, and Joey keep watch over her in 3 shifts round the clock. Gotcha. Balde wille with me to the negotiations with Horton tomorrow. So Im going toy down for now. Right-o. I hear the sound of footsteps leaving followed by a door opening and shutting afterward. Baldes bro is gonna head to sleep now huh? Must be nice. You wanna join Gale, Setz? Whoa now, Ill have to give that a pass. Just being round Gale is scary as heck. I know right? With that, another set of footsteps walked away. Once the door closed, the man named Setz muttered, Aww, if only you were just 5 years older, thered be better ways to have fun with you. Im not saying you should indulge yourself, but its not like I dont know how you feel. Wait. Maybe it can be done? Yo, you serious? Youve reached a new level of degeneracy. Dont knock it till you try it!! Stop it, if you make a wrong move she could die, which means well all be killed. Gyahahaha, thats right! I give up! Vulgarughter filled the room. The voice was getting on my nerves, I felt my bloodlust rising up inside me. This feeling was something Id grown used to in my previous life, right before Id act impulsively. The moans were from a little girl and Hortons name kepting up during the conversation. By some twist of fate, it seems I somehow found the headquarters of the group that kidnapped Matisse. I chose an isted path on the way back. In other words, since that bunch would also be avoiding public scrutiny theyd likely take simr paths. In the first ce, if it wasnt me who happened to be passing by, theres a chance their conversation wouldnt have aroused any suspicion. Problem is, what do I do from here? Common sense would tell me to report it to Cortina or Maxwell and have them raid the hideout first thing in the morning to gain total control. But how do I exin it? Do I honestly report that after spending the night training some strange boy I happened to discover their hideout on the way back home? Like hell I can tell them that. However, Matisse isnt in a situation where she can be left alone for long. That guy, the man named Gale, had said hed kill Matisse once the negotiations wereplete. And I had already said Id go back to the Hortonpany tomorrow, well today, to keep negotiating. Its possible itll already be toote if we wait until the morning to catch these guys. Damn its chilly today, the fire in the firece has already gone out, right? Hearing that, I hauled ??? up the chimney. If I stayed around Id be smoked out. While crawling up the chimney I decided to prepare myself. It seems the assassin Reids turn hase once more after all this time. I started taking action as soon as I crawled out of the chimney. Chapter 83 Authors note: Keep in mind, I will intentionally be referring to Nicole as Reid in this chapter. Setz downed the cheap alcohol from the cracked ss in one go. The girl from Horton Corp remained unconscious on the floor while being tied to the chair. She was breathing, though, so she was still alive. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Klon, I gotta go piss. Stop drinking so much. Oh ???? off! He opened the door and headed for the toilet ahead. It wasnt connected to the sewage system, however, but instead made use of a hole dug underneath. It was a run-down house they bought as a temporary shelter, so it was out of the question for it to have something so expensive. He unzipped his pants and started pissing down the hole. Whew, getting stuck with the watch duty all night sure sucks. While making such idleints, he started violently scratching his nape of the neck. He did that because he felt a bug or something simr crawling up there. Bugs like flies were amon urrence in pit toilets like these, so he didnt really think much of the itching he felt. However, that decision proved to be fatal. That sensation suddenly revealed its true identity and strangled him. Agh, gah!? He was then fiercely pulled back and glued to the door. However, the door didnt even flinch and remained shut. Aghack- He wanted to scream, but his strangled throat only managed to leak groans. Not to mention, it continued to strangle him without letting up even a bit. The threadone made of steelcoiled around his neck had dug into his flesh without leaving any gaps for him to insert fingers in. The thread kept being pulled back through the gaps in the door Gaha And finally, strength left his body. He was dead Yet the thread didnt cease its advance until it eventually lopped off his head. With a thud, his head continued rolling until it fell in the toilets pit and disappeared. A momentter, his body too crumbled down. Thats one. Nicole Nay, Reid unfastened the thread tied to the anchor that was hanging from a tree. He had tied a steel thread to the anchor and lifted it up onto the roadside tree beforehand. Then he twined another thread around Setzs neck from behind while simultaneously linking it to the anchors thread. Thus by dropping the anchor, the threads would dive into Setzs neck and cut his head off. However, the sound it made as it fell spread through the dead of night; other inhabitants must have heard it too. But that too could be used to lead the target to his desired location. On to the next With those words, he left through the window and headed for his next target. Klon and Joey who were continuing their watch-keeping heard a heavy dropping sound from the outside. They were in the middle of a card game, but they stopped what they were doing and exchanged looks. Hey, what was that sound? Oh, you heard it too, Joey? Setz is taking his time too. Its too early to jump to conclusions But see whats going on outside. Oh, would be nice if you check on Setz too on your way back. Huh? Ah, right. You keep watch on that girl. If its some rescuers Yeah, they would be heading here. Joey put on his sword and headed for the entrance. He walked through the dim corridor and opened the door. As expected, only the dark townscape spread beyond it, with some magic street lights. No, there was something else, a pile of rocks under the roadside tree. What is that? He took a step outside to inspect the strange rock formation. But then, something grazed his legs. At the same time, he felt something on his neck too. Ah!? He leaked a small voice and tried to pull his leg back, however, he failed to do that. Both his neck and legs got bound at the same time, then it pulled on its legs from behind making fall face-forward. However, the constrains on his neck prevented him from falling to the ground and he remained suspended diagonally. Agh, gha-ah Joey squirmed, trying to somehow get the thread off his neck. However, his legs were pulled behind so he failed to fix his posture. The threads on his legs and his neck were connected while running through the second floors window frame. In other words, it was his own weight that pulled on his legs now. Getting out of this position by himself wouldve been a difficult task. Gah, ?-????I-I have to He squirmed his hands and knees trying to reach the ground, but the threads adjusted ording to his movements and got in his way. Eventually, he started desperately reaching for the threads underneath. At the same time, a figure approached him. It was a little girl wearing a ck robe. Her face was dyed ck with soot, her silver hair alone shining in the ck of night. HrHrelp He reached out to her for help. But the girlReid had not even the slightest intention of doing so. Instead, Raid drew the sword and raised it overhead. And that the final scene for Joey. Klon stood up from the chair and waited for Joeys return without lowering his guard. He had yet to return, which made it certain that something was wrong. Tsk, how did they even find this ce? In any case, I should let Balde and Gale In the middle of his speech, he heard a tter from the window. There you are! He clearly heard that sound given how vignt he was. He pulled out his sword and stabbed it through the wooden sliding window. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Along with piercing through the wood, he also felt his sword stabbing the flesh. Moreover, he even felt it digging into bones. This attack should have proven fatal. Judging so, Klon started grinning. Dumbass, thought you could get behind me so easily? Think again! Really? I would say it was easy enough, though. He heard a loud voice reverberate inside the room where he and the fainted girl shouldve been the only ones left. It was a voice more beautiful and louder than the kidnapped girls. And then, a cold beam pierced his chest. That cold, ruthless metallic sensation robbed his life. H-How The one outside the window was yourrade. He slid open the window with his trembling hand and then he saw it. Joeys corpse was hanging down from the second floor. ?? ???? Muttering his final swear, Klons body went limp and copsed on the floor. He started convulsing, which was proof of fatality. At this stage, not even Maria could heal him. This makes it three. Two to go. The remaining two should have been asleep now. It would be wiser to inspect this room before that, Reid thought. He first decided to check Matisses condition. While she was indeed breathing, she might still have been in a critical condition. His inspection showed that while her body had received serious damage, her head was almost intact. The Interference System isnt really specialized for healing Crimson One, Ultramarine One, Gold One, Curing Light. Interference System was specialized for meddling with the performance of weapons and bodies. However, healing wounds didnt fall in that category. At best it could move the broken bones or dislocated joints back to their original positions. It was only as effective as a massage but still better than nothing. Hearing her breaths calm down a bit, Reid heaved a relieved sigh. It might be dangerous if I dont take her to Maria soon But I have to put that off for now. I can only ease her posture now so she has to hang on. Reidid her near the firece and covered her with the nket that he found in the corner. That way, her body would stay warm. Following that, he inspected the nearby chest and found a ring, scroll, and a dagger inside. Ive no idea what these things are No, I do know about the scroll. Based on the magic circle drawn on it, he guessed that it was a Magic called Ignite. Perhaps they nned to use it as a trump card when they snuck inside the Treants territory. As the Treants bodies were simr to dry trees, they were very weak to fire. Seeing that, a new n popped up in Reids mind. Chapter 84 I found three items in the room. An enchanted sword and ring. As well as a scroll with Ignition Magic in it. I couldnt find Queen Blossoms seeds, but thinking about it, theres no way those wouldve been entrusted to the flippant guys like these. Which meant, that Gale guy most probably hid them on his person. Hmm, I suppose I should take them by force then. I made up my mind and went back to setting up the traps. I used to judge corrupt nobles in my past life, so I was used to these kinds of situations. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) First was the guy called Balde. Based on his footsteps I assumed his physique was good, so it was impossible to strangle him on my own. On top of that, I had to take the seeds off that Gale too. In that case I looked over the items at hand and started devising a n. First of all, I had to guarantee Matisses safety. For that, I had to make sure Balde couldnt leave his room. As such, I twined my steel threads on his door and fixed it in ce. I even tied it to a mops handle and other things to further solidify it, so he could hardly break out. Fortunately, I was able to confirm their rooms through the windows, so there shouldve been no problems. Next, I took Matisse outside and left her at a ce with public attention. I brought her nket too so she wouldnt get cold. That said, while I said it had public attention, it waste night now, so it would take time for people to actually notice. Meanwhile, I went on to set another trap. Under Baldes room was stable that kept two horses and a cart. And next to it was a pile of fodder. His room was on the second floor, followed by Gales. I inspected its structure and set up a trap there. I then extracted oil from the indoormps and sprinkled it everywhere in the house. This would make the fire spread faster. Finally, I ced Enchant on Baldes door to further strengthen it, and with that, everything was set. I set the house on fire by using the Ignite scroll on the first floor. Unlike Tinder, this magic could ignite muchrger objects. Due to its strength and the oils influence, the mes spread through the house in the blink of an eye. I remained inside the burning house and waited single-mindedly. Huh, fire?! ????, what the hell are those bastards doing down there! Eventually, Balde seemed to have noticed the situation and yelled from his room, followed by violent knocks on his door. I could hear a faint click of the tongue from Gales room, too, but it appeared like he was searching for something inside. Perhaps Balde was trying to save himself while Gale was prioritizing the safety of Queen Blossoms seeds. Doors aint budging! In that case, the window! Everything went as I expected. Balde opened the window and looked at the street. He shouldve seen Matisse who I took out there, along with me standing next to her. With a clear culprit before his eyes, Baldepletely flipped out. So it was you! He yelled and got on the window to take a look at me. Along with his shout, he jumped down, but Geugh!? What followed were his death screams. Under the window was the stable and a pile of fodder. He would obviously choose to jump on the fodder, it was a natural action. A pile of fodder could cushion his fall, after all. Since I predicted that much, all that was left was to run a steel thread between the window and the fodder. And the result of that was that he splendidly bisected himself into two thanks to his own falling momentum. I wonder what Gale thought as he peeked through his window and saw his corpse? Because he prioritized the safety of Queen Blossoms seeds, his timing to escape was even dyed than Baldes. Not just the mes, he could also see that their fainted hostage had been taken outside and ced on the road in a showy manner. And next to him, there was a Baldes bisected corpse. Given the situation, there was a little chance of him pursuing us through the window. With that being the case, I resolved myself and leaped inside the zing house. The door opened with a small creak. I hadnt fixed his door in ce, so If he wanted to, he could open it. Gale was also aware of the invaders presence so he tried to slowly step out of the room. That was also the best moment for me to make my attack. That door opened on the outside. In other words, its hinges were on the outside too. By opening that door, a small gap could be created between the door and the wall. Gale slowly stepped forward. Aiming for that moment, I sent my thread through the created gap and tied him in ce. Then I tied one side of the thread to the knob so he couldnt escape. Gah!? He immediately inserted his fingers between the thread and his neck to prevent himself from being strangled, but I wouldnt have been able to strangle him with my strength either way. My goal was to simply hold him in ce. Following it, I put my katana in the gap, a bit above where his abdomen shouldve been. Then, with the edge facing down, I pierced through with all my strength. Agh! W-Who are you! An assassin. Sorry, but youll have to pay the price. For everything. I gave an honest answer to his yell. Reacting to my voice, he thrust his sword through the door but unfortunately for him, I had seen iting. I was ttened against the wall so that attack would never hit me. Were it my former body, I wouldve been able to slit his throat with one thrust through the door, but it was impossible now. I put my weight into the katana and slid it down bit by bit. GaaughSto I wont. That girl surely pled you to stop, but you didnt, right? Wait Ill die That was my intention from the start. Gales voice ceased before long. I nned to torment him some more for what he did to Matisse, but the smoke spread in the surroundings faster than I expected and caused him to faint. It didnt affect me because I was wearing a scarf with Purify cast on it. I withdrew my katana from Gale and started collecting the threads I set up throughout the house. It wouldve been troublesome if they became evidence and they found out I was the culprit. Finally, I recovered the Queen Blossoms seeds from his pocket that he was trying so hard to protect. And with that, my mission wasplete. Chapter 85 I returned back to Matisse who I left in front of the zing house, then ced the Queen Blossoms seeds on herp. Given this fire, it was about time for people to notice and make noise. I had to hide before that happened. Ugh Oh, have you woken up? While my magic wasnt much, it apparently still healed her enough to bring back her consciousness. I was covered with soot and the scarf covered my hair, so she shouldnt have been able to guess it was me at a nce. I was trying to keep my voice as low tone as possible, so it probably sounded neutral to her probably. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) Who Are you? I came to rescue you. Others wille soon too. You will be able to go home. R-really? Yeah. In exchange, Id like you to pass this to Cortina. Its something important. To Lady Cortina Yes. I leave it to you. I put a bag full of Queen Blossoms seeds in her hand and was about to leave. She had no strength to walk, but with a fire going it was only a matter of time until the guards rushed here. You could say her safety was guaranteed. When I turned around, I spotted a glowing silhouette in the corner of my view. I immediately let my threads fly and covered Matisse from that light. Who are you! I didnt think you could dodge that. A single man appeared from behind a tree almost as if oozing out of darkness itself. He was a tall and slender man, loosely holding short swords in each hand. He looked much like me, covered in ck from head to toe. Ill ask again No, nevermind. Is that so? Indeed, thinking back on it, I felt a gaze at Horton Corp. In other words, there was someone monitoring that ce. And whoever managed to slip through the Treants surveincework probably held the Stealth Gift. Which meant, those two were one and the same. However, there was no one with such skill inside the house. If they had someone who could conceal himself, he would obviously be stationed near the Horton Corp. He wouldnt have returned back when negotiations were going to happen the next day. Even when it came to Gale, he should have chosen to erase his presence and flee the moment he noticed an unknown presence inside the house. But the fact that he didnt do that meant that he had no such ability. All that suggested that there was one more enemy out there. That someone was monitoring Horton Corp but rushed back when he saw these mes. Then he showed his face to erase me and Matisse who was a witness. It was you, right? The one who stole the Queen Blossoms seeds. Oh, so you already know that much? Its as you say. The man slowly set up his swords. Both of us were afraid of drawing attention, which meant there was no time for casual dialogue. You appear to be a child still, but did you do that alone? If so, thats amazing. How about it, would you join hands with me? I decidedly refuse! I let my thread fly towards the man. It was a big vertical swing, no different from a sh in strength. It was hard to sense such an attack in this dead of night. However, the man easily avoided it. He made a big leap and widened the distance between us. I didnt expect that attack tond either, however. The goal was to get him as far as possible from Matisse. Nevertheless, since he managed to avoid my steel threads at night, he was probably quite used to the night warfare. There were mes in the background, but that shouldnt have made it so easy to doge. A thread user, huh? Thats quite the nasty skill you have! The man yelled and once again swayed his body. And the next moment, he appeared before my eyes. What!? Sheh! He appeared so suddenly it was as if the realitygged for a second. Seeing his unique attack range I immediately leaped back to widen the distance that he closed. I sent two of my threads to the roadside trees behind, pulled on them with all my strength, and managed to get away. Immediately following it, his short swords mowed down the ce I was a moment ago. As I fixed my posture and set up my katana, the man disappeared once again. It was probably due to the Stealth Gift. That ability excelled in hiding, but it wasnt supposed to be so outstanding that itd allow you to disappear from the direct line of sight. Yet the reality was that he appeared right before my eyes in an instant. First came a small sigh, followed by a sh of a de. I received, dodged, and redirected all those attacks with my katana. Youre quite used to battle, little brat! You as well, thats quite a strange way to use your Gift. I possessed the Stealth Gift as well, but I never used it the way he did. It was purely for surprise attacks and scouting. And yet, this man turned it into a battle skill. He couldnt disappear from someones eyes, but he could distract their perception for an instant. But that instant was enough to greatly influence thebat. He used that instant to close the distance, then back off again. When it came tobat, the distance was something vital, and he used a nonbat Stealth Gift to have solid control over it. As the user of the same Gift, I couldnt help but admire his skill. Since I had the Thread Maniption skill that was easier to use in battle, I chose to dedicate my time to mastering it. Once Ive settled on the battle style centered on surprise attacks, the chances for directbat decreased drastically. But this man managed to train his Stealth Gift forbat and created a new battle style. If I were to be honest, I never even considered something like that. This was something you could onlyprehend if you used it while facing an enemy head-on. But considering what would happen if you failed, this was hardly something one would be willing to use mid-battle. You have such good skills Its a shame. Well, its only good for one-on-one fights. In this world, you could only gain fame if you stepped on the battlefield or hunted monsters. But with this battle style, you would be no use on the battlefield where you needed to take on multiple people at once, and it was disadvantageous against monsters that used the brute force approach. His style was only good for one-on-one fights. It was a skill you could only use in duels between humans, so to speak. That was perhaps why their leader was Gale and not him. Sorry brat, I dont have much time. Just die already! Ive not the slightest intention of dying so young. We exchanged words and once again shed des. It wasnt long until the surroundings would get noisy. If we continued for a few more minutes, someone would catch sight of us. In the middle of our exchange, I shifted my position a little and dashed towards the targets the moment the chance appeared. The man ignored Matisse and chased after me. As expected. He has been monitoring Horton Corp all this time so there was little chance that Matisse saw him. It was natural that he put me first on the priority list. Thus, I was able to secure Matisses safety and at the same time change our battle location. Chapter 86 I crossed des with the man in the darkness. After each sh, I switched positions and headed for the ce with even less human presence. By doing that, I could put distance between him and Matisse and also lead him to a ce where I could fight to my hearts content. The man seemed to realize my n and didnt try to return back to our initial position. Are you sure it was a good idea to leave that girl behind? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Show us your support by paying Re:Library a visit!) I asked him as I ran. Matisses existence was no longer that important to him. After all, there was hardly a chance for any more negotiations with Horton Corp. However, the source of ie, in other words, Queen Blossoms seeds, were still with her. This man shouldve seen how I handed them over to her. Despite that, he still chose to eliminate me first. Hearing my question, he replied with an unpleasant smile. Dont worry. My main upation is stealing. Even if the guards recover those seeds, I can always steal them back from the guard station once Ive dealt with you. The station isnt the only ce where it could be taken, you know? There are far more troublesome ces in this town. For example, Maxwells treasure house. That ******* had too much time on his hands and applied all kinds of protective magic on it. Why did I know that, you might ask? Answer to that was It was because I yed the invaders role to test its protection. I honestly thought I was a goner then. If the seeds were taken there, no Stealth Gift would be enough to sneak inside. You mean the Six Heroes? In that case, Id obviously run with the tail between my legs. Queen Blossoms seeds are certainly valuable, but not enough to face monsters that could blow away a kingdom or two. He sure had the profits and losses calcted. I didnt know about Gale, but he was at least far smarter than the rest of those underlings. But there was nothing strange about that; if he didnt have a good head on his shoulders, he couldve never invented such a battle style using a nonbat Gift. Even as we were conversing, his position stayed slightly out of sync. He was probably using his Stealth again. The Stealth Gift couldpletely cut away ones presence, but it still couldnt erase the user from peoples direct line of sight. When he cut away his presence, there was a slightg until your eyes reaffirmed his existence. And he made use of thatg during battles. Tsk! Because he was slightly out of ce, my threads cut empty air. I almost always used wool to strengthen my right hand and both legs, with one yarn for each part respectively. That only left two steel threads for me to use freely. On top of that, the Interference Magic had a time limit on it. I nned to make it a brief battle, but I had an overwhelming disadvantage. Those threads are quite troublesome. I cant approach at all. Im but a frail maiden. I cant let a pervert like you approach me. Hah, the only maidens who could excel at assassination to this point are those doing prostitution as a side job. The man skillfully handled his swords and attacked relentlessly. Since I was using threads on both legs and right arm, I could only use two steel threads and katana in my left hand for attacking. We had about the same amount of moves, or I had a bit more. However, there was an overwhelming difference in the heaviness of our individual attacks, and every single time I blocked his attack my body was flung into the air. This wasnt because the man was especially strong, but because I was far too light. Thus, after a series of attacks, blocks and dodges, I finally arrived at my target destination. It was the lumberyard where I did my night training. Here, I had a full grasp on my surroundings. But I wasted almost two minutes to get here. I had barely a minute left. Wee to my field. Hump, Ive no interest in kids ygrounds! He threw those words and drew near. Despite his ill words, he positioned himself so the lumber would be on his right, leaving practically no openings. He nned to use it to defend against sideway attacks of my threads. It might have appeared to be disadvantageous for me as I used my threads like whips, but that was actually not the case. Because these threads showed their true worth not in attacks butying traps. And if it was a ce full of obstacles like this, they could turn it into a splendid hunting ground. With a swing of my hand, I aimed the thread at the lumber that he used as a wall. Naturally, it was almost impossible to do any damage this way. However, the thread shaved away arge chunk of wood where it hit, and sawdust danced before his face. Because of his momentum, the man had no way to defend against it. Kh, trying to blind me huh! Unlike sand, wood is light, so it can stay afloat for quite a while. Of course, if they were small enough, even sand grains could remain quite long. However, if they were the same size, the wood that was lighter wouldst longer. I used another thread to attack him, but he narrowly avoided it. With his vision blocked, the mans posture was greatly disturbed. Using this chance, I went for the direct hit and swung my katana. However, this too was blocked by the man as he attacked me back. By intentionally leaping forwards instead of dodging, he managed to shorten my scope of attack. The attack range of my katana and threads could be said to be quite distant. It rivaled a two-handed sword in length. Since he attacked with a half-tackle, I had no way to attack. In the first ce, I had no strength to support an adult mans weight. Thus I was knocked down on the floor and he mounted on top of me. In this distance, his short swords were more effective. While straddling me, he raised his swords and thrust them towards my head. However, since both of his hands held swords, he couldnt properly hold me down. I used the thread with my left hand and slipped under his crotch, then once again took some distance. You brat I thought you were a brat, but are quite used to battles. Are you actually a gnome? Too bad. Im a genuine seven years old kid. Although I was strengthening my limbs, it couldnt make up for how weak my body was. The only reason I could fight evenly with him was due to the battle experience from my past life. But there was still the problem of time limit. I only had a few dozen seconds left. If I didnt settle this battle soon, It would only get dangerous for me. Chapter 87 While we both took our distances, I had no time to waste on ring each other. If I didnt take the initiative to attack, my time would be up. Fortunately, his right eye still hadnt regained its vision, so I managed to create a blind spot. That said, his right side was blocked by the lumber. Still, my threads could attack even from that space. It bent like a whip, a flexibility that was something unachievable with normal ded weapons, and shed from that narrow space. However, it wasnt a simple sideways sweep, but more like a thrust of a spear. But the man seemed to have predicted that, he twisted his body to dodge the attack. It took some time to recover the thread after that miss. He thought that my attack created an opening and once again came with the tackle. If an adult pushed me, my light body could be easily be sent flying. He was probably aiming for that weakness. But that was within my calctions. I still had one more thread left. I swung it downwards and attempted to bisect him. But even that failed tond a direct hit. In the middle of his rush, he nted his short swords in the ground and abruptly changed his course. He got himself separated from the lumber and exposed his body to a vast space. That was a danger zone where attacks coulde from any direction. However, my threads that missed were in no position to do a follow-up attack. He faced me once again and plunged forward. With our positions changed, the mountain of lumber was now behind me. If he crashed my frail body on it, I could faint just from the impact. Stealing is his specialty? You kidding, right? This bastards crazy used to battles. I cursed him in my mind while also expressing my admiration. He wasnt letting his guard down even against a child like me. He always chose the most optimal n and attacked the way I would hate the most. Most likely, he led a life full of dangers where a moments negligence wouldve cost him his life. Thats why he showed no negligence even if the opponent was a child. Since my path of retreat was blocked, I could only move forward. Resolving myself, I thrust my katana and intercepted him. Having the de trust before his face halted his charge. He had to either dodge or block it, otherwise, it wouldnd a fatal wound. Sure enough, he swung his short sword sideways and flung my katana away. Due to the difference in our strength, it left my hands far too easily. Then he used his other short sword to thrust at me. My katana was gone, and my two threads werent ready for use. Behind me was the lumber, and I couldnt move on either side due to my forward momentum. Checkmate The man thought and revealed a twisted smile. HoweverHe got careless. During all our previous exchanges, my katana neverpletely left my hand. If I felt like it, I could even tie my hand to its grip. His attack couldnt have sent it flying just like that. The fact that he failed to catch onto that was his downfall. I quickly moved my hand behind my back and pulled out a dagger. It was the one I took from their hideout. I only knew it was a magic sword, but I didnt know what kind of magic it held within. Even so, it was a dagger that could cut. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) For an instant, I used my own Stealth Gift. I hadnt used it until now, so he shouldve been taken by surprise. He lost track of me for a moment and then once again perceived me. By that time I was already right beside him and were grasping his hand. I sealed the movement of his hand with my strengthened arm, thus his attack stopped. Following it, I thrust the dagger in his abdomen with all my strength. Kaaah!? With that shriek, he stopped all movements. A bit below his belly button and a little left or right from his point of view. That was where his kidney was. As a finisher, I twisted the dagger and gouged out the wound, making it an unrecoverable wound. With that, nothing but the highest recovery magic could save him. He vomited arge volume of blood and dyed my shoulder red. This is the end. I-I never thought Id lose to a brat Like you. You were quite good. The man leaned onto me. Iid his body down and addressed him. Naturally, given who he was I couldnt let my guard down. While staying alert for a potential counterattack, I heard his final words. Theres no saving me now This is myst wish, let me see Your face. Hearing his request I removed my scarf that covered my hair, mouth and half my face. Then, my soot-covered face appeared, my silver hair fluttering in the night wind. And finally, my heterochromia red and blue eyes. What the, so you really were a brat And a girl. Your Name? Reid. Same as One of the Six Heroes, huh. I am that hero. I got reborn through the reincarnation magic. Though I became a girl. Hahah Hahahahaha! No way! I failed to catch such a huge preyinthe end Mustering his final ounce of strength, the man burst into augh, scattering spit and blood everywhere with bloodshot eyes. He continuedughing until the very end, then his body convulsed and he gave his final breath. After confirming that his heart hadpletely stopped, I rose to my feet. Well, you were one troublesome opponent. Then muttered those words while looking down on his corpse. Chapter 88 Next to the fallen man, I clenched my fist, feeling the result of my training. I was able to fight with an adultand someone of such a skillwith this small body. Not to mention, without being overpowered through the swords might, setting the tackle aside. In other words, it was proof that strengthening my body with threads raised my battle power quite a lot. That said, if I use it for a full three minutes, my body would give in first Even now, a stinging pain ran all over my body, especially my shoulders and knees. If it was like this, were I to recast it during the battle to extend its time, I probably would be unable to move for a few days. Well, I can work on that part bit by bit. For now, I need to get away from this ce A clearly suspicious-looking child had clearly stabbed a clearly suspicious-looking man to death. If someone saw me like this, I would end up spending some days in jail regardless of how young I looked. Even if Matisse gave testimony for me, the fact that I slip out at night would be revealed, so the end result would still be bad. I wiped the soot from my face with the scarf and returned back to the kidnappers base. If I wiped the filth of my face and covered my glossy hair, I would be hardly distinguishable from your average street urchins. There was already a crowd gathered around the base, with guards surroundings Matisse and giving her emergency treatment. Seeing that, I heaved a relieved sigh and slowly withdrew from the ce. With that, her safety shouldve been guaranteed. After this, the Queen Blossoms seeds would reach Maxwell and Cortina via the guards. I activated my Stealth Gift, returned to Cortinas house and slipped into my room. Then I wet a towel with the water jug and carefully cleaned the filth from my body. As expected, it was not even early summer now, so getting naked and wiping my body made me feel quite cold, but if I didnt do at least that much Id be reeking of sweat. I was already staying upte as a child, so the burden on my body was quite big. I wanted to guarantee myself a good quality sleep. I decided to wash the towel, scarf, and my bloody clothes tomorrow Well, it would be quite troublesome to do that without being seen by Finia Well, whatever. Ill just wash them in the academy next week. I received the attention of other students so I couldnt do anything too suspicious, but that much shouldnt matter. I put the filthy towel inside the drawstring purse where my gym uniform was, then changed to my pajamas and slipped into my bed. The next morning, when I woke up and headed to the dining room, Cortina was nowhere to be seen. Actually, it was already close to forenoon so I overslept quite a bit. I greeted Finia who was in the middle of preparing dinner. Morning, Finia. Good Morning, Lady Nicole. You slept for quite some time today. Yeah, I ended up staying upte yesterday. When I mentioned that, Finia seemed to have misunderstood what I meant. She covered her mouth and started giggling meaningfully, with an unpleasant smile. Her expression practically screamed how amused she was. During that time, her hands didnt stop doing the waiter duties. She quickly carried the sd and toasts to the table, and even prepared ham and eggs. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Now that you mentioned it, you witnessed Lord Lyell in action yesterday, right? No wonder you couldnt sleep at night. You are way off the mark. Her absurd misunderstanding put me in a foul mood and I protested while looking away. But that action produced yet another misunderstanding. Lord Lyell is really cool. You see him in a different light after witnessing his feats, right? Mhm, I think Reid is cooler. Well, I agree with you there! She immediately agreed to my objection. Embarrassingly enough, I was still number one in her eyes. She probably glorified the past a lot, but I was still grateful for her high evaluation. Wheres Cortina? I heard there was a firest night. But that ce turned out to be the kidnappers base and they found Lady Matisse there. Oh, thats good. Moreover, the stolen Queen Blossoms seeds were discovered alongside her, so both Lord Maxwell and Lady Cortina are very busy. Oh, looks like we can get her nectar now. Indeed, with that, you can be energetic, Lady Nicole! Ive always been energetic, though Rather, Ive been training my body iparably harsher than other children. The problem was that it bore no fruit. But that would be solved soon. When the Magic Buildup Disease that was the culprit of my weak strength gets cured, my training will finally start producing proper feedback. Mhm. You look happy, Lady Nicole. Well, my illness is going to be cured, so I suppose I am a bit. I finished my brunch and brought the after-meal cup of hot milk to my lips. It was quite sensible that it had a faint sweetness of sugar. That sweetness permeated my body, making me feel at bliss. But such a calm forenoon didntst for very long. The door suddenly burst open and Maxwell and Cortina intruded inside. Were hooome. Aah, Im so tired. Finia, can you pour me some tea? Make it soybean one for me. And preferably strong. I will prepare it at once. Cortina aside, at least you hold back a little, Maxwell. I cursed in my mind while amazed at Finias good personality. Without paying me any mind, or reading the mood, Maxwell started talking. Well then, Nicole. I assume youve heard of the situation? I got the gist from Finia. Thats good. It would be bothersome to exin it all over again. We will be returning back to the Queen Blossom at noon, so make preparations. Got it. What about Michelle and Letina? Yeah, I suppose we have to contact them or they would hold a grudge. I leave that to you. Okay, I will let them know. If I were to be honest, I wasnt so keen on taking them with us, because we were still heading for the monster territory, regardless of how docile they were. However, unlike Maxwell, I was their ssmate and spend every day with them. I wanted to avoid hearing theirints every time we saw each other. Then Ill go and let them know now. Okay, take care. I hopped down from the chairsince my feet couldnt reach the groundand went to change my clothes, then stepped outside. I felt three warm gazes on my back, but I decided to pretend that I didnt notice. Chapter 89 Come afternoon, Lyell and Maria came to Maxwells mansion. Michelle and Letina also came with them. Since the kidnappers were handled just yesterday, Lyell and Maria decided to walk them here. Thanks to that, mommy ended up fainting. I can see that happening. You would normally never consider that heroes who saved the world would appear at your doorstep as guides for your kids. Much less when the kid in question was Letina who was anything but timid. It was natural for them to assume their daughter caused some mess. Moreover, after Lady Maria forcefully woke her up with Awake spell, she fainted again. Well, such uprightness was Marias nature. W-Well, there were a bit problems before we departed, but lets just pretend there werent. Maria keeping up appearances wouldnt erase the facts. Ugh, Im sorry. It was rare to see her so dejected. After a while, Tricia arrived and we once again headed for Mount Nord. We put scarves on our mouths and climbed the mountain. We had no specific destination, we just aimed for the summit. After climbing far enough, the other party would approach us themselves, so there was no need to look for them. Ah, there they are. I muttered from the top of the carriage. I could see the wriggling shadows in the corner of my smoky field of view. Nicole, you noticed it first again. Your eyes are really are sharp. I was being vignt, but this is making me lose confidence. Thats because you are inattentive to details. But I couldnt notice it either. All of you are the same I am Gadius! Tell Queen Blossom that we brought the requested items. Hearing Gadius voice, the surroundings Treants started rustling and slowly withdrew. After a while, a familiar youthful voice greeted us. You returned so fast. Did you find my seeds? A giant flower with a girl enshrined in its centerthe Queen Blossom pushed her way through the Treants and approached us. Her voice seemed tock any kind of expectations for us, but the reality wasnt what she expected. Indeed, here they are. What!? You really found them in a single day? Lyell put the bag of seeds a little away from us, then the Treants went to recover them. Receiving the bag, the Queen Blossom excitedly opened it and started counting the number. That reminds me, I never checked their number. One, two Hmm, indeed theres everything here. Good to know. But still, for it to take just one day How did you find them? I killed all of the kidnappers. The only reason Lyell knew that was because Matisse saw me. But I had soot on my face, my hair was hidden under a scarf along with my peculiar right eye, so she didnt know it was me. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) It was a ck-faced Gnome d in ck from head to toe. Thats the only conclusion we have reached based on what the witness told us. Oh, and they possessed tremendous physical strength. We found bisected bodies everywhere. That wasnt due to my strength but because I used the anchors weight, but it was quite convenient for me if they misunderstood it like that. Because I was recognized to have an extremeck in the strength department, no one would think that I was the culprit. Hmm, were they unable to find the seeds? They shouldve been right before their eyes. Thats quite a good fortune. No, they found it all right. And they entrusted them to the kidnapped child. It mustve been someone who was aware of the circumstances. Do you have any leads? I thought about it but nothinges up. No, maybe? Is there anything? No, nevermind. Lyell seemed to have thought of something, but he shook his head and denied once more. I didnt know what he thought, but it was no time for that now. Rather than that I know, this was the bargain. Wait for a bit. Saying that, the Queen Blossom ordered the Treants to bring a rough-looking wooden bucket. She then pushed that bucket at the heart of her own petals. After a bit, she raised the bucket once again, but it was now full of nectar. It had such a rich fragrance it even reached my nose. So this is the Queen Blossoms Indeed. When my seeds hatch and be Alraune, they feed on this nectar. Its a concentration of my power A precious article. Yeah, I know. With this, this girl can be saved. Thanks for your cooperation. It is us who have been saved. I thank the Great Tree for this fated encounter. Okay, looks like its finally my turn now! Lyell took the nectar from the Queen Blossom and exchanged the words of gratitude. Then Tricia destroyed the atmosphere between them and started rolling up her sleeves. It seemed that the medical effect vaporized soon after the nectar was drained from the petals. If she didnt make the medicine here and preserved it, we would only be left with simply a sweet nectar. Unfortunately, I had to agree that it was time for her to show her skill. Chapter 90 Tricia started making the medicine before the Queen Blossoms eyes. That said, she wasnt doing anything too special. Unlike the seeds, nectar could be ingested normally to show its medical effect. The problem was that you couldnt leave it be for too long or it would evaporate into the atmosphere and its effect would fade. I nned to mix the liquid medicine and lock the medical effect in ce But this is not the amount I expected. While exining it to us, she took out a small bottle from her medicine box and gently poured the content in the nectar. If this preservation liquid was too little or too much, the nectars effect couldnt be preserved. Given the amount, the preservation liquid I have on hand wouldnt be enough. Lord Maxwell No, Lady Maria, could you return to Raum with Cor Lady Cortina and bring me my vials? Lady Cortina should know where the preservation liquid is stored. Yes, leave it to me. Also, you can call me without titles as you do with Cortina, okay? That would be too discourteous! And its not for me?! You are a colleague, so no! Cortina and Tricia started their usual chatter. Maria started deploying the magic while observing them from the side. If its just to get them, Maxwell could manage that too right? Maria wasnt used to the Teleportation magic. It took her some time to invoke it. She was so unused to it that she couldnt use it in battle. Then, wouldnt it be faster if Maxwell went instead? I wondered about that and asked Tricia. She answered without stopping her hands. I mean, its my house, you know? I cant really let a man enter there without permission, right? Ah, right. Even you are a woman. What do you mean even you!? While we were making a noise, the Teleportation lit up in its characteristic light and Maria and Cortina disappeared from the ce. So that medicine Hyah!? W-what? The Queen Blossoms sudden voice caused her to reply with a stiff voice. But she didnt stop her hands, which showed her professionalism. By stirring it like this, she was able topensate for theck of preservation medicine. Of course, she couldnt keep on stirring forever, so this was only a temporary measure. That medicine can preserve the nectars effects? Oh, well it can preserve the effects Im aware of Then, it can also preserve the nectar I give to the Alraune, yes? Well I dont know what effect the Altraune need, so unless I test it Ho-ho, then could you make arger portion? Id like to try giving it to my children. Whaa-!? Her sudden request shocked Tricia and she started darting her eyes about. But as the Queen Blossom said, if the nectar could be preserved, they would be able to sustain themselves even if they had to move their habitat to a mountain like they did this time. If we handled this well, we could get our hands on the continuous supply of this valuable nectar. Can you make it? Well, if Cortina brings additional medicine, its not impossible. Then lets share it? Would that be alright? As long as we can secure Nicoles share, wouldnt it be fine? Queen Blossoms nectar strengthened the emission of magic power. It was even called the source of Alraunes evolution, so it was natural for it to have that much effect, but if we could secure a stable supply of it, the interests involved would make things quite troublesome. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Some might even aim for Queen Blossom herself. Even so, Maxwell said something so carefree. But I knew him. This old man might have looked like a fool, but his mind was sharp enough to get involved with national politics. Those that knew about your whereabouts got exterminated yesterday. Only we and a few others know that you live here. It wouldnt be that difficult for you to remain hidden. But what about medicine? If you secure the stable supply, other countries, merchants and robbers would start sniffing around. Merchants sensitive to money, robbers, or even countries desiring to use the medicine to raise the abilities of their magicians would be watering at the mouth in the face of it. Thats easy. I can just monopolize it. Maybe Lyell and Gadius can back me up too? With that, the essential four of us, Maria included, would be involved in the business. Moreover, I have the backing of Raum, too. There would be few who would still dare to force their way, wouldnt you say? Not just the kingdom, theyd be turning us into their enemies, huh? Certainly, that would be the worst development for them. Their conspiracy that involved the entire country formed bit by bit. Hearing that, Tricia plugged her ears and shook her head. Michelle ended up stirring the nectar in her stead. Aah, I didnt hear it, I didnt hear it! I dont want to hear something that could shorten my life-span! Doctor, you have to mix it properly. Michelle is doing, so its fine. Besides, my arms are tired. I withdraw my statement about you looking professional. Ehh! Im not sure what you mean, but did my value just drop!? What was the point of plugging her ears if she heard what I said? Didnt that mean she heard everything, in the end? While I was looking exasperatedly at her, the Teleportation light appeared once again, and along with it Maria and Cortina. Sorry for the wait, we brought the medicine. Tricia, you should clean your house once in a while. Its hardly different from Maxwells you know? The boisterous duo returned with a handbag packed full of vials. Tricia received those, and with that my medicine was finallyplete. Chapter 91 Be advised that this chapter contains slight erotic elements. The finished medicine was thick, milky-white liquid with tinges of yellow mixed in. Before I drank it, I listened to Tricias exnation on how to go about it. Listen, just drinking this wont improve the strength of emission. Huh, so its useless in the end? No, I suppose that wasnt quite urate. It does strengthen it, but you cant make proper use of it So it needs training? Well, you could say that, I guess? Look, even if you make a hole in the bank, if you dont guide the water through it you cant draw it out, right? And guiding it requires quite a bit of getting used to. So at first, someone has to assist you with it. She looked like a real doctor now that she was exining all that to me with her index finger pointed up. However, looking at her behaviour my danger sense started to act up. Even so, if I wanted to live like an ordinary person from now on, I had to muster my courage and ask. Uhh Assist me how? Lets see. Specifically, they have to forcefully suck out the excess magic umted in your body. Thats possible? Saying that, Tricia revealed an impish smile stemming from her innermost feelings. It gave me chills and I took a step back while hugging my shoulders. It goes without saying, it has to be sucked through a kiss! Now hold on a-! I yelled out without thinking. A kiss, she said? Why did I have to do something like that? Well, you need keywords to use magic, right? Aside from exceptions like Lady Maria. I suppose you have a point. I told you to stop referring to me with that title Maria started sulking because of thedy treatment, but lets leave her aside for now. Tricias exnation was more important than that. I could see Gadius restraining Lyell who was about to lose control. In other words, magic poweres out through the mouth. Or rather, I suppose the throat itself would be more urate, since thats what produces that voice? And the magic power follows the produced voice, get it? I see, I see? Since ites out from the mouth, that ce is the easiest to extract it from. So when ites to extracting magic through it, it stands to reason that it would be easier for the extractor to use the mouth too. I see Hmm? I felt like she just made a big leap in logic with that weird theory. If magic could be released in the atmosphere without spells or magic circles, there would be no buildup disease. And magic power fundamentally has the inclination to build up inside the body. So transferring from one body to another would prove to be far easier. And thats where the kisses in! So in other words, our lips needed to be in direct contact to transfer my magic power to the other person? Her exnation revolved so fast I was not fully convinced, though. With that being the case, whos going to help Nicole? Tricia dropped a bomb with a totally amused expression. Hearing that, Lyell raised his hand with all his strength. Me, me! I cant let another man take my daughters lips! Its time for the reliable daddy to make his appearance, wouldnt you agree? Certainly, Maria was the most suitable choice from the medical perspective. But there was no way I could kiss her, considering I couldnt even suck her breasts before. Dear, Nicoles so cold to me! Did her rebellious agee already? Isnt it a bit too early, I wonder? Thats not the problem here. In the first ce, dont you always return to the vige? We dont know when I will copse and need emergency help, so it would be better to choose someone who actually lives in this town. Gh As expected from my daughter, but Im still impressed by that cool-headed analysis. Shes actually nothing like you. Whaa-!? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Leaving the shocked Lyell aside, Maxwell and Gadius who were opposite or rather, same as my mental gender, out of question. Which left Tricia, Cortina, Letina, Michelle and Finia, I suppose? Okay, Letina is out. Ehhh, why! If the rumours spread that I kissed the daughter of the Marquis, Im not sure what that could lead to. Indeed, Letina was the daughter of a leader of this kingdom, even if she didnt look the part. I didnt want any bad rumours spreading around her. And I suppose Dr. Tricia is not good either. She never leaves her office, after all. There was no knowing when I would copse, so choosing someone so separated from me when I needed immediate treatment would prove to be fatal. Based on that same logic, Michelle was not an option either, because she spent the day in the nearby Adventurer Training School. Besides, it would be too pitiable if I took her first kiss. Which leaves Cortina, whos my homeroom teacher, and Finia, I guess? Stop wording it like we are some leftovers. I have no objections though. Maybe my desires yed some part there Hmm? Did you say something? No, its nothing. I had an opportunity to kiss the girl I confessed to once. I felt it was a bit no, quite a cowardly thought, but I didnt want to let go of this chance. It did make me feel a bit quite a bit pathetic, though. Well then, Ill teach you how to do it. First, smear this nectar on your tongue. Then, kiss and entwine your tongues. After that, the magic power should flow towards the less saturated direction on its own. So I have to drink the medicine more than once? Well, yes, its used to expand the power of the emission. You have to keep drinking it and have your body get ustomed to it. I see. I took the medicine from the doctor and timidly smeared it on my tongue. Along with the strong flowery scent, a numbing stimulus spread through it. Tongues werent supposed to be so easy to stimte. Okay, here I go Its making me nervous for some reason. Cortina put her hands on my cheeks and drew her slightly flushed face closer. She was simply kissing the daughter of her close friends, so it was probably on the level of kissing a pet for her. But I was different I had desires that followed me from my previous life. My heart started to violently pound, and I instinctively clutched the clothes near my chest. Dont be so nervous. Here I gommph. A little bashfully, Cortina ovepped her lips to mine. Then, her warm tongue quickly invaded my mouth and yed with my own. It was followed by an immediate change. It felt as if all the nerves on my back were being pulled out. They received such stimulus that I couldnt even distinguish whether it was pain or shock that I was feeling. Mgh!? Mnn! My body becamepletely stiff and started to convulse. The unknown sensation tormented me; making me twitch, stiffen and finally lose all my strength. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) After that, Cortina finally withdrew her lips. Phew. How did that go, Nicole? Haa, ahh. The fatigue had certainly left my body. But a different sensation assaulted me now, making me unable to answer. We had to keep doing something like this? Well that was okay-ish, I guess? Do that in the morning and evening every day. Every day!? Of course. They drink medicine every day right? Ugh, well, yes, but But look how Nicoles acting. Wouldnt that put a burden on her? Just think of it as rehabilitation. Shell get used to it before long. She said it casually, but I couldnt even feel my back. I weakly copsed on the ground and overheard the surrounding conversations. Aah! Nicole has Nicole has been dirtieeed! Hey! Dont say something so scandalous! Oh, but doesnt she look like a proper female now? Maria, not you too, what are you saying!? Cortina and Lyell were in an uproar. I had to keep on doing this every day. It was needed to get healthy, but would I reallyst through it all? It was tough both physically and mentally. Imagining what was toe, I couldnt help but heave a deep sigh. Chapter 92 It has been a month since Ive started taking the Magic Buildup Disease medicine. Since then, while I felt dizzy at times, the incidents where I suddenly lost all my strength and fainted drastically decreased. The matter of absorbing my magic proceeded without problems, Finia doing it at home and Cortina at the academy. Naturally, all while avoiding the public eyes. Since that sensation was giving me indescribable feelings of exhaustion, my expression at that time wasnt something I could show to people. If it was an ordinary child, it could be passed off as a feverish face, but I was quite a beauty so it could invoke some wild ideas in others. Either way, I was entering secluded ssrooms with a female teacher and came out with a flushed face, so it did cause some strange rumors, but since everyone was aware of my weak constitution, they were convinced that it was due to the treatment. Days passed as such, and I finally reached the level of the healthiness of ordinary children. However a new crisis approached me now. S-Stop Stay away! I slowly retreated behind as the personification of ill will sidled up to me. However, that didnt continue for long, for my path of retreat was cut. There was no running away now. I refuse that with all my might! Ehh, why? Isnt it cute? She inclined her head puzzled at my extreme denial While holding the school swimsuit in her hands. A girls, of course. It was a deep blue swimsuit made by abination of several thick fabric. The chest area was mostly covered, but the arms and legs were leftpletely bare. It had already been over two months since I enrolled in this academy. It was already time for me to take on the swimming subject. And for that reason, I was trying to flee from Cortina who sidled up to put that swimsuit on me. With. All. I. Had. I got used to clothes with frills andce. I even resigned myself to short skirts. But this No way I was gonna wear this. Even if you say it, swimming is going to be added to your lessons, so you are going to lose credits if you dont take it, you know? Ugh, so youre betraying me too, Finia. Finia answered with an ecstatic expression on her face. She was probably recalling how I looked in the swimsuit But what about the things on top of that swimsuit? Where was the need to wear those kneesocks and ribbons!? Finia, Ill wear that hat, but I dont need those ribbons. Or those socks. Oh my, I prepared this so you stay warm until you enter the water. As for these ribbons, I just wanted to decorate you with them. Do I have no allies left!? Though I refused, there was a grain or two of logic in her statement. Now that I was included in the swimming lessons, I had no way of escaping from it. Plus, I had to get the suits size right while I could, or it could slip off during the swimming. Considering the time for readjustment, trying it on now wouldnt necessarily be a mistake. Ugh, just kill me at once! Why are you making such a tragic tale out of it? Its just a swimming ss, isnt it? Raum was a big country surrounded by woonds. It was also located on the water veins that supported the said woonds. Rivers branched into every part of the country, so whether you became an Adventurer or joined the army, you had to have experience in crossing rivers. For that reason, I had to at least learn how to swim. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I tried on the swimsuit, but my denial for the kneesocks remained firm. It was quite big in size, enough that its chest would slip off if I swam with it. So it was too big after all. Her illness should be cured, but her appetite didnt change, after all. Its not like the medicine affected the stomachs capacity. Lady Nicole looks cute when shes so small. But I do feel the urge to feed her lots. She put hands on my shoulders from behind and rubbed her cheek on me. I felt that the distance between us shortened a bit since we started kissing every morning. I put my hand on her head and patted her. Finia, you are a good girl. Geez, Lady Nicole. Its hard to tell which one of us is older here. Aah, Finia, no fair! What about me, Nicole? Though I said that, I still patted her too. Id be repeating Finia, but which one of us was an adult here? After having our fill of skinship, I started taking off the swimsuit. Remaining in it in this season felt too cold. After taking it off, I looked over my bare limbs. They were so slim that, put nicely, were like a fairys, but put badly, were like withered branches. I kept on training in secret for the entire month since then and I became quite strong Is what I feel. But I didnt gain any muscle at all. Given that I was a girl now, I had no intention of turning into a brawny macho, but I still wanted some muscle. My overall physical strength improved, but it was still below an average child. I started feeling the progress in proportion to the decrease in my faints. Do Ick training, after all? I believe you are more than active enough already, though? I decided. I should train some more. Please dont. Im quite serious. While I didnt fainttely, Finia didnt stop worrying whenever I went off somewhere and returned with scratches. While the sun was up, Michelle and Letina took me out for huntingwhich was actualbat in name onlyand at night I snuck out and had sword training with Cloud. I didnt find any formidable opponents since then, but running around in the forest was bound to give me scratches. Surprisingly enough, however, no scars remain on my body. Michelle had small ones all over her body, though. This, too, mightve been part of the blessings I received from that goddess. Chapter 93 That day, they gathered all the new students in one ce and took us to the river located on the citys outskirts. There was a big river near Raum that supplied its poption with water. Todays goal was to make a big inlet for swimming there. We nned to gather the riverside rocks then pile them up inside the river that had a slow current, and make an inlet or bay, in other words, and hold our swimming lesson there. Over a hundred students entered the water with an armful of rock and dammed up the current. My swimsuit didnt make it, so I had no choice but to enter the water with my gym uniform, which was quite nerve-racking even if I was a child. We didnt make much progress in one day, but we were going to keep it up for around a month, so the inlet would eventually grow big enough for tens of people to swim in it. Ugh, so cold. Why couldnt they just ask the Adventurers to do this instead? Because some children may join the army and be soldiers. They are using this to train us with public work too. Letina who was physically like your average childined while carrying the rocks. I also carried the rocks while secretly strengthening my muscles with a wool yarn underneath my clothes. Naturally, I didnt use magic to strengthen them, as that wouldve gathered attention. Some of the yarns snapped midway, but I reced them with new ones each time. Just recing them did the job well, since carrying some stones didnt require extreme movements. Ah, Nicole, Letina! Hm? Oh? Looking towards that familiar voice, I saw Michelle and a few dozen kids heading our way. I could see their guiding instructor, so probably the Adventurers support academys bunch were also rounded up for inlet-making. Are you also making an inlet for swimming? Yup. We share PE rted lessons with the magic academy, so we also have to join in! I greeted her back as she slipped out their line and ran up to us. It wasnt like she slipped out work, for she simply rushed towards their destination, so the teacher let it pass. We got to the shore and started chatting while staying in our swimming uniforms. Cortina who was acting as the supervisor didnt start scolding us over a little break. Rather, we had to take breaks or we wouldnt be able to work in such cold water for long periods. Okay, if youre going to rest, make sure you warm your bodies up properly. She said that and presented steaming cups before us. It was bean tea with milk added. Michelle! Hurry up ande back already! Their teacher caught up and scolded her. The support academys students were already lined up, too. Looking at them, however, made me think they looked quite out of ce. Yes, they were clearly too lightly equipped. They at least had weapons like Michelle to protect themselves from monsters. But other than those, they had far too few things on them. Michelle, wheres your lunchbox? She, or should I say they, didnt seem to have brought food with them. Other than weapons, they had nothing, save for a change of clothes. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Mhm, we are going to procure it here. Theres a lot of fish in the river, after all! Wow, youre fishing on top of making the inlet? Support academy is on another level. More like catching them by hand! Oh, right, they dont have fishing rods on them. How do you even catch them by hand? The first group is going to start making the bank. The second group will prepare the kitchen range and the third one will catch fish. Can you do it? Yes! The kids answered cheerfully and scattered to different directions. Waiting for that, Cortina raised her voice. Okay, lets take a short break. You might catch a cold if your temperature drops too much! Its just the right time for lunch too, so lets do that! Unlike those kids, we brought lunchboxes with us. We werent putting as much importance on the survival skills as they did. Other students also got out of the water and rummaged through their luggage. I suppose it was because we were kids that we werent bothered about being wet. Seeing that, Cortina pped and yelled once more. Hey! Change your clothes first! Im the one getting cold here just by watching you! Ehh! If you kids caught a cold Id be the one held responsible! Cortina chased after the kid who ran around, not wanting to change. She used magic and proceeded to catch them one by one. You look nothing like an adult. Oh leave me alone! I ended up muttering my thoughts as I watched her resorting to magic to catch those kids. She overheard them and retorted back. Nicole, if you are free, help me catch them. Kaay. ying a bit of tag here with all these rocks scattered about could serve as training in a way. Thinking that I decided to chase them after I changed. Okay, changing done. Lets go, Letina. Leave it to me! Letina raised her hands overhead and dashed out. But there wasnt that big of a difference in ability between her and the fleeing students. Thus, she wasnt as sessful in her hunt. I was different, however. Footwork and body bnce. Unlike those kids who ran away with all their might, I had my previous lifes experience to aid me. I ran past them dexterously while covering the minimal ground, got in front of them, and secretly caught them with threads. The number I caught rivaled Cortinas who used magic to do it. After we caught all of them, she couldnt hide her surprise seeing my number. Ill be damned. I couldnt beat my student even by using magic Did my skills grow dull? Isnt it simply because Im specialized in closebat unlike you? Even so Youre just too good, Nicole Im feeling bitter as a teacher. You have a lot of strong points, Cortina. Im happy you say that, but still (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) With a sigh, I encouraged the sulking Cortina by patting her on the head. Chapter 94 After about a month, we finally constructed the embankment and made ourselves a ce to swim. All that was left was for the teachers to use Earth Wall and solidify it. After we built it and Cortina and other teachers finallypleted it, Maxwell came to show his face. That damn old man kept up his good-natured old mans appearance and easily widened the bank we made, so I lost my words. What was the point of us working for the entire month? I felt envious of my ssmate who honestly felt impressed and looked up to him as a hero. Either way, that marked thepletion of the swimming ce. The rest was for the water to flow in on its own and make an appropriately deep pool. By that time, my swimsuit was finished and I was pushed down the valley of shame, but lets just forget that. As such, preparations for the new lesson was done, and we finally returned to our usual daily lessons. In other words, to our Adventure-like hunts after-school. We did public works during school times, but as expected, such heavybor was too hard for childrens bodies to handle. The moment I got home after-school, I knocked myself out and slept all the way until dinner. And at night, I trained Cloud, forging him as an Adventurer. My sleeping hours had clearly decreased as ofte. But that was only until today. From tomorrow on, we were returning to the usual lessons until the swimming practices began. Since we werent fatigued, I had enough stamina left to take Michelle and Letina with me, and spend the after-school in the forest until dinner time. Crimson Two, Ultramarina One, Gold Three. Grant yon archer the power to draw How is it? Nghhhh! Ghh No good. Receiving my Interference Magic, Michelle tried her best to draw the silver longbow, but she only managed to draw it a bit, nowhere near enough to loose an arrow. She couldnt even budge it before, so I suppose this could be called progress. It was the result of her physical strength going up due to the schools training and my magic that Ive be able to use up to Crimson two. Im not sure about the result, but this bow amazes me every time I look at it Well, it was given by the goddess, after all. That was careless of me. I felt like Ive be a bit too loose-mouthed as ofte. I needed to pay more attention from now on. But well, someone who readily gives a bow like this was probably better to be called a god. Errr Im sure the goddess presented it to you because you were desperately trying to save a friend. You think so? Ah, she was really pretty, so maybe that is the case! Yeah, right. Do you remember her, though, Michelle? Hmm? Eh Now that you mentioned it, I cant seem to recall her face? You two, you dont even remember her face, so why did you even call her pretty? Why, I wonder? She certainly seemed to be a beauty. However, that impression wasnt stored in my memories. She was probably using something like the perception obstruction magic. She did say something along those lines back when she reincarnated me too. But only I knew that, not Michelle. Ive already learned my lesson for running my mouth, so I better avoid mentioning anything else. If you cant use it, then thats that. Theres no need to force yourself, so just go with your usual bow today, okay? Kids were fast to switch moods. After I made that suggestion, the two quickly entered their hunting modes. Adventurers often huntedrge prey in Raums vicinity, so there were few dangerous animals left there. Moreover, we were close to the Elven settlement, so it was safer than any other ce. It was for that reason that even kids like us could safely enter the forest. The kidnappers who were threatening the peacetely were exterminatedby me, thoughand the thieves who stole the Treants seeds were all massacred, too. Again, by me. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Either way, there was no visible threat around Raum at present. Ah, there it is. Did you find one already? Your eyes are as sharp as ever. I discovered a wild goat eating grass quite a distance away. It was a wild one, but it was biologically no different from the reared goats. Since the dangerous beasts disappeared from here, simr gentle animals took their ce. That said, its not like there was no danger at all. It ran out of luck when hunters like us spotted it, though. I mean, I wasnt a hunter, but still. Then, lets do the usual. Got it. Okay! Letina, youre too loud. O-Okay. The usual referred to thebination where I stealthily approached and restricted its movements, while Letina and Michelle finished it off from the distance. If it was just me, I would use my threads to entangle its legs and finish it in one move once its movements were sealed. But that would defeat the purpose of their training. There were still many things they had to learn, including the cooperation with the vanguard. Now then Lets start, shall we! With those words, I erased my presence without using my Stealth Gift and headed towards the goat. Chapter 95 We took our big haul, in other words, the goat, and merrily returned to the town. It was too difficult for me or Michelle to carry dozens of kilograms of weight alone, so we carried it in turns and that cost us quite a bit of time. The gate guards envious expression when he saw our spoils was quite impressive. Most probably, he would be having roasted goat meat with his drink tonight. We gathered in Michelles house and had the goat dismantled. Her family specialized in hunting so they had various tools and many knives used for dismantling. We brought big game with us, so her mother happily epted our request. While we were waiting, we decided to rest our bodies while drinking the tea we were offered. We still had the stamina to spare, but we decided to withdraw earlier than intended due to howrge our game was, so we still had time. We usually hunted small rabbits and birds, so there was still time to hunt a few of them. Okay, Im done. Thank you very much. Michelles mother put three leather bags on the table while taking off the bloodstained apron she used during the dismantling. We always split whatever we hunted into three equal parts between us. But are you sure we can have this much? As always, I bet Lady Nicole was the vanguard while my girl was just shooting at it from behind, right? Mom, youre so mean! This was how our usual exchange went. Their family was able to move to Raum due to Lyells assistance. Thus they were feeling excessively obliged towards me, his daughter. Just saying, but Im also the Marquis daughter, you know But I dont feel anything noble in you, Letina. Whats that supposed to mean! Michelle and Letina pulled each others cheeks. These two were getting more or less the same level of treatment. Though it was mainly Letina on the short end of it. Then, thank you for dismantling it for us. We should be saying thanks instead. Now we have a nice addition to our evening meal. Me too! This will be a good gift for my mother! Well then, Michelle. See you tomorrow. Yeah, bye! Oh, and Letina too, I guess. What do you mean, I guess!? We merrily waved our hands and took our respective roads home. Our bags only had the wild goats meat with the blood removed, but they still weighed good five kilograms. I lifted it and headed home while swaying around. Cortinas house was next to Michelles, so I was in an easy spot. Letina lived a bit far so she had it the toughest. Im home! Wee home, Lady Nicole. When I entered inside, Finia cheerfully ran to my side from the inside. Her expression seemed to be full of relief. Mhm, did somethingOh? Cortinas house was the type where you took your shoes off. In other words, everyones shoes were lined up at the entrance. But there were clearly too many pairs right now. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Do we have guests? Yes. Lord Lyell and Lady Maria, as well as Lord Gadius and Lord Maxwell. So, basically everyones here. Well, yes. To tell the truth, just waiting on the table was mentally exhausting Ah, so thats why you look so relieved? Ugh K-Keep it a secret, okay? If it was just Lyell, Maria and Cortina, she could more or less handle it already. But with Gadius who looked entric at a nce, and Maxwell, a noble of this country, she was hardly to me for feeling nervous. But why are they here? It seems Lord Maxwell found out some new information, and when she heard it, Lady Cortina asked everyone to gather here. Hmm? Oh, here, I brought a gift. We hunted a goat. Ohh, amazing! Goat smells a bit so Lets boil it in red wine and make a stew. Yay. Even after getting reborn, the meat remained justice for me. I couldnt eat too much of it now, but meat and sweets were still my favorite. Then, Ill go wash myself. Please greet them before that. Oh, right. Lyell and the rest came uninvited almost every night, but it was rare for Gadius to show his face. I was indebted to Maxwell too, so a little greeting wouldnt hurt. After passing the short corridor and arriving at the living room, I was met with my formerrades sitting with tensed expressions. H-hellow. Whats wrong? Wee back, Nicole. We were just discussing something. When I greeted them while biting my tongue a bit, Maria returned to her usual state and answered me with a smile. But her smile still had traces of tension. Did something happen? Yes. Daddy and Mommy think of going on a little journey. Huh, why? Lyell had a vige to protect. Maria was the same. It must have been something very important topel them to do that. We might have found our oldrade. Oldrade? You mean, Lord Reid? Based on my knowledge, only us Six Heroes weremonrades of both Lyell and Maria. And I was the only missing hero here. But that person was here, so why was there a need to go on a journey? You found Him? It wasnt about me. They couldnt have realized it was me. Even though I understood that, I could feel the cold sweat on my spine. Who, then, were they searching for? No, its still at the might stage. This involves her parents, so we should probably tell her everything. With that, Maxwell started exining the situation to me. The cause turned out to be the house where Matisse who I saved was hidden in. Of course, there was no survivor left there. However, we discovered strange scars on the burned traces of the residence. Scars? Yes, such as on the edge of the door or the window frames. The barn pirs also had traces of being cut. We have seen those scars many times. In other words (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Maria took over Maxwells words. After they said that much, I also realized it. They were talking about the traces of the steel threads I used to hang those people up and set up traps. They were traces of Reids traps. And theres also Matisses testimony: a small silhouette in ck. At first we thought it was a Gnome assassin, but if that was a child instead it perfectly fits the timeframe of Reids reincarnation. Reid has been reborn. If we assume thats the case, its strange that he didnte to meet us Well, thats because his circumstances dont allow him toe forward. Please dont research any more than this! Anyway, as long as that possibility is there, we want to search for him. I-Is that so I could only mutter so in response with a vacant expression. Chapter 96 The Six Hero members were in high spirits after noticing the possibility of my reincarnation. Seeing Lyell and Maria trying to set out on a fruitless journey put me in a serious mood too. It wasnt because I was discovered. It was because I knew that their journey would bear no results, so letting them go would make me feel guilty. That said, If I went and said something like, Actually, Im Reids reincarnation. Tehe~ there was no knowing what would be of my life from then on. At the very least, I have sucked on Marias breasts, entered the bath with girls and massaged them, and in Finias and Cortinas extreme case, I was kissing them every morning and evening to have much magic power absorbed. No way I can say it Finia always stood behind me. This didnt change even when Lyell and the rest came here. Because of that, she overheard my anguished mutter. Fortunately, she didnt hear what I actually said. Wait for us, Nicole. Well bring a new friend with us! Maria made a fist pump while throwing out her abundant chest. That gesture suited her well, because she looked young despite being close to forty. Still, I couldnt just let them go. That would be far too pitiful. If I couldnt think of a reason to prevent their journey, my conscience would receive heavy damage. U-Um Hm, what is it? Are you worried? Dont worry, mommy is super strong! I know that. Thats not it, Maria. Now then, what kind of excuse should I make up? One that wouldnt expose me and suitable for my current age Thats not it. We finally get to be together, and you are leaving already Ah, right That would make you feel lonely, huh, Nicole. Maria knew Teleportation magic, thats why I could meet her almost every night. However, when it came to a journey, using a spell with slow activation andrge consumption would put a big burden on her. It would be close to impossible for them to pop up here every day like theyve been doing so far. Maxwell would be able to do it effortlessly though. Yes, so But Reid is an irreceablerade for us. Im very grateful that you say that, but Huh? No, I mean, err I was desperately racking my brains to get them to give up. My thoughts were going nowhere, though, so I couldnt think up anything good. No wait err But he would be a child now, right? Then he should have a mother now. Ah, true If we found and brought him back, wed be separating him from his parents. You are so kind, Nicole, thinking of the others well-being before yours. As expected of my angel. Because I was too focused on finding the excuse, I couldnt notice Lyell creeping at me from behind. I couldnt escape his herculean strength, so I ended up trapped in his hug. Gueeh! True, even if Reid was reborn, he should still be a kid. Based on the eye-witness, he didnt seem to have been reborn as a Half-Demon either, so theres a high chance that he is raised by parents. Geeeeeh! Instead of thoughtlessly searching for him, maybe we should wait for him toe before us? I-Im about to burstIm bursting! Right. Now that I think about it, since he was seen here as a child, theres a high chance that he was actually reborn in this town. D Dyi- Besides, we certainly cant find him if he actually puts effort into hiding. Since he doesnt want to appear, he must have a proper reason for it. Indeed, its better for us to wait. Hearing about him made me impatient too it seems. Also, its about time you released Nicole. Her faces turning pale. Whoops, my bad. Even with physical strength assistance, I couldnt oppose his physical strength. I was a bit no quite a lot weaker than an average seven-year child, while Lyells strength was prominent throughout human history. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) It wouldnt take a genius to guess what would happen to me when someone like that hugged me tightly. I fell plopped down on the floor and Finia hurriedly came to my aid. Sheid me down on the floor and put my head on herp. Her fluid actions were worthy of praise. Well, even if we find him, we could not just take him away. But can you really endure that, Cortina? Ugh. If Reid was there, somewhere away from you, would you be able to endure being apart? Maria asked her with a half-teasing expression. Cortina then sunk to silence with a bitter expression on her face. Perhaps she was the one with the biggest attachment to me. Thats why she probably wouldnt be able to leave me there if she found me. Maria was teasing her about that. The person they were discussing was before their eyes, though. Mgh Fine! Lets just keep this status quo regarding him. He should have his own life, and he wille if he wants to meet us. Yes, I went and forcibly reincarnated him, so causing any more trouble would be too pitiful for him. Im fine with that, but are you sure, Cortina? You, read the mood a little. She was obviously not alright with it. Still, she considered my own life and chose to keep the status quo. Lyell went and ruined those sentiments, so Maria mercilessly elbowed him. He fell t on the floor with a dull sound. Looks like that elbownded right on his gut. Chapter 97 I managed to prevent Lyell and Marias departure for the time being. After that, the customary party was held overbearinglyFinia looked quite pitiable because of Gadius and Maxwend after midnight, they finally went home. I had Cloud take a day off from the training too, so I was able to properly rest my body. I threw myself on my bed and sighed out all my worked up heat from earlier, calming down my heart with every breath. Overworking a child could ruin their body. Its important to have him rest properly. I felt like the words I spoke came back and hit me like a boomerang, but lets just ignore it. After taking a breather, I got up and made preparations to examine my equipment. I approached the closet with a stool to stand on, then removed the inner board and took out the hidden tools from within. I wrapped threads on my body during the training, so I wore a ck leather jacket and kneesocks made from a firm material, and leggings. My shoes were also knee-high boots, so my skin was mostly hidden. In exchange, it emphasized my body lines quite a lot. This was something Finia chose for me hypothesizing the hunting I did with Michelle. Frilly clothes would get in the way inside the forest. Showy colors would also catch the preys attention. Thats why it was made of mostly ck. That said, Ive had it quite toughtely. There were frays starting to show up here and there on the coat, and blood and dust were sticking to the threads. I guess I cant handle the coat myself. Should I ask Finia to help me repair it? Passing the needle through the coat was impossible with my strength. The strength enhancement of threads didnt reach down to my fingertips, after all. I wore it during my hunts so I could ask for its repairs without problems. I removed the battle marks and bloodstains that could invite suspicion and moved on to the next work. The steel threads were twisted from thin metal, so the abrasions were quite extreme. There was also dust and blood stuck in its gaps so I had to carefully wipe them with the maintenance oil. Still, I suppose they are already close to their limit. I really should start looking for new piano wires. Rather, piano threads were quite inefficient because they wore down too fast. In my previous life, a certain cksmith supplied me with Mythril threads and specially adjusted them for my use. Moreover, I even had them make gauntlets for me with five of those threads equipped on each hand, able to span for over a hundred meters each. That weapon was something like a symbol of mine Huh? That reminds me, I wonder what happened to those gauntlets? My equipment couldnt have vanished after I died. In other words, it wouldnt be strange for my favorite gauntlets to still be around somewhere. They belonged to one of the Six Heroes, after all. I dont think anyone would demolish or melt them to make something else. Which would mean, they are in someones custody, huh? The most likely candidates were Cortina who should have rushed to my side during myst moments, and Maria who supposedly cast Reincarnation on me back then. But there was no such thing in either of their houses. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) This was based on my experience as a spy. I was almost certain that neither of them had those. Did Cortina entrust them to Maxwell, I wonder? When it came to Maxwells treasure house, I had no way of confirming it. It was the most guarded ce in this town. It might have been the safest ce in the town, no, the entire world. But even I cant get inside there I suppose I have to settle for the piano wires for now. I showed myself only twice in the music room. Publicly I was simply attending the sses, but in reality, I was there to procure piano wires. I felt a bit apologetic to the music teacher when she tried to teach me how to y only to faint in agony from the produced noise. If I steal too much, they might get suspicious. I really have to consider a battle style that doesnt rely on threads While I was thinking that, I heard a knock on the door. Given the energetic knock, it didnt seem to be Finia. Sure enough, I heard Cortinas voice the next moment. Nicole, are you there? Ah, yeah. Give me a moment. The ck hunting clothes and piano wires were scattered around in my room. The clothes were still fine, but I would have no excuse to give if she saw the threads. I winded the threads in a hurry, crammed them in the box and stuffed it under the bed. It was a good hiding spot, but it was only temporary since that wasnt where I usually hid them. Come in. Cortina, in her pajamas, opened the door and walked in. She looked far too defenseless in those loose pajamas, and I could catch glimpses of her chest. Were I still a man, I might have taken her straight to the bed. Oh, were you in the middle of maintaining your hunting gear? Thats admirable. Nah, this is nothing. I hid the threads but the ck clothes were still lying there. I didnt hide them since they werent particrly suspicious. Its got fray spots everywhere. That shows your and Michelles hard work. Though I feel like you are overworking yourself. Its okay, we have Letina with us too. I see, I see. You are an honor student, huh, Nicole. She stroked my head with her slender fingers. Her tail also cheerfully swayed around. It seemed that the previous discussion the decision they reached to not search for me, hasnt left her in a foul mood. So, what did you want? Ah, well. Its about what we talked earlier I thought she didnt have anyints about it, but was the reality different? My questions showed up on my face, so she hurriedly waved her hands in denial. Ah, thats not it! I have no objections about the decision. But still, it would take time for me to sort out my feelings, dont you think? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Now that she mentioned it, we had consecutive holidays from next week because the creation of the swimming pond tired us out. And there was a famous hot spring in the elven vige nearby. Cortina decided to make use of that time and take us there. That doesnt sound so bad. But are we all going? Im thinking of me and you, Finia, Michelle and Letina. You arent inviting LyDaddy? Ah, well, if I invite them, it would turn out like today. Lyell wasnt a bad drunk, but when he was with Gadius and Maxwell he tended to lose restraint. They were friends who were apart for a long time, so they probably had quite a lot on their minds. We have to arrange some time for Finia to rest too. Yeah, I agree with you. It was the same today, but Finia worked all the time behind the scenes, be it housework, cooking, cleaning orundry. She was even taking sword lessons ever since we arrived in this town. And tonights dispute might have fatigued her quite a bit. Its decided then. Id like for us to depart next week, so let Michelle and Letina know, okay? Got it. I gave a quick salute of acknowledgment. As such, we made ns to depart on a trip next week. Chapter 98 We had four days, counting the weekend, off in total. We nned to manage this time so we could stay for two nights and three days there. The hot spring in question was in the elven settlement located inside the forest a few hours away from Raum. There was a trade route going through the forest towards it, so the trips werent that difficult. The five of us going there were me, Finia, Cortina, as well as Michelle and Letina. The parents of thest two had things to do so they couldnt apany us. As such, we departed early morning towards the hot spring resort, but our journey turned out harsher than we imagined. For me, that is Hahhh Hahhh Nicole, again? Theres no helping yourck of stamina. I had copsed on the maintained stone paving on all fours. The Magic Buildup Disease itself was alreadypletely suppressed thanks to Dr. Tricias medicine. I no longer fainted from the sudden exhaustion like before, but that didnt mean my initially weak constitution disappeared with it. The forest path, in particr, had limited sunlight, high humidity and the wind blowing through it, which shaved my stamina away. You could call it a calming environment if you were staying there for a short while, but it was different when it came to walking through it for a long time. Cortina understood that too and let me take a short rest and offered me a sk of water. Well, you are able to walk for an hour now, so thats an improvement. We have some time to spare, so lets take a short rest here. This is disappointing even if I say so myself. That cant be helped. Rather, the two of you are too lively for your ages. Cortina pointed at Michelle and Letina and said that. Indeed, Michelle had too much stamina for her age, enough to even rival a girl in her teens. Letina, on the other hand, was the indoor type, so while her initial energy was good, she was quick to tire too. She still seemed to have some energy to spare now, but give her thirty more minutes and she would end up in the same shameful state as me. Nicole, wasnt your illness cured? It was cured, okay? I just dont have enough stamina yet. No helping it then, lets rest. Thats what Cortina said already. I suppose she was at an age where kids liked to act as leaders. I observed her with pleasant thoughts as she puffed her t chest and gave those instructions. My limbs had gonepletely limp, though. Finia was gantly massaging my legs and it felt really nice. Seeing how I waspletely retired, Cortina asked in worry. Are you sure your magic power isnt leaking? You really dont need me to suck it out? Yeah, I dont. Tsk. Why did you click your tongue!? My power of emission was forcibly widened now, so until I learned how to emit it myself I needed someone else to help me with it. Cortina and Finia took it as a reward and fought over who got to suck it out during morning and evening. To be honest, I got to kiss two beauties because of it so I actually weed it a lot But this was a secret they didnt need to know. We moved to the roadside so we wouldnt block the path, then I took a sip of the lukewarm water. I was feeling a bit cold so warm alcohol or something wouldve been a blessing, but beggars couldnt be choosers. Rather, this body was extremely weak to alcohol, so just one sip wouldve left me dead drunk. It would be great if we at least had some milk, though, but this trip was going to take around half a day so we decided against bringing food that easily spoiled. Oh, right. Nicole, wait a bit, okay? Mm? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Cortina took my sk, dropped some kind of fruit in it and crammed it into another pouch. Then she put that pouch on the ground and warmed it up with Ignite magic. The pouch was made from ibustible material, so Ignite only warmed it up instead of burning. After she kept warming it up for a bit, she took out the sk and poured the contents in a portable cup, and passed it to me. Here you go. Hm, whats this? I put dried apricots inside and warmed it up. You looked like the water wasnt quite enough. She treated me like a kid, but I was an adult on the inside, and a man at that. Of course, I would act reserved. I awkwardly brought the cup to my mouth. The sweet and sour taste of apricots was mixed with the water, making it easier to drink. Michelle and Letina looked at it with wistful eyes. Cortina noticed it too so she poured the water into other cups and passed it to them. Heres some for you too, Michelle, Letina. You should rest a bit too, Finia. Okay, I will do that once I finish this up. Sorry about this, Finia. I think of this as a benefit instead. Huh? Finia responded while massaging my branch-like, thin legs. I felt like her loyalty was developing in a weird direction. Thanks to that, her masochistic nature was slowly recovering, so I wasnt sure whether to feel happy or sad about it. While we were resting on the roadside, one carriage happened to pass by. Chapter 99 Before us showed up a peddler carriage, an encounter that happened often. They were employing the Adventurers for escorting, which too was an orthodox sight. They didnt seem to be familiar faces at a nce so Cortina hurriedly covered her cat ears with a hat. Her fluffy tail wasnt visible from the outside as it was hidden under her traveling cape. The carriage stopped before us as they saw me being massaged on the roadside. The man holding the reins called out to me with a worried look. Good day. Im a merchant, Bill Wyss. Is anything the matter? asked a rtively well-built man, giving off the airs of a merchant. He seemed like a good-natured guy at a nce; I couldnt feel any malicious intent from him. The apanying Adventurers didnt give off such dangerous vibes either. Far from it, they even had an Elven female mixed amongst them. That said, merchants generally came off as good mannered people. Their upation was such that you couldnt judge their true character based on their appearance. Not all Elves were saints either, after all. Its just that there were fundamentally less malicious individuals among thempared to humans. They were somewhat secluded and conservative society, but for better or worse they were overall a virtuous race. Rather, you could hardly find careless individuals like Maxwell there. In the end, I decided it was dangerous to let my guard down and focused myx mind. Oh, no. This girl got a bit tired so we are just taking a little break, Cortina answered in a light tone. She appeared to be slightly wary but not tense. Perhaps she also couldnt feel any ill intent from them. The slight wariness was due to having never met them before. Then, one of the Adventurersthe female Elf stepped forward. Fatigue, huh. Would you mind if I take a look? S-Sure Go ahead. Finia moved away and let her take a look at my legs. The Elf squatted down before me and introduced herself with a smile, her long, blonde hair fluttering in the wind. Nice to meet you. I am Haumea, an Elf as you can see. Hello. Im Nicole. I only noticed it after we introduced ourselves, but I could surprisingly see that she was quite aged. Elves boasted of incredible lifespans, so it was exceedingly difficult to guess their age base on their appearance. Maxwell was very close to the end of his lifespan, so he looked like an old man. She rubbed my legs a few times, examining them. It Doesnt seem like your fatigue came from overusing your legs. Her constitution just happens to be particrly weak. True, shescking muscles quite a bit. And her skins so white, its as if shes a noble. Thats because shes been staying inside the house due to her weak body until just recently. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) After inquiring about my condition from Cortina, she took out some wild grasses from her belt pouch. She dampened the leaves with water and then borately rubbed them, making them sticky. She then stuck them on my calves and heels, and fixed them in ce with a handkerchief. Those are simplepresses. But they should prove to be quite effective. Thank you very much. Those were Mild leaves, right? Oh, so you know about them. Thats right, they can remove heat from the flesh, so they are effective for reducing fatigue. Cortina was a catgirl whose race shared close bonds with the wilderness. Because of that, she was also more or less knowledgeable about the wild grasses. However, she forgot to prepare the fatigue relieving herbs despite the fact that it would be a few hours long trip. Excuse me for my question, but are you perhaps headed for the Elven vige up ahead? Yeah, but Im just taking it easy since I have kids with me. Would you like to board the carriage then? Perhaps it was fate that had us meet. It was true for Cortina herself, but even Finia was a perfect beauty. Michelle had an innocent charm, while Letina was a nobles daughter, both of them having looks that boasted of great promise. ve traders wouldve probably seen us as an exceedingly appealing prey. Cortina was aware of that, so she spent some time ascertaining their natures. These Adventurers are a bit unsociable, so please pardon me on that. Oh my, thats quite a rude thing to say, Bill. I consider myself quite sociable, you know? Hahaha, you are a rare case even among rare cases, Haumea! Hey, now, Im not that bad myself. But you have a scary face, Torto. Oh,e on! Their group consisted of the merchant Bill, Elven Adventurer Haumea, Human Torto and another Elven man. It turned out that the four of them were also heading towards the Elven settlement. We witnessed their unexpectedly friendly exchange as we boarded the carriage. Looks like you get along quite well. Yes, Im always making round trips between Elven settlement and Raum, and Im always employing them as an escort. Have you known each other for long? Ah, sorry, that was too inquisitive of me. Finia unusually took the initiative to talk to them. She was talking to Bill now, but she seemed to be more interested in talking with the two Elves. She was an Elf and an orphan, so these two were the only elves she had seen in a long while. Her interest was fully justified. Dont worry about it. Lets see, Ive known Bill ever since he used to wear diapers. Same for Cole. Yeah, its been quite long now that you mention it, Answered the male Elf in a low voice. His voice carried dignity, letting me feel the weight of his many years. This guy is unsociable in the truest sense, so dont worry too much. So are you aiming for the hot spring in the settlement? Yes, along with the bath. Oh, you mentioned her body was weak, right? That hot springs pretty great for it, sometimes even a Dragones to take a dip in it. A Dragon!? Haumea said something unbelievable. Letina leaned forward and asked again. There were plenty of ces with hot springs on this continent. Still, Ive never heard that they were ces the Dragons visited. Um, is it really safe? We wouldnt be eaten or anything, right? Ahaha, you dont have to worry about that. That Dragon has the highest intelligence amongst their race. High intelligence You are talking about a Superior Dragon, right? Yeah. They havent visited in the past few years, but they are quite an important named individual, you know? Heh Cortina and I didnt have such a good impression of Dragons. Our image of the hot spring worsened a bit after knowing that one of them was a frequenter. Well, the bath itself isnt at fault, so juste and enjoy yourselves. Seeing ourplex expressions, the woman told us with a cheerfulugh. Chapter 100 epting his kindness, we decided to ride along on his carriage. Cortina who had more fighting strengthwell,pared to a normal personsat at the coachmans seat with Bill, while the three of us kids and Finia sat inside the carrier. Haumea and Cole sandwiched the carriage between them and walked along. They were heading to the Elven vige to buy things, so the carrier had almost no luggage on it. The round trip only took a few hours, so they only took as much food and water as they could carry on hand. The carrier only had repair tools and oil and antern. Bill didnt even leave his water pouch there and instead carried it on his waist. Perhaps he was wary of the rain, he kept the carriage canopy constantly up which made it quite humid inside, but that was instead pleasant for our chilled bodies from the forests atmosphere. As everyone sat down and rested their bodies, I noticed something strange. He said he was going to the settlement to buy things. It had been developed as a hot spring town, so it was actually quite big to call a settlement, but that name had been stuck since the old days. The patient Elves were famous for their delicate rural crafts and essories that they learned to amuse themselves, and their ornaments were quite popr even in Raum. Bill was probably heading to buy those too, but there was something that doesnt add up. I turned towards the coachmans seat to ask about that. The canopy obstructed the view between the carrier and the coachmans seat so that if it rained it wouldnt get blown inside. For that reason, it was made in a way that you could roll it up like a curtain when you wanted to quickly get in and out. There, I discovered something that had fascinated me since my previous life. From the curtains gaps, I saw Cortinas tail dangling on top of the carrier. As two were having some fun idle chatter her tail tip wriggled around, matching the rhythm of their conversation. Her prideful tail had rtively long, glossy hair for a cat race, and she was taking good care of it, so it gave off a gem-like luster. Being the former man, even I couldnt help but find the way it waggled around cute. In my previous life, I followed my urges and touched her tail without consideration, which ended with me being called a harassing pervert. Since then, I always refrained from touching it, but with the current body, I could probably get away without being med. Gotcha! Unyaa!? I grabbed her lively tail with both hands and coiled it around my neck like a scarf. Ohh, this is a feeling of supreme bliss! Hey, what are you doing? Feeling a sudden difort on her tail, Cortina hurriedly lifted the canvas up and peeked inside. There she saw me in great delight, with her tail coiled around my neck. That fluffy and smooth. That inexpressible sensation made me break into a blissful smile. It felt like Id start drooling if I didnt pay attention. Seeing me like that, Cortinas surprise and anger had nowhere to go. Ah, ugh Umm Nicole, dont surprise me like that. Mhm, sorry. Ahh, this is bliss. Sigh, so as I was saying, Mr. Bill Oh, right, Mr. Bill. Huh, yes? As Bill watched over us with a smile as we appeared as close sisters, my sudden question surprised him. Cortina had beautiful, short blonde hair, while I had long, bluish-silver hair. It was clear that we werent rted by blood, but our stark contrast made us seem somewhat simr instead. I could see why people would be fascinated by us. That said, there was something more important now You are going to buy things, right? Then I couldnt straight up ask him where is the money for that? It would be far too impolite and suspicious to ask where his money was when I didnt even know the guy. But our side had its own circumstances. There were mostly kids inside a carriage with an obstructed view. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) We were riding a merchants carriage that had no money on it despite setting off to buy things, so it was unavoidable to not get suspicious. Umm, if you are, then As he said, he needed a lot of money if he was going to buy things. A hundred or two gold coins wouldnt be nearly enough. It would be much more, enough to require a bag that could fit more than an armful of it. There didnt seem to be any ce where you could hide them on this carriage. If the thing about buying was a lie If something waspelling him to deceive us, then there was a big chance that he was dangerous. Heh, your sister is quite sharp. Yeah, more than me. Still, what Nicole said bothers me too a bit. Cortina showed slight wariness. However, Bill didnt lose hisposure and shrugged his shoulders in response. He then raised a finger and boastfully exined to her. Merchants have two essential teachings. One is that Lifees before anything else. And two, Money is more precious than life. Uhh, arent those contradicting each other? They do. Thats why, we are being careful so we dont fall in a situation that forces us to make a choice between the two. In other words? It didnt seem like he had any ill intent, so Cortina loosened her wariness. If thieves surrounded us and everything went southIll flee for my life. Cortina sighed in exasperation. Bill didnt mind it at all, however. He even puffed his chest and continued his exnation. Naturally, you cant always take your carriage with you when you flee. And you usually cant just grab your pile of money and run with it either, right? Well, yeah. So, Im hiding it inside the carriage in a way that even the bandits wont find it. Wouldnt they just take the entire carriage with them? Horses aside, the carriage is too bulky, so they often just leave it be if they dont find anything inside. Heh So when the bandits leave, you go back and recover the money? Thats right. That was quite cautious. Even as he exined it, he still didnt tell us where that hidden ce was. This was the cautiousness of a merchant, or perhaps the wisdom of a traveler. Whenever we were attacked by bandits, we use to happily wipe them out, then get the location of their base out of them and rob them of all their treasure. One of the bandits even cursed at us, asking which side were bandits at that point. We answered back with scornfulughs though. By the way, Cortina was the most enthusiastic whenever we made ns, followed by Maria. They knew what would await them were they to be caught, hence they didnt show any mercy. Even Maria was merciless towards those that hurt people. That was when we were made to learn just how scary women could be. Chapter 101 While we listened to the merchants measures against the bandits, we finally arrived at the Elven settlement. Fortunately, there werent any bandit attacks on the waywhich was natural, given how close to Raum we wereso we safely reached the hot spring district managed by Elves. After thanking Bills group, we rushed inside the nearby inn. This trip was spurred by Cortinas sudden idea, so we naturally hadnt ced advance reservations. In the first ce, this district was full of inns, so there was almost no chance that all the rooms would be taken. Elves managed this settlement but some inns were managed by humans and other races too. Hello, do you have any free rooms? For two adults and three kids, and preferably a single room. We passed between strange earthenware animals and headed for the counter where an old man was smoking his tobo, whom Cortina cheerfully addressed. She was already near forty too, but her actions and looks made her seem more like a teen, or in some cases, even younger than that. Sure we have But a five-person room? We have a free four-person one, but it shouldnt be a problem with three kids, right? Yes, that would be fine. Id like to pay in advance for two nights and three days. Its five silvers per night for an adult, and two for kids. For two nights, that would be 32 silvers. Though the meals cost extra. So you can prepare meals here? It would be one silver for lunch and three for dinner. Well be eating out in the morning and noon, so just dinner would be fine. Then thats 15 for five, 30 for two days, so in total that would be 62 silvers. Cortina took the room in an experienced manner and received the key for it. True to being a ce offort for the sightseeing area, the prices were more than double the normal. However, he wasnt overcharging us by any means thats just how much we could expect from their service. Our room wasnt anything extravagant, but it was a clean and spacious room with a rxed feel. It had a peculiar floor with knitted grass and a washroom, as well as a balcony. There was a rocking chair opposite to it from where you could enjoy the backyard scenery. We quickly dropped our luggage and sprawledfortably on the floor. But Cortina didnt find that quite satisfactory and suggested another idea. Now then, lets not waste time and take a dip in the hot bath, shall we? Yaaay! Then I shall go make some tea What are you on about? You areing with us, Finia. This trip is for you. Finia was about to start tidying up the luggage and start preparing tea, but Cortina grabbed her by the nape of her neck and dragged her along. I-I willeter! Theres also Lady Nicoles massage to take care of. You really are devoted to Nicole, huh? Thats not a bad thing, but you are having fun with us today. Cortina straight up denied Finias appeal who was putting me above everything else. I was in full agreement with Cortina this time. And so, I also clung to her arm and dragged her. If I didnt use my whole body, she could shake off my arm. Finia, lets all enjoy ourselves together, okay? But Lady Nicole, I wouldnt be able to take care of you like that Then, let me take care of you today! Huh? She was far too serious about her work, and this wasnt an exaggeration. If she didnt take a good rest every once in a while, her body and mind would probably break down. She was managing Cortinas house on top of taking care of me, from meals to cleaning andundry. And if that wasnt enough, she started training the sword recently. Whenever she had free time she stood in front of the house and swung a fake sword in her maid uniform. She even became famous for that in the neighborhood. Because of her hard work, her hands were gradually bing all tattered, which Cortina healed every time she spotted it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Cortina could handle simple healing magic so there were no problems, but if she wasnt there, her hands wouldve probably turned simr to the gnarled hands of a man by now. Even I couldnt bear to see her delicate hands turn so rough. Because of the healing magic, they remained thin and delicate for now. But this meant that they were weak to friction and werent increasing their endurance. For the hand skin to be thicker, it had to be grazed, torn, start to bleed and then let it heal on its own. If you exponentially increased your healing ability with magic, you wouldnt be able to gain that excessive restoration that we define as toughness. Cortina hated that idea, however, so she healed Finia despite her attempts to deny it. She was probably following the Cute girls shouldnt have rough hands! kind of line of thought. I was in strong agreement with that too. Then to return the favor for everything you do, Ill be the one massaging you today. I said that with the most innocent smile I could make, but its not like I had any ulterior motives Well, maybe a bit Only a little bit. Back when I died, Finia was just a little girl, but now, 10 years after my death on top of seven years since my reincarnation, she had already be a 22 years old beauty. The Elves had their growth stopped right after they reached adulthood, so she remained looking like a 15-year-old girl. We always got into the bath together, so I knew just how deliciously fine and glossy her skin actually was.It would be unreasonable to ask me to banish such thoughts, I tried convincing myself. Finia appeared a bit troubled but she finally gave in and timidly epted my offer. Her expression seemed to be twitching, perhaps because she was trying all she could to suppress a gleeful smile forming on her face. T-Theres no helping it, then. If thats what you want, if thats what youreallywant, then I dont have anything against it And this is a good opportunity so Id instead be happy if you do Finia, your speech changed somehow. Ah. Oh well, that showed just how happy this hardworking girl was. My motives aside, she really did deserve that massage. Chapter 102 After pursuing Finia who was acting reserved on the outside, we first decided to head to therge public bath to wash off our sweat. In this settlement, it was rmended to wear a gown that opened at the front. It was a warm season now, moreover, this was a hot spring district with high humidity, so such clothing where air could pass felt very pleasant. Thus we all got dressed in such a way and headed for the bath. After hearing that she would be getting a massage from me, Finias pace was extremely lively. She still kept up her usual expressionless face, though, which got a smallugh out of me. As I was walking behind her, I poked Michelle on the arm and pointed at Finias feet. Her gait was so joyful it seemed like she was barely containing herself from breaking into hops. Michelle also noticed it and pinned her mouth to suppress augh. Letina realized how happy Finia was based on our reactions and also pinned her mouth with both hands to hold back from bursting intoughter. However, Finia always stuck to her status as a servant and only showed strained smiles to the two girls, which made her feel somewhat distant. Finia had such slightly hard to approach air around her, but if this trip allowed them to be closer, then that alone made it worthing here. Finia looks soical. Yeah, shes happy. I thought she was more collected than that. While the three of us were whispering to each others ears behind her, she suddenly turned around. Is something the matter, Lady Nicole? she asked in her usual calm tone. No, its nothing, I answered. If you only looked at her expression, nothing really stood out. However, she couldnt hide the excited twitches of her legs below the knees. Pfff What are you doing, Michelle!? Michelle couldnt hold back and leaked augh, then Letina hurriedly rebuked her. They looked like kids that held their mouths so their mischief wouldnt be found out. Michelle has an illness that makes her spontaneouslyugh sometimes. I have never heard of such illness. I made her turn around and pushed her from behind. She was having a fun time for once, so there was no need to point it out and spoil it. Given my height, my hands couldnt reach her back so I pushed her waist instead, but I was startled by how thin and soft her body felt under the fabric. Both Maria and Cortina wore tough armour back in our adventuring days, so I rarely got to experience how soft their bodies were But this made me realize just how different it was from a mans body. Hmm, you really are cute, Finia. Wh-, Lady Nicole what are you You always said that to me, dont you? You said you were going to return the favor, but you dont have to mimic what I say Its okay, its okay. As we walked through the corridor towards the bath in the backyard, an employee of the inn suddenly called out to us in a slightly troubled voice. Um, dear guests. Im sorry but I would like to ask the Beastmen not to enter the bath ahead. Haah? Eek! The employers words came off as quite discriminating. Sensing that, I ended up raising my voice full of never-before-seen hostility since my reincarnation. The employee flinched from my voice that even emitted killing intent. They even leaked a shriek, which showed how frightened they were. A little girl had directed such bloodlust at them that it petrified them in ce. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Um, I I never meant to discriminate against Beastmen. Its just Fur Fur and such will Fur? Ah, thats what it was. Nicole, you can let it go now. Huh? Look, we have fur on our tails and such, right? There are customers that hate when thosee off and float in the bath. Cortina presented her tail before me with those words. She had a luxurious tail with glossy fur. As she said, if it got soaked in hot water, the loose fur might start floating in the water. It was quite easy to imagine that some clean-freaks would hate to see that. I see, well Uh, sorry about that. Not at all! I was to me for myck of thoughtfulness. I and the employee bowed and apologized to each other. An expert like methough I was a little girl nowdirected such killing intent towards an ordinary person, so they mustve been terrified beyond imagination. As a sigh of friendship, I extended my right hand and asked for a handshake. We were going to stay for two more days, so I wanted to leave a bit more pleasant impression. Im truly sorry for what I said, littledy. Me too. You really like your big sister, huh? The employees misunderstanding caused Cortina to twist her body in response. Did she just imagine something crazy? No, she looks young but shes already expired. Also, shes a scheming type. I am what now!? Cortina got behind me and pulled on my cheeks in protest. I mean, you were already about to hit forty, you know? Ay meenf, vuoah waik fohfee alwrewy.1 Im still young for my race! Understood? Yesh. I was made to show a weird face towards the unfamiliar person, so I obediently surrendered. But I see. Looks like we needed to be attentive even when it came to baths here. We have a bath on that side for the Beastmen to enjoy themselves, so please use that. The employee pointed and directed us towards another corridor. Looking closely, there was abel on it, saying, Beastmen, please use this bath. Oh, there it is. Thank you very much. Lets go then. We changed our course and headed where the employee pointed to, the Beastmens bath. Chapter 103 We stripped ourselves in the changing room, dropped our clothes into the baskets and stored them inside the lockers. There were some valuables mixed among them, so we made sure to lock them tight. Only Michelle had a bow case hanging on her shoulder. Its contents couldnt be trusted to the lock of a locker. After all, it stored a mythical weapon. She couldnt possibly feel safe leaving it behind a lock that could be cracked open with a hit or two. We opened the door leading to the bath and entered inside. Inside was a bathhouse made from aligned rocks, and further inside was another door that led to the open-air bath. I could feel a faint sulfuric smell drifting in the steam. Perhaps this cloudy bath contained additionalponents? At the corner of the washing ce, there were three massage tables divided with curtains. One on the left was already upied. You could probably ask the inn person to call a masseur for you. Wow, its so spacious! Its bigger than the bath in my mansion. But its still smaller than a pool. Of course it would be! Michelle stood open-armed in surprise while Letina put her personal shampoo in a bucket and carried it along. Both of them were buck naked now so I had a full view of them. I wasnt the least bit happy about it, though. I havent seen such tness anywhere other than sheer cliffs. Huh? Wheres the cliff? That rock over there? I dont think its big enough to be called one. Never mind. Looks like I imagined it. Well, I wasnt the one to talk about being t. Looking down at my body, I could see all the way to my toes with nothing blocking the vision. The only real obstacle was my stomach that was sticking out a bit. Cortina asked for a masseur from the bath staff member. We were the doers this time, though. Okay, lets get to it. Finia,e sit here. Eh, sit? Yeah, I gotta wash your body first. I spoke and approached her while making fumbling motions with my fingers. Seeing that, Finia took a step back. Lady Nicole T-Those finger movements appear somewhat obscene. Ku-ku-ku. Ill be hearing your sweet cries today. What are you talking about! Finia tried to flee from me as I got carried away, but I hugged her waist and forced her to sit down. The chair was quite warm thanks to the steam and it was nicely polished too, so it didnt feel filthy in any way. This inn seemed to be a hit, seeing that they were attentive to such small details. Michelle and Letina joined up with me and we started washing her together. W-Wait a minute, all of you!? Its okay, its okay. The two pulled Finias hands and started washing them. Rather, so you were always being washed by others, Letina? Though Finia was always washing me happily too, so I wasnt the one to talk. Meanwhile, I moved behind her and tied her hair up, then started washing her slender back. I couldnt tie hair better than her, but I was still used to doing it. I knew there would be times when I had to do my hair when I went to the Academy, so I ended up learning it recently. Her youthful skin that bounced back my fingers had me a little shocked. How is it? Does it feel good? Ahaha, its ticklish. Michelle, not there Eh, here? Thats my chest! Michelle was washing her in quite an enviable way. She was trying to wash her arm from its base and even reached for her chest. Letina, on the other hand, started washing from her fingertips. Their washing methods showed Michelles rough and Letinas attentive personalities. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Mgh I heard a groaning voice from behind which turned out to be Cortinas who was looking reproachfully towards us. Speaking of which, we sort of abandoned her there. It wouldnt be strange for her to feel alienated. I suppose neglecting myndlord was pretty unskillful on my part. Rather, she wouldnt mind if I let loose some of my secret intentions, right? Ah, then Ill go wash Cortina. Can I leave Finia to you? Sure! No fair! I wanted to wash Lady Cortina There was no knowing what would happen if I let a Six Hero nerd like Letina wash her. Thus, I headed towards Cortina and started washing her back. Ahh, a bath full of little girls is truly a heavenly sight. Cortina, that sounds gross no matter how you look. My true feelings leaked out a little is all. Oh, wow, I should start thinking whether I really want to associate with you. Hey, it was just a joke! Cortinas perverted joke made me pour a bucket of water on her head. My unannounced attack got a little yelp out of her. Ukyaa! Taste the divine punishment. I wish for more kindness. I believe Im quite kind, you know? I think your perception is crooked. I continued washing her body as we exchanged giggles. Ive been asionally entering the bath with Cortina so I wasnt embarrassed about it at this point. Still, directly touching each others skin induced peculiar stimtion. How should I put it, it heightened the urges to touch and decreased the private space. True to that statement, Michelle was directly clinging to Finia now and washed her with her entire body. The bubbles that prevented me from seeing their risky part mightve been a blessing in disguise. If I did, even I mightve gotten aroused. It was a scene that I normally would never see. Perhaps they, too, have been overly excited about this. After the general washing was done, we led Finia to the massage tables. While Cortina went for the right one after pointing us to the middle one. Cortina had asked the inns professional for the massage, so I moved towards Finia instead. Massages actually held some risks in them, there was a chance you could injure their tendons or muscles. Because of that, it was necessary for me to supervise the entire process. A child she may be, Michelle was still quite strong. It was plenty possible to hurt Finia with her strength. Okay then, Ill give instructions, so do as I say. Okaay! Understood. Cortina lied next to us and entrusted her body to the professional masseur. She intended to monitor us anyway, so she left the curtains open. The said professional was also looking worriedly at us, but I knew the ropes of body care since my previous life. Rather, my muscle strengthcked far more than an average person, so I was especially attentive to this kind of work. In order to exhibit maximum effects with minimum strength, it was absolutely essential for me to have a body that could move instantly ording to my thoughts. Because of that, it was essential for me to maintain my body on a daily basis. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) For that reason, I was quite knowledgeable when it came to massaging. Just massage along the muscle lines, like this. Start slowly Michelle, not there, a bit more right. L-Like this? Being her very first massage, Michelle nervously touched Finias back. The professional also looked quite impressed with my instructions. It was at this moment that a hysteric scream reached our ears from behind. Chapter 104 That voice came from the neighboring massage table that we couldnt see from here due to the curtains dividing us. I felt two presences there. One was somewhat high-pitched, yet a clear and beautiful voice of a girl. Her transparent voice, akin to the ring of a bell made out of ss, leaked ecstatic moans. Aah, thats the spot. So good Its getting quite an improper moan out of me. Ah, a little bit on the right, please. Nghhhaaah. No, rather than ecstatic, they were more like slovenly moans. Having remembrances of that voice, I reflexively pulled open the curtains. That wouldve been quite a breach of manners usually, but forgive me this once. Therey a girl with an innocent yet bewitching body with her silver hair tied up in a bundle. The masseur granny that was massaging her back appeared to be quite troubled. You What are you doing here!? Nhg!? Ah, Ohh, Isnt it ReNicole! Fancy seeing you here! The one that reincarnated me, gave Michelle her divine bow, and taught her how to use her gift The goddess was there. She barely avoided calling me Reid, perhaps realizing that it would put me in a tough spot. Ah, Goddess! Aaahh, Err, Michelle, was it? How you beooghh, hey it hurts! Do it gentler, gentler I say!? Miss, your muscles are amazingly Not stiff. Are you sure you need a massage? But I do! Very much so! Ive gotten mentally fatiguedtely. She, a god, pped her feet in protest towards the masseur. I couldnt feel an ounce of dignity in that behavior. No, well, Ive never felt any dignity from her in the first ce. As I said Hold on to that question, Nicole. Itd be bad to answer that question here, lets leave it forter. AhOkay. There were Cortina and Letina whom she never met. And Michelle didnt know the full story either. There were probably things she couldnt talk about here. Err, by Goddess You mean the one that gifted that bow to Michelle? Cortina, also sprawled on the table, asked as she pointed at the bow case hanging from Michelles shoulder. It held the silver longbow, the Third Eye, that this goddess gifted her. Nn, thasss righttt. Well, I can create as many of those as I want aaaanyway. I mean, thats not something you can create so easily Ah, thats right. Thank you for that asion! I am Cortina, currently acting as Nicoles guardian. Thank you very much for helping her. Oh, dont mention it. Besides, I have some interest in heeeeeaahh!? Hey, my bone! It cracked just now, it really cracked! Your body sure is hard, dear customer. You dont even have that much meat on you. You sure are supper meddlesome. Im a frail girl so please be more gentle. I mean it. This is important! Yes, yes. The granny continued to massage the noisy Goddess with a wry smile. Looks like she was quite used to this. In the end, we couldnt talk about anything serious there, so we just spent the massage time in idle chatter. After it ended, we all went to enjoy the baths. Michelle and Letina headed for the open-air bath beyond the back door, livening up the ce. The two had far too different social standings, but they did not seem to mind it. Their innocent rtionship brought a smile to my face. I hoped that even after they grew up and became adults, they would remain close friends. Finia and Cortina challenged the small cabinthe steam bath installed on the other side of the massage tables. It was the so-called sauna, which heated the body from its very core, improved blood cirction and elerated the skin rejuvenation, or so I heard? I believe those two looked young enough to not need to rely on such a thing, though. When I voiced my thoughts, they poked on my cheeks, saying, I dont want to hear that from someone with such smooth and squishy cheeks! Thats so unreasonable. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) And so, I was now left face to face with the being calling herself a god. So, why are you here again? Thats my line. I came to cure myself in the hot spring, and you suddenly showed up. That surprised me, you know? You sure you are telling the whole story? I cant say I approve of your wording. Girls should act cuter! And gentler! Thats what Ive been taught, you know? Thats not the problem here. We withdrew to the dressing rooms for a bit, where the goddess inserted a copper coin in the magical cooling box and purchased a bottle of milk. Then she put a hand on her waist and downed it in one go while nude. Try to cover yourself a little. There are only girls here, I dont caaare. Im a former guy, you know? As she said, Icked my importantsidekicknow, so I couldnt even harass her. Rather, people would instead enjoy it if I got naked. Leaving that aside, I had something important to ask the goddess. By the way Why are you wearing a choker? Hm? My sses wouldve gotten cloudy, right? Do you have a bad vision or something? No, its an item that seals my power. Same goes for this choker. Heh When a god descended on the world it could invite a lot of trouble. But still, I wish she at least covered her breasts andher region. That reminds me, there is a cave near this Elven vige, right? Yeah, Ive heard about it in the academy. They apparently used it for practice trips in the past. Right. Digging up the source of that cave is what gave birth to this hot spring district. So, the thing is A rare monster has been making appearances theretely. A rare monster? Its a species of Dragons called Carbuncle, the goddess spoke its name with a solemn tone. The gemstone on its forehead is extremely valuable, you see Chapter 105 The CarbunclesI also knew of that monster. It was a Mythical Beast the size of a cat and looked like a hamster. It was still counted among Dragon species, for some reason, and had a gem on its forehead. It was a kind of a Dragon Ball which was used as a material in various magic items. This gem was highly valuable unlike how weak it was. For that reason, people mercilessly hunted them on sight, and the kingdoms often safeguarded them. Naturally, they were targets of protection in Raum, too. So youre aiming for it? Of course not. I came to protect it instead. I actually have some connections to the Dragons, you see. Really? Theres a Dragon among my dependents. Its a real cutie too, you know? You wanna see? You wanna? You want, dont you?1 Shaddap! I pushed aside the obstinate goddess and went to buy milk too. After getting ignored by me, she crouched down and started writing characters on the floor with her finger. You dont have to be so harsh. Even I have a family member or two that I wanna boast about. Enough about that! So you were saying you wanted to protect that Carbuncle? So shes an immortal? As expected of a goddess, treating such an ability as nothing. In a way, you also have inherited my constitution. Am I an immortal too? Not that I mean that your recovery speed is higher than normal. Also, your magic umtes fast, you are weak and powerless. Just like me. Heh I even inherited her bad parts. Wait, I inherited them? Yes. Oh, have I not mentioned it before? You are part of my lineage. Say what? You could say you are quite a distant descendant. So Ive been looking after you in various ways. I was a descendant of a god? Is that why she lent me a hand during the reincarnation? Even lending a weapon to myrade and teaching her how to use her Gift? Then maybe you couldve lent a hand during the Evil Dragon extermination too I had other things to take care of then. And if I dispatched my dependents, the entire northern area might have turned into scorchednds. Then what about the time with the Evil God? Back then they had been hidden very well. Even I would have trouble noticing them. If you call yourself a god, at least notice that much. Just because I am a god doesnt mean I can do everything. My specialty lies in Item Making and subversive activities. Intelligence gathering isnt one of them. Is that so? As she said, the titles differed from god to god. The areas they governed differed, like the War God Alec and Wind God Hastarl. Speaking of which, what kind of God are you? Im the God of Destruction Yuuri.2 So you are the Evil God!? How rude! God of Destruction Yuuri. Just as her title implied,3she was a god who had once destroyed and broken the CommandmentsIn other worlds, the World Tree that was the source of the World Tree Religion. The legends say that she did that to stop the Demon Lord that sought immortality, but that conduct still turned her into an enemy of the worldsrgest religion. For that reason, The World Tree believers recognize her as the Evil God. Even Maria loathed and called her a detestable God. But since her blood now flowed in my veins, didnt that mean that it was the same for either Maria or Lyell? Or did she mean me from my previous life? Either way, it was quite an ironic story. By your descendant, did you mean the current or the previous me? Both. Though the blood has weakened quite a bit already. Well damn, herees another secret I cant reveal. People wouldnt be happy, eh? Ahaha. Thats noughing matter. Maria had good manners, but if she ever found out that I had the Evil Gods blood in me Well, she probably wouldnt give me a death penalty, but I cant imagine what face she would make. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) No, wait. What are the chances that both me of the previous life and the current me have your blood? Its not that low, you know? How many years do you think has passed since? My blood has spread in all corners of the world. ording to the legends, its been around a millennium since the God of Destruction has been active on thend. Since then, the civilization had progressed, regressed, and came to a standstill. It wasnt weird that the bloodline of that time had spread everywhere now. Either way, I more or less understood why she was attached to me. Someone of her lineage had been rounded up for the Evil Dragon extermination and actually aplished the feat, so she was giving him some preferential treatment. Well, I am grateful that you reincarnated me. You can praise me more, okay? Okay? Maybe if you didnt act like that! I threw the empty bottle inside my exclusive recycling box and headed back to the hot spring. I was able to find out that her presence here wasnt rted to me, so there was a point in our conversation. If I leave her alone these next two days of our stay here, I can probably avoid getting into something troublesome. Ah, right. Hold on for a minute. What is it now? Being called, I turned back towards the goddess. She stood there with several arrows in her hand. While naked. Just get dressed already. Give these to that girl. They are steel arrows. Those with twists have higher piercing power, so use them carefully. I mean, she cant even pull it yet. I still couldnt cast strong enough support magic on her to draw that bow, so it was nothing but a burden now. She seemed to have realized it and pulled out a small bracelet from somewhere. It was a bangle type one with delicate carvings on it. Okay. Thats where thises to y. It has a strengthening spell on it. The effect is about three minutes. The keyword is, Megingjord. Megingjord What does that mean? Its a word from anothernguage, it is the name of a belt that bestowed the user with terrific power. Sounds quite on point. As a test, I put it on my arm and called the keyword. Megingjord! With my call, the power overflowed and filled my upper half. My strengthening couldnt evenpare to its power. This overflowing power Wasnt this also a Divine Item? Ah-ah. This is amazing How much does it amplify? I could even lift the locker room bench with one hand. With my frail body. It can easily amplify tenfold. But the recoil is quite big So you should probably cancel it soon, you know? Eh? I immediately canceled it just as she told me. Next moment my entire body started convulsing like it had cramps all over. Of course, pain was there to apany it too. F-Fugyaaaaaaaaaa!? You cant create something from nothing. Same goes for power. In other wordsyou are technically taking the power as a loan. The pain you are feeling is the recoil from that. Say that Earlieeeeeer! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I screamed while writhing in pain on the floor. Well, if your body improves, so will the recoil, and the duration will also shorten. Until then, please use it as an emergency tool. Ngaaaaaaa Ultimately, I continued rolling on the floor for the next ten minutes until the recoil wore off. Chapter 106 After around ten minutes of rolling around on the floor, the pain finally subsided. The God of Destruction was no longer present here, which was natural. Staying and just calmly staring at a little girl squirming on the floor wouldve made her look quite suspicious. She went away to avoid that risk, but still, she was as fast as always when it came to running away. A-Achoo! I also realized that the God of Destruction wasnt the only one at fault here. I was also buck naked in the locker room during our conversation. All that pain made me start sweating a lot, which in turn chilled my body down quite a bit. I guess Ill take a dip once more If I got out like this, the afterbath chills would follow me all day. I was in a big bath, not to mention naked. No one would me me for going for round two. That said, the muscle pain all over my body made even standing up a difficult task. I held down my trembling knees and waddled towards the bath. I then slid the door open and stepped inside. But then, I was suddenly assaulted by a sense of unease. Didnt that earlier conversation have some odd parts in it? God of Destruction Isnt exactly a Beastman, so why was she in a Beastman bath? She looked a few years over ten, with white skin, silver hair and deep crimson eyes. She wore a choker, but I couldnt see any beast-like features on her. It was too unnatural for her to just pop up in this Beastman bath. So that means Despite what she said, she was clearly lying in wait for me. What she told me could be summed up as such: I was her descendant in both of my lives, and that there was a sighting of a Carbuncle inside the cave. Which means The reason she told me all that Is it that she wants me to put the Carbuncle under my protection? I passed by the washing ce as I mumbled to myself, then poured hot water on myself and submerged myself in the bath. I couldnt see Cortina, Michelle or anyone else anymore. Ive been left alone, but the fault didnt lie in them. Cortina was in the middle of enjoying a steam bath along with Finia, while Michelle and Letina were climbing the open-air bath boulders. That Goddess was still my lifesaver, and Cortina knew that, so when she said she wanted to talk to me, she couldnt really refuse. If she harbored an ill will, she wouldve acted on it thest time, so Cortina trusted her in that regard. Ah, Nicole, youre back! Why are you rxing in the back so nonchntly on your own? Looking after Michelle all alone here is taking a lot of effort here. Oh well, whenever kids saw boulders they could climb, they tended to do exactly that. It was especially true for this duo that was more energetic than normal kids. However, the fact remained that doing that was dangerous in more than one way. They could get injured if they slipped and fell, not to mention there was a mens bath on the other side. Well, they were kids, so that in itself wouldnt be a huge deal. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Moreover, the fact that they were climbing up meant that I was looking at them from below. Kids they may be It was still problematic, right? What did you talk about with her? While I was warning them with a nk smile on my face, Michelle asked me full of curiosity. That Goddess was a lifesaver for her, too. It was natural for her to be curious as to what that person had to say to her best friend. Speaking of which, I had something to pass on to her. Oh, right. About that. That Goddess asked me to hand this to you. As asked, I handed the bracelet bestowed with strengthening magic to her. It was a bangle type bracelet with fine ornaments, covering the hand from wrist to elbow. It fit very firmly on the wrist, so it wouldnt get in the way when firing a bow. Whats this? The moment she heard me say the keyword, she quickly equipped it and started to say it. Such a hasty girl, I havent even finished exining yet! There are demerits to it too. It seems you are simply borrowing the physical strength, so when you release it, you are assaulted by a sharp pain. Look what it did to me. I lifted my trembling hands from the bath and showed them to her. To be honest, I was so sluggish now that even that simple action took all I had. Using this in an actual fight was quite dangerous. When the effect wore out, it would be impossible to keep on fighting. Itsts for three minutes, and then ten minutes of intense pain. After that, you wouldnt be able to move properly due to muscle pain. So the fact that you are like that You tested it, right? Ugh!? Letina received gifted education, so her insight, or should I say logic, was quite good. Though Id like it if she didnt show it during moments like this. Nicole, you can be quite thoughtless sometimes unlike how mature you seem to be, huh? This happened because that white thing cut short the exnation. No way Id call her God after that. Just white thing was good enough for her. Then..! Then, let us massage you this time! Wah? Michelle suddenly said something absurd. I mean, I understood the idea But it wasnt something my mind could ept. You taught us how to massage earlier! Its gonna be alright! Ill make you feel good! She grabbed me by the hands and mercilessly dragged me out of the bath. Then she lifted me like baggage and carried me towards the massage tables. Huh, wasnt her strength alreadyparable to an adult? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Okay, lets get to it! Prepare yourself! Michelle approached me while wiggling her fingers. Letina also did the same from another direction with an amused expression. That aside, there was no way they learned how to massage just by listening to a few instructions of mine. They are probably going to mess up this and that. Rather, they most definitely will. But I had nowhere to run. Needless to say, my painful cries started to reverberate throughout the Beastmen bath. Chapter 107 After finishing our bathwhether it healed or scarred me is another matterwe returned back to our room. It made me quite envious that everyone looked glossy while I alone was dead tired. We ordered the food to be delivered to our room, so we went and killed the time until then by doing what each of us wanted. I immediately spread the beddings on the grassy floor and sprawled on it. Unlike with the sleeping bags for encamping at night, the floor here had a faint warmth to it, which wasnt bad at all. And the grassy scent felt really good, too. As Iy sprawled with my face down, Michelle and Letina came and leaned on my back. Nicole, are you still tired? Should I massage you? I feel like I awakened to it. I refuse with all my might. While the two girls straddled me, I reached out to my luggage and took out a certain item to inspect. It was something I took from Matisses kidnappers hideout. Fortunately, there was no one with the ability to discern items in this room, so I could safely inspect it without minding if it was seen. I wasnt able to discern items either, so I didnt know what kind of effect it held. To find it out, I needed to request someone with appropriate skills to take a look at it for me. In that case, I shouldve just asked that white thing to appraise it for me. Thatwas still a Goddess, so she shouldve been able to do something like that. But that white thing was unmatched when it came to running away, so she disappeared before I even had a chance to bring it up. Thanks to that, I didnt know what to do with it now. Still, luck was on my side today. I was able to make an acquaintance with a merchant on the way here. I couldnt let go of this chance. Bill Wyss, was it? I suppose I could look for him and have him appraise it. To appraise an item, one needed a Gift of the Distinction system, or they needed to be thoroughly knowledgeable about such items. Other than that, it was also possible by using distinction Magic. I could, of course, ask Maxwell to do it, but it would be too suspicious to show him something like this. It was a suicidal act to show an item with unknown origins to someone who was suspecting that Reid had reincarnated. As such, I decided to go with the merchant we met at noon. Given his upation, there was a high chance he held some kind of Gift or Skill for it. If possible, I wanted to meet him once more during our stay and get him to appraise it. For that I need to do something about these two. Hmm? Is something the matter? After getting a taste of massage with Finia, they were now straddling me as Iy limply and pushing their hands on my back. Letina wasnt that strong so it was still fine, but Michelles hands hurt like hell. Michelle, thats the wrong ce. It hurts. Eh, really? I was sure it was here. Its not something an amateur should do. I have to monitor you properly. But arent you an amateur yourself, Nicole? Finia has been massaging me for years, so I have the knowledge for it. So thats how it was! Two girls were on top of my back as Iy sprawled. In other words, we were like a pile of girls, which Finia and Cortina looked at in smiles. That, however, made them notice what I was holding in my hand. Oh, Nicole, thats a nice thing you are holding there. Mhm. I secretly grabbed it when I was leaving home. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The mansion I lived in also belonged to Lyell and Maria. Many Magic Items that they gathered on their adventures were just lying everywhere, so there shouldve been no problems if I passed it off as one of them. Its not like they remembered the exact items, anyway. As long as Cortina didnt tell the specifics of todays conversation to Maria, no one should suspect me. They left a dagger where a child could reach I should really talk to Maria about this. Ah, dont! If you do that, Ill be the one getting scolded for it. Or so I thought, but Cortina suddenly dered that she would tell on it. Well, I shouldve seen thating. I just took this with me for self-defense. But dont you already have a Katana, Nicole? And quite a fine one at that. I obtained a sword to defend myself. But then Lyell gifted me a weapon. Cortina felt convinced that it was due to missed timing. Of course, the reality was different, but her misunderstanding was more convenient for me. Indeed, you need a knife when going on a trip. But you shouldnt take it without saying anything. Yeah, I know that. Well, I know I shouldnt be nitpicking here over some dagger, given you use Katana like nothing, but Please just let it slide. Ill do anything. Did you just say anything Wait, not that, where did you learn that phrase? Cortina was amazed at my wording that I intentionally used to liven up the mood. But she realized that it was no longer a mood for lecturing and let the matter go. Ah, well, fine. Ill keep it a secret. But you owe me one, okay? Kay. As she yfully winked at me, I responded back with a thumb of acknowledgment. Chapter 108 After leaving the capital at forenoon, it took one hour of trip for me to run out of stamina. After that, we boarded Bills carriage and arrived in this hot-spring town after two more hours. Moreover, it took one more hour for us to drop our stuff at the inn and rx in the bath. Then we returned to the room to rest and even had dinner And yet, its still so early. Its indeed a bit too early to sleep. Shall we go check out the town a bit? Cortina followed up on my speech, followed by Finias suggestion. It was still not even 7 PM now and the sun had just set. It was too early to just go to sleepwe were in agreement on that. I do want to, but I nced at the futon where I was sprawled on until just a while ago. Michelle and Letina were lying on each other on top of it and sleeping soundly. They were usually tougher than me, but the excitement today made them go too wild. Due to the characteristic fast sleeping habit of little kids, the two fell asleep on my back before I noticed. Then I somehow made my escape from underneath and here we are now. Well, itd be a problem to leave those kids alone. Alright then, Ill keep watch on them so you and Finia go and have a look around. Eh, is it really alright? Sure, sure! Im not exactlying here all the time, but its not my first time either. But it is for you, right? Yes. I havent left the vige all that much. Then go ahead and check everything out. Thats part of the studying too. In that case Shall we go together, Lady Nicole? Of course. While Finia was an adult now, she was still a sheltered girl at the core. There was no knowing what kind of trouble she could get rolled up in an amusement quarter like this. If I didnt keep watch, something like kidnapping Probably wouldnt happen, but it was plenty possible that some drunkards would start hitting on her. After all, even if you disregarded the fact that she was an Elf, Finia was still quite a beauty. Dont worry, Ill do my best to protect Finia. Gotcha, though I was more worried about you, Nicole. Huh, why!? I was a very normal kid. When have I ever done anything naughty Wait, Ive done it a lot. Cortina looked at me in amusement as I was stumped for aeback. You have an idea why, right? I do indeed. So act more maturely, okay? I shall carefully analyze things and deal with them positively. She gave me a little smack on the head as she replied with a smile. As expected of an amusements quarter, the night streets were filled with bustling. While this was an Elven settlement, it didnt mean only Elves lived here. In the first ce, this was a sight-seeing area, so you could catch sight of many other races. In normal districts, the shops wouldve already started closing and the streets wouldve gone dark, but there were many taverns here and a lot of shops were still open too. Rather, the number of taverns was unusually high. Oh, and the souvenir shops were open too. What a lively town this is, Lady Nicole. It sure is. Finia couldnt hide the excitement from her gait as she peeked inside the souvenir store. Seeing her like that, I also started looking around. Unlike her, however, I was looking around with a goal in mind. I was searching for Bill to get the dagger and ring appraised. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Because of how she walked forward or rather backward, it was no surprise that she managed to crash into someone. The force of the crash made the other party crash on the ground. Finias petite build was enough to blow them away, so they were likewise petite. Actually, it was a kid. Ah, Im so sorry! Ooouch! Did you drop your eyes! Im really sorry. I was a little distracted. Seeing that the other party was a kid, Finias speech also turned more frank. Perhaps her wariness subsided a little. That kid was a little older than me, and didnt look too different from the God of Destruction. It was a mischievous-looking boy with somewhat dirty clothes. As he got up, he dusted off his pants that got dirtied when he fell on his backside and then red towards us. For real, be more careful! Yeah, sorry. I was a little excited. Sorry that my clumsy girl here crashed into you. Lady Nicole, that was a little harsh. She felt a bit dissatisfied with my choice of words, but she was unarguably the one at fault here. There was a need to properly apologize and reflect on it. Well, only a bit of need. The boys face blushed a bit when he took a look at us, then cooed and darted away without saying another word. Well, both Finia and I were quite blessed with looks, so I wouldnt me him for blushing a bit. Finia, arent you a bit too excited? Ugh, Im sorry. Ill restrain myself. Its fine to be excited, as long as you are more careful. Thats very hard to do in practice, you know? Seeing her puffing her cheeks at me unlike her usual self made me burst into augh. She made a little blunder, but everything was fine as long as she was having fun. I felt bad for the kid, but her smile was more important to me. Ah, look. This handkerchief would suit you really well. Changing the topic, I pointed at the handkerchief disyed at the shopfront. It was made of white cloth, with four-leaved clovers embroidered at the edges. The price was reasonable too, cheap enough to buy with my pocket money Though the fact that I needed to borrow pocket money made me feel quite miserable. Its so cute. Then lets get one for everyone. She suddenly decided to buy everyones share too, but I hurriedly stopped her. This came off as if I asked her for it. Thats not it. I didnt mean it as a souvenir for everyone Err, I want to buy this for you! Huh, but Its okay, I have quite a bit of money even if I dont look that way. Along with receiving monthly pocket money from Cortina, I also made quite a sum through my hunts with Michelle. And recently, not just rabbits and birds, we even hunted a goat too. We didnt take their skin and extra meat home but instead sold them off to the nearby butchers shop. Thanks to that we had more money on us than what was appropriate for kids of our age. In that case, let me buy you a present too, Lady Nicole. Eh? Look, this one with the new moon embroidery would look perfect on you. Err It could be rude to force my present and refuse to receive one here. Exchanging presents would make things less awkward for her too. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Okay, then lets exchange presents. Okay! We took the respective items we had our eye on and headed for the counter inside. There we saw another man standing in front of the cashier and having a deep talk. He didnt seem to be a customer, as he didnt have any items on handbut he was someone I had seen before. Huh, Mr. Bill? That person was Bill, the same peddler that had done us a favor today. Chapter 109 One of the cashiers noticed us first and addressed us. Wee, would you like the bill? Ah, err. Yes, for this. Finia was surprised with this reunion, but still managed to show the clerk the item in question. I did the same and we paid our separate bills. At that point, Bill finally took notice of us and turned around. Oh my, if Im not mistaken You were called Finia? Yes. A long time it hasnt been, huh? Who knew we would be meeting again so soon. He extended his right hand with a radiant smile. A handshake was both a greeting and an act of finalizing a negotiation. This time, it was probably out of friendship, though. Finia returned the handshake with a smile of her own. Are those souvenirs? Yes, for the memory. Lady Nicole and I gave each other one. Haha, you seem to be quite close indeed! Are you here for work, Mr. Bill? I asked while tilting my head as innocently as I could. Because while it was ording to my wishes, it was still far too convenient to be meeting him here in such a short time. Bill answered without showing any signs of doubt at my question. Thats right. Buying things is my work, after all. I was thinking of selling these souvenirs in the capital. This handkerchief is quite a fine work, too. Oh, you get it! The hemmings are quite sturdy and the embroidery is stylish on top of it. Im sure theyd sell very well even in the capital. In that case, I shouldve raised the price a bit more. The man who Bill was talking tomented in a joking tone. The man I initially thought to be one of the clerks turned out to be his negotiation partner. That would be troubling. If the buying price rises, it would put me in a heavy loss! Hahaha, Im just joking. I look forward to your continued patronage. Of course. But please save me from the rising prices, okay? Looking at how they acted, it seemed that Bill was acquainted with him long before he met us. He seemed to be quite suspicious due to how low the prices were. Either way, I just needed to fulfill my own goal now. Oh, right, Mr. Bill, do you know what this is? I retrieved the ring and dagger from my bag and showed it to him. I took the dagger under the pretext of self-defense. Unlike the Katana, this one was easier to handle and was more advantageous inside the town. Oh They seem to be tools with some kind of Magic. I have to appraise it to find out more. Right. I dont know what kind of Magic they have. Hmm Well, this is hard to bring up, but Hmm? It seemed that Bill caught on to my intention, he answered apologetically. It wasnt the wording of a good-natured old man, but instead that of a merchant. When ites to appraising an item, I cant do it for free. Even if we are acquaintances, that is still part of the business. Ah, is that so? Item appraisals were surprisingly demanded. The current magic and system differed greatly from the Magic of old times, so it was impossible to guess what Magic something had without appraising it. A lot of such items could be found in ruins. And to appraise such items, people often asked forpensation. It wasnt something he could do for free just because we were acquaintances. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Yeah, I got it. How much would that be? It would be 50 silvers per item. I know it is quite pricey, but It was an amount that wouldst you for ten days at an inn. But when it came to Magic items, many of them were far more valuable. Still, I didnt carry that much on hand now. Mgh, I dont have enough That wasnt exactly the case. I secretly took money from those kidnappers. I already had that much hidden somewhere. But I didnt carry it with me on a trip. Lady Nicole, let me pay it. But 50 Silvers was quite a big sum. Aftering to this town, Cortina has been paying her, but it shouldve still been a painful amount for her. Of course, Finia at first refused to be paid, but given Cortinas pushiness, she couldnt manage it in the end. Its okay. I dont have anything to spend on, anyway. Is that so? Then, please. Ill definitely pay you backter. Finia took a gold coin from her waist purse and handed it over to Bill. He epted it and put it in his pocket. I have certainly received it. Well then, are you fine with doing it here? We were at the forefront of a souvenir shop. Anyone could be listening to our talk. Moreover, I didnt know what I could expect. It was an item from the kidnappers, so there was a chance it was something dangerous. In that case, it was better to move somewhere without outsiders. Here would be a little Then, the inn Im staying at is nearby, so lets do it there. Are you sure? I can at least treat you to some fruit juice. He withdrew his merchants expression, recing it with a beaming smile. It would be my pleasure to have tea with prettydies like you! Those words, at least, came from his heart. That much I realized. Chapter 110 We followed Bill to the inn he was staying at. His inn wasnt directed towards tourists like ours, but instead was an actual tavern that merchants and adventurers usually used. It wasnt the one where you could receive services and enjoy yourself; it was quite literally a ce to spend the night, and nothing else. It also had a big stable to park the carriage, so perhaps thats why he chose it? Still, it seems that the ce still offered minimal service, as Bill ordered the promised fruit juice for us at the reception, then took us to his room. It was such a simple room you wouldnt think it belonged to a wealthy merchant. He had such arge carriage and enough assets to fill it up with merchandise. To the point, in fact, that he had to consider the countermeasure in case the bandits attacked. I never considered that he would be staying in a room with only a bed, table and water jug in it. Now then, lets finish our matter before the inn staffes here. O-Okay. As he asked, I put the ring and the dagger on the table. They were clearly Magical items, as I could feel Magic emitting from them. However, I didnt know whether that power was good or the bad kind. If they turned out to be cursed items and the inn staff walked in on us in the middle of the exnation, I couldnt even imagine what kind of misunderstanding that could lead to. Bill observed the items for a short while, then heaved a sigh at how strong the magic contained was. Now these are some wonderful items. But I dont know what kind of Magic it is within. That couldnt be helped. Appraising is one of the few things that brings food to our merchants tables. He took out what looked like a magnifying ss lens from his pocket and started carefully inspecting the items. After going all over their surfaces, he finally took out a white scroll and held the lens on top of it. Next moment, a luminous point simr to the concentrated sunlight fell on the paper and started burning the surface. The burn marks eventually formed characters on the paper. Me aside, even Finia couldnt read those characters. Bill, however, could. Oh my Did you find it out? It seems this dagger has Magic that makes it oscite on a fine level by the use of a keyword. Oscite? I have indeed heard of something like that from Maxwell before. By osciting the de intensely on a minute level, it could increase its sharpness, was it? Or to be more urate, it didnt increase the sharpness itself, but more like the bond or whatever on the contacting surface breaks It basically acts like a chainsaw or something. Well, I dont really understand how it exactly works. Indeed. However, Im not sure what effect that oscition gives it. I know about that. It increases its sharpness. And by a lot. Oho, is that so? Yup. Bill rubbed his chin in admiration, his eyes turning evaluation as befitted a merchant. But then, there was a strong knock on the door. It appeared that the long-awaited fruit juice finally arrived. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The person walked inside holding a tray with a jug on it. It seemed to be filled with the fruit juice. The tray also had enough cups for all of us. After cing them on the table, they left without saying a word. They seem to be quite well trained in their work. Its because I usually do transactions here. Please dont think of them as unsociable. Yeah, got it. I tried secretly checking for presences, but I couldnt find anyone eavesdropping on us. In that case, it was safe to talk here. Before that, please have a drink. You might be thirsty. He poured the juice in cups and served it to us. It was slightly viscous juice with a muddy white color. It had a refreshing fragrance of young grass radiating from it. I decided to take a sip without further ado, and was greeted with a bittersweet, yet somewhat grassy vor. This ce could be said to be an Elven stronghold, so their vegetables and fruits were famous even in the capital. Trying it out myself, I could see why it was so famed. Its delicious. This Has quite a distinct taste, but its quite a rich vor. Since he rmended that, I decided to finish my first cup. I had a sweet tooth ever since my past life, so I quite weed this. So, whats the keyword?Gulp I asked the main question while gulping it down without rest. I got that it had Magic to increase its sharpness, but there was no point in that if I didnt know the keyword. In any case, this juice was delicious as he imed. On the second cup, there was more fruit from the loweryers settled in the liquid and was both richer and had deeper sweetness. The more I drank, the denser and sweeter it got. I could get addicted to this. Yes, first this dagger. It has Toughness Magic so it can endure that oscition. Because of that, its de isnt damaged and looks as sharp as new, but saying the keyword would allow it to even cut iron like paper. I see, I see. About that keyword its [Praise the God of Destruction]. Bfffwaaaaaaah!? Kyaa! Whats the matter, Lady Nicole? So it was made by that white thing! It was indeed a phrase youd rarely hear, given that she was treated as an Evil God. It was quite optimal to set it as an activation keyword. Well, she was a goddess with a thousand years of history, so it wasnt too strange for her items to be circting everywhere But for me, it couldnt be any more awful. Chapter 111 Finia started wiping my juice-smeared face with the handkerchief she had just bought. Bill didnt pay any attention to me and just moved on to appraising the second item. That was very merchant-like of him. He probably couldnt see anything around him when items that could be profit were lined up before his eyes. This item can create illusions near the wearer it seems Oh dear, what happened? Nothing Lady Nicole choked on the drink a bit is all. Ahaha, this juice is quite thick, after all! It could get stuck in the throat when you arent used to it. He lightlymented and then pointed at the ring. This one can create any kind of illusion around the user by pouring Magic power into it. Perhaps it was used for hiding oneself. I see, those guys prepared items to steal the Queen Blossom seeds. If it came down to fighting with them, they prepared a scroll to set fire, a dagger to cut their tough barks, and a ring to fool their surveince. But This is an extremely valuable item. This ring could go for at least a tinum coin. A tinum coin?! One tinum coin was equal to a hundred gold coins. One gold coin to a hundred silver coins. If you considered that our rtively expensive inn for tourists took 5 silvers per night, you could imagine just how big that amount was. This dagger would also go for at least 50 gold coins. F-Fifty gold It was an amount that a proper family could live on for a year. Finia was astonished after hearing of their value. It seems that she didnt think that the items I brought along (or so I was passing them off) were such valuable items. But even my Katana could go for at least 20 gold coins were I to sell it. Considering that, it wasnt so surprising Actually, yeah, it was. What do you say, Ms. Nicole? Would you sell these items to me? I realize it isnt fair to propose this to a youngdy like you, but please do consider it. Bill proposed an idea with a serious expression. For him, this was a get rich quick scheme that suddenly fell on him. It was natural for him to jump at the chance. However, I couldnt hand these over. Both due to my excuse and how useful they were. Considering how powerless I was, this dagger was like a dreame true, and the illusion item had many ways of use, too. Not to mention, I imed that I took these from Lyell and Marias mansion, so it woulde off as disreputable if I arbitrary sold them off. Im sorry, but these belong to my daddy I cant sell them. Is that so. It makes sense now that I think about it. Theres no way a child would No, that was rude of me. No, theres nothing wrong with your assumption. Normally, that is. Unfortunately for him, I wasnt normal. Still, those guys sure brought some extreme items. Where was the need to steal? They couldve just sold these off. Or could it be that theres some other mastermind behind all this? Then, would it be possible to negotiate with your father? That would be quite hard. Daddy isnt here. Lady Nicoles father lives in a deserted vige of the United Three Kingdoms. For him toe here would be Wait? I could understand why Finia looked so lost. Usually, such a distance wouldve made business not worth it. However, Lyell and Maria popped up in Raum almost every day. What troublesome Heroes they were. If they somehowe face to face with Bill, my lie would totally get busted. A-Anyway, I understood how they work. If theres nothing else, I shall take my leave. Lady Nicole, are you sure? Theres still some juice left. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I wanted to evacuate from here before things turned bad. He could hardly realize my true character, but if Finia ended up leaking that Lyell showed his face almost every night, my lie would most definitelye to light. And when they started questioning How I managed to obtain it, it would be easy for them to arrive at the answer. After all, they already knew that Reid had reincarnated. In that case, please transfer the rest to a sk and take it with you. Its delicious even when you mix it with alcohol. Bill took out a traveling water pouch and moved the juice into it. I suppose this could serve as a good souvenir for Michelle and Cortina. As expected of a merchant, he was attentive to details. Thank you. No no, thank you for giving me an opportunity to see such rare items. It seems theres still quite a bit of hidden treasure in Raum. Its a ce with high activity of Adventurers, so things like that show up a lot. You are quite right! You truly are a clever youngdy. Adventurers didnt just bring monster materials with them. They also had many rare items that they either seeded or discovered in the ruins. Of course, not all of them were quite as valuable, but some of them could make your eyes go wide just like these. Bill caught on to that. Perhaps he would start negotiating with many Adventurers from now on. After exchanging a firm handshake, me and Finia returned back to our inn. We got souvenirs and I managed to get the items appraised. The day had gone very well. This dagger would raise my battle power even higher, and the illusion Magic of the ring would make it easier to hide my face from now on. I could finally move on from my in disguise, so I was very grateful for it. I walked the night road back while almost breaking into hops due to my good mood. Finia followed along with an unusually light pace. Thats right, I had to properly thank her. If she hadnt paid in my stead, I wouldnt have been able to get these appraised. Right. Finia, thanks for that money. I will definitely pay it backter. You dont have to mind it. I have nothing to spend it on, anyway. Even so, you need to have it. Its something that could even influence the rtionships depending on the situation. It wasnt something you could just write off. If you borrow, pay it back without fail. That has been my belief since my previous life. Be it money, resentment or debt, I made sure to repay it all. Dont worry, I make money from hunting, so I should have enough to pay you back once were back. Is that really alright? Of course I am, it belongs to you, after all. She was an elf. Her lifespan was incredibly long. Even if she didnt need it now, it would allow her to go on even after Maria and Lyell and I die. Elves tended to carefreely live in the moment But it would be wise to let her learn the notion of savings, the sooner the better. Chapter 112 When I got up early, the first thing I saw couldnt be described as anything butplete chaos. Because this inn was centered around tourists, the room structures differed from that of normal houses. The cotton-filled bags wereid directly on the thick, grass-knitted carpet, and we slept on top of them. The five of us shouldve been sleeping side by side on those beddings, but in the morning, that order was in aplete mess. Michelle was lying sprawled on top of me, but her legs were being used as a pillow by Letina on the other end of it. Finia was the only one sleeping straight, but Cortina was twined around her in an extreme lock for some reason. Uggggh. Mmm, Reidddd I wasnt sure what kind of dream she was having, but Finia looked quite miserable so I decided to wake her up at once. Cortina, wake up. I squirmed out from under Michelle and started pping her cheeks to wake her up, but she didnt show any signs of waking up. She was a skilled Adventurer, but her sleeping habits when she wasnt adventuring were pretty bad. She used to wake up quite easily during the adventure, so perhaps she was the type that could unconsciously switch between normal and emergency modes. The fact that she waspletely defenseless here was proof that she was letting her guard down around us, which of course made me happy, but that was not the point here. Quite a bit of time has passed already since the sun has risen. If we dont show our faces, someone from the inn mighte to check on us. We couldnt show such udylike appearances to some stranger. Cortina even had her chest exposed quite a bit. Nfuu~ I kept on pping her cheeks and she finally opened her eyes a bit. Realizing it was meshe suddenly went for an embrace with an amazing force. Mmm, so soft, so warm Just wake up already. I didnt particrly mind being hugged, but why was she pinning my right hand under her back!? Also, she pushed her hands between my elbows, so my joints werewait, this is bad! Ugyaaaaaa!! My scream resounded through the inn, and with that, everyone finally woke up. Yeaa, sorry about that. I ended up coiling around you without realizing. We didnt order the morning meal at the inn, so instead, we stepped out and headed for a cafeteria. This was both a health resort and a tourist attraction. As such, they put quite a bit of effort when it came to food, too. Instead of eating set meals inside the inn, it was more enjoyable to try out many variations outside of it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) How about you stop going for joint locks when you do that? Yeah, Im reflecting on that. She apologized while scratching her head. It seems that she had a bad habit of using the moves she learned for self-defense to hold people in ce. I didnt notice this habit in my previous life as we slept separated by gender. I should keep in mind to ask Maria how she dealt with her. We arrived at the cafeteria after a bit and discovered a crowd forming before us. They gave off quite a dangerous feeling so me and Cortina instantly put ourselves on guard. Just in case, I brought along the dagger and the ring that I had gotten appraised just yesterday. Cortina, on the other hand, had a ring that assisted the activation of Magic equipped on her finger. It apparently also increased the power of Magic a bit when worn. Michelle also brought along her new bracelet and the Third Eye, but she didnt notice this presence. Finia and Letina were also out of the question. Whats going on? I asked Cortina while putting a hand inside my jacket and grasping the hilt of the dagger. She seemed to have realized what I did and answered with the tense expression. I dont know. But Ill go ask, so can you wait here? Okay. Come back if things look dangerous. You sure are a worrywart. But, I will. Cortina had the highestbat power among us five. However, she was still a rearguard at the end of the day. She wasnt skilled in fighting at the front lines. It seemed that Finia noticed my tension, she asked with a puzzled expression. What is the matter? Theres a bloodlusting from that crowd. Eh? And Cortina went to find out whats going on. Hearing the situation, Michelle silently unfastened her bow case. She did that just in case something went wrong. Since she was always hunting with me, herbat intuition had be quite sharp. Cortina approached the crowd and asked what was going on. She was a beauty, so the males of the group started exining the situation quite sociably at first. But the moment they saw me behind her, their attitudes underwent aplete change. Thats her! I saw her talking with Mikey yesterday! With his words, the atmosphere of the group changed. They were acting clearly alert. Then, a single woman stepped out of the crowd towards us. It was a middle-aged woman with a worn-out expression. She wasnt particrly beautiful, but had a sense of sincerity around her. However, she was currently dominated by hysterical emotions and was ring at me angrily. Were you the one who took Mikey away! Hah? Dont y dumb! Where did you take him! She used me emotionally with a loud voice as she drew near. Seeing that, Finia got between us and blocked her path. Michelle took Third Eye out and nocked an arrow in it. Letina, too, prepared to use Magic at moments notice. I stopped the two with my hand and asked. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I dont know whats going on, but who is this Mikey? Hes my child that you took out yesterday! From what I could guess from the fragmented conversation, this Mikey was her child and he disappeared yesterday. And I was seen talking to him? I dont remember anything of the sort No, wait! Ah, could it be that kid from yesterday? So you do know him! No, no, I havent seen him after we parted ways yesterday. Stop spouting lies! My words werent getting through at all. Her words influenced the crowd behind her and their atmosphere starting growing dangerous by the second. At this rate, things could get violent. While I racked my brains thinking how to get out of this mess, Cortina took off her hat and exposed her cat ears. Um, I can guarantee that she doesnt know anything. So please calm down and lets have a talk, okay? Who would trust yourWait, those ears!? The cat beastmen werent many in number. And when it came to a blond, longhair type beastmen that was also a magician, there were only a few in the entire Raum. It wasnt just limited to cats, the Beastman races in general were more suited for physical battles and often took vanguard jobs. My name is Cortina. She is Nicole whos under my guardianship. We might be able to help you with something, so lets seat and talk. Everyone present looked at her in bewilderment as she politely introduced herself. Chapter 113 Urged by Cortina, one of the Heroes that once saved the world, the woman started to exin the circumstances with a stiff expression. If she so wished, Cortina could easily erase her from this world. Not to mention, if the rumours spread about it, this ce would take a big hit as a tourist attraction spot, too. She knew that too, hence the apparent tension on her face. We decided to head inside the cafeteria in question and discuss the matter with the woman over a meal. We had meals, while Cortina appeased her thirst with tea, as we listened to what she had to say. So you are saying your child Mikey disappeared sincest night? That Mikey was the boy that ran into Finia yesterday night. He was quite a lively and a little cheeky kid. His whereabouts were unknown even now. She rushed about and even had the people around help her, but they still couldnt find him. Now that I think about it, didnt he head towards the gate yesterday? Towards the gate? Finia reported while recalling yesterdays events. Cortina needed to hear this too so she intentionally mentioned it. But true, the kid did certainly dash towards the outside of the town after he parted from us. Thinking about it, it was quite strange for him to run in that direction considering the time it was. Do you think he would go outside? But why would he While it is rtively peaceful around here, its not like there are no monsters at all. The Adventurers were managing the safety of the surroundings, but the monsters on a smaller scale still existed. Wild goats and wolves, in particr, were quitemon throughout Raum. It would be hard for a kid slightly above my age to deal with thempetently. I have no idea about that No, give me a moment. I suddenly recalled certain words. The words that white thingThe God of Destruction had told me. I think I heard there was a Carbuncle in the cavern A Carbuncle? Isnt that a protected Mythical Beast? What is it doing here? Im not sure, but the Goddess said so. By Goddess, you mean that white girl from yesterday? I thought she was weird for calling herself a Goddess, but Cortina was skeptical about her being a God, but that was a natural reaction. That aside, suspicious it may have been, a Goddess said so herself. Not to mention, she was my ancestor. She shouldnt have any reason to deceive me. Anyway, she said a Carbuncle was sighted near the cavern, so she came to safeguard it. But that was probably a bait for me. A bait Why do you think so? I mean, she showed up in a Beastmen bath, right? The fact that she lied in wait for me there and told me about it means she wants me to do something about it. Theres a Carbuncle in the cavern. Just to tell me that, she did that barefaced performance and ambushed me. Since she let me know about it, she was probably implicitly suggesting that I went there. And now there was a disappeared kid. Given this timing, it was hard to think all these werent connected somehow. Could it be that this kid discovered the Carbuncle? Oh no, was he attacked by the beast!? No, Carbuncles arent such aggressive monsters. As long as you dont hurt them, they are rtively safe. It wouldnt even view a kid as a threat. Jessica paled from Finias conjecture, but Cortina denied her fears. Carbuncles were quite weak monsters. Still, they were part of the Dragon race and were particrly blessed with Magic. One could easily shrug off a kid. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) In other words, it wasnt logical for Mikey to get attacked to the point where he wasnt able to return. At any rate, as long as theres a possibility, we have to check it. Ille as well! Or rather, only me and Finia knew his face. Instead of taking a viger, it was more advantageous to take me instead. Right. I wouldnt really advise it, but your detection ability would be useful even for me. Cortina excelled ining up with ns, but other than that, she was only a little above an average Adventurer. She was just a bit out of reach from a first-ss. In other words, my searching skill was better than hers. In that case, Ille too! Ah, no fair! Me too! Oh no, you arent. Michelle and Letina raised their hands to announce their participation, but I couldnt let theme to a forest in search of a member of the Dragon race. In the end, Cortina managed to persuade them and they ended up house-sitting, with Finia stuck as their babysitter. Um, what should I Even if youe to the forest, you wouldnt be able to do anything there. Theres a chance wed pass each other too, so please remain here. We arent even sure he headed towards the Carbuncle. O-Okay Jessica still had enough self-control to not object to Cortinas request. She chose to trust our words and wait. As such, me and Cortina set out in search of the Carbuncle. Chapter 114 We prepared the equipment to head towards the forest. That said, we came to this town to rx. As such, we hadnt brought our proper equipment with us. Both me and Cortina chose easy-to-move clothes and only brought minimal equipment with us. I equipped my piano wires, yarn strings and dagger, and I was all set. This makes me a little uneasy, in the end. Cant be helped. People normally dont bring weapons at hot springs. You have that dagger at least, Nicole. I only have this ring Cortina only had one ring that aided with Magic. Other than that, she was pretty much in traveling clothes. Heading towards the cavern where the member of the Dragon raceweak or notwas said to live, obviously made her feel helpless. Cortina, wanna use this? The dagger? No, you should use it, Nicole. Im not good with swords. Cortinas hand-to-handbat was basically a defensive style centered around long staffs. Daggers required more skill than it seemed, so it was certainly more effective if I used it instead. But Ill just buy a staff on the way. This vige is close to where monsters show up, so they should be selling some of those. Even if they dont, a trekking staff would do as well. When it came to defense, sturdiness mattered above all else. Even a simple wooden staff could be very sturdy with her Interference Magic. Finia, Michelle, Im leaving the house to you. Yes, please leave it to me. You got it! Michelle made a fist pump while holding her longbow. I didnt think anything was going to happen to them inside the town, but I still warned just in case since me and Cortina, the strongest two among us, were leaving them alone. As we were leaving the inn, Jessica saw us off while looking worried. Thank you very much, Lady Cortina. Im leaving my son to you. We dont know if hes really there, so please dont get your hope up too much. But dont abandon hope. She showed us a hollow smile, but her eyes were clearly filled with worry. She was forcibly suppressing her emotions in front of Cortina, but it didnt seem like she would hold out for long at this rate. Lets go, Cortina. We need to hurry up. Youre right. Well then, well be back soon. Once again, please dont do anything rash. I understand. By rash, she meant things like heading towards the cavern by herself. If we dont return as fast as we can, its quite likely that she would make such arbitrary decisions. Thus, we hastened our pace towards the cavern in the forest. The forest was gloomy and hard to see. Cortina who barely had any scouting skills couldnt be trusted with the guarding duty. As such, I took the front and surveyed the surroundings. But then, I discovered something peculiar. There are footprints here. Footprints? Could it be Mikeys? No, they belong to an armed person. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) They were the prints of greaves that fully covered the leg. Furthermore, they even had spikes on them. This could be either a soldier or a vanguard Adventurer that wore it by choice. But it was definitely not something a mischievous viger kid would wear. It would be Quite odd for them to be a soldier. There shouldnt be any deployed here. Yeah. So probably an Adventurer. And several of them Several? Around three. There were three kinds of footprints. Which meant, there were at least three Adventurers in this forest. And their footprints were leading towards the inner parts of the forest. Are they heading deeper? Could they be aiming for the Carbuncle too? I wonder. My source of information is quite well hidden, so I dont think thats it. That white thing was still a God. Or rather, she was above other gods when it came to underhandedness. I doubt she wouldve leaked such information so easily. Which would mean, there was another source of information. What about the possibility that its not the Carbuncle they are aiming for? Ah, thats right! Wasnt there something about a Named Dragon appearing here? Are they nning to defeat a Dragon? No matter how you put it, defeating a Dragon, a named one at that, with just three people was nothing short of impossible if you didnt have some amazing skill. Cortina, however, shot down my opinion. Thats not it. There should be a much easier way to make money. Make money? ording to Bill and the rest, that Dragones to take baths, right? Im not sure how much it loves bathing, but if its doing it that frequently, it might not be strange for its scale or two to have fallen off. Ah, thats what you mean. Dragons were also reptiles. Not to mention, their regenerative powers were crazy strong. Even if their scales came off after a harsh washing session, they would regenerate immediately. If there were indeed such scale fragments left there, then you could make quite a bit of profit just by collecting them. There were many uses for scales of a high-ranking Named Dragon. If the Adventurers that set out to look for the Dragons dropped items were toe across the Carbuncle, what do you think they would do? They would most definitely hunt it down. Cortina guessed the Adventurers goal from Bills conversation and hypothesized the worst kind of scenario. I replied with my honest thoughts to it. While it was an ordinary answer, it still said enough about the situation. And what if Mikey were to witness it? They would most definitely kill him to seal his mouth. I think so too. Looks like we really need to hurry. Judging as such, we hurried towards the cavern. Chapter 115 We managed to get to the cavern, but we didnte across the Adventurers or Mikey. If there was something fortunate, it was the fact that we couldnt find the Carbuncles corpse or bloodstains anywhere, which meant they shouldve been safe for the time being. Looks like hes still alive. Yeah, the Carbuncle too. The footprints continue to the inside, but there are none that lead outside. Which means, Mikey should still be inside, huh. After some more investigation, we concluded that there were no other footprints, meaning the Adventurers havent reached this ce yet. The ce where the Dragon stopped for baths wasnt anywhere nearby. If it was, it would end up stopping the customer traffic. This Dragon seemed to have a high intellect, so it settled to a ce separated from the town out of consideration. The Adventurers not being here meant they were searching for it. But I dont understand why he isnting out. Assuming he didnte across the Adventurers It could only mean that he got into some trouble inside. The reason they built the hot spring town here was because of the hot water they discovered inside this cave. We couldnt scratch out the possibility of gases umting inside of it. I always carried my magic item, the scarf, with me since it was convenient for hiding my face. Thus, we wrapped the scarves around and stepped inside. The inside was dark, obstructing even my vision. Can you still discern the footprints? Yeah. One of them belongs to a child, and the other to a Beast? It has ws, Ive never seen anything like it. Then it could only be the rumored Carbuncle. Hmm, there are traces suggesting that those twoe and go quite often. Really? One time could be written off as a coincidence, but that wasnt so when it happened many times. Given how often he visited this cave, there was no way he didnte across the Carbuncle. I suppose Mikey wasing here specifically to meet the Carbuncle. The Carbuncles are designated as protected monsters. And thats exactly why he was doing it in secret. Getting overly involved with the protected Mythical Beast wasnt somethingmendable. The beasts intellect wasnt low, but it was still dangerous to carelessly approach it. Because of that, he came during the nighttime, keeping it a secret from his parents. So, something did happen inside that prevented him from returning, I suppose? We continued following the footsteps. The cave was in quite a bad shape, there was no knowing when it would copse. And as expected, there was some gas inside. Staying in for too long could be quite dangerous. After walking for some more, we came across a crumbled wall. The childs footsteps led to there and continued beyond the broken bedrock. Cortina, look here. Oh, are the footsteps continuing beyond this wall? Yeah. Maybe his way out got caved in. Thats possible. Back off for a bit. Crimson Five, Ultramarine Six, Gold NineTunnel. In ordance with her chant, a hole started forming through the cave-in rubble. That magic could dig a hole two meters wide and six meters deep. It reached the other side on the three meters point, though. After signaling each other with eyes, I headed in first. Cortina judged that another cave-in could follow, so she fortified the wall with Toughness magic. I pulled out my dagger and proceeded further in while keeping up my guard. Then, I heard a sigh no, a threatening hiss. Looking towards the source, a giant hamster with a gem on its forehead The Carbuncle was baring its fangs at me with its fur standing on ends. The Carbuncles there Hiss! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I spoke quietly so as to not provoke it and let Cortina know. She finished reinforcing the wall and was already right behind me. Following that, I saw a child flopped onto the floor while holding his legs. Mikey! Grrrrr I put away my dagger to ease the monsters vignce and slowly approached the boy. I went around the Carbunclestill hissing at meand checked the boys, Mikeys condition. His leg was injured and didnt seem like he could move it, but his breaths were stable and his life wasnt in danger. The gas was stagnated throughout the cave, but it couldnt be found around him. It would be far too opportunistic for him to copse in such a perfect spot filled with clean air. Did you purify the air around him? Squeak? It tilted its head and observed me, having realized that I held no malicious intent. My magic couldnt handle his injury, so I switched ces with Cortina and let her handle it. Can you heal it? I can handle this much, dont worry. Still, its a wonder he is safe While Cortina was concentrating on healing him, I inspected our surroundings. I noticed the leftovers of preserved foods such as bread and jerky. Looks like he was feeding the Carbuncle here. Maybe it purified the air to thank him for it. Light covered Mikeys leg and the injury started disappearing before my eyes. After his breaths rxed, Cortina put him on his back and we headed for the exit. Are youing with us too? Squeak! Albeit it couldnt speak words, it seemed to have guessed our intention and gave a decisive squeak. It toddled after us as we left the cave. Looking at it like this, its quite cute. But its a Mythical Beast, so the danger is still there. And its illegal from the juristical perspective too. But doesnt it seem like it would feel really good to the touch? Okay, even Im not going to let you do that, okay? Shame I may have been a guy in my previous life, but I still found it hard to go against that fluffy fur. I understood how Mikey felt a little bit. But if its wrong, its wrong. We have to properly admonish himter. Besides, this Carbuncle already has someone to safeguard it. Dont tell me that white thing just wants it for its fluffiness. Hm? Which white thing? Dont worry about it. Either way, we managed to find the Carbuncle, so she would probably show her face before me sooner orter. As we left the cave while I was thinking about such things, we came across three Adventurers in the middle of a rest. Chapter 116 Three Adventurers were upying the vicinity of the cave entrance. All of them wore heavy equipment and had handbags stuffed full of somethingying around. They wereughing loudly and raised toasts. They sat around a bonfire and drank something, most likely alcohol. Seeing what looked like scales giving off ck luster through the gaps of their bags, it was no doubt that these were the same Adventurers that Cortina judged to havee for the Dragons scales.Then why would theye here I started wondering but quickly realized the reason. This forest was unexpectedly vast. The only open ces in it were probably the hot spring where the Dragon has settled and in front of this cave. There were no other ces, unless you returned to the town. But if they returned to the town, theyd have to keep their mouths shut about their sudden profit. After all, the scales were firste first served limited treasures. If they bbered their mouths, it could invite potentialpetition. And there was no knowing when the Dragon would return to the hot spring. In other words, this pce was ideal for them. Squeee!? The Carbuncle raised a surprised voice from the sudden encounter. Me and Cortina were experienced Adventurers, so we knew better to raise our voices, but it was unreasonable to ask that from a monster. With that, the Adventurers finally noticed us. They stopped their cups and directed impure looks at us. Aah? Who are you supposed to be? A woman shouldering a child was certainly a sight that would draw suspicion, but still nowhere near as suspicious as them. Their bearded faces were flushed due to alcohol and their armors had scratches all over filled with rust. They didnt care for them, but seemed like they have used it for a long time. Based on that, they appeared to be quite experienced, but their character was on the opposite vector. Err We came to recover a lost child. Dont mind us. A lost child, you say? Cortina answered socially and showed them Mikey on her back. She then shifted her position to give Mikey over to me. Huh? Shh, just take him. If I carried him, I wouldnt be able to fight. If possible, I wished Cortina did it instead. Just when I was about to ask that, the guys raised wild voices. Hey, whats that behind youis that actually a Carbuncle? The voice asked in amazement. He probably never thought hed find a Mythical beast right after sessfully aplishing the in yet rewarding job of collecting the Dragons scales. However, his yell invited nothing but trouble. Carbuncles were protected beasts. Even by simply following us, it could cause problems. Moreover, the gem on its forehead was extremely valuable. To the point that one would risk breaking thew to obtain. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Quite attached to you eh? Hey, wont you lend it to us for a bit? The man asked over-familiarly. The other two also moved to entrap us in between. But just before that encirclement wasplete Nicole, run! Huh? Take Mikey and run, hurry! Then I finally realized why she handed Mikey over. Cortina nned to hold them off here on her own. Their personalities aside, they seem to have some skill. They might be too much to handle for a rearguard like her. Naturally, our odds of winning wouldnt change even if I joined in. The usual me, that is. If I used threads, then my strength would make a difference. If I joined forces with Cortina, we could drive them off. But that would lead to revealing myself to her. Just go. Ill catch up with youter! She said that, but it would be difficult to break free from the encirclement of three people. It was just like Just like me from back then, huh. Stalling for time with her life on the line. Well, in her case, if she didnt have us as a burden, she mightve been able to do something. Snares and traps that utilized the terrain were her specialties. Perhaps she could handle them somehow if she utilized her strong area. However, at the end of the day, she was a magician. And neither strong like Maxwell, nor fast like Maria. She was clearly above your ordinary Adventurer, but it was hard to say if it was against three of them. Hurry! While I was weighing my options of running and joining, Cortinas voice urged on. Her yell seemed to have pushed my back, I broke into a run. You could say this was a conditional reflex because I followed hermands in my previous life. I rushed inside the forests dark depths. One man tried toe after me, but Cortina got in the way and blocked his path. Then, she immediately started chanting as the three men rushed towards her. I felt the signs of battle from behind as I continued rushing through the forest with Mikey and the Carbuncle. Chapter 117 Authors note: Please note that well be switching to Cortinas POV midway. After running around in the forest for some time and making sure that no one was following me, I finally stopped my legs. I hid Mikey behind the trees and camouged him with leaves and branches until he was well hidden. I had to take care of the footprints too. As such, I called the Carbuncle and told it to keep watch over him. Ill go erase our footsteps, so Im leaving Mikey to you. Squeak! I already knew that the Carbuncle understood my speech. I couldnt read its expression, but apparently it understood that it was the reason for this mess, it ruffled its eyebrows in determination Or so it seemed to me anyway. I took a branch in ce of a broom and left the ce to erase our footsteps. Cortina was on my mind all this time. Its only been a few minutes since, but that was plenty enough for losing your life. Not to mention, even if you didnt look at her in a favorable light, she was still an exceptionally beautiful young girl. Well, her age didnt exactly qualify her as young, though. Fuck! The waves of regret surged forward, making me me myself for running away. I wonder, did she feel the same way back then, when she had no choice but to leave me behind and run? If so, what a fool I have been for doing something like that. But still, I couldnt just leave Mikey and the Carbuncle to that ce. In that sense, Cortinas judgment wasnt wrong. But now Their safety should be guaranteed for now, right? I shook off the pursuers. I even erased the footsteps so they shouldnt be able to track them for the time being. In other words, I have a good enough excuse to join the fight now. That said, doing that as I am now would only lead to more problems. For me to be of use in battle, I have to use my thread maniption. But Cortina would immediately realize I am Reid if she saw that. Then, what do I do? At that moment, my eyes settled on the middle finger of my left hand. The moment Nicole started running, Cortina immediately began to chant. These men held not even a fragment of good intention. In the first ce, it was quite possible that they would try to muzzle her since she saw their scheme to get rich quick. Not to mention the existence of the Carbuncle. They had more than enough reasons for harming Cortinas group. Crimson Three, Ultramarine One, Gold threeHigh Enchant! She used body strengthening packed with more power than normal. Given that members of the cat race excelled in physical ability by default, casting this magic on them would make defeating even an amateur a tedious task. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Her primary goal was to buy enough time for Nicole to make good her escape. Strengthening herself from the start served to seed in that task. The men rushed at her the moment her magic activated. But she already expected those actions, so she dodged them by jumping sideways without losing herposure. Next, she did a forward roll and slipped through their arms, safelying out of the exchange for the time being. Hey, hold it for a second. I dont really n to get in your way of making a little bit of extra money, you know? After fixing her posture, she tried to initiate a conversation to stall for some more time. Shut up! I dont want you ruining our well-kept secret! What he said! And theres also that Carbuncle If we sell the Dragon Ball on its forehead, we wouldnt even need to do something like this again. But Carbuncles are protected beasts. Theres no merchant that would buy something like that from you in Raum. Even the Queen Blossoms seeds were refused by a majorpany like Horton. A Carbuncles Dragon Ball was a major contraband on the same level as the Unicorns horn. There were too many risks involved when it came to dealing with it. She gave them such warning while at the same time starting to chant in a low tone. Low enough for them to not hear. The magic circle started forming in the blind spot behind her. If there are no eye-witnesses, we could just pass it off as imported goods! Hey, Geuse! Go after the kid! Well deal with this thot! Like Id let you, Firebolt! Cortina expected things to go that way, so she fired off the magic she chanted in advance. The firebolt hit the man that turned his back on her and was about to chase after Nicole, restraining him in ce. Ghh, it burns! However, given her insufficient set-up, she failed to put enough magic power into it. Such beginner-level magic wasnt able to deal sufficient damage. It wouldve been a proper attack had she Maxwells level of magic power or Marias chanting speed. You biiitch! The surprise attack drove the men into a rage and they charged forward in loud voices. This time, from three directions at once. She quickly took a step back and avoided the attacks by taking some distance. As they repeated this exchange for some time, Cortina started to gradually lose her escape path. No matter how agile the cat tribe was, there was a limit to what one could do when it was three against one. Much less when it came to a small field like this. It would be one thing if they were inside the actual forest, but here, they held the locational advantage. She wondered whether to make a run for the forest and chase after Nicole, but she instantly dismissed that idea. Nicole still had the body of a frail young girl. She wasnt expected to have covered that much ground in such a short time. Given that, she had no choice but to keep stalling for time here. Besides, entering the forest would just obstruct her vision. If one of the men decided to suddenly go after Nicole, there was a good chance she would fail to notice it. Good grief It just keeps getting worse! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) She purposely yelled to rouse herself up. Still, she had managed to ovee simr difficulties countless times before. What did they have that she didnt? After pondering on that, she tore a big part off the chest area of her clothes. And with that, her breastswhich werent exactly plump but still well-shapedspilled out in a grand disy. Hah! What, are you resorting to seduction now? Fine with me, Ill have my fill after I beat you up! Like that would have any effect at this point! The menughed vulgarly. Cortina, however, disregarded thempletely and slowly moved towards the cave entrance. The men seemed to have misunderstood her action as her trying to escape inside and tried to go around and cut in. But before that happened, Cortina managed to sessfully jump inside the cave. You aint running anywhere! Lets go after her! The one who catches her first gets to have the first turn! Youre on! They jeered full of lust. Ripping her chest off served to be plenty effective against them. Annoying and provoking them proved to be worthwhile. She could hear three voices from behind, suggesting that she seeded in luring all of them inside. Revealing her chest was to make herself a more appealing bait, as well as to make it seem like she was being cornered to the point where she had to resort to seduction. Arousing them like that robbed them of rational thought. This cave had gas inside. If she managed to lure them deeper, they would probably faint from the poisoning. She herself had a scarf with Purify effect. She had nowhere to run now, but her situation should have been favorable. Or so she thought, but when she turned around She was instantly discouraged. Because those men also had purifying masks on them. Shit She cursed without thinking. Now that she thought back, those guys went to inspect the hot spring where a Dragon took a bath. There was no way they wouldnt have prepared measures against gas. She had no ce to run inside.Its my total defeat She thought in regret. But that didnt mean she was ready to give up. Instead, she started working her head toe up with another n. The ruins of a cave-in where they discovered Mikey seemed like something that could be of use. She reinforced that wall with her magic. If she undid it, it would copse once again, and at the very least, could lock those men inside. Just as she decided on her n and looked behind one more time before acting Gaahh!? The backmost man gave an abrupt scream and copsed. And from behind him, appeared a slender figure of a man. Chapter 118 It appeared that it was too much for her to handle alone after all, as she had been cornered inside the cave. To be more urate, she wasnt exactly cornered yet, but was nheless in quite a pinch. Her primary weapons were people. Making the best use of others abilities and bringing the best results was her strong area. But because of that, she wasnt good at individual fights. Stalling for time while we escaped wasnt part of her original role. Even so, feeling the responsibility as my guardian forced her to do the unreasonable. Her chest area was already ripped off, showing off her well-shaped breasts. Seeing that, I felt the blood rush to my head. Of course, I couldnt voice it out. I was currently using the ring of illusions to take on the appearance of Reid. It was enough to deceive Cortinas eyes, but this ring only altered the appearance. It couldnt alter the voice itself, and touching me directly would also get me found out. For that reason, I had to quickly exterminate the ouws and withdraw right away. Reid Is Is that really you? Cortina asked, her voice trembling. But I could not answer her question. After giving her a small nod in affirmation, I instantly went into battle mode. This ce was a straight path. It may seem like a disadvantageous ce for someone like me, whocked both in power and trump cardsbut that wasnt actually the case. This was a gloomy ce, with unreliable terrain. The walls and the ceiling had deformations all over. And this narrow path where movement was limited was just perfect for setting traps. Since I could manipte threads at will, this ce was the perfect nest to make a spiderweb. I immediately had one of the threads crawl up the wall and hook onto the projection, after which I twined it around the mans legs. What the Are you with her!? Well whatever, we cant let you off now that youve seen us. Curse your bad luck, boy! Saying that, one of the men tried to rush towards me, but he was just dancing on my palm. The entwined thread easily tripped him up and made him fall on his face. Whaa-!? Use your eyes, dumbass! Its already narrow as is, dont just fall here! As he said, this was a narrow, straight path. It may have been the worst possible terrain for Cortina who was running from them, but for me, it was a hunting ground where they had no way to avoid my attacks. Much less when he was lying on the ground. I swung down my steel thread, scraping the ceiling as it went for the sh. The fallen man had no way of dodging it, so it ended upnding right on his face. His mask flew off from the force of the sh as it continued to dig deeply into his right eye. Aaaggh! He wasnt able to discern the nature of my attack in this darkness. These guys, in particr, wore heavy equipment, so while theycoulddefend from it if they saw iting, not seeing it made it impossible for them to do anything about it. While the other two were shaken, I covered the distance in one go and shed with at one my dagger. Naturally, I had an illusion cast on the dagger to change its shape too, so I didnt think Cortina would realize it was my dagger. Also, I had one more advantage Hah, as if thats going towait wha-!? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) My attack slipped through the sword he raised it to block the dagger, piercing deeply into the gaps of his armor. Of course, a dagger couldnt possibly slip through a sword. This was due to the difference in the attack trajectory between my illusionary and real physique. My old physique was far too different from my current child one, both in reach and shoulder position. That difference made itself known through the handling of the sword. Praise the God of Destruction. I passed just under the mans brandished sword and recited the Keyword in a small voice so Cortina wouldnt hear it. The reason for that was just in case they decided to investigate the dagger in the future. But then I realized it. The reason why those kidnappers didnt use this dagger. It suddenly started to oscite and cut through the iron armor as if it was paper. However, its oscitions were transmitted to the grip too, causing my entire arm to vibrate. My wrist and forearm shook violently, and the dagger grew restive in my hand. Gghhhhhh!? I immediately coiled the threads around and fixed it in ce, which made sure it wouldnt fly off my hand, but that also caused my grip toe loose. It vibrated inside my hand like a restive horse going wild. Mastering how to use a troublesome dagger like this was easier said than done. Gah, w-wha The man stared in shock, having failed to receive the attack. It was thanks to the illusion that my dagger slipped through his defenses, but that fact was only known to me, the user of the illusion. Thus, he copsed, without ever understanding the reason he failed to block that attack. This dagger needed to pierce quite deep for it to be a fatal wound, so he was still drawing breath. I could finish him off if I went for another blow, but that hardly mattered anymore. And there was one more enemy, after all. I kicked him in the face and sent his mask flying. This naturally didnt deal sufficient damage, but that much was enough. I prioritized Cortinas safety now. Besides, this terrain was lending me a hand too. The first man had already fainted. But not because the damage to his right eye was severe, but because he dropped his mask. While the gases inside this cave were pretty scattered, if you got injured and tried to keep fighting, your breathing would naturally get harsher and you would inhale much more air. That, in turn, led to him inhaling more of the poisonous gas and eventually fainted. Having two of hisrades taken out in a sh, the remaining man started looking around in panic. While these people held some skill, it wasnt to the extent where I, the vanguard of the Heroes, would ever lose, regardless of how inferior my current physical ability has be. Much less when they didnt know about my ability and I was in a favorable terrain. The unknown onught drove fear into him, making him tremble all over and lose his will to fight. I gave him a warning using as low tone as I could so Cortina wouldnt overhear. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) If you have no intention to fight, then drop your weapon. Take yourrades and get out of my sight. And forget everything that happened here. He nodded over and over at my frank advice and dropped his weapon. Seeing that, Cortina judged that the battle was over and started running towards us. Reid, you were alive!? She ran up to me, her eyes filled with tears. I wanted to receive her into an emotional embrace, but s, this body was just an illusion. Everything woulde to nothing if she tried touching me now. I changed my illusion and made it seem as if I dissolved into the wall behind me. Adding my Stealth ability on top of it, there was hardly anyone who could discover me now. Reid! She screamed my name in heartbreak, reached out towards me, but I couldnt take that hand, no matter how much it pained me. Ive made quite a few blunders in this life too, so unfortunately, I couldnt reveal myself. Thus, with painful reluctance, I left that ce behind As her echoing cries continued to dig into my soul. Chapter 119 After I parted with Cortina, I ran at full speed. She most likely already switched her mind to thinking about us. Which means, it was clear that she woulde here to ensure our safety. There was no telling if those Adventurers didnt have morerades, or even some other group could show up too. I had to return to Mikey before she did. That was my biggest priority right now. Fortunately, there were no signs of anyone sniffing out Mikey and Carbuncles location when I arrived. Removing the branches and leaves I put on him, I saw the still fainted Mikey. The Carbuncle became momentarily alert when it saw the camouge being disrupted, but it let go of its vignce once it realized it was me and snuggled up to me. You are quite a friendly fellow, arent you? Rather than not fearing people, being used to them was perhaps a better way to describe it As I was lost in my muttering, I heard a voice from behind. I havent eased my guard, so the only person who could slip through it yet held no animosity, washer. Well, thats because I trained him bit by bit. So you finally decided to show yourself. I wish you did it a bit earlier. As expected, it was that white thing. In other words, the Goddess. My calm reply made her look quite bemused. You werent surprised? I mean, anyone would be surprised when someone suddenly calls out to them. But well, it all went ording to my imagination up to this point. The way she pouted made her look like your average kid. Seeing her, the Carbuncle cried in delight and leaped at her. Woah! Think about our standings, will you? The only one who is allowed to push me down is my husband. Wait, you were married!? I never imagined a god would be marriedbut then, I remembered something. Wasnt the God of Destruction married to the Wind God ording to the myths? As if Id remember what happens in the myths. Youck studying. I rmend you learn whats appropriate for your age. Oh shaddap. True, reading myths and other tales was appropriate for my physical age. But I still couldnt agree to that. I was an adult on the inside. Well, I feel like Ive started being taintedtely, but still. After giving a pat to the Carbuncle, the God of Destruction smiled at me. You have my thanks for finding it. In that case, give your thanks a physical form. I did that beforehand, didnt I? She probably meant the bangle that she had me pass to Michelle. But that was for Michelle, not me. Hey, I feel like your every reward goes to Michelle. Whoops, you found me out. Im actually quite weak to girls like her. Indeed, her heroic, earnest and lively nature attracted the favors from others. I couldnt disagree with her words, but I still felt some dissatisfaction as her primary descendant. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) And looks like you properly received your own equipment, didnt you? So it was really you This dagger was too valuable. It could fetch as much as the Queen Blossoms Seeds if you sold it. In hindsight, it was weird for people who had such a thing to act like some petty thieves and kidnappers. In other words, someone gave it to them. Im actually managing an item shop. One customer asked me for an item that could deceive the monitoring eyes and for one that could work against sturdy foes, so I passed those over. She gave me a smug look, but what would she have done if they were used by the enemy? Well, now that I have them, I dont feel like I would lose to anyone, though. Well then, I should probably go before your worrywart guardian shows up. Im quite bad at dealing with her types. Right. She isnt an idiot like me. You dont have to depreciate yourself like that, you know? You are extremely lovely in your current state! Im not the least bit happy about that! After having her fill of teasing me, she snapped her fingers overhead. Even that gesture started looking appropriate for her which frustrated me to no end. A few seconds after that snap,onlya few secondster, a giant silhouette descended next to me. Wha-, a Dragon!? Indeed, it was a Dragon. And not a normal Dragon. Its ck, lustrous scales were shining in a mysterious light, its giant body full of elegance, extruding a ferocious aura that inspired awe in all who saw it. It even looked like the Evil Dragon Colchis in appearance. But it didnt give off the same wild intimidating air as that one, but instead a sublime feeling that instilled fear in your being. Its called Demonic Dragon Fafnir, and its actually my dependent. So this is the rumored Superior Dragon, huh Why didnt you send it to help exterminate the Evil Dragon I couldnt even imagine what stuff could the gods have to deal with. But seeing how the Carbuncle happily climbed atop the Dragons head, I could see that there were no problems in leaving it to these two. This ones a dragon dependent too, and I feel like it would get along just fine with Yigg. Will you let me take it along? Sure, I dont mind. It can mislead people just by being here. The value of the Dragon Ball on its forehead stirred the greed in people. I felt bad for Mikey who snuck from the town to see it, but it was better for it to stay away from the human settlements. Im d we could reach a peaceful solution. Well then, until we meet again! The white thing left those words behind and mounted Fafnir. With that, the Demonic Dragon soared up high into the skies, and disappeared beyond the horizon in the blink of an eye. Wa-, Yigg! Th-Thats too fast! You just broke the sound barrier, I can hear the sonic boom! Pugyaaaa!? Only leaving that unsightly shriek behind. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Is that really my ancestor? Hearing her pathetic screams filled me with a sense of despair. Chapter 120 The White God rode Fafnir and flew away. Remaining at the scene were only me and the fainted Mikey. Well, Cortina should show up any time now. With the Carbuncle gone, I had nothing to amuse myself with, so I squatted down next to Mikey with that mutter. I ran away while carrying a child, then rushed back and defeated the three of them. After which, I had to rush back here again, and all that took quite a burden on me. Because of that, my legs were trembling a little even now. The enemy had already been dealt with, so there was no harm if I took a short rest here. However, no matter how long I waited, Cortina didnt appear. While it was true that she didnt know where I was, it was still too slow. My fatigue had already recovered and my body started to chill. Mikey didnt show any signs of waking up, so I wanted to show him to a doctor as fast as possible. If there was still danger left, that Goddess wouldve told me I suppose Ill go check the situation. When I left that ce, Cortinas clothes were disordered but she had no apparent injuries. When I considered the possibility of the injury somewhere I failed to notice It made me awfully restless. Perhaps it was toote to realize it now, but since she was sote I had to go and see whats going on. That said, the Carbuncle was gone now, so I couldnt exactly leave Mikey here and go. Its a pain, but I suppose I have to carry him, huh? I dont think there were any monsters around, but there were still animals that could be considered harmful. Mikey had no way to drive them away, even if it was just a stray dog. I had to keep him in check. Thus, I once again shouldered him and followed back the road I came from. I arrived at the cave, but I didnt stumble on Cortina anywhere. I inspected the entrance, but only found mine and the Adventurers footprints. In other words, there were no signs of her leaving the cave. Dont tell me she fainted inside If, for some reason, her magic item for purifying hade off, that possibility couldnt be ruled out. However, if you asked me whether a skilled Adventurer like Cortina would make such a mistake, my answer would be a firm no. That would simply be a stupid question to even ask. Not to mention, those Adventurers had already been driven away, so there was no longer any threat left. But the fact that she still didnte out could only mean Did something happen inside? I wrapped my purifying muffler around Mikeys face as well and headed inside. I had a small build, so my scarf was more than enough for both of us. Since Cortina wasnt present, there was no light magic to assist me. Even if my eyes could see at night, it was still hard to see inside the cave. I headed deeper inside while carefully probing the ground with each step. When I arrived at the ce where I parted from Cortina, I heard the sobs of a girl. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Reid, whyhicuu It was a frail voice I never imagined woulde from her who was so stout-hearted all the time. She wept in a voice full of pain. Hearing her cries, I finally realized the blunder I had made. If I suddenly showed up before her, of course it would gouge out her old wounds. Still, if she managed to talk to me, perhaps she couldve found her salvation. I, however, didnt do even that and disappeared right before her eyes. I couldnt me her if she took my actions as me rejecting her. Cortina? I called out to her in a small voice, trying not to alert her as best as I could. I was clearly at fault here. But letting her cry here any more than this would be dangerous. Even if I tried tofort her, that would only be possible if I took her out of here. !? N-Nicole? Hearing my voice, she forcibly suppressed her weeps and responded to me. I also noticed how she quickly wiped her tears away. Afterward, she used light magic and illuminated the surroundings again. With that, I could finally see her copsed figure. Thats no good. Why did youe back here. She got up while fixing her clothes. Her actions didnt look awkward in any way. It didnt seem like she was subjected to any unwanted advances, or injured anywhere, so I was relieved. In other words, the only injury she had now was the one I opened up. Cortina, I, um, sorry. Huh? Why, are you apologizing? Mmmm Well, just because. She asked once more, but I couldnt answer her. If I did, it would lead to exposing my true identity. She stared confusedly at my hesitant face for a while, then gave me a single pat on the head and forced herself to smile. Oh well. Lets just get out of here already. Its quite poisonous here. Yeah, one could even faint. Right, lets head out then. She responded with a sweet, yet painful smile. Seeing that smile, I made up my mind to never,ever, use Reids illusion again. Chapter 121 When we returned to the town, we were met by several men standing at the gate. It seemed that they had be worried that one of their residents had gone missing. I asked for details afterwards, and it turned out they decided to be more alert just in case after seeing Fafnir descent in the forest. The Demonic Dragon often dropped by the hot spring, so it was just in case to the end. When they saw us carrying Mikey along, they broke into loud cheers and rushed off somewhere. Probably to tell Jessica about it. But the next moment they realized he was unconscious and their expressions turned grim. As they fell into a panic, Cortina announced in a dignified voice. Please calm down, everyone. He simply fainted. Perhaps due to the cave gas. In a cave? He entered the cave? He shouldve known how dangerous it was! There was a Carbuncle living in it. He snuck out to see it. Hearing that a protected Mythical Beast had settled nearby had thempletely shocked. Next, their expressions turnedplex. The Carbuncles were famous for their highly-valued Dragon Ball on the foreheads. If its existence was made known, countless Adventurers woulde to poach it. Being filled with people was of course a happy thing for the town, but it was a different story when those people were just criminals. You dont have to worry about that. Fafnir already took the Carbuncle away. Cortina exined to the townsfolk. I let her know about it on the way back, so she knew the situation already. Ah, so thats what it was earlier! S-So then, the Carbuncle is gone? Thats right. Its no longer anywhere near, please be at ease. Cortina understood their perplexment. For that reason, she intentionally stressed the point that the Carbuncle was already gone. Too bad for Mikey who got attached to it, but for his own safety, it was better to have him forget about it. After all, if that hamster-like thing was around him, simr events like today would continue to ur. Mikey! At that moment, Jessica suddenly rushed at us while panting. She ran so fast she even forgot to breathe. That was just how worried she was for her child. I-Is Mikey safe Dont worry. His life at least isnt in danger. He isnt waking up, so lets show him to a doctor at once. Y-Yes. Please, follow me. Under her guidance, we arrived at the towns healer. Mikey had no injuries and his breathing was stable, too. Even hisplexion was normal, so there were actually no outwards signs of gas being the cause of it. Even his leg injury was already dealt with by Cortina, so he shouldnt have been in any grave danger. Oh, hes just sleeping. If I had to say, probably due to exhaustion. After we hurried him to the town healer, he gave us that anticlimactic diagnosis. We had him diagnosed with a spell called Medic, which could find abnormalities in the body, but even that didnt show anything. Perhaps that exhaustion came from enduring his leg injury all night which drained him of all energy. After waking up and eating his fill, he would return to normal, the doctor stated confidently. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) And with that, this turmoil had finally reached a stopping ce. Lady Nicole, you have my sincere thanks for what you have done. Seeing that her son was safe, Jessica came to say her thanks. She finally regained her calm and could afford to take her mind off Mikey and think about other matters. Cortina waved at her and responded. No, this must also be the work of fate. Besides, it wasnt a fruitless effort even for me. Eh? Oh, Im just talking to myself. Jessica looked puzzled, not understanding Cortinas words, but that was a natural reaction. Someone with Reids appearance showed up before her. Moreover, that someone had used a simr battle style to defeat his enemies. That was proof that it was the same Reid that she knew so well. This incident should have made her more certain that I reincarnated. Moreover, I couldve been reborn anywhere on this entire continent, but I was actually in Raum, she was certain of that now. Well, I dont feel like ever using that form again, though I muttered to myself, seeing Cortinas somewhat happy yet sad expression. For better or worse, that appearance had wounded her. I decided that the next time I showed up in front of her with my previous appearance, I would make sure to first learn the Polymorph magic and gain a physical form. Until then I had to use some different form instead. Ah, there you are! Did everything go well, Nicole? Lady Cortina, wee back! Lady Nicole, are you wounded anywhere? Following that, Michelle and others showed up boisterously inside the medical facility. Just seeing Finias worried and noble expression along with Michelles energetic one was enough to heal me. Yeah, Im fine. We seem to have worried you. How about you yourselves? There were no incidents on our side. Finia reported the situation in a businesslike manner. When Michelle heard about Fafnir, her eyes started sparkling and she leaned towards me. Nicole, you saw Fafnir!? How was it, was it cool? Wai-, youre too close. Uh, Fafnir is known for its high intellect, so there was no danger to my life, okay? Of course. If there was, youd be dead now! Letina said that in a bragging manner for some reason But well, she had a point. While we did defeat the Evil Dragon Colchis that was at around the same level as Fafnir, it took our party the utmost effort, nning, locational advantage and luck to aplish. If it reached a point where I had to fight independently against Fafnir, Id have run with a tail between my legs. Good grief. But its good that you managed to quickly handle the matter. True, its just past lunch now. We got involved in this incident right as we were heading for our morning meal, after which we set out straight for the cave. Then we found Mikey, got in a fight with those Adventurers, repelled them, and at the end, the God of Destruction and Fafnir took the Carbuncle away. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) All these events followed one after another, so not long had passed since. Then lets go eat lunch together. We can still pass it off as ate lunch now. Yaay! Yaay, indeed! Hearing about food, Michelle and Letina broke into cheers. I got that part, but why did they grab my hands and raised them together? Thanks to that, I ended up joining their cheers, whether I wanted or not. Rather, due to Michelles height and Letinas good physique, I ended up hanging between them as they raised their hands along with mine. Seeing us like that, Cortinaughed behind her hand. It was a peal of carefreeughter, a genuine smile that fitted her the most. Chapter 122 Our lunch got dyed quite a bit that day. But that couldnt have been helped. We were out searching for a missing person in the morning, after all. Rather, it was lucky enough that we managed to resolve the incident in less than half a day. Mikeys mother, Jessica, politely apologized and thanked us after that, so we could have our lunch in a good mood. Thus, we slipped into a nearby restaurant and ordered whatever we liked. This ce was close to the capital, but it was also inside the forest. That is, their local specialties differed. While it was just a random restaurant, it still had many cuisines you couldnt find anywhere but this town. I ordered a bitter gourd pork stir fry. I smacked my lips from its peculiar vour. So bitter, yet so good. I still had most of my child pte left, so I liked sweet food. I liked it even in my previous life. But I didnt hate bitter food either. Its sensation that stings your tongue was good in its own way. Nicole, can let me have some of that? Sure, but its bitter, okay? Ill be fiiine! Michelle was curious about my food, but as expected, it wasnt fine at all. She stabbed the fork in a piece of the bitter gourd, carried it to her mouth and chomped it down like a baby bird. But that spelled the end for her smiling expression. A momentter, her face paled and started twitching all over. And then, she started sweating profusely And stopped all movements. She was disciplined to never spit something out once it was in her mouth. Even so, she wasnt able to swallow the bitter substance that far exceeded the limits of what her pte could handle. Since she could do neither, she could only endure as it simply continued to vite her oral cavity. You can spit it out if its too much for you. Here. It hurt to watch her like that, so I opened a table napkin and pushed it towards her mouth. However, she shook her head and rejected the offer while trembling. It was a good thing that her parents teachings were firmly engraved in her, but they werent here now. We could overlook her breach of manners here. Uncle and Auntie arent here. Come on. Seeing the paper napkin, she hesitated for a few seconds, groaned And finally spit the contents out with a defeated expression. Bleh, bleh That was so bitterrr! You shouldve spit it out sooner. But youve been kind enough to share it, so its a rude thing to do.. I wouldnt mind something like that. Hah, you are still such a kid, Michelle! Asking for food you cant even eat! Letina startedughing at her while puffing her chest. She was a noble, but still followed us to some run-down restaurant and was eating whatever was offered withoutints, so she was also another oddball in the group. I kept forgetting about it, but she was the daughter of a Marquis. Still, I wouldnt allow anyone tough at Michelle Even her! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Take this! I grabbed another bite of the bitter gourd and stuffed it in Letinas mouth. It was done in a very precise way, so she ended up chewing down on it with the speech momentum. Naturally, her pte was also childish still. The sudden bitterness had her pale up and she pressed a hand to her mouth. However, herdy pride didnt allow her to spit it out. Mggh, gghhh!? Thats what you get forughing at a friend. Here. In the end, it was too pitiful to let her go on, so I extended a helping hand by offering her some water. She suddenly snatched it from my hand and gulped the contents down without savouring them. That was cruel! After taking a breather, she started bombarding me with objections, but those shouldve been my words. You are the cruel one forughing at Michelle. Mgh, well I apologise for that But still, how can you eat something so bitter. Thats because Im an adult. I dered proudly as if to get back at her. Well, I really was an adult on the inside, so I guess it was kinda cheating. Finia giggled at our silly exchange. Cortina smiled as well But itcked her usual energy. Did seeing Reid leave the lingering effects in her, after all? Hmm While I was contemting on the matter, Michelle noticed my expression and asked if everything was okay. Whats the matter? Mmh. Cortina looks down. Huh, me!? Getting her name called out all of a sudden, Cortina responded in surprise, but it seemed that even Finia realized that. She addressed her with a slightly worried expression. Lady Cortina, you do seem to be a little down Are you perhaps tired? Naah, nothing like that. If this much was enough to wear me out, adventures would be out of question for me. Then Its just been hectic since yesterday. Im fine, really. She waved her hands in denial, but her voicecked the usual vigour. When she wasnt feeling energetic, it sort of transmitted to others and made them feel theck of it. Since it was like this, not only did I have to refrain from using Reids appearance, I even had to think of a way to support her. Chapter 123 For the time being, Cortina kept up the appearances, so we went on to enjoy the hot spring cure with the same calm mood. And just like the previous day, we spread the beddings on the floor and slept side by side. I, however, noticed how Cortina slipped out of her bed in the middle of the night. And then, she went to the balcony and reclined on the rocking chair installed there. I could even see traces of tears in her eyes. Seeing that, I finally decided to act. But my form still remained a problem. I couldnt let her find out about my current form or voice. As long as I could hide these two things, I saw no problem in making myself known to her. I then snuck out of the room. As I stepped out to the corridor, I headed for the kitchen and took wooden cups from it, and connected them with threads. I made the so-called tin-can telephone. With this, she wouldnt get suspicious even if I muffled my voice. I hid my body with the rings power, then headed to the backyard and rolled one of the cups at her feet. She looked at it suspiciously and became alert of the surroundings. Shes gotten into trouble with those ill-natured Adventurers during the day, so that much vignce was justifiable. Can you hear me, Tina? I paid that no mind and sent my voice through the thread. The cups acted like megaphones, so it managed to deliver my voice to her. Tin-can telephones only worked when the string was taut, but thats where my Gift came into y. It allowed me to transmit the vibration from my end of the thread to hers. That said, I couldnt camouge my voice, so to hear it sounded like a slightly lisping voice of a kid. Moreover, my voice got magnified due to reverberating in the cup, so it got mudded out even further. Even so, she instantly realized whom that voice belonged to. Is that you Reid!? Yeah, its me. Hearing my reply, she soundlessly picked the cup and embraced it tightly. As if she was embracing not the cup but me. I could even hear her silent sobs. Sorry for not showing myself. Why, wont you? Well, my current body is something I cant show others. I dont care about that! Well I do. I answered in as casual a tone as I could. This is Cortina we were talking about. She could overthink it and assume I had be something hideous. For example, thinking that Id be something like a Goblin Well, Ill do something about it in due time. I already have an idea on how. Really? But My words caused her to blush to the point that I noticed it from all the way here. Putting on a brave front was one of her habits. I did no such thing No need to cover it. I realize I did something stupid back there. No, it still made me happy. She continued searching for me while we were talking. As cunning as ever she was. Unfortunately for her, I was using my ring and my Gift to hide both my body and presence, so not even a pro scout would be able to discover me. Anyway, let me off with this much for now. Ill regain my former body before long ande to meet you. You can count on it. Okay, Ill be waiting. She answered that unusually obediently. Her attitude was far too docilepared to the one from my old days, so I doubted there was a catch to it. Thus, I voiced my doubts without beating around the bush. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) You agreed to that a bit too easily. What are you nning now? That wasnt a lie. And with that, I detached and retracted the tread. I did it so fast that Cortina failed to even see it. Losing sight of the threads end, she started restlessly looking around the ce for some time. While she was upied with that, I headed into the inn and snuck back inside our room. Even after I returned, Cortina continued searching the surroundings. On and on, on and on All the way until morning. Mornyaawn. Morning, Cortina. Cortina greeted me while stifling her yawn. I answered back while sighing in secret. In the end, she continued searching for me until the sunrise, and only took a short nap in the morning. During our adventuring days, we used to stay up all night at times, so one sleepless night wouldnt be much of a problem for her I knew that, but I was still worried. Did you not get any sleep? Something like that. I am sleepy but I dont feel bad at all. Is that so? Seeing her beaming smile convinced me that my actionsst night werent in vain. We had to leave the inn and return to the capital today. If Cortina, the acting guardian, showed up in such a weary state, it would cause concern to our parents. Yaaawn Mornin. Michelle and Letina woke up one after another. These two tossed and turned around in sleep too much, so their hairs were in a total mess. It was particrly grave in Letinas case. Her usual curly hairstyle was split into bits like a sour gourd. Good morning, Lady Nicole. You are up early today. Even I like to wake up early every now and then. Finia who woke up after me quickly washed her face and prepared tea. She was just returning from the kitchen, holding a tray with hot milk in her hands. Hey, go wash your faces already. We are going to set out for the capital right away after we pack our luggage and have breakfast. Ehh, already? I wanted to take it easy for longer. We have school, so we cant take it any easier. Letse again during a longer break. Really? Youll take us along again? As long as your parents would be okay with it. Yay! The two high fived each other, realizing theyd be able toe here again, and then dashed towards the washroom together to quickly wash up and have breakfast. Such lively girls they are Well, they are my friends, after all. They were always full of spirit and healed their surroundings. Being friends with them filled me with immense pride. For they were my most prideworthy friends that I cherished just as much as myrades of old. Chapter 124 I managed to safely get rid of Cortinas depression. The following morning we left the elven town and departed towards the capital. Finia and I went to say our farewells to Bill, but he had already left the inn due to business when we got there, so that wish didnte true. Well, he was doing his business between this town and the capital, so we were sure to stumble on him again sooner orter. We still left a message for him with the inns person, though, after which we filled a canteen full with the white fruit juice in ce of a souvenir and set out. We took two breaks on the way, and this time, we managed to safely arrive at our destination in about three hours. Perhaps this mostly thanks to the sweet juice. Its sweetness served to recover my stamina. We arrived just past noon and everyone went their separate way when we reached Cortinas home. But Michellewho lived next dooraside, we couldnt exactly let a Marquis daughter like Letina walk home on her own. She already experienced getting kidnapped once, so Cortina and I made sure to walk her home. Seeing Letina bring a present home and hop around in excitement made her mother, Elisa, very happy for her, and she thanked us. Her happiness made me happy too. After that, we took a little detour and arrived at Maxwells mansion. If I had to say, this ce was our goal today. Now this is rare. For you to show your face here, Cortina. Shut up. Here, your gift. Oh, the baked sweets from the elven town? You rxed there with the kids, eh? That is quite motherly of you. Ive got something to talk about, so go bring us some tea already! So you n to eat these yourself Maxwell shrugged in exasperation, but his expression looked happy on the contrary. He cheerfully guided us to his living room and went to brew the tea as he was told. Maxwell was tall, so he towered above the Elves who were usually petite. His old age didnt affect his physique, nor could it be felt in his actions; he was smooth and natural. Did he know the meaning of old age infirmity? Here, I made it with the leaves I ordered from Cornus in the south. Do appreciate it. I thought Id never see the day when youd actually be so weing Thank Nicoles presence for that. Yeah, yeah. Cortus was the southern City-State. It was west of my home, Alecmarle Sword Kingdom, and prospered through the ocean trades. Since they excelled in trading, there were many rare items to be found there. I could indeed feel the slight aroma of sea watering from it. So then. What business brought you here? He asked as he sat in front of us and sipped on his tea. The way he satfortably on his sofa with a cup in hand made him extrude a feeling of dignity befitting the kingdoms ruler. If you ignored the messy room in the background, that is. Right, Ill get straight to the point, then. I saw Reid in the Elven town. Maxwell leapt to his feet while spurting the tea and soiling his robe. He then drew closer to Cortina and questioned her loudly. She expected that reaction, though, so she didnt flinch. He was inside the cave near that town. The ce where the hot spring first gushed out. What was he doing in such a But, he showed up with his old appearance, so I think he used some kind of illusion. But seeing his threads and stealth ability, I have no doubt it was really him. If thats what you say, thats probably the case. Not to mention, you could hardly mistake him for someone. Pretty much. After Maxwell regained his calm, they proceeded to exchange information in in manner. Frankly put, listening to their talk from the side was bad for my heart. Not just Cortina, but Maxwell too was sharp-minded. If Cortina wasnt there with us, he wouldve been the one to rece her as the partymander. Magic fundamentally required one to remember things. Mastering all systems meant that he was very knowledgeable and had a high intellect. He was always messing around, but he wasnt stupid. Would that mean that Reid has reincarnated in that Elven town? To think he was in my domain. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Their conversation pointed them towards the Carbuncle, so I heaved a sigh of relief. The White God took it away, so as long as they keep thinking that Carbuncle is me, they shouldnt be able to arrive at the truth. As I secretly made a fist pump, their meeting had finallye to a closure. Chapter 125 Forwarding the time by a few weeks, the days passed without incident and we returned back to our normal everyday life. It was already July and the warm weather had started to take over. That day, I opened the door while feeling extremely gloomy. Usually, Michelle and Letina would be the ones greeting me now, but Squeak? I was instead met with a big furball. No, like, I remembered whatitwas. I just didnt knowwhyit was here. The Carbuncle that I had parted with a few weeks prior was standing at my door, carrying some kind of wrapping on its back. Why are you here? Squeee! It skilfully put down the wrapping and took out a letter from it. Cortina realized that I hadnt left for school for some reason and came out to check what was going on. Is something wrong, Nicolewait a minute, the Carbuncle!? Yeah, no idea why its here. I wasnt sure what to say, so I simply stated the fact. I epted the letter and read the contents. It appeared to be a message from the White God written with polished letters. It seems that it has taken a liking to you so I decided to leave it to you. It seems its attached to that Mikey kid too so please take it along and have them meet sometime. She wrote something so shameless. Did she just seriously tell me to keep it downtown? I can already tell thats gonna cause me extreme mental anguish! Is it that white girl? I remember you said Fafnir took it away, didnt you? She seemed to be acquaintanced with Fafnir. Still, to adopt it, huh Its a protected beast, you know? Its not something you can just adopt. Can we? I cutely tilted my head and asked for permission. She was the head of this house, after all. I couldnt keep a pet without her permission. Thats why I tried to butter up to her as much as I could. This conversation sounded a lot like how kids often went, mommy, can we keep it? No, we have to send it back to where it came from Is what I would normally answer here, but The pet in question was a protected Mythical Beast so she couldnt irresponsibly drive it away. If she did and it was subject to poaching, then all that responsibility could instead fall on her shoulders. Fortunately enough, Cortina was a celebrity in this country, so she could be flexible in some regards. It would be easy for her to get permission to keep it if she asked Maxwell. However, the troubles that action would bring with it couldnt be waved off either. For that reason, she hesitated on giving the immediate reply But at that moment, the Carbuncle took out another letter and an item. epting those, I went ahead and read the letter. Of course, Im not asking you to do it for free. As thanks, I present this item to the guardian. This is a potion made by diluting the dragons blood and adjusting theposition. It can increase the users life span. This one bottle is three peoples worth. What the Carbuncle took out was a small bottle with a pale red liquid in it. If what the letter said was true, it was nothing short of a mythical grade item. If the word got out about this item, it could very well lead to war. What in the world did I just receive (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I muttered without thinking. Michelles bow was one thing, but this was already on a whole another level. But after Cortina read the exnation, she was quick on her decision. Okay, you are part of our family from now on! Wai-, are you sure!? I am, I am. I have to show tolerance as the family head here! She said that while grabbing the bottle. Her real thoughts were as clear as day. You just want that, dont you? Huh!? But that was odd in its own right. Cortina was still considered young for a cat beastmen. She wasnt so old that she needed to worry about her age. Even when it came to Maxwell, while he was indeed old for an Elf, he still had another humans lifespan left. Cortina, you are still young, you know? No, its not like Im nning to use it on myself After she said that much, it finally hit me. She didnt want that for herself, but perhaps for my parentsLyell and Maria. Those two were humans with a normal lifespan. While the old age didnt show on Maria, it was quite obvious with Lyell. It was unthinkable that Cortina who had a long lifespan failed to notice that. Maxwell was already used to partings that apanied his lifespan, but Cortina was still young and her mental state wasnt as firm. As such, she willingly bit the bait that was dangling before her eyes. Naturally, she couldnt be certain whether this potion truly extended ones life, but she still judged that it was better than nothing. Not to mention, she could have it appraised as long as we had Maxwell with us. Even if it was poison, all we had to do was to ask Maria to Purify it. I see, so its for mom and dad Oh, Nicole, why are you so good at guessing. But that aside, I have to confirm one thing first. Confirm? She turned towards the Carbuncle and said something unbelievable with a meek expression. You Arent Reid, right? Squee? Carbuncle could obviously not understand what she was talking about. It could understand words, but not the contents. Like that could be true Ugh, I-I know that already! Anyway, youll bete, you know? Leave this little one to me and hurry to the school. Kaay. Just as I replied back, Letina showed up across the street. Michelles door opened right after and she showed up with her giant bow. When they looked my way and saw the Carbuncle, their excitement shot through the roof. Waah, what is that! Ah, morning, Nicole. Youre up early today! Morning, Michelle. This is the Carbuncle. You know, the one from the Elf town. The one you met in the cave? Did it follow you all the way here? No, more like it was driven away, I guess? That Goddess pushed it on me, so I guess you could call it being driven away Or maybe its not that simple? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Oh, are you going to be keeping it at Lady Cortinas house? I want one too! Morning, Letina. If you call yourself ady, you should be greeting people first. Good morning, Nicole. I never thought youd be preaching me aboutdy manners. Ugh Hearing Letina says that, I recalled my recent conduct. I flirted in the bathroom, exchanged presents with Finia and made blunders, and drank the fruit juice in all smiles. It felt as if my dignity and stoicism from my past life had already disappeared without a trace. Given my conduct, instead of the Peerless Hero, wasnt I on the route to bing a Wife? Shivers of disgust traveled down my spine upon that frightful realization. Chapter 126 I headed to the school with my head hung as I Imagined that horrid future. And well, my head being hung was also due to a physical influence. The Carbuncle refused to leave my side and was currently sitting on my shoulders. I was giving it what one would call a shoulder ride. As it sat snuggly like a hat there, Michelle and Letina relentlessly reached out towards it for pats. Due to that, even my head was being pushed around and it made me feel quite bad. Hey, my head Ah, sorry! Eeeh, let me do it some more! Letina quickly pulled her hand away, but Michelle was still reluctant to do so. Still, the Carbuncle aimed for the moment her hands were out of the way and jumped down. It vigntly looked around, perhaps to make sure that no one but Michelle was around, and after making sure of that it once again opened its wrapping. It took out a rod and a letter from within and presented them to me. After I epted those, it once again climbed up on my head. Gimme a break already. Squee? Damn this fluffy furball. It understands speech but feigns ignorance At any rate, after I looked at the letter, it was another message from the Whitey. You were previously dissatisfied about not receiving an item of your own, so Im giving you this wand. You can turn this into the daggers haft and use them as a set. Hmm? After inspecting it further, the tip of it did indeed have an incision and apparatus for fixing it in ce. If I removed the daggers current haft and put the de in this instead, I should be able to use it normally. If you fill it with magic power, the Form Shift magic should transform the wand part into ance. By doing that, it should eliminate the weakness of its retention stemming from its powerful vibration. Form Shift!? I reflectively screamed in disarray. Form Shift, as its name implied, could change the form of the item you held in your hand. It was a high ranking magic in the Interference system, even reaching the level of Polymorph in difficulty. Of course, there was a time limit to it. Originally that was only 2-3 minutes. However, since it let you change the form of the items as it fitted the situation, it excelled in adaptability and was considered as extremely useful magic. And if that wasnt enough, it appeared that this magic tool could maintain the form as long as I kept feeding it magic power. The only problem was that it would continue sucking it up during the entire time But that was a good thing given my current condition. My magic needed to be sucked out on a daily basis, so having another source for that was wee. It has such amazing magic sealed in it Doesnt this actually rival the Third Eye? Moreover, since it could bebined with the dagger, there was no problem with carrying it and it also served as perfect camouge. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) With this, I could lead others to believe that I only fought with the dagger and switch to the spear when push came to shove. This is amazing. I feel like praising that Whitey for the first time. Hey hey, Nicole, what is that Form Shift? Huh? I finally noticed Michelle pulling on my sleeve. Now that I think about it, revealing it in front of Michelle was probably a big blunder on my part. It was fortunate that neither Michelle nor Letina knew about this high ranking Interference magic. Err It seems that this makes it possible for me to pour magic into the dagger. As such, I answered her with a vague answer. With that, I could just exin it away by switching into the oscition mode if things came down to it. Oh, is it a present from that White Goddess? Yup, we have matching items now. Letina asked quizzically, being the only one of us who wasnt acquaintanced with her. Well, they did meet once during the abduction, but she wasnt conscious then. Wait, that means they didnt really meet, huh? Theres this amazing white magician that we know. White and amazing? Like Lord Maxwell?: Well, Maxwells beard is indeed white But not quite? Even I felt some pity for her, who looked like a loli, to bepared with Maxwell who looked like withered daikon. Rather, theres no telling what she would do if she overheard this. And she very well could, given her habit of randomly showing up. Putting that aside, I really did receive something amazing. If I used the wands power to transform the dagger into a spear, while also changing my appearance with illusion, no one could tell its me. But now that I couldnt use Reids appearance, I had to think of another form. That said, nothing good came to my mind and I was stumped, so I really needed to give it some more thought. At any rate, I need to experiment on it. The question was whether it would still be able to oscite after installing the wand on it. That Goddess had a careless side to her, so instead of trusting her words, I needed to test it in practice. That day, I couldnt care less about the boring lessons, and spent the day giggling to myself. Chapter 127 Bare arms, bare legs. I was in a state that exposed far more of my skin than I wasfortable with. I put the towel on my shoulders with trouble and tried to avoid the peoples gazes as much as I could. Which wasnt surprising the swimming lessons were starting from today. Ah, I forgot I forgot that this thing existed Dressed in the school designated swimsuit, I spit those words as I stood before the swimming area that we created at the riverside of the forest. I could feel all the nces the surrounding people have been stealing at me. And no wonder that was something I didnt want to say, but my swimsuit figure was as lovely as a fairy it seemed. I hated to admit it, but unlike my usual uniform, this one emphasized my silhouette, and coupled with my doll-like appearance, I gave people the urge to dress me up. Hnng, you really are the best, Nicole! Cortina, shut up! Even your abuses are music to my ears now! Get bent, you crappy teacher! She had abandoned her lessons and came to rub her cheeks on me. I continued throwing merciless curses at her for that. But s, even those fell on deaf ears. Even though she already saw me at home, she still showed no signs of calming down anytime soon. Come on, you see me naked all the time But dressing you up feels a different kind of good. Especially because you are quite indifferent to attire in general. But isnt this just a simple school swimsuit? Thats what makes it worth it all the more. Heeelp, the criminal is here! I tore her off me and hid behind Letina and Matisse. It was a bit painful that Matisse still had some small scars left. Maria preferred the self-restoration of the body, so she only healed her enough that there would be no scars left. It was sad to look at it now, but it couldnt be helped. Maria wouldnt let scars remain on a girls body. And she even guaranteed that they would go away with time. Kh, you managed to escape, huh Teacher, lets begin the lesson already. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Matisse extended me a helping hand by urging her to start the lesson. Thanks to that, Cortina finally stopped her prank andmenced the swimming ss. It was the start of July, the time where the water temperature wasnt high, so the children did some stretches before getting into the river. The water in the swimming pond we made was just as cool, so I could hear the asional yells of so cold! I also timidly entered the water until it reached my shoulders and let my body adjust to it. If I went in any deeper straight away, my muscles could get a cramp due to its coldness. Okay, lets first submerge ourselves until it covers our head. If you dont hold your breath properly, you might drown. Hearing her instructions, the children submerged themselves in the water one after another. The kids of these parts were somewhat ustomed to the water, but for those who werent from here, the simple act of submerging could be a frightful proposition. Perhaps she decided to start by training them in that aspect first. The kids pinched their noises and shut their eyes tight as they went under the water. Cortina observed each and every one of them with full attention. Losing focus during the swimming practice could be life-threatening, so she was more focused than usual. After my body got ustomed to the water sufficiently, I also submerged myself. Naturally, though, my eyes were open, unlike the other kids. As the water covered my headmy vision cked out. Hah! Where am I!? Ah, Teacher Cortina. Nicole woke up! When I came to, I was lying on the riverside rock. It was heated up by the sun and felt really good. Matisse who seemed to have been tasked with my care was looking worriedly at me. Are you okay, Nicole? Yeah. Did I faint? Yes. You suddenly floated up so everyone got scared. It appeared that while my body got ustomed to the water, my head didnt and I fainted from its coldness. Cortina had the other students remain on standby in the distance. She couldnt continue the lesson while a student almost drowned, after all. Hearing Matisse call, she left the students as is and headed my way. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Looks like you woke up, Nicole. How are you feeling? Yea, Im okay. Sorry, looks like I worried you. Well, at least one student tends to faint once every few years, so Im not really worried. I mean, you should worry. While it was pooled water, it wasnt like the rivers current waspletely eliminated. Since the water constantly flowed, the water temperature was rtively lowerpared to normal reservoirs. Moreover, the forest also blocked most of the sunlight needed to heat the cold river, so simr incidents tended to happen on rare asions. As such, Cortina handled the situation in a skillful and ustomed way. I suppose I cant really continue the lesson now, can I? So can you walk? I have to take you to the ssroom. Oh, I think so. I stood up and examined my condition. I was a bit wobbly on my legs but I was well enough to walk. I shouldve still had enough juice tost till the ssroom. I see. Then lets get changed and back to the school we go. Well end todays lesson at this Or rather, we havent even started it properly, eh! Cortinas joking tone invitedughter from the students. After that, she thrust her finger before my nose and said with a serious expression. Once we get back, you are going straight to the medical office for a thorough checkup. We have to make doubly sure that everything is alright. Kaay. I could see her point so I had no reason to refuse. No, well, I did have some reservations about doctor Tricia herself, but still. Either way, such was my failure on the very first swimming lesson. After school, I headed home with a certificate from the doctor stating healthy. Usually, I would either visit the music room where I pretended to do my club activities, or meet with Michelle and head out to hunt, but today Maxwell had some free time on his hands so I decided to visit him for some personal lessons. My goal was to learn the high ranked Interference magic, Polymorph. And the fastest way to get there was to learn the basics directly from Maxwell. I received the usual warm wee with tea and treats and then proceeded to normal magic lessons. It was more practical this way, as unlike school where they only taught you the knowledge, I could get the real feeling of it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) Well then, try pouring your magic power into this Magic Crystal. Okay. Thus I proceeded to pour magic into the crystal that was handed to me with a docile expression. A Magic Crystal was something that could contain magic power inside of it, and although it was a crystal it was still extremely brittle. If you broke it, it would disperse the contained magic power through the surroundings, so people often used them as external tanks. Of course, you needed to put magic power into it first or it would be useless. And doing that was perfect for training your control over magic power. I did it. After holding it in my hand for a few minutes, I returned the now-full crystal to Maxwell. It seemed that he judged my ability based on my speed and the crystal condition. Mhm, not bad. Really? Yay! I suppose we should move on to the next stepReid, can you bring me the textbook from that shelf? Sure. I nodded without much thought and stood uponly to quickly turn back. Wait What did you just? That was quite a natural response. So it really is you A mean smile appeared on his face. Seeing that smile, I realized that there was hardly anything that could get me out of this mess. Chapter 128 Maxwell. He was someone who had mastered every magic system and became known as King of Sorcery. If we didnt have Cortina, it wouldve most likely been him who led us instead. Mastering various magic arts meant that you were able to choose the most optimal magic in any given situation. And it was simply out of the question for someone like that to have a bad head on their shoulders. With that said, you have reincarnated in quite a lovely body. No, I mean Thats not- It was quite obvious if you gave it a little thought. Just as you came to this town, Cortina and Gadius reconciled and then a person supposed to be Reids reincarnation showed up. Those events happened too fast. Ugh Maybe I was imagining it, but I felt some kind of static during the intervals of his words. No, this bastard was actually chanting a spell as he talked. Was he nning on erecting a barrier the moment I tried to flee? Hes using such absurdly high-level technique for something so stupid! I started sweating buckets and all the pores on my body tensed up, giving me goosebumps. The time we invaded the Evil Dragons nest, or the time I had to fight against the Demon God alone couldnt evene close to the fear I was feeling now. That was natural since the worst that couldve happened back then was me dying. But what about now? If this got out, I wouldnt be able to stay with Cortina anymore. Even Finia might look at me like a piece of garbage. After all, I was still exchanging kisses with them every morning and evening to get my magic absorbed. L-L-Look, about that I mean, Ive got n-n-no idea what youre talking abo- I thought it was strange when Reid recovered those Queen Blossom seeds. Only Horton Corp and we should have known of their existence. And if Reid wasnt with them, he could only be among us. I-It could also just be a big coinci- From the age perspective, only miss Letina, miss Michelle and you fit the requirements. Miss Finia and Doctor Tricia are out of that age-range. I-I dont know what you- You three went on the trip together, but from what I hear, only you were out of sight during the incident. And that could only mean that you are Reid. Proof, yeah, wheres your proof!? Now that I think about it, there has been an increase in the loss of piano wires in the music room you often visit, hasnt there? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Agggggghhhhhhh!? It fell on the equipment staff to replenish the consumables in the academy, but it seems that even if I could deceive that inattentive teacher, Maxwell was too much. This old man was the leader of a kingdom, after all. He was exceedingly good at dealing with small changes and such. On top of that, he magnificently baited my response earlier. Now that it has reached this point, deceiving him is impossible, huh? Judging that to be the case, I immediately proceeded to think of the countermeasures. Countermeasure 1 Kill Maxwell. But this was an immediate no. Harming my old friend, a family member even, was something I rejected with my entire being. Countermeasure 2 Make a run for it. This had immediate effectivity, but it was hardly an option here. Even if I managed to run, that wouldnt stop him from telling others about me. Such a temporary measure had no meaning. Besides, he had his barrier magic prepared so running was impossible from the start. Countermeasure 3 Prostrate myself before him and ask him to cooperate in hiding my identity. Actually, this was my only option now. Maxwell, please! Dont say a word to anyone. Ill do anything! Oh? I immediately groveled on the floor and appealed with all I had. I looked quite pathetic like that,pletely unlike what I was aiming to be But I couldnt care less about that now. This could not only worsen my situation but even potentially hurt Finia and Cortinas feelings, so I couldnt be fussy about my methods. Those girls loved and cherished the girl named Nicole, and even opened their heart to her in various matters. Among those, many were linked to my former self. Perhaps also things that they didnt want the person concerned to ever know. I wouldnt particrly mind if this only damaged me. Ive always been a wanderer, after all. I can still manage to get by even if I leave this town after this. But those girls have told me many things that concern me without knowing who I am. I dont want that to result in their feelings getting hurt. That was unexpected. Why did you even consider that I would try to have you banished? As I listed my excuses in one breath, Maxwell responded with a shake of his head while brushing his mustache. Given his response Could I take it that he was willing to keep quiet for me? Will You keep it a secret? I understand where you areing from. It is not my intention to hurt Cortina and Finias feelings. Moreover (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Moreover? Its more amusing that way! I barely contained cursing at him by instinct. Which reminded me, unlike his fame as a prudent Elf, he had a childish, mischievous personality when it came to things like this. Regardless, whatever his thoughts on this matter were, as long as he kept quiet about this, that was enough for me. In that case, wasnt it better to bite my tongue and coborate here? W-Well, your reasons aside, Itd be a huge help if you can keep quiet. I cant thank you enough for that. Yes, you should thank me from the bottom of your soul. What are you, a demon? Either way, the negotiations were sessful. I stood up and offered a handshake, which Maxwell returned with a big grin on his face. Chapter 129 Anyway, while Maxwell found out my secret, I suppose we can say that I barely but surely avoided the bad development. That said, Maxwell was a tough bastard that was involved in national politics. I couldnt imagine him just letting me off. By the way, earlier you said you would do anything, did you not? Huh? Did I say something like that? I got unpleasant vibes from the way he said it, so I tried feigning ignorance for now. But Maxwell being Maxwell, made a show of his repulsive personality. Oh really? I seem to be going senile too. I might have already forgotten that earlier promise. Waitwaitwait, I was just kidding! I said it, I said it! You should have said so from the start. So then, Reid, what do you n to do from now on? Meaning? Ive sweated a lot, so my throat was all parched. Thus, I poured myself a ss of water from the provided jug and took a sip. I am talking about Cortina. You should be well aware of how good her brain works. Her head is filled with love now, but it would not be long before she realizes the truth. Well Yeah. Even you caught on to it, old man. Theres no way she wouldnt. You are quite blessed as you are now. It would do you well to think of some measure. Right Then I suddenly remembered about the wand that the God of Destruction gave me. Incidentally, the Carbuncle that delivered said wand was abducted by Michelle and was taken home before me. It was probably having its fur yed with at Michelles house right about now. By the way, the God I mentioned also gave me this item. And that is? ording to her letter, it is bestowed with Form Shift magic. She told me to use it in ce of this daggers haft. Now that is quite something. Form Shift was outrageous magic that rivaled even Polymorph. Its effect was changing the form of something while keeping its abilities intact. However, it was only limited to items. It was something like a preliminary step of Polymorph, transforming not you but what you had in your hands. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Most of the other Interference magics were being looked down as generic support spells, but the top five high ranked spells that these two were part of were another story. Based on the target item the magic consumption was intense, but that was quite literally a godsend for me given I had more magic power than I could handle. I could only see that as a benefit. A sacred treasure that rivals that silver bow, huh? Try it out for a bit. Hey now You have to test it anyway. I see no harm in doing that now. His words made me hesitate a little. He was right that I needed to test this item. And it would be a blessing for a magic expert like him to be present when I do it. I guess you have a point Well, let me get right to it then. Since we were of the same mind, I proceeded to make preparations for testing. First, I started by attaching it as the daggers haft as the Whitey instructed. This didnt differ all that much from when I maintained my tools, so I was done with it quite quickly. Next, I went out to the courtyard and confirmed that no one was present. I put some magic power into it as a tryout, and what I understood from it was the embedded spell could only affect its length and width. But even still, trying it inside the house could potentially lead to the ceiling getting pierced. Thus, I decided to do it outside, but also made sure that no one was around to see it. Well, not like there were that many entric fellows around that would peek on Maxwells mansion Maxwell also used Search magic to ascertain that there was indeed no one around. Okay, lets go. Indeed. It is also my first time seeing such an item. I have trouble containing my excitement. Im not having an exhibition here, you know? While throwing suchints, I poured my magic power into the daggers haft. The magic tool had no set keyword so it was instantaneous. The entire process didnt differ all that much from pouring magic power into the Magic Crystals. It absorbed far more of it than the crystal, but that didnt prove to be much trouble for me with so much magic power umted in me. And then, only a few minutester, the haft underwent a big change. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) My vision momentarily darkened and I almost fell down. It was perhaps due to being robbed of so much magic so quickly. Still, it wasnt enough to make me faint. Moreover, I was supplying it with magic power by my own will, so I could somewhat control its flow. When my vision came back, I was greeted by a pike almost three meters in length. First thing I felt was the weight of it in my hand. The hilt had grown to around three meters, while the actual de remained attached on its end. The thickness had also grown into something that better suited a spear. After a simple swing, I learned that it was appropriately bendy and firm to be used as a spear. This is Quite easy to use. How is the magic power consumption? Can you keep it up? I can. But it feels like I can put even more into it. Try doing that then. I followed his instructions and put even more magic power into it. Following that, the haft started extending once again. In the end, it reached the length of ten meters, but at that length, it was hardly usable. Next, I tried to lower the power instead and ended up with a short spear of around one meter in length. Its thickness also changed to a size that best fit its current length. And I was able to confirm that contrary to how bendy it was, it was extremely sturdy. That was surprising. With this, you need not worry about your location and simply adjust the length ordingly. Looks like it. It is quite limited as far as the transformation magic goes, but that makes it easier to use. When I tried osciting it, the produced vibration got absorbed by the spears shaft so my hand was saved from its rampage from thest time. With that, I could use it as much as I wanted to. The simple ability to lengthen the haft allowed me to use the dagger as a spear. I gotta say, this was more user-friendly than I expected from that Goddess. This cleared all my doubts. The impression of a dagger differs a lot from a spear, so it could be used as a camouge too. The problem is your current appearance. What do you n to do about it? Oh I dont know Are there any good options? I had the illusion ring, so I could change my appearance as long as I had the idea. However, my previous appearance that I knew the best was already unusable, so I had to think of a substitution. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) Let me see Can you change it based on a vague image? I feel like a vague image would end up with shorings, but I suppose its possible. Then, how about you try changing your current appearance into an adult version? Oh? So instead of forcing a transformation, I should just alter it slightly to make up for theck of a clear image? Indeed, a persons adult form usually differs quite a bit from their child one. Add that dagger and spearbo on top and I should end up with a good enough disguise Right? Heeding Maxwells words, I tried using the transformation rings power. After some trial and error, I managed to settle on an appearance that people wouldnt link to me. Chapter 130 Maria, Cortina and Finia were faultless beauties. Even that White Goddess, while young, possessed a beauty that exceeded theirs. However, the girl standing before my eyes now transcended even that. Some of my features like my heterochromatic eyes and bluish-silver hair remained intact, but my other, well-arranged features brought about a settled, adult-like atmosphere. Despite all that, my small frame had traces of youth yet also contained bewitching charm. My body was that of a young girl, yet it had all the right womanly curves. My chest and waist were neither too big nor too small; it perfectly matched my long and slender limbs. The clothes that I wasnt sure about were also remade ording to Maxwells request. They didnt expose a lot of skin yet remained erotic. Their workmanship was a sight for the eyes too. I wore a tube top with high exposure and a sleeveless jacket on top of it fastened under my chest. My exposed slim waist emphasized the most prominent lines of a womans body. On my lower body, I wasnt wearing a skirt or shorts, but instead a cloth closer to a swimsuit in shape. Although my hip line was exposed, the surrounding ornaments managed to somehow deceive the eyes. The only exposed parts of the design were around the shoulder tops, around the belly button and the thigh region, yet it gave off a sense of spiciness. My slender legs were covered by boorish greaves that reached up to my thighs, drawing a contrast with them. My arms were also d in gauntlets with a matching design, invoking an immoral feel as if my limbs were being restrained. Well now It was unmistakably based on my original appearance. This was simply the result of growing my body as Maxwell requested. As I stood there dumbfounded, Maxwell tapped on my exposed shoulder from behind. Of course, as my current form was simply an illusion it slipped through andnded on my actual shoulder. Lucky for you, Reid. You are guaranteed to be a beauty with no equal. Lucky my ass! Rather, wouldnt this make me stand out like crazy!? I ended up this way because I followed his instructions to simply tinker with my current appearance. Certainly, no one would link thiste-teen appearance for my child one. Were I a hundred years younger, I would have pushed you down and made you my wife. Seriously, just stop Where did I go wrong for my oldrade to want to push me down? Simply imagining that scene made me tremble in disgust and I instinctively hugged my twitching body. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Your actions are quite on point too. Seems like you have be a proper woman. Shut the fuck up already you perverted old fart! Seeing me utterly disgusted by his remarks made him grin ear to ear, but he decided to change the topic. Perhaps he realized that we would go nowhere if he continued teasing me. So then, what do you think of that appearance? Well, people would probably be too enchanted by my beauty to realize who I am but So you call yourself a beauty, huh? I mean, you were of the same opinion! Ive grown by about 30-40% in height. I was only a bit over one meter tall, but now I was close to a meter and a half, so the impression difference was quite drastic. The originally cylindrical shape of a childs body now had all the right curves, so this further influenced the given impression. I guess it would be nice if I end up this way when I grow up. I believe that would bring with it its fair share of troubles. Save me from any more troubles please After muttering those words I readied my spear in front of the full-length mirror. The spears position appeared a bit low, but that too added to the characteristic impression. I was convinced that this was a perfect disguise. Oh, I just remembered. Wait for me a little. Uh, whats wrong? Maxwell chanted something and disappeared with those words. But the next moment, he returned back to his former position. In his hands were the demi-gaunts that I was so familiar with. Those are Indeed, your gauntlets. They were my favorite gauntlets of old, equipped with multiple Mythril threads, their length easily exceeding a hundred meters. They were my prided articles that I adjusted over and over until they took the most optimal form for my ability. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) So they were in your care, after all. Yes, but I have not been maintaining them. A unique weapon like this was beyond my skill. Im extremely grateful as-is for holding on to it. I didnt think that they would sell them, but that still left the possibility of them getting buried with my body. Since they didnt, I had nothing toin about. I put the gauntlets that were meant to cover the hands up to the elbows. Though, their length didnt match my upper arms, so they amusingly reached all the way to the elbow tip. My arms were of different length now, so I had to close my eyes on this much. Then I tried adding the gauntlet design to the produced illusion. The arm ornaments got covered by my trusty gauntlets, taking on the nostalgic appearance. Hold it, if you disy those gauntlets like that, everyone would realize it is you. Ah, right then, lemme change it a bit like this. As Maxwell said, these were one of a kind items that would be instantly recognized if one of ourrades saw them. If I put them on disy like that, I would be practically screaming that Im Reid. My shame wouldnt take it if they thought I reincarnated into this beauty. Hmm, that should do it. Now if you just hide one of your eyes, no one would realize it is you. My eye, huh Should I cover my right eye again? This form was based on my actual appearance so my eye colors were still present. My right eye was of deep crimson that I inherited from Maria. It was a color that was rarely seen in thesends, so as long as I covered it, I shoulde off as just a silver-haired beauty. Actually, since its an illusion, I should just change the color instead of covering it with my hair. I changed my right eye color into a blue to match my left, restoring the equilibrium. You should dispel the illusion already. Those bare legs are starting to tickle even my old bones. Oh shove off! My thighs were exposed down to near my knees, so I was more than a little embarrassed. Maxwell was the one that suggested these clothes, though. ording to him, this was the traditional national attire of the Elves or something. Though looking at his reaction, I was starting to doubt even that. Chapter 131 That day, it wasnt just Lyell and Maria like usual, but even Gadius visited Cortinas house. Perhaps she was going to report about my sightings to them. Gadius was also one of the people that felt responsible for my death. For that reason, he was just as pleased to hear about my reincarnation. He was apparently busy looking for me all this time, gathering information in the northern kingdom. Cortina who was the one reporting did so with a bright expression, given the pleasant contents of the report. Since the conversation was proceeding calmly, even Finia who was in charge of cooking was feeling at ease today. Still, whod think hed reincarnate in the elven vige. Gadius said as he raised his mug and downed the alcohol with a rarely-seen flushed expression. The news about my safety seemed to have him in high spirits. Lyell followed up by downing his own cup. Even Maria, who was helping Finia with dishes, couldnt wipe the smile from her face. Good grief, what does he mean by I cant meet you now! Acting all secretive with me! Well, you dont seem all that displeased about it considering that big grin you have on your face. Khh, thats because we are partying, you hear, partying! I know how to read the mood. Maria looked at Cortina like she was her adorable little sister as she tried to y it off. Maria, who cast the Reincarnation on me was d to see the proof of its sess. Due to such a harmonious mood going, I had let my guard down. Nicoleeee! Daddy missed you sooo muuuuch! Fugyaaa!? I observed the smiling faces of Maria and Cortina as I sipped on my fruit juice, failing to notice Lyell creeping on me from behind until it was toote. As a result, I was squeezed by his tight embrace and had his unshaved chin rubbed on my head. Due to the influence of alcohol, his show of love lost all restraints. Now that he had be like this, I had no way to escape his grasp so I abandoned all hope and epted my fate. This was a normal Lyell. But seeing him like that brought a different reaction out of a certain someone. Pffff!? A certain old bastard spewed out his drink and copsed on the table, barely containing hisughter. Well, now that he knew that I was Reid, I could imagine how funny it was to see me in this state. The rest of them just had the usual there he goes again written on their faces, but he alone found this situation unbearable. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Lyell, ReI mean, Nicole seems to hate it so leave it at that. And what are you spewing alcohol around for? Oh, I just choked on it a bit. Old age is getting to me. Maxwell answered Gadius question while breaking into a cold sweat. It was ame excuse, but at this rate, his gut would be receiving serious damage Fromughing too much, that is. Even so, Lyells rampage elerated further instead. Whaaa, Maxwell, are you by chance aiming for Nicole? Im not handing er over, ya hear! I shall not! No, I am already well aware of her promising future, but you can keep her. Are you implying that my daughter isnt cute, huuuh!? How do you want me to answer then! Just as I thought the situation was going out of hand, Cortina raised her voice. She pped her hands to gather attention and took out a small bottle from her pocket. Right, I wanted to let you drink this! It was the (supposedly) life-prolonging potion that the White God gifted us. Looking closely, Lyells hair was partly white already and quite thinned out. Maria appeared young, but on closer inspection, she also had a fine wrinkle or two here and there. Its been seven years since my reincarnation. But there was a nk ten years before that. It was natural for them to have grown so old. And this is? Its a medicine that I obtained through particr connections. It can apparently extend ones lifespan. Oh Maria hesitated to speak. She could certainly feel herself growing older, so that medicine probably looked extremely attractive. But still, that would go against the World Tree religion that dictated that all life had to die a natural death and return back to the cycle of death and rebirth. Given her beliefs, that proposal wasnt one she could openly ept. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Well, I understand what you want to say, but its not like this would overturn death or something. Well, thats one way to look at it By taking a small part of a Dragons power, you could extend your life. It did not overturn death, so it did not go against her doctrines. Or so Cortina imed, but Maria couldnt help but take those words as sophistry. There, Cortina added yet another sophism. Besides, just think about it. Nicole is only seven years old. Its going to take another ten years before she turns into an adult. But would you be able to remain active all the way until then? Well We all have enough fortune tost us until we die, but would your health keep up with it is another question. A childs growth requires both of their parents to be healthy. Besides, Michelle would be troubled if she loses your backing too. Well, you have a point. Since she held the Gift of Marksmanship, Michelle was constantly targeted by influential people. The fact that she could enjoy her school life now was due to Lyell and Maries backing. Michelles existence is indispensable for protecting Nicoles lifestyle. And for that, you need to remain in active duty. Not the heroes that lost their power to fight, but the heroes that could fight on the frontlines at any moment. Thats what Cortina needed them to be. Her point was by no means mistaken. Thats why, Lyell silently reached out to the bottle. Should I just down this bottle? Only a third seems to be enough. And I was simply told that it has that effect. Maxwell, how is it? I have already used Identify magic on it. Would you really want to hear the result, though? If they heard the result of Maxwells appraisal, then they could only drink that potion with the intention of prolonging their lives. For that reason, Maxwell intentionally dodged the answer. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) Right now, they could just pass it off as a medicine that simply had such rumors, and drink it as a joke under the alcohols influence. That was Maxwells point. No, its fine. Maria? Yes, I shall drink it as well. I dont hate such jokes. Understanding Maxwells intention, Maria decided to get on board with it. Seeing the two drink it, Cortina shed tears of happiness. After all, she would now be able to stay with her friends for a while more. That fact made me just as happy. Chapter 132 That night Cortinas house was enveloped in chaos. Drunkard chaos, rather. From the perspective of Maxwell and Gadius, being an Elf and Dwarf respectively, It was hard to bear to see Lyell just weakening like that before their eyes. For them, it happened so fast it almost looked like an illness. But with this, their old age was no more. They could now spend years and years together with them and their daughter. As someone who had gone on adventures with them, I understood the joy they felt now. That day, after I dealt with Lyell that kept pushing alcohol at melike, I was seven you knowI went to sleep Pretended to, rather. We havent done anything in a few days, but Clouds sword training was not done. Myrades were piss-drunk and knocked out now. That allowed me to easily sneak out without anyone discovering me. I arrived at the usual lumberyard at the usual time. I arrived before Cloud did, so I decided to check my own abilities first. I started by changing my daggers form into a spear and put on the illusion. I would have to use two weapons when the situation called for it, so I needed to get used to it. I changed my clothing and let my threads fly, dashing through the gaps of the lumber and buildings. I put magic power into the spear and adjusted its length, then released the threads from my favorite gauntlets. This is quite amazing One round of actions clearly took me less time than in my previous life. My physical ability hasnt changed that much since thest time, but handling the spear and adjusting my center of gravity ordingly allowed me to make much more intense maneuvers. It feels like its particrly effective due to how light my body is. As the spear increased in length and gained more weight, it influenced my light body ordingly. By utilizing that to my advantage, I could move even quicker than before. However But the heavier it is, the more burden it puts on my body, huh? Because I forcibly moved my body with threads, it put far more burden on my joints than ever before. After that one round all my joints were already screaming in pain. I need to take my time and find out my limit or I might end up with a big injury like before. Its already been a few months since my blunder of trying to reinforce my body with threads and hurting myself in the process. Anyway, its about time Cloud showed up. That said, I was already at my limit before he even showed up. Theres no way I could handle sword training as I was now. I felt bad for him, but it was probably better to give up on the training for today. Just as I reached that conclusion, I heard the light sound of footsteps. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Whoa!? Hes here! That brat sure is diligent when you need it the least I was too focused on my own body and was toote to notice his approach. I hurriedly canceled my illusion and returned to my normal form. And then, he finally appeared. Master, youre already Huh, Master? The one in front of him was me me without the usual disguise. Cloud was aware that I was a girl, but I always hid half of my face and even my hair with the scarf. In other words, this was the first time I stood before him without any disguise. Oh, sup? So its really you, Master? So thats how you looked. Well, Ive got this conspicuous appearance, after all. I try to hide it from those I dont trust. So, you didnt trust me either until now? Dont be like that. Im but a frail beauty. I have to be vignt. You? Frail? My appearance had not a shred of dignity so he was being more talkative than usual. But that aside, I had to let him know that we had to give up on training for today. The previous test put more burden on my body than I expected. Sorry but Im feeling bad today. Can you just settle for the basic stamina training? Oh man, do you really want to teach me the sword I mean, I feel like Im plenty strong already, but still. Although heined, he didnt ask why. Todays pacing mistake waspletely on me, but he was considerate enough not to ask. Sorry about this. My body kind of hurts. Well, this is you we are talking about, Master, so I bet you did something unreasonable. How rude. I just got too into experimenting. I sat at the nearby lumber and cracked jokes with Cloud who started jogging around in the lumberyard. Still, his consideration for girls wasnt a bad thing. At the very least, he seemed to be more sensible than me of the previous life. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) As an apology, I should make a mental note to give him a souvenir handkerchief as a present. Chapter 133 After returning to Cortinas house, I wiped my sweat with a towel and went to check how the adults were doing. Seeing the pile of corpses, it didnt seem like any of them noticed my slip out, so that brought me some peace of mind. But then, I suddenly heard anguished voices. Whats going on? Following them to the source, I found that it came from Lyell and Maria. Their faces were strangely red, and had anguished expressions as if they were having a nightmare. Putting my hand on their foreheads told me that their temperatures were far higher than it shouldve been. H-Hey, LyI mean, Daddy! Panicking, I tried to wake the two up by shaking. Maria was the go-to person when it came to illnesses, but she herself seemed to be down with fever now. This was probably too much for me to handle alone, so I first went to wake up the second reliable person. Cortina, Cortina! Nnngh Wuh happen? She answered like a fish out of the water while sprawled on the floor in quite an udylike manner, redirecting my attention. She then heaved a mix of erotic and slovenly sigh and finally opened her eyes. Looks like she wasnt suffering from the fever. Daddy is having nightmares. Mommy too. Lyell and Maria? Hearing my report she immediately jumped to her feet. She probably remembered that she was the one that had them drink that suspicious drug at dinnertime. After quickly checking their conditions, she rushed to wake Maxwell up. Maxwell, wake up! Maria and Lyell are acting strange. Nggh? They are? Maxwell stood up from the sofa he had been sleeping on with a drool ticking down his beard and approached the two with tottering steps, then brushed his mustache in understanding. This is unavoidable. Their bodies are in the middle of reconstruction necessary for prolonging their lifespans. Is that so? Cortina asked worriedly, tilting her head. That gesture was extremely adorable, but I had more important things to worry about now. Honestly speaking, their current body temperatures were no joke. Normally, it would be a matter of life or death, but these two should be alright. If you are that worried, you can cast Cure on them. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Would that really be enough? Nope, its pointless. At most, itll give them temporary relief. Then whats the point! Cortina started strangling him for that irresponsible statement. But he didnt care and just continued his speech. Im saying that itll give them relief for around an hour. Repeat that till morning, and their bodies should have gotten ustomed by then. Is that really enough? That was the result that my Medic magic gave me. Following his words, Cortina cast Cure on the two. This magic was used during illnesses and detoxification and it belonged to the rtively simpler magics, so Cortina could use it. Naturally, Maxwell doing it would have been more effective, but he didnt seem to be all that motivated now. As such, Cortina and I got stuck with their nursing all the way until morning. The next morning Frankly speaking, it was not necessary for me to nurse them, but when youre worried you are worried and thats that. As a result, I was busy until morning along with Cortina, bringing her water as she continued casting Cure, wiping Marias sweat, and so on until it finally dawned. I found myself copsed on top of Maria, seemingly from having fallen asleep without realizing. Looking at Cortina, it looked like she was in a simr state. Maxwell and Gadius also had yet to wake up. However, Lyell was nowhere to be found. Based on his condition yesterday, I didnt think hed be in any shape to move But where had he gone to? I stood up and started searching for him. Finia slept in her room, so she shouldnt have been aware of what happened at night. We didnt require her assistance, so we didnt even let her know. He wouldnt have disappeared if something bad happened, so I came to the conclusion that he did in fact recover. I headed to the bathroom to wash my face, but I heard a sudden whoosh of wind. It was a heavy and sharp sound, as if it wasnt the wind but the very space itself getting split apart. I peeked outside from the backdoor situated next to the bathroom, and there stood Lyell, swinging his sword while half-naked. He was already way past 40, but his forged body showed no signs of weakening. No, that wasnt entirely urate, but only if youpared him to when he was young. Even so, his body was refined to the point he was worthy to be a sculpture reference. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) His body throbbed as he swung his sword up and down. Each time he did it, he audibly nted his foot into the ground and his swung sword raised a cloud of dust. Looking at that I felt something was out of ce. I was convinced that Lyell of yesterday would not be able to emit such sword force. Far from weakening, he seemed even stronger than ever before. What caused it Was needless to even ask. It was certainly due to that drug. The vigor of his young days and his skill that had umted for many years had merged harmoniously and arrived at that result. Looking at his sword dance, I thought to myself. That is the pinnacle of swordsmanship. The pinnacle that I was never able to reach. While I found that fact frustrating, at the same time I couldnt help but admire it. I stood there, fascinated by his sword dance, which could even be called beautiful. I kept staring at him dumbfounded, with a toothbrush stuck in my mouth. So cool. Mm, so thats what you think? You are a daddys girl after all, huh? Pffft!? Cortina had snuck behind me without me realizing it. I felt frustrated about failing to notice her presence while I was lost in admiration. Her smug expression was really Detestable. Well, Lyell doesnt look so bad when he swings his sword like that. Yeaaa Wait, werent you in love with me?I almost retorted by instinct, but I managed to hold back. Ah, my number one is someone else, though. Look, hes the husband of my best friend, so I cant go speaking bad things about him, right? That so? I answered with half-opened eyes as she tried to correct her previous statement. Either way, I decided to return to brushing my teeth to dodge the topic of getting fascinated earlier. Oh, Nicole, did you finally decide to do some sword training? Thats not it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) You can celebrate. She just called you cool earlier. She did what?! Noticing our presence, Lyell lowered his sword and called out to us. It felt frustrating that his face turned all smug when he realized I was observing him. My refusal made him look downhearted, but Cortinas double-crossing changed his expression into one full of smiles. I tried to answer indifferently. Well, I guess you were pretty average? I think Cortina is cooler. Ugh! You are as indifferent as always, Nicole My unfriendly attitude had him sink to his knees in dejection. Still, the skin tone of his naked upper half was iparable to its worn-out condition from before. It appeared that the drug did indeed have an effect. Its bted, but good morning. How are you feeling? Yeah, Im feeling extremely well. Too well, in fact. Lyell said that and swung his arms around, stressing his point. Even those movements were extremely agile. It seemed that I really had to show my thanks to that White Goddess. Chapter 134 The next day The school naturally had a holiday, and Cortina was also quite free. Being a teacher, she more often than not had to work even during holidays, so free days like this were quite valuable. Today, I used a special trait of little girlsthe puppy dog eyes1that I really didnt want to doto their full potential, and finally managed to convince Cortina to apany me out shopping. I usually either spent time at the academy, yed music as part of my club activity, or went hunting in the forest under the guise of training, so when I suddenly brought up something as girly as shopping, Cortina seemed awfully suspicious. But due to my exceptional acting skillslike, even I was impressed with myselfCortina finally gave in, seeing this was a rare appeal from me, and we set out. Hehe, dont these clothes look cute? We shouldve brought Finia with us. We have to keep someone to watch the house. There isnt a thief crazy enough to sneak into our house. They would be turning not just me but even Maxwell into their enemy! Cortina quickly dragged me to a clothing store and decided to turn me into a dress-up doll. I was quite indifferent to clothes so she had almost no opportunities to dress me up. I could feel a strange motivation in her, adamant on making the most out of it. However, there was a reason why I took her out today. I nned to show her Reids appearance. ording to Maxwell, it was only a matter of time until she started questioning the present situation. Before her doubts reached me, I had to create a situation where she could see both of us at the same time to convince her that we were different people. So for that, I lent my illusion ring to Maxwell while I myself brought her out like this. Cortina, those clothes look quite hard to move in. Whats wrong with not moving that much! Thats just unreasonable My wish was to be a vanguard fighter. A heavy warrior that could wield swords and shields of the myths may have been impossible, but I had no intention to abandon bing a warrior that could bravely stand before the foes. These frilly and sparkly clothes were too far apart from my ideal impression. Those made me look more like those magician girls from the childrens fables. Also, there was a bit of time left until the appointment with Maxwell. If we spent more time outside, it would be easier to dress the encounter as a coincidence. In other words, I had to loiter around the streets with Cortina for the next two hours. We are going to eat out today, right? I cant eat if I wear those clothes. Mggh, yeah, I suppose staining them would be a waste. Okay, then Ill give up on making you wear it on the way. But Im still buying it! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Huh, you are? Id feel bad for Finia if I was the only one to enjoy. Thus, well be having a fashion show once we are home. Ehh, gimme a break. Like that, I spent the next two years2being dragged around by Cortina. While I was the one who nned all this, it ended up wearing me out. After she had her way by dressing me up in all kinds of clothes, even getting a matching hat, shoes and bag, I was left totally exhausted, but the appointed time finally arrived. Well, I reaped what I sowed, I guess? What happened before we had lunch at the terrace was uncalled for, but it was already established that we would go to the park now to rest post-meal. Raums capital didnt have that many parks in its interior. This was a forest country where all the towns were entirely surrounded by forest, so there was hardly a meaning in making parks. If you wanted to surround yourself with nature, all you had to do was to step out of the town a bit and the vast Mother Nature would greet you. For that reason, there were hardly any parks made inside the urban areas. The fountain square in the main street was more than enough. That said, its not like they were nonexistent at all either. The nature outside the city was too wild and full of animals. You couldnt rx among nature that way. For that reason, there were a few squares inside the city where one could rx outdoors. And one of those squaresthat you could even call a parkwas situated close to Cortinas house. That ce was most certainly where we would go to rest. Or so Maxwell said, anyway. Hm, whats the matter? Nothing. Cortina held my hand as she led me through the Parks promenade. The temperature was gradually rising, so the wind blowing through the trees felt very pleasant. There were numerous citizens around us, also enjoying their stroll. We nned to make a hired adventurer act like a burr where Maxwell would appear in Reids appearance and beat them. Of course, it was necessary to prove that it was truly me, so he had to use threads to aplish it, but I could do that part myself from distance. I was confident in my skill to do that much without Cortina noticing it Its about to beginJust as I thought that, Cortina strongly pulled on my hand. Nicole, shall we go the other way? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Huh? Eh? Yeah, I suddenly feel like going there. Huh, but Huh? Wait, we are about to begin, why did you suddenly want to change your direction? But then it finally hit me. Ambushes and traps were her fields of expertise. Putting it the other way, she could easily guess where the traps wereid. In other words there was a high possibility that she sensed that ambush. Why, whats wrong with walking straight? Well, theres a bit of a problem. I asked back, but she answered vaguely and dodged it. It seemed that she really did sense the enemy. But pressing for questions here would instead put me in a bad spot. She shouldve been well aware of how good my enemy detection skill was. It was too unnatural that I failed to sense the enemys approach. I extended my thread towards the adventurer without Cortina noticing it and conveyed a message. You were noticed. Move to the southwestern side of the promenade. I could sense that my sudden voice made the hidden individuals jump in surprise. After that, one of the two individuals started to act on it at once. It was most likely Maxwell. Thus, we changed our direction and arrived at the junction of the southern promenade, and then, one man appeared before us. Looks like the adventurer that yed thief managed to catch up to us. He jumped in front of us, but this was the right call on his part because we could sense his ambush anyway. That said, running all this way had left him panting severely, so he looked quite pitiable. Either way, now we had to turn this into a scene where Reid and I are present at the same time. Thus came the critical moment. Chapter 135 As the man suddenly appeared before us, Cortina moved to cover me behind her. She didnt have a wand on her, but her stance suggested she was ready to cast magic at any moment. As was expected of a first-ss magician. Do you need anything? Y-You twooofagh if you value your lives, starthaahcoughing up your mon-cough cough cough! You dont look so good. Want me to call the guards for you? D-Dont fuck with me! If you value your ******* life, empty your pockets right now! Eh, then whats with your rough breathing? Are you aroused or something? Ew, what a pervert. Shut uuuup! I mean, youre the reason hes panting that much, Cortina. More like, she was ridiculing him despite knowing it was her realization of the previous ambush that led him to such a state so he was actually quite pitiable right now. We had him put on that performance, then had him run to the other end after the initial attack failed, and now he was even being ridiculed by Cortina, so he would hardly settle for the generalpensation. He pulled his de and threatened Cortina. Based on his looks, it didnt seem like hed pose a threat to her, but that part wasnt important. All we needed was for him to produce danger and for Reid to appear and save her. As long as I remained by her side, it would count as proof that we are two different people. Cortina seemed to have evaluated him simrly and was acting quiteposed. It seemed like she would beat him first if Maxwell didnt show up soon. Come on, hurry up and-, woah!? As the robber-in-y took a step towards us, I bound him and hung him on the nearby tree. Maxwell wasnt here yet, but if he closed in on us any more than this, Cortina would beat him to the punch. Also, he was just an actor in this, so if he took Cortinas attack, he could very well die. This is Could it be Reid!? Cortina shouted and started looking around. Then, she was able to catch a glimpse of a man behind the tree. It seemed that Maxwell made it in time. But he was hanging on the tree with one hand while panting loudly so he looked prettyme. Making an old man run was a pretty bad move on my part. Maxwell looked at the man and lightly waved his hand. I matched his movement and coiled the thread around the mans mouth, gagging him in the process. An amateur would never see through my thread skills. This technique So it really is With an emotional mutter, Cortina stepped towards Maxwelltowards Reid. However, if I let her continue, shed forget about my presence. Thus I pulled on her sleeve. That made sure that she was aware that I was here. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Ah, Nicole Umm, he is my old acquaintance. You should know him too, right? Thats Reid, my formerrade. Oh? She seemed to have thought that I was being vignt of him and carefully exined it. Taking that chance, ReidMaxwell gave me a refined bow. Just like a knight bowing to a princess. Once he raised his head, Reid sent a charming wink at Cortina. That made her stand still and blush. Wait, whats with that smug act? Thats not me! Following that, he turned around, waving behind the ck coat I used to always wear, and took a big leap. He jumped higher than the branches of the trees and disappeared behind them. Of course, neither Maxwell nor the old me had that kind of jumping power. But with the threads, I was able to do that much. And with magic, it wasnt hard for Maxwell to imitate it. This would serve as further proof that he was me. But where was the need in that fancy flutter of the coat, or that aristocratic bow, or that wink even? That made it seem like I was some womanizer. Thats not me, Maxwell! Ah. Cortina followed my back and leaked a small mutter. I had already let her know before that I couldnte into contact with her. She shouldve been able to understand the reason. So youre saying that its still not that time yet, huh? Whats wrong? Or actually, what should we do about him? If I let her ponder about it too much, there was a chance she would realize it was all an act. Thus, I intentionally addressed her and directed her to a different problem. Ah, right. Lets have the guards take him for now. Reid has tied him up tightly, so he shouldnt be able to move. She directed her gaze at the man with those words. Nicole. Sorry, but can you run to the gate and bring some guards? Okay, sure. Heeding her request, I dashed towards the guard post at the gate with all I had. If I didnt act fast, Cortinas interrogation skill could get kicked into motion and have the Adventurer spill all the details. I gagged him from the start because I hypothesized that scenario. The guy knew that Maxwell would bail him outter. He probably wouldnt even be charged. And thats exactly what happened, the man was released right after. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Cortina saw me and Reid present at the same time, so her doubts towards me had been dispelled. Thus, with Maxwells help, I somehow managed to avoid being her suspect for the time being. Chapter 136 Authors note: From here onwards, Nicole is ten years old. Three years had gone by in the blink of an eye ever since I enrolled in the Magic Academy. I had reached the age of ten without incidents, finally graduating from the lower grades. Lyell and Maria had been troubled about their weakened bodies, but due to the effect of the potion, they were looking so young now youd mistake them for 30-year-olds; the potions effect seemed to be that great. Thanks to that, they were still wildly active even now, which prevented the organs of the state1from meddling with me and Michelle. My magic skills were improving favorably, too, and I had conquered my innate weakness of magic emission. At this point, even if I didnt have it extracted every day, it didnt interfere with my daily life. I still needed to do it once a month, though. Thanks to that, my stamina had finally reached the suitable level of a girl my age without the need of supplementing it. There it is. Hiding inside the forest, I gave a signal to therades behind me. With it, thethreemoved at once. Before us was a buffalo that was eating grass without a care in the world. It was quite a bit of a challenge for the present us. Letina walked to my side and asked in worry. Isnt buffalo too dangerous for us, after all? Well be fine with proper preparations. We have a meat shield with us too this time. Is that meat shield supposed to be me? Approaching from behind Letina, Cloud answered in grumbles. I was training him, but I couldnt just keep on limiting it to night practices. Since he was aiming to be an Adventurer, he had to learn how to act in a party. Thus, after he had reached a suitable level of strength, I had introduced him to Michelle and Letina as one of the Adventuringrades. Of course, we kept our night training a secret still. The moment he revealed that would be the moment hed stop being my pupil. I wasnt tantly using threads before him during our training, but I still showed a degree of experience that was unthinkable from a child my age. If he disclosed that, thatd invite needless doubts to me. Since its a buffalo, winning in a direct fight would be impossible but we can probably easily defeat it if we set up traps. Traps, you say? What kind, exactly? Its nothing that grand. In short, as long as we stop it in ce, Michelle should be able to finish it off. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Yup, leave it to me. Michelle dered confidently while tapping on her chest. But I was more curious about her chest armor that wobbled ording to the impact. We were already ten years old. It was about the time for our gender traits to start manifesting. Michelle had a particrly speedy growth, so her chest had started to stand out quite a bit. Seeing it evoked a weird mix of happy and sad emotions in me. It made me happy to see ***** jiggle, small as they may be, but realizing that I too would have a simr pair one day brought my spirits down. Either way, we needed to prepare. Michelle had brought both her hunting bow and the Third Eye, so she had heavy luggage. Moreover, the weight of the arrows she carried added to it, too. In other words, she had no choice but to go for a one-shot certain kill. She couldnt stand and keep on shooting when the opponent was a buffalo. Of course, I could easily hold it in ce if I used my thread, however Let us set up the trap first. Then Cloud and I will lead it there and trap it. And then, Ill shoot it and boom, right? Yup, Im leaving that to you. We had no time to start digging a pit, so I just started to make a trap with a simple rope that would tangle its legs and stop it. While I was doing that, Cloud stood in watch for the buffalos condition. The preparations were done, and it was time to start the fight. Eya! I was usually fighting in semi-short distance, but with a buffalo as our opponent, I wasnt so reckless as to challenge it in a close fight. What I used was a tool made with leather straps called a sling. I elerated a stone with the centrifugal force and threw it towards its head. The stone reached the mark without fault, directing the now angry buffalos gaze at me. It scrapped the ground a few times with its hind legs prepared to charge at me. I couldnt just keep on watching it either. I gradually took a step back and put some distance between us. Buffalo or not, animals were faster when it came to straight movements. It was better to hold as much advantage over it as I could. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) The buffalo howled in anger and charged at me. I immediately turned tail and ran at full speed. By all rights, turning your back at the animal was an extremely dangerous action. However, as I had no chances if I fought it directly, it was better to lure it towards the trap as fast as I could. After running a certain distance, I grabbed onto the tree branch that I had set as my goal and jumped up, separating myself from the ground below. After looking at the sight of me, it decided to make Cloud its next objective and quickly shifted the direction towards him. We acted as bait for it in turns and led it towards the location of the trap. It was a simple trap that utilized rope. However, one side of its end was tied to a bendy branch to make it easier for the rope to get entangled with its legs. And it indeed happened as expected the rope obstructed the buffalos legs and made it fall spectacrly. It should have been able to easily shrug a rope of this level off were it the usual. Thats just how strong a buffalo was. However, being dragged around by me and Cloud for so long had tired it out, so having been tripped once its bnce was off made it unable to stand its ground. It made the buffalo stop just for a moment, but that moment was more than enough. Letina! The moment I saw it fall into the trap, I first called out to Letina. Responding to my shout, Letina let loose fire magic, a simple Firebolt in specific. The lowest level at that. It normally wouldnt be able to deal any significant damage to the buffalo. However, the fire bulletnded straight on its hind leg and decisively robbed it from its movements. It sank to the ground as its rear left leg got scorched by mes. And then, Michelles carefully aimed arrow pierced it through. The arrow she let loose from the ideal hiding spot that she chose by predicting where it would run and fall had urately pierced through its right eye. The arrowhead gouged its brain out and stopped its life activity in but an instant. The buffalo twitched with the arrow stuck in its head, and then toppled over with a loud sound. After that, its body convulsed two-three times And ceased all movements. I readied my katana and dagger and approached it to confirm it was dead. After making sure that it was dead, we finally let the strength leave our shoulders. Chapter 137 When it came to butchering the buffalo, it was a job far too tough for kids of our age to handle. But fortunately enough, I had a knife with an edge that could be sharpened through high-speed oscition. Normally it would be going out of control in my hand, but it would be manageable if I fixed it in ce with threads. The four of us hung it down, drained its blood, cut its head with the knife and proceeded to harvest the meat. A single buffalo could yield around 700 kg of meat. This one was on the smaller side, though, so we could probably get 600 kg at most. Taking that much with us wouldve been almost impossible for us, so we decided to take about 30 kg per person and put the rest in a leather bag and bury it in the ground. Letina, if you will. As always, you cant seem to use anything but interference magic eh, Nicole Leave me be. Letina made a hole through the ground with Tunnel magic. Following that, she used her fire magic to roast the meats surface before putting it in the bag and burying it inside. By roasting it like that, we could slow down the dposition by a lot. The healing system did have magic that could dy it too, but none of us could use it. Rather, that magic required quite a high level of skill, so we couldnt use it even if we tried. So each of us gets 30 kg of meat, huh. Looks like well be having meat for days! Yay. Meat is justice. Though itll be gone instantly back at my ce. You managed to obtain a nice gift for the orphanage kids. Cloud lived in the towns orphanage. But in five years, he had to leave it and start an independent life. For that, he was apanying us to get the basics of adventuring down, but honestly, his current ability wasnt so good that he could be safely sent off. He most probably had to stay in their care for as long as he could, but his Half-Demon race made his standing a very delicate matter. Bringing his hunt spoils back home also served to raise his standing there. The meat would not spoil for some time since we roasted it, not to mention we also buried it. Unless some stray dogs dig it up or something, it shouldst for a few days. Yeah. Lets bring it back bit by bit in the next few days. I suppose three days should be enough to do the job. Our principle to divide our rewards into equal parts did not change even after Cloud joined us. This time yielded us 600 kgs of meat so each of us got 150 kgs worth. If we carried 30 kg each per day, it would take us 5 days to finish it. But to be honest, I dont need 150 kg of it Yeah, me too. Well, for me it adds to the meals of our employees, so its quite wee, you know? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) And I dont even have to mention it. My family consists of 20 people. My family only consisted of three people me, Finia and Cortina, and a Carbuncle. When it came to our meals, though Lyell and Maria did join us, it was still six of us. I cant imagine us consuming all of it. But well, I suppose we could manage it somehow if we shared it with Gadius and Maxwell too. Michelles family only had three people as well, so she was in the same boat. But her family sold meat as hunters, so I suppose they would just sell the rest. Letina and Clouds families were full of people so they would be able to consume all of it, but it should stillst them a few days. Did we end up hunting something a bit too big, I wonder? More than that, Im surprised that we became able to hunt something so big so easily. Letina replied to me in amazement. In reality, we didnt do anything that special. If anything, Michelles shooting skill was the only thing that stood out. Still, kids our age could easily hunt something like a buffalo if they ambushed it with proper preparations. That fact was made clear with todays hunt, so it proved to be a good lesson for them. Setting traps, attacking its legs to stop it in ce, attacking it with numbers, taking it out by surprise. The most important thing is to take various measures to prevent it from using its full power. Right. This isnt a battle between knights, but a fight to the death It doesnt matter whether your approach is honest or dirty. You can only say those words after you lived through it. Thats the overwhelming difference with the battle of knights. I stood up while carrying the meat on my back. Thirty kilograms of meat was digging into my shoulders. Even if I was healthy now, it was still a weight that could not be dismissed so easily. Michelle and Letina followed after my action and stood up with their own shares of meat on their backs. But they had more strength than me so it didnt hinder their walk. And there was no need to even mention Cloud. Lets return then. Weve done plenty today. More like, our hands are already as full as it can get! Letina had more strength to sparepared to me, but her walking was still a bit on the offside. Rather, I suppose she should be praised for doing that much, given that she aimed to be a magician. As I smiled while watching her back, something attacked me from behind. Squee! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Ukya!? What jumped on my back from behind the trees was the Carbuncle that was hiding itself until now. A hamster-like Mythical Beast the size of a humans head leaped at me from behind. I was at my limit just by carrying the meat alone, so that extra weight was a fatal wound for me. GehhKabby, get off, hurry. Squeak? Kabby was the nickname I gave to the Carbuncle. Its full name was Katzbalger. So Kabby, for short. It usually rode on my shoulders with no problems, so it looked quizzically at me now that I couldnt support its weight. But I was currently being burdened with a weightparable to a human, so I was having a really tough time. Michelle and the rest pointed at me withughs as I copsed and iled around on the ground. Chapter 138 I stood deep into the forest with my katana held up, facing the enemy in front. Before me stood a monstermonly referred to as Green Devil. It shook its amorphous body and watched me for an unguarded moment. But I was a veteran in battle. I didnt give it any openings that it could use to rush at me. Instead, it was me who had moreposure in this battle. I gradually shortened the distance between us, until I arrived at the distance from where I could deliver a definite blow. Yah! With a fighting yell, I instantly closed the distance and dealt a deadly blow to it. The attacknded where it should and bisected the Green Dev giant carnivorous mold monster called Poison Mold. Mya!? But just as it split into two, it suddenly attacked me. Taken by surprise, I took that blow straight on. But at the end of the day, it was a monster made of mold, and with its light weight, its rush had no real power to back it up. I held through the counterattack and attempted to respond with my own. But then, I noticed the abnormal state of my body. H-Huh? I couldnt lift my arm. No, my entire body was hard to move. In but an instant, that fatigue spread through my entire body and I couldnt even stand properly. I fell to my knees and then fell on my face. The Poison Mold started to approach the fallen me. But then came a carefree voice. Alright, thats it. At the same time she dered the end of the battle, a strike from the lightning magic fell on the monster, obliterating it instantly. Physical attacks hardly have an effect on Poison Molds. You shouldve used Enchant to pour magic power into your weapon. A-Aghh The effect of your Enchant is still meager but its versatile. Though you also need knowledge on how to use it in various ways. Ghhhhhhh You have to learn to use magic as it fits the situation. Imnunumb When I was alive, I specialized in personal battles, making light of the monsters and leaving their identification and beating strategy to Cortina and Maria. Thanks to having no knowledge, I ended up tasting defeat today. But setting that aside Teacher, Nicole seems to have gone numb. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Thats not surprising. After all, its a Poison Mold. Cortina approached me and poked my arm and armpit. Every time she did, a sense of numbness ran through my entire body. Aghhhhh Ehehe. Kids who dont study well need to be punished. Y-You demon. Following that, she had a lot of fun with my body until eventually casting Antidote on me. This ce was located in the forest about two hours from the capital of Raum. Today, we were having a realbat lesson and joined with the Adventurer training academy, and practiced by finding and battling various monsters. Given how far we were from the town, the danger level of monsters also rose ordingly. They werent like the animals that were almost like livestock that we usually hunted in the immediate surroundings. These were genuine, grotesque monsters. Poison Mold was also one such monster. It was a giant green ball of mold. If you thought about it, there was no way a normal sh would work on it. In fact, it could only be defeated either by physical attacks strengthened with magic or by magic attacks itself. Simple physical attacks could not deal sufficient damage to it It seems. You could easily find the info about its characteristics if you checked the library or something. I was just negligent in doing so. I found the enemy and shed at it without much thought. As the result, I got poisoned. This was a total disgrace on my part. After I was healed with Antidote, I immediately continued searching for the next monster and stumbled on another Poison Mold. We were in a deep and damp part of the forest, so these types of mold monsters were amon urrence. Looks like its the same monster as earlier, huh? Could you leave this one to me? To you, Letina? Due to your blunder, now I know what its weakness is. Im sorry but Ill have you be my stepping stone. Ohohohoho! Letina, shut it. She startedughing loudly, but I smacked her to shut her up. Poison Molds didnt have high intellect. Herughter only served to disclose our location to it; it wasnt smart enough to run away. Our only demerit was that we lost the advantage of a surprise attack. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) In the first ce, there was no need to even attack it individually since we came here as a ss expedition. In my case, I just happened to discover the monster first and decided to fight it solo, also thinking to gauge its ability of surprise attacks. But now, there was no real reason for Letina to fight it alone. This was probably spurred by her rivalry with me. Still, Cortina did not try to stop her from doing it. Poison Mold wasnt especially intelligent, nor was it particrly fast. Letinasughter gave us away, but it wasnt moving well enough to attack us. There was some distance between us, too, ideal for a preemptive strike. Crimson Three, Ultramarine One, Jade Three. Firebolt! Wai-, you idiot!? The chant told me that she was about to use Firebolt that had more power and could reach further than normal. It had more than enough power to reduce the Poison Mold to cinders. However, when she heard the chant, Cortina yelled out. The reason for that became immediately known. The Poison Mold lit up instantly as the Firebolt hit it. It was a nt by root, after all, and a powdered thing like mold at that. It just needed a trigger to light up like nothing. And lit up like nothing it did with terrific force, setting the forest itself on mes. Seeing that Cortina hurriedly casted Create Water and engaged in fire fighting. With that, it was now Letinas turn to be lectured after me. Chapter 139 Speaking frankly, our expedition ended in failure. It all stemmed from my negligence and Letinas inexperience. Were it the old me, Id have gone about it more carefully. Ive already been reborn with this body for ten years, but during that time I had only experienced a few harsh battles. My old self wouldve gone through over a dozen fights by now. Which meant I have grown dull. Youre dull? Hm? I feel like you are saying it with a different nuance Once we returned to the academy, I held a review meeting with Letina. Our sses were already over and the students were returning home at their discretion. Cortina had also returned to the staff room. Well, real battles really are different from hunting some animals, after all. My fault was that I did not research enough. Since it was a region full of Poison Molds, I should have studied up on their ecology. If we knew about its weakness for fire attribute in advance, it wouldnt have turned out like that. We sighed in disappointment and exchanged our opinions about our respective blunders. This way, we would be aware of each others weaknesses and keep them in mind for future battles. Looks like its important to look up the monsters ecology and intellect when you know the ce. Weve been leaving it to others all this time. We have to learn to do it ourselves. Indeed Oh, Nicole, we have to head to the music room already. Whoops. It seemed that our meeting dragged on longer than I thought, it was already time for the club activities. I was currently part of the music club. Its not like I had a particr interest in music, but that ce was useful for procuring steel threads. The inconsistency in the budget due to that was covered up by Maxwell. We entered the music room, took our respective musical instruments in hands and put them in tune. Letinas was a violin while mine was piano. This also served to make my fingers more dexterous so I was quite proud of my choice. After our fingers got used to the instruments, we started our ensemble. As we did, it only took a few minutes for a big crowd of audiences to form outside the room. This has been the normtely. I was a bit taller now and my childish features were starting to slowly disappear. Letina wasnt exactly well endowed, but her body was still more developed than mine. As such, the scene of us gracefully ying music was quite a sight for the eyes of the male students. And not just boys, as almost half of the group consisted of girls. I didnt get it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) They could just join the club rather than stand and watch. I muttered as I slid my fingers across the piano keyboard. But Letinas sharp ears caught it. Its not like them watching us would hurt or anything, right? I mean, I guess? They even seem to refer to you as the seconding of the saint. If they are going to call me something, Id rather it be seconding of the sword saint. Honestly speaking, you are far too weak for a sword saint. Besides, you look more like Lady Maria than Lord Lyell. I swung the sword every day to the point the blisters on my hand popped, but Cortina healed them without lending an ear to anything I said. Thanks to that, my hands were still squishy. I had unexpectedly low muscles too, looking so thin it seemed like I had twigs for limbs. Given how delicate and slender I looked, it was about time I gave up and epted that I had even less aptitude for the sword than in my previous life. On the other hand, my long and flexible fingers were perfect for thread maniption. Thanks to that, I was getting quite skilled at reinforcing my body through threads. ying this piano was one such training, but it seemed that the boys had taken it quite favorably. And our audience was growing day by day. Hahh After finishing one song, I heaved a small sigh. It came from my uneasiness due to the unwanted attention, but our visitors seem to have taken it as a tranced sigh of a beauty absorbed in music. I had no such intention, but I was being likened to a saint, the seconding of Maria through the rumors Rather, I felt like they were pressuring me into it. Are we not going to hunt today? We already did enough during the lesson, so theres no need to do it after school as well. You are indeed right Did you let Michelle and Cloud know? I did. The only problem was Clouds ie that was linked to his livelihood, but we just defeated that buffalo so he should be fine for a few days. In that case, I should have everyone rest their bodies for the next few days. Speaking of Cloud, it seemed that he was the target of envy among the Adventurers. On one side was the sociable and charming Michelle. On the other, a gorgeous noble beauty Letina. And there was also me, the heros daughter. He was ying with people like us, so that oue was only natural. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Being surrounded by three beautiful little girls whose appearances showed great promises made the other Adventurers act harshly. Thanks to that, he rarely partied up with people other than us. Besides, if Cloud parties up with others, that would serve to improve his self-worth too. But given how envious others are of him, that would be impossible. I suppose having a harem didnt turn out well for him. If I had to say, you are the biggest reason it happened. Letina answered with an exasperated voice, but I was under the assumption that I was the least popr among us three. I wasnt as friendly as Michelle, neither was I as refined as Letina. As proof of that, whenever people addressed me they always got cold feet. The only one that could hold a proper conversation with me was Matisse. My unsociable nature from the previous life seemed to have left somesting effects, the people around always shied away from me. This was certainly not because I had no friends or anything. I can dere that with absolute, decisive confidence. I talked a bit with Letina during the break and then we moved on to another song. After we finished it, someone started apuding us. We had many visitors now, but only a bare few pped their hands. They probably didnt want to interrupt the song, or maybe they thought it wasnt a good atmosphere to cut in It was probably something along those lines. Either way, it took me by surprise when someone apuded us. It was a tall young man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties. Chapter 140 He was a tall youth, with the typical blond hair and blue eyes. His back was slim and long too, an ideal body with just the right amount of muscles. You could even say his body looked a bit like Lyells. He had an aura of nobility drifting all around, thats just how handsome he was. Actually, I feel like Ive seen him before But I cant remember where. Umm, and you might be? Ah, my apologies. I witnessed such a stunning sight, I did it without thinking. I am Elliot, a temporary teacher starting from this term. He followed up his apology with an elegant bow. That action made it look like the most wondrous painting. However, contrary to his graceful manners, he was making me feel strangely unpleasant. Good day. I am Nicole. I do not have ast name. I am Letina Winne Yowi. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Still, he introduced himself, so it would be bad manners if we didnt do the same. Letina and I introduced ourselves while returning a noble bow of our own. Still, a guy named Elliot, and that appearance. Where have I Ah, Elliot Gritnir Ste Tryad? Ohh, so you know my name, Princess Nicole? Hey Elliot Gritnir Ste Tryad was the name of the current king of the united three nations of the north. Back when I was alive, we found the royal survivor of the three northern countries destroyed by the Evil Dragon, and united the countries under him. He was still around five when I died. That should make him about 25 years old now, huh? His appearance does match that age. Wait, Princess? Are you not aware that I have asked your hand? Now that he mentioned it, the main reason why we took refuge in Raum was that, wasnt it? In other words, he is the root of all evil? No, the root of all evil was Lyell since he told him about me. Ly Dad told me a bit. Excellent. I wished to meet you one time, but we couldnte to an agreement And then you enrolled in the academy. As such, I decided to approach you by bing a contract teacher here. Youre a bother, go back. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Oh, how cold! But thats fine. No, its not. Elliot looked up at the heavens dramatically. But I wont be deceived by those jests. He was too overacting and unnatural, actually. Why is the king in the academy, in the first ce? Dont you have your duties as the king to attend to? I did my best to allow myself the next two years to live as I like! Direct that hard work towards a better goal. The United Kingdom that had appeared through the uniting of three, once-ruined countries, was still facing countless problems even now. Each of the three countries varying customs made the matters difficult enough, but they have been destroyed by the Evil Dragon once. No, maybe I should say that having been destroyed is what allowed them to unite. Still, that didnt mean everything would go on smoothly. Putting him, the survivor of the Tryad Kingdom at the top did not make the leaders of the other two kingdoms any bit pleased. To suppress the sparks of such opposition forming, we Six Heroes were constantly moving between the kingdoms. So what the heck was he, the cornerstone of all of it, thinking to have skipped work ande here? King you may be, I can not say I admire you skipping work. There is no need to worry. I have resolved all the problems at hand, the rest I left to my trusted vassal. I came here to handle the most important matter to a King. my vassal was quite on board too, you know? The most important matter? I am talking about the heir. His brisk deration gave me goosebumps. True, an heir was the most important and highest priority matter for the kings. And my name was among the candidates of bing his queen, so this was bound to happen. That said, I was still a guy on the inside. Making an heir for him needed me to dothatwith him. Me and Elliot? No fucking way. Not just him, I would never, ever share a bed with a man. Still, would a king normally just barge in like this? In the first ce, Im certain that mom and dad did not give you the permission? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Of course, I did it in secrecy. Ah, I got proper permission for assuming the teachers post from Lord Maxwell, okay? That shitty old man He did that knowing I was Reids reincarnation. He did it knowing what would happen. He probably nned to get not just me but even Lyell and Maria involved as well and amuse himself. Sorry to say, but I am not considering such things yet. Of course, I am well aware of it. You are but a bud yet. But seeing you has convinced me. One day that bud will turn into a big flower. Its as clear as day to my eyes. Get them checked, you dumbass!I almost screamed that aloud but managed to hold back at thest second. With me on the inside, eventhatdeed alone, necessary for making an heir, was intolerable as-is. But this dumbass couldnt hold back his excitement. Following that, he started talking about our earlier performance. Princess Nicole and Lady Yowis performance was a sight to see. It was as lovely and wonderful as a song of fairies, and it managed to steal my heart once again. Though, even our teacher is puzzled at my performances I was just ying the piano to improve my finger flexibility. Something done with that goal in mind could not possibly have the essential emotions put into it. The teacher even imed that my performance was mechanical as if itsing from a music box. Clearly, there were no artistic emotions behind it at all. Then, I noticed someone pulling on my sleeve. It was Letina who stood next to me. She drew her mouth closer to my ear and asked. Do you know him? Yeah, but only by name. Who is he? The king of the northern United Three Nations. K-King? His Highness!? Hearing who he was made her exim in a tight voice. She was a nobility herself so his title of a king had her overwhelmed. M-My apologies, Your Highness. I am the daughter of Marquis Yowi, Letina. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) She hurriedly grabbed her skirt and did a polite bow befitting of a noble. She was Raums resident, though, so all they had to do was to be polite. Besides, she already greeted him earlier. Oh, please dont mind it. And I am traveling incognito now, so I would appreciate it if you keep it a secret. Is that so. However, why would you Someone was trying to mediate between Miss Nicole and me. I was also interested and approached a bit ahead of time. W-With Nicole?! Rather than me, they are aiming for my parents. I calmly exined it to the startled Letina. Given that I was the heros daughter, a lot of nobles sought me for such rtionships. But the United Three Nations had the King that stood above the nobles, so there were almost no attempts from there. If theyid their hands on me, they could be turning both the heroes and their own king to their enemies. Such individuals started appearing more after I came to Raum. Perhaps this was one negative side of leaving my hometown. Ah, its already thiste, so we would be excusing ourselves, Your Highness. It had already turned 4 PM before I noticed. The only thing I had left to do for the day was the secret training with Cloud, but honestly, it was bothersome to keep talking with Elliot. It was a little early, but I decided to break up for the day. Elliot looked at me reluctantly as I grabbed Letinas hand and fled from the music room. Chapter 141 Right after I parted with Letina, I stormed into Maxwells residence. This situation would soon reach the ears of Cortina, Lyell and Maria. But before that happened I first wanted to talk with this geezer. So whats the big idea, huh? What could you be talking about? Dont y dumb! Im talking about putting Elliot on teacher duty!!! Ohh, so he already approached you? He is quite passionate contrary to his appearance it seems. Maxwell continued ying dumb as he tried to entertain me with tea. But he wouldnt be able to brush this off so easily. Since I was a guy on the inside, the current situation where a guy was trying to approach me could, in the extreme case, potentially get my identity busted. No, let me stop beating around the bush and say it straight. What did I do to deserve getting picked up by guys? Marriage proposals would always get a straight no from me, I wouldnt ever budge on that. Now now. I can see where you areing from, Reid. Like hell you do! Calm down and think about it. Elliot is quite a pitiable boy despite the way he appears. Maxwell started to talk as if to persuade me. He had lost his parents when he was too little to understand anything. Then he was used as a symbol of the country, almost like a puppet. Once he grew up, he had to get involved in politics, so he did not even have time left for his own self. Then as Lyell talked on and on about her beloved daughter to him, the authorities around him suggested,Why not make her your wife?It was natural that his interest was piqued after all that. I am instead surprised that he endured it for so long. Even so, I cant possibly ept his proposal, you know? That is something you can decide. But I wanted to give him some time to take a breather. I understand your feelings But dating a guy is impossible for me. I know that. And if it got leaked, Cortina would kill me. Letting him stay in Raum as a breather was fine. But we had to make him give up on getting close to me. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) What should I do Can you not just tly reject him? But hes a king, you know? If I do it poorly, his honor could get crushed. That would leave somesting effects. Heros daughter I may be, I was still amoner. Someone on the bottom of the socialdder rejecting the king that sat at the top could have people look down on him. And being looked down was a big demerit for someone that managed a country. And I cant just be the trigger of that, you know? I was acquainted with Elliot. But this is back when he was still a cute kid. If possible, I wanted to avoid driving him into a disadvantage. Quite a troublesome situation you are in. You are the one that caused it! Such things are Cortinas area of expertise. How about you tell her everything and ask her to cooperate? You want me to be killed!? Ever since Ive be Nicole, Ive shared kisses with Cortina, and even seen her naked. We were like a family now, knowing all about each others embarrassing secrets. If she learned that the other part was a man she once rejected was something I didnt even want to imagine. Are you sure you are not making things worse? Shut it. Either way, I had to do something about this. I racked my brains, but nothing good came to my mind. Hey, old man. What should I do Hmm? Well, there is one simple solution Really? I jumped to my feet and approached him. I couldnt imagine a solution that would take care of the life affairs that involved a royalty. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Yes, there is. A very simple one. Stop putting on airs and just tell me already, will you? You simply have to get rejected by him. Maxwells words caused me to stiffen in ce. Me? Get rejected by a guy? In short, the problem is that he has an interest in you. If that interest is gone, he should stop clinging to you. Thats fine and all Buthowto get rejected is the problem. I do not believe it would be a problem if you show him your current appearance. Certainly, it was hard to call me a beauty the way I looked now sitting cross-legged on the sofa and gulping down the tea from the cup I held like a beer mug. If he saw me like this, he would surely be disillusioned. But that would harm my own reputation too. Its not like I wanted to be ady, but I had a favorable impression and I didnt want to damage it if I could help it. I cant say Im on board with that idea. Then Yes, that should work. You just have to make him fall for another woman. Another woman? Indeed. If he falls head over heels for someone else, he would naturally stop getting involved with you. I see. If he finds his ideal partner, he would reconsider amoner like me. But I had no clues on where to look for his ideal partner. Besides, its not guaranteed that she would fall for Elliot either. If you are going to seize the initiative for it, you might as well y that part too. What? In other words You just have to make him fall for your transformed appearance! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) This old bastard finally went and said something unbelievable. Chapter 142 I more or less had the mentality of respecting elders, but I wasnt tolerant enough to swallow that earlier statement from him. So I decided to smack him on the head once before questioning him once again. Unfortunate thing was, a little girls punch didnt seem to have dealt any significant damage to him. Again, what was that? Ow-ow, I said you just had to make him fall for you. Isnt that just putting the cart before the horse! Why should I make the guy that was trying to court me fall in love with me? Wouldnt he just end up following me around instead? No, no, you got it wrong. I did not mean your current form, but your adult one. The adult one? Indeed, use your adult form illusion and make him fall! Hmm? He had two reasons for courting me. One was that I was a beautiful girl that would surely turn into a fine woman one day. Another was about who my parents were. Now, if a third party appeared there and he fell for her, while I also had my parents promise him their cooperation, his aim should naturally move on to her. Hmm, that doesnt sound so bad actually Changing his target to a fabricated person didnt sound so bad. If it was some actual person instead, it could get problematic in its own way. They couldck in good faith, or in the extreme case, even influence the throne. But if it was a fictional person, they could just disappear whenever I wanted. If I keep his aim redirected for about five more years then leave the town as an Adventurer or be independent once I approach the age of my fictional appearance, even he should not be able to do anything unreasonable. Looks like you will be able to buy about five years with this method, would you agree? But it will be troublesome after that. Well, we shall be protecting you for as long as you remain in town, so he would not be able to attempt anything. After that, you can just leave the town. You make it sound so simple You used to move between towns when you acted as an assassin, right? If so, it should not prove to be that difficult for you. Well, yeah. I was a wandering assassin, to begin with, so I had various bases hidden across thend. Moreover, the ces where I hid the Evil Dragons parts were left alone all this time, so I wanted to check on them too. One day, I definitely had to leave my parents side and set out on a journey. Well, there is indeed a reason for me to go out, but Not just that. You cant leave little Michelle as is either, right? Michelle? She holds the Gift of Marksmanship. She even has a divine bow. She is talented enough that not just thisd Elliot, but every nation in the world would want in their army. Even now, she had such an urate hitting rate that it was no exaggeration to call her a dead shot. Moreover, with the strengthening effect of the bangle, she could even fire the Third Eye freely for a few minutes. Its destructive power left everything else in the dust. In a war, she could even shoot the enemy general from an extremely long distance. She was simply a genius of that level. And at the same time, a loose canon. Someone the countries couldnt leave alone. When she graduates from the Adventurer academy, scouts from every nation would surelye in floods. And the only way of evading them was leaving the country. In the end, Michelle and I had no choice but to flee this country after a few years. What a pain this situation is You have a hand in developing her Gift. It stands to reason that it would be a pain. Well I suppose that could be true given its her we are talking about. But I couldnt just take her along. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Either way, it is still a few years too early to worry about that. You have to prioritize seducing Elliot now. I suppose thates first, yeah. Setting aside the grave future, Maxwell suggested that in amusement. Youll have to learn the essential feminine behavior that you would need to make him fall for you. Say what? Your appearance itself has a seal of approval from me. You can shove it! What is left is behaving like a woman. You are far too unrefined. Leave me be! There was hardly a difference between the conduct of kids of either sex. However, after reaching ten, their conduct starts to slowly differ. At the moment, people at the academy viewed me as a hard worker who trains hard despite her frail body, and a youngdy who ys the piano after school. Given who my parents were, there were few students that approached me, but Letina and Michelle evaluated me as you are kinda sloppy, Nicole. Maria who seemed like shed be strict when it came to manners was actually taking a non-interference stance, thus I was gradually bing more boyish. Fuhahaha, leave it to me. My popr self shall educate you personally. Im reaaaally hating the idea though!? And like that, I was forced to takedy lessons until the evening. When the sun setting and the streets started to be dyed in red, I was finally freed from Maxwells grasp. As I returned back dejectedly, a fruit selling old man that I was familiar with called out to me in worry. Oh, whats the matter, Lady Nicole? You look awfully fatigued today. Old man, stop calling medy. Ahaha, given your usual response, it seems everything is alright, eh? Here, Ill give you this so cheer up! He took one of the apples that I often bought from the fruit basket and threw it my way. I threw both of my hands and caught it. I couldve done it with one hand in my previous life, but it was too much for me now. My hands were too small. Thank you. Dont push yourself too hard. Gotcha. I wiped the apple with my cuff and took a bite. Its sweet and sour juices filled my mouth, ridding me of some mental fatigue. Its so good. I know, right? Everything I sell is tasty, after all! Suddenly, I felt a strange presence. No I think it has been following me ever since I left the academy? It was tasty. Thank you. d you liked it. I told my thanks to the old man and hurriedly left the ce behind. I was followed by a suspicious individual so I wanted to get away as fast as possible. I personally wanted to walk away gantly, but it ended up sounding more like a toddler. As I felt the warm gaze of the old man on my back, I intentionally rushed into an area devoid of people. Chapter 143 I intentionally entered the back street to avoid the human eyes. The other party seems to have realized that too and showed themselves before me. Quite a sportsmanlike attitude I would say. The one before me appeared to be a young girl. I say appeared to be because she was hiding her face and I couldnt distinguish her features. Herpletely ck attire was practically screaming that she was into some shady business. Heh, it seems you do know when to give up. The girllets just call her that for conveniences sakedidnt respond to my words and drew short swords from her back. She faced me with clear killing intent. Oh, you wanna go? Of course. And who are you supposed to be? Who? Im a beautiful little girl as you can see, you know? The voice that came after a little pause sounded quite young. I cracked a joke, making it sound a little provocative too, and waited to see how shed react. I didnt know who she was, but shed been following me ever since I left the academy, and yet she hasnt shown any signs of harming me until now. But now that she did, there must have been a reason that caused it. I thought you were a girl with influential parents being her only grace, but you discovered me and even had the nerve to tempt me. And you dont even budge after receiving my killing intent Oh, that? Im just used to it. I was constantly in a kill or be killed situation in my previous life. As if some little girls killing intent would affect me now. No well, I was a little girl myself now, but still. You Could it be that you reced her while she was away from her parents No no, this is how Ive always been, yknow? Theres no way a mere girl could shrug off my killing intent! What are you asking me to do then! She brandished her swords at my words. Full of killing intent. And hostility. However, there was no malice. I didnt know why, but I just couldnt hate this strange enemy. I dont know, you dont really look like a scoundrel So shes a clumsy girl, huh? If she was Elliots subordinate, then she must be a guard employed to guard him for sure. She was probably a secret agent that guarded him without him even knowing about it. Though, I felt like she was a little too young for that. Here I go! Warning me about her attack already disqualified her as a secret agent. If it were me, I wouldve silentlyid my traps and sealed the enemys movements by now. Either way, I felt like it wouldnt be too bad to y with this girl, so I decided to keep her somepany. I grabbed my threads on the left hand and sent them to strengthen my underfoot and right arm. Rushing straight at me like that was a dead giveaway of her character. I dodged her sh by kicking the alley wall and jumping over her. Right as Inded behind her, I instantly moved to sweep her legs. Since she was with Elliot, I couldnt just injure her, after all. However, she decided to stop my leg sweep by bracing herself on the ground. She probably judged that she would be able to stop it based on how light I was. Observing my appearance and making the judgment to block rather than evade my attack showed that she was surprisingly level-headed. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I returned my leg after it was warded off and took some distance with one rotation. The next moment, her fistnded where I previously stood. By bracing herself on the ground, it also lowered her center of gravity. She used it to her advantage and attacked with a punch, so her decisions were quite good. Ah, this turned out quite fun. She was still far too inexperienced from my eyes. But I could clearly feel her great potential. People always treated me like a kid ever since I reincarnated, so seeing her putting up such a desperate struggle put a smile on my face. Grrr, take this seriously! I mean I feel like that would be a waste. Lately, Ive been one-sidedly tormented by Maxwell and even lost to a monster out of carelessness, so I had quite a bit of stress piled up. In the first ce, I specialized in personalbat, so the monsters were out of my expertise. Even so, I grouped up with the heroes and fought the Evil Dragon that was as far from my field as you could possibly take. After I reincarnated, they kept teaching us about the monsters in the magic academy. The previous battle with the Poison Monster was the prime example of what would happen with insufficient knowledge. I drew the katana from my back and met her swords. She was using short swords, so the katana was more than enough to block them. We stopped and exchanged a few blows like that. She clearly specialized in fast battles. Mixing a short sword and hand to handbat was quite hard to do for people other than me. I blocked her left sword with the katana, dodged her right sword, and responded with kicks and punches. She cleverly reacted to them and dodged. Oh boy, this feels like the training with Cloud! Damn you, are you making a fool out of me!? Her face was flushed from angerI mean, I couldnt see it, but probablybut I had to return already or Finia would worry. I felt a bit sorry, but I had to end the battle and have some talk with her. Fortunately, she hasnt said anything that was linked to my identity, so it should be easy to convince her that Im the real deal. She rushed at me with a sh. I responded to her sh with my own that had my weight put into it, and flicked it off. However, doing that also broke my posture so I couldnt attack. We were both in each others range, both with broken postures. The first to have recovered from the recoil was me, who was strengthened by threads. No, perhaps the threads had no rtion to this. I let go of my katana and closed the distance empty-handed. The range was too short for the sword use. She made a big blunder and hurriedly tried to retract her sword. Because she couldnt think of letting go of her weapon during the battle. She didnt yet have enough courage to do it while at a disadvantage. I grabbed her elbow and dragged her down into a pinning technique. Wha-!? Oww-owowowowow! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I stretched her joint and put her in a reverse armlock. Then I pushed down on her shoulder with my body weight. Ready to give up? I will not give in to evil! Hng! Pigyaaaaa!? And thus, the pitiful girl had surrendered. I did not expect her to hold out that long. Chapter 144 She stood her ground for quite a bit, but she eventually sumbed to my locking techniques. She had no way to counterattack, simply lying on the floor with her arm being stretched to extremes. If she was face up, there might still have been something she could have done, but with a ground pushed to her face, there was nothing she could do. After she admitted defeat and promised not to run, I finally let her go. After she realized that I had no intention to kill her, she finally turned obedient. I stood imposingly in front and fired my questions. Now then, who are you? Why did you follow me? Why did you attack me? I had her kneel on the ground and removed the mask that hid half of her face. What I saw was the face of a girl even younger than I initially assumed. I thought she was just someone that sounded young, but looking at her appearance, she wasnt even 20 years old. H-Huh? Umm, err, I cant answer everything in one go Then, start by introducing yourself, will you? I am Nicole. However, you should know that by now. How about you? Since I had her kneel, her face was before my eyes. I shut her up with a good smack on the head. She didnt have to poke her nose where it didnt belong. Ouch!? Ugh So this is the shame of a loser So? Your name! Ah, right. I am Prisci. I am King Elliots guard I saw her eyes swimming around at that deration, so I gave her another smack to reveal what else she was hiding. A lie It may not be, but theres something else you arent saying, isnt it right? Ugh Ran is myst name. So, Ran from the United Alliance Hmm? I remembered hearing that name. In my previous life at that. Wasnt Ran quite a distinguished household? Well, we are counts of the former Ste Kingdom. But after the alliance, we act as King Elliots guards. Prisci exined proudly while still kneeling.You were hiding that info until now, so what are you acting so proud about it?I retorted on reflex. Then I remembered something. Ran of the Ste Kingdom, huh? Their count status did not give them much influence, but they served the kings as their personal fight specialists for generations. Naturally, they could fight more than just humans too, so they were quite useful as stealth corps. Thanks to them, it was very difficult to assassinate big shots of the Ste Kingdom. Okay, thatll do for your background check. Next Why were you following me? I mean, I had to check what kind of person was the girl that King Elliot has fallen for. I am his guard, after all. Ah, well, yeah Despite everything, Elliot was still the sole king of the United Alliance. And if we spoke strictly in terms of territory, the United Alliance that emerged from three kingdoms was by far thergest on this continent. To add to that, we used to protect him since his infancy, so he was always in a maelstrom of power struggle. It was natural to investigate who hispanion was. But you should be more than aware of who I am, though? Assuming you are really her. I am as real as it can get! For a ten or so years old kid to have mastered the art ofbat to that degree I suppose that was expected from the daughter of the heroes? And you just tried to kill that daughter, didnt you? Eek!? It seemed that she finally realized the mess she was in, she got goosebumps and started trembling. It appeared that while herbat skills were quite high, her assessment skills left much to be desired. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Perhaps she was dispatched as Elliots guard to gain some experience. They probably judged that they didnt need him to be overguarded, given Maxwell and Cortina resided in this country. Good grief, making me babysit people in their ce Y-Youngdy, you seem to have quite a sharp tongue Its dads influence. I tend to act like a boy at times. I was actually a man, so it couldnt be helped. So I let Lyell take the me here. Ive been studying the sword under him all this time, so that excuse worked perfectly. Is that so. So you are quite wild contrary to what your appearance suggests. How about you, you are quite something to be chosen as Elliots guard at such a young age. You shouldnt even be 20 years old, right? Indeed, Im still 18. Because of that Im still inexperienced in many things and always make trouble for others. You did exactly that earlier. I apologize about that with all my heart! I pointed it out while squinting my eyes, and Prisci prostrated herself on the ground in apology. Okay, next. Why did you attack me? Thats because I did not think that Lady Nicole would be such a fighter. You even lured me into an alley and did not even flinch at my killing intent, merely smiling fearlessly at me Ah, that isnt normal, huh So I judged that someone disguised themselves as Lady Nicole and tried to get close to King Elliot So you attacked me? I judged that they should have been hiding the real Lady Nicole somewhere after they reced her. I see now. Her logic wasnt bad. However, she was thinking too inside the box. Seeing an exception like me and judging myself to be suspicious was by no means a mistake. However, it was too hasty for her to use force to ascertain it. She made such a blunder because she trusted her judgment too much. So thats where her inexperiencees from. Eh? Just talking to myself. Anyway, there was no ill will behind your attack, so I can let this matter go. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! But my friends are quite skilled themselves, so dont go attacking them, you hear? I shall engrave it to my heart! Michelle, Letina, and Cloud who fought together with me were quite a bit stronger than appropriate for their ages. If I left her be, Prisci could very well attack them too. It was wise to warn her in advance. Chapter 145 After letting the amateur guard go, I finally returned to Cortinas house. When I opened the door, Finia started heading over with pattering steps to greet me. I didnt catch her presence and walked in. That, however, made me the victim of her unrestrained hug attack. Wee back, Lady Nicole! Woah!? Ah, its you, Finia? Yeah, Im back. I was too focused on the matter of Prisci, so that hug took me byplete surprise and I leaked a weird voice. Regardless of how distracted I was, I couldnt believe I failed to notice something like this; perhaps it was proof that my senses had dulled quite a bit. Ugh, this calls for some training, I suppose. Lady Nicole, is there a need to train even more than you already do? She promptly took the bag from my hands and arranged the shoes I took off and left as is. Following that, she positioned herself behind me; she was a wlessdy attendant in just about every way setting aside that sudden hug from before. Quite unlike that joke of a spy. Huh? Did you say anything? No, just talking to myself. She even prepared a towel for me on rainy days, so there was really nothing else I could wish of her. Leaving that aside, the problem was that I have grown dull. I raised my hand and pinched my upper arm. I couldnt feel any muscle there. Finia, do Ick training, after all? Lady Nicole, if you train even harder than you do now, you would really be like chicken bones, you know? I do have quite a bit of fat on me. Its too low. I want you to be more squishy. Its no fun this way. Im not sure about your statement there Lately, Finia had be able to clearly express her desires. She had be more touchy with me too. Before, it felt like she was putting a little distance in our rtionship, so this was a desirable oue. She also seemed to be growing more cheerful. Perhaps knowing about Reids reincarnation had eased the burden on her. Also, I have prepared the luggage over here Luggage? For? For the trip the day after tomorrow. I believe you were heading to see the Cosmos Garden in the Kevin Domain. The domain of Earl Kevin. It was a simple rural town further north from here. Given it was a rural area, it had a lot of rural crafts and flower beds, and as it was at just the right distance from the capital, it was often used as the location for off-campus learning. It was chosen for our current excursion too, where we were going on a field trip to study a rare flower bed in the forest. Now that you mentioned it I havent prepared a lunch box yet, but your luggage is all here. Please confirm itter. Mhm, will do. Usually, Id have replied with since you prepared it, it doesnt need any confirmation, but she tended to a bit over the top when it came to things concerning me. There was no knowing what she put in there if I didnt check. I went to change in my room and then opened the rucksack that she prepared. It was a lovely, red rucksack. A little too overbearing, in fact At any rate, confirming the contents took priority now. There was an excursion guidebook, tissue paper, handkerchief, potpourri that served as an insect repellent, preserved foods, Kabby and so on. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Does she think Im gonna plunge into some dungeon or what!? Also, raw food is prohibited! I ended up shouting on reflex. While I was at it, I dragged out the Carbuncle that had snuck deep inside it. It eluded me why wed possibly need preserved foods and restorative potions for the off-campus learning that the academy was in charge of? Things like the lifesaving re were only used during disasters and idents. I couldnt imagine why wed need them during a flower field study. Well, I suppose going to a remote forest demands that much? Having them on hand is better than not, I guess? Still, theres too much luggage here. Ill sooner copse from its weight at this rate! I took out all the unnecessary stuff while grumbling to myself. It was a day trip, so I didnt need any preserved foods as long as I had a lunchbox. I wasnt heading for battle so recovery potions werent needed either. The re gun? Nope again. A jacket to protect from cold mighte in handy so that will stay. The potpourri stays as well since I dont want to have bite marks on my skin. Huh, my skin? Why did I suddenly be attentive to my skin? I was about to throw it away too but it had an unexpectedly good smell wafting from it so I hesitated. Perhaps it used that strong flower fragrance to ward from the insects. But leaving that part aside, the fragrance itself was quite nice in itself. Oh well. I fastened it on the side of the rucksack and put it on my back as a test. Now that it was less than half of its original weight, even I could easily carry it, and it had a nicevender scent to top it off. The scent drifted every time I moved, so I started twirling around and enjoying the perfume. Then, I finally noticed it. The door to my room was slightly open and Cortina and Finia were peeking through the gap. They had warm smiles on their faces, as if they had witnessed something pleasant. Taking the situation into ount, it looks as if I just finished my preparations and started twirling around with the rucksack on my back in anticipation of the trip. Of course theyd have such pleasant expressions. Even Id have been the same. Dont peek at meeeeee!? Ahaha! You are a kid after all, Nicole! Cortina, Ill smite you. Kyaa, Im so scaaared. Time to ruuun! Seeing me pumping my fist and resorting to the use of force, she pushed both hands up and broke into a dash. Finia ran in the opposite direction, which was quite a sound judgment on her part. Dont go doing tactical fleeing inside the house! Damn it, Ill remember this, you two! Chapter 146 It has been two days. The day of the excursion had finallye. The destination was a small territory, but a rural town of the frontier nheless. It was not a distance that kids could cover on a day trip. But this was a slightly extravagant trip that utilized the teleportation circle of the Adventurers Guild. Since the magic circle needed a huge amount of magic power to activate, it required many magicians, as such the price was befittingly high. However, the magic academy had a magic power tank by the name of Maxwell. If it was him, he could activate the magic circle all by himself. Moreover, he knew its workings too. Were the Guild to refuse the request, he could make the circle himself, so it was in their best interest to just ept the money. And as such, they responded to this request in an extremely favorable way. Okay, everyone, please line up here! The staff member guided us, kids, with a polite tone. They even gave us candy inmemoration. But that was only natural, as the teleportation needed about a bag of candys worth of silver coins, yet Maxwell easily handed it over, so they were all smiles. Most of us were from noble families, but kids were still kids. It was a rare excursion, so many among us could not contain their excitement. The academy did simr excursions once a year, and took kids on trips under the pretext of widening their knowledge. This was already the fourth time for me too. I felt a bit bad for the staff member who was stuck with humoring the excited kids, but it was a good opportunity for us to blow off some steam. Or thats how its supposed to be, so what are you doing here? Oh, youre no fun. Im just worried about you and decided to keep youpany. I dont need it. Shoo. A single part-time teacher was following me, a single student, around. It goes without saying but, it was Elliot. A fine man in his twenties shouldnt be following a kid around, good grief. Well, I cant honestly say I dont have any ulterior motives, though. Elliot was a survivor of a ruined royalty. The neighboring countries decided to back him up to secure their safety and formed the United Three Nations. Us, the Six Heroes, had a role to y in executing his n. In other words, Elliots royal dignity authority was inferior to other nations. In the worst case, the subjects of other nations would look down on him as a puppet. It was thanks to us that such a development was narrowly avoided. I could understand his desire to pull me in and secure my parents cooperation. I praise your honesty, but people normally wouldnt mention the power struggle, you know? I felt like it would be more effective if I revealed everything to you. Was itthatwho told you to? Ah, it wasntthat. Towards the direction I was looking, there was Prisci who was on guard duty but pretending to be a teacher. She wore the teachers suit, but given how young she was, it didnt really fit her And Cortina was next to her. Because this temporary-teacher (Royalty) was next to me, even Letina who was usually beside me was keeping her distance. Even Matisse was anxious about this mysterious (LOL) teacher and didnte close. My friends arent approaching me, so can you go away? Oh man, Im looking forward to this trip too. Are you even listening? Look, Ive rarely left the castle, you know? Cortina, get this weirdo away from me! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I finally lost my patience and called for reinforcements. Hearing that, Cortina who was guiding the students rushed towards me. She didnt particrly hate Elliot, but she was still sensitive towards the bugs that tried to approach me. Okay, the weirdo there, go back to work! Ahh, Lady Cortina, dont be so unreasonable! Cortina grabbed him by the nape and dragged him away. Considering that she took care of him since childhood, he couldnt go against her regardless of his status as the king. By all rights, it shouldve been the same towards me. Well, just wait. Ill make you fall head over heels by my charms one of these days. Wait, I mean my transformed self, not the current one. Either way, once Elliot, who acted like a typical nobleman, left my side, Matisse and Letina finally came close. Honestly, Id much rather be surrounded by cute girls, so this was a big help. Mr. Elliot sure is a weirdo, isnt he? I-Indeed Matisse didnt know that he was the king of Union. But Letina who did know wasnt sure how to respond to it. She may be young, but she still understood that his identity wasnt to be disclosed. Ah, Mr. Elliot went away, huh? Michelle, where were you all this time? Over there. The Adventurer Academy also took part in this times excursion. As such, Michelle had to be here as well. However, she did not show up while Elliot was with me. Im also a bit bad at dealing with that teacher. Sorry, okay? There was no one whod get mad at her when she was apologizing so cutely with her hands together. Elliot had an appearance that any girl of marriageable age would instantly fall for, but he was quite badly received among kids. As expected, his conduct built on appearances gave them an ufortable feeling. Kids were sensitive when it came to such things. Chapter 147 The moment the teleportation circle was booted up, my surroundings got dyed in bright light and it made me feel a bit dizzy. This was the so-called teleportation sickness, and one of the main reasons why it couldnt be used in battles despite its extreme usefulness. When the light died down and the dizziness went away, there were vast grasnds spread before me. This was a teleportation location just outside of the Kevin domain, and a little walk from here would take us to the town. Still, there was no change to the fact that this was a sight you wouldnt see in the Raums capital, so Letina and Matisse voiced their admiration at the abundant grasnds spread before them. Michelle and I werent surprised by this level of grasnds, however. We were the genuine country bumpkins that originated from an even more rural ce. Amazing! Ive never seen such huge grasnds! Matisse shouted full of unusual liveliness. Even Letina dropped her usually indifferent attitude and was restlessly looking around. Given the way she was acting, shed definitely start running around if we left her be. We were well aware that Letina had a mischievous nature contrary to what her appearance suggested. Dont break the line now, okay? I-I know already! She replied to my warning in a suspicious way. Michelle starting giggling when she saw it. Thats right. We are walking to the Cosmos Garden. Everyone form two rows and follow me! Cortina shouted and started leading the way. At the end of the rows was Elliot who kept a close eye so the kids would not go astray. I also held hands with Matisse and followed the path. Letina, stop looking at me so greedily. I-I dont know what youre talking about, okay? Ill switch to youter, so wait. Sorry, Lady Letina. Seeing Letina putting up a tough front made even Matisse break into a smile. And thus, we spent the rest of the ride in such a lively manner. Prisci wasnt with us now, but she should have secretly slipped in during the teleportation and followed us. I could sense her presence so she was definitely observing us from somewhere. Although we were walking, its not like we were that close to our destination. It was a distance youd usually cover with a carriage. This time, we werent going to the Kevin domains town, but instead to study the Cosmos fields on its edge. Then wed have lunch there and return back to this teleportation location and go back to the Academy. It was hardly something to call an adventure, but kids like Matisse who rarely left the town thought otherwise. Ah, look, bees! But why are they so strangely round? Matisse pointed at the bugs flying around and raised a cheer. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Those are honeybees. They have a habit of collecting the flower nectar, so they arent seen in towns that often. Letina thoroughly exined it to her. She did it while throwing out her chest, which was her habit whenever she wanted to boast. They are delicious if you fry them with sugar, you know? Wait, they are edible? Yup, they are sweet! Michelle said something exceedingly bumpkin-like. But as she said, honeybees that had high nutritious value were indeed precious ingredients in rural areas that had food problems. It was a little difficult to make a city dweller like Matisse nod to that. I held back augh at her stiff reply at Michellesment. I dont know how it happened, but in the academy, she had a reputation of a collected and hardworking youngdy. There was hardly a reason for me to ruin that reputation with myughter. Ah, look! A cow! Its a cow! Yeah, looks tasty. Huh? Matisse once again shouted in excitement when she was a cow that was grazing leisurely, but Michelle only saw it as an ingredient. In the first ce, we hunted a buffalo around the capital, so it wasnt such a rare sight. For us, that is. Even after that, Matisse reacted a few more times whenever she saw some animal only to be replied with looks tasty by Michelle. You really eat anything, huh, Michelle? Its not everything but I suppose I eat everything thats huntable? You are pretty wild, huh. I-Its not just me, Nicoles the same, okay? Really? She looked at me to pass the topic but I wasnt sure it would do good to my reputation to answer truthfully. After all, while I was Lyell and Marias child, I was also a huge bumpkin. I ate bees and hunted cows. And in some cases, I even ate lizard-like monsters called Kratos. This was partly due to my discipline from the adventuring days, but my parents did not particrlyment on it other than saying that it was good that I wasnt a picky eater. Rather, when remembering my infancy days where I ate far too little, I was thankful to eat whatever food was offered to me. W-Well I suppose I eat most things that can be put on the table. And there are various customs based on regions too. I was mainly specialized in personal battles since my previous life, so my knowledge about monster ecology wasnt that good. That kind of knowledge fell under Maxwell, Cortina and Marias field of expertise. I merely followed their directions and aimed for the weaknesses that they taught me. For that reason, I barely had knowledge regarding the monsters Ive never actually seen. It was far easier for me to challenge humans whose abilities could be guessed from their movements and posture. Youre amazing too, Lady Letina! Matisse still useddy when referring to Letina. This was because she was still a major noble of this country. I was amoner by standing, so she was more casual with me, but part of the reason was that I hated being called with honorifics. Thus, while we were busy talking amongst us, our destination, the field of flowers, finally came into sight. Kevin Domain was originally in the middle of the forest, but the lord cleaned up the trees, and after searching for the local specialties that would suit the climate, he settled on the flower fields. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) The various flowers distributed from their fields were tended with magic and drugs and made to be hard to wither, and then shipped to every corner of Raum. And then, they were used to decorate various ceremonies and rituals. Such vast flower fields were a rarity even in Raum. Okay, were here! Take a look, this is the Cosmos Garden! Cortina announced it while spreading her hands. Behind her, there was a field full of multicolored flowers blooming in profusion. Chapter 148 As we arrived at the flower fields guided by the teachers, the sight greeting us was certainly something worthing here for. An unnaturally vast field was cleared out inside the forest and blooming full of multicolored flowers. It seemed that the fields closest to us were just the idle ones, so the Cosmos flowers that were our goal did not bloom here. Even so, white clovers that were proof of richnd were blooming in profusion here. That carpet of white and green was gently fluttering under the influence of Junes wind. It was a refreshing sight that made us forget that we were in a humid season. Wow! Seeing that sight the girls raised wondrous voices. Even Letina and Michelle were no exceptions. Of course, neither was I. Amazing, there are flowers everywhere! Seeing the white clovers Letina started fidgeting around. She seemed to be holding back the urge to rush towards them. Cortina looked at them in smiles and issued the next instructions. Okay, okay, attention! This Kevin domain, you see, is a territory that has opened up when a hero of old defeated a Giant. Cortina started narrating the anecdote rted to this domain. It was a fresh experience for us to hold lessons among grasnds. Apparently, this domain was under an attack of a Giant Zombie. Then the hero of that time called Kevin drove it back and was awarded this territory where he cleared thends. There was a big valley in the west of the vige, where the Giant is assumed to have been subjugated. The fact that there was a Giant Zombie meant that Giants lived there. Many Adventurers were lured by Giants treasures and the vige prospered. However, Kevin who took over thisnd believed that such prosperity wasnt destined tost long, and thus, he decided to cultivate the flower fields as local specialties. As Raum was a kingdom surrounded by forests,rge quantities of the same type of flowers were quite valuable. After telling the rough history to the kids, Cortina ended her lecture with a p. Okay, thats it for the lesson. Lets eat some lunch now, shall we? I received permission to enter the fields so we can enjoy our lunch there. After that, I have to talk with the one taking care of the ntations. Teacher, can we pick some flowers? Sure, I have permission for that. But dont pick the Cosmos flowers that are on the other side, okay? Okaaay! Hearing the word lunch, even the boys all rushed inside the flower fields. They spread open the pic nkets in a self-first manner, formed groups and opened their bags. Letina and Michelle grabbed my hands and lead me inside. Matisse followed us a step behind; a behavior that was much like her. Michelle and Letina who practiced with me had more stamina to sparepared to the other kids. As such, they prioritized diving into the grassy ins instead of opening their lunchboxes. Woow, its soft! Good grief, Michelle, your clothes will get dirty you know? Letina said all that, but she herself plopped down on the grass. The grass left green stains on her academy uniform, but she didnt seem to mind it at all. Rather, the smell of the crushed grass was making her feel better instead. It brought about a refreshing feel as if seeping into their tired bodies. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Doesnt this remind you of our vige, Nicole? As they were holding my hands, I ended up diving into the grass against my will. While I was lying on my face unlike them, a somewhat lonely mutter of Michelle reached my ears. Indeed, this abundant nature reminded me of my northern homnd. Me aside, Michelle moved to Raum with her entire family, so she did not really feel homesick until now. But even so, she still had friends there that she ended up parted with. She always had that mischievous nature and often yed with boys in the fields. Even when we were attacked by Kobolds back then, she was together with me. These nostalgic grasnds probably reminded her of the friends that she had left behind. Yeah. Maybe we should go to the northern kingdom on our next break? You needed about two weeks to reach the United Three Nations from Raum with a carriage. This was roughly how long itd take to reach some other kingdom too, so it wasnt like we came from an especially distant one. There were students from various countries in the Magic Academy of Raum. There were many among them that returned back to their homnd during vacations. But those were mostly nobles that could afford pricey teleportation devices. When it came to less wealthy ones, their round trip would consume most of their long-holidays, so most tended to give up and instead spend it in the lodging house or dormitories. Michelles family wasnt wealthy enough to afford teleportation, so they did not leave Raum even during the long breaks. Naturally, since my parents frequently visited me, I never considered returning back either. If we ask mom, Im sure shell take us there. Or we can ask Lord Maxwell instead. I see. It wouldnt be a problem for your parents, Nicole. I feel a little jealous. Uh R-really? I felt like I made a slip of the tongue there. I was born into a somewhat Or rather, an unbelievably blessed family. By all rights, leaving the kingdom was a serious event in itself. My senses became numb since my parents came and went as if nothing. Unlike me, Michelles was an ordinary huntsman family. They werent in a position where they could go back to their homnd so easily. Perhaps my statement earlier sounded as if I was showing off that it was an easy thing to do. Um Sorry. Hmm, for what? Well She would never say it aloud, but I felt bad about it, so I apologized just in case. Letina read the mood and didnt make any unnecessaryments. She used to be noisy before, but it seemed that she had learned to read the mood. Given her conduct, it was not long until she would be a famousdy of high society. Hey, everyone. Lets eat before its toote, okay? Matisse cut into our conversation. She wasnt training her body like we were, so her stomach was already reaching its limit. She cheerfully spread the nket and put the luggage on it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Ah, sorry. Let me help. Its okay, Im already done. The nket was already spread and so was her lunchbox. All we needed to do was bring our own lunch boxes over. She had already done everything in our stead. M-My apologies. Ive done something inexcusable during my excitement. Letina, you are always excited. Thats not the case! There was a homesick Michelle and the attentive Matisse. I went to tease Letina to brush aside the guilt I felt towards the two. And thus, I opened my lunchbox that had Finias heart and soul put into it, wemenced our lunch. Chapter 149 Based on our schedule, once we had our lunch in the idle fields, we were going to have the ntation staff guide us to the Cosmos fields. Following that schedule, we finished our lunch and were having an after-meal rest. Cortina passed by us while swaying her tail around. She had her thin finger on her chin, a habit of hers whenever she was in deep thought. Cortina, whats wrong? Mmm, oh Its you, Nicole. Well, theres a bit of a problem, you see. She looked behind me and hesitated to say it. Based on her conduct, it was probably something she didnt want the other students to hear. I stood up from the nket and followed her to a ce separated from the other kids. Letina seemed to have guessed the reason and did not try to follow us. Being in a party with me had sharpened her intuition. When we came to a ce where other students wouldnt hear us, Cortina finally started to talk. Well, I guess I can speak frankly with you. The field supervisor should show up about now, but they are nowhere to be seen. Nowhere to be seen? Isnt that a big deal? The person who should be here wasnt showing up. That meant either they forgot about todays ns or something came up and they couldnte, or maybe something urred that made them unable toe. If they simply forgot about it, that was still fine. If something came up, they shouldve contacted us by all rights. But the worst was if they were unable toe due to some reason. They couldve gotten sick, or had some other task. Either way, their safety was the concern now. Might be better to go look for them. True, but I cant just leave the students and go. What about Elliot, then? A part-timer he may be, hes still a teacher, right? Making him move independently would be problematic in its own way. Despite everything, he was still the king of the United Kingdom of the north. There were still many who aimed for his life. Hence the reason why he had an elite guard like Prisci apanying him. Making him move independently in this countryside would be giving them a perfect opportunity. What a pain for a teacher. Im with you there. Cortina giggled seeing me trying to hold back my curses. But with everything said, it wasnt a good n to keep on waiting under these circumstances. Then, how about we go search for them in your stead. Are you sure? Im not sure if thats a good idea Dont worry, we may not look like it, but weve had our fair share of adventures already. Taking Matisse with us would be pushing it, but Michelle and Letina had enough experience to follow me into the forest. They should be plenty good to deal with minor emergencies. Right then. Waiting like this will do us no good, so can I leave that to you? Got it. But dont be reckless, okay? I know you are the type that tends to be reckless in these situations. Ill deal with it sensibly. If I saw trouble brewing before my eyes, I tended to be a bit reckless. Thats why, I didnt say that I wouldnt, and just dodged the topic with a vague reply. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) When I returned back to the group, I told them about setting out to search for the supervisor. Matisse ended up hearing it too due to the circumstances, but I knew I could trust her to keep it to herself. She wouldnt leak it to other kids. So, what kind of person is that supervisor? Hearing Letinas question, I conveyed the features of the field supervisor that I heard from Cortina. He was a plump, muscr human with a beard. He was in his forties and wasnt very tall. Also, he apparently lives across the fields In that hut over there. There was a small hut visible beyond the Cosmos fields that followed after the idle ones. ording to Cortina, that was his house. Given how many fields were around, the distances between houses was quiterge. I couldnt see anything remotely simr to a house anywhere else. Lets search for him there first. I was the fastest among us three. Or rather, there was no one faster than me in either academy. Michelles stamina was quite something, but she was no match for me in terms of explosive power. Anyway, considering it could be such a case, the faster we go the better. Indeed. But we have to equip ourselves just in case. We were going to head into the forest, so Letina went to retrieve her favourite staff. She used it as a trekking pole until now, but it seems that it would be finally put to its proper use now. Michelle didnt have her usual hunting bow with her, but she always carried the Third Eye with her, so that would be her weapon of choice now. Using the strengthening bangle that the God of Destruction gifted her, she was able to pull the string to the limit, but even with just my support magic, she was already able to pull it about halfway. She still couldnt use it on her own, but she could output decent power if I was with her. I also had my vibrating knife and katana with me. As expected, I couldnt bring Reids gauntlets with me, but I had about five bundles of piano threads stuffed into my pockets. With this much on my hand, I should be able to deal with most problems. There were no other students as armed to the teeth as me. I was self-conscious that I have be quite a dangerous student. But well, it proved useful during times of emergencies, so being constantly prepared for the worst never hurt. Chapter 150 After finishing our preparations, we decided to head towards the hut. While there were only two fields between us, each field spanning for around a hundred meters made it quite a big distance for us. That hut was crammed in the second one, so it was roughly two hundred meters straight. That said, we had to take a detour at the Cosmos fields so we actually had to walk for three hundred meters. If the situation called for speed, then I wanted us to depart as promptly as we could. However, Cortina stopped before our restlessness won. Wait, Nicole. Take this too just in case. Saying that, she handed over a thick and fluffysomethingthe size of a humans head. In other words, the Carbuncle Kabby. W-Why is it here Last I checked, I shouldve thrown it out of my rucksack. I obediently epted the big hamster that was acting all smug. It seems to have slipped into my rucksack without me realizing it. Squee! Kappy squealed with a face saying got you!. You shouldve noticed the weight difference, Cortina! You really are a clumsy girl. W-Well, cant be helped thiste in the game. Yeah. I was getting strangely tired from the weight after we departed, and it turned out it was because of this guy. Took me by surprise. Im not sure if thats helping your case. Well, either way, its not a bad thing in the present situation. Kappy can use basic magic, so it can be of use if you take it with you, dont you think? Now that she mentioned it, when Mikey was trapped in the cave, Kabby cast Purify on him all night long. Despite its looks, it was still part of the Dragon species, so while it could only use low-level spells, its actual skill at magic power maniption was excellent. It was still young and couldnt use high-level magic, but its control itself was nothing short of a first-ss magician. Among us, only Letina could use the practical magic properly, so I could expect our overall ability to go up with Kabby aboard. Fine then. Better listen to everything I say, got it? Squee-squee! I gave it such warning as I lifted it up, and it returned a vigorous response. Seeing that, Letina covered her mouth. Did she have a hay-fever or something? Nicole, you look kinda sly. Huh, why? Hearing her remark, I took a look at my own appearance. I had my rucksack on my back in case it came in handyter, and was in a school tracksuit. So far there was nothing out of ordinary. I also had the knife and katana on my wait and back respectively, but other than those, there was nothing that felt off. I mean hugging Kappy like that, I wanna hug and take it home too! Wait, thats your problem!? And you cant take it back, we have work to do! Okay! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Her answer was good and all, buttely her worldly desires have been increasing. At any rate, searching for the missing person came first. I put Kabby on my head and started walking towards the hut. When we neared the hut, I immediately went to peek inside. I couldnt feel anyones presence inside, but in case there was someone with a Stealth Gift like me or that kidnapper assassin, my perception might not be enough to detect them. As such, I lift opened the folding window a bit and looked inside. It was pitch ck inside, and as expected, I couldnt sense anyone there. We approached it by pure coincidence, so there was a low chance that someone had been erasing their presence and lied in wait all this time. I dont sense anyone inside. Ill try going in, but you two stay on guard at the door. Understood. Got it! If they entered with me, it could be a confined battle. There didnt seem to be anyone there, but it was better to be safe in the off-chance. I opened the door and walked inside while erasing my footsteps. It was quite messy inside, but not to the level where youd think something happened. It was more or less what an average all-male house would be like. I felt a bit relieved to find out that he didnt seem to have copsed due to an illness. Theres no one here. I called out to the two that were staying alert at the door and started investigating the room. The windows were closed so the inside was dark. They didnt have enough luxury to have ss windows it seems. Though, if you gave ss windows to a hut, thatd stand out like a sore thumb. Kabby, please. Squee! Heeding my request, the Carbuncle lit up the room with Light magic. This magic simply produced light, so it wasnt part of the interference system, and as such I couldnt use it. Minimal bedding, tableware, firewood and cooking range. Behind the hut was the storage shed, well and stable. Oops, I found some lewd books too. Lets secretly confiscate them, shall we? There were no writings anywhere in the hut, so the owner probably didnt know how to read and write. Even the book I seized was just a picture book. Hmm If he cant read, maybe he didnt realize that we were arriving today? That cant be. Letina arrived at the same conclusion after seeing the room and made a hypothesis. But I immediately denied it. There was a coarse y tablet in the room, and it had several X marks carved on it. Perhaps he used it to count the days. If he used this as a calendar, he shouldve been able to predict the day of our arrival. Rather, he probably remembered it better than us since he looks at it every day. Ah, I see. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Letina obediently nodded to my exnation and returned back to inspecting the room. But at that moment, I noticed a presence that was approaching the hut. Chapter 151 Their breathing was wild and their steps uneven. They were clearly not in their right mind. That presence was moving towards the entrance from the back. Someone ising. Their footsteps are disoriented. With my shout, Michelle headed inside and got ready forbat. I pulled out my dagger and did the same. The girls moved behind me due to my warning about their footsteps. There was a window, so we could just escape from there if push came to shove. At present, I was the only one among us who could serve as a vanguard, so we settled on this formation. I decided to go with the dagger since it was too narrow to swing my katana. The next moment, a man rushed inside while panting madly. It was a plump and healthy-looking middle-aged man. He looked about what Cortina described him as. So most likely, he was the owner of this hut. W-Who are you!? Are you the owner of this hut? Seeing us armed like that, he yelled out in confusion, but after he noticed that we were all kids, he started to calm down bit by bit. In the first ce, we were wearing the school tracksuits, so looking at the situation calmly would make it obvious that we werent robbers. Given your uniform, could you be the students of the Magic Academy? Yes. The guide wasnting so we came to search for them. Sorry about that. But thats the least of our worries now. We have to find shelter, now! Find shelter? He said something unsettling. It was something even I hadnt hypothesized. Yeah, Philip from the next field told me earlier, but looks like a Mountain Serpent is heading our way! A Mountain Serpent!? We couldnt believe what we heard. A Mountain Serpent, as its name suggested, was a giant serpent the size of a mountain. Well, that was a bit exaggerated. It may seem like you could deal with it if it was simply a big monster, but its size was no joke. It easily exceeded five meters in thickness and a hundred meters in length. Given its snake nature, it could swallow thingsrger than itself. In other words, it could easily gulp down giant monsters like nothing. Moreover, its body of over a hundred meters in length could mow down any obstacle and strangle any opponent, so in the worst cases, it could even prey upon lower-ranked Dragons. Of course, even its weight alone was a weapon of its own. It had even left anecdotes where just one swing of its tail was enough to demolish castle walls. Since it tended to crawl everywhere, it mowed down trees, crushed buildings, even swallowed the horses along with their riders in one swoop as if they were snacks. Due to the high damage that it could cause, it was designated as a cmity ss magic beastor Cmity Beast for short. Wait, that has to be a joke Are you certain!? Letina asked for confirmation in half-scream. The huts owner replied in a panic. Yeah, theres no way a major incident like this would spread if it was unconfirmed. Philip said he witnessed it with his own eyes. He did well approaching the beast so close, that Philip. Well, given what kind of monster it is, its giant body was visible from far away. I was just hurrying back to the lord to pass on the information. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) True, Mountain Serpent would be easily visible from afar as long as it raised its head. Since something of that scale approached the human habitats, the feudal lord had to be warned. Right, theres Lady Cortina! Lady Cortina should be the one apanying you kids, right? Then maybe Cortina is about as strong as a single adventurer. Taking a Monster Serpent alone is out of the question. N-No way His face lip up when he remembered about Cortina, but now he was back to being dejected. But I was against putting Cortina in such danger myself. Subjugating a Monster Serpent was impossible unless all of us were assembled. But well, Maxwell may be able to do something about it? T-Then But hes in the capital, so wed have to return there. Itd be toote by then. Itll be here any time now! Why didnt anyone notice it until sote? Contrary to how open this side is, the forest is thick. The trees there are growing taller than everywhere else, so it limits the vision. Not to mention, theres a precipitous valley nearby, so that makes it a perfect ce for it to hide. It probably used that valley toe all the way here. He exined in half-sobs, but we had no way of helping him. It was an opponent that I wouldnt be able to beat even if I went all-out. If we had Maxwells firepower, we could manage it somehow, but he was home-sitting back at the capital. In any case, we have to go back and evacuate the students R-Right. I wanted to let them know too Well handle that part. You go notify the lord and tell him to form evacuation squads. O-Okay, got it! The man rushed out along with his reply and took a farm horse out of the stable. He nned to use it to reach the lords mansion. We also rushed out of the hut towards the students. The opponent was a serpent spanning over a hundred meters. Even if the army was dispatched, it was uncertain whether theyd be able to subjugate it or not. The Mountain Serpents hide was flexible and tough. Small bows and crossbows they carried with them wouldnt be able tond a single wound. And if they charged with spears and swords and turned it into closebat, theyd get swallowed in one bite. In the first ce, the entire rider battalion would be mowed down with a single swipe of its tail. It was hard for the military units to do anything about it. Um, is it really impossible even with Lady Cortinas help? If you wanted to defeat it, it doesnt have to be on Maxwells level, but youd still need arge-scale spell. Dad or Gadius wouldnt even be able to hold it back. Letina asked me as we ran. She deified each of the Six Heroes, so it was hard for her to ept that there existed an opponent that they couldnt handle alone. However, I cleared up her delusions. You couldnt beat what you couldnt beat. Cortina would be able to turn it into an advantageous situation, but she had an overwhelmingck of firepower needed to deal the finishing blow. That was just how much vitality the Serpent had. Um I think we can defeat it. Say what? Michelles sudden interjection made me scream and fall over. I was convinced she wouldnt be able to do something even Cortina couldnt. But when I saw what she was pointing at, I changed my thinking. This bow The Third Eye might be able to pierce the Mountain Serpent. Well I immediately started mental calctions. Indeed, that bow could put it down in one shot as long as itnded on a good spot. In the library, I once read that the God of Destruction had once fell a Dragon with one arrow. If this was the bow she used back then, then something like a Mountain Serpent should be an easy victory. However, there was no proof of that. And no way to prove it now. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) But I was fully aware of how much power the Third Eye had. Even if its arrow missed, the force behind it was enough to blow away its surroundings. Moreover, at this stage, Michelle could draw the bow halfway even with my support magic. But the Serpent is very nimble. Its questionable whether you can even hit its head, and may need to hit its eye so it can pierce its brains and kill it for good. Yeah, but Michelle hesitated on her words, her gaze directed at the flower fields. I understood what she was thinking. Even I wanted to avoid the destruction of these fields. The people living in the vicinity would also receive devastating damage. To the point that just making it out alive would require tremendous luck. Got it. Ill discuss it with Cortina. If she says no, then well run, okay? Okay! She replied in high spirits. I felt like she would have gone to subjugate it all by herself if I refused her here. Chapter 152 We rushed back to Cortinas side and told her to issue the evacuation. Then we conveyed that Michelle wanted to protect thesends and the possibility to do so. However, Cortinas reply was concise. No. But why! She rejected it in one word and ordered us to evacuate like the rest of the kids. Even if its possible as you say, its still a no. Hurry up and evacuate with the other students. In this excursion, there was a leading teacher appointed from the Adventurers Academy too. However, there was a difference in status between them and Cortina. In cases of emergencies like this, Cortina had received the unconditional right tomand. I was aware that she would prioritize the safety of the students and give them such directions. Even Even though I have the power to protect this ce Why cant I? You cant and thats it. Even if you could beat it, I would still be med for allowing you to do it. My duty right now is to protect the students. You have to put up with it now. But how! I understood Cortinas point. Michelle was the one being unreasonable here. She wouldnt be able to call herself a teacher if she allowed her students to face such a danger. Even if they had a way to subjugate it, she had to prioritize the students safety above all. Michelle Nicole, please tell her too! Sorry, but Cortina is right. But I understood that she wanted to protect this ce that reminded her of her hometown. Even so, I wouldnt be able to convince Cortina given her standing. No, if she allowed minors to head to the battle, shed lose her qualifications as a teacher. So instead, I forcefully pulled Michelle away from Cortina. She had her duty to evacuate other students so it wasnt good to waste her time. What should we do At this rate Yeah, this ce would probably be devastated. If you know that, then why Cortina has her own circumstances. She cant be partial or show special treatment to a single student. I know full well that its dangerous. Still She cant. Nevertheless, Michelle wasnt the one to obediently step back, and I knew that full well. At this rate, she would head out to subjugate it without telling Cortina. If that happened, she would, without a doubt, die. She certainly had both the firepower to kill and the skill to hit it But that was it. She would probably approach it without even finding its weak spot and get crushed or swallowed by its gigantic body. For that reason, she needed a cooperator. As well as a n to realize it. I needed to protect Cortinas reputation while also meeting Michelles expectations. But those actions were clearly contradicting each other Cortina, Elliot and the rest of the teachers were having a discussion while escorting the kids towards the teleportation spot. I used my Stealth Gift to approach them from behind. As I thought, they seemed to be talking about how to deal with the Mountain Serpent. We have to evacuate the students to the teleportation spot first. Are we evacuating them to the capital? If we do that, there wouldnt be enough magic power left to transport the army here. Teleportation requires a huge amount of magic power. But, Lady Cortina, we cant guarantee the students safety at this rate! Even if we evacuated them to the capital and left the Serpent be, that wouldnt guarantee their safety any better. Its possible that it would charge straight towards the capital. It seemed that they were talking about our safety, after all. They didnt know whether it was safer to teleport us all the way to the capital or evacuate us locally. If we were evacuated to the capital, there wouldnt be enough magic power left for the army to make it here. If that happened, there was no knowing how far the Serpents destruction would spread. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) This was still a rural region. There was no expectation that theyd have enough defenses here to ward off the Serpent, so it was necessary for the capitals forces to intervene. We cant satisfy both conditions, what a troublesome situation this is. Makes you thinkwhy now of all times?If we werent here now, the capitals armed forces coulde here without problems. What do you suggest, Ms. Cortina? One of the teachers asked Cortina, as she was the one with the most influence around. Perhaps they asked for her opinion to support their own minds. Thats just how much threat a Cmity Beast had. Let me think Cortina paused her speech and nced at the students that were in the middle of taking refuge. Next, she looked around while holding her chin. I moved behind someone to escape getting noticed by her. Regardless of the Stealth Gift, she would realize I was hiding if our eyes met. If Im not mistaken, there was a big valley west of here, right? If we can lure it there, it should restrict its movements to a degree. I see. Its certainly a big valley so once it goes there, even a Mountain Serpent would be unable to move about freely. That said, given its gigantic body, it can probably climb back up from that height. At best we can only restrict its horizontal movements. If it can climb up, then we cant really confine it there. The teacher who asked her probably wanted to hear her opinion about the students, but Cortina replied with the subjugating strategy. A Mountain Serpent can be baited by animal fodder, and it can only move by crawling, so a skilled magician could block the way with Earth Wall and lead it towards the valley. It can probably destroy it given its absurd strength, but it doesnt move with a clear goal in mind that would make it want to break that wall and proceed beyond it. That said, our current battle power isnt enough. So all we can do is run, in the end Well, we are only teachers, after all. Subjugating monsters isnt among our duties. She calmed the other teachers with those words, but I felt like the earlier strategy was directed towards me. Perhaps she noticed that I was hiding and listening to them from nearby. Chapter 153 I returned back to the student rows and joined up with Michelle and Letina. The two leaned their bodies towards me, waiting impatiently for what information I had brought with me. What were the teachers talking about? Was Ms. Cortina against it, after all? Their eagerness made me lean backwards a bit. I pushed the two away with both hands and conveyed what I learned from the earlier conversation. I think Cortinaour teacher realized that I was eavesdropping on them. She realized And didnt say anything? It was just my personal opinion, but the two started pondering seriously at my words. I already learned the Mountain Serpents location from the man before. We could head to it immediately as long as we made up our minds to subjugate it. The rest was dependent on their opinions. Um, Nicole Hm? If I said I wanted to slip out and defeat it It would be a bad thing, right? Sure enough, Letina and Michelle started timidly beating around the bush. Of course, I already had my answer. Of course it would be. But its not impossible. Then What if I said I didnt care if I was scolded for it Letina followed up with an appeal of her own, looking as if she would cry any moment, and yet her expression was also resolute. Responding to their request, I suggested an escape n. The forest up ahead has a restricted view. If we slip out of the ranks there, no one should notice. Then, lets do that! Her imcked the usual vigor. But I felt a stronger will than ever in her words. Unlike other times, she was insisting that she wouldnt miss,e hell or high water. The arrows arent that long, not to mention the Serpents hide and flesh are tough and thick. If we are going to take it down in one shot, your only choice is to aim for its eyes. Got it! Ill make sure to hit it. In that case, Ill take on the role of luring it towards the valley. But thats the most dangerous part Letina looked at me in shock, but I was unquestionably the most agile among us. Michelle who was ranked second couldnt y that part, because she needed to position herself ordingly beforehand from where she would be able to aim for its eyes. Letina also had a part to y that only she could. Its okay. Im small so even if I get eaten, Id just end up being swallowed whole. If that happens, Ill just use my dagger and cut my way out through its belly. Your thoughts are quite gory contrary to your appearance, huh. Still, be careful, okay? Michelle replied worriedly after the exasperated Letina. Thanks to that, I became a bit more motivated. In the first ce, if I got swallowed, Id probably get crushed to death by its overwhelming mass before I could reach its stomach. So my earlier words were nothing more than a joke to calm Michelle down. After parting with the two, I headed towards the north. It was the course where the Mountain Serpent was heading to. Gradually, a rumbling sound came through the gaps in the trees. They suggested that the Serpent was already nearby. I wasnt familiar with the region so I used the map I prepared in advance to n out my actions. To be honest, I was quite a bit anxious, not knowing what to expect the terrain to look like. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Despite that, I believed that Id manage somehow and advanced ahead. That was just how big Michelles eagerness had influenced me. It should show up anytimwoaah!? I couldnt me myself for leaking a weird voice. The Mountain Serpent had suddenly, in apletely unexpected moment, raised its head from beyond the trees. There shouldve been over a hundred meters between us, but it was so gigantic it distorted my sense of distance and I was ovee with a sense of oppression. It ignored me as I stood petrified and calmly inspected the surroundings. The animals in the surroundings seemed to have already fled as there was only the sound of grass reaching my ears. No, thats not quite right. There was also a hissing sound like that of steam being emitted. Needless to say, it came from the Serpent. This was a threatening sound, which meant that it sensed a new prey somewhere. But as there were no other animals around That prey was most likely I. This means that it knew exactly where I was. Realizing that, I started to take distance bit by bit. I was a bit too close. Even if I wanted to lure it, I needed to put a bit more distance between us. It seemed to have sensed my movement, it looked my way and charged with all its might. Snakes were silent and deaf. But they still had their thermal sensing, so it was no use hiding. My Stealth Gift was turnedpletely powerless. Waaghhhhh!? It chased after me with serpentine movements while its head remained in the air. Every time it twisted its body, the trees were mowed down with loud cracks. I strengthened my legs with threads while alsounching some from my hands and slingshotted myself forward. Our speeds were roughly the same. This was pretty good for me as a guide since it wouldnt fall behind me no matter what. But saying it another way, it would catch me the moment I lose focus even for an instant. I dashed through the trees, ran down the slope and before long arrived at arge river. This river was simply flowing through the forest now, but the end of it was flowing into the valley ahead. I grabbed a branch with my threads and leapt to the riverside like a pendulum. Swinging myself forward like that allowed me to descend at speeds unimaginable from humans, and then rushed into the valley. But even that kind of speed would not be enough to shake off the Serpent. The downward slope was boosting its speed just like mine. Thus I ran with the Mountain Serpent at my back, and finally, I arrived at the nned checkpoint. As if to match with my timing, a thunderous roar was heard followed by the copse of the cliffs at either side, bringing with it an avnche of rocks. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I dodged the crumbling rocks with a hairs breadth And dove into the river. Chapter 154 Letina revealed herself a bit ahead inside the valley. She looked at me and gave a brief nod. So far it was ording to n. The only unexpected thing was that the Serpent turned out to be faster than I imagined and I could not put any more distance between us. Even so, Letina started chanting resolutely and fired her spell. She judged that at this rate it would catch up and swallow me. What she used was the most effective spell in her arsenal, the Fireball. It crashed into the cliff opposite her and caused an explosion. The cliff that had weakened from wind and rain crumbled oh so easily. Then all that crumbled mass rained down towards me and the Serpent chasing me. I managed to dodge them by a paper-thin difference. I used the thread strengthening, Enchant magic and all the skills from my previous life to their limits. As the result, I managed to weave through the rain of rocks with skills that were nothing short of divine, and got out of the danger zone. However, the Serpent couldnt do the same. Let alone the skill, it didnt even have space to dodge them. It crawled into a deep valley, so its horizontal movements were restricted. And with that avnche falling on it, its vertical movements had also been restricted. Naturally, something like a cave-on wouldnt deal any significant damage to it. Its vitality and toughness were on another level. It wouldnt even restrict its movements for long. If Michelle was going to shoot, this was the only time. However, the dust cloud wrapped its head and hid its eyes which was our aim. But then, Letina No, the being next to her, made the next move. Kabby! Squee! With her shout, Kabby raised a (what seemed to be) valiant cry, which was followed by a gale. That gale blew away the dust cloud in one go. It also scooped up the surrounding water and carried it to the inner parts. Of course, along with me who was in that water. Waghhhhhh!? I was lifted into the air as I raised a somewhat pathetic shriek. But this was a necessary action. What followed immediately after was a sh of light. The first move was Letina copsing a brittle cliff on the Serpent. Next was Kabby sweeping away the dust cloud. And finally, Michelle who was positioned appropriately let loose an arrow from the Third Eye. It was a steel arrow released by a longbow with an unimaginably heavy draw pulled to the limit with the equally unbelievably strong strengthening magic. It was a special arrow that had a spiral carved around the tip of its arrowhead to aid its spin during flight. That arrow broke the sound barrier, ripping apart the very atmosphere as it passed, and pierced through the Serpents head. True to its aim, it urately pierced the Serpents left eye. And the next instant, it burst through the opposite end of the skull and continued flying until it met the waters surface. It raised a giant water column on the impact and created a tempest so destructive it could change the very terrain itself. The shockwave caught up to it a momentter, blowing the water off the river, shaving the cliff, and pulverizing the Serpents head until it became nothing more than a spray of blood. If I was still down there, I wouldve gotten caught up in that disaster. I intentionally let myself be carried up by Kabbys magic to avoid that. This time, it wasnt one of those clumsy moments. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) As I confirmed the headless body of the Mountain Serpent from high up, I turned towards Letina and Michelle and gave them a thumbs up. After confirming the corpse, they also returned a signal towards me. There stood a smiling Michelle with the face of a man(?) who had aplished something grand. But she would probably start writhing in pain any minute now due to the bacsh of using her magic tool. Nevertheless, she was feeling aplete sense of aplishment, having managed to protect the scenery she wanted to protect. Seeing her like that filled even me with a sense of fulfillment. It was well worth putting myself in danger of almost getting swallowed, letting out cat-like shrieks, running around in the forest, and getting swooped into the air. Before long, I reached the vertex of ascension and started slowly descending. Then I finally noticed it. Everything was ording to n until now. Everything transpired as we predicted it would, and we seeded in subjugating the Mountain Serpent. But I didnt n anything beyond that. How should Ind? I was up in the sky. On my left was a precipitous cliff, on my right a crumbled cliff. Letina seemed to have caught up to my situation and was darting about in panic. It went without saying, but she had no way of helping me. Michelle had yet to realize it, so she was just standing there in all smiles. I quickly sent a thread towards the cliff to support my body. But that was a blunder. A fatal one at that. It was an obvious thing if you thought about it calmly, making a fulcrum at the side during a fall would naturally swing me like a pendulum. In other words, I would get sttered on the cliff with my falling momentum. OHHHH FFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU!? Along with a desperate scream, I took a defensive posture. I directed my legs towards the wall so I wouldnd on them. But my frail body was unable to handle such a shock, so I still ended up violently crashing into it. That shock unfastened my thread and I ended up tumbling towards the river. Chapter 155 Thought I was a goner!! I shouted as I shot my body up. My memories onlysted up to the point where I fell into the cold river dyed with the Mountain Serpents blood. Crashing into the wall and the shock of hitting the waters surface had sunk my consciousness into darkness. That earlier shout was my first reaction after waking up. Oh, thank goodness! You woke up, Nicole! Letina rushed to my side and clung to me. I was all wet and sticky so it felt quite indescribable. She was wet and slightly tinged with red, so it was most likely her who had dragged me out. Are you alright? Does it hurt anywhere? Yeah, Im okay. I tried to move my limbs, and while there was still some creaking pain in the joints, it didnt seem like my tendons and bones were damaged. I was probably just feeling the recoil from that mad rush. Actually, wheres Michelle? Then I finally noticed that my puppy-like childhood friend, who shouldve normally been the first to cling to me, hasnt shown any reaction. Letina answered my question by pointing behind her while breaking out in a cold sweat. And Michelle was there twitching on the floor like a freshly caught fish. Ughhhhhhh She had slender limbs and a budding yet already impressive chest. A healthy and hygienic girl like her was now convulsing on the floor, and it was captivating in its own way. Her pained expression was elevating that feeling even more. But I was well aware of the hellish muscr pain that she was going through now. I-Is she okay? ording to her, its just muscr pain. She said there was no danger to her life, so Im not that worried. Why did she know that Did she secretly attempt it before? Seems like it. Good grief But well, using it inbat without prior experience would make you uneasy, so I can understand why she attempted it beforehand But Id have preferred for us to have been by her side just in case something went wrong. Well, not that Im the one to talk after soaring up in the air without thinking of the consequences. Up we g-, ouch Michelle, are you alright? UghhN-Nicole Youre awake? Looks like we both have it rough. Yeah Ouch ouch It seemed that her muscle pain wasnt as severe as mine back then. This was probably because her body was closer to an adultspared to mine at that time. Still, there was no changing that it was painful. Kabby was casting Heal on us as we leaked painful moans. It hardly proved effective for muscr pain, so it was at most to give us peace of mind. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) No, actually, itwaseffective in my case. I did crash to the wall, after all, and my body was full of scratches from running through the forest. Cortina would probably flip out if she saw my current appearance, so I was thankful to Kabby. Thanks, Kabby. Squee~ It squealed back as if to say youre wee while turning around and showing me its belly. That actionnded a critical hit on me, so I went and gave the giant hamster a big hug. Though its a Carbuncle. Agh, thats so sly of youu! In my previous life, I loved fluffy things, but I hesitated to act on my instincts to preserve my stoic image. But it was fine now. I could hug and rub my cheeks into its fur to my hearts content. Uehehehe. If the boys from the academy saw your current expression, they would get disillusioned. Actually, her sloppy expression might make her more popr instead. You be quiet and continue squirming on the floor. Looks like Michelle had enough leeway to join in on the jokes despite her current state. I stood up while hugging Kabby. If we didnt return theyd find out that we had slipped out. Or actually, they probably did already. Still, we had to return fast, or Cortina would worry. We were shouldered by Letina and followed the road back to where we came from. Kabby did the tactful thing and didnt hop onto my head as it usually did. It was pretty heavy so I was quite thankful for that. Cortina would get mad at us if we dont return fast. I believe she would get mad at us regardless of how fast we return Gh, we did a good thing, thats just unfair. We did go against her orders, so we should be prepared for that much. I feel like she indirectly helped us there a bit, but she did that assuming we were ready to face the consequences. We limped towards our destination. The students moved towards the evacuation while forming lines, so their pace wasnt that fast. It shouldve been easy to catch up to them. Just as I was thinking that, a silhouette appeared ahead. Their twitching cat ears and tail were enough for us to realize who it was. Ah, Cortina! Nicole!? What are you doing here! Huh? Wait a minute, why is she surprised? Didnt she mention that n to let me hear it? Err Because you said to lure it into the valley, I guess? Huh, you heard that!? Why was it you girls that acted on it Did we do something wrong? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I became worried that I misinterpreted her n, so I asked for confirmation. Uhh, well, it was intended for Reid. Like, he said hes always watching me from nearby, so I thought maybe he was around to overhear Ah, so So basically, when I said Im always watching you (with starry effects) just to show off, she took it literally and expected me to go and subjugate it. No well, in that sense, her speech reached the right ears I mean, I did go to defeat it. I thought hed have a hard fight alone so I came to support him But I didnt expect for you to overhear it ande here. Ah, well. About that And youre in an awful state. Are you okay? Injured anywhere? Kabby healed me, so its fine now. I see, in that case I suppose its time for scolding? Ehh!? You might think its unreasonable, but youre not Reid! If youre reckless youll die, you know? Now wait a minute there. To begin with, IamReid, and Ill also die if Im reckless, you know? Actually, I already did die once. Thus, while I was embracing the biggest feeling of unfairness among us three, Cortina continued to scold us while leading us to the rest of the students. And of course, though she did yell at us, she still worried about our physical condition. Eventually, she patted our heads with You did great! so it all ended on a good note. Chapter 156 As we regrouped with the rest of the students while getting scolded by Cortina, we surprisingly managed to rejoin their ranks without anyone making a fuss. Perhaps Cortina intentionally scolded us in the open to stop other teachers from butting in. There was no teacher with a skin so tough that theyd start scolding students that Cortina, one of the Six Heroes, had already let go of. The students were gathered near the teleport location, along with some ordinary people. With the Mountain Serpent as the threat, there were few ces that would be consideredpletely safe. Hence these people chose to evacuate to where the chivalric order of Raum would arrive at. A few dozen vigers from around these parts, and students of Magic and Adventurers academies, around 300 in total. This ce was quite open, but with that many people gathered there it still gave off a cramped, oppressive feeling. As the three of us joined the stand by, Prisc approached me. Apparently, Cortina asked her to check in on us. So, how did it go? It wouldve probably been tough for me alone. But this time, I had huge firepower by the name of Michelle with me. We even had support personnel, Letina and Kabby. With Cortinas n on the table, there was no way wed have failed. Well, we defeated it I guess? Figured. This time, even you woul- Huuuuhhh!? Its dead. Seemed like she misheard it so I said it once more. She was leaning back with an astonished face, as if she was looking at something unbelievable. Um, youre joking, right? Three ten year old kids defeating a Mountain Serpent is just Not just three, we had Kabby with us too. I mean, adding a Carbuncle doesnt make much difference I then went on to exin my strategy to Prisci. And also the result. Hearing it, her face turned pale. Its almost impossible to escape from a Mountain Serpent Please dont be so reckless. If something happened to you, Lord Elliot would yell at me. Im confident in my mobility. If its in the forest, I wont lose. In fact, the forest that had many ces to grab onto with my threads was environmentally simr to that lumberyard in the capital. I was used to moving around at high speeds in these kinds of ces. I rushed into the valley and we immediately went on to contain it there. However, I had plenty of ways to get away from it if the situation required it. Moreover, how could a child fire off the Firebolt strong enough to copse a cliff Letina is the daughter of the marquis, so shes receiving special education. Besides, that cliff was weathered and was quite easy to copse. Didnt it suffer from a serious attack in the past? I have heard some idle gossips about a Giant Zombie appearing here some hundreds of years ago, but thats it? That Mightve actually happened. After all, even Letina shouldnt have been able to copse a cliff with one shot. It was possible that it had previously been damaged by something. The story about the Hero that cleared out thisnd might actually be true. In that sense, luck was on our side this time. Moreover, even if that attacknded, how could it finish off a Mountain Serpent Michelle had a Mythical longbow, and the skill to make full use of it. Youve heard of it, right? Well, yes It was only at the level of a brilliant hunter being born in the Heros vige. Thats her. As for how strong she is Well, how about you go and confirm the corpse? The corpse of the Mountain Serpent with the pulverized head shouldve still been below that cliff. It could yield a lot of meat, so there was no need to worry about food for a good while. Moreover, its tough skin and strong bones were also remaining, so selling all those would fetch a huge sum. It should be quite a delicious casual ie from the Kevin domain. After all, there was no significant damage this time. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Its below the cliff, right? Ill go once I get Lady Cortinas permission. Cortina was letting her move surprisingly freely. It was proof of the Ran familys intentions regarding her. Besides, she had enough physical ability to match me. The strengthened me, to be urate. She quickly went to discuss it with Cortina and Elliot, and then left the evacuation ce. We nned to move a bit farther from the viges to not get in the way of the arriving troops, but hearing Priscis report, they decided to stand by for the time being. Cortina and Elliot did it so Prisci could join up with us on her way back. Nicole, I heard you defeated the Mountain Serpent. Is it true? Yeah, Michelle did. Elliot came to ask that while looking to be at his wits end. I answered him inly, but hearing it perplexed him even more. Good grief You kids are something else. Whats wrong? Oh, beautiful princess, how I wish to keep you away from the filth of the royal court, but His following words werent pleasant news for me at all. It seemed that news about Michelle reached the royal court of the United Alliance. There were naturally people trying to usher her into the ranks of the army, but some of them wanted to put her in the elite bodyguards of Elliot himself. Lyells authority managed to suppress all of that. Since she was close to me, she was reported to the royal court as my bodyguard, and it managed to win her some freedom. In other words, she belonged to me, so trying to put their hands on her meant going against Lyells will. They couldnt afford to take that risk, so her freedom was safe until now. However, she managed to defeat a Mountain Serpent now. As a mere ten-year-old kid. Of course, that achievement was based on various factors like Cortinas n, but it was still something that couldnt be overlooked. Elliot exined as such. Well that doesnt make me happy. I have no intention to pull your friend away from you, but Right. The achievement this time is too big Sorry, Nicole, but can you give it up this time? Give it up? Cortina arrived at that conclusion after some thought. She had a rarely-seen serious expression on her face. Yes. At this rate, theres a chance that Michelle would get rolled up in a power struggle. So how about we pass it off as Priscis achievement that she achieved through my directions? Hmm? If we did that, no one would know about her deed and everything would go as it has until now. That would instead put Cortina and Prisci at the center of attention, but one of them was a Hero and another a secret agent. There was hardly anything they could do to them. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I didnt want to stand out from the start, so I agreed to that suggestion. Later, I had to tell Michelle and Letina to hold their tongue about this matter. Chapter 157 In the end, we werent in a state of mind to continue with the flower study and the briefing about nts, so we returned straight back to the capital. Our excursion got interrupted so wed be going on another one some other time, but the date for it was still not set. As we returned to Cortinas home, Finia was waiting for us with a hot bath and meal already prepared. It was a blessing that we could wash off our sweat and dive into food right away. I couldnt thank her enough for her consideration. I washed my body that had been drenched in water full of dust, grass juices and blood, and then had a meal in half-daze. Cortina had snuck into my bath as usual, but after she realized that I wasnt in my usual state, she promptly let go of me. I finished my meal while dozing off here and there, and then immediately plopped down on my bed. I walked quite the distance during the excursion, not to mention the matter of the Mountain Serpent. Moreover, I even crashed into a cliff, then into the river where I fainted; it was honestly one hell of a day. My stamina was at its limit, and I couldnt collect my thoughts properly as if my head was covered in mist. During all that, the magnificent flower field I saw today floated up into my mind. It was a wondrous sight. I had to go there one more time. And then, flop into Wait, stoooooop! Coming to my senses, I jumped up to my feet. Yeah, what the heck was I just thinking? Did I want to squeal and giggle in the flower fields? Gimme a break! My goal is one and only one thing to look heroic. Flowers and fluffy things have no ce there. Thats how it should be, so how should I exin my recent behavior? Letting Kabby ride on my head and enjoying the feeling, going on hunts with Michelle and Letina almost as if going on hiking, and even making merry in the flower fields like a little girl. Theres clearly something wrong with my life choices here. Where did the harsh and stoic world covered in blood and iron go? Now that I think about it, I remember noticing that my senses were getting duller just before I left for the excursion. Lack of training wasnt at fault. This environment itself was dulling my sharp senses. Being protected by Cortina, taken care of by Finia, and surrounded by lovely friends. That in itself was not a bad thing. That said, I cant exactly ditch them and set out on a journey to polish myself Michelle, Letina, Cloud, Cortina, Finia Or even Maxwell. There was no changing the fact that they were irreceable people for me. Giving them up wasnt something I could ever do. But at this rate, the thread of my tension would be too loose. Ive been trying to keep it taut through hunts and battles until now, but those battles have been growing too lukewarm as ofte. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Do they have to be even riskier Then again, Im pretty sure theyve been plenty risky though. The Mountain Serpent this time was one thing, but even fighting those kidnapper assassins had put me in a tough spot with a feeble body like this. In the three years that Ive spent here, there have been at least three asions that put me at quite a risk. And yet, my tension keeps on loosening. Just what could be the cause? If I were topare difficulty, they were simr to the time before I teamed up with Lyell and others in my previous life. And yet, why do my skills only keep getting duller? I wondered while sitting on the bed with my arms folded. In my previous life, before I joined up with the heroes, these kinds of fights were an everyday thing for me. But because I was able to breeze through them without breaking a sweat, my name held fame despite being an assassin. And in present, Im also going through simrly tough battles. Yet the situation is as stated. I dont get it. I crossed my legs and scratched my head, trying to arrive at the cause. If the quality of battles wasnt the problem, then it had to do with my mental state, after all? At the very least, someone who wants to make merry in the flower fields would never reach my ideal form. Hmm, where do I even start to approach this? Since I couldnt understand the underlying cause, I couldnt make countermeasures either. Perhaps it was too much for me to handle alone. Thinking about it, Im someone who had undergone a sex change, and theres no knowing if theres anyone else like me in this world. Who can I even consult about this mental change Theres only Maxwell, huh? He had enough wisdom to master all kinds of Magic and experience from living so long he was considered old even in Elven terms. Betting on his knowledge and intellect that spanned from his experience was the only way left for me. That old mans been teasing me all the time as ofte, but responds seriously to my earnest requests of consultation Sometimes. Probably. He was pretty much my only supporter at this point, so there was no choice but to rely on him. Now that Ive decided, I should drop by him tomorrow if I can. Fortunately, tomorrow was a day-off since today was an excursion. Ill go and visit him early tomorrow and have a nice and long talk. Chapter 158 A few dayster, just as the sses ended I skipped my club activities and rushed straight to Maxwells mansion. Help me, Maxy! Who the hell is Maxy! Settle down now. Maxwell responded to me who was in a state of panic as he made tea. I felt like he was drinking tea whenever I came here. But there was no time for something so trivial now. I then went on to convey my recent worries to him. Honestly, I couldnt think of anyone less unreliable than him, but he was the only one who knew about my identity. There was no alternative. Hmm it seems to me that the environment is influencing you the most. Environment? I mean the environment that surrounds you. Cortina and Finia dress you up, and you also spend time as a child with Letina and Michelle, so the influence from that is starting to settle into your mentality, is it not? You cant be serious If my lifestyle was eroding my mentality, there was no choice but to change that lifestyle. That meant I had to part with Cortina, Finia, Michelle and Letina. It may have been to achieve my ideals, but if you asked me whether those ideals held enough worth to abandon all that in exchange Honestly, it would be a no. To give up my friends for my ideals. The fact that I couldnt do that was my weakness, and I was well aware of it, but there was no changing my nature. T-Then, putting it another way, would I be able to return to normal if I distance myself from them after I get stronger? Reid, have you heard of the saying:Habits from childhood follow you to the grave? Huh? How you live and what you learn as a child has a big influence on your ego. Thats what it means. In other words, the current influence is going to stick to me till I die? But Im in my twenties inside, you know? If you add both lives together, Im already past thirty. Im finding it hard to buy that stuff about the influence thiste in the game You are a child right now. The current you could be described as someone being forcefully crammed into a child vessel. If that vessel undergoes a change, so would you, whether you want it or not. Wait, so youre telling me Im in a really bad state right now? Reincarnation magic is considered a secret art partially due to such problems. Gh However, not all of it is bad, you know? He had been exining things with a serious expression until now, but now his expression twisted up into a crooked grin. Ive seen that expression in my past life. It was the same expression he had back when he instigated Lyell and I to peek at the womens bath and got us into huge trouble. Incidentally, this geezer quickly vanished from the ce and avoided that disaster. You have to cajole Elliot now. In which case, having the mentality of a woman would make things more convenient, wouldnt you say so? Not a fucking chance! Come on, while I did say that the influence of infancy is quite extreme, I never said it could not be corrected. I-Is that so? Even the viins can often return back to society after they have redeemed and reformed themselves, right? Maxwell admonished me with a serious face. His previous expression did aplete turn and was looking extremely sincere now. I didnt think he was lying now Well, Ive been thoroughly deceived by the same expression in my previous life, though. Shall we put this matter off until you make full use of it? If you say so, old man But if things turn for the worse, Ill seriously be depending on you, okay? Leave it to me. He assured me with a tap on his chest. Was this really a wise decision, I wonder? In the end, we decided to wait and see for now. With that settled, I had no other choice but to temper myself in the limited ways I had left. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I mostly stopped doing night training sessions with Cloud ever since we started forming parties. With my studies, club activities and hunts after that, adding training to the list was really putting too much burden on me, after all. After I joined the music club, it finally started burdening me too much, so I had Cloud join our party, and started training him together with Michelle and Letina. We didnt do todays hunt due to my circumstances I probably did something bad for Cloud whos trying to stand on his feet, huh? He was trying to be independent through his ie from our hunts. Rest of what could be counted as consumable meat he gave to the orphanage kids as presents. You could say his life depended on it. Though we did defeat a big game recently, given the number of people at his ce, his savings should be running dry already. I should take him to a profitable adventure next time Hmm? Suddenly, I discovered someone I didnt expect. It was Elliot, taking a walk downtown all by himself. Naturally, he wasnt actually alone. There was no knowing when he would be targeted. Prisci must have been guarding him from somewhere. Still, with none of my acquaintances around Wasnt this actually a perfect chance? If Im going to cajole him, this is the chance, isnt it? There shouldnt have been anyone familiar except Prisci around. That also meant Maxwell wasnt either So, would it be in my best interest to make arbitrary decisions here, I wonder? If I wasted time pondering too much, someone might show up. This situation demanded a prompt decision. Oh whatever, might as well get it over with! Along with that mutter, I used the rings power and changed my appearance. Chapter 159 Raum, being the forest kingdom it was, was full of all kinds of nts. In other words, that also meant that it had an abundant amount of fruit circting in it. Among them, there were many unusual kinds for Elliot, who had constantly shut himself in the royal pce of the United Three Nations. Even the random stalls on the streets had rare things that he couldnt find even at the royal pce. It was no wonder that such sight made him stop to stare. I turned into my adult form and walked up next to him, and put a star-shaped fruit into my basket. Id have wanted to have our bare shoulders touchas that tended to make my heart jump in the previous lifebut my current form was just an illusion. Carelesslying into contact with him might have revealed the fact that it was just a disguise, so I stopped at a simple approach. Old man, give me a pack of these. Coming right up. Oh, pretty youngdy, I dont think Ive seen you before. I arrived here just recently. Hey now, old man, dont go falling for me now. With no other choice, I looked towards Elliot, as casually as I could, and gave him my best smile. That smile was enough to give even me goosebumps. Of course, this was just an illusion, but it was linked to my actual expression. In other words, you could even say it was my future face. Excuse me, did I cut into line? O-Oh, no, please dont pay it any mind. I was merely looking at the goods. Elliot managed to say after stuttering a bit, his face appearing a bit flushed. Oh my, that got a good reaction out of him, didnt it? In fact, he was currently staring fixedly at my face, even to the point youd think of it as impolite. Umm, is anything the matter? Oh, n-no! You looked quite a bit like someone I know. Is that so? I dont think my face is particrly umon No such thing! In fact, if there were many girls like you around, men wouldnt know where to look. Would that be a good thing? Of course! I asked a bit peevishly, but Elliot replied with his usual attitude. It was that same slightly showy manner of speech that he always used. Seeing as how his words had no thorns, I suppose you could say he was already caught. It was time to make my first move. I first had to get closer to him until we could talk casually. There is quite a lot of rare fruit here. I ended up buying it without thinking. Indeed. These star-shaped fruits are truly unusual. I have never seen them back where I live. Oh my, so you arent a citizen of this ce? Thats right, Ie from a rural ce in the north. Please excuse me if Ivee off as rude in any way. Ie from the countryside too, so please be at ease. I wasnt sure how to respond to that question for a moment. When I was alive, my birthce was the southern city-state Alecmarl. But now it was the United Three Nations. I suppose replying with thetter would be a wiser choice in this case. As I pondered on that, Elliot seemed to have misunderstood my silence. He thought I was wary of him, so he started waving his hands in panic. Ah, I wasnt trying to probe into your hometown Oh, thats not it I alsoe from Tryad. Ohh, so we are from the same ce. Indeed, mine is a deserted vige at the foot of the Scion mountain range. Scion mountain range was at the northern border of the United Three Nations. It was the area that the Evil Dragon had destroyed at the very start. Not many would try to probe further into it when people said they came from those parts. Scion Then the Evil Dragon? Yes, the vige is already gone. Thats My apologies for making you remember something unpleasant. Its okay. Here you go, one basket of star apples. The shopkeeper suddenly called out to me, having finished putting the fruit into the bag. I epted it and handed the money. My body and this illusion had differences, so some timeg was produced which made him a bit puzzled, but I dodged it with a smile. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Following that, I intentionally acted curtly and tried to quickly leave the ce. I judged that it was better to leave before he started asking more questions. This was supposed to be our first meeting, so getting too intimate woulde off as unnatural. Just getting to know him was fine for today. As long as we were familiar enough to greet each other the next time we met, it was fine. At least, thats what I thought. But Elliot started panicking and followed behind me. Please wait! Please let me apologize for my earlier rudeness. Apologize You say? I turned around and asked in reflex, but wasnt he acting a bittoofavorably? Even his expression was stiffer than ever before. Yes, how about we drink tea in that cafe over there? Of course, Ill pay. Eh, Im sorry but Id rather not with someone I have only just met. This was the skill of ady that Maxwell drove into me. I twisted my body a little and put a hand to my mouth as if surprised. The other hand was supposed to go below my chest as if to protect my body but I was carrying fruit with it, so I dropped the idea. Seeing me like that, Elliot thought I was suspicious of his intentions, and followed up on his words in a fluster. Oh, um! Of course, if youre against it, I wont ask again. I was simply trying to apologize. His face was flushed beyond any Ive seen so far. No matter how you look at it, this was too much Was he sick or something? Um, your face is red, are you sure you are alright? Oh, this is because of nervousness from facing you. Im alright. Rather, Im beyond alright. I weighed my options. I thought it wouldve been fine if we became close enough to greet each other next time. Because Id need to consult Maxwell before I did anything beyond that. But Elliots reaction went beyond my expectations. It would be a waste to let go of this opportunity. Because, in my past life, I apparentlypletely overlooked a simr opportunity. Right Well Yes? Ill have you know, I am quite a heavy eater, okay? I dered it while puffing my chest a bit. I even added a smug grin as a topping. This was, of course, a lie. My appetite wasnt even half of that of an average child. It was nothing more than a joke to ease some of his tension. However, the effect of it was clear. After Elliotughed heartily at my response, he gave me a noble bow. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) No problem. If its for your smile, I shally down all my funds. Im not going to eatthatmuch, you know! Even as a joke, Id probably need to eat more than I weigh to manage to damage his funds. My food needs have been growing since I was smaller, but they still didnt amount to much. I replied to his joke while putting on a sulky face. Chapter 160 After this and that, I ended up having to drink tea with Elliot. All this was so hed stop making eyes at me from now on. Having him leer at me so I could avoid it felt like I was putting the cart before the horse. How did ite to this Actually, Maxwell is how. We entered the nearby cafe that Elliot suggested, and were escorted to the table. This ce was a so-called hidden gem, with a calm atmosphere. The glossy interior made of walnut was quite refined despite facing the street. The aroma of bean tea drifting inside was quite pleasing too. There was no one around either, so we could have a quiet meal. Though I suppose the store itself wasnt quite happy about that fact. Elliot sitting in front of me was in all smiles, contrastive to me who was acting quite reluctant. Ignoring him, I decided to quickly order the food from the menu ced on the table. Ah, one strawberry parfait, please. Oh, and a caramel mhiato. Based on the bean tea smell drifting around, I realized that this was a shop mainly focused on that, but my tastes were that of a kids right now. I liked some bitter things, but sweet stuff was where my tastes mainly pointed to. I had a sweet tooth since my previous life Though it was a little embarrassing to order parfaits back then. The fact that my appearance allowed me to order it without worrying about it was among the few good things that my reincarnation had brought with it. Though I was currently using an adult form. If it was Reid ordering it now, there was no knowing what rumors would spread. At the very least, they would be far off from the stoic warrior that I was aiming to be. Bean tea for me, in. Sweetening it with milk or sugar was the norm, but when they used high-quality beans, it was tastier to drink it raw Or so I heard. It was proof that this store had good enough quality to warrant drinking it like that. And when Elliot who had a picky tongue ordered it, it further certified their credibility. Thats just bitter. These beans have a great vor so they are good as is. Please give it a try next time. Maybe one of these days. He rmended it, but given my sweet tooth, there was practically no chance that Id ever order that. If I evere alone, Id definitely order sweet things. Leaving that aside, we were finally alone, so it was better to initiate a conversation. You said you were from north Ah, right, its a bit toote, but whats your name? Pfft, hahahaha, a little bit toote indeed! My bad. I am Elliot. Now that he mentioned it, I have to think of an alias. Right, maybe Ill borrow that Elvendys name that guarded us on the way to the hot spring town. Are you wary of me? Ah, no. My name is Haumea. He misunderstood my silence for wariness. But well, any girl would be wary in this situation, wouldnt they? Either way, we finally reached the stage of exchanging names. Now if only I make him fall for this me, his interest in the actual me should fade. I told you about my birthce, will you not do the same, Mr. Elliot? Oops, so rude of me. Ie from the capital of Tryad. Tryad You mean the one that was attacked by the Evil Dragon! Ah, that was so inconsiderate of me. No, please dont mind it. Its all in the past. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I shamelessly stared at him while acting shocked. Of course, I was more than aware of where he was born and raised. I also knew that making him remember his ruined birthce wouldnt be a pleasant thing for him. However, by intentionally asking it, I made myself look apologetic, handing the dominance of the conversation to him. I was parroting what Maxwell taught me. Man, I sure am diligent. Im truly sorry for that. I apologize for making you remember something unpleasant. No, please, its alright already. It was tough when I was a child, but now Its been twenty years already. Its been so long, huh So you always lived in the capital? No, I was temporarily away from it. Thanks to that, I managed to avoid that cmity. That must have been a blessing in disguise. Indeed, thanks to it, I managed to get acquaintanced with famous people. Famous people? I asked anyway, but I already had an idea who he meant. It was obviously us. I couldve just let it slide, but I wanted to hear his opinion of us. Maybe I could even get some weakness of Maxwell out of him. Yeah, I mean the Six Heroes themselves. Thanks to that disaster, Ive been in their care for quite a bit. Oh my! I put a hand to my mouth and acted surprised. This was part of Maxwells lessons too. Meanwhile, the cafe manager carried the order to our table. I went and stabbed my spoon into the parfait without any hesitation. I scooped out the cream filling thergish ss to the brim and carried it to my mouth. The sweetness of the milk cream spread through my mouth, after which the sourness of the apanying strawberry jam took over and covered it. It was absolutely delicious. Ahh, delicious Im d that it is to your taste. The unexpected taste made me unconsciously leak the words of praise, with the spoon still in my mouth. That said, I felt like I was dancing on his palm, so I fixed my expression, but it onlysted for a moment. The fine taste of the sweet made my expression naturally melt. The sourness of the fresh strawberry and the sweetness of the milk cream intoxicated me and made me lose myself. Ah!? R-Right, you were saying something about the Six Heroes Haha, it can wait until you are done with your meal. No, please start when you are ready! Well then He endured augh, perhaps finding it funny that I became a captive of the dessert, and then he started his story. He happily talked about Lyell, Gadius and my achievements, and the blunders that we never talked about. At a nce, we looked like an intimate couple. I intentionally created such an atmosphere for us. But then, I noticed a sharp gaze directed at us. Chapter 161 It was a sharp gaze like a needle. I didnt know where it wasing from exactly, but they were clearly looking at me. I could even feel a faint bloodthirst in it. Hmm? I instinctively voiced my unease from that bloodthirst, which caused Elliot to look at me quizzically, not noticing anything himself. This gaze was most probably not from some assassin that targeted his life, but instead from that secret agentPrisci. Itd be a waste if shees and ruins this perfect opportunity now. Thinking that, I entice Elliot to do something about it. Um, well I felt like I was being watched by someone Huh? Ah, well Please excuse me for a moment. After hesitating for a moment, he stood up with a cramped smile and headed towards the bathroom located at the corner. And at the same time, the gaze I was feeling vanishedpletely. He was most likely nning to give orders to Prisci. I felt bad for her, but I didnt want her to attack me again. I decided to have Elliot himself restrict her movements. After a while, Elliot came out of the bathroom. I started feeling the gaze once again, but there was no longer any killing intent in it. He probably told her to hide her killing intent. Sorry to have made you wait. Its been getting coldtely, hasnt it? Its already summer, you know? Ah, no, well, I got chilledst night. Quite a kid, are we? Im ashamed to admit it. He tried to y it off with a joke, but I could see through him. Sorry Prisci, but you get the short end of the stick this time. Ah right, Lord Lyell cant actually hold his liquor that well, you know. Although he himself believes otherwise Elliot touched on every one of the Six Heroes, but I seldom appeared in his conversation. Now that I think about it, he was still five years old when I died. Itd be weirder if he remembered it. But that also meant that he didnt know any of my weaknesses, while he did know the others. I had to make use of it. Still, Lyell is weak at drinking? I feel like he could drink better than me at least Maybe this kid is actually a heavy drinker. Still, Ive heard of Lyells weaknesses from Maria, but I had nothing much on Gadius. Thus, as I listened to his conversation, my hands were gradually slowing with food. I looked like an adult through the illusion, but I was still a child in reality. Not to mention, I wasnt quite as well developed, and my stomach was appropriately tiny. Even just that parfait was enough to fill up my capacity quite a bit. Ugh, I hate my inefficient stomach. Oh, have you had your fill already? I believed I was a heavy eater But turns out its not quite the case. I utilized the words that I initially said, putting a hand to my mouth in a cunning manner. I personally liked girls like Michelle that ate a lot Now that I think about it, Cortina used to be quite a heavy eater herself. She went on a binge eating back when she rejected me, too. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) You ate so little it is far off from calling yourself a heavy eater Unfortunately, it seems that your purse avoided the disaster. Ahaha, I was quite fortunate there. Then, would you like to give it another chance next time? Next time? Are you suggesting youd like us to meet again? Yes, I do. Rather I really hope that we do. Even so, I did not give him my address. Of course, my address was Cortinas house. No way I could do that. Elliot on the other hand told me where he currently stayed. He didnt try to get my address either. He was quite the gentleman when he wanted. Well then, I pray that we get to meet again soon. If thats what youd like, then I shall contact you some other day, Mr. Elliot. I will look forward to that day. Id have liked a handshake at least, but there was a difference between the sizes of my illusionary and real hands. My actual height was around 130 cm but this illusion was over 150 cm. With a 20 cm difference, there was quite a significant difference between the hand size too. Moreover, a childs hand differed from the adults supple shape. Touching it could get me found out. The two of us left the shop together and parted after exchanging a small bow. I intentionally lightened my gait, making it known to Elliot that I was in a good mood. At the same time, I started feeling around for presences. As expected Its still there. I could feel a gaze from behind. It was most likely Prisci. Despite getting warned about it by Elliot, she probably nned to follow me to ascertain my identity. I would praise her devotion to work, but this time it was only a bother. I didnt want her to attack me again. It was evening now. A period of time when the pedestrian traffic was growing in number. I intentionally got mixed among the crowd of people, and went in and out of stores many times to shake her off. Prisci appeared to be desperately trying to keep up, but there was a limit to what she could do alone. Before long, I could no longer feel the gaze or the presence of the pursuer. Just to make doubly sure, I repeated the process a few more times, and when I was finally convinced that no one was following me, I proceeded towards an alley devoid of human presence. After making sure that no one was around, I undid the illusion and returned to my real form. I couldnt sense any shock from the surroundings, so it seemed like I had indeed shaken her offpletely. Good grief. Either way, I suppose I should call this a job well done so far? I got a favorable impression out of Elliot and promised to meet again. He probably hadnt fallen for me just yet, but he clearly had a liking for me. I had to consult Maxwell on how to proceed from now on. Chapter 162 As I returned to Cortinas house, I immediately dropped my luggage with Finia who came to greet me and rushed straight towards the bathroom. I was at my limit already. After I closed the door, I bent myself over at the bowl And puked with all I had. Bleeeaagh. Even if it was for myself, it was just too tough for me. I tried to seduce a guy, someone I knew to make things worse, even making use of the upturned eyes and wheedling voice to win his affection. My sanity took unprecedented damage from those actions. Ugh, I Just thinking that I have to keep this up makes me feel sick. After flushing my vomit down, I plopped down on the bowl in dejection. I was desperate back then, so I could still endure it until we parted. Even after we parted, I still endured it while thinking about my future. But as time passed, my mind kept being shaved away every time I recalled how I acted. Not to mention the fact that I couldnt do anything about it in hindsight. I just wanna run. I thought so from the bottom of my heart. But that would, in turn, sadden Lyell and Maria, who were myrades as well as parents, so I couldnt for now. While I was lost in my depression, I heard a strong knock on the door. Lady Nicole, is anything wrong!? Do you feel unwell? It seemed that Finia noticed my strangeness after I left her at the entrance with my luggage, and chased after me. I didnt want to worry her too much, so I opened the door after wiping my mouth, trying to act as normal as I could. Dont worry, Im okay. But earlier, you Ah, yeah. I was feeling a bit nauseous. Ive had it happen a lot by now, right? My physical weakness served to be a good excuse during these times. The magic buildup disease was almost fully healed already, but my body was still weakerpared to other girls my age. Even so, through the threads and instantaneous mobility, I could exhibit fighting strength that could rival adults, but only for a short time. My stamina and endurance fell below the average. Thats true but Oh!? Finia who was looking worriedly at me suddenly flinched as if she realized something. After that, she moved behind me and stared fixedly at my lower back. What are you doing? Ah, I just remembered you were already at that age. That age? I mean, when girls start having periods and Thats not it! I swear thats not it! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I was already ten. It was an age where some girls would start having them. I started feeling bad after realizing that I too would one day Ill just sleep. Huh? Oh, youre tired, I see. I have already finished making the bed, so feel free to sleep until dinnertime. Right, thanks. Still, after a few yearsIll actually Gimme a break already! Next day. I would usually be having lunch on the grass in the schoolyard with Michelle, Letina and Matisse, but I decided to do things separately that day. In specific, I intruded on the academys board chairmans office. The girls werent with me, but Kabby was in its usual spot In other words, on my head. Some passing students became startled at first, but after realizing it was me, they saw me off with strangely loose expressions as if finding it normal. The boys had their cheeks flushed, while the girls had melted expressions like during the times they ate sweets. Did I really look that odd with Kabby on my head? I knocked vigorously at the dignified-looking oak door of the chairmans office, and entered without waiting for the response. There I saw Maxwell who was concentrating on his office work. Hey, Iming in. At least wait for the response, you doofus. Our standings were that of an academy chairman and a single student. It wasnt even worthparing. However, I already checked if anyone was around, so it was pointless to act all respectful with him at this stage. I walked up to the bookshelf near the wall and dug out a cookie jar that he was hiding there. It was a bit high up, so I had to stand on my tiptoes to drag it out, making me feel a bit uncool. Ah, hey! Those are my favorite cookies! Ohe on. Cant you let a cute girl take them? Being asked to exin it, partly due to my own slip-up, I decided to honestly confess what I did yesterday. The fact that I met with Elliot in my adult form and won some points with him. Also, the fact that I was disgusted with myself afterwards. I even ended up revealing that Finia mistook it for menstruation. Pfffft, still, what a misunderstanding thatss has made But, certainly, in a few years, that would indeed happen Nice job! Nice job my ass! Anyway, it was a bit forward, but I managed to make first contact with him. Mhm. Then, when do you n to meet him next? Hm? After he said that, I finally realized that while he did tell me where he lived, I havent given him any contact information. At this rate, hed be unable to meet me even if he wants. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) It seems theres no choice but to meet him myself, huh? You know, you can be quite careless at times Maxwell dropped his shoulders with a sigh. Chapter 163 At the end of the day, Elliot still had no way of contacting me. That meant I wouldnt have to worry about him barging in on me uninvited, meaning I didnt need to worry about my disguise getting found out. If I think about it that way, its actually not bad, huh? That is only if you look at the result. Well, it is not so bad to seize the initiative yourself. Maxwell took a sip from the teacup ced on his work desk. The fragrance drifting from it was rich and appetizing. Pour some for me too. Why are you acting so difficult today? Well, Ive just realized something After releasing how delicate Ive beentely, I decided to renew my determination yesterday. But not even a day passed and I got stuck with seducing a guy. I mean, I was the one who decided on it, but still. So to wash my previous conduct away, I decided to conduct myself more like a guy from today. To tell you the truth, it appears that I have started to forget my original intention, so I decided to be more manly for the time being. But your initial contact with him went well, right? Would it not be wiser to use this chance and corner him more? Well, yeah, I get that But I dont feel motivated to do it. Maxwell poured the water from the pitcher into the heat-resistant pot and boiled it with magic. He then took out tea leaves from the drawer, put them in the cup and poured water on it. Rather, brew it properly, you savage old man. While he was at it, I sniffed out a small te used for teacakes and unloaded his prized cookies on it. They seemed to be rare cookies with ck tea leaves mixed into the dough. Oh well. Ill just get it over with then. No, wait. It might be better to keep him in suspense for a bit. Decide on what you want me to do already!? This is just a strategy. Feelings strengthen through time, right? Do they really? Cortina is the same. After 20 years have passed, she ispletely head over heels for you. Hope thats true No, is that actually alright? Indeed, Cortina behaved differently from how she was in my past life. Heck, I was even astonished, wondering if shes been always so single-minded on me. If that was due to how long has passed, then I could certainly agree with Maxwell about its effectiveness. But I cant just postpone it for so long, you know? I mean, Im still growing, right? I would not say you are growing tha- No, excuse me. You are right. It would be bad if you wait a few years and your actual appearance bes closer to that illusion. I was currently ten. My illusion looked somewhere between mid tote teens. It looks different from me because the age gap was so big. Putting it the other way, in about five years, I would look simr to it. If that happens, all this nning would go to waste. It should not need years. If he already holds affection, a few days would be enough. Or maybe we should extend it to next week? Oh? One week should be quite sufficient for a nk period. If I went the next day, he might think I was being clingy. I see. I suppose Ill visit him next week then. In that case, do you want me to act as the messenger? It would not be so bad to make an appointment somewhere in the city. Ill leave those details to you then. I sighed in exasperation at Maxwell who kepting up with new ns, then sipped my tea and munched on a cookie. The tea seemed to have been of quite a high quality, as just the aroma of it was healing my fatigue. The leaves that were mixed into the cookie further added to the fragrance and boosted my appetite. So good. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I had a small mouth so I could only take a small bite out of it. Seeing me nibbling at the cookie had Maxwell copse on the table while holding in hisughter. What was that for? After washing the cookies down with the tea, I promptly left the chairmans office as my business was already done. There was no knowing what else hed say if I continued staying with him. Seeing Reid m the door shut behind him, Maxwell heaved a deep sigh. It seemed that he had still not noticed Maxwells real intention. It is good that he hasnt noticed it But I wish that blockhead finally learned it by now. With the current n, that is, to have Reid seduce a man, Maxwell nned to have Reid see things from a womans point of view. In short, he was giving him a crash course so he woulde to recognize the affection of Cortina and Finia from their casual gestures. If you got to the bottom of it, even his death in his previous life stemmed from his unsociable nature. His actions that failed to understand a womans heart caused both him and Cortina to misunderstand and think the other has rejected them, and thatter brought about Gadius needless meddling. And that meddling led to him discovering the Devil summoning and lost his life there. What would have happened if Gadius had never meddled in it? If Cortina had been more tolerant of Reids brutishness? If Reid had been more considerate towards Cortina, and made an ideal proposal? Perhaps it would have lead to a future without that tragedy. However, the man called Reid always had this strange fate that led him to be present where he was needed the most. Even back then, had he not been present, that vige would probably have been destroyed in exchange. Butpared to some unfamiliar vigers, Reids life was far more important for Maxwell. It was already in the past, but history could repeat itself. Even after reincarnating, Reids good, or better to call it bad, fate, had already proven itself many times. Maxwell wanted to get him back together with Cortina before new trouble could show itself. Not to mention, even he wanted to see Cortina, who was like a quarrelling buddy to him, finally attain happiness. And for that reason, he devised the current n to reform Reids blockheaded nature. I was thinking it would be nice if he could understand women at least half as much as Elliot does But it appears that Elliot is not so different from him. He thought Elliot would be more proactive in his approaches, but he turned out to be quite ate bloomer. It seemed that due to being constantly sheltered in the royal pce, he wasnt skilled at dealing with women. He was acting showy, but that seemed like the conduct of an amateur who did not know how to talk to women. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Besides Thatss Prisci longs for him so much, yet he doesnt realize it at all Isnt he just like Reid? She was devoting herself to his protection even at the cost of cutting into her private time, and showed unusual hostility towards any girl that approached him. Maxwell realized that there was more to it than mere work. I am using a blockhead To educate a blockhead, huh? That could be amusing in its own way. I really cant get bored with these people around. Hisrades had regained their energy ever since Reid had reincarnated. They were naturally not aware that Nicole was Reid, but it was nothing like the stagnated rtionship that they kept up for a decade. Watching over hisrades with a smile being in that position pleased Maxwell to no end. Chapter 164 Come evening, it was time for dinner. Being mentally tired, I enjoyed the dinner Finia made and then had fun doing silly chatter with Cortina and others. I was trying to get back on track towards looking stoic, but I let myself have at least this much fun. And so, she eavesdropped on my conversation and went to defeat the Mountain Serpent. Oh dear! As always, you can never be careful with Lady Nicole around. No, Michelle was the one who proposed it. It wasnt by my initiative. There you go putting the me on others again. And girls you went and actually defeated it. I cant even get angry despite wanting to. That also sounds like what Lady Nicole would do. She always pushes on with her recklessness. Even Finia was trying to roll her eyes so I gave up. I lied down on the table with a groan and sipped the milk mixed with honey that was my usual routine before bed. Not you too, Finia. Cortina already yelled at me enough. Lady Nicole, thats not what I mean, you know? If that reached Lord Lyells ea Just as Finia started to say it, someone started knocking on the door. And with it, came an almost grieving yell. NICOOOOOOLEE!? Of course, I knew who that voice was. Ive heard it plenty of times in my past life, or even in this. Needless to say, it was Lyells. Finia, havent you heard of a proverb, speak of the devil? But Lord Lyelles once every three days Its about time for him toe, right? Lyell and Mariast visited exactly three days ago, the night before the excursion. As she said, it wasnt weird for him to intrude on us now, but what about this timing? As it was burdening Maria, their visits through teleportation had decreasedpared to before. But they still did it every two or three days. They were both quite devoted, showing themselves about three times a week. That was just how loved I was. However, while a normal child would be happy about it, I was quite conflicted about it given who I was. The reason behind their frequency decreasing was also linked to the fact the teleporting destination was set up at Maxwells house. Teleportation magic wasnt something that should be disyed too openly, so they decided to set it there. In other words, every time they leaped here, they would be intruding on Maxwell. Thus, the two opened the door with their duplicate key and barged in. Their faces were dyed red from worry and anger. Wee, Dad, Mom. The three of us greeted them in three different ways. No, well, Cortinas wasnt exactly a greeting. At any rate, I realized why the twoparticrly Mariawere angry. I could guess that the details about the Mountain Serpent had reached their ears. Now, it was critical for me to shift the point of their anger away from me. Nicole, on your knees. Huh? What? On. Your. Knees. Okay. And yet, I failed at it right away. I obeyed Marias angrymand without even managing to say an excuse. She was scary once she became like that. Way scarier than Lyell could ever be. If you talked back to her, shed look at you as if she was looking at the filth. That was during my past life, though. I heard you defeated the Mountain Serpent. Yes. Just you kids. Kabby was with us too. Thatdoesnt count. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) So even Maria calls Kabby that, huh? What a poor fellow. Dont go and do something so dangerous! Do you know how worried I was!? But I had a good enough chance of victory. It was Cortinas n, so there was no chance for an unlikely event Hey, dont drag me into it! She was looking at the situation with a smug face, but when her name got called out she started panicking. She was well aware of how scary Maria could be. She probably didnt want to be a side victim of our quarrel. But when we die, we die together, Cortina. You are at fault for leaking that n to me. Ill deal with Cortinater,physically. PHYSICALLY? Mentally too. I GET BOTH!? She raised a hopeless shriek. But Maria ignored her and continued her sermon. Instead, her saddened voice started to gradually change. Well, this is hard. Listen, Nicole. I think we did something bad to you. The reason your body is weak is due to not raising you with my milk. It was me who was not drinking it Right, back then I was feeling reserved to suck on Marias breasts, so I was on a half hunger strike. That influenced my growth and manifested as my weak constitution. But that was something I did out of my own will, and not something Maria should be med for. Even if that was the case, I should have forcibly made you drink it, I still think of it all the time. But you were so cute I couldnt make myself do it. But because of that, you gained a very weak constitution. As I said, you arent Fortunately, your body started to be stronger as you aged. But that was all thanks to your own efforts and not ours. But still Nicole. I failed once, so let me say this much. If I had topare, your body is like a tattered carriage. But pulling it is the strongest warhorse. Maria started exining byparing my body to a carriage. Body like that of a tattered carriage. The strongest warhorse referred to my training with Lyell. If I put my body under such excess power, it would eventually break down. As she said, there was always the possibility of me breaking my body due to having power inappropriate for a child. Thats why, please, stop being so reckless at least until youve grown some more. O-Okay As Maria pleaded to me with tears welling up in her eyes, I could do nothing but reply with that. I was quite forgetful about it, however, while this body belonged to me, it also belonged to Marias daughter. In a way, it wasnt just my own body. Being as reckless as I was in my previous life brought her extreme worry I was made fully aware of that fact. Chapter 165 Marias sermon had a point or two. However, my objective in this life was to find myself a way to train, even if it meant going against her concerns. Still, I could understand her point. I had to keep in mind to restrain myself enough to not cause her needless worry. With everything said, whod think a bunch of kids would manage to subjugate a Mountain Serpent! As expected of my daughter. Uh, Dear? Ah, I mean, yeah, you shouldnt worry us so much. Yup, thats what I wanted to say. He was puffing his chest one moment, but Marias single word made him wither away. Dude, you are a Hero. Have some backbone, will ya? Then again, I could rte to him. Maria was frightening if angered. For example, she would intentionally make her healing magic feel painful The healing magic system had a type of magic that boosted ones natural healing power, but that also came with the sense of pain that naturally apanies healing. Usually, that pain was reduced through spells, but it was plenty possible to make it even more painful instead. Apparently, some people even used that as a torture method. Enough about that. Just save me, Dad. Sorry, Nicole Daddy cant win against that Demon Lord. Who are you calling a Demon Lord! But Mom, my legs are going numb already. Tough it out. Ehhh And there came my ultimate weapon. I looked up at Maria with teary eyes. There was no parent that could withstand this! Ugh, f-fine then But dont do anything reckless from now on, you hear? Loud and clear. Of course, I had no ns to go along with that, but if I didnt back down here, it would turn into a needless tug-of-war. As Marias anger subsided, it was finally time for our family to sit down and have tea. Incidentally, after that Cortina was dragged away by Maria. I felt it was unfair for just me to get scolded, so I hoped shed fully enjoy her fair share of it. Following that, I got stuck with exining to Lyell the details of how I defeated the Mountain Serpent. I wasnt the one who defeated it, though. A week has passed since then. I chose a day-off and asked Maxwell to set up an appointment with Elliot. If I managed to seize his heart there, his attachment to the real me should fade. This time, Maxwell would be apanying me this time as support. Naturally, without showing himself, that is. Still, that guy was already head over heels for my adult self, so this should be an easy mission. There was a time I was convinced of that. I muttered to myself and heaved a big sigh. Instead of Elliot, there were three Adventurer-looking guys around me. Moreover, they had me surrounded so I wouldnt run away. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Hey, how bout you ditch whoever youre waiting for and talk with us? What he said. We are third-rank adventurers, you know? Our futures are guaranteed. Exactly! If youe to us, no monster or bandits gonnay a hand on you! They were going on and on about their strength and future prospects. But think about it. There was no man in this world with prospects like mine. After all, my parents were members of the Six Heroes. EvenIwas a Hero inside. Not to mention, a descendant of a Goddess. Who could possibly outmatch me? Even if you ignore everything, our appearances just didnt suit each other. In my current adult mode, I looked like a breathtaking beauty. Some dusty Adventurers were clearly out of ce next to me. I stood out to that extent now. A petite, silver-haired beauty d in an attire resembling the national elven wear. My lovely and ephemeral appearance is simply stunning, even if I say so myself. So, well, I understand why they would want to approach me, but I was honestly getting annoyed already. Since I was on an appointment, I didnt want to be seen acting violent But they were getting way too over-familiar with me, which made me want to remove them with force. In the first ce, third-ranked Adventurers weremonce. With Adventurers, there were seven ranks in total. In the past, they apparently used colors instead, but it was a bit hard to tell them apart with just that so now they used numbers. The higher the number, the stronger they were. First rank adventurers were basically amateurs. At rank two, they finally reached the beginner level. And at rank three, they were considered ordinary Adventurers. In other words, these bunch had nothing to boast about. Um, I dont feelfortable Ohe on, dont be like that. He decided to be even more over-familiar and try to put a hand on my shoulder. But I wasnt going to take any more of that. Grab his wrist and pin him down Is what I was about to do, but he suddenly disappeared before my eyes. No, to be more urate, he got sted away. A pir of fire suddenly exploded under his feet, throwing him up higher than the roofs of the buildings. And the same explosion happened two more times. Ah, Maxwells doing, I take? Since he was following me, he could also see these buttinskies. That geezer wouldnt let anyone get in the way of his ns. Good grief. It appears that being too beautiful is a sin as well. Eek!? Hearing a low whisper close to my ears almost made me scream. I looked around but couldnt find him anywhere. Nevertheless, it was his voice alright. I am using Concealment magic. It disallows me from moving about too much, however. I was sure no one was around, you know I retorted to him as he revealed his tricks. I hadnt taken a single step from the ce of appointment. And I was sure that no one was around. Even if they were concealing themselves, I was able to sense their presence. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I approached while using the me pirs as a distraction. Moreover, your surroundings were filled with your enemies. I imagine it would have been difficult to spot me, would it not? So he used those pirs to approach me, huh? I really can never be too careful with this geezer. Still, the other party is quitete. Its still not the time of appointment, though. You would normally arrive half an hour early. It seems Elliot still has ways to go. Is that how it works? Maxwell was just rambling to himself, but it was still better to listen to him than to just standing without anything to do. Thus I spent time while asionallymenting on his topics. However The person you are waiting for wont being, you know? Suddenly, the high-pitched voice of a girl reached my ears. Chapter 166 The one addressing me was the white figure that I was quite familiar with. She was a young girl, looking to be about the same age as me, yet somehow overflowing with bewitching charm. It was my ancestor. The God of Destruction, Yuuri, in the flesh(?). Since the Goddess appeared before us without either of us realizing it, Maxwell became alertor so I thought. I couldnt see him, but I could somehow feel that he became tense. And also heard the faint rustling of his clothes. I spread my hands and stopped him before he could do anything rash. Wait, Max- Old man. She isnt an enemy. I decided to refrain from saying his name since we were downtown with a lot of pedestrian traffic. Even if he wasnt visible, given his royal blood and the Hero status, his name alone was enough to gather attention. Since she appeared in public, it would be a bad move to gather attention. She wasnt exactly an Evil God, but she didnt have a good reputation either. Its been a while. About three years, right? Yup. Ever since the matter of the Carbuncle. Nicole, is she your acquaintance? Maxwells tensed voice reached my ears. It was his first time meeting her like this. I have mentioned her as the owner of Michelles bow before, but it was his first actually meeting her. Yeah, shes the owner of Michelles bow. Owner of that bow Could it be!? I intentionally made it vague, but he seemed to have realized her identity. His tension then turned into a different kind of nervousness. So then, what exactly did you mean by him noting? Earlier, she said that Elliot wouldnte. I dont mean to brag, but I couldnt imagine Elliot breaking the promise, given how head over heels he seemed to be about me. In that case, there mustve been another reason. Right, but before that, thanks for restraining the person behind you. I didnt want any needless fights in a ce like this. The Goddess smiled and bowed to me. But that gesture made me more annoyed if anything. It felt like she was intentionally doing it to gain time. Ah, well Actually, frequently interfering with the human world is kinda against the rules I mean, its not exactly restricted buuuut Honestly, the way she hesitated on her words while ying with her fingers looked cute. If this was a moment of confession, the other party wouldve already been conquered. However, this was no such moment. Elliot was important, and at the same time, a hectic person. I couldnt imagine him just ditching the appointment without even a word. Did something happen to Elliot? Well Outright saying it would be, well, against the agreement, and uhh, I mean Maybe check that alley out and you might find your answer? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) What the White God pointed at was a narrow road a little bit ahead of us. It was a shortcut towards the lodging house where Elliot resided. As I looked towards it and then back to the Goddess, she was already gone. And shes gone again. She Cast chantless magic in an instant. Chantless magic? The same ability that Maria has? Perhaps it was even beyond that. She used magic without even thinking about it. You could say she did it as casually as breathing. Ourrades starting with Maria were individuals who had transcended the human limits. Honestly speaking, Cortina and I were at least a level below the rest of the Six Heroes. Maxwell and Maria, in particr, were practically inhuman. Yet, she was someone who exceeded even Maria I suppose her title as a God isnt just for show. At any rate, let us head to where she pointed us. I worry about Elliots well-being. Ah, right! Maxwell sounded unusually flustered. And that was natural, as Elliot was the keystone of the United Three Nations. If by chance, something happened to him, that kingdom could split back into three kingdoms and give rise to a civil war. Still, it was impressive that he managed to keep his Concealment magic active despite his tension. That magic had a weakness that demanded precise control or it woulde undone. For that reason, you couldnt fight while casting it, and if you did it would be released instantly. But then, how did he manage to cast those me pirs from earlier? Anyway, lets go check it. Right, we should. With that exchange, we hurried towards the alley. While we were heading there, the previous question popped up in my head. Maxwell, how did you cast those me pirs earlier? One cant use magic while using Concealment, right? Ah, well. I cast it while hiding there. He pointed towards the back of a shop. It seems that he was observing me from there. But that leads to another contradiction. Using magic from there and appearing beside me under Concealment should be impossible, right? The distance is too big. Well, that magic wasnt cast instantaneously. I used the Dy Spell. Dy Spell belonged to the middle grade of the Interference system. It had no effect on itself, but if you used another magic on top of it, that magic would only activate after the set time had passed. It was a support magic for magic itself, so to say. It was a difficult spell that needed you to cast it while taking into ount all kinds of information, but Maxwell seemed to have no problem making practical use of it. I should be able to use it if I keep refining my Interference magic, but I doubt I would ever be as good at it as him. I see Huh? A little after we rushed into the alley, a scene covered in the red spread before my eyes. And in the center of it was a person copsed like a doll with its strings cut. Prisci!? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Copsed there was Elliots bodyguard, Prisci. Chapter 167 Prisciy copsed in what could only be described as a sea of blood, not even moving a finger. I immediately turned her face up and checked her breathing. She raised a groan as I did that, so I called out to her in a loud voice. Prisci, youre alive Hold on, Ill have healing magic cast on you immediately! Fortunately, we had a monster by the name of Maxwell here, who had mastered all kinds of magic. Albeit he wasnt quite at Marias level, he was able to use top-ranked healing magic, too. His activation speed and effect fell short of Maria, but still easily surpassed an average healer. N Haumea, stop making me do all the work. He remembered to call me with my alias. But despite his words, his hands quickly drew the circle and cast the magic. LLordMaxwellLordElliot has He was attacked, huh? Her words were broken, but clear. If someone was aiming for Elliots life, this kind of back street was the ideal ce to attack. This was a big blunder on his part. Shit But who would Thatd has many enemies. A good number of them may have slipped into this town. Can you guess whos behind it, old man? There are too many candidates for that. Speaking of Elliots enemies, as much as youd want to just brand them as uninvited guests and turn them away, this was Raum. It was different from the United Nations. You couldnt just reject the dispatched nobles simply because they were sus. Thats just the way the world of politics worked. As I was thinking that, Prisci interrupted my thoughts. They fled witha carriage Carriage? Then we might be able to track it down. Iattached threadsfrom my sleeve to it She was in tatters so I hadnt noticed it, but looking again, her left sleeve was torn. Did she attach her sleeve to it? For what? That was needless to even ask. She bled enough to cause such a disastrous scene. As such, her clothes were naturally bloodstained. If they took part of it with them, it should have left traces. Well done, Prisci. You are indeed a secret agent of Rans. Leave the rest to me. I will definitely bring him back. The moment she heard my words, her consciousness was cut once again. She used her remaining strength to give us information. Herck of strength was clear. But even so, she did the best she could under those circumstances. Now, it was up for a Hero to answer her wish. Are you going, Reid? Yeah. I leave her to you. Elliot got into some trouble over the matter of session. This might be rted to that. Be careful, they might have assembled considerablebat power. Maxwell was giving his all to healing her as he spoke. Maria wouldve healed her injuries in the blink of an eye, but I suppose this was simply the difference in skill. Leave it to me. Who do you think I am? A little girl? Gah!? Hurry up, there might not be much time left. Also, take this one along. Maxwell pulled out a small pigeon from his bosom. Naturally, it was no ordinary pigeon, but instead, Maxwells familiar. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) If you bring it along, I can link my visual and hearing senses with it. I would be able to immediatelye to your aid as well. Thats reassuring. When it came to Maxwell, even his familiars were on another levelpared to Cortinas. This pigeon was self-conscious and could move, share five senses, talk and even fight. It was only a bit stronger than a novice Adventurer, but it was still plenty enough. But Maxwell held the initiative to its consciousness, so it couldnt be considered a constant battle asset. Even so, it was good enough to entrust my back to. Having my back covered during independent operations was extremely reassuring. Alright, Im off! We were short on time now. Since Maxwell had his hands full, there was no choice but to deal with it myself. Fortunately, Maxwell was on my side this time. As long as I managed to secure Elliots safety, the rest was to just buy time. With such expectations, I rushed out from the alley. A carriage wouldnt fit in a narrow alley. But the main street was too crowded. That meant there was a high chance they had the carriage parked on the opposite side of the alley. Thinking that, I arrived at its opposite end, and as expected, I discovered blood traces in the corner of the street. It was a blurry red trace as if it was swept with a brush. It was undoubtedly the work of Priscis bloodstained piece of cloth. There, huh? Raum had many stone-paved areas, so I couldnt trace the tracks of the carriage. However, the periodic blood marks along its path still remained. If I followed them, it should have let me straight to where Elliot was taken. Following that, I slipped through several alleys and turned corners They sure are taking their time with detours. I mean, its natural since they are kidnapping someone, but still It was amon technique to take detours so the kidnapped person would not be able to guess the location. However, Maxwell said it was a race against time, yet there were being quite leisurely here. They wont kill him It would be naive to think that. They kidnapped a sovereign of a kingdom, so they should be aware of the consequences. In which case, they would make sure to kill the eye-witness. And that meant, Elliot would definitely die if I left them alone. If so, they had to quickly finish their business, otherwise, it would only invite danger And yet, it felt as if they didnt care at all how long it would take and just went along the way casually. Doe this mean they realized that he didnt have many guards? And, it felt like they were confident that they would be able to drive away their pursuers. Just as I came to that conclusion, I arrived at a single house. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) It was in a high-ss residential area most of which was inhabited by nobles. This area, in particr, was where the foreign nobles took the majority. This Should be Count Tarkasheres residence. Count Tarkashere was a distant rtive of the Gritnir royal family that had been incorporated in the United Three Nations. His domain was located in southern parts of the Gritnir kingdom, adjacent to the Sto domain of the Raum forest kingdom. It could be said that it escaped the Evil Dragons cmity exactly because it was located where it was. And ever since Elliot took the throne, he started acting as a diplomat with Raum. I see. Could it be that his conceited thinking has led him to assume he could take Elliots ce just because he was a former royalty? As I was thinking that, I started investigating the surroundings of the mansion and nning how to go about infiltrating it. Chapter 168 I decided to look around the mansion without removing my disguise. That was because Maxwell opposed it when I was about to do it. Reid, this could be a good opportunity. What do you mean by that? Arent we in a huge crisis instead, with Elliot kidnapped and all? I am telling you to use that. He is alone in the enemy territory now. If you gantly show up before him and lend him a helping hand, what do you think he would feel? Wouldnt he be put off seeing a woman mow down a bunch of men? Well, I could see where Maxwell wasing from. This was basically a princess and prince charming ying out in reality, though the genders were reversed. Reid, you have a point. But look at it differently. Elliot has been in our care ever since he was a child. In other words, he has a tendency to get attached to people he can depend on. Thats one troublesome tendency. You have to make practical use of it here. If you save him here, he will undoubtedly get attached to you. At first, his feelings might be closer to dependability, but they could easily change into those of love, do you get it! Woah, calm down there. I was unwilling as is, and youre not helping the matter. That said, I could get behind the idea of utilizing this situation. Grasp the opportunity and his personality, and make him dance on your palm. As expected of a sly old noble like him toe up with something like that. We continued our discussion as I kept investigating the surroundings. Of course, given how conspicuous I looked, I made sure to use my ring and add a hood to my illusion. As far as I could see, there was one guard stationed at the gate. He was fully armed, with a sword hanging on his waist. I couldnt spot anyone else, so the rest should have been stationed inside the mansion. There was a carriage parked at the front garden, with a rag coiled around its wheel. That cloth, smeared with dark red, was undoubtedly the thing Prisci mentioned. Looks like this is definitely the right ce. Following that, I started thinking about how to get inside. The fence surrounding the mansion was made from bricks, and about one meter tall. It would be easy enough to jump over it if thats all there was, but it had anotheryer of iron railings on top, adding two more meters to it. In other words, it was three meters tall. That made it a bit hard to climb over it. I considered using threads to leap over it, but the railings had spikes at the top to guard against intruders. If thoughtlessly jumped over it, there was a possibility of tripping on them and ending up with a serious injury. If there are no other options, I guess Ill do it But its a pain. Do you actually n to get in there without waiting for my master? Woah!? The unfamiliar deep voice made me instinctively scream. But I quickly realized whom it belonged to. It was the familiar that Maxwell lent me. This self-conscious familiar was able to pronounce words. In other words, it could speak of its own volition, too. Basically, right now, both it and Maxwell were watching me at the same time. Right, I forgot you could speak. I am the familiar of great Lord Maxwell. Please dont lump me together with random familiars. I thought pigeons would have a more charming manner of speech. I was a bit put off by the gap between its appearance and manner of speech that sounded strangely majestic. Its speech made the feather patterns above its eyes look like rugged eyebrows to me. Anyway, as Maxwell said, I could be in a race against time. They were trying to hide their tracks, so I dont think they n to get rid of him immediately, but since they left Prisci there, its highly likely that theyd vacate this mansion today or tomorrow. I collected my thoughts as I talked with the pigeon. Leaving Elliots guard there meant the matter would eventually reach Maxwells ears. When that happened, Maxwell would personally takemand and pin down the culprit as long as they were still in the capital. The fact that they left her there despite all that meant that they probably didnt n to overstay here. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Assuming that to be the case, they would get rid of Elliot within a few days Before the information would reach Maxwell and he manages to track this mansion down. Maxwell could use Search magic. This magic could detect the designated target in the surrounding area, including but not limited to life forms and magic power. Naturally, there were ways to avoid its detection, but it was hardly possible to hide from someone as excellent as Maxwell for a long time. So they arent wary of Masters Search? Thats quite bold of them. They probably nned to aplish their minimal objective and flee before he arrived. And based on the fact that they abducted him, that objective must be something that requires him to be alive. For example? Arriving up to that point, I started thinking about the reasons why Elliot would be deemed unnecessary. It goes without saying, but he was the most important person of the United Three Nations. A bachelor that seeded the blood of the former royals. Thinking about his professional duties as the king Lets see, maybe making him unable to produce children? Children? Yeah. Kings regard their bloodline as the most important thing. If they kill him now, it could lead to a civil war. As long as Elliot was alive, other kingdoms or even his own nobles would not be able to make any big moves. But what if they made it so he would not be able to produce children? That would increase the possibility of forcing him to abdicate and put someone else on the throne. The matter of sessors was that important. And it doesnt take much effort to turn someone infertile. You just have to crushita bit. That made me flinch a little. This time, it was Maxwells voice that came from the familiar. Looks like he heard what I said. Well, since this is about you, your assumption might be off as always. Hey, thats rude! After all, if they just wanted to crush his thing, they could have done that on the spot. Besides, healing magic could somehow handle that. That said, you might not be far off from the truth. Being the sovereign of the United Nations that owns the mostnd on the continent that is Elliots biggest value. Leaving his statement aside, since there were such methods, the situation was highly unpredictable indeed. It was better to stop sneaking around and head straight for Elliot. Chapter 169 If I started shily and attracted the enemys attention, it should make Elliot safer. Judging so, I headed towards the mansion from the front and approached the gatekeeper. Though these break-in tactics were more suited to Lyell or Gadius who specialized in direct fights. The gatekeeper found it puzzling that a beautythat is, me, whether I liked it or notapproached him suddenly, but he did not pull out his sword. I was using my illusionary form now and it also hid my weapon. In fact, I didnt even have more than a single dagger and a thread with me, given that I was supposed to be on a date today. Seeing me calmly pass by in front of him, the gatekeeper whistled once, but following it, his expression changed. Taking advantage of the fact that he had his guardpletely down, I coiled my piano wire around his neck in one swing and strangled him. He writhed and scratched at his neck without managing to mutter a word. I utilized the railings and used all my strength to pull the thread and topple him down. Being pulled in by a thread from one-meter height broke his posture, making him lean forward. I then swept his legs and dropped him to the ground. Following that, I rushed to his side, pulled my dagger and pierced it into his medu. That made him jolt like a fish fresh out to the water, his limbs convulsing violently. Finally, his movements came to an end, telling me that he was finally dead. What aplete failure. At least be more vignt. The moment I approached him, he shouldve upped his guard. Even disregarding that, there shouldve been a way for him to notify the people on the inside before I coiled a thread around his neck. He had a sword on him, so the least he couldve done was to strike the railings with it to notify them. He seemed to be employed here, but wasnt he a bit too low-level? No.. It would be premature to assume the enemys strength with him alone. At the very least, they were strong enough to defeat Prisci. If so, I couldnt cken here. I decided to head straight for the door But Maxwell stopped me. Hold it, Reid. Arent you a little too unarmed right now? Saying that, Maxwell spoke a small chant. And the next moment, my favorite gauntlets appeared in my hand. Ohh, what did you do? It is a magic called Apport. It is not an especially high-leveled one, either. A little above mid-level. By the time you graduate from the academy, you should be able to use it too. Is it part of the Interference system? It meddles with the location information of objects. It is easierpared to Teleport. He said it as if nothing, but wasnt it actually like, super hard? Good grief, this is why all Six Heroes are so Despite my grumbling, I immediately equipped my gauntlets. As the familiar coldness of Mythril covered my arms, I felt as if I had returned to the old days. I let one thread out through the shooting hole installed at its wrist, checked its condition and prepared it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) It hasnt been maintained in a while, though I did some maintenance on the exterior. But the interior is beyond me. Well, of course. Even I cant do that. After all, its an item of an excellent cksmith, you know? These gauntlets that had ten Mythril threads that spanned over a hundred meters were quite delicate works, given the effort it needed to create. Even I, who favored them, was reluctant to tinker with them due to their delicacy, as such the maintainability was sacrificed. I have to go get it repaired one of these days, huh You mean that cksmith whose identity you kept a secret even from us? Yeah. Given my background, I couldnt speak about them openly. In my previous life, I acted under my own sense of justice and assassinated whoever fit the criteria regardless of how influential they were. But that brought me many enemies, so I could not openly reveal the names of my allies. It was the same after we defeated the Evil Dragon, and I havent told their names even to myrades. Though with that cksmith, there was also an agreement to not get him involved in trouble. At any rate, Elliots matter came first. Leaving the guards corpse as is, I stepped into the mansion. I left it there since that way it would kick up more panic. Since I was under an illusion, it was no problem even if a third party saw me. That Goddess sure has given me a convenient item. Bumping my fists, I headed toward the door. And then, instead of knocking, I kicked it open with all my strength. Since my leg was strengthened with a Mythril thread, the lock and hinges were unable to resist the force of the kick and flew off. Then the door copsed inward with a loud noise. The inside was an unexpectedly wide atrium hall with three passages. The stairs drew a gentle slope, leading to the second floor, where there seemed to be yet another passage. I strained my ears until the noise settled down, trying to count as many enemies as I could. The familiar on my shoulder also flew up to the chandeliers height and watched out for the second floor. As expected of Maxwells familiar, it was quite smart. The noise from the broken door raised voices of confusion. I could hear theming from three sources. From the passage up ahead. From the western part of the second floor. And Basement? It was a nking, metallic sound. I didnt know whether someone was donning equipment or it was something else entirely, but the sound was definitelying from the basement. As such, the most suspicious one was clearly the basement But I didnt know how to get in there. Well, lets just ask someone on the way. The pigeon gave a sharp cry of warning. At the same time, the enemy also arrived from the front passage. Chapter 170 Three of them were descending from the second floor. And two more came from the passage on the first floor. Five of them gathered in the entrance hall. They all wore Adventurer-looking gear, but it was customary for the Adventurers to wear cards that recorded their rank and background on their necks. However, none of them had any such thing. As expected, they werent the types that acted in the open. Based on what I heard earlier, the basement was the most suspicious ce, so I had to force my way here. Who the hell are- One of them yelled at me as I stood imposingly at the entrance as I kicked down the door. But I didnt wait for him to finish his words, and mowed him down with a diagonal swing of my thread. It was done with the Mythrid thread from my trusty gauntlets. Hehehe, my partner is looking as sharp as ever. Despite wearing firmly tanned leather armor, the Adventurer was practically powerless against its sh. It was in a different leaguepared to the piano wires Ive been using until now. Since it had too many characteristics, I hadnt been blessed with the chance to use them until now. Thin and flexible, yet firm. Even disregarding the fact that they were my familiar weapons, their sharpness alone was making me fascinated all over again. W-What just Keep your shit together! Its clear shes the one who did it! Seeing theirrade getting defeated so fast caused panic, but I directed a crazed look at them. From now on, I could test my new weapon on them to my hearts content. It would be a lie if I said I didnt feel excited. But before that, I had to ask one thing. No, strictly speaking, this was more of a formality. I didnt think theyd answer me. Before we do this, Id like to ask you one thing. Huuh!? Wont you hand over His Highness Elliot that you kidnapped? If you hand him over without trouble, I will let you live. The fuck did you just say!? Of course, I didnt believe even for an instant that they would do as I asked. Since the carriage that Prisci had marked was parked here, these guys were definitely criminals. Still, I asked it anyway, yet none of them tried to feign ignorance and said we didnt kidnap anyone or I dont know who that is. In other words, they were fully aware of what they did and werent even questioning itin other words, they already confessed that they were criminals. Guess I dont need to hold back then Kill her No, catch her. You can have some fun with her after that! The man that seemed to be their leader gave them thatmand. Now that I think of it, I looked like a girl in her mid tote teens now. Since I was only a little girl in my real form, I had never received such lecherous gazes before, but experiencing it now makes me quite disgusted. Thanks to that, my bloodlust was elevated even more. The men charged with apparent lust in their eyes. I swung the Mythril thread sideways to sweep them off their feet. Since it didnt have much power put into it, it wasnt able to seriously injure them, but it still managed to severely injure their shins and had some of them drop with a somersault. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Tsk, only three, huh. Only three of the five were down on the floor. The other two jumped over it and headed for me. My battle style seemed like it would be more advantageous in narrow ces, but it was actually better in wider ones. To give the threads enough attack power, I needed to give them a big swing, much like a whip, and for that, I space both horizontally and vertically. In uneven ces like caves, forests or residences that had many obstacles, the threads were more suited for setting up traps, butcked when it came to direct attack power. These kinds of atrium halls were suited for direct flights. But putting it the other way, it was hard to fight if the opponent closed in on me. I prepared to meet the enemies rushing towards me, taking one thread from my right hand and holding it with both hands. One of them swung his sword down from overhead at me. I stretched the thread and blocked his attack. The thread bent and absorbed the swords momentum. However, it was my body where all that momentum headed to. My body was still not developed, so it was impossible to stop an adults sword swing like that. Instead, I intentionally lowered my left hand, making the sword slide off the thread and warded it off. Wha!? Having his attack direction suddenly changed had broken his posture and left him leaning forward. I did a frontyout and leapt over his back. I also did not forget to wrap the thread around his neck as I did it, either. As my body rotated during thending, the thread further tightened on his neck. Not to mention, the entire force of my somersault was concentrated on one point of his neck. Coupled with the threads excellent sharpness, it was enough to rip open his skin and spray the blood everywhere. It seemed that it even managed to sever an important vein, the man lost strength and copsed on the spot. With that, I managed to neutralize two of them with this surprise attack, including the first man. As a follow-up, I mercilessly shed at one of the copsed guys. With that, the third one was out ofmission, too. The other copsed one stood up despite his leg injury and charged at me. The one that had avoided my initial attack also timed his attack and rushed at me together with him. However, I intentionally shifted my position towards one of them and ruined their timing. I did a shoulder charge at the man, but of course, someone as light as me could never take him down like that. Instead, I rotated around my shoulder on the point of contact and got behind him. At the same time, I let go of the thread I held in my left hand, pulled out my dagger and pierced it into the left side of his abdomen, that is, his kidney, before he could manage to turn around. Gah!! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Kidneys were hard to heal, so as long as no one cast healing magic on him, he was almost certain to die. Even if it wasnt a fatal wound, having his internal organ pierced would still lead to excruciating pain that could kill him from agony. As expected he groaned like a frog and copsed face-forward. As for the other man whose timing was disrupted, I used hisrade as a shield and thrust the dagger at his abdomen from the side. Having missed his timing and bing full of openings, the man took the blind attack straight on, and copsed forward. He was the only one left now. I retracted my thread and tried to adjust the length for the follow-up attack But suddenly, I sensed a strange vibration from my gauntlets. And at the same time, the winding of the thread stopped. Eh!? The sudden malfunction made me raise a strange yell. But thinking about it, it wasnt strange that something asplex as these gauntlets could malfunction after not being maintained for so long. Still, why now of all times Hah, I have you now! Seeing me stop, the man shed at me. Looking at his swing, I could clearly tell that he was no longer thinking of enjoying meter. I suppose seeing hisrades killed one after another made him lose thatposure. I immediately blocked his attack with my left gauntlet, but due to the difference in our weights, I was flung away. I rolled on the floor and ended on my knees, barely avoiding copsing down. Huh? Then, I felt a sudden sense of difort in my body. Or more precisely, my limbs, I guess? I was using threads to strengthen them, but I could no longer move them as I wanted. Hey now, dont tell me The left one too? As if to ascertain my doubt, my limbs started to lose strength. No, that was the wrong way to put it. They started losing the strengthening of the threads. At this point, those threads were nothing more than fetters that restrained my movements. The only thread I could properly control was the one from my right hand. But it was only a meter long at most. He seemed to have noticed the abnormality in my condition and immediately charged at me. But rather than a sword, he did a body dive to push me down. Perhaps he was vignt of my threads. My threads were mainly used to sh at the neck, face, joints and such. It wasnt effective when an opponent did a body charge while prepared to take some damage. It was one thing if I could set a trap to entangle his legs, but now, I had no way of stopping his charge. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) And with my limbs currently restrained, I had no way to even dodge it. Thus I took the blow and fell on the floor. The man straddled me and grasped my neck. It was a distance where swords and threads lost all meaning. I looked like a young girl through the illusion, but in reality, I was only a child, and that made the situation even more disadvantageous. But the man had overlooked one thing. That is I was not alone here. Coo-coo! Gwaaaaah!? With a high-pitched cry, a white sh crashed into his face. No, it wasnt a shbut a pigeon. Maxwells familiar that was staying alert near the chandelier did a nosedive at his face. The attack wed out the vicinity of his left eye and the man sprung up with a yell. That also led to him letting go of my neck. The air flowed into my formerly blocked respiratory tract. As much as I wanted to cough and enjoy the air, I couldnt let this once in a lifetime chance go. I couldnt use my threads, but the dagger in my hand was still there. I thrust it into his right side with all my strength. It was far from a fatal wound, but his front was covered with skin armor. Following that, I made it oscite. As it violently vibrated, it started wreaking havoc to his internal organs far more than it did to my hand holding it. The fine oscition spread through his entire body like waves, damaging the organs that offered no resistance. Ugh-ghbweagh!? After grunting as if trying to endure something, the man finally threw up blood. His limbs then started to convulse until eventually, he fell t On me, that is. Before long, his movements stoppedpletely. It wasnt worth confirming whether he was dead or not Sorry, having a man ride on me isnt my hobby, nor it will ever be. With those words, I pushed him aside as he drew hisst breath, and stood up. Chapter 171 The sshing sound of footsteps resonated through the hall. The previously well-decorated hall had now turned into a sea of blood. The long-haired carpet soaked up the blood and made me feel like I was walking on a wet dust cloth. All five men had drawn theirst breath and no one was left to make another sound. Did I go a bit too far? I shouldve left one alive at least, huh. I didnt know how to get into the basement. Leaving one of them alive to get that information out of him wouldve been a smarter choice, but it seemed that being under their lusty gazes made the blood rush to my head. Well, that was a new experience for me, so lets just overlook it this time. There was a sea of blood around, as if it was a battlefield, but not a drop of it was on my body. That was no surprise, however. I was actually smeared with blood, but it wasnt reflected on my illusionary form. In reality, I was in a terrible condition, having vomited blood all over my upper body. If there were onlookers, they wouldve found my appearance very out of ce. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. The fresh smell of blood was filling my lungs, but I pushed it out of my mind. First I had to inspect my gauntlets that malfunctioned in the middle of the battle. The thread might have gotten entangled inside as I couldnt even wind it in. Not just that, I couldnt even move other threads either. At this rate, I could only use the thread that was already out, but it was only a meter long at best. The left gauntlet had a big dent and its threads were entwined with my body. It was impossible to use it as a weapon at this point. It was a shame, but I had to detach it. Oh well, Ill handle it somehow. It was a shame that I couldnt use those threads as weapons, but I still had my dagger so I could still fight. Plus, I also had that one-meter thread on my right hand. I could at least use it in closebat. As for the dagger, I could also turn it into a spear if push came to shove. In the end, I gripped the thread from my broken gauntlet with both hands and headed deep into the passage in search of Elliot. Piano wires were easier to use now, but the Mythril one was on another level in terms of toughness and sharpness. When it came to battles in passages like this or even the basement, the length of it wasnt the most important part. I would still be fighting while holding the thread with both hands like this, so it was no problem. As I proceeded in the passage, I noticed something strange. It was the blurry blood marks on a one-meter-long wall. I noticed it because of my small height, but a tall Adventurer wouldve had to look down to notice it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Hmm Is it Elliots blood? Perhaps he was roughed up a bit during the kidnapping and got some scratches or something. Either way, he seemed to have used his blood to leave marks behind to let others know of his location. Following those marks, I headed deeper into the passage. I arrived at the side of the kitchen that was near the back door. The blood marks continued to the storage room next to it. I couldnt feel any presence from the inside, so I went ahead and opened the door while staying vignt. There were fry pans and spare kitchen knives inside the narrow room. There were also pots and vases crammed inside of it. Despite all that, it was strangely empty near the wall. Are they even trying to hide it? As I approached the wall, I saw blood marks on it just as I expected. There should be some apparatus nearby that moves this wall The device was probably camouged somewhere nearby. Since I used to assassinate nobles back in the day, I was quite used to these kinds of mechanisms. After looking around for a while, I discovered a switch under a pot and activated it. With a small click, the wall opened up near the corner. The other side had hinges on it and it opened up like a door. As expected, it wasnt to the level of a revolving door. Beyond the door was a staircase made of bare rock descending downwards, with light magic tools installed on the wall. These tools were quite amonce article, so they werent quite as expensive. These tools were installed as temporary means of illuminating the field of view. Its still quite a luxury to install magic tools even in a hidden passage like this. I suppose my opponents economic strength was just that high. Well, he was a count rted to the former Gritnir royals, after all. This much expense was probably a trivial matter to him. There was a high chance that Elliot was held ahead. Depending on the situation, he could even be used as a hostage. I may have taken out some of their battle strength with the earlier thing, but I had to proceed carefully now. Since Elliot was taken as a hostage, I went and did a frontal assault to decrease the enemy fighting power, but I wasnt really used to this kind of battle. If I could, I wouldve preferred defeating them stealthily. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) As I was thinking that, I used my Stealth Gift and hid my presence. At the same time, I concealed my voice and footsteps and descended down the stairs. I could periodically spot fresh blood marks on the wall, so Elliot was definitely up ahead. The stairs descended like a semicircle and soon reached the end. It wasnt that deep, maybe four meters at best. The ceiling was about two meters tall, so they have made the basement as deep as they could. So this is just a room to avoid human eyes, eh? Thanks to its shallowness, I was able to find it, so I suppose I should be thankful. There was a short passage up ahead that leads to a door. I could see light from its gaps, so there was probably a room beyond it. I silently approached it and pricked up my ears to listen. From there, I could hear an impudent voice of a man, as well as painful grunts that I was familiar with. That voice definitely belonged to Elliot. Chapter 172 That day, he was supposed to meet up with Haumea. She was an ideal girl in his eyes, looking as if Nicole was turned into an adult, yet she extruded the feminine charm quite unlike her. Unlike Nicole, who had some of the boyish crudeness still remaining, Haumea was giving off a refined aura. And at the same time, she still had a yful side to her. He also discovered her childish side during their meal, and she also showed him a defenseless side, as if she was a male friend. She was a mysterious woman, he couldnt grasp her personality at all. And before he knew it, he waspletely head over heels for her. And when he received a letter of appointment from her through Maxwell, he epted it without hesitation. He was so happy that she contacted him that it surprised even himself. After he had returned to his lodging house, he started talking about her to his only roommate that was Prisci, which got him fed up look from her. Of course, Elliot knew full well that he wouldnt have been allowed to live on his own. As the minimumpromise, he was allowed to live here along with her, while his other guards settled in the neighboring houses. So he was making merry so much that it was irritating to even look at, and when the day of the appointment finally came, he nned to rush out of the house a few hours before the designated time. Naturally, Prisci restrained him until there was only one hour left, then he was eventually let go of. Being extremely happy, he decided to get to the appointed location as fast as possible, and chose the back alley that was the best shortcut. Prisci had made it clear that it was a dangerous road to take, but at that moment, he had abandoned all his sense of crisis. Then, just before he reached the main street, he was met with the enemy assault. They looked like Adventurers, but they had no ID cards on their necks, so they were clearly not a normal bunch. There were five of them in total. And they suddenly surrounded him. Prisci immediately got in front of him and tried to intercept them. Without a single word, the curtains opened to the battle. Prisci fought hard. You could even say she did her best trying to fend off five enemies on her own. But s, fighting five against one while guarding Elliot was a hopeless battle. Before long, her sword was flicked away, and she was cut down. Elliot, of course, tried his best to resist, but he was far too outnumbered. He was punched in the face, and his consciousness drifted off into the dark. In his darkening view, he saw Prisci slowly crawling toward the main street. Was it to call help, or was it to save herself? He did not know, but he prayed for her safety until finally, his consciousness was cut. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The next time he woke up, the carriage had already stopped. All the jolting had woken him up, and he finally understood the circumstances he was in. As the men dragged him into the unfamiliar mansion, he proceeded to rub his face on the wall to leave the blood marks behind. He hoped that it would help the rescue find him faster. Since he was shouldered and carried off, his head ended up at a rtively lower height, so the bloodstains were left on the lower part of the wall. But that was a blessing in disguise, as it allowed him to leave the stains without them catching sight of it. He was carried off into the basement and now, there was a man sitting in front of him. Two adventurers stood nearby. Other than them, there was also a noble-looking man in luxurious clothes. Four people, in total. The man in front was wearing a mask and hiding his identity. It is my honor to meet you, Your Highness Elliot. I am Metos Suria Tarkashire. The lord of the Suria domain of the former Gritnir Kingdom. Yeah, I know you. Elliot had an inkling of that name. Suria domain was adjacent to the Sto domain of Raum. Count Tarkashire who governed it was a distant rtive of the former Gritnir royal family. One of the nobles that were against enthroning Elliot. Do you n to kill me and ascend to the throne? I would never! I am fully aware of my own unifying power. He spread his hands and sighed theatrically in disappointment. If I cause a civil war, I have no chance of overturning you. Then how about you let me go? If you do it now, Ill at least give you a light sentence. Oh, no no, we cant have that. Even if its impossible for me, my son is quite something. It makes me want to entrust the future of the United Kingdom to him. And how is that connected to this violence? At Elliots question, Tarkashire leaned forward on the desk. Elliots hands were free, but his legs were in fetters. It was impossible to escape the way he was. Even if he were to attempt taking Tarkashire hostage, there was nothing he could use as a weapon nearby. It is a saddening fact, but your highness has no heir now. That means the next ruler is yet to be decided. If possible, I would like for my son to take that ce. Like hell it is. Elliot spat out the words of denial at him. The royal pce had the right to designate a sessor to the throne. But there also existed Heroes that held enough reputation to step over those very rights. If you asked whether Elliot could decide on his sessor, the answer would be a no. Here are the testament documents. Of course, they are official documents, so no one would doubt them. A testament? Even the Six Heroes wouldnt be able to tly refuse your final will, would they? In other words, Tarkashire nned to have Elliot write his testament to have his son seed him, and then kill him. A testament held the biggest wishes of the deceased, as such they held strongpelling force in them. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Even Lyell and others would find it difficult to disregard it. My friend Count Serwas son also goes to that academy. It wouldnt be strange if you became acquainted with my son through him, would it? All you have to do is sign here. And you think I will? Ah, thats right. The guard that was protecting you could still be saved, you see. Tarkashire suddenly changed the topic. He was saying, if you wish to save Prisci, then sign this document. Prisci was like a little sister to Elliot. They were childhood friends, and she stuck with him everywhere and protected him all the time since their youth. That fact was known to many in the United Kingdom. For Tarkashires son to take the throne, he needed two things the testament and confirmation of Elliots death. As long as he did not sign the document, his life was guaranteed. Putting it differently, only his life was guaranteed. Once he signed, he would be killed too, and it would be publicly announced. He had to buy time or he would die. But if he did that, Prisci would die too. Those choices were at odds in his mind. At that moment, a vibration as if someone had kicked something down had reverberated all the way to the basement. Chapter 173 I heard a calm yet oppressive voice from beyond the door. I did not know whom it belonged to. She will be saved if you simply sign here. Unfortunately, I cant say the same about Your Highness. I can imagine. So, after you put your son on the throne, you n to have fun with that authority as a regent? I would never But my son is still only twenty years old, so I cannot deny the possibility. Those documents would be useless without my signature. In that case I will not sign them, even if thates at the cost of Priscis death. It seemed that someone was trying to force Elliot to write his testament. And judging from the situation, that someone was clearly Count Tarkashire. His goal was taking Elliots ce, as expected. Elliot, however, resolutely refused his demand. Priscis life seemed to have been used as a bargaining point, but she was already being healed by Maxwell. Besides, I couldnt imagine them saving her even if he epted it. Elliot was also aware of that fact, thats why he refused it. The north has finally calmed down, so I cant allow myself to do something that would spread the sparks of conflict. Even if Prisci dies, I still cant. And at the same time, I cant allow myself to die, either. Your resolve is worthy of a monarch, however, resolve alone wont change the world. Even so, I cannot ept this. And judging from the earlier sound, it doesnt seem like I am the only one who has been cornered, isnt it? Of course not. Ones that headed upstairs earlier are at least as strong as fourth-ranked Adventurers. Five such Adventurers should be enough to deal with most people. I wonder about that This is Raum, a ce where two of the Six Heroes live. Elliot was firmly denying it Looked like he was self-conscious about his standing as a king. Back when I died, he was still just a little crybaby. At any rate, it was clear that this ce was the root of this incident. All that was left was to secure his safety while also cleaning out the guys inside. I only had one Mythril thread that I could use, only one meter long. Other than that, I only had my dagger to fight at close quarters. Even so, I had no need for a longer thread in such a narrow underground space. Catching my breath a little, I tried to kick open the door and go inside. My kick connected with the door with a loud sound. And the doordidnt even budge. O-Ouch It turned out to be quite a sturdy door. However, fortunately enough, the guys that came to intercept me before had left the door unlocked. It couldnt be helped, so I just went and opened it normally by turning the knob. And it opened all too easily. W-Who are you!? I slowly walked inside. Seeing me, Elliot asked with a shocked face. H-Haumea? What are you doing here!? Haumea? Never heard of her Hey, little miss. I dont know how you managed to slip past the guys above, but- Guys above? I already sent them all to the afterworld. Inside I saw a masked man and a noble-looking man. The one that started talking was probably Count Tarkashire. The other one was flustered from my sudden appearance and clung to the wall. As for Elliot, he was made to sit on the other side of the desk. His feet were shackled, so he wouldve found it hard to escape on his own. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) You did what? I meant I ughtered them all. And you are next. Tarkashire looked dumbfounded for a moment, unable toprehend my words. Elliot was the same. He probably didnt expect me to be so strong. Or rather, he never would have guessed that I would show up here. Haumea, what are you I came to save you, so just sit quietly for a moment. H-Huh Come again? Spreading the Mythril thread with both my arms, I took a low battle posture. Seeing that, Tarkashire also pulled out his beloved dagger. It seemed like he carried it for self-defense, but seeing how overly decorated it was and the way he held it, I couldnt see him as a fighter. Little girl, I will not let you get in my way! With that bent back of yours? Please dont underestimate the survivability of a Scionian person. Scion, you say You mean that wastnd!? Ever since the Evil Dragons attack, Scion hadnt been revived and remained as a wastnd. Though in reality, I was just making shit up here since I have never even been there. There were two enemies. Only Tarkashire seemed to be willing to fight. I didnt know if and when the other one would decide to join. I had to promptly neutralize him, but seizing the opponent without killing wasnt something I was very used to. I bet you are just bluffing. Back off, little girl! Tarkashire yelled and thrust the dagger at me. I just swung my leg and kicked his hand up. Normally, this would be hard for me to do, but his low skill allowed me to pull it off. The kicknded on his wrist and flung the dagger from his hand straight into the mud ceiling. As he stumbled forward some, I coiled the thread around his wrist and moved into a locking technique. Using that thread, I forced his hands backwards and tied them like chicken wings. Following that, I swiped his legs and pushed him to the ground with my knee pressing on his back to restrain him in ce. Next, I focused my attention on the other man, but Huh, hes gone? The man was suddenly nowhere to be found. Where he used to stand, there was now an entrance leading to the underground tunnel. H-Haumea Are you alright!? Dude, that should be my- Ah, nevermind. Im alright, yes. Im used to this. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I ended up retorting in reflex, but managed to smooth over it with a smile. Elliot had shackles and couldnt move, but he didnt seem to be seriously injured. I knocked out Tarkashire who was squirming under my knee with a chop to the neck, and stood up. You could call this a case closed Right? Chapter 174 Just as I captured Count Tarkashire, Maxwells familiar that was patrolling outside returned. This time around, we were technically trespassers that wreaked havoc inside, so the pigeon was keeping watch outside so we wouldnt get mistakenly arrested. Well, mistakenly wasnt exactly the correct way of putting it either. Re Nico-, I mean, Haumea. The situation is starting to get noisy out there. Have they discovered the corpse at the front? The gate guard has been left off where I killed him. Anyone could obviously tell that it was a corpse at a nce, and when that happened it would inevitably lead to mor. We had a just cause of saving Elliot, plus the backing of Maxwell. We wouldnt be branded as criminals, sure, but I was in my illusionary form now. If they started questioning me now, it would most likely get found out. That pigeon can talk? Yeah, this bird is Maxwell Lord Maxwells familiar. Why did you pause there? He saw through that I hesitated to call that old man with an honorific and made that unnecessaryment. Hmm? You can act a bit more respectful towards me, you know? Come on, try it. You shitty old fart Huh!? Maxwells teasing made me retort with my true feelings. That made Elliot retreat a step back in shock. Whoops. Ive had to deal with that geezers teasing hobby since my previous life. I had to just tough it up and ignore it for now. No, its nothing, ohoho Putting that aside, do you have any injuries, Elliot? I smoothed over the situation with a fakeugh and asked about his condition. If they wanted to make him infertile, it couldve been done instantly. I was asking him if anything like that had happened. Then again, if it really did get crushed, he wouldnt be acting so carefree now. Ah, yes. I just got punched by a bit, but havent suffered any Wait, what about Prisci! He acted like he discarded Prisci earlier due to his position, but he was worried about her in reality. His expression suddenly changed and attempted to rush outside. But since his legs were in fetters, he couldnt get away from the desk. Shes alright. Maxwell Lord Maxwell is currently healing her. Lord Maxwell? But how did he find that ce? It seems he heard about the appointment and his curiosity has led him to follow behind. He was following me? No, me. He is truly a mischievous person. I criticized Maxwells childish behavior. The familiarnded nearby. Normally, it wouldve sat on my shoulder or head, but doing that with the illusion on me was risky. Restraining Tarkashire with my knee was still fine, but my upper half was too different from my real form. More importantly, leaving Elliot aside, it would be problematic for you if people gather, right, Haumea? Oh, yea I mean, yes it would be. My apologies, but would it be alright if I leave the rest to you, Lord Elliot? To me? I will cover for you for the most part. Few would protest when they see my familiar being involved. I am grateful for that, but If thats the case, wouldnt it be fine if she stays too? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Only Maxwell, Cortina, Letina, and I knew about his real identity in the academy. Even his coworkers werent aware that he was royalty. This was also Maxwells way of getting him familiar with how the world worked, but he used that same excuse to cover for me now. I see. I was being inconsiderate. I apologize. No, please dont worry about it. As I epted his apology, the familiar drew a magic circle with its beak. Then it followed up with a chant and cast Unlock. What the, even your familiar can use magic? Now that I think about it, it also used Apport a while ago. Impressed by its skill, I ended up asking that using my natural speech. Of course, this time I made sure Elliot did not hear it. He was also surprised to see a familiar use magic. This magic is not hard to cast as long as the target is within the view. Of course, the longer the distance the more magic power it consumes, but it would do you well to remember that it can be used this way. Why thank you for exining. Though I was actually thankful for him. I could remove Elliots fetters if I crouched near his legs, but there was the risk of himing into contact with my body. My upper half was considerably different from my actual body, so touching it could get me found out. As such, I was wondering how to deal with it. While Elliot was busy removing his unlocked fetters, I decided to leave the ce. Well then, Elliot. I have quite a few secrets, so Ill be taking my leave with this. I left Count Tarkashire bound there, so deal with him however you wish. Ah, okay. And one more thing. Our ns were ruined by this today, but would it be alright if I get in touch with youter? I was worried whether hed be put off by me after seeing how I took Tarkashire down before his eyes, so I asked that in a roundabout way. However, Elliot instead looked bashful and nodded his head with vigor. That childish conduct made me break into a smile. Well then, Ill go check the ce the other man had run off to. But I probably wonte back I am truly sorry for getting you rolled up in my own blunder. Its okay. Rather than that, please go tend to your servant. Shes a very devoted girl, you know? Of course! Elliot responded with a bright smile. Following that, I proceeded into the secret passage. Chapter 175 I went and inspected the hidden passage after I parted with Elliot, but as expected, I couldnt find any important leads. The main culprit, Tarkashire, was already caught and Elliot was safe, but it still left me unsatisfied. But I only had two hands. I couldnt chase the masked man while I had Tarkashire seized. Either way, he would probably confess everything, so there was no need to try so hard. The path led to the front garden of the mansion, the door installed near the fences. One of the fences could be removed so you could escape outside. I wonder why these wealthy fellows like these escape paths? I bet Maxwells familiar wouldve answered that if it was with me but it was currently attending Elliot. It had to exin the situation to the guards that were probably already rushing to this ce, so it had to stay behind. Even after I inspected the surroundings, I, unfortunately, could not discover that man. He escaped, it seems. Oh well, cant be helped. If Elliot wasnt captured, I wouldve stayed hidden and eliminated them one by one without missing a single one Oh well, cant be too greedy now. At any rate, this form is attracting too much attention. Gotta find a ce to revert to my original form. This beautified, grown form that I ended up with through Maxwells supervision was attracting a lot of attention. If I kept going as is, someone was bound to hit on me again. God damn it, where did I go wrong in my life to end up being hit on. Avoiding the public gaze that started to grow, I returned back to my normal form. My limbs returned to their usual length, and my squishy legs covered by my knee socks and skirt came in sight. I couldnt see any muscle gain no matter how long passed. I wanted to avoid wearing a skirt, but Finia and Cortinasbo was too strong and they made sure to check my appearance before I headed out. I could just slip out unnoticed, but slipping out of your house every day would be pretty silly. Besides, I nned to go with the illusion for most of the day today, so I decided it wouldnt matter. Theres quite a lot of time left for the day. Should I go waste time somewhere Wait, I have to wash up before that. I was all bloody on my upper half. If I walked in the city like this, Id be caught even if I left the crime scene. Fortunately, Raums capital had a river flowing through it where people could go do theirundry and such. Oh well, with my ability, I could get close to the river without being seen. Thus, after I went and washed the blood off my clothes and body there, I decided to temporarily return home to change clothes, then decided to hit the Cafe that Elliot introduced me to before. Their dessert has left quite an impression on me. There was no harm if I enjoyed it without Elliot there. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The next day, Elliot showed up as if nothing had happened. I was relieved to see Prisci next to him. From what I saw, she had broken ribs, damaged internal organs and a big horizontal sh. She was so injured it was hard to even look at. Maxwell was quite something to heal her to a point shed be able to get back to work the next day. It wasnt quite as fast as Maria, but his performance did not lose to her in any other way. As the lunch break came, I went with Michelle and others in the courtyard for the first time in a while to have lunch. In the middle of it, I saw a strange scene through the window that could be seen from the courtyard. It was the back of Maxwell as he sat on his desk, and Elliot who was pressing him for answers. Elliot had always respected us Six Heroes, so it was quite rare of him to be so heated up over something. Sorry, something came up. Huh, again? I havent had time to have lunch with the girls in some time, so Letina asked in disappointment. Michelle was looking just as sad. Still, that situation was abnormal. I had to go and make sure. Sorry about this. As an apology, Ill invite you to a delicious shopter. Ohh!? Well, it cant be helped then Really? Yaay! Letina tried to y it off, but her expression was looking just as excited as Michelle. She never gave off that noble feel, but at this point, that was bing one of her charming points. I wished she would grow up the way she was, without being tainted by the noble society. Well, then,ter! I had no time to admire Letina right now. I bid them goodbye quickly and rushed into the academy building while fluttering my skirt. Kabby on my head squealed in dissatisfaction, but the situation looked quite grim. I cant imagine them having discord. The Six Heroes were like parents to him. Besides, even if he was a rear guard, Maxwell was still an experiencedbatant. I couldnt see Elliot even managing to put a finger on him. Still, there was that one in a thousand possibility of him taken by surprise. Imagining the worst-case scenario, I reached the board chairmans room on the first floor. Just as I did, Elliot opened the door and rushed outside. Thats it, Im going back! Wait, Elliot,e back! Hearing Maxwells voice from inside made me feel temporarily relieved. But seeing Elliots face made me stiffen once more. Ive never seen such a stern expression on his face before. Elliot looked startled when he noticed me nearby. But he quickly put up his usual gentle expression. Still, he couldntpletely conceal it, which told me just how angry he was. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Oh my, Nicole. Im sorry, did I startle you? N-No He crouched down in front of me to match my gaze and exined the situation, like a gentleman. But that made the veins on his temples all the more obvious. Im sorry, I just had something I couldnt ept and it turned into a quarrel with Lord Maxwell Well, we did not exactly fight. Well, thats good to hear, I guess? Haha, looks like I still have a long to go seeing how I made you worry about me The way I am, I cant Whats the matter? No Nevermind. After hesitating a bit, Elliot stood back up. It was obvious that he intended to end this conversation at that. Excuse me, then. I have somewhere to go now. Y-Yeah. Goodbye. Being at a loss for words, I could do nothing but see his retreating figure off. That was fine, though. I just had to ask Maxwell for the particrs. Chapter 176 After seeing Elliot disappear in the corner, I knocked on the chairmans door. I knew Maxwell was inside, and usually, I wouldve intruded without knocking, but he mightve been on edge after that quarrel. I decided it was better to follow some manners. Who is it? Its me, Nicole. I didnt know who mightve been listening in the corridor, so I responded in a girly voice. Hearing my voice, Maxwell seemed to have cheered up as he replied. Nicole? You arrived at a great time. Quickly now,e in. A great time? I asked while bending my head in puzzlement. That almost made Kabby slip off, but lets ignore that for now. At any rate, he told me to go in, so it was better to do so promptly. As I opened the door, Maxwell who looked to be at his wits end came to greet me. There was one overturned cup on the desk. It was probably Elliots deed. What happened here, old man. Elliot was actually angry this time, you know? It was about cleaning up after your mess. I did not think he would get that angry. It seems the medicine was too effective for him Cleaning after me? As I asked that, I sat down on the chair next to the desk. It was probably the same chair Elliot sat in earlier. Maxwell also did the same and closed the curtains behind him. He probably realized that he could be seen from the outside from the fact that I showed up. Thats right. Try to remember what you did the other day. I ripped the kidnappers a new one. Quite a frank reply I see. And legally speaking? I started to think. That ce was a diplomats residence, so to speak, and I was an unidentified girl. Someone like that snuck inside, massacred six people in total, and even caught Tarkashire, who was technically a diplomat, bound his arms and stepped down on him. Uh, could it be that Im in some deep shit? What you did wasnt wrong. I was backing you as well, after all. But its still full of problems from the legal perspective. There wouldve been fewer problems if Maxwell himself handled the matter. However, some unknown girl did it in his stead, and she was currently in hiding too. Since they had Elliots testimony, I probably wouldnt be branded a criminal But I was in a dangerous position nheless. And that became a problem. I used that to my advantage. Used? I mean for your case. You cant keep appearing in the city using that form, right? Ah, you mean that. If I kept appearing with that appearance, Elliots longing would be prolonged too much. I had to take my exit somewhere along the way. And so, I made Haumea be one of the spies I secretly hired and made her be responsible for the matter. Responsible how? I ordered her to investigate a suspicious individual and prevent the crime that apanied it. Since she was unable to prevent it, I had her expelled from the kingdom. Whaa!? Hearing about the expulsion made me shocked But thinking about it, that form Haumea was just an illusion. Even if she was deported somewhere, it wouldnt exactly cause me problems. However, Elliot could note to terms with that. Heshed out at me quite unusually. Well, I can see why. From his point, a girl that was both his savior and a crush was expelled from the kingdom. Of course he would flip out. But from Maxwells point, he managed to avoid any trouble and deal with a dangerous person by shifting all the me on an imaginary person. At the same time, he was able to conveniently get rid of the Haumea illusion. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) With that, Elliot would continue chasing that illusion for some time, while I could finally be free from him. Well, I feel bad for him, but we can say everything ended well, right? You say that, but now I am the target of his anger But I suppose I had thating. If you are aware of it, then deal with it. The spearhead was turned my way so I looked away and avoided it. Too bad for Maxwell, but it was a great help that I was able to direct Elliots love somewhere away from me. Lyell might even wee this oue, actually. With this, Elliots love would stay unrequited for some time and his interest in me would go away. And by the time the scars of his first love heal, you would be gone from the academy, is that it? Yeah, perfect, aint it? That is under the assumption that you have learned Polymorph by then. Ugh, Ill just pray that my Gift (Gods Blessing) is able to cover that part. Even Gift holders need to devote themselves to learn things, you know? Ill try my best. I nodded to Maxwells remonstration, realizing I stirred up the trouble for myself. In reality, however, my magic skills increased exponentially within these three years. I was still below middle grade, but my skill at using it was clearly outside the realm of children. At this rate, I still had three more years of elementary school, and three more years if I followed through senior high. I should be able to learn it by then. When I reach the senior grades, I would have ess to the underground library of the academy, which should rapidly increase my skill Chapter 177 After leaving the chairmans office, I headed directly to the cafeteria and had a meal. I couldve joined up with the girls, but with my current mental state I was afraid I would have slipped up and done something strange. I have conducted myself like a guy before Maxwell, even pulling my knees on the chair in an unsightly way, and even drove Elliot into a trap. All that made even me feel a bit questionable about it. After I was done with my meal, I skipped the club activities and went home. I told Letina I wasnt feeling well. Finia looked surprised to see me return so early. Lady Nicole, you returned already? Yeah. Are you doing your usual training, Finia? She was still in touch with the Adventurers that guarded us whening to this city, and sometimes asked them for sword training. She had a sword belt on top of her maid clothes and was easily swinging around a decentlyrge sword. Doing that in front of a cozy house was giving off quite a surreal feel. Yes. I feel like my skills have grown quite dulltely. Ohh, so you can already talk like that. Even I havent grown so dull to lose against Finia. Hearing that, she became a bit sulky. You said it now! Then how about we have a little spar? Theres no way I can point a sword at you, right? Besides, Im thirsty, so Im heading inside. Okay. Then I will prepare hot milk for you! Hot milk in a hot season like this Youre actually angry, huh? Youre imagining it. She answered with a smile but I could see veins on her temple. It was clear that she was displeased after I poured water on her enthusiasm just as she graduated from a beginner level. However, this period was the most dangerous. It was a period when people would gain baseless confidence and do reckless things. It was better to break her nose before it would grow too long for her own sake But I couldnt really imagine her growing haughty. It didnt seem like she was that angry either, as by the dinnertime she hadpletely forgotten about it and her good mood had returned. She sat next to me to serve at the table, but she also had dinner at the same time. She was self-proimed as my personal maid, but she couldnt oppose Cortinas order for everyone to have meals together. I took the opportunity to talk about Elliots matter. Of course, I did not start the topic myself, but rather Cortina, who had noticed his abnormal behavior. I was technically Maxwells private pupil, so it wasnt strange for me to be aware of it. Hmm Elliot, huh? She had watched over Elliot since he was little, so he still appeared like a child to her eyes. Hearing about his disappointed love, she put a hand on her chin and started thinking. We were having dinner now, so that was quite bad manners. A beauty with silver hair and blue eyes In herter teens And with Maxwells backing Cortina? Also, strong enough to easily overpower six wannabe Adventurers Could it be? Uh, whats wrong? Okay, I got it! W-What? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Cortina raised her head with stars in her eyes. Her expression was overflowing with confidence. That woman, you see, Haumea or whatever you called her. Y-Yeah? Shes actually Reid! Wha-!? No, wait a minute. I mean, you are correct, but not really. But I cant exactly point that out. I looked at her with aplex expression, which she seemed to have mistaken for me asking for an exnation, and continued her speech in full confidence. Okay, hear this. First, Maria cast Reincarnation on Reid twenty years ago. Ah, yeah. That she did, I guess? Maria is certain that it worked. If he reincarnated soon after, he should be somewhere in his mid-teens now. I was barely ten, but I had no choice but to consent to her deduction. Also, hes currently in Raum. This is also a fact. And now, some mysterious skilled person came into y. And that someone has connections to Maxwell despite being amoner. But Maxwell could have his own acquaintances, right? Even so, he is the leader of this kingdom, you know? There are only a limited number of individuals who can get in touch with him. Much less someone with an unknown background. Is that so In that case, she should be someone who has known Maxwell from before Or perhaps its better to say that she was friends with him. Someone like that whos in her teens yet also someone whos Im not aware of, there can only be Reids reincarnation. Arent you making a bit too many assumptions there? You even doubted Kabby, back then, didnt you? No, Im certain this time! And Elliot fell for him, so he left the kingdom to put a distance between them. I can now ept that unreasonable punishment from Maxwell. I-Is that how it was? Cortina dered with an excited voice. She was certainly really close to the correct answer, but she was also so far. It was good that I barely avoided being the target of her doubt. And now I can understand why he did not show himself before me. Looks like he had reincarnated as a girl! Ah, well, yeah. Good grief, that guy has always been so stand-offish. He shouldve just said so, and I wouldve taught him a bunch of things! He even became a beauty thats worth having fun with! You are starting to creep me out. Cortina was moving her fingers in a suspicious manner. What exactly did she n to teach me? Right, I cant sit still now Ill go out for a bit. Where are you going now!? Needless to say, Cortina was quite a beauty herself. The feline race had much more longevitypared to humans. Looking from her race, she was still a young girl. She could pass off as a human in her teens with her appearance. If she went out during the dinnertime, she was bound to attract drunkards. That could happen regardless of the kingdom you were in. Besides There was indeed a lot of evidence left behind in that mansion. There was enough evidence that no more excuses would work, take the Mythril threads that I cut off after the malfunction, for example. Not to mention, the scrapes on the railings from when I defeated the gate guard would work as evidence, too. Dammit! Im going to have to put some screws on Maxwellter Ah, go a little easy on him, okay? Ill do my very best! She was so excited she wasnt even listening to what I was saying. Seeing her rushing out of the house after having barely eaten, I could do nothing but sigh. Cant be helped Finia, can you get me another cup of Huh? When I turned around, Finia wasnt there. Looking back, I saw her running after Cortina in her maid uniform. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Really What should I do about this? I decided to pay a visit to Maxwell once again the next day. Chapter 178 The next day, I dropped by Maxwells office and as usual, clung to the old man who was busy doing paperwork for help. He couldnt exactly kick me out either, so he just sighed and listened to what I had to say. So, what is it this time? Well,st night I exined about Cortinas rash behavior from yesterday in a rather exaggerated manner. About the fact that she was convinced that the Mysterious Girl Haumea was Reid. I mean, it wasnt exactly wrong I told him everything without leaving out a single detail about how Cortina arrived at that conclusion. After he heard it all, Maxwell plopped down on his desk seemingly exhausted. There was enough force behind it that it was fortunate that his teacup didnt spill over. What crazy fellows they are Well, as expected of Cortina. It was correct to have you change your appearance. Really? Cuz I only feel like its gonna get a lot moreplicated from now on. Well, we managed to pull you and Reid apart, so there should be no harm. Well, that may be true But is this really okay? Haumea is believed to be already gone from this city. No matter how much Cortina or Elliot try to chase after her, there is no chance of them finding her. True, the person in question was here, so no matter how much they chased after my phantom, there was no chance of finding her. However, it wasnt like the connection to her was cut off entirely. As long as there existed Maxwell as the connection point, they wouldnt give up. In exchange, they are going to start pressing you for answers now, arent they? Are you sure you can dodge your way out of it? Hm? You are right Elliot aside, Cortinas questioning would be hard to deal with. Moreover, Haumeas appearance was seen in the city, so she might be a hot topic now. When walking downtown, there have been cases where shopkeepers have called out to me thinking I was Haumea. I hadnt shown that appearance in the city that much, but I did do some shopping. And I used that form during the kidnapping, too. Whoever called out to me quickly realized that they got the wrong person by my height, but I never imagined that Haumea would be so famous in a mere few days. Hmm Now that I remember it, Elliot has Prisci with him. Ah, that he does. With her included, Elliot might actually be harder to deal with than Cortina. Why? Prisci is quite an excellent spy, after all. She was still quite inexperienced from my point of view, but looked like Maxwell held her in high regard. Now that I think about it, even Elliot was being attentive to her. Are you that familiar with her? Hm? Oh, yes, she is like a little sister to Elliot. So I had many opportunities to meet her due to their connection. I still think she has ways to go Dont judge her based on yourself. Shes quite excellent given her age. She had certainly shown quick-wittedness during Elliots rescue. However, if she was so good, I wouldve wanted her to prevent the kidnapping situation from happening in the first ce. That part made me think she still had ways to go But well, she acted on Elliots selfishness at that time, putting all the me on her would be too harsh. Putting that aside, about the uproar you caused. I would not be able to do much about it with my influence. You mean Elliot might use Prisci to investigate it, huh? When it came to dealing with a spy, even I couldnt be careless. Much less if the other party was someone Maxwell held in high regard. I wanted this situation handled as fast as possible. Alright then, I havee up with four ns to deal with that. Ohh, that many? What are they? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I didnt expect that he would offer several solutions, so I ended up leaning towards him in excitement and urged him to speak. He looked at me with an evil grin and raised his finger. First. You can just disappear in reality. Are you telling me to leave this city? Indeed, since I was the one being pursued, I could avoid Cortinas investigation at least if I just disappeared from this ce. And Prisci had her job to guard Elliot, so she wouldnt be able to leave the city either. You could say that by leaving the city, all kinds of investigations woulde to a halt. However, doing that would mean my magic study would stop as well. However, my end goal was to be a man again. Rejected, rejected! I cant overlook the fact that my magic learning would be interrupted. Then, the second. Redirect their attention to someone even more conspicuous. In other words, prepare someone even more beautiful and redirect Elliots attention there. And where could I find that beauty? You can only make one up with your illusion. Rejected again, you moron! Creating someone even more beautiful to redirect peoples attention would just be shifting the point of the spearhead instead of dealing with the core problem. If it was redirected to someone else, it would be fine, but that other person would still be me in this case. If I repeated that several times, they might even figure it out. Then, the third. This is more of an extension to the second, however. That is, do some event and redirect their attention to that. Specifically speaking? Hosting a festival, for example. Fortunately, this magic academy is quite conspicuous in this city. If we do some event here and create a festive mood, Cortina and Elliot who are teachers would be too busy to do anything else. Thats not a bad idea But what kind of festival would be good? How about a battle tournament that all citizens would find interest in? Wouldnt I just end up stealing the champions seat! The students attending the magic academy were elites, but they were still kids. There were no opponents to me given my skill. If I ended up easily sting through the tournament, that could even lead some people to my real identity. I could, of course, pretend that I wasnt that strong, but there was a clear and vast difference in the way an expert and amateur moved their bodies. Even if you limited it to their manner of walking, everyone knowledgeable would easily realize it. If I pretended to be weak, it would make me more suspicious instead. Then ites down to the fourth one. Wait for the situation to calm down. I guess ites down to that, in the end. Their momentary frenzy would probably die down after some time passes. That n was certainly effective but it had its share of problems. The problem is for how long, and where should I hide until then. Hmm Reid, you broke your gauntlets, right? Yeah, I really have to get them fixed But those gauntlets were first-rate articles that a certain skilled cksmith made, who lived in hiding in the Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle. If I had some average cksmith tinker with it, they could damage it beyond repair. In fact, my left gauntlet was currently all crumpled. Well, my hand was unharmed exactly because that broken gauntlet cushioned the attack. If I were to fix it, I need to head to where the cksmith that made it lives. There were certain topics I couldnt disclose even to myrades. When it came to this extremely skilled cksmith who made my weapons, In particr, there was a high chance of his life being targeted. For that reason, both I and that cksmith had formed a non-disclosure agreement before he made these gauntlets. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) If possible, Id rather not say. I do not mind But is that cksmith somewhere the current you can visit? No, its quite impossible to do that. The Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle was one of the city-states located on the southeastern part of the continent. It was a region that gained independence ever since the group of the city-states that controlled all the south had split into three parts. Due to that breakup, all three states were at odds with each other and it wasnt very safe there. But above all, it was just too far away. It would take about a month on foot to reach Alecmarle from Raum. And that would double in my case. I couldnt leave my home for that long. Cortina would worry too much, after all. Well, Ill tell you since I trust you, but the one that made these resides in the Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle. But the three kingdoms there are giving off dangerous vibes. I might find myself in some trouble if I decide to head there. Since I was something like a foster child of Cortina, I probably looked like a kid with highmercial value from the point of scoundrels. I wished to avoid any such problems if I could. The Sword Kingdom, huh Hmm, then how about this. We can just make it the destination for off-campus learning. Say what? Maxwells suggestion made me respond with disbelief. Chapter 179 Since most of the students in the magic academy were the wealthy or nobles kids, it had a lot of funds. But it would be a problem if the administration simply pocketed those funds. But for that reason, the academy provided a lot of these trips under the pretext of off-campus learning. By doing that, they could broaden the students knowledge while at the same time avoiding the criticism for hoarding profit. This is not the trip I was nning for, but fortunately there are still more than enough funds left. Enough to be able to send all the upperssmen of fourth grade and up to every ce. Four and up? Why not just limit it to my grade? This academy, which all sorts of nobles attended, had a lot of live-in students, enough to warrant making a dormitory for them. However, not everyone was like that. Local nobles and wealthy kids were also there Take Matisse, for example. Among them, there were many young children that were scared of leaving their parents sides. In addition, it was difficult to imagine that kids whose discretion couldnt be trusted wouldnt cause some kind of a problem. When going on trips, it was essential for them to have at least some self-control or it would most likely lead to trouble. I see. And why do you want them to be sent to every ce? If I only limit it to the Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle, some people might get suspicious that something must be in that ce, right? True, if several school years went on an unannounced trip to Alecmarle, some might suspect the reason. For that reason, I am going to change the destinations a bit. Highest grade ones would go to Matara Alliance, fifth years, to the Northern Alliance. So we wouldjust happento visit Alecmarle, huh? That way, there would be no feeling of anything out of ce. If several school years went to different ces on the continent, it wouldnt look strange if I happened to be in one of them. But sending hundreds of them all around should take an absurd sum Are you sure you are alright on the budget? I am instead troubled at how much funds we have. Raums magical institutes fame is already as high as a decent brand. In other words, you are all set, huh? It is enough to send them all two or three more times. Woah, thats more than I imagined, old man! I was surprised to hear that he has money to send around 300 kids on trips across differentnds. I dont believe you can make that much profit through donation alone. That sounds quite prosperous, but isnt it weird for donations to add up to such an absurd amount? About that You are partly the reason for that. Me? Yes. Lyell and Marias child is attending the magic academy. Many of the nobles want to use it as an opportunity to get close to you. Ever since you enrolled, weve had a sharp increase in noble applicants. We are making it big thanks to that. Stop treating me like a rare animal to attract customers, will you? But I could see his point. It was a fact that my existence was viewed as quite important in this world. Lyell and Maria were thought to have been weakening due to their life span, but in reality, the medicine from the God of Destruction would leave them on active duty for decades toe. Maxwell was old, but he still had more left than an average human. Cortina and Gadius were much the same. I had a big connection to them all, so I was bound to be a key figure in this world. It was natural for there to be many nobles trying to get close to me. All the nobles with simrly aged children tried to sneak them into the academy. Fortunately, Letina was acting as an excellent breakwater for me, and my livelihood wasnt under a threat. Well, that is how it is. There is an unexpected ie. We have to return the favor to that littless Letina who is guarding you, too. And this trip would work for that? Being the daughter of the Marquis means that when she makes her debut to high society, she would no longer be able to go on trips so easily. This is the only time for her to have fun. Hmm I tended to forget it, but she was the Marquis daughter. After she made her debut, she had to deal with the nobles of this kingdom. Due to the Marquisissez-faire education policy, she was allowed to act like an Adventurer with me, but that wouldntst long. This was the only time for her to let her hair down. For that reason, Maxwell wanted to make this trip as fun as possible for her. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Right. Then How is it with the Adventurer Academy? Specifically, I was asking it for Michelle. It would be too pitiful for her to be the only one to sit out on this trip. Well It seems they have not made much profit, so it would be hard for them to pay for the trip expenses. Yeah I expected something like that. Magic Academys profit was merely the byproduct of an attraction like me. The Adventurer Academy had no such source, so their profits probably stayed low. So Michelle has to sit this one out, after all We could take her if we were to be partial, but that wouldnt be a smart move as educators. Cant the Magic Academy lend some budget to them? We are not allowed to mix the budgets. They are managed through their own funds. Maxwell sipped on his tea with a bitter face. Thus, Maxwell and I decided on the trip to the Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle. Chapter 180 After we settled on our ns from now on, I decided to talk to Maxwell about the other days events. First I decided to ask about Count Tarkashire who we managed to capture. Reminds me, what happened to that shithead noble? Well Maxwell started unusually hesitantly. And no wonder, as it turned out that someone had assassinated him on the same night of the capture. He was supposed to be under perfect security. I hadnt put up any magical surveincework there, but the guards were strictly watching over him. Then, how did he get killed? Or when exactly? And what about the culprit? I barraged him with questions. It seemed that he was assassinated at nightfall, taking advantage of the gap between the monitoring shifts. Since there were people guarding the ce, the assassin must have been quite skilled to pull it off. At present, the most suspicious of all would be You. Howe!? Setting aside the objective, the first one to pop my mind when I heard about someone that could slip through the defenses was you. I had no motive, though. Besides, during that time I was in the bath with Finia. Oh? Looks like you are getting along as always. So, how did it feel to the touch? Dont ask that!!! That was a blunder on my part. No, well, he was already aware that I was getting into the bath together with Cortina and Finia. Finias werent that big but they were quite sof- No, nevermind. Returning to the topic, since this would derail from it too much. I was the one that caught him, in the first ce. If I wanted to kill him, Id have done it then and there. Indeed. Hence we arent aware of the culprits objective. Thats so unreliable of you. I gave a briefment about his unusual blunder and went to rummage through his office. It was the usual thing so he didnt try to stop me. After doing my search I properly tidied after myself, so there would be no need to clean up. Rather, it would end up being more put in order after I was done, given how crude he was at dealing with his things. I discovered rare biscuits behind the thick encyclopedia on the bookshelf. They were products from a famous shop, full of fragrance, baked after mixing sesame into the dough. This old man had a nature to hide food here, like a squirrel preparing for winter. He said he gained this habit of stocking up tasty things back when he was still royalty and could only eat poison-tested food. He said that without looking me in the eye, so I had some suspicions about how honest he was being. Stop hogging everything, old man. You have some nerve to say that afterying waste to this ce. Good grief I ced the lunchbox I brought with me on his desk and these biscuits next to them as a dessert. After pouring me some tea, Maxwell continued. I cannot deny that the monitoring eyes were a bitx during the shift switch. I was busy attending to Elliot and Prisci, and it would be a little unreasonable to evaluate the prison guards with the same criteria as in our time. Well True. Since the security system underwent sudden changes, it was actually natural for there to appear gaps in defenses. Still, there were enough of them mobilized to make up for those gaps, yet someone managed to slip through them. I couldnt me Maxwell that I was the first one to pop up in his mind after thinking about the possible candidates. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) After all, he had seen me slip through the enemies and monsters many times back in our active days. In other words, it should be someone with the same level of Stealth skills as I. That limits the number of individuals quite a bit. I am currently trying to gather information from people connected to the underworld. I judged that they did the best they could at defending as ordinary people. The assassin was probably simply one step above them. That means, the identity of the masked man from before is also Still undiscovered, yes. Judging by the fact that they managed to assassinate him on the same day, it might have been someone trained from childhood. Having suchworks should have taken a long time. Then, the masked man would have to be someone knowledgeable about this town. Indeed. And a noble. Tarkashire is the very personification of authoritarianism. He wouldnt allowmoners near him. Someone who lives here considerably long and is of quite a high social standing, huh. But we cant narrow it down with just that. Well, I will slowly tighten the encircling. I will not let them go. I hope so. Maxwell shrugged his shoulders. In the end, the masked man managed to make a good escape. Chapter 181 Due to Maxwells sudden n, it was decided that we fourth years would be heading to the Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle. There were still things left to settle, such as making everyone aware of it, gathering the participants, and other trip preparations, so all that would take about a month. And after that one month passed, it was already July. The usual swimming practices restarted, and I had to deal with seeing the bodies of my ssmates whose sexual traits started to emerge. Even I was the target of such gazes. In this season, in particr, the boys were sending lusty gazes at me, making me feel like vomiting. I never thought I would one day be the target of such gazes I was thinking about such things while paddling through the artificial swimming pool. It was a little tough for me to swim across the pool that was about 30 meters long, but considering the early days when I fainted right after getting into the water, I made remarkable progress. Moreover, when I was submerged it allowed me to avoid those gazes and forget some things, so it felt rather refreshing. Ohh, youve be quite a good swimmer already, Nicole. Cortina met me on the other side after I made it through. As expected of a feline race, her limbs were the very picture of youth despite her already hitting her forties. Her swimsuit that was full of exposure was a delicious sight for sore eyes. Wait, that makes me no different from those boys. Hm? I think that would be a little tough for you, dont you think? I was talking about the way I was looking at her, but she seemed to have misunderstood it to mean my swimming ability. At my age, there was already a gap forming between the physical abilities of boys and girls, so the boys were able to swim a little faster. Of course, if I used my threads to strengthen myself, I would not lose to them Actually, wouldnt that serve as good training to operate my body through threads alone? Next time wee to swim, Ill try it out with threads that will be invisible in the water. Fuuh. I got out of the water, removed the hat that kept my hair in ce and grabbed the towel. I had to quickly dry myself or Id get a cold. My hair fluttered down and stuck to my body, making me feel kind of unpleasant. I proceeded to wipe off the droplets of water from my head with the prepared towel. I wasnt rubbing it hard, but instead gently pressing on it. Finia kept insisting that my hair would get damaged if I didnt do that. The damn atmosphere of the forest coupled with the zing sun made it relentlessly humid. This season sure drains your energy even if you just stand and do nothing, huh. Well, Nicole, I dont think this season is to me for your case. My legs were trembling after I got out of the water. My stamina shortage was really something. Moreover, my skin also started to redden a little. I was weak even against the sun. The bath tonight might sting quite a bit. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) This is still considerable progress! Yup. You used to float like a jellyfish before. I suppose this is the result of the growth period. Indeed. You even brought the swimsuit recements twice. Since entering the academy, I have grown about 30 cm taller. Since I had to adjust my swimsuits to my growth, I, unfortunately, had to visit the town to buy new ones a few times. I say unfortunately because Finia turned me into a dress-up doll on those asions. Im not sure why I ended up having to wear a bunch of dresses when I originally left to buy swimsuits. Even the store staff seemed to be at a loss. Well, then, since you look so lively, how about another round? Well, fine. Swimming one more length was harsh, but it was better than being under so many curious gazes. Ever since I got out of the water, forget the boys even the girls were staring my way. It even made me double-check my body, wondering if there was anything wrong with me. t chest, limbs with no muscle, nails that shone like pearls, and glossy, baby-like skin that repelled water. Ugh Shit, Im a kid no matter how you look at it. Compared to the erotic body of Cortina beside me, mine felt pathetic. She wore a racing swimsuit which unsparingly made a disy of her slender yet extremely feminine figure. If I was still a guy, I wouldve gotten aroused without a doubt. I mean, I could get aroused even now, but I had no way of showing it. My little man was gone. Cortina, are you trying to mock me? How did you reach that conclusion? As if to escape from her who retorted with an exasperated expression, I went to stand at the edge of the swimming pool. Perhaps it wasnt me but her that the boys were gazing at. That must be the case. Lets assume that was it. Okay, Im heading in. Huh, seriously? Be careful, Nicole. Your body must be nearing its limit. Howe youre acting surprised now Based on her reaction, it seemed that her go do another round from earlier was a joke. After giving off a curt reply, I dived into the water. Seeing Nicole jump into the pool, Cortina heaved a deep sigh. How far did her self-awareness go, she wondered. In these threeand already breaking into fouryears, Nicole had matured a lot at Cortinas side. Her hands grew long and slim, and her body was slowly getting tinged with maturity and gaining its luster. When she removed her hat and let her bluish-silver hair flow, it clung to her body like she was in the shower, and even she, another woman, couldnt help but gulp. Cortina could understand and rte to why all the boys were devouring her with their eyes. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) However, she Nicole, was not self-aware of that fact. Even if she was aware that her looks were somewhere above average, she still did not fully realize just how breathtakingly beautiful she already was. She interacted with people casually like a boy,pletely defenselessly and straightforwardly. She was not aware of just how many misunderstandings that was causing. I wish I could make her more aware of it Of course, kids were made to take general lessons about it. At ten, it was already a good time for sex education. And Nicole also took them, but she always took them with low interest, as if she was looking at something depraved. Perhaps it was because Maria and Lyend even Finiahad been raising her like a sheltered girl, with all the care and carefulness, that she had grown to be so fastidious regarding the sexual rtionships. To be more urate, Cortina was partly to me too, since Nicole had spent considerable time at her side. Thinking so, Cortina looked towards Nicole who was swimming vigorously. There, she saw a girl swimming with such a beautiful form that you wouldnt believe she was a child. While looking at that, she directed her consciousness somewhere else. The boys in the surroundings were staring at her as if she was a beautiful flower. Nay, it wasnt just the boys. More than half of the girls, too, were looking at her with longing eyes. She was gaining unbelievable attention in this academy. Only she herself was not aware of that fact. I have to get her to fully realize thatshe is a beautybefore some trouble happens. Cortina nodded to herself and folded her arms. But then, she heard a panicking voice of a student. Teacher! Nicole Nicole started floating again!! Returning to her senses, Cortina saw that in that one instant she wasnt paying attention, Nicole managed to sink down and then started floating around. It seemed that 50 meters were too much for her, in the end. Cortina jumped into the water in a hurry andmenced the rescue operation. Chapter 182 The trip this time would take three nights and four days, a considerably long duration for children our age. That said, what would have normally taken a month on foot one way, was reduced to a mere few days of a round trip, which showed just how useful the teleportation magic was. I could understand why every kingdom was so sensitive when it came to this magic. For students other than me it was nothing more than a sightseeing trip, so everyone at the academy looked excited. For the same reason, Letina dragged me out today to buy clothes for the trip. Why clothes? We are heading to that kingdom for the first time, right? We have to choose proper clothes so that no one looks down on us. We are going to be wearing our uniforms during the sightseeing, and sleeping with the gym ones, you know? But we can wear personal clothes during free hours, right? I n to just wear my uniform during that time too Neither teacher Cortina nor I will allow that! Due to that, I was made to apany her on the shopping and had to run around downtown. As always, Letinas mother, Eliza, wasnt with us. I suppose that showed how much she trusted me. Ms. Eliza is staying home today as well? Mother has been invited to the Duke Ainys tea party. Lord Duke, huh In Raum, Duke was the title given to someone rted to the royal family. In other words, they were Maxwells blood rtives and also the leaders of the kingdom. When someone like that invited you, you couldnt refuse unless you had some emergency. Ah, these shoes are so cute! Letina didnt pay attention to my wonder and was busy admiring some shoes. Was she nning to take shoes too? Do you n to switch your shoes too over there? Your luggage is growing too big, you know? T-This much should be alright! I can see your cold sweat Imagining how massive her luggage was going to be, Letina broke into a cold sweat. The clothes she wanted to bring on a three-day trip required more than three cases. Even Maxwell will get angry, you know? I will wear them on another asion. Being a huge fan of the Six Heroes, that one sentence was enough to make her give up. I was part of those Heroes too, so I felt quite conflicted about her reaction. The time passed like that and the day of departure arrived. During that period, Maxwell desperately tried to dodge Cortinas investigation. But it was quite weird for him to suddenly teleport away the moment he saw Cortina. Even Cortina was unable to chase after him when he suddenly teleported away. And now, the day of departure. Around 300 students were gathered in the schoolyard in the early morning, waiting to depart. This time, our destinations were different, so we couldnt use the teleportation circle of the Adventurers Guild. For that reason, Maxwell was going to be the one to cast it. He was apparently nning to extend the scope of the Portal Gate and transfer a hundred students in one go to their destination. Frankly put, to magnify the range of what was by default a high-rank spell, was a waste of magic power youd normally never even consider. But Maxwells magic power was worthy of its name, as he was able to repeat that process three times. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Im so excited! I have never been to the Alecmarle Sword Kingdom. Its in the south, so the difference in climates is quite big. Oh, have you been there before, Nicole? Agh, I mean Ive simply heard that to be the case. Ahh, Lord Lyell and Lady Maria must have visited it before. Lets leave it like that. In truth, we were rounded up for subjugating the Evil Dragon in the north, so weve never visited the Alecmarle Sword Kingdom of the south. It was just that I was raised there. Cortina and I who conducted activities in that area were one thing, but I wasnt sure if Maria, who has been born in the central Holy Tree Kingdom of Forneus, had ever visited it. Lyell was also southern-born, but his kingdom was a bit more south-west and was separated from the Sword Kingdom. I didnt think he ever visited it either. However, Maxwell who could use teleportation magic should have visited it before. Because, one of the conditions of teleportation magic was to have visited the destination before. Letina was acting more gung-ho than usual, but looking closely, it seemed that she had put a flower-shaped brooch on her beret. Looks like she wanted to be dressed as stylishly as possible. I on the other hand was in my usual uniform, with my usual sturdy boots. Kabby got on top of my beret that was part of the uniform. I kept my luggage to a minimum so it stood out how little I had on mepared to the surrounding students. Okay, fourth years next. I will be following you to Alecmarle too. Huuuuuuh!? Maxwell dropped the bomb right before the departure. I knew it beforehand so I wasnt surprised. There was a reason for this. We were nning to lodge in the capital of Alecmarle, Maleva. To fix my gauntlets, I was supposed to visit the cksmith that lived in hiding in the mountains a few hours away from the capital. However, I had some doubts about whether my stamina wouldst through solo mountain climbing. If Maxwell, who could teleport, apanied me, my fears would go away. Wait a minute, Maxwell. Why havent I heard of this? Because I kept it a secret. Is it not obvious? Kept it a secret? You just kept running away! Besides, have you at least considered your lodging? I can just return to Raum when I need it. Ah, right. Since he could use teleportation, he could just return to Raum to rest. There was no need for him to go out of his way and stay in Maleva. This is why teleportation users keep popping in and out wherever they please. Even I wish to take a breather once in a while. My old bones are at their limit. Well, thats what you get for training Nicole on top of your director work. Lately, the public order has been quite hectic too, so I get that you are fatigued. But still, wouldnt this just make the students needlessly nervous? The pot calling the kettle ck. You are also one of the Six Heroes, are you not? There are no problems with me. The students are already used to seeing me. Indeed, since they saw Cortina on daily basis, their respect towards her as one of the Six Heroes was somewhat damped. They were, of course, respecting her, but they still treated her as they would any other teacher. At any rate, do not worry about me and just have fun. Oh,e on! It was unreasonable to tell them not to be nervous when their director, who was also one of the Six Heroes, was apanying them. Looking around, both the students and the teachers were looking tense. Then, I noticed something. Huh, wheres teacher Elliot? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Elliot wasnt among the teachers. And neither was Prisci. Ah, he cannot apany us today. Dont you remember what happened recently? It would not be good for him to step foot where his guards wont be able to follow. I see There were guards other than Prisci in this city. But those guards would not be able to follow us to Alecmarle. Because of that, he had to withhold from apanying us this time. This was a lucky oue for me, too. There was a possibility of him following me around and ruining my chance of getting my gauntlets repaired, after all. Well, I do feel bad for him But cant be helped. Elliot came to Raum through forceful means. Joining us on a sudden trip would be far too unreasonable. And so, through Maxwells spell, we departed on our trip towards the Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle. Chapter 183 As usual, once the light of the teleportation died down, the surrounding scenery was changed. Its destination was nearby Maleva. Since we did not use the Guilds teleportation, this wasnt an official teleportation point. Vast grasnds spread ahead, and there was a steep mountain towering over the surroundings from the west of the city. It had a history of erupting before, so humans didnt approach it. In fact, that was supposed to be the sanctuary of the God of Destruction, Yuuri. In other words, it was the homece of my great ancestor. Since it was the sanctuary of such a God, on top of the risk of eruption, almost no one wanted to go near it despite being right next to the city. That was the reason why that recluse cksmith lived in such a ce. Its lookin the same as always. Its been twenty years since I had died. But the scenery here hasnt changed one bit. Unlike me, who muttered that nostalgically, Letina started pping her clothes. What are you doing? Dont you feel it, Nicole? The air here feels Different, isnt it? Hearing that, I also imitated her and brought fresh air inside my clothes to confirm the sensation. And I quickly realized what she meant. Ahh, this is because we arent in the sea of trees. What makes it different? The Forest Kingdom of Raum is full of deep forests. The moisture drifts all around there. But the Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle doesnt have that many forests. Because of that, our clothes dont feel as sticky here. Now that you mentioned it, I dont feel the smell of the greenery, just the dirt. I dont think its really all that bad Its a little pitiful topare it to Raum. Alecmarle had shallow forests, but it wasnt like itcked nature. However, as it was a kingdom that revered the One-Armed War God Alec, and followed the supremacy of swordsmanship, they also were active in smithing. And in proportion to it, they were actively mining for the ores and felling trees in the forests across thend, so their forest territories were gradually decreasing Back in my time, at least. At present, their ore supplies are mostly imported from the Matara Alliance. Sadly there is still nothing to be done about the firewood problem. Maxwell heard our conversation and joined in. Since he had visited this ce before, he shouldve been more aware of what was going on with it nowadays. Lord Maxwell!? Ah, thats right, you followed us here. That sounds like I am an extra My apologies! Putting that aside, you are quite knowledgeable about this ce, arent you, Nicole? I-I, uh, heard it from Dad? Why did you bend your head while answering that, I wonder? Just felt like it! Really? I made a fist and insisted on it. Letina was overpowered by my insistence and backed down without catching on to the fact that I was bluffing my way out. Maxwell smiled at our behavior and patted our heads. Incidentally, Kabby was on my head as a guard so my hair escaped the pat. Having her hair ruffled, Letina showed aplex expression, being both happy and sad. As a noble daughter who was advocating her high girliness, having her hair messed up was quite a sad thing. But at the same time, she was hanging on to the threshold of happiness since it was the touch of that Maxwell. Well, their smithing can be said to be prosperous, but they still cannot hold a candle to Matara, which is the home of it. However, there is still a possibility of a hidden craftsman lurking here. Is there someone like that here? How could I know! That is why they are calledhidden. Thats sounded so evasive (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Letina gave him an exasperated nce, but Maxwell was probably referring to the cksmith that I came to visit. It was a total coincidence that I got to meet him, too, but he was someone who truly held an extraordinary ability to make borate magic tools. It has been twenty years since then, though, so I didnt know whether he was still alive and kicking. Hey, Maxwell! Stop loitering over there, lets hurry up to the city. Very well. It would be scary to anger you, Cortina. Huuuuuhh!? They started their usual chitchat, but even the students were already used to seeing it at the academy. Before I came here, they seemed to have acted a bit more distant, so everyone was surprised at their change at first. Anyway, we have to check the chivalric order and stuffter, so we should hurry up! Okay, okay. Maxwell was the one to suggest inspecting their swordsmanship since we wereing to the Sword Kingdom and all. Back in my childhood, I longed for the chivalric order, but due to my frail body, I failed the entrance exam. The marathon training of the physical exampletely and utterly wrung me dry of power. I copsed and was left behind on the way, but those that managed to pull through that hell managed to be the most respected knights of this kingdom. Having the opportunity to inspect that same chivalric order after all this time was a strange y of fate. By the way, todays schedule was to check-in at the inn, then have a lecture about the chivalric order, and then have lunch. After that, we nned to ask them to observe their training. Following that would be dinner and bath, then sleep. And finally, I nned to head to the cksmith in question. Maxwell was following me, so returning would be easy. Chapter 184 After we entered the city, Cortina guided us to the particrly big inn even by this citys standards. To my knowledge, that inn was quite a high ss one in the entire Maleva. Uh, Cortina Hey, call me teacher during the academy hours. Ah, right. Teacher, this inn is quite a high-ss, isnt it? Hmm? Did you hear that from your parents too? I slipped up. If I had heard it from hearsay, I shouldnt have known about the worth of some inn. Cortina could catch on to contradictions even from such minor details, so I had to be careful. Nnnh, ah well, you dont have to worry about that. Maxwell is the one thats providing the funds. I heard it was from donations, though? That money has already been allocated ording to how it should be used, so he cant use it as he pleases. He probably just wanted toe to have fun and made up a reason for it. Having annual budget limitations was just like the world of politics. If thats the case, this sudden excursion was paid by Maxwells own pocket money, huh? You dont have to worry about it, you know, Nicole? I will just make up for it with the director remuneration from next year. You dont have to put so much effort into ying around. What are you saying! I am an old man that has a little time left to live, you know? If I do not enjoy my life now, when else? Your little time is still over a hundred years! While listening to their usual banter, everyone started entering the inn in droves. I got fed up with listening to them, so I went and joined the line. After we were guided to the big hall inside the inn, Cortina started exining our next course of action. She was just one of the teachers, but her words held more power than the rest of them. After she lined everyone up in the hall, she started exining our schedule as the representative. Okay, attention attention! Later, after we are done with the lecture about the chivalric order, we will have lunch in the dining hall at their ce. The goal is to have you experience the food rations of the chivalric order. After pping to gather attention, she said it with a well-projected voice. As expected from someone who could spearhead an army, her voice had a great volume and quality to be well-heard. It was rare to find a voice like hers that didnt feel unpleasant despite being so loud. Her voice was quite like an opera singer. After that, I n to have you experience the orders training first-hand, so once you are back to your rooms, make sure to change into your gym uniforms. Since they can also be used as pajamas, I believe you should have brought two pairs at least, right? Yesss! The students returned a lively answer to her question. Seeing them like this, I could see that they were still kids in the end, well-bred or not. Most of the students of the Magic Academy also aimed to be civil officials when they grew up. Even so, knighthood was something of a dream job for the boys. Many of them were looking excited, being able to experience the training of those same knights. Even I was feeling quite eager. I once challenged a knight and faced an honorable defeat. Ever since then, I stopped challenging people head-on and instead studied the art of assassination, and refined it to extremes. How far would the current me go if I faced a knight head-on? I wanted to try it one time. Maxwell cane up with nice ns once in a while, huh? Letina asked in puzzlement, but I shook my head in denial. Cortina was still exining things, so we shouldnt be whispering. Maleva was the capital of Alecmarle. However, there was nothing sort of a royal castle in it. Instead, it had chivalric facilities set up in each of the four directions and had one order stationed in each of them, protecting the urban area from the outside. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Knight lodging houses to the northeast, infantry training grounds southeast, cavalry parade grounds northwest, and archer shooting range southwest. There were also other facilities inside the city itself, like the managementmand post and material warehouses. By dividing the army into divisions, they could avoid the danger of being made powerless in one go Apparently. The one we visited was the infantry training grounds southeast. It was called infantry grounds, but it was just a big open field with no particr establishments on it. If anything, maybe the lodging house that the infantry used for meals and small breaks. First, we had to listen to a lecture about how the chivalric order came to be, so we were guided to the lodging house with an in-built cafeteria. The four sses of my school year amounted to about 100 students at most, so the cafeteria was more than big enough to amodate us all. Well then, everyone. Im d that you have visited us. First, we will teach you about our chivalric order, then let you have a meal, and finally, let you experience our training. An elderly knight that was acting as our guide exined it to us in a surprisingly gentle manner. They brought a chalkboard into the cafeteria and exined about the typography and history along with exnatory diagrams. In this city, there once lived a young boy called Alec who wouldte be known as the Sword Saint. A stray dog had ripped off one of his arms, but he did not get disheartened and still chose to follow the way of the sword, and arrived at the pinnacle of it. It was the story of One-Armed Sword Saint Alec, who wouldter be revered as a War God. But his tale was filled with many dubious points. Like, when he retired from being an Adventurer and joined the chivalric order in this city, he received the sword withtwohands. Old myths and tales were often full of such vague parts. You should just remember them as there was once a person like this and stop there. Thisnd also had other tales about the Wind God and God of Destruction, hinting that they were quite the history nerds. They even had a bridge at the west of the city, which was assumed to have been created by the Wind God. The knight exined about such famous ces, but surprisingly his exnation didnt make us bored. It seemed that they provided an educated knight to guide us. Well then, we seemed to have reached the end of the story, so let us have you taste the camping food of the chivalric order. As their name suggests, they are provisions that knights received during camping So to be honest, they arent delicious at all. You better prepare yourself, okay? Hearing his exnation, the students couldnt help but return bitterughs. Just as he warned, the food we were provided afterwards wasnt very good. Chapter 185 After the camp meal, which was basically stuffing our cheeks with spit-roasted food, there was one hour of an after-meal rest. The well-bred students that were used to eating good food were showing digestive problems and looked quite listless. Perhaps having a stomach that could digest this kind of food was one of the knights many talents. Afterwards, we were going to head to the training grounds and experience their training firsthand. Thats how it shouldve been What are you doing here? Why are you so cruel, my honey? Dad, thats gross. Gahh! However, Lyell, Maria and Gadius appeared before us and blocked our way. Seriously, what the heck are these people gathering here for. Dear students of Raums Magic Academy. These three honorable Dragonyers will be joining in on the inspection. Todays training will be quite heated up, so I hope you experience it to the fullest! Someone that looked like a veteran knight with a gouged out scar near his left eye dered. After that, we were divided into 10-person groups and were made to experience the programs of each toon. It turned into quite a big mess right from the warm-up run, where students started to drop out one after another. I looked at those students with indifferent eyes. What a careless bunch. You say that, but you were the first to drop out, Nicole Mom, you are supposed to keep that to yourself! I was currently lying in a shade at the training grounds, with my head on Mariasp. Given myck of stamina, I copsed before even finishing the hemicycle of the run. Truth be told, ap around this ce was quite a long distance. One side of the training grounds was probably around 300 meters, so the entirep ended up being somewhere around 1200. Repeating that 5 times made it close to a 6km run, and that was done as a warm-up. There was no one among us students that managed a secondp. Considering that we were just 10, Letina was quite something to have managed one and a halfp. All the boys were directing envious gazes toward the knights that easily finished all fiveps. They did it all while wearing light armor. They were definitely stamina monsters. Ahead of those knights were two idiots that continued on to the 6thp. Oho? Youre hanging quite well there, Gadius! I cant go losing to humans when ites to toughness! You are already retired, so why dont you retire from this race too? Its hard to match my speed with the short legs of a dwarf, isnt it? Bullshit! Looking at us students getting annihted by knights seemed to have ignited some kind of me in them. The two joined on the race from the thirdp but still managed to finish fiveps faster than the knights. They were clearly running with all they had. Still, the stamina of Dwarfs was quite something, considering that Gadius could keep up with Lyell who had the Gift of Toughness. Then again, he wouldnt have been the tank of our party if he wasnt that tough, but seeing it in action was still astonishing. By the time the knights who finished their fixed distance and were already finishing their stretches, the two finally returned satisfied after their tenthp. Gadius was out of breath as expected, but Lyell wasnt in the slightest. The knights were directing lukewarm gazes at them, as if looking at monsters. By this time, most of the students were back too. W-Well As expected of the Six Heroes I guess? Hm? Oh, sorry for cutting into your training. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Lyell answered the knight that walked over to hand them towels with a nervous expression. The knight secretly felt put off by his refreshing smile. 1200 meters perp, and ten of them at that. It was not a distance one could run so casually. And yet, Lyell acted as if he had returned from jogging in his back garden. That much is given. He sure is tough, huh. Rather, Gadius is the weird one of the two. Theyve been rivals when it came to stamina since the old days. They evenpeted by getting intentionally hit by a Giant to see who would endure it better, you know? Cortina settled near us and joined the conversation with an exasperated voice. I was also a witness to their battle, or rather, a participant. But the very first punch knocked the living daylights out of me, after which Maria nursed me back to health while yelling at me. An average person wouldve gotten knocked out like me. Actually, itd be strange if you didnt die. I should be praised for staying alive. Those two, however, kept enduring its attacks like nothing. The giant was the one to start crying after it got punched back at the end. Okay, err Next is the practice swing. Everyone will take their respective weapons and do a hundred swings down and a hundred up. The scar-faced knight gave instructions to the rest of the knights. They also handed fake swords at us, so the ones willing could join in. Of course, I volunteered too, but ICantAnymore I copsed and ended up in Marias care yet again. The fake swords that they gave us were pretty small, but they were still far heavierpared to my katana. In the first ce, my battle style focused on short, decisive battles, so I hardly had opportunities to swing a sword a hundred times. I wanted to be praised for trying my hardest and managing fifty swings. I couldve swung more if only I could use threads. Eh? Did you say something? N-Nothing! Maria who was massaging my arms asked back. I hurriedly shook my head to dismiss it. Now that I think about it, Cortina, since my parents are here, does that mean Finia is too? Actually, Im not sure about that. How is it, Maria? Huh, we havent brought her with us. Someone has to look after your house, right? Looks like she was house-sitting this time as well. In the first ce, its weird that weve been dragging her everywhere as we pleased. Okay! Its time to start one-on-one practices. Choose your partner and do a mock battle with them. In ordance with his order, the knights formed pairs and started crossing swords. Naturally, these fake swords would not leave an injury in most cases even if they took a direct hit. The students wouldnt be allowed to join this training I was under that impression. Would you students like to try it as well? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) One of the knights provided a fake sword that seemed to be made from what looked like bamboo wrapped in paddings. If we use this, it wouldnt hurt even if you get hit, let alone leave an injury. Oh, so you even have things like this, huh? Cortina observed that sword with big interest. As he said, there was no worry of injury with something like this. She was probably considering including it in our lessons. Maxwell. This looks interesting, so lets use them at the academy. You make it sound so simple But yes, Im interested in it too. Then adopt them. Your pocket money should be enough to cover for it, shouldnt it? Yours should be enough too, shouldnt it!? She was being quite unreasonable, but in the end, Maxwell lost to her in arguments and was made to buy them. But he said he would write it off as expenses, so he sounded strangely stingy there. This old mans economic sense was impossible to understand. He used his pocket money for funding our travel expenses, yet he was being stingy when it came to something as silly as this. Chapter 186 By nature, we were magician cadets, so holding swords wasnt part of our upation. Even so, swords were things that tugged at the heartstrings of boys, so all of them happily took part in the training Or rather, the sword y. Although the girls werent as enthusiastic as the boys, finding a sword that didnt hurt on hit was rare, so they also timidly took part in the training. But they only acted that way at the beginning, and before long, they went about it as passionately and loudly as the boys. Letina didnt seem to be an exception; she was holding the same sword and bonking me on the head with it. Kabby who had made my head its home hurriedly evacuated towards my back to dodge it. Hmm? Nya! Mya! Letina, that hurts! It seemed that she found my reactions amusing, her swings gradually increased in speed. But I wasnt nning to just ept it all. I made a defensive movement, dodged her attack and dealt a hard blow at her knees. The sword bent harder than I expected and gave out quite a pathetic sound on a hit. Letina remained in ce as if nothing happened. It really does not hurt. I can see why teacher Cortina was attracted to them. Right. On a closer inspection, what I initially thought to be bamboo was actually some kind of animals fur. It was extremely stic but also had decent toughness. Is this thing filled with the hair of some kind? My mutter reached the ears of a knight standing nearby. He put a hand on my shoulder as he approached me and exined. You have a good eye, young miss. It uses the whiskers of Keratos that are bred nearby the city. Keratos? You mean those bipedal lizard-like monsters? Keratos are a species of monsters that live all over this continent. They looked like lizards standing on two legs, and had a ferocious nature. They tended to move in groups and were considered extremely dangerous for the average people. But for the Adventurers, they were attractive prey. Their hides could be used as materials for leather armors, and their hard bones as arrowheads. Even their meat had a light, fowl-like taste. Just about every part of their bodies was valuable. Adventurers that graduated from beginners could hunt one of them with several people, so whenever a group of them was spotted, several parties would be formed to hunt them. Theymonly appeared in the outskirts of Raum too, and were the source of luxurious life for the Adventurers. For better or worse, our party hasnt encountered their group as of yet. Letina and Cloud mightve had a bit of a tough time with them, but Michelle and I were strong enough to handle them easily. I kind of felt like making us fight them to test our ability. But their whiskers arent supposed to be this thick, is it? You really do know your stuff, huh. Indeed, one by one they are too thin and useless, but if youy a rope with them, they be plenty thick and firm. Oh wow So they could be used like this. If it was like that, couldnt we make these swords even in Raum? It seems like Maxwell ended up wasting money on them. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The knight over there. What business do you have with my daughter? As we were gazing up at the knight and talking to him with interest, I heard an anger-tinged voice. Oh, dad. Dad? Then you are his Hey you You seem to be talking quite intimately with my daughter, hmm? She doesnt even talk with me like that. N-No, this This is a misunderstanding. I was merely exining the structure of the sword! If thats all, Ill exin it myself. Go away now, shoo! Or do you have any ulterior motives towards my daughter? Lyell looked suspiciously at the knight. His usation held no basis no matter how you looked at it. Even the knight raised his hands and tried to resolve the misunderstanding. I had no such intention, thats discourteous! Huh? Are you saying my daughter isnt worthy of your attention? Despite being this cute! I admit that she is, but So you had ulterior motives! How do you want me to answer!? I sighed listening to Lyell going off with his false usations like some drunkard. I got that he loved me, but this was being far too overprotective. In the first ce, I wanted toin to him for deciding to rush all the way here. As the knight started to panic, I slipped next to Lyell and pped his ass with the fake sword. Along with the loud sound, his preaching momentarily interrupted. But that aside, it gave off quite a nice sound earlier, didnt it? Ohh, as expected of Lord Lyells daughter. It seems you have already mastered the use of the fake sword. Huh? I did? The knight said in admiration as if to move on from the topic. That sword is made to be very bendy to avoid injuries, but because of that, it is harder to actually hit with as it behaves more like a whip. Ah, I see. I was convinced after listening to his exnation. The familiar feeling I felt while holding it was closer to the threads that I used like whips, rather than a sword. For me, it was morepatible than a sword. In that case This might actually be a chance. They say theres no time like the present, so I decided to attempt it right away. Right, Dad. You havent given me any sword practicestely. Can you do it now? Yes, if its this sword, maybe I could win against him whos been my rival since my previous life. This was a once in a lifetime chance to win in a swordalbeit fake onefight against someone I had never won before. At first, he looked confused at my sudden request, but his expression brightened the moment he realized he would get to y with his daughter, and readily epted it. Chapter 187 A student of the magic academy and one of the six heroes, a living legend. By all rights, these two werent supposed to ever fight each other. However, the situation changed when they were father and daughter. When they heard that these two would be facing each other, waves of uproar spread throughout the training grounds. Lyell, someone who was the leader of the Six Heroes. Facing him was a lovely 10-year-old girlin other words, me. Normally, this wouldnt even be considered a match. However, both the academy students and Lyell were aware of my strength. Naturally, they only knew my strength without my thread maniption, as only Maxwell was aware of it. I couldnt exactly show my true power in front of all these people, so I wasnt in my best form. Even so, I was in a far more advantageous statepared to Lyell. Both of us were holding fake swords made from Keratos whiskers to avoid injury. Their nature was highlypatible with me, while Lyell hasnt even experienced it yet. It was a very bendy weapon that he was unfamiliar with. Compared to someone unustomed to it, I who had familiarity with it due to my threads held an overwhelming advantage. Hey now, are you sure about this, Nicole? Of course. You should resolve yourself. These fake swords are certainly betterpared to ones we use But dont me me if you get hurt, okay? If I do, Ill just ask mom to heal me. Maybe it will be you wholl end up that way. Hah, my daughter sure has learned how to talk back Do you see it, everyone? My daughter is so cool, isnt she! Lyell was showing off towards the knights about something so weird. We are about to face off, so just look in front of you, you bastard! Mgggh, dont me me if you get hurt for underestimating me! I tried intimidating him with all the dignity I could muster, but his expression grew even warner. Not just that, even the knights expressions looked as if they were looking at some adorable creature. And Cortina was on the verge of nosebleeding. Maria, however, had her usual rxed expression, so I couldnt read what she was thinking. Ahh, Nicole is really an angel. You guys, Ill not forgive you if you make moves on her, you hear! Lyell looked towards the knights, but this time it was a threat. The knights waved their hands in denial while sweating bullets. Enough! Referee, please give the starting signal already! I urged the referee without hiding my displeasure. It seemed that my body openly expressed my emotions on the outside, and I even started lisping when my emotional state was in a mess. I hoped I wouldnt end up as someone whod be openly looking sulky every time I felt displeased. Ah, right. Well then, mock battle one-game, start! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The knight that got involved with Lyell earlier gave the signal without any tension. That was only natural, as no one expected me to win. But I could see this being my chance to win. Before Lyell realized the difort of this unfamiliar weapon And before he adapted to it, even with my current physical abilitiesI could win! Hiiiyaaaah! Woah! To meet my downward swing, Lyell casually put up his sword in an attempt to block it. But that was naive of him. My sword bent more than hed expect and a mistimed blow headed towards him. And his sword that was supposed to block it also missed its timing as it bent greatly. When it came to masters of Lyells level, even their defensive movements were fasterpared to an average swordsman. This fake sword could not keep up with such speeds. My attack that included the bending factor into the calctions slipped through his defenses andnded right on his heador so it was supposed to go. Oops, this thing bends more than I expected. Wh-!? My hand No, my arm was easily caught by him. The moment he judged that he couldnt make it in time to block it with the sword, he instinctively raised his other hand and grabbed my wrist. By all rights, it shouldve been toote to react by the time he realized about the bendiness. My attack that passed through his defenses should havended on his head and the victory shouldve been mine. However, the instant he perceived the w in his defense, he used his other hand to defend himself with another method. This was proof of his long experience and the intuition that he picked up through battles. Getting familiar with the sword would take time the moment he judged that, he switched to using bare hands. Grrrrrr, Leeeet goooooo! I was dangling in the air as he held me by the wrist. Since I thoughtlessly aimed for his head, I had to jump, but Lyell caught me in the middle of it. Even if I had nimbleness thatd put an adult to shame, that was only when my feet were touching the ground. Were my body in the peak of its prosperity, I wouldnt have ended up in such a disgraceful state, but I was overwhelminglycking in height now. Ha ha ha. Maria, look, I caught a fine game! While Lyell was showing me off like I was some fish he caught, Maria responded with her usual smile while putting a hand to her cheek. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Dear. If you act like that, shes going to start hating you again, you know? Whaaaat!? His actions were really brutish, truth told. If it was me in my previous life, I wouldnt have thought much of it, but little girls had very delicate and easy-to-break bodies. Not to mention, my own constitution far overshadowed the other girls. Realizing that, Lyell hurriedly let go of me. I fell down from around a meter at most, but I rolled down at the moment ofnding and evacuated behind. Along with my back roll, I kicked up the ground to raise a cloud of sand. Naturally, Lyell wasnt one to fall for these cheap tricks. The sand didnt get in his eyes, but he still didnt charge blindly while the visibility was limited. Using that opportunity, I nned to get back on my feet, but The back of my head mmed into something hard with a loud sound. It seemed that during my backward roll I crashed into a random rock on the ground. I stopped in the middle of the roll and toppled over like a frog, losing my consciousness. I didnt want to lose in such ame N-Nicole!? I only managed to mutter those words before Ipletely cked out. Chapter 188 Within the darkness, I was awakened by an offensive smell that assaulted my nose. I was familiar with what it was Alcohol. Bleh!? Eugh, cough! I could more or less handle it in the past life, but my current body was extremely repulsed by alcohol so even the very smell of it was akin to poison. I immediately opened my eyes and leapt up. Oh, shes awake. Nicole, youve really started developing that fainting dispositiontely. Letina was worriedly looking down at me as I was lying on the bed, with Maria holding an alcohol bottle in her hands next to her. I was supposed to be at the training grounds, but I could see the ceiling above It seems that I was carried into the resting room in the barracks while I was unconscious. Maria innocently crammed that luxurious bottle, clearly not suited for this trip, into her bag. Seeing that, one of the knights face turned indescribably sad. Mom, ish zat alcohol? Thats right. They gave me a spare from the barracks to bring you around. Ah, no, Its not like we gave it No, nevermind So basically, she sniped some alcohol from the knights under the pretext of resuscitating me, and then she just kept it with no questions asked. I felt bad for the knights, since they couldnt even object to her, one of the Six Heroes. Also, I was speaking kind of funny. It seems that the smell had intoxicated me quite a bit already. You cant go taking other peoples things, you know? Its okay. This is simply a gift. Ugh I cant even say anything. You poor thing Since Maxwell asked them for a favor already, hell just treat them for some alcoholter. Hey, I never said a word about that. She casually took out the booze from the bag once again and poured a cup for him. Then she pressed that cup at him, clearly not taking a no for the answer. She was telling him to drink Just to get him rolled up into this mess. Maxwell, of course, noticed that too. He did But he just sighed and downed the cup in one go. Oh well, a few bottles should be within the margin of error. I do not mind that much. They even had to show concern to Nicole. Im shoorry about zattt My vision was spinning around, perhaps as an after-effect of bumping my head. In the first ce, I of past life wouldnt have fainted from something like a rock. It was unlike me to take so much damage from a rock that I disregarded as harmless. As Maria said, maybe I was growing ustomed to fainting. Ill go bahh to shleep. You probably should, yes. Seems like you are a little drunk as well. Yeah. But still, to get drunk from just the smell. It seems alcohol is no good for you. Probably best to educate you about it before you get taken home by someone. Ill leave that to you, Cortina. I seem to have grown a bit tame in the countryside. A ck-hearted woman like you shouldnt be saying that Now that I think about it, I got smashed with a single gulp before, didnt I? Looks like this body is really that weak against alcohol. Some guys could seriously get me drunk just like Cortina suggested. I made a mental promise not to ever drink with men, and once again closed my eyes. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) As the night came, my eyes shot open. It was probably about 10 PM if I had to guess. Usually, it wouldve been noisier at this hour, but the students were already sleeping after tiring themselves out during the day. Letina was no exception. As expected of the famous Sword Kingdom, making even children train to the point of fainting. I experienced their spartan methods more than enough. You are awake, right? In a room with no lights to let the children sleep soundly, an out-of-ce, rough voice was heard. I was familiar with that voice. Is that you, Maxwells familiar? Indeed. It seems you remember me. It was a high-ranking familiar that possessed an ego. It was sitting at the window-side. Next to it was Kabby looking quite tense. Its fur was weirdly ruffled up too. Whats up with its fur? Well, the kids The pigeon answered with an unusually listless voice. If there were a giant hamster and a talking pigeon in a room with kids, they would naturally treat them as toys. Either way, Maxwell probably would tell my parents and Cortina that I woke up now. No, wait Maybe he wont Tonight, I had to visit the cksmith and have my trusty gauntlets fixed. Now that all the other kids were tired and in a deep sleep, it could be said to be a perfect chance for it. The moment I judged that to be the case, I heard Maxwells voice through the pigeon. Nicole, are you awake? Oh, Maxwell. Yeah, just woke up. Good to hear. ording to him, he was also alone now. Maria and Cortina were having their girls-only drinking party in their own room. Lyell and Gadius were hitting it off with the knights, having stormed the banquet hall and having a drinking bout. As such, this is your chance. The destination is close from here, right? Yeah, we would need about 3 hours to get there. In that case, we better move with haste. It seems like everyone is asleep on your side. Now that you mention it, you are actually peeking into the girls room through your familiar right now, arent you? Dont make it sound so improper! Hes been teasing me all the time, so I wanted to get back at him this once. Chapter 189 I put on my clothes silently to not disturb the other students sleep. There was no time to bring any extra luggage, so I chose the academy gym uniform. It was currently a hot summer, so it was a gym uniform with exposed buttocks and kneesocks suited for mountain climbing. I went with the sturdy academy boots as well, and put on a hat after roughly tying up my hair with a string. If anyone saw me walking outside like this, theyd definitely think of me as a kid that snuck out to enjoy the nightlife. I wonder if itll be safe to step out looking like this? I couldnt see it being a smart move to walk like this at night. Of course, the cksmith didnt live in this city but in the nearby mountains, so I should have no problem with being seen as long as I manage to slip out of the city itself. I shouldnt But the problem remained until I actually left it. Oh well, I have a guardian with me now, so it should be fine. Besides, its Maxwell so even if some weird rumors do spread Ever since he was engaged in politics, he had a bad reputation for his mischiefs. A rumor that he took the daughter of his friend out at night wouldnt add much to his already bad reputation. The only problem would be Lyell whod snap out afterward But I couldnt care less about that part. After erasing the sound and presence and put my clothes on, I put Kabby under the nket in my ce and left the room. Kabby alone was too small, so I added Maxwells familiar as well. With that, the nket had a big enough swelling that youd think there was a child sleeping there. If I made too much noise it could wake up the kids. Letina, in particr, was quite sensitive to noises due to always apanying me in battles. But that was that. I used to be the top-ranking assassin back in the day. It was a childs y for me to slip past the eyes of some kids. I stepped out from the back door and headed to the appointed ce in the backyard. The familiar told me about it beforehand. Maxwell had arrived in advance and was standing under the shade of a tree. If only he kept his mouth shut, he would be quite a picturesque sight, given how tall he was. Ah, youre here, Reid. Hm? Wait, you called me Nicole back there, didnt you? It was not wise to call you with your old name in a ce where you never know who might be listening. Oh, so you were being considerate for once. There were other students in that room, even if they were supposedly sleeping. Albeit faint, there was still a possibility of one of them waking up from his voice. Since you were feeling so tactful, lend me a coat while you are at it. A mantle? For what? My current appearance was that of a student doing physical training. If they saw a kid dressed like this, it would give rise to weird rumors, as I already mentioned. True, even I wish to avoid such rumors. Here, wear this then. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) He took off his own robe and passed it to me. Since our heights differed so much, it was so big for me I could live inside. But he had no spare on his person, so beggars couldnt be choosers. Just rolling it up wouldnt help, so I had to adjust the length around the abdomen twice before I could finally wear it. Honestly, I looked like a kid that forcibly put on her parents dress. I looked quite pathetic, but there was no other choice. Under the coat, Maxwell was wearing minimal armor like a ranger on his tough body, so he looked quite valiant, like a skilled Adventurer. Thats so unfair Oh well, lets go. We are heading for that mountain to the west, can you send us there? I have never set foot in there, so it is impossible. I suppose we have to walk then. Teleport magic had one w, it could only teleport people to ces the caster had visited before. But that was its only w, so it was quite a frightening magic. After preparing ourselves, we left the inn behind. We gathered a lot of stares. On one side was an old man with minimal armor and dagger, on another a kid that tried to put on an oversized coat like a dress but failed. However, Maxwell was giving off such unexpectedly intimidating air that no one tried to call out to us. We ignored the passersby nces and quickly left the town, then Maxwell, hold on. I cant keep up. Oh, tired already? Can you really climb the mountain in such a state? Ill have you know, my stamina has increased a bit. I fail to see it. Along with his exasperated mutter, he picked me up and shouldered me like a bag of wheat. It made me look like a little girl in the middle of getting abducted. Hey, you cant be serious about this! You are so demanding. He turned me around, and I assumed a position with my waist on his shoulder. Just like that, he started dashing through the western grasnds with speeds unthinkable for a magician. This is pretty good. How about you keep carrying me like this in the future. You sure like working this old man hard, little girl. Stop calling me a little girl. Ill be back to being a guy before long! Be careful not to get pregnant until then. You can be too defenseless. Hey, stop with the scary stuff, okay!? Like that, we soon arrived at the western mountain that towered over the surroundings. This Mount Maleva was one of the specialties of Maleva city. It was quite a big mountain, but it wasnt part of a mountain range and instead stood isted. It was covered with a deep forest from midway down to its base, filled with various monsters and beasts of prey. It seems that it had lumberjacks, hunters, and charcoal makers working there, but the eruption that urred long ago had wiped them out. Because it had such a history, no one lived there yet Except one. Maxwell headed towards the summit as he followed a faint animal trail. That cksmith lived here, but the path towards him was not maintained at all. It was a total mystery as to how he was resupplying his daily necessities. Maxwell kept ascending while pushing aside the thick undergrowth. Where he got that much power in that body of his was yet another mystery to me. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Old man, isnt your stamina a little too weird? Indeed. It is because I am using strengthening magic on myself. Theres a magic like that? Its the Cargo magic. It was originally developed for the workers that handled cargo. It can abate the fatigue to some degree. Aint that amazing! Teach me. Unfortunately, it is part of the Puppetry system. Oh well. Puppetry magic was used for manipting Golems and such. Perhaps by treating your body like a Golem, it earned you longer working time. At times like this, I felt quite sad that I could only use the Interference magic. Ah, head to that side next. I pointed towards what looked like a dense thicket at a nce and made him alter his course. After that, we changed our direction a few more times based on my instructions And arrived at a giant wall of rock. Chapter 190 That ce was in the middle of a forest, and the only part of it where the greenery was cut off. The vegetation growth was interrupted there, as if it was avoiding something, creating a peculiar vacant space. It stretched for about ten meters at most on every side. It wasnt so big youd call an open clearing. However, my eyes that were used to the greenery around perceived it as quite vast. And on one of its sides the slope of the mountain was shaved off in the form of a cliff. The surface of that cliff was covered in ck stone, seeming as if they were burned in ce with some kind of heat source. Reid, is this the ce? It looks like an ordinary cliff Or not? After he looked over the surroundings, he took back his initial judgment of it being a simple cliff. He clearly felt something was out of ce here. Ohh, as expected of a magic specialist, you noticed, huh? Was this wall created through magic? It looks to be quite an old technique too. Yeah. It seems that this technique was some kind of ancient legacy. I jumped down from his shoulder and headed towards the cliff. Then, I picked up a particrly ckened stone like obsidian from nearby and knocked it on a reddish stone inserted into the wall. I knocked once. Then twice. Then four more times. And once. The loud knocking of two rocks reverberated through the night. Surprised by the sound, the wild birds flew away and the winged insects gushed out from the ground. Other than those, I could even feel the monsters in the forest getting disturbed from their sleep. Reid, even if its the middle of a night, making such a loud sound is I could understand where he wasing from. There was no knowing what kind of dangerous animals could be living here. Provoking them in the dead of night was something only fools would do. Still, I disregarded his words and observed the situation. And soon enough, one part of the cliff crumbled down like sand and opened a path leading to the inside. Oh! A hidden passage, huh. However, it appears like a wasted effort. A simple illusion would have worked well enough to cover it. If an illusion was used, monsters and bugs with bad eyesight could still walk into it. I see, I did not consider that. The point of view changes based on what lives in the vicinity, huh. I stepped inside the cave without any hesitation. The inside was illuminated by magic tools bestowed with Light magic, so there was no fear of tripping up. It went on so deep that you couldnt see the end of it from the entrance, and the corridor was reinforced well enough to match it. It appears that even the corridor and the walls have been fortified with Toughness. Oh, really? I didnt notice that. Moreover, it is bestowed with Countersense from the outside too to block the perception of magic power. They have gone quite overboard with their hiding efforts. Heh. I knew that old man could make magic tools but Ah, weve arrived. Finally, we arrived at the end of the cave where an old wooden door was installed. No, if you looked closer, there was an entire hut buried under the ground. I knocked violently on that door. He probably noticed when we opened the entrance path, but this old man was a really obstinate and misanthropic man. Hey, its been a while, old man. Its me, Reid! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Despite my violent knocking, there was only a faint reaction inside. Maxwell was looking at me with vacant eyes as I continued hitting the door. Hey, I know youre there! Answer me already! Go away. The Reid I know wouldnt have such a high-pitched voice. Then, quite an unthinkable reply came from the inside. No well, it was a logical argument, but still. I have my circumstances, okay!? Please, just open, will you? Youre making me look like some clown! As I was making my entreaty in half tears, the door suddenly opened vigorouslyon the outside. Yes, outside In other words, towards where I stood. Oof! Since I was in the middle of mming my fists on it, I couldnt dodge it in time and took it right in my face. I felt Maxwell holding back hisughter behind me. Ill remember that, you old fart! Beyond the door spread yet another corridor, both sides of it furnished with all kinds of weapons and tools. They were emitting such strong magic power you wouldnt possibly overlook them. Are these magic toolsall of them!? If you had this much, you could even buy a small town with that money. Thats part of the reason why hes hiding. If this cksmith felt like it, he can make items of this level without trouble. Are you serious!? Maxwell looked shocked, but even I was at a loss for words the first time I visited this ce. It even crossed my mind to grab one and make a run for it. However, in a straight corridor like this, youd get locked in faster than you could make a getaway. After about ten meters, there was yet another door. That old man mustve been beyond this door. This time, I opened it without bothering to knock. Good grief. You could just let me in without making things so difficult. Isnt it natural to be vignt when you hear an unfamiliar voice? The man inside, appearing to be in his prime of life, made a shocked face the moment he saw me. Chapter 191 Even if I say the prime of life I wasnt sure how old he exactly was. At a nce, he looked both like someone in hister twenties, and in his fifties. You could call him an old man in his prime of life, or even an old, young man. Now this is a surprise That man spoke that one line after seeing me. I could understand what he meant painfully well. Not to brag, but I was quite a Mr. nice guy in my past life, so seeing me turn into this adorable girl would surprise just about anyone. Dont say anymore. Its not like I wanted to turn out like this. Uh Well, what did youe for this time? And werent you the one who said hed try his best to keep our rtions a secret? He pressed for an answer to me while ring towards Maxwell. He was ming me for bringing a third party along despite our promise. For now, I elbowed Maxwell and urged him to introduce himself. He realized my intention and made an elegant bow. My apologies. I am called Maxwell. I am the acting board chairman of the Magic Academy of Raum. The Magic Academy? And your name Are you one of the Six Heroes? He knew my name, but considering how rare his items were, I thought it was better if I didnt know who he was. At that time, I didnt know when I could get caught and be tortured. And if I wore my super rare gauntlet at that time, they would obviously be interested in finding out its origins. As such, I asked him not to tell me his name. After all, they couldnt make me say what I didnt know. Sorry but due to my agreement with that man Or woman? Anyway, I cant name myself now. I am aware of it, yes. Then, what is your business today? It seemed he was in the middle of work, he returned to polishing a silver ring as he spoke. I helped myself to the seat on the other side of his desk. Maxwell,e sit. Can I? Since I received you two, you are my guests now. I wont get angry over something like sitting down. So he said. Maxwell finally sat down after getting his permission. It was very rare for him to be acting this nervous. I was curious about his behavior, but I decided to focus on the matter and took out the gauntlets. Maxwell secretly Apported them to me and I epted them. As you can see, Ive be like this. And because of that, I failed to make good use of them. Hmm He inspected the broken gauntlets and let out a sigh. The mechanism inside the right one seems to becking maintenance. The damage to the exterior of the left one seems to be from the degradation over time. Even the threads are quite diminished. I was dead for a while, so I couldnt bring them for repairs. You were dead? So someone used Reincarnation magic on you? And you became a woman You get it now? I bent my head and asked in an intentionally inquisitive way. The man suddenly covered his nose. Dont tell me, was this guy a lolicon? Oh well. Imcking some materials for repairs so I cant do it immediately, okay? That would suck But Im not in any position toin, huh. Still, my current situation makes it hard toe here so easily. That man over there can use Teleport, cant he? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) True, Maxwells Teleport or Portal Gate would make it easy toe here. But it was not so easy for Maxwell to open up some time to meet me. I was something like his private pupil, but there was no knowing when or who would suddenly visit his mansion. If we suddenly disappear for a long time after he brings me here, Cortina and Lyell could get worried. Well, we have some circumstances Then, how about we go and gather the materials tonight? Huh, we can do that!? I also know how to use Portal Gate. Hearing his proposal, I looked at Maxwell and started considering it. I had slipped out of the inn. Other students were in deep sleep and there was no worry of them finding out. Cortina and Maria were cutting loose today, so I didnt think theyd be checking on me. Since I was considered to have fainted, they left all the monitoring to Maxwells familiar. Based on all that, I should have time until morning, right? Hm, could you give us a minute? I dont mind. But if we are to go out, we better make it quick. Understood. Maxwell and I drew our faces closer and started discussing. We didnt even care that he was right in front of us. So, what do we do? I think this is a good opportunity. An opportunity to see how these unknown mechanisms and techniques work in practice. I feel reluctant to give up on it. But it would be a bit worrying if it drags on until morning. Let us just use illusion to deceive them in that case. You can do that? Fortunately, we left my familiar behind. It should be no problem if I made it appear like you. Its body is hidden under the pillow, so if I just overwrite it with illusion, there would be a low chance of it getting found out. Well If you say so. Illusion magic had a set range based on ones field of view. Since Maxwell could see distantly through his familiar, he could cast the illusion with his familiar in the center. However, with how far from Maleva we were, it shouldve taken quite a lot of magic power Oh, this much distance is no problem to me. That was a Six Hero for you. This much distance was trivial for him. Well, excuse me for a second Wait. Casting the point designated magic from this cave is restricted. You cant use your Illusion from here. Oh? Maxwell tested it by trying to cast magic. A technique to restrict point designated magic activations wasnt such a rare thing. Because if it was left unchecked, there was no knowing how many burrs and assassins would teleport in and out. As such, it was used even inmon households as a means of security. If I didnt do that, there would be fellows teleporting right in. That entrance you came in from is actually the only way to get inside. In that case, we will step out briefly. Please make preparations to depart in the meantime. Got it. I followed Maxwell who had left his seat and headed outside the cave. The man also stood up from his seat and walked to a room further ahead, making preparations to depart. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) He left his silver ring and the toolspletely unguarded. How careless could he be? Maxwell managed to cast his magic without problems after he stepped outside, and now, it looked like I was still sleeping like a log back at the inn. And thus, the two of us prepared to head out to gather materials along with the cksmith. Chapter 192 Within ten minutes of deciding to depart, we all stood lined up in front of the entrance. The man wore an aged leather jacket and a robe on top, giving off the feeling that he was ustomed to traveling. He wore simr gauntlets to mine on his arms. It didnt seem like they had some kind of thread shooting mechanism in them, though, so he probably just used them for hand-to-handbat. We were ready to depart as soon as Maxwell and I finished our business rted to the inn. But before we actually departed, there was something I had to do first. Hey. Its kindate for this, but can you tell me your name? Werent you the one who was against knowing it? The man answered in exasperation. Indeed, in the past, I made such a proposal. However, since we were going to travel around, it would be quite inconvenient if I didnt even know what to call him. We might find ourselves in battle. It would be hard to give directions if we dont know what to call you. Yeah, you have a point. Lets see You can just call me Aste. It goes without saying but its not my real name. Ive never seen someone dere their fake name so proudly. The man calling himself Aste started drawing the magic circle on the ground without caring about my retort. His way of drawing circles was quite different from that of Maxwell. Oh, are you drawing the shape first? In my previous life, I was aplete amateur with everything rted to magic. Now, I could see that it was not a normal technique. Be it how easily he could make precious magic tools or this, it was clear that he was no ordinary cksmith. That aside Where exactly are we heading? Firstes the procurement of the Mythril threads. Next would be gathering materials for the exterior. I didnt expect the exterior to have deteriorated this much, so Ill have to hand-pick the materials. These gauntlets alone seem quite a big thing. I made them by using a metal called nickel. Itcks a bit when ites to hardness, but its strong against corrosion and has high toughness. Toughness? As in, its quite tenacious. When an attacknds on it, it doesnt break but bends instead and mitigates the attack. The threads inside of it also act as a cushion, so its quite good as a means of defense. So thats why it got crushed from one hit of a sword. But in exchange, you managed to keep your left arm safe, right? The right ones mechanism failed, but the left one took damage due to that sword strike. If I maintained it well, it wouldnt have been so brittle, but I still didnt think theyd be so easy to crush. But it was made that way to prioritize the safety of my hand. Well, yeah, I remained safe thanks to that fact. I muttered, having a shback of that time. It was an overhead swing from an adult man. And blocking it was a 10-year-old girl. If I guarded with just my left hand alone, it couldve broken its exterior and even my hand with it. It might not even have stopped at that and cut through my head or shoulder. However, by redirecting its power through getting crushed, I was able to endure the blow even with my meager strength. So with that, lets go get the Mythril threads first. Oh, so we are going to produce these threads! I was always curious as to how they were made. Please not a word to anyone about it. Aste looked at the overly-enthusiastic Maxwell with an uncharacteristically troubled face, and then activated the magic. The magic circle under our feet shined and the scenery around us got blurred. After a momentary floating sensation, we were thrown into total darkness. Where is this? At a nce, this ce looked different from the mountain we previously were at. It seemed that we had teleported into a building or cavern of some kind. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The air full of stagnated humidity clung to my skin. Not just that, it was strangely cold too. Its strangely chilly herenot just that. Even when ites to breathing It feels suffocating. No, I could breathe in normally. The amount of air I could inhale was the same, but it felt as if the breathing itself had turned inadequate. I remembered this sensation. It was the same phenomenon you felt when you were on high mountain peaks. We are inside the World Tree. The World Tree You mean were in the Holy Tree Kingdom of Forneus!? The Holy Tree Kingdom of Forneus. It was the headquarters of the worldsrgest religion, the World Tree religion. It was the kingdom located at the center of the continent, holding the most influence, and in the center of its Capital Berith, stood the World Tree Yggdrasil that reached up to the heavens. The inside of that Holy Tree was like abyrinth that, at one point in time, boasted of having 1000 floors. It was said that there was a young bud at its summit that stored its lifeforce, which would grant immortality and eternal youth to one who ate it. However, ording to the legends, the God of Destruction broke that tree, and only about 70% of its original body was left standing now. Now that I think about it, that Whitey sure did something awful, huh. Well, those times called for such drastic measures No, nevermind. He clearly averted his eyes. That gesture was enough to tell me that they were acquaintances at least. This guy was surprisingly bad at lying. Oh well. So, what are we searching for inside here? We are currently on the 250th floor. There should be giant caterpirs called Huge Crawlers around here. You need to- Should I take one down? No, catch it alive. Huh? My blood was starting to boil but he killed my enthusiasm with one order. Telling someone specialized in killing to catch it alive Huge Crawlers can even eat and digest the World Tree trunks. If we feed it some Mythril ores and get the threads out of it, we should be able to get our hands on theposite that consists of arge amount of Mythril. I see. So if we intertwine those threads, they would be usable threads for me. Exactly. Ive never heard of using the monsters ecology to create equipment Normally you defeated said monsters and used their remains to make them. It appears that I had yet another fellow among my acquaintances that deviated from themon standards. Chapter 193 With all said, since Aste said thats how they were made, I had no right to veto it. If he wanted me to go and catch some caterpir called Huge Crawler, I had to shut up and do it. Maxwell quickly cast Light magic, and I equipped my piano wires and the spear with the vibrating de at its tip. Aste also readied hisbat gauntlets. Turns out, you are actually a vanguard? Im just good at hand-to-handbat. Swords arent my specialty. Its not like I cant use them at all, though. Thats not bad at all. Look at Maxwell. Hes lived so long but he sucks at closebat. I simply dislike fights. We casually walked around the inner parts of thebyrinth as we cracked some jokes. We appeared to becking vignce, but my eyes were constantly scanning the surroundings for traps. This was abyrinth of the myths. It was the symbol of fear even amongst Adventurers due to its difficulty. At the same time, it was one of their ultimate goals to challenge it one day. Since it was such an extremebyrinth, we werent allowed to lower our guards. And there we go, already a trap. Oh, did you find something, Reid? Yeah, you should be able to spot it too, Maxwell. There are traces of a hidden magic circle over there. The ce I pointed at was a slightly lifted up part of the tree root that spread across the floor. I could see several ck lines running right under it. The World Trees roots Or let me put it another way some kind of cilia-like tubes were crawling above the magic circle and covering it. Of course, it wasnt likely that someone had done that intentionally. This trap was made ording to the World Trees will itself, so to speak. I approached those traces while making sure not to step on the circle itself. When I was about to look down on it Something swooped down on me from above. Woaaaah!? What in the-!? Ohh, as expected of a famed assassin. Looks like you found one already. It was the Huge Crawler that we were looking for. It was a caterpir of about 10 meters in length. It moved by winding its body and had tough, rubber-like skin. Something like that was about to fall on me. Fortunately, I avoided the direct hit, but the shockwave from itsnding spread through the wriggling cilia and got entangled with my feet. Being an assassin has nothing to do with this! Come on, I was praising you. I dont need that praise! As I retorted to Aste, the shock sent the entangled me up into the air, and made me hang upside down. I had enoughposure left to make that retort, however. That was because my current attack methods were specialized for mid to long-rangebat. My piano wires could extend up to 20 meters, while my spear to over 10. With that much at my disposal, hanging in the air wasnt enough to stop me from retaliating. That said, this time my goal was to capture it, not kill it. You ******* Wait, eeek!? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I was about to swing my arm, but I noticed something. Because I was hanging upside down, my coat got turned up and exposed my chest area. Istilldidnt have breasts big enough to require hiding them, but I still ended up reflexively covering them with my hand. Previously, I wouldve ignored it and swung my thread, but Maxwells education aboutdy manners turned me this way. I didnt feel happy about it in the least, however. As I missed my timing to attack, Maxwell filled in for me and started chanting a spell to capture it. As for Aste He simply walked towards the Huge Crawler without hesitation. Wait, are you crazy! I wasnt aware of how good of a fighter he was. Neither in my previous life, nor now. So when I saw him approach a dangerous creature like that, I instinctively yelled at him. However, the Huge Crawler wasted no opportunity and rushed towards him Hah! Along with that sharp sound, the Huge Crawler was the one to be blown to the side. Only Aste, in the hook stance, remained at the scene. The Huge Crawler got mmed into the wall, then slid down and started convulsing on the floor. Managing to send such a huge mass across the floor like that would require some crazy muscle strength Isnt he actually stronger than even Lyell? You are actually that good? I never said I wasnt, did I? Why didnt you tell me then? Because you never asked. He replied as unsociably as ever. But thinking about it, he probably came to capture one alone back when he made my gauntlets. Based on that, it wouldnt be logical for him to be a bad fighter. Also, he was the type of guy that did his work properly. Even now, he walked towards the Huge Crawler, lifted it up and inspected its jaw. This ones no good. Why not? I cut off the cilia with my dagger and somehow managed tond. But then I noticed Aste shaking his head. Its a bit too big. The threads made by this ones spinnerets would be too thick to do its job as Mythril threads. So even that matters Id like it to be smaller, but one mature enough to be able to make a cocoon. I Suppose Im in no position to be whining here. This was all to make my weapon. If I started cutting corners here, it would leave me to fight with a half-assed weapon in the future. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Maxwell, on the other hand, was quite carefree about the whole thing. I see. That thought never urred to me. You tend to miss these little details unless you look at it from the craftsmans perspective. I see, this was a good experience for me. Anyway. Sorry, but lets go get another one. Aste muttered that over his shoulder and started walking ahead without waiting for the response. The previously mentioned trap got crushed under the Huge Crawler, so it was already harmless. With a deep sigh, I followed after him. Chapter 194 That one is too small. The threads wouldnt be strong enough. Looks like that one iscking some nutrients. Too bad. That one isnt a Huge Crawler but a Poison Crawler. Astesints grew more and more relentless, and we were already on our tenth one. While it was clear that he could fight, it was still a bit awkward to have him take the front so I ended up taking the initiative. Though honestly, I was quite tired already. Um, excuse me, but this one has a certain stamina problem, so can we let Reid rest for a bit? Hmm? Oh, right. I thought that was the case too. You thought? Aste seemed like he saw through my frail disposition, so I asked in return. But after giving it another thought, I realized it wasnt hard to figure out that a 10-year-old kid would becking stamina. Well I shouted in anger towards Maxwells carefreement. It seemed that I was in a bit of a bad mood due to my fatigue. Seeing that, Aste decided to ept the suggestion to take a break. Right. Im making a kid run around and work hard in the middle of a night. If my wife heard about it, shed yell at me. Wh-!? Dude, you were married? Ill have you know Im quite old. I have been married a few times throughout my life. I really cant judge you based on your appearance, huh I grumbled at Aste, who looked youthful enough that you couldnt decide whether he was middle-aged or a youth. There were so many people around me that looked younger than they actually were, be it him or Maria. Sorry, I was just trying to show off. Ive only married once in my life. I dont care about that part. After I dismissed him with all I had, he started spreading the sheets in the passage with a somewhat dejected face. He was so well prepared I was tempted to ask him where the hell did he even get those from. He even offered me water that he brought with a water pouch, so I felt nothing but gratitude. Huh, lemon? Yeah. If you put a peel of it inside, the water will gain acidity and help relieve fatigue. Still, this water is quite delicious. It feels as if it permeates my entire body! This water is something that seeped out from the roots of this World Tree. The so-called World Tree sap, if you will. It has a guaranteed fatigue recovery effect. Wha-!? Where in the world did you get something so valuable from!? Something like the World Tree sap could be sold to some enthusiasts for ridiculous amounts. Maria who was a deep believer of the World Tree, for example, would empty her pockets to get it. In short, it was something extremely dangerous. But the fact was that it really could get rid of fatigue, and thats what was important. Well, Ive challenged this ce in the past. So You were an Adventurer, after all. That exins your power. But that aside, Maxwell. Yes? Why are you acting so polite towards this guy? Hearing my question, Maxwell furrowed his brows and sighed. Then, he exined the reason with an exasperated voice. Reid, you are a first-ss assassin, so you should be aware of the importance of seeing through someones ability. Well, of course. We magicians are the same. Seeing through the opponents ability is the matter of life and death. I dare say Sir Aste is a magician of my level or perhaps even higher. Huh? This guy was a magician? Well, he was making magic tools But he was a magician despite his crazy physical strength? That destructive power might even give Lyell some trouble. Someone like that was a magic practitioner of the same rank as Maxwell? Are you joking? Uhh, haha, nice joke? That was not a joke. Seriously? Seriously. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I turned my head towards Aste to seek confirmation. However, he feigned ignorance while drinking his water. He was even more easygoing than Maxwell in a way. Well then, lets take a 20-minute rest in turns. Ill stand to watch first. Next, Maxwell. Are you fine with that? What about me? Reid, arent you the most tired out of us? You take the full 40-minute rest. Khh The fact that I cant even deny it makes me feel pathetic. Every person has things they are good and bad at. The current you isnt cut out for long battles. Resting when one must rest is one of the qualities that Adventurers should have. You are clearly more experienced here, so Ill take you up on that offer and rest. The inside of this World Tree was so difficult it was considered the ultimate goal of the Adventurers. I wasnt such a big fool as to ignore Astes words, who imed to be knowledgeable about this ce. If an experienced person was advising you to do something appropriate for the situation, you had to treat their words with importance. I put my mantle over me and lied down on the sheets. The next time I opened my eyes, Maxwells lookout was about to reach its end. Huh, when did I Your ability to fall asleep so fast is proof that youre still a kid. Shut it. In an attempt to hide my embarrassment, I threw the coat I was using as a nket at Maxwell. But it caught on my body and didnt fly as far I imagined. It fluttered in the air and fell down on Aste. Mgh Reacting to it, Aste opened his eyes. It seemed like he was a much lighter sleeper than I thought. Well, if he was good enough to challenge this ce, that much was to be expected. Its okay, you woke me up at a good time. Well then, without dy, lets He quickly got up. His consciousness instantly awakened in full and shifted gears towards work. However, before he managed to finish his sentence, a screaming from the inner parts of thebyrinth interrupted him. HIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! It was a long, creaking noise that left a trailing note. It filled thebyrinth passages and spread all the way. What was that!? It looked like a scream of a Huge Crawler But it seemed somewhat cornered. So something might be attacking it, is it? Maxwell added his own thoughts to Astes analysis. Huge Crawlers werent such strong foes in rtion to this floor. When monsters fought among themselves, they often ended up being the prey. We came all this way to capture one, so itd be a pain if they start getting attacked. True. We havent found one thats the right size so far, and we cant scratch out the possibility of this one being it. Then, shall we go save it at once? It wasnt like we were the ones being attacked, so we were quite casual about it. Besides, the one that needed to be saved was a monster, so we werent so impatient about it. As such, we just ran towards the source of the voice in a somewhat rxed manner. Chapter 195 Inside a cave, there was a smallish Huge Crawler being attacked by some kind of dark mist. Albeit on the smaller end, that caterpir was still huge, but that mist was coiled around it and seemed like it was actively attacking it. Each time it attacked, the Huge Crawler was squirming and rubbing its body while raising shrieks. That looks like a group of Ghast Hos. Ghast and Hos? Quite a strangebination there. Ghasts were a species of Undead, their special trait being bodies made of mist. Physical attacks had no effect on them, so I remember having a hard time against them before. If you had a weapon wrapped in magic power you could deal with them without a problem, so they were not an enemy to me now since I had bestowal magic at my disposal. As for Hos, they were, well, hos. But since they were monster hos, their sizes varied from 10 cm to 1 meter, as well as their species. But this time, I couldnt figure out what kind of monster thebination of these two would be. Ghasts are mist monsters. They are called as such because the group of those hos is so big it looks like mist. Their individual strength as a monster is practically insignificant, but they move in huge groups. Even if you punch it, you can take out a few of them at most, which wouldnt be a significant damage from the groups perspective. They are a troublesome foe to defeat in close quartersbat. In that case, it seems like it is my turn now! Maxwell didnt have much of a chance to show off so far, so he was pretty excited now. But this old man was forgetting something. It was the caterpir that was being attacked by those hos. If Maxwell hits them with his prided fire magic, hell be turning them both into charcoal. Wait, wait. Lets pull them apart from the caterpir first! And how do we do that? Its your job to think about that Well, fine. Ill do something about it. With such a huge number of them, my threads wouldnt be effective much. However, if I get in the way of their meal, they wouldnt stay quiet. The goal would be to redirect them towards me. Even if I fail to do that, Id still be able to deal some damage so there was no loss. Anyway, Ill go attack them. If they start chasing me, burn them down. Understood. Maxwell couldnt cast magic as fast as Maria. Regardless, he was a master magician, so he wouldnt mistake his timing. I coiled my thread on the protrusion near the ceiling and lifted myself up. Since thisbyrinth was made of wood in every direction, it thankfully had many ces to hook onto. Thisbyrinth mightve actually been quitepatible with me. After I lifted myself up to the ceiling, I wrapped the thread around my body. I coiled severalyers. After that, I switched my dagger into the spear mode, fixed it in ce And swooped down on the hos. Naturally, the thread unwinded along with my fall, so in response, my body started to spin. The more I elerated in my fall, the faster I started spinning, and the faster the spearhead that I held in ce rotated. As I dived into the Ghast Ho group, the said spear mercilessly and indiscriminately sliced and crushed the hos. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Along with a disgusting sound, dozens of them got crushed in one go After which Inded on the back of the Huge Crawler. Its rubber-like, stic skin repelled me without dealing any damage and allowed me tond safely on the ground. When I looked up with my spinning eyes to check the situation, I saw the pissed-off army of hos ring at me. Oh, it was a sess? I tried to take a step and flee at once Only to fall over. My semicircr canals that couldnt even handle a carriage were not expected to handle something as crazy as elerated rotation while falling down. Huh, hold on!? Wait, shit, oh shit! My legs, my eyes While I was pping left and right, the Ghast Hos rushed towards me. The distance between us was too small for Maxwell to use his magic. I still tried to flee like a drunkard, but my steps were all over the ce. They would most certainly get me at this rate. This is ba- I fully realized the danger I was currently facing. But something suddenly started furiously dragging me along. It was the Huge Crawler himself(?). Was it because it realized I saved its life, or was it just a pure coincidence Its small nails hooked onto my nape as it fled from the hos. Naturally, it also pulled me along, dragging me on the ground as it fled. That action took the Ghast Hos by surprise. Their target escaped from their sight and they simply charged at the empty ground. The moment there was a perfectly safe distance between us Maxwells magic blew them up. He probably used a simple Fireball magic. But with his magic power, even that held more than enough destructive power to thoroughly burn the group of Ghast Hos. If I had to add, insects, in general, tended to burn quite well. That single shot was enough topletely obliterate the Ghast Hos. Chapter 196 The fireball exploded while keeping me, who was rescued by the caterpir, safe from damage. It gradually spread through the swarm and continued burning them to the ground. But that also posed danger to me who was nearby them. Hot! It friggin burns! Hey, caterpir! Keep running! Our hair is gonna catch on fire! Just like the insects, human hair also burned really well. Especially my soft, thin, and straight hair. Cortina constantly screams hot when she sees me. Wait, thats probably a different kind of hot. Either way, we were almost grilled by the explosion, but somehow managed toe out safe. This was thanks to Maxwells fine control of magic power I hoped it was. Though I felt like it was thanks to this caterpirs efforts. At any rate, our target, the caterpir was safe. I gave a relieved sigh while caught onto its legs. However, there was a workaholic around that didnt give a crap about me and immediately got to work. Hmm? Ignoring the burning Ghast Hos on the ground, he made his way to the caterpir, grabbed its jaw and inspected the spinnerets. It looked as if he was about to crush the poor caterpirs jaw. Its body is quite bigger than I imagined, but the spinnerets itself are thin. Id like to see it actually made a thread to see for myself. He was evaluating the goods like nothing, but hes holding a friggin Huge Crawler. It was on the smaller side, yes, but it was still about 7 meters long. It was squirming and trying to get away, but Astes strength didnt allow it. Oh well. Lets just take this one alone. How? A 7-meter caterpir wasnt something you could just store away. If it had long limbs, maybe I couldve restricted it with my threads, but this caterpir had no such things. Hmm? Aste let go of it and started pondering while holding his chin. The caterpir, however, didnt try to run after being freed, and simply hung its head. He couldnt understand the meaning of that gesture and muttered in a rarely confused voice. Huh? Could this be It is submitting to Sir Aste? Submitting? An Insect? It is because it is an insect, or should I say because its intellect is low, that it is submitting to the stronger individual. Moreover, we are its lifesavers. So this insect feels gratitude? Indeed. I asked Maxwell in doubt, but it seemed that he was confident in his guess. To prove his point, the caterpir was currently prostrated before Aste and wasnt moving a bit. That Elf was the one that burned them, you know? Oh well Dont move. With those words, Aste bit on his finger and dipped the blood in his water pouch, and then sprinkled it on the caterpir. Following that, he drew some kind of magic circle on its forehead, and the water started evaporating. It seemed that the water wasnt evaporating due to heat, the caterpir didnt seem to be in any pain. Huh, what is he doing? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Maxwell and I observed his action from the distance. He seemed to be doing some kind of a ritual, but I had no knowledge of such magic. Getting rolled up in was scary so I took more distance. Oh? So there are magic that even you dont know, huh, Maxwell? Submission magic is forbidden, after all. If it was allowed to spread, even criminals would start using it. Oh, right, I didnt think of that. Before long, Aste returned to us acting as if nothing happened. The caterpir followed closely behind. I kept you waiting. Sorry, but lets return back to the hut for a moment. Id like to bring this fellow to Maleva. To that mountain? I dont mind But would that be safe? That mountain was full of fierce animals. The Huge Crawlers were a threat due to their size, but they werent so fast on their feet as Ive already seen. He formed a contract with it already, so itd be a waste if it gets attacked by wild animals and dies. You dont need to worry about that. I have another room underground. You mean Other basements? Yeah. I usually droprge luggage over there. It was the same digging magic Cortina used in the hot spring town. If you stopped the technique, the ground would return to normal, but if you applied hardening magic while it was still in effect, it would maintain its shape. If you repeated this process and widened the space more and more, you could make a basement quite easily. But the problem was, making a basement that could hold a caterpir this size would need quite a lot of magic power. The consumption had to be quite severe Could it be that your magic power amount rivals Maxwell? Well, I have some confidence in that regard. And in hand-to-handbat. Why arent you working as an Adventurer? Seems like a waste Ive already grown tired of that. While muttering that heroic response, he activated the Portal Gate. I passed through that gate with an annoyed expression. Chapter 197 Due to the unexpected twist that the caterpir got attached to us, we managed to secure the thread supply, but that alone wasnt enough to fix my gauntlets. Something could be done about the mechanism inside, but the armoring on the smashed left gauntlet still needed fixing. Thus, we teleported back to the World Treebyrinth. Anyway, we are heading a little above, to the 600th floor next. We have to defeat an enemy called Juggernaut there. Juggernaut was also the name of a hero that appears in myths. However he faced an unnatural death, his armor got filled with grudge and started attacking humans. It was actually the so-called Living Armor that was the higher-ranked undead monster, but they were called Juggernauts for simplicity. As Aste asked, we got on the teleportation circle. In an instant, the scene changedpletely Or maybe not. Thinking about it, it was the same tree regardless of where we went, so it would be weirder for it to look that different. After we arrived, Aste started exining about the materials. Its a fairly strong foe, but its armor is flexible and tough. Its an armor, to begin with, so its perfect to use as the gauntlet material. I simply spoke what was on my mind. But in fact, I still had all the materials from when we defeated the Evil Dragon Colchis. Skin and scales were included among them. They were things even Lyells holy sword had trouble cutting. So it simply crossed my mind maybe we could use them? However, Aste looked at me in surprise and started pondering for a while. There was that option, huh? You didnt realize that!? I only focused on the things I had at hand. But thinking about it, I shouldve considered that too given your achievements. Good grief So we came here on a fools errand? Iined at Aste who said something unexpectedly silly. However, after some thought, Aste shook his head. No, we already came here, so lets hunt one at least. Would be a waste. Now listen here. Its not some small fry you can just take down while youre at it, you know!? A magician that wants to hunt one vs an Undead that has been hunting humans for fun. It made me wanna escape reality, but it was not a joking matter. That monster bore the name of the hero for a reason. It was strong enough to need an entire army to subjugate. There was clearly something wrong with this guy to want to hunt one while we were at it. That is true. We are on the famous upper floors of the World Tree. It would be a waste to pass up an opportunity to face a monster of that level. Looks like there was more than one weirdo here! I couldnt believe that Maxwell was also on board with Astes suggestion. As he said, there were almost no opportunities to visit this ce. So from the perspective of our party of old, who always recklessly charged into dangers, I could understand where he wasing from. However, we were here to get materials tonight, so I didnt want any such detours. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) We have no time for that, right? No, I cant do repairs by today, so todays quota is to just gather the materials. Really? Yeah, as long as you bring the Evil Dragons skin, our job today is done. Since I originated from Maleva in my previous life, I hid the aforementioned Evil Dragon materials nearby it. Or to be more specific, there was only one ce nearby where people didnt visit Mount Maleva. In other words, I secretly hid them nearby where Aste lived. It wouldnt even take me 10 minutes to retrieve them. That being the case, lets go at once. W-Wait On second thought, we dont have to. It came for us instead. Huh? Along with his words, a rough metallic sound reverberated through the corridor. A huge metallic armor appeared across the corridor. It however had four arms. It already deviated from a humanoid shape from that part alone. The remains of the myths. The shadow of a former hero. The monster tied to such anecdotes was staring at us with hollow eyes. .!!! A Juggernaut possessed no vocal cords so it couldnt make any sound. That said, it was clear that what it just did was akin to a war cry. It spread its arms that held shields and swords and puffed out its chest, while bending backwards and looking up. It looked like it was screaming at the heavens. What do we do? If you want to fight it, I can let you have it. Hmm Astes objective was to gather materials. While Maxwell just wanted to fight it. Both of their wishes coincided. If they wanted to end it fast, either of them could just shoot it with magic from the distance. Well, Maxwell could only shoot it from a distance. Reid, this is a rare opportunity, you know? Or has even your heart be docile? You just want to stir me up and get me involved in this, dont you? Heh, so you noticed it? It was a clear provocation, but maybe it wasnt bad to fall for his provocation. It was true that this kind of a chase wouldnte often. This was the World Treebyrinth, the most difficultbyrinth in this world, and facing us now was a mythical monster from its upper floors. As Maxwell said, there would hardlye a chance to test our skills against an enemy of this level. I wordlessly stepped forward and prepared my piano threads. It would be quite pathetic if I backed out after all that. Thus, I had no choice but to join him on this test of ability. Fine then. Ill show you how I really fight. That is more like it! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Maxwell moved to stand behind me. This was the formation we usually took in battles. Seeing the change, the Juggernaut set up its two swords and shields. Since it held one pair on each side, his defense looked hard to break. Breaking through it is one of the pleasures of battle. You were acting so grumpy earlier, but it looks like you are actually enjoying it. You are quite a muscle-brain yourself, I must say. Well, you know my goal. You mean returning to being a guy? No! I mean, that too, but not that! My goal was to be a heroic figure that surpassed even Lyell. Returning to being a man was just one part of that. Standing before me was a monster that bore the name of a hero that had once reached the domain that I aimed for. I couldnt ask for a better touchstone for my goal. Lets go, Maxwell! I am ready when you are! ! The Juggernaut responded to our yells. It was also fully intent on fighting us. There were people that would run from it, so it was probably d to face foes that were taking the initiative. It swung one of the swords, lowered its stance and prepared to meet our attack. I took a big step forward and swung my thread with all I had. We won. It was tiring. Chapter 198 I announced the result as if nothing, but it actually was not that easy. The Juggernaut properly guarded against our attacks with its shields while using the lower pair of arms to attack us. It had a very solid fighting style. His fight that focused on defense reminded me of that kidnapper from before. Add its Undead nature on top of that, and youd get the worst opponent for me. I couldnt strangle it to death, and shes barely affected it. It was a type of opponent that Id try to avoid if I could, were I alone. But this time, I wasnt, and this wasnt that spacious lumberyard but abyrinth passage. I made full use of my mobility strengthened by threads, using walls and even the ceiling as a foothold to disturb the enemy. When I attracted its attention enough, Maxwell barraged it with Energy Bolts from the shooting system and ended the battle. Looking back, it was a reasonable oue. But breaking through its defenses was harder than I thought and it took a little longer. But that little could be fatal considering my stamina consumption. It seems it is over. Haa Haa What is wrong? Your magic disease is already healed, is it not? It is healed but my stamina itself hasnt made a recovery yet. Besides, this body has weak stamina, to begin with. Thats quite troubling. If you dont train your body properly, you will suffer during childbirth. Dont say such disgusting crap! Astes wild advice made me get goosebumps. But certainly, since this body was that of a woman, there was a situation that could invite such an oue. That said, I would utterly reject that situation. I mean, my menstruation hasnt even started, to begin with. Anyway, you should be satisfied with this, right, Maxwell? Lets go back already and get the materials. So you say, but I dont even know where your hideout is. For better or worse, my base was in Maleva. You know that, right? Now that you mention it. The reason I knew Aste was due to that too. Aste also put his eyes on that mountain because people dont visit it. Its even called the Sanctuary of the God of Destruction, so in a way, its something like the headquarters of the heretics. That is quite disappointing. Aste looked a bit displeased about it. Dude, you arent even her rtive. Actually, since he lives there, maybe hes a distant descendant of her like me. Well, the point is that humans dont visit it. Since I was also a local, theres no way I wouldnt have my eyes on it, right? In other words, your hideout is also on that mountain? Thats right. That said, my hideout was closer to the base of that mountain. We had to return from Astes house, which was in the middle of it, to the base. I would normally need 10 minutes for the job, but at thiste hour and with my legs, it could even take me until morning now. Oh, the guy that was always rustling around near the base That was you? Huh? Aste interrupted my thoughts with onement. He actually noticed me? This ce is my home area. Or rather, the kingdom has legally given me thisnd. If someone started sneaking around and brought things into a deserted house, it was natural for me to get curious about it, right? S-So thats how it was? I was surprised about the fact that he was thendlord, but the fact that he was able to grasp my movements from such a distance shocked me even more. This guy was really a big mystery. Anyway, I know that ce too. I can take you there with my Portal Gate. That would be nice. And while you are at it, can you help me carry the materials? Aste invoked his magic. It was different magicpared to the one he used to take us here. It was simrly shaped to the one Maxwell used all the time. Of course, Maxwell didnt overlook that. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) It seems that you are using a different spellpared to before, why is that? Well, the other one I used was for jumping to corresponding magic circles. I havent made one in this guys base. Ah, I see. Dont make such a thing in my secret base Is what I wanted to say, but I was the idiot for having my base discovered. If anyone aside from Aste discovered it, they couldve taken everything I had there. Next time, lets look for a harder-to-find ce. Maxwell jumped right into the magic circle. He was already familiar with it so he didnt show a particr interest. Following after him, my surroundings momentarily changed to the forest scenery. It was the same old scenery where I had built my hideout. Ahh This brings back memories. The ce I pointed at had a strange building with only its roof visible from the ground. There was apparently a vige here about 500 years ago which got swallowed by the avnche of earth and rocks after the eruption. The majority of the houses got buried underground, but a rare few remained with visible rooftops. I used one of them as a hideout. Oho? Maxwell started walking towards it while brushing his long beard. After a few steps, he stopped and turned around. Are you not going to stop me? Why should I? We came here because we had business there. No, I mean, there must be traps and such set up inside. If I set traps in this kind of ruins, it would instead be a dead giveaway that theres something of importance hidden here. Hmm. Is that so? I passed by Maxwell and approached the rooftop. As the first floor waspletely submerged underground, the only way to get inside was through the attic. After a while, Aste also joined us, so I invited both of them inside my hideout. Authors note: Actually, this might be the home of the Half-Dragon Eir. Chapter 199 This was a hut that could be called a 500-year-old historic ruin. Surprisingly enough, it had no signs of corrosion despite that. Perhaps one reason was that the wood it was made of was properly fire-hardened and improved to defend against corrosion. We descended indoors that was miraculously still in one piece, and descended to the first floor. That floor was somewhat destroyed, having lost to the pressure of the surrounding earth. But even there, there was miraculously low corrosion, perhaps due to having a roof above that defended from the rain. Due to the roof being above ground and the surroundings covered by earth, the water didnt get close and it avoided oxidation. Quite miraculous indeed. Aste frankly analyzed the inside scenery. As expected of a master craftsman, he was able to easily see through it. Yeah, that facts been a lifesaver for me too. We needed to head to the kitchen, and then down. In other words, to the basement. It was the most airflow-isted part in an already isted house. It was exactly what youd wish from a ce to hide things. However, these two got to know about it, I might have to rethink its use for the future. While I was thinking about that, I reached out towards the liftable door installed on the kitchen floor, trying to open the path to the stairs that lead downwards, however Hnnnn! I knew this would happen. As expected, my strength wasnt enough to lift up the door. Maxwell looked at the situation with lukewarm eyes, as if he never even doubted that this would happen. In the end, I had Aste open it for me, after which we safely managed to get downstairs. Apparently, this ce was originally for charcoal burning, so even the basement had fire-hardened walls prepared against erosion. Thanks to that, I was able to use it as my hidden room. As we headed down, there were a lot of valuable things just left there, from gold coins to gems, and even weapons and materials. Since this ce was in a mountain where getting to the city proved quite inconvenient, it was probably built to preserve food and such. It was quite arge underground space. Oho? Now, this is what I would call the den of a Dragon. Indeed Quite a lot of things you got here, eh? Maybe I should raise my repair fees? Please dont! This was the ce where I umted the riches from my past life. The moment these two saw them, they instantly started working their abacuses. Though in reality, I was currently under Lyells care, so I could live even without these treasures, but the thought of seeing the fruit of my past hardships disappear just like that made me sad. Aste ignored myint and quickly made his way towards the corner where the Evil Dragons materials were kept. Maxwell, on the other hand, was absorbed in inspecting the weapons that I had gathered during my lifetime. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) So this is the Evil Dragon Colchis skin. I see, this should work well Oh, Maxwell. The magic power bestowed on that sword isnt that good. Really? It looks quite good to my eyes. Something like that cant even match up to the items I have disyed in the cave. If you want, I can give you one. That would be great! Hey, why are you giving him a freebie while youre raising my repair fees! I whined at the unfair favoritism between us. Looking closely, Aste was reaching out to not just the skin, but even fangs and scales. Hey, now, Im not about to give those, okay? They are far too valuable to just hand over! No matter what, it was an Evil Dragon. Just its scales and fangs would sell for astronomical prices. Giving them as repair expenses for repairing my gauntlets, with my own materials at that, was just too one-sided. Uh, no I just saw some rare materials so my hand moved by itself. I would need about this much skin for the exterior, and some of these bones and fangs for strengthening the interior. Do you mind? Even the bones and fangs? Thats not what you initially said, is it? Well, yes, but seeing so many materials before me, I wanted to put in some more work. Oh well, as long as you arent going to pocket them, fine. But make sure I can use it well, okay? Leave it to me. Since you are in your growth period, youd need toe every year to make minor adjustments, anyway. We can take our time funing it during that time. As Aste said, I was growing taller quite fast. Its been about 30 cm in the past three years. I was still on the smaller sidepared to the other kids, however. That means I have to have Maxwell take me here every year, huh? You said you live in Raum, right? I cane to visit you if you want. Travel expenses would be on you, though. You know you are awfully stingy, arent you! He could make such amazing magic tools, so he should be able to make as much money as he wants. Still, abstaining from having his goods circte in the market is what allowed him to remain as a hidden cksmith. If his items showed up on the market, his name would spread throughout the world in a sh. When that happened, he would no longer be able to live a reclusive life on this mountain. Customers would incessantly flood him, and he would have to work without a break. He is probably fed up with such a lifestyle. Thats why he lives on this mountain while hiding his name. Hehehe If I have these fangs, I can turn them into a closebat hook and No, maybe I should instead equip a wire hook with a separate w? Please, make sure its usable for me Attaching ws on the wrist part for hand-to-handbat doesnt sound bad either. Hooking onto the opponents clothes would allow you to catch them easily. As I said Actually, the armor that I could only use as a crumple zone previously due to the rtion of mass and strength can be turned into a fine shield now, so maybe I should raise its strength? But if I do that, the shock transmitted to the body would be Then what if I add a shock resisting mechanism inside and Hes not even listening anymore. Aste was looking at the items in his hands with a dangerous light in his eyes, devising new ideas again and again. He probably forgot about my existence, even. After all this time, I finally realized the true reason why he retired. Ah, I see. He was just mad Unable to keep their ideas as ideas. Not caring about the user, and just wanting to cram as many functions as they could and make items full of ups and downs. They were entric people that found joy in those actions. Aste seemed to have heard my mutter and retorted. Dont be so rude. When you live a reclusive life, you have no choice but to kill your boredom through your hobbies. That or, flirt with my wife whenever shees home. Oh, so your wife is running away from you? Haah? My carelessment made his eyes turn into a sharp re. And then, his expression changed into an evil smirk. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Now that I look at you, Reid. You look quite simr to my wife now, you know? Perhaps intentionally, he said those with ascivious smile. That smile made goosebumps run all over my body. Please, save me from such jokes! Im sorry for calling you mad, okay!? As long as you understand. His smile quickly faded and he returned back to being expressionless. That moment made me fully realize that I was still a man in my heart. Chapter 200 After Aste finished collecting all the materials he needed for my gauntlets, we were finally able to take a breather. Thinking about it, it was sote you couldnt call it night anymore. The sun would probably rise any time now. Regardless, we could return back in an instant with Maxwells magic, so it wouldnt hurt to rest here before we did. That said, we cant even make tea here. I sat down on one of the empty boxes filled with books, and stretched my stiff body. I had to run to the mountain all the way from the city tonight Well, I rode on Maxwells shoulder most of the way, though. But we even went to the World Treebyrinth Well, Aste teleported us there. We had to fight lots of Huge Crawlers and even Juggernaut at the end. Looking back, it was quite a tough exercise for one day. We have tea over there, though. Uh, well I feel like itd be a huge waste to drink that. Aste offered me his water pouch that he showed back in thebyrinth, but after knowing that it contained the World Tree sap, I felt a bit reserved about drinking it. I mean, I did give him even more valuable materials just a while ago, but I see. Then Ill drink it by myself. Ok, wait, lemme drink too! That said, I didnt feel like just watching someone drink it before my eyes either. I snatched the pouch from him and took a big gulp. It was a tea mixed with lukewarm sap, but it surprisingly felt refreshing as it went down the throat, and I could clearly feel my fatigue going away. Ahh, this is some nice stuff Any way to obtain it regrly? Sorry, but it would take a lot of time to transport it to Raum. It would be no problem if youe to take it yourself though. No way I can do that. If I be more skilled with the Interference magic, I should be able to use Teleport. Until then, I had to rely on Maxwell every time, so I couldnte here whenever I pleased. It was very unfortunate, but I had to give up on this tea. After returning the pouch to him, I lined up two boxes and lied down on them. Astes eyes moved between the pouch and me as Iy limply there, with aplex expression on his face. What? Ah, well I was just thinking that your guardians are probably having a hard time. My guardians? Why? You are way too defenseless. Being told that, I looked down to check my own appearance. My gym uniform seemed to have folded up while I was lying down, and my belly button was in in sight. Since I wore short pants, my underwear wasnt showing, but having only one leg up while the other dangled down made my posture look quite immodest. And the finishing blow was the pouch I handed back. I gave something I put my lips on to a man. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) As a bacsh from mydy training, Ive been behaving quite crudely as ofte. O-Oh,e on. I just cant get the hang of being a girl, okay? I see Hmm, so that means Aste muttered and started thinking with a hand to his chin. Then he suddenly raised his face and called out to Maxwell. He was fumbling for magic swords, so hearing his name so suddenly made him flinch. Hey, Maxwell. Lets search. Huh? F-For what? Guys like this guy tend to hide their embarrassing past in these kinds of ces. In other words Oh Understood! Understand my ass! Indeed, you could say this ce was the sole base of a wanderer like me. So I brought things I didnt want others to see here as well. Astes judgment was urate. It was so urate that I didnt want them to search. Maybe somewhere along the wall No, probably not. He wouldnt hide them in such an obvious ce.. Are you sure? Reid is quite brilliant when ites to battles, but tends to be extremely shortsighted when ites to everyday things. You have a point. Still, he probably never expected anyone toe here. In that case, he probably didnt even hide them. I see In that case, they might be lumped into one of those boxes. After thinking up to that point, Maxwell looked towards me. No, to be more urate, towards the boxes I was using as a bed. H-hey, now Drop it. Hey, little Nicole, do you mind moving aside for a bit? Stop your wheedling! I tried to resist with all I had, but he easily pushed away my hands and lifted me up. In the meantime, Aste grabbed the box I was sitting on. Why are you two so in sync!? Ignoring my protests, they wrench opened the box, and exposed my shame. S-Stop! Oho? First things first, we have some porn books here. So you had a hobby like this? There are a lot of elves. And beastgirls. There are surprisingly few humans, though? Oh, looks like slender girls are his type too. Dammit, give it a rest already! Since the situation looked so desperate, there was no time to hold back. I clung to Maxwells arm that had me lifted in the air and moved into a locking technique. To hell with respecting your elders! Ouch ouch ouch! Reid, hold back a little! I aint holding back towards the assholes that try to dig up other peoples secrets! Okay, I will look no more so stop! My hand is about to break! Ill keep looking, though. You stop as well, goddammiiiit! Aste silently browsed through one particrly risky book. I promptly let go of Maxwell and rushed towards him. Chapter 201 After I somehow managed to stop Aste, I asked Maxwell to seal this ce off. Only Aste and Maxwell knew of this ce, but I couldnt trust Aste to not sneak in here. Since I couldnt take my secret collection with me, it was better to seal it off. Also, we had almost no time left. It was almost sunrise. I was so sleepy that my head drooped every time I loosened my focus. For my young body, staying up all night was a very burdening action. We decided to part with Aste outside my base and return back right away. We were using Kabby as my recement, but there were still problems with that n. Well then, Im worried about the inn, so well return now. You can carry those materials home yourself, right? After saying that, he quickly teleported back to his cave. He was quite a strange guy. He had a yful personality, but was quite stubborn too sometimes. Youd think hed give you some freebies, but hes actually stingy when it counts. I couldnt read his personality at all. Well then, let us return, shall we? Yeah, Maria or Cortina could drop by to check on me if we dont hurry. My familiar is there, so you should not worry too much. It does not seem like they visited the room yet. Oh, right, you can share your vision with your familiar. Maxwell, who could share his vision, said the situation was fine, so Maria and Cortina probably just went to sleep. Well, it was difficult to imagine them still being up until sote. Well, I still wouldnt put it past Lyell to trespass into my room, but I still hoped that he wasnt so shameless as to sneak into a room full of girls. Well, we should return while we can. Todays events tired me quite a bit. I can only rest for a bit if we go back now, but its still better than nothing. Good grief. This is why you are still a child. Not to mention, Maxwell used Cargo magic, too. It was a spell that strengthened the body through magic power, but that extra stamina didnte from the thin air. It simplypensated for stamina with magic power. This old man had nigh bottomless magic power reserves, but he had to teleport 300 people today. He had to be feeling some fatigue after all that. Well, unlike you, I continued fighting ever since your death. My magic power increased even more. Seriously? Now that I think about it, Maria seemed to have learned the teleportation magic quite easily. In her case, she already had the aptitude for it. She simply practiced the skills she already knew. Im so jealous. I cant even use mid-grade magic. I barely finished learning elementary magic. I understand that Maria, who was originally a pure rear-guard, would have different qualitiespared to me, but it didnt change that I was jealous. In an attempt to shake those feelings off, I urged Maxwell to hurry up with returning. Oh, well, lets just go back already. Our business in the Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle is done with this. Good grief, you are no fun. Despite hisints, he worked his magic fast and opened the Teleport Gate. He was messing around, but his spell activation was as smooth as ever. You really couldnt find faults with him when it came to magic. The next morning, I made an excuse that thest days fatigue and fainting had made me feel bad, and I managed to sleep through the rest of the day. I was cutting my sleep short due to my usual training and hunting. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) You could say that my body was under constant stress. Upon reflection, there was a possibility that it was actually having the opposite effect on my stamina growth. As such, I decided to make use of this opportunity and get plenty of sleep. Thus, I used Kabby as a body pillow and slept all day. We had a tour of the history museum scheduled for that day. I was a local, so it was pretty meaningless for me. When they returned, my ssmates started giggling after they saw me hugging Kabby in my sleep, but I didnt really care. And, during our free time in the afternoon, I tagged with Letina to buy souvenirsI only had Finia and Michelle to give them toand we spent our final night in Alecmarle. After being dragged around day after day, the students energy hit rock bottom. They slept like logs, and the day of return finally arrived. After Maxwell returned us today, he had to visit Matara Alliance and the United Alliance and bring the other students back as well. In exchange, Cortina had to takemand of all students afterward. Naturally, with her long experience as a teacher on top of being an armymander, there were no problems with that. After she gave a precautionary speech to the students gathered in the schoolyard, we finally broke up. Since she had to deal with the aftermath, she ended up working overtime that day. Together with Elliot, who wasnt able to participate this time, they started going over the documents and contacted the students that did not go on the trip. Seeing her so busy showed me that she really was just one teacher working here. It was still forenoon now, but I decided to return home straight away to hand the souvenirs to Michelle and Finia. Letina had to return to her mansion to not worry her mother, so I was by my lonesome Actually, Kabby was with me. When I reached Cortinas house, I noticed some kind of conflict in front of it. On a closer inspection, it turned out that Finia was engaged in a fierce quarrel with Michelle at the entrance. It was extremely rare for them to have a dispute. I tried to get between their conversation as casually as I could and arbitrate it. Im back. Whats wrong with you two? Ah, Lady Nicole! Wee back. Nicole, we have an emergency! Finia greeted me as part of her attendant duties, while Michelle rushed towards me with a heated-up expression. Her eyes were bloodshot, so I could tell she wasnt her normal self. W-Whats wrong? You seem to be in panic Cloud has Cloud has been caught! She dropped yet another unexpected information on me. Chapter 202 Authors note: Noting that Nicole wont appear for about two chapters starting from now. When Nicole left for the Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle, there were many that were affected by it. Two people, in particr, took the most damage from it. One was Elliot, another, Cloud. Elliots disappointment knew no bottom after Maxwell left Raum to attend to Nicole, having no way to follow after him. Moreover, due to the recent incident, his vacation in Raum that was supposed tost at least half a year was halved due to the problem of safety. And depending on the situation, it could be decreased even further. Elliot was aware that bying to Raum he put a lot of burden on his confidant, so he couldnt object too strongly against that decision and ended up epting it. And there was Cloud, another person that was harmed. He was originally a bullied kid. His position bettered quite a bit ever since he started procuring food as the apprentice Adventurer. There was currently no one at the orphanage that was bullying him. Because if they kept pestering Cloud and made him angry, they could lose the opportunity to eat delicious meat. If that happened the target of bullying would change from Cloud to the bullies, due to other kids having lost their supply of food. Cloud managed to find goodrades for himself, but they werent sure luck would shine on them the same way. As such, the bullies were smart enough to realize that their actions had a risk of worsening their situation. However, due to Nicoles busy schedule thest few days, the orphanage stopped receiving its meat supply. As things stood, there was a chance that Clouds standing would fall down to what it used to be. So, yeah, Id like to go on a hunt soon. Cloud said with a big sigh in the cafeteria of the Adventurer Academy. This academy fundamentally forbids outsiders from entering. And Cloud certainly wasnt rich enough to attend it. That said, Michelle who was his friend attended it. As such, he couldnt be dismissed as a total outsider, either. For that reason, he sometimes came to eat here. Its rted to the Magic Academy, so the matter is out of her hands. Nicole wouldnt be making light of your situation, you know? Michelle, sitting opposite of Cloud answered with a sulky expression while sipping on her juice. She understood what Cloud wanted to say, but Nicole had her own circumstances, too. She didnt like that the boy in front of her was dismissing them like that. No, I understand that of course. But, like Look, Im a Half-Demon. Ah, right. That one word was enough for her to understand what he was implying. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Half-Demons. They were the most socially vulnerable people in this world, regardless of the country. They had high magical and physical grounding, but people refused to ept them. For that reason, they found their ce among Adventurers, where everything was determined by ability. However, that also meant that their jobs were constantly apanied by danger. Many of the Half-Demons were either killed from abuse in their childhood, or lost their lives due to rushing into dangerous adventures without the necessary experience. Even so, Adventuring was their sole means of getting rich quickly. In fact, Reid, who managed to be one of the Six Heroes was something like a personification of glory for them. Cloud, too, was one such individual longing for that glory. But for that, he had to at least gain enough ability to manage to live by himself. For him, hunting was both the means to guarantee his safety and training to aim for the heights. So having their hunts constantly interrupted due to his master, Nicoles, circumstances made him grumble a bit. I mean, I feel grateful for her, you know? Look, if I was the same kid I used to be, I might have been bullied to death by now. Uh-huh Its just that the food we get from hunting is whats supporting my current standing. I didnt say it out of ill will. Oh, well. Then, would you like to hunt with the two of us? Huh, just us? What, you have a problem? Michelle was aware of Clouds circumstance. Thats why, she also understood why he was being so impatient. It was for that very reason that she suggested this idea now. I am a Gift holder, too, so we should be able to hunt some weaker game, dont you think? Will that really be alright? If some strong enemy shows up, I can just use the Third Eye. But if you use that, youd be unable to move, right? I can at least defeat it before then. I even managed to one-shot the Mountain Serpent! I still cant believe you managed that Cloud had a grasp on Michelles ability. But still, Gift holder or not, he found it hard to believe that she managed to defeat a monster that normally required an army to subjugate. Since they didnt even bring back any materials as proof, it made it more doubtful. Ahh, that face! you dont believe me, do you! No, I do, I do. Even Nicole said so. So you mean you dont believe my own words? Of course I do! We arerades. Then, there should be no problems. Ugh. He felt like she smartly led the conversation to suit her point, but it was a fact that her offensive ability far transcended one suitable for her age. As long as Cloud managed to perform his usual tank duty and keep them busy, she should be able to deal with most foes. For that reason, her suggestion wasnt necessarily baseless. Right. In that case, how about we head out to hunt tomorrow morning? Yup, gotcha! And thus, Michelle and Cloud had made up their minds to head out to their little hunting adventure. Chapter 203 Raum was a metropolis surrounded by forest. The forest around was so deep, in fact, that deviated one step from the highway and you would find yourself in the middle of it. Dark trees that blocked the light could easily deprive one of their sense of orientation. And while bigger monsters were regrly hunted by Adventurers, that did not mean that the dangerous animals disappeared with them. In other words, it was no ce for the weak, ordinary people to set foot in. That said, Cloud and Michelle were already several steps away from such ordinary people. They advanced familiarly through the forest and detected the monsters without fail. Ah, theres a snake there. Leave it to me! Cloud urately grasped the location of the snake that was lurking in the grass and issued directions. It wasnt a particrly dangerous creature that had poison, but its meat was edible. Hunting it wouldnt yield much meat, but you would lose nothing by doing it either. Michelle nocked an arrow into her hunting bow with fluid movements and loosed it along with finishing her sentence. While she was prepared in advance, her swift action was still a feat worthy of praise. Because these two always apanied Nicole on her spartan sessions, they already had an ability far surpassing that of an average Adventurer. As they continued their easygoing yet steady hunt, the day eventually approached noon. Having hunted three wild birds, one snake, and two rabbits, the duo was on their way home with beaming smiles on their faces. However, Cloud discovered something strange midway. Hmm? Whats wrong? Oh, uh, look There are carriage wheel tracks here. Indeed, the ce Cloud pointed at had traces of hooves and wheel tracks. Two sets, in fact. Not just that, there were several footsteps apanying it. They were no scouts, however, so they couldnt tell exactly how many of them there were. That said, at the very least, they understood that two carriages had passed there. I dont think its anything strange. We are near the capital, so carriages oftene and go here, right? But Michelle, we are inside the forest. Cloud objected to Michelles optimistic im. The ce where they found the tracks was slightly, but still away from the highway. Normal travelers would never choose to travel on a barely maintained path like this when there was an alternative readily avable. Moreover, looking at the condition of the tracks, it hadnt been long since they had passed. Mmhh? What are you trying to say? That something is going on here. Saying that, Cloud started following the trails as he made his way through the grass. Michelle realized what he was up to and asked. Wait, what are you nning! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) To him, who lived a poverty life, these tracks looked like a signpost to getting rich. Fellows that secretly came to a ce like these were definitely up to no good. That said, they couldnt report them based on suspicion alone. Being a Half-Demon, Clouds words did not hold much weight, so there was a good chance his report would be ignored. If he inspected who, where, and what were they doing before reporting it, it would increase the chances of getting a cash bonus. That cash would be precious reserve funds to aid him in taking off as an Adventurer. Thats dangerous. Lets at least wait until Nicolees back She wont be back at least until noon, right? These people wont wait for that long. Thats true, but Having experience with fighting a kidnapper, Michelle wasnt as optimistic as Cloud. Michelle was usually the one acting easygoing, while Cloud was more conserved, but their positions were reversed now. Perhaps this was a failure on Clouds part, having gotten overconfident due to quickly growing strong. Even Michelle, having obtained a powerful weapon, became a little too optimistic and thought everything would just work out somehow. Before long, the two arrived at a clearing in the forest where the two carriages were parked. One of them was not particrly different in structure from that of an average traveling carriage. it had a canopy on the luggage carrier to defend from rain. The second, on the other hand, was clearly different from that. Its carrier was firm and made of iron, and even caged. It didnt have a canopy for the roof either, but instead a simrly metallic one. Inside the cage was A young child. It was a girl even younger than the two, having her limbs in shackles. She was dirty and only had a single tattered rag on her. On top of that, she looked quite weakened. So horrible We have to save her. Could Could they be ve traders? You know about them, Cloud? This is my first time seeing them. But they are banned byw, so I heard they carried their trades outside of the towns. That means, that girl Yeah. She will be sold as a ve at this rate. The two consulted with hushed voices from behind the grass. Near the carriages, five men were taking a rest in their respective ways. As expected, even Michelle couldnt shoot down five of them at the same time. Both of them were aware of that. Lets go back. Its enough that we learned that they are ve traders. If we report it to the guards, theylle and capture them. Okay. We cant have that now, can we? Suddenly, a carefree voice came from behind them. Someone had managed to sneak up on the two, who could even detect the presence of snakes. Hearing his listless, and somewhat calm voice, the two immediately turned around, shooting an arrow and swinging a sword at the same time. Wow, these two have some skill, huh? But the man behind them easily avoided their attacks. The sound of their battle reached the ears of other men, however. Whats going on there! Weve got rats. A little too big, though. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) The man answered their questioning yells. As he held two swords limply in each hand, it made his arms look strangely long. However, Cloud had noposure to question that part. Michelle, go! Quick, back to the city! B-But! Ill hold on somehow! We are close to town so you should be able to make it! He immediately made a judgment to let Michelle escape. He set up his wooden shield and face the man. However, the other five were also on their way to him. At this rate, both of them would be caught. If both of them made their escape, they would surely be caught. The enemy even had horses, after all. The only option was for one of them to stay and keep them busy. Realizing all that, Cloud told Michelle to run. Michelle also reached the same conclusion as him. For that very reason, she hesitated on running away. Just run already! We have no time to be arguing! Got it Dont die, you hear! I wont! Saying that, Cloud rushed towards the men. They were too many in number. If he just waited, they couldve followed after Michelle. Instead, he chose to engage with them from his side to keep their attention on him. Heh, quite a smart judgment you made there. The man with two swordsmented in admiration. Thus, Michelle turned around and ran towards the city, hearing his mutter behind her. Chapter 204 The moment I heard Michelles story, I immediately broke into a run. Yes, it was obvious if I just thought about it. Back when Letina was kidnapped, I annihted the kidnappers. However, I havent dealt with the ve merchants that were supposed to meet up with them outside the city. Even when Matisse was kidnapped, the kidnappers mentioned something about selling her to the ve merchants. No matter how you looked at it, it was obvious that the root of the problem was still there. And Michelle and Cloud stumbled on them. One of them even had to remain behind to let the other escape! That was the same thing I did in my past. I still believed that my judgment back then was not a mistake. If I was presented with the same choices, my decision would be unchanged. That said, I also understood the grief that my decision had brought upon others. I could not forget the pain it brought to Cortina and Finia. If you die You are really getting expelled, you hear, Cloud! If he died here, Michelle would end up going through the same pain. I could not allow that to happen. Behind my back, I could hear Finias yell. Agh! This is why I said to keep it a secret from her! Their quarrel was probably about the way I would react. Finia knew that I would rush out without hesitation the moment I heard it. She probably judged that it was best to leave it to the authorities hands. But Michelle, the one actually involved in it, thought differently. Because there was no time to lose, she tried to rely on the people she trusted the mostCortina or me. Cortina was busy with work and not present. And Maxwell was not even in the kingdom. So it was natural that she clung to me when she saw me. W-Wait for me, Nicole. Iming as well! Michelle chased after me, leaving Finia behind. Her speed was unbelievably fast for a 10-year-old kid. Still, she was no match for me. My explosive power had no equal among my generation. I arrived at the eastern gate that was nearest and waited for her. While I did that, I exined the situation to one of the familiar gate guards. We were quite famous due to constantlying in and out during the weekends. It was natural that we would stand out after huntingrge games that one would find unthinkable for children. Not to mention, I was Lyells daughter, while also having Cortina and Maxwell backing me up. Since it was me telling them all this, they would not doubt it at all. When he heard the Cloud remained behind, the guards expression changed and he rushed to gather hisrades. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Were I a normal kid, my duty would be done at this step. But Cloud could die at any moment. There was no time to wait until they formed a squad. I I finally cau- She finally arrived while gasping hard. Usually, I would have cheered her up, but there was no time for that now. Sorry, but please lead the way, Michelle. O-Okay. She was clearly having a tough time, but she readily nodded and rushed ahead. As much as Id wished to let her rest, only she knew the path. This way, lets go! Iming! Urged by her, I followed her into the forest. From time to time, I broke big branches and left marks behind us. Michelle was guiding our way there, but the guards that would follow us had no way to know where to go. For that reason, I left marks for them to follow. When would theye to the rescue was still unknown, however. They had to gather people, equip weapons, report to the superior, and receive permission. When it came to the army, it tended to be slow in all kinds of ways. Their slowness could prove to be fatal in this case. There! Michelle suddenly pointed towards the ground. There were several footsteps and the wheel tracks there. The deeper tracks probably belonged to the caged carriage, given how heavy it should be. There were also two sets of hoof marks leading that carriage, being proof that a big, two-horse carriage had passed here. I see. Definitely suspicious. Michelle said so and rushed ahead. However I couldnt hear the sound of swords. Was it because we were still too far, or was it because it was already over? Cloud wasnt strong. Definitely not strong enough to win against five adult opponents. Which meant, this could only mean No, its too soon to decide that! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I shook my head and followed after Michelle. After a while, she suddenly stopped. And then, she put a hand on her mouth, holding down a scream with all she had. Seeing her reaction, I directed my gaze further ahead. The forest suddenly stopped there, turning into an open field. There stood several men, and Cloud, his right arm bleedingnay, entirely gone, as hey limply on the ground. Chapter 205 Clouds right arm was on the ground at a little distance from him. The blood was gushing out from his body even now, matching with the pulsation of the heart. The fact that it was pulsating meant that he still had some life remaining in him. But the man standing next to him was preparing to end his life with his sword. Y-You bastaaaaaards! Seeing that scene made me lose myself in the anger. I wont forgive them. That single thought upied my mind, a wave of bloodlust filling my being. Michelle did her best to hold back her voice, but I went and put her efforts to waste. Even so, I couldnt hold back my scream. Because it was clear to me just how hard Cloud fought. Just how hopeless he would have felt when he lost his arm. Of course, Maria who stood at the pinnacle of healing magic could easily attach it back. However, she belonged to the church, and that church demanded payment in exchange for healing. Cloud, however, had no such money. Naturally, if I asked, she would heal him for free, just like with Michelle. However, that would only be possible if he survives until then. He was on the verge of death already. There was no knowing how long it would take for Maria to get here. Unless I pulled him out and stopped his bleeding, he would most likely die by then. Reviving the dead Was something beyond even Maria. I shot my piano wire towards the man standing next to Cloud. It was a surprise attack that he was seeing for the first time. Normally, people would have failed to dodge it. But that man twisted his long arm and shot down the approaching thread. Woah!? Quite a dangerous attack you threw there. He easily blocked it with a sluggish expression on his face. But this was an opening I could use. As soon as I saw his posture break, I instantly closed the gap and pulled out my dagger. But even this attack was parried by him with the sword he held on his other hand. Huh, whats up with this brat. Shes awfully familiar with how to fight! I was surprised that he managed to stop my attacks, but it would be dangerous for me if I let up now. Thus I decided to follow up with a kick aimed at his crotch. But yet again, he dodged it by jumping back and taking some distance. Nod bad. Damn. Hey girlie, howe youre so good at this? But with this, I managed to pull him away from Cloud. If I took on the five remaining men while Michelle escaped with Cloud, it could work out somehow. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) My trusty gauntlets were being repaired, and I didnt have my katana with me, either, having only just returned from the trip. All I had on hand was a dagger and a piano wire. Talk about being in a pinch. Still, I cant pull back now. Ah, sorry but I cant let you return alive now that youve seen us. Sorry about this, okay? In that case, Ill just force my way! Looking at the long swords held in his equally long hands I could see that his physical strength could not be made light of. He was skilled enough to easily dodge my surprise attack. Even his sluggish attitude was proof of his skill. Mateus! Hurry up and deal with that brat! Now that weve been found out, the guards should already be on their way here! Now that would be bad. I just finished a difficult work, so Id rather not have them zero in on me. We were in an open space, but its full of thick grass. Despite that, this man, Mateus, was closing in on me without making a single noise. His footwork was extraordinary. And his gait that seemed to be slipping in the gaps of consciousness Dont tell me, you are a Stealth Gift holder!? I remembered about the skilled swordsman that belonged to the thieves that kidnapped Matisse. This Mateus was moving just like him back then. Not to mention, he was also using two swords, albeit a bit longer. Could he be of the same school as him? I also hold the Swordsman Gift. Now that you know, would you mind surrendering? Youd be nice goods. Not in a million years. I see, well, too bad, I guess? He swung his long arm like a whip and shed at me. I managed to stop his blow with my dagger, but just that one attack was enough to make my arm numb. This was partly due to my weak body, but also due to the way he swung the sword, which made the blow heavier. On top of that, I only had one steel thread with me, so I couldnt even strengthen my body properly. Shit, I should keep in mind to carry at least five threads with me from now on Oh, I didnt expect you to block it. Raum sure has a lot of fine Adventurers, eh? That boy from earlier was quite good at defending himself too. His words made me remember the current situation. Clouds bleeding had to be stopped. Fortunately, Michelle was still frozen from shock and outside of the battle. She should be able to take him away. Michelle, pull Cloud away and stop his bleeding! Ah O-Okay! Michelle immediately headed for the rescue. At the same time, I also filled my dagger with magic power and transformed it into a one-meter long spear. Mateus opened his eyes wide at that. Wow, amazing! That thing can transform, huh? Can you give it to me? As I said already, not in a million years. Too bad. I suppose Ill have to take it by force then. He once again twisted his arms and started barraging me with shes from every direction. If I was still using the dagger, I would have been sent flying right away. But fortunately, I was using the spear-mode that had a long handle. It could serve as a good defensive weapon if I held it closer to the edge and used it as a staff. It was quite simr to the naginata of the east. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Holding it closer to the edge made me maintain my bnce. I warded off the attacks from his two swords by rotating the handle. This battle style was made for women thatcked physical strength, so it waspatible with the present me. Of course, the ideal for me would be using my Gift and fighting with threads, but that would leave me too defenseless. Since I only had one thread, I had to consider how to best use it. Behind me, Michelle had pulled Cloud away and was trying to stop his bleeding with the jacket that she had torn off. My objective was to keep people from approaching them. Mateus, what are you dawdling around for! The other man, who seemed to want to get the hell out of here, was annoyed seeing Mateus failing to put me down, and decided to approach us and lend him a hand. I was having a tough time handling this guy alone, so it would honestly be too much for me now. But Michelle was busy with the rescue so I had no other choice but to deal with it Back off! Agh! I sent my thread through the gaps of his sword attacks and shed at the approaching mans knees. It seemed that the other men failed to see that attack and reacted in surprise. They were most likely Mateus employers, so they werent as skilled as him. This meant that I could keep them in check. If I managed to maintain this status quo, the guards would arrive to assist me eventually. The moment I thought that Hm? Well then, I suppose I should take this a bit more seriously. Mateus shed me a fearless smile and lowered his posture even more. Chapter 206 Mateus lowered his posture. That made me feel as if someone dropped ice on my back. I trusted my instincts and immediately leaped backward. The next moment, his swords rushed at my afterimage from both directions and chopped it into bits. He immediately followed up with up and down shes, which I repelled by rotating my spear. With a heavy impact, the de of the longsword ran up right next to me, and then swooped back down. Khh, you Were you holding back until now? I thought you could be sold off, unlike that other brat. He replied with augh, shing his teeth. Due to his low posture, the downward swings had more force in them, and the recoil from them also added power to the upward swings. Actually, he was also increasing that recoil by swinging both of his swords at the same time. In this situation, my low height was ying against me. Normally, attacks from the lower position could be easily blocked by shields and such, but in my case, those attacks wereing right from the front. These blows were heavier than before, making them harder and harder to block. And if that wasnt bad enough, there came another report. From Michelle standing behind me. Nicole, II cant stop the bleeding! Tie it at the tip of the shoulder! Also, sandwich the arm between stones and block the big artery! Clouds arm was severed a little above the elbow. If it was a minor injury, you could stop the bleeding by burning the affected part, but it wouldnt help with an injury this big. Because the blood would rip open the mouth of the burned tissue from within. For that reason, your only choice was to stop the blood flow itself. Are you sure you should be paying attention to them? The moment I directed my mind to Michelle, Mateus threw an overbearingly strong blow at me. I missed my timing to block it and it flung the spear off my hands. Kh I forced my numbed hands to move and set up the piano wire. While the threads were more suited to my battle style, I wasnt so sure about that this time. I didnt think I could block his blows with a steel thread. Even so, I had no choice but to hold out. If I lost, Cloud would die. As for Michelle and me We would probably be caught and sold off as ves. All that would await us after that was a dark future. Of course, Lyell and the rest would set out to rescue us, but the time until they managed that would be enough tobreaka person. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Perhaps I should have at least grabbed my weapon before rushing here? That thought momentarily crossed my mind, but on another thought, Cloud was about to be killed when we arrived. If I waste even by a second, he would most likely have been dead. As such, what I did was the most optimal choice We even let the guards know on the way. It should have reached Cortina and Maxwell too. As long as I held out, the victory would be ours. However, the war of attrition was hard with him as my opponent. shes with so much power put into them were my biggest weakness. I couldnt even ward them off, let alone block. My only choice was to dodge them. If my gauntlets were with me a bit longer, I would have a way to fight. A bit longer? At that moment, I suddenly had a faint revtion. I only had one piano thread with me, however, there were surely other threads around. For example, my hair. If I pulled them out, couldnt they serve as threads? No, I dont think my hair would be strong enough to do the job. But now that I realized that it was possible, I decided to change perspective to the inside of my body. Maybe muscles, or nerves, or even blood vessels. They were mostlyposed of fiber. My Gift of Thread Maniption worked through contact. In other words, I should be able to meddle with the insides of my body without any limits. As I was focused on thinking, my feet stopped for a moment. And Mateus wasnt one to miss that opening. Once again, attacks from two sides rushed towards me. His attacks werent so fast that I couldnt follow, but the centrifugal force made them extremely heavy. I couldnt possibly stop them with a single piano thread. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Thus I directed my consciousness within me and tried to manipte my muscle fibers. It was something I just thought up with no real proof that it would work, but there was a clear response. I immediately swung my arm upward and flicked off his right sword. It gave off a sound that was a mix of breaking and crushing. My fistnded on the side of his sword and sessfully flicked it upward. However, the price I had to pay for that stunt was not light. After all, it wasnt as if I was strengthening my entire body. My right fist broke, and the index finger got bent in the direction it wasnt supposed to bend. I forced myself to endure the shock that spread through my body. There was his other sword to dodge. His de continued to approach. Since my right arm was facing upward, I could not avoid it by ducking underneath. That only left the option to dodge it from above. Thus, I kicked the ground and jumped over the sword with a backflip. Inded on the ground with a roll, which would normally have left a big opening. However, Mateus couldnt just keep throwing his attacks like nothing, either. Because his right sword got flung upwards, it failed to offset the force of his left sword and his body got twisted in a grand manner. Thanks to that, he couldnt follow up with another attack and I gained a little time. I used that opportunity to sever the pain nerves of my right arm from within, as they were starting to flood my brain. It was just simple anesthesia, so Maria should be able to easily heal it along with the injuries. Along with my free treatment, the pain spreading through my right arm disappeared as if it never existed. Mateus, on the other hand, was frozen in ce with a shocked face. It was supposed to have been a decisive blow, so he couldnt believe I managed to ovee it. Not to mention, I wasposedly confronting him despite my right hand being in tatters. There was no way he could see this as normal. Making use of his shock, I withdrew even farther behind and fully fixed my posture. And thus, the situation had entered an even bigger deadlock Chapter 207 My right fist was broken for good. That made it hard to use my thread in a close battle. But there was also good news. That was the fact that I could manipte the muscle fibers inside my body. Each thread added to my physical power. In other words, my fist managed to gain incredible strengthening. Was this the power to be the strongest that the White God told me about? But for that to be the case, my body was still far too fragile. I was far off from bing the strongest in my current state. But to ovee this predicamentthis was enough. Having recovered from his shock, Mateus once again charged at me. I dodged his sword with the breadth of a hairsnay, a skins breadth. W-Wha-!? I could understand his shock. It probably looked as if he had cut my afterimage. I evaded it narrowly enough to make that illusion. I was using my thread maniption not for attacking but defending. If I used it to attack, my body would break before I defeated him. As such, I decided it was better to dedicate myself entirely to dodging and gaining time. I focused my maniptive power on my limb muscles and proceeded to narrowly dodge his attacks by moving my body like a puppet. This was all possible because I could view my muscles, tendons, and nerves more urately than my limbs themselves, as threads. Moving myself like a marite boosted my precision to an unbelievable extent. My movements probably looked to be nothing short of the divine from his perspective. With that as a start, I continued dodging his storm-like barrage with fluid movements. From the side, it probably looked as if he was chopping me into pieces. However, none of those shes managed to so much as graze me. After over ten consecutive shes, all of which I dodged thoroughly, Mateus finally took his distance. What Brought this change? Who knows. I have no obligation to tell you. I swung my thread along with that frank answer. However, he easily evaded it. He was really not someone whod fall for such feints, as expected. Even if he was ovee with surprise, he was apparently still collected enough to respond to frontal attacks. So far, the defending had gone as nned. But I couldnt get too optimistic here. Cloud was still bleeding, and my right arm was broken. I wasnt sure how much longer I could continue dodging. Manipting the insides of my body meant that I was gradually shaving away my stamina reserves. The other side, however, only had one guy that sustained a knee injury. While Mateus himself was still without a single injury. At that moment, the two other men decided to rush at me. They didnt approach until now as they would get in Mateus way. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) But since he took distance from me, they decided this was their chance. However, I used those two as shields and moved even farther from Mateus. I instantly rushed next to Cloud, and then manipted my piano wire to wrap it around his arm and stop the bleeding. As I wasnt making it move to cut, the wire simply constricted his shoulder tip and blocked the hemorrhage. Following that, I swung my heel towards the man that chased after me and smashed his knee. His leg wasnt frail enough that it would have broken with a kick from someone as light as me, were it the usual. However, due to manipting my muscle fibers, this kick was far heavier than it normally was, making up for myck of weight with speed. With a repulsive breaking sound, his knee caved in, and he copsed between us and Mateus. AGGGGHHHH!! He started rolling about in pain and became an obstacle for both sides. Seeing that Mateus started pondering about something for a moment. During that time, the other man also charged at me from the opposite side with his sword raised, but I easily flung that sword from his hands by elbowing the hand holding it, effectively disarming him. GAAAAAAGHHH!? The elbow strike broke his fingers, making him scream while holding his hand. A first-ss fighter would never have shown such a defenseless posture. As expected, Mateus was the one I had to be cautious of. Taking the opportunity, I kicked his elbow and broke it like the other man, leaving him rolling on the ground. With that, Mateus had two obstacles to dodge before getting to me. Dodging them would, in turn, be openings for me to make use of. And I would never miss such an opportunity. Contrary to what I expected, rather than approach me, Mateus lowered his arms and said in a listless, carefree voice. Ah, good grief I quit, I quit. What? You turned out to be far more skilled than I expected, littledy. And you neutralized three of my coworkers. I think this would be a good time to quit, wouldnt you agree? What the hell, Mateus! You intend to leave the eyewitnesses!? Thest remaining man yelled at Mateus who dropped his arms, losing his intention to fight. Judging from the appearance, that fat man was probably the leader of these ve traders. And he was no fighter however you looked. But, you see, it would take a while to defeat her. The man spat out those final words, freed one horse that was tied to the carriage, and started making his escape with it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) He judged that he would not be able to escape with the carriage on him. It was difficult to pass through the forest with arge carriage. I wouldve preferred to follow and put an end to him, but I had no weapons on me right now. But leaving hisrades and escaping like that was quite a resolute decision. Since he didnt mind his identity getting exposed, perhaps he was never intending to enter any of Raums towns. Could you tell me your name, youngdy? I already know the other ones name, since you were calling to her earlier. He asked while lightly shrugging his shoulders. This was probably his way of closing the fight. I managed to seed in saving Cloud, so I had no reason to continue the fight at this point. No, well, I had one But it was not worth the risk. Nicole. Nicole Huh? Okay, I remembered it. Well then, lets make you the next target, Nicole. Next target? After he said that much, I finally caught on to something. He was a first-ss swordsman No, even higher than that, who had the Stealth Gift. His presence here could not be a mere coincidence. I remembered an incident that a man of his caliber caused fairly recently. So you You are the one who assassinated Count Tarkashire? It was an assassination incident that was caused by someone who most probably held a simr Stealth Gift to mine. Someone with that ability was in front of me now, so there was no way he was uninvolved. As expected, Mateus spread his arms wide in exaggeration and affirmed my question. Exaaaaaactly! Good job realizing that. As expected of my rival, huh? How about you be my wife when you grow up? Never in a million years. Again with that, huh? This time, he responded with a dejected drop of his shoulders. He was extremely expressive of his emotions Or more like, he seemed to be pretending as if that was the case. Under whose orders did you kill Tarkashire? I cant go answering that now, can I? Right. If he was an assassin like me, he wouldnt go revealing his employers name. If possible, I wanted to restrain him to keep him from escaping But the other party was fully aware of that. Well then, looks like your friends would be arriving soon, so its about time I made my escape. He suddenly leaped back and straddled on the other horse. Since the previous guy didnt take the carriage with him, there was one more horse remaining there. I am Mateus of the Jend sect of the hidden de style. I hope you remember me until we meet again. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) With those words, he made his escape. I had no time to chase after him. I couldnt leave Cloud be, after all. Following that, I heard the neighs of horses and sounds of metal. It seemed that the guards had finally arrived. Chapter 208 I heard the shing of metals and sounds of horses hooves. Normally, I wouldnt rmend rushing into a forest with horses as it put their mobility to waste, but the need to set out for immediate rescue had forced them to resort to such rash actions. Perhaps they also had judged that since the enemy managed toe here with a carriage, there should be enough space for horses too. With that, I decided to check Clouds condition. His consciousness had not returned even now. That said, his arm was constricted at the base, on top of his lower arm being sandwiched by rocks at the point of the artery, so his bleeding had stopped almostpletely. Michelle looked relieved seeing the bleeding stop, but it was too soon to let our guards down. The bleeding was stopped because she was pressing on his hand, and if she let up even momentarily, the blood would once again start gushing out like a fountain. For a child like Cloud, bleeding any more than this would really be a matter of life and death. Neither she nor Cloud could move from this ce. Nicole Your hand!? Michelle momentarily shed a smile seeing mee close, but her face paled the moment she saw the state of my fist. Indeed, my right first was in quite a grave state. It was deformed to the point that just one look was enough to tell how bad it was. That said, I felt no pain since I already severed my nerves. Dont worry, its not anything life-threatening, and it doesnt hurt, either. Doesnt that make it all the more dangerous I removed the sense of pain myself, so its okay, really. After saying that, I grabbed Clouds remaining arm. I could feel a faint yet definite pulse. I suppose we could safely say that we managed to ovee this dilemma. After some time, one of the knights showed up, pushing aside the grass. Seeing me and Cloud in a bloody state, he immediately yelled. Target found! We have two wounded here! We need abat medic, fast! Following that, he rushed to our side and was surprised to see our work on stopping the bleeding. Are you alright!? Show me the wound Huh? There was nothing else he could do at this point. The only thing remaining was to wait for thebat medic to start healing him with magic. He was amazed at how well we handled the immediate treatment. This is amazing. Theres hardly anything left for me to do. Did you do this? No, I just followed Nicoles instructions. Still, he wontst long in this state. We have to heal him and fast. Even if the bleeding was stopped, the wound was still left open. The blood was still oozing out from the severed surface. And we couldnt move them by ourselves. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Cloud would have surely died had they not showed up. No, this is enough. We have a healer in our ranks. Reattaching the arm would be difficult, however Then just close the wound. Ill ask mom to do it afterward. Your mom? Ah, so you are Lady Marias daughter. As he answered, this time, another person showed up from the grass. It was not thebat medic But Finia. Lady Nicole! She did not seem to be injured, but her expression was pale. Seeing her face was enough to understand how worried she was. However, had I chosen to go with the safer option at that time, Cloud would already be dead. I was worried sick! This is why I said to leave it to the kniWait, what is wrong with your arm!? Sorry, it kinda broke. What do you mean it broke! Does it hurt? I have to let Lady Cortina No, Lady Maria, know! She started rummaging in her bag in pure panic and confusion. This flustered state made her look more immature than she really was and it was cute, but this was no time for that. Im fine, theres no bleeding, dont worry. Cloud is the one in need of worrying now. Cloud Her expression got warped in awkwardness. She and Michelle were arguing whether to go save Cloud immediately or leave it to the knights. Then I appeared and made a prompt decision to save him, so she went to notify the knights to help. But since I already notified them along the way, she was able to follow them straight to here. The problem was whether the knights would manage to follow our traces. But with her, an Elf, who was well knowledgeable when it came to forests, they were able to quickly reach this ce. If we followed her initial n, Cloud would have most likely lost his life. That much was obvious at a nce given his current state. As such, Finia seemed to have a guilty conscience for trying to guarantee my safety even at the cost of abandoning Cloud. Your opinion was correct. However, I judged that Cloud would die if we followed it. Thats why I did that No, this time it was you who was correct, Lady Nicole. I should have also followed you instead. If you did that, the knights wouldnt have arrived this fast, right? So, your judgment was also correct. If the guards had not arrived when they did, I might still be fighting with Mateus even now. So in hindsight, Finia went to notify and guide the knights while I rushed on ahead. It was aplete coincidence, but we managed to y our roles perfectly. It all happened by chance, but you did well this time. With those words, I shed my best smile at Finia. Chapter 209 We received minimal healing from the healer and returned straight to the city. This wasnt because thebat healer cut corners or anything, but simply because that was the most he could do at that ce. We let the orphanage know about Cloud but left him with the knights to keep watch over his condition at the guard station. The stations of Raum were high-end military instations. They had far superior equipmentpared to free medical facilities, so they could deal with emergencies better. While we were waiting there, Cortina and Elliot arrived and got to know about our condition. Cortina was shocked to the point of screaming and immediately contacted Maxwell. When it came to someone as famous as her, she could use the Guilds exclusive telepathy magic almost unconditionally. Learning about it, Maxwell went and brought Maria to us, and by the end of the day, our bodies returned back to full health. Naturally, it didnte for free. Given that Cloud was my friend, Maria did not ask forpensation, but instead, we were in for severe punishment, that is, a lecture. Nicole, why do you always rush into trouble the moment I let you out of my sight! Im sorry. My judgment this time was not a mistake. But I couldnt deny that my action wasnt something a child should have taken. Thus, I had no choice but to ept her scolding. You too, Cloud! Rushing in for the glory just because you found something suspicious You do know that is the biggest cause of Adventurers death, right? Yes, I am sorry Regeneration magic was cast on Cloud and he managed to restore his lost blood by nighttime, and he was now back to normal condition. Looking at the result, his hasty pursuit for sess got even me dragged into it, so he had no words to offer in his defense. The two of us sat dejectedly on the ground, reflecting on our actions. Seeing us like that, Maria couldnt find it in herself to keep scolding us, andid down her arms surprisingly fast. Oh, you are still here? Give it a rest already, it is time for the kids to sleep. Maxwell showed up in the nap room of the station where we were being forced to reflect. He was busy questioning the survivors of the ve traders so he only just joined us. He probably came to report to us what he had found out. Maxwell, how is it? Who dared toy a hand on my daughter? Lyell asked in a calm but pratingly cold voice. Gadius was also fiddling with his battleaxe in an attempt to calm himself. That showed the extent of their anger. Which was natural, given that I was a daughter to one and a friends family for the other. Were I in their ce in my original form, Id also have rushed out to hunt them down. Yes, they seem to be ve traders doing operations between Berith and Raum. Incidentally, the one that assassinated Count Tarkashire seemed to be involved as well. Oho We were talking about someone who had managed to slip past the security, sneak into a strictly-guarded prison and assassinate the Count. But now that we found out that ve traders were involved in that too, the situation had changed. We might have gotten some leads on the scoundrels that have been prowling in this city for several years now. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) And what about that Jend Sect of the hidden de style that Nicole told us about? I have heard of them before. They are a bunch working for the city-states centered around the southern central city of Qaum. The southern? The southern city-state alliance of Qaum. It was located next to the Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle. They were the city-states focused around cities called Qaum and Lilith that once dominated the entire southern area. Alecmarle used to be part of them at one point, but they became independentter and gave rise to a war. The Zeed Commonwealth further west also achieved independence. So right now, that whole area was on the verge of conflict. Incidentally, it was also where Cortina was born. Led by her, Qaum City-State Alliance had shed with the Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle numerous times. They are an assassin sect that practices dual-de style. Ive had my fair share of trouble with them. Alright, lets go destroy the south. Hold right there, Lyell. It doesnt sound like a joke when youre the one saying it. Cortina smacked Lyell on the back of the head. Meanwhile, Cloud was opening and closing his mouth in surprise, seeing all of the Six Heroes line up before him for the first time. Hey Cloud, you shouldnt point at people. But They are the Six Heroes, you know? All of them even Cloud answered in shock, pointing out something so obvious thiste in the game. I was the daughter of those same heroes, so I expected this to happen. For Cloud, who aimed to be an Adventurer, the Six Heroes were the ideal figures. The pinnacle that he aimed to reach. And now, they were all gathered in front of him and doing some silly chatter, so I could understand why his brain was going in circles. But you know, you were being trained by the reincarnation of one of those Heroes. Not that you know that I reincarnated. So, did you find out who ordered Tarkashires assassination? Any clues about the mastermind? Gadius returned to the main topic in a low voice. Whenever I, Maxwell, or Lyell went off-topic, he was always the one to bring us back to it. He wasnt much of a talker, but that fact made us lend an ear whenever he did talk. No. After all, we only managed to get hold of their underlings. The one that knew the particrs managed to escape. So he did Annoying. Rather, had Nicole not caught these underlings, we wouldnt have managed to learn even this much. Or perhaps it would be better to say it was all thanks to thisd Cloud for discovering them. You really did well in that regard. With those words, Gadius roughly grabbed Clouds head and started swinging it around. No, maybe he was trying to pat him? Having his head jolted around made his eyes spin, but he didnt seem to be hating it. In fact, he had a loose, ecstatic expression on his face. Still, there was one phrase that we managed to get out of these fellows. Oh, what phrase? It seems that when the leader of these ve traders was talking with this escaped fellow Mateus, they heard the word Sto pop up in their conversation. Sto? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I cocked my head, having a remembrance of that word from somewhere. Maxwell, however, did not wait for my reply and stated the answer. At the northern edge of Raum where it meets with the United Alliance, there is Count Sto domain. Wait, wasnt that next to Count Tarkashires territory? Indeed. Sto domain of Raum is adjacent to the Suria domain of the United Alliance. The one governing it is Margrave Klein Sto Serwa. Sto Serwa I feel like I have heard it before? I muttered to myself. I have heard it a little, no, quite a bit before Right, I think it was Donovan introduced himself as Sto Serwa, didnt he? When I went on the inspection with Michelle before enrolling in the academy, that authoritarian boy bumped into me. I didnt think his name would pop up here. When you were given a territory to govern in this kingdom, the name of your dominion would be added as your middle name. In Letinas case, her name meant that she was of the Yowi household that governed the Winne domain. If my memory isnt failing me, Tarkashire referred to Serwa as my friend. He also said his son was attending the magic academy. I could not see him ying an active role until now so I left him alone But this should settle it. Maxwell agreed to Elliots words. He found out who was betraying his kingdom. He was convinced of it. While Tarkashire had some royal blood in him, he was still a mere Count, at the end of the day. Going against Elliot like that seemed too much for his te But I am finally able to see the full picture now. If we considered that he had the backing of one of the great feudal lords of Raum, it was usible for him to have grown overconfident and risen in revolt. Everyone gathered agreed to Maxwells conviction. Chapter 210 A few days had passed since Clouds fight with the ve traders. Fortunately, there were almost no after-effects, and he was able to carry out his Adventurer business without problems. Even Maria wouldnt be able to do anything about it if he sustained mental scars. There were many Adventurers whose mental scars from grave injuries remained unhealed, making them unable to fight as they used to and eventually retiring. Maria was currently staying in Cortinas house while she was absent. This was so she could observe Clouds state after his injury. When I decided to enquire about his state out of worry, she scolded me, saying, I wouldnt possibly leave any after-effects now, would I? I get that you are worried about your boyfriend, but stop doubting your mom! There seemed to be some misunderstandings which I tried to resolve, but she justughed off my protests with a meaningful smile. It sounded like she had the wrong idea about our rtionship. Maxwell, Lyell, and Cortina No, probably even Gaidus, were currently away from the city. Most likely, they headed to investigate the Margrave Serwa of the Sto domain. While Maxwell had Teleportation magic, the opponent this time was the dark side of the local nobility. It was impossible to handle the situation in just a few days. If I was the one leading this mission, I would have Maxwell teleport me around and finish assassinating everyone involved within a day, but Lyell and the rest werent like me. For better or worse, they could only go with the frontal attack. I decided to ce my trust in Cortinas devious schemes. That day, as usual, I visited Cloud to check on his condition. The World Tree religion, thergest faction in the world, was using part of its church as an orphanage, and there were around ten-odd kids living there now. The sisters of the church were the ones managing it, but the sight of it forced me to remember the time of my death. I have been visiting him every day after his injury, but every single time, the sight of the church made shivers run along my spine. Perhaps this was the work of my death trauma gnawing at my heart. Good grief, you dont have to worry so much. Have some faith in my magic. As expected, Maria was misunderstanding my state. She seemed to be thinking that Clouds injury was what was making me tremble. Ive argued about it several times already, so it was too bothersome to correct her at this point. Thats not it. Right, right. Lets leave it at that. Agh, youre annoying me. Okay, okay. Lets hurry up. We repeated this exchange a bunch of times, too. I had already given up on clearing the misunderstanding, so I decided to just let it go and headed inside the church grounds. It was still morning, yet I could see childrening out and ying around in the front garden. But the moment they saw me, they stopped whatever they were doing. On one side, there was me, dressed tidily, inappropriate for an orphanage. On the other, Maria, who was full of youthfulness. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The children couldnt help but stare at us in wonder. This too was a sight I had already seen several times. One woman approached us, pushing her way through the kids. She was the sister that operated this church. She had a warm, friendly air around her, just like your average housewife. However, since she was entrusted with running the church in Raum, she must have had quite a high standing. Wee, Lady Maria. Are you here to visit Cloud again? Yes. Is he doing alright? He said that his arm was still a little numb, but he seems to have no problems with movements. So the numbness remains I have to examine him more carefully then. Please do. There are some circumstances around him, but he is truly a good kid I am worried for him as well. I understand. Especially because he is Yes. A Half-Demon. Due to that, he was being bullied for no reason. If his arm ended up holding him back, his chances to seed as an Adventurer would lower. If that happened, his future prospects would turn vague. Even I understood that much. Is he feeling down? Even if I called her a sister, she was already near her sixties. The gentle smile of someone of that age being directed at me made me feel relieved in a different waypared to Marias. An older person like her was treating us, who were younger, with respect, so I felt quite obliged. He shouldnt be pushing himself, so Ill go stop him. That may be true. He might be too eager indeed. Well then, I shall head to the usual roomif you dont mind, of course. Not at all. That room is for healing injured children, after all. Alright. Nicole, go and bring Cloud there. Okay. I left Marias side and ran towards the backyard. There were a vegetable garden and such on that side, so it was not a ce children visited often. But when it came to swinging dangerous ded weapons, it was better to choose a ce like that where small children would note. Cloud was most probably there. I went around the lodging house, heading towards the yard. There, I saw Cloud swinging his sword in a half-naked state. Hey Cloud, good work. Master, you came again? Cloud called me by name when we were partying with Michelle and Letina, but when we were alone like this, he called me master. It seemed to be something like a habit that stuck with him. Not to mention, not calling me by name could get in the way of coordination while in a party. Cloud was swinging his sword as the sweat dripped down from his skinny and slenderboyish, for theck of a better wordbody. Still, his body was slowly but surely building up some muscle. He might be getting stronger than I was in my previous life. It was midsummer now, yet he was swinging his sword so passionately he was almost giving off steam. Yea, moms here too. She told me to bring you to the medical roomter. Master, is it me, or do you talk differently when you are in Lady Marias presence? Shut it. Whenever I was with Maria, I had to keep in mind that I was her daughter, whether I liked it or not. And to y that part, it was necessary to make my tone more childish. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I was using a masculine tone ever since I met Cloud, so he probably found my sudden change weird. Still, looks like you are doing fine. Theres still some numbness left, though. Will it go away, I wonder? Theres nothing mom cant heal. You could understand how amazing Marias magic was just by the fact that he was able to move his previously severed arm like this. Based on his swings earlier, there didnt seem to be any serious after-effects worth worrying over. Chapter 211 Maxwell could use Teleportation magic. That meant that regardless of whether he was close or far, he could return back to the capital whenever he wanted. As such, he often preferred to return back to his mansion when he was about to sleep. Cortina should also return by that time, so I had a feeling Id be seeing everyone quite frequently. Whenever I had some odd moments, I went to check on Cloud, and then to meet Maxwell. Thattter was to get some information out of the old man about this incident. Maria, Lyell, and Cortina wouldnt let me know the details. Due to that, I had to resort to secretly visiting him instead. That night, too, I snuck out without Maria or Cortinas knowledge and visited Maxwells mansion. As I crawled into his house in the middle of the night, Maxwell greeted me with a smile on his face. You have quite a lot of years on you, old man, yet you are staying up sote. It is alright. Is it notmon decency to wee your friends whenever they visit you? You should be dropping and picking up Lyell and Gadius, too. Arent you tired? They were investigating the Sto domain, which was basically an enemy territory. There was no knowing what kind of traps could be waiting there. For that reason, whenever night came, Maxwell sent them to their respective homes so they could rest without worries. Most would call that a waste of magic power, but for Maxwell, it was within the margin of error. So, hows it looking on that side? It does not look good. Sto domain is governed by Margrave Serwa, but he seems to have vanished without a trace. Vanished? Did he go into hiding? Quite so. And he seems to have taken all his private funds with him. So He fled. There is a high possibility of that, yes. Margrave Serwa should not have known that we fought and captured his underlings yet. Yet he had taken his belongings and fled. This meant that he was prepared to flee before the fight even happened. But why? Why did he judge that we would be able to sniff him out? I wonder how did he find out about our investigation? I do not know However, it is clear that he has been preparing for it. This would mean, we made a mistake somewhere that made him suspicious. Somewhere, huh Wait, maybe I suddenly remembered one man. The masked man that was present when I captured Count Tarkashire. If that person was Margrave Serwa, it would stand to reason for him to n his escape right away. Back then, Maxwell was involved in the incident, and he was seen by Maxwells familiar. He had hidden his face, but given that a Heros familiar saw him, perhaps he had assumed that his identity was revealed and started making preparations to flee. Now that I think about it, Tarkashire said something about Margrave Serwas son attending the academy, did he not? Yeah, I know the kid. Hes called Donovan. Hes a kid thats fully convinced of being the chosen one. The kid that bumped into me during the school inspection three years ago. I believe he introduced himself as the Margraves son, Donovan Sto Serwa. Based on his name alone, he couldnt be unrted. His personality aside, his grades are not bad. He should be having the best academic year now. Hes still the same? Cant you just go fix his attitude? It would not look good if I go and meddle with other peoples personalities. I stop at telling them what is bad and what is not. Wouldnt that make the official ideology of the academy a big lie, then? Brainwashing and education are delicate problems Maxwell shrugged with a deep sigh. Thinking about it, his arrogant attitude was so big it even reached Maxwells ears, huh? I feel like that alone is quite a big problem. But his grades were excellent enough to make up for it. Setting that aside, he went into hiding despite his kid attending the academy? Margrave Serwa always had a cruel personality. I would not be surprised if that is the case. Huh. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) If he cast even his familiar love aside and fled, I might start to feel a little sorry for that Donovan kid. Then again, then it came to nobles, their family rtionships were used for politics, so something like this happening was not so surprising. Either way, we had the name of our target now. If you find him And you need my help, please dont hold back and let me know. My friends arm was cut, so I would be lying if I had no grudge on him. Not a word about your own fist? I would suggest you be kinder to your own body. Thats beside the point now. It wasnt just Cloud. I worried Michelle and Finia to death because of him, so I had to return that debt back. Having a definite identity of the enemy made today a sess. The following day, I attended my lessons like a normal student. Of course, I did not skip it ever since the battle. Maria had already healed me, so I had to properly do my duties as a student. Besides, Cortina hated the idea of me getting involved in this matter. She was very concerned that the assassin sect of the Hidden de Style made an appearance in the fight with the ve traders. While I received the information through Maxwell, I couldnt act publicly on it, so I had no choice but to keep attending the school normally. I couldnt deny that it made me awfully bored, however. I involuntarily heaved a bored sigh, having to spend days so stagnantly. And that seemed to have an unnecessary side-effect, gathering attention from the surroundings. There you go sighing again. Oh, Letina. Well, I cant help it Is Cloud on your mind? It would be weird if he wasnt. Our conversation caused the entire ss to turn noisy. For some reason, everyone was looking at me in shock. Lady Nicole has someone on her mind!? Who is this Cloud fellow! Look, its that Half-Demon friend of hers. That guy? That damn harem master! It appeared that Cloud who was in a girl party like us was gathering somestrangeenvy. Was I worrying about him something to make such a big deal about? Michelle seemed to be surprisingly popr, though, so I felt strangely proud of her. Still, that unexpected uproar made me cock my head a little in confusion. But it suddenly came to a stop. One upperssman pushed the crowd aside and appeared before me. OhDonovan, was it? I remembered his face. He was the same Donovan Sto Serwa that has been a hot topic among ustely. After arriving in front of me, he stood still for a while with a nervous expression. Seeing that, I secretly reached for my piano wire. He was the son of my enemy. There was enough possibility for him to attempt a surprise attack on me. It would naturally be a bad move with so many public eyes, however. After some hesitation, Donovan suddenly started groveling at my feet. He was prostrating, in other words. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Ignoring the surrounding gazes, he rubbed his forehead on the floor and appealed to me in a voice big enough to spread through the entire ss. NicoleNo, Lady Nicole, I beg you! Please save me! Chapter 212 Donovan Sto Serwa. He was the only child of Margrave Klein Sto Serwa. He had inherited his elitist personality from his father. He was essentially a sarcastic and extremely haughty boy. However, his skill with magic was first-ss, and despite being in the elementary ss, he could already use middle-grade fire magic. At present, he was the top student of the elementary academy. He was two years above me And had a history of getting into a quarrel with me before. That same embodiment of elitism was currently prostrating before me with his head on the ground and begging to save him. I was the daughter of prominent figures of the world, but I was not a noble. In other words, I was a meremoner from his eyes. Groveling at my feet like this would normally be an intolerable behavior for him. Not to mention, in the middle of an entire ss. I could easily guess just how desperate he was to do something so humiliating. Please, no, I beg you, Lady Nicole! Please save me! W-Wait I have no one but you to depend on anymore! PleasePlease! Stop. I dont know whats going on, but raise your head for now. I will not until I receive a positive answer. I need to obtain your strength even if I have to humiliate myself. This is currently my one and only sincere wish! Okay, fine! I get it already, so lets just discuss this somewhere else, okay!? This would attract too much attention otherwise. My school life wasstrangelysusceptible to attracting attention. That undue attention was getting in the way of my goal of focusing on in and steady training while I was a feeble young girl. If he did this on top of that, it was bound to spread someunwantedrumors around. At any rate, I decided to get somewhere devoid of public eyes and ask for the details there. Hearing my words, Donovan finally lifted his face. Though I said to change the location We were inside the public Magic Academy. I didnt have some secret ce here that no one else visited. Moreover, most ssrooms had windows, so everyone could see the inside from the corridors and the courtyard. Something like the cafeteria was out of the question. Even the music room that was famous for itsck of people was strangely popr whenever I was using it, so it wasnt suitable for a private talk at all. As a result, I had to take Donovan and slip into the student council room that we also called the sermon room. There was a chair and a desk so they could talk with a student face to face. It wasnt just that of course. There was also a table and a sofa in case they had to talk with the guardian. They even had some tea equipment as minimal hospitality in case the conversation dragged out. In any case, I let Cortina know and asked her to borrow this room. As it involved someone rted to the Serwa household, Cortina requested to take part in the conversation but eventually gave up after Donovans strong opposition. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) My one line of If you dont listen to me Ill go and be a live-in disciple of Maxwell! was enough to persuade her. That being the case, she was currently standing by just outside the door. There were some students loitering outside of the windows but I dealt with that by pulling down the curtains. And since Cortina was staying at the door, I didnt have to worry about the students trying to listen in on us. Donovan sat dejectedly on the reception sofa. For now, I prepared some tea for him and sat on the opposite side. It was good to have something to dampen your tongue with when it came to conversations like this. It would be a bit problematic to go there with my usual conduct, so I switched to mydy mode. I put my feet together diagonally and sipped on my tea in an aloof manner. I acted a little indifferent due to imitating Letinas habitual attitude. Hm. So then, what business does a senior have with me? Y-Yeah I, uh, I would like to apologize for my behavior from before the enrollment. It has been three years already, so I have already let that matter pass. I see Umm If you are worried about eavesdropping, you dont have to. Teacher Cortina is standing at the door, and she is not someone who would leak the information. But what point was in avoiding people if she would listen anyway!? Due to the fact that she is standing there, other students cannot approach us. Is that so? Seemingly convinced, he took a sip of his tea. This might have been an action people took when they were about to start talking. I have heard that people who are being questioned always reach out to water before they start revealing information. Do you know, I mean, are you aware that the Six Heroes lot, I mean, esteemed Six Heroes have been visiting the Sto domain? You dont have to force yourself to talk politely, you know? And yes, I heard that His Highness Elliot got involved in the kidnapping incident and they were investigating that. Right. Of all things, my father is the one suspected to be involved in that kidnapping. Board chairman Maxwell and teacher Cortina are not the types of people to act based on false suspicions. I answered his words with some rebuttal. He seemed to have taken my attitude as being offended and hurriedly waved his hands in denial. No, I have no intention of criticizing them! I I just wanted to say that my problem is rted to that And your problem is? I couldnt understand what he was getting at, so I went and asked in a quizzical manner. My question made him once again hang his head in hesitation. But after a bit, he seemed to have gathered his courage and spoke in a strong voice. ImI mean, I have been bestowed with the honor of bing the lord of Sto domain. Say what? This time, I responded in genuine confusion to his statement. Chapter 213 Donovan had be the lord of the Sto Domain. Of course, being the only son of the current lord, Klein Sto Serwa, he was bound to eventually seed him. However, taking over at this timing when Cortina and the rest were in the middle of the investigation smelled like a contrived act. What do you mean? In order to let the mood calm down, I took one more sip from my tea and asked back. Donovan seemed to have seen my attitude as aloof and started answering with a face full of shame. I was already aware that there were bad rumors around my father. They reached my boarding house about one month ago. And then His Highness Elliots kidnapping followed. Ever since then, he was acting like he was frightened about something. That answer further deepened my doubt that he was that masked guy. He did not witness my fight directly, but still saw how effortlessly I seized Count Tarkashire. Moreover, Maxwells familiar also showed up right after. That made it obvious that one of the Six Heroes was personally involved in it. And there were two Heroes in this city. It wouldnt be so easy to run away from Maxwell who had mastered the Teleportation magic. Moreover, since he was there, he still shouldnt have managed to reach his domain as long as no teleportation was involved. Teleportation equipment was managed by the Guild, however, so be it a noble or not, he would still need permission to use it. In that case, he would be forced to set out on foot, but doing that also required him to slip through Maxwells surveincework. Besides, there was no knowing what Tarkashire, who got arrested, would let slip. In that case, he probably remained behind to clean up after himself as much as he could. And in doing so, he became frightened, realizing that they could sniff him out any moment. Then, about one week ago, he disappeared. While talking all the valuables with him from our mansion. What can I say My condolences. Yeah, I knew that. Including the fact that heid waste to Sto domain as well. His mansion was wrecked and his father disappeared. I could only offer those words to him. Still, from my perspective, it was just another criminal showing his true colors. If I I mean, if he lets Maxwell knowter, there should be no problems. Actually Why were those ve traders here at such weird timing? If Mateus was there just to deal with Tarkashire, the timing doesnt line up. He should have escaped long before that. Could it be to save the Margrave? If it was that assassin, he should be able to slip through the defenses. He managed to get to Tarkashire, after all. Moreover, he said that he was already done with this town. Did that mean that he managed to sessfully lead the Margrave out of here? He slipped out of this city, then had some magician teleport him to his hometown, and finally, he took all his funds and ran away. And then, only a short whileter, our investigation had singled him out. But because Maxwell and Maria were busy tending to our wounds, they werete by one day. That one day was enough for him to barely manage his escape. Let us leave the matter of my father aside. After he disappeared, we discovered his stamped will stating that he was handing over the peerage to me, so I have now formally seeded Margrave Serwa. Is that so? Quite an anticlimactic oue, huh? The problem is, the taxation certificate is nowhere to be found after his disappearance. Oh? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Taxation certificate. In this kingdom, when the king bestowed a territory to you, you were also given a written document for taxation rights. Putting it differently, as long as you had that document, you could collect taxes even if you werent a Lord, and vice versa. Well Moreover, the esteemed Six Heroes started looking for the Lord of Sto at this time. This ultimately means that they are searching for me. Talk about bad timing, eh? I have no taxation rights, and my reputation would continue to fall. It is only a matter of time until the citizens start to leave the domain. So I thought to ask you, Lady Nicole, if you would be so kind to put in a word for me with the Six Heroes and ask them to withdraw. Margrave Serwa Or should I say, former Margrave, had taken minimum required riches with him to make aeback and fled. Leaving all the bad rumors and the mud on the reputation for his son to deal with. If he managed to make his escape, he would use those riches to make aeback, or otherwise use them to livefortably in some other ce. I more or less understand the situation. However, I can not blindly believe everything you said. I suppose That would be the case. It was just Donovans own testimony. There was a possibility that he was asking us to withdraw just to cover for his father. Either way, it needed to be confirmed first. I could not ept it at my own discretion. I understand the situation. But if this was the case, why didnt you talk directly to teacher Cortina? Well Honestly, I thought they would dismiss me right away if I were to talk to them directly. I dont think she would do that, though Father cast away his own son, forcing him into the position of a Lord while the situation was at its worst. Whether Maxwell, or Lyell who had lost his cool, would believe it was up in the air. Gadius might have even given him a good beating. However, Cortina was another matter. She wouldve been able to make a calm judgment. Well, trying to mitigate the situation by going through me might not be a bad idea. If a third party makes that report, they would be willing to lend an ear. Donovan had to let the Six Heroes know about this to protect his standing. However, there was no guarantee that they would believe him if he went to tell them personally. Rather, most likely he would be turned away at the door. So by making use of a cushion like me, he hoped they would be able to make a calm judgment. That was actually quite smart and calcting of him. Of course, I remember how rude I was to you in the past. I believe it would be presumptuous of me to expect you to help me. But I have no choice but to beg you anyway. Please, help me out. Donovan put his hands on the table and bowed deeply. Towards amoner like me. For someone as prideful as him, that was probably more humiliating than death. Still, this was not a bad oue even for us. My target was the previous Margrave, Klein. I had no intention of pushing his sins onto his son. I got it. Ill discuss it with Cortina for now. Thank you very much! With his expression filled with delight, he grabbed my hands and thanked me deeply. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Uh, youre a bit too close Can you please move back a bit? Chapter 214 For the time being, I understood what Donovan wanted. Basically, he was iming that everything was done by his father. In other words, none of it was rted to him, the current lord. A father that left the son in mud, and a son that cast his father aside to save himself. It wasnt something to call cruel or dirty thats simply how nobles acted. He took part in the kidnapping of the king of another kingdom and the attempted usurpation, so normally, not just his son but his entire household would be put to me. So Donovan trying to depend on his sole connection, that is, me, to get out of that situation was a natural course of action. Naturally, our connection was not deep in any way, but he was grasping at the straws at this point. But the truth was, there was nothing for me to gain by putting that me on Donovan. Rather, by winning his favor here, it could prove to be extremely valuable in the future. I was a unique existence in this world, while Michelle was a dependable war power. What the two of us needed was some kind of backing. If wecked that, someone influential might try to make use of us. Of course, we had an influential person like Lyell, but at the end of the day, he was just one person. We would be better off also having a backer in politics. If I were to ask Elliot to do that, I feared it would eventually lead us to be incorporated into the United Nations. And there came Donovan in the picture. He was the current Lord of the Sto domain. The peerage of Margrave was one influential enough to hold rights to the military formation. He had presently lost the economic strength to maintain such an army, but everything would work out as long as we fixed that. People that were too close to the Raums center like Letina or Maxwell would not be too convenient for us as backers. So a Margrave was a really convenient choice. Winning his favor here would prove very useful. I I heard everything! Got it. I was about to say that, but the door behind me was busted open with those words that interrupted mine. The counseling door had no windows on it so nothing broke, but due to the powerful push, the door went out of its rails and copsed inwards. Fortunately, no one was standing there at the moment, but it was nheless dangerous. Cortina, that was dangerous. Sorry, sorry, I put a little too much strength in that. She went to fix the door while apologizing. It was quite a sad sight, too pathetic for someone like a Hero. Not that I was in any position to say that. After grappling with the door for a while and finally returning it to normal, she dusted off her suit, and once again turned towards us and said. Leaving that aside, I heard your talk! Yeah, I know. I used to be the worlds best scout that was part of the Six Heroes. I could easily spot some amateur straining their ears at the door. But my answer made her turn dejected for some reason. The reason I let her be was that by doing that she prevented the other students from doing the same. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Anyway, as Nicole said, we cant decide based on what you told us alone. We first have to confirm whether you are really not trying to shelter the previous Margrave. I What should I do? For now, let us investigate your mansion, then the Sto mansion and all rted facilities. But that way the doubt regarding me would not go away I am saying that if we manage to clear our suspicions, we will dere it in front of the public that the Lord of Sto is innocent. If we do that, it would bemon knowledge, right? You would be considered more innocent than any other Lord at that point. I would be grateful if you do that, but The problem is the time. I am already viewed with suspicion so it is only a matter of time until my poption leaves me, and theres not much left of that time. I can only suggest that we hurry it up then. But I think we can find amon ground here. Donovan meekly lowered his head at Cortinas words. He was probably weighing his losses and gains, as well as the time left until his people would lose trust in him. Cortina did not try to hurry him up and quietly awaited his answer. About five minutes passed after that. Having finally collected his thoughts, he once again faced Cortina. Understood. Please do that. However, as for the tax collection Of course, there were some crops that they harvested during the summer, but the mainline was the fall harvest, in the end. Even so, it was not something to be optimistic about. Taxation involved many things other than that. At present, he could not collect any earnings from cksmithing, mining, businesses, peddlers, or even the toll. While the peerage was forcibly pushed on him all while his father piged everything valuable from him, that excuse would not work in the noble society. Instead, making that excuse would deepen the mud on his name. Secretly Would be impossible, but he had to handle it as quickly as possible. Otherwise, he would bebeled a powerless Lord who couldnt even solve the disgrace caused by his own rtives. Good grief, nobles are such a pain I am wholeheartedly of the same opinion. Donovan surprisingly agreed to my idle grumble. If Michelle and I got rolled up into the affairs of the noble, we would find ourselves surrounded by these kinds of troubles. Chapter 215 After that, Cortina and the rest took Donovan and returned to his mansion in Raum. After confirming that his father was, in fact, not inside, they nned to set out towards the Sto domain. That said, Maxwell was involved in this so they would return here when the night came, as they have been doing until now. Good grief! What the hell is wrong with the Sto domain! The lord had a nasty personality but his subordinates arent any better! Cortina ranted in anger while mming her wine cup down on the table. It appeared that Donovans fathers influence was too big in the mansion of the Sto domain, preventing their investigation from going smoothly. Theres a limit to how noncooperative someone can be. They just keep showing us these harmless locations. Im fed up already. Look, Cortina. Didnt you only start investigating it today? Bute on She was acting far too listless now, showing how much she was drained from it. Since Donovan was cooperating with them, they couldnt act too high-handedly. Having said that, giving in could lead to missing their target. Holding back in that regard would only make their work harder. A violent struggle with monsters is way easier. This is why human opponents are so You say that, but you were the one who has the most experience in dealing with humans. Maria noted in exasperation. Cortina tended to be away from hometely, so Maria took her ce and stayed here. In that regard, the viges situation was a bit worrying, but they seem to have left someone in their stead there so it was fine for the time being. Having said that, this house didnt have enough room for Lyell and Maria, so Maria was currently sharing the room with Cortina. At first, she apparently nned to stay in Finias room, but Cortina realized that Finia would not be able to rx in that situation and dragged her to her room. Incidentally, Lyell was sleeping on the sofa in the living room. It was a womans household, so he had to suck it up and deal with it. In the first ce, he couldve just stayed with Maxwell, but insisted on sleeping under the same roof as me. Moreover, as Kabby also upied my room, I denied him. Besides, I had the equipment there that Id rather he did not see. Thats something else. Is there a need to hold back when you know the other party is your enemy? Also, honestly, what is the point of me apanying you? Theres no enemy to be found. We have you just in case. Im not much of a fighter, you know? Cant you deal with some random Adventurers yourself, Cortina? Besides, Maxwells with you too. Well, I guess you have a point But whats your real intention? I wanna stay and y around with my daughter for once. Cortina delivered a merciless reply to Lyell who was throwing a tantrum. Following that, she downed the wine in her cup and turned towards Maria. Finia immediately went to fill the cup as the perfect attendant she was. Reminds me, how is Cloud doing? It seems there is some difort left in the right arm, still. It would probably stay that way for some time. You healed it, didnt you? The wound has beenpletely healed. This is more of a mental problem. Something only time can heal. Cloud, huh Hearing Maria and Cortinas talk, Lyell muttered with an unfocused gaze. Lyell had been informed that he was the root of the current incident. As a result, I also ended up suffering a serious injury, so he probably had something to say about it. I cant admire that he dragged Nicole into danger But I praise him for protecting Michelle with his life. Indeed. And it was due to his good observation that we managed to discover this incident, so I dont think we should be putting all the me on him, dont you think? Ah, no, Im not particrly angry at him. It is a problem that Nicole got involved, but, ugh, how should I put it? It seemed that Clouds standing hadnt really fallen in his eyes. I was a little relieved to learn that. Id rather not see my formerrades ming my current ones, if I can help it. Right He stillcks the power required to be Nicolesrade. But hes trying his best, you know? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Lyell dered that after making up his mind, but I answered with a bit of an objection. Because I thought he was taking the conversation in a direction where hed try to pull him away from my side with that reasoning. Lyell, however, answered with somethingpletely different from my fears. There are times when trying your best is not enough. Like this time, if you hadnt made it in time, he would be dead. But if he didnt do that, he wouldnt have been able to save Michelle, either. Thats right. And thats the problem. That? Lyell pointed at me with a smug face. That honestly pissed me off a bit. He overlooked my displeasure and continued his speech. His judgment was not wrong. He thoughtlessly headed into danger, but the way he dealt with it wasnt bad. The problem was hisck of power to aplish what he nned to do. Well Hes still a kid. If he ns to be an Adventurer, being a child or not is irrelevant. If you throw yourself into danger whilecking power, what awaits you is only death. Well, yeah. So, everything would work out if he had that power. Come again? If Cloud is weak, we just have to make him stronger. Im saying that Ill train him. Come again!? Actually, Lyell and Maria were visiting Cortinas home thrice a week. They have dinner with us together, chatted some, and then went back to the vige at nighttime. Putting it differently, they had some spare time until the nighttime. Ill use my spare time and No, Ill get Gadius in on this as well. We will train him together. If we do that, hisck of ability should get resolved. W-Well Honestly speaking, this was more than Cloud could ever ask for. I wasnt that good at using a sword. As for a tank, Ive never even attempted it. Having masters of those two fields teach him was an opportunity thatd probably nevere again in his life. Moreover, being a Half-Demon, he was limited in the choice of teachers. This was a much better optionpared to training under me who specialized in threads. I acknowledged Lyells decision. But it was not for me alone to decide. Ill ask the person himself for now. Please do. It is better to teach him before he develops bad habits. Thats a good idea! If Cloud bes reliable, I can safely leave Nicole in his hands. Maria joined in on Lyells conversation. Despite knowing that Cloud was a Half-Demon, she did not hold a bad impression of him. The World Tree Religion wasnt very fond of Half-Demons, but Maria herself seemed to view them as victims of the disaster that happened in the myths. Not to mention, she knew me in my previous life, so her outlook on Half-Demons changed multiple times. When it came to Clouds ability, it seems that she wanted to help somehow but couldnt for some time now. Following that, Lyell headed to Maxwell to talk about involving Gadius. And like that, the n to give gifted education to Cloud had started. Chapter 216 Lyell being motivated to train Cloud would be meaningless if the person himself wasnt willing to. Thus, I had to confirm his thoughts first. The next morning, I decided to drop by Clouds ce before I headed to the academy. Well then, Im heading out. After saying goodbye to Finia, I reached for the door. This time, I was going without Maria. We were going to talk about Lyells training, so if Maria, his wife, followed me now, Cloud would find it hard to refuse even if he wanted to. Take care, Lady Nicole. Say hello to Sir Cloud from me. Cloud was aware that Finia hesitated on rescuing him. In that aspect, she had made a disadvantageous judgment for Cloud. On the other hand, it was also thanks to her guidance that the rescue team managed to find us fast. Looking at it from that perspective, she could also be viewed as one of his lifesavers. But that part was weighing on Finias conscience. They were both from the orphanage, so I wanted them to get along. Imagining such a future made me feel a little warm. As I opened the door with a light gait, I stumbled on Michelle at the doorstep. Morning, Nicole! M-Morning. Quite early, arent you? Yeah. Youve been visiting Cloudtely, right? I wanted toe to check on him too. Check on him? Its not like hes ill or anything, you know? His injuries have beenpletely healed with Marias Regeneration magic. His current obstacle was instead a mental one that came from the shock of being injured. Still, I wannae and say thanks. I see. Lets go then. I extended my hand towards her. The fact remained that Cloud was the reason she was alive now. She probably thought it would be dishonest if she didnt show up at least once while he was rehabilitating. I grabbed Michelles warm hand and we headed towards the church. The one who had protected this wide smile currently on her face was undoubtedly Cloud. I had to praise him for that. Though he himself rushed into bigger danger. The orphanage started its morning early. I arrived earlier than usual, but there were already several boys out of their beds and preparing for breakfast. In orphanages that had no helpers, it was children themselves who had to make their breakfast. After greeting the sister that wasmanding those kids, we headed to Cloud. He was busy practice-swinging in the backyard as always. Being a Half-Demon, he couldnt participate in the meal preparations. While he was bringing food to the table for the kids, the deeply rooted repulsion towards him was still hard topletely get rid of. For that reason, the sister was making an exception and had him sit out during the cooking. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Morning. Still practice-swinging? Ah, MasterNicole! Cloud called me master when we were alone, but switched to my name when there was someone else with us. I was still not quite sure what was his basis for that. He saw Michelle behind me, so he changed it right away. Morning, Cloud. Have you been okay? Yeah, Im perfectly fine thanks to Lady Maria. I worried you Also, Im sorry. Huh? Look, you were against it, but I ignored it and followed those trails Dont worry about that. You did your best and protected me, so thank you! Cloud was the older one, but she was currently patting his head while thanking him. My expression loosened from such a fluffy scene, but then I suddenly remembered why I came here for. Oh, right, Cloud. Hm, yes? Actually, dad said the reason for the current incident lies in yourck of power. Cloud looked like he was about to cry partway through my speech. He probably thought he was being med for getting me involved. Being criticized by the famous Six Heroes. If that happened, words wouldnt exin how heartbroken he would be. I continued my words to erase his fears. So, he said he wants to train you. If hes weak, I just have to make him strong thats what he said. Wh- Lord Lyell wants to train me!? Not just him, Gadius too. Even Lord Gadius!! If you want to master the duty of a tank, Gadius would be a better choice, is what he said. N-Now that I think about it, you were the daughter of Heroes So you have such connections, huh? What are you saying after all this time. Where do you think I gained my skills! I mean, I get that, but Cloud was in pure confusion from such an unbelievable proposal. Seeing how his eyes darted everywhere and his hands moved in fluster, I understood that he was in no state to make a sound judgment. So, I went and smacked him on the head a bit to calm him down. Calm down already. Dad simply said he is willing to train you. If you dont want that, you can reject the offer, you know? But If you want, I can go and reject it for you. But that would be such a waste! Cloud was having it quite hard in life. He had both my training and the Adventurer practice. As well as other work in the orphanage. If we put Lyells training at nighttime when he was already dead tired, we would be overworking him even if he was older than us. So if he said it was a no-go, I was nning to reject the offer myself. That way it would not cause any offense. But seeing Clouds reaction, my concerns turned out to be needless fears. Being able to receive the training of the Six Heroes is something one can only wish for. Its something that I should be requesting instead. So, youre okay with it? Please tell them that Ill be in their care. No, wait, maybe I should go greet them myself! Got it. And no need for the greetings. Cloud was making hasty decisions in his excited state. I had to hush him before he went and let something slip. Thinking about what a pain that would be, I felt a little down. However, Lyells training would ultimately be a huge plus for Clouds future. That was the main reason why I proposed it to him. And thus, Cloud had ranked up from mine to the Six Heroes disciple. Here hoping that he doesnte to regret that decision Chapter 217 After receiving Clouds approval, I turned back to head to the academy. Even if it was earlier than normal, it was still a long way to go from the church. I had to hurry or Id bete. Well, everyone knew how weak my body was, so being a littlete wouldnt really raise many questions. Now that I think about it, Nicole was so amazing there, wasnt she? Huh? However, Michelles words made me stop in ce. She was smiling brightly as always. However, the words that just left her mouth made me flinch. I mean, she didnt fall behind even against five adult opponents, and used that wire to sh at the charging opponents. I was unconscious so I see any of that Ah, right. That conversation made me start sweating bullets. I have never fought with threads in the presence of the girls before this. I used them with Cloud as an exception, but he thought I wasnt using them when forming the party so I could lower my level to match the girls. They didnt even know that something like strengthening oneself with threads was even possible. As such, they never realized that I was doing it. At most, Ive used the threads as a means of movement in front of the girls, but I didnt have a good excuse to dodge it this time. I used the thread instead of a sword to attack and block, disying that I was a master at using it in battle. It looked like she was Lord Reid himself. Y-Yeah Uhh Michelle wasnt trying to question anything. Still, the two were my important friends, and people I was nning to form a party with after graduation and set out on a journey. So I started to wonder whether hiding my abilities from them wasnt only making things harder for me. Michelle was too young before, so she might have identally let it slip, but wouldnt it be fine to tell her now? I didnt have to tell her that I was Reid. I could just let her know that I held the Gift of Thread Maniption, couldnt I? Uh I never told you but Michelle knew that I had the Interference Magic Gift. My learning speed itself was fast, but because my power output and control had problems before, my progress wasnt as fast as expected of a Gift holder. But Dr. Tricias medicine took care of that now, so I was making steady progress with it. I was already stepping into the middle-ranked interference magic, so the other students viewed me a bit like a genius. I say a bit because of the nature of my magic. The interference system was quite wide-spread, and given that it couldnt anything too grand, it wasnt exactly popr. But even so, it was another story if you had another Gift along with it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Remember, I did say back when we discovered your Gift of Marksmanship, right? I thought it would be a bother if people found out I had two Gifts so I kept quiet. But you were only three at that time. You could already see that far from such a young age? Y-Yeah. Besides, thread maniption is a pretty in ability Thats not the case at all. You managed to beat up the enemy alone with those threads back then! Y-You think so? Michelle replied with her usual innocent smile. She was never the type to think hard about things. Even now, she was merely saying what was on her mind. So, as long as I exined it to her until she was convinced and asked her to keep it to herself, she would never reveal it to anyone given her sincere personality. But look, it would be troublesome if people find out I have two Gifts, so keep it a secret, okay? I see Okay, got it! Still, so you had two Gifts, huh, Nicole? As expected of the Heroes daughter. A-Ahaha Actually, I had three, but this was a secret. My third Gift was probably only known by a few in this world. If a word got out that I had three Gifts, it could cause amotion that wouldnt fall short of Lyell and the rest. I see. So the reason why you were sometimes using threads to hop around was that Gift, huh? Of course, I never cked on training, you know? Those moves were all thanks to it. I see Now that I think about it, you sure are doing your best, huh, Nicole. Im not gonna lose. Right, right. There are countless cases where a Gift holder lost to an ordinary person. You cant get carried away. Ugh, are you saying that because of what I did this time? Of course. The current incident happenedpletely due to their overconfidence. If something went slightly differently, they would both be dead now. I had to warn them properly. Well, Maria did her scolding right after it happened, so I was sure they engraved it to their hearts, but kids tended to forget things as quickly as they tended to grow. I had to keep reminding them every now and then so they would engrave it into their heads. That goes for you too, Michelle. Ugh, I shouldnt have brought it up. You arent taking this lightly, are you? I put a hand on my waist and tried to re at her as sharply as I could. Of course, there was no bloodlust put into it, so it had no real pressure. But for Michelle, who cherished friendship above all, being scolded by a friend held a big significance. And as expected, she answered in acknowledgment after hanging her head. I got it, I will be careful from now on. As long as you understand. But Ill keep nagging you about this so be prepared. Eeeh!? If I dont say it over and over, youll forget about it when it counts the most. Im serious. Huh, really? Yeah. This was something Maria and Cortina always scolded me about in my previous life. In the end, my bad habit of rushing headfirst into danger never went away until my death. That bad habit was starting to bud even in Cloud now. My actions had brought nothing but sadness for Cortina, so I didnt want Cloud to repeat the same mistake. Thus, I decided to be as annoying about it as I could. Chapter 218 For the time being, I seeded in my goal to hear Clouds thoughts. As such, I no longer had any reason to get in the way. I also made sure to forbid Michelle from speaking about my second, Maniption Gift. I told her she was to keep quiet about it even with Lyell and Maria. My excuse for that was that two Gifts were a rarity. In reality, I had three Gifts, and I was just trying to hide my identity, but the two readily epted it without questioning anything. And the next day, in our usual training lumberyard, there were more people than I was used to seeing present at the same time. Me, Cloud, Lyell, and Gadius As well as Maria, Cortina, Finia, Michelle and even Maxwell. There are too many of you here. Lyell answered while scratching his head at my re. I understood why Maria would be here. It would be very helpful for her to be here in case we got injured. I could understand Maxwell too. We needed his teleportation magic to bring Gadius here, after all. But I didnt know why Cortina, Finia, and Michelle were here. Noticing my gaze, Finia answered while fidgeting. Lady Nicole, I This incident made me realize that I still have ways to go Nicole, shes feeling responsibility because you got injured. Huh? Maria followed up on her words and exined to me. Thinking back on it, I ignored her attempt to stop me and rushed out back there. As a result, I got my fist crushed beyond recognition, but that was in no way Finias fault. She shouldnt feel responsible for it. That was not your fault, okay, Finia? But if I was a little bit stronger, you would not have ended up fighting alone. I mean, I had Michelle with me. Besides, that guy was strong enough that someone not qualified enough wouldve only made the situation all the more dangerous. And that is the problem! I understand that you are far stronger than your age suggests, Lady Nicole, but even so, I wish to be able to protect you. Uhh. If there was someone else at the scene back then, I wouldve been able to concentrate on my fight with Mateus. Still, Im not sure if I wouldve managed to win against him with my current body. If I had the physical ability of my previous body, I would not have fallen behind, however. Thats why, I decided I also want to be strong enough to be able to fight by your side! Finia dered while pumping her fists and making a hum with her nose. She wasnt wearing her normal maid uniform, but a workout one with exposed arms and legs. She currently looked so young youd mistake her for a senior high student of my academy. I mean, she was still in her twenties, so by the elven standards, she was the very definition of youth. Either way, Finia herself wants to do it, so we should let her. Its not a problem if she gets stronger, is it? W-Well, yea. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Troubles been growing more frequent in Raum as ofte. Finia was a definite beauty so it would be wise for her to know how to defend herself. She has been learning the sword from the Adventurers Leon and Ellen ever since we came to Raum, but they were obviously not always avable. Rather, they were more often away from the city, so what she was doing was hardly a studying. Even so, her passion and incessant trial and error have led her to acquire a decent skill. Nevertheless, her current skill was still quitecking to apany me to battles. She could one day get rolled up into one of my battles, so it was definitely not a mistake for her to train herself. Ignoring my hesitation, Maria turned towards Lyell. And then, she warned him with a warm smile. Dear, Finia is a girl so dont get her injured, you hear? O-Okay. Also, dont go overboard and turn her into a macho either, okay? That would be a little hard. I said dont, okay? Okay. Looks like his reins were still held by Maria, as always. Actually, I feel like her grips gotten stronger ever since I left their side. Thus, Lyell nodded while breaking into a sweat, and the genuine training had begun. First, Lyell and Cloud faced each other to approximate each othersbat ability. I also faced Gadius to grasp my own present ability. We decided on thisbination because otherwise, Lyell would not be able to make a proper judgment against me. Hey, hold your weapon more firmly! If you drop your weapon in the middle of a fight, consider yourself dead! Right after they started, Clouds sword was knocked off his hand, making him crouch while holding his wrist in pain. Still, hispetitive spirit quickly kicked in and he once again took the sword and stood up. Lyells training seemed to be harder than it was with me That Lyell, his intentions are obvious. Hell never learn no matter how long passes. Huh? I was also exchanging blows with Gadius, but we werent going as crazy about it as they. Regardless of how extraordinary my abilities werepared to my age, I wasnt able to do anything against a defense expert like Gadius without body strengthening. I charged at him several times, but he easily deflected each with his shield. He even had time to be looking away. I was made to realize his skill once again. You werent paying attention to him as ofte, so hes venting it on yourrade Cloud. Good grief, he can be so immature. Is that so? Well, ever since I moved to Cortina, I havent been paying much attention to him indeed. I suppose he has been stressed and was releasing it all with Cloud as his opponent. Cloud had my condolences, but you could tell how pure he was for mistaking his venting for strictness and bing more motivated. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Maybe I should entertain him a bit more. Please do. Gadius agreed with my unconscious mutter with a deep sigh. Chapter 219 After Cloud and I finished our respective face-offs, it was now time for him to face Gadius, while Finia faced Lyell. It was his second match without a break, but his role in our party required the most toughness. This was also to see how he fared in terms of stamina. As for Lyell, since he was facing Finia now, he couldnt get violent as he did with Cloud, so he was in a pretty awkward state. While I was observing them, I spotted something strange in the corner of my vision. There, Maxwell was being cornered by Cortina and Maria. So, Maxwell. Where did she go? She? I have not the slightest idea who might you mean? I mean that Haumea, the girl that seems to be the reincarnation of Reid! This is my first time hearing about this as well. Care to tell me the details? It was rare to see Maxwell so flustered, but I couldnt just stand and enjoy it. The contents of their talk were problematic for me too. At this rate, he might end up confessing about me. I had to shift their target to something else, but I couldnt think of a good excuse. Maxwell was sneaking nces towards me and asking for help, but I couldnt juste up with an excuse on the spot so fast. Thinking wasnt my forte, in the first ce. I spread my hands out, gesturing at him to drag it on as much as he could, but Cortina and Maria were no pushovers. Umm, the truth is Maxwell started while sweating bullets. It was obvious that his bastion was about to fall. Cortina who was pressing him for the answer was one thing, but Maria who held him by the shoulders from behind while smiling sweetly was equally frightening. Honestly peaking, I had no courage to butt in there. It looked scarier than the fight with the Evil Dragon Colchis. Reid is Umm Alright, fine! Oh, are you in the middle of something? Just as Maxwells endurance reached its limit and I also resolved myself for the inevitable, a nonchnt voice interrupted their conversation. The one that butted in their conversation without caring about the tense mood Was Aste. He was d in a robe that covered his solid body, and held a package under his arm. Cortina and Maria who were seeing him for the first time felt suspicious of him. I came to deliver your order, but should I leave for now? No, no such thing. You came at the perfect time! Wait a minute, what do you mean perfect time. Rather, who is this person? He is my acquaintance cksmith. No, lets leave that forter. We have a guest here, right? Maxwell pointed at him while making that appeal. Cortina still seemed to have something to say, but Maria wasnt so outrageous to keep pressing him for answers before a guest. Thus, she reluctantly let go of Maxwells shoulders and agreed to his opinion. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Seeing Maria that way, Cortina couldnt keep going either. Fine then But well definitely continue from where we left off, you hear? U-Uh, o-of course. Oh right, can I borrow Nicole after this? Aste is quite a capable cksmith. To be urate, I am a craftsman. No, I suppose that isnt right either. A craftsman? Really? Indeed he is! Nicole is a growing girl, so her equipment needs to undergo adjustments. Now that you mention it, shes grown quite tallertely. Sword aside, her leather armor does need some readjustments. Maria agreed with Maxwell. Lyell and the rest finally finished their training by that time. Lyell himself looked fine, but Finia was dripping with sweat and her legs looked wobbly. Cloud was in a simr state too. Finia has the skills but her stamina is the problem. Cloud on the other hand has the necessary stamina, so all thats left are techniques. Yes, thisd is quite talented. Exins why your daughter had an eye on him. The two brieflymented on their students while heading towards us. Hearing their good evaluation, Finia and Cloud looked quite satisfied. I recalled my previous conversation with Gadius. Lyell seemed to have been stressed since I was ignoring him. He was someone irksome for me, but that didnt mean I hated him. He was the rival that had reached my ideal a step faster than me, so it was a bit unreasonable to ask me to be kind to him. I wasnt that good-natured. Still, I didnt hate him, so leaving him in this awkward rtionship with his daughter was also a bit too harsh. Thus, I grabbed the towels that Maria prepared and ran up to him. Good work. Here you go, dad. I handed over the towel in a frank but also somewhat shy tone. I also gave one each to Gadius and Finia. Lyell and Gadius almost didnt sweat at all, but Finia was so sweaty her exercise uniform waspletely drenched. Her uniform was clinging to her skin and looked quite erotic. Yeah, not a bad sight to behold. Ah, you have my thanks, Nicole. Thank you, Lady Nicole. Gadius thanked me casually, while Finia was more polite about it. Lyell, on the other hand, was simply frozen in ce. He stood there trembling for a while. I cocked my head to the side in wonder, but the next moment he suddenly reached out toward me. Waaaaaaah, Nicoleeee! Gyaaaaaaaaah! Look, Gadius, isnt my daughter simply adorable! He suddenly pulled me close and hugged me so tight I couldnt even move. Though I said he didnt sweat, it wasnt like he didnt sweat even a bit, so he was someone stinky. Moreover, I could feel his bulging muscles from under his thin clothes. I tried to resist with all my might, with goosebumps all over my body, but s, it was futile. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I got it, I got it already, so let her go. She keeps her distance because you act like that. W-What!? Nicole wouldnt hate me over such a thing! I HATE YOU! Whenever I throw him a bone, hes always like this. I threw my merciless retort and slipped out of his grasp. I was at least able to escape from him while he was struck by my words. Then I rushed straight towards Finia and clung to her, securing my safety. Lyell copsed to his knees and hung his head down in dejection. But he brought that on himself. Uh, Nicole. What about my towel? How about you go get it yourself? There was no reason to appeal to Cloud as well, so I didnt bring his share. Hearing my words, he also fell to his knees in dejection right next to Lyell. Chapter 220 Due to Astes interruption, Maxwell managed to safely dodge the questioning. We pretended that we were going to adjust the equipment Aste brought and evacuated to Maxwells mansion. Of course, that excuse wasnt entirely wrong, so Maria and Cortina did not doubt it. I pushed Astes back with Maxwell and fled from the lumberyard a step ahead, but Finia and Cloud seemed to be staying behind to train for a bit longer. After we took our refuge in Maxwells mansion, we shut the windows so no one could observe us from the outside. I also fully focused on my presence perception and made sure there were no observers around. Okay, seems like theres no one, huh? Indeed, though there are not many that try to peek inside my mansion by default. Aste made a short sarcasticment and didnt pursue the matter any further. This man was one that put his own interests before anything. He quickly unpacked his package and took out the brand new gauntlets from inside. These are the gauntlets that I readjusted. I managed to strengthen the exterior with the bones of the Evil Dragon that I got from you while also sessfully lowered its weight. Oho? Previously it was made of metal with ck luster, but now it felt quite strange to the touch, being coarse and quite unlike metal. The color was still the same but the luster was gone, so now it just looked like a matte ck material that didnt reflect light. On its surface, there was a geometrical pattern drawn by lines made with white No, with melted silver. Previously you could hold your own weight with one finger, but thats too burdensome for you now, right? So I covered it with armor all the way to the fingers to better endure the external load. Looking at it, previously the armoring only covered up to the back of the hand, after which it simply had thread pipes running up to the fingertips, but now those fingers were also fully covered in armor. As for the palm side of it, it had turned into something like a glove made of some kind of ck membrane. It also had a pattern carved with silver. I used the Evil Dragons wing membrane for the glove parts. Due to its nature, it can easily handle fire and some low-level magic, but in addition, it can even endure the friction with Mythril threads. Uh-huh? True, these coarse gloves would make it hard for the weapon to slip, so it would be easy to hold a sword. But on the other hand, that could also get in the way when making tricky movements like when shifting your hold on the weapon. That was something that needed some getting used to. I also attached hooks made of the fangs on both wrists, near the pinkie fingers. If you hook the enemy with it you can force them into a hand-to-hand fight. Wow. I shifted my gaze towards the part he mentioned, and there was indeed a small, one-centimeter-long protuberance on the inner part of the wrists. I poked it with my finger and it felt tougher than I expected. It felt tougher than iron, but thinking about it, that Evil Dragon could easily chew down armors. It was natural for it to be this tough. It can hook on the clothes as I said, but its also tough enough to endure your weight. In other words, if you find a t wall that you can grab onto with these fangs, its possible to stay attached to them. What!? I was very interested in the ability to cling to walls without using my threads. I immediately rushed to a nearby wall, hooked on it, and pulled myself up. It felt a bit awkward, but it could certainly hold my weight. Alternating my hands, I managed to gradually climb higher and higher. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I could even hold onto it with just one hand. This would definitely widen my range of strategies. Nicole, what are you doing!? My walls are all scratched up now! Still, I already understood that they could support my body so this was enough. I jumped back down and approached Aste. Hmm. I knew that it would be alright based on my calctions, but I was a bit uneasy before seeing it in action. So you havent even tested it! My wife would be just the right size for the task, but she is absent at the moment. Ah, right, she ran away from you, was it? Looks like this was a taboo topic, he red daggers at me. Still, if his wife was just the right size, doesnt that mean her physique was simr to mine? Was this guy actually a lolicon? Well, whatever. Each thread is about 100 meters long. And there are five of them in each glove. That should be enough, right? Hmm, did it decreasepared to before? Well, the gauntlets are a size smaller nowpared to before, so its natural that theyd be shorter. Oh, right. Also, this is the biggest change to it, but that pattern on its exterior is there for activating the strengthening magic. He was probably talking about that geometrical pattern drawn with silver. So that was a magic circle, huh? It looked different from the one I knew, however. You can activate the Enchant spell just by pouring magic power into it. However, since you arent creating the magic circle with your own power, its effects are very limited. Itsts three minutes, and it only targets you. You cant cast it on someone else. Thats still more than enough. If all it took was magic power, I could do it instantly. There have been many battles until now where I had no choice but to depend on the threads on strengthening myself. If it allowed me to make up for that burden, this weapon would prove to be very useful. Also, they can be dismantled now. And the pattern drawn on the glove armor has Apport installed in it. In other words, you can summon and put them on at will through it. Wow, thanks man! Now theres no need to sneak them out every time. However, you can only summon them when they are in this box. And you cant return them back. No, no, thats good enough. You have no idea how many times Ive found myself with no weapons at hand when I needed them the most. I tapped on the wooden box Aste brought with him. There was a simr pattern drawn inside of it. It was most likely the magic circle that corresponded to the Apport spell. It was the same with Mateus, but I had a very picky ability so I couldnt show my best without these gauntlets on hand. So being able to have the gloves on and summon the gauntlets just by pouring my magic power into them was a godsend. This is some really nice job youve done here. You have my thanks. I also had my fun with them this time, so the feeling is mutual. With those words, Aste gave me a firm handshake. Chapter 221 Afterward, Aste received his payment from Maxwell and quickly disappeared somewhere. Since he paid in my stead I had to repay it some time, but that could be easily solved by paying a visit to my secret base. Having obtained new gauntlets, I had a delighted expression on my face, my hands itching for the action. Frankly put, I really wanted to put their ability to test right away. Maxwell, on the other hand, was looking extremely weary. You sure look carefree. And here I am depressed. Huh, why? I got my weapon, so my power should go up. Theres nothing wrong with it, is there? I do not mean that. I am talking about Maria and Cortina. Oh If those two press Maxwell for answers, even he would not be able to get away. Cortina had Maria as a reinforcement this time, so my identity was just waiting to get busted at this rate. This is a tough one, huh? I feel like no excuses will work next time. Why not juste out with it already? Like I can do that sote in the game! Id be super awkward! Theres no way I can reveal it myself. But I couldnt find a good excuse to deceive them, either. I couldnt erase the feeling that all doors were closed on me. Should I transform again and redirect them that way? Doing that more than once would instead invite more danger. Do you believe that Cortina will be deceived over and over? Yeah, not happening. Currently, Cortina was under the impression that this imaginary person, Haumea, was Reid. If she learned that she was fake, then her aim would shift to the one that visited Maxwells mansion most frequentlyin other words, me. This sucks. Feels like we arepletely helpless. It would be a stupid n to make any moves now. I will try to distract them with the pursuit of Klein and Mateus, since they are the focus now. Can you even get juicy information required for that to work? I suppose not. Mateus pulled back, which meant Klein Sto Serwa wasnt in this town anymore. Since he left the city already, there was no knowing where he could have gone from there. If he had connections to someone that could use Teleportation magic, he could be anywhere now. Pursuing someone like that would be close to impossible even for Maxwell. Until I get it, I will somehow distract them by doing work separately. Cortina and others have their hands full of investigating the Sto domain, right? Yeah. Theres also the matter of Donovan too. But there was also the matter of that assassin from the southern City-State union of Qaum. There is a need to investigate that too, right? Ah, so youre gonna tell them youd investigate that yourself? Yes, after all, either matter requires prompt action from us. There is a high possibility that we would lose our target if we stall the matter for too long. As such, Maria and I, who are able to use the Teleportation magic, have to share that work. I see. I suppose that works as an excuse. Still, pursuing that assassin can be quite dangerous, you know? Although not quite on my level from my previous life, that Mateus is still extremely dangerous. Singing praises to yourself, eh? In that case, perhaps I will take Gadius too. I suppose there should be no problems with a specialist in protection like Gadius with him. Still, Elves and Dwarves were generally on bad terms, but these two got along surprisingly well. Well, they wererades who have looked death in the eyes many a time, so it was probably natural. If the enemy has people like that on their side, I kinda wanna tag along as a guard The present you? You cant even leave the town so easily, can you? Ugh, yeah, I even have some self-restraints put on the hunting too. Since Cloud got rolled up in such an incident just outside of the city, we had to be wary of the surroundings for some time. Thus, the kingdom was more vignt now and also requested low-level Adventurers to put self-restraint on their activities. As an after-effect of that, our hunts also fell under such self-restraints. Clouds food situation required him to hunt, but it couldnt be helped now. To deal with that immediate problem, we were using illegal channels to distribute our own shares as preserved foods. Oh well. Please deal with that somehow, old man. Maxwell drew near to smack me on my head. I dodged his hand and made my way out of his mansion. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Late at night. I started feeling like I was bing quite a nocturnal person. I used my Stealth Gift to its utmost and left the city, entering the forest. This was to test my new ability and the performance of the new equipment. I was quite fond of my new weapon, but that didnt mean I would be an expert at using it from the get-go. Every good weapon needed getting used to first. That said, I just want to test it right away, but First I decided to start by testing the muscle fiber maniption that I discovered during the fight with Mateus. I jumped, elerated, and decelerated, leaping around in the forest to my hearts content. My speed was far fasterpared to being strengthened with threads. However This Is no good. The burden is too much. Unlike the Enchant magic, it didnt strengthen my stamina along with it. My body couldnt keep up with my movement ability and started screeching in a short time. I did well enduring it during the fight with Mateus. If I had exceeded my limit while fighting, he couldve easily cut me down. Then, I suddenly remembered the spell that was carved on my gauntlets. Aste said there was Enchant installed on it. In that case, wouldnt it also be able to raise my stamina? Thinking that, I quickly let my magic power flow through it. Receiving my magic power, the spell activated on its own and covered my body. I then used my thread maniption on top of it and did the same actions as before. Albeit only by a bit, the burden seemed to have lessened. The reason I was still feeling some burden was probably that my maniption ability was exceeding the strength of the Enchant spell. Still, if it was this much, I couldst for about ten minutes. The build-in magic could onlyst for three minutes, so any longer would be pointless. Next would be to check the threads themselves. We worked so hard to get them Hmm? Then, I suddenly noticed a rustling in the grass. Any violent animals were being periodically exterminated by Adventurers around these parts, so it shouldnt have been any dangerous animal. As if to betray my expectations A giant silhouette showed itself from the grass. Chapter 222 A giant body of perhaps over three meters appeared from the grasses. It was clearly not a human. I set up my new gauntlets and faced it. The moonlight raising down from the tree gaps finally fell on its giant body and revealed its identity. Its a maneateran Ogre Even though I called it a maneater, that went the same for all monsters. It was a giant humanoid that was just called like that for convenience. Given its huge body, its agility wasnt much, but its physical strength exceeded that of humans by far. Still, Adventurers knew how to deal with monsters that were simply strong. Defeating an Ogre was like a mark of qualification. It was a gateway to sess for newbies. This Monster had been given such recognition. Oh. I was about to leak a sigh of relief but then I braced myself. If it was me from my previous life, I couldve easily dealt with it even without using my threads. For Lyell, it was probably on the level of ying with a child. But for the current me, it would be a hard fight. I couldnt get careless. I extended a thread from my left hand, took a defensive posture, and waited for the opponents move. We red at each other for a while. However, the opponent didnt make any moves. But that made me feel suspicious. From the Ogres point of view, I should have looked like a defenseless child. It shouldve had no reason to hesitate on attacking. Despite that, it didnt seem like he would charge at me anytime soon. Or rather, it was strange for Ogres to show up in a ce like this. Dangerous monsters were being exterminated by Adventurers around here, so something like an Ogre wasnt supposed to exist here. At any rate, it would be a problem if it starts showing up here. I better deal with it. I let my bloodthirst loose and took a step towards it. Seeing me fully motivated, the Ogre raised his hands in panic. S-Stop. Me, no fight. What? It was a flustered, frightened voice. his tone itself sounded a bit intimidating, but the words themselves had made me lose my motivation to fight. It was surprising for him to talk to me, but Ogres did have some intelligence. Conversing itself would be possible as long as they willed it. However, as they only considered humans as food, they seldom tried to converse with one. Then, why did youe so close to the city? Any intelligent being should know that here was the city of Raum. In other words, approaching it would mean it had some sort of intention. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) For example, if there was no more food to be found near its den, so it decided to find new feed, that is, humans. Me, humans, no attack. Live secretly, in mountains. Hm? Then, Adventurer,e. Based on what I could understand from his awkward speech, it didnt seem to be living nearby. It was saying that it lived peacefully, without eating humans, but then an Adventurer showed up there. In other words, it had its home raided so it had fled here against its will, is it? Well, that sounds unfortunate Huh? Wait, wasnt it strange for there to be an Adventurer attacking some peaceful Ogres home given this timing? Docile as he seems, he was still an Ogre. Any Adventurer that didnt know his true nature would try to hunt it on sight. Okay, but in that case, how did this one manage to get all the way here safely? Ogres were by nature not fast monsters. If someone tried to subjugate him, the battle would have taken ce in the near vicinity. In rare cases, some of them did try to run away, but being slow on their feet meant that their chances of getting away were low. And yet, this one managed to make it all the way here. It was probably a long distance from his den. Hey, did that Adventurer not chase you? Adventurer steal home. Steal my home. Was doing something. Stole? And they did something there? On ground, draw something. They went all the way to an Ogres den and just drove him out without even subjugating him, and then started drawing something on the ground there. After I heard that much, it suddenly hit me It was the Teleportation magic. Maxwell and Maria were using it as if nothing, but if an ordinary person were to use it, they needed to pre-arrange the magic circle to supplement for theirck of magic power. If I had to say, this method was closer to the one Aste was using. Therge-scale teleportation magic cast with many people that the Adventurers Guild used was utilizing this method. There was no need to even think of a reason why anyone would be using one so near to Raum. So thats what Klein used to make his escape! Well done, Ogre! As a reward, Ill overlook you this time. R-Really? I can run? Yeah, a man does not go back on his word. I ended up going back on it in reflex, but this was a joke so it didnt count. At any rate, I had to deliver this news to Maxwell as fast as I could. The traces of Magic tended to disappear the longer it passed. It has already been a week since, so that magic circle was the only remaining proof. There was a possibility of it vanishing in the blink of an eye in case of a rainstorm. Okay, Ill go get a helper, so follow Actually, you cant enter the city, huh? Can you wait for me here? If everything goes well, my helper will take you to a safe ce. Really? Didnt I say that a man does not go back on his word? But you, female. You really want to die, huh Geeh!? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) He never learns was what I would like to say, but an Ogres intellect only went so far. In fact, fearing humans and deciding to live in seclusion already made this one umonly rational for his kind. Thus, having obtained a lead, I rushed back to Raum to take Maxwell with me. Chapter 223 The Ogre couldnt enter the city. Thus to have Maxwell hear him, I had to go bring Maxwell here instead. Since I couldnt tell Cortina and the rest that I snuck deep into the forest to test my new weapon, I could only tell Maxwell about this. I ran up to Maxwells mansion and heaved a big sigh. From this point on, the path was filled with Maxwells hand-picked anti-theft magic. Whats more, Gadius was also lodging here now. Getting to Maxwell without Gadius finding it out required me to sneak in. If I waited to visit in the morning, there would be no need for that, but in that case, the Ogre has to spend all night near the city. If some other Adventurer discovered it, they would most likely subjugate him, no questions asked. Based on our talk, the Ogre turned out to be an unexpectedly nice fellow for his species, so I couldnt bring myself to chance him getting killed. Fortunately, I still remember the time I kept himpany testing these anti-theft spells, so I think I should be able to manage, but I took a step while muttering to myself. But the next moment, my senses had a ckout. What are you doing here sote in the night? I came looking for you! I yelled back in anger at Maxwell from the bottom of the pitfall. Of course, in a small enough voice so that Gadius wouldnt wake up. Wait, can you even call it a yell, at that point? At any rate, long story short, I fell right into his primitive trap with my very first step. Moreover, the bottom of the pit had some kind of adhesive to keep the invaders in ce. In other words, I was all gooey and sticky now. I was bringing you important news, and this is how you treat me? Hurry and pull me up already. Right, hold on for a moment. Let me first photograph you with this copying tool. Why are you trying to photograph me!? A copying tool was something that copied sceneries and such on mediums like paper or parchment. It was apparently something the God of Destruction, one of the developers of Magic Tools, had created hundreds of years ago. In other words That Whitey. Everything she does has to be problematic. I had a feeling Cortina would pay a lot for it. Little Finia would too, probably. Hold it. Dont lead those girls down a wicked path. Finia and Michelle were my sces, so I had to keep them away from this guys fetishes. As we chattered around, Maxwell finally rescued me and I got back to the surface. And it seemed he did actually photograph me. So, what is your business? Ah, right, I may have found information that is linked with Kleins whereabouts. I may have, but first, let me in. Also, lend me your bath. No can do. I cannot let you stain my mansion with that filth. You bastard I will cleanse you with magicter, so tell me the information first. Maxwell lightly brushed myint aside, but he did have a point. At any rate, that Ogre was quite good-natured, but he didnt seem to be that smart. It would be nice if he stayed hidden, but if he started carelessly walking around, he could stumble on some other Adventurer. Thus, I quickly summed up my previous conversation to Maxwell and voiced my concern to leave as soon as we could. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Oh, a docile Ogre, you say? Thats what youre focusing on!? I got it. Good grief, Cortina is being a bad influence on you, eh? Its just you being too carefree. But you are correct. We cant bring him inside the city, and there is no knowing whether it would stay hidden even if you instructed him to. It would be better to make haste. Raum was the capital, so it had a lot of traffic. The city gate was closed at night, but the travelers that reached it generally spent the night right outside of it. We couldnt ignore the possibility of someone like that discovering him, either. Yeah, he looked a little stupid, so Im worried. Well, it is an Ogre, in the end. Rather, since he managed to hold a conversation with you, that already makes his intellect outstanding among his race. It is quite interesting. I promised to help him escape if this information turned out to be correct, you know? I see, well monsters arent one-sidedly evil. The Carbuncle that you are keeping is one such example. Good-natured monsters. They were extremely rare in number, but there have been reported cases of them. How to deal with such monsters was left up to the Adventurers discretions. There were some that imed that all monsters had to be subjugated, while others imed you should not point your sword at those that do not mean you harm. Since either of those ims had some truth in them, the Adventurers Guild had no official guidelines about it. We also judged that one Ogre shouldnt be a problem and decided to help him escape this time. If it was a Dragon instead, that wouldve changed the story a bit, however. At any rate, I will lead before we leave the city, so follow me. Before that, can you let me prepare a bit? I have nothing but pajamas on me now. Then go and get dressed already! And lend me your bath! Good grief, you are such a selfish person. Look in the mirror and say that again! Thus, I seeded in my attempt to take a bath in his house. Still, as I hadnt used my Stealth Gift all this time, there might have been someone who had seen me. Later, rumors may have spread about a slime-covered girl being brought into Maxwells mansion. I sessfully brought Maxwell out and had him meet with the Ogre. The Ogre in question hadnt tried to run and was obediently waiting for us while hiding in the forest. He was hiding so well, in fact, that it took even me some time to find him. Perhaps it was due to this ability that he was able to survive near a metropolis like Raum. Good day. I am Maxwell. This old man has heard that you have witnessed something interesting. Me called Den. Nice to meet. He probably loitered around in the forest for a long time, so a straight line should take us a bit less. Still, I couldnt leave the city for such a long time. My behind-the-scenes operations were only known to Maxwell. It cannot be helped. I will cast Flight magic, so let us go there at once. Are you sure? Flight Magic was somewhere between middle and high-grade magic, and belonged to the Puppetry system. It belonged to the Puppetry system based on the fact that you controlled your body with magic, but it was close to the Interference system too. Worthy of special mention was of course the ability to fly in the sky. It allowed you to ignore ground traps including pitfalls, and even to cross over walls and such. Above all, by ignoring obstacles, your movement speed increased by leaps and bounds. You could fly at 50 km per hour with this magic. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) We can indeed cover one weeks journey in one night, but the magic consumptionActually, never mind. The biggest weakness of this spell was its extreme magic power consumption. Casting it on all three of us should be quite a burden, but a magic power tank like this old man should have no problems with it. There you have it. Well then, let us go. At the same time Maxwell activated his spell, our bodies floated up into the sky. And thus, we started our flight towards the Ogres home. Chapter 224 It was a bright night illuminated by the full moon. Maxwell and I, and also the Ogre, were flying through that moonlight sky. A silver-haired girl apanied by an old magician would be quite a charming sight to those who beheld it, but Dens figure was too out of ce. Uh, this Kind of feels like a fairy-tail, doesnt it? Flight magic has been around since the olden days. What are you surprised about now? I know that much, but still Bah, nevermind. Den, please guide us. Den who wasnt used to flying proceded by taking a step forward as if walking. Gradually he raised his speed, perhaps slowly getting used to it. Maxwell and I were used to flying already, so we didnt have to make such weird movements to fly. The Flight magic had quite an impressive movement speed, so we didnt have to rush that much. The night was still young, so we had time to spare. Rather, we had to pay attention for Den not to crash to the ground or someone from below discovering it. We flew north for ten-odd minutes. But then, I suddenly realized something I shouldnt have. But now that I did, I had no choice but to confirm it with Maxwell. Hey, Maxwell What is it? Dont lose sight of Den now. Im paying attention to that, dont worry. Rather than that, couldnt you have used this magic back in Maleva? Back then, I becamepletely drained of strength by the time we left the town, and after that, I had to suck it up and deal with the shame of being carried by him. If he just used this magic at that time, I couldve avoided showing such a disgraceful appearance. Maleva had grasnds around and everything was in in sight. What would you do if somebody had seen us? You have a point But still, isnt it the same now? Raum has a dense forest all around. You can see what is right above the city, but on a nted angle the view is obstructed. So thats how it is? I was not fully convinced by his exnation but decided to just keep following Den. And after about one hour had passed, Den suddenly stopped in ce. We here. He made a briefment and pointed at one corner of the forest. It was a strange ce, with a giant boulder protruding from the forest. Oh? That boulder. Bottom open. Me live there. Open? Oh, so the lower part of it is hollow. Due to his wordscking variation, it sometimes took a little time for us to understand what he was trying to say. But even that started to sound normal the more I got used to his speech, which was quite strange in its own way. I see, I see. So that is how it is Maxwell was acting strangely convinced after hearing Dens words. It was certainly a conspicuous boulder, but I still didnt get what was so special about it. Lets go, Reid. I became a little interested now. After saying that to me, Maxwell descended straight towards that boulder. Den also followed behind him in a timid manner. Seeing that I raised a flustered voice. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Hey, dont go ahead of a scout! What do you n to do if they were ambushing us, good grief Following behind them, I alsonded on the rocky area. In the northern side of that area, in a ce where moss grew due to theck of sunlight, there was the entrance to Dens home. From afar, it didnt look like it led to the inside due to how camouged it was with brown and green colors. If there were no faint traces of being trodden, even I might have overlooked it. This is quite well done. Its a natural camouge. I asked Maxwell while pulling out my dagger. Maxwell quickly chanted the spell and produced a small light. Crimson one meant it was the smallest illumination, and Gold Five meant it wouldst for five hours. Jade was for the distance, and it was now set to the distance until my dagger. The magic light got absorbed by my dagger and it lit up like a torch. Even if it was of the lowest level, it was still light magic, so it was more than enough to illuminate our immediate surroundings. Dens cavern was quite long, reaching all the way to the center of that huge boulder. At that point, it turned into a wider space, and it was filled with the skin and bones of various animals. There were also fruit cores and such. Probably Dens leftover foods. The rotten skin and bones were giving off an unpleasant smell, filling the entire space. Ugh Den, you have bad venttion here, so at least throw away your trash. Youll grow sick. Its okay. Me have healthy body. Well, thats enviable. If I lived here, I was confident Id get sick within three days. In the center of that garbage-filled ce, there was a giant magic circle still remaining on the ground. Chapter 225 There was a faded magic circle of about three meters in diameter drawn in the middle of the room. Only the vicinity of that circle was devoid of garbage and was neatly tidied up. The floor was bare ground, and the circle was drawn on it with special paint. Maxwell promptly walked over to the magic circle and touched it with his hand. This was a close call. It has been weathered to the point that a little longer and it would have been indistinguishable. How is it then, can you make out its destination? Yes. This here is the direction And this is the range, I suppose? In that case Its southeast and the distance is Maxwell started deciphering the magic circle. In the meantime, I stood near the entrance and stayed alert for the surroundings. Since they left such a piece of evidence behind, it was possible that they left someone on the lookout. Before long, Maxwell finally removed his eyes from the circle and approached me to tell me the result of his analyses. It seems that Klein has gone to either Qaum or Lilith. Mateus hometown, huh? You cant narrow it down any further between them? The detailed coordinates have already gotten erased. I could only roughly measure the direction and the distance. What about magic power? Setting you aside, it would need one or two magicians normally. Cant you measure the distance based on the overall size of the circle as well? About that This ce just happens to be situated above a Ley Line. As such, I can not measure the distance based on magic power. Or rather, I suppose the presence of the Ley Line was the reason why they stole this ce for themselves. They could draw as much magic power as they wished from the Ley Line. Ley lines were akin to wellsprings of magic power. There were a few such power spots in the world. In some parts of the world, it was believed that the World Trees roots, which were spread all over the continent, leaked the creation energy from the spots we called Ley Lines. How true that was, however, was up for debate. Is that so? Perhaps the fact that Den is strangely wise for an Ogre is also due to absorbing the magic power of the Ley Line and undergoing some abnormal evolution. Huh As he pointed out, this was the first time I had encountered an Ogre that could hold a conversation. Den had a gentle and timid nature yet was highly intelligent by Ogre standards, so Maxwells im about abnormal evolution was probably correct. They drove out Den, the previous owner of this pace, by force to obtain this Ley Line, and then used it for the teleportation magic. The only information that can be extracted from the leftover magic circle is that the destination is either Qaum or Lilith. This much is certain. So we narrowed it down from the entire continent two these two, huh. I guess whats left is to check which of them are fishy We can only know that by actually visiting these ces. Before that It would be better for us to seal this ce off so it does not get abused in the future. The fact that you could extract magic power infinitely meant that it could be abused in many ways. In particr, it could be used to freely teleport arge army anywhere, so Raum would be viewed as dangerous by other kingdoms. If they knew about this ce back during the Mountain Serpent incident, they wouldve been able to immediately dispatch an army. But at the same time, that also meant that it was also possible to send that same army to other kingdoms doorsteps too. I could see why Maxwell wanted to seal this ce off and pretend that it never existed. It was one thing if it could only be used to go to the Kevin domain, but a singrity that could dispatch armies to other kingdoms was nothing but a nuisance. Um Me troubled if no live here. Listen, Den, the enemy already knows this ce so returning here would be dangerous anyway. Then me go where? Lets see This ce was known by both Klein and Mateus. If Den stayed here, next time they could just subjugate him instead. That said, it would be too pitiful if we left him on its own so irresponsibly. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Still, a safety zone that could ept an Ogre wasnt so easily Oh, there is one. I suddenly remembered about one such ce. Maxwell looked puzzled at my statement. He probably had not realized it yet. Im talking about that mountain, the one where Aste lives. An Ogre would probably be nothing more than an insect for him, not to mention, people dont visit it so it should be safe. If nothing, I could have him live in my hideout and also act as a gatekeeper. If he stays on the lookout, even Aste wouldnt carelessly approach it. Of course, Den would be no match for Aste, but he should abstain from doing it if he knows there would be witnesses. Well, there would be no problems if it is there, but we should get Sir Astes permission first. That shouldnt take you more than a few minutes. Just teleport there and done. Maxwell could easily teleport to Astes cave. He could just go there, ask for permission and if he got it,e back and take Den with him. We were in the vicinity of a Ley Line, so it would even ease the burden on him. Good grief. Pushing this old man around so much. Fine, then, I will go and see so wait here. He answered it listlessly and nimbly drew the magic circle in the air with used movements. And after chanting the aria he disappeared in the blink of an eye. This all took about 10 seconds. It took Maria over a minute to cast this spell despite getting more familiar with it as ofte, so Maxwells speed was truly a wonder to behold. While I waited for Maxwell to return, I took the opportunity to exin to Den about the ce he would be moving to. Good for you. There is no better ce than the one we just found for you. Really? Me no longer need to be scared? There was a Huge Crawler from the middle floors of the World Tree Labyrinth residing there. Not to mention, there was also a warrior there that could one-shot such a monster. Dens standing on that mountain would clearly be at the bottom. He would be living with beings that could instantly trample it down, so I imagined it would cause him quite a bit of a headache. Well, hes not some hard-headed guy, so you dont have to worry about it. In the first ce, he wouldnt give Maxwell permission for you to stay if he nned to drive you out the next moment. I see! New dwelling, me happy! He warped his atrocious Ogrish face into an expression of joy. Uh, sorry, Den But your face looks a bit scary. It looked like the expression of a monster staring down on its prey. Well, Denwasa monster. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Before long, Maxwell returned back. I have kept you waiting. Sir Aste readily gave us permission. Then, please take it to my hideout. Lets have Den live there. In your hideout? Well, it would have a roof to defend against rain But are you fine with that? I dont mind. Id rather have him be the administrator of my assets there. So that is what you were nning. I understand. As such, one peculiar Ogre had settled to live on the mountain near Maleva. Well, it wasnt the one to attack people, so there should be no problems. Chapter 226 Sheltering Den in the mountains was finished in a moment with Maxwells help. He opened the Gate, urged Den in, while also instructing him to live in my hideout. While we were at it, we also told him about Astes cave where he was better off not approaching. It would normally be proper manners to have him visit Aste, but the person in question was quitezy when it came to things like this, so he wouldnt really care whether a monster had settled nearby or not. He might have gotten angry if we bothered him about every little thing, so we decided to just leave him be. Maxwell already got his permission, so this wasnt particrly impolite. Alright then, Den. You are free to hunt any nearby animals, and there should be no problems as long as you dont descend the mountain, so you can live without worries. That said, dont go filling my hideout with filth, you hear? Me got it, will clean. Good. Also, as we already mentioned, theres a really scary cksmith living inside that cliff, so stay away from that ce. If a problem arises, however, you can go and talk to him about it. Do you remember the signal? Take ck rock. Hit simr ck rock. Once. Twice. Four times. Once. Alright, then. Well be going back now. We n to pay you a visit every once in a while, but try to take care of yourself on your own. Okay. Nigorr, good. Its Nicole, pronounce it right. Ni-Nigo? Agh, whatever. Talking with an Ogre over twice my size was starting to hurt my neck. It was particrly a pain when I stood so close I had to literally look overhead to talk. Still, it felt nice to be able to talk to this friendly fellow. I could feel a simr sort of simplicity from him that I felt from Michelle. Well then. Sorry to leave so fast, but we have other things to do. After waving back at it, Maxwell and I returned back to Raum. As I already told Den, we had other things to deal with. After returning to the boulder, Maxwell heaved a big sigh. It was rare to see him looking so down in the dumps. Whats wrong? Did you get tired after using the teleportation magic so much? No, not at all. I simply feel it is a big waste that I have to seal off such a good Ley Line. Ah, so thats what youre worried about. Still, as he had already pointed out, it was dangerous to leave this ce be. It could lead to political troubles for Raum, as well as criminals misusing it like they did this time. As such, we decided to bury this ce, rather than simply sealing it. Itd be problematic if anyone finds this ce suspicious, so try to go about it as gently as you can. It would be troubling if they dig it up. Back in our adventuring days, Maxwell used to make full use of his ridiculous magic power, wreaking excessive destruction all around. He had an influential social position from the start, so he tended to put the effort into these kinds of excessive showing-offs. He just had to quietly copse what was under the boulder, but I wouldnt put it past him to decide to just blow it all up in one go. Thats why I went and warned him, but seeing him so upset about it made it seem like I was in the wrong for doing that. You love being shy, so Im just warning you, old man. I am thinking of whats toe, so I would not do something that would add to my fatigue. Klein had fled to either Qaum or Lilith. But those two cities were outside of Raums jurisdiction, so he might have left for some other ce through them. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) If that was the case, Maxwells teleportation magic would be needed to chase after them. Moreover, he had a skilled guard like Mateus with him. There was no knowing when and where a battle could ur. If I was able to get my old body back, he isnt someone I would ever fall behind Do not be so unreasonable. You are already using middle-ss magic at that age, are you not? You are already a perfect genius from the other peoples perspective. My Enchant magic had already reached a cut above average, and due to this, Michelle was also able to pull her Third Eye up to the middle. To pull itpletely, she still needed to use the bangle that she received from the God of Destruction, but still, even a half-pulled Third Eye was already far stronger than any average bow. Considering the after-effects, it was more efficient to make do with my enchant instead. Now then, shall we bury it? I shall first support the boulder while destroying the walls in the underground space, and then drop the boulder on top of everything. That sounds like tough work, are you sure youd be fine? Leave it to me. Even just supporting that giant, mountain-like boulder already seemed impossible to me. Maxwell didnt seem to share my sentiment, however, and proceeded to cast spells one after another. He first created pirs with Earth Wall to support the boulder. Following that, he hollowed out the surrounding walls with Tunnel, and got rid of the bedrock supporting it. Then, he slowly released the Earth Wall and let everything slowly sink in the space below. Once the Tunnels effect was gone, all the earth that he removed around the boulder would go back to normal. And just like that, a newly discovered power spot in the outskirts of Raum had been consigned to oblivion without a single citizen learning about its existence. Chapter 227 The next morning, I got out of bed pretending nothing had happened. Maxwell nned to tell Cortina and the others about Kleins whereabouts himself, so there was nothing I needed to do. Or rather, it would be bad if I did. I was barely managing to hide my identity as is, so I didnt want to do anything else thatd make me look suspicious. Honestly speaking, I wanted to teleport there and deal with this case myself, but this time it was better to hold back and stay. Good morning, Cortina. Finia. Good morning, Lady Nicole. Morning, looks like youre as lively as ever. Despite your weak constitution, you strangely dont catch any illnesses, huh? Looking around, I suddenly noticed that Lyell and Maria, who should be staying here until this incident was settled, were nowhere to be found. They would normally be up at this hour and clinging to me to a depressing degree. Oh, those two got called by Maxwell. I have work, so he said hed fill me inter at the Academy. Is that so? I returned a nonchnt reply, but I naturally knew the contents of their conversation. Maxwell made haste to inform Maria and Lyell about Kleins whereabouts. It wouldve been easier if Cortina went with them, but it wouldve been bad for education if she kept putting off her original job as a teacher. Especially at my age, children were sensitive about these things Apparently. Well, I cant keep on leaving the Academy unattended for so long. I am still bothered by Margrave Serwas situation, however. Why not have Elliot substitute you when you need it? Heisan assistant teacher, after all. Well, Elliot himself has been surrounded by his guards and is unable to move as he likes as ofte. Its a natural oue after what happened. Normally, he would have been dragged back to his kingdom. That shows just how much they trust us. That runny-nosed brat has grown up into a fine man. You sound like a grandma, you know? We were messing around since early morning, but most likely from tomorrow Or in the worst case, today, she would not be able to show up in the Academy. Leaving Klein Sto Serwa to his own devices posed that much danger. He was someone who targeted Elliots life. Letting someone like that roam free would be leaving a stain on Raums reputation. And as I had seen Mateus face, I was also their target now. Knowing this, not only Maria and Lyell, but even Cortina wanted to bring this incident to a close as fast as possible. As expected, after Cortina headed to Maxwells chairmans office, we ended up having to self-study the rest of the day. Maxwell also seemed to have stepped out, too, perhaps heading towards either Qaum or Lilith. Maria alone remained behind as my guard. Honestly speaking, I felt very worried that they decided to confront an assassin without taking her, the pivot healer, along. Teacher Cortina seems to have left on business again. After school, Letina and I joined up with Michelle, and then went to apany Cloud to the Adventurers Guild. Ever since the incident, entry to the forest had been banned due to the ongoing investigation, but that investigation hade to a stop after a week so the ban should be lifted from today. As such, I nned to take Cloud to the forest with me today. But there was no fun in just hunting forest animals as we always did, so we decided to take on some simple tasks like herb gathering and try finishing themissions while we looked for prey to hunt. It cannot be helped. I dont understand what matter is upying her However, it seems that it is still not finished. And she is not skipping lessons, shes using up her personal vacation for it. So shes basically free from work, huh? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Observing the noisy trio, I opened the door to the Adventurers Guild with a smile. As the ban on the forest was lifted, it was still packed full of people despite it being close to evening. The majority of them seemed to be Adventurers who were done with their days work and just came to deliver their spoils, but there were also some enthusiasts mixed in who wanted to go for one more job. That was quite hard working of them, considering the sun was about to set. Well, we were basically about to do the same, however. I managed to squeeze my way through that crowd and arrived at the counter. Good day. We would like to gather some medical herbs until evening, but is it okay? Oh, wee, Nicole. I stood on my tiptoes and poked my face at the counter. The counter was situated at a height where an adult would put their elbows, which was a bit quite a bit high for me. It looked like I was resting my chin on it, but this was no different from the usual. Lets see I suppose it would be fine if you simply look near the forest area? But dont go too deep inside. There have been sightings of an Ogre there. If you do encounter one, drop everything and run. Thedy at the reception gave me instructions with a docile face. We were kids, so she was worried about us more than the other Adventurers. Also, the Ogre in question was a total coward, so she didnt have to be so worried. Rather, he had already moved ces to Alecmarle, so there was no chance of anyone encountering it. That said, I couldnt exactly tell them that. Thus, I replied to her with a simrly docile face. I understand. So what herbs are youcking now? It seems that a cold has spread in the Elven viges, so we are in need of Millud leaves. They could be found even on the roadside, and we pay one silver per bundle of ten leaves. Isnt that quite an attractive deal? Millud leaves were pain and fever-relieving herbs that could also be used as wetpresses. They were quite often used, so they were bought at a decently high price. Still, the current remuneration was twice the usual. This is quite a jackpot for children of your age. But you have a lot of rivals, you know? The Millud trees near the city have all been left stark-naked already. Wah, we have to hurry, then. Right, do be careful, though. Thedy sent me off with giggles, but I stopped just as I turned around. As for the reason Up ahead, I saw Cloud being surrounded by older Adventurers. Chapter 228 Quarreling with Cloud was a veteran Adventurer who was famous even here in Raums Adventurers Guild. He was aged somewhere from the mid tote twenties. He had ruffled up zing red hair, along with a peculiar hairstyle. He had a trained body, looking like a keen and nimble swordsman. Due to his conspicuous appearance, even I knew about him. He had been a topic among the receptionists for being one of the promising youths. Rather than quarreling, it looked more like he was questioning Cloud. He was pressing him with questions while grasping his shoulders and drawing his face real close. Say the truth! Why was an impurity like you together with that person! You used her connections, didnt you! I mean, you arent exactly wrong Shit, dont get carried away just because youve been blessed withrades! It wasnt my idea! I cant deny that my connection with Nicole was what brought it up, though. They seemed to be talking about Clouds connections with me. Based on that, I had an idea of what brought this on. Someone probably saw his training with Lyell. As expected of an apex swordsman like Lyell, it seems that many people found it envious that a Half-Demon like Cloud was blessed with the opportunity to train under him. And all that envy had led the situation to the present state. Cloud, are you being bothered? Ah, Nicole. No, I mean Geh, MMiss Nicole!? Cloud was at a loss on how to answer my question. Well, he couldnt exactly say yes when the person was in front of him. Besides, these Adventurers didnt surround him with ill will. Still, the man looked awkward for having detained mypanion. You can drop the Miss part. Im the younger one here, not to mention a beginner. Still, it wouldnt be right to just Anyway, sorry, but Id like to take Cloud and do one job before the sun sets. Ah, yes, of course! Im sorry for detaining him! He started all this questioning because of Lyell, so I, his daughter, was obviously not someone he could treat rudely. I also realized that, so I asked for permission as politely as I could so it wouldnt worsen Clouds standing anymore. His angry attitude from before was nowhere to be seen now, and he was drifting his gaze all around Was he that nervous in front of me? Also, my dad cant take on arge number of people for training. Clouds case was an exception because he can also act as my guard So again, sorry, okay? Ah, no! I was wrong for throwing false usations at him, so I Im sorry. Well, it didnt escte into a fight, so everythings fine. I wouldnt do something like that! That would only invite Miss Nicoles hate. I wouldnt hate you if Cloud was in the wrong, you know But hmm, would you like to have a spar with him when you have time for it? I suddenly realized that this was a good opportunity. Cloud was mostly fighting against animals. However, I knew by experience that the wit and skill of humans were far scarier. Cloud wascking experience in human battles, and to an overwhelming degree. Since he only ever sparred with me, hisbat experience was severely unbnced. A spar? You alsock experience against human opponents, right, Cloud? Y-Yeah Ive only sparred against you for the most part. There seems to be a big training area under the Guild, so how about we use that for a spar? Cloud would gain some experience from it, and you Umm? Ah, Im Kayle. Im a Fifth-Ranked Adventurer at the moment. Fifth-Rank!? Cloud opened his eyes wide after hearing his rank. I was quite a bit surprised as well. Fifth-Rank was not considered the top of the top, but it was still proof that their skill was first-ss. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Naturally, like me, there were some Adventurers stronger than their ranks suggested. However, the opposite was almost impossible weak wouldnt be branded as strong. The Guilds ranking system wasnt so forgiving. So you are a first-ss Adventurer. Why did you even bring up training under my dad at thiste hour. Thats not the problem. Sir Lyell is just someone I look up to! Well, I understand where you areing from. I was also someone who aimed to be a swordsman. I was fully aware of how dazzling Lyell looked from that perspective. Still, considering that he managed to climb up to Fifth Rank on his own, he should have some confidence in his skill. Cloud is being taught by my dad. So by sparring with him, youd be indirectly learning my dads teachings through him, right? I see, that sounds good! Like hell it does!? Hes Fifth Rank, you know? Theres no way a novice like me can take him on! Cloud. Who said you had to win? Huh? Didnt you hear what I said earlier? This is so you can gain more experience against human opponents. You lost to Mateus, remember? Ugh!! You dont want to keep on losing, right? Y-Yeah I incited him a bit to motivate him, then did a fist pump and cheered him on. After cornering him so much, he wouldnt be able to back out from this. Fine. I want to get stronger, and fighting against someone first-ss would be a good opportunity. That settles it. Can we leave the spar for some other day? Yes, absolutely! I will look forward to it! After concluding our discussion, I decided to head out for the herb gathering at once. I grabbed the nervous Clouds hand and dragged him to the exit. But as I looked around, I saw bitter-faced Kayle and a group of others. Gah, look at them flirt Even though I dont have a boyfriend, and youre telling me she already got one at that age? Those with girlfriends should just explode. No, Cloud should just explore. Or actually, I should blow him up. No way Our princess Nicole has already fallen in Clouds hands? Looks like I found my motivation for our spar. The motivation by the name of bloodlust Wake up, the darkness that dwells in my heart. Can you guys reign in your misunderstandings already? Wait, miss receptionist, not you too! Why are you joining the bandwagon! I couldnt help but make mental retorts towards that storm of misunderstandings. Nicole: Weak wouldnt be branded as strong. Kevin from 500 years ago: Wait, what? Chapter 229 We were held up a bit due to Cloud, but we managed to avoid some trouble. Still, this situation felt a little odd to me. Right, Cloud got rolled up in all that, but neither a busybody like Letina nor the friendly Michelle reacted to it at all. After seeing their friend getting involved in trouble, there was no way these two wouldve stayed silent. Wait, now that I think about it, where are those two? Look over there. Cloud answered my question by pointing outside the Guild. There, on the opposite side of the road, Michelle was securing her position next to a spit-roasting stall, with grilled bird skewers in each hand. Next to her was Letina doing exactly the same. Those two Well, Michelle is like a demon glutton, so it cant be helped. Still, its rare to see Letina imitate her. Well, she is a nobledy, so its rare for her to eat warm food, you know? Huh, really? You wouldnt believe it based on how she behaved on a daily basis, but she was still the Marquis daughter. She had to be careful of getting food-poisoned, or attempts to kill her by poisoning. Before a meal made it to her mouth, it went through numerous taste and poison checks, so the food was already cold by the time it reached her. For that reason, the times she adventured with us were few chances for her to have proper warm food. Hey, you two, time to go! I called out to the two ahead, took Clouds hand, and hurried ahead. Due to all thats happened, the sun was already starting to set. We had to return by dark, so I wanted to head out as fast as possible. Ah, sorry. It was pleasant to see Letina who was a little standoffish and the energetic stall owner hitting it off so well. But we had no time left now. I already revealed my Thread Maniption Gift to Michelle, so I wanted to try out a few things using that ability while cooperating with them. But with the herb gathering added to the calctions, it barely left enough time. In a way, this was also good training. It seems today will be a nice exercise to see how we can move under limited time. Also, Im going to try coordination with my new ability. A new ability? Its one of my abilities, I exined it to Michelle and Cloud before Id like to try fighting with my threads. Threads Thats quite an unusual ability. No, could it be The same ability that Lord Reid had!? Well, I guess? How enviable! I cant do anything about it Thread Maniption sounded quite in. When you first heard of it, you wouldnt know how you could even use it. However, Letina being the Six Hero nerd she was, was quick to link it to Reids ability. Only Letina would find the connection to the least outstanding member of the Six Heroes so fast. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) As you know, I also have the Gift of Interference Magic. In other words, I hold two Gifts. You do realize what would happen if this were to be known, right? It Would lead to an uproar. Holders of several Gifts are only one in ten thousand. And not just that, even my background would add more fuel to it. The daughter of the Six Heroes who each holds two Gifts also holds multiple Gifts. That would be shocking news. Right. If that became known It would lead to a serious matter. Even for Elliot. His Highness seems to have found a new sweetheart. But still, someone with such influence could have a concubine or two aside from queen consort. If that happens, even you would And thats why Im staying quiet. So, no telling anyone, okay? That includes my parents. So thats how it was But you are keeping it a secret from Lord Lyell too? She was coaxed by my excuse and understood the point at first, but then found the part about Lyell odd. But for me, Lyell and the rest of my formerrades were the main people I didnt want to learn of it. Still, Letina was not aware of my circumstances. It was natural for her to question why I would keep it a secret from my own father. If I didnt settle her doubts now, this information could one day reach Lyell and others. Hmm, well, you can talk to Maxwell about it. But not to Lord Lyell and Lady Maria? Or teacher Cortina? Uhh, well My parents, well, they are sensitive about Lord Reid. So if they find out that their daughter holds the same Gift, it would getplicated. It would? I dont want to see theirrade in their eyes every time they look at me. Thats True. See their oldrade my ass, I was that oldrade. That said, the plea of I want them to see me as their daughter seemed to have pulled on Letinas heartstrings quite a bit. Despite being a noble, she had been raised with love, so she ended up developing a very upright nature. It was cute to see her tremble at the thought of imagining me not being looked at as their daughter. But Maxwell was the only one who wasnt there during the incident, so hes the most rational about it among the Six Heroes. So I only talk to him. Let him decide whether to tell my parents or not. Thats true It could be problematic if we ignore his will and reveal it ourselves. Right? So lets discuss it with Maxwell first and wait for his decision. Understood. I felt like I once again pushed all the responsibility to Maxwell. Still, he only had himself to me for exposing my secret. I revealed a mean smile, thinking that this would be a nice little revenge against him, and then we set off outside the city. Chapter 230 Near the entrance to the basement of the big boulder that Maxwell had buried, now stood two men. They had no special characteristics, andcked any impressionable features to the point youd forget them after a few minutes even if you passed by them in a town. How is it looking? Does it look like someone buried it? Yeah, this seems artificial no matter how you look at it. One of them inspected the entrance state and conveyed it to the other. They didnt seem to be even remotely disturbed despite this cataclysm before their eyes. The underground space of such a huge boulder had copsed in just one night. That itself was probably not too unusual. However, aplishing something like this secretly without making any noise could only be done through divine skill. These two were aware of that fact, yet they remained calm. The fact that they managed to aplish something so shy so secretly could only mean Yeah, it was definitely Maxwells magic. Then, do you think he saw that underground? I suppose he did As nned. As nned, indeed. The men nodded to each other, and then proceeded to carefully fill and erase any traces left in the surroundings. Ill handle things here, so you go report this to Master. If they did thisst night, we cant dy it any longer. You are right. Even if I use Cargo It would still take half a day to reach the capital from here. Ill leave the rest to you. If we dont report it until its toote, Master would kill us both. So hurry up. One of them departed from the ce. The other kept watching over his back until he was no longer in sight. And after he disappeared inside the forest, the man muttered to himself. Good grief, since Master Mateus knew theyd sniff this ce out, he shouldve just made us ambush them here While mixingints in his sighs, the man filled up what was left of the hole. With how roughly Maxwell covered it, there was a possibility of someone still seeing through what used to be there. It would be inconvenient even for them if this ce was abused by a third party. If it could no longer be used, it was better to seal it offpletely. That was what he had been instructed to do. Still Toe here and shift the target. Master sure is ill-natured. Despite his grumbles, his hands did not stop. He had to stay alert for any nearby presence, so his work efficiency was quite bad. Even so, the man kept doing his job. And it continued all the way until the sun had set. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) After we left the city, we started looking for prey while not deviating from the highway. We epted themission to gather herbs, but securing meat would help Clouds standing. You could even say this was our priority. The Guildsmission was of course important. As such, we ended up doing both jobs at once looking for prey while gathering herbs along the way. This could also prove to be good training for parallel thinking. Mgggh, I cant concentrate. Ah, Michelle, is this not a Millud tree? It is but it has no leaves left on the bottom side. I have to climb up. Want me to climb instead? I was the most nimble among us four by far. Millud trees generally had leaves where we could reach with hands, but now those ces had been picked clean. Looks like the insufficiency of the Millud leaves was having an effect even here. Michelle was quick to overreact to my suggestion. You shouldnt climb the tree, Nicole! Huh, why? I mean, monsters will find us if you do! Why are you bringing up something that happened ages ago? Its been over seven years since the Kobolds attacked us back when we slipped out of the vige to y. Back then I didnt know the power of my body, so I got trashed quite a bit, but theres no way mere Kobolds could do anything to me as I was now. In the first ce, there was no guarantee that wed find any monsters here. What are you two talking about? In the past, Nicole did something extremely reckless. Michelle started telling Letina about my heroic saga of the past. After hearing it, someones eyes started sparkling in awe and that someone was Cloud. You defeated Kobolds when you were three years old? Thats crazy! It wouldve been better if no fight happened at all. But I couldnt just look away. Fighting to protect the vige from monsters, that sounds so cool. If you lose you die in vain. Adventurers need to put survival as the first priority. Ugh, I get that but I told you that Id remind you over and-.hmm? I suddenly noticed rustling in the grass. It was something different from the swaying caused by the wind. It looked more like something was lurking in it. I motioned the noisy trio to be quiet. Seeing it the girls stopped their gossip at once. We had been partying for quite a while now, so we were in sync during these kinds of moments. I pulled out my katana while releasing a thread from the other hand. At the same time, Michelle prepared her bow while Cloud his shield. Letina also set up her staff to cast magic any time. I approached it without a sound and then jumped into the grass from a low position, trying to deal a preemptive strike. The other party didnt sense us approaching and was stiffened from being taken by surprise. It wasnt a monster or an animal, but a human man. Waah! Oops Okay, stop, its a human! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) The man turned over with a scream and I stopped in ce. I issuedmands to Cloud and the girls to not pursue him any further. Hearing my warning, Michelle hurriedly lowered her bow. What, its just brats Why the hell are you startling me for. We mistook you for our prey. Sorry. Are you ying Adventurers or something, be careful with that. The man stood up with grumbles. He looked like an average viger but had a sword on his waist. He had a surprisingly faint impression. Good grief, I cant even rest properly around here. Why were you even resting in the grass? Its up to me to decide where I want to rest. As he said, we were outside of the city. He was free to rest wherever he wanted, but in that case, he shouldntin about getting attacked. Pay more attention. Yeah, sorry. It seems that he was trying to hide, so being discovered by me made him feel awkward. He spat on the ground to gloss over the issue and left off. We were in the wrong this time, so we apologized and watched over him as he left. Chapter 231 I kept bowing my head until the man disappeared from my sight. He seemed to be quite fast on his feet, he disappeared beyond the highway before we knew it. He mightve been using the same Cargo magic that Maxwell often used. It belonged to the Puppetry system and wasnt high-ranking magic. It was originally developed for heavyborers so it was extremely easy to use Or so I heard. I couldnt use it myself so I wasnt sure about that part. At any rate, he was so fast that I could only ept that exnation. Seeing me bow in cold sweat towards the disappearing man, Michelle shed a smirk at me. Mgh, what? Ah, well, I just thought that you can be quite clumsy at times. How rude. It was clearly that guys fault for hiding in such a ce. Well, as he said, hes free to rest wherever he pleases outside of the city. But why was he there of all ces Letina inclined her head in a quizzical manner. But she was right, hiding in the roadside grasses made it seem like he was hiding from people. His clothing was too light considering he was outside the city. He had a sword on him, but other than that he was hardly distinguishable from an average viger. It was as if his appearance and behavior were the results of him not wanting to stand out. Its strange as Letina said. I wonder why? Hey, Nicole, whats this? Cloud started feeling around in the grass after hearing Letinas words. He found a small envelope in there and took it out. Did that person drop it? Perhaps. If so, we have to catch up and return it. But look, this isnt actually sealed up. Dont you normally seal these things properly? Cloud turned it around to show us the back of it. As he said, there was no seal on it. It was just asking to be inspected like that. However, it was bad manners to look inside without permission. But before I could say that, Cloud took out what was inside the envelope. Wait, you idiot! Lets see, The circle has been discovered. The target is moving ording to our design. The strategist should be heading for you? Huh? Hearing what the letter he took out said, I momentarily stiffened in ce. When one spoke about the strategist, it almost always referred to Cortina. And I didnt feel good vibes from the word target, either. And what about leading Wait, leading? The circle The magic circle drawn under that boulder wasnt such a big deal. In the first ce, it wasnt drawn on the bedrock but earth instead, so it shouldve been easy to erase it by plowing the ground a bit. Despite that, the entire circle was left intact. It was being weathered for a week, but it was still possible for Maxwell to learn its destination. Wait, wasnt it strange that they let Den escape, to begin with? Den had the abnormal intellect for his species, but his physical abilities were no different from an ordinary Ogre. Ogres excelled in pure strength but they were not that agile. If one felt like hilling him, it would be almost impossible for him to escape. Considering that they were doing such a tedious task as drawing a teleportation circle, they shouldve considered the possibility of him returning to attack during their ceremony, so it would be better to put an end to him in advance. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) If they had individuals talented enough to perform teleportation magic, defeating an Ogre or two wouldve been a cinch. And yet, Den was allowed to escape. Could leading Refer to Maxwell and the rest? Huh? Letina heard my mutter and responded in a shocked voice. Hearing that someone was nning to lead the Heroes into a trap made her lose herposure. What do you mean!? Wait, let me think. Indeed, the evidence left behind was clearly strange. It was left so tantly youd think it was intentional. And what if they let Den escape intentionally too? When an Ogre showed up, amission to subjugate it would be put out. After all, Ogres werent normally beings one would be able to converse with. And after being subjugated, they would start searching for its hideout for any leftover Ogres. If it had friends or children, it could lead to more danger. If it proceeded as such, that magic circle would have been discovered sooner orter. And if some Adventurer discovered an unfamiliar magic circle, it would quickly reach Maxwells ears. Since he knew about Klein Domains movements, he would quickly guess what that circle was. And after analyzing that magic circle that strangely couldnt be fully narrowed down, he would think that he caught on to their leads. It would be a natural development. Indeed, even this hard-to narrow down nature of it was there to add more credibility to it. Even so, despite not being able to know the exact location, he would still be left with two options Qaum and Lilith. In that case, it was easy to imagine that the Six Heroes would head to those ces. But why did they go out of their way to do all this, you might ask? The answer was simple to ambush us in cities that were full of obstacles. Our abilities were extremely limited inside the popted areas. Lyell and Gadius aside, Maxwell and Maria couldnt use any grand-scale magic inside there. If they did, it would drag many unrted citizens into it. Cortina, too, would be rendered mostly powerless if she couldntmand people. And their biggest firepower that was Maxwell would be forced to use smaller-scaled spells. Also, Cortina was a strategist that formed ns to attack the enemies. Putting it differently, she was the weakest among them when it came to actual fighting strength. If they were forced into a melee inside a city, she would be easy prey. In that case, this information could only mean They Are targeting Cortina! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) To murder a Six Hero. If one nned to do that, Cortina would be their first choice. And since we were unable to narrow it down lower than two cities, they nned to divide us. In fact, the five of them had been divided and were inspecting the cities separately. I didnt know where the enemy was lying in wait, but they had to take two or three of them on at most. Considering the battle powers, Cortina should have been apanied by either Lyell or Gadius who excelled at guarding roles. Both of them were vanguards. Maxwell, the most dangerous of them who had mastered all kinds of spells, would most likely not be in Cortinas team to keep thepositions more bnced. Maria was staying at Cortinas house at the moment, so Maxwell was definitely acting separately from Cortina. This is bad I have to let them know! It was evening now. Cortina was called by Maxwell past noon, and after we were left to self-study. In other words, she was in Qaum or Lilith at the moment. If I didnt let them know about the ambush fast, it would be toote. Michelle, Letina! We are going back at once! Huh, already? Yes Im gonnaI mean, I will go ahead first! You return on your own. Well, okay But what happened all of a sudden? Will exinter! Cloud found my flustered conduct strange, but I didnt even have time for exnations. And if I matched my pace with the heavily-armored Cloud or the physically weak Letina, it would only waste the precious time I had left. My agility was cut above the rest of our group. I had to make haste, and these three would only slow me down. Fortunately, we were near a highway. The safety was being maintained to a degree so there should be no dangers. Thus, I snatched the letter from Cloud and rushed towards Raums capital at full speed. Chapter 232 Authors note: For the next few chapters, the story would be revolving around Cortina. Cortina hade to Lilith together with Lyell. The second city of the Qaum City-State Alliance. It was a city that had oncee to ruin due to an unknown catastrophe. Later on, it had been rebuilt with Qaums assistance, but that also invited darkness into it. And that darkness was still standing strong even to this day. There were rumors that Mateus Jend Sect was situated in this city. As such, Cortina, who was familiar with thend, and Lyell, the strongest battle power, had decided toe here. Maxwell was actually far ahead of him when it came to pure annihtion, however, he could not fully utilize his power inside the city. Alright, Ill go reserve a hotel first. Okay. I will go talk with the knights of this ce. As things stood, Klein was still one step ahead with his escape. To cover that gap, Maxwell used the Adventurers Guildsmunicationswork and sent notices to every ce. However, it did not bring a favorable result, as none of the Guild branches had reported any sightings. This city, too, should have received the notification, but there was no answer. As such, there was almost no hope that the chivalric order, being part of the regr army, had any new information to share. Even so, reports could have a timeg, so it was better to go and directly confirm it just in case. Cortina, who was familiar with this ce, nned to find a safe inn and make it their base of operations. There might be Kleins subordinates lurking here, so dont go walking around by yourself any more than necessary, you hear? If something happened to you, Maria and Nicole would kill me. I know that. There are still ces I have to go no matter what I will leave a note if that timees, and also contact you, so dont worry. Okay, but again, lets be extremely careful. With those words, Lyell headed towards the chivalric order. Cortina also proceeded to look for a safe inn on the main street. This ce was infested with criminals, as such, she had to be extremely careful in her choice of an inn. However, being a native of this ce, she had a few such ces in mind. Hmm, I wonder if that inn is still around. Still, her memories of the ce were already outdated by over twenty years. Some of the stores that she used to see here were no longer present, now reced by different, unfamiliar stores. Seeing that, feelings of nostalgia that she had forgotten started to bubble up in her heart. Well, not that I have a ce to return to. I was just an orphan. When Cortinas talent had been discovered, she was moved from the orphanage straight to the military academy. That orphanage was no longer standing, so for her, there was no longer a definite ce to return to. From then, she passed by a few inns, but true to its reputation of a metropolis, most of the inns had rejected her due to being already full. After several trips through the streets, she had finally found an inn to settle down in and reserved a room there. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Naturally, this ce would not be used as their lodging for Maxwell woulde to take them back to Raum at night. However, having a base here would be convenient for discussions in case of an emergency. Preparing a base regardless of the asion was something that she had picked up during her Adventuring days. After reserving the room, she left off some extra luggage there, then wrote a letter about the inns location and headed towards the service counter. There, she got a hold of one young employee and entrusted him with the message. After that, she stayed put in her room and waited for Lyells return. He had simply left to confirm the information with the chivalric order, so it should not take him long to return. In the rare case that he had been ambushed, Lyell was more than strong enough to handle it alone. As such, Cortina was not concerned about that part. Still, merely waiting at the inn had left her with too much time on her hands. Yaaaaawnn. She yawned loudly while stretching on the chair. As they were supposed to return back, she had not brought anything with her that could be used to waste time. Just as she was contemting on what to do, there was a knock on the door. Nnya? The doors at this inn were locked from the inside, and they also had peepholes. This city had quite high public safety. It was highly unlikely for a ruffian to manage to sneak here. Still, if this was an inn staff, they would normally call out. However, this time there were no signs of that. Instead, they slipped a single piece of paper from the door gap. What? It was clearly shady conduct. Cortina stayed alert for the windows and picked that paper up. She was alert for the windows because they could have nned to rush in and take her by surprise while her attention was directed to the door. While keeping self-defense skills in mind, Cortina took the paper properly in her hand. There was a piece of cloth attached to that paper. Seeing that clothes stained with something dark red, Cortina felt a strange sense of deja vu. This cloth Where have I seen it before? In addition, the paper had a single sentence written on it that read as follows: We have caught your messenger. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) After she read that, Cortina suddenly remembered. That cloth was the same apron that the boy she had entrusted with the message had worn. I got him involved in thisThinking so, Cortina opened the door. But there was no one there. Next, she rushed to the window and gave the street one sweep. She was thinking that the kidnapper might have left some kind of information behind, assuming they hade all the way here. And then, on the other side of the street, she saw a man with strangely long hands waving back at her while holding the same colored cloth in his hand. That guy Is that Mateus!? It was the skilled assassin tasked with Kleins protection. She knew what he looked like from Nicole and Michelle. His characteristic long hands and twin-ded style was something that would stand out anywhere. After sending an inappropriately cheerful smile in her direction, Mateus went on to disappear behind the street. Seeing that, Cortina left another letter behind, and then jumped and broke through the window as loudly as she could andnded on the street below. By doing this, the inns owner would rush to check what happened. And on the way, they would discover the note that she left behind. Trusting her judgment, Cortina then went on to chase after Mateus. Chapter 233 Following Mateus who disappeared behind the street corner, Cortina rushed into the back alley. At the same time, she saw a silhouette ahead turning a corner and heading deeper into the alley. It was obvious who it was based on his characteristic long arms and twin swords hanging from his waist. Hold it! Cortina was well aware of the dangers of pursuing a skilled assassin on her own. Still, as she had gotten the staff member involved in this, she had no other choice but to pursue him. Her pride as a Hero didnt allow that, and more importantly, she did not want to do anything that she would feel ashamed of in front of Reid. They turned corners a few times as she was being lured away, and finally, they ended up in a cepletely separated from the main street. And there, Mateus awaited her. Why hello there, miss Hero. You seem to be quite lively there, eh? So let me make sure just in case, you are that Mateus I have heard about, right? Indeed. You really do have great discerning skills, hmm? The way he ended his sentences in a questioning tone rubbed Cortina the wrong way. But she had to put that aside for now. Where is the boy? Hmm, if youe with me, I can tell you maybe? I am not about to get sweet-talked by some yboy. Cortina took out herbat staff and prepared for battle. It was a tool that could be used both for magic assistance and for staffbat. Seeing her conduct, Mateus shrugged his shoulders in an exaggerated manner. Okay, okay. I havent abducted him or anything, you know? This is actually something I merely bought from him after he stained it during his snack, you see? Are you serious!? You gave that kid some reward, right? He went and bought baked potatoes with that money. The red stains in this are just ketchup. He should be taking a little rest in the park right about now after one of our young got in his way. So I was lured here that easily, huh. I would say, you were entrapped here that easily, I suppose? Matching Mateus words, Cortina felt another presence behind her. They wore dirty clothes and a visibly worn-out pelt. They had swords hanging on the right side. Overall, they looked like slightly battered Adventurers. They had rtively light armors on them that would not look unnatural even if you passed by them on the street. However, with those two showing up at such timing, it was easy to guess that it wasnt a mere coincidence. Both the path ahead and behind were blocked now, cutting her way of escape. So you came fully prepared, huh? But I didnte here so half-heartedly either. Oh? But yes, you are right that we came fully prepared. My job is to drive away the people pursuing my Master. I expected you to find that magic circle and pursue us. Besides, regardless of your determination, I dont believe I can possibly lose, you know? So youre saying you left that magic circle there purposely? If you didnt want to be pursued, why didnt you just erase it? Oh, are you going to ignore the difference in abilities? Well, it would be a bother to keep moving secretly like that. I hate such bothersome jobs, you know? The two behind started to slowly close the distance. This alley that was sandwiched between houses had no other exit. If we catch you, the Six Heroes would lose their leadership. Besides, you are the easiest to catch among them. Right? I wonder about that. I can be more than my appearance suggests, you know? Cortina was certainly the weakest among the Six Heroes, and her life had been targetted like this many a time. However, each of those times she had managed to struggle her way out with various means. Besides, since I know that kid is fine, theres no longer a need to keep dealing with a boorish man like you. Oh dear, calling me boorish is a bit. I hate violence, so I would be happy if you surrender. And actually, youve been talking to me quite readily all this time, werent you? Surrender, huh? Thats quite generous of you But too bad. As Reid would say, Not in a million years! Using her formerrades words, Cortina instantly turned heel. And then she dashed towards the two behind her. The two seemed to have expected her to act this way and werent flustered by this development. They calmly pulled their swords and prepared to meet her. However, just before Cortina reached the two, she thrust her staff into the ground and flung herself into the air. She used the thrust point and threw her body in the air simr to pole vaulting. That said, doing that with a staff that didnt even reach two meters wasnt enough to give her enough altitude. However, she made up for that by kicking the wall of the narrow corridor to jump higher, and leaped over the two mans heads. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) What!? Seeing Cortinaspletely unexpected actions, the two men yelled in shock. Meanwhile, Cortina did not kill her momentum but instead used it to roll even farther away from the two. And then she used that same momentum to stand back up and proceeded to run. What are you two doing? I-Im sorry! The two apologized to Mateus who was looking at them with an exasperated expression. That said, they didnt just stand still, but quickly responded to the situation and began their pursuit. Looking at them quickly fix theirposure and start chasing, you could tell that they were experienced to a degree. Cortina, being a cat beastman, excelled in physical abilities. She was confident she would not lose in this tag when she was already ahead of them. If she rushed back where she came from and managed to reach the main street, they would not be able to make any big moves against her. Just that she turned a corner with those thoughts, she stopped in ce. On the road where there was nothing before, there was now a pile of wooden boxes. There were too many of them scattered about, so climbing over them would take too much effort. That said, trying to clear the way and breakthrough would take even longer. Regardless of the means, they were both fatal for someone in flight. It was possible to leap over them with a staff like before, but the staff in question was left behind when she leaped over the men. Whether she tried to climb over or move them, it would take too much time. And as expected, the two men didnt take a long time to catch up with her. Hold it there! Making work difficult for us! The men were rushing over while throwing jeers towards her. Cortina waspletely empty-handed there. She had no means of resisting themor so it seemed. Just as the man tried to vulnerably approach her to take her out, she picked up a box and mmed it at him. Wha!? The man that had let his guard down thinking she had no weapons wasnt able to avoid that attack. That said, he wasnt so stupid to take it head-on, either. He quickly used his sword to defend, thus he avoided taking too much damage. As the wooden box met the iron sword, it got crushed to bits, but it also broke the mans posture. Cortina quickly approached the man and drove the underside of her fist to his neck. It was the so-called hammer blow. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) This was a technique that was easiest to put power into while also having a low risk of injuring your hand in the process. It was a vital blow, enough for Cortina, a physically weaker female, to knock out a man. And since itnded on the neck, which was a weak point, he had no chances of recovering from it. Thus, he momentarily lost consciousness and started slowly copsing on the spot. The other man who was a step slow to react to her sudden counterattack immediately moved to cut her down. Cortina intentionally slipped under the falling man and used him as a shield to block his attack. Seeing that, the man tried to stop his sh, but he failed to kill his momentumpletely and itnded on hisrade. It took him everything just to shift the de enough to avoid serious injury. Now pinned under the other man, Cortina grabbed a broken piece of the scattered wooden boxes. The broken board had a sharpened tip and it could be used as a spear. While still copsed on the ground, Cortina swung her arm with all she had and drive the fragment in the other mans ankle. If they were outside of the city, this would have been defended by his greaves. However, they were inside the city now, so wearing too much armor wouldve made him stand out too much. As such, he was now in normal leather shoes, so this attack managed to seriously injure his instep. Gghaaah! The bone of an instep was actually very thin. It also had little muscle. It was quite possible to break it even with something like a broken wood fragment. That sharp pain caused him to roll over and fall on the ground. Having overpowered both men, Cortina finally crawled out from under the man. At that point, the third man, Mateus, who walked without hurry, had finally caught up to her. Chapter 234 Mateus showed himself while walking so casually one would think he was taking a stroll. The rubble behind Cortina was still there. There was no ce to run. While hisrades have been eliminated, he was more than enough of a threat on his own. Oh wow. You are quite something to have brought the two of them down empty-handed. I suppose you are not a hero for nothing, eh? I have some confidence in my physical ability even if I dont look that way. Mateusmented without any sense of urgency, and Cortina also responded in a light tone. However, in spite of her light tone, her eyes didnt stop probing the surroundings. I suppose this was too much for those neers, huh? It seems that this work falls on my shoulders in the end, doesnt it? Overly serious guys arent popr, you know? You can ck off every once in a while. Ah, indeed, I have never once been popr in my life. Mateus was by no means ugly. However, unlike his frivolous speech, the aura surrounding him reeked of danger. Women would naturally be scared away by that aura and not approach him. I see. But Reid was popr, you know? Not that the person himself was aware of that fact. That makes me jealous. Maybe I can also be popr if I get my name out there. In that case, maybe you can sacrifice yourself for my sess? Sorry, but Id rather not! Mateus was an assassin. People like him excelled in offense, so it would be disadvantageous for Cortina if she did not take the initiative in this battle. As such, she had to make the first move. Deciding that, Cortina lowered her posture and approached Mateus. She tried to pretend to sh at him, and then slip under his arm. However, her movements werent enough to take Mateus by surprise. Now, now, I cant have you escape so easily, can I? He hadnt pulled his sword out, and instead, he thrust his leg horizontally and drove it into Cortinas nk. As Cortina was focused entirely on his swords, she ended up taking the brunt of this attack. It was a precise kick to the nk. The pain from it caused Cortina to momentarily lose the ability to move, and then, she was effortlessly blown away and crashed into the roads wall. She then slid down on the wall and started violently coughing while ring at Mateus. Gah! Coughcough! To think youd pick up our neers sword and charge at me. I cant be too careful with you, huh? CoughThats my selling point. Still, arent you soft? If it was Reid, I would already be dead after this exchange. Cortina staggered to her feet and set up the sword that she was not used to holding. Seeing that, Mateus also slowly pulled his own swords out. Final warning. Wont you surrender obediently? My answer stays the same. I wont. Is that so? He seemed to be expecting that answer and responded inly and casually swung his sword. Normally, his sword would never reach her at this distance. However, Mateus long arms made it possible. Cortina barely managed to stop his blow that was aimed at her throat with the sword she held. However, the weight of that blow was enough to fling the sword out of her hands. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Cortina staggered and put her hand on the ground to support herself, but the next moment she picked up a box fragment and threw it at Mateus. He dodged this by simply tilting his head on the side, and then attacked her with his other sword. Cortina failed to fully dodge that attack and it slightly tore her left calf. Agh! You damn So you can still keep going? He shed back with his first sword, and then proceeded with his incessant onught. Cortina kept rolling on the ground and dodging the attacks. It was surprising that not only was she dodging, but also using spells with shorter chants to counterattack. But Mateus was able to dodge them just as easily as before. Thus, one kept attacking and the other kept counterattacking as she rolled around. He kept easily dodging spells fired from low angles. Normally, low, near-the-feet angles were blind spots for humans, but he showed no signs of trouble. His deep experience allowed him to deal with those attacks. Cortina wasnt able to aplish her goal to slip past him and instead kept being driven back. It took her all just to roll left and right and return weak attacks. Still, even that was just useless resistance. She kept being driven into a corner, and before long, she was pushed against the wreckage with no ce to escape. Mateus thrust his sword at Cortina, convinced of his victory. Well, looks like this is the end, isnt it? Indeed it is. Our tag is over. Cortina answered with a grin towards Mateus who seemed confident. Her leg was bleeding nonstop, and even just walking was already difficult for her. Her back pressed to the wooden boxes, making it clear that she had no way out. And yet, she was strangelyposed for someone driven to a wall. As Mateus pondered on her reasonsthe boxes behind her suddenly exploded. Chapter 235 Nay, they did not explode. To be more urate, someone on the other side had blown them into pieces with one swing of their sword. A pile of boxes was pulverized into dust with just that one swing. They were broken into tiny fragments, and rained down on Cortina and Mateus like snow. What justhappened!? Mateus had lost his words at this unexpected destruction. That said, he immediately leaped back to secure his safety, which was proof of his skill. As the wood chips rained down, one man appeared from the other side. That man was someone Mateus had been the most vignt of. Lyell!? Why is he here! Well, I broke through the window so shily. The staff should have gone there to check it. And they would also discover the letter that I left behind. I asked them to call Lyell. Thats so uncertain What made you think they would do as you asked? I decided that that inn was reliable exactly because I knew that they would do it. Not to mention, if they let me die despite finding my note, it would lead to trust problems for them. If you think a bit, youd realize that it would be better to do as it said. That still doesnt exin how he found the ce I lured you to Ah, right. Thats why I kept firing signaling magic. From below to above, you see? Hearing Cortinas yful words, Mateus moved his gaze overheadtowards the sky. There, he saw a tiny Light spell shining high in the air. You mixed Light spell among the offensive magic that you were firing at me? As Cortina rolled on the ground, the spells she fired were mostly directed upwards. Among them, she mixed in a Light spell that could be used in ce of a signal re. And Lyell rushed over as he followed that mark. The reason I was so chatty with you was to gain time. Thank you for ying along without suspecting anything. Shit, I wondered why were you soposed So, I take it you are Mateus? As Mateus was feeling humiliated for falling for Cortinas tricks, Lyell addressed him for the first time. He was normally a sociable person, but this time, he was talking with a threatening tone. The intimidating air no, pure dread that he was releasing made Mateus take a step back. Agh, shit. I would like to make my escape now, you know? Think I would let you? The moment he showed his back would be the moment he would be cut down. Mateus could vividly picture that scene in his mind. He could not show his back against this opponent. That only left him one choice to move forward. However, his legs were frozen in ce from fear. Sorry but Im going to exterminate any undesirable bugs lurking near my daughter. Im in deep shit, huh? The cold sweat ticking down his spine made the difference between their skills inly obvious. With Lyells arrival, Cortina heaved a big sigh. Lyell, my legs injured so I cant support you. Sorry but deal with him alone. Understood. Rx and just watch from there. With those words, he raised his dangling sword and directed it towards Mateus. Just that action was enough to have all his hair stand on ends. Even so, he forced his legs to move and step forward. It was because he judged that that was his only way of survival. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) He forced himself forward by pure willpower and swung his sword together with a roar. That swing carried all the power that he could muster. Uuoooooohhhh! He raised a war cry that he only rarely showed, and attacked Lyell with everything he had. Lyell, however, brushed his sword aside as easily as swatting a fly. Mateus who was the one attacking was pulled along by the momentum of his repelled sword, bending backward greatly. It was a blow even stronger than the one-handed strike of Mateus whose heaviness he so prided. Still, having two swords, Mateus also prided himself in his ability to unleash simr heavy sword barrages without a stop. Thus, he used his other sword to follow-up on his previous attack. But again, Lyell stopped even this attack, and this time, with his right arm of all things. Wha-!? Mateus was confident that he could easily chop off a human arm. However, the feeling that was transmitted from his sword made him feel as if he tried to slice steel instead of an arm. No, that was not quite right. Unlike steel, it has some sticity. Yet the de failed to slice it. It managed to cut his skin, but not his flesh. His injury only resulted in a faint, almost insignificant streak of blood. That was the entire damage that Mateus full-powered attack managed to deal. YouMonster! His muscles of overwhelming density stopped his blow. This was proof for Mateus that Lyell was someone outside ofmon sense. Just what kind of training, what kind of battles one had to experience to gain a body like this? Lyell, we need to get Kleins whereabouts out of him, so dont kill him. Got it. He answered curtly, and this time, it was his sword that moved. Mateus crossed his swords and received that attack. However, even his two hands could not stop his attackpletely, and he was flung several meters backward through the alley. One sword got broken, another got terribly dented. But thanks to them, Mateus managed to hold on to his life. After rolling on the ground, he raised his face. The fact that he got blown away also meant that the distance between the two had widened now. Mateus wasnt about to let this chance to escape go, thus he stood up and turned around to flee. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) However, the next instant, his shoulder was grasped by a strong hand. As he fearfully looked behind, he found Lyell, who had covered such a big distance in one step. Are you kidding me!? This was the first time when Mateus had lost all hisposure during a battle, raising a scream. A momentter, Lyell swung his arm greatly. Naturally, the same arm that was holding Mateus shoulder. Mateus was flung away like a pebble, crashing into a wall. Gahh! Yet he still did not let go of his swords, proving that he was an experienced assassin. However, his face was dyed in despair the following instant. H-Hey As Mateusy there against the wall, Lyell went and grabbed his leg. And once again, he easily swung his arm. Mateus body floated in the air like a doll yed by a child. And then, he was mmed down into the ground, and this time, he ended up letting go of his swords, all while vomiting blood. It took his all just to protect his head during the crash, and he could even hear his chest creaking from the shock. Lyell once again raised his body up. And mmed him to the ground once again, and again. Each time, Mateus vomited blood as some of his bones broke. The leg Lyell was holding him with had long since broken and was now dangling in the impossible direction. And yet, Mateus stayed conscious through all that. Nay, the wave of sharp pain spreading through his body did not allow him to lose consciousness. Then, finally, Lyell mmed his body back to the wall, and his rampage hade to an end. However, Mateus no longer had a way to counter attack. s, he could not even escape. His legs were broken, his ribs were broken, even his shoulders were broken. At this point, it was easier to count the parts that were still intact. As Mateus was leaning on the wall, Lyell made a fist and aimed it at him. Being all broken and no way to avoid it, Mateus could only respond with an emptyugh. Ha-Haha What can I do against A monster like this? This is revenge for my daughter. Prepare yourself. Hey, Nicole isnt dead! Daughter? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) Hearing that, Lyell connected all the dots. Nicole had a fighting strength far beyond a girl her age. If her father was Lyell, then her mother would be Maria. Her parents were the Dragonyer Six Heroes. The two Heroes blood was condensed in her. It was natural that he had such a close fight against her. Of course She would be so strong. And Lyell was the sessor of the Holy Sword, the strongest among the Six Heroes in personal fights. Even his utmost was only enough to cut his skin, and after that, he was thrown around like a toy. The difference in skill was overwhelming. It would beughable to evenpare them. Perhaps it would have been better to admit defeat and beg for mercy the moment Lyell appeared. He had not tasted such overwhelming defeat ever since losing to the head of the Jend Sect. He intentionally approached the Jend Sect, nning to defeat its head. However, all of that was irrelevant. The strong always appeared suddenly, rampaged like a storm, and then left after trampling down on everything. Just like this man before his eyes. Just like the Master of the Jend Sect once did. Filled with hopelessness, Mateus closed his eyes. For resistance was futile against opponents like these. His expression told that he had epted his fate. And thusLyell had swung down his fist. Chapter 236 Authors note: We are returning to Nicoles pov. Cortina was in danger. The moment I learned that, I left Michelle and the rest behind and returned to Raum on my own. I had no time to match their pace during this race against time. I was about to rush to Maxwells mansion as I arrived in the city, but then I stopped. That old man must have taken someone along and headed to either Qaum or Lilith. That meant that the only Six Heroes member in the city was Maria. Then, Ill tell Maria No, wait, how should I even exin this!? I met some suspicious man outside the city and he dropped this letter. I suppose it wouldnt be suspicious if I just say that, huh? But in that case, she would not take me to Cortina. No, that should be enough. This information would get to Cortina and she would be more vignt, and Maria would also be there to guard her. That should make it hard for Klein to pull off anything. Cortinas strength was her ability to make use of people, rather than her individual power, so Maria being there should considerably raise herbat power. Even so, I couldnt stand still knowing that she was in danger. After considering my current options, I decided to run to the Adventurers Guild. They had a magic tool here that allowed distantmunications. However, it didnt deliver the messages in a proactive manner, so there was no knowing when the other person would see the information. Even so, it was far better than not doing anything. Besides, I could also confirm whether the guy from before had stopped by or not. If luck ends up being on my side, I could overtake and apprehend him on the spot. I rushed into the Guild, to the samedy that I took the request from not long ago. There were some Adventurers in line, but I had no time to care about that now. Besides, everyone knew my face here, so no one med me for it. Hello, did a guye here to send a message? For the message service? Yes, there was one such person earlier. Was it I described the features of that man, and found out that it was the same person. It seemed that I failed to beat him to the punch. In that case, I also had to send a message of my own. I-In that case, Im also going to send a message, and I need to do it fast. That would cost you ten silvers, are you sure I am! Cortina is in danger! Hearing my words, thedy jumped to her feet and guided me to the other room by the hand. She was also aware of the matters regarding the ve traders and Clouds injuries. As such, she was prompt in her response. We quickly sent the message and confirmed that Qaum and Lilith both received them. If we were lucky, my warning would reach the intended people, but the chances of that were slim. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Thus, I had to go there directly. Thanking the receptionist, I rushed back to Cortinas home. I wouldnt get anywhere without letting Maria know. As such, I rushed into the house and screamed her name at the top of my lungs. Mom! Mom!? Wee back, Lady Nicole. You are back early today. Ah, thanks, Finia. Wheres mom? Lady Maria is takingundry in the backyard Leaving Finia, who weed me as always, behind, I headed behind the house. She saw me off with a puzzled expression, not realizing what was up with me. I had no time to exin to her the reason. In a moderately-sized backyard, Maria was holding a big pile of three peoples worth of clothes. Seeing me, she asked in surprise. Oh, Nicole. You are early. Theres no time for that, mom! Hmm? Whats wrong? Herx attitude was a usual thing, but it was frustrating in this dire situation. I took out the letter from my pocket and pushed it at her. And what could this be? Read it, Cortina is in danger! She looked surprised hearing that, but didnt say anything and simply read the contents. As she did, her expression turned grim. Understood. Leave this to your mother, Nicole. No, Iming with you. Its dangerous. I know. Thats why Iming! I understand that you are worried, but Cortina is working with Lyell now. Calm down and wait for me, okay? No! Im not backing down on this! I could understand her worry. But knowing Cortina was in danger, theres no way I could just sit still. We didnt even have time to keep arguing like this. Maria knew that as well. Cant be helped Alright, but make sure you listen to everything I tell you, okay? Okay. I answered with a docile face. Seeing that, Maria tossed theundry inside the house and left the rest to Finia who came to check on us. Finia, Im heading to where Cortina is so I leave the rest to you. The situation is looking a little suspicious, so please call Michelle and Cloud and guard them inside. Be extremely vignt until my return. U-Understood! They decided to target Cortina who was the weakest among the Heroes. They could very well target Finia and Michelle for the same reason. However, these two werent as famous as her, nor were they actively pursuing Klein, so perhaps they werent in such a big danger. Still, it never hurt to be too careful, as the enemy was far too unpredictable this time. I wanted to keep everyone connected to us protected, just in case. By the time Finia tossed theundry inside the basket, Michelle and the rest seemed to have arrived at our house. There was a bell on the door, as well as voices calling for me. I was also worried for Letina, of course, but she lived in the Marquis mansion, so no harm shoulde to her as long as she remains there. Then again, if she was together with them now, we could protect her here instead. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) While Finia was dealing with them, Maria took the opportunity to draw the magic circle on the ground. She still couldnt use this spell as freely as Maxwell. Not to mention, this was part of the Interference system that was outside of her specialty. In fact, despite another system being her focus, the fact that she could use advanced spells of another system could only be described as inhuman. Thus, I clung to Maria and prepared for teleportation. Alright, lets go then. Be careful not to get teleportation sick. As if being careful would change anything. Its in my constitution. After exchanging small jokes, Maria activated the spell. The magic circle shined bright, and by the time it settled down, we were already in apletely different city. I had been to Qaum before, but the scenery before me looked unfamiliar. Which meant, we were in Lilith. We first have to confirm where she is. Her appearance stands out quite a bit, so we should be able to easily find her if we ask around. Right. Cortina was a cat beastman. And her race wasnt big in number. Not to mention, she was probably the only long haired feline with shining golden that people could think of. As expected, after asking a few passers-by, we narrowed down the inn that someone of her appearance was staying at. As expected from her, it was a reliable inn located on the main street. Right as we were on the way to that innan unbelievably loud crushing sound reached our ears. Chapter 237 Looking closely, there was a Light spell hovering above an alley separated from the main street. The crushing sound also came from the same direction. Mom, that must be! Given this timing, theres no doubt its them. Lets go, Nicole. Remember to stay by my side. Okay! That sound was no joke. Mateus couldve alreadye into contact with Cortina. It seemed to being from the back alley a little separated from the main street. Other people also exchanged nces wondering what it was about. That said, no one tried to go and check. There was an organization that trained assassins in this city. If ordinary people stuck their noses where they didnt belong, they could find themselves falling to a mysterious death. As Maria and I turned a few corners, people around us also continued decreasing in number. It was an ideal environment for an attack. After we turned a few more corners, we saw Cortina. Her leg was injured and she was sitting on the ground. But that seemed to be her only injury, so I felt a bit relieved. For some reason, the surroundings were full of wood chips, as well as two copsed men with light injuries who I assumed were defeated by her. And near the wall, there was Mateus, looking like a broken doll. And before him was Lyell with his fist raised. There were cracks on the wall and a dent on the ground, telling me how fierce the fight was. No, with Lyell as his opponent, it was probably a one-sided trampling. That was just how broken Lyells battle power was. Mateus, as far as I could see, had his arms, legs, and even his bonespletely broken up, having received so much damage that he hardly looked human anymore. If we added Lyells fist on top of his condition, he was bound to die for sure. However, Lyell didnt seem intent on stopping. He seemed so pissed that it was unusual. Lyell, stop!! Cortina shouted in panic. But even her warning was not reaching his ears. Cortina was probably trying to stop him to extract information from him. Lyell on the other hand was angry that he had injured me. And now he attacked Cortina on top of that, so hepletely flipped his lid. Whenever Lyell lost his cool, he also lost all mercy. Mateus couldnt possibly endure a punch of someone who could even punch through the Evil Dragons scales. I reflexively used my Thread Maniption on my feets muscles and tendons, and dashed towards him at tremendous speeds. I was happy that he was angry for me, but the fight was already over. Moreover, he held valuable information rted to Klein. It would be very bad if he died here. I tackled Lyell with a force akin to an arrow shot through the Third Eye. Normally, I wouldve just been repelled given my physique, but my empowered legs and loins prevented that. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) My charge pushed him off his position, and his fist missed its mark. It instead passed right by Mateus face, pulverizing the wall behind. Dad, stop! N-Nicole!? What are you Ah, I see. My bad Cortina, blood rushed to my head a bit. Seeing me, Lyell seemed to have finally regained his self-control and apologized towards Cortina. She sighed in response. Good grief, dont scare me like that. You looked a little weird from the start, but it turns out you were already flipped at that point, huh? Im really sorry. When I realized the bastard that hurt Nicole was before my eyes, I just I understand how you feel, but dont kill him. We dont want Klein escaping again. I get it, I was just driven by momentum earlier. I Was almost killed by that momentum, huh? Mateusined in a weak voice, though we had no reason to listen to any of it. Still, the more I looked, the more disastrous his state appeared. His left leg was broken to the point it looked like he had one more knee there, and his right shoulder was danglingpletely, visibly broken. Even his ribs seemed to have suffered damage as he was vomiting blood. Even his organs might have been damaged. Mom, I dont think he can make it like that. You are right Honestly, Im really reluctant to heal you and would rather return you to the cycle of the World Tree right now But alright, I will go ahead and heal you, but I must state again that Im extremely reluctant. Your expression tells me how much you hate the idea, but thank yoaaaAAGGH!? Just as Mateus thanked a really displeased-looking Maria, his words were reced by a scream. His bones were giving off creaks and were being forcibly returned to their original ces. His flesh was also returning to looking more human, but he was screaming with all he had during that whole process. Thats the painful way of healing Yeah, I havent seen this punishment in quite some time. H-Higiiiiiiiiiiiaaaaahhhh!? Agghghghhhaa!! Mateus convulsed in the agony of death. This was Marias special torturing technique that removed the istion of pain that normally apanied healing magic. I had experienced it a few times, and I could say that it hurt like hell. Oh dear, looks like I was a little too crude there. Can you forgive me? L-Liar That was definitely on purp Yah! Giyaaaaaaaaa!! As Mateus was throwing usations, Maria stepped down on his left leg. And it wasnt a gentle step, she trampled down on it to the point it gave off a weird creak. It appears that your leg is healed too. Thats good. Y-You definitely stepped on it on purpose Oh dear, shall I check the condition of your ribs too while Im at it? No, nevermind what I said. Thank you for the healing? Mateus had no choice but to surrender before Marias meaningful smile. Techniques to heal people could also be used to break people, if used the other way. In a way, Maria was the most knowledgeable among us when it came to breaking people. Before her technique, some anti-torturing training would prove to bepletely useless. Realizing that, Mateus decided to give up. Good boy. It would be great if you can tell us about Kleins whereabouts while you are at it, you know? Thats a little Oh, so you wont? Wait, I will, I will! However, there are others listening to us, so can we move ces first? Hmm? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Hearing his request, Maria surveyed the surroundings. There was no one crazy enough toe to observe the center of an uproar. That said, the owner of the house beyond the wall that Lyell just demolished was copsed on the spot in fear. As he said, it was better to leave this ce. Chapter 238 In total, Cortina was attacked by three people. We seized them all and returned to the inn that she reserved for us. Cortina stayed behind for a bit to go and thank the inns owner for informing Lyell about the situation. She made the owner check the room and see her note by breaking the window in a shy manner. She had no time to write a detailed message, and leaving the normal way would let Mateus escape from her eyes. Considering everything, she chose to go with that method. This was a double room, so it was a little too narrow for the five Heroes, me, and three men on top of it. Maxwell cast wind magic along the walls to diffuse the air and not let the sound escape outside. Reminds me, werent you a little too fast there, Nicole? Huh, I-I think youre imagining it? After the sound was blocked, Cortina asked me. Thinking back, I used my newly-learned muscle strengthening when rushing at Lyell, so it was natural for her to think that. I just dashed normally. Didnt you see it yourself, Cortina? No, I didnt, thats why Im asking But youre right, you probably escaped my sight since you are so tiny. Dont call me tiny. What about you, mom? Me too Im sorry, but I was looking at Lyell there. Fortunately, everyones gazes were concentrated on Lyell at that time. There was no one there who paid attention to my smalldo know that I have been growing thoughstature. If I kept saying that it was just Cortinas imagination, no one should delve deeper into it. Besides, I interfered with my own body and strengthened it, so I was confident that I didnt leave any hints. Had I used threads to strengthen myself instead, I probably would have no excuses left. Now that I think about it, Mateus knew that I used threads. I had to remember to muzzle himter. Now then, wont you start talking? Where is Klein. Cortina pressed a question to Mateus whoy tied up on the bed. Honestly, I was feeling more and more hostile towards him. I was absolutely against Cortina approaching him on the bed. I knew it was important, but still, I hated the idea. That said, the other two were out cold, so he was the only one we could talk to. Our goal was to catch Klein and to take back the taxation certificate that he took with him. So I understood that we had to question Mateus, the only conscious person of the three. However, Mateus was instead pondering something with a pensive expression. Do you n to keep silent thiste in the game? Let me warn you just in case, but you dont have the option of suicide with Maria here. No way, no way. I do want to keep my life. Besides, Master Klein is not worth enough to forsake my life for him, right? Then what are you hesitating for? He shook his head at Cortinas question. He continued with a shameless smile on his face. Im thinking about my future. Either you kill me, or I get a death penalty, right? Thats right. Right? But I was discouraged at the very end. I was made to know that there exist strong people that I have no hope of beating. I have lost my motivation to continue this work. What are you trying to say? I mean Im saying that I will spill everything, so wont you let me go? As if we can do that! Cortina was quick to refuse, but Maxwell cut into their conversation. He had his usual impish expression and was stroking his beard. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) No need to be hasty, Cortina. There might be some merit to us too in what he is suggesting. Huh, you n to believe this guy? I could not possibly trust himpletely, of course. However, making someone like him talk would take a lot of time. He might even give us false information before dying. What are you suggesting then? Cortina swelled her cheeks andined at Maxwell like a kid. Standing there with her hands on her hips and ring at him made her look unsuitably immature for her age. Hmm If we were to let him go, we shall give him two conditions. Two? Maxwell turned towards Mateus and revealed a mean smile that he tended to show from time to time. He drew his face closer to Mateus and spoke in a scheming tone. First, you have to quit your work as an assassin. Never taking another job again. R-Right. I will dly ept that. Id rather not fight a monster like that person ever again. Calling me a monster, huh? Want me to make it so you can never open that mouth again? Calm down, Lyell. Also, the other condition is that you would be under my supervision for a fixed period. Under your supervision? Simply put, I can use your power as I see fit. Hold on, I was nning to retire and just go plow fields or something, you know? If I be your henchman, Id just find myself in more trouble, wont I? Mateus said in protest at Maxwells demand. Cortina also chimed in with her own objection. Thats right! Besides, even if you make him your underling, do you really think you can trust him!? Of course not. However, if he decides to turn on me, I can always set Lyell on him. I wonder if he would be willing to take on such a risk just to deceive me? Absolutely not. I never want to fight against that person ever again! He hurriedly shook his head left and right with a pale expression. So he was beaten up by Lyell to that point, huh? I wonder how scared he felt? So, what would you do? Of course, you can refuse, but in that case, I will have to ask Lyell and Maria to do their best to obtain information. Like I have an option to refuse! I got it, I will talk and Ill be your underling!! I am d that you are so obedient. Cortina, I understand your doubts. However, I wanted to obtain more pieces for myself. After all, I just lost one not long ago. He stopped Cortina with his hand and urged Mateus to start talking. Mateus started spilling the beans as he was told to, all while stealing nces at Lyell and Maria. Klein is currently in a City of the Geeze Union called Sedim. Sedim Their Capital, huh? Yeah, he contacted me a little ago. He is hiding there with the ve merchant, with the Jend Sect guarding them. That said, I am distancing myself from the other Jend Sect members so there might be some dy in the information. Based on thetest information that I have, he is definitely there. And why are you distancing yourself? The Head is a battle junky, and well, Ive been nning to take his head one day. So your entric personality is due to his influence. Its partly my own innate nature. Geeze Union, like the Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle, was one of the southwestern kingdoms that had separated from the Southern City-State Alliance. They were in a truce with the City-State centered around Qaum. This happened due to the appearance of the Evil Dragon Colchis. And it was also the ce where Lyell was born. If its Geeze, Lyell should be familiar with thend, right? Uh, no Actually, I am not very familiar with anything outside of my vige, Croix Goodness So you really were a bumpkin swordsman. Maxwell responded in exasperation, and I fully agreed with him on this. Chapter 239 That night, we ended up returning back to Raum. We took the three offenders along too. After this was over, they were nned to be put on trial there. However, after Mateus managed to postpone his sentence due to Maxwells mediation, the other two had also been extended a rescuing hand. They would be Maxwells underlings and work in various ces. Naturally, they were directly under Maxwells supervision, so if they attempted a betrayal, one of the Six Heroes would be dispatched to erase them. As such, they couldnt make any careless moves. Moreover, they were under Maxwells Geass Magic, so they could not escape. Geass Magic made it so one would feel extreme pain and be unable to move properly if they decided to defy the order. Of course, sometimes people could withstand the pain through sheer will, but with someone on the level of Maxwell casting it, it would result in a pain that would instantly kill an average person. Even I would not dare to go against it. Later, the other kids and I were also interrogated by Maxwell. This was because we met the man from whom I obtained the information. The notice has reached the Guild too, they were given a rough description of the man and he was being wanted now. With this, he would have trouble leaving this city so easily. After the day had set and I was about to take a breather, I got called by Maxwell. On the surface, it was to check the condition of my leather armor, but I knew that was only a pretext. I was led to the living room and treated to tea as usual. So, what did you call me for thiste? Well, actually, there was a favor I wished to ask of you, Reid. I felt a little strange hearing that. Normally, Maxwell would be calling me Nicole now, but he called me Reid. Of course, its not that he never called me that, but there seemed to be a deeper meaning in it this time. Since you are calling me that, I suppose this is that type of work? Indeed I feel a little hesitant about this, however. He sipped on his tea with those as a start. After fully drinking the contents of the cup, he heaved a big sigh And finally turned towards me. Reid. I wish to ask you to assassinate Klein. Oh? His request was unexpected even for me. I was certainly an assassin in my previous life, but I have never been entrusted an assassination from Maxwell. No, from any of myrades, actually. Why? You have Mateus, dont you? He is officially retired now. It would not be good to have him abandon his will on the same day. But why is there a need to assassinate him in advance? Lyell and others would deal with him before long, even if you leave him be, right? That would be a problem in its own way. Klein hasmitted a great crime by attempting to assassinate the leader of another kingdom. That sin would normally extend to his entire household. This is about Donovan, huh? Indeed. At this rate, all of his rtives would have to receive the death sentence. However, that would run counter to your agreement with him. Cortina and I had made a promise with Donovan. He wanted us to dere him unrted to Kleins actions and to return the taxation certificate back to him. However, if the death sentence was to be made, it would include even Donovan. And that would mean that we failed to fulfill our promise. As such, I thought of having you assassinate him instead. At the same time, we would take back the taxation certificate in absolute secrecy. As for his body, we would get rid of it so he would never be found So as long as the main offender is not found, the truth would remain unconfirmed and you can keep the matter up in the air, is it? For better or worse, the other offender, Tarkashire, has already been silenced. Had he been alive, he might have insisted aboutplicity, but he is already dead. So if we catch Klein, theplicity would be confirmed and that crime would even reach Donovan. And to avoid that, we need to deal with him behind the scenes. It is an extremely gray area, or rather, its already on the borderline of sophism. However, sophism is also within reason. If someone objects, they could be talked into silence. Indeed, he attacked a VIP of another kingdom, so some people might object to why his rtives werent put to me. The Northern Alliance, and Elliots bodyguards, in particr, would find it hard to ept. They would at least demand Serwa households ruin, and depending on the situation, even execution. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Refusing that would be difficult for Raum. But knowing that his sins would reach even a minor like Donovan made us feel bad. This might be a good opportunity for me. He was certainly unpleasant personality-wise, but ability-wise he was clearly very gifted. Besides, it would leave a bad aftertaste if I let someone I know die. I see. I understand the situation. So would you ept it? Right I suppose I have no other choice. In truth, I had no obligation to keep my promise with Donovan. Still, Cortina had promised him before the other students, so going back on her words would lead to some problems. Maxwells proposal was the absolute best that he could do to protect both Cortinas and the kingdoms reputation. However, it would take me over two weeks to reach Geeze Union. I trust you will at least take me there and back, right? I can do that much of course. I have been to its capital Sedim a number of times, so there are no problems with that. Sedim is a pretty big ce, isnt it? Searching for Klein in the middle of that would take a lot of effort. That Is true. Would you like to take Mateus with you? If we headed for an assassination together, he would realize why I was there. He was pretty clever, so he could catch on to my abnormality. I mean, mybat power was already far beyond anyone my age. Mateus was well aware of that too, so I didnt want to give him any more suspicions. Lets leave Mateus out of this. It would be bad if he gets to know more about me. Hmm In that case, how about you talk with the other two? Those two participate in the attack against Cortina, so they might be aware of Kleins whereabouts as well. Did they wake up already? Yes. Presently all three of them have been thrown into a guarded room. Considering the previous incident, I made sure to increase the guards too. In that case, it would be better if I act tonight. If the information that Mateus has been caught reaches Klein, he might start hiding somewhere else. True. Then it would be better to go talk with them at once. I am sorry, but I have to ask you to visit me again tonight. Yeah, got it. Since I was going to take on an assassination request, I wanted to do some maintenance to my equipment first. I havent even tried fighting with my new equipment, so I wanted to get used to them as much as possible. And thus, I decided to take part in Maxwells secret maneuvers. Chapter 240 That night, I returned to Cortina for the moment. The moment I opened the door, I was hugged by a petite figure. This feeling of softness and yet also some insufficiency was undoubtedly Weeee! Cortina? You got it! I heard you let Maria know I was in a tough spot! Thank you! Well, of course I would Hmm? I gave a half-hearted reply while inspecting the sensation transmitted through my cheeks. It was about the same as Michelle and Finia, I would say? Unfortunately, there was no hope in Cortina growing any more than this, so this was her limit. That said, too meaty ones were outside of my tastes, so this size was justice for me. Sorry, Michelle. Oh well, this is a rarity in its own way. Hmm, what are you on about? No, nothing. That aside, how is your leg? Its alright. Maria healed it thoroughly. I saw that her leg was injured when we were in Lilith. It wasnt a life-threatening injury, so I left it to Maria, but I was still worried. After all, she could heal any injury as long as they were alive, so I could fully trust her. As such, I simply asked that out of politeness now, nothing else. Ah, but Ouch ouch! Huh? Did Mom actually fail to heal it!? Cortina suddenly grabbed her leg and crouched down. I paled seeing that and started inspecting her leg. At a nce, there was no trace of an injury on her calf. However, there were cases when even if the injury was healed, the mental injury still remained and it got in the way of actions. Could her leg have ended up in the same condition? Aahh, it hurts, it hurts so much. It wont go away if you dont massage it for me in the baaath! Cortina, drop the act. Even someone as deceivable as me was able to see that she was just faking it. Given her tone, there was nothing wrong with her leg. Still, she got involved in a fight, so I guess I could understand her wanting to be spoiled a bit. Oh, fine. Just this one, okay? Uhehehe, Ill be in your care! She answered with a slovenlyugh, but she could make this face because she managed to survive. I wanted to praise her for managing that against someone of Mateus skill. I decided to ept her request to reward her for that. Well, this was a reward for me just the same, however. After I was done with rewarding Cortina with a massage together with Finia, midnight came and I slipped out of the house. I left a camouged doll inside my nket while Kabby stayed to cast illusion magic on it to make it appear as me. That lowered the possibility of it getting found out to a minimum. The illusion was being supplied magic power by Kabby, so there was no need to worry about it being disrupted. On the other hand, I would no longer be able to cast an illusion on myself, but this time I had to avoid people either way, so it shouldnt matter. Maxwells mansion could sense meing so it disabled all the traps. If there was a trap still left like thest time, that old man better be ready for what was toe. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Maxwell was already all set in the living room, along with two other men standing by. You werete, Re- Nicole. You didnt exactly set the time, yknow? What about those two. They are the two involved in the attack against Cortina. Their injuries are already healed. Now that he mentioned it, one of them was frantically feeling around his neck, while the other one was rubbing his legs together. The traces of their injuries were probably making them uneasy. So they are going to be the guides, I take it? Indeed. Naturally, I have cast Geass on them so they would feel immense pain if they attempt to run. Then there should be no worry on that part. Actually, your Geass is on the level of death, aint it? They are just that weak. If they are considered weak, thatd also make 70% of the entire poption of the world the same. Anyway, enough chit-chat. Time to hurry. Hold it. Do not be so hasty. I got new information from these fellows. New Does that mean Mateus hid something? No, that does not seem to be the case. ording to them, Klein was currently not in Sedim, but instead sheltered in a residence outside of it. That was in ordance with what Mateus told us. That residence was used by the ve trader and he was treated as a guest of honor. I knew that much too. However It seems that the top of the Jend Sect is currently in that residence. The man involved in the kidnapping of Matisse, and the Jend Sect that raised Mateus. The leader of that sect was teamed up with the ve trader and was currently in Sedim. When I heard that, a silent fighting spirit welled up within me. Those people were the reason why I found myself in so many troubles. This was my chance to pay them back for everything. It appears that Mateus was in a bad rtionship with their leader. Due to that, his information was too dyed, and did not reach him. So, how about it? He seems to be a troublesome individual, so we can wait for another day if you wish? No, this is fine. I will take this opportunity to get rid of them in one go. Are you sure you can handle it as you are now? Dont worry. I have a few ideas. Saying that, I borrowed some equipment from his mansion. They were mostly of the throwing knife category. I used my threads to fight from a distance, but in narrow spaces, throwing knives would be more convenient I put the knife case on a belt and tried to put it on my waist Ugh, its too big. I gave you the smallest belt I had, yet it is still big for you I think you are a little too thin. No, this can work if I put it on my shoulder. Right, Im not thin at all. The belt that would normally go around your waist was hanging on my shoulder. It ended up emphasizing my chest that started to bulge for some reason, but I decided to ignore it for now. Thus, after finishing my careful preparations, Maxwell and I made a leap to Sedim. Chapter 241 We teleported to the nearby highway to Sedim and made a night journey from there. Geeze Unions capital, Sedim prospered through its sea trade with Matara Alliance, so it had a harbor nearby. But given the position, it wasnt something on the level of a harbor-city, but rather a small town a bit ind on top of a cliff. Cargo was transported to that harbor from Sedim, after which it proceeded towards Matara through the sea course. After we arrived near Sedim guided by the men, we suddenly changed direction and instead headed towards the top of a steep cliff. Even from afar, you could see a mansion in that direction. Is that it? Y-Yeah. Its not just Klein and our leader, this time even the ve trader is there so they are far too vignt. After we approached up to where the guards wouldnt notice us, I asked the men to draw me a rough sketch and started making my ns. The mansion stood on a steep cliff, or rather, it was more or less a small penins, so except the front all three other sides were surrounded with water. As for the front, it was right next to the highway so there was an unobstructed view. It would be one thing if I had my illusion ring, but the way I am, sneaking in would be very hard. Actually, what are your names again? Im Nicole by the way. Huh? Werent you more girly earlier Im just keeping up appearances with other people. Is that so Well, Im Argus. Im Bauman. Look forward to working with you. Ah, yeah. But Im not Maxwells underling, okay? I felt like they were treating me like their coworker, so I warned them just in case. I sketched on the ground with the dagger, nning my way inside. If its from this side of the highway, maybe these nts can block the view and allow me to approach? No, that only obstructs it up to midway, so its impossible to advance anymore. How many guards are there? There should be the ve trader and master Klein inside, as well as our leader and eight other subordinates. So eleven in total, huh? Thats quite a lot. I suppose its better to climb the cliff instead. How high is it? I have new gauntlets now. It would be easy to climb a cliff with them. Its about twenty, no, thirty meters. Quite tall. Also, there are strong winds, and wavese crashing hard, too. The sea currents are wild here, so if you are unlucky, you might get swept by a wave during the climb. In the first ce, you have to go all the way down there before you start climbing. Its not very realistic. Ugh What a pain. It was quite a cautious location, probably expected of someone who traded illegal ves. That said, the only means left to me was to climb the cliffside. Eh, you do not need to climb there, you know? Maxwell, you have a better idea? Why not simply fly up there? Ah, that Maxwell had Flight magic. If we used that, we could dive through their vignce from above. In that case, going in from the rooftop it is. Fortunately, its cloudy tonight. If it was a clear night, the moonlight would have revealed my shadow and made an aerial intrusion hard. But with clouds up there, there was nothing to cast my shadow, so being in all-ck now I would be quite hard to spot. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) For now, I shall follow you until we are above the roof. That way, you cane to me and we will escape together during a critical moment. We ordered the two men to stand by, and then Maxwell used Flight to take us in the air. We headed towards the rooftop while making sure the clouds were above us and avoided the moonlight. Just like that, we silentlynded on the rooftop and checked the surroundings. There was one guard on the balcony right below. I put a finger on my lips and signed at Maxwell to be quiet. He nodded and took out a pigeon from his chest pocket. It quietly flew to my shoulder and sat still. I suppose he wanted me to take it with me. I nodded back after understanding his intention and moved to the edge of the roof. There was one guard right under me on the balcony. If I made a sound, he would instantly realize I was here. I took out the dagger from the case and used its reflection to peep below. I had a mirror with me, but it could reflect too much light and get me exposed. This osciting dagger reflected enough light, so it was good enough to use instead of a mirror. The room inside the balcony was wide, but there were no signs of anyone there. It seemed like this man was the only guard here. As long as I dealt with him quietly, I would be able to slip in undetected. I quickly sent my thread down, and around his neck. And then I used my muscle strengthening and pulled him up with all I had. If it was the former me, I couldve just hung the thread on the edge and jumped down, lifting him up in the process, but I was far too light to do that now. Unless I shouldered a rock or something, I would not be able to lift him. With the muscle strengthening, however, I could forcefully lift him up and strangle him to death. Hmm? GhKhah!? The man could only let out a muffled voice, desperately trying to remove the thread from his neck. Seeing how he immediately pulled out a knife to cut the thread told me that he was quite well trained. If this was a normal piano wire, he might have been able to cut it. But now, he was being lifted with threads made of processed Mythril. Some average dagger would not be able to cut it. Before long, his legs left the ground and he stopped moving. After seeing blood foaming from his mouth, I finally released the thread. He limply fell down and copsed on his face, never making another movement. I jumped down next to him and stabbed the dagger into his neck as a finisher, just in case. Okay, you cane down now. A skillful performance as always. How dreadful, oh how dreadful. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) He silently jumped down while making jokes. His movements didnt look suitable for his age. He was quite a big mystery, this old man. You wait here. Ill be fine alone from here on. Or rather, youd get in the way of my Stealth. Is that so? Well, let me still confirm the situation through my familiar. Fine. Depending on the situation, I may have to make an escape without joining up with you. Understood. I wish you luck. Leave it to me. Saying as such, I opened the door and headed into the hallway. Chapter 242 After having Maxwell standby at the balcony, I proceeded into the hallway. I was still advancing vigntly, of course, so I havent been discovered yet. ording to the previous intel, other than Klein there was also the ve trader here, on top of the Jend Sects leader and eight of his subordinates. Eleven, in total, but since I have already dealt with one, they were down to 10 now. Judging from the earlier mans skill, these subordinates werent quite on Mateus level. It seems that he really was only second to the leader in strength. And yet, he was no match for Lyell at all, which showed just what kind of a monster that guy was. At any rate, assuming that fat man from before is the ve trader, its hard to consider him a threat, and these subordinates arent that much of a problem, either. I didnt know about Kleins own ability, but considering how he made his escape during the Tarkashires incident, it was probably nothing big. So it alles down to that leader, huh? Just from the fact that he held the Jend Sect together and raised Mateus, I could tell that he was extremely strong. It would take far too much effort to assassinate Klein while avoiding his eyes. As I was thinking about that, I heard footsteps from the next curve in the hall. The floor here was using polished marble, so it was quite luxurious. Thanks to that, it also made footsteps very audible. I crouched down next to the corner and nned an ambush. As my height fell below peoples line of sight, it was hard for them to spot me right away. As expected, the man didnt notice me as he turned the corner and almost passed by me. That said, he of course noticed me crouching there eventually, revealing a shocked expression. The reason why he hadnt raised his voice was that I had already wrapped my thread around his neck. I then pulled down on him with my full body weight. Given my weight, Id have normally just dangled in the air instead, however, this specific technique made up for that and broke his posture, dragging his entire body forward and making him fall on his face. I immediately straddled his back, took out the dagger with my left hand, and stabbed it diagonally under his arm. The de invaded his body from under his ribs and dealt a finishing brow straight to his heart. This makes it two. After confirming that he stopped moving, I dragged his corpse to the nearby room while muttering those words. There were nine of them left, but my priority was Klein. I had limited time, so I wanted to try and finish him off promptly. Following that, I dealt with three more underlings. As I hadnt been discovered yet, the search was still going smoothly. However, it was probably not long before they would notice it. I had to hurry up and find my target or it would be troublesome. The mansion was three stories tall, not to mention, each floor had over ten rooms. It was too troublesome to search through them one by one. That said, skimming around could let my target escape. Thus, I persevered and thoroughly checked each room on the third and second floors, and then headed to the first. Outside of the window, there were two carriages, one was decorated, and another had a cage. Neither had a horse tied to it. I could see five or so horses peeking their heads from the stables, so there was a low possibility of them having left somewhere on horseback. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Wouldve been a huge pain if there was a detached building somewhere. Fortunately, this ce was at the top of a penins, so there was not enoughnd to build something like that. Thanks to that, it was quite a pain to get inside, but with Maxwell here, there was nothing we couldnt do. His personality aside, he could be very dependable in situations like this. Oops. I got too distracted and almost peeked my head out of the corner, but I managed to stop myself. There were still six of them left, so I wished to avoid getting found out and be stuck with a brute-force approach. Using my dagger as a mirror to peer to the corner, I saw two guards stationed in one room. Well well? There were three guards left in this mansion. As well as the ve trader, Klein, and the Jend Sect leader. Wait The leader should have confidence in his skill, so he wouldnt station guards in his room. This means, theres either the ve trader or Klein inside. Given that he is the wanted person, its more likely for this to be Kleins, huh? If that was the case, making my move first would guarantee my victory. I took out two throwing knives from the belt hanging on my shoulder, taking one in each arm. Throwing techniques werent my strong point, but its not like I wasnt trained in it at all. I was confident that I had enough skill to take down two unprepared men. I leaped soundlessly from the corridor and swung my right arm. The thrown knife spun in the air and pierced the neck of the nearest man. He then copsed on the spot without raising a single sound. As he did, the other man became visible behind him. That also meant that he was in my shooting line. Thus, I followed up with the knife in my left arm. The man finally noticed the abnormality of hisrade and looked my way. But the next moment, my knife reached him and embedded itself deeply into his throat. Kagh! After leaking a cough-like voice, the other man also copsed on the ground. Chapter 243 The two men copsed with thuds. It seems that the sound reached inside the room, someone spoke from the other side. Hey, is everything alright there? I had no recollection of that voice. That said, despite his vignce, he still went and made himself vulnerable by calling out to them, so I could see that whoever he was, he had lowbat experience. In other words, it was either the ve trader or Klein for sure. I slid next to the fallen men and pulled out the knives. By doing this, there would be nothing stopping the blood flow, raising their chances of death. Their wounds were pumping out blood but their pulse grew weaker as time passed. That was proof that their hearts were weakening. These men had no hope of seeing another day. Im asking what happened! I could hear an irritated even hysterical voice. I ignored his question and quietly opened the door. There was a fluffy carpet and a luxurious chandelier above. It was clearly not a room a normal guest would be using. And on the other side of the desk, there was a nervous man. There was a sword leaned against the desk, but it didnt look to be drawn. I was seeing him for the first time, but his hairstyle matched that of the masked man. On top of that, he looked somewhat like Donovan. Former Margrave Klein Sto Serwa? A kidno, a Gnome!? Instead of replying to my question, he returned such rude words. I was certainly shorterpared to the kids of the same year, but not so short I would be mistaken for a Gnome. Their heights stopped at around one meter and a bit. I was one meter andthirtycentimeters tall. Ah, well, that doesnt matter now. Former Magrave Serwa. The current Margrave Donovan has ordered that you return the taxation document at once. Donovan!? That foolish brat hired an assassin!? That ungrateful bastard turning against his own father! And who was the one that tried to throw his own son in the mud?I almost asked that reflexively. Klein was well aware of what kind of messenger I was after seeing the knives in my hand. After all, they were dripping with blood as we spoke. You dont need to answer me. But it would make my job easier if you just hand it over now. Like hell I will! He seemed to not understand the situation he was in, he started ranting at me with spit bubbling up in his mouth. Still, I would give him some points for reaching out to the sword. No, on another thought, I would not. It was a poor n to try to oppose me. With a single wave of my hand, I nted a throwing knife in his right arm. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Gyaah!? He raised a shriek and dropped his sword. Then he retracted a few steps, tripped, and fell on his ass. His left hand held the knife that was stabbed into his right. I gave him time to remove it and grab his weapon, yet he started tearing up and crawling backward instead. I will ask you once again, just in case. Where is the taxat!? I suddenly cut my words and jumped to the side. The next moment, the sword pressure blew through space I stood a moment before. Before I noticed, a tall, middle-aged man managed to make his way behind me. He was so tall he almost reached two meters. In both his hands, he held bastard swords even longer than Mateus. Despite holding such giant swords, he managed to sneak up to me and swing it down without even breaking his posture. I instantly could tell how skilled he was based on his aura. I was wondering what kind of bug was sneaking around in the mansion all this time, but it looks like it was just a brat. Gideon! Its an intruder, hurry up and kill her! Shut up. Dont tell me what to do. The man called Gideon threw those words at Klein who was crying at him to kill me, and red at my way. I could feel his eyes piercing me my entire body. I could feel that he was thinking of a n to kill me even as we stood. A brat No, a woman? Hey missy, you seem quite skilled there. It seems like you took out five of them out there? Seven. Thats amazing. You are definitely first ss as far as assassins go. Let alone first-ss, I had been called the worlds best in my previous life. And yet, he managed to sneak up to me, so this could only mean he had a Stealth Gift of his own. In fact, the Jend Sects fighting style focused on making full use of the stealth ability, so it was natural for them to have such individuals. The fact that they sent an assassin could only mean that damn Mateus failed his job, huh? Its always the same, hes all talk. He just lucked out on his opponent. So he fought Lyell or Gadius, huh? Yeah, even I couldnt beat them. Well, in my case, I would not have found myself in that battle, though. Even as he talked, he gradually closed the distance between us. He was using a peculiar technique to move, moving his fingers instead of feet to advance. He nned to sneakily approach, take me by surprise, and lop off my head. With the way he moved, something like that was possible. How about it, why note train at my ce? Never in a million years. I am a lone wolf. You say that, but isnt there another person on the third floor? Now that he brought it up, I remembered about Maxwell. This guy could have snuck up on him and possiblynd an attack. Unlike Lyell and Gadius, Maxwell was weak to direct blows. Even one attack might prove to be fatal. However, the pigeon on my shoulder was still sitting silently. If anything had happened to him, it would have returned to a lump of earth. In other words, Maxwells life was not in danger. I just had him help me get inside. And will have him help me to make my escape. You seem to be quite a ve-driver contrary to your appearance, missy. Ah well. I could overlook your violence tonight if you were to be my subordinate But if not, that would be another story. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) His speech was quite friendly. But the moment he spoke that, the pressureing from him changedpletely. From the pressure to keep me at bay, into pressure that saw me as prey. I immediately pulled my dagger and prepared to intercept his attack. But someone else interrupted us before that. It was Klein who had been sitting on the floor all this time. He pulled out the knife from his shoulder and threw it my way. Moreover, he immediately turned around and broke through the window ss to escape outside. The knife thrown by an amateur could pose no threat, of course. It was spinning unnaturally as it headed towards me. What was dangerous, however, was the blood from its edge scattering everywhere due to that irregr movement. If it got in my eyes, it could lead to a fatal wound. I covered my eyes as I dodged the knife, and then tried to chase after him. However, Gideon stopped me in ce. Woah there, thats so bad of you to try leaving me behind. Im not interested in getting along with some dude. So you are a homosexual at that age? Thats a shame. Your appearance is top quality too. Shut up, I have my circumstances okay! Gideons sword blocked my route to Klein. And then he swung one more time to keep me in check. And thus, I hade to find myself up against the Jend Sects leader. Chapter 244 His first swing was only to keep me in check. I understood that much, but the weight behind it still astonished me. The weight could match a serious strike from Mateus. And yet, he still had his grin on his face. That was proof that he didnt think much of it. Even his heavy attack spoke for itself for being no more than means of restraint. Kh!? It was extremely dangerous to block a master swordsmans swing with a tender thread. As such, I used my dagger to block instead, but I was easily flung all the way back to the wall. It was the wall separated from the windows and the door. I wanted to quickly deal with him and chase after Klein, but he forced me into a position where I couldnt do that. In other words, he was skilled enough to deal with me with such leeway. After being flung back, I intentionally jumped back even more and kicked the wall behind me. I leaped at the other wall in the corner, flying even higher, and then I kicked the ceiling. Changing my movements from horizontal to vertical, I used the unexpected angle to attack his cor with the dagger. Gideon stopped it with his left bastard sword and then swatted me away like a fly. Once again, towards the wall separated from the windows and the door. He was throwing me away from the exit so I wouldnt run. Your skill Looks to be better than Mateushuh? Well, of course, I am the leader of the sect, after all. If I was weaker than my disciples I wouldnt have a face to show. During the battle with Mateus, I learned how to strengthen my muscles, but that still didnt help me with defending against Gideons attacks. I had a demerit insurmountable by physical strengthening alone my light body. No matter how strongly I stepped on the ground, if the weight behind it was too light, it wouldnt be able to support the strengthening. He attacked me two more times, but it was proving to be almost impossible to block them with a dagger that had a short handle and de. I immediately poured magic power into the dagger and turned it into a short spear with little over one meter in length. While I was at it, I did the same with the gauntlets and activated their fundamental strengthening. Seeing my weapon change, Gideon showed a slight surprise. That said, it was not big enough to bring about an opening. He simply epted it as oh, thats neat. Thats a nice weapon you have there, missy! Im quite blessed with friends, you see! I blocked his swing with the short spear. It was so heavy my knees trembled even after blocking it with two hands. He was clearly stronger than Mateus. And unlike his problem with speed, Gideons sword was as fast as it was strong. It would be difficult to keep dodging it. Youson of a! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I forced my knees, which seemed to be about to give out, to move with a yell, and then warded his attack off sideways and tried to get behind him. However, Gideon was a twin swordsman as befitting of his sect. His other swords rushed at me from the side I was trying to run to. I immediately blocked it with the gauntlets, but I was once again thrown to the wall. My new gauntlets didnt budge even after receiving that attack. As expected of Aste, he did one nice job there. But even if my gauntlets were okay, the same didnt go for me. Being mmed against the wall made air leave my lungs. KahKahah!? If not for the Enchant spell that the gauntlets had, my spine couldve broken from that crash. The recoil didnt fully settle and it threw me forward. Then came a follow-up attack. But I dodged it by rolling sideways. But he did not pursue any further. Finding that odd, I looked up at his face, but he still had the same old grin. Why arent you attacking? We are having a nice dance here. I wish to enjoy it some more. His words made me realize that his nature was quite simr to Mateus. He found joy in battles. As I tried to raise my creaking bodyI suddenly vomited blood. Cough! Cough! And then copsed forward. Thest attack still injured my ribs even if they werent broken. I could feel my normally low stamina being shaved away. Even so, I suppressed my trembling legs and stood up, setting up the spear. It didnt seem like I could fight properly like this, so I forcefully strengthened my legs with threads. Now, lets continue. Lets start with fundamental techniques! Are you messing with me! He attacks me with horizontal and vertical swings of his two swords. I dodged the vertical one and blocked the horizontal with my spear. But that flung me back like before. There was a distance between us, so I swung my thread at his eyes to restrain him in ce. He dodged it by bending down, and then slid towards me. That was Cross, next would be Ground Shave. And then Jaws! He was nning to mow down my knees from a low position. I avoided that with a jump, but his other sword came at me with a dy. As I was in the air, I had no way of dodging it. I had no other choice but to block it with the spear, but I was thrown back again. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Every time Gideon threw a technique at me, I was being thrown around like a ball, making me dizzy. As the distance opened before us, he followed up with a double attack from up and down. I dodged it to the side and quickly fixed my posture. I was about to set up my spear, but I noticed something. Blood was endlessly dripping from my left nk. Ugh Whoops, looks like you couldnt block itpletely in the air. It was quite a deep wound. I failed to maintain my body and fell to my knee. My chest and abdomen, the vital parts of my body were injured, so I could no longer stand properly. So five exchanges I guess this is it. No, for a brat, you were excellent. You might be the worlds best limited to your age. However, you were ten years toote to fight against me. Cough. Gideon slowly approached me. Convinced of his victory, he started showing some leisure. I was already unable to fight This is checkmate. Rest in peace. Im still breathing, you know? Huh? Or not. Now that he was showing some leeway, I still had ways to deal with this battle junkie. It was time to show my real ability that I used against the Devil at the brink of death. As I stood up unsteadily yet clearlybat-ready, Gideon looked curiously at me. I set up my short spear, and took the initiative to attack myself. Chapter 245 Teyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! I charged recklessly while putting all I had in my spear. Or so Gideon interpreted my attack. In fact, I did not even believe that a direct charge like this would be able to get me anywhere with someone as skilled as him. That said, I had to do something or my life would end right then and there. Besides, Maxwells familiar that had separated from me should have seen this situation too. If Maxwell rushed to me due to that, it could lead to Klein sessfully making his escape. And the more this battle dragged on, the higher the risk of his escape, as well as for their reinforcements to show up. In order to achieve our goal, I had to defeat this guy as quickly as possible. Youre charging at me thiste in the game? Thats really a turn-off. He blocked the spear with an exasperated expression and tried to knock it down. But I barely managed to endure it. The spear swayed a little, but I still managed to hold on to it. This weapon was myst standis probably what he was thinking. However, that sliver of hope had been blown away by his next attack. The spear I barely managed to hold on to was also flung up from my hands and embedded itself into the ceiling. The ceiling was high enough to amodate a chandelier, so it was impossible to quickly retrieve it given my low height. Having lost my weapon, my body also lost its support and fell forward. Right where Gideon stood. He pierced my right shoulder as I was falling. I barely managed to endure a scream due to the sharp pain that reverberated through my bones. But unlike the scream that I could suppress through my willpower, my body itself was in a hopeless state. My gouged-out shoulder had lost its function and dangled limply. Seeing that, Gideon dropped his left sword, grabbed my left hand, and raised me up. With my right arm immobile and left restrained, I had beenpletely robbed of the means to attack. There, this is aplete checkmate. Kh I wanted to spit, but the pain did not allow me even that. A part of meined that had my weight not been so light, there was no knowing how this battle wouldve gone. But a loss was a loss. That said, I had not the slightest intention of giving up just yet. This will be myst question to you. How about it, would you be my disciple? If its you, you might actually even reach the level of Reid who was one of the Six Heroes. Hah. I responded in a small sneer. Wasnt that natural? Telling me, Reid, that I could one day reach the former me just sounded ridiculous. Naturally, Gideon would have not known that, so what he said was not so strange. Instead of a reply, I kicked him in the abdomen with my dangling legs. I had no ground to stand nor enough space to build momentum, so it was not able to deal any real damage. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Seeing my insignificant struggle, it was Gideons turn to return a scornfulugh. Hmph, staying disobedient to the very end I see. I dont hate that, but its true that I am short on time. Sorry but you just let your final chance go. Wrong, this is the end for you. Oh, and what can you even do in your current state? My right arm was too injured to move and my left arm was restrained. I had aceration on my right side, and even my ribs appeared to be damaged. My feet were dangling in the air, useless for attacks. I was in aplete deadlock Or so Gideon assumed. Doesnt seem like you cant do anything, huh? In that case Go and wait for me in the afterworld. Spending life in battle meant that he too would one day die. Gideons choice of words reflected that. Yet I rejected even those words. Notin a million years! Gideon assumed that my right arm was immobile, but that wasnt actually the case. Other than normal body part movements, I could also control the muscle fibers directly. That meant that regardless of whether I had a hole in my shoulder, or whether my nerves were severed, or even if my muscles themselves were severed, I could still control them with my Thread Maniption. Still, that would be nothing but a meaningless struggle. Given my bad position, I had no way of putting any power into my fist. It was just a hand strike. Gideon casually shifted his head and dodged it. However, this was all ording to my n. My real goal was Hah? Seeing me grinning despise him dodging my attack made him raise a questioning voice. But he was toote. I withdrew my hand while rubbing him on his neck. Yes, while I had my pinkie side facing it. The gauntlets I currently had equipped had a small protuberance for supporting ones weight. It was made from the Evil Dragons fang, and was especially firm and sharp. It was only around a centimeter long at best. But that was enough to easily gouge out the artery in the neck. Gideon, who thought my arms were restrained, and then misinterpreted my punch as a meaningless show of resistance, had no way of dodging this. A sensation of something snapping was transmitted in my hand. And following immediately was a bright red fountain. That unceasing crimson color was proof that I managed to damage his artery. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Agh..ga.A-Aghhhhh!? Not understanding what happened, Gideon could do nothing but hold down on his neck to block the wound. But that also meant that he let go of my left arm. As I rolled on the ground, I sent my thread towards the spear embedded into the ceiling and returned it to my undamaged left hand without a moments dy. Damaging his artery did not mean instant death. Normally it would be a few seconds But with someone like Gideon, there was perhaps over a minute left. It was not impossible for him to finish me off before that happened. As such, I had to follow up with attacks while I had the upper hand. Gideon still had a sword in his right hand while pinning his neck with his left. As expected, he was not just going to quietly await his death. It was admirable that he immediately resolved himself to death and decided to use the few seconds he had to take me down with him. Still, he was far toote for even that. He stared fixedly at me with his eyes that were quickly losing their light. Even so, his battle instinct to keep on fighting without losing his will was impressive. That said, I had no obligation to meet his sword. The fact that he was using his left hand to pin his neck meant that his defenses on that side were weak. And his heart was towards that side too. I held the spear that I retrieved with my thread on the waist level. I lowered my low posture even further, and released a diagonal upward thrust from there. Gideons right sword was raised overhead, while his left was pressing on his neck wound. As such, there were no obstacles between the spear and his heart. Faster than he could swing down his sword, my spear managed to pierce through his heart. He coughed out blood mixed with foam. He had lost right after he was convinced of his victory. He had a look of disbelief, and yet, mixed with satisfaction. The man who had established a first-ss sect with his sword skills alone had slowly copsed on the spot, wearing such a mysterious expression. Chapter 246 Gideon copsed before my eyes. Blood kept endlessly gushing from underneath him, and he showed no signs of movements. His chest was still, too, so he was not breathing at all. That said, given who he is I cant be careless. It was possible that he was holding his breath and pretending to be dead so that I would approach. If he was still alive by chance, it wouldnt be strange for him to devise something like that now that the situation had turned on him. I thrust a spear in him from afar to see the reaction, but again, he remained still. So hes really dead, huh. Making me so vignt You really were something. I felt strangely sentimental towards this formidable enemy, but I had no time to get lost in that. Klein had jumped from the window and was nning to escape. Naturally, Maxwell could sense his movements so him actually escaping was close to impossible. Besides, we were quite loud earlier during the fight. It was quite possible that the remains of their group woulde rushing here. There should still have been five more people here. Now then, lets find this taxation document Anyway, I decided to leave Kleins matter to Maxwell. Our goals were the document and his life. I currently couldnt afford to do both. In that case, I had to at least aplish what was possible for me. I promptly dragged my sore body and began searching the house. People like him had a habit of storing important things where they could be easily retrieved from. That was so they could escape at a moments notice. Viins tended to prefer living in higher ces, but this guy chose his room on the first floor. This too was probably so he could jump from the window to escape immediately. Even back when I broke into Count Tarkashires mansion, he was positioned right next to the escape path and immediately fled when I appeared. He was careful enough to constantly n his escape path. Perhaps this careful nature of his was the origin of his son, Donovans excellence. He failed to escape with his important certificate this time because I wounded his right hand in advance. As I rummaged through the drawers of the office desk, as expected, I found a scroll resembling a tax certificate in the easily reachable topmost drawer. The wax seal on it had the crest representing the royalty of Raum. It was simr to the one Maxwell used from time to time. So this is it Good grief, letting the main target get away You sure have be blunt, Reid Reid!? Just then, Maxwell peeked his face from the window. I couldnt urately tell since he was outside, but he seemed to be carrying a man in his hands. He probably secured Klein during his flight. After seeing me in a bloody state, his carefree voice was reced by that of fright. Ah, sorry, I ended up bumping heads with quite a troublesome man. I do not mind that, but those injuries (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) He usually observed my state through his familiar, but doing that meant you wouldnt be able to observe things with your own eyes. Since he was hurrying to my side, he probably cut away the shared senses with the familiar. Given how surprised he was, that assumption was probably correct. Yeah, he gave me quite an embarrassing defeat. No, I suppose I should say that he was well worth the injuries I have suffered. Good heavens, for you to praise someone so much. He wasnt Mateus master for show. His expression got warped when he saw my appearance, but I couldnt me him. Gideon was someone I couldnt beat even with the muscle strengthening on top of the thread strengthening from the outside, and instead had to take him down by a surprise attack. Given his strength, he wasnt quite on the level of the past me or Lyell, but still close to that. Thanks to that my body ispletely wrecked now. Id be grateful if you start healing me fast. You ask that, however, I am not as good at it as Maria. I should be in a better statepared to Prisci, so hurry up, will you? Even as I was talking with Maxwell, my knees were starting to give in, making it impossible for me to keep standing. As I plopped down on the floor, Maxwell hurriedly cast healing magic on me. It was not as effective as Marias, but my wounds started to slowly heal. The hole in my shoulder, as well as the one in my side, proceeded to close up. As I was observing the changes in my wounds, I suddenly noticed the way I was sitting. I was in a girly sitting position, with my butt down and heels on either side of it. It seems I had grown used to even sitting like this. My magic would not be able to bring back the blood you have lost. For that we need Regeneration. As he said, my eyes werent even able to focus properly as I sat down. We had to deal with Klein and then leave the mansion, so if I lost my consciousness now I would end up being dead weight. I managed to hold on by a hairs breadth because he quickly understood my condition and cast healing magic. Sorry, I ended up dragging your feet You fought against a man considered to be master of Mateus, so it was natural. I shall handle the rest so you just stay still. I cant be any more pathetic If I still had my old body, it wouldnt have ended up being such a difficult fight. Gideon was indeed faster than Mateus, but still not quite as fast as the old me. With Reids body, I would have easily overwhelmed him in terms of speed, while also not making any blunders that would result in a heavy injury. How do you n to deal with things after this? If I leave this mansion be, Cortina would eventually sniff it out, would she not? Thus, I am considering blowing him up along with the mansion. Fortunately, we are outside of the residential area. In that case, where was the need to sneak inside If you had not done that, we could not have recovered the taxation document. Not to mention, we were not sure whether Klein was inside or not. I suppose you have a point. For Maxwells purposes, Klein had to be considered missing, not dead. As such, it wasnt a bad n to blow him up with this entire mansion so there would be nothing of his corpse left. S-Sorry Thanks Once he finished with the healing, I tried to stand up but my limbs trembled and I couldnt put power into my legs. Thus, I once again plopped down. It seemed I was missing too much blood, after all. Do not push yourself. You need to rest for some time. Even Prisci could not move properly for days. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) With those words, Maxwell picked me up and soared up with Flight. I could hear loud noises from the door, but Maxwell cast a Magic on it too. The spell locked the door very firmly, so it didnt even budge. His dual use of spells as he fluttered into the air was quite impressive, to say the least. Whats that? It is a spell called Hard Lock. It makes the entire door harder than iron, so one cannot tear it down. Oh Then, what about that side wall? Hmm? Right as I pointed it out, someone thrust a sword through that wall. Unlike the marbled floor, the walls werent so hard it seems. This is not good! Eximing, Maxwell dropped off the tied-up and fainted Klein, and flew from the window while carrying me. That night, a meteorite fell on the outskirts of Geeze Unions capital. Fortunately, it did not hit the capital itself, however, it sted away one mansion situated on a small penins. As that mansion belonged to a ve merchant that got in the way of the local public order, the citizens were apparently relieved about it. Chapter 247 We returned to Raum that very night. Of course, we also took Argus and Bauman, who waited for us behind, with us. Seeing me all bloody and limp, the two red mingly at Maxwell. Since they didnt know the situation, they assumed that he dragged a young girl into a dangerous assassination n, and made her fight until she was all bloody and tired. Wait, I have not done anything like that. Ya dont sound so convincing. This ruthless old man. I dont wanna imagine whatd happen if we ran. Maxwell talked to me in grief, but I had other things to worry about. The pain assaulting my body was gone, but it was reced with extreme weariness and I couldnt move my lower side. Heck, I couldnt even move my arms properly. Even my vision was gradually narrowing down. This was a symptom of anemia. As we reached Maxwells mansion, I dragged my body and plopped on the sofa in his living room. It would have been hard to reach my home in this state, and more than that, I had to clean myself first. That aside, Maxwell. Can you take me to the bath? I cant go back looking like this. Hmm? Oh, that is true Maxwell looked unusually troubled after hearing my request. His loitering eyes were proof that he was feeling perplexed. Umm, Nicole. Your request is certainly appropriate, however, I have no female helpers in this mansion. Cant you just do it yourself, old man? You should start paying more attention to male gazes at your age. I couldnt tell Argus and Bauman to wash me. Mateus was also a no by the same logic. And given the situation, I couldnt call Cortina or Finia, so Maxwell was the only one left. Just think of it as some side perk. I dont think youd tryying your hands on your oldrade. Well.sigh I just know this is going to end up bad. And thus, I had him wash me and help me change. He washed off the dirt and wiped the water on my limp body with unusually tensed movements. It was amusing to see Argus and Bauman drilling him with cold stares when we got out of the bath. I managed to get back at him for his daily teasing with that. So I take it this job is done? I addressed Maxwell while sitting on the sofa with a towel wrapped around me as I waited for my clothes to finish washing. The two men had already been sent back to their detention ce. They were notified that Maxwell had summoned them, so letting them go back like that was not a problem. In case they decided to run away from Raum, Maxwells Geass with its insta-death level of pain would get in the way, so they couldnt even do that. Anyway, we were the only two people left in the mansion now. We could talk as much as we wanted about private matters. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Right. I dont think Klein could escape from that Meteor Crash. It should be fine to consider him dead. Well, he fainted and was tied up. Blowing him away along with the mansion while fainted I suppose thats a nice way to kill someone without causing them pain, huh? I had my bouts with Klein, but if he died without pain, that was a fortunate death for him. It was a much better endingpared to Gideon or Tarkashire. Hearing my reply, Maxwell sighed as if relieved, and then, he picked up a bottle of brandy from the shelf, dropped down on the other sofa, and chugged it down straight from the bottle. Hey now, youre wasting a good drink like that. And whose fault do you think that is? I would not be able to calm down unless I wash it down with alcohol. Wash it down? Whats troubling you? I am talking about you needlessly fighting against such a strong enemy. What option did I have in that situation? I failed to escape from him. I observed your situation through the familiar. It was truthfully a frightening sight for someone who could not do anything to help you. If I gained you some time, perhaps you could have escaped with me? When I stopped sharing my senses and rushed to your side, you were already in a bloody state. It would be unreasonable to tell me not to be terrified after that. You have always had that tendency to try overachieving things on your own. Do know that is a bad habit. Back then, Maxwell should have seen my state before the battle. But the familiar he used only had the strength of a beginner-level Adventurer. That was too inadequate for interfering in our fight. Moreover, a familiars life-force was linked with the user. If Gideon had injured the familiar, it could have potentially rendered even Maxwell unable to fight. When it came to spatial spells like Teleport, just seeing the ce was useless you needed to have visited the destination at least once before. Moreover, the mansion had a spell that obstructed the activation of spells inside, so he probably couldnt even fly. During that moment, he had no other means but to run to my side on foot. He happened toe across Klein on the way, so that resulted in a nice ending, though Listen, Reid. You are no longer the same person who used to conduct solo assassinations. You haverades now. Please rely on us some more. Comrades, huh Yeah, youre right. As he said, I didnt need to be so adamant to win that fight. I got flustered as Klein escaped, thinking I had to catch him myself, and that forced me to battle Gideon. My hasty pursuit of that goal had clouded my judgment. My current limp body was proof of that. Maxwell was right, I had to rely on myrades more. That has been a challenge for me even in my previous life. Right You are dependable for me, Maxwell. So, let me have a sip of that brandy, will you? That is a different matter. If you start drinking from such an early age, you will not grow any taller. Ghhh. I knew I would get smashed with just one gulp, but I missed the alcohol. That desire had been easily crushed by onement from Maxwell, however. Chapter 248 I had Maxwell secretly return me to my room using Flight. Teleport would have been better, but he hadnt been to my room before. He sneaked in there this time, so Teleport should be usable from now on. After pulling Kabby, who had been impersonating me, out of the bed and sliding there myself, my eyelids quickly started to close. It seemed that I was even more tired than I thought. Squee? Kabby peeked worriedly at my face after seeing me so tired, but I had no energy to pay it any mind. As I was about to sink into the sea of dreams, Kabby suddenly jumped on my chest. Kabby, its too hot. Squee? A fluffy Carbuncle in this early summer was far too hot. I used it as a heater during the winter, but it was too much now. Also, its fallen hair angered Finia who dealt with theundry. She didnt openly show her anger, but seeing all the hair made her frown and ruin her mood, so it was quite obvious that she was angry. Though I wanted her to close her eyes in exchange for this fluffiness and warmth. At any rate, with no way to get Kabby off my chest, I proceeded to fall asleep as is. My fatigue was the after-effect of yesterdays fight. Even now, my condition was close to being anemic. As I closed my eyes, I heard a knock on the door. Good morning, Lady Nicole. Are you awake? Mhm, I am. Morning, Finia. I felt like the night disappeared on me. I slept so deeply it was practically fainting. Looking at the clock on the wall, I noticed it was already morning. That made me feel like six hours had passed in an instant. I really slept that deeply. Being an assassin and gaining fame as an Adventurer, I was never a deep sleeper. In some cases, even the creaking on the floor could wake me up. How long has it been that I slept like a log as if I fainted, I wonder? No, I mean, I have fainted more than once, but thats beside the point. I rose up and crawled out of bed Only to copse on the floor. It felt like my legs gave up on me, making me unable to even walk properly. Hearing the sound, Finia knocked on the door in a fluster. Lady Nicole, what happened? What was that sound Ah, sorry, Finia. I feel a little bad now. Excuse me, Im opening the door! Hearing about my condition, Finia immediately rushed inside the room without waiting for the reply. Well, that conduct was not admirable for a servant, but she did it out of worry for me so I couldnt me her. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) After she entered, she saw me halfway crawled out from the bed and copsed on the floor, making her pin her mouth in surprise. Ah, sorry, I cant put strength in my body. Can you return me to my bed? A-Are you alright!? Despite her surprise, she did as told and raised me up and put me on the bed. She held me in the so-called princess carry as she did, but I decided to pretend it didnt happen. Due to her daily duties, Finia had more strength than her appearance suggested. She even trained in the sword on top of everything, so she was stronger than an average Elf. And yet, her fingers were still slim and beautiful. She put her hand on my forehead to measure the temperature. Her cold hand felt very satisfying. It doesnt appear that you have a fever. In fact, it seems lower than normal? Iwould like to ask why you know my normal temperature. Oh, that is a trade secret. Oh well, we were taking baths together, so she probably learned of it there. Why she learned it is another matter, however. After fixing my pajamas, she also fixed the nket. PantPant Ah, i-ignore that please. My dear Finia, I wonder why youre panting at my disheveled clothes It doesnt seem like you will be able to go to the academy in this state. I will let Lady Cortina know so you can stay and rest. And I have been so welltely It has not been that long ever since your magic disease has been cured. Do you feel anemic? I suppose I am. I think you should start treasuring your body more, Lady Nicole. What are you trying to say. I mean She avoided my gaze without giving a proper answer. Still, rather than feel anemic, I had actually bled a lotst night and was anemic. Finias diagnosis was on point. Normally, I would have gotten Maria to use Regeneration for me, but as I couldnt exin the situation to her, it was better to just rest today. Maxwell could also use that spell, so I nned to make him use itter. Just as I was considering that, I heard noises from the entrance. Oh, is that you, Michelle? You seem early today. Lady Cortina, this is serious! Is Nicole here? Its about Cloud! What, Cloud!? I heard the flustered voices of Michelle and Cortina. That made me imagine the time Cloud had been attacked by Mateus. Feeling cold shivers traveling down my spice, I forced my trembling legs off the bed. Please stay here, Lady Nicole. I will go talk to them! You? But Please dont worry. I will not abandon him this time. Finia was still regretting the fact that she prioritized me and abandoned Cloud back then. Seeing this same development made the sense of responsibility in her burn fiercer. However, if the situation was indeed simr, she would end up facing someone as strong as Mateus. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) She was still not skilled enough for that. While we were talking, Michelle rushed to my room herself. Nicole, this is serious! Cloud is doing a sham battle against an Adventurer. And its some amazing fifth-ranked Adventurer at that! Oh, that reminds me, we did have that arrangement with Kayle. I had Maxwell secretly return me to my room using Flight. Teleport would have been better, but he hadnt been to my room before. He sneaked in there this time, so Teleport should be usable from now on. After pulling Kabby, who had been impersonating me, out of the bed and sliding there myself, my eyelids quickly started to close. It seemed that I was even more tired than I thought. Squee? Kabby peeked worriedly at my face after seeing me so tired, but I had no energy to pay it any mind. As I was about to sink into the sea of dreams, Kabby suddenly jumped on my chest. Kabby, its too hot. Squee? A fluffy Carbuncle in this early summer was far too hot. I used it as a heater during the winter, but it was too much now. Also, its fallen hair angered Finia who dealt with theundry. She didnt openly show her anger, but seeing all the hair made her frown and ruin her mood, so it was quite obvious that she was angry. Though I wanted her to close her eyes in exchange for this fluffiness and warmth. At any rate, with no way to get Kabby off my chest, I proceeded to fall asleep as is. My fatigue was the after-effect of yesterdays fight. Even now, my condition was close to being anemic. As I closed my eyes, I heard a knock on the door. Good morning, Lady Nicole. Are you awake? Mhm, I am. Morning, Finia. I felt like the night disappeared on me. I slept so deeply it was practically fainting. Looking at the clock on the wall, I noticed it was already morning. That made me feel like six hours had passed in an instant. I really slept that deeply. Being an assassin and gaining fame as an Adventurer, I was never a deep sleeper. In some cases, even the creaking on the floor could wake me up. How long has it been that I slept like a log as if I fainted, I wonder? No, I mean, I have fainted more than once, but thats beside the point. I rose up and crawled out of bed Only to copse on the floor. It felt like my legs gave up on me, making me unable to even walk properly. Hearing the sound, Finia knocked on the door in a fluster. Lady Nicole, what happened? What was that sound Ah, sorry, Finia. I feel a little bad now. Excuse me, Im opening the door! Hearing about my condition, Finia immediately rushed inside the room without waiting for the reply. Well, that conduct was not admirable for a servant, but she did it out of worry for me so I couldnt me her. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) After she entered, she saw me halfway crawled out from the bed and copsed on the floor, making her pin her mouth in surprise. Ah, sorry, I cant put strength in my body. Can you return me to my bed? A-Are you alright!? Despite her surprise, she did as told and raised me up and put me on the bed. She held me in the so-called princess carry as she did, but I decided to pretend it didnt happen. Due to her daily duties, Finia had more strength than her appearance suggested. She even trained in the sword on top of everything, so she was stronger than an average Elf. And yet, her fingers were still slim and beautiful. She put her hand on my forehead to measure the temperature. Her cold hand felt very satisfying. It doesnt appear that you have a fever. In fact, it seems lower than normal? Oh well, we were taking baths together, so she probably learned of it there. Why she learned it is another matter, however. After fixing my pajamas, she also fixed the nket. PantPant Ah, i-ignore that please. My dear Finia, I wonder why youre panting at my disheveled clothes It doesnt seem like you will be able to go to the academy in this state. I will let Lady Cortina know so you can stay and rest. And I have been so welltely It has not been that long ever since your magic disease has been cured. Do you feel anemic? I suppose I am. I think you should start treasuring your body more, Lady Nicole. What are you trying to say. I mean She avoided my gaze without giving a proper answer. Still, rather than feel anemic, I had actually bled a lotst night and was anemic. Finias diagnosis was on point. Normally, I would have gotten Maria to use Regeneration for me, but as I couldnt exin the situation to her, it was better to just rest today. Maxwell could also use that spell, so I nned to make him use itter. Just as I was considering that, I heard noises from the entrance. Oh, is that you, Michelle? You seem early today. Lady Cortina, this is serious! Is Nicole here? Its about Cloud! What, Cloud!? I heard the flustered voices of Michelle and Cortina. That made me imagine the time Cloud had been attacked by Mateus. Feeling cold shivers traveling down my spice, I forced my trembling legs off the bed. Please stay here, Lady Nicole. I will go talk to them! You? But Please dont worry. I will not abandon him this time. Finia was still regretting the fact that she prioritized me and abandoned Cloud back then. Seeing this same development made the sense of responsibility in her burn fiercer. However, if the situation was indeed simr, she would end up facing someone as strong as Mateus. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) She was still not skilled enough for that. While we were talking, Michelle rushed to my room herself. Nicole, this is serious! Cloud is doing a sham battle against an Adventurer. And its some amazing fifth-ranked Adventurer at that! Oh, that reminds me, we did have that arrangement with Kayle. Chapter 249 I decided to head to the Adventurers Guild while borrowing Michelles shoulder. Due to having to get dressed in my Adventurer gear and borrow Finia and Michelles help, it took longer than usual, but this was the fastest I could manage now. Cortina seemed quite interested, but she had her duties as a teacher. Yesterday couldnt be helped due to the circumstances, but if she skipped another day it could get problematic. Maria and Lyell had headed to Maxwells mansion. They also showed interest in this, but dealing with Klein came first. Of course, Maxwell and I already dealt with Klein the other night. By the time these two would arrive at Geeze Union, they would find the situation already concluded. They would end up traveling there in vain, but my circumstances called for that much sacrifice from them. I managed to somehow reach the Guild with the steps of a newborn fawn, but it seemed that they had already moved to the training grounds below. The usual receptionistdy was looking regretful for missing out on a fun event like that, so based on that it was probably quite safe. There was probably no need for me to rush here, but I was the one who had arranged this match. It woulde off quite awkward if I didnt show myself here, so it was just my stubbornness ying an active part here. As we went down the stairs to the training area, it seemed that the match had already begun as the audience was raising cheers. Go get him, Kayle! Beat some sense into that yboy! Take back our sweet Nicole from that brute! Ah, I am in Lady Letinas faction. Crush him. All of them are like his mistresses, arent they? Lets just kill this bastard! The audience was basically about 90% in Kayles favor while only 10% for Cloud. The Half-Demons were as unpopr as ever, it seems. Ah, its already begun! Following her indication, I saw Cloud on the receiving end of Kayles attacks. It seemed that Kayle was pulling punches quite a bit, but Clouds growth was still amazing for enduring the attacks from a fifth-rank Adventurer. It looks like a pretty nice match, doesnt it? But Clouds opponent is a fifth-rank, you know? He might get seriously injured. It will be fine. We are at a Guild, so they have healers permanently stationed here. Oh, I see. Killing each other inside the Guild was prohibited. Even if Cloud was a Half-Demon, it would affect the Guilds honor if he ended up with a grave injury at their own training grounds. Besides, I was the one who arranged this match, so if it left grudges, it would also mean that I or more precisely, my parents, could also be affected by that grudge. As such, the battle probably wouldnt reach such a dangerous level At least I hope so. Based on the audiences reaction, I couldnt feel too optimistic about it either. But he seems to be having a hard fight, so maybe some cheering would encourage him? Youre right! Cloud, hang in there! Come on, you should also cheer on him, Nicole, and Finia too. A-Ah, that is true. Uhm Hang in there, Cloud! Finia who was normally reserved started to cheer on him with all she had. Honestly, seeing her like that made my chest sting. Finia was my attendant No, that wasnt exactly the case, but like, I felt possessive about her. Mhg? Nicole, you have to cheer too! I dont know I suddenly feel like cheering on Kayle instead. Come on, dont stay stubborn at a time like this! Huh, am I normally seen as such? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I couldnt deny having a stubborn side to me, but I wasnt particrly partial to Cloud But well, he was my disciple too. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth if he were to lose to some random Adventurer. Oh well. Cloud, go goo I cheered in a monotone voice, but hearing that the audience had heated up. Nicole is cheering you Dont you dare to lose, Cloud, you heaaaar! He seemed to be saying something dangerous there, but I hope he was just joking. Still, for even the branch head toe to observe this I suppose being Lyells disciple held that much impact. In the meantime, Clouds sword was swept from his hand, losing it. But he did not give up, but instead set up his shield and charged. W-Whaat!? It was a sudden attack that took Kayle, who thought the match was over, by surprise. Just as he nned, Kayle had been pushed along by the shield and they both rolled on the ground. The two started grappling as they rolled about. They were fighting for the mounting position which was more advantageous. You dont know when to give up. Youre a fifth-rank so just let a junior take credit for once! I cant go losing exactly because Im a fifth-rank! re-up, ck mes sealed within meInferno me Road! Kayle yelled like he was crazy, but surprisingly enough, his right arm actually started burning in dark mes. And then, he mercilessly punched Cloud with that arm. Michelle eximed in surprise at that. Woah, whats with that arm!? It is probably the fire magic, me Weapon. He is probably just tinkering with it to make it look dark. me Weapon was an unusual spell for the fire system, as it was used not for directly attacking but for bestowing your weapon with mes and raising its attack power. Moreover, this me attribute was quite effective against Undeads. The damage increment was a bit higher than my Enchant. It was a spell newbie Adventurers relied on a lot. Still, I didnt understand the point in intentionally dyeing it ck. Maybe he was just fussy about it? Either way, this unexpected magic was more than enough to stop Clouds movements. He took the blow head-on and was flung back, rolling on the ground and fainting on the spot. Phew. You are quite something for a newbie to have me use my trump card. Not bad. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) He took some weird showy pose, and then called off the mes with a swing of his arm. You only needed to stop the magic flow to stop your own spell, so that pose was totally pointless. The stationed healers rushed towards Cloud. The battle was settled for sure this time. What are you showing off for, Kayle, it was just me Weapon! Dont get ahead of yourself just because you beat some newbie! It seems that Cloud has been defeated Hes the weakest of the Big Four. To get beaten by the likes of Kayle. Its a disgrace for an Adventurer of Raum. By the way, wasnt there some rule about the punishment for personal uses of training grounds? Theres no such rule, branch head!! The spectators jeered at the oue with all they had. But they didnt really contain any malice in them. Seeing their previous conduct, I expected more harsh words from them, but it turned out to be a needless fear. It looked that Cloud was being slowly epted by the Adventurers of Raum. Chapter 250 Even after that, there have been hoards of Adventurers wanting to fight Cloud. However, the battle with Kayle had left himpletely drained. As such, the healers at the scene stopped him from continuing. As for Kayle, he was apparently dragged off by the branch head of Raums Guild and questioned about using the training grounds without permission. It seems that using it to train was fine, but the problem was that there were bettings on their match. The betting and using the training grounds by themselves were fine, but together they were a problem. This way, the Guilds training grounds could be seen to be used as a trading spot. Michelle jumped from the audience seats to the arena and rushed to Cloud. She had seen himying with his hand severed, so she had be quite a bit overprotective of him. Cloud, are you okay? Seeing her offering help so gantly was honestly a pleasant sight. But Cloud being on the receiving end of it made me a bit displeased. I couldnt deny harboring some ill-feeling at that, but I wasnt such a kid. I shall forgive him this time in consideration of his good fight. Finia, take me to Cloud as well. Understood. Excuse me, then. Finia picked me up in her arms and walked into the training range. Seeing me like that the audience turned noisy once again. Nicole is being princess carried I heard that she cant move her legs and loins. To be unable to move them What did she do exactly. Well, do you even need to ask? Shes far too young for that. Who was the guy! Theres only one guy that fits that, isnt it? Considering his age, he should have a manageable size. We really should kill him. From what I could hear, it seems that we were showered with baseless suspicions. If I left it be, I felt like it would damage my reputation quite a bit. Cloud, are you alright? Thats my line. What happened to you? Im just a little anemic. It happens quite often. Oh right, youve always stayed in bed before, didnt you? I made sure that everyone around me heard that I was anemic. This should be enough to make them understand my condition. Oh, so she is just anemic. Thank god. Wait, this might be Cortinas trap. We have to first inspect why she is anemic. I mean, being anemic means that she lost some blood, doesnt it? Wait, you mean shes menstruating! Wait, it might be due to deflowering! Okay, yeah, we should kill him. Just give that a break already, you people!? Whatever I said, they were still taking it in the erotic direction. It was clear proof that their heads were filled with nothing but that stuff. Whatever I said to them would just have the opposite effect. Ill remember your faces and tell Lyell that you were sexually harassing meter. That should get them that Six Heros Special Training that they so much desire. Whether they would live to see another day or not was none of my concern. That evening, Lyell and Maria sat at the dining table with bitter faces. They had arrived at Geeze Union and followed Kleins tracks. However, his tracks had been suddenly cut at the mansion. The night before, a mysterious meteorite hadnded directly on the penins where the mansion was situated, blowing both of them away. Kleins condition was unclear, but based on the situation his chances of being alive were pitifully low. Their other goal, the tax certificate, had also been lost in the process. Naturally, I knew where that certificate was. It should be under Maxwells care. He was already nning to put it somece else and have it suddenly discovered. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Then we just had to deliver that certificate to Donovan while feigning ignorance and the matter would be settled. Lyell and Maria knew nothing of our schemings, so their feelings were understandable. If Klein died, the certificate might have burned along with him No one could expect a meteor falling on it. Maxwell could probably do that though. Actually, Ive witnessed him do it more than once. But I dont think he would do something that would cause him to lose his other objective. At any rate, what is done is done, so we have to think about the aftermath now. Can we put in a word and have it reissued? That should not smear dirt on Donovans reputation. Lyell, Cortina, and Maria spoke about the matter in turns. They were at their wits ends to the point that they didnt even mind discussing it before Finia and me, who were unrted parties. Finia had sensed the foul mood and had withdrawn herself a bit in a cold sweat. Well if we just me Maxwells magic for losing it, that should solve it. Donovan is the reason for this bothersome situation, but Maxwell was to me for leaving someone like Klein be for so long. He should just take the me for this one. Yeah, he should be able to cover up his own blunders. Its not good to ask favors from influential people But beggars cant be choosers. The meteorite was Maxwells doing, and he also got the certificate burned Lets just go with that. Cortina just made it up, but it was actually Maxwells doing. I wonder howe she was always so close to the truth. It was the same during Elliots incident, but her guesses were always so close to the truth, and yet so far; I didnt know how to even react. Maria suddenly pped her hands as if to signal the end of this conversation. Alright then, lets leave the difficult talk aside for now. A bit toote to say this, but Nicole is here so its not good for her education to conspire before her. If we go there, I feel that leaving her to Maxwell is already a bad enough influence We are having a meal, so we have to talk about something more fun. Maria was in all grins. It was as if she was preparing to give me a present. And then, she dropped her bomb. Hey, Nicole. It seems that mommy has a baby. Wha-? Her bombshell announcement had left me in a daze, having no words to respond with. Chapter 251 Maria was pregnant. That news had me so dumbfounded I lost my words. No, it was not just me. Finia, Cortina, and even Lyell were in the same state. Your daddy worked hard for ittely. You will finally have a younger sister or a brother. Wait, is is that really true? Lyell, why are you acting so doubtful? I mean Youre going to say that you have no recollection of it, are you? No, I mean, I have more than enough of them Ever since my physical condition improved so much, I Lyells words caused Maria to blush. Based on that reaction, he had a very good idea. Let me just put it out there first: go explode! Isnt it great, Nicole? You are going to be a big sister! Wait, huh Huh? Huuuh? As the realization settled in, I raised an astonishing voice. Finia and Cortina also started to regain their sanity. Congrats, Maria! You really had us waiting on the second one! Congrattions, Lady Maria, Lord Lyell, and Lady Nicole! You have to be a good sister. Huh, oh. Thanks? Finia expressed her wishes towards me as well, but it didnt feel real to me just yet. I was gonna be a sister? W-W-What should I do, Finia! Im gonna be a big sister!? As someone aiming to revert to a man, being a big brother was the ideal. I was an orphan in my previous life, so my family growth itself made me honestly happy. However, presently I was far from that ideal. Finia gently received me in her arms while I was in a state of confusion. It will be okay. I am sure you will be a wonderful big sister, Lady Nicole! No, thats not what I meant! I can already picture it. A lovely scene of a beautiful, grown-up Nicole and her little sister! I ended up interjecting, seeing Finia pumping her firsts and being unusually insistent. Maria observed us with a calm expression. Hey, stop watching and cast Sanity on her or something, will you? Finia, you have to love him even if its a boy, okay? Of course! Lady Nicoles little brother would be the same as my own. No, that would be too presumptuous for me But I shall serve them with all my heart. I will use my all in upbringing them in every possible way! You dont have to do that much. But since you look so reliable I will do just that and rely on you. Marias second kid, huh This calls for a celebration. It took ten years with Nicole And well, its been ten years since then too, but it was fast if we count from the moment of drinking that medicine. You dont know when to give up, Lyell. Just shut up and take responsibility. What more responsibility is there for me to take? Still Im going to gain a brother or a sister, huh But given my situation, the kid might get whether I am a big sister or a brother. When I learn Polymorph and change into a man every day, that would definitely confuse them. Still A sibling, huh Currently, I had Michelle, Letina, and Cloud who were like troublesome younger siblings to me. The problem, however, was that they also thought of me as a younger sister. I wouldnt deny being a troublesome one, but I was reluctant about being treated as younger by ten-year-old kids. I had to keep my sisterly act together and improve my standing. Yeah, I have to keep it together. Oh my, already in the sister mode, are we? Maria poked fun at me after hearing my mutter. Still, I always caused her nothing but worry, so I wanted to let her be at ease at least now. By the time my to-be-born sibling would grow up, I would have to leave the house. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) If I left without dispelling that unease, it would keep worrying Maria and the rest. For that reason, I had to yor I guess y is not the right worda dependable big sister, and instill that impression. Of course. I wont make anyone worry about me! In that case, would you stop Adventuring? I keep worrying every day that you might die somewhere. W-Well, lets just say this and that are different Being Maxwells disciple was part of it, but gaining direct experience was also important. That experience also helped with my growth in the magic department. It was indispensable training on my way to mastering Polymorph. I will go let Maxwell know. Itste already. Maybe tomorrow? The sun was already set and the streets were dark. The kidnappers have already been exterminated and Kleins matter was also done, but that didnt mean thatmon scoundrels disappeared too. Maria advised me to stop because of such uneasiness. However, people who could give me trouble wouldnt be found so easily. Okay, Ill take Michelle with me then. Mh, well, alright then I suppose. Isnt it fine? That girls skill with the bow is extraordinary. Since Cortina, the local person, gave her permission, Maria also consented to it. In truth, I wanted to report about my parents to Maxwell, and also talk about the timing to take out the tax certificate, but it should be easy even if Michelle followed me. I could just trick her to remain outside of the room and finish the discussion in the meantime. Marias pregnancy was involved, so she shouldnt suspect anything. Well then, Im going! Take care. Good grief, she is such a lively one. Seeing her like that, you realize that she is really still a cute child. What are you talking about, Nicole is always super cute! Shes my angel! Dear, shut up please. Okay. Hearing the conversation behind me, I thought confidently: a member of the Six Heros or not, men could never win against women. Chapter 252 Inside a church of the World Tree Religion located in one of the viges of the Northern Alliance. There were men gathered in the basement of that church. It was a meeting conducted under moderate candlelight as if they were trying to conceal themselves from people. They were most certainly not a respectable bunch. In that gloomy hall, the men started reporting their respective results. Three from the East. Two of them have been confirmed to have the grounding, thus they are being educated. The remaining one would be sacrificed during the appropriate time. Only two have been confirmed? Its hard to say whether that would amount to anything. It cannot be helped. None of us can act openly. Four from the Central. Also two with the grounding. However, two students have died, so the total number remains unchanged. Considering that we have to educate them from scratch, its better to say we fell back. They went over the documents they all brought, confirming the number of personnel. The result was both gains and losses. They gained new ones while losing the same number. As a result, they neither increased nor decreased. Still, it seems that we have stopped receiving people from the west? The south seems quite slow too. The men moved on to yet another topic. In the end, their secret meetingsted until morning. Half a year had passed ever since the bombshell that Maria dropped on us. It might seem like a short time, but a lot of things happened during it. First, Maxwell returned the certificate to Donovan under the pretext of discovering it through the capitals tavern. After that, he had finally been cleared of any suspicions and became the lord of Sto both in name and reality. I asked Maxwellter on, and it turned out that Kleins body part had been washed ashore, so he was most certainly dead. Donovan thanked me deeply, and was treating me as if I was a saint now. I was grateful, but also kinda bothered. About three monthster, Elliot left the academy. He was originally supposed to be a contracted lecturer for six months, but the assault reduced his holiday to half of that. He seemed reluctant to part with me, but he had the information that Haumea was no longer in Raum, so he returned to his own kingdom in hopes of finding her there. Prisci included, of course. I wonder when that blockhead would notice her feelings. I had a steady growth in the academy, too, and was already learning the middle-grade Interference magic. At this pace, I should be able to learn things like Flight by the time of graduation. It has been six months since Maria got pregnant, so her belly was already quite conspicuous. Different from fatness, her bulge was more like something packed together. It disyed the vigor of life growing within. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) And in the meanwhile, I have also celebrated my 11th birthday. Even my height had increased by about three centimeters in these six months, finally entering the growth period, a bitter than Michelle. At the same time, one problem surfaced that made me rack my brains. That is My ***** were growing. At first, I thought I was growing a bit plump, but my waist remained thin so I eventually epted that it was a womanly growth. I had no choice but to ept. Lately, even my butt has gotten rounder, so this was most definitely another sexual characteristic. Michelle also had her share of development in these months. To the point that I was looking forward to swimming with her during the summertime. This made me feel like she got added to the list of people I couldnt reveal my identity to. Letina, on the other hand, did not develop any womanly parts, but this was perhaps the difference between our races. Elves grew like humans, but many of them remained slender. Still, I feel like its getting in the way of swinging the sword. When I held the sword with two hands, my budding chest felt cramped. This was a sensation I hadnt felt even in my previous life. As it was an unknown sensation, it made moving my hands a bit ufortable. You are still better off, Nicole. In my case, the bowstring keeps rubbing on it and hurts me. Its really ufortable when sleeping on the stomach, isnt it. Tell me about it. They should just get plucked. You humans get plump so quickly! Letina, Im jealous of how slender you are. Cloud butted in our conversation, inviting cold stares from us. We were currently in our routine ingredient gathering, so his presence was nothing unusual. Still, that was irrelevant to girls of our age. W-What, I cant help it. Im part of this group too. Oh nooothing Cloud, you perv. Have you no delicacy to pretend to not hear it? Oi dont be unreasonable now! Cloud was already almost 13 years old. He was already starting to see things differently. With beauties like Michelle and Letina, not to mention me, in the party, it was natural for him to pay attention to these kinds of conversations. Leaving the perverted Cloud aside Dont brush me off like that! Leaving him aside! My mom will soon be unable to move properly, so I want to bring nutritionally rich food home. In that case, we have to do our best today. I shall do my best for Lady Maria. But whenever I need it Is anything the matter? No, nevermind. Letinas cold stare silenced his objection. Cloud, do you know? There are countless Adventurers at the Guild dying to be on the receiving end of that stare. There were also those who wanted to receive Michelles sulked gaze or my scornful one, so I think Raums Adventurers were already beyond help. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) So their envy towards Cloud, who was receiving all three of them, knew no bounds. In fact, he was being tormented by them whenever he had time to spare. You said nourishment, but what exactly are we supposed to look for? That goes without saying, its meat, meat! As Letina asked, Michelle insisted while raising her hands. She was as carnivorous as ever. Is there a buffalo somewhere, I wonder? A big game like that is not normally found here. The Adventurers are being alert for them around these parts. Snakes and lizards would be pointless to eat. Speaking of nourishment, a Carbuncle might fit that description, dont you think? Squee!? As I gazed up, I could sense an immediate twitch from there. There was Kabby, having grown in size over these six months to the point that it was hard to keep it on my head. Kabby seemed to be young for a Carbuncle, so its growth was quite drastic. It was around the size of a cat before, but now it was closer to a small-sized dog. Moreover, it was growing quite plump and umting fat, making it known that it had all the food it wanted. You have to start exercising already, otherwise Im not letting you sit on my head, okay? Squee, Squee~ Hearing my warning, Kabby started exercising in a fluster. I wished itd stop doing that on my head, however. It was making my head wobble around and it felt really unpleasant. That was a joke, but I really have to find nourishment for mom or the kid might be physically weak like me. That would be cute in its own way But that would only cause us to worry, so its bad. I think its only you who has mastered the art of fainting when people take their eyes off you, Nicole. Ill get you for thatter. Getting hit with their unfriendly remarks, I answered back with a vacant expression. Chapter 253 That day, we managed to hunt a monster species called Spurt Leghorn. As the name suggested, it was a chicken but a size bigger that could dash with crazy force, but due to its high mobility, it was impossible to contain it inside the fences so it was not being bred. It could use its signature charge to break the fences or fly over them. That said, its attack power was not high, so the assigned danger level was rtively low. Even the patrolling Adventurers tended to overlook monsters on this level. When the battle started, it was strangely only charging at Cloud, so seeing him covered in feathers was an amusing sight. While covered in feathers, Cloud took on the attacker role while I made use of the opening to cut its feet to stop it from moving, then delivered the finishing blow. Normally, Michelle would be the one to deal the finisher, but she was busyughing her heart out seeing Cloud engaged in a match with a chicken. Needless to say, so was Letina. We also collected herbs used in potions as well as fruits suitable for desserts, then returned to the Guild. Seeing Cloud in feathers, even the receptionistdy almost burst into augh, making me pity him a bit. But if I covered him here, that would just fuel the Adventures jealousy towards him. It was tough, but he had to suck up his tears and deal with it. Thus, we cut the bird into four parts and took our shares home. The portion was a little small for Clouds situation, but they could make up for the quantity by making a soup or stew with it. Later, after I was done with dinner, I decided to visit Maxwells mansion. I had business with him today. Ah, wee, Nicole. What brings you here thiste at night? Did you finally decide to ept my marriage proposal? Shut up, you lolicon. Stop bullshitting. Say that after you beat Lyell. The one weing me was Mateus dressed as a housekeeper. He was like a live-in employee, but you could say that was for Maxwell to monitor him. It seemed pitiable that dirty work was being pushed on him at a nce, but considering how he kept meddling with me like this, I didnt really feel any pity for him whatsoever. Thatll just get me killed, so no way? You have a business with the old man? Yeah. Is he around? Yes, Ill go call him so wait in the living room? His usual way of ending sentences with a questioning tone was getting on my nerves, but I was thankful that at least he was being obedient now. In particr, Maxwells house tended to get packed with junk if you left him to his own devices, so someone like Mateus who knew our circumstances was a big help. Though, while I said knew our circumstances, he still didnt know my identity. It was the usual living room, butpared to before Mateus came here, it was definitely cleaned up. Still, it was cleaned by a man, so the corners and such still had some dust remaining. Well, Mateus isnt an expert in this, so it cant be helped I guess. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I went to get the cleaning tools from the closet in the corner and proceeded to gather dust. I roughly finished the cleaning, gathering all the dust I could see, and threw it into the garbage can. Being from the orphanage, I was used to doing these things. It was the same as how Cloud used to tidy up his own room better than Michelle or Letina. Wait, why is a guest cleaning the room? Hm? I just went with the flow. I used toe here more often than Cortina. You could even say this was my second home. Actually, no, my second home was Cortinas home, so this would be the third, huh? Mateus returned together with Maxwell while holding a tea tray in his hands. Have your night visits not increased in frequency as ofte? I cannot say I canmend a child wasting her sleeping hours. Toote to say that. Im your direct disciple, so it shouldnt be a problem to even stay here. Since Mateus was around I was a little conscious of my choice of words. Well, he already knew how I usually talked, so it was more of a feeling thing. My business today wasnt so important, so I didnt ask him to leave us alone. What is your business today? Right, Maxwell. Take me to the Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle. What? What for? It was rted to my sibling that would be born soon. It was around two months before Maria realized she was pregnant. After that, six more months have passed. So she would give birth in about two months, so I wanted to prepare a present. For that, I wanted to visit Aste who lived in Alecmarle. Im thinking of a present to give my soon-to-be-born brother or sister. Why are you not that considerate towards Cortina and Finia? Thest time when I congratted her 40th birthday, she got actually angry instead. Cortina was 19 when we subjugated the Evil Dragon. She was the youngest among us, being famed as a genius since she turned 15. Still, that was an old story. It has already been 21 years since my death, so going and congratting on her 40th birthday really angered her. She was still young for her race, but I was still met with unreasonableness. And, what do you n to ask from Sir Aste? Well I dont even know the gender yet, so I was thinking of just ordering some clothes. I do not understand, why do you have to ask that person for something like that? Im nning to have him put a Protection spell on it so the baby wouldnt get hurt. Are you an idiot!? If Sir Aste bestows it himself, it would turn into an item with incredible defensive ability! Isnt that great then! If its Aste, Im sure he can make baby clothes that can withstand an attack of a knight. I didnt mind providing the Evil Dragon materials too if needed. It would be worth every penny if they could be protected from unlikely events. Right, if we use the wing membrane, it could defend from swords and spears, and even resist magic. Regain your sanity. I have never heard of baby clothes as nonsensical as this. You fool, the world is filled with dangers! I wasnt even doing anything but couldnt take a breather. Do not judge everyone with your own standards! Maxwell rejected my opinion while Mateus observed us with an amazed expression. He was looking at me in surprise, perhaps due to my rough tone. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Yournguage turns quite rough when you get emotional eh? This is my true self. Thats not quite praiseworthy for ady? I have no ns of being one so no problems there. I brought up the topic of materials but didnt specifically mention that they were Evil Dragon materials, so I should be safe. As for my speech, I did it back when we first fought too, so it wasnt too strange. So, is this Aste person the one who made your weapons? Yeah, an exclusive one. I was currently the only Adventurer contracted with him. As such, it wasnt an exaggeration to say that he was my exclusive cksmith. Oh? Id like him to forge me a de too? His swords are quite pricey. Do you even have funds to spare? I do have quite a bit of savings from my active days, but Also, hes unsociable so Im not sure if hell actually ept it. Hmm So it would be impossible if I randomly approached him. When it came to talented cksmiths and bestowers, they often refused to ept the jobs unless you had some connections. In the case of Aste, his ability was exceedingly high, so he was especially selective of his clients. Well, even if baby clothes are out of the question, something like a talisman should be fine. And well, even I can make that. Setting that aside, we havent been there in some time, so it would be nice to show our faces. Maxwell suggested while rubbing his long beard. Following that, a cheerful voice, overshadowing him, resounded in the room. Chapter 254 It sounded lively, but at the same time, it felt like it wasing from the depths, making it uncertain whether it was good or bad. Their presence didnt get caught by either Maxwells detection magic or my own presence detection, yet they managed to approach close enough to talk. Someone who could manage that There was only one. Oracle, you fancy an Oracle? Maxwells living room faced the garden, and had a ss sliding door on that side. It also had a veranda from where you could overlook the garden as you rxed. Someone was currently half-peeking their small white head from that veranda. Goddess, what the heck are you doing? Geh, you arent surprised? I was nning to take you by surprise. She waved her hand with those words. With just that one motion, Mateus turned into stone. She probably used a spell called Stone Curse. It shouldve been quite a high-ranked Earth magic. She did that in an instant Though I suppose it was pointless to be surprised about it at this point. Looking at the silent statue of Mateus, the two of us broke into a cold sweat as we received the God of Destruction. Rather, we were busy being astonished at how mercilessly she turned him into stone. You dont need to be so considerate. Just show up normally for once, normally. But where is the fun in that? Leaving that aside, I am here to bring you an oracle. She ignored my opinion and brought up her own topic. She looked like a harmless and charming person from the side, but she was aslightlysuspicious character that was on the verge of being recognized as an Evil God. I didnt want anyone to see her. Given that I wanted to avoid attention, I wanted her to get over her business fast and go away. A great Goddess is about to speak so listen carefully. You totally ruined that impression with that entrance. Indeed, even I would much rather you showed yourself normally. Oh, are you bad with startling pranks, old man? It startled me so much I thought I would die. Now that sounds serious. I should prepare Resurrection just in case. So I cannot even die easily Maxwell sighed depressingly as the God of Destruction dered with a puffed chest. The World Tree Religion banned the use of the resurrection magic, but that apparently didnt concern the goddess. Even if it ended up scaring him to death, she could easily bring him back to life, so she could prank to her hearts content. Now then, since I got your agreement about Resurrection, lets go with that next time. Now as I was saying Wait, what is that about an agreement? As I was saying! It would result in something crazy if you go and visit that person now, you know? Ever since he got his hands on the Evil Dragons materials, his urge to create things has been itching hard. Aste huh I totally can see that happening. No way that workaholic can remain calm with all those rare materials before his eyes. Still, I was a little curious why the goddess expression changed when she heard Astes name. If you approach him to make something for you now, he might make Mythril baby clothes fortified with the Evil Dragons membrane. Or a talisman that could withstand a Fire Giants punch without a scratch. Or a stroller that wouldnt get dented even if it was stepped on by a Behemoth. That would already be on the level of a Divine Treasure, would it not? Even if it is Sir Aste, That would be too much Actually, he already has past records of doing exactly that, so it would most certainly happen. He already has!? Maxwell objected while breaking into a cold sweat, but the God of Destruction provided a counter argument while raising her index finger. Wait, so that means he had obtained materials that could rival the Evil Dragons before, and made baby clothes with it? At any rate, something that risky is surely surely Well, yea, the safety of your familyes first. We have a crazy person here too!? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Seeing me decide to make Divine equipment for my new family member, the Goddess of Destruction held her head in pain. But wait, making just one set might have a measurement error. Also, newborns had an exceedingly high mortality rate. If I can lower that risk even slightly, I dont regret using Evil Dragon materials at all. Hold it, hold it, Reid! That would be far too reckless. Unexpectedly, Maxwell was the one to put the brakes on my pondering. Given how much he thinks of his allies, I thought he would agree with me on this, but it looks like he had a different opinion. What. Is there a problem somewhere? It is full of problems! In the first ce, Evil Dragon materials are unique in this world. Only we, the Six Heroes that subjugated it, possess them. The moment you bring out the baby clothes made from those materials would be the moment your identity gets busted. Then cant we just say it is from you? True, if I give it as my share, we might deceive them, but that would be a present from me, not you. Ah!? This was a present from me to my new family member. It would be unwee if the old man ended up taking credit for my feelings. On the off chance that the same kept happening, it would look like Maxwell was the one spoiling them with presents while I, the sister, did nothing. I wanted to avoid that at all costs. I had to prevent it. Thats no good. I want to avoid anything thatd diminish my existence. My goal is to be a big sister that is looked up to. Oh, you wanna be a big sister eh? Ghh The way I am, I cant be a big brother so it cant be helped. Besides, if I tried that, itd get my identity busted. To be a big brother, I had to first learn Polymorph. If I showed up with Reids appearance and told them to call me a big brother, Maria and others would start to suspect something. Rather, they would definitely catch on to it. Hmm, what to do And thats where my oraclees into y. First, if you wish to keep them healthy post birth, you would need the charm to protect them against illnesses. Thats true. But I dont know what materials it would need. Well, the easiest and fastest approach would be to use the Carbuncles dragon orb Rejected! Kabby was already a member of my family. I couldnt go pulling out the jewel on its forehead. Besides, I wont know whether it is a boy or a girl, but just imagining how they would y with Kabby The baby swinging its tiny arms around and running with tottering steps. And Kabby worrying about them but also maintaining enough distance to not get caught. Then finally, the baby crying itself to sleep while holding Kabby to their chest. And I would be there to witness it all. Oh shit, this is incredible. This is too much. I started squirming around while holding my nose. It really felt like Id get a nosebleed. I dont know what you just imagined, but your answer is within my expectations. Lets go and obtain a recement material then. The God of Destruction shed me a charming smile. Chapter 255 The God of Destruction raised a finger and made a suggestion. The way she was looking at me aftering inside and standing before me with a cocked head made her look like a teacher addressing the pupil. Recement materials? To start with, there is a problem with giving a Divine-ss item physically. Lets butter them up with a familiar everyday article. You already have the nourishment-rich nectar of a Queen Blossom, right? I can prepare that. However, that was supposed to be my gift for them. Just so you know, Queen Blossoms nectar is dangerous for an infant, so you should give it to the mother instead. It would improve their recovery after childbirth. Why is it dangerous to an infant? The nectar enhances the power of output. If a baby were to receive it, it could lead to them wasting their magic power away. As such, it could lead to them being constantly in the magically dried-up, or simply put, fatigued state. Now that you mentioned it, we did use it for Nicoles recovery. It was the ingredient to resolve myck of magic output. It was also the Treant nourishment containing high magic power. And that was apparently bad for an infant. It was a rare ingredient, so no one had tried giving it to a baby. Maxwell was about to do it while unaware of that fact, though. That was a close call. As such, I have thought of a different gift. As you know, a babys skin is very delicate. Caring for it requires a lot of effort too. Okay, I understand the part about the nectar. But dont call it buttering up. Call it expressing love towards my family. Reid, do you not think you resemble Lyell somehow? Stop it. As I ignored Maxwells retort, God of Destruction started walking back and forth while starting her lecture. What she was saying was on point But I had one question. Hmm? Wait. I dont remember anyone ever caring about me that way? In your case, you had other problems to care for so no one had time to care for your skin. Now that she mentioned it, I was on a hunger strike back then, so I guess she is right. Maria, Lyell, and even Finia were panicking so much that I felt bad for them. I feel really bad about that I instinctively faced Cortinas house where my family was sleeping and apologized. It was my own fixation, but I was conscious of the fact that it caused them a lot of worries. Besides, you have strongly inherited my blood. I have a lot of abilities rted to charming others, so you should have inherited them too. Thats why your hair is so silky and your skin so smooth and squishy, dammit! Why are you so frustrated about that? Ah, no, I was just speaking as a proxy for everyone who would be vexed to see you maintain your beauty without any effort. What the heck! I mean, I could clearly imagine someone like Cortina vexed about it. At any rate, the next child will not inherit my blood as much as you did. So you have to make sure to care about their skin. Ah, incidentally, it would be a girl. Why the heck did you have to spoil that you moron!? Aaah My feelings of excitement about their gender from earlier are totally gone now. I see, so its going to be a girl, huh? I wouldve been able to have fun with them if it was a boy. Then again, I guess I can with a girl too? Wait If I lose to my little sister in girliness, that would be a huge crisis for me as a big sister, wouldnt it? You do not have to worry about that. You even managed to make Elliot fall. Dont remind me. Thats a stain in my life. What life, you have barely lived a decade and some. Add my previous life to that too! Maxwell was about to start quarreling back, but the God of Destruction pped her hands to get us back on track, stopping him. If that continued, we would surely go on with our meaningless quarrel until the morning. This old man had enough skill with his words to drag it on so meaninglessly. Alright, leave it at that. So with that in mind, I think clean hygiene would be the best measure for keeping illnesses away. How about you give her something like shampoo and soap which doesnt frustrate the skin? Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Since it was a girl, caring for her skin and hair would be very important. Besides, even Maria, Finia and I could use them too when needed. However, this gramps aside, even I didnt know where to get ingredients for that. Thats good and all, but where can I get the ingredients for it? Why of coursethe sea! Seaaa!? This Raum, as the name Forest Kingdom suggested, was a kingdom surrounded by forest. Of course, the forest didnt stretch to infinity, as there was even a port city at the western edge of it. But getting to that ce would take a lot of time. It wasnt a ce you could easily get to. It would be quite hard to get there timewise. No, Reid. Think carefully. You have a long vacationing up, right? Oh, yeah, I guess theres only a month left, huh. But Im not sure it would be long enough to make round trips to the western port. Oh, I own an islet in the western town. We can open a training camp there. For you and the rest. Me and the rest? I mean you, Michelle, Letina. Also Cloud and Finia. I get the four of us, but Finia too? Finia was training in the sword, but she was not that all-out about it. Its been just over six months since she started training with Lyell. I wasnt very confident about throwing her into practicalbat just yet. Wouldnt it be hard for her to keep up with us in the training camp? I had such apprehensions, but Maxwell seemed to disagree. She is also trying her best. She is receiving training the same as Cloud, so she should be able to keep up with you at least. Besides, with us alone What? I have memories from my previous life so I could cook to an extent But putting it frankly, I was very crude at it. And I could easily guess the cooking ability of this old man. If we leave it to Letina, it would only lead to charcoal. Michelle should be able to roast meat at least, but anything else should be beyond her. She should give it a break with her carnivorous nature already. As for Cloud s, he was being ostracised even when they were preparing meals at his home, so he shouldnt be able to cook properly. Oh, a training camp sounds nice. Id like to join too Dont. Michelle was looking up to her, but introducing an almost Evil God to them was better to be avoided. My rejection made her look pitiably sad. Seeing her expression made me feel bad to dismiss her just like that, so I quickly followed up on my words. I mean, Im grateful for your cooperation, but you shouldnt show up before people, right? Well, that is true. Well take care of gathering the materials, so you just support us with information. Ugh, I suppose I have topromise on that. With those words, her expression changed and she quickly recovered. Wait, was she faking it? Afterward, she requested a paper from Maxwell and listed down all the necessary materials. As expected of a Goddess, her handwriting was so pretty it left me in awe. In addition, the Goddess of Destruction took responsibility and healed the petrified Mateus who had been left forgotten Until the next day. Chapter 256 ording to the advice of the God of Destruction, we decided to head to the western port town for the training camp. The participants consisted of me, Michelle, Letina, Cloud, and Fina, led by Maxwell. Six of us in total. Cortina seemed to want toe along too, but with Maria nearing childbirth, there was a need for a female helper, so she remained behind. The three weeks before the long vacations we spent preparing for the camp, and soon that time had arrived. But just as the winter vacation was on our doorsteps, Cortina made us work on our homework. Her condition for us to go to the training camp was to finish our homework beforehand. She had a point, but it was honestly a pain in the ass. The homework itself wasnt hard, but the amount was. We were told to finish half a months worth of homework in three days, so it was very tough. Letina and I did our homework at a great pain. Michelle was from the Adventurer Academy, which put emphasis on the practical side, so there wasnt much homework for her, and she finished it quickly. As for Cloud who didnt go to school, he was having a fun chat with Finia. You little! Take this! Ow! Why are you kicking me! I cant forgive you for ditching us while we suffer and enjoying tea with Finia. How unreasonable can you be!? Save me, Lady Cortina! Cloud started protesting in tears as I kicked him under the table. Cortina responded to him with a warm smile. Cloud. If youy your hands on Finia, Ill pluck it. What exactly!? What are you trying to make a maiden like me say? Also, Ill pluck if you touch Nicole and Letina too. A maiden? At your ag- No, nevermind. Wait, Michelle is fine? Cloud was about to slip up, but he seemed to have sensed the danger to his life and quickly changed the topic. Hearing that, Cortina looked a little unsure how to answer. Well, Michelle isnt as problematic social position-wise Still, if youre ready to face Nicoles wrath, give it a try I guess? No thanks! As she said, putting his hands on either me, who was the daughter of the heroes, or Letina, who was the daughter of a marquis, would most certainly get him involved in trouble. Finia was also Lyell and Marias servant, so touching her could incur their wrath. In that respect, while Michelle was under Lyells patronage, she was still just a huntsmans daughter. She was the safest bet in that regard. Of course, Im here to prevent that. Stop bragging and do your homework. Dont get so cheeky! Okay, leave it at that. Still, Cloud has a point. You havent progressed at all, Nicole. Ugh, Im trying. This training camp was all for the sake of the gift to give to my soon-to-be-born sister. If I thought about it like that, this much homework was no big deal. Compared to the fights against Mateus and Gideon, this much was was A huge pain. Nicole, you were weak to these repetitive practices? No, Im actually good at them, but Im more suited for the active stuff. When it came to sword training or thread maniption, that is, things focused on physical activity, I didnt mind even if it was repetitive. However, when it came to single-mindedly decoding magic circle techniques and calcting magic quantities to guess the result, they were far too disconnected from my nature. Actually, what if I use my threads to do several questions at once! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Not happening I guess, my mind would fall behind. I didnt know how the God of Destruction guessed the childs gender, but Cortina and others had no way of knowing about that. Thus, I decided to just pretend it was my hope. I was just thinking a sister would be nice. Oh? A brother would be very lively and cute too. Cloud is enough for the lively role. So youre treating Cloud as a little brother, huh. Well, hes got Lyell blocking the way, so his chances are slim anyway. Clouds been interested in Michelle as ofte, so you should focus on that. Oh, really? I guess hes worth teasing then. Please dont talk about scary things while Im next to you Cloud, being unable to read the mood, cut into our conversation. Thats why youre not popr. Take an example from my past life. I was so good at reading the mood that I never intruded in peoples conversations. No, well, that made people misunderstand it as a do not approach aura. Right, how about you take this opportunity and try learning some magic, Cloud? Huh, me!? The rare example that Cortina spoke of referred to the past me. I had low physical and magical abilities, but it was made up by the exceedingly high agility and dexterity, so I was a pretty unbnced existence. Cloud was saving money to be an independent Adventurer. That said, he didnt have enough of it to attend the academy. In the first ce, hunting small animals around the capitals vicinity didnt get a lot of money. Of course,pared to kids our age, it was in another league, but the academys tuition fee was quite high. Cloud still seemed to have ways to go until then. You dont have to attend the academy to learn magic. Like, youre already studying under Lyell and Gadius, so why not just add Maxwell to the count? Lord Maxwell? Rejected! I instantly objected to Cortinas suggestion. Maxwell was currently in charge of my magic training too. If Cloud got involved in that, he could hear things that he was not supposed to hear. He didnt even know basic spells, so Cortina shouldve been enough to teach him. Cant you teach him yourself, Cortina? He doesnt even know elementary magic yet, so Maxwell would be wasted on him, wont he? Mh You have a point. But under my supervision. Huh, why? Just because! Even if it was Cloud, he wasnt allowed to stay alone with Cortina. I insisted on that while looking sulky. Chapter 257 Three days passed in a simr manner. Letina and I safely finished our holiday homework and the day to depart to the camp had arrived. The pregnant Maria could not follow us, so she ended up staying with Cortina. The reason she didnt stay in the vige of the United Nations was that it was a remote region and didnt have a good doctor around. Maria, who was the healer there, having to give birth required the presence of another healer just in case anything happened. However, due to Marias presence, no other able medics showed up there. As such, she wouldnt be able to deal with it if the unlikely event happened, thus she decided to give birth in Raum which was full of talented people. She was worried about the vige, but Maxwell sent Lyell over every day to check the situation and there seemed to be no problems So far. Michelle and I took the asion and visited the vige too. Michelle was quite homesick, so it was a good opportunity for her. When the viges saw us after so long, they surrounded us from a distance and observed us without looking away. I was a little bewildered at their attitude of looking at us like outsiders. ording to Michelle, that was definitely not the case, but she didnt tell me what I was getting wrong. At any rate, as the next day arrived, there was someone bawling his eyes out seeing me going away when he finally got the chance to live with me. Nicooooole, are you leaving your daddy agaaain! Its just a training camp, Ill be back in a few days, you know? How cruel of you to leave your pregnant mother whos about to give birth behind like that! Youre here for her, arent you! Cortina is here too, and Gadius is at the mansion as well. This lump of beard is useless during childbirth. Thats quite cruel towards me, dont you think? Well, I guess he is useless But Im not much different even if I stay behind. You can be there to heal my heart! Nicole, you were quite cruel to me as well. Anyway, youll have one more child soon, so just endure it until then. I stood in a daunting pose and coldly dismissed Lyell who was saying pathetic things. Gadius behind him grumbled in protest, but I decided to ignore him. At any rate, when my sister would be born, Lyell would have no time to pay attention to me. Besides, rather than heal Lyells heart, preparing a gift for my sister was much, much more important. That aside, the sea is dangerous so be very careful. The currents there are on another levelpared to the river pool. As I was dealing with Lyell, Maria addressed me with a piece of practical advice while rubbing her belly that was in its final month. Behind her stood Cortina with a worried expression. My apologies, Lady Maria. To be leaving the house during such a crucial moment. Dont worry, Finia. Its nothing much if you think of it as a recement for your vacation. No, well, it is a training camp. Girls using swords to train I guess you have weird hobbies like Nicole, eh? No, it is not exactly my hobby. Finia was feeling apologetic for leaving the house at such an important time due to Maxwells insistence. However, we really needed Finia with us this time. Maxwells wisdom of age waspletely useless when it came to cooking. The other three didnt seem reliable, so Finias life skills were essential for us. Well, we are in need of a person who can cook. Maxwell was feeling unusually fed up against the joint nagging of Maria and Cortina. As expected, the women of our party were overwhelmingly strong. Perhaps that was the reason why we had such a great bnce. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) It seems that I would be useless here, so I cane along if you want? Gadius, you stay here. Lyell seems unreliable when it matters the most. It is already the second childbirth of his wife yet he remains unreliable. As Nicole came first, it is natural for him to worry whether the second child would be as frail as her. I feel bad for causing you to worry. The stray arrows from Maxwell and Gadius conversation were hitting me. Still, it was true that I worried my parents a lot, so I had no words to say. Well then, time to get going. Is everyone ready? Well, even if you are not, we can alwayse back. As expected of Lord Maxwell. That doesnt sound like a training camp to me So amazing! Letina and Michelle were looking at him in awe. Cloud on the other hand instead had an exasperated expression. And sorry to say, I agreed with Cloud on this. It wouldnt be a training camp if we cane back so easily. Lets just make a rule that if we return back even once, it would mean we failed. Are you no too hard on yourself, Nicole? As a Dwarf, I agree to her judgment. Id rather you just give up on going there in the first ce. And you need to learn to give it a rest already. The goal this time was the western port city Citri. More precisely, Maxwells personal uninhabited islet that was offshore there. It had a cottage to serve as an amodation facility, but it didnt have fancy stores youd find downtown. It would probably be a half-survival situation there. If we returned to Raum due to some inconveniences, that wouldnt amount to any training. It was a good ce for us, who were used to having handy magic at our disposal, to focus our minds. I could also get the materials for my present, so it was like killing two birds with one stone. And thus, we departed on our trip to the port city Citri with Maxwells magic. Chapter 258 Maxwells Portal Gate brought us straight to the outskirts of Citri. This time, it wasnt the city itself, but Maxwells private offshore islet that was our goal. Normally, wed have gone to Citri to get some supplies before departing there, but we came right from the capital so there was no need for that. We are near Citri now. It is over there And the islet over there is our destination. Maxwell was acting as a tour guide from afar. It was my first time visiting this ce, so it was quite interesting. Is that the sea? The air feels strangely salty and fishy. That is the smell of the tides. It must be an unfamiliar smell for little Letina who lives in Raum. I see. However, despite being quite strong, it does not feel unpleasant. There was a port city in Alecmarle, so I have seen the sea before. For Letina who was constantly ind, this was the first sea. She must have been very impressed. There should be a lot of fish! Are there any tasty ones? Ho-hoh, of course! They have a different tastepared to the river fish, I rmend it. Still, we have to head to our camp location first. Michelle, training camp requires you to catch fish yourself, you know? Ah, youre right! Michelle remained unperturbed and quickly mobilized her appetite. Still, we had to go to the mountain during the second half of our training camp, so fish alone wasnt our goal. And Cloud who stayed silent No, actually, not just Cloud. Finia and Cloud were Currently dealing with teleportation sickness. Bleeeeh, my eyes are going around and I feel sick L-Lady Nicole, the ground is shaking. Is there an earthquake? Finia, its you whos shaking, you know? Hahaha, what are you saying? I am standing still. Finia was trying to stand in the attention pose, but she was swaying around like a spinning top that was about to stop. The brain could not catch up to the sudden switch of location and the shift in the vision, and semicircr canals were going haywire. It was no big deal once you got used to it, andposed individuals werent even influenced by it, but this was the first time for these two so it ended up being a bit too much. Maxwell, these two need rest so lets take a break for a bit. It seems to be the case. However, we came here just so you could see the Citrindscape, so let us make another leap before we rest, shall we? Now that I think about it, its your private ind so you shouldve been able to take us directly there. Indeed. I thought it would be boring to take you straight to the camp location, would you not agree? As such, I decided to take you here to make it feel like an excursion However, it seems that it had an opposite effect. I see. So you were being considerate in your own way. As he said, getting us right to the camp where we would spend the entire time training, and then taking us straight back would leave no ce for a change of mood. It was hard to tell if there would be another chance for Finia, who was always at the Capital, or Letina, who was a marquis daughter, to visit this city again. Thus, Maxwell decided to stop somewhere with good scenery to make it feel like an excursion. Still, was it my imagination that Maxwell was being awfully considerate to Letina for some reason? Oh well. Finia, Cloud. Can you handle another leap? Of course. Leave it to me. Y-Yeah. Ill manage Finia puffed her chest while wiggling around while Cloud gave an uneasy consent. Seeing that Maxwell decided it was no good. It seems like it would be too much now. Oh well, let us briefly rest as we sightsee. Looking at the scenery afar is good for healing motion sickness I hear. My apologies We ended up slowing you down from the start. This is the problem of the constitution, so its nothing you can help it. And you arent really slowing us down. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Iforted Finia who dropped her shoulders in dejection. We departed right away so it wasnt even noon yet. There was no problem in taking a short rest here. Here, drink some tea that mom gave us. Sit down over there. I took out a sk with tea and offered it, which she obediently epted. Her actions made her look unsuitably lovely for her age. It felt like I gained a younger sister. I was always the one being looked after by her, so this felt quite new. Seeing me like that made her giggle. Lady Nicole, are you practicing your sisterly act on me? I think its a little early for that. No such thing. Im just keeping myselfposed as always. I swelled my cheeks as if to cover my feelings. In the meantime, Cloud was being served tea by Michelle. Ever since the incident with Mateus, Michelle seemed to have been acting overprotective of him. Oh well, she looked cute trying to act like a big sister, so I decided to let it slide. Chapter 259 ording to Maxwell, this isted ind was uninhabited, and while it had a cottage for amodation, the manager was only going there once a month to clean it so it was mostly unmanaged. That naturally meant that there were no food reserves there. There was apparently water well behind it so we shouldnt have any problems water-wise, but we really had to procure food by nightfall. There was a sandy beach nearby so we could go for a swim, but whether wed have time for that was another matter. And so, this is my vi. It has been periodically cleaned, but it is still mostly abandoned so we have a lot of work to do. It looks a bit dusty, though? It does seem to need cleaning. Ill go prepare our beds then. Food We dont have it, huh. Lets make do with the ingredients that we brought with us tonight. After we were guided to the cottage located a little away from the beach, we all started to move separately the moment we went inside. Michelle and Ledina went on to get rid of the dust that had umted for almost a month. Cloud went to air the beddings and expose them to sunlight to prepare for the night, while Finia started making preliminary arrangements with the ingredients that we bought along. We had lunchboxes prepared for the day so it wasnt a problem, but other than that we only had preserved food. They would take extra effort to use in normal cooking. Seeing the girl trio head to the well to get water while Cloud proceeded to carry out the beddings from every room, Maxwell let out a groan in admiration. They move very well. You seem to have educated them well, Reid. We arent alone here, so call me Nicole. And they had a good disposition since the start, so you can expect great things in the future. So, what are you going to do? Hm? Now that he mentioned it, only Maxwell and I were standing and doing nothing. Though that was because I had something else to do. First I sat on the empty chair and took out a memo from my shoulder bag. As I leaned down to read it, the shoulder strap emphasized my chest a little. My chest was growing favorably despite my wishes. Still, setting that aside. Based on the God of Destructions Advice, we need two materials. For the shampoo ingredient, we need the mucus of a creature called floating wakame or something it seems? I know about that. It is a seaweed-type monster that floats on the sea levels when nightes. Its a monster!? They stick to the bottom of the ships traveling at night, dissolving the wood to eat it and drill holes into the bilge. Thats quite a nuisance Apparently, they used the mucus covering their bodies to dissolve the wood. If we remove the mucus down to the epidermis, dilute it and use it as a shampoo, it would be a detergent that was kind to the skin. The grains of the fine powder would hold the sliminess and would clean the skin down to the pores. Moreover, that slime would even act as a moisturizer and improve the hair condition. They make frequent appearances at night, but we might not find one at daytime. Then, lets do cleaning and lodging preparations, then go collect them after we eat at night. That sounds adequate. Are we going to the sea tonight? Michelle who was darting around seemed to have overheard our conversation. We havent done any night activities at all. I was of course experienced with it, but Michelle and Letina were still kids so going out at night would worry their parents. Even Cloud would make the orphanage sisters worry, so he was refraining from it too aside from our special training sessions. In other words, this would be their first adventure into the world of the night. Thats right. The monsters we are looking for only appear at night it seems. Ohh, a night adventure to the sea, huh? Im looking forward to it! Yeah, me too. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Particrly to see Finia and Michelle in their swimsuits. We had to hunt monsters in the sea, so everyone has prepared their swimsuits. Ive seen Letinas swimsuit during our academy lessons, but since my schedules were different from Michelle and Finia never really left home, Ive rarely seen them in swimsuits. I have been blessed with a good opportunity now, so my hype was sky-high. Still, it was a little out of season to make full use of it. Let us finish the cleaning quickly, eat lunch, then do a short trip to the sea ande back to sleep until evening, then eat dinner and head back there. After listening to me list todays schedule, Michelle pushed her hands up and answered cheerfully. Ah, so well be swimming after lunch! Were just going to check the ce, okay? Well stay there for two hours at most. Thats more than enough time! Now you have a chance to show your new swimsuit. To whom? Besides I only have the academy swimsuit with me. I mean Cloud of course. Its not like Im into him, you know? In the first ce, Michelle was the one who got along with Cloud the most. I was just training him and nothing else. However, it seems that she misunderstood our rtionship. There you go agaaain. If you dont be more honest, Ill go ahead and steal him, you know? I mean, be my guest. Grr, youre so stubborn. Lately, shes been interested in love affairs, but I suppose this was what you called puberty. Seeing her stop her hands, Letina gave a sharp rebuke. Hey, we have to get this ce cleaned already or we are going to end up eating lunch in this dust. Ugh, okaay. Her expression turned grim after imagining it and then returned back to cleaning. In the first ce, Id rather not swim in this season, you know? Raum has a stable temperature, so swimming is not out of the question However, I reckon it would not feel that good. It was already December, so the temperature started to fall. Being surrounded by forests, Raum was rtively stable with the temperatures, so while it felt chilly it wasnt exactly cold. So if you wanted to swim, there was nothing stopping you, really. Its gonna give us goosebumps for sure, huh? I do not want to head to that world just yet. How are we nning to beat the monsters though? I will just use magic to walk on water Lets go with that then? If we can walk on water, there would be no fear of drowning either, and the waters coldness would be no concern either. However, Maxwell remained frowning. The effect of this spell extends to everything the individual has on hand And that means that our weapons would also be unable to get inside the water. Thats Before we manage tond an attack on the Floating Wakame, our weapons would get repelled by water. Thats no good! That is the case, so let us use a spell to help hold the breath underwater. I will teach you so try your best to remember. So Ill be using it, huh? And we have to swim, after all, huh Before that, I had to check whether we could swim there. Michelle, Letina, and naturally, Cloud, could all swim, but whether they could in this water temperature was another question. Not to mention, this was their first sea. It was better to do a little test before jumping into the sea unprepared. Chapter 260 Maxwells vi wasnt too far away from the uninhabited inds beach. Normally, the seashore was quite a dangerous ce, but the currents were calm and stable near Citri, so there were apparently rarely any problems. We finished the cleaning during the morning, ate the lunchboxes prepared by Finia, and then headed to check out the sea. At the end edge of the woond path to the beach Onemanstood in a daunting pose. Finally The spring of my life is here! Its winter now. And get out of the way already. Cloud with clenched fists dered in tears before receiving my kick to the back. Standing in the middle of a road in that pose was blocking our path. With that, he fell t on his face. And I kept mercilessly trampling down on his back. But make no mistake, this was not some unreasonable abuse. It was an absolutely essential measure to protect my friends from his indecent gaze. After all, the ce where he was staring towards was the shore where my friends were currently ying around. Kya, Michelle, the water is still cold, you know! Come on, big sis Finia, you have to prepare before entering the water too or it would be dangerous. The three beauties with abundant variations were being merry in their respective ways. It wasnt like I didnt understand why Cloud was yelling like that. The Forest Kingdom of Raum was covered in greenery, so the temperature changes werent drastic. Citri outskirts, in particr, were quite resistant to the temperature drops due to the effects of the warm currentsing from the south. It seemed to be just under 20 degrees based on how it felt, so you could swim if you really wanted to. The current temperature could be summed up like that. Thus, we switched into swimsuits and came here to test whether we could do water activities or not. Michelle and Letina were of course not thinking about such tests, and just came fully intending to swim right away. Actually, Finia was the same. She waspletely hyped after seeing the sea for the first time. It was really a sight for sore eyes to see her wear a light green one-piece on her slim body and y water sshing with Michelle while looking umonly cheerful. Michelle, who didnt lose out to adult Finia in her body proportions, came with a newly bought sports bikini. I couldnt help butment that it was outrageous to have such a body at that age. Outrageous, truly outrageous. Hmm-hmm. Letina also came with a new swimsuit, and it was a child swimsuit with a cat ornament on it, which was Quite fitting to her less developed body. The frilly skirt around her waist further added to the childish image. I couldnt see her being the same age as Michelle. Well, I understand your feelings. I suddenly heard a questioning voice from under my foot, and erased my lewd gaze. Looking down, I saw Cloud gazing up at me with a strange expression. His rude gaze made me flinch back a bit. W-What? Master, did your breasts get a little bigger? Die. Gwaaaah! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I instinctively started twisting the leg that was pushing down on him, adding more force to it. He raised a voice like a frog run over by a carriage, struggling underfoot. The sensation from his back felt unusually rugged for someone his age. He was always hunting and piling up real experience, on top of getting frequent spars from the senior Adventurers at the Guild, so his muscles were shaping up pretty well unlike what his appearance suggested. His body resembled that of Lyell who was my goal, and his bodily build already held more prospectspared to mine from the previous life. Ugh Youre expelled. Eeeh, dont be unreasonable!? He-he-he, theres no need for a student whos stronger than the teacher. Even your reasons are just as unreasonable! Can you leave it at that? Someone addressed me as I was trampling down on him. It was Maxwell who had approached from behind. He was following behind me so he should have seen our entire exchange. Nicole, your earlier conduct resembled that of a maiden being jealous of her boyfriend looking at other girls, you know? Gehh! Having that pointed out made goosebumps stand on my body. Being told that when my body was already developing into a womanly direction was like attacking my identity. I rubbed my arm to calm down the goosebumps and removed my foot from Cloud. T-Thats absurd. Cloud is nothing but trash. Im not interested in him at all. In the first ce, our goal wasnt to swim. Besides, there was no demand for a swimsuit given the season. There being no demand also meant it wasnt being sold in many ces. I dont know where those three managed to obtain theirs, but at the very least, I wasnt aware of a store in the capital that was currently selling swimsuits. Not to mention, the academy swimsuit wasnt to be looked down on. It was thick, sturdy, and good at retaining warmth. It was a perfect match for adventurers like this. Also, since it was made for growing students, it simply had a margin for growth. Nicole You are a mess. Not you too! I cannot sell this to Cortina. Okay, let go of that photo tool right now. Maxwell, who sneakily brought a photo tool with him, slumped his shoulders in grief. I rushed on to attack him after seeing his typical behavior. Chapter 261 After I yed with my friends a bit at the waterside, we decided to properly verify things. First, we needed to judge whether the current water temperature would make long underwater activities possible. It Might be a bit tough, after all. Michelle, wrapped in a towel, dered while trembling. It was natural that shed end up that way after ying water sshing in this season for an hour straight. Indeed. I dont have confidence in my stamina, so it would be difficult for me too. The temperature would fall even lower at night, wouldnt it? Im of the same opinion that it would be difficult. Finia and Letina agreed with Michelle in turns. In the end, this winter season became our biggest obstacle today. Incidentally, I only entered the water up to my waist so my stamina was mostly fine. In addition, Cloud had still note out of the water. There was a reason that made him unable toe out. I Understood what he meant. I was also a man before. Michelle having so much exposure and skinship was a fatal hit for any man. Moreover, It seems that water limits our movements quite a bit. Yes, it doesnt seem like I can use a bow here. I managed to use the Breathing spell that Lord Maxwell taught us, but the waves shook my body more than expected, making it hard to aim. If you used Breathing you could breathe underwater for an hour. Not just that, you could even talk, so that made using magic possible. The problem was the water resistance, as it made drawing magic circles slower and the waves made aiming difficult. In fact, when Letina tried it in practice, some of her spells missed by several meters. This is a big problem for me too. Bestowal can also miss, and I might end up buffing the enemy instead. That would already be more than just a simple pinch. The cold makes movement difficult so its quite dangerous. You just have to do your best, Cloud. Why only me! Shut up, if you have anything to say,e up here. I cant! Well, I could understand what he was feeling. Michelle was currently trembling and hugging her body. Yes, she was squeezing herself. And that was extruding certain parts. Certain fleshy parts. Moreover, she was wearing a swimsuit with big exposure. Even if his eyes were glued on her, I couldnt really me the guy. I fully understood it. At any rate, I shall do something about the cold. No, I will let Nicole do it. Me? Interference system has a spell called Warm, right? You should be able to use it about now. This Warm spell was mainly used in cold or tropical regions, basically, ces where the climate made it hard to tread normally. By casting it on the equipment, it retained a fixed heat. Moreover, the duration was as long as your magic powersted, so it could be up to 6 hours. As it wasnt cast on the body but on the equipment itself, it required little magic power and could run for a long time. It was a spell devised to act the same as Light where its duration was essential. I heard it made it quite pleasant if you applied it to the sheets during the winter season. Because it was so convenient, it belonged to the middle-grade magic, so it was quite difficult to master. I see. But can I really use it? Given your current ability, there is no doubt. Even if you were to fail, you can simply keep retrying until you seed. In that case, we can deal with the cold one way or another. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Suddenly, someone picked up on Maxwells words. It was Michelle, who was trembling after getting carried away and started bathing in this season. Nicole, do it now! Nows the time to test that magic! Youre just cold, arent you? Yeah. Taking in mind her honest affirmation, I decided to cast Warm on her. Rather than start trial and error at night, it was better to get it over with now. Crimson One, Gold Six, Jade threeWarm. I attempted to cast it towards Michelle. I used the least magic, with 6 hours of duration. She was three meters away. Maxwell had already taught me privately how to form the magic circle. I recalled and formed it, then let magic power pass through it and released it. Michelle was wrapped in the magic light that I discharged and her expression changed into a soothed one. Waah, so warm! My swimsuit is so warm, Nico-H-Huh? H-H-Hot!? But her expression onlysted for a moment. It seemed that I failed in adjusting the temperature and it ended up being too hot, making her start rolling about on the beach. Ahhh, I-I should dispel it! Uhhh, errr Dispel. While I was in a panic, Maxwell quickly chanted the spell and dispelled it. Michelle remained lying t on the beach. Hm, there are no traces of burns, so there should be no problems. Thats not the problem here! Michelle, are you okay!? Y-Yeah. Im d we tested it beforehand though It wouldve made me tired before our adventure. Right. We need advance preparations, after all Time to change the test subject, so Cloud, youre up. Why me! Facing Cloud who was half-submerged in the water, I released Warm. Naturally, such a hastily discharged spell was never expected to end up sessful. IT BUUUUUURNSSSSSSSSSSSSS!? He screamed while holding his shabby pants underwater. Hes been looking at us lewdly as ofte, so there was no problem even if his dick got scorched. Chapter 262 After severalexperiments, I more or less grasped how to adjust the temperature. After that, it was finally Michelles the main person in need time to receive the spell. I poured the carefully adjusted magic power into the spell, activating it. It wrapped her body and showed its effect immediately. Ooh, so warm. Nicole, this magic is the best! Looks like its a sess. Thank god. But since you were gonna cast it, maybe it was better to switch to a one-piece instead of a bikini? True. Your belly would freeze in your current getup. Finia voiced her opinion, which I was in agreement with. The swimsuit was the one being warmed up, so it wouldnt cover the parts where it didnt reach. Michelle who was exposing so much was receiving little benefit from it. Her firm belly looked especially cold. Its okaaay, its okaaay. Health is my redeeming point. Im plenty warm as is. I envy that toughness of yours. She was like night and daypared to me who hadnt entered the water unlike the trio and yet was still clinging to the bonfire. With everything said, I managed to obtain this new magic with a small sacrifice, so I should consider it good fortune. Thinking so, I looked towards the sacrifice in question. There was Cloud, copsed and squirming like a bug while holding his crotch. I ended up burning his trunks over and over with Warm. Well then, it has started to grow colder so shall we return to the cottage? Hey, the young man whos holding his crotch and squirming indecently there. Time to get up. And whose fault is it that Im in this state! Rather, those arent words that shoulde from a girls mouth! Mgh, look at you acting so cheeky. Whats that about acting cheeky? This is something the orphanage sisters taught me. Fine then. Let me reword it. Cloud, time to get up. You dont have to get any other part up. Come ooon!? I was a man previously, so I was fully aware of the way that part tended to behave. Michelle and Letina, who were unfamiliar with male physiology, didnt understand what I was saying. It was cute to see them looking at me so quizzically. I wish you two remain that innocent forever. As for Maxwell He was standing pigeon-toed away from me. Hey, dont worry, Im not gonna cast it on you. Still, isnt this quite a dangerous magic? That was my impression based on the experiments so far. Since it could heat up the swimsuits, it would also be able to heat up the pants. If you cast this on your opponent in the middle of a battle, it should be possible to both create the openings and also damage them, shouldnt it? However, Maxwell denied my assumption with a shake of his head. Normally, it is not a spell that raises the temperature to that degree. Moreover, magic to heat up your weapon to damage the opponent already exists. Huh, so this isnt really a new spell, huh? Not entirely correct. That spell only works on the metal, so this could be said to be a new spell, in a way? There is also a way to cast Tinder on the enemys clothes. But when ites to simply heating it up without burning it, this might be a new discovery. So like. I mean, do you mean to say that there werent any people who failed like this before? I believe it instead has to do with the amount of magic that you hold There were my friends nearby so I couldnt use my usual speech. I almost never talked to Maxwell with everyone present so it was a bit awkward. Still, I wanted to discuss the earlier spell right away. There were cases when you forgot the sensation after some time passed, after all. How are you faring with magic consumption? Hmm? I used the weakest level of consumption, so its not that much Then again, it felt like it took more than double of Enchant, I guess? That much with just Crimson One? While it is true that its magic power setting is high due to being middle-grade magic, it still does not add up. Perhaps the extra magic power manifested as excess heat. Well, our damages this time only amounted to Clouds wicked crotch, so you can even say it went without problems. No, it didnt! Cloud hurledints my way while on the ground. Since he wasnt standing up, was the damage actually more than I thought? Deciding to check on his injury, I walked up to him and asked. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Did you actually suffer a major injury? Come on, let me see it. Like I can show it! Please, I wont be embarrassed if you show me your shabby thing. He was still 13 years old. He was just a child from my perspective. I was a grown man in my past life, and Lyell has taken me to the bath with him too. When I was an infant, that is. As such, his little pee-pee wouldnt be a big deal for me, but he seemed to be embarrassed in front of adults. I cant cast Cure Light if I dont see it. You dont have to! Ill ask Lord Maxwell to do itter. You want to trouble Maxwell? Do you realize how much you are asking? Huuh!? I mean Then, Ill just endure it! You should just get your friend to heal you, you know? Okay, leave it at that. You are turning into a sexual harasser girl. Maxwell was unable to watch and sent a Heal his way. My Cure Light could only heal the sensation, so Maxwells spell was overwhelmingly more effective. And it didnt seem to have been a serious injury, he quickly regained his usual condition and stood up. Good grief, worrying me for no reason. Chapter 263 We returned to the cottage after that and had a rest until dinnertime. We were going to do activities at nighttime, so we needed to get some sleep lest we would risk falling asleep in the middle of it. For us kids who still had undeveloped bodies, a desire to sleep was one thing we couldnt easily go against. After we ate the dinner made with the marine products we caught while ying at noon, we waited for the sun to set and once again came to the shore. Floating Wakame appeared on the coast during night and stuck to the bilges of boats and such, melting and devouring the wood it was made of. Fortunately, since the manager of this ce wasing here asionally, there was a small boat for us to step into the sea. It could also be used as a decoy, so we were killing two birds with one stone. Still, with two adults and four kids, it really did feel cramped there. Michelle, in particr, who switched out her bow fornces was big baggage there. She didnt hold ance-rted Gift, but her marksmanship should still work when ites to throwing thences. In other words, her uracy would skyrocket only when throwing it. Night sea sure is exciting. W-Would it really be okay? It would be dangerous if we fall Youre taking swimming lessons, arent you, Letina? Its easier to float in the sea than it is in the river, you know? It was really easier to float in the seapared to a river. We had Maxwell with us, too, so even in the unlikely event that we fell into the sea, he would save us as long as we managed to hold on. Rather, falling into the sea was within the expectations. Or more like, our goal was to get in there. Besides, it would be no training if we relied on Maxwell for every little thing. Having an expert like him help us would be putting the cart before the horse. Okay, the water is appropriately deep around here, and Floating Wakame can also approach easily. You should get ready in the water. Okaay! Michelle raised her hands as she replied cheerfully, but with 5nces in her hands, her normal loveliness was reced by a dangerous aura. With Maxwells words, I cast Warm on us five, finishing the preparations. Next, Maxwell cast Breathing on us. I didnt want to borrow his help if I could help it, but I had to close my eyes when it came to things we really couldnt do anything about. It was not for convenience but due to unavoidability. Cloud and Michelle with less swimsuit surface aside, the other three wore a one-piece, so the effect of Warm was quite high. Then, since I had a high level of perception and also a bigger swimsuit, decided to take on the role of a vanguard and jumped into the sea. As I jumped, the first thing was to confirm the safety underwater. Following that, Cloud and Finia, who fought in close quarters, jumped after me. And finally, it was Michelle and Letinas turn. The depth of water around here was about 5 meters at most. In other words, it was a distance where we could pay attention to the boats bilge from the bottom. It was perfect terrain for us to hide below and wait for the Floating Wakame to approach the boat above. The Breathing spell that Maxwell cast on us could only hold out for about an hour. Still, if you provided it with more than the necessary amount of magic power, you could extend the duration. Since we were nning an ambush, I had Maxwell cast it on us tost for 6 hours. We hid behind the rocky area for about 30 minutes, yet the situation above remained unchanged. What changed was instead our side. That abnormality started with Michelle who suddenly started fidgeting around. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Hmm, whats wrong? Eek!? N-Nothing! She was clearly moving unnaturally, but kept insisting that it was nothing. She stood pigeon-toed, rubbing her knees together That could only mean You wanna pee? N-No! The fact that we could converse like this underwater was also thanks to the Breathing spell. It was cute to see bubbles escaping her mouth every time she spoke. Cant you just do it behind those rocks? Cloud, you really should learn some delicacy! Thats right. Also, we are underwater. Does that mean you want to drink her pee? I dont think thats a good fetish for your age. No! I dont have a fetish like that! Hearing Cloud offer a simple solution, I rebuked him a bit. Hearing that, Letina and Finia retreated a step from him. Noticing that, he hurriedly started making excuses. Letina aside, he apparently didnt want to be avoided even by Finia. At any rate, we are just starting, so want to take a break around here? It would be more dangerous if your belly gets cold. Right. This is my first time toy an ambush underwater too. It is quite nerve-racking, so lets rest for a bit. Sea bottom it may be, the currents still flowed there. We had to make sure to not get separated while also staying vignt for the situation overhead. Since we had to multitask like that, me aside, Letina who was light and easy to get carried by the currents was even more exhausted. We returned to the boat where Michelle got Maxwell to cast Flight on her and she flew to the cottage to relieve herself. The reason we didnt go back with the boat was that the boat served as the bait here. We continued taking such rests periodically, and three hours passed. The moonlight that reached the bottom suddenly started to darken. Floating Wakame didnt have a sense of hearing. They didnt even have eyesight. They only had something resembling a sense of smell towards wood, and they could also react to sunlight. As such, there was no need to keep our voices low, but we reflexively ended up doing it as we looked up. There they were Floating Wakame swaying and clinging to the boat Maxwell was on. Naturally, he noticed them too, but he was intentionally staying out of this. This was our adventure, after all. Confirming our target, we exchanged nods. Our prey finally showed up, so we had no ns to let this chance go. Matching our timing, we all charged towards the Floating Wakame. Chapter 264 Floating Wakame didnt have hearing or sight, and instead decided on the prey based on the smell drifting in the water apparently. As such, it should not have noticed our attack from below. I openly started to chant and granted Enchant to Finia and Cloud. As the movement was restricted underwater, this spell was supposed to be very effective. I couldnt use the threads underwater so I decided to take the rear guard position. The fact that we had Finia, another vanguard, was one of the reasons. If too many of us rushed to attack a single enemy, there was a chance of friendly fire. Thus, I removed myself from the count and instead strengthened the other two to raise the certainty of the blow. And yet, this preemptive strike failed to produce any results. Lets go, be careful everyone! Along with that shout, Michelle threw one of the spears she held. Her Marksmanship Gift could normally produce a 100% hit uracy. The situation was far too different from normal now, however. The feeling of the sea coiling around your body. The waves gently swaying you around. The target drifting irregrly. All those factors added up and significantly decreased her usual uracy. The spear she threw didntnd but instead went right past the Floating Wakame. Cloud who had never seen her miss her mark was astonished. No way!? Michelle Missed? We are in the sea so that can happen Then, its my turn! Seeing that, Letina decided to attempt the next attack. But this too ended in a failure. The Firebolt she chanted didnt even fly five meters before it got extinguished by the surrounding water. I mean, I wanted to retort that it was silly to even think of using it underwater, but I guess it would be a bit harsh to tell that to a child who was unfamiliar with things. I suppose this would serve as something to learn from for her. Floating Wakame predated nts consisting of wood. It hasnt been heard of them ever attacking a living being. There have only been extremely rare cases where it aimed to eat a fishermans harpoon and dragged him down along with it, drowning him. As such, I was unconsciously underestimating this opponent at this point in time. That was such an overly optimistic attitude from me. Instead of approaching the Floating Wakame, I just stood and watched as the water extinguished the Firebolt with a lukewarm gaze. Until now was, well, within my expectations. Michelle and Letina should have learned what a pain it is to fight underwater. The rest was for Cloud and Finia to go and finish it off with closebat That was what I thought. But that expectation was betrayed the next moment when Finias attack missed by a long shot. Due to having a small build, the moment she swung her sword water resistance instead threw her back. Due to that, her sword cut the empty space. Huh? She never thought she would miss on hitting an opponent that was just drifting around, making her let out a silly voice. Cloud was Alsogging behind Finia. His new metallic shield was slowing down his movements also due to water resistance. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) You idiot! Cloud, cover for her! Finia ended up exposed contrary to her expectations. Naturally, the Floating Wakame wasnt about to let this chance go. No, more urately, it didnt have the ability to think like that. Still, in reaction to the attack, it reached out with its tentacle (?) towards Finia. Having her movements slowed down in the water, she had no way of dodging it. Cloud finally arrived on the scene in the meantime and swung his sword with all his might, but this too was pushed back by the resistance, making it just as ineffective. The Floating Wakame coiled around Finia as if to lift her up, binding her left leg along with her torso. And then it started reaching towards her chest with suggestive movements. W-What I thought they didnt attack humans? Finia didnt have anything wooden on her, only her swimsuit and a sword. When researching their ecology, we judged that wooden items would be dangerous, so we decided to switch Clouds trusty wooden shield with a metallic one. Michellesnces were also metallic all the way to their handles just in case. And yet, the monster was clearly determinedly coiling around Finia. Ah, that reminds me, swimsuitsaremade of cotton, arent they? We heard Maxwells dullment from above. He seemed to have been able to keep track of the situation from there. But rather than that, what he said was more important to me right now. Cotton In other words, a material made from nts. That would be the target of a Floating Wakames predation. Only the swimsuit, that is. You damn old man! In the first ce, if Floating Wakame had this kind of ecology, he shouldve taught me in my previous life! If he did, I would have dragged Cortina to one whatever it took. And then, Id have seized that photo tool from you. Wait, there was no time for that. At this rate, Finia would end up in a risky situation due to the monsters tentacle y(?). Forgetting about the rear guard duty, I headed to remove the Floating Wakame off Finia. I normally carried my dagger on the back of my waist, but as it would cover my body line, Finia gave me the belt that I could attach to my thigh instead. I pulled out the dagger in one swift motion and started tearing the Floating Wakame off her. Cloud,e and help! Uh, Im kinda also I judged that my strength alone wasnt enough so I asked Cloud for help, but he was already bound by the Wakame. Moreover, it was particrly concentrated on his groin area. Speaking from the perspective of its ecology, it was currently in the middle of devouring his swimsuit. Squirming tentacles and slimy surface, and Finia in an udylike state. This was by far the biggest crisis that he had ever faced. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Cloud you dumbaaaas!? I could only curse at the situation. I could injure Finia if I used the oscition. And given how entangled it was, Michelle couldnt do anything about it either. While I was racking my brains, the Floating Wakame started to twine around me. As my upper body was busy getting it off Finia, it instead coiled around my lower half like with Cloud. Like that, the situation turned messier by the second. Chapter 265 We were in an awful condition now, with three out of five captured. How did ite to this? Despite it being incapable of endangering our lives, this sudden development had me ask in wonder. I judged that things wouldnt go anywhere until I freed Finia and frantically started moving my arms about. The upper half of her swimsuit had already been dissolved, leaving her in a state nody should show. That is, everything was in in sight. The same went for my lower half. This was a battle against time. My own aside, I had to protect Finias lower half from being exposed to Cloud at all costs. It was about time for it to let go of Cloud who wore the least amount of clothing among us but Cloud? When I looked his way, I saw him floatingpletely exhausted as he was being pushed up to the surface. I couldnt help but pity him, noticing the water around him looking a little impure. Well, the slimy touch of this Floating Wakame felt unexpectedly good, after all. Plus, he also had Warm cast on him. What did you evene here for!? I ended up yelling at him, but it couldnt really be helped. At any rate, rescuing Finia came first. Michelle and Letina also came back to their senses and made their way towards me. We managed to free finia with ourbined efforts, and then myself. I looked pretty pathetic with my crotch exposed to the world. How dare you do that to Lady Nicole! Seeing me like that, Finia became enraged. She once again shed at the monster with all her might. The water resistance wouldve pushed her back like before had the situation been the same, but this time, Lentina was pushing her from behind so she managed to offset it. Itnded perfectly on the nucleus of the Floating Wakame and bisected it. nt it may be, no living organism could continue to function after having its core cut. Thus, the bisected Floating Wakame ceased all movements and followed after Cloud towards the surface. And like this, our first dramatic battle hade to an end. Maxwell wasughing his ass off on the boat. I couldnt me him the earlier fight was just thatical. Still, I felt a little reproachful it wouldnt hurt to lend us a hand there. Cloud was being made to reflect on his knees by Michelle as she stood before him in a daunting pose. Finia and I borrowed towels and covered our exposed parts for the time being. Now that was quite a nice battle to remember as a tale. You could have helped us, you know? But that would serve as no training, would it? No use crying over spilled milk, so just go get changed, will you? Change? What do you mean? I mean, you know Do not make me say it. He said that and pointed at my inner thigh. There was a single streak of blood there. Just to mention, I had no recollection of sustaining any injuries. In the first ce, Floating Wakame did not attack living things. H-Huh? Lady Nicole, did you get injured!? I stopped the flustered Finia and poked around under the towel in search of injuries. I thought maybe the dagger grazed me somewhere But it turned out that wasnt the case. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Huhhhhhhh!? It came from a ce located at the base of the legs In other words, it wasthat. Guessing what this was about, Finia pped her hands. So thats how it is. Congrattions, Lady Nicole! I dont feel happy about this!? I suppose your belly growing cold and worsening your condition was the trigger of it. Letina who was properly undergoing sex education unlike me was kind enough to exin it to me medically. I wasnt the least bit happy about it. Maxwell, who also guessed the situation, awkwardly gave me another towel. Michelle still hadnt figured it out. I hoped she would remain so innocent forever, though I realized that was too much to ask for. Cloud was in the same state, but he had no right to speak now. Today, we had a big enough blunder to consider hiring a frencer instead. Still, we somehow managed to seed in hunting our prey for the day. With my first period as a bonus. Next morning, I raised groans while wrapped in the nket inside the cottage. My joints were sore, but my abdomen was hurting the most. It was extremely annoying that I had to visit the bathroom periodically. Fortunately, Finia had things prepared for dealing with that, so I wasnt troubled on that part. Given my condition, we decided to put todays hunt on hold. Gahhh I fucked up. Ive be a girl in both body and heart The fact that you are using such words shows that you are still going strong. I started crying myints after confirming that Finia wasnt around. I mean, I was actually on the verge of tears. Last nights events dealt huge damage to my mentality. Maxwell drove everyone else out of the room under the pretext of consoling me. Since he was the user of healing magic, even Finia did not oppose it. Besides, blood loss for my body was linked to severe exhaustion. Leaving me with Maxwell was their only choice to guard against any unlikely idents. As theyd have nothing to do like that, he entrusted the processing of the Floating Wakame to them. The process went as something like shaving the Wakame skin, mincing it into powder, then soaking it in water to regain its slimy texture, and finally, mixing it in an existing shampoo and adjusting theposition. We heard about the method from the God of Destruction, so we were fully ready for it. It apparently neutralized the shampoos acidity and had this treatment effect that made it gentle to the scalp and preserved humidity in the hair. It was normally a shampoo, but it was apparently no problem even if you washed the babys body with it, even with their fragile skin. At any rate, the Wakame we hunted yesterday was quite big in size, so it would be enough to make portions for my unborn sister, Maria, Michelle and Letinas families too, with some extra to spare. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) It seems that we could preserve the remaining part by drying it and turning it into a fine powder. I felt bad for leaving everything to my friends, but I had no motivation to do anything now. I knew this would happen eventually, but it happened so suddenly that I didnt manage to prepare myself. And the tormenting pain was a constant reminder of the reality of it. I Gotta return to being a man, and fast. Is that so? I personally believe that you should just give up already, but I suppose that would make Cortina sad. I will return As fast as I can. Oh well, good luck, I suppose? I puffed a fist and dered while wiping away the tears of my emotional instability. With Maxwells half-hearted encouragement, I decided to take the day off and slept through it. Chapter 266 The following day, I woke up feeling depressed. Finia told me it would feel a bit better if I kept myself warm, so I slept while casting Warm on the nket. It was certainly better while I slept, but the dull pain that hit me when I woke up was even worse than yesterday. Ugh, looks like the rumors I heard about the following day being harder were true Maxwells cottage was quite big, so there were leftover rooms even after we got assigned one per person. Given my condition, Finia decided to take up the position in the neighboring room, but I didnt have to worry about her sneaking into my room while I slept. She was right next to me, while Maxwell was there to treat the symptoms that apanied the blood loss, so she wasnt that worried. Oh, you are awake, Reid. I cant sleep properly due to pain. Hmm, let me examine you for a bit. Maxwell came from the nearby room, seeming to have sensed that I woke up. Judging by the fact that he called me Reid, the others had yet to wake up. He promptly grabbed my wrist and measured my pulse. He then measured my temperature along with inspecting my pupils and throat. It does not seem that your condition is that severe. It simply feels worse than it actually is due to not being used to it. Either way, I still feel extremely sluggish, so I dont want to work today either. That line makes you sound like azy person. Stop joking about it. Im being serious here. The pain in my abdomen was shaving off my concentration. In this state, I couldnt expect my scout instincts to work as intended. I whined while feeling like crying, or rather, I was actually crying. My emotions were in quite an unstable state. We caught the Floating Wakame and made the shampoo, but I wanted some more of it for continuous use. Besides, I wanted to bring an additional gift, so I wanted to check some other ces if I could. Given my state, however, that didnt seem to be an option. Oh well, do rest obediently today. We also found something we have to do, so we shall work on that for now. Something you have to do? The countermeasures against the Floating Wakame. We need more of them if we wish to keep using the shampoo, right? Well, yeah. However, the first battle already ended up in that state. We have to prepare some spaces for clothes. Cant we just go back and buy them? We didnt expect our swimsuits to get devoured. I think it should be okay to go back to resupply things wecked, wouldnt it? Maxwell seemed to guess my thought process and replied with a grin. Were you not the one who said there would be no point in a training camp if you relied on me? Ugh Yeah, but what else is your n? The reason the swimsuits got devoured was because they were made of nt-based fiber. In other words, it would be fine as long as it was different. So you mean cloth thats not nt-based. Yes, in simpler terms, something like animal skin or insect threads. As he said, Floating Wakame had the characteristic of eating wood materials, so using themonly used cotton-made ones would just get them devoured. However, as it did not eat living things or even corpses, there was no problem in using their skins. There were also insect-made threads like my own mythril ones. These were made by absorbing the nutrients inside the body and then spitting out threads made from that material, so you couldnt confidently say that they were nt-based. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) They were nning to use these methods to make swimsuits exclusively for Wakame hunting. However, animal skin shrinks when it gets wet, and it also rots easily. Its not suitable as swimsuit material. And making clothes out of threads needs a lot of cutting and sewing, things that is too much for us now. We are of course aware of that. For now, we are simply nning to procure the threads and decide after that. Are you sure youd be fine without me? Maxwell wasnt that great at presence detection. In our entire party, Michelle was a bit ahead, but the rest werent that sharp. Honestly speaking, they werent the type of people I could safely entrust the securing of thread-spitting monsters in a mostly deserted ind like this. However, Maxwell seemed to be quite at ease about the matter as he replied with a puffed chest. You can leave it to me. I have familiars for that. I am quite good at detecting things inside the forest. It is you who is simply too good at it. Is that so? I answered quizzically and then noticed theck of one person. Huh? What about Finia? Wouldnt she be qualified for venturing into the forest? She will be staying back to nurse you. She seemed to be restless all night as well. Is that so True, if Finia went away, there would be no one left to care for me. It was my first time going through this, so I was thankful for her to remain behind. Besides, I gave her some homework too. You should help her solve it too. Homework? The fundamentals of magic. Given her Elven lineage, her magic power is quite big. As shes training every day, her sword skills are quite good as well. It would be interesting to raise her as a magic swordsman. Finia, huh Looks like I have an unexpected rival now. Even if I couldnt be an orthodox swordsman like Lyell, I thought I could add magic to my repertoire and be a magic swordsman. That was my current objective. If she was to enter the same stage as me, she could very well be my rival. You are already fullyplete in terms of battles, though. At any rate, is it not about time you got up? Everyone will wake up soon, soe and eat something. Oh, time sure flies. As Maxwell spoke, I sensed someone outside of the door. It seemed that Finia was already up and was getting ready to make breakfast. She probably didnte to see me right away because Maxwell was already here. That aside, for me not to notice it until Maxwell mentioned Looks like I was more exhausted than I expected. Chapter 267 Finia worriedly greeted me as I sluggishly got out of bed. On the table, there was fish that we caught yesterday along with lightly baked bread. There was also seaweed sd and grilled bacon. It seemed that the breakfast preparations were already done. Morning Finia. Good Morning, Lady Nicole. How are you feeling? As a matter of fact, I am sluggish and feel awful. Will you be able to eat breakfast? Yeah, I will manage somehow. After a quick greeting, I headed to the washroom. This cottage drew water straight from the well behind it, so you just had to use the hand pump and the water woulde out. There were various other magic tools installed here and there which made me think it felt better here than in the capital even. I brushed my teeth with my personal toothbrush and then washed my face to refresh myself. Michelle and Letina joined me midway and we all washed our faces side by side. As Letina and I were small, all three of us could fit there without problems. Ptoo Nicole, is your body doing fine now? Yeah, I can move at least. But adventures are still too much for me now. My perception seems dulled due to pain. You have to take care of yourself, okay? I nodded without saying anything to Letinas concern. She forcefully befriended me at first, but she was not a bad girl deep down. She was actually quite a caretaker, so it made me feel d to be with her. After we returned to the living room once more, Cloud and Maxwell were already seated at the table. Cloud, did you wash your face? I generally wash my face after eating. Besides, some people at the orphanage gave me weird faces when we entered the washroom together, so I acquired a habit of postponing it. Huh I personally didnt like the sticky sensation in my mouth so I normally washed up right after waking up, but there were certainly people that did it after breakfast. Thus, I gave an absentminded acknowledgment to his exnation. After all of us were gathered, we started digging into our respective ces. I had to say I really didnt like how they were stealing nces at my way every now and then. I understood that they were worried about me, but given the reason behind my condition, their conduct just made things more awkward. Thus, I decided to redirect them to a different topic. By the way, Finia, about this seaweed sd I managed to procure some good seaweed. Could it be the Floa- Since I was trying to bring up a random topic, I decided tosh out at Cloud after he came into my sight. He took my words seriously and started frantically protesting them. I mean, I understood what he felt back then, but he was still too weak towards women. It was no wonder he would be so after being kept at arms length not just by girls but people generally, but he was still far too pathetic. As such, I felt the need to warn him about it. Since that something beyond your control put Finia in danger, we have to make you take responsibility. N-Now now Lady Nicole, I dont mind it. You have to mind a bit, you know? Finia, who was an orphanage-raised, and then worked as Marias maid, was actually quite a sheltered girl. Since she knew that Cloud was harmless, the shyness she felt about getting seen by him was probably on the level of getting into a bath with a familiar boy. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Still, this time it turned out fine since the opponent was a harmless monster, but it could otherwise have been fatal. For the futures sake, I had to have him get his act together. For that, I chose the method of pressing him with a sense of crisis. Naturally, I had no intention of casting him aside so simply. Nicole, I also dont want to see him go Hmm Alright then, due to Michelles generosity and Finias forgiveness, Cloud shall receive a suspended sentence this time. So I am still guilty in the end?! Listen, if you mess up again, Im really removing you from the team, got it? Ugh, okay, Ill be more careful. After his meek reply, I decided to leave it at that. But his unsociability with people was a bit of a problem. Though it has improved somewhat after he started partying up with us Maybe youck some stimulus in your life? If you give thisd any more stimulus, he will dry uppletely, would he not? He was partying with beauties during the day and being trained by Lyell and co during the night. And when he brought hunted materials to the Guild, other Adventurers sometimes dragged him off to the arena below. Given his age, his life was certainly quite full of stimulus. Then, howe youre so unused to it? I mean, this time it was about Finia so Aah? No, nevermind. I red at him with white eyes. Even if it was Cloud, I wasnt about to hand Finia over! Maxwell decided to put this conversation on hold and started talking about todays ns. Now then. I want you toe with me and gather threads to make swimsuits today. Threads? The conversation went ording to what we already discussed. Finia and I would remain behind while the rest would explore the forest of this deserted ind. They were searching for a monster called Marble Spider in those woods. It was a monster of around one meter long and it tended to make its nest in inconspicuous ces where it preyed on mouse-sized creatures. This cottage was on a cleared-up part of the forest, so those spiders that loved dim ces wouldnt show up here. Sticky and strong threads could be collected from them. The adhesive substance was quite weak to water so we could wash it offter, meaning it could be used for swimsuits. It had brilliance, was tough, and its adhesiveness made it unlikely to be sodden. It might actually be the best material for swimsuits. If there was a fault to it, it was that dyeing it would be quite hard. We can extract the threads even if we do not keep it alive, so feel free to consider it an environmental improvement and hunt them down without sparing any. Okay, leave it to us! They generally didnt move from where they built their nests, so they were easy targets for Michelle. She could defeat them by simply shooting from afar. Given the choice of the monster, it seemed that Maxwell was quite attentive to their safety. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I will follow you as well, but try not to rely on me as much as you can. Finia will remain to care for Nicole and do her magic homework. Understood. And Nicole, dont be a naughty girl and listen to her. Kh After throwing a cynical remark my way, our breakfast meeting came to an end. I didnt need him to say that, I didnt feel like doing anything reckless anyway. Chapter 268 While Maxwell and others were off to obtain Marble Spider materials, Finia and I were focusing on our respective homework. Currently, Finia was in dire distress trying to decipher the homework Maxwell gave her so she could understand the meaning of magic circles. Normally, fully memorizing magic circles was enough to cast the spells. However, Maxwell did not consider that a proper way of learning it. One of his reasons was that, if you did not understand what you were drawing, your range of practical applications would be narrowed down. I on the other hand was busy assembling a magic circle to carve into the talisman, the other gift I was preparing. Even if I say talisman, it was not the kind that brought good fortune, but more like a magic tool that could cast Protection continuously. This magic circle would serve to improve what I received from the God of Destruction, which I wouldter have Maxwell check to confirm whether everything was alright. I nned to do this after obtaining the materials, but since I was feeling bad anyway, I decided to use today to prepare the magic circle in advance. Lady Nicole, about this part Hmm, you mean the reason why the crimson magic circle is used as a base? I peered at her homework as she asked me. I was learning under Maxwell so I could teach her this much easily. I drew near her shoulder and leaned over to look at the problem set and exin as I pointed at it. A crimson magic circle designates the strength of magic power, so you use the magic circle of fire attribute. Because fire by itself signifies strength. So thats how it was. Simrly, yellow is linked to earth, and signifies stability. Thats why Gold is used to set the effect duration. Aha! She started taking notes with a diligent expression. Our shoulders seemed to have been touching without realizing it, making me feel a little embarrassed. She was only five back in my previous life, but now she had already grown enough to look like a girl in herte teens. The soft sensations transmitted through my shoulders were making me strangely aroused. No wait, this was too strange. I certainly have had little experience with women since my past life Or more like I had none of it, but it wasnt to the point that I would be aroused by something so trivial. Finia in question was oblivious to all this. Since I was a girl now, she waspletely defenseless against me. In the end, I ended up being excessively flustered throughout the half day until Maxwells group returned with a sessful hunt. Maxwells group returned as the evening arrived. Cloud and Maxwell were carrying a pole with one Marble Spider hanging from it. It seemed to be dead already, but it looked quite grotesque. In fact, Letina was distancing herself from it a bit. Were back! We managed to take it down! Wee, Michelle. It seems you yed an active part. I greeted everyone. I guessed that Michelle yed an important role due to three of her arrows sticking deeply into the spiders back. Marble Spiders threads could be extracted even after they had died. The raw materials for the threads were being stored inside its body in liquid form, which took on a thread shape after spitting it out from the spinnerets. Some other spider species apparently could spit it out in a balled-up state and use it to attack too. At any rate, it worked like that, so it was possible to extract it whether it was alive or dead. The problem was, the threads spat out by it came with adhesive material, so we couldnt use it as clothes right away. However, that adhesive material was quite weak to water, so once we extracted the threads through spinnerets, we could run it in water and coil it on the spool without problems. So, you extract threads from this butt part, then soak them through this tub of water and wind it around the spool. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Maxwell took out spools and started exining as he made collecting preparations. Michelle and Cloud were listening to him attentively. The two were quite self-interested, so whenever matters concerned their ie, they were very attentive. Letina, on the other hand, was shrinking back at the sight of her first spider monster. Well, its appearance diverged from that of a human greatly, so I could understand her feelings. Maxwells pools were the types that reeled in the thread by rotating the handle, so if we spun it too fast the mucus could get soaked by water before it managed to solidify and snap. On the other hand, if you were too slow or your speed was not static, it would result in a thread of uneven thickness. It took us a while before we managed to reach a stable winding tempo due to all the aforementioned pains. We failed a bunch of times, but still managed to make about 5 kg worth of thread, enough for making swimsuits. By that time the day had already darkenedpletely, dying our dinner by a bit. Finia was kind enough to ount for that and made dishes that would be okay to eat even cooled. Then we went to draw water one by one from the well behind, and washed our bodies in impromptu baths made with Earth Wall. Cloud came to peek midway, but he was easily detected by my perception. My senses were certainly duller, but not to the point that I would fail to detect someone on the level of Cloud. Incidentally, I was also aware that he was instigated by Maxwell. It was something I had gone through myself, so I could understand it. I understand you, but Im not forgiving you. I acted on an impulse! Im sorry! I dered at Cloud as he hung upside down from the cottages eaves while tied like a bagworm. As punishment, youll stay upside down until morning. Ill die, Ill really die! Lady Nicole, that is too much You are too kind, you know, Finia? This idiot has to face the punishment once so he learns it. Maxwell as well. Umm, that would be too discourteous to Lord Maxwell In consideration of Finia, I ended his punishment in an hour. As for Maxwell, he had long made his escape. Still, this whimsical nature of his was quite a pain to deal with. Chapter 269 The next morning, I was starting to recover bit by bit, so I decided to once again step out and gather materials. However, this time it was the materials for the talisman. Wouldnt a talisman be fine to make from wood? Hmm, she said that materials have different affinities to magic circles, so we have to carefully select the materials. Ohh, as expected of the Goddess, she knows a lot. Well, she is the one who caused the resurgence of the magic tools, or something like that? The God of Destruction was infamous for breaking the World Tree that stood tall in the Central Continent, however, many other anecdotes mentioned that she had developed many indispensable magic tools as well. From tools to regte the room temperature to the tools to keep food cold and fresh, they were all said to have been developed by her. She was hard to trust due to the way she acted, but her knowledge was undoubtedly vast. I have never met that self-proimed Goddess Actually, you have met her too, Letina. Have I? I have no such recollection. Well, you were passed out at the time. Does that even count as a meeting? Letina bent her head in wonder, but that was something from five years ago. Thinking about it, Ive already known her for so long, huh? Actually, didnt she also show up during the hot spring trip and have a massage done right next to us? However, Letina was also massaging Finia back then, and the God of Destruction was lying face down, so they didnt meet face to face. Cortina did greet her, but Letina was too focused on massaging Finias back. It couldnt be helped if she didnt remember her. So, what do we have to defeat this time? Cloud stepped forwards as if he was tired of listening to our inside talks. He sure was lively despite getting hanged upside down just yesterday. Thats youth for you, I suppose. We are supposed to get the fangs of a monster called Fang Wolf that lives in the mountain district. Mountain district Isnt on this islet, right? Yeah, so I will have Maxwell transport us there. As an exception. Fang Wolves, like the name suggested, had upper fangs developed to an enormous size. They only lived in the highest part of the mountain district, so we couldnt find them here as we did with the Marble Spider. That area made it necessary for us to go all the way north to the Northern Alliance territory, so it wasnt a distance we could cover during winter vacation. As such, it couldnt be helped so I asked Maxwell to send us there just this once. Well, it really cant be helped. Fang Wolves arent that strong individually, but they are still dangerous monsters, so the vanguards, Finia and Cloud, should be extra careful. Understood! I will make myself useful this time. You should try to rx instead, Finia. Given her state, she could end up getting her clothes ripped again. Fang Wolves had long fangs, so they could easily tear apart the clothes that she wore. She of course wore leather armor on top, but it wasnt certain whether that was truly enough. Our enemy had that much offensive ability. Also, since we are heading to the mountains, make sure to wear a scarf with Purify effect, and also dont forget to bring clothes for the cold. I am already prepared in that regard. Since it was already the winter season, we had heavy clothes prepared. As for the Purifying magic tools, those were items any Adventurer had to carry with them at all times. However, that logic did not apply to one of our members. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Umm I didnt have money to buy one For an orphan like him, magic tools were like flowers on a high peak. I already knew that he didnt have one, so I had Maxwell bring a spare from his mansion. Here, you can use this. O-Okay. I will borrow it. Eh, you do not have to return it. I already made a new one recently. Huh, but this costs a lot It is but a handy item for me. Rather than that, I would prefer if you focus on protecting my two students. Understood. I will ept it gratefully. He meekly nodded to Maxwells words. But do not forget, Cloud. This geezer has a bad hobby of instigating me and you to peek at girls only to get us busted and have augh. Well, he was actually expecting a lot from Cloud. Cloud had the resilience that I did not possess in my previous life. His toughness was high to the point youd think it came from a Gift. If I used him as a tank, I could make full use of my own power. Maxwell knew that too, which was why he was expecting things from him. Shall we depart then? Right as he said it, he had already finished constructing a magic circle. It was so fast that Finia, who had only just started learning about magic, failed to understand when he managed to draw it. Next came the aria. He perfectly controlled his vast magic power, without excessively influencing the spell effect, manifesting it perfectly. His ability was certainly on the level of art. This should have been a good lesson for Letina and Finia who were learning magic. I was the first one to head through the manifested Portal Gate, confirming the safety on the other end. Following me was Michelle who had the biggest firepower among us, and Cloud who was in charge of the defense. This was to support me in case I got into a battle. Following us were Finia and Letina, who were the most vulnerable of us. And of course, the spell user himself. The scenery had instantly changed from the warm forests of Raum into a cold mountain district. There were few trees around and the cliff wasid bare. Its slope was quite big, with no ces to hide either. Where Have I seen this It was a steep mountain that you could find anywhere. However, I had a recollection of this sight. High elevation and dry atmosphere. Yet I could see dissolved rocks scattered here and there. They looked much like the rocks produced through the cooling ofva. But for that, the allocation was too unbnced. It was as if they were scorched locally with high temperatures. Um, Lord Maxwell, where is this? This? Well (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Letina, who only heard we were going to the northern mountain district, asked about our whereabouts. Maxwell replied to her with an impish grin. We are at the northern edge of the old Tryad Kingdom, the Scion Mountain Range. This was the Mountain of Fate, the ce where we had subjugated the Evil Dragon Colchis. Chapter 270 The legendary Scion Mountain. Letina was extremely ecstatic at the opportunity to venture here. This was the ce where her adored Six Heroes had shaken the world with their achievement. It would be unreasonable to tell her not to be excited. T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-This is where you fought with the Evil Dragon, isnt it, Lord Maxwell! Calm down, little Letina. You sound like a broken toy. And this is simply a waypoint. The Evil Dragons nest was much deeper near the summit. Then lets go there! Lets go at once! Hurry, hurry! Calm down I said. Your targets, the Fang Wolves, dont live that high up. Normally, the higher you went up a mountain, the scarcer the living being became. Naturally, there were some animals that preferred more elevated ces, but Fang Wolves were carnivores and quite strong as far as the natural world was concerned. As such, they wouldnt go out of their way to move to the mountain summit with limited prey to hunt. That said, they werent so strong to manage to live in the bottonds where they would have to scramble for prey with other predators. Still, their strength was considerably high, so at our level, we couldnt lower our guards. Fang Wolves live around this high up. It is the ce where the vegetation is considerably scarce, you could say. Higher ces in mountains have fewer nts so it might make you think you have an open view, but these wolves still have the ability to hide and sneak up on the prey, so stay vignt of your surroundings. Back when I came here to subjugate the Evil Dragon, I experienced fighting against Fang Wolves once. Maxwell was also experienced in that, thats probably why he chose this hunting ground. Their reddish-brown fur served as a natural camouge in this barrennd of the same color, making it hard for us to detect them. And they suppressed their killing intent to the limits before attacking the prey, so even with my ability, detecting them right away was quite difficult. I slipped out from the group and talked privately with Maxwell. The person in question was dispatching a familiar to the skies to observe the situation from there. Hey, even if this was the God of Destructions request, dont you think Fang Wolves are a little too much for us? Fang Wolves strength lies in their surprise attacks made possible through their hiding ability. Once they have shown themselves, they werent that scary. But in this nature, the ability to take the first strike was too big of an advantage. Especially for the kids with immature, vulnerable bodies, those surprise attacks could prove to be fatal. It would have been dangerous by yourselves indeed. But they have you, Reid. Fang Wolves are not so strong in direct battles. As long as you can sense them before they attack, it should not turn into a difficult battle, right? Thats how it would be if we face them head-on. But the enemy excels at hiding. There is always a chance that one could slip through my detection. And that is why I am here. I am observing the situation from high up through my familiar. And I am also using the Life Search spell. Ohh, as expected of you, old man. Dependable as always. Life Search. As the name implied, it was a spell to detect anything that fell in the living category. It was a very useful spell, but it had its weaknesses. It could only sense living beings. That is, it could not detect the Undead. If you relied on it too much, some Undead could possibly take you out by surprise. Then there was the narrow range. It could detect presences in at most 100 meters, give or take a few. It could only be used to defend against surprise attacks. There was also a problem with the information content. You could only find out the size of targets through this spell. You wouldnt be able to tell whether it was a person or a wolf. Moreover, in popted ces there would be so many presences it could instead confuse you. Same could be said for the forest. It could only show its full power in mostly deserted ces like this deste mountain. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) It must be hard for you to make practical use of it normally. Leave me be. Maxwell responded with a somewhat dejected expression, but he was certainly reliable this time. In fact, he already managed to detect living beings that even I failed to detect. He spoke in a loud voice to warn everyone. There is a somewhatrger presence there. Maybe the size of a cat? It would be best to avoid it just in case. Could it be a weasel? Unfortunately, this magic does not let me find out so much. I do not know what it is. I separated from the group and approached the ce where that animal was lurking while erasing my presence. It wasnt just the Fang Wolves who were great at hiding. I also held the Stealth Gift, so I was good at sneaking up to my prey. Hiding behind the rock was a lizard the size of a cat. It was a brown lizard with a reddish tinge and sharp fangs A monster called Dusk Lizard. It was called Dusk Lizard due to its color, but this was supposed to be a trait it developed to live hidden in mountain ranges that contained a lot of iron. It was only as strong as a cat, so it was not a difficult foe. That said, its fangs contained poison so you had to be careful near them. They were sharp enough to pierce through the academy boots that we were wearing, so it was better to get rid of it, just in case. Dusk Lizard continued silently gazing at Maxwell and the rest without detecting me who hadpletely cut off my presence. It was probably trying to find an opportunity to bite into their feet and poison them. I could not overlook that. I went around the dead angle of the rock and released my thread. The Mythril thread wrapped around its mouth to seal off its fangs, its strongest means of attack, and also constricted its movements. The Dusk Lizard was shocked when it noticed the thread around its mouth and frantically tried to get it off with its forelimb. That action looked quite charming, like that of a cat washing its face. However, it was an enemy, so I had no time to lose myself in its charm. I approached it from behind and then stabbed my katana into the borderline of its neck and body In other words, into its medu oblongata. Taking a vital hit from behind made it flinch once and ended its life. Just like this, taking the initiative, and dealing a surprise attack was tremendously advantageous. Chapter 271 I returned back to Michelle and the rest while carrying the dead Dusk Lizard in my hand. Seeing me carry a lizard made Michelles eyes sparkle in joy. Wee back, Nicole! Is that tasty? Thats the first thing you say? Well, if we get rid of the poison, its not inedible I guess. So I can take it back to the orphanage as a gift? You should really be careful there, Cloud. The Poisonous Dusk Lizard needed some skill to deal with. It would be hard to do it with the orphanage sisters and children alone. It might be too much even for Finia. Even I dont know where its poison nds are located exactly. Fang Wolves, being wolves, had very good noses. They would most likely sniff out the blood smell drifting in the air while Finia was butchering it and approach us. And even if they did not do it now, we could lure them by cing the meat somewhere. While being impressed by his idea, I watched as the two started cutting the lizard. The two venom nds are here, deep in its throat, lined up vertically. Nicole, you came very close to cutting them, you know? It cant be helped. How was I supposed to know. It would be better if you aim for the body next time. Now, let us remove the nds first. Push aside the skin around the hole Nicole made. Normally you would have to peel it off from the mouth all the way to the abdomen. Like this? Yes, now, avoid the throat muscles and get to the nds Finia was butchering it with a serious expression while following Maxwells orders. His Life Search was disrupted during this time, so I was staying vignt for the surroundings in his stead. As expected, the smell of blood attracted something, and there was a movement behind the rocks. That said, it didnt seem like it was nning to attack us just yet. Without letting my guard down, I conveyed the situation to Maxwell. Maxwell, theres something moving over there. Oh? Little Finia, let us stop for a moment. Maxwell stopped concentrating on the butchering after my warning. Finia also put aside her butchering knife and switched to the long de in preparation for battle. Maxwell sent his familiar behind the prey to confirm what it was. And then, he released his tension and turned back. Its alright. It is just a Rock Hound. Rock Hound? Michelle and Cloud who heard the name for the first time tilted their heads in unison. You two, you really became good friendstely, huh? Yes, they are a stray dog species living in the mountains. They scavenge the leftovers of other animals Put simply, they are simr to hyenas. They do not attack living beings, so they are no danger to us. Aha! So, those dogs, are they tasty? Michelle Thats already a bit Her remarkable growth probably demanded a lot of nutrients. That must have been it. But actually, hyenas did attack animals and ate living beings, so they werent really simr. Maxwells example wasnt urate, but it would have been rude to start nitpicking at him. I was no match to him when it came to the degree of knowledge in the first ce. Still, this is a bit troubling. What is? I mean we will not be able to lure them this way. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The old man stroked his beard with an unusually frowning expression. Hearing that, Michelle and Cloud once again tilted their heads. Though this time, in opposite directions. Why? Fang Wolves wont show up as long as those dogs are around? I do not mean that How about this, let us suppose there is delicious meat here. Okay. What if you could eat it? I would eat! I would steal it! Cloud dered with a pumped fist. Michelle followed up on it right away. In other words, Michelle dered that she would snatch the meat away before Cloud would eat it. That brought Cloud on the verge of tears. Hey, dont look at me. That is what I mean. Even if we scatter baits now, the Rock Hound would steal them first. But Fang Wolves are stronger, right? If they were present, they would indeed drive the Rock Hound away and get to the bait first. However, the fact is that they are not here now. I see. Michelle dropped her shoulders, realizing that it wouldnt be so easy to lure our targets. But wait a minute. Putting it another way, we could lure the Rock Hounds this way. Then how about we exterminate the Rock Hounds first? If we do that, wed have more baits on our hands. I see. So we should increase our bait first and then use it to lure out the Fang Wolves? Thats right. We could just use the bait to get more bait meat, exterminating every monster that approached. If we repeated that for some time, we would eventually attract the Fang Wolves too. We were on a mountain where it wasnt easy toe by a prey. Just as I was thinking that, a shrill came from the direction of the Rock Hound. Yelp!? Grrrr! Along with it, there was a low growl. As I looked towards the voice, I saw that the Rock Hound monitoring us from the distance was being attacked by a bigger dog. No, it wasnt a dog But a wolf. Maxwell!? I am sorry. I was not being vignt! Isnt it too early for you to go so senile! That was a bit harsh, but even I was too focused on the Rock Hound and didnt notice the approaching presence. You could say that was partly directed to myself and I took it out on Maxwell. Its the Fang Wolf. Everyone, prepare for battle! Cloud set up his shield and stepped forward at my warning. Finia set up her swords and positioned herself next to him. Michelle also nocked an arrow, while Letina set up her staff. Their prompt battle preparation didnt fall behind even full-fledged Adventurers. They were therades that I trained myself. They would not get flustered by something of this level. I positioned myself between them and pulled out my dagger. Thus, just as we finished our setup, the Fang Wolf that easily massacred the Rock Hound shifted its killing intent towards their next prey us. Chapter 272 The Fang Wolf headed our way as it growled. Cloud and Finia also rushed to intercept it. I positioned myself in the center of vanguards and rear guards so I could support either of them as the situation required. Cloud, who had a shield equipped, was a step ahead of Finia. This wasnt because he was faster than her, but because she intentionally lowered her speed while Cloud stuck out to make himself the target. They learned the importance of this kind of timings in the previous battle with the Floating Wakame. And of course, the Fang Wolf rushed towards the prey that was sticking out. Just before they were about to sh, I cast support magic on both of them. Crimson one, Ultramarine two, Jade oneProtection. Magic power strength at one, two targets, ten meter range. I cast the defensive magic at Finia and Cloud with those parameters. This was a spell you learned right away even in the Interference system. The defensive effect it granted was on the level of ayer of quilt. However, that was still an important defensive measure early on, when you had no equipment to use instead. Depending on your equipment, the priority of it fell down. When you became a full-fledged Adventurer, this spell would lose its usefulness. In a way, it symbolized the Interference attribute itself. Just as the spell reached us, it wrapped around them to show its effect. The two were not surprised at that. This was something we nned in advance, so there was nothing to be surprised about. Not caring about that protection, the Fang Wolf jumped at Cloud from the front. Cloud, on the other hand, stopped its charge with the shield as nned. His advance came to a stop with that, but so did the Wolfs. While they were engaged in the contest of strength, Finia used the opportunity to stab at the Wolf with the longsword from Clouds nk. Yeeelp!? Her attack, given herck of strength, was not enough to deal a deep wound. Still, it dealt enough pain to the Fang Wolf, forcing it to retreat from Cloud. As if to match with that timing, Cloud shifted his position diagonally back to the left, with Finia also imitating him. This was partly due to their vignce against the Wolf, but it was also to open up the shooting path for the rear guards Letina and Michelle. I also lowered my posture and moved to not get in their way. Next instant, an arrow and Firebolt spell flew above my head. Michelles arrow was true to its aim andnded urately on the Fang Wolfs hind thigh. Letinas spell also impacted almost the same location. This was far off from being fatal, but this should have restricted its mobility quite a bit. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) With Michelles aim, she could have aimed for its head, but this was a high-ranked monster. It was never wrong to be extra careful. Not to mention, the skull was hard so it might have failed to pierce it and only amount to a small wound. The two rear guards decided to go with the method that would leave a definite damage on the opponent. Receiving the blow, the Fang Wolf faltered, losing power in its hind leg. Making use of that opening, Cloud swung his sword down. Naturally, he was specializing as a tank. His lower body was shifting his center of gravity a little back, so his sword didnt have that much power behind it. Even so, having a swording right at its face made the Fang Wolf instinctively dodge it. But that action further copsed its posture. If they kept restraining it while Finia and Michelle dealt damage, even this formidable foe was bound to lose its strength. Group actions as a party theirbined might was capable of trampling down even higher-ranked foes like this. This would be a good lesson for them to make them realize that fact. The situation unfolded as it was expected. Fang Wolfs stamina kept decreasing every moment, and the longer it passed the better I could support them too. At this rate, we were bound to win before long. Convinced of that, I was about to bestow Enchant on Cloud and Finia But then, I felt a chill down my spine. It felt much like a shudder. Just as I turned behind towards that feeling, Maxwell was already starting to chant. Michelle, behind you! I yelled and sent my thread flying at the same time. My thread stretched out about 10 meters behind her,nding straight on another Fang Wolfs face. Yelp! An animalistic shrill followed right after. Finia was here too, so this could have gotten me busted, but this was a state of emergency. ncing behind towards the first Fang Wolf, I saw that Finia was only just turning back. It seemed that she didnt see me flying my thread. Huh!? Then finally, Michelle realized that she had been targeted. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) The first Wolf attracted the Rock Hound and our attention, while another one sneaked up on us from behind. This was a tactic that wild animals often employed. The Fang Wolves probably also used it now. It was especially effective because they had such a good stealth ability. We were about to fall into their trap. Right as I restrained the other wolf, Maxwell finished his Fire Wall spell. It stood tall to defend Michelle. With that, it couldnt carelessly attack her. Michelle!? Cloud, focus on whats in front of you. I am here for situations like this! My position was that of a middle guard and assistant attacker. I was there in case the vanguards defenses were breached, and also for situations like this. I stealthily winded back the thread back to the gauntlet so Finia wouldnt see it. Instead, I set up my dagger and moved behind Michelle. Thanks to Maxwells Fire Wall, Finia and others couldnt see the wound I dealt to its face. I was impressed at Maxwell for choosing the spell that both defended, prevented another attack, and also blocked the visibility. I will take on the one behind, so you focus on the first one. O-Okay. Please do. I briefly conveyed to Michelle as I passed by. And just as I passed her, the Fire Wall disappeared, leaving me face to face with the Fang Wolf. It was a difficult opponent for the others, but not for me. It was impossible to finish it off immediately with my current body, but it was plenty possible for me to keep it restrained. After fighting foes on the level of Gideon and Mateus, my body was already used to fighting against opponents with excelling physical prowess. As I nned, Cloud and others finished off the first Fang Wolf while I was having a mudslinging contest with the other, and then joined to support me. With all our battle power concentrated on it, even a higher-ranked opponent wouldnt be able to hold out. And thus, we finished subjugating it without a hitch. Chapter 273 We broke off the fangs from two Fang Wolves as materials. They were suitable for the talisman, but they also had a good affinity with other magic items. I needed one for my sister, but there were three more leftovers. So, what do we do about the extras? Does anyone need them? I am fine. There is someone who needs the money more. Right, Cloud needs it the most. Uhh, I dont know I feel bad about this. Cloud was saving up money for going independent in the future. Michelle, Finia, and I had backers, so we would have no trouble with getting by even after graduation, but he was different. He would probably want to save up whatever little he could get. Right, how about We sell two of them, and I buy the third one? Huh, you want one more? Michelle tilted her head in puzzlement at my proposal. She probably wondered why I would need another one if I was gonna gift it to my sister. I mean, it would be nice if my sister and I had matching ones, right? Ah, that sounds great! Then how about we all get a matching pair? Theres not enough though. Theres only four of them. There were five of us. We could get two per wolf, so removing me and my sisters share, we would need to defeat one more wolf. Weve been climbing the Scion mountain range since morning, so quite some time has passed already. Still, we managed to stumble on the wolves quite quickly, so the sun was still high up. The problem was my stamina, however. I was quite fatigued after climbing, fighting and keeping alert for surprise attacks. Usually, I would attract the enemys attention while Michelle easily finished it off so it didnt tire me that much, but this time the sudden surprise attack we received put too much strain on my body. Maxwell, are there any enemies nearby? Several of them at a distance. While there are definitely some, they must be cautious of us after knowing that we defeated the Fang Wolves. How about any other Fang Wolf hiding nearby? There is none around here Hmm, wait for a bit. The moment he said that he chanted Flight and soared up. After getting high enough and observing the surroundings, he cast yet another spell. The Energy Bolt he released impacted a ce a few hundred meters away from us. Seeing the dense cloud of dust was enough to tell us how strong his spell was. It was already beyond the Energy Bolt category. W-What was that for I wonder This is Maxwell we are talking about, so it must be something beyond our imaginations. Letina was struck with fear from that sudden Energy Bolt. The reddish cloud of dust wasing from the point of impact No, wait, there seemed to be something other than dust mixed in it? When that dust settled down, Maxwell headed towards that ce. After some time, he came back to us While carrying a Fang Wolf with its lower half blown away. Here, with this, you should have all six fangs, right? As for Clouds savings You can get some money by selling their pelts. Wah, thanks grandpa! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Michelle pped her hands and shouted in joy, but she seemed to be overlooking the fact that the wolf had half of it blown apart. Energy Bolt was an elementary level spell of the Light attribute, but it was not normal for it to have such a destructive power. It gave me a headache, unsure whether to praise him or scold him. Let us camp outdoors here at Scion today. Eh, Is there a reason why we cant just go back? Finia objected to Maxwells sudden proposal to camp outdoors. In response, Maxwell exined with an impish expression. This is a training camp, little Finia. It would be better to experience what it is to spend a night without a roof in a dangerous ce. That is indeed true, but You must be worrying about Nicole, but overprotectiveness has to stop if you wish to live as Adventurers. You need to experience some hardships. Saying so, Maxwell winked at me. Incidentally, Ive lost count of how many times I had to spend the night at ces like this in my previous life. Maxwell worded it as if it was to train me, but he wanted to let Finia and the rest experience it. Finia, Maxwell has a point. Rather than suddenly having to spend a night during an emergency, it is better to experience it now when we can. Is that so? But Lady Nicole, what about your condition? I was about to forget it too. I-Im sorry! She was referring to my first menstruation. I was starting to forget about it thanks to the battle A-At any rate, I made preparations before departing, so Ill handle it somehow. Also, I dont think you should be talking about that stuff in front of Maxwell and Cloud. You are quite right. My apologies for being so insensitive Well, it might not be something you need to apologize for. I mean, the guys here should at least have enough tact to pretend not to be listening to us. As I directed a reproaching gaze at the two males, Maxwell swiftly looked away. Cloud started looking around in a fluster, until eventually imitating Maxwell. A bit toote to do that. I guess its too much to ask from Cloud. Cloud was one of the few males of our party. Rather, he was the only male. When it came to adventuring, there were ces you cannot enter or information you couldnt obtain unless you were a male. Since we were mostly a group of young beauties, there would definitely be times when we would get rolled up in various incidents or be underestimated. Because of that, I really needed Cloud to start getting his act together. Leave it at that now. By the way, Nicole. I shall go bring some reinforcements, so you stay and focus on surveince. Reinforcements? Oh, I just mean Argus and Bauman. I will also bring Mateus. Why? Well, there are some circumstances. On my side, that is. Maxwell dodged the question as if it was hard to answer. Still, I didnt think he would do things without a meaning. While he liked to pull pranks, he knew how to read the atmosphere when it came to dangerous ces like this. Since he said we needed reinforcements, he might have discovered something that made him judge so. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) He then used Teleport and returned to Raum. It only took him about thirty minutes, but we used that time to finish stripping the materials. Thus, while I was staying on guard uneventfully, Maxwell returned with the three men. Chapter 274 Just as Maxwell arrived with Argus, Bauman, and Mateus, he immediately had us change our location and had us prepare for the camping at night. The reason he did that was because there was the smell of blood drifting in the air, which could trigger a monster raid on us. As he was exining that to the kids while climbing the mountain, we stumbled upon a half-destroyed hut that we used once back in the day, and decided to spend the night there. I had us relocate because I was vignt of a beast raid. The smell of blood can attract foes more than you think. To think there was such a convenient spot nearby. Were you aware of it, old man? This is one of the huts that had been destroyed when the Evil Dragon Colchis was building its nest. We had also made use of it at the time. Mateus asked Maxwell while acting withposure. He had thatposure because he was confident he could easily deal with Fang Wolves even if they plotted a surprise attack. Cloud and Finia were so nervous it was wearing them down. Michelle, who was the target of the previous surprise attack, was particrly tensepared to her usual attitude. Michelle, there are no enemies nearby, you know? Y-Yeah. I understand that, but Is this about the previous attack? Well, yeah. In the previous battle, had either I or Maxwell failed to notice it, she would have been takenpletely off guard from the back. Since she always stood at a safe distance and shot at them while I lured the enemies, this was probably her first experience of a real threat to her life. Even during the fight between Cloud and Mateus, she was still being protected. You could say that she hadnt been approached by an enemy so closely ever since the fight with Kobolds. Dogs and wolves Such a simrity between their races must also have added to her mental stress. That said, as long as she wanted to continue being an Adventurer, that fear was something she needed to embrace. Knowing the fear and always ready to defend yourself was the utmost measure to raise your chances of survival. It would be bad if you are too scared, you know? But still, dont forget what you are feeling now. I shouldnt? Entering the dpidated hut, I massaged her shoulders to relieve her tension. Maria had told me once that this kind of skinship was good for getting rid of tension. She was looking quite stiff too. Meanwhile, Cloud got onto the rooftop and plugged the holes there. Mateus and the other two also found the rags of what were probably clothes at one point, and used them to close the holes in the walls. This was needed so the light from the inside would not escape to the outside. If we covered everything, though, it would affect the airflow and could lead to suffocation, so it needed to be done in a way that blocked the light while still allowing the airflow. Thus, after we finished our preparations and ate Finias handmade survival cooking, I dragged Maxwell outside of the hut. What is it, a date perhaps? Dont make me puke. Anyway What did you discover? Michelle and others werent aware of it, but we nned to spend the night here from the start. However, bringing these three guys was unounted for. The fact that he did it meant that there was something that needed more personnel. That decision came right after he flew up into the sky, so he must have seen something during his flight. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I Am not sure whether you are smart or not. Oh screw you. When I flew up at noon, I saw a strange group out there. A strange group? If we talked about something strange, we who came to a ce like this already looked as strange as it could get. But perhaps he saw something suspicious aside from us. Yes, there were three adults and five children. They all wore hooded mantles and were hiding their faces and physiques, so I could not identify them. Since they were quite far away, the children might have been Gnomes. Eight people on this mountain. Whats more, hiding their faces in an already unpopted ce. That certainly seems odd. If this was a normal mountain, even we wouldnte off oddly. However, this was a particrly restless mountain even among the entire Scion mountain range. The mountain where the Evil Dragon Colchis was defeated. It had a sinister impression even now, and few people ever visited it. In a way, it was a ce as avoided as the Mountain in Maleva where Aste lived. There were eight people here now, and they had climbed up high enough to no longer be considered the base of the mountain. Even if it wasnt Maxwell, anyone would have felt vignt towards them. Could they be Adventurers that came for materials like us? Most likely not. They seem to have five children with them. We managed toe here, but in our case, we had Maxwell with us. And there were nine of us now, but only four of us were kids. I will wait until the children fall asleep and then go investigate. We needed people to protect them during that time. So thats why you brought Mateuss group. Well, I half forced them toe. The most dangerous of them, Mateus, was always at Maxwells mansion, but Argus and Bauman were working as guards during the day. Their co-workers knew that they worked with Maxwell, so no one wouldin even if they were taken away. The same couldnt be said for the people themselves it seems. Ah, well, just throw them a bone. That aside, where were those people headed to? Higher than us In other words Colchis nest, huh? The ce we were at already had scarce vegetation, but if you went even higher, there was hardly anything conspicuous there anymore. When nts disappeared, so did the animals that fed on them, as well as the monsters aiming for those animals. And up there, there werent even Fang Wolves there was only Colchis nest. Looks like it needs some investigation. Right? We exchanged gazes and sighed at the same time. Chapter 275 Right as the kids fell asleep, Maxwell took the opportunity to exin the situation to the adults. Normally, they would have to be vignt all night and constantly keep a watchman, but this time, they were forced into sleep by Maxwell Through magic. Heh, suspicious fellows above us? I already retired, so gimme a break already, will you? I finally got a respectable job too Mateus was motivated by his curiosity, while Argus and Bauman were looking depressed instead. That said, Mateus had to stay back now. If we removed him from the protection team, it would raise concerns. Mateus, youre staying behind, okay? And Im not gonna forgive you if I see a single injury on Michelle and others. Then, how about I mess with them without an injury? Ok, I should really kill this guy here. Hold it now, Nicole. And Mateus, you should stop making such remarks. With Maxwells intervention, Mateus decided to drop his teasing. His life depended on Maxwells whims, so he wouldnt want to actively oppose him. I also stopped myself on the verge of enteringbat mode, and settled down. So, our duty is to protect these kids? The Sleep spell I cast on them was set to high effect. They would be sleeping soundlessly until morning, but that also increases the necessity of watch-keeping. So our Nicole here is an exception to that rule? You should be aware of her skill yourself. You have a point. Mateus nodded with a bitter expression. He probably remembered getting wounded by me, followed by a fight with Lyell. Is this like a gifted education for the daughter of heroes to be a hero herself? Something like that. Magic theory is important, but so is practical experience. As such, I n to take Nicole with me for the sake of her future. Can I note with you as a guard? You? Even though you might stab me from behind? If I did that, Id be dead though. Mateus who was under the Geass spell was forbidden from leaving the capital without permission, as well as injuring any of the Six Heroes. Maxwell was the one who brought him here this time, so he avoided the Geass effect. However, if you sacrifice yourself like that, the other two would be free. It would be strange if I was not cautious. I have no intention of dying for someone, you know? Much less for these two That was pretty cruel of you, boss! Argusined but Mateus didnt seem to care at all. Maxwell left a familiar behind just in case, and then, we decided to head for the summit. Kabby wouldve been helpful at times like these But Maria who was in her final month needed someone who could use magic to be by her side. Leaving it to Cortina alone made me a little anxious so I left Kabby to help her with the nursing. Before we departed, Maxwell left a teleport point that worked as a mark indoors. It was simr to the teleportation spell that Aste used. As expected of Maxwell, he already made that technique his. With that, we could return to the deste hut instantly as there was nothing to prevent teleportation there. It could also serve as an emergency escape point. After leaving the hut, we flew up into the sky with Flight. The reason why we chose to fly instead of walking was partly due to my fatigue from the daytime. That said, flying in the sky with no obstructions left the risk of being detected, but we were already behind them by half a day, so we needed to make haste. To decrease the risk of detection as much as possible, we flew at a high altitude and overlooked thend from there. The mountain at night had no lights, only a dark rocky area stretching on. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) We had a fire lit inside the hut, but it wasnt seen from high above, either. It seems that Cloud did a good job plugging holes in the ceiling. Cloud seems to be fit to be a carpenter, doesnt he? I praised his good work. There was only darkness below. This meant that there was no risk of the hut getting attacked by anything from above. However, there was also something strange to it. And Maxwell noticed that fact. Wait, Reid. Our bonfire aside, is it not odd that we cannot see the one the other people would have made? Hmm? Now that he mentioned it, there was little vegetation beyond us. And there was nothing simr to our hut, either. That meant that those people shouldnt have had any means of hiding their bonfire from the skies. And yet, we couldnt find anything resembling it from above, which made it strange. Could there be a hut somewhere that we dont know of? Or perhaps they used Earth Wall to block the light Or maybe They entered the Colchis Nest, huh? We cleared out its nest thoroughly. There shouldnt even be a single scale of it left inside. Dragons had a tendency of collecting shiny things, so it had some treasure gathered there, but we gave it to the United Alliance. In other words, there was nothing notable there right now. There shouldnt be anything there But maybe we are wrong. Shall we check it? Maxwell was also there during our battle. He could easily blow the entire nest to smithereens as well. But I shook my head at his suggestion. No, the enemy might be hostile. Rather, the fact that they are sneaking around in a ce like this makes that the more likely option. If we fly into the nest, we could get spotted by them and they might turn hostile on us. Id rather avoid any danger. That is true. Then I shall send my vision there. Send your vision? It is part of the Perception magic system. Different from a familiar, this allows you to send only your sight to somece and peer into it. The problem is that I would not be able to see around me while casting it. If you can do it while flying, then please do. He really had all kinds of tricks up his sleeve. This is why I was so reliant on him. Responding to my request, he constructed a magic circle and cast the spell. Crimson five, Gold six, Jade sixMagi-sight. Based on the chant alone, it seemed to be quite a difficult spell. I guess it was somewhere between mid and high grade. After he finished his chant, a dark sphere emerged nearby him. Soon enough, it left his side, then flew around me, and finally, at my feet and looked up my skirt. I quickly held my skirt down and smacked him in the back of the head. Give it a rest, you degenerate old fool! I was simply joking a little Give it a rest and get on with the ******* scouting. I feel malice in your words. Just do it already. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) He shrugged and sent the ck sphere towards the Evil Dragons nest. It blended through the dark of night, making me lose sight of it. It was probably even better suited for searching in this darknesspared to me. Hmm? After a while, Maxwell murmured. I responded to his sudden voice. Did you discover something? There is a man standing in front of Colchis nest. It seems that they are inside. What could they possibly want with that ce after so long Is what I think, but its as we expected. At any rate, no choice but to check it out. That seems to be the case. Maxwell quickly canceled his spell and gained back his vision. And then, we faced the direction of the Land of Fate andmenced our flight. Chapter 276 We used Maxwells teleportation magic to arrive near the Evil Dragons nest. Then I used my Stealth Gift to sneak closer to the nest entrance Where I discovered a watchman. He had his hoodpletely covering his face, so it made him suspicious for doing that in a ce as devoid of people as this. We took our distance from him and kept ourselves hidden. There he is. So what do we do? He is clearly someone suspicious We can not ignore him now, can we? Given what this ce is. The Evil Dragons nest held big significance for us. That remained unchanged even after we defeated the Evil Dragon. Even if there was nothing there now, this was still weighing on our minds. How do we get him to talk then? I dont think well get anywhere if we just go and ask what are you doing here to him. Given the way he is acting, he is already guaranteed to be someone shady. That said, we cannot judge someone with only that much proof. I suppose it would be faster if we sneak through the surveince somehow and check what they are up to inside with our own eyes. With my Stealth, it was easy to avoid the eyes of this single guard and sneak inside. However, Maxwell wouldnt be able to do that. My Gift couldnt extend its ability to other people. In that case, I shall use Conceal so give me a bit. He immediately started chanting as he said that, and his figure disappeared soon enough. We were quite separated from the guard, so he shouldnt have heard his chanting. In fact, the guard stood still like a shadow. Alright, that should work. Right? I heard his boastful remark from nearby. I moved along the shade of the walls and made my way towards the entrance. I erased the sound of my footsteps, my presence, and approached at a dead angle. Maxwell, are you following? I asked in a voice low enough to be covered by the rustling of the nts. Maxwell was currently invisible, so even I couldnt see him. I had to ask him directly like this to confirm it. If I approached any further, there would be no opportunity to ask it anymore. Do not worry. I can keep up as long as you do not hurry too much. Unlike you, I only have to mind my footsteps. In that case, poke my shoulders or back periodically from now on so I know where you are. Understood. I heard his voice from behind. After that, I approached the guard to the limit. If I was certain that they were some ruffians I would have killed him here and now, but aside from the fact that this was the Evil Dragons nest, they were simply staying in a cave after climbing a mountain. It was a littlecking as a reason to assault them. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The man stood still and remained vignt with no change in his expression. I couldnt find an opportunity to sneak in. He was observing the surroundings like a doll with no idle movements. Just as I was wondering how to handle this, there was some sound in the opposite direction from me. The man noticed it and looked towards it. On the other end of his suspicious gaze, a single pigeon peeked its head from the grass. And then, it quickly disappeared back into the grass as if startled. It was most likely Maxwells familiar. Either way, this was the chance I needed to sneak in. Thus, I made use of the small opening before he turned his head back to sneak inside. I wasnt invisible like Maxwell, but I was still confident that I wouldnt get detected as long as I wasnt directly in their sight. I used a sliding motion to jump inside. The moment I passed by him, the guards gaze returned to its normal location. I wasnt sure if Maxwell managed to follow me, but soon enough I sensed a tap on my shoulder. It seemed that he was properly following me. I silently nodded at his signal and advanced further inside. The inside of the cave was dark where you couldnt even see what was at your feet properly. If we used light here, the guard or the people ahead could discover us. Just as I decided to continue my way carefully, I heard Maxwells voice once again. Hold on, this would be difficult for you, right? I shall cast Night Sight on you. He murmured in a quiet but clear voice. Then he followed it with a barely distinguishable chant and cast his spell. At the same time, his figure came into sight. Because he was casting a spell it dispelled his Conceal. But as we were quite separated from the guard, he couldnt detect him. Oh, I can see. There was one guy at the entrance. Maxwell counted three adults and five children. In other words, there should be two adults and five children inside. We concealed our footsteps and headed deeper inside. Given that it was the nest of the Evil Dragon, this cave was around thirty meters in length and width, and it also had quite a big depth. Before long, we arrived at the actual nest without running to anyone. That ce, unlike the darkness until now, was brilliantly illuminated by torches and Light spells. Wha-!? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Seeing the sight before my eyes, I reflexively let out my voice. I could also sense Maxwell swallow his saliva behind me. There was a magic circle drawn at the center of the ce, with the five children lined up around it. In the center of that circle was one man. And he was chanting something with intense concentration. The other man stood alert outside of the circle. It appeared that they were performing some kind of ritual spell. Chapter 277 The man who was in the middle of chanting reacted to my voice and looked at our way. The children on the other hand remained motionless. Same for the other man. Who goes there! Thats what I want to ask. What is going on here? He asked in a high-pitched, nervous voice, and I purposely returned his question to provoke him. I wasnt sure what was going on, but assuming it was some kind of a ritual, the childrens lives might have been in danger. Fortunately, Maxwell was still invisible, so as long as I gained time for him, he could overturn the situation. Just as I was thinking that, Maxwell whispered to me in a low voice. Reid, it seems that the children have been drugged. Do you know what drug it is? It must be the Living Doll or something simr. Living Doll was a drug that even I have heard about. It was sort of a drug that, once administered, made ones ego extremely faint and made them lose the ability to take spontaneous actions. Naturally, as it could be used for the wrong purposes Or rather, it was only used for the wrong purposes, it was banned throughout the continent. Since they administered it to children and took them to a ce like this, we could give them a definite guilty verdict. Can you neutralize it? I can only use the Antidote spell through contact. I have to do it one by one. I leave it to you. I will attract their attention meanwhile. Remember not to be too reckless. After I answered back with a simrly low voice and got his response, his presence started to go away. During this time, the man was still yelling hysterically, but he didnt seem to have noticed our conversation. Agh, damn it, what the hell is that guard doing outside! It took so long to prepare these sacrifices, but now the summoning is going to get interrupted! Oh, what are you trying to summon? I have no obligation to tell you that! Then maybe only the reason why you chose this ce? Shut up! Wait, youre a child too. This way, I can have more sacrifices Ah, right, I was a child too. Since I was acting with Maxwell, I was acting like my previous self. At any rate, he was considering me as a sacrificial candidate too. Not that I nned to obediently ept that. He seemed to have thought of me as a child and underestimated me. I If you look down on me, it wont end well for you, you know? Maxwell was on his way to save the children, so I wanted to gain as much time as I could. With that in mind, I decided to drop my appearances and started talking in a manly tone. Hearing my tone, the mans eyes went wide. That foul tone Did you already have a man to teach you all that! Like hell I do! I mean, it wasmon knowledge that sacrifices were more effective when they were virgins. So I could understand the reason he was asking that. Still, just the thought of doing that with a man was enough to give me goosebumps. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) If possible, no, even if I was fruitless, Id still choose a woman. No, I didnt mean that. Im inexperienced of course. Then you should be perfect as a sacrifice. Right I mean! Look, they say you have to take a good memory in the afterlife, right? So at least tell me why you are doing this. Hmm You are right. This is the ce of Evil Dragon Colchis demise. It is a ce where a vast amount of lifeforce and soul had dispersed, so to speak. Using the deep grudge of this ce, I can open the gate to the otherworld. In other words, I can summon a stronger Devil. The man started responding to my question somewhat proudly. He seemed to be quite easy to manipte, didnt he? While thinking that, I directed my attention to the other man. He still hadnt moved for a bit. It was as if he had been administered the Living Doll as well. Of course, with his hood in the way, I couldnt even see his expression. Rather, I couldnt even make out his figure from the outside. It could be that he was someone being threatened by the intruders. That said, I couldnt let my guard down. Unlike this hysterical man with a loose tongue, people like him were more dangerous. I knew that very well. The talking man became even more excited and took a grand pose while raising his hands. His hood came off in that momentum and revealed his face. A Half-Demon? Under the hood was a nervous man with a pale face. If it was just that, I could have passed it as nothing out of ordinary, but he had a horn on his forehead. He seemed to have taken my surprise as disgust and started getting more violent. So youre the same! Youre discriminating against Half-Demons too! What did we ever do wrong! You are trying to sacrifice children now. No, youre just drawing the conclusion from the result. We are wishing for the worlds destruction and rebirth exactly because we have been unjustly discriminated against all this time! Now that sounds so pointlessly majestic. Those Six Heroes had a Half-Demon among them, and yet there has been no betterment in our treatment. If its like this, then we shall purge and reform the public opinion through force! Okay, I fully understand that you are nuts now. In other words, this guy was the same as that orphanage priest from my previous life. Still, could this guy really gather five kids? I just couldnt possibly see that happening. Hey, how did you gather these kids? It was almsgiving! From whom? Thats a secret. Gah, now youre pissing me off. But well, we had a ve trader acting in Raum too. In the Northern Alliance where public safety was still insatiable, not to mention awless area like Scion mountain range, perhaps getting hold of children wasnt so difficult. At any rate, Maxwell seemed to have reached the kids who were in his blind spot. I guessed that from his presence alone. Well, fine. But even if you sacrifice the kids and summon the Devil, the damage wouldnt be so widespread, right? That is only if we summon some small fry. But what if it was instead one that rivaled the Evil Dragon Colchis? What did you It has been known even in the past that this ce is suitable for summonings. Even Colchis is said to have been summoned. Wha- (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I gasped instinctively at his words. But I could see the logic behind it. The Evil Dragon Colchis appeared just that suddenly from the northern bounds. I couldnt imagine that Dragon staying still somewhere until it grew to adulthood. In that case, the only other exnation was that it arrived from somewhere. Unfortunately, the practitioner cannot predict the scale of the summoned existence. But if we repeat it multiple times, we should be able to summon one as strong as Colchis sooner orter. Thats why, I cannot allow anyone to interrupt me now! Just as he said that, he faced the other man and raised his hand. Go, Zellkarn, catch that child and turn her into another sacrifice! Bidding his order, the other man started to move. His hands crawled out from his mantleeight in total. Huh? The other man turned out to be a Devil that looked like a terrestrial octopus. Chapter 278 The figure that appeared under the mantle was bizarre, as if someone reced a humans upper half with that of an octopus. It was clearly not a human, and neither had I ever seen a monster like it anywhere in this world. I wasnt very bright in that department, but I could still understand that this enemy was simply too deviated from the norm. Receiving the hysterical mans order, it faced towards me and took a step. There was still ten meters between us, so why did it stop Woah!? It then raised its tentacle and thrust it as if to stab me with it. Contrary to the softness youd expect from an octopus tentacle, it had a w at its top and the de was releasing a dangerous light. I immediately dodged it, but it caught the mantle that I was wearing and almost dragged me along with it. I hurriedly unfastened my mantle and escaped the danger. Its attack didnt stop at that, however. It sessively pushed out its tentacles, all of them furnished with simr ws. It ripped my mantle to get rid of the disturbance, scattering its rags on the floor. It was proof that those tentacles had enough strength to reduce the study traveling mantle to pieces like paper. And so were those ws sharp. I sure encounter a lot of abnormal enemies these days! Be it the Floating Wakame or this, there were a lot of tentacle monsters. It couldnt be helped that I ended upining about it out loud. While dodging its eight tentacles left and right, I directed my sight towards the children. Maxwell had just finished rescuing one of the children behind the man. Gh! Where did youe from! Wait, that appearance Could it be Maxwell! The man set up his staff to prepare forbat despite his ridicules. Maxwell, on the other hand, cast Antidote towards the child. The child flinched in reaction to the spell, and then lose consciousness and fainted on the spot. It appears That they have been treated quite unreasonably. How inhuman of you. Who cares, they were destined to be sacrificed either way. Making them climb a mountain is no problem. It definitely is a problem. Maxwell lifted the child and rushed towards another. But the man inside the circle threw a spell at him to restrain him. As if Id let you! Crimson eight, Ultramarine one, Jade nineFire Javelin! Oh please. Crimson three, Ultramarine one, Gold oneEarth Wall! The spell the man released was an upper-ranked offensive spell of the Fire system. It had a range of about two meters, but the power behind it could easily reduce a person to charcoal. Maxwell, however, guarded against it with a wall. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The man was ranting like a madman all this time, but his skill with Magic turned out to be first-ss. Maxwell seemed to be having a hard time facing him while carrying a child. That said, I was in no state to observe them so calmly. I was also in the middle of fighting this Octo-freak, and I couldnt look away from it so carelessly. While dodging its tentacle spears, I was waiting for the opportunity to close the distance. But then, Maxwell suddenly warned me before I could. Nicole, that thing eats magic power from the surroundings. Do not approach it! What!? The reason why this man did not let it inside the magic circle was due to that ability. If you know what it is, then tell me in detail already! Devil ZellKarn It is a Devil that devours flesh and magic power in avarice. It is called the vanguard of the otherworld. Maxwell exined to me while skilfully avoiding the enemys spells. He couldnt cast Antidote during that time, but it couldnt be helped. I was learning about the dangers of fighting unknown enemies even in the academy. Sucking magic power meant that it was the worst enemy for me. After all, I was making up for most of my physical abilities with Enchant. I could of course use threads to strengthen myself too, but if I did that, it would mean that my means of attacking would also decrease. Its abilities were lowerpared to the twin-ded Devil that I fought before. But it made up for that by the incredible number of attacks it was sending my way. I could see why it was called a vanguard. These Devils excelled at battles against many. If it approached me, it would devour my magic power and forcibly dispel my Enchant. If I stayed away, it would overwhelm me with incessant attacks. That said, I couldnt make myself withdraw from this ce. If I did, those kids would most definitely be sacrificed, and a new Devil would be summoned. In the first ce, abandoning children was not something I, who was aiming to be a hero, could ever consider. Maxwell had decided to postpone saving the children and shifted to restraining the man. He probably judged that it was faster to neutralize the summonerpared to saving the remaining four children. He seemed to have judged that I would need his help and changed his approach. In that case, I will keep youpany until Maxwell arrives! I shed it a daring smile while dodging the incessant rain of tentacle attacks. Chapter 279 The grotesque Devil Zellkarns individual attacks werent that big of a deal. Speaking of the speed, not just the twin-ded Devil, they were even slower than Gideons attacks. The weight behind them was also around the level of Mateus attacks, so there was no problem as long as I didnt take them head-on. From the perspective of I who was currently in genuine equipment and was establishing abat style of this life, simply dodging its attacks didnt seem that challenging. The problem was, the enemy was a Devil with inexhaustible stamina, and the close-quartersbat or traps that I excelled in was not effective against it. The opponent was basically standing on the same spot and attacking from there. In other words, there was no point setting a trap in front of it. And if I approached it, it would just suck my magic power away. However, that was the same for the opponent. If it approached me, it would enter my attack range, and at a distance, I could dodge its attacks withposure. The longer the battle went, the more the summoner was being cornered by Maxwell, so the situation was definitely worsening for the opponent too as time went on. It was turning into a contest of which would run out first, my stamina or the summoners life. The odds at the moment were about even. But if that bnce was destroyed, it could be either advantageous or disadvantageous for us. It might be dangerous to make any careless moves, but doing something before I was unable to move was also a strategy. In that case Yaah! As I dodged the tentacle, I took three throwing knives from my shoulder belt and threw them in one go. They flew urately towards the mans chest(?), but they were blocked by the tentacles. The tentacles that were stic and strong only flinched once after getting stabbed by the knives and pushed the knives out, scattering them near the Devils feet. I followed up by throwing three more knives. And then, two more. After throwing them three separate times, all of them ended in vain. Seeing that, the summoner man startedughing as if to ridicule me. Kahahaha! Dont think you will be able to pierce Zellkarns skin with something like that! If you obediently be the sacrifice, you can avoid too much paihyaa!? Maxwell mercilessly drove a spell into him while his attention was directed at me. However, perhaps due to the magic circles fault, the moment any spell approached him, they lost the majority of their power. You Is that magic circle connected to the otherworld? Connecting to the otherworld That meant an act to summon something that existed in that world. That something was a Devil, my traditional rival. Exactly! This magic circle that can summon and protect at the same time is the groundbreaking means of summoning Devils safely! Theposition was obtained by analyzing an ancient magiwoah?! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Maxwell threw Fire Javelin at the man who had entered his exnation mode. This spell contained several times the powerpared to the one the man used previously, but once it entered the circle, it quickly lost its power and speed, lessening the intensity of the mes it was d in. As such, even that unsteady summoner was able to dodge it. The man stood in the middle of a circle which had four more children stationed around. As such, Maxwell couldnt use his prided ranged attacks, so he was a little lost on what to do. Even so, theposure was fading from the mans face. Like me, he didnt seem to have a lot of stamina. If this continued, his stamina would run out faster than mine. It wouldnt be wrong toe to that conclusion, but doing that would give the opponent time toe up with some countermeasures. I should instead focus on attacking some more instead. Well thenIll also take it up a notch! This time, I flew my thread instead. This was a Mythril thread harvested from a carefully-selected Huge Crawler. In terms of the sharpness, they could rival even Lyells Holy Sword. However, their power was too light, so I didnt expect it to be able to sever Zellkarns tentacles. True to my expectations, the sh only reached halfway through the tentacle and stopped. Its scar then instantly disappeared. It probably used the magic power sucked from Maxwells spell and used it for recovery. My thread also lost its momentum and powerlessly dropped down on the spot. After throwing the thread, my legs stopped in ce, so I was like a perfect target. Seeing that Zellkarn attempted to barrage me with its attacks. Attacking me also meant that its defenses would lower. After dodging its tentacle thrust, I manipted my threads. My goal wasnot Zellkarn, but throwing knives at its feet. I coiled the threads around the grips and lifted them with the power of maniption. Mythril threads dangled in the air with knives at their ends, oddly enough, there were eight of them in total. Zellkarn was at a loss after seeing an attack stance simr to itself for the first time in battle. However, that hesitation onlysted for a moment, and it started attacking back as if in defiance. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Its attacks felt as if it was testing whether I could really utilize this attack method properly. However, I had used this ability for many years, refining again and again to perfection. Moreover, due to my Adventurer activities where I gathered herbs at the same time I hunted the prey, I was already good at parallel thinking. As such, manipting eight knives at once was no trouble Well, maybe it was, but it wasnt undoable. I met the tentacle ws with knives of my own, derailing their trajectories. I stood in one ce and exchanged blows, a thread for a tentacle, a knife for a w. The battle state changed once again, and this time, to my advantage. Since I was no longer moving, the danger of running out of stamina went away. After losing its numerical advantage, the Devil seemed to have lost itsposure and its attacks were starting to look rougher. I waspletely focusing on defense before, but this allowed me to make counterattacks. The tentacles were swung with even greater force than before to flick my knives away. However, I didnt receive those head-on but instead used my two remaining threads to fortify my legs and dodged them. Such strong thrusts required equal effort to retract them back. Zellkarn used its full power for that, so that made him totter a few steps in front. Taking a few steps means that his body weight was currently leaning towards the front. I judged this to be the perfect chance to counterattack and pulled out the dagger from my waist. Then I put all the magic power I could muster into the handle and transformed it into a spear, No, something longerIt looked akin to holding a cypress tree instead. As it kept growing to something beyond a normal spear, it dug itself into the Devils abdomen. Normally, a surprise attack like this would have been defended by its tentacles. But after being agitated from being challenged with its own battle style and breaking its posture due to rash actions, it had no way of defending against it. I stuck the pommel Or rather, ferrule into the ground to fix it into ce, and the recoil blew him backwards, all while the spear remained embedded into its chest. Before long, it crashed into the stone wall and lost the ability to move about. Praise the God of Destruction. I spoke the keyword and made it oscite on top of it. That ripped its flesh apart, broke its bones, and damaged the internal organs. It didnt end at just that either. The fine vibrations shook the blood itself and spread the shock throughout the entire body. This was the most frightening part of this dagger, no, spear. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) Even if the wound itself was not fatal, the osciting waves would attack the entire body through blood, continuing to damage it. The spear had extended to 25 meters, a distance where even its tentacles would no longer reach me. The God of Destruction had bestowed toughness on the spear, so its tentacles would not be able to damage it. They seemed to be struggling to get the spear out somehow, but as it had been fixed into the ground, it wasnt so easy to achieve that. After a vain struggle, the tentacles finally lost their strength and dangled down. Its legs were convulsing for some time, but then wentpletely motionless. After it finally died, its body, being a product of magic power, turned into light particles and disappeared. Chapter 280 Since Maxwell held the summoner at bay, I managed to calmly defeat the Devil. As expected, having an ally around really made battles easier. Simrly, Maxwells situation also improved. Having lost his trump card, the magician started to grow impatient. That stirred him to make rush attacks, which created big openings. True to his skill, Maxwell wasnt one to miss those openings. The man put so far the highest amount of magic power into his spell and produced a giant Fire Javelin. It shed with Maxwells earth wall and caused arge explosion. That created a tempest of destruction far surpassing anything until then. However, that explosion also made him lose sight of Maxwell. As the dust and mes settled after the destruction of the wall, there was no sight of Maxwell there. Hes gone? Kahahaha! No way he could have escaped that explosion. It seems that even a Six Hero was no opponent to my spells! I have to say, my skills have not dulled to that extent yet. I, who was observing their battle from the outside, noticed it. The moment the mans Fire Javelin destroyed the wall, the old man used Conceal. And after the explosion settled down, he probably calmly made his way behind the man. He appeared behind him and quickly constructed a magic circle. Hearing a voice, the mang turned around in a fluster. There, he saw Maxwell who had already finished constructing his magic circle. The man tried to reflexively attack with a spell, but he couldnt possibly beat Maxwell to it. Damn you!? Crimson eight Stun Bolt. Gyapii!? You are slow. And your choice of spells is naive too. Even from the perspective of an amateur magician like me, the mans blunder was obvious. The first was that he used too much magic power. It would be one thing if he could output as much power as Maxwell and blow everything surrounding the target to dust, but his half-baked attack simply caused him to lose sight of the target. The second was that he tried to use attack magic after having his back taken by surprise. After the enemy was so close, it was far better to attempt a physical attack. Maxwell wasnt good at hand-to-handbat, either, so he wouldve had a better chance of seeding with that method. And the third blunder. That was for him to try to use Fire Javelin reflexively. He wouldve had a better chance of sess if he tried to take a diversionary action and flee, rather than try to defeat him then and there. Then again, it was doubtful whether he could beat Maxwell who had already finished his circle to the punch even if he had chosen a spell with a shorter chant. After all those blunders stacked together, the man could do naught but take Maxwells Stun Bolt head-on. This spell paralyzed the opponent, restraining their movements. That said, it wouldnt show any effect if the opponent had Resist cast on them, so it was a pretty sink or swim spell. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The man continued to twitch even after he became numb and lost consciousness. I used my threads to tie him up. These threads couldnt be removed with half-hearted spells or other methods. Maxwell, good work. I said while tying up the man. Maxwell also returned my words. It was nothing much. I am more impressed you managed to defeat that Devil on your own. It had a bad affinity with my magic, but not with my Gift. Threads against tentacles. After being on the same stage, what decided the oue was battle experience, physical ability and the number of trump cards. I beat it in every aspect other than physical ability, so it was natural that I won. Now I suppose we have to get some information out of this fellow. He had a loose mouth, but he didnt reveal anything important. Contrary to how much he talked, he didnt say anything about the supplier of the sacrifices. But there should have been someone who was connected to the suppliers. We could approach the sacrifice-rted problems of the northern parts from there. First we have to wake him up Awake. As the name said, this spell forced the fainted targets to awaken. When the target had received great damage, however, they could once again faint right after awakening, so it would be pointless to cast. In this case, the man had simply lost consciousness due to Stun Bolt, so that wouldnt happen. Gnhh The man started twisting around while being bound by threads as he awakened. Seeing that, Maxwell took off his distance from me. Reid, I leave the rest to you. I will go detoxify the children in the meantime. Yeah, leave this to me. That said, I wasnt very good at torture I mean, questioning. In my previous life, I often settled bothersome situations through brute force. That is, by killing. But I was different now. After obtaining a new power called magic, I now had the means to deal pain without damaging the body too much. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) First, I dropped down his pants, leaving his lower half exposed. W-What are you nning to do!? I have no sexual interest in young girls! When did I say I was going to torture you that way? This is just a preliminary arrangement. If you spill everything now, I will stop and simply hand you over to the authorities without hurting you. Wait, that would just get me killed anyway! So you were aware that you were doing something deserving capital punishment. Good to know. I continued preparations while I talked. I exposed his ugly this and that, and coiled threads around them. I could just lop it off But that would only amount to one-time pain. But I decided to use my newly-learned spell instead. Warm, The Failure Edition. GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!? The Mythril threads that became excessively hot started to scorch his epidermis. Since they were metallic, they could conduct the heat quite well. And so began the torture. That said, it did not take long before the man had sumbed. Chapter 281 Based on the information that I managed to get out of the man, there seemed to exist an anti-establishment group centered around Half-Demons. They raised objections towards every other nation, and tried to repress other races under the pretext of the betterment of their environment who were being discriminated against. Naturally, there were very few who sympathized with their ideals, but they made up for that numerical disadvantage by summoning the otherworldly divine beings In other words Devils. It was an extremely troublesome situation, but if their ns were to seedOr rather, if their actions lead to sacrifices every time they tried to summon, the situation would be quite grim. Moreover, it seemed that they had ve traders dispatched in every country and gathered sacrifices through them. This guy didnt know where their stronghold was exactly, but at least we learned that such an organization existed. Honestly speaking, something on this scale was beyond my capabilities. So yeah, I think Im gonna leave the rest to you, Maxwell. Maxwelling here was closer to him traveling incognito. If they learned that someone who came uninvited to their territory was the one that apprehended a criminal who was trying to summon a Devil, that would both put a stain on Elliots reputation and also cause a major uproar. For Elliot, whose foothold was unsteady due to the assassination attempts, this would not be a very weed development. That said, we could not leave this man be either. While we were racking our brains on what to do, we suddenly heard someones voice. Hey, did something happen there? It was an unfamiliar voice of a man. It should have belonged to the guy that was standing guard outside. He heard the uproar inside and came to check what was going on. I couldnt help butment that his reaction was a bit too dyed, but they were summoning a Devil here. There was no knowing how noisy it could get. The man had a different Devil with him, so it could be that he was expecting a battle to break out from the start. The mans jaw dropped from astonishment after he saw the situation. The fainted summoner with his lower half exposed and bleeding from his crotch, and Maxwell who was d in a robe and looked physically simr to the Devil. And there was also I, standing next to the fainted man and the kids, while having a flushed expression due to the previous battle. And to make matters worse, the violent battle caused certain inconveniences to my crotch and it started to bleed. I was wearing the usual short skirt, so the stain was visible from the outside. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Could it be Did this dumbassy his hands on the sacrifice! NO! I reflexively attacked the man who came to the totally wrong conclusion with a thread. He apparently never imagined that a child like me would attack him, so he took the sh head on. Itnded diagonally on his shoulder, scattering blood everywhere as he copsed. The sharpness behind the Mythril thread was able to neutralize the man with one attack. Ah, shit. I attacked without thinking. I wonder if hes still alive? You dealt a severe wound, but he is still clinging to his life. Maxwell went to check the situation and quickly cast emergency Heal on him. That naturally wasnt enough to fully heal him, but there was no longer a danger to his life. That was close. Wed need as many of them alive as possible. You have quite some dangerous way of retorting there. Shut up. It was this guys fault for sexually harassing a sensitive beauty. You only call yourself that when it is convenient, huh? Setting that aside. What shall we do about them? As Maxwell couldnt openly hand them over to the authorities himself, there was a need to prepare a substitute. The only candidates for that were I, who knew the situation, and Mateuss group. However, Mateuss group didnt know what happened here, so if they were questioned about the particrs, they could find ws in it. That only left me I have no persuasiveness with this childish body, huh? Not just that, it would be a problem of its own if they learn that you defeated them. You should use the Illusion Ring and transform. Guess thats the only way. I cast Cure Light on the man to stop his bleeding. He was half-scorched, but at least he wasnt bleeding any more. Still, carrying two men on my own would be hard. How should I carry these two? Can you help me carry them to the nearby station? Right. How about I give you a magic lesson? Hey now, this is no ce for Now now, do not be hasty. It is a spell that would aid you in carrying them. What he presented to me with those words was a spell called Levitate. This spell allowed you to make the targets levitate a few centimeters above the ground. Moreover, it could regte its own altitude, so it wouldnt fall into pitfalls and such, and there would be no sound of footsteps, either. If there were any inconveniences, it would be the fact that your mobility would fall a lot since you were basically walking in the air. If I cast this on the two, I could move while dragging them along. If there was no friction with the ground, it would only need the mass to drag it, so it would greatly alleviate thebor needed. Naturally, it could be resisted and disabled, but fainted people couldnt do that. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I constructed the technique ording to Maxwells instructions and carefully invoked it. I didnt care in the slightest even if they got hurt, so after several trials and errors, I managed to seed in it. I tied my threads to them and pulled on them to test it out. Okay, I can pull them easier than I imagined. Then, let us carry them as well. With that, Maxwell created a board with Earth Wall, and put the children on it. In addition, he cast Levitate on that board. The board floated up along with the children, which Maxwell pushed and carried along. He then created a Portal Gate in front of it, connecting it to the nearby town. He cast high-ranked spells while maintaining two spells. The fact that he did all that without batting an eye was proof of how amazing he was. Now, go on first. The gate will disappear if I do it first. Okay, here I go then. I used my Illusion Ring to change into my fake identitythe woman by the name of Haumea, and passed through the gate. Chapter 282 The ce where we arrived through Maxwells Portal Gate was a small town nearby. It was a town we had visited back when we were set out to exterminate the Evil Dragon. It was a town that miraculously avoided destruction despite being near the Scion mountain range, and it was known as the Town of Miracles back in the day. Back then, we decided to use this town as a refuge in case we had to flee, so we explored every nook and cranny of it. By doing that, Maxwell could link Portal Gate anywhere through it. Naturally, that also meant that the residents knew the faces of the Six Heroes very well. If they realized that Maxwell came here, it would definitely cause a mor. For that reason, Maxwell chose a back alley with no one around. Hmm, no one seems to be here. That is good. But if we hand them over to the guards, theyll see your face regardless. You do not have to worry about that. You are not the only one who can use illusion magic. Saying that, he quickly formed a magic circle and activated it. Disguise. The moment he uttered those words, he transformed into an unfamiliar man Or rather, a very familiar man. It was the face of the male teacher at our academy who trained our stamina, who was also very, how to say sultry? Ugh. That was very rude! I mean, it fits you physically but No, nevermind, it doesnt fit. The teacher in question was both wide and tall, so when Maxwells face changed to his, it felt like the teacher had suddenly slimmed down. However, he still had the same big rectangr head, so it felt really off. Thats what made me feel really repulsed. It was definitely not that I had a problem with the teacher himself. Rather, that teacher was somewhat unpopr with the girls since he was putting excessive emphasis on drilling the basics, but I didnt particrly dislike him. The other girls who didnt want muscles and I who was striving towards just that were somewhat conflicting in that aspect. Seeing me like that, the others thought I was being an honor student who put the effort into physical training and was broad-hearted enough to treat that sultry teacher with equal respect But that was a very big misunderstanding. I mean, I dont hate the guy. Could it be I thought you were only into girls, but did your mind get corroded to that point already? You know I didnt mean it like that! As expected, I had no interest in that stuff. (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I knew that Maxwell was just poking fun at me, but I still ended up overreacting. Good grief Lets just go and get this over with. We walked towards the main street while I dragged the two men along. As expected, a beauty dragging two men, and a man carrying five children with a board was conspicuous even during the night. If the guards spotted us first, they would definitely have detained us with no questions asked. It was still not ate night, so while there were less people outside, some guys were still heading to bars to get drunk. Seeing us, those people got startled and opened the way. Well, we were carrying two men, one without pants, and another with traces of a big wound, along with five children. I could understand that they found us suspicious. If that wasnt enough, carrying them was a lovely girl and a sultry man. That probably made us doubly suspicious. Fortunately, we arrived at the guard station without anyone disturbing us, and then, I pped on my cheeks to motivate myself. Okay Lady switch on. Do not say it aloud. That ruins it. If I dont say it, I cant switch my mind to it. After resolving myself, we approached the station. Carrying two floating, tied-up men, clearly made us look suspicious. So naturally, we got detained before managing to go inside. Hold it, who are you people! My apologies for disturbing you sote at night. We have apprehended suspicious men so we wished to hand them over. Suspicious men? They were conducting a Devil summoning ritual in the Scion mountain range. These children here were about to be sacrificed, but we managed to save them. What did you say!? P-Please wait for a bit, I will go report this to my superior. For now, head inside and wait there. The situation was rted to Devil summoning, and in the Scion mountain range on top of it, so it was beyond something an average guard could resolve. We were guided inside the station and were made to wait for some time. As the children had been administered Living Doll, they were shown to the local healer just in case. The poison itself was gone since Maxwell casted Antidote on them, but there might have been otherplications. They managed to summon a Devil like Zellkarn, so nothing could be scratched out. As I remained gracefully seated on the chair, they offered tea and treats to me. This was probably thanks to my appearance. If I was in my child form, they wouldnt have gone that far. Some guards tried to get to know me better, but as that could disturb my illusion, Maxwell stopped them before that happened. Since Maxwell, who still had his original body, stood in the way, I managed to avoid getting busted. Like that, about one hour passed. Then finally, the towns guard leader showed up. Chapter 283 Im sorry for making you wait. Given the time, I had already retired for the day. The one that arrived and sociably spoke to me was a well-fleshed man on top of being as tall as Maxwell. He had an order on his chest, and the sword on his waist was also well-decorated. I couldnt see any practical equipment on him, so he might have been a guard leader by name only. That said, he seemed sociable enough, so we should be able to hold a proper conversation. Oh, you need not worry. Everyone here has treated me well, so the time went by fast. I took the lead in the conversation. If Maxwell did it, there was a chance that they could figure who he was based on his voice. He has talked to the guards here several times during the Evil Dragon subjugation. As the guard leader sat in front of me and pulled out the interrogation documents, I started to exin the situation. So to sum it up, you came to the Scion mountain range for the Fang Wolves, but then discovered a suspicious group? Indeed. At first, I thought they came to hunt the same prey as us, but they seemed to have too many children with them, and I started to suspect them when they did not descend the mountain even as nighttime came. And when you followed them, you discovered that they were conducting a Devil summoning? Thats right. Moreover, the children seemed to have been enved by using a drug. Fortunately, this skilled magicianErr, Aste, managed to protect them. Aste? I couldnt introduce him as Maxwell, so I just borrowed Astes name. Hearing that, Maxwell repeated the name in wonder, but I elbowed him in the stomach and made him quiet down. This might have looked like an elderly abuse, but this old man wouldnt be hurt by something like this. Despite going on and on about being bad at closebat, his body was quite sturdy. Ghh!? Oh, what could be the matter? N-Nothing, I just choked on the tea. Ahh, it is too hot. Please be careful. Even as the man chatted with us, his hands didnt stop recording what he heard in the documents. It was quite amazing that he was managing to stay in the text field without even looking down on it. Perhaps he had been assigned to the captain post due to his skill with documents. It was quite in, but it also meant that he had continued making steady results. You said the children had been drugged, but do you know what type of drug it was? I daresay it was the Living Doll. They did not react to my words, and they looked and acted like dolls. Living Doll Another forbidden article. I put a hand to my cheek and leaned my head to the side to look slightly troubled. That made the nearby guards sigh in admiration. Ha ha ha, quite sexy, arent I? You youngsters wouldntst a second in the face of mydy mode. Saying that made me depressed, though. Aste dispelled it with the Antidote spell, so there should be no longer a danger to their lives. I see. It would have been better to leave one to definitely confirm the crime However, leaving a drugged child would be quite pitiable. Thank you for your understanding. Living Doll did not bring danger to ones life. So, as he said, it might have been better to carry one of them without dispelling the toxin. However, the guard leader didnt me us for our careless action, showing his understanding. (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) We can get that information out of those men. It appears that they have gone under harsh torture. The man had been carried here with his lower half still exposed to the world. In other words, everyone could see his genitals burned due to my Warm failed edition spell. It wasnt hard to guess what happened after seeing that. W-Well, I suppose we should call it youthful indiscretion That is the face of a foolish man who harassed a young maiden with sexual statements. That means, you did that? Uh W-Well Yes. After digging my own grave, I dropped my head in shame. Of course, this was all an act. As if I would feel ashamed of burning his thing thiste in the game. Still, I thought a girl of my age would normally have been embarrassed about it, so I acted the part. As expected, the young guard nearby held his nose and turned away. His face was flushed to the point youd wonder if he was alright. I could even see blood tickling through the gaps of his fingers holding his nose. It seemed that the bashful figure of a maiden was too much stimulus for the youngsters. Sigh, hey you. Ill give you half an hour so go cool your head. Huh, Thats I, e-excuse me! He seemed a little reluctant, but the young guard gave a bow and rushed out of the room. It seemed that blood rushed to his head there. Quite a sinful appearance I have. Apologies for that. These youngsters arent used to seeing beautiful girls. Calling me beautiful I am honored. This is a frontier, so everyone is familiar with each other inside the town. Seeing a beautiful person like you is too much stimtion for the young knights. Are there so few people in this town? Yes, even after the danger of Colchis has gone, the fact that it lived nearby remains rooted. As expected, people willing to live here would decrease You could increase the sightseers instead. Sightseeing That never crossed my mind. I see, taking people to sightseeing tours to Colchis nest with the knights might be worth considering. That is quite a bold idea. Even I didnt expect him to suddenly jump to the idea of making the Evil Dragons nest a sightseeing area. I just voiced a wild idea, but the people of this town seemed to have quite the tough nerves. Oh, right, I still havent heard your name. Ah, I am called Haumea. You can find me at I gave him a random inn and name to record in the documents. Naturally, I didnt really reside in that inn, so it would be impossible to contact me. It would be a problem if they kept calling me over and over as well. Besides, the important ones here were the men I brought, not me. Moreover, if my name reached the central figures of this kingdom, someone even more troublesome coulde rushing here. It was better to withdraw as quickly as possible. I understand the situation now. We will investigate this ourselves. I will contact you for the details at ater day, so I hope you will remain in this town until then. My apologies. My circumstancespel me to hurry, so that would be difficult Could I give you the Guild registration number of my friend instead? It is someone like my guardian. I wander around all the time, so it would be easier to get into touch with them instead. I see. That reminds me, you did say you came to hunt Fang Wolves. Alright then, I shall send the details to that number. I might need you toe here once more, however. If the circumstances allow it, I wille as fast as I can. That would be great. This registration number was not mine but Maxwells. From now on, it would be unrted to Nicole. Haumea was something like Maxwells spy, so it wouldnt raise any suspicions even if they arrived at Maxwell. (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) On top of it, it was my n all along to give them this number. And with that, we threw the follow-up investigation at the knights and decided to return to the mountains. Chapter 284 For the time being, we managed to conclude the matter by handing the Devil summoners to the officials. After all, the turmoil this time happenedpletely unnned from our side. Besides, we couldnt separate from Michelles group for too long. They were currently camping in a dangerous location, and guarding them were people who once targeted Cortinas life. The possibility of betrayal was minuscule due to Maxwells Geass, but we couldntpletely scratch it out. I didnt think Mateus would be an enemy thiste in the game, but I still wanted to return as quickly as I could. Maxwell seemed to have sensed my impatience and looked at me while brushing his long beard. I currently looked like an adult woman, so it might have looked quite questionable from the outside perspective. Are Mateus and others on your mind? Yeah. At the very least, they were our enemies at one point. They dont seem to be biting back at the moment, but Looking at how he works in my mansion, I could say that his rebellious spirit has gonepletely. Either way, Michelle and Finia are there. I cant let go of my worry Oh, and Cloud too. Hohoh, well well Maxwell suddenly stopped speaking as if he decided to swallow the rest of the sentence. That irritated me a bit. What is it? If you wanna say something, say it. Well, I was just thinking that the unapproachable Reid I knew has mellowed down quite a bit. Hey, I used to worry about you guys too, you know? Your way of expressing it was too difficult to figure out. That was quite a rude thing for him to say, but even I wasnt some insensitive rock. I worried about myrades. In fact, I ran frantically with a pale face at Cortinas side when she was in danger, and I took part in Maxwells pranks even in this life. Those who didnt know me simply saw me as a hard-to-approach guy due to the mood around me. Well, those people might indeed pull something. I agree that we should return at once. Then bring out your Portal Gate already. Do not be so hasty. There are people around us. Maxwell was under disguise as well, but Portal Gate was the top-rank magic of the Interference system. There werent many people in the world who had mastered it to this degree. If luck wasnt on our side, someone could figure out it was Maxwell just from that. Lets go over there then. We were aware of every nook and cranny of this town. That was in preparation for the worst scare scenario where we had to flee and the Evil Dragons wrath was directed at this town. In that situation, we would have to evacuate the citizens as fast as possible. Then we would either intercept the Dragon here, or lure it somewhere else. Considering all that, we had carefully inspected all escape and evacuation routes. We went towards the back alley as I pulled on Maxwells hand. But before we got there, two people showed up to block our way. I suddenly became vignt and thought they were a separate group of the Devil summoners, but Maxwell put a hand on my shoulder and I managed to hold back on instinctively throwing my threads at them. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Hey there, old man. Nice woman you have there, ehh? H! Hey, youre gonna scare her if you talk like that. How about it, missy,e drink with us for a bit. Yeah, they were just bad drunks. Given their appearance, they werent even Adventurers. It felt like they just got too drunk after drinking on some good asion. It would have escted into a big incident if I ended up shing at them. Im sorry, but I have some business I have to take care of fast. Please move aside. Aww dont be like that. What business could it be? He tried to touch my shoulder over-familiarly. But before I even had time to avoid it, his hand lost power and dangled downfollowed by both men copsing on the spot and raising snores. They fell asleep? I cast the Sleep spell on them. It was easy to do it behind your back. You act fast as always. Actually, is that really alright? Throwing spells at normal people, I mean. It is not that serious a spell. They will wake up even with a simple shock. And it would be bothersome to try persuading them. This way, they just look like ordinary sleeping drunkards. Well, you have a point. Still Taking this appearance sure invited indiscriminate attraction from the guys. Maybe I made myself a little too pretty. Besides, there was no guarantee that I would be like this in the future. There always was a big wall between ideals and reality. Hey, Maxwell. About my appearance Maxwell rattled his way into the back alley, making me miss the chance to address my conspicuous appearance. Actually, I think he dodged it intentionally, didnt he? Oh well, I wouldnt take on this appearance that often. If I did it often, Elliot mighte running at every opportunity. With all that considered, I suppose it was fine to stand out a bit. I should just consider it as a distractor. After we returned with Maxwells Portal Gate, Mateus greeted us as if nothing had happened. Hey, wee back,dy Nicole? Drop that, it feels disgusting. Did anything happen? Alls right with the world, or however it goes. Good then. How about on your side? Well Mateus was already aware of our night operations. In that case, he would only get suspicious if we kept our mouths sealed. Thus, I told him about the cave and the Half-Demon that was trying to summon a Devil there. Hearing that, Mateus sighed while scratching his head. Good grief, what a helpless bunch. They should know that how youre treated depends on how you act. If it was an ability-based Adventurer, they could force their way through everything. It was a world where might made right. If that guy had enough power as a Half-Demon to summon a Devil, they couldve used his talent to improve his life instead. Well, everyone is different. How about you sleep already, missy, its quitete, you know? Yeah, I really should Keep your hands to yourself, you hear? Like Id do something so scary!? Mateus paled, probably remembering getting trashed by Lyell. Still, it sounded like I was unattractive, so it was a little hard to swallow (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Well,pared to Finia and Michelle, I was indeed in looking. Ah, well. With that mutter, I pulled out a nket, wrapped myself in it and spent the night like that. Chapter 285 The next day, we returned to Maxwells islet. The Northern Alliance was a somewhat cold kingdom, and we even climbed up the mountain range there, so the difference in temperature was quite drastic. Given my meager stamina, that difference hit me pretty hard. I feel like Im suffering just by being alive. Oh no, are you gonna die!? I was just speaking metaphorically. You sure love overreacting, Michelle. Nicole, did you forget how much you worried us until now? Ugh! Oh well, it was true that I made them worry over me this time. But it was due to my physical changes, not something I could help. Since procuring the threads for swimsuits got crammed in our tasks, our training camp schedule had turned quite tight. Todays task was to shave the Fang Wolfs fangs in talisman shapes and carve magic circles on them. We had to finish doing this within two days. However, I had already made the magic circleyouts, so the only thing left was molding the fangs and carving the magic circles by referencing what I had already drawn. L-Leaving that aside, we have to process the materials today, you know? Thats one of the jobs of Adventurers. Ugh, I am not good at detailed work. I will do what I can to assist you. Oh, dont worry, even if you fail, these fangs are big enough to allow for some mistakes. Maxwell, who had already sent Mateus group back to Raum, assured us. I didnt really care about the exact size for our share of the talismans, but I had to carefully consider it for the babys share. There was a risk of it getting swallowed if it was made too small, but making it too big would also make it inconvenient to carry around. After calcting its size, we ended up making it from one of the fangs, a bit on the bigger side. In terms of thickness, it was a 3 cm cylinder, and the length was somewhere between 5-10 cm. That is quite a big one, Lord Maxwell. We could make it smaller, but this looks like the right size to hang on the neck. And making it too small would endanger the baby. It could get swallowed. After the baby gets used to it, we could remake it in a smaller shape. But that is something you can consider after having the ability to do so, however. After we returned to the cottage, I went to exin the manufacturing process to Michelle and Finia, while Letina was busy digging her own grave. Since Letina attended the Academy, she had the fundamental knowledge, but these two didnt. I had to exin it to them in detail. And to Cloud as well as a bonus. And thus, we spent the entire day shaving the fangs, and then came my night work of carving the magic circles on them. We just had to pour magic into them like with Magic Crystals and they would be finished. While the magic power remained inside them, they would continue to protect the wearers. It really only was on the level of a leather armor, but it still made a huge difference in babys safety. If the magic power ran out, I could just recharge it again. Like this, my Gift finally took on a proper form. Thus, we finished our training camp schedule favorably, and decided to use thest day that we had as a reserve to y at the sea. And finally, we returned to Raum while getting quite an unfitting tan considering the season. We split and shared the spoils at Maxwells house. That was the same in old thing we did. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) After that Letina and Cloud went to their respective homes. I also followed the familiar path home along with Michelle and Finia. What was different from usual, was what happened after we reached Cortinas home. Hey, is this really alright!? From inside came Cortinas voice, appearing unimaginably shaken. It made us reflexively exchange gazes. W-Whats going on? I dont know. But normal Cortina would never sound so confused. True. She is alwaysposed, so this is unusual. She was by nature a calm person. Conversely, she tended to keep everything bottled inside, but her calm nature was also one of her weapons during battles. Someone like that had presently lost all herposite and raised strange voices. W-Why are you asking that to me Hey, Gadius, what do you think? As if I would know! Following it came Lyell and Gadius voices. These two were fearless fighters too. It was really rare to hear such shaken voices from them. That seemed to have been some kind of hint for Finia, she suddenly pped her hands in joy. Ah, could it be Finia, did you think of something? Yes. It could be that Lady Maria started giving birth! Wha-!? There should have been close to a month until her childbirth. Wasnt it a little too early? Wasnt she expecting it next month? She might be giving birth a little early. It happens quite often. I-Isnt that quite a big deal!? Yes. So I will go help them right away! Finia opened the door uncharacteristically violently and threw the luggage at the entrance. It was a strange act from someone who treated belongings with care. I-I also Have to help somehow! Nicole, calm down! Err, Uhh Ill go call my mom! As Finia headed into the house, Michelle rushed towards her own. Seeing that, I just stood still and pped around weirdly, unable toe up with what to do. Chapter 286 Marias childbirth had started. Hearing that I was at a loss for what to do. I stood at Cortinas door and looked around while pping my arms. Naturally, there was no one for me to find there. Finia went in to assist with the role of a midwife, while Michelle went to her own house to bring her mother. Actually, no There were two more people inside the house. Onerge and one small. G-G-G-Gadius, everything will be fine, right? Right!? There was Lyell, acting just as confused as I, and Gadius, who seemed to have been petrified in ce, but his legs alone were trembling violently. Men were practically useless in situations like this. Lyells remark about Gadius being useless during our departure was unexpectedly on point this time. LyeDad! Ohh, Nicole! Youre back, my honey! Ew. Thank you for your prompt love-filled words of abuse. That aside, Maria is! Ah, so it really was that. Finia went in, and Michelles gonna bring her mom too. Thats reassuring! He muttered in gratitude and approached me, trying to go for the hug, but I managed to slip by. At that timing, someone appeared at the entrance. Hey! Stop standing there like sore thumbs. Quite pathetic for people calling themselves Six Heroes. Youre a bother here, so go wait outside. Entering with such assertive words was none other than Michelles mom. Michelle was also following behind her. She used to treat Lyell with respect before, having a debt of gratitude towards him, but this was an emergency. Her current rough attitude felt quite reliable. She drove Lyell and Gaidus away to the living room using the same kind of words she used towards Michelle. Lady Nicole, could you boil water for me? And bring me clean clothes. We need a lot of it! O-Okay! Receiving instructions, I was finally able to act. Standing still in confusion during a serious matter like childbirth was quite a man-like behavior for me, wasnt it? Whileing to that conclusion inside my head, I rushed to the kitchen to boil water. The next morning, after several hours of hard struggle, Maria was able to safely deliver the baby. It was a girl, just like the God of Destruction prophesied. In other words, it was my little sister. She raised her first cry, one loud enough to make us wonder whether itd bother the neighbors. I apparently didnt cry almost at all when I was born, so this made Maria feel relieved, if anything. (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Seeing Maria raised slightly from the bed to feed the baby, Lyell and I heaved relieved sighs. Oh, wee back, Nicole. Did you enjoy the training camp? Ah, yeah. Oh, right, heres a gift from me. I pulled out the baby shampoo and talisman and put them on the side table. The shampoo can apparently be used to wash the body too. And it can be used by anyone, not just the baby. Oho. Now that I think about it, your hair was always sparkly so I didnt notice it, but Michelle and Finias hairs are looking quite glossy too now. Right? After we finished the shampoo production, we used it as a test. It didnt have much of an effect on me, but Finia and Michelles hair turned visibly glossy. Maria, who had identically beautiful hair to mine, pointed that fact out, which made Finia turn around shyly, while Michelle startedughing loosely. That aside,e look, you too Lyell. She is the newest member of our family. Saying so, she shifted the babys position and showed me her face. She was small, round, and Kinda wrinkly? Pfft Ahahaha! Maria burst into augh from my honest impressions. The shaking from it seemed to difort the babe, she started twisting and turning. Realizing that, Maria held herugh down But her body still trembled. You were the same at first, you know? No waay. Of course, it wasnt like I was cute right from birth, though it feels weird to say that about myself. But seriously, I dont think I had this kind of pickled plum-like face. Infants are all like this, you know? But when you realize they are your family, they start looking lovely. Really now. Youre just too practical, Nicole. She looks just adorable to me, Maria. Youre a smooth-talker so I cant really trust your words there. Hey, isnt that harsh!? Lyell grabbed his head in an exaggerated manner, but quickly moved on from it and started bragging about his daughter. Look, Cortina. Its Nicoles sister, isnt she just precious? He addressed Cortina who was sitting down in a somewhat udylike posture. Kabby was also stretched out next to her. They were both attending to Maria all night, and used Heal on her whenever the need arose, so they werepletely drained. Ahh, yeah, yeah. Shes cute. That was quite half-hearted. Arent you gonna give us your blessing? Let me rest for a bit first. Im exhausted. There was so much blood, I thought she was gonna die Squee~ Ahah, sorry about that. I thought it would be easier since it was my second time. So, what are you going to name her? I assume youve already decided on it. Yeah, this girl Nicoles sisters name will be (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) She took a little pause and looked at Lyell. And then she faced me and dered with a bright smile. Fina. It is thebination of the names of our two dear friends, Cortina and Finia. Like this, my precious family had grown by one. Chapter 287 Since then, due to the birth of Fina, the newest member of our family, Maria and Lyell stoppeding to Raum as frequently as before. As expected, raising a child meant you wouldnt have so many chances of going out. Actually, I wanted Finia to go back too, but she stayed behind in Raum to care for me. My first menstruation had a big influence on that too. Since my condition was easily ruinable, Maria insisted that I needed Finia as a caretaker. In consideration of Maria who could no longere over so much, I started to visit the northern vige more frequently to see my sisters face. Naturally, I couldnt return there on my own it was done with Maxwells cooperation. Ill be off then. Okay. Say hi to them from me. During the weekend, I visited Maxwells mansion so we could head to the north. Cortina followed us quite often to check in on them, but she had to mark the tests this time around, so she couldnt do that. I really wanted toe along though I really, really wanted toe along! I got it already, Ill pass your greetings. I really, really, really wanted toe along though! You cannot just ignore your academy work. Are you getting in my way, old man! Cortina was glued to the desk at Maxwells mansion, and forced to grade the papers. I couldnt see Nicoles face back in the day, so I didnt want to repeat the same mistake and nned to engrave it in my mind! Be at ease, I shall do that in your stead. That doesnt make me any happier! Cortina protested by knocking on the test, but she knew how to separate work and private matters. She didnt force herself along, but simply came to see me off. Thus, Maxwell and I came to the vige that was my second home. After opening the nostalgic door, and quickly throwing a greeting, I rushed towards Fina right away. She looked so wrinkled back when she was born, but after getting cleaned up, her sleeping face was adorable just like Maria described it. Nay, this was already angelic. Ngbu.. Come on, at least say Im home, Nicole. Sorry, mom. And yeah, Im home. It was still risky to hang the talisman I made on the babys neck, so it was hanging on the bedside instead. There was no knowing what the baby would do the moment you took your eyes off, after all. If she turned around in sleep while it was hanging on her neck, the string could possibly suffocate her. As such, it was still not time to put the talisman to work. Actually, wheres dad? I couldnt see Lyell around, who tended to take a rest from work ever since Fina was born. He was working as a guard in this vige, which gave him a lot of free time, so this was unusual. Still, whenever monsters appeared, he was immediately called for help, so you couldnt really say whether he had a lot of time on his hands or not. Ah, he was called by Elliot so hes gone to Tryad. To the capital? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The capital of the Northern alliance, Tryad. It was the capital of the old Tryad kingdom, which was left as is even in the Northern Alliance. Since it was so far away, they probably sent a magician who could use Teleport or Portal Gate to bring him along. Yes, it seemed that there was something he just had to ask Lyell. Something to ask It was rare for Elliot to approach Lyell like that. Honestly, Lyell was a muscle-brain like me, so he was not the best guy for consultations. Yet, he was called for exactly that Marriage talks again? That cant be it. Unfortunate it may be for you, Elliot is still head over heels for that sweetheart of his. Its not unfortunate at all. Ah, right, you have Cloud, after all. Hes not in my zone either. This damn love gossiper! I dont have any interest in guys. Just give it a rest and realize that already, good grief. Oh dear, Nicole is still all about friends rather than boys. Maybe even Fina will beat you in finding the first love. That is highly possible. As a mother, I wished youd deny that, you know? Well, sorry I guess? Too bad for her, but a future where I would give birth to her grandchild was bound to never arrive. Pitiful it may be, that was the natural providence. Or maybe it wasnt. At any rate, Finas birth was significant even from that perspective. I couldnt leave any offspring, but Fina could continue their bloodline in my stead. It was the weekend, so I could stay in the vige for a day. Maxwell couldnt leave Cortina alone, so he returned back for the time being. He had his fill of ying with Fina, and then muttered I can brag to Cortina about this, so he was probably getting punished right about now. Well, she probably wouldnt overdo it. After I also fully enjoyed the return to my house, the day darkened, and Lyell finally returned. The magician apanying him bid us farewell with a bow and returned back. Maria tried to offer him a cup of tea, but he politely refused it. After returning, Lyell had quite a displeased expression on his face. It rivaled the one he had when Elliot brought up the marriage talks. Maria of course sensed that too. Dear, whats wrong? Hmm, well I guess you are rted to this too. After saying that, Lyell told us what he heard in the royal pce. It was something I had personally experienced. In other words About the sect that was conducting the Devil Summoning at the Evil Dragons nest. Devil Summoning using the grudges left behind by the Evil Dragon, huh. That is quite a disturbing method. Moreover, they seem to be made up of Half-Demons. The frequent kidnappings that happen in the northern parts seem to also be connected to them. I Wish they could turn over a new leaf, but that doesnt seem to be possible. It would be one thing if they were only involved in the ve trade, but they alsomitted kidnappings and even Devil Summons, so no one could stick up for them anymore. Maria also realized that, hence her sadness. Not everyone can stand strong in the face of discrimination like Reid. Indeed. He really was outstanding. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Please stop, I feel weird hearing you two hold me in such high regard. Besides, which part of an assassin like me was supposed to be outstanding. Also, the one who had brought that information turns out to be the woman called Haumea. Haumea The one that Cortina assumed to be Reids reincarnation? Yeah, in addition, the Adventurers Guild number that she presented them turned out to belong to Maxwell. At that point We can safely say that she is Reid. Yeah. We really have to get some answers out of Maxwell. Lyell reced his frown with a happy slime, and Maria was quick to follow suit. The two exchanged happy looks. It seems that they were wholeheartedly d about my reincarnation. Since then, due to the birth of Fina, the newest member of our family, Maria and Lyell stoppeding to Raum as frequently as before. As expected, raising a child meant you wouldnt have so many chances of going out. Actually, I wanted Finia to go back too, but she stayed behind in Raum to care for me. My first menstruation had a big influence on that too. Since my condition was easily ruinable, Maria insisted that I needed Finia as a caretaker. In consideration of Maria who could no longere over so much, I started to visit the northern vige more frequently to see my sisters face. Naturally, I couldnt return there on my own it was done with Maxwells cooperation. Ill be off then.Okay. Say hi to them from me. During the weekend, I visited Maxwells mansion so we could head to the north. Cortina followed us quite often to check in on them, but she had to mark the tests this time around, so she couldnt do that. I really wanted toe along though I really, really wanted toe along! I got it already, Ill pass your greetings. I really, really, really wanted toe along though! You cannot just ignore your academy work. Cortina was glued to the desk at Maxwells mansion, and forced to grade the papers. I couldnt see Nicoles face back in the day, so I didnt want to repeat the same mistake and nned to engrave it in my mind! Be at ease, I shall do that in your stead. Cortina protested by knocking on the test, but she knew how to separate work and private matters. She didnt force herself along, but simply came to see me off. Thus, Maxwell and I came to the vige that was my second home. After opening the nostalgic door, and quickly throwing a greeting, I rushed towards Fina right away. She looked so wrinkled back when she was born, but after getting cleaned up, her sleeping face was adorable just like Maria described it. Nay, this was already angelic. Ngbu.. Come on, at least say Im home, Nicole. It was still risky to hang the talisman I made on the babys neck, so it was hanging on the bedside instead. There was no knowing what the baby would do the moment you took your eyes off, after all. If she turned around in sleep while it was hanging on her neck, the string could possibly suffocate her. As such, it was still not time to put the talisman to work. Actually, wheres dad? I couldnt see Lyell around, who tended to take a rest from work ever since Fina was born. He was working as a guard in this vige, which gave him a lot of free time, so this was unusual. Still, whenever monsters appeared, he was immediately called for help, so you couldnt really say whether he had a lot of time on his hands or not. Ah, he was called by Elliot so hes gone to Tryad.To the capital? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The capital of the Northern alliance, Tryad. It was the capital of the old Tryad kingdom, which was left as is even in the Northern Alliance. Since it was so far away, they probably sent a magician who could use Teleport or Portal Gate to bring him along. Yes, it seemed that there was something he just had to ask Lyell.Something to ask It was rare for Elliot to approach Lyell like that. Honestly, Lyell was a muscle-brain like me, so he was not the best guy for consultations. Yet, he was called for exactly that Marriage talks again? That cant be it. Unfortunate it may be for you, Elliot is still head over heels for that sweetheart of his. Its not unfortunate at all. Ah, right, you have Cloud, after all. This damn love gossiper! I dont have any interest in guys. Just give it a rest and realize that already, good grief. Oh dear, Nicole is still all about friends rather than boys. Maybe even Fina will beat you in finding the first love. That is highly possible. As a mother, I wished youd deny that, you know? Too bad for her, but a future where I would give birth to her grandchild was bound to never arrive. Pitiful it may be, that was the natural providence. Or maybe it wasnt. At any rate, Finas birth was significant even from that perspective. I couldnt leave any offspring, but Fina could continue their bloodline in my stead. It was the weekend, so I could stay in the vige for a day. Maxwell couldnt leave Cortina alone, so he returned back for the time being. He had his fill of ying with Fina, and then muttered I can brag to Cortina about this, so he was probably getting punished right about now. Well, she probably wouldnt overdo it. After I also fully enjoyed the return to my house, the day darkened, and Lyell finally returned. The magician apanying him bid us farewell with a bow and returned back. Maria tried to offer him a cup of tea, but he politely refused it. After returning, Lyell had quite a displeased expression on his face. It rivaled the one he had when Elliot brought up the marriage talks. Maria of course sensed that too. Dear, whats wrong?Hmm, well I guess you are rted to this too. After saying that, Lyell told us what he heard in the royal pce. It was something I had personally experienced. In other words About the sect that was conducting the Devil Summoning at the Evil Dragons nest. Devil Summoning using the grudges left behind by the Evil Dragon, huh. That is quite a disturbing method. Moreover, they seem to be made up of Half-Demons. The frequent kidnappings that happen in the northern parts seem to also be connected to them. It would be one thing if they were only involved in the ve trade, but they alsomitted kidnappings and even Devil Summons, so no one could stick up for them anymore. Maria also realized that, hence her sadness. Not everyone can stand strong in the face of discrimination like Reid.Indeed. He really was outstanding. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Please stop, I feel weird hearing you two hold me in such high regard. Besides, which part of an assassin like me was supposed to be outstanding. Also, the one who had brought that information turns out to be the woman called Haumea. Haumea The one that Cortina assumed to be Reids reincarnation? Yeah, in addition, the Adventurers Guild number that she presented them turned out to belong to Maxwell. At that point We can safely say that she is Reid. Lyell reced his frown with a happy slime, and Maria was quick to follow suit. The two exchanged happy looks. It seems that they were wholeheartedly d about my reincarnation. Chapter 288 Authors note: Please note that the protagonist wont appear for about two chapters from now on. This was a tavern where the Adventurersmonly gathered. One boy opened the door and walked into that tavern. The young waitress serving the drinks noticed the boy and addressed him casually. Wee Kufar. Youve taken your time today. Hey, Lizith. Is everyone here already? Yes, the usual table. Ready to order yet? Same as usual. Got it, Ill bring it right away. He was about 15 years old. The waitress was of the same age so they were quite close. Sometimes some Adventurers poked fun at him for that, but he tended to let it pass without raising a fuss. The boyKufar, headed deeper into the tavern, and joined the table with several Adventurers gathered there. It was still noon, but three men there were already going hard on the alcohol there. They had swords and staffs, but the only shared trait was the fact that they all wore hats or bandanas. And one more fact, all of them gave off an aura of a skilled Adventurer. Hey, a littlete today, huh? Yeah. I received an important piece of information. Kufar sat down and immediately got down to business. There was nothing strange about it, as they were hisrades. However, they were very vignt about their surroundings. They lowered their voices, as if to let the noise around conceal it. Something important? Yeah. The bunch headed for the nest in question had been arrested. Well, they were just underlings so they shouldnt reveal anything important. Those guys? I cant believe they failed even in gathering the pieces. Five baits wouldnt be able to draw any important prey. I think we can just leave this be. The men expressed their opinions at the boys words one by one. But then, they all held their tongues and the conversation stopped. Sorry for the wait. Orange juice for Kufar, as well as grilled chicken. I will bring the sdter. Thank you. I can finally fill my stomach. Thats what you get for not waking up sooner. Sorry, Im not a morning person. The young waitress brought food and cackled on the way back. After confirming that she was far enough, they resumed their conversation. Are you sure its fine to meet up in a ce like this? Its because its ace like thisthat no one pays attention to what others say. If we usethat cetoo much, wed stand out. Oh well. That aside, I got that those underlings got arrested, but is that really something to fuss about? Surely they didnt have any ssified information? One of the man made an argument after moistening his tongue with alcohol. He was downing the alcohol, but his eyes still held the light of reasoning in them. Their behavior until now was nothing more than drunkard-pretend. That itself is nothing much. The problem is the one who caught them. The one who caught them? It seems to be a woman called Haumea. Apparently is quite a beauty, but the problem is the guild number that she provided. Was it fake? No, it was someone elses. And Kufar lowered his voice even more. That would normally look suspicious and have the opposite effect, but this is how Adventurers talked in this bar, so it didnt draw that much attention. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) It was the number of Maxwell, one of the Six Heroes. Ma!? One of the men almost shouted his name, but he held his mouth and suppressed it at thest second. Even so, his expression remained shocked. However, people in the surroundings did not catch his surprise. Is that true? Yeah, no doubt about it. How in the world did he sniff us out? That damn old fool Wait, the fact that hes on the move probably means he has theStrategistbehind him too. Theres a high chance of that. That Haumea person might be one of his pawns. Since they were able to pinpoint the summoning location like that, they might be aware of our movements. Quite possibly. After Kufars assent, the three mens expressions turned dead serious. They were working in the inner circle, so the fact that the information had gotten leaked could only mean Theres a betrayer? Probably. And if its like that, the disappearance of themerchantin Lilith should also be rted to this. With a sigh, Kufar reached towards his food. It had cooled down quite a bit, but still, the chicken meat that had once been run through fire and had the surface fats melted was still plenty tasty. Even still, the juices came flooding out with a bite, being a testament to the skill of the cook. At any rate, we should refrain from any conspicuous activities. And do a strict internal audit. At the same time, investigate this Haumea. And also to confirm the old fool and the Strategists movements. Looks like we have a lot on our tes. Cant be helped. We have too few pieces for making any open moves. And since the king is moving, we have to look for the reason behind that too. We still dont have any coborators inside the royal pce. Thest Count we had has been lost. We finally managed to make contact with the Margrave, but that ipetent fool Well, thats different from our main goal, so its fine either way. The king would die, and the usurpation would follow. Those incidents would have greatly shaken the public order of this kingdom. Making use of that disturbance would make it very easy to gather the sacrifices. As such, they tried to fan Tarkashires mes, but it didnt go well. Be that as it may, they could continue as they had been, so there were no problems. However, Kufar still felt that it would get troublesome now that the vignce around the king had been strengthened. Authors note: Please note that the protagonist wont appear for about two chapters from now on. This was a tavern where the Adventurersmonly gathered. One boy opened the door and walked into that tavern. The young waitress serving the drinks noticed the boy and addressed him casually. Wee Kufar. Youve taken your time today. Hey, Lizith. Is everyone here already? Yes, the usual table. Ready to order yet? Same as usual. He was about 15 years old. The waitress was of the same age so they were quite close. Sometimes some Adventurers poked fun at him for that, but he tended to let it pass without raising a fuss. The boyKufar, headed deeper into the tavern, and joined the table with several Adventurers gathered there. It was still noon, but three men there were already going hard on the alcohol there. They had swords and staffs, but the only shared trait was the fact that they all wore hats or bandanas. And one more fact, all of them gave off an aura of a skilled Adventurer. Hey, a littlete today, huh?Yeah. I received an important piece of information. Kufar sat down and immediately got down to business. There was nothing strange about it, as they were hisrades. However, they were very vignt about their surroundings. They lowered their voices, as if to let the noise around conceal it. Something important? Yeah. The bunch headed for the nest in question had been arrested. Well, they were just underlings so they shouldnt reveal anything important. Those guys? I cant believe they failed even in gathering the pieces. The men expressed their opinions at the boys words one by one. But then, they all held their tongues and the conversation stopped. Sorry for the wait. Orange juice for Kufar, as well as grilled chicken. I will bring the sdter. Thank you. I can finally fill my stomach. Thats what you get for not waking up sooner. The young waitress brought food and cackled on the way back. After confirming that she was far enough, they resumed their conversation. Are you sure its fine to meet up in a ce like this? Its because its ace like thisthat no one pays attention to what others say. If we usethat cetoo much, wed stand out. One of the man made an argument after moistening his tongue with alcohol. He was downing the alcohol, but his eyes still held the light of reasoning in them. Their behavior until now was nothing more than drunkard-pretend. That itself is nothing much. The problem is the one who caught them. The one who caught them? It seems to be a woman called Haumea. Apparently is quite a beauty, but the problem is the guild number that she provided. Was it fake? Kufar lowered his voice even more. That would normally look suspicious and have the opposite effect, but this is how Adventurers talked in this bar, so it didnt draw that much attention. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) It was the number of Maxwell, one of the Six Heroes.Ma!? One of the men almost shouted his name, but he held his mouth and suppressed it at thest second. Even so, his expression remained shocked. However, people in the surroundings did not catch his surprise. Is that true? Yeah, no doubt about it. How in the world did he sniff us out? That damn old fool Wait, the fact that hes on the move probably means he has theStrategistbehind him too. Theres a high chance of that. That Haumea person might be one of his pawns. Since they were able to pinpoint the summoning location like that, they might be aware of our movements. After Kufars assent, the three mens expressions turned dead serious. They were working in the inner circle, so the fact that the information had gotten leaked could only mean Theres a betrayer? Probably. And if its like that, the disappearance of themerchantin Lilith should also be rted to this. We have to thoroughly investigate our members. We also have to feel around for the enemys movements. It appears that we are not the only ones who want to find this Haumea person too. So there are other opposing organizations? Yeah, it seems that the royal pce is at work, you know? Oh Organs of the state would be one thing, but are you saying the king himself is moving!? With a sigh, Kufar reached towards his food. It had cooled down quite a bit, but still, the chicken meat that had once been run through fire and had the surface fats melted was still plenty tasty. Even still, the juices came flooding out with a bite, being a testament to the skill of the cook. At any rate, we should refrain from any conspicuous activities. And do a strict internal audit. At the same time, investigate this Haumea. And also to confirm the old fool and the Strategists movements. Looks like we have a lot on our tes. Cant be helped. We have too few pieces for making any open moves. And since the king is moving, we have to look for the reason behind that too. We still dont have any coborators inside the royal pce. Thest Count we had has been lost. We finally managed to make contact with the Margrave, but that ipetent fool The king would die, and the usurpation would follow. Those incidents would have greatly shaken the public order of this kingdom. Making use of that disturbance would make it very easy to gather the sacrifices. As such, they tried to fan Tarkashires mes, but it didnt go well. Be that as it may, they could continue as they had been, so there were no problems. However, Kufar still felt that it would get troublesome now that the vignce around the king had been strengthened. Chapter 289 While Nicole was staying in her home, Maxwell had returned back to Raum on his own. Even if he knew that she was his oldrade on the inside, taking a young child apart from her parents would still add to psychological stress. It was not bad to let her reunite with her family like this whenever an opportunity arose, Maxwell thought. He was aware that this was all self-satisfaction, but he still felt good about it, thinking that he had done a good deed. He opened the door to his house while being in a good mood. As he did He was met with Cortina standing in a daunting pose. Waaah! Oh, it is just you, Cortina. Do not scare me like that. Dont Its just you me. You received a report. I left it in your office. A report? Maxwell looked puzzled for a moment, but he soon realized it was about the Devil Summoning from the other day, and hurriedly rushed to his office. It was the report that Haumea requested to be delivered to Maxwell. It would be quite bad if Cortina were to see it. After rushing inside the office and locking the door, he opened the sealed letter. On it was a list of the ve traders that were doing transactions with the summoner men. Hmm So they were receiving sacrifices from several ve traders. It seems some of them have already been caught Maxwell, we have to talk. Whaah!? Hearing Cortinas sudden voice made him literally jump up. The door should have been locked, so he could not process what happened. However, Cortina could use magic to an extent. Unlocking a door should have been a childs y for her if she used Unlock. That spell belonged in-between elementary and mid-grade spells, so she knew how to use it. What is it all of a sudden? Stop scaring me so much, you are going to shorten my lifespan. Theres hardly any left of it anyway. That aside, I had the messenger spill out the info. Ugh. The Guilds messenger should not have known the details. However, they should still have been aware of where the message wasing from. It was information that reached Maxwell through Haumea. The same person that Cortina was suspecting to be Reid. So you were still in touch with that Haumea, huh? Umm, that is Just tell me one thing. Is she Reids reincarnation? Mghh Maxwell was at a loss. If he were to take Cortinas feelings into ount, denying it here would have been too pitiful. Besides, Haumea was Nicoles fake identity, so her guess that she was Reids reincarnation was indeed correct. However, if he were to affirm it, it would aggravate her feelings even more. As Reid could not show himself now, this too would only lead her to more sorrow. Umm You could say that she is, and you could say that she is not I am not an idiot here. I realize that he has some kind of circumstances. In the first ces, not meeting us just because he was reborn into a girl seems too weak of a reason. Really? Do you know? He once looked at my chest and said Whether you have that meat or not, it would not obstruct your movements, can you believe it? Ah, he must have been saying that from the perspective of an Adventurer I get that. But the point is, he has not a fragment of delicacy in him. Would someone like that shy away just because he got turned into a girl? W-Who knows? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) If that was all, even Maxwell would have agreed with her. However, the reality was that he ended up reborn Lyell and Marias daughter on top of that. He understood very well why Reid was not able to announce himself. Perhaps he has his own ways of thinking about it. I dont care about any of that! Cortina mmed her fist to the wall on the side. Her sudden outburst made Maxwell shrink away. What about my feelings, then! Ive been waiting for him for so long! Glittering drops fell from her eyes as she looked down. Seeing that, Maxwell made up his mind to an extent, and answered. I cannot tell you the details. Please understand that part. However, as for the rest I shall only say that it is as you have guessed. Then, Reid Yes, he has been reborn, and he is close to us as you have already witnessed yourself. He has certain circumstances that force him to stay hidden from us. So he is still in touch with you, huh? As if I would leave someone as talented as him alone. He has a low self-assessment, but have you any idea how valuable a person who has mastered the art of spying and assassination is? Yes, I know that all too well. Before they teamed up as the Six Heroes, they belonged to the kingdoms antagonistic to each other. Especially Cortina, who used to lead the army, was viewed as the thorn in the eyes by the Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle. There had been cases where Reid took on the bounty and attempted to assassinate her. Cortina had sensed the danger and somehow avoided it by using substitutes and body doubles. Still Sorry. I lost myposure there. Do not be. I cannot say I understand your feelings, but, well. What I am saying is, dont lose hope. I know that. Its just, even though I know hes alive out there somewhere, I just cant calm down. Earlier I just lost my patience due to this standstill. Let us leave it at that then. Now, I have new information to share. With those words, Maxwell showed her the letter. Since the matter of Haumea had already been found out, there was nothing else to hide in it. ve traders? And Devil Summoning!? This should be important for you too. Yes, still, looks like Half-Demons are involved again. Same as that time. Half-Demons themselves are not evil or anything, but this is intolerable. Be it Humans, Beastmen, or Half-Demons Using children as sacrifices isnt something that can be forgiven. Right. I shall follow up on investigating this. Also What about the inquiry from Elliot about Haumeas whereabouts? Id like to know that too, though. Unfortunately, I do not know either. Haumea is considered expelled on paper. So hes just wearing the mantle of your authority and does as he pleases wherever he goes? Y-Yes. Something like that I suppose. That carefree idiot. In Cortinas imagination, Reid had been reborn as a girl and was carefreely traveling in the Northern Alliance. The person in question was actually in the remote vige, enjoying the face of his newborn sister, but s, she had no way of knowing that. While Nicole was staying in her home, Maxwell had returned back to Raum on his own. Even if he knew that she was his oldrade on the inside, taking a young child apart from her parents would still add to psychological stress. It was not bad to let her reunite with her family like this whenever an opportunity arose, Maxwell thought. He was aware that this was all self-satisfaction, but he still felt good about it, thinking that he had done a good deed. He opened the door to his house while being in a good mood. As he did He was met with Cortina standing in a daunting pose. Waaah! Oh, it is just you, Cortina. Do not scare me like that. Dont Its just you me. You received a report. I left it in your office. Maxwell looked puzzled for a moment, but he soon realized it was about the Devil Summoning from the other day, and hurriedly rushed to his office. It was the report that Haumea requested to be delivered to Maxwell. It would be quite bad if Cortina were to see it. After rushing inside the office and locking the door, he opened the sealed letter. On it was a list of the ve traders that were doing transactions with the summoner men. Hmm So they were receiving sacrifices from several ve traders. It seems some of them have already been caught Maxwell, we have to talk. Hearing Cortinas sudden voice made him literally jump up. The door should have been locked, so he could not process what happened. However, Cortina could use magic to an extent. Unlocking a door should have been a childs y for her if she used Unlock. That spell belonged in-between elementary and mid-grade spells, so she knew how to use it. What is it all of a sudden? Stop scaring me so much, you are going to shorten my lifespan. Theres hardly any left of it anyway. That aside, I had the messenger spill out the info. The Guilds messenger should not have known the details. However, they should still have been aware of where the message wasing from. It was information that reached Maxwell through Haumea. The same person that Cortina was suspecting to be Reid. So you were still in touch with that Haumea, huh? Umm, that is Just tell me one thing. Is she Reids reincarnation? Maxwell was at a loss. If he were to take Cortinas feelings into ount, denying it here would have been too pitiful. Besides, Haumea was Nicoles fake identity, so her guess that she was Reids reincarnation was indeed correct. However, if he were to affirm it, it would aggravate her feelings even more. As Reid could not show himself now, this too would only lead her to more sorrow. Umm You could say that she is, and you could say that she is not I am not an idiot here. I realize that he has some kind of circumstances. In the first ces, not meeting us just because he was reborn into a girl seems too weak of a reason. Really? Do you know? He once looked at my chest and said Whether you have that meat or not, it would not obstruct your movements, can you believe it? Ah, he must have been saying that from the perspective of an Adventurer I get that. But the point is, he has not a fragment of delicacy in him. Would someone like that shy away just because he got turned into a girl? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) If that was all, even Maxwell would have agreed with her. However, the reality was that he ended up reborn Lyell and Marias daughter on top of that. He understood very well why Reid was not able to announce himself. Perhaps he has his own ways of thinking about it.I dont care about any of that! Cortina mmed her fist to the wall on the side. Her sudden outburst made Maxwell shrink away. What about my feelings, then! Ive been waiting for him for so long! Glittering drops fell from her eyes as she looked down. Seeing that, Maxwell made up his mind to an extent, and answered. I cannot tell you the details. Please understand that part. However, as for the rest I shall only say that it is as you have guessed. Then, Reid Yes, he has been reborn, and he is close to us as you have already witnessed yourself. He has certain circumstances that force him to stay hidden from us. So he is still in touch with you, huh? As if I would leave someone as talented as him alone. He has a low self-assessment, but have you any idea how valuable a person who has mastered the art of spying and assassination is? Before they teamed up as the Six Heroes, they belonged to the kingdoms antagonistic to each other. Especially Cortina, who used to lead the army, was viewed as the thorn in the eyes by the Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle. There had been cases where Reid took on the bounty and attempted to assassinate her. Cortina had sensed the danger and somehow avoided it by using substitutes and body doubles. Still Sorry. I lost myposure there. Do not be. I cannot say I understand your feelings, but, well. What I am saying is, dont lose hope. I know that. Its just, even though I know hes alive out there somewhere, I just cant calm down. Earlier I just lost my patience due to this standstill. With those words, Maxwell showed her the letter. Since the matter of Haumea had already been found out, there was nothing else to hide in it. ve traders? And Devil Summoning!? This should be important for you too. Yes, still, looks like Half-Demons are involved again. Same as that time. Half-Demons themselves are not evil or anything, but this is intolerable. Be it Humans, Beastmen, or Half-Demons Using children as sacrifices isnt something that can be forgiven. Right. I shall follow up on investigating this. Also What about the inquiry from Elliot about Haumeas whereabouts? Id like to know that too, though. Unfortunately, I do not know either. Haumea is considered expelled on paper. So hes just wearing the mantle of your authority and does as he pleases wherever he goes? Y-Yes. Something like that I suppose. In Cortinas imagination, Reid had been reborn as a girl and was carefreely traveling in the Northern Alliance. The person in question was actually in the remote vige, enjoying the face of his newborn sister, but s, she had no way of knowing that. Chapter 290 After spending a night in my home after so long, the morning arrived and yet, I was still clinging to Fina. In both my lives, this was the first time I had gained a new family in the truest sense, so it just couldnt be helped. I was an orphanage-raised before, and in this life, my parents were my oldrades. It was a little hard to consider them exactly family. But Fina was undoubtedly my little sister. That sister was now sleeping soundly in her new baby bed. I sat beside it and simply observed her sleeping face. As Maria said, she looked wrinkled at first, but once the filth was washed off from her, she turned shockingly adorable. It was lovely to the point youd think it was an angel sleeping there. I reflectively reached out and poked her soft cheek with my finger and enjoyed the sensation. Nicole, shell wake up if you touch too much. Just a bit more. Fina didnt seem to mind about my meddling and continued indulging in her idle slumber. I took that opportunity to have my fill of her cheeks. Maria still cautioned me, but she didnt stop me and just kept looking with a smile. In other words, I was still safe. Uhehe~ I was just staring at her face, yet even I realized how loose my expression was turning. From other peoples perspectives, I probably looked to be in acent, dazed state. Then, she seemed to have taken notice of my finger, she brought her hand up and squeezed it tightly. Mom, mom! Fina grabbed my hand! Oh, good for you. I reported it to Maria in a fluster, but she just replied without getting up from the sofa near the firece. It seems that childbirth really drained a lot out of her. She would normally be doing something in the house. Maxwell did hand the Queen Blossom nectar to her, which was supposed to be full of nourishment, but it wouldnt show its effect in a day, I guess. She didnt seem to be as dangerously weakened as I was, so I could rest easy. Fina kept tightly holding my finger, but remained sleeping without change. I also just sat there without pulling it away and observed her sleeping face. I wonder how long I sat there like that. Maybe thirty minutes? After that much time passed, there was a ring on the door. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Ah, we have guests. Ill go check. Please do. I couldnt call Marias condition very good. As such, we had a maid working here. However, since I came home after so long, we had her take a day off to enjoy it privately as a family. Lyell had his guard work so he was missing, though. As I arrived at the entrance, Maxwell opened the door and walked in. He was practically a family too, so he coulde and go as he pleased more or less. Wee, Maxwell. Wanna see Finas face? That is the first thing you are going to say? Good grief Is something wrong? He was acting more displeased than normal, making me feel a strange sense of crisis. It felt like I was stirring up a hos nest. Eh, never mind, I shall take a look at Maria first and then your sister. Oh, please do. Ill say it in advance, but she is really cute. You have beenpletely charmed, eh? I do understand your feelings however. My sister is an angel so thats natural. You sound exactly like Lyell there. Hearing that, I instantly stiffened in ce. I mean, we were certainly rted by blood, but it was still me on the inside. Did I really take after him despite that? I also need to discuss something with Maria. I need you to hear it too so stay close, okay? S-Sure Then Ill pretend to be looking at Fina and listen in. Maria is lying near the firece at the moment, after all You do that. Like that, I heard him talk about the extremist group that had taken nest in the Northern Alliance. They seemed to have had connections to the human trafficking channels and procured children as sacrifices from there. I assumed the reason there were so many ve merchants in these northern parts was due to the bad public order left over from the Evil Dragon But to think such people were moving behind the scenes. Indeed, they seem quite malicious too. AlsoElliot is also moving. Elliot? Ah, about Haumea? Yes. She is my subordinate after all, so it would help me if he does not get too involved. Are you asking me to tell that to Lyell? Well, Lyell seldom visits the royal pce, but he still visits it more often than I, right? Thus, I would like it if he conveys that if the opportunity arises. Still, she is Reids reincarnation like Cortina said, after all, isnt she? Well, he had certain circumstances to consider. He decided not to show his face for some time That is pretty cruel of him towards Cortina. I am more or less of the same opinion. Saying that, he directed a meaningful gaze at my way. I was conscious of her feelings. However, I could not respond to them at present. I decided to feign ignorance and continued poking at Finas cheek, trying to ignore my guilty conscience. After spending a night in my home after so long, the morning arrived and yet, I was still clinging to Fina. In both my lives, this was the first time I had gained a new family in the truest sense, so it just couldnt be helped. I was an orphanage-raised before, and in this life, my parents were my oldrades. It was a little hard to consider them exactly family. But Fina was undoubtedly my little sister. That sister was now sleeping soundly in her new baby bed. I sat beside it and simply observed her sleeping face. As Maria said, she looked wrinkled at first, but once the filth was washed off from her, she turned shockingly adorable. It was lovely to the point youd think it was an angel sleeping there. I reflectively reached out and poked her soft cheek with my finger and enjoyed the sensation. Nicole, shell wake up if you touch too much.Just a bit more. Fina didnt seem to mind about my meddling and continued indulging in her idle slumber. I took that opportunity to have my fill of her cheeks. Maria still cautioned me, but she didnt stop me and just kept looking with a smile. In other words, I was still safe. Uhehe~ I was just staring at her face, yet even I realized how loose my expression was turning. From other peoples perspectives, I probably looked to be in acent, dazed state. Then, she seemed to have taken notice of my finger, she brought her hand up and squeezed it tightly. Mom, mom! Fina grabbed my hand!Oh, good for you. I reported it to Maria in a fluster, but she just replied without getting up from the sofa near the firece. It seems that childbirth really drained a lot out of her. She would normally be doing something in the house. Maxwell did hand the Queen Blossom nectar to her, which was supposed to be full of nourishment, but it wouldnt show its effect in a day, I guess. She didnt seem to be as dangerously weakened as I was, so I could rest easy. Fina kept tightly holding my finger, but remained sleeping without change. I also just sat there without pulling it away and observed her sleeping face. I wonder how long I sat there like that. Maybe thirty minutes? After that much time passed, there was a ring on the door. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Ah, we have guests. Ill go check.Please do. I couldnt call Marias condition very good. As such, we had a maid working here. However, since I came home after so long, we had her take a day off to enjoy it privately as a family. Lyell had his guard work so he was missing, though. As I arrived at the entrance, Maxwell opened the door and walked in. He was practically a family too, so he coulde and go as he pleased more or less. Wee, Maxwell. Wanna see Finas face? That is the first thing you are going to say? Good grief He was acting more displeased than normal, making me feel a strange sense of crisis. It felt like I was stirring up a hos nest. Eh, never mind, I shall take a look at Maria first and then your sister. Oh, please do. Ill say it in advance, but she is really cute. You have beenpletely charmed, eh? I do understand your feelings however. My sister is an angel so thats natural. Hearing that, I instantly stiffened in ce. I mean, we were certainly rted by blood, but it was still me on the inside. Did I really take after him despite that? I also need to discuss something with Maria. I need you to hear it too so stay close, okay? S-Sure Then Ill pretend to be looking at Fina and listen in. Maria is lying near the firece at the moment, after all Like that, I heard him talk about the extremist group that had taken nest in the Northern Alliance. They seemed to have had connections to the human trafficking channels and procured children as sacrifices from there. I assumed the reason there were so many ve merchants in these northern parts was due to the bad public order left over from the Evil Dragon But to think such people were moving behind the scenes. Indeed, they seem quite malicious too. AlsoElliot is also moving. Elliot? Ah, about Haumea? Yes. She is my subordinate after all, so it would help me if he does not get too involved. Are you asking me to tell that to Lyell? Well, Lyell seldom visits the royal pce, but he still visits it more often than I, right? Thus, I would like it if he conveys that if the opportunity arises. Still, she is Reids reincarnation like Cortina said, after all, isnt she? Well, he had certain circumstances to consider. He decided not to show his face for some time That is pretty cruel of him towards Cortina. Saying that, he directed a meaningful gaze at my way. I was conscious of her feelings. However, I could not respond to them at present. I decided to feign ignorance and continued poking at Finas cheek, trying to ignore my guilty conscience. Chapter 291 That evening, I was taken back to Raum by Maxwell. Cortina had naturally already returned to her own home, so she wasnt in his mansion. Mateus had been given some work to do, so he wasnt there, either. Now then, Reid. What is it, being so serious Well, yesterday Thus, Maxwell exined to me the situation with Cortina. It was quite unexpected for me to find out that she was under so much stress. As a strategist, her fortitude was a tower above the rest. I believed that to be the case. Didnt expect that from Cortina As for Elliot, it was within expectations. The reason I used the name Haumea and also left a proof of my connection with Maxwell was in a way to drag Elliot out. If he found out that I was involved in it, he would naturally stick his nose into it, which also meant that this matter of sacrifices would get intervened by the power of the state. If the kingdom decided to get involved, then theyd have a hard time escaping no matter how well they can hide. The real problem was Cortina. I would not say that this is the limit of how long you can keep hiding it, but she would be too pitiable if you do not bring salvation to her heart already. I really do feel bad about this, but I just cant Hey, isnt there some way to learn Polymorph faster? As if there would be. Moreover, that spell has its share of ws. ws? I never heard about that. Actually, you never used it during battles now that I think about it. Rather, not just battles, I dont remember him using it even during normal times even once. Maybe it was due to the ws that he mentioned. That is correct. For one, that spell can only be used on the user. This is why I cant just cast it on you. And thats why Im trying so hard to learn it, huh. And It changes your body forcibly, do you understand? In the worst case, it can cause enough pain to make you faint. That much!? Yes, that is why it is impossible to use in battles. Losing consciousness there would be quite dangerous. And it is painful enough that you would not want to use it even outside of battles, if you could help it. No one would use it for no reason. Seriously Still, Im sure I can endure it. I hope that will be the case. But learning ites first. Even if you say that, that spells ranked high up even in the high-ranked spells. At present, I barely scratched the surface of the middle ranked spells. Icked quite a bit of skill for a high-ranked spell like Polymorph. Naturally, since I was already at mid-rank at eleven years old, I was already considered a genius. Even so, it was not enough to match up to the urgency of the situation. Wait Hold on a moment. What is it, Reid. Did you think of something? Yeah. Look, people who cant use teleportation magic can still teleport by using magic circles, right? Cant we use an external factor to assist with casting Polymorph the same way? External factor You say? Like, we discovered a ley line some time ago, right? What if we cast the spell there, would that help? We buried that ce though. I didnt believe that would really allow me to use the spell. However, maybe this old man could think of something using the information I provided. He started to ponder for some time while putting a hand on his beard. Then finally, he raised his head and offered a suggestion. You do know that you would not be able to use it so easily, right? Of course. It could only serve as a trigger at best. Pretty much. Not on the Polymorph level But there is someone that experienced what you are describing. I am talking about Den. Now that he brought it up, I thought back on Den. Because he made his nest above a ley line, he underwent an evolution and developed a high intellect for an Ogre. He should currently be taking shelter in my hideout, and living quietly there. Certainly, it could be said that the ley lines influence caused him to undergo a change from an ogre into a new species. As you said, it is possible to supplement a spell if you borrow the power of a ley line. However, that would only be in terms of making up for theck of magic power. Thats not enough? It seems that you have forgotten, but you have no problems when ites to the magic power amount itself. What hindered the growth of your ability was instead your problem with the release and control of your magic power. Thats true. So the ley line is basically useless? At present, yes. But thanks to this I have thought of a n that could ovee this. A n to ovee So theres a way? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) As expected, he seemed to have thought of something. I looked at him filled with expectations. If this went well, I could dispel Cortinas anguish. Yes, think of Light Magic Items, for example. Those can be used even if you are not a magician. If they didnt, an average person wouldnt be able to use them. Right, in other words, they can be used even if you cannot use the spell itself. Magic Items make that possible. Magic Items Aste, huh! He was a Magic Item specialist. He had both deep knowledge and the skill to implement it. Certainly, if its him he might just be able to make a Magic Item loaded with Polymorph. I see, and hes already aware of my circumstances. If hes willing to help, theres no one more reliable than him! Right? And he is cut above the rest when ites to creating Magic Items. There is no one better than him for cases like this. True. In that case, we should quickly Wait, where do you think you are going? Where, you ask? To Aste, obviously. If we didnt contact her and didnt return untilte night, she would obviously worry. While Maxwell was indeed apanying me, I was still a kid in body. I had to stick to the curfew. First show your face to Cortina and tell her about Fina as well. That should help distract her from her feelings somewhat. Okay, Ill do that. After thatLet us see. Come to this mansion once again when nightes. You can just tell her that you have toe at night because the ritual spell you are learning is rted to the stars, and she should let you do that. Again with the technical stuff By stars, he meant the rotation of them. Depending on the ritual, the position of the stars was important to the spells. And that meant that they had to be done at night. It was a good excuse for me to slip out of the house. I will write a note too. With that, you should have no problem leaving the house. But what if she says she wants to escort me? Since Id be leaving at nighttime, that could easily happen. Hmm, in that case, ask that Finia apany you instead. She is also my disciple, so there should be no problem toe here while also protecting you. And, when shees here, wed still have to deceive her somehow, right? I will tell her to do some cleaning. We can tell her we have to go somewhere while shes busy doing that. Will it really go so well? If this goes well and you turn back into Reid, head over to Cortina by yourself. I will make sure to keep Finia in the mansion. That would be appreciated, but we dont know if this would even work. We will know when the timees. He responded with a scheming smile. Thus, It has been decided that we would visit Aste. That evening, I was taken back to Raum by Maxwell. Cortina had naturally already returned to her own home, so she wasnt in his mansion. Mateus had been given some work to do, so he wasnt there, either. Now then, Reid. What is it, being so serious Thus, Maxwell exined to me the situation with Cortina. It was quite unexpected for me to find out that she was under so much stress. As a strategist, her fortitude was a tower above the rest. I believed that to be the case. Didnt expect that from Cortina As for Elliot, it was within expectations. The reason I used the name Haumea and also left a proof of my connection with Maxwell was in a way to drag Elliot out. If he found out that I was involved in it, he would naturally stick his nose into it, which also meant that this matter of sacrifices would get intervened by the power of the state. If the kingdom decided to get involved, then theyd have a hard time escaping no matter how well they can hide. The real problem was Cortina. I would not say that this is the limit of how long you can keep hiding it, but she would be too pitiable if you do not bring salvation to her heart already. I really do feel bad about this, but I just cant Hey, isnt there some way to learn Polymorph faster? As if there would be. Moreover, that spell has its share of ws. Rather, not just battles, I dont remember him using it even during normal times even once. Maybe it was due to the ws that he mentioned. That is correct. For one, that spell can only be used on the user. This is why I cant just cast it on you. And thats why Im trying so hard to learn it, huh. And It changes your body forcibly, do you understand? In the worst case, it can cause enough pain to make you faint. That much!? Yes, that is why it is impossible to use in battles. Losing consciousness there would be quite dangerous. And it is painful enough that you would not want to use it even outside of battles, if you could help it. No one would use it for no reason. Seriously Still, Im sure I can endure it. I hope that will be the case. But learning ites first. At present, I barely scratched the surface of the middle ranked spells. Icked quite a bit of skill for a high-ranked spell like Polymorph. Naturally, since I was already at mid-rank at eleven years old, I was already considered a genius. Even so, it was not enough to match up to the urgency of the situation. Wait Hold on a moment. What is it, Reid. Did you think of something? Yeah. Look, people who cant use teleportation magic can still teleport by using magic circles, right? Cant we use an external factor to assist with casting Polymorph the same way? External factor You say? Like, we discovered a ley line some time ago, right? What if we cast the spell there, would that help? We buried that ce though. Please, you can easily dig it back up. I didnt believe that would really allow me to use the spell. However, maybe this old man could think of something using the information I provided. He started to ponder for some time while putting a hand on his beard. Then finally, he raised his head and offered a suggestion. You do know that you would not be able to use it so easily, right? Of course. It could only serve as a trigger at best. Pretty much. Now that he brought it up, I thought back on Den. Because he made his nest above a ley line, he underwent an evolution and developed a high intellect for an Ogre. He should currently be taking shelter in my hideout, and living quietly there. Certainly, it could be said that the ley lines influence caused him to undergo a change from an ogre into a new species. As you said, it is possible to supplement a spell if you borrow the power of a ley line. However, that would only be in terms of making up for theck of magic power. Thats not enough? It seems that you have forgotten, but you have no problems when ites to the magic power amount itself. What hindered the growth of your ability was instead your problem with the release and control of your magic power. Thats true. So the ley line is basically useless? At present, yes. But thanks to this I have thought of a n that could ovee this. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) As expected, he seemed to have thought of something. I looked at him filled with expectations. If this went well, I could dispel Cortinas anguish. Yes, think of Light Magic Items, for example. Those can be used even if you are not a magician. If they didnt, an average person wouldnt be able to use them. Right, in other words, they can be used even if you cannot use the spell itself. Magic Items make that possible. He was a Magic Item specialist. He had both deep knowledge and the skill to implement it. Certainly, if its him he might just be able to make a Magic Item loaded with Polymorph. I see, and hes already aware of my circumstances. If hes willing to help, theres no one more reliable than him! Right? And he is cut above the rest when ites to creating Magic Items. There is no one better than him for cases like this. True. In that case, we should quickly Wait, where do you think you are going? Where, you ask? To Aste, obviously. You have just returned to Raum. At least show your face to Cortina first, she is your guardian! If we didnt contact her and didnt return untilte night, she would obviously worry. While Maxwell was indeed apanying me, I was still a kid in body. I had to stick to the curfew. First show your face to Cortina and tell her about Fina as well. That should help distract her from her feelings somewhat. Okay, Ill do that. After thatLet us see. Come to this mansion once again when nightes. You can just tell her that you have toe at night because the ritual spell you are learning is rted to the stars, and she should let you do that. By stars, he meant the rotation of them. Depending on the ritual, the position of the stars was important to the spells. And that meant that they had to be done at night. It was a good excuse for me to slip out of the house. I will write a note too. With that, you should have no problem leaving the house. But what if she says she wants to escort me? Since Id be leaving at nighttime, that could easily happen. Hmm, in that case, ask that Finia apany you instead. She is also my disciple, so there should be no problem toe here while also protecting you. And, when shees here, wed still have to deceive her somehow, right? I will tell her to do some cleaning. We can tell her we have to go somewhere while shes busy doing that. Will it really go so well? If this goes well and you turn back into Reid, head over to Cortina by yourself. I will make sure to keep Finia in the mansion. That would be appreciated, but we dont know if this would even work. He responded with a scheming smile. Thus, It has been decided that we would visit Aste. Chapter 292 When I returned to Cortinas home, I felt a strange out-of-ce feeling. Cortina was acting strangely cheerfully while dealing with me. She was normally cheerful, yes, but her conduct looked almost theatrical now. Cortina, did something happen? No, nothing at all. She said that, but as I already knew the situation from Maxwell, I could tell that she was just trying to act like her usual self. Emotions werent so easy to put back together once they exploded, after all. Still, since she chose to act like everything was fine, that meant that she didnt want me to know about it. Instead of pursuing the matter, I decided to instead wait until I broke the deadlock That is, until Aste could do something about me. Ah, right. This is for you. Itll make your hair really smooth. Yes, its true. Please look at my hair, its so glossy. As I handed the shampoo to her, Finia came to demonstrate the effect it had on her hair. Even Cortina was a woman, so seeing that made her change her expression and inspect her hair. Wow, the glossiness is one thing, but it has also turned so supple. You already had good hair before, but now Isnt that right? It surprised me as well! We have to thank that white girl. This is already on the level that could be lined up in the stores if mass-produced. It needs monster materials, so we cant make that many. That said, its not that difficult of an opponent, so newbie Adventurers could make good money out of it. Oho Floating Wakame werent such difficult opponents I mean, they were in a different sense, but they couldnt pose any danger to peoples lives. Newbie Adventurers could make extra money through them. The problem was that they had to be collected at the seaside, but their epidermis could be dried and returned to its viscous state with water when needed. Since they could be transported for long periods of time, you could bring them into trades. Lady Cortina, look at this too! I have a matching pair with Lady Nicole! Ohh, is that a talisman? And handmade? What is it made of? Fang Wolves. Michelle, Cloud and Fina also have theirs. Heh Hey, can I step out for a bit? Huh, where to? Yeah, well, Ill get Maxwell to take me to hunt some Fang Wolves. Now!? It was already nearing evening now. If she headed to hunt wolves after eating the food Finia made, it would bete night already. While it suited me for her to be absent, her camping alone at night would be worrying. At any rate, it was best to change the topic now. Err, uhh Ah, right, Maxwell is teaching me ritual magic today, so he told me to stay over at night. Huh, to his mansion? No, somewhere else. He apparently found a good ce for the ritual. This was not a lie. We did find a perfect ce for the ritual magic. Not to mention, one where a Devil was about to be summoned. Though where we nned to go had nothing to do with it. Ritual magic, huh. Do you need that stuff? Er, err Right, Teleportation magic! Ah, right, that does belong to ritual magic too. Teleportation that was used widely was the type that borrowed the magic circles power to supplement theck of magic power. It was very hard to use it as a chanted spell like Maxwell did, but I might be able to use this method before long. Considering all that, Cortina decided to let me spend the night away. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) You finally came back, and youre going away again Could this be a sign of turning into a delinquent? No, its not! I denied it with all I had, but honestly, the fact that I was going to do shady stuff behind her back probably made her point hit close. It pained me to tell her, who was already suffering as is, yet another lie. But that was also for her own sake. But you cant just walk alone in the dead of night, right? Maxwell thought about that too. He told me to get Finia to escort me. And to have her help clean the mansion. That old man Gettingzier by the day. What about that Mateus fellow? Looks like he has a day off. Also, youreing along part way too, right? She was going to get the Fang Wolf fangs, so Maxwells teleportation was essential for her. She was going somewhere else after that, so there was no fear of her finding out what we were going to do ourselves. It turned out a little different from my expectations But I suppose this was good in its own way. In the end, we came to Maxwells mansion together with Cortina. After taking one step inside, Cortina leaked a sigh and spoke. This geezer, how did he manage to make such a mess of his mansion in just a few days. She had a point This mansion was rtively clean while Mateus was still around, but after the events around the training camp period, it had gone back to the disastrous sight it used to be. Given the state, I could see why hed want to ask Finia to help. That is quite a rude remark to make right after arriving. You finally made that guy be a housekeeper, but you still ended up in this state in the blink of an eye. Its obvious that itd get a few sighs out of me. I do feel bad to ask little Finia for help, but this is who I am, I cannot do anything about it. Well, consider how it used to be before Nicole arrived in this city, I guess this was a natural oue. Setting that aside, why are you here, Cortina? I want amatching pairtoo! Huh? Maxwell was confused at her sudden deration. It probably caused some error in hisnguage center. I mean, I want a matching talisman with Nicole and others. Even if you tell me that, I have no spares around. I decided to exin the situation to the troubled Maxwell. Hearing it, he frowned and spoke evasively. It could be dangerous to hunt Fang Wolves on your own, you know? With no one to cover you on top. Then let me take Gadius along. Do you not pity him to call him for something so personal? I sent my condolences to Gadius who got rolled up in her self-interests. Despite all that, he would still do what he was asked and go along, so I couldnt help but call him soft-hearted. He still held some guilty conscience towards Cortina so he probably couldnt refuse her. Thus, after sending Cortina elsewhere, we went to Maleva of the Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle. In addition, it was decided that Finia would be paidpensation for cleaning his house at ater date. When I returned to Cortinas home, I felt a strange out-of-ce feeling. Cortina was acting strangely cheerfully while dealing with me. She was normally cheerful, yes, but her conduct looked almost theatrical now. Cortina, did something happen?No, nothing at all. She said that, but as I already knew the situation from Maxwell, I could tell that she was just trying to act like her usual self. Emotions werent so easy to put back together once they exploded, after all. Still, since she chose to act like everything was fine, that meant that she didnt want me to know about it. Instead of pursuing the matter, I decided to instead wait until I broke the deadlock That is, until Aste could do something about me. Ah, right. This is for you. Itll make your hair really smooth.Yes, its true. Please look at my hair, its so glossy. As I handed the shampoo to her, Finia came to demonstrate the effect it had on her hair. Even Cortina was a woman, so seeing that made her change her expression and inspect her hair. Wow, the glossiness is one thing, but it has also turned so supple. You already had good hair before, but now Isnt that right? It surprised me as well! We have to thank that white girl. This is already on the level that could be lined up in the stores if mass-produced. It needs monster materials, so we cant make that many. That said, its not that difficult of an opponent, so newbie Adventurers could make good money out of it. Floating Wakame werent such difficult opponents I mean, they were in a different sense, but they couldnt pose any danger to peoples lives. Newbie Adventurers could make extra money through them. The problem was that they had to be collected at the seaside, but their epidermis could be dried and returned to its viscous state with water when needed. Since they could be transported for long periods of time, you could bring them into trades. Lady Cortina, look at this too! I have a matching pair with Lady Nicole! Ohh, is that a talisman? And handmade? What is it made of? Fang Wolves. Michelle, Cloud and Fina also have theirs. Heh Hey, can I step out for a bit? Huh, where to? Yeah, well, Ill get Maxwell to take me to hunt some Fang Wolves. It was already nearing evening now. If she headed to hunt wolves after eating the food Finia made, it would bete night already. While it suited me for her to be absent, her camping alone at night would be worrying. At any rate, it was best to change the topic now. Err, uhh Ah, right, Maxwell is teaching me ritual magic today, so he told me to stay over at night. Huh, to his mansion? This was not a lie. We did find a perfect ce for the ritual magic. Not to mention, one where a Devil was about to be summoned. Though where we nned to go had nothing to do with it. Ritual magic, huh. Do you need that stuff? Er, err Right, Teleportation magic! Teleportation that was used widely was the type that borrowed the magic circles power to supplement theck of magic power. It was very hard to use it as a chanted spell like Maxwell did, but I might be able to use this method before long. Considering all that, Cortina decided to let me spend the night away. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) You finally came back, and youre going away again Could this be a sign of turning into a delinquent?No, its not! I denied it with all I had, but honestly, the fact that I was going to do shady stuff behind her back probably made her point hit close. It pained me to tell her, who was already suffering as is, yet another lie. But that was also for her own sake. But you cant just walk alone in the dead of night, right? Maxwell thought about that too. He told me to get Finia to escort me. And to have her help clean the mansion. That old man Gettingzier by the day. What about that Mateus fellow? She was going to get the Fang Wolf fangs, so Maxwells teleportation was essential for her. She was going somewhere else after that, so there was no fear of her finding out what we were going to do ourselves. It turned out a little different from my expectations But I suppose this was good in its own way. In the end, we came to Maxwells mansion together with Cortina. After taking one step inside, Cortina leaked a sigh and spoke. This geezer, how did he manage to make such a mess of his mansion in just a few days. She had a point This mansion was rtively clean while Mateus was still around, but after the events around the training camp period, it had gone back to the disastrous sight it used to be. Given the state, I could see why hed want to ask Finia to help. That is quite a rude remark to make right after arriving. You finally made that guy be a housekeeper, but you still ended up in this state in the blink of an eye. Its obvious that itd get a few sighs out of me. I do feel bad to ask little Finia for help, but this is who I am, I cannot do anything about it. Well, consider how it used to be before Nicole arrived in this city, I guess this was a natural oue. Setting that aside, why are you here, Cortina? I want amatching pairtoo! Maxwell was confused at her sudden deration. It probably caused some error in hisnguage center. I mean, I want a matching talisman with Nicole and others.Even if you tell me that, I have no spares around. I decided to exin the situation to the troubled Maxwell. Hearing it, he frowned and spoke evasively. It could be dangerous to hunt Fang Wolves on your own, you know? With no one to cover you on top. Then let me take Gadius along. I sent my condolences to Gadius who got rolled up in her self-interests. Despite all that, he would still do what he was asked and go along, so I couldnt help but call him soft-hearted. He still held some guilty conscience towards Cortina so he probably couldnt refuse her. Thus, after sending Cortina elsewhere, we went to Maleva of the Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle. In addition, it was decided that Finia would be paidpensation for cleaning his house at ater date. Chapter 293 My hideout had teleportation prevention instations. That was only natural I had enough treasures there to throw the kingdoms off-bnce. Incidentally, I had a passerby magician help me with setting it up, but hetermitted an evil deed and I ended up putting an end to him. In other words, the existence of this ce was still known to limited people. Moreover, I had the Ogre Den live there now, so if we teleported there, we could catch him in an awkward situation which would leave a bad aftertaste. Everyone would feel difort if someone suddenly popped out in their home. As such, we instead showed up nearby the hideout. If you are curious as to why we came here and not Astes cave, it was because I was a little interested in how Den was doing. I didnte here ever since that day. In other words, I havent checked how he was doing. I was curious what kind of life he was leading now. We were in a half-buried ghost town in the thickly grown woods. Among all the grass, there was a single hardened path, simr to an animal trail. It was probably the path Den used to take when going in and out. Considering the tread marks on the grass, he should have gone through here recently. Which should mean he is doing okay, I suppose? Well, we did ask Aste to look after him, so he shouldnt have gotten into any trouble. We were having an Ogre live in a nearby garden, so to speak, so it would be weirder if he didnt care about Den Or that should normally be the case, but that guy probably wouldnt care. Setting that aside, I did want to have a talk with that good-natured Ogre, so this was a good opportunity. Following the animal trail, I arrived at the hideout. It was the same old tattered, half-destroyed house from the outside. But looking closely, there were traces of brand new repairs. Hmm? What is it, Reid? There are traces of repairs. Would that Ogre really bother to repair the roof and walls when he used to keep all that raw garbage in his own den? He prided to have a healthy enough body to not catch illnesses or cold, after all. He shouldnt have cared about some roof leaks. Did someone else start living here? This is Sir Astes territory. That just cannot be. At any rate, we wouldnt know what was going on inside just by looking at the outside. I was a little doubtful, so vigntly opened the doorwhich used to be a window, by the wayand entered in, Crimson one, Ultramarine one, Gold twoLight. Maxwell promptly created the light source and secured our vision. Gold two, in other words, two hours duration. Seeing the illuminated indoor state made me drop my jaw. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) What Is this Everything was in perfect order, and there was even wallpaper put on the walls. There was even a matid at the entrance here so you could get the dirt off your feet. The walls were even decorated with flowers, and the ce was cleaned with not a fragment of dust seen anywhere It was a far more pleasant sight than Maxwells mansion. Is this Sir Astes doing? No, that curt guy wouldnt have gone out of his way to reform the ce for an Ogre, would he? Quite so indeed. Den was timid and had intellect, but he was still an Ogre. He wouldnt die even if you threw him out in the wild. The only things that could cause his death here would be if he incurred Astes wrath, or if he failed to obtain food and starved to death. We opened the door and headed down the stairs. The floor used to be so rotten you had to tread carefully lest youd risk stepping on the nails, but now, it seemed to have been perfectly remade. The foothold was so firm it didnt even raise creaks. It was one thing for a light person like myself, but it was the same for Maxwell too. There really is remodeling going on here. Did Den do all this? I simply cannot believe that. Mutated he may be, he is still an Ogre. Right. This was ridiculous. Despite our thoughts, our doubt couldnt be cleared. After all, only Aste or Den woulde to this ce. And judging by Astes personality, fixing the living environment for an Ogre wasperhaps possible given his whimsical nature, butreally hard to imagine. Then, just as we arrived on the lower floor, someone directed a murderous attack at us. It was a heavy blow. However, I sensed it and easily avoided it. Rather, it stopped before I was about to do that. I was also about to counterattack with my daggerbut simrly stopped in ce. Wait, huh, Den Or are you? There stood a three-meter-tall giant in proper butler clothes. But I knew that face. It was quite a bit refined, but it was still unmistakably Dens. My apologies. I failed to realize it was you dy Nicole. I assumed it was a trespasser. He lowered his first and made an elegantpractically on the level of a royal butlerbow. It was an Ogre who knew my name and also addressed me with an honorific. I only knew of Den that fit the description. What in the world happened to you? Looking closely, he had disposed of the unwanted hair on his face, and it looked really clean, probably from washing it every day. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) It was unmistakably Den, one was giving of a sense of cleanliness even more than Cloud. My hideout had teleportation prevention instations. That was only natural I had enough treasures there to throw the kingdoms off-bnce. Incidentally, I had a passerby magician help me with setting it up, but hetermitted an evil deed and I ended up putting an end to him. In other words, the existence of this ce was still known to limited people. Moreover, I had the Ogre Den live there now, so if we teleported there, we could catch him in an awkward situation which would leave a bad aftertaste. Everyone would feel difort if someone suddenly popped out in their home. As such, we instead showed up nearby the hideout. If you are curious as to why we came here and not Astes cave, it was because I was a little interested in how Den was doing. I didnte here ever since that day. In other words, I havent checked how he was doing. I was curious what kind of life he was leading now. We were in a half-buried ghost town in the thickly grown woods. Among all the grass, there was a single hardened path, simr to an animal trail. It was probably the path Den used to take when going in and out. Considering the tread marks on the grass, he should have gone through here recently. Which should mean he is doing okay, I suppose? We were having an Ogre live in a nearby garden, so to speak, so it would be weirder if he didnt care about Den Or that should normally be the case, but that guy probably wouldnt care. Setting that aside, I did want to have a talk with that good-natured Ogre, so this was a good opportunity. Following the animal trail, I arrived at the hideout. It was the same old tattered, half-destroyed house from the outside. But looking closely, there were traces of brand new repairs. Hmm? What is it, Reid? Would that Ogre really bother to repair the roof and walls when he used to keep all that raw garbage in his own den? He prided to have a healthy enough body to not catch illnesses or cold, after all. He shouldnt have cared about some roof leaks. Did someone else start living here? This is Sir Astes territory. That just cannot be. Then what are those repairs for? Surely Den doesnt need them. At any rate, we wouldnt know what was going on inside just by looking at the outside. I was a little doubtful, so vigntly opened the doorwhich used to be a window, by the wayand entered in, Crimson one, Ultramarine one, Gold twoLight. Maxwell promptly created the light source and secured our vision. Gold two, in other words, two hours duration. Seeing the illuminated indoor state made me drop my jaw. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) What Is this Everything was in perfect order, and there was even wallpaper put on the walls. There was even a matid at the entrance here so you could get the dirt off your feet. The walls were even decorated with flowers, and the ce was cleaned with not a fragment of dust seen anywhere It was a far more pleasant sight than Maxwells mansion. Is this Sir Astes doing? No, that curt guy wouldnt have gone out of his way to reform the ce for an Ogre, would he? Den was timid and had intellect, but he was still an Ogre. He wouldnt die even if you threw him out in the wild. The only things that could cause his death here would be if he incurred Astes wrath, or if he failed to obtain food and starved to death. We opened the door and headed down the stairs. The floor used to be so rotten you had to tread carefully lest youd risk stepping on the nails, but now, it seemed to have been perfectly remade. The foothold was so firm it didnt even raise creaks. It was one thing for a light person like myself, but it was the same for Maxwell too. There really is remodeling going on here. Did Den do all this? I simply cannot believe that. Mutated he may be, he is still an Ogre. This was ridiculous. Despite our thoughts, our doubt couldnt be cleared. After all, only Aste or Den woulde to this ce. And judging by Astes personality, fixing the living environment for an Ogre wasperhaps possible given his whimsical nature, butreally hard to imagine. Then, just as we arrived on the lower floor, someone directed a murderous attack at us. It was a heavy blow. However, I sensed it and easily avoided it. Rather, it stopped before I was about to do that. I was also about to counterattack with my daggerbut simrly stopped in ce. Wait, huh, Den Or are you? There stood a three-meter-tall giant in proper butler clothes. But I knew that face. It was quite a bit refined, but it was still unmistakably Dens. My apologies. I failed to realize it was you dy Nicole. I assumed it was a trespasser. He lowered his first and made an elegantpractically on the level of a royal butlerbow. It was an Ogre who knew my name and also addressed me with an honorific. I only knew of Den that fit the description. What in the world happened to you? Looking closely, he had disposed of the unwanted hair on his face, and it looked really clean, probably from washing it every day. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) It was unmistakably Den, one was giving of a sense of cleanliness even more than Cloud. Chapter 294 Realizing the giant before me was Den, I lost my words and just stood petrified. Before, Den had a three-meter-tall and swelled-out body, and also smaller legspared to his long arms; a typical Ogrish body, if you will. However, the one standing before me now still had the height but looked slim, and even his legs appeared to have grown longer. Thanks to that, his monster-like appearance had been mitigated, and simply looked like a giant man that had grown even bigger. Moreover, his previously bent back posture had now be straight, and his bald head had started to grow hair. His giant mouth used to look terrifying, but now, the rest of his appearance simply made it look stern, not even a trace of the fearfulness remaining. Yo You Who the hell are you!? What? It is I, Den, at your service, dy Nicole. My my, this is quite a change. Could there be a ley line here as well? Like hell there is! I used this ce for years in my previous life. If it was such an abnormal location, it would have affected my body too. In other words, there couldnt possibly be a ley line here. Oh, Lord Maxwell is here too. It pleases me to see you in good health. How polite. I am also pleased to see you healthy. It is all thanks to your assistance. This is all due to Lord Maxwell and Lady Nicoles benevolence. I must say, this is quite a shocking growth on your part. Wait, why the hell are you so casual about this! Den greeted Maxwell politely, with even more refined speech than mine, while thetter also responded back as if there was nothing strange, making me snap without thinking. In the first ce, some ley line couldnt have contributed to his education. Which would mean, there was someone who had educated him What the, I wondered why it was noisy. Turns out it was you lot. The one who I considered to be the primary suspect came through the entrance with that casual remark. Needless to say, it was Aste. Were you? Hmm? Were you the one who did this to Den!? What you mean butler, he was unmistakably an Ogre. Where would you find a noble whod hire him? This guy really did whatever he found amusing, didnt he? Oh dear This is a blunder on my part. To have my master and guest wait at the entrance. My apologies. Please,e in, I shall prepare the tea. Wait, I didnt mean that. I retorted it, but Den didnt seem to lend an ear to it. Thus, we were relentlessly lead inside and made to sit. After that, he bowed to us and excused himself to brew the tea. The whole situation happened so smoothly I couldnt find an opportunity to interject. I just remained seated and red at Aste. That simplistic Den had changed far too much. Well, I was the one who rmended we leave him to this guy. How did he turn into that? Ah, well, he was far too wild at first. But his intelligence wasnt too bad. So, I tried to teach him out of curiosity, and the result is what you see. I dont understand your logic of arriving there. Well, it was my wife who proposed turning him into a butler. Shes back? Already gone. Its been a while, so she was quite worked up during the night. Right. Looks like everything was going well between the two. Go die. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Still, it saved me the trouble that this guy showed up here. Right, we came here today because we had something to request of you. Oh? With Maxwells assistance, I told him about my current situation. The fact that Cortina was going through bitter experiences because I was hiding my identity. And that she was reaching her limit already. As he listened, Aste started to frown more and more. I could tell that he wasnt thinking anything good about the situation. Let me give it to you straight. Just reveal yourself. Thats the shortest way. I mean, I wouldnt havee here if I could do that. I cant even imagine how awkward it would be. Plus, I had a sister born just recently. I am expected to do my part as a big sister Your sister or this Cortina, which is more important to you? As If I could answer that. On one side was my one and only little sister, and on another, my oldrade and someone who has continued to love me for so long. I could not possiblypare them. Revealing my identity could also lead to robbing the sister named Nicole from Fina. Even Cortina might turn her back on me for my actions. That thought scared me. I didnt even know if Lyell and Maria would forgive me for continuing to deceive them for so long. In the worst case, I could lose everything I had. I like my current life No, my current home. Its one thing I dont want to lose. But that would also mean sentencing that woman to eternal sorrow. I get that. But Just for a little longer, I My words were gradually losing their strength. Even I understood that this situation couldnt continue for much longer. In the near future, I would most likely be pressed with the decision Return to being Reid and give up on Nicole, or choose Nicole and give up on Reid. Realizing the giant before me was Den, I lost my words and just stood petrified. Before, Den had a three-meter-tall and swelled-out body, and also smaller legspared to his long arms; a typical Ogrish body, if you will. However, the one standing before me now still had the height but looked slim, and even his legs appeared to have grown longer. Thanks to that, his monster-like appearance had been mitigated, and simply looked like a giant man that had grown even bigger. Moreover, his previously bent back posture had now be straight, and his bald head had started to grow hair. His giant mouth used to look terrifying, but now, the rest of his appearance simply made it look stern, not even a trace of the fearfulness remaining. Yo You Who the hell are you!? What? It is I, Den, at your service, dy Nicole. My my, this is quite a change. Could there be a ley line here as well? I used this ce for years in my previous life. If it was such an abnormal location, it would have affected my body too. In other words, there couldnt possibly be a ley line here. Oh, Lord Maxwell is here too. It pleases me to see you in good health. How polite. I am also pleased to see you healthy. It is all thanks to your assistance. This is all due to Lord Maxwell and Lady Nicoles benevolence. I must say, this is quite a shocking growth on your part. Den greeted Maxwell politely, with even more refined speech than mine, while thetter also responded back as if there was nothing strange, making me snap without thinking. In the first ce, some ley line couldnt have contributed to his education. Which would mean, there was someone who had educated him What the, I wondered why it was noisy. Turns out it was you lot. The one who I considered to be the primary suspect came through the entrance with that casual remark. Needless to say, it was Aste. Were you? Hmm? Were you the one who did this to Den!? Oh, that? Yes, well, he seemed to have a better memory than I imagined. I suddenly got into teaching him. Lord Ha- Aste also has my gratitude for this favor. Thank you very much. Right, keep polishing your skills as a butler as you have been. What you mean butler, he was unmistakably an Ogre. Where would you find a noble whod hire him? This guy really did whatever he found amusing, didnt he? Oh dear This is a blunder on my part. To have my master and guest wait at the entrance. My apologies. Please,e in, I shall prepare the tea.Wait, I didnt mean that. I retorted it, but Den didnt seem to lend an ear to it. Thus, we were relentlessly lead inside and made to sit. After that, he bowed to us and excused himself to brew the tea. The whole situation happened so smoothly I couldnt find an opportunity to interject. I just remained seated and red at Aste. That simplistic Den had changed far too much. Well, I was the one who rmended we leave him to this guy. How did he turn into that? Ah, well, he was far too wild at first. But his intelligence wasnt too bad. So, I tried to teach him out of curiosity, and the result is what you see. I dont understand your logic of arriving there. Well, it was my wife who proposed turning him into a butler. Shes back? Already gone. Its been a while, so she was quite worked up during the night. Looks like everything was going well between the two. Go die. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Still, it saved me the trouble that this guy showed up here. Right, we came here today because we had something to request of you. Oh? With Maxwells assistance, I told him about my current situation. The fact that Cortina was going through bitter experiences because I was hiding my identity. And that she was reaching her limit already. As he listened, Aste started to frown more and more. I could tell that he wasnt thinking anything good about the situation. Let me give it to you straight. Just reveal yourself. Thats the shortest way. I mean, I wouldnt havee here if I could do that. I cant even imagine how awkward it would be. Plus, I had a sister born just recently. I am expected to do my part as a big sister Your sister or this Cortina, which is more important to you? On one side was my one and only little sister, and on another, my oldrade and someone who has continued to love me for so long. I could not possiblypare them. Revealing my identity could also lead to robbing the sister named Nicole from Fina. Even Cortina might turn her back on me for my actions. That thought scared me. I didnt even know if Lyell and Maria would forgive me for continuing to deceive them for so long. In the worst case, I could lose everything I had. I like my current life No, my current home. Its one thing I dont want to lose. But that would also mean sentencing that woman to eternal sorrow. My words were gradually losing their strength. Even I understood that this situation couldnt continue for much longer. In the near future, I would most likely be pressed with the decision Return to being Reid and give up on Nicole, or choose Nicole and give up on Reid. Chapter 295 Seeing me looking bitter, having to ultimately choose whether I would abandon my past or my current self, Aste leaked a sigh. He shrugs his shoulders and leaned to the chair as if exhausted. Good grief, you really are one troublesome fellow. So you just want a magic item that can allow you to use Polymorph for now? Yeah, please. Ill pay you how much you want, and Ill do anything. Oh, youll do anything? Ah, no. Except for anything immoral, okay? I mentioned it just in case after seeing the perverted smile on his face. Im sorry, but I had no n of bing someone whod cause discord in families. Not just families, even couples and such. Ah, well. But Polymorph, huh Ive never made a magic item with that effect. So, its impossible for you too? No, if its just to load it into a scroll, I can do it even now. I even have the materials at hand. Then do it already! Okay, I got it already. But only after we drink the tea. Den makes some delicious tea. I drove those skills into him. Along with his words, Den brought herbal tea with a tray. I have kept you waiting. Its a blend of lemongrass and ginger. Oh, that looks quite delicious. Given that this ce was half-sunk, the air was quite stagnant. The fragrant smell of the tea filled such a ce now. The aroma alone stirred our appetites. Ginger warms the body, while lemongrass has a calming effect, so it should help you calm down. Ohoh. While you could say the winter had passed its peak, the nights were still decently cold. His consideration was really helpful. Was this also due to Astes butler training? Moreover, it is also good for anemia and helps produce milk. Pffffft! Wait, why did he try to make me drink something that helps with breast milk production? I dont even have milk yet to begin with. Well, I feared you might be feeling anemic. I smelled blood from dy. Ugh. Now that he mentioned it, I did have my menstruation just recently. I couldnt deny that I had slight anemia. And, with all due respect, I have detected some problems with your chest area. Thats none of your concern, okay!? It has been six months since our meeting. Considering the growth so far, there are some concerns to Where did I go wrong for even the Ogre that I helped to start sexually harassing me? I forcefully ended the topic and poured the tea in Astes mouth. Hot! Hey, hold on a bit, its hoot! Did you awaken to hot water torture recently? Are there other casualties? Already two. Wait, it wasnt hot water with Cloud. It doesnt count! And I burned that summoner guy with threads too. Ive never sshed hot water at anyone. Dont spread baseless rumors. The night is short, hurry up, hurry up. Stop pouring hot tea in my mouth already! After a great fuss, we decided to head to Astes cave. Den seemed to hold the sense of obligation to protect my hideout, so he didnt follow us to the cave and insisted on remaining behind. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Thus we headed there with just the three of us, and he guided us inside. The house inside the cave Was a weird way of putting it, but in the room beyond it, there was a pile of materials that I had never seen before. This is amazing. I havent seen these even in my previous life. Its a collection that I have spent many years collecting. With this much, you really should be able to make a high-ranking scroll. Yeah, but as for work Right, it will probably take about five hours even for me. Five hours Itll be dead of night by then. Or rather, probably better to say itll be dawn. Making a detour shaved away quite a bit of our time. It was already close to midnight. In five hours, itll practically be morning already. Ill start right away, so you two rest in the guest room over there. You had a guest room? This is still a house, you know? Of course there is one. Its buried inside a cave, toote to call it a house. Its not like its buried because I wanted to. I just reformed my old house that got rolled up in a volcanic eruption. Wait, how long has this house been around for I have heard that this mountain had erupted before. But that happened so long ago even the folktales of it were uncertain. At any rate, it would suit us if there was a guest room. It was already night, so I was feeling sleepy. I dragged Maxwell who seemed to want to stay and watch, and slipped into the room. It was a room so pleasant it was unfit for an underground ce. Near the ceiling, there was a substrate of something like a folding fan attached to it, and it slowly rotated, sending air to the outside. This allowed the air inside to circte, constantly bringing in fresh air. Hoho, so that rotating fan is creating wind here. It has a strangely good angle too. Must be good during the summer. The cold wind machines have simr mechanisms too if I am not mistaken. The cold wind machines that were your summertime friends. They had Ice Wall spells inside them, and they passed the wind through it, breezing cold air out into the rooms. Incidentally, it was the Whitey who created those apparently. Quite hard to imagine from her. Other than that, I noticed one important thing. Hey, this room Theres only one bed. T-That appears to be the case. There was only one smallish bed here. It would be quite cramped to sleep there. Well I have a small body, so I guess we could sleep somehow. That is not the problem here. You should start paying attention to the contact with the opposite sex at that age already. Hah? We arepanions What are you saying after all this time? Agh, enough. I shall sleep on the floor. I said I dont mind. I do mind! Well, there was a thick carpet on the floor, so he wouldnt feel cold. Maxwell used his robe as a nket and lied down. I looked at him with a gaze that questioned his obstinacy, and then also lied on the bed. Seeing me looking bitter, having to ultimately choose whether I would abandon my past or my current self, Aste leaked a sigh. He shrugs his shoulders and leaned to the chair as if exhausted. Good grief, you really are one troublesome fellow. So you just want a magic item that can allow you to use Polymorph for now? Yeah, please. Ill pay you how much you want, and Ill do anything. Oh, youll do anything? I mentioned it just in case after seeing the perverted smile on his face. Im sorry, but I had no n of bing someone whod cause discord in families. Not just families, even couples and such. Ah, well. But Polymorph, huh Ive never made a magic item with that effect. So, its impossible for you too? No, if its just to load it into a scroll, I can do it even now. I even have the materials at hand. Then do it already! Along with his words, Den brought herbal tea with a tray. I have kept you waiting. Its a blend of lemongrass and ginger.Oh, that looks quite delicious. Given that this ce was half-sunk, the air was quite stagnant. The fragrant smell of the tea filled such a ce now. The aroma alone stirred our appetites. Ginger warms the body, while lemongrass has a calming effect, so it should help you calm down.Ohoh. While you could say the winter had passed its peak, the nights were still decently cold. His consideration was really helpful. Was this also due to Astes butler training? Moreover, it is also good for anemia and helps produce milk.Pffffft! Wait, why did he try to make me drink something that helps with breast milk production? I dont even have milk yet to begin with. Well, I feared you might be feeling anemic. I smelled blood from dy.Ugh. Now that he mentioned it, I did have my menstruation just recently. I couldnt deny that I had slight anemia. And, with all due respect, I have detected some problems with your chest area. Thats none of your concern, okay!? It has been six months since our meeting. Considering the growth so far, there are some concerns to Where did I go wrong for even the Ogre that I helped to start sexually harassing me? I forcefully ended the topic and poured the tea in Astes mouth. Hot! Hey, hold on a bit, its hoot! Did you awaken to hot water torture recently? Are there other casualties? Wait, it wasnt hot water with Cloud. It doesnt count! And I burned that summoner guy with threads too. Ive never sshed hot water at anyone. Dont spread baseless rumors. The night is short, hurry up, hurry up.Stop pouring hot tea in my mouth already! After a great fuss, we decided to head to Astes cave. Den seemed to hold the sense of obligation to protect my hideout, so he didnt follow us to the cave and insisted on remaining behind. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Thus we headed there with just the three of us, and he guided us inside. The house inside the cave Was a weird way of putting it, but in the room beyond it, there was a pile of materials that I had never seen before. This is amazing. I havent seen these even in my previous life. Its a collection that I have spent many years collecting. With this much, you really should be able to make a high-ranking scroll. Yeah, but as for work Right, it will probably take about five hours even for me. Making a detour shaved away quite a bit of our time. It was already close to midnight. In five hours, itll practically be morning already. Ill start right away, so you two rest in the guest room over there. You had a guest room? This is still a house, you know? Of course there is one. Its buried inside a cave, toote to call it a house. Its not like its buried because I wanted to. I just reformed my old house that got rolled up in a volcanic eruption. I have heard that this mountain had erupted before. But that happened so long ago even the folktales of it were uncertain. At any rate, it would suit us if there was a guest room. It was already night, so I was feeling sleepy. I dragged Maxwell who seemed to want to stay and watch, and slipped into the room. It was a room so pleasant it was unfit for an underground ce. Near the ceiling, there was a substrate of something like a folding fan attached to it, and it slowly rotated, sending air to the outside. This allowed the air inside to circte, constantly bringing in fresh air. Hoho, so that rotating fan is creating wind here. It has a strangely good angle too. Must be good during the summer. The cold wind machines that were your summertime friends. They had Ice Wall spells inside them, and they passed the wind through it, breezing cold air out into the rooms. Incidentally, it was the Whitey who created those apparently. Quite hard to imagine from her. Other than that, I noticed one important thing. Hey, this room Theres only one bed.T-That appears to be the case. There was only one smallish bed here. It would be quite cramped to sleep there. Well I have a small body, so I guess we could sleep somehow. That is not the problem here. You should start paying attention to the contact with the opposite sex at that age already. Hah? We arepanions What are you saying after all this time? Agh, enough. I shall sleep on the floor. I said I dont mind. Well, there was a thick carpet on the floor, so he wouldnt feel cold. Maxwell used his robe as a nket and lied down. I looked at him with a gaze that questioned his obstinacy, and then also lied on the bed. Chapter 296 Cortina had sessfully obtained the Fan Wolf fangs and had a look of satisfaction on her face. Gadius was with her, after all. Monsters on the level of Fang Wolves were not opponents. All that was left was to carve magic circles while they waited for Maxwell toe and bring them back. As it neared the dawn when she had finished the talisman, Maxwell finally came to pick them up. She expected him toe sooner, given that she had taken Gadius along too, so she was surprised. Youre a littlete, you know? My bad, my bad. I had to take care of some minor business. Gadius is here too, so you should have realized that you should havee sooner. Hey, I was busy myself too, okay? What, you arent gonna tell me something happened to Nicole, right? No, nothing of the sort. I shall return her safe and sound. Maxwell evaded Cortinas usual abusivenguage with indifferent conduct. Gadius sighed andmented in exasperation as he observed the twos exchange. Hey, I should be the victim here, right? Why did I have to go along with Cortinas selfishness? Women have been selfish since times immemorial. It seems you stillck the understanding. Do not lump me together with you withered Elves. Come, send me back already. Gadius, who could be said to be the biggest victim here, had been dragged out of his inn and taken all the way here. There were other employees there, so the Adventurer support inn should not have gotten hindered in any way, but it was still strange for the supervisor to be missing. Right. Then. I shall send Cortina first and then you. I am not the first? You would be fine alone here, but not Cortina. Lady first, as they say. I cannot counter that. Ever since their Adventuring days, the female group had been the influential side, thus this was a long-ustomed reaction. Since it felt like he would be putting Cortinas safety in danger, he could not object to this. Well then, Ill go first then. Thanks, Gadius. Ill repay this favor someday. I shall wait without expectations. Thus Cortina had been taken to Maxwells mansion. After they got there, he prepared to go back to get Gadius right away. Well then, I shall go bring Gadius home, will you return back? She puffed her chest as she dered that, her previous gloominess was no longer being felt. Next, she looked around to check the surroundings. Finia is still not done with cleaning? Yes, it seems I went a little too overboard this time. I shall take responsibility and bring her home, so you shall return first. I feel like youre strangely adamant on sending me home, arent you? N-No such case. She suspected Maxwell after turning his gaze away so tantly, but it was true that camping outside tired her quite a bit. Having a good sleep at home was a suggestion she found hard to go against now. Oh well. Dont you put your hands on Finia now, you hear? Who do you take me for You are a withered Elf ording to Gadius, but your urges are still present, right? Of course Id distrust you. Well, I can not deny that they are still going strong. Oh well. Go now, shoo shoo. Agh, hey! Dont throw me out like that! Finia save meee! My apologies, but I could not possibly oppose Lord Maxwell. I will return soon, so please go ahead first. Damn you, did you brainwash Finia too? Stop saying such scandalous remarks already! Thus, albeit a little dissatisfied, Cortina headed towards her home. It was dawn now, the time when pedestrian traffic was beginning to show activity. There was a low risk of getting involved with criminals during this time period. Having obtained a matching talisman with Nicole, she hurried to her home with light steps. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) So this spell was assembled by Nicole, huh? There are some unpolished parts, but its well done. She tangled the talisman before her eyes, inspecting the make up. Since they needed to be matching, the magic circle contained within had to be the same. Thus, she obtained the circle from Maxwell and carved it on her own. Ah, right. Theres one more fang left, so maybe Ill give one to Maria. Fang Wolves naturally had two fangs, so there was one more left. She made up her mind to gift one to her friend, and chuckled as she imagined her surprised face. But then, she stopped her feet. Because she saw a suspicious person. One man, d in ck, with a long scarf on his neck, stood in front of her house. He had a thin figure, easily discernible even through his long coat. He was not very tall, but his ruffled hair was something she remembered well. Or perhaps, too well. No way. Losing her words, she let go of the talisman. That back Was the back that she had gazed at many a time until twenty years ago. It was the figure of a man who, despite not having the most resilient of bodies, continued to protect hisrades, obediently following her absurd directions despite his sarcastic remarks. He was a soft-hearted assassin, who, at times, would disy courage that could be taken as recklessness, and also who lost his life continuing to protect her. As the talisman hit the ground, he noticed her presence. As he turned around, his appearance was exactly what Cortina expected. Reid!! Her self-control had reached its limit. Thus, she broke into a run, unable to contain herself. The ground under her footsteps felt soft, as if she was dashing on the clouds. Cortina had sessfully obtained the Fan Wolf fangs and had a look of satisfaction on her face. Gadius was with her, after all. Monsters on the level of Fang Wolves were not opponents. All that was left was to carve magic circles while they waited for Maxwell toe and bring them back. As it neared the dawn when she had finished the talisman, Maxwell finally came to pick them up. She expected him toe sooner, given that she had taken Gadius along too, so she was surprised. Youre a littlete, you know? My bad, my bad. I had to take care of some minor business. Gadius is here too, so you should have realized that you should havee sooner. Hey, I was busy myself too, okay? What, you arent gonna tell me something happened to Nicole, right? Maxwell evaded Cortinas usual abusivenguage with indifferent conduct. Gadius sighed andmented in exasperation as he observed the twos exchange. Hey, I should be the victim here, right? Why did I have to go along with Cortinas selfishness? Women have been selfish since times immemorial. It seems you stillck the understanding. Gadius, who could be said to be the biggest victim here, had been dragged out of his inn and taken all the way here. There were other employees there, so the Adventurer support inn should not have gotten hindered in any way, but it was still strange for the supervisor to be missing. Right. Then. I shall send Cortina first and then you. I am not the first? You would be fine alone here, but not Cortina. Lady first, as they say. Ever since their Adventuring days, the female group had been the influential side, thus this was a long-ustomed reaction. Since it felt like he would be putting Cortinas safety in danger, he could not object to this. Well then, Ill go first then. Thanks, Gadius. Ill repay this favor someday.I shall wait without expectations. Thus Cortina had been taken to Maxwells mansion. After they got there, he prepared to go back to get Gadius right away. Well then, I shall go bring Gadius home, will you return back? Yes, thanks Maxwell. Still, for you to want amatching pair. What had you worked up? She puffed her chest as she dered that, her previous gloominess was no longer being felt. Next, she looked around to check the surroundings. Finia is still not done with cleaning? Yes, it seems I went a little too overboard this time. I shall take responsibility and bring her home, so you shall return first. I feel like youre strangely adamant on sending me home, arent you? She suspected Maxwell after turning his gaze away so tantly, but it was true that camping outside tired her quite a bit. Having a good sleep at home was a suggestion she found hard to go against now. Oh well. Dont you put your hands on Finia now, you hear? Who do you take me for You are a withered Elf ording to Gadius, but your urges are still present, right? Of course Id distrust you. Well, I can not deny that they are still going strong. Oh well. Go now, shoo shoo. Agh, hey! Dont throw me out like that! Finia save meee! My apologies, but I could not possibly oppose Lord Maxwell. I will return soon, so please go ahead first. Damn you, did you brainwash Finia too? Thus, albeit a little dissatisfied, Cortina headed towards her home. It was dawn now, the time when pedestrian traffic was beginning to show activity. There was a low risk of getting involved with criminals during this time period. Having obtained a matching talisman with Nicole, she hurried to her home with light steps. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) So this spell was assembled by Nicole, huh? There are some unpolished parts, but its well done. She tangled the talisman before her eyes, inspecting the make up. Since they needed to be matching, the magic circle contained within had to be the same. Thus, she obtained the circle from Maxwell and carved it on her own. Ah, right. Theres one more fang left, so maybe Ill give one to Maria. Fang Wolves naturally had two fangs, so there was one more left. She made up her mind to gift one to her friend, and chuckled as she imagined her surprised face. But then, she stopped her feet. Because she saw a suspicious person. One man, d in ck, with a long scarf on his neck, stood in front of her house. He had a thin figure, easily discernible even through his long coat. He was not very tall, but his ruffled hair was something she remembered well. Or perhaps, too well. No way. Losing her words, she let go of the talisman. That back Was the back that she had gazed at many a time until twenty years ago. It was the figure of a man who, despite not having the most resilient of bodies, continued to protect hisrades, obediently following her absurd directions despite his sarcastic remarks. He was a soft-hearted assassin, who, at times, would disy courage that could be taken as recklessness, and also who lost his life continuing to protect her. As the talisman hit the ground, he noticed her presence. As he turned around, his appearance was exactly what Cortina expected. Reid!! Her self-control had reached its limit. Thus, she broke into a run, unable to contain herself. The ground under her footsteps felt soft, as if she was dashing on the clouds. Chapter 297 Come dawn, the scroll in question was finallypleted. I couldnt find words to express how thankful I was to Aste who yed along with my sudden request and spent five hours on it. Here, it has Polymorph sealed within. Needless to say, its single-use. O-Okay Thanks. Ive been relying on this guy one-sidedly. I wanted to pay him back in the future somehow. He, however, was frowning quite a bit, perhaps dissatisfied with how the scroll turned out. Whats wrong, is there a problem? Yeah. To be honest, that scroll is iplete as a magic item. I suppose it couldnt be helped since it was a rush job. How is it different from the regr spell? Maxwell, being the magic nerd he was, cut into our conversation. Even if it was a failed product, it could still be useful based on how you used it. Since he encountered one now, he couldnt just overlook it. First, it forcibly draws out the users magic power, so a reaction urs. Specifically, you cant use it in session. If you use it once, you cant reuse the Polymorph spell itself again for the duration of a month. Are you saying For example, if you use the scroll to transform, you can not reuse it for one month even if you used the spell normally? Yeah, be it the scroll or your own spell, you will be unable to use Polymorph itself. You should keep that in mind. Got it. Also, that effect extends to the scrollmaker too, so it cant be mass-produced. In other words, I can only make one per month too. Thats Troubling. If possible, I wanted to go back to my previous form more frequently, but since I could only use it once and get it once per month, I couldnt store them up. Not just to meet Cortina, I also wanted to keep it as a trump card for battles, so it was a little unfortunate. Also, the spell effectiveness is also lowered. It forcefully draws out double the required magic power, while the effect is only around half a day. Half a day, huh I suppose itll at least be enough for the confrontation. There will also be times when it is insufficient. As someone who has thrown himself into magic tool making, it makes me quite a bit dissatisfied. Arent you aiming too high there? If it was my specialist wife instead I cant help but think that. But well, it was a rush job so it cant be helped. I will research it some more. So your wife makes magic tools too? And yeah, sorry for rushing you. Following that, he exined a few more things, and then I decided to use the scroll on the spot. It was already dawn. Even if I used it now, it shouldst until the evening. It should have been enough tofort Cortina. Okay, here goes nothing It is quite painful, so prepare yourself. Yeah, leave it to me. I am confident in my endurance. I reassured the worried Maxwell with a baseless promise and activated the spell. Apparently, this was not a technique for humans at one point. It has been forcefully adjusted to human use, so it was quite an absurd spell. And now, it has been loaded into a scroll on top of all that, so the degree of perfection was even lower. What assaulted me was the sharp pain stemming from that imperfectness. Aghgah! Agfu AGHAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!? My field of view got dyed in red, my body arching backward like a shrimp. And following that, I curled into a ball and fell onto the floor. My flesh melted, my bones broke, and they were forcefully reconstructed. The sensation that was far from mere difort assaulted every part of my body. In my brain, I could hear my nerves snapping one by one, and my ears were ringing as if theyd burst any moment. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) It was unbearable pain even for me who had experienced death once. Tormented by it, I writhed in pain for Who knows how long. Perhaps it was only an instant, perhaps a few hours. I could longer grasp how long Iid there gritting my teeth, almost to the point of breaking, and endured the pain. But before long, that pain started to go away, and so did my consciousness. Awake. I heard Maxwells rxed voice. His familiar voice forcefully brought my consciousness back. Opening my eyes, I was met with Aste and Maxwell with worried expressions. How do you feel? At his question, I brought my hand to my face. It was no longer the slim hand that I had gotten used to seeing in these eleven years. No, urately speaking, it was still slim but also strong, and the fingers were long, but also rough and bony like the fingers of a strong person. Yeah, I think Im fine. Even the voiceing from my mouth belonged to the me of the old. I tried moving my limbs around, but while the ufortable feeling was still there, there were no abnormalities. How long was I out? Only a few minutes. I woke you up right after the spell was over. So this is the reason you dont use it in battles. Makes me not want to ever experience it again. It was painful enough to make even me faint. If it was Maxwell, he would definitely get knocked out too. If he fainted in the middle of a battle, it would make holding the line difficult. Then I finally stood up and looked around. My point of view was about 40 cm higher. The mirror set against the wall reflected my old self. The moment I saw my body, I felt like some kind of switch got flipped inside me. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) My consciousness that was still biologically girly until then seemed to have switchedpletely into that of a man. Yeah Im back, huh. Only for half a day, that is. Thats fine for now. Just gotta do whatever I can in that time. Oh, right. Can we leave yourpensation forter? Sure. Ill just choose something from your hideout. Im not gonna rip you off, dont worry. That would save me the trouble. Den was there too, so he wouldnt take too much. That aside, Cortinas matter came first. It was already nearing the time for the sun to show its head. Cortina probably finished her hunt already too. Looks like a good time to return. Well then, let us return at onceReid. Maxwell addressed me with a smile, his words filled with nostalgia. Simrly, I responded back with a thumbs up. Come dawn, the scroll in question was finallypleted. I couldnt find words to express how thankful I was to Aste who yed along with my sudden request and spent five hours on it. Here, it has Polymorph sealed within. Needless to say, its single-use.O-Okay Thanks. Ive been relying on this guy one-sidedly. I wanted to pay him back in the future somehow. He, however, was frowning quite a bit, perhaps dissatisfied with how the scroll turned out. Whats wrong, is there a problem? Yeah. To be honest, that scroll is iplete as a magic item. I suppose it couldnt be helped since it was a rush job. Maxwell, being the magic nerd he was, cut into our conversation. Even if it was a failed product, it could still be useful based on how you used it. Since he encountered one now, he couldnt just overlook it. First, it forcibly draws out the users magic power, so a reaction urs. Specifically, you cant use it in session. If you use it once, you cant reuse the Polymorph spell itself again for the duration of a month. Are you saying For example, if you use the scroll to transform, you can not reuse it for one month even if you used the spell normally? Yeah, be it the scroll or your own spell, you will be unable to use Polymorph itself. You should keep that in mind. Got it. Also, that effect extends to the scrollmaker too, so it cant be mass-produced. In other words, I can only make one per month too. If possible, I wanted to go back to my previous form more frequently, but since I could only use it once and get it once per month, I couldnt store them up. Not just to meet Cortina, I also wanted to keep it as a trump card for battles, so it was a little unfortunate. Also, the spell effectiveness is also lowered. It forcefully draws out double the required magic power, while the effect is only around half a day. Half a day, huh I suppose itll at least be enough for the confrontation. There will also be times when it is insufficient. As someone who has thrown himself into magic tool making, it makes me quite a bit dissatisfied. Arent you aiming too high there? If it was my specialist wife instead I cant help but think that. But well, it was a rush job so it cant be helped. I will research it some more. Following that, he exined a few more things, and then I decided to use the scroll on the spot. It was already dawn. Even if I used it now, it shouldst until the evening. It should have been enough tofort Cortina. Okay, here goes nothing It is quite painful, so prepare yourself. I reassured the worried Maxwell with a baseless promise and activated the spell. Apparently, this was not a technique for humans at one point. It has been forcefully adjusted to human use, so it was quite an absurd spell. And now, it has been loaded into a scroll on top of all that, so the degree of perfection was even lower. What assaulted me was the sharp pain stemming from that imperfectness. Aghgah! Agfu AGHAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!? My field of view got dyed in red, my body arching backward like a shrimp. And following that, I curled into a ball and fell onto the floor. My flesh melted, my bones broke, and they were forcefully reconstructed. The sensation that was far from mere difort assaulted every part of my body. In my brain, I could hear my nerves snapping one by one, and my ears were ringing as if theyd burst any moment. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) It was unbearable pain even for me who had experienced death once. Tormented by it, I writhed in pain for Who knows how long. Perhaps it was only an instant, perhaps a few hours. I could longer grasp how long Iid there gritting my teeth, almost to the point of breaking, and endured the pain. But before long, that pain started to go away, and so did my consciousness. Awake. I heard Maxwells rxed voice. His familiar voice forcefully brought my consciousness back. Opening my eyes, I was met with Aste and Maxwell with worried expressions. How do you feel? At his question, I brought my hand to my face. It was no longer the slim hand that I had gotten used to seeing in these eleven years. No, urately speaking, it was still slim but also strong, and the fingers were long, but also rough and bony like the fingers of a strong person. Yeah, I think Im fine. Even the voiceing from my mouth belonged to the me of the old. I tried moving my limbs around, but while the ufortable feeling was still there, there were no abnormalities. How long was I out? Only a few minutes. I woke you up right after the spell was over. It was painful enough to make even me faint. If it was Maxwell, he would definitely get knocked out too. If he fainted in the middle of a battle, it would make holding the line difficult. Then I finally stood up and looked around. My point of view was about 40 cm higher. The mirror set against the wall reflected my old self. The moment I saw my body, I felt like some kind of switch got flipped inside me. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) My consciousness that was still biologically girly until then seemed to have switchedpletely into that of a man. Yeah Im back, huh. Only for half a day, that is. Thats fine for now. Just gotta do whatever I can in that time. Oh, right. Can we leave yourpensation forter? Sure. Ill just choose something from your hideout. Im not gonna rip you off, dont worry. Den was there too, so he wouldnt take too much. That aside, Cortinas matter came first. It was already nearing the time for the sun to show its head. Cortina probably finished her hunt already too. Looks like a good time to return.Well then, let us return at onceReid. Maxwell addressed me with a smile, his words filled with nostalgia. Simrly, I responded back with a thumbs up. Chapter 298 With Maxwells help, I arrived at Cortinas home in advance. The door seemed to be locked, which meant I made it in time to arrive before her. This time, I wore ck clothes and a coat so she could tell who I was at a nce. I had gauntlets on my arms, but instead of the Astes new designs, I camouged it to look like the one I used to wear in my past days through the illusion ring. My body was real, so I didnt think she would realize even if I was camouging the gauntlet designs alone. I stood at the entrance as I racked my brains. Would it make for a better surprise if I slipped inside the house instead? As I stood there contemting on that, I heard a soft thud of something hitting the ground behind me. Turning around, I saw Cortina frozen in ce as she stared at me. It was also my first time meeting her in this form, so I didnt know what to say. Ah, err H-Hey. Reid? Her voice sounded hoarse. Her eyes were being flooded with tears. Uhh, I made you wait for a long time, but Im finally back. She did not respond. I suppose she was still doubting that I was real. I suppose I had to talk about something that only the two of us would know to prove that I was real. Err, oh right. We met at the park the other day, didnt we? I had some circumstances and couldnt talk then so U U? It seemed like she finally epted it was me, she muttered in a small voice. But that wasnt a word that held any meaning. Before long, she raised her disheveled face, and red at me with her usual expression. That gaze no doubt belonged to the Cortina I knew. But still, did she really have to re at me like that Ah, I mean, my circumstances made me dy this. Look, getting reborn woulde with a lot of mess to clean up, right? Uu Um, it makes me happy that you cry for me, but Euu Uhh, Cortina? Seeing her lower her posture, I imagine a punch would fly my way any moment now. Nevertheless, I decided to ept that punch. I was aware that I more than deserved it. Um, Im really sorry, okay. I wanted to meet you faster but UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) With a shriek, she charged at me. She dashed with a low posture like a fierce animal. Imagining the punch that she could draw from that momentum, I closed my eyes and grit my teeth. I expected the punch to hit my face, but I felt the impact in my abdomen instead. Cortina charged at my abdomen without raising her first at all. Bfgu!? I was by no means tall, but Cortina was even smaller. So when someone like that lowered her posture even more, her head would naturally hit my stomach instead of my chest. Still, given my light body, Cortinas charge, who excelled in physical abilities despite her petite build, would naturally be beyond me to stop in ce. Pushed by the force, I was blown back. I stood in front of the entrance, so since I turned around, behind me wasyes, a tightly locked, sturdy door. I heard a dull mming sound from the back of my head. That impact caused my current, faint-inclined body to lose consciousness. The next time I opened my eyes, I was on top of Cortinas bed. It seemed that she carried me inside and nursed me while I was knocked out. Where am I Ah, youre awake? Yeah, that was quite a violent wee. S-Shut up! That was just, yeah Just your imagination. Is that so? So then? Where have you been until now, Reid? You should know that as well, right? Ah, so you really were that Haumea woman. Yeah, though its just an alias. Alias? Its the name of an Adventurer that has helped me once. I feel a little bad for using it though. She helped me when we were heading to the Elven settlement. I didnt lie here. Now that you mention it, I think I have seen them before too. It was an Elven woman. Seemed quite experienced too. Oh, really? Now that you mention it, she did work around these parts. Its no surprise that you have met her. Of course it was not we met her together, after all. I was quite shameless here even if I say so myself. Still, since I gave her the name of a real person, there should have been some legitimacy behind my statement. I see, so its her Of course, she might not even remember me. This happened sometime after my reincarnation. I didnt make it clear how long it has been, but this wasnt a lie, either. Maxwell told me you were quite stressed, so I forced myself toe today. Why didnt youe any sooner? Well There are reasons. I bet you were just embarrassed because you got reborn as a girl, isnt it? W-Well, thats part of it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Then she put a finger to her jaw. It was her typical habit when she was pondering. You just mentioned it too But that surely isnt all to it, right? Then what is the reason you couldnte until now, and also, that appearance? Ah, right. I just asked a magic toolmaker that I know to make me a magic tool to cast Polymorph on me. Wait, that spell couldnt be cast on the others, could it? Yeah, it was quite a reckless method, so even the effect time was halved, and the pain of transformation was also beyond normal. Never thought itd make even me faint. That much? I intentionally only answered one of her questions. In exchange, I gave plenty of information on that front. I couldnt mention Astes name, but if I gave her a lot of information I could dodge the other answer Or so Maxwell told me. Also, in order to avoid any further investigation from her part That aside We met after all this time. Dont you think we should talk about something we can only talk about now? I knew it was pretty sly of me. But I had limited time, so I was feeling a bit rushed. Cortina did not object to my statement either. Taking that as a yes, I stood up and drew close to her. With Maxwells help, I arrived at Cortinas home in advance. The door seemed to be locked, which meant I made it in time to arrive before her. This time, I wore ck clothes and a coat so she could tell who I was at a nce. I had gauntlets on my arms, but instead of the Astes new designs, I camouged it to look like the one I used to wear in my past days through the illusion ring. My body was real, so I didnt think she would realize even if I was camouging the gauntlet designs alone. I stood at the entrance as I racked my brains. Would it make for a better surprise if I slipped inside the house instead? As I stood there contemting on that, I heard a soft thud of something hitting the ground behind me. Turning around, I saw Cortina frozen in ce as she stared at me. It was also my first time meeting her in this form, so I didnt know what to say. Ah, err H-Hey.Reid? Her voice sounded hoarse. Her eyes were being flooded with tears. Uhh, I made you wait for a long time, but Im finally back. She did not respond. I suppose she was still doubting that I was real. I suppose I had to talk about something that only the two of us would know to prove that I was real. Err, oh right. We met at the park the other day, didnt we? I had some circumstances and couldnt talk then so U It seemed like she finally epted it was me, she muttered in a small voice. But that wasnt a word that held any meaning. Before long, she raised her disheveled face, and red at me with her usual expression. That gaze no doubt belonged to the Cortina I knew. But still, did she really have to re at me like that Ah, I mean, my circumstances made me dy this. Look, getting reborn woulde with a lot of mess to clean up, right? Uu Um, it makes me happy that you cry for me, but Euu Seeing her lower her posture, I imagine a punch would fly my way any moment now. Nevertheless, I decided to ept that punch. I was aware that I more than deserved it. Um, Im really sorry, okay. I wanted to meet you faster butUWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) With a shriek, she charged at me. She dashed with a low posture like a fierce animal. Imagining the punch that she could draw from that momentum, I closed my eyes and grit my teeth. I expected the punch to hit my face, but I felt the impact in my abdomen instead. Cortina charged at my abdomen without raising her first at all. Bfgu!? I was by no means tall, but Cortina was even smaller. So when someone like that lowered her posture even more, her head would naturally hit my stomach instead of my chest. Still, given my light body, Cortinas charge, who excelled in physical abilities despite her petite build, would naturally be beyond me to stop in ce. Pushed by the force, I was blown back. I stood in front of the entrance, so since I turned around, behind me wasyes, a tightly locked, sturdy door. I heard a dull mming sound from the back of my head. That impact caused my current, faint-inclined body to lose consciousness. The next time I opened my eyes, I was on top of Cortinas bed. It seemed that she carried me inside and nursed me while I was knocked out. Where am I Ah, youre awake? Yeah, that was quite a violent wee. S-Shut up! That was just, yeah Just your imagination. So then? Where have you been until now, Reid? You should know that as well, right? Ah, so you really were that Haumea woman. Yeah, though its just an alias. Alias? She helped me when we were heading to the Elven settlement. I didnt lie here. Now that you mention it, I think I have seen them before too. It was an Elven woman. Seemed quite experienced too.Oh, really? Now that you mention it, she did work around these parts. Its no surprise that you have met her. Of course it was not we met her together, after all. I was quite shameless here even if I say so myself. Still, since I gave her the name of a real person, there should have been some legitimacy behind my statement. I see, so its herOf course, she might not even remember me. This happened sometime after my reincarnation. I didnt make it clear how long it has been, but this wasnt a lie, either. Maxwell told me you were quite stressed, so I forced myself toe today. Why didnt youe any sooner? Well There are reasons. I bet you were just embarrassed because you got reborn as a girl, isnt it? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Then she put a finger to her jaw. It was her typical habit when she was pondering. You just mentioned it too But that surely isnt all to it, right? Then what is the reason you couldnte until now, and also, that appearance? Ah, right. I just asked a magic toolmaker that I know to make me a magic tool to cast Polymorph on me. Wait, that spell couldnt be cast on the others, could it? Yeah, it was quite a reckless method, so even the effect time was halved, and the pain of transformation was also beyond normal. Never thought itd make even me faint. I intentionally only answered one of her questions. In exchange, I gave plenty of information on that front. I couldnt mention Astes name, but if I gave her a lot of information I could dodge the other answer Or so Maxwell told me. Also, in order to avoid any further investigation from her part That aside We met after all this time. Dont you think we should talk about something we can only talk about now? I knew it was pretty sly of me. But I had limited time, so I was feeling a bit rushed. Cortina did not object to my statement either. Taking that as a yes, I stood up and drew close to her. Chapter 299 That day, for the first time in my two lives, I gained an important someone. You might wonder what I was going on about this early in the morning, but simply put, I ultimately failed to down the violent emotions that returned along with my old form. However, Cortina was not the only person with whom I had to patch things up. There was one more. And Cortina was aware of that as well. She was the one to mention it first. Actually, have you met with Finia already? No As shey sprawled in the bed, Cortina mentioned that other person. She, who had seen my death with her own eyes, was feeling responsible for it, was someone with whom I had to patch things up just like Cortina. Cortina was lying face-down, not meeting my gaze for some reason. I gently stroked her head while enjoying the lingering memory of what had urred a short moment ago. I have to indeed meet her too, but after what we just did It feels, yknow? You have to meet her, okay? While her state did improvetely, she still feels some sense of responsibility. The reason she is so excessively loyal to Nicole is probably due to that as well. Really? And, well, if its her, I will allow you to cheat a little. Oh, so youre not gonna stop me from cheating? Hey, dont put it like that. She raised her head and threw a pillow at my joke. The sweet air started drifting around. Thanks to that, my tension also went away. Still, I could not forget that I was on restricted time here. I only had a few hours left. What she said was on point. Well, since I got your permission, guess I dont need to hold back anymore. Ill say it just in case, but I only allow it with Finia, okay! Got it, got it. You didnt notice this, but there were a lot of girls aiming for you, you know. Well, I started to notice thattely. She didnt seem willing to part with me, but there was Finia too, so she was holding back. That was just how dear she thought of Finia. While realizing her emotions, I started to put on my equipment. When I put on my coat and took up my gauntlets, Cortina raised a surprised voice as if she noticed something. Huh, those gauntlets Did they always look like that? While we were engaged physically, I had my gauntlets removed. As the magic power supply was cut, the illusion spell got removed and revealed their true design. I quickly hid my gauntlets behind. I-It must be due to light, surely. Really now In any case, youlle again after two months, right? Yeah, I could manage in one month if I try, but that things really tough to do. Im fine as long as I know you are safe and sound. But I wish youd write me letters at least. Im a poor writer But Ill try what I can. Whenever you say that, you always meet my expectations. No, well, this is one thing I cant help, okay? Writing her would be really problematic for me. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Cortina was my homeroom teacher ever since I enrolled in the Magic Academy. In other words, she knew all about my writing style. Since my hands differed in size from my previous life, she didnt recognize it, but this time, shed expect my handwriting to look like Reids. It could get me exposed. A-Anyway, I have no time now, so Ill go to Finias side. Be gentle with her, you clumsy brute. Wait what!? She sent me out with those words probably to relieve me of my stress. I headed to Maxwells mansion, looking forward to meeting Finia. Maxwell knew I was at Cortinas, so he should have kept Finia at his mansion. As I arrived there, I received a Telepathmunication from Maxwell. This spell sent messages to the designated individual at long range, allowingmunication. Apparently, the Telepathic spell that the Adventurers Guild used was developed from this spell too. You finally came, Reid. Did everything go well? Maxwell? That was a quick reaction. I was using Life Search. I set it to notice the nearby presences. What about Finia? She has finished cleaning and is taking a rest now. Based on his words, Finia would soon leave the house. Instead of meeting her inside the mansion, it was better to do it outside. There would be fewer distractions too. After judging so and waiting outside for a while, Finia opened the door and walked out while bowing her head. She was probably thanking Maxwell after getting paid for her work. After putting the money pouch in her shoulder bag, she started walking with an unusually cheery expression. Her bag seemed quite swollen. It should have been quite heavy considering how dainty she was. I erased my presence, snuck behind her, and spoke to give her a scare. Your luggage looks heavy, youngdy. May I carry it for you? Hwah!? She let out a silly voice and turned around in a hurry. Then, seeing me, her eyes went wide. Her reaction was much like Cortinas. I gave her an affected, respectful bow. This was something I learned at the academy. Given that nobles also attended it, etiquette sses were also included in the curriculum. I-It cant be Lord Reid? It has been a while. Youve grown so big I hardly recognized you. I gently brushed her head as she stood stiffened. After about twenty years, I stood before her as Reid for the first time. That day, for the first time in my two lives, I gained an important someone. You might wonder what I was going on about this early in the morning, but simply put, I ultimately failed to down the violent emotions that returned along with my old form. However, Cortina was not the only person with whom I had to patch things up. There was one more. And Cortina was aware of that as well. She was the one to mention it first. Actually, have you met with Finia already?No As shey sprawled in the bed, Cortina mentioned that other person. She, who had seen my death with her own eyes, was feeling responsible for it, was someone with whom I had to patch things up just like Cortina. Cortina was lying face-down, not meeting my gaze for some reason. I gently stroked her head while enjoying the lingering memory of what had urred a short moment ago. I have to indeed meet her too, but after what we just did It feels, yknow? You have to meet her, okay? While her state did improvetely, she still feels some sense of responsibility. The reason she is so excessively loyal to Nicole is probably due to that as well. Really? And, well, if its her, I will allow you to cheat a little. Oh, so youre not gonna stop me from cheating? She raised her head and threw a pillow at my joke. The sweet air started drifting around. Thanks to that, my tension also went away. Still, I could not forget that I was on restricted time here. I only had a few hours left. What she said was on point. Well, since I got your permission, guess I dont need to hold back anymore. Ill say it just in case, but I only allow it with Finia, okay! Got it, got it. You didnt notice this, but there were a lot of girls aiming for you, you know. She didnt seem willing to part with me, but there was Finia too, so she was holding back. That was just how dear she thought of Finia. While realizing her emotions, I started to put on my equipment. When I put on my coat and took up my gauntlets, Cortina raised a surprised voice as if she noticed something. Huh, those gauntlets Did they always look like that?Huuh!? While we were engaged physically, I had my gauntlets removed. As the magic power supply was cut, the illusion spell got removed and revealed their true design. I quickly hid my gauntlets behind. I-It must be due to light, surely. Really now In any case, youlle again after two months, right? Yeah, I could manage in one month if I try, but that things really tough to do. Im fine as long as I know you are safe and sound. But I wish youd write me letters at least. Im a poor writer But Ill try what I can. Whenever you say that, you always meet my expectations. Writing her would be really problematic for me. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Cortina was my homeroom teacher ever since I enrolled in the Magic Academy. In other words, she knew all about my writing style. Since my hands differed in size from my previous life, she didnt recognize it, but this time, shed expect my handwriting to look like Reids. It could get me exposed. A-Anyway, I have no time now, so Ill go to Finias side. Be gentle with her, you clumsy brute. She sent me out with those words probably to relieve me of my stress. I headed to Maxwells mansion, looking forward to meeting Finia. Maxwell knew I was at Cortinas, so he should have kept Finia at his mansion. As I arrived there, I received a Telepathmunication from Maxwell. This spell sent messages to the designated individual at long range, allowingmunication. Apparently, the Telepathic spell that the Adventurers Guild used was developed from this spell too. You finally came, Reid. Did everything go well? Maxwell? That was a quick reaction. I was using Life Search. I set it to notice the nearby presences. What about Finia? She has finished cleaning and is taking a rest now. Thats great. I was thinking of saying hi to her. Based on his words, Finia would soon leave the house. Instead of meeting her inside the mansion, it was better to do it outside. There would be fewer distractions too. After judging so and waiting outside for a while, Finia opened the door and walked out while bowing her head. She was probably thanking Maxwell after getting paid for her work. After putting the money pouch in her shoulder bag, she started walking with an unusually cheery expression. Her bag seemed quite swollen. It should have been quite heavy considering how dainty she was. I erased my presence, snuck behind her, and spoke to give her a scare. Your luggage looks heavy, youngdy. May I carry it for you?Hwah!? She let out a silly voice and turned around in a hurry. Then, seeing me, her eyes went wide. Her reaction was much like Cortinas. I gave her an affected, respectful bow. This was something I learned at the academy. Given that nobles also attended it, etiquette sses were also included in the curriculum. I-It cant be Lord Reid?It has been a while. Youve grown so big I hardly recognized you. I gently brushed her head as she stood stiffened. After about twenty years, I stood before her as Reid for the first time. Chapter 300 Seeing me, Finia put a hand to her mouth in shock. Unlike Cortina who went for that brutal tackle, it was quite adylike reaction. But herck of reaction kinda made me lonely in its own way. Whats wrong, you do remember me, right? Based on my memories, Reids existence has been almost deified in her mind. Maybe seeing the real me made her disillusioned or something. Thinking that made me a little worried. Lord Reid After letting out that muffled voice, she suddenly clung to my chest. She was a bit taller and fleshier than Cortina, but she was still more delicatepared to an average human. Her dainty loveliness was well within my tastes. I reincarnated a little while back. Sorry that I didnte to see you any sooner. Dont be! I dont deserve that She let out a sobbing voice while still clinging to me. Her voice reached the surroundings too, and due to the poor timing, the passersby looked my way wondering what was going on. Right, what about Lady Cortina! Have you met her before meeting me? Yeah, dont worry. I already met her earlier. And some more. Is that so, Im d But, maybe you should have stayed together longer? She told me herself toe meet you. She looked up at me with teary eyes to make an appeal. But from an outsiders perspective, this would have been a questionable sight. In fact, I could see marrieddies here and there whispering while pointing at me. Moreover, we were in front of Maxwells mansion. His reputation might have yed the part too. Well, not that the old mans the type to care about his reputation. Eh? Ah, no, just talking to myself. Why dont we move somewhere else? I know a cafe nearby that girls like. Oh, really? Yeah. I lived here for quite a long until recently. We missed each other a bit though. That Is a little unfortunate. Perhaps she imagined living in this town together, she muttered quite regrettably with her cheeks dyed. The figure of a teary-eyed girl with cheeks dyed red clinging to a guys chest honestly was putting me to shame in front of the public. The surrounding gazes were really stabbing me like needles. Okay, lets go already. Im a little embarrassed here, you know? Ah! My apologies. She seemed to have finally noticed the gazes, she hung her beet red head. That was awfully adorable, but it only served to worsen the doubtful stares. I took Finia to the cafe that Elliot once took me to. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The bean tea here wasnt bad, but the sweets were particrly good. I often came here with Michelle and Letina too. Finia tended to stay at Cortinas house all the time, so she shouldnt have been here before. The desserts here are quite delicious. I think they would suit your tastes too. Is that so? Now that you mentioned it, I dont often eat this type of sweets. She was good at cooking, but she rarely had time to make things like cream and chocte. If she learned to make them, wouldnt I be able to eat them at Cortinas home too? I couldnt deny that I had such ambitions. It would make me happy if you make them for me next time. Huh, m-me? Yeah. I heard from Cortina that youre a good cook. As I told her to cook for me, she got flustered and blushed deep red for some reason. I dont think I asked her something so embarrassing though. That Um, maybe you could ask that to Lady Cortina? Cortinas cooking? Her food is more of a survival kind. B-But it was quite good back then. Back then? Oh, that Cortina had cooked with Finia in the past. That happened at the orphanage where I died. Her memory was quite good to remember something so old. Her dexterity is good, but, how should I put it, its quite sloppy Would be nice if she was as good as Maria. As such, you being there would be a great help. Well, umm At present, I serve Lady Nicole. I was that same Nicole, but she had no way of knowing that. While we were having such random talk, our food had arrived. She seemed to have been pleased with the taste as she ate it. This is quite good indeed. Right? Oh, right I conveyed to her that I could only show myself once a month at the earliest, and also told her what I had been doing until nowof course, a made-up story. Hearing that there would be such a long interval, her face turned sour with disappointment, but it was still far betterpared to the one she had when she wasnt certain of my existence. She responded with a strong nod, as if to convince herself. So, I cant stay for much longer today. I would not mind no matter what your real form is like, you know? Well, I would. She wouldnt even consider that my true form was someone she took baths with every day. And even kissed me when curing my magic buildup disease. For those reasons, I could not reveal myself no matter the cost. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Cortina said something about not minding some affairs if it was her, but I felt reserved on putting hands on her given the present situation. In my mind, she was Right, she was much like a younger girl from the neighborhood. Thus, I enjoyed tea with her until thest moment, and when it was a good time I withdrew from the ce. Seeing me, Finia put a hand to her mouth in shock. Unlike Cortina who went for that brutal tackle, it was quite adylike reaction. But herck of reaction kinda made me lonely in its own way. Whats wrong, you do remember me, right? Based on my memories, Reids existence has been almost deified in her mind. Maybe seeing the real me made her disillusioned or something. Thinking that made me a little worried. Lord Reid After letting out that muffled voice, she suddenly clung to my chest. She was a bit taller and fleshier than Cortina, but she was still more delicatepared to an average human. Her dainty loveliness was well within my tastes. I reincarnated a little while back. Sorry that I didnte to see you any sooner.Dont be! I dont deserve that She let out a sobbing voice while still clinging to me. Her voice reached the surroundings too, and due to the poor timing, the passersby looked my way wondering what was going on. Right, what about Lady Cortina! Have you met her before meeting me? Yeah, dont worry. I already met her earlier. And some more. Is that so, Im d But, maybe you should have stayed together longer? She looked up at me with teary eyes to make an appeal. But from an outsiders perspective, this would have been a questionable sight. In fact, I could see marrieddies here and there whispering while pointing at me. Moreover, we were in front of Maxwells mansion. His reputation might have yed the part too. Well, not that the old mans the type to care about his reputation. Eh? Ah, no, just talking to myself. Why dont we move somewhere else? I know a cafe nearby that girls like. Oh, really? Yeah. I lived here for quite a long until recently. We missed each other a bit though. Perhaps she imagined living in this town together, she muttered quite regrettably with her cheeks dyed. The figure of a teary-eyed girl with cheeks dyed red clinging to a guys chest honestly was putting me to shame in front of the public. The surrounding gazes were really stabbing me like needles. Okay, lets go already. Im a little embarrassed here, you know?Ah! My apologies. She seemed to have finally noticed the gazes, she hung her beet red head. That was awfully adorable, but it only served to worsen the doubtful stares. I took Finia to the cafe that Elliot once took me to. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The bean tea here wasnt bad, but the sweets were particrly good. I often came here with Michelle and Letina too. Finia tended to stay at Cortinas house all the time, so she shouldnt have been here before. The desserts here are quite delicious. I think they would suit your tastes too.Is that so? Now that you mentioned it, I dont often eat this type of sweets. She was good at cooking, but she rarely had time to make things like cream and chocte. If she learned to make them, wouldnt I be able to eat them at Cortinas home too? I couldnt deny that I had such ambitions. It would make me happy if you make them for me next time. Huh, m-me? As I told her to cook for me, she got flustered and blushed deep red for some reason. I dont think I asked her something so embarrassing though. That Um, maybe you could ask that to Lady Cortina? Cortinas cooking? Her food is more of a survival kind. B-But it was quite good back then. Cortina had cooked with Finia in the past. That happened at the orphanage where I died. Her memory was quite good to remember something so old. Her dexterity is good, but, how should I put it, its quite sloppy Would be nice if she was as good as Maria. As such, you being there would be a great help. Well, umm At present, I serve Lady Nicole. I was that same Nicole, but she had no way of knowing that. While we were having such random talk, our food had arrived. She seemed to have been pleased with the taste as she ate it. This is quite good indeed.Right? Oh, right I conveyed to her that I could only show myself once a month at the earliest, and also told her what I had been doing until nowof course, a made-up story. Hearing that there would be such a long interval, her face turned sour with disappointment, but it was still far betterpared to the one she had when she wasnt certain of my existence. She responded with a strong nod, as if to convince herself. So, I cant stay for much longer today. I would not mind no matter what your real form is like, you know? She wouldnt even consider that my true form was someone she took baths with every day. And even kissed me when curing my magic buildup disease. For those reasons, I could not reveal myself no matter the cost. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Cortina said something about not minding some affairs if it was her, but I felt reserved on putting hands on her given the present situation. In my mind, she was Right, she was much like a younger girl from the neighborhood. Thus, I enjoyed tea with her until thest moment, and when it was a good time I withdrew from the ce. Chapter 301 After lightly finishing my date with Finia, I erased my presence and snuck into Maxwells house. I had been going in and out for so long already that I was fully aware of all the traps around it. He had gone to get Gadius, so I erased my presence just in case. There was a chance that Gadius had stayed behind for whatever reason. I looked for human presence while standing in front of his office, and after ascertaining that there was only one person inside, I opened the door. Im back, Maxwell. Ah, wee. It seems that everything has gone well. Yeah. Cortinas mood is back to normal now. It shouldst for a while. For a while? I might have to show my face every month or two. That Would put some burden on Sir Aste. At present, I couldnt use Polymorph on my own. If I tried to visit her every month, it would put the burden on Aste who made the scroll version of it. The item itself can be made in about five hours, but requesting something so highly valued every month would need careful consideration. Also, I really didnt want to experience that pain even once a month. I told her it might take about two months due to my circumstances. Any longer than that would be too pitiful for her. Oh dear, pleasing maidens in love is quite a difficult task. Well, Im paying for my own mistakes here. I have to give Aste his fair share of rewards. He turned Den into his ything too, so I can strike some bargain considering that. While I was talking about Aste, my heartbeat suddenly increased, and my joints were assaulted with pain. Kh What is the matter!? Looks like the time is up I dropped to my knees so I wouldnt fall over. I feared hitting my head if I copsed as is. I grit my teeth and endured the pain attacking in waves. I would have to experience this pain once every month or two from now on, after all. Like I experienced half a day ago, the sharp pain of my body being torn apart assaulted me. It was definitely not something you could endure, so I easily lost consciousness, my vision turning dark. After a while, Maxwell had to forcibly wake me up with the Awaken spell. Checking myself, I seem to have woken up looking quite improper under the coat that was now toorge for me. Are you awake? Yeah Tying my coat, I stood before the mirror installed in the office. It was something he set up there to fix his appearance when meeting with guests. Since it was used by someone as tall as Maxwell, it was quite a big mirror. Based on the inspection, I now looked identical to my original appearance. I seem to have reverted without any irregrities. By irregrity, I meant that in case the spell failed to urately record the original appearance, there was a possibility that you could fail to revert and end up with a grotesque form. Aste warned me of that. Naturally, I didnt think a spell devised by him would have such an error, but the anxiety was still there. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Looks like everything went smoothly. I have brought your clothes here. However, please at least stop having a man carry your underwear. Dont give me that. If I carried little girl panties with me, Cortina wouldve thrown me into jail! That goes for me too, though? I recalled todays events. The emotional reunion with Cortina. During the scene where I was courting her, the first woman in my life, if the panties fell from my pocket I feel like I wouldve faced my next reincarnation. Actually, Maria would probably not even cast Reincarnation on me anymore. I shuddered, imagining the worst possible oue while getting dressed. Mh, what is it, Reid? Do you feel unwell? No, I just imagined something scary, dont worry about it. Is that so? It was a spell you are not used to, so there is a possibility that your body is strained. Be very mindful of your condition. If you feel unwell, call Maria or me at once. Okay, Ill do that But wouldnt it be bad if Maria knows about this? Oh, you can simply tell her that you used a ritual spell and ruined your condition. Now that he mentioned it, I did use that pretext for spending the night away this time. Still, they might have suspected something for not returning until the evening of the next day. Maxwell had already informed Finia that I would return by then, though. If I was toote, they might raise questions about the dy. Theyll start suspecting something if I dont return soon, so Im going back. Wait, wait. You are shivering, I cannot let you go alone. And if I did, I would get yelled at by Cortina. I mean Well, alright then. It was indeed dangerous to send a child home alone when it was already darkening. I could resolve most dangers given my power, but there was no need to try my luck. If Maxwell follows me, most situations could be resolved quietly. Fortunately, we arrived at Cortinas home without running into any trouble. While acting nonchntly, I vigorously opened the door. I was acting like a kid who had cheerfully returned home. Hey, Im back, Cortina? W-Wee back Lady Nicole. And thank you for escorting her, Lord Maxwell. Of course. Well then, I shall excuse myself. Eh, ah, um I have a little favor to ask Finia, is anything the matter? Yes, Lady Cortina has There was apparently something up with Cortina. It was our first time for both of us, so maybe she was feeling unwell after the experience? I headed to Cortinas room while feeling a little worried. Seeing the situation, Maxwell followed after me. Cortina, Iming in, okay? This was Cortinas room that I usually didnt visit. It was my second time visiting it today, but she wasnt feeling bad during the previous visit. If something had happened, it could only have happened after we parted. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Getting worried, I opened the door without waiting for a reply. And then, I saw Cortina, rolled in her nket with a really disturbing grin on her face. Um, when I returned, she was already like this. She doesnt even hear me, so I was lost on what to do. Ehh So it was basically that. She had been grinning like this ever since we parted. Seeing her state, even Maxwell felt exasperated. H-Hey I cannot handle this anymore. Just do something on your own. Hey, are you nning to ditch us here!? I have no desire to get involved in others romantic affairs. With those words, he quickly made his escape. I wanted to follow after him, but I couldnt really leave Cortina in this state. In the end, I could do nothing but stand and stare as she made merry on the bed. After lightly finishing my date with Finia, I erased my presence and snuck into Maxwells house. I had been going in and out for so long already that I was fully aware of all the traps around it. He had gone to get Gadius, so I erased my presence just in case. There was a chance that Gadius had stayed behind for whatever reason. I looked for human presence while standing in front of his office, and after ascertaining that there was only one person inside, I opened the door. Im back, Maxwell. Ah, wee. It seems that everything has gone well. Yeah. Cortinas mood is back to normal now. It shouldst for a while. For a while? I might have to show my face every month or two. At present, I couldnt use Polymorph on my own. If I tried to visit her every month, it would put the burden on Aste who made the scroll version of it. The item itself can be made in about five hours, but requesting something so highly valued every month would need careful consideration. Also, I really didnt want to experience that pain even once a month. I told her it might take about two months due to my circumstances. Any longer than that would be too pitiful for her. Oh dear, pleasing maidens in love is quite a difficult task. While I was talking about Aste, my heartbeat suddenly increased, and my joints were assaulted with pain. Kh What is the matter!? I dropped to my knees so I wouldnt fall over. I feared hitting my head if I copsed as is. I grit my teeth and endured the pain attacking in waves. I would have to experience this pain once every month or two from now on, after all. Like I experienced half a day ago, the sharp pain of my body being torn apart assaulted me. It was definitely not something you could endure, so I easily lost consciousness, my vision turning dark. After a while, Maxwell had to forcibly wake me up with the Awaken spell. Checking myself, I seem to have woken up looking quite improper under the coat that was now toorge for me. Are you awake?Yeah Tying my coat, I stood before the mirror installed in the office. It was something he set up there to fix his appearance when meeting with guests. Since it was used by someone as tall as Maxwell, it was quite a big mirror. Based on the inspection, I now looked identical to my original appearance. I seem to have reverted without any irregrities. By irregrity, I meant that in case the spell failed to urately record the original appearance, there was a possibility that you could fail to revert and end up with a grotesque form. Aste warned me of that. Naturally, I didnt think a spell devised by him would have such an error, but the anxiety was still there. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Looks like everything went smoothly. I have brought your clothes here. However, please at least stop having a man carry your underwear. Dont give me that. If I carried little girl panties with me, Cortina wouldve thrown me into jail! I recalled todays events. The emotional reunion with Cortina. During the scene where I was courting her, the first woman in my life, if the panties fell from my pocket I feel like I wouldve faced my next reincarnation. Actually, Maria would probably not even cast Reincarnation on me anymore. I shuddered, imagining the worst possible oue while getting dressed. Mh, what is it, Reid? Do you feel unwell? No, I just imagined something scary, dont worry about it. Is that so? It was a spell you are not used to, so there is a possibility that your body is strained. Be very mindful of your condition. If you feel unwell, call Maria or me at once. Okay, Ill do that But wouldnt it be bad if Maria knows about this? Now that he mentioned it, I did use that pretext for spending the night away this time. Still, they might have suspected something for not returning until the evening of the next day. Maxwell had already informed Finia that I would return by then, though. If I was toote, they might raise questions about the dy. Theyll start suspecting something if I dont return soon, so Im going back. Wait, wait. You are shivering, I cannot let you go alone. And if I did, I would get yelled at by Cortina. It was indeed dangerous to send a child home alone when it was already darkening. I could resolve most dangers given my power, but there was no need to try my luck. If Maxwell follows me, most situations could be resolved quietly. Fortunately, we arrived at Cortinas home without running into any trouble. While acting nonchntly, I vigorously opened the door. I was acting like a kid who had cheerfully returned home. Hey, Im back, Cortina? W-Wee back Lady Nicole. And thank you for escorting her, Lord Maxwell. Of course. Well then, I shall excuse myself. Eh, ah, um I have a little favor to ask Finia, is anything the matter? Yes, Lady Cortina has There was apparently something up with Cortina. It was our first time for both of us, so maybe she was feeling unwell after the experience? I headed to Cortinas room while feeling a little worried. Seeing the situation, Maxwell followed after me. Cortina, Iming in, okay? This was Cortinas room that I usually didnt visit. It was my second time visiting it today, but she wasnt feeling bad during the previous visit. If something had happened, it could only have happened after we parted. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Getting worried, I opened the door without waiting for a reply. And then, I saw Cortina, rolled in her nket with a really disturbing grin on her face. Um, when I returned, she was already like this. She doesnt even hear me, so I was lost on what to do.Ehh So it was basically that. She had been grinning like this ever since we parted. Seeing her state, even Maxwell felt exasperated. H-Hey I cannot handle this anymore. Just do something on your own. Hey, are you nning to ditch us here!? With those words, he quickly made his escape. I wanted to follow after him, but I couldnt really leave Cortina in this state. In the end, I could do nothing but stand and stare as she made merry on the bed. Chapter 302 Cortina rolled around on the bed, covering herself up to the shoulders with the nket but leaving her legs exposed. Given her bare legs, I wondered whether she was naked under the nket. Also, her monologues were leaking out, making me hear the lines that embarrassed me. Ahh, maybe I overdid it a little back there? What if he thinks Im too immodest No no, this is that unsociable guy we are talking about here. He wouldnt realize it if I didnt go that far. Um, Cortina? Ahh, but, but, maybe I should have done that other thing more like Uhh, C-Cortina? Still, Reid sure has a solid build. Sure, hes not quite at Lyells level, but his build is more in-bnce with me. Unable to stand it anymore, I plugged my ears. Finia next to me was also hanging her head down with a deep blush. This mightve been part of the reason why she sent me to Finia back then. She was probably enduring turning into this disgraceful state, and sent me off so I wouldnt witness it. So the reason she looked reluctant was because her womanly heart still wanted us to stay together for longer. Finia, Cortina is too far gone. Lets have dinner by ourselves. R-Right. I will prepare something that will be fine to eat cold for Lady Cortina. For the first time in my life, I abandoned myrade and fled. As expected, I didnt have bold enough nerves to keep listening to her ramblings. Finia probably thought hearing any more of her foolishness would be bad for my education, she readily agreed to my suggestion. While feeling really unsettled, I somehow managed to finish changing my clothes and headed to the dining room. There I saw Finia making sd and cold stew. The main dish seemed to be roasted chicken meat after being soaked in yogurt. That was probably because roasting it normally would make the fats harden and worsen the taste once it would get cold. Im seeing that for the first time. Ah, yes. It has a strong smell, so I dont usually make it. Yeah, I feel like you mostly roast it or make chops. I observed Finia as she cooked whilementing on it. She was moving rhythmically as always No, perhaps even livelier than normal. Finia. What is it, Lady Nicole? Did anything good happen today? Eeh!? I asked because I was curious about how she would rate my escorting today. But it caused her to flinch and stiffen in ce. Hey, pay attention to your hands, its dangerous. Ah, m-my apologies. But its your fault, Lady Nicole. Dont ask me something like that all of a sudden. It just looked to me that your hands moved more merrily than usual. Judging by Cortinas current behavior, I guess we could say that I seeded in improving her condition. But what about Finia? If I failed this time, it would mean I would be neglecting her for another month at least. Escorting an opposite sex had been first for me too, so I wanted to hear what she thought of it. As you say, something very good did indeed happen today. What kind? Well I wonder if I should say it? Its something you cant tell me? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) That mightve been a little mean on my part. The topic of my reincarnation wasnt only rted to me but to every one of the Six Heroes. Considering that Finia hesitated on revealing it to me, who didnt belong to Six Heroes, without consulting Maxwell meant that she was a lot more rational than Cortina. Is this about Lord Reid? W-W-W-W-, wh-why do you know that!? How couldnt I? Cortina easily spilled it earlier. Or so I thought, but she seems to be quite out of it herself. Well, she was cute when flustered too so no problems there. She moved on to cooling the cold cream stew, and in the meantime started to roast the pickled meat. Unlike before, her hand movements had some tension in them. It was probably due to my question. Perhaps it was better to relieve some of her tension. Good for you, huh? Referring to my own self like that made me really embarrassed. But I was Nicole now, not Reid. If I didnt ask her now, it coulde off suspiciously. Yes, truly. Above all, I am d that that person is alright Well, he wasnt entirely alright, but I am d I could meet him again. I see. So there were people who became this happy because I appeared before them. That alone made me feel like there was a meaning in my reincarnation. On the other hand, just thinking of the moment when my identity got busted made chills run down my spine. I grabbed my cup and poured the remainder of the milk she used for the stew, and brought it to my mouth. Incidentally! Hmm? Do you not have anyone on your mind, Lady Nicole? Pffft!? I suddenly got asked a strange question, so I spit it back right away. Me? With a guy? Not a chance. Todays events were definite proof of that. I was still into girls, in the end. N-Not at the moment Is that so? What about Cloud? Come on, that old geezer was obviously unthinkable. So the wall that is Lord Lyell is that thick, is it? With a knight of his level next to you, your ideals should be equally high. Mgh, then maybe Ill go with Lord Reid. Y-You cant! Lady Cortina is one thing, but if even Lady Nicole bes my rival, I would lose all my chances! Hohoh, so you havent given up yet? Ugh Maybe at least as a concubine, or something (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) This kingdom wasnt strictly limited to monogamy, so there was no problem in marrying more than one. Raum simply had a strong tendency for monogamy. In fact, in the Northern Alliance, polygyny was actually approved. It had many wars, and even the Evil Dragon on top, so the rapid decrease of the male poption aggravated this system even more. Suddenly I had a thought. If I moved there, wouldnt I be able to marry both Cortina and Finia at the same time? Chapter 303 That night, I slept on my own bed. Thinking back, I stayed outside quite often as ofte, so it was quite rare for me to stay in my own room like this. I couldnt stand Cortinas earlier shameful disy, or rather, foolishness. That said, its not like I didnt understand what she felt. Even for me, there were various first-time experiences today when ites to women. I was feeling a bit dizzy and fluffy in my chest like Cortina, but at the same time, I was anxious whether everything I did was correct. Particrly, Cortina called me a clumsy brute before we parted today, and that weighed on my mind even now. She most likely said that just to hide her embarrassment, but theres no guy who wouldnt feel a bit bothered by it. When ites to these, she also doesnt understand how guys hearts work, huh. Men needed self-confidence. When they joined with the women they yearned for, they wanted to hear the words of satisfaction from their mouths. Naturally, there was a possibility that I was actually bad T-There definitely was That said, this isnt something you can just practice No, wait, maybe Finia would let me. Right after saying it, I shook my head, realizing the ridiculousness of it. She was closer to a little sister for me. I was feeling a little reluctant to put my hands on her. If I had previously built experience with her like with Cortina it would be one thing, but Wait, did I even have that with Cortina? Did Cortina and I even have any experience aside from battles? I feel like not I could only remember conversations that we had as opposite sexes end with a devastating result. It waste to say this now, going after her like that right into a physical rtionship was pretty brutish. Crap. Did I rush it? Thinking back, Cortina rejected me before, and she hadnt said anything about dating me even now. From the outside perspective, it looked like I just got to know about her feelings for me, suddenly appeared, and went right for sex. While I was indeed instigated by Maxwell, I might have done something pretty brutish to her. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Wait wait, I have proposed to her before, and there should be no problems feelings-wise either. Right, that was simply the natural development. Nothing out of the ordinary at all. I grumbled those words to convince myself. Cortina didnt deny it, and looking at her behavior, it turned out well. In other words, my current goal is whether to raise myskillfrom now on. I spoke it aloud to switch my consciousness. This was quite impossible to do something about with no one to practice with. But Wait a minute! Dont I already have a perfect partner to practice with? Michelle was out of the question, Letina too, as the aftermath would be scary. Likewise with Matisse. There was no one around me whod be able to help me with this. But wait! I am a girl now! If I cant practice on others, I can do it on myself! Thus, I spent the rest of the night training by myself. Yeah, I cant tell anyone about this The next day, I went to the Adventurers Guild. It has been some time since thest long vacation, but Michelle had some circumstances that made her unable toe adventuring. The reason was Yeah, same as mine from beforethe menstrual day. I could have instead gone to the music room and practiced my musical performance, but I was worried my katana skills have been getting dull because I havent used them as ofte. Weapons at my disposal grew in numbertely, so katana, which was one of my main weapons, hadnt seen much use. Thus, I wanted to reforge myself like Cloud so my skills wouldnt grow duller. As I headed down the stairs to the lower floor, an intense explosion of cheers reached my ears. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) It sounded as heated as when Cloud was the one training there. But there werent supposed to be any events nned today, so I wondered what caused it. What is it now? Is it about Cloud again or something? I reached the ground, and then went through the corridor towards the training grounds. In the center of the training ground with virtual ground made by scattering earth on it, there was an impossiblyrge crowd that included the Guild staff as well. It was to the point that itd make you worry whether the Guild work would even proceed smoothly with so many of them here. W-Whats going on? As I said that in surprise, one of the Guild staff addressed me. Ah, Lady Nicole! Good timing. Lord Lyell hase to visit us today! Huh, dad? Yes. He said he was curious about Clouds training here, so he hurriedly came to inspect it. Hmm Without even dropping by Cortinas house? Thats strange. Lyell seemed to be thinking of actually taking Cloud on as a disciple, so he started to put serious effort into training him. Perhaps the fact that Cloud turned out to be unexpectedly talented yed a part in it too. But still, that made me, who couldnt properly train due to my weak body, a little jealous. He is training other Adventurers while he is at it, so this ce is packed as you see. Yeah, looks like it. Even if anyone gets hurt, Lady Maria will heal them, so there is no danger. So thats why theres such a crowd Looking towards the corner, I could see another crowd there. But most of them were women. Were there more injured among the women? Lyell should really learn to hold back. But what about the situation above? Oh, its okay, the Guild Master is taking over the work for us! Hey, you should go back and do it yourself! I prayed for the poor Guild Master who had all the work pushed onto him by his own staff. Setting that aside, Lyell was fighting against Adventurers, huh? That was quite interesting in its own right. I also wish to head to that side, though. But its hard to take my eyes off Lord Lyells majestic figure! To Marias side, you mean? Yes, it seems that she has brought her newborn with her tod Fina! Hearing that, I immediately rushed towards her. It was quite unlike Maria to bring Fina to a dusty ce like this. What if she gets dirty. I pushed the Adventurers aside, heading towards Maria. And then I saw my little sister, one who was as precious to me as Cortina. Chapter 304 Oh, Nicole, you came? Wee. A voluptuous woman filled with youthfulness addressed me with those words. Needless to say, it was Maria. She was sitting on the bench next to the training area, holding Fina in her arms and surrounded by the female staff of the Guild and other Adventurers. Her smile directed towards me stillcked her usual vigor. Seeing how slow she was recovering made me realize howborious giving birth really was. Fina was darting her eyes unsettlingly at the unusual scene and the unfamiliar crowd around her. Not crying under all those gazes, she was quite a gutsy girl, this little sister of mine. The females surrounding them were squirming in delight at the sight of Fina, but I could fully rte with them in that regard. That said, no one tried to touch her directly. She would probably start crying in the end if everyone around started touching her, so Maria kept them in check. I pushed my way through the crowd and sat next to Maria. Then I wordlessly reached out and took Fina from her. Seeing her settling quietly into my arms, I was ovee with an indescribable sense of calmness. Fina also seemed to trust me after seeing my face so many times, so she let me hold herself without a fuss. She stared up at me for some time, and then started nibbling at my chest. Fweeeh!? I came here for training purposes, so I was wearing a thin, easy-to-move shirt. It had high water absorbency and was sturdy, but it was not thick at all. I didnt wear my jacket either now, because it would restrict my movements. Ah, no, wh- ouch!? Mom, dont just look, help! Finas mouth was quite strong, and dead urate too. She bit my chest tip with pinpoint uracy and started sucking on it. A babys suction turned out to be unexpectedly strong, and too stimting for the current me. I could have just shaken her off, but I worried I might injure her mouth in the process, so I refrained. Thus, I was being dominated by her with no way of escape. Seeing me in that state, Maria held a hand to her mouth and endured augh. Hurry up! Okay, okay. As much as it amuses me to see you squirm like that, feeding her needs to be prioritized now. If you understand that, then hurry! Maria quickly took her off my hands at my demand, and her mouth separated from my breast along with it. That didnt seem to injure her as I feared, so I felt relieved. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Wah, waaah! Fina reached her hands towards me, seemingly reluctant to part. I wanted to respond to her wish just as much, but squirming around in the presence of all these people was too much for me. N-Nicoles breastfeeding y That was something. It made me excited even if we are of the same sex. Nicole, me too! I want to suck on it too! Calm down. Collect yourself, Miss receptionist. Why were so many hopeless people in this Guild, I wonder. While I was despairing over that fact, a clearugh reached my ears. That familiar voice was enough to know who it was without even needing to look. Hahaha. Fina, Nicoles breasts arent big enough to suck them, okay? Hey! As usual, he made a statement without reading the room. Whether this could be considered an innocent trait or not was up to individual discretion. Naturally, I took those flippant words as a war deration. But they are actually small, right? Fina mustve had a tough time sucking on it. No such thing. They started growing as ofte! Oh, will you show them to me? Fine! Hey, dont show them so thoughtlessly. Youve already grown up, Nicole, so be more careful. Maria bonked me on the head from behind. She used to refrain from these physical punishments, but they increased as ofte. Perhaps she was reserved due to my previously weak constitution. As such, now that she stopped caring about it was proof that I had grown. That actually made me happy. Mgh But Im already an adult. I already had my first menstruation. Maria was also aware of it, but the people around us were stiffened after they heard it. That feeling of tension spread through the crowd in the blink of an eye. A-AdultShe said Then, our angel Nicole has been tainted by someone? Someone Who? You dont even need to ask. Theres only one guy near her, Clo N-No, theres also that Elliot guy, isnt there!? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) He has already returned to the north. There was also this Donovan kid, but he seems to have enrolled in a high-ss academy in his hometown after graduating from here. After Donovan graduated from the elementary grade of the Magic Academy, he enrolled into the high-ss academy specifically for nobles located in the Sto domain. This was probably done in consideration of the fact that it wouldnt be good if he, who had basically inherited the peerage, to be separated from his domain for too long. His personality had grown better after the previous incident, so Maxwell was quite disappointed that he had to go back to his hometown. After all, with his haughty attitude gone, he really had turned into an honor student in both name and reality. Then, it was definitely that guy? Yeah, no doubt. Okay, Ill definitely kill him the next time he shows up. Wait, I cant hand that role over to you guys. Thats my job. Releasing a thundering pressure Lyell dered. I mean, I did acquire experience with the opposite sex the other day, but not with a guy. Someone stop him. Maria, please. Thinking that, I looked towards where Maria used to sit, but she seemed to have already left the grounds to breastfeed Fina. And then, someone showed up with the worst timing possible. Hello! I heard master Lyell wasing over today? He was quite something, not missing a timing like this. His bad luck with timing was one thing he held inmon with my previous self. Huh, whats going on? Now, Cloud I have something to ask you. Only answer with a yes or yeah. Or maybe yup. Lyell, those are all affirmations. In other words, Cloud had no option to deny it. I wasnt brave enough to butt into this surging bloodthirst. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) Thus, I turned back and followed after Maria to the outside, Clouds expected screams reverberating behind me. Chapter 305 Before long, a new school term had started, and we were finally promoted to the senior students of the elementary course of the Magic Academy. We had a new ssroom, but the ss lineup was the same ever since the first year. This was due to the school policy that instead of building new rtionships, it was better to deepen them with the people you already knew. I was currently talking with Letina inside that unchanged ssroom. I used the short time we had before the lesson started to thoroughly exin to her just how much of an angel my little sister was. And then, she took her tiny hand and squeezed mine. I am an only child, so that makes me quite envious. I can probably bring her here after she grows up a bit more. You cane and see her too. I will take you up on your offer. Shes also one of our talisman buddies. True. We have matching pairs. The talisman that I carved from a fang was hanging on my neck. Michelle and Letina were the same. Oh, and Cloud. Seeing that, the students and Adventurers directed mes of jealousy at him. Well, that was only natural, given that he had a matching pair with someone as pretty as Michelle. The brutality of her chest had grown even more. At this point, she wouldnt fall behind even if you put her side by side with an adult. While we were talking, my other friend showed up to join us. It was Hortons only daughter, Matisse. Good morning, Nicole. I see you have a matching ne with Lady Letina. Morning, Matisse. Yes, we made it during the vacation. Ohh, nice. Is it made from a fang? Yeah. Fang Wolfs. Fang Wolf!? You managed to hunt them yourselves? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Yup. The students at the Academy had some degree ofbat training as part of their curriculum. For that reason, she knew just how difficult defeating a Fang Wolf would prove to be. The other students overheard my im and started rustling around in surprise. That monster is tough to beat even head-on. Well, Clouds skill has grown significantly as ofte. We had Finia with us too, and Maxwell was there to lead us. With Lord Maxwell, it should have been safe. I was there too. I can take one down without a sweat. You focused on keeping them in check as always, though. Michelle was the one that put them down even during that battle. Her skill already rivaled that of a veteran soldier. Her ability to concentrate during the critical moment was particrly outstanding. Both Letina and Cloud were stronger than what would be normal for their ages, but Michelle was still far beyond them. As expected, a Gift holders growth rate was on another level. It makes me want to have one too Sorry. I want to make this an original for me and my sister. That is a little regrettable. But now that you mentioned it, she was born during the vacation, right? Congrattions. Yup, thanks! Thus, Letina and Ibined our powers to exin in detail just how adorable Fina was. While I was busy stressing how cute my sister was with a flushed face, the people around were looking at me as if they were seeing something charming. My sister is the one whos lovely, not me! After our sses were done, I joined up with Michelle and we headed to the Adventurers Guild. Cloud was probably already there and engaged in practice with the senior Adventurers, something that had be customarytely. As we entered the Guild, I went to the counter right away and took on the herb collection request, yet another customary thing. Cloud was apparently down below, as expected, so we would meet up with himter. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Wee, Nicole. Are you going to gather herbs today as well? Yes, there is a request for it, right? Whenever an illness spread in the elven settlements, the medicinal herbs were gathered in masses, so they tended to put temporary regtions in ce. We werent especially fixated on the buying price, but it was better to confirm whether there was amission for them at present. Yes, no problems there. We also have this request today. With that, she showed me amission to gather special mushrooms. Is this a Mixus mushroom? Yes. They are quite a delicacy, so the Hortonpany is requesting them. Werent they for medicine? This is for seasoning. They have a bit of a spicy, stimting taste, so they are used in cooking after being powdered. Oh huh Finia had quite a big variety of seasonings, but I had never seen this. Perhaps it was a luxury item. Okay. In that case, well pick these up too if wee across them. Understood. There are five days until the time limit, so well buy them at a high price if you bring them before then. Okay then, Ill go get Cloud. I waved at the counter girl and left the ce. She waved back with a radiant smile, but I felt something simr to Cortina from a few days ago. After heading underground, I heard the usual no, fiercer than usual sounds of training. It seemed that they were quite heated up today. Itd be troubling if he spends all his stamina before we head to the forest, though. Cloud seems to be working hard today. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) He should know wed be heading to the forest, and that he shouldnt be going so hard at it. Cloud is doing his best so you dont leave him behind, Nicole. If he ends up totally exhausted before we do our mainbat practice, thatd just trouble me, though. Rather, he himself should be troubled the most if his exhaustion lowers his ie, given that it was something essential for him. Haaaa! A matching pair, you saaay!? Stand up, Cloud! Let me beat that harem nature out of you! Hey, itd be problematic if you do that. Oh, Lady Nicole!? The one facing Cloud was the usual fifth-ranked Adventurer, Kayle. Also, two people who I remembered from quite long ago. Oh, could it be Oh. If I remember correctly, you are Nicole, right? It has been a while, Haumea, Cole. There stood a female elf who I had met once before, the woman whose name I had been using as an alias. Chapter 306 Before my eyes was Haumea, a beauty with blond hair and blue eyes. Behind her was Cole with the same old grim expression. ording to my memories, his expression was normally like this, so he most likely wasnt particrly displeased. That reminds me, I had an inkling that my expression was quite like him in my previous life. I see, no wonder people wouldnt approach me. Hello, its been four years, hasnt it? That sounds about right. I met them shortly after I enrolled in the Magic Academy. Our only interaction was during the hot spring trip when they helped me. But her calm aura left a deep impression on me. To the point that I ended up using her name as an alias. Could the two of you be here for training? No need to be so polite. Youre an Adventurer like us, right? In that case, we have equal standing. Well yes, but We still have to make a distinction of seniority. From what I heard, she was around 500 years old. She was quite a veteran on the level of Maxwell. I wouldnt say that wisdom of age decided everything, but I still wanted to use some level of respect towards the senior figures. I realized this before too, but you are quite not childish at all. In a good way, of course. d to hear. Of course, the one inside was an adult man who was epted as such by himself and others. No, well, not exactly by others. At any rate, their main operations focused between the elven vige and Raum, so it was quite unusual to show up here to train. Ive never seen youe to the training grounds. Actually, I contracted an illness some time back. I recovered already but I felt that my skills have grown duller during that time. Ah, that does happen. Do you get ill often, Nicole? You were quite lethargic back then too. Back when we met, I was plopped on the ground after having run out of stamina. She probably assumed that due to the impression I gave back then, but it was different now. Too bad, Ive trained since then so a trip to the vige wouldnt tire me out. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Oh, is that so. Thats admirable. Stop lying. You still get tired every now and then. Michelle, you traitor! I raised my fist and objected towards Michelle who backstabbed me with her little remark while standing behind me. She started giggling and hid behind Letina. Seeing us like that, Haumea pressed a hand to her mouth and suppressed augh. Ugh, but its true that I gained more stamina, okay. And my previousck of stamina was also partly due to illness. It was? Yes, it was an illness called Magic Buildup Disease, which umted magic power excessively. Ah, that, huh. There are quite a few Elven kids that contract it. Is that so? How do you heal it then? In my case, we had to go far to get the Queen Blossom nectar. I didnt remember hearing Elves doing anything asborious. Could it be that there was another way that Dr. Tricia didnt know? Its just something that happens during young age. We are Elves, so itll heal if we just leave it be. Ah It would be quite a nuisance if a human were to contract it though. Well done curing it. That was due to Dr. Tricia and Lord Maxwell. Elves were a race that held a particrly high affinity for magic. And bows. There were many who used these abilities to live as hunters in the forests. Hearing Tricia and Maxwells names, Haumea was convinced. Good for you. You have to thank them. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Yeah. I am thankful to them both. If Dr. Tricia, in particr, wasnt around, I could have ended up bedridden, without realizing my own illness. Thus I was thankful towards her from the bottom of my heart. The only problem was her disappointing personality that ruined her good points. She was good at her work, she wasnt bad-looking either, she was good at looking after people and was loved by the students, too, so it was a huge waste. Right, since youre an Adventurer now, would you like to spar with me, Nicole? With you, Haumea? Yes. I have heard rumors of your abilities in the Guild. Its not strange that I am a little interested, right? Actually acting on those impulses is a little, you know Isnt it fine? Im always the one getting beat up here, so how about you have a taste of some hazing of your senior for a change. Cloud, who couldnt read the room as always, made a needless remark there. Still, I was also curious about how Elves fought. She wasnt a Gift holder, but she was a long-distance specialist, boasting of high magic power and centered around mixing bow and spells. I have been interested in that peculiarbat style since my previous life. That said, Elves hardly left their settlements on their own, and moreover, their gentle personalities seldom got them involved in disputes. Until now, there were no Elves that had antagonized me. Well That Might not be so bad. Right? I am likewise interested in your skill, Nicole. The receptionist told me youre skilled despite your weak body. Hohoh That receptionist turns out to be quite loose-lipped. Looks like I have to kindly exin to her afterwards. Physically, that is. I took a suitable distance from Haumea and stood facing her while Cole heaved a sigh and walked away. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) I had my gauntlets, dagger, and katana on hand. But I couldnt use the first two due to many eyewitnesses. They were also my trump cards, so I wanted to avoid exposing them to the public too much. In which case, I had to use my katana and interference magic to fight now. Okay! Here I go! We finished our preparations and were about to take a step, but someone suddenly cut between us. Please wait! Haumea, you have a guest. It was the aforementioned receptionist. She had a stiffened expression and was breaking into a cold sweat. Even her knees were trembling a little. I tensed up, thinking something bad must have happened. However, the words that left her mouth were somethingpletely different. Now? Cant it wait? It cant! Its a diplomat from the Northern Alliance! Huh!? Haumeas expression was screaming what the heck are you saying. However, I immediately realized what this was about. Sorry, Haumea. It was most likely the troublesome stuff rted to me. Chapter 307 I directed a lukewarm gaze at Haumea as she got dragged away by the receptionist. As expected, it being a request from the residential minister of foreign affairs, it was impossible to reject it. As a single Adventurer, Haumea had no choice but to obediently ept it. I waved my hand and wished well to Haumea, who was looking at Cole with eyes akin to cattle taken to the ughterhouse. I wasnt so reckless as to butt in here. A-Anyway, lets go look for the herbs, shall we? We also got mushroommission today too. Mushrooms? Theyre growing everywhere, so cant we just pick them up randomly? Cloud you dummy, those random ones might be poisonous. Gh Still, since its amission, are they high-ss items? Yeah. The Hortonpany apparently wants them to be used as seasonings. Heh. Could we get a bonus if we grab a whole lot of them? We have to start by testing how tasty they are. We could collect some for ourselves too, right? You sure stay true to yourself, Michelle. But yes, we can do that if we collect enough. After discussing it with myrades, I decided to leave the ce at once. This was because the situation around us wasnt looking very good. The fight between a noteworthy Adventurer like me and Haumea had gathered a lot of attention. The unexpected meeting had ruined the chance, but I was still standing on the training grounds. In other words, the entire ce was filled with the air that told me they were all thinking this was a good opportunity to challenge me. Honestly, I didnt want to waste my stamina fighting against people I didnt care about. It was natural to avoid getting exhausted, seeing that we had to go to the forest after this. Still, if I bluntly rejected so many peoples requests here, it coulde off as arrogant. Given that I was receiving the patronage of Lyell, Maria and Cortina, I didnt want to spread bad impressions about me. Okay, lets go at once! Whys the hurry? Just go! Pushing the back of doubtful Letina, I fled the training grounds. From behind, I could hear the begrudged voice of those who missed their chance to fight me. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Agh, my chance to get locked in a grapple with Nicole And me with Michelle My chance to get stepped on by Lady Letina Yeah, I think there really was a need to wipe out some of Raums Adventurers. We left the city as if fleeing, and rushed into the forest. Since we wasted some time, the sun was already starting to go down. Our time in the forest was limited. We werete to depart today, so we need to hurry. But we should still aim for our usual performance with gathering. That sounds quite hectic. However, I suppose it can serve as training to refine our observational powers. Its as you say, Letina. We quickly made our way through the forest, heading to our destination. Mixus Mushrooms were said to grow in moist areas on the bare ground. That was quite unusual, as mushrooms normally grew on the trees and nts. There were limited ces around here that were damp and also had bare ground. As Raum was surrounded by forest, most of the ground was covered with weeds. If one were to speak of bare ground Damp and bare ce. Theres only the riverside that fits those criteria, isnt there? The river currents in Raum are quite stable, so the riverside ground should be bare and damp, meeting the conditions for the mushrooms to grow. The currents are too calm downstream so even the riverside is covered by weed, so we might need to go upstream. But wouldnt they just get eaten by animals if they grew in a ce like that? These mushrooms are quite stimting so the animals dont seem to eat them. And that stimulus apparently works really well as seasoning. So, they should still be left there. I see Then, over here. The river runs in a zig-zag here as it approaches Raum. If we are going in a straight line, we should head this way. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) We decided on our objective without resting our legs. Our goodbination was good harmony we developed over the long period of being together. We chose a shortcut to go upstream on the river that had a lot of turns. We also gathered Milud leaves and hunted small animals on the way. We already gathered our usual ie just by doing that. In other words, we were able to do our job even faster than usual without any drop in efficiency. I guess its about time to aim for a new milestone. Hmm, did you say something? I was just thinking that you all got used to moving while surveying the surroundings. Well, yeah, weve been doing it almost daily, after all. Parallel thinking is something indispensable for a magician, too. This much is natural. Your rate of discovering things is the lowest among us, though, Letina. T-Thats because I dont have any scouting skills! She was making excuses with a red face, but it was still a little less than us. Normally, it would take her all just to keep up with us, much less find herbs. The fact that she could do those now showed that she had grown quite a bit. That aside, well reach the riverbank soon, so pay attention to your feet. Huh? Eek!? Hearing Clouds warning, I turned around. But that timing made me miss my footing due to the difference in elevation. I quickly reached out to the nearby tree to fix my posture, but my hand failed to grab anything. Damn it, I couldve made it if it was my former body! As my body got nted, I failed to find an opportunity to fix my posture and rolled down the hill road. Waaaaah! Nicole! After rolling and rolling, I tumbled into the puddle No, river, at the end of the road. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) After getting submerged in water, I somehow managed to poke my head above water. I saw Michelle looking at me worriedly from the hill. Incidentally, after confirming my safety, Letina was barely holding back herughter. Ill remember that Getting out of water, I started climbing the hill back up. Are you alright there? Cloud, I wish youd warn about that stuff a bit sooner. Hey, its not like I was that aware of our exact position there! With those words, Cloud hurriedly faced another way. Following the gazes he was stealing from me from time to time, I traced them to my chest. I saw my skin being visible through my damp, white clothes. Not just my chest line that had grown in sizetely, even the pinkish tips were in in sight. Michelle, go crush Clouds eyes. Roger that! Now thats just unfair! Shut up. A maidens skines at a high cost. Ive already seen it before anyway! Forget what happened at the camp! I grabbed the towel Letina threw at me and hurriedly intercepted his gaze. Chapter 308 I held on to the rope that Cloud dropped down and scrambled up the riverside. The towel around my chest was a little annoying, but it wasnt hindering my movements. If I was still a man I wouldnt need something like this, but Clouds secretive nces were bothering me a lot now. Michelle pinched him in the nk, making him twist in agony, but that was pretty light aspensation. The damp ground was quite slippery. Moreover, it was prone to copsing, which made ascending extremely hard. We still continued going step by step, until we came across a light brown mushroom. Huh, this is Ive never seen Mixus Mushrooms before, so I checked the pictorial at the Adventurers Guild before departing. It looked just like the one that was depicted in it. Two of them were growing on the hill road in istion. Perhaps the weed couldnt grow on this hill road that was practically like a cliff. And since this was riverside, it was pretty damp, creating a good environment for these mushrooms to grow. Yay, lucky us! Nicole, whats wrong? We have two of them here. Themission needed five of them, so managing to get two is already valuable. Right! Then, lets hurry up and With those words, Cloud pulled the rope strongly to the left. That also meant that the entire rope started shaking violently. And naturally, I who was holding onto that rope felt that shaking too. Wah, you idiot! I was barely holding myself in ce using this uneven ground and rope, so there was no way I could stabilize my body if that rope started to shake. My feet slipped and I dangled down while holding onto the rope. To add more, I was wet all over, and my hands were muddy too. Not to mention, my body was that of a powerless girl. The hand holding the rope slipped, and I once again found myself dropping into the river. Waph! Raising a shy ssh, I once again sank into the water. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The mud from the riverbank and bottom got mixed up and the muddy water obstructed my vision. As I poked my head covered in seaweed, Cloud was looking at me with the expression of someone who screwed up big time. S-Sorry. I acted on instinct He seemed to have remembered the training camp at the mention of physical punishment, he suddenly covered his crotch and jumped back. Sit still! Wait, I really didnt mean haaarm! I started crawling on all fours as I climbed up, chasing after him. He sprinted away while holding his crotch. Actually, I could climb up with my own strength like this, so there was no need to have him drop down the rope in the first ce. After we somehow retrieved Mixus Mushroom, I changed my clothes. After changing my moist and mud-smeared clothes, my body felt refreshed and the ufortable sensation went away. Next to me was Cloud who had copsed in agony while holding his crotch. An oue of my physical punishment. Ahem. At any rate, we managed to obtain two of them with this. Right. The remaining three should be somewhere around here, right? I wonder. We found them here because there was no weed around. Wouldnt we find a simr ce upstream where the currents are faster? As Michelle said, the fast streams often shaved away the ground, turning the river into something like a valley. Weeds rarely grew in such ces, so we might find Mixus Mushrooms there. F-For now, we can just Go and check Cloud expressed his opinion while gasping from behind. The gazes from the girls showering him were sharp like needles. It was one thing in the past, but now that the girls started developing secondary sex characteristics, their gazes were especially fierce. Inside the forest, having Kabby with us would have been quite reliable. Well, you know how it looks. Its just perfect for cuddling with Fina, so I left it with mom. Small animals like Kabby were extremely effective for cultivating aesthetic sensibility in children Or so the Whitey said. As such, I left it in Lyells mansion for the time being, having it act as Finas babysitter. With Kabby on top of the housekeeper, Marias burden had significantly abated. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Its tail and ears became all sloppy after getting licked. Ahaha, Id have liked to see that! Cortina ended up in the same state too. What, now I really wanted to see that! Cloud rudely intruded into our conversation. That said, we couldnt fault him this time. We departedte today, and went further than normal, so we were quite pressed for time. That said, the quota for mushrooms was five, with four days until the deadline. There was no need to force ourselves to keep going today. Lets see Why not leave it at this for today and go back? Eeh, already? Right, right. We finally managed to find it after all. Hey, if we continue on now, the gates might close before we manage to return back. Raums gates closed during the night. Of course, you could stille and go, but you had to first talk it out with the guards. It was stupid to end up doing something so bothersome all for the mushrooms up ahead that we werent even sure existed. Mgh, no helping it then. Father has told me offtely for returningte too. You too, Letina? Me too, actually. As for me I have an excuse as long as I bring my spoils. Besides, only the sisters would worry for me. Youre a loner as always, Cloud. I-Im not! It wasnt praiseworthy for children just over ten like us to stay in the forest until sote. With that thought in mind, we decided to call it a day and returned back to the city. Authors note: Please note: For the next two chapters, Nicole wouldnt appear. After that, the story would continue with a half year timeskip where Nicole had be 12 years old. Chapter 309 Haumea and Cole were heading to the reception office, a clear tension visible on their faces. It was a room used only when there was a need to show thoughtfulness during meetings with nobles and such. Haumea thought she would never have anything to do with that room. As a matter of fact, in her long life, she had never set foot inside that room. Ugh, my stomach started to hurt. So even Elves can be that tense. Of course! Not to mention, the other party is the residential ambassador. In other words, they are something like a representative of his majesty the king of the United Alliance. If something goes wrong, it could develop into an international problem and Please stop!! What the Guild staff that was leading them said was quite true. There indeed was the possibility of it leading to an international problem if this was handled poorly. As she was an Adventurer, the Guild would probably handle cleaning up after her mess, but it would still be a negative influence to her future livelihood. If she missed a single step in the interview that was toe, it could spell demise for her life as an Adventurer. Ugh, but I cant ignore it either. Please prepare yourself. We arrived at the reception office. Haumea reached for the door with a tragic expression. Cole tapped on her shoulder and addressed her in a light voice. Calm down. Youve already adventured long enough right? It might not be so bad to retire already. But I wanted to enjoy my journey for a bit longer. Thats fine too. But Im just saying it if the worstes to pass. I understand that youre trying tofort me. Though I cant say youre doing a very good job at it. Sorry, Im bad at this stuff. Still, his words seemed to have eased her tension, and she knocked on the door with a bit brighter expression. Since the other party was a noble, she knocked politely on it twice, and then twice more. Normally, knocking thrice would have done the job. Or twice during urgent times like toilet break. She had heard repeating it twice was considered good manners. It is Haumea. Please enter. A dignified male voice answered her from the inside. The owner of that voice didnt seem to be in a very good mood. She suddenly felt the urge to run, but doing that would lead to her bing a wanted person. Resolving herself, she opened the door. It was a simple yet clean, tidy room, quite unlike the one she and herrades normally used. There was a polished marble table and sofas facing each other. There sat a man nearing elderly age with his grizzled hairbed down elegantly. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Are you Haumea? Yes, and this is Cole, myrade. I see. I am the residential ambassador of Raum. You may call me Balto. Um Excuse me, but are you really the one? Huh? Y-Yes, thats right? The ambassador looked at her in doubt. She bent her head quizzically in response, wondering about his intentions, yet trying to note off as rude. No, my apologies. Its not like I was doubtingNo, let me correct myself. In truth, you looked so different from how you were described that I ended up doubting you. Different from how I was described? Well, I cannot disclose too much, but Right, please take a seat for now. Being unable to refuse, the two sat down on the sofa. At the same time, there was a knock on the door, and the Guild staff brought tea and snacks to the table. And then, they left the room without even looking at Haumea and Cole, clearly not wanting to get involved in this. First, my apologies for calling you here. We the United Alliance are looking for a certain woman. That woman goes by the name Haumea. Um, I am not very familiar with the United Alliance Is that so. I heard that this woman had brilliant silvery-blue hair and blue eyes. And she was not an Elf, either. In that case, they are most certainly a different person. But may I ask why are you looking for them? Hearing about the silvery-blue hair, Haumea thought of Nicole for a moment, but her eyes were heterochromatic red and blue. They couldnt have mistaken a feature so conspicuous. With the question returned, ambassador Balto took on a troubled expression and wrinkled up his brows. Thinking her question had displeased the other party, Haumea hurriedly followed up. U-Um, you do not have to answer if you cannot No, I have inconvenienced you by summoning you here, so telling you to go back without exining anything would make me lose face. I shall exin, but please keep it to yourselves. Understood. Since she was the one who brought it up, she couldnt go back on her word and say nevermind then now. Thus, she prayed in her heart that it was nothing dangerous, and urged him to continue. The truth is, our kingHis Majesty Elliots loved one is called Haumea. His Majestys loved one!? Then they are the future queen? No, that person vanished from His Majestys side. It appears that she was Lord Maxwells spy. That is, how should I put it On one side was the king of the United Alliance, and on the other, one of the Six Heroes, Maxwell. When the problem involved the worlds leading figures like them, she hesitated on whether it was right toment on it. In the first ce, she was amazing to be Maxwells spy, so if Elliot fell in love with her on top of that, Haumea would have most likely fled in her ce too. Thus, Haumea suspected that her fleeing was exactly due to that. If I were to be honest, and I apologize if this sounds presumptuous But I understand her feelings of wanting to run away. You are quite right. Be it her position, or her backer, even I am racking my beans on how to deal with her. Moreover, I hear that she herself is extremely skilled. Balto stood up with those words. Haumea also hurriedly followed after him. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) T-Then we shall, too. Yes. Thank you for going to the trouble of meeting me today. Not at all. I dont mind this much anytime. Oh? Then shall we have some tea next time? Please spare me from that. Meeting an important person from a kingdom over and over like this would affect her mental health. Thinking that from the bottom of their hearts, Haumea and Cole excused themselves. Chapter 310 After parting with Haumea, ambassador Balto left the Adventurers Guild, and headed to the direction of the embassy. However, on the way he turned from the path, sneaking into a back alley with few people. After confirming that there were no eye-witnesses around, he quickly chanted a spell. Crimson two, Blue one, Jade oneDispel. The moment the spell activated, his elderly gentlemanly figure dissolved, reced by a skinny face of a man. He had not a trace of Baltos appearance left. Instead he had a small horn on his forehead. In other words, he was a Half-Demon. Phew Its not easy imitating the nobles. Heaving a big sigh, his straight back reverted to its original bent form. His speech didnt change that much, yet the air he gave off waspletely different. He was now looking so shady you would find him suspicious with one nce. It was clearly not the air of someone involved in the official duties. He took something like a hat from his pocket, put it on, and spoke the keywords for a spell. Ah, Kufar, did it connect? Yeah, I hear you. There was a few seconds of dy before the other party responded. For a moment, he worried that he made contact at an inconvenient time. Was this bad timing? No, its fine. Theres no one around. What about there? Having asked in turn, the man checked his surroundings once again. It was an alley with almost no people to begin with, so he couldnt find anyone looking his way. Yeah, everythings fine here too. I see. So, how did it go? It turned out to be a dummy, after all. The one that showed up was a typical blond-haired and blue-eyed Elf. So she faked her identity, huh? I used Disguise just in case since the other party was an Elf, but she didnt realize it at all. It was quite a let-down. It was because it happened inside the Guild. Even if she was nervous, she probably wasnt vignt. The voice of the other party didnt seem particrly surprised and was instead calm. This result most likely fell in Kufars expectations. He was knowledgeable beyond his age, held charisma, and managed to found an organisation in the blink of an eye. This man was also one of the people who had joined Kufar from the start. It had already been five years since then. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) However, Kufars outward age stayed at around 14-15. This was a characteristic growth of Half-Demons. Half-Demons grew to a fixed age, and then their growth stopped. When it stopped depended on the individual, but it was typically between mid-teens totter thirties. In other words, Kufars age was Not known by anyone. So Haumeas tracks stop here, huh? Theres also the option of asking the old fool directly. I cant take that much risk. That aside Hmm? Maybe we should shake Raum a bit next? If we seed, maybe she will show herself on her own. How? There was no answer to his question for some time. Instead, there was the sound of rummaging through papersing from the magic item. A few minutes were spent in that silence. And then, Kufar finally started speaking. Found it. There are descriptions of abnormal evolutions of monsters in one of the old documents. ording to it, when they are exposed to high concentration of magic power for a long time, specimens that had undergone a unique mutation seem to appear. Oh? There was a Ley Line north of Raum, wasnt there? Yeah, but the old fool buried it. As the man reflexively objected, Kufar responded with a curt reply. It doesnt have to go well. As long as they have a safe nest, goblins will multiply on their own. As they grow in number, they will attack nearby viges. That chaos alone might manage to lure our target. Is that really the case? But if we do it while the old fool is present in Raum, he could just wipe them out in one go. Cant we lure him somewhere else somehow? How about we spread false information there and lure him like that? But what about the strategist? Leave that one alone. Our goal isnt to annihte Raum, its to cause chaos. If we dont have the goblins be exterminated at a suitable timing, it would decrease our ie of the goods. Got it. Lets go with that then. Be extremely careful. It would be bad if they notice our movements again. Yeah, I know. Kufar was a careful man. But at the same time, he was also bold. His current instructions could have been said to be bold too. The earlier instructions were quite rough, too. It was true that if you threw goblins that quickly reced their generations in a ce with condensed ley lines, there was indeed a possibility of mutation. Even so, there was no guarantee that it would happen for certain, and it was also unknown whether they would form together and attack Raum. However, the man also understood that he wanted that to happen. In that case, I have to lead them there somehow. Maybe I should make a bigger nest and throw a few of them there together. Maybe Ill even throw in a woman thatd serve as a seedbed Then he suddenly remembered the Haumea woman that he met earlier. She seemed to be slightly aged, but she was still a beauty. He started using her as a fodder but then he shook his head. Haumea herself of course, even the man named Cole seemed to be skilled. Trying to get involved with them and risk getting exposed would be bad. Kufar was temperate with hisrades, but if the need arose, he would mercilessly get rid of them. Dangerous, dangerous. Our motto was everything steadily wasnt it? The man muttered and returned to the form of the ambassador Balto. This was because he couldnt control two spells at the same time. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) He took on the fake appearance to go and make the information consistent. At this rate, it woulde out that there was an interview that ambassador Balto didnt remember ever holding. If he delivered the information to the embassy fast, they would know that Haumea was not the one they were looking for. If he did that, they should stop looking deeper into this situation. Chapter 311 Half a year had passed since then. I was already twelve years old and my growth was also elerating. My chest was growing big enough to start getting in my way, and my hips were also gaining more flesh. My waistline on the other hand had turned so thin it made me worry, turning my already dainty body even more slender. Thanks to the hair shampoo, my hair had turned even glossier, supple, and dazzlingly beautiful, so much that people started to stop and stare at me. Their reaction was quite simr to the time I disguised myself as Haumea. Wasnt I standing out a bit too much? At any rate, we gained a periodic ie with the Hortonpany by providing them with Mixus mushrooms, and our wallets were quite full now. Even after our initial requests, we took on themission to provide the seasoning supplies whenever a chance arose, so Clouds savings were umting favorably. That day, as always, we finished our sses and headed to the Adventurers Guild. I hadnt been showing myself in the music roomtely, so I really needed to attend one of these days, but our work took priority now. We met up with Michelle on the way, and just as we passed the Guilds door, we witnessed a fight unfolding there which was fiercer than usual. W-Whats going on? Who knows? Ive never seen so many people at once. Cloud rushed towards us after he sighted us with his sharp sight as we stood and looked around restlessly. He held amission ticket in his hand. Looking closely, the other Adventurers around us were also holding them simrly. Nicole, Nicole. Check this out, hurry! Good afternoon, Cloud. You have to start with the greetings. GoblinsThey were a species of apparitions called imps. They had the height of children, in other words, around our height, but they were strong for their size. They were as strong as an adult in terms of strength. Still, an average person could somehow deal with it if it was just one of them. On the other hand, they were dim-witted, even falling below Kobolds in extreme cases. The danger they posed still remained unchanged, so the Guild immediately issued subjugations the moment they were discovered. Well, there are exceptions like Den too Nicole, whos Den? Uhh, Lord Maxwells acquaintance, I guess? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I didnt lie. HewasMaxwells acquaintance. Still, this much ruckus over some Goblins was strange. So? I assume thats not all, is it? Yeah. Actually, there are rumors about the Lord appearing. What is this Lord? Michelle, he is talking about the Goblin Lord. In simpler terms, its like a group leader. Like a vige chief? Michelle said quizzically while joining her hands at her waist. That gesture made her chest stand out due to being sandwiched by her arms. So sly of her to emphasize her ginormous chest while asking an innocent question. Look, Clouds eyes are totally glued on them! Even my eyes were lured there. I feel like thats close, but not really They say a smart Goblin evolves into a Lord. A group of Goblins that have a Lord follow amand and act quite like a military force. I see. Not just that, the reproductive power of the group seems to be fortified too, they are multiplying at a fierce rate. If things go bad, some small viges could get wiped out. What, thats scary Thats why, the Guild is putting maximum priority on their extermination. Even an army might get dispatched. S-Should we go home? Michelle easily tucked her tail between her legs. She was fundamentally a peace lover. Hearing that armed forces might move was enough to instill fear in her. Well, we are still minors, plus we are only first rank, so we shouldnt be forced to participate. Really? Thank god. We had a three-years of history working as Adventurers, but most of our work consisted of gathering herbs and hunting. We werent assertively trying to hunt monsters, so our rank stayed unchanged. For that reason, there should have been no risk of us getting involved in the current turmoil, but I have a report! Clear the path! One Adventurer suddenly rushed in. He wore easy-to-move leather armor and matching leather boots. His getup told me that he was specializing in covert operations. Seeing that he had a casting support wand on him, he seemed to be a magician on top of it. Since he had a report, he must have been the one responsible for scouting this time. The man rushed to the counter and reported it to the Guild Master who hade to hear what he had to say. I have a report. Is it fine to do it here? Yeah, go ahead. I have to report it to everyer anyway. Well There really are Goblins there. They are about a five days walk from town to the north. Numbers are unclear. Unclear you say? If he managed to scout a ce five days of walk from here, he must have used Flight like Maxwell to do it from the skies. With that Magic, a round trip was quite possible under this time. The Guild Master snorted in displeasure at the report. But that was only to be expected. The scout was saying he didnt know the number, so what was the point of him scouting then? However, the man seemed to have sensed the Guild Masters displeasure and quickly corrected his statement. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) No, the reason I said unclear is that theres so many of them that I couldnt count them all. It was not on the level of a hundred or two at the very least. What did you say!? Over two hundred Goblins That was a number that would be impossible to have without a Lord. Normal Goblins would only be in the groups of ten or so at best. This number might be beyond the hands of the Adventurers alone. The man had yet another sad news to make. Moreover, they are heading towards this city. It might be better to request dispatch of the army. At this rate, they will reach us within five days. The Guild staff rushed out in a hurry after receiving instructions. Watching their backs, I started worrying in silence. Cortina was going head to battle. Yet I was not able to rush to her side. After all, if I participated in this subjugation, I would end up involving Michelle and others too. Nevertheless, if I tried to participate on my own, people around me, Cortina included, would stop me. And if that wasnt bad enough, I was still time-locked from using the Polymorph spell. I couldnt transform and participate, either. Ugh. Nicole? Im just worried about Cortina. Ah, you must be Is there something I could help with I wonder? Michelle, your legs are trembling. You shouldnt force yourself. Thats true, but Cortina is reliable even if she looks like that, so she would be fine. Even though I said that, I myself was worried too. I decided to wait for Maxwell to arrive and try what I could to allow me to participate. Chapter 312 I had Letina, Michelle, and Cloud return home and take refuge with their families. If they found out about Michelles Gift they would have sent her to the battlefield, so I plotted to beat them to the punch and hide her in advance. As for me, I pretended to return home, but used the illusion ring to disguise myself as a in-looking Adventurer, and returned back to the Guild. In the biggest room in the Adventurers Guild That is, the hall, they carried a long desk, turning it into an impromptu conference room. There were about 50 Adventurers and staff members there, as well as Cortina and Mateus. Um, Lady Cortina. Where is Lord Maxwell? If youre looking for the old man, he was called to the United Alliance of the north this morning, so he went to the capital, Tryad. T-Then we should use the Guilds contactwork and get in touch! I leave that to you. If that old manes back, things will change for the better in one go. U-Understood! Um, what about Lord Lyell and Lady Maria, or Lord Gadius? Its still impossible for Maria to step into the battlefield. Her condition is still not perfect. Lyell cant leave the north at present, either. There was still that organisation scheming to summon Devils in the northern parts. Lyell was actively going after them in the United Alliance to sever their supply of sacrifices. Gadius was the same. Only Maxwell could move right now. Hearing Cortinas words, the Guild staff started running around once again. Then, she once againid her eyes on the map spread on the desk, and asked for the information. The Guild Master answered her question binding the collected information to a file. There is no mistake that Lord has appeared, right? Yes, otherwise we cannot exin how over 200 goblins could spawn. The ce is about a five days of walk from here to the north Theres a river on the west side, but other than that its all forest. Quite troublesome. But wouldnt that dy their attack as well? Goblin Lord is like a queen bee. It can make its underlings do the unreasonable. In the worst case, they can show up here in three days. Three days!? There wouldnt be time to eveny traps and ambush them like that. If possible, an all-out battle with Goblins in the forest had to be avoided. How many enemies are there? The follow-up scout has arrived after that. We are using familiars to monitor them now. They managed to count their numbers better this time, and it appears that there are about 350 of them. What about ourbat power? About 50 people have answered the urgent summons of the Guild. Theres 50 more gate guards. Isnt that a little too few? Even if Raum was in the western countryside, it was still the capital. It was a little too few for there to only be 50ish Adventurers present there. Plus, there shouldve been more gate guards too. That is because to handle Goblins, they have to be at least third rank What if you include rank two? It would add a hundred more Adventurers to the count. So wed still be about half their count Against 350 monsters, there would be 150 Adventurers and 50 guards. It wasnt exactly as low as half of their count, but still low enough. When it came to field battles in forests where it was hard to y with strategies, numbers were everything. This wasnt enough to stop the monsters advance. What about the castles chivalric order? They should have about 300 there, right? Marquis Lichtenberg dered that knights are there to protect the country and the nobles, and dispatched them to guard the noble district. He what? That bald geezer And,moners have been forbidden from entering the noble district too Where else can the citizens take shelter then!? Cortina mmed her fist on the desk in anger. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Like the city walls, the area where the nobles lived was enclosed with walls. With both the city and noble district wall in the ce, the enemy couldnt ovee it, Goblin Lord or not. But that was only if you didnt factor in the harm that woulde to the citizens. If the citizens had no shelter, just breaking through the rampant would be the end. What awaited beyond that was the trampling of the powerless citizens. Each Goblin was individually nothing much. But the story was different when it came to Goblins led by a Lord. They followed the Lord while ignoring the danger to their lives, just like worker bees. In other words, they were quite like death soldiers. Against such enemies, you wouldnt be able to avoid victims even if you managed to make up the numbers. Should I just go and kill that old bastard P-Please wait. In exchange, Marquis Yowi epted the plea for shelter! Marquis Yowi? Ah, Letinas family He dered that he would use Marquis household carriages and shelter the refugees in his garden. If its Marquis carriages, no one shouldin about letting them inside the noble district, huh. Butthats still a small constion. Yes, we are grateful for his kindness, but we can only fit a thousand people there at most It cant be helped. Let us evacuate people to the Magic and Adventurer academies too. If we cram them, we should amodate 4-5 thousand of them there. There are fences there too, so it should serve as a line of defense. Pointing to the academies to the eastern side of the city, Cortina issued the instructions. Both of the academies were wider than some noble mansions, so you could amodate quite a lot of people there. Even so, it couldnt amodate all of the citizens. That would still only amount to one third of the entire poption Have the Adventurers under rank two along with the guards to take the refugees to the southern side and guard them there. We could buy some time like that. Guard over ten thousand citizens with not even 200 people!? I know how it sounds. But its still better than leaving them defenseless. ThatIs true Cortina thought with a finger to her jaw. At this rate, damages to the citizens couldnt be avoided. They would be able to repel them, but not without spilling the blood of the citizens in the process. There are limits to how much the town walls can guard. But we dont have any other options, do we? If only we could use the chivalric order No, we have to make the first move here. That is the only way to avoid harm to the citizens. If they could use those 300 knights, it could have been more than an equal fight. However, since their main force has been snatched away, the disadvantages we had were undeniable. Much less when guards and newbie Adventurers were all busy trying to protect the citizens. With the main force of 50 Adventurers, they had to defeat seven times that number of Goblins. Cortina made a choice to take on such a reckless action. Chapter 313 Following that, the Adventurersid as many traps as they could manage under Cortinas orders. Even if the enemies were led by a Lord, they were still Goblins at the end of the day, so even if their strength had increased it wasnt the same for their intellect. Lord itself was one thing, but against the rest of the Goblins that were like its extremities, these traps should be highly effective. Moreover, Cortina made parties of Adventurers and pointed them towards the respective defense points. Since there was a river on the northern side of the city, the enemys marching route was narrowed down to an extent. They were going to ambush them at different points,ying traps and decreasing their numbers as much as possible, and then eventually deciding the battle at the town walls. That was Cortinas strategy. Honestly, having no way to handle this is quite unlike her And where did Maxwell go in the first ce. I muttered to myself while confirming that no one was paying attention to me. It has been three days since then, but Maxwell still hasnt returned. The Adventurers Guild had contacted several times, but he still hadnt managed to return. I had also evacuated to the Magic Academy with Finia, but I disguised myself and slipped out when an opportunity arose and came to check the situation on the frontlines. Since there was a prediction from Cortina that they mighte in 3 days at the earliest, they could appear any time now. I could obviously not overturn the battle situation on my own, but since Cortina was stepping out onto the battlefield, I wanted to be by her side too. I had Cortina, and my friends that I wanted to protect living in this city. It wasnt possible for me to just stand quietly and watch from afar. The scouts flew overhead frequently and had a firm grasp of where the Goblins were currently, thus people could focus on the work leisurely now. However the anxiety from waiting when youd get attacked was still there, so the fatigue was piling up faster than normal. If this went on for too long, the Adventurers might sumb mentally first. On the fourth day after such apprehensions had taken root, the report came from the frontlines saying that they had encountered the Goblins. Message! The party working at the front lines had encountered the Goblins, fought one battle and retreated. The message arrived in the Adventurers Guilds hall. I was also there in disguise, so I managed to catch it too. What about the damages!? The vanguard warrior had received some minor scratches. He has already been healed with potions. I see. Every person counts now, so ry to them to try to avoid injuries as much as possible. The forest is not where we decide the battle. Understood! The deciding battle that Cortina supposed was on the defensive line that used the walls, and the cleanup of the small number that managed to break through. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) For that reason, she needed there to be as many fighters as possible. It would be bad if they got themselves injured during the skirmish like this. The messenger once again rushed out, and the Adventurers who had returned to take a break also followed after him. I also followed after them in my disguise. Before we reached the battleground, yet another piece of information had reached us from the scouts. That information included the notice that the enemys numbers have swelled up to 400. This terrific reproductive power was the most frightening part of a Lord. Damn it, they are popping out children one after another. Give some of that health to Maria will you. If Maria, who waspletely exhausted after giving birth to Fina, had heard that, shed surely have gotten jealous. As I ran to the forest, I pulled a spear from my back. There was a pigeon familiar in the sky. It was probably the familiar Cortina dispatched for monitoring. Since she was watching over the battle situation, I couldnt use my threads. And I couldnt use an unusual weapon like a katana either. Because, there was probably only me in the entirety of Raum who used a conspicuous weapon like that. But Cortina didnt know about this spear. This spear that was made by the God of Destruction was so firm it could be considered a weapon of its own. There! Its Goblin scouts! A warrior running ahead of me had sensed the tumult up ahead. There, I saw two Adventurer parties engaged in a battle with a Goblin group. There were about thirty of them, so it was ten against thirty. Lets go! Lets earn favor from those guys who are taking so long to deal with some Goblins! Right! He addressed the following group and raised their morale. If it was a newbie, their head would be filled with thinking about their own self and would not be able to consider others like this. Thus, ten more Adventurers rushed into the battle. The Goblins that had been taken by surprise had momentarily stopped their movements from astonishment. The Adventurers mowed down their heads like wheat. However, the Goblins didnt die just like that. Those that clearly had fatal wounds were still swinging their rusted swords without falling. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) One of the Adventurers was taken aback by their tenacity and stopped in ce. The other Goblin used that opportunity to attack him from the side. I thrust my spear towards that Goblin and sunk it deep into its lower back. It was a thrust that carried all the momentum of my rush. It held enough power to break the Goblins hipbone. The Goblin did a somersault as it copsed. Then, it tried to get up again But once again fell down. Tenacious they may be, the bones were the origin of all movements. If you broke those bones, they wouldnt be able to move properly. The enemy is tenacious, so dont fight normally! Cut off their heads, and if you cant do that, break their spines. Break their legs and slice off their arms! Make it so they physically cannot fight! Seeing my result, another Adventurer raised his voice. Normally, you would sh at their chest or pierce their abdomen and they would be easily rendered powerless. However, these Goblins were serving a Lord and had high resistance against pain. Against goblins that had been half-turned into berserkers, shing at their chests or abdomen to rob them of theirbat power would be nigh impossible. Thus, it was better to aim for their limbs or spine. If they lose their arms they wouldnt be able to pick up their swords. And if they lost their legs they wouldnt be able to stand up. It was important to chip off the enemy mobility like this. The Goblins that were already having a tough enough fight against ten Adventurers started to flee after sensing the disadvantage once they saw ten more Adventurers join the battle. This was also not an action you would expect from normal Goblins. They had low intellect, so they would either fight to the death, or lose their chance of escape after losing sight of their surroundings. These actions were made possible because they weremanded by a Lord. The Adventurers managed to neutralize nearly 20 Goblins already, so the battle was starting to turn around. The few Adventures that tried to chase the fleeing Goblins were stopped by the earlier Adventurer that led us. Wait, this is still a skirmish. Its already enough that we managed to take down twenty of them without damage to our side. Still, wouldnt it make our lives easier if we dealt with the fleeing ones here? One of the Adventurers who was about to chase them objected in dissatisfaction. The man easily warded it off and started his exnation. Its just ten Goblins. Wed still have 390 of them, you know? Ugh, well If you guys follow them and get yourselves killed, it would harm us even more. I ask you to control yourselves. Tsk, fine. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) Hearing the remaining enemy number made his head clear up. He was still reluctant but he decided to back down here. And thus, we managed to finish our first battle against the Goblins with fine results. Chapter 314 The group of Goblins moved along the eastern side of the river that flowed to the south. This was clear proof that they were heading for Raum, whichy in the southern direction. If they traveled through the forest, there was a risk of losing the sense of direction and getting lost. It was probably due to that that they chose to travel through a ce with an open sky, that is, along the river. However, given how calm Raums currents were, they would be able to cross the river when they neared it. If they started acting on both sides of the river, it would make monitoring them harder. As such, magicians that could fly were positioned above the river and prevented that development by blowing up any Goblins that tried to cross it. Those who couldnt use the Flight spell were also contributing to the subjugation by using familiars to monitor the situation. Cortina also fell into this category. The opposing Goblins had Goblin Shamans that could use small-scale spells and Goblin Archers that used bows, but their attacks couldnt reach the magicians that bombarded them with spells from above while keeping great distance. Much less when the Goblins couldnt let their members who could use ranged attacks to a ce where they would only get one-sidedly bombarded. Thus, they prioritized maintaining theirbat power, so the Goblins followed the river without crossing it. But therey fatal traps set by Adventurers. The Goblin group advanced south while brute-forcing its way through them. They suffered over 50 casualties during the process, but the number they gained through breeding was even higher. This ability to reform their ranks was the most frightening part of a Goblin Lord. Normally, Goblins gave birth after a week from conception, and the offspring would stand on its legs that very day, and after three days, they could already hunt. However, with the assistance of the Goblin Lord, that period was greatly shortened. It took 3 days to be born, half a day to stand up, and they were fully functional fighters in three more days. Goblins originally had a limit to how many individuals a single group could hold. That was because there was a limit to how much food they could obtain. If they multiplied too much, those Goblins wouldnt be able to secure food and starve to death. Its because they held such high reproductive powers that the settlements that overbred themselves ended up starving to death, so it was normal for them not to multiply beyond a set number. However, when Goblin Lord was involved, that upper limit would be broken. They used the corpses of their starved members as food and increased their numbers even more. At that point, their rate of increase overcame their rate of losses. That was the reason they could maintain such a big group. Using such a high number to wreak havoc was another part of the Goblin Lords frightening aspect. So, the current numbers are about 450. We managed to kill about 100 of them, but their number keeps increasing instead. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Cortina holding her head at the long desk set in the Adventurers Guild. This was her first time facing a Goblin Lord too. She had never experienced fighting an enemy that you kept killing and killing yet they only increased. The strategy meetings were being held simultaneously in this main hall and the other conference room. This was a division done to discuss things that needed to stay private elsewhere. I observed the hall meeting while in the usual disguise. Still, if we did noty traps andmence air-raids, their numbers would be over 500 now. Well, I understand that. So, whats going on with Maxwell? Unfortunately, it seems that themunication is getting obstructed in some way Given the timing Someone seems to be working behind the scenes. Someone is doing that At this rate, Raum would suffer great damages! Do you have any idea who would be hoping for that? I personally have a few Or rather, I canalsothink of a few. As far as I could think of, there were Tarkashires survivors in the north, those rted to the ve trader, and the group nning to revive the Devil. Even I could think of that many. If we traced the history even further back, there would be even more people who held personal grudges towards Cortina or Maxwell. However, Goblin Lords are not monsters that would be influenced by human schemes. True. Their appearance is already a rare enough urrence. I wonder how they did it? If one could freely produce Goblins Lords, they could cause great damages to the surrounding areas. If it was something that humans could control, that would allow them to use them quite like soldiers. If such methods existed, they couldnt be ignored. At any rate, dealing with whats in frontes first. What is their speed? It seems they will reach us by tomorrow. Theres no time toy out any more traps then Would be nice if it makes it in time. What would? Just talking to myself. How is the defense formation? Yes, as nned, the Adventurers that went to intercept them were instructed to return inside the city. What about the walls? Their instation is going favorably. They should bepleted by morning. I see. Make sure to block all the windows and entrances of the private houses along the roads. Laying waste to the city is one thing, but if they could spill through those openings, there would be no point to it. Understood. Cortina didnt expect that traps and surprise attacks would get them anywhere from the start. Having seven times the difference in numbers was the point where people would normally evacuate without fighting back. And the Goblins had now reached nine times our number. How about the evacuation of the citizens? It is already done. However, the environment is not very good, so they wont hold out for long. Rx, everything will end within three days. Whether we win or not, that is. The citizens that had been amodated in a narrow ce could not hold on for too long. They couldnt do any trades, and their fundamental livelihood could not be carried out. It was only a matter of time until the dissatisfaction exploded in them. The fact that they obeyed the instructions was all due to Cortinas fame and achievements. Well, that is still too early to talk about. That aside, you were called Kayle, right? Y-Yes! Being called by name, Kayle replied with a tense expression. This meeting was conducted in the hall, so ordinary Adventurers could participate too. He was Fifth Rank, so he was currently the strongest battle power in Raum. I have a special mission for you and yourrades, how about it? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) With a mean-looking smile on her face, Cortina leaned over to the desk as she said those words. Chapter 315 Cortina gave Kayle, who stood at attention, instructions with a mean-looking expression. You and yourrades Lets see, take about 10 people as a detached force and go up north on the western side of the river. Ten people!? Kayle raised an astonished voice. But that was only natural. Ten people were already 20 percent of their entirebat power. That meant that his mission would be so important that theyd have to shave off their power by that much. Yes. Honestly what I want to ask of you is unreasonable enough that even that is not enough. The instructions she gave out after that were indeed unreasonable enough to warrant that. While the Goblins were clinging to the castle walls, they would have to go through the river that flowed in the urban areas and go to its west, and then go around to the north and attack the Goblins from behind. The Goblins already had the preconception that they would get bombed from above if they approached the river. None should be attempting to do it at this point. As such, the west side of the river could currently be called a safety zone. That said, the Goblins would probably still be vignt towards that side. For that reason, people who excelled in covert actions would be necessary. Going there undetected is a must, but if you can manage to attack their backs, I also want you to defeat the Goblin Lord. Those are some heavy conditions. The current horde is clearly being led by a Lord. If we sever the source of their intention to attack Raum, the rest should disperse too. So my role is to crush the enemys cornerstone? Now Im getting fired up! But you would need an able scout to aplish that. Do you have anyone in mind? Saying that, he turned towards me. I saw his performance earlier and he has some good skills. Huh? You spent most of the time on the frontlines during the surprise attacks, right? You approached the enemies without getting spotted and conducted hit-and-run tactics. It was quite something. O-Oh, yeah? I wanted to help Cortina as much as I could. For that reason, whenever there was a surprise attack, I tried to participate in them whenever I could while disguised. My current appearance was that of Gideon, the powerful foe that I fought in the past. Given that he was the head of an assassin sect, his face wasnt well known. Even so, I still gave off an aura of an expert, so my high-pitched voice felt quite out of ce with the appearance. Anyway, leaving that aside, acting as a vanguard continuously meant that I would fight side by side with a top-ss warrior like Kayle. Thinking back, I recalled a few scenes where I led a charge, while Kayle followed after me and dealt hard blows. After it happened over and over, he probably became conscious of my existence. I can guarantee his skills after watching him from the side. With my party and him, as well as a few skilled individuals, we can surely make it. I see. Then I leave that to you. You will set out tonight. When the Goblins start attacking the walls tomorrow, their monitoring eyes should grow looser. Understood. Youre fine with that too, right? Do I have the option to refuse? Naturally, not! Figured as much. I covered my mouth with the scarf and mumbled back. My appearance was disguised, but the same couldnt be said for my voice. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I had a high-pitched voice characteristic of a girl, so I tried my best to muffle it as I could, squeezing out a threatening voice. But even that sounded too childishpared to an average man. What the, you sound like a girl. Ugh, I-Im conscious of it. I see, so thats why you cover your mouth with a scarf and speak so little. There were female Adventurers on the battlefield too, so it wouldnt have been that conspicuous even if I used my real voice to yell there. They would just mistake it for some female Adventurer. But when talking face-to-face like this, it stood out very much. As such, I tried to avoid speaking to others as much as I could, but it was unavoidable in this situation. Sorry if it bothered you. But we really need your strength now. I never said I wouldnt. I see! Im d to hear that! He tried to give me a friendly jab, but if I allowed it, he would notice the difference in height between me and my disguise, so I took a step back and dodged it. This guy didnt have a bad personality like he already disyed. Rather, if you removed his illness that people tended to catch when they were fourteen, his personality could even be called refreshing. He didnt seem to take offense at my current action either, and realized that I didnt want to be touched on top of my voice problem. Whoops, sorry. Is touching your body no good either? Kayle folded his arms, perhaps so he wouldnt identally touch me, and nodded two-three times. Seeing us like that, Cortina pped her hands. Well then, start making your preparations at once. You guys are one of the trump cards of this battle. Be sure to carefully prepare. Right, leave it to us! With those words, Kayle rushed out of the Guild at full speed. I was worried about Cortinas state, but it was true that if we seeded here, the Goblins would lose their control and we would gain an advantage over them. That said, we needed to carefully prepare for that. I left the guild while having uneasy thoughts. The capital of the United Alliance of the north, Tryad. In one room of the Adventurers Guild there, a single person slipped in. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) It was someone with a skin-tight female Guild staff uniform on their small build. They did not stand out from the surrounding people, so they managed to perfectly blend in. In that room, there was a tool that recorded the information ryed by the Guild with magic to all ces using the automatic recorder. This telepathic spell could be used in military ways, so the form of the spell wasnt disclosed to the public, and instead, it was strictly controlled by the Guild. As such, this room was strictly locked too. The staff that entered, however, had the key in their hand. In other words, it was someone who had been permitted entry. Report of the raid of Raum, huh. Urgently asking for Lord Maxwell. Unfortunately, he will not see it. From the female staffs mouth leaked words that were too low-pitched to belong to a woman, to the point youd think it was a man. They gave one stroke to their face, and what was until then a womanly face had been reced by that of a young man. The young manKufar, made sure to lock the door, and then took the document he came for, and tapped on it with his finger. The next moment, it suddenly zed up and burned. He released the paper just before the mes reached his fingers and watched as it burned to the end on the floor. Sorry, but I have to get Raum to feel some pain. And not just for Haumeas matter. He then stepped down on the remaining cinders and extinguished them, after which he kicked them to the corner of the room. If the ashes remained on the floor, they would catch on earlier. Following that, he brushed his face once more and returned to the female form, and slipped out of the room. He had taken this inconspicuous form and stolen the key to this room. Naturally, the strictly guarded key would not be stolen so easily. However, if it was someone who checked the room periodically for information, they wouldnt suspect the theft. As such, the information that was supposed to reach Maxwell had been destroyed beforehand. Chapter 316 Early in the morning, the Goblins had started their assault right after Kayles group had left. Cortina stood above the walls and gavemands to the entire force. When the situation reached this point, there was no point in staying locked up inside the Guild. Rather, showing up on the battlefield served to boost morale, if anything. The main gate had already been closed shut, and without a battering ram, there was no breaking it. In other words, the Goblins could only climb over the walls to get into the city. If it were soldiers, they would be setting updders, but the Goblins werent intelligent enough to make them. On the other hand, they had strong ws that they could use to tear bodies to pieces. They werent sharp enough to content with swords, but still strong enough to embed themselves into rock and support their weights. Seeing Goblins digging their ws into the walls and climbing up here and there was enough to set fear into the Adventurers. If they pass us, theyll wreak havoc in the city! This is the critical moment. Everyone, fight with all you have! Cortina motivated the Adventurers with a yell. With that, the Adventurers started their counterattack. They started showering the Goblins from the wall with arrows and rock bullets, while also spilling hot water and oil on them. There was a limit to the wideness of the wall, so at most, a hundred or so Goblins could climb up on it at once. Even so, there were over three hundred more Goblins standing behind them, while the opposing Adventurers were 40 at best. Such overwhelming numeral assault wasnt something that could possibly be kept in check. It was going favorably at first, but before long, some of the ces gave in to the numbers and the Goblins had gotten through. It was about two hours after the defensive battle started that such reports had reached Cortinas ears. Lady Cortina, 12th position has been broken through! Kh, 9th and 10th shouldve had some more leeway. Have them expanse the defense perimeter by two meters each. 11th should move by four meters and assist 12th. 13th should also expand their point at the present point. How many have invaded the urban areas? Somewhere around 20. The Guild staff rushed to report the situation. There were twenty Goblins, a number that an average Adventurer party could exterminate. However, against normal people, that number was powerful enough to destroy a small vige. Now when the gate guards and newbie Adventurers were protecting the southern part of the city, while the knights were confined in the noble district, there was no one to protect the safety of the north. There would be almost no harm to the citizens, but the damages to the city could not be entirely prevented. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) As much as Id want to chase after them, we have no leisure for that. There are some traps, so we should plug the holes and keep on defending. Alright! 12th positionMorrison, was it? What about him? He has suffered a serious injury but his life is safe But there is no hope for him to return to the battlefield. On top of the defensive battle being broken, the Adventurer in charge could no longer return to the frontlines. That said, the fact that he managed to hang on to his life was already a profit. Thinking about the damages that would be dealt to the town even if they seeded in the defense made the people present despair. Its okay, I still have some measures. You should focus on protecting this ce. Okay! Hearing that Cortina still had some methods roused the morale of the Adventurers around. They judged that since their strategist wasnt despairing, they still had ways to ovee this. Goblins who had entered the city were initially bewildered at the strange sight before them. It was because carts and wooden boxes were blocking several locations, sealing the way to advance there. Most of them were blocking narrow roads, leaving no way to advance but the main road. Naturally, those obstacles were mere piles of things, so destroying them would be easy. That said, the Goblins no longer had enough reasoning to do something soborious. These Goblins whose minds had been incited by the Goblin Lord didnt give much thought to the sealed-up ces and rushed ahead on the main street. One of the reasons was the fact that their wide increase in numbers had made it so the food did not reach everyone. Tormented by hunger, they decided to choose the easiest path towards their foodthat is, humans. Theirrades that should have gone on different roads also joined up with them, and they advanced ahead in arge group. And finally, they discovered their prey. There were more walls deeper in the city, and their gate was being protected by soldiers wearing neat te armor. The soldiers looked clearly different from the Adventurers that protected the outer walls. However, Goblins were not one to notice such a difference. GUGYAAAAAAAAAAAA! They raised yells of delight and charged towards their prey. When he sighted the Goblins, the soldiersthe chivalric order, raised alerts. Goblins are here! They came,as nned! We should at least do this much ass-wiping! The knights set up their shields and thrust their spears forward. To protect the citizens taking refuge in the southern parts, Cortina had skillfully blocked the roads and led the Goblins towards the noble district gate that the chivalric order was protecting. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) She judged that maddened Goblins would not try to purposely climb over the blockades, and she purposely divided them at first only to let them converge at the end so they would not suspect they were being led. The knights were also regretting the fact that they werent able to protect the citizens. However, to them, the orders of their superiors were absolute. But Cortina had proposed this n, and utilized the war power that she couldnt normally have. The knights who were unable to protect their citizens were more than d to ept her request. Some of the Goblins might inevitably break through, and those Goblins might head straight for the nobles, right? Ill be relying on you if that happens. Seeing the impishugh of the strategist, the knights epted with wry smiles. They were ordered to protect the noble district from the start, so this would not be going against their orders. As for the nobles that had issued those orders, they were not made aware of Cortinas n. This was, to the end, simply an inevitable situation, after all. Chapter 317 Even if there were barricades, there were bound to be a few Goblins that did climb over them in the end. Climbing over it, they headed towards the southern side of the city. Following him were three Goblins. They didnt cross the barricades due to some specific reason. It could be said that the effect of the Lords domination on them was slightly weaker. Thus, their faintly remaining reasoning had told them,if there are walls, they must be hiding something behind them. And as expected, they had discovered it. A soft-looking meatthat is, a child. Three days ago, the citizens had evacuated to the southern part. Even if they were told it was a Goblin raid, they had the chivalric order, and were also protected by tall walls, so they didnt have much sense of danger. Much less when they had never seen the threat they possessed, so it was hard to get them to really understand the dangers. And the children who had been forced to stay in such secluded ces had, from time to time, failed to hold back their curious hearts. They whocked the sense of danger more than the adults had lost to their inquisitiveness despite being warned of the dangers, and decided to do something as reckless as scouting. Hey, there are walls built here. Hey, lets go back already. There are Goblins just beyond this wall. I wonder if we can see them? The girl who had been convinced toe along by the carefree boy urged him to go back with teary eyes. Ignoring her pleas, the boy tried to climb up the barricade. Lets go, I said! Leave me alone, if you wanna go, just go back by yourself. Its scary being alone In that case, be quiet and wait there. We are here for scouting, remember? It was then, when the boy was trying to climb up, that a Goblin had appeared behind him. Gugyaya? Huh Waah!? What Eeeeek! Seeing the Goblin, the boy was petrified in ce while the girl raised a shriek. That only served to further stir the Goblins sadistic desires. In front of the delicious-looking feed that it found after so long, it started to lick its lips in an ostentatious manner. Seeing its ugly expression, along with the uneven teeth that peeked from its mouth, the childrens fear intensified even more. G-Go away, go awaaay! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) He was trying to be tough, but his voice was shaking pathetically. His legs gave out and couldnt stand up from fear. The girl was also the same, no longer able to speak a word since the first scream. Seeing the Goblin slowly approach, the boys fear finally went over the limit and a lukewarm liquid started to leak from his crotch. No NoNooooo!! There was no ce to run. No way to strike back. That fear made him scream out of hopelessness. The Goblin slowly raised its hand up. The girl could do nothing but stare back with hollow eyes. But then, a certain youth suddenly rushed to the scene. Haaaaaaah! He set up hisrge metallic shield and charged to ram the Goblin as it had its hand raised. Thanks to the difference in physique, the Goblin got blown away and crashed into the house wall. Are you two alright!? Huh!? I rushed here when I heard a scream What are you doing in a ce like this. Due to the drastic change of the situation, the girl could only muster a silly sound in response. The boy, on the other hand, had covered his head after his scream and closed his eyes shut, so he didnt even realize what had urred. If you are fine, then run already. Follow that path back! The youth yelled once and turned towards the Goblin. On his head was visible one small horn. That was proof that he was a Half-Demon. He also had a card on his chest showing that he was an Adventurer. It had a red border, which meant he was a novice Adventurer. The children had been saved, but the boys legs had given out and the girls legs also trembled so standing in ce was the best she could do. Sensing that, the youthCloud, decided to take down the Goblin here. Shit, you cant stand In that case, Ill just have to take it down here! He had faced Fang Wolves before, so defeating a single Goblin was no problem. The problem was There were more. He had to face four Goblins alone. With two powerless kids behind him. He had to take on every attack himself, without letting even a single one pass behind. And there was no one who would back him up. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Understanding the situation, the Goblins charged at him again. He received their attack well with the shield and forced them back. He swung his sword to keep the Goblins that tried to slip behind him in check, focusing their attention on himself. If he attracted their attention like this, he would lose chances to counterattack. Thus, Cloud was experiencing the power of numbers. Until now, Nicole made ns and they fought in favorable situations during their adventures. And when he trained with Lyell, most of the battles were against a single, strong opponent. He had almost no experience in drawing many enemies towards himself. In this hard struggle, he once again realized how grateful he was for Nicoles ability to take the lead. Even so, he could not pull back here. Behind him were children even younger than him. They werent the kids of the orphanage, but he had learned there to protect those younger than him. That said, it would be hard to make up for the difference in numbers with just his resolution alone. Goblins that slipped through his shield defenses started to graze his skin with ws. Each of those wounds wasnt significant, but the bleeding would still cause fatigue. Realizing that he would not be able to withstand the onught forever, he looked behind him, where he saw the girl lending her shoulder to the boy and trying to escape. But her legs also trembled, so she tripped up and copsed. Seeing their condition, it would take some time until they would manage to run. Until then, I have to endure no matter what! He voiced his decision to rouse himself up. But then, one of the Goblins suddenly flew up into the air as if by magic. Chapter 318 Cloud stared at the sky dumbfounded, seeing a Goblin suddenly fly up. After gettingunched good five meters up into the air, it got split into two at around the torso, and then crashed down to the stone paving along with a shower of blood. Beyond the rain of blood, one man stood still with one of his hands raised. Y-You are! He, who held two swords in his long arms, was someone Cloud could hardly ever forget. He was the object of fear, and of hate, as well as a wall he had to ovee. Though not an enemy at present, the man he ought to loath after cutting his arm off stood there. Mateus! Hey there, boy, you look quite lively there eh? He loosened his arm down, and approached casually as if taking a stroll. But this was actually his battle condition. He removed the strength from all his body parts except the ones that mattered, and then twisted his hands like a whip, generating tremendous destructive force. He hid strength that could effortlessly break through Cloudsrge shield. Mateus looked down on the Goblin corpse and gave a single nod. But his expression looked like he wasnt satisfied with something. Whats wrong? Hmm? Ah, well, the Goblins arent my opponents. So, Im strong, right? I hate to admit it But thats right. And yet, I keep on losingtely. So I feel like Im losing my confidence? Like I care! After spitting those words at him, Cloud suddenly charged towards him. He held his favorite shield in front and slipped past him. There was a Goblin that tried to attack him from behind. He stopped its ws aiming for the back of Mateus head. At the same time, a sword was swung right next to him. It had a terrific pressure to it, splitting the Goblins head, crushing its ribs and finally stopping after reaching the hipbone. The Goblins were a little small to call human-size, but in exchange, they had tougher skin, and bones. Bisecting them vertically like that was something Cloud found unbelievable. The skull was the hardest bone of the body. He managed to split it, along with breaking all the ribs and even the spine at parts. The power held behind that blow was apparent even to a novice like Cloud. Shit, so you were actually holding back against me back then! Well, I cant go all out against a brat. Though, I still lost against Nicole despite doing it? Despite throwing remarks at each other, they stood back to back and faced the Goblins. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Goblins on the other hand were in disorder after seeing two of their own die in the blink of an eye. If they were under the Lordsplete domination, they would have still rushed in a fit of frenzy, but the partial domination actually backfired now. They had high fighting spirits but they werent mad. Due to such unstable conditions, their judgment to flee was dyed by a moment. Mateus mercilessly swung his swords towards the Goblins who werete to take action. He made an upward and downward swing at the same time, this time managing to bisect onepletely in half. Cloud also set up his shield and charged. He transferred all his momentum to the shield and mmed the other Goblin at the wall, keeping it in ce. The Goblin finally swings its ws trying to escape, but it was already toote. Cloud stabbed his sword to its nk from the side of the shield, making a deep cut. The Goblin wanted to escape, but it was sandwiched between the wall and the shield, keeping it fixed in ce. As it squirmed around, Cloud moved his sword, widening the wound. Before long, his sword seemed to have destroyed some important organ, the Goblin started vomiting blood and lost its strength. Cloud had been trained by Nicole and Lyell, so he had a decent level of experience. He would never lose to a Goblin one on one. The difficulty he faced earlier was all due to their numbers. Look now, you can do it when you try, huh? Shut up. They just overwhelmed me with numbers earlier. In these situations, you have to focus on one of them and defeat them in priority, okay? I couldnt carelessly charge at them when I had kids behind me. I wouldnt have cared about that, though? Mateus, being originally an assassin, didnt have much consideration for protecting others. If he was told to defeat the Goblins, he would charge at them without caring about protecting the ones behind him. That was something Cloud, who was used to party battles, couldnt do. Oh well. Hey, you kids over there. The Goblins are crawling out as you already saw. Return to your parents side now, wont you? Eek!? He was someone whom even the Goblins that threatened them stood no chance against. Being intimidated by him, the girl leaked a stiffened yelp. She supported the weak-kneed boy and desperately left the ce. If you go that way, youll meet a guy called Argus, so ask him for help. O-Okay! Seeing the children running towards the direction he pointed while tumbling around, Mateus snorted in disappointment. The cat strategist told me toe here But it seems Im hated by kids as always. No wonder Nicole isnt swayed by me. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Finding it amusing that Cloud did not show fear despite his nature to be hated by kids, Mateus returned to patrol. Cloud followed after him while spitting abusivenguage. He already had a patrolling route. By coincidence, Mateus route also matched his. Stop following me already! I feel like going this way too. Why not go somewhere else yourself, boy? This is the route Im assigned to! While cursing at each other, the two still had their eyes carefully monitoring the surroundings. That day, this pair had managed to save over ten people. Chapter 319 After we left the city through the river, wended on the western side and then headed north while hiding in the forest. We could already hear fierce sounds of the battle from the castle walls behind. If they started going for the walls, we had to hurry and take down the Goblin Lord from behind as fast as we could. The difference in numbers was just that big. Shit, it pissed me that I cant fight at a time like this. Forget that and just keep moving. We are short on time, right? The ones participating in this surprise attack were Kayles party, myself, as well as Leon and Ellen, the Adventurers that helped me whening to Raum. They also have taught Finia the sword for some time. Us eight were nning to deal a surprise attack on the Goblin Lord. Honestly, our numbers were quite worrisome in terms ofbat power, but if we took any more people it would only burden Cortinas side, so we decided to go with a bit less. The magician in Kayles party could use Breathing and Water Walking spells, so we could go around the Goblins without problems. That said, Kayle and Leon seemed to have a bad affinity, they quarreled all the time. They didnt really hate each other, of course, but whenever Kayle startedining Leon would start to rebuke him. Ellen warned about that over and over while mixing sighs. Even I wished they stayed quiet for a bit. You two should quiet down already. Theres no guarantee that Goblins arent looking our way. I also used Aste as my nickname this time around. Gideon was a strong enough fighter to create his own swordsman sect, so his name might have been known. It was pretty stupid that I only realized that after we had already departed. Then I was disguising myself, I thought I had to make sure not to get exposed in any way, so I chose to go with someone who no one in this city knew, yet I knew, which might have been a mistake. Fortunately, no one found my appearance to be out of ce, so it ended without incident. At this rate, it would be quite impossible for anyone to trace my appearance to the actual me. There would be fewer risks of getting tracedpared to Haumea. Yeah, Im really grateful towards that guy now. Hey, cant we get behind them from around here? After a while, Kayle said that towards hisrades. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) We were certainly in a good ce to reach their backs now. However, the magician silently shook his head and rejected his proposal. Why now? Arent we in a race against time? It would be bad to do it from here. The river has its currents. If we try to cross it here with Water Walking, well get carried southward. The magician replied in annoyance at Kayles honest opinion. Southern side, in other words, towards the city. If we started crossing the river right behind them, the currents would drag us to the south and wed end up right in the middle of the monsters. Naturally, we could advance north to eliminate that possibility, but in that case, wed have to advance diagonally for a long time above the river with no obstacles to hide us. That was something that wed rather avoid given that our mission was something that was not allowed to fail. Kh, so we have no choice but to cross it after heading north some more? Yeah. So hurry up. After that, we hurried up to the north. On the way, there were few ces where Goblins were vignt, but each time I went ahead and warned everyone so they hid themselves. Fortunately, we managed to earn enough distance to not get detected and managed to get behind them. Okay, lets cross the river here and begin our attack. Finally! I cant wait anymore. Still, these monsters really dont have any provisions on them, huh? They are still just evolved Goblins, in the end. Besides, they themselves are their own food. They kept going on a forced march, and used their weakenedrades as food on the ce. Normally, the group numbers were limited due to such food shortages, but with the Goblin Lord around, their high level of reproduction gave them an unlimited supply of meat. Like that, they formed a force that went beyond their normal retention rate, being maddened through hunger and brainwashing, and forced to attack human settlements in great numbers. Okay, lets go! With Kayles signal, the magician man cast Water Walking on all of us. Once we confirmed that, we silently dashed across the river. In battles, this would normally be the time we raised war cries, but this was a surprise attack. It was to our advantage for the enemy to notice us aste as possible. It felt strange for sure crossing the river above it. We were advancing forward, but the direction of our movement was off due to the currents. The sensation as if the floor under our feet was moving made our legs slow down. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Even so, being able to run on it as we would on the ground was a huge plus. We luckily managed to get to the other side without being detected and seeded in our attack from the back. Taryaaaaaaaaa! Seyaaaa! Gugya!? Gyaaaaaa! Kayle and Leon in particr took the initiative to charge and cut their way through the Goblins. Fifth-ranked Kayle was one thing, but even Leon held the skill of a fourth rank, so neither of them was falling behind the other. From our sudden appearance behind their back, the Goblins clearly grew restless. That said, we couldnt rx here. It was a surprise attack of eight people. Our numbers couldnt even bepared to theirs. Unless we put an end to the Goblin Lord fast, we would get surrounded in the blink of an eye. If that happened, it would be us whod get trampled down due to the sheer numbers they held. I also kept ughtering the Goblins by swinging my spear in every direction. I stole a nce towards the sky, and I found a single pigeon there. It was probably the familiar that Cortina dispatched. She was observing the battle from above like this to understand the full situation. With this and the Guild staff, she could ess the information quickly. Naturally, scouting done by a familiar would get found out if it was used against humans. But the opponents were Goblins, so this method of scouting could be used. I took down the second and third Goblin, continuing to cut through the enemys rear guards. And before long, one Goblin that was a size bigger than normal stood before me. Goblin Lord. To think I would be the one to find it first. Due to the confused battle, there were norades nearby me. Rather, everyone was busy fending for themselves. There was no hope for reinforcements toe. In other words So youre telling me I have to defeat this guy myself, huh? GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOARR!! A low-pitched war cry like that of repeated blows of drum had reached my eardrums. With that as a sign, the Goblin Lord charged at me. Like this, without intending it, I ended up having to face the enemy ringleader in a solo battle. Chapter 320 The Magic Academy in the eastern parts of Raum was just barely outside of the range where Cortina used barricades to guide the Goblins. This was a building that had fences and a designated shelter. The citizens from the surroundings had gathered there, and the newbie Adventurers patrolled the fences. Naturally, Michelle was among them too. She, who could use her ranged bow attacks from within the fences, was the most promising defensive power among everyone in this shelter. I wonder if Cloud is okay. What, Michelle. Are you worried about your boyfriend? Its not like thaat. Besides, Cloud is head over heels for Nicole, you know? Huh, really!? As the ssmate from the Adventurer Academy poked fun at her, she replied back with a pout. She was spreading a rumor that would make Cloud get goosebumps if he heard it. That this would serve as yet another source of envy towards him was a story for another time. Still, having to patrol a fixed radius sure is worrying. There are a lot of Goblins, and they dont have any edible parts, so I hate them. Thats the reason you hate them? Well, that does sound like you, Michelle. Letina had returned home to take care of the people that were being sheltered at her mansion. She did not participate in the defense of the Magic Academy. Nicole is here too, though. I hear she is super strong, isnt she? Yes. But shes out for patrol now. Among the newbie Adventurers, those who took vanguard roles were patrolling the area within the barricades. Naturally, she hadnt seen Nicole since morning. The same went for Cloud. Nicole is quite reckless, so I hope she doesnt do anything rash when she finds the Goblins. Really? She looks sody-like though. Youll realize if you talk to her, but shes actually really mischievous. Heh, I suppose you cant judge people by their appearances. Shes also super clumsy. So you are always in suspense when shes around. Shes a vanguard despite attending Magic Academy, also a refineddy yet mischievous and clumsy Thats quite a lot of attributes. Be it the time with the Kobolds or during the assassination incident in the forest, she always rushed to her side when she was in a predicament. And each time, despiteing out in tatters, she still seeded in eliminating the threat. She was the sweetest and the bravest friend that she was proud of. That was Nicole. She found pride in talking about her to her friends. Despite the tense circumstances, the fact that Michelle was able to deal with things calmly was surely because Nicole was there with her. But then, Finia suddenly came running looking to be at her wits end. Michelle, have you seen Lady Nicole!? Oh, Finia. No, I havent seen her since this morning. She is probably patrolling somewhere, isnt she? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Everyone in the Academy knew that Nicole was aiming to be a magic swordsman. The students should have seen her gant figure at least once as she charged towards the enemies with her katana that she received from her father and her bestowal magic. As such, she had been considered a vanguard and sent to patrol the surroundings. But she hasnt returned even for lunch. Cloud hasnt either, but Mateus had seen him. Then, do you mean to say that the other patrols havent seen her either? Yes, thats correct. After she heard that much, Michelle recalled the conversation she had with her friend earlier. Nicole was very responsible, was considerate of herrades, and above all, she held a strong sense of justice. It would not be strange if she had sneaked out to participate in the Goblin interception in order to help Cortina who had been shut in themand post around the clock. What would be the end result of that? Everyone had seen Nicole fainted at least once, after she had forced herself and ended up that way. If she ended up that way in the middle of a battle with no one to cover for her Oh no, Nicole will be a seedbed for the Goblins! HUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHH!? Finia went pale from panic after hearing Michelles statement stemming from a wild imagination. Goblins could breed among themselves, but they could also do it with other races. Young she may be, with a beautiful girl like her before their eyes, there was no way the Goblins wouldnt get aroused. W-W-W-What should we do, Finia. Nicoles gonna be a mommy at this rate!? We cant let them do something so envi-, I mean outrageous to her. Wait for me, Lady Nicole, I will save you now! Wait, wait! Us rear guards who are ranked below three cant go out! Seeing the confused Michelle and Finia who had started to run wild, the surrounding ssmates started to desperately stop them. Still, thinking that Nicole could be in danger at this very moment, the two couldnt calm down at all. But, but..! Oh my, could it be that you need some assistance? Then, another voice suddenly made itself known and stirred more trouble. It was a girl in white that had approached them without them realizing it. Goddess! Oh what a sweet child you are, Michelle. You are the only one who reveres me as a god. It was the self-proimed goddess who had given her the Third Eye. Seeing her, Michelle jumped up in glee. Chapter 321 As it saw me approach, the Goblin Lord raised the sword or rather, the giant t rock that it held in its hand, and swung it down on me. It goes without saying, but there was no way I, with just an illusionary body, could ever hope to take that blow head-on. I changed my course almost perpendicrly and dodged it by jumping sideways to the left. The rock it held mowed down the ce I stood a moment ago, its excess power hitting the ground. That one attack was enough to make a crater several meters wide, hollowing out the ground below. Seeing that, I realized that something was wrong. Goblins held adult human strength despite their childish bodies. The Goblin Lord was two sizes bigger so its height was over two meters tall. The power it could draw from its body could rival up to three or even five adult men. But what about this destructive force? Seeing how it wielded the giant rock, or the force it used to gouge out the ground, it was hard to imagine that five mens worth of strength would manage to do that. Was this guy really a normal Goblin Lord? While holding that ufortable feeling, I faced the Goblin Lord that was full of openings after that attack and swung my spear sideways aiming at its upper arm. You may think it would be more effective to stab with a spear, but in battles, stabbing your opponent carries the risk of them dragging your weapon along. Thus, I judged that it was better to cut its limb muscles and slowly rob it of its mobility. Without missing my mark, the Goblin Lords arm sustained a deep cutor so I expected to happen. But the recoil I felt in my hands felt as if I had just shed at something hard like a tree; it didnt feel like I had managed to cut deep at all. In fact, the Goblin Lord didnt seem to have even felt that wound, and just by putting strength to pump its upper muscles, it managed to easily stop the bleeding. Not just that, even the wound seemed to be closing. Are you for real!? I eximed in reflex. I had my fair share of experience fighting against monsters. As such I have seen enemies with high-speed regenerative powers like this one. However, I had never heard of a Goblin Lord that had that power. Defeating enemies like this often required some time. Given that we ended up wasting quite a lot of time getting here, I wanted to defeat it as fast as possible, so this was a bad development. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Even so! I was in the middle of the enemy territory. The others were busy fighting the enemies in front of them, so none coulde to my aid. Which meant, I had to be the one to defeat it. Above all, if this guy didnt go down, Cortina would be in danger. Like hell I will allow that! I yelled to fire myself up and fixed my posture. The Goblin Lord swung the rock sideways with the hand that was loaded with power. I could anticipate this attack, however. Its attack wasnt as slow as that of an Ogre, but it wasnt so fast that I wouldnt be able to follow it. I used a cartwheel to dodge the upward sh from the low position. And the moment Inded, this time I thrust my spear towards its toes. Fingertips were a part that had a big concentration of nerves, and the bones were brittle too. The thumb was also an important point of mobility, so crushing it would significantly dull the Goblin Kings movements. GUGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Just as I expected, getting its toe lopped off made it raise an anguished cry. But this wound, too, stopped bleeding in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, it didnt seem like its severed toe would be regenerating any time soon, but the fact that I couldnt umte damage on it was shaving away my willpower. At this rate, I bet itll stay alive even if I cut its artery. In the first ce, it was hard to say whether I could cut its skin that was as tough as trees or rocks. I was using bestowal magic to strengthen my body, but this guys toughness was on another level. Despite being crowned with the name of a Goblin, it might actually exceed Den in strength at least. Against an opponent that turned out to be far tougher than I expected, I stopped momentarily, not sure where to aim next. But another Goblin made use of that opening and attacked me. I used the butt end of the spear to knock it down and quickly fixed the speartip towards the Lord. I was in the middle of a battlefield now, so the more time I took, the danger to Raum is one thing, it would even endanger me. Goblin Lord once again rushed at me who had gotten interrupted. It charged with the usual downward swing. Giant weapons naturally needed power, but on top of that, they also made movements difficult, and had few variations of attacks. That said, the destructive power it held was more than enough threat against inexperienced people. They would start fearing what would happen if even one of those attacksnded on them, which would significantly suppress their power. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) That said, unfortunately for the Goblin Lord, the one standing before it was me. If this was enough to make me freeze up, I couldve never attempted subjugating the Evil Dragon. I nimbly jumped to the rightbut the Lords right hand was waiting for me there. It probably judged that even an unarmed hand would be enough to deal a fatal wound on me. And that judgment was correct, as my real body hidden by the disguise was frail enough to get blow away with a simple graze. I immediately used my spear as a shield to block it and made a light jump. Doing this made it easier to take on the attackpared to standing your ground, and could avoid a serious injury. On the other hand, getting flung away meant you couldnt do anything so your posture would get broken. I got blown over five meters away, rolling unshapely on the ground. The Goblins suddenly flooded to my side, at least over five in number. I thrust my spear at one of those Goblins and skewered it at the throat. This was a reflexive action so I suppose there was no helping it, but due to that, I wasnt able to quickly pull the spear out. Judging that I couldnt use the spear any longer, I immediately let it go. If I kept holding on to it, I couldve gotten crushed by the horde of the Goblins. Then, I poured magic power into my gloves and summoned my trusty gauntlets. I couldnt use them since Cortina was monitoring the battle with the familiar, but there was no choice given my dilemma. Protecting the capital was a given, but I couldnt let myself get killed here this time. I beat down the remaining four Goblins, slit their throats with my wrist w, and tripped their legs with threads and crushed their jaws with a stomp. I roundhouse kicked the remaining one too. By then, I noticed that something was blocking the sunlight. While I was busy dealing with the Goblins, the Goblin Lord had managed to approach me. It already had its rock raised overhead, with an expression convinced of its victory. However, to me who had threads now, that action could be called fatal for the Lord. I immediately flew the thread to twine it around its raised arm at the elbow along with its neck. All that was left was for it to swing down its arm and strangle itself. It was the same strategy I used against the twin-ded Devil. Convinced of our respective victories, smiles appeared on our faces. And then, the Goblin Lord started to slowly swing its arm down Only for a steel arrow to pierce through its head. Chapter 322 Just as we were convinced of our victories, there was a sudden interruption. The steel arrow that came from god knows where had pierced through the Goblin Lords head, pulverized it, and then impacted the ground a few meters ahead. A momentter, a fierce gale blew through the surroundings, blowing me, who was light as a feather under my disguise, behind. I quickly took a defensive stance, fixed my bnce and faced the Goblin Lord. There, I saw a giant copsed body that had blood spurting like a fountain from where its head once was. Where in the world did thate from This ce was far from the city walls, and an arrow from the backup should not have reached here. Goblin Lord was also aware of that and took sufficient distance. There were no signs of anyone other than Goblins around us. In which case It means that someone had shot that arrow from beyond my detection range. I immediately started looking around, and found the source of it. It came from the top of the spire of the Magic Academy which was rumored to be even taller than the royal castle. There, I saw two small human shapes. They were a girl holding a bow shining in silver, and a girl whose hair also shone in silver. One familiar appearance, one deeply memorable one Michelle and the God of Destruction stood there. Dont tell me, she shot it from all the way there? I cant believe it There were easily around 500 meters between us. This was by no means a distance an arrow could normally reach. However, the reality that the Goblin Lords head had gotten pulverized before my eyes couldnt be changed. But the next moment, it was proven that my guess was indeed correct. The scenery around her bow got warped, and the moment I saw a sh, Goblins that were fighting with an Adventurer nearby got sted away. This was the Goblin that Kayle was taking on, as well as the onemanding a nearby group. A secondter came another sh. And once again, it urately pierced through yet another Goblin. What happened from then on could only be called peerless onught by Michelle. Every time light shed atop the spire, a Goblin was blown off. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) She was urately shooting through the Goblins in the urban areas and those who were trying to climb up the walls, putting a stop to their invasion. Her shooting hadsted for at most three minutes. However, she managed to hit over a hundred Goblins in that time. Before she managed topletely exterminate them, her body suddenly went limp and was caught by the God of Destruction. Most likely, the effect of her strengthening bangle had run out. Even so, the situation had turned to our advantage thanks to her. The Goblin numbers had been reduced to 200 thanks to her efforts, and they had lost theirmander. The Adventurers defending the city walls didnt seem to have gone down that much, so the damages to the city shouldnt have been significant. That said, their numbers were still four times the Adventurers. While the defeat was avoided, we had to exterminate them here or the root of evil would remain. The fleeing Goblins would have attacked the nearby settlements, dealing great harm to the surroundings. We managed to seed in defending the city, but the damageshmm? Raumcked the numbers too much to move on to the cleanup now. But as I was thinking that, from the right side of the Goblins, the other side of the river, a group of about a hundred people charged at the Goblin nk. Half of that group consisted of the Elves, while the rest seemed to be Adventurers; it was aposition that was both quite like Raum and also quite irregr. They took the initiative and divided the Goblins, and started to exterminate them as they scattered, divided into east and west. The Adventurers looked at Cortina (the strategist), unable toprehend what was happening. Not minding any of that, she gave themmands. Relief from the hot spring town is here! If you cut corners here, theyll look down on the Adventurers of Raum, so get to work! Huh, we have reinforcements!? Thats right. If we cant use Raums battle power, we can only rely on the other ces. They dont have a permanentbat power stationed there, but there are many Elves and Adventurers due to how many peoplee and go. I realized that if we gathered them all up, they would serve as a sufficient power. When did you It doesnt take that long for a familiar to make a round trip. Plus, with my name being mentioned, even the reclusive Elves would not be able to ignore it, right? The battle situation below was being overturned as time went on. For the Goblins who had already been halved, another hundred Adventurers were nothing if not fatal. Cortina judged that this was the critical moment and ordered them to attack. We are opening the gates and moving on to attack. Positions from one to twelve, get to the main gate andunch yourselves at them. Run through the enemies and shake them up! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) With Cortinas spiritedmand, the Adventurers also raised their cheers. The situation had beenpletely reversed, so there would be few Goblins that could manage to escape now. Then, she looked towards the girl at the top of the spire. Still, you sure went and did it, Michelle. Thats going to make things tough for you from now on, you know? And also Following it, she moved her eyes towards the ce where the Goblin Lordy. There stood a giant man hiding his face with a hood. You used your threads huh I found you, Reid. Clenching her fist at her chest, she dered those words. W-Who are these people I was bewildered to see the sudden reinforcements. No, these numbers were too much to call it a mere reinforcement. It was already an army. Where in the world did theye here from? My question was answered the moment I saw one of the Adventurers that cut his way in. It was because I remembered his face. It was a young boy that used his short spear to ughter the Goblins around. Huh Could it be, Mikey? It was the boy who became the reason I had gotten the ownership of Kabby. It was that boy whom I met at the hot spring town. I was sometimes going to the hot spring town nowadays to show him Kabby, so I was quite familiar with him. I was seven when I met him first, so we already knew each other for five years. He was three years older than me, so he had already turned into a fine man, and was trying to make his sess as an Adventurer. That same Mikey was part of this group. That means They came from the hot spring town and other Elven settlements, huh! It was the biggest settlement around here. But the Elves living there were mostly seclusive-minded, so I didnt expect reinforcements. So seeing over a hundred of them now had surprised me. No, it wasnt just Mikey. I saw Haumea and Cole among them too. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) Ah, maybe those two yed the part in gathering this force. Those two mainly worked as guards between Raum and the hot spring town. If Raum was damaged due to battles, it would affect their livelihood too. They seemed to be quite old as well, so their words probably held quite an influence there. While I was thinking that, Haumeas gaze fell on me. It was an abrupt and sharp re, as if to pierce me. Haumea, whats wrong? Its nothing, I just felt an ufortable gaze. From that guy? Looks like the Goblin Lord has been defeated. Looks like it. We seem to have missed a good opportunity. I dont think I said anything, but could it be that she managed to notice my thoughts? Either way, I had to leave this ce as fast as possible. Cortinas familiar was monitoring the battle from above even now. I ended up using my threads at thest second, so she probably already saw through my identity. If I didnt make use of this chaotic battle to hide, she could see the moment I would return to my original appearance. Just as I moved towards the river, the familiar also followed after me. Yeah, she was definitely on to me. Still, the magic item that I had on me now was to hide my body during situations like this. My disguise was merely a secondary thing. Using the Goblin copse as a blind spot, I instantly switched the effect to invisibility. Combining it with my Stealth Gift, it was close to impossible for anyone to spot me now. And like this, the Goblins were mercilessly exterminated, and the danger to Raum was gone. Chapter 323 Michelle had been taken along by the God of Destruction Yuuri atop the Academys spire. It had a steep angle so it was hard to support the body, and the wind was quite fierce too. One slip of the foot could lead to falling to the ground. U-Up, is this really safe? It is, it iiiis. Besides, I will catch you if you fall, and even if you die, Ill just revive you. That doesnt sound safe to me at all! Now now. Leaving that aside, you want to find Nicole, right? Oh, right, that! She was afraid of the current position and clung to the God of Destructions nape of the neck. For Michelle, her best friends safety was of higher priority than her own. Waaah!? Wait, wait, stop! Theres an order to these things. Order We have no time for Do you understand? In order to search for her calmly during a Goblin invasion like this, the first condition is to ensure your safety I suppose that pretext would do. That pretext? Dont worry about it. As such, lowering the Goblin numbers by shooting from here would be the most optimal move, if I were to offer my debrief. D-dewhat? Uhh, I meant, lets lower their numbers first and then take our time and search for her. That would in turn lead to Nicoles safety. I see, youre right. Youre such an obedient good girl, Michelle. Dont you wanna be my daughter? You look younger than me, Goddess. Guhh! Between the God of Destruction that didnt grow any older and Michelle who had been growing abnormally well, Michelle clearly appeared to be the older one. That said, there was no time for idle chatter now. As the God of Destruction said, it was certainly wiser to secure the safety of the urban areas now. In that case, she had to start shooting at them as quickly as she could. However, there was still too big of a distance to cover the entire invasion radius from this spire. Its too far for me to aim from here, you know? Leave that to me too. If I just activate Hawk Eye, and Target Sight, and also Maic Barrel H-Huh? Seeing her activate several spells at the same time, Michelles understanding waspletely blown away. But then, a giant Goblin that was so far she couldnt see before, suddenly appeared before her eyes. It was projected so precisely as if it was only ten meters away, making her bend back. One person seemed to be fighting against it, but the situation wasnt looking good. Okay, listen. Due to the power of Target Sight, the effects of distance, wind power, gravity and Coriolis force can all be ignored. Huh, corioli? Dont worry about the terminology. Maic Barrel will speed up the steel arrows, so you dont have to worry about the range distance either. All hail Lorentz force! L-Lawren? Dont worry, dont worry. In other words, just shoot at those abominable ugly bastards with all your strength. I will choose your targets, so try to shoot as many of them as you can. But I only have ten arrows, you know? The God of Destruction puffed her chest and almost fell down. Not paying any mind to that, Michelle activated the support magic of her bangle. Abundant power filled her body and she could now pull the Third Eye with no effort. She faced the giant GoblinThe Goblin Lord that was projected before her eyes and took aim. Since it was engaged in a close fight with the unfamiliar man, she couldnt shoot it immediately. But when the man got blown away, the golden opportunity to shoot had arrived. She was worried about the man due to how violently he rolled on the ground, but putting down the Goblin was the priority now. Doing that would lead to saving that man, after all. Fuh! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) She sharply inhaled, held it in, and loosed her arrow before exhaling. She got the usual reaction. But the arrow elerated even further after it passed the space before her eyes. This was most probably the effect of the Maic Barrel that the God of Destruction cast earlier. The arrow didnt draw a parab like it usually would, ignoring gravity and every other factor, and pierced through the Goblins head. The spinning arrow didnt stop at merely piercing its head, as it even twisted its entire head and ripped it off at the base of the neck, pulverizing it. Then, a shockwave followed, blowing the man even further back. He quickly stood back up, so it was safe to say that he was fine. She let out a relieved sigh at that. Direct hit, nice. On to the next one then, six meters to the right. Right Ah, that one? Moving her sight to the right a bit, she saw a Goblin marked in red. Yes. Thats a Goblin Leader that is controlling the group around it. If you defeat that one, the rest of them around it will fall into disorder. Okay. Then she easily drew the bow and released it. This one wasnt as big as the previous Goblin, so it got reduced to pieces of meat in an instant. Next She followed the God of Destructions instructions, changed her aim, and shot. She continued shooting without a break, and just as she thought there were no more arrows in the quiver, the God of Destruction replenished them. In three minutes, she annihted over a hundred Goblins, not missing a single arrow. After three minutes had passed, she suddenly started to lose strength and fell forward. And just as the God of Destruction caught her, she lost her consciousness. Michelle had been taken along by the God of Destruction Yuuri atop the Academys spire. It had a steep angle so it was hard to support the body, and the wind was quite fierce too. One slip of the foot could lead to falling to the ground. U-Up, is this really safe? It is, it iiiis. Besides, I will catch you if you fall, and even if you die, Ill just revive you. That doesnt sound safe to me at all! Now now. Leaving that aside, you want to find Nicole, right? She was afraid of the current position and clung to the God of Destructions nape of the neck. For Michelle, her best friends safety was of higher priority than her own. Waaah!? Wait, wait, stop! Theres an order to these things. Order We have no time for Do you understand? In order to search for her calmly during a Goblin invasion like this, the first condition is to ensure your safety I suppose that pretext would do. That pretext? Dont worry about it. As such, lowering the Goblin numbers by shooting from here would be the most optimal move, if I were to offer my debrief. D-dewhat? Uhh, I meant, lets lower their numbers first and then take our time and search for her. That would in turn lead to Nicoles safety. I see, youre right. Youre such an obedient good girl, Michelle. Dont you wanna be my daughter? You look younger than me, Goddess. Between the God of Destruction that didnt grow any older and Michelle who had been growing abnormally well, Michelle clearly appeared to be the older one. That said, there was no time for idle chatter now. As the God of Destruction said, it was certainly wiser to secure the safety of the urban areas now. In that case, she had to start shooting at them as quickly as she could. However, there was still too big of a distance to cover the entire invasion radius from this spire. Its too far for me to aim from here, you know? Leave that to me too. If I just activate Hawk Eye, and Target Sight, and also Maic Barrel Seeing her activate several spells at the same time, Michelles understanding waspletely blown away. But then, a giant Goblin that was so far she couldnt see before, suddenly appeared before her eyes. It was projected so precisely as if it was only ten meters away, making her bend back. One person seemed to be fighting against it, but the situation wasnt looking good. Okay, listen. Due to the power of Target Sight, the effects of distance, wind power, gravity and Coriolis force can all be ignored. Huh, corioli? Dont worry about the terminology. Maic Barrel will speed up the steel arrows, so you dont have to worry about the range distance either. All hail Lorentz force! L-Lawren? Dont worry, dont worry. In other words, just shoot at those abominable ugly bastards with all your strength. I will choose your targets, so try to shoot as many of them as you can. But I only have ten arrows, you know? Really? So cool! The God of Destruction puffed her chest and almost fell down. Not paying any mind to that, Michelle activated the support magic of her bangle. Abundant power filled her body and she could now pull the Third Eye with no effort. She faced the giant GoblinThe Goblin Lord that was projected before her eyes and took aim. Since it was engaged in a close fight with the unfamiliar man, she couldnt shoot it immediately. But when the man got blown away, the golden opportunity to shoot had arrived. She was worried about the man due to how violently he rolled on the ground, but putting down the Goblin was the priority now. Doing that would lead to saving that man, after all. Fuh! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) She sharply inhaled, held it in, and loosed her arrow before exhaling. She got the usual reaction. But the arrow elerated even further after it passed the space before her eyes. This was most probably the effect of the Maic Barrel that the God of Destruction cast earlier. The arrow didnt draw a parab like it usually would, ignoring gravity and every other factor, and pierced through the Goblins head. The spinning arrow didnt stop at merely piercing its head, as it even twisted its entire head and ripped it off at the base of the neck, pulverizing it. Then, a shockwave followed, blowing the man even further back. He quickly stood back up, so it was safe to say that he was fine. She let out a relieved sigh at that. Direct hit, nice. On to the next one then, six meters to the right.Right Ah, that one? Moving her sight to the right a bit, she saw a Goblin marked in red. Yes. Thats a Goblin Leader that is controlling the group around it. If you defeat that one, the rest of them around it will fall into disorder.Okay. Then she easily drew the bow and released it. This one wasnt as big as the previous Goblin, so it got reduced to pieces of meat in an instant. Next She followed the God of Destructions instructions, changed her aim, and shot. She continued shooting without a break, and just as she thought there were no more arrows in the quiver, the God of Destruction replenished them. In three minutes, she annihted over a hundred Goblins, not missing a single arrow. After three minutes had passed, she suddenly started to lose strength and fell forward. And just as the God of Destruction caught her, she lost her consciousness. Chapter 324 I shook off the pursuit of Cortinas familiar and jumped into the river that flowed towards the city. At a little distance, I heard the cheers towards the death of the Goblin Lord, as well as war cries as they cleaned up the rest of the Goblins. If you added the reinforcements to the defenders, their numbers would make the remaining enemy clean up a childs y. I would normally prefer to join up with Kayles group and help with the subjugation, but I was using a disguised appearance now. And I was even seen by Cortina when I used my threads. If I mistimed my timing to disappear, it could get busted that I was in a disguise and eventually get traced to my identity. It was best to make use of the confusion and slip out to hide. Fortunately, the river flowed towards the city. I dived in and let the currents take me along, only poking my head at times to take a breath, and arrived inside the city in half the time it would have taken on foot. The main reason was that I went straight inside the city through the water currents. It was a little hard without the Breathing spell, but I still managed to swim to the end by relying on the current. Due to my long journey underwater, my bloody clothes had also been cleaned up quite nicely. There were slight stains still, but it was hard to distinguish them from mud stains. Pwaah! I took a deep breath and climbed out of the river. And I also removed my illusion at the same time. It was risky to keep using that appearance any longer. My hair and clothes were dripping water and sticking to me everywhere. They were transparent and a lot of things were showing, but that damn pervert (Cloud) wasnt around to see it. This is what youd call a fine man dripping with charmor woman, I guess. Hmm? Due to having finished the job safely, I felt like cracking a joke. But then, something suddenly rushed towards me while leaving a cloud of dust behind. The city was almost entirely paved, but the riversides were the exception. Looking at it,somethingbigger than a horse was racing noisily towards me. On top of it were the familiar face of Michelle and the face of White God that I didnt want to get familiar with. Heey! The White God shouted casually at me. Michelles expression on the other hand was unbelievably stiff. And that was to be expected, as what they were riding now was a small ck Dragon. That dragon had the silhouette of the miniaturized Demonic Dragon Fafnir that I met five years ago at the Elven settlement. Perhaps that Dragon was using Polymorph as well. Nicole! The Dragon stopped as it approached me, and Michelle jumped down from above it. Naturally, after using her strengthening bangle, she should be experiencing intense muscr pain. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) She failed to kill her momentum and tumbled down, but quickly stood up. Back when she obtained it five years ago, we were only young kids. We couldnt endure the effect of that bangle that loaned you physical strength in advance, so it was natural that we would end up unable to move. But its been five years since then, and our bodies have matured significantly, already nearing adulthood. Michelle in particr had grown quite a lot, to the point that it wouldnt be an exaggeration to call her an adult already. By now, using the bangle only put her under a lot of muscle pain and made it harder to move. It didnt lead toplete paralysis like before. Oh, Michelle. What brings you here? I switched my thoughts into girl mode from that of a man that suited the previous fierce battle. I tried to use as innocent a tone as I could befitting of a child. What am I doing here? Where haveyoubeen! Eh, umm I just fell into the river. Fortunately, I was drenched now, so having fallen into a river and gotten dyed on returning would serve as a good excuse. But Michelle didnt lend an ear to any of it, rushed at my side, and raised her hand high. You idiot! Do you know how worried everyone was!? Her palm was swung down. This was the manifestation of her heartfelt worry, so I decided to ept it. But then, her palm suddenly got d in a pale light. That p blew me away with a tailspin. Pfffooo!? Looking back, Whitey was holding back herughter behind the scenes. That light earlier was probably an Enchant that she cast on it. You bastard, Ill get you for thister! Michelle didnt pay any notice to my pathetic state and sank down on the spot. Me! And Finia too! We were awfully worried! Umm I Sorry. Well, I did feel that Finia and others would worry if I slipped out quietly like that. Even so, I couldnt just sit still when Cortina was doing her best there. I was ready to receive their anger, but I didnt regret my actions. I felt bad for them, but in the same situation, I would act the same way. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) That said, I knew just how worried they were. This obedient and friendly girl was angry to the point of raising her hand against me. Sorry, Michelle. Im at fault for not contacting you. As long ashicyou understand. Look at how soaked you are! Well, I fell in the river. I heard that already. I lent a shoulder to Michelle who was sinking down and acting angry while crying at the same time. Then I red towards the Whitey who was rolling on the ground inughter. You bastard, which part of the earlier scene was so fun, huh? Oh man, that was one magnificent stoff. Big sister here just couldnt hold back. Yeah, Im not sure about the big sister part given that appearance. I tried to take a jab at her body as sarcastically as I could. However, she seemed to have been used to such attacks and ignored thempletely. I couldnt deny her contribution to this battle. Pressing her too much here would leave a bad aftertaste. Thus, with a reluctant sigh, I decided to head towards the Magic Academy. Chapter 325 Riding Whiteys small Dragon, we were transported to the Magic Academy. After dropping us off at the gate, the White God once again straddled her Dragon. She probably found it amusing that the gate guards knees gave out after seeing a Dragon appear so suddenly. Huh, are you going somewhere again? Yes. As much as I would like to take it easy, I am quite busy. I have something I have to do after this. If you just let that Dragon burn down those Goblins, you could have ended everything faster though. We gods also have our customs. Its not very good to get involved directly. Thats why I let her do all the work. Now that she mentioned it, it was indeed Michelle who had exterminated the Goblins. While she did cast some assisting spells on Michelle so she could discern the enemy and her arrows could reach them, she did not get involved any more than that. Thus, once again, I withdraw coolly without stating my name. Adieu. I at least know your name! And whats with that phrase anyway! The God of Destruction left without listening to my retort. She disappeared beyond the street, and then, her Dragon started to fly away from the other side of the buildings. Seeing that, Adventurers from all around became weak-kneed, but that was a story for another time. As I got back inside the Magic Academy, I noticed that it was quite noisy inside. I could even feel the gazes of men focusing on me. Whats going on? Maybe It has to do with your appearance, Nicole. Huh? I only realized it after Michelle pointed it out, but I was stillpletely drenched now. That meant that my clothes were now moist and see-through. As I was lending a shoulder to Michelle, my small chest that was pressed together by my stretched clothes was in in sight. W-Wah!? Kyaa! Because I instinctively covered my chest, Michelle ended up flopping onto the ground. She fell on her face while her knees were still raised, making her posture quitescivious in its own way. But there was no time for that now. M-Michelle, lend me your mantle! Ehh, I cant even move my hands now. Youre doing it intentionally, arent you! Are you trying to bully me!? Well, I think it would do you good to reflect some more. I did already! I am properly reflecting! Really? Really really! Okay, Ill lend it then. Fortunately, I managed to gain her permission and borrowed her mantle. When I put it on, I heard regretful sighs from the men around us. I couldnt match Michelle when it came to the chest size, but in terms of the overall physical femininity, it seems I was above her. When it came to things like slenderness of the waist and suppleness of the limbs, Michelle was still on the childish side. I on the other hand had an air ofposure that didnt match my age, and I had learned the feminine conduct from Maxwell which seemed to be making me give off a womanly charm. Incidentally, Michelle was full of charm directed at Loli-pedo purveyors. I mean, I dont really care about that part. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I red at the surrounding men while bing slightly teary-eyed. But that strangely caused the men to blush too, and then Thank you for the treat! They yelled back. Okay, this city is doomed. It might have been better if it got destroyed once. As the light faded from my eyes in despair, my number two ray of light, aka Finia, had arrived. Lady Nicole! Ah, Finia. Sorry for worrying you. I ended up falling into the river, so I was dyed. As long as youre safe. But it would have been better if you contacted us ahead of time. With those words, she hugged my wet body without any hesitation. Being embraced in her slender yet warm body, I could tell that my feelings that were on the edge due to battles wereing untied. But as I calmed down, I noticed one more strange thing. Actually, Michelle, why were you there? There? Oh, you mean on the spire? Yeah, it surprised me when I saw arrows raining down from there. The goddess took me there. She told me I had to settle the situation inside the city first before we started searching for you. I see. True, you couldnt have started searching the city in that situation. But you went right for the Goblin Lo-, I mean, you started shooting outside from the get-go, right? The goddess said I had to get rid of the source first. So we were dancing on her palm, huh. That Whitey managed to use Michelles worry to turn her into a fixed turret for exterminating the Goblins. Certainly, if you stood atop the spire that was inside the Academy protected by Adventurers, you could keep attacking with practically no worry for counterattacks. As for the arrow range and vision Well, its that god were talking about here. She definitely held a number of aces up her sleeves. I was a bit bothered about where she could have gone after she did all that, but her movements were a total mystery to me. Im sure she was doing something bothersome where I couldnt see now. Lady Nicole, you will catch a cold if you remain drenched. You have to change quickly. Ah, right. I answered readily, but the truth was that I waspletely drenched from the moment we set out from this town. The magician used Warm to blow away the moisture from us so there was no actual harm then And well, as expected of an expert magician, he didnt make a blunder as I did. I mean, I was also trying to be an expert in bestowal magic. Ah, I see. I shouldve just done it myself. What do you mean? She was still unsure of what I was trying to do, but she saw me as her master so she still followed my directions. Following that, I used Warm and warmed up all my clothes. If I raised the temperature too high I would end up like Cloud, so I set it at around 40C. Warm Oh? Ohh! W-What is the matter? Unlike the failed edition, this Warm spell managed to instantly warm my clothes up without any excess heat. The problem was that this warmth felt too pleasant, making me feel a strange sensation as if I was taking a bath while walking. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) This Might be good. Huh? I feel like Im taking a bath. Ah, the water on your clothes heated up, is it? This pleasant sensation naturally flushed my face, loosened my expression and moistened my eyes. Seeing my state, the men around became ted once again, but this was a story for another time. Chapter 326 The Adventurers Guild was filled with cheers that made you plug your ears. The defensive battle using the castle walls. The guided extermination of those that invaded the city. The call for reinforcements from the Elven viges. And a surprise attack on the Goblin Lord. This time, Cortina had taken several measures despite the limited time and battle power that she had at her disposal. Her actions have been demonstrated before the eyes of the Adventurers, so it was natural for them to be so excited. The Adventurers from the Elven settlementIn other words, from the hot-spring town, had also barged in here, and they all pped and praised each others battles. Michelle and I also witnessed that turmoil as we returned to the Guild. Wow, this is amazing. Well, of course it would be. The enemy was nine times our number, and not only we managed to repel them, we even exterminated almost entirely. Quite a nasty result from her as always. Cortina had once brought the enemy twice bigger than her own into a simr situation. I had seen her do a simr feat over and over, so well, I wasnt that surprised. However, the Adventurers that were here had witnessed it for the first time. As always? Nicole, have you seen something like this before? Huh!? No, I mean. You know, like in the lessons and such? Oh right, she is teaching us tactics too. Amazing! Youre the amazing one here. This time, she used all her power to exterminate the enemy. She shot each and every Goblin that had invaded, and she even took out the Goblin Lord. Even the toonmander-ss Goblins that lead groups were taken down by her. Even if she had received some help from Whitey, it could still be called a crazy rampage. That aside, Look! Clouds there too! Where Michelle pointed was Cloud And Mikey who were ring at each other. As well as Mateus, who observed them with a repulsing smile on his face. Huh? Isnt that Its Mikey. You havent seen him in a while, right, Michelle? Mikey from the hot-spring town had be an Adventurerter on. Due to a promise with Whitey, I was having Kabby and him meet once a year, so I was seeing him rtively often. But Michelle hadnt seen him for several years. Right, its been what, five years now? He sure has grown up. He should be feeling the same looking at you. Michelle had also grown a lot in these five years. Particrly one part of her body. Leaving that aside, I wonder why Cloud and Mikey are ring at each other? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Good work, Cloud. You too, Mikey. Ah, Mast-, Nicole. Youre back. Yeah, I fell into the river on the way, so I got dyed. Did you gain a disposition to fall into a river when you see one? Howd youe to that conclusion? As I smacked him in the side for saying something unnecessary, I also greeted Mikey. Thanks for helping us this time, Mikey. No, it wasnt much And well, if Raum fell, it would be our towns turn next. Ah, that was quite possible. But you sure made it in time. Not to mention, you managed to bring so many people. There was a lot of human traffic in the hot-spring town, so there were a lot of Adventurers there. However, there shouldnt have been that many of them whod brave the danger to save Raum. They were basically wanderers, so this battle held almost no merit for them, and they could just run away and avoid the danger. Yeah, Haumea and Cole took the Elves and left, so we couldnt just remain behind. Mikey said and looked away while rubbing his nose. He has been acting this way in front of metely. Well, I wasnt that dense. I evennded a girlfriendtely, okay? Anyway, I could tell what kind of feelings he held towards me. That said, I couldnt respond to them, and they were quite honestly a bother. While I was racking my brain on how to deal with him, Cloud made a rare belligerent remark. Come on, what are you being so evasive about. Are the countryside Adventurers all so indecisive? Huuh? Looks like theres an idiot here who doesnt understand his position. Which of us was rescued here, huh? We couldve handled it ourselves. We have Lady Cortina here too. What was that? Hearing that much, I finally realized that the twos personalities shed. Thinking about it, Cloud was 14 years old, about two years older than me, and so was Mikey. Both of them were nearly adult Adventurers, and were the so-called rookies. Given their simr standings, they might have been harboring a sense of rivalry. Also, Cloud being defense-specialized while Mikey on offense made their rivalry even stronger. On top of that, there was an impudent fellow here who tried to stir the mes even more. Hey, if you two are so bothered about each other, how about you settle the score in the arena below? Mateus proposed to them to duke it out in the training arena. We have no time for that. Besides, you arent even an Adventurer, so what brings you here anyway? Mateus was considered retired now. Since it was useful for entering towns, he was apparently registered as an Adventurer, but nowadays it was in name only. There was no need for him to show his face here. I had to make a report. That aside, are you two going to do it or not? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) As if things werent bad as is, someone overheard Mateus agitational words. It was an unfamiliar Adventurer, so he was probably from the settlement, but he started jeering in an even louder voice than Mateus. Ohh, Mikey, are you gonna fight the city Adventurer? Dont you dare lose, ya hear! What? That boy Against Cloud? Aint that amusing? Come on, do it! The situation aggravated in a chain reaction. And that final line Go do your work, Guild Master. Just like that, quite the meaningless battle between Cloud and Mikey had been set up. Chapter 327 Cloud stood in the training area with a bewildered expression after being dragged there, while Mikey was looking strangely motivated. Maybe he was thinking of showing a cool side of him to me. Surrounding them were the Adventurers from both the capital and the hot-spring town, who were now transformed into curious onlookers. Mikey, go get that capital greenhorn! Huuh, who are you calling greenhorns! Still, you have my permission to beat up Cloud! Smite that harem bastard! Smite him! Purge that yboy! Purge him! The capitals Adventurers have united for this asion and were cheering in chorus. That strange atmosphere ended up overpowering the settlement Adventurers in a sh. Still, they were always so hostile to Cloud huh. The antagonism towards the Half-Demons was that deep-rooted it seems. Cloud, do you actually have no friends? Shut up! I dont, okay? Well, you are a Half-Demon. Cant be helped. Thats not the problem here! While in half-tears, Cloud took up his favorite shield and fake sword. Mikey also held a fake spear that was a bit over a meter long. Perhaps he was better ustomed to using spears rather than swords considering that his principal battlefield was the forest. Come to think of it, this might be the first time for Cloud to face a spear-wielding opponent. Huh, really? Hang in there, Cloud! Michelle frantically cheered him on from next to me. It was amon scene for her to put her hands on her mouth to enhance her voice. It was amon sight, yes, but the two lumps of meat squeezed by her arms were anything butmon. Shell probably reach Maria-ss in the future Nicole,e on you too! Ive already seen this development before. I dont really care, you know? Michelles cheer made not Cloud but the surrounding Adventurers more excited. What the? Wasnt that guy dating that white girl? Look at that chest She has some seriously promising future, doesnt she? Wait, so hes two-timing them? Unforgivable. The hot spring Adventurers who didnt know the situation were gradually turned into Clouds enemies like this. Cloud in question was already used to this development, so he just dropped his shoulders as if saying,not again. The problem was Mikey who he was facing. You, did you even put your hands on that other girl! No. Unforgivable. Popr guys should just die without mercy. Not you too!? Just like that, the hopelessness of the capitals Adventurers had infected more people. Following that, Mateus signaled the start of the match while acting like he waspletely unrted to this. You caused this mess, okay? I havent forgotten it. Now then, begin! Dieee! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The spear was thrustOf course, the training-use oneand Cloudsrge shield stopped it. Then Cloud tried to thrust his sword to counterattack, but Mikey stepped forward faster than him. His spear had been stopped by Clouds shield, yet he still took a step forward. The result was that the spear was pulled towards Mikey by the distance of that one step. With that action, he managed to both approach the opponent and bring back his spear. Then Mikey once again thrust his spear as fast as he could, but Cloud twisted his body and dodged it. Heh Hes pretty good. Wahh, Clouds in a pinch! Nah, he can dodge that much. Hes receiving dads training, after all. As proof of that, while Clouds upper body was bent back quite a bit, his lower body posture was still firmly in ce. This told me that he still had some leeway left. Still, this shouldve made him realize how troublesome spears were. It was a weapon that could freely change the attack range with the wielders position. And it generally had a longer reach than a sword. If I was asked to give an amateur some kind of weapon, I would have gone with a spear. It was just that simple to use, yet was very lethal and quite profound. Cloud failed to kill his momentum so he rotated where he stood and swung his shield horizontally. Though it was a shield, it was still a metallic object. If you got mmed with something like that, the resulting damage wouldnt be a joke. Mikey instantly used his spear as a shield to block itbut he also received a sword strike from the opposite side. Was Cloud reproducing a pseudo-double-sword battle style? He seemed to have grown up quite a bit. That said, his sword strike was quite light. As it didnt have the necessary lethal power, Mikey managed to just barely dodge it. Even so, he didnte outpletely unharmed. Unlike Cloud, his posture waspletely broken, and he ended up tumbling on the ground. Cloud followed up with a kick, which Mikey ended up taking head-on. KhhCough! Damn, youre not bad! This is your chance to surrender. In your dreams! Mikey seemed to be quite skilled for his age, but he still couldnt match Cloud who was experiencing actualbat and training on a daily basis. Different from Mikey who could only use his spear, Cloud also used his shield and kicks aside from the sword to turn the situation to his advantage. His experiences until now were the main reason behind the abundance of his attack varieties. If it was one on one fights, Cloud could disy a formidable power. Thus, Mikey was gradually pushed back, and he found himself pushed near the onlookers, in other words, to a ce with nowhere to go. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Realizing his escape behind was cut, Mikey decided to go for a fierce charge. But theres no way Cloud would not have expected it. His role was a defender, so he was constantly ready to receive an attack. As such, this must have been fully in his expectations. Haaaaaaaaah! You have a good judgmentBut still too naive! He used his shield to ward off Mikeysst struggle and tripped his legs in the passing, knocking him down on the ground. And just as he tried to get up, Cloud thrust his sword at him. Okay, we have a match. This seems to be this boys win. Mateus announced his judgment. Mikey hit the ground in frustration. I could understand the feeling of disgrace after losing in front of arge crowd. I approached him and tapped him on the shoulder. Dont feel so down. This is just training, so you can lose as much as you want. Theres always the next time. Nicole But Besides, Cloud keeps on losing in actual battles, you know? Oh shut up will you!? Cloud, Im trying to end things on a good note here, so stop interrupting. In fact, its strange that hes still alive now. Well, I find that fact strange myself Mikey, you realized yourck of ability with this. And youre still alive. That means you can focus on improving from now on. Its as simple as that. Y-Yeah Youre right. He stood up and extended his right hand towards Cloud. Realizing he was asking for a handshake, Cloud responded to it. Its my loss. Also, sorry for ring up at you like that. Well, I understand where you wereing from. Only her outward appearance is good at least. Really? I think she is just as amazing on the inside. I showed a shameful sight this time, but Ill properly win the next time and make a fresh start. Ah, well, do your best, I guess? Dont do your best, just give up. The two seemed to have been confirming their friendship, but Mikey, please just give up. I have no interest in men. Chapter 328 The Goblins have been mostly exterminated within the day. After they were freed from the Goblin Lords maddening, they split into groups that continued the raid, fled, and hesitated, so they all started getting in the way of the other groups and the Adventurers swooped in and attacked all of them. It turned out to be impossible topletely wipe them out, but they still managed to exterminate close to 80% of them, with the remaining 20% scattering and running everywhere. Given their state, it was already impossible for them to make the same organized raid. The surviving Goblins too would, before long, be in by the Adventurers. We who survived couldnt follow with our pursuit right away. I only learned itter but about 40% of the Adventurers have suffered injuries, and they were in no condition to continue the battle. And albeit few, there were still deaths, and most of the harm unexpectedly came to Raums Adventurers. The newbie Adventurers that patrolled the city had suffered the most damage. The newbie Adventurers felt unsatisfied for being pushed to the rear, so theymenced a reckless attack at the invading Goblins to gain achievements but were met with a counterattack. This is what youd call getting carried away by youthful ardor. Anyway, Michelles super bombardment was quite a big deal too. The impacts from her attacks caused quite a bit of injury among Adventurers. However, they would have lost their lives had she not done that, so there was no one who seriously med her. The citizens couldnt immediately return to normal lives either. The houses on the main street had their entrances and windows tightly plugged, so it would take a lot of pain just to return them to normal condition. Even so, the morale gained from this victory was enough to make them forget all the hardships toe. The Adventurers that came out safe raised cheers, and even the townsfolk became excited as they listened to their talk about the fleeing Goblins. The sense of liberation after being crammed into shelters was perhaps another thing that gave them a push. The fact that they started the reconstructions in smiles despite the mountain of problems they had to face was perhaps one of the strong points of themon folk. Marquis Yowi who had tried to shelter and protect them also started tidying up his mansion the next day. Letina was also helping with the clean-up, so she probably wouldnt be able to show her face for a while. Michelle and I, and also Finia, were currently strolling such townscape under the pretext of patrolling it. This was a proper request from the Adventurers Guild since the trouble tended to happen during the times of post-emergency elevation, so they asked us to cooperate with the gate guards and patrol the ce. Thus, we were patrolling while wearing the patrol armbands on us, but as expected, we could notice the traces of destruction all around. In particr, the Goblin corpses that havent been fully disposed of were scattered in various ces, and it seemed that incinerating them was taking a lot of time. Apparently, over a hundred Goblins managed to sneak inside, and while it was a good thing that the chivalric order took it mostly upon themselves to subjugate them, these numbers still exceeded the limit that people could dispose of. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Even if you wanted to burn them, most of the wood necessary for it had already been used to seal the roads and plug the windows of the houses, so they first had to collect all that scrap wood back lest there wouldnt be enough firewood. Additionally, there were craters gouged out on the stone pavings. They were probably the result of Michelles bombardment with the Third Eye. While we were going around the streets, I felt like I was being detained. Each of my limbs was seized and I couldnt move. Umm Wont you let me go? If we do, youll probably run off somewhere Nicole. Thats right. Lady Nicole is known for acting naughty the moment we take our eyes from you, so this much is fine. Not you too Finia Well, I actually did sneak out to battle the Goblin Lord, so I couldnt make an excuse now. If they knew it, I feel theyd scold me even more, so I couldnt say a word about it. That aside, maybe we should also be getting ready to celebrate. I dont think we have time for that, do we? What Finia was talking about was the victory celebration party at my house. But Cortina would be particrly busy these few days, so there was no knowing when she woulde back. Because she managed to seed in the surprise attack and managed to repel the enemy that was nine times our numbers, her fame had grown even more. However, the fact that she led the Goblins and made the chivalric order fight them, and that she sent a familiar to the Elven settlement to ask for the reinforcements, was something that part of the nobles have found disagreeable. Dragging the Goblins inside the city and having the knights fight them was the target of criticism in particr. Thus, she was still busy exining herself for her actions. As such, we still had yet to celebrate the victory. Lets cross that bridge when we get there. It should be fine to prepare for it when she returns, right? Well, thats true. But there doesnt seem to be a lot of ingredients in the markets, you know? The damages inside the city didnt end with humans. The ingredients that couldntst for a long time had grown spoiled during the evacuation. For that reason, though the stores were open, the goods they sold were few in numberpared to usual. Then, lets go buy food from that stall over there! They should be fine even tomorrow. Michelles gaze was stolen by a skewer stall that was selling roasted chicken. Meat would have spoiled in these three days, but the spit-roasting stalls pickled the meat in salt or sauce, so it somehow managed tost for a long time. Still, just this time her idea wasnt bad at all. The food sold at stalls was the kind that wouldst for some time, and above all, they were quite cheap now due to the festive mood going around. I was worried about Letina, but Marquis Yowi, who had epted the evacuees, was in the middle of dealing with the aftermath. We werent familiar with that stuff, so if we suddenly barged in wed only get in the way. Cloud also had his hands full with taking care of the orphanage children. It seems that he was receiving a hero treatment there because he defeated Goblins during his patrols. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Hey, lets go already! In Michelles head, it seemed to be already decided that we would eat the stall food, and she was dragging me by the hand with all her strength. Naturally, Finia, who was holding my other hand, was dragged along too. Uncle, give us some chicken skewers! Sure thing. How many? Lets see. Theres me, Lady Nicole and Lady Cortinas share to consider too, so if we get six Ten for me! Coming right up! The skewer stall had quite a lot of chicken skewers. They were big enough that a normal girl would have gotten full with just one skewer. If you got two, youd even have leftover snacks for dinner. So ordering ten of those was a bit too much, wasnt it? I wasnt much of a glutton myself. Michelle, isnt that too much? Id have a hard time eating even one Its okay. Ill eat all of these myself. Is that so. Oh well, she yed the second-biggest part in this times incident, so she probably spent a lot of energy during the process. Lets just think of it like that. In my case, Id be stuffed with two of them, and a third might make me vomit. Despite my fears, she showed us the gluttony suitable to a hero who managed to defeat over a hundred Goblins on her own. Chapter 329 Five days have passed since. Raum had finally regained its calm and the normal every day was at our doorstep. Today was the day where I could use my Polymorph scroll stock to transform and meet with Cortina. Lyell and Maria also attended this time, and we were having lunch at the park with nostalgic expressions. Finia acted considerate for us and decided to stay home. Oh, so this is your daughter? They took Fina along, so I had to pretend to be meeting my little sister for the first time. Lyell had a satisfied expression for managing to show his prided daughter to hisrade that just came back. That irked me a bit honestly. This guys smug face was always getting to me. Hold her too, Reid. Shes my precious daughter. We also have another daughter called Nicole, but shes a bit of a rascal. Shes out of town today on an adventure. I-Is that so Actually, that daughter of yours was standing before your eyes in a disguise now. And did he call me a rascal? Still, her appearance is quite something. Shes a peerless beauty, like an even prettier version of Maria. Really? Thank god she didnt take after your looks. S-Say what!? Is what Id like to say, but Impelled to agree with you on that. Fina, on the other hand, had Lyells blond hair and Marias red eyes. She seemed to have taken after Lyell physically too as she was bustling with energy. How about you, Maria? I heard you were feeling unwell. Yes. I ended up burdening Cortina due to that. No such thing. The enemy this time was just Goblins, in the end. If the nobles dispatched the chivalric order, we couldve easily driven them away. Lyell couldnt help but frown when hearing the full particrs of this incident, but it was still politics of a foreign kingdom. He couldnt just butt in. Our words held enough influence that doing that could lead to more problems. Anyway, I fully understood how cute Fina is, so take her from my hands already. Honestly, shes so soft that Im scared shed break in my arms. Jeez, your boorish personality still remains even after reincarnating. Leave me alone. My trained fingers were hard enough that they could prick her soft skin. The other parts of my body were looking quite rugged too, making me feel like theyd be enough to injure her. Like that, my fingertips were sinking into her soft flesh, so I was at my wits end. Still, Fina is quite shy with strangers, but shes surprisingly calm with you, Reid. Oh, really? Whenever I checked in on her, she was always in a good mood. She wasnt ufortable with the maid at our house either, so I never really realized that she was shy. That aside, Reid. Youre using Polymorph for your current appearance, right? Yeah. I have a somewhat problematic appearance. And you wouldnt be willing to show it to us Not a chance. I have some circumstances, so sorry but endure it. Is that so. Lyell seemed half-unconvinced, but he didnt press on any further. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Then, I suddenly noticed that Cortina was acting strange. She had taken her distance from both Maria and me, and was sitting where no one could touch her. Normally, she clung to me as if her old attitude was a lie, so this was strange. Could it be that I did something to get hated? Uh, Cortina W-What is it? Well, why are you sitting so far away? Why not sit next to me like you always do? W-Why do I have to sit next to you! It didnt show on my face but her words shocked me. Did I do something so bad to her without realizing it? Um, if I did something bad, Ill apologize. Ah, no, its not really your fault. Um Is it something hard to say? You dont have to if you dont want to. Thats not it Cortina started pondering for a while, but then raised her face as if she had collected her thoughts. Her face was dyed red, as if she was about to reveal some embarrassing secret. Could it bethat? Did putting the results of my special training to use on her cause some problem? Could it be that I overdid it or something? Maybe I could understand why Astes wife left him for overdoing it now. Even if you sh your feelings with your loved one, there are times when they wouldnt be able to ept all of it. Thats not it! Agh, why are you always so tactless! If people heard that the Six Hero that was supposed to be dead had been revived and participated in that battle, it was hard to imagine just how much panic it would have caused. As I sat with an inclined head, Cortina sighed as if she had given up. Plus, she knew best just how inattentive I was. Well, leaving that be My actions were the problem this time so Ill apologize. B-But its not like I hate you guys or anything okay? Then why are you sitting all the way there? WellBecause of the Goblins. Goblins? The flees They brought in arge quantity of them from the outside! With those words, she scratched her head without caring about her hairstyle getting ruined. During that moment, I didnt miss a small bug jumping from her head. Ah, yeah, they were quite dirty. I cant get them out no matter how much I wash my hair, and Finas hair is growing already so I cant approach. It would be a problem if they start biting her. Shed start crying at night once again. So yeah, I cante near today, got it? Okay, but why are you so pissed? Cant you guess? Okay. I couldnt argue back in the face of her re. And well, I found her current expression cute too. I suppose this was one of the weaknesses that apanied falling in love. Still, looks like the beastmen have their fair share of problems huh. Im trying to pay attention to my daily life precisely due to that. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Seeing her dropping her shoulders, I suddenly recalled a thing from the past. About the incident where she got isted because she was a beastmen. It happened at the hot-spring inn that the Elves managed. Right, how about you dip yourself in hot spring water and drive them out? Hot spring? Wont people there hate it? The bathtubs in the nearby hot-spring town are free-flowing, so the floating flees would just go down the drain. There was also a sauna there, right? You could steam those bugs too there. The beastmen bathtubs were certainly like that Thats a nice idea considering it came from you, Reid. Cortina pped her hands with a happy expression. The academy still had to be cleaned up after the whole evacuation matter, so it wouldnt be usable for a while longer. Maxwell had finally heard of the situation, but as everything had already ended, he decided to remain in the north for some time. Apparently, someone had been getting in the way ofmunication, so he was helping to find who it was. In other words, Cortina and I had nothing to do for the next few days. Its settled then. Why dont we go on a hot-spring trip? With those words, she looked towards Lyell and Maria with a bright expression. Chapter 330 When Maxwell had heard of the danger that threatened Raum, the Goblins had already been repelled. He immediately used the Guildsmunication magic to contact Cortina, and discovered that someone had been getting in the way of establishing contact with him. That someone had been obstructing the information. Someone had snuck into the room where the automatic recorder was installed and removed only the letter addressed to Maxwell. This fact was confirmed after they discovered the scorched cinders in the corner of the room. In other words, someone had snuck into this Guild and destroyed important information. Maxwell said as he tapped on the reception table with his finger in irritation, displeasure apparent on his face. It was unusual for him to express anger like this. But he found the fact hisrades were exposed to danger just that unforgivable. Yes, um, use of magic inside the Guild is limited aside from the training area, so we cannot deny that there was an oversight The Guild Master of the Adventurers Guild of the Northern Alliance was sweating buckets while trying to protest in front of Maxwell. It wasnt just this particr branch, but every single branch on this continent. Setting aside the hall, underground training area and the doctors office, the use of magic was banned. This was so that no one could falsify important documents. If magic was used, the one in charge of defense would be notified and they would examine who used what spell and for what reason. However, there was no such trace of it this time around. Are you saying that someone had taken the key to the recording room without using magic, disposed of the document, and then escaped? T-That appears to be the case. Is there a possibility that there is a traitor among the Guild staff? I was also suspicious of that, however the person in charge was at the counter processingmissions that day. There are their signs on themission forms, so the possibility that they are a traitor is very low. Seeing that Maxwells target of examination switched from him, the Guild Master started exining the details of this incident. When the key had been taken out, the staff member in charge that day had been at the counter, which was proven by the documents too. However, Maxwell wasnt satisfied with just this question. If simr incidents happened frequently, it could dy him in the future too. Even so, that still leaves me dissatisfied. Perhaps they left their seat to go to the toilet or something and used that timing to hand the key over to someone else. This would have taken mere minutes. The suspicious person had been spotted after about five days. During that time, the key had been illegally taken five times. The one in charge of the key changed every day, so there were five people responsible, however, one of them was apparently handling theints and was shut inside a room with Adventurers while the key had been taken out. Based on this case, it was unlikely that they managed to hand over the key to someone else. It was impossible during that day at the very least. Then, what is the possibility that they made a duplicate key during some other day? That is also unlikely. Due to maintaining secrecy, the lock is reced every morning. So they would have no time to make a duplicate, is it? The one that reces the locks is on friendly terms with the guild so it is hard to think that they betrayed us. Hmm? Maxwell nodded once and started thinking. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The Guild Masters countermeasures so far werent anything novel, but they were still quite proper. He had managed to interrogate everyone, and even managed to procure alibi for the suspicious staff members, so he could be said to be quitepetent. However, Maxwell couldnt leave this case be just like that. He had to take some measures. Otherwise, doubts would sprout in the Guildsmunication means. Alright, I understand. However, we have to take some measures. Of course. It involves the trust of this Guild, after all. Maybe you should release the spell to the public? Thats My apologies. Even if its Lord Maxwells request, that is an important matter for the guild so I cannot make that decision at my own discretion. No, I was at fault for asking something so unreasonable. I apologize. Nheless, they couldnt continue without any measures. If they didnt do anything, the Guildmunicationwork would lose its trust. Increase the daily staff members in charge to two people and prepare two keys. This way, they would need two people in disguise, and it would put more burden on the invaders. Hmm, it is not perfect but it would certainly be enough to prevent it for the time being. In addition, it is necessary to strengthen the monitoring at the entrance to deal with disguises that do not rely on magic. I will increase the security appropriately. Since the spell isnt able to serve its purpose here, the only choice is to make up by increasing our numbers. Yes, please do. Please continue the investigation as well. Of course, leave it to us. Maxwell epted his answer, but he didnt expect a satisfying result. Mateus who had invaded Raum hadnt been caught in the end either. They only managed to catch him because the other party did some excess meddling. This current incident also smelled of the same level of slyness as Mateus. The fact that the trick behind this trespassing had yet toe to light was proof of that. It appears that more troublesome fellows have appeared. Maxwell lightly dropped his shoulders and heaved a big sigh. Chapter 331 Cortina decided to head to the hot springs, but its not like it would happen right away. She had sses in the academy, and there was also the city reconstruction work to do. Maria and Lyell said theyde this time, so she had to take their schedules into consideration too. In the meantime, we were spending our days normally. That also included training in the Guild too. I stood against Cloud, Michelle and Letina. We were in the underground training area, and I was currently holding a fake katana in my hand. It was the same for Cloud and Michelle. Letina was using non-lethal spells, so even if they caused injury, it wouldnt lead to death. Here I go! Come at me! Cloud responded to my yell with an energetic shout of his own. I rushed straight at him. He also came out and stood before me to serve his role. Just before I reached Cloud, Michelles arrows came flying at me. Those arrows were aiming straight for my forehead and heart. Thats why! It was exactly because her aim was so urate that it was easy to predict where she aimed. I swung my fake katana and swatted the two arrows down. I used the same momentum to sh at Cloud, but he easily shielded it. He seemed to have been vignt of my attack and ended up bracing his legs for my attack excessively. I didnt try to cut my way through him with force, but instead moved my body to go around him. And then, Letinas magded where I stood a moment ago. I used Cloud as a shield to defend against Letinas spells and Michelles arrows. However, this would leave me with no means of dealing with them. Unless I managed to break through Cloud, I couldnt attack Letina or Michelle. Based on the current rules, I mainly used katana while my bestowal magic and thread maniption were sealed off. Michelle didnt use her bangle and her Third Eye. This time, we were testing how each of us could fare as simple swordsmen and archers. D-Damn! Because my attack was lighter than he expected, Clouds reaction was dyed because he put too much strength into his body. He put strength into his arms to force me back and pushed out his shield. I used his strength to my advantage and pulled his shield towards me with my left hand, creating an opening in his defense. Cloud was astonished for a moment, but instead of trying to unreasonably retract his shield, he just swung down his sword. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I could feel this ever since the Goblin battle, but he wasnt focusing solely on defense as he had been and was keeping attacking in mind too. It may not have been a very good development for a shielder, but as a warrior, it wasnt bad. Nowadays, he was willing to deal finishers to enemies which used to be mine and Michelles role until now. This was surely proof that he was beginning to think of a bnce between offense and defense as a warrior. I met his fake sword with my fake katana and warded it off. I rotated at the moment, and pulled my daggeralso a fakefrom my waist. Using the momentum of the rotation I mowed down his abdomen with the dagger, and then followed up with a backhanded sh from the sword again to his abdomen. They had no de so Cloud didnt suffer any injuries, but if this was a real battle, this would have been a fatal wound. Cloud, youre out. Ghh. Hearing my verdict and epting his defeat, Cloud switched to acting as a corpse. Because he was defeated, Letina switched to short-chant spells. I threw my dagger at her to interrupt her chant. Kyaa!? She bent her body and dodged the dagger that was going for her face. Im not sure what to make of it when an Adventurer squats down while covering her head, though. Well, its cute so whatever. Those thoughts shed into my mind for a moment, but I didnt stop moving during that time. I instantly closed the distance while Letina was crouched down. Michelle, of course, showered me with arrows to get in my way, but because of her urate aim, it was easy to read her. I dodged the arrows by rolling and thrust the fake katana from a low angle. I see, so its blue stripes today I mean, Letina, youre out. Where were you looking! Letina tried to fall down while holding down her skirt. But her role wasnt over for me. I grabbed her shoulders as she was falling forward and did a mad dash at Michelle. Letinas body was still childish so even I could carry her. I decided on this strategy by considering that. Michelle tried to fire restraining arrows at me, but as Letina was covering my body she stood without being able to shoot me. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) If I just went into closebat with her next, she would have no way of fighting against me. Convinced of my victory, I tried to elerate some more But my foot slipped. It seemed that my physical strength wasnt enough to fully support even Letinas weight. If my abilities were fixed, I could still have measured my physical strength and dealt with the situation appropriately. However, my body grew day by day, so the changes in my strength and body were quite tough to deal with. Even though my strength wasnt growing that much, my chest and bottom were growing, while my waist was slimming down. I couldnt keep up with those subtle changes in my body bnce. My legs werent changing in size at all, but my upper body was growing heavier. Since it was different from my assumed body bnce, I ended up tripping and fell forward. Mygaa! I got entangled with Letina in the roll, exposing myself. Because of how hard we fell, Letinas skirt got rolled up, revealing her underwear to the world to see. I was in the same state, but Michelle wasnt about to care about any of that. If she let go of this chance, she would have no hope of winning. Thus, she mercilessly showered me with arrows while I was fallen. Yah, yah! Ouch! W-Wait, I give up! Its my loss, so stop! Take this! Teyah! Wait, please just stooop! Michelle didnt hear my promation in her excitement. She shot all the arrows in her quiver at me at us. In other words, Letina also ended up taking the brunt of it. Kyaa! Michelle, theyre hitting me too!! Teyah! Teyah! Ouch! Ouch! It still hurts even if the arrowheads are cotton! S-Someone stop Michelle! In the end, we continued writhing on the ground until Cloud could no longer watch us and stopped her. In addition, the Adventurers that saw Letina and I entangled on the ground had left the training grounds with pleased expressions. Chapter 332 Now then, time for the review meeting. After rolling about on the hard ground and getting my head all dusty, we moved to the corner of the training area and started our meeting. Letina was in the same state as me, making her seem as if someone had assaulted her. I mean, she actually did get assaulted by Michelle. Michelle in question was currently sitting on her knees and reflecting on the fact that she ignored the end of the battle and kept shooting at us. Lets start with Cloud. Its not bad that you started actively attacking, but its not quite good enough. Really? Youve been all into defense until now, so this change isnt bad per se, but you have to consider the bnce. If you reflexively try to take back the shield that has been pulled from you, then you have to actually make use of it or youd just be wasting time. Back then, when I pulled his shield towards me, he reflexively tried to take it back, but then changed his mind and swung his sword, so his initial attempt ended up being a wasted action. It was better if he devoted himself to defending or used his pulled shield to push me aside. If he wanted to focus on the offense, he couldve also just let go of his shield. After all, I was his only opponent and he had strong supporters like Michelle and Letina behind him. I see. Looks like I still cant quite mix them properly. Well, ites with experience, so you just have to get used to it through trial and error. Next, Letina. Magicians being weak at closebat was a fact set in stone since the old times. The moment I was allowed to approach her, she should have prioritized taking her distance from me. She ended up reflexively counterattacking due to her unyielding nature, but I couldnt help but point out that it was a bad move. I had to properly remonstrate her actions for the futures sake. And Michelle, you had to shoot me without caring about Letinas corpse. Yeah. But I was just really reluctant to shoot you through Letina. Well, that is part of your good points. She was a kind girl by nature, so she felt an aversion towards shooting through her friends dead body. That kindness was her strong point, but in battles, it ended up being a heavy burden. And yourest Nicole. You shouldnt overestimate your physical ability so much! Ugh!? Grabbing Letina and running is just impossible for you, okay? I thought I could at least handle Letinas weight. I admit that I am light, but your way of putting it is slightly irritating. I thought I could handle Letina who still had a childish physique even with my strength. However, I was growing day by day. I was over 140 cm now, and my chest was also growing, and my buttocks were gaining roundness. My waist and limbs on the other hand were growing thinner, taking on a womanly bnce. Despite growing taller, my leg size wasnt growing at all. With my chest swelling while my legs stayed small, my center of gravity kept rising up and worsening my bnce. This might have been simr to pregnant women being unable to catch up to the changes in their body shape and bing prone to falling. My chest feels heavy as ofte, so my body bnce has turned bad. Ah, I know what you mean! Are you taking a jab at me? You are, arent you!? You sure have it nice not having to worry about it, Letina. Grrr! Hey, uh, cant you talk about that stuff when Im not present? I have been having it toughtely. You saw mine and Letinas panties, so of course you would. That was beyond my control okay!? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Cloud has been receiving tough training at the Guild by higher-ranked opponents. He often had it so tough it wouldnt be strange for him to ruin his condition, but since he had an aptitude in defense, he was handling it without problems. And despite their remarks, the Adventurers were actually quite fond of Cloud who was going along with their harsh training. In the end, they wanted to take care of a youngster that was doing his best. Well, lets leave the review meeting at that. Leaving this aside, Cortina is nning to take us to the hot spring on the weekend, so how about it? Unfortunately, I have to help with the mansion cleanup this weekend so I cante. Marquis Yowis mansion was crammed to the limit with the evacuees during the Goblin attack. The citizens were thankful for that and only left after doing some cleaning, but that mansion has many special objects in it, so there were still ces left that needed cleaning. Normally the servants would be dealing with it, but as expected, this time they were short of hands. As such, the Marquis hadmissioned Letina to clean the mansion as a personal Adventurermission. Ah, I also have to help with the delivery of goods that day I see. Michelles family were hunters. They butchered the hunted prey and turned it into meat, and sold skin and fangs at the workshop. Given the fact that Raum was situated in the forest, there was never a shortage of prey and they always had a huge stock. It was quite natural that she would get called once a month for this reason. Cloud Will peek on us so we dont need him. I w-wont do anything like that! I havent forgotten when he was instigated by Maxwell to peek at us at the training camp. Well, I knew full well how good that old man was at tempting people, but I had Finia and Cortina with me this time. I had no intention of showing their beautiful skin to that bastard. Cloud you perv. Not you too Michelle! Well, leaving the jokes aside, let me ask you just in case. Wannae along? Uhh, Lady Cortina ising too right? Yeah. I do wannae but Ill refrain. What did you imagine just now. Spill it out. I decided to give him some beating for imagining this and that about Cortina. Chapter 333 In the end, the participants in the current trip ended up being me, Cortina, Finia, and also Lyell, Maria and Fina, as well as Kabby six people and some more. While Maria was close to perfect health now, I still couldnt help but worry. Hopefully, there will be no harm if she enjoyed a hot spring cure now. Also, this was Finas joyous hot spring debut too. As a sister, I had to engrave her form in the art gallery of my heart no matter what. No matter what. For that reason, I borrowed the transcription tool from Maxwell. I was fully motivated to keep taking photographs with it for as long as my magic powersted. There was a time I thought about that too. Dear guest, um, please hold back from bringing a transcription tool inside the public bath. Figured as much. Thinking about it, theres no way theyd allow you to bring a transcription tool to a ce where women are defenselessly exposing their skin. Maria was with us too this time, so I headed to the generalrge public bath. Cortinas circumstances being what they were, she managed to reserve a beastmen bath almost exclusively for herself because there were luckily few people. That said, the inn staff wasnt making happy faces when they saw fleas floating around, so in the end, she only managed to get the sauna for exclusive use. This hot spring of the mist sauna should be plenty good enough to steam those fleas. Hey, youe too. Id be lonely on my own. Squee!? Being told that, Kabby couldnt keep on refusing, so it got obediently taken along by Cortina. Lets have her wash it thoroughly using this opportunity. Maria is going in with Fina and Finia, so why note in with daddy, Nicole? No. Why not!? Wouldnt daddy be lonely on his own? Shouldve taken Cloud along then. He seemed to have burned his crotch for some reason and passed up the opportunity this time. That sounds terrible. I answered while looking away. I mean, anyone can make a mistake in holding back. I tried to nurse him in a hurry, but Cloud resisted with all his might and tottered away. The surrounding Adventurers looked at him as if seeing something frightening. I decided to ignore a part of them that had a look of envy on their faces. Look, they need helpers with Finas bathing, so I have to do my part too. Ahh, youre such a good girl Nicolee! Lyell gave me his bear hug, which urged me to drive a punch to his liver. But his crazy tough body didnt even feel my punch. When he squeezes me like that, he has enough muscles on his chest to crush me. I really need him to learn the ability to let go of his child already, or itll get too embarrassing. While I endured the sweltering heat and punched him nonstop, Maria couldnt endure watching and offered me a helping hand. Dear, we have to get moving already or they will prepare the food before we get there. Ah right. We did ask them to take it to our room. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Lyell quickly let me go after Marias reminder. Cortina on the side seemed to be itching to grab me with her hands spread out. She was in the state of wanting to hug me but unable to. That was of course due to the fleas that have taken nest on her body. I didnt lose out to Cortina in terms of hair density. Well only in terms of head hair. Anything neck and below, I stillNo, never mind. Kh, I cant hug you now, but Ill let you fluff her in my stead okay, Finia? Then, without reservation Fwah!? I got suddenly hugged from behind and made a strange yelp. Cortina, what do you mean, fluff me? My body is not hairy. My hair is long, though. Mhh, you have gained some meat as ofte so you feel very nice to the hug. When Im out of the bath itll be my turn okay! I let Cortinas question slide with dead fish-like eyes. While my height growth was slowing down, I was still growing squishier, so they kept doing this stuff all the time. That said, Im not sure what to think of them feeling up my chest even if we were both women. Enough, you two, were going already. Mommy cant wait to go in already. Maria headed to the changing room in unusually high spirits while holding Fina. She was probably enjoying a family trip a great deal. Well,ter. Ill probably take a while. Sigh, daddy will go take a lonely dip too. Seeing Lyell totter towards the mens bath, even I started feeling sorry for him. Feeling the grief from his back, I reflexively called out to him. I-If youre that desperate Y-You will!? You cant, Lady Nicole. Its good that you are so kind, but you are no longer at an age where you should enter the mens bath. Ugh, youre right. Ghh Finia, youre a little too steadfast. Youll be more popr with guys if you act a bit more vulnerable. Finia curtly handled Lyell, but she was right that if I entered the mens bath with my current body, itd attract a lot of stares. Even if I still looked childish at parts, my body still exuded enough womanly air. Besides, if I went there, I would miss out on observing Finas first hot spring. Now that I didnt have the transcription tool on me, I had to burn it into my brain using my flesh. Cant be helped if thats the case. Later, dad. Ugh, Nicole, dont abandon me. Dont say something so sloppy. Boo-boo, is this the pathos of a father? Leaving Lyell who dropped his shoulders in dejection, I decided to head to the womens bath. There would be no end if I kept paying attention to my sulking father. You may think I was cold, but ignoring him was the best option here. Thinking about it, I sure have gotten used to entering womens baths. Id get branded as a criminal if I forgot and entered one when I revert to male form. I had to pay attention so that doesnt happen from now on. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Finia entered the changing room with me. These girls were saying I was nice to the touch, but their hugs were starting to feel just as good as ofte. Being an Elf, it seems that she was still growing bit by bit. Chapter 334 As I headed to the bath with Finia; Maria and Fina were already submerged in the water. I quickly poured water on myself and headed to their side. Maria was enjoying herself in the water while holding Fina, but Fina couldnt hide her curiosity at the vast bath she was staying in for the first time. Auu, dauu! She was iling her legs around andughing while sshing the water. Looks like she was quite a gutsy girl. And yet she was still quite shy, so I couldnt wrap my head around this. Her legs seemed to have gotten tired and this time she switched to splish-sshing with her hands. Waaph! Aauh! Wauuh! The sshes hit me as I approached near, and she seemed to find my attempts to block it fun and started sshing more relentlessly. Agh, Fina youre such a wild kid! Are you in any position to say that, Nicole? I was more docile you know? Rather than docile, you just slept all day. Dont say that. As I caught Finas hands, she started sshing with her feet next. You little! You sure are quick-witted despite being a baby. Gnnn! I snatched her from Marias hands and hugged her tight. Yeah, I might get addicted to this squishy feeling. But Fina wasnt one to obediently get hugged. She was Lyells daughter too after all. Now that her movements were sealed, she started sucking on my breasts with her mouth. Unlike that time at the training area, this was a direct hit. The stimtion was too much now. Ouch, wait Fina, it hurts when you do it directly. It hurts! It looks like she prefers your breasts over mine. Im happy about that but this is too much. I have been making some progress in my self-educationtely. This attack was a bit too stimting for me. Then Finia suddenly came and called out to me. Lady Nicole, Ill give you a thorough massage this time! Come to think of it, we gave you one before, huh? Yes, I have to have my revengeI mean, I have to show my thanks for that time. You just said revenge, didnt you? No, you misheard it. That said, I took quite a bit of damage in that fight with the Goblin Lord. Even though I warded off its ridiculous power, I still took them on, so they put a load on various parts of my body. As I headed to the bench in the corner of the washing ce, Finia and for some reason, Maria, followed me. Huh, you want one too mom? No, Im going to give you a massage too this time. Fina too, of course. Wauu! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Huh, Fina? I felt confused but once I lied down, I felt a tiny sensation on my lower back. That sensation started to slowly tap me. Ah, this Its Finas first massage to you. Looking behind, I saw that Maria had ced Fina on my back and she started pping her legs. This barely counted as a massage, but this warmed me up inside in its own way. At the same time, Finia started stretching my shoulders and arms. Huh, Lady Nicole Arent you a bit too stiff? My chest has grown heavytely. Needless to say, Maria had a bountiful chest. That means that she had experienced the shoulder stiffness caused by that stuff. She should even be familiar with how big they should be until they start making you stiff. Im a man so I wasnt frustrated or anything I definitely wasnt. While I was thinking that, Finia moved on from my shoulders to my waist area. Her breasts that periodically made contact with me felt pretty good. But then I felt goosebump-inducing chills. Mh! What is the matter? Finia questioned me as I reflexively rose up, but I decided to ignore it. My perspective ability told me that I was in imminent danger. I quickly probed around for anything that could serve as a weapon and picked up a bucket from nearby, then faced towards the bath partition and threw it. Just as someone was about to show their face from there, the bucket made an impact and dropped them down. Gwah! I heard a shriek along with the sound of something breaking. That voice was familiar to the point of being sick of it. Oh dear. Was that Lyell? Maria answered while smiling sweetly. However, she couldnt fully hide the bloodlusting from her. Rather than peeking on us, she was angry that he just destroyed Finias image of him. As you can see, every guy is a wolf, so you should be careful, Finia. I never thought I would hear that from you, Lady Nicole. I am not that defenseless! Rather, Im more vignt than an average person! I think your vignce is only directed at threats to life, Nicole. Mom, now even youre being mean!? That aside, Lyells safety was more worrisome. Maria was a specialist of healing a human body, but she was also a specialist of destroying it. What awaited him after this was definitely healing that felt so painful hed want to die. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Amen. Awuh. As I prayed with my hands together, Finas voice strangely coincided with mine, so I was a bit happy. Chapter 335 Once Cortina and Kabby got rid of the fleas and rubbed the herbs that bugs hate on their bodies, they got out of the bath. Afterward, once we all had dinner together, we had a little meeting. It wasnt about Lyells punishment, though. That had already been done. There is something I have to discuss with you, Nicole. With me? Well, not exactly with you but you arent unrted to it. It turned out that what Lyell and Maria wanted to discuss was about Michelle. As expected, it was impossible to hide her destructive powerpletely. The topic has already reached the neighboring towns. At this rate, it will spread throughout the continent within a month. That sounds Bad, doesnt it? Quite bad. Is what I would say, but influential nobles from Raum have already made a move. Influential You mean like Marquis Yowi? That person knows about prudence, so we dont have to worry about that. The problem is the other Marquis. Lichtenberg, was it? It was the Marquis that assigned the chivalric order to protect the noble district and nned to abandon themon folk. ording to the rumors, he had been doing quite malicious things for a long time. So that Marquis was trying to get hold of Michelle, huh? But she only managed that because of Whiteys support magic By Whitey, you mean the girl proiming herself to be a god? She has been targeted too of course. Cortina, who had received the most harm from him, had spit out those words. Even the peace-loving Maria didnt try to diffuse the situation this time. She certainly had magic support, but the fact that she brought out those results is considered more important. Most likely, they will start scrambling for her in the near future. I Wouldnt like that. Even if you say that Besides, the timing isnt very good. She is going to graduate from the Support Academy next year, right? Theres not much time left anymore. She has Maxwell and Cortinas backing now, so they shouldnt try to get in touch with them formally, but once she graduates and bes free, I can only imagine the worst oue. The worst oue You mean the invitation rush? Abduction, confinement, brainwashing. You have to consider all that. What!? Unlike the Magic Academy, the Support Academy didnt have a senior year. I nned to enter my senior year at the Magic Academy, but the time where Michelle had to be independent as an Adventurer was drawing near. It was September now, so she would graduate in half a year. If possible, she could leave this kingdom right after she graduates. Random nobles aside, a Marquis might be too much to handle. If that happens, Nicole has to part with her. Even if we have Cloud guard her The anxiety still remains, huh? That kid is still too inexperienced and ignorant of the ways of the world. Maria was worried about me having to part with her, while Cortina was concerned about Cloudsck of ability. Their fear was only natural. With this incident, Michelle had be the target of attention of the influential people of this kingdom. Even if Maxwell and Lyell were his backers, once she bes free, anyone would be able to make an official contract with her. The Six Heroes naturally held enough influence to defend against it, but if they did it, it would be interfering with her freedom as an individual Adventurer. It wouldnt be desirable for the Guild to leave such a precedent. Nevertheless, it was possible to force their will on them. But that would be viting the independence of Adventurers. It held a possibility of making enemies with the very principles of the Adventurers Guild. That said, the Guild people werent idiots either. They would most likely not try to carry through with such extreme reasoning, but it can be the trigger that would spread such rumors. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) And if the Six Heroes, who were being watched by influential people, were to show such a weakness It could possibly be an opening to take advantage of in some way. Smells like trouble Letina has her father Marquis Yowi, but I dont think they would try anything unreasonable, but its better to consider the worst-case scenario regarding Michelle. Nicole, you also need to resolve yourself to part with her, or otherwise, to leave Raum when that timees. Got it. I responded with a meek expression and headed to bed. At night, I erased my footsteps and left the room. I wasnt doing anything shady this time around, so I didnt erase my presence. There were things I just wanted to ponder about for a bit. Naturally, with my presence left unconcealed, Lyell and Cortina who were experienced warriors were bound to notice me. I could sense that Cortina was secretly following me from behind. I headed to the inns courtyard, sat on the garden stone and looked up at the sky. Should I progress into the higher year, or should I leave the kingdom with Michelle? I would be forced to make a choice in half a year. When I thought about that, I just couldnt fall asleep. What to do Are you worried? Cortina stopped hiding and came to sit next to me. Since I was already aware of her presence, I didnt act surprised. Yeah. As expected. Your dream was to progress into the higher year, right? Well, yeah. But youre still worried, right? Yeah. Wait, think about it again, me. Why was I trying to enter the higher year? That was To learn Polymorph spell. But I had already seeded in that in a way. I could substitute it for as long as the supply of scrolls kepting from Aste. I see There was no need to even think about it. Did you find your answer? I can aim for my goal wherever I am, but I can only go on adventures with Michelle if we are together. So you are nning to leave the city once you graduate from the elementary grade? Cortina gently hugged me and patted my head at my words. You cane back anytime you want no matter what time it is, you hear? You can even choose to stay. You are Marias daughter, which makes you my daughter too. If its for you, I dont mind turning the Guild into my enemy. Its okay. If I am to be a genuine Adventurer, its already a good time to leave the city. And Michelles willes first. I see. We havent asked whether she would leave or not. Dear me, I went and decided everything ahead of time. Cortina poked her tongue yfully. However, I was convinced of it. Michelle would most likely leave the city. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) In that city, there were not just us but her parents too. She would hate to do something that would cause trouble to them. Lets return already. Dad and others might be getting worried already. Oh, so you knew that Lyell had noticed you too. I am the eyes of my party. I can sense that much. Your intuition has always been good, Nicole. She said that while pping her hands lightly, and then we returned back to our room. Chapter 336 Unlike the dinner, we headed to the inns cafeteria to eat breakfast. When we showed our faces there the next morning, the ce was filled with strange rustling. Whats going on? Lyell promptly sensed the strange mood and quickly went to ask people about it. It was probably my imagination that his walking looked a bit unsteady. I wanted to think that it wasnt the after-effects of Marias punishment. I didnt want to imagine the kind of punishment thatd leave damage on THAT Lyell. Meanwhile, Maria left the seat and quickly ordered meals for everyone. The harmony of their actions could be said to havee from their long time spent together. Cortina looked at those two with a somewhat envious expression. Envious? Huh? Well, yeah. A bit. I cant imagine myself bing like that. Really? I agree with Nicole. You can be unexpectedly devoted. Get off my case! The topic seemed to have been embarrassing for her, her face was beet-red. She was quite prone to get shy when dealing with herrades. She was extremely adorable like that from my perspective. Nhehe. She quickly picked up Kabby who had reached her feet and put it on my head. Kabby had been growingtely, so it was a bit tough to keep it on my head. Fugyu. Kyahaha, daauu. Fina started hitting me as I was being crushed next to where Maria sat. Her hands were covered with drool and made my cheeks all sticky. Ugh, youre so mean Fina. Youre the big sister here, so you should handle that much. Maria offered me a handkerchief whileughing. I took it and wiped the drool, but now Kabby started licking me. It was probably trying to clean the drool from me, but it was having the opposite effect. While doing that, Lyell came back. His expression wasnt severe, but instead a quizzical one as if he had heard something strange. Wee back. So whats going on? Well, it seems like there was a big rocky mountain to the northwest from here, but it had copsed in one night. ording to what he said, it turned out that it was the mountain where Den used to live. Besides, Den had been witnessed there sometimes, so people rarely approached it. But it was so big that it was a goodndmark inside the deep forest so it had been quite discussed. Arge boulder inside a deep forest that could serve as andmark was quite a valuable thing. And such a huge boulder crumbling down soundlessly overnight had be a hot topic. Soundlessly, huh? This is clearly someones doing. Among us, Maxwell is most likely the one that could do it. But hes been busy with the settlement of the city affairs. I dont think hed be able to have time for that now. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Though we managed to keep the harm from the Goblin raid to the minimum, the residential area had been damaged and the barricades needed to be disposed of and so did the corpses. Maxwell had been tasked with dealing with that andmanding the situation. Nobles might have nominated Cortina, but part of the nobles have given tyrannical orders, so they couldnt butt in so much considering their standpoint. Then, though it depends on the size of the mountain, maybe you could do it, Dear? Itd be impossible even for me to soundlessly destroy a big enough boulder that served as andmark. Maybe Reid has some ace up his sleeve. No way. Huh? Its nothing. I ended up retorting to Lyells overestimation of me. I was certainly more versatilepared to him, but I havent abandoned my humanity yet. As I sat prostrated due to Kabbys weight, Fina energetically reached out to me. She was probably aiming to hug Kabby who was on my head. Maria put her on top of Kabby, squashing me even more. Gugyu. Aauh! Dauu! She hugged Kabby with all her strength and started pping her legs in happiness. That meant she was kicking me in the neck and shoulders. Ah, that actually feels good. Keep going, Fina. Nicole, you sound like an old woman, you know? Kabby misunderstood my happiness from Finas movements and started kicking my head. Sorry, but you got it wrong. That part isnt stiff. Leaving that aside. The copsed site is so tough that you cant dig a hole there with shovels even if you tried. Oh? Not just that, you cant even drill a hole with a Tunnel spell, and even acid cant melt it. What the, sounds scary. But hearing that much, I could already imagine whose deed it was. It was definitely Whiteys doing. She probably found out that ce was the source of the Goblin Lord and sealed it as a preventive measure. But I couldnt help but point out that her shy way of dealing with it had ended the whole thing on a poor endgame. Still, that Whitey did some work this time. As I mumbled to myself, I pinned Kabbys paws that were still hitting my head. Maria pulled Fina away next and Kabby was taken along with her. Conveniently, the food arrived just then. While feigning ignorance at Whiteys deed, we enjoyed a rxing breakfast for the first time in a while. Chapter 337 Yesterday it felt like we had exclusive use of the ce, but there were apparently other guests around today. Given that there were other eyes around, Finia had entered the sauna together with Cortina to help her. She wrapped towels on her head and tail to block any path of retreat for the fleas and then shut herself in the sauna to steam those bugs. Fleas could live in up to around 60C temperatures, so the saunas steam that reached near 100C was too much for them to handle. She continued the cycle of entering several times to eliminate any surviving fleas, and then leave and use a hairbrush to brush down the eggs and dead fleas, and then go in once again As entering a high-temperature sauna so frequently could be dangerous, we were constantly around to keep her condition in check. Normally, that would be Marias job, but she had her hands full of Fina now. It was practically impossible for Lyell to take care of Fina. His personality was too rough, for better or worse. Once he dropped me into the bath and grabbed me by the legs and dragged me out upside down. Since then, Maria didnt put any hope in him handling childcare. Leaving that aside Ugyuu You dont have to force yourself to follow us, you know? Lady Nicole, II brought water! As expected I got knocked down by the sauna heat. Finia rushed out to get the water while Cortina waved a towel at me to provide some wind. She was using the towel I wore. She couldnt remove her own, after all. In other words, I was buck naked now. Still, I never thought I would see the day when you became healthy enough to get a suntan, Lady Nicole. The height of summer had already passed and the swimming practices were over, but the traces of the tan from then still remained with me. It was certainly unthinkable during the time at the vige for me to get well enough to swim to the point of getting a tan like this. Im fine, but what about you Cortina? Yeah, I brushed my hair earlier and it seems like most of them are gone. It should take two-three more times to get rid of thempletely. Thats good. Ill be using your tail as a scarf from now on after all. Hey, can you stop wrapping my tail in the winter? The way she puffed her cheeks made it hard to imagine that she was the same person thatmanded the battle the other day so resolutely. But please listen to me for a moment. Her fluffiness was out of this world. Honestly, Id want to feel it up whenever Im in my male form, but I bet shed hate that. Just touching her ears made her embarrassed after all. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) In the end, after repeating this cycle several times, Cortina managed to get rid of the fleaspletely and we returned to Raum. As we returned to Raum, we headed home while being overwhelmed by the strange mood of the city. Itcked liveliness and there seemed to be fewer pedestrians around. And some of the food stalls couldnt be seen. Maria, Fina, and Lyell returned to the vige right away, so they werent here. Hmm? Cortina pulled the letter stuck in her door and checked it. Inside was a notice that the Magic Academy had been closed. Come again? Huh, whats wrong? It says the academy is closed. Huuuuuhhh?! Finia and I yelled in shock. We thought Cortina had finally lost her job. So youre unemployed now, Cortina? They havent closed it down eternally you know!? It seems that some illness has spread around so theres a danger that the damages would grow worse if the sses were to be held. Oh, meh. What do you mean meh! Cortina grabbed my head and started rubbing my temples with her fists. I couldnt resist so I just screamed and fell prostrated on the spot. Kabby, who was going to start living back in Cortinas home once again, jumped on my back. It was quite busy too, having to go back and forth between this ce and the northern vige. When Maria was feeling bad, Kabby was dispatched to take over caring for Fina. Still, an epidemic still showed itself after all, huh? Have you expected this to happen? Well, yeah, so many of those Goblins got into the city. They were unclean and getting rid of their corpses also took time. I did tell them to be careful about hygiene but still Even if she did, how many people actually heed that advice during their elevated feelings was another matter. You could say that this epidemic was a natural oue. Oh right, Ill go hand out the souvenirs. Michelle and Letinas ce huh? Would be good to check how they are doing too. Take care. Cortina waved me goodbye as I decided to rush to my friends right away. I had Clouds share too by the way, but Cortina seemed to have forgotten about him. I knocked on the neighboring house of Michelle and the auntie showed her face. However, her expression seemed to be quite worn out. Hellow, um I brought souvenirs Also, is something the matter? Ah, is it you, Lady Nicole? Thank you for always. Well, Michelle has fallen a little sick. Unfortunately, she cante to see you now. Michelle has? Yes, she caught the illness thats spreading now. She has a somewhat high fever and cant put strength into her body. I see Would it be possible to check on her? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I nned to give up if she was sleeping, but I asked just in case. However, the answer that came was more serious than I imagined. Its better to refrain from that. This illness seems to infect people quite aggressively. Michelle wouldnt want to infect you, Lady Nicole. Isee. Then I will leave for today. Im sorry for not receiving you aftering here. Not at all. Please tell her to take care of herself and get well soon. I will. You are very kind, Lady Nicole. She waved and closed the door. It felt like she didnt want to let the air from the outside enter as much as possible. Next, I headed to Letinas mansion in the noble district to hand out the next souvenir. There was a gate guard at the entrance to the noble district, but since I was always going in and out with Letina, I was getting practically a free pass. However, I ended up turned away at the door even there. The youngdy had ruined her health after this times turmoil. Is that so Oh right, heres the souvenir. Is it the rumored illness? When I thought of how I was having fun in the hot spring while Michelle and Letina were suffering from the epidemic, it made me feel kinda guilty. She was a high-ranking noble, so the unlikely event would probably not happen, but I had to pay attention. I then headed to the orphanage next, nning to hand Cloud his souvenir too, but Ah, Nicole! What the, youre looking quite healthy there. Thats an awful way to put it. But since you said that, I assume you already know about Michelle and Letina. Yeah, I heard they have quite bad fevers. Low-lying parts of the city seem to be suffering from theck of fever medicine so the mood has deteriorated quite a bit. Half of the orphanage kids are also confined to beds. That sounds really bad! The sisters also have a very busy time. I took on a request to collect Millud leaves but I didnt manage to make it in time. Millud leaves were evergreen nts that were used for alleviating fever. The highway side was dotted with them, so you could collect them rtively safely. The newbie or child Adventurers took on the requests to collect them and made some pocket money. However, with so many ill people showing up, their numbers couldnt catch up at all. Instead of Millud leaves, maybe we may need actual medicine here? I came to that conclusion after hearing Clouds story. Chapter 338 It had been three days since we returned to Raum. And yet neither Michelle nor Letinas fever showed any signs of dropping. Not just that the infection rate was only growing worse throughout the town. The new patients kept showing up while the recovering ones hardly did. The Adventurers Guild naturally viewed this as a problem and issued urgentmissions to gather Millud leaves that could reduce fever, but even that wasnt able to catch up to the rate. Actually, I suppose its better to say they simply had a shortage of hands as even Adventurers started to suffer from the illness. But for some reason, Cloud and I were able to move normally. Well, I guess I should think of this as good luck. At any rate, well be needing fever medicine. Today, as usual, we headed into the forest to search for Millud leaves. There were also trees along the highway to consider, but they were already picked clean. Since they werent enough, newbies started getting injured for heading into the forest for them. The two of us were used to walking in the forest so there was no such danger, but we were troubled with the amount we could collect. Since my physical strength was quite low, I couldnt take too much with me. Maybe I should have put a bag on Kabby and have it act as a transport already? Squee!? After growing so much, it could no longer stay on my head. As such, it was loitering near my feet now. But the moment I raised the subject of having it carry luggage, it started shaking its head in a really reluctant manner. You bastard, do you n to just keep growing fatter? If you do that The receptionist wouldnt let it go. What does she have to do with this? That person wants to hug everything that looks cute. That reminds me, I got seized by her a few times too. The Guild Master intervened when she tried to take me home, but a new door might have opened for me if she was allowed to do it. Still, our problem of the amount is still a fact. Cant you do it with enchant? Its time-limited so Generally, magic-based strengthening didntst very long. After all, these spells werent made with longsting conditions like the Cargo spell that Maxwell used. And there was the burden on the body to consider too. In proportion to how much power beyond yourself you gained, there was an appropriatepensation to pay. I learned a good lesson after I ruined myself when I didnt know any of that. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) We cant really bring a card in a forest Ah, found one. Cloud discovered a Millud tree and promptly started plucking off the leaves that he could reach, cramming them into his bag. I followed after him, but there were hardly any ces someone as short as me could reach. In the end, I ended up having to climb the tree due to my agility. Listen now, Cloud. If you look up, Ill make sure you wont be able to leave any descendants. Master, arent you a bit too cruel to me sometimes!? Since it was just the two of us today, Cloud switched to calling me master. I didnt feel bad being called that, so I couldnt deny that I was getting carried away a bit. As I nimbly climbed up, I noticed Cloud stealing nces from below as I expected, so I broke a branch and threw it at him. Climbing with a skirt on wasnt a good idea just as I thought. Be that as it may, I continued gathering the leaves but left enough so they wont get depleted and then checked the surroundings. Overlooking from a high ce was the basics of scouting. After climbing up as high as I could and overlooking the surroundings again, I saw that there were still Millud trees in the vicinity. Other than that, I also saw the river that flowed from the north, and it reminded me of lunch. Ah, right, its lunchtime soon. Cloud, theres a river over there, so lets have lunch there. Okay, got it. Also, Iming down so dont peek. I know I shouldnt but I cant help it. Ill kill you. With that, I ended up giving Cloud some burns just before lunch. Even if we called it lunch, we couldnt make anything that borate. We were near the city too, so we could always return during meals too. However, we wanted to secure as much of the fever medicine as possible, so we just brought bread, cheese, and tomatoes. If I heated up this bread and put cheese and tomatoes in it, itd serve as a good enough lunch. Also, since we were lighting a fire, we needed water to extinguish it too. Cloud, make a stove and light it up. On it. I made preliminary arrangements by slicing bread and tomatoes. The tomatoes were fully ripe so they had turned extremely soft. They were so soft that running the knife on them was enough to crush them. Praise the God of Destruction. I tool out my osciting dagger and spoke the keyword. The dagger that was fixed to my hand with threads was able to bisect the soft tomato without trouble. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Good. Good, you say The one who made that dagger is probably crying now, you know? Its okay,theywere probably using it for simr things. Theres no one whod use a magic tool like that as a kitchen knife recement. If its that Whitey, shed easily do something like that. However, Cloud, who had never met her, wouldnt know. We warmed up the bread on the stove, then put cheese and tomatoes in it and a simple sandwich was ready. Ahh, I wanna eat meat. Bringing meat would be extra luggage so I didnt bring it. Well be back by evening anyway. Meat is like, the source of power. Now you sound like Michelle. Good griefFuh! I threw my dagger towards the nearby grass. There was a small animal called a dormouse that was probably attracted by the smell of the heated bread. It was arge mouse the size of a cat, and it was edible. There, you can cook and eat that if you want. Ohh, as expected of you Master! Your survival skills are on another level. Cloud grabbed the dormouse in high spirits and took it to the riverside to butcher it. While gazing at his back with a sigh, I bit into the warm sandwich. Itd take him a while to butcher it, so maybe I should lie down and rest for a bit. Just as I was considering that, Cloud returned while holding something. Master, whats this? In his hand was a small soaked bag. Chapter 339 What Cloud brought back was something that I couldnt really figure out. Inside of it was some weird mucus and it was submerged in the river. What is this No idea. But it might be something bad. Huh, why? With those words, Cloud dropped the bag. His face turned pale all of a sudden and his body seemed to be in a pretty bad condition too. W-What happened!? My body feels numb He copsed forward before he finished his sentence. I quickly caught it before he hit the ground, but his body was burning up. Wait Did you contract the illness?! Michelle, who was being tortured by high fevers, shed into my mind. Cloud was showing the same symptoms. But why so suddenly He didnt show any signs of it until just a while ago. As I was thinking that, my gaze fell on the cloth bag at my feet. Cloud said it was submerged in the river. That same river flowed into the city and it was the source of water for the citizens. What if someone put poison into that river? And that poison was this bag? Kabby, cast Antidote on Cloud! Kyuu! Understanding my intention, Kabby quickly detoxified Cloud. Soon, Clouds condition visibly improved. But that wouldnt restore his lost stamina, so he couldnt stand up properly. U.Uah Cloud, are you awake? IWhy Keep lying for some time. You discovered something very important. Wha? The cloth bag that you found was probably poisoned. And that poisoned river water flowed into the city. Then Yeah, Michelle and others should get better with this. Well, only if this was the only poison bag they left. I was thinking that but didnt voice it. This mucus-like thing was definitely poison. But it would have gotten dissolved in water quickly enough and disappeared. In other words, it was put there very recently, which meant that the culprit woulde again after a while. This time, I was starting to get mad. If possible, I wanted to catch the culprit and hand them over to the authorities. I see. Thats good. Can you stand? If not, Ill lend you my shoulder. Yeah, probably Not. He tried to get up but copsed again. It seemed that he still couldnt put strength into his limbs. Couldnt me him. He touched the undiluted solution of what poisoned hundreds of citizens with bare hands. Come, Ill lend you my shoulder. Sorry, but you have to hang on. We need to bring this information back as fast as possible. Got it. After putting the cloth bag inside my water pouch, I went to lend Cloud a shoulder. Or more like, I was practically carrying him. Since the culprit put the poison here, there was no knowing when he would return. It would be almost impossible for Cloud to put up a fight against them in this condition. I wanted to get him out of this ce as fast as possible. Clouds powerless body was heavier than I expected, and he was also tall, so I was feeling oppressed as he leaned on me. His limp arms slipped from my shoulders and touched my breasts, but I had no leeway to scold him for that. Cloud didnt have the energy to enjoy it either. We finally made it back a few hours past noon. The outward journey took us two hours, but it took more than double that. As I made it to the gate, the strength left me and I copsed. The gate guard rushed to my side when he saw that. We wereing and going all the time, so we were all acquaintances. It was natural that he got worried when I copsed like that. Hey, whats the matter!? F-Finally Made it I have seen you copse a lot Nicole, but its very rare for Cloud to be in that state. As the gate guard said in surprise, I told him to call Cortina at once. Huh, Lady Cortina? Why? The epidemic had developed into a big problem for this city. If the cause became known, the method of curing it could also be discovered. We detoxified Cloud, but we couldnt do that for every single person suffering from it. It would be faster to distribute an antidote. For that reason, we needed to ascertain what kind of poison it was. Unfortunately, I didnt have the skills necessary for that, but Cortina and Maxwell might be able to do it. We were carried inside the guard post and another guard rushed to notify Cortina. Meanwhile, Cloud wasid on the bed, where he lost consciousness and slept. He was probably pushing himself with willpower alone to walk here. Seeing that he was breathing calmly, I felt relieved for the time being. A simple detoxification spell seemed to have done the job. Among the poisons, there were some that could only be cured with high-level detoxification spells. It was a blessing that this poison wasnt one of those types. Then, after I rested for a bit, Cortina came rushing while out of breath. Finia also followed behind her. They were probably worried about me, huh. And then, I started talking to Cortina about the poison that was set up. Chapter 340 I spoke of the events that transpired in the forest to Cortina and Finia who had rushed to the guard post. Cloud was lying on the bed and had once again fallen asleep. Even if I was lending him my shoulder, waking to the city had used up all his stamina. So, this thing is it? Yeah. Looking at the water pouch where I put the cloth bag, Cortina said with a frown. She couldnt touch it directly, so she hadnt confirmed the insides. Sorry, but can we continue this talk in Maxwells mansion? That would actually be wiser. Maxwell could use detoxification spells. I already confirmed that Kabby could do it too, but the poison was strong enough to weaken Cloud, who was so energetic, in a moment. It might have had some side effects. It would be reassuring for Maxwell who had mastered all kinds of spells to be by our side. Is Maxwell not aware of this? Weve sent a messenger, but it would be faster if we go there ourselves. Then, we have to take Cloud along. Right. We never know what might happen if its an unknown poison. They might not be able to handle it at a guard post. With Cortinas words, the guards put Cloud on the stretcher and carried him. Her dependability spiked up with the previous incident. As such, the guards were cooperating out of their own initiative. Sorry, but please be fast. The situation might turn urgent at any moment. Yes, please leave it to us! Can you let this girl ride along too? You should know how bad Nicoles stamina is. Well yes. Im really reluctant though. The guards gave a ready consent to Cortinas request, but I was pretty displeased for being used as a reference. I was dissatisfied, but I did actually copse in front of the guard, plus they were going to carry me to Maxwells mansion, so I had no reason to deny it. Maxwell met us as we were carried to his mansion. He had just received the notice and was about to head out to the guard office. When he saw Cortina show up without a notice, he realized that the situation was urgent and readily led us inside. Sorry, but the rest of you should wait in the other room. I shall provide tea. Yes sir, we understand the situation. That goes for you too, little Finia. Understood. Please call me if you need anything. If this illness spreading throughout the city was a man-made cmity, then it would lead to a question of who exactly caused it. If that happened, there would be topics that were better to discuss in close-circle for the sake of settlement and retribution. For that, too, it was better for them not to be present now. Maxwell made this decision while considering all that. So then This is the aforementioned bag? Yes. Given how Cloud helplessly copsed on the spot, its probably quite a strong poison. So they dissolved it into the river and the citizens that came in contact with it became ill, huh. It is natural that an undiluted solution would cause that. Actually, the thing inside looked like mucus. Isnt it strange? Hmm? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) If you put mucus inside water, it would dissolve right away. Forget half a day, it wouldnt take more than a few hours. The illness inside the city had been going on for over a week now. If they didnt periodically rece it, it would go away right away. It does sound very inefficient. Was there anyone nearby? There wasnt. They didnt shadow us on the way back either. Fortunately, Cloud appeared there when they were not looking I suppose. Hes pretty unlucky Or is this considered lucky? As Cortina said, Cloud seemed to be prone to get rolled up into troubles. But thanks to that, we found out that the spreading illness was due to poison. And we also got our hands on the key to the solution, so his achievements were big. If we dispatch the guards No, they would be at a disadvantage. Right. They are all heavily armed, so they arent suited for an ambush. Having said that, we cannot ignore them either. For the time being, I will have Mateus be on the lookout there. Stealth Gift holders would be so useful in times like these. Reid was the same. But you exploited him the most. I-I am aware of it! Cortina puffed her cheeks a bit, but I was aware that she would have never given me pointless orders. I wouldnt be holding that against her after all this time. After joking a bit and calming the mood down, Maxwell opened the water pouch and carefully removed the contents. A cloth bag? They most likely used this to adjust the rate of dissolution in the water. The bag doesnt appear to be anything special. A normal linen one. As for the contents Hmm? Pale green mucus. Rather, is it gtine? No, that does not seem to be the case. Maxwell immediately denied Cortinas assumption. He furrowed his brows and moved his fingers a bit and formed a magic circle. What he invoked was the Purify spell. Why If you erase the poison there would be no evidence left. I would not make such a blunder. More importantly, this is a highly toxic thing It is part of a Disease Slime. Slime? So thats why it was dissolving so slowly. It spreads a disease that infects humans just by a touch. If its a strong individual, they can even spread it through the atmosphere. It does not have a core so it should not be able to move voluntarily, but they used its aptitude to attack the city. So thats why you used Purify? I do not think it can spread airborne infection, but just in case. So, there was a risk that Cortina and I would have caught it too if he didnt do that? If we leave it be, whoever discovered it would get infected by the virus.. Quite a nasty situation were in. For the time being, we discovered the cause. It seems that not just detoxification, it also needed a spell called Cure Disease. Maxwell quickly let the city magicians know that and they spread out to deal with the situation. At the same time, he ordered the inspection of the riverside. If it wasnt someone extraordinary, they would not be able to escape. In a few days following that, the epidemic that had been filling the city had died down as if it had been a lie. Chapter 341 It had been three days since we discovered the poison. Since then, the citizens had started recovering in the blink of an eye and the city was on its way to regaining its usual bustle. Michelle and Letinas fevers also went down, and the auntie had also regained her spirit. Having said that, they were still waiting and watching their conditions, so they werent stepping outside just yet. Still, its strange that I didnt catch it. Hmm, thats whats bothering you? During breakfast, I asked Cortina something that has been bothering me a bit. Finia was also attending, but it wasnt something I couldnt ask in her presence. I mean, look, its not something to boast about, but my bodys pretty frail, right? Yeah, you really cant boast about that. Dont poke fun at me now, Cortina. Anyway, despite that, its strange that I didnt get ill. It has been several days since I returned to the capital. During that time, I drank the water over and over. Despite that, neither Finia and Cortina, nor I have gotten sick. I found this strange. But Cortina responded as if she found it in no way strange. You took the Queen Blossom nectar, dont you remember? And then you kissed us to extract magic power out of you. UhT-That happened, huh? That nectar is apparently good for fending off the viruses. ording to Maxwell. Oh huh. And so, since we used to kiss you, we also gained your immunity. Thats why only our family didnt contract it. Then, what about Cloud? We had that immunity from the start, but it wasnt the same with Cloud. Moreover, that guy didnt leave this city, so the virus should have affected him far more. There are quite a lot of people who didnt get sick. We can assume that those people have resistance to it for whatever reason. That whatever reason is what Im trying to find out here. It wouldve made things easier if we could do that. Cortina sighed with her hands spread. She was, in the end, a strategist and not a doctor or a healer. It was natural that she wouldnt know. But if we learn why Cloud was fine, we could use it as a strategy for a simr incident in the future. Ill go check in on Michelle and Cloud for a bit. Fine, but be careful, okay? While the illness had passed, that didnt mean that it had gotten eradicated. The one who made this scheme hasnt shown his face either. As I headed to convalescent Michelle, Cortina warmed me of the danger of contagion. And the possibility that the culprit may target me. However, if what she said was true, the virus of the Disease Slime would have no effect on me. It should be fine to check on her. And maybe Ill also ask Cloud if he has any idea. Michelle was sleeping powerlessly in her bed. Her illness was already gone, but her lost stamina hasnt returned yet. It was simr to how Cloud couldnt move after detoxification. Thank you for always bothering to drop by. Not at all. Were neighbors, after all. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Auntie from Michelles house offered me a drink with those words. I sat next to Michelle as I sipped on the tea and watched her sleeping face. I was wholeheartedly d that she was okay. The auntie pulled a chair and sat next to me. She would normally quickly leave the room, so this was unusual. Do you need anything from me? No, well Lady Nicole, have you been involved with strange people? Strange people? Mateus and Maxwell were the first ones to sh into my mind from that question. However, Maxwell was a given, but Mateus was also known to be serving under him. If it were those two, Auntie wouldnt call them strange. I mean, a strange man had been visiting Lady Cortinas house. House? What kind of a guy? Well, they werent someone with any conspicuous features be it height or face, and they didnt leave an impression on me. Hmm? There was one more man that frequented Cortinas house. The other me. However, Reids appearance was characteristic in a way. Ruffled hair and ck coat to blend easily into darkness. And also the sturdy gauntlets on hands. He just had to leave an impression. Uhh, I dont think I have any clue. Is that so? Still, please be careful. You have been growing very beautifultely. I wonder if I should be happy or sad about it Even if I grow pretty as a woman, that wouldnt lead to my actual goal. I got the gist of that man from the aunty and took my leave from their house. There was no danger to her life, so staying any longer would just burden Michelle. I will consult Maxwell and Cortinater about the man. While I was on my way to Clouds home, a small figure blocked my way. It was a familiaror well, maybe not that familiar, but stillfigure. It has been a while. d to see you in good health. Cant be more barefaced. Didnt we just meet during the Goblin battle? The White God who tended to help me out for whatever reason stood before my eyes. However, that was convenient for me now. I had things to ask of her. We cant talk here, so how about we go somewhere where we can be alone? Guhehe. I dont mind. But whats thatugh? I reflectively covered my chest and turned away. This is what youd call getting chills. Seeing me like that, the God of Destruction nodded in satisfaction. What? No, I was just d that you were growing well as a woman. Thats not something good! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) The two of us strolled towards the park. The fact that the passersbys gazes were focusing on us was a natural oue. I was apparently a famed beauty in this city, and this White God was also Despite looking younger than me now, the mysterious aura she was letting out was not losing out to me. It was a mystery why she was always wearing a cor though. So, there was something you wanted to ask me, right? Yeah, a few things First, about the boulder in the north. Youre the one who destroyed and sealed it, right? Thats right. You knew that there was a Ley Line there right? Yeah. When I nodded, she voiced her admiration. Hoh. What is it? So just like Den mutated due to the Ley Line power, the Goblin also received its power? Now that I think of it, that Goblin Lord Lord or not, it was unbelievably strong. No, bing a Goblin Lord was already considered a mutation, so it was hard to imagine that it mutated even further. That Goblin Lord had be a lord, but it had mutated even further. That is because of their ecology. The Goblin Lord that had mutated due to the Ley Line power started eating the other Goblins that had also received the Ley Line influence, so it caused an excess mutation. The Goblin Lord ate its group members that had multiplied too much and kept it in check. And by eating them, it mutated a second time And that strength was the result. I see. Then thest question. Whats the reason behind Cloud not bing sick? You are talking about the Slime virus, yes? It flowed into the city in a considerably diluted state, so it had little effect on people withparatively strong lifeforce. Given that Cloud is a shielder, he has his stamina. So that was the reason? As for Michelle, despite everything, shes still a child, after all. And Letina is racially weak towards illnesses. Then one more. Didnt you say it wasst? It just increased. Not that I had an exact number in mind. Well, alright then. Theres been a lot of secret maneuvers recently, but who was the one behindying that poison? I havent found that out just yet. Even Gods arent omnipotent and omniscient. Youre useless when it counts the most. Hearing my jeer, she got pissed and threw punches my way. I lightly dodged them and ran from ce to ce. That day, a rumor was spread in the city that unbelievably pretty sisters were witnessed having innocent fun at the park. Chapter 342 After running around all over the park, the God of Destruction and I copsed on the grass. I found it suspicious that she was keeping up despite the fact that my stamina shouldve been higher But it turned out the bastard was using the Cargo spell. No fair. We exchanged weak blows while beingpletely worn out, but the surrounding gazes started to hurt so we decided to break up for now. I nned to go to Cloud to talk to him, but after getting the truth out of Whitey, there was no longer a need for that. I wanted to check on Letina too, but she was Marquis daughter. And I was the Heroes Daughter. If I showed up at their doorstep too often, it could give some people unwanted doubts, so I was visiting her mansion only when necessary. It may seem cold-hearted, but I was doing it for her sake. There was no need to visit Cloud anymore, and I couldnt visit Letina. Having nothing else to do, I decided to return home. And once I entered an alley with scarce traffic, I stopped my feet. Who is it? I know youre following me. I have felt someone behind me ever since I left the park. I confirmed through a window ss several times already, so I have already seen their appearance. They wore dark clothing probably not to stand out. Having realized that I noticed him, one man walked out from the corner. He didnt look exactly withered away, but he was still slim and tall. He wore a ck coat and had ruffled hair, and also wore bulky gauntlets. It was a figure of a man I was very familiar withthe me of past life. Hey, could you be Nicole? After all, I was standing right here. The one before my eyes was someone pretending to be me. Perhaps he was the suspicious person that Auntie was referring to. He asked around for information, then took on my form who used toe and go in the house and targeted the residentsIn other words, either Cortina or me. Was that his goal? How could you tell? Is there any reason to answer to someone whos disguised? I wish you trusted people more. You were a cheerful and obedient kid ording to the rumors. He spread his hands and approached me as if to show that he was defenseless. When he was already two meters in front of me, I quickly reached out to the katana on my wait and shed at him. It bore fruit that I was walking armed inside the city after the Goblin invasion, since the city order has been a mess since. And the man standing before me was someone who didnt know I was Reid and at the same time knew how I looked, and nned toe into contact with Cortina while hiding his identity. I had no duty to go easy on him. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) It was a sh from the sheathed state that was characteristic of katanas. You could use the scabbard as a guideline for the de, so you could focus all your physical ability on the sword speed. By flipping the sword tip with the mouth of the sheath, I could sh faster than my limits allowed. As the guy was approaching me as I shed, he waspletely in my two-meter attack range. It was a perfect surprise attack aimed at his neck. However, the man bent backward and dodged that attack. While I wasnt using any strengthening, it was still an attack an average person couldnt have dodged. In other words, this man was quite good. Wow, dont sh at me so suddenly. Thats dangerous. Shut up. The fact that youre taking that form pisses me off. Oh, are you jealous now that your guardian has been stolen from you? Youre just a fake! As the man spoke impudently, I put my hand in my pocket and pulled out a piano wire that I carried on me. I attacked right as I pulled it out. As the thread flew at his neck while he was bent back, this time he dodged it by dropping down. I then thrust my katana over him. However, it ended up piercing the ground instead of the man. Despite standing in front of him, I didnt know how he managed to dodge it. Still, he was right next to me. I knew that much, so I reflexively flew my thread towards his neck and coiled it around. The thread coiled around his neck and just as I pulled on itIt got untied. What!? It happened again. He was in front of my eyes, but I didnt understand how he removed it. Surprised by the opponents mysterious evasion ability, I quickly took my distance. Honestly, this was a disgrace. I failed to deal any damage. That surprised me. So you can even use threads? Who are you? Wont you get it if I say, Reid? Just drop that poor act already. I red at the man with bloodlust. If I left this guy be, Cortina could mistake him for me and fall into some trap. Ohh, scary scary. Oh well. My name is Kufar. Lets get along. I see, Ill remember it! Yes, so will I. A thread-user It stimtes my unpleasant memories! We yelled at each other with hostility. I nned to go for another exchange and stepped ahead, but he quickly widened the distance once again. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) He jumped back and swung his arm, while I also flew my thread at the same time. The thread that I sent as a sh uratelynded on his body, but the reaction was too dull. It was not a fatal wound. And then, some kind of liquid came flying at me from his hand, but I dodged it by rolling. It sshed on the walls and the ground and raised white smoke, melting the stone. Acid!? Just where was he hiding that? No, actually, those gauntlets were perfect for hiding such things. It wouldnt be strange if it had a built-in function for releasing acid. I did a roll and stood up, and looked towards the man while vignt of a follow-up. But by that time, the man had once again disappeared at the street corner. Just who was that guy Anyway, it seemed impossible for me to handle this matter alone. And if I left it be, it could endanger Cortina. Her alertness would bepletely gone in front of my appearance. I couldnt speak to her about it directly, however. She could even misunderstand that I had a deathmatch with actual Reid. In that case I guess I can only talk to Maxwell about it. In the end, I seem to have found a ce I had to go above anywhere else. Chapter 343 I headed right to Maxwell and reported what just happened. When he heard that, he started frowning. An enemy pretending to be Reid, huh. It seems yet another oddball has shown up He probably saw me going in and out of Cortinas house and disguised himself as me. He sounded quite young. Maxwell was aware of how dangerous this situation was. He knew me, so he knew to be vignt of that enemy, but Cortina didnt, so she might drop her guard ande into contact with the enemy pretending to be me. Was it such a perfect disguise? Yeah, I can guarantee it. Even I might not tell it apart. Do you know if they used magic to disguise themselves? Magic I didnt consider that. When I exchanged blows with him, I felt an ufortable feeling over and over. When I thought I had him for sure, he managed to escape. If he was disguised simrly to how I did with the illusion ring, him escaping my attacks could be exined by the stature differences. Still It doesnt feel right somehow. Are you saying it wasnt an illusion? The thread I swung at him at the end managed tond on him even if it felt a bit dull. But that part bothers me. Does something not feel right? There was a reaction. But it was not the feeling of cutting flesh.. Hearing my impression, Maxwell started pondering while brushing his beard. There are several possibilities. One is that the enemy wasnt a human. Meaning? For example, they were using a familiar. Ive never heard of a humanoid familiar. I did not say they used it directly. They might have cast an illusion on it. Oh? I pondered about Maxwells opinion. Since it didnt feel like flesh, it must have been something else. For example If it was something with long fur, like a longhair rabbit or something, then even if I shed at its fur, it wouldnt feel like cutting flesh. And the cut fur would return to dust once it separated from the familiars body, so there would be no evidence left. That certainly sounds consistent But something still feels off. Oh? And what would it be? He bent back to dodge my katana sh. Such reaction speed should be impossible for a familiar. Hmm, then what if it was a golem? The reaction speed rises and there is a way to transfer your vision to a golem. It still feels off even if it was a golem. There was no awkwardness in his movements thats characteristic of golems. He also had an acid shooting gimmick. I see. Well, we will not arrive at an answer if we just argue here. We are simply trying to deduce it, after all. Then Maxwell told me the events that transpired in the north. That there was someone who had disguised perfectly in a magic perception area and destroyed the means of contact. It ovepped with my incident. A disguise thats not magic, huh They seem to have gone to Michelles house to gather information too, if we are all careful, Cortina would be too. But in that case, there would be no way to tell you apart from them. That sucks. Isnt there some way? Stop throwing all your problems my way. That said, hmm Reid, did that man have any smell? Smell? Come to think of it, he didnt have a particr smell. They may mimic your outer appearance whatever you do. However, what if you cover yourself with a characteristic smell? Well, what smell would make it know that its me. I dont have any idea. Perfume might be a good measure, but an average one would just get mimicked. If I were to do it, I had to use something characteristic that cannot be imitated. I couldnt think of anything like that. Maxwell was thinking hard too, apparently also out of ideas. I do have several expensive perfumes However, they are not something that cannot be imitated. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I retorted in anger, but that guy had gotten married before me. In that sense, he may have been more resourceful than me. Having said that, he didnt seem to be the type to be interested in perfume, so there was no point consulting him. GadiusIs out of the question. He might be able to tell the smell of alcohol apart. I guess its better to consult girls about this stuff. Do you think Maria or Cortina will have any good ideas? I have little hope about it. A unique smell is essential. There would be no end if we go about it by ourselves. We need to ask external coborators for help. External Do you have someone in mind? I am talking about the usual personage. There was one person that Maxwell would refer to politely as personage. And that persons knowledge knew no bounds even from my perspective. Aste, huh. Right, he might have an idea. Indeed. I would like to head there right away, do you have time now? It was close to evening now. Maxwell could use Portal Gate so we could easily make it back before dinnertime. Yeah, should be fine. We are in a race against time now. I managed to drive him away today, so I dont think hed start anything the very same day. But I wasnt sure about tomorrow. If possible, I wanted to finish all preparations by today. Wedo not need preparations I suppose. Speed is more important this time. Let us go. Wait, are we leaving right away? Mateus is on the lookout so there is no one in this mansion now. I only need to lock up. Go do it then? I can lock everything with magic in one go. Damn, what a pointlessly useless trick. He was probably using the wide-scale Lock spell on the entire house. As I thought, he started chanting before me and put so much magic power into the spell you wouldnt think he was casting mere Lock. He instantly locked the entire house and opened up the Portal Gate. I was thinking that he was using his magic power wastefully, but he probably didnt even feel any burden from it. Thus, I jumped into the gate and headed to the Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle. Chapter 344 Maxwell and I came to Malevas mountain, as usual, to ask Aste for a favor. But first, we headed to my hideout to get thepensation that we needed to pay him. Den who had undergoneplete change was here, so instead of heading right in, I knocked on the door or rather, the window. I was a gentleman. Or a woman. Well, honestly speaking, I just didnt want to get attacked like before if I entered as-is. Den, are you in? Oh my, Lady Nicole. I am d that you havee. He answered in a middle-pitched tone that was even more polished and stable than before. His calm demeanor was charming even from the perspective of a man like me. Rather, what the heck is up with that baritone voice? After a while, the window opened And there stood Den who had changed even more. Da heck are you? Seeing his form, I ended up retorting in a western ent in shock. Den who was about three meters had shrunk to two now. His arms that were long for his height had been reasonably adjusted too, and his square face had gotten rounded too. His smooth bangs hung over his slitted eyes, and his fangs peeking from his mouth had grown small enough to be called canines. He was practically overflowing with charm. His horns had grown less conspicuous now, so honestly, you could call him a Half-Demon with arge body and it wouldnt feel strange at all. Huh? It is I, Den. I mean, youve changed too much Ah yes. Even I was surprised at this change. Sir Aste may know more about it. There are questions I need to ask him, including that. But I have to request something from him, so I came to get some money. Understood. Please doe in. Invited by Den, I stepped into my hideout. The interior was illuminated by lights, and it seemed to have be an extremelyfortable environment to live in. These reforms never stop either huh. Do you not find it to your liking? I made improvements in my way so I could wee you with better hospitality. No, its fine. I have no problems as long as it feelsfortable. Shit, this hot guy voice coupled with his puppy eyes is just unfair. As I headed underground under his guide, I saw that my treasure house had been ordered in a clean and tidy manner using the shelf that had been carried in. The entire hideout was undergoing a dynamic change at this point. T-This is The treasure had not been ssified, so I had allowed myself to sort them. I put mary items this way. I-I see. This is surprising. He is being more attentive to cleaning than you, Reid. Hey, why not just fire Mateus and hire Den instead? He wouldnt even stand out in the city the way he is now. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) While he had a big two-meter build, he still could fit in the human category. He still had fangs and horns, but they didnt stand out that much, and he could just im to be a Half-Demon. Few would associate Den with an Ogre if they saw him now. But he was too hot-looking. I might even be feeling jealous of him. Lady Nicole, I prepared a hundred gold coins for the time being, is it enough? Oh, thanks. Im not sure of the price, so I guess Ill take that much. If its not enough Ill juste back. Understood. It is a little heavy so I shall carry it for you. Thanks. I take back what I said. He was very sensible. A hundred gold coins weighed quite a bit. I probably wont be able to walk with it, and Maxwell would need to use Cargo too or he would feel burdened. You were dealt quite simply, Reid. Dont call me simple! Ever since I reincarnated in this body, weights have been my one big problem. Theres no harm in thanking him when he offered hed carry it for me. Then, my eyes were stolen by one of the corners. There, books from my ck history I mean, the collection was disyed on a bookshelf. D-Den! I have a favor. Yes, what is it? Please cover that bookshelf with a curtain so its not visible. Please. And as soon as possible. Huh? Oh, that Understood. Shit, my hobbies got found out by Den too? I shouldve expected this from the moment it was decided that he would live here. At any rate, no use crying over the spilled milk. I didnt even want to think about it. I then hurriedly fled from the treasure house. Taking Den along, we headed to Astes hideout halfway up on the mountain. We were talking about that mystery of a man here. He shouldve already been aware that we arrived here. I was worried about leaving my hideout empty, but since this ce was under this guys supervision, some third-rate burrs shouldnt dare approach. As expected, when we arrived there the door was already open, giving off the aura that he was inviting us inside. Maxwell and I exchanged looks and shrugged with wry smiles. This weird way of inviting was quite like him We entered the cave and knocked on the door deep inside. Immediately, his grumpy voice came from the other side. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Its open. Cant you tell? Hurry up inside. Its called manners, you know, manners. I ranted back at him and entered. There, as usual, was Aste, carving a silver ring. You came again? What is your business this time? Well, we feel apologetic for relying on your power all the time, but this time even I have no good ideas to deal with this situation. Oh? Something that is beyond old Maxwell who is famed as a wiseman? Hey, isnt your attitude too different from when youre dealing with me? Treating you whocks any manners and this humble old man simrly would be impolite. I pouted in disappointment at his words. He pointed out my gesture and argued further. And youre a little girl now. Your gestures seem to have be quite girly too, havent they? This is all due to the acting I have to do! While Aste and I were having a back and forth, Den entrusted the money to Maxwell and headed deeper in. He seemed to have gone to brew tea. This guy seemed to have been swallowed by Astes territory too. At any rate, It was convenient that he excused himself. I decided to start by asking Aste about Dens changes. Chapter 345 I decided to press Aste for answers while Den was away. His change was far too bizarre, after all. It was likeright, just like the Goblin Lords change. Hmm, Dens change, huh? Yeah. Its far too abnormal, dont you think? I would say that the fact that this mountain is one of the Ley Lines should be influencing him. Huuh? Wait, this is my first time hearing that, you know? If this ce was a Ley Line, it wouldnt be unnatural for much more dangerous creatures to show up. But after considering all that, I realized that my worries were unfounded. After all, even if such creatures did appear here, the man before my eyes would immediately get rid of them. I-Is that the case? No, rather, are Ley Lines really something somon? Maxwell seemed to have forcefully convinced himself over something and moved on to ask a question. Right, this was important. If there really were so many Ley Lines around, it would have brought big changes to the worlds power chart. No, in total, there are five no, six, on this whole continent. And one of them is here. But umm Should they be left alone like that? Are you worried about them being misused? Well, at the very least, I wont let anyone misuse this one for as long as Im here. Certainly, there wouldnt be any fellows trying to misuse this ce where this guy resided. So I suppose we could conclude that Dens changes were also because he lived on such a mountain. Oh well. Now, one more thing. And this is more of amission from me. Amission? Suddenly, a strange yell resounded through the ce. It was a hard-to-describe, spicy voice. When we heard it, our room turned dead silent. But then, Aste cleared his throat and left his seat. Sorry about that. My wife made a blunder so I was in the middle of punishing her. Ill go shut her up for a bit. He stood up with those words and lifted up a section of the floorboard, and headed down to the basement. Huh, so this ce had a basement? Never seen that before. After ten-odd minutes, the yells stopped, and Aste came back with a refreshed expression. Sorry to make you wait. Thats fine and all But dont tell me you have some domestic violence going on here. Shes alive, right? Dont worry. I havent hurt her, and she wont die even if you kill her anyway. T-That makes it fine? My instincts told me that I should not stick my nose too deep into this mess. Thus, to change the topic, I started telling him all that has happenedtely. Den returned in the middle of it, but there was nothing else to hide from him. Everyone here was fully aware of my real identity. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Hmm, so you want to order a special perfume that would make it clear who you are? Yeah. If possible, I want it to be something that cant be replicated. I ended up retorting in a cliche way when he dered as if nothing. Im talking about one-of-a-kind perfume here, okay? Are you sure an obvious recluse like you can procure it? That was some rude remark there, but I guess I can see your point. With those words, Aste left his seat and headed inside. He came back a few minutester holding a small drop in his hand. The orb was only a little bigger than the tip of an adults thumb, but it was giving off an extreme grassy smell for its size. Still, it wasnt a bad smell, but a peculiar smell akin to abundant vegetation. And this is? Miracle Drug Elixir. Getting your hands on it nowadays is quite hard. Come again? I said its called Elixir, what about it? Wait for a second here. Wasnt that the thing that pops up in the myths? The thing that you could obtain at the topmost floor of thebyrinth of the World Tree, and even one gulp of it could treat all kinds of wounds and illnesses Youre pulling out a legendary medicine!? Yeah. But with this smell, it would be impossible to replicate. Thats true, but why do you have Actually, you did say you entered thebyrinth during your adventuring days. Yeah, its the leftover from those days. This is thest one I have. I wouldnt need to worry about them replicating this peculiar smell for sure. And he was giving it to me so I had no reason to refuse, but given the rarity of the thing, even I was feeling awkward about taking it. Dont worry about it. Its useless for someone who has already retired. I feel its a bit of a waste to give it to you, but I cant turn you away when I know a womans safety is at risk. So youre aiming for Cortina? Im not handing her over! And I dont need her. Im a dedicated husband even if I dont look it. You can break that drop into six parts and give each part to each person to mark them. Normally, you can put them in hermetically sealed containers so the smell wont leak out. How long does this smellst? I guess about a thousand years at least. ording to the myths. I dont know how he managed to get it, but maybe it was already left exposed when it was obtained. If thats the case, this drug has been giving off its smell ever since it appeared on stage a thousand years ago. If each of the Six Hero members takes a part of it as a mark of their identity, then even that disguise master Kufar would not be able to falsify our identities. I feel really awkward about this. Taking something so valuable. Dont make me say it over and over. I no longer need it, and I owe you one this time. That aside, go back and show your face to your woman already. Owe me? Oh, right, Im out of scrolls, so I need more of that too. And you were being so reserved a second ago. Oh well, I have it prepared. Aste once again left his seat and starting pushing his way through some weird pile of materials next to his desk. Some dust rose up every time he pushed things aside, but I wouldnt be an Adventurer if I was bothered by dust. If I had to say, Den was the one who seemed slightly troubled by dust getting to his clothes. This guy sure has developed a love of cleanliness. Oh, there it is. You left it under that pile of garbage? Its still a Magic Item, so some dust wouldnt hurt it. Dont worry about it. Theres some gooey liquids on it though? Ah, thats from thest time I failed when trying to melt the Huge Crawler threads and shape it into a cloth form. Just make clothes normally! Well, I didnt want the air to escape from the stitches. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Hes trying to make some weird inventions again. If its this guy, it was only a matter of time until he would invent even more remodeling items. Oh well. Thanks for today. Oh right, hundred gold coins arent enough aspensation, so you can just go and pick whatever you want from my hideout. Are you sure? I dont think it really rivals the Evil Dragons materials. You said it yourself, earlier. I cant make good use of them. In that case, its better for you to use them. And then, Ill use whatever items you produce with them. I call this a perfect reciprocal rtionship. I feel like youd be the only one gaining merits from that But fine. It is a tempting offer to use them as I please. He quickly pulled out a paper and started drawing something down. It seemed like some sort of a blueprint at a nce. When he became like this, hed start thinking of us as a nuisance if we overstayed. Den seemed to be used to this too, and started putting away our partially consumed cups. Well then, well be going back now. You take care too, Den. Yes. You as well, Lady Nicole. Den smiled me back with his new handsome face. Honestly, that innocent smile made me waver for a bit, but Im sure it was just the trick of the imagination. Chapter 346 As Maxwell and I returned to Raum, he immediately headed to Cortina. We were going to cut the Elixir into six parts and give it to each of the Six Heroes. For that, I had to do some fiddling. That is, I had to make sure to find a container that wouldnt leak the smell when I was acting as Nicole. But at the same time, I needed to be able to let the smell out of the container when I return to being Reid. In other words, you need a container that you can hermetically seal and open at will. Do you have something so convenient lying around? I do not, but after seeing Sir Aste, I have something in mind. Meaning? We can just make what we do not have. Hmm? And with that, I started working to seal the Elixir fragment inside my Talisman as Maxwell instructed. Naturally, I couldnt make one on the spot, so I stayed behind in Maxwells mansion to keep working. In the meantime, Maxwell visited the rest of ourrades to exin the situation. While he was gone I was processing the Talisman. I first cut the top half off, and started to hollow out the inside of the lower half. The oscition of the dagger was super useful for this. Since I bisected it into two, I needed to tie a thread to keep them in ce, but I was really thankful that the dagger could cut a tough fang of a Fang Wolf like butter. While enduring the vibration that reached my wrists, I carefully gouged out the insides of it with its tip. I only needed to put a fragment in it, so there was no need to make a big hole. Following that, I made it so the two halves wouldnt fall off and were able to shut tight. Still, it would easilye undone at this rate. I wonder if theres another way. I was a vanguard so I moved about a lot. If it slipped off inadvertently and let the smell out, those who knew about the situation could figure it out. For that, I needed to find a method that would keep it tightly shut so it wouldnt slip off. Having said that, it would also be problematic if only mine stood out from the rest Cant I do something with magic? I could only use the Interference System magic. I could already use middle-grade spells from it, but when ites to spells to fix things in ceThen, I suddenly remembered one spell. It was the spell that Maxwell used when we were infiltrating the ve merchants mansion in the Geeze Union. I think It was called Hard Lock? The Hard Lock spell, unlike simple Lock, was a spell of the Interference System that didnt simply lock things, but fixed the door and the wall in ce and even further strengthened the structures material. It was a spell that meddled with the structure, so there were ways to put it to use. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) However, it only meddled with the part that opened, so its influence didnt extend to the surrounding walls. As such, getting rid of the wall next to it like during that time was amon method to bypass it. That said, I was just sealing the talisman this time, so that part didnt worry me. I think I learned it too. How was it again I dug out the magic form that I hardly ever used from the back of my mind and started chanting it. With the Hard Lock spell, once locked, the effect would stay permanent until the caster removed it, so it didnt require magic power to maintain it. You could say it was the ideal spell for my current goal. I put the fragment inside the hollowed section, put the cover on, and activated the spell. Once I confirmed that they were stuck together, I tested whether or not I could open it, but it didnt budge even with my full strength. I should have also checked whether the smell was leaking or not, but the room was already full of it, so I wouldnt be able to tell now. I left Maxwells living room where I was working and moved to a ce where the smell was no longer present. On the way, just as I passed before the entrance, a suspicious man entered the mansion. Woah? What do you mean, woah? I didnt know you were here, young missy. Oh, its you, Mateus. I hoped you died. Why are you so heartless all of a sudden!? Of course, I would be, we were once engaged in a deathmatch. This much wasnt even considered abuse. That aside, I guess I should be d he didnt show up while I was working. Still, whats with this smell. It stinks of grass. Youd be picking a fight with Maria if she heard that. Eek!? You could say this was the smell of the condensed sap of the World Tree. It was quite an abundant nt-like smell, but I wouldnt call it stinky. Rather, you could call it an exquisite perfume whose smell was one step away from what would start bothering you. If Maria, who was the World Tree believer heard his earlier remark, she would have probably kindly treated him. In any case, his timing was good. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Right, Mateus. Do I smell? Yeah, you always smell of immaturity. Youre dead. Just as I pulled out my dagger, Mateus jumped back and raised his hands. If youre gonna act so scared, dont make fun of me from the start. Anyway, answer seriously. The mansion smells too much so I cant tell myself. Ugh, youre right. Since I had the fragment out until just a while ago, the whole mansion was full of the Elixir. Thus I passed through the entrance and asked Mateus to confirm it again. You could get used to smells surprisingly fast, so my nose couldnt tell the subtle differences apart now. Hmm? Well, you have some grassy smell, but I guess its not too much? Then how about this? I held out the Talisman with the fragment inside before his nose. He sniffed it and then once again shook his head. I dont smell anything particr from it? Okay, its a sess! Mateus was an assassin, so his senses were very sharp. If he didnt think anything of it, it seemed that sealing it off was a sess. In addition, the gossipy housewives in the neighborhood that witnessed this sight started spreading rumors that Mateus was flirting with a young girl in front of Maxwells house, but that had nothing to do with me. Or well, I guess it had Chapter 347 Before Maxwell visited Cortina, he first visited Lyell, Maria, and Gadius, taking them along to Raum. Moving a distance that would normally take over a month to cover in the blink of an eye was a feat only achievable by his aberrant ability. Then, once he gathered everyone in Cortinas house, he started exining what Reid experienced as if it had happened to him. Leaving the baby, who still needed care, to Finia, they gathered in the biggest room to hold the discussion. The Carbuncle was also helping babysit the child, so Finia took a seat in the corner of the dining room and cuddled Fina. Maxwell judged that it was better to let her hear the current conversation too. What the, youre saying someone disguised as Reid showed up? I dont think theres all that many people who know how he looks nowadays though Cortina responded with a displeased expression while Lyell expressed his doubt. It had already been twenty years since Reid had died. Given that he was an assassin, he had few close associates. As for his enemies, only a handful of them remained alive. Thus, given his profession, even if his name was well known, his appearance wasnt. That was perhaps also Reids distinctive feature among the Six Heroes. And yet, the enemy managed to perfectly disguise themselves as Reid, a feat which would be impossible if they didnt have at least some connection with him. Certainly. And I do not think the Reid we know would have let his enemy be. He sure was hot-blooded. To the point that it was better to let him bleed out a bit. Still, he was quite a handful. Contrasting to Gadius assenting with a nod, Maria spoke of Reid as if she was remembering her little brother. In fact, given how weak Reids defenses were, he constantly ended up in Marias care. Thus, in order to identify each other, I managed to obtain this from a certain source. I want us to use the smell emitted by it as a mark of identification. With those words, Maxwell took out a leather bag with Elixir fragments in it from his pocket. The moment he undid the seal, the abundant smell of greenery filled the dining hall. This is quite a strong smell. What is it? Let me say again that I can not disclose how I obtained it. However, I can say with certainty that these are the fragments of Elixir. Elixir!? The panacea that existed in the myths. The five of its fragmentsy in front of their eyes. The reality of it made everyone on the scene gawk in shock. Maria, who was the World Tree believer, was particrly stiffened with a hand on her mouth. Where in the world did you Oh, you said you couldnt disclose it, huh. Indeed. If you seal it hermetically like this, the smell would not leak. If we use the smell of something so precious, there would be no worries of someone imitating it. Still, Im surprised you managed to obtain it. Well, I have my connections. I already handed Reid his share, so if he does not have this smell from now on, you can consider them to be fake. I got it. Still, for them to take Reids form. There sure are some disrespectful fellows out there. It is most likely to get close to you. The current Cortina tended to lose herposure whenever Reid was concerned. It was certain that if you wanted to harm her, taking Reids form was the most effective way. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) She seemed to be aware of it herself and puffed her cheeks as she put her elbows on the table. However, the person who normally would pat her head like a little sister in this situation wasshowing no reaction. Hmm? Then, Cortina finally noticed Marias strange behavior. Her petrification had already gone away, and was now gazing at the elixir while almost drooling. H-Hey, Maria? T-This is the legendary Condensed sap of the World Tree that She took a fragment in her hands with an ecstatic expression while breathing heavily. The look in her eyes was already of someone who had lost all her rationality, looking as if she would lick the fragment any moment now. Calm down! Despite how it looks, it is still a medicine. It will melt if you lick it! Haah, haah, keep calm, keep calm Hey, can I have a little taste of yours? You are not calm at all! Of course not. Can you do something about this, Maxwell? Finia interjected with those words. Then she took out the potpourri bag that she always carried with her. It used to be a small pouch during the time she lived in the vige, but now it had be something akin to a small basket made with dried vines. If it was used as is, things would fall off from the gaps, but if you put a cloth in it, then only the smell woulde out. I see, that would regte the smell intensity, and it would not be hard to carry, either. Gadiusmented, impressed while stroking his beard. Given that he was one boorish Dwarf, he did not have any interest in such body ornaments. That said, he had an interest in making them, however, that was a story of another time. Well then, Finia. May we trouble you to make several peoples worth of those bags. Of course, but My hands are upied now, so may I do itter? Finia answered apologetically, Fina nibbling on her chest without letting it go. Apparently, she had this tendency of nibbling the chest of whoever was close. Oh dear Did she mistake you for Maria and I guess not. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) The fact that Cortina didnt add that their chest sizes differed was probably her way of being considerate. You can do itter. I shall hand Gadius and Lyells shares to them personally. I will do that with your permission then. Ah, and Reids too. Speaking of that guy, he didnt evene to say hi during the Goblin battle and disappeared. Dont you think thats cruel? Cortina started hitting the table in indignation. Seeing that. the male groups expressions turned weary. There was nothing as bothersome as listening to other peoples love affairs. Now now, he has his circumstances. Since you already handed the Elixir fragment to him, that means youve already met today, right? Why didnt hee to see me too! Well, its about which one of us knows his real appearance. If he doesnt want you to find it out, just leave him be. Fiiine. Seeing her sulking like that, everyone gave a dryugh and broke up. Finia handed Fina over to Maria and went to prepare dinner. That day, the Six Heroes (excluding Reid) had a get-together meal the first time in a while. Chapter 348 The day after Maxwell had distributed the Elixir fragments, I was called to his mansion. No, it wasnt just me alone. Lyell, Maria, and Cortina, of course, Michelle and Letina, with their parents, and even Cloud with the orphanage sister were called. Maxwells wide mansion was chosen because of this great number of people. Now, let us discuss the reason I had you gather here. Since Maxwell offered the ce for discussion, he was the first to start the conversation. Gathering in the usual living room would be too narrow with this many people, so this time, we were using the dining hall that had a wide table. This ce was made with receiving many people in mind, so there were no problems with space even with our current numbers. Truth is, a strange man had appeared recently He quickly returned to his manner of speech. This was probably in consideration to Michelle and Cloud who werent used to this situation. Their guardians were just as nervous, however. They looked as if their heart would pop out of their mouths any time now. They were actually freaking me out a bit. Strange? How do you mean? Letinas father, Marquis Yowi, who seemed to be used to this kind of situation, asked him. As expected, he was going to tell them about Kufar. We managed to find a way to identify ourselves, but it wasnt only us whom Kufar could disguise himself as. Rather, we should be more vignt when it came to the defenseless people around us. For that reason, there was a need to let them know of the method of distinction that we came up with. Maxwell gathered them for that. Yes, well, someone who is pretending to be us has shown up and is nning something. What did you say!? People pretending to be Six Heroes did frequently appear right after we had in the Evil Dragon. Our faces werent well-known then, so they could get special benefits just by using our names. I remember lots of minor scoundrels appearing with that goal in mind. Still, they couldnt imitate our abilities, so they eventually got found out and were arrested for a felony. At this point, there were no longer any of those bunch remaining. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) That is quite disrespectful. Scheming towards the people who have saved the world The sister who was Clouds guardian said while joining her hands towards god. Her gesture was quite refined and even seemed to give off a sense of holiness. Well, at any rate, to tell us apart, we have decided to carry these scent bags with us to distinguish ourselves. If you see a Six Hero that does not have one of these, you may consider them to be a fake. It is quite a strong smell Yet it does not bring difort. It feels as if I am in a forest. The nature of this smell is a trade secret. If the source gets leaked they may find a way to imitate it. Or so Maxwell said, but actually, it was such a rare item that he simply couldnt disclose it. If the World Tree believers heard that we had the Elixir fragments on us, they might confiscate them as relics. I was quite rash to pick fights, but even I wouldnt wanna pick one against the World Tree believers without a good reason. Mhm, I have understood the situation. I would have certainly lowered my guard if someone approached me with your appearance, Lord Maxwell. Marquis Yowi epted the exnation with a hint of humor. His conduct made Michelles parents and sister let go of their tension a little. The Marquis wasnt only a good person, but also knew how to read the mood. There is also one more reason why I have called you here. There is something else? Or rather, it appears that this is the real reason. For it to be something even more serious than the faker situation, I think I am getting cold feet here. Well, I suppose that is the case considering it has a direct rtion to you. Then, Maxwell started talking about Michelles situation. That it would be better for her to leave this city once she graduated from the academy. And that his protection for her was reaching its limit. As expected The big feat you achievedst time proved to be too big. People that I cannot fully suppress started to appear already. That you cannot suppress? Hearing Cortinas exnation, Michelle stood up and objected. Her voice wasnt something an ordinary person should normally direct towards a Six Hero. Her parents held her shoulders with pale faces, but they did not manage to stop her words. Back then, I was worried about Nicole and just desperately kept firing. And I also borrowed the Goddess power. Even so, there are still people who refuse to understand that. Particrly the Lichtenberg household. Even you cannot hold them back, Lord Maxwell? Our households are not so different in status. I am a former royalty who had abandoned his nobility. They are the descendants of the royal prince, but they were demoted to Marquis rank due to a past mistake. What was that mistake? Even I am not aware of it. I was but a youngster back then. Maxwell shrugged in response to Cortinas question. Still, if he was a youngster back then, that means it happened hundreds of years ago At any rate, we are equal in terms of standing. I am retired, but considering I am a Six Hero, ites out even. But then, the other party is an active Marquis. And their lineage Although we are both Marquis, they are higher than our Yowi household. Frankly, this situation pains me a great deal too. I do not mean forever, but I would like you to leave this city for a few years until the heat dies down. Then Maxwell raised his finger. He returned to his usual proud behavior and exined his opinion. First, I shall have little Michelle take stronghold at the Adventurers inn of my friend. It would be outside of Raums sphere of influence. Your friend? Yes. Garius mentioned that he wanted to open the second inn. I will have him open it in the castle town used for raising noble children. Still, it would feel lonely there alone Dont worry. Ill being with you. Huh, N-Nicole? Were best friends. This time Ill apany you. The problem is (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I directed my eyes towards our other friends, towards Letina and Cloud. I still did not know what decision they would make. Chapter 349 Cloud whom I gazed seemed to waver for a second, but then gave a strong nod. The sister next to him was looking at him with a hard-to-describe expression. I am going with you. Im already at an age where I have to leave the orphanage by next year anyway. Are you sure? We wont be back for years, okay? Yeah, I realized it during this battle. My strength is still nowhere near enough. I want to gain more experience. It makes me very reassured to have you along. I looked at Cloud while joining my hands together. My feverish gaze made him blush and look away. Whoops, mydy mode switch got identally flipped. Cloud, I think you know it already, but if you put your hands on Nicole I wont do something so scary! Huuh? Are you saying my daughter isnt cute? What do you want me to say!? Clouds blush put him on the receiving end of Lyells merciless questioning. He was bewildered that he got into this mess due to unreasonable false usations, but this was the typical Cloud. At any rate, I got Clouds consent. Letinas expression, on the other hand, remained clouded. But that was only natural she was, in the end, the Marquis daughter. Moreover, she was the only child. Which meant that her husband would be the sessor of the Marquis title. Given her important position, she could not separate from the city. It is Impossible for me. I have the duty to seed the Marquis household. Letina squeezed out those words. Hearing her words, The Marquis and his wife let out relieved sighs. If she said that she wanted toe along, the Marquis wouldve had to oppose it. However, he would be facing off against Michelle and me, in other words, people rted with the Six Heroes. If they made any rash remarks, it could worsen their standing. Letinas answer probably considered all that. Well, you have no other choice, after all. In truth, I I also wish toe along! But I understand, Letina. Your situation, and your feelings. Still That doesnt change the fact that you are our friend. If we manage to return to Raum, lets y again, okay? Hearing Michelles words, Letina finally burst into tears. While shedding tears, she stood up and hugged Michelle. And then, no longer managing to endure it, she started bawling loudly. Definitely! You must definitelye, okay? I will wee you anytime! O-Okay! Influenced by her, Michelle also started to tear up. She wasnt leaving this city by her choice, after all. I stood there and watched over their friendship with warm feelings in my chest. Then, someone raised their hand. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Umm Oh, what is it, little Finia. May I also apany Lady Nicole? Hearing her, Lyell and Maria exchanged looks. Whats with those oops, we forgot expressions? Finally, Maria pped her hands with gleaming eyes. Thats right, theres no knowing when Nicole might copse, so she needs someone to care for her! Hey, I dont copse that often anymore. But you still fall into rivers, though? Ugh! She was right that I was feeling quite a bit helpless with only having Michelle as my femalepanion. Michelle was too pure, for better or worse, and do not doubt people at all, so it felt like shed readily follow someone if they told her Ill give you candy if you follow me. I wasnt confident I could keep her in check on my own. However, with Finia along, we could somehow manage to hold her by the reins together. Well, true. We also need someone to fend off Clouds sexual harassments. Its not like I do them out of my own will! Oho? You bastard, you harassed my daughter? Master Lyell, thats a misunderstanding! Hoh, let us discuss that in detail over tea. Not you too, Lord Maxwell! Give me a break already! As Lyell was drawing near Cloud, Maria got behind him and lightly touched his neck with her finger. The next moment, Lyells body got petrified as if he was struck by lightning magic. Hyaaah!? Dear, why dont you leave it at that. We are having an important discussion here, you know? Agagagagagaga! Eventually, he copsed back on his chair as if all his strength had left him. Themoners that were present looked at this situation as if they had witnessed something they shouldnt have. What Maria did was most probably directly stimting his sense of pain. So, Maxwell. Where exactly is that second store you mentioned? Honestly, if its not somewhere that doesnt have a certain level of influence, Lichtenbergs hands may reach them, dont you think? Y-You do not need to worry about that. After all, it is located in the most strictly audited ces. Maxwell answered while acting a little scared at Marias deed. However, his following words came with a sense of pride. That ce is the Sto Domain. The very same frontier that we have personally inspected. What Maxwell presented was, in a way, the fateful domain where Donovan Sto Serwa had taken on the feudal lords position. Chapter 350 We had to part ways with Letina after graduation. That fact could no longer be changed. For that very reason, we started hunting every day from that day on, trying to stay together as much as possible. There was less than half a year left until graduation. About five months. We were doing our best to adventure together and create as many memories as we could during that time. That day, as usual, we were out in the forest and enjoying the adventure, gathering herbs and hunting. Though, its too presumptuous to call something like this adventuring, I guess. Still, Letina enjoyed what we were doing. Normally, a Marquis daughter like her would have never been allowed to go into the forest withmoners like us. But given my standing and Marquis Yowis broad-mindedness, she was allowed to do so. I couldnt express how thankful I was for the Marquis for this point. Probably because I was indulged in such feelings, I ended up being a littlex on my exploration. However, Michelle managed to detect it in my ce. Our party had already be able to function sufficiently. Ah, Nicole. Something moved over there! Huh, ah, youre right. Isnt it rare of you to overlook something like this? While speaking in quiet voices, Michelle and I set up the bow and katana respectively. Letina behind us also set up her staff while answering me. Please dont. We are finally having fun like this, so I wish to forget about that for now. I mean, I was just thinking that we have to thank Marquis Yowi. I am fully aware of that. I know that the time we have now is the extension that father has provided usItsing! Along with Letinas warning, argish wild boar jumped out from the grasses. It was just a boar, so normally we wouldnt even need to stay vignt against it. Even so, a grown-up boars charge that had the same weight as an adult could still be a dangerous weapon. However, Cloud easily stopped the boar that charged with its head lowered. Nice work, Cloud! He was pushed back a little and his left leg slides back, but he still stopped it in ce. The sense of stabilitying from him wouldnt lose to even the first-ss warriors. I felt impressed in my heart, he sure has grown too. He even followed up by dealing a strike to the head with his sword hilt. There was quite a heavy sound that followed it, so the boar might have taken significant damage from it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The reason he opted for the hilt instead of the de was that the boar was too close. The adaptability he disyed was also proof of his growth. The boar whose charge was stopped had faltered from that blow, momentarily stopping in ce. Next, Letinas Firebolt flew towards its feet. She wasnt a Gift Holder, so her output wasnt that high. No, well, considering her age, itwasquite powerful, but our party had a wonderful Archer to take on that role. The fact that she understood it and chose to go for its leg was also proof of her growth like Cloud. The Firebolt burned the boars hind leg and its knee gave away. With that, it was my turn to charge, so I rushed on and dealt a sword strike to the nape of its neck. The muscles around its neck that supported its charge attack were too thick, so my sh wouldnt be able to deal enough damage. Of course, that might not be the case if I used the thread enchantment, but it was the one that rushed to us this time, so this was the best response I could make at the moment. Pugi! The boar screamed and swung its head around in an attempt to brush me off. I tried to jump back and dodge it, but my food got entangled in the grass and momentarily dyed my movements. I bent back and barely dodged the direct hit. Still, I failed to avoid itpletely, and the tip of its nose grazed my chest. Fortunately, my chest was protected by the leather armor, so it didnt amount to an injury, but it still broke my bnce and made me fall while spinning like a spinning top. I intentionally rolled along the ground without killing my momentum and mitigated it like that. Michelle seemed to have thought that I was flung away and I heard her swallow her breath, but she wasnt naive enough to forget to attack. She instantly drove one arrow into the neck of the boar that was facing sideways, stopping it from any follow-up attacks. Due to the series of attacks, the boar started to stagger. After it tottered a bit away, Cloud once again moved to attack. His strike that had a lot of weight put into it unlike mine held enough power to make the boar flinch. Being overpowered by these attacks, the boar finally copsed sideways. These types of animals found it very hard to stand back up once they fell down. Not to mention, we had an archer with us that would never let go of such an opening. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) As the boar struggled to get up, one arrow silently pierced through its throat. The arrow appeared so suddenly that it looked as if it had always been there. Woah I let out a voice of admiration without thinking. This attack without a doubt belonged to Michelle. However, her lethality and uracy were in another leaguepared to before. Before, her shots were urate and strong, but they still felt somewhat unpolished, but this shot feltpletely different. If I were topare it to something, it felt simr to sliding a de into the enemys throat. It seemed that only I had realized what a terrific feat this was, as neither Letina nor Cloud showed any particr reactions. With its throat pierced, the blood seemed to have flooded its lungs, and without ever managing to stand up, it started convulsing and died on the spot. Then finally, I heard Michelle release her held breath. She has turned into one frightening girl I stood there, digesting Michelles dreadful power. Chapter 351 I left the wild boar butchering to Michelle and Cloud, and had Letina check my injury. Though I called it an injury, it was only on the level of a bruise, so I wasnt bleeding or anything. Still, to see the affected part, I had to expose my chest, so there was a need to avoid any public eyes particrly Clouds. It is swelled a little, but I would not call it an injury. Ive been saying that it didnt hurt. You say that even when you are heavily injured, so I cannot trust your words. Thats an awful thing to say to your friend. That said, there have been many cases where I said I was fine and fainted. It was natural that she would doubt me. This time, I was able to easily escape the impact thanks to the revised leather armor that Aste made. If it was some roughly tailored armor, the shock wouldve gotten directly transmitted to my body and might have broken a rib or two. While I was thinking of such things, Letina suddenly poked my breast. Oh, what is this scar? Thats from Finas mischiefs. She tends to immediately go for my breasts. What Letina poked was the red mark near the tips of my small mounds. Finas mouthnded precisely on them every time, so I still had a red bruise left nearby. Could it be that she is mistaking you for her mother No, that cannot be. Hey! Where were you looking when you made that judgment, huh? Letina leaped at me, but the difference between our builds was too big. I caught her head and she started iling around without ever reaching me. That aside, I had something I needed to ask. Michelle, about thatst attack. Hmm? Ah, that? It just felt like thats the spot! and I shot it. Oh, I see I aimed to be a swordsman in my previous life, so I understood where Michelle wasing from. When you swing your sword, sometimes, in truly rare moments, the de smoothly slides through the enemys vital part. I experienced that sensation even after I moved on to using the threads. Rather, it started happening more frequently after I started using them. I have asked Lyell about that sensation before, but while he had also experienced something simr, he couldnt exin what it really was. I kept experiencing it even after I took on the assassin work. It was probably what it felt when you pierced someones vital part. So Michelle has learned to feel that same sensation thanks to her Gift. In that case Michelle, you may be much stronger from now on. Huh, really? Yes. Yeah. Im not really familiar with the details myself though. I see Ah, hey! You shouldnt be looking there! While my hands were stopped during the conversation, Cloud managed to steal a nce. I had the front of my shirt pulled up, so a lot of things were exposed. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Cloud, will burn. At least speak in proper sentences! They say you will be stronger if you are forged, you know? Who the heck said such a thing? Ill send them flyingter. Thats a total lie, okay! Incidentally, it was my dad. No way I can beat him Seeing Cloud fall on the ground in despair, I decided to hold off with physical punishment. I suppose it would be too pitiful if he really ends up unable to leave any descendants. The meat and skin that we obtained from the boar summed up to 30 kilos. The internal organs were hard to process, so we had Letina use the Tunnel spell and safely bury them. There were edible parts but they generally didntst very long, so it wasnt worth bringing them along. We got a little over 7kg meat per person this time, so Cloud was pretty happy with his orphanage tribute. It would only be a little longer until we can no longer take such fresh ingredients home. If the Marquis family issues amission, they would hunt them for you, though. It would be awkward to issuemissions for that silly reason. Besides, it feels tastier when you are the one who defeated it. We wrapped the meat in the skin and carried it like that. However, with so much meat on our hands, the smell was bound to attract wild animals, so this marked the end of todays hunt. We were in a rxed mood as we reached Raum. Besides, I have to enroll in the higher academy grades, so I cannot stay a child forever. The higher grades of the Magic Academy That would mean nobles training, huh. Id definitely not want any part of that. Even I feel reluctant about it. I dont want to study any more. Combat experience is the best. Michelle, I think you reallyshouldstudy more. She was an honest girl that epted everything that they taught her without question. That in itself was a good thing, but it was hard to develop your thinking skill like that. Considering what was toe, she really had to learn more things. Otherwise, she might get confused and not know what to do if she ever gets involved in trouble. You guys are going to Sto domain after graduation, right? Yes. There we will be staying in Gadius Sir Gadius inn. I was really not used to referring to Gadius with an honorific. Unlike Lyell, that old bastard was quite ill-mannered. Or rather, he was awfully shy with strangers despite his appearance. We did talk a lot during the journey after he got familiar with me, but at first, Cortina used to grumble that when Gadius and I were alone, the ce got shrouded in dead silence and atmosphere. Though it couldnt be helped. Unlike Cortina who I had known from before, that was my first time meeting Gadius. I have not met them very often. How are they? He is surprisingly kind. And good at taking care of people. Hes far kinderpared to Master Lyell. It seemed that Cloud had rated Gadius better than Lyell Lyells hard on you because hes vignt of you, though. Despite insisting countless times that it wasnt like that, Lyell was still suspecting that Cloud was a bug that was sticking close to me, so there was no helping it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) At any rate, there are still five months to go. Lets just stay together as much as we can, okay? Alright. We have to spend this little time we have together. Getting depressed about what would follow will do us no good. Besides, welle back from time to time. Its not like we wont be able to meet at all. When that timees, Ill show you high-level spells that I will learn in the senior grade! Ill wait without setting any expectations. We passed Raums gate while messing about in a calm manner. The gate guard knew our faces, so he didnt go out of his way to detain us. Chapter 352 The meat we brought back was dealt with ordingly in each of our respective houses. We brought about 7kg each this time, which was quite a big volume to eat in one family, so it wouldst for quite some time. In Clouds case, they made a stew with it and shared it with me too. Honestly, our meat reserves were the most excessive, so I didnt know what to do with it, but as a return gift. Finia prepared a lot of stewed meat and forced it back on him, so everything ended well. The other day, I secretly brought back the excess Mixus mushrooms home, and they proved to go very well with the stewed meat as a seasoning and left good impressions. Thus, the academy days gradually neared their end, and along with it, the ssrooms became noisier. When it came to the pre-graduation interval, there were a lot of events nned too. Body measurements that were performed this day were also one of those events. The goal seemed to be tobine it with the results of the enrollment and report how much they grew during their academy period to the students and their parents. We were also given the papers with our enrollment records, so we could confirm it ourselves. Ugh, I sure had no waist back then. Seeing my enrollment records, I couldnt help but call it a childs figure. Though I guess it was only appropriate. That said, someone next to me was frowning even more than me. Needless to say, it was Letina. Grrrr You havent really changed, huh, Letina? Matisse suddenly popped her head from next to me pointed it out. She had grown a lot during these few years, too, and her breasts have swelled up to a conspicuous degree. She seemed to be living a luxurious life, so her body figure was quite full. She was probably the best representation of what Finia used to mean by squishy. Moreover, the thing she pointed out in Letinas measurements was so small it could be dismissed as a measurement error. More importantly, lets get changed already. Well bete. Ah, youre right. As expected, when reaching upper primary grades, it was already beyond the stage where you could change clothes in the same room as the boys. As such, the ssroom has a curtain installed on one side, beyond which was the ce where girls changed. We put on coats as we headed to the doctors office where measurements were taken. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The girls grouped up beyond the curtain and pulled the curtain to block the vision. But then, there was some rustling from beyond the curtain just as they started to change. Hey, how about you go. Huh, no way. Still This is our final chance. Then Ill go Be my guest. As it seems, the gentlemen on the other side were trying to go on the suicide rush for thest look at the girls bodies. I realized that and popped my head from the curtain and gave them a warning. You cant, okay? Ugh!? If you do, Ill tell Cortina all about it. Aggh The group of naughty boys beyond the curtains lost their drive in dejection after my warning. They were attending the Magic Academy, so the majority were nobles and rich people. Such people that catered to the powerful people would never get on someone as influential as Cortinas bad side. It was natural that my warning would make them crestfallen. But then, while I was preupied with the boys, I failed to notice a threatening presence sneaking up on me from behind. That demon crept up on me and put their vile hands on me. Yaah! The one who pushed my back with that yell was none other than Letina who I had thoroughly ridiculed earlier. Naturally, the push of a frail Elf like her would normally never be enough for the job, however, as I waspletely taken by surprise this time, I failed to endure her attack and ended up tottering one step forward. And since I already had my head popped out, taking one more step meant that I would end up one step beyond the curtain. As the end result, I ended upying my naked upper body on disy in the presence of the entirepany of boys. WOAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! I would probably never forget the yells of delight that they raised that day. Im gonna get rid of their memories. Through physical means. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Hahaha, serves you right for toying with me earlier. I objected while covering my chest. Still, I was witnessed by a lot of students at that moment. And some of the sharp-sighted ones noticed one more thing. Huh, wasnt Nicoles breast a little red? Wasnt it just her nipI mean, its notthat? No, I mean something else on the side, or horizontally of it. You mean, it was a k-k-kiss mark?! What did you say But by whom? No, we dont even need to ask! The row of boys chattered in excitement. Or rather, the death row of boys. Then, yet another problem child showed up in the noisy ssroom. Heey! Hurry up ande to theHuh, whats going on? Is Nicole doing public humiliation y? As if!? I reflectively threw the coat that I held in my hand at Cortina, so I ended up even more exposed, but that was a story of another time. In the end, Matisse offered me the coat. Im thinking of assigning you as my healer number three, after Michelle and Finia. Chapter 353 When the academy sses ended, I met up with Michelle and stopped by the support academys tea house. The ce Elliot introduced me to was on the pricey side, so we couldnt go there too casually. Especially for Michelle who could eat a lot, the prices there was quite a problem. Thus, we instead frequently visited the cheap stores that were aimed for the support academy students who were mostlymoners andcked financial influence. So as I was saying, Letina just went and pushed me out. I could not forgive your nders. I will have you know that I have properly grown too. Okay, Im sorry about that. Ahahaha, with this, Clouds going to get envied even more. There were many other students who stopped by to eat like us, so we wouldnt stand out even if we raised our voices a little. Given such an environment, Michelle wasughing without holding back. Meanwhile, Cloud who came along was at his wits end. Please stop. My Guild training will just get harsher from that. I was too busy trying to get back at Letina so I didnt manage to exin the situation. I really wish you had though! The red mark on my chest was the bruise from the boars attack from the other day. There was also Finas kiss mark there who attacked my breasts at every chance she got. As such, suspecting Cloud was really misced there. That said, rumors spread on their own. This time, too, Cloud simply ended up taking the brunt of the after-effects. In fact, there were many students who knew me here, and they kept periodically stealing nces at our way. Well, being together with us is already considered a perk. As always, Letina was being noisy. She was always going at her own pace. Her speech and conduct were one step short ofing out as annoying, but finding it unable to hate her came from her natural virtue. I had a quiet nature, so our rtionship had developed quite a bit. Still, I never thought that Teacher Cortina would take part in it too. Yeah, she is a little festive as ofte. How should I put it I used to think that she was harder to approach. Really? I have only known about Cortinas state ever since I arrived in Raum. Before that, I only knew how she was during my previous life. I heard that being entrusted by her friends daughter had lifted her spirits quite a bit. Indeed. Lady Cortina from before was somewhat apathetic, or perhaps I should say negligent. Did she really change that much? She did. At the very least, I was certainly surprised when I saw her during the opening ceremony that day. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) If I remember correctly, she was in quite high spirits when she entered the ssroom that day. Hearing that, Michelle looked to be curious about something. But I always saw Lady Cortina as a friendlier person, so thats weird. Calling it weird feels really rude to her, you know? But well, I can see why it is hard to imagine from her current self. I see. Lady Cortina, huh. Unlike Lord Maxwell, she hardly ever showed herself in public so I thought she would be a in person, but she turned out to be a beauty. Cloud you perv. Why!? It seemed that Cloud didnt use to hold much of an impression on her either. Which means, she only started an active lifestyle when I arrived here. While discussing such things, we finally broke up for the day. Cloud gave me the thank you letterfor sharing meat with them the other day from the orphanage sisters, and then I parted with Letina and him. Michelles arrows had been worn out today, so we decided to call it a day. Thus, the two of us instead went for the weapon store to replenish them. She couldnt use the full power of the Third Eye without special arrows, but the normal hunting bow that she usually used worked on normal arrows. When adventuring with us, she used that bow most of the time, so its arrows used to deplete faster. Naturally, she could make arrows herself, but in the end, the uracy of the shots differed between arrows made by an amateur and a pro. Sorry about this. If I use the ones I make, the trajectory tends to be slightly off. With hands full of arrows, the two of us took the way home. Our legs were pretty unstable so we were walking with tottering steps. Seeing two little girls carrying a lot of luggage, the nearby stall owners called out to us in joking voices. Hey Michelle, you arent going to buy anything today? It would be impossible now! How about you, Nicole? Ill get crushed if I carry any more than this. Id like to see that. Thats cruel! Hearing my protests, the stall uncle startedughing loudly. For some reason, even the nearby stall owner startedughing. They should be used to seeing me get crushed under something by now, so what was so funny now? At any rate, we managed to reach Michelles house. But then, I felt something was out of cepared to the usual. Stop. Hmm, whats wrong? Something feels Wrong. The house provided to Michelles family was a normal detached house. Walls built with stone and a wooden door. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) The windows werent using the luxurious ss, but instead were drop window types. Up to that, it was your everyday scene Whats going on? However, my intuition was giving off rm bells that something was wrong. Surveying the surroundings, I finally realized what was different. Theundry Huh, oh youre right. Theres noundry out today. Thats strange. In Michelles family, both she and her father were active hunters. While her mother was in charge of butchering jobs. In other words, they had a lot of dirty clothes umted every day. And they washed them every day and hung them on the second-floor dryer. But only today, they were nowhere to be found. We all went out for hunting yesterday, so there should beundry. Thats true. I wonder what moms thinking? I stopped Michelle and went in first. She was currently targeted by various people. It was possible that some fool resorted to strong measures. It was possible that someone would attack while entering the house. I dropped the arrows and pulled out my self-defense dagger, and opened the door. It was a dim room without lights. A devastated roomand bloodstains. Chapter 354 The room with amp fallen on the ground had traces of being ravaged. Moreover, although little, there were still traces of blood too. On the other hand, there were no signs of people, Michelles parents were nowhere to be found. Whats wrong, NicoWhat is this!? Michelle yelled in shock after seeing the room from behind me. And her reaction was natural. No one would even consider that their house would be in such a ravaged state whileing back from the academy. Dad, mom! Where are you!? Wait, Michelle! As Michelle was about to rush inside, I pinned her hands from behind and stopped her. If the offender was so rough to haveid so much waste to the room, there must be some evidence left behind that would link to them. If she went and stepped on it now, it would alle to nothing. Dont stop me My mom! And my dad! I know. But this might be beyond what we can handle. So you go and report it to Cortina and the guards. B-But My senses are sharper than yours, Michelle. They might still be nearby, so Ill try looking around. Okay, please do. Suppressing her anxiety, she squeezed out those words. She shut her mouth tight, her expression dyed in mortification. Dont worry. Since they arent here, they must have taken them away. If they nned on killing them, they would not have done that. Right, why would they kidnap auntie who was connected to Cortina and others? The answer was clear. There was something they wanted to get even if it meant taking the risk of turning the Six Heroes against them. And what would that something be? There was no need to even think it was Michelle. However, telling her that now would be too harsh. If she realizes that her parents got kidnapped because of her, she might very well hand herself over to the enemies right away. I dont know. But I promise Ill find it out no matter what. Okay I leave it to you! After giving me a strong response, she ran straight back towards the academys direction. Cortina was currently there, after all. After observing her disappearing back, I switched to investigating the surroundings. Lets start with the orthodox footprints method. After investigating the house vicinity, I discovered a pair of wheel tracks. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Michelles family were hunters so they owned a cart. It was to carryrge amounts and big game. Did they use the cart to kidnap them? Moreover, there were traces of hobnailed boots. They were things warriors and guards preferred to wear, so it wasnt something that uncle would have worn. Given that he was a hunter, he wouldnt have worn boots that would give off a noise when walking. It was the same for Adventurers, and people other than shielders that took on the enemies frontally preferred not to use them. There are no other traces, huh Does that mean they broke in with just heavily-armored warriors? Or perhaps they were something like mountain bandits No, that cant be. People with such conspicuous getup would have gotten stopped at the gate. Even if they were Adventurers, that would still leave many doubts. Them being only armored soldiers sounded too imbnced for Adventurers. If they were all like that, they would surely be a gossiped at the Guild. However, I havent heard any such rumors. Then, another possibility that I can think is That knights and guards were involved. It was the influential bunch that wanted to have Michelle. In that case, there was a high possibility that their underlings were regr soldiers. If its them, it wouldnt be strange to wear these kinds of boots. If it were knights, things would turn pretty troublesome. The reputation of the knights didnt fall because they coborated with Cortina. But if this matter got out, it would hit rock bottom in one go. At any rate, time to check the interior Next, I went to inspect the room. The ce was devastated, but only locations of a certain size were damaged. The size where a child could fit. You could see this as them searching for ces where Michelle could have hidden. As expected, she was their aim. The bloodstains were half-dried, so it probably didnt happen just recently, but not a lot of time should have passed since. Could I manage to catch up if Im lucky? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I was about to rush out, but I managed to hold myself back. Even if I did that, I didnt know which direction they headed to. There were hobnail traces on the floor too, making it apparent that they came in with their shoes on. It would have made things easier if they had a crest on their boots When it came to famous nobles soldiers, they often used equipment with the nobles crest carved on it. However, they were apparently not so stupid to storm the house and kidnap people with such equipment on them. Thus, I started thinking. Maxwell should have been strictly monitoring what was happening inside Raum. And yet, they managed to kidnap people so brazenly. You could consider this as quite a reckless move. Assuming thats the case, would they risk taking uncle and auntie to their own house? If they did that, it would be basically advertising that they were the culprit. In that case In the first ce, you couldnt get into the noble district while carrying a cart. That meant that they either took them to themoner district Or outside the city. They couldnt leave the two behind. And they also needed to keep them alive to negotiate with Michelle. My assumption that they were taken outside was most likely correct. With that, which ce would be suitable to confine and keep them alive Being along the highway with lots of traffic seems unlikely. Then Theres a high chance they headed into the forest. There is a possibility that they headed towards the hot spring town, but that road had just as much traffic as the main road. If they wanted to avoid public eyes, they would have gone inside the forest, after all. There were quite a few huntsmen huts spread around Raum as emergency shelters during thunderstorms. The climate was stable around here, but it still rained. And when it rained on you inside the forest, it was easy to lose your sense of direction. In order to avoid that danger, there were many huts set up in the forest. And Michelles father was one of the people that used those huts the most. They were probably ideal ces to confine such people. Judging that to be the case, I rushed out of the ce. My destination was the gate. As long as they had Michelles cart with them, following their tracks shouldnt prove to be hard. Chapter 355 Most likely, the enemy had kidnapped Michelles parents and left the city. This capital was surrounded by strong stone walls from all sides, so you had to pass the gate to leave. In other words, the guards should have seen them. I rushed to the nearest gate and called out to the gate guard on duty. Mister! Oh, Nicole. Not on an adventure today? More importantly, have you seen a cart pass here? Of course I have, as many as you want. This is a capital after all, and we have a big flow of reconstruction materials too. His words made me finally notice it too. Even now, there was a longer than usual line of carts at the gate. The city had taken big damage during the Goblin assault, sorge amounts of wood and stone were carried in for the reconstruction. Given the situation, one cart passing by would not have stood out. Then How about ones that had strange cargo? I tried changing my question. Even if the carts themselves werent umon, the kidnappers were carrying Michelles parents with them. A cart carrying tied up and wounded people would naturally stand out, so they should have camouged it quite a bit. I was asking about that. Strange cargo, huh Lets see, there was one that carried a big pile of straw. Iughed wondering what they were nning to do by carrying all that straw outside. Straw could be mixed with manure and used as a fertilizer, so it wasnt such a rare thing for farmers to do. That said, there were no big fields near Raum. This city was surrounded by a forest, so it wasnt suitable for growing grains. Part of the food was mostly imported. Wheat and rice, in particr, were imported practically in full. As such, preparing straw here was, in a way, unusual. And when you had arge pile of it and carried it outside on top of it, it would stand out no matter what. Still, straw served as a good camouge and it also allowed air to pass through. Even inrge amounts, it didnt have much weight, and there was no fear of it crushing people under. You could say it was the ideal cargo to hide people inside and pass the gate. Thats it! Where did that cart head to? Hmm? I think they headed towards the southern highway When? I suppose about an hour ago. Thank you! This city had gates at east and west. And from there, the highway forked to north and south, allowing one to head to any direction. I was at the eastern gate now, so going straight, I would find myself on the road leading to the Holy Tree Kingdom of Forneus. Forneus was the kingdom where the head temple of the World Tree religion was located, as well as thergest kingdom of the continent. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) On the way, the road forked north and south, but few people passed on the southern roadpared to the one leading to the temple. As such, it would be much simpler to choose that one if you wanted to avoid the human eyes. Thanking the guard, I rushed out of the city. The guard tried to stop me, warning me that it was dangerous to leave the city on my own, but I couldnt afford to stop now. After advancing a few dozen meters on the highway, I reached the fork that split into north and south. This ce was visible from the gate, so thats how he knew where the cart was headed to. I lowered my eyes and tried to find the tracks, but even if this road was less active, it wasntpletely unused either. It seemed that several carriages had already passed through, so investigating the tracks would prove to be hard. I guess itd be impossible to follow their tracks. That said, its not like I had no other means. Even if following the tracks on the highway was impossible, I could still find them outside of it. If they headed into the forest from the highway, there would definitely be traces of it left behind. Not to mention, they were in full armor. Considering how they forgot to erase their traces at Michelles house, I could assume that they werent used to this type of work. In that case, the traces should still be there this time too. As expected, at a certain distance where the guards eyes wouldnt be able to reach, I discovered a ce where the branches of the trees next to the highway looked unnaturally broken. Inspecting that location, I discovered clear wheel tracks under the thick grass. The juices of crushed grasses still havent dried. They shouldnt have passed by that long ago. I coulde to the conclusion as not even the gouged ground looked dried. As long as I didnt lose track of these traces, I would most likely catch up to them. They seemed to be rtively subtle while derailing from the main road, but past a certain point, they seemed to have abandoned any thought of covering their tracks. I could see the traces even if I didnt check from up close, so I was able to follow it while running. After loitering in the forest for a while, I discovered a small hut ahead of where I was advancing. It appeared to be a huntsmens hut used as a shelter from wind and rain, so it had a crude outside appearance that was only enough to do its job. Next to it, one cart was stopped, with a pile of straw casually unloaded next to it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Given how they have discarded strawwhich should have been important to warrant carryingas if it had served its purpose, I was certain that this cart was my target. There were no signs of people around, so I erased my presence and approached the cart. Inspecting it, it was without a doubt the cart Michelles family used. It has a small bloodstain on it too. Looks like they arent severely injured, so I suppose thats a relief? If they were fatally injured, the cart wouldve had puddles of blood. Seeing that that wasnt the case, I heaved a sigh of relief for the time being. Having said that, that didnt guarantee that they would remain safe. Using the carriages height, I climbed up on the huts roof. It had a window, but it was a drop window, and opening it could get my presence busted. Besides, the hut was pretty small, so just the act of opening the window would most likely stand out. The difference in the sunlight entering in would be apparent. Thus, I put my hopes on how half-heartedly the hut was made and looked for the gaps from above. Fortunately, I was both small and light, so my climbing didnt give rise to any weird creaks. The roof had wood knots here and there, and even leaving them out, there were still several holes here and there. I silently peeped down from one of those holes. Good grief, making us do something like this. I heard those words from inside. The dim room was lit by antern, so I could clearly identify their facial features. I saw uncle left in the corner of the hut. Along with auntie who was tied up. Uncle was bleeding from the mouth, and sometimes even coughed out blood. There was a chance that his internal organs were damaged. If that was true, he needed healing, and fast. Dont say that. We have no future to look forward to anyway. We cant go on without making pocket money through this kind of dirty work. If only we could have participated in the defensive battle. The secondpany bunch that does outside patrol have all gotten popr now, you know? But in exchange, we remained safe, didnt we? Come on, some Goblins got nothing on me. There were three men inside the hut. I didnt remember them, but judging from their conversation, they seemed to have been some corrupted knights who had missed their spotlight. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) At any rate, I managed to discover my rescue targets, so its going well so far. Chapter 356 I remained on the roof while erasing my presence, waiting for an opportunity to rescue Michelles parents. There were three men in total. Judging from how they conducted themselves, I should have easily won even if I challenged them head-on. However, the injured uncle and restrained auntie were hostages now, so doing something reckless might put their lives in danger. If I was going to do it, I had to choose the timing to take care of them in one fell swoop, while also guaranteeing the safety of the hostages. Still, do we really have to keep these two alive? Hah? They are the hostages to catch that Michelle brat, so of course we do. Come on. Couldnt we just catch the brat instead? Well she wasnt there, so there you have it. Besides, dont underestimate her just cuz shes a brat. Shes a monster that could shoot enemies outside from the spire top. Listening to that, one of them took a spit. Then he approached auntie and kicked her in frustration. Gyah!? That caused her to scream and sent her flying away. That change in position made it hard to do a surprise attack now. Damn it, making us put extra work! Stop it. If you kill her, that brats arrows would be pointed at us next. So were using her parents as a shield huh. We sure have fallen low. It is how it is. We wont be able to make a name for ourselves with our abilities. The fact that the secondpany imed the Goblin raid achievements is also because weck strength. If I had the chance, even I couldve done the same! This time, he went and kicked the uncle. Given how injured he already was, he failed to put up any defense and took on the kick, spitting out blood. He seemed to be already unconscious, however, as he didnt raise any voice. There, I started considering the situation. If I broke inside the way things stood, I would only be putting them to danger. That said, uncles condition seemed quite bad too. I could wait until Cortina or Maxwell arrived, but his condition might worsen until then. I suppose its better that I deal with them to heal them as fast as possible, huh? But in that case, I had to hide my identity if I intended to capture them alive. If they saw me disy extraordinary fighting strength as Nicole, it could lead toplications. It would be fine if I turn into Reid, but the clothes I had the academy clothes on me now. If I turned into Reid in this condition, I would juste off as a pervert. Well, in the worst case, I would just have to deal with it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Im not sure if auntie is still conscious either. But still I once again looked down. The man had kicked her once again and made her faint. Normally, I would curse them for doing something so inhuman, but this time, you could say it helped me too. After all, they had just made the witnesses faint for me. I guess this is why there were petty underlings. Now that there were no more witnesses, there was no need to hold back. Trying to keep the noises as low as possible, I undressed and folded my clothes. Then I took my leftover scroll and changed to Reid. The pain as if my body was melting tormented me, but I gritted my teeth and endured screaming. I had experienced this pain many times already, so I was quite used to it. Still, it was difficult to endure itpletely. As I was clutching my fist, I ended up scratching the wooden board of the room, and the sounds reached inside. What was that? Whats wrong? While saying that, the man walked to the door withzy steps. You could say this was a good opportunity for me. While holding my head that was still tingling with pain, I moved to the roof edge. Just as I summoned my gauntlets to me, the door below opened. I then jumped off, attacking the man from above. Nn? Geph! As I mmed my elbow on his head, he could only muster a weird yelp and copsed on the spot. These guys had some mastermind, so I couldnt kill them until they spit it out. Seeing me suddenly show up, the two other guys stood shocked without understanding what happened. Wh- Who the **** is this pervert! IM NOT ONE! I ended up yelling back, but their reaction was natural. If a naked man in gauntlets jumped from the roof, just about anyone would shrink back. Even I. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Still, I couldnt care less about their state now. I closed in on the flinching men and drove a knee into ones gut. He was certainly taken aback, but my speed was quite something too. Physical strengthening using the threads as well as Enchant magic. And above all, the body that could handle them both. As all of those ovepped, I managed to move so fast inside the hut that they couldnt even follow me with eyes. And as expected, a bunch who would get involved in such a fraud had nopetency to deal with it. Thus, one of them took my knee head-on and flew back without putting up any defense. And before he hit the wall, I drove in a hand chop on the other mans neck. Wha-, he dissa- My chopnded right after he said that, making him faint. In the hut where there was no one conscious left, I alone stood buck naked. Lets get dressed. Saying that, I promptly started to strip the man off their clothes. Chapter 357 I stripped all the clothes off the men and tied them up with Mythril threads. If I bound them with these threads, Cortina would be able to tell immediately whose deed it was. Also, I realized it after stripping them but turned out that they were just wearing regr soldiers clothes. They werent wearing knights clothes, so they were probably just underlings of some knight. Which means, some noble is pulling the strings, after all. Maxwell will have it tough. The reason I stripped all three was that I felt itd be unfair if I only did it to one of them. While I was stripping them, a small bag fell down with a heavy sound. Opening it, it was filled with some gold coins. Its about an average government officials monthly srys worth, huh. Getting into this mess for just that, what a failure on their part. With three gold coins, an average family could live for a month. On light counting, there were around ten of them in this bag now. It was an amount that you couldnt really say would be worth sacrificing your future for. Maybe they wouldve had some saving grace if they tried spending more money and actually negotiated. That said, it was obvious that Michelle would straight up refuse, failing to properly measure the mary value. There was also a piece of paper inside the bag. Hmm, is this a written pledge? On it, there was written a guarantee that if they managed to catch Michelle, they would get double the payment on top of knighthood. As for the writer of that pledge was Lichtenberg. This guy again? The same noble that got in the way of Cortinas appeal for reinforcements. He was a noble connected to former royalty just like Maxwell, and ranked higher than Yowi as a Marquis. Due to his superior lineage, he caused problems everywhere he butted in. Hes straight-up evil at this point. Ive not forgiven him for getting in Tinas way, either. I couldnt forgive his harassment towards Cortina, sure, but now that he directly harmed Michelle, I wouldnt be turning a blind eye. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The reason he tried to secure Michelles parents was probably so that even if Michelle became his underling, he still needed a guarantee so she wouldnt betray him. If I remember correctly, Lichtenbergs mansion was Right next to the royal caste, huh. I crushed the paper and threw it aside. This paper would be proof of crime on its own. However, that alone wouldnt cut it. Given his lineage, this wouldnt amount to a serious punishment. There was a possibility that a great noble like him wouldnt be punished gravely for messing with somemoners. Rather, that possibility was the most likely one. Maxwell was keeping him in check, but in the end, he was an old man who had left the royalty and even the bonds of nobility. He had influence as one of the Six Heroes, but he still couldnt excessively interfere in the affairs of the kingdoms authorities. In that case The me of my previous life was exactly the person who dealt with these types of people without mercy. Ill have this one experience how scary I can be. There was no knowing when the hut would be found if I left it like that, so Iunched a beacon on the roof. Maxwell who Michelle shouldve contacted should realize it when he sees it. I also cast Cure Light on Uncle as an emergency treatment. His life should no longer be in any danger now. I also retrieved my uniform that I left on the roof and rushed back to Maxwells mansion. The fact that I appeared also meant that Nicole would disappear. I needed his power to make my story more convincing. Strengthening myself with Enchant and the thread maniption, I dashed through the forest like the wind. I ran to the capital in a straight line, jumping over the tall walls using the threads in one go. I cant believe this. I did think that I would be able to do it, but I didnt expect that it would be this easy. Even my earlier speed in the forest was abnormal. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I ended up getting used to Nicoles powerless body, so strengthening my tough body of the previous life made my abilities skyrocket to a shocking degree. My old body was also rtively powerless, butpared to Nicoles body, it was like night and day. I had a weak but noble body, but the strengthening made me reach a whole new domain. The original me would have never managed jumping over the wall that was at least ten meters tall so easily. At this rate, I bet I couldve climbed up even without the threads, huh? My current gauntlets had ws for climbing the walls. With those, I could support my weight even without the threads. And with my current agility I just needed to get a foothold for an instant to jump to the next one. If I repeated that, I could probably jump over this wall. Can my body really handle this properly? With this body and ability, I felt like I could even lead Lyell around by the nose. He certainly boasted of unparalleled toughness, but I feel like I could output speeds that could ignore that. As I was preupied with those thoughts I decided to change my thinking. This is no time for that. This time, I hung the thread over the wall and dropped down. If I jumped down as is, even my current body would take damage. Thus, I used the thread to decelerate before hitting the ground, achieving a safending. Fortunately, no one seemed to have seen me. Or rather, I acted after confirming that there was no one around. Following that, I jumped and kicked off the wall of a house,nding on the roof of the opposite one. Then, I continued along the rooftops towards Maxwells mansion. I was clearly faster than I was in my previous life. Or rather, I might have already exceeded the territory of a human. It was daytime, but there werent even any passersby who managed to see me. Moreover, when I jumped from roof to roof, I easily leaped over 10 meters distances. I Really need to get used to these abilities by nightfall. The Polymorph spell shouldst until around dawn. With that much time on my hands, I should easily manage to sneak into Lichtenbergs mansion and punish him. Without realizing it, a viinous smile appeared on my face due to the evolution of my abilities. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) Now, let me use this new strength against that noble who doesnt know his ce. Chapter 358 It was already nearing evening. During this time period, Maxwell who had routine tasks should still be remaining in the academy. I was a little uncertain how Maxwell would move when hearing Michelles report, but he wasnt as adaptable as Cortina. Even if they were both Six Heroes, Cortina was amoner who didnt hold any authority, while Maxwell was formerly among the leaders of this kingdom. The gap between their standings was too big. As I arrived near the academy, as expected, I saw Cortina rush out along with a few teachers. The teachers werent guards, but they could still be a fighting force. She must have taken them along with that thought in mind. As long as she had people around, she could disy her ability well enough. Maxwell on the other hand was sitting in the office and issued instructions while going through the documents. He probably intended to gain time by sending Cortina ahead, while he wouldter take over the situation with the main force. At any rate, there might be some noble involved in this. While Cortina is gaining us time, contact Marquis Yowi and the castle. Also, send people to the Hortonpany. Little Michelle has connections to that ce too. Yes, understood! Assign guards to Nicole when you find her as well. Understood! Receiving Maxwells instructions, several staff members rushed out of the office. Using that opportunity, I slipped through the window and sneaked up on him. Sup, you look busy. Nuoh!? I-Is that you, Reid Dont scare me like that. Thats quite a wee. I was hiding because I thought it would lead to problems. So, what is with your getup? It was natural that Maxwell ended up pointing that out. I was currently wearing the regr soldier uniform of this kingdom on my former body. It was a little short on my feet, but it was still within the margin of error. It couldnt be helped since I didnt have any other male clothes on hand, but it would have looked weird from Maxwells eyes who knew me very well. Particrly, thebination of an illegal guy like me and the soldier clothes was far too improbable. Considering the earlier conversation, you should already be aware of what happened, right? I mean about Michelle. MhCould it be that you already? Yeah. the perpetrators were hiding in one hunters hut on the way to the south outside the city. After making them faint, I tied them up and left them there. Naked. That is quite cruel. Still, it is quite rare for you to let your enemies live. I just thought that would be more convenient even for you. Also I wanted to get permission. Permission? Maxwell looked at me with deep interest as I pulled a chair and sat at the desk before him. And then, I exined the particrs of the incident. He nned to use her parents as a shield to get Michelle under him? He should be aware that he would not be able to earn her loyalty like that. Yeah, he could get shot from behind any time. But since he still acted on it It would mean that he has means to prevent any betrayal? Most likely, he nned to use one of those cors that they put on the ves or something. The cor of subordination, huh? It is a banned item If that is discovered in Lichtenbergs mansion, he would have no excuses to make. Right. But this time, I dont have time to wait until that happens. Mh? Hearing my words, Maxwell seemed to have realized what I intended to do. Purge Lichtenberg. In other words, Reid, the assassin, would once again return to duty. Well, he keeps ignoring my will to this extent, and even harmed the citizens, so I do understand where you areing from And that citizen was my friend. No way I can overlook him, right? Mgh I would have preferred to deal with him using the normal means. Thats how it would be given your position. Thats why I came to get your permission like this. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I could understand that Maxwell, given his public standing, wanted to act ording tows as best as he could. When it came to a bigshot like Lichtenberg, in particr, he would need to issue a punishment that would satisfy the masses. On the other hand, given that he was a leading aristocrat, there was a high possibility that his life would be spared. He would most likely be stripped of his power, but he could just be made to retire in some remote ce and end it at that. He tried to put his hand on Michelle, so I couldnt allow him to get away with such a carefree retirement. Sigh At this stage, you will not listen to anything I will say, would you? Well, yeah. When do you n to do it? Possibly tonight. That is fast. No, I suppose these matters require promptness. Understood. I will make sure Cortina and I have an alibi when that happens. Ah, Mateus as well. Please do. I already expected Maxwell to do something like that to avoid needless suspicion. Mateus was also known as his confidant, so it would be bad if he was suspected too. Thus, it made things easier for me as well if he was going to take him along for the alibi. This would save Cortina from getting weird looks. Now that I got Maxwells permission, I decided to leave his room to start nning for tonight. But Maxwell stopped me. Wait wait. There is still something that you should know. He was talking about the mucus bag that I Or rather, Cloud discovered previously. Apparently, new information had reached him about it. About the Disease Slime fragment from before. Oh yeah, you mean from that epidemic? Yes. It is a very unusual monster. I was trying to see if I could follow the culprits tracks using that fact. However, there have been no traces that such a monster had been discovered nearby Raum in these few years. I have asked every Adventurers Guild, but they all gave simr replies. I dont get it. I mean that we do not know where they obtained that virus from. It is a rare species so its detection rate is extremely low. There was a precedent of it discovered some 15 or 20 years ago in the northern parts, but it has not been subjugated. Is there a possibility that they kept the one from that time? There naturally is such possibility However, it would be strange to think that they were saving for such limited use. Hmm Oh well. Im not very familiar with that stuff. Dealing with the senile noble thats before my eyese first. Hahh, you should not be needing my warning, but make sure everything happens simply, okay? What Maxwell was worried about was whether I nned to massacre everyone in that mansion. Considering that I would be able to if only I wanted to, his uneasiness was natural. That said, I was not a cold-blooded murderer. Even if it was my own im, I executed people ording to my morality, so it was my policy to not involve unrted people. I returned a nod to his warning and left the room without a word. I needed to prepare in advance to keep the casualties to a minimum. Chapter 359 The clothes I was wearing now were the uniform of Lichtenbergs orderlies. They were total dumbasses for wearing their masters uniform whilemitting a crime, but I guess thats why they were given such dirty work. That guy was a great noble, so he had a lot of servants. As long as I stayed inconspicuous, I could easily slip inside. Using the Illusion Ring, I changed my appearance into one of the kidnappers. This should have significantly lowered the chances of them doubting me. Moreover, with this illusion, I could walk in while wearing my gauntlets and no one would suspect it. Given Lichtengergs status, he shouldve had a teleportation jamming device installed within. If that was the case, it was possible that it would get in the way of summoning my gauntlets when I needed them. I gave a slight nod to the guards protecting the mansion and confidently walked in. Hey, Fred. You done with your business? The guard called me out casually. Considering his words, apparently, the person I was disguising as was frequently away from the mansion. I guess the reason he was wearing those clothes was that he probably slipped out during his work hours. Yeah, Im done. I see. Still, dont leave your post so often, you hear? Our reputation is already as low as it can get. I know. Returning a curt reply, I passed the gate. If I stood and talked too much, they could suspect my speech and conduct. That said, there was no need to deceive them for long. I nned to finish this tonight. It would be fine as long as itsted until then. It was already evening now, so only a few hours were left. Now then I slipped into a ce with no people and did a light stretch. I could go and assassinate him right away, but if something happened, slipping out would be a pain. It was more convenient to wait until the nighttime to avoid peoples eyes, after all. Besides, I had other things to do before that. The first was to ascertain my target, Lichtenbergs location. Then the mansion structure. And finally, secure the evacuation route. To secure it, I first need to thoroughly inspect the ce. However, the structures of nobles mansions were often kept in absolute secrecy due to all the valuable articles that were stored inside. Moreover, some nobles also had secret paths built for emergencies, so it was a big pain. I had a painful experience with that during the Tarkashire matter from before. If Count Serwa didnt manage to escape then, no harm wouldvee to Cortina either. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Thinking back, I shouldve tormented that bastard more. Well, with Gideon getting in the way, I didnt really have any leeway for that, but my blood was rising now as I looked back. As I loitered in the mansion, a finely dressed knight addressed me. Fred, what are you doing here. Didnt you say you were going to train until night! Huh, eh? What is foolish expression. Dont tell me you have forgotten your masters face! The knight raised his voice in irritation as he red at me. Hearing the word master, I finally remembered that the guy I was disguising as was supposed to be an orderly. The orderlies served under knights, aiming to be knights themselves. They were apprentice knights, so to speak. I- Um, something urgent came up and I never heard of that. Come, Ill beat yourzy attitude into shape! Eeeh!? I wanted to escape, but doing so would also be problematic. Lets just take them on without standing out too much and deceive them It wasnt in my nature to announce myself and attack head-on. Even so, I was strong enough to handle a knight of this level as is, now. That said, doing so would just be too conspicuous, so it was quite troubling. Damn you, you seem to have gotten quite stronger huh! No, not at all? I lightly warded off the knights frontal sh. It would be too suspicious like that, so I pretended to lose my posture. Hmph, but you still have ways to go! An opening! Why are you announcing it!I barely endured yelling back in response. I wanted to warn him to just take the opening and attack without saying anything. If I took on the sh of the sham sword that had a lot of force into it, it would get in the way of my activity. That said, if I didnt, the training would just keep on going forever, so I was pretty lost on what to do. I swung my leg from my broken posture and kicked the back of the knights hand. Missing its mark, the knight stumbled forward, his neck being full of openings. I could probably decapitate him three times over in this instant. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Still, it was pretty sad that he was a knight with only this level of strength. Considering that the knights previous defensive battle wasnt bad, this showed clearly how shallow Lichtenbergs faction was. Perhaps Lichtenberg desired Michelle so much exactly because of how low his soldiers level was. After repeatedly getting shed and dodging it for thirty minutes, the knight finally ran out of breath. It would be too suspicious if I didnt break a sweat so I started panting unnaturally. Y-Youve be quite something. To cause me so much trouble. No, Im still not as good as honored knight So this knight was called Antonio, huh? Ill remember it Just for tonight. Still, I cannot admire you using kicks and punches in a sword fight. It has to be fought with swords alone, fair and square. If you are aiming to be a knight, correct that part. Y-Yes. I see, no wonder Lichtenberg is short-handed. When a dumbass like him is a knight, it practically shows that he has no talented personnel. Or well, I guess that was also the reason why he also had people he could give such dirty work to like this Fred guy. Um, Lord Antonio. May I retire for now? Y-Yes. Right, it is already time for a meal. Antonio stood up while holding his trembling knees. I was about to retort to him, but managed to hold it down. I sure have grown ustomed to holding back Looking around, people were giving me surprised looks. It seemed that enduring Antonios attacks was an unusual event for this Fred. Still, this practice wasnt for naught either. These training grounds were located behind the mansion, so there were surprisingly few human presences aside from knights. It would even be deserted once night hits. I decided to use this ce during my escape. Thus, I managed to free myself from the knight and decided to hide while I had free time. Chapter 360 Once the training was over, I headed towards the weapon storehouse and picked a spear. I nned to bring it along while pretending to be patrolling and inspect the mansion structure from the outside. Lichtenbergs mansion was an orthodox two-storied building. However, one part of it was protruded like a tower, and it was the only ce that had the third floor. The influential people tended to prefer high ces, so this guy was most likely the same. If possible, I wanted to inspect the interior too, but I dont think I have the leeway for that. If I let him be now, he would probably learn that his attack failed as early as tomorrow. And then he would decide his next action on the same day. If I didnt deal with this guy as fast as possible, there would be no peace for Michelle. The first floor aside, the second and third floors werent ces that Fred, given his orderly status, could freely wander to without permission. In that case, I guess it would be better to disguise myself as one of the maids working on those floors. After I finished guessing the structure from the outside and confirmed my escape route, I once again slipped inside. This time, I settled on one young-looking maid and changed my illusion. The reason I chose a younger maid was that it would be easier to use tears to get my way during the critical moment. As for the voice Ill try my best. I had memories of being forced to crossdress by Cortina in the past No, lets just stop remembering it. Thus, I settled on a ck-haired maid from mid tote teens and returned inside the mansion. The spear mighte in handy in the future, so I hid it along my escape route. nesse, nesse Im talking to you! Eh Ah, are you talking to me? Who else is around! As I was on my way towards the stairs, I was called by a slightly older maid. I tried to make my voice as high-pitched as possible and responded back. My voice belonged to a man now, so I had to put in some effort. As it turned out, the owner of this appearance was called nesse. Ill remember it, just for tonight. However, her name sounded simr to Cloud, so I was a little anxious there. Hey, did your voice change? It sounds a little too deep, you know? Errr, could it be that I have caught a cold? Really? Oh well. We seem to be missing turnips for Masters dinner. Could you go buy some for me? Saying so, the maid pushed the shopping basket to me. But if I left the mansion now, it alles to nothing. While I was thinking about how to get out of this, a certain rumor crossed my mind. It was about howscivious Lichtenberg was rumored to be. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Thus, I flipped mydy switch on and turned into feminine mode. Um Master has summoned me earlier Again? Cant he just rub it out himself already? The maid put a hand to her waist and said in anger, then took the basket and went away. She probably hurried to buy the products in great haste. I felt bad for making her work, but this would be herst job here, so I hope she forgives me with that. Then, I headed to the second floor, and was addressed several times, but they let me pass once I brought out Lichtenbergs name. Apparently, simr things happened many times before now. Thus, passing through the second floor, I headed to the stairs leading to the third one situated around the center. When I head upstairs, there was a room right ahead of the corridor, with no other path past it. It seemed that this floor was dedicated to that room alone. I knocked on the door as a test, but there was no reply. Finding it strange, I quietly opened the door and found Lichtenberg snoring on the bed. Was this man, who had kicked off his nket and was exposing his fat belly, really Lichtenberg? Thinking back, I didnt know how he looked like. So carefree Still, seeing how he was snoring loudly after putting his hands on Michelles parents, blood rushed to my head. When I extended a thread from my gauntlet, thinking to put an end to him right then and there, the door behind me was knocked furiously. I quickly stuck to the wall and switched my illusion. By turning the illusion from a maid to a wall, I was able to avoid being seen. So noisy, what is it! Master, are you alright! What? What is going on? You may enter. It seemed to be the voice of someone he knew, Lichtenberg defenselessly told them to enter. Immediately, a bearded butler-looking man, and the knight, Antonio, entered in. One of the servants reported having seen a suspicious person. We havee to ascertain your safety. Suspicious person? Yes, ording to them, they took on the appearance of a young servant and snuck inside the mansion. They headed towards Masters room, so their goal was most likely Me, huh. Hmph, so someone who doesnt know his ce came to target my life again, huh. The fat man climbed off from the bed and dered in a haughty voice. So he was Lichtenberg without a doubt. As always, I will take refuge in the vi. Antonio, you shall meet the enemy as my body double. Yes, as youmand! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I couldnt help but think the difference between their statures was too different, but apparently, it wasnt the case from their perspective. The butler seemed to want to say something, but he decided to keep his mouth shut. Still, this could be said to be a blessing in disguise. If he would be leaving the mansion, there was no need to even think of my path of retreat. And there would be no need to wait until night. I anticipated this and have already prepared a carriage already. Please make haste and dress yourself, Master. Got it. Go call the maids for me. As youmand. As it turned out, this man couldnt even change his clothes on his own. I considered mixing among the maids for a moment, but discarded it, as it would be hard to deal with him with so many people around. No, well, I could easily do it if I wanted to, but it wasnt my hobby to do meaningless murder. I didnt n to kill even those attending to him. Thus, as I stood and watched, Lichtenberg changed his clothes and left the room. If he was leaving the city, that was good in its own way. I could deal with him without any interruptions. Thinking so, I revealed a grin under my disguise. Chapter 361 When Lichtenberg heard that his life was being targeted, he changed clothes and left the room. Looking down from the window, I saw a decorated carriage parked at the entrance. He probably nned to evacuate with that one. I jumped down from the window and gentlynded on the carriage using threads. Naturally, I had my illusion set to blend in with the surroundings, so there was no one to take notice of it. Soon enough, knights arrived on horseback. They were most likely the guard unit. Then, Lichtenberg appeared and went on to board the carriage in haste. I made sure to wrap a Mythril thread around his neck during the asion. This way, I could decapitate him whenever I wanted. The knights split into groups of four and positioned themselves at the front and rear of the carriage. When they finished that, someone resembling the captain raised his voice. Time to depart! All of you be extremely alert for your surroundings. The enemy might still be lurking somewhere! Yes sir! The Knights responded with a vigorous salute But sadly for them, their masters life was already in my hands. The carriage started to slowly move. Even if I had an illusion on me, I had my worries about how it could cope with the shifting scenery, so I decided to lower my posture on the roof. Before long, the carriage left the urban district and passed through the eastern gate. I didnt know where Lichtenbergs vi was, but if they were going to pass through the forest, that made things easier for me. The knights were vignt of the front and back, but they didnt consider that I was already on the carriage. On the way, a wild rabbit appeared from the grasses, redirecting the knights attention. The carriage made a sudden stop and the knights tried to move to deal with it immediately. However, when they saw it was just a rabbit, they heaved a big sigh. What is going on! Please be at ease. It was only a rabbit. Then let us move already. The foolish assassin might be following us. Yes sir! It annoyed me a bit to hear him call me a foolish assassin, but making a stop here was a gift from the heavens. Without missing the opportunity, I coiled a thread around the branch of a tree above the carriage and jumped to it. I was using threads, sure, but my elevated physical ability to manage it without raising any sound at all still astonished me. Since I was using Polymorph, my physical abilities shouldnt be any different from that of my previous life. And yet, seeing how superior my abilities were now made me painfully aware of just how wastefully I was using my abilities while I was alive. If I had this strength, I wouldnt have fallen behind even against that twin-ded Devil. If I cooperated with Cortina, I might have remained alive Well, no point crying over spilled milk. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) At any rate, my preparations were over. I tied the thread on the tree trunk and left the ce before the carriage started moving. When it would start moving, the thread would automatically decapitate him. The problem was that they would be alert for the surroundings once that happened, so the question was whether I could manage running away before the hundred-meter limit until the thread was taut. My gauntlets were child-size now, so it was quite tough for me. It was fine for a short time, but if I kept wearing it for a long time, it could stop the blood flow and even lead to necrosis. That said, I could now strengthen my former body with interference magic. If I used my Stealth Gift on top of it, there was almost no chance of anyone noticing me. Soon after I left that ce behind, I heard the scream of a woman from the highway ahead. Judging from their voice, it was the maid that attended to Lichtenberg. It seemed that I managed to sessfully lop his head off. The Mythril threads made from the carefully selected Huge Crawler were flexible yet extremely tough. And once the cart started moving, it couldnt make a sharp stop. Much less when Lichtenberg himself was urging them to hurry on ahead, so you could say he reaped what he sowed. I saw the stopped carriage in the distance that looked like a dot. And how the knights rushed over, dragging Lichtenbergs body out. I couldnt make out the details due to the distance, but I still confirmed the overflowing liquid and the absence of what should have been above his shoulders. With this, Lichtenberg is no longer a threat. Rest was how Maxwell would make use of this fact. Chapter 362 Once I sessfully dealt with Lichtenberg, I headed leisurely towards the capital. Since he left the city so carelessly, I still had quite a bit of time on my hands. In that case, there should be no problem to say hi to Cortina and Finia before I reverted. As I was thinking that, I felt strong killing intent directed my way from the forest depths. !? Who is it! Killing intent No, this was better to call pure hatred. I immediately took out my threads and became alert. Then, part of the forests dark part crumbled as if melting down, reforming into a human silhouette. A Person? The one appearing before me was a boy looking to be 15-16 years of age. He had a sword and leather armor, but it wasnt a weird getup for an Adventurer. That said, there was not a fragment of childish innocence in the aura he gave off. Good grief, I came to check the state of preparations, it turned out that he was easily killed off. And the killer turns out to be someone I know. But I dont recognize you. I didnt recognize the boys face. Thus, I responded honestly, but his expression warped before my eyes. Im Kufar. But Ah yes, of course, youre always like that. You never care about the people you have killed! Hearing that, it finally hit me. Same as how I was using Polymorph to transform myself, this guy might be doing the same too with a simr spell. If he was using a different appearance, it was natural that I wouldnt recognize him. I see, so youre also transformed into Shut up! As I was saying that, his tempter suddenly erupted. Right after his face twitched strangely, he kicked the ground and rushed at me. He seemed to have lost himself in rage, he forgot to even use the sword on his waist. Coming at me empty-handed huh. Looks like Im being underestimated here! I shook off his hand aiming for my head with my left hand. But then, I felt a burning heat on my arm. Ouch, you bastard, youre using acid again!? Ill kill you Reidddd! Youre no longer sane, huh? I thought he wasing at me empty-handed But looks like he was hiding acid or may even some poison there. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) In that case, I felt it would be too dangerous to carelessly touch him with my hands. Thus, I kicked his chest and used the recoil to open some distance between us. He didnt take significant damage due to his tough leather armor, but it was good enough that I managed to take distance. Like Id let you run! Whos running! I only gained about a meter distance. But this was the range of a sword. I often faced enemies that used swords, so this was the distance that made me most alert. However, I had my katana with me now. And against an empty-handed opponent, it was more advantageous for me. Leaving my extracted threads as is, I put my hand on the katana and prepared to make a drawing sh. The sh that utilized my enhanced abilities moved swiftly like a sh and mowed down his neck. The timing made it impossible to dodge it. And it should have taken his head off without a doubt. However, his head remained in ce, and the de passed through it, feeling as if it was cutting through the water. What? Ahahaha! That wont work on me! Shit! I immediately let my thread fly and tried to tie the arm that he extended towards me. But even that passed through it, leaving that sliding sensation again. It was possible that he was casting an illusion on some non-human familiar or something. I see, so youre not human I said shut up! I wasnt as proficient in magic as Maxwell or Maria. Within the sword interval, his attack would be faster than my spells. To maintain the distance, I kicked up the ground to blind him. But Kufar didnt pay it any heed and rushed at me. Taake thiisss! He didnt care even if the dirt hit his face. But since he was charging, he wouldnt be able to stop right away. I decided to move forward instead of retreating behind. Considering he was using acid, he probably didnt consider that I would enter into such extreme close-quartersbat with him. He looked surprised for a moment, but then aimed for my face as if trying to mow me down. Still, he couldnt keep up with my speed. His swing failed tond on me and simply hit the empty space. Then I slipped past his arm and passed behind him. Without stopping, dived into a roll and took more distance. Then as I got up, I constructed a magic circle and started chanting. Crimson Four, Gold One, Jade Five! I poured a lot of magic into it and was about to use the Dispell spell, but then I remembered about the incident where Maxwell was sabotaged in the north. About the enemy who managed to disguise himself inside the Adventurers Guild that was supposed to block any use of magic. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) If this man was the same person, Dispel would have no effect. In which case, it was more likely that his disguise was a skill or an ability simr to a Gift. As for the spell that could nullify that Jamming! I immediately revised my magic circle and used another spell. Both Dispell and Jamming were simr in that they both caused a disturbance, so their magic circles resembled each other too, fortunately. The jamming spell was ranked high among the middle-grade spells, and it obstructed the maintenance of various effects. Moreover, the magic power I put into it was about four times more than normal, so it was a little excessive. Unless it was truly something extraordinary, there should be nothing this spell couldnt cancel. To note, if it was used against me now, it would naturally return me to Nicoles form. G-GHAAAAAAAAHHH! Kufar raised a scream for some reason and stopped moving the moment the spell was cast on him. It only canceled things affecting the target, so it didnt deal any pain. But he was writhing in agony and desperately twisting his body, trying to resist the spell with all his might. Still, he had no hope of that considering I put four times the magic power into it. And in the first ce, the moment I made the move, I already had the advantage. Thus, his figure blurred and fadedreced by a jade green humanoidsomething. Chapter 363 When I first saw that form, I thought it was some kind of jade Golem in human shape. But that wasnt it. In reaction to his squirming, that body started jolting and swaying. That made me realize that it was soft viscous liquid shaped like a human. ASlime? D-Damn youW-What have you done This is the first time Ive seen an intelligent Slime. Shut up Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I am a human! I may be a half-demon, but Im not some Slime! What are you Kufar was trying his best to keep his copsing body in a human shape. So the reason why my sword and threads passed through him was that he didnt possess any flesh, huh? There was also his color. It looked like that poison that spread illness in Raum. Disease Slime. I heard they were rare species, but I never thought they were intelligent as well. But thinking about it, there were cases like Den too. There was a possibility that they would gain high intellect if they mutated under the Ley Line influence. This guy was probably one of those extreme cases. Then what about you, huh?! What? I died and reincarnated into this ugly form. Then what about you who killed me? You think Ill tell you? Then Ill make you Crimson Four As if Id let you! He tried to cast Jamming on me, but I shot my thread at him. The physical damage was mostly ineffective against Slimes, but Enchanted equipment could still deal good damage. This was one of the reasons why I couldnt deal any damage to him thest time we met in the city. At any rate, I couldnt reveal my identity to this guy now. I was freeloading at Cortinas house, and was in a state where I couldnt go into hiding right away. In other words, if he got to know my identity, he would have the opportunity to attack any time, while my actions would be limited. And that could also lead to a situation where Cortina, and my otherrades, would get to know my identity. While Kufar was chanting, my diagonal shnded on him without managing to dodge it. My current attack that used Mythril instead of piano threads, seemed to have dealt adequate damage, breaking his posture. Damn you! You dont even scream from pain, and still call yourself human. How dare you! Since I know what you are, you have no hope of beating me any longer. If I knew you were a Slime, I would have dealt with you differently. Khh. Not to mention, my gauntlets were equipped with the ability to instantly enchant my threads. You could even say they were a natural enemy for this guy. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) After his unknown factor went away, he no longer had any hope of winning. Your luck ran out the moment you decided to approach Cortina. Ill kill you. Ill definitely Yeah, no thanks. With katana in my right and thread in my left hand, I prepared for mid to short quarter attacks. The acid he fire thest time wasnt from some equipment he hid in his arm, but from his body itself. In which case, I was probably already in his attack range. I had to stay alert. As expected, Kufar swung his arm without moving from the ce. It was the acid attack. But I already expected it. I swung my arm in a simr manner and knocked down the acid with threads. Once I finished knocking everything down, I closed in on him in one go and thrust my katana. Gaaah! Thats quite a barefaced scream. Slimes shouldnt have a sense of pain. Imented and once again kicked off his leather armor. I chose the armor because if I stepped on any other body part, my food could have gotten submerged and dissolved. The armor guarding his body also acted as sort of a container that held his body. After rolling on the ground, the distance opened up between us again. Kufar yelled in grief as he got up. Im saying I am a human! I dont know who youre supposed to be butwait, did you say Half-Demon? Right, he called himself a Half-Demon earlier. And that he was reborn. Thinking back, this guy was probably the one who interfered in contacting Maxwell during the Goblin battle. To add, the group he was in was trying to summon Devils. Someone calling himself a Half-Demon, and Devil summoning, on top of the thing about reincarnation. I finally connected the dots between those facts. You, are you the priestfrom back then? The ritual that became the reason behind my death. The one behind it was the orphanage priest. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) What if he had gotten reborn just like me? But unlike me, into something other than human? The answer to that was provided to me by his following yell. Yeah, thats right! You seem to have gotten reborn as a human again, but I ended up like this! What a blessed guy you are, huh! Hah, I thought my life was fucked up, but here you are. If I hadnt received the Ley Lines influence, I wouldnt even realize that I used to be a human and spent my life as a predator led by natural instincts. That would have been way better for the greater good. But you got reborn as a human huh? A Hero in previous life, human in this one. Quite different from me, huh! That fortune of yours makes me nauseous! Hey, its not like my fortune was the only reason I got to be a hero! It was probably true that being reborn as a human was a fortune. I hadnt considered what it would be like if I was reborn as some other lifeform. However, the glory of my previous life was something that I obtained by pouring sweat and blood into it. I didnt want it attributed to my luck. I flew my threads at him red by my irritation. A slime thatcked in agility could never dodge that attack. It tore his armor, but didnt stop and that and sent him flying behind. His main body was torn now, so I just needed to deal the finishing blow and this troublesome incident woulde to a close. I carefully approached him while being alert for surprise attacks. But then, different voices interrupted me. You, what are you doing there! Suspicious, dont move! Are you the one who killed our Master! Looking there, I saw several horsemening my way. They were most likely the subordinates of Lichtenberg that I finished off earlier. They probably turned back to search for the killer. Tsk, what a bad timing I only turned away for a moment, then looked back at Kufar. But he was no longer there. Shit, did he camouge? Simr to Blobs, the higher species of Slimes, he also seemed to possess the mimicry skill. When it came to Blobs that had low intelligence, they only possessed enough ability to camouge as grass and such, but with the human intellect, it was a dangerous ability. Thinking about the applications of my Illusion Ring, I could understand how effective that ability was. I quickly shed the ce he used to be on with threads, but I didnt feel any response. A superior Slime possessing human intellect. The mimicry and predation skills it possessed were quite troublesome in a way. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) However, I couldnt waste time and chase after him now. There were four knights on horseback rushing towards me now. They were no match for me, but I wanted to avoid needless murder, so it was a number I would rather not fight. Should I withdraw? Even if their superior was a wretch, it didnt mean that all his subordinates were bad. It would be one thing if they were people who understood and willinglymitted crimes like during the time with the ve merchant, but these people were actual knights. They werent trash like Fred. It wasnt my intention to get normal people involved in this. Besides, I couldnt make light of a surprise attack from the lurking Slime. Agh dammit! Remember this, Kufar! I didnt lose or anything, but I still ended up leaving that losers line behind as I left the ce. Chapter 364 After shaking off the knights pursuit, I returned to the Capital Raum. Using the forest terrain and Stealth Gift to my advantage, losing people who were amateurs at investigation was a trivial task. For the time being, I decided to head to Maxwells mansion. I had to convey what I confirmed today. Nicole was to be guarded in his mansion tonight. Cortina was aware of that already. Since the situation affected Michelles parents, there was nothing suspicious about me being protected by Maxwell, who was the biggest firepower of this city. Oh, wee Nico- Whore you? Thanks for the wee. Mateus, was it? This was technically the first time I was meeting him as Reid, so I pretended that this was our first meeting. However, Mateus was tasked with protecting the house, so it was natural that he would stay vignt towards an unfamiliar man. Seeing him reach for his sword, I felt like teasing him for a bit. In the end, I didnt get to move my body much when dealing with Lichtenberg. Even with Kufar, it was my overwhelming victory in terms of affinity. In other words, I still havent had an opportunity to fully disy my current power. With a tough guy like Mateus before me, I could do that just fine. Im the old mans acquaintance. Thats quite a sneaky way of putting it. Even enemies are acquaintances, right? Instead of answering his question, I just revealed a meaningful smile. It was an attitude to get him to misunderstand it. And he easily took that bait. He forcefully pulled out his swords and attacked me right away. The speed he put into it showed that he was not holding back at all. However, for the current me, those shes were awfully slow. I dodged his left sh by shifting sideways, and hit his right sh at the des base, turning it away. In response, I sent a low kick towards his shifted leg, but he avoided it as expected. That was within my calctions, however. Instead of killing my momentum, I swung my arm on top, did a half-rotation, and added a backward roundhouse kick. Switching from low to high attack while his posture was broken proved to be too much for him to react to and he took the attack on. That said, he wasnt so bad to take that hit directly. Thus, he stopped my kick with his shoulder, and decided to charge at me. But his feet suddenly stopped. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) You really have no openings, huh, mister? You did well to notice it yourself. Alright, its my loss. Come on, I lost again? Why is Raum so filled with monsterstely? Mateus, who shrugged his shoulders with those words, had a thread coiled around his neck. The thread was going over the doorknob, so if he had charged earlier, it would have strangled him. Still, I was charged with protection. Couldnt you tell me your name at least? Yeah, sorry for provoking you earlier. Im Reid. It was just a momentary exchange, but I managed to easily ward Mateus heavy attack away with one hand and capture all his movements, so I was satisfied. As expected, someone on Mateus level was no opponent for me in this body. Confirming that fact alone was a good enough result. After a short while, Maxwell returned home, and after being guided by Mateus, I reported the situation about Kufar to him. Maxwell looked a little surprised to see me return so soon, but quickly collected himself, thinking that it was possible knowing the former me, and we moved to a different room for discussion. So yeah, Kufar turned out to be the reincarnation of the priest from my previous life, and a Slime. Wait, I am not following you, so exin it from the start. Well Hearing my clear and concise exnation, Maxwell criticized me. It was bothersome, but his judgment was usually correct, so I had no choice but to exin until he was satisfied. After he heard that he had sprouted an ego under the influence of some Ley Line in the north, and remembered his previous life, Maxwell couldnt help but be astonished. What, how can that be If it was not you, I would haveughed it off as nonsense. We both reincarnated simrly, but we are fundamentally different. I was reincarnated by Marias spell, after all. In that case, he is a natural reincarnator huh. Quite a valuable existence. Well, I leave how to convey this to Cortina to you old man. Also, I used the Polymorph scroll today, so tell her I cant see her this month. Oh dear The first half aside, please do not make me say the second half. A maidens hysteria is beyond my hands. Still, if I dont disguise, shell realize what Ive been doing as Nicole. If it was some unfamiliar uncle, I would have attacked in my original form. But this time it was different as the people concerned were Michelles parents. They both knew my face, so if I disyed strength that clearly exceeded an adults they would start suspecting things. Maybe I could have deceived them with the Illusion Ring, but rescuing them was connected to the risk of physical contact, thus I chose to go with Polymorph instead. This happens because you use Polymorph without considering the situation Come on. Though I did think I wasted it at the end. As I was holding my head in regret, pain ran through my body. It was the same pain I have experienced several times over the past few months. In other words, the pain of reverting to my original body. Kh, Im out of time huh Maxwell, please Clothes? Give me a moment. I left the rest as I grit my teeth in pain. Hearing it, Maxwell rushed out of the reception room. After experiencing it over and over, I could endure it without fainting, but I still couldnt move. I asked him to get my clothes for me. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) The underling solder clothes I was currently wearing were too big for my original body, so I needed to get changes. Well, it was just Maxwell, so I didnt really mind staying buck naked either. Just as I finished my transformation, Maxwell returned with my uniform. Inguidly epted them and started changing. Seeing how I didnt care about being seen, Maxwell retorted in exasperation. Goodness, it seems your road as ady is still long. Im not even walking that road. Leaving that aside Our conversation got interrupted due to Polymorphs time limit, but Kufars case was the focus now. There is certainly Dens case, but I had not considered that a Slime would undergo abnormal evolution. Yeah. You said there was a disguised culprit in the Adventurers Guild despite magic being sealed there. That was probably also Kufar. So you are saying that he used the Slimes characteristic mimicry skill to disguise himself? That is one troublesome monster when it possesses an intellect. Also, the poison that Cloud found the other day Disease Slime fragment? There were no cases of it being subjugated recorded in the north. The rare species of Slime that appeared in the north. It had disappeared without being ever subjugated. And then, the poison of that same monster had spread in Raum, and at the same time, Kufar, who was also a Slime, had appeared. He seemed to be trying to improve the Half-Demons standing in the society by summoning Devils, and there was also an organization with simr goals and methods. It would be weirder to not make a connection among them. In that case, Kufars im that he was the same priest that became the reason of my death was quite convincing. So the same person that drove you to death became your enemy again? That is Quite a strange coincidence. To the point that Im starting to think that it was part of Whiteys scheme. Incidentally, Reid, how is your equipment? A Slime should have been corrosive. It would be very sad for equipment of that quality to get ruined. Everythings fine on that end. Its made with the Evil Dragons materials, and the threads are Mythril too. Corrosion cant do anything to it. Materials y the part too, but Astes skill has to be praised as well. As for my katana, Ill take care of itter. So you hold the advantage over Kufar alone? Physical attacks are hardly effective against slimes as you know. I have Enchant for that. The current me can deal with him easily. He wasnt someone I needed to be afraid of as long as I knew his true form. As long as I didnt get dragged into his trap, I could deal with him. I dered fully convinced in my words. Chapter 365 LizithThe face of the tavern that also served as an inn for Adventurers, only noticed that sound by pure coincidence. It came from the first floor when she started coughing at night in her room on the second floor and poured water in the ss. Since they ran an Adventurers inn, they had many Adventurers returning at nighttime. They needed to give duplicate keys to those Adventurers. Normally, it was her fathers job to do it, but the source of that sound seemed to have erased its presence now, so he had not noticed them. She wondered whether to wake her father up for a moment, but in the end, purely by a whim, she decided to check it on her own. This was an Adventurers inn. Even if some robber had snuck in, one scream from her would be enough to get them immediately arrested. She could not deny that she had such carefree thoughts somewhere in her mind. As she headed to the first floor with antern in hand, she discovered someone crouched at the door. They looked like a young man, and one that Lizith knew. Kufar!? Ah, is that you Lizith Did I wake you up? Who cares about that! Whats wrong, are you injured? No, Im just tired, so dont worry. That aside, are Egan and Uno here? I have an urgent report to make. Both of them are in the second floors room. Can you call them for me? Wait, Ill go there myself. Its work-rted, after all. Lizith put themp on the table and was about to rush to his side and lend him a shoulder, but Kufars yell stopped her. This was not because his condition was as perfect as he said. Rather, because it was so bad, he did not feel confident in maintaining his human form. If someone touched him now, the shape of Kufar could get disrupted and break down. He was exhausted to that point. W-Why I Because Im dirty. And also You get it, right? I dont. But okay. You Adventurers are like that. Adventurers tended to possess things they could not reveal to others. Lizith assumed Kufar also had a simr situation now. Naturally, Kufar simply made her think that way intentionally, but it could be said that that saved her life in the process. After all, had his identity gotten revealed, Kufar would have mercilessly killed her. Then Ill go and give them a notice. Ah, you can drink water if you want, so just rest for a bit, okay? Yeah, Ill do that. Sorry for all this. What are you saying? You are our customer, Kufar. I can offer you this much as a freebie. The first floor was diner-cum-tavern, so each table had water jugs on it. They reced the water every morning, but some of them still had water remaining at night. Normally, it was only for the guests to drink, but she worried for Kufars health and offered it now. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Thus, after taking a short break, Kufar headed to hisrades room. Lizith seemed a little concerned, but she was a girl serving at the tavern where the Adventurers gathered. She was sensible enough to not delve too deep into it and walked away without asking anything. Hey, sorry for showing up sote. Thats fine But whats wrong? Your movements look crude. I had a bit of a blunder. I dont feel so good. Did you get injured? Its unusual for you to make a blunder. They joked about it, but they still found his words unexpected. Kufar fundamentally acted carefully. He made sure to stay away from the front stage as much as he could and conducted secret maneuvers. The fact that he failed and even suffered a wound was a shocking event. Well, the enemy was who he was. You went to keep Raum in check, right? So I guess the Six Heros made their move? Yeah, and the most unexpected one out of them. Since you say unexpected, it wasnt Maxwell or Cortina I assume? Did Lyell or Gadius show up? No, someone even more unexpected. Reid turned out to be alive. Reid the Assassin. In a way, he was the person they had to be the most vignt of. However, Reid should have died twenty-two years ago. That was a fact widespread throughout the entire world, and there were also many who had seen his corpse. As a matter of fact, no one had seen him in these twenty-two years. So him appearing so suddenly was shocking. No, that cant be. Everyone knows Reid is dead. Something like, hes been alive all along is impossible after so long! Yeah, you are quite right. Then It was probably Reincarnation. He was strangely desperate to avoid getting hit by my Jamming spell. Did he use the Illusion spell to take on his former appearance? Thats not it either. There was no awkwardness in his movements at all. So most likely, it was Polymorph. I see. You should be able to tell that well. Still, an Assassin that can use Polymorph is noughing matter, you know? One of the menEgan, knitted his brows at Kufars words, who seemed to have fought Reid head-on. If that Reid with his assassination techniques had magic to top it off, they could not even imagine being a match for him. In some sense, his existence was even more threatening than Lyells. Yeah, he cant be left alone. We Have to eliminate him with maximum priority. Yeah, I am of the same opinion. But since hes transformed, whats his real form? I would not be having so much trouble if I knew that. Its unknown so far. However, it should be certain that he lives in Raum, and that he arrived there recently. When it came to master assassins, their assassinations looked like idents rather than man-made. So in that sense, Reid being a third rate as an assassin was not a wrong im. But in this case, Reid had enough power and achievements to overturn all that. Yeah. Still, Reids skill in bloodshed is not to be underestimated for sure. So someone like thats staying in Raum, huh? Until we know our enemys identity, it might be better to stay away from Raum. In exchange, lets replenish ourbat potential. How is the summoning going? We managed to summon one vanguard-ss, one warrior-ss, and four small fries too. As for the summoners, we got two more of them. Hmm In that case, give me one of the vanguard-ss. What do you n to do with it? Its a waste, but I will use it as a nourishment Sacrificing a Devil to a Devil? Ive never heard of such a thing. Thats the thing. Its a closely-guarded secret. Kufar smirked in response. That smile made shivers run down the two mens spines. The two shivered and didnt say anything unnecessary, and their night talk came to an end. Chapter 366 The southernmost edges of the north. Even beyond the Evil Dragon Colchis nest. This was where the Evil Dragon had initially descended, and also where Kufar had resurrected. Um, Kufar, what are we doing in a ce like this? Three silhouettes were visible there. One was Kufar. Another was a thin Half-demon man that belonged to the same organization. And another was a two-meter tall humanoid covered in a mantle. Needless to say, that humanoid was a Devil that they had summoned in disguise. If they did not hide it, there was no knowing when someone might see and antagonize it. A ce like this? Y-Yeah I mean, theres nothing here. Kufar responded a little displeased at the Half-demons statement, but the man did not seem to have noticed it. While sighing at his insensitiveness, Kufar started to exin. There is a ley line running through this ce. If we perform the summoning here, we will most likely manage to summon a Devil stronger than any before. Really!? Then lets hurry up and bring the sacrifi If they conducted a summoning here, they could summon something beyond their control, something on the level of the Evil Dragon. If that happened, the first ones to get destroyed would be them, the summoners. Destroying themselves in order to copse the world domination by humans would be putting the cart before the horse. Thats why, they had never attempted summons at this ce. Not Kufars group, at the very least. Because this was and overflowing with so much power, Kufar was able to gain intelligence. After predating on other beings here and killing Adventurers that came to subjugate it, Kufar had evolved into something beyond a mere slime. That was why he returned here. In order to gain more power after suffering a harsh defeat by Reids hands. There are no houses around here. And my perception skill doesnt detect any reactions either. You can remove the disguise. Finally. Itd be pretty depressing if this fellow kept wearing these old rags forever. It removed the disguise by the mans instruction. From underneath, a bald, one-eyed giant revealed itself. From its rugged shoulders, four limbs, two on each side, were growing out. A soldier-ss specializing in personalbat huh? Yeah, its a Devil called Jarvis. Its strong and has many arms, so your average Adventurers arent its opponents. Thats great. The number of arms aside, its good that its strong. Huh? Is that so? Its ideal for me to devour. Hu Just as Kufar said those words, his form dissolved and rushed towards the Devil. Abandoning his human form, he surged over the Devil like a sudden tsunami appearing on the shore. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) As the Devil had not received instructions from the summoner, it could not even defend itself and took the attack head-on. A-A Slime? When did it substitute Kufar!? Guaaaaaaaaaaaaa! The Devil that could neither defend nor attack, tried to tear the Slime off with random hand movements. But each time it tried to do it, the cor around its neck tightened more and more, making it suffer. That cor was a magic item that punished the bearer if they made movements they were not ordered to. The summoner man did not realize that it was Kufar who had turned into Slime and just yelled in confusion. Meanwhile, the Devils skin started to gradually melt. Then finally, the man gave it an order to remove Kufarthe Slime. Jarvis, get rid of that Slime and crush it underfoot until its but a stain on the ground! With that proper order, the Devils restraints were finally released. Being freed from the frenzy brought about by pain, it started to haphazardly move its four arms. But the Slime had already covered its entire body. Moreover, its skin was eroded and the flesh underneath was also turning purple, as if being poisoned. The man could use magic too, but if he attacked the Slime, there was a high chance he would hit the Devil too in the process. He could only stand and watch without managing to get in the way. Before long, the Devil lost its strength and copsed on the spot. Its body turned into light particles and disappeared, but the Slime remained. On that puddle of mucus, a semi-transparent face of a human surfaced. Ah, that reminds me, you could use magic too, huh? Maybe you can be my food too? W-What are you Where did you take Kufar!? You still havent realized? Im Kufar. You guys were looking up to a Slime as your leader. Thatcant be! To a mere slime!? Well then Im digging iiiiiiiin Kufars maddened voice became the final thing the man heard. That day, three people that headed to the northern wastnds have returned as one. However, there was no one to witness it. Chapter 367 Even more time has passed since. We were vignt of Kufar, but ever since that attack, he has not shown his face. We kept being vignt for some time, but eventually, it started to fade away. It wasrgely due to Maxwell deploying Enemy Search that detected monsters around. Using it continuously was almost impossible, but with Maxwells magic power pool, even that became possible. However, the effect was still not able to cover the area outside the city. Indeed, in these six years, you have devoted yourself to studying in this academy, and now, you have gained skill as magicians that would not put you to shame no matter where you go That same Maxwell was on the auditorium stage, giving a rare long speech. In front of him were the graduating students lined up in rows. In other words, we. Everyone will henceforth walk on their respective paths. Many will perhaps choose difficult paths to follow. However, for as long as you keep what you learned and experienced in this academy into your hearts, you will be able to ovee those difficulties without fail. I sat at one of the chairs arranged inside the auditorium and watched Maxwell give a rare fervent congrattory address. Letina and Matisse next to me had their hands joined at their chests, enduring their tears. Or rather, they were trying to endure, but their eyes were already like waterfalls. Here, Letina, wipe your tears and snot. But.. But Ady should not look so snotty. I ronh wanhha heer zhat from you, Nicole. Speak properly! Receiving a handkerchief from me, Letina wiped her tears. And then also blew her nose and tried to give it back. Haff ish bakh. No, Im good. Ohay? Handkerchief full of a drill-haired young girls snot wasnt something that, at the very least, I wanted. She can just give it to Cortina after washing itter. Still, are you leaving immediately after the graduation ceremony ends, Nicole? Yeah, though by immediately, I mean in a week or so. And Ille back every now and then. It would be lonely Matisse couldnt endure anymore and burst into tears too. I was about to hand over my handkerchief to her, but remembered that I had already given it to Letina. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Mahisshu, here. No, Im good. Letina tried to give her snotty handkerchief to her but she rejected it too. Letina, lets calm down now, okay? Okay. Normally they would have scolded us for being so noisy, but they were overlooking it today. There were no teachers to be uptight even on a day like this. Meanwhile, Maxwells speech ended and the representative of each ss stepped forth to ept the graduation certificate. From Cortinas ss I Was supposed to go apparently, but considering the peerages, Letina was the one to go. Honestly, I was afraid shed make some blunder given her current state, but she managed toe back with the certificate without any issues. Then, the ceremony safely met its end, and we left the auditorium. With this, we had officially be graduates and were no longer students. That made various emotions bubble up in me. Looking up at the clear blue sky above, I pressed a hand on my chest and suppressed the excited feelings. The students around looked at me from a distance. It was spring and the seasonal petals were scattered throughout the air. Seeing me stand among those petals probably attracted their attention. I had grown that much feminine. Unfortunately, I had already grown old enough to be self-aware of that fact. As everyone, regardless of their gender, was captivated by me, there was one man that was running towards me like a fierce animal. The men who would dare running towards me with no hesitation were few in number, but in this case, it was unmistakably NICOOOOLE! Go away! Lyell. His tears and snow were running down as if he had a hay fever, rushing towards me to take me into a tight embrace. I yelled and stepped back to dodge his hug. But Lyell was faster and his embracended urately. Geeeeh!? Ahh, you finally graduated. Trying to endure your tears was so cute too! There was no such thing, and you only saw me from a distance. Also, it hurts! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Ridiculous, I could have dodged him in the previous life at that speed. This bastard has be even faster than he was after getting rejuvenated. Still, with this, you have be a proper person. A properdy. Ugh. Even I was enchanted by your appearance earlier. You looked like Maria. Though a bit younger. Oh dear. I am quite young even now, you know? Maria approached with light steps from the direction Lyell rushed at me. She had a hand on her cheek and appeared troubled, but the scenery behind her appeared dark for some reason. Lyell also stiffened and let go of me. Good morning, Lady Maria, Lord Lyell. Matisse made a clever interjection with her greeting. As expected of a merchants daughter. The way she bowed elegantly while raising the hem of her dress would make one believe she was a noble. Lyell also returned her greeting, wanting to quickly change the topic. Hey. Nicoles been in your care. Rude. I have not. Oh? But you copsed during the warming-up marathon justst week. Letina, shut it. Letina, who had recovered from her bawling, also approached us to greet my parents. She was a true noble, so her bow was nothing short of perfect. Good day, you appeared to be in good humor, Lady Maria. Lord Lyell appears full of health as well. People who had some rtion to them clearly knew who stood at the top between the two. Both Matisse and Letina were among those familiar people too. It was clear as a day who they would prioritize. You look in good health too, Matisse. Congrattions on graduating. Thank you very much. I was able to have a happy academy life thanks to Nicole. Hearing you say that means it was worth it to transfer her here. Lyell offered his solid hand to Matisse, which she returned. Matisse apparently nned to not advance into higher grades and study the trade at home. The influence of the nobles grew stronger in senior high school, so it would be easier on her this way. Okay, is everyone gathered? Ah, Cortina. At the academy, Call me teacher Rather, thats no longer needed, huh. Oh well, the ceremonys over, so its time for a party! There are sweets waiting for us at the ssroom so lets return for the time being. Oh, that sounds great. May Ie too? You should just go away already. The students are nervous. But they arent your students anymore, right? Ugh That was cocky considering youre Lyell. Cortina was unexpectedly losing in a dispute against Lyell. Matisse, who endured augh at that situation, politely made a proposal. Teacher, I think having Lord Lyell participate would be more fun. R-Really? Well, fine. In consideration of Ms. Horton here, Ill let you participate! Thats great. I have to thank her for this. Thus, we made merry in the ssroom until the sun was just about to set. A crowd had formed around Lyell and Maria, and they were barraged with questions. Im sure this was an unforgettable graduation ceremony for everyone else too. Chapter 368 A week had passed since the graduation ceremony of the elementary grade of the Magic Academy. In the end, Kufar had not tried anything. Thanks to that, I managed to spend a good time with Cortina. Problem was that I couldnt do it with Reids form. Because I used Polymorph scrollst time, it was on a cooldown. Cortina was quite displeased about it, but spending time with her friends daughter was fun in its own way too. Thus, the day to head to the Sto domain had finally arrived. Cortina, Maxwell, and Letina stood at the city gates. Even Matisse and the orphanage kids came to see us off. Never thought it would turn into such a big farewell. Its even biggerpared to the time we left the vige. I even told them they didnt need toe to see me off Seeing the orphanage kidse to see him off, Clouds eyes seemed to turn a little wet. He had experiences of being thoroughly bullied there, but he had been epted as one of them during these past few years. That didnt mean the internal discord had gone away. He was probably impressed that they still suppressed all those emotions and came to see him off. Youre no longer one of the orphanage people, but this ce is still your hometown. The sister watched warmly over the children that threw curses around. She knew that their abuses did note from their hearts, but simply embarrassment. Nicole, Adventuring is dangerous work. Remember to prioritize your life no matter the situation, okay? Yeah, stay safe too, Cortina. Youre the easiest to aim for among the Six Heroes. I will be careful of course. But if they do target me, Ill turn the tables on them. Cortina pumped her fist in determination. The problem was that her thin arms did not seem very strong. That said, it was a cute gesture so who cares. She was always stiff, so acting like a little girl created quite a cute gap in her personality. You be careful too, Michelle. And be sure to protect Lady Nicole, you hear? Yeah, leave it to me. You two definitely have to return okay? I will be waiting for you. Of course. Letina is our friend. Well definitelye back. Then, Letina turned towards me and took out a handkerchief from her pocket. It was that same handkerchief that I had handed over the other day and became all snotty. Here, I washed it. Her standoffish attitude did notst very long. She seemed to have reached her limit and tears burst out from her eyes. Ahh, here, wipe them off. I just returned itsob You can just return it when Ie back. That aside, getting your eyes swollen like that would ruin your pretty face. Hearing you say that makes me extremely irritated! She snatched the handkerchief, wiped her tears and blew her nose. There was not a fragment ofdy left in her. Then, Lyell and Maria arrived too. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) This is the second time seeing you off like this. Yeah, first was the vige. Nicole, some suspicious people are snooping around Daddy. If you get involved with someone suspicious, show them no mercy, you hear? I know. No mercy to enemies, right? Besides, being approached by men would just make me disgusted. Even Cloud grosses me out every now and then. Also You can contact us anytime if you need help. You can do it through Gadius or the Adventurers Guild. They will all contact me. Are you sure? Lyell making a move wouldnt be like a normal father making a move. It could lead to political problems. Thats why I wanted to avoid relying on his power as much as I could. Thus, I asked back. Yeah. Saving her daughter is the fathers duty. Who is to me me for it? Rather, you are too reserved, Nicole. Okay, got it. I was a little moved by Lyells parental love. I wondered if I would be able to be as reliable as him had I married Cortina and had a kid in my previous life. Nicole, you have to say goodbye to Kabby too. Maria said and held Kabby out to me who she held at her chest. Kabby ended up as an official resident of Lyells mansion, both as Finas caretaker and pet. This was because Lyell had discovered some data that suggested having a pet was good for cultivating aesthetic sensibility in children. Not to mention, Fina was the biggest weak point for both Lyell and Maria. If Kabby was taking over their protection, it would be most reassuring. It was sad to part with it, but it wasnt like we were parting for eternity, so it ended lightly. Before long, one carriage arrived at the gate. The one riding it was the merchant Temuru. The same merchant who took us to this city. And just as before, Leon and Ellen were in charge of escorting it. They would be protecting us until we reached the Sto domain. This was how Adventurers work usually went. I waved my hand, acting as cheerfully as I could. Maria was ovee with emotions and started crying. Lyells condition was needless to even describe. Letina was also waving back so violently her hand could tear off, loathing to part with us. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Raum, the capital of the Forest Kingdom of Raum. This ce was, without a doubt, my second home. Chapter 369 Our destination this time was thergest city of the Sto domain, Stor. It was at a five days distance to the north by highway, a pce beyond the mountains where Den resided. Still, you sure have grown, Nicole. And into total beauty too. R-Really? Michelle has grown lovely too, of course. I almost failed to recognize you. Ehehe. Ellen, one of the Adventurers, was giving high praises towards our growth. I did meet them under disguise before, but this was technically our first reunion in my current form. As for Finia You look the same. Rather, the fact that you look the same is something to envy. Finia, being an elf, had shown no growth whatsoever during these few years. From the perspective of a human like Ellen, it was something worth envying. Right, the two of you have grown quite taller. I was surprised. Thats not something you say when praising girls, you know? But children would usually find that to be a praise There is no girl who would be happy being called a child. Really? Listening to their exchange reminded me of how Cortina and I were in my previous life. I see, I was oblivious to the fact before, but seeing it from the side, I can see how we would appear to be close. I can see why Maxwell would get worked up if he was shown this scene over and over. Hey, hey? Thinking about it, arent those two quite into each other? Right, its too obvious Yeah. Thats so nice, I cant help but admire that. Michelle, you were quite popr too, you know? Finia pointed it out to Michelle who was agonizing with a hand to her cheek. These two were quite opposite in both personalities and figures, but they somehow got along very well. They were like sisters even. Huh, really? I dont think that was the case. Well, yeah, you were quite popr in every ce. Mgh, youre such a bully Nicole! There were many organizations that sought Michelle. From the armies to nobles. Even Raums Adventurers had an eye on her. My sarcasticment got an immediate reaction out of her. It was because of her reactions that she was loved by everyone. Before I knew it, Ellen was looking ecstatically at our way. Ahh, beautiful sisters is a really nice sight. Michelle and I arent sisters, though? I know that, but its so fun to watch girls being merry. Were not a show, you know I think your beauty is worth the appreciation, Nicole. Im not really happy about that. I liked looking more than being looked at. It was extremely fun to observe Finia and Michelle. I was observing Michelle as she was being soothed by Finia even now, and they appeared so much like sisters it soothed my heart. Thinking about it, Finia apanied Maria during her church-rted work too, so she seemed to have known Michelle from the times they took care of kids. They had quite a long-standing rtionship. It was natural for them to be close. Hm, whats wrong, Nicole? Oh, its nothing. Really? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The way she tilted her head was also unbiasedly cute. Given her appearance and her skill with the bow, everyone would want to have her on their side even if they werent Lichtenberg. Because of that, it was my duty to protect her. She was my lifesaver, battlerade and my friend. I turned my gaze forward to dodge her questioning. It would take us five days to reach Sto. Though it was a highway, it was still running through the forest and there werent many people around. It was an ideal ce for thieves to attack us. Naturally, Adventurers dealt with such ruffians as much as they could, but no matter how many you get rid of they would still pop up. Merchants like Temuru that traveled long distances were especially appetizing prey for them. Thats why he was employing Fourth-rank Adventurers like Leon. That said, it wasnt like they were always so skilled and gifted as Adventurers. Back during our previous trip, they were quite clumsy due to youth, so when they were even younger newbies, they must have had their share of troubles. In the five years since our parting, they had gone from third to fourth rank, so they were quite literally making their way up. As such, they did not forget to be vignt. Hmm? Ah, Nicole, did you notice too? Yeah, theres someone sitting there. Yeah. Would be good if its just some traveler resting. I understood what she wanted to say. Pretending to be resting travelers, getting close to the travelers and attacking them once their guard was down. It was amon bandit strategy. Leon. Yeah, I know. Sir Temuru, please get inside. Ellen, you monitor the rear. Nicole and Michelle, you guard sir Temuru inside. Understood. Cloud, youe with me. And miss Finia, you support Ellen. Leon quickly issued instructions. They didnt seem to be behaving oddly, but he still deployed a solid formation. Michelle and I entered the canopied carriage and stood next to Temuru. Leon took on the coachmans role, with Cloud walking by his side. He was not riding because that way he would not be able to react to battle situations immediately. Behind the carriage were Ellen and Finia, monitoring the rear. It was amon strategy to attract attention from the front while attacking from the rear. Before long, the carriage reached that person. Sitting there was an ordinary traveler at a nce. They wore a little battered mantle and thick beard, giving off an air of uncleanness. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Hey, nice weather, huh. The man who greeted us was full of pretense. Leon seemed to have felt it too and didnt erase his vignce. Yeah, it is. Are you resting? Yeah. The weather was so good it made me a bit dizzy. It sounds a bit silly. Do you require help? We could offer you water at least. Yeah, if you will One sip would be enough. I copsed just before reaching the city. It has been a few hours since we left Raum. It was certainly tough to run out of water given the distance left. Receiving Leons signal, Cloud went to get the water sack. The man epted the water and took one gulp. Ah, you saved me there. I can manage to get to Raum with this. d to hear it. But be careful. Running out of water in the middle of a trip can be life-threatening. Yeah, true, it was a big blunder. Ill be careful from now on. He waved with a bright expression and sat down once again. Drinking water wouldnt get someone so lively all of a sudden, so this was not strange. Cloud returned to the carriages side and it started to slowly move. The man also waved a few times at us, and left the ce behind with no further events. Chapter 370 The carriage uneventfully passed by the traveler. The traveler did not try doing anything and merely sat where he was. He did not behave suspiciously for the time being. I could see from the carrier that Cloud and Leon who were walking by the coachman were engaged in some discussion. Judging from phrases like they are probably waiting and observing, and vignce that I heard from them, they seemed to be of the same opinion as me. Cloud, what do you think of that earlier? I asked Cloud as a way to test him. This was considered an experience too. Hmm, right. He was probably the scout of the thieves I guess? He seemed to be on edge somehow. Right, his right hand was constantly at his waist. Its a habit people who carry daggers often have. Clouds assumption was ascertained by Leon. I was also of the same opinion. Correct. The daggers hilt was visible on his back. I only saw it for a moment, but the scabbard was too thin, so it was probably not some knife he used normally, but instead what people use for assassination. You saw all that from all the way there, thats amazing. But are you certain that it was that kind of weapon? Based on the scabbard, it was most likely a stiletto with a needle-shaped de. I noticed it because it was the type of dagger assassins often used, but Leon praised me highly for it. I was honestly a bit embarrassed. But he did not take any action after that, so I was thinking maybe it was just a misunderstanding. Thats not it. He probably refrained from attacking after seeing Leons Adventurer card. Adventurers card hung from Leons neck. Adventurers identification cards had a bordering colored in respective colors that told the wearers skill at a nce. Leons card, being fourth-rank, was also colored green, so he could instantly tell. That man probably had a role of investigating the travelers and avoiding the enemy they couldnt beat. Then they will not attack us, right? Thats good. Temuru felt relieved after hearing our conversation. I could understand it, as from a merchants perspective, it was ideal to not get attacked from the beginning. However, hearing about the bandits that found the travelers easy targets made me quite pissed. If it was me of previous life, I would have immediately headed to subjugate them. Leon also seemed to feel the same given hisplex expression. That said, our duty this time was to escort Temuru. We could not leave his side. Leon, lets hurry ahead for now. They seem to be using this area as their stronghold, so they can be dealt withter. Yeah, youre right (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) We were Adventurers, andpletingmissions was our work. It was not the time to carry out our own justice. Leon also forcefully convinced himself at my words and urged the carriage onwards. Ellen, we cant be sure that there wont be an attack, so be alert. That goes for everyone else too. Understood. Got it. Ellen and Michelle responded with a salute. When night came, we made use of the roadside lodging hut. This was something made for the people traveling back and forth on this highway, a humble hut that only offered a roof over your head, nkets, and a water well. They tended to be dens of shady people, but Adventurers or the kingdom knights were dispatched during those times, so the safety was maintained presently. We encountered a traveler aside from us today, but ording to them they were a merchant and their escorts heading to Raum, so there was nothing off about it. Suspicious people, huh? Yes. They may have been the spy of the thieves. Since we had fourth-ranked Leon with us, they probably overlooked us. That makes me jealous. I only have third-ranks with me, so it might be dangerous Temuru and the other merchant exchanged information. For the merchants traveling to Raum, thieves nested in that area were nothing but a headache. Much less when they did not have enough power to repel them, as they couldnt even get to Raum. How about it, Mr. Heath? Would you be able to repel the bandits? I cant say for sure since I havent seen them. But we should manage if its just driving them away. The escort this merchant called Heath had with him answered so with difficulty. He probably found it hard to dere that they could defeat them. The Adventurers card on his neck was bordered in yellow. Proof that he was third-rank. The other two of hisrades were simrly yellow. I see, understood. Since they couldnt dere that they would be able to defeat them, the merchant had seemed to realize there was ack to theirbat power and nodded briefly. However, this leaves us in a bit of trouble. Indeed. Even for us, without Mr. Leon here, returning to Raum would be quite difficult. What should I do. If they pulled back after seeing Mr. Leon, then he should be able to beat them, yes? I will put out a request, so would you be willing to have him subjugate them? Um, well The conversation between the merchants led to a request to subjugate the bandits. Even for him, it wasnt easy to always secure veterans like Leon. That said, returning and putting up the request to subjugate them would also waste their time. Hmm, returning would waste our time, and it would certainly be safer to subjugate them. However, if he goes to subjugate them, we would be vulnerable. Then, what if we have Mr. Heath and his party protect you in the meantime? That would mean our protection targets would increase, so we would need higher pay I shall pay for it. However, this is thest resort that we have to do because you cannot defeat the bandits, so let us drive a bargain. Ugh Fine. It appears that the other party had reached their deal. Then the merchant proposed it to Temuru once again. Now it was up to our side to decide. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Would he believe the merchant he was seeing for the first time and ept the subjugation request, or not trust him, ignore and move on. Temuru nced towards Leon. He wanted to take care of the bandits, so he responded with a firm nod. Understood. We shall ept it. Ill go too. Lady Nicole!? I mean, Leon is a warrior, right? A scout is indispensable in night battles. Im probably the one with the highest skill in that field. I certainly have some scouting skill, but I am nowhere near as sharp as you. Right? So take me along. Finia was hesitant about my participation until the end, but after persuading her that it was for both sides safety, she finally gave in. Then, please. But prioritize your safety above everything. It would be great trouble for me if you died. Yes, Im fully aware of it. After we all came to an agreement, Temuru gave that warning. If Leon died here, Temuru would have no choice but to return back to Raum. And now that Heaths party had more people to protect, they would be easier prey for the bandits. Hence his point to prioritize Leons safety. After that, we checked our equipment and advanced towards the highway. Thus, bandit subjugation was waiting ahead of us. Chapter 371 With the bandit subjugation topic settled, Leona and Ellen decided to set out to aplish it. The problem was us. Finia and Ellen were worried about getting children like us involved in human battles. Its okay, we are also proper Adventurers. Yeah. Even I have shot humans before! I thought I would die then. Michelle had only shot arrows at humans a handful of times. Among them, the battle from the day we arrived at Raum left the deepest impression on her. Back then, I had a hard time after getting rolled into the shock wave she released with her very first shot of the Third Eye. If you two are so determined to go, I cant just stay behind either I was full of killing intent from the start, but even Michelle was willing to apany us. At that point, Cloud couldnt remain behind alone, so he also ended uping with me. Got it, but dont be reckless, you hear? If we say run, you run unconditionally. Okay? I know. Got it. Understood. I will run even if I have to carry Lady Nicole. Ellen couldnt help butugh at Finias extreme attitude. The Adventurer called Heath took over Temurus protection, so we wanted to settle this problem overnight. Normally, bandit extermination in the middle of a night was disadvantageous, but they would hardly consider the possibility that the Adventurers that passed by would return to take them out. It would be possible for us to take them by surprise. We couldnt arouse their suspicion as we approached, so we kept the handheldmps at the minimal output. I was thinking about dealing with themter But I didnt think I woulde back here on the same day. But judging evildoers right away is a good thing, isnt it? I advocated with a slightly stimted voice as Leon muttered with aplex expression. Why do you look so happy? Huh, were taking evil guys down. Isnt that a fun thing? Lady Nicole has grownpletely belligerent I just have to shoot from afar, right? But what should I do? Im not really suited to covert operations. Shhh! As Cloud started to grumble I made them stop the idle chatter. We were inside the darkness of the night, but it was still possible to see to a degree due to the moonlight. Ahead of us, I saw the figure of a man sitting in the same spot as yesterday. It didnt seem to be the same person, in the end, but they still had a dagger on their back all the same. It wasnt strange for travelers to be armed, but you could just carry a normal sword if that was the case. There they are. Yeah. Also (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I felt a presence approaching the guy. It appears that we managed to get here before they closed up for the day. There was some distance between us so I couldnt hear what they were talking about. What do we do? Attack them here? Uh, Leon, youre the leader here, right? Why are you asking me? Uhh, you looked quite reliable there. Oh well. I think we should wait for the attack. That cant be all of them. And we arent sure they are bandits either. Their weapons and conduct were simply suspicious, so we couldnt just go and catch them. As is, he was just resting at the roadside. Thats why, I wanted concrete proof. And we didnt know their exact number. Considering that they pulled back after seeing Leon, they were below the fourth rank. When it came to attacking a carriage, at least six people were necessary. Three at the front and rear to block the road. And if possible, attackers and lookouts. Shall we tail them to their hideout? While Finia and I were having an argument, Cloud interjected. We were getting a little heat up and louder, so it was good timing on his part. I see, Finia and I as a set would sell for a lot. Finia was a dainty elf, looking to be not even twenty. In reality, she was apparently 27 years old. Blonde Finia and silver-haired me. It was quite a showybination. But would that really be fine? Nicole is super strong even if she doesnt look like it, you know? But still You are still first rank. And still kids. Isnt that just perfect? Silver-haired girl and a blonde elf walking on the night road. They would hardly be a pair any more valuable to turn into ves than us. Moreover, we had the first rank Adventurers card, proof of inexperience. Just about any bandit would aim for us. If it gets dangerous, well be in your care, Michelle. Okay. I wont let them get away. Dont shoot by mistake, okay? Sorry in advance. Absolutely dont do it, you hear!? Given how much her lethality increasedtely, if I took her attack with this body, it would be instant death. Leon seemed to have imagined the same oue and turned pale. There was a gag order around her, but with the Goblin incident, part of the Adventurers that were at the scene got to know the truth. Adventurers werent so ungrateful to not want to know who they owed their life to. Thus, Adventurers above a fixed rank who could be trusted had been let on the truth that it was her doing. Leon and the rest hid at the roadside, while I intentionally turned up themp intensity. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Since the moon was out, we walked here while keeping their output on low so as to not get detected, but it would look too unnatural to continue keeping it so low it barely illuminated what was at our feet. I pretended to act as naturally and as attractive a prey as possible. And like that, I headed towards the men that looked like burrs. Chapter 372 We wanted to have them attack us intentionally to prove that they were thieves. Thus, Finia and I took on thatsomewhatrole and approached them. The one sitting there was a different man from the daytime, and the one who approached him was that previous man. It seemed that they were inspecting theing and going travelers in turns. Ah, thank god! Theres people, big sis Finia! Huh? Big si!? Ah, right, thats great, Nicole. Finia went along with my sudden ad-lib. But why was she holding her nose there? At any rate, I acted as innocently and as age-appropriately as I could. I anticipated that the acting would get the men to lower their guards more. This was definitely not my true nature. I deny it with all I have. Oh, good evening there, youngdies. Good evening. Thank god there were people here. It was scary to walk in the middle of the night alone. Yeah, streets at night can be creepy. It feels like an Undead would show up any moment. The man went along with my non-vignt behavior. Under the moonlit night, our figures got revealed, exposed to the torchlight. I had my normal traveling clothes and a katana on my waist, along with my red Adventurers card in tant disy hanging down my neck. Finia also had her longsword on her waist, but she also had her Adventurers card visible. With this, the men would probably assume that we were greenhorn Adventurers who had made a mistake in their pace and loitered during the night. My silver hair reflected red glow under the torch light, and my pretty face that I owed to Maria got revealed. Finias dainty physique as an elf should also have been visible. As I expected, the two men eyed us appraisingly. Their gazes made Finia shiver a little. Oh, its night so its natural youre vignt. Look, we dont have proper weapons on us. The men seemed to have sensed her tension and one of them spread his hands to im innocence. He had a dagger on his waist, but that was natural for a traveler, or rather, he was too lightly equipped. I exchanged nces with Finia and nodded. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) That was both to confirm their weapons as well as to make them believe we let go of our vignce. Umm We mistook our pace during the day and it has grown dark on us. Is Raum still far away? Finia hesitantly asked the men. Naturally, we were just ying the role of lost Adventurers. Hearing that, the men chuckled. They definitely thought they found a good target. It is some distance away. There is a resting hut nearby, so you can go there and take a rest. Really? That would be great. There was nothing like a hut where he pointed. It was probably their hideout that way. One man grinned and approached Finia, then put a hand on her shoulder. He pushed her into the forest practically forcefully and threw her to the ground after they were out of the highway. Kyaa!? That was bad. Young girls shouldnt be walking alone on a night road. I tried to rush to her side, but another man caught my hand. Whoah there, youngdy, how about you y with me? You look a little small, but still a top quality good. Shell probably sell for even higher, actually. Itll be bad toy a hand on them. Ohe on, we can just tell the boss that they were used already. With those words, he reached out to my chest with his left hand. He didnt do it with his right because he had it ready to pull the dagger at the moments call. He was apparently rational enough to do that. At any rate, it was already certain that they were no proper bunch. Plus, judging from the term boss, we found out that they had morerades. There was no need to hold back anymore. I threw up my right leg, and at the same time, jumped using the left and clung to the mans arm. I then drove my raised left foot into his face over his shoulder and using the body rotation and my body weight, pulled him down to the ground. Normally, my body weight was small enough to hold with one arm, but due to suddenly leaping at him, the man could do nothing but fall to the ground. And since I twisted my body, his arm also twisted, and he crashed into the ground. Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) The moment he hit the ground, I feel a cracking, snapping sensation. It was simr to the sensation of getting your joint dislocated and your ligaments torn. Most likely, his right arm was no longer usable. Wha!? You bitch! As I neutralized one of them, the other one who sat on top of Finia got up. But Finia wasnt so good-natured to overlook such an opening. Since he got up, it meant that he was exposing his vital part to her. And she did not miss that. Yah! With a cute yell that didnt fit this dangerous situation, she swung her leg up. It stayed true to its target and impacted the mans crotch. With that, he fell forward but was still holding on to his consciousness. I quickly rose to my feet during that moment and rushed to assist Finia. On the way, I also kicked the face of the still-conscious man with a broken arm. Gaph! With a shriek like a dogs bark, he fainted on the spot. He probably crossed the pain threshold. Then I rushed to the man who had copsed in an inchworm posture and delivered one more kick to his crotch with all my strength. Kehyu! With a strange sound, the man finally let go of his consciousness. The way he was foaming from the mouth looked quite pitiful. Whew, I have reached the point where I can do something so cruel huh I muttered to myself while looking at the disastrous state of the man. I didnt resort to such means in my previous life, but nowadays I ended up doing it due to efficiency. It was an attack I couldnt possibly do while I was a man. After a while, Leon and the rest came running, having sensed the signs of battle. There were two men lying powerlessly at our feet. With this, we managed to secure some targets for questioning. Chapter 373 As Leon ran towards us, he quickly bound up the fainted men. It was a littleical to see Cloud standing kinda pigeon-toed as he helped Leon. Still, to think youd deal with them alone. This man What a cruel attack he was dealt Miss Finia, you turned out to be more merciless than your appearance suggests. It was Lady Nicole who dealt the finishing blow! Thats a lie. That mans state is Finias feat. Lady Nicooole!? Finia objected with a teary voice, but it was cute so I ignored it. We decided to question the bound men after moving them a bit away. We did that because there was a chance that the other bandits woulde to check in on them if they werete to return. Hey, wake up. Leon pped ones cheeks but there was no reaction. In the end, with his vital parts crushed like that, he waspletely out. With a sigh, Leon now faced the one with a broken arm. Hey, wake up! He poured the water pouch he carried over the mans head and forcefully woke him up. The stimulus did make him open his eyes. Mg..ghhh Since he was tied up with his broken arm left as is, the man writhed and endured the pain. He had to because he saw Leon holding a bastard sword in his hand. Answer me, you are bandits, right? W-What could you be talking about Lies. He said boss earlier. This bratGyaaah! He tried to protest, but Leon drove a strong blow to his shoulder with the side of his sword. Answer the question. And dont lie. Well check your answers with that man over there, and if they turn out to be lies, Ill start by cutting off your arm. Kgh Fine. The other man was knocked out, so they couldnt even get their stories straight. The fact that broke him was probably the fact that Leon said he would cut his arm rather than kill him. Bandits who had not undergone training could not bear the pain dealt without killing them. Realizing that he was in aplete checkmate, he gave up and decided to obediently answer the questions. How many of you are there? What about your power? N-Nine, including me. The boss was a third-rank Adventurer before. A stray Adventurer, huh? Wheres your hideout? A new chasm was formed in the rocky riverside area ahead, and we made it our home after realizing it was quite vast inside. Huh, I never heard of such a ce being there. Leon was quite familiar with the terrain as he mainly worked as an escort for merchants heading to Raum. The fact that he didnt know about it must mean that it was very recently formed. Next, what about your crimes? How many people have you attacked so far? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I was also curious about this. Adventurers maintained safety around Raum. It was strange that these people got away undetected despite that. In other words, they made sure to perfectly clean up after themselves, so it wouldnt reach the city. Please wait, we How many did you kill? KhhOnly three groups yet, eleven in total. Oh really? It might have been on the lower side for thieves. Leon might have realized that too and pressed further. But the man also desperately argued his case. Its the truth! We have only just recently settled here. Boss has recently lost the vige he was based in due to the recent Goblin attack so Several settlements in the surroundings were gone due to that Goblin attack. This boss of theirs was probably employed by one of those settlements. Still, it wasnt forgivable to fall into banditry no matter what. And, what did you do to their corpses? We buried them. There are enough ces in the forest to hide them. And even if we left them be, animals would get rid of the corpses eventually. I see. So if we leave your corpses alone, theyll disappear before long, huh? P-Please dont! I was just doing what my boss told me to! That still doesnt change the fact that you were looking for prey. Those eleven people would not have died had you not chosen to do so. Please no! His face was dyed in despair as he yelled. His plea was also understandable. Had he not chosen their prey, the one being killed wouldve been him. Having said that, it would still not be enough to excuse his participation in bandit work. Oh well. If what you said is the truth, well hand you over to the authorities without killing you. O-Okay. He answered with aplex expression. That was expected. Though he was not the principal offender, he was still part of the thieves. If he was taken to trial, he would unmistakably receive a harsh charge. But since he was not the principal offender, there was a possibility of avoiding the death penalty. Hisplex expression was probably due to imagining that possibility. Okay, lets quickly go and subjugate them. If they dont return for long, they might suspect something and change their position. Right. Lets end it tonight. When scouts didnt return, that also served as information. If these two didnt return, they would suspect something had happened. Careful bandits could possibly resort to changing their locations with just that much. Unless we act before they start suspecting anything and root them out, or even let one of them escape, it could lead to more victims. So, what do we do with this one? Cloud pointed at the bound up prisoner and asked. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Since there were seven more enemies, it was necessary for all of us to move. That said, we couldnt exactly go back and hand them over to Heaths party either. The enemy could escape while we did that. In this situation, letting the perpetrators escape would be the most problematic. Lets leave them here and recover them once we are done. P-Please wait! If you leave us in a ce like this, well just end up as some animal or monster fodder! If that happens, just me your bad luck. Noo! In the first ce, its not guaranteed that youll live even if we hand you over to the authorities. Or would you rather die now so you dont cause any more trouble for us? Eeek!? Leon red oppressively at him with his sword at ready. As the man said, there was indeed a possibility of them getting eaten if we left them be But they should just give up and ept it as their just deserts. Besides, the other man was still out. If he used him as a decoy, he had some chance ofing out of it alive. To tell you the truth, I wasnt nning to leave it at just one broken arm, you know? I smiled sweetly while looking into his face. That smile probably looked terrific from his perspective. Having looked down on a child and tried to put his hand on one, only to have it broken, the man could do naught but nod at my words. Well then, see youter, if youre lucky enough. Dont worry, well be right back. Please, do that The man begged while almost on the verge of tears. Chapter 374 Following the road that we got out of the captured man, we discovered a big crevice on the riverside rock cliff. Leaving Leon and Cloud, who couldnt perform covert operations, behind, Ellen and I headed to check the surroundings. Fortunately, there were no lookouts at the entrance, so there was no risk if we were to simply approach it. Not sure if they are wary or not They sent out patrols to look for prey, but they havent left any guards at their own base. They were quite half-assed in this department, making me guess the reason why they couldnt go beyond the third-rank. After inspecting the footprints in the surroundings, there have only been at most ten people who have gone in and out. We judged it based on their step distance and the shape of their shoes. Itcked uracy, however. Theres only about ten of them, but they are definitely settled here. Then lets just assume what that guy told us was the truth. I wonder if its also true that there is a dead-end inside, and there is no other exit? It probably is. We returned to Leons side and reported what we found out. Hearing it, his expression turned into a grin. The enemy was confined inside the crevice the cavern with no exit on the other side. They have no ce to run. In other words Smoking them out would be the ideal strategy. Right? With that word, Leon pushed his fist towards me. I met it with my own and we broke into evilughs. We decided to go with the smoking out strategy, so Leon gave out prompt instructions. Since it wasnt a show-off strategy, there was nothing out of ordinary in his instructions. I who specialized in secret maneuvers would set greenwood to fire before their hideouts crevice, and Fina who, even if only elementary level, was learning various spells, would blow the smoke inside the crevice using the Breeze spell. When the enemies rush out in panic, Michelle, and Ellen, who had a rapid-fire crossbow on her, would keep them in check. If the enemy brings out shields, Leon and Cloud would rush in and form the front. If the enemies tried to escape from either side, Finia and I, as well as our two archers, would block their way. Ellen and Michelle, you take care of anyone trying to slip to the left. Got it. Okaay. As for the right, it would be Nicole and Finia. But be careful. We will. Understood. He said that only to us because ourbination would be the ones fighting in close-quarters. Judging by the footprints left at the entrance, there werent even ten enemies there. If we took down half of them, they would fall apart as an organization. This was a im because I was confident I could defeat half with the preemptive surprise attack and my own ability. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) We gathered greenwood together while making sure we werent detected, and then Finia and I went to make a pile before the crevice. Leon and Cloud, who were heavily equipped, could not participate in this work. Michelle and Ellen were getting their bows ready in the meantime. Ellen, in particr, specialized in dagger and crossbow, so she had to make preparations in advance. Once the preparations were done, Leon took a deep breath. Cloud looked tense as well. That reminds me, this was his first real fight against humans ever since Mateus. He trained with Kayle and others, but the tension still remained it seems. Okay, please start. I nodded back at his instruction. Finia also started chanting in a quiet voice and lit the torch I was holding. It was possible to light the greenwood directly, but it would be hard to regte the me that way. Adjusting the power of the me of the greenwood that was full of water on top of using the Breeze spell would be a big burden on her. She did not have muchbat experience against human opponents, so I wanted to keep her burden to a minimum. I erased my footsteps and approached the pile of greenwood, and then poured oil on it and lit it up with the torch. The mes zed up intensely due to the oil, and white smoke started to rise up. Following that, Finia finished a small Breeze chant and cast it. The spell directed the white smoke towards the crevice. I immediately withdrew back, moving away so I wouldnt get in the way of our archers. Before long, several men ran out from the crevice. Cough cough, what the, whats happening!? Who in the world did Just as the second man raised his voice, an arrow pierced his forehead. Needless to say, the arrow that pierced through the smoke without disturbing it belonged to Michelle. Leon and Ellens faces stiffened seeing that abnormal shot. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) See, isnt our Michelle quite amazing? Y-Yeah. But why are you acting so proud about that, Nicole? Shes my best friend, after all. Thats a very pleasant response, but brought about by such a frightening result. What are you two standing there for. More areing out! Ellen raised her rapid-fire crossbow, acting like she wasnt at fault too. She unloaded five arrows on the remaining man. Her bow could automatically pull the bowstring and reload an arrow just by rotating the handle. A crossbow was originally a weapon with a lot of might, range, and easiness of aim, but it had a w when it came to rapid-fire. But then, ones with an automatic reloading mechanism were introduced. They were at first unpopr because theycked in power, range and uracy that were the selling points of crossbows, but as they could shoot several arrows iparably faster than a bow, they were now used for artillery barrages. She also used the crossbow that way and rained the arrows on the remaining man, instantly turning him into a hedgehog. Then, one more person rushed out of the cavern. But when he saw the two fallen at his feet, he immediately rushed back to the crevice. Shit, its a raid! Youll get shot if you go out! How did theyDid that bastard Anton betray us! Bring the shields! Since he guessed the situation after only seeing two of theirs get shot down, his brain seemed to be working quite well. Anton was probably that lookout we caught earlier. His decision to bring the shields right away wasnt bad either. But that was within our expectations. Seeing the mene out with shields in fear of arrows, Leon shot a nce at Cloud. Seeing that, Cloud also set up his own shield and rushed out with a war cry. HAAAAAAAHHHHH! Leon also rushed out at the same time. Cloud had hisrge iron shield and one-handed sword. Leon, on the other hand, held the highly-versatile bastard sword with both hands. Since Cloud held more defensive power, he was the one to rush out first. Because they had their shields set up on top of being surrounded by smoke, the bandits field of view was restricted so they ended up taking that charge head on. Cloud sent the one who stood ahead of the rest flying, and then, Leon switched over and thrust his de to finish them off. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) The bandits reflectively moved to surround the two. They seem to have managed to form a good front. Chapter 375 Cloud and Leon charged. And the bandits moved to surround them. So far, it went as Leon imagined it would. Ellen poured down her reced magazine on the bandit that was trying to slip to Leons left. Once again, unloading all five arrows, the bandits face turned into a hedgehog once again. Seeing that the other bandits shrunk back. Just dying would be one thing, but only a cruel end awaited them if showered by her arrows. That was enough to dull their movements and deal mental damage. For that reason, the bandits moved to the opposite directionIn other words, they rushed towards us who were gathered at Leons right side. Finia and I had also charged soon after Leon. The timing matched perfectly with that of the bandits withdrawing to the right. Three of the men rushed to Leons right at the same time. I rushed at them, intending to stop them in their ce. Yah! Seyah! Finia also shed at them with the same timing. Since there were other people around, I didnt use my dagger that could transform into a spear or my threads. In other words, I was using my katana. Finia also used her usual longsword. Our two attacks ovepped, and so did our target, which was the right man. As a result, the two of us crashed and I, who was lighter, got flung away. Nkya! Ah, Lady Nicole! I fell over with a dramatic plop. The two men who rushed to escape from here approached me. If I stayed like that, I would have just gotten trampled on. But I wasnt alone now. Oraa! Leon swung his sword with a somewhat barbaric yell. That sh cut one of them from behind as they tried to bypass him. And the other man was stabbed by Finia. Given her meager strength, she decided to aim for the waist area to keep them in check. A stab from the lower position was hard to dodge for someone trying to run. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Gyaaaaaa! His waist got gouged out and he copsed on the spot. I immediately drove my katana into him as he fell right next to me. Finia moved to stand in my way to make up for that opening. My apologies, Lady Nicole! Are you all right? Yeah, Im not injured. Finia apologized while Leon scolded us. This time it was our fault, so we couldnt object. The battle styles Finia and I aimed for were simr. We also had simr weapons, so ourbat areas ovepped, so we should have considered situations like what just happened. Leaving how to deal with this for ater day, dealing with the bandits came first. Two who rushed out were down, and one more was put down with a charge. Ellen defeated one more guy. And Leon and Finia took two more. Six of them were down while Leon held off one more. There were no moreing out, so this must have been all. Kh, what the hell all myradesin an instant Too bad. Think of it as your retribution I guess. Leon pushed his sword towards the only survivor. He seemed to have realized he stood no chance and raised his hands and surrendered. Yeah, given the current situation. Everyone just ran off. Sorry, but Ill have to tie you up. Well take and hand you over Raums authorities, so be prepared. Shit, fuck my luck. Seeing that he didnt n to oppose, Ellen went and tied his hands. Cloud also stepped in to help her, but after failing over and over, she ended up doing it on her own. Come to think of it, I suppose even if you know how to tie up the hunted prey, it wouldnt help you with tying humans, huh? Cloud, Ill teach you how to tie a ropeter. O-Okay. Huh, youre into bondage, Nicole? How did ite to that? L-Lady Nicole, me too please! Me too! Calm down Finia. Im just talking about tying up the viins. Actually, being an assassin, wasnt I the viin? I didnt consider myself to be the absolute justice, but there were still unforgivable people. And I was basing that on my own judgment. It might have been justice for me but It was definitely evil from someone elses perspective. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) So I guess Im evil so Ill be the one tied up? W-WhatAgh! Big sis Finia, your nose, your nose is bleeding! Im shoorry, I got a bit excited. Finia who used to be my sce was already gone. It was just a carnivore standing here. Should this be called growth too? At any rate, we had Finia use the Tunnel spell and bury the corpses there. Normally, it was probably better to leave them as is until the guards came to investigate, but doing so could turn them into Undead or attract other monsters. We were close to the traffic route, so it was wiser to just get rid of them. Now if we handed the arrested men to Heaths party, they would carry them to Raum. By exterminating the bandits and handing this man over, our request would be done. The rest would be, well, up to Raum to decide. With the bandits gone, you could say the regrets in my heart disappeared. I found a new task at hand, so this was a good ce to stop for today. Finia, well be having a talkter, okay? About various things. Ugggh, Im shorry. I dont mean that. Im talking aboutbat positions. Ah, I was also thinking about that. With Letina out of our party, Finia took her ce. But the twos positions differed like day and night. If we fought as we had been until now, it could lead to a serious injury. Michelles lethality had gone up, so in the off chance that she misfired, it would be extremely dangerous. Back when Finia joined us during the training camp we acted with consideration, but now it would be an everyday thing. For that, we had topare and adjust to each othersbat methods. Chapter 376 After we returned to the resting hut, we handed over the surviving bandits to Heaths party. There were just three of them, but thats how it goes. We were still doing our work, after all. The merchant who made this sudden request would make up for some of his losses with the reward from turning them in. I did not think you would subjugate them in mere hours. How in the world did you That aside, this guy survived but, isnt he in an awful shape? Heath pointed at the man with a crushed crotch who still hadnt woken up. We did cast Cure Light on him, so he shouldnt die at least. We gave him first-aid treatment just in case, so he should be fine. I-Is that so? It waspletely crushed at first. I-I see. That sounds frightening Heath answered weakly at my exnation. Well, I was a guy at heart, so I could understand his feelings. That shit hurts. I mean, well, girls would feel pain too if hit in the same ce, but still. So, what about their hideout? Oh yeah, they were settled inside a rock cliff at the riverside, so we smoked them out and exterminated them thoroughly. There shouldnt be any escapees. I see. But if we leave that ce be, other bandits could settle in. So I want you guys to hand them over to the guards. If you do, they will properly investigate their headquarters too. Got it, leave that to us. We owe you one for this matter. Heath offered Leon a handshake, which he returned. But then, he nced back at the fainted man once more and muttered. Still Who did this? That was Fini It was Lady Nicole! Finia interrupted my words with unusual force. She was probably just that flustered, but it looked adorable. I felt like teasing her a bit. But the first attack came from you, Finia. You did that Yah! from below. I did hit them, but it shouldnt have dealt so much damage! It was your kick after it that finished him off, you know, Lady Nicole? Oh I dont know, maybe that did happen? As Finia clung to my arm to stop me while I was ying dumb, I suddenly remember something I had to tell her. Right. Well have to talk a bit after this. Huh, talk? Yeah. Remember that we collided earlier? Yes. I brought up the topic of crashing into each other in the earlier battle. Hearing that, Finia let go of my arm and fixed her posture. The tiny hut we were in was only there to guard against wind and rain, so there wasnt even a table or chairs around. The way she sat on her knees on the floor with a serious expression seemed a littleedic. During the training camp, I had moved behind while the vanguard was left to Cloud whos a tank, and you, but now that both of us are attackers, our positions during the battle can ovep quite often, okay? I see. With Lady Letina out and me joining the party, we have be quite attack-oriented. Heath had sensed that we were talking about something important, so he took the bandits outside the hut. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) It was still dangerous to spend a night with scoundrels in such a tiny hut. Much less when children like me and Michelle were here too. There was no harm in being careful. With Heath taking them out to camp, he probably thought that the danger would lessen even if for a bit. It would look absolutely stupid to be camping outside when the hut was right there, but considering the situation, it couldnt be helped. After ncing at them, I continued talking to Finia who was still on her knees. You dont have to sit so properly. Its not like Im lecturing you, okay? Anyway, I think we need to change our positioning a little from now on. Positioning? I believe it is not something so easily changed. Yes. But if we change our weapons, it would have to change. Lady Nicole, are you nning to stop using a katana? Why did you suddenly assume that I would be the one changing my weapon? It wasnt easy to change mybat style centered at the front line that I had stuck to since my previous life. Lyell and I, who were both vanguards, have collided with each other quite a lot. But since we had Cortina with her extraordinary leadership skill, she corrected our mistakes in the blink of an eye. That said, we didnt have anyone like that now. This meant we were forced to change the way we fought. And above all, the frontline was a dangerous position. My real feeling was that I didnt want to keep Finia there and get her severely injured. Ideally, I would want her away from battles entirely, but the various circumstances and her wishes could not be changed. Then, are you telling me to fall back? My mastery of magic is still not so good that I have mastered offensive magic Thats it. Unlike me, you have a lot of variation with your spells, so I want you to stay slightly away. That way, you will have more time to cast various support spells. Finia could use the four elements, so she had various support spells in her reserve. Particrly, it would be great if she cast things like the Fire Weapon spell that d weapons in me or Water Shield that reduced the me damage taken. But if she stayed at the frontlines, she would almost never have time to chant them. But with my weapon I have that covered. Heres a magic weapon I got from a certain, self-proimed, God. As Finia argued back, I showed her the osciting dagger. Since it could change into a spear at will, it could be called a perfect weapon for her positioning. It had a weakness of harsh magic consumption, but Im sure she could master it, given her elven blood that excelled in magic. A dagger? Or so it seems, but if you do this (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) That night, I taught Finia how to use the osciting dagger. During the exnation, I got led by the nose and even disclosed how I used it during theindependent study. I guess this simply showed the gap in the womanly experience between us? Sneaky Silva note: Looks like Reid used the dagger as a vibrator when he was practicing his sex skills for Cortina : D Chapter 377 The next morning, we parted ways with the other merchant, and once again continued our journey towards the Sto domain. That reminds me, that merchant introduced himself to Temuru, but not us. But I guess there werent that many merchants who would try forming friendly rtionships with some passing escorts. Still, you are a surprising tactician, Nicole. Hmm? Im talking about yesterdays events. From scouting techniques to enemy detection skills, and the adaptability during the smoking out operation. You didnt look like a first-rank beginner at all. Leon started up such a conversation on the way. As he said, I ended up getting a bit too worked up and overdid on a bunch of things. Preparing a bonfire while erasing my footsteps, scouting, and generally acting shily. It was probably better to make up an excuse here. Well yeah. Weve been at it for quite a long time even if we dont look like it. We are still rank one since weve only been hunting nearby animals so it never went up. Hunting in Raums outskirts, huh Thats surprisingly good training. Indeed, their skills cant be underestimated at all. Michelle was quite amazing too. Ellen also followed up with her praises. Well, I was chosen as one of the Six Heroes due to my scouting skills, so it was only natural. Then, I heard a sudden oh from Michelle who was walking next to me. I felt a little anxious, wondering if I let another enemy slip within my radar. It has happened quite a few timestely, so I was kinda losing my pride as a scout. Whats wrong. Did you find something? Yeah, raspberries. Ah, I see But we have already passed them. With the graduation done and having prepared to move out, we had reached May. It was the perfect time of year for raspberries. I just ignored herment at first, but recalling the bittersweet taste and lumpy texture of it, I could feel my mouth salivating. Well, cant be helped eh. I swung my arm and sent one of my piano wires flying. I couldnt use my gauntlets in front of Finia, so I could only use the piano wire. The steel thread pierced the berry, plucked it, and brought it to my hand. After repeating that several times, I gathered quite the amount as an afternoon snack. Though it was still morning now. However, there were people who observed my actions with astonished eyes. They were Leon and Ellen, and also Finia. LadyNicole Ah. That reminded me, I still havent told Finia about my Gift. It was natural for her to be shocked after suddenly showing a special move while gathering fruit. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Oh, I forgot to say it huh. Actually I would be adventuring with Finia from now on. I couldnt go on without mentioning my Thread Maniption Gift forever. It was necessary to reveal some information here that wouldnt link to my past. I have a Thread Maniption gift. Thread Maniption Same as Lord Reid? Yeah. Well, its not such a rare Gift, but it gets a bit problematic when you be a double Gift holder. So I didnt tell my parents and others either at first. Maxwell found out about itter, but with Lord Reids matter, we decided it was better to keep quiet about it for a bit longer. I put all the responsibility on Maxwell as I exined. I sure have turned into one dirty bastard. Now that youve said it, you have always been abnormally talented for your age when it came to knitting. Yeah, I practiced. I am convincedis what I would like to say, however you have simr abilities as Lord Reid. And you decided on it at three years old? Finia inclined her head in doubt. As expected, it was hard to convince her right away. Even I didnt find this exnation convincing enough. After all, I was appraised for Gifts at three years old. It was abnormal for a child that age to think it would be bad if this gets found out. Still, I had one more card up my sleeve. Finia was the one who told me about Reid, and also the one who told me the most anecdotes about him. She revealed to me that she was one-sidedly in love with me when I was five, but even until then, she told me about the Six Heroes as bedtime stories, so my childhood was filled with moments where I cringed in shame. From that, it was easy to imagine that she had an umon attachmentat the time I didnt know they were romanticto Reid. Well, it appeared that there was something between you and Reid. Well, that is true And mom and dad were makingplex expressions, so it was hard to talk. Ugh I caused such worry to a child. I fail as a caretaker. If you fail, then every childcare worker in the world fails too. I made a supportivement when I saw her turn dejected and then moved my gaze to the raspberries at hand. Their number was decreasing before my eyes. Hmm? As I raised a doubtful voice, Michelle next to me suddenly covered her mouth. Her fingertips were dyed in red. And her throat was moving as if swallowing something. Michelle, you snatched some, didnt you? I-I-I-I didnt. Come on, everyones share would decrease like that. Im sorry, I couldnt hold back! You and big sis Finia were busy talking about something difficult too. There was nothing difficult in it, was there? It was something I told her before too. Given her reaction, I wasnt sure she understood it at the time. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) But for better or worse, she obediently epted whatever people told her. There was no need to worry about her leaking it to others. Good grief, Michelle That reminds me, Michelle used to harass me with stealing food at the church too. Big sis Finia, its not good to dig up peoples dark history. That sounds like an adorable dark history. Michelle raised her hands in objection, but she looked like a puppy coiling about its owner. If she was doing it purposely, that was too sly. But I daresay it was just a natural action. I sighed while my soul was being healed by the sight of two before me, and then sent my thread once again to collect additional raspberries. Chapter 378 Three days had passed since Finia had changed her main weapon to a spear. Journey with Temuru continued smoothly, and we only had one more day to go before we reached the Sto domains capital, Stor. At this pace, we should reach it by noon tomorrow. Though I said things went smoothly, it wasnt like we had no battles at all during these three days. As we separated from Raum, the monster attacks also increased in number. That said, there were no hard foe encounters, so it was perfect to review our battle positioning. Cloud met the enemys attack, while I attracted their attention at the front line, and Finia used the opportunity to attack with her spear. And when the enemys attention was directed to the front, Michelle would unleash a sure-death shot from the very back. We were gradually settling on such a battle style. The skill we disyed made even Leon, who was a fourth-rank, open his eyes wide in amazement. Color me surprised I mean, I could already tell your skills were beyond what your rank suggested but Yeah. They clearly have the ability of third-ranks. Nicole and Michelle in particr may very well be our equals. Heheh. Michelle tends to get carried away easily, so you shouldnt tter her too much, okay? I dont okay!? Today as well, Forest Wolves attacked us, lured by the scent of lunch, but we easily drove them back. Forest Wolves looked likerge wolves, but they had ivy-like tentacles all around its body, and they acted as camouge and made them hard to discover inside the forest. However, that wasnt enough for them to escape the vignce of me and Michelle whose growth was apparent. Our performance was so good that Leons party had no turn. Michelle puffed her chest after they praised her skill, but she really tended to get carried away, so I gave her a warning just in case. She started to sulk and protest at my statement. I ignored it and shifted my attention to Finia. Finia, perhaps youve gotten used to things too? Have I? Leon and Ellen were shocked when they found out about the spear that could contract and expand, but it wasmon to keep the information about such items a secret. After all, the items and skills an Adventurer had on them were their lifelines. For that reason, it was an unwritten rule for Adventurers to not reveal it or keep quiet until asked about them. I also told them to keep quiet about it, so there was a low chance of it getting spread around. I had that much trust for them. Yeah, you made good use of the opening where the enemys attention was on me. But I think you were a bit too close? I tend to move extensively, so we might have collided if I had taken a backstep there. I see. Then I suppose it would be better to stay at Clouds back. Yeah, Cloud hardly falls back, so that might just be perfect. As expected, with more people, the tactics we can adopt also grow in number. I heard Leon mutter that and realized something. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Now that you mention it, didnt you have one more person in your party? Hmm? Oh When I was heading to Raum, Leons party consisted of three. There used to be one more man. I couldnt even know his name, but he was not here at least. Well, something happened after that I mean, his life isnt in any danger. He just got injured a bit. He hurt his leg and retired. We are actually recruiting people now, but we couldnt find anyone good in Raum. So we were thinking of going around towns to look for capable people. Then we heard sir Timuru was going to Sto, so we jumped in to get a lift. Needless to say, Adventurer work was apanied by danger. It was extremely rare for people to remain with no physical defects until they decided they were weakening and it was time to retire. Leonsrade seemed to have been a victim of that cruel fate. Ah, well My condolences. Thank you. But you dont have to worry about that, Nicole. Yeah, but Uugh, I hate scary things. You have Nicole with you, so you should be fine, Michelle. Michelle became afraid after she heard about how Adventurers retired. But Ellen quicklyforted her. It appeared that my standing had grown exponentially in Ellens mind. But there were situations where even I wouldnt be able to deal with. That is why I ended up meeting such a fatethe fate of getting reincarnated. Still, I was extremely grateful for her words. We had no hard fights as ofte, so there was a chance that I was growing a little careless. If I didnt get my act together, we could end up retiring like Leonsrade. I have almost died many times already, so I need to be careful too. Thats true. You have to be way more careful, Nicole. Youre like a wild boar. Say what!? Michelle answered teasingly at myment. I stuck my fingers into her mouth and pulled them apart. Which mouth uttered that unneededment I wonder? Ouhhh! Ouhhhh! But Lady Nicole, you really need to be more prudent. If you get asting injury, Lord Lyell will kill me. Dad wont do something like that, okay? I know that. But he would certainly feel devastated. If something happened to me, normally the anger would be directed to Finia who was at my side. But Lyell had known her for a long time. He would understand that what happened was beyond her control. If so, where could he direct his anger? His anger that would have no target would just torment him to no end. Thats what Finia was pointing out. Okay, Ill be careful. Good. As I answered obediently, Finia smiled and pulled my head into an embrace. Chapter 379 At noon of the fifth day, Stor finally became visible. Gadius had apparently opened a new inn there. Stor was a surprisingly big city, and at the same time as it being the capital for Sto, it also had a high-grade academy too. Donovan, who was my upperssmen at the magic academy, was the lord of this region, and I heard he was acting as a lord while also attending that academy. As expected, there were no giant buildings like Raums Magic Academy, but it was still an unbelievably developed city you wouldnt expect from the countryside, with tall, strong walls surrounding it. Wee to Stor. Sorry, but let me see your documents before we let you inside. The gate guard with a pike in hand weed us with a tone that suggested he was not very weing. I guess thats how it would be when he had to repeat the same exact phrase over and over with hundreds of people going through the gate daily. Temuru presented his identification documents from the Merchants Guild, while Leons party presented their Adventurers Guild IDs. Naturally, we also imitated Leon and presented our own as well. Hmm, a fourth-rank and a bunch of first-ranks. Thats a strangebination. Well, we were nning to educate these kids. In the end, they turned out to be so capable there was nothing to teach, however. Oh? There seem to be minors with you But they look quite promising. In various ways. You better give up on meddling those girls. They are rted to the Six Heroes. Leon warned the guard who muttered that with a lewd look on his face after checking Finias looks and Michelles *****. Hearing that, the guard stiffened and became all proper. The Six Heroes! Which means you are staying at that Lord Gadius inn!? Yeah, thats the n. But The guard paused with a troubled expression. It felt like he wanted to say something. Whats the matter? Yeah, well, needless to say, the inn belongs tothatLord Gadius. The guests rushed in the moment it opened up. I heard that its fully upied even now. Im not sure you can rent rooms there I see I mean, I guess that was to be expected. These kids aside, its probably impossible for us, huh. Probably. There are so many Adventurers flooding towards that inn, that even Im having trouble actually. Well, my condolences for that. But its your work, so gotta keep it up. Its been a while since Ive heard such half-hearted encouragement. When Gadius opened his inn, the Adventurers flooded the northern territory. And the majority of those were newbies who admired the Six Heroes or those with ambitions beyond their means. The results didnt bring about the increase in poption, and instead just worsened the public order. But that was also a temporary thing, and those with no ability were being weeded out, and only those with actual skill remained. This was an unchanging fact even if it was Gadius inn. This city does not lose to Raum in size. After we parted with the guard and entered inside, we were greeted with noisy traffic. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The bustling we were seeing here and the number of people were mostly the samepared to Raum. It was enough for me to agree with Finiasment. However, the nature of that tumult suddenly changed. Looking closely, there was a carriage with extravagant decorations speeding towards the gate. W-Whats going on!? I wonder? Michelle answered back carefreely as I took a step back in shock. This girl might actually have a lot of guts. The carriage eventually stopped before the gate, or rather, before us, and one person disembarked from it. It was a man whose face I remembered. Wee to Stor, Lady Nicole! Eek!? Oh, good day, Donovan. You look to be in good health? I ended up raising a stiff shriek at him suddenly jumping out like that. I mean, everyone would react like that if someone clung to them all of a sudden. Donovan didnt seem to consider my state and continued talking. Yes, with the Six Heroes backing, my problems got resolved in the blink of an eye. I really am indebted to you people! After graduating from the Magic Academy and starting to attend the one in this city, he seemed to have grown a bit plumppared to how I remembered him. With his stress about the followers not obeying him gone, his appetite probably increased too. Oh my, it is tactless of me to stand around and talk! Please follow me. I shall guide you to Lord Gadiuss inn, Greatshields Protection! No, were still working now. Please dont be so modest We are working! Ever since Donovan solved his dilemma before graduation thanks to my mediation, he started to revere me as his master. He probably went to the trouble ofing here because Cortina and Maxwell contacted him beforehand. Since he arrived with a carriage, he probably had an estimate of our arrival time. Cortina should have easily managed that much. That said, we couldnt move while ourmission wasntpleted. This served as sort of an expedition practice for us. We had to see it properly to the end. We are currently in the middle of amission, so please refrain from that. Ugh, it would do no good to get in the way of Lady Nicoles work. Understood, I shall wait at the inn ahead of time. Its fine, you dont have to wait for us. Were all tired after a long journey. Ahh, that was insensitive of me. Then I shall send a messenger at ater date, so may we share a meal? If I feel like it. Donovan sure has mellowed down. He used to be trash who looked down onmoners whenever he came across one. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I guess you could call this growth too. It was far better than him being a prejudiced and arrogant lord. Oh right, do you know of a good inn? Mr. Leon here was worried whether there would be an open inn for his party. I have heard good rumors about Yamabiko inn near the western gate. However, it is on the pricier side. Thank you, Lord, we shall definitely visit it. Leon answered with a somewhat tame attitude. He looked towards the crest on Donovans carriage. Needless to say, it was the Serwa crest, in other words, of Donovans household. Anyone familiar would instantly realize that he was the lord. Uhh, are you acquaintanced with the Lord, Nicole? He was my upperssman in the Magic Academy. Cortina also helped him resolve a troubling matter, so he seems to feel a debt to me too since I intermediated things. So thats the reason behind his attitude Makes sense. Ellen secretly whispered into my ear. It seemed that we would be able to spend a hectic time even in this city. Chapter 380 After escorting Temuru to the Merchants Guild, our work was finally done. Leon acted as our representative and epted the totalpensation, and themission waspleted. Thank you for your services as always. I shall be relying on you from now on too. Thank you for taking us along too. This goes for miss Nicole and others too. You gave a sense of stability that is hard to imagine from your first expedition. It was so good that I would be willing to hire you whenever Mr. Leon is busy. Im d you think so. Temuru had realized that I was the central figure among us, so he addressed me next. Normally, Cloud who was the only guy, or Finia who was the oldest would have been the likely candidates. Excuse me, but I have left the entire reward to Leon. Also, consider this a farewell gift. Hmm, what is it? Temuru offered me a small bag. Opening it, I found several peoples share of gold coins. Since you will be working as Adventurers in this city, I will be depending on you too. Besides it is not so bad to build connections with Adventurers connected to Lord Gadius. No, we cannot ept this on our own. Its fine, its fine. Go ahead and ept it. I could understand that Temuru wanted to pay us a little bonus with secret intentions. But I felt it would be bad if we epted this as professionals, so I rejected it. But Leon lightly urged me to take it. But I started arguing back, but Leon came and whispered into my ear. Its like hes giving pocket money to his grandchildren, so just ept it. Mr. Leon, I can hear you. Whoops, my bad. Temuru pretended to be angry with his tone and Leon casually apologized. It was true that most of our party consisted of minors. Even Finia, who was the only adult, didnt look that older than Cloud. Our ages were low enough to qualify as Temurus daughter. But one of us, that is, I, was older than Temuru, so I felt a little guilty about epting pocket money. Still, we cant ept an unjustified reward. There is no helping it. Hey Michelle. Yes? Do you know that herbs are a specialty of this region? I particrly rmend chicken saute with a lot of basil sauce. Gulp. Hey, thats sly. I barely endured screaming that aloud. Not that it would lead to any problems even if I did. Still, it was foul y on his part to involve Michelle in this. What if you were strapped for cash during the critical moment? Uhh, it would be too sad. Right? So you should take this. Its spare money for such emergencies. Yaay! Thank you! Michelle got skillfully cajoled and happily epted the money. Merchants are cunning Hahaha, It seems you still have ways to go when negotiating with merchants. Please obediently ept it. Alright, thank you. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Even if I had my past lifes experiences with me, I couldnt win against Temuru who had to do sly negotiations day in and day out. I had no choice to ept my defeat and step down. But leaving that aside. Micheeelle? W-What? Your face looks scary. Leaving how my face looks aside, you cant go epting things from people you dont know! I-It couldnt be helped! And we know mister Temuru! Thats not what I mean! As I started the usual cheek-pulling, Michelle retaliated back. Seeing us quarrel while pulling each others cheeks, even Finia was barely enduring augh. This is so strange. I should have been a more stoic and tough person Well, from an adults perspective, its better for children to be more dotable like Michelle. You are a bit too levelheaded, miss Nicole. Ish zhat sho? I answered weirdly since Michelle was pulling my cheeks. Rather, read the mood, Michelle. Im talking with an adult here. That it is. We merchants never take needless expenses. So you should think of this as me truly expecting great things from you. Mgh, igh zhash whash hyuu hiinh, zhen shanhyuu. I couldnt afford to lose to Michelle here. This was the battle that decided which of us stood at the top. A great battle where whoever lets go first would lose hegemony from now on. Just as I made up my determination, Michelle suddenly pulled out her tongue and started licking my fingertips. The warm and slippery sensation made me reflexively let her cheeks go. Uhya!? Yay, I won! Dont lick me! Thats against the rules! There are no rules in battles. Khh, this time Ill pull your ***** instead of cheeks. No, theyll stretch! She covered her chest and fled while I chased after her. Temuru couldnt endure anymore and burst intoughter. Chapter 381 After we parted with Temuru, we headed towards Gadius store that we were told about in advance. It was an important ce that would be our inn from now on. It was a decently wide site a little deeper in from the main street. On those grounds was an inn with a big enough horse parking lot to hold several carriages at once. It stood three stories tall, and had both a stable and a sturdy-looking warehouse. It was a little too big for an ordinary inn, but with Gadius assets in mind, it was probably on the modest side instead. Like the rest of us, he also had the Evil Dragon materials in possession. His assets rivaled a small kingdom. Well, this simplicity and fortitude is Gadius style. It had a swing door that was left half-opened. This was probably to show that they were in business and also in consideration for the clients to enter more easily. As we found the store, I heard gulping sounds from beside. It came from Cloud and Michelle. The two hadnt seen anything aside from the Adventurers Guild in Raum, so they were nervous. Its okay. Its Lord Gadius inn, so nothing unexpected should happen. But big sis Finia. What if we get involved with scary Adventurers there If that happens, Cloud will put his body on the line and protect us. Huh, Im the one doing it?! That is the dependability a man should have. Please do your best. Big sis Finia, you are actually quite merciless arent you Finia hadplete trust in the Six Heroes, so she wasnt that nervous. In the first ce, Cloud and Finia had received training from Gadius, so they knew very well what kind of person he was. They should know full well that Gadius wasnt one to treat the kids entrusted to him by his friends half-heartedly. Come now, well bother people if we just stand here, so lets go and greet him. Cloud got cold feet at thest moment. It was natural that he was nervous still, considering this was the inn where one of the Six Heroes lived. Passing the door with awkward steps and entering the dim interior, an orthodox pattern of bar plus diner came to sight. On the other side of the dwarven-use counter that was a level higher than the hall, a dwarf that was polishing a ssGadius, nced towards us. After realizing that it was us, his stern face twisted into a big smile. It honestly looked scary. Oh, you have finally arrived! Gadius, well be in your case. Of course. Your room has been prepared on the second floor. You are fine with single room I take? Yeah, thanks. Seeing Gadius unusually weing, the other guests who were currently dining raised shocked voices. What the that Gadius actuallyughed? Who are those children? There are some awfully adorable kids among them Could they be his illegitimate children? Dont be an idiot, how could an illegitimate child be so cute! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Gadius was showered with all kinds of jokes, but he apparently couldnt forgive thatstment after all, he took a potato prepared for cooking and threw it towards the customer with terrific force. Shut your traps you damn fools. These are the children entrusted by my good friends. I will not forgive anyone who tries to mess with them. Friends? You had friends? That carelessment cost that customer another potato. Huh, I was wondering how he could do business with his unsociable nature, but it looks like hes getting along with his customers just fine. But I think it was a bit too much to knock out customers with every throw. Look, Michelle and Finia are shrinking back. Uhh, Gadius, no need to go so overboard, okay? Worry not, they are not dead. Are you worried about us The sce of heart that this inn needed has arrived!? Flowers finally blooming in this inn? I wonder if they will wear waitress clothes for us? Oh shit, Im getting excited! You lot, do you want another potato? Were good! The customers bowed their heads all at once. Looked like his training had an effect. Oh, right, the rest of your rooms are prepared too. Here are your keys. Make sure you do not lose it. Go and greet everyone too. They are still your seniors even if they are like that. Ah, okay. I took four keys from Gadius, and twirled around at the counter. Err, Im Nicole. Lets get along from now on. Hearing about me, the ce turned noisy. While we are at it, I suppose it is in her blood, but she has quite the mastery of the de. Do not underestimate her. G-Got it, nice to meet you! The senior Adventurers bowed with their hands raised. I was relieved that they seemed to be quite the affable bunch. In some ces, Adventurers tend to hate and get rid of their rivals or try intimidating them. But the ones at this inn seemed to be a friendly bunch. Im Cloud. I am a shielder for the most part. Nice to meet you. He is also my disciple. Do give him strict training. Uhh, Id rather you go easy on me? Do not be such a baby. Huh, the old mans disciple? Its surprising that youre still alive. Is Gadius really that strict? I do not do anything so big. I could see how strict he was on the pale expressions of the Adventurers. Clouds training was pushing the limits too, so I guess it was in dwarfs nature. Im Michelle. Err, lets get along. So cute. How should I put it, were the Adventurers of this inn really alright in the head? I started to get a little anxious. I felt something in them that reminded me of Raums Adventurers. I am Finia. Good to meet you. Please be my wife. Umm, I belong to Lady Nicole. I smell yuri! Finia, that was a bit misleading dont you think!? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) The customers were fueled by our introductions in a strange direction. There were some who got too worked up and tasted Gadius potato strike, but they were still fundamentally a good-natured bunch, so it was a relief. Looking at the state of things, the weak-willed Michelle and docile Finia would do fine here. There didnt seem to be anyone holding prejudice against half-demons either. Gadius had also filtered out people and chose this kind of bunch as his regrs. And with that, we hade to take up our residence in Stor. Chapter 382 The first thing we did after we came to Gadius inn, Greatshields Protection, was taking a good rest. All of us were what would be considered young in terms of age. For that reason, we had excess stamina. That said, if we push ourselves too much, it could lead to making blunders where we wouldnt expect. Not to mention, the reckless things you did as a kid coulde to bite you backter on. It was important to train your body gradually without pushing it too far. Or so said an experienced person. Who is that person? Its a secret. Michelle asked me as I told everyone to take a three day rest. The way she raised her hand was adorable. The way something swayed was also wonderful. Hearing they were getting three days rest, she became excited and started thinking about what to do, so I intentionally frowned and pacified her, advising her against it. But we just came to the new city, so I dont even know what to do with the time off. Cloud protested and nced at Finia. It would be lonely alone so he wanted to go with Finia? Too bad, but Im not handing Finia to you, you jerk. Or Michelle for that matter. Finia and Michelle will be shopping with me. Girls have things to prepare. That is true. The rooms Lord Gadius prepared still look too barren, so I would like to go shopping. We also need to check where to buy the daily necessities too. Then Ill also Oh, we also n to check underwear and that stuff, so still wannae? Ill refrain. Cloud dejectedly hung his head. But it couldnt be helped. We got a lot ofundries piled up in these five days, so we wanted to wash it too. There was also a need to replenish the clothes wecked. In my home in Raum in Cortinas house, there was no need for that, but we only brought minimum luggage here. There were many things we needed to buy. If you feel lonely alone, why not train with Gadius? You call that a rest?! Ill just go check the towns structure or something. You should. Adventurers have to be ready for anything. Gahh, fine, goddammit, men are lonely creatures anyway. What are you trying to act cool for. Youre just Cloud. Dont deny my very existence, will yooou! I teased Cloud who was acting nihilistic, and then we all returned to our respective rooms. It would have been more financially forgiving to get one room for several people, but I had too many secrets. I couldnt go with the shared room method like normal Adventurers did. It would have been weird if only I took a personal room, so I decided to get everyone their own too. On that part, Gadius had to sacrifice quite a few rooms, but I was properly paying him the full price, so there should be no problems. As I entered my room, I immediately started to inspect my equipment. Finia got to know about my Thread Maniption Gift, but she still didnt know about my trusty gauntlets that I used as Reid. She should have seen it during the training camp, but she does not seem to have realized that it belonged to Reid. I guess luck was on my side. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Michelle had also seen it a few times, but she didnt know how Reid even looked so it was fine. But there was no guarantee that she would never realize it. I may need tomission Aste to change the exterior. Until then, I have to make do with the spare piano wires I have on me. And I have to hide the gauntlets too. That said, I can only hide it underneath the bed at most here. Needless to say, above my room that was on the second floor, was the third floor. In other words, I couldnt hide it in the attic. There was a closet, but it didnt have a lock so it would be bad if someone opened it. Hiding things under the bed was typical, but there was no other ce to hide them so I had to endure. Lets push the bed to the wall then disguise a board as a wall, and hide them behind it. If I prepare a dummy beforehand, they shouldnt rummage beyond it, right? I would put a box with the gauntlets alongside the wall, and then camouge it by putting a board with the wall pattern before it. I should be able to hide a few centimeters of difference in depth. And if I put something showy nearby as if I was hiding it, whoever rummages my room would be convinced when they find it and stop looking. It was like a trap with twoyered bottoms that had yet another bottom. It was surprisingly easy to overlook. I guess Ill go buy a board tomorrow while pretending that I was into carpentry. It wasnt a very girly hobby, but I had to at least make up that excuse or it would be too strange if I suddenly came back with a board. If I just say that I was testing out new hobbies since we changed the city, it should somehow convince them. After that, I stuffed my blotches inside the closet andy down. The five days of journey had shaved away my stamina more than I thought, so my eyelids quickly started to close. I really had to change into pajamas, but the travel clothes I was wearing could retain warmth quite well, and they were already wrinkled anyway. It wouldnt be a problem to sleep as is. Chapter 383 Our resting period had passed in the blink of an eye. In the middle of it, Donovan raided us and kidnapped us for a dinner party, but we still managed to get a nice rest. Then the three days passed, and came morning where we would be resuming our Adventurer activities. We were currently racking our brains at the counter. Cleaning the parks drain, searching for a lost dog, repairing the roof of a warehouse And this ones an errand. The bakery people are asking to buy 30kg of flour for them. This is cargo unloading work at the southern gate. This ones an indecent store asking to distribute their leaflets There are minors here but they still offer jobs like this!? Cloud you perv. Im innocent! As we started the proper Adventurer work, Gadius mediated work for us and the result was this. Just about everymission was internal, all-rounder work. Gadius, what is this? It is what you see. You are still first-ranks are you not? Then these are the suitable jobs for you. This is just childrens work no matter how you put it! Nicole, you were certainly renowned in Raum. But we are in Stor now. And you are mostly minors, and novices at that. I cannot mediate important or external work to novices like you. But I started to argue still, but Gadius turned his back and returned to cooking. He was making breakfast for the other guests. Gadius was aware of our actual ability. The only things he did not know were Michelles power and my true power. The fact that he still chose to present us this kind of safe work must have had some kind of reason. Right Maybe something like Lyells overprotective meddling. Ah, yes. If you do not find those jobs appealing, why not work in this store as a waitress? I will dly wee you lot. Not a chance! Its not that I hated the waiters work. I doubt Gadius would put weird clothes on us. But Finia was different. When it came to dressing me up, she tended to go wild. It was clear that the idea of working as a waitress would excite her more than me and try to overdecorate me. So I instantly refused Gadius offer. I see. I was hoping for it as some customers showed their enthusiasm in you working as a waitress. For the time being, give me a list of those customers. Ill send it to dadter. Are you a demon!? Even Gadius felt disturbed at my reply. He was well aware of how wild Lyell used to get when I was concerned. The customers that were looking dejectedly at us cocked their heads in wonder, not knowing the danger they were in. They would probably eventuallye to realize how frightening Lyell could be. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) That aside, listen, Nicole. It is not that I do not know your strength. But the other Adventurers are different. It would not be good to give you special treatment here. His exnation made me realize that he was anxious about us using our standing to jump into action right away. If we abused it, it could earn us the ire of other Adventurers. If we were to live here, it was better to avoid causing such frictions. Mhh, well fine But its hard to choose from these. Heavybor isnt for us, huh. Cloud aside, big sister Finia and I arent very strong, much less you, Nicole. What do you mean much less!? I mean, I guess I amcking in strength. But wouldnt we manage it easily if we have Nicoles Enchant? Cloud, Enchant onlysts for a short time. So unloading work would be tough. I see. Then what about that flour errand? It would be easy if we split it into four, I suppose? But the reward is equally small. We took the offered jobs and started discussing which to choose. Michelle and Cloud aside, it was nice to see that Finia was assertively expressing her opinions too. After five days of travel and three days of rest, she had gotten used to other members quite well. Given her reserved personality, she tended to keep quiet in these situations a lot. Then, what about the lost dog? We are not familiar with the area, so we would just end up getting lost ourselves. In which case, we are left with drainage cleaning and roof repairs. Oh and the leaflet distribution. Cloud you perv. Whyyy!? Cloud got criticized about the leaflets, but I was also against it. Michelle looked more mature than her age, and Finia was also a lovely girl. It was easy to see that we would get involved in some trouble if we started spreading lewd leaflets. But at the same time, I also wanted to reject getting these girls dirty from the drainage work. I wasnt denying that work, but seeing pretty girls get all muddy would be Actually, I might wanna see it. Hmm, did you say something? Nope, nothing. I shook my head to drive the worldly desires away. Full of mud and sticky clothes. Water clinging to their skin. Flushed faces warped due to the bad smell. I wanted to see it a bit, just a bit, but the problem was that Cloud would be participating in it too. I must never let these innocent girls get vited by his gaze, no matter what. No, wait there was that flour work, right? Why not leave it to Cloud? You brute! I mean, I guess I can carry it but still. If you borrow a trolley, you can carry it alone. They say their trolley broke, hence they are having trouble stocking up. It was apparently something that could carry over a hundred kilos in one go, so it would take some time to get it fixed. Thus, since carrying 30 kg by hand would be quite tough, they have decided tomission it instead. Oh huh. Gadius exined the particrs of themission. His hands continued working, however. He was pretty used to his work. They would have to do it for a few days, so they are asking someone to take over it. We sell their bread here too, so I would like it if you ept thatmission. Mhh, we cant refuse it after hearing that now can we. Then, how about this warehouse roof repairmission? It seems that the roof of a warehouse belonging to a bigpany had copsed. It is quite huge so they are looking for agile people. It should be as tall as this inn, I suppose? If it was a warehouse big enough to rival this three-story building, we couldnt just climb up and quickly fix it. It needed agile or skilled people, or it could be dangerous. And with such heights, people could freeze up from fear too. Alright, lets divide work. Cloud and Michelle, since you look strong, can you two take the flour deliverymission? Huh, Im carrying 30 kg too? That might be too much. But doing it together shouldnt be hard. Cloud will take 20 kg while you take 10, I guess? Well if its that much I guess its possible. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) 20 kg was quite heavy, but he was swinging his greatshield every day, so it wasnt an unreasonable weight for him. Michelle had also received the assistant academys training, so she should easily manage to carry 10 kgs. Finia and I will go repair the roof in the meantime. Understood. Finia being an elf was quite nimble. And I had always been nimble since my previous life. Moreover, my thread maniption showed its full potential in these kinds of situations probably. It is a little worrying to act separately, but lets prioritize efficiency here. Indeed. Neither has a high reward, so taking multiple of them sounds good. Finia agreed with my opinion. Michelle didnt seem to have any objections either, so I let Gadius know about our decision. What about Cloud? His opinion was practically worthless in our party. Chapter 384 Once we decided to divide into two groups and ept requests, Finia and I headed towards the warehouse district. This city was the northern ry point of the trade route, connecting The United Nations with Raum, so there were many warehouses to amodate all those goods. Our todays objective was to repair one such warehouse located in one part of the warehouse district. As Finia and I walked side by side, she had a finger on her chin and looked up as if she was pondering on something. She was so absorbed in it that she didnt even notice me touching her butt from the side. I could imagine what was going on in her head, however. She was most likely thinking about my Gift. Same Thread Maniption ability as Reid. Presence of mind and power that didnt match my age. Not to mention, the bad timings where I appeared whenever Reid disappeared. There were many questionable points. However, as long as I remained an Adventurer, my Thread Maniption was bound to get discovered eventually. Rather than try to keep hiding it and get suspectedter, it was several times better to reveal it early on and convince her. That said, I cant just leave it like this either, huh? If I left the situation as is, her doubts would just grow and eventually link to Reid once again. I had to convince her somehow. I divided us today like this while taking that into ount too. Ah, weve arrived, Finia. Pheh? Ah, right. We had arrived while we were absorbed in our respective thoughts. There, a man who seemed to be the warehouse manager along with one more Adventurer party was waiting for us. Ah, good day. I am Nicole, dispatched from the Greatshields Protection. I am Finia, also with her. We look forward to working with you. Hearing our introductions, the merchant extended his right hand with a smile. Yes, let us get along. I am the manager of this warehouse, Lange. Employed by the Caar trade firm. Caar trade firm It is arge business that is famous in this city, yes? Indeed, you are well informed. Just as we exchanged handshakes, the other party of three Adventurers butted in Greatshields Protection sent just two people, and little girls? So even Six Heroes can grow senile huh? Hey, drop it. Though I can understand your feelings. Were talking about warehouse repairs here. Is that something you should entrust to brats? If they just send us a burden, thatd just dampen our spirits to work, aint it? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Following the mans gaze, I checked the warehouse in question. It was arge building that wouldnt lose out to Gadius inn. It was about ten meters tall and even longer in width. It was quite a big warehouse even with the standards of this district. But putting it another way, it had just that much scaffold too. Um, given how big it is, wouldnt repairs go well if you just climb up using adder? Ah, no I am ashamed to admit it, but the repairs are not so simple. Lange pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Though we were approaching a warm season, it was still an easy-to-get-by temperature. Perhaps he was just a profuse sweater. I also believed so at first and let the employees climb, but it turned out that the water that seeped in from the roof had corroded even the internal parts. By internal You mean the structure material? Yes. They ended up drilling holes in the roof as they stepped on it, so I could not carelessly let them climb back and decided to rely on the Adventurers instead. Leaving roof repairs to Adventurers might seem weird, but some of them could use spells like Float or Flight, so they could prove to be quite useful for this kind of work. Finia and I couldnt use such high-level spells yet, but we still had many other useful ones in our arsenal, so we wouldnt be dragging anyones feet. We have some spells that are effective at high altitude work, so we would not get in the way. Liars, as if you twerps would be able to do heavybor! Now now. Lord Gadius chose them, so there must be no mistake. Lange intervened, but I could understand where these Adventurers wereing from. If little girls showed up as my coworkers for high-altitude work, even I would have doubted their abilities. Much less when both Finia and I looked dainty enough to see that we werent suited for heavy work. That aside, let me exin the work particrs. Pleasee inside for now. Lange opened the warehouse door and invited us inside to disperse the tense aura. The inside of the warehouse smelled a little of mold. Please take a look at that. The leaked water has started to corrode that beam. I would like you to start from there. Part of it looks broken, doesnt it? Yes, that is where the first employee fell from. We have it covered with leather as an emergency measure now, but the water still managed to seep inside. Some of the goods have been spoiled too. That seems serious. Is the fallen person alright? Yes, there was dried jerky underneath, so it cushioned their fall. As you can see, the entire warehouse is in the atrium-style, so you would need toe down from the roof to repair the beam. Would that be alright? Do we have repair materials? Yes, they are in the back. Lange pointed to one corner at Finias question. There was a backdoor there, so they were probably behind it. Okay, well get up so you just get the materials for us. Huh, but we are the lighter ones Men should take over dangerous work. The Adventurer puffed his chest boastfully. He seemed to be prideful, but he wasnt a bad fellow. Chapter 385 The three climbed on the roof, then got down to the beams and started the repairs. Finia and I were tasked with carrying materials to the roof. Finia first tied them to a rope beneath, while I used enchant while standing at the roof edge and pulled them up. Naturally, I didnt look very dependable on my own, so one of the Adventurers called Tony was assisting me. He was around to quickly join in to help if he saw I was failing to lift it up. In that sense, they were quite a dedicated bunch. Like us, they also had cards bordered in red, marking them as first-rank Adventurers. They seemed to be slightly older than Cloud, so it was probably more appropriate to call them youths than men. Okay, Finia, Im lifting it up now! Alright, everything is fine on my end! Finia replied back from below as she tied one lumber to the rope. I immediately activated Enchant and strengthened my muscles. At the same time, Finia also cast Reduction on it. The Reduction spell wrapped the target in wind and created a dynamic lift, reducing the weight of things. With both spells in effect, I was able to lift the lumber as if it was a twig. Hoh, youre doing quite fine there. Well, weck power, so we have to make up with creative originality. Im jealous. We dont have anyone who can use magic. We joked lightly while carrying the lumber. The Reduction spell that Finia caststed for five minutes, give or take, so quickly carrying it away after lifting it was less burdensome. Seeing how I lifted up the lumber with my tiny body and how Tony was carrying two of them at the same time, the other Adventurers became shocked. Here you go. Theyd stay light for two more minutes. R-Right These girls turned out to be more useful than I thought. So much that Id want them in our team. R-Really? The working Adventurers said as they took the lumber from our hands. They got down on the thin beams and started nailing the lumber in reinforcement. In the meantime, I headed to get more. Like this, the two Adventurers repaired, while Tony and I carried materials as Finia tied them to the rope below, and our work progressed smoothly. By noon, the beam strengthening work was done, so we decided to take a small lunch break. The lunch boxes were provided by Lange. As expected of a recipient of a bigpany, there were no problems with the taste, so all five of us ate it with relish. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I asked for the other Adventurers names too in the meantime. They were called Mark and John, kind of generic names youd forget immediately. We resumed working past noon. It was time to work on fixing the roof shingles from the outside and inside while standing on the beams. The problem was that, the one doing the fixing from the inside would have nodder to get down unlike those on the roof. Thus, it was decided that I, who could manipte the threads, and Finia, who could use wind magic, would be the ones to work from the inside. Once the work was done, I would use my threads while Finia her wind spells to get down. Hey whitey, please support that part from below. Mark, being called whitey rubs me really, really wrong, so stop it. You have trauma or something? Ah well, then let me reword. Hey pipsqueak, support that part. Im not exactly happy with that either, but I guess its still better. I supported the nk from below and we plugged the hole in the roof. Mark hammered it down a little roughly. Perhaps because he hit it too hard, the nk under his feet cracked and snapped. That caused him to pitch forward and fall down the hole. O-Oh shi-!? The roof was about ten meters tall. The employee that fell before escaped injuries due to the pile of jerky cushioning his fall, but it was no longer there now. The floor was stone-paved, so falling down wouldnt end well. Mark realized that instantly and desperately reached out towards the beam. But his hand missed it by a paper-thin distance. Neither I, who was supporting the nk from below, nor Finia, who was separated from us, could make it in time. Marks face was filled with despair as he turned towards me in an attempt to grab the beam. At this rate, he would m his head to the floor and die instantly. I immediately removed one of my hands from the nk and sent a piano wire in his direction. It wasnt a long wire, maybe 10 meters at most. But it was still enough to twine around the guy who fell beside me. Twined with a wire, he was now flung like a pendulum. But my muscle power was not enough to support him. Gkhh! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I lost my bnce and was on the verge of falling off the beam like him. I clung to the beam with both legs and somehow managed to stop myself from falling. Incidentally, since I was now using both hands to support the piano wire, I ended up hanging upside down from the beam. Lady Nicole, Iming! Mark, are you alive!? I heard voices from the roof and a distant ce confirming our safety. I somehow stopped his fall, so all that was left was to wait for people to rescue us. But I had forgotten one thing. I was supporting the nk from below earlier. But I had let go of it and was holding the wire instead now. The nailed nk came off with a crack and fell down. Needless to say, I was right below it. Both of my legs were twined around the beam to support the weight, and both my hands were supporting the piano wire. To keep supporting Mark, I could not move an inch. In other words I ended up taking the nk head-on having no way to avoid it. It hit my head along with a dull sound. I started seeing the stars and my vision turned white. My vision grew out of focus and started to narrow down. If I lost consciousness now, I would m to the floor ten meters below. Despite knowing the fact, I had no way of defending myself. I lost my consciousness despite resisting in vain, and slowly started to fall from the beam. Chapter 386 I was aware that my eyes were closed. There were times when you still maintained consciousness among the darkness. It was a phenomenon closer to when a person was in the process of waking up. The underside of my eyelids brightened up, finally starting to perceive light. At the same time, I quickly remembered the incident that happened before I fainted. I I was trying to save Mark but was hit in the head by a nk as I was hanging down from the beam, and I fainted. There was no saving me if I fainted at that moment. In other words, perhaps what I was feeling now saw simr to the process I had undergone when I was transferred to the ce where I first met the Whitey. In that case Did I kick the bucket!? You didnt! Dont say something so ominous! I reflectively rose up and looked around, only to find sulking Finia looking back at me. Rather, her expression was probably due to her earlier retort, but it looked quite childish and somehow fresh. Also, I cant say I admire your usage of words. You are a girl, Lady Nicole, so please act more like one. Leave the lecture forter. What happened to Mark? Why am I even alive to begin with? Just before you fainted, I somehow managed tond the Falling Control spell on you. You had me worried sick. Falling Control was a spell with the practical application of the Reduction spells effect. If Reduction was a spell to decrease an objects mass, this was used to slow down the fall of humans. They held simr effects, but since their targets differed between an object and a person, they were ssified as different spells. In addition, Falling Control was slightly harder to learn. Y-You saved me there. So, what about Mark? Yes. It was a little hard to aim at him because he was swinging around like a pendulum, but I managed to save him too. This is all thanks to you, Lady Nicole. Im d. If this simple work caused such an ident, it would affect the honor of Gadius store. Even if Marks group were at fault, the fact would remain that there would be casualties. But thanks to Finias good work, we avoided the worst oue. With this, Gadius face was also saved. Yeah, thanks a lot, Finia. I did the natural thing. Arent I yourrade too, Lady Nicole? Yes, you are. In that case, I guess I should praise you instead. You did well. That is getting on my nerves in a different sense too I was receiving Finiasp pillow at the resting corner with just a sheet of nket underneath. Mark was lying next to us, still unconscious. Tony and John who were looking after him noticed my awakening and offered their thanks. Nicole, youre awake. You really saved us there. Im sorry for calling you a burden at the beginning. Yeah, thanks for saving Marks life. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Now that we saved theirrade, their initial sharp attitude had disappeared. They should not have been on bad terms, considering they had formed a party. Naturally, they would not wish to see one of theirs die. Since I saved them from that danger, their gazes were full of gratitude. Mhm. How is Mark doing? He cut his wrist while you were holding him. And he has a bump on his head. Probablynded badly. Well, he should just be considered lucky that he got away with that much. I see. Finia, what about healing magic? I have an affinity to the four elements, but healing magic needs either light spirits, water spirits, or maybe holy magic or interference magic. So you can use water then, no? The spell in question creates recovery water, but the target needs to drink it. I see, he cant drink it while passed out. Good thing youre not so all-rounded. Huh? I mean, I felt bad for Mark, but Finias skill with magic had been growingtely, so my standing was starting to waver. Her spells were lower leveledpared to mine, but they had versatility and she had many opportunities to use them. Compared to me who could only use the interference system, she yed a far more active part. But I will steal the leading role here! Ill nicely patch up Mike here and make myself look like a healing angel. Oh weeell, I guess I have to take over, huh? Ill do the healing. Lady Nicole, youre grinning. Whoops, must be the emotional instability. With a little cough, I approached Mark. He had a little bump on his forehead, so he probably fell on his face. Though they say it was better when pumps appeared during head injuries. If there was internal bleeding, it would require special medical spells. Maria could use it of course, but I couldnt. If that was the case, I would have to sit and watch as he died. Yeah, his breathing is stable, and the swelling is a good sign I would say? Really? But hes unconscious Finia, how long was I out? A bit over ten minutes. It hasnt been that long. While we fell, Finia and the two Adventurers came down below. And I suppose it would take ten minutes to carry us to the resting corner after ascertaining our safety. In that case, I probably opened my eyes soon after I was carried here. Then I guess its only natural that hes still out. Ill cast Cure Light on him just in case. I held my hand over the lying Mark, and started chanting with as much dignity as I could muster. Crimson One, Ultramarine One, Gold One, light of healing upon theeCure Light. When it came to chanting, the important parts were the condition of the magic circle, the magic power you pour into it, and the chant itself that guided the other two. The magic power distribution at the start of the chant was particrly essential. The rest could often be omitted duringbat and such. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) It was mainly for solidifying your image of the spell. If you could clearly imagine the spells effect, you could omit that part. But I was trying to look cool, so I used the proper chant this time. Marks body softly shone, illuminating me from below. The bump on his head also grew smaller before my eyes, and the scratches on his wrist also disappeared. Even my elementary healing spell proved enough to heal that level of injuries. Speaking of which, the next healing spell in the interference system was quite far above in level. At the moment, Cure Light was my one and only healing spell. Phew Its done. But I suppose healing magic is a little insufficient. Good work. Mark made aplete recovery with my healing. And after a few minutes, he regained consciousness. Chapter 387 After that, our work ended without further issues. Lange had been away during the incident, so we talked with Mark and decided to keep what happened a secret. If this was a corporation, we had to notify the superiors and think of preventive measures, but us Adventurers were our own bosses. We could just decide how to handle it ourselves and proceed with it from now on. Those who couldnte up with anything would be braving the risk at their own responsibility. We finished the roof repairs at dusk, then spilled water on and confirmed that there was no more leakage. Lange witnessed that and finally paid us ourpensation. Goodness, I never thought you would finish work at such a high altitude in a day. As expected, Adventurers really can deal with various situations. Well, we are professionals after all. I puffed my chest and answered at Langes ttery. This work was given to us through Gadius, so we had to show that we were dependable so that we would get more work in the future. If he knows that we can deal with various situations, he would give priority to Gadius store next time. That would be beneficial not just for us but for any new Adventurers that woulde to our inn from now on. Once we parted with Lange, Mark apologized to me once again as we were heading to our respective inns. Sorry about what I said in the morning. I belittled you based on your appearances. Cant be helped. Finia is a beauty, and Im just a kid. How should I put it, Finia had this aura of a prided junior around her. She could use magic, sword, and even started to master the speartely. Adventurers who could be entrusted with short and mid-rangebat areas were extremely valuable. On top of her skill, she had a lovely appearance and dainty build. If she didnt have me and Michelle asrades, she would have been the talk of the town. Um, if you arent against it, we could go and celebrate thister Sorry, but we shall pass. Finia and anotherrade of mine get frequently invited so we have to stay impartial. No, I didnt have such ulterior motives! We just recognized your skill, so we I know. But there are other Adventurers gazes to consider too. We just arrived at Gadius inn. It would be a bit of a pain if some strange rumors started to spread about us. Actually, if there were strange rumors when Lyell shows up here, I could see that creating problems for our Adventurer activities. I had to ban us from getting familiar with men for some time. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Was that a good thing to do? Finia nervously asked while we were on the way to our inn after parting with Marks group. She seemed confused about what I did earlier. What was? I smiled and walked one step ahead of her. Then I twirled around and continued our conversation as I walked backwards. If you want to avoid dads onught, you better limit interacting with men to the utmost too, Finia. Youre even more sheltered than me, so you have to be careful. Now thats pushing it too far. I am not as sheltered as Lady Nicole! Really now? In the first ce, I had my past life experience too, and I was originally a man. I would say that my guard for that stuff was impregnable. But Finia was an orphan girl who grew up in thepany of children. Her experience with men was practically nonexistent. I think it would be quite difficult for her to handle the men who want to woo her. Ah, Nicoles here! Heey! As we were talking, a boundlessly cheerful voice called my name. It belonged to Michelle, the number two beauty that gave me just as many worries. In her case, the problem was that she was young enough not to notice those ulterior motives of the men. It really pained me to exin that filthy side of men to a pure girl like her. Even if I had her avoid guys, she was working with Cloud all the time, and he was being quite suspicioustely too. He was at that age so I could understand it, but it just added to my worries. Sigh, its like Im a mother here. You, Lady Nicole? I think you are the handful one here. So even you started saying whats on your mind. Well, you give me a lot of worriestely. Hey, youre not supposed to say that aloud. Michelle dashed towards us with all her strength. But the sun was already setting and the streets had a dim shadow cast on them. She couldnt see as well as me in the dark, so she tripped on the bump in the road and did a head-first slide. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Fortunately, her guardian didnt force her to wear a skirt unlike me, so she wore leggings now. Thanks to that, Cloud behind her failed to see her panties. On the other hand, the shape of her butt was in vivid sight, so it had its merits and demerits. To prove that, Cloud was pinching his nose and looking the other way. But I could still see him stealing nces at it. Oweee Michelle, you should also be more careful. Since you say also, I assume something happened on your side too? Michelle nodded instantly at Finias protest. Well, I didnt have any noticeable injury, so she wouldnt be so worried. Youre convinced there!? Arent you kinda rude there, Michelle? Well, its you were talking about here, Nicole. Oh, Michelle, you smell of bread. Yeah. We did work in a bakery after all. It was tasty. Still, the shop employees were taken aback when she ate five whole loaves of bread they offered us for lunch. They said I could eat as much as I wanted to. Cloud quickly informed us as he followed after her. Saying such needless things was why he was so unpopr. Have some more self-awareness dude. A real man should speak with his character, not words. Thats why my past self was popr. Though I only found that out just recently. We talked about our respective works as we headed home. The biggest incident that happened was me falling, and everything else went smoothly. The bakery uncle took a liking to Michelle and reserved them for the next job too. This way, our first work in Stor was finished without a hitch. Michelle was already going popr, so she should get familiar with this city soon. Chapter 388 It had been ten days since we had arrived in Stor. We took three days of rest at first, but we worked the entire week since then by taking requests through Gadius. MhMgnnnmh. I rubbed my eyes and woke up as the morning sun fell on me from the window. The requests given to us as first-rank Adventurers were barely enough to cover expenses for the same day. We had no time to take breaks. If we got those odd jobs once again today, I wasnt sure if we could even cover the hotel charges. Well, Gadius does say we dont have to pay for them. Given that I was his friends daughter, Gadius was kind enough to offer me to be exempted from the charges. But for Michelle and Cloud who nned to be Adventurers, that wasnt a very good proposal. It was naturally good to have some leeway with money, but it would be hard to im you were independent with that. I pulled the window curtains open and started to change from my nightclothes. I put on a thick jersey and skirt, and knee-length socks. I finished changing while killing a yawn and moved on to equipping defensive gear. But then, I noticed something I couldnt overlook. Hmm? I could not fasten the belt of my chest te properly. I paled up wondering if I had gained weight for a moment and decided to put on my sword belt before it. This time, I managed to equip it without problems, so it didnt seem like I had gained weight. In which case, I guess I just grew again A body in its growth period changed day by day. It seemed that my breasts were approaching Marias step by step too. Normally that would be a wee thing, but it was aplex growth for me. And it was troublesome that I couldnt equip my breastte because of that. Only the belt needs to be adjusted so it shouldnt take that long. Our current earnings were about five silver coins a day. And we paid three of them daily for the inn charges. With the food expenses included, we could barely set one silver aside. And even those savings disappeared in the blink of an eye if we splurged a little. Michelle and Cloud who were big eaters were barely scraping by every day. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) It would hurt our pockets if I went to the weapons store and got my armor adjusted. Well, we do have savings that we brought from Raum too We assumed this kind of situation would happen and had been saving up funds since the early days. But we couldnt continue being in the red forever. That said, Gadius was only giving us downtown work with hardly any profit. I could see our funds drying up in the not-so-distant future. I have to take some measures or thisll be bad. I decided to leave the room with just the sword belt equipped for now. I woke up a bit earlier today, so Michelle and Cloud turned out to still be asleep. Our rooms were at the end of the second floor. Finias room was next to mine, and Michelles across the corridor. Clouds was next to her room. As I went down the stairs and headed to the hall on the first floor, I saw Gadius reading some letters at the counter. Hey, Gadius. W-Wah!? Oh, is it you, Nicole? Why do you look so surprised? N-Nothing Pay it no mind. As I asked while tilting my head in wonder, Gadius dismissed it with unusually flustered gestures. After he put the letter into his pocket, he noticed the change in my clothes. Huh you are not armed No, you are. But what about your armor? Mmm, the size is off by a bit. The chest area in particr. Bgghh! My reply got a weird cough out of him. It was like he was holding it but failed to. Did he catch a cold or something? W-Well you are growing kids. I suppose such things do happen. So, I was thinking of going to make adjustments to it, but the money is proving to be a problem. Hmph, do you think I would go easy on you just because you have beenpleting jobs for a week? Not at all. You are too stubborn for that. So you understand. You need to train for a bit longer or so I would like to say, but I suppose it is time. Hmm? With a big sigh, Gadius put a document on the counter and pushed it towards me. Whats this? Rmendation letter for the Guild for advancing to the second rank. You have grown somewhat popr in this city already, so it should not be a problem to raise your ranks. Popr Ah, so thats what its all about. I finally noticed Gadius true intentions with this. Weve mostly taken odd jobs the past week. From warehouse roof repairs to luggage transport, street cleaning, wall repairs and so on, avoiding anything adventurous. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) But thanks to that, the city people were starting to see us in a favorable light. Gadius seemed to have prioritised giving us such jobs to get us familiar with the city. We, or rather, I had a veryplex standing due to being Lyell and Marias daughter. That could lead to them seeing me as an immature kid who wore the mantle of her parents authority. By prioritising our eptance and giving us minor jobs, Gadius sort of created our standing here. Thanks for being considerate. Mgh-hmSure. He took on aplex expression at my thanks. Something about him looked different from yesterday. I was about to press him about that, but Michelle suddenly came running from the second floor. Waaaah! Nicole, lend me some money! W-What the? Michelle had never worried about money until now. Taking a look at her, the chest part of her clothes was torn. For a moment, I wondered whether Cloud did something outrageous, but that didnt seem to be the case. For now, I decided to listen to what she had to say over the meal. Chapter 389 So, Michelle, whats with your clothes?After some time, Cloud and Finia also woke up. Once we were all gathered, Gadius brought us our food. He was renting the rooms to us quite cheaply and it even included meals too. Well, I was doing a morning check for my bow, you see. ording to her, when she was inspecting the condition of her bow and pulled it, the bowstring had hit her abundant chest. Normally she wore a breastte so she was protected even if the string hit it, but this time she hadnt worn it since she had just woken up. You should keep it in mind to put it on from now on. It would be bad if you get injured. Exactly. The chest is an important part that is necessary for child-raising too. I said with an exasperated voice, and Finia seemed to be of the same opinion. But Michelle objected back. But the breastte has gotten too tight and I couldnt put it on, you know? So you too? You mean you too Nicole? Yeah. The belt needs some adjusting. While saying that, I pulled my clothes a bit and checked my chest. The shade between the valley had indeed grown deeper. As for Michelle, the buttons on her shirt were having a hard time containing them, so there were gaps at the seams that gave a glimpse of her underwear. Hmmhmmm? As I stared at her chest, I felt like someone elses gaze was on them too. Needless to say, it was Cloud, the only boy in the group. Hey, Cloud! Agghh!? I punished him by pouring the hot cup of tea on his hand. Dont direct wicked gazes at Michelle. Please just warn me using words! Yeah. Do not y with my tea. Sorry about that. Gadius showed up with hot dogs of grilled bacon and scrambled eggs. I felt bad for wasting the drink that he made for us. Nicole, Michelle. It is tooborsome to have to make adjustments to both of your equipment, yes? If you wish, I can do it for you. Huh, you dont mind? Im still a Dwarf. I have enough skill to make some adjustments. Naturally, for free right? You are quite a shrewd one unlike Maria and Lyell. Goodness gracious. With a big sigh, Gadius epted my request. But since he was not an expert, he could not guarantee the quality. But setting mine aside, it might be better to make Michelles one sturdier. Huh, why? I mean, its fine for your normal hunting bow, but normal armor would be insufficient when you usethatone. Ah, you have a point. Naturally, bythat, I was referring to the Third Eye that was stored inside the suitcase on her back. Its bowstring had extremely strong resilience, so normal armor would not be able to fully protect her chest. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Rather, it could even lead to a big injury. This problem stood out more now when her chest had grown a lot. But I cant think of any chest piece that could protect me from this bow. Yeaaahhh. Normal armor would just be sent flying. The bow was powerful enough to do just that. Michelle would need a suitable breastte to continue mastering this bow. But the likely candidate for that Well, I had one in my mind, but couldnt voice it. If I used the Evil Dragons materials, we could certainly make a suitable breastte for her. But how would I exin it to her? She would probably take it without suspecting a thing, but it would be hard to hide the thing from people. And there was also Gadius here who had seen the Evil Dragon up close. It wouldnt be strange for him to suspect something if I suddenly brought those materials. Hmm For now, how about you just head to the Adventurers Guild? The rank promotion has a test. Its not that hard so once you return from it, your equipment should be done too. Will you finish it that fast? Your equipment aside, Nicoles only needs some belt fixing. I should be done by evening. Mhh, so the difference in chest measurements shows its face here too What are you on about? Gadius pped the back of my head and went back to the counter. Once we finished our meals, Michelle and I went to our respective rooms to get our equipment. Michelles equipment wasnt up for using the Third Eye, but it could still be used for the normal hunting bow. As long as the chest area was adjusted, it would do the job for some time. Once we entrusted the equipment to Gadius, we took the letter of rmendation and headed to the Guild. There was apparently a test during the promotion, but we should rank up as long as we clear it and will be able tond bettermissions. With that, our shortage of money should go away too. Hey, hey! What kind of work can we take on once we are second rank? Michelle asked with sparkling eyes. She was also skipping about so her chest that wasnt covered by the breastte was swaying up and down. Naturally, Clouds gaze and mine were glued to it. I was also to me this time, so decided to postpone his punishment. We headed to the Guild while having such a dazzling sight before us. We headed straight for the counter and faced the receptionistdy that we had been interacting with the past week. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Wee. What kind of work would you be taking today? She addressed us with a smile with a peculiar oriental ent. She seemed to be in her twenties. She wasnt a peerless beauty, but her smile and warm tone made her quite popr. We brought Gadius rmendation for promotion. Ohh, youre finally taking it, hmm? I was just thinking it would be fine with your abilities. Oh really? Sir Gadius is on the careful side. That rmendation is enough to rank you up, but rules are rules. I understand, please exin what we have to do. At my urging, the receptionist took out some papers. It turned out that the first test was about gathering the specified herbs. Next was a sham battle with the Guilds examinee to ascertain thebat skill. We could do that with the four of us, and it was there to see the battle power of the party. And so, you need to collect Corne grass. Small red flowers are the characteristics of it. The details are written in this identification manual. I see, I see. As I turned the pages of the book provided along with the documents, I saw red flowers depicted inside. ording to the description, they apparently bloomed at the nearbyke. Its surprisingly close. Well of course, this is a beginners exam, after all. If it was that difficult, no one would be able to rank up, right? Touche. If we needed to gather flowers that bloomed nearby here, we didnt need to depend on the Third Eye. Because of the exam, we would be leaving Stor for the first time. Chapter 390 We started walking towards the exit of the city. Like Raum, the monsters showed up nearby this city too. But the Adventurers kept subjugating them, so the safety was maintained to a degree. For that reason, it was judged to be fine for the beginners to leave the town for the test. Corne grass should be growing at thekeside in the north. Was it inside that picture book from earlier? Yeah, I remembered it. In the north of Stor was ake that acted as their source of water. Theke was created by the spring, so the water temperature was too low and wasnt ideal for swimming though. It was still one of those spots that a lot of tourists visited once summer came. Given that it was a famous ce, the water was of quite a good quality and was very clear. Hearing about it from me, Finia looked quite dejected. So you cant swim in it because its cold. It saddens me that I cant see you in a swimsuit, Lady Nicole. Its too early season-wise. Besides, why are you looking forward to seeing me in a swimsuit? Im the one who wants to see you in one. Then both of us can wear it! And where do we swim? Maybe the inns bath? Its too narrow! Gadius inn had a public bath too. It was expected from a big inn like that. However, it was still not that big, and only 4-5 people could fit in. This was because, in this region that was closer to the north, it was more customary to wipe your body instead of bathing. Finia was close enough to me to join baths together. What point was in seeing me in a swimsuit at thiste hour? As I expressed my point in exasperation, I saw familiar faces at the gate that were also about to leave the city. It was Marks group from that time we did the roof repairs. Oh, its Mark. Hmm? Ah, Miss Finia! Are you nning to head out of the city? Marks expression brightened before my eyes as Finia addressed him. She was also Marks savior, so he held special respect for her. I couldnt deny that he had good intentions. But still, I wasnt about to hand Finia over to some dudes, okay? Yes. For our rank-up exam. Oh, then are you looking for the Moria grass like us? Moria grass? They are a species of water nts. They can be collected near the northernke. Since youre asking back, I take it you are looking for different things? Yes, we are looking for Corne grass. But since youre looking for water nts, your destination seems to be theke. Same as us. Thats right. Would you like to go there together? Well She hesitated and nced at me. She seemed to be waiting for my decision. Something about their feelings rubbed me the wrong way, but it wasnt bad for there to be more people with us. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) More people was better, be it for keeping watch over the surroundings, or for searching. Well, I guess it wouldnt hurt. Lady Nicole is not objecting, so lets go together. Really!? Good grief, this guys change in attitude. He was looking down on us because we were girls and I was a kid. Well, Finia was a beauty. And unlike me who wasnt quite tall enough yet and Michelle whose hips were still childish, Finia was close to them in both age and appearance. So I could understand why they would make a pass at her But you wont be forgiven if you do something insolent. Particrly by Gadius and my dad. Eeh!? I-I got it! I warned him just in case. They had learned in this one week that Lyell was my dad. I doubt they would do anything stupid after so much warning. We requested the gate guard process our request to leave the city, and headed to theke that was the citys water source. Stors north was somewhat elevated, and the spring had welled up there and created ake. The water umted there traveled down the nt as a river, flowing inside the city. Due to such good quality water and the sunny western part of it, Stor was a rare grain-producing region. The reason Donovan clung to the tax collection right so much was also for this reason. Since we were climbing up on a gentle slope by the riverside, it felt like we were hiking. Michelle had already run off to taste the water and was delighted at how tasty it was. Woow, so cold! And so refreshing. Nicole, you should try too! Really? I suppose it would be good to rece our water here too. Ah, good idea. Lets do that. Some odd tastes still got mixed before the water reached Stor, so its quality was quite different herepared to the city. It was a good idea to rece the water in our water bags with the one here. Finia and Cloud went to rece their water like Michelle, and Marks group also joined when they saw it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) As we continued our carefree hiking, we finally reached theke on top of the elevated ground. Theke with a high degree of cleanliness was reflecting the sunlight like a mirror, its surface shining like a gem. Finia and Michelle couldnt hold back their emotions as they saw it. So pretty! It really is. Like Lady Nicoles hair. I dont shine that much. No, no, its nothingpared to your smile, Miss Fin Shoo shoo, get out of here! Mark was trying to tter Finia, but I brushed him aside. Following that, I started checking the surroundings for Corne grass. Finia followed me and also started the search. Given the situation, Mark couldnt keep up his carefree hitting either. Still, I couldnt find the Corne grass even after some searching. Huh This is weird. The book said they should be around here. Maybe they are scarce? As expected of an exam I suppose. We cant get them so easily. Given the reaction, neither Finia nor Cloud seemed to have found them either. Could it be that we need to go all the way to the opposite shore to get them? Thiske is quite big. It would take a long time to get to the other side. Yeah. It will be evening by then. What do we do, Nicole? Hmm As Michelle said, itll be evening by the time we reach the opposite shore. If that happens, wed be returning past midnight. Considering the danger of marching in the middle of the night, it would be safer to stop at thekeshore for the night. Or the grass might not even be anywhere around here. Maybe this is a lesson to not trust the book so blindly? Lets head to the opposite shore for now. If we dont find it there, well stay here for tonight and return at noon tomorrow. Okay, got it! And like that, we ended up having to go halfway around theke. Chapter 391 In the end, we couldnt find Corne grass even after we went around theke. It had characteristic small red flowers so we couldnt have overlooked it. So there werent any in the end. Same here. We couldnt find Moria grass either. Whats going on here? The sun had already started to go down, so it would be dangerous to go back to Stor now as it would turn into a night journey. It was better to give up and camp for the night here. Fortunately, we had reserves of food on hand, so we could spend a night here without problems. However, we did not consider that wed have to camp outside, so we hadnt brought any camps with us. We had to endure the night dew through cold protective clothes like mantles. We plucked the nts near the watering hole and piled up branches that we gathered from the vicinity on the bare ground. We were going to make a bonfire and fend off the nights cold. For that, we needed to gather as many branches as we could as fuel. Following that, Finia started to prepare food at the bonfire. We only have dried jerky, bread, and cheese with us, so I cant make anything big. Your cooking will be great either way, Finia. Im happy you say that, but as a cook, I still find this unsatisfying. Then, Ill go look around, maybe I can find something to hunt. This was the biggest watering hole around these parts. There might be some animals that escaped the Adventurers around somewhere. Besides, the Adventurers shouldnt have exterminated even some wild rabbits. Then Ille along too. Being from a hunter family and a skilled archer, it would make the hunt easier if we find a prey. Then Ill help too, so You want a share from what we hunt? Ugh! W-Well, that would be helpful. Good that youre honest. Then I, Michelle, and Mark will handle the hunting. Cloud you protect Finia. Leave it to me. I trusted that to Cloud who puffed his chest, and we headed into the thicket some distance away. The sun was already going down, so we needed to find the prey soon or itd grow dark on us. Nowthen. Right. Lets get to hunting! Lets goo! Huh, what? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I was more suited to fighting from a slight distance rather than close, while Michelle was fully specialized in long distance. Rather than hunt together, it was more efficient to do it separately. Mark didnt realize our intention and looked around in confusion. I did not pay that any mind and focused on spreading my detection range and discovered a lizard as first prey. I pulled out a piano wire from my pocket and swiftly decapitated it by swinging it like a whip. Meanwhile, Michelle managed to shoot down argish wild bird that looked like a dove. W-Wait, you two, arent you a little too good at this!? It may not be apparent, but weve been hunting for over five years in Raum. Why are you still first rank with such a background! Non-designated monsters werent evaluated highly. As such, what we hunted were only good for filling our bellies and pockets. That said, it was irrelevant now. We were better than some Adventurers when it came catching the signs of wild animals before they did ours and dealing a killing blow. The ex-Hero like me aside, even Michelle and Cloud were on par with skilled Adventurers when it came to hunting small animals. Well, you get used to it I guess. How many years would that take? Im scared to even imagine it. Even as I talked, I swung my wire towards a tree branch next. This time, a snake got bisected and fell. It was a non-poisonous snake, so it would work for cooking. The only fault was that it had a lot of small bones. After a while, Michelle returned looking flustered. She had two wild birds and one wild rabbit hanging from her waist. Nicole, Nicole! Come here! Huh, what is it? Hurry, hurry! She pulled me by hand with no questions asked and dragged me away. I barely kept up with her momentum while almost falling down. We passed the cluster of trees and reached the side of theke, and discovered wild grass with small red flowers growing in abundance. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Is this Corne grass!? Yeah, there was nothing when we checked at noon, but now theres so many of them! Whats going on Wait, could it be that they are a kind that only blooms at night? Blooming only at night? There are such flowers? Yeah, morning lilies and such also only bloom at specific hours right? Its not strange for such flowers to exist. I heard nts rted to cactuses started blooming at night and withered in the morning. Corne grass was probably of the same nature. In other words, that identification book didnt lie, but simply omitted one characteristic, huh? So it was intentional? It was in the test, so most likely it was. Good job there, Michelle. Hehehe, yaay! I was a certified Adventurer in my previous life, so I had undertaken rank-up exams too. But the contents of the test varied by region, so the contents of this test were unfamiliar to me. Still, they intentionally hid the information huh? Thats quite a mean test. I raised my hands and high-fived Michelle. Discovering this was most certainly her achievement. Mark finally arrived btedly. And his jaw dropped when he saw the Corne grass blooming behind us. What the They werent here at noon. Yeah, it seems it was that kind of test. Mark tilted his head in wonder, failing to understand what I meant. But this was a big hint for them. I mean, Moria grass is probably impossible to find by normal means. Its probably the type that you can only find once you discover its characteristics. Ah, I see! For now, well gather the necessary amount so can you help? Sure, I will. We decided to abandon hunting for now and gather the Corne grass before us. We didnt need that much of it, but we didnt know how long they would continue blooming. And flowers that bloom during the night tend to wither in the morning. Still, no matter how we hurry, they would probably still wither before we reach the city, but the test probably took that in mind too. If they fail us, we could just do it again once we find out how to preserve them. Michelle, lets take them with roots and ground attached so they canst as long as possible. Right. The flowers would be happy that way too. I was moved by Michelles pure reply that was speaking from the flower standpoint rather than the mercenary point of view. It made me realize that she too was a girl, after all. By the way, are these flowers edible? But her next question made me sigh a very deep sigh. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) It turned out that Michelle was Michelle wherever she went. Chapter 392 For now, since we found our herbs, we called Marks group and gathered as much as we could. Corne grass was a cactus-like nt with thorny and thick leaves and had a small red flower at its center. The difficult part was that if its flower wasnt blooming, it was hard to distinguish from aloes that grew everywhere. The flowers withered at dawn, but the test said we had to bring the nt itself so there should be no problem. The examiner should be able to identify them since they were assigned to this test. Who would think Corne grass was this stuff. I thought it was aloe. Yeah, me too. Michelle agreed to myint. We didnt know which part of it was needed, so we rooted them out and put them inside a bag, and stuffed them in a spare leather pouch to carry it back. We didnt know how many to bring back, but since we decided to bring the whole samples, one or two of them per person was already our limit. But that should have been enough for the exam. It makes me jealous that you found yours so easily. You say that, but we were just lucky here, you know? Mark looked at us enviously for oveing the test quite fast. However, had we not decided to camp here, we wouldnt have found the Corne grass. In other words, it was a result of a coincidence. The Guild probably intentionally omitted the information so we would fail to find it and go back to reinvestigate the details. We happened to have things necessary for camping at hand and we happened to mistake our pace and actually ended up camping. You could say our miscalction had led to a good result. Even if you call it a lucky coincidence, thats also part of ones ability. I just Envious? Well, yeah. Mark admitted his envy. This was an unexpectedly good side of him. Cloud would have just insisted that it wasnt the case. Still, this should have been good luck even for these guys. But think carefully. We havent heard that these nts would bloom at night. Hmm, what do you mean? I mean, the Guild intentionally omitted an important detail. But what they did give us wasnt false either. Huh? So you mean they hid an important detail from us too? Yeah. Yours was Moria grass, right? You heard it grew in thiske, right? Yeah, thats the case. Hmm? If we assume that Guilds information didnt contain lies, the Moria grass was definitely growing within theke. But they couldnt be found even after much searching. Thus, the omitted information should have mentioned where they were hidden. The information wasnt false, but the location was hidden, which would mean I suppose they dont grow on thekeshore, huh? Wait, you said the Guilds information didnt contain lies. If so They were also newbie first rankers. They had apparently never been here before. Still, thiske was the fountainhead that supplied arge city like Stor. Normally it shouldnt be shallow, but there was always a possibility. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) It might be better to check just in case. Fortunately, Finia can use the Breathing spell, so lets dive down tomorrow. Hey wait, we dont have swimsuits with us. Boys should be fine with just their underwear. Ohe on!? Well, even if they were older than us, they were still youths. Michelle and I who were still children aside, they probably had reservations about showing up in their underwear in front of Finia. Then, in your ce, Cloud will Not a chance! Youre selfish. Cloud and Mark protested in unison. That reminded me, Cortina had once told me to go catch some fish in my previous life. I remember how she told me to do it in my underwear, but I refused it with all my might. Cant be helped. I think I had my swimsuit in the luggage, so Ill do it myself. Then I wille with you too. Why did we have swimsuits on us? Because Finia couldnt help but prepare them when she heard we would be visiting thekeshore. Michelle had also shrewdly brought hers too. Me too! Me too! Michelle Arent you useless underwater? Khh! Michelle copsed on her knees and hands with my sincere statement. If I hadnt done that, she would have forcefullye along. It was hard to move underwater so I couldnt guarantee her safety. I wanted her to endure the urge. Besides, her power was practically sealed underwater, but she could still shoot from the shore if she stayed here. Either way, we cant search today, so lets leave that for tomorrow. And we should have some time left to y around even after we finish our search, right? If we started the investigation first thing in the morning, we should be able to finish inspecting the underwater area by noon. We just had to confirm whether Moria grass grew in deeper ces, so it should not take too long. If we fail to find it, it would mean the information at hand was not enough and would have to return to the city. Whether we find it or not, we will finish the investigation before noon. Besides, I have some other work for you, Michelle. Huh, what work? I want you to get in the way of Cloud and Marks peeping. Okay! Hey, thats false usation! I wont do something like that! But Cloud will at the very least. Y-Yeah. I didnt ask you to confirm it! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I jumped and smacked Cloud in the head. This bastard keeps growing taller Chapter 393 The next day, Finia and I changed into our swimsuits behind the thickets. Mark and the rest of the guys were acting a bit fishy, but Michelle had even taken out her Third Eye as a precaution, so they didnt dare approach the thickets. They didnt know how strong that bow was, but I doubt they would want to personally experience the power of a bow that was clearly a magic item. Thanks to that, we were able to change in peace. As expected, I couldnt wear the academy swimsuit anymore, so I had a separate one prepared. Finia wore the same one-piece she did during the training camp. The monochromatic shading made her lovely body figure appear even more risque. Brr, its still chilly as expected. It is. I want to finish this investigation fast and get to the fire. Spring was already near its end, but it was still too early to assume you could swim at leisure. Given that fact, I was getting some goosebumps on my skin. As I shivered slightly, Finia approached me from behind and hugged me. Her body warmth gently wrapped around me. Youre so warm, Lady Nicole. I dont want to let go. Youre warm too, Finia. Lets stay like this before we get into the water. With pleasure. As we left the thickets, Mark and the rest who were trying to sidestep Michelle stiffened in ce. Seeing us in swimsuits apparently dealt a punch on them. W-What? No, I mean N-nothing? Mgh. Seeing their behavior, Finia wrapped her hands around my chest and tried to hide me. But Finia, your hand movements are making things even lewder here. Hey, Finia. Theres no time for that now. But Nevermind that. Just cast the spell first. Her Breathing spell was indispensable to go underwater. She couldnt use Water Walking yet, but she could use Breathing. As such, though we still had to swim down to the depth, we could just stay and walk on the bedrock with the Breathing spell active. Moreover, while it was in effect you could even speak underwater, so it made casting spells possible. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Her spell was indispensable for us in every way. We will also put together a raft and follow you as fast as I can. Michelle couldnt use magic, so she had to board a boat at the shore or she wouldnt be able to support me. As such, they would cut down the trees and tie them up with ropes into a raft and sail into theke. Fortunately, we had many guys here, so it would alleviate the physical work needed. Okay, well go first then. While Finia was casting the spell, I went to get my katana. I couldnt use a piano wire underwater, so I had to take on a vanguards role. Now that I handed over the transforming dagger to Finia, it was more efficient for her to stay in the back. She finally activated the spell. Particles of light wrapped me up momentarily and disappeared. With this, I should be able to breathe and talk underwater. Well then, see youter. Yeah,ter! I went into the water along with Finia. Chills ran up my spine from the sheer cold of the water that surrounded my feet. Yikes Its colder than I imagined. The two of us continued to submerge while making girly noises. This spell still came with the initial difort of inhaling water, and I couldnt get used to the feeling despite understanding in my head that I could breathe. I held my breath for a moment and then exhaled. It wasnt painful since the spell was working, but inhaling water still felt scary. But that onlysted for a few seconds. I had quite a bit of an experience with this spell, after all. Even if I wasnt used to it, I could still adapt to it. The waterside was still within the scope of sunlight, but as we went deeper it grew darker and darker. Since the water was very clear, the sunlight reached quite far, but as the depths grew even that reached its limit. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Before long, it turnedpletely dark and we couldnt see what was at our feet without a light source. Crimson One, Gold Five, Jade One, manifest and illuminate my pathLight. Finia was still not used to magic so she used an assisting phrase. That revealed that she stillcked the mastery to use them instantly duringbat. That said, it was still a godsend now. Because the interference system did not have any spells that produced light. The sand grains at the bottom were very fine and they scattered and obstructed our vision at every step. The water temperature fell even lower too, enough that it could potentially hinder our movements. Crimson One, Ultramarine Two, Gold SixWarm. I touched Finia and cast the Warm spell. I felt my swimsuit warming up, making the movement easier. Thank you, Lady Nicole. I cant burden you any more than this, Finia. She was already using Breathing and Light at the same time. Neither of them were difficult spells, but it would be cruel to burden her even more. Besides, the interference system was my special skill. I wouldnt be able to keep face if I didnt prove myself useful at least here. Whoops. I suddenly lost my dimly lit footing. It was hidden by the rising cloud of sand, but the ground had turned into a sharp slope. Considering the faint flow of water that I felt, this must have been the spring point. This might be where the water is gushing out from. If so, theres no knowing how deep it goes, so its dangerous. Shall we go back for the time being? I tied the rope to a nearby boulder and secured my body. But it was still a bit loose, so I got worried about both of us going down. Finia, you stay and watch the rope, okay? How can I let you go alone, Lady Nicole. Let me Its the other way around, Finia. Keeping watch over the rope here is more important. Is it? It is. If ites untied, I wouldnt be able to get back. I trust you so Im leaving that to you. Isee. Then leave it to me! Okay, pull the rope twice periodically. I will also pull it twice in response to convey that everything is alright. Alright. I left the anchored rope in Finias hands and went down the slope on my own. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) The surroundings were pitch ck already, so I couldnt even trust what was at my feet. I carefully advanced for about ten-odd meters, and just as I started worrying about the rope length, the slope had turned gentle. I stopped my feet. The reason was that there was arge number of green orbs scattered before my eyes. Found it. I heard from Marks group. This peculiar shape was the characteristic of the Moria grass Chapter 394 Moria grass. It was a rare nt that propagated underwater, and it didnt even have roots either. They drifted with the flowing water and grew while feeding on the umted nourishment within it. Moreover, since they would run out of nourishment if they stayed in one ce, they took on the ball shapes and rolled along with the flowing water, avoiding the nourishment crisis. At my feet, nearly perfect spheres of Moria grass, true to their name, were scattered all around. This ce was close to the underground spring, so the water flowed constantly here despite it being ake. As such, it was an ideal environment for these guys(?) to multiply. I see. Its much easier for them to settle here rather than the shores where water hardly flows. I took one of them in hand and inspected it. It was about asrge as my head. As for the weight, it was actually quite light. It was quite soft too, to the point it might have served as quite a pleasant pillow. Moreover, since they are so full of underwater nourishment, they are quite healthy and would serve as great potion ingredients. While I was having fun squeezing the Moria grass, I felt a double tug on the rope at my waist. It must have been Finia trying to confirm my safety since I hadnt been responsive. Right, gotta signal back. I tugged on it twice to convey that everything was fine. It seemed to have reached her since the rope was no longer taught. I could just bring them back, but they were the size of my head so I couldnt carry too many of them. The footing was quite dangerous too so I could only carry two at most. Then again, they havent been told how many to bring so two should be enough. I picked up two green spheres with both hands and turned around. But then, I noticed how the two bulges held at my chest looked and focused on their shape. Hmm, is this how it feels to have big *****? It looked just like Marias chest. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I suddenly felt the urge to put them inside my swimsuit, but realized that it would be in vain and reconsidered. I mean, I didnt have some big reason that told me I had to hold back, but I felt like I would lose something important if I did it. As I slowly headed up the slope and returned to Finia, she was delighted to see what I was holding. Ah, Lady Nicole! Are those round things Moria grass? Yeah, it must be. They are bigger than I expected. I was imagining them to be the size of mandarins. Ahaha, it wouldve been easier to carry them if they were. I passed one of them to Finia. I could carry one of them with one hand. Both of us had weapons we had to hold with one hand, so this way we would be able to maintain ourbat power. ording to what I heard before, there were no dangerous organisms in thiske, but it wouldnt hurt to be careful. There was always the time factor in y in what you heard and how it really was. Even if theke was harmless like we heard, there was always a possibility that something had settled in afterward. It had passed around an hour since we dived down, so I had Finia recast the Breathing spell and we headed towards the surface. As we separated from the bottom, the floating dust also cleared up and the water above us turned transparent. I also saw some ck dots there. It was most likely the raft that Mark and others had built. While holding the Moria grass I forcefully pushed my head up the waters surface. Finia also followed suit. Pwah! Michelle, we fohyaah!? Kyaa! I raised the Moria grass above my head to show it clearly, but the moment I lifted it above water, an arrow pierced right through the center of it. Looking closer, the one Finia held was in the same state with an arrow pierced through it. The arrow hit two targets almost at the same time. There was only one person who could aplish such a divine feat. Michelle? S-Sorry. I thought it was a monster! I mean, a green ball suddenly shot up. I get you doing it the first time, but why did you shoot Finias one too? I shot the second arrow before the first one hit its target. Uhh, Michelle, youre saying something incredible like its nothing Give up, Finia. Thats just how she is. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) The moment she confirmed the number of enemies, she pulled an equal number of arrows and shot them in session. Though she could only hold a limited number of arrows in hand, so two sessive shots was her limit. Even so, it was an incredible speed. Umm, they have arrows in them, but do you think they will work? S-Sure I heard they are gonna be ground anyway. Then it should be fine. That aside, get us up the raft already. Its cold after all. R-Right. The raft was barely stitched together with logs and ropes, so it was quite unstable. If we forcefully climbed, it would sway around too much and make it hard to get on. So we needed someone to pull us up. Tony reached out to me first, but Michelle cut in and pulled me up instead. It turned out that she was obediently following my previous request to protect us from the guys. Finia who had a more developed body was lifted up by Cloud since he had more strength. I didnt miss the fact that he bent forward after the fact though. He needed some punishmentter. Chapter 395 After that, we returned to the shore and yed around for about an hour, after which we returned to Stor. As expected the temperature of theke that was created by a spring was too much even for Michelle, so ying any longer was impossible. When we finally reached Stor, the sun was already setting and the surroundings were growing dim. It would have probably turnedpletely dark within another hour. We saw taverns on the streets lighting up torches and getting ready for the night. While walking briskly through such a street, we went inside the Adventurers Guild that was about to close for the day. The hall was full of Adventurers like us who rushed to make it in time and report theirmission progress. Oh, yer back already? The receptionistdy with a peculiar ent quickly spotted and addressed us in a friendly manner. The same person who gave us this test. Ad Yeah. Corne and Moria grass, we have them both. Oho? Parties that are being tested often cooperate, but still, finishing it in one night was unexpected. Color me impressed. Of course. We have Gadius seal of approval, after all. I presented an aloe-like nt with withered red flowers. Marks group also took out the Moria grass. But one night, eh? And ere I expected ye would return one time Could it be that ye knew beforehand? O-Of course. Knowledge is power for Adventurers, after all. Judging by yer conduct, ye didnt, eh. But well, having luck as an ally is also part of strength. As she said that, her expression turned firm. What used to be a charming expression switched to that of a warrior. What de ye think is the most important thing if ye n to be Adventurers?. Huh, like knowledge or power? Michelle reflexively asked back, but that wasnt it. No. Its the ability to fulfill requests with certainty. Correct. Fer the client, an Adventurers skill is not whats most important. Its whether they can fulfill themission or not. Their skill is but a mere indicator. They have to fulfill the request using whatever they have at their disposal, be it luck or even connections. Then, our luck to find Corne grass and Marks group getting us to cooperate Are both valid. Frankly speaking, if ye tried to, ye could finish this test in five minutes, ye know? Huh? Her words made my eyes go wide. Five minutes? That has to be a No, wait. I see. So we couldve just bought it here? Exactly. The test said nothing about how to get it. Both Corne and Moria grass is traded at the Guild. In other words, we have stocks of it. So the test wouldve ended if we just bought, huh? But wouldnt that be pretty unfair? Then let it be unfair. If you are so quick-witted to do that, there are no problems in ranking ye up. This should also have served as a good lesson to not ept what yer client tells you at face value, right? The receptionist waved her hand with a smile, inviting us to one of the counters. Then she started to promptly fill in the documents. Ad After that, she took a nce at me and gave a light sigh. The test would be considered finished once ye did a sham battle to test your skill But I dont think theres a need fer that in yer case. Huh, why? Ye were rmended by Sir Gadius. He would not have sent unskilled people. You boys over there have enough achievements too. I suppose that would be the case after doing odd jobs for a year. Indeed. Well then, I shall update yer Adventurer certificates, so hand them over. We did as requested and handed over our certificates to her. As she took them, she inserted them into some machine one by one and it gave back cards that had the bordering changed from red to orange. Here, your newSecond Rankcards. Dont lose it now, okay? And confirm the information just in case. Ah, okay. As she instructed, I moved my eyes to the ID field of the certificate. Though I called it that, it only had the details like my features, birthce, age, and race. The only change was that my rank had risen by one. No problems. Good ta hear. With this, ye have be rank two Adventurers. Ye can now take on dangerous requests too. In other words, ye would be putting yerselves in more risk. So we have to choose our jobs more carefully, right? But at the same time, yer skill has been deemed to be enough to ovee suchmissions. Having said that, they are still newbie level. She gave us a small lecture after handing over the certificates and easily set us free. Or more urately, she practically drove us away because we were in the way. Now, go home. I have to too! I have to attend a mixer today to find a third husband. Third Why not just give up? If I give up that would be the end of me as a human! Its that big of a deal for you? I feel like I have been seeing the scary side of women since I reincarnated. This receptionist was a charming person, but how to say She strangely gave off an unwee aura. Ad At any rate, if she wanted us gone, we would do just that. We walked quite a distance from theke to the city, so I was quite tired. When we returned to the inn, Gadius prepared a feast for us. It was a dwarven cuisine that fried ingredients over strong fire with just oil. It sounded like something thatd be hard on the stomach, but strangely enough, it didnt cause indigestion. Michelle and Cloud who were in their growth period devoured it in great joy, while Finia had it a little tough. As expected, forest dweller elves had different tastespared to mountain dweller dwarves. I also ended up stuffing myself unusually full and headed to my room once the night came. Once I did some maintenance on my equipment and tools, I changed my clothes, put theundry in the basket, andid down on my bed. Ugh, I think I ate too much. It was an amount I shouldve easily handled in my previous life, but this body couldnt even finish one te. But I got carried away by Michelles energy and ended up eating two whole tes this time, so it was natural I was feeling this way. Looking down, my belly looked quite swollen, making it clear that I had overeaten. Ad But since my stomach is swelling it should mean my abdominal muscles arent firm enough. This body really cant put on any muscle. Magic Buildup Disease had been fully healed and my body had returned to being as healthy as an average young girl. However, it wasnt growing any better, either. I was merely holding on to my strength using assisting spells, previous life techniques, and tools. It was a far cry from the strength of the body itself like in Lyells case. Oh well. Im still young, I guess? My body was still growing. And so were my physical abilities along with it. For now, I just had to bet on that possibility. Ugh, I need water Rather than that, my current problem was that I had overeaten. At this rate, I could imagine something sparkling bursting from my mouth the moment I lied face down. I reached out to the water jug at the side table, but it turned out to be empty. Gadius probably got rid of it while we were out of the inn. Cant be helped. Ill go get something at the counter. Ad I put on a cardigan to fend off the cold and left the room. It was midnight already, so I couldnt hear any voices from either of the two floors. But Gadius should still have been on the first floor to clean things up. Ill ask him to give me something to drink there. As I headed down to the hall, as expected, Gadius was at the counter reading a letter. He had a bigger frown than normal on his face. Mgh Is it you, Nicole? Yeah, I wanted something to drink. Ah, right, I got rid of the water in the jugs. My bad, it was an oversight. Its fine, you wouldnt know when wed return. Gadius nodded at my words and poured me milk in a wooden cup. He then put a spoon of honey in it and stirred it lightly. The white milk took on a yellowish tinge and a characteristic smell of honey tickled my nose. What are you reading? Ah, its a letter from Maxwell. Oh? It wasnt like we had a disagreement, so we exchanged letters normally. But still, his expression was too serious for that. What does it say? Its about you. Reid. What? Ad Suddenly, he uttered my name. I was frozen in shock, failing to make up an excuse, and merely stared back at him. Chapter 396 What Did you say? I felt my breath stop at Gadius sudden im. Its been a while since I started living near him, but couldnt remember ever doing anything that could get me busted. Since you are not denying it, I suppose it is the truth. How did you realize it? It was in the letter. Maxwell asked me to take care of you. I remember seeing Gadius reading the letter just before we departed yesterday. Now that I think about it, he did act strange back then. So that letter was from Maxwell That damn old man has gone and done it. Im gonna tear his beard off the next time we meet! That makes even me anxious so please spare him from that. Rather than that Hey, Reid. Just how should I react to this? What? I asked back, unsure how to respond to Gadiuss perplexed reaction. Seeing my confusion, he sighed and took out a bottle of alcohol. Then he took a tumbler from the shelf and filled it. I I think of you as a friend. Enough that, if I had to choose between you people and my hometown, I would abandon it and take your side. Im happy to hear that. And for that very reason, your death brought me regret that would not disappear no matter how much Imented it. So, seeing you before my eyes now brings me an honest joy. Ad Gadius was not a talkative man. So him opening up to me like this honestly made me happy, but it also felt awkward. For that same reason, Gadius took the alcohol cup and downed it in one go. But I am also angry at you now. Cortina aside, even Lyell and Maria mourned your death, you know? And even little Finia. I know that painfully well. Then, why do you not reveal yourself? Gadius stared right through me, his gaze mixed with anger. I could understand where he wasing from. But I couldnt agree with his opinion. Then, what about you? Gadius lost his words, and instead focused on filling his now empty cup. After pondering for some time, he once again faced me. Then what about Cortina? She was overjoyed to find out that you revived and is looking forward to meeting you now. You cannot keep this up forever, you realize? Well, yeah When are you going to tell her? No way I will. What? At the very least, for now. Lyell and Maria think of me as their own daughter. Thats partly true, but I dont n to reveal myself for as long as they live. I will keep on being their daughter until then. But do you not pity Cortina? She is as dear a friend to me as you are. I know that. I knew how stubborn and a strong sense of duty he had since my previous life. He felt that he had a big debt towards Cortina for getting me killed. They had reconciled, but the debt did not disappear. Of course, I wasnt bothered by my death, but he still hadnte to terms with it in his heart. Ad Little Finia would also be pitiable at this rate. I realize that too. But both Cortina and Finia are from races with long lifespans. Lyell and Maria would most likely pass away first. I wonder about that. Huh? Gadius gave me a nostalgic look after hearing my im. He gave a light sigh and continued with a faint smile. I see that your nature to be inattentive to details is still with you even in this lifetime. Just say it clearly, will you? The white girl that is guarding you Did you forget that self-proimed goddess provided them with life-extending medicine? Oh. Now that I think about it, Whitey did give me some medicine to save Lyell and Maria from growing old. Due to that, they have grown even stronger than they were during their golden days, and it also gave me a lot of trouble. Maxwells estimation was that it doubled the lifespan at most, but that is still a long time. Kh I overlooked that. Finia would be fine, but Cortina would have started growing old by then. Do you n to make her wait that long? No, well He looked at me in exasperation as I agonized, and once again downed his cup. Pah. Well, I suppose that is who you are. I want you to open up to them as fast as possible, but since Maxwell asked me to help you in his letter, I will respect your wishes. That would save me. But yeah, help me so Cortina, Finia, Lyell and Maria dont find it out. Okay. But leaving that aside. What now? His gentle smile was gone, reced by one full of mischievousness. That expression added a strange charm to his stern dwarven face. Your battle style seems to have changed quite a bit since you reincarnated. Will you let me see it for a bit? With those words, he mmed one of his log-like arms down. Chapter 397 I returned to my room, grabbed my equipment, and went back to the first floor. Gadius was waiting for me there, donned in full equipment for the first time in a long while. His low height coupled with the bulky body was releasing an intimidating air despite the shortness. You are back. I suppose you do not want to stand out. Follow me. Okay. He led me to the backdoor and we headed out into the streets. I followed behind him while inspecting the trusty gauntlets that I hadnt worn in a while. Gadius most likely didnt challenge me to a fight just because he wanted to fight. Perhaps, he just wanted to blow away the stagnated feelings in his chest by fighting me. In that case, I had to respond to his wishes. I was the one reason for his burden, after all. Stor was the biggest city in this region, and the area within the walls was quite vast. In its suburbs was a ce where the materials gathered from all around were being stored. It was naturally under strict supervision, but Gadius was a celebrity in this city, so he had a free pass to enter it as he pleased. Ad The ce was filled with lumber like in Raum. The difference was that there were also things other than lumber. It was mainly grains, but there were also a bunch of sandbags, perhaps used for fighting disasters. There are many obstacles here and no one is around. You should be able to fight to your hearts content here, right? I guess. But are you sure? Im not really the same as I was back then. My physical abilities were far from that of my previous life. That said, with Enchant and thread strengthening, I could output enough power to rival the past me. Naturally, it was far more effective to do that with my past body, but it could not be underestimated even without it. I have seen your skill even in Raum. Im much stronger than that now. I answered with a fearless smile. Seeing that, Gadius also raised his trusty shield in response. Just perfect. If you think you can get past my defenses that could fend off even the Evil Dragons attacks, go ahead and try. Ill be doing just that! With that shout, I rushed towards him. There was no need for a start signal or consent. After all, that did not matter in real battles. Gadius was aware of that too, so he was ready to take me on at any moment. As the distance shortened, his shield appeared before my eyes. It wasnt that biggerpared to Clouds shield, but it emitted an intimidating air as if it was a castle wall. To start, I intentionally positioned myself right in front of the shield. Given my tiny body, itpletely covered my body. He would lose sight of me in this wayNormally that is. But Gadius charged right at me as if he had me in his sight. There was not a fragment of impatience in his actions. He was intent on mercilessly blowing me away with his shield. Naturally, I did not lose my cool with something like this, either. I grabbed the upper part of his shield and jumped over him with a somersault. I tried to coil threads around his neck at the same time, but they were moved down by the axe he held. Tsk. I am more than familiar with your tricks. Leave me alone! Despite my words, I hadnt stopped attacking. While Gadius did excel in defense, his offense could not be underestimated either. Particrly with this body, I would get torn to shreds if he so much as grazed me. Ad The reason his offenses werent in the spotlight was simply that Lyell towered far above the rest in that aspect. I tried to restrain him with the threads he swiped aside earlier, but he swung his shield to cause a gale and stopped them in their tracks. The way he could swing such arge shield as if it was a fan was nothing short of extraordinary. The shielding Gift he had probably yed a part in that. In that case, I had to go all out too. I send my threads in every direction and attacked him, but each one was swiped, blocked, or dodged. The threads got entangled as they were sent flying, gradually decreasing in number. Gadius seemed to be aware of that too and started showing more and moreposure. What is it, worried about running out of threads? Not exactly! I still had two threads. Being worried was an understatement. Even so, I did not stop attacking. I swing one of the remaining threads from above and the other from the left. Ad Gadius dodged them with nimble footwork you wouldnt imagine from his bulky body. As expected, it wasnt so easy to catch Gadius who had a shield on him. So you have run out of threads. I suppose this is my win. Nope, its my win. Wha Without waiting for him to finish, I drew my katana from my waist and charged. And then, I jumped just as I reached him. I just jumped up and shed downwards. It was easy to block it even if the opponent wasnt Gadius. But it would be another story if my trajectory suddenly changed. Nghh!? Gadius lost sight of me as I suddenly moved to the right while in mid-air. His gaze quickly chased after me. To avoid it, I movedstill in mid-air. Reid, what what are you doing!? Of course, flying magic existed. But Gadius did not see me use any such spell. In fact, I wasnt using magic at all. Ad But then, he finally noticed the trick behind it. That I had caught the threads that had gotten scattered all around and used them as a foothold to run. Its like a spiders nest. He muttered in amazement. The threads didnt only serve as my foothold. Since they were running all around, they were limiting Gadius movements to the limit. With this, he wouldnt be able to make full use of the defenses he so excelled in. I moved through the air like a bird soaring through the night. I was called names such as shadow-winged assassin and night-lurking spider because of my ever-changing movements made possible by constructing my own territory. Following that, I focused my thread maniption skill within my body and strengthened my physical strength. I moved my small and light body with muscle strength beyond its limit. This was the trump card strategy of the current me. Gadius failed to keep up with my speed. No, perhaps he could have if he had a perfect footing. Ad My sh that seemed to sew through the gaps in the stretched threads was blocked by a hairs breadth. But his left arm touched the taut thread in the process, giving it a light cut. I then jumped and used threads as a foothold to reverse my body direction even further, and drove my toes at him with all my power from overhead. At the same time, I pulled the thread I was using as a foothold and narrowed down the thread arrangement even further. Gadius had previously blocked my katana with his shield and his arm was cut, so he could not react to this sudden development. He couldnt use his shield as it was used to block the katana. He reflexively tried to put up his axe to block, but the threads spread all around hindered him by constricting his movements. Ngh!? He had been lured into a trap, he groaned as he realized that. He had no way to dodge the kick aimed at him. He quickly judged so and instead put up his forehead to intercept it. He was intending to use his forehead, the strongest part in a human body, to bear through the attack. With a bang, I felt a heavy response in my handsI mean, my legs. Gadius got a concussion and unsteadily fell on his knee. As for me Ad Oooouchhhh! There was no way I would have gotten off scot-free after kicking a dwarfs forehead. Well, if I had my previous body, Gadius would have certainly fainted and I would havee out unscathed. I ended up magnificently twisting my ankle and rolling on the ground in pain. Meanwhile, Gadius stood back up And offered me a hand. Your skills are as sharp as expected. It is my loss. No, its clearly my loss no matter how you slice it. I certainly remained standingst. But it was also me who received a fatal strike first, so it is my loss. Well, if thats what you think, fine. I grabbed his hand and stood up. He supported my tilted body with his arm. And then, he pulled me by the nape of the neck as if he was ying with a kitten and carried me to the inn. Chapter 398 I opened my eyes to the sunlight flooding from the window. It seemed that I had overslept a bit. It was natural after that battle with Gadius yesterday, but still early enough that Finia hadnte to check on me. Yaaaaann. I raised my upper body on the bed and stretched while yawning. Stretching my muscles felt very good. Fuh. The test we finished yesterday also counted as a Guildmission so we were paid ordingly. It totaled 10 silver coins. It was about three times what we were getting so far. This pay was probably adjusted sufficiently highly due to the risk that followed leaving the city. Thanks to that, we should be able to spend a few days with some leisure. Nng, but the equipment adjustment still needs to be addressed. My breastte just needed some belt adjustment, but Michelles was a bit more problematic. Ad It needs to be adjusted to fit her abundant mountain range. The expenses required for it were closer to ordering a new item altogether. We were beginners so we didnt have much leeway in the money. We had to earn money whenever we could. While rubbing my sleepy eyes, I put my foot down from the bed, intending to go get changed. But taking that one step blew away all my sleepiness in one go. Fugii!? Sharp pain ran through my ankle. Looking there, what used to be a slender ankle was swollen in red now. I apparently sprained it with that sweeping finisher kick I did on Gadius in yesterdays match. And quite severely at that. Aghh That hard-headed bastard! My loss my ass. Thinking about it, there was no way a little girls kick, regardless of the power behind it, would do anything to a guy that had enough stamina to even endure the Evil Dragons attacks. It would be the leg getting broken, if anything. I wont be able to get out of bed like this. I quickly chanted and cast Cure Light. Naturally, this magic was only enough for peace of mind so it couldnt heal mepletely. You may think it would be better to just ovep several of them, but healing spells had a w that any repeated spells effect would be weak until the previous spells effect was fully gone. Ad That only took a few minutes, but those few minutes could be fatal during battles. The reason Maria was called a saint wasnt only because of her instantaneous casting, but also because she had a great variety of healing spells at her disposal. On top of elementary, intermediate, advanced, and top grade spells of the healing system, she even wanted to master the healing spells of interference and spirit systems, so she continued to cast different kinds of healing spells in session and supported the frontlines. Needless to say, I didnt have such a variety at my disposal. Far from that, this elementary spell was my only healing magic now. Well, its better than nothing I guess? Dull pain ran up my spine every time I put my weight on that leg, but it still recovered enough to walk. Finia would worry if I didnt leave the room, so I decided to show up for the meal at least. As I headed down the stairs to the hall while pulling my leg, I saw Finia patting Gadius on the head. The Adventurers staying in this inn were looking at that with envy. Finia, whats going on? Ah, good morning, Lady Nicole. Lord Gadius apparently fell down and had a big bump on his head. As it turned out, the attack I put everything into was still enough to give him a bump. I felt satisfied even with that much. The fact that I wasnt the only one who had it bad gave me somefort. Ad Rather, what happened to you, Lady Nicole? You are dragging your leg. I-I fell down. I hated to make the same excuse as Gadius, but I couldnt think of anything else. Finia ran up to me in worry, squatted down and took my foot in hand. Ouch! Its quite injured. Goodness, Just how badly did you fall down Her action caused pain to run through it once again and I reflexively eximed. But Finia used the healing of the spirit system and the pain quickly faded away. Light and water attributes of the spirit magic had healing elerating spells too. She seemed to have used one of them. Huh, Nicole, whats wrong? She apparently twisted her leg. Fell down or something. While I was being healed, Cloud showed up from the corridor leading to the backdoor. He got up surprisingly early in the mornings, so he was probably doing some practice swinging in the yard. His slightly sweaty face looked quite sultry. Then, I noticed something strange. Michelle wasnt anywhere around. She was an early sleeper and riser like most children. Yet, she still hadnt woken up. Finia, wheres Michelle? She knitted her brows in worry. Ad Whaa? Probably because she yed in the water in this season. Ah It was still too soon to call summer. She had never seen argeke, so she got carried away and messed around. Theke water was very cold as one would expect from spring water. Even if she was a healthy girl, that still proved to be too much. Now that I think about it, Finia and I had Warm cast on us, but she hadnt, huh. The Warm spellsted for an hour. Even after we recovered Moria grass and returned to the surface to y, its effect stillsted for a while. Since there was no need to recast it on ourselves, we forgot to do it to Michelle. Yet she continued to have fun without needing such a spell. And she was now facing the consequences for that. Next chapter would finish the 12 years old arc Chapter 399 Once we finished our breakfast, I had Gadius prepare oatmeal and we headed to visit Michelle. Fortunately, her cold didnt seem to be anything big, so while she was feeling listless she was still awake. Incidentally, since we were visiting her room I had Cloud refrain from visiting. After all, we would have to wipe her sweat. But Im an exception. Huh, did you say something, Lady Nicole? Nope, nothing. Michelle had undergone growth that didnt fit her age, so this job was quite frankly a sight for my sore eyes. I mean, I did worry about her condition too of course. Michelle, are you awake? Yeesh. As I knocked and called out to her, a sluggish reply came from the other side. She seemed pretty listless there. As I opened the door, a warmer airpared to the corridor wrapped around me, perhaps heated up by her body. I became worried and went to measure her temperature. How are you feeling? Let me check your fever. Okay. I put my forehead on her andpared our temperatures. I felt quite a high heating from her, so she probably wouldnt be able to move today. Yeah, its pretty high. You cant work today like this. No wayyy. No means no. Its easy to make a blunder when you have a fever, so just rest for today. But I have to adjust my armor. Leave that for another day. Mistakes for Adventurers are connected to losing their life, so you have to be careful. Boo. Ad I tried to pacify the grumbling Michelle and fed her the oatmeal that I brought. After that, I removed her upper clothes to wipe her sweat. My only thought during that was damn. The contrast between her abdomen firmed up from adventures and her abundant chest was so splendid I got fascinated. After that, I left Michelles care to Finia and returned to Gadius. As it was already past breakfast time, the customer traffic had passed its peak and there were hardly any customers left in the hall. Gadius was aware of that so he called me with my previous name. Reid. How is little Michelle faring? Yeah, she should be fine given the way she acted. She had a bit of a high fever, but its a normal cold. I see. I passed the tableware to Gadius who appeared a bit relieved at my answer. He wordlessly took it and took out some equipment in exchange. This is your breastte. I have adjusted the belt so do check and confirm. Ah, already? You work fast. Hmph, had I known you were Reid, I would have cut more corners. Hey now, dont be like that now. Good grief, this tsundere dwarf. He honestly said he was happy just yesterday too. As for little Michelle, it would be quicker to buy a new one. The current one is too out of her body proportions. You can tell without it being equipped? It was already quite tight when you came here. It would be safer to buy arger one anew rather than force adjustments on this one. Even growth has its merits and demerits huh. She is an archer, after all. Women in particr tend to wear out their armor faster due to the bowstring hitting their chest. Given her body figure and that bow, this would be a particrly severe case. If she were to use the Third Eye, we needed to urgently find a new breastte for her. If we went with general materials like until now, she could risk a big injury when the bowstring hits it. Gadius, I will use Evil Dragon materialster and make some armor, so can you give it to her as a present from your side. Hmm? But would people not think I am partial to her if people got the word of it? What a pain they are. Then just make up some reason, like it being a graduation memento from Maxwell or something. Go and ask Maxwell directly yourself. I thought this would happen! A high-pitched voice suddenly intruded on our conversation. I have heard that voice many times by now. So you showed up, Whiteywait, why are you with her!? As I turned around, the Whitey was there as I expected Along with Aste. Its quite something to ask mewhy. Of course, I came to apologise for my wifes failures. And I also brought you an item as an apology. Wife? This thing. He said and tapped on the Whiteys head next to him. I failed to process what his gesture and words meant for a moment. WifeA wifeeeee!? I had already heard that Aste was married, so him being together with his wife wasnt strange. But it changed then that wife was Whitey. Whitey was the so-called God of Destruction, and her husband was called the God of Wind. Dont tell me, youre the God of Wind, Hastur!? I suppose I have been called that. No wait, how can that be I reflexively denied it with words, but half of me was already convinced of it. The number of magic items in his house, the quality of the equipment he gave me, and the voice of a woman that leaked out from the basement the other day. Didnt it belong to Whitey? Ad Hey, if you act so shocked now, Im going to be emotional about it too. Thats not the issue now. I heard that she made yourrade run wild and it led to her having to leave the city. I felt sorry for that, so I brought some equipment to you. With those words, Asteor rather, Hastur, started to line up three pieces of equipment on the counter. First, a breastte made with the Demonic Dragon Fafnirs skin You started with something crazy right off the bat! Dont worry, I used the skin I collected during the shedding period, so it didnt require any funds. Next, here are the gauntlets made from its scales. You should have the elf girl wear them. You know about Finia? I heard from my wife. It should be the right size too. Whitey puffed her chest next to him. I just felt like punching her smug face. But I had to thank her for this. Since Finia started using the spear, her defenses were bing a bit of a problem. Her hands in particr were prone to enemy attacks as she pushed them forward. I was very grateful for these gauntlets. Still, the way Whitey was swelling her nostrils in pride was really getting on my nerves You can give the breastte to the girl you were talking about. Wait, theres nothing for me. Ive already given you a lot of equipment until now, havent I? Well, yeah, but Okay, fine. But your timing was great. Thanks. I nned to prepare a breastte for Michelle, so he saved me a lot of trouble. And since it was a gift from the God of Destruction, I didnt have toe up with any stupid excuses either. It was literally a godsend. Still This is quite a simple design, huh? Yeah, well, the Third Eye stood out, right? I reflected on that and made this one less conspicuous. That was thoughtful of you. I want to leave standing out after we gain more power. If a newbie had good equipment, that would be enough to get them rolled up into trouble. With someone of my background, it could be taken as if I was piggy-backing on my parents influence. It would leave a better impression if we didnt stand out until we ranked up further in the Guild. And heres a shield. This is made with ordinary metal, but it also has Fafnirs skin on the inside. It looks like a normal iron shield, but the defensive power it offers is iparably higher. For Cloud, huh? I didnt really want to make equipment for a guy though I have to agree with you there. Anyway, you can distribute them as gifts from us. I hope you can forgive her blunder with this. Im sure she will forgive her. In the first ce, a thought to me her hadnt even urred to Michelle. Let alone forgive her, a pure girl like Michelle would be grateful instead. Ad Well then, our business is done here. Youre going already? Im going sightseeing with my wife for the first time in a long while. Id like some alone time. I see With those words, the two quickly left the inn. Like this, we were able to improve our equipment. Meanwhile, Gadius was still petrified without uttering a single word. The 12 years old arc ends with this. Chapter 400 Three years had passed since we arrived in Stor. Both our power and fame rose favorably and we were fourth rank now, same as Leon was at one point. However the person in question had taken one step further and was fifth rank now, taking on the title of the strongest Adventurer in this region. His party had gained two more members and they were spending their Adventurer life smoothly. And now, we were facing a certain problem. Finia, how many this week? Seven. Michelle? Six for me. And you, Nicole? Twenty one. A-As expected. Those numbers werent themissions we finished. Yes They were the number of confessions. Some from women too. It has been three years since. I had grown even taller and was about 150 cm tall now. As for my body figure, while it didnt approach Marias, it had still turned feminine enough that I could hold my head high anywhere I went. As a result, my figure and beauty made people fall for me at first sight one after another. I ended up having to deal with at least three cases a day. Finia hadnt really changed appearance-wise, but she still became a bit plumper and started to exhibit womanly charms. However, she was being confessed to just as much ever since we came to this city, so nothing had changed for her in that regard. As for Michelle, her body had developed to the point she could be called mini Maria, and coupled with her simplistic nature, she had even gained some maniac fans. I was even starting to worry whether she would get deceived or kidnapped someday. We really have to solve this somehow. Yes, its troublesome to get called out day after day. My life rhythm hasnt changed much, though? Ad We gave gloomy sighs at Gadius inn, Greatshields Protection. Given that love was involved, we couldnt get violent over it, so we were having a tough time rejecting them every day. And there was one dumbass who joined in on our convo with a carefree expression. Hear me out too. I got confessed twice this week. Die. Ohe on! Why not just go get married and retire? No way, I wanna adventure more. Needless to say, it was Cloud. Michelle and I had turned 15, while Cloud 17. He had fair skin and a slender body that was a characteristic of half-demons, and he had gained a sculpture-like figure with forged muscles. He was tall too, of about 180 centimeters, making him stand out even from afar. He was certainly not on the taller side as far as Adventurers went, but his body bnce was perfect. It was even fanning my jealousy. I used to be shorter than him in my previous life, and didnt have as much muscle. Handsome guys should die. They get no mercy. Whyy?! Michelle, say something, will you? Cloud you perv. So meeeean! Michelle looked charming even from the same-sex perspective as she puffed her cheeks in displeasure while sprawled on the table at Clouds appeal. Her body that was in imbnce with her pure expression was giving off even more seducing charm. Still, its really hard to move freely when were in the center of attention like this. It feels like we are being observed wherever we go. And their gazes are constantly on my chest. Well, that cant be helped. The way that swayed as she walked was a brutal weapon that attracted the eyes of men regardless of their will. I could understand the feelings of men at least in this aspect. I was still a guy on the inside so far. Ad Its good that we have gotten adapted to the city, but standing out this much is a problem too. That it is. Should we just go back to Raum already? Mgh. It has been three years since we left Raum. The residual heat that Maxwell mentioned should have died down by now. The problem was that we didnt know what was going on there. I showed my face once a month at Cortinas house, so I had a certain grasp on the situation. Lichtenberg, who was the ringleader of the corrupt nobles was silenced by me, but that didnt mean that his entire faction fell with him. There was even a war among nobles spurred by lust for power to seed him. Maxwell moved about to bring that strife to a close, but the results werent very favorable. Maybe itll take a bit longer. This concerned Michelles safety. No, not just her. Even her family was at risk. We had to act carefully or next time I may not make it in time to save them. As I was thinking so conservatively, Michelle responded in dejection. So its not good, huh Thinking about it, I was showing my face there once a month, but Michelle had only been exchanging letters. It was natural that she would yearn for her family after three whole years of separation. Hmm, well I have to ask Maxwell for the details first Why not just call your parents over instead? Well, I guess thats possible She responded unusually evasively. Her family had already moved from the north to Raum. Changing houses over and over wasnt only problematic financially but mentally too. She was worried about making them move houses again after settling in Raum for eight years. I dont feel good about making them move due to my own circumstances. I see. At any rate, Ill check how things are the next time I go there. Please do. Also check how the orphanage is doing please. I wouldnt hear your request normally, but Im also worried about the orphanage so I will. Youre never honest. Huuh? Ad Clouds attitude rubbed me wrong so I went and rubbed his temples with firsts. I knew this kind of familiar behaviour was bing the source of people misunderstanding our rtionship, but I just couldnt stop. Chapter 401 At any rate, there was a need to do something about the attention we were getting. Honestly, since our good looks were the problem, I even considered wounding myself. But if I did that, people around me would be saddened by it. Not just Finia, but Lyell, Maria, Cortina and even Michelle. Moreover, I did not want to scar Finia and Michelle. Hey, Cortina. Do you know how to drive away the opposite sex thats trying to woo you? Huh what? Wait, are you cheating on me! I asked Cortina how to solve my current predicament during our rendezvous. But she seemed to have interpreted my question far too differently. Unfortunately, when I was using Nicoles form, there were no women that tried to woo me Wait, actually, there were quite a few of them, huh? But I was rejecting all of them and that was a different problem, but even Michelle and Finia were being very clingy with me, but thats not counted as cheating, right? You should know that Im not popr Or well, I realized that was my misunderstanding, but theres still no one trying to hit on me. Howe? How should I know! She became instantly sulky and turned her face away. She was probably embarrassed for thinking I was cheating, but she looked cute even like that. We were currently sitting in a cafe separated from Raums main streets. We werent inside the store but outside of it, enjoying an open atmosphere. We were away from the main street to avoid the cloud of dust caused by carriages and horses moving about. No I mean, someone I know on the other side has that problem. The other side? Now that you mentioned it, you were currently in the United Nations of the North, right? Y-Yeah You could say that. To be urate, I was in Stor which was right before it, but there wasnt much difference in the distance so I didnt have to correct her. She believed my words blindly, though, which hurt my conscience a bit. She normally never believed another persons words blindly, but the Six Heroes were exceptions for her. I hated myself for betraying her trust with my lie. That said, I couldnt just tell her everything. Theres Lyells daughter, Nicole, nearby there. You havent met her yet, right? Ihavent. Ad I mean, Im meeting her every day. In the mirror. The earlier talk reminded me of it, but shes actually really pretty. Shes probably troubled by it too. Would you mind lending her a hand? I-If the opportunity arises. So You were asking about how to drive away the opposite sex, right? In my experience, they would be disillusioned and go away if you show them a very slovenly side of you. Slovenly? Since she called it an experience, does that mean she did it too? She certainly acted very slovenly at home, but that contrast with her usual tidy appearance made her even more charming. Besides, if I showed a slovenly side I feel like they would be overjoyed instead. If I opened up my chest button and disyed my valley, then rolled up my skirt up to my thighs, I could see some Adventurers dying from joy. Hmm Unfortunately, that will have a low effect. Really? I suppose men and women have their differences. No I mean, if I saw you acting slovenly, Im confident I would push you down then and there. W-wait, stop! Consider where we are She waved her hands in a fluster with a flushed face. I looked around but all the other couples were conversing about simr things, and no one was staring at us. No, well, we were being observed. Cortina was a hero whose name had spread far and wide, after all. She was now drinking tea with a shady man, so of course they would. Problem was that the shady man was me. There was a man with a dangerous aura talking with the Strategist Cortina. Drinking tea with thisbination would make people think we were nning something. Hence, no one was approaching us. The only people approaching me were kids who couldnt read the mood. No, wait No one was near us now. Cortina was, needless to say, a beauty. It wasnt well known publicly that we were going out. In which case, it wouldnt be weird for a crowd to form around her. In fact, there was often a crowd near her in the academy. And yet, there was no one nearby now. That was due to the dangerous aura I was releasing from next to her. Ad In other words, if you look displeased, will people stop approaching? Oh, I may have acted displeased back then too. Looks like there are no problems then. Okay, Ill go with this. Dont do that yourself, okay? Youre already threatening enough for the people around. R-Right. Ill be careful. After that, we spent a sweet time that made even me embarrassed, and then I regretfully parted with her and headed to Maxwell. I was limited in time and had to meet Finia with this form too. Well then, untilter. Yeah, see you in a month. I headed to Maxwells mansion after we exchanged a light kiss. Inside, Maxwell was already waiting for me with a big grin on his face. What is it? Oh nothing, I was merely thinking that I would rather you not do something so improper at my door when there are witnesses. You saw that? I had my familiar station outside. I did not know when you woulde. Shit, you and that damn nature of yours. I was born with it, so please do forgive me. It was clear as day that he was just harassing me. But I had no way of winning against him in these situations no matter how I fought back. That aside, hows the situation on your side? I had some things to ask him. One of them was about the corrupted nobles, and another about Michelles parents. Hmm, that will take some more time. I do understand you wanting to return to Raum, but I do not rmend it. I see What about Michelles parents? They are living in good health so far. Cortina is also paying attention to them so no one will carelessly touch them. That and your assassination is also showing effect. So taking Lichtenbergs head wasnt for naught, in the end. Yes, it has proven to be threatening enough. Having said that, if their prey returns before their eyes, they will probably still act up. So theyll just get stimted if Michelle returns now? I now understood the situation here, but I felt sad for Michelle at this rate. I consulted Maxwell about it and he responded while brushing his beard. Ad I see, so she is lonely, after all. Then there is no helping it. You have a solution? If Michelle cannote here, we can just bring her parents over, right? I shall take them to Sto myself. Really!? True, he should be able to do that easily. But he also offered one more solution. Also, it is already a good time for you to learn Teleport yourself. I shall teach you if you wish? Ohh, so Ive reached that level already? I said good time but mastering this spell at the age of 15 is already only something a genius can do, you understand? The Teleport spell was the advanced spell of the interference system that interfered with the users coordinates and moved them. I suppose it was true that I should be able to use it now after this much experience. But as Maxwell said, it normally took several decades to learn this spell. I couldnt help but say this was due to my Gift. I had to thank that white God for this. Like this, I decided to learn a new spell before I returned. Chapter 402 Even after we moved to Stor, I had Maxwelle to me once a month. This was partly for meeting with Cortina, but also to continue training my magic. As I continued to implement them during my adventuring, all my magic abilities grew, and Maxwell taught me the knowledge and techniques that corresponded to my skill. In these three years, I have be able to use some of the advanced spells. But as expected, top-grade spells were still beyond my reach. The Teleport spell he was going to teach me now would be my first top-grade spell. I shall be teaching you Teleport today. It is ranked just before Portal Gate. Portal Gate was used to create a gate that connected to a faraway ce. It was a spell that interfered with the coordinates of the location. Teleport was different in that regard as it interfered with the coordinates of the person rather than the ce. Apport, Teleport, and Portal Gate. They were a series of spells that interfered with the coordinates. Teleportation spells, in general, have a limitation that you can only go to a ce you have already visited. This is also because that strengthens the terrain and the ce in question in the users mind. So by visiting the ce once, it bes easier to envision it. Yes. It is used to send people, after all. If you make a mistake it could lead to a disaster. For that reason, you need to have as clear an image as possible. What would happen if I fail? Lets see, if you make a mistake in elevation, you could end up inside the ground or high up in the sky G-Got it. Ill be careful with it. Maxwell used it daily as if it was nothing, but hearing about what would happen if you failed convinced me that it wasnt a spell you would use so willy-nilly. Maxwell ignored my worries and continued his exnation. Moreover, this spell consumes a lot of magic power, unlike the Apport spell. Doing it several times should not be a problem with your magic power, and your output has also grown so you should be good, but keep in mind that you cannot abuse it. Okay. But is there really such a difference? You are transferring people instead of objects, after all. And Portal Gate warps space, so it consumes even more magic power. Im getting worried now. Worry not, I shall teach you until you master itpletely. Ad Saying that, he showed me a paper with a magic circle drawn on it. It was the magic circle that Astethe God of Wind Hastur, had used before. The magic circle you have to imagine is simr to this one. You should study the meaning of each patternter. But for now, start with memorizing it in full and using it. I had already conveyed to her through Gadius that I would be visiting today. But I havent told her exactly when that would be, so she was probably waiting for me even now. Cortina has recognized my dates with her so this should not count as cheating right? Now that I think about it, you still have notid a hand on her, have you? Well, I have some reservations about it. You are upright in the strangest ces. Your legal wife already gave her permission too. C-Cortina isnt my legal wife or anything That makes you embarrassed? I wanted to hold your children before I died, but it seems that would take longer. You still have a lot of lifespan left, dont you?! Although he was old, he still had many years left. Enough to rival a humans lifespan. There was a chance he could even outlive me. Still, the more I talked with him now the less time Finia would have. It was better to focus on using the spell. Okay, lets go Valencia Three, Ultramarine One, Antis ThreeCarry one to the distantnd, Teleport! As expected of a high-ranked spell, I couldnt cover the magic power consumption and distance with Red and Jade. Both Valencia and Antis represented the magic power of the second level. I felt magic power drain from my body, flowing into the magic circle I just remembered. The scenery before my eyes warped and once it settled down, I had teleported to near Stor as I had imagined. The cost of this spell is extreme I dont think Ill be able to use it repeatedly in a day. Due to losing so much magic power so fast, I felt slight exhaustion. I rested my body while approximating how many times I could use it in a day based on how exhausted I felt. It seems that you have seeded. Though I knew you would. But this spell is pretty exhausting. When transporting several people, Portal Gate is more cost-effective. At any rate, it seems that you have grasped how it works. Yeah, at the very least, there were no problems during this leap. Based on my exhaustion I could use this spell about thrice a day. Maybe one more time if I pushed myself. There would be no problem in making round trips to Raum. But this also had another use. I mean, I could use it to see Fina every day. Hmm You are grinning, you know? When I realized I could visit my sister whenever I wanted, I couldnt help it. Good grief. Little Finia and Cortina have it hard. Their man prioritizes his sister over them. I value them too naturally. But Im limited to transforming once a month, so theres no helping the matter. Oh well, just do it in moderation so you do not get hate. Yeah yeah. Either way, I managed to learn the Teleport spell. With this, my area of activity should have grown. Chapter 403 Since we came to Stor, I returned to Raum once a month and once a week to my home in the north. Naturally, I couldnt do it myself until now so I had Maxwell take me there. But now that I have learned Teleport, I could go to the north every day if I felt like it. I would naturally make use of it. So I came to see you today too, Fina! Sish, wee! In the evening, once I finished the city tasks, I washed off my sweat and quickly headed to my home in the north. It was harsh on magic power to teleport someone else with me, so I went alone. Fina raised both her hands up in a hurray pose and weed me. She rushed to me with a dazzling smile like the sun. Having be three years old she was able to move about quite actively now. As expected, her speech and actions were suitable for her agepared to me who had previous life memories. It made me realize just how different I was in that sense. Fina had gold hair simr to Lyell and red eyes and features of Maria. It wouldnt be an exaggeration to call her the incarnation of the sun. Wee, Nicole. Mom is happy that youre showing your face more oftentely. Yeah, you look healthy too, mother. I couldnt call her mommy or something now that I was 15 years old, so I was just calling her mother normally. I didnt have anyone like that in my previous life, so I felt uneasy every time I called her that, but it wasnt unpleasant either. As I lifted Fina, she clung to my chest with all her strength. She really liked touching soft things, it seems. Ad You will at least eat dinner with us before you go tonight too, right? Yeah. Gadius cooking is delicious, but I might gain weight if I get carried away. Hehe, its a dwarven cuisine so Adventurers like it quite a bit. The cooking Gadius served was mostly dwarven cuisine. He carefully prepared the food beforehand and cooked them with fire and oil in one go. It had a rich taste and was quite big in volume, so it was a perfect dish for the Adventurers who moved a lot, but as someone with a young girls body, I was really worried that all that fat would show itself around my waist. In that regard, Marias cooking had bnce in mind like Finias. Wheres father? Hes off to the northern forest to hunt. It seems an Owl Bear had settled there. Owl Bear huh. Its meat has an exquisite taste and is quite delicious. Normal girl would get scared first You really have grown up to be a wild one. I am an Adventurer, after all. Owl Bears, as their name suggested, were giant bears with owl-like wings. Since they could fly, they were extremely threatening, but Lyell could defeat one quite easily even alone. Its characteristic taste of meat that was somewhere between animals and birds was considered even tastier than cows and pigs by many people. Can I get it as a gift? If he manages to hunt it, I think you can bring some back. Giift! Oh youre looking forward to it too I see, Fina. I followed after Maria who had been preparing dinner. The moment I entered the kitchen, I was attacked from overhead. Squee! Fugeh! Ad The Carbuncle, Kabby charged at me from above the cupboard. It used to be puppy-sized before, but now it was closer to a medium-sized dog. If something of that weight came jumping on my head, there was no way I could support it. As I result, I ended up falling on the floor while holding Fina. Kabby, its dangerous! Squee Gaffy, no! Being scolded by both me and Fina, Kabby hung its head unusually dejectedly. With a no! Fina went and hugged it with her entire body. Being like a medium-sized dog, and a plump one at that, Kabby had turned into her favorite hug pillow. I sat on the chair in the kitchen and put Fina on my knees. Fina had Kabby held in her arms on top, so it was quite a confused state. Maria giggled at our state and went back to cooking. She washed her hands and started smoothly chopping the vegetables. Her figure from behind was the personification of a mother, making my heart so rxed I ended up charmed. Shish, wiw you baff wih me? Hmm? Oh, bath Im not sure, I already bathed. It would help me if you can get Fina to the bath. Really? I suppose Ill get in too then. Yaay! The water is already heated, so you can enter first. I took Fina and Kabby and headed to the bathroom. The bath in this mansion was quite big. There were even beds for massages there, so you could rx quite a bit. As I pacified Fina who was going wild in excitement, I finished washing Kabby and stretched my body inside the bathtub. Fina also sat on a small chair in the bath and submerged into the water up to her shoulders. She was still a child so shed drown if she didnt do that. Ad Fina, let Kabby go in the bath at least, will you? No! Oh fine. Mm. Kabby had already turned into her toy. Its body had grown bigger and fluffierpared to before, so I doubt it was stressed over this. Once we warmed up sufficiently, we got out of the bath, but the mansion had turned noisy by then. It seemed that Lyell had returned from his hunt. In a bloody state Chapter 404 He had been bleeding a lot from his temple, and all that blood had flowed down to his shoulder. But seeing how he was standing on his own, it was probably not that deep a wound. When he noticed us, his half-bloody face brightened up. Stop, pulling a refreshing smile in such a state is scary instead. Look, even Fina is pulling back. Nicole! You came. You also came to wee me, Fina? He rushed towards us with his arms wide, but I quickly grabbed Fina and jumped back. He looked like some undead monster with so much blood on his face. Lyells arms passed right before me as I dodged him by a hairs breadth. That was close. Having missed his body hug, Lyell looked miserably at me. Sorry, father, but we just came out of the bath. How could this be! Do you hate giving your injured daddy some healing so much? Ive never seen an injured person acting as lively as that. He slumped his shoulders at my rebuttal, finally looking like an injured person. There there, but Nicole has a point, you know? Here, Cure Light. Ad Lyells temple stopped bleeding instantly with Marias spell. Cure Light of the interference system was by far the weakest healing spell among all healing spells, but it showed this much effect now. It was worlds apart from my own spell. There, done. But you are all bloody so go take a bath first, okay? Okay, then I can finally hug Nicole! Thats up to her. Definitely not. Not! How could this be Having gotten innocently vetoed by Fina and me, Lyell fell to his hands this time and dropped his head. Maria patted him on the back tofort him. When Lyell got out of the bath, we went to have dinner in the dining room. Currently, this mansion had a maid settled in with her whole family, but she was busy washing Lyells clothes now. She was working hard despite it being night. So, father. What happened? He frowned as he spoke while eating the stew Maria made. The stew had the meat of Owl Bear that he just mentioned too. She apparently added new ingredients. I heard pping of wings from deeper inside the forest, and when I went to check it, a meter long horned beetle flew out of there. A meter long I had some knowledge about horned beetles, but a meter long one was too big. If were talking about one that could hurt Lyell Ad I cant think of anything but a Needle Beetle. Yes, that would be the case. Maria gave her approval to my guess. But I myself wasnt convinced with my answer. The reason was simple. But havent they only been witnessed within the World Tree Labyrinth? Yes, they were monsters of the middle floors from what I hear. Ive never heard of them appearing anywhere else. So this would be the first sighting huh. The World Tree Labyrinth contained a special ecosystem. Not only were there monsters that bred within it, but also being summoned from another world as a defensive mechanism The so-called Devils also existed there. Given that they were summoned monsters, they had never been witnessed beyond the World Tree. And one such monster had attacked Lyell in the forest. That sounds strange. Yes. We never had a precedent of a monster escaping from thebyrinth. And it escaped not to the Holy Kingdom of Forneus, but all the way here It would be wiser to investigate this. Yeah. But the sun is already set. If we go search in the middle of the night, it is us who cant see in the dark who will be at a disadvantage. Since theres no harm to the vige, theres no need to hurry. Lets do it tomorrow. Right. Lyell and Maria started talking about tomorrows ns. I ignored that and focused on taking care of Fina. She was sitting on myp and having a hard fight against the stew with a spoon gripped in her hand. Of course, that caused the soup to fly around everywhere, and her surroundings were in a total mess. I already epted I would be part of that disaster when I ced her on my knees, so I wasnt very worried. I could just get changed once I got back. I had nothing to do but sleep once I returned anyway. Sishh, ere! Oh, thank you. Ad She somehow managed to scoop up the meat with the spoon and offered it to me. Her mouth was stained with soup too. I ate the meat in one bite and took a napkin to wipe her mouth. Nyauuu. The way she disliked getting her face wiped made her appear as charming as a little animal. Oh god, this child is just too adorable! Mugyaa! As I hugged her from behind, she raised a shrill andughed. This was how Ive been spending my dinner as ofte. Chapter 405 Once I left Lyells mansion, I didnt go straight back to Stor but instead headed to the forest north from the vige. The reason was simple: I was nning to investigate the Needle Beetle. A devil existing where it normally should not. And above all Its ecology is the problem Needle Beetles lived by forming groups. As no one had seen the moment of their summoning, it was unknown whether they were summoned in groups or not, but it was hard to imagine otherwise. This was also the reason why Maria insisted on investigating the forest. I knew about their ecology too since I have studied the monster information at the magic academy. If you see one, assume theres ten of them, was it? Or maybe not? I feel like thats what Cortina used to say when I first moved to Raum. Finia wasnt around back then, so her house was in a pretty messy state. Cortina was quite sloppy when it came to herself, so it was strangely appropriate. Setting that aside, Needle Beetles nature was to move in groups. Since Lyell defeated one of them, the rest of the group should exist somewhere. There was no need for me to do this myself this time. Lyell would probably clean them up tomorrow anyway, so I could just leave it be, but I was concerned about some things in this case. Ad That is, Needle Beetles were beings summoned from the otherworld. In other words, they were Devil species. This meant that Kufar might be involved in this. And because of that, I needed to ascertain the truth of this problem. Well, Im just doing it for self-satisfaction. Kufars matter was also being investigated by Maxwell, and the sacrifice incident of the north has beening to a resolution with King Elliot himself takingmand of the matter. Their sphere of action was rapidly growing narrow and woulde to a dead-end eventually. Still, my connection with him from the previous world was stuck like a thorn in my chest. If I had properly put an end to him back then, it wouldnt have escted into this mess. Wait, no, I dont think I could kill his soul itself. I advanced in the forest while mumbling to myself, but then I heard a faint jarring sound from the direction of my movement. It was an unpleasant sound as if my eardrums were being hit in session. The peculiar sound given off by the insects wings. The fact that I could hear that sound despite so much distance until the source meant that it wasing from something quite big. Oh, there they are. I sensed the enemy getting closer and summoned my trusty gauntlets with Apport. The teleported gears appeared equipped on my arms, and I squeezed my hands to confirm their condition. Their familiar weight even made me feel relieved despite the battle about to start. I had my self-defense katana on my waist too, but it had to wait its turn for now. Now, how many are there There were inorganic lights shining in red among the darkness ahead. Im not sure how they worked, but their eyes shone in the darkness. That color was a clear proof of hostility. The numbers grew one by one, eventually exceeding twenty. Theres so many!? I thought there would be five or ten at most, but to think there were so many. Lyell would probably still be able to mercilessly trample them down, but this number was too much for me to subjugate head-on. That said, I needed to take care of them or my investigation would go nowhere. W-Well, its not impossible to take them down so I guess Ill do my best. While they were looking vigntly at me, I waved my hands threateningly. I suppose it was the wild instinct that made them hesitate to attack me right away Whatever it was, it was a blunder on their part to allow me some time. Assassins were specialized in offensive battles rather than defensive. Kyashshshshaaa! I didnt know whether bugs had vocal cords, but these Needle Beetles were threatening me with sounds akin to scraping metal. But they were toote. When I finished my preparations and pulled out my katana, the first bug finally decided to attack me. Ad When I saw that, I could not help but leak a faint smile. I raised my sword simply to attract their attention to me. When I swung my hands at the very beginning, I had already stretched my threads all around. These level of monsters were no enemies for me inside the forest with so many ces to bind my threads to. The attacking Needle Beetle got vertically bisected and fell to the ground before it even reached me. It probably didnt even realize what had urred. I had spread my threads all around and made a defensive point around me. And it got caught by one of those threads. As if you bugs who only know how to charge at things will be able to deal with me inside the forest. I doubt they understood what I said, but they all pped their wings and charged at me simultaneously. But nearly half of them got bisected without reaching me. As for the remaining half I mean there were still 10 of them, but it was easy to deal with them. I activated the magic circle on the gauntlets, casting enchant on myself. In addition, I took control of my muscle fibers using Thread Maniption, making my body move like a marite. Since this ability ignored the limiter of the brain, it strained my body quite a lot. That said, the precision and strength it offered were too addicting once you experienced it one time. I kicked off the ground and leaped up, then used the stretched threads around as my scaffold to jump even higher. I dashed about so freely it even rivaled the bugs, and I sliced them with my katana every time I passed one. Their carapaces were extremely hard, so I couldnt exactly bisect them with every swing, but I still gradually decreased their numbers. This katana that was sturdy and nothing more wasnt sharp enough to cut through their carapaces, but the fact that they were flying now meant that they had spread wings from under those carapaces. That also meant under those wings, they were exposing their soft abdomens. Ad I attacked them from above and mmed them to the ground. At the same time, I used their bodies as stepping stones and moved on to the next one. Like that, I continued my ever-changing onught and dropped every enemy to the ground in less than a minute. Now I guess you bugs cant exactly answer my questions, so sorry but Ill have you die. Even though all of them were on the ground, some of them had survived, unlike the bisected individuals. I went around and finished them off one by one, and the silence was finally brought back to the forest. Chapter 406 The Needle Beetles were turned into heaps of corpses. Leaving them be, I advanced deeper into the forest for inspection. These Needle Beetles were Devils brought to this world only by summoning. Even those inside thebyrinth were summoned by the World Tree. In that case, there was a high chance that the magic circle or the user that summoned this group should be nearby too. I searched around in the circumference for clues, but I could find neither the traces of summons nor any suspicious person. So they didnte here? Im not really sure how manipting the Devils works I returned to the previous location, but there didnt seem to be any point in further inspection. Rather, I had to think about what to do with all these corpses now. The carapaces and horns of the Needle Beetles could be used as equipment materials. Hard shells as armor, and sharp horns as weapons. If I left the materials intact even after defeating such a number of them, it would only make things more suspicious. The information about these beetles had be known only after Lyell had returned. The only ones who knew were the hunters who were on the scene with Lyell back then. And us, people in his mansion. Ad But if I strip off the materials for them, it would look like some passerby Adventurers battled them. Thinking so, I quickly went and retrieved their horns as subjugation proof. The carapaces would actually fetch quite a good price, but it would take far too long to collect them. It took me nearly an hour to strip off all their horns, and I was all bloody by the time I finished it. It looked like I had to hit the bath one more time. So one more bath when I return, huh. What a pain Gadius inn had a bathhouse, but the water was drained at night for cleaning purposes. If I ask, they would prepare it though. Gadius knew my circumstances, so I doubt he would refuse. I was a bit hesitant since it felt like I was taking advantage of his kindness, but simply wiping my body would still leave me with a disgusted feeling. I spread a snuggly folded cloth bag that was popr among Adventurers, then stuffed all the horns in it, and heaved a sigh. And due to that, Im in this messy state. Please prepare a bath for me. As I returned to Gadius inn looking all bloody, I requested that right away. Seeing me, Gadius frowned and demanded that I exin the situation first. It will take some time until the water umtes. At least exin the situation before that, you fool. O-Okay. To start, I summarized the events of the mansion. At any rate, since summonings were involved in the matter, there was a chance that Kufar was involved. I had to convey that information to Maxwell as well. Ad I see. That information does indeed seem like something beyond our means. I would prefer to let Cortina hear this but I mean, Lyell would tell her, wont he? But what do you mean beyond our means? Are you saying Im an idiot? Not that you can deny it, can you? Why? Think about it. There are already traces of your characteristic threads remaining in that forest, but you prioritized collecting the materials. Oh. Looking back, I set a trap there and used my threads to bisect the enemies. The trees that I used as foundation for my threads received a lot of load so they shouldve had a lot of scars remaining. Even if I pretended to be a random Adventurer by collecting the horns, theyd still realize that it was my work. W-W-W-W-What should I do?? Stop acting so flustered with that body. It is because you act so appealing that men are constantly approaching you. Why do you know that!? How many men do you think have drowned their cares in the drinks here? So you overheard them, shit! Certainly, an overwhelming number of customers of this inn had confessed to us. And not just the residents of this city, but even passing travelers were approaching us. It stood to reason that they woulde to drink themselves dead in this inn that was known to be the safest in the city. Anyway, we are talking about that diligent Lyell here. He will quickly let Maxwell know. If we let Maxwell know our story in advance, we can make up a convincing story. His words made me realize that fact. Lyell said hed go to investigate it tomorrow, but hed probably report to Maxwell tonight. Most likely, he would use the Guilds contactwork to get a hold of him any time tonight. I see! Then I should quickly head to the Guild! You made me prepare the bath already, so go in first. I will go and report it in your stead. R-Right. Thanks. True, if I rushed into the Guild looking so bloody, it would just lead to unnecessary rumors. It was better to take Gadius up on his offer here. Feeling relieved, I hurried to the bath. It was a little narrow to call it arge public bath, but it was still far too luxurious for a single person. It drew water directly from the river flowing into the city and boiled it with a magic item, so while it wasnt a natural hot spring, it still did its job to remove ones fatigue. Ad I cleaned off my filth and jumped into the bathtub, and as I floated on the surface, Cortinas advice from earlier came to mind. I had to act cold to approaching men starting from tomorrow. Aagh, what a pain I was starting to feel like retiring to some unexplored regions that no one knew about. I felt like I understood God Hasturs feelings a bit better now. Though, when it came tothatother one, Id wanna protest that a god shouldnt be materializing so willy-nilly like that all the time. As I floated with my limbs spread wide, even thinking started to be a bother. When Gadius returns, he wille to check on me anyway. Thinking so, I closed my eyes. Once Gadius returned after getting in touch with Maxwell, Nicole had yet toe out of the bath. Finding that strange, he took a peek at the bathroom, only to find dizzy Nicole floating like a jellyfish there, but that was a story for another time. Chapter 407 The usual tavern, the usual table, the usual four people. However, the atmosphere around them was not the usual. There was just one reason for that. Because their leader figure, Kufar, was tapping on the table with his finger in displeasure. He tapped on it with a fixed rhythm. But strangely enough, he was not saying anything. He looked quite the same as always, but his displeasure was quite conspicuous. He was not actually displeased, but the other three had no way of knowing that. This is unsatisfactory. Yes. You are right. Each of them replied uneasily at his monolog-like mutter. Lately, the sess rate of summoning has dropped under 60%. Yeah. But we havent dropped in quality. And the numbers havent gone down that much either. Considering the strengthened control from King Elliot, you could say we are doing better than expected. We were at 80% before, but dont you think that was abnormal instead? As Kufar started to talk, the others started making excuses as if their dam had been broken. They were arguing the fact that their sess rate for summons had droppedtely. Of course, it was not their oversight that caused this drop. It was because Kufar had been preying on them behind the scenes. But even that was not enough for him. He wanted to eat stronger beings and add them to his strength. Ad But doing any more than this would just make them stand out. The acquisition of sacrificial ves had be very restricted due to King Elliots policies. Even so, they were making it up by capturing passerby Adventurers and peddlers. It might not be enough. Numbers? I dont think its that different from previous though. There were other customers around, so they were refraining from saying specific words. He interpreted Kufars words to mean the sacrifice number and objected to it. It was scary to object to Kufar who was in a bad mood, but increasing their activities any more would risk the survival of their organization. No, not that. Im talking about quality. Even if you say that, I dont think its that different from before either. Im not talking about physically, but mentally. From times immemorial, children and virgins have been prized as sacrifices. That fact has not changed even now. It was close to impossible to cover all the required sacrifices with that, but the ratio should not have changed from before. But Kufar was saying that it had. It has been over twenty years since the Evil Dragon crisis has ended. Yeah, about twenty five years, I guess? Right. So people at the time were desperate. And that has continued in the north even after the Evil Dragon was defeated. Because it took a long time for the north to regain its public order. Before Elliot founded this United Alliance of the North, it was in a state of anarchy. And its public order did not immediately diffuse even after he did. After all, he was only a five year old child at the time. Even so, his reign started to show power as he grew, and the order had started to settle down in every ce. It could be said that people had finally obtained their peaceful lives. Peaceful life, that in other words, could be called hope for the future. Now, people are full of hope for the revival. There isnt enough despair. But dont they start despairing the moment they are caught? Yes. But they still hold on to the hope that someone woulde to the rescue. And they hold on to it until the very end. Dont you think we need to give them a deeper form of despair? So you say, but what would that deeper form be? The rescue wonte. Even if they do, they would have no hope for the future. We need sacrifices with such deep despair. The other three started pondering with hands to their chins at Kufars proposal. Ad At present, they were catching and using them as sacrifices as is. If Kufar found that unsatisfactory, they had to make some improvements. But they could not think of a way that would give them a deeper despair. But we cant suddenly improve the quality. Dont you think the only way would be to make up for it with numbers? So speed up our rotation? But itll take a while to find people we can get along with. If possible, I want to keep the summoners and people with special abilities as our pawns. We are alreadycking in numbers as is. And even if we use them immediately, itd make us easier to trace. With all of them objecting back, Kufar could not insist on it any more. The efficiency of gathering sacrifices would drop if he acted alone, so he still needed the organizations power. Hmm, I see. Then how about we take down a vige as an impromptu measure? How? Theyve been suppressing us quite hardtely, so even that would be risky. They can do that because the order has been stabilized around these parts. We can just throw them into disorder again. Disorder? Lets seeWe have to stop the Six Heroes first. One of the Six Heroes, Lyell, took charge of the safety of part of the northernnd. It was hard to restrict his power, but it was not impossible to limit his movement. Lets start with dropping one small fry near Lyells vige. No, actually, more would be better. The World Tree Religion was the headquarters of people discriminating against half-demons like them. Going on a campaign there was their long-cherished desire. Imagining themselves rampaging there, their expressions became momentarily ecstatic. Doesnt sound so bad. Yeah, It wouldnt be so bad to give them a little blow. Looks like we havee to a decision. Lets start deciding which would be the real one. It was decided that they would leave Needle Beetles near Lyells vige. But they needed to decide which vige they would be aiming at for real. They would be in the red unless it was a vige that could make up for the wasted Needle Beetles, by allowing them to summon a stronger Devil. For that, they wanted it to be a lively vige full of children and women. They started to polish their heinous n with bright expressions,pletely different from the previous heavy mood. Chapter 408 That day, a visitor came to Lyells residence early in the morning. It was a white haired and bearded tall old man. In other words, Maxwell. Maria was delighted that an old friend came to visit and invited him to the living room, offering tea. Fina was still sleeping, so she couldnt stay behind and went away. Lyell, apologies for visiting so early. Dont worry about it. But its strange for you to show up so early. Even I wake up early in the morning, okay? I know that much. So, why did youe? I was thinking of investigating the forest in the north today He had been attacked by a Needle Beetle in that forest the other day. It was a monster that tended to act in groups, so there was a possibility that they had invaded the forest. To investigate that, he nned to gather young Adventurers of the vige and set out. Hearing that, Maxwell pped his knee as if to say that was exactly his reason. That is it. I received such information from the Guildst night. Oh, did my message from yesterday reach you? Lyell did not know that Reid had reincarnated as Nicole. Instead he had been made aware of the made-up personna called Haumea. Maxwell did not believe that he could be deceived forever, but while they were pursuing this personna, their attention would be away from Nicole. Her spying andbat abilities are the very best. So you can leave that part to us. I see. Well she is Reid inside, after all. Needle Beetles would hardly be his opponents. Ad Perhaps this could be called glorification of the past. Maxwell was at a loss for words that Reids esteem had been rising among the rest of hisrades. But that was not the problem now. Reid had in fact already taken care of the Needle Beetles in the forest. And he had also finished investigating it, so Lyell could hardly find out anything else even if he went there. And above all, Maxwell felt a sense of danger that a Devil species hade so close to the vige. A-At any rate, I have already received the report back. She discovered the Needle Beetles and already subjugated them. But she could not find anything strange around. Anything? That makes it all the more strange, doesnt it? Maxwell could use the teleportation spells, so he could literally drop by anytime. Moreover, he had far more magic and output powerpared to Nicole, so he did not feel much of a burden even making a round trip to Raum. Since they are Devils, there should be a summoning circle or the summoner around. But there wasnt. Yes. In other words, there is a big possibility that the summoner hadmanded them from somewhere far away to head to this forest, or maybe this vige that is ahead of it. The question would be for what reason, huh? Indeed. Needle Beetles are group monsters. But they would be no enemies for you. If they knew that and still sent them They were enemies that Reid or rather, Nicole, had defeated without a single injury. As such, they would pose even less threat to Lyell who had regained his strength from the golden days. Those who deified the Six Heroes understood that fact even better. So they would make me work on the Needle Beetles and do something in the meantime? That seems like the biggest possibility. Still it is only a possibility. Then I cant go acting without a proper thought. The investigation squad was already made. They were just waiting for Lyells words to set out to the forest. But now that he heard Maxwells prediction, he could not leave the vige so carelessly. They could leave the protection to Maria but there was a chance that she could not handle everything, as she was dedicated to defense and support. As I am here, it would take an instant to return to the vige. But if we leave the vige, there would be problems withmunication. Yeah, we wont be able to act on it immediately if something happens here. Lets put the departure on hold for now and stand by. Listening to Maxwells advice, Lyell decided as such. He conveyed it to the person who came to get him, and they suspended the expedition. With this, the expeditionary force entered the waiting stage. Following that, the two spent time discussing their personal matters. When Maxwell saw Fina who had just woken up, he broke into a broad smile and held her up. He looked just like an old man doting on his great-grandchild. I wonder if this is how I would feel if I had grandchildren. You dont even have a daughter. Oh my, are you still going strong, Maxwell? Hmm, what do you say I adopt Fina as my adopted daughter? Nicole too. Rejected. I will not feel at peace unless its someone stronger than me, for both Fina and Nicole. That itself sounds like a cruel harassment towards them. Would they not end up single for their entire lives? There were probably only a few individuals in the entire world who could win against Lyell. It was like he was sentencing them to a life without a partner. Maxwellined in exasperation, but their conversation was interrupted by a messenger that had suddenly rushed in. I-Its trouble! Whats wrong, exin it? Tau vige to the west Is under attack from monsters! What!? Lyell was thinking that if there would be an attack, it would be on this vige. So he could not hide his shock when he heard it happened to another vige. In the meantime, Maxwell pondered about something while brushing his beard. I see So they nned to separate you from this vige, and then attack another vige at the same time. The report would be dyed in reaching you, so rescuing them would get dyed even further. They were quite thorough with this, eh? This is no time to be impressed by it. Lets go rescue them at once! Even if you tell me that, I have never been to Tau. I cannot use Teleport. Kh, so we can only use horses, huh No, we can fly. If we use the Flight spell to the utmost, we can reach it faster than the horses. If they flew, they could ignore the roads and fly straight to their destination. Moreover, the speed of this spell rivaled that of the horses. So in theory, they would be able to reach their destination faster than the horses. But even so, it was slower than teleportation. For that part, there would be people they would not make it in time to save. That fact weighed on Lyells heart. Chapter 409 Lyell arrived to the Tau vige that was close by with Maxwells Flight spell. However, the vige was already rolled up in a battle turmoil, some of the buildings burned to the ground. Seeing the state of the vige, Lyell ground his teeth to suppress his furry. Then he called out to people around while holding down his feelings. Is anyone safe around here? Could it be Lord Lyell!? Are you the viges guard? Whats the situation? We received an attack from a small number of Devils and half-demons early in the morning. Some of the buildings got burnt down, and they are wreaking havoc in the western side now. What about the evacuation? General citizens have already been evacuated. However, there are several people whose safety has not been confirmed. They are mostly girls, so there is a chance that they have been taken captive Got it. West side, yes? Maxwell and I will handle that side. You guys dedicate all your power to searching and securing the missing people. Yes sir! There was no one nearly as strong as Lyell around here. Since he had been dedicating himself to maintaining public order, he had been visiting this vige quite frequently. Given their familiarity, the guard immediately epted his instructions. After that, he and Maxwell quickly headed to the western side where the battle was taking ce. There, around a five meter tall Devil was engaged in abat with the guards, at times spewing mes that only made the fire grow. Thats as far as you go, you damn pyromaniac! Hmph, more small fries have-what, Lyell!? You seem to have been scheming something, but your ns end here. Dont resist and Ill at least let you keep your life. Could it be that you abandoned the investigation and were waiting for this surprise attack? Damn you! But I will not go down so easily. Sokram, hold him back! In reality, he was simply standing by since Nicole had already taken care of the investigation, but the half-demon man had no way of knowing it. At any rate, if he managed to hold Lyell down here, he could gain enough time to escape with the captured sacrifices. It was a miscalction that Lyell would appear here, but even so, he had to fight to the best he could. Ad The Devil called Sokram raised its hand and rushed at Lyell. A first swung by a giant over five meters tall had enough pressure to petrify everyone who saw it. But that was only talking about ordinary people. It had no effect on an experienced warrior like Lyell. You dont know when to quit Along with exasperated words, he swung his holy swords sideways as if he was swatting away a fly. With just that, Sokrams right arm went flying. GUGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! It raised a shriek, unknown whether from anger or pain. Lyell didnt even lend an ear to its scream, brandished his sword and shed at its feet. The reason he did not aim for its body was because it was far too tall. The Devil immediately avoided it, but that caused its posture to break greatly, making it step back. Impossible! Sokrams skin should be as hard as steel If thats the case, the Evil Dragons one was far harder. Khh! So even weathered, youre still a Six Hero! Whos weathered? Im still active! While he reflectively retorted to it, this time Maxwell released his spell. The spell he used was Fire Javelin. He chanted it quickly and silently, and it pierced through Sokram, having enough power to melt even iron. Seeing Sokram crumble away with a big hole in its chest, the half-demon man yelled in despair. How can this be! How could Sokram, who has fire element, be defeated with fire magic It could even rival Fire Giants Ad The man yelled and charged at Lyell with a dagger. Naturally, everyone present was well aware that he was no match for him. The reason he did it was also to seal his own lips. They had already taken several people that could serve as sacrifices. Ideally they wanted more, but it was still not a loss. He just needed to escape now, but with Lyell and Maxwell both present, that was nearly impossible. In that case, he had to gain whatever time he could for the kidnappers to make their escape. If he was captured, Maxwell could probably make him talk against his will using various spells. Thus he needed to seal his own mouth. He made this action after judging and resolving himself. Meaningless struggle Lyell naturally had no way of knowing that. He did not know what kind of counterattack someone who could summon and control Devils would have up his sleeve. Even if he cut his arms or crushed his throat, he did not know whether he couldmunicate with the Devils with some other means and give themmands. As such, he had to make sure nothing of the sort happened, so he mercilessly shed down the man over the shoulder. Khah! Sorry, but I dont know what kind of trump card a Devil user could have. Ill be putting you down here. D-Do your worst I curse you I c-ughegh The man spoke in resentment as the deep red blood bubbled out from his mouth. The color of that blood suggested that his lung was cut. It was a wound that was most certainly fatal if he was not healed. And it was a grave enough injury that even Maxwells healing arts would not make it in time. Seeing the man draw hisst breath, Maxwell heaved a deep sigh. No holding back, huh. It would have been better to leave him alive to gain information. It would be too difficult to take someone intent on dying alive. We unfortunately have no time for that now. The vige was still wrapped in mes. This ce where the battle was taking ce did not seem like it had beenpletely evacuated. There might have been more vigers requiring help. Ad Maxwell, search for the survivors. Also, it would be great if you can find the culprits that have fled. Magic is not all-powerful. It cannot do whatever I want. Maxwell shrugged his shoulders while casting Life Search, trying to find survivors. Seeing that, Lyell also started to wordlessly dig up the rubble. Chapter 410 Kufar was heading towards the Holy Tree Kingdom of Forneus along with hisrades. It was the biggest kingdom of this continent located at its centre, as well as the headquarters of the World Tree Religion that worshiped the broken World Tree Yggdrasil. They nned to secure thecking sacrifices there, and while they were at it, also stir up trouble and sow the seeds of anxiety in the peoples hearts. Thus they moved forward with that goal in mind. Still, we really arent advancing as fast as expected. We are on a walking trip, after all. We couldve enjoyed the sights if this was a carefree trip though. Well we have a goal now. I really wish we could use teleportation magic of the interference system now. That spell still needs the user to visit the ce once and record it into their brain. We would need to walk there once either way. Good grief. Even magic isnt all-mighty. Kufar walked while shrugging. Noticing that he was no longer looking as displeased as in the town, hisrades patted their chests in relief. They followed Kufar to Forneus as he walked with light gait. But then, a horseman suddenly showed up chasing after them. S-Sir Kufar! Please wait, I have a message! Seeing them, the horseman called out. Kufar recalled seeing his face before. It was one of their people that he had left in the north. Stopping his walk, he waited until the horseman caught up and addressed him. Whats wrong, was there a problem? Y-Yes. Raid on Tau vige failed! What? Raid on Tau was something they had chosen to replenish the sacrifices for the used up Devils. There was Lyells vige nearby it, but they had dispatched Needle Beetles in the forest in advance so they would use the timing Lyell was out investigating them to attack it. Ad The reason they went out of their way to choose a vige right next to Lyell was so they could cause turmoil in his sphere of influence, making people anxious. For that reason, they made it look like they were nning to attack his vige so they could bait him to the nearby vige where it would be hard to get in touch with him. And yet, the raid had apparently failed, so Kufar could not help but be shocked. Could it be that he didnt realize the Needle Beetles attack? No, he had discovered one the day before and defeated it, so he knew about their existence. Then, are you telling me that he left them be despite knowing the dangers they possessed to the vige? Why would Recovering from his astonishment, Kufar wondered in doubt. The messenger man provided additional information in the meantime. The summoner said that the Needle Beetles had gotten exterminated during that previous night. A Devil species suddenly appeared near his vige, so its plenty possible that he would decide to subjugate them that very night. But stepping into the night forest is quite a bold move. And its still too quick. It seems that Lyell himself had not left the vige. ording to our spy, he had the vignte corps stand by and didnt leave the vige that night. Then who? At Kufars question, the man looked conflicted about his response. Whats wrong? If you have any information, dont hold back and say it. Yes sir, well this is only a guess, but Maxwell had visited him the next morning. There is nothing strange in that itself, as Lyell had contacted him the previous night, but So youre saying that Maxwells subordinates had exterminated the Needle Beetles and investigated the forest? It is only my personal opinion, but that seems quite likely. I see so him again. What a disagreeable old man he is. Kufar then started pondering about something with a hand to his jaw. After thinking for a few dozen seconds, he asked the messenger man once more. Have we failed to gain anything from Tau? No, we managed to get three people, but its far from our nned number Sokram was the dispatched Devil, right? What happened to it? It was crushed by Lyell and Maxwell who suddenly rushed to the scene. Maxwell again. Hes even more trouble than Lyell since he can appear wherever he wants. And three people, huh That pretty much only makes up for the Needle Beetles and Sokram, doesnt it? Hearing Kufars words, the rest of hisrades also raised their voices. Ad He really keeps getting in the way of our ns. We really need to deal with him beforehand, dont you think? And how do you n to handle someone of his caliber so easily? But if we dont do anything, that senile old fool will keep rummaging around. He could even show up in Forneus. No, we shouldnt get careless here. Lets prioritize our advance for now. I want to maintain the status quo in the north. Are you sure, Kufar? Yeah. Theres trouble brewing there so their eyes should be focused on the north. Theres a low chance of them showing up on Forneus. So lets at least seed there. Hearing Kufars instructions, the horseman messenger turned his horse around and dashed back. As Kufar look at his retreating figure, one of hisrades addressed him in discontent. Was it really alright to leave Maxwell be? We dont have enough power to do anything at this point anyway. And that includes me too okay? It is true that we cant face Maxwell by ourselves. We need a Devil thatd serve as a trump card. Exactly. With a chilling smile, Kufar turned around. Ahead of his gaze was a giant truck of a tree that reached up to the heavens. It pierced through the clouds, but it was snapped right where it was starting to branch off. ording to the legends, the God of Destruction seemed to have broken it to subjugate the Demon Lord, but the truth was unclear. Still, broken as it may be, it was still the target of faith. Kufar snorted with a displeased expression, and resumed his walk. Chapter 411 That day, in Stors inn, the Greatshields Protection, the dining room was filled with tension. Because I, one of the famous Adventurers lodging at this inn, was acting extremely displeased. Hmph! That snort doesnt tell me anything. Whats wrong, Nicole? Im trying to be an aloof beauty, so I cant be acting so friendly. Really now I think thats a bit toote though. Michelle, who was challenging her salty miso stir-fried vegetables set, answered withck of interest, knowing that I wasnt particrly displeased. As far as I knew, that was meant for three people. Suddenly, a cocktail cup was pushed towards me. The one holding it was the owner of this inn, Gadius. Whats this? That man has ordered it for you. Dont need it. Even if you say that, they have already paid for it, so I cannot take it away. You can just not drink it if thats what you want. Then Ill do that. I pushed the cocktail aside and started eating my bread and sd set. Meanwhile, the guy who had sent that cocktail approached me. Oh, are you not drinking, youngdy? I dont drink alcohol. Ad I remember secretly taking a sip of alcohol when I joined the elementary grade of the Magic Academy, but I got knocked down with just that. Its been eight years since, and my body was very close to adulthood now. As such, my alcohol tolerance should have grown stronger too, but I didnt have enough courage to test it out. If things went bad and I lost myself before guys like these, I could see them dragging me out for a one-night stand. Do excuse me for that. Then how about milk? No thanks. Youre disturbing my meal, so go away. My indifferent attitude made the mang shrink back. I was acting this way due to Cortinas advice from the other day. Instead of dodging them with a friendly attitude, I was acting clearly displeased with an equally displeased expression, keeping men around away from me. As a result, there were far fewer men approaching me since morning. This one was one of the brave ones or should I say, one of the stupid ones that couldnt read the room and called out to me. Seeing my blunt attitude, the man gave up and went back to his seat. The annoying men have gone down But I feel more gazes on me than normal. You might be right on that. Why do you think so? I dont think its so hard to figure out, you know? Surprisingly enough, Michelle seemed to know the reason. I thought her girl power was even lower than a former man like me, so I couldnt hide my surprise at this. Tell me, will you? No. Its getting on my nerves too somehow. Ehh? For a gentle girl like her to say it was getting on her nerves, was my attitude really that bad? That was my original goal, but overdoing it might even affect Lyell and Gadius reputation. Ad It wasnt my intention to cause trouble to my oldrades, so I pressed Michelle for answers. But she remained quiet, but instead, it was Gadius who brought seconds who answered. Do you really not realize it, ReNicole. I dont. Sigh With an exasperated sigh, Gadius continued. Listen. You have seen Cortina acting angry several times, right? Yeah. And what did you think when you saw her that way? At his words, I thought back about Cortinas attitude from the old days. Acting angry. Faintly puffed cheeks, folded arms, and turned back. All that coupled with her young appearance was really ticking my sadistic desires. Yeah, she was really adorable. Right? Well, I do not really get it though. At any rate, you look just like her now. W-What did you say!? Impossible, do I look so coquettish now? Seeing my expression dyed in despair and bewilderment, Michelle looked like she was really exasperated. She looked at Gadius and both of them shrugged. I didnt overlook that a certain part of her jiggled at the same time. That part of her was more worthy of envy though. That said, it is pointless even if a man approaches her. Right? Ad The two started discussing it without me. Incidentally, Finia and Cloud were out shopping. I actually wanted for all of us to go, but when we gathered together, so did the gazes on us grew more intense. It wasnt my doctrine to stand out, so I just left it to those two. And I let Cloud, in particr, go with her since there was heavy luggage to carry. Ah yes I received an interestingmission. Would you like to take it? Interesting? Yes, guarding a merchant. And someone you know well too. Who? It has been three years since I came to this city. My acquaintances have grown in number quite a bit. At the same time, we were famed for our skill too, and the fact that we climbed from first to fourth rank in three years was attracting attention in various ways too. Even if he said someone I knew well, I had too many people in mind to narrow down to one. Its Sir Temuru. The peddler. Oh, him. It was the merchant that had helped me when going to Raum and also toe here. We have interacted several times, so I remembered his face well. What does he need? It seems that he is heading towards the Holy Tree Kingdom of Forneus this time. And he is looking for guards. What about Leon? It seems that he is in Raum now. Due to that, he wasining that he could not get a hold of temporary guards. Normally Temuru worked with Leon, but the timing was off this time it seems. So Gadius decided to redirect that request to up-anding Adventurers like us. But Are you sure? About what? Forneus was also the headquarters of the World Tree Religion. At the same time, it was the ce with the most discrimination against half-demons. For Cloud who had been surrounded with well-natured Adventurers of Raum, this could prove to be a difficult journey. Ad That cruel reality could even crush his spirit, making him quit being an Adventurer and confine himself indoors. That was my current fear. What if his heart breaks from this? I asked Gadius, unintentionally switching to my male tone. The discrimination that half-demons faced was truly severe. It was on a different levelpared to the discrimination he faced in the orphanage during the early days when we met. It could even pose danger to his life. I have heard that there were many half-demon Adventurers who had their hearts broken from that reality. But Gadius snorted at my question. Hmph, I have not trained him to be so soft that he would break from that. Besides He has to learn it, sooner orter. I was thinking that it was a bit too early for him You really are soft to yourrades, huh. I noticed that youve been like that since the previousfor a long time. Gadius corrected his words somewhat since Michelle was also present. Having a bad intuition, she was merely looking quizzically at us, but I was still thankful for his consideration. That wasnt important now. Trip to Forneusdiscrimination against half-demons was a wall that Cloud had to face eventually. The fact that the timing for it was now, could be said to be a fortunate thing in a way. Because in normal cases, you were hit with that reality without being prepared. Coming to that conclusion, I returned a small nod at Gadius. Chapter 412 Only Michelle and I heard about themission Gadius offered us, so we had to discuss it with Finia and Cloud too just in case. Since this would be a work-rted conversation, we couldnt do it at the usual dining hall. As such, I had everyone gather in my room and discuss the currentmission there. And so, Mr. Temuru is going to the Holy Tree Kingdom of Forneus and wants to hire guards for that. Forneus Thats pretty far. At my exnation, Finia took out the map and expressed the biggest concern. It would take about a month to reach Forneus from here. Reaching the capital, Berith, would take about two, or even close to three if you took it a bit slow. So far, we havent traveled for so long, so Finia, being the cautious person, was firstly worried about that. Yeah, it would be quite a long trip. And our first experience of its kind. But thinking about the future, its probably better that we do it. The future? Yes. We are Adventurers, so we would have to go on expeditions, right? So having no experience in long-distance journeys would leave us quitecking. And only being able to work locally would leave a bad impression on our clients too. Cloud backed up my opinion. He seemed to be in approval for this times expedition. For now, at least Frankly, its hard to say whether the preserved foods wouldst that long. It would mean we would have to hunt on site. And resupply at towns on the way. Its important to n our trip ording to that. We have to n even more urately than before, or we would drop dead on the road Is what you are trying to say, yes? Right. Of course, as long as we found prey, I could take it down one way or another. With Michelle along, we would hardly be troubled with food during the trip. With her current skill, she could easily shoot down even vultures at max speeds. Ad From here to Berith, we needed to go through Raums forest area and the mountain range at its border, as well as the grasnds that stretched beyond it, all of which were regions with plenty of game. It wasnt an environment that would trouble us in regards to food. Problem is Water. Since you can use Purify, Finia, we can drink even muddy water. But if we want to travel in good spirits, we would have to secure a lot of water. Shall we buy a carriage? That way, we can put water barrels on it. Temuru did have a carriage too. But it would probably be filled withmodities of trade. It wouldnt be bad to have our own carriage. Rather, its strange that we didnt have one until now. We had gained enough experience to warrant one. Certainly, I believe its time for us to get our own carriage. Our ie has been stabletely too. Then I want a personal horse too! Youre getting ahead of yourself, Cloud. Whyy!? Still, Cloud had a point. Given his heavy equipment and role, he would tire out the most during a long journey. Also, him rushing to the battle also increased the safety of the rest of hisrades. To supplement his mobility, it was a good idea to have him ride a horse. But yes, you have a point Okay, lets splurge here and get a two-horse carriage and one more horse. Yay! We would buy the carriage with horses and also buy one horse for Cloud. With three horses, even if one of them got injured, we would have one in reserve. Naturally, buying a living creature came with the maintenance costs, but it was easy to cover with our current ie, having be fourth-rank. That aside, Finia and Cloud, you two need to be careful about something else. Something else? Yeah. Forneus is the headquarters of the World Tree Religion. In other words, the discrimination against half-demons is the worst there. Oh Since were going to a ce like that, we need to think of a n to hide your horn too. I see. No one has been looking at me that way, so I didnt think of that. Youll probably face difficulties there. Even knowing that, do you want to ept thismission? At my words, Cloud hung his head and started muttering something. He was most likely imagining the abuse hed face based on his past experiences. But after a while, he raised his face, and his eyes were filled with determination. Ille. Its probably a request I dont have to take, but this is also experience. Besides, I know from Raum and Stor that there arent only cruel people out there. Even though you might go through a painful experience? If I know it beforehand, Ill be more preparedpared to facing it without knowing Thats why Teacher Gadius gave us this request, right? Something like that. It seems that Cloud had seen through Gadius intentions. Umm, what did you mean about me needing to be careful too? Finia, you are an elf, so it wouldnt be like Cloud. The problem instead is your dagger. The dagger on her waist released its true worth with a keyword. And that keyword was problematic. The Holy Tree Kingdom of Forneus used to be a kingdom called Naberius. The one who broke the World Tree during that age wasthe God of Destruction Yuuri. Though it was to defeat the Demon Lord that had terrorized the world at the time, Naberius was thrown into chaos when the center of their faith was broken. They failed to maintain their national policy and changed into the Holy Tree Kingdom of Forneus. The keyword to make Finias dagger oscite was,Praise the God of Destruction. It was proof that the God of Destruction had personally created this magic item. Without this, Finia with hercking strength could not output sufficient lethal power. At the very least, her attacks would be fended off even by leather armor. In other words, if you bring it there and people get to know about it Yikes, I can already see Ill have an even worse time than Cloud. Right? So you got to be careful, understand? Yes Finia hung her head and answered affirmatively. It appeared that no one was against taking thismission. And thus, we decided to head to the Holy Tree Kingdom of Forneus. Chapter 413 The next day, we asked to meet Temuru to report that we epted his request. Since he was a peddler, he didnt have a shop that would serve as his base. Instead, he apparently used a room at his inn for a simr purpose. We were guided to the room of a luxurious inn that was distinguished in Stor. It has been some time, Sir Temuru. The inn staff guided us to his room, and I gave a fixed greeting to him right as we entered. Temuru, however, didnt respond and merely stared petrified with his mouth open. Um Sir Temuru? Ah, yes, right Could you be Nicole? Yes. Its been three years. That took me by surprise. I barely recognized you! I have met Temuru several times in Raum, but this was our first time meeting since I came to Stor. Three years was enough time to greatly change my appearance. It wasnt strange for him to act like this. Rebooting himself, he expressed his impressions with a p of his hands. You were a beauty three years ago, but now you are the very picture of femme fatale. Ad Right now, I was very simr to my Haumea disguise from before. Now that I had taken the form that made Elliot fall with one shot, I was extremely troubled from incessant marriage proposals and requests of association. Finia still looked every bit as dainty as before. Michelles waist was no longer child-like and had developed a nice figure. We have be famous Adventurers in this city, but I couldnt deny that our appearances yed a part in our fame. Even Cloud had grown into a tall handsome man, so our party wasposed of nothing but beauties. We have heard from Gadius that you were searching for guards for Forneus. Wed like to ept thatmission. Ohh, you wish to take over? Yes. As for the reward I tried to charge him a bit higher. I wasnt doing it out of spite or anything, I just expected him to start haggling the price so I started it myself. However, he didnt do anything of the sort in the end and practically agreed to give our asking price. Huh, are you sure? Of course. It is certainly a little higher than the market price, but traveling while surrounded by so many beauties is not something somon. Considering that, its rather on the cheaper end. Really? Im starting to feel bad here. I had never really disyed it in my previous life, but my sense of justice was quite strong from the start. I was somehow set on fighting and ended up following the assassins life, so I felt really weird to be told in the face that I was soft-hearted. It felt like bugs were crawling up my spine. While I squirmed and straightened myself, Temuru switched to a different topic, Also, since there are two carriages this time, so just your group might be inefficient. Im thinking of hiring an additional party of Adventurers He used the opportunity where I was quiet and spoke. Weve only heard about guarding him, so this was news to us. Do you know what kind of people they are? I hope they arent the troublesome bunch, given our appearances and all. No, it hasnt been decided yet. Certainly, protecting two carriages with just us might be too much as he said. I could understand his idea of putting one group per carriage. That said, we had quite outstanding appearances. If the other group started calling out to us for the entire duration of this month-long trip, it would be far too depressing. There might even be people whod try to do somethingwless. I voiced my concerns to Temuru. I certainly understand your worries. I too would rather not have guards who get infatuated with you. Lets see Then maybe you know Adventurers who you would not minding along? Are you giving us the right to choose? As he said, Temuru would not really care about the details if he could just hire the Adventurers referred through the Guild or the inns connected to it. The problem was thatwewere too conspicuous. In that case, the best method would be for us to choose a bunch thatd cause the least problems. That said, Temuru who offered such a suggestion so readily was quite a broad-minded man. He was entrusting the safety of himself and his luggage to the decision of someone else. Well The most trustworthy person in this city would be Gadius If I could hire Lord Gadius, I would readily do so even if I had to pay twice what you suggested! No, thatd be impossible, after all. He has his inn work. Thats unfortunate. Temuru looked actually dejected, despite the fact that he shouldve known it was impossible from the start. Or perhaps he just got ahead of himself here, since I held special connections to Gadius. Lets see, Gadius will naturally be impossible, but I know this Adventurer called Mark. If its him and his party, I dont think they would try anything with us. Marks group had been working hard just like us and had risen to the third-rank which was the level of normal adventurers. Since they were close to Cloud in age, weve partied several times together. Perhaps due to that, they had gained some tolerance against our beauty and stopped trying to hit on us. It felt nostalgic how they used to be all over Finia back then. Ad Oh? They must be worthy of attention if youre rmending them, Nicole. Alright then, I will nominate them. Are you really sure youre fine with me deciding it? I am. Seeing that littledy from before growing into a properdy, or should I say, independent Adventurer, has moved me quite a bit. Of course, I would trust your suggestion. Is that so, thank you very much for trusting me. Not at all. Please say that once this trip is over. With that done, do you have anything else to discuss? Temuru gave me a friendly smile. It was like the face of a grandfather directed at his grandchild. If thats what he felt, I suppose I could make use of his good will. Well. We have decided that we need one already, so would you be able to secure us a two-horse carriage? I would also like a horse for Cloud. Three horses and one carriage, yes? Im sure you are aware, but that would be quite expensive. We have enough savings. But if its impossible No, I will ask my rancher acquaintance. I can do something about the carriage itself. Thank you very much. Our budget would be around We managed to settle on a moderate or rather, pretty cheap price for the carriage. Like this, we epted Temurusmission. Chapter 414 After some time, the day we would be departing Stor with Temuru hade. A round trip that would take about two whole months was a first for us, so we packed quite a lot of luggage, but we had a carriage so we didnt feel the weight. We practiced driving a carriage before the departure, and at present, we were all trained enough to ride on the highway. Nicole, well be depending on you for the duration of this journey. Oh, Mark, its been a while. Seems like youve grown even more? No way Id have grown taller at this age. We have formed parties with Mark several times over the past three years, so I was familiar with his disposition. And he was also used to our looks, so he wouldnte to hit on us. You could say he was someone very easy to party up with from my perspective. We have my two carriages and one from Nicoles side, but are you sure you can handle so many? There should be no problems as long as we guard front and back. Temuru had some apprehensions that our carriages stacked up to form quite a big line. Finia reassured him as we got ready to depart. Our carriage would be leading, followed by Temurus carriage. And at the tail, there was one more carriage loaded with merchandise. Our carriage had a canopy too, so it could shelter us from rain. Marks groups luggage was also being loaded on it. Ad Having a carriage really is convenient, huh? John and Tony were mumbling such things while loading the luggage. They were still third-rank, so they could not afford a carriage. Thus they ended up using our carriage for their things. We need one for ourselves. Thates after we get to fourth-rank. We have some breathing room now, but a carriage is still too soon. Tony rebuked the grumbling John. If they wasted money there, the leeway the breathing room they finally obtained would disappear. When you reached the third rank, you were considered to have the ability of an average Adventurer, but subjugating monsters still came with the exhaustion of the equipment. Until they reached the fourth-rank, considered to be the area of veterans and skilled people, there was no profitable work around, so they still could not go wild. Well then, the coachman of our leading carriage will be Finia. Michelle, you sit next to her. Ill go on foot. Cloud you ride the horse and keep in line with us. Okay. Mark, you guys stay alert for our backs. I doubt Michelle and I will overlook anything, but there is a chance that a surprise attack coulde from there. Got it, leave it to us. Sir Temuru, you stay in the center and prioritize protecting yourself inside the carriage. Alright, time to go! With my order, Finia set the carriage into motion. The two carriages followed behind us, with Marks group at the tail. We reported our departure to the gate guard and set our course towards the south. The Holy Tree Kingdom of Forneus was to the east from here, but there was no straight path to it from Stor. We had to return to Raums vicinity first before changing our route to the south. It would have been great if I could use the Portal Gate. You can only carry two people with Teleport, so thats impossible for now, Lady Nicole. Yeah. Besides, you can quickly return once you visit it once, so Im jealous as is. Well, it is convenient for sure. If I felt like it, I could return to Stor, or even the northern vige. In fact, thats what I did whenever I wasnt adventuring. But since there was a risk that Finia and others would get attacked during that, I couldnt do it so willy-nilly. When I grow up and be able to freely teleport where I want, Im sure such easy trips would be possible. We traveled the countryside for some time after leaving Stor, so there were great views. The safety was maintained too so there was no need to be overly vignt. The weather was also nice, so we were advancing along in a very rxed manner. Its such nice weather. Im feeling sleepy for some reason. Then would you like to walk, Michelle? Huh, no! I scolded Michelle who waspletely devoid of tension while suppressing a yawn myself. Hmm? But then, I let out a questioning voice. It was because I saw a bird flying in the skies above. It was like a small dot seen from below, but scaling its size to how high it was, it was actually quiterge. Hmm, is that a vulture? Seems to be. Huh where? Finia affirmed my guess, while Michelle was searching for it all around. Seeing that Cloud dropped his shoulders. A vulture huh. No point being a shielder against birds. Well, they are flying enemies, after all. Cant be helped. That was a surprisingly clear assessment given that it came from Cloud. There was hardly a point in the rank of troops when it came to aerial monsters. We were ground beings, and as such, the sky was always a blind spot for us. Being alert against them was the duty of us scouts. Fortunately, we had a mighty anti-aircraft tower by the name of Michelle with us, so we were gonna deal a preemptive strike on it. Ad Michelle, itd be a problem if that one attacks us, so take the initiative and take it down. Okay, got it. So birds on todays menu! No, thats not what I mean Valencia One, Ultramarine One, Gold Three, bring one to the extremeOverboost. The vulture was too far to shoot from here. As such, there was a need for her to use the Third Eye, so I cast Overboost, one of the top-ranking enchanting spells on Michelle. Although not on Teleports level, this spell was still quite advanced, so it took a good chunk of my magic power. Even so, it was still better than exposing our client to danger, so I used it without being frugal. By the way, Michelle could use the bow even with the spell bestowed to the bangle on her arm, it put a lot of physical burden on her, so she was trying to limit using it to the utmost. Okay, here I go! She pulled out the Third Eye with great force and drew it. She had replenished the steel arrows and the spares were in the luggage carrier, so she wasnt hesitant on using them. Then, the loosen arrow stayed true to its aim and pierced the vulture. That night, we had a grilled bird as requested by Michelle. Chapter 415 Since then, we have made good progress on the trip for the next two weeks. There were some monsters that attacked us on the way, but I preemptively sensed them and Michelle took them out before they managed to get to us so ourbo managed to repel practically all of them. Thanks to that, the preserved foods that we nned to consume on the road were almost untouched now. Sho, wewu bwe awywymgh in waum shoon. (So, well be arriving in Raum soon.) Michelle, choose between speaking and eating. Munch, munch. So youve chosen to eat huh? Yup. I asked in exasperation as Michelle started munching on the overnight dried jerky of a Huge Viper that attacked usst night. Her appetite really knew no bounds. I waited until she finished off the jerky and asked once again. So, what were you saying again? Oh yeah, I was wondering if we could stay a night in Raum since we are about to reach it. Hmm I understood what she wanted to say. Raum was where her parents and close friend lived. I did not feel so nostalgic since I could frequently return to Raum, but she hadnt seen them for three years. It was natural for her to want to meet them. That said, the situation in Raum still hadnt calmed down, and some power-hungry nobles beyond Maxwells reach could aim for her. It could be dangerous for her to enter the city so brazenly. Ad Can you wait outside for a bit then? Ill go ask Maxwell. Lady Nicole, we should let Sir Temuru know first. Oh, right. Cloud, I leave the guarding to you. Got it. We were being hired after all. If we were going to leave our posts, it wasmon sense to at least let our employer know. I stopped and went to the second carriage. Seeing me stop before his carriage, Temuru called out to me. Is something the matter, Nicole? No, we were just talking about Raum thats ahead, and Michelle and I had something to do there. I see, shall we wait for you outside the city then? Fortunately, our food reserves havent gone down, so we can depart once we refill our water. No, well, Ill like to discuss that first, so Id like to go on ahead, do you mind? It would be a little worrying without your guarding But this region has public order maintained so I suppose it would be fine. Thank you. Ill be off then. I wille back fast. He felt a little hesitant, but he still gave permission so I used the Teleport spell. That said, it needed me to construct aplex magic circle, so its not like I could cast it immediately. I fully understood how separated frommon sense Maxwell was for being able to use it in the middle of a battle. It took me a few minutes to construct the spell, though partly because I was walking while doing it, and then I teleported to Maxwells mansion in Raum. Just before I did, I felt like I heard Temuru saying something about being envious of the teleportation magic. Certainly, for peddlers like him who had no choice but to walk, this spell was the object of envy. The scenery before my eyes changed momentarily, teleporting me into Maxwells familiar living hall. This was both the ce where I studied my magic and also the one I was the most familiar with. And ever since I learned to use the teleportation spell, Maxwell had removed the teleportation jamming from this room, so I could teleport only here inside the mansion. Oh well if it isnt little missy Nicole. It has been a while, hm? Waiting for me there wasnt Maxwell but Mateus. The way he was dressed in dusting clothes with an apron on rough-looking clothes, it was hard to imagine that he was a first-ss Swordsman. That said, the way he moved his body had no faults, making it clear that he had gotten ustomed to his housekeeper role over the years. Ad Its been a while, Mateus. Sad to see you in good health. Now that was an awful greeting. Do you have business with the old man? Yeah. Is he around? No, he is in the academy office, I think? Ill head there then. Gotcha. Its been a while since Ive be an Adventurer, so I seem to have lost my sense of weekdays. After I returned a rough greeting to Mateus, I ran off towards the Academy right away. I rushed through the streets as my silver hair fluttered to the wind, and passed through the academy gate. I felt like the passersby gazes were focusing on me on the way, but I decided to ignore it. It was probably people mistaking me for Haumea that I disguised myself as before. It would be bad if an outsider stood out inside the academy, so I used my Stealth Gift and avoided the eyes. Then sneakily barged into the board chairmans office where Maxwell was while erasing my footsteps. Waah!? Oh, its you, Reid. Sorry for the scare, Maxwell. I pulled out a reserve chair and flipped into it facing Maxwell. I crossed my legs and conveyed Michelles wish to him, asking whether it was possible. Maxwells expression wrinkled up as he observed my behavior. Hmm, you are asking if it is okay for her to enter Raum, is it? He brushed his beard and pondered over my question. After a while, he squeezed out an answer, Well, a few days would not hurt I suppose. I should not be saying it so self-importantly when I cant even control the nobles. I feel very apologetic towards her. Well, yeah. I mean if someone you really cant handlees up, Ill deal with them. Assassinating them at random would only make them harder to control. I suppose thats true too It wasnt like nobles didnt do any work at all. They acted as agents of tax revenue in the management ofnd, and they worked considerably when it came to the cirction of goods too. Ad If such nobles decreased, thends left without a supervisor would fall to ruin and the kingdom would also lose the tax yields. That would lead to the weakening of the kingdom, and woulde to threaten the lives of its citizens. Maxwell knew that well, hence why he was against excessive punishment. Its a tough situation. Oh well. We were only going to stop by to replenish water, so a few days time is already more than enough. Do apologize to little Michelle for me. Will do. Also, are you nning to show your face to Cortina? Now that I think about it, I havent done that as ofte. Maybe because I was seeing her once a month as Reid, I havent been showing up as Nicole all that much. We were talking about thatpany-loving girl. Im sure she was grumping about being neglected. She was my benefactor even from Nicoles standpoint and was even my guardian for a time. Still, I couldnt go right away. Well, Ill do it once we actually arrive here. I have to return quickly now. Im on guard duty, after all. I see. But I have to say Maxwell suddenly pointed at me. The way you sit is honestly improper, so I hope you stop doing it. Hmm? I noticed it after his words. Having my heels on my knees left my crotch exposed, so it was looking quite immodest for ady. When I was before Maxwell, my manly behavior leaked out involuntarily. It was probably because I was often assuming Reids form whenever I returned here. I had to keep it in mind to not do the same before Cortina too. Chapter 416 Once I finished my talk with Maxwell, I returned to Temuru to convey the affirmative response. Michelle was the one that information was directed to, so I just lightly let Temuru know. When I conveyed to Michelle that she could return, she started jumping around on top of the coachmans seat. Really!? Yaaay! Kya, thats dangerous, Michelle! Ah, my baaad! Her jump caused the carriage to sway a lot, making Finia next to her scream. My eyes were drawn more to something that also swayed along with the carriage however. This is how men are, so please forgive me. Though Im missing my boy down there now. Still, I wasnt very pleased by the idea of any other manying their eyes on it. I silently drove a fist into Clouds nk when I saw that his eyes were also directed at them. Since he was riding on the horse, his nk was higher than my head so I had to jump to make that fist count. However, Temuru only needs to refill the water, so we really can only stay for a night at most, okay? Yeah, thats more than enough! Right, I have to thank Mr. Temuru! He was nning to stop by anyway, so I think you dont have to worry about that, really But you should thank Maxwell. Since it was known that she would be stopping by, it needed sufficient behind-the-scenes maneuvering and putting people in check. Considering all that work, we were really making the old man work hard here. Yeah, but if not for Mr. Temurus work, we wouldnt havee here in the first ce. I see, then go ahead. Ill keep watch over the surroundings. Okay, thanks! Ad She hopped down from the carriage and dashed to the back. Finia looked at her in exasperation while also smiling. Michelles actions tended to be a bit selfish, but I couldnt me her at all, so I wasnt sure whether that was an unfair or good part of her Once she drew near the second carriage and Finia judged that she couldnt hear us, she asked me. But is this really alright? Hmm, what? There are still many nobles aiming for Michelle, right? It was an ability that corrected every shot of the user. Everything from throwing stones, shooting a bow, or even a ballista. She even owned a transcendent weapon like the Third Eye, so many nobles might be intent on getting their hands on her even if they had to take some risks. Even with Maxwells protection, the second or third Lichtenberg could show up. The residual heat about her had died down considerably over the past three years, but the impact she left during the Goblin raid was still standing strong. But well, Maxwell judged that it would be alright with that taken into ount, so it should be fine dont you think? Besides, we are with her! Yeah, you should keep your eyes on her too, Cloud. Roger that. Except peeking. R-Roger that Thatst one didnt sound so dependable. Well, I guess it cant be helped. Michelle has grown quite attractive in these three years. As I sighed and shrugged, Finia pointed ahead. Lady Nicole, we can see Raum already! She hasnt seen Raum in a long time either. Unlike me who returned once a month, Michelle and Finia couldnt return to Raum unless they had an important business. In fact, they hadnt returned even once these past three years, so this was a homing after three years for them Though their actual hometown was the northern vige. Ah, Nicole. Can I have some free time too? Hm? Oh, sure. Go ahead. Since both Michelle and I were leaving Temurus side, I kinda wanted him to stay, but he probably wanted to show his face at the orphanage too. I guessed that and gave him the permission. I felt bad for Finia, but I had to leave guarding Temuru to her. Raum gradually grew bigger. Its characteristic spires and the castle behind them. The scenery that felt nostalgic now moved us as we passed through the city gates. I arrived at Cortinas house for the first time in a bit over two weeks. That said, I was only showing up as Nicole about once a year. It has really been a while since I have met her with this form. I had to bear that in mind or I could start acting unnatural. Cortina, Im back. Our carriages arrived in Raum past the evening. Cortina should have already been home, so I headed there to say hi. Michelle impatiently dashed to her home, and Cloud also headed to the orphanage. Finia was unfortunately stuck apanying Temuru for guarding. Marks group was with them too so it should be alright, but I was still worried. Ahh, Nicole! Its been so long! Yeah, about a year I guess? You sure have grown. Youre already as tall as me. Cortina came to the entrance with light pping steps, and was amazed to see my growth. That was only natural, as I had grown rapidly, being in a growth period, and was about as tall as her now. Her face that I used to look up at before was in front of me now, so it was pretty moving in its own way. I am growing too after all. I puffed my chest in pride. It had already grown bigger than Cortinas. That made her frown and counterattacked after a cough. Ad And your chest too If Elliot saw them, hed start the marriage uproar again. It finally got called off, so dont add fuel to the fire. Ahaha, I know, I know. Laughing cheerfully, she invited me in. Her house without Finia had started to look a little out of order, but not enough to be a bother. Perhaps because I was visiting her once a month, she started to clean it quite diligently. I suppose she had grown up too in that aspect. Chapter 417 Cotina invited me to the dining room and treated me to a quick meal. That said, it wasnt handmade, but rather a small dish bought at the stall. She was living alone now and was also working in the academy. It was natural for her to not have time to make dinner by hand. Sorry about offering ready-made food. Its been like thistely. Finia would have worked some magic on it if she was here. But I had her stay on guard duty. Guard? You mean guarding a trader? Yeah. Temuru is heading to the Holy Tree Kingdom of Forneus. Forneus! Thats pretty far. It took us two weeks to get here from Stor, and would take about two more to reach the capital city Berith. The highway was being maintainedtely, but in the past it used to take a month to get to Berith. Thanks to the highway, it has decreased to two weeks now. It led straight to Berith, and it offered a clear view around both an advantage and disadvantage. Highways with good views were good feeding grounds both for bandits and monsters. The safety was maintained near the urban areas, but there was a point where it ended. Otherwise, there would be no need to hire guards. Vultures that could attack from above, Stalk Dogs that were proficient in hiding, and Strike Boars that had high offensive power, increased in number as you went. It wouldnt be an exaggeration to say that the true adventure would start from here on. I see Hmm Whats wrong? Hearing about my destination, Cortina started pondering with a finger to her chin. This was her characteristic pose when thinking about something. But what was to ponder in the current topic, I had no idea. Ad I mean, I have umted quite a lot of rest days. I was thinking of taking a long vacation in one go here. Huh, you mean Yeah, I was thinking ofing along too. Hwah!? I was shocked at her sudden idea. I have one month free until Reid visits again, so I think I can ck off for that long. Thats not something a teacher should be saying! But Im worried. You havent had two-week trips that often, right? As Cortina said, we werent really used to going on long trips. This was our third time going on a two-week trip. Actually, one of them was where we were just passengers being protected, so its more urately our second time. That said, I personally had a lot of experience with it, so I didnt worry that much. Problem was Finia, Cloud and Michelle who didnt have such experience. In that sense, I was worried about them like Cortina. Well, I guess youing along would be good? Right? Right? But are you really sure? I am, I am. Ive already finished off my debt to Maxwell, so it wouldnt be a bad thing to take a long vacation here. Really? It seems that Cortina had be quite overprotective while I was away. From the start, her job was something to rehabilitate her heart, so it was a good time for her to start acting for herself. It was a separate issue whether I should be deciding that for her, but it certainly would be a great help if she came along. Thus I honestly conveyed my feelings about the matter. Being honest like this was also something I learned after reincarnating. Well, Ill be grateful if you came along. Then its settled! Ill go tell Maxwell quickly. Saying that, she stuffed her cheeks with the food and munched on it like a squirrel. She didnt look like someone in their forties at all, but more like a child. She stayed youthful without an end. Or was it my bias that made me think so, I wonder? Ad Thanks for the meal. Okay, Im off. Take care. But calm down first, okay? She dashed to the entrance whileughing. I felt relief to see her acting as unsettled as ever, but also couldnt help but smile wryly. The next day, I headed to the square before the city gate to meet up with Temuru who had finished refilling the water. Since we were here, I wanted to meet with Letina too, but she was both a noble and lived in a dormitory. She couldnte outside, so I gave up on the reunion for the time being. There were many others I wanted to catch up to, but I gave up for now and headed to the meetup ce. Next to me was Cotina who finished her travel preparations overnight, and Why are you here? Isnt it fine? One more or one less doesnt make much difference. I told her shed just get in the way with her stamina. But she kept insisting. Cortina made excuses while holding her head. It was rare for her to be this perplexed. But that was only natural, because Dr. Tricia was following her by the side. Im thankful that you cured my illness But are you sure this is okay? Back when we climbed Mount Nord, she got tired to the point she almost copsed. She was a self-acknowledged indoor type, so I didnt think she could keep up with this trip. But ignoring the two of our fears, Tricia casually waved her hand and denied it. Itll be fine. And we have carriages this time around, right? Ill just ride one all the way. Tricia Youre totally in a pleasure jaunt mode, arent you? I havent taken a vacation in a long time just like you. It should be fine to use it up for this opportunity. You let Maxwell know, right? I barged in early in the morning andmadehim approve it. Seizing the initiative against THAT Maxwell made this woman pretty tough, huh? I shrugged while squinting my eyes, agreeing with hering along. Fortunately, we had more than enough food and water. There wouldnt be any problems even if passengers increased by one or two. Ad At the square, Temuru and Finia had already finished their preparations for departure. Michelle, Cloud and Marks group had done the same and were standing by. It seems that we were thest to arrive. Im sorry for being Late, Sir Temuru. Not at all. That aside, the person next could you, could it be? Yes, Cortina decided to join us too. Would it be alright? So it really was Lady Cortina! I am delighted to see you in good health as always. It would be a pleasure beyond my expectations to travel with you. Cortina and Temuru were acquaintances. Im d he epted it quickly. That said, there was probably no merchant in this city whod be able to turn her down. Like this, with two more people on board, we departed from Raum. Chapter 418 Once Cortina joined us, our journey had turned even smoother. Michelle and I already had a thorough surveince, but Cortina started warning us about points where we could potentially be ambushed in advance. Animal-type monsters generally didnt resort to ambushes, but bandits and intelligent monsters could be extremely troublesome when they did. She predicted ces where they could be lying in wait, then scouted them with a familiar, so the enemy had no way to set up an ambush. And if they couldnt get the first move on us, they would only be taking the full brunt of Michelles arrows. There were frequent cases where the bandit leader ended up with her arrow in the head before even realizing what was going on. I knew it already, but you really are merciless. Huh, but you told me todo it, Nicole. Well I guess I did Ahead of where we were heading, there were four Goblin corpses on the highway with arrows between their brows. All of them were Michelles doing. Incidentally, this happened within five seconds after I told her to do it, so it was clear that her skill had grown even higher. Yeaa, I didnt think itd be so one-sided. I thought Cloud would take on two of them. My work has been decreasingtely And my standing with it Youre in a party full of beauties so it cant be helped. So, whos your favorite? If I say that Id be a dead man, so please leave me alone. Cloud shrugged pathetically while riding his horse with shield and sword in hands. He has been doing horseback training these past two weeks, so he was getting the hang of controlling the horse using his legs alone. Youre still better off, Cloud. Were just following you guys along at this point. You said it. Im feeling bad to even ept the reward for this. Ad Mark grumbled, havinge here from the back since Cortina had seen through the Goblin ambush. Lately, they had nothing to do too. It was the result of Cortina, I, and Michelle being too overpowered. Coming this far, I remembered the words Gadius told me in my previous life. It was back when I grouped up with newbies, but did everything alone and they returned without doing anything. Back then heined, saying, they will not learn anything like that. I was falling into that situation all over again now. Hmm. Well it would be safe this way for sure, but it wouldnt benefit your group, Mark. Our group? Yeah. Arent you pretty much leeching off us? Like this, youd feel bad and wont gain any experience. Thats, well you have a point. After interacting with Michelle and others like this and giving them a sense of growth, it would be bad for me to do everything on my own. Thinking a bit, I decided to change our deployment. Lets see Marks group and I will go on ahead while Michelle and the rest of you fall back, how about it? We couldnt neglect being alert for the enemies. But for the sake of their experience, Ill try to stay away from it as much as I can. With Michelles long-range skill, she could support the frontline even from all the way back. Besides, the backline needed guarding too, so there was a meaning in her staying there. It was a little worrying that the carriage would turn into the front row, but this was an experience too. Rather, the four of us excluding Cloud standing at the front row might have actually been attracting bandits and goblins to us. Each and every one of us was a beauty and stood at the front line, so of course wed stand out. It was natural that wed arouse vulgar desires. Hiding in the back also worked to avoid that. Like this, we changed our deployment and continued our advance. When it approached evening, I sensed an ambush. Ad I wanted to use a familiar and scout ahead, but I couldnt use a Familiar spell. However, the peculiar beastly smell drifting upwind was telling me it was either Kobolds or Goblins. As I focused my eyes, I saw grass ahead swaying unnaturally. They were probably hiding there. When we were this far from the city, monster attacks also grew in number. However, Marks group still didnt seem to have noticed it. Hmm? I couldve just let them know, but the previous me would have just gone ahead and taken the initiative. However, considering that this was supposed to be a lesson for them, it might be good for them to have a bit of a painful experience. As the carriage line advanced and approached close enough that theyd attack any moment now, Tony finally noticed the enemy ambush. I suppose that was third-rank for you, he still managed to notice it before it was toote. Halt, theres an enemy! What?! Mark and John eximed in shock, though they still pulled out their weapons and stood alert for the surroundings. Tonys yell made the Goblins realize that they were spotted and they jumped out from the grass. They get minus points for making themselves so clearly vignt, but I suppose it wasnt that big of a problem. Goblins were no longer enemies for them. As long as they werent taken by surprise, they were strong enough to easily defeat them. As I expected, the Goblins got exterminated in the blink of an eye and the situation ended without an incident. Chapter 419 After the Goblin attack, I lectured Marks group for a bit, but they seem to have fully learned the importance of vignce so I went and let them return to their old position. After that, the journey continued without a hitch as we repelled attacks without ever getting ambushed. As we passed the mountain area at the country border, we entered the grasnds, so the view became even more unobstructed and the safety grew. On the way, there was the Randa river that used to be a perilous pass, but that was in the past. At present, there was a splendid bridge spanning over it, so we easily crossed it. And now Come on, good luck. Reid, Cortina! Michelle, can you stop calling that name? Michelle whipped the carriage horse to raise the speed. We were in the middle of escaping from the Stalk Dogs. Stalk Dogs were quite nasty monsters that lied in wait in the grass and chased their prey with their nearly inexhaustible stamina until it was too tired and attacked. But their biggest trait was their numbers. They hunted in at least groups of ten, so they were often too much to handle with only a few Adventurers. Weve seen through the enemys stealth this time too, but they numbered thirty in number so we chose to escape from them, but they just kept persistently attacking us. Michelle didnt have thirty arrows on hand either, so we decided to flee, but I didnt expect them to keep chasing us to this point. And the name she was yelling out now wasnt referring to me but to the carriage horse. Ad Huh, I mean its the name of a Six Hero, right? Isnt it a sign of good luck? I mean, the guy in question is dead, so its just a bad sign! Id rather you dont use that name either. Cortina and my protests made Michelle pout. However, Finia was surprisingly in support of it. I-I think its a good name! Nows not the time to argue about that! Clouds horse ran to the backline while saying that. Normally, a single horseman like him excelled in speed the most, but he was stuck running in the back now because of the enemy pursuit. He was acting as a so-called rear guard. He was expertly swiping away the chasing Stalk Dogs with his greatshield while ring at the back. During this one-month journey, he had gotten quite used to horsebackbat. However, there was no time to stay impressed now. As Michelle was holding the reins, she couldnt shoot her bow, and her arrows wouldnt be enough, either. Naturally, there were reserves in the luggage carrier, but there was no time to take them out now. Cortina had a hard timeing up with a n with nothing but grasnds spreading around, so we could do nothing but run single heartedly. Cortina, youre a Six Hero, so go and beat up those small fries already! Its impossible with that number. Maxwell would be one thing, but I cant handle them. Michelle doesnt have enough arrows either, so we need to get away and reform somewhere. Youre useless! Whyyyy!? Inside the luggage carrier, Cortina and Tricia were engaged in a big dispute. Still, the fact that Cortina lookedposed was probably because she had a n in mind in case they caught up with us. But that would mean wed be putting Temuru, an ordinary person, in danger. If possible, I wanted to deal with them while there was a distance between us. I guess it cant be helped, huh? We couldnt lose them like this. If we did, Cloud who was at the end would have to be sacrificed. As expected, escaping while sacrificing arade wasnt something wed do. I stood up from the coachmans seat and looked back over the carrier. Michelle, I leave things here to you. Wh-, Nicole! Dont tell me you n to jump off!? Of course not. I dont wanna die. While saying that, I leaped to the back. I was outside the carriage now, so the grass under me was moving at terrific speeds. If I fell down as is, Id definitely get seriously injured. But a horse suddenly appeared where I was falling. Naturally, it was Clouds. Dwah! What are you doing, Nicole! Let me ride behind for a bit. Inded behind him like a swooping bird, and saddled the horse as is. When I turned around, Stalk Dogs were right behind me. Rather, they were even attacking me every now and then. Wahh, there are really so many looking at it from here. Moreover, they dont look tired at all. Itll really be bad at this rate. Temurus carriage and the one Marks group was riding were running ahead of Michelle. They were safe as long as we kept these things here. The problem was how to deal with them. At present, we had no way of winning as long as this situation persisted. Yah! Ad As I turned around, I flung a throwing knife. The knifended true to its aim, cutting the leg of the Stalk Dog running at the forefront, making it fall down. Moreover, the Stalk Dogs at the back got tripped on the fallen one and tumbled alongside them. After throwing knives over and over, I managed to take down ten of them. Both the carriage and the Stalk Dogs were moving at high speeds, so the fallen enemies would probably no longer be able to catch up with us. Their numbers still look visually unchanged though. Uhh, can you stop moving too much back there? Something soft and squishy is rubbing on me every time you do Theres no time for that crap! I smacked the back of his head and continued attacking. In the next ten minutes, I managed to take down ten more. My knives werent as lethal as Michelles arrows, but due to how useful they proved in the past, I constantly carried about ten on me. If I tied them with threads, I could even collect them back. From Cortinas perspective who sat inside the carriage, it probably looked like I was taking out and throwing daggers without an end. Unfortunately, I couldnt make a clear disy of using threads when she was watching. If I continued attacking the chasing enemies while clinging to Clouds back, their numbers would eventually run out. Especially when they were running at full speed and had no way to dodge my attacks. I continued taking down the enemies without needing to do anything special. And when they had gone down to about ten, they finally stopped their pursuit. Our horses were already fuming from the mouth, so it could be said that we barely made it. Okay, time to make use of this time! Michelle, get the arrows from the cargo. Cloud, Mark, Tony, John, form a wall and protect the carriage! Our horse was also at its limit, so we couldnt keep running any longer. However, Stalk Dogs would eventuallye back at this rate. Those monsters were famous for being persistent. Thats why Cortinamanded us to make use of this little time and prepare forbat. Ad Line up the carriages as a defensive wall. Sir Temuru with the coachman and the horses head inside the wall. Michelle, you prepare to shoot from atop the carriage. Okay! Got it! If something slips by, you handle it, Finia. Understood! They made the formation ording to Cortinas instructions. Michelle climbed up on the carriage and grabbed spare arrows from the cargo. With this, there was no fear of running out of arrows. Ill preemptively attack them with the max intensity Light spell to blind them, so make sure not to get caught up in it. Cortina made a magic wall and announced her n to blind them as she climbed up to where Michelle was. Shrewd she was, she even made pitfalls with Tunnel just in case. As we finished our preparations, Stalk Dogs came attacking once again. But now that we were fully ready to meet them, we managed to easily repel them. Thus, with this as my first experience in the Holy Tree Kingdom of Forneus, we have finally arrived in its capital, Berith. Chapter 420 Once we repelled the Stalk Dog attack, we finally reached Berith. It was already nearing evening, and there was quite a big line trying to enter the city at its nighttime gates. Since this city was the headquarters of the World Tree Religion, there was quite a big flow of pilgrims and Adventurers, enough to put Raum to shame. And those travelers needed to be inspected so the gate guards were doing quite a strict inspection. The line progressed at a turtles pace, and our turn only arrived when the sun was about to set. Temuru presented his merchant guild ID, and confirmed that we were his guards. But they wouldnt trust us with just that, so we had to show our Adventurer IDs too. I, Michelle, and Finia showed ours, and when it was Clouds turn, the gate guard frowned quite openly. Hmm, your race Huh, is there a problem? You, remove your hood for a bit. Just as he said those, he grabbed Clouds hood without waiting for him and roughly pulled it off. His gestures were full of disgust towards half-demons. World Tree Religion deified the World Tree and believed that it was in charge of the worlds cycles, purifying the souls and reincarnating them. Naturally, there were many other parts toit, but this was the most famous of them. And half-demons were deemed to be impure beings reborn with something from outside of the World Trees reincarnation cycle getting mixed into their souls. For that reason, half-demons were targets of hate for the World Tree believers. This ce was the headquarters of such a religion, so I told Cloud to put on the hood and cover the horn on his forehead. However, his race was clearly stated on his Adventurer ID. Thats why the gate guard realized it. Ad Tsk, so youre tainted. Wha-!? Seeing Clouds horn, the gate guard spits those words out. His eyes were filled with both disgust and even bloodlust. He seemed to be quite a devout believer. I mean, Maria was a devout believer too, but because she knew me, her revulsion towards this subject was quite abated. But this guard wasnt the same, and it was a first for Cloud too. Even now, the guards open hostility made him lose control and yell. I lightly grabbed his arm and brought him back to his senses. The Pope of this generation is so generous for tolerating tainted existences like you. Cloud clutched his fist and endured the gate guards open hostility. Since I had already conveyed to him what kind of ce this was, he managed to just barely endure it. Had he been met with such contempt without knowing about it beforehand, it probably would have escted into a big incident. Getting to know about this malice was Clouds challenge for this expedition. He knew that, which is what allowed him to endure it. However, there was someone who couldnt. It was Michelle who had already presented her ID. She was looking at the gate guard with unbelievably cold eyes, as if she was looking at a bug, and without changing her expression, she reached out to the Third Eye on her back. Stop, stop! Michelle, what are you doing!? Huh, Im just gonna shoot him a bit. Isnt he just the worst? Just stop. Endure it for now. If you do something here, itll be us who will end up on the wanted list. What? Isnt he the bad guy here? He is, but not in this city! Anyway, just endure it, please! I got cold feet at her sudden outburst of ruthless bloodlust. If it came off from some enemy, I couldve easily brushed it off, but a bloodlusting from a friend, and an innocent girl at that, it hit differently. The gate guard noticed that I had suddenly moved from Clouds side to Michelle and asked dubiously. Ad What, did something happen? Nope, nothing! Then stay still. Good grief, girls that do udylike things like adventuring really cant settle down can they? Thatment rubbed me wrong too, but if I snapped now Id have worked for nothing. I held it back and revealed an insincere, cramped smile, but that caused Michelles anger to grow even more. At this rate, she was bound to go on a rampage. Moreover, since our inspection got dyed, people behind us started to get irritated. The gate was about to close for the day, so impatience probably yed a part too. Hey, arent you done with the check? Im tired of waiting already. Someone failed to read the mood and spoke such words. Surprisingly, it was Cortina. She pulled out her Adventurer ID bordered in purple and swung it around in a showy disy. Purple was the proof of the highest-ranked AdventurersThe seventh rank. There were only five people in the world who held this card that signified them to be a hero ss. Of course, they were myrades. The gate guard noticed that color too and his face went pale. That card, could it be Yeah. And seeing my ears should tell you who I am, right? Hey, even knowing that, are you trying to start making false usations? No, I, umm This is my work so Right. So Im telling you to go ahead and check it. So hurry up, will you? O-Okay! The guard stiffened at Cortinas words, then epted her card and checked it with awkward movements. Yes, everything is correct. If you are Lady Cortinasrades, there are no problems. Wee to Berith. Okay, thanks. Ad Revealing her identity seemed to have settled the matter. I was thankful for her standing in cases like this. But then, Cortina took a step closer to the guard and spoke in a whisper. Oh right. Maria is the same, but the Pope here is also quite tolerant of the half-demons, isnt it? Yes, it is as you say! But you seem to be different. N-No that is not Haha, just kidding. But make sure what you do can be yed off as a joke. Otherwise, you could lose various things, okay? Like your job, or your life. Y-Yess! She didnt forget to give him a warning. But her voice did not reach the people around. It was only loud enough for me to barely hear it from the side. She didnt let the situation go out of hand but still remembered to warn him. This was what made her such a good woman, I was convinced once again. Chapter 421 There was small trouble, but we managed to enter Berith in the end. The sun was almost set now, so we had to quickly find an inn. Temuru, being our client, addressed us. Good work. I will be staying at the inn before the gate. I n to stay for five days and then go back to Stor. Please gather here after five days. Understood. But are we restrained in activity within that period? Restrained how? For example, can we take on shortmissions? Since we were staying for five days, we could ept some work. I had to confirm that part. I see. I dont n to restrict you like that, so you can act freely as long as you arentte. Okay, thank you very much. Guarding him during the entirety of the round trip was our responsibility, so I was really thankful that we could do this during this interval. Temuru gave a bow and headed towards the inn before the gate. Marks group also waved at us and followed Temuru. This was because they had no leeway in money so they just headed to the cheap inn at the gate that was in the same direction. Now, what should we do? I turned around and asked myrades in as lively a voice as I could. There, I saw Michelle, still pointing and not even hiding her displeasure, as well as Finia who had veins bulging on her temples, something quite unlike her. Finia hadnt intervened back then, but she seemed to have found the gate guard just as unpleasant. And there was also Cloud, who was trembling with a tightly clenched fist. Ad He was epted as an Adventurer in Raum. Even in Stor, he hadnt really been ostracized. But it was different here. No, it was better to say that Raum and Stor were the different ones. This world was harsh towards half-demons. Sigh. I guess theres no helping it. As he stood there without saying anything, I went and grabbed his arm with my whole body and took him towards the street. We were nning to go for a slightly expensive inn. This was because Cloud being a half-demon meant there would be a good chance that hed get rolled up into trouble at a cheap inn. Wh-, whatre you doing! Dont cling to me, they are touching! Grabbing his arm with my entire body meant I was clinging to it. Naturally, my chest was pressing against his elbow. But just this time around, I did this intentionally. Its fine sometimes, think of it as a freebie. No its not! You did well enduring it. He had lowered his head as I pulled his arm, which I gently patted. I expected Cloud to snap there and get arrested. But he managed to endure it until the end. It should be fine to praise him for that. He stopped struggling and started trembling without saying a word. I didnt say you could cry though. Okay. Seeing Cloud tremble silently, Michelle also came to cling to him. Ad Hey, hogging him like that is sly of you Nicole! Actually, Michelle, I didnt think youd get so angry there. I mean, that guy was just the worst! She answered with puffed cheeks, but that was the first time I saw her get so angry. Her cold bloodlust made even me get cold sweat. I really have to warn her about itter. More importantly, seeing Clouds arm sink into Michelles valley, I felt the difference in our breast level. Shes not gonna grow any bigger, right? Otherwise, Id have to call God Hastur again to adjust the size of her armor. Her breastte was made from the materials of the Demonic Dragon Fafnir, so I couldnt just bring it to some random cksmith for adjustment. But well, it was for her safety, so I had no choice but to shut my eyes. Having the two of us clinging to each of his arms, Cloud stiffened without saying anything. His pure heart reminded me of his childhood days, making him appear kinda adorable. Seeing a half-demon sandwiched between two beauties, the onlookers were directing curious nces at him. Both of us had conspicuous looks on top of Cloud being a half-demon, so we stood out like a sore thumb. I decided to end the reward here, but something suddenly dripped on the ground. Ohe on I told you not to crywait, what? At first, I thought Cloud couldnt endure and started crying and his tears fell to the ground. But the water droplet that hit the ground was red. And it came from his nose. Uwah, Cloud, you have a nosebleed!? Ish noht my fauht! Dont turn your face here! Your bloods gonna scatter everywhere! I quickly let go of his hand and separated from him. Looking on the other side, Michelle had already jumped away and was hiding behind Finia. Damn, that was fast. Ad Nicole, Heawe me. Even if I started this, using a healing spell to heal the nosebleed of an aroused man would be the most pathetic use of the spell ever. He chased me around Finia, and she also started giggling. As it appears, Cloud was aedy material by very nature. Hey, we have to hurry up or the inns will close. Have we decided on the ce? Yeah, I asked Cortina and Temuru. They said we could stay there without the half-demon discrimination. Sorry about having to go through that because of me. Dont worry, I had use here so you could experience this situation in the first ce. You sure endured it well, Nicole. I couldnt do it even if I knew beforehand. And Ive never seen you get that angry before, Michelle. That was scary as hell. I have to make sure not to anger you from now on. Hey, thats a mean way of putting it! Michelles behavior still had some childishness left in it. As I teased her, the mood around us changed. Seeing that, Cortina pped her hands and urged us to move on. Hey now, lets go already. At this rate, wed be left without food, not just rooms. Huh, that would be awful! Color left Michelles face at Cortinas words. As expected, being so expressive about one meal fitted her more instead of anger. Looking at her, I was fully convinced of that. Chapter 422 Once we parted with Temuru, we headed to the inn we had looked into in advance. This city was extremely discriminating against half-demons, so we couldnt guarantee Clouds safety in some random inn. For example, if the inn people stole his luggage, even if he went to the government officials to report it, they might not even hear him out. There might be some people who could even resort to taking his life rather than just luggage. For that reason, it was necessary to choose a trustworthy inn even if we had to pay a bit more. Uhh I really feel bad about this. You did all this for me. Oh daddy, dont be like that. Uhh, Michelle, what was that supposed to mean? Anyway, setting Michelles joke aside. Nicole, thats unfair! ANYWAY! This is also for protecting ourselves, so dont worry about it. Ignoring the pouting Michelle, I answered with a shrug. Clouds expression told me he wasnt following me, so I pointed at the surrounding gazes with my chin. He seemed to have finally realized it with that and quickly scanned the surroundings. The passersby gazes were focused on us no, on me. Long silver hair and a bnced body. Heterochromatic red-blue eyes. And above all, my looks were like a spitting image of Maria who was revered as a Saint in this kingdom. Moreover, I had tight-fitting clothes and armor on me so I could move easily. And a short skirt with kneesocks. I didnt wear my gauntlets in front of Cortina, but I still had my rough boots. All that created a mismatched atmosphere with my dainty looks, giving off a peculiar sense of charm I think. The gazes of people around told me that my thoughts werent wrong. Nicole grew up to look just like Maria, so its natural that the people in this city are focused on her. I didnt think shed grow up to be so simr. Ad Cortina and Tricia followed us too. But as we were the ones leading this Adventure, they did not meddle any more than necessary. They were at most giving advice in regards to enemy searching and ambushes. The time with the Stalk Dogs was well, an emergency. The people of Raum and Stor got used to it, but its different here. Besides Im just saying, but well fetch a nice price if we sold as ves. Finia and I for our appearances, and Michelle also for her ability. very was forbidden in this city too, but there were many people doing that outside of the cities. If such people caught us, there would be people willing to pay an arm and a leg for us. Thats true. And the reason why Im suffering so much All the more because not just me, but also Finia and Michelle are surrounding you. Dont make it sound so scandalous, will you!? Cloud objected a bit too loudly, making people looking at us turn noisy. I could also feel children were pointing at us. Cloud sensed that restless atmosphere and hurried his pace. L-Lets drop this useless topic and go already. You sure learned how to talk. Werent you the one who started this? Leave me alone! Cortinas interruption made him groan while holding his head. As we continued our idle chatter, our inn came into sight. It faced the main street and was nicely decorated from the outside, given that it was an expensive inn. These three years Ive been away from my guardians, so Ive gotten used to checking in at inns like these. I headed to the counter and made a five-day stay request to the receptionist that politely greeted me. Since we already had a set amount of days to stay, I decided to pay in advance to disy that we were paying customers. The receptionist seemed to have realized why we were staying at a luxurious inn when he saw the lined up beauties and Cloud, and tended to us with a big smile. Ad As always, Cloud and I went with single rooms, while Michelle and Finia took a shared one. I also had Cortina and Tricia stay in a shared room. They were ourpanions this time, so they were taking a bit of a distance. This was because they knew this was our adventure. (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The reason why only I took a single room was due to the problem with gender ratio and also due to my many secrets. I had them carry food to the biggest shared room which was Michelle and Finias room, and we all had a meal there. This was because no matter how much this inn was careful in their clientele, dining in the shared cafeteria could still get us rolled up into trouble. In a region with so harsh half-demon discrimination, it would be beter for Cloud to stay behind-the-scenes as much as possible. This was something I have also learned in my previous life. So, we are nning to depart in five days, but what do we do until then? We have already achieved our first goal, which was to get Cloud to experience how badly the world looked at half-demons. Honestly, having him experience anything beyond this and breaking his heart would be bad too, so I wasnt very keen on going outside too much. Weve traveled for two weeks, so it wouldnt be so bad to stay indoors for the next five days and rx. Wevee all this way, so why not do some sightseeing? Ah, I want that too. What about Lady Cortina? She went out drinking with Tricia tonight. It looks like shes nning to stay as a simple adviser until the end. Im not sure what she even came here for, but thanks to her Cloud managed to escape from that trouble when entering the city. Her directions during the Stalk Dog incident also helped us end the matter without incidents. With everything said, she was a reliablerade in the end. You still want to go outside after all those insults from the guard? Youre surprisingly resilient huh? Well, I knew it beforehand so Rather, I was more scared that Michelle would snap. Grr, I have moments when I get angry too, okay? Ad She seemed to have remembered about that time and stroked the case with Third Eye on her back with her right hand. Our equipment was all made by the Wind God Hastur, so I didnt want to stand out too much. Clouds shield, Finias gauntlets, and Michelles breastte were all things you couldnt just get anywhere. It would be bad if we went outside and some lowlives started eyeing us because of that. Having said that, we couldnt just remove them and walk defenselessly. Hmm Then, lets never walk alone outside. Cloud and Michelle in particr. Okay. Huuh, why me? Because I realized how short your fuse is. Thats not a good reason! Michelle protested while raising her hands, but because she was still childish, she was prone to getting heated up. Cortina and Tricia were with us too, so there should be no problems with walking together. Also, avoid dark and deserted ces. And dont enter thebyrinth on your own. There was a giantbyrinth inside the symbol of this kingdom, the World Tree. Given that we looked like Adventurers, someone might invite us to party up. At that time, I wanted them to discuss it with us as much as possible. I wanted to avoid a situation where someone arbitrarily joined a party and entered thebyrinth, hence my warning. I kept giving them some more warning after that, and then we broke up for the day. Chapter 423 At the dead of the night, once Cortina and Michelle both fell asleep, I snuck out of the inn. I didnt leave because I had some special reason. I just wanted to check the surroundings of where we were staying in this new city. Not as Adventurer Nicole, but as Assassin Reid. I used my Stealth Gift and climbed on the inns roof. The lights were mostly gone in the downtown, and the city was wrapped in darkne Hmm? In the dark city, there was only one house with lights on. It was in the back alley not too far from the inn. From above, it looked like a in house with no notable making. However, I could see some kind of signboard from the light leaking from the windows. What kind of store would be open at a time like this? It was alreadyte at night. The day had rolled over some time back, so there should be no stores operating now. I felt some doubts that some store was operating at this hour. Plus, its a little unsettling that its near our inn. In this city of Berith, half-demons had as many privileges as stray dogs. It would be safe as long as we stayed inside the inn, but I wanted to avoid getting involved with a dubious bunch once we left the inn. And I especially couldnt overlook a fishy store like this that operated sote. I guess Ill go check what it is. Perhaps I was bing a bit too oversensitive due to Clouds matter. That said, it would be careless to overlook this for such a reason, so I decided to check just in case. Using the threads I jumped down from the roof and sprinted like a wind through the deserted alley. I passed the main street and jumped into the back alleys, heading towards the stores location that I had memorized. Turning a few corners, I found it located in a blindspot from the main street. The signboard illuminated by the window light had a design that showed it was a tool shop. However, its structure was abnormal. The roof was covered with the roots of the World Tree, as if it was built in the gap between the roots and the ground. A tool shop In a ce like this and a time like this? The windows werent dropdown types like most houses, but high quality, ssed ones. For a store in a back alley like this, it was far too unnatural. But I was thankful for that now. I couldnt hope for a better window to peek inside. Slowly peeking in, I found a normal tool shop illuminated by the light. No, I suppose calling it normal wasnt fitting. The items lined up on the shelf were all things I had never seen. Of course, there were also items youd find in a typical tool store. Also, it wasnt just selling goods. The light inside wasnt a typical stone cast with a Light spell, but something white made of ss. What is that? There didnt seem to be anyone inside as far as I could see. This was already making me extremely anxious. Still, seeing what was inside, I sighed in relief. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) For the time being, this doesnt seem like a fishy store. No actually, it is but At any rate, all those unfamiliar tools were tickling my curiosity. The fact that it was operating at this hour also added to it. I nervously opened the door in silence and poked my head inside. But then, I heard a high-pitched voice that sounded so young youd mistake it for a child. Welcoooome, are you a customer? Oh dear, its been three weeks. I wee you with open arms! A girl with a simr silver hair to mine appeared from behind the store. Both that manner of talking and that voice, and even that appearance were all things I was familiar with. Y-You!? Oh? The girl with an apronIt was the God of Destruction Yuuri. What are you doing here!? Well, I mean This is my store? Whitey answered my question with tilted head. Her statement made my vision go nk. A god is running astore? Look, the osciting dagger yourrade is using was actually something bought here that eventually reached you, you know? Oh, I do remember you mentioning that before. I think it was back when we went on a hot spring trip? Back then, she did tell me she was running an item shop, and that the items including the dagger had reached me from there. But still, why was she operating at this hour was a mystery. Chapter 424 Why the heck are you open at such an hour? I just asked what I had in mind straight up. But the God of Destruction pouted at my words. I can answer that question, but I cant say I like your speech. Who cares, Im a guy on the inside. Cant you give up and sumb already? What do you mean sumb!? I retorted at her disheartening statement and waited for her answer. Sensing my frustration, she obediently gave the answer. Its because I go out during the day. And the clerk is nocturnal, so its open at night too. Rather, its only open at night. Youre employing people? Could it be AsteI mean Hastur? Of course not. My husband has already retired and is immersed into his hobbies. I couldnt bother him about this. True, God Hastur seemed to be having fun creating magic items, but that sounded lonely in its own way. But in that case, shes employing someone else And they are probably some big-shot if they are acquainted with this goddess. Where is that clerk? Now? On a meal break. Im not so devilish to make someone work without a rest. I heard a new voice from behind. I had taken a few steps since I entered the store, so the door was supposed to be behind me. However, the door had a bell attached to it, so I should have heard it if it was opened. I ended up shuddering at the thought that this someone managed to enter without making a sound. AD Ah, wee back, Baa. Can you stop with that name? Its a pain, so no. I slowly stepped forward and turned around, so as not to stimte the opponent. I stepped forward because I wanted to take as much distance as possible. Thats how threatening the existence behind me felt. Looking back, there stood a well-bred young boy perhaps a bit over ten. There was nothing threatening about him. But seeing him face to face, I was sure of it. This guy was a monster. When did you Ah, dont worry about it. If I tell you Im an acquaintance of the God of Destruction, youd understand the gist, right? So youre not an ordinary person? The boy didnt respond to my question with words but a meaningful smile. It seemed like he had no intention of answering. Still, meeting the God of Destruction was quite lucky. If she has her roots spread into this city, perhaps she also knew something about the Needle Beetles from before. ording to the information we got after the matter, that was clearly Kufars doing, but they were still Devil species. Moreover, monsters that only existed inside this World Tree Labyrinth. If Kufar had some way of taking monsters out of thebyrinth, it was better to obstruct him. Right, Needle Beetles appeared in the northern forest, do you know anything about it? In the northern forest? Yeah. Those arebyrinths local products, right? I felt it was weird. Devils were being summoned from beyond this world. And beings inside the World Tree were also ones summoned from the outside by the World Tree itself. AD In other words, there were many monsters that were ssified as Devils dwelling inside. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Calling them local specialties is a bad way of putting it. I mean, their horns and skins do make for good equipment but still What do you think, Baa? Whyre you asking him? Hes acting as thebyrinths guard too. Its a secret though. She put a finger on her lips to make a secretive gesture. She was a beauty, so that gesture was quite picturesque. But neither me nor this Baa guy were naive enough to be tempted by that. Of course, Im doing my work properly. As far as I know, no one has brought the monsters out of thebyrinth. I can guarantee it. So he says. I see So its something unrted huh? Ill investigate that myself as well. I cant be leaving the Devil matters be any longer. Got it. Whitey was a little unreliable, but this boy was probably alright. Everyone with good eyes would realize that he had an aura of the strong around him. For there to be guys like him just loitering around the world other than Six Heroes, the world really was vast. With someone like this standing watch, anyone with true ability would not forcefully take the monsters out. I was worried about Kufar taking the enved Devils from thebyrinth, but I couldnt imagine that this guy would have missed that. They were doing something in Raum, but now theyre doing it in the north. Frankly, their sphere of activity is absurdly big. They might be doing something even here, so please be careful. Roger thaat! Understood. You should be careful too, okay? The boy answered me seriously unlike the silly response of the God of Destruction. It was our first meeting, but he was already looking dependable. Well, its gettingte, so Ill take my leave now. Actually, youre a girl too so stop walking alone at night. Buzz off! AD Setting aside his uncalled-for warning. BaBa Who could it be?1 Chapter 425 The next day, we decided to do things separately. Since it was a day right after a long journey, we decided to dedicate it to rest. That said, since I banned us from going out alone, it resulted in me pairing up with Finia, while Michelle with Cloud. Cortina, you ask? Well, she apparently got a bit too wasted with Tricia, so she had a hangover today. What did she even follow us here for I feel like Cortina has grown slovenly ever since I left her house. She seemed to be restraining herself while you were there, Lady Nicole. Finia joined in with my grumbling with a forced smile. Cortina was in Tricias room now, and the inn staff would take care of them too, so there should most likely be no problems. Honestly, Id rather not see the woman I love groaning and writhing in pain. If I saw her vomit, I feel like itd result in trauma. There are things a man should and should not see. So, is there anywhere you wanna go, Finia? I only had a vague objective of exploring the town, so I let Finia choose our destination. Ad And above all, I didnt want her to meet the God of Destruction, so I was nning to look out for her. Really, Finia was aware of some very risky information, so I was worried Whitey would blurt out something uncalled for. For that, I wanted to make sure she wouldnt approach Goddess of Destructions store. Lets see. I cant use my spear inside the city, so I would like a spare weapon. Oh, right. I realized after she mentioned it. Her spear was a special weapon consisting of a daggerbined with the extending handle. Its peculiarity was apparent at a nce, so it was hard to use it in ces full of public eyes. Finia right now looked like a beginner Adventurer with nothing but a short sword and leather armor on her. Me walking next to her was also dressed in light equipment with just a katana on me, so ourck of defenses was apparent. Not to mention, both of us were beauties, so Hey, youngdies. If youre free, why not y with us? We arent free, so try again. Excuse us. We naturally ended up getting involved with this kind of bunch. I curtly turned them down, but they didnt seem to want to back down at all. The ones who called out to us were three youngsters. They all had swords on their waists, but had no Adventurer cards hanging on their necks. In other words, they were fishy people who were armed despite not being Adventurers. Ad Come on, dont be like that. We know fun ces, you know? Yeah. And were pretty famous around here. It wont harm you to get along with us. Were stronger than your average Adventurers too. If we try, we could even reach the seventh rank. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) They were typical pick-up artists. Still, they said something haughty I couldnt overlook. They could even reach the seventh rank? These people? The proof of a hero that is only given to five people at present? I also held it in my past life, but god knows how many times I crossed paths with death to obtain it. Thats great. But isnt seventh rank a bit of an exaggeration there? No, were serious! We can easily get there! Right? Yeah, we can defeat the Evil Dragon without breaking a sweat. Those Six Heroes or whatever were nothing much to take it on with six of them. We could easily do it with just the three of us. The three happily talked on and on about such things. Hearing that, something seemed to snap inside my head. It would be one thing if it was just me, but I couldnt forgive them for looking down on Lyell and Gadius. Their abilities were unmistakably cut above the rest. It wasnt on the level that hoodlums who werent even Adventurers would be able to denounce. If youre so confident, how about you prove it? Theres abyrinth thats perfect for testing your skills just right in the corner. Wha-, Lady Nicole!? Finia was shocked at my sudden proposal to go to thebyrinth. And I couldnt me her. I was the one who warned the other day to not arbitrarily enter thebyrinth. I was amazed at my ownck of principles but still, there was a line past which I couldnt forgive. I know. I did say not to enter thebyrinth alone, right? But I have my teleportation, and a little trip would only take a bit. But These people will be with me too, so I wont be alone anyway. Thats just an excuse! In that case, how about Ie along as well? A voice suddenly interjected into our conversation. I remembered hearing it beforest night. Ad When I turned around, there was a young boy there as I expected. And as before, it made me shiver as if the pores on my body were opening up. Not just me, even Finia seemed to have sensed it, and her face got dyed in wariness. Good morning. What about your work? I dont work in the mornings. An employee cant open up the store on his own, right? Lady Nicole, is this person your acquaintance? Rather than an acquaintance, I suppose its better to say an acquaintance of an acquaintance. Does that still count? Huuh. Whos this guy? The youth was giggling at my dubious words. The youngsters didnt seem to take his attitude well, and snapped at the boy that suddenly intruded in our conversation. He didnt falter at all, however, and nonchntly introduced himself. Hey. Im BaBa err, as much as I hate it, please refer to me as Baa. Huuh? Are you messing with us! The youngsters snapped with bulging veins at his introduction that was clearly a made-up name. The boy didnt mind that either and just snapped his fingers. In the next instant, the scenery around us changedpletely. A damp, sticky atmosphere wrapped around me. Darkness that didnt let through even one streak of light. A hard, but at the same time, stic footing. Are weinside thebyrinth? Yes. I used teleportation magic. Ah, we need light, huh? He snapped his fingers once more, and the surroundings got lit up. He didnt even chant, but he probably cast the Light spell. We were in about a thirty meters square area. Then Baas easygoing voice reverberated. We are in the room of the floor 600th guardian, Earth King Agares. Its a crocodile-like giant beast. Compared to Evil Dragon Colchis, its several levels, or rather, at least ten levels below. W-W-W-W-W-What did you say?! We are seriously inside thebyrinth?! But I thought you needed the Guilds permission to enter This is crazy, really crazy!! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) The youngsters started panicking as Baa calmly exined the situation. Ignoring those people, the area before my eyes started to warp. It was probably that Agares fellow about to manifest. Ad Then, a gigantic, over ten meters long figure of a crocodile appeared. It gave off an oppressive feeling that made even this wide area seem narrow. Ignoring that, Baa spoke casually. Now, do your best. Well observe your prided skill. D-Dont mess- Just as they were about to yell in protest, Agares roar spread through the room. Chapter 426 I was observing the scene unfolding before me with a lukewarm gaze. I mean, the situation was no joke, but there were no casualties so far, and the boyBaa, next to me was holding his stomach inughter, so I really couldnt feel the tension at all. Seeing me just standing there while Baaughed, Finias hands darted around with a troubled expression. U-Um Is this really okay? Eh, why not? I dont care even if they die. That would only improve the safety of the city, so Im fine with that too! You have a pretty nasty personality there, you know The youngsters before us were running around with their faces covered in tears, snot, drool, and some unknown liquid. Honestly, they made a fool out of us Six Heroes, so I felt like they deserved that. But still, seeing them running around while pissing and shitting themselves was quite a pitiable sight. Still, it was hard to imagine that a Devil like Agares would fail to finish off people of their level. And yet, even though they had light injuries, they still havent suffered any injury thatd make them unable to move. In other words, someone was giving them some sort of assistance and making them avoid fatal injuries. There was only one person capable of that here. The boy standing beside me andughing at the scene before him. AD Huh, what do you mean, Lady Nicole? This guy is putting up barriers just as they are about to suffer fatal injuriesprobably. That cant be There were no chants or magic circles formed, were there? His acquaintance can use magic without chants and seems to also know how to hide magic circles. This guy must be the same. Correct. I dont mind even if they die, but I suppose itd leave a bad aftertaste. What kind of logic is that? I retorted in exasperation at his contradicting remark. Still, it was only a matter of time until they suffered an attack that a barrier wouldnt be able to blockpletely. But what are you nning to do in the end? Keep tormenting them and then kill? Youre pretty ruthless yourself there. No, Ill let them leave alive. After experiencing all that, they will learn to be careful with their conduct from now on. Is that so I responded back half-heartedly, grown fed up with the situation. Then Baa turned towards me with an impish expression. Hey, do you wanna go defeat it? Huh, m-me? Of course, you can help her too, girl. Huh, m-me too!? His suggestion involved not only me but Finia too. Still, myself aside, I couldnt get Finia wrapped into this. No way. Besides, we dont even have weapons with us. Isnt that dagger from our store? And I heard your main weapon has a transfer feature, doesnt it? That Whitey cant keep her mouth shut I wondered how Baa would know about the ability of Hasturs handmade gauntlets, but on second thought, Whitey was his wife. It wasnt strange for the information to reach him through her. Either way, I dont feel like sticking my neck into needless danger. AD Not to mention, with an enemy of that level. I just couldnt get in the mood to rush blindly at it. I didnt hate the idea of testing my skills on strong opponents, but Finia was looking now. There was no point in exposing ourselves to danger when I couldnt go all out. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Baa looked surprised at my denial, but he did not insist on it. Is that so? Then I guess Ill finish it off. This would serve as a good lesson for those fellows too. He spokepletely casually as if he was going on shopping or something. He took a step and swung his arm, and with just that, the figures of three fleeing youngsters swayed like mist and disappeared. Agares tilted its head in confusion when its targets suddenly vanished before its eyes. It was probably searching for the disappeared enemies. But the three were no longer nearby. In exchange, its eyesnded on our trio. Finding new targets, Agares charged at us. It opened its giant, crocodile-like mouth and attacked Baa who had stepped forward. But he lightly stepped aside as if dancing and easily avoided its attack. Agares mouth closed as it bit down on his afterimage. I immediately sent my steel threads at it. Crocodiles had unbelievable strength when closing their mouths but were extremely weak at opening them. To the point that they wouldnt be able to open it if a person was on top of their nose. As such, I aimed for the moment it got closed and tied up the tip of its nose. With this, Agares strongest attack that was its bite should have been made unusable. Of course, it was plenty possible that a Devil crocodile was different from a normal one. AD Oh, thanks for the assist. Doesnt seem like you need it, but just in case. With his earlier sidestep, I was able to see a glimpse of his ability. Being able to urately see through the enemys attack and avoid it was a big deal. His strength was probablyparable to the Six Heroes. That said, even if its bite attack was avoided, Agares was still not to be underestimated. Trampling down with its gigantic body or swinging its tail around were also good enough weapons considering the weight and thickness. Baa easily avoided all of its attacks and slipped into its range, and drove in a punch. He easily pierced through its scales that seemed to be tougher than even steel. Agares was clearly an enemy you couldnt be careless with, but Baa was clearly cut above it. Before long, Agares got beaten to death and crumbled down on the ground. Chapter 427 Finia watched wide-eyed as Agares crumbled down while raising tremors. Strength-wise, it wasnt as strong as the twin-ded Devil. But even so, she should have realized that it was plenty strong. She couldnt hide her shock towards the boy who so easily defeated such an enemy. No way, to beat something like that alone Actually, I did help him a bit, but it was probably within the margin of error for him. At any rate, having met himst night, I was already aware of how strong he was, so I wasnt particrly surprised. You still have ways to go if you cant see through peoples true ability, Finia. I am aware of my inexperience, but seeing something like this with my own eyes does make me get cold feet. I lightly tapped her on the back as she broke into a cold sweat, and turned my attention to the fallen Agares. I actually wanted to tap on her shoulder, but she was still a bit taller than me. Before my eyes, Baa was happily tearing the monsters fangs, nails, and scales off. I guess this is it? Well then, I guess its time to go back. Youre really doing as you please, huh? This ce is like my garden. Anyway, shall we return? With those words, he snapped his fingers. The next instant, I got teleported to the city square. Looking around, I found Finia there too, so I felt relieved. But Baa was nowhere to be seen. I couldnt imagine only the caster failing to teleport, so he probably just sent us ahead. Werein the city, huh? Yeah, looks like he teleported us back. He was an unbelievable person. Actually, where is he? He probably sent us ahead. Ah, we should have brought back Agares meat as a souvenir for Michelle. Im not sure whether shed be happy or angry about it. She probably meant that Michelle would be happy about the meat itself but get angry for entering thebyrinth on my own. I just responded with a shrug while feeling conflicted. Before us, there was quite a big crowd formed. Our sudden teleportation was not the cause, but instead, they had their backs turned on us and watched something on the other side. Whats going on? We pushed our way through the crowd to see the source of it. Both of us were a bit shorter than an average person, so we couldnt understand what was going on unless we pushed our way to the very front. With trouble, we finally passed the human wall, only to be met with three youngsters sinking down on the ground. Needless to say, they were the guys who were trying to hit on us. Their faces were in a mess and their pants stained with piss and shit. Their bodies were covered in shallow cuts and all bloodied, frozen in ce with senile expressions. Their spirits seemed to have beenpletely crushed, not even realizing in what state they were in and how many eyes they were drawing in. Now that I think about it, he said they were alive, but he didnt promise anything else. This in a way is the same as being dead, isnt it? After having tasted the fear of death over and being put on such a shameful disy, they were practically dead, both socially and mentally. I could see why Finia shuddered at the realization. AD Well, they have nothing to do with us anymore, so lets just move on. Would that really be okay? It would, it would. Look, they were looking down on the Six Heroes earlier. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) At my words, she pped her hands with an unusually dark smile on her face. I was the cause of this, but it made me back off a bit as I was only used to seeing her cheerful side. I should keep it in mind not to anger her. That aside, you wanted to go buy a weapon, right, Finia? We got interrupted, but lets go quickly buy it before noon. Alright. We quickly turned around and we headed back to where we came from. Before, she wasnt able to switch her mind as easily as this. Maybe she was being a bit too influenced by Cortina and Maria. I suppose it was a happy thing that she was breaking out of her somewhat gloomy atmosphere. By the way, do you have a length in mind for your weapon? Normally youre using around a two-meter-long spear though. I think around that long makes it easier to attack from behind, after all. But that length is usable because its that particr spear, so an actual spear that long would be a bit heavy. Ah, right, that spear doesnt increase in weight even when extended. The handle with the Form Shift spell on it didnt gain weight no matter how much you extended it. Thanks to that, I used it habitually as it was very easy to use even when I was extremely weak physically. And as expected, an elf like Finia was also bottlenecked by weight. Elves were a physically weak race from the start, and they couldnt carry heavy equipment. This spear was extremely convenient as it made up for that weakness. I see. That said, the spear being light would make it less durable too. Thats true. So Id like to check them directly and actually hold them in my hands. I suppose affinity is something to consider. This was because even when a simr weapon was made with simr material, the sensation when holding it could still be strangely off. Many warriors tended to visit the stores and actually hold the weapons in hand to confirm whether or not that was the case. AD As we turned the corner while talking about such trivial things, something strange entered our sight. No, it wasnt really strange at a nce. It was an ordinary scene with two youths talking in the corner. But the person concerned was the problem. Isnt that! Cloud? Yes, the one having a conversation in the corner was none other than Cloud. And the person he was talking to was someone I no, someone even Finia was connected to by fateKufar. Chapter 428 In a ce separated from the main street, Kufar and Cloud were talking while standing. Michelle who was supposed to be next to him was nowhere to be found either. For a moment, I suspected whether Kufar had kidnapped her, so I hesitated to show my face. If that was the case, making any rash movements would only endanger her. I signaled Finia who was beside me to keep quiet, and listened to their conversation. Youve also gone through hardships after arriving here, right? Well, yeah. Im supporting half-demons like you. I have otherrades too, so how about you drop by once? Still, Im nning to leave this city soon anyway. Thats unfortunate. And here I thought I finally found a fellow half-demon in this city. He spoke over-familiarly, and shrugged when his invitation was rejected. His forehead was exposed now. In other words, the small horn that was proof of being a half-demon was visible. But in his case, he was disguised so even that horn was fake. Naturally, exposing it like that would get him rolled up in trouble in this city. But doing so on the street with no people was a way to gain Clouds trust. If youre vignt, you can bring someone along too, you know? No, really, Im nning to leave really soon. So I have to refuse your invitation. I do understand where your groups ims areing from, though. So you do understand us! Actually, we had a little gathering soon and Kufar spoke with an innocent smile on his face. He seemed to be trying to get Cloud recruited. In that case, there was probably no harm done to Michelle. Much as Id have liked to go and finish Kufar off, there were Finia and Clouds eyes to consider here. If I engaged in a battle with him and he realized who I was and exposed it, it would be really troubling for me. It was very regretful, but I had no choice but to stop at just driving him away. For better or worse, he has seen me as Nicole too. AD Cloud, is this your acquaintance? Ah, Nicole, Finia. No, I just met him. Youre?! Kufar was shocked to see me. But now that I know what he was, I was aware that his expression was made-up. I could see the ends of his mouth wrinkling up unnaturally. You know her too, Kufar? Oh right, they are Nicole and Finia. Nicole is also mybat teacher. O-Oh Thats amazing. She looks so dainty on the outside. And yes, we have met. Back then, he had tried to approach Cortina while disguised but I got in his way. He remembered it too. I took an attitude that said get lost or Ill kill you and put a hand on my katana. We kept each other in check, but then Kufar stepped back slightly, deciding that there was no point in inviting him. Cloud was looking at us in doubt. But he did not approach us. Kufar looked bitterly at me, with his eyes saying, how dare you get in my way. Anyway, Cloud was safe with this. Since Kufar realized Cloud was with me, following him any more than this would lead to Six Heroes getting involved, something that could be said to be the worst development for him. Still, I had to confirm one more thing. Cloud, wheres Michelle? Finia looked meaningfully at him for that remark that didnt have a fragment of delicacy. Michelle was already old enough, so he should really be careful with making such direct remarks. Still, the fact that she was safe was enough for me, so I felt weight leave my chest. Wait, should I suspect a separate force targeting her? AD Do you know where? What, you wanna pee too, Nicole? Cloud, Ill kill you, you know? W-Why?! Shes borrowing the restroom in that store I see, thanks. You and Finia should return to the inn. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I tried to persuade them, but before Cloud managed to object, Kufar spoke up. I see, so you were rted to her. Too bad, I have to give up on inviting you. That would be wise. Then, my business is done here. Dont follow me okay? Right back at you. Kufar slowly backed up, and then turned around and disappeared in the corner. Once I saw that to the end, I rushed to the store Michelle was in to confirm her safety. I was worried about Cloud too, but Finia was there too so Kufar wouldnt do anything rash. Both Finia and Cloud were considered first-ss as Adventurers even if they didnt seem like it. Even he would find it difficult to face both of them at once. Oh, so she really did want to pee. I guess she was at her limit given how fast she rushed in. Cloud Hearing that voice from behind, I decided to beat him upter. He really was beyond help when even Finia had such a reaction. The store Cloud pointed at was a magic tool store that sold essories with effects used for Adventuring. Many Adventurers gathered in this city, so there were many such tool stores. In that sense, Whiteys store was something simr too. Wee. Excuse me. Please let me borrow the restroom. Huh, um The employee had a pretty bitter expression after asking her to use the restroom despite not being a customer. But once I silently ced three silver coins on the counter, she happily pointed me to it. It wasnt that big of a sum, but youd still need to work up some sweat to earn it. AD I couldnt help but be amazed at how self-interested the employee was for switching her attitude around so fast, but confirming Michelles safety came first. Just as I headed to the restroom, Michelle came out of it. Huh, Nicole, whats wrong? Uh, well, nothing much. I couldnt say I got worried because she took too long. I couldnt talk about Kufar either, so I just vaguely answered her. It seemed that there was no separate force targeting her, so I felt relieved. Oh right, take a look at this. Huh, what? This ne has the Surveince spell cast on it. Cloud bought it for me. Oh, good for you. Gifting an essory to a girl was quite a nice move considering it was Cloud. Though the magic cast on it was kinda boorish. Michelle looked so radiant with her head tilted in happiness. Ah right, we have to return to Clouds side fast or hell get rolled up in some sales scam. Huh, this quickly? He really cant be helped! Seeing Michelle run off the store with a yell, I heaved a big sigh. Chapter 429 When I returned to Clouds side, he was being sermoned by Michelle. Kufar didnt seem to have returned so I guess everything was safe for now? He was part of a fishy organization, so he wouldnt do anything that would get him suspected. Ah, wee back, Lady Nicole. That was fast. Yeah, wheres that guy? Huh, didnt you drive them away? I mean, I was wondering if he returned. Oh, please give me a moment. Finia pulled out a small sparrow-shaped Familiar from her pocket and released it. It floated over the roads and flew towards the direction Kufar disappeared into. Found him. He is walking that way. Perhaps towards the southern district. She pointed to the opposite side of the main street. As expected, Kufar was avoiding popted streets too. Still, I had no intention of letting him do as he pleased. Thanks. Ill head out for a bit. Finia, you return to the inn with Cloud and Michelle. Huh, but Recall your familiar too. Just do it! She got flustered from my unusually angry yell and quickly recalled her familiar. If she kept monitoring him, I wouldnt be able to go all out. Ill locate him and take him down. That shouldnt take too long. Slimes were strong against physical attacks, but they had a sphere that acted as their core inside their body, and it was easy to defeat them if you attacked it. He was a rare species ording to Maxwell, but that weakness should be the same as other Slimes. Finia tried to call out to stop me, but I ignored it and turned the corner into a small path. Seeing me unusually angry, the three did not try to follow me. Still, even as I turned the corner, I couldnt sense Kufar. From the start, he had the characteristics of Slimes and Blobs that specialized in hiding. Once you let one go out of your sight, it was hard to discover it again. Tsk. I clicked my tongue and gave up, then turned around to return back to the group. But then, Kufars voice reached me. Do you have some business with me? !? I instantly faced the direction of the voice and put a hand on my katana while lowering my posture. Seeing me like that, Kufar asked dubiously. Oh my. I have no intention of harming you now. Why are you so vignt if I may ask? Isnt this our first time meeting? So barefaced. Didnt you say weve met just earlier? Ah, that certainly is the case. I did say that. That certainly makes me suspicious. I see. Kufar had met me as Nicole while disguised as Reid. And I had confirmed Kufars identity when I was acting as Reid. From his standpoint, I was being strangely vignt towards him for someone who wasnt supposed to know his identity. For that reason, I decided to take advantage of his slip-up from before. Since I was going to put him down here, it wouldnt matter even if he saw through my identity, but he would just get more vignt that way. It was easier this way to take him out by surprise. AD Kufar seemed to have been convinced by my answer, nodding over and over. There were no people around us. Finia and others didnt follow me either, so it was just the two of us here. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) By the way, would you mind telling me what you were talking about? So that we can clear out any misunderstandings. I could just chop him up and crush his core right away, but I wanted to know what he was trying to tell Cloud. He said something about a meeting. If it was some kind of a scheme, I couldnt leave it be. If the situation wouldnt be solved just by killing him, I had toe up with some countermeasures. For example, maybe he was trying to spread his ideologies around. Oh, well, I cant speak too loudly about it, but hes also a fellow half-demon. I wanted to introduce him to myrades. So you haverades? Of course, I already knew that he was part of an organization. But I didnt know howrge it was or where they were. If I managed to learn that, the north could regain its public order. Well yes. But I cant exactly tell you about them, Hero Lyells daughter, Nicole. Back then I saw Kufar as Nicole while he was disguised as Reid. Back then, he approached me because he was aiming for Cortina, but he should have looked into my background too. It seemed that he was destined to target people around me. Which meant I couldnt ignore him anymore. A peerless beauty with bluish-silver hair and red-blue eyes. Theres no one but you with such features. You have grown into a fine beauty true to the rumors. Im honored to hear that. AD I kept closing the distance between us as I spoke. I was using a special martial art of movement using my toe. It was a method to get the opponent inside your attack range without removing your eyes from them or moving your legs and advancing as if sliding. I heard it was created in the same region these katana weapons were from. Kufar didnt seem to be as interested in techniques as me, so he didnt seem to have noticed what I was doing. However, his atmosphere suddenly changed the next moment. But, lets see Lyell has been getting in my waytely. Im quite willing to get revenge on him using you. His expression got warped into a smile that crossed the limits of what a human face allowed. I sensed clear killing intent there and immediately unsheathed my katana. It was a drawing attack that I used previously. It uratelynded on his neck, but there was no reaction as expected. But I wasnt surprised this time. I already knew that he was a rare species of Slime. HehIts impossible, you still havent realized it? Im not so sure! While there was no damage, the pressure of the sh was still there. Kufar stopped his attempt to attack me and stood still. I would naturally not overlook an opening like that. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I kept adding up attacks like sessive arrow shots with a katana though. Each time, I cut off his clothes, scattering them on the road. And so were scattered his body fluids. AD The fluids were dissolving the stone paving with acidic noises. They were part of his slime body. Lumps of deadly poison that would ruin ones health with just a touch. Damn, you sure are merciless this time! Seeing no chances to counterattack, Kufar decided to fall back and attempted to jump behind. In response, I used the side of my katanas de to strike his arm. Normally, shing was the aspect this weapon excelled in the most. But since he was a lump of music, that barely had an effect. Thats why, I decided to use the wide part of the de to smash him instead. As I intended, his arm that received not a sh but a m was crushed and the part below his elbow fell to the ground. Aagh, this is getting irritating! I was the opponent he easily dealt with thest time. But that same opponent was attacking him one-sidedly now, so he ended up yelling in impatience. Next, I crushed his left foot, making him crawl on the ground. How could you grow so strong in mere three years No, this ability and this weapon It cant be! When I encountered him thest time as Reid, I was using a katana. And now, no, even thest time I met him as Nicole, I was also using a katana. Driven into a corner, Kufar thought of the reason for this disgraceful situation, and seemed to have caught on to that simrity. AD You, dont tell meyoure Reid!? Doesnt matter. Youre going to die here today. Kufar eximed with a voice full of contempt. I dismissed his question and sliced his back vertically. That would normally be a fatal wound, but it had no effect on Slimes. Still, I found a purplish red something inside his cut body. I instantly realized it was his core. This is the end! Not yet! The two of our voices reverberated side by side in the back alley. He was lying face down on the ground. I, on the other hand, held the katana with a backhand grip and just needed to thrust it down. My victory was practically guaranteed. But I hadnt gotten careless. It wasmon sense to never let down your guard until the prey was down for certain. I wasnt careless, and yet,thatsuddenly entered my vision. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) I reflectively swung my sword to brush it aside, but the de passed through it. The fact that I still managed to shift my body to dodge it was all thanks to my reaction speed. That something brushed past my face and crumbled down as it hit the wall. I saw what it was the moment it attacked me. It was the arm I cut down earlier. Even though it was separated from the core, how did hemy question was cut short in the middle. Because an intense heat assaulted both of my eyes. AD G-GHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!? My body was able to better endure the painpared to my younger days. But the pain that assaulted my eyes my eyeballs were experiencing sharp pain to the point I was unable to endure a scream. It wasnt the pain of your body getting ripped apart. It wasnt a pain of your body changing either. It was a sharp pain that was like the very heat itself, as if my nerves were burned and ripped out directly. Even so, I closed my eyes and swung down my katana to finish Kufar off, but there was no reaction. Heheheh It was dangerous, but looks like I was one step ahead this time, huh? Well, I have been growing stronger too so dont feel too bad. I heard damp footsteps nearby. Perhaps he had regenerated his limbs and approached me. I couldnt confirm that in my dark vision. The next moment, a heavy impact ran through my abdomen. I thought he cut me for a moment, but it seemed to be just a kick. Fortunately, my clothes protected me from a direct touch so my body wasnt burned either. I even managed to burn your face in the process. Dont worry, Ill finish you off right awahmm? Kufars ted voice was suddenly cut. But I had no time to worry about that. The pain in my eyes wasnt something I could endure any longer, so I just stayed rolled up on the ground and desperately held on to my consciousness. I couldnt suppress the spasms of my body, and my fingers dug into the flesh of my face. Then I heard Kufars whispering voice. AD Did they hear that? Oh well, your wounds wont heal, and you will probably die eventually. Keep writhing in incessant pain and die. In my dark vision, only Kufars voice reached me. And my consciousness could endure it no more. Chapter 430 With a seething dull pain, I finally regained consciousness. Then, a harsh reproachful voice reached my ears. Cortina, Finia! You were with her, so how did this happen! I-Im sorry, I I have no excuse! Im responsible for this It was Lyells unusually harsh no sharp voice. I could even feel bloodlust from him who normally stayed calm. Still, I couldnt overlook it when it was directed at Cortina and Finia. Dad, please leave it at that. Nicole, are you awake?! His yells stopped at my words. However, despite opening my eyes, my vision remained dark. On top of that, despite feeling like my body was on fire, I could also feel a trembling sense of cold. Nicole, calm down and listen okay? Your eyes have been crushed. I heard Marias voice from the side. Now that I think about it, I should have been in the capital of Forneus, Berith. I didnt think Lyell wouldvee here alone, so someone must have brought him. And that was probably Maria. That would exin why she was here too. I didnt know how long I was out, but considering the pain, it must not have been very long. Since they arrived here so fast, Cortina must have contacted them. I dont think Finia, who wasnt famous yet, would be allowed to use the emergency contactwork. Even with a high rank, she was still a beginner, after all. We were on an Adventure now, and she probably didnt even have enough money on hand to use thatwork. My eyes? Dont worry. Ill definitely heal them. Okay. I nodded, but I knew it wouldnt be so easy. Maria wouldve been able to instantly heal an injury of this level. She tended to leave light injuries to natural healing of the body, but she wouldnt leave something like crushed eyes as is. Besides, Kufar also said it was an unheble injury. It was probably canceling out the healing magic in some way. Looks like I have a fever. Yes. Perhaps because of the injury, you have quite a high fever. I have preparations to make, so sleep for a bit. Can you? I nodded in affirmation at her gentle voice. Maybe because of the fever, I could feel my body deteriorating fast enough to even feel it happening. I felt like Id sooner faint than fall asleep, but I had to regain my strength either way. Rest for now. Ille up with something in the meantime. Okay. I closed my eyes at her words, and fell asleep once more (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) So, whats the situation? Once Nicole fell asleep, Lyell and the rest moved to another room across the corridor. Michelle and Cloud were also standing by there. Shes been infected by the same illness that attacked Raum before. That alone wouldnt be a problem, but From what I can see, theres some foreign substance remaining inside her eyeballs. And its preventing the Regeneration spell. Dr. Tricia continued Marias words. She was also studying medical magic, so she had a grasp of Nicoles current condition. She was the one who had examined her when Finia and others carried her back. Yes, I have also confirmed that. Its probably a Slime fragment. And one belonging to a Disease Slime. The one that attacked Raum before? Yes. For it to be alive even without a core That didnt happen before. Back during the attack on Raum, the fragment of the Slime was but a lump of poison with no will of its own. But now, it still maintained its instinct as a Slime despite theck of a core. It was staying dormant for now, but when a spell like Regeneration was cast that would force it out, it started to devour the regenerated flesh around. Thats why, Maria did not cast Regeneration yet. Because it would only make the Slime inside the eyeballs grow by devouring the regenerated flesh. What if we pull it out It bes active under a stimulus. Besides, theres a brain right behind the eyeballs. If we agitate it too much, it could escape towards it. Then what should we do? We could take out the entire eyeballs and then cast Regeneration But that would put a big burden on the nerves. If we overdo it, we may create some disorder in the nerves that could leave her blind even if we restore the eyeballs. At any rate, it wouldve been a disaster if we cast healing spells. Thank god you were present. Maria thanked Dr. Tricia. Had she been an inexperienced medic and carelessly kept healing her with magic, the Slime fragment couldve grown violent, grown in size, and damaged the brain. If that happened, Nicole would have been beyond saving. So if we take them out, she will be blind. And if we dont, she could die, is that it? Yes. Honestly, its difficult to make a move now. Then, Nicoles eyes! Michelle eximed in grief, but Maria did not answer. Finia seemed unable to endure anymore and headed to Nicole. I will check on Lady Nicole. There was nothing she could do, but there was no knowing how the situation would change. It was necessary to check Nicoles condition even as she slept. Yes, please do. Also Sorry for earlier. Lyell apologized as she passed by him. It was an apology for yelling at her earlier. No, it is true that I let her out of my sight. Nicole is a proper Adventurer. So the responsibility for her injury should be her own I just didnt want to admit it andshed out at you Im despicable. Not at all. Youre a splendid person, Lord Lyell. With a fleeting smile, she left the room behind. Seeing her go, Lyell mmed his fist on the table, overflowing with frustration. Kanmuri-sensei draws Nicole! Shes moderately big, but her face is a bit childish Just like Nicole! Chapter 431 When I woke up again, there was no one in the room Or so it seemed. I couldnt see so I couldnt be sure. Maria and others were most likely in another room trying toe up with a n. My vision was still wrapped in darkness. I hadnt been treated as of yet. So my condition is so bad even Maria has trouble handling it. I confirmed my situation with a hoarse voice. My stamina had been shaved off to the limit, and I could faint any time. Even now, my body is trembling from fever. Pain in my eyeballs also remained strong. Maria said my eyes were crushed, so it was possible that the eyeballs themselves were destroyed. Being unable to see sure makes you feel uneasy. I rose up and looked around, but naturally, I couldnt see a thing. Is there anyone here? I asked to make sure if anyone was here. No one replied back, so it seemed I really was alone. Crushed eyeballs I cant heal I guess. I have no talent in healing magic. Even so, I had a way to deal with this. If healing my eyes was impossible, I could just transform my body into one that could see. This was also one of the practical applications of Polymorph. It has been a month since thest time I used it, so I could use it now. I loitered inside the room while feeling around with my hands, and it turned out they were using my room as my sickroom. Fortunately, my luggage was left as it was, so I managed to take a spare Polymorph scroll from inside. I wouldve had a hard time if I had to take it out from someone elses luggage It took longer than I expected, but I still managed to take out one scroll. Based on the shape of the sealing wax, it was most definitely the Polymorph scroll. Even if it turned out to be a wrong scroll, using the wrong magic activation keyword would not activate it, so there was no risk of an explosion. For now, I imagined my figure before activating the form. But then, I stumbled on a wall. That is, I didnt have a clear grasp of my body that was growing day by day. I did look at myself in the mirror every day when getting dressed But I wasnt sure how big my breasts were, for example. Hmm Well I just need to gain some time, so Ill go with Reids appearance I guess. After that, Ill just ask Maxwell for help as always. We were in Berith now, but I could use teleportation so I could jump to Raum. If I exin the situation and ask for his help, he shoulde to Berith with me. For the time being, I just wanted to get rid of this despondency and pain. Okay, here we go. Deciding on my course of action, I stripped down. Reid wasnt exactly tall, but Nicole was even shorter. If I remained in a young girls nightclothes, I woulde off as a pervert. Well, there was no one to witness it, but they could still get torn. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I fumbled around and undid the seal, then invoked the spell. The usual sharp pain assaulted me in moments. But my eyes were hurting even more now, so I didnt feel it as strongly. But that onlysted for a moment, after which an even stronger pain spread through my eyeballs. Ghaaaaaaah!? My body raised creaks as it transformed into Reid. But there was some foreign substance inside my eyes so they were unable to transform. No, more urately,somethingseemed to be eating the newly transformed flesh. Moreover, I could even feel thatsomethingsquirming inside my eyes. Lady Nicole?! And in the worst timing, Finia stepped into my room just then. She probably came running here when she heard my scream. Either way, it was the worst timing for me. Fi..nia I squeezed out a word while gasping violently. But the voice that came out didnt belong to the usual me, but to a dense male voice. Judging from it, I realized that I had transformed into Reid. Lord Reid? Why No, more importantly, wheres Lady Nicole?! Finia eximed in bewilderment, but I had noposure to answer her now. I was lying and having spasms on the floor while desperately suppressing a scream. If I raised my voice again, more people woulde running, after all. Finia also rushed to my side, perhaps realizing the situation when she saw my nightclothes next to me. Could it be, youre Lady Nicole? Why did you turn into Lord Reid No, were you Lady Nicole all along? No, thats not important now! Finia lent me her shoulder to get me back on my bed. But for a dainty elf like her, it was very difficult to lift up an adult man. Lady Nicole, please cancel the spell. The Polymorph spell is most likely preventing eyeball regeneration, which only increases pain. G-Got it. At any rate, I had things to exin to her. There was no way I could make up an excuse at this point. As I canceled the ongoing spell, my body swiftly returned to my original form. The pain I felt was the usual Polymorph pain. Haah, haah Are you alright? There seem to be Slime fragments remaining inside your eyes, Lady Nicole. So when you try to reconstruct them with Polymorph, it starts to devour the new flesh. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) So thats how it was. If Slime was left inside my body, no wonder it couldnt be healed. Moreover, it would keep getting worse from Kufars Disease Slimes effect, and even if I tried to find him and attack, he could eat my body from the inside. He really did a number on me Just as she tried to lift me up, the door on the opposite end of the corridor was opened. Maria rushed out of the room. She probably feared whether my condition had worsened. Whats wrong, Finia! Before her voice reached us, I felt Finia kicking my nightclothes away. Lady Nicole was having a nightmare due to pain and fell down from the bed. Her clothes got caught on and got torn during the moment, so Im helping her change now. I see, is she alright? Hearing my clothes got torn, I felt Maria close the door. She probably saw me naked with nightclothes scattered around. It was probably a bit pushing it as an excuse, but she couldnt let others see me like that. Lyell and Cloud were right behind her, after all. Yes, but please give us some time. Id like to wipe her body too. Alright. Please do. But call me if you notice anything strange happening. Understood. She seemed to have been convinced with them, so the two of us sighed in relief. I managed to avoid Maria finding out about me, but now I had to exin the situation to Finia. Realizing that gave me a big headache. Chapter 432 Once I wasid down on the bed, Finia left the room for a moment. She probably went to make sure the worried Maria wouldnt barge inter. I was already back to my normal body so there would be no problem, but we had a delicate topic to discuss. If possible I wanted to talk in a calm environment. She returned after a few minutes, pulled a chair next to the bed, and sat down. I sensed her movements through sound and presence. Then she just stayed silent without saying a word. I felt like she wanted to say something, but I couldnt see her expression now. Uhh I stirred awkwardly in ce, but unfortunately, I couldnt move from the spot now. The fever gnawing at my body had already made it difficult to even stand up on my own. The earlier situation seemed to have just shaved off my stamina too much. Finia did not react to my words and merely waited for me to continue. I could understand her feelings. Her most beloved person who she had been eagerly waiting for turned out to be the girl she was serving, so her mind was probably in a hectic state. Anger, confusion, maybe even humiliation. The fact that she still managed to endure acting on her emotions before hearing my exnation showed how much self-restraint she had. Well, the truth is It was probably impossible to hide things thiste in the game. And it would be prettyme to try to keep deceiving her. Rude even. I had been lying to her from the start. That fact would remain unchanged, but now that it got out, I had to properly exin everything. Resolving myself, I proceeded to tell her the whole story of my experience. The fact that the White God had reincarnated me. That I couldnt reveal myself as I had been reborn into a girl, and a daughter of myrades. As well as how I solved various incidents that have transpired since then. Even the fact that Maxwell and Gadius were aware of it and were helping me in hiding my identity. Once I finished, I heard her sobbing. I couldnt hope to understand the feelings that made her cry. No, perhaps she herself didnt understand them either. But with this, Finia had united with me in the truest sense. So there you have it. Sorry for staying quiet. I couldnte out and say it after so long, so I just kept hiding it. I see Lord Reid She probably wanted to say I was terrible, which would be appropriate for what I did. Id have even expected a p or two. She took a deep breath and then started to criticize me with a resolute tone. While I do understand your feelings, I still wish you would have told me. I wish I could have cried and shouted more, and conveyed my feelings to you. But you havent told me, so I would have normallyshed out emotionally at you with all my strength, but if I do that now, you would probably die in your current condition, Lord Reid no, Lady Nicole. Yeah, sorry about that. I had no words to return to that. Then Finia pressed on even further. So, does Lady Cortina know? Of course not! I eximed wildly at her question. I felt bad for Cortina, but after lying for her so long, I couldnt juste out and go, Hey, its actually me. Finia ended up finding out about it, but I had no ns of divulging my lie from my side. Id take it to the grave. Dont you pity her for doing that! I do. I do, but thats why I cant talk. I never nned to tell you either, Finia. Youre cruel, Lord Reid. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) She spoke with a hint of sadness, and I sensed her raise her arm. She was going to hit me. I perceived it as such, but I had no intention of dodging it. This was her just right. But while I was resigning to my fate to receive my punishment, her hand stopped at gently tapping on my cheek as if brushing it. It was a light touch that could never cause pain. You are weakened now so Ill forgive it with this much. But Yeah. I suppose you have a lot to say. And I think I deserve getting punched, or even stabbed. Still, I couldnt tell you about it. She kept gently caressing my cheeks without pulling her hand down. The cold sensation of her hand felt pleasant to my burning body, making me unconsciously rub my cheek against it. But the next moment, she pressed her hand at my cheek and fixed it in ce. And then, a soft sensation brushed my lips. A momentter came her flowery fragrance. Huh? Its payback for lying to me all this time. Though its hard to call it that at thiste hour. With that, it finally hit me that she had kissed me. Of course, we had exchanged kisses several times before this, but thinking back, this was probably the first kiss initiated from her side. Please rest for now. Once you are back to full health, well have another talk. So the real retributiones then? Yes, do resolve yourself. I felt she leaked a suppressed, mischievous giggle. She probably hasnt fully forgiven me, but I was relieved to know that she didnt start hating me at least. Even after deceiving her for all this time, she put her feelings aside and prioritized my health. Really, youre too good for a guy like me Oh no, Lady Nicole. Calling yourself a guy is quite improper. I became sulky at her remark and protested with puffed cheeks. Seeing that, she finally let out augh. I cant believe youre Lord Reid when youre acting like that. Oh just you wait, Ill show you my cool side one of these days. That has to wait until youre back to full health. With those words, she fixed the nket covering me and stood up. Lady Maria was worried so Ill go report your condition. You should rest too, Lady Nicole. Right. I cant move properly in this state either way. I managed to distract myself while talking to her, but the pain in my eyes was still there. The fever hadnt died down either, so my condition was just terrible. With Polymorph being sealed, It was impossible for me to move properly like this. Escaping while avoiding Lyell and Cortinas eyes was just absurd. For the time being, even though we hadnte to a conclusion, I still managed to postpone the situation with Finia. All that was left was to heal this body, but I leave that to Maria. Chapter 433 As Finia returned to where Maria was, she reported Nicoles condition, trying to calm her down. Lady Nicole is resting now. I have changed her clothes and wiped her too, nothing else is necessary for the time being. I see Youve been working hard. Thanks, Finia. Not at all. My ineptitude is to me for this from the start. The fact that she let Nicole chase a suspicious person on her own was making her feel a sense of guilt. At the same time, she felt unprecedented hatred towards the boy called Kufar. This was the first time in her thirty years of life that she had be aware of such a feeling. And just like her, there were others who held the same level of hatred towards him. That bastard, hes not getting away the next time I find him! Yeah, hes getting Third Eye punishment, no questions asked! Michelle, we call that killing someone. Tricia couldnt help but shudder at Michelle and Clouds disy of wrath. Unlike the two who were readily spelling out the death sentence for Kufar, she was an ordinary citizen distanced from life-threatening situations. However, there were others who agreed with the twos deadly promations said with innocent tones. I understand your feelings, but Im the one whos going to kill him. Rather than that, we have to find a way to heal Nicoles eyes now. Lyell suggested with a scratch of his head. At present Marias healing magic could not heal her eyes. Presently, you could say Nicole is being continuously injured. Its different from healing an already present wound. At Cortinas words, Maria started to ponder while pinching her jaw. So it means we are dealing with something thats not a normal Slime. And since this parasitizing fragment has no core, its hard to bring it down. Unless we take it out, her eyes cant be healed. Maybe Maxwells magic would be able to do something? That would be hard. That old man is bad at fine-tuning his spells. Blowing away the coreless Slime should be possible with someone as proficient in magic as him. But the Slime in question was small fragments that had made the eyeballs their nest. Landing a precise attack on a tiny fragment without damaging the surroundings would be called a superhuman level. If even that old man cant do it Realizing what that meant, the room fell into silence. As the despair started to show its face, the door was forcefully bashed open. And thats when you rely on THE GOD! Entering inside was a young girl in white. Behind her was a tall man in his prime. He ruthlessly chopped the gung-ho girl in the back of her head, and spoke in a calm tone. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Like that would serve as an exnation. Anyway, we heard the situation and came. Thought we could be of help. Lyell recognized the mans face. He was the cksmith that was in charge of Nicoles equipment three years ago. He remembered hearing he was Maxwells acquaintance. You are Aste, right? Yeah, well, something like that. Something like that? Wait, more importantly, can you do something?! Lyell grabbed AsteHasturs shoulders with his strong hands. It was forceful enough it seemed as if he would grab his cor and pull him in. Thats not my area of expertise. Its this ones role. He said and put his hand on the girls head in front. The white girl puffed her chest in excitement with hands on her hips. Leave it to me. A mere Slime wounding my dependent would affect my name as a god! Saying that, she barged into the room Nicole was sleeping at. Maria and Dr. Tricia hurriedly followed after her. Despite all the noise, Nicole showed no signs of waking up. It appeared that she had fainted again after Finia had left. The white girl stood next to Nicole and asked about the condition without looking back. Whats the situation? Huh? Umm, there is a slime without a core parasitizing her eyeballs so we cant cast healing magic. It would start eating the recovered parts. Being asked, Dr. Tricia exined in confusion, and Maria followed up. Hearing it, the white girl peered into Nicoles face with deep interest. She removed the bandage over her eyes, exposing the hideously burned scars. Oho. So its this, huh. She muttered quietly and snapped her fingers a little. Based on the small light around her fingers, she might have used some spell. Then, she twirled around and started to push Maria and Tricia out of the room. Okay, from this point on, youll get in the way of my secret healing, so please get out! Huh, w-wait! Im a healing magic specialist so That doesnt matter! She tried to push everyone out but it was impossible with her tiny body. Instead, it was Hastur who moved everyone outside the room. After that, the God of Destruction bit her own fingertip and dripped a droplet of her blood on her scar. The droplet that fell on the still-unconscious Nicoles eyes, permeated the scar as if being sucked into it. I exterminated the Slime fragments with the earlier Disintegrate spell, but just in case. The God of Destruction and Nicole were linked both by blood and spirit. So by taking her blood, God of Destruction had her regenerate and reconstruct her eyeballs using her own immortality. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Had she been of a different bloodline, most likely a rejection would have urred. But is this fine? Hastur, the only other remaining person in the room, asked anxiously. The God of Destruction replied full of confidence. Of course. But maybe shell inherit my charm power or something? Now that would be a curse. Youre beyond help. Only a bit of it though. It shouldnt be strong enough to destroy peoples sense of reasoning. Then, lets add one more just in case. Saying that, Hastur took out an eyepatch from his pocket and etched a spell into it. This should manage to suppress its power. But why an eyepatch? Wouldnt sses like mine have done the job? Besides, why do you carry an eye patch on you? Its my hobby. God of Wind Hastur. By interacting with youngsters, his illness from when he was around fourteen years old had shown its face again. In truth, even Hastur wouldve easily been able tond a pinpoint attack on the slime Rather, his control is even more precise. But, it seems that he decided to let his wife have the credit for it this time. Chapter 434 Before I noticed, I had been freed from my nightmarish difficulty to sleep. My mind that had gotten scattered like when losing consciousness started to gather up again. The light under my eyelids was notifying me that I was close to waking up. Ngghh As I slowly opened my eyes, a clear morning light flowed into my eyes. Finia who sat nearby had fallen asleep while toppled forward on the bed. She probably nursed me all night and tired herself out. My eyes I can see?! My yell of astonishment made her twitch and woke her up. Fwah Good morning, Lady Nicole. Finia, my eyes! Have my eyes been healed?! Ah, yes. Yesterday, a girl calling herself the God of Destruction has healed them. Huh, it wasnt Maria? Hearing that it wasnt Maria that healed them, I had chills run up my spine. It was that Whitey we were talking about here. There was a possibility that she made a blunder somewhere. I peeked anxiously at Finia, but her eyes seemed a little cloudy. And her face was flushed for some reason. Huh, Finia Your face looks red. That may be the case, Lord Reid. My heart is pounding a little fast Maybe its because I learned who you are? Let me exghhh!? Then the door was flung open without waiting for my reply. But the door mmed to the wall and rebounded, closing back again while smiting the God of Destruction Yuuris face in the process. After a little bit, the door opened once again, but this time slowly. Seeing her do it so timidly made me pity her a bit. What did youe here for? Seeing the blood under her nose, that earlier hit seemed to have given her a nosebleed. She could use all kinds of spells so she could heal a wound of that level in an instant. Thus, I just asked my question in bewilderment, without worrying about that. As I said, to exin things. And also for the aftercare. Aftercare? Lets start with the exnation. With that, she came inside and sat down next to Finia on a spare chair. Her legs dangled in the process, failing to reach the ground. First, I healed your eyes. As for the process, I used Disintegrate to dpose the parasitizing Slime on the molecr level. And then I regenerated your eyeballs. Wait, you managed to destroy the tiny parasite Slime with a pinpoint attack? That much is no biggie for me. But Im a little bad at healing magic, so I used my blood as the catalyst and healed you with Regeneration. Regeneration was a high-ranked healing spell that could even restore the lost body parts. If she used that, it makes sense that my eyes would return to normal. Youre my descendant both in flesh and spirit, so my blood adapted to you without problems. But theres a little problem I have a bad feeling about this. Yes, well, it adapted a little too well, so a part of my power got passed over to you. Eheh. Huh? Seeing her cutely pull out her tongue, I felt a shiver running down my body. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Just about anyone wouldve done so in my ce. My own body might have been turned into something else under another persons influence. This was naturally scary. W-What are the effects? Err, its nothing that dangerous, you know? The power of my eyes is to charm others. So, if I meet eyes with someone, they will be charmed? Yes. Of course, it cant be more powerful than my own, so worry not. Incidentally, how powerful is yours? She looked away at my question. I grabbed her face and forcefully turned towards me. How powerful is it! Ow. Ill speak, Ill speak so let me go?! She appealed with teary eyes, so I let her face go. She red reproachfully at me while holding her cheeks. I expected as much, but seeing it now, Im sure it can only change someones feelings towards you in a favorable direction. But sometimes they can act upon those emotions, so keep that in mind. So the reason Finias face is red is Saying that, she took out an eyepatch from her robes sleeve. It was a leather eyepatch with ck color as its base, looking like the one pirates typically wore. Why an eyepatch? It seems its my husbands hobby. Cant sses work? Like yours. No way. These sses are a present from my beloved husband. Make another one for me! Not-a-chance! She firmly denied my request while holding her eyes in a desperate manner. Well, it was a present from her husband, so I guess her reaction is natural. And wearing a matching pair with a different woman wasnt a very appealing idea either. Well, fine. So this only covers one of my eyes, but both my eyes have the same effect right? Yes, Im sure they do. Incidentally, Ill tell you just in case, but your Charm (weak) should have been added among your Gifts. Okay, got it. Since it was bestowed by a god, it was certainly a Gift. Still, weak or not, it had a Charm effect. I couldnt help but sigh, imagining how troublesome this ability could prove to be. Chapter 435 After putting the eyepatch on and dressing myself, I decided to go meet my parents. They came here from the distant northern vige after hearing about my injury, so I felt pretty apologetic. I had to at least show them that I was doing well to rx them. Good morning, mom, dad. I entered the room they were in and greeted them. I saw the two moving about restlessly inside while Hastur was trying to calm them down. Seeing me enter, Maria and Lyell stiffened for a moment, and then attacked me with an intense hug. I epted Marias embrace while kicking Lyells face away. Nicole, youre looking all better! Yea, sorry for making you worry, mom. Wait, Nicole, I cant ept this treatment! Let me hug you too! I demand a father and daughter emotional hug! Lyell eximed in sadness, having my sole nted on his face and unable toe any closer. But this and that was different. Id rather avoid being hugged by a guy even during convalescence. I did feel bad for him, but still. More importantly, whats with that eyepatch? Did one eye not regain its sight? Thats not it. It seems I received an unnecessary ability, so this is for suppressing it. I see, then its all good. No, its not! Why are you saying that too Maria! I wanna hug Nicole too! With all my strength! Maria dismissed his appeal with one sentence. As expected, Maria was cut above him, or perhaps Lyell was being dominated. That said, I felt a bit too bad about it, so once Maria released me from her hug, I made Lyell lower his head and gave him a light hug. It felt good being embraced by Marias voluptuous body, but I couldnt just keep drowning in the sensation forever. It seems I made you worried too, dad. You did, Nicole But youre fine now, right? Yes. That Whitey is an even bigger expert of Magic than Maxwell. I see, Im d Im so d! He put his burly arms around me and hugged me tightly. I felt a wet sensation on my chest, so he was probably crying. His shaky words were proof of that. Uhh, sorry for disturbing your emotional moment, but how is that eyepatch? Oh, yeah. Its surprisingly not bad at all. It fits perfectly so it shouldnte off even if I move a lot. Having my vision limited is one fault though. Just think of the limited vision as part of your training. Do you have a headache or dizziness? Or do you feel any stress on your optic nerves? No, no problems. It feels like wearing an ordinary eyepatch. I see. Its sealing a Gift, so there might be some strain. Contact me immediately if you feel anything is off. Maxwell should be able to carry you to my home. I almost used manly speech, but Maria and Lyell were here so that would be bad. You may be unable to teleport due to dizziness or headache. Im just saying not to push yourself. I see, okay. Lord Lyell, Lady Maria. I brought breakfast. As I nodded, Finia entered the room with the breakfast tray in her hands. Though she brought it, she hasnt made it herself. This was an inn, so she couldnt use the kitchen without permission. She probably just brought the meal she asked the inn staff to make. She only called Maria and Lyells names, but she ordered everyones portion. She wouldnt make a mistake in that regard. Thank you, Finia. Youre as thoughtful as always. Not at all. She looked a little shy, but she briskly set the table in the room. It was a long time since she met Lyell and Maria, being praised made her feel a little bashful. More importantly, can you tell us now? Just who, how, and why would anyone injure you like that? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Marias question was rightful. Besides, I also thought I had to tell them about Kufar. It didnt only involve me but Cortina too, after all. He clearly targeted Cortina three years ago. She escaped danger because he encountered me before her, but the thought of what would have happened if that hadnt been the case made me shiver. Besides, I had Michelle and Finia with me too. If they were targeted as well, I alone wouldnt be able to protect everyone. Moreover, there was the existence of the Slime body part that could move without the core. Even Lyell could be in danger if he took a surprise attack from it. Because unlike me, he wasnt very skilled in evasion. His true worth was maintaining the front line using his resilience against attacks. I had to let everyone know, so I said Id talk once Michelle and Cloud were here too, so I went to wake them up. And once everyone was gathered, I started to tell what happened. About him being a Disease Slime. That he could control parts of his body separated from his core. That he once aimed for Cortina and came to get involved with Cloud this time. I exined everything I could while omitting things about me. So that guy injured you like that Lyell spoke while audibly grinding his teeth. Maria had her gentle smile, but her eyes werent smiling at all. But more than that Lyell, Ill be the one to take that guy down. Im not going to hand him over to you. Cortina dered with unusual bloodlust. But Lyell protested too. Shes my daughter. Hes mine. Then whoever gets to him first. Youre on. As the three were giving off such threatening vibes, unexpectedly, Cloud joined in too. Master Lyell, sorrybut Ill be the one to take him down first. What? He aimed for me and injured myrade. No way Im forgiving that. Lyell gazed in surprise at Cloud who couldnt suppress his bloodlust. His expression was different from the time he was Lyells disciple. Fine then. Youre part of the race. I wont lose! Lyell pushed out his fist, which Cloud met with his own. Like this, Kufar ended up making enemies out of people he should not have. Chapter 436 Cortina, should Ie along? Nicole, your injury has only just healed, so I cant have you push yourself. Sit this one out. Cortina wasnt working with Lyell or Cloud, so I was a little worried. I tried to go along with her, but she politely rejected it. She stood up, approached me, and gently patted my head. Dont worry, I am aware of my own limits. I wont go overboard like you, so dont worry. Gh, citing me as an example is pretty sly. Youve made us worry that much this time, so I have to make you feel sorry. Lets see, maybe I will go gather people at the Guild for now. Ill have Mark help too. Marks group huh Cortina was thinking about the prominent battle assets, but honestly, Mark would be pretty unreliable against Kufar. He could even manipte his body parts, so he probably had even more troublesome abilities. Also Im thinking of borrowing Michelle. Okay! Ill cooperate with all my strength! Michelle readily promised that, but she might actually be the most ideal opponent against Kufar. As long as his core is exposed, she couldnd a precise shot from a safe distance. The problem was that Kufar was known to be elusive. Michelle had sharp senses as a hunter, but even that could becking against Kufar. W-Wait, I was thinking of having Michelle act with me! What is it, Cloud? Do you n to entrust your revenge to a girl? Thats beside the point here! Cloud, who had thrown a challenge to the Six Heroes, stood up in protest at Cortinas words. His fighting style was centered around protection. In other words, like Cortina, hecked in the offense. He probably wanted to secure Michelle, whose offensive ability was the highest among our party, no matter what. Still, I want her skill too you know? Well, I was nning to count on her too! Whats up, Cortina, Cloud. Already having trouble? You can just retire, just so you know. Who would! Lyell stared at the two with an irritable smug grin. Being in the worlds strongest ss when it came to offense, he was acting quiteposed. Even Maria was with him, so he had a perfect setup. Then I suddenly remembered something. Speaking of which, what about Fina? We left her behind. The maid is looking after her, so dont worry. Plus, theres the viges guards monitoring the ce. No one should be able to get to her. We couldnt bring her to a ce where you suffered such a big injury. Marias point was reasonable. They couldnt bring their weakness that was Fina along to a ce where an enemy strong enough to injure me was around. Plus the vige guards were all proficient in battles and were all quite strong. They should be able to keep her safe. Anyway, Cloud. Be a gentleman and give ground to ady! Lady my ass! Im not backing down this time! Stop, dont fight for mee! Michelle seemed to be having fun seeing the two fight over her with such serious expressions. From her standpoint, she would aplish her revenge whoever she followed, so she was just happy that she was being needed. Wait,for me? Isnt that something I should be saying? I wonder where she learned to talk back like that. In the end, Cloud won their fierce rock-paper-scissors fight, making Cortina extremely frustrated. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Okay, were done here, so well be off. Before that, take this. The one that stood up from the chair with those words was Whitey, who had been silent until now. At the same time, AsteGod Hastur, handed over a piece of cloth to me. It was a ck cloth that released a dull luster, a material Id never seen. Or no, it looked a little simr to my gauntlets. Whats this? Mantle woven with Mythril threads. But it wouldve been heavy that way, so Ive made some adjustments. Adjustments? Yeah. At first, I was thinking that it would be good for defense, but given the material, it should resist the Slime corrosion too. Hastur spoke full of confidence. Thinking back, I remember seeing him experimenting on converting the Huge Crawlers threads into mucus form. Did he use that technique to make this mantle? Thanks. I wont let him get the better of me this time. I hope that will be the case. With that curt reply, the two gods left the room. Time for us to go too. Nicole, dont do anything rash. Okay. Lyell and Maria also left their seats. Finia gathered the tableware and took it to the kitchen. Her participation wasnt part of the topic this time, but not because she was weak or anything. It was simply because it was judged that she would have a bad affinity against a Slime. FInia fought with a spear with minimum defensive gear on her. Herbat style would leave her prone to receiving attacks. For that reason, everyone had judged not to take her to the battle, fearing getting her wounded. Cloud also returned to his room, and so did Michelle. And like this, Kufar subjugation squads started making their own preparations. Chapter 437 I headed to the Adventurers Guild with Cortina and Marks group. She apparently wanted me to rest on the bed initially, but after weighing the options of me staying at the inn with Lyell, Maria, and Michelle gone and apanying her, she judged thetter to be safer and let me do it. And above all, she wasnt suited to working inside the cities. Her field of activity was mainly the battlefields or fights in the wild. She wasnt very experienced in uncovering the enemies, cornering them, and taking down enemies within the cities. I would worry if she acted without any support. But I had Finia stay at the inn as a cornerstone ofmunication. Her versatile use of magic was useful for this situation or so was my excuse, but honestly, I was just gaining my time. I was feeling a little awkward now. Like this, Marks group and I followed Cortina to the Guild to gather information. On the way, I discovered bronze statues of Six Heroes. This city Berith was located at the foot of the World Tree. Because of that, it was donut-shaped, and on top of that, the World Tree roots spreading in four directions divided the city into parts. Of course, you could still get to any ce by going over or under the roots, but it was still moreplex than normal. For that reason, there were squares set up in all kinds of ces, making it easier for carriages to turn. Leaving it at that felt a little wasteful so each square often had things like fountains and bronze statues in the middle. The square we were at was also one of such ces. Ohh, so these are the famed Six Heroes. Theres Lady Cortina and Maria too! Of course, they are Six Heroes statues, after all. But their poses are differentpared to the ones in Stor, huh? They were heroes who saved the world, so their statues were built all over the world even without their knowledge. Stor also had such statues, with Lyell and Cortina standing at the center. But here, it was Maria and Lyell at the center. This wall because Stor was saved by Cortina, so Donovan simply designed it with her as the focus. Simrly, Maria was from Berith, so she was made to stand in the center here. As for Lyell he was generally always positioned near the center. It was rather annoying. But one of their faces looks pretty vague, doesnt it? Among the gant figures of the Six Heroes, only one of them was kneeling and hiding his face with a hood and scarf. Needless to say It was the past me. Thats Reid. He was an assassin so they cant show his face. Ah, is that so? Sounds like someone whod be earning grudges everywhere. Its even worse than that. That guy was merciless towards the ones he judged to be evil, so he kept picking fights with nobles and influential people. Uwah, Id have died instantly. The fact that he managed to survive is proof of his skill. He was an amazing person, huh. That he was. Even Lyell couldnt match up to him. Mark and Cortina stared at my statue in admiration. Cortinas cheeks in particr seemed slightly flushed. Still Still. Cortina, could you stop over-evaluating me so much. Even I cant do anything against that muscle-brain. The only time I could win against him would be in a very limited situation with half of his power gone. But I couldnt tell her that while she was puffing out her chest. In the first ce, what would my im be based on? Finia got to know my secret but Cortina still hadnt. Marks group took Cortinas words straight on and was convinced in Reid being the strongest. I honestly wanted to crawl into a hole and hide, but it was difficult to run off on my own now. Even if I tried to, Id probably just get dragged back by the nape of the neck. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Thus, I arrived at the Guild while constantly feeling like I was sitting on a bed of nails. What kind of shame y was this supposed to be. However, my discontent was blown away the moment we opened the doors of the Guild. The situation inside was beyond turmoil and nearing the level of havoc. Things are looking turbulent. Normally a staff member wouldve greeted us by now, but not even that happened. They were hectically running around sticking posters on themission board, as well as approving the Adventurers who took them. It felt like a battlefield. Cortina caught one of the staff running nearby to ask what was going on. The staff member frowned in trouble for a moment, but seeing Cortinas adventurers ID, she instantly stood at attention. L-Lady Cortina?! What brings you here Just stop with those set phrases. Can you tell us whats going on? O-Of course. Theres a riot in the seventh district slums. Some of the citizens have been harmed already, so we are gathering people to suppress them. Seventh isnt that in the south-southwest section of the city? Two districts away from here. Yes. Victims are all flowing towards here and that makes it hard to dispatch the army, so we are having big trouble. Because the city was divided by the World Trees roots, dispatching arge-scale army needed taking a specific route. But that very route was the same one victims were using to rush here. The flowing citizens and the sent army would naturally run into each other and be in a stalemate. For that reason, the central government has ordered us to gather speedy Adventurers and solve the situation as fast as possible. And that led to this situation, huh. But what about the Pope? The Pope, being the most influential person around, should have been able to restrain the people and move the army to the riot area. However, the staff powerlessly shook her head in negation to Cortinas question. It appears that high eminence is unable to be found Say what?! Isnt that really bad? It is. It seems that they were traveling incognito in the city, but disappeared during this trouble. What about the search? Hearing the staffs words, Cortina made a pondering gesture. And then asked the staff once again. What about the Guilds contactwork? Is there any ce you cant reach? Im not sure, given this trouble. I will go and check. Hurry. It might be that some mastermind had anticipated everything including the movements of the chivalry and the Pope. No way! Yes way. Dont you think this situation is too bad? The countermeasures are dyed with the worst timing. I feel some intent behind all this. Hearing Cortinas mutter, Kufars face surfaced in my mind. Kufar meddled with us yesterday, but maybe this was his doing too. In the first ce,ying his hand on me guaranteed that Lyell and others woulde running. In that case, he could have decided to hasten putting his schemes to action. Looks like we have sniffed him out. During all this, only Cortina had a big grin on her face. Chapter 438 Led by Cortina, we headed towards the seventh ward located in the south-southwestern section. It was a dangerous ce, but taking her eyes off me was apparently even scarier to her. Given her suspicions about this being Kufars scheme, her decision was unavoidable. Though I could also take this as an opportunity to clear my name of the previous defeat. Looking up to the sky, I could see some Adventurers using Flight and flying over the roots that divided the city. Adventurers could do this since they acted individually, but the chivalric order that moved as a group didnt have enough users to cast the spells. This was an option avable to Adventurers who were quickly adaptable. This is the weakness ofrge organizations, huh. They dont have much adaptability. Cortina, who was also looking at the sky, clicked her tongue and stopped. After we lowered our gazes, before us was the chivalric order at standstill in front of the gate leading to another division. Some citizens were fleeing away from the gate, so they were probably the ones that managed to escape through it. This is bad. Yes, really bad. Huh, what is? The two of us noticed how bad things were, but Marks group seemed oblivious. As Cortina said, the situation wasnt looking very good. Half-demons had rioted and the chivalric order was sent to suppress them. But the fleeing citizens were blocking their way, so they couldnt take further action. In other words, the citizens and knights were confronting each other. It was only a matter of time until they would start pushing through the citizens with the use of force to aplish their mission. If that happened, the riots would start to spread out even more. As a result, many casualties would be born from it. Nicole, youcant use flight, yes? Yea, its part of the puppetry system so I have a bad affinity with it. Finia can use it though. The flight spell was somewhere between mid to high rank of the puppetry magic. I was focused on one talent so I couldnt use it, but an all-rounder like Finia could just barely use it now. That said, she wasnt here now. And Cortina didnt know a spell of that level either. Returning to the inn no, that would be difficult now. The confusion had already started to spread to this western ninth ward. If we made a round trip to the inn, the situation could fall into a panic in the meantime. Maria wouldve been able to calm the situation down had she been here. Okay, Ill see if I can do it myself. The rest of you return to the inn and bring Finia and Maria. Understood! Marias charisma was practically absolute here in Berith. She wouldve been able to take control of the citizens in ce of the Pope. Finia who could use Flight wouldve been useful to have here, even if she could only use it on a few people. Ah, wait! Cortina stopped Mark and others who were about to run off, then took out a folded paper and a pen pot. Then she quickly scribbled something on the paper, folded it into four, and handed it over to Mark. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) If you find Lyell and Cloud at the inn, give them this memo. If not, then dispose of it. Make sure you do. Huh? Okay, understood. Mark bent his head in puzzlement, not understanding her intentions, but these guys wouldnt refuse Cortinas request. Hearing his reply, she barged into the maelstrom of confusion ahead to give directions in the ce of the knightsmander. Although not to Marias level, she was still popr to a degree too. But given that this was a religious kingdom, it was probably not as effective as in other cities. She would probably have quite a bit of trouble. She most likely gave those instructions because she expected that. Okay, Mark, John, Tony. Were returning to the inn! Gotcha! With Cortina getting involved, the knights should be able to regain control at least to a degree. Even if her influence wasnt big here, she should still have enough authority as one of the Six Heroes to aplish at least that much. However, it would have no influence on the citizens that were flooding in. And unless they were stopped, the chivalric order wouldnt be able to reach the area of riot. She could only manage to suppress the spread of the riot. To stop it, they needed the Pope or Maria who held even more charisma. I dont know if Maria is at the inn but Hmm? I suddenly stopped. I knew that I had to get Maria here as fast as possible. But even so, I saw something that made me stop. There was a small crowd formed before us as we entered a narrow alley. For a moment, I saw the figure of a small girl from the gaps at their feet. And their legs were swung towards that girl. Kyaagh! Her scream was cut short, probably due to a kick in the gut. Either way, I couldnt overlook it now that I had seen it. Even if wasting time here would lead to more people dying, I couldnt abandon the girl before my eyes. This is how Ive been since the old days. You three, sorry but go on ahead and call Maria. Huh, what about you, Nicole? Ill go save her! I ran off without waiting for their reply. I understood full well that my simplistic thinking has brought a lot of bad fame to me. But even so, overlooking this would be like stopping being myself. Wait, you people! Huuh? The men surrounding the little girl turned around at my sudden intrusion. Thanks to that, I managed to get a proper look at the girl. She wore tattered clothes and looked to be around ten years old. She had a small horn on her forehead, making it clear that she was a half-demon. The clothes of the surrounding men werent as dirty inparison. They were probably doing proper work normally. But hearing that the riot was half-demons doing, they directed their wrath at the innocent half-demon they found nearby, huh? Unfortunately, this was amon urrence during these kinds of chaotic situations. What are you doing to that kid? Isnt she just a little child? But shes a half-demon! They were the ones that caused a riot in the south. Wheres the proof that she isnt with them. Wheres the proof that shes with them then? Besides shes just a child. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I said and stepped forward with my left leg. Doing so shouldve allowed them to see the katana on my waist. Being ordinary citizens, they werent armed. No well, they werentpletely unarmed, but their weapons were daily use items like rolling pins and mops. They were nothingpared to the intimidating air of a katana that was specifically forged for bloodshed. As their gazes focused on my waist, I made use of the timing and put a hand on the scabbard, and unsheathed it slightly with my thumb. Seeing how they took a step back looking overpowered, I realized that they saw the de peeking from the slight gap. B-But But what? No, well This time, I lightly put my right arm over the hilt and slowly gripped it. Then I took a posture from which I could unsheathe it at a moments notice. The men who were being overwhelmed by me should have realized that too. That said, since my left leg was forward, this posture was unsuitable for making a sh from the sheathed state. Naturally, I understood that well, but I wasnt actually nning to unsheathe it against ordinary citizens. Kh, if a riot happens in the western ward, it would be on you! Hey, wait for me?! Sumbing to the pressure, one of the men spit that out and tried to leave the ce. Seeing that, the rest of the men also ran off at once. Once I confirmed that they were gone, I rxed my guard and rushed over towards the girl. Chapter 439 Fortunately enough, the little girls injuries werent very severe. Still, her tiny body was kicked by adult men, so there was no knowing what after-effects it could leave. I approached her and cast healing magic. Valencia One, Ultramarine One, Gold One, grant rest to the wounded heroComfort. This was the top-rank recovery magic among the interference system. That said, there were only two of them in the entire system, so calling it top-rank was pretty silly. It had more healing powerpared to the Heal spell, but it had a fault that it made the target fall into sleep. It wasnt a very convenient spell to use on the battlefields. But it was pretty useful during these kinds of emergencies. The little girl stiffened up at first when she saw me use magic, but she quickly fell asleep. Any visible wounds had healed as well, so there was nothing to worry about anymore. That said, I couldnt leave her here. If I did, some other citizens could appear to abuse her again. Now, I wish I could leave her to someone but And someone who could protect her even against a crowd. But someone so convenient was Oh, there was one, now that I think about it. I was in the western ward. It would take long to get to the inn, but the other ce wouldnt take so long. For example, Whiteys tool shop. Whitey, or that boy calling himself Baa should handle it just fine. Rather, they might even take me to the south-southwestern seventh ward. Also, given what happened to this girl, Cloud could be in danger. However, his skill was already practically first-ss, and he had Michelle with him too. Unless something extreme happens, he should be fine. At any rate, I have to keep this kid safe. With that mutter, I lifted the girl up and rushed off into the back alley like the wind. After running for a while, the characteristic silhouette half-crushed under the tree roots came into sight. The sign said they were closed temporarily, but I ignored it and kicked the door. Oouchhh! But the recoil I felt in my leg wildly exceeded my expectations. It was as if I kicked an iron door instead, making me squat down in pain. I wanted to just sit down as is, but I couldnt dy my stay with a girl in hand. It would be even more troublesome if a hostile citizen saw us. While holding my leg, I pulled out lockpicking tools and tried to open the lock. I was still a scout even in this life, so I had such tools on hand. However, before I managed to unlock it, someone opened the door from the inside. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Wee. But we arent open yet, you know? The one who spoke those words in an aloof manner was the boy calling himself Baa. Once I confirmed no one was around, I turned the girl I was holding so he could see her horn. A half-demon, huh? Have you heard of the riot? What do you mean you know if you havent heard about it I wondered, but he was that Whiteys acquaintance, so anything goes I suppose. Thus, I forcibly convinced myself and tried to exin the situation. This child Got rolled up into trouble because shes half-demon, right? I cant take care of her forever, but I can shelter her inside the store until things calm down. Thanks for the quick understanding. But Baa guessed what I was about to say and gave his approval ahead of it. It being settled fast was good for me, but it felt so mysterious it was making me feel uneasy. But now I was in a race against time. I had no time for meaningless back and forth here. I asked whether he could also send me to the seventh ward. He even managed to teleport inside thebyrinth so it shouldve been within his capabilities. He easily agreed to that too. Sure, I dont mind that much. Thats a big help. Ill return this favor someday along with the previous one. A favor from a girl makes me excited. Dont take it weirdly! Wont you sayIll do anything!or something? Like hell I will?! Ignoring my yell, Baa snapped his fingers lightly. The next moment, the girls figure vanished. W-Wait Dont worry. I just teleported her to the basement. Its locked so no one can enter or exit it, either. Wait, wait! My anxiety was natural. That sounded just like confinement. Would a child really be alright thrown alone in a ce like that? The basement is a private room. Theres no bath, but theres a tap and bathroom too, so there should be no inconveniences. What about food? This house is half-buried into the World Tree. The tap is connected directly to the World Tree too. What flows from it is the World Tree sap. That is plenty enough to satisfy ones hunger. Is Whitey around? She headed elsewhere with her husband. Something about fortifying the seals on the ley lines in the south. South so As, I mean, Hasturs home? Something like that I suppose? Because Yuuri is better than him at magic. God of Destruction Yuuri, along with being the developer of magic tools, was also famed for her magic. Seeing that she sealed Dens home in the west, the leyline at Hasturs home probably needed some work too. Then, can you teleport me to Clouds ce? Hmm Cloud, is it? Sorry but I dont know his face. So I cant send you to him. Kh, I guess theres no helping it. As expected, he wasnt able to do anything, after all. Well, given Clouds skill, nothing should happen. I should instead focus on securing safety from another direction. Then, can you send me to the seventh ward? Seventh? Do you n to stop the riot or something? What, is that bad? Uhh, its not that you cant, but wouldnt it be hard on your own? Even so, unless I stop it, innocent people would get injured. I cant overlook that, and above all, Cortina is heading there. Telling me not to worry is more unreasonable. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Due to the riot, not just the victims among the citizens, there were probably even half-demons who were just forced to take part in the riot. The reason Kufar called out to Cloud was probably to gather such people. He ended up injuring me in the process, which made him realize Lyell and others could show up, so he might have used a small number to force through. In that case, half-demons that were simply deceived into acting like that would end up killed by the citizens and knights. I wanted to avoid such a development if I could. Baa seemed to have guessed what I was thinking and nodded a bit. Alright then. I suppose I will lend you a little hand. With those words, he snapped his fingers once more. With just that, my field of view suddenly brightened up, making me realize that we teleported outdoors. We were teleported above the roof of a private house. And below us, half-demons were engaged in a fight against the citizens. Chapter 440 Shit, we werete! I eximed in anger towards no one in particr, seeing the mayhem spreading under my gaze. Or, well, I guess it was also directed towards Kufar, whose ns caused this situation. The ce Baa teleported us was the rooftop of amon private house. There was a wide street in front of it, and a group of half-demons was engaged in a scuffle with some strong-willed men. Judging by their expressions, they were already fresh out of mercy and it was only a matter of time until injured people appeared. What will you do? Just so you know, I wont help any more than this, you hear? Why not? Im not interested in humans in the first ce. I only lent a bit of hand because Yuuri, whos of the same kind as me and you, her dependent, were here. Even as he maintained his casual tone, he erased his amiable smile, recing it with one that made one freeze to the very core. It was like a mask with a smiling shape. I felt as if I was confronting some reptile monster. I had forgotten it, but this guy was also the same kind of being as Yuuri. An inhumane existence. Kh, well, fine. It wasnt exactly fine, but it was better than revealing I was actually expecting him to help. Like, that wouldve been fine until just earlier, but seeing his smile changed my impression entirely. This guy really considered humans insignificant beings. He was the type that didnt care as long as his surroundings were peaceful. So maybe thats why Whitey made him tend the store. To rehabilitate his social disposition perhaps? I once again moved my gaze below. They had already started a fistfight, and I could even see some people equipped with wooden poles and such. The fact that they swung such weapons around in public was proof that they had lost their reason. Of course, that was probably Kufars intention. Naturally, the masses and half-demons that followed along his n were to be med too. That said, if you asked whether they were evil, I would say no. They merely ended up fighting a needless fight due to Kufar. I cant forgive that. I could only call it foolish to have people get injured and die like this. If possible, I wanted to find a peaceful solution. For that, I had to first hear the situation. But no one would lend an ear to a girl in this chaos. I have to get their attention first. Thats it? Then should I show them my true form? Im not sure what your true form is, but dont. I bet it wont lead to anything good anyway. He was a follower of that Whitey. I bet his real form was something beyond my wildest imaginations. It would only cause the quarreling people to fall into panic and worsen the situation even more. I have to stop the fightingfirst! I took a sharp breath, and activated the transfer spell on my gloves. Then, I let loose a Mythril thread from the gauntlets that got immediately equipped on both hands. The thread was true to its aim and pulled up one of the half-demon men engaged in a struggle. I threw him to the house balcony as is, then bound him up with another thread. If I just wanted to stop the fight, I couldve tied up the citizen instead, but that wouldve left that other guy in danger. Having said that, I couldnt just leave this half-demon man on the road either. Thus I decided to pull him up and leave him tied up in an isted ce. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The masses in the middle of mayhem did not stop even as I pulled up a few people. So I continued to pull them up until they would finally notice me. Once the number exceeded five, most of the people finally pointed and looked towards me. Hey, that girl there! Shes only pulling up half-demons. Is she with them? The half-demons were the ones to notice the strangeness first. But with them looking towards me, so did the other citizens. With this, I created a situation where I could talk with them. But how should I persuade them Then, I suddenly remembered God of Destructions words. About my regenerated eyes and the new power dwelling within. Remembering that, I removed the eyepatch on my right eye to release its power. Please hear me out! This riot has been set up! My loud voice spread out clearly. I probably looked quite picturesque standing atop a rooftop and making an appeal as my bluish-silver hair fluttered in the wind. And above all, eyes that held the charm power of the God of Destruction that could even destroy the chains of rationality. It seems that I didnt have that much power, but still enough to charm them and make them unable to look away. Please remember, who caused this riot? Was it not a single boy? Was he not called Kufar? I spoke theatrically while focusing my gaze on them. Of course, Kufar was a slime, so he could freely change his appearance. However, I didnt think hed go out of his way to do that in a ce so separated from the north like this. Moreover, the rioting half-demons would most likely get mercilessly killed and it would end at that. In other words, he nned so there wouldnt be a single person left who knew of him. In that case, you could say there was no meaning in changing his appearance. As a matter of fact, he hadnt changed his appearance when he was scouting Cloud. Even you should understand what kind of conclusion would await this trackless riot, do you not? But at this rate, well all just get used up to death! Do you know? They take us to the World Tree as luggage carriers and even cast us off as meat shields! Even so, this would only get the innocent people and powerless children involved. In fact, Im protecting one such child myself. Some sacrifice Is necessary? Thats what Kufar told you, right? I continued the words of a man that tried to argue back. This wasmon sophistry. There were certainly times when it was necessary. But this time, it would only result in many needless deaths. That guy probably wanted such hopeless deaths. I heard Devils desire such emotions. But your words are just lip service. Even just yesterday Now even as we speak, there might be ourrades getting used to death! Then I will stop such things from happening. Just then, a womans voice interjected into the conversation. Chapter 441 The one that interjected was a small girl from behind the crowd of citizens. She looked to be as old or even younger than me, perhaps in her early teens. She didnt seem to be proficient in martial arts like me, and her slim limbs looked even more dainty than mine. It was as if I was looking at my old self, but her voice seized control of the emotions of everyone around. Let me say it again. I will stop such foolish deeds from happening. W-What could you even I can. With just a single word. But I must say I am not fond of unting my authority like so. Who in the wait, your face, where have I The male citizen seemed to remember the girls face. After staring fixedly at her, he suddenly took a step back as if being overpowered. I-It cant be Her Eminence the Pope?! She was too far from me, so I couldnt make out her facial features. That said, even at this distance, I could still see her shining blond hair and bright green eyes that seemed to be the reflection of the World Trees leaves. She wasnt merely a blonde-haired green-eyed girl. She had a certain overpowering presence special to those colors. Pope? Now that I think of it, she went missing in the south, didnt she? This seventh ward was in the south-southwestern part of the city. So this could be ssified as the southern ward. If it was just that, there should be nothing strange in her being here should be. And yet, I felt a very strong sense of difort. Yes This looks far too convenient! With that scream, I jumped down from the roof. If she really was the current Pope, she should be apassionate person who was trying to abolish discrimination against half-demons. A riot urred just when she traveled incognito inside the city, and was close enough toe running. If she was my target, I wouldnt let go of this timing to assassinate her. It seemed that the one that devised this n thought so too. Just as I jumped down from the roof, I saw a silhouette moving into action at the same time. He was hidden behind the crowd, and made his way through them towards her. It was possible that he was simply some eager believer. But I instantly dismissed such a possibility. Because he was hiding a dagger in his left hand. Even though he was hiding it in his cuff, I saw through it since I specialized in the same field. His wrist was positioned in a way peculiar to backhand grip. His left and right arms moved differently as he walked. I was very familiar with those movements. I was much more away from her. Even so, I wrapped my body in threads, enhanced myself, and dashed towards her at full speed. Suspecting my movements as I dashed like a gale, the crowd tried to stop me but there was no way they could. Still, they managed to hinder my full speed. I slipped through their arms trying to stop me and slipped under their legs, desperately rushing towards her, but it was still not enough. The strange man finally made his way out of the crowd, and rushed at the girl. The girl finally realized the situation and looked surprised, but then revealed aposed smile. I couldnt understand the reason behind it. She didnt seem to have any means of defending herself. Even now, her body was exposed to the assassins dagger. I couldnt make it in timethe man looked towards me for an instant to confirm that fact. Stop! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) If she died, this riot would be unstoppable. With that thought in my mind, I yelled towards the man with all my strength. In triumph, the man pulled out the dagger from his left cuff .. And froze in ce at my words. I didnt understand what happened. But him stopping was a once-in-a-lifetime chance that I couldnt overlook. I rushed at him and threw him on the ground with a tackle. Looking closely, the dagger he was holding was wet. It wasnt some silly reason like it being soaked in water or oil. It was most likely tasteless and odorless poison. It was extremely dangerous to seize an opponent like that. There was a possibility of me getting poisoned as they retaliated back. It was also possible that the poison would fly towards the Pope and cause fatal symptoms. As long as he was conscious, such dangers would remain present. For that reason, I made a fist and drove it into the mans face with all my power. It was possible for me to miss and hit the ground, injuring my fist. But I had to knock him out in one move, or the situation would stay risky. Fortunately, the man failed to dodge my fist as itnded painfully on his face, easily knocking his consciousness away. It happened because mming my fist into his face made the back of his head crash into the stone paving. As I straddled him, his body went limp. He fainted with his eyes open wide and his nose bleeding, seemingly broken. The poisoned dagger fell from his hand, making a clear sound as it hit the paving. Phew, I guess its safe for now? Well done, Marias daughter. Huh? I was shocked to hear Marias name all of a sudden. But on another thought, it shouldnt be a surprise for her to know about me. Maria was respected as a Saint in this city. The Pope would of course know someone like that. Are you surprised? But you look exactly like her when she was young. I would naturally realize it. Wait, mother left this ce about twenty-five years ago. So it has been that long. I have grown quite old. No, I mean Those werent words a girl who seemed barely in her teens should be saying. Which meant, like Whitey, her appearance didnt match her age, huh? With those doubts, I moved my gaze towards her. Chapter 442 The Pope smiling at me seemed to be in her early teens no matter how I looked But wait, her ears were slightly pointy. A half-elf? Indeed, I am surprised you could tell. Although rarely, elves sometimes mixed their blood with humans. The birth rates were iparably lowerpared to doing it with their own race, but it wasnt nonexistent. And half-elves, having elven blood in them, had lifespans longer than humans. Given that, she was most likely not the age her appearance suggested. The Saint. Huh? At that moment, a blurred voice reached my ears. It didnte from the guy under me. It came from the crowd of people, and spread out like a wave. She risked herself to protect the Pope! That bluish-silver hair, could she be Lady Marias daughter? What lovely eyes. They are filled with mystical light that sucks you in Praises started to spread without ceasing, eventually turning to loud cheers. They didnt seem to have known my name, but instead, they were giving praises to Maria. Shes the seconding of the Saint! I dejectedly hung my head, ending up standing out more than needed. Seeing that, the Pope giggled while covering her mouth. Give me a break It cannot be helped. You made such a disy among this big crowd. And there are also your eyes. Huh? Having it pointed out, I thought back on the earlier strangeness. About the man that obeyed my words. It was as if emotions were robbed from him and he turned into a puppet for a moment. I feel a power that is different from magic in them. But that is all I can tell. Ah, this is, well I couldnt exactly say I received them from God of Destruction before the World Tree religions pope, being her natural enemy. That White God once broke the World Tree. If the people looking at me knew the origin of my eyes, their praises would change to hostile gazes. No, stopping at just gazes would still be a better oue. In the worst case, they could even attempt to assault and kill me. Oh yes, it would be dangerous to talk while standing here, so shall we move somewhere else? There is a church nearby. Thats a nice idea, but I wish you didnt appear in front of a crowd from the start. The Popeughed off my grumble. Herposed attitude felt somewhat simr to Marias. The church in question is distributing emergency food to the poor, and I was also helping with it. The Pope herself? So you can cook? Oh my, even I have undergone marriage training. Her Eminence the Popea marriage? Now that was quite rude is it not? Your sarcasticments are just like Marias. This time, she responded with a little pout. Her face was like that of a child that hasnt reached adulthood. If she looked at me like that without knowing who she was, I wouldve definitely mistaken her for a child. It made me realize that women were scary beings. It seems the knights have rushed here, so it would be best if all of you break up too. As you wish, Your Eminence! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) At her words, I moved my gaze towards the adjacent eighth ward. I could see knights rushing over with great force from there. I couldnt see Cortina there, but it was probably thanks to her good guidance. Now then, let us go, Marias daughter. The cardinal would give me a lecture if it gets out that I got myself involved in a riot. So you came here understanding full well what it meant. But if I left it be, it would have been disastrous, right? Also, you should get off that gentleman already. Such acts are too early for you. Saying that, she pulled my arm and forced me off the man. It was bad to ignore this guy, but he was already knocked out, and the crowd had regained its sanity. I doubt they would let him agitate them any longer after all this. Besides, the knights were already here, so he would get seized immediately. I quickly warned a half-demon man nearby. Half-demons should get out of here quick. Huh, no, but If you stay here, you could get thrown into jail for the same crimes as this guy, you know? You could even get tortured even more. O-Okay. He was not their representative or anything, but once one man left, the rest of them looked awkwardly at each other and started leaving in small groups. With that, there was no fear of the riot urring once again. You people should scatter too. And no riots happened here. Is that clear? The Pope appeared at the ce of riot and dered nothing had happened. It was the same as the highest religious authority dering not to talk about it. I didnt know who that citizen was, but he most likely had no standing to argue back at the Popes words. Given that he was objecting while acting as their representative, he probably held deep grudges against half-demons, but not enough to force his way through the Popes words. In the worst case, he could even be exposed for that. He couldnt brave such a danger to get rid of the half-demons. Understood. However, please at least let me protect Not needed. I do not believe there is anyone here more qualified than Marias daughter. You just exin the situation to the knightsexactly as I told you. As you wish! Being warned by the Pope, the man knelt on the spot. Following it, the rest of the crowd knelt in a simr manner. I mean, normally they shouldve done that the moment she appeared here. But the situation was so chaotic they had failed to process it. That said, the Pope wasnt so narrow-minded to reprimand them for that. Giving the kneeling crowd onest smile, she left the ce. Of course, while holding my arm firmly. Chapter 443 The church the Pope took me to was located near the main street of the seventh ward. However, it did not face the main street directly, so the roads around it were a little messier. The front of the church was a wide garden, and it seemed to be the ce they were using to distribute emergency food. Half-demons alsoe for emergency food quite often. Huh, is that so? Still, its weird for the Pope herself to make it. I often told the same to Maria too. But now I can understand what she felt then. It is a strange feeling. The Pope answered with a cheerfulugh. Apparently, the reason she had slipped out of the main temple was to help out with the food distribution here. Maria at the time had been called the next Pope, but she always did this kind of work on her own. She delivers food to the orphanage children even in our vige. I am d to hear that she has not changed. Err, I have not heard your name yet. Ah, Im Nicole. I see, I am Ashe. Nice to meet you. She extended her hand without erasing her smile. Her hand was surprisingly full of scratches, traces of manualbor. It seemed that she was doing such things quite frequently. After we exchanged a handshake, she pulled me by the hand as is, leading me to a room inside the church. It seemed to be a waiting room used for performing sermons, with small chairs and a table with a water jug on it. We have no tea snacks, so please make do with this. While saying it, she poured water from the jug and offered me the cup. It was as if she wanted me to drink it right away. Her aggressive nature seemed somewhat simr to Marias. Ah yes, we had to talk about those eyes of yours. Yes, do you know something about them? I am not aware of the details. But I can tell that they have a strong charming power. But the God of Destruction said it was a weak charm. It was different from that. Strong, you say. That much? Yes. When I was attacked, you screamed, stop and the man stopped, yes? That happened because he was taken over by your power and his movements were restrained. I didnt n to restrain Even if you did not intend it, your power acted on its own to grant your wish. I cannot call a power capable of that weak. If so, then the God of Destruction was the wrong one here. Well, it was not surprising for that goddess to make some slip-up or a blunder. She had the most annoying human traits. More importantly, to think my eyes held such power No wonder God Hastur gave me this eyepatch. Ah, that reminds me, I forgot to thank you. Thank me? Of course! For protecting me, and for stopping the riot of the half-demons. They are proper humans too, after all. So you ept their existence? As far as the World Tree religion was concerned, half-demons were foreign substances for this world. Her stance was quite odd, given that she was the top authority of that very religion. But she tilted her head in puzzlement at my words. Of course I do. There was a half-demon even among the Six Heroes that saved this world. What reason is there to discriminate. Was Ma Was mother also like that in the past? Back when we first met, Maria was, well not exactly cold, but quite indifferent towards me. I was quite used to such gazes, so I just ignored it but my choice turned out to be correct and she gradually softened up towards me. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Due to such experiences, I took the World Tree religion as exclusivist towards half-demons. However, I was surprised to find out that Maria of that time had a friend like her. I couldnt help but think that Maria used to be discriminative. Well, I can not deny that she had such a disposition. However, that was the result of the education of those around her. Since she had not lived as long as I, it was natural that she got influenced by other peoples opinions. I am ashamed to admit it, but there are many people among the cardinals who hold such beliefs Hmm. And they are stronger even now. It is not going well. More importantly, I was surprised by you. To think Marias daughter of all people would stand up to protect the half-demons. Thats uhh There was a half-demon among the Six Heroes, so. Oh, yes, Lord Reid! She pped her hands with a bright smile. It seems that even Pope Ashe was infatuated by the past me. Makes me strangely proud. I heard about him from Maria. He was apparently a really wussy boy. Hey. There was a girl he liked among hisrades, but was dense enough to not even realize it. Yet he kept trying to show off and troubled people. Maria you And he did not even realize the fact that he was quite popr, even saying things like he would be single forever? Oh, Ill definitely make her cry for this. She even leaked the information to outsiders. I mean, I guess there were irrefutable parts to it, but Im not forgiving her for badmouthing herrade. Besides, youre pretty ck-hearted yourself. Saint my ass! But she was happy that she gained a troublesome little brother. I had never seen her look so happy before. R-Really? Really. So I also wanted to meet him while he was alive. She lowered her gaze with those words. Perhaps someone precious to Maria, who was like a little sister to her, was also special to her too. Thinking that, I suddenly remembered about Maria. I remember Cortina wrote a memo for her, asking for help. If it had reached her, she was probably worried that I wasnt around. Oh right. I cant stand for too long, shes going to worry Ah, you are right. Maria can be a worrywart. Sorry. Please let me hear more when an opportunity allows. Of course. I will wee you with open arms anytime. Ah, well, Ill be leaving this city in three days, so Then, l will put a ban on that. Ohe on! Even though I knew she was joking, she had enough authority to actually do it so I felt chills. Still, getting to know her was worth the current riot. Although getting rid of it was probably impossible, she would still mitigate the discrimination against half-demons one day. I was convinced of that now. Chapter 444 Notice: we are returning back in time a little bit. That day, Kufars mood was unusually good. He has been quite on edge ever since their failure from before they came to this city, so the three aidsEgan, Uno, Scudo, heaved sighs of relief. Gathered in an inn cafeteria, the four had the usual conversation that should not be overheard. Kufar, are you in a good mood today? Hm? Why do you think so? Kufar liked silence, so he normally disliked being spoken to unnecessarily. Even so, Scudo could not help but ask. Because his mood looked just that good. The reason why he was calling Kufar, their leader, without any honorifics, was because they were equals in face of the public. Well, you were humming, which is unlike you. Ah, I see. Yes Im in a good mood today. I managed to give a good blow to an enemy that made me feel bitter for many years. Oh? More importantly, how is your progress going? Does it seem like they will dance as we please? Half-demons have spent days in difort ever sinceing to this city. Such people were like brethren for them, but they did not want ipetent people. Anyone who was not suitable for summoning was incited and made to sow anxiety in the citizens. Few people that were qualified had already been scouted, and once they were given fake identities, they were made to leave the city. No problems. We employed a few, and they each gathered a few hundred discontented elements to lead. In just two days, we can even distribute weapons. Two days If possible I want it to happen tomorrow. That would be quite hard. They would be instantly suppressed without weapons. I know that. But I ended up messing with a dangerous opponent too. He seeded in dealing a fatal wound to Reidno, Nicole. Since he had also seeded in embedding a fragment of his body as well, she was bound to die in a few, no, less than three days. A simple Slime fragment could be dealt with Purify or Antidote. But the ones embedded in her still held a link with Kufar. As long as that link remained, the fragment was considered a lifeform, and magic had no effect on them. Since he could make the fragment move as he wanted, it was as if there was a living slime inside. If he wanted to kill Nicole, he could do it at any moment, but killing a mortal enemy so quickly felt wasteful. Since that injury could not be healed, he wanted her to die while writing in pain. Thinking so, he had left the fragment without giving it any instructions. Nicole Does that ring a bell? For them, Lyell was a sworn enemy that had gotten in their way over and over. Dealing a blow to his daughter was a great sess worthy of cheers for them. At least for them. I can understand your happiness. But we cant keep being happy. Why? Because the real deals wille. With Nicole getting attacked, not just Lyell, even Maria would make a move. And depending on the situation, even Cortina, Maxwell, and Gadius might join in. People who held the strength of an army individually, as well as someone who was the worst opponent in the world when leading an army. Such people wille to hunt the criminals, in other words, them. And very soon. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Thinking back, I was too short-tempered. But they should be busy with Nicoles treatment now. Let us use that opportunity and cause the incident and make use of it to leave the city. Leave Isnt that a littlecking? Not at all. We managed to fill our ranks, and will be able to sow fear in the city. And letting us escape wouldpletely ruin their image in peoples eyes. Being able to do nothing but helplessly watch as her daughter died. Even for Maria who was called a Saint, there would be no further humiliation. And Lyell, who loved his daughter greatly, would fall into despair. That alone was a plenty good result for them. Naturally, when that gets out, Six Heroes would also lose their fame. In essence, it will be a big win for us. I see. Then we will hasten things on our side. Most likely the incited people will get ughtered by the knights but oh well, losing ipetent people would not be a disaster. Do that. As for the flight routes. Uno to the west, Eagan to the east. Scudomands the situation. Try to aim at the Pope if you can. But will she really show up? There would be an emergency food distribution in the southern seventh ward held for two days starting from tomorrow. They had learned that the Pope nned to sneak away and help out with it. They aimed for that time period to cause the riot and aim for the Pope when she showed up. That was their n. Oh, she will. The present Pope supports the half-demons. There is no way she would not show up when those half-demons cause a riot. Aim for that opportunity, Scudo. Leave it to me. This time, Ill be the one to deal a blow to the World Tree religion. In the southwest behind the secondhand clothes shop, there is a withered cavity in the World Tree roots, use that to escape. He nned to target this city eventually, so he had been gathering information since his previous life. When would he use that chance if not now? Kufar puffed his chest in tion as the rest of them looked proudly at him. The chivalric order in the northern side is even slower to act. I will escape from that side, so you guys escape from east and west. I see. If the riot happens in the south, it would be the knights order located east and west of it to move first. What about the southern knights? They have been dispatched to a vige a little away. Some epidemic had spread there, apparently. Kufar answered with a smile. Needless to say, it was his work. Our preparations are wless. Our victory is guaranteed as long as we cause the incident. It would be the day the world knows of our power. The four raised their cups and made a toast. Little did they know that their n had already failed. Chapter 445 Right after the riot began, Uno rushed towards the western gate. By now, Scudo had already incited every disturbing element, and would soon harm the Pope that carelessly showed up in public. With the central figure of the city getting injured, the investigation would start city no, kingdom-wide. Before that happened, he had to leave Berith. He put on the hood so it would not get found out that he was a half-demon, rushing to the gate while keeping the surroundings in check. He wandered through the back street, trying to choose the least popted routes towards the western gate. But then, someone appeared and blocked his way. Ah, sorry but can I ask you some questions? Standing before Uno was a 17-18-year-old youth. He looked quite tall for his age, and had quite wide shoulders. And yet, he did not give off much of a macho impression, and rather looked to be on the slender end. Sorry but Im in a hurry. Try someone else. Yeah, I know that. I was searching for someone who was in a hurry. What? Uno raised a dubious voice, to which the youth responded with an ted expression. One or two suspicious individuals darting about at random in unpopted areas while covering their heads. What do you mean? I mean the assholes that injured Nicole my master. The youthCloud lightly touched the ring on his finger, dispelling its effect. The next moment, a horn that was proof of being a half-demon appeared on his forehead. It was the illusion ring that Nicole always used. She had lent it to him while they were in this city. Cloud was a half-demon, so he had to hide his horn. Nicole judged it would be useful for that and had lent it. And he was using that ring until just now. W-What? I dont know anything about it. Lady Cortina has told me that if the riot happened in the south, the ringleader would not stay there. And eastern and western gates were nearby, so it was highly likely that they would head there. I asked her to let us ambush you there. Thats a false usation. Are you saying Im that ringleader? I said it, didnt I? Youre the only one that matched the above mentioned conditions. All thats left is to see if youre hiding a horn under that hood and it will be certain. Or maybe finding a Slime under it. What Just as Uno voiced his puzzlement at the word Slime, Cloud had instantly closed the distance. He then unsheathed the sword on his hip and shed up in one motion. His sh was quick enough that an ordinary person would not be able to dodge it. However, Uno had some experience inbat. Even if it was a surprise attack, he hadnt let his guard down so much that he would fail to dodge a frontal attack. He dodged the upward sh by a hairs breadth with backstep, but the hood pulled over his eyes got cut off. The hood fragments danced in the air. And under it, appeared a small horn characteristic of half-humans. Looks like I was right. NowPrepare yourself! Thats unreasonable! Theres no proof that it was me, right?! Then just obediently follow me, and it will only end at getting restrained for some time. Lady Cortina has told me to seize every suspicious fellow. I wont me you for being angry but I dont have time to choose my methods. Cloud stood in the middle of the road to not let the opponent escape, lowering his posture and setting up his shield. Of course, since the road was quite wide, it was possible to slip by him, but Uno felt pressure from Cloud that would not permit it. You know You pissed off the worst person you could have! With a yell, Cloud charged at Uno with his shield. Uno jumped aside to dodge the charge, then took out a dagger and threw it at him. Cloud swiped down that nk attack with his sword. Damn you, dog of the Strategist. Being a half-demon, you should have joined us! Like hell I would join those who injured Nicole! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Changing his direction, Cloud swung down the sword from overhead. Uno pulled out two daggers and intercepted that attack. He then sent a kick to push him aside and take a distance, but Cloud stopped him with his shield. Uno felt like he kicked a cliff, making his leg go a little numb. Following that, he lowered his posture and waited for Clouds attack. To respond to that, Cloud decidednot to attack. Rather, he took a step back and opened the distance. Uno failed to understand the reason behind his action, momentarily standing still. But the next moment, both his legs were pierced by arrows. One arrow per leg. And almost at the same time. GAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! Too bad. But well, I never said I was alone, so I didnt exactly lie or anything. His knees got urately pierced, making it impossible to keep standing and he copsed in the back alley. Cloud immediately kicked his daggers away, disarming him. Uno started throwing swears at Cloud for the surprise attack. You fucking coward! You hadrades with you?! One of them. And shes extremely pissed. It took a lot of persuading so she would not kill you. Michelle appeared from the alley silently like a ghost. She did not have the usual innocent expression and instead was so expressionless that it was frightening. That was all the more proof of how angry she was. Hey, can I just kill him, after all? No. He might haverades, and we have to get him to spit out the information about their hideout and such. I see. Lucky for you. It sounded like a casual conversation, but the next moment, an arrow pierced Unos left shoulder. It happened so fast he did not even see her nocking the arrow. GYAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! He started rolling on the ground, trying to escape from pain, but that only caused the arrows to sink deeper. Michelle stared down at him as if he was a bug. Can I go for two or three more? Leave it at that. You should leave some for me too. Oh well. Hearing their talk, Uno started to despair. He could not escape at this rate. He had heard that the World Tree Religion tortured people like no others. He had no confidence that he would remain sane after experiencing it. And above all, even if he somehow survived it, Kufar would never forgive him once he gave away theirrades locations. What awaited him was being put through agony until he spat out the information, or perhaps he could Just die here without hardship Uno grabbed the small bag hanging from his waist with his remaining right hand. Seeing that, Cloud became alert for an attack, moving before Michelle to shield her. But Uno instead shoved the contents of the bag down his mouth. Thick liquid spilled out from his mouth. Cloud remembered what it was. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Disease Slime?! What Uno swallowed was Kufars body part. He did not know Kufar was a Slime, so he believed it to be just poison that he had prepared. It was such a strong poison that Cloud had fainted from just a touch and yet, he had just swallowed so much of itpared to the fragment that Nicole had been imnted with before. Gbh As he poured down the mucus, it got mixed with the blood that he vigorously spat out, spilling down on the ground in a spotted pattern. However, Uno was not able to even see it as he died. Chapter 446 Egan was walking towards the eastern gate at a fast pace. He could not stand out. If his horn under the hood was seen by people now when there were riots, he would not be able to avoid conflict. He held on to his hood that was pulled over his eyes with his left hand while holding luggage with travel tools with his right. Perhaps because both his hands were upied, he failed to avoid the hand of a man that suddenly appeared. The arm that appeared from the side grasped his neck with such strength that it felt like he was held by a vise. Then he was lifted and mmed to the wall. Gahh?! Even as he was mmed against it, Egan confirmed the opponents face. And then, his body stiffened from despair. The one before him was the Holy Sword Hero, Lyell. L-Lyell Not just that, there was also Maria with a prating, cold smile behind him. Lyell mercilessly grabbed his hood and tore it off. Seeing the exposed small horn, he murmured in a low voice. Looks like we got it right. We havent confirmed it yet. Hey, do you know the name Kufar? He spoke without thinking at Lyells sudden appearance. They were reflexive words, making his position quite clear. N-No, I was just surprised to see Six Heroes in a ce like this. A ce like this? We certainly rarelye here, but this is Marias hometown. Its not like it never happens. Yes. I came to report it when Fina was born too. When Fina was born, she came to show her face here. It was also to at least make a small report to the Pope who was also her friend. Marias rtionship with Ashe was not bad. Their friendship had continued even after she left Berith. For that reason, the Pope still med her for noting when Nicole was born. T-Thats Right, I was just nervous that I would be in danger after the riots so And yet you prepared for a journey so quickly, eh? It seems you even prepared preserved foods. What took most space during travel preparations was food and water. One could not skimp on those alone. Berith did not have customs of preserving food. Adventurers heading inside the Labyrinth did prepare them to a degree, but they would not be walking with an amount to carry on a long journey. All kinds of goods flowed into this central city of the continent as well as the core of a religion. Just by being here, you could obtain most of what you wanted, so generally, it was merchants or Adventurers who made preparations for journeys. Besides, it hasnt been that long since the riots began. You acted far too soon. Half-demons were shunned in this city. So much that quarrels happened even during entering and exiting it. As such, half-demons living here did not often consider going outside. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) If they tried to pass the gates, there was a chance that the guards would confiscate all their belongings. If they got expelled with nothing on them, they would hardly be able to survive. Shit! Egan realized from Lyells attitude that he did not n to let him escape even if this turned out to be a mistake. He nned to question every single half-demon trying to pass through the gate. But half-demons that were hiding their faces and hurrying off independently fully prepared for the journey were most likely extremely few. Needless to say, it was only at the eastern gate. While the safety was maintained in the Berith surroundings, that did not mean it was a region where monsters never appeared. Leaving the city on your own was extremely risky. Even so, it was but an absurd excuse. The current Lyell boiled in anger to crush an excuse like that. And Egan also understood that he had no intention of letting him escape. Sensing that, he tried to put up a struggle to escape, but his head was held firmly in ce, and he failed to slip through. Dont struggle in vain Look, if you just spit out Kufars whereabouts, Ill let you die easily. His smile was so sinister it did not fit his image as the Hero. Seeing his blood-chilling smile, Egan realized that escaping through strength was impossible, and reached to his waist area. A twoyered water pouch was hanging there filled with the poison that Kufar handed over. He then threw it at Lyells face and escaped from the restriction. Kh Lyell seemed to be affected by the poison and released his hand, staggering for a moment. But Marias Antidote spell flew at him and instantly erased the poison. Still, that instant was enough for Egan to escape from his restraints. Thus he ran instantly, without even looking back. However, Lyell was not a seasoned warrior for show. He immediately fixed his posture and chased him, brandishing his sword. There was a wide difference between the explosiveness of their outputs. He instantly closed the distance, and cut his feet with a sideways sh, making him tumble on the ground. A-AHHHHHHHHH?! M-My legs! MY LEGS ARE GONNNEE AGHHHH?! As he fell down, the pain assaulted him a momentter, making him try to hold his knees in desperation. However, his legs were cut cleanly above the knees, so his hands failed to grasp anything and only became bloody. Oh my. Dear, we cant have him die. This is a fatal injury if we leave it be, you know? She then healed the injury in an instant. However, she did not use a spell to regenerate his legs, so his legs remained lost. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Sorry but I will be leaving it at that, as I dont want you to escape. Dear, please do the same to his arms so he cant do any more tricks. Got it. Maria said something unthinkable with a dark smile, and Lyell responded expressionlessly. The moment Egan realized what that meant and started to despair, both his arms were simrly cut. AhhahahahahahaHYHAHAHAHAHAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! He no longer had a way to escape. Nay, not even a way to survive. What awaited him was the pain worse than death, and the empty husk that would be left of him after they would extract the information. Once he reached that conclusion, he let go of his sanity. Chapter 447 Kufar was walking towards the northern gate on his own. Unlike the other two, he did not hide his face with a hood. He was originally a Slime, so he had changed into a human form using mimicry. Using that power, it was a childs y for him to assume the form of a hornless boy. And as he was no longer a half-demon, there was no point in hiding his appearance, and as such he was proceeding on the main street quite openly. By now, Uno and Egan would be hurrying to the eastern and western gates with the chivalric order appearing on the site. Kufar did not expect their escape to go smoothly. At roughly the same time, Scudo should have harmed the Pope. In which case, they would lock all the gates to catch the culprit. Even if they managed to flee before that happened, the residents of this city would not overlook half-demons after their Pope was harmed. It would be extremely suspicious for a half-demon to try leaving the city on their own in such a situation. That said, they had merchant guilds certificates that they obtained from proper channels, so they should not be stopped from leaving. There was a possibility that the guards would demand the handover of some belongings, but they could not strip off all the belongings of a foreign merchant. But as entry and exiting were recorded, pursuers would most likely follow those two. Whether they will be able to lose them or not was entirely dependent on their skill. Kufar on the other hand would leave from the northern gate which was the most separated from the ce as a human, and be able to easily return to the north. In other words, he nned to use the other two as decoys to guarantee his own safety. It is not certain that Scudo will manage to return safely, so I should be prepared for the entire annihtion of my close associates. Which means I have to search for their recements It was a painful blow to Kufar to lose his close aides. However, the merits of half-demons causing a riot here were even bigger. If the Pope also ended up injured as a result of it, all the more so. A half-demon would harm the Pope in the very ce where the World Tree Religion has been persecuting them since the old times. That alone would be enough to scatter the seeds of anxiety through the world. Half-demons would be seen as the target of fear. And that fear may perhaps cause them further istion. However, as a result, it would get them closer to their own fellow half-demons. And finally, Kufars organization would have more people wishing to join. And with that, theirck of human resources would be solved or so it should have happened. I see. You seem full of confidence seeing that youre not even hiding your face. A single feline girl appeared before Kufar. No, the dignitying from her could not belong to a young girl. Such a presence could only belong to women who had been of considerable age. The Strategist Cortina? Oh, so you know me. Ah, well, you did aim for me before, didnt you? Why are you here? Are you sure you shouldnt be next to Nicole? Dont worry, shes been healed. Thats impossible. Even Maria should be unable to heal her. In order to torment NicoleReid to death, he did not give any special instructions to his Fragment in her eyes. Even so, the toxins continued to eat at her body, continuing to weaken her, and would kill her in two or three days. That was supposed to be the case. And since the fragment was connected to him, Purify and Antidote spells that could remove foreign objects should have been unable to get rid of it. Stop bluffing with me. How could you cure her when she was constantly eaten from inside and poisoned? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Hearing her clear rebuttal, Kufar vigntly observed her. Then Cortina snapped her fingers. And with that as a signal, over ten knights appeared from the streets. They encircled him from a distance, sealing off his way to escape. I am well aware of my own strength. So I went and borrowed some of the knights. In addition, the riots in the south should have been suppressed by now. Now this is scary. But why? Or how? You sure are full of questions. Do I have a reason to answer? But fine. Having the knights in the south move and cause a riot while it was empty, and force the knights in east and west to act. Then the northern knights would finally move to fill in the holes left behind by those knights. You pretended to let yourrades escape from east and west, while you yourself nned to escape from the north when they finally moved. I simply anticipated all that. The knights seemed to have rushed here quite fast as they were all dressed in excessively light equipment. They continued to slowly narrow down the encirclement. Or perhaps they were equipped to prioritize evasion, as receiving an attack would lead to getting afflicted with an illness. I see. Still I think you need to study about me some more! Kufar threw his luggage far away and charged towards Cortina. He judged that the knights would be unable to protect her as they were distanced from him. Cortina, however, was not shaken, and pulled out a scroll from her waist pouch and invoked it. Ice Storm. The spell showed its effect ording to the keyword. A storm with below freezing temperatures started to blow between the two. Tsk, petty tricks Sorry, but thats my specialty. This spell caused Kufar to stop his charge. He was a Slime, so regardless of what he mimicked, the fact remained unchanged that his body was made of liquid. The icy winds started to freeze the various parts of his body, dulling his movements. The effect was harsherpared to when it was cast on humans. With this exchange as a signal, the knights also made their move. Nay, they were indeed knights, but no ordinary knights. They, donned in equipment that did not use metal, started to form magic circles before them. Their clothes did not limit movements so there was no dy in their actions. Magic corps?! Exactly. Normal knights would hardly work on you, so, you get it right? They were called a chivalric order, but not all of them wielded swords. Among them were also knights specializing in magic. Cortina had gone to assemble such people on her own. I went and assembled people specialized in water attributes exclusively for you. Now have a taste of our wrath! By a girl like you whos being deceived by Reid, he wanted to say, but his jaw was already frozen, and could not even speak normally. Following it, their spells changed into an offensive spell Ice Needle and started to break his body from every angle. Gah-hadamnyou The part he was camouging as legs were already broken. Even his body that fell to the ground was pinned to the ground with the relentless ice spells, making him unable to move. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) He was hopelessly far from Cortina, and he was far too powerless, only looking up. I still! As a final struggle, Kufar forcibly tore off half of his body, and tried to get to Cortina. But even that was prevented by the follow-up ice spells. Before long, a purplish red orb became exposed. It was only the size of a pebble, but something that was clearly solid came out of his mucus body. At the same time, he heard light footsteps approaching. It seemed that Cortina had drawn near. However, Kufar had no more means to attack her. Cortina red at the spherehis core, with cold eyes, then raised the longstaff in her hand, and mmed it down at it. With a surprisingly clear clink, the orb got smashed. At the same time, Kufars body, too, crumbled to pieces. Chapter 448 This was a small church at the foot of the World Tree. It was an abandoned church, strangely deste andcking in visits, despite the main temple being next to it. However, although few, there were human presences there today. However, even those presences were not in a ce exposed to the public. If its here, no sound will leak outside no matter how much noise we make. Sorry about this, Ashe. I have given you quite some trouble. What are you saying now? As if I would turn down a request from you. And Im not exactly unrted, either. They were in a hidden room in the churchs basement. In that ce, there were Cortina, Lyell, Maria, and Ashe, as well as two prisoners. One of them had lost his limbs and sanity, while another had his nose broken and bent to the side. Both of them were in hideous shapes, but the one with the broken nose Scudo, still had it better. Lyell pulled Scudo up and quickly fixed him on the restraining table. Oh, youre surprisingly used to this, Dear. Well, I am an experienced warrior. I have experienced this kind of prisoner treatment many times. I see, Im d to hear it wasnt your hobby or something. Ashe observed Maria and Lyells exchange with a smile. A sign of her close friend Maria being intimate was healing her heart. But frankly speaking, this ce was not suitable for such a thing. The scenery emerging from the darkness from the torchlight could be summed up with the word bizarre. It was a 10 square meter stone basement. There was a giant magic circle drawn in the entire room, with the restraining table set up in the middle. The magic circle itself was drawn in such detail it was on another levelpared to the transportation circles, making it clear that it was aplex spell. W-What do you n to do with me Leaving the twos heartwarming exchange aside, Scudos state of mind could not be any more different, being restrained to the table. People referred to as the Six Heroes and the supreme leader of the worlds ruling religion. What did such people n to do with them, who attempted assassination, by isting them from the public eyes like this? That was a needless question It would be to question, no, torture them. Even if he knew that, he could not help but ask anyway. That showed how scared he was. You should know that much even without asking, right? Lets see. To be precise, torture No, we will show you hell beyond even that. If you dont want that, spit out the information about your headquarters. Headquarters? Not Kufars location? Scudo was made to faint by Nicole and taken here, so he did not know that Cortina had crushed Kufar. She decided to finally tell him that. If youre talking about Kufar, I already defeated him. Once I knew he was a Slime, there were many ways to deal with him. Huh, Slime? Scudo, however, was not aware of Kufars true identity. He opened his eyes wide from Cortinas words. Oh, you didnt know? Im not lying. Whats the point of telling you such a lie. N-No way Then, then our ideals Sorry, but I can only say that you were being manipted. No, thats a lie! We were working to improve the half-demon standing Again, too bad for you. But I have no time to hear your opinions. Spit out the location. Screw you! Like hell I will! Youre lying, you have to be! Its all to get the information out of me! He abandoned any logic he had and merely ranted and raved. He suddenly remembered the sudden increase in failures of the summoning rituals. And therades that disappeared due to that. He then realized that every single one of those rituals happened with Kufar being present, and finally arrived at the truth. But he just could not ept it. You dont have to believe it. Well just keep going until you do. By the way, the magic circle drawn here is actually thebannedone, you know? What?! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Scudos mind was on the verge of going insane and reacted to the wordbanned. One thing the World Tree Religion prohibited the most was to disturb the reincarnation cycle of the souls. That originated from their doctrines that everything in the world was born from the World Tree and would return to it, and the cycle repeated. The magic circle drawn here must have been It cant be Resurrection?! Correct. Being the Pope, I understand the form and can use it as well. I will have you taste the punishment forying your hands on Marias child. Ashe brushed aside Marias objection. The two had faint smiles, but their eyes remained cold. There certainly existed pain crueler than death. However, you still would die at the end. Here, however, that logic did not work. Even if he actually died, this pope would mercilessly resurrect him. She said so herself. Oh, even if you go mad, Ill properly fix you with the Sanity spell too, okay? Eek?! Maria smiled with a saint-like smile. Lyell next to her wordlessly pulled out his sword. Being tied to the restraining table, Scudo had no way of avoiding that sword. He no longer had any other choice but to spill out everything he knew. Chapter 449 A road near the northern street. Ice scattered during the days battle had melted, submerging the street. In the corner of the road, a shadow stirred slightly. That something crawled out from the fallen bag, wriggling as it tried to take a human form. But it failed to do that, as itcked the necessary mass. Oh dear. I have toreplenishfrom somewhere or it will be bad. What crawled out was a viscous monster. In other words, a Slime. Needless to say, it was Kufar. He spoke those vague words as his body trembled. What Cortina destroyed earlier was a part of him, though it was too big to call it that. It was a body detached from his core. Kufar had hypothesized that Lyell and others would attack the moment he put his hand on Nicole. And to make absolutely sure that he was safe, he had put his own core inside the bag while putting a dummy core in the part and manipting it from the outside. This was thanks to his special ability to manipte his body parts even after they got separated from his core. However, his control could not reach very far. Once his body part left the effective radius, it would turn into something like a golem that followed the initialmand. Hiding in the luggage and controlling it from the road was his limit. For the time being, he proceeded to absorb the surrounding water to increase his mass. He was a viscous liquid by nature, so he was quickly able to regain his mass with water. However, he would just grow weak at that rate, and he needed some time to get ustomed to his body. Fortunately I managed to deceive that female cat, so I should be safe for the time being But I wont be able to leave the city immediately. It was due to the riot that happened during the day that he was able to remain exposed in his Slime form, even if it was night. Then again, it seemed that the riot had been suppressed or rather, settled peacefully quite fast, so the harm was less than expected. However, this uproar made people nervous and they refrained from leaving their homes. Thanks to that, Kufar was saved from the public eye. The mucus that made up most of his body was frozen, destroyed, and washed away with water by Cortina. For that reason, Kufar, who hid in the bag with almost nothing but his core, only had the size of a small rat. However, by absorbing the surrounding puddles, he managed to grow to the size of a child. Still, that female cat No, I should call her Cortina. I should reevaluate her. The Strategist Cortina. A hero who was far weaker than the rest of the Six Heroes. So everyone, all the time, started by aiming for her. And as a matter of fact, every time someone aimed at her, she was forced into a difficult fight. However, each time, she dragged them into traps, luring them to her allies, and turning the tables around them. I suppose I should call her tenacious. Or perhaps, careful? This time as well, Kufar was prevented from escaping by her. Considering that Lyell and others were not with her, he had to assume that other members also failed their escapes. Something that cant be measured as purebat power, huh. What a nuisance (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Survive without letting the enemy disy their strength, and then throw in a fight during a fatal timing. Doing that was not as easy as the words suggested. She could do that over and over as if nothing, so she was quite nasty. Having said that, even if he aimed for someone else, each of them excelled in different aspects, so he had no way of confronting them. Im morepatible against Lyell, but Maria is constantly with him. Leaving Cortina aside for now, it leaves Gadius and Maxwell. Considering Gadius stamina, there was a chance that Kufars poison would not even work on him. As for Maxwell, it was hard enough to find a chance to face him alone. And he might get evaporated the moment they meet. Which leaves Reid, after all. But still, how did he survive Still, Kufar had a personal grudge against Reid, but he was not someone he would assertively want to attack. The present ReidNicole, was not as famous as the Six Heroes, and she had a half-demon among herrades, so the ordinary half-demons had a good opinion of her. That was something Kufar learned in Raum when he was investigating people around Cortina, so while it may be somewhat dated, it probably did not change all that much. Even if he defeated someone like that, it would only result in antagonizing the half-demons themselves. While thinking of such things, Kufar continued to devour not just the water, but also garbage like sand and rocks. He was extremely reluctant to do so, as these ingredients would simply increase his mass but not strength. Hmph, as expected, its better to eat something that has some kind of power. Both the ability to manipte his body parts, and his non-Slime powers and agility were things he obtained by devouring the Devils and their summoners. In the end, devouring beings with power made it easier to incorporate their strength into his own. Eating water and gravel like this was making him painfully aware that he was a Slime. But if he didnt, he would fail to even maintain his body. If his core was not covered in at least some mucus, it would crumble down like sand. It was one thing when he was in the water pouch, but now, he needed to provide it with some moisture or it would be too dangerous. Maybe I should go back and try assassinating the Pope one more time? I dont think you can do that. A clear voice resounded through the road where only Kufar was present. He immediately checked the surroundings. He really did not have to do such an action, but this was a habit from the time he was a human, which he was obstinately clinging to. But then, he discovered the source somewhere else from where he was looking. Had he not been a slime, it probably would have taken him some longer. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) The source was the rooftop of one of the houses. There stood Nicole with her bluish-silver hair rustling in the wind. The only thing that he found different was that she was wearing an eyepatch on her right eye. He wondered whether they failed topletely heal her. Next to her, there was also a boy that he had never seen. Nicole So you really did recover. Yeah, fortunately. Im embarrassed to say it aloud, but I cant thank Whitey enough. Whitey? Well, whatever. So, what will you do? Kill me here? Do I have a reason not to? Nicole jumped down from the rooftop. Just before shended, she used the threads hooked to the rooftop to decelerate her fall. Kufar confronted her, who descended as if flying. It was hard for him to even put up a proper fight in his current condition. Since he could not fight her head-on, he had to take some kind of measures. Then theres no helping it! As he answered her with those words, Kufar rushed towards her with all his strength. Chapter 450 Authors note: Please note, well be rewinding time a bit. As it turned intote-night, Maria, Lyell, and Cortina returned. They did not look tense, so their questioning probably ended smoothly. I had heard from Cloud that they caught one of the culprits, which is why I realized that, but normally I wouldve only thought they just returned in a good mood. Maria only told me that they got the information out of them, and then asked me to sleep early. Nicole, you should sleep early today. You should be tired after heading out when your injury has only just healed, right? But I still managed to save the Pope by doing it. Harming her in this city would have been pointless anyway. Huh? Maria seemed to be unconcerned no matter what happened to her, making me tilt my head in doubt. Seeing that, she responded with an impish smile. You know that the World Tree Religion bans Resurrection, yes? Yeah. Then, the only way to find out whether that spell can actually resurrect someone would be to confirm it yourself, right? In other words, the World Tree Religion knows the spell. And they can use it as long as they have people to cast it. ording to her, you could cast the resurrection magic by ovepping four types of spells. One to bring back the soul, one to regenerate the flesh, one to fix the recalled soul to the body, and one to restart their life functions. But it was not that hard to gather four people to cast them at the same time. Naturally, you needed first-ss magicians, and they had to match their timings exactly, so it still remained an extremely difficult spell, but Ashe should be able to cast it herself. And other than her, there were apparently practitioners who could cast it with four people So youre saying that she could be revived even if killed? The World Tree Religions Pope? Everyone has double standards for everything. They did not cooperate during Reids time at all, though. Maria said with a pout, but there was a clear reason back then. The northern vige was too far from Berith. By the time I was transported to this city, my soul would probably already be absorbed by the World Tree. If my corpse was preserved, maybe it could just have barely been avoided, but the next problem was Reids race and upation. He was a half-demon. He was an assassin, and even various important people feared him. There were probably few whod willingly allow the resurrection of someone like that. Naturally, Ashe herself would have cooperated, but the authorities around her probably would not have let her revive a half-demon and an assassin like Reid. Because of that, Maria hadpletely cut her ties with this city. Also I already defeated Kufar, so you can feel at ease on that front too. Huh, you, Cortina? Yes, this girl took the best part for herself while keeping it a secret from me! ording to Maria, Cortina had read Kufars movements, but only let Lyell and others know about his followers locations. Then she went and borrowed the magic corps of the chivalric order and ambushed Kufar. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Apparently, there were many ways to deal with him as long as she knew in advance that he was a Slime and could control his body separated from his core. I was nning to take him down myself Im left in imperfectbustion. Dad, that was a weird way of putting it. I pretended to obediently nod at her request and headed to my room. But I could not just do as she asked me to. I made a big debt towards the God of Destruction and her party this time around. I had to at least say a word of thanks. Deciding to slip out of the room, I put a hand on the door. But thats where I stopped moving. Because I sensed someone in the room. There was no hostility. They should have noticed me but showed no signs of reacting. Still, I didnt ease my vignce and slightly loosened the sword from the scabbard on my waist. I remained ready to react at any time, and slowly opened the door. The one inside turned out to be Oh, its you Baa? I really hate that nickname though Werent you the one who named yourself as such? I mean that couldnt be helpedWait, not that. I came here to give you some information. Information? I should have heard everything I needed to know from Maria and others. I couldnt help but feel sorry for that Scudo guy who still held on to his sanity. Maria was cold-hearted when it counted. Anyway, setting that aside, did he have some information that Maria failed to obtain? Yeah. About Kufar Hes still alive. What did you say?! Cortinacked when it came to fighting strength, but she made up for her cleverness when it came to seeing the battle situation. I couldnt believe that she would overlook the enemy. No, maybe Kufar had some other means at his disposal. It seems that he hid his core inside his luggage and escaped the predicament. I have to admit, thats quite a clever Slime. Just his core? I see, he could control the rest of his body as long as his core remained intact Yes. He put a dummy core inside his body and manipted it from the outside. To think hed deceive Cortina. She met this kind of enemy for the first time, right? So I think that was unavoidable. So, what will you do? What? Hes still alive and in this city. But if you leave him be, he will escape. So hes asking me to choose between chasing him and putting him down and overlooking, huh? Hearing all that, the option to overlook him did not exist for me. Or well, I had the option to tell Lyell and others and leave it to them but That wouldnt be so fun. I got duped by him. He even deceived Cortina. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) This was the first time someone has yed me for a fool to this extent. I did not feel like I would be able to leave repaying that to someone else. Still, Maria is worried about me quite a bit. She mighte to check on me. You can leave that part to that one. Baa moved his gaze to the side with those words. At the end of his gaze was a white girl. God of Destruction no, not her, huh? Right. Shes both my and her dependent. You should have met her too, right? Have I? My only god acquaintances were Whitey and Hastur, and this guy No, wait. Could it be Kabby?! No, Demonic Dragon Fafnir! You should have met her at the hot spring town. Oh, that hugeback one? Polymorph can do whatever one wants about the size. You should know about it too. When she takes on a human form, she often imitates her master. So you mean, her official master is Whitey? Yes. Ill have her act as your body double. It shouldnt get found out during sleep. If she crawled under the nket and pretended to sleep, even Maria should be unable to see through it with just that. Sorry, but can I leave it for you? I asked the girl, and she nodded back and her form blurred. And the next instant, she transformed into my spitting image. Without saying a word, she slipped inside the bed, and started to raise the sleeping breaths or pretended to. Well then, lets go. We cant leave him alone for too long. Yeah. And I need to make some preparations too. He was someone that cornered me once. It would be unsatisfactory to simply defeat him. I had to properly pay him back here. Deciding that, Baa and I vanished from the room. Chapter 451 Kufar closed the distance between us. I was overwhelmingly above in terms of closebat power, but even the mid-distancebat that he specialized in was within the effective range of my threads. Thus, he had no advantageous distance. This was probably thest resort for him. If he just manages to touch me he would be able to infect me with the illness. Perhaps that was his aim. And that was an attack I had to be vignt about. Flying my thread, I aimed at his face. Of course, it would be meaningless even if it did hit him. But being so attached to human form, he ended up tilting his head to dodge it. I expected as much. The thread passed by him, and twined itself around the flowerpot on one of the house frontages. Then I forcefully pulled it back. The thread got dragged from behind his back, pulling the entwined flowerpot with it and mming it into his back. He failed to avoid it and the flowerpot impacted him from behind with a strange crashing sound. It hit his head, he failed to keep maintaining his human shape and it scattered apart. But I was well aware that it wasnt a fatal wound for him. He quickly regrows back to the previous shape, but I still managed to stop his advance. You and your cunning little tricks! Sorry but thats my selling point. Failing to close the distance, Kufar spit those words in irritation and swung his arm. Of course, he wasnt posing or something, but was scattering his body liquid as a means of attack. Blending into the night, his mucus flew towards my face, but it was easy to dodge them as long as I knew they wereing. Being wary of smaller sshes, I jumped sideways and avoided everything, and this time, I unreeled one more thread. I flew it to the window frame on the roof and crashed it down on him. I did not show up from the rooftop just to appear cool. I was there to set up this trap after Baa teleported me close by. The detached window frame was crisscrossed with threads on the inside. It was easy to imagine what would happen if that fell on a liquid lifeform like him. The threads, assisted by the height and weight, dug into his body. He was reduced to fragments in a moment, scattering like puzzle pieces on the ground. But he was a mucus, so that did not serve to deal any valid damage. My goaly elsewhere. G-GHAAAAAAAAAAAHHH?! Kufars scream reverberated through the night alley. The threads on the window cut his body to pieces, and while that itself did not damage his body, the same could not be said about the core hidden inside. Given that he was originally a Slime mimicking a human, I could not tell at a nce where his core was. So I decided to instead deal damage to the entire body by running threads in the window frame and dicing his body finely through it. As a result, though it was not fatal, it seemed to have grazed his core or something, sessfully dealing damage. Fuck, you have nothing but petty tricks Youre the one saying that? Shut up! At the same time as he screamed, I felt faint sounds from behind. It was most likely the mucus he scattered earlier moving into action. Without looking towards it, I swung the cloak on my back and protected my head. The mantle managed to sessfully swipe away his body parts trying to take me by surprise from the back. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Normally, the mantle itself wouldve gotten corroded from his mucus, but this mantle was a special item made by God Hastur. It was manufactured by spreading and evening out the liquid that was the base of the Mythril threads, giving it a cloth shape. There were no gaps where the mucus could slip through, and it was not corroded either. In other words, it was an exceptional item thatpletely blocked his attacks. Why wouldnt it melt?! Did you think Id fall for the same trick again? I hope you dont consider me to be as careless as I was before. I dont think I let my guard down thest time. However, I couldnt deny that somewhere deep down I left an opening. I wasnt supposed to be some respectablewarriorwho would try to fight head-on like that. That opening was taken advantage of and I was dealt a nearly mortal wound during thest battle. Now, during this rematch, I had firmly remonstrated myself for acting like that before. Ambushes, traps, spreading webs. I kept my true fighting style in mind. Though this is not the fighting style I wish to pursue. That said, this is more effective against you, right? Shut up, shut up, shut up! Kufar did not stop trying to regenerate his body as he screamed. His core had certainly taken some damage, but it didnt seem to have hindered his activities just yet. He barely maintained his human form, and tried to chase me on all fours. But I mercilessly made my next move. I took out a fist-sized bag from my pocket and threw it at him. Naturally, he tly swiped it down. Normally you would have dodged it instead, fearing poison or blinding powder, but he was a Slime, a lump of poison, so neither poison nor blinders would work on him. He probably judged it to be something to just disturb his advance. But that was a mistake. His swipe scattered the bag contents around, scattering it all over his body. That white powder wasnt poison or anything for humans, that is. KGhghwh..atis this But for Kufar, it was a deadly poison. His body gave off a seething sound and grew a size smaller. At the same time, his movements turned duller too. Its salt. Salt absorbs liquid, after all. Slimes that were lumps of mucus could be said to have simr nature to slugs. The salt absorbed the moisture from his surface, which created a difference in concentrationpared to the internal parts, making it hard for him to move properly. He was currently unable to even make any movements. I could just continue attacking from a distance until his core broke. This is the end! Shit, shit Damn you, Reid This isnt oveeeeer! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Just as I swung down my arm, Kufar yelled in resentment. Along with his yell, his back snapped open, and another Slime crawled out from within. No, more urately, he had discarded his outer parts, nning to escape with the core part that could still move freely. My threads sunk into his outer part and caught up in it. By the time I retracted them and tried to attack once more, there was already a considerable distance between us. This was also probably due to his non-Slime properties. Normally, he shouldnt have been so fast. Youre not escaping! But I was determined to settle this for sure this time. With those feelings, I chased after him. Chapter 452 Perhaps by abandoning his newly-obtained body, his agility increased even further. He was running through the city so fast it made me open my eyes wide in shock. Or well, he had no legs, so it was better to say that he was crawling. I chased to not lose sight of him, while holding some doubts. He was running towards the World Tree. In other words, to the central part of the city. The World Tree was the center, though, so perhaps calling it the citys central part was a little incorrect. At any rate, that was opposite of the city exit, so I couldnt help but think it was quite unfit for a ce to run to. Wait, does he n to get inside the Labyrinth? The World Tree had a legendary Labyrinth with hundreds of floors. Within the mythology, it was said that whoever conquered this Labyrinth would gain immortality, so various beings, like Bahamut, whoter became known as the Dragon God, or the Demon Lord, apparently aimed for it and climbed to the top. However, the God of Destruction had snapped said World Tree in half, so no one could confirm whether the mythological events were true. In other words, at present, the only merits of climbing this Labyrinth were the items you could obtain inside. No, a Slime like him might strengthen himself by absorbing something. Just like how he became able to control his body parts. Or the movement speed that he gained. Now that I have cornered him, he might be nning to aim for some new ability to ovee this situation. If so, it would be bad to let him escape like this. Just as I was considering using my threads to overtake him, Kufar suddenly stopped. As he had fled for quite a distance, we were pretty close to the central part already. But the Labyrinth entrance was still far away. There was only a small church nearby, with practically no human presence. Or rather, there werent even private houses around. As things fell near the World Tree, there was some distance between it and the city. That church stood further deep inside the inner border of the city. Are we done ying cat and mouse? Yeah, this is the end. For you too, Reid. What? There was no one around. I could feel a few people inside the church, but they werent making any Wait, what is this?! The presences werent moving. However, the magic power was concentrating bizarrely there. I of the past life wouldve probably failed to notice it. But now that I could use magic, I could see itthe flow of magic power. It was flowing towards the churchs basement. If you manage to return alive, give Lyell my words. That it was suicidal to leave my body parts be, even if it was just something used for suicide. Youre saying you manipted it from this distance?! Not just manipte. I made it to draw a magic circle. And within it are sacrifices that have fallen into despair. Two of them! (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I recalled the information I heard from Cortina at the inn. She told me they questioned the guy I caught during the day and the one Lyell and Maria caught, in a small church. They could not escape the death penalty, but they spit out the information to escape from the suffering. In other words, they had no more hope for survival. That would undoubtedly be consideredhopelessness, wouldnt it? I heard one of them had even lost his sanity. And when it came for the Devil summoning, how much despair the sacrifices felt was a major factor. It cant be, you Youre nning to sacrifice yourrades! I made my body part draw the magic circle inside the prison. I have sacrifices too. As for the magic power Well, Ill just use them from the sacrifices. The star positions are a little bad, but their madness should make up for it. Kuhehe, he chuckled sinisterly. At the same time, I felt a tremendous miasma leading from the churchs basement. What is this Looks like it was a sess. I wonder what we got here? Stop mes My words stopped at that. Because I heard several screams from the church. Following it, came sounds of footsteps that were destroying the building. With a little dy, soldiers rushed out. They didnt even look at us and scattered everywhere. From the reverberating footsteps and the interval between them, I guessed that it was something big. It was not an opponent I could carelessly charge at. Before long, the churchs gate was blown off from the inside, and the summoned Devil revealed its body under the moonlight. It stood over three meters tall. It was on the smaller side for a monster, but the strength lurking within could rival even the Giants. And in its dangling hands, it held two longswords. It cantbe It wasnt the only one either. Yet another one appeared from behind. Pfhkhaha I cant believe it! To think we would have such a fateful meeting here! Kufar spoke, not even hiding his half-maddened delight. The Devil appeared as the earth trembled. It was that same devil that drove me to death in my past life. And theres two of them! What will you do, Reid? Can you win again, huh? Hihi, HIHAHAHAHAHAHA! I swung my threads at Kufar who wasughing with jarringughter. But he would not make the same mistake either. He seemed to have read my attack and nimbly dodged it and continued to escape. I tried to chase after him before before defeating the Devils, but the Devils did not permit it. GRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! The two raised cries and charged towards me bursting with murderous intent. Chapter 453 The two Devils raised roars. My feet froze from those war cries that were apanied by vibrations. Myst moment from the previous life shed in my mind, a feeling of hopelessness surging up from below. Suppressing my shudders, I tried to keep Kufar, my real enemy, in my vision. However, that proved to be a vain effort. He was not so foolish as to overlook my momentary opening. He was already gone from my sight. No, perhaps he could be around, but I could not sense him. That was his ability in this world, camouging. He keeps going about how he hates his body in this life, but he keeps utilizing that ability to its utmost. He was like a lump of contradictions. Besides, I had no time to search for him as I wanted. Two Devils, and highest level ones at that, were charging at me. They look strong. Can you win? You! Suddenly, the young boy calling himself Baa appeared next to me. Im quite happy to borrow his strength, but I wish he just cooperated from the start. Hey now, dont misunderstand anything. I let you know about him as a freebie. I have no obligation to lend you a hand. Fine, I get it already! Also, that Slime. I suppose his maniption range isnt that big since he came all the way here, huh? Perhaps about a ten-meter radius. I couldnt care less about that now! I jumped sideways along with my scream. Following that, a longsword of over two meters long swooped down where I stood and split my afterimage. The stone pavement broke and the sword sunk about halfway in it. Then, its second sword followed me as I leaped away. Baa meanwhile took distance from the Devil with gliding movements. This sly bastard. Yaahhhhhhh! I yelled a little inappropriately for a girl and swung my leg up. My kicknded on the middle side of the de that was approaching me. I knew full well that the kick of this level would never be enough to throw its swing off-course. What changed the trajectory with this was my own body. I changed my direction downwards from the recoil and rolled over the paving. I did not remain at the ce, instead kicked the ground and leaped even farther. The second Devil attacked where I was a moment ago. Had I stopped where I was or just done a roll, I wouldve been split into two. So, whats your n? I dont wanna make any more debts with you! In my previous life, I and this type of Devil took each other out. And there were two of them here now. I couldnt me my body for faltering instinctively. Still, like with Kufar, they were enemies I had to ovee. If I didnt, I would not be able to stand before them in the future. Come Ill settle it once and for all this time! GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) As if responding to my provocation, the two Devils roared in unison. Their roar was full of pressure that would freeze everyone who heard it. Perhaps it served to dull my movements, but this time it was convenient for me. The intimidation didnt work on me, and it wouldve been bad if people heard the ruckus and came here. With this, ordinary people who heard it would get intimidated and wont get in the way. The Devils moved to sandwich me between them. I ran in reverse, trying to move to a ce where I wouldnt be nked. Of course, they wouldnt just let me pass by, so the two shed at me from left and right. I passed through them by a hairs breadth, did a roll one time, and turned around. Downward and sideway swings immediately entered my vision. As they each held two swords, they were able to make their next attack faster than me. I jumped over the sideway swing that approached slightly faster, and flew my thread towards the sword. The entangled thread dragged me along the sword, flinging me to the side. With that, I managed to avoid the vertical swing too. We were in a za before a church, so there were no ces where I could hook my threads at. The enemy, on the other hand, could swing their swords freely in every direction. The situation was even worsepared to the one in my past life. Not to mention, there were two of them now. Had it been me of the previous life, I wouldnt have been able to fight against them. But now, other than my mastered skills, I also had the power of magic on my side. Moreover, the gauntlets God Hastur made especially for me helped me when doing violent maneuvers. I was feeling far less burdenpared to back then. Besides, even if there were no obstructions around, it wasnt like I had no ces to hook my threads at. Their giant bodies themselves could be hooks for my threads. Moreover, due to activating Enchant on my gauntlets, my mobility increased enough to rival the Devils. There was a time limit, of course, but I should not fall behind even against the two of them. Having said that, if I drag this on, they could get in a surprise attack like during the fight with Kufar! It was not my field to fight head-on like this. Laying traps, surprise attacks, ambushesthings that decided the oue in one move were my specialty. This kind of battle was not my real nature, as expected. The Devils seemed to have sensed my decision to attack and momentarily stopped their attacks. Using that opportunity, I did a small back step to open up the distance. Seeing that, one Devil rushed at me with a powerful thrust. I bent backward and dodged it, coiled a thread around its sword at the same time, and then flew them towards its neck. I was nning to use its own strength to lop its head off, but it had seen through it. Before the thread managed to twine around its neck, it swiped it away, making my body go flying along with it. I rolled quite far and opened some distance. When I tried to get up and fix my posture, I heard someones voice as their way cut into this ce. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Devils?! I remembered that voice well. That voice that I had grown to hear since my birth undoubtedly belonged to Lyell. Chapter 454 Oh crap! I felt a sudden danger, freezing up on the spot. I resisted even the Devil roars, but Lyells voice was ironically enough to petrify me. I quickly hid myself and activated the illusion ring that Cloud returned back to me. The form I used was that of Haumea that I remembered the most. I did it because Lyell might have seen me from his position. This way I could just make up an excuse that it was an idental resemnce with me. Shit, why did Devils appear at this timing! Lyell, who appeared on the za, charged at the Devils in my ce with that yell. Apparently, he wasnt able to see my appearance well due to the darkness. He vaguely understood that someone was fighting, but didnt see me specifically. The Devils showed a momentary hesitation at his sudden appearance, but they instantly recovered and resumed the battle by instinct. Lyell was no one to fall behind such Devils, however. Rather, being a pure monster unlike me, he boldly crossed des with one Devil head-on. However, that wouldve been fine if there was only one opponent. But the other one circled around his back. Normally, Maria would be there to block it with magic, but she wasnt here now. If I overlooked this, it could be dangerous for him. Left with no choice, I hid my katana in the nearby grass and sent my threads at the Devil to keep it in check. This katana was like a symbol that connected me and him, after all. Threads Reid, is that you?! Ill lend you a hand. That appearanceNicole?! No, wait, your eye color I used Maria as a reference. I muffled my voice as best as I could and rushed to his side, standing back to back. It was actually me who was helped here, but I decided to get him to owe me one here. Exposing my Haumea appearance posed a risk, but unlike my heterochromatic red-blue eyes, both eyes of this form were blue. It was a small difference, but the impression changed dramatically. That small gap created a subtle sense of difference with Nicole about more than just the color. It was just perfect to deceive this oaf. I see, Maria huh No, more importantly, so it was you fighting here. Thanks, I never thought wed be fighting together again! Despite being in the middle of a battle, Lyells voice was full of joy. This guy has always been honest with his feelings. That went both for embarrassment and happiness. It hasnt changed during these twenty-something years. Surprisingly enough, Lyell disyed stronger physical strengthpared to the Devil, pushing it back. I used my natural agility to attract the attention of the other Devil, leading it around using my speed. The problem was that I wascking in the power to defeat it. Reid, arent you out of shape there? Shutup. I was about to exim loudly, but controlled myself. I was falsifying my appearance, but the same couldnt be said about my voice. If I yelled loudly, he would realize that I was Nicole. From the start, Lyell had more killing powerpared to me. Rather than think about how to defeat it myself, it would be faster to dedicate myself to supporting Lyell. Now that it hade to this, sticking to defeating it on my own wouldnt be very wise. I twined a thread around its sword and then around its body. That managed to restrain its movements quite a lot. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Your support is great as always. GOAAAAAAAAGHHHHH! Lyell wasnt one to overlook that. Using that momentary dullness of its movements, He shed towards its arm. His Holy Sword that could even cut through the Evil Dragons scales easily lopped its arm off. That skill to make use of such an opening is also to be praised. I muttered to myself so he wouldnt hear it. The other Devil who was facing me seemed annoyed that his partners arm was cut, and started aggressively attacking. However, my body was enchanted now, so I had enough power to ward off its twin des like the wind. The other Devil with its arm gone also continued to resist tenaciously. Though it was inferior to Lyell, considering it could use a greatsword with one hand, it had great skill. Seeing how Lyell could not find timings to attack, I felt like this would get dragged on. Guessit cant be helped. Even with Lyells support, my body wouldnt hold out for a prolonged fight. Unlike Lyell, I was suited for short battles. Thus, I decided to settle it here and now. Hah! I exhaled greatly and directed my thread maniption ability inside my body. Instantly, I felt as if the time had started to stretch out. That was probably due to my muscle tissue and nerves being strengthened. I dodged the downward sword swing, diverted the thrust with my gauntlet by a hairs breadth, and closed the distance. My threads wouldnt be able tond a lethal wound even at this distance, so I instead twined it around its knee. Moreover, the strengthened fingertips of these gauntlets could serve as weapons on their own. Hyah! I jumped on the swung down sword, and then kicked off from its arm with all my strength. I closed the distance in one go and thrust my hand with all I had. My fingertipsnded where I aimed and deeply gouged out one of its eyes. GUOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH?! The sharp pain made the Devil bend backwards, making it stop paying attention to what was below. I used that timing to pull the thread tied to its knee back with all my strength. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Just shing it with threads wouldnt deal a valid blow, but the story changed if we were talking about pulling on a coiled thread. The sharp Mythril thread dug into its thick skin, and also tore through its knee tendons. Having lost control of one of its legs, the Devil fell on its knee. I ran up its back and coiled thread around its neck, this time using all my strength to strangle it. With my original strength, this wouldve not resulted in any damage, Mythril or not. However, I was ovepping Enchant with Thread Maniption now. And my gauntlets were sturdy enough to handle all that strength. This had to result in damage. GAGAGAGEGAGUGEGE The Devil started acting violently as its respiratory tract was constrained, unable to let out a proper voice. Still, I was also using inhuman strength now as I rode on its back. It couldnt shake me off so easily. Seeing me winning, Lyell also switched to attacking. He seemed to have been focusing on defense until then, and his attacks grew quite agile. HYAAAAAAAAAA! Along with his scream, he swung down his Holy Sword. And the Devils sword met it. Seeing Lyell suddenly give up on the defense, the Devil was takenpletely by surprise. This attack broke its posture, and it was the one to be forced back. Perhaps it missing one arm was part of the reason. Either way, taking that inhuman pressure broke its posturepletely. Lyell followed up with a body m at its giant nted body. The Devil over five meters tall failed to take on that ramming attack, and got knocked down on the pavement with dust clouds. It was such a bizarre sight that it seemed to even defy thews of physics. Then he immediately jumped on top of it and swung down the sword. What seemed to be a full-powered swing pulverized the Devils head as easily as cracking an egg. And just as his battle ended, the Devil I was strangling also stopped its resistance. Or rather, could no longer do it. My Mythril thread had cutpletely through its meat and had stopped as it coiled around its cervical spine. Like this, we subjugated the twin-ded Devils. Chapter 455 I was trying to crawl out from under the lifeless Devil. Once its neck was cut halfway and it lost its strength, its body fell back on me as if to crush me. Its over-five-meter tall body had an equally big mass, so I was having a pretty hard time. Here. Uh. Lyell came up to me and extended his hand. I was perplexed a bit, but Lyell already knew that I was reborn as a girl and that this was a disguise. The difference between this illusionary form and my real body has narrowed down considerably, but there was still some difference. Lyell seemed to have sensed that too and had aplex expression. You still have no intention of showing us your real appearance? I dont. Still, this appearance looks just like Nicole Of course it does. I modeled it after Maria, so it would naturally also look like her daughter who takes after her.. Even so, without the difference in eye color, youre a spitting image of her No, wait, Nicoles a bit superior, I guess? Hmph! He said something a little irritating, so I kicked up his crotch without warning. I dont mean to brag, but it was a spectacr kick with no wasted movement. Itnded right where I intended, making him fall forward. I had to give it to him for not fainting there. Whatever the case, I was still a girl at present. I couldnt feel good about having my lookspared unfavorably in my face. Even if the other party was my original body. The hell was that for! What if I cant get it up anymore?! You already have two daughters. It already served its function, didnt it? I mercilessly drove a kick in his back as hey toppled. At any rate, it wouldnt be good to keep talking for too long or he might find out who I am by voice. I stopped my attack for the time being, then dusted off my body and gazed towards the Devil Lyell defeated. Seeing the corpse that had its head pulverized with one stroke of his sword, I felt the difference in our strength. As expected. Hmm? Im talking about you. Back then fighting to a draw was the most I could do. He managed to crush its head with practically no injury one-on-one. I could not imitate that at all. That was because of your support. Without it, I wouldve had a harder time. Managing to lop off its arm early on gave me a big advantage. Really? Really. Besides, havent you defeated one without an injury yourself? And Ive continued training since then. Isnt it a little, I dont know unfair to beparing me to your former self? Lyell certainly kept training his skills since then. Moreover, he had maintained his prime body condition due to the God of Destructions medicine. He was probably not to bepared to his former self in terms of strength. So his objection was correct on that front. If you were to ask me if I wouldve been able to obtain the same strength if I kept training as long as him, the answer would be no. However, it would just be an endless argument if I insisted on that, so I tried to turn away and promptly take my leave. Lyell stood up at that timing too. But my body had been put under too much strain, so I ended up falling on my knees at that one step. Lyell gently stopped my fall. He was a gentleman when it came to these things. Whoops. Thanks. Bracing my weak knees, I somehow managed to support my body while clinging to Lyells arm. For a moment, we ended up in what looked like an embracing posture. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) So your body is an illusion, after all. But youve really be a woman, huh. And you have quite a rack there. At those words, I realized that my chest was hitting his elbow. I reflexively pushed his arm away and covered my chest. Touching them myself was nice, but having others touch them felt disgusting. Thest time I met Lyell as Reid, I was using Polymorph, so there was no problem with physical contact. But now I was using an illusion, so hidden in it was my real body. Haumea that I made through imagination and my current body had some subtle differences in stature. Those differences were apparent if you touched me. Stop that! Acting like that with Nicoles appearance makes me feel he guilty here! Oh really now. Ill be sure to tell that to Maria. Please dont. Ill die. Lyell was speaking roughly but once Marias name got mentioned, he immediately started prostrating. Satisfied with his attitude, I decided to take my leave. Well then,ter. I approached Baa who was grinning towards us and nodded. Wheres he? Headed to the Labyrinths direction. Would be pretty hard to find him if he entered it. The first floor has Slimes. I see. Whoshe? Lyell interjected into our conversation. He didnt know about my battle with Kufar, so it was a natural reaction. Im talking about the Slime Kufar. He has his human cunningness remaining so hes a really nasty foe. He was still alive?! Looks like he entered the Labyrinth. It would be hard to tell him apart from the other Slimes, so its impossible to chase him. For the time being, he wouldnt be able to do any more schemes if he left the town. And if he was inside the Labyrinth, Baas detection should spot him. This guy was inhuman in more than one sense, so Kufar shouldnt be able to escape his eyes. It was extremely regretful that I failed to put an end to him, but if I managed to near-permanently stop his actions, that was a good enough result. That aside, Im surprised you came to Berith. Huh?! My legs suddenly stopped. I was currently supposed to be in the north. Yet I showed up here now, so it was certainly doubtful. I looked towards Baa asking him toe up with some excuse, but he was holding his stomach and desperately enduring augh. This guys no good. Hes enjoying himself too much to help me out here. Uhh, well Right, Finia. Cortina entrusted her to me. Oh yeah, she did say something like that. Yup yup, I had it quite tough. Looks like you have troubles of your own. My daughter had a bad experience too. Fortunately, it ended well. I-I see. Youve had it tough too huh. I looked away while saying. I was the person concerned, so I felt quite shameless. I felt like I was doing a ridiculous monkey show here. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Im off then. Okay, I should go check on Maria too. Where is she? Shes tending to the people who were hit by the Devils roars. There were some who started acting violently due to confusion. Oh, so that happened. Okay, Ill leave that to you then. The Devils roars had an intimidating effect, and it had spread quite far and wide. Lyell heard it and rushed here, but Maria who could dispel its effects was too busy to afford that. At any rate, it would be bad to keep staying here any longer. I nced at Baa, and then raised one hand and nodded at Lyell. Along with that, I teleported nearby the inn. Chapter 456 A momentter, I returned back to the inns vicinity. The boy calling himself Baa was nearby too. After confirming that there was no one other than him around, I undid my illusion, returning to my original appearance. Thanks for the help tonight. Youre her favorite, so I dont mind this much. In that sense, I had to thank that White God too. I see. Im departing tomorrow so I cant thank her directly, but convey my thanks to her please. Got it. I only had words to give her at the moment. That made me feel a little bitter. But I had to return back to the inn soon or itll get found out that I slipped out and will get questioned by Maria and Lyell. Though I had a substitute there, it probably wouldnt be able to deceive them for long. If they realized I slipped out at this time, it wouldnt be hard to arrive at my real identity. Sorry, but I have to return quickly. I know that. Shes not the one to mind such things, so feel at ease. That said, she might start sulking really annoyingly. That somehow sounds scarier. I swung my arms and sent my thread to the second floor, but then I realized it. A fatal and serious mistake that I made. Crap, I forgot to retrieve my katana Fortunately, I remembered the location pretty well, but I had no time to run back and get it. Lyell would most likelye to check on me once he returns. Thus, feeling a little unhappy, I invoke my Teleport spell, returning back to the za. I ended up wasting my magic power, but still managed to take back my katana, which wouldve be a piece of evidence, back before it led to anything. I just had to return back to the room, switch out with Fafnir and pretend I was sleeping all this time. Lyell seemed to have believed me, but he should still have some doubts. If I had proof that I was asleep in my room during the entire situation, those doubts should disappear too. Just as I sent my threads to the window and sneaked inside the room, Finia with an angry expression came to my sight. I reflexively bent back and almost slipped on the window frame. Next to her was the kneeling meor rather, Fafnir with my appearance. Uwah?! Where have you gone to, Lord Reid? W-Well (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) She quickly approached me with a frown as I clung to the window frame and avoided the fall. I somehow managed to crawl inside, closed the window behind me, and motioned her to calm down. Wait, wait, I had a reason I really couldnt ignore this time, or rather, it was a matter of my pride as a man You are a girl now, Lord Reid. Well yeah, but no! I ended up having to sit down before her and listen to her sermon. I mean, she didnt tell me to sit, it just happened naturally. Maria had thoroughly driven it into me to sit down whenever someone was angry at me. It was still safe because I was the one to discover that you slipped out, but it would have turned into an uproar if Lady Maria or Lord Lyell had seen it. I left my body double for that reason. They wouldve easily seen through the Polymorph spell that I managed to see through. Hearing that, I moved my gaze to Fafnir, which made her bow and curl up. Umm, I ended up falling asleep for real, and my tail came out. Are you as clumsy as your owner?! So the spell itself wasnt interrupted or anything, right? Well, our Polymorph is something slightly different from magic. Making excuses while waving her hands around made her look exactly like Whitey. Her true nature was a Dragon of ancient times, so her body was appropriatelyrge. Had the spell gotten canceled, she wouldve blown up the entire inn. That said, I wasnt exactly qualified to me her too much for this. I was the one who slipped out and asked for a substitute to begin with. Besides, I had a lot of debt towards Whitey. I would be barking up the wrong tree if I started ming her so pedantically now. No, its fine. I was the reason for this, so I am the one to me too. You dont have to apologize. Huh, really? Yeah. You can go back. Thanks for today. I see. Okay then, see you. Saying that, Fafnir spread her wings near the window side and flew out. She probably judged that staying any longer would just keep Finias lecture going. She probably inherited that quickness to run away from Whitey. Now then, Lord Reid? I mean, sorry. But look, I heard Kufar was still alive. Huh?! But its fine. I locked him up inside the Labyrinth. Theres someone monitoring him too, so he shouldnt be able toe back out. She sounded relieved when she heard her Kufar was neutralized. More importantly, I had something to tell her. By the way, Finia. Lyell hasnt realized that I slipped out, right? Yes. Soon after you went out we heard an intimidating roar, so he headed to investigate it. Lady Maria dide to check on you, though. Hearing that my neck stiffened with a crack. Maria was iparably sharperpared to Finia. Even more than Cortina in some cases. If she saw my substitute, there was plenty of chance that she saw through it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Um, she didnt realize it, right? No. She was still not asleep at the time. Speaking of, who was that girl? She had a tail. Ahahah, well lets just say shes Whiteys acquaintance. If I suddenly said she was a species of ancient dragons, Finia mightve fallen down from shock, so I decided to justugh it off and dodge the question. More importantly, those roars came from Devils that Kufar summoned. Lyell and I already dealt with them. Huh, you and Lord Lyell? Fortunately I managed to disguise myself in time, so he didnt find out my identity. If Maria proves that I was here, his remaining doubts should go away. I see, thats good. Still, I never thought a twin-ded Devil would show up. Huuuh?! She was shocked as expected. That Devil was a fated enemy even for her. B-But with Lord Lyell, you shouldve dealt with it with ease, right? Well, there were two of them. We ended up defeating each of them respectively. Two of them?! Both Lyell and I have improved our skills since that time. I did have some trouble though. I didnt receive much damage after fighting against that Devil. I managed to easily avoid its sword attacks too. The problem was what came after. Specifically, my body which was strengthened using Enchant and Thread Maniption. By using those at the same time, I managed to gain enough mobility to overwhelm that Devil. Naturally, that came with a big cost. My body was creaking from pain even now. The improved mobility did note with improved endurance. In the worst case, I couldve even broken my bones and joints just by dashing explosively. Well, its still a good trump card, I guess. Trump card? Yeah. Just talking to myself. A trump card that may break my body. If she heard I had something like that, she would definitely ban me from using it. However, there would surely be cases where I would have to use it in the future. For that reason, it was better to just keep it a secret from her. But yeah, anyway, I want to coordinate the story with you. Lets say you were constantly in my room and watched me. We have Marias testimony too, so if you say that there should be no problems. I do not mind that much, but Finia seemed a little lost. Is there something troubling you? No! Its just, master Kufar I mean, Kufar was something like a parent who raised me, but hes also your enemy, so I felt a littleplex. A little toote to be thinking about this, however. I see. I thought he was a hopeless guy, but I guess I have to thank him for raising you. Yes, but it feels quiteplex. It really does. The two of us exchanged nces and broke into a small chuckle. Chapter 457 In short, as punishment for my crime of sneaking out on my own, I was sentenced to acting as her hug pillow for the day. I spent all night in her embrace, so I should say it was instead a reward. However, I had to keep my eyepatch on the entire time, so that part was annoying. When I removed it, Finia moved her gaze away, saying, I dont think I will be able to control myself so I was a little afraid of what it would result in. Nghhhhh. Then came the next day. It was already a day before our departure. Due to Kufar, I didnt even manage to go sightseeing. But I got acquainted with Pope Ashe, so that was a big gain. She gave me a holy seal depicting the World tree, and the words for the time you wish to meet me. It was apparently a unique design that indicated that I was her friend, so if I showed it to the churchs guard, they would get directly in touch with her and Ill be able to meet her. Nhg Good morning, Lady Nicole? Yeah, morning, Finia. I slipped out from her arms and did a big stretch on the bedside. Then I gazed back at the bed and saw something irrational. That is, I had a negligee-type pajama, but she had a big tight-sleeved one. Shouldnt this normally be the other way around? How would I be able to enjoy the sight if I wore it myself? She was looking dazzlingly at me. Honestly, I thought the same. If possible, I wanted to see her dressed in this kind of risky nightclothes. If possible, I wanted you to More importantly, we have to buy things in preparation for tomorrows departure. Right, okay. She cut off my speech and confirmed our schedule. Ever since she realized my identity, I feel like she was leading conversations all the time. But what she said was reasonable, as we really did have to leave tomorrow morning. In the end, we couldnt make a new spear for her, but we also had to procure other things like food and water too. There were some inn towns established along the way to Raum, but we still had to secure minimum food. We have to wake Michelle and Cloud up and make preparations. Yes. Lord Lyell and Lady Maria also seem to be nning to return to the north in the afternoon. I see. Fina had been left to the others all this time, after all. Though she was left in the care of tough northern warriors, taking their eyes off her for too long still worried me. I could only enjoy my adventures because Lyell and Maria were with her. Now that I recovered and Baa had locked Kufar within the World Tree, it was natural to worry whether his separate force would attempt to do something bad. I threw off my nightclothes and started dressing up. Seeing that Finia meaningfully put a hand to her mouth. Lady Nicole, looks like youve grown a little again. Hmm? I dont think my heights changed much. No, not the height, your chest. Huh? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Now that she mentioned it, the underwear that supported my breasts felt a bit tight. They really seemed to be growing by the day making me feel quiteplex. To think that Lord Reid would be so beautiful Please, just stop. Finia joined her hands at her chest and spoke with sparkling eyes, dressed in slightly childish pajamas. Her innocent gaze was digging into my heart. After waking up, the two of us took Michelle and Cloud along and moved our carriage to the well behind the inn. Lyell and Maria said they would go back in the afternoon, so we decided to finish gathering water at least until then. Finia could use water attribute magic, and we also had a magic item enchanted with Purify, so as long as we had water, we shouldnt worry about it going bad. This Purify spell was quite convenient, making any kind of water, be it rainwater or muddy water, drinkable. In the worst case, it could even turn urine drinkable, so it was a lifesaver in the deserts and wastnds. However, no one would willingly drink such water, so it was better to gather fresh water. Cloud, this barrels already full, so go put it on the carriage. Gotcha. We decided to keep three barrels of water. Michelle and Finia were working together to draw water and fill the barrel. I put the lid on the barrel and pushed it to Cloud. Since we were dealing with water, all three of us girls were quite drenched. We were quite a sight for sore eyes. Because of that, I had to redirect Clouds eyes elsewhere. Thats why I had him carry it to the carriage. Youre doing something fun here. Wah?! Then suddenly, I heard a girls voice. I wouldve normally thought it was Whitey, but she should be doing work in the south now. Instead, it was Pope Ashe, who was also Marias old friend. Only a day has passed, and you slipped out again? Its not in my character to stay still. Did you know? My grandma was apparently an Adventurer. The way she puffed her cheeks made her look like your ordinary young girl. She even looked like a daughter of a wealthy family that wore somewhat refined clothes. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) After her brief disy of anger, she slowly approached Finia and took the bucket in hand. I just have to fill the barrel with this, right? Well yeah Youre helping? Its gotten hottertely, so ying in water wouldnt be so bad. Were not exactly ying here. It is fine, it is fine~ The Pope drew water with a carefree tone. If those conservative cardinals saw this, theres no telling what they would say. While staying vignt of the surroundings, I moved the final barrel over while taking the second barrel away. Ignoring me who was panicking on the inside, the Pope enjoyed herying in the waterto the fullest. Chapter 458 Once we finished our lunch, the time for Lyell and Maria to go back had arrived. We gathered in the backyard to not attract too much attention and said the goodbyes there. It wasnt normal for the Pope to be present during that. Or well, maybe it was, considering Marias position. Well then, Nicole. Dont overdo it again, okay? Yeah, I wont get careless. No, thats now what I meant While Lyell was pestering me to be extra careful, Maria was having a chat with the Pope. She had to depart from Berith because her position had grown too strong, but these two were apparently not on bad terms. Pope Ashe also seemed to have been considering letting Maria seed her, but with the intervention of various people starting from cardinals, her hopes were cut short. Take care of your body now, Maria. I will, thanks. Stay well too, Ashe. I really have to wreck my body sometime or Ill just get depressed from so much energy. Dont say that even as a joke. Maria was technically lower than her in the hierarchy, which would normally require her to use honorifics towards Ashe, but the person concerned seemed to firmly reject that. She looked like a little girl, but she was far older than Maria in reality. Even Maria could not ignore an order from someone like her. You can use teleportation magic, so youll show your face often, right? That would be a little You will, right? Youll let me baptize Fina, right? Yes. EventhatMaria couldnt oppose her, so I suppose this was the so-called wisdom of age. Even I, who wasnt very familiar with her, could not go against her conduct. Looking around, I saw Finia and Michelle looking at us as if seeing something amusing. Whats wrong, you two? No, well Seeing Nicole and Lady Maria getting lectured makes you look like sisters! Oh, what a nice thing to say, Michelle. Maria put a hand to her cheek in happiness, hearing that we looked like sisters. Maria, you should learn to tell apart ttery. Hey now, Im still young, okay? Indeed. Its strange that you look so young despite being in your forties. Ugh?! I wonder whats the reason for it? If you found some method of anti-aging, I hope you can teach me too. I dont think you need that, Ashe Because Maria had drunk God of Destructions medicine, her body was so full of vitality you could say she had returned back to youth. Someone who didnt know that would naturally find it strange. But she couldnt exactly tell that to the Pope. Rejuvenating medicine was already a tricky subject, but the one who gave it to her was the God of Destruction. The God who broke the world tree, and the Pope ruling the World Tree Religion. They were pretty much like water and oil. I couldnt even imagine what it would lead to had she found out about it. I suppose I had to give it to her for finding Marias weakness like this, even if unconsciously. I also didnt want this topic to delve any deeper, so I decided to dodge it. Besides, I was worried for Fina who was waiting back in the vige. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Mom, you have to leave soon, or Fina will Oh, r-right! I really should. Before that Cortina. Y-Yes? You still havent epted your punishment for this blunder, right? Ehh. Maria looked at her with unusual seriousness. Well, I guess you could say that she failed to fulfill her duty as my guardian. But that happened due to my own arbitrary actions, so she shouldnt be med for it. Mother, thats a little Be quiet, Nicole. Listen here, you may not know this, but Cortina going all out is much more amazing than this. And yet, she was outwitted too much this time. Yes, I have to reflect on being too careless. Cortinas and my voices ovepped perfectly. I was enjoying my dates with her a lot, and Maria was going to ban that. You have been toox ever since Reidseback. So I think you need some time to cool off your head. B-But that has nothing to do with Re Think back on the result. This time it all ended well due to unexpected luck, but in the worst case, Nicole would have died. T-Thats True. So Cortina. I need you to take special training. Special training I dont even have a talent for actualbat, you know? Even so, training should still do something about it. You have to be ready for simr situations from now on. This is for your own sake too. Ugh Cortina was still resisting, but it was short-lived. I also understood Marias point very well. Having no power when it counted the most was something both she and I knew very well. Because of that, she could not object to it very strongly. The fact was that Cortina had been the first one to be targeted among us countless times. The special training that Maria spoke about could be helpful in that sense too. As a result, Cortina reluctantly agreed and decided to follow Maria to the north. Meanwhile, they would contact Maxwell and have her temporarily retire. Well then, Tricia. I leave these kids to you, okay? Leave them to me or so Id like to say, but they are already more capable than me. Thats true. In that case, Nicole, I leave Tricia with you. You can give her a beating if she drinks too much. Hey?! While I was saying goodbye to Cortina, Maria was preparing the transfer spell. She drew the magic circle in high spirits. Her speed was quite something, but it still fell behind Maxwell, as expected. Goodbye, Maria. Im looking forward to Finas baptism. Why are you so excited about that? Isnt it fine to be happy about my cute friends second daughter? Yeah, yeah. Later then. The Pope acted carefree to the very end. But this was all for Fina, so I wasntining. Fina would lose nothing if she had the Pope backing her. Taking this opportunity, Maria invoked her Portal Gate and they returned to the south. The crumpled smile Cortina had at the time was quite a novelty. I felt like I saw something rare. So Lady Marias gone. Yes. It will be lonely without her. I heard those voices from behind. Looking back, I saw Michelle and Finia with dejected faces. Maria and others were special people for these girls, who have grown in their care. Since they could not meet them as frequently as I, this parting was more dear for them. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Its okay. I will learn Portal Gate soon and make it so you can visit them anytime. Lady Nicole, that would be something really amazing, you know? Portal Gate was a spell of the highest difficulty among the Interference spells, on par with Polymorph. If I could master it, it would prove to be useful in many situations. If we were hired by merchants like today, we could gain so much money using Portal Gate that it would feed us for a lifetime. It wouldnt be just trading. If I became the Guilds messenger, I could expect a lot of remuneration. Even the kingdom could hire me. It was a spell difficult to master and hard to reach. That was Portal Gate. Maria who easily learned it was abnormal, as normally one would need to train until old age to master it. But I, who considered it possible that I could learn it when I was just 15 years old, was probably also abnormal. Well, I guess it is Hmm? As I replied to Finia, I heard a strange noise. Though that noise didnt sound dangerous, like that of battle or rioting, but instead filled with voices of confusion and cheers. Theres some liveliness at the entrance. Yes, just like then Lady Maria arrived here. I was unconscious during that. I didnt know what happened when Maria and Lyell came, but it seemed that there was a simr atmosphere to it now. In that case, maybe someone as famous as them had arrived here? Just as I thought so and was about to voice it, a tall man barged into the backyard. As I thought, it was Maxwell, who had received a word after a dy. Is it true that Nicole suffered a grave injury?! Thats already in the past. Maxwell shouted as he rushed in, but I retorted calmly. Maxwell looked dubiously at me as he saw my face. What is that eyepatch? Did you suffer asting injury? No, this is I guess I could call this an after-effect. I gained an excessively strong charming power, after all. It seemed that just looking into my eyes would simply nail their eyes on me, but if I voiced my desire at the same time, this charm power would gain directionality. In other words, I couldnt speak anything carelessly with the eyepatch off. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) Well, lets just say I received a little overpowered ability from that goddess. This is a magic item to suppress that. I-is that so. I was awfully worried when I heard you suffered a big injury while I had my eyes off you. Yeah, sorry about that. But you were worried, huh? Of course I was. You are my I mean, my one and only apprentice. He almost said myrade but corrected it. There were people other than us here. Still, to think he would appear in ce of Lyell. This old man chose bad timing too. Not to mention, when there was the Pope around too. The Pope in question gave a deep bow withposed expression and offered a splendid greeting. Good to meet you, venerable Maxwell. I am called Ashe. How polite of you. Ashe One from the World Tree Religion? Yes, I serve as the current Pope. The cardinals are the ones with bigger voices, however. That does sound problematic. Maxwell revealed a wileful smile like when he was scheming something. The Pope was the same. It seemed like the chance meeting between Raum and Beriths influential duo would lead to something troublesome. Chapter 459 The Pope and one of the Six heroes met up, so we couldnt just stand and talk here. Thus Maxwell and Ashe moved to the room Maria and Lyell were renting until yesterday and decided to talk there. Normally the room has to be cleaned up before receiving their next customer, but Maxwell insisted that he did not mind and just rented it as is. The receptionistdy looked very sorry, so we put her in a pretty bad spot. I see. I expected the Popes words to hold big weight, so this was unexpected. Yes, quite so. Lord Maxwell, I also heard you hold great influence in the royal pce. Hahaha, that is an exaggeration. I have already retired once, so nothing is going as I would like to. Maxwell and Ashe chatted with smiles as they enjoyed their tea. That said, neithers eyes were smiling. On one side was Maxwell who was of Raums royal bloodline and one of the Six Heroes, and on the other, Ashe, who was the leader of the worldsrgest religion but had the cardinals holding the authority. Both of them desired the others influence, yet also restrained each other to not lose their footing. It was clear that they were probing each other while acting a little friendly and favorably. Finia who sensed all that had a pitifully cramped expression. Okay, we should go prepare for tomorrow. Yeah, we have a lot of things to do. I, Ill go buy some preserved foods Hey, please dont leave me here alone! Seeing us making up excuses to flee from the scene, Finia protested on the verge of tears. That was natural, as even I of the previous life would not want to stay in a ce like this. This was the territory of people like Maxwell, Cortina, and Maria. L-Lady Nicole, please I beg you But look Staying here will just get in their way, right? Please dont say that. You can just use your usualdy mode. Just forget about that! While we were struggling before the door, there was a moderate knock on it. We stopped in our tracks and turned towards it. This knock might have been our excuse to bail from this situationwe all shared that same thought. Yes? I didnt wait for the rooms owner and opened the door to the one who knocked. It might have been a little vulnerable, but Maxwell and Michelle were both here. Besides, we also had Ashe who had mastered the Resurrection spell. Even if Kufar were to attack us, our group would be able to handle it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) However, the one who appeared through the door gap was the inns receptionist. I felt sad for her to be forced toe to this scene of carnage. Please forgive me for disturbing your conversation. Is Lady Nicole here? Yes, that would be me. There was a riot just the other day, so she was quite vignt about this. Besides, I didnt have anyone in mind whod wanna meet me. Who are they? There is a human boy and a half-demon girl. The human seemed to be apanying them. A human and half-demon? I didnt have any inkling about thisbination No, wait Ah, could it be the child I saved during yesterdays riot? Riot? Didnt you hear from Mark? I saved one girl. Ah, that one. Cloud had also heard the reason why I acted separately from Marks group. If that kid came to meet me, I had no reason to reject. Rather, I had to thank god that she arrived at this time. The girl wasnt exactly a customer, and with her being a half-demon given this timing, she wasnt allowed to enter the inn. Well, it wasnt a cold season, so there was no problem with her staying outside. Hey, sorry to make you wait. Ah, big sis! Big sis, you say Sad to admit, I was already used to being called that. Mainly thanks to Fina. Baa was next to her, apparently escorting her. Also, she was holding a bouquet behind her. It seemed that she came to thank me. That bouquet was fully visible due to the difference in height with her, but it would be tactful to just pretend I couldnt see it. Had it been me of previous life, I wouldve just thoughtlessly pointed it out, disappointing her. Werent you injured? Yes, but big brother healed me. Oh, so you have a good side to you too. Even I wouldnt abandon an unrted and harmless girl. Given that she was beaten quite violently, I had to thank him for healing her wounds. Leaving Baa who replied to my words a little bluntly, the little girl reached her hands towards my face. Whats wrong? Big sis, did you get injured as well? Oh, this? No, no. My right eye color is different so Im just hiding it. I touched the eyepatch on my right eye and exined. There was no need to exin to her about the charm ability, so I just said I was hiding the color difference. I also moved the eyepatch a little and showed her my red eye. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) For a moment, she seemed to have gotten enchanted by my eye, but she quickly returned to normal. It seemed like this eye wasnt as strong as Whitey described it to be. U-Um, big sis. This is for saving me. The girl suddenly came back to her senses and presented the bouquet she was hiding to me. She did it with too much force so it hit me right in the face, but I couldnt me her for that. Looking at her, I couldnt say that she looked very wealthy. This bouquet wasnt made of flowers blooming on the roadside, but properly tended ones from a flower store. I couldnt help but think it would be a bit difficult for her to obtain it. Yes. There were other people that you saved, and we all got it together. This is the flower I selected. Saying that, she pulled out a small white flower from the middle of the bouquet. That flower, unlike the rest, didnt seem to have been tended. She probably tried hard and found it herself. Oho I could only think of the half-demons participating in the riot that I saved yesterday. Most likely, some of those sent me this bouquet as thanks. But why didnt they bring it directly? Probably because it would lead to strange rumors if they suddenly brought a bouquet to you, right? That was a good hypothesising from you, Cloud. Cloud who followed me along exined it as such. Certainly, my appearance stood out. If some guys sent flowers to a girl like me, people could misunderstand it as them proposing to me or something. Those uncles told me to tell you,We didnt get killed by the knights thanks to you. Youve really helped us. You are our hero. So they realized that I saved them, even if indirectly. Thinking that, I felt like my hard work yesterday was not in vain. It was mostly done in self-satisfaction, but being thanked for it still made me feel good. Chapter 460 Parting with the girl that came to thank me, we returned to the room Maxwell booked, and Ashe weed us back together with the rest. Then Maxwell decided to ask about the only changed part of memy eyepatch. By the way, Nicole. What is that eyepatch? Could there be some after-effects? If so, I will not calm down unless I blow burn that Kufar to dust along with this entire city Please, dont do that! Ashe broke into a cold sweat and stopped Maxwell who was saying dangerous things. Im sure if this old man got serious, he could cover the entire city in some strange heat and burn everything aside from the World Tree down. Of course, he wasnt serious. No, no. That Whitey healed me, but I gained a strange power due to it. A strange power? Power to attract and charm people. Her husband gave me this eyepatch to seal that power. Ohh?! Given what a magic nerd he was, he got very excited when he heard that and leaned towards me. Ashe grabbed him by the nape and pulled him back. If you are going to approach a girl, I think it would be better to set a mood first. Oh dear, that was rude of me. I have an immense interest in magic items. At any rate, there are no after-effects, yes? Well, I cant say that this isnt an after-effect But yeah, dont worry. And Kufar has been dealt with too. What? I conveyed to him that I locked Kufar into the Labyrinth. There were more slimes inside it, so it would be impossible to tell Kufar apart. However, Baa was overseeing the World Tree, so it would be impossible for him toe back out. I also conveyed that Baa was Whiteys acquaintance and also not a human being. As long as he was monitoring him, Kufar wouldnt be able to get out. He would most likely either get attacked by the Labyrinth monsters and disappear or get subjugated by Adventurers. Baa and the God of Destructions lifespans were practically infinite, so the moment he leaves would be the moment these two take him down. This was pretty much a seal at this point. So you are saying that the possibility of you being targeted again is gone? At the very least, I think it would be impossible for him toe out as long as Im alive. Hearing that makes me d. We could say that Kufars matter was settled. Fortunately, Maxwells anger had calmed down. This old man didnt use tricks like Cortina, but he had a tendency of resorting to any means necessary to achieve his goals. He probably wouldnt blow away the entire city as he said earlier, but he had many more options other than that. That wouldve caused this city to fall into chaos. I was d that the situation had settled without it having toe to that. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Oh well. Anyway, were really leaving tomorrow so we have to get ready. You were guarding a merchant to Stor, yes? Yeah. Its Mr. Temurus request. Hearing that, Maxwell rubbed his beard. After pondering for a few seconds, he looked at me as if evaluating me. W-What is it? You have been healed, but you have suffered a major injury, yes? Yeah, my eyeballs got destroyed. And there was also Kufars poison. Then you should not force yourself. Can you not turn down that request? Im not sure thats something I should do as an Adventurer. My current situation was certainly under a lot of strain. I suffered an injury that almost killed me. And right after it was healed, I had a duel with my fated opponent, the Devil from my previous life. As the recoil I got from using all my power, all the joints in my body screamed in pain right after. It had calmed down considerably after a nights sleep, but the damage was still present. Theres certainly some damage left, but abandoning amission would affect my honor as an Adventurer. Well, I suppose you have a point, but Maxwell looked at me in worry. He was feeling a bit overprotective after hearing that my injury was something even Maria could not handle. Hmm, then let us do this. I wish to talk with this merchant called Temuru. What are you plotting? How rude. In short, we simply need to protect that merchant until he reaches Stor, yes? In that case, I could just send you all there with Portal Gate. Woah. Given his monstrous level of magic power, this old man could send us all to Stor and still have some of it leftover. And now that Kufars threat was gone, the need to be constantly ready for attacks was greatly reduced. There would be no problem even if he goes a little wild with his magic power usage. That said, I wasnt sure about this. It certainly didnt go against the request. But I felt a little reluctant to ept him use such a high-level spell just to quickly release me from duty fast. I wouldve weed it if it was private teleportation. I Ill ask Temuruter. Go ask him now. I will also put in a good word. That would be pretty much forcing him to do it, wouldnt it?! My apologies, Madam Ashe. I have to excuse myself for said reasons. Not at all. There is no helping it if it is for Marias daughter. Listen to me, you two! It was a blessing in disguise that I had an honor of getting to know ady such as you with this visit. I hope we can build a good rtionship from now on. Yes, that would be my pleasure. I gave Nicole my holy seal to contact me, and I am d to have gotten acquainted with you too. These past few days have been really pleasant for me. So Nicole, please visit me anytime, okay? I feel like I would get dragged into some schemes, so I kinda dont wanna. No need to be shy. Im not being shy! I leaned over and protested, but Maxwell picked me up like a cat and put me on the chair. Asheughed in amusement at that, and then she excused herself from the room with a bow. She probably did it in consideration that staying any longer would get in the way of my work. After that, we teleported straight to the inn near the gate. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Trading merchants who didnt have personal stores were generally using inns before the gates, so that was why. The negotiations naturally ended in sess. Rather, he wholeheartedly weed it, as it shortened the needless travel time. He seemed to feel reserved about it at first, but he gradually became excited that he would be able to experience Maxwells magic. I got dragged around by Maxwell without keeping up with the rapid developments, and once we returned to the room, there were Michelle and Finia with equally lost expressions. Cloud quickly returned to his own room and prepared to depart. He had pretty bold nerves since he was receiving training from the Heroes. However, I needed him here so we could sum up the situation. I had Cloud stop what he was doing ande here so we could put our opinions on the table. Finia, Michelle, Cloud. As you can see, Maxwell will be sending us back tomorrow. Got it. But is this fine? Yeah, in a way thismissions goal was for us to practice long trips as well as for Cloud to get used to dealing with half-demon discrimination. And we fulfilled both of those, huh. All that was left was to journey back for a month. We can experience this much with the outward journey, so I guess we can skip it. Right. And us aside, Marks group seemed to be pretty tight on the food budget for the trip. Itll save them some costs. Well, Marks group would be earning quite a bit with this expedition, so maybe it was a little different. Still, if they were nning to buy better equipment, it would still do them good to save costs. You have be a proper leader, Nicole. It is as if I am looking at young Lyell. Huh, Lord Lyell was this clumsy?! Michelle, I think we need to have a little talk. A-Ahahah She forced a smile, but I knew she didnt say it out of spite. I heard her anger at the western gate made Cloud shudder. It was thanks to the God of Destructions help that we could mess around like this now. For this one point, I was wholeheartedly grateful to her. Chapter 461 The next day, we were about to depart from this Berith where so many things happened. That said, we hadnt made any grand preparations. Maxwell would be taking us back, so there was no need to prepare food and such things. In ce of it, Temuru proposed we fill the empty space in our carriage with Berith specialties. If we fill the space with merchandise, the profits would skyrocket. But this way, it would be unfair that only Temuru would gain from it, so I requested additional pay. This was a profitable deal for him, so after some bargaining, he pleasantly agreed to it. Cortina was taken captive by Maria ahead of us. Maxwell took her ce, so our numbers remained unchanged. Though, visually, it was somewhat of a degradation. Yeah, Cortina was better. Do not whine. That aside, I see that even little Finia has found out about you. Gh There was an unavoidable circumstance at y. Opening up a big Portal Gate inside the city could get unrted bystanders rolled up into it, so we were trying to refrain from it as much as we could. We needed to transfer two carriages, so he needed to create a three times bigger gate than usual. Due to that, we would be teleporting after leaving the city. Thus, we moved to the western gate to leave. On the way, I told Maxwell that Finia had found out about me. I was in extreme pain and weakness back then, so I couldnt even think properly. So you went crazy. Shut up! Maxwell and I were currently riding on the coachmans seats. Finia and Michelle moved inside the cargo carrier, while Cloud was on horseback a little away. I spoke to Maxwell in a low voice so the people around wouldnt overhear. How about you just give up and let Cortina and Lyell know too? That alone I cant do. I have no intention of letting Lyell and Maria know, in particr. Why? I told Gadius already, but its because I know how much they loveNicole. Lyell and Maria poured love intotheir daughter. If they realize that it was me on the inside, I feel like I would be betraying their love. Nicole and I were one and the same, but the Nicole that was me versus the Nicole they thought of were different. I felt like I would be pouring water on their feelings, so I just couldnte out with it. While we were talking about that, we arrived at the western gate. Temuru took the lead and presented his merchant guilds ID, receiving the inspection. They werent giving such thorough checks since we were leaving the city, but apparently, there were people trying to smuggle contraband too. In this case, contraband would be drugs and such dangerous goods. It was rare in Forneus, but it happenedmonly in the verdant Raum. Following it, the guard checked Maxwell, and then me. But the moment he saw my face, he stiffened as if petrified. Um, is there a problem? C-Could you be Miss Nicole? The one who saved the Pope from danger? Well, I did save her from an assassin but So it was you! I was the one who rushed to the scene at that time. There were no knights at the scene then. So he was probably part of the knights that came rushing afterward. Back then I drove a fist into the assassin while straddling him. I dont get it, just what part of that scene was so moving? It seems that I showed you something unsightly. No such thing! I have heard that you put your body at risk and saved the Pope, I was deeply moved! Well, thinking calmly, I did save the leader of the worldsrgest religion, so this reaction might be natural. This could make it hard to move about freely from now on. Perhaps I should have hidden my face. Then again, if I didnt use the charm power of my eyes back then, I wouldnt have managed to draw attention. And that required me to have my face exposed. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Yes, Miss Nicole is this citysno, the World Tree Religions hero! Wait, thats an exaggeration! The gate guard dered while bending himself over, but I shook my hands and denied it while acting modestly. He took my humility at face value. He clenched his fists with an enthusiastic flushed face, and insisted on my achievement. But with the time being early morning, there was quite a line formed behind us. Their gazes were starting to hurt. Um, excuse me but there are people waiting, so Ah, how untactful of me! I stopped working due to excitement, I feel ashamed. He finally resumed the procedures, so Michelle and Cloud also showed their IDs. His expression was a littleplex at Clouds turn, but him being myrade, and with Maxwell also riding along, he granted the permission without a word. The half-demon riot happened just the other day, so as expected he didnt hold a good impression of them. Yes, everything is in order. Please be careful. Thank you. I said so and gave a polite smile while waving my hand. Cloud may have toe here alone in the future, so I decided to score some points. The guard didnt think I would return the goodbye and waved back with stiff, doll-like movements. Like this, we safely departed from the city, preparing to return to Stor. Chapter 462 Though we called it a return trip, it wasnt anything that special. Rather, since we knew we could return to Stor this very day, all of us including Temuru were feeling quite carefree. Maxwell, the central person in this, spoke as we reached a ce with no people around. There should be no problem here. I will use the spell at once. O-Okay. Please do as you see fit. Temuru seemed nervous, as expected, but that was natural. He was talking to Maxwell, who was several echelons above him, and he was also burdening him with merchandise packed to bursting, so it would be hard not to be nervous. Portal Gate consumed far more magic power depending on its size and duration. This time, there was a need to teleport two carriages and one horseman, so the load on Maxwell was quite big. But given how vast this old mans magic power was, it probably fell within the margin of error. Just in case, we cramped Marks group inside a carriage too so we could pass the gate as fast as possible, and stood in line. However, Temurus carriage was already packed, so they ended up in ours Hey, Mark, its cramped. I mean, I cant help it Kya, who was it, who touched my bu I mean, err Oh? Whoever touched Finia just now, I hope youre prepared. It was Tony who replied, so looks like it was him. Sorry, but you have to face the punishment for touching her. Maybe its time for some roasted mushroom punishment after so long. At any rate, we somehow managed to fit together despite all the pulling and pushing, and prepared for the opening of the gate. Maxwell ignored us and had already opened the Gate. Come now, hurry up and pass through. A gate thisrge is a little hard on me too. I dont think youre having any problems. Maxwell who hade down from the one-person carriage activated the spell and guided the carriages. Since many people were going to pass now, he had extended the gates duration. He needed to stay back and teleportst to cancel it. If he left the gate be, someone might get rolled up in it. Our carriage was the first to pass through, and Stor greeted us on the other side. We didnt teleport inside the city because he probably judged a sudden appearance of a carriage there could lead to an incident. Following us, Temurus carriage followed and appeared behind us. Then came Clouds horse, and finally Maxwell appeared and closed the gate. W-Were really in Stor. Of course we are, how rude. Ah no, I wasnt doubting you or anything! Its just that, hearing and actually experiencing it feels different. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) His first ever teleportation had confused Temuru and he spoke disorderly. Maxwell knew he didnt mean anything bad, so he did not press any further. Then we returned to our respective posts and headed towards Stor. The gate guards already knew our faces, so the inspection ended quickly. Maxwell was known far and wide, so they didnt even look at his ID. Once we passed through the gates, we stopped the carriages at a za nearby, after which Temuru turned to us and dered. This finishes the guarding mission. Good work everyone! Yeah! Good work! Marks group and Michelle responded to Temuru in kind. Having finished their long expedition, their voices were somehow full with a sense of aplishment. I was supposed to pay you with cash, so I will have the Adventurers Guild prepare the reward. Thanks! This was because Marks group wanted to be paid in cash. Using deposits via the registration card would be easier, but there were stores that did not ept such payments. They wanted to buy new equipment this time. When it came to equipment, there were cases where the registration cards would not be applicable for payment, given that Adventurers Guild and Smith Guild were different organizations. In such cases, there was a need to prepare cash to pay with. I have to pay an additional reward to Nicoles group, so I shall pay it all at once. Thank you. The additional reward was for the merchandise that we carried with our carriage for him. Unfortunately for Marks group, the carriage belonged to us, so that additional reward would only go to us. They were fine with that too. Okay, were expecting money, so how about we kick up the early party! Mark, this is why you never manage to save up. Tony had given up as always, given his worldly-wise man personality. Michelle and Tricia nned to ride on Marks proposal. Just so you know, Mark. Michelle would eat up half of your reward money, you know? Were standing out here, so I also agree that we should move on. You have a point. Then Ill go greet Gadius. Cloud you follow Michelle and keep her reins in check. Im not confident I can do that If you dont keep your eyes on her, she might get taken to someones home. Right, Ill keep an eye. Michelle still had a childish side to her, so she was defenseless in many aspects. When ites to a party, I bet there would be alcohol served, so someone needed to watch her. Meanwhile, I needed to join up with Gadius and Maxwell and discuss things. I also needed to talk about the fact that Finia found out about it with her present too. I needed to tell Gadius about Kufars confinement too. Well, if there was one fortunate thing with Finia finding it out, it was that there is one less person I have to be careful around in this city. If you get that careless again, people will just keep finding it out. I was surprised at first, but Lord Reid is someone very important to me. I cant hate you for it, and it only made me happier. Ugh, that still stings a bit But still, I guess theres just Michelle and Cloud who I have to be careful around in this city. Maybe I can rx a bit more? We didnt meet up with Marks group all that often, and the work wasing to us through Gadius as well. Thanks to that, while I had some surface-level acquaintances, my friends were only Michelle and Cloud. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) With other familiar people, there was no fear of them finding out that I was Reid even if I revealed some faults. Michelle and Cloud were the only ones who could realize it, but I guess that includes Donovan too, who became the lord here. Well, Donovan isnt showing his face here all that much, so it should be fine. That aside, lets go hit it off over a booze too! Lady Nicole, you should watch your speech Also, you are weak with alcohol, right? Finia gave me an indifferent warning as I let my guard down. I didnt go down with a gulp like in my younger days, but I was still weak enough to get knocked out even with a cup of spirits. I could somehow handle it if it was a cup of ale or wine I guess. Well, as a punishment for worrying me, I will have you treat me this time. H-Hey, thats not fair! Treating a dwarf like Gadius and a heavy drinker Maxwell would make all my profits go away. Finia held her mouth and startedughing, apparently finding my teary expression amusing. She refrained from bursting into loudughter, probably restraining herself due to her servant position. At any rate, it seemed that my wallet was facing a crisis just like Marks group. Chapter 463 A few days have passed since we returned to Stor. I faced many troubles in Berith, but I have discovered a good byproduct of it. Specifically the eyepatch on my right eye. This magic item that sealed my charm power seemed to also ward off peoples interest in me, so the confession heat which was one of the reasons why we separated from here had temporarily calmed down. Michelle and Finia were getting confessed as much as before, but the confessions towards me, which used to number the most, had been reduced greatly and were on their level now. Thanks to that, albeit it was still annoying, it no longer hindered my activities and my daily life had improved. Leaving that aside, we still had one more problem. That was, as expected, my charm power. If I removed my eyepatch I charmed people looking at me, and if I spoke, it would influence their conduct. Moreover, if people who held affection to me from the start received its effect, there was a chance that their affection would run amok. In other words, Finia and Michelle who were in the same party and held favorable impressions towards me were at risk. If it suddenly got removed during the battle and they got trapped by its power, it could lead to a bad ending. I had toe up with countermeasures. So, I went and came up with these. I gathered the four of us in the cafeteria of Gadius inn and put four silver rings on the table. It was already well past noon, so there were few people in the cafeteria. Given that they were ornaments, Finia and Michelles eyes nailed down on them. As expected, the girls had positive reactions towards the rings. These are magic items, right? Rings of Resistance? Yeah. Cloud, who was the only one feelingplex about the rings, remembered the items name. These silver rings had a spell that boosted ones mental resistance. They would get damaged if you kept receiving a certain level of mental attacks, but they were famed to be very useful magic items. Adventurers tended to find themselves in all kinds of troubles and crossed swords with all kinds of enemies. Among them were monsters that attacked not with physical but mental attacks too. Some of the Undead used intimidation and charm attacks. Wearing this ring during those times would make the attacks more bearable. There were also higher-ranked monsters like Dragons that gave off an overpowering aura, not through special abilities but from their very existence. The twin-ded Devil also held this power. These magic items were more demanded the higher ones skill was. Thats the kind of thing Ring of Resistance was. Some of the Adventurers were even saying that one became a proper Adventurer once they earned enough money to afford to equip them. But didnt they cost quite a lot? I guess we can afford them, but it would be a little painful to our wallet to buy them right after buying a carriage. Well, we had an additional reward. I bought them using that extra money. Oh yeah, because we carried more luggage. Theres my eye to consider too, so its a good time to start wearing them, dont you agree? Michelle was first to react to my words. A girl who was 90% made up of appetite had be sexually aware. Finia also excitedly reached out towards it. She took the silver ring with no cloudiness in her hand and without any hesitation, she proceeded to put it on her left hands ring fing (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Now hold uuup?! Kya! Whats the matter LorLady Nicole! I leaped at Finia and grabbed her right hand, stopping it in ce. She yelped in surprise, seeing me suddenly stopping her with all my body. Why are you putting it on that finger! Huh, isnt it only natural? I dont understand whats natural there! I was trying to tear her left arm off her left hand, but she was putting up an unexpected resistance. And with all her strength. It was apetition between me who was powerless without strengthening, and her who was weak due to her elvish trait. P-Please let me go, Lady Nicole Grrrr I refuse! I will not give up on this! Wouldnt this be bad towards Cortina?! Thats beside the point now! Cloud looked at our struggle in exasperation and put the ring on his right index finger. These rings were magic items, so they had the ability to correct their size to fit the finger. It also properly fits Clouds finger, growing to an appropriate size. Then suddenly, I noticed that Michelle who was silent had put the ring on her left hand. Needless to say, on her ring finger. Aaagh, when did you-?! Finias expression was dyed in despair at those words. It wasnt like she hated Michelle or anything. But she could not allow people to misunderstand her rtionship with someone other than me. Michelle puffed her cheeks, apparently finding that hard to swallow. There were some problems but it looks like my statement that induced discord had served its purpose. Finia had aplex expression for some time, and then she gave up and put the ring on her index finger. I have no malice against Michelle, but I dont want to be misunderstood to have such a rtionship with anyone but Lady Nicole. Well, I get that but Just as nned. Cloud sighed when he saw me grinning to myself. I was a little irritated, but even Gadius gave me the same exasperated sigh, so I couldnt criticize him. Chapter 464 Important Announcement: Leave ament Previous Next Index Another week had passed since we came back to Stor. We were resting all that time, so the fatigue from the long expedition waspletely gone by now. For everyone aside from me, that is. I wasnt feeling well that day, and was lying on my face on the cafeteria table looking weary. Michelle, Finia, and Cloud were out on a long ride outside to care for the horses. If we kept them locked in the stalls for too long the stress could umte and even lower their physical strength. So due to that, we needed to frequently take them out on long rides. Finia seemed to have wanted to care for me instead, but three horses needed three people to ride. There were only four of us, so she had to swallow her tears and do it. What, have a period? Shut up! Gadius bluntly stated the truth while carrying water to me. All the men in the cafeteria reacted to that word. That made me put off so I wished hed stop. I cant take part in horse riding in this state. Yes, even horses would hate to see you groan on their back. So I left it to those three with that in mind. But given your condition, it looks like the new work would be impossible to take. You found us a new job? We used this one week as a holiday, but it was about time to get back to adventuring. If I was feeling good, I wouldve also felt that way now. It wasnt money that interested me, but rather, aplishing something with the four of us was giving me a great sense of joy. What kind of work is it? Gathering Fire Phosphorite. Though the gathering itself is intended for beginners. Ah, that stuff. Fire Phosphorite. They were stones that looked like hardened red sand, and they were quite brittle like their appearance suggested. And they also med up at the slightest heat. In other words, they broke on impact and the broken parts rubbed at each other and created frictional heat, lighting them up. You may think you could just dampen them, but they melted instantly whening into contact with water, even changing the waters properties. It was no problem if there was a lot of water, but if it was around a barrels worth, a fist-sized rock would turn it into burnable water, so they had a bad affinity. These Fire Phosphorites were used as catalysts for magic and were somewhat in demand. Gathering them wasnt difficult in itself, but the transportation was unreasonably difficult. If you entrusted it to beginners with shallow knowledge, they would almost certainly ignite them and lose their lives through the explosion. I suppose we could do something about it if Finia casts the Fire Extinction spell. Their mmable nature still remains even after mixing with water, so they are really risky goods. You people should be fine, yes? Well, we have Finia, and we also have a carriage. The Fire Extinction spell might sound like a water attribute spell, but it was actually a fire attribute one. Letina was more suited for it rather than Finia, but she could use it too. Though the burden on her would increase. There are high risks if we fail The degree of difficulty itself wasnt a problem for this work. There was the problem of transportation, but it should also be fine as long as were careful. We might have other opportunities for simrmissions from now on, so it was better to get Michelle and Cloud ustomed to them. Fine then. Well prepare once they are back. So, is the gathering spot nearby? Right, it is about three days worth of journey on horseback from here. You will cross the kingdom border a little, but Count Tarkashires domain in the north has a volcano. Tarkashire Thats a nostalgic name. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) It was the count that plotted the assassination of Elliot, the king of the United Alliance of the North. The person concerned had already been caught and executed. His family has also been judged and they had already made exit from the main stage. There was a different noble managing that region now. That might be a name youre involved with, but now it is the domain of an unrted noble. Do not go overboard there, you hear? What about that sessors reputation? There was some sort of a checkpoint to enter the domain. You needed to pay a toll to pass there. This was the main source of ie in towns with a lot of traffic, so they tended to be high. Count Tarkashire had set them pretty high too because he had trade going on with Raum. If that was lowered, we wandering Adventurers could only be thankful. Since you are epting it, let me give you this in advance. Its the official pass. If you have this, you will be exempted from the tolls. You are well prepared. There were no other Adventurers who would ept it. We have reached the fourth rank, and could be said to have first-ss skills. We were both among the top Adventurers here and also one of the few that had carriages. There were probably very few who could eptrge transportation work like this other than us. Much less those whom he could trust. Well, alright. I can just sleep in the carriage on the way, so its just perfect. My condition was still bad. I couldnt act like a scout so it worried me a little, but Michelle and Cloud had grown remarkably. As long as they keep guarding the carriage, my turn should note unless something extreme happens. If so, it wouldnt be so bad to enjoy the outward journey as if it was a pleasure trip. Were back! Hey, hey, listen. Cloud had Just as my talk with Gadius was finished, Michelle and others returned boisterously. It appeared that Cloud had done something during the ride again. It seemed like I might need to give him some punishment before we departed. Chapter 465 To take on Gadius Fire Phosphoritemission, I gathered myrades the next morning and we headed to the Tarkashire domain with our carriage. As always, Cloud was on his own horse while the rest of us were on the carriage. Finia and Michelle could operate the carriage, while I could not, so I ended up like a flower constantly nted next to the coachmans seat. Count Tarkashire was Donovans acquaintance, right? Michelle innocently asked a hard-to-answer question. The previous Count Tarkashire was certainly acquainted with the previous Margrave Serwa, but that had nothing to do with the current Margrave Donovan. However, given the old interactions, he probably at least met him before. The problem was that he was someone used of treason. That alone served to worsen Donovans reputation. And for that reason, discussing Count Tarkashite in Stor was a taboo topic. Well, I guess theyve met. I see, as expected, his face-to-face acquaintances are quite wide in number, being a big noble and all. Yeah. Just like his face. I made a jab at his big face and dodged the topic. Then I decided to switch the conversation to work topletely bury that topic. More importantly, have you memorized everything about how to handle the Fire Phosphorite? I mean you too, Cloud. Of course. They shouldnt be shaken or get wet. Michelles answer was rough, but well, still got a passing mark. Cloud on the other hand was trying to hide the fact that he cked on studying up on it. A failing mark it is for this dumbass. Cloud, things you carry can often put your life at risk. You shouldnt take it lightly, got it? Sorry I started to lecture and also exin things to Cloud with my index finger raised. He was aware of his blunder, so he didnt start objecting like usual. Michelle on the side was humming while holding the reins, while Finia was sitting back in the carrier and holdingughter. From her perspective, who knew everything, seeing me instruct the novices was probably an indescribably amusing sight. It would not have been particrly strange if Gadius or Lyell, who were known to be quite obliging, had done this, but I was the most distanced among the Six Heroes from the concept of having disciples. Mgh, what about you whosughing here, Finia. Have you prepared magic power potions and magic crystals? Of course. It is our lifeline this time after all. The moment Finias fire extinguishing spell got interrupted, we could get rolled up in an explosion. Keeping her magic power from running out was the matter of the highest priority this time. Dont lose heart, Cloud. It is that day for Lady Nicole, so she is easily irritated. That has nothing to do with it! And dont just disclose it!! Finia spoke with a smile, but the contents of her speech were quite dark. She might have taken after Maria in that aspect. Or maybe after Cortina? At any rate, the Tarkashire domain had quite a lot of Adventurers and its vicinity was well maintained. That also went for Stor. This adjacent area was carefully cleaned up of monsters, and the trade also thrived. In other words, it was quite a safe route for travelers. We also benefited from that and managed to arrive near the border with barely any battles. My condition had improved considerably by then, and so did my mood in proportion. I was sitting next to Michelle who held the reins and hummed alongside inpetition. Incidentally, Finias role came on the return journey, so I told her to rest as much as possible during the outward journey. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) There was a big river ahead of us, with a giant bridge spanning across it. Midway on it was a fence along with a checkpoint for passing to the Tarkashire domain. Not just that, there were small buildings on either end of the huge bridge as well. Passing through this checkpoint could take an entire day, so there were even cheap lodging houses simr to an inn-town built on the bridge. There would be no toll to pay if you crossed the river with your own power, but there were monsters underwater. And underwater was a disadvantageous area for Adventurers. Chants did not work properly underwater, and bows also lost their strength. Your posture would also break from the water currents, making battles difficult. As such, the underwater was one ce that Adventurers could not maintain the safety of. It wasmon knowledge that it was better to just pay a small change rather than brave such a risk, so everyone just used the checkpoint. Well, well naturally be using it too What a huge line. Looks like this will drag on. This was a border between Raum and the northern United Thee Nations. I had only crossed this ce once eight years ago when I moved to Raum. I remember it being crowded even back then, but it was even beyond that this time around. I mean, Gadius said that the checkpoint toll had decreased. That probably livened up the traffic and increased the number of people using it. Cant we use Nicoles influence to just cut our way in one go? Ugh, youre such a sleaze, Cloud. Demanding special treatment would be a questionable deed even with Lady Nicoles standing. Cloud, one point detracted. Cloudszy mutter was met with concentrated fire from the girls group (me included). I could understand feeling like doing something so underhanding with such a line before our eyes, but it was a bit scummy. What do you mean, detracted? What happens if it gets detracted?! Youll get burnt to a crisp, no mercy will leak from me. Dont burn me! Or at least leak it a little! Telling a girl to leak Cloud, you pervert. We barraged him mercilessly as he groaned. Our conversation was naturally overheard by the lined-up people too. And with that, Cloud ended up being the target of cold gazes from around for a while, but he reaped what he sowed. Chapter 466 We joined the line, but ultimately failed to cross to the United Three Nations during that day, so we just took a reception tag with our reference number and had to spend the night there. Adventurers were camping outside of the lodging houses in order to save the expenses. Able merchants or high-ranked Adventurers like us on the other hand just rented a room and spent the night there. The rooms were extremely limited because of that, but we somehow managed to secure one. Though we only managed to get one room, so all four of us will be sleeping together. Cloud, make sure you dont do anything weird. I woooont!!! Ohh, for Michelle to actually be vignt towards a man How youve grown! There were many people wanting your belongings and even approached me for it, so of course, Id start getting vignt. Tell me their names. Ill assassinate them right away. Here is the list. Michelles bombshell announcement was smoothly followed up by Finia. Taking a look at the memo she presented, I saw a few familiar names. Oh, Marks name is there. Tonys too. They are frequenters. Please dont approach them defenselessly, Lady Nicole. It must be just that he was trying to protect his daughter by infiltrating thework. It must be, it must. Otherwise, Marias punishment magic would have exploded on him. Though that ck-hearted Saint has a careless side too, so she might have overlooked it And it would be hard to assassinate Lyell anyway. Hes just too tough. Then suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted our chat. It was a reserved, weak knock that felt quite disturbing. Umm, dear guests I am a staff member I sent a gaze at myrades and approached the door. There were cases like this where thieves pretended to be inn staff. It was already quitete, and many people were out of their rooms having dinner at the cafeteria. In other words, this inn full of amodated rooms temporarily had a low number of people in it. Responding to my vignce, Cloud brought his shield and stood near me. This was done in preparation for receiving an attack. Michelle and Fina also became alert with their specialized weapons in their hands. We were aware that a party full of girls like ours was quite prone to get targeted. I slightly opened the door and peeked outside from the gap. Even in the case that there was a robber outside, Cloud would be able to follow up even if I was kicked back along with the door. And as long as he managed to stop them even for a moment, Michelle and Finia would barrage them with merciless attacks. However, outside instead stood an elderly female and an elven man and woman. It was the proprietress of the inn and two familiar Adventurers. My apologies, but would you be willing to share a room? These people are elves as you can see, and with that reason Sure, we dont mind. Ah, oh, its the elves we met before! Michelle raised a cheer, but as she said, these two that the staff person brought to us were people I remembered. Or rather, they were people I was quite indebted to. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) It was Haumea and Cole, standing before my eyes. It has been a while, Miss Haumea. Oh, Nicole and Michelle. I see you remember us! But I see Michelle doesnt remember our names Ahah, sorry. Michelle said while pulling a tongue and scratching her head. We certainly werent very involved with the two, but her name had helped me a lot. Plus I caused her some trouble during the Elliot matter too. Hope she is no longer suspected of being my disguised form from back then. Last we met was in the Guilds training area, huh. Weve actually only met twice. But it would be strange to doubt someone kind enough to stop a carriage just to help a passing-by child. Besides, meeting her now could even be called a divine grace in a way. Please enter. It will probably be quite cramped with six of us here though. Thats no problem. Its far better than camping out. Thank you. The two bowed to us as we invited them in. The room was wide enough to fit six people. That just left the problem of the number of beds. Okay, Clouds on the floor. Whyyyy?! Oh no, that wont do. We arrivedst so well do that. But Cloud, do you n to make a girl sleep on the floor? After teasing Cloud for a while, I just shrugged and called it a joke. With the condition of this room, the number of beds was irrelevant. You could just use nkets and make hammocks. Just kidding. Ill make some makeshift beds, so the rest of you help me too. Makeshift beds? Yeah. Ill just stretch ropes from that ce on the wall to a pole or something and just cover them with sleeping bags and be done. The room had metal fittings on all four sides to hang amp on. If I used them as the bed supports as is, they could break or get damaged, so I would strengthen them with the Toughness spell of the interference system. If I poured in arge amount of magic power and extended its duration, it shouldst until morning. Of course, the one sleeping there should be someone light Wait, isnt that me? I was obviously the lightest among us six. Next would be Finia. Michelle was clearly bottlenecked by her chest. I never expected my proposal would end up driving me out of my bed. Oh well. Finia and I are the lightest ones here, so well go with the hammock method. Alright. That aside, I have something to discuss with you I couldnt waste this chance meeting. I had something Ive been thinking about for a long time. It was time to put it into practice. Chapter 467 Once I was done with the beds, I made a suggestion to Haumea. I felt bad for utilizing a hard-to-refuse position they were in after we shared the room, but I just couldnt let this chance go. Right, Miss Haumea. Its about what we talked about before. Oh, you mean a mock battle? You want to reopen that match? No, not that. I heard about elves having special archery techniques, so I wanted to ask if you could teach it to Michelle. To her? If the rumors about her skill are true, isnt she more skilled than me? Michelles bow skill is great, but shes utterly helpless in close-quarter battles. I heard elves had close-quarterbat techniques that used a bow I see Thats quite a scarce information, so I wonder where you heard it. Well, I have my ways I gained that knowledge in my past life. My cover would be blown if she kept pursuing the matter, so I dodged the topic while wandering my gaze. Also, wont you teach Cloud some magic? I can only use the interference type magic, so Im not fit to teach him. Hmm, many half-demons certainly have a magic aptitude, but when they dont they thoroughly dont. If thats the case, Ill give up. Just like it was with me in my past life, many half-demons had extremely high abilities both magically and physically. I was more the extreme physical type who poured everything including the magic ability into agility instead. But because of that, I suffered when it came to endurance, so myrades had a hard time evaluating me overall. Though I feel like theyve been beautifying my past nowadays. Of course, I dont mind even if its only when you have free time. Could you do it? Well, we are on our way to the United Three Nations. We are heading to the Tarkashire domain too. So please, even if only until then! It would probably take us two days until our destination at a leisurely pace. As long as they learned the basics in that time at least, their actions in battle would be drastically better. And I could even supplement itter. Archery was outside of my specialty, but I was a professional when it came to the closebat battles. As long as Michelle learned the basics of how to use a bow in close quarters, I could just correct her myselfter on. Oh, Im fine without magic. Why? But then Cloud suddenly turned it down. He has surprisingly big ambitions so he has challenged many fields until now. And yet, he was giving up on magic, which even surprised me. I mean, I hold a sword and shield. I cant use magic with my hands full. And I have no time to construct a magic cycle, so Id rather learn a different battle style along with Michelle. Ugh, you have a point I guess. But it maye in handy if you learn it, dont you think? Besides, I cant even get a sense for magic in mere two days. Id rather learn things I can actually learn in that time. Grrr Youre cheeky despite being just Cloud. How did ite to that? Joking aside, Clouds reaction left a favorable impression on me. He started to give proper thought to his battle style and chose to learn the skills he ought to choose. He just learned what I taught him before, so his growth impressed me. Thus, I couldnt ignore his opinion now. It was my duty as a teacher to ept his opinions and cooperate. Alright then. If thats what you want, its not like I wont respect your opinion, I guess? Nicole, are you a tsundere? Where did you learn that word, Michelle? I feel like the pure Michelle I knew started to get contaminated as ofte. I had to eliminate the source of pollution ASAP. Though I think Cloud would be the first on that list. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Um, could you not leave us hanging here. Oh, my bad. But, right It will take about two days until the Tarkashire domain. I dont mind teaching until then. Do you have objections, Cole? No, nothing. Cole sounded as unsociable as always, but I was relieved that he didnt seem dissatisfied. Just as I thought we were finishing up, Haumea raised her finger and started with a wink. Well, in exchange, lets just call it the carriage outside is yours, right? Y-Yeah. If you let us ride on it, well teach them. If its just that, be my guest. Elves seldom left Raum. Its not like they never interacted with the outside at all, but their unique techniques did not spread to the world very often. So I wanted to make use of this opportunity to learn from them. Michelle gaining close-quarterbat understanding would serve to aid me as well, so letting them ride along on the carriage was a cheap price to pay. Just as I answered instantly, Finia started to speak up. Um, could you instruct me as well? You too? But arent you using a spear? Finia changed her dagger into a spear when we were wary of the visitor. She had no time to cancel it, so it was clear to tell that she was a spear user. Yes. But I have some interest in the magic and close-quartersbatbination. Certainly, as Finia could use magic too, she would have an interest in elvenbat techniques that mixed magic and bows in various ways. She was also an elf, but being an orphan, she never had a chance to learn such skills. I dont mind. Teaching one or two is not much different. What he said. Not a problem. Haumea added yfully. Like this, it was decided that they would be teaching the bow and magic skills to our group. Chapter 468 We decided to travel with Haumea and Cole until the volcano where Fire Phosphorite could be obtained. But before that, we had to pass the checkpoint to enter the Tarkashire domain. Normally I would be attracting a lot of attention due to my Maria-looking appearance, but maybe it was thanks to the eyepatch I was using to seal my charm, I managed to pass through without standing out. I wonder what would happen if I used charm and the Stealth Gift at the same time? I muttered while sitting at the assistant coachmans seat. That was normally a risky thing to do, but there was no problem if Finia overheard me from the side. I am also interested in that a little. But we have guests riding along, so it would be best to be more careful Yeah, well, Ill be careful. You sure are a worrywart, Finia. Thats because you tend to get careless during the critical moments, Lord ReLady Nicole. Finia spoke with a smug face, which was cute on its own, but her words were not. It sounded like I was a clutz or something. Grr I puffed my cheeks and folded my arms in demonstration of dissatisfaction. Seeing how I moved my gaze away, Finia hurriedly made her excuses. Ah, Im not saying you are clumsy or anything, Lady Nicole! You are dependable when it counts, and umm You were very cool in your past life! She made excuses while waving her arms. I wasnt really angry or anything. If this was enough to get me angry, Cortina and I would have broken off several times over by now. Her toxic tongue from before we ended up in our current rtionship was still going sharp. I continued to pretend to be displeased to tease Finia for some time, but then the curtain of the carrier opened up and Haumea peeked her head out. Lets have breakfast once we pass this bridge. Then Ill hold a bit of a lecture using the free time we have. T-Thank you very much. But what about Michelle? Shes still sleeping. Carriages sure are handy at times like these. You can move while sleeping. But someone has to operate it in exchange. Due to the numbering on our number tag, we left the lodging house first thing in the morning. As such, we hadnt eaten breakfast, and wecked sleep too. Michelle who was healthy and growing at an extreme rate needed more sleep than I. Or well, kids probably needed that much normally. I think she was already past the age to be called a kid though Finia steered the carriage for a while, searching for a good watering hole once we passed the bridge. Water itself was not a problem as there was always the river, but the ces where we could have a meal were all crowded. Considering we were going to hold abat practice too, it was ideal if there was no one nearby. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Not because I didnt want someone to see what we were doing, but because it would be dangerous if an ordinary person approached us while weapons were being swung around. When it came to Adventures, kids brimming with curiosity tended to flock over. In these past twenty-five years, Adventurers were being viewed as objects of envy, with the Heroic stories and all. We somehow managed to find a ce with a few people and finally started preparing for breakfast. We had a carriage so we could carry quite a lot of food with us. That meant that we could both carry a lot of ingredients and that we could enjoy a far more satisfying menupared to other adventurers. Not just bread and cheese, but also vegetables? And theres meat too? Finia can use the Freeze spell, so we can carry meat and fish for quite long without spoiling. A first-ss archer, a vanguard who was instructed by the Heroes, the Heroes daughter who had received gifted education, and a magician that can use several attributes. Your party is full of enviable talents. If you go there, youre quite skilled at the bow yourself, arent you Miss Haumea? Oh, you can tell? Of course. Her right hand had a callus where the arrows rubbed on when nocking them. She also had a wand so she could definitely use magic too. Cole also had calluses from the sword, and had his own wand too. Both of them could use magic and also mastered sword and bow respectively. Moreover, they could remain safe traveling as a duo, so their skills should have been good too. That said, I cant really make anything grandiose with limited time. Thats more than enough. Normally its bread, cheese, and dried fruits. Finia filled a pot with water and lit the firewood up with the Tinder spell. Then she added vegetables once it came to a boil, and after adjusting the taste with seasonings, then she brought out fish, but suddenly stopped and looked up as if realizing something. She then asked Haumea, who had been observing her with deep interest, in fluster. Um, I just started making it like normal, but do you have anything you cant eat? No, its alright. Cole and I are not picky eaters. Thank god. People tend to be picky about fish. Relieved to hear that, she once again moved her gaze towards her hands, and started to process the fish she defrosted with the Defrost spell. The Freeze spell did not use magic power to keep it going, so it was suited for long-term preservation. As it did not melt naturally, it needed this spell to defrost. Thus, these spells were generally taught together. While Finia was busy making an impromptu fish soup, I headed to wake Michelle up. I couldve left it to Cloud, but its him we are talking about here. He could go and touch her in some weird ce. Cole seemed busy inspecting his weapon, perhaps in preparation for the training. As such, I got on the carriage and shook Michelle, who had wrapped herself in the nket like a hornworm, by what I assumed to be the shoulders. Mgmm. But the response I felt in my hands didnt feel like shoulders at all. It was her breasts. She seemed to have grown even bigger. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Hey, Michelle, wake up. Nngh, noo! Youre not gonna say give me a few minutes but straight up deny huh. Get up, its time to eat. Set it aside for me. Rejected. Thene sleep with me, Nicole. No. We had a long rtionship, so I was an expert at waking her up would be an overstatement, but I could at least wake her up without problems. Like this, we finished the meal and it was time for Michelles first close-quarters training. Chapter 469 Once we finished Finias simple yet delicious breakfast, it was time to take Hamueas lecture for close-quartersbat using a bow. The listeners were Michelle and Cloud. Finia would be receiving her lecture about magic and close-quartersbat by Cole once she was done tidying things up. With all things said, archers are best at using the bow, at the end of the day. Its natural for one to lose the momentbat enters close quarters. You should think of thesebat techniques as something that lets you survive such worst-case scenarios. Okaay! Got it. Haumea started the topic with that blunt statement, to which Michelle answered while raising her hands up high. I wish shed stop doing that though. She wasnt an elementary student anymore. We have no shield, so when we get attacked its either dodge or block. With blocking in particr, we can only use our bows for it. You understand this much, right? Yuup! Yeah As I said, raising both of your hands in reply is oh, it makes certain things bounce, so I guess Ill allow it. But Cloud, you cant go stealing nces like that. You cant take a proper look either. If our bow breaks, our purpose also disappears with it, so we have to block attacks without getting our bows destroyed in the process. For that, we have to use the hard part of it which is near the grip. Putting it differently, depending on how we use the rest of the bows body, we could take the enemy by surprise. Oh? The rest of the bow Like the bendy part? Like a whip or something? You catch on quick, Cloud. Haumea said and swung her bow around. Each time its tip seemed to bend a little, so it could certainly be used as a whip. But wouldnt the bow deteriorate if you do something like that? Michelle, being a bow specialist, seemed to have realized that problem too, so she voiced a simr question. But if we do that, wouldnt it worsen the aiming? Yes, which means that this counterattack is also a final measure. In the end, we archers should not get into closebat. But we cant expect that well always manage to stay away. Todays goal is to teach you defensive body movements for such times. I see. So in my case, its to know about that in advance and not get taken by surprise, huh. Yup. You can deal with it as long as youre aware of it. With that, Haumea appointed Cloud to the attacker role. They would be parrying it lightly so there was no worry of direct hits. Thus Cole told him to use an actual sword, not a fake one. Even in the unlikely chance that someone got injured, there was Haumea and Finia around who could use basic healing spells, so there was no problem. As Cloud shed, Haumea spun around her pivot leg with a peculiar technique. I also moved simrly when dodging things by a hairs breadth, but it was slightly different from this spinning-top-like movement as I was constantly moving to charge at the opponents. She sometimes used her bow and wrist like hooks to grab on to Clouds body, limiting his movements. Her moves were filled with craftiness. Ugh, this is hard. Do your best, Cloud. Oh wait, youre a role model, so you cant do that. Go go, lose! That is pretty disheartening in its own way! Cloud continued doing basic attacks while showered in Michelles merciless(?) cheers. His down, side, and upward swings were avoided, blocked, and suppressed of their momentum by Haumeas clean movements. Her moves differed both from mine and Raums Adventurers, so Cloud was having a hard time. Yah! Okay, when thises, do this WahNot done yet! And then this. Oouch! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Clouds thrust was dodged by moving her right leg behind and doing a quarter rotation. Then just as Cloud passed by her, she pped the bows tip into his face like a whip, sealing his movements. Something like this I guess? Have a go at it next, Michelle. Start with basic movements first. Okay! With a happy answer, Michelle took out not her usual hunting bow, but the Third Eye. Seeing that, Cloud started to panic. Wait wait wait! Thats unfair. That bows tough enough to break a normal sword! Its not unfair, its a bow. My swords the one thats gonna break! As he said, Cloud emphasized the shield as equipment. His current shield was quite a high-level item, given that it was created using God Hasturs skills. His sword on the other hand was something you could buy in any store, certainly not a quality article. No well, it seemed to be quite a solid sword by Gadiuss appraisal, but still only in the ordinary category. Juste at me already. Ill turn the tables on you. Itll be a big problem if my sword breaks! Cloud was always advantageous when it came to close quarters so now that she had a rare chance to stand advantageously against him, she was feeling excited. Cloud was the one getting cold feet as she stood with her bow with a smug grin. It wouldnt serve as training at this rate so I decided to take the role of an attacker instead. Michelle tried to imitate Haumea to avoid it, but it didnt go so well with half-baked imitation. She ended up just blocking my attack with the bow in panic. Ah, waahhh! Come on, you had to ward that off. I couldnt help it Kyaaa?! I used my katanas guard to flip her bow up, then draw the fake sword in her open nk and stopped at thest second. Yeah, you have ways to go with such stopgap methods. Of course. If she learned it that fast, Id lose my purpose here. Haumea said with a shrug, and then she spent some time teaching Michelle how to move her body. After a while, we resumed our trip, once again marching on with our carriage. Chapter 470 We set out once again, and the trip continued without problems. Our progress fell slightly behind due to the morning and evening training Haumea and Cole provided, but even then, three days would be enough to reach our destination. To speak of the problem, it would be Michelle. Is it like this? Or this? Yah! Wah! Michelle, dont swing your bow inside the carriage! Currently, Finia was holding the reins while Haumea sat next to her. I was supposed to be resting inside in preparation for the night when I had to be alert, but Michelle was practicing the closebat moves with the bow. Thanks to that, the inside of the carriage had been turned into a danger zone. Mr. Cole, tell her something too! Hmm? Right You should tighten your left armpit some more. I dont mean that. I thought this guy was an unsociable gloomy elf, but is he actually just an airhead? He started pointing out Michelles mistakes and she started to swing the bow again. Hah! Yaah! Uhya?! Michelle, are you intentionally aiming at me? N-Not at all! Im totally not trying to pay you back for earlier or anything. Youre clearly out for blood! Looks like she held a bit of a grudge against me for forestalling her just when she thought she would have her chance at closebat. Well, that said it was just some silly payback so I wasnt angry but it was a pain in the ass. We ended up running around inside the carriage and I didnt get much rest in the end. Her puppy-like unfettered liveliness was both her charm and fault. That said, I was used to staying up awake a day or two since the past life so it did not matter, but I had to lecture her once she calmed down. On the second day of our travel with Haumea and Cole, just as we drew near to our ce of destination, we were met with an obstacle. Violent rain suddenly poured down on us, turning the road into a quagmire where we couldnt move our carriage. The carriage roof gave off violent sounds as if it was being hit with a tree branch. This roofed carriage that was sultry during summertime was useful for times like this. Looks like we are stuck here for a while. Haumea said with a sigh as she stared outside. We put chocks at the carriage wheels so there was no fear of it moving on its own. Cloud had alsoe down from his horse and was taking shelter inside. The horses were pitiable but we tied them under an overhanging tree. Still, they should be able to survive the rain there. If lightning strikes wed have to give up at that point. It would be troublesome without horses, but if they died in the unlikely chance, we could just buy new horses and bring them here from the city. Ive mastered the Teleport spell enough to carry a horse with me. The sultriness inside can be ventted with Finias Breeze spell, so just say the word if it gets too hot. I can do that much on my own, so dont worry about me. We were the ones who asked to ride along, so were already thankful that we didnt get drenched in the rain. I proposed that to her, feeling bad that we stopped on the way, but she didnt seem to be particrly bothered, so I felt at ease. Speaking of which, why are you two heading to the United Three Nations? Werent you mainly working between Raum and the hot-spring vige? It has been a few years since then, but I remembered she said so before. Their main work was guarding the merchants traveling between Raum and the hot spring vige. Heading for the Tarkashire domain would be swerving from their original area of work far too much. Ah, well Im not sure why, but a marriage ceremony invitation came from His Highness Elliot Come again? It appears that he was wedded to his childhood friend guard or something? That sounds nice, but that invitation reached my ce for some reason, and thinking it must be some fate, they asked me to participate. Hearing that much, I felt like holding my head. Elliots marriage partner was most certainly that junk guard Prisci Ran. She was from a counts household so there would not be much of a problem. The problem was that it reached Haumea. The reason was probably that I used her name when I deceived Elliot. It shouldve been easy to trace the clues all the way to her using the United Three Nations intel powers. And they shouldve also realized that she was someone else. However, since I used her name, Elliot might have guessed that I had some connection with her. And by sending her an invitation, he could meet me again Or was I reading too much into it? He was already being married so I think there was no longer a need to reunite with me. Well, I doubt he would go for a girl from the past right during his new marriage. Maybe its just a coincidence? Speaking of which, you were proposed to by King Elliot before, right, Nicole? It wasnt even a verbal promise, just people making wild assumptions. In the first ce, not even Lyell acknowledged it, and I refused it too. It was something Elliot kicked up by himself and also something he ended on his own. That said, this wasnt really bad news. Rather, it was happy news for me. Elliot was someone I cared for in the past life, so I would naturally bless his marriage. Besides, seeing that the feelings of that devoted guard of his were reciprocated, I would want to bless them. I guess Elliots eyes arent closed when ites to choosing his women. Huh, I think they are pretty clouded when he did not choose you. That would be a massive pain! I thought my friend would be a princess. If they married, she would be a queen, not a princess. Oh, right. Pfft. Cloud ended up snorting at Michellesment. It seemed that he couldnt hold back augh after imagining me as a queen. Well, I didnt think being royalty would fit me either. Still, its rude tough at a girl. Imented and threw a dried strawberry at him. Chapter 471 At any rate, Elliot and Prisci were already a thing of the past for me. That had nothing to do with me anymore. I had already left Lyells patronage and grown independent as an Adventurer withrades, however. In other words, I had no connections to anyone influentialI was amoner by birth, after all. And Gadius was carefully turning down anymissions of that kind. Elliot also seemed to have given up on chasing the (fake) Haumeas illusion, so you could say he had chosen a realistic partner. If this gets him a sessor, his confidants would also have peace of mind. Either way, as expected, the king of a neighboring country, or rather, our home country, getting married became a hot topic. During the three days they were being lectured, Michelle and Finia were constantly discussing it. Still, to think it would be Prisci, huh? What about her? Finia was at the coachmans seat so Michelle was currently at my side. She had no direct involvement with Prisci so she did not know about that earnest girl. Well, she was really dedicated to her duties, so I found that a little unexpected. Oh, huh. They seemed to have had feelings for each other, but I thought it would have taken longer for it to bear fruit. And such a sudden marriage. Wait, could it be Did they marry because itdidbear the fruit? Huh, they havent married just yet. I dont mean that. Michelle still hadnt realized how pregnancies worked. Cloud has been polluting hertely, but I was relieved to find out that her pure parts were still left untainted. More importantly, isnt that mountain your destination? That means this is as far as we go together I suppose. It was fun. Likewise. Thank you for your guidance. I gave a deep bow to her. She only lectured her for three days, but Michelles movements had be dramatically better. That peculiar rotation on the pivot leg, in particr, was extremely useful. For a growing girl like her, these three days should have been irreceable. Cloud had also learned how to handle the opponent who came to attack with the bow, learning to be more cautious. Being able to take the enemy down without getting careless was a matter of weight. I ended up suffering at the hands of the enemy in Berith due to that. But this was hard to aplish just saying you would. Even if you admonished yourself, a part of that carelessness would still be left somewhere in your heart. You cant really reform yourself without tasting some pain. Cloud had tasted plenty of pain at the hands of Haumea and Cole during these three days. Thank you very much! Thanks! Sorry for all the trouble. I will keep all that you have taught me in my heart. Finia learned chant shortening from them too. By shortening, I dont mean that the process itself would be cut down. The aim, magic circle, magic power output, pronunciation. All of them were indispensable. (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) She was taught how to do all that in parallel with attacking or defending, or how to cast spells with minimum movements. Or making flexible practical uses out of them. Finia so far could use many kinds of spells, but she could not cast them while moving, and could only construct the magic circles in front of her. But now, she could construct them behind or even to the side like Cortina. And notrge but small ones too. There were many uses on the battlefield to spells you could miniaturize and construct in any direction you wanted. The spells she could not use without using Cloud and me as shields before were already things she could use even during melee fights. Michelle thanked them cheerfully while Finia turned around and gave a respectful bow from the coachmans seat, while Cloud just casually raised his hand. As the three offered thanks in their respective ways, Haumea smiled back and the two jumped down from the carriage. Finia hurriedly stopped the carriage when she saw them jump off from the moving one. The two did not turn back and continued walking north while waving one hand at us. That road led to the United Three Nations capital, Tryad. She was such a cooldy, huh. Michelle muttered while looking at their back. It sounded a little lonely, but considering how friendly she was, it was only natural. Isnt she more like aimless, or rather happy-go-lucky? As elves age, such people tend to appear more and more. Lord Maxwell is one of them too. No, that ones an exception. Elves reputation would suffer if more people like him appeared. That old mans pranks have given me a headache more than enough. So he had quite a rude side to him too. Being myrade, I was close enough to criticize him, but Cloud who did not know that shuddered at my words. Nicole, Ive been wanting to say this for a while, but arent you a little too harsh towards Lord Maxwell and Lord Lyell? Finia, who knew I was Reid, was quite calm about it. Michelle who was rtively indifferent regarding peoples statutes was the same. But Cloud was different. He was always desperate when training with them and this aspect was dormant, but he got to know the difference between the Six Heroes and the discriminating races during our stay at Berith. Well, the people concerned dont care so isnt it fine? I mean, I guess but they have their reputation too. Its rare for you to care about such things, Cloud. Uh, Finia, am I really the irrational one here? Huh, well, no Dont go crying to Finia, you coward. Cloud turned the topic towards Finia with amenting expression, which I objected to. As we chatted, Haumea and Cole kept disappearing into the distance. This ce was close to a mountain, so there were a lot of trees around, making me remember Raum. Before our eyes was a volcano with smoke rising from it. This was where Fire Phosphorite could be found. It was a risky job, so we had to start paying attention from this point on. Chapter 472 Because the Fire Phosphorite could melt in the water, it did not exist in ces with rich vegetation. Because nts grew where water was. As such, we had to climb quite high up on the mountain. That said, there was no such thing as a road in a ce with a mineral as dangerous as Fire Phosphorite around. Ugh So we have to go on foot huh. I guess my horse can climb, but horses shake quite a bit. Not very suited for transporting Fire Phosphorite. Besides, the horse could even step on it and cause an explosion. These are some troublesome rocks. Thats why theymissioned it like this. Anyway, lets go already. We tied the horses and the carriage at the foot of the mountain and got ready for the climbing. It was a volcano so magic items with Purify effect were essential. Since it rained the other day, there was a chance that the Fire Phosphorite had melted and thebustible gas filled the summit area. We had to be extra careful due to that. And the horses also need to be tied where they would have ess to grass and water, or their hunger and thirst would deteriorate their condition. Fortunately, this foot area was abundant in greenery, so there were no problems on that part. The biggest problem would be the monsters that could appear and aim for the horses. We have to quickly go up ande down or the horses might get attacked. Ugh, anything but that! I dont want Reid and Cortina to die. Weve been calling them horses and havent settled on the names yet. Normally, most Adventurers traveled mostly by foot. And there were many cases where horses could not reach like this time, so they seldom gave their horses nicknames so as to not get attached to them too much. I had discarded many horses in my previous life too. As such, I was a little stumped when she asked me to name them. Both of them were beautiful chestnut horses. Both of them were mares to avoid them starting to breed during their travels. Oh right, what did you call yours, Cloud? Oh, this one? Shes called Elizabeth. Whats with that awfully aristocratic name?! Still, it was way betterpared to Michelle who just gave one of them a male name. I patted the horses faces while inspecting their patterns. There was a white diamond pattern on their foreheads. Both of them shared that mark, so they might have been connected by blood. Lets see they have star-like patterns, so how about Ste and Spica? Oh, those are lovely names. Ste and Spica, huh. Yeah, that sounds pretty and nice! Then this one will be Ste and this one Spica. Sounds fine. Michelle named one with a white pattern on its right forefoot, Ste, and one on the left forefoot, Spica. I hadnt thought which name to which, so she saved me there. (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Okay, time for us to go. Ste, Spica, be good girls and wait for us here! Michelle ran off while waving her hand. Hold up, there are dangerous rocks scattered ahead of us, you know? It was dangerous to run off even if we were at the foot still. Ah, wait. Its dangerous to run! Oh, right! She hurriedly stopped in ce as if she was frozen. I guess anyone would have if they knew there were explosives under their feet but well, it looked adorable so whatever. We traveled the mountain road with Cloud leading the way. He had a rope around his waist, its other end tied to argish board. And on that board were currently sitting the girls of our group. This is so easy! I never thought of using the Levitate spell like this. I had to carry luggage before so I learned it then. I wondered if it could carry us too. We girls sat on the board that floated due to the Levitate spell. Cloud meanwhile pulled it along so we moved with it. I realized we could do it after remembering that I transported fainted children simrly in the past. When it came to climbing a mountain with no proper path, preserving ones stamina was important. Icked stamina, so I tended to quickly get tired. Moreover, Finia held the key skill required for thismission. We had to make sure she didnt get tired as much as possible. And finally, it would be painful to have Michelle walk while the two of us advancedfortably. With everythingbined, we ended up implementing this kind of weird means of transportation. But I cant just ride on it forever. Huh, thats it? Yeah, my work begins from here on. The trees around had already grown quite sparse. We should be reaching the ce we can harvest the Fire Phosphorite from soon. If I let Cloud charge on, it was practically guaranteed that hed step on one and blow us up. Before that happened, I had to lead us and secure a safe route. I got off the board while being careful of where I stepped, letting Cloud sit there in my ce. Okay, Ill be pulling next, so dont get down, okay? Its dangerous. Roger that. I can rx that way, so Ill do exactly as you say. Maybe I should throw you off, Cloud Im just joking! (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) As long as they remained on the board there was no risk of stepping on the Fire Phosphorite since they were floating. That said, the board did not guarantee absolute safety, either. If something explodes in the proximity, make sure to protect us, Cloud. Leave it to me. Thats why I have this greatshield. Clouds shield had be quite big in ordance with his growth. We troubled God Hastur every time it demanded a change, so I couldnt thank him enough. I carefully advanced while paying attention to where I was stepping. Fire Phosphorite had a characteristic red color, so you could tell it apart with a nce. That said, we were at a volcano. Red stones were scattered all around. It was essential to advance while telling them apart. They required quite arge amount of Fire Phosphorite with thismission. Rather than pick up a few of them here and there, it would be less dangerous to just find a vein somewhere. I climbed for a few hours and finally discovered a worthy ore vein. Okay, now then, Finia. Well be gathering them around here, so cast an extinction spell on the Fire Phosphorite that we gather. Understood. Michelle and Cloud started gathering at my signal. They were protected by magic barriers, but theyd still suffer a big injury if the explosion happened near them. They understood that too so they were extremely careful. Meanwhile, I stayed vignt of the surroundings. There were almost no monsters here that youd find everywhere else. Due to the oversensitive nature of Fire Phosphorite, it was not an environment where living beings could live on. But the flying monsters were an exception. Vultures and other bird monsters considered this a hunting ground with an unobstructed view. With our movements limited, we would probably look like very delicious prey. It was right at that moment that I spotted something shining in the corner of my view. Chapter 473 Something shed in red in the corner of my vision. I thought it was an enemy for a moment and became alert, but nothing came our way. Instead, one more red light shed at the forest part of the foot of the mountain and disappeared again. What the, was that magic? The flickering light was clearly not from a natural source. It was magic, specifically a fire-type offensive spell. The sound of an explosion that came after a momentary dy was proof of that. It seemed that someone was fighting while chased by something and the sounds of the explosions were moving. I hope its not something troublesome again. The traces of that spell were on the route towards us. At this rate, we woulde across it when we descended down to the foot. Michelle, Cloud. I sense trouble, so hurry up with the loading. Okay, though Im mostly done. Finia hadnt been ying as conspicuous a role as Michelle and Cloud, so she felt fulfilled from this. However, I can dere here and now that she was by no means useless. She was not a unique person who specialized in one aspect, but instead an all-rounder who could support us in all kinds of ways. She did not stand out simply because the rest of us were specialized in certain directions, but her skill was definitely still first-ss. Hmm okay. We might be a bit short on it, but lets withdraw with this. Gotcha! Okay. Finia, it might be hard, but please keep up your spell. Leave it to me. With that, she got on the board and assumed the transportation posture along with the bag filled with Fire Phosphorites. For as long as Finias Extinction spell was going, the Fire Phosphorites were no different from ordinary stones. This spell was normally not a longsting one, so it had no such form embedded into it. In order to forcibly keep it going, Finia was constantly consuming her magic power now. She would quickly run dry like that, so she had to assume a position that would aid her magic power recovery. By bncing the recovery of the magic power through rest with the consumption of the maintenance, she could realize a long-term effect. But because of that, you could say that she could not move or battle almost at all. Okay, Michelle and Cloud, you are on foot. Follow behind me. Gotcha! Cloud responded somewhat flushed, while Michelle was pinching him in the nk. Well, I wasnt so dull that Id fail to notice the mood between them. I would overlook it as long as they didnt do anythingwless. They were myrades, after all. Ah?! Hmm? (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Then Michelle suddenly eximed loudly. It was known that yelling out in a loud voice could surprise people and make them miss their footing, blowing them up, so we were restraining our voices as much as possible. And yet, she failed to suppress her voice. Thinking of that as strange, I turned towards her. Michelle, whats wrong? Nicole, look! Look there! She pointed behind me with a rare cornered expression. I knew that there were no enemies around, so I turned around to see what was making her so scared only to see a fireball flying toward us. It was most probably a stray bullet from the battle going on at the foot. The users skill was clear, considering it managed to reach this far. But there was no time to be impressed now. Because it had rained the other day, Fire Phosphorite could have melted into the water and evaporated into a mmable gas. R-Retreaaat!! Kyaa?! I broke into a run with a face so frantic it put Michelles to shame. Because I had the board tied with the rope on my waist, Finia and the bag of Fire Phosphorite were dragged after me. It had a Levitate spell so you could move it with even slight strength. Finia raised a high shrill due to the sudden eleration. Kyaa?! H-Hold upp! Dont leave me heeere! Michelle and Cloud chased after us with such screams. A few secondster, a spell that looked like Firebolt impacted the ce we stood at before. Normally, it wouldve only burned thending spot, but even such a simple spell was fatal here. Shhhh, came a sound like someone had thrown lit firewood into the water. And then Nwaaaaaaaaah!? Kyaaaaaaaaaah! Ugeeeeeeehhhh! Three various screams. Followed by a big explosion. It did not end at thending spot, but started to spread to the Fire Phosphorite around in a chain reaction. Of course, that explosivebustion reached even our fleeing backs. (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) By the way, Finia was the only one who did not scream. She currently had her eyes closed and held the bag of Fire Phosphorite so it wouldnt fall off the board, and as such, she did not know about the disaster behind her. I wished I was in her position. Chapter 474 Im not sure how we managed to run. Either way, I frantically searched for the escape route to avoid the explosion behind as well as not step on any Fire Phosphorite, and ran. As a result, Finia and Michelle had not a single wound as we reached the foot. Of course, the bag of Fire Phosphorite was also safe. However, Michelle was extremely pissed about this situation. Geez! Who decided to use a fire spell in a ce like this! Im not gonna forgive them! She was swinging her Third Eye around as her veins bulged in anger. But even that looked quite adorableing from her. She wasnt very scary even when angered. Though Cloud had denied with all his might that that was definitely wrong when we talked about itst. In other words, that guy managed to truly anger Michelle back then. Hes really something to manage angering a gentle girl like her to that point. Ill shoot the crown of their head if I see them! Okay okay, leave it at that. That aside, we have to return back quickly or Finia will have a hard time. Ah, right! Big sis Finia, sorry. Dont worry about it. But we really should depart quickly, considering theres trouble nearby. Yeah. Im also worried about Elizabeth and the other two, so I wanna go back and calm them down quickly. Yeah. Ste and Spica are probably frightened due to the earlier explosion. Horses were certainly cowardly animals. Even if they were tied, it was quite possible that the earlier explosion made them panic and they got themselves injured while struggling to break free. I very much would like to go check on them now, but before that I put a hand on my katana. Someone was approaching us. Their footsteps were still faint, but their light and irregr rhythm still reached my ears. The lightness was probably due to the persons low weight. It was probably a child or a woman. And probably mostly unarmed. And the irregr rhythm was probably due to them being extremely fatigued. Michelle and others also sensed my vignce. Cloud moved the board Finia was riding on the opposite of where I was looking that is, behind me. Michelle moved near the said board and switched over to her normal hunting bow. After some time, a womans voice coupled with the rustling of the bushes being pushed aside reached our years. Goodness, can you be any more persistent? Do you know? Persistent men are hated! Mydy, please wait! At least hear me I said youre persistent! Firebolt! Even while grumbling, she made use of the timing her pursuers spoke up to chant a spell, which was nothing short of magnificent. But above all else, I remembered that voice. (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) This voice No way Letina? But why is she here? I dont know. But looks like shes being chased, so we have to save her! Michelle ran off without waiting for my reply. She reached the bushes and climbed up on the nearby tree. Her movements no longer had the childish clumsiness. Cloud also waited for the other party to rush out of the bushes and set up his greatshield. Before long, a tall woman jumped out of the bushes. Kya! Huh, you L-Letina? No waaay. That woman about as tall as me in my past life certainly looked like Letina. She had her characteristic drill hair in ce too. But her height was clearly different. She had grown by at least 30 centimeters. I reflexively eximed at such a drastic transformation. Nicole is that you? Why is your eye Letina spoke in surprise at this sudden reunion. Thetter half probably referred to the eyepatch I wore. But her pursuer quickly caught up with her. We had no time to casually talk. Michelle, who stood at the highest point, was the first to know the pursuers location. Nocking an arrow, she gazed towards the enemy with a sharp gaze instead of her nonchnt one, and took aim. That mercilessly loosed arrow would certainly find its target. Gyah?! What the? Is it the enemy? Its an ambush, cover yourselves! Michelles arrow wounded the leading mans foot to stop him in ce. She had not missed or anything. She just knew that they were Letinas servants, so she let him off with a graze. Still, managing to simply graze the skin of a moving target was something I could never imitate. Come on Youre already a monster, Michelle. I havent seen her misstely. It has been the same for much longer. As Cloud and I exchanged surprisedments, Michelle loosed second and third arrows. (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) One grazed the foot of another person, and the third one dug itself into a tree with a high-pitched sound. The final pursuer was hiding behind that tree. That became a deterrent and he could no longere out from there. Uph! Once she neutralized all three pursuers, she vigorously jumped down the tree branch. It was only about two meters tall, so it was not difficult to do that. Kh Brandon, Mathews! Are you okay? Y-Yeah. Just my leg was grazed. I got lucky! Same here. Thank god the enemy sucks! The men started conversing as if trying to provoke Michelle. They most likely failed to see her position, so they were trying to provoke an attack and identify it. Naturally, that was like gambling with life. But they were determined to recover Letina enough to resort to such means. We cant move. Lawrence, can you chase her? Yeah, but I cant move after being targeted like this. Only one of them could move among them, so it was up to him to chase after Letina. However, if he rushed out, Michelle would shoot him he was convinced. They had been perfectly restrained in their ce. Grr, I cant forgive them for saying I suck. Ill go shoot them for a bit. No, dont actually hit them! Lets just make our run while we can. Letina, just follow us for now. U-Understood. Nevertheless, I see Michelles skill has improved by another level. Well of course. Its my Michelle were talking about here. I hugged Michelles head and kept Cloud away. Theyve been pretty closetely, so I had to keep such checks on them. Ah, dont shake that board, its dangerous. Its packed with Fire Phosphorite. Pyah?! Letina jumped back at my warning. Even this action was reminiscent of her younger days. Like this, we decided to take our old friend along and returned to the carriage. Chapter 475 At any rate, dealing with hazardous material was the priority. It was a happy ident even for me to reunite with Letina, but I couldnt rx with the explosive materials gathered right next to us. We returned to the foot of the mountain where the carriage was, loaded the luggage, and with that, we could finally sigh in relief. Fortunately, Ste, Spica, and Elizabeth were waiting for us there without running away. So then, why were you being chased by your residence employees? That is, well More importantly, what happened to your eye? Oh, this? I just have a troublesome condition. Something about charming. The charming eyes that I inherited from that Whitey. They held the power to even twist someones will. For the time being, myrades all had the rings of resistance to negate their effect but I havent given one to Letina yet, now that I think of it. I did n to. Right, Letina. Take this. I took out a spare ring from the pocket and passed it to her. The ring of resistance broke when the mental attack exceeded its ability. As such, it was normal for prosperous Adventurers to keep spares on hand. Much appreciated. By the way, putting it on your left ring finger is banned. I will not! Wait, does that mean someone has tried already? Finia and Michelle looked aside at her question. Michelle, you should look where youre going, its dangerous. That aside, returning to the topic, why were you being chased? Ugh I suppose I cannot dodge this topic forever. Alright then. It is because I ran away from home. You ran away?! Thats not something a Marquis daughter should say so carelessly In the first ce, I had met Marquis Yowi. Rather thanissez-faire, he felt more like a broad-minded person. He even allowed his daughter to join us wannabe-Adventurers on the hunts, and even during the Goblin mass-breeding, he offered his garden to themoners for shelter, as well as carriages. I couldnt imagine someone like that making an unreasonable demand towards his beloved daughter. I just cant imagine that scene. Tell me in detail Actually, no. I dont wanna get rolled up in nobles troubles. Nicole, thats cold. Its Letinas family problem, you know? We arent unrted. Ugh Well, I guess thats true. Michelle joined the conversation from the coachmans seat. Since I couldnt operate the carriage, it was up to just Michelle now. Finia could do it too, but she was busy keeping the fire extinguishing spell going. This was one reason why I said the return trip would be difficult. Michelle could not leave her seat for this reason. But we could still talk as I kept the carriage curtain open so she could talk with Letina. (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) As expected of you, Michelle, you are quick on the uptake. We are friends. Of course, I would! Noble problems tended to have lingering effects. I didnt wanna get involved if possible. But Michelle had a point too. Letina was my close friend, and still one of myrades. It would leave a bad aftertaste if I ignored her problem. Agh, fine. Can you tell us the reason? That is my Nicole there! As for the situation, we have to go back to three weeks prior. Hmm? Three weeks ago would be right about when we arrived in Raum. Perhaps the reason she did not show up to see us was due to this trouble. I was called by my father and proposed or rather, ordered to do a certain thing. Ordered? By that gentle Marquis? Yes to have a marriage interview. Marriageeee?! I was surprised because I knew her personality, but she was already past fifteen. It was an appropriate time for marriage talks toe into y. Considering Marquis standing, it wouldnt have been strange if it hade even earlier. But youre still fifteen, arent you, Letina? I am Marquis daughter so I knew this woulde sooner orter. As such, I was thinking of going along with it at that time, however ording to her, the other party was the son of a higher-ranking duke household. They were also twenty years oldso it wasnt such a strangebination. However, there were dark rumors spread in the dukes domain, and their public reputation could not be called good either. Thus, she hired two groups of Adventurers to investigate it, but they had disappeared without a trace. Letina thought of this as strange and made a direct appeal to her father, but due to the firm demands from the other party, he rejected her request, saying it would be hard to turn it down. With that, she decided to resort to drastic measures to run away from home and nned to earn some time to investigate further, and then she ran into us. Oh wow, what an ugly state to be in. But why is that duke so obsessed with having you as a wife? Elven females are quite useful to humans, it seems. After all, well remain young for a long time. Hmm? There are many nobles that use females like decorations. I cannot deny that tendency even in Raum where elven nobility is greater in number. Men are truly helpless Ugh Letina apparently had a lot to say about men, but her criticism also hit me, being originally a man. Certainly, Raums poption had more elves, and many nobles were elves too. In such a situation, having a wife whose looks remained unchanged was seen as a kind of status. The reason Letina hadnt received such invitations until now was probably that the Marquis did his best to shut everything out. But when the other party was a higher-ranked duke who was connected to the royal bloodline, he apparently failed to turn them down. This made me think back on how much difficulty the Marquis had been through. I could understand Letinas feelings, but if she just broke it off, it could worsen the standing of her father, the Marquis. (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) In the worst case, it could even develop into a problem that would concern the survival of the Yowi household. Honestly, this isnt something you can just break off, is it? I understand that much. As such, I was thinking of investigating those dark rumors spread in the dukes domain. I see. If a scandal breaks out at this time, the Marquis would have a good reason to break off the marriage talks, huh? You guessed right. I see, makes sense or so I wanted to say, but it was still not enough. Nobles, especially someone so high-ranked that they were connected to the royalty, could easily shrug away most of the scandals. Even if Letina herself managed to find some kind of truth, she would be easily suppressed. In that case, it would be better to bring it up with someone who could not be suppressed. But even if you manage to dig up some evidence, youd just get crushed, Letina. Gadius and Maxwell. If she borrowed their strength, even Raums duke would be unable to make any moves against them. Having said that, suddenly forcing their way and breaking off the marriage talks would throw mud at the dukes face. Bringing the Yowi household into a favorable situation and then getting Maxwell or Gadius help, they should manage to turn it down without any future trouble. At any rate, firstes finding out if those dark rumors are true or not. Yes, will you help me? Of course. Letina was one of my precious friends even now. I would never allow her to be forcibly wed to a duke household with dark rumors on their name. Chapter 476 We took Letina with us and headed back to Stor. Of course, her pursuers would just keep following us like that, so I decided to exin the situation to them too. They were working with the Yowi family for many years, so they apparently knew my face already. In other words, those whose legs Michelle injured with arrows were pointlessly injured. The battle couldve been avoided if I had just shown my face. So with that, well try to contact Gadius or Maxwell and see if we can find a point ofpromise. Until then, can you leave Letina with us? Well If Lord Maxwell will make a move, we have no objection either. However, I believe you understand that it is our master who can make that decision Yeah. So well just keep her at Gadius inn for now. Until we have that permission, he will guarantee her safety in the name of Six Heroes, probably. So be at ease and return to Raum. Understood. We cannot thank you enough for your kindness, Lady Nicole. We shall ry this to our master. It appeared that they werent very enthusiastic about this situation either, so with a somewhat strong persuasion from me, they agreed without raising any objections. With this, Letinas safety was guaranteed for the time being. Afterward, I healed their injuries. Finia was better at healing magic, but she was busy now. Sorry, Im not great at healing magic. Finia is specialized in it more, but she has her hands full now. Its okay, we are aware of the situation. You could have just left us be but you are healing us instead. Thank you. Im d to hear that. Ah, being healed by Lady Nicole would allow us to brag to the other servants! Feeling better, the servants started spilling out the current situation at the mansion. It appeared that Letina, Michelle and I were like idols among them when we attended the academy. Seeing how we kept growing beautiful before their eyes, it was natural that it spurred on the poprity. So being healed personally by me would make them a target of envy to the rest of the servants, it seems. W-Well, leaving that aside, I hope you can leave Letina be for some time longer. With that, I grabbed the servants hand and looked at him with an upturned look. It managed to make Elliot fall with one shot, so it would definitely be effective. Incidentally, with Lyell, just this upturned look was more than enough. Understood! I will try to convince our master even if I have to sacrifice my body! Wait, you dont have to stake your life on it. Like this, we managed to return to Stor on good terms. Letina had the Adventurers Guild registration card, while the men also held the Yowi familys IDs, so they managed to enter the city without problems. Not just that, the carriage that Michelle was supposed to drive was instead handled by them as they alternated between them, so being able to return back with quite a forced march was quite beneficial for us. Normally it should have taken three days to return, but they managed to do it in a day and a half, so I was actually thankful. Wow, never thought wed return in under two days. As expected, human-wave tactics are powerful. (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) We had such idle talk as we passed through the Stors gate. But we had to switch back to work mode from now on. Okay, well go deliver themission goods, so you head for Gadius inn, Letina. The location is what I told you before. All right. As for your servants, Ill send you off to Raumter, so make sure to protect Letina until then, okay? Leave it to us. After surviving the Berith incident, my magic power seemed to have grown even further, so I could teleport two other people aside from me now. In other words, I could teleport three people if I excluded myself. The Teleport spell did not necessarily need the user to be the target, so it was just barely possible to send all three of them to Raum. They would return far faster that way instead of walking, so they should have nothing toin about. After that, we traveled through the city to deliver the Fire Phosphorite, arriving near the southern gate. That was where our client should have been, but Yahoo! It was you? Thats so cold of you. Didnt I help you in Berith? The one who showed up there was a white-haired girl. God of Destruction Yuuri. You shouldve easily mined it yourself, so why did youmission it to us? No, please think about it chronologically. I gave out thatmission before you people returned here, you know? So youre saying it was a coincidence? Yes. I had some business to take care of in the south at that time. Now that I think about it, she and her husband were on a trip to the south while I recovered. So, what do you need Fire Phosphorite for anyway? Naturally, for various things? The details are a secret but things like guns or internalbustion engines? I heard some difficult terms, but didnt understand them. Well, she was the God of Destruction who had left many spells and magic items in the world. It was natural that I could not understand the vocabry of a specialist. The point was, it was fine as long as they werent used in criminal activities, but this god should be aware of that so I could trust her. Well then, lets talk about your remuneration About that, just make it three peoples share. Ive been indebted to you before. Its fine. This small change will not cover it anyway. I reflexively agreed. But well, we were talking about our remuneration now. As she said, what she has done for me could not be repaid by mere money. I had to prepare something else instead. I see. Then Ill obediently ept it this time. I will pay you back when another chance arises. Hehe, Ill be looking forward to it. She waved her hand with those words, and the Fire Phosphorite disappeared in a sh. It could have been teleportation magic, or perhaps dimensional storage. Either way, I couldnt understand what she did. (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Well then, before long. Yeah,ter. Then, she turned her back on us and disappeared into the crowd of hustling people. Given how she appearedpletely randomly, Im sure she would show up again as she said. With that in mind, this parting only felt half as sad as it should have been. The way she spoiled things like that was really like her. Chapter 477 A carriage was speeding through as it gave off rattling noises. Before long, that carriage stopped before a giant gate. This was a town in the Methush domain located in the northern part of the Forest Kingdom of Raum, and there was a senior magic academy in it, one of Raums few. The carriage stopped before that academy, and one girl and a youth apanying her stepped out from within. The students attention gathered on it, wondering what was going on, but their breaths were stolen when they saw the stunningly beautiful pair. The girl had bluish-silver hair and heterochromatic red and blue eyes, shining like she was the personification of the goddess of night. The youth following behind her had bright golden hair and wore a neutral smile. He also had rarely-seen handsome looks, and the female students squealed in joy as they witnessed his smile. Escorted by that youth, the girl passed through the gate, and spoke with a lovely, fleeting, and perhaps even excessive, forced smile. How did ite to this? Barely enduring to hold her head from the dull pain she was feeling, Nicole headed to the office where the principal waited. Letinas engagement. That itself was something to be blessed, but Duke Tubal Methush Lamech had quite dark rumors floating around him. Rumors that he was cultivating illegal drugs in his own domain and was selling it abroad. The Methush domain had all kinds of nts growing luxuriantly and the various fruits they harvested were their main source of ie. Among them were poisonous nts too, but since they could not kill only that part of the vegetation, they could only oversee the people charged with harvesting them. The one who should be overseeing them was Duke Lamech, who ruled this Methush domain. The problem was that Duke Lamech had quite a greedy personality when it came to money. He had no interest in royal authority, so he was quite faithful to the king among the dukes. For that reason, they closed their eyes to some corruption from his side, but it would be a different story if illegal drugs were concerned. That said, when it came to a duke connected to the royal bloodline, they could not investigate him openly. Due to that, the public investigation organizations have decided to let the sleeping dogs lie and he was overlooked until now. However, with the marriage talks held with Marquis Yowi, the situation changed a little. Dark rumors were not only about lord Tubal Methush Lamech, but even involved his own son, Cain Methush Lamech too. Letina tried to investigate that, but not a single person had made back of the two Adventurer groups she sent there. Sensing the danger with that, Letina appealed to her father, Marquis Yowi, but a lower-ranking Marquis could not put a wedding ceremony on hold when it came to a higher-ranking duke household. Letina knew her fathers hardship too, so she could not force her way selfishly, but also could not just get wed obediently either, so unable to put up with it, she decided to resort to investigating it herself. Naturally, Marquis Yowi could not just allow it, so he sent his servants after her and ordered to bring her back, which led to her encountering us. (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Coincidences sure can be frightening. My mutter was natural. Letina ran around and even crossed the national border into the United Three Nations. But by sheer coincidence, we also happened to be there due to ourmission. This was such a coincidence you could call it the mischief of a god. I mean, themission was actually from a god. We were having a discussion at the cafeteria of Gadius inn. But on top of the four of us, there was also Letina, her three servants, and even Gadius, so we were split into two tables. The servants, as well as Michelle and Cloud, who were not interested in joining this difficult conversation were having a meal at the other table. It was strangely pissing me off a bit how they were having a fun time with the servants. Still, I have to say, you sure have grown taller, Letina. You overtook me again. It appears that I was the type that grows in one go sexually. Thanks to that, my body is in constant pain day after day. Those are some first-world problems. I grew slowly and it stopped right around Cortinas height. Incidentally, Cortina was a petite feline. Being the same height as her, you could imagine how sad I felt. I wanted at least ten more centimeters. But it looks like I have you totally beat in terms of the chest, so I guess its fine. Khh, I cannot help it, it is the elven nature! Your pecs feel harder than Finias. Dont call them pecs! She dropped thedy act and objected while throwing her hands up. Yeah, this is more like her. Remembering the academy days, I was momentarily moved. Anyway, how did you n to investigate anyway? I was thinking of getting into the Lamech domains magic academy that Cain attends. What a muscle-brain approach! Not even Lyell would do that! Or maybe he would? Beingpared to Lord Lyell only makes me happy. Youre happy about that? Naturally. So her Six Hero fanaticism has peaked, huh. Gadius then interjected, being at wits end. Frankly, I am bad at this type of thing, so I am not sure how to respond to this request Yeah, trickery isnt your type of thing. Cortina and Maxwell are best at that. I am not sure how to act even if youe to me. Why did you not just consult them in Raum? I did not want to involve others in my family troubles And that leads to the opposite. Well, I will ry it to Maxwell since it involves nobles. Do not expect much from me, okay? I am indebted. Letina meekly bowed her head. But from what we heard, there didnt seem to be much time left. We were dealing with the senior academy. It would be hard even for Maxwell to start sneakily investigating him there. Which means, someone has to infiltrate, huh (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Age-wise, we should be the most inconspicuous ones, but I looked towards Michelle and Cloud who were enjoying their food on the other table and felt a headacheing. Chapter 478 As I was thinking about who should infiltrate to search for information, I moved my eyes to the table next to ours. There were Cloud and Michelle engaged in an eating contest with the three servants. The way Michelle stuffed her cheeks looked full of vitality and was quite like her, but if you asked whether she was suited to attend a senior academy that required dealing with nobles, the answer would be a definite no. That ones out. Indeed. Which means, ites to me and Letina. Wait, you people, are you nning to infiltrate by yourselves? Well, I mean, I dont think Maxwell or Cortina can manage a stealthy investigation, right? We have no time, so we have to quickly infiltrate and settle the problem. I am sure you can do it well, Reicough, Nicole, but it is still dangerous. Think about Lyell and Maria. Mgh, when you put it like that But still, this is for Letina. Is there no one else? At his question, I thought back on my friends who were close to our age. I suppose Mark and others who were around 20 years old could somehow manage to slip in but Mark in a senior magic academy? Nope, not happening. Ugh Besides, they couldnt even use magic. It would be impossible to infiltrate a magic academy like that. By that same logic, Raums Adventurers would have it hard. It would be particrly impossible for Kayle, who had severe eighth-grader syndrome. So it really is up to you But still I wont be reckless. Besides, you think Ill fall behind some green noble? It was only recently that you had a painful experience due to your pride. You sure like to hit in the sore spots. But still, Ill be careful, and Ill only do the investigation and leave the rest to Maxwell. The other party is a duke, after all. More urately, his son. But I suppose those are our only options. No, there is one additional problem. Which is? Just as I somehow persuaded Gadius, Letina raised a problem. Methush domains senior magic academy has a dormitory system. And the majority of the new students are nobles. Uh-huh? Normally they are apanied by several attendants that take care of them. I have Finia for that, right? When I mentioned I receiveddy education, Gadius and Finia spurted their drinks. Since they knew I was Reid, they choked on their drinks when they realized how mismatched it sounded. Dont look at me! I wanna erase it from my memory too. How long ago was that? Besides, such half-baked etiquette would be easily seen through. Are you saying you will not be needing my help when such timees? Moreover, the other party knows my face. A transfer student at this timing would stand out, so if I move in first, Cains attention should be directed to me. We have to divert his attention somehow. Well that would be helpful but Still, why Finia then? I also would prefer to apany Lady Nicole if possible. My servants are like that, as you can see. They are not suitable for fights as attendants. Finia, on the other hand, can fit both criterias and has a perfect foundation. Moreover, if I am to act as a decoy, I would prefer an escort who is both skilled and I can fully trust. I guess Finia certainly fits that, but what should I do? Is there no one you can think of? Hmm? I had no acquaintance who knew noble etiquette and was skilled enough to act as an attendant. If I had to say, it would be Maria, but if I brought her along, she would stand out like crazy. Matisse would satisfy the moderate appearance aspect but I wonder what shes doing now. I really have No one in mind, just as I was about to end that sentence, I remembered one person. But would that really be fine? (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) someone in mind? Oh, I never expected you to actually do. Hey, whats with that attitude after you stole Finia from me. I was thinking you would be fine even without an attendant in the worst case. But I would stand out like that. Well yes. I was thinking of dispatching one from my home. They cannot fight, but you can protect yourself, Nicole. The problem wasthat they werent human. But well, we can work on that. Now thats decided, I should go and negotiate Um, Lady Nicole. When will you send us back to Raum? Oh, I forgot about that. It seems that their speed-eating contest ended with Michelles overwhelming victory. Cloud and two other servants had fainted while holding their stomachs, but this result was within my expectations. Michelles stomach was unknown waters even from my perspective. I dont think you guys are in any shape to move, so rest and digest your meal for some time. I will gather people in the meantime. Understood. But we would like to quickly let our master know about this, so I hope it can be done quickly. Got it, got it. Just wait. I gave them a light wink and cast the Teleport spell. My destination was the Sword Kingdom of Alecmarle. The mountain where Aste, also known as Wind God Hastur, had retired to. Chapter 479 With the blond youthDenescorting me, I arrived at the senior magic academy Methush branchs board chairmans room. Den was originally an Ogre, but his height was quite a bit shorter now, and his horns were also inconspicuously small. His darker skin color had grown lighter, his hair grew, and you could now call him a fair-skinned golden hair pretty boy. With Astes, or God Hasturs education, his butler skills were quite good. You could call him a perfect person for this job. When someone like that escorted me, who looked graceful at a nce, of course, wed stand out. Even as we passed through the corridor, everyone was staring at us. I removed my eyepatch to make things more amiable, but standing out this much was beyond my calctions I mean, the fact that Den had turned into such a pretty boy itself was unounted for. Arriving at the chairmans office, Den knocked on the door four times in my stead and awaited the response. Who is it? I am Nicolle who is transferring to this school starting today. I arrived to greet the board chairman. Ah, yes, I have heard as such. Do enter. At my reply that I tried to make as modest and polite as possible, a somewhat arrogant-sounding voice answered back. Then again, the board chairman was one of the most influential people in this academy so that was only natural. Incidentally, the most influential would be Cain Methush Lamech. He was technically a student, but given his position of being the Dukes eldest son, and considering the money he would have if those dark rumors are true, he probably easily surpassed the board chairman. Excuse us. With permission, Den opened the door, and I headed inside with his escort. The interior of the office was, different from Maxwells, full of luxurious decorations. There was a painting probably drawn by a famous painter, a full-body armor disyed next to the entrance, and such, giving off a sort of an authoritative feeling. Honestly, it was simply in bad taste. Without letting my impressions show, I arrived at the desk and slightly bent my knee with a bow in the so-called curtsy bow thatdies did. It was something I learned from Maxwells education, and something I perfected after Letinas intensive training. Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am Lyell and Marias daughter, Nicole. I have no peerage and as such no surname. This is my attendant Den. Yes, I am Jack Olson. I have heard of you. It seems you have made a name in Berith. Oh, the riot incident? I was merely trying to stop it with everything I had. I moved my gaze away, trying not to meet his eyes as much as possible, and acted modestly. This was because Den imed that it was better to use my magic eye for a good first impression. Which was certainly more convenient for the investigation if it made everyone around more amiable. However, my eyes were too powerful. Even if I casually voiced my desire, they would twist the thoughts of the other person and force them to act. Seeing my strange attitude, I sensed Olson to be frowning. Thinking I overdid it I was about to raise my face, but Den cut into the conversation. My apologies, board chairman. Please allow me to voice my humble opinion. Yes, what is it? Mydy Nicoles right eye is weak andcks pigment as you may tell, so I would like to ask permission for her to wear this eyepatch. Oh, just that? But why not wear it from the start? She is not injured, so it would be rude to hide her face during the first meeting, especially towards someone of higher standing Those were mydys wishes. Hmm, I suppose that makes sense. (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) In reality, it was just a trick to leave a good impression. But there was no need to actually say that. Lets leave this to Dens quick-wittedness. Then Den started to fluently recite my strong points to the chairman. About howpassionate, how beautiful, and how honest at heart I was. Frankly, I was embarrassed just listening to it. D-Den, please leave it at that I stopped him with a red face. I put a hand to his elbow while fidgeting, so I probably looked like a well-bred youngdy. In fact, I saw that chairman Olsons face was looking a little flushed. Excuse me. Then Lady Nicole, if I may. Saying that, Den turned my face a little up and put the eyepatch on me. Being originally an ogre, he was still a bit taller than me even though he had grown shorter. He was probably about 160 cm tall now. Because of that, I had to look a little up when he was touching my face. His once boorish fingers had grown slender now, and once he attached the eyepatch, he brushed past my face and arranged my hair. His fingers were tickly so I ended up leaking a voice. Ngh You two, please refrain from such conduct inside the academy. Eh? I am saying that please do the lovers talk inside your dorm room. Heroes daughter or not, its slovenly. T-T-Thats preposterous!! Den is my attendant! We are not in such a rtionship! Really now? It sure seemed like that to me. Board chairman. My apologies but Lady Nicole and I are rather ill-suited. It would affect Lady Nicoles honor, so I ask that you not voice such misunderstandings. Hmm It would certainly be troublesome to incur Lord Lyell and Lady Marias displeasures. Yes, thank you for your understanding. After that, the board chairman ryed the necessary information to us and we finally headed to the dormitory. Normally wed be heading to the ssroom now, but organizing the room came first. We were infiltrating for a short term, but wed be living for more than a few days there. There was a need to organize it to a degree. Chapter 480 Den and I headed towards the dormitory where our room was prepared. Our luggage was already delivered there ahead of time, so we were empty-handed now. Given that most students were nobles in this senior magic academy, the prepared dormitory was appropriately grand. Honestly, it might be even bigger than Raums magic academy building. I felt like I could see glimpses of the pretensions of the nobles in that. We greeted the dorm mother who awaited us at the pce-like entrance, and headed to the room she directed us to. Our room was on the third floor, so we had to climb the stairs for a bit. This was the result of the new students being driven farther and higher from the baths and cafeteria. Exceptionally, the limited rooms of the fourth floor were private rooms of the high-ss nobles, each having their own baths and other facilities. Nicole, I was waiting for you! Letina, what about your sses? As we were about to climb the stairs, I heard Letinas cheery voice from the higher floor. She transferred in advance to draw attention, so skipping her sses to wait for me here would instead put me in the center of attention, wouldnt it? My thoughts seemed to have appeared on my face, she started to make up excuses in a fluster. I-It is already known that we are acquaintances, so I thought it would be more natural to act friendly from the start instead of hiding it! Really? Lady Letina had been looking forward to meeting you, Lady Nicole. Finia?! Finia showed her face from behind her. She normally wore civilian work clothes, but now she wore ck-themed maid clothes. Those tight-fitting clothes were drawing out the mismatch between her dainty body and gentle expression, giving off a strange charm. Finia, youre lovely. Id love to eat you up. Oh please do. I am ready anytime. Huh, youre going along with that? Finia, you are so bold! Finia unexpectedly went along with my joke. Letina took it at face value and started waving her hands around in a fluster. Seeing that, Finia broke into a carefree smile. Im sorry. I was curious about how you would react, Lady Letina. You are quite honest in a different sense from Michelle. Letina is a sheltered girl, after all. Dont pollute her with bad jokes. Understood. Realizing that we were messing with her, Letinas face turned red. She squinted her eyes in anger as she clenched her hand into a fist at her chest. This gesture followed her since childhood. I felt a sense of nostalgia at that scene. I cannot believe you two! I was at my wits end here! Was that really something to worry about? I was honestly thinking whether to give you my blessing or get angry, you know? Blessing us there would be kinda wrong. Lady Nicole, let us move to the room already. Den intruded on our conversation. Certainly, we were currently standing at the dormitory stairwell, and though the students had sses now, it wasntpletely devoid of people. Students on sick leave and the servants including the dorm mother were still present. Oh, right. We should before we cause trouble. Then I shall guide you there. Over here. I mean, I know I have to climb the stairs without you telling me. (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) She ran down the stairs, grabbed my hand, and dragged me up. Letinas physique was already better than mine, so I ended up getting dragged while pinching forward. This situation looked quite nostalgic too. When we first met, she dragged me off like this too. I felt embarrassed to have my feelings seen through, so I just followed her while looking down. It made me awfully happy that Letina hadnt changed at all. Since we had to sort our luggage, I had to ask Letina to leave us. I felt bad about it, but my luggage contained various items connected to Reid. I couldve hidden it if it was just gauntlets, but there were also spare Mythril threads and male clothes, so it wouldve gotten problematic if she saw them. The ck clothes, in particr, would arouse her suspicions, knowing her personality. If that information somehow made its way to Maria or Lyell, I wouldnt be able to look them in the eye. Lady Nicole, what is this luggage? That ones filled with underclothes so put them in that clothing case. That one has my uniform and such, so hang them in the closet. Understood. Even if I called it sorting the luggage, we just needed to store the clothes and other things in the room. The basic furniture was already here, so I just needed to bring personal items. The problem was the study materials and magic tools. They were also used in magic experiments and lessons, so I had to properly manage them. This management was entrusted to the students as part of the education. Oh, looks like there are safes inside the rooms. So it seems. Magic tools are often expensive, so their consideration is appreciated. Looks like I dont have to have you keep watch, Den. Still, a lock of this level leaves me a bit worried. The small safe inside the room was apparently there for the valuable and dangerous items. But from my perspective, its dial lock could easily be broken through. I wouldve trusted it more if it at least used a cylinder lock along with it. Ignoring Den who couldnt understand what I meant, I squatted near the safe. I ced my right hand near the dial while carefully rotating it with my left. Right, left, right After rotating it several times, I managed to obtain the necessary numerics from the sensation transmitted to my right hand. Three to the right, two more to the right, six to the left, and four to the right. As I rotated the dial, the door quickly opened up. Seeing that, Den opened his eyes wide in surprise. Lady Nicole, you didnt know thebination yet did you? I can unlock this level of lock in about two-three minutes. I was the scout among the Six Heroes you know? That said, scouts didnt really need unlocking skills. If I had to say, this was something I learned through my assassination work. I wanted to not just kill the enemy but also reveal their sins to the public. For that, I needed to break through a safe or two, so I just learned it through the process. Amazing, as expected of my master. So this level of safe is trivial for you. Well, I dont think students other than me can open it, so stuff the valuables inside. Understood May I ask where you are heading? I tried to leave the room after giving him instructions. I couldnt take him along on this business. (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Bathroom! I wish you could read and pick up on such things better. M-My apologies! Ill also investigate the dormyout, so just continue sorting the luggage, okay? Yes, please take your time. Just forget what I said earlier. After warning the overserious Den, I left the room. I wanted to at least figure out where Cains room was right away. For that, I thought I needed a little bit of Letinas help so I headed to her room. Chapter 481 Leaving the room sorting to Den, I left the room. I wanted to prioritize learning this dorm structure first. Thats where both learning about our target and protecting ourselves would begin from. The rough estimate of my stay in this academy would be until Cortinas special training ended three monthster. Otherwise, Lyell and Maria coulde rushing here if they heard of my enrollment. If theye barging, this investigation would go to waste. I had to resolve this matter until then. Lets start with the first floor I guess. I met the dorm mother earlier, but it wasnt a proper greeting. I had to ask her about the customs and rules of this dorm in further detail. And also use the chat to obtain information about the dorm structure and the students to be wary of. I knocked on the dorm mothers door and awaited a response. Who is it? It is Nicole from earlier. I came to greet you properly. Oh, what great timing. Please enter, I just made tea. I was now thankful that she was giving a rtively favorable reception to amoner like me. As I opened the door and entered, a neat room weed me. I gave an amiable bow and quickly ran my eyes through the room but did not see anything suspicious. Even if there was, I dont think she would have put it in a visible ce. Still, at a nce, the furniture of the room was in yet in a good taste, revealing the owners honest personality. My apologies for the earlier. I was a little disordered, having just arrived. Oh my, so even Beriths hero gets nervous. Please let us not bring that up. I was desperate at that time. The incident where I stopped the half-demon riot had be a pretty big topic. But people found it particrly interesting because it concerned the daughter ofthatLyell and Maria. I never nned to be a hero back then, so every time someone brought it up, I felt like yelling at myself for being such a show-off. I yed with my skirts hem to distract myself from such impulses. You dont have to feel so embarrassed about it. Come here and drink some tea. Okay, but I was not particrly embarrassed. It looks like you are quite strong-willed contrary to your appearance. Like that, I chatted with her for a little while. The abundance of topics to have for such situations was an essential skill for assassins. This reminds me, I could talk fine with girls in such cases even during my previous life, but I was a failure when it came to private life. I feel like it only grew worse after I headed north for the Evil Dragon extermination. I also tried to ask her about the dorm rumors, but our target wasnt perceived to be among the students who would make suspicious moves. Then again, I shouldnt have expected him to make such conspicuous moves that this person would spot. (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Thank you for everything. May I look around the dormitory for a bit? Yes, I dont mind. But high-ss nobles reside on the fourth floor, so you should watch your conduct there. Understood. Thank you for the warning. I bowed and excused myself, then started touring the ce starting from the first floor. The first floor was where high-ss third-year students lived, and it had a cafeteria and baths, making the pce quite wide. There werent as many students as in Raum, but given that they had a full boarding system here, the dormitory was as big as Raums school building. Itll take a while just to tour this. I briskly inspected the locations of every room while muttering to myself. I had no time to inspect the interiors, as expected. The first floor was for the senior students, but as they werent from the fourth floor which I was concerned with, I didnt have to be so wary of them. Then again, there might still be people who were used for errands among them. While looking at the nametes of the rooms, I only made notes of the noble children with a bad reputation, like, that counts son lives here, that other viscounts here, and so on, then moved to the second floor. In the same way, I continued through the second and third floors. But people here had recently transferred so there was a low chance that they were under the influence of the Lamech household, who we thought to be the mastermind. So far, I only had to pay attention to the few names on the first floor, so I didnt sense much danger. I said they had a bad reputation, but it was mostly on the level of things like sales through illegal channels or embezzlementthings present in every kingdom. At the very least, they shouldnt be people whod erase the dispatched Adventurers like it happened with Letina. So the fourth floor is the real deal. Bracing myself, I headed up the stairs. I saw golden drills waiting for me at the end. More urately, Letina was waiting for me. Good grief! First you drove me out and then immediately started loitering inside the dormitory! I mean, Letina, normally you should be in the school building right around now. What was the point of me transferring after a dy if she was gonna stick to me like this? I mean, I didnt feel bad about the fact that she was attached to me, but I wish she had considered time and ce. Oh well, there are few people today, but you should be careful when there are more, okay? I am not that unprincipled. Leave it to me. I really hope I can I heaved a big sigh and climbed up, tapping her on the shoulder as I passed by. In response, she broke into a big smile and squeezed me into a hug from behind. Letina, yourpecsare hurting me. Grrrrrrr! Acting so cheeky just because yours are a little bigger, huh?! (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) She was a noisy fellow, but even this nature of hers was nostalgic, and it made me feel relieved. Chapter 482 This is Marquis Ansons private room. That is Margrave Benbows. Either of them is highly prideful, so it would be wiser to keep away from them. I see. That goes for you too, Letina? Marquis and Margraves are about the same rank as I. I would rather they did not get in some strange rivalry with me. Oof, yeah lets just stay away. I remained vignt while Letina exined to me about the residents of the top floor. I was measuring the top flooryout as we walked. This was my ingrained habit in my previous life, but either way, I found out that the room sizes here were biggerpared to the other floors. And, this one at the very end is Duke Lamechs room. You sent Adventurers to investigate this ce and they didnt return, huh Well, such things happen. I feel bad for those people who epted themission. Itsmon for Adventurers to lose their lives after making a blunder. Letina felt down that she unintentionally sent a third party to a dangerous ce. But even so, Adventurers should always be prepared for that, so she was not to be med. Letina of course understood that too, but the fact that she still couldnt fully ept it was probably one of her faults. For better or worse, she had a strong sense of responsibility. Still, its quite a nice ce here. The dorm mother is a kind personokay maybe not exactly kind, but she didnt seem like a bad person. This is a magic academy, after all. They use all kinds of materials, and only hire those who can properly control themselves. I guess that makes sense. Anyway, lets check the remaining ces too. They were entrusted with the master key of this dorm which had a lot of high-priced materials. They would not be suitable to be a dorm mother unless they were someone who could not be tempted with money. The remaining ces? You already saw everything from the first to third floors, did you not? There are ces a fresh transfer student cant easily enter, right? ces with medicine, for example, are important but hard to get into. With that, I grabbed Letina by the hand and escaped from this pandemonium-like fourth floor. There were few people around since they were currently in sses, but there was no knowing what could happen if we remained together. But I also didnt wanna leave her alone there, so I chose to escape together. I brought her to the first-floor kitchen. They taught the fundamentals of pharmacy in this academy too. And medicine had an inseparable rtionship with salt and sugar. The Lamech household was suspected of selling illegal drugs, so he was probably orderingrge quantities of salt and sugar whenpounding them. But within the academy where that supply was limited, this ce was the strongest candidate of where he was getting his supplies. Hello. Oh, is it you, Miss Letina! Letina, you know them? Yes, I got acquainted with the head chef on the first day, due to Finias matters. Now that you mention it, Finia does love cooking. It wasnt just that. The other party this time was suspected of handling drugs. There was a possibility that she would be served drugs in some way. I warned Finia to serve Letina her handmade cooking as much as possible as a countermeasure. For that reason, she would be needing to borrow this ce from time to time, so she probably came here to greet the chef first. Ah, thatss has great skill! So much so that Id like to hire her but I am sorry to say, but she is my attendant. Please give up on that. I suppose it cant be helped if shes the mistress of a Marquis daughter. S-She is not my mistress! Letina, he is teasing you. By the way, head chef, can my attendant use this ce too? And who may you be? The head chef got influenced by Letinas sociable nature and started happily chatting, but then he finally noticed that I was a new face. Den could apparently cook basic food already, so it wouldnt be bad to have him polish his skills here. That said, his skill was far from Finia now, and probably could only cook stuff as crudely as I did in my past life. (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) My apologies. I am Nicole who transferred here today. So I had to give him a good first impression. Removing my eyepatch wouldve done the job the fastest, but I was scared of letting a power I myself didnt really understand run wild. Even the design looked pirate-like, so I oveid a ck cloth on top of it. Incidentally, when I asked Hastur to rece it with a normal design, he just rejected it with, it wont look cool, so no. He was as much of a pain as Whitey. At any rate, he would listen to my request as long as I wasnt impolite, so I decided to just be courteous here. I lightly grabbed the hem of my skirt and bent my knees. Unfortunately, the senior skirts werent very long so I couldnt lift it up too much. Spreading a longer skirt would have more air but Actually, who cares about that now. Ah, no need to give such a greeting to a cook like me. Still Well, cooking is my job, but I suppose its fine if you are Miss Letinas acquaintance. Letina, he seems quite fond of you. What did you do? Huh, I simply asked for seconds during the first-day meal. People normally dont do that, do they? I was very hungry after moving in. And I am a former Adventurer too. She ate her fill without being picky. I felt d to serve a student for the first time in a while. I should have brought Michelle along if that would be the case. She eats twice as much as me. Uh, Letina, shes far worse now. Huh, really? Michelles appetite knew no bounds. And yet, all the meat only went to her breasts and butt, while her waist remained slender, which was quite hard to believe. She must be contracted with some fishy god for sure. But it wouldnt be Whitey at least. She was too t for that. That sounds fun. Please bring her over once! If she hears this was a ce full of nobles, shed just run away. Thats what actually happened. Well, its true that most of them are intolerable. Still, its a shame. My attendant uses quite a bit of seasoning, so would that be alright? Hmm? What a strange thing to ask. This isnt a ce where they would take issue with how many ingredients or seasonings one person uses for their cooking. Certainly, this kitchen was quite big, considering it was used to sate the hunger of over a hundred students. The cold room and warehouse I could see deeper in probably stored a lot of ingredients. Still, this wasnt the answer I was hoping for. I see. I was just wondering if they used a lot of salt and such, considering this was a magic academy. There are pharmacy sses, after all. Ah, well, they do sometimes send notices to borrow some. But not enough to considerably diminish the stored amount. Thats good. In other words, they were not carrying huge amounts of water and salt from here, huh. Those two were often used in solvents. If this ce wasnt involved, there must be some other route. Could it be some kind of drug that isnt made using water and salt? Hmm, I stillck information. Huh? Did you say something? No, Im just a little thirsty. Oh, really? I actually have fruit water here thats new on the menu! Huuh? And like that, I ended up acting as a guinea pig for the head chef. Incidentally, the aforementioned fruit juice was sour to the point it made me grimace, and grimace like hell I did. Letina burst intoughter when she saw that, and I punished her by stretching her drills. Chapter 483 Once I got permission for Den to use the kitchen, I walked throughout the dormitory and tried to investigate any suspicious ces. I asked Letina to ry the situation to Den and had her leave my side. My walk was part of the investigation, so there was a chance wed find ourselves in a problematic situation if we remained together. Still, speaking of what I have discovered so far, it could be traces of legal drugs (so-called tobo) or hidden alcohol bottles in the backyard, but nothing particrly important. Then again, if it was so easy to find, the previous Adventurers would have done so too. They prolonged their investigation because they failed to find anything, and were eventually found out and eliminated. They might be more atrocious than I initially thought If I meddled poorly, not just Letina, it would endanger even Finia and Den. If it was only that much, I could still deal with it, but if the dorm mother and the head chef who seemed innocent got rolled up in it, it would leave a bad aftertaste. But then, I felt a presence approaching me. Are you taking a stroll at such an hour? It was a somewhat affected, frivolous tone. He approached me from behind as if to avoid my gaze, but he called out to me as if he never nned to hide himself. Do you intend to hide, or do you not, which is it? So you did notice me? I can see how you transferred in the senior ss. Considering your tone, I take it you also know who I am? Marquis daughter, Letina Winne Yowis friend, yes? Indeed. And who may you be? There were few impudent enough to call out to me while knowing I was Letinas friend. It was mostly high-ss nobles sons who were excessively self-conscious. He seemed like he was one of them too. He was a typical blond-haired, blue-eyed guy. He seemed to be training his body, his body didnt have excessive flesh. His well-taken hair was also glossier than an average girls. At first nce, he would look like a delicate youth with a moderately-trained body. But his gait was firm. I could see that he was not as weak as his body suggested. He was a somewhat useful guy. Me? I am Cain. Cain Methush Lamech. Ah, so you are that person I naturally knew who he was. He was my target this time. He approached me with his initiative. I suddenly had a thought. Wouldnt it be faster if I just dealt with him here and now? The point was, if Cain disappeared, so would Letinas marriage partner, as well as someone who was doing fishy stuff in this academy Wouldnt everything go well, I thought. But then, I shook my head and rejected that thought. There was once a time I took my clients words for truth and assassinated someone, but the one they wanted to kill through proxy turned out to be a noble who just wanted to steal someones achievement. (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Though, needless to say, they were a handful of nobles trying to steal Cortinas achievements. Ever since then, I learned to properly find evidence before I acted. This time as well, just swallowing Letinas story could lead to a mistake depending on the situation. Besides, he wasnt the only son of Duke Lamech. I think he had at least four illegitimate children, so even if I dealt with this guy here, the marriage strife would probably not end. Oh, you know me, mydy? Just call me Nicole. You should already know my name, right? Feigning ignorance until the introductiones from the other partys mouth is part of gentlemanly manners. Cain bowed with a theatrical gesture. Still, his eyes remained firmly set on me. It felt like he was estimating me. That wasnt my misunderstanding, either. He was clearly estimating my worth here. As the Heros daughter, as Beriths hero, and whether he could use me or not. His snake-like gaze made me feel like someone poured water down my spine. Having grown up as a girl, I often was the target of reptile-like lusty gazes. But his gaze far surpassed them in how glued it was on me. I see. Then, let us get along, sir Cain. Likewise. It is my honor to attend the same academy as the daughter of honorable Lord Lyell and Lady Maria. ording to my knowledge, Cain was eighteen years old, in the senior grade. The senior school had entrance exams so there were even new students who were in their thirties. Still, the entry qualifications started from twelve years old, so having enrolled with a three years gap put him on the early side of things. ording to the rumors, he retrained himself under his domains chivalric order and then went to enroll in the senior grade. And that was something everyone in this Methush domain knew. There would be nothing strange even if I said it aloud. But still, we nned to have Letina gather attention while I investigated things, but he zeroed in on me instead. I didnt know whether to consider this lucky or bad. Well then, excuse me but I will be returning to my room. I am not very healthy, so todays transfer has exhausted me. Oh dear, my apologies for dying you. It seems I still need more training if I fail to consider adys health. Not at all. I felt quite helpless being alone in an unfamiliar ce. I hope you will treat me kindly from now on too. Hahaha, your words honor me. Then I shall take you up on those words. May I suggest we share a meal next time? My apologies, but I am quite feeble and my attendants are in charge of my meals. I hold back from eating outside of it. I see, that would certainly worry your attendants. They must adore you dearly. He cleanly pulled his hair upwards and dered it. Just about every action of his looked shady. I would choose having lunch with Elliot or Cloud any day over this guy. At the very least, Elliot was already married, and as for Cloud he well, he had some impure thoughts, but nowhere as secretive as this guy. Rather, he was such an open book that it troubled me. Giving Cain an insincere smile, I left the ce behind to flee from him. Chapter 484 Running away from the unexpected encounter, I rushed towards my room. There awaited Den and Letina who also remained behind. It seemed that she was helping with the cleaning, but was that something a Marquis daughter should be doing? Well, I guess thats how Letina is. I feel like youre saying something rude to me right aftering back. I just meant it was nice that you were so open-hearted. Well alright then! Lady Nicole, please have a drink. Today is quite hot. Thanks, Den. My tense mood disappeared thanks to this exchange with Letina that went unexpectedly smoothly considering weve been separated for three years. Then Den brought me a cold drink so my expression naturally mellowed. Looks like you have learned cajoling skills in these three years, looking at your current expression. What do you mean I learned? I dont remember ever doing that. I see. I suppose those skills were high from the start. Thats rude! I was simply drinking the ss cup with both hands since it was too big for one hand. It was Dens blunder for not giving me one with a handle. I wasnt at fault here. Leaving that aside, thank you for putting a word in to let me use the kitchen. Oh, yeah, I thought youd be needing it from now on too. I started to ponder at his words. I mean, I wasnt exactly thinking about whether I wanted to eat, but rather what I wanted to eat. In the first ce, Dens tea brewing skills were high, but the same couldnt be said about his cooking skills. This is because the one who taught him had no cooking skills, so he wasnt at fault. He should still be able to make a sandwich or something even with crude skills, but my thoughts were interrupted by someone who suddenly rushed into the room. Wait a minute! Lady Nicoles meals have always been my duty! Finia, at least knock. Ah, my apologies. Also, youre currently Letinas attendant. People have things they cant yield no matter what. She dered that so brazenly, skillfully holding a tray in her hands with lightly stacked sandwiches on it. They didnt only have minced veggies, but even chicken tenderloins, which means she even considered Den, a male, when making them. They are on the lighter side, but should have enough volume to serve as dinner. Then I shall prepare tea. Do you have any requests? I will have coffee then. Then scented tea for me. With extra sugar. Understood. Den received the orders and quickly headed to the kitchen installed in the room. My room was also technically aimed at nobles, so there was equipment for simple cooking. Of course, it wasnt as proper as the one on the first floor, so it wasnt suited for multi-course menus. After seeing him off with my eyes, I moved my gaze to the side. Heh Coffee huh? W-What about it? The Letina I knew who was bad at bitter stuff is drinking coffee now? You arent pushing yourself, are you? I am not! How rude. My taste has been refined enough to enjoy tea and such. Are you sure? You are so persistent. I am not. Really? Maybe a little. Ill trade it with scented teater. Ugh. She probably wanted to show me that she had grown up and ordered coffee, but apparently, she didnt like it, after all. Trying to argue away while pursing her lips appeared as if her personality had remained the same as it had been as a child. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) More importantly, I had something else to confirm now. Letina, I met with Cain in the backyard earlier. Lord Cain? How was it? Did he gaze unpleasantly at you? Yeah, like a snake. Then I double-checked his appearance with Letina to confirm it was really him. There was his portrait in a public ce, but those were sometimes drawn differently from reality by painters in consideration of some circumstances. It was very important to check with someone who actually knew how he looked. He seemed decently trained, but how is it in reality? ording to the city rumors, he can defeat an Ogre on his own. His slender arms make me doubt it, however. Even if they are slender, they seem to be slender from the training. I was exactly like that in my past life. My trained arms withpressed muscles were flexible yet strong. I couldnt output as much brute strength as Lyell, as expected, but I could still easily strangle an ordinary person with one hand. Cain also felt the same. I shouldnt underestimate him. Havent you seen him actually fight? Arent there practice sses in the senior ss? Even if you ask me that, our years are different. There is a practice festival in autumn which has a tournament where peoplepete in magic and martial arts. Which reminds me, it should being up quite soon. So a new transfer like you wouldnt have seen it, huh. I dont want to stand out too much, either. If we take our time here, Lord Lyell mighte flying here. Lyell and others were busy training Cortina now, and I sometimes dropped by to check on them. But I couldnt carelessly leave the academy grounds while I was doing this job. We were in the center of the enemy territory, so harm maye to Letina or Finia the moment I took my eyes off them. Besides, even if I could use Teleport, the magic power that it consumed was still quite draining for me. It might leave me with no means of handling the situation in such a state if something happened at midnight. So with that, I had conveyed to Lyell and others that I wont be able to visit them due to work for some time. But even so, if I dyed it for too long, they would still start to worry. Once Cortinas training ends, they would probably immediatelye to check on me. That reminds me, how strong are you now, Den? Me? Yeah. It would be great if youre strong enough to protect yourself. Well, Hastur I mean, Lord Aste is training me, so I can fight to a degree. Is that so? I have no realbat experience, so I cannot dere it with certainty, however. I see. I hoped I could expect things from him in terms ofbat, but my hopes were instantly shot down. No people died as fast as those who were confident in their skills without having actualbat experience. Den didnt seem to be conceited about his skills, but I still had my apprehension. I have to start attending sses tomorrow. Can you remain with Finia as much as possible during then? As you wish. With me? I dont doubt your skill, Finia. But its easier to deal with things with the two of you rather than on your own. We are at the headquarters full of suspicious elements, so we have to stay vignt as much as possible. Understood. I will remain with Den to not worry you, Lady Nicole. That would be for the best. I will try to be with Letina within the academy too. Okay, that would put my mind at ease. Finia gave me a sweet smile. It was silently screaming at me to stay the hell out of danger. I mean, I knew she wouldnt use those exact words, but her silent pressure brought about such an illusion. Chapter 485 The next day, it was time to finally attend the sses properly. There was alchemy credit too this time, and I decided to take it after Letinas insistent rmendation. Since we decided that Letina would act conspicuously while I investigated behind the scenes, it wasnt bad to be in the same ss. And above all, if I took the alchemy credit, it would make it easier to seek information from the person in charge of the chemicals. I first decided to show my face in the staff room and greet the homeroom teacher. The male teacher in question seemed to have fallen for me instantly, but then he went to exin the important point about the transfer, after which we headed to the ssroom. This time I had my eyepatch on, so my charm should not have activated in theory The morning assemblymenced, and the teacher entered first. I was made to wait outside for a little while and then he called me from the inside. Responding to it, I entered the ssroom acting as refined as I could. I turned on thedy mode switch that Maxwell drove into me, and went to stand at the teachers desk with a slightly tensed expression. This is Nicole. She will be studying with you from today. I believe you already know this, but she is the daughter of Lord Lyell and Lady Maria of the Six Heroes, as well as Beriths hero of her own. There are many things to learn from her, so do get along. I shouldnt be the one to speak, but being made to listen to all this made me feel unbelievably embarrassed. I waved my hands in a fluster and interrupted his speech. I felt like I was being made into a spectacle and couldnt calm down. Still, the ss reaction seemed favorable, as I could hear amazing, cute, so big, and so on from here and there. Thest guy, where were you looking when you said that, answer me honestly. Also, Letina seemed quite smug about this for some reason. E-Err Im Nicole. Lets get along from today on. I forcefully bowed my head, hoping to end this mortifying act already. Then, Miss Nicoles seat would be next to Miss Yowi. I hear you were childhood friends? Yes, that will be reassuring. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) It seems that the teacher knew that the two of us were acquaintances too. There werent many students from Raum, the capital, here in the first ce. Raums magic academy also had the senior grade, after all, so there was no point to move all the way here. However, Letina still transferred to investigate Cain. That stood out a lot. It was for that reason that she proposed the idea to act as a decoy. Best regards, Nicole. Yeah, likewise, Letina. The two of us did a showy handshake to pretend like this was our reunion. The teacher left the ssroom once he finished reporting the news of the transfer. As if waiting for that, the students flocked to me. Miss Nicole, please tell me more about the Berith incident! You have such lovely hair. How do you care for it? Is your eye hurt since you wear that eyepatch? What a shame, your visible eye looks so beautiful. You have big *****, can I feel them up? It wasnt just males but even females. I had my charm-restricting eyepatch, but since I exposed it during the previous day at the dormitory, and due to the earlier introduction from the teacher, I couldnt escape drawing attention. There was no point in this suppressing magic item at this point. Also, thatst guy, dont you daree close to me. Leave it at that now, you are confusing her. We still have sses too so return to your seats. Uhh, Im not doing anything special to my hair and my eye is just weak to light. Also, Sullivan, I have to punish you behind the schoolter. Thank you very much! Looks like there was one idiot here that was like Raums Adventurers, but lets leave him be. Letina apparently would give him his due punishmentter. More importantly, sses were beginning now. That meant this was the time I could use to investigate Cains room to my hearts content. I wished to slip away from the sses, but it would be very difficult to do that on my first day here. And discussing that with Letina would be impossible in this situation. Hmm, what to do Look, Nicole is troubled. Shes been frail since the old days and often fainted whenever you let her out of your sight. Oh, really? She sounds like a closeted maiden. Much like her appearance suggests. But I heard she seized the ruffian who tried to attack the Pope in Berith. I want her to seize me too. Someone please throw Sullivan out. Kids this age were too boisterous for Letina to stop them. They showed no signs of dispersing, but then came the sound of the bell for the first ss. What are you people doing! Its a sad state for senior students to be in. The ssrooms door was flung open and the teacher of the first ss entered inside. It was a hysteric-looking woman in her forties, wearing long and narrow sses. Cortina also wore sses sometimes, so it felt somehow nostalgic. She wasnt as hysteric-looking though. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) We had a new student joining us today, right? Have your textbooks arrived? Err, not yet. Is that so? Then have Miss Yowi share hers between you two. Okay. While I was answering the teachers questions, the other students sneakily returned to their seats. The teacher noticed that but there was no need to yell at them for that, so she overlooked it. I pushed my seat closer to Letinas and had her share her textbooks with me. And like this, my transfer matter came to a close. Chapter 486 The ss resumed once the ssroom regained its calm. The first ss was the previously mentioned alchemical pharmacy. A ss to make things like potions. Alright, lets continue from where we previously left off. First, what is the type of nt that is used as a medicinal herb Mr. Maximilliano, answer. Yes, uhh we make it by mixing powdered Millud leaves with the Amur cork trees sap for disinfection, right? Millud powder is for anti-inmmatory use. You forgot the ingredient that heals that essential injury. Miss Yowi, please. It seems that the previous boy referred to as Sullivan was called Maximilliano. He stood up and gave an imperfect answer in confusion. The teacher then asked Letina to supplement his answer. Letina pulled her chair without making a sound and stood up gracefully. She was a beauty in a different sensepared to Finia and Michelle. Her chest remained almost as meager as before, however. We submerge bulrush pollen in a supplementary drug, then take it out and mix it with the aforementioned two drugs, pour magic power to raise the prompt efficiency and it will beplete. Yes, correct. Mr. Maximilliano, review the material better next time. Okaay. We can also mix in jujube which has pain-relieving and fortifying effects. However, mixing that in is quite difficult, you should first do it as the textbook says. Following that, the teacher taught general salve and antidote forms to the students. I noted them down in my notebook while whispering to Letina. I wanna inspect Cains room during the sses. Is there any way I can slip out? Huh, that would be difficult. As it is the teachers job to make the students study, they are very strict at monitoring them. There must be a way. It would be hard to have Finia or Michelle do covert operations. A careless girl like Michelle or Cloud would certainly be unfit for it. But Finia is no good as well? Well, she is originally a maid. It would be hard for her to slip into a locked room. There is the Unlock spell though? Thats from the interference system. She cant use it. Finia specialized in the four elements by borrowing the spirits strength, but she couldnt use the interference system spells, being quite the opposite of me. Her magic was quite versatile, but using just magic to infiltrate would be too unreasonable. I was the specialist in such skills. And I would be worried if I let her investigate the room, so I had to be the one to go. You will certainly be able to do both the infiltration and investigation easily, Nicole Hmm. Letina started thinking once she heard my point. If you were a student, you had to attend the sses. That went for the senior students just the same, so Cain should be in the ss too now. And my extracurricr period also matched with Cains. In other words, when he was not present, I was also restricted. If you do the fainting that you are so skilled at, you should have an excuse to head to the infirmary. Fainting is not something to take pride in, you know? I know that, but you are the only one who can do it frequently enough to warrant that evaluation. I think that is a very biased perception. I did faint frequently during my school days, but my constitution improved, and after continuous training, the present me no longer fainted so easily. Letinas perception just remained as it was in the past. Ive been training myself as an Adventurer three years after that, so that no longer happens. Really? I dont think ones constitution is something that can change. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) While we were engaged in that conversation, the first ss came to an end. It was a break before the next ss now. Normally the students would have flocked to the new transfer like me, but the next ss was about the actualpounding dosages. We had to do it in a well-ventted ce, or the medical contents that evaporated in the air could poison us. I was also guided by Letina to thepounding room. Then we prepared to create the previously-mentioned potion for wounds. With potions, you had to condense and extract the medical effects with magic. For that, we had to prepare Magic Crystals too. The rest of the students had no time to pay me attention as well. They all took their seats and prepared dry leaves and Magic Crystals for the lesson. Letina and I also did the same. Then the bell for the next ss finally rang. The teacher also entered at the same time. He stopped at the teachers desk, then checked if everyone was attending, and quicklymenced thepounding lesson. We created Millud powder thest time, so today we will work on extracting the medical efficacy from bulrush pollen and soaking it in the supplementary drug. The teacher in charge of this ss was a timid-looking male teacher. He exined thepounding process in a businesslike manner and got to work. Amur cork tree is in the medical warehouse. I will have people who extracted the bulrushs medical efficacy topound the injury potion. Miss Nicole was not with us thest time, so have Miss Yowi share some of her Millud powder. Understood. Letina, do you have some to spare? Im d I made arger amount. I have about three sks of it. I took the spare powder from Letina and started extracting the efficacy from bulrush. I chipped off the pollen of the cylindrical bulrush that looked like candy on a small te. The powder drifted into the air which in turn got sucked out through the venttion hole. Cough! It does drift up surprisingly a lot. We put the pollen that we chipped off with the spat in the supplementary liquid and filled it with magic power. Doing so caused the medical efficacy to seep into the supplementary liquid which would be the basis of a potion. But as I was pouring magic power into it, I felt light dizziness. W-What the? My magic power amount was farrger than an average person. This much consumption shouldnt even be noticeable. But my vision blurred and my feet became unsteady. Then I finally noticed. I gathered the pollen and put it in the supplementary liquid as is. During that moment, the pollen that drifted up reacted to my magic power. And I ended up inhaling a lot of that pollen. I inhaled pollen that was filled with magic power and fully released its medical efficacy, poisoning me in the process. Having said that, I couldnt just stop breathing, but pressing a hand on my mouth did nothing much. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Nicole? Noticing my state, Letina came to support my body. But now that I have grown, my body wasnt so light that her arms could support me. Thus we got entangled and fell down. Like this, we luckily managed to slip away from our lessons. I was knocked out in the process, however Chapter 487 Nghh?! I woke up while springing up and immediately checked my surroundings. I was sleeping on a bed with clean closed curtains, and the room was also just as well cleaned up. There was a medicine shelf in the corner of the room and the desk next to it had documents spread on it. Well, in a word, this was the scenery of the medical room that I have witnessed many times during my elementary days. So you are finally awake, Nicole. As I rose up, I saw Letina sitting on a stool at the bedside. She had arms folded at her meager chestwhen I did ittely my ***** sat over my armsand puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction. It was a somewhat childish behavior, but nheless something I was used to, so it calmed me if anything. Are we in the doctors office? That is correct. As for your condition I suppose I dont need to exin. Yeah. Im guessing I got poisoned by the drug, right? Its not a drug that has dependency so shell wake up after sleeping enough, is what the doctor said. Where is that doctor now? She headed out to have lunch earlier. I couldnt believe that they left while they had a patient here, but Letina had been told about my condition and there didnt seem to be any need for nursing, so I suppose that was that. A surprisingly big number of patients visited the doctors office during lunch breaks, so I knew looking at Dr. Tricia that they needed to choose a good time to have their own lunch. But we were talking about that doctor, so she wasnt a good subject to take as a reference. What time is it now? The second period of alchemy practice has ended and its the third period of practical magic theory now. I am here to attend to you. Oh, Im surprised the teachers let you. Letina was healthy, so it wouldnt have been strange for them to have told her to leave the rest to the doctor and return to the ss. To my doubt, she puffed her chest while her arms remained folded, and dered proudly. This level of practical magic theory is not even worth attending. I have already disyed my power to them on the first day of transfer. What in the world did you do? I just did a mock battle against a teacher and scored three consecutive victories. Oof Though Letina didnt have a Gift, she had an affinity with the fire attribute and polished her skill alongside the rest of us. Teachers who were acting like the kings of the hill wouldnt be able to match up to her, whose ability was backed up by real experience. Getting beaten by a student in front of your students would normally break a persons will. I was both exasperated at Letina for doing that and also impressed at the teacher for enduring it. That teacher quit the next day though. I did reflect a little after that. A little? You acted like a fiend no matter how you look at it Anyway, setting that aside It really wasnt a good thing to do, but that was unrted to our goal at hand. More importantly, this could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Cain should be out right now, so I could go and inspect his room. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Also, on the topmost floor of the dorm he lived in, there were also rooms for servants other than students. In other words, the servants shouldnt be in his room unless they were doing the cleaning. A prideful noble wouldnt let any servant in his room. Since they would only be let inside with permission, there was a high chance that it was currently empty. Letina and I who didnt get angry when they visited us all the time were rare exceptions. So what time is it now? It has been about ten minutes since the third period started. Wait, do you mean Yeah. I cant let a chance like this go. Then Ille too She replied in a bored tone, but even if she was a skilled magician, she was no spy. Even if his room may be empty, that didnt mean the top floor itself was the same. It would just be dangerous to bring her along when she wasnt skilled in this area. Besides, theres no telling when the doctor will be back. I need a stand-in. You ask for the impossible. The two of us differ greatly in both appearance and height. And chest size. Grrr She jabbed at my low height, so I returned it with the one aimed at her chest. Though this kind of damaged me too. Anyway, there was no time for that now. Letina, take this. This is a ring? Yeah. Its a magic item that can create illusions. If you transform into me with that, you should be able to trick the doctor. Where did you get such a valuable item? Uhh Well, I adventured a lot once we parted, so I just obtained it during that time. Uh-huh. She stared at it for some time, finding out about this ring for the first time, but then she quickly put it on with no hesitation, ran her magic through it, and assumed my form. How is it? Do I look like you, Nicole? Hmm, arent I a bit taller? No, you are definitely this tall. Really? I think I am a little taller but I had no time to get pedantic here. Besides, the doctor saw me for the first time, so the difference in height that was within the measurement error should not get caught. Oh well. Ill be off then. Please dont make your typical blunder now. Dont call it typical! I frowned and pulled my tongue at her, then jumped out of the window. I didnt leave through the door because I wanted to avoid the risk of running into other students. Even if they were in sses, there could be someone who lost consciousness simrly to me being carried here. But if I left through the window, there should be no one visiting the backyard at this time. Of course, the possibility wasnt zero in either case, but I judged the backyard to be the safer option. Chapter 498 The ones standing at the front were Cloud and me. I pulled out my katana while Cloud set up his shield side by side. The reason we spread out like that was so the enemy would not be able to slip behind us. Celica and Zanastia were focused on magic so they were behind. Sullivan on the other hand insisted on being a mid-range attacker. Okay, Zanastia and Celica, you attack from behind. Letina Please call me Zanas, okay? O-Okay. Err, Letina, remain as a support in case anything happens. Can you do it? No problem at all. As for Michelle Michelles eyes glittered as she made a fist at my call. She was overflowing with motivation. Did she really wanna eat that bird so much? I bet she did. Leave it to me! Youll just one-shot it, so stand by. Boo. Her skill was already among the best. If she participates, it would end in an instant. This was an assignment from the academy, so doing that would be a bit awkward. No need to sound so dejected, we wont let it go. But you tend to be careless, Nicole. In the elementary grade, I was seen as a closeted maiden desperately trying to be a vanguard she wasnt used to being, but I wouldnt make such a blunder that Id let a Raum Pheasant go. Catching that bird did need a bit of skill, but nothing too difficult. Okay, listen. When youre hunting a Raum Pheasant, you either need to take it down with one move, or if you cant, deal a weak enough attack to make it think it can take you on. If you do that, it wille rushing towards you on its own. Then, wouldnt it be faster if I attack it? Again, there would be no point in this assignment if you do that. I know you can probably take it down with one move, Letina, but hold back this time. If you think it will run, then you can shoot. Alright. Letina nodded without opposition, but hearing that, Celica raised her voice looking nervous. Please wait! That would mean the two of us have to take on the attacker roles. Yeah. Honestly, Both Letina and Michelle can easily take down an enemy of that level. And Im the same. T-Then you three should If we do that, that wont help you at all. Ughh?! If we defeated the targets while theysimply watched, people could object that they just leeched off us and didnt finish the assignment. If we all y our roles to a degree, they can avoid nder from other students. Its okay. We have Cloud so you wont get injured, and if it is about to escape, Letina and Michelle will defeat it. Really? It has been some time since she transferred to this senior academy. Everyone in the ss got to know how amazing her skill was during this time. I also had outstanding marks as far as knowledge went. I made some blunders with the alchemy that I wasnt used to, but I was just doing it for fun. Then I will give it my all You dont have to do that for an enemy of that level. You should be fine with your skill, Celica. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Even she had quite good results in our ss. Unlike me who could only use the interference magic, she was iparably superior. I, unfortunately, didnt know Zanastias ability, but Raum Pheasant could be defeated by Celica alone. Then here we go! While ncing at the tense duo, I picked up a stone smaller than my fist and closed the distance with the Raum Pheasant. Then threw it before it even noticed me. It was first surprised and jumped up from the branch where it sat, but once it realized that my attack only amounted to a weak stone throw, it gave a threatening cry. Even so, I didnt stop throwing stones. That seemed to piss it off, it spread its wings and swooped down. Luring sess! I yelled and jumped back. Cloud stood there with his shield on, so I switched ces with him. The Raum Pheasant failed to adjust to the recement of the target and grazed the shields surface with a loud scratching sound. But the shield that was maintained by God Hastur, even if its surface was just iron, offered much more defensive power. The Raum Pheasant failed to pierce the Evil Dragons leather lining of the shield, so it gave up and tried to fly away. But then I yelled, intent not to give it that chance. Celica, now! O-Okay! Responding to my voice she hurriedly started to construct a magic circle. But her actions were quite crude, so it seemed like it would escape at this rate. Thus, I made a big jump and shed its wing at its base. This part was the point used for pping the wings, so wounding it meant it would be unable to fly properly. Inded on my knee. Then the Raum Pheasant came falling down on me. Uwah!? I didnt expect it to juste crashing down, so I hurriedly rolled to the side. If I got carelessly pinned under it, its giant ws could wound me. When I took distance, Celica and Zanastias spells were finally finished. Both of them released the Firebolt spell that shot fire bullets. Theynded on the fallen Raum Pheasant in session. But that wasnt enough tond the finishing blow. It got burned all over its body and gave a cry of agony as it tried to get up while writhing in pain. Then Cloud decided to use his shield to push it to the ground, but it didnt seem like he would make it in time. Letina, naturally, was ready for this. Her spell was already constructed and only needed to be released. She just needed to put an end to itjust as I was thinking that, something unexpected happened. The Raum Pheasant that was trying to escape had a steel thread twined around its wing. Michelle and Cloud looked at me for a moment, but it didnt belong to me. Looking behind, I saw Sullivan manipting a single thread. Oh, so you were a thread user I have the Thread Maniption Gift. I can only use one thread, but its handy in these situations. He responded not with his usual frivolous tone but an unusually serious one. Still, he had quite good judgmental skills for him to interfere during that perfect timing. The Raum Pheasant lost the strength to run away and had fallen to the ground. It only needed a finishing blow, but when I looked at Celica and Zanastia, they were stiffened in ce without even managing to fire their spells, perhaps seized by fear from seeing the pheasant squirm on the ground. Well, I guess thats what youd expect from sheltered princesses. I muttered to myself and switched the grip on my katana. Perhaps Letina, who could deal the finishing blow without trouble, was the odd one among the noble girls. I approached the squirming Raum Pheasant, raised the katana that I held in a reverse grip, and stabbed it at the base of its neck. Having its throat pierced, the pheasant couldnt even raise its dying scream, and after convulsing a few times, it stopped moving. And with that, the first battle of our party came to an end. Chapter 499 For the two hours after that, we kept wandering around inside the forest and defeated a giant snake called Viper as well as a wolf called Forest Wolf. We finished our three battles, so though it was a little early, we decided to return back to the teacher. There was still about half an hour left until the time limit, so we were the only ones to return so far. Oh, youre back? That was a bit too fast. Did you retire? No, we finished our assignment. We showed the monster parts to the teacher. For the Raum Peasant and Viper, it was part of their meat. For the Forest Wolf, we brought its fangs. Peasant and snake meat was of course edible. The fangs could be used in weapons or ornaments too. Those are quite the small fry. Well, there was no restriction on which enemies to fight. The teacher looked at me with great interest as he heard my answer. After observing me for a while, he gave an impish grin. Okay then, you have some good promise. You may rest. Okaay. It seemed that we passed without problems, so we could feel at ease now. Celica and Zanastia who hadplex expressions also sighed in relief. But was it really alright this way? I said it before, but there was no need to go out of our way to hunt big prey. Those haughty nobles might do that, but you have to start with reasonable enemies, right? This guy When he sees a cute girl he starts to act pretentious. I understand where hesing from, but Michelle would get jealous so I wish he controlled himself. Also, Sullivan, you should also control yourself. Letina had no chance to show off because of your excessive actions. Seeing us like that, Celica started to giggle. You are quite close, huh. With Cloud? I mean, hes arade. I dont mean that. How should I put it its like you have a good affinity? Ah, well No, never mind. I was about to say that I was a man at the core, but hurriedly stopped myself. Certainly, since I understood a mans feelings, I had quite low mental fences in that regard. Given that she was a girl through and through, it wasnt unreasonable for her to misunderstand our rtionship. But theres not a single chance that I would end up with Cloud, like ever. And Sullivan ispletely out of the question. Youre that against it?! Cloud screamed at my clear rejection. I would never date a man, so this was one thing Id never yield on. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Then, I felt human presence approaching us. It seemed that the other group had returned. Come on, move it! Were almost at the campgrounds! Ouchh Carry me a little more gently. Stop whining. We cut short our assignment due to your blunder! It looked like one of the Adventurers had injured his shoulder, while another one was tending to him. And I saw the students they were in charge of were badmouthing them. The teacher also noticed that and rushed to take a look. Are you okay? Yeah, Im fine or not really, but nothing life-threatening. Can you use recovery magic? Weve run out of potions on hand. You cant even recover yourselves? Man, we sure pulled in some ipetent Adventurers. Neglecting recovery necessities was certainly something I could notmend, for an Adventurer, their body was their capital. That said, it wasnt something the students, who were the ones being protected, were qualified to criticize. Because the injury they suffered was to protect those very students. Even if that was their work, it was too cruel to criticize them for it. Yeah, I can use the basic Heal spell. Wait a bit. I will help. I can use Cure Light and Comfort. Thanks. Recovery magic couldnt be used in session. The wound would be closed in an instant, but until its effect ended, a simr healing spell would be ineffective. Even if that took only one or two minutes, that was still a fatal time in the middle of a battle. As such, it was better to have more variations of healing spells. Marias repertoire of such spells was extremelyrge. The teacher used Heal, while I ovepped it with Cure Light. These two were different spells, so they could work together. You saved me there. Thanks. Do you feel strange anywhere? No, nothing in particr. Youre very skilled. Its nothing special. The healing power of the interference healing spells was by no means high. As my magic power grew, so did its healing power bit by bit, but the teachers Heal did most of the healing. But he still called out to me like that Which was probably because I was a girl now. His face seemed quite flushed, but lets just say it was due to the injury. Considering anything else would just give me goosebumps. While we did this, the time limit seemed to have ended, so the students started to return one after another. The Adventurers looked quite fatigued, having learned thoroughly how exhausting it was to act with the noble boys. Once everyone returned, the teacher summed up the results. In the end, it was only us and one more party that managed to clear the assignment. The remaining five parties either didnt make it in time, or couldnt continue due to the Adventurer getting seriously injured. Looks like all of youre back, huh? Well, it was your first expedition, so its natural that you failed to aplish it. But Ill still say thisthe Adventurers got injured far too much. This just shows how hard it was to cover for you. The nobles who werent used to being scolded started to frown, but no one was stupid enough to snap at the teacher. Okay, lets return to the academy. After the lunch break, sum up the points you need to reflect on and report it to me. Todays afternoon hours were reserved for that. Though we aplished our assignment, there were noticeable problems. There would be no problem if we just submit them in one go. Both the students who failed their assignment and the Adventurers protecting them returned back to the academy with tired gaits. But this was also a valuable experience. They experienced the difficulties of Adventurers. Employing people was something that they would experience many times in their life. Adventurers, too, were able to learn how selfish the nobles could be. This was probably not the only time they would have to deal with nobles, so it shouldve been a valuable experience. As such, this lesson was perhaps the most valuable so far. Chapter 500 When Finia finished tidying up Letinas room, she cleaned Nicoles room along with Den. Den could do that much himself of course, but a girls room had ces that needed special attention. Thus, he asked Finia to help him with that part. Besides, I have to make sure Lady Nicoles identity remains a secret too. She muttered to herself while cleaning the room alone. She didnt know Dens circumstances, so she was trying hard to hide the fact that Nicole was Reid. Naturally, Den had already heard from the Wind God that Nicole was Reid, so there was no need for that. Den was cleaning the vicinity of the simple kitchen, so he couldnt hear it. Still, Nicole ordered them to stay together as much as possible, so this was a good situation. They could be together for a natural-looking reason, so no one would find it suspicious. Lady Finia, do you have a moment? Hyah, yes? Den addressed even her with a polite tone, so she responded quite tensed. He showed his face from the kitchen with an empty jar in his hand. We ran out of the scented tea leaves, so I would like to go and buy it. Ah, Lady Nicole sure drinks it a lot. Understood, lets go together then. Much obliged. Even Den wasnt familiar with the type of tea leaves that Nicole preferred. Finia, being Nicoles long-time caretaker, was the winner when it came to such things. She quickly removed her apron, then headed to take her wallet and a shopping basket from her room which was opposite Letinas, getting ready to head out. Den also finished preparations in the meantime, and once they firmly locked their masters and their own rooms, they headed out of the dorm. Incidentally, the owners of said rooms, Nicole and Letina, also had keys on them, so there was no problem in locking the room. Nicole, in particr, could easily open a lock of this level too. As they walked through the streets, Finia could feel the stares pricking them from all around. Den was a handsome boy at a nce, so coupled with Finia, they were enhancing each other into a picturesque sight. Thest time they headed out to the city, Nicole and Letina looked suspicious with their hoods on, so it served to offset the image. Finia stole nces around, and as expected, detected suspicious people at the back of alleys and such. Clearly suspicious people were lurking here and there. Realizing that, she unconsciously reached out to the dagger on her waist. Dens sharp eyes didnt miss that. Is anything the matter? No. I just thought it was a scary city. Yes, the public order is quite bad. This way, please. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Den invited her to the middle part of the road. It was his consideration to get her as away from the unpopted back alleys as possible. Thus, the two bought the tea leaves in question along with some daily necessities, and headed back to the dorms. However, three men suddenly appeared to block their way. Hey there. Stop for a moment, youngdy. Kyah?! Finia gave a small yelp as they almost collided, and stopped in ce. Den quickly pulled her hand and covered for her. They remembered these three men. They were the drunkards they got involved with thest time. They assumed an encircling position around them and pressured them into heading towards the back alley. Finia and Den stepped back to not oppose them, and ultimately were forced into the alley. The passersby naturally noticed that, but they passed by without doing anything. W-What do you want? Finia asked in a somewhat frightened voice, while the men smirked in response. Given her strength, she could easily deal with the thugs of this level, but as her personality wasnt suited for violence, she hesitated to do so until they resorted to violence. Moreover, the men were all armed and had swords on their waist, which added to her anxiety. We just want you to pay a little for before. One of them reached out towards her with a stered smile. But she was different from a town girl whod stay frightened, so she reflexively defended herself. She quickly caught the hand that reached out to her while ignoring Den, and twisted it. Gahhh!? The man screamed and fell forward along with the twist. As he was slouched, Finia drove her elbow in his neck. Yahh! Agh-! The man fell on the ground without even realizing how he got defeated. Seeing that, blood rushed to the other two mens heads. This fucking slut! Another one pulled out the sword on his waist and tried to sh at Finia, but Den got in the way. He took a sideways posture and easily dodged the sh. Not only that, he even covered the distance with a half step and drove a chop into his throat. Getting his throat smitten, the man fell down with a somersault, not even managing to scream. His life wasnt in danger, but depending on how damaged his throat was, his breathing would be hindered. Do you still want to go? Khh Finia asked slightly out of breath due to the sudden battle. However, the man was not in a state to notice that tone. Having two of his friends taken down instantly and being the only one left, he finally realized that they had underestimated them as just a boy-girl pair. Shit, if itse to this Being pressed into an overwhelming disadvantage, he pulled out a small bottle from his pocket. He removed the plug with used movements and poured it into his mouth. This happened too smoothly for Finia and Den to stop him, so they could only stand and watch. Gh.GHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!! Along with that scream, the mans body started to swell up. It was a phenomenon caused by his muscles expanding unnaturally. The capiries in his eyeballs started to get torn and the whites of his eyes were being dyed in red. Khi.Khihihihihihihihihi The man faced the two with bloodshot eyes and drool spilling from his mouth. There was not a fragment of reason remaining in his expression. I used the three portions of thedrugin one go. Its easy tostrangleyou now He spoke with a muffled voice. The muscles on his neck were also abnormally swollen, so he couldnt make proper sounds. In this state, he no longer held the fragment of memories from earlier when they nned to y with Finia. I will kill you.KillKILL BREAK DESTROY AND END IT AAAAAAAAALLLL! Along with his shriek, he swung down his sword. At the same time, Den kicked Finia aside, while also jumping back from the recoil. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) My apologies. Kyah?! A momentter, the sword passed where they had just been standing. The swing from that strangely stretched arm easily pulverized the stone pavement and produced a shock wave. The wave traveled through the pavement and blew the two copsed men away. Finia and Den who withdrew to a safe distance saw that the recoil from it had pulverized his own arm. Looks like he is no longer a human. Which means there is no need to hold back anymore. Den muttered quietly, but took a big step, and then kicked off the ground with a powerful and violent step. He drew so close to the man their noses almost touched, and then with his fist raised upright, he drove a peculiar punch into the men. The destructive power produced by his stance was as strong no, even stronger than the mans sword attack, and it was concentrated on one point. An instantter, the mans body burst open as if pierced by a battering ram, and arge hole opened up in his torso. Kh? Having the area near his lungs and diaphragm blown away, the man couldnt even speak words, and raised a snore-like groan as he looked down on his body. He had a face as if he had finally awakened from a trance and realized his own situation. N-No way With that final mutter, the man tumbled down. Fuh. Looks like this ended without problems. Wait, Den, arent you super strong?! Huh? Ah, yes. Lord Hastur is training me, after all. More importantly, it might be better to leave this ce quickly. Finia finally noticed the situation at Dens words. There were too many destructive traces and battle sounds to call this a simple quarrel. The people around started to fear and peeked their faces to check the situation. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) At this rate, they would be taken away by the guards and questioned thoroughly. That could influence Nicole and Letina badly too. L-Lets go. That would be for the best. The two left the ce behind, leaving the mans corpse be. Convinced that the citizens who were pretending not to see this and looked away would not be able to remember their faces. Chapter 501 By the time I returned to the academy, I couldnt find Den anywhere. I found it doubtful that he wasnt there waiting for me like a watchdog, and I started to imagine something bad. To confirm his safety, immediately rushed to Finias side. When I arrived at Letinas room which was a little away, the door of Finias room on the opposite side opened and Letina rushed out from inside. Letina, are you okay? Nicole! Im fine. But I cant find Finia anywhere. Shes not in your room either? Den isnt anywhere either. Dont tell me Finia wasnt present. That made my imagination worsen. I was fearing whether Cain did something to Finia and Den as a way to keep us in check. I didnt think hed resort to something so direct, but there was still a faint possibility. Anyway, lets search for them inside the dorms! Alright! We walked in the hallway at a fast pace, not even changing our uniforms. Running in the hallway was banned, so we just walked as fast as we could. Otherwise, if the dorm mother caught us, it would just waste our time. Still, something was wrong with the current situation. I also asked Letina, but there were no traces of battle inside the rooms, nor were there any notes left behind. Finia would have left something like that, and if the enemy did something to her to keep us in check, the room would have been ravaged, and there would be no point in it without leaving a warning behind. The room was properly cleaned. Which means they were safe while doing that. Yes, my room was also well-cleaned. Then they disappeared not too long ago. The cleaning tools have also been put away, so it shouldve taken quite some time. It happened within the past three hours at the longest. Three hours Thats a strange time scope. Especially for Finia. Finia was a woman. Even if she was alive, she could be hurt in a different way. To be specific, her chastity and such. Given Cains lecherous gaze, that risk was quite high. As we hurried impatiently, we reached the stairs, but then someone carefreely called out to us from the above floor. Looking there, it turned out to be Cain. Oh my. Where could you two beautifuldies be heading to? You! Where is Finia? I restrained Letina who was about to snap at him and asked while acting calm. If we aggravated the situation here, not just Finia, even Letina could be in danger. Finia If I remember correctly, she is Lady Letinas servant, yes? Unfortunately, I have not seen her today. So you may not have seen her, butsomeone elsehas, is that right? I probed him while suppressing my emotions. If I angered him here, Finia and Dens safety wouldnt be guaranteed. They are also servants, after all. I cannot deny the possibility that mysubordinatesmay have seen her. Do I interpret this as a warning? Now, what could you mean by that? Cain shrugged his shoulders in great exaggeration. Frankly, I was on the verge of breaking his neck. But that way I wouldnt be able to fulfill Letinas request and Finias well-being would also be doubtful. I had to hold back here for the time being. Hmm, it would appear that you cannot find your servants and are worried. It could be that they are simply out shopping? I hope that is the case. How kind of you to worry so much for your subordinates. I pray that you find them soon. Thank you. Cain headed downstairs while leaving a meaningful smile behind. After seeing his back off with our eyes, we resumed Finia and Dens search. We first had to check the ces they could have passed. The first thing that came to mind was the kitchen, so we headed there. We hurriedly got down the stairs and headed to the entrance hall. Then, just as we were about to turn the corner towards the kitchen, the entrance door opened. Ah, Lady Nicole, Lady Letina. Where are you heading to? Finia?! Are you looking for tea perhaps? Im sorry, I just bought the leaves, so I shall prepare it at once. Y-You were shopping? Oh, yes. Ah, thats right, I have something to report to you! She said that innocently and pumped a fist in anger. She didnt seem to be injured anywhere. Sigh, for the time being, Im d youre safe. But if you n to head out, at least leave a note behind, will you? Ah, my apologies. I nned to return sooner, so Lady Nicole, we have things to report regarding that. The contents of the matter areplicated so let us return to the room first. Den interjected while Finia was looking sorry. Since he, who usually stayed reserved, did that, something probably happened that he didnt want anyone else to hear. Got it. Anyway, Im d youre safe. Give me the details once we return to the room. Yes. Can you join us too, Lady Letina? Of course! Like this, we returned to my room with Finia and Den. Still it seemed that we really did use Cain falsely earlier. I really didnt want to do it, but I might need to apologize for my rude attitude. Chapter 502 When we returned to the room, Finia told us what happened during their shopping. How they got involved with the drunkards from before, brought into an alley, and were attacked by a monstrous being after one of the men devoured a strange drug. If I heard it in any other town, I wouldveughed it off as a joke. But anything could happen in this city. Is that the drug the Lamech family is dealing in? Im not sure about that, but his strength was already beyond that of a human. In pure destructive power, he could even match up to Lord Lyell. Woah. Being hisrade, I knew very well how strong Lyell was. He held the Gift of Combat Tactics which allowed him to instinctively make the best move in any situation, but he didnt have any Gift that boosted his attack power. The reason behind his abilities was that he utilized the Gift of Toughness to the extreme, and trained to the point that a normal human wouldve long copsed. His forged body, coupled with the heirloom Holy Swords power, granted him an unrivaled level of lethality. If someone matched up to him, that someone would no longer be human. It would be at a level where Im not sure Id be able to exceed even with full strengthening. But then, Den went booom, and took him down with one move! He was super strong! Huh, Den, really? Seeing Finias somewhat excited attitude, I felt a little jealous towards Den. Its like, she was always focused entirely on me, so I really didnt like her looking at other men. If youre that strong, would you like to have a match? That would be impossible. I will die so please stop. Why? If what Finia said is true, it should be a decent match, right? My power is something superficial. It is dependent on my basic physical abilities and the strengthening magic and hand-to-handbat that Lord Hastur taught me. That will not allow me to take you on at all, Lady Nicole. Is that so? Den had evolved into a superior species from an Ogre. His physical abilities were by no means inferior to what they used to be, even if his body grew smaller. Rather, with his excess flesh gone, his body could now output the power with the highest efficiency. He was like weapons in that regard. At first, they tended to be bulky and full of inefficiency. Then they would be adjusted to a big size that offered power. And finally, they would narrow to a size that offered the highest efficiency. Monsters were simr to that. When one was an Ogre, they had an unnecessarily big size and power that did not fit their size. As they evolved into a High Ogre, Ogre General, and so on, their body grewrger and stronger. However, when they reached an Ogre Lord, their body instead grew smaller, which apparently allowed them to output their power with the highest efficiency. Adding body strengthening magic and hand-to-handbat to that shouldve made him a good opponent for me. Lady Nicoles powerbat skills have been forged and polished formanyyears. I who only dabbled in it for a few years could not possibly Really? Well, if you arent willing Im not going to force you. Anyway, what Finia said matters more now. We digressed, but I wanted to investigate where that medicine came from. But they were already dead, and the guards probably already recovered their corpses too. If possible, I wanted to investigate the said drug bottle. There were too many eyes on us, so I forgot to retrieve it. My apologies. No, its better than drawing too much attention towards you two. Still, I wish those three were simply doing this for revenge. It would be far too convenient for them to obtain that drug at such a timing. The effects of it are also too dangerous. He seemed to havepletely lost his reason. If something like that spread in the city, it would lead to an uproar. Letina and Finia presented their respective takes. Certainly, some time had passed since they made a move on us, but it hasnt been that long ago. Obtaining a dangerous drug in such a short time felt far too convenient as Letina said. Theres also its effect too. If a medicine that destroyed someones humanity spread around, we couldnt even guarantee the citys safety. I didnt know what kind of drug it was, but if overdose leads to getting turned into a monster, it will be like keeping monsters inside the city. Is there a possibility that only those men were given drugs with such drastic effects? You mean the distributor did it intentionally? Letina and my face were seen back then too. If they were aiming at us, making that move seems likely. Letina was convinced, but honestly, even I was only half-convinced in my own statement. In the first ce, Cain still hadnt taken a clearly antagonistic attitude towards us so far. I checked his room, but I didnt make any blunder that would reveal my identity. Earlier I couldnt think clearly because I didnt know Finia and Dens whereabouts, but thinking back, there was no reason to deliberately target them. Could it be that something happened that had him zero in on us? If thats the case, we have to be extra careful from now on. Yeah. You should be careful too, Finia, Den. We should warn Michelle and Cloud too. Then I shall go and tell them. Den stood up at my words. But I grabbed his hand and made him sit. Calm down. As I already said, we have to be careful, so I cant have you acting alone. But I who excels in covert operations should be the one to go instead. If I used my Stealth Gift, some students would be unable to detect me. In other words, as long as it wasnt revealed that I left my room, I could head outside. Not to mention, I had my illusion ring on me too now. If I just assumed a different appearance, the possibility of being targeted would be negligible. But Lady Nicole, going alone would be I excel at independent actions. You should know that too, Den. He was at God Hasturs side. In other words, he was also near Whiteythe God of Destruction, so he should have heard of my life before reincarnating. As such, he should be well aware of my ability as Reid. Yes, of course. But still. You really are a worrywart. I do get it though. Then lets all go togetherter. That would put me at ease. It has been quite some time since I moved into the dormitory. The excuse that I needed daily necessities would no longer work to slip out. But I still had my ways to deal with it. If I just break one leg of a chair, I could slip out under the pretext of doing repairs on it. And naturally, taking my servant along to carry the luggage wouldnt be unnatural either. Like that, we decided to head out to the city once again. Chapter 503 Being wary of Cain doing something, the four of us left for the city together. On the way, we also headed to where Finia and Den were attacked, but the road was already cleaned up and several guards were patrolling there. Finia tried to hide her face while looking nervous, but Den looked quite calm. Looks like she stillcked this type of boldness. Finia, youre wearing a hood, so no need to be so nervous, you know? The way she was desperately pulling down her hood was like a child pulling down her hat, and looked cute. But doing that attracted more attention so I wanted her to stop. Hearing my warning, she let go of her hood, but this time she started dusting her mantle off. Looks like she really couldnt calm down. Den, where was the bottle in question fallen? It looks like it has already been collected. Hearing my question, Den looked over the blocked street and answered. AD As expected, they recovered it as important evidence, I guess? If so, then sneaking into the guard post to reim it could be a way Hmm, I guess Ill go break into the guard posts safe. Lady Nicole, you sounded like a total criminal there. Just who do you think I am? Being originally an assassin, I was unmistakably a criminal. Sneaking in a guard post and stealing a piece of evidence barely made a difference at this point. But well, that could bring trouble to Lyell and Maria in this life, so I had to proceed carefully. In any case, if that important bottle wasnt here, there was no need to overstay any longer. Lets go. If we keep standing for too long, well get suspected instead. O-Okay. Finia replied with a restless voice. Letina also refrained from speaking and just nodded a little. We continued on the main street for some time after that, and entered one of the inns that faced the street. There were inns on the side streets too, but frankly, the safety of those were pretty unreliable. We decided to rent one on the main street, even at a higher price. AD Good morning. Is Michelle or Cloud around? I asked as socially as I could to the auntie doing register work at the counter. Since I periodically visited this ce, we were already acquaintances. Oh, Nicole, wee. Michelle and Cloud said some emergency work came up and rushed out in the morning. Urgent work? Weve known each other for a long time. But they never rushed away duringmissions like this. I felt a little anxious, but since the receptionist saw it actually happen, they werent taken captive or anything, so I could rx. Luggage carrying was probably rted to my request for them to investigate the mass consumption of the masks. Oh right, Michelle left you a note. The auntie took out a sealed letter from under the counter and passed it to me. It was sealed with a wax that had aplex pattern on it. This was one of the ornaments of the Third Eye. Since Michelle had no family crest, she used this method instead. There were no signs of it having been open of course. Thus, I quickly unsealed it and checked the contents. Lets see AD There apparently was a trader that delivered arge number of masks, and that trader needed urgent hands to deliver a sudden big order, so the two immediately headed to participate. Following that, she also wrote that due to helping with stocking up and guarding, they would be out of town for two-three days, and also an apology for not telling in person. Incidentally, at the end there was an illustration of Michelle and Cloud doing an apology gesture. She was pretty good at drawing. Cain wasnt aware of them, and their current work was also just helping with the delivery of goods, so there shouldnt be any battles involved. I see. Its bad that we cant meet, but there doesnt seem to be any danger this way, so I guess itll put me at ease? Auntie, what do you think of this Theodora Clothing store? Hmm, its a major clothingpany. They have no influence, but it has a little too high a threshold for us to approach it. Are they dealing with expensive clothes? Yes, even noble men visit it, so we could even run into them if our timing is bad and get into trouble. That makes it a little difficult. I see I wonder if Michelle will be fine. Michelle was a beauty despite everything. Since her chest attracted the most attention, she didnt stand out as much as Finia and I. Or rather, I guess she stood out even more to a particr type of people, but that made me a bit worried whether some perverted nobles eyes would fall on her. Well, Cloud is there so it should be alright. He is a good man both in looks and heart. Cloud? Well, I guess Hes been running into a lot of indecent topics as ofte, but he was still keeping some eptable moderation at least. If not, Id have kicked him out of our group. In that aspect, I valued him highly. In any case, I judged that there was no danger to the delivery of goods, so we decided to return back to the dorm. Weve been in this aunties care for some time, so I should consider a way to repay her in some way. Chapter 504 Come midnight, I sneaked out of the room. That said, I still let Den know, since hed worry if I left without saying anything. I was in my familiar dark blue clothes and cloak. I wrapped my scarf with Purify effect around my head like a turban to cover my face. The safety wasnt good in this city to begin with, so there was iparably low traffic at night to Raum or Stor. My destination tonight was the guard post. Needless to say, my goal was the small bottle that they recovered. ording to Den, the man drank the contents of it in one gulp, but I doubt it waspletely empty down to thest drop. Plus, even something dried and stuck inside of it would work too. I wanted to get to the core of thisdrugthat they were making. I arrived near the post that was close to the gate, and peered in from a window. The guardrooms were generally near the gates. This was because the trouble was usually caused by people arriving from outside of the city. Of course, in the case of wide cities, they were also spread throughout the area, but this was the closest to the back alley where Finia and Den got into the incident. Besides, if I dont recover it soon, it might get passed to some weird ce. I didnt know the true nature of thatdrug, but they tended to pass it to an exclusive department to appraise the contents of such things. It would just make my infiltration moreborious to sneak into such a facility. And in the worst case, it could even arrive back in Cains hands. If possible, I want to recover it now while I could. That was the reason behind me making a move tonight. Based on what I saw through the window, there were three guards inside. This city had incessant troubles even during the night, so the guards were constantly stationed at guard posts, ready to deal with the problems. However, their morale was low and they gave off anguid atmosphere, which was vastly different from Raums guards. After some time, two of them entered the nap room, while the remaining one drank water-distilled alcohol while sitting on a chair. Now, I just need to deal with that guy somehow, but what should I do? The other two were napping so they werent a problem. That left the guard that was neglecting his duties and drinking. From what I could see, there was no safe in there, but there was some wicker hamper box. I wanted to take him out without getting spotted but then, a sudden idea came to my mind. With a slightly evil smile, I took out a certain tool from my belt pouch. This will work. What I took out was a powdered something. This was the excess bulrush pollen from the time I was making an anti-injury potion. By running magic power in it and dissolving its efficacy in water, you create a potion. But I remembered how I passed out due to magic power poisoning when I neglected the importance of venttion. It was tasteless and odorless until it made you dizzy, so I didnt even notice the danger. If I used that inside this room, he would also get poisoned and get knocked out. I promptly filled the small pack of bulrush powder with excess magic power, and threw it in from the window. Some pollen scattered around me too, but I was using a scarf with Purify, so the poisonous elements near my face were purified without allowing any to pass. After some time, the guards face started to hang down while he shook his head and raised it back. Shit, did I drink too much I dont feel so He spoke while looking unsteady. I remembered that state well. It was the initial symptom of the poisoning. Since it was tasteless and odorless, there were practically no subjective symptoms. Isnt this pollen actually quite a dangerous drug if you make it overreact with magic power? While I was pondering on that, the guard limped over on the table as if copsing. He didnt show signs of waking up, so I invaded through the window. I didnt forget to get rid of the mud on my shoes. Footprints could get me identified, after all. Once I made sure that he wasnt waking up, I quickly started my search. Having said that, it was just a guard post so there were not many ces to search. There was one chest with documents and small articles, a bookshelf, and a small wicker hamper with a lock. I judged they would have put the bottle there, so I started to work on the lock. A wicker hamper was a crude box made by weaving vines, so it wasnt something youd put valuable items in. Of course, the bottle was important to me, but the guards who didnt know anything mightve considered it nothing more than garbage. Since they took it as a piece of evidence anyway, I could see why they would put it inside this kind of box. Well, thanks to that, it made my work easy. I took out wire and a needle pick from my pouch and tinkered with the lock for a few minutes. The lock soon opened and I could now inspect the contents. There were clothes that seemed toe from those men, as well as broken swords and such. In the corner, I discovered a small ss bottle. Is it this? I put on gloves just in case and picked it up. The guards probably touched it all over already, so it was probably pointless, but just in case. I put a potion bottle in ce of it inside the box. This was something we used during the potion-making inside the academy, but it could also be bought in the city, so no one should trace its origin. I erased the traces of my search, put the lock back on, and started cleaning up. I opened the window wide and ventted the ce well, then put the scarf on the fainted guard for a few seconds. With that, the poisoning should be gone and he should wake up after some time. The reason why this dangerous drug wasnt deemed dangerous was that the poisoning didnt endanger a persons life, and they could easily recover. It would be bad if the two in the napping room noticed the situation and came to check what was going on, so I quickly made my exit through the window. It wouldve been too risky if I just boldly walked from the front. After all, I looked like a suspicious fellow with the way I had my face hidden under the scarf. I erased the footsteps outside the window, then was about to close itbut stopped. If I closed it, the guard inside could get poisoned once again. Well, I didnt leave any traces inside, and theres nothing missing inside on the surface, so they shouldnt get suspicious with just a window being open. Chapter 505 I quickly returned to my room in the dormitory, and tried to inspect the bottle contents. That said, I couldnt really learn any details in this room. At most, I could tell that there was a little bit of the liquid left inside. Den noticed that I returned and stayed beside me in case something happened. It looks like your average potion bottle from the outside. Is it the same one they use in the academy? There does not seem to be any differences at a nce. Its made of porcin so it would be hard to trace the material origin. And there are a few drops left inside. Are you going to inspect it? I wouldnt be able to find out much here. Then again, I cant use the academy facilities, and neither do I have such technical knowledge. Then was it for naught? Not exactly. If I couldnt learn anything, I could just ask someone who could. For example, Letina would be out of the question, since her knowledge was more or less on my level. Then what about some teachers? As I reached that point, I shook my head to dismiss the stupid idea. I didnt know who could be involved in this, so it would be too risky to rely on a teacher. Letina is no good, teachers as well. I guess ites to Maxwell, in the end. So it would seem. Fortunately, I have some magic power left now, so Ill teleport to Raum for a bit. Would you like me to escort you? That would just make me stand out instead. Sorry, but stay behind this time too. I was already attracting a lot of attention due to my looks, so if Den followed me along, it would just aggravate it. If they started suspecting it was a date, it could summon people I didnt want to deal with. Ill be using my Stealth Gift, so youd stand out if you follow me. So please stay. I loathe myck of ability. I understand. Just think of it as humans having different suitabilities. But I am an Ogre. Den responded with a light joke and saw me off. The reason I wanted to leave the room was that this dormitory, being one of the academy facilities, was equipped with magic jamming equipment. If it was someone on Maxwells level, theyd probably have a way to slip past it, but someone on my level was affected by that jamming and couldnt use magic well. Hence, I had to leave the academy grounds once. After telling Den to stay behind, I decided to leave the dorms again. Leaving over and over in a single night had a high chance of attracting peoples attention, but it couldnt be helped. There was a really small amount of the drug left in the bottle so it could evaporate even with the cork properly plugged. I had to get it appraised as fast as I could. I guessing this far should be outside of the jamming effect. I slipped into a back alley a little away from the dormitory, confirming there was no one there. Since this area had a senior academy where nobles attended, there were no hoodlums to be found nearby. Hence, no one would question it even if a frail-looking girl like me entered one of those alleys. I should be able to use the spell without a worry here. I wasnt as proficient in magic as Maxwell or Maria, so I could only castrge-scale spells when I was rxed. Teleport was one of such spells, so I was a little uneasy about using it during a battle. I constructed a glowing magic circle and activated the spell. The next moment, my vision crumbled like a mosaic and got reconstructed. It was no longer the Methush domain, but the front of Maxwells mansion in the capital Raum. Okay, Im howahh?! Confirming my safe teleportation, I was about to sigh in relief, but I suddenly felt a sharp bloodlust from behind, making me jump sideways to avoid it. Then, a sword passed narrowly beside me. W-What the?! This was Raums capital, not to mention, Maxwells mansion. It should be the ce farthest from any kind of strife. And yet, men in ck were surrounding the mansion, and Mateus was taking them on alone like in those action dramas. I suddenly showed up in the middle of it, so I guess it wouldnt be strange to sh at someone like that without questions, looking at it from the assants perspective. Setting that aside, what is going on here?! Oh, aint it missy Nicole? Mateus heard and reacted to my exmation in the middle of this chaos. Looking at how he put down one of the assants even as he addressed me, his skills didnt seem to have dulled. His attacks were still heavy enough to make me envious. Hey, exin this! Whats going on?! Thats the first thing youre asking after this reunion? Youre no fun, eh? Thats beside the point now! I dodged one of the assants and then swiped their feet, dropping them on the ground. Then I pulled my katana and sliced his neck. I couldnt lop an adult mans head with my strength, but having his artery cut, the man writhed and died. It seems that the old mans pressure was too strong. Some self-proimed reformists (LOL) snapped back and came to attack, it seems? Huh, I see. So wheres Maxwell? Hes preparing to release a big move. Say what? Maxwells big moves were real extermination spells. They were on the level of the spell that put down the Evil Dragon. Oh shit! I instantly turned my heel and attempted to flee. Unlike Maxwell who was there from the start, I was someone unounted for who randomly appeared. It would be too much to expect Maxwell to designate me as a non-target. As expected, the moment I evacuated, I saw a light sh from the mansions angle, as well as screams of the men. Good grief, hes so outrageous If my timing was off, I would have gotten rolled up in it too. I guess I was lucky, if you think about it like that. For the time being, I heaved a sigh for narrowly escaping death and headed back to the mansion. Chapter 506 The strife has died down for the time being, so I was invited to the mansion properly this time. In the living room, Maxwell was drinking tea before my eyes while pretending not to see me. I red reproachfully at him. He should ept that much, I almost got roasted there. That was a nice performance there. How should have I known that you had arrived? Not to mention, I knew you would be able to avoid something of that level. Youre overestimating me too much. Mateus was the one who brought tea, and was on standby inside, waiting for further instructions. For that reason, Maxwell was not saying anything that would suggest I was Reid. Mateus, we are fine here so go and take a rest for some time. You should be quite tired now, yes? Thats awfully considerate of you. Are you nning to talk about something you feel guilty about? Nonsense. I would never do such a thing. They would call your state shameless, you know? Well, its true that Im tired, so Ill go take a bath and sleep. That bath is part of my mansion Ah, well, you may do as you please. Being originally a shady assassin, Mateus realized our intention, shrugged once, and didnt pursue it any further. Maxwell didnt want to make thingsplicated either, so he just let Mateus impudent statement go. Thus, Mateus left the room without turning back. Just as he left and closed the door, Maxwell quickly cast detection magic and confirmed his location. I see, he indeed headed towards the bath. Still, you came here after so long, so what made you so flustered? You know the job Ive taken on, right? I believe it was rted to the illegal drugs in the Methush domain. I would be very pleased too if you resolve that matter for me. Not that I can say that publicly. Yeah, would be extremely imprudent for an influential person to encourage assassinations. Anyway, take a look at this. Its the drug in question. I took out the small bottle from my waist pouch and presented it to him. Maxwell casually took it and lightly shook it. Huh, is it not empty? There are a few drops left. Just appraise those. Thats quite an unreasonable demand. You cant? Maxwell frowned, while I smiled provocatively in response. It was a smug, sarcastic grin. He also realized that, but he decided to take on my provocation. I am not saying that I cannot. Give me some time. Now were talking. Maxwell started preparing his spell without waiting for my reply. He took out a few ink jars and sheets of paper, then drew a magic circle on it, and ced the bottle on top. Once he chanted and poured in some magic power, the magic circle shone and disappeared after rising up like steam. In exchange, the results of the appraisal took its ce. Your appraisal method is quite different from the one I saw a merchant use before. The merchant I met at the hot spring vige once used something like a magnifying ss for appraisal. Maxwell on the other hand was using paper and ink. It looked quite simple. Well, I cannot rival the experts, but my appraisal is quite urate too. There is no problem in believing its contents. As long as its correct, I have no problems. I responded as such to Maxwell and took the paper with the results up. It had several chemicals and some strange materials. Theres earth and ze? It probably appraised even the bottleposition. Then theres Pirica fruit. That would be the ingredient to strengthen the permeation of magicules. What about Bezel leaves? It has a mood-elevating effect. Sometimes it weakens the reasoning and dulls the pain. It is typically used for anesthesia and such. And finally, Fungus sporeswait, Fungus? The Fungus was a species of monsters that resided in forests. They scattered spores, parasitized animals and humans, and eroded their insides. The parasitized organism eventually failed to even notice that they were dead, and was merely manipted ording to the nts will. Of course, their appearance was also affected, such as their skin getting covered in a nt-like fiber and mushrooms growing from all over their bodies, so you could tell at a nce. Needless to say, it was designated as a dangerous nt, and both the Guild and the kingdom ordered them to be exterminated on sight. Is it really safe to ingest something so dangerous? Of course not. It would corrode your insides, so you may feel sharp pain all over your body. But wait Perhaps that is the reason they mixed Bezel leaves in it. To dull the pain and make the user oblivious of the erosion? I see, so thats why the man Den and Finia met was able to produce such bizarre strength. The reason he died after Dens attack was most likely that having the center of his body destroyed had drawn out the fungal fments within his body along with his bowels. Which means, this is definitely Illegalyes. Fungus is a dangerous nt that even the kingdom orders to exterminate. Mixing it in a drug and circting it is just outrageous. So I guess the reason they ordered a lot of masks was so the workers wouldnt ingest those spores, huh? As long as we investigate the source, we can deal with the drug. The problem was how to prove that Cain was involved in it. It seems I would have to decide on that based on how Michelle and Cloud fare. They were helping carry therge quantities of masks. Depending on where that took ce, the scale of our investigation would narrow down in one go. Besides, they were on simple guard duty there, so no one should suspect them. Once I came to that conclusion, I thanked Maxwell and returned back to the Methush domain. Chapter 507 When I returned from Raum, I exined the investigation results to Den and went to sleep right after. This was because Finia and Letina were already sleeping. Den would tell Finia tomorrow, while I could tell Letina during sses, so there were no problems with that. This wasnt the kind of information I had to share as soon as possible, after all. Then,e morning, I conveyed it to Letina, and she became enraged as I expected. Given her strong sense of justice, this was a natural reaction. Not just forbidden medicine but even monster spores, you say?! Is that how he treats a humans life?! Calm down, Letina. You shouldnt speak like that in front of other people. I know that, but I cant hide my anger at such an inhuman deed. Yeah, I can tell. Nevertheless, disclosing that when we dont know who could be listening would put her own life in danger. She also understood that too, so once I warned her, she made sure not to speak any details. Still, I wonder where he obtainedrare ingredientslike that? They are designated as subjugation targets so its not something you can normally obtain. Maybe he hired Adventurers and had them No, that would leave big traces behind. Unless they were his exclusive Adventurers, they would continue on to take other works too. There was no certainty that they wouldnt reveal anything during those times. Moreover, with no mutual trust between them, they could even start coercing Cain too. No matter how much of a greenhorn of a noble he may be, he shouldve figured out that much. Ah, so hes using the academy for that? The magic academy? I mean those off-campus training. Maybe they are replenishing theirspoilsduring those times? The thing in question resides in the forest too, so bringing its sporesI mean, pollen secretly shouldnt prove to be too difficult. But would they be able to find them so conveniently? Well, Im not wait. Actually, Fungus could parasitize both animals and humans. It had a five-day-long incubation period after parasitizing, and once thats passed, the person would lose their consciousness and turn into a monster that attacks by instinct alone. If we assume that he has those spores that are the source of that infection Dont tell me, is he creating and harvesting them himself? Huh? If he locked the host in some sturdy cage and parasitized them, after a few days It would be easy to take down a Fungus thats locked in a cage and is unable to move. And you could keep on harvesting the spores from the corpse anytime without any effort. And as long as you kept procuring new hosts, you could keep infecting them over and over. It didnt have to be animals either. A Fungus could infect both animals and humans, after all. And there is a high possibility that they have already procured several hosts. You mean the Adventurers that I had dispatched, right? Its only just a guess, but I cant forgive them if theyre using humans like pulpwood for mushrooms. I had no conclusive evidence. So that things woulde to light, we had to pin down their headquarters soon. I was spurred by such an impulse. If the Adventurers before us were turned into prey, I wanted to quickly set them free. Letina. Sorry, but tell them Im on sick leave today. Alright. I will convey that to the homeroom teacher. She was probably feeling the same, so she quickly approved my leave. Then I used my Stealth Gift and returned to the dorm, avoiding the human eyes. I wanted to investigate Cains room once more. After tentatively returning to the dorm, I rushed to Cains private room. Of course, not from the front but from the backyard wall. I peeked inside the window while clinging to the wall, and once I confirmed that there was no one inside, I opened the lock and easily seeded in sneaking in like thest time. And this time I went around carefully investigating every part, but I still couldnt find any suspicious evidence. Shit, that guy is very careful, so he should have something hidden somewhere. Because he was so careful, he wouldnt entrust the evidence to someone and let them dispose or control it. People like him were the types to keep things that could be their weaknesses near them to monitor them. So I was thinking that the most likely candidate for that was a hidden ce in his room, but Does he have a ce somewhere aside from here? But if so, he would feel anxious if it was too far away. It must be somewhere here My impatience to discover it got the better of me and my search became too sloppy. But this time, that was exactly the reason why I seeded. I identally bumped my back on the coat hanger, which in turn hit the wall. It gave off a dull and heavy sound. Mixed with it was the sound of collision that left echoes like that of a drum. It was slightly differentpared to the usual sound a wall would give off when hit. What is it on the other side? His room was a corner room that faced the south. In other words, beyond this wall should be the outside. And yet, it returned an echo So theres a hidden room! I stood near the southern wall, then measured steps to the window from there, and peeked outside. I didnt notice it when I looked from the outside, but there was certainly a few steps worth of mismatch in the thickness of the wall. The way it looked, it seemed that the wall on the southern side was at least two meters longer. Of course, I did consider the existence of a hidden room even the first time I came here. But back then, I was specifically looking for any switches to a hidden room, so I seem to have overlooked the wall thickness. But this room had no such entrance. Wait, maybe its not in this room. There was no need for the entrance to be in this room. It could be on either of the three sides outside the dorm, but it could be found like that. He wouldnt have felt at ease if anyone could get to it. Then it should be somewhere else. A ce other than the three sides facing the southern wall Could it be at the end of the corridor? Cains room was at the southern end. In other words, it was at the corridors end. And the opposite of him, like everyone else, was the servant room. In other words, the only peopleing to the end of this corridor were either Cain himself or his servants. Ive finally grabbed your tail, you conceited bastard. I spoke as the corners of my mouth rose up into a hound-like smile. Chapter 508 If I carelessly left the room, I couldve gotten spotted by his servants. Thus, I used my illusion ring and hid my form. Combining it with my Stealth Gift, they wouldnt see me even if I was before their eyes. That is assuming they were an amateur, of course. I first peeked through the keyhole to confirm that his servants werent around, and then slowly opened the door and slipped into the corridor. Then I mimicked the wall pattern with my illusion ring and started to inspect the end wall. As expected, there was a ce about one-meter tall that appeared to be a hidden door, which led to the opposite side. But this hidden door was installed at a ce that ovepped with the door of Cains own room, so when his door was fully open, it would make it invisible from the other side of the corridor. Thats some trick you used there. I muttered quietly and sneaked into the hidden room. I made sure to properly lock the door so they wouldnt realize I had infiltrated it. The hidden room was actually more like a hidden corridor. It was narrow, about one meter in width, which led to stairs that went downward. I headed down those stairs while making sure to silence my footsteps. There were no illuminations, but light shone in from somewhere which got reflected off the mirrors installed here and there, illuminating the corridor. Thus I didnt need to use any illumination myself. After I descended the cramped stairs as I turned corners, I felt like I had easily gone down five floors. This dorm was supposed to be three stories tall, so I was definitely underground now. Once I went down that far, a door finally appeared before me. Given the depth, even the lighting from the outside had weakened, making the ce quite dim. But my eyes were used to the darkness so I was able to clearly see my vicinity. Itsnot locked? As I turned the knob, it gave off a small click and opened. The space beyond it wasnt very high, but it was quite spacious. There was a drug shelf on the wall, which was lined up with dozens of small bottles. There was also a small desk and file cab installed in it. Is this the same bottle that one of the guys that attacked Finia and Den used? I mean, they were basically the same as the ones used in the academy, so they were not fishy on their own. But if their contents were the same as that drug, then there would be no more doubts. I looked through the drug shelf and took two bottles off it. Of course, I didnt forget to move the ones behind to their ce so he wouldnt realize it. After that, I started to inspect the room and found the ount book for the drug sales. Hmph, did he underestimate the situation, thinking it wouldnt be found since it wasnt in his room? Checking who the dealing partner was, it turned out to be his father, Tubal Methush Lamech. Moreover, thetest records hadnew drugwritten on them. It seemed that he was sending improved drugs to Tubal. I cant believe they are doing this shady business as a family. Once I continued investigating, I realized that there was another room deeper in. When I slowly opened the door, there was something like a prison there. There were three prison rooms, and two of their doors were closed. In one of them, there was a bizarre shape of a human with growing mushrooms all over the body or more urately, it was a corpse of an adventurer parasitized by a Fungus. Gh?! I have seen many things in life. Ive even seen Undeads several times. But even so, nothing hade close to the bizarre existence before my eyes. Even though they were clearly dead, even though mushrooms grew from their melted, hollowed eyes, that Adventurer was moving. At every step, the mushrooms growing from their feet got crushed and spread the spores around. Aaaauuuuughhhhhhh! The Fungus raised an incoherent groan and slowly headed towards me, apparently discovering me. But there were sturdy iron bars separating us from one another, so they couldnte any closer than that. Despite that, it still tried to catch me and stretched its tattered arms towards me. Needless to say, those arms were also filled with mushrooms. Pitiful. I held no strong feelings for this dead person. But even so, I found their current state tragic. If I killed them, they would realize I was here. It would be correct to leave this room without doing anything. I understood that, but I couldnt leave this Adventurer be. Using my Thread Maniption Gift, I twined it around his neck and pulled with all my might. A Fungus was something like a hybrid of Undead and a nt, so there was hardly a point in strangling it. But I pulled on the Mythril thread while enhancing myself, so it shredded the neck fiber and lopped the head off. Even so, the Fungus didnt stop moving. The existence of a head meant nothing to a monster that was both an Undead and a nt. I kept cutting it up until itpletely stopped moving. It continued to squirm even then, and only after cutting off its limbs and cutting it into two did it finally stop. Thick blood spread on the floor and spores scattered on the ground, turning the ce misty. You could say I was parasitized too by now. But the Fungus parasitizing wasnt a problem as long as you properly handled it afterward. Since I couldnt use magic in the dorms, I should probably leave the grounds and head to Maxwell to get him to purify me. There was also a Troll restrained in a cell, with its eyes looking hollow. Trolls were giants that exceeded three meters and held abnormal regenerative powers as their special trait. But they were dangerous monsters with violent dispositions and immediately tried to devour humans on sight. A monster like that was currently lying down lethargically. It seemed that it had been given some kind of a drug and made powerless. Its arms and neck muscles had swellings all over. They were probably traces of where they injected the drugs. The marks of hypodermic needles recovered immediately so they werent left. I easily lopped off its head too. It gave off no reaction, so it was as easy as beheading a puppet, but that made things all the more ominous, giving me goosebumps. Since I dealt with both the Fungus and the Troll, Cain would probably make his move soon. But there would be no problems if I acted even faster. I obtained his ount book as evidence, and there were drug samples and Fungus and Troll corpses too. If Maxwell makes a move immediately and holds this ce down, the Lamech household was done for. Thinking so, I grabbed ount books that mentioned transactions as evidence at my own discretion. The one that mentioned Tubal was the most important one. With this, my preparations were done. With all this evidence, breaking off Letinas engagement should be doable. I guess this is case-closed. I returned to the room with the drug shelf and sighed. Now as long as Maxwell applied enough pressure, Letina should be officially free. With that considered, perhaps that pitiful Adventurers effort would also be rewarded. He would serve to prove Cains crimes with his own body, after all. Chapter 509 Once I left the hidden room, I erased my traces and went outside the dorm. Then I headed into an alley while avoiding people and teleported to Raum. The ability to ignore the distance between the cities was one of the best parts of the Teleport spell. This time, I managed to reach Maxwell without getting attacked on the spot like thest time. I was invited to the living room as usual, and then he left his seat to brew tea. After some wait, Maxwell returned holding a tray with a tea set, looking dejected. Looks like the attacks ended on this side too, huh? You say that right away huh. The previous time was a special case. I was very used to this by now, but wasnt the thing he was carrying the tea set with a magic power appraisal board? If you treat that thing so roughly, Cortina will get angry at you, you know? Oh, worry not, I have spares. And I can make one too if I wish to. Being able to make magic items as you please is already out ofmon sense. You should be used to that already. I guess he had a point. I shouldnt be the one to say that, given that God Hastur and God of Destruction Yuuri were giving me magic items one after another. I snorted back in dissatisfaction, and then ced the small bottles that I brought from the hidden room. I also lined up the documents I took from the register next to them. Did you bring me brandy or something? This time it was Maxwells turn to snort as he gazed at the documents and picked them up. He then also took the bottle in hand and shook it lightly to confirm the contents. Also, it seems Im parasitized by the Fungus spores, so please purify me. What about your Purification magic item? I had no time to bring it with me. Plus I got hit with such an amount that it wouldnt have worked. Alright, wait a little. Maxwell returned the bottle to the table and cast the Purify spell. His movements seemed a little sluggish to me, but probably because I was already used to his instant casting. He still managed to finish it far faster than an ordinary magician and activated the spell. The magic circle drawn in the air crumbled like powder and surrounded my body. The faint heavy feeling Id been feeling since I left that small room disappeared and I felt refreshed. Looks like its gone. Since you got parasitized, I take it you found the source of the drug? Yeah, it was held in a hidden room in the dorms. I cut up the Adventurers corpse so they shouldnt be able to reuse it. They used an Adventurers corpse? What an inhuman act. Next, Maxwell moved on to appraising the small bottles. With so much at hand, we should be able to find out the poisonous dosage of it that we couldnt previously. As expected, the results told us that one bottle would leave some dependence. In other words, in short, it was three dosages. Just three, huh? In addition, drinking two bottles worth of it in one go would most likely monsterify you instantly. From what Den told me, the guy apparently turned into a monster with just one bottle. Maybe it was more concentrated since it was going to be used in battle. Since it dulls pain, it is perfect for creating mad warriors. Wouldnt it be disastrous to be used in a war? A single bottle could create a warrior that felt no pain. The ingredients and Fungus spores were simply hard to obtain. You could easily solve that too if you used thecultivationmethod these guys used. The rest of the ingredients weremonce ones used in potions, so there was enough stock of them. If you distributed it to the soldiers and made them use it, you could turn the tide of war in one go. No, that would prove to be difficult. Why? Any lord would desperately want warriors who wouldnt feel pain and would fight until death, right? It is simply impossible. More than being a fighter, following themands is what is desired in warriors. Not even Cortina could control warriors stimted with a drug. Well, I had no experience on the battlefields, so I guess I wasnt very familiar with such things. If Maxwell was saying it was impossible, it most likely was. However, it would be simple to create monsters inside the city. Yeah, we already experienced that. I stood up and tried to leave the room. What, you are going already? Yeah. Now that Im sure that Cain is guilty, Im worried for Letina and Finia. Since Ive dealt with the Fungus, he shouldve realized my intrusion too. Then wait for a little while. Take this with you too. Maxwell stood up and took out a different bottle from the cupboard in the corner. I also remembered that bottle. It was a detoxifying potion that Ive used very often during my adventures and assassinations. Moreover, it was a high-grade potion that could purify even high-level poisons. You should be able to purify Fungus spores with this. Take it. Ah, I forgot about that method. Thanks. I had a few of those too, but they were in the hideout where Den lived. I didnt have them on me. This will help. Well then, Ill be off now. Im worried about Finia and Den. Alright. You should show your face here more often too instead of focusing on Cortina, you know? Stop messing around. Its cringy. Hahaha. But I do wish you woulde more often. Then again, I have toe over too soon. Hmm? Oh, that. Well, it concerns nobles, after all. But I mean, I could just assassinate him once things havee to light The opponent is the dukes house. Plus they have many connections. Even if you assassinate the people concerned, other nobles could take their ce. Having said that, we cannot leave them be either. Not even the royal house will overlook a matter of this level. Is that so? Moreover, I have toy some groundwork too. Well, I doubt you will make a mistake with that, so I leave that to you, old man. I didnt have any intention of willingly sticking my neck in noble quarrels. I didnt know what Maxwell was up to, but it was better not to delve too deep. Thinking so, I left Maxwells mansion behind. Jerky drew Nicole! Its super cute so take a look! Chapter 510 Were switching to Michelles POV. Nicole wont appear in this chapter. Once Michelle and Cloud left Methush, they worked as guards for the dust-tight mask acquisition. They employed Adventurers to guard them through the journey from the port city to Methush. It was a fairly big order this time, so they needed to transport arge amount, thus they needed people to work both asborers and guards. So the ce we carry these is supposed to be Nicoles goal, most likely. So we shouldnt lower our guards. Hey, I know that already without you telling me, Cloud. Cloud warned her clearly over and over, and Michelle was already fed up with it. She did know that he was doing that out of concern for her, so she didnt take offense at it. They needed an entire carriage to carry the luggage, so other than them, there were also three moreborers apanying it. The port city was located at about a days distance from Methush, the round trip was estimated to take three days. Since they were using a road that passed through Raums characteristic forest, the free view around wasnt very good. Looking at it like this, Raum really isnt suited to trade, huh? Hahaha, but if we dont transport goods, people would suffer from it! The merchant in charge of the transporting was arge man with a scarred face, who said he couldnt show himself to customers for that reason. Certainly, the scar gave him a fierce impression, so it wasnt suited for service business. However, he had a cheerful and openhearted personality, so people like Michelle who were not timid quickly got along with him. He was currently gnawing on jerky with a big smile. You sure can eat, littledy. Thats fine and all, but please be a bit moderate. Even if it only takes a day for the one-way trip, they are still our preserved foods. Ohay, I wiw conhwow myshewf. Okay, I will control myself, she said. It was usual for Michelle to talk while eating. Cloud heard it so often that he could trante her words to the merchant. Gulp. Its fine. If we run out of food, I can just get some locally. I am a hunter, after all. Finding prey is Nicoles work, isnt it? I can do it too, you know? She tapped on the hunter bow case on her waist with those words. Seeing that, the merchant looked at her curiously, noticing she had another bow case on her back. Youngdy, the one on your back is a bow too, right? Why do you have two of them? Archers often had light swords on them for closebat. But she had two bows, but no closebat weapon on her. She also had two types of arrows, so she drew a contrast withmon Adventurers that were specializing in a bow. Moreover, he noticed that the breastte and gauntlets that protected her arms and chest from the bowstring were made of strangely good material. They were too high-ss items for her to be a young Adventurer. That one is a special bow for hunting big game. This is the one I normally use. You dont have a sword or something on you? I can handle that part with physicalbat. Plus I have Cloud to protect me. Oh, shes depending on you quite a bit there, sonny. Why am I a sonny while shes a youngdy Ah, whatever. Cloud felt bothered by the treatment difference, making the merchant burst intoughter. He gave him a strong p on the back and spoke in a good mood. Sorry about that. I tend to be pretty unreserved towards guys. That aside, look at that. Hmm? There was a single vulture flying from the direction the merchant pointed to. Sorry to ask right away, but assuming youre as skilled as rumored, can you take it down for me? Vultures are dangerous since they can swoop down on you from high altitudes. I wouldnt be able to fully protect you, so its easier to make the first move. So yeah, Michelle, do it. Gotcha! She quickly pulled out the bow from the case and nocked an arrow before her reply was even over. Her flowing sequence of movements looked so smooth and masterful that the merchant stared wide-eyed. It only took her an instant to take aim and she loosed the arrow so casually as if it was no big deal. The arrow that was loosed in a short moment flew straight to the sky and urately pierced the head of the vulture that was searching for prey. It died with that single attack and fell to the ground with a spin. Wha Its over? Well, its Michelle, after all. She may not look like it, but shes a fourth-rank. Hah! I had my reservations about her rank despite being so young, but this is amazing. The merchant entrusted the recovery of the vulture to theborer men. Like Michelle and Cloud they were also both guards andborers, so they were able to move through the forest. They seemed like they wanted to object to them being the ones to recover it, but they couldnt go against their employers wishes. One of them remained behind while the other two headed inside the forest as a pair. The vulture didnt fall that far away, so they probably judged two of them would be enough. Wait, Ille too. But Cloud judged that it would be dangerous if arge-type monster appeared judging by their equipment, so he asked to apany them. The men exchanged looks for a moment and quietly nodded curtly in approval. Okay, Michelle. I leave here to you. Okay, take care. Michelle didnt seem to care about the transcendent skill she disyed earlier, and responded with a short wave. Cloud returned the wave and then followed after the two who entered the forest before him, making his way through the weeds. Chapter 511 The guarding continued without any problems even after that. Though some wild animals attacked them on the way, they were practically no match for Cloud and Michelle. Each time it happened, the scarred merchant couldnt hide his astonishment at Michelles skill. Then, when the morning of the third day came, they finally returned back to Methush. That went really well. I would love to depend on you two next time too. We will also be doing the same. Cloud had grown quite close to the Merchant during the journey too, so they were on good enough terms to talk casually now. Michelle on the other hand was full of curiosity when she first visited the new city and had her eyes peeled on the street stalls all the time. Cloud had to peel her off the stalls whenever she fixated on one and wouldnt move. Well then, I will send the payment to the Guildter, so you can receive it there. Got it. Oh wait, your work still continues until we unload the luggage, you know? I know, I know. The ordered goods were masks with fine stitches that were made in the Matara kingdom in the east. It was originally used to protect the wearer from the mineral dust in coal mines and such, so their masking potency was far higher than those made in Raum. And there were about 2000 of those here now. It was quite a big order even from his experience as a Merchant. Sorry about that. I wouldve given you a breather, but these are special orders and are packaged individually. Due to that, their volume isrger. Its just cloth, in the end, so it should be light. Im a power-type even if I dont look it. d to hear it then. Cloud was in fact unbelievably strong in contrast to what his thin body suggested. It was due to all the training and battles he had gone through since he was a child that he managed to gain that strength. Once were done with the unloading, let me treat you to a drink as an apology. You guys shoulde join us too. Sure! He also called out to theborers who were on standby. Their expressions brightened up when they heard theyd be getting free drinks. Okay then, lets head to the warehouse. Its the third one in the south. Gotcha. Huh, were not gonna eat first? Michelle, Ill treat you to someter. Really? Im gonna believe you, okay? Cloud pulled regretful-looking Michelle along and they headed to the warehouse. Michelle wasnt as thoughtless as to eat during work either, so she decided to behave herself. Hahaha, then Ill let you have your fill once the work is over! Cloud, who knew how big her appetite was, was desperately trying to stop the merchant from something so reckless. The merchant looked puzzled, not understanding the reason behind it. Thus, they headed to the warehouse in such a boisterous mood. Come night, the merchant treated them to a meal as he promised. Seeing Michelles unrestrained appetite made him stare wide-eyed at her gluttony. Cloud had a somewhat apologetic expression as he drank his alcohol. He had no more intention to stop Michelles rampage. Oh my you sure can eat. Thats been my selling point since I was a kid. So many people were brought to tears, deceived by her appearance. Hmph, I havent deceived anyone. Michelles body itself was slender. Her shoulders and limbs looked healthy, but with no needless flesh. Setting her chest aside. Deceived by that, many men had invited her to eat with ulterior motives, but her appetite had thoroughly ruined their wallets. The merchants name was about to be added to the list of such victims. Sorry about that. Were the only ones eating here. No worries. Were getting free drinks here too. Cloud apologized to theborer men. They were sitting at the same table and enjoying drinks, but the food on the table mostly disappeared into Michelles belly, so he apologized for that. They didnt seem to have minded that, so he felt relieved and returned back to eating. Still, he didnt remove his eyes from monitoring their hands. It was because he had seen many people aiming at Michelle that tried to drug her. They seemed to have noticed his gaze and were somewhat nervous too. I feel like youre giving us a strange gaze Oh, sorry. Its just my habit. I mean, I have her with me, after all. I see. I suppose you have endless worries. Sorry if I ruined your mood. No, no, I understand what you mean. Setting Michelles body aside, even her looks were charming and gave off a naive impression. If Nicole had the beauty of a noblewoman, Michelle gave off a rxed feeling of a vige girl. If you asked which one was easier to call out to, the scales would be overwhelmingly tilted towards Michelle. For that reason, there was no end to men making extreme approaches at her. It gotte as they continued their chat, and eventually, one of theborers left his seat. Sorry, Ill hit the bathroom for a bit. Okay. Make it quick. He raised his hand in response and casually disappeared deeper into the store. The bathroom was installed next to the kitchen. It was because the staff frequently used it too. Eventually, new food was carried to the table, and Michelle immediately reached out for a piece of deep-fried food. The merchant also reached with his fork in vigor. Cloud gazed at that scene while carrying the mug to his mouth, but he noticed it was empty. He noticed the men around were low on it too, so he ordered more alcohol. The man who went to the bathroom also returned. He also brought the ordered alcohol. I brought it with me while I was at it. Oh, thanks for that. The staff probably gave it to him when he was returning from the bathroom. He received the mug from the men and carried it to his mouth. After a while, he felt his gaze shake. Feeling the unnatural dizziness, he quickly looked towards Michelle, and saw she was plopped on the table as if she was dead drunk. What. She shouldnthave beendrinking Michelle barely touched alcohol normally. She was focused on food this time too and wasnt drinking. Cloud was also paying attention to it when they were with other men too. Looking again, the merchant was simrly dead drunk. No, looks likewe were drugged, huh Just before he cked out, Cloud saw the men grinning at him. Chapter 512 Ugh As Cloud woke up feeling a dull pain and was about to grab his head, he noticed his hands wouldnt move. Not just arms, he couldnt even move his legs properly. He opened his eyes while enduring a headache, and noticed he was in an unfamiliar building. Where is this Oh, did you finally wake up? Looks like youre weak to drugs, brat. Hearing a sudden male voice, he quickly checked his surroundings. The surroundings were dim, but from what he could see it was quite a wide building. It was most likely a warehouse. He, Michelle, and the merchant were tied to a pir and couldnt move. And before him were the threeborer men. You, why did you?! You dont get it? If you hadnt messed up the Bosss room, this wouldnt have happened. Bosss room? Dont y dumb. You did it with that Finia girl, right? Hearing that much, he finally realized that they were mistaken for Nicoles actions and were captured. Finia was acting as a servant, so she headed out to Methush more frequently than Nicole. During those times, she also contacted Cloud and Michelle, so they seemed to have been recognized as an executive squad of the enemy. You got the wrong person. I am familiar with Miss Finia, but why would Iy waste to someones room with her! Stop ying dumb! Gagh?! One of the men kicked Clouds face as he objected. Of course, that kick wouldnt do much to Cloud who had a tough body, but that only went for Cloud. If they directed that violence toward Michelle or the merchant, they would most likely get greatly wounded. Moreover, Michelle was a girl. If they saw her as a target of carnal lust, she could do nothing to oppose it. He had to avoid that at all costs. L-Listen, you really got someone else. Listen to me. Shut up. Behave yourselves until Boss arrives. Who is that Boss in the first ce? Were really just passing Adventurer. Like I care. They replied, but they didnt budge. Realizing that, Cloud decided he had to carefully think about the situation they were in. If he just kept this up, it would only end up provoking the opponent. He also calcted how long it would take for rescue toe. They conveyed to Nicole that it would take two or three days to finish this request. If that passed, she would suspect something ande to inspect the situation. That period had already passed, and they also finished the loading work too. He didnt know how long he was passed out for, but a day more and Nicole should realize something was wrong. If he only gained time until then, Nicole would easily be able to take down this level of opponents alone. Hey, why dont we have fun with that brat for a bit? But then, one of the men voiced what Cloud feared the most. Michelle was disarmed and even her breastte was gone. Since she was tied up in that state, her chest was emphasized, making her lookscivious. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Cloud didnt think these men could hold back at that sight. We were told not to kill them. I know that, but its fineif we dont kill themright? Huh? Well, I guessits fine. Like hell it is! Cloud retorted without thinking. Unless he shifted the situation, Michelle would be in danger. He had to avoid that no matter the cost. Cloud was quite attached to her, so this was more important than anything to him. Wait wait wait! Youre right, I am acquainted with Letina. We used to Adventure together. I admit that. Hmph, finally huh. But thats not the only thing. Huh? He admitted something and switched the topic to himself. By doing this, he was able to get them to sit at the negotiation table. From now on, he had to talk about things that would benefit his side, and attempt to secure their well-being. Ourrades are also Nicolesrades. Do you get it? Its the Six Hero Lyell and Marias daughter, Nicole. What about it? The enemy should have looked into Letinas past to a degree. Then they should also know about Letina and Nicoles rtionship. It seemed that his guess was correct. In other words, Michelle is also Nicolesrade. Shes the best friend of the Heroes Daughter. You should realize what would happen to you if youy your hands on her, right? Yeah. If they touched Michelle, Nicoles rage would be akin to mes. She would probably chase the enemy to the ends of the world and torture them to death. No, she would definitely do it. It was the truth, so Clouds words were quite persuasive. Its not just Nicole. I know just how much Lord Lyell and Lady Maria adore Michelle. And if those two turn into enemies, the rest of theirrades would move too. You would end up turning all of the Six Heroes against you. Theres no way that Im not joking here. I dont know how scary thatBossof yours is. But do you prefer turning the Six Heroes into enemies? Think carefully. Those threats will You should know well that those arent threats, right? I get that youre scared of your Boss. I would ask you to release us, but if you do youll get killed, right? Y-Yeah. Cloud continued the negotiations as he kept talking. If he got desperate here or if they ignored his speech, it would be the end. Heid out his conditions in one go so they wouldnt question it. So Im not telling you to betray him. You dont have to release us. Depending on the situation, I dont mind putting a good word with Lord Lyell too as long as you dont touch Michelle. I could just say you were forced into it. Like hell you can do that! You guys should be well aware of how dangerous this situation is, right? But your Boss hasnt thought that far. Its because Michelle is amoner girl. Cain, being a noble, didntprehend how precious amoner girl like Michelle was for Lyell and others. Cloud believed so. And that was an unmistakable truth. He held himself back, but Cain treatedmoners as valuable tools, so he didnt realize just how important Finia and Michelle were. That was the reason he resorted to a violent act like this. Having that pointed out, the men couldnt hide their bewilderment. What Cloud said was not wrong. Their boss, Cain, didnt realize the situation they were in. But if they betrayed him, they would certainly be put to death. But Cloud was telling them there was no need to go that far. He was even willing to put a word for them. They couldnt think of another way that could get them out of this situation other than the favorable conditions that he offered. You will put a word for us, right? Yeah, as long as you dont touch Michelle. But if I get it. We ept those conditions. Thats good. It would also help us too. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) If he failed to save Michelle, he would feel remorse for himself. Nicole would be the same. She would most likely me herself for it. Just avoiding that oue gave meaning to the earlier negotiation. Heaving a sigh of relief, Cloud closed his eyes, waiting to be rescued. Chapter 513 This time its Finias POV. Nicoles turn will have to wait for a little longer. It has been three days since Michelle and Cloud had left the city for theirmission. Nicole was out to meet them today. Den also followed her as a guard. As expected, instead of a girl walking alone, it would lead to less trouble if she was apanied by a man, even if that man looked like a young boy. She was reluctant, but couldnt help but recognize the truth of it. Once Finia saw them off, she went to visit the kitchen. Now, what should I do for todays dinner? The sun was still up, but it would be dinnertime by the time Nicole came back. She had to prepare food for that time. The head chef of this dormitory was a man she could trust, but not every kitchen staff could be trusted. It would be a catastrophe if someone mixed something in Nicoles food. Naturally, she also had to procure safe food for her current master, Letina. Finia, are you here? Ah, yes. As she was doing that, Letina showed her face. She showed up quite frequently in the kitchen, so that was not a strange scene. Being very friendly and a big eater despite being a noble, she was quite popr in this kitchen too. I cant seem to find Nicole. She went to check Michelle and Cloud today. Ah, indeed, they were supposed to be returning today. She headed out looking quite excited. Shes been all over Michelle since childhood. Well, I do understand where that adorationes from. She is like a puppy. If the Carbuncle heard that, it would get jealous. Nicole considered her friends and family more important than her own self. For that reason, she entrusted the Carbuncle that the God of Destruction left in her care, making it act as a guard and babysitter. However, the fact remained that the Carbuncle was an important mascot for her too. It was important enough that if that fluffy Carbuncle and puppy-like Michelle had a face-off, she would have a hard time choosing the winner. Then a student showed up and addressed Letina. Miss Letina, the alchemy departments teacher Mayer has called for you. The head chef butted in their conversation. Ever since Nicole transferred, they started eating in their own rooms more frequently. The head chief felt sad about that, since the cafeteria was already deserted as it was. Alright. I wille with Nicole next time. Okay, I will be waiting! The head chief smiled with a thumbs up. That action was so unpolished it didnt suit the staff of an academy that nobles attended. Letina also responded with a thumbs up. Once he saw Letina off, the head chief returned to his work. Finia overlooked that amiably and also returned to her work. She prepared the food until they were almost done, and then headed to take appetizers and such to Letina and Nicoles rooms in advance. Since she was in charge of four peoples meals, her work amount was more than an average servant. She put food on the wagon and went to carry it off to the third floor using the corridor outside the dormitory. It was made as a spiral hill road instead of adder so that you could transport wagons, so it was made for the servants. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Since she had two rooms worth of food on it, the wagon was quite heavy, so she was doing heavybor that Nicole could not see. When she arrived at the interval between the second and third floors, a man appeared before her eyes. Hey, youngdy. We meet again. Lord Lamech, it has been some time. It hasnt been that long, though. It was Cain Methush Lamech. Since he stood in the center of the narrow, spiral passage, she couldnt walk past him. That also suggested that he had no ns of letting her pass. My apologies, but I am carrying a meal for Lady Letina. Could you let me pass? He wasnt a good person, but he was still the son of a Duke, so Finia asked politely. But Cain didnt seem to have any intention of epting that appeal. Far from that, some students even showed up from the second floors entrance. They were all armed and gave off a dangerous aura. Seeing that, Finia also reached out for the dagger under her apron. I wish to ask you a few things. What could it be? I would ask that you make it quick. Did you do it? Huh? Cain was asking Finia ifshe was the one who took down the Fungus.But she couldnt understand that. Of course, Nicole told her that she did it, but she wasnt keen enough to realize what it meant with just that single sentence from Cain. Are you feigning ignorance? Oh well. If we restrain you, Letina should stop making needless movements. With that, Cain raised his hand up to his head and snapped his fingers in a haughty manner. In response, the students charged at her from behind. Finia quickly guessed the situation and kicked the wagon down the road to keep them in check. The wagon had soup and such on it too, so they scattered over them, sealing their movements. At the same time, Finia charged forward and closed in on Cain. Chapter 514 She passed by Cain and rushed towards the third-floor door. If she entered the dorms, he wouldnt be able to continue his actions so easily. She judged that to be the case. She also considered heading down, but several students were blocking the narrow passage, so it wouldve been hard to pass them. Thus, she chose to pass by Cain instead, however Praise the God of Destruction! Finia chanted the keyword to turn the dagger into a spear, but the magic power she poured into the dagger scattered and the transformation didnt ur. For that reason, she ended up shing at him from too far off. She immediately realized that and once again decided to pass by him instead. Whoa. You are quite a naughty one, eh? Kh!? But before that, Cain blocked her way. However, from a close range, she could use the dagger too. Judging so, she attacked sideways, but the reaction from the hit was hard and dull. The ce where the dagger hit was Cains nk. It would be problematic if it was fatal so she aimed there to wound and falter him, but that recoil was beyond her expectations. She stopped for a moment due to shock, but Cain calmly grabbed and twisted her hand up. L-Let me go! I havent seen a fool who would do that after being told to. Finia was squirming but she couldnt remove her arm from the hold. Being an Adventurer, she was by no means weak. She was instead iparably stronger than an ordinary woman, given that she specialized in defensive techniques. However, Cain managed to easily restrain her arm. He had unbelievable strength unlike what his body suggested. She couldnt tear her arm off him no matter what. Finia felt humiliated, seeing the door to the third floor just past Cain. Hey, take this one too. We cant antagonize Letina and Nicole, but they wouldnt do anything else if they know we caught the perpetrator. She is just amoner so I doubt they would care. take her away. Just as he was about to say that, the door behind him was opened forcefully. Yeaaahh! Along with that shout, a figure rushed in and did a ram attack at Cain. Takenpletely by surprise, Cains posture broke and he ended up letting Finia go. That person then took Finias hand and pulled her off Cain. Who are-?! More importantly, just follow me for now! Even if you say thatkyaaaa! The moment he said it, the figurethe boy, lifted Finia up and threw himself off the spiral corridors rails. Needless to say, there was nothing below all the way to the first floor. Even if you wanted to slow down the fall, they were within the academy grounds so magic couldnt be used. Finia was about to chant a spell but gave up on the idea. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) But the boy grabbed the rail with a thread during the fall and slipped into the corridor below with the pendulum movement. Finia observed that skillful defensive move with interest as he carried her. Err, let me ask again, who are you? Im Sullivan. Ally of beauties like you! He opened the second floors door and rushed inside while saying that. He didnt let Finias hand go during that. Rather, his fingers seemed like they were brushing her hand. Ah well, I was ordered to protect Lady Letina undercover, but I didnt expect you would be the one whod get attacked. Guard Lady LetinaWho ordered that? I mean, naturally its Marquis Yowi. His beloved daughter transferred to a ce where theres someone dangerous, so its natural he would worry. He pulled Finia along and ran in the hallway while exining that to her. Wait, what about Lady Letina?! Dont worry, I already took measures. Myrade is securing her safety now. With that, Finia remembered that Letina was summoned by a teacher earlier. She made a guess that that teacher mustve been hisrade. Yourrade Could it be teacher Mayer? Correct. It means that before Lady Letina even made a move, Lord Marquis was already on it. It was about his beloved daughters wedding, so of course, he would do preliminary investigations. A-As expected of a doting parent No, never mind. Hahaha, Ill pretend I didnt hear it. Please do. While they were talking, they heard footsteps from behind. As Finia turned around, she saw the students were chasing them after getting back up. They are chasing us! Should we take them on here? Sorry, Im bad at fights. Sullivan smiled back at Finias questions, then opened a random room and rushed inside. There was a girl in the middle of changing inside, but he ran past her after giving her a nce. Excuse us! Huh! Ah, ueh?! Err, um Excuse us! As the girl was at a loss for words due to confusion, Sullivan casually greeted her, while Finia also decided to do so and pass by. Leaving that girl behind, the two once again jumped off a window. Since it was the second floor this time, it wasnt that high up so they justnded on the ground. They did a roll on the ground to diffuse the impact and they ran away from the dorm grounds. Cain, who overlooked that from the spiral corridor, punched the rail with a frustrated expression. Being saved by Sullivan, Finia was guided to a cheap inn in the city. It was apparently an inn that he was familiar with and there was no fear of betrayal. Sorry for taking you to this dirty ce, youngdy. My name is Finia. Yeah, I know. Thinking back, if he was Letinas guard, he should naturally know about Finia who had the same job. In the first ce, if he was rted to the Marquis, he should know about Nicole too who used to be in a party with Letina, so knowing Finia as a rted party wouldnt be strange either. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Sorry, but stay and hide here for some time. Why? Arent Lady Nicole and Lady Letina in danger too?! It should be fine. The moment he touches Nicole he would get killed. By Lord Lyell. As for Letina, well its something simr too. Well, that is indeed the case but The reason he came to attack you was because he couldnt think beyond those facts though. Is that so? Yup. For that guy, people other than nobles are just expendables. So he believes that other nobles also think the same. Thats the reason he came for you without hesitation. Sullivan exined as if he was spitting out those words. ording to him, Cain didnt see Finia as a person since she was amoner, so he decided to deal with her. And that he thought Letina would also only think of the matter as if her expendable tool got broken. Setting Nicole, the daughter of Six Heroes, we cant protect you inside the dormitory. Please stay here until the situation calms down. We dont know when that will happen! Rest assured of that. It will happen today or tomorrow. Huh? It seems that things have been getting active here as ofte. Perhaps it was because Nicole messed with them. Thanks to that, its easy for us to move too. When Nicole dealt with the Fungus, Cain realized that his shady work was exposed. He then mistook that for Finias deed and moved into action. That was the current situation. But that wouldnt continue for long. That information had already reached Maxwell, and he also conveyed it to Marquis Yowi too. The rest was to wait for how they would deal with him. As long as he managed to secure the safety of everyone involved, his mission would beplete. Chapter 515 I took Den along, and when we arrived at the inn Michelle and Cloud were staying at, the receptionist women greeted us as always. But what she told us was that they were still not back. Didnt they say theyd be back in three days at thetest? Thats what I heard too. Did they get involved in some trouble? I think Michelle should be able to avoid most trouble, given her skill. Is she really that skilled? Ah, right, right. She seemed to have remembered something and took a folded note from under the counter. Seeing that it wasnt sealed, I felt it to be suspicious. Whats this? Some smug-looking man brought this. He told me to hand it over to a silver-haired beauty. That should be you, right? I think thats most likely the case. I took the note and opened it to check what it said. It only hadsouthern third warehousewritten on it. Southernthird warehouse? The receptionist warned me when she heard my mutter. But I could deal with most of the danger. I was more concerned that I received this note while Michelle and Cloud werent back. I gleaned at Den behind me and put up a false show. Yeah, Ill be careful. Den? HuhAh, yes. Understood, I will go and check the situation. I acted this way in front of the receptionist intentionally. Den didnt know what was happening, but he quickly realized my intention and yed along. This note was most likely rted to Cains actions. If so, it wouldnt be strange for someone to be monitoring us right now. I judged so and acted like this. Of course, I didnt have the slightest intention to return to the dormitory. That mister, over there? That somehow makes me worried in its own way. Well, thats what his appearance suggests, I suppose. But he is quite strong, you know? Oh Is he yoursweetheartperhaps? Please give me a break. This is important so Ill repeat it, seriously, drop it. People often misunderstood it like this when they saw Den and me together, but I wished they would put it to rest. I had no ns to hook up with a guy. We left the inn while I felt weary. Needless to say, our destination was the southern warehouse. I first decided to change into an easy-to-move jersey in a nearby second-hand store. I wanted to avoid wearing a hard-to-move and conspicuous academy uniform in a ce where there was no knowing what could happen. Then we arrived at the southern warehouse district, we could see the warehouse in question from the direction of the back alley that couldnt be seen from the main street. From what we could see so far, a few men were going in and out of that warehouse. From what I could see, they were all d in white clothes and wore masks, so it was highly likely that the ce was the factory of the drug in question. The reason was that I noticed yellowish powder on their uniforms. It was of the same color as the Fungus spores. I see, so this is the drug factory, huh? It is most likely the case. Should we inspect it? Of course. But you probably cant sneak inside. My apologies, I have no scouting skills. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) He was originally an Ogre that couldnt even do anything civil, so just the fact that he could serve as a butler made his existence astounding. It would be cruel to demand him to have scout skills on top of that. I really want to ask just what kind of education did that god put him through. Incidentally, when I asked Den about that, he muttered, If I did not listen, his fist would and then went quiet, so it was a mystery to me. Got it. Then Ill do the scouting alone. Understood. Please be careful. Den understood that he couldnt do covert operations. As well as the fact that we had to investigate things now that Michelle hadnte back. As such, he epted me going on ahead without objections. I immediately activated my Stealth Gift and erased my presence. Then I approached the warehouse while hiding in the shadows. The third warehouse was not a ce normal merchants used, and appeared to be a tattered building. However, it was about the size of a two-story house, so it could amodate quite a lot of people. Still, it has wooden walls despite being a warehouse. And isnt it all tattered? The walls made with wooden nks looked quite corroded and had gaps here and there. I felt like it wasnt very adequate for managing drugs. As I peeked inside from one of those gaps, I saw men in white moving about through the gloomy space filled with wooden boxes. So that drug isnt made here, huh? Then wherehmm? Then I realized that the ceiling was quite low. I didnt notice it due to the darkness, but there seemed to be a second floor. On a closer look, one corner of the warehouse had an atrium shape, and there was something like a crane with a hanging board on it. There were no stairs anywhere else, so they seemed to be moving between the floors using that crane. Hmm so they are making the drug on the second floor? I hooked a thread on the downspout near the ceiling and pulled myself up. I thought the walls on the second floor would have holes too, but on a closer look, the gaps were plugged by something like y, sealing everything hermetically. Tsk, I guess they wouldnt be doingpounding in a ce riddled with holes. Still, I could feel a human presence beyond the wall. Not just that, I could even hear voices beyond the wooden boards. Hey, you haventid your hand on her yet? Oh, Boss. No, that would be It was a kind of lecherous voice. It was definitely Cains. What did he mean byying hands? I wanted to see what was happening inside, so I decided to open a hole in the wall and look inside. I found a shaded ce and opened the hole there so the light wouldnt enter inside. And when I looked in, I saw tied-up Michelle and Cloud there. Chapter 516 Michelle and Cloud were tied-up quite relentlessly, making it impossible for them to escape on their own. There were three men around Michelle, and Cain stood before those three. Clouds face, on the other hand, was all bruised, making it apparent that he was beaten. Both of them seemed to be unconscious and stayed limp. That bastard He wounded my friends. That alone made blood rush to my head. However, I wasnt so hasty to just rush in for a fight. But then, Cains following words shook off all my restraint. Thats not like you. You always go for women whenever you see one. I mean, I cant really do that to someone rted to the Six Heroes. Hmph, shes just amoner in the end. They can be found everywhere like weeds. Shes basically trash. That sentence alone was enough to spell a death sentence for him. Once Maxwell was done with his preparations I would kill this guy with my own hands. I decided that in my heart. But Cains words didnt stop there. You gave them the drug, right? Y-Yeah. No, I mean Can you say it clearly? When I heard that, I almost lost self-control. Did they give that drug to both of them? If so, I had to detoxify them as soon as possible. Fine then. They shouldnt be able to run while the drug is working. Commoners are tenacious so stay sharp. Okay, we got it! Good grief, my subordinates made a blunder, so I dont want any more problems. Dont worry, we will not let them escape. The three responded while standing at attention. Once he saw that, Cain left the ce. He probably headed to check the first floor. After a short while, the three gave big sighs. But would it really be fine? Cant be helped. If we didnt get them to drink it, hed realize we betrayed him. These brats drank them obediently too. Well, I guess but Listen, since he drank the drug, it means he trusts us. If we betray him The Six Heroes will really turn on us, huh. Why cant Boss realize that? I bet he cant. He has lived his life in the world of nobles, turningmoners and lower nobles into drug addicts and robbing them of their money. One of them spat out those words and kicked the floor. It seemed that these watchmen were already standing against him. Between a boss that only sees us as trash and these guys who trusted us and drank the drug, its clear which we should side with. But if it gets out, well be disposed of for sure, you know? Youre right I wish that Nicole girles already. I just wanna flee from this city as soon as I can. It seemed that they were waiting for me to save the two. In that case, their safety, for the time being, was guaranteed. That said, since they were given the drug, I couldnt take my time. The problem was how to take them out of the second floor that waspletely sealed. Moreover, since he made such a bold move, I worried about Finia and Letinas safety who stayed in the academy. His words, my subordinates made a blunder sounded problematic. It could be that he tried to do something to Letina and was counterattacked. At any rate, if they are moving, it would be bad to wait any longer. I wouldve preferred to wait for Maxwells groundwork before I made my move, but it could be fatal if I waited any longer. Michelle and Cloud who were drugged were particrly concerning. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I guess Ill make a move once I join up with Den. Den heard from Hastur that I was Reid. And Michelle and Cloud were unconscious now. In that case, there was no one around whod realize my identity even if I went a little overboard. There should be no need to hold back. I decided to first meet up with Den and then decide what to do. I had two ns in mind. The first was to rush as is and save Michelle and Cloud. The other was to return to the dorm and confirm Letina and Finias safety. So, which do you think is better? From the previous conversation, it was almost certain that Cain tried to mess with Letina and Finia. I wanted to ascertain their safety as fast as possible. But Michelle and Cloud were also in a race against time. Even if those watchmen betrayed Cain, they couldnt show clear resistance to him. If Cain told them to toy with Michelle out of amusement, they wouldnt be able to refuse it. They also valued their lives, and Michelle was a rare beauty. They would dly follow that order. Honestly, either side was in a race against time. I even wished I had two bodies. Hmm, let us prioritize capturing Cain. Would Letina and Finia be alright though? Since the ringleader is here, they should not take their lives in the meantime, at the very least. Above all, Lady Letina, even if only publicly, is still his fiancee. Listening to him, I was relieved for the time being. As he said, being Cains fiancee her life should be maintained. Rather, if his subordinates did something arbitrary, he would clearly rage. So there should be no worry about her chastity either. In that case, that left Finia. What about Finia? We can only trust Lady Letinas quick-wittedness there. If she manages to pressure the perpetrators, they should not be able to make any moves. Seeing how Den urately described the situation, I was surprised. Like, isnt he smart? Is he really an Ogre? Fortunately, the warehouse only had one door. It had no windows either, so there was no chance of him escaping. Unless there was a secret path, of course. Then again, there was no need to even consider that they would create a secret path to a tattered warehouse like that. In the first ce, the Lamech surname held absolute power in this domain. Even if the officials entered there, he would probably be acquitted. Thus, he shouldnt even be considering fleeing. Okay, then just gotta break-in, head-on You, I mean. Me? During that, I will save Michelle from the ceiling. Try to be as shy as you can. I see, understood. Of course, there was no entrance to the roof on the ceiling. But the walls were just made with nks and y, so you could break them if you wanted to. If I enhance my strength, I could easily do it even with my strength. Den was an actual Ogre unlike what his appearance suggested. He wouldnt make such a blunder that some humans would be able to wound him. Like this, we decided to make a move to save Michelle and Cloud. Chapter 517 Once I parted with Den, I shot my thread up again and climbed on the rooftop. The roof was made with nted wooden lumber that had thin metallic ting, so while it was durable, it looks quite crude. But different from full boards, the metallic boards were attached to them now, so there was a low possibility that the sound of my footsteps would leak inside. The metallic tes that were between the wooden boards and my feet acted as a cushion. The reason they added those tes was to protect the wood from corrosion. That said, it would be difficult to drill a hole through the roof like this. I couldve gotten Finia to cast the Silence spell if she was here. I first had to tear off the metallic te to drill a hole. Doing something so big would be extremely loud. Even the watchmen inside would notice it at that point. Wait, I guess its fine even if they do notice it? If I let those guys inside know, they might even cooperate. Den was going to charge from the front after some time. I had to rescue Michelle and Cloud during that turmoil. For that, I had to make a n of how to rescue them. The fastest way would be to gain the cooperation of the watchmen. I continued crawling about the walls until thest second, inspecting the interior. The second floor was divided into several partitions, and there were about ten-odd people in one of those rooms working on the drug. It seemed that they then carried it to the first floor for safekeeping and then secretly moved it to the secret room in the dormitory. Cain was already on the first floor, so there were only three watchmen on the second floor. If I was going to move, this was the time. Then its better to hurry. I sent a thread through the hole I opened up earlier, infiltrating the warehouse. However freely I could manipte threads, I couldnt do much when I couldnt see the situation inside. There were no people other than the three watchmen in the small room Michelle and Cloud were held in. They seemed to be showing opposition earlier, so it should be alright to openly negotiate with them. Michelle and Cloud were just lying on the floor and tied to a pir, so there werent any beds in there. But there were at least chairs for the men, so they sat on their respective chairs, acting restless and shaking their legs. There was a fallen empty bottle on the floor, probably what they made them drink. I twined my thread around that bottle, and passed the air vibration near my mouth along the thread. Like this, I could send my voice to the bottle, using it as a megaphone to amplify my voice. You people, can you hear me? W-What! Whos there?! It would be hard to find my thread in this dim warehouse. For them, it probably sounded like the female voice wasing from the darkness. It probably felt like they were addressed by a ghost. But their fear was advantageous for me now. I heard the situation. If you cooperate with me in rescuing them, I will amodate your wishes. I made full use of this sense of unknown and started negotiations from an overbearing standpoint. If I made a blunder in this kind of situation, they could underestimate me andplicate the situation. It was better to seize the initiative from the get-go and sum up the situation. As expected, the men started signaling each other with their eyes when they heard me. They were probably lost on what to do. Since they couldnt see me, they might have assumed it was Cains trickery. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Have you heard the name Nicole? Y-Yes! This bratI mean, this Cloud guy said Nicole wille to rescue us before. I am that Nicole. So, will you cooperate? Otherwise, Ill put you down. I thought they might look down on me now that they know I was a woman, so I threatened them from the shadows while returning my tone to normal. The men seemed to have felt fear towards the unknown existence whose only voice could be heard, so they were petrified while sweating bullets. As the final push, I coiled one thread around one of the mens neck, tightened it for a second, and released him. Uwaah!? He hurriedly reached for his neck after feeling it, but the thread was already gone. With this, he shouldve realized I could kill them anytime. So, what will you do? I asked once more, and they vigorously nodded a few times. Seeing that, I finally proceeded to exin my n to them. Once I exined the situation to them, I moved to check the situation at the front from the roof. Den had calmly made his way to the warehouse entrance. Of course, the watchmen noticed him too. Hey, you there, what are you here for! Den didnt reply to that guy at all, and proceeded to get even closer. The watchmen questioned his actions and tried to stop him with force. Didnt you hear me when I said not toe close? He reached out for Dens cor, who was dressed as a butler, nning to lift him up. Den flicked that hand off and instead grabbed the man by his cor and easily lifted him up. Even in this state, hes actually, thats a bit harsh, but anyway, he used his original Ogres strength and threw the man towards the door as easily as throwing rounded paper. The watchmen raised a shrill and collided with the door, then broke through it and disappeared inside the warehouse. Even I heard the sound standing on the roof. In other words, it mustve definitely spread through the warehouse. Did you hear that? Yeah. I confirmed it with one man standing watch over Michelle and Cloud. It seemed that it even reached those who were deeper in on the second floor. It seems that the drug makers headed to confront the source. Theres no one else on the second floor. I see, then it should be fine to get louder here. I used Enchant and started to rip the metallic tes off the roof with all my strength. Chapter 518 The metallic tes got torn off with loud sounds. They were just there to fend off rain from soaking in, so they werent that thick. I managed to tear them off more easily than I expected, and threw them to the side. They gave off loud tters, but the violent battle sounds from the lower floor overwhelmed it. Considering that I could hear cracking sounds mixed in it, it looked like Den was going wild breaking the finished drugs too. I should praise him for doing good workter. From under the tes, the tattered wooden roof showed its face. Even with the tes on them, after years of weathering, they had gotten quite brittle. They couldnt endure an attack from me who was using Enchant, so it easily opened up a hole in the ceiling. I quickly widened it and then jumped right in andnded next to Michelle. The three seemed surprised at my suddennding. Their reactions were natural, as the person who Cloud depended on to save them turned out to be a girl like me. But that was beside the point now. I cut the ropes binding with my katana, setting Michelle, Cloud, and another man with a scar on his cheek, free. Michelle was unconscious since she was made to drink the drug they made. I brought the antidote I got from Maxwell to her mouth but she didnt swallow it down. Whats that? An antidote. At this rate, Michelle will turn into a Fungus. Fungus?! It seemed that they werent aware of the ingredients, so the fact shocked them. If you intake too much of it, it will progress your Fungus mutation and you will turn into a monster. Im having them drink the antidote just in case. W-What about us? They werent enemies, but it was hard to call them allies either. I had no ns to share a valuable high-grade antidote to people like them. I needed to share it with Cloud on top of Michelle. And there was another hostage too. He was most likely a victim too, so I had to detoxify him as well. Please dont say that If youre fine now, it means its still within the tolerance level. Not sure what would happen if you leave it be, though. Then I dont n to look after you to that point. You reap what you sow. Kh The men swallowed their words at my deration. They should be grateful I let them live after they messed with Michelle. W-Were sorry. So please, we beg you They contemted on what excuse to make for a few seconds, but then they decided to honestly apologize. It was a simple entreaty, their expressions warped in despair, on the verge of tears. Those were the expressions of people who were really regretting their choices. Well, I guess Michelles chastity was saved thanks to them, so it wouldnt be good to corner them any further. Well, I will put a word in with Maxwell for you. But dont expect too much. Be ready to blow out double the market price on them. Really?! Thank you! High-grade antidotes werent easily found at Guilds or medicine stores either. If people like them went to insist they sold it to them, they would just get turned back at the door. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) They would be able to get it through Maxwell, so they should thank me for it. ShitI cant get her to drink it. Having lost consciousness, Michelle couldnt swallow the medicine held in her mouth and spilled it out. Cant be helped, Ill just use my mouth to As I was talking, I felt a fierce bloodlust from behind, so I jumped to the side along with Michelle, making an evasion maneuver while being entangled with her. Then, a pole suddenly flew at my feet with terrific force. It was just a wooden pole, but if it had hit me with that force, I wouldve been easily rendered powerless. I heard some idiot came punching his way in, so I suspected something and came to check, but it looks like it was as I expected. Cain, huh. Youre as careful as always. Then came his sticky voice. I never wanted to get used to it, but Ive heard it over and over for the past few months whether I wanted to or not. He pulled out a sword from his waist and slowly walked toward me. I dont think there were any stairs here, though? They could only move between the floors using the installed crane and the sliding pole to go down. Hmph, you cant even understand that much? Six Heroes daughter or not, youre still amoner, huh. Didnt my subordinates go down with the crane? That crane remained lowered. Ah, so thats what it is. If the crane was lowered, the rope that it was hanging on was also lowered. It would be quite difficult to climb up such an unstable rope, but it wouldnt give off any sounds as you moved up. Moreover, he received education at the senior academy, so he should easily be able to climb up. After he realized the frontal attack was a diversion, he suspected an intruder like me, so he chose to avoid the loud crane toe up. So you have a surprisingly good sense huh? Oh well. You acted too hastily there, Nicole. The people below all have the drug with them. It dulls their pain and increases their strength. They are far stronger than an average person. Moreover, they are using the drug that I personally improved, so the strengthening effect is beyond what it has been so far. Unfortunately for them, our Den isnt normal either. Youre too naive. How far can he endure fighting people who can even rival Ogres? Hearing his example, it took my all not to burst intoughter. Den was one of those very Ogres that had undergone an evolution. If they were barely on the Ogre levels, there was no need to even worry. I had no reason to tell him that, so I just kept quiet. In that case, my problem was Cain who was in front of me now. You guys, fall back. Protect Michelle and Cloud. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Cain in front of me was giving off a bad aura. The strength he used earlier to throw a pole at me was quite extreme. That turned into chills towards the unknown, stirring my sense of crisis. Now that he wasying bare his hostility, I could tell it. This guy You have given up on your humanity, huh? I would prefer you say I surpassed it. Still, it was wise to tell those fellows to stand back. I will properlydealwith themter. Like Id let you. You have to get past the guy standing before you. Guy? I see, so thats your true self. I guess that makes it more amusing. Leave it. Besides, youre already done for. Ive already exined the situation to Maxwell. If you obediently take your leave, youll at least die like a noble, you know? Now that would be bad. It cant be helped. Then I will break you and escape this kingdom. This bastard had no ns to stay secretive anymore. Still, I felt a strange sense of difort from his reaction. He wouldnt be able to escape the Six Heroes even if he fled the kingdom. Be it messing with Michelle or his recent actions, they were too incoherent, or rather, he wasnt thinking about consequences at all. But before I could clear my doubts, Cain took a swing at me. Chapter 519 Cain closed in on me in one go. His speed was not at the level of a student. It was the speed of a master. Not just that, I couldnt even perceive his advance. Kh?! I dodged his big swing by jumping sideways, taking distance again. Still, was it really possible for a mere student to be this skilled? Even if Cain was receiving gifted education, it still didnt change the fact that he didnt have much practical experience. I just couldnt believe that his skill to step into my range exceeded even mine, who had so much experience piled up since the past life. There must have been some reason but he charged at me without giving me time to think about it. Shit! Hihahahahaha! Die, dieeeee! He was acting like a madman who had lost his sanity already. He was swinging his sword with all his strength while scattering drool from his mouth. I endured his attacks by blocking, parrying, and dodging. After a few exchanges, I started to feel that something was out of ce. Cains movementscked the active concentration that humans should have. Like when you step into someones range, you put your center of bnce behind and cause a recoil or when you try to sh, how you put strength into your hand and slightly pull the sword as a result. He didnt show the concentration to make such movements. Thats why I failed to sense his movements. They looked like the movements Lyell sometimes did so you wouldnt be able to estimate the timing of his attack. But those werent something a mere student would be able to do. It was definitely not possible. You could say Lyell only managed to learn them after training day after day and oveing battles that walked between life and death. I just couldnt think that Cain had that much battle experience. Then, what was this? I couldnt hide my confusion at his movements that looked inhuman. Is running around all you can do?! Shut up! He lost his temper seeing me dedicated to dodging, so his swings became even wider. Using that gap, I attacked his nk with my katana. The recoil I got felt as if I had hit a boulder. W-What the?! It wont work! Youmoners really are powerless! Like hell being amoner has anything to do with that. What the hell are you! This recoil was clearly not something from a human. That said, he didnt seem to be wearing armor either. He was just wearing a ragged cloth on top of his uniform. I would be able to tell if he wore armor under it, after all. Its the effect of the new drug! I dont feel any pain, and filled with an uplifting sensation, I dont even feel exhaustion. It even strengthened my physical strength and defensive power, and I even improved it so it heals my wounds automatically! Thanks for such an borate exnation! Shit, what a pain! Hearing about defensive enhancement and automatic regeneration, I remembered the Troll he had locked in the basement. Did he mix Trolls abilities into the new medicine? Maybe the reason the guy that attacked Finias group turned into a monster was that he was testing the new drug. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) But I had my ways to deal with that too. I just had to leave it to my originalbat style. Fortunately, there were more than enough ces to hook my threads in this warehouse. I kept my interval as I suppressed Cain with my katana, and at the same time, I coiled a thread on his neck over the ceiling. Then I jumped back in one go, opening more space between us while strangling his neck at the same time. Then I turned around and pulled on the thread as if I was carrying him over my back, hanging him up in the process. GA-GAHHHHhhhhhh!? Having his weight concentrated on his neck, he couldnt breathe and would die or thats what was supposed to happen. However, though he was iling his legs around, he didnt show any signs of suffocation. I could feel that through the thread over my back. Wha-, youre still?! His body didnt give away even after strangling him so hard and hanging him up like this. This was no longer something human. He used the medicine that hepleted after continuously trying to mix Fungus spores and Troll fluids into it, in a fight against me. Thedrugthat he made was finished. You could say that he had turned into a hybrid that had a humans consciousness in a Fungus and a Trolls body. Perhaps the reason I couldnt wound him with the sword earlier was that his skin was already turned into that of a Trolls? Then I could understand his current actions too. He was already half a monster, so he could no longer do consistent thinking. Thats why he messed with myrades, attacked Michelle, and even tried to kill me. He wasnt thinking of the future. He could no longer realize the fear of turning Lyell and Maria into enemies. But this way, killing him would also avoid future troubles but, unfortunately, our affinity had also turned worse. Tough skin like a Troll, and body of a Fungus that didnt require breathing. Even his joints were probably meaningless now. Strangling him and hanging him up served no purpose. shes had barely any effect as well. In order to kill him, I could only tear him to pieces as I did with the Fungus. But judging by the earlier reaction, Icked the destructive power necessary for it. Then with Enchant No, it would be hard even then, huh? Even if I Enchanted my originally weak body, it wouldnt amount to much. It was only at the level that I may only damage him if Ibined it with thread strengthening. The problem was that he still had fragmentary memories as a human. If I was against a normal monster, I could brute-force it somehow. But he was still a gifted student of the senior academy. He had both the knowledge topound drugs and the skill to wield a sword. Even his full-powered swings from earlier kept getting polished after every several swings. At this rate, there was a high possibility that he would be beyond what I could handle. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) My thread became slightly loose at my momentary hesitation. He who used to rage unsightly, didnt let go of that chance, and squirmed to shake the thread off. Following gravity, he fell to the ground. However, even if my thread loosened, I havent let go of it. As I looked over my shoulder, he was on the ground with the thread still on his neck. No, it was different. His neck was stretched out, deviating from that of a human. He then went down on all fours, and his joints also transformed to match his posture. Hes gonpletely wild now. The drugs effects wentpletely out of control, starting to deform him from his original human shape. Be turned into a spider-like aberration with a long neck. He started to crawl on all fours and charged at me as if leaping to eat his prey. Chapter 520 Since I had my back turned on my enemy, it would be hard to avoid that attack. Having allowed the attack due to a momentary opening, it took my all just letting go of the thread and leap forward. I barely avoided a direct attack, but it still impacted my back with force, blowing me far away. I bounced twice on the floor and mmed into a wall where I finally came to a stop. Gah-ha!? The impact put pressure on my lungs, driving the air out and turning my vision dark. My head hung down, and I barely managed to regain my fading consciousness forcefully. I had to keep myself conscious no matter what. It was dangerous to faint in the middle of a battle of course, but this time, it was more because he, who used to be Cain, had turned his attention towards the fainted and bound Michelle, once he blew me away. The three guards pulled their swords and stood ready, but the sudden transformation of their Boss petrified them in ce. With the way they were, their heads would fly instantly once Cain attacked them. Dont fucking go there! To get his attention back to me, I stood up with tottering steps and pointed my katana toward him. If he headed toward Michelle and others who couldnt resist, he would kill them with one attack. I had to keep him concentrated on me no matter what. Having said that, I had no way of dealing the decisive blow to him. Threads had a bad affinity with him who hadbined with a nt-type monster and stopped breathing. My katana also couldnt deal the decisive blow since his Trolls skin got in the way. Above all, most of his wounds even regenerated automatically. Moreover, he seemed to be evolving further aftering face to face with danger or perhaps it was better to say he was eroded further? His hanging neck was stretched, while limbs grew longer and thicker, and ankles got reversed. That was no longer a human silhouette. Seeing that, the three watchmens legs gave out and they sank to the floor. Not just that, there was even a puddle forming on the floor. Their wills werepletely broken. They could no longer fulfill their guarding duty. To keep his attention on me and away from Michelles group, I did what would be called a reckless charge. I used thread enhancement and also manipted the interior of my body, aiming to cut off his leg with all my strength. But even when my katananded, it stopped after reaching a halfway point. That also meant that my movements were sealed too. The dim illumination flickered for a moment. It was a sign that his arm was raised over my head. Then, the shadow of his twisted nails fell on my face. Those nails seemed to have also transformed so they would easily shred humans to pieces. Kh If it hit me, my head would be split open without a doubt. And like a pomegranate at that. Realizing that, I let go of my katana and jumped back. But I was a moment toote, and the tip of his nail scratched my chest. Blood spurted out and I fell to my knee. Shit I couldve gotten away if they hadnt grown so fucking long. It didnt reach the bone. It also missed important blood vessels. That said, I was bleeding a lot so it would be dangerous at this rate. I had to quickly deal with him, so I could lose my consciousness. I lost my weapon, and Im bleeding a lot. Looks like its turned really dangerous now. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrooooooaahhhh (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) He who used to be Cain, couldnt even speak human words any longer. Perhaps his vocal cords also changed as the neck extended. He transformed abnormally to match the partial monsterification. That was no longer a human, a Fungus, or even a Troll. There were things like hornsing from his elbow and knee joints, no longer looking human in any way. He was turning into something more aggressive, more atrocious. The wound on his elbow was already healed. My katana was also pushed out by the swelling flesh. Okay, what should I do I didnt know how hepounded that drug. It wasnt a decent drug, considering he just sought more power. He was treatingmoners like trash from the start. He probably just mixed the illegal drug into the soldiers food just to cast them aside once they served their use. And the result of that drug was before me now. My earlier attack where I used all my power shouldve had enough power to even ovee Lyell. But that attack only managed to cut halfway through his leg. It wasnt just his skin. Even the insides have transformed intosomething that wasnt flesh. There was no blood in the cut, in fact. The next thing I thought of was to transform into Reid and then use Enchant and other things. Given my other body, it should be able to output far more powerpared to Nicoles. The level of strengthening would definitely be even higher. Fortunately, the Polymorph scroll was usable now since I havent met Cortina in a while. I had the scroll spare in the waist pouch too. But still I dont think I can win with that either. If I returned to Reid, I would certainly grow stronger. However, his body also kept evolving after getting wounded. His joints even started growing horns for both offensive and defensive use. He evolved further after changing his form. Then I too will turn into someone strong who can break through that. I didnt even need to think about that form. After all, there was a man who personified the hero that I was aiming to be. But doing that would mean Like hell if I care. In order for me to ovee myself Ill abandon who I am! I pulled out the scroll and activated the Polymorph spell. I was already used to the creaking pain that followed it. A-AhhhAGGHHHHHHHHH!! My height became taller than I normally was. My body became thicker than I normally was. Under my skin, muscles were packed to the brim, yet they didnt get in the way of my movements. Moreover, they were muscles of the finest quality. The bones supporting those muscles also grew firm and strong. It was a body that wouldnt be perturbed by minor impacts. Even if my Gifts didnt change, I still have clearly be a superior being as a fighter. It was the form of the hero that I aimed forthe form of Lyell. The Polymorph spell allowed you to transform into the target form that you knew very well. For better or worse, I had seen Lyells body very often. We entered public baths together during my previous life, and albeit reluctantly, Ive also entered baths together with him even in this life. When I was a baby. For that reason, and not in a weird way, I was very knowledgeable about his body structure. That fact proved to be useful for me this time. Sorry to make you wait, monster. Dont think youre the only one who can transform! With an atrocious smile on Lyells reserved face, I beckonedhimtoe at me. Chapter 521 Cain rushed at me as I copied Lyells appearance. He no longer looked anything like a human. He had a long neck and limbs with growing horns. He even had more joints now. This was probably the result of making an already fishy drug even worse so the user would adjust to the harsh conditions of the battlefield. Soldier morale would certainly crumble if aberrations like them attacked them in groups. In the first ce, the Lamech household made this drug to rebel against the royal family. The effect wasnt by any means mediocre. GOAAAAAARRRRRRRRR!!! He raised his arm high up and swung it down at me. The thickness of his arm and the sharpness of his nails held enough power to turn a human into minced meat with one blow. I took a step towards him and blocked those nails. Polymorph allowed you to take on the form you knew well, but it didnt copy their Gifts. My body was that of Lyell, but I didnt have the Toughness Gift. As such, my endurance was far inferiorpared to Lyell. However, his body which underwent years and decades of pure training still easily stopped Cains attack. Ohh, amazing The one that raised that voice of admiration was none other than me. Of course, I stopped it because I believed that I could, but it ended up being far easier than I expected. With this body, I could even stop the evolved Dens punch. But that was beside the point now. I first had to deal with this Cain remnant that was quite literally rampaging in front of me. I twisted that arm that I stopped to break his posture, then swept his feet. Being thrust up with Lyells herculean strength, Cains body rotated horizontally and mmed to the ground head-on. Then I drew my heel into his elbow to break his joint. Not only that, I even broke through the floor below, spreading cracks radially. Cain didnt remain on the receiving end forever and screamed while squirming to take distance. Of course, his elbow was under my foot, so his movements were sealed. However, having lost his sense of pain, reason, and even human form, he wasnt concerned about it in the slightest. Thus, he took distance while doing a roll. Naturally, his pinned arm would get in the way, so he tore that arm off during the roll. Moreover, it started to regenerate at terrific speed. That regenerative power You bastard, you fully absorbed Trolls abilities, huh? He used Fungus spores in the drug. But Fungus didnt have such regenerative powers. Thinking about the militaristic use, he probably added Troll ingredientsnamely blood and such, into it, to further increase the environmental adoption. That regenerative power was just like that of a Troll. However, it seemed to havee with equal risks. Which was losing your sanity as he did. This regenerative power was certainly a menace. If an average soldier saw this monster, they would definitely turn tail and flee. If Lamechs army that lost in numbers was to usurp the regal power, there would be no better power than this. But the one that stood before Cain now was I, Reid, who had even defeated the Evil Dragon. Not to mention, in the body of Lyell, who had prated that Evil Dragons defenses. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I wouldnt falter or despair against the enemy like this. Cain was adapting to various damages, but Lyells strength should be able to ovee even those defenses. Much more when I was the one inside that body. I didnt have the Gift of Toughness, but looking at it differently, I still had the usual Gifts. In other words, I could now use Thread Maniption with Lyells body. The battle style the powerless me ingeniously developed could now be used with this blessed body. Even I couldnt imagine just how powerful an attack I could draw out with thembined. Moreover, Cains tactics now were poor too. He probably nned to roll away from me to a safe distance, but that distance was instead my kill zone. I activated Enchant on my gauntlets,bining it with muscle fiber maniption. I could feel Lyells already tough and peerless body growing even stronger. Once Cain finished his regeneration, he lowered his posture to charge at me once again. I swung a thread sideways to lop off his neck. The thread gave a thundering sound that it normally shouldnt give when cutting through the wind. At the same time, my body was also almost blown away by the gale that followed that thundering. I desperately braced my legs and remained in ce. However, Cain who took the brunt of that power ended up in a worse situation. His head that took the thread head-on blew up with a pop like a balloon. His right shoulder that it grazed also burst open, his torn arm flying in the air. Losing your head meant death as a lifeform. In other words, that attack robbed him of Trolls regenerative abilities. If he was simply parasitized by Fungus, then it wouldnt be strange if it manipted his corpse and attacked anyway, but as the drug was mixed with something else too, he shouldve been bound to the definition of a living thing. Next, I just had to make it so he wouldnt maintain his life force as a Fungus, in other words, tear him to pieces, and it would be the end. I confirmed the battle had ended with Cains death, but the matter wasnt over with that. The thread impact reached behind Cain too and pulverized the warehouse wall. Most of it scattered outside, but a part of it flew in, and one of them seemed to have hit Cloud on the head. Ueh? He woke up while raising that strange voice, but even I didnt remain unscathed. Being the starting origin of the attack that brought about that level of destruction, my scaffold couldnt endure it. In the first ce, cracks were already formed there when I crushed his elbow and it was on the verge of copse. And thanks to the fact that I pushed my foot down to draw out the earlier attack, it easily gave way. Ah, master Lye Cloud seemed to be calling me, but I couldnt hear them to the end and fell down to the first floor along with the rubble. Chapter 522 The floor gave way and I fell down, but I wasnt panicking or anything. In the first ce, even if this Lyells body didnt have his Gifts, it still boasted of peerless endurance. It wasnt hard to figure out that I wouldnt suffer much damage even if I crashed into the floor like this. Normally I would have shot my thead to avoid the danger, but this time I chose to fix my posture andnd as is. Since Cloud woke up, I couldnt let him see something as unnatural as Lyell being here. As the heavy impact resonated through my abdomen, I bent my knee to absorb the impact. As I supported my staggering body by putting a hand on the grounddebris came crashing down on me. Ngaaaaaaaahhhhh?! I ended up getting rolled up in the copse with no means of escape, ending up under the rubble. I couldnt move only for a moment, but the underlings on the first floor used that timing to surround me. All of them had bloodshot eyes already, making it apparent that they took the drug in question. A few of them were already starting to deviate from a human shape so it was clear that they overdosed. Their wide clothes were in tatters too, proof of their fierce fight against Den. I tried to push the rubble aside and stand up to intercept them. But a moment before I did, the underlings flew straight up. On the other side stood Den, his butler clothes also in tatters. Lord Lyell no, is that you Lady Nicole? Yeah, good job realizing it. Well, it would be strange if Lord Lyell was here. You have a point. Whats the situation on your end? It is as you can see. Being told so, I looked around. The ce was so wrecked it could hardly be called a warehouse anymore. The partition walls were smashed along with every single wooden box, the liquid inside spilling all over. With this, that new drug wouldnt make it into the market. Even as he talked to me, the underlings kept rushing at him. He blocked the attack with one arm that he had raised overhead, and at the same time, cracks formed on the floor. It was apparent just how much force their attacks had behind them. However, Den who could nonchntly stop them was also something. Not just that, he easily swung his arm and drove a backhand blow into the side of the underlings face that just attacked him. He flew into the air like a leaf, flying away in a spiral motion. He received enough damage to insta-kill an average human, yet he was still squirming on the ground. Not only was their sense of pain cut off, even their life force seemed to have been strengthened quite a bit. That much would be wonderful and all, but there was a limit to how strong a human could be. The reason they could exhibit that much power here meant that it would give equally strong side effects. Next moment, three of them attacked Den together, but he punched two of them away. The remaining one punched his chest, making him retreat a step. That said, the underling that attacked him ended up taking more damage. His elbow broke and the fingers also bent in different directions. Even so, the underlings expression showed no pain. He continued attacking as if possessed by something. Den, has it been like this from the start? Yes. I was having some trouble. It would be a pity to kill them, after all. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) As Den said, they did seem to have powers on the level of an Ogre, but Den had evolved to the point it was trivial to him. Still, he seemed to hold reservations on killing the underlings and the staff that were simply used. I see. Then leave it to me. I extended all ten of my threads and tied up the underlings one after another. They naturally resisted with all they had, but my threads showed their strength in response. In other words, I wasnt binding them now with Nicole or Reids strength, but Lyells. Even with the power of an Ogre, they couldntpete with my strength. A few seconds after I extended my threads, all the underlings on the first floor had their arms and legs tied behind their backs like shrimps. Why did you go for this pose? Den asked me, feeling somewhat sympathetic for the underlings for ending up in this somewhat unshapely state. I mean, they would keep attacking even if their limbs get shredded right? So I tied them up in a way they would have trouble putting in power. I twisted their arms like chicken wings behind their back, while also bending their legs all the way to their waist. The threads on their legs were wrapped around their backs, so if they tried to stretch their legs, it would just bend their backs instead and make them unable to endure that posture. The only fault was that it looked extremely weird. Well, we cant just leave them like this, so we have to call guards. Understood, then I will go call them. In that state? Dens butler clothes were reduced to a pitiful state after that battle. He was a pretty boy, so everyone who saw that state would start imagining something immoral. The receptionist of the inn would probably be at the top of that list. Cant be helped. I will go call them, so keep watch over them until then. Um, would it be alright? It will. I look like Lyell now. Moreover, you should hide so they dont capture you too, you know? Oh yeah, make sure to let Michelle and Cloud upstairs drink the antidote. Understood. As for the situation Right, the three watchmen above have switched to our side. It would be great if you can prearrange a story with them and make up an excuse about me. Prearrange? I said I was Nicole before them. And they also saw my transformation. I will have Maxwell handle them, so just make sure they dont say anything unnecessary until then. I see. Why not just silence them? His idea was the most effective one. If we silenced them here, Nicoles transformation and the rest of the situation wouldnte to light. But as I promised them, it would be too cold-hearted to back out now. Due to the circumstances, I promised to put a word in for them, so Id feel bad if we did that now. As expected of you, Lady Nicole, you look cruel but are actually kind. Is that supposed to be sarcasm? I would never. I threw the antidote bottle at Den while giving him instructions. When I reported this, the guards would probably rush there. If they saw a young boy in tattered clothes, they would naturally start suspecting something. Both Den and I had fishy backgrounds, so I didnt want us getting involved with guards as much as possible. While I was off to report it, Den would have Michelle and others drink the medicine, warn the three watchmen to stay quiet, and hide so the guards wouldnt find him. Doesnt it look like Den has way more things to dopared to me? At any rate, unless I report this, curious onlookers would just barge in. If we dont get the guards to secure the perimeter, some people might identally inhale the drug. Fortunately, my transformation wouldst for twenty four hours. There was enough time to go exin the situation and get the guards. It would be a pain if the passersby saw me on the way, so I grabbed a random cloth and wrapped it around my face before rushing out of the warehouse. When I arrived at the station, the guards first thought I was a suspicious person since I was hiding my face, but once they saw my face their attitudes did a 180 degree turn. I exined the situation roughly and had them send soldiers there. They seemed to want to ask me a bunch of things, but thats where Lyells authority came in handy. The guards couldnt exactly interrogate Lyell, so they headed to deal with the warehouse with a reluctant expression. Chapter 523 Next day after Cains death. Several nobles were gathered in the board chairmans office of the senior magic academy. There was Cains father, Duke Tubal Methush Lamech, Letinas father, Marquis Franklin Winne Yowi, and the former Duke, Maxwell. As well as Letina and me disguised as fake Haumea. It was Letinas first time seeing this fake Haumea form, so when she saw me, she went Nicole where did your eyepatch go? and came and poked me in the eye. She was really dynamic in everything she did. Her father, Marquis Yowis face paled when he saw that reckless action. Incidentally, after a careful exnation and that this fake Haumea was slightly older, she finally epted that it was a different person. However, she knew that I had an illusion ring, so she was still looking at me with doubts. After yesterdays strife, I met Maxwell and exined the situation. With that, Maxwell ordered to summon Letina as well as me disguised as fake Haumea as an involved party. When Letina heard that she happily epted it since she would get to meet Maxwell. Now, I suppose there is no need to say why I summoned you all here. Of course. It should be about my son getting killed by someone disguised as Lord Lyell, yes? That and about the suspicious drug that is circting in this city, I would say. As Maxwell started, Duke Lamech and Marquis Yowi chimed in to keep the situation in check. I heard from Finia beforehand, but it seems that Marquis Yowi had also sent personal spies to investigate them. It seemed that he had obtained influential information in regards to that. That information was also the reason behind them letting me know where Michelle and Cloud were confined. The Duke and the Marquis eyes met for a moment but they quickly looked away. It honestly looked amusing from the side. It is rted to both of those situations. Moreover, Duke Lamech, did you see the state of your son? He was in a terrible sight. I wish to know who forced him to drink such a repulsive drug. It is also interesting to find out who was making said drug. Indeed. ording to the rumors, there were some suspicious Adventurers on top of that fake Lord Lyell, was it? I hear they were victims too. Oh, no, no, someone disguised themselves as Lord Lyell, right? That someone is very suspicious. Wait, could that fake actually be the real person? More importantly, I would like to discuss the hidden room at the academy dorms. It was as if two sly foxes were trying to outfox each other. Duke Lamech was pushing his son to be just a victim, and tried to make Michelle and Cloud who were restrained there, and I, who was disguised as Lyell, into offenders. Marquis Yowi, on the other hand, was providing information about the hidden room that his spies brought to him. It seemed that teacher Mayer had discovered the hidden room after me and then secured Letina to guarantee her safety. But still, to think even Sullivan was a spy He was standing out more than Letina and stole all the attention. Apparently, he was securing her safety with the way he stood out more than her. Sullivan had Thread Maniption, while teacher Mayer a Stealth Gift, both were spies clearly based on me. Marquis Yowi, it would appear that you are using me of something? Hahaha, banish the thought. I am merely presenting the results of my investigation. Hold it, you two. I will present the results of my investigation first. Based on the investigation results of the Adventurer that I dispatched, Duke Lamechs son, unfortunately, appears to have been involved with umendable deeds. Your words are quite concerning, Lord Maxwell. I trust my son, you know? Could it be that you are siding with Marquis Yowi because he was not interested in the marriage talks? Duke Lamech suddenly pressured Marquis Yowi. It was a pressuring method using his higher peerage. Marquis Yowi was quite sly himself, but he was still the lower-ranking noble here. Even if it was somewhat unreasonable, after being pressured like this, he had no choice but to pull back. Even if his daughter was present now. Father Duke Lamech. I was the one who dispatched the spy. Or are you saying that I falsified the report? N-Not at all, I would never Haumea, the concerned party is here so it is a perfect time. Could you make your report? Of course. I have investigated Cain Methush Lamechs private room, and found a hidden corridor outside of his room. There were drug reserves and records of transactions behind it, as well as a Fungus and a Troll. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I spoke in a muffled, indifferent tone since I was before Letina. Duke Lamech snapped back at my words once again. As if I can believe the words of some stranger I know nothing about! Hmm? You wish to know who she is, do I understand it correctly? Of course! Please consider my position who has to hear some duckweed ndering my son. This is exactly the situation where one would describe as dead men tells no tales! Duckweed, huh, that is certainly appropriate. There, you see! Even if its you, Lord Maxwell, I cannot Then let me introduce her. She is Haumea. Her former name is Reid. Huh? Duke Lamech was of course aware of my former name. And Lyell, Cortina, and others also knew that Haumea was Reid. There was no problem even if my identity was exposed here. However, Lamech couldnt link my identity to the Reid of the Six Heroes. He was aware that I died twenty-five years ago. Maria used the Reincarnation spell. Resurrection is banned, but that one is not. She has been working as my hands since eight years ago. W-W-W-WhaWhat did you say?! You should believe it if they are Reids words, yes? A-As if I can believe such a big lie Then, would you believe it with this? I equipped my trusty gauntlets that were hanging on my waist with used movements. Then I extended threads from it, wrapped one on a teacup, and poured tea into it as if I was using my hands. N-No way! Letina pressed a hand on her mouth, looking shocked. I ignored her and took out the ount book from the essory case on my waist. It also recorded the transactions of Cains father, Tubal Methush Lamech. Maxwell picked it up faster than anyone. Of course, he had already gone through it in advance, but he acted as if he was doing it for the first time now. Oho, now this is quite interesting. T-That is This is not good, Duke. Leaving your sign in something like this. Wha?! The Duke half-rose to his feet in a frenzy, but Maxwell pressured him to keep him in check. Duke Lamech also reconsidered attacking us, so he sat down on the sofa once again. But his face was dyed in despair. This chairmans office uses the technique that prohibits casting of spells like the rest of the important facilities. Neither I nor you can use spells here. Ah well, I can forcefully use it, still, however. But setting that aside, it woulde to a physical contest. And with Reid here I need not continue further, right? Kh Developing and circting a dangerous drug that uses monsters. What you nned to achieve using that, I have actually already conveyed to His Highness. A Duke you may be, traitors are judged harshly in Raum. If you do not wish for your sons sins to involve the entire household, I advise you to remain obedient. AhhAghhhh! After Maxwells deration, the Duke crumbled down as he held his head and groaned. I quickly bound his arms just in case he had a sudden change of heart. Since using magic was sealed here, he should be powerless with his arms bound. In the meantime, Maxwell knocked on the waiting room on the side to send a signal. Since this room had good defenses, this was the only way to send a signal. The one that came in through the door was me Nicole. This was Gadius disguised as me after I gave him a reserve Polymorph scroll. With that, Letina ended up seeing me and Haumea at the same time. So this should carve the idea that we were different people in her mind. Lamechs expression dyed into despair too. He probably heard that Cain had messed with me too. The person concerned had just walked in, so it was natural. Even if he could use spells inside the chairmans office, turning two of the Six Heroes against him would be far too unreasonable. Thus, Feudal Lord Tubal Methush Lamech had lost his position, and the Methush domains incidents hade to a close. Chapter 524 Even if the Duke losing his position was set, Letinas marriage situation was still not resolved. While the Duke household lost its head, they still had other direct descendants. This matter would annul the current engagement, but once the situation dies down, the proposals mighte flooding again. Of course, Letinas marriage with any Lamech descendants would never happen, but there were other nobles of the same rank as Marquis Yowi, and other important nobles. Letinas connections that made the Six Heroes move this time would be an object of avid desire for other nobles. Phew, we somehow managed to cross one mountain but it seems like the proposals woulde flooding with this. I feel somehow bad about this, father. Oh, no, it pains me that my inexperience pushed you to do all this. Due to Letina running wild, she even got Maxwell to move through me. That resulted in the disy of the influence that she had over the Six Heroes. This matter is full of the points I have to reflect on. Letty, youre no longer a child, huh? Looking at the result alone, the Marquis ended up being behind on everything, and he barely managed to do anything. What broke through this difficult situation was the power of personal connections that Letina had built up. Of course, that included her father, Marquis Yowis power too. She used her personal connections properly and even drew a higher-ranking noble to ruin, so her father had to recognize it. And it wasnt only her father who recognized that fact. That is precisely the reason why more suitors maye seeking your connections. No, they will definitelye. I n to screen them carefully, but please resolve yourself for that. Thats I will. With this matter, Marquis Yowis influence also increased among the Marquises. For that very reason, people would probably flock to him desiring his influence like moths attracted to the light trap. That side was a corrupt world that Letina, who was still fifteen years old, didnt wish to get involved with too much. Her feelings probably strengthened after this case where we acted together like in the old days. Even so, she had to face that world. That was her responsibility as someone born into the Marquis family. However, Maxwell interrupted the family talk there. About that. I may have one way of resolving it. Say what?! Err, I mean, you have a n, Lord Maxwell? Letina half-hopelessly made her resolve, but Maxwells words made her lose her calm. She was acting too flustered for someone who always addressed the Six Heroes and matters concerning them with due respect. That was proof that her rtionship with us exceeded her yearning for the Six Heroes. Honestly, I was happy enough to barely hold back my tears. Agh! Calm down, calm down I say! H-Hey, Letty?! Letina bent forward and pressed Maxwell, he tried to push her with both hands, while the Marquis grabbed her by the waist to drag her back. Looking at it like this, Letina alone managed to throw Maxwell and Marquis Yowi into confusion, so she was quite something. Good grief, you really need to learn how to calm down, little Letina. I feel most ashamed. Marquis couldnt help but scold her daughter after showing no signs of reflection. Letina also realized her disgraceful behavior and sat down on the sofa, clearing her throat. Well, let me see. The problem is that unknown, influential men would approach you, yes? Well, yes. For example, if it was someone you would understand, and would not care about your connection with the Six Heroes, I think you would not refuse the marriage. It also has to be someone with a status to fit our household. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Marquis Yowi, who finally calmed down, interjected. Certainly, to receive him, he had to be of a suitable standing. But someone like that should not exist Oh, could it be Lord Reid? That would be too much, as expected. He is a woman now as you can see, and above all, I have no wish to turn Cortina against me. Letina tilted her head in true puzzlement. Even I had no idea who Maxwell meant. Since Letina would ept them, it would mean they were already acquainted. In that case, the first person that woulde to mind was Cloud, but he was an orphan. He would not suit a Marquis household. Our other acquaintances included Kayle from Raum, Sullivan the spy, and such, but I just couldnt see them as people Letina knew well, and they also didnt have the necessary status. God Hastur had a wife so he was out of the question. I really had no idea just as I reached that point, I finally remembered someone. Someone who knew Letina well, was tolerant, and indifferent to influence. And yet, his status matched that of Marquis plenty well. The problem would be their age. It seems you realized it, Reid. Yes, I mean myself. Wait wait wait, you certainly satisfy the requirements, but your ages are too far apart, old man?! Huh, Lord Maxwell? Certainly, if it was Maxwell, he was familiar with Letinas personality, he would be fine with her Adventuring, and he would not care about the Six Heroes connections. Or rather, he was one of them himself. He was a former duke, so his status also matched. The only problem was he was far too old. Reid, I keep telling this to you, but I still have some life in me. I then noticed I was getting more worked up over this than Letina herself. That also showed that I was seriously thinking about her future too. I peeked at her face to check her reaction and saw that she was petrified with a beet-red face. Thinking back, she has always been a Six Heroes maniac since her young days. Theres no way she would hate this proposal. Marquis Yowi wasnt looking very surprised, either. Seeing how he interjected earlier, they probably already talked it out beforehand. Which reminds me, thest time I visited Maxwell, he did say he waying the groundwork. In other words, this is the groundwork he wasying, huh? Old man, are you serious? I am. I am still going strong, and have more lifespan left in mepared to an average human. I could somehow manage the most important part, which is to leave a sessor. Are you fine with that, Letina? Huh, Lord Ried? Err, um, it would be an honor. She gave a short nod with a beet-red face. Looks like shes done for. What about you, Lord Marquis? I believe this is a very good proposal for me. Every side returned a positive reply. I guess I expected this reply since Maxwell put in some groundwork. Still, both of the parties were up for it, and her father was also giving the OK, so I guess it wasnt my pce to say anything. The problem was to persuade her mother, but she was also a Six Heroes fanatic, so she would easily agree to it. Well, if this would lead Letina to happiness, I had to give her my blessing. Chapter 525 That day, two girls were visiting a tavern. One of them was drowning in alcohol as if she was preparing for the end of the world, ranting and raving in an unsightly state. Why was it Letinaa! I mean, she is cute, but Im not bad either, am I? Like you couldpare to her. Cortina drank her ss while giving the cold shoulder to the dead drunk Dr. Tricia. They were currently in the northern remote vige. Maxwell brought Tricia to examine Cortina, since her fatigue was pushed to the limit. The result of the examination was that her fatigue wasnt a problem, so instead Tricia took her along for a drink. Perhaps her real aim was to use her as a distraction after the prey she was aiming for had escaped her. Shes still young, honest, hardworking, and quite a beauty. Im young from an Elven perspective too! Dontpare yourself to the elves! Im even younger than you! Well, my lifespan is longer than humans! Having drunk a lot, Tricia started to spout illogical things already. She was already in her thirties, so she was starting to lose her chance. As such, her appeals sounded quite equally desperate. Cortina was also drunk on top of her daily fatigue, so she was dealing with her quite halfheartedly. At this point, I have no choice but to attack Lord Gadius! Im not sure if youre getting desperate or just too optimistic. Half of the Six Heroes are already married with this. How do you feel, being left behind? Im not particrly in a hurry. Speaking of which, I heard you were going out with some guy with a bad look in his eyes. H-He doesnt have a bad look its just a little sharp. Cortina showed signs of panic at that sudden change of topic that was natural for drunkards. Seeing that, Tricia gave her a suspecting gaze. Dont tell me youre trying to score him without telling me anything. Huh, o-of course not. Arent we friends? Hey. Look me in the eye and say that again. Seeing how she was clearly avoiding eye contact, Tricia was convinced. Cortina had someone she was nning to marry. But since she wasnt revealing it, it was probably not something that would happen very soon. She guessed there was something getting in the way. Hey, Cortina. Were friends, right? Yeah? You wont get married and leave me behind, right? Seeing her start acting like a cat when it benefited her, Tricia finally snapped. She was dealing with one of the Six Heroes, but that didnt stop her from giving her a merciless bonk to the head. Of course, she could only do this because Cortina didnt mind such things. Still, Cortina wasnt so slow that she would take a hit from an ordinary person. She quickly moved her head aside and dodged her fist. That became a trigger for the start of a fierce catfight inside the tavern. Though one was actually a cat. Cortina was above Tricia in terms of skill and physical abilities, but Tricias willpower and the fact that both were pretty drunk made the fight drag out quite a bit. Eventually, they continued it without a victor until eventually getting thrown out by the staff. On a different day, four men(?) were also having a drinking party, but in Gadius tavern. The participants were single, married, and soon-to-be-married men. Still, old man, marrying Letina was quite a drastic thing. Nicole, the only girl among them, addressed Maxwell. She was the only one weak to alcohol, so she was instead served orange juice and honey milk instead. Maxwell, on the other hand, slowly carried his ss filled with a little strong alcohol. There was no other choice. I could not think of a better n to protect her. (Maxwell) But you looked quite ready to make babies too, didnt you? (Nicole) I keep telling you that Im still active in that way. And I cannot deny that she grew up into a charming woman. She holds feelings for me too, so I am quite willing to reciprocate. (Maxwell) I swear, this old pervert (Nicole) (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Nicole spat out those words, and Gadius fully agreed with it. It looked like no one was taking Maxwells side in this ce. However, someone who was silently drinking next to him patted him on the shoulder and gave a thumbs up in approval. Whats with that pose? (Nicole) I mean, Ive had my fair share of troubles with my wife. (Hastur) Oh yea, your wife wasthat thing, huh, Hastur. (Nicole?) Hastur smoothly joined their drinking bout with only men(?) in it. His wife was called the God of Destruction in the legends. In other words, that White God. Nicole and the rest were also aware of how unprecedented her disposition was. Moreover, the couple looked to have a far too big a gap in age, at least from the outside. Yeah, that one is a little too you- Actually, never mind. (Nicole) That would be wise. There are areas you should not touch. More importantly, Gadius, do you have anything interesting to share? (Maxwell) Me? Unfortunately, I dont meet many people. (Gadius) Not to mention, Gadius inn was a popr ce where countless Adventurers who wanted to make a name for themselves visited. There were plenty of female Adventurers among them too. It was clearly a lie that he said he had no encounters at all. In fact, he was suspiciously looking away and trying to dodge the topic. Moreover, I dont think I will find anyone more beautiful than myself. (Gadius) Okay, look here. What youre referring to was my appearance. I hope you didnt awaken to some strange hobbies. (Nicole) Im just kidding. (Gadius) Well it doesnt sound like one, so Im really freaking out here, you know?! (Nicole) Oh? Then perhaps I should put some time to research sex change magic? (Hastur) I feel like youd really invent it if you try, so please just dont! (Nicole) Although not at God of Destructions level, God Hastur had also contributed to the development of magic. Nicole learned at the academy that the origins of spells like Flight could be traced back to Hastur. So if someone like that said such a thing, it could be possible that he would really develop it. More importantly, Reid. What about yourself? How long do you n to make Cortina wait? Im cooperating with you since I have a debt, but she is too pitiful to look at like this. I know that. Ive gained proper skill already, so it might be a good time to properly work towards it. Nicole had her thoughts about the matter Gadius mentioned. Her skill with the interference system had grown quite good after years of practice, so she thought that it could be a good idea to properly focus on the matter and study it. Chapter 526 A few days passed after the Methush incident was solved, and now, a strange meeting was held in Raum. That day, Cortina used her rest day and returned to Raum. This meeting was initiated by her. So, I went ahead and set this up. A matchmaker for Adventurers only. Lady Cortina, thats a little troubling! As she dered that loudly after gathering Adventurers in the hall, the receptionist interjected with a troubled face. This was the suggestion she came up with after listening to Tricias worries the other day. This meeting was partly to help her. Cortina looked doubtfully at the receptionist girl after hearing herint. After all, she had already asked permission for it beforehand, so the warning was uncalled for. Why? Didnt I say beforehand that I was going to gather Adventurers and hold an event? I have heard that, but there was not a word about it being a matchmaking event! Im not telling you to participate, though? I mean, Im not forcing anyone. Thats not it! If Adventurers decrease, that would trouble us! Oh, that, huh? With the matchmaking, there would of course appear people who would get married. And as a result, it would lower the level of Raums adventurers. Raum that was covered in forests was extremely suited for monsters to dwell in. Lowering the quality of Adventurers was quite certainly a problem of life and death. If we heard it would be this kind of event, we wouldnt have agreed to it. Huuh? Are you telling us not to get girlfriends? What he said! We want our encounters too! Actually, you should go out with me! Dont get ahead now. She should obviously go out with me! Okay, then I will go for Lady Cortina! Know your ce you fool! The receptionists words invited voices of opposition. Their ims were valid, as adventurers working in Raums vicinity mainly dealt with monster subjugation, so they had few chance encounters. They of course encountered women in rted facilities, but generally, everyone that worked in this field was quite unapproachable. And while they couldnt find the chance to make a move, they would suddenly get married at their workce and leave the radar. As a result, they were always in a direck of avable women, and longed for new encounters. Well, everyones like this, so maybe you could let this pass? I wont budge even if you ask it cutely. Come on! Hearing about Evil Dragons scales, her attitude did aplete turnaround. Even a single scale was valued higher than her annual ie. Getting three of those would benefit the Guild a lot. And that would also mean that her assessment would also skyrocket. Her change was but natural. Alright then, I will now introduce the participants for today. First is the healing flower of the magic academy, Tricia! Nice to meet you. As Cortina pointed at the entrance, Tricia, dressed in a tight and sexy dress entered with flirtatious airs. Seeing that, all the Adventurers became deadly serious. Okay, were done here~ Good work today. Man, Ive worked up quite a sweat today too. Though its a cold sweat. Huuh, whats with that reaction?! The Adventurers tried to pass by Tricia and leave. She got pissed at that and objected. Well, I mean Arent you the venus flytrap of the magic academy? Yeah, Ive heard of Tricia whos known for never letting you go once shes caught you. You are a sloth and use men like your errand boys, dont you? Why are you so knowledgeable about magic academy staff? I mean, Nicole told me I heard from Michelle. And I from Letina. Cortina was at her wits end after hearing it. Nicole certainly visited the doctors office all the time, and Michelle and Letina frequently apanied her. Tricia certainly used male students like gofers every now and then. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The problem was that the one who spread those rumors was none other than Nicole, someone who was under her care. The way it looked, it was like Cortina was the reason behind Tricias rtionships being hindered. Wait wait, this girl has her good points too, so give her a little chance, will you? Even if you tell me that Her looks arent bad, but she cant get my heart to jump. People over ten years old are outside of my strike zone. Cortina was perplexed by the Adventurers incessantints. Raums Adventurers in general were quite amiable, but they were also quite the free spirits. They were naturally putting their guard up when someone tried to force a woman on them. This could be called a misreading on Cortinas part. But if it stayed like this, her friends future would take a serious hit. As she racked her brains on how to handle it, one boy walked into the Guild. Big bro Kayle, are you here? Oh, Keith? What are you doing here? Kayle, the strongest, fifth-ranked Adventurer of Raum showed himself before the boy. The boy was limping and had a dainty appearance that was still full of childishness. He was a pretty boypletely dissimr to Kayle. He seemed to be a little younger than Nicole. Seeing that boy, Tricia trembled as if she was hit by lightning. Tricia? N What, whats the matter? Nice shota. This time, Cortina just held her head and squatted down. Tricia saw young boys every day, but this was apparently her first time seeing someone so dainty. Cortina wasnt sure how to even deal with her reaction. Ahem. More importantly, does this boy have a problem with the leg? Huh? Oh, yeah, he was attacked by a monster quite a long time ago. It seems it was dealt with badly. Let me examine it for a bit. In any case, she was a professional doctor too. Seeing an injured person, she started examining him properly. It wasnt like she wanted to touch a bare leg of a shota, certainly not. At the end of the day, this matchmaking for Tricia ended in a failure. However, after her zealous examination of Keith, she seeded in obtaining his goodwill. How it would develop after this was entirely dependent on the people concerned. Chapter 527 Some time had passed since Letinas marriage talk hade to a close. Since Maxwell was designated as her fiance, marriage proposals suddenly stopped being sent to her, and she was apparently spending days in peace now. Ive heard from the person concerned directly, so it was unmistakably true. And then! Lord Maxwell was oversleeping, so I went to check on him and his beard was all drooly! Ohh, I seee Letina, youre being a pain Can I just go back to my room and sleep? Rejected. Since she became Maxwells fiance, she could now easilyrequestthe use of his magic. She was using Maxwells spells toe from Raum to Stor once every three days. And we were put through her love life bragging each time. I nced aside and saw Maxwell was talking with Gadius while feigning ignorance. But well, it was Gadius inn so it wasnt so strange for the two to be here. You bastard Pushing love-obsessed Letina at us while acting so carefree himself Letina, why did ite to this Frankly, Im sleepy here. And my joints started to hurt as ofte. Cloud was still growing taller. At this rate, he would easily cross 180cm. I could already see the day he would catch up to Lyell. By the way, I was about 170cm in my past life, so I was a little short for a warrior, and extremely slim. And my current stature wasnt very good either. I felt envious of Cloud who kept growing. Letina, I have something to talk to Maxwell about. With Lord Maxwell? I will not allow any affairs. Like hell I will do that. I ended up retorting with my real tone, but I couldnt help it. I really didnt have any spare energy to keep idling pointlessly like this. Sorry for Michelle and Cloud, but I decided to dump Letina at them while I stood up and headed to Maxwell instead. This was a cafeteria so Michelle and the rest sat at our usual table. Maxwell on the other hand was chatting with Gadius at the counter. I sat on a stool next to Maxwell and spoke what I thought I had to say first and foremost. Die you normie. That is your first words? Is there nothing else to say? There is. So how has it been since? My brow twitched up at his words. This old man was myrade from the past life, and I consider him a dear friend even now. But Letina was also one of my preciousrades. If he was saying the marriage was bothersome, I had to brace my heart and admonish him here. Do not misunderstand, Reid. I do not consider marrying Letina as bothersome. She is unusually straight and honest, someone who I would say is too good for me. Then whats bothering you? The reaction from the outsiders. Marquises of the same rank as Marquis Yowi are directing envious gazes at me, and the nobles that realized that I was still sexually active started to aim for the mistress position. Oh, thats what you mean Seeing me sigh in relief, this time Maxwell started to grin. Even Gadius was holding backughter. To think the Reid that we knew would start worrying about others. That was uncalled for. Ive always been apassionate man. Yes. We did know that, but the same could not be said about the others. I followed my sense of justice in the past life and killed my enemies, and got killed in turn. But the world evaluated me like a mad dog that would snap at anyone without mercy. These two apparently found it amusing that I, who had such a bloodstained impression, would worry about a young girl that was my close friend. Fuck you,ugh all you want. More importantly, what I meant to ask earlier also included that guy. That guy Oh, you mean the Lamech household? Yeah. I couldnt really ask about it in front of Michelle and others. The Lamech household held the peerage of a Duke that was connected to the royalty. A household of such status couldnt be ruined so easily. After all, doing so would affect the prestige of the royal family as well. I had no means to investigate that stuff in detail. Or well, if I used my parents connections, I probably could get some information, but it wasnt a topic that would allow me to use my connections so openly. As such, I could only secretly ask Maxwell. With the uprising on top of illegal drugs, they could not leave it be. Having said that, they could not ruin the household either, so High Highness was at his wits end. So, what happened in the end? Tubal in question was forced to retire and all his rtives were sent to remote regions. They had the illegitimate infant that he cast off to seed in the household, and they had his guardian Marquis raise him. They have been effectively exterminated. The sessor was an infant, so the Lamechs couldnt get in contact with him. As long as he wasnt dyed by the Lamechs thoughts as he grew up, the baby would grow up with natural grounding. This could be thought of as a measure to keep the lineage alive as minimally as possible while cutting the sessor away from the thinking of the Lamechs and severing any attachment to them. It wasnt just that. Most probably, the retired head of the family, Tubal, would meet anunforeseen deathin the near future. And then the rest of the family members would follow one by one. By doing that, they wouldnt be extinct on paper, while effectively they would be. Good grief, this is why nobles are so Do not say that. There are also nobles like Marquis Yowi and Letina among them. I know that. Ive only had a few opportunities to meet Marquis Yowi directly, but from his actions so far, I understood that he was a sensible noble. And Letina also was also a pleasant person. I didnt think that all nobles were ck-hearted either. Oh well. But dont get Letina rolled up in it, you hear? Of course, I will not. If someone tries toy a hand on her, I shall show no mercy even if the other party was this very kingdom. Oh? You sound awfully enthusiastic about it. Naturally. I may not look like it, but I am quite a devoted husband. He casually spoke the words I wouldve gotten embarrassed to say. This aspect of him was something I could never match up to. In order to hide my feelings, I snatched his alcohol cup from the counter and downed it in one go. Chapter 528 Mmm Where am I? I slowly opened my eyes. The first thing that I saw was a familiar ceiling. But I didnt remember going to bed. Ah, are you awake? Oh Finia, good morning. Good morning to you too. Why am I in my room? Thats because you drank Lord Maxwells alcohol in one gulp and fainted on the spot. Finia spoke with her hands on her waist and puffed cheeks, appearing a little angry. Oh right, this body of mine was awfully weak against alcohol. After speaking with Maxwell, I ended up drinking it as I used to in my past life, which turned out to be a blunder. More importantly, we are scheduled to visit Lord Lyells mansion after lunch. Ohh, right! Letinas visit was one part, but we also nned to visit Lyells mansion today. I couldnt ignore Letina after she came so I decided to entertain her during the morning and head to the mansion in the afternoon. I cant go back without you, so please get yourself together, Lady Nicole! Yeah, sorry By the way, you can call me by my old name when its just us, you know? Im bad at switching over, so I will speak as usual so it doesnt result in a blunder. But um, I will call you the other way during the special asions. Finia said while blushing and poking her fingers together. I was a little afraid to ask what she imagined when she said special asions. What about Michelle and the rest? Ah yes, I have already notified them. I also had Den remain as your substitute. He was here? Lord Maxwell brought him here since you wouldnt be here. Well, I felt bad for him that he would be put through Letinas love bragging hell, but given his perseverance, he should be alright. Besides, the people on the other side should be waiting for us. We have already notified them that wed be visiting today. Well then, lets get Ive already prepared everything! As expected of you, Finia. Youre always dependable. EheheYou can praise me more. So youre able to say that now, huh? I started to change while speaking. Finia helped me with it, but it was already a habit that we developed since I was young so I felt no shame about it. Once I got all dressed up, I grabbed Finias hand and constructed a magic circle. Maxwell wouldnt even need to touch the target but I wasnt that used to Teleport so I couldnt take another person along if I didnt touch them. Once I finished the spell, the scenery in front of me crumbled like a mosaic and restored itself. Once it settled down, we stood before Lyells mansion. Weve arrived, Finia. Finia grasped my hand tightly and insisted on it. The voice seemed to have reached the inside, and the door opened with force, with a dressed Fina rushing out from inside. Big sis Nicole, wee! Ohh, Fina, did you grow up? I caught her in the rush and almost fell on my back. But as if she was expecting it, she supported my back and stopped my fall. Yup. I have grown. Thiiiis much. She spread her hands wide while I held her close. Ahaha, that is a little too much. Wee too, Fwinia. Its not Fwinia, its Finia. And, wee back, huh Fina spoke that phrase casually, but wee back was something you used when one returned to their own house. That was proof that Fina considered her part of the family. Yeah, wee back is not a mistake, Finia. This is already a ce for you to return to. The corners of Finias eyes became wet at my words. Being an orphan, she never had her own home even after she started working for Lyell in the mansion. Those words of wee held a special meaning in her heart. Oh, Nicole, you just came back and youre already making Finia cry? Thats a bad way of putting it. Shes just easily moved to tears. Following Fina from the inside were Maria, who was unusually dressed in a habit, and Ashe. Huh, even Lady Ashe is here? Yes. I said I would baptize Fina, but Maria never contacted me. So I went and came here by force. Uhh, what about the temple? No problem! I left a note. It sounds like a big problem to me! So in other words, this Pope slipped out again. The cardinals would be extremely troubled by this. I couldnt even imagine their feelings. Thats how it is. So I really have to return soon, but you kept us waiting. Ugh, sorry. Yes, our reason for visiting today was Finas baptism ceremony. Dressed-up Fina looked adorable, and I could now understand why Maria and Finia were excited during my baptism. Also, it wasnt just the possession of a Gift, the baptism itself held a special meaning too. By receiving the baptism of the worldsrgest faction, which was the World Tree religion, she would finally blend in with the society of the vige. I guess you could call it bing one of them. A sense of unity of people belonging to the same faction. Of course, it was up to her if she wished to convert to another religion in the future. The World Tree that was rooted in this world and governed the cycle of the souls could also be said to govern life and death. It wasnt so intolerant to order you to follow everything down to the line. That said, half-demons were excluded from that for some reason. Listen to this, Lady Nicole drank Lord Maxwells alcohol and got knocked out. Eh, hey Finia! Its so awful of you to tell them on me! Oho? So you can enjoy alcohol now, Nicole? The two of us should hit it off sometime. Nope, Im not drinking with you, dad. I sunk Lyell down the moment he showed up from the entrance, but Id definitely get wrecked if we went to drink together. Well then, the drunkard Nicole is here too, so we should start the baptism. That was a bad way of putting it! Pope Ashe pped her hands to get us back on track. This year, there were no other three-year-olds other than Fina, so we nned to casually finish it at the viges church. I held Fina with one hand, while holding Finias hand with the other, and we headed to the church. Chapter 529 We headed to the church while I held Fina in my arms. Finia, Maria, and Lyell wereing with me. As well as Ashe who was dressed overly extravagantly. After looking over them, I realized that someone was missing. Huh, wait, wheres Cortina? Oh, we sent her on endurance training with someone to monitor her. Its been three hours. Oof Cortina, being of a feline race, was by no means weak physically. Rather, her race far exceeded humans in terms of explosive power. However, when it came to stamina, they were at most on a humans level, or even lower. This was apparently because their muscles developed that way to maintain their high explosive power. It seems this was also the reason why many of their members had petite builds. And that Cortina was out on a three-hour endurance run now? Even Id die from that. Mommy, look, look, people are avoiding us. Indeed. It must be because thisauntiehere dressed in fancy clothes to appear young. Maria, why do I feel like your words are thorny? Well of course. I was supposed to hold this baptism ceremony, but you snatched it from me. Ohe on, thats because you didnt call me during Nicoles baptism! Ashe made excuses while pping her overly long sleeves around. She looked pretty much like an elementary student from the outside, but she was old enough in reality that Maria could call her aunt. Good grief, just like Whitey, shes as immature as it could possibly get. But its still your fault, okay? Why did you go and wear such an extravagant vestment in this poor, remote vige. Oh? But isnt your vestment of even higher quality than mine? But this one looks simple at least on the outside. Looking closely, Marias vestment was in-looking ck, but it felt like it was sucking the light in. Moreover, the surface looked rough and didnt seem to have a texture. It seemed like some sort of skin Wait, I remember this. Could it be Evil Dragons membrane? Oh, how perceptive of you. I ordered it alongside Lyells scale armor when they made it. The seamstress did scold me that a needle couldnt pass through it and she had a hard time. Im surprised she managed to do it. We used Lyells Holy Sword to poke pinholes in it. Thats such a wild method. Using the Holy Sword for pinholes was so sad it made me want to cry. Moreover, there were countless stitches on it, so I couldnt help but think how fruitless it was, considering how much Lyell had to work to make pinholes. I broke into cold sweat without letting Fina see it. I moved my gaze away from Maria to the front to drop this topic, but then, I saw some kind of tattered, dustcloth-like roll of fur lying on the ground. Whats that? Ugh. Strangely enough, that fur raised a groan. Wait, it wasnt fur. It was Cortina, who had copsed due to fatigue and looked like tattered cloth. Fina jumped down from my arms and dashed to Cortina. Teeenaaa! Ugh, Fina, run, theres a demon here. And hes called Lyell. Dont diee, your wounds are only fatal! That means Ill die! More importantly, who taught you that ominous line? Mommy. Listen, Fina. Shes a traitor. A maniptor. Whaa?! Stop telling her such irresponsible things. Maria pped Cortina on the head as she was drilling disturbing ideas into Fina. Then she cast Cure with flowing movements. Her fatigue wouldnt recover, but it could recover her body condition itself. It seemed to have had some effect, and Cortina staggered to her feet. Speaking of which, where are your two guards? Oh, when they saw me drop t and stop moving, they rushed out to bring water. Shouldnt you have called mom instead? If I did that Id have been put through even more pain, you know?! Oh, okay? Cortina drew close to me while shedding waterfalls. Unlike before, we were on the same eye level now. Its been three years since I left Raum. Ive grown quite a bit too in these years. Actually, arent you a little cruel too, Nicole? You nevere to see me! Err, I dont? I actually met her all the time as Reid, and I was visiting this ce as Nicole too from time to time. I talked to Cortina during those asions, but she apparently found itcking. I can somehow put up with this hell since I get to adore Fina as much as I want, though. Nyaaaaaahhh! She ruffled Finas hair and rubbed her cheeks with hers as she said that. Because of that, Finas tidied-up hair was roughed up. Finia pulled her from Cortinas hands and quickly fixed her hair. Finias timidness was gone too, huh. That aside, where are you all going dressed up like that? Were going to baptize Fina. Ashe came here for that reason too. Oh Wait, Ashe? Wait, the Pope?! Oh, you know about me? Its an honor. Why are you in such a ce?! Arent you a super important person? It feels strange to hear that from you. Maria calmly rebutted her question. With Cortina and Maria present, Ashes importance fell by a level. She was still one of the worlds most prominent people though. Cortina looked greatly perplexed, but Ashe wasnt one to back down from it. She was instead puffing her chest proudly, so she probably didnt realize that Cortina was implicitly telling her not to show up here. Oh well. But I want toe along to the baptism ceremony too. You wont be able to get in the church so theres no point. Even so! Its a rare celebration, so let me participate. Youre fine with that too, right, Lyell. Well, I did make you run to the limit today, so I guess you can take a break. Yaay! Cortina snapped her fingers and yelled in joy. And with that, she got to participate in the baptism ceremony as well. Chapter 530 The church in this vige was iparably smallpared to the World Tree religions temples. However, it wouldnt lose out to them in how durable it looked. The outer walls built with sturdy stone blocks wouldnt break without a significant something. Lyell could easily destroy them though. Well then, I will take Fina inside to perform the baptism, so the rest of you wait outside. During the baptism ceremony, the ritualist first performed the admonitory speech to the participants in front of the church, and then they would step inside into the magic circle. By doing that, the Gift you held would surface in your mind, but this time Fina was the only three-year-old around, so the ceremony was done quite roughly. This was perhaps also because the ritualist, Ashe, had such a messy personality. I trust Marias education, so I will skip the admonitory speech. Is that really okay? It is. Even you dont remember the speech you were given back then, right? Now that you mention it During my time, Maria did the annual admonitory speech, but it was a really nk topic, so I barely remembered anything. Maria herself said that they didnt say anything different from every other year, which would be an improper thing to say for a clergyman. But that meant that this thing was only that important. Fina. If you like to hear it, you can ask Mariater, okay? Okaay! Fina raised her hands and adorably answered Ashes carefree words. Hearing that, Marias expression turned unusually weary. Her face was clearly saying,dont push such bothersome things at me. Ashe was naturally not one to be perturbed by that. She just took Finas hand while feigning ignorance and headed inside the church. Its rare to see you get cornered by someone, Maria. Ive always been bad at dealing with her. Shes not a bad person. Rather, shes a leader that deserves respect, but I had been bad at dealing with her too. Why are you using the past tense? Isnt it like that even now? She was quite a rare person for both Maria and Lyell to be bad at dealing with her. Thinking about it, she was a top-ss existence in both influence and magic skills. Maria was both a Six Hero and a Saint, but in terms of actual standing, she was just a diocesan administrator, so Ashes standing was above her. Maria and Lyell started grumbling about Ashe to waste the time waiting for Fina toe out. However, it was taking quite a while. It ended much faster during my time. Lyell, being a doting parent, felt the same so his legs started to shake and he pressed a question to Maria. Hey, isnt it taking too long? Maybe theres some trouble I was scared just to imagine Asheing along on the Evil Dragon subjugation. An innocent person, in a sense, like her wouldve caused disorder without any malice, and conspired with Maxwell to pull off pranks and throw our party into chaos. As one of the people concerned, I wanted no part of that. Still, Lyells worry wasnt unfounded, and mere appraisal shouldnt have taken so long. About ten minutes passed as the two of us nervously stared at the church door. Then it finally opened and the two came out. Wow, I never couldve guessed. Fina ended up receiving an oracle. Oracle?! An oracle was when a god directly talked to the believer. The period differed from person to person, but apparently, when it happened you ended up standing still dazed. In Finas case, her oracle seems to have been quite a lengthy one and it took this much time. Then uhh, what kind of oracle did she receive? More importantly, is she alright? Maria was also quite excited since it was a rare urrence. Incidentally, a god visited me directly quite often, so I didnt consider oracles that fascinating. Yes, Im okay. Um, there was this girl in white that said,I will give you this power because you will need it in the future. A god bestowed a Gift directly?! Maria eximed in bewilderment, but I felt my strength leaving me. So it was you, Whitey. Yup. And we yed in the field of flowers! Is that so? So thats why it took so long. She sure made us worry for no reason. It appeared that what was about ten minutes long for us, for Fina itsted for about an hour. After her consciousness left her, she yed her fill in the illusionary space. I could only muster an empty reply to Finas carefree words. So, what Gift did you receive? About that. Given the situation, I was thinking about asking her, but since it involves a Gift, its better for the parents to confirm it. So Ill step away for a bit and confirm it in the meantime. True. You have various bonds tying you down. Ashe waved her hand and returned back to the church. She was probably going to clean up the Gift appraisal magic circle. Meanwhile, we asked Fina about the Gift she was given. So, Fina. What power did you receive? Uhmm,pharmacyor something. Pharmacy Like the knowledge about potion-making? Not just that, but about medicine in general. For anyone involved with medicine, they would die to get that Gift. That much?! Isnt this a dangerous power? Well, if you decide to misuse it, itd be even more dangerous than Michelles. After all, she can freely make medicine that can save or kill people. That sounds quite bad. Indeed. Make sure Elliot doesnt hear of this. Cortina replied to Lyellsstment. Elliot wasnt a bad guy, but considering his position, he would want to keep Finas power in check. Moreover, this ability would be desirable even for those who held ill intentions against Elliot. The rest of us except Fina looked at each other and gave a big sigh. This turned into something troublesome We muttered that in unison. That god really loves to push trouble on us. Chapter 531 The next three chapters will be Kufars side of things. Do note that Nicole wont appear. One Slime was crawling within the darkness. You could sense a human-like impatience in its movements. Shit, shit! Damn you, Reid! You keep getting in my way again and again! Ashes assassination, Beriths chaos. He wanted to cause all that and iste the half-demons, and then bring them over to his side. However, his ns were prevented by Reid alone. Moreover, he was even discovered when he was making an escape, and ended up losing nearly half of his body. Even after he somehow escaped, he ended up in the forefront of the demonic region, which was the World Tree. Now that he has lost his power, he had to leave this ce as fast as he could. Fortunately, his camouging ability which was native to Slimes helped him lower the chances of getting attacked by low-intelligence monsters like Kobolds. Still, other Slimes could see through that camouge, so the risk wasnt nonexistent at all But that wasnt exactly bad for the current Kufar. The Slimes that attacked him werent particrly strong, so Kufar had a winning chance in a devouring battle. And like this, he ate several Slimes,plemented his body and he could finally sigh in relief. In this state, I should be able to deal with Kobolds even if they attack in groups. But what should I do now With the current matter, Kufars side ended up with quite a big loss. He lost most of his close aides, and with no gains like this, they would fail to continue as an organization. He had to somehow regain hisbat power and coborators, otherwise, there would be no future for him. Tsk, Ill have to focus entirely on rebuilding the organization for some time. Everything is the Six Heroes, no, Reids fault. His force positioned in the north also couldnt aplish anything big due to the Six Heroes getting in the way. They were also being targeted by the kingdom too already, so Kufar was thinking hard about whether he ought to give up on the north. But he was within thebyrinth now. A dangerous ce where carelessness would lead to instant death. While he was thinking, A Slime crawled closer from above and swooped down on him. However, Kufar had no head or anything, so that wasnt even a surprise attack. Normally, it could be a fatal attack that could block ones respiratory organs, but it was no harm for Kufar who didnt even breathe. They got mixed up together, and he dragged the Slime inside his body and devoured it in reverse. Good grief, I cant think calmly around here. Oh well, it shouldve calmed down outside already, so I suppose its time to leave. It has been a few hours since he escaped inside thebyrinth and was running about in it. Since there were no signs of Reid chasing him, it was either that he was defeated by the Devils he summoned, or he gave up on the chase. Chasing a Slime hiding inside thebyrinth would be too difficult even for someone like Reid. Chasing a specific Slime, on top, would be practically impossible. Theres a chance that hes nning to ambush me at the entrance but Ill just escape back at that time. Kufar had an advantage when it came to running around inside thebyrinth as his racial trait. Thinking optimistically, Kufar headed towards the entrance. Having said that, after running about for so long inside, he didnt know where that entrance even was. He loitered around for over an hour and finally saw the outside light. It seemed that night had passed while he was inside and it was already morning. Just in case, he clung to the ceiling that worked as a blind spot, and crawled slowly towards the entrance in vignce. But Reid was nowhere to be seen, and there were no signs of ambush. Did he really get defeated by the Devils? I wanted to take him down myself if possible. He assumed a human appearance while grumbling and tried to step outside the entrance, but suddenly, one boy appeared before him to block the way. Hey now, you should stay where you are. Wha-, youre! Kufar remembered this boy. It was the same one he saw together with Reid. However, since he didnt act hostile, he mightve simply been asked to teleport Reid back then. If he wasnt antagonistic towards Kufar, there could be room for negotiation. Thinking so, Kufar revealed an amiable smile. Oh, my bad. I remember you helped Reid back then. I am Shut up. I dont care who you are. However, I cant overlook thebyrinth monster stepping outside due to my position. What did you say? Kufar would normally not get so indignant over this much. However, his ns were thwarted by Reid, and he had to flee after his defeat. He couldnt maintain his calm after being so cornered. He faced the boy and threw his toxic body fluids toward him. It was a deadly poison that made even Reid faint. Regardless of who he was, he couldnt possibly endure it. or so youre thinking, right? Sorry, but this level of poison has no effect on me. W-Why?! Oh, I didnt introduce myself, did I? I am the Dragon God Bahamut. Ive been called Baately. Im something of an acquaintance of the God of Destruction. God of Destruction?! God of Destruction Yuuri who once broke the World Tree. It was certainly the name of a God that was connected to the World Tree. And the Dragon God Bahamut was also connected to it. In the legends, he was the one who had conquered the World Treebyrinth for the first time and obtained immortality. That was Bahamut. But the king at that time wanted his immortality, and asked Bahamut to bestow that power to him too. Naturally, doing so would require climbing the World Tree, so he couldnt grant that wish. The king lost his temper at that reality, and tortured him. The torture put him to dying over and over and reviving due to his immortality, eventually going insane and changing his body into that of a Dragon and burning down most of the world, or so it was said. However, connected to the World Tree or not, he couldnt believe that gods really existed. Some of the healing spells certainly needed faith to cast. But even so, gods were such far-off existences that no one would believe that one would appear before their eyes. Before Kufar, who trembled in astonishment and disbelief, Bahamut slowly raised his hand. His hand grew visibly wider and longer, and his ws turned sharper and gigantic. It was no longer a humans arm, but instead that of a Dragons. N-No way Unfortunately for you, it is. Good grief, Id have gone easy if you just listened. Bahamut swung his ws down while lookingpletely bored. Kufars body, which was supposed to be a lump of poison, was scooped out and sted to the back. He then crashed to the floor, rebounded to the ceiling, and once again fell to the floor, at which point, most of his body was scattered away. Even his core seemed cracked and he momentarily lost consciousness. His only saving grace was that he felt no pain in this body. While being flown away, Kufar finally found an answer to one question. That is, why did no monsters leave thisbyrinth if there was no gatekeeper? It was because this Dragon God was standing watch. It was just a single attack, which was only at the level of lightly swinging his ws from Bahamuts perspective. But that was enough to st most of his body away. That fact made Kufar realize the reality. That it would be impossible to leave from this entrance. As he rolled on the ground, he came to that conclusion in his fading consciousness. Chapter 532 When Kufar regained his consciousness the next time, he didnt know how long had passed. At the very least, there was no longer any lighting from the entrance, so he could judge it was at least half a day. It seemed that a fight had taken ce near his core, and the spilled blood reached it and slightly restored it, enough to regain his Slime body. Is itnight now Since he gained this liquid body, he could finally utter words. He powerlessly crawled about and absorbed roadside dust and such. Thebyrinth had abundant trash in the corners, so he was able to gain back enough volume to regain free movement. I experienced something painful there. As he grumbled, he nced at the entrance from the corner at a little distance. He couldnt see Bahamut anywhere now, but considering he appeared in front of him when he tried to take a step outside, he should be aware of Kufars presence. It would be too optimistic to think it would be fine since it was night. It looks like escaping from that ce would be impossible Having said that, Kufar wasnt aware of any other exit. No, he did have an idea of one. This World Tree was snapped in the middle. In other words, it would be the ce beyond it. It was unknown if the Dragon God was monitoring the sky above too, but at least there was more possibility of escaping from therepared to this entrance. Not to mention, it would have been impossible to climb it when it still had over a thousand floors, but now that it was half-snapped, it could be possible to reach the top. He had a Slime body that excelled in stealth abilities, and had a humans intellect, so there was a chance of seeding. Thinking so, Kufar decided to head even deeper in. He used his camouging skills to devour monster corpses, and somehow regained his old size. However, his sudden increase in capacity also diluted hisposition and lowered his toxicity. The way he was, Kufar could only disy power on the level of a normal Slime. Looks like I can only do surprise attacks for some time. Forget Adventurers, he couldnt even safely beat Kobolds in a frontal fight. He was weakened to that point. Even so, he couldnt just loiter in thisbyrinth forever. But the only exit was guarded by the Dragon God, and there was a possibility that the other exit was also monitored. Kufar thought he could do something about it if he reached the top, but the higher he climbed the stronger the enemies would grow, and his survival chance would be lowered. This, all doors are closed on me. Isnt there any other way Then he suddenly realized something. He was an intelligent Slime. Maybe he could make use of that fact. For example, his body had no set form, so where his core could pass, he could pass too. And his core was only the size of a fingertip, so he could slip through things quite freely. For example Maybe the World Trees vessels? The World Trees vessels were big to match its gigantic size. The main vessel was big enough for a human to pass through. He realized that when he investigated the World Trees dead branch when nning to escape the city. It would be hard to find a vessel that big inside thebyrinth, but ones that could allow his core to pass through might be around. Wait, maybe I can even open up a hole through it. Slimes were world-leading in terms of encroaching things. Even the source of this world, the World Tree, wasnt absolutely perfect. The fact that it was destroyed by God of Destruction was proof of that. It might be impossible for Kufar to open up a hole in the outer wall of this World Tree, but perhaps it was possible to open up a big enough hole through the vessels to slide his core in. You wont know until you try Or rather, thats my only option. Resolving himself, Kufar approached thebyrinth wall and started corroding it. It was impossible to open up a hole instantly, as expected. Other monsters mighte to attack while he was melting the wall too. Even so, this guaranteed his survival far more than climbing thebyrinth with no ns. Kh, as expected, its tough. I cant make any progress with the corrosion. He continued to slowly, very slowly, melt the wooden wall and absorb it. He somehow managed to open up a big enough hole for his core to pass through, but there was no vessel beyond it. There was only a tight wooden wall continuing beyond it, with no signs of vessels nearby. This was a no-go, huh. But this doesnt mean it wont be elsewhere, so Ill just continue until I find one. Thus, he continued opening holes in different ces. By the time he lost count of the time and the holes he opened, he finally discovered a ce where the sap was flowing from. I did it! And this vessel is quite thick! The liquid bursting out of it had quite a force. But that was only natural, as the space beyond it was a few dozen centimeters big. It was plenty thick for Kufars core to pass through. He slid his core inside while opposing the liquids force, ending up abandoning the majority of his regenerated body in the process. However, once he was inside he could just absorb the tree sap andpensate for it. All that was left was to leave the rest to the liquid current and head to the upper floors. Chapter 533 Once Kufar entered the vessel, he rode on the liquid current and dashed above through the World Tree with terrific force. The height exceeded the limit of how high the trees could grow and it still went on, but Kufar had no idea how high up he was since he was inside a vessel. He still somehow guessed from the travel duration that he was quite high up. He rose up where it was physically impossible to reach. He had no way of understanding what logic was working there. In the first ce, this was the sole World Tree in the world, and the embodiment of the myths. It wouldnt be strange if principles beyond human understanding worked there. Like that, he continued going up until he lost his sense of space, and eventually reached a fork in the vessel. This was proof that the tree was branching off, and that he had gone to quite a high floor. The thickness of the vessel also grew gradually thinner, eventually growing so thin even Kufars body had trouble passing through. Eventually, it grew so thin only his core could pass. And at the same time, the tree saps force also gradually weakened. That fact told him that he was close to the peak of the World Tree. Coming this far, Kufar clung to the vessel and started to melt the wall. First, he absorbed the sap around, increasing his body volume. He stretched his body thinly along the vessel to maintain it. This was to guarantee some volume of the body right away, for when he got outside. He didnt know what monster awaited him outside of the vessel, so he wanted to be perfectly ready. Then he continued to melt the vessel and prepare. The upperyer walls were much harderpared to the lower ones, which made Kufar realize that the monsters here were strong enough to warrant such sturdy walls. However, since the lower exit was controlled by Bahamut, the only remaining exit was this. After some hours, he finally seeded in opening a small hole, and he squeezed himself out of it into thebyrinth. The ce he crawled into was a vast, tattered space. The floor was torn here and there, perhaps a residue of a fierce fight. At the center of that space was something akin to a magic circle, with a broken sphere at its center. Where is this? Kufar regained his human form and muttered as he gave a nce at the dark space. If he remained in this darkbyrinth without even taking a human form or speaking, he felt like he would lose his awareness that he was a former human. Perhaps one fortunate thing was that there were no signs of monsters around, so he could concentrate on figuring out the situation. Kufar has his magic knowledge from his previous life, so he wasnt bad at such things. After his investigation, he discovered that this magic circle was rted to the core function of this World Tree. Is this guiding the power sucked up from thend to this room? The World Tree was certainly said to support the world and at the same time gather power from it. In that case, this orb would perhaps be what manages the gathered power? In the myths, it was said that the God of Destruction and a being called Demon Lord battled each other at the top of the World Tree, and the aftermath broke the World Tree. Realizing that this was that very ce, Kufar was filled with deep sentiments. However, he hadnte to sightsee this time. He had to find a way to escape from this World Tree. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Wait, Bahamut said he was the guardian of the World Tree. Then If I cause some abnormality, could I distract him from me? Also He faintly recalled something from his conversation with Bahamut that could aid his escape. He looked behind him at the same time, and arrived at one more possibility. It was rted to the advance preparations he did for the Popes assassination. If I pull this off maybe I can outwit him? Outwitting a God. If he could achieve it, there would be nothing as exhrating. All the more when the other party was someone who had put him through such a painful experience. For that, he first had to restart the function of this orb. But even for Kufar who was well versed in magic, that wasnt so easy. Oh well. There are no monsters around, and I have a Slime body. I have enough time. But I have to hurry up to get revenge on Reid. Slimes had no lifespans, but the detestable Reid had it. Kufar acted on emotions and wanted to get back at him for getting in the way. First, I have to analyze the surface. He gathered the orb fragments and moved his mucus to trace their surfaces. He was grasping its function and structure by tracing the conducting circuits of the mystical power hidden within. However, this put arge burden on Kufars mind. The World Tree was far toorge-scaled for a humans mind to fathom. But even so, his hatred let him ovee that penance. His wrath towards Bahamut for locking him up here, his hatred for Reid who was the main reason he fled here, and hatred towards the reason he had be who he is, towards the discrimination of half-demonstowards the world. All of that united and supported Kufar, at the same time soaking into the orb. Eventually, he connected the snapped fragments together with his mucus and started to prepare it. It would normally be difficult work, but Kufars body that was regenerated through the World Trees sap had gained a very high resistance towards the orb. He pulled the orb into his body and continued to regenerate it. After who knows how long, Kufar spit out the now analyzed and repaired orb. The orb was no longer green, but turned into something else, a marble dyed in darkish color. Ku-khehehehe. I can do it. This will be far more effectivepared to assassinating the Pope! Heughed like a madman for some time, and then picked up the orb he spitted out. By restoring the orb, Kufar had understood every part of its functions. This orb has the function to regte the World Trees power flow. If I utilize that khehehehehe, ahahahahahahaha!! He already had an idea of how to escape. The rest was toy traps for his revenge and he would be able to achieve his goal. Fantasizing about its result, Kufar continuedughing with no end. Chapter 534 Well be having Letinas side stories this time. Nicole will have to wait for a bit longer. This day, as usual, Letina was nning to head to Stor. Unfortunately, however, Maxwell had some business that day so she couldnt get him to use the transfer magic. As such, her visit to Stor was called off, and she ended up with too much time on her hands. Letina was attending Raums Magic Academys senior grade, but her skill was already known to be first-ss so the attendance was effectively up to her. Even from the teachers perspective, teaching a student more skilled than themselves rubbed them the wrong way, so they gave tacit consent or rather, even weed her non-attendance. There is nothing to do. Letina had barged into Maxwells mansion as always, and was currently stretched on the living room table, while Mateus, who was in charge of things, was serving her. Mateus looked at her with an unpleasant expression. He felt like the image of ady in his mind was crumbling down with a loud sound. Youngdy, arent your manners a little improper? No one is looking. Am I not even a person in your eyes? Letina swayed her body left to right above the table. There was a teacup right next to her, so Mateus quickly took it and ced it on the tray. Theres no helping it. A duke household is practically gone, so theres a lot of work to do to fill up that hole. I was the reason for all that trouble. I have to repay it with all my power! I dont think master would mind that. For better or worse, he is quite whimsical, yea? Nevertheless I cant allow myself to be pampered on and on. How about hunting and providing him with a nourishing meal? And who would be hunting exactly? I of course! Rejected. Mateus replied with a rare blunt tone. Letina was still Maxwells fiancee. He had to stop anything that could endanger her from happening. First-ss magician or not, there was no knowing what could happen to her inside the forest. Now that her strongrades like Nicole and Michelle werent around, Mateus couldnt approve of her leaving the city all alone. Then you can juste along, right? Come along, you say? So you going is already a set matter? If I dont bring it down with my own hands, I would not be the one who had hunted it. I would much rather you stay where you are. And I might not be able to fully protect you on my own, you know? In that case, yes Let us take Sullivan along too! Huuh?! Letina already learned that Sullivan was Marquis Yowis spy. Hisbat abilities were low, but his clever actions and judgment skill to deal with the situations at hand were apparently praised by Finia too. Letina heard of those rumors and evaluated him grandly and excessively. At the same time, she evaluated Mateus a little insufficiently. That was because he lost to Nicole when she was young. No matter how abnormal Nicole was, she found it odd that Maxwell employed someone who had lost to a kid. You alone would certainly be a little inadequate. Besides, I would grow rusty if I dont use my magic from time to time. I think getting rusty would be fine, though? A noblemans wife should have no need to go hunt, right? In the first ce, not even noble men went hunting that often. They sometimes did it as a hobby, and poor nobles did sometimes go hunting game on their own, but when it came to marquises, there were few like that. There were some nobles who thought hunting animals was one of the pleasures, but those werent the norm. Letina always apanies the first-ss hunters that were Nicole and Michelle, so hermon sense in this aspect was quite nted. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Now that we have decided on it, it is best to hurry. We havent decided, though? Yes, we have! Right now! Ehh, really now? She couldnt be stopped given her determination. Mateus judged so and shrugged skillfully while holding a tray. Letina didnt even nce at Mateus and stormed out of the living room. Uhh Why was I called here? Why are you asking me? Go ask your master, aye? Sullivan who was on standby in the mansion was kidnappedcorrection, taken away by Letina within thirty minutes of taking action. Hisbat power was low, but he still had somebat experience, so he easily saw through Mateus skill who stood next to Letina. Mateus didnt try to hide his skill either. Exposing it like that put the yboys trying to approach her in check. That intimidating air also affected Sullivan who was dragged out here. I feel like Im really out of ce here. I have no realbat skill at all. You should be aware of how this youngdy is once she insists on something. Give up, will you? Boo-hoo On one side was Mateus with his favorite pair of swords on his waist, and on the other, Sullivan who looked unarmed at a nce. Letina led the two while holding her favorite magician staff. She headed for the familiar suburb forest. She believed that nothing serious would happen there, a pce where they once hunted a buffalo. Seeing Letina quickly proceeding onwards, the two followed after her in a fluster, being unable to ignore her or detain her by force. Letina was still an adult noblewoman. They couldnt carelessly touch her body. If a servant boy did it in particr, it could invite unwanted rumors to her, so they were avoiding doing so to the utmost. The gate guards watched that somewhat irregr trio without saying anything. Simrly, these guards couldnt carelessly meddle in the affairs of an adult noble like Letina. Mateus followed after her while holding Sullivan by the scuff of the neck. This was because he feared Sullivan would run away if he left him alone. It looked just like when an owner dragged his unwilling pet to get medical treatment, and those who witnessed it wouldterment that it was asight that would move you to tears. Chapter 535 A thunderous roar resounded in the forest. It was the sound of something gigantic crashing into the row of trees. At the same time, there came a scream from nearby. Hyowaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?! It was a Strike Boar boasting the weight of several hundred kilograms. Sullivan screamed while barely dodging its charge. Seeing his pathetic state, Letina was extremely puzzled. This is strange. Nicole used to dodge it so easily. Um, listen, youngdy, that isnt as simple as you say, okay? Mateus shrugged with an exasperated expression. He was following alongside Letina while dragging the longswords held in his long arms along the ground. He was positioned that way to protect her at a moments notice. But that lowered the support for Sullivan who was acting as a decoy, so he was being chased about alone. But Nicole could just sidestep and easily dodge it. Lady Letina, thats definitely not normal, okay! Youre a thread user too Sullivan, so just use two of them and dash around between the trees. Please dont be so unreasonable! Manipting two threads individually is just absurd! Using a thread with one hand to grab onto a branch, while undoing the other thread and reverting it. Then fix the posture and move on to making another pendulum jump. Reid, aka Nicole, who could do that in session was simply abnormal, and normally most one could do was use one thread for emergency avoidance like Sullivan was doing. Even now, he was pulling his body with the thread and barely avoiding the Strike Boars charges. Move, Sullivan! Once the Strike Boars attention was fully on Sullivan, it didnt pay any attention to Letina even as she approached close. Once Mateus saw that, he stepped away from Letinas side and rushed to Sullivans side who was running around with all his might, and shed at the boar. He used his long arm like a whip and delivered a heavy longsword strike to the base of its neck. Bumoooo?! Tsk, as expected, its hard, huh? But with the opponent being hundreds of kilograms heavy, even his prided heavy strike didnt amount to much. Not to mention, this Strike Boars neck had a strong enough foundation to support its rush attacks. It was still impressive that the attack managed to cut its skin and flesh, and arrived at the bone. But the Strike Boar was still alive and well. It jumped away from Mateus and changed its target to him from Sullivan, and started to scrape the ground with its hind foot. Mateus took on a stance with his two swords and waited for it toe. But then Letinas covering fire arrived. A Fireboltnded at its eyes, blocking its vision. The Strike Boar reflexively turned its head up after that direct hit. Using that timing, Sullivan flew his thread and fixed its raised head on a branch above and hung it. Then again, a branch that wasnt very thick wouldnt be able to endure resisting a head that supported such a giant body for more than an instant. As expected, it easily snapped, and the Strike Boar fell to the ground. Sullivans thread also lost power and danced in the air. But for Mateus, that instant was plenty enough. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) He snuck near the Strike Boars neck in one go and swung his two swords from below in two directions. Its soft ventral skin, on top of aiming at a ce with the least muscles, made it possible tond a heavy cut this time around. That attack destroyed its trachea and important blood vessels. Bu-buhyuuBuhyuu With its destroyed trachea it could no longer breathe, and it fell to the side and started pping its feet around. Seeing that, Mateus changed his sword to a backward grip and dealt a finisher to its head. It would be impossible to pierce its hard skull, but if you aimed for its eyeballs, you could destroy its brain. And he was skilled enough to aplish that much. Good grief, that was quite a mor for a mere boar. Looking down at the dead Strike Boar, he shrugged with an affected gesture. Sullivan sank to the ground next to him and startedining. This is no joke! Strike Boars are monsters that are ssified as magic beasts among the boars. Oh? But didnt I say that Nicole and Michelle defeated it with just the two? And when they were seven years old. And Im saying thats abnormal. I suppose its all thanks to the gifted education from the Six Heroes In reality, the only reason it was defeated by two children was that those two were Nicole, who was able to make defensive movements no child could, and Michelle, who had honed her Marksmanship Gift. Of course, Maria was at that ce, and she only allowed that test once she was certain it was safe, so there was no danger. But even so, it had to be said that they achieved it when they were children. But well, that missy would certainly manage that I guess? The reason I told her the location of Cains hidden factory was so she could save the kidnapped two, but to think she would destroy it so thoroughly. Shes really nonstandard in every way. Nicole would do that much. But still, if she was going to take down that fool, I wish she would take me along. I couldnt have allowed that no matter what. Master wouldve killed me. Sullivan was the one who let Nicole know the location of Cains drug manufacturing facility. He had sniffed out that Michelle and Cloud were taken captive and tried to use Nicole to solve that. But Nicole performed far better and destroyed the facility from the roots. Not just that, she even got two of the Six Heroes, Maxwell and Reid, involved, so she was too much to handle. The incident was something that went beyond Sullivans expectations. Still, that missy set out to solve the situation, and then even Reid appearedis it? Oh? Do you find something odd there, Sir Mateus? Yeah, well, I have met the Six Hero Reid previously You have?! Letina heard Mateus words and leaned on and grabbed his cor. Sullivan knew that Mateus was once a dangerous person, so he was quite on edge. I mean, he does visit the mansion from time to time, so I have met him by chance. Only once, though. More importantly Actually, never mind I guess? Youre being quite evasive. More importantly, we seem like we could be a nice team. Please let this be the first and thest time, aye? Seeing Letina start to triumphantly butcher the Strike Boar, Mateus couldnt help but heave a big sigh. Chapter 536 That evening, the dinner was served with the Strike Boar meat that Letina hunted. Maxwell ate it with relish, and after he sent her home, he started working on the documents of the aftermath. But then, Mateus showed up. He only just started working on it, so he hadnt ordered tea or anything. In other words, he came here because he had something to talk about. What is it? You have quite a serious expression. Well, I had something to ask you, can I, old man? There are things I can and cannot answer. I am working in secrecy now, after all. Oh, I dont mean that stuff, okay? The documents Maxwell was dealing with now were rted to how to deal with the Lamech households assets. It was an urgent matter for the territory. The Methush domain had dense forests. That meant it offered abundant forest products. And despite their dense forests, the highways were well maintained, had big human traffic, and had strong cash flow. And the domains with strong cash flows would cause problems if the lord was absent for too long. We have to send a manager to the Methush domain quickly. My business wont take time. Hey, old man? Yes? Mateus straight question made Maxwells hand stop. He slowly turned towards Mateus, and gazed at him as if ring him down. His gaze contained an unusual pressure that was closer to bloodlust. What is it about Nicole? ! He asked in a somewhat slow, collected voice. But Mateus was petrified just like a frog stared down by a snake. Mateus was still a warrior who had gone through many difficulties. He wasnt so weak mentally to be seized by fear from a little coercion. But Maxwells pressure was on another level. It was a pressure emitted by someone who had not only gone through battles, but also gone through waves of schemes as a noble, and even overcame matters of life and death. There are only two thread users visiting this mansion. Nicole and Reid. Oh? And? Mateus usual joking tone disappeared, and he forced his stiff throat to move and posed a question. Maxwell also removed his usual amiable expression and red at Mateus with a sharp, hawk-like re. It was the same before too, but arent there too many events where these two are simultaneously involved in? And so? So I had this thought: Maybe Nicole is actually Reid? Mateus dered it, feeling as if he was jumping off a cliff. Hearing his words, Maxwell slowly stood up from his chair. It was very slow, as if a ghost was seeping out of the ground. Mateus felt his life was in danger. He gulped his saliva, and reached out to the sword on his waist, but he hesitated to grab it. If he grabbed the hilt, he would certainly die. He was convinced of that fact. Maxwell was old, and also a magician. Being a swordsman, he couldnt imagine losing at this distance. But even so, he couldnt believe his own assessment. They red at each other for several minutes, and eventually, Maxwell opened his mouth. Have you told that to anyone else? No, not yet. What of it? That barely saved your life. Or maybe I should silence you here and now? Please dont! Ive really not told it to anyone, and I dont n to either! Really? Alright then I suppose it would be best to exin the situation to you. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) After pondering for some time, Maxwell came to a conclusion. At present, only Maxwell, Gadius, Finia, Den, and also two gods were aware of Nicoles identity. Gadius, being a member of the Six Heros, was to be trusted, and Den also respected Nicole as his master, so he was not a problem either. As for the gods, it was hard to figure out what they were thinking. Putting it differently, only those people were told about it. But for Nicoles future activities, she would need more allies. Thus, Maxwell decided that it wouldnt be so bad to get Mateus, who had a shady background and worked under him, involved too. I am making you do behind-the-scenes work already anyway. Alright, the answer to your question is, yes. So it was like that, after all. I knew she wasnt a normal fellow. She outwitted me when we first met too. Reid was never someone with a robust body. To make up for hisck of power, he had many trump cards piled up since the previous life. So ingenuity is his forte, huh. No wonder I couldnt win, eh? It goes without saying, but not a word to anyone about this. Especially to Cortina, Lyell, or Maria. Why not? Shouldnt you be telling them instead? Maxwell looked away at his argument. Then he shrugged lightly and sat down again. From Lyell and Marias perspectives, shes their treasured child they earned after ten years. They would feel very conflicted if they suddenly found out she was their formerrade. Well I suppose? As for Cortina, her friends daughter will turn out to be the man she fell for, you know? Not a son, but a daughter. That would be extremely awkward indeed. I see, you want to say but cant huh? It cannot go on like this, of course. Reid does not seem to be willing to talk, but if we keep it from them forever then, at least Cortina, would be pitiful. He turned his back on Mateus, and exined while resuming his paperwork. What he was talking about and what he was doing werepletely different things, but that didnt slow him down at all. He was just that used to doing paperwork. As for LyellLord Lyell and Lady Maria Do you n to keep it from them until they die? That would be too much. I amying some groundwork in regards to that. Groundwork? I n to make them develop some resistance towards the truth by giving them faint clues that would make them ponder the possibility. Sounds like that will be a very gradual process. Well, I am an elf, after all. The problem is not just his oldrades but the situation is even spreading to Letina and Michelle and others too. His circle of friends is growing, huh? Yes. He and his everybodys a friend act. He keeps increasing friends and believers to no end. I will not say anything bad, but I wish he would also consider my position, who has to clean-up after him. Old man, did you reveal the truth so you couldin to me? Maxwell nced back at Mateus over his shoulder. There was no hint of his intimidating air anymore, instead, he was smiling in his usual impish way. It is better to have more hard-working allies. You should resolve yourself. Come on Mateus could only shrug heavily at Maxwells frank answer. Chapter 537 Marias body shook up and down in rhythmic movements. Under her waist, her beloved husband was violently moving his body. His sweat-covered body, having regained its youthfulness, had a powerful rhythm. In the corner, you could also see the already worn-out Cortina. Hey, Cortina! You havent met your quota yet, you know? I cant anymore, Ill die Come on, you cant even do a hundred pushups? Dont lump me together with you. I even have Fina on my back, so any more than this is just impossible for me! Tina, hang in ere! In the mansion backyard, Lyell was scolding Cortina while doing pushup exercises for building up her stamina. Cortina was already out of juice and had fallen to the ground. Fina was straddling happily on her back, acting as a weight. She was normally neglected when they focused on Cortinas training so she was in high spirits today since she was able to join them. Fina alone was assumed to be light and even the Carbuncle was added on, but it had already gotten down from Cortinas back. It sat next to her and was casting Cure on her. I cant let you meet Reid again with that level of stamina. You have to at least be able to defend yourself. Ghh! Hearing Lyells remark, Cortina put her trembling hands on the ground and tried to lift herself up. The two could see from that just how much she wanted to meet Reid. Lyell nced at Maria sitting on his back and sent a smile. Fina sitting on Cortinas back raised her hands in delight once Cortina started to move again. But then, their servant showed up. Lord Lyell, a vignce squad member, hase. Hmm? Okay, l will meet themter and They seem to have an urgent report. What? At those words, Maria quickly got off Lyells back. Lyell also stood up at the same time without even turning back to check. Their efficientmunication showed their long association. Cortina looked at that with a tinge of envy. Lyell failed to catch it, however, and followed the servant into the mansion. Good grief, our men are really Huh, whats wrong? Both Reid and Lyell are quite dense, I mean. Well, I cant deny that. Cortina also stood up and hugged Fina to her chest. Carbuncle jumped on Cortinas head too. That made her feel quite troubled. Come on, youve grown up a lot, so stop climbing on peoples heads. Finas neck could break if you did it. Ignoring the Carbuncle that looked away to feign ignorance, Cortina joined Maria and they followed after Lyell. The vignce squading to report to Lyell directly meant that the situation was quite serious. However, if it was an emergency they would have rushed in without telling the servant, so they believed it wasnt an urgent matter. I wonder what they want to report. I have no idea. We have to hear it from them. Can Ie too? Youre myrade, so I see no problem with that. That said, they couldnt take Fina along on such talks, so they entrusted her and the Carbuncle to the servant. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The Carbuncle acted as Finas guard on top of being her babysitter. Naturally, it recognized that fact too, so it raised its forefoot as if saying leave it to me and headed away with the servant. The vignce member was guided to Lyells home office, and they started talking with Cortina and Maria joining in. The other party knew Cortina so they didnt hesitate to make their report. Lord Lyell, this information has only just arrived, but it seems that you were witnessed in the Methush domain. Huuh? And in a tight jersey. Huuuuuh?! Lyell hadnt left the vigetely, of course. He wouldnt have gone all the way to Methush which was quite far. In other words, someone was pretending to be him there. So theyre pretending to be me huh? Thats quite brave of them. What did they do? Ah, theypletely destroyed an illegal drug manufacturing facility and then reported it to the guards. They didnt do anything bad? They didnt. They did kill the lords son, Cain Methush Lamech, who was the principal offender, but nothing else. It was reported that Lord Maxwell was dealing with the aftermath of it. Maxwell? Then could it be Cortina saw through the report and held her breath. Someone who worked under Maxwell and also was brave enough to take on Lyells appearance. Not to mention, someone who could destroy the local mafia factory on their ownthere could be only one. Its definitely Reid. He probably used your form this time, Lyell. Yeah, he does know me well enough to manage that but he did something troublesome. Not realizing that is also what makes Reid who he is. Mateus also falls among the likely candidates since hes Maxwells pawn, but he cant change his form. Seeing Cortina acting restless, Maria realized what she was thinking. That she wanted to go meet Reid so much. Cortina, being the youngest of the Six Heroes, was like a little sister to Maria. As such, she wanted to aid her with her feelings to the best of her ability. But due to her powerlessness, Cortina was the most targeted person among the Six Heroes. They couldnt let her go when they couldnt even provide her with a guard. Sorry about this. Whats this, all of a sudden? She hugged Cortina from behind and caressed her head. They couldnt stop this training until she was at least strong enough to escape their enemies. Just in case, Ill contact Maxwell for details. In the unlikely chance that they werent Reid, we would need toe up with some defense n, right? True. It would be troublesome if people pretending to be us started to show up. We do have the World Trees scent bags, but not many people know that. Maybe we should think about how to let people know, too? It was the scent bags they created from the Elixir to deal with Kufars imitation. If the world knew about it, people pretending to be the Six Heroes would decrease by a lot too. The three thought that they had toe up with a way to make itmon knowledge. Chapter 538 That day, Maria and Cortina had bewildered expressions as they watched Fina ying in the backyard. Lyell had headed out to the Methush domain to investigate the matter of the fake. Is that really alright? Uhh Well, she is someone who has helped Nicole, so In front of them, there was a white silhouette giving instructions to Fina while pointing at the herbs growing in the yard. Knowing no cowardice, Fina honestly followed after her. Then again, she was the person who had given her the Gift of Pharmacy, so she wasnt vignt from the start. The leaves of this Millud nt can be used as a fever medicine. Ohh, big sis youre such a smart-ass!1I preface youd call me smart! Though I do have a good ass. Youre good-assed? Thats how you reword it? Not bad, not bad. The one having that three-year-old level conversation was none other than the God of Destruction. The same person who saved Nicole from death before. Thus, Maria couldnt bluntly refuse her. She couldnt refuse when she came to volunteer to be Finas private tutor to raise her pharmacy skill. Well, she is Nicoles lifesaver, and shes not teaching her anything weird as far as I can see. What about smart-ass? I wonder where Fina learned that word? From that one? Cortina bluntly pointed at the God of Destruction, while Maria looked away. Ah, is it tea? It is! Fina, lets take a little break here. Yaay, snack time! Lets wash our hands before that. Kabby, if youd be so kind. Squee At her words, the Carbuncle standing next to Fina responded in a strangely tired groan. And with it, a magic circle was created from which water gushed out. Fina unhesitantly pushed her hands inside that current and started to wash them. Given her fluid actions, this was probably an everyday thing for her. Next, it was the God of Destructions turn to wash her hands, but the Carbuncle dispelled the magic circle. It was clearly done out of spite. You still arent attached to me? Squee! Just what do you not like about me? Im so cute too! Squeeeee! I shouldnt say it myself? I mean, its the truth! She cast a spell while low effort quarrel with the Carbuncle. With that, the dust and other dirt on her hands instantly fell to the ground. It was so fast, Maria and Cortina who watched them from afar failed to even catch it. Even Maria, who was also a user of chantless magic, failed to sense the moment she activated the spell. She then went to sit down at the garden table as if nothing, nning to eat the teacake Maria served. Err, thanks for this. Finas education and all, I mean. Its fine. This is all for Nicole who just wont get femin-I mean, who doesnt act as I expect. As you expect? Youre not nning something bad for Nicole, are you? Cortina caught her remark and pressed on it. But the girl in white didnt pay attention to her wariness and reached for the tea Maria brewed. Not at all, its nothing that bad. I mean, Nicole has a boyish side, right? W-Well I cant deny that. She had already turned into a beauty, being able to turn heads just by walking outside, but shecked a female characteristic guard. Cortina felt like her defenselessness only grew as ofte. This was because she learned how to turn back to Reid, but Cortina had no way of knowing that. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) And so, Im trying various things to train her as a woman. Fina replied with a triumphant pose while stuffing her cheeks with muffins. The Carbuncle licked the leftovers stuck on her mouth, while Maria wiped them off. Before Nicole, Finas upbringinges first. Thats bad manners, you know? Ughh, sowwy. Fina slumped her shoulders after Maria scolded her, then Cortina patted her head. It has been three months since Cortina arrived here, so she felt like a family already. As for Maria herself, she found Finas dejected appearance quite adorable. Ignoring those two, the God of Destruction pulled out a small bottle from her pocket. Oh right. If you mix one spoon of this into the tea, it will elerate the dposition of fats. I rmend it. What the heck, I want that! I-Ive also been feeling something extra around my waisttely I think youre better off gaining more fat, miss Cortina. Seeing Cortinatch onto the topic, the God of Destruction backed away and replied with an argument. She brought this topic into consideration of Maria whose body was a little off-shape after giving birth. Cortina was already dainty so she would just end up too underweight. I mean, I know that too, but Ive been eating a little too much until just recently, so When Cortina was going out on dates with Reid, she was eating whatever she wanted, different from Finias controlled menu, so she was a little anxious about her health. However, after her overly-healthy daily life in this northern vige, her worries were starting to disappear, but she now started to worry about putting on too much muscle instead. Her ideal body was a well-rounded one like that of Marias. Good grief, the two of you are so obsessed with this couple, just what kind of fate is this? Anyway, it could be harmful to you, so rejected. I brought this for Miss Maria. Please, me too! No is a no, Tina. She says its bad for your body. Plus that would lower my sharcough cough. Wait, I think I heard something ck-hearted just now. Nope, I didnt say anything. You didnt hear it right, Tina? But I You didnt, right? R-Right. Cortina had the most influential voice on the battlefields, but she couldnt beat Maria in daily life. Marias zed look overpowered her and she obediently sat down. Fina continued to grow up while observing such hierarchy in her family. Chapter 539 That day, I was returning home to the northern vige. It was an important day. Lyell aside, I could meet Fina, andtely, even Cortina. Cortina was still forbidden from meeting Reid, so I couldnt show up in front of her with my previous form, but I was still excited that I could meet her. This was a day when I could heal my mind and body after continuously exposing them to danger. And yet What are you doing here? Youre being rude from the get-go huh! You agree too, right, Fina? Right? Mgggh, no fighting! Ah, okay. Nicole and I are besties, you know? God of Destruction Yuuri snapped back at my provocation, but she raised her hands in defeat once Fina rebuked her. As expected of Fina. Even gods dance on top of her palm. Lyell, Maria, and Cortina were rxing in the living room, while God of Destruction and the Carbuncle were looking after Fina. Those were the first words that left my mouth when I saw that scene. There was one more person, though And, what areyoudoing here? So rude. I came to renew my friendship with my oldrades. I directed a questioning gaze at Maxwell, who was sitting on a rocking chair while having one foot in the dream world. He opened his eyes in reaction to my question and objected back. Still, dozing off while looking over a child from the rocking chair made me feel like hes been rapidly aging as ofte. Was Letina doing alright with him in that state? You got yourself a young wife, so go pay attention to her. Shes been working hard on her adventurestely. Mateus and Sullivan are with her, so there are no problems. Wouldnt you normally worry if your fiancee goes out with other men? Ohoho, this is where I have to show the open-mindedness of an adult. Not to mention, clinging to each other all the time is not an expression of love. You sure can say that. Cortina retorted to his im. But I suppose men and women had different ideas about such things. The two started a lively verbal quarrel, and Maxwells old act from before disappeared without a trace. Could you leave it at that already? I have started to grow weary as ofte. Weary? Oh, you mean the Methush domain matter Not only that, but also about the Lamech duke household. With big nobles disappearing, people aiming for their seats increased too. That sounds tough. Ah, right. Why not appoint Letina as er? Before he joined us, Maxwell was the head of a duke household since he was a royalty descendant. Not just that, he had even seeded the throne at one point. However, with the world in danger, he had to give up on his household to challenge the Evil Dragon. Though he returned to Raum after the adventure, he couldnte back as a duke, having given up on it once, but his bloodline was still evident to anyone. Now that Maxwell was marrying, a child between him and Letina would have qualifications to seed the duke peerage. It wouldnt be a bad move to appoint the previous generation, that is, Letina, as a duke now to forge the path ahead for that. Instead of a sudden new duke household appearing, it would cause fewer objections if it was created through the fusion of Marquis Yowi household and Maxwells bloodline through marriage. It would substantially be an elevation of the Yowi household. Certainly, the Yowi household was proactive during the goblin raid, so if we use that contribution there should be few objections, wouldnt there? Right? Plus Marquis Yowi has no problems with his personality. He even sent spies to Methush when he was worried for his daughter, so even his ability isnt bad. Maria also joined in to approve of it after Cortina. Thanks to the fact that Marquis Yowi acted to protect the people during that incident, criticism towards the nobles was reduced quite a bit. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Hearing of that suggestion, Maxwell rubbed his beard and pondered. Hmm that doesnt sound so bad He squeezed out a small mutter. Hearing our talks, a high-pitched voice butted in. Thats a no-no. Fina, you shouldnt get involved in that kind of fishy society. Okaay! What do you mean fishy? In the first ce, I still havent heard why youre here. I am Finas home tutor. Give me due respect. Its not that I dont respect you, but dont teach her bad Why is everyone so distrustful of me?! Despite how she looked, she was still the God of Destruction, one of the ancestors of magic, so she was actually very knowledgeable. And I actually owed quite a lot to her. I did respect her in some aspects when it came to her skill. The problem was her unprecedented personality that blew all my respect away. I shouldnt be med for doubting her. Look, Fina has Pharmacy Gift now right? Well, yeah. And you people have no one specializing in pharmacy among your connections. So I am the one teaching her. Well thanks for that, but Maxwell and Cortina were very knowledgeable, but they were no alchemy specialists. If she had the knowledge of a specialist, I should be the one to ask her to do it. But this goddesss personality was As I was contemting it, the person in question stood up. She red at the empty space with an unusual stern look, then turned towards me and apologized. Im sorry, something urgent came up so Im heading back. Huuh?! Did we hurt your feelings or something? No, no, miss Maria. Its nothing like that. This is really an emergency. Im sorry, but I have to put Finas education on hold for now. Huh, okay. The moment she said it, she disappeared from the ce. I didnt know what she sensed, but she was in a hurry. I felt some doubts, but it was normal for her toe and go without a warning, so I decided not to mind it. Chapter 540 That day, having returned to my home after so long, I decided to stay the night. I left Michelle and Cloud in Stor, but Gadius was looking after them so there should be no problems. Finia also followed me home this time, but she was trying not to stand out. This was because she knew my true identity, and she felt guilty toward Cortina. Since she couldnt talk about my identity even with Maria and Cortina, her actions werecking the usual assertiveness. At night, I decided to head to Finas room in high spirits to y, but Maxwell captured me. What do you want? I was going to flirt with Fina, so dont disturb me. You are really all over her. Cortina would be sad if she heard it. Ugh, this and that are different. Oh well. More importantly, I have something to talk about so follow me for a bit. It wasnt that rare for him to have something to discuss with me. It could be rted to my identity, or it could be something regarding assassinations or spying. Maxwell guided me to the guest room given to him, and I got down to business. So, what is it? Hearing that much, I had to reluctantly agree with his point. I could only meet Cortina once a month, and these two months weve been banned from meeting too. I was well aware that I was making her feel pitiful due to my own circumstances, so I couldnte up with a reply. So then, would you consider focusing on learning the essential Polymorph spell? You say that but Wouldnt it be dangerous to go back to Raum now? Not just me, but Michelle was also targeted by nobles. Especially now when Elliot had married, I was officially free. I could see floods of noblesing for marriages. Michelle would also be targeted due to her highbat skill. Even Cloud was practically elite, being the fourth rank at that age. As for Finia, neither her skill nor appearance or conduct left room forints. The chances of us getting rolled up into some scheme were by no means low. I have to send Letina to Stor anyway, so we can just do it in the capital. I can teach Finia too at the same time. That would be great in the sense that we wouldnt need toe ourselves, but would Letina remain quiet? When Letina woulde to have fun with us, wed be busy studying. And Maxwell would be joining us too. I felt that ignoring his fiancee and helping other girls study was somehow problematic. I didnt want to be the target of Letinas jealousy. I have my ideas regarding that. I dont remember any of your ideas ever ending well Stop making fun of me. I am genuinely thinking about it. In particr, I am thinking of putting Letina and Mateus in your party and sending them on errands. So like recing theposition huh? Yes. Michelle and Cloud have only worked with you too. It would be good for them too, do you not agree? Well, I guess. Only forming a party with me would affect their broad-mindedness as Adventurers too. There was even a possibility that they would be too optimized for working with me and would fail to work with other Adventurers. In fact, Letina was apparently suffering from that quite heavily. Mateus still had abundant experience. Michelle and Cloud on the other handck adequate experience for their skill. They are like what Gadius pointed out about you in your previous life. It would not be bad to have them work with Mateus and Sullivan. Just before I died, I was pointed out to be overdoing everything when I teamed up with new people. It was a side-effect because I mostly acted solo, but even after I reincarnated, those bad habits remained. I was too thorough when guiding Michelle and Cloud, so they were starting to be too specialized in partying up with me. That could be harmful to them when they would have to party up with other people. Mateus would be fine, right? Of course. Geass is also active. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Mateus once had a deathmatch with Cloud. For that, Cloud still wasnt very good at dealing with him. Mateus was quite an easygoing man in general, but I dont think he would have no thoughts towards Cloud either. When I imagine that they might act on their emotions and start killing each other somewhere I couldnt see, I couldnt help but worry. But with Mateus Geass still active, there should be no worries about that. After all, this old mans Geass would deal damage on par with average attack magic if one went against the given orders. It dealt enough pain to kill an amateur instantly, so even Mateus shouldnt make any poor moves. Well, I guess its fine then? Okay, well be in your care for a while. If I could learn to use Polymorph with my own strength, I would be free from the once-a-month limit too. Besides, now that I earned a trump card where I could turn into Lyell and use my power, being able to transform with my own strength could even be called an urgent thing to learn. Alright. Then without wasting any time, let us start this evening. Huh, wait, I was nning to y with Fina Youre not going to say you will start working from tomorrow, are you? No no, its not like that, but look, I need my healing too. You seem to have gotten used to cking around. It would not be so bad to beat you into shape. Give me a break! Ignoring my scream, Maxwell broke into a carnivorous smile. Since what he said was on point, there was no way left for me to escape. Chapter 541 I consulted Michelle and Letina about the newbie training too; as expected, they didnt have any objections and readily agreed to it. Having their approval, I went to tell Gadius that we were officially taking on themission. I also got information on what kind of beginners wed be dealing with. Looks like they are beginners aged between fifteen to seventeen. Guess they had a bit of a slow debut. So theyre our age, huh? I wonder if we can really do a good job as teachers. Im pretty sure theyd raise their hands up once they see your bow skill, Michelle. Will they really? Michelle was listening from the side, but she suddenly brought that up. Honestly, she could even easily shoot the eyes of the opponent that was so far away I couldnt even see properly, so everyone with the eyes to see would be shocked. Had she been born twenty-five years earlier, she wouldve surely been part of the Evil Dragon extermination team. Cortina and I had abilities that were hardly specialized for battles, but since we had various technical skills, we managed to ovee difficult situations bybining all the skills we had. Michelle on the other hand had a singlebat-oriented ability, and this was the result. As expected, the qualities of Gifts were quite evident. Thank God a peace-loving girl like she wasnt born during those times. Their area of operations has been a small portor rather, a fishing vige, west of Raum. Because of that, I couldnt get urate information, but there shouldnt be much that needs special attention in a rural ce. There was a student making dangerous drugs at the kingdoms border, you know? Thats because he had the dukes backing. This time theres no one that important around. They are just small fries from the countryside. I heard they were quite naughty too. What are they even doing in Stor? It was certainly doubtful why they decided toe all the way to Stor which was on the northern boundary of the kingdom, when their base of operations was the western fishing vige. I didnt know where that vige was exactly, but it should be quite far away from here. I bet their naughtiness got them kicked out of the vige. Thismission is because the Guild pointed out that their basic skills arecking. Im surprised people fresh out of the countryside managed to put up such amission. Looks like they gathered some small change through Floating Wakame harvests. Bwgh?! Hearing the familiar name, I ended up choking. Floating Wakame were sea monsters that floated on the water surface and dissolved nts for nourishment. I remembered we met quite a misfortune when we tried to harvest them once. Speaking of it, that was also the first timethatcame. Ohh, that thing that dissolves swimsuits. Oh my, Im surprised that I captured it. Even Michelle and Letina, who didnt suffer direct harm, remembered it. So Finia and I who did suffer directly would too, of course. Finia furrowed her brows in a rare show of disgust. Cloud was bending over a little. What happens to himter depends on whether he remembered Finias immodest appearance, or the punishment that followed after it. They are all guys. They probably didnt even need swimsuits. Huh,not even swimsuits,you say? Well, I mean, they didnt wear anything below. Id hate to do it though. Cloud answered Letinas question instantly. With all of them being boys, they would have no sense of shame in that regard. Lyell and I also did stuff like fishing all naked where Maria and Cortina couldnt see us. Our certain parts got bitten by aggressive fish in the process so Maria had to heal us while looking at us with scorn, but I supposed thats youthful indiscretion for you. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) So barbaric Will we really be okay? Strength-wise, they wont even reach your feet. You should guess it from the fact that they have no other choice but to earn money with Floating Wakame. What was that about them being naughty? Stealing a bite of the dried fish, or smoking at the fishing gear storage and causing a small fire, and things like that. Gadius quickly answered my question. In other words, he had already investigated the problematic parts. But still, causing a fire isnt very good. Depending on the region, that wouldve been deemed a serious crime. I will contact the Guild, so themission will start once the other party is ready. You should be ready to set out at any moment. Okaay! Its gonna be my first time being a teacher. I havent been one either. Ive always been the one being taught. As for me, I have given some instructions at the senior academy. Letina puffed her chest with pride, but didnt you use the fire attribute inside the forest? Havent you grown quite dull since you stopped participating inbats? Ah, Letina is a no-go. Thismission would span for some days. Huuuhh?! Besides, you are Maxwells fiancee. It is bad for your reputation to keep messing around too much. Letina couldnt argue back after Gadius remonstration. She was here thanks to Maxwells kindness. It wasnt good to be too selfish. Well, just give up on this one. Anyway we dont know if those guys can even prepare properly, so we should prepare everyones share on our side. Thats plenty possible. They are basically amateurs. But wouldnt our luggage grow too heavy? Im not sure if we can carry so much. We have a carriage so thatll be fine! And I have Elizabeth! Unfortunately, the carriage will not work inside the forest. You have a two-horse carriage? And with three horses in total, your expenses should be quite significant. Michelle and Cloud puffed their chests in pride at Letinas remark. Since she spoke about the costs, I suppose shes aware of how costly having horses can be. Thats beside the point. We are already fourth-rank, so we can earn quite a bit. Mgh, yet I am still a third rank Our ranks went up after Letinas withdrawal. So her rank was the same as when we parted. She looked frustrated about that, yet also seemed to be enjoying this situation. Chapter 542 A few dayster Gadius contacted us. Themission was apparently to apany the beginners for the harvesting the following day. Thus, we were going to meet up the day before it. The day before tomorrow, which is today. We left our carriage packed full of luggage as well as Clouds horse to the barns in the back, and headed to the Guild where we were supposed to meet up. As we entered Stors Adventurers Guild, all the Adventurers inside focused on us. But that was the usual for us, so we didnt pay any attention. Not just me, even Michelle and Finia were with me, so it was a natural response for men to focus on us. Ah, miss Nicole. Pleasee here for yourmission. Long time no see. Have they been waiting for long? No, they only just arrived as well. I felt slightly relieved to hear that. It would be pretty rude if we showed upte during our first meeting. The receptionistdy guided us to a small room where we were supposed to meet. As we arrived at the door, she tried to quickly leave the ce. This is the room. I leave the rest to you. Quarrels are forbidden, okay? Oh, okay. But why do you look so flustered? Oh no, youre imagining it Well then, Im off! She quickly fled back to the counter right as she said that. We were all puzzled by her actions. What was up with her? Who knows? It looks like she didnt want to enter this room. More importantly, lets go in and greet them already. We have to confirm if were all ready after this too. Once we greeted the beginners, we had to confirm if everything was ready to take on the harvestingmission. Beginners tended to underestimate the need for preparations and get seriously wounded. Not just that, some even get themselves killed, so this wasnt anything trivial. Part of thismission was to teach them about preparation too. We first had to greet them before moving on to that. Hello, we are the instructors for thiswahh?! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Michelle opened the door in a friendly tone, but then raised a yelp. I didnt think there could be anything dangerous inside the Guild, but Cloud and I peered inside over her shoulders to check what was going on. There, despite chairs being avable, there were newbie Adventurers crouched in a gangster style. Huuh, instructors? Suup. Youre toote, dammit! They were three men with shaved heads or ruffled hair. Looking closely, they seemed to be Clouds age, but their clothing choice was ratherunique. What was the point of those thorny shoulder pads? Why were they naked on the upper half and only having studded belts on them? Or what was the point of the tattoos on their faces? Seeing the appearance that made them look like the rtives of the demon king that manifests at the end of the world, not just Michelle, even I was petrified in ce. Not answering? whats with your attitudes, huuh? Whassup teachers! Youre not even greeting us, dammit! I finally reacted once he pointed that out. Anyway,munication was important. Even if they were looking like countryside barbarians, they were still our clients. Err, Im Nicole, in charge of instructing, nice to meet. I-Im Miche I cant hear you! Eek?! Michelle mumbled her greeting but one of them snapped at her. I could understand their point though. It was very important to properly introduce yourself. Im Cloud, lets get along for today. Yeah, lets. Err, Im Finia. I specialize in the four elements magic. Magic! Youre amazing, missy! Umm, umm, Im Michelle Huuh? I-I specialize in bow She finally burst into tears and I patted her head while gathering their attention on me. She has the biggest attack power among us, so dont look down on her. Huuh? And what can you do, then? I specialize in interference magic and scouting. And Im also the party leader. Yer a leader despite using suchme magic? Dont underestimate interference magic. What, you wanna go? They flipped at my words. I see, they certainly are naughty, more than I expected. I can see why they came all this way and why they were driven out of their hometown. Were fourth ranks, and came here for themission. Do you understand what that means? Hah, using your rank to brag. I can see youre nothing but talk. Okay, I guess this is the case where you wont understand until you get beat up. What did you say! The Guild told them theycked skill and theymissioned this request, so which one of us was nothing but talk. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) The receptionistdy did tell us to refrain from fights so I didnt want to get violent here. Well, we only nned to introduce each other and do advance preparations, but it wouldnt be so bad to know each others skills. Guilds often had training grounds where you could test spells, archery, weapons, and such. This Guild in Stor also had one such facility. It was also the duty of the seniors to dampen the confidence of these kinds of folk. Newbies wouldnt know where it was so we took the lead. But I felt a strange gaze on my waist. Not just me but even Michelle and Finia seemed to have sensed it, so they were talking quite restlessly. Looking back, those bunch were grinning and directing lewd gazes at us. I gave a sigh and tried to move the girls behind them. But before I did, Cloud pulled down his shield and got between us. The newbies visibly clicked their tongues at Clouds move to block their sight. Tsk. Just so you know What? As you can see, they are all cute. What about it? The other Adventurers at this guild also think so too. Basically, they are like idols here. Get to the point already. Unless you want to get beat up by the entire Adventurers Guild, just drop that. I keep getting tormented for it all the time Its to the point I sometimes piss blood, you know? O-Okay? Clouds sorrowful advice made them bewildered and they nodded obediently. They seemed to be honest in some respects too. Chapter 543 Training grounds in the Guilds were generally underground. This was so the loud voices and explosions of spells wouldnt disturb the city public during the Adventurer battles. But in ces where they couldnt make it underground for financial reasons, they just borrowed vacantnd in the suburbs and held the training practices there. Stor had ample funds in that regard, so they built quite a sturdy training ground. As we walked in the corridor, the Guild staffs gazes were pricking at us. This wasnt the usual gazes focused on our appearance, but onesing out of vignce. The monitoring inside the Guild had turned stricter ever since Kufar disguised himself as Maxwell in the United Northern Alliance. But another reason for this was the appearances of the newbies behind us. It looked like they dressed like that to not be underestimated, but they went too overboard with it. It wouldnt be weird for them to be mistaken for some scoundrels like this. People like that were walking through the Guild that had upped their vignce, so it was no surprise we were getting sharp stares. However, one of us was worried about something else entirely. N-Nicole, will we be okay? Yeah, no problem. Besides, they are total amateurs, so theres no way wed lose, you know? Thats because you and Cloud are too strong so you can remainposed. You seem to be forgetting that youre the one with the most lethal power among us, Michelle. After all, she took down the Strike Boar when she was seven, and Mountain Serpent when she was ten, and there were her other glorious performances like when she trampled the group of Goblins. That achievement went to Prisci though, but if thats what allowed her to marry Elliot, I suppose it was worth it. You sure talk big. You think wed lose to brats like you? We were quite famous in our hometown, you know? What he said. The vigers all parted ways for us when they saw us. Given your faces, of course, they would. Even Id do the same. Id not want to get involved with you. A trio with mohawk hair and spiky pads look like the kind of people that spell trouble. I wouldnt wanna get involved with them even in the past life. I didnt want to even now, but what is done is done. As we arrived at the training grounds, the other Adventurers looked at us, wondering what was going on. It was the usual thing for us to be under attention, so we just ignored them and entered the training grounds. So, what do we do? What do you mean? Do you wanna go one by one, or all three of you at once. Huh, you looking down on Just so you know, Michelle can take all three of you alone. Yup yuwait, huuuuh?! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Michelle nodded at first, but then realized it was about her and yelped in shock. This girl really has no self-awareness, her every action is adorable. You were the one who was looked down on, Michelle, so you should take them on dont you think? No no no, isnt it your job as the leader, Nicole? Let me ck off from time to time. Dont try to ck off during a time like this! Still, she wasnt brave enough to oppose my opinion head-on. In other words, I was scarierpared to the trio in her eyes. I felt a little conflicted about this. I dered my next words as a finisher to her. It would be a bother to take them on one-by-one, so take them on at the same time. A-Are you making fools out of us?! Theres a limit to how much you can look down on us! Ill make you regret those words! Yeah, tell her off more! As the trio argued with me, Michelle joined the booing. Whose side are you on? Nicole, youre always being unreasonable. You should reflect on it now! If you guys win, Ill let you fondle Michelles ***** as much as you want. Okay, lets get this thing started! Oh yeaaaah, now were talking! Oh shit, Im getting a nosebleed! Hyaaaaaaa!! What are you saying?! Wait, let me join in too! These types of people wouldnt admit defeat so easily even if they lose. Unless we make them fight with all they have so they cant make any excuses, the problem could show its head in the future too. Thus, I decided to give them the tastiest bait I could think of, but it turned out that the spectators decided to join in too. Looks like the medicine was a bit too effective there. T-Then, if I win, it will be your ***** thats all you can rub, Nicole! WOOOHOOOOOOO!! Wait, how did ite to that?! At Michelles deration, the underground arena shook from the cheers. Michelle winning was already an established matter, so she was missing the point here. After my desperate negotiations, we finally agreed that it would be Michelle and Finia whod fondle my ***** if she won. I didnt know how it hade to this. Also, why did Finia get involved here? Chapter 544 There was a slight uproar, but Michelle vs the trio finally started. Holding her usual hunting bow in hand, Michelle faced them with a tensed expression. Then I finally realized we hadnt asked for their names. They were still our clients, so we had to know that much. I couldnt just call them mohawk, skin-head, and tattoo-guy, after all. By the way, what are your names? Huh? A bit toote to be asking that. I am Sebastian. I could feel myself tilting back when I heard his name. It sounded like the name of a butler of some noble. Im Francis. Im Andrew. I really need to talk to your parents! There was nothing wrong with their names, but I couldnt help but yell that out. Why did all of their names sound so noble-like? They should be from a fishing vige in the countryside. Youre one rude woman to be finding faults with peoples names. Ugh, my bad there. The one who called himself Sebastian raised a valid point, so I apologized. At any rate, their names were beside the point now. I collected myself and focused on getting them ready for their match. Michelle was using her hunting bow instead of the Third Eye. The arrows had their heads removed and reced by cushions to get rid of the lethality. The cushions had easy-to-remove ink on them, so it would be easy to tell if theynded a fatal wound. The training wooden swords of the trio also had ink-soaked clothes put in the de parts. It was apparently stuck between two sword-shaped nks. Okay then, I feel a little spent here, but Michelle vs three fake nobles Whore you calling fake nobles?! Match Start After my dull signal, Michelle pulled out an arrow from her quiver. She instantly nocked the practice arrow and let it loose. Her insight was unbelievably sharppared to her previous timid behavior. I always think this, but it was like she had a dual personality with the way she transformed. Naturally, facing her for the first time, the trio had no way of avoiding it. Being takenpletely by surprise, the arrownded on Andrews forehead. The shock from it instantly robbed him of his consciousness. Michelle gave him a sidelong nce as he got blown back and fell down sprawled, then pulled another arrow. That said, they werent facing off from a wide distance, so the other locational advantage was on the trios side. Francis was astonished to see Andrew taken down instantly, and turned towards him without thinking, but Sebastian charged at Michelle, determined to not let go of this chance. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Eat this! He raised his sword up and tried to m it down on Michelle. He was quite something to not miss this chance, but his attack itself was not good enough. Michelle was also training in close-quarterbat, so she could easily handle suchrge swings. She dodged the overhead swing by taking a step sideways, then gave his hand a hard blow with her bow and made him drop his sword. Then she inserted his head between the bow and its string, got behind him, and strangled him. He probably had no presence of mind to notice it, but I didnt overlook the fact that Michelles ***** were pressing on Sebastians back. I could see her leather breastte used for protecting her from the bowstring getting squashed t. Sebastian had a bigger problem to deal with while being strangled. He couldnt breathe properly and lost consciousness after a vain struggle. Francis was the only one left, but he took an unexpected action. He pulled Andrew up and used him as a shield to close in on Michelle. Kyaa?! Michelle had no way of dodging his rush while she was still strangling Sebastian. She quickly removed the bow from his neck and tried to shoot Francis, but Andrews body was getting in the way so it ended in vain. Unable to deal the decisive attack, she got entangled with Andrew and Sebastian and fell down. Then Francismenced his attack. Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh! Since two of her friends got taken down in a matter of seconds, he had fallen into a half-frenzied state. I suppose thats why he managed to resort to an unexpected move of using an ally as a shield. That managed to take Michelle by aplete surprise. However, that onlysted in his favor for a short time. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) His frenzied state didnt mean his every action would be great. This time, his mistake was swinging his sword while screaming. In this situation, thrusting the sword in apact manner wouldve been the correct answer. Being unable to do that and swinging it down instead created a big opening. Michelle kicked off Sebastians body which was clinging to hers and sealed Francis movements. At the same time she grabbed the arrow she didnt previously fire with the underhanded grip and drove it into his leg. It had no arrowhead of course, so it didnt pierce it. Normally his leg wouldve lost its function and he wouldve fallen, but the cushioned arrow didnt deal any damage. Then Michelle hooked the arrow behind his knee and made him fall. Yah! Then she straddled his back and pressed the arrowhead at his neck. It didnt deal damage since it was cushioned but it was clearly a fatal wound. This had to be taken as the decisive blow. Thus I decided the duel was finished and announced it in a loud voice. Enough. The winner is Michelle. Along with my deration, the training ground was filled with cheers. Michelle was thought to be a ranged specialist. Yet, even though it was against beginners, she still scored a clean victory in close-quartersbat, so those cheers were warranted. Those who didnt know her skill shouldve also realized it with this. Chapter 545 I consulted Michelle and Letina about the newbie training too; as expected, they didnt have any objections and readily agreed to it. Having their approval, I went to tell Gadius that we were officially taking on themission. I also got information on what kind of beginners wed be dealing with. Looks like they are beginners aged between fifteen to seventeen. Guess they had a bit of a slow debut. So theyre our age, huh? I wonder if we can really do a good job as teachers. Im pretty sure theyd raise their hands up once they see your bow skill, Michelle. Will they really? Michelle was listening from the side, but she suddenly brought that up. Honestly, she could even easily shoot the eyes of the opponent that was so far away I couldnt even see properly, so everyone with the eyes to see would be shocked. Had she been born twenty-five years earlier, she wouldve surely been part of the Evil Dragon extermination team. Cortina and I had abilities that were hardly specialized for battles, but since we had various technical skills, we managed to ovee difficult situations bybining all the skills we had. Michelle on the other hand had a singlebat-oriented ability, and this was the result. As expected, the qualities of Gifts were quite evident. Thank God a peace-loving girl like she wasnt born during those times. Their area of operations has been a small portor rather, a fishing vige, west of Raum. Because of that, I couldnt get urate information, but there shouldnt be much that needs special attention in a rural ce. There was a student making dangerous drugs at the kingdoms border, you know? Thats because he had the dukes backing. This time theres no one that important around. They are just small fries from the countryside. I heard they were quite naughty too. What are they even doing in Stor? It was certainly doubtful why they decided toe all the way to Stor which was on the northern boundary of the kingdom, when their base of operations was the western fishing vige. I didnt know where that vige was exactly, but it should be quite far away from here. I bet their naughtiness got them kicked out of the vige. Thismission is because the Guild pointed out that their basic skills arecking. Im surprised people fresh out of the countryside managed to put up such amission. Looks like they gathered some small change through Floating Wakame harvests. Bwgh?! Hearing the familiar name, I ended up choking. Floating Wakame were sea monsters that floated on the water surface and dissolved nts for nourishment. I remembered we met quite a misfortune when we tried to harvest them once. Speaking of it, that was also the first timethatcame. Ohh, that thing that dissolves swimsuits. Oh my, Im surprised that I captured it. Even Michelle and Letina, who didnt suffer direct harm, remembered it. So Finia and I who did suffer directly would too, of course. Finia furrowed her brows in a rare show of disgust. Cloud was bending over a little. What happens to himter depends on whether he remembered Finias immodest appearance, or the punishment that followed after it. They are all guys. They probably didnt even need swimsuits. Huh,not even swimsuits,you say? Well, I mean, they didnt wear anything below. Id hate to do it though. Cloud answered Letinas question instantly. With all of them being boys, they would have no sense of shame in that regard. Lyell and I also did stuff like fishing all naked where Maria and Cortina couldnt see us. Our certain parts got bitten by aggressive fish in the process so Maria had to heal us while looking at us with scorn, but I supposed thats youthful indiscretion for you. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) So barbaric Will we really be okay? Strength-wise, they wont even reach your feet. You should guess it from the fact that they have no other choice but to earn money with Floating Wakame. What was that about them being naughty? Stealing a bite of the dried fish, or smoking at the fishing gear storage and causing a small fire, and things like that. Gadius quickly answered my question. In other words, he had already investigated the problematic parts. But still, causing a fire isnt very good. Depending on the region, that wouldve been deemed a serious crime. I will contact the Guild, so themission will start once the other party is ready. You should be ready to set out at any moment. Okaay! Its gonna be my first time being a teacher. I havent been one either. Ive always been the one being taught. As for me, I have given some instructions at the senior academy. Letina puffed her chest with pride, but didnt you use the fire attribute inside the forest? Havent you grown quite dull since you stopped participating inbats? Ah, Letina is a no-go. Thismission would span for some days. Huuuhh?! Besides, you are Maxwells fiancee. It is bad for your reputation to keep messing around too much. Letina couldnt argue back after Gadius remonstration. She was here thanks to Maxwells kindness. It wasnt good to be too selfish. Well, just give up on this one. Anyway we dont know if those guys can even prepare properly, so we should prepare everyones share on our side. Thats plenty possible. They are basically amateurs. But wouldnt our luggage grow too heavy? Im not sure if we can carry so much. We have a carriage so thatll be fine! And I have Elizabeth! Unfortunately, the carriage will not work inside the forest. You have a two-horse carriage? And with three horses in total, your expenses should be quite significant. Michelle and Cloud puffed their chests in pride at Letinas remark. Since she spoke about the costs, I suppose shes aware of how costly having horses can be. Thats beside the point. We are already fourth-rank, so we can earn quite a bit. Mgh, yet I am still a third rank Our ranks went up after Letinas withdrawal. So her rank was the same as when we parted. She looked frustrated about that, yet also seemed to be enjoying this situation. Chapter 546 A few dayster Gadius contacted us. Themission was apparently to apany the beginners for the harvesting the following day. Thus, we were going to meet up the day before it. The day before tomorrow, which is today. We left our carriage packed full of luggage as well as Clouds horse to the barns in the back, and headed to the Guild where we were supposed to meet up. As we entered Stors Adventurers Guild, all the Adventurers inside focused on us. But that was the usual for us, so we didnt pay any attention. Not just me, even Michelle and Finia were with me, so it was a natural response for men to focus on us. Ah, miss Nicole. Pleasee here for yourmission. Long time no see. Have they been waiting for long? No, they only just arrived as well. I felt slightly relieved to hear that. It would be pretty rude if we showed upte during our first meeting. The receptionistdy guided us to a small room where we were supposed to meet. As we arrived at the door, she tried to quickly leave the ce. This is the room. I leave the rest to you. Quarrels are forbidden, okay? Oh, okay. But why do you look so flustered? Oh no, youre imagining it Well then, Im off! She quickly fled back to the counter right as she said that. We were all puzzled by her actions. What was up with her? Who knows? It looks like she didnt want to enter this room. More importantly, lets go in and greet them already. We have to confirm if were all ready after this too. Once we greeted the beginners, we had to confirm if everything was ready to take on the harvestingmission. Beginners tended to underestimate the need for preparations and get seriously wounded. Not just that, some even get themselves killed, so this wasnt anything trivial. Part of thismission was to teach them about preparation too. We first had to greet them before moving on to that. Hello, we are the instructors for thiswahh?! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Michelle opened the door in a friendly tone, but then raised a yelp. I didnt think there could be anything dangerous inside the Guild, but Cloud and I peered inside over her shoulders to check what was going on. There, despite chairs being avable, there were newbie Adventurers crouched in a gangster style. Huuh, instructors? Suup. Youre toote, dammit! They were three men with shaved heads or ruffled hair. Looking closely, they seemed to be Clouds age, but their clothing choice was ratherunique. What was the point of those thorny shoulder pads? Why were they naked on the upper half and only having studded belts on them? Or what was the point of the tattoos on their faces? Seeing the appearance that made them look like the rtives of the demon king that manifests at the end of the world, not just Michelle, even I was petrified in ce. Not answering? whats with your attitudes, huuh? Whassup teachers! Youre not even greeting us, dammit! I finally reacted once he pointed that out. Anyway,munication was important. Even if they were looking like countryside barbarians, they were still our clients. Err, Im Nicole, in charge of instructing, nice to meet. I-Im Miche I cant hear you! Eek?! Michelle mumbled her greeting but one of them snapped at her. I could understand their point though. It was very important to properly introduce yourself. Im Cloud, lets get along for today. Yeah, lets. Err, Im Finia. I specialize in the four elements magic. Magic! Youre amazing, missy! Umm, umm, Im Michelle Huuh? I-I specialize in bow She finally burst into tears and I patted her head while gathering their attention on me. She has the biggest attack power among us, so dont look down on her. Huuh? And what can you do, then? I specialize in interference magic and scouting. And Im also the party leader. Yer a leader despite using suchme magic? Dont underestimate interference magic. What, you wanna go? They flipped at my words. I see, they certainly are naughty, more than I expected. I can see why they came all this way and why they were driven out of their hometown. Were fourth ranks, and came here for themission. Do you understand what that means? Hah, using your rank to brag. I can see youre nothing but talk. Okay, I guess this is the case where you wont understand until you get beat up. What did you say! The Guild told them theycked skill and theymissioned this request, so which one of us was nothing but talk. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) The receptionistdy did tell us to refrain from fights so I didnt want to get violent here. Well, we only nned to introduce each other and do advance preparations, but it wouldnt be so bad to know each others skills. Guilds often had training grounds where you could test spells, archery, weapons, and such. This Guild in Stor also had one such facility. It was also the duty of the seniors to dampen the confidence of these kinds of folk. Newbies wouldnt know where it was so we took the lead. But I felt a strange gaze on my waist. Not just me but even Michelle and Finia seemed to have sensed it, so they were talking quite restlessly. Looking back, those bunch were grinning and directing lewd gazes at us. I gave a sigh and tried to move the girls behind them. But before I did, Cloud pulled down his shield and got between us. The newbies visibly clicked their tongues at Clouds move to block their sight. Tsk. Just so you know What? As you can see, they are all cute. What about it? The other Adventurers at this guild also think so too. Basically, they are like idols here. Get to the point already. Unless you want to get beat up by the entire Adventurers Guild, just drop that. I keep getting tormented for it all the time Its to the point I sometimes piss blood, you know? O-Okay? Clouds sorrowful advice made them bewildered and they nodded obediently. They seemed to be honest in some respects too. Chapter 547 Training grounds in the Guilds were generally underground. This was so the loud voices and explosions of spells wouldnt disturb the city public during the Adventurer battles. But in ces where they couldnt make it underground for financial reasons, they just borrowed vacantnd in the suburbs and held the training practices there. Stor had ample funds in that regard, so they built quite a sturdy training ground. As we walked in the corridor, the Guild staffs gazes were pricking at us. This wasnt the usual gazes focused on our appearance, but onesing out of vignce. The monitoring inside the Guild had turned stricter ever since Kufar disguised himself as Maxwell in the United Northern Alliance. But another reason for this was the appearances of the newbies behind us. It looked like they dressed like that to not be underestimated, but they went too overboard with it. It wouldnt be weird for them to be mistaken for some scoundrels like this. People like that were walking through the Guild that had upped their vignce, so it was no surprise we were getting sharp stares. However, one of us was worried about something else entirely. N-Nicole, will we be okay? Yeah, no problem. Besides, they are total amateurs, so theres no way wed lose, you know? Thats because you and Cloud are too strong so you can remainposed. You seem to be forgetting that youre the one with the most lethal power among us, Michelle. After all, she took down the Strike Boar when she was seven, and Mountain Serpent when she was ten, and there were her other glorious performances like when she trampled the group of Goblins. That achievement went to Prisci though, but if thats what allowed her to marry Elliot, I suppose it was worth it. You sure talk big. You think wed lose to brats like you? We were quite famous in our hometown, you know? What he said. The vigers all parted ways for us when they saw us. Given your faces, of course, they would. Even Id do the same. Id not want to get involved with you. A trio with mohawk hair and spiky pads look like the kind of people that spell trouble. I wouldnt wanna get involved with them even in the past life. I didnt want to even now, but what is done is done. As we arrived at the training grounds, the other Adventurers looked at us, wondering what was going on. It was the usual thing for us to be under attention, so we just ignored them and entered the training grounds. So, what do we do? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Michelle nodded at first, but then realized it was about her and yelped in shock. This girl really has no self-awareness, her every action is adorable. You were the one who was looked down on, Michelle, so you should take them on dont you think? No no no, isnt it your job as the leader, Nicole? Let me ck off from time to time. Dont try to ck off during a time like this! Still, she wasnt brave enough to oppose my opinion head-on. In other words, I was scarierpared to the trio in her eyes. I felt a little conflicted about this. I dered my next words as a finisher to her. It would be a bother to take them on one-by-one, so take them on at the same time. A-Are you making fools out of us?! Theres a limit to how much you can look down on us! Ill make you regret those words! Yeah, tell her off more! As the trio argued with me, Michelle joined the booing. Whose side are you on? Nicole, youre always being unreasonable. You should reflect on it now! If you guys win, Ill let you fondle Michelles ***** as much as you want. Okay, lets get this thing started! Oh yeaaaah, now were talking! Oh shit, Im getting a nosebleed! Hyaaaaaaa!! What are you saying?! Wait, let me join in too! These types of people wouldnt admit defeat so easily even if they lose. Unless we make them fight with all they have so they cant make any excuses, the problem could show its head in the future too. Thus, I decided to give them the tastiest bait I could think of, but it turned out that the spectators decided to join in too. Looks like the medicine was a bit too effective there. T-Then, if I win, it will be your ***** thats all you can rub, Nicole! WOOOHOOOOOOO!! Wait, how did ite to that?! At Michelles deration, the underground arena shook from the cheers. Michelle winning was already an established matter, so she was missing the point here. After my desperate negotiations, we finally agreed that it would be Michelle and Finia whod fondle my ***** if she won. I didnt know how it hade to this. Also, why did Finia get involved here? Chapter 548 There was a slight uproar, but Michelle vs the trio finally started. Holding her usual hunting bow in hand, Michelle faced them with a tensed expression. Then I finally realized we hadnt asked for their names. They were still our clients, so we had to know that much. I couldnt just call them mohawk, skin-head, and tattoo-guy, after all. By the way, what are your names? Huh? A bit toote to be asking that. I am Sebastian. I could feel myself tilting back when I heard his name. It sounded like the name of a butler of some noble. Im Francis. Im Andrew. I really need to talk to your parents! There was nothing wrong with their names, but I couldnt help but yell that out. Why did all of their names sound so noble-like? They should be from a fishing vige in the countryside. Youre one rude woman to be finding faults with peoples names. Ugh, my bad there. The one who called himself Sebastian raised a valid point, so I apologized. At any rate, their names were beside the point now. I collected myself and focused on getting them ready for their match. Michelle was using her hunting bow instead of the Third Eye. The arrows had their heads removed and reced by cushions to get rid of the lethality. The cushions had easy-to-remove ink on them, so it would be easy to tell if theynded a fatal wound. The training wooden swords of the trio also had ink-soaked clothes put in the de parts. It was apparently stuck between two sword-shaped nks. Okay then, I feel a little spent here, but Michelle vs three fake nobles Whore you calling fake nobles?! Match Start After my dull signal, Michelle pulled out an arrow from her quiver. She instantly nocked the practice arrow and let it loose. Her insight was unbelievably sharppared to her previous timid behavior. I always think this, but it was like she had a dual personality with the way she transformed. Naturally, facing her for the first time, the trio had no way of avoiding it. Being takenpletely by surprise, the arrownded on Andrews forehead. The shock from it instantly robbed him of his consciousness. Michelle gave him a sidelong nce as he got blown back and fell down sprawled, then pulled another arrow. That said, they werent facing off from a wide distance, so the other locational advantage was on the trios side. Francis was astonished to see Andrew taken down instantly, and turned towards him without thinking, but Sebastian charged at Michelle, determined to not let go of this chance. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Eat this! He raised his sword up and tried to m it down on Michelle. He was quite something to not miss this chance, but his attack itself was not good enough. Michelle was also training in close-quarterbat, so she could easily handle suchrge swings. She dodged the overhead swing by taking a step sideways, then gave his hand a hard blow with her bow and made him drop his sword. Then she inserted his head between the bow and its string, got behind him, and strangled him. He probably had no presence of mind to notice it, but I didnt overlook the fact that Michelles ***** were pressing on Sebastians back. I could see her leather breastte used for protecting her from the bowstring getting squashed t. Sebastian had a bigger problem to deal with while being strangled. He couldnt breathe properly and lost consciousness after a vain struggle. Francis was the only one left, but he took an unexpected action. He pulled Andrew up and used him as a shield to close in on Michelle. Kyaa?! Michelle had no way of dodging his rush while she was still strangling Sebastian. She quickly removed the bow from his neck and tried to shoot Francis, but Andrews body was getting in the way so it ended in vain. Unable to deal the decisive attack, she got entangled with Andrew and Sebastian and fell down. Then Francismenced his attack. Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh! Since two of her friends got taken down in a matter of seconds, he had fallen into a half-frenzied state. I suppose thats why he managed to resort to an unexpected move of using an ally as a shield. That managed to take Michelle by aplete surprise. However, that onlysted in his favor for a short time. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) His frenzied state didnt mean his every action would be great. This time, his mistake was swinging his sword while screaming. In this situation, thrusting the sword in apact manner wouldve been the correct answer. Being unable to do that and swinging it down instead created a big opening. Michelle kicked off Sebastians body which was clinging to hers and sealed Francis movements. At the same time she grabbed the arrow she didnt previously fire with the underhanded grip and drove it into his leg. It had no arrowhead of course, so it didnt pierce it. Normally his leg wouldve lost its function and he wouldve fallen, but the cushioned arrow didnt deal any damage. Then Michelle hooked the arrow behind his knee and made him fall. Yah! Then she straddled his back and pressed the arrowhead at his neck. It didnt deal damage since it was cushioned but it was clearly a fatal wound. This had to be taken as the decisive blow. Thus I decided the duel was finished and announced it in a loud voice. Enough. The winner is Michelle. Along with my deration, the training ground was filled with cheers. Michelle was thought to be a ranged specialist. Yet, even though it was against beginners, she still scored a clean victory in close-quartersbat, so those cheers were warranted. Those who didnt know her skill shouldve also realized it with this. Chapter 549 Following that, the trio also challenged Cloud, but as expected they couldnt secure the victory. Being tall and solid in defense, he blocked and sealed all of their attacks. Since he was tall and slender despite being a tank, he was just being underestimated, but he quickly became the target of their respect. I was the only one left who they underestimated, but I didnt participate in the duel this time. This was because the trio was exhausted, so we decided that Id show my power during the actual battles. In the first ce, my ability wasnt something to reveal proudly in a ce like this with so many eyes on us. Using surprise attacks to not give the other party time to use their power, sometimes even killing them without even revealing my presencethat is my specialty. First, do you have shovels? Why the heck do we need those? The harvestingmission this time is about Ligus potatoes, you know? Theyd obviously be underground. Ohh, makes sense! My mood was currently these guys are no good. I have to do something quickly. The breeding grounds we were heading to were in the forest at about two days distance from the city. Given it was inside the forest, there was no knowing what could happen. I wanted to secure at least the double amount of the preservable food totaling about a weeks worth. It wasnt as safe as walking along the highway, after all. Also, since were going to harvest potatoes, did you prepare bags to put them in? Oh, we need those too? Are these people really going to be okay? Seeing how vulnerable they were, even Finia, who lived quite a sheltered life, became worried. I just shook my head wordlessly. If they were alright the Guild wouldnt have issued this request. I already expected this situation. Forests are dangerous. If you slip and fall into a valley and injure your leg or something, youd be forced to survive there for days. I see. I can see why youre the leader now, big sis. This is what you call being thoroughly prepared. They were all seventeen years old, the same as Cloud, so getting called big sis by people two years older than me felt weird, but I decided to ignore the trivial details. They were paying their respects despite not having seen my skill as of yet, so I suppose they improved somewhat. We might have to do some bushwhacking, so we need an axe or a nata. Also, its good to take a knife with you regardless of where youre going. I see, very educational. As expected of a fourth-ranked Adventurer. I wish you wouldnt get impressed by that. This was something even novice Adventurers know. Due to them overblowing their behaviors so they wouldnt be underestimated, even the advisers probably kept their distance from them. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) We took these guys whose appearance told everything along and arrived at the general store we often visited. The doorbell rattled, calling over the aunty who was the owner. I called out without waiting for her to show up from the back of the store. Auntie give these guys a weeks worth of preservable food. Sure thing. Wait, by them, do you mean that you finally found someone you lEek?! Just as she showed up, she gave that reaction that I had seen before. Seeing a mohawk, skinhead and a tattooed guy with spiky pads inside her store would of course make her react like that. Auntie brought her mouth to my ear and warned me while thinking she was speaking silently enough. Nicole, Im not sure about these people. If you want I can introduce you to someone better. Michelle hit Sebastians head from the back with her bow as he started speaking roughly. The general store was something they would have to use from now on. It wasmon knowledge among Adventurers that you needed to build favorable connections with such people. Michelles hit didnt seem that painful based on the sound his head gave off, but a big-breasted loli lecturing a thug that looked like a boss of the demon lords army was somehowical. At any rate, I dispelled the aunties misunderstanding, obtained food, and also bought bags and shovels. Following that, we needed to address their weapons and armor too. Longswords were fine, but their spiky shoulder pads werent. When I pointed that out, they objected furiously. It seemed that they saw those pads as something quite stylish. Listen, theres no knowing what will happen on an adventure. You may even find yourself in a situation where you have to use your shoulder to carry your fallenrade. Do you think youll be able to do that with those things on you? Ugh. If you shouldered yourrade with those thorny shoulder pads, it would pierce their stomach. They seemed to have finally realized that and exchanged awkward looks. Besides, you get a lot of things twining on you in the forest. Those pads would be just perfect to make it even worse. Kh, I thought they were cool. Im not sure about your aesthetic sense Cloud reacted to Francis regretful words. Looks like they were more problematic children than we expected. Either way, we had to change their shoulder pads at least. Or at least remodel and remove the spikes. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) But they barely issued thismission with their budget. Theyd have trouble getting new equipment. Thus I decided to take them to Gadius instead and remodel their equipment. But the moment he saw the threes faces, he tly refused. Never in a million years. Hey, thats my signature line I mean, why not? I just cant stand the aesthetics of that equipment as a dwarf. And thats why Im asking you to remodel them. I dont want to touch them. I mean, I can see where youreing from. But we couldnt just leave them be. I somehow soothed Gadius disgust and had him take on the job to remove the spikes. Chapter 550 I somehow persuaded the three and Gadius who looked wholeheartedly displeased. I had Gadius work on getting rid of the extra ornaments, and meanwhile had them do something about being half-naked. Anyway, first wear something. Come on The three raised voices of dissatisfaction with my instructions. But I wasnt calling out their fashion sense here. There were many harmful insects like mosquitoes inside the forest so walking all naked like that would be free real estate for the bugs. Elven traditional clothes seemed to have high exposure but they still properly covered the ends of limbs. Even Michelle and I covered our legs with thigh-high socks. So those guys with their upper halves exposed were obviously no good. Even from the protection perspective, I had them wear thick shirts that, although not on the leather armors level, still offered good enough defense against bugs and leeches, and could even deal with attacks. Protectors made by clothes pasted tightly together have been around since ancient times, in fact. If they put on those studded belts that they used for decoration on top of it, it would turn into decent armor. Next would be swords, but let me see them just in case. R-Right. I took the threes swords and checked how they were maintained. I wasnt as knowledgeable about weapons as Gadius, but I could still tell good and bad ones apart. I was particrly knowledgeable about swords since I used to long for being a knight. In my eyes, their swords were far too good for them. Did you guys choose these? No, my dad gave it to me as afarewell gift. Same here. Yeah me too. Hmm, you seem to be loved. These swords are pretty good. In the first ce, I thought theyd use axes instead of swords, given their sense of fashion, so I questioned this choice. But their earlier answers cleared away my doubts. Looks like they were spoiled a lot and eventually could no longer stay in their vige after overdoing their pranks. They werent on the level of famous swords, but they looked sturdy and the handling bnce wasnt bad either. When amateurs chose swords, they only focused on the sharpness and tended to choose brittle swords, but the performances of these swords were optimized for survival. Their parents probably gave them as good swords as they could out of worry once they had no choice but to drive them away. They arent too long or short either and are easy to handle. Not bad. Yeah, I can use it like an extension of the arm so I like it quite a bit too. You said it. It made me think swords were cool too, not just axes. They heard me say something positive for the first time, so they started getting carried away. Dont get ahead of yourselves. Say that only after you have gotten through Clouds defenses. Big sis, youre quite mean, telling us to win against a master like that. Whore you calling a big sis. They started calling me big sis in a familiar manner. Theyre probably the types to butter up to those stronger than themselves, but I wasnt old enough to warrant being called that by people older than me. Besides, we shouldnt be wasting any more time on their preparations here. We also had to get our horses prepared. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) We couldnt use the carriage inside the forest, but Cloud could still ride his horse. Besides, we have to harvest potatoes this time, so I wanted to have at least one horse with us for transport. Horses werent only for carrying luggage but injured people as well, so wed be ready in the off-chance something happens. Plus, these bunch clearly underestimated the forest so I could see them getting exhausted along the way. Anyway, lets call it a day here. Resting your body properly the day before your work is also part of adventuring. Gotcha! At any rate, now that they started listening to me, thismission became easier to do. We also had to rest our bodies, so I decided to return to the inn to rest for the day. Fortunately, Gadius inn had a big bath, so we could rx there. Soyou ended up doing everything again, huh? At night after the bath, I went to exin the details to Gadius, and he answered with that grumble. Michelle came at me to fondle my *****, but I told her to restrain herself and sleep since we had work tomorrow. Now there was only Finia next to me. Of course, I had her restrain herself too. The cafeteria was already closed, so it was just the three of us there. Now that you mentioned it, maybe it was something like that. No point beating around the bush. You really havent improved since the past life. As Gadius said, it was mostly me who gave instructions to those three. This job should have been for Michelle, Finia, and Cloud, to raise their juniors and grow themselves in the process, so it wasnt good for me to get involved so much. But even after knowing that I ended up getting involved. Gadius grumble was quite valid. I mean, it just happened? Lady Nicole is too kind so its understandable, Lord Gadius. Raising juniors and reflecting on yourself. That was supposed to be the goal, but I ended up spoiling it. I was repeating the same mistakes as I did in my past life without learning from them, so I had to ept Gadius words. This timesmission was something I shouldnt butt in too much. Sorry. So yeah, I will hold back starting from tomorrow. My apologies, but keep that in mind, Finia. Understood. Should I tell Michelle and Cloud too? Right. Them staying quiet because they rely on me would be scary, so tell them briefly about it. Okay. Still, it makes me quite excited to act as a teacher. You should just do it like Maria did when she taught us in the past probably. I think? Please dont word it as a question. It only makes me more nervous! Finia pumped her fist and objected to my advice. I could sense her intimacy even from such flustered gestures as ofte. In the past, she used to keep her distance without objecting even after losing her presence of mind. But after she learned my identity, I feel like she shortened the distance a bit too much. While thinking of such things, I headed to my room to sleep early. Chapter 551 It was something I was always told over and over. From my workrades and from Lyell and the rest, I was always told that I tended to have a weirdly bad endgame. When it came to battles, I always dealt with them thoroughly. But anything other than that, I tended to make weird slip-ups. I overcame most of the troubles through brute force, but it was now made very clear just how bad my case was. Hihaaa! Enemy! Kill it, kill iiit! Youll be meat today! This is what happened when they saw a horned rabbit jumping in front of them. Sebastian and the other two rushed at it as he pulled out his sword. In the first ce, the horned rabbit hadnt even noticed us. So I was ignoring it, but it carelessly jumped before us. It was surprising to see us and stiffened in ce, but Sebastian charged recklessly at it amidst his shock. It was called a horned rabbit, but it didnt have that big a horn, and the most it could do was wound a child. Honestly, it was the kind of enemy that I wouldnt mind if it escape. And if it didnt, you could take it down with a single blow. Yet, here we are. He went and rushed at it like a madman and without even waiting for my instructions. Pigiiiii?! Hold stiiiiiillll! The horned rabbit raised a shriek(?) and fled into the forest. The three chased after it like bloodthirsty beasts. W-Wait. Aagh dammit! Cloud? Okay, fine. I just have to bring them back, right? Yeah, sorry. Were still supervisors here. He chased after them, guessing what I wanted to say. It was good that we had this responsive understanding. Rather than it being the result of my education, it was more like Cloud was good at reading the atmosphere. At any rate, seeing those bunch I realized just how blessed I was with my students. Michelle, Cloud, and Letina all had different personalities, but they all listened to my words sincerely. But Sebastian and the other two were too hot-blooded to listen to what I was saying. I mean, they epted it obediently if I scolded them, but they forgot it every time something happened. Thanks to that, this was their second time going on a rampage since we entered the forest. As expected, just telling them wouldnt be enough. About ten minutes after that, Cloud brought the three back. You utter fools! I smacked their heads with a pole I made with branches while waiting for them to return. I put cotton between the two branches to cushion the shock, so it just dealt pain without damage. Ooouch!? What did you do that for! The three raised objections while holding their heads, while Cloud lectured them in my stead. Even Michelle was frowning because of this. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) These guys were really something to have a gentle girl like her make that face. Good grief. We have no time to fight every pointless battle. It was a harmless target, so why not let it go? Finia, people like them need to be told more forcefully. O-Okay. Michelle was properly coaching the three, but Finia was still somewhat reserved. So Cloud was lecturing Finia in turn now, turning it into a weird lecturing loop. It was like, a really weird situation. Our goal is harvesting, so theres no need to fight what doesnt attack us. Keratos was an edible monster, but it was surprisingly dangerous. Even these three seem to have heard of its name. They were in dismay, apparently never even considering that couldve happened to them. Then Cloud further backed them into a corner. Even I once stumbled on a ve merchant once when I strayed to the side road, and ended up getting my arm lopped off by his swordsman guard. Your hand? Seriously?! Fortunately, thanks to Nicole, Lady Maria healed me and put it back on. By the way, which arm was it? The right one. He said and swung the sword around with his right hand. He wasnt that skilled with the sword, but having used it for many years he was used to it enough to use it like an extension of his arm. There were no signs of clumsiness in his movements. The three of them looked at his arm as if seeing something strange. So yeah, theres no knowing what you may encounter if you rush into a ce you cant fully see. So you have to move more carefully. O-Okay? This timesmission wasnt for me but for Michelle and rest to strengthen their leading skills, so I was trying to keep my mouth shut as much as possible. Michelle and Cloud understood that and were more proactive in instructing the three. Finia on the other hand was hindered by her natural shyness, so she was interacting with them a little reservedly. Hmm, Finia, you should be more forceful here. Thats um, I know but when I see their faces, I just Their faces? I mean, I guess they look scary. Having a Mohawk hairstyle was too much so I had all of them turn into skinheads. Even the clients would back off with their heads like that. Also, the face tattoos turned out to be just painted, so I had them remove that too. As a result, they turned into a group of hairless and browless skinheads, but even that was better than what they used to be. However, it was better but being overly free spirits, they were still too hard for Finia to deal with. Well, that was part of what I wanted her to work on and grow. Michelle and Clouds sermonsted for another thirty minutes. But if they kept it on for too long wed get dyed, so I had them stop at that. Like that, as the sun started to set, we started preparing to camp out with the three. Chapter 552 Unlike the daytime, the nighttime was dangerous not just because of the beasts but people as well. Since we were in the middle of nowhere, other travelers could approach us with bad motives. It was all the more dangerous when we were all beauties. Thus, we decided to camp a little away from the highway. There was no need for that in the trios case, but it was still something fundamental. Anyway, first we need a bonfire. Cloud quickly issued instructions to them. Looks like he could talk to them normally, with all of them being the boys and all. Animals fearing fire was actually a folk belief. Some animals even approached it out of curiosity. But without light, we couldnt see our surroundings either. Theres nothing as scary as being suddenly attacked in total darkness. I knew that full well due to my profession. More than the damage you receive, the chaos that follows it is more frightening. First, we should plug the grass around and make space for the bonfire so the me doesnt spread. Gotcha. The three listened obediently when it came to simple work like this. They were rebellious at first, but they became docile towards those who they epted. They had no one to make them yield in their rural vige, so they were allowed to continue their high-handedness. Michelle, who defeated them overwhelmingly, Finia, who was skilled as a magician, and Cloud who had unexpectedly bigbat experience, were all targets of respect for them. Of course, I who was leading them was also given simr respect. However, there were some doubts mixed in their gazes, but that was expected. Unlike Cloud, my body was small and dainty. It was rather unreasonable to make them ept that I was strong with words alone. They started getting ready for a meal while instructing the three on camping. I had nothing to offer in this regard, so Finia took the stage. That said, it wasnt like theyd learn it immediately even if taught. So when its just the three of you, you can eat bread and cheese and a soup with rehydrated dried vegetables, and it will give you sufficient nutrients. Okay, but it sounds like a pain so maybe just a jerky will That has a lot of salt so I would advise against it it will make you thirsty. She was answering their questions while nimbly making the food. It seemed that she could speak without losing her nerve in her area of expertise. I would be happy if her shyness gets abated with this. Our party had one strong merit that other parties didnt. That was Finias cooking. I could only make crude food, while Michelle was in charge of just eating, so we couldnt make delicious meals. Cloud could apparently do it more or less, but he was not anywhere near Finias level. Holy! This is delicious, big sis Finia! Whore you calling a big sis? Finia is mine. As the three were shedding tears of gratitude at Finias pro-level cooking, I used the smacking pole I made earlier to rebuke them. Michelle couldnt help butugh seeing that. But it cant be helped. Finias cooking is delicious. It cant even bepared to the stuff I had to eat at the orphanage. Id get fat if I ate nothing but this food. Lady Nicole isnt gaining any weight, however. Well in my case, all the fat is going to my breasts. Nicole, is that supposed to be a snide remark? Youre thest person who should be saying that Michelle! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) What was sheining about when she was far more packed than me? Speaking of which, we had to keep watch after this, so we needed to think about the pairing. We have to keep watch after this, so what do we do about the pairs? Usually, it would be me giving directions, but we were doing this for others to train. They would only grow if they themselves decided on things and gave instructions. Besides, I was also curious about what kind of pairings they would decide on. Right, its better for the three of you to divide. Then three shifts it is. Wed get less tired that way, so sounds good. Theres four of us, so if we go with pairs, it would be just right. The remaining person will just sleep without keeping watch. Then that would be Nicole. Michelle suggested that I would be removed from the night watch. I looked at her surprised, not understanding her intention. But Michelle exined it as if it was natural. I mean, you have the weakest constitution among us, right? So you have to rest properly. But Id feel bad if only I were to sleep. You are making up for it by scouting during the day. Youre prone to fainting so just rest when you can. Thats right. Youre our trump card, so you should put on some more airs, Lady Nicole. I nced at the trio. But they seem to have no objections about their decision. Maybe they have reconfirmed that they had a lot to learn after their daytime failures and sermons, and Finias cooking on top. If so, I suppose I shouldnt be stubborn here either. In the first ce, my sleep is pretty light. Even if whoever is on the night watch overlooks the enemys approach, I will be able to notice it before they attack us. And if that happened, that failure would also serve as a good lesson for them. Convincing myself, I decided to ept Michelles proposal. With that settled, all that was left was to finish up the meal before my eyes. Eating Finias cooking without properly tasting it would be too much of a waste. Thus, I carried Finias vegetable soup to my mouth with enthusiasm only to burn my tongue and writhe in pain. Chapter 553 We managed to pass the morning without anything of note happening. Thinking about it, they usually messed up when monsters appeared. We were just resting normally so there was nothing for them to mess up. They seemed to have been warned a few times during their watches, but it wasnt anything serious, either. Okay, we must arrive at our destination today, so lets depart a bit early. Gotcha. I exined todays schedule while eating the food Finia made. Being given tasty food, they listened to our words properly. The only problem was that when it came to battles they forgot everything. Once we cleaned up our camping spot, we headed right off to our destination. The Ligus potatoes we were looking for had a set growth area, so we could approximate the distance and time of arrival quite urately. There wasnt really a proper road leading to that area, but as people were periodically going there to collect them, there was still a small, animal trail-like road formed. However, they were hardly used so at present they were covered by thickets. We advanced while using natas to cut our way through them. With that, the three finally realized why I was telling them to bring natas yesterday. Holy cow. Ive never seen bushes this thick. There was nothin like this back in our fishing vige. My arms going numb here. They continued cleaning the way while sounding both impressed and exasperated. This was supposed to be their lesson, so Michelle and the rest were just observing them. They were still staying vignt, but they were far more rxed than usual. Its so nice when theres someone to cut the thickets for you. Michelle, youve never even done it. Ive been the one doing it for the most part. Cloud retorted to Michelles carfreement. He was right, though. Michelle, being a rear guard specialist, would never be tasked to take the lead and cut through the bushes. Cloud, who was tasked to stay at the front and stop the enemy was often entrusted with that, however. In that sense, I should also be entrusted with it often, being a scout and all, but in my case, there was the problem of my stamina, so I couldnt fulfill that duty. In the first ce, Raum had dense forests so the thickets were also quite tough. Icked both stamina and strength, so I wouldnt be as efficient as Cloud anyway. Youre strong so isnt it fine, Cloud? Having someone who can do physical work along is reassuring. Not you too, Finia Cloud slumped his shoulders. The trio, on the other hand, continued silently cutting their way through the thickets withoutining. As we continued on, the view ahead of us suddenly cleared out as the time neared noon. There were ivies of a different colorpared to the thickets growing thickly, and there were norge trees in the surroundings either. The ivies had wide leaves, making it clear that it was apletely different type of nt. Weve arrived. Ligus potatoes should be growing around here. The three dropped to the ground. But the heavybor was only just beginning. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The Ligus was a kind of mountain potato and had its roots spread deep underground. It was a root vegetable where most of its roots would turn into potatoes. In other words, they had to dig them up from that deep from now on. We took the shovels out of the knapsack and got ready. This time we got the foldable ones, so if you connected the handle it could lengthen to about a meter. Its durability was a little unreliable, but since it was easy to carry, it was ideal formissions like this where you had to dig the soft ground. Come on now, itll turn dark if you keep resting! Go and dig the potatoes. Come on! Let us rest, big sis, will ya?! Whore you calling big sis. You have big bodies butck training. Should you be saying that? I sat on the portable foldable chair that had the Levitate cast on it, and had Cloud drag it along. In other words, I was carried here while sitting. If youre gonnain, should I bring out the punishment pole? Making them work while totally exhausted would just increase the chances of them copsing in the middle of digging up the potatoes. It was necessary to not push them and let them rest. Cant be helped. Lets have a short break here, and might as well eat. Aw yeah! Its not time to get so excited. Just rest! Huh, can we just sleep? You wouldnt recover fast with that alone. You need a massage. I dont know how to go about that. Cant be helped Finia had to prepare the meal, so we had to care for them with just the three of us. First, you have to loosen the center of your body before you work on your limbs. Starting from either side of your spine and shoulder des. I gave the three of them, as well as Cloud and Michelle, instructions. These two didnt know how to hold back on their massage, so I had to watch over them. Thanks to that, they started leaking ecstatic voices. A-Aghhh, thats the spot! Stop your creepy moans. I cant help it. Its impossible to hold my voice. Good grief Finia was holding back augh while watching us. Looks like they are enjoying it. May I ask for a massage tooter, Lady Nicole? Hmm? Ill dly do it for you. Ill make you moan sweetly, gehehe. Maybe I will reconsider it No need to hold back! Ouchouchouch! Finia started sweating as she heard my yell filled with secret intentions. Man, I really havent shown my good sides to Finia at all. Since she knows about my real self, it always ends up turning into ame situation. It looks like I put in more strength in my grip as I yelled, Sebastian who I was giving a massage yelled in pain. Anyway, although there were some mistakes along the way, they still learned how to care for their bodies like this. .I hope they did. Chapter 554 Anyway, the break is over. Time to get to digging. Kaaay. At my order, not just the three, even Cloud respondednguidly. It was because Finias meal that we ate after the massage was too good. She used the greens and rooted vegetables, and fruits, that we picked up along the way, as well as dried jerky, to make a filling soup. It was a simple food that would satisfy even people aside from Cloud. She also followed up with a toasted bread that had melted cheese on top, so it made you feel like continuing for an after-meal nap. Having said that, we couldnt abandon thismission either. I picked up my foldable shovel and started slowly digging at the ivy roots. But Sebastian and the other two were different. Okay, lets do this! They stabbed their shovels down forcefully and tried to dig with brute force. You utter idiots! If they do it so forcibly, the potatoes will just break. If they get damaged, so will themission payment get reduced. So to teach them about that, I used the usual punishing pole to smack their heads. Oouch! Big sis, what was that for! After all this time I started to have the full picture. These guys forgot everything you told them the moment an enemy appeared. And they started violently shoveling their way to dig up the potatoes. Both of those things came from the same single w. In other words Lack of imagination and controlling ones emotions. In other words, you cant restrain yourselves. Come again? You act without thinking about what your actions would lead to. Being driven by impulses also stems from that. Big sis, I dont understand that difficult exnation. In short, youpletelyck the concept of thinking before you act! Are you saying we dont think? Haha, you have a point! Stop bragging about it! I smacked them once more to shut them up. These types of people wont reflect until they see some pain. Or well, they are reflecting but they arent learning from it. To correct that, they have to experience the danger, but its hard to adjust the bnce of it. They have to learn the risk of death, but if we overdo it, they might actually die. What do we do about this I wonder? I racked my brains about their teaching methods, while Michelle and Cloud seemed to be having fun. They were supposed to be in charge of giving instructions, but before I knew it I started thinking about it instead. This meddlesome part of me has always led to blunders in my past life. Whats wrong, Nicole? You seem to be having fun, Michelle. Yup. It feels fresh to adventure with different people. You wentPyaa!at first though. N-Now that I got to know them, they arent that scary! So they were scary before that. Yup. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Seeing her nod with a straight face seemed to have dealt quite a big blow to the trio. You guys, did you really think you werent scary dressed like that? Anyway, they are wasting too much time digging Ligus potatoes without knowing how, so lets finish this up fast. Kaay. We continued harvesting the potatoes for about an hour after that. We made pairs with the three, and got to digging the roots from two sides. After an hour, the nt that Finias pair was digging finally revealed the potatoes. Since we went in pairs, one person was an extra. During this time, I asked Michelle to stand by and watch the surroundings. As for why she was removed from the grouping, it was because she was too much for the eyes. Every time she put her hands in front and moved the shovel rhythmically,somethingthat was caught in between also bounced along with it. I would never allow a man to watch that from the opposite side. Following it, Clouds side and then my side also got to the potatoes. It was just three nts in total, so it felt a littlecking. Ideally, I wanted three more. Lets take a break and dig up one more nt each. With that much, the client should have noints either. Themission just says to bring it, so wouldnt just a single one be fine? Thats the minimum condition. If you n to live on as an Adventurer, you have to satisfy your clients so they remember you by bringing an extra. Is that how it works? It is. Still, doing delicate digging for an hour tired you out quite a bit. We had to take a little break, or else well get too fatigued. We werent potato digging experts after all. Michelle, sorry but can you make tea? Finia, create some water so we can wash our hands. Michelle was on guard duty, so her hands werent dirty. She was still an Adventurer, so she knew how to make tea in the wild at least. And Finias elemental magic could be useful for this too. Hm? What is the matter? Finia, you can use the Tunnel spell, right? Yes, I can. Then wouldnt it be quicker if you dig around the potato with that spell and we start scraping off the remaining ground from the side? Oh, you are right. Let me try. Ah, wait, were resting now. Lets do itter. Alright. Honestly, those three were no magicians so they couldnt reproduce this method. So it may not teach them much, but at least it will teach them to use everything at ones disposal. You have to use your head to make it easier for you. Like this, we took a little break and then resumed our digging. And Finias magic turned out to be a huge deal even in this matter. In the end, we upped our pace and ended up digging ten whole potatoes. We then used twigs as supports so they wouldnt get damaged and put them into the knapsack. But then, something showed up in the scope of my detection ability. Chapter 555 What I heard was some kind of wing sound. Yet that sound itself was small, but the sound of grass being pushed through was instead louder. The fact that there was a big gap between its own sounds and the friction sounds of the surroundings meant that it held quite good stealth abilities. And judging from the sound of the grass, I judged that it was clearly not a human. Its an enemy. Get ready. I concisely conveyed it to myrades. Michelle, Cloud, and Finia instantly sensed the monster after my words and got ready forbat. They put down the potato bags, Cloud getting his sword and shield while Michelle her bow. Finia also switched her dagger into spear mode, and the three made a defensive formation before Sebastian and the other two. Huh? Wha? You three wait there. This enemy is clearly beyond what you can handle. Though I sensed its approach, I couldnt grasp its exact distance. An enemy that could hide its presence so well would be too much for newbies like them. I pulled out my katana and prepared to intercept it. Of course, I had my gauntlets on too. Its here. Over there. Cloud stepped ahead to where I looked. Michelle also nocked an arrow to her favorite hunting bow and stood in wait. What came out of the forest was a giant spider that was probably about three meters tall. Eeek?! S-Spiderand a fucking huge one at that! Aghblegh! Sebastian screamed, Francis legs gave off, while Andrew started vomiting, unable to bear looking at its grotesque appearance. Honestly, I was bad with these types of enemies too. No offense to whoever liked them, but I found giant spiders utterly disgusting. Insects were simple things, so they optimized their bodies for their survival and objectives. In a sense that could be called unrivaled functional beauty, but that didnt mean it coincided with a humans sense of beauty. Um, Im a little bad with spiders. Hmm, bugs arent very tasty. They throw sticky threads at you, so I hate them too. Finia backed away with goosebumps. Cloud was the same. I guess thetter just found it a pain to maintain his weapons afterward. Also, Michelle wasnt shaken at all Fine, Ill deal with this much on my own. Huh, are you sure? Spiders had strong territorial awareness, so they rarely attacked in groups. The Giant Spider in front of me was on its own too. I couldnt sense any of its friends nearby. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) What is this monster doing here I loosely lowered my katana and casually approached the spider. Spiders were known for building nests, setting traps, and catching their prey, but their mobility was also quite high. Its eight long legs gave it good stability, and also allowed it varied movements in many directions. Its eight eyes also covered every direction, leaving almost no blind spots. And above all, it held superior sixth sense, and could apparently make an evasion maneuver before you even make your move or so I heard. Spiders have sharp senses. So if you assume a stance youd just end up missing. I exined to the people behind me while making sure I stayed as rxed as possible. Not just Finia, even Michelle and Cloud have battled Giant Spiders before. So my words were directed more at the other trio. Rxing your bodypletely also made it more able to instantly move in any direction. The spider seemed confused at my actions and creaked its teeth in a threatening manner. When you take a spider on, you should not make the first move. They have good eyes and senses, so they will definitely avoid your attack. So its either you wait for them to attack, or attack them after you drive them into a corner. As I spoke, I approached the spider a step closer. Once I entered its attack range, it rushed at me in one go. Seeing its action that had no wasted movement left everyone other than me in total shock. But it was different for me. I knew it would attack me once I entered its range. Hence I knew the enemys attack timing would be the moment I took a step in. As long as I knew the attack timing, it was easy to deal with it. We were facing each other in a cleared-up part of the forest, so it could only attack me frontally. If I knew when it would attack, that allowed me to counterattack too. I flicked up my dangling right arm and jumped to the left at the same time. Moving separately from the body, my right arm sliced the spiders right leg, making it dance in the air. Fuh! I breathed out sharply and rotated my body horizontally before I evennded. I spun my katana along with it andnded another attack. With it I took yet another one of its legs. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Having lost two of its right legs, the spider couldnt endure itsnding and broke its bnce. Since its legs were perfect in terms of function, losing them created big malfunctions. I intentionally moved to the left side of it where it still had many legs remaining. If it wanted to leap at me again, it would have to use the other side which only had two legs remaining. But it was far too big to actually execute that. Gigi?! It finally realized it couldnt move as it tried to counterattack, and once again creaked its teeth. If it could properly grasp the situation it was in, it would have moved away from me. If it did that, it could then use all of its four left legs. But it was already toote. The opening it showed was too fatal against me. I slipped through its four left legs and shed at its nted body. This katana that Lyell gifted me wasnt extremely sharp, but it was tough enough to havested me for eight years. It was definitely full of scratches and I had to maintain it a lot, but it was still something I couldnt bring myself to let go of. Its de mercilessly slid into the gap of the Giant Spiders carapace. For insects that had a dull sense of pain, the pain of a sh would serve as no deterrent. The only telling blow would be to destroy the flesh part of its body. Since I knew that, I aimed for the base of its neck. There was a gap in its carapace there, and it was also where the nerves that moved its body were concentrated in. For most living beings, this was the ideal spot to aim for if you were going for a certain kill. Still, the Giant Spiders flesh was too hard so I couldnt sever it with one attack. It attacked me with its left foot from overhead. I dodged it by a hairs breadth and added another attack from the opposite side. Even this GIant Spider couldnt endure that attack. The flesh got severe from both sides, its head only hanging by the muscle fibers. But eventually they could no longer handle its weight and snapped, dropping the head on the ground. The body wriggled for some time, but eventually ceased all movements. I still stood ready for a what if surprise attack. This was called continued alertnessto be ready for a counterattack even after cutting down your enemy. Once it was dead for sure and no longer moved, I shook the blood off my sword, then dried it on my sleeve and returned it to its scabbard. Like that, I managed to gain an overwhelming victory over the Giant Spider that I wouldve had trouble with even in my past life. Chapter 556 Going out of my way to challenge the Giant Spider on my own, and with just my katana instead of threads, was something I did with a clear goal in mind. This was to test whether I, who kept relying on threads, had grown enough to defeat such a strong foe with just a sword. And the result was a perfect victory where I didnt even let the enemy touch me. I felt that I had clearly grown. I secretly made a fist pump at that realization. A-Amazing She took that huge-ass spider with just a katana Expected as much from our big sis. So she wasnt just a feeble seductive beauty! I need to talk to you threeter. The three were saying whatever they wanted behind me, dampening my high spirits. Here I was protecting them with my body on the line, and yet look at them go. Particrly, Andrew. Whore you calling feeble seductive beauty? Also, Im not your big sis. Thats right. Lady Nicole is mine. I mmed down the punishment pole that I used for the trio on Clouds head. I feel like hes gotten quite talkativetely too. Perhaps I should warn him here. Cloud, youve grown quite loose-lippedtely. Men should be quieter and instead talk with their actions. Thats right, Cloud. You should aim to be collected like Lord Reid. Um, Finia, youre putting the bar too high, telling me to aim to be like a Six Hero! Cloud started objecting in a fluster at Finias condition. Seeing that Finia couldnt hold back and burst intoughter. Pff, hah-hahaha. Thatugh is uncalled for I know Im just getting carried away. Ah no, thats not it Well, the reason Finia wasughing was that he was being trained by that very Reid and also the rest of the Six Heroes too, and yet he was getting flustered and dismissing the idea. It looked like aedy to someone who knew the whole situation. Speaking of which, Maxwell used to giggle like this too at first. Then again, he does that even now. More importantly, Nicole, we have to butcher this spider quickly or other monsters will approach it. Oh, right. I guess the trio whose legs gave off would be useless for this. So it would be up to us to butcher the spider before us. Spider materials could actually fetch quite a good price. Its tough carapace could be made into armor or shield, and its thread could be used in clothing and essories. And its eight eyeballs could be used in medicine apparently. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) It wasnt my specialty so I didnt know the details. But at the very least I knew that Gadius would be pissed if he learned we left the shell behind. Though he was managing an inn, he was still a dwarf to the core. He still had the spirit of a craftsman. Leaving the three on the ground, Finia and I remained to watch the surroundings while Michelle and Cloud would butcher the spider. This was because Finia was bad with spiders, and I was the only one with good enough senses to detect monsters with stealth abilities like this spider. As such, the remaining two would inevitably have to butcher it. Sorry, Michelle. Its all because Im bad with spiders. Everyone has things theyre bad at. Plus youre always giving me food. Given your wording, it sounds like youd work for free as long as they feed you, huh, Michelle? Nicole, thats a mean way of putting it. Ahaha, sorry. Michelle continued to tear off the carapace on its legs while puffing her cheeks. Its leg shells could be turned into protectors for limbs, we had to recover them too. Sebastian and co. observed with pale faces as the two easily butchered the grotesque-looking spider. Y-You two are amazing too. I could never do that. Mee too, its just impossible!! S-Same here There are cases like Finia, so if you cant you have to hire someone that can or leave it to yourrade. The right person for the right job, as they say. Is that how it goes? No one can do anything and everything. And even if there are three of you, that still doesnt mean youd be able to do anything. What you cant do, you should ask other people to do. Is that so? For Adventurers, finishing themission is what matters the most. Of course, within the margins of reason. The three listened to my words in admiration. It seemed that this grotesque spider made them realize how narrow their views were. The world wasnt only filled with things you could fight on your own. It was important to know how to ovee things you couldnt handle. After encountering an enemy that made their legs give out and surviving that encounter, their awareness seemed to have changed. However, I was the one who fought, so they should have learned a lot from it. Hey, Cloud. Isnt this leg a bit like a crab? Looks tasty. Wait, you n on eating it?! No waaay. Im getting put off a bit to eat it raw. So youd eat it as long as its cooked? Also being put off is something so trivial for you? I was giving the three a good lecture here, while the butchering duo was busy with a casual convo. Give me back my thankfulness and sense of tension. Also, Michelle, I suggest you stop licking your lips when youre all smeared with the sticky thread base liquid. Look, Cloud cant even sit straight looking at you. Even Im the same. This unaware lewd girl. I really have to make her self-aware fast, or someone will definitely push her down one of these days. Chapter 557 During the night of that day, we once again decided to camp when we were about halfway back to Stor. Since we obtained Giant Spider carapace, our luggage increased unnecessarily so we got dyed more than expected. I guess we should assume itll take a day longer. Yes. Its good that we prepared spare food. Oh, Ill make food today, okay? Michelle uncharacteristically volunteered to cook just for today. Since she knew Finias cooking skill, she usually just epted and ate up whatever was given to her and asked for the seconds on top. She knew cooking was Finias domain so she never intruded on it until now. But this day, she had rolled up her sleeves and was looking motivated. Its rare for you to cook. Are you plotting something? N-N-N-No such thing! At least say that while your eyes arent clearly swimming around. Come on, Nicole, youre focusing on trivial details too much. Even I feel like cooking sometimes! Is that so? Michelles cooking was actually not bad. Her skill used to be miserable when we were kids, but its been three years since we moved to Stor. Since then she wasnt just eating in the cafeteria, but also learning how to cook herself. Apparently, her reason was that she couldnt eat what she wanted from the menu lists. For that, she sometimes even shut in the kitchen along with Finia during the off days. So the fact that she wanted to cook wasnt weird in itself. She was simply holding back since Finia, who was more skilled, was present normally. But its been a while since you cooked, Michelle. Since that time ten years ago when you almost made me eat mud balls? Dont bring up something so ancient! Actually, you still remember that? Of course I do. The danger I felt that day was even bigger than with those Kobolds. I dont think it was that serious? I often yed with Michelle when we were little. But she was also a girl, so though she yed with boys, she also yed house and such too. During those days, I focused on ying as a way to strengthen my body, but doing just that would make me look suspicious, so I yed with Michelle as much as possible too. For better or worse, ying with her taught me how girls would y. Feeling nostalgic for the past, I closed my eyes and nodded to myself over and over. Michelle gave me a weird look and started getting ready for cooking. She took out the pot that we used as a support for the Ligus potatoes so they wouldnt break, then washed it, spread the oil in it, and started frying meat. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) It was a wild bird that she hunted on the way. With her by our side, we never had a problem with food in the forest, so she was extremely helpful. Then she had Finia put water in it, where she added dried vegetables, jerky, and other ingredients and started to boil them. Once it boiled for some time, she threw in some unfamiliar white meat, and then added wheat flour and spices for seasoning and thickness. That was when the trio suddenly approached me. Hmm? Whats wrong, you three? You have strangely serious faces. Big sis, we have a favor to ask. Sure, but were about to eat. Why not do it after? Wed like to do it now. They dered it with serious voices, so I fixed my posture to listen to what they had to say. Seeing that, the three kneltno, prostrated themselves on the ground, their heads lowered deeply. Please make us into your disciples! No. I reflexively rejected their sudden request. These people looked too different from people aspiring to be disciples. How would you fix it if I got known as the leader of mohawks? Seeing your battle today, we learned that theres always someone better. We were driven away, so we wanted to get back at those who drove us out. And then we saw your sword skill. Not relying on strength, yet having the technique to overwhelm the Giant Spider. We charmed from the bottom of our hearts! Being adored by you folk doesnt make me any bit happier. It would be another matter if it was Finia or Michelle. Oh Lady Nicole They said something unpleasant so my true feelings leaked. Finia squirmed restlessly at my words. Doesnt it seem like Fina is going a bit wildtely? Big sis, lets put that aside for now. It was amusing that these guys thought that much. They used to be the ssic examples of thoughtless people, so it looks like they really learned something, after all. Also, this situation made me remember the time Cloud asked me to be instructed. It seemed that Cloud was reminded of it too. He wasnt saying anything but was ncing in our way. Maybe it reminded him of himself. Even if you say that, we are Adventurers. Were with you on thismission, but that doesnt mean we can always stay and instruct you. We know that, but This time, it was amission for us, so we were going along with it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) This was work. But taking disciples was another matter altogether. We had our lives, so we had to go on adventures. And it wasnt something we did on the side during our free time as we did in our younger days. This time we were earning mainly from our Adventuring work. As such, we wouldnt have that much time to train them. Even so, even just during your free time, or even during the night would do. The way we are, we couldnt have even defeated that spider. Oh, so you are aware of it? I guess youve made big progress if you realize that much. Yes. We didnt even know that much until now. That there were enemies we couldnt beat. Monsters that make our legs give out just by confronting them So, we wanted to train more. Not only to get back at the vigers that drove you out? Yes, we swear. Hmm? I nned to reject them at first. But it would leave a bad taste in my mouth to abandon them now that they awakened to a desire to improve themselves. But I was still busy all the time, even having to show my face in the northern vige. I really didnt have time to look after them. Which would leave I have no time to teach you. Please, there must be a way! So, Cloud, how about you teach them? Huh, me?! Since I was busy, I could just push it on someone else. Fortunately, Cloud was my disciple who also received the Six Hero training. He had no Gifts, but he was first-ss as far as quality went. And if he teaches them how to fight, it should direct them in a good direction. Gift holders tended to teach in a way that was based on Gifts. Cloud, who had climbed this far with his hard work alone, should be the ideal person to teach them. Chapter 558 Cloud expected me to teach them, so when it was thrown at him he couldnt refuse. The trio looked bad on the outside but they werent that bad on the inside. They were like mischievous children, so to speak, who had grown as is and the things they did also escted with it. If they understood that we were superior to them they would obediently listen to us. Well, I guess I cant say anything since I also forced my way to be her disciple. Ill give you some training if youre fine with me. Were fine with that. As long as we can grow stronger. Then this topic is over. I dont wanna discuss bothersome stuff during our meal. Plus, it was Michelle cooking for once. I wanted to avoid boorish topics. Foods ready! Michelle called out just then as if it was calcted. It was a brown soup with the aroma of seasonings. Then it was poured onto the rice. It was a simple meal. But meals like this were delicious because of their simplicity. She distributed small dishes with cooked rice poured with the piping hot soup to everyone. Once it reached everyone, I casually thrust my spoon in it and carried some to my mouth. The stew wasnt quite perfect due to doing it crudely outside at night, but that part couldnt be helped. In exchange, the umami of dried vegetables and jerky that were rubbed in seasonings had seeped into the soup, making it taste quite rich. The fresh wild bird meat was quite chewy and delicious too. And above all, this white meat tasted great. Ohh, Big sis Michelle can cook too, huh! Its delicious. Just as much as big sis Finias! Munchmunchmuch! The trio was praising it highly too. Also, thatst one, you should speak properly. The soup had something else aside from the bird meat and jerky. It was white meat simr to bird meat, but the long and thin texture of it was extremely simr to it. If I had to say, it felt simr to marine products like a crab Michelle, what meat is this? Hmm? Its the leg meat of the Giant Spider. Pffft?! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Hearing her answer, Finia, spurted out what was in her mouth. I reflexively stiffened and stopped chewing. Michelle did say she was bad with insects back then, didnt she? Hmm? I mean, insects arent that delicious. But look, if crabs are delicious, I thought maybe spiders are too. Wait a minute, why are you testing that now?! Huh, because theres an opportunity? We got fresh ingredients so I had to cook it quickly. So thats why you decided to cook so suddenly! Ehehe, I mean, big sis Finia looked like she wouldnt be able to do it. Of course, Finia wouldve found it unreasonable to cook a spider when she hated them. The person in question was silently removing the spider meat from her soup. It was sweet of her to do it without saying anything in consideration of Michelle. Huh, this was a spider? Adventurers really do eat everything huh? Dont use Michelle as a standard. Shes non-standard in various ways. Really? Both her marksmanship skill and her gluttony were far outside of the norm for Adventurers. At the same time, her simplicity wasnt something an average Adventurer had. What she did now was probably no more than a prank in her mind. In every sense, Michelles existence was as far from normal as you could get. Sorry, big sis Finia. You can leave them if its too much. Um, this is tasty but I just cant do it. Ill leave them. Sorry for doing that when you went out of your way to cook it. Honestly, this was on the level where Finia couldve flipped out in anger. Yet she was even apologizing to her, so you could see how good her personality was. Anyway, Michelle, I hope that trio didnt influence you to do a prank like this. I tried to stop her, you know. Speaking of which, you were with her when she picked those ingredients, huh? Did you realize it then? Yeah. Cloud should have noticed her picking up the spider meat since he was together with her. In other words, youre an aplice, huh? Huh, no, I mean maybe I am? Pressed with my question, Clouds gaze wavered instantly. Seeing my wrath, Michelle started getting flustered. Above all, doing that while knowing Finia would hate it was the worst. You two, sit on your knees there. I made them sit and pulled out the punishment pole and stood in a daunting pose. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Their prank went too far this time. I had to have them reflect properly, so I needed to harden my heart. Otherwise, they could be like the trio. Michelle and Cloud obediently sat in front of me. Why was she sitting with her hands stuffed between her legs though? That made the part sandwiched between her arms stick together and form a big valley. This valley was deep enough that Cortina would have no way of reproducing it. Rather, in her case, no valley would even be formed no matter how hard she tries. Plus the way she was looking up at me with puppy eyes. Aghh! This friend of mine is far too unfair! I ended up hugging her chestnut-colored head and started rubbing it, forgetting the sermon. Her hair was glossy and fluffy enough to not lose out to Cortinas tail. It was probably thanks to the hairdressing product of Whitey that shes been using since she was young. N-Nicole? Lady Nicole, thats not fair. Hug me too. Ill do thatter, Finia. Mm, she smells like a puppy~ Is this supposed to be scolding? Cloud, you shut up. Cloud got silenced by my words and hung his head. He looked quite like a puppy in these situations too. Apparently, that was well received, so he was quite popr with the city girls. The girls of this world should really improve their taste. Setting that aside, Michelles lecture came first. Once I hugged her to my hearts content, I collected myself and returned back to the daunting posture. During this incident, I ended up bonking Michelles head with the pole something that rarely happened. Chapter 559 Like this, we and Sebastians group ended our adventure. Since they became Clouds disciples, it was probably something to celebrate a little. However, the case wasnt closed just yet. Rather, there was another force that would not allow it to be settled. Now then, newbies, have you said your prayers? Are you resolved? Huh? Whats going on? Please wait, we turned a new leaf! Where am I? Daddy save me! It happened the day after we returned to Stor. Sebastian and co. were called to the underground training grounds of the Guild. There, a bunch of male Adventurers and a few females awaited them there. They werent filled with bloodlust but still clearly seething in silent anger. The trio seemed to have sensed that and were looking around in dismay. Cloud and I guessed the situation and came to observe from the inspection seats. Cloud, are you sure you dont wanna stop them? When theyve be like that its impossible to stop them, and wont stop. Ive learned that with my body. Thats quite miserable. They were probably giving them retribution for their rude attitudes towards us from before, but I guess its fine as long as they dont overdo it. If we cover them too much, they might get their punishment and malicious bullying somewhere we couldnt see. Plus, it would be good for them to get to know the local Adventurers. Let us wee you first. Foring to Stor. We will have you ept the Stor-style weing party. I aint forgiving you. You touched the one thing you shouldnt have. W-Wait a minute! I dont know what youre even talking about?! Well, even someone as dull as me has realized that were treated as idols here. They had those attitudes towards us, so it naturally incurred the locals wrath. Yeah, youve touched something important that we pray to, something you shouldnt have done. Yes with Michelles *****! What the heck?! THATswhat you mean?! As the three screamed, I also ended up retorting. Now that I think about it, when we had a mock battle with them, Michelle pushed her breasts on Sebastian when she was strangling him from behind. These guys were apparently jealous of that and it led to the current outrage. Ah, Nicole! Please watch, well discipline them properly. Wait wait, you dont have to do that! I mean, I agree that touching Michelles ***** is a problem, but still. Youre beingpassionate to these bunch too? As expected of you! How did you get that idea?! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) These guys are no good. They dont listen to me at all. I protested with a pumped fist, but they took it as somethinging out ofpassion. I of course had no such intention. Cloud next to me was shaking his head with a resigned expression. I told you its impossible. If that was enough to stop them, the grueling training back in my time wouldve never happened. Its you were talking about, Cloud, so thats fine. Arent you a bit cruel there? Shit, look at that Cloud bastard! Not just Michelle, hes even flirting with Nicole! Looks like he needs somespecial trainingtoo. How did ite to that?! Cloud raised a shriek simr to mine, but the tragedy before me was more important now. It seemed like three Adventurers grouped up to face the trio and were getting ready for a small-scale group battle. Naturally, Sebastians group had no chance of victory. At first, I thought they were trying to use this training as a way to punish them for their conduct towards us, but with jealousy involved they could take it a bit too far. Uh, please dont go overboard Guys, Nicole gave us her merciful order. Dont go overboard but get them! Yeaaaaaah!! The three Adventurers charged at Sebastians group without even giving them a warning. The trio were in dismay as they took on their half-surprise attack. Being newbies with shallow experience, they had no way of recovering from their disadvantage. Try not to dieand dieeeee! H-Higyaaaaaaaa?! How dare you touch Michelles *****. I was aiming for that! Like I caaaaareeeee! They sieged the trio without even spreading out. Then they got pushed back with power in the blink of an eye. After a while, the siege got lifted, leaving behind the three in tatters. The three Adventurers seemed really refreshed after that. Healers, heal them. Right! Heal! An Adventurer with a sharp expression that would put the trios to shame healed them while revealing a malicious smile. With the effect of the spell, their wounds healed and they were roused from the fainted states. I-I thought I was a goner (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) The three finally recovered from their fainted states and stood up while faltering. Then they heard a followup line. Okay, next group. Get ready. Give us a breaaaaaaaaak!! Ignoring the trio who screamed, another three Adventurers stepped towards them. They all had sadistic expressions. Though their wounds were healed, their equipment was already in tatters. But their senior Adventurers didnt seem satisfied with just that. That day, the trios screams reverberated underground throughout the day. Chapter 560 And so that happened, you know. That sounds tough. I dont really mind though. That night, I entered the bath with Finia and Michelle and told them about the tragedy that happened earlier. The trio was beaten up a step short of death and were released after Clouds mediation, but I worried if they would give up on being Adventurers after this experience. But this was still their masters duty. I decided to leave it to Cloud, expecting his aftercare to do the job. This was an experience too. Michelle, you should be more careful. Huh, but it hurts when the bowstring hits them, so it has its disadvantages, you know? Oh, is that supposed to be sarcasm? If Cortina heard it she would tremble in rage. Dont tell her. If Lady Cortina put her eyes on me Id be met with misfortune! I have to report that part too. Please dont for real! We talked about such things while being all foamy after overusing the soap in the bath. Gadius inn was quite famous, so this much soap was still reserved as an extra. There was also the Floating Wakame shampoo here, so it was famed among female Adventurers. But now, there was no one but us here. It was rare for a popr inn like this. Will they quit being Adventurers I wonder? If so, it would be quite a pity. Youre too kind, Michelle. Whether they give up or not depends on their luck, doesnt it? But Im of the same opinion as Michelle. Its a bit too cruel. Even you, Finia? Cant be helped. Ill go and warn everyone tomorrow. Doubt they will listen to me much. Michelle returned to washing her body with a smug face. She turned her face away and rubbed her arms with a soft sponge. This was apparently because using a towel would hurt the skin or something. Finia and Maria persistently taught me that a womans skin needed tender care, so she was influenced by me. I was constantly told to wash myself with bare hands if possible. After I told that to Michelle, she also started washing her body like this. Well, I do understand where theyreing from. As Michelle washed her right arm with her left hand, her chest was squished together between her arms. As I sat next to her, I could clearly see them. Hmm, whatcha mean? Oh, nothing. Michelle is quite something, but yours arent anything to scoff at either, Lady Nicole. You should finally realize it already. Ugh, theyve been getting in my way when I swing my swordtely. I wasnt quite on Michelle and Marias level, but my ***** grew quite a bit as ofte, so the underwear could no longer cut it and I needed to bind them with a cloth so they wouldnt get in the way during the fights. Because of that guys were giving me even more intense stares. I even wondered whether my eyepatch stopped working at first. I still wore that eyepatch even now. It was a little inconvenient that I couldnt remove it even in the bath. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) But if I did it, not just Finia, even Michelle would fall for the charm, so it was unavoidable. Setting that aside Michelle turned towards me with an impish gaze as I washed my body while sighing. I instantly felt chills running down my spine. I knew my intuition during times like this was on point. We finished theirmission, so isnt it time I got my reward? Reward? Didnt I already distribute it? Thats not it! You know, the one from the mock battle. Ah?! At that, I remembered my past blunder. That I told Michelle that she could fondle my ***** if she won that mock battle against the trio. Oh, that reminds me, I also had rights to that, didnt I? Its okay, please just think of it as an extension of the usual massage. Finia, why are you so assertive during times like this We have nothing to hold back between us, dont we, Lady Nicole? Right, right, Im so your best friend who wont hold back. I wish you do though! Michelle and Finia drew near me, itching to grab my *****. I tried to find a ce to evacuate to right away, but there was a wall with the water supply in front of me, while Michelle and Finia were left and right, blocking my way. I thought I could run behind, but I couldnt move properly while sitting on the low washing chair. Plus the two were already prepared for that. Maybe dont? Please dont hold back, we wont hurt you. Thats right. You arent letting me touch you as muchtely, so please let me make use of this opportunity, Lady Nicole. Arent you giving me massages practically daily?! I mean aside from that. I touched my face for a moment wondering if my eyepatch hade off, but it didnt seem to be the case. Which meant, these two were sane. They were sane but this was still the situation. W-Whats going on?! Uhehehe, Lady Nicole, youre at fault here. You kept us waiting. Yeah! Holding back is bad for the body. Michelle, lets stop taking jokes too far No use arguing! Michelle finally jumped towards me. As I faced her to deal with that attack, Finia suddenly bound my hands from behind. Having lost my mobility, Michelle jumped into my ***** and started rubbing her cheeks on them. S-Stonha?! Nhehe, Nicole you have grown quite big too. What part are you referring to exactly! Huh, I mean various parts? More importantly, time to resolve yourself. Time to pay for making me do that mock battle! I wont say it again, so forgive me! Noope. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Finias hands also suddenly moved towards my breasts. I tried to break out with strength, but my footing was slippery from the foam, and I couldnt move properly. Moreover, Finias softness on my back and Michelles pair of hills on my belly were shaving off my will of resistance. Was this heaven? Hehehe, help wonte, you know? I made sure to hang up the Cleaning In Progress sign when we entered. Wha-, youre too thorough?! Now it makes sense why no one was around at this hour. Finia enteredst, so it looks like she already made sure to keep people away. I couldnt expect help anymore. As for Gadius, he was a guy so he wouldnt evene to the changing room. Thus, I ended up being fondled to the twos hearts content. Mmm, it may have felt a little good Lady Nicole, its fine to awaken to this, you know? Finia, who knew who I was, secretly whispered that into my ears. Chapter 561 Authors note: I decided to write a little side arc for a breather. Fina woke up early in the morning. She was a good sleeper like all children, sleeping well since the previous day and waking up as the sun woulde out. Maria also woke up at the same time, and after washing their faces together, they headed for breakfast. Finia also helped her with it, while also asking Maria the tales of her sister who wasnt around, imagining her gant figure in her mind. Nicole also used to help me like you, you know? Big sis Nico did? So Fii is a good girl? Of course. Youre a good girl for helping me. Yaay! For Fina, Nicole was a respectable sister, as well as a hero who went around saving troubled people as an Adventurer. She felt very proud to be helping her mother like Nicole did. Seeing Fina breathing heavily as she kneaded the leavening agent, Maria remembered Nicoles younger days and started giggling. It had already been eight years since Nicole left this house. She did oftene to show her face, but she still felt sad that she didnt live here with them. The existences of the boisterous Cortina and Fina who could blow away her loneliness were already indispensable parts of her life. Tina should just live here too. Tina with us? Fii likes that! Right. Ill try persuading her again. Fina was shy of strangers, but she was also quick to get attached to people. Cortina already had lived with them for over two months, so she thought of her like a sister. Cortina also cared for Fina a lot, perhaps remembering Nicoles younger days. There were no longer any traces of the shadows that used to bind her after Reids death. For better or worse, Nicole and Fina served to clear her heart of those shadows. And Reid, too, had fortunately reincarnated and hade back. I really am blessed, arent I? Hmm? Her oldrade had returned, and her best friends heart had cleared up. And she also had kids and she was here helping her prepare breakfast like this. She was a little concerned that her elder daughter had no sweetheart, but she thought this was due to the childishness that she still had and something that would eventually fix itself. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Mowningh. You two sure are up early as always. Cortina headed to the mansions back where the washroom was, in somewhat unsteady steps, having just woken up. This mansion drew water straight from the well and used it for waterworks, so you could wash your face inside too. Seeing Cortina had be a familiar sight to her after these two months. Before long, as the maid came to help her set out the dishes, Lyell also woke up. Once they were all present, they started eating together. The maid was going to have hers a littlete since she had to serve the table, but other than that, this tradition of having meals together had continued ever since Nicole lived here due to Marias will. Speaking of which, that white girl hadnt shown herself ever since. You mean the girl calling herself God of Destruction? Im not sure whether thats true or not, but considering how she healed Nicole, it might be true. You must be feeling quite conflicted about that. Being the priest of the World Tree Religion, God of Destruction was something like an archnemesis for her. At first, she thought it was just childish nonsense and didnt mind it, but even after she realized she wasnt an ordinary person after she healed Nicole, she couldnt treat her impolitely. Finas pharmacy lessons have been halted too, huh? Well, she did leave some textbook-looking things so Im reading them to her now. The books that were entrusted to Cortina were filled with various knowledge about medicinal herbs. They had a lot of difficult words, so Cortina was reading them out loud to Fina in ce of the lessons. Since her vocabry wasnt big, Fina couldnt read by herself alone, but after hearing Cortinas broken-down exnations, she understood those contents. Hearing her exnations, Finas medicinal herb knowledge umted abundantly, and it had reached the point where it exceeded even Cortinas, who was the one reading the books to her. But with no teacher around, its still a shallow knowledge. Its an area we cant handle, so I hope shees back soon. Yeah. drugs need to be actuallypounded in practice to learn properly Cortina assented to Lyells words, but then childrens voices came from the outside. Finaaa, lets y! Ah, okay! Though she replied so, she still nced at Maria. There were no kids her age in this vige, but she still had friends near her age. They were too young to help with work, so at this time they usually yed together. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Since Fina was receiving special education due to her Gift, she needed Marias approval whether it was time to y or not. Its okay. Youre still a child, Fina, so you should y more. But learning about drugs is fun too. Since she had the Gift of Pharmacy, her skill as a pharmacist was growing rapidly. Feeling your growth made things fun, and it went the same both for adults and children. The children found it more delightful even, considering that they were in a rapid growth period. Fina was right in the middle of that, so she had a hard time bncing her pharmacy studies with ying with friends. You really should go y. I ended up copsing first when we study. You should study too, Tina! Its not my field, so consider how hard it is to keep up with you. Plus its my day off today, so no pharmacy for today! Okay? Mghh Then Ill go y too! Do that, do that. Cortina slumped over the table with bad manners, so Fina puffed her cheeks and answered back, and ran off towards the entrance. Fina, you should never leave the vige, okay? Youll get attacked by wild beasts like Nicole. Okaay! Fina had heard the story of how Nicole got attacked by Kobolds when she slipped out of the vige when she was young. Because of that, she had never left the vige with just children with her even once. Even so, she was still a mischievous child, so Lyell reminded her every time she was about to head out. Chapter 562 This frontier vige that was under Lyells care had several agriculturalnds and water sources aside from houses, all surrounded by fences, so it was made to allow them to hold the castle for some time if it was needed. This was the practical way to build the viges for the north where there was no knowing when a group of monsters woulde attacking. Since the kingdoms safety wasnt guaranteed through thend just yet, the viges in the remote regions had to protect themselves on their own. It wouldnt be an exaggeration to say that the fences were there for that very reason. But they still break sometimes, right? Big sis Nico slipped out of there once and beat up some Kobolds. Huh, I heard it was Lord Lyell who did the beating, though? My big bro was there at the time. Fii isnt lying! Fina puffed her cheeks as she waved her hands around. She had the fur of the Carbuncle, that came along as her guard, clutched in her hand. The Carbuncle matched her hand movements so its fur wouldnt get ripped off, but its efforts ended up being for naught and some of its hairs got plucked out. Though it looked sadly at that, it remained silent, which showed that it had grown. More importantly, the fairs opening today. You shoulde along too, Fina. Market? Yeah. A merchant wille from the outside and open up their wares for sale. There would be a lot of rare stuff! That sounds fun! But I have no money. Buying things required money. She had enough knowledge to know that. Being only three, Fina had no allowance yet. She slumped her shoulders, but the Carbuncle pulled on the hem of her clothes. Squee, squee! Hmm, what is it, Kabby? Oh, is this money? The Carbuncle removed the satchel from its neck and pulled out some small change from within for some strange reason. This satchel was recalled by its Apport spell and it was where all the little money it had was stored. It wanted to use that money for Fina. Wahh, thank you, Kabby! I love you! Squee~ The Carbuncle epted Finas full-body hug with a smile. In a way, it was also one of Finas fans. Do you all have money? I get my allowance every month. They gave me some this time since there was supposed to be a fair. Me too. The rest of the kids showed their own silver coins. They each had two to three coins, which was enough to eat out a bit. But this was arge amount of money for the kids. Amazing, you have some too, Kabby? Squee! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The Carbuncle had far more money than the children. But it didnt show it and started walking ahead of the children as if showing the way. Fina grabbed its bushy tail and followed after it. The fair was held at the za built in the center of the vige, and the merchant that had only just arrived here the other day had spread his wares fresh out of the carriages which the vigers were inspecting with deep interest. Wow, its a shop without a roof! Oh, what a surprise. What a lovely youngdy. Ehehe. This was her first time seeing a stall, so Fina couldnt hide her excitement at the wares disyed on nothing but a cloth spread on the ground. The merchant also addressed her in a friendly manner, seeing that she had luxurious blond hair and well-ordered features that were hard to find even in the cities. There were about five stalls at the za, which showed that the merchant came here with several carriages. It would be hard to carry all this alone. In other words, it meant that he had enough financial muscle to hire employees to help carry it all here. Fina is Lady Marias daughter! By Lady Maria, do you mean the Six Hero? Yup! The children seemed pleased that her friend was praised and exined about her to the merchant. The merchant also knew that Lyell and Maria lived in this vige, so he wasnt too surprised. He had expected that if he put up a stall in this hard-to-reach vige, they couldve shown up. Having said that, he wasnt so honest as to forget to act amiably. That is amazing. Then do you want to check my wares a bit? I will throw in a freebie. He didnt think hed do much business with kids. He just said that with light feelings, expecting something cheap to be sold at most. Hearing that, Fina happily peered at his wares. Maybe youd like this essory, littledy? Its a ne made with cullets, and its quite cheap. He said and took out a ne that had three ss ornaments on it. It was also extremely cheap, costing mere ten coppers. This was in reality something made of the waste from the ss workshop, so there was almost no capital put into it. Which made it a good article for children. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Wow, so pretty! I know right? This ss is something I ordered from Raums famous ss store, so its quality isnt bad. However, in that store, this was treated as waste and was about to be disposed of. So you saved mister ss? Huh? Oh, I guess you could call it that! You got me there! The merchant never thought of it as saving the ss. Having such pure gazes directed at him, he could only scratch his head in response. He started to lose the will to make a profit from these kids. You really got me there. It feels bad to make a profit off it now, huh? Hmm? How about it? I will sell it to you for five coppers. I have to at least get some pay or they will get angry at me. Are you sure?! Of course. He halved the price in one go, nning to sell the ne at almost the cost price. The Carbuncle gave the money to the merchant and he politely handed the ne over to Fina. Fina epted it happily, blooming into a big smile. Within the crowd of people was someone observing her actions. Chapter 563 Fina suddenly opened her eyes. She could see a crude wooden roof right above her, andy there with her limbs tied up. She quickly checked her surroundings, and saw the Carbuncle next to her who had even its mouth bound. It looked so humorous Fina forgot her situation and ended up bursting intoughter. But there was no time to beughing. She didnt know a room so crude. In other words, this wasnt her home. In the first ce, she was supposed to be checking the fair in the vige. Her memories were cut midway through it. Where are we? Mghhhh! The Carbuncle started squirming around, reacting to her voice. Seeing that it was alive, she felt relieved for the time being. Since its mouth was plugged, it couldnt even raise a voice. They seemed to have sensed their awakening, the door silently opened. Are you awake, littledy? Three men she didnt know entered the room. They were all half-demons. They all had water and food in their hands. Fina didnt remember their faces at all. They walked to her, squatted down, and brought water to her mouth. Sorry about this. We just had no other choice. If you dont make a scene, we wont hurt you. Please just behave. Dont worry. Once everything is settled well let you go back. As they spoke, she was fed bread and rice porridge. Feeling dissatisfied with the situation, Fina had a rare angry expression. Mister, why did you do this? Untie me. I cant do that. At least until Maria cooperates with us. Mom? Yeah. Unless we have her healing magic, Yuna my daughter will Its not just his daughter. Even my mom is in danger. Fina looked puzzled, seeing their bitter expressions. For a little girl like her, this was the first time she saw adults make such painful expressions. Mister, are you suffering? I can make medicine, you know? No, Im not the one suffering, its my daughter. And we need a special medicine or else she wontst long. We were provided Kufars medicine until now but No, I guess this isnt something to tell a child. I might be able to help you, so can you tell me the details? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The men exchanged looks, seeing Finas conduct that didnt fit her age. After wavering about what to do, they decided to step out. Sorry, we dont know how much we can tell you. Please give us some time. They stood up and left the room without waiting for her answer. That made her displeased. I wish they would let me drink some more water at least. Bread, porridge, and water were left near her, but she was tied up. She couldnt possibly eat in that state. The men sat in a circle in a decayed hut outside the vige. This hut had no tasteful things such as a table or chairs. What do you think about that little girls words? Even if shes Lyell and Marias daughter, I dont think she could make medicine that could cure Yunas incurable disease. But still, what if Troy, my mother is also suffering from the same illness. If there was a small hope, he wanted to cling to it. One of the men implied that unspoken. With half-demons like us, neither Yuna nor my mother would get proper treatment. I dont know about Kufars medicine, but maybe there was a chance. Each of the men had someone dear suffering from a peculiar illness. The daughter of the man called Troy, Yuna. Mother of the man called Jones, Veronica. And the third man, Zells lover, Ticia. They were the sick people. In reality, their illness was something Kufar invented, but they had no way of knowing it. And the medicine was also Kufars making. In other words, he was performing a part in his own y. They had no inkling of that and cooperated with Kufar to heal their loved ones. Then Kufar disappeared after he headed to Berith. As a result, they were abandoned along with their sick people. The organization made up of half-demons was already on the brink of copse, and these people hadnt been caught by Elliot for the sole reason that they hadnt taken an active part in the events due to being burdened with sick people. Still, shes Marias child. She could have medical knowledge. Dont be absurd. Shes still three years old, you know? I know that, but we have no other path. Since we cooperated with Kufar, weve gotten even shadier when half-demons are barely given healing as is. But if we didnt, Ticia would have died. Yeah, youre right (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Since they were half-demons, their half-demon daughter, mother, and lover were also scorned, and they couldnt get proper treatment. The one who extended a helping hand (or so they believed) to them at that moment was Kufar, who was no longer around. Having lost the one they depended on, they plotted to kidnap Fina in a desperate attempt. They believed that Maria, who was called a Saint, could save their precious people. Naturally, they didnt think she would cooperate with them who helped Kufar. Thus, with no other way left for them, they didnt know what to do, and ultimately ended up resorting to violence. Chapter 564 In the end, the man told everything to Fina. They exined that all of them had someone precious that was ill, that they couldnt receive treatment because they were half-demons, and that they ultimately threw themselves into Kufars radical organization. For that reason, they couldnt get Marias cooperation, but they also exined that they were in a situation where they couldnt even ask for her help. From Marias standpoint, it would be difficult to help them who were part of the radical movement. Even she had to consider her position. And her position wasnt something superficial, either. But Fina was indignant about her mothers standpoint. How cruel of mom to not help people in need! Well, from the Saints standpoint, people like us cant be helped. Thats why we decided to take you hostage to get her to heal them. We know this is reckless. In the worst case No, well definitely be killed by Lyell, huh. No helping it. My mothers life is more important. Seeing that the three were resolved to throw their lives away, Fina made her decision. That she would help them, regardless of her parents circumstances. Okay. I will cooperate! Huh? I mean, no matter how you cooperate, youngdy First, this ce is no good. Such an obviously erected hut will be found easily. I-Is that so? Wait, thats not it! The white goddess said,if you want to hide a tree, hide it in the forest. The three werepletely overpowered by Fina who talked with spirit while bound. Also, she said when hunting in the mountains, after you let the siege pass, if you return back to the mountain you wont be found. Being taken aback, the men united her as told. They also untied the Carbuncle as well. Once it was freed, the Carbuncle leaped away from them and took a threatening stance. Kabby, no. We should help these misters! Squeeeee! Its fine! At this rate, they would be too pitiful! Squee It shook its head as if asking if it was really okay, but Fina decisively ignored it. By the way, mister, where are we? In a hunting hut outside the vige. Its probably used for butchering a game. Youre right, we have to move elsewhere or wed be found instantly. Can we go back inside? Yeah, we found a ce in the fence that has been repaired. But the repairs were quite crude so we could get in from there. Then, lets return there for the time being. And, umm, we have a storage room, so we can hide there! A storage room? Indeed, if the kidnappers hid in the storage room of the very house of the hostage, even Lyell wouldnt realize it. But that would be far too crude. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Wait, I can use earth magic a bit. If I tear the floor there and make a hidden room underneath, we might actually not get found. Hidden room? Can you make it so easily? If I just use the Tunnel spell, it wouldnt be that hard. Troy, what about you? Lyells mansion has water supply equipment. Theres a drainage channel there so we can just connect the basement to it. There might be some problems with this n but hiding in the enemys footsteps sounds fun. If thats decided, lets move. The men had almost no luggage, so they took their one bag and stood up. Fina also had no luggage. Troy casually lifted her up. Kya?! We wouldnt make it in time if we walk at your pace. Okay, thanks. Fina seemed unstable and wrapped her hands around his neck. That gesture made the man remember her ill daughter and he stopped for a moment. Troy,e. R-Right. Sorry. He shook his head to rid himself of that delusion and left the hut. They put a hood on Fina so she wouldnt stand out, and the four and one animal once again returned to the vige. Not much time had passed, so the sun had only just started going down. If they moved to avoid public gazes that would just make them stand out even more, so they were walking quite daringly through the vige. This foolhardiness of theirs was an extraordinary skill in a way. Moreover, there was a fair now, so it wasnt a rare sight to see a man holding a child. They boldly made their way to the thickets in the back of Lyells mansion, and surveyed the area. Since there was a fair, most adult vigers were already gone there, so there was almost no one in the mansions vicinity. Once they confirmed that, they crossed the thickets and entered the backyard. Come. The storage room is there. Okay. Keep quiet, okay? Tina is still here. Tina? Big sis Cortina. The Six Hero?! Troy skillfully screamed with a lowered voice, so it wasnt heard inside the mansion. The three were getting cold feet since they were turning a Six Hero on them, but thinking about it, they had already turned Lyell and Maria against them the moment they kidnapped Fina. They realized that they had nothing to lose and became more defiant again. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) The earlier scream didnt seem to have raised any suspicions, so the three headed to the storage room after Fina. Lyell was teaching swordsmanship to the vige children, so the storage room was quite big. Inside were a lot of fake swords made from the Keratos whiskers, and it was quite untidy. Even if they ripped one floorboard here and made a basement there, it didnt look like it would get found right away. Okay, it shouldnt get found if we dig a hole in this corner. Zell, who imed he could use earth magic, found a suitable spot, and Jones ripped the tile off as asked. The mansion had seen many years since it was built so the floorboards were quite damaged already. Thanks to that, he managed to tear it off without raising much noise. Well then Zell, the rest is on you. Sure, leave it to me. Zell answered and started chanting in whispers. He invoked the spell without problems and created a pit one meter wide and five meters deep. Isnt this a bit too narrow? It wont be like this. Ill go down and expand the space below. He said that and jumped down. Then Jones moved the luggage a little to make it harder to see the hole from the entrance. Troy, move that clothing box. Once weve hidden, well use this to cover the entrance. Okay, got it. Ill help too! Squee! Having reached the point of no return, the desperate Carbuncle used spells and helped them move the heavy clothing box. Meanwhile, Zell had expanded the underground to ten square meters, creating quite a splendid basement. Troy will be in charge of this pit. Zell will get us water with magic. We dont have mattresses? We dont n to stay that long. We have sleeping bags, so make do with those. Yaay. Fina raised her hands in happiness, finding this situation fun as if she was on a camping trip. Seeing her who was cooperating with them in her own kidnapping, the man exchanged looks of exasperation. Chapter 565 During the evening of that day, a letter arrived at Lyells mansion. Sensing the delivery persons presence, Maria went to ept the letter, but color drained from her face as she read it. She rushed inside the mansion and barged in where Lyell was. Dear, its terrible! Fina has! Huh? What about Fina? Lyell turned towards Maria, surprised at her expression. He had his trusty Holy Sword in hand and was in the middle of maintaining it. Lyells surprise was quite natural. It was extremely rare for Maria, who always had a smile on her face, to change so much. Moreover, Fina always had the Carbuncle with her and it was thoroughly making sure that she was safe. The Carbuncle wasnt such a strong monster, but it could freely use various spells so it was far more dependable than an average Adventurer. He never considered that something would happen to Fina since the Carbuncle was protecting it. It says It says Fina was kidnapped! Maria held out the letter while screaming those words. Hearing her yell Cortina came into the living room too. And hearing her words, she became petrified. W-What?! Is that true? I dont know. But she still hasnt returned. Lets first confirm where she is though if she really has been kidnapped, we cant really find her so easily. Searching for her if shes nowhere to be found would take a lot of time. Then Ill call Maxwell. If he uses Search, he should find her whereabouts right away. With Maxwells searching spell, he could find her whereabouts if he designated her socks or clothes as the searching target. Unless they were using an anti-detection spell, it shouldve allowed them to find her. The letter is telling me to head to Kolbo vige. Where is that? I think it was about three days distance southwest from here. Its close to Raums border. Why there of all ces? Do they want me to do something there? I dont know. But Right, Gadius is in Stor and its closer to that ce. Lets ask him for help too. R-Right. Nicoles also there too. Oh, I have to contact Ashe too! Why are you getting the Pope? I mean, she baptized Fina. She should help with this much They were Six Heroes when they acted like it. They utilized their excelling abilities to take action and contacted coborators in every ce. As a result, they reached from Pope Ashe to even King Elliot of the United Alliance, growing the scale of the situation even more. Gadius got called by the Guild, and when he saw the report, he rushed out, losing his usualposure. Dwarves werent very nimble due to their build, but he had enough experience to make up for that. He moved his legs most optimally and centered his body weight efficiently to elerate himself even further. He maintained his pace with his practically bottomless stamina, and he returned to his inn, Greatshields Protection. ReiNicole, is Nicole around?! Bweh! Cough, cough?! Yeah, Nicole just got surprised by the yell and choked on her food over here. Looking to the corner of the cafeteria, Nicole was choking violently, the fruit juice having gone down her trachea. Finia was diligently tending to her from the side. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The one who reported the state carefreely was Michelle, who was together with the two as always. Even a dwarf like him could see that the three had grown into charmingdies, but he had no presence of mind to care about that now. You knew teleportation magic right? Were returning to the pioneer vige! Huh? Whats with Fina was No, its bad to say that here. Hearing that much, Nicole realized that something must have happened to Fina. She stopped eating and stood up, gazing sharply at Gadius. The fruit juice was all over her cor so she didnt look exactly good. Got it, lets go. Are you ready, Gadius? I can move as long as I have my shield with me. The northern vige was Nicoles home. She barely needed to take anything with her. Her trusty gauntlets had a transfer spell cast on them so they could be recalled any time and didnt need to be brought along either. Okay. Come, Gadius. They moved to a private room for discussion where Nicole got the particrs from Gadius. I see then it would be better to have searching skills, right? In that case, Ill go as Reid this time. Can you tell them thatNicolewent ahead to Kolbo? Sure, but what about yourrades? I would love to have Michelle with me, but too many people would be a problem. Me, you, and one more person would be best Ideally, Finia, who knows my situation. You could only take two people along, huh. No helping it then. Given the situation, well have Cloud and Michelle stand-by here. Letting too many people know could provoke the criminal too. But seeing Reid and Finia together, they could suspect something. But fortunately,Reidshows up from time to time there, so Ill just pretend I was simply dropping by. What should I do? You and Finia shouldhmm, spend about an hour outside the vige ande after that. Ille and get you if an emergency arises. They believe I transform with the Polymorph spell, so it wouldnt be weird that I can use the lower-level teleportation spell too. I see. I feel frustrated to waste an hour, but I suppose it would be safer that way. In a case of kidnapping, if you tried to force your way with many people it could provoke the culprit and endanger Finas life. It had to be dealt with quietly and promptly. For that, Reids power would be necessary. Finias versatility was also desirable to have. Call Finia for me. Ill prepare for the teleportation in the meantime. Got it. Ill be right back. Saying that, Gadius rushed out of the room. Chapter 566 A ce in the Forest Kingdoms capital, Raum. There, in Maxwells mansion, a messenger arrived from the Guild. But the moment he stepped in, a appeared from below and hung him upside down. Wahhhhh?! Who is being so noisy out there? Maxwell looked out as he heard the scream. His fiancee Letina and guard Mateus were also behind him. I-I have an urgent message from the Guild! Please put me down! Oh, it seems I have forgotten to disable one trap. There have been many fishy fellows aroundtely you see. I can understand that, but this is my work so Maxwell was currently engaged to Letina who had be a duke. Due to that, his influence had grown rapidly and coupled with Letinas poprity among the masses, his influence was already so high even the royalty couldnt ignore it. At the same time, the enemies have also grown in number. Thus, Maxwell had strengthened the defenses around his mansion even further, however as he received guests during the day most of them were disabled. He had forgotten to disable one of those traps, and this was the result. Maxwell epted the sealed letter the messenger presented from the and checked it on the spot. The messenger was pleading with his eyes to be put down, but Maxwell wasnt paying attention. Until he confirmed the contents of the letter, he couldnt judge whether he really was a messenger. Hmmhm? HUH?! How terrible! Mateus, Letina! We are going to the northern vige! N-Northern vige? That is Nicoles hometown if I remember correctly. Right now? Its already afternoon. Isnt it a bit toote to drop by there? Fina seemed to have been kidnapped by someone. There is not a moment to waste! Fina You mean Nicoles sister? Letina had once helped make a celebration gift for Finas birth. She had also seen her a few times, so being the only child, she saw her as her own sister. Didnt that littledy have the Carbuncle with her as a guard? And she was kidnapped despite that. You should be able to realize how dangerous the situation is. Seeing Maxwells seriousness, the two realized the gravity of the situation. They had never seen the nonchnt Maxwell look this tense. Thus, they decided to give their all. Understood. We need people, right? We have no time so calling my mansions private army would be impossible, but I can at least take some guards along. I will call them right away, so give me a moment. Ill bring Argus and Bauman along too. They should be at the guard post at this time, right? Thank you. We cannot make this too major, but we may need personnel. Please do. The two rushed out after hearing his words. Mateus probably nned to escort Letina to her mansion as her guard and then drop by the guard post on his way back. Seeing the two off, Maxwell headed to the backyard to form a magic circle for teleporting arge number of people. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Your Highness, there is an urgent report. Ever since Elliot married his former guard Prisci Ran, tea parties continued being held day after day. Most of them were intended to restore or strengthen the rtions with great nobles of the kingdom, so he couldnt exactly enjoy them. One such tense tea party had ended now and he was enjoying the early afternoon with his wife, but suddenly, he heard the voice of a messenger from outside his room. What happened at a time like this? I shall report. It is an urgent message from Lord Lyell. Given the gravity of the situation, I would like to convey it directly Elliot and Prisci exchanged gazes at the messengers strange behavior. Prisci was formerly a guard, so she understood that some situations demanded urgency. Alright. Enter and report it directly. Given the king was newly wed, the messenger hesitated and talked from beyond the door. But continuing so would leak the contents to people around. Elliot understood his point, so he allowed him to enter the room. Yes, MLord! The one who entered was Priscis father, Count Ran. Lord Lyell contacted us earlier, conveying that his daughter, Lady Fina had been kidnapped by someone. What?! Lord Lyell has not asked for cooperation however as he has many enemies, it would seem that he is unable to narrow it down. I see, he was being considerate to us, huh? Still, if Nicoles younger sister is concerned, we cant ignore this. Elliot was aware that he had caused quite the trouble when he barged on young Nicole before. But that event had led to him getting kidnapped, saved by Reid, and then improving his rtionship with Prisci, so he felt obliged to Nicole who was the trigger for it. However, if a kingdom moved for one girls kidnapping, it would affect its reputation. This would affect our reputation however its also a good opportunity to gain favor from sir Lyell. Indeed. We cannot move arge army, however, my private army could be moved. That would be helpful. But who would lead it? I would be unable to do so. That goes for you too, Your Highness. Then I will go, Your Highness. Prisci? Prisci suddenly spoke up, getting a conflicted reaction from Elliot. Though the tea party of that day ended, more were nned from tomorrow onward. Prisci was supposed to attend them too. However, if she abandoned those parties to takemand of Finas rescue, it would put Elliot in a pinch too. She could of course move freely. However, if it came at the cost of neglecting the tea parties, it could lead to bad impressions. Then, shall we say that Prisci has fallen sick for the next few days? Ran, thats Ran gave a deep bow as Elliot revealed a sly grin. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) He then waved his hand to dismiss him, as if telling him there was no need for more talk. If Prisci was going to leave this pce for some time, they had to do what they could while they could. This too was an important duty of the royalty. Once Ashe finished her evening duties, she went to have a bath to wash off her sweat. But then, one of the cardinals came rushing with a pale expression. Cardinal Bowen, please stop! Lady Ashe is currently bathing! I know that! But this matter is of utmost urgency! I shall convey it, so please wait here! This is not something I can tell to a simple servant! Naturally, the cardinal couldnt enter the bathhouse, being stopped by Ashes female servant. But he was clearly behaving differently than usual, seeing that he wasnt backing down. Pa, I dont mind. Let him in. But Lady Ashe! I dont mind. Little Bowen is someone I have known long enough that I have changed diapers for him. Being seen naked by him is a trivial thing. Lady Ashe Please show some prudence. I dont think he will get aroused by an auntie like me, though? The fact that she wasnt calling herself granny was probably her own pride speaking. Please look at the mirror. You look like a little girl of marriageable age no matter how you put it. Y-You really said it huh She slumped her shoulders at the servants bitter words, but then cardinal Bowen walked in, not minding any of that. She had been changing his diapers over fifty years ago, but now he had grown into a near-elderly man. Ashe continued bathing without minding it in the least. Lady Ashe, we were contacted earlier by the Guild saying Lady Fina has been kidnapped and What did you say?! Ashe stood to her feet without even waiting for him to finish his words. She stood naked in a daunting pose. That made even cardinal Bowens gaze go down. But Ashe couldnt care less about that, and jumped out of the bath without dressing up. What kind of fool dared toy their hands on the girl I baptized! Hey you, form an elite unit with the temple knights. Do it in thirty minutes! Wh-, your eminence! Thirty minutes is toowait, why are you naked?! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) A passerby priest that was hit with her unreasonable demand still faithfully followed hermand and gathered the temple knights that were not busy, quickly forming the Fina rescue squad. At the same time, troops from the Forest Kingdom of Raum, the United Three Alliance, and the Tree Kingdom of Forneus, dispatched their troops to the remote vige, temporarily throwing it into total chaos. Chapter 567 Holy crap! The situation outside is turning into something crazy!! Jones, who mailed the letter, went to procure food and then headed back to the mansions storage room. But by the time he came back, soldiers were rushing into Lyells residence en masse, quickly forming an army of a hundred strong. Jones sneaked around and somehow made it back, but given the situation outside that would soon be impossible to repeat. And during the passing, he saw Maxwell, Gadius, and even a young man dressed in an assassin getup. Needless to say, it was Reid. All the Six Heroes were present. Huh, assassin? Big bro Reid came? I have to say hello! Fina had met Reid several times, so when she heard that he hade, she couldnt help but jump to her feet. Forgetting her objective at hand so easily showed that she was still a child. But if she rushed out like that, not only would their hiding ce be discovered, but even this situation would get easily resolved. And that would be a matter of life and death for the kidnappers. Since all Six Heroes were present, getting discovered could easily mean instant death for them. Hold it hold it! Were hiding now, remember?! Dont go meet people who came to look for us! Oh, right. Fina answered while sticking out her tongue, while the Carbuncle shook its head at her actions. It was hard to say who she took after, but she was brimming with energy, so the carbuncle always ended up being dragged around. But since people gathered, it means the letter properly reached them, right? Yeah. But whod have thought all Six Heroes wouldve gathered and so fast. And look at the number of the troops. Not only are they from the north, I even saw people wearing crests of Raum and the World Tree Religion. Maxwell probably gathered them up with teleportation magic. Come on now. Even Maxwell couldnt gather so many people so soon, right? Which would mean, they gathered up naturally, huh? Arriving at that realization, the three looked toward Fina. She was ying around with the Carbuncle, but seeing how the soldiers gathered up for her, her charisma perhaps rivaled the Six Heroes. Troy and the two had still been working with Kufar, even if they were merely members of his organization. Jones even saw the World Tree Religions crest among the troops. They clearly remembered that Kufar had attempted assassinating the Pope. From their perspective, the three were practically their archnemesis. In other words, at present, they were pursued by the United Three Alliance, the Forest Kingdom of Raum, and the Holy Tree Kingdom of Forneus. There was even some child dressed in gaudy clothes. Whats up with that? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Zell collected the information and started pondering while holding his chin. At the very least, this is a serious situation for Maria. And then that young girl shows up who seems to be a high-ranking priest. I cant imagine her being someone ordinary. True. We should consider her to hold enough power to be worthy of Maria asking for her help. In that case, were pretty much checkmated here, arent we? Above them was stationed a hundred-strong army, on top of Six Heroes and an unidentified priest (who was naturally Pope Ashe). They were thinking that as long as they got Maria to Kolbo vige, they would be able to get her to treat their important people one way or another, but even that was hardly feasible now. In the first ce, it was hard to even get out of here in this situation. Maybe it was a mistake to hole up here The three were convinced by her exnation. Seeing that, Finas expression turned even prouder. Eheh. The white goddess said if you do something you have to do it thoroughly. Whos that goddess Err, her name is God of Destruction Yuuri. Isnt that an evil god! Shes not! She said shes simr but different! Fina got angry that the God of Destruction who was her teacher was called an evil god. She waved her arms around in protest, but the trio had more severe problems to worry about. There were around a hundred soldiers above them who were looking for them right now. It would be a herculean task to escape with as many soldiers as the vigers, on top of Six Heroes with their opponents. Well, its as this littledy says. If we took her and fled the vige, Maxwell would instantly find us. Having that said, we cant exactly sit and hide here forever. We have people waiting for us in Kolbo. I know that, but They were in aplete checkmate. At this point, it was a test of patience between giving up and surrendering, or waiting for Maria to grow impatient and head to Kolbo. The problem was that the longer they held Fina confined here, the higher the chances of them dying grew. Even if they didnt harm her, if Lyells umted stress turned into bloodlust, they wouldnt survive wherever they ran in this world. Thats how many connections he had with influential people. Having lost their leader Kufar, these three had no way of oveing his power. Theres no other way. If were going to surrender, its better to do it sooner thanter. But then, my mother will My daughters life is on the line here! Calm down, all of us have important people on the line. Thats why we resorted to something this reckless anyway. R-Right sorry about that. Its fine. We all feel the same. The three hung their heads in dejection. Fina sensed their gloomy mood and started fidgeting around, unable to say anything. Chapter 568 Presently, in Lyells mansion, troops dispatched by the highest or near-highest leaders of three different kingdoms were gathered up. Normally, the three may have been antagonistic and kept each other in check, but this time they had banded together in order to save Fina. In a way, Finia who made the three kingdoms join up had managed to bring about the unity that could rival the time during the Evil Dragons Colchis attack. Maria, I heard about it. I cant believe it! Ashe, you came. Maria weed Ashe, her eyes, being red already, having grown even redder due to congestion from crying. The troops were camping around the mansion, for the time being, so only Ashe entered inside. Inside the house, there were already Cortina, Maxwell, Gadius, Letina, Reid, and even Finia present. With this list, any normal person would easily get overshadowed. Prisci, who was supposed to be a queen of the United Alliance, was in fact curling up in the corner of the room. Mateus was scared of Lyell so he fled out with the excuse of leading the troops. No way, this is impossible. How could I possibly talk with this lineup as if Im an equal. What are you saying? If you go there, even I am but a little girl. Lady Letina, you are a daughter of the Marquis of Raum, not to mention a future Duke, and Lord Maxwells fiancee on top! Oh, now that you pointed it out, I do seem to be quite important, huh? Isnt it fine? I mean Im someone whos already dead. Im definitely the most normal person here. No, that would be me, La I mean, Lord Reid. Reid casually called out to Prisci to calm her down, seeing her curled up like a borrowed cat in the corner. The dark blue coat he was d in was clearly giving off an aura that overwhelmed people. No matter how you looked, he couldnt im to be a normal person, Prisci thought in doubt. And Finia, who could rebuke his words like nothing, had umonly big guts. Umm, this is a bitte to ask but you are Lord Reid, yes? Yeah. Didnt we meet before? Letina joined hands and asked him. He had previously met her while disguised as Haumea. Im using my old appearance this time, though. My real appearance is a secret. Speaking of which, you were in female form thest time. It looked quite lovely too. W-Well, that was based on Maria As Letina kept asking questions with sparkling eyes, Reid felt a bit cornered. He was Nicole on the inside, so Letinas attitude toward him felt strange, and he was barely holding back from bursting intoughter. This time, since it was his hometown, Reid didnte with Nicole or Haumeas appearance, but Reids instead. Due to his consideration that if he loitered around with Marias appearance it could confuse people around, he decided to choose Reids form which didnt resemble anyone. But due to that, Letina, being an unexpected participant, ended up persistently approaching him. Reid I shall not allow any affairs. Old man Tell that to your fiancee. How could I possibly scold Letina! You got your priorities backward there! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Strangely enough, among the male members of the Six Heroes, Reid was closest with Maxwell. This was due to the synergy between Maxwells highmunicational skills and Reids honest personality, though he seemed inapproachable at a nce. Reid was unconsciously releasing an oppressive aura, which kept people around away. But Maxwell didnt pay it any mind, so he ultimately ended up being the one he talked with the most. Even now, the two joked around in the corner of the room, but Cortina went and smacked them on the head. Stop your foolish talk and get to searching already. Ashe, sorry but can you ask the troops to hold the position around the vige? No one must leave. Gotcha! This is so the culprits dont escape, right? Naturally. Maxwell, use the Search spell. Pinpoint the location. Reid, youre in charge of rushing there afterward. Your highest priority is to secure Fina. As for Lyell and Maria dont run wild, okay? R-Right. If they were left alone, Lyell could rush into their hideout with his Holy Sword. Maria could also use various spells and only god knows what with her current mental state. Realizing that, Cortina warned them in advance. In this situation, Maxwell, who could use more spells than Maria, and Reid, who could infiltrate their base without getting spotted were the ideal people for the job. Reids face was a bit flushed seeing his lover for the first time in a while, but he also felt a sense of dependability from her in cases like this. Hmm? The only response I can pick up is in this mansion. Huh, no way?! Did they already escape from the vige? That is quite possible. They should be waiting in Kolbo vige, right? Still, my search radius is over ten kilometers in every direction. It has not even been three hours since you received the letter, has it? I cannot imagine them reaching beyond that while carrying a child. Maybe they had horses or something prepared outside the vige. Cortina once again considered the possibility of their escape. Reid had nothing to do in the meantime. Oh well. If you find out about their hideout let me know. I have no ns to let people whoid hands on her escape safely. Im counting on you. Reid spoke indifferently and left the room. In reality, he was escaping from Letinas investigation. He was naturally worried about Fina, but he could listen to the conversation inside using his threads. Hence he prioritized his own safety. Letina also sensed the situation and listened to Cortinas instructions with a tense expression. Dont worry, Maria. Ill definitely find Fina. And the criminals will definitely pay for it. Yes, I dont know what I will do to them if I see them. Same. First Ill break the fingers they touched Fina with and lop off their arms. Calm down, Lyell. Leave some for me too. More importantly, Gadius. What about Kolbo? Nicoles group headed there. They stand out a bit, but as expected of Marias daughter, she is skilled. Nicole in reality didnt head there. And even if she did, her group made out of beauties wasnt suited for investigations. They would just get entangled with guys and cause needless trouble. Thus, Gadius instead sent Mark, John and Tony who were of the same generation as Nicoles group to Kolbo. Stor and Kolbo were close on two sides of the border, so it would only take one day to reach it. Our people are already ready to intercept them in Kolbo. They have no means of escape. Gadius said with a ferocious smile. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) He was normally a gentle man, so it was extremely rare for him to make such an aggressive expression. Chapter 569 Reid left the living room to escape the gathering, and moved to the rooftop. He had returned to his home so he wanted to rx in his room, but Finas situation left him in no state to rx. That said, staying in the room would only lead to more pestering from Letina and he could end up revealing something. Thus, he decided to sunbathe on the rooftop to calm down. It was definitely not because he couldnt follow the difficult conversation there, he thought to convince himself. Of course, he had a thread connected to the living room and used a cup as a megaphone so he could ry his voice at any time. Every one of the Six Heroes was fully aware that he wasnt being apathetic about this situation. But the others in other words, the soldiers dispatched here, werent the same. Whats with that guy? Its him, Reid of the Six Heroes. I heard he got revived with the reincarnation spell. Really?! But still, his friends daughter is in this situation and hes Sleeping on the rooftop. Maybe he takes life lightly being an assassin. In the end, half-demons really cant be trusted, huh? Shhh, youll get demoted if Lady Ashe hears you. Ashe was in opposition to the half-demon discrimination. However, the temple knights that she brought along didnt fully share her ideology. Particrly this improvised squad that was gathered on the spot had quite a few people who had different opinions on the matter. Reid could of course hear their conversations. They sure are saying whatever they want. But that much is still a trivial thing. Having been discriminated against since he was a child, this kind of attitude from well-bred temple knights felt nothing more than backbiting from the masses. And he wanted to keep the fact that he was eavesdropping a secret. Because he held these abilities, he was often a target of distrust. In the first ce, he was using it unintentionally, but that showed the level of his spy abilities. It wasnt hard to imagine how tremendous his Thread Maniption skill was which allowed him to sense the faint oscitions of voices in the air and deliver it to his ears. Such minute and urate Thread Maniption techniques were beyond even Marquis Yowis spy, Sullivan. But for Reid, it was something that he could use as a light trick. This was due to his experiences, like when he failed the knight entrance exam, and then met transcendence like AsteWind God Hastur and Lyell. After getting involved with people that went beyondmon sense, he ended up developing the habit of evaluating himself unfairly. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Still, never thought they would outwit Cortina and Maxwell. As hey on the moderately warm rooftop, its warmth spread to him, calming down his frayed emotions a little. In the living room, Cortina and Maxwell were still debating over things, but Reid decided to try thinking about Finas whereabouts on his own too. Maxwells Search spell could detect things within a ten kilometers radius. Around three hours had spread from the time they received the threatening letter until Maxwell cast the spell. You would need to get quite reckless to manage to escape that radius while taking a child and a Carbuncle along. I guess it could be possible with just adults alone but The Search spell could also detect clothes and essories that a person wore. In order to escape from this spell, you had to get rid of the persons belongings. So sometimes, people were kidnapped while stark-naked. Did the kidnappers take Fina naked as well? But they would need to take care of the clothes like that. Did they use horses, after all? But even with that, Reid was still not fully convinced. The kidnappers most likely infiltrated the vige through the caravan that opened the fair here. As long as the merchants werent coborating with them, it wouldve been extremely suspicious for them to hide the horses nearby the vige. As for other possibilities Maybe they had a way to deal with the Search spell Maybe they can use the teleportation spell like me? He voiced it anyway, but it was realistically very dubious. Anti-search magic items were very pricey, so if they had money to buy it they wouldnt need to resort to ransom, to begin with. Teleportation magic was the same. If they could use this spell, there would be enough work for them to never worry about money. Even if they couldnt carry anything heavy with them, even taking just a single letter would already give them a lot of utility value. The keyword here is that they asked Maria to go to Kolbo vige. I suppose its highly possible that they are not in for mary gain. He was even doubting whether they really escaped the detection radius. The Carbuncle was by no means a weak monster. Kidnapping Fina, while she was protected by it and hiding, without any witnesses on top, was something even Lyell would have trouble aplishing. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Well, I guess I could do it. Shit, if I knew this would happen I wouldve trained Kabby some more! The Carbuncle apanied Nicole during her early days, so it had grown stronger than an average Carbuncle. However, most of their adventures urred in the forest. In other words, in the wild. Dealing with people aiming at them from the crowd waspletely out of its expertise. Naturally, this was just Reid venting his anger, but there was no one there to correct him. Remember this. When youre back Ill put you under a hellish train- Huh? Suddenly, Reid detected a strange silhouette. It was a man moving near the backyard while avoiding the soldiers eyes. He was holding a lot of luggage so he mightve looked like a servant, but Reid who had spent a lot of time in this mansion since the young days couldnt possibly mistake him. He had his hat pulled over his eyes so he couldnt see his hair or facial features, but among the servants that had been hired so far, there were no men at least. Did Lyell hire one I dont think thats the case. Maria generally went to buy the ingredients for their mansion herself. Going on shopping with Nicole and Fina was a precious time to soothe herself. It continued to be the case even after Fina was born. Well, thats a suspicious guy if Ive seen one. Reid judged that the clue hade on its own, and contacted Cortina. Tina, theres a suspicious guy near the mansion. Ill tail him for a bit. Okay, will you be fine on your own? Naturally. Who do you think I am? An ipetent assassin who fails during critical moments. You little! Ill show you when Im back! He shouted back and jumped down the rooftop. And by the time hended, he activated his Stealth Gift and erased his presence. The soldiers observing him from the alley lost sight of him in an instant, and then returned back to their posts as if they lost interest in him. Chapter 570 Jones, who returned to the basement, handed the purchased goods over to Troy. Since the situation was in a deadlock, they decided to stock up on essentials while they could. They procured an illuminationntern and their share of sleeping bags as necessary items. And food, drinking water, and also a change of clothes. Washing their clothes wasnt feasible so this was very important. Jones, whats going on outside? Even getting here was hard already. The soldiers went to iste the vige from the outside, but some still remained behind. So they increased the vignce even further huh? But it doesnt seem like this ce has been found. Looks like the littledy was right with her assumption. Fina, who had been meeting with Maxwell since she was born, had ounted for him using the Search spell. So she decided to hide near the mansion, following the if you want to hide a tree, hide it in the forest saying. At that stage, her decision could be called correct. The fact that she could make that judgment showed that she was no ordinary three-year-old. What if we had left the vige in a hurry instead? We probably wouldnt have made it. Lyell and Maria aside, Maxwell showing up was unexpected. Thinking about it, it was only natural. Why didnt we realize something so simple? I suppose thats how it goes when youmit a crime. Youre so pressed that you cant see any other option. Jones grumbled while pulling out thentern from his luggage. He passed it to Zell and shrugged. Here, with this, we dont need the Light spell. Since theyd been hiding underground, Zell was in charge of illuminating the room with his magic. But that also meant he was constantly exhausting his magic power. They also sold pebbles with Light spells cast on them, but they were a bit pricey, so in this situation where anything could happen, buying them was hard to justify. They would need money when escaping, after all. What about the youngdy? Shes sleeping now. Its natural of a child her age. Troy answered Jones question. He had a daughter of simr age, so he seemed quite emotionally attached already. He was watching Fina, who had crawled under the sheets with the Carbuncle, with a gentle expression unlike that of a kidnapper. Zell lit up thentern while looking at Troy. But as he was about to hang it on the wall, it suddenly ruptured and the Light spell he was using got canceled along with it. It seemed that a pebble flew in from somewhere and broke thentern. W-Whats going on?! I dont know! My spell also Zell tried to recast the spell in a hurry, but a thin thread twined around his throat. It was the Erase spell. From the Interference system. W-Who are-gahhh!! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Zell heard someones voice in the darkness and tried to ask who it was, but failed to. The thread around his neck suddenly tightened, and at the same time, he was pulled behind. And then, his back was met with someone elses. It was as if they were carrying him on their back by pulling on the thread around his neck. Agh-gah! Zell, where are you?! Agh! Gegh, kagh! As if reacting to Troys voice, Zells throat was released and at the same time Troy started screaming. Zell was released but he couldnt do anything and fell to the ground, and as he gasped for air, a hand chop was delivered to the base of his neck, fainting him. Troy also took a kick to the stomach and fainted in agony. It seemed that the moment the intruder released Zell, he delivered a kick to Troy and then hand-chopped Zell to make him faint. Zell, Troy! What happened?! A scream suddenly reverberated in the darkness. The only remaining Jones called for hisrades as if seeking hope. Without knowing that that action allowed the intruderReid, to know his whereabouts. He approached Jones who continued shouting and delivered a roundhouse kick to the base of his neck, making him faint too. And then, once it had grown silent, Reid spoke. Kabby, light. Squee! Everything happened fast but this much noise shouldve woken Kabby up. Judging so, Reid called out to it, and as expected it was awake. Fina on the other hand was still asleep. Children were deep sleepers, after all. Once the underground room had grown brighter, there stood Reid and three fallen men. As well as Carbuncle and Fina still under the sheets. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) The fallen men were all out cold, but they were properly breathing, showing that they werent dead. Good, theyre still alive. The way they looked at Fina told me there was more to this thing, so I decided not to kill them but Squeeee! The Carbuncle cried as if saying he overdid it, but Reid thought this much was still merciful enough. If Lyell was the one who hade, they would have been turned into pieces of meat by now. And in Marias case, she wouldve made them suffer tremendous pain with some weird means. Reid sighed, ignoring the Carbuncle, and started to search through the luggage that Jones brought. Oh, there are enough sleeping bags. If I tie them up and stuff them in, I should be able to easily carry them up with Levitate. He immediately used piano wires to tie the three up, then stuffed them inside the sleeping bags with the head first and sealed their mouths. This was so the sight of the three was obstructed and they would feel dread not knowing where they were being carried. And their fear would make it easier to torture themter. Okay, lets go. Come on, you crawl out of there too. Squeeeee! He pulled Fina out of the sleeping bag and held her up with one hand. At the same time, he formed a magic circle with his other hand and made the sleeping bags with the men inside levitate. Then he tied them up with threads and headed for the exit. And thus, the incident that got the three kingdoms involved was easily resolved without the participation of most of the people. Chapter 571 Everyone present was gathered in Lyell mansions dining hall, where Troy and the other two were made to prostrate. This time, the people gathered here were the Six Heroes, Letina, Mateus, Ashe, and Fina, aside from the trio. Carbuncle and Fina, as victims, were also present, adding up to fourteen people and one animal. The dining hall was chosen because it was the most expansive room in the mansion. Now then, I have things to ask you. Lyell stood before the three in a daunting pose and spoke. If they responded badly here, theyd probably be torn to shreds instantly. Even Mateus was shivering from fear on the side. He probably remembered being thrown around like a toy by Lyell. Even when unarmed, Lyell had enough physical strength to turn people into minced meat. Do you prefer dying in suffering or dying in pain? Thats not what you should be asking! Thats right, Dear. It would be a waste to kill them off like that. Lets dissect them while alive. Maria, you be quiet too. I get that youre angry but still. Reid and Cortina retorted to each of them. Their punishment could wait forter. First came finding out why theymitted this, Reid and others thought. First, how did you kidnap Fina even though the Carbuncle was with her? A Carbuncle was by no means a weak monster. This particr Carbuncle had gone through a lot with Nicole, so it was far stronger than an average one. And it protected Fina by personal(?) pride on the line. Even Reid wouldve found it hard to kidnap Fina by slipping through the Carbuncles eyes, not to mention in a public ce like that. Even if it wasnt as experienced in guarding inside the city, the Carbuncle wouldnt have lost in a frontal fight. Well We used a drug that Kufar gave us. Kufar again? Did he n this? No, we did this by our own will! They could have put all the me on Kufar here, but from their perspective, Kufar was someone they were indebted to for saving their loved ones. They hesitated on betraying him and putting all the me on him. They started exining the situation so far and why they kidnapped Fina to Reid. We feel bad for kidnapping the youngdy. But we had no other options left The medicine Kufar gave us is running out already. This medicine is so strong it would knock you out with just a smell. And the illness stops progressing while the patients are in deep sleep from its effect. But this medicine is running out. We had to decide whether to put it to practice before it fully ran out. Like a broken dam, they started making their points known. But Cortina looked down on them as she spoke. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Even so, I dont find it admirable that you got a small child involved. Why didnt you consider asking directly about it? We also know that Kufar was in a hostile rtionship with you people. We have done spying work for him. We didnt think you would hear a request from such people. If you value those people so much, you should have tried even if you had to beg for it. Well, Im of the same opinion But anyway, Maria, what will you do? There were some things in this case that Reid couldnt forgive. However, as a half-demon himself, he could understand their point that they wouldnt be able to get proper treatment. Or it would be better to say he had experienced it. He thought that he mightve resorted to something simr to save someone important if there was no other way. Being a half-demon himself, he was the only one who could understand a half-demons circumstances. Well I certainly cant forgive them for this matter, but patients are a different matter. So you will go and heal them? You want me to do that right, Reid? I-I dont mind either way. Maria was looking at Reid, who was acting cool-headed here, like a troublesome little brother. During their journey to defeat the Evil Dragon, she learned that he was nowhere near as cold-hearted as the world saw him be. I dont want to abandon people in need either, so okay I will heal them. Really?! Zell took out a small bin from his pocket. There was a little liquid inside, about a tenth of the capacity. Be careful. Its also a deadly poison that could rob your consciousness with one whiff. Yuna and others sleep for five days with just one sip. I know. Saying so Maria slightly opened the lid and slowly moved her nose closer so she wouldnt end up inhaling the full brunt of it. But even that seemed to be enough to make her dizzy so she instantly cast detoxification on herself. It seems to have quite a strong anesthetic in it. It is probably not just that. I think it also has something to lower their metabolism during sleep. A young voice suddenly intruded. It was naturally Fina. She had a Gift rted to pharmacy. In a way, she was perhaps the most useful person here. Metabolism? I see, its not making them sleep but rather stopping time for them like sleep. So thats how the illness is being slowed down Wait. I wouldnt put it past Kufar to have caused that illness himself. Speaking of which, he is a specialist in poison and illnesses, huh? Indeed. Its quite possible that he was behind the illness too so he could increase coborators. It was always strange how he managed to gather half-demons so efficiently. Troys group wasnt aware that Kufar was an illness monster called a Disease Slime. If they did, they would have doubted him right away. If thats the case, we would need to detoxify them instead of simply healing. Thats where my power shoulde in handy all the more. Considering the remaining drug, there isnt much time. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) If they shared this bottle, there was just one more dose left. If the patients were in Kolbo, with three days of travel to here in addition to this day, four days had already passed. If they walked to Kolbo they wouldnt make it in time. Would the patients staminast for three days? We let them drink a bigger dosage before we headed here. We have also handed a little over to our families who are taking care of them. We should just barely make it. I see. Then lets head out at once. Maxwell, you should be able to go there instantly, right? I have never been in that vige, so I cannot teleport you. I will have to make do with Flight, but it should be manageable to arrive within today. So you will save them?! Thank you! With this, I have no more regrets The three hugged each other in tears. Seeing that, Lyell and the rest could only shrug without saying anything. Chapter 572 In the end, they decided to head to Kolbo with ten people Six Heroes, Fina, and the three men. Fina was taken along because she was receiving technical education in pharmacy. After receiving God of Destructions knowledge, she was knowledgeable enough to put adults to shame in one aspect. You could see that the education had bore fruit just from the fact that she managed to slip through Maxwells Search spell. Nevertheless, it is exhausting to make ten people fly. Considering how he was actingposed even after casting the Flight spell on everyone, you could see that his magic power was in a different league. Having been outwitted when it came to magic, he probably wanted to clear his name here and was looking motivated. Well, I guess you cant endure showing such a blunder to your fiancee. Leave me be! Do not lump me together with you who makes blunders all year round. Well, I suppose even this old man can fail once in a while. Reid and Gadius were saying such things with smug grins. Gadius, who was only useful in battles, seemed to find the chance to corner Maxwell amusing. Maxwell cast the spell while acting a little dejected due to their talk, meanwhile, Fina was simply enjoying flying. Grandpa Maxwell, so cool! I am flying! Letina was staying behind in the mansion this time. It was problematic even from the guarding standpoint to drag an important person like her around. Ashe and Prisci were also the same in that regard, so since staying together would make it easier for the knights and personal army to protect them, they stayed behind too. Among the ten people flying, Reid was flying as awkwardly as always. However, considering he could crack jokes at Maxwell or answer Marias question, he was stillposed enough. The ones who werent were Lyell and Gadius. F-Fina, dont let go of daddys hand, okay? Daddy, youre upside down! And Im spinning around here! My eyes are going in circles.waahhh! Lyell flew fearfully while clinging to Finas hand, while Gadius was doing a tailspin stunt. Looking at that Fina wasughing loudly. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Cortina and Maria flew surprisingly skillfully, so they showed no signs of nervousness. Reid tried to sneak behind Cortina but got kicked in the face. But their lively flight would end in a little over an hour. The most distinguishable part of the Flight spell was its movement speed. You could ignore the highway and continue straight while also rivaling the speed of a fine horse, and without wearing yourself down. Had Cortina been able to use this spell when Reid fought with the Twin-ded Devil in his past life, perhaps he wouldnt have died. Once they arrived near Kolbo, they headed to a hut outside the vige without entering it. ording to the trio, they werent allowed to live inside the vige due to being half-demons. This is our house. Yuna and others are under the care of my mother here. Troys mother was single handedly looking after Yuna who was like a grandchild to her, as well as Jones mother and Zells lover. However, the three were just sleeping so she didnt need to do much. Mom, its me. I brought Maria. The one who opened the door in all smiles was a woman with streaks of white hair. You could see the exhaustion clearly on her face. Ohh, Lady Maria. Thank you foring! We could only rely on you I understand. Please let me see the patients for now. It seemed that she didnt know the means Troy used to bring her here. Maria realized that and headed to the patients without saying much. The three seem to be afflicted by Kufars poison. For the time being, I will cast Antidote and Purify. Thank you very much! We were unable to consult any doctor No, this poison would have been beyond a normal doctor. Kufar is a poison specialist, after all. Were we really being deceived by that man Yes. Just to add, hes not even human. W-What?! The three were bewildered to hear Kufar was a Disease Slime. And they finally realized that they had been ying in his plot all this time. That bastard Ill never forgive him! Well, hes apparently locked inside the World Tree Labyrinth now. A Mythical-ss monster is keeping watch over him. Really? Does that mean we can be relieved? Not exactly. Kufar isnt the only main culprit. There should be more people involved in his evil deeds. Like you guys. We are really reflecting on that. But we wont be deceived anymore. I can make medicine for that illness, you know? Fina suddenly spoke up. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Among the knowledge she received from the God of Destruction, there was a panacea that could heal poison of this level. But I dont have the ingredients so I cant make it. Huh, if thats all we will go gather them. Reid carefreely answered back without considering it properly. But in fact, Six Heroes were skilled enough to aplish that much. Kufar is gone, but his remnants still linger around. If there are more people being deceived like him, that antidote will be a valuable trump card. Thats true. Fina, can you do it? Leave it to me! She hit her small chest in consent. Lyell watched over his beloved daughter proudly. He couldnt do anything cool until now, so he swore he would show his cool side to his daughter this time for sure. Chapter 573 In the end, Troys group along with their family and lover were told to move to Lyells vige. This was because leaving them at Kolbo left the risk of them being used by Kufars remnants, and also in consideration for them, since it would be hard to go on if something happened again and they werent let inside the vige. It was decided that Troys group would be Lyells subordinates and join the viges vignce corps. Theyd probably receive severe criticism for some time, but they epted that as punishment for their crimes. There was also one more person who had to be punished. Listen, Fina. What you did today was something so serious it could destroy someones life. Im sorry. This isnt something that can be solved with an apology. I have to properly educate you so you dont repeat the same mistake in the future. Uuughhh. Fina sat on her knees before Maria with teary eyes. She knew very well how scary an angry Maria was. And this time, Cortina and Ashe also stood by her side. Taking God of Destructions irresponsible words at face value was a sin that heavy. In the worst case, even her own well-being wouldve been in danger, so even the normally gentle Ashe was quite merciless. pping your butt as punishment is a decided matter, but your education certainly needs to be addressed too. Indeed. That white girl is not a bad person, but she inspired her with a bit too much unrestrained advice. Fina is honest, but that makes it all the easier to influence her, so the teacher is probably at fault too. Well, its the Whitey were talking about here. Reid ended up interjecting without thinking. He was just that connected to her. Seeing Michelles Third Eye would tell you that God of Destructions technical prowess were in a different league. But it was a valid worry that her easily ted nature would influence her badly. Finas current actions were proof of that. But she isnt a mean girl, and her pharmacy knowledge is high, so it wouldnt be right to me just her alone Oh Maria, thats why youre such a good girl. As Maria worried to herself, Ashe stood with puffed cheeks, showing her discontent. It was hard to tell who was older. This atmosphere made Ashe look simr to God of Destruction, which was a mystery. Well, as long as we properly teach Fina what she shouldnt do, there should be no problems. Also, making a child sit for so long is pretty harsh. Reid said so, picked up Fina, and moved her away from the three. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) You really are weak to children. Not really. Yes really. Even back in the orphanage, you took the kids charge attacks head-on and ended up squashed under them. You couldve avoided them if you wanted. I guess that did happen. Well, I just act based on my mood during the asion. He shrugged lightly and tapped on crying Finas back to soothe her. Maria and others saw his actions far too skillful, as if he was used to doing this. You seem strangely skillful at that. Dont tell me you have an illegitimate child or something, do you? The one youve given birth to, in specific. Stop saying scandalous things!! Im from an orphanage so Im used to this stuff. Reid wanted them to leave it at that. In reality, it was because he was seeing Fina all the time, so he got used to it. M-More importantly, what about Lyells side? Wouldnt it cause problems? Well, a bit, I guess? If I start working them hard at first, they should have noints. Theres also the need to train Kabby again. Squee?! The Carbuncle became the topic suddenly and leaped vertically from shock. Fina saw that from Reids arms and startedughing. Hard with Lyells standard, huh they might die. And yeah, I also thought about that. Carbuncle, havent you grown strangely blunt every since you came here? Ever since Oh, I see, you did work under Maxwell, didnt you? So you knew Nicole all along, huh? Well, yeah. I couldnt say it since it was a secret. Anyway, its gotten bby around the stomach too. This is the result after losing weight. It used to be even rounder. Seriously Back then it apanied Nicoles group on adventures, it got a lot of exercise. But aftering here, it has been constantly stuck at the infant Finas side, so both its exercise andbat sense had decreased. It was probably something unavoidable, but it was also natural to think that was the main reason why this situation happened. Maybe it would be better to have it work along with Fina. But Fina is still only three years old. She shouldnt be able to do intense exercises. Its okay, Nicole even went against Kobolds at that age. Im Shes not someone to make a standard. Reid almost exposed himself, but with his ongoing setting that he worked under Maxwell, the fact that he knew Nicole didnt arouse much suspicion. At any rate, they found their ce too, so they shouldnt do any more wrongdoings. What Im worried about is instead whether other remnants woulde to seal off their mouths. Oh, that is certainly possible. However, I will just turn the tables on them. They will take my fists that lost their target this time around. You just wanna vent your anger, dont you Reid spoke in exasperation, and finally, put Fina down on the chair. Fina seemed dissatisfied at that, but she behaved since it was better than being the target of their anger. Like this, a child prank that caused trouble to everyone, ended without an incident. Chapter 574 Once Ashe returned to the Holy Tree church, cardinals reported the happenings during her absence. That said, she was only absent for half a day, so there was barely anything to report. Its good that the situation is calm here. And so? What about the strange noise from the Holy Tree? Normally, Ashe wouldve thought of staying a day at Marias house, but for the past few days, the World Tree had been giving off strange creaking noises, so as the highest priest of the World Tree Religion that had its temple built at its foot, she couldnt be absent for too long. But the cardinal shook his head at her question. No change. It didnt grow any louder or disappear. So the status quo is ongoing, huh? Having said that, the World Tree is also a lifeform. Its already snapped in half, so if something keeps pressuring it from the inside so much that its creaking, the tree might eventually die. T-This was so serious?! Im just talking about possibilities. A tree that has continued living since the mythical times will not wither so easily. You really gave me a fright That said, an abnormal noiseing from the World Tree hadnt been recorded until now. When the God of Destruction periodically did the Pruning, a gigantic magic circle would spread in the sky above, so it was easy to recognize it. But there were no signs of that this time around. Temple knights have slipped among Adventurers and are investigating it, but there are no good results. Of course. It is still the oldest and the greatestbyrinth. Ordinary methods would get you nowhere. Ashe dered full of confidence. The cardinal could feel a headacheing, thinking that that was exactly the reason why they were having so much trouble now. That concludes the details of the kidnapping incident in the pioneer vige. Prisci was making a report on the dispatch in Elliots private room. Given the contents, she couldnt do it in public. Got it. Still, Kufar again, huh He was at the root of the current situation too, right? Yes. I believe it was originally intended as a means to increase allies, however after twists and turns it reached this oue. So troublesome. Still, there were people used like this among hisrades, huh? Looks like its no longer a situation where we can simply subjugate them all. The three of them are under Lord Lyells monitoring now. I do not believe they will cause any more incidents in the future. Thats good. Be it half-demons or Kufarsrades, they are still citizens of this kingdom. If we dont have to kill them, all the better. Prisci sighed in relief, hearing about Elliots mild policy. Even if Elliot was monitoring them, if he, the king, overruled his decision, Lyell would have to oblige. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) That said, Elliot also had a debt of gratitude towards Lyell, so she didnt think he wouldve demanded strict execution. But even knowing that, if the twos opinions collided, the one to mediate it would have to be Prisci who was at the scene. And if it had reached that point, her fears would have no end. She got goosebumps just by imagining it. Lets leave them to Lord Lyell. Tell them I wont interfere. Understood. Then Setting that aside, youre still talking tensely, huh? Eh? Prisci gave off a silly yelp with the sudden change of topic. The two were originally childhood friends. She was on a different standingpared to the other retainers. Were married now. You should just talk in a more familiar manner. I cannot do that. It is still part of my duty. Come on, you can just drop the honorifics like when we were young. I-I cannot do that!! It wasmon during childhood to disregard standings differences and such as formality. In fact, she also called Elliot without honorifics when they were alone during the time she became his attendant. Then she started learning martial arts, and after bing his official guard, she entirely stopped dropping the honorifics. For Elliot who was raised as a king ever since he gained awareness, those exchanges with Prisci where he didnt feel his status were the few soothing moments he had. But youre my wife now. Come on, use my name. No, I mean Like in the old days. If you want, you can even call me Elly like you did before bing my attendant. Prisci turned her face away. Elliot stood up and hugged her shoulders. Prisci was petrified, being so close she could feel his breath. Well, we are no longer kids. We cant mess around innocently like in the past, but adults can mess around in an adult way too. Y-Your Highness, please dont joke She was stiffened but spoke in refusal. However, contrary to her words, she started to close her eyes. But in the corner of her narrowed vision, she perceived someones presence. Eek?! She reflexively pushed Elliot aside and reached for the sword on her waist. However, the person who entered was neither an assassin nor anyone suspicious. It was instead her own father, Count Ran. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Ah, Your Highness. You have to properly close the door when you do such acts. Even I am troubled about where to look. Count Ran, that was really tactless. How about you knock at least? My apologies. The door was slightly open, so I ended up peering in. What are you saying after you made your way all the way inside? This concerns the sessor of Your Highness, so I had to make sure if the situation was progressing favorably. F-Father, that is going too far Prisci couldnt hide the cramp on her face, but Count Ran just snorted once and looked away. It seemed like he had enough awareness to realize he entered during an awkward time. So, what business do you have? Ah yes. I came to report that the dispatched troops safely rejoined their home units. I see, good work. Im going to work on something else now, so Ill be borrowing her for a bit. Of course, please go at it until you can no longer stand. Father! Prisci snapped at the two males back and forth. Guard she may be, she was still a going woman. She wanted him to set a mood for that at least. However, Count Ran was already quite advanced in age. He wanted to see the face of his grandson as soon as possible. This was one reason why he was amusing himself with such discussions when in everything else he was a serious person. This was really rude of me. Prisci, I really do love you. I do not doubt that Elliots straightforward words of love made her hang her head with a flushed expression. Seeing the two, Count Ran shrugged and excused himself from the room. He felt that if he stayed for any longer, he would really get kicked by a horse. Chapter 575 The Forest Kingdom of Raum. A man and a woman were having a secret meeting in the royal pce. That said, it wasnt a love affair or anything. They certainly avoided being seen, but there was not a speck of amorous atmosphere between the two. So then, Uncle Maxwell, did you solve the trouble? Of course. And even more smoothly than I expected. Reid really is a useful man. He is a woman now, however. The esteemed Hero who was reborn? I would like to meet him one time. You have a hero before your eyes right now But that could be arranged I suppose? They were in artivelynarrow room for the royal pce. It was at most as wide as Cortinas house. In the center of it, a young girl ced a table set in the center and elegantly carried tea to her lips. There were no other people in the room. There was of course a handbell to call servants with, however. Nevertheless, of all things that could have happened For them to aim for Fina. It had to happen just as Pope Ashes painstaking efforts somewhat improved the half-demon treatment. Frankly, I was breaking into a cold sweat. If theyid their hands on Lord Lyell and Lady Marias daughter, it would very well lead to the entire world turning against half-demons. Good work for avoiding that. Maxwell made an affected servantly bow towards the young girl. His eyes were filled with an impish gleam. In response, the girl referred to as Eligor snorted in displeasure. That action was somewhat improper of ady. Could you call me Eligor III properly? I have yet to achieve something as great as the first ancestor. They were the patron of the esteemedtranscendentwho contributed to the development of recovery magic, was it? How rude of me. As a form of closeness, you may call me Eligor The Third. Or simply Elly thir It is too long so I shall refrain. It was the name of the Queen who once existed in this kingdom. She took the third generation title as her sessor, but she was quite a careless girl in some respects. But this little girl was the primary heir of the throne of this kingdom. It was hard to imagine the worries her retainers faced. Maxwell was talking with that Eligor in a familiar manner. They were uncle and niece by blood, but as he had already resigned from the royal family, they only met secretly like this. The current king was his younger brother, but he didnt like the idea of him meeting with the royalty very much. Even so, Maxwell was still a capable vassal, so he was often summoned when something happened. For that reason, Maxwell could get a free pass and meet with an important royal like Eligor despite being a retainer. Will it be possible to keep this situation hidden? The gag order has already been issued. However, one cannot control what people say. You mean that it is bound to be a rumor? Fortunately, it happened in a different kingdom, and in the countryside at that. It will take some time before it reaches us. If this incident spread, the half-demons would once again be targets of discrimination. She asked this question in fear of that. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The king didnt seem to care much for that problem, but she, who admired the Six Heroes, did not wish for that rumor to spread. Will the north be alright? King Elliot had been saved by Reid before. Even if it did not happen in the countryside, I daresay nothing serious would have happened. Rather It is more likely to spread in Raum, is it? If only His Highness was more broad-minded Ah, that was a slip of tongue. That would be taken as lese majeste. Be careful what you say in front of others, uncle. I end up getting loose-lipped when I am with you. I am d you are so easy to talk to. Maxwell rubbed his beard at her question. It was his habit when he was thinking. After some silence, he spoke with a serious tone. Frankly, it would be bad if we return back to the old days where the discrimination was severe. It is certainly true that we should take some measures. But then, what would it be? Well, we can only get them on friendlier terms before those rumors reach us. Friendlier with the half-demons, is it? For example, if a popr royalty member has a half-demon among their friends, it could work out. You mean me? Unfortunately, I have no one like that Oh, could it be, you n to introduce Lord Reid?! If I did that Cortina would kill me! And hes a woman now. I am fine with that. That could be fun in its own way Come to your senses, my niece! Maxwell sighed as he rebuked his niece who was going above and beyond what he imagined. But this was a good opportunity from Maxwells perspective too. There is a promising half-demon boy who is also Lyells student. Lord Lyells That would mean, is he Lady Nicolesrade? Indeed. They are presently working as Adventurers in Stor. Because one of theirrades has a very troublesome power. You mean the Bow Saint that exterminated the Goblins during the raid, yes? Well, yes. That is quite some nickname she obtained. Michelle, who trampled most of the Goblins during the raid, was feared as the Bow Saint in Raum nowadays. The nobles seeking to obtain a war power like her were still incessant. Fortunately, she is also formerrade of my fiancee. If she formally gains the Duke peerage, her protection should allow her to return to Raum. So there was such a method Speaking of which, I do have an errand in Stor. That is quite convenient then. Some trouble has been brewing there too due to the change in the governing body. We n to appease them and gain trust by sending a royal member over. Was that His Highnesss idea? Well, it does not sound bad. In that case, could you contact the Adventurers for me? I am looking forward to meeting Miss Nicole too. I feel that that would only add to her worries. But serve her right! The two exchanged thumbs up with impish grins. This uncle and niece were clearly made out of the same cloth. Chapter 576 It was a day after Finas kidnapping. Since the situation was solved rtively peacefully and extremely quickly, the market was still open in the vige. As expected, Fina was banned from leaving due to the incident, so she couldnt go have fun. The three kidnappers likewise headed to what could be their death in the shape of training with Lyell. Maria was looking after Fina, while the Carbuncle was left with Lyell. In other words, the only ones in the mansion with time on their hands at the moment were three no, four people. Agh, ugh. Once we finished breakfast, Cortina started groaning and moving about. Finia, I, and Ashe observed her from the side. Whats wrong, Cortina? Youre being restless like a cat. I am a cat. At leastpare me to a fox or something. Werent foxes closer to dogs? Who cares about that! I lightly rebutted her take but shetched on to it excessively. This was her habit when she wanted to dodge the topic. Still, at least stop groaning like that. Either way, killing time here felt a bit bothersome. Though reluctant, I wanted to return to Stor soon. I had to make the story consistent with Curts groups, and above all, the Polymorph effect would soon run out. In these five years, Hasturs research bore fruit and the Polymorph scrolls effect had dramatically lengthened, and by now, itsted for 24 hours like the actual spell. It was extremely helpful that it had be so long. I really owed him a lot. I transformed into Reid yesterday at around 4 pm when the sun was starting to go down. Due to the improvements, I approximated that I still had eight hours to go. That said, considering I absolutely must not get found out, I wanted to leave enough spare time. Despite that, Cortina was fidgeting around as if she had some business with me, so I couldnt go back. Agh, whatever! Finia. Y-Yes? The market fair is open in the vige today too, right? That should be the case, yes. Ill lend you Reid for today! Huh? Wait, dont treat me like an object here! I retorted to it instinctively, but I still couldnt understand what she was nning. Why was she going out of her way to lend me to Finia? The answer to that was quickly revealed from her own mouth. I mean, you havent met Reid in a long time, right? Huh? Oh, r-right! I have wanted to meet for so long. Finia started pretending in a fluster. She was assumed to havee here from Nicoles group as their representative. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) And the biggestbat powers among themmeaning Nicole and Michelledecided to head to Kolbo. With Cloud as a bonus. The n was to divide the party like this and tackle the incident while controlling information on both fronts. But since I easily caught the culprits, this ended up being all for naught, and Finia was enjoying her return to the vige after so long. But then I appeared, who was also contacted. For Finia, this should have been our first reunion after 25 years. It was too suspicious for her to not react at all. She started acting like that because of that. Me too. Im not so dull as to not understand your feelings, Finia. I-Is that so Well you are dull enough to not realize my identity. This girl was a battle specialist, so I guess she was distant from human rtions. Finia had aplex, cramped expression as she answered back. She was definitely holding back augh there. So, you know? Im always with him, so I was thinking Id hand over the leading role to you for today. You know, I always drop by her after our meetings. Youre just showing your face! Dont you pity her? I mean If I had to say, youre the one Im pitying right now but I couldnt say that aloud, so I muffled my words. Still, her consideration softened my heart. We havent met in a while, but she still chose to step aside for Finia, which showed her kindness. Finia was also having trouble with how to react, but Cortina misunderstood it as her acting reserved. No need to hold back. I can meet him any time, after all. But Lady Cortina, arent you on Lord Reid ban at the moment? T-Thats beside the point! I-Is it really alright? Finia looked at me instead of Cortina. She was hesitating whether she could ept Cortinas kindness when she was meeting Nicole every day. I turned my face away in response. She couldnt refuse, saying were meeting everyday so no need. You dont need to ask him. Im sure you have a lot to talk about, so go and enjoy today with him. Oh my, Cortina, youre such a good girl. I love girls like you. Being told that by you, Lady Ashe, I feel strangely dubious about that statement. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) For some reason, Ashe came back after returning to Forneus, even ditching her guards. Hey Your Eminence, youre a bit too dynamic dont you think? This is why those who could use teleportation magic were so troublesome. Those who used it so willy-nilly were probably Maxwell, I, Maria, and Pope Ashe. God of Destruction is beside the point. So rude. I was praising you with pure intentions. Still, the north has a shortage of men, so polygamy is recognized, so why not? During the Evil Dragon attack 25 years ago, men were gathered as troops from all around. And they all disappeared in the scorching hellfire released by the Evil Dragon. As a result, the United Northern Alliance had a severe shortage of men, and to make up for it, polygamy was officially approved as an emergency measure. But even so, along with the recovery, it also started to be questioned, so it was rumored to be annulled before long. At any rate, it was allowed at present, so there was no problem dating two people. Incidentally, Lyell was dedicated to Maria contrary to how it would seem. Or it would be better to say that if he cheated Maria would turn into a demon, so he couldnt. Not that he intended either way. I-If thats how it is, maybe I will would it be alright? Sure sure. Just go drag that blockhead away. Now listen here I knew her roasts werenting from her heart. Or rather, when we were alone, she spoiled me rotten even more than a child. She was now handing me over to Finia, so I felt moved by the friendship the two shared. However, I rarely went out with Finia as Reid, so this was actually a weed consideration. Well, if thats what Tina wants, no need to hold back. Shall we go Finia dear Finia? I ended up calling her Finia without honorifics like usual, but my attempt to fix it resulted in adding dear to it. Hearing it, Finias face went red and she nodded her head with vigor. Bloods gonna rush into your head, you know? Chapter 577 In the end, I was practically forced out of the mansion with Finia. She wanted us to go have fun, but where could we do that in these boonies? Well there was the market at least, so we could spend some time there, but I wasnt sure that Cortina would be satisfied with that. Its her were talking about, so she wouldnt be satisfied if we just go look around. Do you hate the idea of going out with me, Lord Reid? No such thing! I instantly rejected Finias words who watched a few steps behind me. Honestly, she was too good for me, and just walking with her like this was enough to attract the male vigers gazes. I guess the reason I learned to notice such gazes is due to my experiences as Nicole. Finia lived with me here eight years ago, so quite a few men remembered her. Adults and boys of my age at the time were currently captivated by her beauty too. Finia wasnt only pretty on the outside, but was perfect at housework, cooking, and babysitting. The vige boys knew that, so it was like the ideal wife returned to the vige. But next to her was some suspicious mean-eyed guy. It wouldve been stranger if they didnt direct such gazes at me. Um, Lord Reid. Do you have enough time? She suddenly asked me in a quiet voice. She meant the time I could remain as Reid. Fortunately, I turned into this form yesterday evening, so I could safely walk with her until afternoon. Dont worry, it shouldst until Finas afternoon-snack. That should be more than needed. As we chatted in low voices, a familiar elderlydy called out to us from a nearby stall. It was a fruit seller that had been living here for a long time. Oh, Finia. Youve returned? Yes, yesterday. Im sorry for being unable toe to greet you, auntie Nina. She was a high-spiriteddy who we knew since we used to live here. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) The market wasnt just made up of the caravan merchants opening up the stores. There were also stalls like this intended to sell food to the merchants too. Not a problem. If Lord Lyells servant came to greet me, I would feel humbled. Ahaha, I am an orphan, remember? That doesnt matter. In this vige at least. More importantly, who is that fine man next to you? Err, he is apanying me on the shopping. I see. He has a good face, but his eyes are a bit mean-looking. A-Auntie Finia broke into a cold sweat at her blunt remark, characteristic of people from rural areas. But I wasnt so narrow-minded as to get angry at that. It was a fact that my eyes were mean-looking. Plus, my face wasnt as known as I was famous. Even on the bronze Six Hero statues, only my face was strangely ambiguous. This was in consideration of the fact that I was an assassin. It was already stupid that an assassin was famous, so if even my face was known, it would have gotten in the way of my work. Ive had these eyes since birth, so gimme a break. Oh, youre not angry? Looks like youre quite tolerant. Please stop trying to test me too. Ahahaha, sorry about that. Take apples as an apology! She threw apples bigger than my palm my way as she said that. And quite powerfully too. Of course, I could safely catch it, but it wouldve hit your average guy in the face and made his nose bleed, you know? Careful, now?! Your reflexes arent bad, huh? I said stop testing me! I yelled and then gave one apple to Finia. Still, her mercilessness hasnt really changed since I left the vige huh? I waved at her as thanks and quickly evacuated from the ce. Thisdy looked after the neighborhood children a lot. Michelle used to go pester her for apples all the time too. For that reason, there was enough possibility that she could connect my habits during my childhood here to the current me. It was best to quickly evacuate from people who knew me well. Finia also said her thanks and trotted back to my side. She used to walk a little behind but now that she was next to me, her tension was probably gone. But is this really already? Hmm, the apples? I mean, if she gave it to us, just take it. Not that, I mean about Lady Cortina! Ah, that? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Finia held the apple with both hands and gnawed on it like a squirrel gnawing on a walnut. It seemed like she was also trying to hide her face by doing that. I meet Lady Nicole every day while Lady Cortina rarely does so, but she handed this chance to me Well, I was meeting her only once a month. But even you, Finia, were avoiding going out withthisme in consideration of her, so no rumors would spread, right? I only met Finia as Reid as often as Cortina. But Finia was avoiding spreading the rumors that I was cheating and deceiving Cortina, so she avoided walking alone with me to the utmost. In Cortinas case, we often went to eat and walk together, but in Finias it was mostly eating inside some stores or secluded ces and shop corners. Both Cortina and I thought about whether this kind of life wasnt giving her stress. I had to thank Cortina for creating this chance for today. Well, Cortina gave us the go-ahead, so no need to hold back. Come, the crowds are forming. Finia was startled to get pushed away by the passersby so I went and grabbed her hand, pulling her closer. I held the apple in one hand while escorting Finia with the other. Cortina should have noints with this. Lady Cortina? Yeah. Check behind you. Take a peek past the general store. I said that and gave Finia a hand mirror I picked up from the essory store. The shopkeeper started the sales speech in vigor, but we just ignored it. Oh. See? Finia realized my intention and peeked behind with the mirror. There, in the corner of the general store, Cortina and Ashe were seen peeking their faces. If they wanted to monitor us, at least choose a better method. Tailing you is quite an absurd thing to do. As Finia said, if I failed to sense the tailing of amateurs like Cortina and Ashe, I would seriously have to consider retiring. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) Still she told us to go and have fun, but she intended to make us a show all along. That is simply how it ended up as. Lady Cortina is a kind person. She is a little too curious, though. Curiosity killed the cat, as they say. There was no need to even make an assumption for that half-elf loli granny next to her. But still, this could be amusing in its own way. Whenever I held Finias hand or embraced her, Cortina was iling her arms in excitement. And Finia went beet red each time, so of course I found the whole thing amusing. Like this,e afternoon, after I had my fill teasing Finia with Cortina tailing behind, I headed back to Stor. Chapter 578 I returned to Stor and went to get the story straight with Mark, John, and Tony who acted as my proxies. Since the kidnapping incident got resolved in half a day, I managed to contact them and stop them just as they were about to depart. There was a little over a days distance from Stor to Kolbo vige. It was fortunate in this case that they needed to make preparations before departing. If they already did, I wouldve needed to wait three days to get in touch with them. I couldnt take Michelle and others to this meeting, so I was meeting them secretly with the help of Gadius. I headed to the Adventurers Guild and greeted the three of them waiting for me there. Hey, sorry for the wait. Thanks for the matter this time. Not at all. It was your request, Miss Nicole. This much is nothing! I hope so. Also, keep your voices down. O-Okay. Marks group started speaking in loud voices after my greeting. They took the promotion exam at the same time as me when we first came to this city, but we ended up taking part in their own exam quite a bit too. As a result, they were able to ept rtively goodmissions, so their lifestyle improved considerably. Ever since then, they kept politely calling me Miss Nicole. We were called with such honorifics by them who were the second-best Adventurers in this city. All of us were in our trendswell, aside from Finia so, people who visited this ce found that extremely unnatural. Excuse me, we want to borrow a room. Of course, go ahead. Ive be quite famous in these three years. The Guild receptionist lent me the room right away too. As I took the three with me and headed to the room, I heard strange voices from behind, but decided to ignore them. They are apanying Nicole to the room? Me too, I want to go with her someday Shes taking three at once huh. Looks like adult content for her is gonna gain some pages with this. I take back what I said. Ill pulverize one of those guyster. At any rate, once we entered the room such noises stopped bing audible. I first said my thanks to the three. You helped me a lot this time. I had to move secretly given that it was a kidnapping incident. It was your little sister, after all. Of course you would want to be careful. She was saved without problems, right? Of course. If something had happened to her, I wouldve never let the matter go. By the way, is your sister a beauty? Fear not, Im not handing her over to you people. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Johns remark made it sound like he was aiming for Fina, but hed have to cross over my corpse to do that. In the first ce, they didnt know Finas exact age. Thats probably why he said something so outrageous. They probably expected her to be like 13 or 14. Setting the trivial talk aside, we put our heads together and went over the incident chronologically. I of course was keeping the fact that I was Reid a secret, so I instead made up a story that I nned to have them head to Kolbo in our stead, and then contact Michelle and others right after. They would go ahead in Kolbo and attract their attention. After that, I would be sending Michelles group and have them suppress the negotiating grounds. In the meantime, I would use the teleportation magic, return to the northern vige, and settle the problem but the culprits got captured before any of that could happen. During the talk, they got ecstatic expressions a few times, so I had to smack them back into sanity several times. Because of that, this conversation took longer than expected. When we were about to be done summing up and coordinating our stories, there was a knock on the door. Hmm? Come in. Excuse me. There was an urgent designatedmission for you from Raum, Miss Nicole. Urgent designatedmission? Designatedmissions were ones where the client designated the specific Adventurer for it. There was no special worth to it, but your impression improved in the Guild after being designated. For Adventurers, it was one of the dreams to receive designated requests. Yes. The client is um, excuse me, but Oh, I see. Sorry, Mark. I got amission so lets leave it at this for today. Handle the situation as we discussed earlier. Please leave it to us! We will properly deceive everyone! Hey, dont say something so disreputable! I kicked them out of the room while hitting Mark on the back. They were experienced enough to realize they couldnt remain in the room since it was a designatedmission. They got driven out without much fuss, which was witnessed by the other Adventurers in the hall. They got out while being hit by Nicole. Isnt that a reward! Please step on me! Ill do anything! This Guild is really done for. Its basically the repeat of Raum. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) As I red sharply towards the source of the voices, a few of them trembled and stiffened. They seemed to be the ones who knew what being red at by me would signify. Afterward, they rushed to the toilet, so they were probably on the verge of leaking. I heard from Markter that they returned with refreshed expressions and rity. At any rate, the designatedmission was more important now. I picked up the timetable paper that was left on the table and listened to what the staff member had to say. My apologies, it was really an urgent matter. Not at all. I know that could happen in the Guild. Dont worry about it. Alright, thank you very much. Moreover, thismission has not been run through Lord Gadius yet, so please keep that in mind. So thismission wasnt investigated beforehand by him, so she was warning me to be careful. Understood. So, what is themission? Yes, well Are you aware of Her Highness Eligore III of Raum? Yes. She is the one with the first right to seed the throne, right? I remember she was strangely popr like Letina. You mean Marquis Yowis daughter, yes? They are simr in that they have petite builds. Actually, Her Highness Eligore wanted to directlymission you, Miss Nicole. So she wants us? I was the daughter of Lyell and Maria. And Michelle was the savior of Raum, also called the Bow Saint. Given the members of our party, weve been receiving quite a few requests from nobles. However, Gadius turned away most of thosemissions trying to win us over, so weve barely dealt with the noble society as we made our living as Adventurers. But since thismission crossed over the wall that was Gadius, it ended up reaching me like this. There was Lord Maxwells name in the referrals list, so I couldnt refuse Yeah, I dont think it would be possible for a simple Guild member. So this is also Maxwells request, huh? Then I guess theres no reason for me to refuse. Themission is to guard Her Highness Eligore and bring her to Stor. Huh? Isnt that normally a job for the chivalric order? That is the case, but it seems this is todeal with a certain problemtoo. I could not get them to tell me what that was. Hmm? There were no clear instructions, but if they were referred by Maxwell, it shouldnt be anything bad. Plus Her Highness Eligore was quite highly praised since the time I was in Raum. If it was a request from people like them, I feel like rejecting would make it more of a loss. Plus, we knew who the people were this time, so there was no need to worry about being deceived. The issue is thatcertain problem, huh. They arent going to roll us into an assassination work, right? It is scary because Icannot reject that possibility. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) The primary sessor to the throne. In other words, Eligor III was to be the next rulerthe Queen. A princess like her wasing here without the knights, so people with evil intentions are bound to appear. There was also one more condition. Huh, condition? Yes. It was,make sure Mister Cloud takes part in it,it seems. Oh, so thats what it is With that, I finally guessed what thatcertain problemcould be. Finas kidnapping incident was impossible to stop from spreading, given the fame of her parents, Lyell and Maria. And it was easy to see that leading to the persecution of the half-demons. So if a well-famed person like Her Highness Eligor let a half-demon apany her as a guard and disyed it to the masses, they probably thought they could keep the persecution in check. I suppose its not a bad condition I didnt hear about the reward yet, but the effect of thismission was already good enough aspensation. I only told her that I would consider epting themission, and headed back to the inn to tell the rest of myrades. I did make sure that three Adventurers gotscorchedbefore I returned, but that is a story for another time. Chapter 579 There was a creaking sound spreading through the highway at night, as if something was scraping the ground. It eventually turned loud enough to spread through the surroundings, and eventually, arge hole opened up in the middle of the highway. From there, one youth popped up his head. Phew. Thank god it went well. I thought I was a goner this time. The one who showed upKufarsighed, and crawled out from the hole. Of course, he didnt need breathing, so it was simply him mimicking human gestures. After leaving certain machinations inside the World Tree Labyrinth, he absorbed the monster remains and once again returned to the World Trees vessels, and followed them beyond Berith, reaching the United Northern Alliance territory. It was an escape he could only achieve because the roots of the World Tree were spread throughout the entire continent. When I was preparing that hidden passway in the withered root, Bahamut didnt appear at all. In other words, his monitoring is only effective in the trunk part of the World Tree. So if I traveledinside the World Treeand left Berith like that, I could escape from his monitoring. He was talking about the escape road he secured for assassinating the Pope. When he was investigating it, the Dragon Gods monitoring didnt detect him. Remembering that, Kufar realized thatif he traveled inside the World Tree, he would not get caught by the surveinceandhe wont be detected once he is outside of the trunk part. However, there was also a possibility that the reason he didnt get spotted the first time was that he entered awithered rootof the World Tree, which was not considered part of it. Thus, this escape n was quite a big gamble for him. But I did escape, Bahamut! You got careless for doing nothing but stereotypical monitoring. I won! He managed to outwit an enemy that drove him to death once. The sense of aplishment he felt was too much and he startedughing out loud. It wasnt just that. By devouring many corpses in thebyrinth, Kufar increased his power by a lot. His current power was clearly higherpared to when he escaped inside thebyrinth. But this is still not enough. And it would be bad if theother sidenotices me before the trick I left boots up Kufar, who crawled out of the highway,ughed alone, and then slowly proceeded to the north. His destination was a town that he once used as his headquarters. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) He grumbled and thought even as he walked. At present, there was not a singlebat personnel he had remaining. The report he received after he left this town was that the surprise attack in the vicinity of where Lyell lived had failed, and most of the organization personnel were caught or executed. Most likely, very few managed to escape King Elliots further pursuit. Even the close associates that he took along to Berith were thoroughly defeated by Reid and the other Six Heroes. Or rather, he used them as sacrifices. Even if Kufars own ability increased inside thebyrinth, his power as a military force was chipped off. So I have to gather war power again? Or maybe I should just go offer sacrifices instead to make the current n seed? He mumbled and walked while staring at his feet. Monsters would of course not leave him alone like that. This Northern Alliance territory was still not safe. The danger of getting attacked by monsters and wild animals even near the highway was higher than in other countries. A giant serpent hiding in the roadside bushes jumped at the defenseless Kufar, intending to devour him. The size of its mouth was even bigger than Kufars height. However, the serpents vision suddenly went dark. It was because half of Kufars body cracked and turned into an evenrger mouth, devouring the serpents head. The serpent writhed and coiled around Kufar to strangle him to death in an attempt to escape its dilemma. However, its struggle ended in vain. Its body that was coiled around Kufar got absorbed inside as is and started to be digested. It seemed to be struggling inside his body for some time as his several-times-erged body was giving off ripples from the inside. Mm, there we go. But even that ended along with Kufars casual remark and a strange crack from inside his body. He had directed pressure inside his body and pulverized the serpents body. And then, his swelled-up body returned back to its normal size. It doesnt taste bad, but its too inadequate as a power source. Thebyrinth monsters are too good. Or perhaps, the owner ofthat corpsewas simply extraordinary. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) It was a corpse he discovered on the 700th floor. Kufar analyzed it the same way he did the jewel, and seeded in absorbing it as it used to be when it was alive. The power it had was iparable to anything he had witnessed before, and it granted him power that far exceeded even the Twin-ded Devils. My personal power is good enough. So what I need now is the violence of numbers. But gathering half-demons anew would take too much time As he walked, the northern town that he used as a stronghold appeared before his eyes. The light of life wasing from the gaps of the animal-warding fences. Oh, right. I have them right here, dont I The sacrifices, and so many Kufarughed loudly with a voice trembling in joy. However, his expression did not move even a bit. Manipting his expression was already something he found too bothersome. Chapter 580 The taverns waitress girl Lizith was wiping the table as always with a gloomy expression. The tavern customers feltcking that she wasnt smiling as usual. Kufar, being the underlying reason, had still note back. The fact that she was attracted to Kufar was something all the taverns guests and the owner were aware of. The only unaware ones were the two concerned. Or perhaps Kufar, having a mature atmosphere, had realized it, but he was knowingly ignoring it. Sigh Thatd is still not back, huh? Kufar? He said he would be away for a long time, but I didnt think it would be this long. She responded to the drunken customers question with a grumble as she continued cleaning the table. Seeing how she didnt stop working despite feeling down, the customers felt that such a good wife candidate was being wasted away like that. Adventurers were fundamentally wanderers like duckweed. One never knew when they would die, and there were no futurepensations. One such Adventurer stole her heart, yet they couldnt deny her feelings and could only watch on. Because the innocent exchanges of the two also worked to heal their hearts. But then, the taverns doorbell rang noisily, and one Adventurer stepped in. Oh, weKufar?! Hey, Lizith. Im back. I was dyed a little. Good grief, I was so worried! You shouldve contacted me at least. I was too busy, you see. Oh, heres a souvenir for you. Its apparently a bottle of the World Trees sap. The World Tree? Did you enter thebyrinth? Kufar, still dressed in dirty traveling clothes, pulled out a small bottle from his pocket. When he traveled in the World Trees vessels, he had sucked up a lot of its liquid, so he took some of it out of his body and gave her as a gift. Yeah, I had some minor business there. More importantly, do you have some time now? Huh, yeah, sure She nced at the owner her father, as she spoke. Of course, she wasnt actually free, given the busy hour full of customers. But her father, being his only family, sensed her intentions and gave her a big nod. I dont mind. But make it quick. Yay! I have permission so lets go, Kufar. Excuse me. I will return your daughter soon. If you will take responsibility, I dont mind even if you return her tomorrow. Come on, dad! Stop those jokes! Lizith pumped a fist in anger as her father and the customers saw her off withughs. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Lizith ignored them, removed her apron, and followed Kufar to the outside. Um, Kufar. Are you sure we can leave the town? As she followed Kufar who was leading the way, she was taken outside the town. This area, like any other town, was dangerous beyond the town fences. The reason she followed him anyway was that she knew Kufar was a skilled Adventurer. But even so, she was still worried. Its okay. I will properly protect you. Eh, r-really? That makes me happy. Kufar simply didnt want to wound a sacrifice candidate and nothing more. But Lizith took it a different way. Her face flushed and she joined her hands before her chest, and started ying with her fingers. That showed that she was nervous. However, there was only Kufar around who could understand her tension. He took her outside the town, eventually reaching a small rocky mountain. He took her hand a few times to pull her up, eventually reaching the top. Beyond the rocky mountain, there was nothing to block the town view, so you could observe it from that slightly elevated area. Wow, I can see the town from here. Did you want to show me this scenery, Kufar? Yeah, Im still preparing, after all. I thought this would be a good ce to show you something interesting. Something interesting? What could it be? I cant wait to find out. Youre right to be excited about it. Okay, Im going to use magic, so step a little away. Okay, just stay still there. Lizith stepped back like he instructed her, and was made to stand onsomethinground drawn on the ground. Then, Kufar chanted using anguage she had never heard before, and a blinding light rose up from the four sides of the town. W-What?! The town is! Isnt it amazing? Its a summoning circle that surrounds the entire town. With this, all the town people can be offered as sacrifices for the Devil. DevilNo, it cant be Lizith, being a resident of the north, fully knew the fear of the Devils. Particrly the devil that led to Reids death twenty five years ago was already avoided like a taboo. And now, Kufar said he was going to sacrifice the townspeople for it. She couldnt believe what she heard. Whatare you saying, Kufar My fathers in there too! If youre joking please stop already!! Joke? Are you joking yourself? After offering so many people, I can summon quite a lot of Devils. Plus the goal is for them to rampage, so there is not even a need to designate masters for them. Stop it! Please Im telling you to stop, you monster! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Lizith tried to approach Kufar, but she couldnt take a step out of the circle. It was as if an invisible wall was blocking her path. Let me out, please! Monsterhuh? Amazing, Lizith. You saw through me. Whatare you Without waiting for her to finish her words, Kufars melted his body down. Or more urately, he returned back to his original slime form. There was only a dark-red, gtinous lump left in his ce. It trampled and spoke in Kufars voice. Lizith, you have quite a good intuition, huh? EekS-SlimeNo, this has to be a lie! Its not a lie. This is the real me. No way Did you devour Kufar and steal his appearance! Among the Slimes categorized as Blobs, there were some species that could take on the appearance of their prey. Lizith couldnt believe what she was seeing, so her thoughts went there. However, when Kufar heard it, heughed while shaking his undefined body. Guhahahahaha, that was a good idea. But unfortunately, this is how Ive always been, disgusting as it may be! WhyWhy did you How do you feel about falling for a Slime? Are you despairing? Dont worry, I will send you to where everyone else will go soon. Look there. Kufar extended his tentacle and pointed to the town. As it was wrapped in light, it released one big sh, and eventually, only the wastnd remained behind. Houses, people, fenceseverything disappearedreced bysomethingthat suddenly appeared. No, no nodad, noo, dad, nooooooooooooo!!! I like your scream. Now, which one appeared Oh, its them. What a y of fate, huh? Kufar confirmed the Devils that appeared as he heard Liziths screams from behind. There stood Twin-ded Devils that numbered over a hundred. Devils that were a match for Reid one by one, there were a hundred of them now. This was already a despairing sight. Seeing that, Kufar trembled in satisfaction. Behind him, Lizith crumbled to her knees powerlessly. Okay, youre next. Kill you.I-I will kill you KufarKufaaaaar!! Lizith screamed like a madman and punched the invisible wall. Her fingers broke and blood sttered everywhere in the process, but she continued without care. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) Yes, go mad, bloodthirsty, and hateful! Hate me more! The more you do, the stronger the summoned Devil will be!! Kufar once again started chanting the summoning spell as he screamed. The thing below her feet was the Devil summoning circle. It was a special version that didnt allow the prey to escape. And then, Lizith got wrapped in light Andthattook her ce. This was the final unpleasant scene. It was tiresome But I had to include it somewhere so the story can proceed to the end Chapter 581 Through Gadius intermediation, we arrived at the capital Raum to start our guarding work for the princess. I didnt think Michelle and Finia would refuse amission I brought, but Cloud was strangely opposed to it. The reason was simple it was because he was a half-demon. Would it really be fine for someone of his race to guard royalty? Wouldnt it cause trouble for Michelle and me? Those were his main worries. But after I conveyed the intentions of the royalty to him, I got him to agree to take on thismission. The masses had to see Cloud, a half-demon, getting along with the royalty as a countermeasure against the half-demon discrimination. Michelle and Cloud were already informed about Finas kidnapping details by me, so they realized the problem that was to follow. Still, Im d Fina ended up fine. Yeah, and everything got resolved before the news reached us too. Yeah, I heard about it. Looks like Lord Reid got revived and solved this case! I used my teleportation magic several times and brought everyone to Raum. Michelle went to see her parents while we were here, while Cloud went to the orphanage to do the same. I thought of dropping by Maxwells ce, but he had already headed to see the princess, so we missed each other. We met up in the afternoon and headed towards the noble district, Michelle hopping all the way. She seemed to be excited about my (Reids) revival. H-He got lucky, huh? No way. Im sure Lord Reid calcted everything and chose the fastest method to solve it. Finia, youre praising him a bit too much there. I really discovered the suspicious person simply because I couldnt stay in the living room in fear of getting spotted, and went to y hooky on the roof. Finia seemed to be convinced that I did that intentionally. Yeah, Nicole. Its not good to look down on a Six Hero. Not you too, Michelle That said, I couldnt exactly exin that I was Reid. I couldnt do anything but shrug while sweating for some weird reason. As we chatted like that, the inner rampart leading to the noble district became visible. Of course, there were guards on the lookout. The gate guards gave us suspicious gazes. We were famous here three years ago, but that was only in the outer parts of the city where themoner district was. Nobles who didnt know the true situation, and the knights who served them, only saw us as Adventurers who just looked good. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) We are Adventurers Nicole, Finia, Michelle, and Cloud. We have been summoned to the royal castle for work. Here is our invitation. I presented the letter provided to us for the visit, which the guard snatched away and nced at it. He didnt seem to be seeing us very favorably. But that wasnt anything special with nobles. There were many who secretly looked down on the Adventurers. So its you people Even if you have Lord Lyells backing, dont do anything strange, you hear? Of course. Especially that half-demon Nicole, over here! As the gate guard was throwing snidements at us, a voice suddenly interrupted him. Judging from the tone, I realized who it was without even ncing. It was Letina. Letina! Its been a long timeor not really, has it? I came to pick you up. Raum was far from my headquarters which was in the Alecmarle Sword Kingdom, so I have rarely done any work around this castle. Of course, I have never risked sneaking into castles, either. It was easier to just sneak into noble mansions instead of doing that. Thus, I have never stepped into Raums castle. We were going to an unfamiliar ce, so Letina, who was familiar with it,ing along would be extremely reassuring. I never wouldve imagined that Her Highness Eligore wouldmission work for you. You arenting along, Letina? Sorry, Michelle, but I cant. I have my own work to do And the goal this time is to advertise that the royalty has apanion among the Half-Demon Adventurers. Cloud and I are known to be old-friends, so if I came along They would think Cloud was there as a bonus because of you, huh? Yes, even Nicoleing along is barely safe. I see. Thats unfortunate. The intentions behind thismission were centered on Cloud. If Letina, who was more popr, came along, it would lower the effect. I was also the daughter of the Six Heroes, so honestly, it wasnt very good to apany them on thismission. But I had the role to make it more believable that Cloud got to know the royalty due to his connection with me. But a noble like Letina would still create a different implicationpared to me. In her case, her intentions would be transparent as she was a noble serving the royals. Well, be it I or Nicole, it does not change that this is the royal houses intention. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Letinas words made the gate guard tremble. The royal houses intention. That was the reason why we were here. And yet, he went on toin about it. You should not cause her too much trouble. You are aware that Nicole is the daughter of the Six Heroes and the hero who saved the World Tree Religions pope, yes? A mere noble, not to mention one that only gets gatekeeper work, can not possiblypete with her. Y-Yes, I will take it to heart! Letina had gotten quite mean to drive it in like that. I mean, not that her personality was ever good. Her nature wasnt good but I think she still had agoodpersonality. Led by Letina, we stepped into the royal castle that stood tall at the center of Raum. In a way, we are beginning the final arc from this chapter onward. Chapter 582 We walked inside the castle led by Letina. The inquisitive gazes stabbing us made me feel like we had be some rare animals. It wasnt just me, Michelle and Cloud were the same. They were strangely curled up and followed behind me. Finia alone didnt seem to mind at all and was walking carefreely like Letina. Finia, arent you nervous? Compared to serving the Six Heroes, nobles here are nothing but a group of riff-raff. I mean, you have a point but Of course, the nobles and soldiers we passed by were iparable to the Six Heroes. I suppose serving the table to the Six Heroes so often would harden her nerves like this, huh? Its as Finia says. Just who among these nobles or even the royalty could even order Nicole around? Mainly you, Letina. Can you stop carping like that! See? Her losing her calm like this was really like her. By the time we recovered to our usual state, we finally arrived before one room. There stood a simple yet solid door, which clearly seemed to provide a high level of soundproofing. Letina readily knocked on the door using the knocker installed on it. A few secondster, the door opened and Maxwell showed his face. Lady Eligore, it is Letina Winne Yowi. I have brought Lady Nicole. Good work. Please enter. She didnt name herself until the door opened because it was too thick to get her voice through. We entered as told and were greeted by one girl. She was a typical blue-eyed blond-haired elf. Her rich and luxurious hair reached down to her waist in waves. Her facial features were extremely well-arranged, and I felt that she was unlike the sheltered girl that I heard of in the rumors, but instead felt a sun-like charisma simr to Letina. Err, nice to meet you, Im Nicole. Thank you foring, miss Nicole. I have heard many rumors about you. I am Eligore III. The people behind you must be miss Michelle and miss Finia and mister Cloud, yes? Y-Yes! N-Nice to meet you Being addressed by the next queen-to-be, Michelle answered while standing at attention, while Cloud sweated buckets while he mumbled the answer. Finia didnt reply and left it at a simple bow. Some nobles hated being talked to so directly, so this might be a safer approach. Im d you seem to be kind people. I can safely entrust thismission to you. Come now, stop standing petrified there and sit down. Maxwell, who stood by her side, urged us to sit on the chairs at the center. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Being nervous before the kingdoms princess, we made our way to the chairs with unsteady steps. Once she saw that we all sat down, Princess Eligore started to speak. Then, lets start with Miss Nicole, could you tell me the story of how you saved Lady Ashe? Lady Eligore, focus on the work first. Maxwell, you are too formal. Isnt it fine to digress a bit? If she starts digressing right from the start, I cannot help butment about it. I felt it had been quite a long time since Ive seen Maxwell being led around like this. Setting that aside, Eligore cleared her throat after being warned, and returned back to the topic. Ahem, Maxwell is being noisy, so let me start with themission details. You have already heard of Miss Finas matter, yes? Of course, she is my sister, so I heard it right away. I heard from Nicole! M-Me I mean, so have I. And I was at the scene along with Lord Gadius. Everyone answered Eligores question. It seemed this princess was the type to do whatever she wanted. I could see her blood rtionship with Maxwell there. Good. As you are aware, the matter was already settled, so there is nothing to worry about in that regard. However, some problems still persist. You mean the discrimination of the half-demons, right? Yes. Did Maxwell tell you about that? No, Gadius. Ah, yes, I did tell him themission details. Then it makes this conversation simpler. What she told us was mostly the same as what we heard from Gadius. In short, in order to not drop the half-demon standing any further, Eligore, who was popr among the masses, would be traveling to Stor with Cloud, who was a half-demon. By disying that to the citizens, they nned to mitigate their unfavorable opinions towards half-demons. As such, I cannot take proper bodyguards with me. There were a few groups that I could trust and had half-demons, and among them, you have the top-level achievements, so I wanted to request it by any means, if possible. Yes, we have already heard of the details, so you have nothing to worry about in that regard. If we did not feel like epting this, we would not havee here. Hearing my answer, Eligore put a hand on her chest in relief. She had gorgeous features, but her gestures were giving off a friendly aura. Im d. Then I would like to set out before the kidnapping particrs spread among the citizens. It would not have much effect if we did it once it spreads and the negative feelings have already formed. Are you all fine with that? Yes, we came here for that reason. We can depart any time. Im d to hear it. Then lets do it in thirty minutes. Come again? In thirty minutes. I asked back feeling like I misheard it, but she responded back as if to emphasize the point. Wait, wasnt that a little too fast, no matter how you look at it?! Worry not. I have already finished the travel preparations. And Maxwell has been teaching me how to act on long trips. Wait wait, are you sure youre going to be fine? It would take over a week from here to Stor! If pushes to shove, I shall send you with the Portal Gate. Then this trip would lose the whole point! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) We had to show ourselves in public, so what would teleporting achieve? Maxwell seemed to be confused after getting dragged into her pace. At any rate, if she wanted to depart in thirty minutes, we had to follow her intentions. Though I said we could depart at any moment, I expected that it would be afternoon or something. I didnt expect to say thirty minutes. Though we were the ones leading this trip as the experienced Adventurers, she was still royalty. It was better topromise where we could. Chapter 583 Princess Eligore suddenly brought up wanting to depart right away, but we werent against the idea. We werent, but it was still my duty as her guard to warn her about it. If we leave right away, you are aware that we wont be able to reach the next inn in time and will have to camp out, right? There were inn towns spread along the way from Raum to Stor where merchants could stay. However, they were built on intervals that assumed you started your trip in the morning, so if we departed now in the afternoon, we wouldnt be able to reach it. Of course, on a fast horse, we could probably still reach it. But it would be bad otherwise. If we depart in the early morning, the people wont be able to see me getting along with Cloud. Ugh, that indeed is our objective Then is there even a reason to leave the city? I intended to inspect Stor either way, so it would be more constructive to have you apany me there, right? Ugh why is this person so good at making reckless arguments seem so logical. Maxwell hung his head at myint. He had probably experienced being dragged around like this a lot. If we were going with safety-first, departing tomorrow would be the best. But the goal this time was for the people to witness Princess Eligore and Cloud together, so departing when there were more people around would be ideal. Her thoughts in this regard werent wrong. It cant be helped. We will most likely end up camping out, so please be ready for that. Of course. Plus the famous Nicole and Michelle would be with me, so Im sure it will be fun. Princess Eligore pped and smiled happily. Her innocent smile made me lose the will to argue any further. I see, she certainly had enough charisma to charm people. With her gentle atmosphere coupled with the will that never backs down, she will develop quite a strong personality. Very well. Let us go with that n then. We depart in thirty minutes. We will meet up in front of the castle gate. Yes, please. Alright, we will go make some preparations too then. Even if we were already prepared for the trip, we still needed to get the horses ready. And we had to stock up on the preserved food, too. Earlier I told her we could set out any time, but we couldnt really set out immediately on such a long trip. Then, Cloud and Michelle, you two go prepare the horses. And water too. Finia and I will go buy the food. Gotcha. Sure. Your Highness Eligore Just Ellie is fine. We are going to berades traveling together from now on. Ugh Then, Ellie, do you have beddings suitable for night camping? Beddings? If you mean futon, I can take the one I normally use That wouldnt work, so well prepare it then. It will probably be quite a crude thing, but please endure it. If you took nkets from the castle bedroom to the trip, they would get ruined in one night. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) She might not even mind that, but considering we might have to spend several nights out, it would be better to take a more durable one. We quickly finished our preparations and left through the castles gate thirty minutester as nned. The road from the royal castle was basically the main street. There were stores lined up, making it the main economical street, so there were quite a lot of people there. Especially during the afternoon like now, not just the customers, but even the craftsmen were out buying lunch, so there was enough congestion to block a carriage. Our carriage that had its canopy removed was slowly traveling among that crowd. Huh, isnt that Lady Eligore? Wow, youre right! Is that Nicole with her? When did she return to Raum? Huh, no way. Is that Cloud? Didnt he be kinda cool? Michelleeee,pant, pant. Finia is my wife! As we passed, citizens that spotted Princess Eligore started to gossip loudly, but there were just as many people talking about us. There were women making eyes at the now-grown-up Cloud, and I felt both proud and annoyed at my students growth. Cloud was already taller than me in my past life, so he had really good prospects in the future. This bastard was surprisingly popr in Raum where there was less bias towards half-demons. Also, thatst woman, dont you dare approach Michelle. Also, Im not giving you Finia. Shes mine. You all seem quite popr too. Err, well, our party has quite a few conspicuous people. Princess Eligore waved amiably at the citizens while talking to Cloud who rode his favorite horse next to the carriage. Cloud still couldnt calm his nervousness, but considering the concept behind thismission, he had to respond to her. There was a need to lower the hostility towards half-demons by disying him and Eligore getting along. After a while, news of Finas kidnapping by the hands of the half-demons would reach here, so this was the do-or-die moment. Letina also used to go on adventures with you too, right? Yes, back then Finia was not with us, though. She was gathering quite a lot of attention among the high society too, you know? Maxwell ended up stealing her, though. Ah, so she was, huh. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Maxwell and Letina remained behind at the castle. If she came together, Cloud would no longer stand out. Letina was a young beautiful elf. She was also skilled in magic, and had connections with the Six Heroes. Moreover, she was popr among the masses, and many nobles wanted to take her as their wife. Duke Lamech ended up pushing through with his ambitions. Well, from the perspective of herrades, I suppose her engagement with Lord Maxwell is something to be happy about? Hes someone we can trust and worthy of respect. Yes, Im also relying on him in that regard. Their conversation gradually improved, and the tension left Clouds tone too. Princess Eligores sociable skills were something to praise. As I was feeling impressed, I felt a cold stare from behind. Looking there fearfully, I saw Michelle who wasnt even trying to hide her displeasure. As someone who was with Cloud all the time, it seemed like she was feeling somehow jealous of Princess Eligore, who was having a friendly chat with him. W-Will this job really go smoothly If Michelle and Princess Eligore be antagonized, just who should I side with I started to worry for real. Chapter 584 We went through something like a parade, but we finally managed to pass the gate. While we were showing the public how Cloud and Princess Eligore were getting along, I was also being vignt of the surroundings. The mainmission that we received was to guard her, after all. Princess Eligore was the first heir to the throne, but at the same time, her standing put her at constant risk of assassination. As she didnt take proper knights on this inspection, those aiming for her life would consider this a great opportunity. Well, not that Im going to allow them that. I was a professional in that field since my past life, so I was well aware of the points they would aim for. I looked towards the points where the attack was likely toe, confirming whether there was anyone suspicious there. Above all, Maxwell wouldve never made such a blunder. Considering that secret room where we had the conversation, the talk about this journey has probably not leaked for the most part. This journey happened too suddenly, so even the attackers would have a hard time dealing with it. They probably failed to gather troops up, and ended up having to watch the pseudo-parade that happened. Plus, the enemy wouldnt be able to touch a popr princess like her in public. After all, if the client of the assassin was traced, they would lose the trust of the poption. A coup would probably not happen, but at least the citizens would divide the region. If they did that, it would affect the taxes, and if the king heard of it the nobles would lose their trust. A noble whose citizens left him wouldnt be qualified to be the next king. Your Highness Eligore, monsters will start appearing from now on so Your Highness? I called out to Princess Eligore to warn her, but she didnt react to it at all. She even turned away and ignored it. Umm, Your Highness? I told you to call me Ellie. That would be a bit I thought it would be too casual, so I used honorifics, but it looks like she didnt like that. Having said that, I had to talk to her during the journey. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Can you let that go? I cant. Its unfair to leave me out like that. I mean, that wouldnt be good even for your reputation. But it should be fine with you calling me by a nickname, right? As she said, being Lyell and Marias daughter, I should be allowed to do that much. She was royalty, but she could still be reced. I, on the other hand, was both the Heroes daughter and the savior of the World Tree Religions pope. I had no recement. Alright. Ellie? Yes, Nicole? Ellie replied to me with a blooming smile. I could feel a drop of sweat trickling down my cheek. This princess probably had the same in nice personality as Letina. From here on, monsters might attack us. The capital vicinity is being cleaned of monsters by Adventurers, but that safety goes away after half a days journey. I think my father was also putting effort into maintaining the safety around the capital but only for half a day? Yes, it has to be a day trip, so they can only reach that far with safety. In other words, I should be ready for danger beyond this point? We will protect you with all our strength. However, if you dont listen to us, we may fail to fully protect you. So youre saying I should absolutely follow your instructions, yes? Understood. I didnt overlook the fact that her eyes shone when I mentioned monster attacks. This princess might actually be looking forward to the attacks. As I started squinting my eyes, Finia started to giggle. Whats wrong, Finia? Oh nothing, I just got reminded of the old days. Old days? Yes. That was just like our conversations when you didnt listen to anything I said. Hey, that never happened or maybe it did? Compared to me who used to slip past her eyes, Ellie who actually listened should be far better. I had enough self-awareness to realize that much. Thinking about it, I sure have caused a lot of worries to Finia, who was with me for even longer than Lyell and Maria. She stopped getting so angry at me once she learned my identity, but she was probably still worried about me. Not to mention, she had seen how weak I was during my childhood. Well, I guess Ill just increase my alertness. Yes. I will also periodically keep checking with my magic. Among the wind-based spells, there was a spell that could emit a sound undetectable by ears to the surroundings and search for the enemy using its waves. Finia who mastered the four elemental spells could use this spell too. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Michelle, you should stop sulking too already. I-Im not angry or anything! And I like Her Highness Eligore too? Why the questioning tone? Also call me Ellie. Huh, okay. How about Elle? Even better! Michelle readily gave her a nickname, and Ellie gave a thumbs up. That was really frank. Is this her real personality? At any rate, once we left the northern gate, we traveled smoothly along the highway. Though I say smoothly, we werent going that fast. But we shouldve still gained a lot of groundpared to walking. And before long, the sun started to go down, and we had to start looking for a ce to camp. Alright, lets find a wider ce and spend the night there. Once I found a ten-meter-wide open space along the highway, I instructed Finia, who held the reins, to drive the carriage there. Cloud also followed with his beloved horse Elizabeth, and then we started getting ready to camp out. Once we made a kamado for cooking and had our meals, we just needed to sleep inside the carriage. Michelle and I gathered the firewood, while Finia cooked dinner, and Cloud was setting up his separate tent. This was because he was a guy, so he couldnt sleep with us inside the carriage. Michelle and Finia aside, even I was a girl and had things I wouldnt want males to overhear. Thus, he took the initiative and started to use his own separate sleeping ce. Cloud would be sleeping in the tent, huh? Im the only guy in this party, so I cant help it. Youre quite the gentleman. If I dont be one, Id get burned Ellie tilted her head, unable to understand what Cloud meant. But Cloud didnt borate on it either. He couldnt say it. Also, I wont burn you without a reason, you know, Cloud. Maybe I need to burn you for spreading such false rumors. Chapter 585 The trip went on uneventfully for a while after we left the gate. This was partly thanks to the diligent work of Adventurers on subjugating monsters in Raums vicinity. Meanwhile, Princess Eligore continued to talk with us in an easygoing manner. It seemed that her frank character wasnt a front she put up for appearances, but her natural disposition. Still, it certainly is peaceful. When I was at the castle, I imagined it would be more I dont know, that we would be attacked by monsters right as we left the city. Ahaha, if people got attacked like that no one would leave the city. Indeed. Were traveling along the highway now and have chosen a rtively safer path. Finia, could there be a possibility for us to stray off the path for a bit? There isnt. Please give up and behave. She interacted with them so casually that Finia and Michelle acted like theyd been decade-long friends. It was hard to say whether guards should really be acting like that or not. Mghh, I finally managed to leave the city, so I wished to have some thrilling tale to tell my father. Weve only just started the trip, so dont be discouraged so quickly. Finia, dont justfort her there. We dont want to be attacked, right? Ah, right! Still, this princess was quite something. She even made Finia lower her normally strong guard. Finia was currently holding the carriage reigns, but Michelle would be switching over on the way. Michelle who learned to operate carriages from an early age so she could carry the game, and Finia, who did it to carry food to the orphanage, were capable of handling even two-horse carriages. By the way, I knew how to ride a horse, but I couldnt operate a carriage. Speaking of which, are you able to drive a carriage, Ellie? You are still interacting formally with me, Nicole. Well, Im trying to use at least minimum manners here. Besides, youre speaking politely too, Ellie, are you not? That is due to how I was raised. And I would not say I am versed in handling a carriage. Magic is my specialty, incidentally. Understood. In that case, we could have to hold the reigns if were left with no other option. There was no knowing what could happen during the trip. Even if she was someone we had to guard, it was still good to know what she was capable of. I considered the case where we would need to have her leave us and escape on her own using the carriage if push came to shove. But I decided it would be impossible now that she said she couldnt drive it. But I supposed this was still good, as knowing it beforehand would save time if we were forced into that kind of situation. Then what about a horse? And what about your magic? I can ride a horse. Sideways, at least. As for magic I am proficient in fire magic, but I fall short of Letina. I feel bad for Letina for having to sit out this time too. It cant be helped. She is still a marquis daughter and the future duke. She cant leave the city willy-nilly. I shrugged and lightly tapped on Michelles head, who seemed lonely, consoling her. She had a habit of purring like a cat when I did it, which made it amusing. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) As I enjoyed the feeling of her fluffy hair, I felt a cold gaze moving across my neck. It felt like a defensive response that was triggered when you were directed with bloodlust. In other words, someone was directing it towards us now. I instantly looked around without moving my head. If I moved poorly it could cause them to attack us before we got ready. However, I didnt sense anyone hiding in the bushes along the road. That only left Above, huh? Hmm, whats wrong, Lady Nicole? It seemed it wasnt a human. I poked my head behind the coachmans seat, but Finia found it strange. Well, looks like theres some trouble. Ah, you mean those Vultures. Michelle chimed in after leaning out of the carriage after me. As she said, there were three Vultures flying high up in the direction we were heading. Both the number and the species of the enemy were identical to the time I came to Raum. Can your arrows reach that far, Michelle? Hmm, might be a little hard. Looks like the wind is quite strong up there. To prove her point, she casually let loose an arrow. The arrow flying toward the Vultures was iparably stronger and more uratepared to that time when she was young. But even so, it lost its strength before it reached them, and the wind made it miss the mark. See? Looks like you can reach them, though. But it wouldnt have enough power to pierce their wings or skin. It would be a different story if I use this one. She said while hitting the case where Third Eye was stored. But using it on the enemy of this level would be a waste. Replenishing its arrows was quite troublesome, unlike regr arrows. Then lets attack them when we approach some more. Finia, keep that in mind too. More flying enemies, huh? Well, youre bad with flying enemies, Cloud. Just be careful so the horses dont get attacked. Gotcha. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Birds that attacked from the sky were a natural enemy for a shielder like Cloud. Having said that, his role wasnt inconsequential in this situation. After all, enemies like this attacked not only us but our horses too. Cloud was extremely valuable in such situations as he could quickly guard against them. If a horse got done in, our moving speed and overall transportation ability would be greatly lowered. I can finally witness Lady Nicoles skill! Dont get excited over that. Oh, right, this might be a good opportunity to see your skill, Ellie. Huh, mine? Yes. Theres no knowing what could happen from now on. I want to see how well you can fight. I did not expect you to make your protection target work. Now dont start cking off here. Her point was actually valid, but she was someone we had to absolutely protect. I wanted to be be even more careful than normal and be urately aware of everyones skill. For that, enemies like these where we had some leeway were ideal. Alright then. I shall disy my strength here! Seeing Ellie roll up her sleeves and stand above the carriage, I couldnt help but be reminded of Letina. Letina was a marquis so her lineage was closer to royalty. Perhaps it was only natural that their personalities were simr. Chapter 586 Seeing Ellie stand up reflexively seemed to have provoked the Vultures, they suddenly swooped down toward us. Of course, once the distance closed, they would be easy targets for Michelle. But if Michelle took all of them down before they approached us, this opportunity would just be wasted. I wanted to see how Ellie could fight. Michelle, just take one down for now. Cloud, you and I will be in charge of another one while we protect the horses. Finia and Ellie, can you handle the one yourselves? Okaay! Leave it to me. I suppose we can handle one. I will do my best! They all responded to my instructions. Cloud set up his shield above his horse, while Finia stopped the carriage and transformed her dagger into a spear while chanting the activation keywords in a low voice. The Vultures kept closing in as we prepared. The moment one of them pushed their ws down in preparation for an attack, Michelle instantly released two consecutive arrows. They stayed true to their aim and pierced the joint of the Vultures each wing, robbing it of its ability to fly. There, Im done. Uh, one normally cantnd such a pinpoint attack on a swooping Vulture, you know? Ehh, Im sure you can do it too if you try, Nicole. Nooope, no chance! I swear, all geniuses were like this. The speed of a nosediving Vulture exceeded 100 km/h. Though it was a gigantic bird of over three meters when it spread its wings, it was far too abnormal to be able to hit the joints of its wings with pinpoint uracy. Needless to say, I couldnt possibly imitate that. A-Amazing. As expected of the Bow Saint Well, Michelles actions fall outside ofmon sense. Youre going too far, Nicole! Pay attention, the rest are here too! I decided to refrain from using the threads just in case, and drew out my katana instead. Princess Eligore was still royalty, so she should know far more information about the Six Heroespared to an average person. It would be a pain if I use threads and she connects the dots to realize I was Reid. Take this! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) That said, without threads, my attack range wasnt much different from Cloud. Thus, I flicked up a pebble with the tip of my sword, aiming for the vultures head. Of course, my throw was iparable to Michelles, so it didntnd and was easily avoided. But that was within my calctions. By avoiding it, one of them strayed off from the attack angle, so I seeded in dividing the two Vultures. Okay, Cloud, you focus on this bird, while Finias group will focus on that one! Alright! Finia, having been in my party for years, quickly realized my intentions and was already facing her spear toward it. However, her thrust that aimed for the Vultures body was avoided at thest second, only resulting in a graze wound. Ellie also started chanting to not fall behind, and didnt show any signs of being seized by fear of battle. It seemed that she would be dependable if the situation requires it. At the same time, there was a heavy sound, which resulted from Cloud having engaged with another Vulture in closebat. He had blocked its ws with his shield and had grabbed its feet in retaliation, attempting to m it to the ground. Why arent you using your sword? Cloud, what about your sword? Itd be pointless to use it unless I drop the to the ground. More importantly, attack it already! I feel like Im about to float up. Cloud had grown, so the Vulture wouldnt be able to lift him up so easily. That said, it was still desperately pping its wings and trying to get away from him. And because of that, Clouds feet floated up and left the stirrups every now and then, but he clung to his horse, Elizabeth, and somehow managed to stay in ce. Okay, okay. But still, you really have to learn to defeat something like that alone. If I try to, I can do it. I just have to drop my shield and take out my sword. But if you do that, youd just get meaninglessly injured. Yeah. And I dont want to get hurt. If he let go of the shield that fended off its ws and stabbed it with his sword while expecting a mutual blow, Cloud would most likelye out as a winner. But that would just get him pointlessly injured, and wed have to heal him, which would just expend our magic power. So instead he chose an attrition battle and waited for my intervention. He acted while being aware of our capabilities, so I guess this was something to praise him for. But I still wont praise you. It quickly gets to your head. Thats so mean! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I ran toward him as I spoke and took a leap. Inded on Elizabeths butt with the first leap, and then jumped into the air using Clouds shoulder as a scaffold. The Vulture widened its eyes, not expecting this action, but it immediately thrust its beak. But that only resulted in exposing its weakness, which was its head, to me. I thrust my katana toward its eyeball. As it had thrust its head my way, it had no way of dodging it. The de pierced the soft flesh and even destroyed the hard bone deeper in. Then I dropped to the ground with the Vulture under me. This position again? I felt like Inded like this even back during my trip to Raum. Then I looked toward Finia. She was doing short, repeated thrusts at the Vulture to block it from drawing near. Back then, she had been on defensive-only, but after obtaining a spear, and the training that followed it, she could easily deal with something like a Vulture. As she was gaining time, Eligores spell finally finished. Finia, get back! Alright! Since she hadntmunicated with us, princess Eligore spoke up to let her know of the timing. Finia had been expecting her to do so, so she quickly jumped back. Given her thoughtful consideration, she was good at sensing other peoples feelings. Even in this first tag battle with Eligore, she was able to use that skill and match her actions with hers. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) Once princess Eligore confirmed that Finia had moved back, she cast her spell. ze Sphere. Wha?! I couldnt help but yelp weirdly when I saw the spell she used. ze Sphere was a guiding-type high-power me attribute spell that Maxwell used too before. Its power was enough to scorch the trees around even with the radiant heat alone. If you used such a spell inside a forest, and set it on a Vulture on top, it would Did you see? This is my power! Are you an idioooooooot?! I forgot the social status difference and smacked her head from behind. Meanwhile, the ze Sphere chased the Vulture around above the forest. And the resulting fire naturally kept spreading and spreading. Chapter 587 We pulled the canopy over the carriage carrier, and there I had princess Eligore sit on her knees and scolded her, disregarding her social status. Next to her, Finia was plopped over immodestly with her limbs stretched, and was breathing roughly with an exhausted expression. This was due to the recoil from using high-level magic that was beyond her ability. The spell princess Eligore had used earlier was a tracking-type me spell. Moreover, it was originally a spell that needed to be guided by thoughts, but Maxwells original version made it auto-track the target. Eligore, who had inherited that spell, had gone and triumphantly used it earlier. The Vulture that got surprised by the giant fireball turned tail and ran about to escape from it, and the ze Sphere followed after it in pursuit. The radiant heat caused a fire in the forest, and since the Vulture was flying everywhere it only elerated the damage spread. To make matters worse, due to the spells automatic nature, even Eligore herself could no longer stop it, so it stayed in effect until it burnt the Vulture. By the time it ended, the surroundings were turned into a sea of fire, so Finia used a high-level spell called Control Weather in a panic to put it out and ended up expending all her magic power. Being left empty of it, she didnt have enoughposure to keep up her usual tidy appearance, so she was plopped down inside the carriage, while we quickly pulled over the canopy to defend against the rain that she had summoned. And we arrive to present. Letina also used fire magic inside the forest all the time, but she never used something this brutal. I have no excuse At least pay attention to your surroundings before you use magic. When you hold great power, it is your obligation to master it properly. My attendants also keep telling me to sit still all the time. So this is a usual thing? I feel like Ive seen this kind of having power but ending up badly style somewhere. I couldnt remember who she resembled, but either way, I got that she had no ill will. That said, she still did something dangerous, so I had to scold what needed scolding. Even if she was royalty. We were traveling together after all, and her magic could put myrades in danger. It was best to take advantage of princess Eligores gentle personality and say what I could say. That said, I was also at fault for letting her participate in the battle without seeing through her personality, so I couldnt scold her too harshly. I see, so Elly was a clumsy girl, huh? I was certainly known for messing up at the very end, but I didnt put my surroundings in danger at least. I shoved a magic recovery vial into Finias mouth with an irked expression. Princess Eligore was a good and gentle person, and was seen as a perfect individual from the perspective of usmoners, so I never expected her to have such ws. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Either way, though it was a fatal mistake, she was reflecting after that first mistake, so I decided to stop scolding her so persistently. She would be our travelingpanion, so it would be detrimental if she started to fear me. After all, I was an extreme loner in my past life because people feared me, so I didnt want to repeat the same mistake. Well, its good that youre reflecting on it. Be careful from now on. Alright Princess Eligore answered while hanging down her head in dejection. It was pretty adorable to see her like this. At any rate, we couldnt stay holed up inside the carriage forever. The Vulture attack and the fire extinguishing had taken a lot of time, and the day was starting to darken. Given Finias state, Ill handle cooking today. Cloud, you prepare your tent meanwhile. Oh, is Cloud not sleeping together with us? Ellie, youre royalty, you know? Dont you think itll be problematic to sleep together with a boy? It should not be dangerous if its Cloud People could still use that as a threat. And that would bring trouble to Cloud too. But there is not a person around, so it should be fine. This made me realize something. She didnt have a poor endgame. She just had weak defenses. Will Raums royalty really be fine as things stand? Huh, is Cloud gonna be a king? Nonononono, not a chance! Thatll never happen! Michelle asked in disarray as she listened to our talk, but Cloud retorted to it with all his might. That made me lose my strength. Michelle really was a healer. Even Finia had a dry smile on her face. But still, there were more important matters to handle now. Anyway, Finia, how long will this rainst? This spell should continue for around an hour. This is the first time I have used it, so I cant say for certain. I suppose magic to clean things up benefits you more than magic to make it rain. Well, I do think the same duringundry At any rate, it didnt seem like it would stop raining while we got ready. In that case, there was no choice but to go under the forest trees where the rain wouldnt reach and start cooking there. I found it a pain, but asked Michelle to move the carriage towards it. Chapter 588 Michelle and I ended up being the ones to cook. Princess Eligore was desperately wanting to make breakfast, perhaps to redeem herself, but someone had to look after Finia since she couldnt move now. Thus, I assigned her that duty. If I carelessly let her cook, I felt like shed identally add poisonous mushrooms to the food. Okay, Ill leave the soup to you, Michelle. Gotcha! No spider legs and meat this time, okay? okay. What was that pause? Did she actually n to put them in? Anyway, any food that Finia, who was the most tired one among us, couldnt eat was out of the picture. While Michelle was getting ready to make soup, I was searching around for branches to use as firewood. Since we made it rain to extinguish the fire, all the branches were damp, but we had Princess Eligore to fix that. I had her tend to Finia at the moment but it should be easy for her to set fire to the firewood. I also plucked any edible wild grasses to add to the menu. Ellie, can you ignite the firewood? Leave it to me! She jumped off the carriage with rough nasal breathing. I put the firewood inside the kamado made of stones, and then Eligore attempted to st magic at it. ze Sphere. As she said, quite a tiny fireball floated still between the firewood and quickly evaporated the moisture from it. At the same time, the firewood also zed up with great force and gradually turned to ashes. This is quite useful, but for what purpose did I gather the firewood Huh? Oh, um, of course, wood to serve as live coals was necessary too. Oh well. So long does this spellst? It should easilyst for about ten minutes. Its enough to burn the firewood, but not enough to cook with it, huh? Im sor Oh, no, Im not ming you or anything! She started to feel dejected again, but I quicklyforted her. It actually required a lot of skill to be able to control the fire intensity perfectly inside the kamado. Her control could even rival Letinas actually. Her skill was plenty admirable. Lets put the damp branches and stuff around it and dry them while we can. That will be plenty helpful. I would be d if I was useful. We all rely on Finia in the magic department, so you really helped. Finia is simply too universal! As Michelle said, when Letina was in our group, I feel like we relied on magic a bit less. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) But after Finia joined, she took over that field with various magic skills and chores, so we mightve been getting a little toofortable with it. Im sorry, if only I hadnt gotten so exhausted. If you hadnt stopped that fire, wed have ended up like this firewood. Ugh, I have no face to show regarding that. When I stood up for Finia, this time it led to Eligore bing depressed. A meal was supposed to be one of the few fun things during the trips, so save me from this guilt loop please. Thats not relevant here! I also gave you instructions without fully understanding your abilities, so lets call it even. A-Alright. Michelle meanwhile stir-fried the ingredients in the pot, then added water to make soup. I cut the conversation short and used the side of the kamado to make stir-fried food. It was simple cooking where I just sprinkled salt pepper and other seasonings on the wild grasses that I picked on the way. Even so, this way we had more variationpared to just eating soup, bread, and jerky. Im done with my tent, so let me help with something. I had Cloud take over the food preparations while I headed to the carriage to check on Finia. There I saw herying down while princess Eligore was bringing the water pouch to her mouth. Finia, how are you? I have gotten noticeably better. Running out of magic power sure is tough. Ive never experienced it, so I dont know. Your magic power overflowed instead, after all. Finia giggled as she answered, and I was relieved to see her recover enough energy tough. Oh, do you wanna use my magic power again? If things go well, your magic power could recover. Huh? Huuh?! Now that you mention it, that could actually But wait, that would mean I would be with Lord ReiI mean, with Lady Nicole huuuh?! Finia was covering her mouth with a beet-red face. From my point, it was toote to get flustered over that, but I suppose her thoughts on the matter would change when she knew the child she did that with as medical treatment was actually Reid in the past life. In the first ce, my Magic Buildup Disease was healedpletely within a year with the help of Queen Blossoms nectar. I did continue to faint even after that, but that was due to my originally frail constitution, so there was no way to cure it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) At any rate, it was something from nearly seven years ago, so no one could me her for forgetting about it. Let me thank you for what you did back then. LorLady Nicole?! She looked adorable with that flush, so a teasing smile crept up my face. Finia was thinking of a reply, but she didnt seem toe up with anything, and just covered her head with the nearby nket. Thinking I went overboard, I approached the nket and whispered sorry in a quiet voice. Given her mild demeanor, I doubted shed get angry over it, but it was important to apologize anyway. Alright, the food will be done soon, so step outside. Finias weather maniption spell was still in effect, so it was still raining outside the carriage. That said, we had moved the carriage under the trees, so the area near the kamado wasnt wet. Besides, if we put on raincoats we wouldnt get wet either way. Finia, how is it? Think you can manage to eat? At my question, she poked her head from the nket, gave a quick nod, and hid under it once more. I felt like calling her a bagworm, but I was the reason she was acting like this, so I decided to hold my tongue and left the carriage. In the end, Finias behavior didnt improve that day, so when she came out for dinner with a beet-red face, Michelle and Cloud started needlessly worrying about her, wondering what happened. Chapter 589 After that, we continued our journey to Stor as we overcame distress over distress. One time, a huge serpent coiled around Princess Eligore while she was relieving herself, another time, she got entangled with a river octopus while bathing, and yet another time she almost got kidnapped by Goblins during the battle, and each time Cloud had to bend forward, which was followed by Michelle pinching his buttocks There were too many events to count. And that princess was getting attacked when I wasnt looking as if she was waiting for it. I couldnt help but call this some kind of talent. Nicole, Nicole, Elly wants to go to the toilet. M-Michelle, please be more ambiguous about it Huh, its all girls here anyway, so isnt it fine? Why arent you counting me?! I felt a headache at Clouds reasonable im. Michelle and this princess that got into lewd troubles had a good affinity, so she was together with Michelle more than with me. Each time, she was dragged around by Michelles unhinged nature. And then princess Eligore was dragging me around in turn. We were stuck in this vicious cycle. Okay, Finia no, I will go with her, so keep Cloud in check. I wont peek! I know. Goddammit, you keep messing with me! Clouds standing in this party that unintendedly became like a harem was actually low. I knew it since I was formerly a man too, but when men were at a numerical disadvantage, they tended to get overpowered by the women. But his reactions were always great, so I couldnt help but join the teasing side. Cloud also knew we were just teasing him as a joke, so he was intentionally responding with overreactions. In other words, he wasposed enough to do that. Hmph, hes pretty cheeky despite being just Cloud. Really? Is being friendly not a good thing? Princess Eligore objected to my mutter as I made my way through the rustling grasses. She seemed to be quite fond of Cloud too. And that only made Michelles mood worsen. I didnt respond to her words and instead started treading down on the grass to make a ce for doing business, having judged that we hade far enough. I just had to rattle the grass around to hide the sound. Thinking about it, on the inside Im also a oh well. I was in reality in the same position as Cloud, but I started to think from the womans perspective. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Could it be that even my thinking has started to turn feminine? Is anything the matter? While rustling the grasses, I remained vignt of the surroundings. This princess tended to attract danger during these situations. As expected, I heard a grazing sound in the grass and reached for my katana. We have an enemy. Are you done? Huh, oh, yes! Im done. I let out a lot! I dont need the details. While I heard her finish up behind me, I proceeded into the night forest. We were already inside the forest, but our camp was still in the open space, so I decided to refer to it as a forest. There, I saw two Keratoses eating grass. Keratos was an omnivore monster, so they ate both grass and meat. Since they were eating grass there was a chance that they were hungry. If they saw us, it would unquestionably turn into a battle. Still, I was being alert so how did they manage getting so close. I grumbled in a small voice to not be overheard by the Keratoses. It seemed that they approached while I was being led around by princess Eligore, but I was losing my confidence for overlooking them just because of that. My presence detection ability was even able to sense vultures high in the sky Nicole, what is the matter? But then Princess Eligore called out without a care. I guess it was my fault for not telling her about the enemy, but it was still pretty bad. The Keratoses reacted to her voice and raised their heads up. I immediately used my stealth Gift and hid in the tree shade, but that only ended up highlighting Princess Eligores presence. Kukeee! (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) With one cry, the two Keratoses rushed at her. Seeing that, I stopped hiding. It was too pointless to do that now. Michelle, Finia! We have enemies, two Keratoses! I called out to myrades who shouldve been near enough to hear it, and then proceeded to cut at the Keratoses from the side. In short, this princess was both a trouble-ma and clumsy, yet she was also charming, readily cooperated, and had no malice, so it made her extremely bothersome yet hard to dislike. Would it really be fine for her to be the next queen? God dammit! Kyuaaaa! A sudden sh at its nk made the leading Keratos scream in shock. The other one also stopped moving and stood alert towards me who suddenly appeared. But gaining time was exactly what I was aiming for. Meeeeeat! Along with the carnivores (Michelles) war cry, a silver light pierced through the darkness. That sh pierced through the left eye of the Keratos that was facing me. It raised a cry and shook its head, attempting to flee, but this time I attacked its feet. I cut at its heel and severed the tendon that was necessary for running. Next instant, two arrows had already pierced both eyes of the other Keratos. Keratoses were no longer an enemy for Michelle. The two monsters whose vision and mobility had been robbed had no means of resisting us, so it didnt take long for them to draw theirst breaths. After that, I saw Michelle happily butchering them, and became a little worried. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) Would we really reach Stor safely with this trouble-ma princess with us? Chapter 590 For a little while, the story will focus on the northern region. Nicole wont be appearing. That day, Lyell and others were climbing up a small but steep mountain a little separated from the pioneer vige. The medicinal herbs growing there were necessary for the antidote against Kufars poison. The knowledge of it came from Fina and the textbooks that the God of Destruction left for her. A three-year-old girl even remembered the breeding grounds of the herbs, so it showed just how frightening the Gift of Pharmacy was. Shes only three, but she urately knows the types of herbs growing here. As expected of my daughter, dont you think? Geehhaah And shes the cutest girl in the world. Or I suppose Nicole is the first one. At any rate, shes definitely among the top three. H-Help Zells already H-Hes going to die Dont worry about me. Leave me here and go on ahead S-Squeeee Because of the norths characteristic steep terrain, the three who were ordered to apany him ex-kidnappers Troy, Jones, and Zell were already at deaths door. The Carbuncle was much the same. However, Lyell alone was neither bothered by the altitude nor the steep path. Oh, you guys. Let me remind you, Ill kill you if you touch Fina, got it? Or Nicole. Weare in no state for that Lyell suddenly turned around and pointed at the gasping trio and an animal with that warning. Naturally, the people concerned had something else to worry about now. The steep route had shaved away their stamina and they were on the verge of copsing. Howare you so energetic? Hmm? If the path is steep, you just have to step firmly, right? Its not so easy to dohwah?! Troyif you fall here youd geteaten by wild beasts. Troy, who yelled, fell to his knees despite Jones warning. Yourecking stamina more than I thought. If you stay like that youd get used all over again. I dont think stamina has anything to do with getting deceived um, never mind. Please, let us rest a little No helping it. Fine, were resting for half an hour. Lyell allowed the fallen trio some rest. This herb gathering was also used as a march to give them some stamina training as their punishment. Having said that, if he forced them to move and they fainted, Lyell would be the one thats inconvenienced by it. Plus, perhaps they were reflecting on their actions, they really endured it until the very limits of their stamina. Lyell wasnt someone who wouldnt acknowledge that. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Here, if you cut this vine the sap wille out so drink it. You still have water in your sacks right? Yes, we do. He severed a vine coiled around a nearby tree and had them drink the watering out of it. Water was a precious resource on a mountain. If they could procure it locally, it was better to consume that instead. This area was particrlycking water sources, so some of the nts had a nature to store arge amount of water. Lyell knew that, so he told it to them and had them drink it to economize on their own water. At this rate, youll just get in the way of the other soldiers. We know that but we cant suddenly increase ourcking stamina. I know that after looking at my daughter. Oh well. I guess I will take my time with you. Lyell didnt want to kill them or anything. Rather, he even recognized their resolve to even throw away their lives to save their family and dear ones. The problem was their method itself, and it involved Lyells family. As such, he couldnt dere them innocent. He had to punish them in a way that the soldiers and the vigers could witness, or it would affect the order. Thus, he decided to take them along on this herb-gathering trip. Along with the Carbuncle whos gotten fatter again as ofte. Kabby, that goes for you too. You cant protect Fina the way you are, you know? Squeeee The Carbuncle squeed back as if ashamed, but it was plopped down with limbs spread, showing no signs of getting up. Good grief, I know Marias food is delicious buthmm? Suddenly, Lyell cut his words. His eyes turned sharp, and he looked around in vignce. Is something wrong? Yeah, this feels like a battlefield. Battlefield? Lyell didnt have as high a detection ability as Reid, but having ovee life and death situations countless times, he could still sense danger. And his senses keenly sensed a crisis. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) This is bad, I I might not handle it while burdened,before he could finish that sentence, the source of the danger showed itself. It was a giant over three meters tall, having a goat-like head and holding giant swords as wide as a humans torso in each hand. It was the same thing he had seen recently in Berith. Twin-ded Devil?! Get back, all of you. It was a strong foe, but he had experience defeating it. That made him decide not to flee. However, the next second he realized that it was a mistake. Because one more giant showed up from behind the rock. Two of them?! One of them gave him a hard fight as is. He managed to ovee that battle without an injury all thanks to Reids support. But this time Reid wasnt here, and he had people to protect behind him. Kh, you guys, run like your lives depend on it! If you stop, youll really die! W-What are those?! Monsters! Shit, lets run, Troy, Jones!! Squee! Lyell pulled out his trusty sword and faced the Devils. Of course, the Devils had no intention of overlooking him either. One of them raised both of its swords and rushed at him. He stopped them with his heirloom holy sword, repelled and stayed in ce. He nned to buy the three behind him time to escape. Mr. Lyell, you should run too! I will after you do! If you dont want me to die, hurry up and go! So he yelled back, but facing not just one but two, he couldnt help but feel hopeless. Even so, in order to protect the three behind, he couldnt step back. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) Shit, Im doing exactly whatthat fool(Reid) did, huh! He kept swinging his sword as he yelled those words. Chapter 591 The Carbuncle kept running in spite of its confusion. The three men chased after it as well. However, the Carbuncle knew very well that it would lead to a hopeless situation as things stood. Having acted as Nicoles body double many times, it knew that she was Reids reincarnation. The enemy this time were the Devils which was the cause of Reids death, and against whom he and Lyell had fought in Berith. Lyell was forced into a two vs one fight against such opponents, so even the Carbuncle knew that he had slim chances of victory. W-Wait! We cant leave Mr. Lyell here What could we possibly do if we stay!? We have to run and call help as fast as we can! B-but!! The men kept running awkwardly as they expressed their opinions. The Carbuncle understood their words, and everyone had valid points. Lyells chances of victory were slim, so they couldnt just leave him here. They had to call for help. However, Maria hadnte and remained in the pioneer vige. They couldnt manage to reach her in time no matter how you looked at it. If they had teleportation or flight magic at their disposal perhaps they could have made it. But the Carbuncle could only use mid-grade spells at most. As those spells were high-grade ones, it couldnt use them. It had to do something, such thoughts gave rise to impatience. Squee! It turned around and cried at the men, telling them to hurry up. But it quickly realized that even that was impossible already. Their stamina had been drainedpletely during mountain climbing. It was almost a miracle that they could even run like this. It would be hopeless at this rate. Just as it began thinking that, a certain scene surfaced in its mind. It was about the method that Reid used to carry the three of them the other day. The mid-grade Levitate spell that he used. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Squeeee! It quickly moved into action. It cast the levitating spell on the three and made them float. Then it took out the rope from its bag with Telekinesis and tied it to them. It tied the end of the rope to itself and pulled the three with the Cargo spell. It was a spell developed for physicalbor. It was quite possible to tow three heavier men. However, that would put a big burden on a puppy-sized Carbuncles body. But even so, it didnt stop moving. This Cargo spell that forcibly moved the body was quite simr to Nicoles physical strengthening through threads. Naturally, it would be a defective spell as it is, so it also had a physical supporting effect. That said, that effect still couldnt fully make up for the difference between the three men and the puppy-sized Carbuncle. Its body started creaking, and gave off sounds of something being torn. But it continued to elerate regardless. The luggage started to glide along as it gained speed, so as the burden was alleviated, it used that spare strength to elerate its body even further beyond its limits. It elerated like a carriage as it ran down the mountain. Had it been alone, it wouldnt have put this much burden on it. But even so, it took them along, because it needed their mouthsit couldnt speak human words, after all. It needed a person that could exin the situation once they reached the vige, thus it couldnt leave them be. Carbuncle, leave us here. You can just take Troy with you. Zell spoke to it, having sensed its distress. One person would be enough to exin the situation, right? We should be safe aftering this far. We wont be attacked even if you leave us here. Squee That was both a fact and a hope. Coming this far, they would certainly not get rolled up in the fight with the Devils. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) But that was only if Lyell was still alive and fighting. If Lyell lost, the Devils would instantly leave and start attacking the nearby settlements. The nearest settlement was the pioneer vige, and this was the route leading there. In other words, if Lyell lost, they would instantly lose their safety. Thus, it was hard to say that this was a safe ce. But even so, Zellughed to not worry about it. Dont worry. Thats no way that Lord Lyell would lose, right? And even if one escapes here by some luck, we could at least act as deterrents. Saying that, Jones took out a small shield from his luggage and equipped it on his arm. He also understood how much the Carbuncle was pushing itself. Squee! There was no time to worry. It had to do the unreasonable and get to the vige, otherwise everything would be meaningless. It decided it had to go with their suggestion, and released the Telekinesis on the two of them. Hurry now. Theres no knowing how long Lord Lyell canst. They had never witnessed the threat of the Twin-ded Devils. But even so, they understood that they werent enemies that ordinary people could take on. Lyell, who could win one-on-one, was the abnormal case. Squee! Squeee! I will definitely bring help. It gave a cry loaded with such intentions, and dashed once again with Troy. And within thirty minutes, it had arrived at the pioneer vige. Chapter 592 When the Carbuncle arrived at the pioneer vige, Maria was at the church healing injured people. It was forenoon, thirty minutes after Lyell encountered the Devils, when vigers carrying the Carbuncle barged inside. Lady Maria! Where is Lady Maria?! Hearing the desperate yell, Maria stopped healing and headed to the churchs entrance. Whats the matter? Is anyone hurt? The ones who had rushed there were a few vigers and Troy. And he held the Carbuncle in his hands. Seeing their state, Maria realized the gravity of the situation and decided to hear them on the spot. Devils holding two swords appeared Lord Lyell remained behind to let us escape Lyell That idiot! Maria grit her teeth and cursed with an unusually grim expression. The men backed away at her unusual behavior, but Troy continued to speak. Lord Lyells behavior suggested it would be a hard fight. Lady Maria, please go save him! Yes, I know. You went to the northern mountain for herb collection, right? Yes, it was around sixty percent up on the hillside. In the middle of a mountain road there. Its not too far away from the usual harvesting route. Okay, you go and tell Cortina. Y-Yes! The moment she gave instructions to the men, Maria immediately proceeded to construct the teleportation magic circle. Normally it wouldve been better to join up with Cortina first, but this was a race against time, so she decided to go on ahead alone. With Marias support and Lyells attack power, most enemies could be handled without problems. Physical type enemies in particr could be handled with ease. The magic circle activated, and the surroundings got dyed by the magic light. Teleportation magic could only reach ces where one had already been to, but Maria had been to the area to collect herbs before, so it wasnt a problem now. Being the head healer of the vige, she had frequently gone to collect herbs there. It wasnt difficult to set the destination. Her vision warped, and the next moment she teleported to the mountain road she was familiar with. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Normally, birds and bugs could be heard chirping and buzzing, but everything was silent now, except the violent sounds of sword shes. Lyell! The sounds were spreading all around, but she still understood the rough location. It wasing from slightly above where she was. Jones and Zell shouldve also been nearby here, but she decided to put that off for now. If Lyell got defeated, there would be no one else who could take on the Twin-ded Devils. And above all, he was someone dear to Maria. She kicked up the hem of her habit and ran to the source of the sound. After going around several boulders and following the mountain road up, she arrived at the scene where Lyell was facing off against two Devils. He had already lost a lot of blood, but he still stood strong and continued swinging his sword. However, two of his fingers holding that sword were already broken, so he had to support it with both hands to hold it in ce. His left shoulder had also been cut, and the blood flowing from the wound reached the hilt of the de from where it had ticked down to form a puddle. Even his back had traces of shes, some of them being so deep it was a surprise he was still alive. Is that you Maria?! Realizing the person behind was Maria, a smile full of hope appeared on Lyells face. And it was warrantedhis shoulder and back wounds disappeared instantly, and his broken finger bones also relocated themselves, making it possible to hold the sword with one hand again. Sorry, you saved me! Just focus on whats ahead! Now that he could hold the sword with one hand, Lyell used the empty hand to pull out the scabbard and held it as if it was another de. Lyells evasion ability wasnt as good as Reids so he couldnt keep on avoiding the attacks. Instead, his style was to hold the front line with his inexhaustible stamina. But keeping that up against the attack power of these Devils was hard. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) He managed to defeat them in Berith with minimal damage thanks to Reids support. They really are strong foes. Be careful, Maria. Dont worry. They are more suited for me, in fact. The Devil attacking Lyell stopped attacking once Lyell used his iron-made scabbard as a shield. Seeing that, the other Devil went around him and tried to head for Maria. Holy Jail. But then, Maria used the strongest defensive spell in her arsenal. It was a barrier magic that could block all physical and magical attacks. However, it consumed a lot of magic power, so it couldnt be used frequently. Moreover, Maria couldnt move at all while it was active. But with this, Lyell could now fully focus on the remaining Devil. He was using the iron scabbard as a shield to block, repel and push back the Devil. Finish it up fast. I cant hold it for too long. Got it. Sorry, Devil, looks like I cant y with you any longer! The Devil swung down its sword as if responding to his words. But it was easily repelled by Lyells single attack. Had Reid witnessed it, his inferiorityplex wouldve been stimted. That was just how heavy the Devils attack was, and how abnormal Lyell was for repelling it. Having repelled the attack in the opposite direction, the Devil ended up bending backward. Lyell, on the other hand, had swung his sword upward, so he was in a posture to swing it back down. Yaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!! Along with that shout, he swung it down. His attack mmed into the Devils chest and continued to cleave downward starting from its sr plexus. Even a Devil couldnt survive having its stomach bisected. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) It fell to its knee, but it still raised its arm, determined to counterattack. Lyell, however, did not allow that and mmed the scabbard into its face. The Devils goat face deformed after tasting the blow of the scabbard that Lyell used like an iron club. The Devil did a spin and fell to the ground, this time to never rise back up again. Phew Lyell heaved a sigh and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Sorry, but if youre done there, hurry up here. Ah, okay okay. No need to say twice. Okay. Havent you be stricter since Fina was born? Lyell raised his sword again as he spoke. At the same time, Marias Holy Jail was dispelled. Finally free, the Devil raised an angry yell and tried to rush at Maria, but Lyell stood to block its way. He was now back to full health, with Maria supporting him on top. With two of them together, a single Devil was no opponent. Thus, it wouldnt take long for the remaining Devil to draw itsst breath. Chapter 593 The trip to Stor with Princess Eligore was by no means a smooth ride. She got rolled into trouble at every step and we had to run about in hopes of solving it. But she had no ill will, and not everything was brought by her carelessness either, so when we were stuck with truly bad luck encounters I felt like she was cursed or something. However, such a trip wasing to an end now. We would reach Stor in just a few hours of travel on the highway. Arriving at that stage, I discovered something strange. Huh? Whats that? Whats wrong, Nicole? Uh, look there. I pointed towards the directions we were going. The canopied carriages didnt have a vertical canopy to allow people to get in and out of the coachmans seat. As such, you could freely see the road ahead and behind. Ahead in our direction, Stors rampart could already be seen periodically through the gaps in the forest trees, making it known that wed get there very soon. The problem was, there was also one horseman rushing towards us at tremendous speeds from there. Is that a horseman? Ellie, what did you do this time? T-Thats rude! Even I could not have caused anything when we have not even reached the city yet! So you will cause it when we reach? I retorted, but either way, the horseman ahead couldnt be ignored. It was just one horseman, so wed have the advantage if it turned into a battle, but it was still necessary to be alert. Finia. Just in case, switch with Michelle. If it turns into a battle, please cover us with appropriate support magic. Understood. Michelle. Okaay! Michelle, raise the canopy and be ready to shoot in either direction. Gotcha! Michelle replied quite casually at my and Finias words. But her carefree voice allowed us to not be overly tense. Cloud also took the shield from his back in reaction to my voice and got ready. The reason he hadnt pulled out his sword yet was that in the chance that the horseman wasnt an enemy, it would only make the atmosphere tense. It was even possible that seeing his sword, the other party would see us as enemies and engage in a pointless battle. Theres one enemy, but dont lower your guard. There are no signs of an ambush, though. Got it. So we just have to be careful ofthat, I guess. What shall I do? Ellie, you remain inside the carriage until I say otherwise. Cover your face too if possible. Princess Eligore was famous and her face was known even by the citizens. Her poprity even reached a faraway city like Stor. It was plenty possible that getting her face revealed would invite a lot of trouble. Thus, as we were getting ready, the horseman arrived before us. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) U-Umm I addressed the approaching horseman to ask about the situation. However, they didnt slow down and instead dashed right past our carriage. It wasnt that my voice hadnt reached them. As proof, during the passing, they even replied, My apologies, I am in a hurry! Normally, theyd have shouted, move aside! instead of wording it so politely, so they seemed quite sincere. Well, I suppose its a good thing it didnt turn into trouble, huh? But I wonder what was that about? They seemed to be in a rush. By the looks of it, they looked like a military messenger. Maybe something happened in the city. Military messenger? They seemed to be heading to Raum The next moment, there was a heavy copsing sound from Stors direction. It wasnt the sound of an explosion, but a copse. In other words, something had crumbled down. And it had reached us over ten kilometers away. It was easy to imagine something major has happened based on that alone. W-Whats going on?! It was a cloud of smoke visible even from this far away. Something big enough to warrant it seemed to have crumbled down. We could see the city buildings before the smoke, which means whatever had crumbled happened on the opposite side of us. This is bad! Lets hurry, Nicole! Yeah, but There were still over ten kilometers left to cover. No matter how we rushed, it would take at least thirty minutes. No helping it. Ill go ahead with Teleport! Youre going alone, Nicole?! I-I know its dangerous, but it would be faster that way. Please wait! Ille too! Finia? Finia insisted oning along after hearing my words. Seeing her eyes, though, it didnt seem that she did it just because I was going ahead. Considering the scale of the copse There must be injured people at the copsed site. It would be better for me toe along as I can use healing magic. I see. Then you can Then I wille along too. Wh-, Ellie?! If the ce is in chaos, it should be better to have someone with high standing with you to give instructions. I will of course make sure not to get in your way. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) I gave some thought to her words. If the leader at the scene was dead or injured, it would be necessary for someone else to give instructions. If there was someone else, then that was that, but if not, the chaos would just drag on and increase victims even more. But if Eligore, who was a princess, showed up at the scene, she could takemand for the time being and give instructions. That way, it would allow us to perform organized rescue operations and the victim count would definitely decrease. Okay. Ill take Ellie and Finia. Michelle, sorry but get the carriage to the city. Cloud, you protect her. Okay! Gotcha, Ill hurry up then. Now that I was taking Finia along, there was only Michelle who could drive the carriage. Since we didnt n to leave the carriage here, she had to remain and drive it. And I couldnt take Cloud with his horse either. I constructed the magic circle, took Finia and Princess Eligores hands, and we teleported away together. Chapter 594 The ce I teleported to was Stors Adventurers Guild. The reason I chose this ce was that I could gather most information here. Gadius inn could also be a good ce to gather it, but this ce was still better. But there were barely any Adventurers in the Guild, and the remaining staff was also moving about in confusion. Its me, Nicole. I just returned from Raum! I saw a cloud of dust, what happened? I grabbed one of the staff members and asked about the situation. Having been grabbed by the cor, the female staff member uttered a Gweh! in surprise, she was relieved to see me. Miss Nicole, youre back! Thank god. The northern gate is currently facing a raid and all the Adventurers have gone there. Someone is attacking this city? Just what could they gain from that Gains and profits are probably irrelevant to them. After all, the attacker is a Devil. A Devil?! Yes. They are foreign invaders whoe here from a different world. They do not act with the interests of this world. Devils invaded this world through summoning magic and minor rifts between the worlds. They came in a great many varieties, but onemon trait was that they had a big effect on this world. Those extreme beings were deemed to be rampaging against mankind. I hope its not a dangerous Devil at least As there were many kinds, their strength also differed greatly. There were some that one Adventurer could defeat, and some that could kill the past me. And ording to one theory, even that Evil Dragon Colchis was one of the summoned Devils. Its certain that it is not a weak Devil. Its over three meters tall and has two giant swords. What did you say?! The branch head is missing in this situation so we dont know what to do! I was already convinced with that much. There was no doubtthe enemy was the Twin-ded Devil. It appeared back then and led to my death. Then two more in Berith. And yet, they even appeared in this city. Meeting the same type of Devil so many times was just some kind of destiny at this point. But that was the least of my worries. If it attacked this ce, then the ones dealing with it would be the local Adventurers. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Frankly, Adventurers here werent that strong. There was really no one who could take on that Devil here. The second-most skilled Adventurers in this city were Mark, John, and Tony, but even they couldnt possibly handle it. Lord Gadius had gone to deal with it, but there are far too few people here. Information reached us earlier that the outer wall was destroyed, so the situation must be quite chaotic there. I can imagine but why is the branch head missing? That person always disappears somewhere, so Im not sure agh, hes never around when we need him! Then I will takemand here! Eligore spoke up with vigor after listening to our conversation. I brought her along exactly for that reason, so I was d that she was feeling motivated. Okay, follow me! Okay! L-Lady Nicole, that Devil Finia, you should probably stay here. That Devil had given her enough fear to call it a trauma. If she rushed to the scene and saw it, she could fall into confusion and do something unpredictable. But Finia stubbornly refused to stay behind. If youre going, Lady Nicole, then I aming too. And I came here to heal people, after all. Yeah, but That said, it had already been twenty-five years since then. It was possible that she had already conquered that trauma. If her will was this strong, maybe I didnt need to meddle in, I quickly reconsidered. Okay. But its a dangerous enemy, so do exactly as I say, okay? Okay! You too, Ellie. Of course. She would be the one giving mostmands on the scene, so she had a lot of work to do behind the scenes. As such, we had to hurry to the north gate. I rushed out of the Adventurers Guild towards it. The situation near the gate was terrible enough that it made me want to turn away. The outer wall protecting the city had crumbled, and the gate was pulverized along with it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) Wounded people were spread around raising groans. There were some who were already dead too. This Finia! Y-Yes! Finia was as dumbfounded as me, but my yell made here to her senses, and she immediately rushed to heal the injured people. Whos the leader here?! Hes already long dead! The Adventurer that usually joked around yelled at me with a harsh voice. That was just how grave the situation was. What about Gadius? Lord Gadius is keeping the Devil in check over there. But thats the most he can do. Thanks to that, the Devil cant enter any further into the city Shit, if someone couldmand us, there couldve been something we could do. Got it, Ellie! Yes! Ellie quickly climbed atop the nearby rubble, and then yelled from there loudly. Everyone, I am Eligore III! I have just arrived in this city. There is nomander here, so from this moment, I shall take over the role of themander! Her voicecked the usual casual vibe, but was loud enough to spread through the ce. Her voice made even the Adventurers fighting the Devil stop for a moment. That couldve led to a fatal oue if something went wrong, but Gadius, who was holding off the enemy at the forefront made up for it. First, Lord Gadius, please hold off the enemys attacks like that! Adventurers on the right side, attack while focusing on its swords! Adventurers to the left, continue spreading horizontally and attack it from behind! Right! Princess Eligores unexpectedly soundmands raised the morale of the Adventurers. I shall step to the frontline as well! Please match up with me! Please dooont!!! Her following line was met with shrieks from the Adventurers. If something happened to the princess, that crime would fall on the entire Stor. Please, just donte to the frontline! Youre too clumsy, your highness! W-What did you say?! If you get carelessly injured, wed be the ones in trouble! Shit, lets take care of this before her highness reallyes here! Yeaahh! Looks like the morale has risen without me doing anything about it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) Gadius, who was blocking the Devils attacks muttered to himself. He was the only person here who could stop the Devils attacks. But the situation only started to worsen. Two more Devils appeared from beyond the crumbled wall. It has reinforcements?! And two of them too theres three now. Gadius and the Adventurers raised desperate voices. I felt quite desperate myself. However, I wasnt the old me anymore. And Gadius was here too. This was not a ce to cower in fear. Chapter 595 I drew my katana and headed toward the Devils. Since Princess Eligore was here, I didnt summon my gauntlets. Even if there were three Devils, mybat power was different from back then. I confirmed it in Berith that I could deal with them as long as I could strengthen my body with thread maniption. Even so, our situation wasnt so favorable that I could get careless. Thats just how strong a foe these Devils were. Gadius, Ill Back you up now. I was about to say that, but someone hugged me from behind. Of course, I was careful since this was a battlefield. But since I got hugged, it had to be someone that wasnt included in my vigncework. F-Finia? Please dont! Even if its you, Lord Reid, that enemy is Wait, Finia!? Finia and Gadius knew of my identity. So it was natural for her to call me that. But there was Princess Eligore and other Adventurers of Stor here as well. It was pretty bad to call me that here, and Finia was smart enough to realize that, but Please dont go. That enemy is beyond even you, Lord Reid. Wait, listen Please, dont go. Please After saying that much, she just started to sob. She fell powerlessly to her knees while hugging me from behind, so she was just clinging to my waist now. Looking back at her, I finally realized her fear. She was trembling and crying so much she couldnt stand anymore as she clung to me. There was no way Finia could remain calm when she saw those Devils. She was merely forcing back her trembling and pretending to be calm. Twenty-five years ago, even just the presence of that Devil made her petrified in ce. Now three such Devils appeared, so she couldnt possibly be calm. She was in total panic. But it would be too harsh to me her for that. I was the one insensitive enough to have missed that. Finia, itll be okay. I can deal with that level of an opponent now. But but still! I patted the confused Finias head and calmed her down. She started to shake her head at me, acting like a spoiled child that was unlike her. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) I tried to convince her with a gentle voice as she cried nonstop. I couldnt abandon the Adventurers now. That would also mean abandoning this city itself, after all. I was fine in Berith, right? And I have Gadius, whod be even better at defense than Lyell, so theres not even the smallest possibility of something going wrong. If I had to say, Lyell was a warrior excelling in the offense. He was like a gale that could rampage at the forefront using his forged physical strength and Gift of Toughness. Gadius on the other hand had mountain-like stability, blocking and fending off the enemy attacks without budging. Hecked firepower in exchange, which was the reason why he couldnt drive away the Devil this time. But with me here, that w could be made up for. I dont want to die again. If it gets dangerous, Ill just ditch everything on Gadius and run back. Really? Really, really. If I lie, Ill listen to anything you ask. I-Ill believe you, okay? Sure. I gently patted the clinging Finia and removed her wrapped hands off me. But Finias sudden frenzy surprised a few Adventurers, and though they avoided a fatal injury, they were out ofmission now. Even if it was an unavoidable thing, I had to make up for the dy. The three Devils already joined up, and Gadius was dealing with two of them while the remaining one was held off by the Adventurers. Gadiuscked attack power so he couldnt defeat them, while the Adventurers were not strong enough to win even if they went at it with numbers. Dont push yourselves! But dont let it pass through no matter what! Mark stood at the forefront and encouraged his allies. He knew that they couldnt win on their own so he had decided to maintain the frontline. His judgment was correct here. Gadius could only protect, but the Adventurers Guild had heard about this. If so, they should have contacted Raum with themunication system where Maxwell, the strongest attack power of this country was. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) And the messenger was also dispatched. If they dashed the horse to the death, they could deliver the information to Raum in three days. They didnt n to continue this battle that long of course, but the information would reach Raum for sure. The remaining problem was to survive until then somehow. If the Guild reaches out to that old man and hees here, these Devils can be exterminated instantly. Maxwell was extremely specialized in attacks, after all. But that would piss me off in its own way. Always relying on Maxwells attack power just kept me away from my ideal heroic figure of myself. It was unthinkable to suffer against the same enemy over and over. I directed my thread maniption powers internally and strengthened my body. Gadius wasnt in that much danger, so I decided to help the Adventurers first. I slipped through the crowd of Adventurers who were stopping the Devils attacks and arrived at its feet. As I was sliding between its legs I sliced the underside of its knees and broke its posture. Devils skin was hard and thick. I wouldnt have been able to slice the skin with my normal muscle power. But now I was strengthening myself with the Gift of Thread Maniption. I cut its hard skin like paper and severed the muscles and tendons behind it. As the Devil fell with a somersault, the Adventurers flocked to it. Naturally, they couldnt deal any effective damage with their power. Smite its shoulders and inner sides of elbows with axes! Okay! That said, I doubt it could fully defend against axes that could cut down big trees. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) There were many Adventurers who focused on destructive power and specialized in axes. They stepped forward now and attacked the Devils arms. The Devil shrieked from pain and tried to rampage, but having its legs cut and arms smote with axes, it could no longer deal any effective counterattack. I didnt even have to do anything anymore. The Devil was exposed to the Adventurers attacks with no means to fight back and soon drew itsst breath. Chapter 596 After seeing that the Adventurers put down the Devil, I once again focused on Gadius side. As expected of the defensive specialist, though he couldnt defeat them the battle was very stable. His legs were strongly nted into the ground like roots and he safely blocked and warded off the four greatswords of the Devils. The Devils seemed to have found it frustrating that their des werent reaching him and only kept growing fiercer with their attacks. However, Gadius endured even those frenzy sword sts so fierce that it prevented people from approaching him. Gadius, hand one over! Huh?! Gadius groaned back at my voice and then responded with action. He approached one of them while moving away from another. Protecting also meant keeping range in check. Gadius excelled in that aspect. He remained in the middle range of both Devils and instigated the enemy with his one-handed axe, keeping them focused on him. Like that, he kept the Devils to that ce, preventing them from moving to the Adventurers. But after my call, he took a step aside. With that, one of the Devils was free to move. I sheathed my katana and picked up the Devils greatsword instead. The reason for that was that surprise attack aside, even an excellent de would break if it was used to block the Devils attacks. This greatswords de was as long as I was tall, making it hard to even lift it up with my normal physical strength. The reason I could hold it up like a branch now was all thanks to thread maniption strengthening. Graaaaaahhhh! The Devil released a threatening howl at me as I approached it with itsrades sword in hand. Many Adventurers legs gave off at its roar and they fell where they stood. But those that managed to hold out dragged the fallen ones away to safety. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the trantors your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) Of course, I couldnt get scared with something like that. The Evil Dragon Colchis roar was dozens of times scarierpared to their roars. Yaaahhhh! Raising the greatsword with both hands, I shed towards the Devil. Of course, a straightforward attack like this would never work on an enemy like this. It stopped my sh with its left hand and attacked with its right sword tried to, that is. Grah?! But my strengthened attack easily prated its defenses. I easily pushed off the sword it put up to defend and drove the de into its skull. But that was still not enough to kill this Devil. Though it raised a shriek, it kicked my way without faltering. Normally humans wouldve shrunk back as they held their shed heads, but that was expected of this Devil, I suppose. But I hadnt gotten careless after that strike either. I easily dodged its kick and followed up with another attack. This time, the attack sliced halfway into its right arm and stopped. The situation was overwhelmingly in my favor. But that wouldntst for very long. My muscle fiber strengthening through thread maniption was putting a big burden on me. In fact, after releasing those attacks that passed through its defenses, my elbows and shoulders were screaming in pain. Even so! The damage I dealt by pushing myself wasnt in vain. The Devil was in a frenzy after having its head and face shed, and used its remaining arm to swing its greatsword at me. I easily dodged its attack and showed aposed smile. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) It was definitely not an opponent I could be soposed against. I was merely doing it to provoke it. That managed to flip itpletely, and it focused solely on cutting me down, ignoring the situation around. After dodging its attack as I moved in an arc, I arrived at a position where the other Devil was right behind me. But this Devil that had lost its rationality failed to notice that fact. Gaaaaahh! Graghh?! I dodged its sideways sh by jumping over it, and heard a scream from behind. As it failed to notice itsrade, the other Devil ended up taking the full brunt of that attack. It was shed from an unexpected direction by an unexpected source. The shock from that was enough to throw even a Devil into confusion. It turned around, forgetting the situation. Seeing that it was itsrade that shed its back, its goat face turned dumbfounded. Gadius was in front, while I was behind, and it was shed by its ally. It probably started doubting who was the enemy and whether its ally betrayed it. But that opening wasnt something Gadius would overlook. Even if hecked offensive power, the other Devils back was already cut by its fellow Devil. Gadius swung his axe aiming for that wound. The next moment, I heard a cracking sound as the metal and bone met. Gadius axe had mmed into the Devils spine. A Devil it may be, having its spine smote with an axe, it couldnte out of it safely. With its spine broken and nerves severed, it powerlessly fell to its knees. Then I mercilessly drove the greatsword into its neck now that it was low enough. My attack that could push even the Devils strong arms aside, coupled with the weight of the greatsword, easily lopped off its head. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) I created a one-on-one situation, while unting with each of my attacks to lead it, and had it attack its ally and then take that one down. My tactic was perfectly executed. Gadius, who could coordinate with me silently was quite something as well. He gave me a thumbs up with an awkward wink. Sorry, but I cant wink back with my eyepatch on me. Now then, that leaves only one. Defeat is no longer in the picture. Gadius confidently set up his shield. I also held the Devils greatsword with both hands, and moved to stand between it and Gadius. Normally the Devil wouldnt have overlooked me in that position, but it was now driven into a situation that wouldnt allow it to do anything. Gadius and I werent its only opponents. Even the other Adventurers started to surround it. The Devil no longer had a way out, and we had no intention of letting it surrender either. G-Graah The Devil finally realized the situation it was in after its frenzy. And it also knew that we would ept no surrender. Thus, it raised its greatswords and decided to take as many people with it as it could. The one it attacked wasnt tough-looking Gadius, or me, who held a greatsword, but instead, one of the Adventurers, Mark, who wasmanding the rest. But that also meant showing its back to me. Before its sword could reach Mark, my sword shed its back. The heavy blow easily pierced through its skin and flesh, broke bones, and destroyed the organs within. Sorry about that. It seems that Im not really suited for a frontal assault, after all. The Devil red hatefully at me as I boasted behind it. The injury on its back was deep and clearly fatal. It couldnt remain standing with such damage, and thus, it slowly fell to the ground. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!